My daughter's 16th birthday card

My daughter Nicole celebrated her 16th birthday on Thursday and this is the card that I made for her..

I love all the beautiful colours in this Kaleidoscope designer series pack. They remind me of sherbert and ice cream and it makes me feel happy.  It took me ages to decide which papers to use, hence it was another late night.  Nicole had commented once before that she really liked the style of this card, so I knew that was what I was going to do.  I wanted something big on the front so chose the butterfly from the Garden Whimsy set. 

Children's Christmas Class

My final class for this year was a Children's Christmas class.  The first card we made is an oldie that I tend to make every year, because it's very popular.  I just change the stamps that I use, to what ever is in the current catalogue.  Last year I used the retired Snow Flurries set.

This year the choice was either the Christmas tree from the Punch Pals or the cute little snowmen from the Window Dressing set (this is a level 3 hostess gift).  They both work really well and the bonus is the candy cane ~ which the children loved. A lot of people (especially children) don't like the traditional peppermint flavour candy canes, so so we used a fruit flavoured one which makes it lovely and colourful.

SU! Clearance Sale on Now until 24 January!

For the first time ever, Stampin' Up! are holding a clearance sale. You’ll get amazing discounts on select, high-quality Stampin’ Up! products with no minimum purchase, and no limits to how many you buy! There are various stamps, ribbons, glitter, hodgepodge, die cut blooms, designer series paper on sale. The alphabet stamps on special are phenomenal value!  Check out the list of products on sale HERE:

The sale ends January 24th and they think they have plenty of stock, but no guarantees, only while stocks last. Note all stamp sets that are on sale are square cut ie: need to be cut out.

Contact ME if you'd like to order something. 

24/7 Birthday Card

This is a birthday card I sent to my SIL in Australia. I only hope she gets it in time as you can never tell how long the mail will take at this time of the year. I was pleasantly surprised on Thursday because I received my SU! order which I'd only just submitted very late on Monday night. My customers (and I) were very happy.

Karen my awesome upline, taught me this card a few months back. The class was Poppin' Pastels using the Friends 24-7 stamp set and Friendly words wheel.  We coloured the images with the Stampin' Pastels which had been stamped in Versamark.  The ribbon is from the Ribbon Originals set and we dyed it in a cup of hot coffee to give it the brownish tinge. It works really well and makes a very feminine card. 

Hello Again!

This was the make 'n take that we made at my Summer mini catalogue launch last weekend.  I really like this set "Hello Again" which consists of 5 stamps for $25.95.  We used the stampin' markers to colour in the flower and stamped another flower attaching it with the dimensionals.  And, finally we glittered the centre of the flower with dazzling diamonds to give it a bit of sparkle.  If you haven't got your Summer Mini yet contact me so I can send you a copy.

Cocktails anyone??

My upline Karen taught the WOW PaperKRafters how to make this card at our last team training. And, many thanks to Julia for showing Karen.  It's so unbelieveably easy too and uses the sponging technique!  If you want to learn how to make this contact me.  Doesn't it remind you of summer and lazy days ...

 

Another card from Animal Stories...

I can see I'll get a lot of use out of this cute set.  It was one of the cards we made at team training which I think is very versatile.

Animal Stories

This card uses the Animal Stories stamp set from the Summer Mini catalogue teamed with the striped baja breeze grosgrain ribbon.  Can you see the middle whale has been glittered with dazzling diamonds. There are four very cute stamps in the Animal Stories stamp set for $28.95 which is an excellent price. Have you seen the co-ordinating designer series paper?  It'll make an extra cute scrapbook page..

 

WOW PaperKRafter's Team Training

We had our WOW PaperKRafters team training this afternoon ~ which was heaps of fun and very busy. We played with the heat n' stick powder and made a cute card which I'll post at a later date, we had a lovely demonstration of the bride and groom treat boxes by Janine and we all made a cute cocktail drink/card that Julia had shown Karen. We also did swaps using sets from the Summer mini catalogue, due to be released on 1 December.  I'm certain we were in training for Christmas too coz we and ate (too much), drank (Moet) and had lots of laughs!!  What a lovely way to spend an afternoon ~ thanks ladies and especially Karen my wonderful upline, for being a great hostess and sharing your special bubbles with us.

Here's the swap that I made using the new Butterfly Prints stamp set, co-ordinating punch and large grommet (the metal thing that the ribbon is poking out of).  I've also used Bella Rose designer series paper both on the top and bottom part of the card (unfortunately my camera doesn't take too kindly to night time photography) and for the first time ever, I used the distressing tool around the message. 


                                     

Brownie Gift Box

I made this gorgeous gift box at the Extravaganza earlier in the month with Rachael and Denise. Thanks ladies ~ I know that I'll be making some more in the not too distant future. There use to be a slice of chocolate brownie inside but that's long gone... (yum, yum in my tum). 

We used the Spotlight on Christmas and Oval All stamp set and the Ski Slope Designer series paper. This paper and Oval All set won't be available after 30 November, so if you want to order one or both or you want to learn how to make this lovely gift box, contact me here.

Christmas Cracker

I had a very successful class today where there was lots of fun had by all!!  Here's one of the projects that we made ~ a Christmas cracker. There were lots of oooohhs and aaarhhs when I bought the sample out which is a good indicator, that I'm doing something right.  Another demonstrator ~ the very talented Rachael made some of these crackers at the recent Dunkleys craft show, so you may have seen them there. We made ours slightly bigger, so you can fit more goodies inside. They are very easy to make, so if you want me to show you how, contact me and we'll get together.  

Chocolate Pull Pouch

This is a cute little stocking filler which takes minutes to make.  You can't actually see the chocolate bar but it is tucked away inside the pouch.  How long the chocolate stays there, is anyones guess....lol.  The stamp set I used is Punch Pals rrp $66.95 for a set of 12 stamps, which I think is great value for money.  I've coloured in the images with watercolour wonder crayons and a blender pen.

A Christmas/Thank you card

My daughter asked me to make her a Christmas/Thank You card to give to Mrs Ferguson who is the canteen lady Nicole has been working with at school during lunch times, for the last 3 years. Normally I would encourage Nicole to make the card herself, but she's been busy studying and getting ready for her exams next week, so I was happy to have an excuse to play. Thanks Mrs F for being a great support person and giving Nicole a wonderful experience in food handling and customer service. You've also been a awesome role model and she's thoroughly enjoyed her time spent with you!  The free lunch on Fridays had nothing to do with it either... And, a big thank you from me too!!  Are you sure you won't part with that delicious muesli slice recipe??  The colours I used for the card are a replica from the gift card holder I made at the Extravaganza last weekend. They work very well together especially with the hint of brushed metallic silver cardstock for the scallop edge and scallop circle.

More birthdays...

I've had a fun time lately ~ creating (and casing) birthday cards for friends and family!!

Here are three more birthday cards that I sent off earlier in the week...  My favourite one is the card on the left using the Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set.  I've made this card a few times, but this is the first time I've stamped it using chocolate chip, baja breeze and kiwi kiss.  I think I need a new camera because the photo doesn't do it justice, but trust me ~ it looks very elegant and these colours go wonderfully together.  The brads are old olive from the Earth Elements set and although they're not a perfect match, they're close enough to work.  

 

Christmas Card Class Part II

I held my second Christmas card class last weekend and these were the cards we made (2 each of the 3 designs). The card on the right used the Tree Trimming stamp set from the Spring Mini Catalogue and is very reasonably priced at $28.95.  Items in this catalogue are only available until the end of the month. I cased the card from my very talented upline, Karen. You can view her blog here.  There are so many great designs using these baubles, so if you are interested let me know and I'll email you some of them.  It's quite hard to see from the photo, but the little bows have been tied using the linen thread. A very cute idea!

 

The card on the left was cased from Patrice Halliday-Larsen which was the swap I received at our last big team training. I think it's soooooo adorable and just love it!  I'm sorry that I couldn't do the card justice and tried several times to use my brayer but got a disastrous result, so I resorted to Rudolph being mounted on Going Grey CS which gives a similar effect of Rudolph's nose glowing in the dark. 
 
The middle card I created myself (which I think is amazing, that I have found the time to do so ~ admittedly, it was somewhere between midnight and 2am one night) although the layout is quite common. The Christmas tree is from the Snow Swirled stamp set ($53.95 for 6 stamps) and is stamped in silver and clear embossed.  I've used a green Rhinestone Brad from the Circle Ice set ($23.95 for 84 brads) on top of the tree which is quite effective.

Christmas Gift Giving Guide with FREE shopping!!

You’ll love the convenience of our Christmas Gift-Giving Guide! With gift ideas for kids, teens, neighbours, and more, it’s your one-stop shop for all your Christmas needs.

Plus, when you spend $105 on products in the guide, you’ll get a FREE scallop square punch a $35.95 value!

Click HERE download the Gift Giving Guide, so it's readable...

I know what I'll be ordering a few of ~ the On Board 5" x 5" Art Journal ($16.25) for my teenage daughters, a few of their friends and my neices.  They're into decorating, embellishing and signing each others school diaries at the moment ~ so I think this will go down a treat.  A bit like the old "autograph book" I had when I was younger.

Don't forget that it might be a good idea for you to start leaving wishlists scattered around the house for your spouse to 'stumble' upon!

I can also organise Gift Certificates in a gorgeous Christmas themed gift holder, if that is more his style. I can make them out to any denomination, and they are valid for 6 months. You may have a crafty friend or two yourself, who would appreciate one! 

Just contact me HERE if you'd like to make your gift-giving really easy. I can also organise to have their gift shipped straight to them if they don't live locally.

Or, if your birthday is coming up, why not tell that special someone in your life what you really want!

Birthday Season is upon me!!

I'm in the middle of the birthday season at the moment. Between 15 October and 10 November I have 14 people either in my family or close friends to make cards for. Then, I have a bit of a break (a week) for another friend, then my oldest daughter Nicole turns sweet 16th birthday on 17th December. She shares her day with my SIL Lyn in Australia.

This is one of the cards I cased from the very talented Michelle Cave from Hastings. She had made hers using Urban Garden which looked stunning, but I've used Raspberry Tart DSP. Flight of the Butterfly stamp set sells for $63.95 for 10 stamps ~ 4 message stamps and 6 cute images which use the two step stamping method or can be stamped alone as done here.

October's Promotion ~ only a few days left!! 

Celebrate World Card Making day all month long...

Dates: 1– 31 October 2009

World Card Making Day was on the 3rd of October; but Stampin' Up! are celebrating all month long with a fantastic Promotion.

For this month only, if you purchase a Stampin' Up! "Card Elements" kit, you can purchase the co-ordinating stamp set for 20% off (just $23.16). The kits are $36.95, and contain everything you need to make at least 12 cards. They would make a great Christmas present for someone that you want to get addicted to...oops, I mean introduce to stamping.

You can see the kits pictured on pages 140-141 of the catalogue. I must say I love the 'Wow Flowers' stamp set. It works so well with the circle and Word Window punches!



Altered Pop Top Can

This was a fun class and very easy once you know how. It is such a creative way to package up a gift. Inside this little tin is a small plastic container of bubble bath and some soap petals. There are so many different size pop top tins/cans around, so you don't have to limit yourself to small knick knack type gifts. It certainly got the creative juices flowing and I think I might have some of my Christmas gifts sorted.  Now, I've just got to find the time to make some more and preferably not between midnight and 3am lol.

Love is in the Air...

I was asked to make a wedding card recently and this is what I came up with..

The thin silver cord has retired and the silver heart brads aren't from Stampin' Up, but everything else is still available. You can't really see it in the photo but the cakes and greeting (which are from the Fun & Fast Notes) are stamped in silver and clear embossed.  It's a very effective technique. This set is $68.95 and there are 8 stamps for 8 different occasions. I've mounted the stamps with the greetings cut off and mounted on the sides of the blocks, so the words and images can easily be stamped separately.

What a fun weekend I had!

It was a busy and very productive weekend for me!!  Firstly, we had big team training on Saturday at my uplines upline ~ Jacque's place, which was doubly good because not only did we do swaps (where you make a whole lot of one project and then swap it for one of everyone else's), we also made two make n' takes, which I love doing. It makes a nice change to be the student rather than the teacher.

As many of you know, I had a Christmas Card class planned for Sunday afternoon. I couldn't believe how organised I was and I had the projects all sorted, cut and prepared on the Friday night. Well, after our team swapping on Saturday ~ I decided to change two of my three projects and CASE (copy and share everything) two of the swaps because they were sooooo awesome!!  I swear the swaps are getting better and better each time and we've got a heap of talented ladies in our group. It's a very easy card to make using the reverse masking technique.  

So then, because I decided to change what we were doing, I was up till after 2am Sat night preparing and cutting etc. I'm a sucker for punishment, that's for sure! Fortunately, I'm a bit of a night owl so there were no midnight mishaps. Here is my favourite card of the three that we made on Sunday, at the Christmas Card class. My bow looks overly big in this photo (I'm no photographer that's for sure!!), but is fine in the flesh. I cased it from the wonderfully talented Kristine McNickle. You can view her blog HERE

Stamps: Season of Joy (113023), So Swirly Jumbo Wheel (109683).
Cardstock: Night of Navy (106277), Bashful Blue (106565), Whisper White (106549).
Ink: Night of Navy (102977), Bashful Blue (105209).
Accessories: Night of Navy 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon.
Tools: 1-1/4" Circle Punch (104403),
1" Circle Punch (109046), Dotto (103305), Sponge Daubers (102896), Stamping Sponges (101610), Mat Pack (105826), Mini Glue Dots (103683). 



School Holiday Children's classes were a huge success!!

Thanks to all of you who attended. There were many regular faces and lots of newbies too, which was great! We had lots of fun and created some cool cards and projects as you can see here.
 And, a big Thank You to my darling daughter Bridgette, for all your wonderful help and assistance. I couldn't have done it without you!!

Towards the end of November, I'll be running a Children's Christmas card class so if you think your child will be interested keep an eye out and I'll be posting more details later.

In the meantime ~ I'm still holding adult classes throughout the year and we have a Christmas card class this coming Sunday at 2.30pm, where we'll make 6 cards (2 each of 3 designs) for $20. For more details please email me HERE 

 

Stampin' Up! October Promotions

October is World Card Making month for Stampin' Up!  For more information click HERE!!

 

If you were planning on becoming a SU! demonstrator, there is never a better time than now. I've always said that October is a great month to join Stampin' Up!  But this year it's better than ever. Stampin' Up! have just announced their Breast Cancer Awareness Promotion: THINK PINK!!   

For over 20 years, Stampin' Up! has helped women make a difference in the lives of others by simply doing what they love to do--sharing creativity.Now you too can become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and make a difference! For every person who joins the Stampin' Up! family between 1 October and 31 December 2009, Stampin' Up! will donate $5 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Bella's Fantasy Box Class

This was the project we made on Friday night. My upline Karen showed me how and I love it! It looks complicated but is sooo easy!!  Even the ladies who attended the class would have to agree. There is alot of folding involved so you definitely need to use a bone folder. The pretties flower was dyed using a plastic bag and the stamp pad of your choice, depending on what colour you wanted. We attached the flower to the lid with a designer-a-brad which finishes it off nicely. Recipe
Paper: Designer Series (I used Bella Rose), textured 12 x 12 Pink Pirouette cardstock (for the boxes inside), Ridinghood Red A4 cardstock for the lid.
Ink: Kiwi Kiss (to dye the flower)
Other: Pretties kit, Striped grosgrain ribbon, build-a-brad, 2 way glue and sticky strip.  

Technique: Bella's Fantasy Box or Stepper Box

The Silver Ribbon Foundation

This is nothing to do with SU! or card making but I wanted to tell you about my lovely "Care and Share" afternoon I went to today which was organised by Judy. Judy is a fellow SU! addict (not a demo....yet) and friend. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and was rapt to learn that over $170 was raised today for The Silver Ribbon Foundation. This foundation raises awareness of the signs and symptoms of all gynaecological cancers and to support those affected. Well done Judy!! Thanks heaps for inviting me ~ it was very informative and I learnt alot. And, I ate far too much (as usual!).  September is Gynaecological Cancer awareness month, so if you get the opportunity to attend one of these events, it's well worth it!