Its been busy.... Just Add Ink challenge 'S' #533

 I've had a busy few days, with visitors, Christmas decorating and a workshop with 5 stampers which was great fun!  

I woke up early this morning and completed the Just Add 'S' challenge for this week. I used:

 Stripes, Spots, Sparkle with Simple Stampin!.  

One more Christmas card to add to the pile.  Now to write on them LOL

Happy stamping, Rachael xxx

Ink & Inspiration Blog Hop November - All about BLING

Welcome to the Ink & Inspiration Blog Hop. You are currently visiting Rachael Merrick from Australia. I hope you enjoy my "All about BLING" card.

I used Magenta Madness as my base and feature colour, teaming it with Champagne foil cardstock and gold glitter gemstones (from the Holiday catalogue). I love how the pink pops behind all that foil cardstock.

The gold hoops always add that added touch of bling to any project and was perfect to surround my sentiment. I really do love the way the foil catches the light! I think adding this kind of bling really makes a card special and even more appreciated.

I hope the card you've seen here on my blog today have inspired you & brightened your day. You are currently visiting Rachael Merrick. Please see the list below & hop through all of the people on the list to see all our projects. You don't want to miss any!

Coffee Cake and Cards - this Sunday

 I've been asked to bring this workshop forward and so this Sunday we are spending 2.5 hours making some lovely deer and gold inspired Christmas cards as well as a lovely gift box.  

We would love for you to join us if you are local.  This is a beginners style class and you don't need anything to come along and join the fun.  

Rachael xx

A Christmas card with an Australian touch

 I was asked to create a Christmas card for an Aussie living overseas.  Not a lot of notice so I had to get it done quick.   

My mind went straight to the kangaroo image from Zoo Globe and the 'gum leaves' and 'wattle' style images from the Forever Fern stamp sets.  

I broke open my gold hoops pack for this, added some DSP and Holiday red glitter gemstones.  I hope it meets the brief!

Of course a naked envelope is never acceptable so I used the stamps from Paper Pumpkin Joy To The World to finish it off with the gum leaves.  

  

Happy Stamping, Rachael xxx

Thank you Global Design Project Team!

 

The coffee challenge from last week made me a winner over at Global Design Project.  They always have the best challenges and certainly keep the inspiration going with the samples the team produce.  Check them out by clicking on the image above.

Here was my entry again:

Facebook Challenge

 

Tracy used a sketch this week, and this is my version using vellum I embossed, twine and Ornate Garden DSP.  

I've been trying to add to my stash of birthday cards this week and I've realised I really need to get more sentiments for birthdays - bring on the new mini catalogue for that exact reason!!! 

Happy stamping, 

Rachael xx

Stampin Dreams Blog Hop - Christmas Theme

 Our theme for this months blog hop is 

Christmas!!

I'm a teacher and that means lots of work friends who will need a little gift before the middle of December.  I bought some beautiful tea light candles from Dusk so I could gift them with cards.  

I've planned out a few ways to package these but when the clear boxes arrived I wanted to use them for some of the candles.  They fit perfectly!

I created a garland using the Warm Hugs bundle and attached the stamped and cut images to the twine.  A simple background stamping on Real Red Cardstock and this created such a simple but pretty little project.  

Be sure to click on all the photos below to check out all the other wonderful creations that my fellow hoppers/friends are sharing today.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Exciting!!! Flash sale coming...

How exciting!

Coming soon......

Rach xxx

 

Global Design Project: Hot Drinks

 I've had mini coffee cups in my stash for a while and I've wanted to make a quick birthday coffee cup with card, so this challenge was perfect to push me to finally use them.

I've used the Ornate Garden DSP, which is gold foiled and very pretty.  I use a fancy fold card with the circle tag to hold the card closed.

Birthdays are really the best days.  Pop over to GDP and join the challenge too: 

Birthday cards

 There are several birthdays I need special cards for coming up - and its not something I have a lot in my pile of made cards.  Here is a sneak of one...

I've discovered that I don't have many birthday sentiments and found this one in my old stash....  I have added new sentiment sets to my list for the upcoming catalogue and Sale-a-Bration.

Inspired by another

There seems to be a trend using Kylie Bertucci's scrappy tutorial and cards as inspiration. This one by Ann Alexander, a fellow Aussie SU! demonstrator, really caught my eye recently in a FB post.  I used leftover scraps of DSP (Ornate Garden) and matching cardstock colours to create the panels for this card.  

I didn't purchase the Curvy die set so I used the 'hillside' die from the Coming Home bundle instead which I think turned out really well.  Finally, I needed a sentiment and really wanted an element that still had curves.  The Warm Hugs bundle set came in handy for this.  

The pretty dotty ribbon is fast becoming a favourite of mine, using a double up of the ribbon when I tied it to give more volume.  

My mash up of a few ideas created a very quick card to create using up leftovers, ALWAYS a good thing!  

Happy creating, Rachael xx

 

Let's Get Hopping Blog Hop for November - Gifts

 Welcome to The Let's Get Hopping Blog Hop Round 37 where our theme is 

GIFTS

I've been playing with boxes lately, especially seeing Christmas is fast approaching and I need plenty of small gifts on hand.  

There has been lots of scoring, burnishing and using Designer Series Papers to create some cute boxes ready to fill with things like nail polish and hand cream, tea light candles in pretty scents or coffee sachets with some homemade treats. These 2 boxes are just a sample of what I've made already! The tall box will be filled with shortbread cookies, mini candy canes and hot chocolate packs ready for a Christmas Eve treat for friends of ours. The box (which already has a card attached to the top) will come in handy to fill with a handmade sewing project I have in mind for a little person.

Thanks for popping by on your way through the hop.  I hope this tempts you to have a go at making some simple but pretty and personalised boxes to hold your gifts for Christmas this year.  I would love for you to leave me a comment and let me know how you are doing with your Christmas list of things to do...

Next on the hop is my lovely friend Tracy.  Pop on over there by clicking on the button below:

Happy Hopping, Rachael xx

High Tide simple stamping

A quick card today - using High Tide Stamp set. I used first and second generation stamping of Crumb Cake for the images.  The sentiment was using PearPizzazz.  Matting in Pear Pizzazz with a Crumb Cake card base.  A bit of twine from my stash and it's a card to have on hand when someone needs a bit of sympathy.  

Happy Stamping, Rachael xx

 

Fancy Gift Box

 On my 'to do' list for Christmas is to try a few different folds of cards and boxes.  I was inspired by Angela Pyjas today and a video she posted on her blog "Stampin with amore".  

My version using Just Jade and the Heartwarming Hugs DSP.  I used the dies from the Wishes and Wonder bundle and for the first time in years, I stamped with white ink for the sentiment.  

The champagne foil really added the sparkle needed for this festive project.  And I'm a sucker for that deer!

If you would like to have a go at this, pop over to Angela's blog.  Click on the image to see her tutorial:

Very Vanilla

There has been several posts I have seen lately with the use of diets are backgrounds and I wanted to give it a go.  I used Very Vanilla to cut the card base and the matting which I ran through with the texture embossing folder.  The leftovers then were used to punch out large circles.  Finally, I stamped using crumb cake both the sentiment and the image, both cut using dies.

I tried to put this together without the textured background and the crumb cake matting.  I guess I'm considered an 'avid' stamper because I couldn't go that plain LOL. 

I love the elegance that Very Vanilla gives to a card.  Normally you will see white card bases from me but I do secretly have a soft spot for this neutral.  

Happy stamping, Rachael xx

Just Add Ink #530

 This weeks challenge was just that - a challenge!  We could only use ink-paper-stamps.  Thats it.  I'm an embellishments and die cut girl these days. 

I've used the Under my Umbrella stamp set and masked off the strip (as a guide to where I would add my white band later) before stamping the floral images above and below.  

I'm really happy with the simplicity of this card and think it would be a good one for a beginner.  I used stampin blends in Poppy Parade, Pumpkin Pie, Just Jade and Pool Party.  I did miss the deadline to join in the challenge though, too busy with life and forgot to upload before the cut off - oh well.  

Happy Thursday to everyone, Rachael xxx

Coffee, Cake and Cards - bonus project

 I thought it would be nice to do a speedy project to go with the cards this weekend at our workshop.  

I love the gusseted cello bags.  These are from the mini catalogue, aren't they pretty?  This is a whole pack of sourz lollies in one bag, with extra room...  

These small gift ideas are endless - a small candle or some hand cream and nail file.  Anything that would fit in the bag would be perfect.  They are great to have on hand for a work colleagues birthday or a thank you.  By adding some Designer Series Paper from the same range as the card, it matches without being too  much the same. 

I cut up kits this morning for the workshop, and have a few spare if you would like to join the fun.  The best thing about a workshop is you don't need experience and you don't need any materials.  

Happy Hump Day, Rachael xx

 

Coffee, Cake and Cards - this weekend

 For any locals that follow my blog - I still have seats left for this weekends workshop.  2 birthday cards (both floral themed).  You can choose to make a double up of the cards and create 4 cards to take home.  

Nothing better than crafting with friends and having a chance to catchup with some laughter and caffeine thrown in.  

Rachael xx

Double up for FB Sunday Challenge

 

A perfect challenge this Sunday!!!  I bought 2 sets of Stampin Up Designer Series Paper from the mini catalogue (secretly I could have bought 4 or 5!) and I am determined to use them up!

I liked this challenge so much that I found myself making 2 cards.  This first one came together in no time from some DSP cut outs that I already had on my desk.  This is the Coming Home DSP and I have found it to be the easiest set to use.  

I know in Australia we don't have snow but the curved snow covered ground and snowy sky really screams Christmas doesn't it?  The traditional colours with a splash of Misty Moonlight are striking together.  

The second card was using the Heart Warming Hugs DSP which is all traditional reds and greens.  I used my new bundle "Wishes and Wonder".  Isn't the deer beautiful?

I didn't feel it needed a sentiment with the North Pole seal stamp.  

I'm making my way through my list of Christmas Cards I need to make.  And I'm having a lot of fun as I do because I am Christmas mad!  

Happy Christmas creating to you all, Rachael xx