Happy Watercolour - Stepped Up

Well I had a lovely time catching up with friends on Friday evening, and we even managed to get some cards made ;-)

One of the cards we made was featured in an earlier post, but also like to show a 'stepped up' version when I can, and this one was right up my street. I'm definitely into grungy at the moment :-)

I did some ripping and tearing and then hand stitched around the edges using linen thread. The hexagon hive thinlit die also features in the stepped up version, it did get to the stage of just stepping away from the card before I took it too OTT. I'm pleased with the end result though.

Thank you to my loyal and lovely friends for coming along to my first class at home :-)

Have a fab week everyone.
Nikki
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Easter Elegance DSP

 

Hello, I hope you enjoyed the sunshine yesterday....wasn't it glorious.
I have a really quick post today as I need to finish getting organized for the end of the week, and I know if I don't get it done tonight I'll be chasing my tail all week!

This is another 12 x 12 page using the Eastern Elegance DSP, and I've combined it with quite a few different dies (all scraps which I had left over from other projects and which just happened to be perfect for this little project) :-)

I've made a hidden journaling section which I'll write in before popping this in the album which my son will eventually have. I love that he and his children will be able to look at a photo and see the story that goes with it.

Thanks for stopping by.
Have a fab week.
Nikki
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A weekend away

...and what a fun and inspiring weekend away it was too. I was away on a Scrapbook retreat with two lovely friends Debby and Doreen, and as the tables were quite large we were seated with a wonderful group of ladies who made us very welcome, and kept us in stitches all weekend with their extremely entertaining conversations. A very talented bunch they are too, as there were several challenges over the weekend...9 in all....and between them they won 5 of the 9. Well done ladies, and very well deserved.

As I was scrapbooking it goes without saying that I must have a scrapbook page for you today....and few close ups too. I was inspired by a stunning page that one of the ladies (Sam) did for a challenge where she distressed the edges of the paper. I haven't done this in such a long time and I'd forgotten just how much I love this style...the messier the better ;-)

....and a couple of close ups to see more of the detail.

Hope you have a great week.
Thanks for visiting.
Nikki
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Missed a day!

...and I was doing so well for a while, managing to post at least once a week, until now! Mind you, I only missed it by a day so I think I'll forgive myself ;-)

Today's offering is actually one of the cards my ladies will be making at my March card class in a couple of weeks, and is also very similar in layout to the make and takes I'm currently doing for parties. If you'd like to come along to the class on either the 21st or 22nd March then please do get in touch with me. Alternatively if you fancy having a party yourself (and perhaps earning yourself some freebies) then please email or call me, I'd love to show you how easy it is to create a beautiful card.

I now seem to have a smoke filled front room....burning toast really does make quite a thick haze doesn't it!! Off to rescue my kitchen before I need the Fire Brigade. Classes won't be subject to this I promise ;-)

Take care
Nikki
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Hostess Gift - Secret Garden

Wow, the weekend absolutely flew past!
I spent a really great couple of hours on Saturday at a party hosted by Lesley, a very lovely and talented lady who is always so gracious in welcoming me to her beautiful home.

I decided to make Lesley a hostess gift using the Envelope Punch Board. I take absolutely no credit for the box idea, there are lots of variations and videos on the internet showing how to create boxes of varying shapes and sizes using the board.

I prepared a matching card to go with the box, which I presented to Lesley as a thank you for hosting the party.

Thank you to the very appreciative group of ladies who attended, I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves and I look forward to seeing you again soon.

Supplies used:
Stamps - Secret Garden, Hardwood
Punches - Scalloped Top Tag Punch
Thinlits - Hexagon Hive, Secret Garden
Colours - Elegant Eggplant, Pistachio Pudding, Crumb Cake, So Saffron, Whisper White
Nikki
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Dictionary meets Papillon Potpourri

Has anyone else noticed the evenings becoming lighter now....I love it. Getting home from work while it's still daylight really does wonders for the soul.
I've had the Dictionary Stamp for quite some time now but hadn't even mounted it until last weekend! I'm not sure why it's taken me so long, as when I did finally get round to stamping with it the image turned out beautifully.
The background was created by stamping the dictionary in Basic Grey and then lightly sponging through the negative space of the Elegant Butterfly to create the slightly distressed look.

Supplies used:
Stamps - Papillon Potpourri, Dictionary, Happy Watercolour
Punches - Circles, Elegant Butterfly
Colours - Pool Party, Crumb Cake, Basic Grey, Whisper White, Real Red, Basic Black

Hope you enjoy the rest of the week.
Nikki
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Scalloped Tag Topper Punch

 

Sunday again already, and I'm playing catch up with housework today after spending a lovely day at Mj's crop in Thatcham yesterday with some very talented ladies who are always great company.

I was planning on entering the Freshly Made Sketches challenge this week, but ended up with a card a bit less 'clean' than is needed, so have sidelined that for another day. Instead I have a scrapbook page today, loosely based on a sketch I saw on Pinterest.

I have lots of old photos which have a slight yellowish hue to them, which tends to make it difficult to find papers to use which make the most of them...as I've mentioned before (yawn! I know I bang on about this!) I think the picture should be the first thing that you are drawn to. I've used the fab Retro Fresh DSP which I find is really working well with my old photos. I wanted to keep the page quite simple and have added accents with the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch, which draw your eye around the page. Both of these items can be found in the Spring/Summer seasonal catalogue, which you can view if you click on the image on my sidebar.

The title is the only thing which isn't made using SU products.

Thanks for visiting, I appreciate you taking time to take a look.
Have a great week.
Nikki
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