Seize The Birthday #6

Another challenge entry, this time for Seize the Birthday # 6 - it's a male birthday card this week.

Keeping with the theme of the past few challenges I've entered this week, it is of course ..... Midnight Muse, So Saffron and Whisper White .... and its for an 18th!

I'm really enjoying this new challenge site as it is helping to build up my birthday card stash and is forcing me to consider making male birthday cards - I've come to the conclusion that I don't have very many male orientated stamp sets - think I might need to 'invest' in one or two!

I decided to turn the sketch on its side and introduce a wavy line between the two papers rather than a straight one.  The papers are from the Print Poetry paper stack in the new catalogue and I have cut them straight - the wavy Midnight Muse piece has been cut with the Tasteful Trim BigShot die.

To create the centre piece I first cut out a few flowers, doh!  Then I remembered, this was a male card, so changed that to stamped images from the Circle Circus stamp set.  

If you live in Melbourne I do hope you enjoyed our cooler day today - such a relief from the past few days.

Happy Stampin"

Nikki

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Just Add Ink #153 Colour Challenge

Nikki Spencer from the Just Add Ink team set a colour challenge this week - I love blue, yellow and white together - reminds me of a beautiful duvet (or doona as they say in Australia) that I wanted when I first got married.  It was from Marks and Spencers and was covered in blue and yellow flowers - needless to say it never graced our bed, Paul and flowers?  Never in a month of Sundays.  But its funny how this colour combination always reminds me of that moment when we were first setting up home together.

So I made a flowery card?  No I didn't - although now as I am sitting writing this I think I might do!  I'm still making the stash of 18th birthday cards.

 I think you could use this card for a boy or a girl - although if Olivia decides to send it to a girl I think I will add some little So Saffron flowers to the number 1, just to pretty it up a little.

And the inside is complete too - these little pieces were just sitting on my desk - off cuts, why have I never thought of decorating the inside of cards like this before?  So quick to just add a few of the left over bits onto a piece of Whisper White - love it.

I might need to go for a lie down - two challenges in two days .... that's a record :)

Nikki

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Create With Connie and Mary # CCMC239

With my daughter's calendar filling quickly with 18th birthday party 'save the dates', I thought I might make a start on a pile of cards for her to give to her friends, and thought this would be a great way to enter some different challenges I haven't taken part in before - so first up is Create With Connie and Mary.

This first 18th is a very special one, its Amy's 18th and Amy and Olivia have been best friends for as long as we have lived here (10 years ago yesterday we touched down for the first time on the tarmac in Melbourne).  The request for Amy's card was black and white - but I have cheated and added in a touch of sparkle - every girl deserves a bit of sparkle doesn't she?

Its a very bright and sunny day here in Melbourne today, so I'm not entirely sure why this photo looks grey, but its black and white I promise.

I am really enjoying decorating the insides of my cards too.  I was a little worried about making just a black and white card but I think it came out quite well - just wished I had checked these photos before it was written in and sealed  :)

Enjoy your sunny and very hot weekend if you are in Melbourne.

Happy Stampin!

Nikki

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Sieze The Birthday Challenge #1

What would be your ideal day? 

I'm on an extended holiday and during this past couple of days I've been feeling a little out of salts as they say.  I am one for routine, and now that I have finished most of the bigger jobs on my 'list of things to do' .... I can see the days stretching out and had no motivation to achieve very much really! Some may say that this is how it should be, but that's not me.

So today I decided to live my 'ideal' day ... or one version of an 'ideal' day!

Started with a museli, yoghurt and fruit breakie and then traweled through the blogs I visit and found myself a challenge to take part in - always thought it would be lovely to start the day off by making a card :)

Sieze The Birthday is a new site - and here's the sketch:

Here's my first entry - I say first because the sketch is the same for next week - however you must make a male birthday card - now that will be a challenge!

I 'allowed' myself 1/2 hour at my craft desk to rustle up an entry!

This card was so quick and easy and very simple.  You can see I've turned the sketch to a landscape version.  Using the Polka Dots Designer Series Papers and the new Sale-a-Bration Vintage Verses set, voila all done!

So having started with a perfect day ... what's next, well I am determined to knock off some of the more boring tasks on my list today and get back to my craft desk to finish off some swaps for the upcoming new catalogue being released at the end of the month.  I am also attending our Court Fitness Class - yes that's right, our end of the Court is determined to get fit and healthy in 2013 - last week nearly killed me but I'll be back tonight for more torture ... I mean exhilarating exercise!

And then, I'll start version two of a perfect day tomorrow - perhaps I'll be back with more to show and tell :)

Happy Stampin'

Nikki

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SAM Challenge - Celebrations

Its the first Monday of the month - must be time for a new SAM Challenge. Stampamemory is celebrating it's second birthday this month - so the Design Team decided it would be appropriate to scrap a celebration.  Our most recent Sadler Celebration was Kieran's 13th birthday (blacked out faces of his friends for blogland (their faces are usually that mucky in real life honest)).

I just had to use the Celebrations DSP.  This is the month for retiring items .... and yes all the Designer Series Papers will be retiring - I wasn't sure about this one when I first saw it but I am pleased to say, I've almost finished the whole pack.  Its bright colours have worked well with my photos this year.

I love the Stars wheel too (rumoured to be retiring but I will update this when I know for sure) - I love that it matches the star punch.  

I've used the paper crimper to add texture to all of the pieces and the Bigshot Timeless Type alphabet for the numbers, Kieran is now officially a teenager! Olivia and I made the cupcakes - and we found some cute icing 'toppers' in the shape of balls together with some grey striped cupcake wrappers to make them 'teenage boy' proof.

 Bunting is so now - I love it .... wonder if Stampin' Up! will bring the bunting punch to us in the new catalogue this time? 

Kieran always has so much fun with this group of boys - and they are all so lovely ... its great to be able to scrap these photos and the event.  

So if you fancy putting a page together to celebrate an event please do join in .... post your link here and check out what all the other designers have come up with.

Back again very soon with more news of retired items, how to get your hands on the new catalogue, a launch party date and a OLW update.

Signing off ... a very busy crafting stampin bee

Nikki

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 ps - I forgot to mention, I've found a new site for layout inspiration - www.pencillines.com - check them out.

 

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

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