Monday, February 08, 2010

Sale-a-Bration Project by Mail


These are the teacher gifts I made for my kid's teachers last year. They were quick and easy to make (which really fitted the bill at the time!) and the teachers seemed to like them too :o)
Since then, I've had lots of requests to run this as a class, but since my class schedule is full, instead I've been running some special Sale-a-Bration Workshops. I've had lots of fun going to people's houses and helping some lovely groups of ladies make this Stylish Tote and matching set of 4 cards and envelopes....and I've got lots more still to do during February and March!
If you live in the Sydney area and think your friends would love a night at your place making this set, here's how it works:
I'll come to your place and provide all the materials. Each guest pays $10. As the Hostess, you can make yours for free, plus you'll receive Hostess Benefits from any sales on the day!
It's a lovely way to catch up with friends, and do something creative at the same time.
My calendar is filling up fast, so let me know if you would like to book a date. I can do weekends, plus weekdays and some weeknights.

If you don't live near me, but would still like to make this set, I'm offering it as a Project by Mail. For $120 you'll get the following goodies to complete your project. For this bundle I'm offering shipping and handling FREE, so $120 gets your goodies straight to your door! I'll mail you the instructions separately, with a handmade card from me, to give you some more ideas using Razzle Dazzle :o)

In this bundle, you will recieve:
A6/C6 cards and envelopes (20 cards, 20 envelopes)
'Razzle Dazzle' Stamp Set
4 Classic Inkpads (I used Baja Breeze, Pink Pirouette, Apricot Appeal, and Certainly Celery, but you may substitute any colours you like)
Fine Supernova Glitter (5 colours x 7.1g each)

You'll get FREE The Happy Moments Sale-a-Bration set and the instructions to make the tote and card set, plus a handmade card from me.

Note: To complete the project, you will also need a Black inkpad, White A4 cardstock, Tombow glue and Sticky Strip. I used the Word Window Punch to make a handle for the tote.
I also used The Large Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch and some Pink Taffeta ribbon to decorate the tote with a tag. If you would like me to add any of these to your order, just let me know, and I'll give you free shipping on those too :o)

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Sweet Treat Flowers

This is what I made as little thank you gifts at my Open House. I made 50 of these, and it really didn't take very long at all. All you do is take a Sweet Treat Cup and poke a skewer in it. You can use the 1/16" punch to make the hole first, which is easier than just forcing the skewer through the plastic. The pointy end of the skewer will now rest on the inner top part of the cup (without going through it). Now fill with skittles, or your favourite treat. Punch a 1 3/4" circle of cardstock in your desired colour. I used Only Orange... I know, can you believe it?? Peel the adhesive backing off the Sweet Treat Cup and stick the circle on top (it only just fits). You'll still have a rim of adhesive to stick 7 x 1" Circles around to make flower petals. I used Yoyo Yellow...for maybe the first time ever! Now use Tombow glue to stick another 1 3/4" circle over the top, to make the back look neater. I also stamped on mine "Wishing you the sweetest day ever" (from the "Something Sweet" set). I tied some Old Olive ribbon around the skewer for leaves. It's probably the only time in my life I wished we had Green Galore ribbon!
I stuck these in a ceramic container filled with a square of floral foam. I decorated it with the Kaleidoscope Paper. Everyone seemed to like them :o) I think they would make a cute little party favour for a Birthday Party, Christening or Baby Shower!

Monday, February 01, 2010

Renovation Pics!

Yes, finally! Thank you all for being so patient and understanding during my blogging hiatus. My catchphrase over the past few months has been "we're getting there". Every time I'd look at the chaos surrounding me, I'd remind myself that it was all a step towards "getting there". Now, I finally feel like I am almost there. Things are starting to feel normal again, and it is such a relief! I've been keeping my head down and only been taking one day at a time for so long, and it is only now that I feel I can look up and see clear through to next week! I'd forgotten what that was like!
So, without further ado, here are some pics of the (almost) finished result, as promised:
It almost looks like it has always been this way, doesn't it? Upstairs we now have a rumpus room (that's Coco making himself comfy on the beanbag!):The kids have brand new bedrooms. Amy's is Almost Amethyst (ish!):And Jacob's is Brocade Blue (sort of!):They also have their very own bathroom (still awaiting a shower screen):And downstairs we have a lovely big room, perfect for holding classes, parties, or Open Houses like the one I had yesterday:Do you like the colour? I wanted neutral, but not beige. It's called "linseed" by Dulux, but I'm calling it Sahara Sand ;o) The "wooden" floors are Vinyl planks, can you believe?! They are quiet, were quick to install, and easy to clean. I'm loving them!
This is where you can make yourself a cuppa:
And now the bit I know you really want to see.... My Craft Space. It runs along one entire wall of our Big Room (we couldn't think what to call it, as it's so many rooms in one, but the name Big Room seems to have stuck!). I have lots of storage in these cupboards. The tall ones are "besta" from IKEA. The small one hides my computer in it, and is from FreedomHere's an inside view: Sneaky, huh? It's perfect for hiding away mess and computer paraphernalia. Next to that is my favourite thing. My Craft desk!
The sideways bookcase holds all my stamps, and Dave cut it down and put it on wheels for me, so I can wheel it out. The bottom levels hold stamps that I'm not currently using (eg Spring Mini sets, not yet retired, Christmas sets, etc). The desk and drawers are from IKEA and is nice and long and deep. The drawers hold all my adhesives, tools, wheels, envelopes, and embossing gear. On my desktop the mini office drawers hold small punches, ribbon originals, rub-ons, a few inkpads (Stazon, versamark, encore), re-inkers, wheel cartridges, aquapainters and Blender Pens. I have my inkpad caddy next to that. A rack (from IKEA) holds my most-used punches (circles and ovals). I have a caddy to hold Stampin' Scrub, mist, bone folders, scissors, sanding blocks and stamp-a-ma-jig, and my Stack and Store carousel is next to that.
The desk hutch came from The Barn (office furniture store) and we brought it home to find it was about 2mm too high to fit under the stairs! So my handy husband chopped off the bottom, which left me with a narrow piece of wood, perfect to hold ribbon spools in place! It was meant to be :o)
The top shelf holds sample cards, Hodgepodge tins, markers and crayons, with room to grow. I have spare trimmers on the very top. I just love it, and can't wait to have a free day just to play. I've spent time making cards for classes, but I have yet to just stamp for me....soon!
Under the stairs is where I keep my filing cabinets, which hold all my cardstock, plus a drawer for business files.
I also keep my workshop tote there, plus a basket that holds outgoing customer orders. On top of the filing cabinets I have 12x12 paper storage units, which I bought on Ebay, and they fit perfectly. I've never had my papers so accessible before, but now I can see exactly what I've got, and use it :o) In the corner are my drawers from Howard's Storage that hold all the cut-up cardstock for classes. I can have a drawer for each class, and keep them totally organised. Dave is going to build me a new punch rack that fits on the wall under the stairs. At the moment the rack is resting on the floor. Coco has his doggie bed right next to my desk, where he can keep an eye on things.

So there you have it! If you've made it all the way through my tour, I hope you've enjoyed having a peek at our new space. We even have a spare room now, which is so exciting (currently full of boxes, but that's another story!)
I'll be back soon with some show-and-tell from my Open House.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

An apology

I feel like a big liar.... know I said I was back but I've discovered that when I get focused on one thing, I'm really good and shutting out everything else! My headspace has been very much in the renovations, and I've found it really hard to concentrate on anything else. I'm one of those people that likes to do one thing at a time, and do it thoroughly and keep at it until it's done.
The good news is that the carpet arrived, looks fantastic and the kids were able to move in upstairs on Monday. All we are waiting on now are a few small electricals to be fixed up, and the bathroom fittings, and we are done! I still have lots of boxes to unpack, but I'll be taking my time with that.
I can't wait to put all this behind me and get back to doing what I love. Incentive Trip is looking more and more unattainable at the moment (I only have until the end of March to qualify, and a lot of sales still to get before then!).
Amy also starts high school tomorrow (I think I am more nervous than her!) so today we will be making sure that she has everything she needs.
Then I have a workshop tonight, my sister's birthday tomorrow, a workshop on Friday night and my Open House on Sunday. Family dinner is here on Monday night (for 10 people), my first class is back Tuesday night and Dave flies to the US for a week-long Conference on Wednesday. So, even though I'm "back", I may not be on here much until next week. But then, I hope to be back with a vengeance. I'll have renovation photos to show you and lots of cards and projects too.
I hope you all understand and don't feel like I'm ignoring you. I love blogging, love getting your comments and feedback, and I've missed it heaps!
xoxo

Monday, January 25, 2010

Let's Sale-A-Brate....and help Haiti too

It's started! Everyone's favourite time of year - Sale-A-Bration!

With rewards for customers, hostesses and new recruits, Sale-A-Bration gives everyone a reason to celebrate!

Customers: Receive a FREE Sale-A-Bration product for every $100 purchase (no limit!). Hostesses: Receive a free Sale-A-Bration product with a $600 or more workshop, in addition to the regular hostess benefits.
Recruits: Choose any retail stamp set (a value up to $79.95) from the current catalogue when signing up during the promotion.

This year's sets are just fabulous. When I saw them I immediately wanted all 4!
You can see them HERE (or email me if you would like to to mail a copy of the brochure to you)
Just simply email me to place an order for $100, and let me know what free Sale-a-Bration set you would like! It's as simple as that. Or you may like to join one of my Hostess Clubs. All you have to do is spend $100 per month in January, February and March. You will earn 3 Sale-a-Bration sets, $30 in free products and a Level 1 Hostess set over the 3 months. Email me for more details.

I'm holding my own Sale-A-Bration Open House next Sunday.
You're Invited to come along and see my new renovated Craft space, and also join in some Sale-a-Bration fun! There will be nibblies, free make-and-takes, Special Offers, and a little pressie to take home. It's also a chance to sign up to some classes, book a workshop or catch up with new and old friends! I'll be running 3 sessions, so choose the one that suits you best!

When: Sunday 31st January
Time: 10am - 12pm, 2pm-4pm OR 7pm-9pm
Where: 27 Ryan St Dundas Valley
Cost: FREE

Places are limited, and bookings are essential. Feel free to bring a friend along! Just email me mail@marelletaylor.com to let me know what session you will be coming along to.
Hope to see you there!

While you Sale-a-Brate, you may also like to help Haiti too. Until the end of February Stampin' Up! will donate $2 for every I {heart} Hearts Stamp set sold to Haitian Disaster Relief. It's a gorgeous set from the mini catalogue, and co-ordinates with our heart punches too. You can see I've used it here for February's Project Class:
On the Renovation front, the painting upstairs is finished! Carpet was meant to be laid on Friday, so the kids were very excited to be moving into their rooms over the weekend. Unfortunately, the carpet company let us down and I received a phonecall on Friday afternoon to say that it couldn't be laid until this Thursday! Needless to say I was pretty annoyed, and managed to get them to find someone to do it today. Fingers crossed he turns up at 8:30am, or there will be 2 very disappointed children (and a Mum too!)

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

I'm back!

I'm back home, feeling rejuvenated and refreshed and ready to tackle 2010 head-on! We had a lovely break in Port Macquarie. The weather was perfect, and we swam, read, swam some more and just generally chilled out.
Since we got back, we've been getting stuck into assembling desks and cupboards for my Craft Room, and painting upstairs. The Painting Fairy came to visit while we were away (my lovely Dad!) so upstairs has been undercoated, and the ceilings done, and both kids bedrooms walls too. What a lovely surprise that was to come home to! So we just need to do the trims and the rumpus room walls and we'll be done, ready for carpet. When I say 'just the trims', it's 7 doors and architraves, 6 window frames, 2 windows, all the skirting's and the stairwell banisters.....I think I'll stick to thinking of it as 'just the trims'!
Having spent the last 2 months sharing a room, the kids will be really ready to appreciate having their own space!!
I'm looking forward to getting stuck into some stamping too. I'm hoping to set up my desk today (yay!). And I've only got a couple more months to qualify for the Incentive Trip, which was my big goal for this year, and I still have a fair way to go for that, so I'd best get cracking! I'll be sending out my newsletter hopefully today or tomorrow with all the latest specials, class dates and an invitation for an Open House to come and see the renovation in all it's glory. Make sure you are subscribed, using the link over there----->

As you know, I haven't been able to stamp lately, so here's one from the archives. This was a card we made at a team meeting before Christmas. Nice and bright and summery, using 'Butterfly Prints' (from the Summer Mini) paired the 'Flight of the Butterfly' set (from the main catalogue):

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Flight of the Butterfly, Butterfly Prints
ink: Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise, Versamark
card: Tempting Turquoise, Kiwi Kiss, Pumpkin Pie, Real red, Whisper White
other: Butterfly Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Square Scallop Punch, Mat Pack, White Gel Pen, Rhinestone Brad, dimensionals

Stop Press: Don't forget the Catalogue Inventory Clearance! 2 stamp sets are now SOLD OUT at the discounted price - 'Jumbo Outline Alphabet' and 'Just Riding'. The others are still available, but only for a limited time!

Sunday, December 27, 2009

A Belated Christmas Wish!

I was hoping to get on here before Christmas, but my internet access has been sporadic as we shuffle furniture around to put in floors (which are now done!) and paint (still lots of that to do!).
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. We had a lovely day celebrating with family and friends. We always get together with my Mum's side of the family at a park, and the rain held off for the perfect amount of time. We were able to have a casual picnic lunch, and exchange gifts before the rain set in. Then we had dinner here with Dave's family (15 of them!). We always host it, and this year was no different, despite bare gyprock walls! No one minded and the extra space was nice :o) Boxing Day was spent recovering, and we also got stuck into painting downstairs. Today we visited my Dad's side of the family in Wollongong, then came back home for more painting. We're trying to get downstairs finished before we head up north for a week by the beach after New Year. Dave's got lots of New Year's Eve balloons to do though, so that might get in the way of that plan!
I managed to mail out 160 Christmas Cards...not quite as many as I had hoped, but I had to cut myself some slack this year. I kept my cards REALLY simple this year (thanks Circle Scissor!), and did 2 colour combinations:
I love the Snow Swirled set, so that was the one I chose to use. It's hard to tell in the pic, but the trees are all glittery.
To those I didn't manage to get a card sent out to, I hope you like this cyber version, and I hope you had a joyous Christmas, surrounded by loved ones.
Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Snow Swirled, Occasional Greetings
ink: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Shara Sand, Chocolate Chip
card: Whisper White, Kraft, Sahara Sand
other: Circle Scissor, 2 way glue pen, Dazzling Diamond Glitter, Walk in the Park DSP (retired), Ski Slope DSP (retired)

Friday, December 18, 2009

My Secret Santas

At Christmas time my team does a Secret Santa. I put the names of everyone who wants to participate in a hat, and everyone is allocated their Secret Santa recipient. We keep it secret until our team Christmas dinner, when we open our gifts and have a guess who we think our Secret Santa is. In the few weeks before the dinner we also send our Secret Santa recipient a card. Because I allocate all the names, the only one who it isn't a secret for is me. I thought I had it all organised (no mean feat, since we had nearly 30 participants!), but then imagine my shock when I received 2 cards in the mail, both signed "Secret Santa"! I thought I had really mucked it up, and was trying to think how it had happened and what on earth I could do about it. Then the next day, I received 2 more, and then 3 the next day. By this time I knew something fishy was going on. Without me knowing, my lovely team of wonderful ladies had joined forces to shower me with Secret Santa greetings. In the midst of renovation chaos, it was the nicest 2 weeks of mail that I have ever received! Each card was an absolute work of art.
Here they are, gracing my lounge room:
Each one had a cryptic message inside. I LOVE this one, Serial Killer style! On the night of our Christmas dinner they came clean, and told me how they had co-ordinated it (with Robyn P the brains behind the scheme). I feel so lucky to be part of such a thoughtful, generous, clever and talented group of ladies :o)
The Secret Santa gifts themselves were a sight to behold. The emphasis is on the packaging, rather than the actual gift (although the gift of Stampin' Up! goodies is easy to appreciate too!). Everyone took this to heart and went to SO much effort to make their gift packaging special. I have never seen so many gorgeous boxes, bags and containers. It was amazing. It was also so much fun making a gift for someone that you KNEW would appreciate the time and thought that had gone into it :o)
I received the most amazing handmade bag from Sarah, in Baja Breeze and Chocolate Chip (my favourites!). She had also made little tins and boxes inside, all exquisitely decorated, and even some handmade jewellery made form Stampin' Up! buttons. Also a gorgeous decorated Cookie tin, filled with homemade cookies! You can see the bag on the right and the cookie tin on the left. It was one of the most memorable gifts I have ever received.
This is what's under my Christmas tree at the moment, all from lovely team members.The kids are a bit distressed that there's nothing under there for them yet. Until the floors are done on Monday and Tuesday, I can't really wrap anything, as we'll be shuffling things all over the house. I think I'll be doing a marathon wrapping session in the wee hours of Christmas Eve!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Proud Mum Moment

This week we had our School Presentation Day awards, and School Reports came home. I had a sneaking suspicion it was going to be a positive occasion, so I made up a card for Amy and Jacob to tell them how proud we are of them. I used some Alphabet chipboard to spell out a fun "U R A star" card. I made it in a couple of different colour combos - Elegant Eggplant, Tempting Turquoise and Real Red for Amy:
I LOVE this new Polka Dot ribbon! The Chit Chat Rub-ons make a really quick and easy greeting too.
Kiwi Kiss, Tempting Turquoise and Pumpkin Pie for Jacob: It's really easy to dye the chipboard using an inkpad and sponge dauber. I punched out the star with the Large Star Punch, and added some fun buttons too. The Tombow glue does a great job of sticking it all on.
Luckily I had these all made up, with a book wrapped up to match (my kids are so easy to buy for. They both LOVE books!); both kids brought home excellent reports and both won awards at Presentation Day too. As Vice-Captain, Amy also did a fantastic job of presenting on the day too, so I was one very proud Mum :o)
Amy also had her Year 6 Farewell this week too (yes, it's been quite a week!). Here she is, my beautiful daughter, looking so grown up:
I can't believe she's off to High school next year! *sigh* ...excuse me while I go and have a little quiet cry

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Kids Christmas Cards

With everything we've got going on at the moment, I was thinking that this might be a good year for Amy and Jacob to (block your ears as I'm about to utter cardmaking profanity) BUY their Christmas cards. *gasp!* I know!....Can you believe I even thought such a thing?? I must have been closer to insanity than I realised! Thankfully before I could damage my children's sensitive souls with such a suggestion, they started pestering me to let them make their cards. Of course I said yes, as if no other option had crossed my mind...

Amy came up with this idea for Build-a-Roo when she first saw it in the catalogue back in April, and has stored it away in her little brain all year:
She stamped Build-a-Roo, and omitted the end part of his tail, and she has drawn a Santa hat on there. She was tossing up whether to put presents or the joey in the pouch, and decided on the joey for cuteness factor. The roo and joey both have Rudolph-red noses too! She stamped a snowflake background using Snow Swirled and watercoloured all the roos using Watercolour Wonder Crayons. The greeting is from the Window Dressing Hostess set. Amy chose Baja Breeze and Certainly Celery for something a bit different!

Jacob is a big fan of the markers. He has used my Bold Brights markers more than me! Whenever he picks up a stamp he always wants to make it multicoloured. He chose to use Christmas Classics for his Christmas cards, which was a perfect choice for this marker-obsessed boy!
All of his cards had slightly different combinations of stamps on them, but they were all coloured with markers. Jacob went for traditional Christmas Real Red and Glorious Green for his cards, and a traditional greeting too!
I was very impressed that they made all of their cards in one sitting (about 20 cards each). It took them a couple of hours, but they kept on going, and wouldn't let me help either!
Amy and Jacob would both love to hear what you think of their cards!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Jumbo Alphabet Christmas

We made these Christmas cards at one of my last Stamp-a-Stacks. I always like to show a few cards using non-Christmassy sets, in this case an Alphabet. This is one of my favourite alphabets, Jumbo Outline. It's normally $77.95, but has just been announced on the Inventory Clearance List for $38.98!! If you've been buying lots of pressies for everyone else, why not treat yourself to a bargain stamp set for Christmas. There are lots of other fantastic bargains on the list too!
This alphabet is perfect for stamping on plain or patterned paper and cutting out (like this), stamping and then watercolouring, or you can combine the two - stamp on Patterned Paper like I've done and then lightly watercolour with a Blender Pen in the same colour as the paper, just to make the letters stand out a bit more.


I'll be back soon to show you Amy and Jacob's Christmas cards for their friends!




Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Jumbo Outline Alphabet, Snow Swirled, Many Merry Messages
ink: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip
card: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip
other: Baja Breeze Patterns DSP, Kiwi Kiss Patterns DSP, Mat pack, White Gel Pen, Kiwi Kiss Satin ribbon, Baja Breeze Striped Ribbon, Kiwi Kiss Striped Ribbon, Eyelet Border Punch, Scallop Edge Punch, Blender pen

Monday, December 14, 2009

Want Half Price Stamps??

Stampin' Up! Australia is having an Inventory Clearance Sale!
Some stamp sets are 50% off...but only while stocks last. There's also Designer Series Paper, glitter, ribbon and embellishments too! Entire alphabet stamp sets for $38.98! There are bargains to be had!
You can check out the list HERE

Email me if you'd like to place your order!

Friday, December 11, 2009

Renovation Report

This is what our house looked like a few days ago:The kids said it looks like it's all wrapped up for Christmas!
Upstairs now has all the plumbing and electricals in, and gyprock on the walls. Here they are doing the gyprock:
That photo has been taken from the rumpus room, and you can see the kid's bedroom doors and the bathroom door.
In the last 2 days, the cladding has gone on the outside, and windows too, so it's starting to look like a real house now!
Today they are patching up walls downstairs. Yesterday we had the stairs measured, and they are due to go in next week. It's looking like almost everything will be done by Christmas, so we'll be painting in January :o)
I've totally given up on cleaning anything now. There's going to be a MAJOR clean up at the end of all this!!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

A Couple of Handy Tutorials

I've had a few questions about the Circle Scissor, and whether it is difficult to use. I love it, and find it extremely easy to use (unlike other horrible circle cutters I have used in the past!). I have made my 160 Christmas cards (all done now, just needing to be written in and sent off!), all with nice big circles on them. The circle scissor is so quick and easy, and makes a simple layout look a bit more special. Like my Razzle Dazzle card that I did for our Blog Hop:

I wish I had the time (and the video camera!) to do a tutorial for you, but since I have neither, fortunately some other SU! demos have done all the work for me :o)

Click HERE to watch one I found on You Tube. The Circle Scissor and Glass Mat are sold separately (you can see them on the last page of the Summer Mini Catalogue). For a real bargain, you might like to purchase my Circle Scissor Bundle...available only until the end of this month!

I have also been asked how to set grommets. They are super-easy too. No special tools required, unlike eyelets. You can see a tutorial for those HERE.

If you'd like to have a try of the grommets, without breaking the bank, you might like to join a Share. The first group is full, but I have started a second group. Shares close in 3 days!

I'll be back with some updated Renovation pictures soon....real progress has been made on that front! YAY!

Monday, December 07, 2009

Great News!

A few of the popular products from the Spring Mini Catalogue are still available for purchase even though the mini is now over. These products will also be available in next year's Idea Book & Catalogue (due for relaese in September).
Here is a list of the still-available products:

112534 Jumbo brads 5/16" Neutrals Assortment $15.50
112533 Jumbo brads 5/8" Neutrals Assortment $13.50
114889 Scallop Oval punch $30.95
106960 StazOn ink pad (White pad and refill) $22.95
109196 StazOn Cleaner $9.95

Friday, December 04, 2009

Twin Butterflies

My adorable twin nieces turned 1 last week (can you believe it??). Even though I know they're too young to appreciate cards and gift-wrapping yet, I knew their Mum would, so I had fun making their cards and pressies the same, but different.
It was a good chance to play with lots of new goodies from the Summer Mini too :o)
I've used Kaleidoscope DSP, "Butterfly Prints" stamp set and matching punch (see my Bundles for a great deal on these!) and the 1 3/4" Circle Punch too (sooo handy!)
I chose blue for Hannah:
It's Tempting Turquoise to match the Kaleidoscope paper. These papers have lots of Bold Brights colours, but they have a slightly faded-out look to them, like well-worn fabric. To co-ordinate with that, I sponged the Tempting Turquoise cardstock with Whisper White Craft ink. My 1 3/4" circle actually started it's life as a plain white circle. First I sponged it in Tempting Turquoise and Green Galore, and then pressed my Versamark inkpad all over it. Then I applied heat-and-stick powder, heated it until it is just sticky, and then applied dazzling diamonds glitter. One more blast of the heat tool to set the glitter and voila - bling! Certainly Celery ribbon and a Rhinestone brad complete the card.
I have to say, I'm loving the butterfly set and matching punch. It sure beats cutting out all those wings!
Of course I had to make wrapping to match. This is a pull-treat pouch: And inside is....

A Colin Buchanan cd! The girls love music already, and I figure you're never too young for memory verses, right?!

Here is Becca's version in Pixie Pink (also sponged with white):

More gift-wrapping to match:And the peek-a-boo surprise inside:

A Colin dvd this time. And hiding behind is a Target voucher for Mummy and Daddy to spend ;o)

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Butterfly Prints, Wow Flowers
ink: Tempting Turquoise, Pixie Pink, Whisper White
card: Tempting Turquoise, Pixie Pink, Whisper White
other: Kaleidoscope DSP, Butterfly Punch, Certainly Celery grosgrain ribbon, Word Window Punch, Clear Rhinestone brads, Horizontal Slot punch

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Summer Mini Bundles

The Summer Mini is here! If you haven't got your copy yet, simply email me with your address and I will be happy to mail one out to you. You can also view it online HERE.
If your wishlist is huge, why not take part in my Special Offers.....Get a Free Bonus when you purchase my Summer Mini bundles, and joining a Share is a great way to try a sample of everything without blowing the budget.
Places are limited, so don't miss out!
There are 3 Summer Mini Bundles to choose from. You may like to purchase just 1, 2 or even all 3. The more you purchase, the more freebies you will qualify for, and the more chances you have to WIN!


#1 Something Sweet Bundle $75.90*
Something Sweet Stamp Set (p 9) +1 3/4" (4.4cm) Circle Punch (p 8)
= 12 Sweet Treat Cups FREE

#2 Butterfly Bundle $56.90*

Butterfly Prints Stamp Set (p 12) + Butterfly Punch (p 12)

=a marker for FREE (in the colour of your choice) OR 20% off Flight of the Butterfly Stamp Set (Main Catalogue page 82) - $43.16 - over $10 off!

#3 Circle Scissor Bundle $92.90*

Circle Scissor (p 22) + Glass Mat (p 12)

= 2 FREE markers (in the colours of your choice) OR Dotto re-positionable adhesive 50% off ($12.50 instead of $24.95)

For each Bundle you order, you will go into the draw to win any Hostess set of your choice! (Level 1, 2 or 3)

* normal 5% or $5.95 (whichever is greater), Shipping and Handling applies.
Bundles only available until 31st December, 2009


Summer Mini Shares

DESIGNER BUTTONS $10.80
20 buttons (10 Playground, 10 Sherbet)

SCALLOP NOTE CARDS $7.50
9 cards (3 of each colour)

FLEURETTES $5.20
3 handcrafted, crocheted flowers (3 sizes)

REAL RED POLKA DOT RIBBON ¼ roll (approx 2.3m) $5.20

PINK PIROUETTE 1 ¼" RIBBON
¼ roll (approx 2.3m) $3.90

GROMMETS $4.70
12 small and 4 large grommets in 4 colours

Buy all 6 shares for $35 (a saving of over 5%!)


PLACES ARE LIMITED, SO BOOK IN NOW!

Stampin' Up!'s 5% Shipping & Handling Charge is included in the Share price, but if you need your shares mailed out to you, postage will be at actual cost.

The Closing Date for Shares is 14th December, 2009

Send me an email to join a Share!


Monday, November 30, 2009

Summer Mini Blog Hop


It's HERE!

Welcome to the Stampers Anonymous Blog Tour! You may have just come from Sharon's blog, but if you are starting here, don’t worry … you can make the complete circuit 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 gorgeous creations we have to show you!

For our first tour we decided to showcase the beautiful new products in the Summer Mini, available to you from December 1st. At the end of each post there will be a link to take you to the next stop on the tour. It would be fantastic if you could “share the love” and leave a comment! So grab a cuppa, sit back, relax and enjoy!
I have 4 projects to show you. First I have a dragonfly card that I made using the (NEW!) "Nature's Nest" Stamp Set. It's a beautiful set to watercolour:
I've used Baja Breeze, Close to Cocoa and Not Quite Navy, and coloured on Watercolour paper using Blender Pens and inkpads. I've made the wings and the inner part of the sentiment glossy using Crystal Effects. I've stamped a small flower from the (NEW!) "Razzle Dazzle" set in the background, and the 'friendship' sentiment is from the (NEW!)"For Everything" set. I've layered it on a Designer Label that I cut in half to make narrower. Lots of sponging on this one, and I also crumpled the Not Quite Navy piece and then sponged the creases to give it more texture.
I've gone pink for my next creation:
I've used the very pretty (NEW!)"Razzle Dazzle" set for my main image. I inked up the whole image in Pink Pirouette and then used a Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose marker to highlight parts of it. I made the large circle with the (NEW!) Circle Scissor (love, love, love this tool!) and sponged around it. The sentiment is also from "Razzle Dazzle" and I stamped in Chocolate Chip ink onto Pink Pirouette cardstock and punched it out with the Word Window. Isn't the (NEW!) pink ribbon just to die for? It's so soft and luscious. The white patterned border are (NEW!) "Dots and Designs" Rub-Ons. I layered my card on Kraft cardstock, just to take away from the 'pink-ness' a bit!
The next one is not so girly. I needed to make a card for Jacob's birthday yesterday. 9 year-old boys are pretty hard to impress, but when Jacob opened this card he said "Your cards are getting pretty clever Mum. You'll be doing pop-ups next!" LOL
I had lots of fun making this one....and I used all Bold Brights colours! Real Red, Tempting Turquoise and Yoyo Yellow *shock!* I've used the (NEW!) "Something Sweet" set to make a gumball machine, and filled it with mini m&ms. This set co-ordinates with (NEW!)Sweet Treat Cups and the (NEW!) 1 3/4" Circle Punch! There are lots of little details on here - a small (NEW!) silver grommet on the gumball machine, and the (NEW!) ribbon has pretty white polka dots on the other side, but I've used the plain side, which just has stitching. The greeting is a (NEW!) "Chit Chat" Rub-on. Here's a close-up pic:The 'arrow' has been made from a large and small photo corner punch with the ends trimmed off. I didn't want him to have to destroy the card to get at the m&ms, so I made it a slider. And this is what it looks like inside:
When the m&ms are gone, he can still use the slider to reveal the greeting and stamped gum-balls inside.
The final creation I have to show you is a little box with accordion sides and 6 scallop notes inside. I've decorated it all using the (NEW!) "I {heart} hearts" set. Here's the outside of the box:
This is what it looks like from the side:

And inside:And this is the set of (NEW!) Scallop Notes:These are so cute, and the perfect size for a little gift card. They come in a mixed pack of Baja Breeze, Pink Pirouette and Chocolate Chip, with Very Vanilla envelopes. Mine all have a punched window on the front, and since the (NEW!)"I {heart} hearts" set co-ordinates with the 2 heart punches, this came together so quickly. I'm thinking this would make a great class in February, or I could do it as a workshop for a group of people at your house...
Well, that’s all from me. Now you’re off to enjoy the wonderful creations of Kerry (the brains behind this whole adventure!). Thanks for stopping by!
P.S. Don't forget to check out the Summer Mini Catalogue on line tomorrow (email me if you'd like a hard copy!), and I'll also be hosting some Special Shares and Bundles that I will post up here tomorrow and also send out in my newsletter. Stay tuned for that!

The Renovation Saga

I've had so many lovely emails asking how the renovations are going, with messages of support and words of encouragement. Thank you all, I appreciate each and every one of you. I'm taking your advice and not doing much housework at the moment. Although I can't help myself, and I have to vacuum at the end of each day, and give the bathroom a once-over, but that's it!
So this is where we're at at the moment:


The upstairs floors are down, wall frames are up and roof frames too. It's all ready for the roof and cladding now. There's been a bit of a delay with the roofing. It was meant to be going on on Friday, but when the truck arrived with the roof sheets (all pre-cut) they were the wrong colour! They were grey, but not the right shade of grey (and we all know how important getting the right shade is! That would be like making a card and having your ink colour not match your cardstock! LOL). So the correct colour has been ordered (at no extra expense to us, because it wasn't our mistake, thank goodness!). That will now go on on Wednesday, and it is all quiet here at the moment because until that goes on, they can't do the walls, and until the walls go on, they can't do the windows, etc etc. We're still hoping for lock-up stage by Christmas (keep your fingers crossed for me!)
Now inside...Here is Amy's room being demolished, and that wooden framework is where my Craft Room used to be: That all got knocked down on Thursday morning. I must say that I'm glad last week is over! We were away all last weekend, so I had 3 days to completely empty Amy's Room, my Craft room and our Dining Room. I originally thought I would have until Monday (today), but things progressed faster than I had anticipated! Thank goodness my Mum came and helped pack boxes, Dad came to help disassemble and re-assemble Amy's furniture in Jacob's room (it wouldn't fit through the doorways and down the hall), and Mum also had the kids for 2 nights so we could work until the wee hours doing it all. Dave has had an average of 12 school formals per day to decorate over the past few weeks, so he has hardly been here at all, and I still had classes last week too....madness!
The dust and debris has been incredible. I was warned, but I don't think anything can prepare you for it. My kitchen adjoins the dining area (you can just see the top of our servery bench at the bottom right hand corner of the pic above) and when the ceilings came down, there was dust and muck everywhere. It coated all the kitchen surfaces, every crack and crevice, and even managed to find it's way into the rooms whose doors I had shut....lovely!
My "Craft Room" is now in our bedroom. It's definitely not ideal, but at least I still have somewhere to stamp! If I didn't have that, I really would go insane!

That's our bed at the bottom of the pic, so my craft desk is literally 1 metre from where I sleep. I have been banned from any insomniac stamping though! The desk is much smaller than I'm used to, so I'm having to be a very tidy stamper and clean up as I go!
We had another drama on Friday (having not yet gotten over the roofing drama) when we came home from buying bathroom fittings, to find a wall going up where there's not meant to be one! It's pretty much where the builder's ladder is in the pic above, and somehow a dotted line on the plans got coloured in, somewhere between the plans being submitted to council and the final draft being signed by us. Unfortunately, it's not just a matter of taking the wall out, because they have it supporting a steel joist that's holding up the second storey! We are still waiting to find out what's happening there. I'm insisting that the wall can't stay because it's right where my Craft desk is going!! ....so, the saga continues!

Well done if you've made it through all this. I'll keep you posted (or would you rather I didn't?!)

A Couple of Reminders

I've been busy getting ready for our Blog Hop tonight, but I thought I'd pop in with a couple of reminders :o)

1. Today is the last day to order from the Spring Mini. I'll be putting in my last order at 9pm tonight, so let me know if you need anything!

2. The Summer Minis are postal! I've sent out my customer copies. Just email me your current address details if you would like a copy! It will be on line tomorrow.

I have some more pics of our renovation to show you, so I'll be back later with those!

The Countdown Begins!


TONIGHT, 8PM!
I'm so excited (and I just can't hide it!) My team and I are getting together to showcase the gorgeous products available in the brand new Summer Mini which starts on the 1st December. Our Blog Hop tour will start at 8pm on the 30th November and you will be able to "hop" from Blog to Blog until you are back where you started. There are 14 stops in all, and each one will have inspiring projects for you to admire. It's going to be awesome!

...And as if that wasn't enough excitement, I will also be doing my ever-popular "12 Cards of Christmas" again. I'll tie it in with the countdown and show 1 project each day from Day 12 down to Day 1. You'll be in an absolute frenzy of excitement by the time December hits!

In the meantime, don't forget that the Spring Mini finishes at the end of this month, so you'll need to let me know if you need anything before it's gone forever!

Sunday, November 29, 2009

12 Cards of Christmas - Card 12

I hope you've enjoyed the last 11 cards. This is the last one today and TOMORROW at 8pm our Summer Mini Blog Hop starts. Make sure to tune in then!
I know I've been calling this 12 CARDS of Christmas, but I'm going to cheat and sneak in a little card and pressie in one! I made these as thankyou gifts for my Spring Mini Farewell Party, and everyone seemed to like them :o)
I've turned the little deer from the Forest Friends stamp set into Rudolph!

Isn't he cute?? I used a Real Red brad for his nose. I got the idea for the chocolate holder from the very lovely Ngaire's Incentive Trip swap. She made a really cute version with a Freddo inside, and I've just Christmas-ified it (yes that IS a word!). I also tweaked it a little... I had to make a LOT of these, so I wanted to get maximum use out of my cardstock. Just cut a 21 x 7cm piece of cardstock (you can get 4 from an A4 sheet), and score at 7, 8, 15 and 16cm. They are really simple and quick to make!

When you open it up, Santa peeks through the window:

Forest Friends, and everything else in the Spring Mini is only available for ONE MORE DAY! I'll be taking orders until 9pm Monday, 30th November. That's TOMORROW! Let me know if you would like anything!

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Forest Friends, Best Yet (Hostess), See You Around (Jumbo wheel)
ink: Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Versamark
card: Old Olive, Whisper White, Riding Hood Red
other: Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circel Punch, Dimensionals

Saturday, November 28, 2009

12 Cards of Christmas - Card 11

This is a long one...I have 5 cards to show you today, all using the same stamp set "Christmas Classics". I wasn't all that sold on this set when I saw it in the catalogue, but once I used it, it became an immediate favourite. The images stamp up so crisply and best of all, they work so well with lots of the punches.
There's lots more Ski Slope papers on these cards (I told you I have gone through tons of it!)

On this card, I stamped the bauble in Chocolate Chip ink, and then stamped another one in Real Red and punched it out with the 1" Circle punch. I used the "All scallops" stamp set for the Scallop trim.

Here I stamped some stars in Baja Breeze and then punched out a red one with the star punch and popped it on top. The sentiment is from the "Punches Three" Hostess set. I punched it out with the Scallop Square and trimmed off the top and bottom, and layered it on a Designer Label punched piece.

There's no punch for the Christmas tree, so I coloured it with markers and stamped it. It's difficult to tell in the pic but I stamped it again on some scrap and cut out the bottom 2 layers. For each layer, I attached the top part with snail, and just raised the bottom edge with dimensionals, to give a 3D effect.

This is a nice easy one. A bit of a different layout for me. I don't often centre everything on a card, but this one just felt right like that!

I think this one was my favourite of the bunch - Baja Breeze, Real Red and Chocolate Chip is a great Christmas combo, I think! I inked the whole stamp in Baja Breeze and then coloured parts of it in with Chocolate Chip and Real Red markers. I stamped the bell again and punched it out with the 1/2" Circle Punch and raised it up on Dimensionals. The "All Scallops " set adds a decorative trim to the bottom.

Here's the whole set all together:
Which one is your favourite?


Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Christmas Classics, All Scallops, Punches Three
ink: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Real Red
card: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Real Red, Whisper White
punches: Scallop Oval, Large Oval, 1/2" Circle, Star, Designer Label, 1" Circle
other: Real Red wide Grosgrain ribbon, Ski Slope DSP

Friday, November 27, 2009

12 Cards of Christmas - Card 10

I hope you've liked my punch art Christmas cards..it's something a bit different for me, and I had fun coming up with these!
This one was the easiest to make. I made holly leaves by punching out a Wide Oval and then taking 'bites' out of it with the 3/4" circle. Just work your way around the leaf until you are back where you started. The berries are simply three 1/2" circles.

TIP: Sponge around each punched element to cover any white edges, and to create dimension.

I punched out my sentiment with the Large Oval, and layered it onto a Scallop Oval (in the Spring Mini, finishing at the end of this month)

TIP: I used the fine tip of a Chocolate Chip marker to 'dot' each scallop. Little details add interest and draw the eye.

I used Ski Slope DSP again. I have gone through sooo many packs of this and i just love it. It's so sad that it disappears with the Spring Mini in just a few days. We know that the papers in the mini will NEVER come back, as they all have In Colors in them, so if you love them, stock up now!

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Best Yet
ink: Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, Old Olive
card: Whisper White, Old Olive, Riding Hood Red, Baja Beeze, Chocolate Chip
other: Punches (see above), sponge daubers, Chocolate Chip marker

Thursday, November 26, 2009

12 Cards of Christmas - Card 9

This one is a simple Christmas Tree made from punches. I used Ski Slope DSP, rather than plain paper to punch from. I think it adds a touch more sophistication.
The tree is made from 3 Scalloped Squares. The bottom layer is 5 scallops wide (The full width of the punch). You just cut off both sides at an angle to make a triangle shape. To get the sides even, cut towards the middle point at the top of the square (at 2 1/2 scallops). The next one is exactly the same, but only 4 scallops wide, and the top one is 3 scallops wide. A star for the top, and a Word Window trunk complete the tree.

TIP: If you have 'empty space' in the corners of your project, add interest by taking a 'bite' out of each corner with a circle punch (I use the 1/2" Circle)

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Best Yet (Hostess)
ink: Chocolate Chip
card: Old Olive, Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip
other: Ski Slope DSP, Punches (see above)

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

12 Cards of Christmas - Card 8

I don't normally do a lot of punch art, but over the next 3 days, I'll be showing you cards made using punched shapes. It's a great way to make something Christmassy out of something you already own - punches! If you're anything like me, you own a few!!
The first card is Santa:

I've seen a few Santas around, so I had a basic idea in my head, and then I just played around with punched shapes until I came up with one that I was happy with!

Here's his recipe:
face - 1 3/8" Circle (Blush Blossom)
beard - Scallop Circle, then take a 'bite' out of 4 scallops using the large oval to form his moustache
hat - Large star with 2 points cut off, to form a triangle
hat trim - Scallop Square (use the edge of your cardstock and just punch out a strip)
pom pom - trio flower
nose - trio flower (just cut off one petal)
His eyes are hand-drawn with a Chocolate Chip marker, and I gave him some rosy cheeks with a Blender pen and a tiny amount of red ink.

TIP: the 'strip' of paper behind Santa is actually only 5cm long! There's a big gap in the middle, which is hidden by Santa. It's a great trick to have up your sleeve when you only have small amounts of DSP ;o)

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Best Yet (Hostess)
ink: Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red
card: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, Blush Blossom, Whisper White
other: Ski Slope DSP, Blender Pen, Punches! (see above)

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

12 Cards of Christmas - Card 7

Here are some more cards with the gorgeous Snow Swirled set. I've gone for peaceful and serene colours again...I'm obviously craving some serenity in my life right now!!
Our builders told us today that our 3 rooms need to be emptied by Thursday morning, so they can start knocking down walls, so it's complete panic stations around here. I'm packing my craft room into boxes and trying to combine 2 kids rooms into one as well. Initially I was trying to sort as I went, but that's gone out the window now! I have 3 classes between now and then too, so it's going to be an interesting week!!
These cards are sparkly in real life, but it's hard to tell in the pic. I also did these at a workshop recently in Pale Plum and Elegant Eggplant, and they looked gorgeous.
I hope you're enjoying my 12 cards of Christmas. There's 5 to go, and then we'll start our Summer Mini Blog Hop!

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Snow Swirled
ink: Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Versamark
card: Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White
other: 1/2" Circle {Punch, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, 2-way Glue Pen, sponge daubers

Monday, November 23, 2009

12 Cards of Christmas - Card 6

"Spotlight on Christmas is the perfect set to pull out if you need some cards fast...and not just Christmas cards, as you can see by THIS post. This is one Christmas set that won't get shoved in a drawer for the rest of the year! AND it works so well with all the punches, so no cutting out!
These are the 6 stamps in the set, for $39.95:
We had a lovely weekend at Haemophilia Camp (although it was HOT!). I scheduled blog posts to happen while I was away, so you wouldn't even know I was gone. We're off shopping for tiles, taps and toilets this morning for the upstairs bathroom. It will involve some very quick decision-making, as the builders need them ASAP

Materials (all Stampin' Up!):
stamps: Spotlight on Christmas, Season of Joy

ink: Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip
card: Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss
other: Large Star punch, Scallop Circle Punch, 5-petal flower punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, mat pack, white gel pen, Chocolate Grosgrain ribbon, White Grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals


Sunday, November 22, 2009

12 Cards of Christmas - Card 5

Here's an oldie but a goodie. I used this set to death last year, and while I'm not even remotely sick of it (I still love it) I thought my customers might be, so I've avoided using it TOO much this year. It is an extremely versatile set and I find that every card I make with it looks very different from the next (a good thing when it comes to Christmas cards!)
I've gone for quite a rustic colour combo with this set of cards - very different form the clean and crisp look I mostly went for last year. It gives the set a whole new feel. Isn't it amazing how just changing the colours can do that?

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Season of Joy, punches three (Hostess set), Sanded background
ink: Always Artichoke, Riding Hood Red
card: Kraft, Naturals Ivory, Always Artichoke, Riding Hood Red
other: Always Artichoke grosgrain ribbon, Riding Hood Red taffeta Ribbon, Designer Label Punch, Large Tag punch, Small Tag punch, Curly Label Punch (for border), Cutter Kit

Saturday, November 21, 2009

12 Cards of Christmas - Card 4

Back to some traditional colours, with just a dash of purple!
This Punch Pals set is just so cute, and it works sooo well with so many Stampin' Up! punches. What's not to love about that? Scallop Circle, all the other circles, Tags, Word Window, Trio Flower...they're all covered with this set.
It's nice and easy to watercolour too. Thankfully, the dominant colour for both snowmen and penguins is white, so not much colouring is needed!
I always get in trouble when I demo this set at workshops and classes. It's a set most people don't seem to notice in the catalogue, but they realise that they NEED it when they see how it can be used :o)

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Punch Pals, Best Yet, Many Merry Messages (again!), Polka Dot background
ink: Real Red, Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Versamark, Black Stazon
card: Real Red, Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Whisper White
other: White gel pen, Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, Large Tag Punch, Small tag Punch, Word Window, Blender pens, Old Olive Wide grosgrain ribbon, Real Red Wide grosgrain ribbon

Friday, November 20, 2009

12 Cards of Christmas - Card 3

This set is just the most serene and gentle Christmas set I have ever seen. It just gives me such a sense of calm and peace when I use it (maybe I should be using this one to make my Christmas cards!). I chose tranquil colours for these cards - Mellow Moss and Whisper White. Even the names are peaceful LOL

I sponged some Always Artichoke on the tree (before stamping) in the top card to make it appear to be in the foreground. It's difficult to tell from the photo, but there is glitter on the tree and on the doves too.

I love the sentiment in this set too.... "A wish for peace and happiness at Christmas and throughout the new year". It's what it's all about really, isn't it?

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: A Wish for Peace, Soft Holly Wheel, Many Merry Messages (again!)
ink: Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke
card: Whisper White, Mellow Moss
other: Mellow Moss Taffeta Ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Scallop Edge Punch, Eyelet Border Punch

Thursday, November 19, 2009

12 Cards of Christmas - Card 2

This card is part of this month's Technique Class on Acetate. Cards made with acetate are always a real wow. I just love this stamp set "Snow Swirled" and I think I'll be using it to make my own Christmas cards. I embossed the tree on this one with silver embossing powder...I don't think I'll be doing that on my 200 cards!

You can use Overhead Transparency sheets for Acetate cards, but I have recently started using Book Binding Sheets after reading Teneale's blog. They are a bit sturdier than the transparencies.
Acetate cards are really easy to put together once you get the knack of hiding any adhesive. I used mini glue dots to attach my layers. I tied some White Taffeta Ribbon around the spine of the card and wrapped a Rhinestone brad around the knot.

TIP: I like to open the prongs of the brad up, and use then to wrap around the ribbon, rather than trying to poke the bard through the knot. Craft and Rubber scissors are great to trim the prongs!

I'm loving my White Stazon inkpad at the moment. I've been stamping cello bags, glass jars...I'm even tempted to give it a go on some windows!

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Snow Swirled, Short and Sweet
ink: Baja Breeze, White Stazon, Versamark
card: Baja Breeze, Whisper White
other: Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, Clear Rhinestone brad, sponge daubers, Scallop Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Small Oval Punch

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

The Construction Zone!

I thought I'd pop in and show you a few photos of our house a.k.a the Construction Zone.
The scaffolding arrived on Monday and they took the roof off yesterday:

The front path and gate is a no-go zone:

And this is what greets me when I open my front door!
We're getting lots of lovely debris drifting through the bathroom fans, downlights and skylights so already there is dust everywhere. It's exciting though! At the end of all this there will be 2 kids rooms, a rumpus room and bathroom upstairs and a big open Craft area (that will also serve as our dining room) downstairs. The aim is to have downstairs done by Christmas so we can paint in January. Upstairs will be to lock-up stage by Christmas, and work will resume on that in late January. In the meantime, the kids are sharing a room...lucky they get on well!

12 Cards of Christmas - Card 1

It's time again for my 12 cards of Christmas! This is my third year doing this, and this will be the 50th Christmas card on this blog... wow, that's a lot of yuletide joy!
This year, many of the 12 are Stamp-a-Stack cards, which means they are simple designs that are easy to mass-produce. I've been running Christmas Stamp-a-Stacks since July, so lots of my ladies are totally organised now, and have all their Christmas cards made. Not me, however! I always feel like I have to come up with something totally fresh and new for my own Chrissy cards. This year's design is going to be really clean and simple (emphasis on the SIMPLE!).

At my classes I often do one design in traditional Christmas colours, and use non-traditional colours for the other design. Here I've used the Tree Trimmings set from the Spring Mini Catalogue (a bargain at $24.95, and only available until the end of this month) Very much non-traditional colours here: Elegant Eggplant, Pumpkin Pie, Rose Red and Kiwi Kiss! I really like these colours together.
For two of these cards, I have hand-drawn the string, using a Basic Grey marker (not as stark as black) and a ruler, and for the other one, I used the 'string' stamp in the set. The swirls are from Baroque Motifs, and the 'Season's Greetings' is from Many Merry Messages. It's a Christmas greeting set that I have used to death. It has handy Christmas greetings that can be used both for the front of cards, and for a verse inside as well. I've found it to be a very worthwhile investment.
The other greeting "a very Merry Christmas to you" has been very handy too. It's from "Best Yet" Level 1 Hostess set, and it fits beautifully inside the Large Oval punch. I couldn't decide what colour to stamp it in, so I used 3! I used my markers, and coloured the two ends first (Pumpkin Pie and Rose Red) and then the middle part in Elegant Eggplant. It's always a good idea to colour with the darkest colour last so you don't contaminate your markers.

I'll be back again with Card 2 tomorrow!

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Tree trimmings, Many Merry Messages, Baroque Motifs, Best Yet
ink: Elegant Eggplant, Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White Craft
card: Elegant Eggplant, Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red, Whisper White
other: Wide oval, Scallop Oval, Large Oval, Designer Label, Basic Grey marker, Pumpkin Pie marker, Rose Red marker, Elegant Eggplant marker

Monday, November 16, 2009

I'm breathing!

Thank you sooo much for all the lovely messages of support I've received over the past few hours. I have tears in my eyes reading them...I think you all picked up on the note of hysteria in my last post! To be honest, I don't think I have ever felt quite so close to drowning in my life before! At lunchtime today, I left the chainsaws behind and went and had a cuddle with my twin nieces...something I have done far too little of lately! Then I came home, read your messages and said a little prayer and I feel so much more at peace now. Many of you told me to just keep on breathing, and I am!
In my emails there was one from a lovely friend of mine, Sam, and the timing was just impeccable. Some of you may have seen it before, but it was just a perfect reminder for me, having just come home from cuddling 2 little precious golf balls of my own!

The Mayonnaise Jar
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. 'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - family, children, health, friends, and favourite passions – Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car. The sand is everything else --The small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. So...
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children, take time to get medical checkups; take your partner out to dinner; stamp (I added that bit!).
There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. 'Take care of the golf balls first -- The things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked'. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'

I know I'm very lucky to have so many golf balls in my life :o)

Some News!

That title really doesn't cover it....
I'm sitting here having my breakfast to the sounds of chainsaws, cranes and truck reverse-lights. Our second storey renovations start today. Trees are being removed and pruned, wood and scaffolding is arriving, and soon there will be lots of banging on my roof. We were up bright and early to meet with the Building Supervisor at 7am. My next big job is to completely empty Amy's room, our Dining room and my Craft Room/Home office/Computer room...by November 29. We are away at Haemophilia Camp next weekend, and I still have 8 classes between now and then, plus it is Jacob's birthday on the 29th, so I am not feeling like that is a lot of time!! Not to mention the fact that I have no idea where on earth I am going to put it all??

My Farewell Spring Party yesterday was lots of fun. I had 40 lovely ladies come during the afternoon and evening to make Christmas tags and toast in the Silly Season. I had some super specials on offer, and even did a "Treasure Hunt" of some sneak peaks from the new Summer Mini.
The kids Piano Recital was yesterday morning too, so it was a busy day!

I'd better go because I have 30 team members arriving soon for a team meeting. We're having a play with some new goodies from the Summer Mini.
I'll be sending out my customer copies of the mini soon, so drop me an email if you'd like one. I'll also be doing some Shares and Product Bundles.

When I commented to my darling husband the other day that I was feeling a bit stressed, in all innocence he asked me what I had to be stressed about?! He's lucky he doesn't have a black eye LOL. He sure did cop an ear-bashing though as I proceeded to list ALL the things I am stressed about!

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