Avon River

I've been a really slack blogger lately. If you check in regularly, I'm really sorry it's taken me so long to post. September has been an unusually busy month. I'm on holidays at Medlow Bath in the Blue Mountains at the moment, so I might show you some pictures from my trip in the next post.

For now though, this is a scrapbook page I put together in answer to a challenge. The criteria for the challenge was:

1. Black Background

2. Stitching around the photo mat

3. At least 7 flowers on the page.

I've used some old patterned paper from last year's catalogue, as well as Real Red cardstock, and Lovely Letters embossed in Silver. I punched them out using the 1-1/4" circle punch and matted them on patterned paper punched using the 1-3/8" circle punch.

The stitching is fake - I used the Paper Piercer and template and a gel pen to put faux cross stitch around the top photo.

Created by Lorna
Images ©1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Forest Friends

Created by Lorna
Images ©1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

This is one of the cards we made at my class last week. I love this new set from the Spring Mini - it's so cute. Apart from the bunny and the tree, there is also an owl and a deer. Just gorgeous. For the multi-coloured image on the tree, I've used the drumming technique.

Stamp Sets: Forest Friends, Best Yet Hostess Set
Card Stock: Brilliant Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Bashful Blue, Whisper White
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Ribbon: Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon
Punches: Scallop Oval, Large Oval
Other: Dauber in Kiwi Kiss, Earth Elements Markers, Silver Jumbo Brad (Spring Mini)

Great Friend

Created by Lorna
Images ©1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

A great friend of mine, Natasha had her birthday in the last couple of weeks. I thought it appropriate that I use the Great Friend stamp set from the Mini Catalogue to make her a card. I love this set - it's so versatile, but also very elegant. Now, if only Stampin' Up! would bring out a punch in the shape of that butterfly...

Stamp Set: Great Friend

Cardstock: Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Going Gray, Whisper White

Ink: Going Gray, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss

Accessories: Kiwi Kiss 5/8" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Button Bouquet

What does a double layout have to do with Jane Austen?

Created by Lorna
Images ©1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

I am a huge Jane Austen fan. Last year, on my honeymoon, I was able to visit the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, England. I made this page through a Step By Step challenge over at Home and Scrapped. I coloured the flowers from the Pretties Kit using some ink and a dauber, then put half-pearls or brads in the centre. Once it was done, I still had some photos left over that I wanted to scrap and I made a second page...

Put them together and they look like this:

Cardstock: Close To Cocoa

Patterned Paper: Sweet Always

Stamp Sets: Lovely Letters, Great Friend (Mini)

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose, Pumpkin Pie, Pink Pirouette

Punches: Scallop Circle, 1-3/8", Designer Label

Other: Pretties Kit, Daubers

Another Rose

Created by Lorna
Images ©1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

I entered into a Cyber Challenge a couple of weeks ago and one of the challenges was a colour challenge. Although the colours weren't given in Stampin' Up!'s colours, they were pretty easy to match up. I decided to use one of the stamps in A Rose Is A Rose that I haven't used before. I've always thought this rose is too big for a card but would probably suit a scrapbook page, but I think it worked well with this space. I sent the card to my friend Vanessa for her birthday.

Stamp Sets: A Rose Is A Rose, Best Yet Hostess Set
Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Tempting Turquoise, Really Rust, Whisper White
Ink: Really Rust
Ribbon: Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon
Brads: Square Fire
Punches: Large Oval, Scallop Oval (from the Mini), Photo Corners

New Mini

The stunning New Mini is here. Click to see more or send me an email for your free copy.

A Rose is A Rose

Created by Lorna
Images ©1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

This is the second card we made at my class yesterday. We used some heat-embossing and two-step stamping. I put the rose (from A Rose is A Rose stamp set) together using the Stamp-a-ma-jig positioning tool.

Stamp Sets: Priceless, A Rose is A Rose, Oval All (New Mini)

Card Stock: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla

Ink: Versamark, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette

Punches: Eyelet Border, Scallop Oval (New Mini)

Other: Clear Embossing Powder, Pretties Kit, Dauber

Christmas In July

Created by Lorna
Images ©1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

On Friday night, my Stampin' Up! team had a Christmas In July dinner. We each made one card as a kind of swap. This is the card I made and one of the stamp and stack cards in my next class. The Window Dressing stamp set has some great stamps for watercolouring.

Cardstock: Old Olive, Real Red, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Old Olive
Stamp Sets: Window Dressing Level 3 hostess set, Pocket Silhouettes
Other: Stamp-a-ma-jig, Pastels, Blender Pens

A Very Close Second

Images ©1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

This is Lena's entry to my colour challenge. You can see why I had such a hard time deciding on the winner. Lena has only been making cards for a few months, which makes this card even more impressive.