New Challenge Blog - Friday Sketch Challenge

There's a new Challenge Blog in town - Friday Sketch Challenge and I'm excited to announce that I'm on the Design Team!! We get started on Friday the 16th of September and I can't wait to show you what we come up with! The girls have created some amazing sketches (I hope when it's my turn that mine will compare, I've never done anything other than sketch out a basic design on some scrap paper before!)
I've been working on a few DT cards and it is definitely getting my mojo flowing again so I can't wait to start sharing them with you!

Images © Stampin' Up!, Designs © Zarna Gould

Stampin' Up!'s new (to us!) Designer Fabric

 I've been having heaps of fun playing around with my preorder from the new Stampin' Up! catalogue that will be out in September. Especially the new Designer fabric! I made a little memory board to display my card samples when I am out and about, I used a 12x12" frame that I already had (It used to house this piece of wall art). I used a piece of DSP backing cardboard for my base, layered some quilt batting that I had left over from Asher's Quilt. Glued it all down at the back using Tombow and then criss-crossed the Satin Ribbon across the front, stuck them down at the back with sticky strip. I poked some vintage brads through all the layers - this was the trickiest part, even though I used the Paper Piercer the fabric & ribbon sort of sprung back into place and the brad prongs wanted to bend a little, but I got them through with a bit of wiggling. I backed it all with another piece of DSP backing card glued down with more tombow. Popped it in the frame & I was done.
It took about half an hour to complete including the time spent wrangling the children out from under my elbows, so easy!

Another project I made, again simple but not as quick, this time a little shirt for Charlotte (inspired by this pin on pinterest), she is a slim size 4 and the long edge of the Designer fabric wraps all the way around her with an inch or 2 to spare, I think this would make a beautiful newborn baby dress! I completed this in 1 and a bit days, if I'd had a more cooperative "mannequin" I would have finished sooner lol

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Fabric: Flirtatious Designer Fabric
Accessories: Rich Razzleberry Satin Ribbon, Vintage Designer Brads

Images © Stampin' Up!, Designs © Zarna Gould

Happy Birthay Cass!

Just a quick post as we're headed out the door soon for the party but I wanted to share the card I made this afternoon, but first i'll embarrass Cass with a picture of the Cass that I see in my mind when I think of her:

That's Cass in purple (her current fave colour by the way!), I used to baby-sit her when I was a teenager and I can't believe that this little girl is 16 today!! I feel so old! (The baby in that photo is in High School this year!). Anyway, enough moping, onto the card.

I kept the card fairly simple, because I loved the flower piece I coloured & was scared that I'd ruin it. I stamped the flower from Elements of Style in Stazon (If I was doing it over I'd black emboss) on a piece of Newsprint DSP, coloured it with watercolour crayons directly to paper, then carefully moving the colour around with an aquapainter until I was happy with the colour, really really careful not to use too much water & warp the DSP.

Then I used some crochet ribbon to tie a Teneale bow as taught by the ribbon master herself at Convention in Melbourne this year, she makes it look so easy but I think I'll need some more practice before mine look that good.

I was inspired to colour on print firstly by this post here I found ages ago on pinterest:

Source: etsy.com via Zarna on Pinterest

then reinspired recently by this card of Dawn McVey's:

Source: dawnmcvey.typepad.com via Zarna on Pinterest

Anyway, I better head off to the party, I'm leaving the boys at home & taking Charlotte since Jack has a little sniffle and I didn't think a bonfire would be particularly good for the immune system right now.

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I'll be back to edit the info later this weekend when I have more time
Stamps:
Ink:
Cardstock:
Accessories:

Images © Stampin' Up!, Designs © Zarna Gould

Long time no post

I love blogging, not that you would be able to tell from the 1 post a month I'm averaging at the moment. I have been stamping since I was pregnant with Charlotte, I managed to use naptime to get a card or 2 made to post regularly. Then if that didn't work I was able to use the evening, but now with the kids having shorter naps as they get older and working nights I'm finding it harder to find my creative mojo when I have a few moments to myself.
I've got a few things I have designed for classes or workshops lately that need photos taken then I can pop them up on the blog, and a few other projects in mind for the future. Hopefully I'll get back into some kind of groove and posting on my blog more regularly soon.
But anyway, sorry for rambling at you but I just wanted to let you know that haven't forgotten about my stamps or my blog!

Images © Stampin' Up!, Designs © Zarna Gould

Guest info packets

With the hostess special (details below) this month I thought I'd spend a bit of time updating some of the "tools" I use for workshops. One of the things I like to do is make up a few info packets filled with any current promo flyers, mini catalogues, wish lists, business cards & order forms etc, basically anything a guest needs at a workshop that isn't part of the make & take.
The folders I use are just plain white folders:

Pretty bland huh? So I decided to Stampin' up!-ify them. I used some of the retired Island Oasis DSP that I had left over from the Summer mini catalogue, added some scallops made with the Tasteful Trim Bigz XL & "Stampin' Up!" using Timeless Type Jnr Alphabet Sizzlits out of coordinating cardstock.

I kept them fairly flat and simple so they don't get ruined in transit, I'm planning on putting some contact over the top, but if my school books were anything to go by I thought I better take a picture first ;p
I had a little "helper" when I was making these, my nephew Asher came over for a little while today so Carmen could get some quick jobs done that would have been made more complicated by getting a baby in and out of the car at every stop. He slept peacefully the whole time but agreed to model one of the folders for me:

Isn't he beautiful?

Anyhoo, I mentioned the hostess special earlier, here are the details. Book a workshop with me between now & the end of June and Stampin' Up! will give you an extra $70 of free hostess credit if you get $450 worth of orders at your workshop. Contact me today to book your workshop, imagine how much you would be able to cross off your wishlist with $110+ of FREE credit! I would love to give you all those extra goodies for free!

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Cardstock: Island Oasis DSP (Retired), So Saffron, Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, Rose Red, Old Olive
Bigshot: Tasteful Trim Bigz XL, Timeless Type Jnr Sizzlits


Images © Stampin' Up!, Designs © Zarna Gould

A Card for Asher (Warning: lots of proud Aunty moments coming up!!!)

My nephew Asher James Xavier Gould was born on 23 April 2011 at 10:20pm weighing in at 3.3kg or 8lb 5oz for those of us that only know baby weights as imperial measurements. He is beautiful and healthy and I'm in love!

So, what's the first thing a stamper needs to do when she finds out she's an Aunty? Make a card of course!! (well ok, it wasn't exactly the first thing, the first thing I did was wait until we got home from Orange - he had to be born the weekend we were away!! Then I had to meet him in person, BUT the next thing I had to do was make him a card lol)

This card was super easy to make using the new Tasteful Trim XL Bigz die in the Winter mini, I cut 3 layers at a time and only had to run the die through the bigshot twice! Then it was just a matter of gluing the strips down. I used all the Blues & Greens from the Soft Subtles Patterns Stack as well as sneaking in a little Yellow (Bashful Blue, Baja Breeze, Marina Mist, Certainly Celery, Wild Wasabi & So Saffron). The yellow is a bit of a dig at the new dad who doesn't think that yellow can be a colour for baby boys, Carmen & I love taking every chance to point out that yellow can be a perfectly boyish colour!

I CASEd this card from this online find, toning it down to suit the new baby look (but it's still on my list to recreate exactly as shown, it's such a beautiful card!):

Source: pinkbuckaroodesigns.blogspot.com via Zarna on Pinterest

Now for the proud aunty pics! (I had to steal these from facebook because I was too busy having cuddles that I forgot about taking any photos of my own! But I know that I will rectify this next time I visit!) 

Sucking his little thumb, isn't he the most adorable thing you've ever seen???

He has eyes!

Safely home!

Images © Stampin' Up!, Designs © Zarna Gould

Baby Shower for Carmen

My sister-in-law had her little boy Asher (proud Aunty post to come next time, I've got to give the card & gift to her before I can post it here)

One of the girls from work threw a baby shower for my sister-in-law Carmen but our mother-in-law and Nana-in-law couldn't make it so I threw another one for everyone who couldn't come to the first one, of course I couldn't help adding a bit of SU! style to the decorations!

A banner made with SU! products, I didn't use the pendant die because I didn't have it but after handmaking each of these little flags I'm really wishing I did have it!
I had to keep a gender neutral theme for the decorations which was hard because even though I knew that he was a boy there were people who didn't want to know what she was having. I think I went a bit overboard with pink trying to compensate for knowing he was a boy lol!

Close up of the banner, I used the Bigz alphabet dies (name escapes me right now) covered in a little crystal effects for some shine.

This little journal idea I stole from a friend who saw it at a baby shower she went to. It's a little journal of mummy tips & childhood stories for the mother to be, I covered a 5x5" On Board art journal with some Lap of Luxury DSP.

Close up of the ribbon covered spine, I had fun with this one, can you tell? ;p

I added a little tab for each category & her name using the Timeless Type Jnr Sizzlits dies.

Images © Stampin' Up!, Designs © Zarna Gould