“Create With Kathe” For Thursday 20th March 2014

Well Thursday’s class seems so long ago now…

Since then I have attended a Scrapbook Layout Class with Jacque form Auckland, this was all day Saturday 9.30am till 5pm, and I was completely shattered afterwards.

Yesterday (Sunday) I was in so much pain, I could hardly move.

Tonight {Monday 31^st March} I taught at Women Connecting my Noah’s Ark Double Slider card, which I will post about tomorrow.

Tonight was also the cut off date for the Stampin’ U! Sale-A-Bration promotion, I placed an order, and 5 minutes later, someone else sent an order in via email – grrrrrr!!!

I did quite well though, what with my own order, the Hostess Reward and the Sale- A-Bration rewards, this order, I received $541.20 worth of products, and the difference to pay for this order was $81.47 … not bad eh?!!!

Gotta say, I ♥ Stampin’ Up!

For Thursday’s class, we made an Easter Bunny "Punch Art" Easter Egg Box, and a Gift Card Holder …

Easter Bunny "Punch Art" Easter Egg Box

I adapted the pattern for the Card In A Box, and used the Scallop Tag Topper Punch for the closure.

The cardstock was “Naturals White” and stamped with the “Hardwood” stamp, using a masking technique, as the top of the box is stamped randomly with the “Petal Parade” {Sale-A-Bration} stamp set.

The Fringe Scissors are used to create the grass, and the Banner punch to create the Swag.

For the first box, we stamped banners from the “Banner Blast” stamp set on to Naturals White, and then punched out with the Banner Punch.

On the second box, we used the “Sweet Sorbet” DSP to create the cute swag.

The stamp set “Perfect Pennants” and matching Banner Framelits are used to create the sign the bunny is holding.

The Bunny is created using a number of Punches; Petite Petals, Boho Blossoms, Large Oval, Extra-Large Oval, Small Heart, Owl Builder, Circle Framelits

This bunny is so cute, I just wanted to squeeze his cheeks!

Gift Card Holder

I made these with the class back at Christmas time, but after seeing the gorgeous card that Jen made using the “Perfect Blend” stamp set, I just had to use it too!

Made with the Envelope Punch Board {$38.95}, these are a breeze to make, and so quick and easy.

The coffee cup and wording are stamped with Black StazOn ink, then coloured using Blender Pens.

The “Gorgeous Grunge” stamp set is liberally stamped in “Soft Suede” to create a spilt coffee effect.

For the inside of the card, I wasn't fussed on the underside of the DSP, so cut a strip of the gorgeous floral paper from the same pack, and stuck it to the flap that holds the gift card.

One would never know that I had altered the cardstock!!!

Instead of Washi Tape, I have used strips of DSP around the base of the card and tied with contrasting Organdy ribbon.

The sentiment “Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful” is from the “Perfect Pennants” stamp set, had hand-coloured using Stampin’ Markers.

A Candy Dot is placed on the corner flap of the gift card holder to “anchor” the project.

I am secretly pleased as to how these two projects turned out!

Recipe Ingredient List

Stamp Sets: “Banner Blast” {SAB2014},”Gorgeous Grunge”, “Hardwood”, “Perfect Blend”, “Perfect Pennants”, “Petal Parade” {SAB2014}

Ink: Black StazOn, Blushing Bride, Coastal Cabana, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Sahara Sand, Soft Suede, Stampin’ Makers Old Olive, Pacific Point, Pool Party

Cardstock: Basic Gray, Blushing Bride, Naturals White, “Sweet Sorbet” DSP {SAB2014}

Punches: Banner {SAB2014}, Boho Blossoms, Petite Petals, Large Oval, Extra-Large Oval, Small Heart, Owl Builder, Scallop Tag Topper

Framelits/Dies: Banner Framelits Dies, Circle Framelits

Xtras: Bakers Twine, Blender Pens, Candy Dots, DImensionals, Fringe Scissors, Gel Pen {White}, Linen Tread, Pearl Basic Jewels, Ruffle Stretch Trim, Wooden Cocktail Sticks, Organdy Ribbon {R}

Special Tools: Big Shot, Stampin’ Envelope Bunch Board, Stampin’ Scrub and Stampin’ Cleaner, StazOn Cleaner, Stampin’ Trimmer

Dad’s Surprise 65th Birthday and Retirement Party

Hard to believe just 2 weeks ago, I was smack-bang in the middle of planning my Dad’s surprise 65^th birthday and retirement party!

The invitations had gone out weeks earlier, and were made using the "My Digital Studio" programme ...

We had 70+ guests coming, and the night before {2 weeks ago today} I was up till 3am making the Guest Book, and all the other little final touches, before falling asleep on the couch, in the process of painting my nails, luckily I got the top on the nail polish bottle, before my tired eyelids closed!

The night before the party, there was a magnificent sunset over the Bay, which I was lucky enough to capture before darkness fell.

On the day of the party {March 15^th}, it was my job to sidetrack Dad for 3 hours, from 11am till 2pm, whilst my Mom, hubby, kids and Auntie decorated the church Hall. We also had rellies coming in from out of town, so they needed access to the house too!

I took Dad on a tiki tour around the region, the first stop was Eyebright.

Little did Dad know that a couple of hours later, the owner of Eyebright, and Dad’s former work-mate would be at the party, and be one of the guest speakers!

When we arrived at Eyebright, the lovely sales assistant said to me {in front of Dad} “Wow you look fantastic, are you on the way to a special party?”!!!

I had to say no, but when Dad’s back was turned, I later told her the top secret information about Dad’s surprise party!

On our way out of the shop, the sales assistant said to Dad and I “Have a great day!” {wink wink!!!}.

As we were {unbeknownst to Dad} ahead of schedule, I then took Dad on a drive out to Mapua, where we had lunch at The Naked Bun, which was delicious! We both had Pies, Dad’s was Fish with a crumb topping, mine was “Chicken, Mushroom and Leek”, we shared a bowl of hot chips, and then had a yummy dessert, Dad had a Berry Crumble and I had had Tiramisu.

After lunch we headed down to the Mapua waterfront for a walk about, before heading back to Stoke.

I could tell Dad was getting a bit miffed, because I kept receiving text messages, little did he know that all these messages related to the party!

On the way back home, we should have gone straight ahead at the traffic lights, but instead I indicated and pulled into the lane to turn right. Dad pounced on me, and gave me such a fright, as he thought we were in the wrong lane, I just said, “No worries Dad, just thought we would take the scenic route”!

We pulled into the church car-park, and all of a sudden it dawned on Dad that we were there for his surprise party!

When Dad and I went to go inside the Church Hall, there were 70+ guests waiting to see Dad, and I got a tad claustrophobic and hid in the corner, and started opening his birthday cards!

I did however make a fantastic display of all the gorgeous cards!

The tables were decorated with re-purposed coffee jars and Stampin’ Up! “Tea For Two” Designer Series Paper, and raffia, and were filled with gorgeous faux flowers, I had to pull Mum’s faux hydrangeas apart, as I ran out of flowers, but they all the “vases” looked gorgeous!

The birthday cake was on display right from the beginning of the party, as there were so many little details on the cake, so everyone got a chance to view it.

Dad loves to garden, and has a Bachelor of Horticulture from Lincoln University, and is also President of the Nelson Cacti Society, so a garden themed cake was decided on.

My best-friend Jen did an amazing job, from her concept plan, right through to the finished cake, everyone was in awe of her talent!

It was hard culling the photos down to just these 6 photos, as I took about 30, and each photo showed another new detail about the amazeballs cake!

I assisted with assembly {and coffee making}, and made the Glass Houses, which were made from acetate {OHP Film}, and each window pane was scored to give a bevelled pane effect.

We used the "Card In A Box" pattern to make the Glass Houses.

Jen had made in the preceding days Carrots, Cauliflowers, Peas, Pumpkins, Tomatoes, all from fondant.

The finishing touch was the cute “Clive” who stood in the garden, next to the sign, on one side saying “Clive’s Garden” and on the other “Happy 65^th Birthday” {which was made by Moi}!

As Dad had recently {unbeknownst to Mum} purchased {another} 1000 Cacti, and was storing them at my house, I decided to have these Cacti {grrr grrr!!!} mentioned throughout the speeches.

I made some {pretend} Tequila for Dad, as Tequila is made from Cacti, and renamed the Tequila “Jose Cliveo” {instead of Jose Cuervo}, and presented it to Dad during the speeches.

I thought an xtra cute idea would be for each of the grandchildren to walk up in age order, and give Dad a cactus as a gift, this brought the house down! The kids were so well behaved throughout the whole afternoon, and looked so gorgeous all dolled up in their Sunday bests!

Time flew by, and before we knew it, it was time to begin the task of clearing the room, and to say goodbye to all the guests, some of whom travelled from as far a field as Christchurch.

The family all met up again at my brothers for dinner, and we had the ole fashioned kiwi “Fish and Chips” for tea.

It as a fantastic day, but it has taken a week for me to recover!

The card I made for Dad is a blue version, of the one that I made in my “Create With Kathe” Craft Class for 6^th March, I also matched back the Guest Book, Pen, and table vases …

Shabby Chic Hardwood Card

My new favourite stamp is the “Hardwood” stamp from the Seasonal catalogue, available through till 30 June 2014.

Stamps sets also used are “Petite Petals” {and matching Petite Petals Punch}, “Flower Shop” (and matching Pansy Punch}, “Mixed Bunch” {and matching Blossom Punch}, “That’s The Ticket” {and matching Ticket Duo Builder Punch}, and “Lovely Romance”.

The fancy fold is made using the “Circle Card Thinlits” Dies, you get 10 different dies in this cute little pack, and all for just $67.95!!!

The Bird Builder Punch is used for the leaves, and the veins are drawn on with the Old Olive Stampin’ Maker.

Classic Stampin’ Pads used are Coastal Cabana, Pacific Point, and Sahara Sand.

The stamp with the words “I think you are amazing just wanna let you know” is from the “Lovely Romance” stamp set, and is coloured using the Old Olive, Pacific Point and Pool Party Stampin’ Markers.

Candy Dots in Pool Party and a scattering of Rhinestones complete this gorgeous card.

Recipe Ingredient List

Stamp Sets: “Flower Shop”, “Hardwood”, “Lovely Romance”, “Mixed Bunch”, “Petite Petals”, and “That’s The Ticket”

Ink: Coastal Cabana, Old Olive, Pool Party, Sahara Sand, and Old Olive, Pacific Point and Pool Party Stampin’ Markers

Cardstock: Naturals White, Old Olive, “Tea For Two” DSP {and My Digital Studio download}

Punches: Bird Builder, Blossom, Pansy, Petite Petals, Ticket Duo Builder

Framelits/Dies: “Circle Card Thinlits” Dies

Xtras: Candy Dots. Candy Dot Brad Bases, Rhinestone Basic Jewels

Special Tools: Big Shot, Stampin’ Scrub and Stampin’ Cleaner, Stampin’ Trimmer

All photos in this article are taken by Moi!

Guest Blogger: Jen Hassloch With “Easter Egg Explosion”

Jen has made this stunning Card In A Box using the Stampin’ Up “Backyard Basics” stamp set and matching Framelits.

Each egg has been individually coloured using Faber-Castell Watercolour Pencils and SU Aqua Painters to blend.

The sentiment that Jen has used is from the Sale-A-Bration stamp set “You’re Lovely”.

To finish off the card, Jen has added cute coloured cotton balls to the base of the Card In A Box.

I love how colourful Jen’s card is, even when folded flat.

Recipe Ingredient List

Stamp Sets: “Backyard Basics”, “You’re Lovely”

Ink: Black StazOn,

Cardstock: Whisper White + Flocked Hybrid Cardstock

Framelits: Backyard Basics

Xtras: SU Aqua Painters, Faber-Castell WaterColour Pencils, Coloured Cotton Balls

Special Tools: Big Shot, Simply Scored Scoring Tool, Stampin’ Scrub and Stampin’ Cleaner, StazOn Cleaner, Stampin’ Trimmer

“Create With Kathe” For Thursday 20th March 2014

At Thursday’s “Create With Kathe” craft class, we had a new crafter attend, the gorgeous Sue.

We had an afternoon filled with giggles, as Bev and Kay were also able to come along and enjoy the fun!

This week we made two cards, the second card I believed would be the harder of the two to make, but these awesome ladies had the second card done and dusted within 30 minutes!

The first card is case’d by a card that I made on Tuesday with my Tutor and Mentor Jacque, who was in town for the day.

I adapted it, as I did not own {yet – they are in my latest Stampin’ Up! order!} the SU Heart Framelits, instead I switched the Hearts out for the Labels Collection Framelits.

The flower was the first item to be made, first punching 3x Blossom Punch in “Blushing Bride”, 2x Pansy Punch in “Blushing Bride” and 2x Pansy Punch in “Always Artichoke”.

The flowers were then embossed with the “Square Lattice” embossing folder. The flower petals were curled with the Bone Folder, then braded with a Candy Dots Brad Base, with a Pearl to finish off the centre.

The flowers were then spritzed with the Smooch Spritz, and then left to dry.

Once dry I then sponged the tips of the petals in “Sahara Sand”.

The background stamp which is heat embossed in Black, is my favourite stamp, the “Hardwood” stamp form the Occasions Brochure, available till 30th June 2014.

And I had to break out my new “Little Leaves Sizzlits”, and at only $11.50, I don’t know why I hadn't purchased these before!!!

These perfectly framed the flower, above the sentiment…

“Sending Good Thoughts Your Way’ is from the “Perfect Pennants” stamp set, and is stamped in “Always Artichoke” on Naturals White cardstock.

The inside message first stamped in “Blushing Bride” {for the background}, then with “Always Artichoke” are the words “Thank You You’re The Best” from “Hello, Lovely” stamp set.

Finished off with a sweet little heart in Blushing Bride cardstock and an extra  

Pearl, and this card is complete.

The second card we made, tested the ladies, as they learnt some new techniques along the way …

The card base is Naturals White, with an overlay off the Sale-A-Bration “Sweet Sorbet” Designer Series Paper, and Coastal Cabana on the inside of the card.

The Scalloped Tag Topper Punch is used to create the fancy closing of the card, which is tied with Ruffled Stretch Trim in Coastal Cabana.

The sentiment is from the “Perfect Pennants” stamp set and hand coloured with Stampin’ Markers in Tempting Turquoise, Pacific Point and Old Olive.   Stamped on Naturals White and adhered to the Coastal Cabana cardstock, and then placed on Dimensionals.

A window is cut with the Circles Collection Framelits, and peaking through the {Circular} window is the cutest hand painted flower!

The background of the card is first stamped in graduating colours of Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, and Bermuda Bay, using the gorgeous watermark stamp from the “Happy Watercolor” stamp set.

From that same stamp set, the Pansy is stamped in Black StazOn, before starting to colour the Pansy, using the end of a pencil and Versamark, make 3 little round splotches in the centre of the flower, then cover in Gold Embossing Powder and heat set.

Hand colour with a Blender Pen and the Pacific Point stamp pad.  

After colouring with the Blender Pen, add 3 little Pearls to the centre of the Pansy.

To finish the card, using the Versamark and Gold Embossing Powder, add the cute little circles to the corner of the card, from the “Happy Watercolor” stamp set.

Wah lah, card done!

Recipe Ingredient List

Stamp Sets: “Hardwood”, “Happy Watercolor”, “Hello, Lovely”, “Perfect Pennants”

Ink: Always Artichoke, Bermuda Bay, Blushing Bride, Coastal Cabana, Pool Party, Sahara Sand, Stampin’ Markers Tempting Turquoise, Pacific Point and Old Olive

Cardstock: Blushing Bride, Always Artichoke, Coastal Cabana, Naturals White, “Sweet Sorbet” Designer Series Paper {SAB 2014}

Punches: Small Heart, Blossom, Pansy, Scalloped Tag Topper

Framelits/Dies: Labels Collection Framelits, Circles Collection, Little Leaves Sizzlits

Embossing Folders: Square Lattice

Xtras: Blender Pens, Bone Folder, Candy Dots Brad Bases, Dimensionals, Embossing Powder – Black and Gold, Basic Pearl Jewels, Ruffled Stretch Trim in Coastal Cabana, Smooch Spritz, Versamark

Special Tools: Big Shot, Heat Tool, Stampin’ Scrub and Stampin’ Cleaner, Stampin’ Trimmer

JorjaRose Jewellery

I have been dabbling in Jewellery lately, and trying out different colours and techniques.

Quite by chance I was in the right place at the right time, and a lovely lady from “Save The Children” was introduced to my Jewellery, and now Thelma and her lovely team of volunteers have my gorgeous “JorjaRose Jewellery” for sale in their Nelson shop!

Prices range from NZ$15 for a pair of one-off earrings, to NZ$20 for a gorgeous Necklace.

Each piece is handmade, so no two are alike.

"Save The Children" can be found in Buxton Square, Nelson, next to HotHouse.

There are many more colours to choose from in-store!