Paper, shelves and cutting

Testing out the new cutter this morning I made this card up, if i paper piece again I would ink up the edges to make the pieces pop off the page!


What else.. oh my husband went to IKEA and found these shelves for my crafting supplies, we are going to get more and take the shelves a bit further along the wall.


Then I have my wardrobe that used to have an avalanche warning when the door was opened!
I have cleaned it up a bit more since this photo was taken, but its a big improvement!  it was shoved full of fabric and clutter.  Now its purely bear making and card making supplies.
The top of the wardrobe was filled with years worth of magazines, those are now half on ebay and half ready for garage sales.  I decided just to pile up the mags at a garage sale for 50cents each and if that fails the school fete has first dibs!


Only EBAY.. I have nearly reached my goal of making enough money to pay for the new cutter!  I am $8 off target with 3 days to go!  wooohooo.

So excited

So as I previously chatted about I am having a big sell out on ebay.. to fund a cutting machine.  My pazzles inspiration was not only causing me frustration but wasting so much time and card stock.  I bit the bullet and purchased a Gazelle from De-signsmadebyme.  I am totally and utterly thrilled!  From the moment it was set up and plugged in.. i was very happy.  Not one tear to be seen, perfect cuts, and to top it off.. its PINK!!
here is a sample of a print and cut i was playing with today.  Basically you import your image into the software, make a cutting line around the image (a few clicks of the mouse) print, laser align, cut.
Now this sounds easy, and well it was.  But I had been trying to do this on my other cutter and kept failing so I gave up and thought its a feature I dont need!  Well guess what.. I do need it.  Digital images just got a whole lot more fun.  Not only can I print imges now for projects but I can now trim them right down to their outlines!  I have some images where this may not work (feathered edges etc) but WOW!!!!  Thrilled I tell you.
I am nearly up enough $$$$$ on ebay to call my cutting purchase FREE... (well..in my head it was free... as ebay is paying for it!)

Cooking it up with Katie

Sorry for being so absent on here, I have been listing things on ebay and its keeping me so very busy.
I am happily decluttering my craft room and making some money at the same time.  Its liberating letting things go... although time consuming!
Anyway this week over at Cooking it up with Katie we are looking for some projects that follow the recipe of Wings, Petals and Pink.. I had major plans of fairys and angels and butterflies but time got in the way so I changed my idea and went way out of my normal comfort zone and used shaped and dies opposed to stamps!  i am playing in the Clearly Istamp challenge too.

What can you come up with for this challenge, we would love to see you play along!

Aifactory Challenge-Animals and a brad

This week is my first time as DT coordinator for Aifactory,
 the wonderful Mia gave us a lovely image to play with and it can be found over at the Vault
 (waiting for the link..)

Don't forget you can grab freebies at the vault too, the freebies section is always expanding at the store!

I kept my project very simple.. I was originally aiming for a boy's card but I soon changed my mind when my whale suddenly was pink!!  
I used my bow easy for the double bow and I finally jumped into my stash of brads for this challenge.. I rarely use brads.. not sure why because I quite like them.  Its hard to tell but the DP behind the image is an embossed blue and white feather pattern, which helps tie into the animal challenge!

Looking forward to seeing what you all create this week.  Head on over to the challenge blog for more details.
The Design Team are awaiting your visits, we are working in teams, I update my sidebar to show you the teams really soon.


My little bit of exciting news

Last month I became qualified as a massage therapist in full body massage, and I am now in the process of enrolling in a deep tissue course.  Its all very exciting and I already have people asking for massages (my family may start getting told NO soon).  I have always used BUSCH in any name for craft, sewing etc but I really can't see a way to have BUSCH in a massage business name.  What idea's can people come up with?
I was thinking Busch Tranquality or Busch Serenity but that really doesnt promote the idea of Massage.  I could easily just say Massages by Penny.  Help... I am really looking for a smart name but something that obviously promotes massage.

Kaszazz Team Training Day 2010

I was spoiled today by attending a lovely Training Day for Kaszazz, hosted by Kylie Cooper.
This is one of the workshops we got to complete, and I really love it!
This workshop is called
Funky Windows Shrinky Dink Cards (Beginners)
2H594 -Created by Naomi Elliot

Can you find the mistake among all these... I nearly had to restamp a window frame card until Kylie came to the rescue and offered a very simple solution! I love how easy these were and the new Scrapbook Paper is very nice! Im thinking my friend Deby may like to make up these cards to use within her real estate business. They are just fun! The shrinky dinks are an added special touch.. we all laughed at the fact that the owl, butterfly and birdy were on the inside of the window sill.. looking out to the world!
How cute does the new Oliver the owl stamp look when shrunk into a shrinky dink!

These cards are perfect for the spring flowers challenge over at Istamp

I was lucky enough to win a prize in the card comp too, I won the Journal frame and the Journal Jiffy stamps, valued at $37.50! woohoo. All because I entered a card competition!
I used the Cute Gecko stamp 1385LI from the new May release stamps!  I masked him with the lovely gum leaf stamp thats in our regular catalouge!  Do you like the outcome? 


We also did a scrap layout, ill add that to the blog once I put a few photos into the project!

I told Kylie I would pop a photo of her on my blog after she started snapping pics of us all working along to her very strict demands of the day... can you tell she was working us all so hard from her smile!


 Great great day.

Creatalicious Challenge's

As you may know I part of the DT for Creatalicious and I have been enjoying playing along with the challenge's.
this month its A trip to the Orient, I have already posted my DT card for the challenge but I thought I should show you my first attempt I made on this card.  





Creatalicious Challenge's


Click the banner to head on over to the challenge blog!!

Kylie set the challenge this month and she asked us to take a trip to the Orient!

I used my Stampin Up tearing ruler and a lovely floral stampin up flower stamp with Perfect Medium and clear emboss powder to make the background paper.  I was really reluctant to cover that paper up as it ended up being quite effective!
 The sentiment is from the same Stampin Up set. (ill have to find out what its called)

I used my Copics to colour this beautiful image of the Asian girl and her cat (Mo's Digital pencil too) and nestabilities to cut her out.  I felt a bit odd tearing and then doing neat edges aswell!
And just for fun I am playing in the following challenges this week
Dareu2digi- anything goes
City Crafter - Tags
Charizma - Food or drink (the cats bowl and the tea pot)
Shellys images blog - Anything goes
Crafty Creations - around the world




Challenge Time


Aifactory challenge day is upon us again and this week the Design Team got to play with some beautiful images from the vault.  



Our Challenge this week is
Celebrate and make it sparkle


Here is my project, I printed out the tea cup image several times on some remnant designer paper's and then I cut out different elements and paper pieced it all back together it again


 If you are in need of some images to use to complete the challenge this week on over to the Vault and grab some Freebies to play with.  I check there so often, as new images are put up very regularly. 

Don't forget to head over to the AiFactory Challenge Blog and link  up your creation.   The prize for the winner will be the image's we got to use for our projects.. and of course the "joy" of winning a challenge!  We all love that.


If you are a member of the Aif forums, Splitcoast stamper gallery, PCP or SNR please upload your photos of your creations and link them with AIF so other's can see your work!
 

Flower challenge card

I have been a little slack lately getting challenge cards done for some of my favourite challenge blogs, so I just checked Clearly Istamp and the theme is May Flowers , and her prize is a whole month's worth of images (new releases..).  I missed a whole month of Delightful Inspiration too, so here is a card made with the free image for the week.  Then we have the Aifactory challenge asking for Celebrations with sparkle, it didnt show up in the photo but there is shimmer on the embossed card behind the image.  Belli challenges want hole punches and something old from the stash.. well can  you tell the tissue is old.. i actually like the effect it has, i punched a hole for the brad.  The Wild flower patch wants, ribbon, dimension and sparkle.  Thanks for dropping in! 

Lots of Scrapbooking

I have been busy with scrapping lately and really enjoying it.  My friend Deby and I have done three layouts in the past three weeks, which I know sounds slow but by the time we drive to each others houses, sort out my failing internet, or cutting machine... etc one layout per visit is good!  Two weeks ago we wanted to do a Kaszazz layout but I didnt have the right paper so we compromised and ended up with the following, we used stamps and used our cutting machines for embellishments instead of the suggested paper's


Then last week was the White Space layout, initially I didn't like this when I first saw it but once I started putting it together I was sold.


Then today I copied a layout (was a single page) from a recent scrapbooking magazine, I quite like how this came together, the Chelsea wording wasn't on the magazine suggestion but i really wanted her name on it.



Its hard to tell in the photo's but I used dye ink (distress) and perfect pearls in a mini mister to colour the leaves, and the butterflies, the butterflies are vellum.. and that was a fun little experiment watching them curl up when i misted them.  It actually gives them a slight distressed look, which I quite like!
I reprinted the photo's, scanned and printed in black and white.  A hint I learnt today from the magazine was if you have two photo's with clashing colour schemes is to change them both to black and white photo's to save on the CLASH!  Brilliant and obvious once pointed out!

Cooking it up with Katie Challenge



So whats cooking this fortnight?  Well the DT all got to use any image from their stash for this challenge.  And we were given the following recipe to play with.


Challenge 17 - 5/12 (chose your own image)

Be charming
Make it Male
Use 3 colors only (not including white to stamp on)


We all would love to see what creations you can come up with
head on over to
and submit your creations!

I am laughing at myself now, as i've seen all the other DT creations and they have used charms... I missed the whole idea!  I thought be charming was for the image used.. and you must admit my bunny is charming!  for this challenge my embellishment of the clock is going to have to be my charm!  I can't believe i was that clueless to the obvious! 
Oh dear!

The rest of the DT are also waiting for your visits

The AiFactory is having a blog hop


Welcome to our new fabulous Design Team over at the Aifactory, the DT is now 14 members strong..  I am really looking forward to seeing the creations from the Team each week.  But for now.. lets  play a little game.  Are you up for a bit of a word scramble for the chance of free images and prizes?
I'm really looking forward to seeing lots of people participate.
Aifactory Girls Rock, they have all come together really quickly and amongst confusion put together some amazing creations.  Great team work ladies and a fabulous start to the new DT Term.

To our beautiful departing Design Team members, I look forward to visiting your blogs and witnessing your creations and being motivated by you.  You have managed to inspire me and to make me smile on a regular basis!

Our blog hop is in celebration of our departing team and welcoming the new..

You say Goodbye, I say hello

You have found my post from coming over from the Aifactory Challenge blog if you get lost on the hop go back to the start of the hop at the challenge blog.

I got to use the images from the Party Set Clip art range over at the Aifactory Vault for my creations.


I am not really used to working with clip art but I did enjoy how quickly this little card came together.  I used my cuttlebug and nestabilities to cut the balloons out in an oval and then I hand cut the hat and gifts and added glossy accents to them to make them into ready made embellishments.   I popped some stickles on the balloon for some shimmer..The sentiment just couldn't find a place on the card front so I popped it inside the card.  I think the sentiment would be perfect for a party invite!


Lola is waiting for your visit over on her blog.. 

but have you found my secret letter yet?
let me make it a bit more clear
R

Prize 1 ~  Drawn from random DT Members comments $20 Gift Certificate...Just leave a comment on each of the blogs you visit. We will randomly pick one commenter from one the Design Team Members Blogs to win a $20 AiFactory Gift Certificate. Which DT Member is a SECRET...so make sure you comment on them all!!)

Prize 2 ~ Scrambled Word Prize...Each DT Member has been assigned a letter...To win hoppers have to unscramble all the letters and send correct phrase to Angie (angievcortes@gmail.com) in an email and I
draw a winner from all the correct entries for a $10 Gift Certificate

Prize 3 ~ Random freebies scattered throughout the hop.





Aifactory blog hop


Come and join us on the 8th May 2010 for the fun!


Aifactory is having a blog hop.. here is what Mia wrote about it.


I am so excited! we have a brand new team ready to show you their creativity . But i am sad too as some of my sweet team members will be leaving us :( . So we decided to have a blast off party full of giveaways and a fun game while you play. Remember to join us over the challenge blog on May 8th to download free digital resources while you hop and play along with us . And while you hop our New & GOLD (must call them gold rather old ) DT girls will be showing off some of the latest Digital stamps and cliparts at the store as well. And you will have chance to win these too!
Cant wait! .... See you then!
Have a nice creative day!