Happy 14th Birthday Daniel

I don't really do "grunge" well and clearly, not very often! But I needed to make a birthday card for a teenager and lacking any images that would do the job, I defaulted to a personalised name card. And it only took me a matter of minutes to make, which fits with the amount of time a 14 year old boy will spend looking at a greeting card (i.e. a nano-second).

I also discovered that a DL-sized/shaped card is harder to photograph and display but it was refreshing to design on a different "canvas".

Love from Crafty Kim

New Stampin' Up! Summer Mini Catalogue

It's the 1 December and the new Stampin' Up! Summer Mini Catalogue is online now.

Hope you enjoy looking at the new goodies. I'll be posting cards and other projects using these in coming weeks.

I will also be hosting a Summer Mini and Sale-A-Bration party early in the New Year so look out for your invitation soon.

Love from Crafty Kim

In Sympathy

The card you wish you didn't need. Part of life, yes, but such a sad chapter. And the warm memories help sustain you but you'll always miss the person's unique place in your world.

I made this card for a friend after she lost someone close to her but if this card speaks to you, please accept my sincere sympathy for your loss. I offer this poem "All is well" which brings me comfort:

Death is nothing at all,
I have only slipped into the next room
I am I and you are you
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by my old familiar name,
Speak to me in the easy way which you always used
Put no difference in your tone,
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household world that it always was,
Let it be spoken without effect, without the trace of shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It it the same as it ever was, there is unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near,
Just around the corner.
All is well.
Henry Scott Holland 1847-1918
Canon of St Paul 's Cathedral

I won't dwell on this subject further but life is fragile so please make the most of the living years.

Love from Crafty Kim

Just Beachy Birthday Card

It's been a few days since I posted because my PC is located in my craft room which is without an air-conditioner (all I want for Christmas is an air-conditioner in my creating space...la la la la). With the recent HOT Sydney weather, I couldn't bring myself to spend more than a few minutes in the hot spot. But today's heat is more moderate so here I am, back blogging.

I made the above card as part of a Card-In-A-Box activity with other SU! demonstrators. The idea of this is to put everything needed to make the card you've designed into a box and then pass the box around for others to stamp and assemble. Makes lots of cards fast. This particular card-in-a-box was designed by Fiona Brown using the Just Beachy stamp set in the Spring Mini Catalogue. Trendy Trees is also used, along with some hand-drawn sheep (the white gel pen comes in handy, again). It makes a good male card.

The Just Beachy set really suits the Australian way of life. With a 4WD, surfboard, bucket, thongs, sun and fish, it has inspired some seriously cool cards such as:

(Card and photo with thanks to Andrea Karadimos)

and:

(Card and photo with thanks to Christine Okken)

For more ideas using Just Beachy, please click here.

Just Beachy is only available until the 30 November 2009 (that's tomorrow). So please contact me ASAP if you would like to order it.

Hope you're enjoying your weekend. I'm off to do housework :(

Love KimT

Reminder - SU! Spring Catalogue Finishes Soon

Just a quick post to remind you that last orders for the current Stampin' Up! Spring Mini Catalogue will close on the 30 November 2009.

This Mini would have to be one of my all time favourites. There are so many great stamps, paper and accessories. I thought I would share a quick blog hop with you to showcase some of the wonderful creations arising from the Spring Mini. So here goes (just click on the links to see the full card):

1. Forest Friends from Marelle Taylor


2. Great Friend from Mary Beerman


3. Unchartered and Parisian Breeze Paper from Beth Stewart


4. Tree Trimmings and Ski Slope Paper from Kylie

(All designs and photos courtesy of the card-makers indicated above.

With thanks to Marelle, Mary, Beth and Kylie).

I hope you enjoy these creations. Sometimes it seems I like looking at cards more than making them. But then I stop procrastinating and make one of my own and know that holding your own creation in your hands is the best feeling.

If you want anything from the Mini before it disappears forever, please contact me on phone 0402 347 010 or email me by 8pm on Monday 30 November 2009.

Thanks for visiting.

Love from Crafty KimT

Hot in the City

Us Sydney-siders have been enduring 4 days of hot hot hot weather. A small complaint on the world scale but it's really got me out of sorts. I tried picturing snow-themed Christmas cards to chill me out with limited success.

So, I thought I would post a "refreshing" card. It's not my usual style, or should I say colour combo. But I'm happy enough with it. It was also a challenge because I don't own full sheets of this paper, I was working with 3 x 3 inch squares. Oh the pressure!

I made it for my Fiji travel companions by way of thanks for coming along and sharing the experience. I decided to decorate the inside of the card too but it did limit the space for writing which cramped my long-winded style but some might find it an advantage.

I also wanted to show you a close up of the cocktail drink:


I used Crystal Effects to make the cocktail glass look like real glass. I also cut out parts of the image and popped it up with Stampin Dimensionals. The miniature parasol was stamped on the paper too and cut out.

The stamp set used is Cheers to You which I bought at a low price while on promotion. I didn't think I'd use it much but it's come in handy lately and I really quite like it.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings. Thanks for reading. Bring on the cool change I say.

Love from Crafty Kim

Scalloped Edge Medallion Cards

Well after that flurry of recent posts, I suddenly went quiet. I thought I'd better get back to Christmas since it's not far away. This is one of the techniques I demonstrated at our Christmas Craft Day. Using a scallop border punch (which is very popular so many of you will already own one), I made the medallion-style matting for the greeting. It is VERY easy and you can learn how to do this here.

You can also rotate the square so that it is a diamond, as shown below in a card created by Kirrily Matthews:

(Card design and photography with thanks to Kirrily Matthews)

Both of these cards also use the Square Scallop Punch as well which you can currently receive FREE with qualifying orders, for more details, please click here.

Of course, you can put anything on the scalloped medallion, circles or squares with greetings or images. It's up to you now.

Love KimT