New handmade craft market on the Central Coast!

For all my peeps on and around the NSW Central Coast of Australia, this is what we've been waiting for!!! Finally a quality market where you can buy (and sell) handmade goods. A gold coin donation at the door goes to a local charity, and you get to support some very talented local crafters and artisans as well.

Sunday, 22nd August 2010
10am – 2pm
Erina High School Hall
152 The Entrance Rd, Corner of Ernest Street and The Entrance Road, Erina.

Entry
Adults - Gold coin donation
Kids (up to 16 years) - FREE

All entry admission fees will be donated to the United Way Central Coast Community Chest who support over 85 local charities on the Coast.

I am hoping to be there, and I hope you'll come and say 'Hi' to me :D For more details, check out the blog here, or the Fan page on Facebook here.

The Town Scrapper Monday Showcase

It's Monday showcase over at The Town Scrapper, so go have a look at what the Design Team has put together to tempt you with today. I have made a masculine card today, because you need to keep your handyman happy, right?

Here are my ingredients ...
Stamp - the Greeting Farm, Handy Ian
Copic markers - E50, E51, E43, E47, E31, E33, E35, W-3, W-5, 2-7, Y00, Y02, B00, G94, G99
Spica Silver
Pattern paper is leftover from a Craft Affair project
Charm - Francheville
Foam tape - Martha Stewart

Remember that boys like cards too, so try something masculine for a bit of a change :)

Make it Crafty Launches Online Craft Store

The lovely Zoe (with whom I am on a design team) has opened the virtual doors to her online store today! Yay Zoe!!!!! She has gorgeous sets of copic markers, already assembled in hair and skin colour sets, and the best paper for copic colouring ever ... express it!

So get on over to her store, and for all you Aussies, we're talking a local here, so let's support her. www.makeitcrafty.com.au is the place to go. New products will be added over coming days, so keep checking back in. Oh, and check out the blog link on her site too for upcoming video tutorials.

Want to helps spread the word? There's candy (said in my best sing-song voice LOL). Check out the blog to see what you need to do to be in the running. These are also some of the goodies that Make it Crafty stock.


Well done Zoe!

One Card - Five Challenges!

I coloured this gorgeous little Tilda stamp last night, so I was able to create this card quite quickly this morning. I have been checking some of my fave and new-found challenge blogs, and was thrilled to see that it is suitable to enter in 2 challenges today!

Paper Sundaes has challenged us to be "Pretty as a Princess" with a girly card, here.
Magnolia Down Under has challenged us to emboss a card here.
By the Cute and Girly has challenged us to 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" here. I borrowed this stamp from my good friend Sharon when we had our last play date :D
Bunny Zoe's Crafts have challenged us to be "Nice and Girly" here.
Simon Says Challenge have challenged us to make a 'Friends' card here.

Here are the ingredients I used in my card:
Stamp - Magnolia, Tilda
Copic markers - E50, E51, E53, E02, E31, E33, E35, C-1, C-3, C-5, B00, BV00, BV02, BV04, RV000, RV02, RV04, G00, G02, G05
Cuttlebug - embossing die, Friends
Kindyglitz
Background - Stampin' Up!, Itty Bitty Backgrounds and Plum Pink ink
Design paper, flower & brad from my stash
Cardstock: Bazzil

A great big thank you goes out to Shaz (for letting me play with her stamps), and to the wonderful blogs who run challenges to keep me on my toes!

It's like it's custom made!

**NOTE** this is my second post for today. Scroll down for some red & white challenge goodness!!!!


I discovered Mo Manning digital stamps a few weeks ago, and when I came across this one I was floored! It's like the artist was in my house, or more specifically, my 11yo dd's bedroom!!! I swear, this is my daughter! ... I had to have this stamp. I coloured it up, and tried to hide it, but to no avail. When it was discovered this afternoon I decided to turn it into a card, and told dd she has to wait until her birthday to have it LOL.

The image is coloured with copic markers. I didn't keep an exact list on the day I coloured it, but I'd take a guess at the colours I used as being E50, E51, Y00, Y02, B00, B02, B04, R20, R22, R27, YG00, YG03, YG06, YR00, YR02,YR04, BV00, BV02, BV04, W-1, 2-3, W-5.

The inking around the coloured image is my new Wild Honey Distress Ink, and the background is stamped using Stampin' Up background stamp 'canvas' and SU ink 'Not Quite Navy'. The birthday greeting is printed using Rebekah font, and I stitched around it with a dark grey thread on the machine.

I am entering this card into the Mo Manning Blog challenge 'anything goes'. Go check it out ... there's some gorgeous cards on there.

The Town Scrapper Friday Challenge

It's Friday challenge over at the Town Scrapper ... and can you guess the challenge by looking at my card? It's Red & White!!!

I hope you have time to play along with us this week! Go take a look at what the other Scrapettes have made to inspire you!! You can link up your project there, and get your name in the running for a fantastic prize from The Town Scrapper! What's the prize I hear you ask? You could win one of these gorgeous Emelia stamps from the Kraftin Kimmie range! One of these stamps is winging it's way from Phebe's shop to me as we speak!!

If you are not local, feel free to contact Phebe by email at info@townscrapper.com or by phone at 519-882-0623.

Finally ... stamps for teen cards!

Cruising my lovely friend Donna's blog last week I came across the most amazing digital stamps! Kenny K's shop is one I will be visiting frequently. His images are amazing for so many reasons ... they're fun to colour, they're incredibly cool, and with 2 pre-teen girls, I see them getting a LOT of use!

For this card I used:
Stamp: Kenny K, Download Diva
Background stamp: Stampin' Up, Paisley
Font: Tweed
Copic markers: E50, E51, E53, E02, R20, R22, R27, YG00, YG03, YG06, B00, B02, B05, E71, E74, E77, G94, G99, C-1, C-3, Spica gold
Cardstock: bazzil (red), Stampin' Up, Mellow Moss
Inkpads: Stampin' Up, Mellow Moss, Real Red
Flowers: Prima
Thread: DMC
Buttons

To top it off, there is a call out for a Kenny K design team! Here are the details!

We are looking for 8 team members for a new challenge blog starting in July. The challenges will be run every Sunday.

2 Senior Krafty Girlz (6 month post)

- responsible for writing the blog posts (2 per month)

- coloring should be one of your strengths

- must have a well maintained blog

- previous design team work not necessary

- be able to produce one card a week for the Sunday challenge using Kenny K's Digi Stamps

- be able to contribute challenge ideas, participate in blog hops

6 Krafty Girlz (6 month post)

- be able to produce one card a week for the Sunday challenge using Kenny K's Digi Stamps
Examples of his digi stamps can be seen here, here and here

- coloring must be one of your strengths

- previous design team work not necessary

- have a well maintained blog

Kenny will have his new Digi shop up and running shortly.

If you would like to be part of this new design team, please post on your blog about the DT call, showing one of what you consider to be your best creations, then email us at kraftygirlz@virginmedia.com and please include a little bit about yourself.

This DT call will run from June 13th till June 26th. New DT members will be contacted by June 30th. Good luck everyone

Anya Ink challenge time!

**This is my 2nd blog post for today ... scroll down for my exciting news!**


The current challenge over at Anya Ink is 'add some bling'. So ... I did! I worked from the challenge sketch from Sketch Saturday , and added some pretty gems to the centre of my prima flowers.

My other card ingredients include:

Stamp: CC Design, Spring Emma
Copic markers: E50, E51, E53, Y402, E71, E74, E77, B00, R20, R22, R27
Design paper: Chatterbox
Font: Rebekah's Birthday
Flowers: Prima
Gems: Kaisercraft
Scallop Punch: Stampin' Up
Grosgrain ribbon
Cardstock: Bazzil & Xpress white
Ink: Stampin' Up, Real Red

If you love bling, get over to the Anya Ink blog and check out what the design team gave us for inspriation ... wow!

Fine Art & Decorative Painting magazine

It's been a long-held dream of mine to be published in this magazine. Sure, it's changed it's name a couple of times, but this is THE magazine for folk art patterns. I submitted my little princess last year, and she was accepted straight away. I'm kind of glad no-one saw me when that email came in ... I went a bit nuts LOL.

So ... watch out for it! Fine Art & Decorative Painting magazine, Vol 17 No 10 which hits the stands next month!!!

**UPDATE** Apparently it's available already! Page 71 :D

Check it out ... it's challenge Friday!

Ok, I know it's really Saturday now, but you have to go check out the gorgeous cards the Design Team have put together over at The Town Scrapper blog. It's challenge Friday, and here's the sketch by Kim.
You can enter by creating a card using this sketch, blogging about it with a link to The Town Scrapper, and adding your blog post to our Mr Linky :D

On offer is a prize that I wouldn't mind having myself ... this gorgeous Kraftin' Kimmie stamp called "Lillith". She cracks me up!
What are you waiting for? Check it out! Click here to go straight to the challenge details.

Cute Card Thursday challenge

I've become a blog challenge addict. I like to look at them, even if I don't always have time to enter. I found this one this morning, and just couldn't resist. It's such an easy sketch, and as I just got this gorgeous new Motivet stamp, I had to ink her up and play, right?

So ... for the Cute Card Thursday blog challenge, here is Shy Hilda in all her citrus glory!

Ingredients:
Stamp - Motivet, Shy Hilda
Greeting stamp - Stampin' Up!, Short & Sweet
Orange ink - Stampin' Up!, Really Rust
Black ink - Memento, Tuxedo Black
Cardstock - Bazzil
Design paper - unknown (got it in a swap)
Copic markers - C-1, C-3, C-5, YR00, YR02, YR04, R22, RV93, RV95, B00, B02, YG00, YG03, YG06

Get over to the blog and check out the gorgeous cards the Cute Card DT has put together. Very inspiring :D

Crafty daughters are awesome!

Before I had even decided on a colour scheme for my new Kraftin' Kimmie 'Charlotte' stamp, my 11yo daughter had inked it up, stamped it out and coloured it in!!! She used paper, gems & flowers from 'the stash', and copic markers to colour. A couple more lessons and she'll have this blending thing down pat! This card was made for the June star-themed challenge over at Inkurable Stampers. It's her first ever challenge entry (after one false start a few months ago), and she's just so proud of this card. Yeah ... me too :D More details on her blog.

The Town Scrapper Monday Showcase

It's Monday Showcase at The Town Scrapper. Head on over to the blog and check out the awesome cards the Design Team has put together this week. Wow ... does Phebe carry some gorgeous stamps in her shop or what??!!!

I am really loving digging into my box of leftover card & paper from other projects, and breathing new life into them by making cards! Here are my ingredients for today's card ...

Stamp - CC Designs
Bazzil cardstock
Design paper - Basic Grey (I think) + velum (squares)
Copic markers - E50, E51, E53, YR00, YR02, YR04, R20, R22, R27, B00, E43, 347
Button (stash)
Kindiglitz - Crystalina
Love, crown & sun cut with Cricut (All Mixed up and Accent Essentials cartridges)

Stamp Challenges blog challenge

I had time to whip up this quick card before dinner. I used some off-cuts from another project using Francheville glitter paper. I stamped the greeting and tiny butterflies with my Stampin' Up Winged Things set in Bashful Blue ink. You can check out the 'Happy Somethings' challenge at the Stamp Challenges blog here.

Out with the old ...

... and in with the new!!!

As I have some new stamps arriving in tomorrow's post (hopefully), I thought I had better do a bit of an inventory of what I already have. Yeah ... I have too much stuff (my husband, mother & sister will confirm that).

So ... I took to my Sizzix die and Stampin' Up sets and asked each and every one ... "If my house burned down, would I buy you again with the insurance money?". For this stack here, the answer was "No.". I have added to the stack since I took this pic, with some Studio G and single wood mounted stamps.

Photos have been taken, first dibs will be to my OzSwapTillYouDrop and Facebook friends. Then on to eBay they go. My shelves look a lot less cluttered, and it makes me and my husband happy LOL.

The Town Scrapper Friday Challenge

It's Challenge Friday over at The Town Scrapper, so come on over and take a peek at all the lovely Fathers Day cards the DT have cooked up for you. You can join in the challenge and give yourself a chance at winning a most excellent prize!

This is my fathers day card, and I really did have fun making it. I used ....
Stamp - Victoria Case, Evan in Dads Clothes
Copic Markers - E50, E51, E43, E47, W-3, W-5, W-7, B00, B02, R20, R22, 427, G99
Cardstock (I'm continuing to save trees by working out of my scrap box)
Pattern Paper - Making Memories (again, from the scrap box)
Ribbon - gift from a swap
Wrench charm - Francheville
Ink - Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Vintage Photo
'Dad' is cut on the Cricut, Zoo Baloo cartridge
Foam tape - Martha Stewart
White card base

Super Sweet challenge card

Today I decided to try something completely new ... one card for 2 challenges!

The first challenge is over at Anya Ink. Mandi did such an awesome job with my topiary, that I had to join in the Buttons & Bows challenge. Can you see the little flower button dwarfed by the enormous ribbon on my card? LOL

The second challenge is over at Friday Sketchers. I don't usually make square cards, but I dug into my folders full of leftovers and found the perfect card/paper combo for this one.

So ... here is my list of ingredients, and I hope you like this card :)

Copic markers - E50, E51, YG00, YG03, YG05, R20, R22, YR00, YR02, YR04, colourless blender
Bazzil cardstock
Design Paper - Printblocks, Watercolour Daisies
Sketch - Friday Sketchers
Button and ribbon from my stash
Cuttlebug embossing die - Birds & Swirls
Kindyglitz - Crystalina
Stamp - The Greeting Farm, Flutter Anya

Make your own design paper tutorial

This is one of my favourite things to do, and I get asked how it's done all the time ... so I've written a tutorial on how to make your own design paper with watercolour pencils. Pop on over to The Town Scrapper blog and see the full tutorial by clicking here. If you're in Australia, and have Foxtel or Austar for your television viewing pleasure, then check out Scrap It TV season 3. Yours truly will be appearing in episode 2 or 3 (so I'm told) showing you how to make this paper, and you might see me in a future episode if you look closely ;)

RIP Adriana Xenides

I was so sad to hear that Adriana Xenides passed away today. I only met her once, and found her to be a genuinely delightful lady. Adriana ... queen of the quiz show, you will be missed.

It's time for the Friday challenge over at The Town Scrapper, so get on over and join in! The challenge is 'Save a Tree', and you can do that by using leftovers from other projects. So dig into your scrap stash and breathe new life into those old supplies by creating a new card.

I have used the following supplies:
Cardstock - Bazzil
Pattern paper - Karen Foster (leftovers from a layout made in 2004!)
Ribbon & mini tag from my stash.
Memento inkpad - Tuxedo black
Versacolor inkpad - Violet
Stamp - Made with Love Lola, Victoria Case
Copic markers: E50, E51, E53, E31, E33, E35, BV00, BVj02, BV04, YG00, YG03, YG06, W-3, V000, R20, R22, R27

Sneak Peek for July

Here's a quick sneak peek at my July class at Erina Scrapbook Store. It's Christmas in July, and my class is a cookie sheet advent calendar. I've used Cosmo Cricket papers and Bazzil cardstock on mine, but you can use any Christmas paper you might have been saving for a special occasion :D July class calendar out soon!