Krumspring Anniversary Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Krumspring Stamps 1st Anniversary Blog Hop!! YAY!!

If you're on the blog hop trail then you should have landed here from the amazing Amy Lee's blog. But here's the whole list if you're a little lost.....

• Krumspring Stamps
• Vera Rhuhay
• Michelle Short
• Amy Yang
• Tina Krauer
• Niki Bee
• Jessica Frost-Ballas
• Anna Kossakovskaya
• Kathy Racoosin
• Amy Lee
• Natalie Elphinstone <<<<< YOU ARE HERE
• Mayline Jung
• Keeway Tsao
• Amy Kolling
• Birka Reinitz
• Dana Gong

I've been so lucky to be part of the Krumspring Dream Team for the past few months and keep pinching myself that I get to work with Maria's fun stamps! And now here we are celebrating not only the 1st anniversary, but a whole new release to go with it!!

8 BRAND NEW SETS of stamps are available right now in the Krumspring shop! There's everything from classic florals, essential background stripes, on-trend coffee, funky animals and some very cheeky fruit!

But for the card I'm sharing with you today I chose to work with the "Drinks Are On Me" set.

This set includes four different shaped glasses, lots of other bits to fill them with - fruit and flowers and straws and bubbles, and quite a few sentiment options too. It's so fun, and gives you so many possibilities for different themes. I'm thinking you could use the tropical elements for a holiday card, the champagne glasses for weddings, and the wine glasses could easily go on a masculine card. 

In my usual style I ended up throwing the whole rainbow of bright colours onto it, as well as a touch of bling to give it some sparkle. I can't help it!

Now it wouldn't be a blog hop without some PRIZES would it?!!
Leave a comment here, and on each stop of the hop - not only will you catch a boat-load of inspiration, but it will give you 16 chances of winning a $10 gift certificate to the Krumspring Shop!
But there's even more good news! You'll also go in the running to win the GRAND PRIZE which is a great big bundle of Krumspring stamps!

The blog hop runs until August 23rd at 12pm CET and the winners will be announced on the Krumspring blog very shortly after that.

Your next stop along the way is... the incredible Mayling Jung!!
Good luck and happy hopping!
 
xx
Natalie

Neat and Tangled's 4th Birthday Blog Hop

Welcome to the Neat and Tangled birthday blog hop where we're celebrating our 4th birthday!! You should have arrived here straight from the Neat and Tangled blog where each day there's been a different line up of talented artists working with the latest release - it's well worth your time to go back through all the previous hops to pick up a truck-load of inspiration. And don't forget to read right to the end where I share all the details about the awesome prizes on offer for some lucky winners!

But first, let me show you the cards I've whipped up for the occasion ;-)

Firstly I couldn't help but play with the Little Stinker stamp set with it's cute skunk. I'm pretty sure most of us have felt the same and you'll see so many ways of using this set as you hop along!

I giggled at the different sentiment options and had a hard time choosing which one to go on her little placard there, but settled on this one for now. To go with the theme I stamped a bunch of flower pots from an earlier release Neat and Tangled set called Life is Beautiful to fill in the background.

And the fussy cutting was made easy with the help of the coordinating die which also includes a tiny little heart which would have been fun to cut into the background now that I think about it! LOL!

My second card is fairly clean and simple and would be an easy card to make in bulk for something like birthday invitations I reckon.

It's made easy because the products pretty much do all the work for you! All I did was cut out the Celebrate word in white and it's shadow in black and stick them together. It packs a punch doesn't it?!

And the coordinating stamp set once again gives you lots of options for mixing and matching different sentiments to suit your theme.

To make my background more interesting I took the Lucky Stars die and used it to emboss my white cardstock (rather than cutting them out). I had to stop and think long and hard about whether I wanted to keep all the stars together in one piece or cut them apart. In the end I decided to separate them into about 4 or 5 different pieces with a few stars on each. It allowed me to spread them out more sparsely across the background.

And to finish off I sprinkled some Raspberry Red sequins, black stars and gold mist. I can't help but get a little messy when I create!

My last card today features the Hooray die which instantly made me think of using it as a shaker card decoration and so that's what I did! I cut it in both black and white and glued them together slightly offset to create a shadow effect which makes it really pop off the background.

And to be a little different I created a shaker pocket full of Ocean Breeze, Lime Satin and Shamrock sequins to sit behind it, but didn't fill it up too much because I still wanted to see through the clear window.

Now all the products that I've shared with you today are available in the Neat and Tangled shop HERE and form part of the special birthday mini release. In fact, there's only one other product that I haven't shared with you yet and that's the Doily Tag die... so here it is! So many ideas for this but I simply just ran out of time :-)

Thanks for joining in on my stop of the Neat and Tangled 4th Birthday Blog Hop and I hope you've been inspired today! I have to admit I quite like the look of all the cards sitting together like this. I purposefully kept all 3 of them to a similar colour scheme and I think they would even make a nice set to give away to someone.

And speaking of GIVEAWAYS!!!.......

Neat and Tangled are offering up some amazingly generous prizes to some lucky winners along the hop. Someone is going to win a $100 gift certificate to the shop, and two people will win a $50 gift certificate each. How awesome is that! All you have to do it leave a comment on my blog here today, and/or on any of the stops along the way as the winners will be chosen from amongst the commenters.

Now the next stop on your journey today is the crazily talented Laurie Willison. Click HERE to take you straight to her blog where she's just going to astound you with what she's made!

And a happy 4th birthday N&T!

How to Win a Sizzix Big Shot Express (and my latest sneaks)

On the eve of a new Sizzix blog post that's just about to go live (I'll share sneaks of that one soon enough) I thought it really was about time I shared here a little glimpse of the last post I had up there :-)
Better late than never right?!

I can't show you the full card here on my blog, but can I suggest that it really will be worth your while popping over the Sizzix blog HERE to check it out? I explain my inspiration and thoughts about extending your dies beyond their obvious or intended use, and there's also a process video on how to make this fun rainbow card.

If you're new to the Sizzix blog then some of the other places you might want to peruse is the FREE paper archive, or the SALE section.

There's also a competition still running for another week where you have the chance to WIN a Big Shot Express and some of it's accessories. Check that one out here.

The Story of the Spotlight Blog Hop

Hello, and welcome to the Spotlight Blog Hop!
It's a quick one with only four stops along the way, but there's about a million prizes to make up for it. Ok, so that's a slight exaggeration ;-)

The order of the Hop goes something like this....
Aimee Dow
Kim Jeffress
Leeann Pearce
and then me!
Make sure to visit all of these girls and follow their specific instructions on how to win each prize. 

I've been a VIP member of Spotlight for the longest time. I can't even remember when I signed up. It gives me discounts and all the normal benefits that usually comes with a membership like that, but the best bit has always been getting advance warning of when the scrapping celebrities are coming to town!

March was a particularly exciting month. To celebrate National Craft Month my local Spotlight had in-store classes from both Amy Tan and Heidi Swapp. And even though Judah was less than 2 weeks old I knew this was an opportunity too good to miss.

Amy came on a Saturday which meant both my girls got to come along too. I'm pretty sure they were just as excited as me and they didn't hold back in letting it show. Many hugs later I think they considered her their new best friend. And let's not mention that at one point I wondered if we would ever get Judah back from her in return ;-)



And when Heidi came to visit three days later (notice how I seem to think of them both on a first name basis now!) I most definitely needed to drag myself out of pajamas again to pop in. Especially since I knew it would also give me the chance to meet IRL for the first time some Aussie scrappers whom I've admired online for a long time - Kim Jeffress, Leeann Pearce and Aimee Dow.

There were lots of photos taken of course. We all wanted to scrap the event in our own way. And now we all have! We decided to do a blog hop to celebrate the occasion and before we knew it, Spotlight were on board to sponsor a truck load of prizes! Thank you sooooo much Spotlight :-)

Each of the girls has a different lot of prizes on their blog, and we all have slightly different ways on how to win them too, so make sure you pay attention!

I've got two prizes to giveaway today!!

The first one is only for the Aussies I'm afraid. (Postage costs and all that jazz)

It starts off with a paper pad from both Amy Tan and Heidi Swapp's latest collections and ends with ... well.... EVERYTHING else you see here!

Whilst the second prize is up for grabs for another lucky winner, no matter where they live ;-)

So many fun embellishments and Project Life cards here.

How do you enter to win my prizes?

1. Leave a comment here on this post, making sure to mention where you're from as well. That will score you one entry. 
2.  For a second entry you need to pop over to my Instagram account, make sure you follow me there and leave a comment on the appropriate post. 

The competition is open until 8pm AEST Wednesday 17th June and the winners will be drawn at random from all the combined entries.

Good luck, and happy hopping!

Studio Calico Inspires Blog Hop

Welcome to the Studio Calico Inspires Blog Hop!
You should have arrived here from the astounding Emily Branch's blog. Wow, that girl can stamp! But if you've just happened here by chance, the full list of participants is on the Studio Calico Blog here so you can join in from the beginning and not miss a stop (and trust me... you won't want to!)

As part of this Blog Hop the Studio Calico Creative Team were asked to choose one thing out of The Underground Kits that inspired us. One thing??!! Impossible! Just look at some of the goodies I pulled out of the kits to mix and match for this one project - they're all so gorgeous!

But two of my absolute favourites have to be the Gold Color Theory Paint and Stamp Set designed by Kim Stewart that were in the Piccadilly Add On..... and possibly also those blue sequins and gold alphabet that are included too. I guess perhaps what you could say is that I'm constantly inspired by the way Studio Calico coordinate a kit so that everything works together perfectly :-)

I think this might just be the card to prove my point! Apart from the grey paper and twine, this is all from Piccadilly. I love that I don't need to think about picking products, all those difficult decisions have been made for me. I just get to concentrate on designing projects and playing with new techniques, and that's what I love most.

I stamped and white embossed those flowers onto vellum before cutting them out and popping them up with foam tape. I used the sequins to cover the otherwise visible tape, and dolloped on the gold paint as is my recent addiction. Yes, this makes me happy!

Now here's some great news that is bound to make YOU happy!!

• Firstly, Studio Calico is giving away a FREE printable to everyone who wants it! It's super cute and I can imagine this working equally well as a Project Life filler, a greeting card or a framed print. What do you reckon?

Now I really would urge as many people as possible to download this because by doing so you are automatically entered to win some MAJOR prizes! What do I mean by major? Let me break it down for you....

•  Studio Calico are asking everyone to think about how they inspire you, and then start posting your 'answers' on all your social media sites (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest) using the hashtag #scinspires. The more times people use the hashtag, the bigger the prizes become (and the winners will be drawn from those who download the printable). For example, 
• 100 shares of #scinspires = 1 Month Free Subscription
• 200 shares = 2 Months Free Subscription (an additional month will be added for every further 100 shares)
• 1,200 shares = 12 Months Free Subscription
• 1,300 shares = Entry into Cameo Basics Class
• 1,500 shares = $100 worth of Digital Downloads
• 2,000 shares = Silhouette Portrait
• 2,500 shares = 25 lucky winners will receive a Month Free Subscription WITH a Gold WRMK album!

The shares will be added up and an update will be posted on the Studio Calico blog every Friday with the running total. The competition closes on October 31st at 11:59pm EST.

• And last but not least, as part of my thankyou for stopping by my blog today I'm also giving you the opportunity to WIN your very own October Underground Scrapbook Kit! All you need to do is leave a comment here (including your SC username) and I'll draw a random winner on the 31st. Good Luck!!

Now go forth and Blog Hop! The next person on your list of stops is the ever-amazing Dana Fleckenstein. Her cards blow me out of the water every single time. I can't wait to see what inspires her!


PS. I also happen to have another Studio Calico giveaway running on my previous blog post ;-) Check it out here!

Flashy Cards Fast

This gives me goosebumps to even say this out loud but in November I'm going to be teaching my very first online class with Papercut Labs called "Flashy Cards Fast"!! Eeeeek! Can you hear me jumping up and down squealing with delight over here?

Card making has become a real passion of mine recently (you may have noticed!!) to the point where I would say I am just as comfortable and excited making cards as I am scrapbooking. That's something I never would have imagined a couple of years ago. I always thought you were either one or the other ;-)

But I live a busy life, and as much as I love crafting I just don't have hours and hours to dedicate to it. As a Mum of two girls with another on the way, and still working full time I'm lucky to make it into my craft room some days at all! And let me tell you, those girls have hectic social lives. Just this weekend gone we had two birthday parties to attend, and received invitations to two more for the following weekend. There's 4 birthday cards I 'need' to make right there!

So that's why I love this idea of being able to create Flashy Cards Fast. Is it possible to make a decent card in under 5 minutes? I think it is!! Let me show you...

        

This is the card I whipped up for the video. Layers of torn tulle is what I've added under the journaling card ('cos I know it was a little hard to see) It adds some lovely soft texture, plus I'm all about using up whatever supplies you've got on hand.

During the 5 weeks of November I'll be showing you how to make 25 different cards on a time budget. These will range from cards made in 1 minute to cards made in 20 minutes. Each will include step by step instructions, and many will come with a video sharing my creative process from beginning to end.

Every week will focus on a different occasion including Babies, Birthdays and Bereavement. There will be feminine cards and masculine cards. But every single one will be totally adaptable to your own occasion and particular style. There won't be any prescribed supplies for the class because I want you to be able to take whatever materials you've got in your craft room and put them to good use! This class will also be about using up your hoarded stash ;-)

There will be lots and lots of techniques covered too. Paper layering is a favourite of mine, and I'll share some tricks on how to match different colours and patterns. But other techniques include stamping, die-cutting, creating shaker cards, origami and a good healthy dose of Mixed Media!! Check out some of my other sneaks here to see what I mean.

REGISTRATION for Flashy Cards Fast is now open!
And to celebrate we're offering you a discount! For this week only you can sign up for only $24.95 which is less than a dollar a card!! On Wednesday 22nd October it will go back up to it's regular price of $30 so get in quick!
Classes will start on 1st November and go for 5 weeks, but once you're signed up you'll have access to it forever so you can come back and take the lessons at your own pace. Or return for a refresher whenever you feel the need.
There will be a private forum where you can ask me any questions you like and to chat with other participants. You'll be able to upload your own cards to our gallery so you can 'show and share', and see what other people are creating. It's going to be so much fun!


And lastly, what's a advertising post without a good GIVEAWAY?!!
 

Studio Calico have generously donated this fabulous prize which includes items from their September Card Kit to get one lucky winner stashed up for their card making journey! I've actually used this same kit in a few of my cards for the class and can vouch for how handy it is. Especially that stamp set - it's a really useful one to have on hand. So far I've used it on an Engagement card, a New Baby card and a general Congratulations card!

To WIN everything you see here, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post. Tell me whether you consider yourself a cardmaker or not, tell me what you'd like to see in a card class, let me know if you feel confident making Flashy Cards Fast.... I don't mind what you say! Just leave a comment!

Want a second chance to win? Pop over to the Papercut Labs blog and leave a comment on this post to be entered again!

Open internationally. We'll draw a winner on Wednesday 22nd October at 8pm AEST. Good luck!

The Underground Sneaks

Studio Calico's October Kits are just around the corner and the Mood Board hints at all the typical Fall and Halloween colour schemes you would probably expect in an American kit released at this time of year. And even though I am obviously not quite in that same state of mind, it was pretty hard to resist this amount of gorgeousness...

The official Main Kit sneaks confirm what you might have imagined - lots of green, gold and brown which is altogether fabulous. And honestly, it's not like I don't still have Autumn photos to scrap, or couldn't use that type of colour scheme for something else. But having just entered Spring and having a bunch of new and sunshiney photos to scrap I wanted to go a slightly different direction.

Surprisingly, the Main Kit also contains hints of more feminine and softer colours and both of these following 2 sneaks from my own layouts have been made with the Main Kit Only.

And if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you would have known how excited I got when I discovered this new-to-me lime green, pink, black and white combination (all from the Main Kit) and I've used it a few times throughout my five projects.

And like all good kits, if you augment with a different colour altogether you can stretch your kit into whole new territory as well. So here I added in some bright blue and it helped sell the Spring time story I was telling on this layout.

Now lets talk about the Add Ons!
Add On 1 "Piccadilly" is definitely the kit for all the gold lovers. Shiny gold alphas, sparkly gold patterned paper, and an exclusive Color Theory gold paint are all included.

This is such a pretty kit and I couldn't help but make my first pregnancy layout with it. I should be more careful though, I mean... what if this one is a boy and all these early layouts filling his album are going to be so frilly and feminine? I guess it's just because that's what I'm used to!

Add On 2 "Notting Hill" is more your clean and graphic kit with lots of classic patterns, and those darling wood veneer/enamel dot chevron pieces which have just become my new favourite.

Of course, you can always mix and match the kits and here on this fairytale layout I added in the stamp and gold paint from Piccadilly to give it a softer look.

Add On 3 "King's Cross" is embellishments only as usual and there's lots of really fun things in this kit. Those travel rubons I'm saving for after my current holiday, but the sticker sheet and washi tape got a work out on this yummy dessert page below.

Oh yeah, and I used that pink, green, black and white combination again ;-)

Now since I'm in a celebratory kind of mood I thought I'd do a Giveaway! I've got a spare September Poet Society Card Kit Paper Pack, Jar Stamp Set and wooden banners pack to give to someone lucky.

To win it, all you need to do is go over to either my One Scrappy Doctor Facebook Page or my personal Instagram account and 'Like' or 'Follow' me there (you don't need to do both, but you can if you want to!!) and then come back here and tell me which one you follow me on. There are advantages to it.... I often share things on there that never make it to my blog such as sneaks, projects I'm working on, family news and frequent giveaways ;-) I'll also give you another entry into this draw on both of those sites!

Giveaway will close on midnight Sunday 28th AEST time and I'll draw a winner on Monday morning. International entries are more than welcome.

xx