Crouching Dog Graphics

This is the CD/DVD Gift Card from my Christmas Container Workshop.  It’s a really quick and easy project made from one 12 x 12 sheet of cardstock. Email me if you would like the instructions.  There really isn’t much to it!

It could be made for a double CD/DVD also, or just leave the left hand side blank to write your greeting/message.

Cardstock – Old olive (my fav), Real red and Dashing D.S. paper

Stamp sets – Fabulous flowers and Many Merry Messages

Punches – Scallop Circle and 5 Petal Flower

Red grosgrain ribbon and white gel pen to highlight.

My daughter, Aedita (now known as the Golden Child by her siblings….) is a photographer, in Perth.  She plans to use these when she gives her clients a disc of the photographs she has taken at weddings, engagements etc. 

Hmmm!!!  I had best give her some lessons whilst she is over in December otherwise methinks I’ll be getting some phone call requests………I can almost hear the voice now……”hey Mum!  Could you just whip up a couple of those………………”

The Managing Lawyer, with whom I work, has just become a father for the first time.  Yesterday his wife, Sheree, had a precious little baby girl.  They have called her Caitlin Grace.  What a beautiful name for such a ‘so longed for baby’.  In lieu of flowers, as I know they have so many people who will have probably arrived at the hospital with the Sydney Botanical Gardens almost…..I decided a set of these gorgeous birth-announcement cards would be a cute gift.  The stamp set is called Bundle of Joy a set of 7 individual stamps for $45.95.

The giraffe has been watercoloured using the stamp pads and an aqua pen and I used my Cuttlebug to do the embossing on the whisper white card.

Cardstock – Pretty in Pink, Whisper White

Inks – Pretty in Pink, Barely Banana, Basic black

Pretty in Pink gingham ribbon, both small and large tag punches, horizontal slot punch.

It’s difficult to see but I have stamped the ‘flourish’ that comes with this set in the pretty in pink over the announcement stamp.

It’s a great gift to the ‘over the moon’ couple to announce the arrival of a very special and much loved already, little girl.

I did promise to write about our plans for wedding, Christmas and Birthdays.

Well Tony and Amber are to be married in Sydney on 20/12/08.  Our elder son Joe, is best man and Tony’s long time mate (they started Kindergarten together) Chris. is groomsman.  Our younger daughter Aedita and grand daughter Tannikah (TK) (Aedita is the wedding photographer and TK is the junior bridesmaid), fly in from Perth to Brisbane on 13/12/08.  Joe will meet them and drive to McKees Hill.  The next day (i.e. 14/12) is Joe’s 30th birthday. Also that day,  Sharon our elder daughter flys into Brisbane at 6.30a.m from London (hopefully with her partner Jim.  Jim’s mum is seriously ill in Milan so he may not make the trip).   Dennis will go to Brisbane airport to meet Sharon whilst Aedita and I prepare for Joe’s 30th. (I’m getting weary already).  We are not sure of what celebrations we will be having, but whatever food is served Aedita and I will be preparing, ’cause that’s what we HAVE to do!

On the Thursday of that week we will drive to Sydney to attend the wedding.  On Sunday we will drive back again to get ready for Christmas.  The last few years we have had seafood.  It’s quick.  It’s easy.  It’s yummy.

On 11/1/09 Aedita turns (????), so we will HAVE to do something for that!!!! then she will fly back to Perth.  On 22/1/09 Sharon turns (????)  (they would both kill me if I told you), before she goes home we will HAVE to do something for that!!!!  On 28/1/09 Tony turns 24 (he will be back from his honeymoon by then surely!) so we will HAVE to do something for that!!!!

By now you will be calculating dates and figures.  Yes!  We have four children and they are all born between 14/12 and 28/1.  Busy time for us.

So that’s us Crouch Family for December/January!  I cannot wait to have all the children here at once.  It’s gunna be great!

I was inspired to make this card by Jayne Mercer.  She had done something with this theme which in turn urged me to get out my very fav Chrissy Stamp Set, Peaceful Wishes.  It’s a simple theme using Basic Grey ink and generation stamping across the page and then one image in real red.  The greeting across the bottom is from Short and Sweet.

Cardstock – Real red and whisper white

Red gingham ribbon, glue pen and dazzling diamonds.

Thanks for the inspiration Jayne, a new look for an old fav.

My precious stamping buddy, Laurel, reminded me today that I’d not posted a copy of the wedding invitation that I made my son Tony and his future wife, Amber.  Tony and Ams are both ‘mad musicians’ so the wedding was always going to feature music.  Ams favourite flowers are frangipani so they also got a little look in. (try cutting out 180 of those little suckers!)  I used the spiral punch to create the faux film strip.  Don’t try counting them.  There are 15!  Yes.  15 pieces/layers of paper on each invitation.  This was however a labour of love.  I enjoyed making them for the happy couple and hearing how they were ‘just what they wanted’.  Makes the effort all worthwhile.

cardstock – black, whisper white and pink passion

I love, love, love Christmas and these colours!

I know that the Christmas season brings it’s own stresses usually organisational as well as financial.  This Christmas season we have a wedding happening.  Our youngest child Tony is being married in Sydney on 20th December.  Being the family of the groom we don’t have all that “bride” drama, however we have four children all coming home, from different parts of the globe, a 30th birthday to be celebrated in there somehwere and lots of food to be planned and prepared.  The food we eat is something that Dennis and I take very seriously, we don’t buy anything very much pre-prepared and love to serve food that our children ‘grew-up on’.  I think they love it too!  Tomorrow I will post a photo of the wedding invitations and some details of our plans.  In the meantime back to you preparing for your Christmas.

I just love these colours.  This card was inspired by someone, I just don’t remember who!!!!  The stamp set is Season of Joy.  An eight individual stamp set for just $51.95 that is being featured in the current Spring Mini Catalogue.  It’s just sooooo elegant.

I CASED this idea from Splitcoast.  It’s a card using the Snowflake Spot Stamp Set.  The colours and style arn’t traditionally Christmas, however I like the quirky take on all things so these colours and style really appealed to me!  The technique used to highlight the snowflake, was pen to rubber, using bashful blue and night of navy.  The scallop edge was made using the slit punch and the small  2mm punch to highlight each scallop. 

Cardstock – bashful blue, night of navy, river rock, D.S. Fall Flowers

River Rock Ribbon, Gel Pen

Hope you enjoy the quirky colours and style too.

I was asked recently by a group of regular customers to create a collection of cards made from the stamp set Hung up on Holidays.  It’s a set of 6 Christmas stamps and only $29.95.  This is a section of the cards that I created.  ”Hung up on Holidays” really is great value. 

If you would like to see how to make these cards and more, contact me now and we can arrange a time for just yourself or a group to see how versatile this set is.