Today I'm busy preparing for tonight's Card Making Buffet event.  Last month, I hosted my first one and it was so much fun! These events are open house style, which means no booking required - just pop by between 6pm and 9pm (9:30pm pack up).

Where: Bamboo Room, Bendigo Village Spring Gully
Cost: $16 includes 3 projects of your choice.
Make as many extras as you like at just $3 per additional project.

Card Buffet events are fabulously flexible. You choose when you arrive, the projects you want to do, how many you want to do and when you want to leave! Work at your own pace throughout the evening!

It's a really uplifting social experience - perfect for bringing along a friend or loved one!


This baby themed card is one of the 8 designs available to choose from.  The layout was inspired by this week's TGIF Challenge blog's sketch.

It's that time of year when crafter's everywhere start making preparations for the festive season.  Every year I swear I'm going to be more organised but it never seems to work out that way.  Maybe this will be my year?  Let's see.  In the meantime, I'm playing along with the TGIF Challenges Holiday Prep inspiration challenge with this Christmas card.

Supplies Used
Stamps: Dashing Deer
Card: Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Crumb Cake, Garden Green
Paper: Broadway Bound, Wood Textures 
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, VersaMark
Accessories & Tools: Gold Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Detailed Deer Thinlets, Big Shot, Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies, Flourish Thinlets, Gold Thread, Metallic Ribbon Combo Pack
Adhesives: SNAIL or double sided tape, Dimensionals

The Broadway Birthday stamp set and coordinating dies are my newest favourite birthday craft staple!  Today I wanted to show my class friends these goodies.  I paired them with some recently retired supplies in my stash to demonstrate how easy it is to pick up new tools like these and put them to work with whatever you might already have on hand at home!  Couldn't make it to class in person?  Not to worry, you can now make this project along with me.  I've put together a video tutorial for you all!



The standout for this design is, of course, that bold glittering 'Wish'.  The TGIF team are showcasing glitter over at their challenge site this week.  Check out their page for lots of fun and fancy ways to add a splash of sparkle to your next project.


*retired items.

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Today I'm sharing a video tutorial featuring a couple of techniques!

Join me and play along as I:

• add a little colour and sparkle to texture paste to create this fun brick wall background, and
• create a multi-toned sentiment using Stampin' Write markers applied directly to the stamp.  For more ideas on this classic technique, head on over to the TGIF challenge page this week!
  
  Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel to catch all my latest tutorials.  And remember to leave a comment, I'd love to know if you enjoyed the project!

I LOVE a card-in-a-box!  These little 3D works of art pack serious WOW factor!  I've been lucky enough to witness a recipient or two open up their envelope and be a bit perplexed by the flat, odd looking card inside - and then the look on their face, the pure awe, when they open it up and see it all set up, is just wonderful.


I was inspired to share this design featuring the Crafting Forever stamp set, by the current TGIF 'card -in-a-box' challenge.  Pop over to their post *HERE* for this one guys - seriously, so much amazing inspiration!


This particular project was a special one I made exclusively for the Crafty Carrot Collective program.  My fellow teammates have given me special permission to share this exclusive tutorial with you - which is a super treat indeed as our Carrot classes are strictly for our very special customers only!  Learn more *HERE*.


Supplies
Stamps: Crafting Forever, Jar of Love
Card: Whisper White, Soft Sky, Crumb Cake, Naturally Eclectic Designer Series Patterned Paper
Ink: StazOn Black, Smoky Slate, Real Red, Tranquil Tide, Crumb Cake,
Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Early Espresso
Accessories: Blender Pen, Everyday Jars Framelit Dies, Stitched Shape Framelit Dies, Big Shot
Adhesives: Double sided tape, Tear n Tape adhesive

Need to stock up on essentials, or have some product still on your wishlist?  Now is definitely the time to place an order!  If you are in Australia, shop at my online store *HERE*.  Use the host code: SM9DMSJ3 and get FREE access to the Crafty Carrot online class program throughout March!

For those of you who already have a demonstrator, are a demonstrator or who live somewhere else in the world, you don't have to miss out on the fun!!  SUBSCRIBE TODAY


Written measurements referenced in the video for you all:

BOX BASE

INSERT STRIPS

I saw this little dome in the Coffee Cafe set and it made me think of a cake container.  I couldn't resist having a play to see if I could get the idea to work.  Of course, a cake container is no good without a little cake.  This cupcake from the Bella and Friends set was the perfect fit.


The layout for this design was inspired by this week's Global Design Project sketch challenge.  The colouring of the cupcakes and the watercolour wash in the background were inspired by the TGIF Watercolor theme.



Supplies Used:
Stamps: Coffee Cafe, Tabs for Everything, Bella & Friends
Inks: Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Smoky Slate, Powder Pink, Flirty Flamingo
Papers: Whisper White, Shimmery White, Pool Party or Powder Pink
Accessories/Tools: Washi Tape (retired), Pool Party Bakers Twine (retired), Aqua Painter, Blender Pen, Pearls

I'm excitedly preparing for my local 'new catalogue launch party' event coming up this Saturday.  As part of this event, my co-hosts and I are putting together some displays.  I'm creating a party themed display featuring, you guessed it, the brand new Pieces & Patterns stamp set.


The layout for this card was inspired by the current Global Design Project challenge.  It also happens to be a perfect fit for the TGIF Challenge "Let's here it for the boys" theme this week.


For those of you who follow my blog, you may have spotted that this project matches the party favour tags I shared last week as part of the Crafty Carrot Co July teaser blog hop.

I've got a few more projects in the works for this collection.  Can't wait to show you those soon!  In the meantime, check out this new video by the Crafty Carrot Collective!  It's a sneak peek looking behind the scenes of this month’s blog hop!

Dear TGIF challenge blog team,

Wishing you a very Happy 2nd Birthday!
Thank you so much for inviting me to your party.
Once upon a time, it was such a privilege to serve on your team of talented (and super lovely) designers.  And even though life got too busy to keep up with the design team commitment, I still just love following your journey and playing along where I can.  Your challenges inspire my cardmaking and continue to provide creative motivation to this day!

So Happy Birthday!!  Wishing you much success and love, Jenn xx


Now a little about my card.  I have a super clever cake decorating friend who asked me to make her some Kate Spade themed birthday invitations last year.


When I looked at the Cake Crazy stamp set, I thought about her and her gorgeous cake creations.  So I was inspired to make a Cake Crazy card, Kate Spade style.


Supplies Used:
Stamps: Cake Crazy, Jar of Love
Inks: VersaMark, Memento Black, Flirty Flamingo
Papers: Whisper White, In Colour Designer Series Paper pattern, Basic Black
Accessories/Tools: White and gold embossing powders, Heat Tool, Everyday Jars Framelit Dies, 1 1/4 Circle punch, Gold thread


Want to see more of this fun set?  Why not pick up the exclusive Cake Crazy Tutorial Bundle?

Each Crafty Carrot Co bundle includes five easy to follow tutorials presented in both written and video format. So easy to follow!  And with a design team made up solely of Artisan award winners, you know the projects are bound to be inspirational!

This week I've been busy putting the final touches on some designs for my next cardmaking workshop.  I decided to feature some of the beautiful products that made it onto the retiring list sale to give my participants one last chance to see them in action before they are gone for good!

All three class projects are quite feminine.  We celebrate Mother's Day in May so all attendees will have a special card ready for the occasion.



For this design, I used the pretty flowers from the retiring Basket Bunch set.  I put them in a 'vase' using the smallest jar from the Jar of Love stamps.  The sentiment comes from the Thoughtful Banners stamp set.  Participants in the class will have the opportunity to pick whatever sentiment they like from this versatile set when putting the final touches on their projects!


Supplies Used:
Stamps: Basket Bunch, Jar of Love, Thoughtful Banners
Inks: Archival Black, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, White Craft ink
Papers: Whisper White, Vellum, Shimmery White, Tangerine Tango, Crumb Cake
Accessories/Tools: Blender pens, Classic Label Punch, Pearls, White Bakers Twine, Delicate White Doily, Polka Dot Texture Embossing Folder, Sponge Dauber.


Want to see more of this adorable set?  It's more versatile than you might think!  Why not pick up the exclusive Basket Bunch Tutorial Bundle?  Each Crafty Carrot Co bundle includes five easy to follow tutorials presented in both written and video format. So easy to follow!  And with a design team made up solely of Artisan award winners, you know the projects are bound to be inspirational!  For more information, click *HERE*.

Halloween party preparations are well underway at our house!  These little lollipops were super easy to make, my three-year-old and I had fun putting them together.


I took a tissue, cut it into quarters and stamped these eyes from the Jar of Haunts set on with Memento ink. Then I layered it over another full tissue, securing it to the top of the lollipop with some silver thread.


I hope you've enjoyed these spooky sweets!  For more fun Halloween treat ideas visit the TGIF challenge page for their fun candy theme.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Jar of Haunts
Inks: Memento Black
Accessories/Tools: Silver string

I'm on a roll with the spooky Halloween themed projects this month!  Today I'm sharing yet another Jar of Haunts design I used as invitations for the little dress-up party we are having next weekend.  I will definitely have more 'candy' themed packaging ideas to share soon in the lead up to the party, but until then I do hope you enjoy this card.

Have you been working on a fun halloween treat project?  If so, we would love to see it!  Please head on over to the TGIF challenge page to play along.



Supplies Used:
Stamps: Jar of Haunts, Labeller Alphabet
Inks: Memento Black, Cucumber Crush
Papers: Whisper White, Shimmery White, Pumpkin Pie, Crumb Cake, Cucumber Crush, Neutrals Designer Series Paper Stack
Accessories/Tools: Blender pen, Aqua Painter, Layering Circles Framelits Dies, Brights Button, White Bakers Twine, Brights Enamel Dot, Crystal Effects.

So I gave into my sweet girl's requests for a little Halloween party!  That means I needed a few more spooky cards to serve as invitations.

I think sketches are a great basis for bringing designs together.  Here, I mixed the Jar of Haunts stamp set with this week's TGIF sketch.  The striped background was perfect for putting some strips of scrap patterned paper to good use!

You might not be able to see it too well in the picture but I've added a little crystal effects to the 'slime' on the jar for shiny, raised finish.
I look forward to sharing another Jar of Haunts project with you soon!  In the meantime, you can see my other designs with this set here.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Jar of Haunts, Labeller Alphabet
Inks: Memento Black, Cucumber Crush
Papers: Whisper White, Shimmery White, Pumpkin Pie, Crumb Cake, Cucumber Crush, Neutrals Designer Series Paper Stack
Accessories/Tools: Blender pen, Aqua Painter, Layering Circles Framelits Dies, Brights Button, White Bakers Twine, Brights Enamel Dot, Crystal Effects.

When I saw this TGIF colour challenge I still had this week's Jar of Haunts project fresh in my mind and thought it would be a fun to make another Halloween-themed design!

I really liked the way the mummy jar turned out when stamped on crumb cake.  I coloured several of the bandages with blender pen and white craft ink.  I applied the ink quite heavily and the cardstock started to peel a little in places which I thought was a perfect effect for a 'fabric' look.

I stamped an extra mummy on white card stock and fussy cut and layered other bandages in places to help brighten this feature.

I was inspired by our previous sewing challenge to pick up a needle and thread and add some dangling spiders to the top of the card.

I do hope you've enjoyed this card and that you are inspired to play along!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Jar of Haunts
Inks: Archival Black
Papers: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Old Olive, Witches Brew Designer Series Paper (retired)
Accessories/Tools: Needle and white thread, Stampin' Dimensionals

Stitching on cards is popular again, so pull out your needle or sewing machine and join the TGIF team for this week's Sewing and Stitches technique challenge!

I'm not overly handy with a needle and thread.  Most of our clothes that need a stitch or two end up at my Mum's house!  But I somehow managed to thread a needle and enjoyed putting a little hand-stitched touch on this Christmas card.

I went with the Peaceful Pines tree and used the coordinating framelit to die cut the holes.  Then I stitched with the gold thread, adding a little extra thread loops behind the sentiment banner.


The background was inspired by this gorgeous project by fellow Aussie Claire Daly.  I have a growing collection of washi tape and just loved this idea the second I saw it!  Thanks for the inspiration Claire!

I really hope that you enjoy this week's challenge and that you play along with the TGIF challenge this week!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Peaceful Pines, Oh What Fun!, Thoughtful Banners
Inks: VersaMark, Soft Suede
Papers: Whisper White, Soft Suede, Pear Pizzazz
Accessories/Tools: White Emboss Powder, Heat Tool, Duet Banner, Gold Thread, Perfect Pines Framelits, Winter Wonderland Washi Tape (retired), All is Calm Washi Tape (retired)

I'm dreaming of summer!  It's been a long, cold winter and I'm sure we have caught every bug making the rounds these past couple months.  I'm looking forward to the warmer weather and all the outdoor fun and adventures that come with it!  I have a little longer to wait, so in the meantime I'm making do with bringing a little sunshine to my craft desk instead!

Yesterday's Day at the Beach mini hop with fellow 'down under' Artisan's Jess and Susan, inspired me to again feature the gorgeous images from this fun set for today's TGIF sketch challenge.

I've matched them with the Layering Love sentiment, as well as bright daffodil yellow, flirty flamingo, sweet sugar plum and peekaboo peach tones.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this taste of summer. Be sure to head to the TGIF challenge page to see more fun sketch inspiration and play-along!