TropiCards - Inked & Ready!

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 00:11:00 +0000

We got so carried away surfing the net for bargains when we met for this class that we had to take our tins home to make up. This is what everyone brought back on our next meet. The bigger tins were coffee tins discarded at work after use and rescued from the bin.

Secret Compatment Card

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 19:39:00 +0000

Tuihana showed us how to make this card. Very simple and fun. The above sample was made by Joeleen for fathers day. When you prise open the middle section of the card - a whole new section is revealed.

1. Measurements are: 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" for the main card and strips: 2" x 5 1/2" Stamp your desired background images on both sides of card.

2. Lay card on landscape position: score 2 1/8" from either side.

3. Make half inch slits one inch from top and bottom.

4. Weave the strips into the slits.

. . .so that one sits above and the other below.

5. Close the sides inward and fold the whole thing back into itself.

. . . . and score well.

6. Prise the middle open to use the hidden section. The more you open and close it the easier it is to use.

Good luck. Thanx Tuihana - this is a fun and useful card. Love it!

An Assortment of Tag cards

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:40:00 +0000

School Ball.07

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 02:10:00 +0000

The School Ball on Thursday night was a lot of fun. Everyone just looked so gorgeous! Most of these kids are from my class. I was impressed that they all turned up to school the next day.

Last One

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 18:12:00 +0000

Here is our third entry. The colour combo just fell into place once I teamed up the specialty light blue and gold paper with mellow moss. The stamp set is Delight in Life. The ribbon poking out from the top inset wasn't glued in so I was glad to see it had survived the journey in the magazine.

Happiness is Bravo Burgundy with Certainly Celery

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 06:25:00 +0000

Here is a very bad picture of Joeleens entry. Top is her original before I sent it. Awesome colours.

Take Ten 1

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 06:14:00 +0000

Joeleen and I decided to send in our efforts from the Spring 2007 Take Ten challenge and they published them in the latest Autumn Sampler. Here is the first one. The stamps were French Flare from SU and Pacific Koru from Kiwi Impressionz. The specialty paper has a paua influence which dictated the main image for me. Fun huh! Below is pic of page - have to do it this way as my scanner is not hooked up yet.

Tiki Tiki Tiki

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 06:20:00 +0000

Another tiki card from Joeleen's collection. Fell in love with this one when she first showed it to us. The So Saffron used for the main image and sentiment makes a great contrast against the darker colours and lightens the whole design. Love the restrained use of the polka dot ribbon - something fun, unexpected. A blending of two cultures perhaps? (Or the pakeha in you? lol)Brings a smile to my face. Love this colour combo too :)

Gentler Times

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 20:00:00 +0000

My son broke the lcd screen of my camera when he took it to school for an assignment and I thought it was done with only to happily find out three weeks later that it still works. Yeaaah! I let his father deal with that one. :) This is a retired set called Gentler Times and I think from the 2005- 2006 catalogue. I've had it for a while and have been looking for an excuse to use it already. Colours I have used are: Blush Blossom, Always Artichoke, Whisper White and Old Olive. The challange was to use the layout for Renaissance Angels on page 30 of the current catalogue. It was fun.

. . .get AROUND to it!

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 18:18:00 +0000

This is one of my favourite cards that I cased from Kiwi Ipressionz. Images were randomly stamped on glossy card, cut out with a round punch, roughly sewn on to a contrasting card and finished off with fiber, brads and sentiment.

Stud Muffin

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 18:40:00 +0000

I loved this card when I first saw it and just had to sit down and do one. Doesn't it make you think, OooOOh, Stud!:) This card is made by Pauline McCardle from Hastings. Stamps: Linen, It's your Birthday, Looks like Spring. C/S: Whisper White, Buckaroo Blue, Blush Blossom. Inks: Black, Bashful Blue. Don't you just love the buttons punched out with 6mm circle punch. All from SU.

Heartfelt and Paisley

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 19:02:00 +0000

This gorgeous card by Ann Dil is done in silver, black and white. An unusual feature is the strip of torn newsprint on the side of the inset. I love everything about this design. This was her swap for our last meeting.

Simplicity

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 17:21:00 +0000

This is another design that I cased earlier and just had to sit down and replicate. Just the simplicity of the card was so eye catching and yummy! (yeah, yummy!) I think the designer was making these for wedding invitations. The original card was in the lighter pink but I also wanted to see it in the darker. Wonderfully delicious don't you think?

Scallops

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 18:37:00 +0000

This card I cased earlier in the year (can't remember where) when I received my embossing folders and scallop punches. I just had to sit down and make it. Absolutely loved everything about it, especially the colour combinations. The black background is also embossed with the same folder.

1st Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 19:40:00 +0000

My first tutorial! This is for Sibylle who I met Wednesday night at her friend Rachelle's workshop. She absolutely loved this purse card just like I did when I first saw it. This is also for Julanne Rostran from Glitter Freak who inspired me to not put off a tutorial as too hard. Check her out at http://glitterfreak.blogspot.com - Thanx!

The first template I got was off Linda (Annabelle's friend) which was a photocopy on an A4 sheet of paper. Too big as I needed to make 50 cards and too fiddly so I had to find another solution. So here is what I did. 1.Cut A4 sheet into two and place one in portrait position to you. 2.Fold down flap of about 3-4cm (an inch). 3. Take bottom and bring it up just below that fold line. Crease. This is the body. 4.Open flap. Measure 2cm (3 quarter inch) from sides and mark.

5.Line up the mark and corner of bottom folded edge of body and cut both sides. This way all sides are perfectly aligned. (The rest is per instructions).

6.Measure 2cm in from sides of flap fold on both sides and cut slits of about 1cm (half inch). These are for the handles. 7.Stamp other side of card to your design. 8.Thread fiber/ribbon through the 2 cut cut slits so the ends are on the inside and tape about 2cm down and towards the middle so it would be hidden.

9.Inside part: Square off piece of A4 (normal copy paper) fold diagonally twice so you get an x. 10.Turn it so that the folds are on top and creases at the bottom. Bring the bottom edge up to meet the top making a rectangle.

11. Bring the two newly creased lines together and everything should fold neatly in together to make a triangle.

12.Fold sides into middle. Crease well. 13.Center and align folded paper to the inside of card making sure that bottom point does not go over the middle fold. Mark paper just underneath flap fold where the pencil is. This is where you need to cut so that the paper can sit nicely inside.

14.Open paper to cut as it may be too thick for the bladed to go through. Refold and push the sides inward and crease well.

15.Place sentiment inside. Note that folded rectangle line are the side parts. 16. Center velcro at top flap - this is the fastner. Tape one side of paper, center and place just underneath fold line, making sure handles are not seen underneath. 17.Tape top, bring bottom of card up, press into place.

Take backing off velcro, close and we're finished. Hope I made sense.

ROCKIN GIRL BLOGGER - My first nomination for this tag is: Julanne Rostran. Congratulations girl!

Today at Makare's

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 06:50:00 +0000

Our swap meet at Makare's today was cool. The challenge came from the Summer edition of the Take Ten Sampler. None of us had done it till this morning and I for one bemoaned the fact that I had set it. Very difficult especially if one had to cut out the diamonds by hand. There was no way I was going to do that two hours before the meeting so I just punched out 3cm squares which meant that I had to make the card longer to fit all four in. Only two things came to mind yesterday was that it had to be my new Montaga Maori stamp and the colour had to be green. Above was the result with the first two cards only having three diamonds. I used only one ink colour which was handsome hunter - at long last as I never use this colour. The other stamp set was French Flair. The cs was handsome hunter, old olive, and garden green. Accessories were black ribbon, gold wire and fun fiber.
This is Joeleen's effort. I was intrigued by her colour combinations. Bashful blue, cameo, barely banana and certainly celery. Such a complete contrast from mine. Cool!I received my 'Bind it all' this week and this is what we made today out of chip board coasters. This was so I can get someone to read the instructions of the 'bind it all' and show us how to use it. Joeleen did the honours - Thanx!

Woop! Woop! I'm a Rockin' Girl Blogger

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 04:55:00 +0000

Thanx Maria for nominating me to be a Rockin' Girl Blogger. How cool!! (Haven't a clue what it means but I'm jumping up and down:). I'll have to think about who to pass this fun award on to. Hey doesn't it match my letterhead.

Happy Birthday Maria!

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 19:45:00 +0000

Maria (student in my class) turns 13 today and all of last week and especially yesterday she has been reminding me. I remembered last night at 10pm when I was going to bed. :) An hour later I completed a Jacobs Ladder card for her. I figured it had to be something over the top and special because she has been noting the cards for the other girls in the class. Maria is a twin to Burnadette who features with her on the 3rd and 1st pictures going up the ladder. They are gorgeous girls and very tall (towers over me). Big hugs!

Puzzled

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 04:02:00 +0000

Judy from Stamp and Create showed this technique one night using a special embossing powder that seems to float on top of normal ep making the work look very metallic and substantial yet you only use a very small amount. It comes from an Australian company called Pipe Dream Ink I think. An image was stamped on a white sheet of paper and after embossing an old piece of jigsaw puzzle, the same stamp is inked, (in this case in black) and placed lightly on top of the jig saw and after a few minutes, taken off. The puzzle piece is then placed on top and matched with the stamped image below. This is the technique I like to use on the monograms. I thought it would have been better if the black image was done in brown then it wouldn't look so photo copy - ish. Fun tho!

Tuihana

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 19:11:00 +0000

I would like to feature another artist today. This is my friend Tuihana Whites' earlier work.

Fame

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 09:54:00 +0000

Stamped with a hilarious bunch of ladies yesterday at a pre-school called Fame in Whangaparoa. We did two projects and one was a purse card that I keep meaning to do a tutorial on. It probably already has been done but hey, it will be a first for me. (I usually do the pleated frock as a first lesson - less thinking). I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did. They are scrapbookers and it showed in their work that they knew what they were doing. Great work ladies and thanks Jane. I hope they invite me back. :) (I'm smiling because I told them to check my blog out lol).

I also stopped at a Scrapbooking shop at Silverdale and raided their bargain bin. The metal embellishments were going for four packets for $2. Couldn't pass that up plus they had these packets of gorgeous glitter cards. So much for just looking. :) I also gave Ashlee's mom the frame below that I had made for her daughter. She loved it. UUggh - back to school tomorrow. Better go and do some planning.

Holiday Programme

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 05:52:00 +0000

This is one of todays projects of our two day holiday programme in Highbury. I forgot to take the camera so I don't have any pics but they did some great work. I was very impressed with these future stampers in the making. Awesome. I loved being with them. There were 24 girls with the oldest being 13 and the youngest seven. We used the Headline Alphabet and I had the girls put down their birth dates yesterday (which I typed up and printed last night) then had them use the large oval or key tag to them punch out. We also did a purse card and a book of coupons using the Create a Coupon set.

These are my 12 and 11 year olds who were very keen and quite capable of taking instructions so they were able to move forward a little faster. Yesterday we did the pleated skirt and then after lunch I let them create their own. Interesting!

My little seven year olds took a little bit more work but I so loved their enthusiasm. Yesterday they all stuck their work up on the counter top for display and I just had to take a shot of them. After that I just completely forgot to take photos so I was so glad to get these which is a shame because each of the four tables had a different set of inks, cs colours and stamp sets with same project. Well done girls.

Birthday in Hawaii

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 02:05:00 +0000

This is my oldest girl, Dani, working her way through school at the Polynesian Cultural Center at BYU Hawaii. Last year she turned 20 and was her first birthday away from home so I made her a special birthday card below.

It was one of those concertina cards in a box and I made an extra long box on the side to house the silver bracelet that I got her.

This is one of the segments. I think I got carried away and tried to put everything in it that I thought she would love and laugh over. That's a shaker box on the right. She loved it! Most of the stamps I used were from SU. This post is in celebration of Maria Bell over at http://www.cardinspired.blogspot.com/ who has a really fun weekly challenge called (TIC) the 'Tuesday's Inspirational Challenge.' I submitted my '$2.00 Orchid' cards last night:). Fun! She is also from Hawaii but has moved to California (I think). So go on over and check my cards out . . . Aloha Maria!!

Tiki

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 21:29:00 +0000

This is one of my favourite cards from Joeleen. She went through a tiki phase . . . I think she is still on it. She absolutely loves them. I think this stamp is from Kiwi Impressionz. I love her understated colours and clean lines which she offsets with a dark crumbled frame, heat embossed copper image and koru shaped embellishement (nice authentic touch there). The dark chocolate twill gives the card weight and substance. Her colours are: mellow moss, chocolate chip, and close to cocoa. Perhaps she can comment next time she is passing through. Kia ora koutou. . . did I get that right? Check this site out if you have the time: http://www.islandpaperie.com/

High School Graduation

noreply@blogger.com (Lissa Huysmans) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 09:54:00 +0000

Just looking through some photos on my computer and came across my 2nd daughter, Ricci's High school graduation photos from last year. She boarded at CCNZ in Hamilton. Her school had some fun traditions like, red sash for honour students, and lollie leis for graduates from everybody and anybody. The more the better.

These are candles I made for her to give to her teachers as 'Thank Yous' and she had fun giving them out because people were both surprised and thrilled to get one and immediately asked how her mother made them. I tried to incorporate their school colours in the packaging. At the back of the candle I had printed (from the computer) their school song. The first few lines which goes something like:

It is better to light just one little candle,
Than to stumble in the dark.
Better far just to light, just one little candle,
All you need's a tiny spark.

I thought it was appropriate as she steps out into the world, besides if for nothing else she will be remembered as 'that girl with the candle.' Go Ric!:)