Stamps Ahead

A longer than usual post today. I was recently asked by a friend, also called Margaret, to design six Christmas cards for her to make this year.  Here are the cards and more about the request below. Due to an operation on her spine and then an operation on her right thumb and index finger with Margaret still recovering from her operation on her right hand fingers and having physio she has been told not to use this right hand for several more months - very hard for a right-handed person.   Eager, to get back to making cards, with her left hand of course, for family and friends this Christmas and being able to colour in, use a tape runner and get her husband to help with if needed. It was a great exercise as it made me think, as I made each card, if it was appropriate for her to make.  Several times on each card I would use my left hand - not my dominant hand!  I did the die cutting and stamping for each card, I also offered alternate instructions for her to consi...

I am often asked 'where do you get your ideas?"  One method is to seek out a sketch and start from there. Here is a card I made yesterday: Where did I get my inspiration?  Firstly I searched the internet "free card sketches" and I found this sketch here . You can also find sketches in magazines or books available from your local library. Sketches can take the guesswork out of designing cards. You can get amazing results by flipping or stretching the sketch. For my Christmas card  I “stretched” into a rectangle card.   My card uses Kaszazz products - background paper is from Christmas Morning collection (I love all the papers in this collection) called Vanilla (5760), SB Essentials Evergreen (1086) and Crimson (1069). The stamps I have used are from Word Montage - Christmas Morning (6013M - 6 versatile stamps), stars are from Santa Down Under (6448M also includes Santa in sleigh pulled by Kangaroos) and the Christmas Tree is from a recently released set called St...

Layout 2 for Calvinball 2021.                                 The rules I used are 3 of a kind - 3 fussy cut leaves and also 3 stamped images, however no double dipping this day so can only count once; something you coloured -  the gum leaves and kangaroo stamps with markers; kangaroo in the photo and the stamp. The photo of me with the kangaroo was taken in 2011 when USA friends visited Australia.  We had a great day at Walkabout Wildlife Park, Calga NSW which is now "just up the road" from where I now live.  I found this photo 'in my pile' recently and my first thought - I will put that up front wondering if Calvinball would have a kangaroo rule!  And they did!   I have used all Kaszazz products on my layout (with the exception) of the corrugated paper.  Stamps are from the Flora and Fauna collection and papers from Australian collection.  An interesting fact about...

Yes, that heat I wrote about yesterday is still with us and today there are strong winds forecast as well - just starting to get them. Just heard sirens, hope it is not fire as it is perfect conditions for bush fires. Here is a layout I have created for a challenge over at Paper Issues - the challenge, called Creature Feature, was to use a pet or animal on a layout. I have no pets, so  chose this photo of an Emu taken in Central Australia 2 years ago. This layout uses all Kaszazz product - paper from Australian collection, stamps from Flora and Fauna collection, die and stamp from Nature Lover collection and the fabulous chipboard leaves, that I love.  Archival Ink in Coffee, Leaf Green and Jet Black complete the layout - oh forgot about the scrap of blue paper from Distress Surfaces that I used. I want to recognise the inspiration for the stamping of the emus was a fellow Kaszazz consultant Yuna. Now, as I was outside taking the photo of my layout - looked up and saw ...

Today, I led scrapbooking classes locally, to raise funds for Mango Tree Academy in Kissi, Kenya. 12 ladies came and they made two double page layouts that I designed especially for the day. This layout uses Serendipity range of papers available from Kaszazz - all embellishments are also from Kaszazz.  I have yet to add my photos.   The chipboard was first painted with gesso and then stamp ink applied and finally Glossy Accents added for that extra sheen. This layout again uses paper and chipboard embellishments available from Kaszazz.  There are two papers not Kaszazz - corrugated orange on bottom and the solid orange squares.   Die cuts of Koala, gum leaves and words are by other suppliers. Both these layouts were designed for multiple photos something that the ladies have requested in the past. A great day was had and funds raised to give back to others. Thank you for looking, Margaret :)