One on 1

Coming tomorrow a follow up on the last OLW blog hop .... the lovely Marge from Xnomads' Blog has made a special button for those taking part .... 

So pop back tomorrow to see how my OLW is working for me this month.

Nikki

x

It's A Sale-A-Bration Blog Hop

Yes Sale-A-Bration time is here and a few of us have got together to celebrate with a little blog hop.

You may have arrived here from the lovely Ros Davidson's site or you may just be starting here ... but however you have found this page it's okay - you can follow the links and see all of the creations.

I make no apologies for using my most favourite technique - I love brayering.  Here I have used three of the four sets that are available FREE if you spend $100 or more or host a workshop with more than $600 in sales .... can you guess which ones?

The colours are Poppy Parade, So Saffron, Very Vanilla and Basic Black and this is a card we made at a recent workshop for a make and take.

The lovely lace is of course from the Summer Mini - sadly this will end on 31 March - no more lace after that :(

And here is a  'stepped up' version of the same card.  This time I have used a sponge to emphasise the sun's rays as well as a brayer and some lovely pearls for the butterflies.  This card is heading its way to a lovely friend and fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrator who celebrate's her birthday on Monday.

So if you'd like to make the same card at your workshop give me a call now to book (0428 254 952) and I am offering a little blog candy today too .... 

Name all three Sale-a-Bration sets used to make these cards and I'll pick a name out of the hat to receive the 'thanks' card - I'll send it with an envelope for you to use next time you want to say thank you to someone special.

So off you hop to a lovely friend of mine Christine Blain - she is sure to have something lovely to show you.

Thanks for hopping and see you next week for more inspiration.

Happy stampin!

Nikki

x

Fast and Fabulous Again :)

Now I know this one was on the old blog - but I am not sure if it showed up .... so here it is again ... more watercolouring! Isn't this a great colour combo, Melon Mambo and Rich Razzleberry.

Come back Saturday for a blog hop featuring the Sale-a-bration sets - it is sure to inspire :)

Happy Stamping!

Nikki

x

 

More Watercolouring with Fast and Fabulous

Now that I've done my very own blog hop I'm not sure what I have posted and what I haven't - so if you've seen this already ... sorry!

Regal Rose, Rose Red and Early Espresso are a really good combination.  I just stamped onto watercolour paper with Stazon and coloured in the flowers.  Its really easy and the Fast and Fabulous set is a two step stamp set (try saying that four times over really fast LOL).  This makes colouring in the flowers even easier.

We have a team challenge this month for faux tiling .... so I just divided the finished watercolour up into nine pieces - it looks very effective doesn't it.  Do you like the latest border punch - its lovely ... Scallop Trim Border, page 148 of the catalogue.

Happy stamping.

Nikki

x

If I Ever Say I Am Moving Blogs SHOOT ME!

Well what a week, transferring from Typepad to Blogger was a huge .... well I want to say ... success ... but it wasn't - so I am back here again with the old and the trusted .... perhaps this was just a step too far - one can take CHANGE to too literally can't they.

Decided I know Typepad, I understand how it works and yes it may cost a little bit each month, but to save my sanity I am going to call it an investment :)

Some minor adjustments still to make then I am back where I started.

Nikki

x

 

More Watercolouring

Yes another version of my earlier watercolouring cards.

Love these colours together, Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo and Whisper White.  Class date for March will be set I promise ... newsletter on the agenda for this weekend.

Hope you are having a lovely week.

Nikki

x

Oh Lordy Lordy

Blogger, Typepad and file splitters .... goodness gracious me .... still no posts or pictures ... but I'll get there.

Thought I'd just carry on though as if nothing has happened .... just pretend that all is okay :)

So here is Paul's Valentine's day card - a little late in showing you but it was already made and written well before the date.  It's one of the new Sale-a-bration sets Bliss - isn't it lovely.  Poppy Parade and Crumb Cake, perfect combination.

I hope you had a lovely Valentine's day and shared it with the ones you love.

Nikki

Awesome Scrapbooking!

I've posted a scrapbooking page on the Stamp-a-Memory site - pop on over and take a peek.

Have a great day.

Nikki

x

Inkspirations Colour Challenge #56

Another challenge, I like challenges!  This time the Inkspirations Colour Challenge.

My new male stamp set - Extreme Surf with Extreme Elements.  I punched the stars and used the Tombow glue to stick them into place before I ran the cardstock through the Bigshot Waffle folder - seems to squish (that's a technical crafty term LOL) the stars into the background .... works well I think.

The sentiment is from the new Sale-a-brations set ... yes the one that 'should be used' with the scallop square punch ... I stamped the image, punched out the sentiment using the star punch and then 'filled in' the unstamped bits by touching them up with the ink which was left on the stamp ... now I wonder ... did I explain that okay - does that makes sense?

Hope you like the card and that you will find time to take part in a challenge or two this week.

Happy stamping.

Nikki

x

SAM Challenge - RED!

Well I suppose it is February and the month for Valentines!  When I found these photos of Olivia on her nineth birthday (and a beautiful red top that I used to love), I thought what a great opportunity to do some 'catch up' scarpbooking.

I've used allsorts on this layout.  The papers are from the Celebrations paper pack, the butterfly is from the new Sale-a-brations set - Bliss (this reflects her enormous butterfly birthday cake I made for her).  I've used the rock and roll technique to create the multi-coloured image.  The little dots are from the Extreme Elements set - I masked the butterflies and then using a Stamp-a-ma-jig I stamped the image a few times.

I've used the Big Shot to create a top note die for the embellishment, which is from the Hodgepodge Hardware range and the Timeless Type Junior alphabet for the title.  

The little ribbon details is just a few bits of red ribbon knotted around the white, with the date attached using a little safety pin from the trinkets set in the Summer Mini.

I think colour challenges are great .... have a look through your photos and see what you have that you can immediately use to scrapbook - black and white photos also look so good against a red background.  To enter the challenge click here to find out how.

Happy scrapbooking!

Nikki

x

 

 

JAI 51 - A Colour Challenge

The lovely ladies at Just Add Ink have a colour challenge this week.  Such lovely colours - perfect for my new favourite stamp set Fast and Fabulous - a Hostess Level 2 set.

This style of watercolouring is so easy ... do you want to learn how to do it?

I'm running a class to show you how in the next couple of weeks.  You will make three different cards using the same stamp set and you can personalise them to suit different occasions.  

Watch out for class dates in my February newsletter.

Happy Stamping.

Nikki

x

 

Happy Birthday with a little Ladybug

I only know a few littlies, most of my children's friends are taller than me - but there is one that I do know and she is soooooooo cute ... little Annabelle (and I have an awful sinking feeling that I incorrectly called this sweet little girl Isabella - if I did I am very sorry).  

It's her second birthday today and as promised ... if I know it is someones birthday I am sending cards!

Poppy Parade is just perfect for a little girl whose clever mummy made ladybug invitations for the party - well done Sharon :)

Happy birthday beautiful girl.

Nikki

x

One Little Word - CHANGE

This post comes with a warning - it's very LONG!

All month I have been working on a new project.  One which I was going to share at some point but when the offer of a blog hop came along I thought now was the time to let you know what I have been up to.  So if you have arrived here from Kathryn Riddick's blog, hello and welcome  ... if you are a usual Inkyart blog follower, hop on board and off we go.

So what is One Little Word ... well I came across it quite by accident.  I wrote about the beginning of my journey on a team forum that I belong to - hence all the smilie icons .... here's what I wrote at the beginning of January .... 

I am a big resolution kinda girl (okay scrub the word big cos that's a bit too honest for comfort) ...  .... last year I wrote my resolutions in a journal ... I wrote all sorts of heartfelt thoughts for what I thought was going to be a defining year for me  of course it was not  if anything it was worse than any year I can remember  and I never touched the journal again during 2010  

So this year I re-read those resolutions and resolved to not write any more ... (I could just photocopy last years and re-date them  ) ... and quite by accident I found One Little Word (OLW) by Ali Edwards - though Anita Meade's site ... and spent a week or so deciding if this was going to be my 'thing'. Have read and re-read my little journal over and over the word kind of chose me ... CHANGE .... such a good word for the place I am at right now.

So that's how it all started.  I think that signing up for a year's worth of the OLW classes will keep my word in the forefront of my mind - the first 'class' has been quite thought provoking and its all contained in a scrapbooking album .... so it is appealing to my creative side too.  I haven't quite finished the first pages but here is what I have so far.

This is a very personal thing for me ... but one which I know will affect my whole family.  We are all embarking upon a year of CHANGE in one way or another and so the definitions and quotes have been written in this way.  

One of the first things to do was to take a photo of yourself in January .... here's the photo but I am going to create a front cover for the album incorporating it with some embellishments and my word ...  Now those that know me well know I don't like photos of me .... it took me ages to take this photo - I used the camera on the computer, no-one was in the house,  I couldn't stop laughing at myself ... but I got there in the end - making it black and white and with fuzzy edges .... I think I am hoping no-one will recognise me!

And here's a photo of my desk at work .... yes I have pinned the word to the wall and my notebook - to achieve the sense of wellbeing and peace I need to make some changes in many areas of my life.

I've also been collecting other quotes and bits and pieces - amazing what you can find when you are focusing on One Little Word .... only last night whilst watching my most favourite TV show ever ... Brothers and Sisters ... someone quoted the Serenity Prayer .... 

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; 

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

I will be jotting all of these down and inserting them into the album too - there is inspiration and motivation everywhere.  

I decided to make the first few months very personal ... actions just for me ... So my CHANGES for January were:

• I've been working very long hours; so I wrote to my boss and asked if I could leave the office at 4.30pm every day (I'm at my desk before 8am each day); he said YES - first step towards that work / life balance.

• I've exercised every day .... just walking for January - that was a shock I can tell you ... but last week alone I walked 30 kms.

• I've re-joined Weight Watchers (there really should be a discount for third or is it fourth time offenders) .... and during January I have lost 2.6 kgs.

Taking back control of my life .... that's how January's CHANGES are feeling right now.  January has left me feeling happier, more positive and confident that this is the right path for me.

So I hope I haven't waffled on too much - and if you are sat there thinking 'I could do that' .... check out the details here .... it's not too late, and if you sign up let me know, there is a real sense of community and united-ness amongst us OLWers .... its empowering and I just know that good things are going to happen - all in the name of OLW.

As this is a blog hop it is time to hop off to visit Heather, have a super time hopping around and if you get lost there is a complete list at the end of this post.

I'd also like to say thanks to Margie for organising the blog hop - brilliant idea and great work Margie - thank you.

Hope to see you again ... and yes now that I have started I will definitely be posting once a month to let you know the progress - I've already made February's action plan  - so I have already made a start.

Have a super day

Nikki

x

 
1) Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com <http://xnomads.typepad.com/>
2) Jill Conyers http://jillconyers.typepad.com/life_as_i_see_it/
3) Monica http://scraplifters.blogspot.com <http://scraplifters.blogspot.com/>    
4) Lynn W http://crafty-creativity.blogspot.com <http://crafty-creativity.blogspot.com/>
5) Miranda http://mirandasscrapsite.blogspot.com <http://mirandasscrapsite.blogspot.com/>
6) Mandy http://captureandcreate.wordpress.com <http://captureandcreate.wordpress.com/>
7) Kathy http://katswonderings.blogspot.com <http://katswonderings.blogspot.com/>
8) Lisa http://makeyourownescape.blogspot.com <http://makeyourownescape.blogspot.com/>
9) Donna http://donnabryantdurand.blogspot.com <http://donnabryantdurand.blogspot.com/>
10) Abbey http://athomewiththerichardsfamily.blogspot.com/
11) Sam http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com/
12) April http://capturethememories.blogspot.com <http://capturethememories.blogspot.com/>
13) Nicky http:// <http://seejanebake.blogspot.com/> seejanebake.blogspot.com <http://seejanebake.blogspot.com/>
14) Rebekah http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/
15) Relly http://rel.ly <http://rel.ly/>
16) Nancy http://goshery.blogspot.com <http://goshery.blogspot.com/>
17) Cynthia http://paperpapereverywhere.blogspot.com/
18) Kathryn http://katlodesigns.com <http://katlodesigns.com/>
19) Nikki http://www.inkyart.com.au <http://www.inkyart.com.au/>
20) Heather http://scrappyhare.blogspot.com <http://scrappyhare.blogspot.com/>
21) Gayle www.lifeonlilypadlane.blogspot.com <http://www.lifeonlilypadlane.blogspot.com/>
22) Kristina http://ciqis.blogspot.com <http://ciqis.blogspot.com/>
23) Debra http://blakleyhomeplace.blogspot.com <http://blakleyhomeplace.blogspot.com/>  
24) Becky http://beckyandjames.com <http://beckyandjames.com/>
25) Amy http://reflectivesnapshots.com <http://reflectivesnapshots.com%20/>
26) Marlene http://moore-fun-in-the-sun.blogspot.com/ <http://moore-fun-in-the-sun.blogspot.com/>
27) Maureen http://cookingmylife.blogspot.com <http://cookingmylife.blogspot.com/>
28) Cheri http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com <http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com/>
29) Monica Scrapmom http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com <http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/>
30) Jan http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com <http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com/>
31) Junelle http://yesandamenblog.blogspot.com/p/contact-me.html
32) Margaret http://www.gutsymom.blogspot.com <http://www.gutsymom.blogspot.com/>
33) Sharyn            http://www.analteredlife.com <http://www.analteredlife.com/>
34) Tere http://terecontodomicorazon.blogspot.com/