I am now going to be officially broke :(

But I'm so excited!!! Kaszazz consultants just received an email from headquarters saying they have received their shipment of May release products early - and it just happens to include ALL of the NEW Tim Holtz Distress Ink colours.  These are available to order now for just $11.95 per ink pad and $9.50 per refill bottle.  I already have Wild Honey, Victorian Velvet, Pumice Stone and Stormy Sky on my list.  The bad part is there is no official pictures yet (you can find them on the Ranger website though) but they will be in the new product flyer in May.  There is also a new paper trimmer with different interchangeable blades to cut other than a straight line.

There are more Smooch colours (yes, I am now converted and I LOVE the Spritz), new Design Adhesives designs, and some more Colorbox Chalk ink colours (another favourite of mine). Oh, and the other pre-releases of the new SB Essentials cardstock colours, the new corner rounder and the scallop border punch (which has sold out until further notice).

A great way to earn these products FREE is to host a FREE Make and Take or 2hr Workshop.  You could also host a Catalogue Party (I send you the catalogues, order forms etc and you pass it around friends, family, colleagues etc) and get all the benefits of hosting a demonstration (any HOST gifts that apply + 10% of all sales over $100 for you to spend as you like on any products - including all the new ones!) plus because I'm feeling excited I'll throw in a nice gift for you too.
Any Questions, Orders or Bookings welcome: rachel.witthaus@gmail.com

Card Patterns Sketch 57

I found this cool blog via the Hero Arts blog, and decided it was perfect for my newly stamped and watercoloured image.

Here is the sketch:

And here is what I came up with:

I am quite partial to frogs, so I had to get this cute stamp which is part of the May Kaszazz pre-release.  I stamped him with Leaf Green Ancient Page (because it is a permanent ink and won't run when you add water), then used the Lyra watercolour crayons and my aquabrush to colour him.  I also added some grey (black) around him to give a bit of definition.  The white card is stamped with the Dot Background stamp on a piece of Olive A5 card from the Earth Tones pack - which matches perfectly with the Olive Pastel Chalk ink dots don't you think?  The yellow cardstock under the frog is the new Butter SB Essentials which is also now available as part of the May pre-release.  It is a lovely light creamy-lemon colour.  The light ribbon was salvaged from some packaging, and the green ric-rak is from American Crafts.  I think the 2 brads are from Kaisercraft but no longer have the packaging so can't be 100%.

I have another May Pre-release stamped image to share with you once it makes it's way onto a card.  Stay tuned!

Sketches! Challenge #112

Welcome to another Wednesday, and what a great challenge it is today!  I loved this one :)
The Journalling Challenge was set by Anita and her instructions were:

*Create a layout with Journaling that lists 10 reasons why you feel lucky.

I don't believe in "luck" as such, so I thought I would try and come up with a different word for each of my 10 reasons to explain how I felt - but all reflecting the fact that I feel "lucky" to be me :)

Lucky-Blissful-Fortunate-Thankful-Humbled-Relieved-Grateful-Privileged-Glad-Happy

Materials: Java Bazzill, Sand SB cardstock, Kasiercraft pp, My Memories assorted chipboard, Adirondack paint dabbers (mushroom and snow cap), cuttlebug die (for the numbers), Creative Memories stencil (for the lines), staples.

I used a Page-Maps sketch design from Feb 2010 for this page which was a 8 1/2 x 11 sketch that I just stretched to 12x12. 

Check out the other awesome layouts from the DT here and share yours too :)

By the way, Tamara is posting her new Design Team request soon, so keep an eye out for that if you are interested!

P.S:  You may have seen that I have listed some items from my Kaszazz Stockbox for sale.  I really need to clear it out in time for the upcoming release in May - so get your hands on some awesome products/packs by clicking the Buy It Now tab at the top.  Trust me, you won't be disappointed in these.  And I will post it at a flat rate of $5 Australia Wide (regardless of if it's one item or all of it!) or enquire for Overseas postage price.  I will be adding pictures to each listing shortly :)

Happy Crafting.

Sketches! Challenge #111

I can't believe it! It is still Tuesday and I get to post this week's Sketches! challenge. Because of the time difference I am normally asleep when it is posted on Tamara's page, but I'm being a bit of a night owl tonight so I get to be one of the first instead of one of the last!

This week is a Card Sketch. The card sketches are definitely my favourites. I think it is because they are small and you can finish it in one go.

So here is the sketch:

And here is my card based on the sketch:

Materials: 8x8 inch white cardstock (to make a DL size card to fit in a business size envelope), Kasiercraft (?) PP, red cardstock, Fiskars Threading Water punch, Autumn Leaves clear stamp (flower), Kaszazz stamp (sentiment from the Treasured Memories set), Top Boss white embossing powder, white ribbon, edge distresser, Tim Holtz distress inks, Ice Stickles, pin.

I tried to stick to a Black, White and Red colour theme but wanted to make it a bit vintage so had to introduce the brown distress inks too.

I really like making this size card - it's a bit out of the ordinary, and this months card sketch was perfectly proportioned!

Check out what some of the other DTers have done with this sketch over at the Sketches! blog and don't forget to link up your card or leave a comment :)

Inspiration from Here, There and Everywhere!

I love getting new ideas of how to use my scrapbooking stash. I do subscribe to one scrapbooking magazine which I devour every time it is delivered but there is just so much free inspiration available online, I sometimes wonder why I bother paying for it!

Let me share with you some of the places I draw my inspiration:

1. Most major scrapbooking or stamping companies have their own blog or design team gallery that show off projects using their supplies. While I use mostly Kaszazz products (as well as what I already have accumulated), the projects can usually be adapted to whatever you have available - think beyond the exact product and think about the techniques or design elements. Some examples are Nichole Heady from Papertrey Ink, Stamp TV (a new video is available each Wednesday), Pebbles Inc, and the Hero Arts Blog.

2. Some of the major names in scrapbooking and papercrafts have their own blogs and websites such as Tim Holtz, Ali Edwards, Martha Stewart, as well as the awesomely talented Jennifer McGuire.

3. Challenge and Sketch Blogs abound - with some for the fun of it, and others have sponsors so are able to offer prizes for entries. Some of my faves include Cuttlebug Challenges, The Cuttlebug Spot, Mojo Monday, Colour Create Challenge, 365 Cards, Inspired Blueprints, Pencil Lines, Page Maps and of course Sketches! {by Tamara}.

4. Online Stores or Galleries often have project ideas and forums to help you get the most out of your products. Splitcoaststampers has a variety of projects that users can upload to share and each Thursday they showcase a new technique. Little Scrapbook Shop and Scrap Therapy have galleries and monthly challenges too.

5. Step by step instructions can be good but I love watching the videos showing how to make certain things, or even to find out different ways of using a certain product. YouTube and Vimeo are 2 of the online video sites that you can search for papercrafting goodies on.

I hope you can find some inspiration amongst all of that - I do!

Happy crafting :)

Sketches! Challenge #110

Welcome to another Wednesday (here in Australia). This week is a recipe challenge over at the Sketches! blog and it was set by yours truly. I gave the recipe of Embossing, Vellum/Transparency and Felt. I tried to come up with things I haven't or don't tend to use much but it proved a bit of a challenge for ME!

I had an idea of what I wanted to do, so I set about making my layout... which didn't quite turn out as I would have liked, but it's done.

Materials: SB Essentials Cardstock (Kaszazz), Felt, Plastic sheet (Kaszazz), Spring Time stamp set (Kaszazz), Ancient Page inks (Kaszazz), Beutron buttons, Butterfly punch (Kaszazz), Cuttlebug dies, American Crafts ribbon, Staples, Dagwoods Jumbo Rollagraph wheel (Kaszazz), T.H Walnut Stain Distress Embossing Powder (Kaszazz), T.H Peeled Paint Distress Ink (Kaszazz), Kitchen twine, Pens.

I then thought maybe I could come up with a card instead, and just played with bits and pieces, but again I wasn't really happy with it.

Materials: A5 White cardstock (Kaszazz), American Crafts dsp, Silver Embossing powder (Kaszazz), Heidi Swapp? Stamp - you&me, Love Postmark and Dainty Flourish Stamps (Kaszazz), Ancient Page ink, Felt, Plastic sheet (Kaszazz), Cuttlebug die, Cotton thread, Circle Punch (Kaszazz), Edge Distresser (Kaszazz).

Do two mediocre projects equal one fab project? Let's hope so!

I was totally blown away at the other AWESOME projects from the DT ladies - great job!!! Check out all the projects here. If you upload a project (put a link in the Sketches! comments, then let me know here in the comments below) using my recipe I will draw one winner to receive a little something from me (Next Wednesday - so you have a whole week). So, get crafting!

Sketches! Challenge #109

I'm a bit behind the times but this week at Sketches! it is a layout sketch. I totally love sketches - it gives you something to work from.

Here is the sketch:

And here is my layout:

Because the main photo in the sketch was larger than a standard 6x4" photo I went looking through my enlargements and came across this photo of Sophie. It is probably a bit too big but never mind. I am not one for taking small photos - I tend to fill the whole image, and because I don't print my own photos it makes it a bit hard to get the smaller sizes - so I changed the film strip on the bottom to be the butterflies. For the journalling around the photo I used the title and printed out the dictionary definition onto Bazzill and cut it into strips to frame the image. You can't tell in the image but the dots on the butterfly wings and on the title are Stickles - so the are all shiny and sparkly.

Please pop over to the Sketches! blog (if you haven't already) to check out the amazing layouts from the rest of the Design Team - just awesome!!!

Also, if you are a Facebooker, Sketches! now has a page on there with special challenges that will only be posted on Facebook.

Have a good one!

Cuttlebug Giveaway!

I am a follower of the Cuttlebug Challenges Blog - being a cuttlebug owner, and this month is apparently National Craft Month in America, so they are having a giveaway to celebrate. Pop over to their blog, leave a comment between now and 18th March, and become a follower... that easy! Gotta be in it to win it! Plus they have some cool tips on things you can do with your cuttlebug.