Heading Up North...

The kids and I hop on a plane tomorrow to the Gold Coast. Dave is up there already at a Balloon Convention (yes they do have such things!), and we're going up to join him for a week of sight-seeing. Dreamworld, Seaworld and Australia Zoo are all on the agenda. The kids are buzzing with excitement...it should be a fun week! So, it will be rather quiet on here until we get back, and then I'll have lots of catching up to do!
In the meantime, here's a card from this month's Tuesday night classes. I'd had many requests for some masculine cards, and not having many masculine stamps, I demonstrated that you don't actually need an image on your card...words can make an image of their own!

Petal Prints with Punch!

This set would have to be one of my all-time favourites. There's so many ways to use it (and I never get tired of flower stamps!)
Colours are Apricot Appeal, Pumpkin Pie, Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Bordering Blue, Night of Navy, and Very Vanilla. I've used 2 punches - Word Window and the Slit punch. I did the background using the French Script and bold Petal Prints images stamped in Versamark, and then sponging on Stampin' Pastels. I've also used Ivory Organdy Ribbon.

We have a winner!
Congratulations to Louise Stewart, who has won this month's prize. I've contacted Louise to let her know. It's such fun telling someone they've won something!! Stay tuned for more competitions in the future.

Punch Drunk!

This would have to be one of my favourite colour combinations at the moment, and also one of my favourite sets. Combine that with my 2 favourite punches, and I'm pretty happy all round! The colours are Close to Cocoa, Certainly Celery and Bashful Blue. The stamp set is Mostly Flowers...NOT discontinued, yay! I went pretty punch-happy on this card. The scallop is done with the slit punch (#1 fave), the holes for the ribbon are done with the 1/8" handheld punch, the tab is done with the word window punch (#2 fave), and the slot for the tab is done with the horizontal slot punch...oh and I punched the stamp out with a large square punch! I've stamped the background using the same focal image stamp, but just using a bashful blue marker to ink around an individual flower. I then coloured the centres with a white gel pen (another fave!). I needed a white brad to finish it off, so I just heated up a brad (hold it with tweezers so you don't burn your fingers) then dipped it in white embossing powder while it is still hot, then reheat to set.

Calling All Kiwis!

You might know this already, but Stampin' Up! will open in New Zealand on April 2nd 2007.
So, if there are any New Zealanders out there interested in starting a business or hobby with Stampin’ Up!, now is the opportunity. If you allow me to refer you to Stampin’ Up! and you get your forms into Stampin’ Up! Australia before April 9th, and you’ll also receive an extra FREE stamp set to the value of $79.95.
For more information, please email me at mail@marelletaylor.com


This is one of the cards we're making at my Tuesday night classes this month, using vellum. If you'd like to come along and make it, there's still one Tuesday left, with 2 vacant spots!

Ter-Ruff-ic!

I made these cards for my kids to tell them how I've been feeling about them. They've both been awesome lately, and showing glimpses of maturity in lots of ways. Amy came up against a group of nasty girls at Little Athletics, who would not let her "in" no matter how hard she tried (little girls can be the nastiest creatures on earth!!), and she was hurt, but so brave about it, and didn't let it ruin Little A's for her. Jacob is getting a Principal's Award at school, because he's brought home over 10 awards now since he started school last year. He's the youngest child to ever receive one, so he's pretty chuffed and so are we! ....So that's my Proud Mum's Brag of the Month.

I've used 2 sets for these cards "All About U" and "Ruff Day". Colours are Orchid Opulence, Gable Green and Tempting Turquoise for the girl version, and Real Red, Brilliant Blue and Tempting Turquoise for the boy version. Nothing too complicated but the kids were happy (mostly about the new book they each got!). They are well-trained though, and always look at the card first!!

"Masculine" Enough?

I made this card for a "masculine" challenge, and when I showed it to my husband and asked him if it was masculine enough, he said it would be alright for his brother (who's gay) or "a gumboot-wearing chick"!!! So, what do you reckon, all you gumboot-wearing chicks out there?!

Cardstock: Close to Cocoa, Really Rust, Bravo Burgundy, Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip. Stamp Set: The Art of Life (retiring Hostess set), Other: Word Window Punch, Twine, Vintage brads.

Catty CaSE

This card is a shameless CaSE of one in the catalogue (it's on page 14). I actually like to do this sometimes, to show my customers that you don't always need to come up with your own original ideas. There are plenty of ideas in the catalogue, just waiting to be copied....well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!! LOL
The Stamp set is the retiring Hostess Set "Paint Prints". The colours I've used are Sahara Sand, Mellow Moss, Not Quite Navy and Ruby Red. I've stamped the background in Versamark, and used Versamark resist to stamp the flower on white gloss, and then sponged Not Quite Navy ink on it. The Ruby Red piece has been scrunched up, stomped on, and otherwise taken a beating before being straightened out again and stuck on the card...it's called "distressing", and it's very therapeutic!!

This card was made using one of the retiring hostess sets "Art of the Orient". The colours are Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red and Taken with teal. I've used Canvas background to give the texture on the right hand side. The image has been coloured using Watercolour Crayons and Aquapainters. I've stamped the branch in Whisper White and used a tissue to blot off the excess ink, to give a soft, delicate look.

Another Cyberstamp Card..
This one was a layout challenge. I'd never attempted a layout like this before...pretty different from my usual style. It was great to step out of my comfort zone and see what was there!
I can't tell you how much I love the co-ordination of Stampin' Up!'s products. My sister is always telling me that I'm so "matchy"...I get a little thrill when I find a top that perfectly matches a skirt that I own, or if I buy a set of placemats that work well with the curtains. Weird, I know!! So, when I use SU! products and the patterned paper matches the stamp set, and the ink matches the cardstock, and then my punch perfectly punches out my images...you can just imagine the bliss I'm in!!
Anyway, you've probably heard enough about my strange personality!
This card uses the "Looks Like Spring" stamp set and punch from the mini (and hopefully appearing in our new catalogue!) and "Spring Flowers" paper, also from the mini. The colours are Blush Blossom, Cameo Coral, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand, and So Saffron. I've stamped on the Sahara Sand panels in Sahara Sand ink, and then on top in Very Vanilla. I used Stampin' pastels to add a few Blush Blossom highlights, and then inked the edges with Chocolate Chip. I also swished some Very Vanilla ink onto the cameo Coral, just to lighten it up a bit.

Cyberstamp!

We had one last night on the Elite Stampers Forum. Alisa put up 3 great challenges. I did one last night and finished the other 2 this morning. It's a great chance to make some cards, and get ideas from seeing other people's cards too. This challenge was to make a card using inspiration from the catalogue...it could be the stamp set, colours or layout. I used the colours and layout of the card on page 45, but changed the set to "Let's Party" (another discontinued set!). The colours are Orchid Opulence, So Saffron and Certainly Celery. I've used black gingham ribbon and 3 brads from the vintage set instead of the twine they used in the catalogue. I used the Paper Piercing Tool and mat to line the brads up perfectly straight. The word "birthday" is from "All Year Cheer II".
I'll post the other 2 cards I made over the next couple of days!

Easter Boxes!

These are the boxes you get to make at my Easter Gift Boxes Class on Thursday, 22nd March. Sorry, you won't get the eggs too, but there will be some eggs to eat on the night, just to get you into the Easter mood! They're lots of fun to make, and a great way to jazz up your Easter egg giving. You'll be able to take home the templates on the night so you can go home and make more boxes to your heart's content!
Just send me an email if you'd like to book into the class...I still have a couple of spots left. It will also get you an entry into this month's competition! (see below for details)

It's a Pirate Party!

Another discontinued set ....
I'll be putting up a few cards made with discontinued sets this month. This was Jacob's 6th birthday party invitation (going back a little way in time here!). I used a set called "Lively Little Ones" and cut out a little pirate hat for him, and drew a white gel pen skull and crossbones on it, and used the Horizontal slot punch to make his little eyepatch. The background is stamped with Fresh fillers (I use that set so often!) and I did the message on the computer. The colours are Ruby Red, More Mustard and Old Olive. This card doesn't open; it's a postcard with a magnet on the back, so the recipients could stick it on their fridge.
It was such a fun party; the boys were all great. We all got dressed up as pirates (that's my hubby Dave as blackbeard!), I made a treasure chest cake, Dave made them balloon swords and scabbards, and balloon parrots to sit on their shoulders, and we played lots of pirate-y games...mind you, they were pretty happy to just run around like mad idiots and have balloon sword fights with eachother!!



















Oh, and don't forget my competition...scroll down to see the details!

Time for a Competition!

I thought I'd say a special goodbye to our old Stamp Sets by having a competition this month! If you'd like to win this gorgeous hostess set (about to be retired) there are 3 ways you can enter:
1. All you have to do is place an order for $50. Every order for $50 will go into the draw, so if you place an order for $100, you get 2 entries!
2. The other way you can go into the draw is to come along to a class this month. The dates for these are Tuesday the 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th March. You get to make 8 cards, in 2 designs. We'll be making a masculine card, and we'll also be using markers to colour vellum. I am also running an Easter Basket Class on Thursday 22nd March. All classes are at 7pm, for a 7:30 start.
3. Book a workshop for March, April or May and I will put your name into the draw.

There's no limit to the number of entries you can have, so if you place an order, come to a class, and book a workshop, you get 3 entries and more chances to win!
Just email me on mail@marelletaylor.com if you'd like to book into a class, place an order, or book a workshop and I'll put you into the draw!
Offer is only open to Australian residents. Other Stampin' Up demonstrators cannot enter, sorry!

It says Bone Jour, but it should say Au Revoir....

This is another set that we have to say goodbye to. "Ruff Day" indeed....No more doggies! My daughter Amy is happy because she loves this set, and now she gets to "keep" it. I'll miss it...it's been very handy for those difficult to make masculine cards, and kids birthdays. You'll probably see a few more cards made with this set before the month is out!

The list of retired sets is updated daily on the demonstrator website, and some sets are already close to selling out...so don't wait until the end of the month if there's something you really want!

And speaking of masculine cards...we'll be making some in my Tuesday night Stamp-a-stacks during March. We'll also be colouring on vellum, which gives a lovely soft effect. Just email me on mail@marelletaylor.com if you would like to come along!

Happy Birthday to me!

It's been a couple of days since I've posted because it was my birthday on the 27th Feb and my dear hubby gave me a voucher for my birthday for 2 days of peace and quiet at my Mum's house! He gave me some other lovely things too, but this was the icing on the cake! I was way behind on sorting out my photos and putting them in albums, so I needed a chance just to sit down, uninterrupted and get them done. There were 530 photos to sort through (I also do an album for both of the kids), and they are now all done. Phew! They're just in those slip-in albums, but they're in order and dated, so that if I want to scrapbook some special events I can.

A lot has happened while I've been away. The Stampin' Up! list of retired products has come out!

You can see it here:

http://www.stampinup.com/au/ena/5026.asp

or send me an email and I'll send it to you. There are some lovely sets that are disappearing forever, so if there are any that you've had your eye on, you only have until March 31 to buy them.

This card is made using one of the Retiring Sets, Mini Messages. I've used Orchid Opulence, Gable Green and Pixie pink cardstock. I've also used whisper white tag sheets (another retiring product.. *sob*), the circle punches and 'faux ribbon'.