Too Boot Scootin'???
I was playing around with Bodacious Bouquet on the weekend, and decided to make a Mother's Day card for my Mum. I can put it on here because she has no idea what a blog is, and wouldn't even know how to get on the Internet! I had this colour combo written down to try (must have seen it somewhere, but I've no idea where... Vintage Violet, Pumpkin Pie and Bravo Burgundy). I decided to follow my own advice and make 2 cards at once, with a slight variation... Now I'm not sure I like either of them! They feel too "Boot Scootin'", or something (paisley, brass studs and belt buckles)! Let me know which one you prefer, or if you hate them too, and I should scrap them and make something new for my Mum!

Springtime Stems

This is one of the Level 1 Hostess Sets in the new Catalogue. The Hostess sets in this catalogue are all gorgeous. I want them all!

I've used the new Naturals Ivory cardstock, certainly celery, cool caribbean and chocolate chip. I've stamped the background flowers in Very Vanilla Craft ink. I even opened my pack of Ribbon originals and used some of the gorgeous stitched ribbon (this was from the Seaside pack). I rounded the edges of the main image with the new Corner Rounder punch....

I guess you could say I've been having fun with my new goodies!

The Kit Kat Machine!

These are some of the goodies that guests received at my New Catalogue Launch Night. They got an A4 wallet, handstamped using the "Scatter Sunshine" Jumbo wheel. This held their new catalogue, bonus coupons, flyers, etc and what Jacob likes to call my "Kit Kat machine".

I've taken a close-up pic of it closed and open. I've basically stamped a sheet of Cool Caribbean cardstock with the Scatter Sunshine wheel, and cut a piece big enough to wrap around the Kit Kat (I scored it first to make it easier). Then I've stapled a punched out semi-circle to one end and written the word "pull" and an arrow in Tempting Turquoise marker. They were really easy, and a big hit!

Here's how to make your own (1 A4 sheet makes 6):

1. Decorate your A4 sheet as desired (wheeling is super-quick!)
2. Trim your cardstock into 6 pieces each measuring 10.5 x 9.1cm (cut in half length-ways and then at 9.1cm intervals. You will have a small piece left over)
3. Now you need to score each of your 6 pieces. Hold it so that the 9.1cm side is towards you, and score at 2.8, 3.8, 7.3 and 8.3cm

4. Fold along all your score lines
5. Apply Sticky strip to the smallest scored edge
6. Wrap around Kit Kat and stick down edge.
7. Punch a 1 ¼” circle from co-ordinating cardstock, and trim one end to a straight edge. Staple to Kit Kat and write the word “Pull”.

Gift Wallet Set

I posted these cards a while ago, but I didn't show you the whole set. It's a gift wallet with 6 matching cards and envelopes. I taught them for a class last year, and they were so popular that I'm running the class again, with a new design.

The original post is here ,with all the details about Stamps used, etc.

I've been tagged!
...by the lovely Joanna Wassens.
I have to list 7 things about myself, and 7 blogs I like to visit.

1. I'm never not in the middle of a book
   
2. I'm a carrier of the haemophilia gene, and my son has haemophilia
   
3. I love Trivia Nights (but rarely go to any)
   
4. There isn't a vegetable that I don't like
   
5. I hate shoe shopping
   
6. I love 80s music
   
7. I can say the alphabet backwards, really fast

Boy, doing these things makes you realise how boring you are
Now 7 blogs that inspire me...there are so many, and a lot have been tagged already, so here's a few that I don't think have been tagged yet!

1. Claire Daly
2. Karen Oliver
3. Linda Higgins
4. Di Mancino
5. Cassandra Grambau
6. Bev Mantle
7. Cheryl Andrews
   

Success!

I had my New Catalogue Launch last Thursday night. It was such a fun night. I had 20 guests and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.
They got to make 3 mini square cards, and this is one of them (I've mounted mine onto More Mustard A5 cardstock). They had to "kiss" their buckaroo blue elephant (kissing elephants...what fun!) onto the gorgeous Paisley stamp, use markers to colour the bird and flower, also from "Wild About You", mount it onto True Thyme and then Buckaroo Blue, and use the mat pack and paper piercer and then the white gel pen to make some faux stitching on a strip of Bravo Burgundy cardstock.

Other Success

I'm feeling pretty computer-savvy, having made myself a new banner, incorporated smilies and designed myself a watermark. But in actual fact, all I did was Google searches, and followed other people's directions, which I'd like to credit here.

New Banner
I used a portion of a card I had made, and followed the instructions here:
http://tips-for-new-bloggers.blogspot.com/

Emoticons
I couldn't find an easy way to download smilies using Internet Explorer, so I followed these instructions using FireFox
http://wolverinex02.googlepages.com/emoticonsforblogger

Making a Watermark
I used this tutorial
http://www.stampinkub.com/videotutorials/watermark.html
but since I don't have photoshop, I downloaded
http://www.getpaint.net/ for free and used that instead.

Oh, and that's an updated family pic too, taken on our holiday to Dubbo Zoo.

The Final Installment...

The last few pages of the accordian book. Did I tell you his eyes welled up when I gave it to him? He'll probably kill me for telling that to the world. But really, he's such a sweetie.

The next installment...

The stamp set"All About U" is a lifesaver when it comes to making male cards. It got a good workout for this Accordion Book! I've also made good use of the Double-sided papers. The Kit itself is really cool...you get all the frames and little pockets with it. In the Miss U pocket it says "when you're gone" on the tag, and then on the back of the tag it says "even though I sleep better". Dave is such a sleep walker and talker than I never get a good night's sleep with him in the bed.

We Have Emoticons!! warning emoticon overload coming up!!
Honestly how much procrastinating can a girl do? ....but I just have to see if these work, and then I'll go and do some things that really need doing.

And to show that it's not all business around here, I want to show you my hubby's anniversary present. 11 years tomorrow It's an Accordian Book, made using the Stampin' Up! Accordian Book kit...so easy!! I'd never made one before and it was heaps of fun. Here's the cover and the first page. I'll put the other pages up over the next couple of days.

Time for a Change...
The purple was getting on my nerves, so I decided to re-decorate! I've gone for the minimalist look...I'd love to hear what you think. While you're at it, let me know where abouts in the world you are...I'd love to know how far this blog stretches!!
Of course I'm just procrastinating. I'm having a New Catalogue Launch Party here tomorrow night, and there's about a million things I should be doing. What better time to play around with my blog??

A New Blog...and a Colour Challenge

Check this out:
http://elitechallenges.wordpress.com/

It's very exciting and very new!! My upline and our team "Elite Stampers" have a challenge blog. It's the brainchild of Very Talented Stamper Alisa Tilsner, and she's done all the hard work setting it all up. So, if you like the colours in the above card (Ruby Red, Apricot Appeal and Mellow Moss), or even if you don't ;-) go and check it out. There will be new challenges regularly.
I've used the brand new set "Bodacious Bouquet" for this card. The big flower is very glittery in real life (not sure if you can tell from the pic). I used heat and stick powder and dazzling diamonds glitter on it.

Birthday Best

This month in my Tuesday night classes we're colouring on the back of vellum using Watercolour Wonder Crayons. It's a really simple but effective technique, and yet another way to use the crayons. I've pulled out my Birthday Best set, which I used to death when I first got, and has been seriously neglected ever since! It's a bargain set ($25.95) and can be used for absolutely anybody. There are only a couple of Tuesdays left, so email me if you'd like to come along. We're also make a card using Jumbo Wheels that can be used for Mother's Day (yes, it's just around the corner!!)

Another page for my sister...
The colours on this page and the one below aren't very true to life, but you can at least get the idea...
We spent a day driving down to New Forest, and had a magical time exploring, patting ponies and watching deer. Another special memory.

For my Sister...
Some of you may know that my 9-year-old daughter Amy and I went to London mid last year to visit my sister Yvette, who's living over there at the moment. We had the most amazing time seeing London and Paris with her, and my Christmas present to her was an album of special memories from the trip. BUT in October and November last year I was asked to make a 60-page album for an anniversary present for an Auntie and Uncle-in-law. So, Yvette's receiving her album in installments this year (and possibly next year too, since it's April and this is my first page!!)
This is a page of us having rosé and milkshakes at a café outside Notre Dame...as you do!
The colours are Rose Red, Bravo Burgundy, Perfect Plum, Brilliant Blue and Elegant Eggplant, and the Stamp Set is Delight in Life (a Sell-a-Bration set).

Happy Easter!

We've got a lovely Easter planned... Friends from Canberra are coming to stay, we've got an engagement party to go to, and we're having a family BBQ here too. And of course there's the obligatory Easter Egg Hunt!
I made some of these little door hanger pouches to give as little Easter gifts. Aren't they cute?!

I'm Back!

We had a lovely time in the Gold Coast, but it's great to be back. It felt like a lot longer than just a week. In that time, Stampin' Up! have released the 07-08 Idea Book and Catalogue. You can view it online at www.stampinup.com (click on the Aussie flag), or you might prefer to wait and see it in the flesh at my New Catalogue Launch Party on the 19th April. If you didn't receive an invite and would like to come, send me an email!

This is a card I dragged out of the archives for just such an occasion (ie I've been away for a week and am suffering from stamp-deprivation!!)

The colours are Kraft, Bordering Blue and Sage Shadow. The stamp set is one of the most versatile sets ever "All About U", which I've combined with the set "Simple Sayings II". These 2 sets work together really well, as there are a few "You" phrases in there! I've stamped the background with the All About U flower, and coloured the centre with the white gel pen. Then I've inked only the first part of the greeting, leaving off the word "you", and stamped it in Bordering Blue ink on a strip of Bordering Blue cardstock. The "U" looks a bit like it's been bleached, but it's actually a technique called 'Kissing', except here I'm 'Kissing off'. First ink the U in Sage Shadow. Now take your flower stamp uninked, and press it onto the U (this will remove some ink from the U). Now stamp your flower onto scrap paper several times to clean off the ink, then stamp it onto the U again. Repeat until you have a nice coverage of flowers. Now stamp the U onto whisper white, and trim around it.

A little TIP when you're stamping very bold stamps with a large surface area like the U... when you stamp onto your cardstock, don't lift the stamp straight away. Allow the ink some time to penetrate into the cardstock, and you'll get an clear, even impression. Also, you might like to try stamping on some ordinary cardstock and then ink again and stamp on Whisper White. The difference is amazing.

Phew, this has turned into a very long post! I must be blog-deprived as well as stamp-deprived!! Well done if you've lasted this long!