Cup cake yumminess!!

My niece Amber is about to turn 17 (man can't believe it!) and really loves decorating cup cakes - she does a pretty good job at it too! SO for her birthday I thought I would make some cup cake wrappers and toppers. The wrappers I cut out with my Cricut (saves doing it by hand eh!) but the toppers where made with Stampin' Up! products and tools. There are all sorts of stamps, punches etc that I used and they were all great fun to make.
I thought it would be cute to make little bags for all the stuff - to make it look like they came from a store - and I love playing on my laptop to create these personalised things.

Can't wait to see what they all look like with cup cakes in them!

photoless scrap booking

I know - it sounds weird but the point of scrap booking is to tell/share/remember a memory. So they don't have to have a photo to achieve that. I have joined a scrapbook group that challenges you to produce a scrapbook page every month - telling something from that month. So I decided since I hadn't got any photos printed I would make my January page about feelings. It is about the past year which I was pleased to see the end of and it is 'time' now to move forward and embrace the new year.

I love doing pages in this colour scheme - called heritage. They are all neutrals, I have used textured Very Vanilla for the base, Crumb Cake with 'Friends' wheeled on it and Early Espresso as the bolt behind the music from the 'Newsprint' DSP. The clock stamp is of cause from 'Sense of Time' (along with the sentiment) which is white embossed on Soft Suede. The lace is out of the Stampin' Up! Summer Mini which I just LOVE!! I also coloured the paper flowers by painting them with water then dropping drops of ink on them and letting them do their own thing. Finished off with some sponging, a few pearls and some of the lovely antique brads and it's done.

Lot's of people say they find it hard to do full sized (12"x12") with only Stampin' Up! products but as you can see - it's not that hard. The quality of the products that Stampin' Up! have makes it a delight to work with and of cause it's soooooooo easy too as they all co-ordinate so well!!

Hope you are enjoying your Auckland Anniversary Weekend (if you are lucky enough to be living in the Auckland area!) and spending some time crafting!

another birthday book

here is another birthday book that is done in a completely different style. This time more vintage. I am a HUGE lover of Black & White and throwing in a splash of red just finishes it off! I used a lot of different mediums and techniques - dry embossing, sponging. water colouring, ribbon, colouring with markers, patterned paper, piercing, wheeling etc etc etc! lol there are even some pearls on there!! There are so many cool Stampin' Up! products that you can use and the cool thing about them is they all co-ordinate together!

This week starts the teaching year off - my first class is on Wednesday but I am ONLY having the evening class from 7.30pm. We will be making these birthday books which is a great way to start the year. When you complete a card with a person in mind you can pop it in the pocket that is behind the month that their birthday or anniversary falls in.

Email me julia.leece@slingshot.co.nz to book your seat so I know exactly how many 'calenders' to print off.

Classes are still only $15 and include all materials - just bring your tool kit (scissors, trimmer, pencil, eraser, adhesive etc) and there is ALWAYS home baking and a cuppa!

Regular classes run on the 1st and the 3rd Wednesday of each month. Afternoon classes run from 12.30-2.30pm and 7.30-9.30pm.

See you there!!!

Birthday Book with Card Holder

this is a card book - I kept the front of this flat so I can cover it with Duraseal to help make it last thru lots of handling.

Inside every page has a month and that dates written down. All you do is write in when every one's birthday is and then you can make cards ahead of time and........

pop them in the pocket behind the month. That way you don't ever misplace those cards you made with someone in mind!

I will be doing a class on this project at my monthly Manurewa class on the 11th so I will post the tutorial for it her AFTER that date. If you live in South Auckland and would be keen on coming to the $20 class then email me at julia.leece@slingshot.co.nz for more details.

I used Real Red cardstock for the base and the DSP (Design Series Paper) is Celebrations which uses Real Red, Old Olive, Bashful Blue and Pacific Point. I used a few stamps from the Teeny Tiny Sentiments which has 24 stamps - $78.95 wood or $60.95 clear making it just a few dollars each stamp!! wow Arn't Stampin' Up! products not only great quality but great value for money - especially at the moment where they are giving away FREE stamp sets with Sale-a-bration. !!!

Contact me TODAY to find out more.

Razzleberry Birthday

Isn't Rich Razzleberry such a lovely colour!! I started by stamping the bird - after I coloured the stamp directly with two coloured markers - Rich Razzleberry again and Chocolate Chip. Then stamped over the bird with a cage from the Aviary set (with Early Espresso) using my Stampin'-Ma-Jig to ensure I got it just where I wanted it. I cut it out and placed it on the top of the stand. To make the shaded area where the stand sits was done by punching out a small oval out of some scrap card and used the hole as a stencil and lightly sponged it.

But I realised half way thru the card that Stampin' Up! don't have a DSP (designer series paper) with Very Vanilla and Razzleberry in it so I used the new Presto Paper and created my own! The Presto paper is whiteish and has clear embossing on it so if you brayer, stamp or sponge like I did here it brings out the pattern - just like resist embossing. This paper is in the new Summer Mini too.

I added my favourite Happy Birthday stamp from Well Scripted and the matching Big Shot die for behind it. Lastly the luscious Rich Razzleberry satin ribbon just finishes it off. Layered it on some Early Espresso and a Razzleberry card base and it's all ready to give to my niece for her birthday next month - she is bird crazy!! lol

I have a cool project to show you tomorrow so be sure to come back!

Thanks for visiting!

Very Vintage Birthday Card

I was lucky to have a crafting afternoon with my friend Ann Wills place on Friday and played with her Friends 24/7 stamp set that I don't have. The flourish on the left is from that set. I started with Very Vanilla card stock and stamped En Francais in River Rock and then sponged the center of it with Whisper White. Then I stamped the flourish in Soft Suede, added the lovely lace from the new Summer Mini, some pearls and then the tag. The tags are also available in the Stampin' Up! Summer Mini and so are the Itty Bitty punches that I used to make the mini flower on the tag.

I stamped the greeting from Well Scripted (again in the Mini) which is soooo elegant and then I used a tag die with my Big Shot from the Lots of Tags 4-pack SIzzlits dies. A bit of light sponging here and there is Soft Suede helps to make it more vintage.

Lastly I mounted it on some Soft Suede card and then some DSP from the Neutrals DSP pack and attached it to the Very Vanilla card base.

We are all dry here but it's been VERY wet and windy in Auckland, New Zealand over the weekend. Where we used to live (and Ann Wills still does) on Herald Island it got very wet with houses on the low side of the island going under a foot or so of water due to the King tides and mean as storm. Nothing as bad as our Australian friends - they are still having problems. Don't forget that Stampin' Up! are having a fundraising drive for them. Refer to my earlier post this month for the details but basically for every stamp set ordered over $30 Stampin' Up! will donate $2 to the relief fund and I will match it dollar for dollar too! SO email me julia.leece@slingshot.co.nz to order your stamps and support a great cause!

owl at night

I just love how the hand cut textured paper that has been sponged looks like clouds and the night sky! I cased this more or less directly from Deanne Stewart-Mills article in the Vol 15 No 7 Australian Card Making, Stamping & Papercraft that came out last year. I don't usually case something but I just LOVED her cards made using this method. There is the most beautiful card in the magazine that she uses a swan stamp on - so I am now on the hunt for a swan stamp! lol

The colours are Night of Navy, Basic Black & Whisper White. I sponged the hand cut edges and added the starts (using my gel pen). The owl (from Fox & Friends) was pre-coloured with Stampin' Up! Markers and the branch is the 2 step bird punch.

You could put a sentiment on this but sometimes it's nice to have just the picture on the card to speak for itself. That way you can use it for ANY occasion!

I am starting my crafting classes this week, being the third Wednesday of the month. To start the year off we will have a FREE open crop- which means you can come and use my tools and toys just bring your own consumables (card stock, ribbon, adhesive etc) although some will be available to purchase in need. I am happy to help and guide you were you need, you can use my library of ideas and templates/tutorials or bring along your current project.

Come over any time from 12.30 onwards and I will supply home baked afternoon tea. Children are welcome - they can either craft with you or you can use my daughters child-sitting service (basically a small donation to her cake decorating supplies fund!) . Contact me for any further details or to reserve your spot! julia.leece@slingshot.co.nz

girls holding hands

I had a girlfriend who was in hospital for the third time in less than 3 months so I didn't really want to give her the standard 'get well soon' card. So I remembered I had got this cute stamp set just before Christmas and hadn't had time to play with it and thought it would be PERFECT for her! It's called Kimono Kids and it has six stamps including the two girls, a string of lanterns, a fan, an umbrella and a sentiment "one good friend is worth a thousand relatives" all for only $46.95 for wood mount or $37.95 for clear mount. I used my Stampin'-ma-jig to place the girls in the right place to hold hands!

I just LOVE sitting down and colouring in stamped images. It's so relaxing - bringing happy memories from childhood of colouring in books! The Stampin' Up! marker pens are PERFECT for this as they have both a paint brush type end one end and on the other is a fine nib - so you can get in all those small places (although I think I went over the line once or twice! shhhh don't tell anyone! hehe). I used the Hostess bundle of 6"x6" paper pack for the backgrounds. Lastly it's mounted on a Basic Black card. My friend really enjoyed it.

Don't forget that on the 25 January Stampin' Up!s biggest promotion of the year starts - our SALE-A-BRATION!! that's where you get to pick a FREE stamp set (4 to chose from) for every $120 spent - plus if you have a workshop with sales over $600 the hostess (you) get to pick another one!!! so contact me if you haven't got your Sale-a-bration booklet yet. julia.leece@slingshot.co.nz

My first Just Add Ink entry for the year.

# 51 Just Add Monochrome!

I had to make a baby card for a friend who had a baby at the end of last year. We were away and I didn't have any access to my craft supplies so I bought her the cheapest tackiest yuckiest baby card and promised her that I when I got home I would send her a 'proper' card! lol

This is a momchromatic card - which means it's all the same colour (mostly! lol) I got the inspiration for it from the talented Kerry Bunting. She had done one with cream and white - so pretty.

Mine is Very Vanilla and Blushing Bride. The teddy and greeting is from the Baby Bundle stamp set. I used the Big Shot to emboss part of the card.

It's nice to be back crafting again! I even got some sewing done today (two dresses for ME!!) and I made a cute canvas for my teenage daughter - it's totally just stuff I had at home and not a lot of Stampin' Up! product on but I am really happy with it

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lets help out!

Our hearts go out to those in Queensland who are experiencing such horrid floods! Many have lost their houses, their livelihood and some their lives! Yesterday Stampin' Up! announced a fundraising that we would LOVE everyone to get behind. Here is what Stampin' Up! said:-

As flood waters continue to inundate Australia in what has been described as the worst flooding in 37 years, we express our deepest sympathies to those who have lost loved ones and homes and to those whose lives have been changed forever. We, like so many of you, feel a compelling need to lend support to all those who have been affected.

Stampin' Up! demonstrators have a long history of making a difference in the lives of others--especially when disaster strikes and the need is greatest. Nearly two years ago, we watched another tragedy unfold in Australia. Our hearts were touched as demonstrators, customers and friends joined together in support of the Bushfire Appeal. We’ve done it before and we can certainly do it again!

Please join with us by supporting the Australia Flood Appeal--a cause in which Stampin' Up! will donate $2 AUD of the retail value of sales from any stamp set (with a retail value of $30 or more) sold in Australia and New Zealand from 15 January through 15 February to the State Emergency Services in Queensland.

so you can help raise some funds by emailing me on julia.leece@slingshot.co.nz with your orders. I will also MATCH the donations - so for every set over $30 I will forward $2 to the appeal.

On a aside- we have just got back from a weeks camping which was fun! Hopefully now I can get into some crafting again but tomorrow I will post a pic of us camping!

See you then.

My first card of the year!!

OH WOW I finally got to make a card! I haven't crafted since before Christmas so I was getting REAL withdrawals for it! Now this one is for a special friends birthday (can't say who cause I haven't sent it yet! lol). You can't tell from the photo but the flourish on the background paper is glossy. It's from the Sweet and Sour DSP in the current catalogue and it is VERY yummy!!!!!

I also used Well Scripted and Just Believe stamp sets and the card stock is Very Vanilla and Basic Black. Added a few silver brads and some of the super cool Satin ribbon and it's done.

I have a new years revolutions to do more sewing so yesterday I did manage to make my daughter a skirt from some fabric I bought in Gisborne so I have started the way I want to continue! Just a HUGE pile of fabric to go! lol

Happy New Year from the Leece's!

Wishing everyone a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We are still on holiday down in Gisborne so in theory we were the first city in the world to see the new sun in 2011 - just a pity my eyes were shut at sunrise! lol I did manage to even stay up last night past midnight which for those that know me well is an unbelievable achievement!! Needless to say I am still a bit zombie today!!!!

I hope everyone has a safe and happy 2011 and that your creativeness never runs out! I am looking forward to doing lots more crafting this year - both paper crafting and sewing. While in Gisborne my SIL and I have said that we will do HEAPS more sewing this year. I got some lovely fabric at a shop down here that had a 50% off sale so I am rearing to go!

One thing I am looking forward to this year is to seeing every ones creations on blogs - can't wait to get back into my blog surfing when we are home from holidays. We are blessed to be able to see what all these fabulous crafters do from all over the world! Thank you all for inspiring me and sharing with me your amazing ideas!

Happy New Year!!