Ink Pads & Polkadots

Christmas Cards

2010-12-18T14:36:00.001+11:00

I guess the desks of most stampers looks like mine at the moment

- a few finished cards amongst stamps, inks, and card scraps!

Hope you are enjoying it as much as I am!

Stampers Anonymous Blog Hop - French Style!

2010-08-31T17:37:00.009+10:00

Welcome to our Stampers Anonymous SU blog tour! Tonight we are delighted to show you projects using products that were available to us in our demo sneak peek from the

2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalogue.

You may have just come from Sharon's blog, but if you are starting here, don’t worry … you can make the complete tour just by following the links at the end of each post.

There are 14 stops along the way and we hope you will visit each one to see the wonderful creations we have to show you! Please feel free to leave some comment love along the way …

At the end of each post there will be a link to take you to the next stop on the tour.

So grab a cuppa, sit back and enjoy!

At first when I said I'd join the Blog Hop,

I thought I'd make a few things specially.

Then I ran out of time ... I've been so busy...

... oh well ... I'll just have to show the one card I made with the new Artistic Etchings set ...

... which I love ...

... but then I thought about what I've been busy doing...

... getting ready for my catalogue launch ...

... and for a French night our church is holding ....

Hang on!!

That Artistic Etchings set has barely left my hot little hands

since it arrived on my doorstep a few weeks back!

So ... instead of just one card (above)

you can also see some of the other things I've been making!

For my launch I've been using Melon Mambo, Basic Black and Very Vanilla.

A great combo!

And I love the Newsprint DSP ... will be buying more of that set ...

Pillowboxes for my guests (these contain cute paperclips):

Little booklets with a stamped cover:

Decorated takeaway boxes to put all those goodies in

(boxes from a $2 shop but I would get a Big Shot die next time and make a box from cardstock, I had so much trouble with the plastic boxes splitting)

and my personal favourite - cupcakes!

Love these and will definitely use this idea again!

But hey, what's not to love about a cupcake???

For our French night that our church is running, we've plain brown lunch bags elegant with the Eiffel Tower image and the Very Vintage wheel, (sorry, no photo)

decorated chocolate coins:

and I took candles from "plain church candle" to "very French candles" in a matter of minutes

(using the tissue paper method).

For the French night we've been using a colour theme of

Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand and Regal Rose.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing what I've made with this gorgeous set - and hope that you are inspired to get it for yourself!

Now you’re off to enjoy the wonderful creations of Juliette Thanks for stopping by!

If you happen to lose your way here’s a list of all participants.

1. Fiona Harvey (me!) http://fionastamps.blogspot.com

2. Juliette Chapman http://juleskraftikrafts.blogspot.com

3. Kerry Bunting http://www.kbpapercraft.blogspot.com

4. Kirrily Matthews http://kirrilymatthews.blogspot.com

5. Lorna Casha http://www.lornacasha.blogspot.com

6. Marelle Taylor http://www.marelletaylor.com

7. Meighan Wheller http://meighanwheller.blogspot.com

8. Melissa Gillis http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/wishflowerstudios/blog

9. Michelle Marchant http://michellemarch.blogspot.com

10. Nikki Stalker http://www.nicolestalker.com.au/blog

11. Sally Williams http://www.sallycancraft.com

12. Sam Coppack http://samcoppack.blogspot.com

13. Sandy Quail http://www.scrappyhabits.com

14. Sharon Wilson http://shaz.argyle.com.au/blog/index.php

Blog Candy Winners!

2010-04-06T21:14:00.001+10:00

STAMPERS ANONYMOUS AUTUMN/WINTER MINI BLOG HOP

BLOG CANDY WINNERS!

Many thanks to all of you who took the time to leave comments on our blogs and let us know you liked the projects we created for you using products from the new mini catalogue. We hope we inspired you and showed you that creative opportunities are endless!

Two winners of the blog candy have been drawn and they are:

PAULA FULLER and LISA MARTIN

Congratulations Paula and Lisa! Would you ladies please email Kerry Bunting to notify her of your contact details so she can get your candy in the mail.

Big Shot Autumn Wreath

2010-03-31T21:00:00.005+11:00

Hi and welcome to my post for our Autumn Mini Blog Hop! You might have just arrived from Kerry's lovely blog, hope you are enjoying our projects! Read on to find out how you can enter to win some blog candy!

I recently "made-over" our study with some de-cluttering, a fresh coat of paint and some rearranging of furniture. Before I painted, this room was a badly-painted icky yellow with green trim, and it was only the sheer volume of furniture in this room that put us off painting until now. I painted with Dulux "Puppy" but used Wattyl i.d. paint (low-VOC). This colour works so well with our timber furniture, especially our sideboard and piano.

"What does all this have to do with Stampin' Up! ?" You ask .... well ... after I had put up some artwork and framed some lovely old sheet music to hang over the piano I still had a blank spot over the sideboard. Having spent $$$ on paint, a new blind, and a new bookcase I really didn't want to spend any more money. But I wanted something cream-coloured and a bit 3D.

And then my Big Shot arrived in the mail! Woohoo! I've always wanted something to cut large leaf shapes so the Leaves #2 was the first die I ordered when Stampin' Up! demonstrators could pre-order from the new Autumn Mini. I pulled out some Very Vanilla cardstock and got busy cutting lots of maple and oak leaves. Then I cut a large donut shape (I traced a large plate and then a smaller plate inside) and started adhering the leaves, overlapping until they covered the donut shape.

At this stage it was looking good, but not quite what I had in mind. So I cut more leaf shapes and this time curled each one around a pencil for that "just fallen from the tree" look, and adhered them carefully to the wreath. Finally I used the Extra-Large Two-Step Bird Punch to punch some leaves and a bird and adhered those leaves around the edges of the wreath. (Loving the new style of Stampin' Up! punches!)

Fortunately I had a nail sticking out from the wall where we used to hang a picture and I've just hung the wreath on that, with the bird blu-tacked to the wall in the centre. I love that it is monochrome and therefore you can really see the light and shadows, it looks a bit like those expensive lazer-cut wall features you see in magazines! But I'm also thinking I might make another one in Autumn colours one day soon!

Total time taken: less than 30 minutes
Cost (using what I had): FREE!

And now for some exciting news for YOU: We are offering 2 lucky visitors the opportunity to win some ‘Blog Candy’ this time around. There are a few things you must do to be eligible and they are:

1. You must leave a comment on every blog in the tour. Please also leave your full name with the comment.

2. After leaving your comments, you need to email Kerry and inform her you have done so and would like to be in the running for the blog candy.

**Blog candy is available to residents in Australia only. Entry is open till midnight April 5th. Demonstrators are welcome to participate.

Well, that’s all from me. I hope you left your comment to be in with a chance at the ‘Blog Candy’. Now you’re off to enjoy the wonderful creations of Teneale. (Click here to go to the next step of the blog hop!)

Thanks for stopping by!

If you happen to lose your way here’s a list of all participants:

1. Juliette Chapman http://juleskraftikrafts.blogspot.com

2. Sue Dean http://www.addictedstampers.com.au

3. Meighan Wheller http://meighanwheller.blogspot.com

4. Chary Belfield http://charybelfield.wordpress.com

5. Nikki Stalker http://www.nicolestalker.com.au/blog

6. Sharon Wilson http://shaz.argyle.com.au/blog/index.php

7. Kirrily Matthews http://kirrilymatthews.blogspot.com

8. Rob Irving http://www.stampingitout.com

9. Sally Williams http://www.sallycancraft.com

10. Kerry Bunting http://www.kbpapercraft.blogspot.com

11. Fiona Harvey http://fionastamps.blogspot.com

12. Teneale Williams http://www.tenealewilliams.com.au

13. Liam Pucher http://www.inspirestampin.blogspot.com

14. Marelle Taylor http://www.marelletaylor.com

Sale-A-Bration Blog Hop, Vintage Style

2010-02-22T06:00:00.020+11:00

Welcome to the 2nd Stampers Anonymous SU blog tour! You have probably just arrived from Juliette's blog, the previous step of our Blog Hop. There are 9 blogs to visit, and I can't wait to see everyone else's creations!

You can receive one FREE Sale-A-Bration stamp set of your choice for every $100 you order before 31st March - details and catalogue are HERE. These stamp sets are all soooo cute, and will never be available again, so if there is 1, 2, 3 or even all 4 you would like then please email me and place an order before you miss out!

I was in a very vintagey mood when I made these cards, and was completely inspired by the Vintage Labels and Happy Moments sets. I was also dying to try out the Polka Dot background that I finally ordered (after wanting it for about a year!) That's the great thing about Sale-A-Bration - because I get FREE stamps sets with my order (and you can too!) I can justify buying all those wish-list items at last! LOL

The three cards I made are ideas you can copy, depending on how much time you have and how many supplies you want to use.

The first card is a quick and easy 5 or 10 minute card.

This birdy in a cage looks so sweet and effective stamped over a paler background stamp. Quick and easy. I rubbed the inkpad over the edges of the white card to add a bit of pink. Then I stamped the birdcage again in pink pirouette with the sentiment stamped over the top, and punched it out for a quick and inexpensive accent.

Supplies:
Stamp Sets: Happy Moments, Polka Dot Background stamp
Inkpads: Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, Pink Pirouette
Whisper White 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, 1" punch and a brad from the Vintage brads

The next card is the result of playing with a new set of stamps. I don't know about you, but when a new stamp set arrives in the mail, AND it coordinates with my punches, I get stamping and punching without any thought of a finished product! The trick I am learning though, is to use a few coordinating colours and then you can use your "experiments" together on a card (instead of putting them into that mysterious box or bag of "unused punchies/stampies" on your desk ... come on ... I know you have one too ...)

So... here we have a vintagey polkadotty pink and red card, with lots of cute layers, and all using just scraps of card left from other projects. This one probably takes about 10 minutes, counting cutting out the butterfly and playing with all those fun pieces till you feel happy just looking at them!

Supplies:
Stamp Sets: Vintage Labels, Window Dressing (hostess set), Flight of the Butterfly
Punches: Curly Label, Scallop Circle, Boho Blossoms, Eyelet Border
Inkpads: Whisper White, Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Pirouette Pink, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, Real Red
Rhinestone Brad and Whisper White 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

And lastly a card that will take a little more time to make, but think of that time as therapeutic!

Don't you wish it was your birthday, and you could cut into this big yummy cake with the shiny chocolate icing, and open those cute presents? For this card I painted on watercolour card using the both the Stampin' Write Markers and the Watercolor Wonder Crayons, one or the other, or sometimes blended, depending on the effect I wanted. I love how these media work together, especially when I use watercolour card.

Thinking of a cake got me thinking about a doily, so I used the Vintage Label round stamp to look like a doily below the cake, and repeated it in the background. I also cut out the centre of one with a 1" punch for a different effect.

Supplies:
Stamp Sets: Happy Moments, Vintage Labels, Polka Dot background
Inkpads: Basic Black, Real Red, Whisper White
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, Watercolor paper
Punches: Scallop Circle, Small Oval, 1" circle
Certainly Celery 1/4" grosgrain ribbon (my favourite!), Rhinestone brad

Well, that’s all from me. Now click here to hop to the next blog and enjoy the wonderful creations of Nikki, the organiser of our blog hop. Thanks for stopping by, and thanks Nikki! Please feel free to leave me a comment before you leave, I'd love to hear what you think of my cards.

Little Houses

2010-02-21T15:52:00.003+11:00

Ever since I first saw this Neighbourhood stamp wheel, I've wanted it. Those cute little houses were too much for me! I held out till Sale-A-Bration came along and then I ordered it at last! In addition to receiving some FREE stamp sets, I also received FREE the Patterns Pack II Designer Series Paper (DSP) - a hostess gift - and they seemed like a perfect match! This DSP is great for stamping on or for backgrounds.

First I rolled the design onto the Certainly Celery cardstock, then I rolled again on a few different pieces of DSP and cut out selected houses with a pair of small scissors. I adhered these directly above the houses on the celery cardstock.

Then I added a sentiment from the very cute Whimsical Words set, (which I got for FREE and so can you with an order over $100!). I freehanded a black thought bubble around the words with a black marker, and floated them above one of the houses with a dimensional.

Something Sweet &Treat Cups

2009-12-01T00:01:00.000+11:00

I've been playing with some new products from the Summer Mini, which runs from December 1st. I am loving the 1 3/4" punch and have tried it with the Treat Cups and Something Sweet stamp set.

First I made a gumball machine, which seemed the most obvious place to start! This was fun and easy. I kept the design simple and bright and let the gumball machine filled with Smarties take centre stage. The Treat Cups are super-easy to use with adhesive backing. I made a 3 fold card which meant I had to punch out my circle near the top of the card (next time I'll do it differently as now this card is a little top-heavy with the weight of the Smarties).

The next card was stamped with the uber-cute Hello Again stamp set, and I simply punched out a 1 3/4" circle and filled the treat cup with mini marshmallows.

Then I went for a no-stamp card. I used the Good Morning Sunshine DSP (both sides of one sheet) and the new Chit Chat rub-ons from the Summer Mini.

How cool are those owls peeking out?

Lastly I used some stamps from Something Sweet along with the 1 3/4" punch to make a friendly caterpillar.

His eyes are stamped with the gumball stamp and the mouth with the jelly bean stamp.

He would be welcome in my garden, so long as he didn't eat my vegies!

Christmas Treats Box

2009-10-31T20:16:00.003+11:00

This is a little box we made at a workshop the other night.
Materials:
Real Red & Old Olive cardstock and Stampin' Ink
Scallop Circle Punch
1 3/8" punch
1 1/4" punch
1" punch
Real Red 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon
Hole punch (office type)

To make the box, almost but not quite fold an A5 card horizontally, and pinch a little crease at the centre of each long side. Open out the card and almost fold it long-ways, again pinching a crease, this time on each short side. Open out and score from the creases to form a diamond shape, and then score across the middle of the card from long side to long side. You should have a diamond with a line across the centre. Fold the triangles inside and punch a hole on the short side of each of the four triangles. Thread a ribbon through the holes and there you have a cute easy box for Christmas gifts!

Trendy Trees Spring

2009-10-31T20:10:00.003+11:00

This is a card using theTrendy Trees stamp set, this time in Spring colours. In the past I've only ever used this set with Autumn colours, but I love the combination of these colours:

Kiwi Kiss
Cameo Coral
Basic Gray
Pirouette Pink
Whisper White

and a clean simple but cute look. Lots of fun.

Birthday Cake

2009-09-28T06:55:00.003+10:00

My friend Catherine has recently been on a weight loss challenge, so I came up with a low-fat birthday present for her! I used the Sweet Always DSP, So Saffron, Regal Rose and Very Vanilla cardstock. The template for the Piece-a-Cake is here.

Inside I put some little goodies from Kikki K. The present on the right is some post-it notes that were too big for the cake! I wrapped them with some DSP and used the Ovals All stamp to make a label.

Tree Trimmed notecard

2009-08-06T13:43:00.002+10:00

This was a quick notecard using the Tree Trimmings set and some scraps I had on my desk. The background is stamped with images from the Great Friend set. I think I'll be using this colour combo again for Christmas - Real Red, Garden Green and Kiwi Kiss.

Forest Friends Tree

2009-08-06T13:37:00.002+10:00

I love the way the tree from the Forest Friends set looks when it is coloured with the stamp n write markers. The colours blend together just a little and on this stamp it gives a stencilled look, which I love.

This little calendar was a quick project (calendar from an educational supplier last year)

and close up

and a masculine-looking card, with some leaves from the Great Friend set in the background, and a piece of DSP also from the Spring Mini.

I two-toned the greeting with Close to Cocoa and Chocolate Chip markers and I love the look!

Baroque Motifs Christmas

2009-08-05T19:55:00.002+10:00

I ran my first Stampin' Up! Christmas Card Class the other night, and this was one of the 8 cards we made. I used the Baroque Motifs stamp set with Real Red and Garden Green to give it a Christmassy flavour. The greeting is from the Best Yet hostess set.

Baroque Motifs Christmas

2009-08-05T19:55:00.001+10:00

Forest Friends Baby Card

2009-08-05T19:48:00.002+10:00

I love this little deer from the Forest Friends set so much! This was a quick and simple card using Close to Cocoa, Certainly Celery and Pretty in Pink, and the Cameo Coral flower brings it to life.

Gift Box

2009-07-08T20:16:00.002+10:00

Emily made this cute pouch for a schoolfriend's birthday. It was so cute! She used the Think Happy Thoughts stamp set, and used Rose Red and Ballet Blue inks and cardstock. What a great job! Inside were 3 mini Mars Bars for her friend Sarah.

Step It Up Challenge

2009-06-18T14:19:00.005+10:00

Marelle challenged us to create a card, and then "step it up" by adding to the original card design. This is my first card. I used the Pocket Silhouettes and Sincere Salutations stamp sets, and the gorgeous Urban Garden DSP, and chocolate chip taffeta ribbon. It's a quick, effective card with a nice clean design.

This is my second card (apologies for the photo -having a few technical issues). Same basic elements, but I softened the look and added more layers. To soften the design I distressed and/or daubed every layer. The Old Olive card layer and the DSP are distressed on the edges, I also daubed Kiwi Kiss on the DSP and on the circle and punch shapes. I roughed up the scallop circle with my fingernails and scissors, and added a little Pink Pirouette behind the ribbon (daubed with Pink Pirouette, of course) and stamped a few little pink flowers on the greeting. I also added a couple of bronze brads, and a knot to the ribbon.

Everyone has different taste - which one do YOU like best?

Bloom & Grow

2009-05-16T10:53:00.001+10:00

Here is another page I made for our class the other day. I am loving these gorgeous papers in the Urban Garden series. I based my page on this sketch on the Pagemaps website.

I love that it uses a large portion of patterned paper, but what drew my attention was the foliage at the side of the photo. On my layout I used a stamp from the Echoes of Kindness hostess set, stamped in Not Quite Navy and watercoloured using the ink (press the closed inkpad in the centre then open to reveal a puddle of ink inside the lid).

For the title I used a nestabilities die on basic gray, with a scalloped border in Kiwi Kiss. Somehow the words of Edelweiss popped into my head, so I used them for the journalling and title. Laura does greet me every morning, and seem happy to meet me! She is soft and white, clear and bright (but I didn't include all that on my page!)

A bit of machine stitching around the edge finished off my title , and I also stitched around the patterned paper and distressed all the edges for a softer look.

Scrap Club Layout - May

2009-05-15T15:06:00.004+10:00

Yesterday we had the first Scrap Club class, and based our layouts on the above page, using the Trendy Trees stamp set, and the Good Morning Sunshine Designer Series Papers.

This stamp set is just too cute, and so versatile. perfect for outdoor photos, autumn, family tree and many more themes.

Our next Scrap Club is on Wednesday 18th June, at 8pm, and YOU are invited! We will complete 2 layouts (one based on a set design, and the other your own choice of colours/papers/theme) and the cost is $15.00 To book in please email me.

Sweet Mothers Day Offerings

2009-05-13T20:37:00.004+10:00

My sweet Emily used my Stampin' Up! supplies to make Mothers Day special for me!

A very cute card using the Good Friend set and the Polka Dot Punches (retired)

and a header for a bag of Dark Chocolate Hazelnuts, also using the Polka Dot Punches set.

Both lovely surprises!

I love the colours she chose for the bird, ones I would never have thought to use, but they work well. The neutral background is also very classy.

Well done Emily, I love you too!

Classes in May

2009-05-12T20:00:00.003+10:00

You're invited to my classes this week and next!

May Stamp-a-Stack
Make 8 cards in 2 hours!
Learn new techniques and play with the Stampin’ Up! products.
(We will use Trendy Trees and Echoes of Kindness, as seen in the previous two posts)
All materials and morning tea/supper provided
Beginners welcome

Dates:
Wednesday 20th May 8.00-10.00pm 5 places left
Thursday 21st May 10.00am-12.00pm 6 places left
Thursday 21st May 8.00-10.00pm 6 places left

Cost: $18.00 (or $15.00 when you BYO SNAIL adhesive)
Venue: my home in Hornsby

Scrap Club
Use coordinated stamps, 12x12 papers and cardstock to create 2 or more beautiful scrapbook pages in one class.

Included in the cost:
· 1 set page using the Trendy Trees set – great for an outdoor/family page
· 1 page using your choice of papers, card and stamps
· If you want to make more pages then paper and cardstock is available on a per sheet basis.
· Use of punches, stamps, ink etc.
· Supper
Beginners welcome

Bring: photos to scrapbook, paper trimmer, adhesive (or add $2.00 to use my adhesive), cash to purchase extra card/paper, ribbon etc.

Date: Thursday 14th May 8.00-10.00pm - yes that's in 2 days!
Cost: $15.00
Venue: my home in Hornsby

Organise your own class
If these dates don’t suit you and your friends, or you’d like to learn a specific technique, then contact me to book a time that does suit!

To book into a class, or for any enquiries please email me

Echoes of Kindness

2009-05-12T19:53:00.003+10:00

The Echoes of Kindness hostess set is another of my favourites from the new catalogue, and in a completely different style to Trendy Trees (see last post). This one is gorgeous for watercolouring, which I have done in various ways. For this card I stamped Elegant Eggplant onto watercolour paper, then painted loosely within the lines using the Aquapainter and the Watercolor Wonder crayons. I ran an Old Olive marker along the stem. A quick elegant card which became a Mothers Day card for my mother-in-law.

Trendy Trees

2009-05-12T19:49:00.002+10:00

In the holidays my extended family went on a holiday to the Blue Mountains. We had a great time, and for Mothers Day I made Mum a little album of photos we took of all the family members enjoying Leura.

I used a slip-in 10x15cm album, and made a title page and end page using the Trendy Trees set, my latest favourite set. I also used the coordinating wheel at the bottom of the page. Lots of fun.

Craft Sale in May

2009-04-22T08:24:00.001+10:00

GIANT CRAFT SALE

The girls in Marelle's team and I are getting together to have a Giant Craft Sale Day. We have cleaned out our cupboards, and have lots of Craft Goodies that need to find new homes. There are stamps (both Stampin' Up! and other), scrapbooking supplies, ribbons, embellishments, plus handmade cards and gifts too, and lots more!

Everything will be priced to sell, so come along and grab a bargain! We'll also have Lucky Door Prizes to be won.

When: Saturday, 23rd May 10am -2pm

Where: The Church Hall (Blacktown East Presbyterian) Cnr Heffron Rd and Gallop Gve, Lalor Park

Lalor Park is right at the end of the M2 if you are coming from the Hornsby/Pennant Hils/St Ives direction.

I hope you can come!

Fresh Cuts

2009-04-08T14:46:00.005+10:00

At last I'm able to show you some of my recent projects, using stamps and new colours from the new 2009-2010 Stampin' Up! catalogue (check the sidebar to view it online!). I made them a few weeks ago but I've just been too busy to photograph them.

These two cards were created with the Fresh Cuts set, which comes with coordinating die-cut paper - the flower is already cut out! This makes it super-easy to create an elegant card in minutes.

For this card I cut a piece of Kiwi Kiss (an In Color this year) slightly smaller than the white die-cut card, and stamped the background on that. I punched out a 5-Petal flower in Pirouette Pink and attached it behind the cut-out, using a brad. I stamped using Pirouette Pink and Chocolate Chip on the front of the card, and tied it all together with Chocolate Chip Taffeta ribbon.

For the second card I stamped onto Whisper White, with Kiwi Kiss ink. I rubbed Kiwi Kiss around the edge before mounted it on Kiwi Kiss card. Using the Aquabrush and some ink from the inkpads I highlighted a few of the flowers on the design. I punched two 5-Petal flowers in Pirouette Pink, and daubed one of them with Pirouette Pink ink, and then roughed the edges. I used a little daisy from my stash, but you could colour a flower from the Pretties kit if you wanted to, and joined all the flowers together with a brad. Greeting is stamped with Chocolate Chip.

I love this combination of colours together, and that I could achieve two quite different looks using the same products. I'm hoping to run some classes using this set next term. Hope you can come!

Easter Egg Pouch

2009-03-30T23:05:00.002+11:00

Tonight some friends came over for a play with some new stamps from the new Stampin' Up! catalogue. As a treat I made them a little easter egg pouch each, stamped with the new Good Friend set.
I cut a piece of A4 card lengthwise down the middle at 10.4cm to make two long pieces of card. I then scored across each card at 12cm from each end, which makes 3 sections, the middle smallest one being the base. I stamped with Ballet Blue and Whisper White, and punched a peephole using the Scallop Circle punch.

I popped the easter eggs into a cellophane bag, which I stapled to the inside back of the pouch. Then I used the double rectangle punch to punch holes on the front and back of the pouch, and threaded through some pink ribbon to secure.

I've been trying lots of things with my new stamp sets I've pre-ordered, and will be posting them in the next few days, so stay tuned! There are some beautiful stamps in the new catalogue, and gorgeous scrapbooking papers. So much fun.

Asian Influence

2009-03-19T13:44:00.006+11:00

The other night I got together with Jacqui and Debbie to make some cards for our school fete.

It turned out to be quite an Asian night. Jacqui made these cards with the (no longer available) Symbols of Solicitude stamp set, some bold colours and some origami paper. Very effective with the black ink.

Debbie used the Eastern Blooms set, which I'm happy to see in the 2009-2010 catalogue (yes it's arrived!)

I loved the way she created these beautiful cards with just a few of the Rich Regal colours and a white inkpad.
I made 2 noteboxes with 6 notecards in each, very much inspired by Marelle, and ended up with a sort of tropical feel which always makes me think of Asia.

We had lots of fun chatting, stamping, munching on crackers and cheese, and eating Debbie's yummy chocolate cake. It was nice to see the Stampin' Up! products bought at my launch night being put into action!

Better late than never!

2009-03-05T19:12:00.000+11:00

I didn't actually get hold of the Botanical Blooms SAB set until after the promotion ended! But am glad to have them now :-)

Such a sweet set and once again so quick and easy to create a beautiful card. So I thought I'd post photos of what I've been doing with them, anyway.

Colours are Rose Red, Regal Rose, and Old Olive.

Oh So Lovely

2009-03-05T12:02:00.001+11:00

This hostess set really is oh so lovely. I received it just the other day, and yesterday made these cards, it was so easy to make them and yet they look so elegant.

I'm currently trying to use up my old stash of cardstock from various companies, this is a natural looking card and I've used River Rock, Chocolate Chip and Bravo Burgundy with it.

The watercolouring was done with the crayons

and on this one I coloured the fine stems with the fine tip of an Old Olive marker and doodled on the circles at the top - easy!

Sad to think that soon these stamps will be unavailable when the new catalogue comes out ... I'm glad to have them!

Sketch Challenge

2009-02-26T11:05:00.000+11:00

This is the first time I've joined a sketch challenge, and I've had a lot of fun giving it a try! My card is based on Makeesha's sketch here.

My card ended up with a bit of a country feel.

Using the A Little Bit of Happiness hostess set, I stamped and embossed the image, then coloured it with the Watercolour Wonder Crayons, in the Rich Regal colours. Then I matched the image with cardstock in Close to Cocoa, Rose Red, Night of Navy, Brocade Blue and Old Olive, most of them distressed on the edges with their matching ink colours. I stamped the polkadots from the Polka Dots & Paisley set on the Brocade Blue piece.

But my favourite part was making the cute scallop frame. First I punched a 1 1/4" circle on a piece of Old Olive card, then punched the Scallop Circle punch over that, centering it over the circle I had already punched. I adhered it with scraps of dimensionals.

In the top right corner it was looking a little empty, so I sprinkled some hearts from the Sprinkles set!

Scrapbooking with Baroque Motifs and Carte Postale

2009-02-25T14:15:00.000+11:00

Baroque Motifs and Carte Postale are two of my favourite Stampin' Up! sets, and so I was happy when I came to scrapbook these photos the other night, and they matched beautifully with the photos. The Sage Shadow and Chocolate Chip colour combo was also a perfect match for this page.
These were some photos taken when Emily had just bought new sunglasses, and then she pulled a few funny faces too for the other photos.

I stamped the swirly scrolly design a few times diagonally across the page, added some little stamped white flowers, then stamped the bird from Carte Postale on each page - so quick and easy.

See how well it matches with Emily's t-shirt? (although I must admit it has taken me so long to get to these photos that this t-shirt has been handed down in the meantime!)

I handwrote the title with a dark brown gel pen. All done in about half an hour while simultaneously chatting, eating chocolate, and taking a few Stampin' Up! orders.

Too easy!

Scrapbooking with Stampin' Up!

2009-02-18T12:19:00.000+11:00

All this time I've been enjoying making cards with Stampin' Up!, and scrapbooking when the mood takes, but not using the SU products so much for scrapbooking, for some reason (hmmm maybe my sizable stash of scrapbooking supplies has something to do with that!). Last night I sat down and created these 2 quick pages using only SU products and boy - was it quick and easy. No fiddling round matching colours and embellishments - yey! This sweet paper was from the Spring mini catalogue, it matches well with Emily's red t-shirt. I loved the Bold Outline Letters with white EP, they came out so fine but readable.

Embellishing was easy with a few dotty stamps from different sets, and the scallop circle punch.

The other page was a bit more colourful, taking inspiration from the beautiful flowers Steve gave me for my birthday.

Of course the Bodacious Bouquet was a natural choice for this page. I rocked and rolled the large flowers and used colours from the photo, and I love how it turned out! The word window punch was great for journalling.

hmmmm ... looks like I'll be reaching for my Stampin' Up! supplies much more often for scrapbooking from now on!

Finding Joy in the Little Things

2009-02-18T12:17:00.000+11:00

Today I played for the first time with the Polka Dots and Paisley set, it was one of the ones I chose in my Starter Kit so I was sorry to find out it will be retired soon. It's a cute little set.

It's been a miserable grey day so I wanted to make something quick and cheery. So out came the bold colours, I had to go for Real Red and white for the first play with the polkadots! And the Green Galore makes the red really pop.

In making it I did "find joy in the little things" - the ability to play with new stamps, a roof over my head and relief from the hot weather last week. After watching events in Victoria this week I am so thankful for all the little things we have and usually take for granted, and my sympathy goes to all those who have lost so many "little things" as well as the big ones.

So I was happy to read that Stampin Up! have just announced a Bushfire Appeal. You can read all about it HERE. They are donating 50% of the retail value of all sales from a select group of 10 stamp sets.
I was disappointed the Bodacious Bouquet set and Polka Dots and Paisley sets will be retired (when I am just getting to know them LOL) but if they have to go, this is the best way to do it! Please email me if you'd like to order any of the sets in this appeal:
Priceless pg105 $48.95
Seeing Spots pg89 $29.95
Baroque Motifs pg98 $39.95
Live Your Dream pg3 (Summer Mini)
Looks Like Spring* pg76$58.95
The Snowflake Spot* pg27 $39.95
Bodacious Bouquet* pg80 $58.95
Polka Dots & Paisley* pg46 $35.95
G'day Mate* pg115 $35.95
Be Happy* pg51 $39.95

*These sets will appear on the upcoming list of retiring products, so they will only be available for the Bushfire Appeal--while supplies last.

Gift Wallet

2009-02-18T12:15:00.000+11:00

Using Marelle's instructions here I have made plenty of gift wallets in the last year.

This was one of the most colourful and fun to make:

I included a coordinating pen from Kikki K. (love that shop)

Some cards from the pack:

Carte Postale 50th Card

2009-02-18T12:13:00.002+11:00

This is the card I made for my sister-in-law's 50th birthday.

I am so loving the Carte Postale set, especially with the Brocade Background papers.

It is just too easy to make something beautiful!

Stampin' Up! Kid's Card Kit

2009-02-18T12:13:00.001+11:00

This is a gift I put together for an 11 year old girl. The pieces are pre-cut with tape or Stampin' Dimensionals on the back, ready to stick.

These are the "finished" cards (pieces are not stuck together except for the stamped shapes to their matching scallops) .... I took this photo to give the recipient some ideas of how to put the cards together.

And this is the kit ready to give:

The stamped images are from the Stampin' Up!® Wild About You set, and I used my Cuttlebug to cut scallops and emboss backgrounds.

I made a personalised header card on the computer and stapled it to the top of the pack to finish it off.

This was a quick project and didn't cost me "anything" - well let's just say that I didn't buy anything specially for this! And the best bit was that I didn't rush out to the shops at the last minute to buy something.

Birthday Cards

2009-02-18T12:09:00.002+11:00

On the weekend we celebrated some family birthdays, so out came the stamps to whip up some quick cards ....

and a gift of a Note Box with 9 Notecards:

I decorated the box using the So Swirly wheel and the Carte Postale set
I made 3 each of 3 styles of notecard, hopefully my aunt can use them for any occasion.

For these cards I used the Carte Postale set:

This one ...Think Happy Thoughts, Short & Sweet, In the Spotlight and Friendship Blooms

and for this one I used A Little Bit of Happiness and Sprinkles:

(Images copyright Stampin' Up!)

Bodacious Bouquet

2009-02-18T12:09:00.001+11:00

A sneak peek at what I've been doing .... playing with the Bodacious Bouquet set ...

Welcome to my new blog!

2009-02-18T12:03:00.001+11:00

I'm a new Stampin' Up! demonstrator in Sydney, Australia and I'm looking forward to posting lots of my stamping and scrapbooking projects. I've been stamping for about 17 years and am thrilled to have finally joined Stampin' Up!, because after all, they do have the best stamp sets, ink and cardstock colours!
I received my Starter Kit a couple of days ago - so much fun!

These are the stamp sets I chose:
Fun & Fast Notes
Bodacious Bouquet
Sprinkles
Polkadots and Paisley
Lovely Labels