Blog Hopping with the Summer Mini

Its blog hopping time - the first for 2012.  This is the time to showcase all the lovely goodies from the new Summer Mini - there are some very yummy things and of course, for every $100 you spend between now and the end of March you will receive a free stamp set, designer series paper pack or set of embelllishments - got to love the free stuff!

I've used the very yummy Spice Cake designer series paper to create another scrapbooking page for my Twelve course. This paper is so yummy and works well with soft Suede, More Mustard, Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz, River Rock and Very Vanilla - so you just know with that line up of neutrals, blues and greens you are going to love it.

I decided to use Pool Party as my accent colour and teamed it with lace and pearls.  And just in case you think I have lost my marbles completely, the colour I have allocated to Me for my Twelve course is purple (it is my favourite colour) so the little Elegant Eggplant button with the little pearl is to remind me this is a Twelve page.  The flower embellishment is a piece of lace which I have threaded with cotton and pulled to make a ruffled flower.  I've then added a punched flower, pearls and ruffled ribbon to finish it off.

I hope you are enjoying the hop - it is time to be on your way, off to visit the lovely and very talented Kathryn Manglesdorf.

Have a super weekend and happy scrapping.

Nikki

x

Sweet 16

I didn't think I would ever be old enough to be the mother of a 16 year old!  But now that I am, its not so bad ... Olivia is growing up a bit faster than I would like, but she is becoming such a beautiful person, Paul and I are so proud of her.  She is a brilliant big sister to KP and such a good friend to her peers ... yes she drives us mad occasionally but that's her job isn't it!  Her future is so full of promise and more importantly lots of fun too.

I have been itching to make an easel card for ages - its wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

I've used a glitter brad to 'prop' the card up - and lots of new Summer Mini products too.  The papers and stamp set are from a new product suite called Beyond the Garden - the stamp set is Fabulous Florets.  There's some new embossing powders and a textured impressions embossing folder in this suite too.

 The  'Sweet 16' sparkly letters have been die cut using some new Glimmer Paper - this is super sparkly (imagine Dazzling Diamonds gone crazy) - it is gorgous and a must have for sparkly cards.  I've also added Dazzling Diamonds to the cut flowerheads - can a card have too much sparkle I wonder?

Olivia has her exams this week and is taking her Learners Test tomorrow - so for now she is celebrating by doing lots of studying.  But after all that hard work she will be celebrating her birthday in Sydney next weekend with her best friend - and her Dad of course!  We leave on Thursday night - she is very excited - we even have tickets to the new Harry Potter exhibition (she's a huge fan having read each of the books a gazillion times).

No doubt I will have more than enough photos to scrapbook by this time next week.

Happy birthday Olivia - we love you sweetie

Love Mum and Dad 

xxxx

 

 

 

 

Blog Hopping with a Sketch!

Another blog hop, this time a group of us have got together and we each have the same sketch .... wonder what we will all come up with?

You may have arrived from the wonderful Amy Buchanan's site or you may be starting here - you know the drill .... its a hop so grab a cuppa and jump on board to be inspired by one very talent bunch of lovely ladies .... a reminder of the sketch:

And my contribution to the hop - a scrapbooking page of my lovely mother-in-law.  We 'think' Pauline is about 18 years old,(she's in her late 70s now and I can tell you that because she doesn't read my blog so I am safe LOL),  she looks so lovely, almost majestic, it is my most favourite photo of her.

I've used the soon to be gone Sale-a-bration set Bliss - the colours I chose were Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Cake Crumb and Cherry Cobbler.

I created the background by stamping the flourish in Cake Crumb, then the butterfly in Cherry Cobbler.  To get the faded image I stamped off onto scrap paper five times before I stamped the images onto my cardstock.  I then used the Spritzer tool with a Soft Suede marker to  add more texture and some sponging around the edges.

The patterned paper is from the neutrals paper pack - this I have wet a little with water and rolled the edges around a kebab skewer ... just wanted to roll the edges a little.  This paper was also lightly sponged and spritzed here and there.  

The paper in the middle is a piece of the soon to retire Speciality cardstock - love this stuff and haven't used or shown nearly enough of it .... its so cool, here I have again sponged and spritzed.

Another retiring product (sniff sniff) is the lovely lace which I have embellished with little adhesive pearls and a floral fusion flower.  I cut these using the Big Shot, and then scrunched them up so that I could separate the layers of cardstock to make some vintage-y embellishments.

Finally a close up of the photo - this is a photo of the original which hangs in Paul's mother's hallway - everytime we visit she reminds me that a long time ago some of her son's friends thought it was a picture of the queen - I love the story and I hope one day to hear it again ... and once I have the dates I'll document it to go with this page so that my children and their children can see what a beautiful grandmother / great grandmother they have.

Right time to hop along to the lovely Di Dunk - she is sure to have something that will inspire all of us.

Pop back next week for the final examples using the fabulous free Sale-a-bration sets together with the final few days of the Summer Mini goodies.

Til then

Happy Stampin!

Nikki

x

Summer Mini Blog Hopping Loveliness

By now I am sure you will have drooled over the new Summer Mini - so many yummy new products.  This little blog hop is focusing on just that - Summer Mini loveliness.

You may have just arrived from the wonderful Kathryn Manglesdorf site ... or you may be starting right here .... don't worry, a hop is a full circle, keep clicking through and you'll visit all of the blogs along the way ... all 9 of them!

When I saw the Presto Patterns Speciality Designer Series Papers they were the first item on my shopping list.

These papers are so beautiful.  There are 12 sheets in a pack and they are 'cover-weight' ... which in layman's terms means the paper is 'thick' LOL.  Its almost like an embossed clear image that appears right before your eyes, without the need for embossing powders and a heat gun.  The vintage patterned papers come to life when you apply ink to them.  Here I have used a sponge and just rubbed ink onto the page but you could use a brayer or some Smooch Spritz.

Now to be honest I probably over did the Smooch Spritz ... but these little pearlised accent sprays add a splash of colour to the page ... very sparkly and it is a Christmas page afterall.  The colours I chose were Pacific Point, Marina Mist and Pear Pizzaz - I tried to match the more prominent colours of the photos.

You'll notice there is even some stitching, a Big Shot punched snowflake and a few of the Delightful Decorations baubles along with lots of torn edges and even some sparkly rhinestones.  The journalling is on a page from the Hostess Level One paper pack - screwed up and Smooch Spritz'd for good measure.  

Can you see anything else from the Summer Mini?  I sneeked in an Itty Bitty Bits heart and little button - if you haven't seen these they are just so cute (if you click on the photo above you should get to see it a little clearer) .... I'll have a card or two to show you (once I've gotten them out of my head and on cardstock LOL) .. these are just so cute and great for adding just a little bit extra to your cards and pages.

And here is a close up of the photo - we always put together a collage of photos to send with our Christmas cards and letter each year.  Our letter is tucked in behind the photo - there's a little tag of ribbon attached to it to make it easier to pull out and read in years to come.

Lots of memories from 2010.  Well I had better let you hop along ... off you go to check out the lovely Tina Gillespie to see what she is showcasing today.

Back next week with Sale-a-bration news and more of those little Itty Bitty Bits.

Have a lovely weekend.

Love Nikki

x

 

Happy Birthday Chris and Susannah

Two birthdays on the same day .... first my brother celebrates his 40th today - yep he finally enters the over 40's club - welcome Chris!

Isn't the little penquin cute - he's the two step owl punch with a slight adjustment to his ears - I chopped them off ... brutal I know - hence his startled look I think :)

The little balloons are from the Party This Way set and the numbers were cut using the Sizzix Timeless Type alphabet.  I really love the Celebrations Designer Series papers - they are just so bright.

And my second card is for my lovely friend Susannah who lives in Scotland.  We met at a painting class many years ago and have remained friends ever since.  

Another Fifth Avenue rose, this time in Rose Red - watercoloured and then cut out - I sponged the edges a little.  I used the Friendly Words roller and Versamark to create the background and layered up pieces of embossed card, leaves from the Two Step Bird punch and offcuts from the beautiful new Vintages trims to create this card.  The lace at the bottom is called Chantilly and I've added a few of the little self adhesive pearls - I think you can just about see them the photo - they are very tiny - and a quick spritz of shimmer mist.

Happy birthday to both of you.

Love from Nikki

xx

NOTE:  The latest Stampamemory challenge started today - if you missed this morning's post scroll down :) 

Just Add Ink Challenge #48

With the festivities over and enough food left to feed an army, I've had no more excuses for not sitting down and trying to find my lost mojo.  So yesterday whilst the boys were at the MCG watching the cricket, I made some of my new tea - Buddha's Tears  (the nicest green tea I have ever tasted) .... and thought I'd start with the latest JAI challenge.  Six cards later .... I think I've finally cracked it .... missing mojo found - YAY :)

So here's the first of many cards to show you:

The beautiful rose from Fifth Avenue Floral makes a lovely outline to watercolour.  I stamped it onto watercolour paper in black Stazon and then used an Aqua Blender pen and some Rich Razzleberry ink to colour in the image.  The Victoria Crochet Trim and a little Vintage Trinket from the Summer Mini are perfect to create a vintage look ... the little self adhesive pearls and some shimmer paint  to finish it off.  

Hope you are having a fun and relaxing time and find some time to create - hop on over to JAI for lots of inspiration.

Back soon with more .... need to start scrapbooking again too.

 

December News

Two pieces of exciting news today - first some really special savings just in time for Christmas - the December Frenzy.  

Click HERE if you want to read the finer detail or see the little pictures - isn't it great having a flyer with pictures .... lets hope Stampin' Up! do this again, makes it so easy to see whats what doesn't it.

And there is a new Summer Mini - launched today ... lots of yummy Limited Edition products for both stamping and scrapbooking.

If you'd like your own copy just call or email and I'll put one the post for you.

Olivia's Easter Baskets

Olivia has been making Easter baskets ... aren't they cute!  The little bunny is made from punches and the boxes are an origami masterpiece - goodness knows how she makes them but if you want to know leave me a comment and I'll get a template sorted out :o)

Here's a close up of the handle - the eyelet was set using the Crop-o-Dile.  Now you may be wondering who these are for ... well they are a surprise for two lovely people who help us as a family, but .... I have a confession to make ... well I don't cos I didn't commit the crime ... but the three chocolate lovers in our house have eaten the contents already ... so I'm off to refill them before the weekend ... shush no one will ever know :o)

Back tomorrow with a scrapbooking layout over at the Stampamemory site.

Don't forget the Summer Mini and Sale-a-Bration end this Wednesday ... call me if you need anything or if you want to take up the newsletter offer :o)

  

Tick Tock ... time is running out ...

Another set I have used over and over again .... I love this set ... I {Heart} Hearts (117715 $42.95).

And here are some reminders just how beautiful these lovely hearts are ...

Real Red and Whisper White .... my favourite.

And another with Real Red, Whisper White and Black.  The trio of hearts fits the Heart to Heart punch perfectly - makes cutting around the little heart shape a breeze.   

Remember, you only have until next Wednesday 31st March to order this lovely set ... call me on 0428 254 952 or email nikki@inkyart.com.au if you'd like to place an order.

Back tomorrow with another reminder.

 

Counting Down The Days ...

It's that time of year ago where we have to say goodbye to some old favourites before a new mini catalogue starts ... and I thought I'd post you a few reminders of what is about to disappear ... so today's reminder is all about butterflies!

First up is my favourite set Butterfly Prints (117711 $25.95) and the matching punch (116629 $30.95) ... I did a workshop for a lovely group of ladies on Sunday (hi girls) and we made this lovely card (the inspiration for which came from one of my downlines Kimmy Meicklejohn - you should go and check out her site she is one clever lady) ...

Rose Red and So Saffron with plenty of sparkles and two beautiful butterflies ... its a sure winner.  The butterflies are just so easy to make when there is a punch to save the cutting out.

And a close up of those lovely butterflies - aren't they cute?

The sentiment is from the Whimsical Words Sale-a-Bration set which will also be gone by the end of the month ... so if you are thinking you have to have these butterflies and matching punch give me a call - if your order is over $100 you can choose a free Sale-a-Bration set too.

And here's another one I made earlier ... 

You have until next Wednesday before 6pm to call me .... 0428 254 952 or email me at nikki@inkyart.com.au.

Back tomorrow with another reminder.

 

    

Just Add Ink Challenge #9

This week'c challenge for Just Add Ink is a sketch and I thought I'd use it for a new scrapbooking page.  I have been wanting to use the new Tall Tales Designer Series for a while now ... and as there is only a few days left of the Summer Mini I thought I had better hurry up and open it!

What do you think?  I love elephants and queued for a while to be able to feed them at Australia Zoo in January of this year .... I really love the Earth tones of Old Olive and Chocolate Chip, just perfect for nature photos.

This is a double page layout as I wanted to use a few of the photos I had taken (I take heaps and heaps, so choosing just some is a very difficult task ;o))  .... here's page two.

I've used some Twill Tape and Short Order Alphabet to create a title.  If you haven't noticed the Twill Tape it's on page 150 of the IB&C and costs $11.50 for 8.2 metres - absolute bargain I think, I love to stamp on it - it looks really effective.

I've included some handwritten journalling and used Crystal Glaze for the words I wanted to stand out from the rest.  I've also used the standard brads from the Spring Mini which are still available for you to purchase.

I then cut out one of the elephants and (and a crocodile of course) and added it as an embellishment -Crystal Glaze features here too .... 

Don't forget to date your events ... in years to come I'll never remember it was this year's holiday!

So if you love the paper or want to give the Twill Tape a whirl contact your demonstrator - and if you don't have one you can contact me!

Back in a day or so with more from the Summer Mini - remember you don't have long and it will be gone forever.

 

      

Happy Mother's Day to Our Mums!

Okay for my Australian and American friends you can breath ... it's okay ... it's Mother's Day in the UK this weekend!

And to celebrate here is another Sweet Treat creation.

Now I have CASE'd this 'sort of' and I was hoping that by the time you read this I would have found the original owner .... but as usual I didn't write down the lady's name - if you know who you are can you me know.

I thought the idea of a butterfly underneath a magnifying glass was so brilliant I had to make one myself ... hence that call to Sue Madex to ask her to stamp the handles from the Sweet Something stamp set.

The butterfly is from the Butterfly Prints set and I've used the matching punch - I can't believe that I will only be demoing this for another couple of weeks - I have a sneaky suspicion that it will be back in the new Ideas Book and Catalogue in September.

I've used Upsy Daisy and Pocket Silhouettes to create the flowers and Whimsical Words for the sentiment.

The ribbon technique at the bottom is so simple .... if you check this post over at the Stamp-a-Memory site you'll find my easy instructions - have a go ... it looks really effective.

Well that's it for the Sweet Treat creations for a little while - I hope you have enjoyed them.

Happy Mother's day to my Mum and and to my mother-in-law Pauline - we all hope you are having a lovely day.

 

It's Sweet Treat Cup Week!

When I saw the Sweet Treat Cups in the Summer Mini I loved them - but ... I wasn't keen on the Something Sweet stamp set that went with them.  

Then I started seeing some lovely creations (and one really lovely idea that you'll have to wait until Sunday to see) so I put the call out on the forum for some stamped images.  The lovely Sue Madex was quick of the mark and two days later I received numerous images ... so here goes ... a whole week of Sweet Treat Cup ideas for you.

I had to start with the gum ball machine really didn't I!  The colours are Real Red, Tempting Turquoise and Brilliant Blue. It's cute isn't it .... I've raised the image up with Dimensionals and used a Build a Brad for the little handle on the front.  A little piece of 3/4" Polka-Dot ribbon finishes it off.

Now if you are wondering how on earth you post these lovely little cups, there are some Padded Envelopes which are just the right size to keep your sweet creation in perfect condition.  The cups are $6.50 for 12, the envelopes are $6.50 for three and the coordinating 1 3/4" punch is $30.95.

The Summer Mini finishes at the end of March - so if you were thinking of ordering the Sweet Treat cups, beautiful polka-dot ribbon or anything else from the mini call me before the end of March - and don't forget Sale-a-Bration is ending at the same time ... if your order is over $100 you get a free stamp set too!

Call me!

 

Summer Mini Blog Hop and Blog Candy!

Now this is exciting .... my first blog hop!  You can join in at any point ... just hop aboard and off we go!  

If this is your first time to my site, welcome ... hope you find some inspiration and come back often.

Yes it's official ... there is a new Summer Mini and it is full of beautiful things - click on the image for a look-see or contact me to receive a free copy in the post.

Well what's a blog hop?  Some members of ESAD (Extremely Special Aussie and New Zealand Demonstrators) have got together and we have all posted a NEW Summer Mini idea for you this morning. We have linked our posts together so all you need to do is grab a cuppa, sit back and enjoy the ride .... it's going to be fun.

So who are ESAD and how can you join?  It's for all Australian and New Zealand demonstrators of all levels. Click here to join and receive the help and encouragement you need in your business from both new and experienced demonstrators.  I've only been a member for a month or so and I receive the daily digest of information that keeps me up to date with my business in a jiffy.  

And here's my blog hop entry ...

Introducing the new Butterfly Punch and Butterfly Prints stamp set - a Summer Mini special!  When I saw these in the new catalogue I was immediately reminded of some photos that are long overdue the scrapbook treatment ... in fact they had been sat on half finished pages for five years ... oh how bad is that!

So after carefully retrieving the photos, I made a new page - these photos were taken in 2004 when our son was six - even at this lovely age he was a determined little lad.  When Kieran puts his mind to it ... the results are amazing ... it is one of his great strengths. 

Just take a look at those flushed cheeks - during the many visits to the zoo I have photos of all of us with the butterflies - except for Kieran - they never stayed long enough for me to take a photo ... Paul was away at the time and when I asked the kids what they wanted to do at the weekend Kieran said 'I want a photo with the butterflies at the zoo' - so off we went.

The wording reads:

After many visits to the Butterfly House at Melbourne Zoo we finally managed to photograph some butterflies which had landed on Kieran.  He stood still for nearly half an hour in the hot house when finally two of the scruffiest butterflies landed on his arm.  He didn't mind - he was chuffed to bits.  Olivia and I called him Butterfly Boy for the rest of the day!

 
The new punch makes it very easy to produce heaps of butterflies - perhaps I have gotten a bit carried away - what do you think?  

Now if I had an alphabet stamp set I would have included the title Butterfly Boy ... but alas the only set I have is a little too girlie for KP - so untitled it must remain ... however I really love the stamp that comes with the set ... it reads 'Love is like a butterfly - it goes where it pleases and pleases where it goes' - how very true.

Materials list:

Stamps: Butterfly Prints

Cardstock: Really Rust, Summer Sun and Very Vanilla

Ink: Really Rust, Summer Sun, Versamark and Basic Black

Punches: Butterfly Punch and Large Oval

Accessories: Stamp-a-ma-jig - to line up the butterfly body bits!

Other: Black Writer

Now did someone mention Blog Candy?  We sure did ... if you visit and post a comment on all the blogs linked in the Blog Hop, you go into the draw to win some Candy ... crafty candy of course; the sort that is 100% fat free :o)  Don't forget you need to comment on all of the 30 blogs in the hop  to qualify for a place in the draw.

So leave a comment here and then blog hop along to another Nikki ... Nikki Stalker - one very talented demonstrator in New South Wales.

And don't forget to come back again soon for more projects from the new Summer Mini.