Blog Candy

Not not here, over at Kerry's Blog (you'll have to scroll down to the November 17 post...hopefully she hasn't drawn it already!)
Kerry is a very talented stamper who joined my team in October. Check out her gorgeous creations and divine watercolouring while you're there. She has a way with words too, and always gets me giggling!

How do I love thee??

I have just realised (I think I have been in denial) that there are only 2 DAYS LEFT of our beautiful Spring Mini....and I have a ton of things I haven't shown you yet AND it's Jacob's big 8th Birthday weekend this weekend, and so this is my last chance.
So, in the vein of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, here is my Spring Mini "How do I Love thee? Let me count the ways". You might want to grab a cuppa. This is going to be LOOOOOONG!

"Bloomin' with Beauty", such a joy to watercolour

Apple Cider papers, those gorgeous colours and patterns

"Enjoy Every Moment", makes such quick cards with real WOW,

....and that matching Daisy Dash wheel is divine

Die cut Blooms and Summer Picnic paper make a perfect partnership

...and I didn't have nearly enough time to play with my "Always" stamp set!

And just look at the cards and gifts I won't be able to make without Holiday Harmony paper, Satin ribbon, "Tags for All" and "Season of Joy":

Box in a Bag

Matchbox Slider

Christmas Card

Gift Card Holder (closed)

Gift Card Holder (open)

Decorated Accents and Elements Tin

Well I've lost count, but obviously I love the Spring Mini in LOTS of ways!! LOL

I'm sorry I don't have time to tell you how I made all these items, but email me if you have any questions.

I'll be taking orders for any products in the Spring Mini up until 9pm Sunday night 30th November!

A Quick one!

I can't believe I only have a few more days to show you cards from the Spring Mini Catalogue! That means YOU only have a few more days to order from it!!
This is a really quick card, perfect for those times when you have to dash out the door, and realise that you need a card for someone.
Just grab a pre-cut and scored A6 card and matching C6 envelope. Wheel the "It's beautiful" Jumbo wheel (from the Spring Mini) in Certainly Celery. Punch out some Groovy Guava and So Saffron flowers using the "One of a Kind"stamp set (from the Spring Mini) and the matching "Boho Blossoms" punch (also from the Spring Mini) and stick them on using the 2-way glue pen. Stamp the large flower from "One of a Kind" (did I mention that this is from the Spring Mini, and it's only $35.95? ;o) in Groovy Guava ink and colour using a sponge dauber, and pop a flower in the centre using a Dimensional. Stamp 'for you' (also from "One of a Kind") in Groovy Guava, and finish with some Groovy Guava ribbon and some Dazzling Diamonds glitter. Just apply 2-way glue where you want the glitter, sprinkle it on, and tap off the excess...no need to even wait for it to dry! How quick is that?

Ribbon flower

I'm not sure where the idea for doing a ribbon flower using the "True Friend" stamp set came from...I must have seen it somewhere and stored it away in my brain for future use! It was really easy to do...I stamped the medallion from True Friend in Night of Navy ink on Ballet Blue cardstock, and cut it out. Then I used the small hole punch of the Crop-a-dile to punch a hole in each point of the medallion, and one in the centre, and then wove the ribbon through it. A pretty Rhinestone brad in the centre just finishes it off nicely. I created a circular hole that just happens to be the right size for this using the Round Tab punch (see how HERE), and popped both my frame and the medallion up on dimensionals. I stamped the background on Bashful Blue cardstock. First I stamped "En Francais" in Bordering Blue ink (I just love this gorgeous greyish blue shade), but I deliberately made it a bit 'patchy' by just lightly tapping the inkpad over the stamp. Then I stamped the 3-bloom flower from "True Friend" in Versamark ink. I sponged the edges in Bashful Blue ink.
Yet another set that will no longer be available at the end of this month *sob*.... Only a week to go!

Stamps: True Friend, En Francais
Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Ballet Blue, Night of Navy
Ink: Bordering Blue, Bashful Blue, Night of Navy, Versamark
Other: Round tab Punch, Rhinestone brads, Bashful Blue Taffeta ribbon, Crop-a-dile, Dimensionals

Proud Auntie moment!

Aren't they bee-yoo-tiful?? These are my brand new twin nieces, born yesterday afternoon. That's Rebecca (2.78kg) on the left and Hannah (2.38 kg) on the right. It's my first time as a real Auntie (I had 5 ready-made nephews and nieces when I got married, but these will be the first to call me Auntie Rell!), so I'm looking forward to doting on these little bubs. Lucky my Sister-in-law lives only 2 minutes away :o)

Challenge #31

Another Challenge that I really didn't have time for...but couldn't resist. This one was quite a challenge for me (no green!). It's great to be pushed out of my colour comfort zone.
Another couple of sneak peaks on this card - a new stamp set "Eastern Blooms", and gorgeous new paper "Bali Breeze".
The colours Kristina gave us to play with this week are Elegant Eggplant, Close to Cocoa, so Saffron, Pumpkin Pie and Whisper White.
The small punched flowers are from the "Three for You" punch box, and have been adhered with Vintage brads. The ribbon is Elegant Eggplant grosgrain, and White taffeta coloured in with a Close to Cocoa marker. I did the corners on the main image panel using the 1/4" square punch, and taking a 'bite' out of each corner...I thought it kinda went with the Asian feel.
The word Thanks is from another new set "Live Your Dream" and I punched it out with the Word window punch, and then re-inserted it into the punch to make a shorter Word window, and then attached it to a So Saffron Small oval.

Coveting Snow Swirled

There's a gorgeous set in the US catty called "Snow Swirled", which we don't have yet, and Liam (then-customer and now-downline, and champion of thinking out of the box!) gave me the idea to make my own version using Priceless. And it just so happened that I had a masking class planned, and so this card was born! This is a technique called reverse masking. I made a triangle shape out of post-it notes (so I measured 3 points for my triangle, and stuck a post-it note joining each point, leaving a triangle-shaped hole in the middle). Then I stamped the small swirl from 'Priceless' inside my triangle and also sponged inside too. Then I stamped the tiny flower from Priceless in Gold Encore ink, and I dotted the centres using a mixture of Purely Pomegranate re-inker and Crystal effects, applied with a toothpick. Then just whip off your reverse masks and Voila! I've also sponged the edge of the River Rock cardstock with River Rock ink. The words 'Season's Greetings' are from an awesome set called "Many Merry Messages". The Pomegranate ribbon is in the current Spring Mini, which expires at the end of this month, so don't wait until December to buy it!

These colours are River Rock, Always Artichoke and Purely Pomegranate. Here's a blue version:

Ballet Blue and Bashful Blue with Silver embossed accents.
Which one is your favourite?

Always Sunset

Last month's technique class was masking, and this is the card we made....quite Zindorf-esque, I think! Michelle Zindorf is the master of brayering. Her work is stunning.
For those who don't know, a brayer is a rubber roller used to apply ink. It's an essential item in a stamper's toolbox, and can be used to get rainbow effects like this, as well as to apply ink evenly to large detailed stamps, to dye patterned paper a different colour, and lots more.
To get this look, we used gloss cardstock, and started by brayering the entire piece with More Mustard ink. You apply ink using a brayer by rolling backwards and forwards until the ink is even. I find gloss is a bit more forgiving to brayer on than regular cardstock.
I then stamped the bird from 'Always' in Elegant Eggplant ink, and masked him with a cut-out sticky note. Next I stamped the Baroque Motifs swirl in More Mustard ink. I then made a mask for the sun (just a 1 3/8" circle punched out of a Sticky note). Next I brayered with Really Rust ink, starting at the top of the card and working my way down as I rolled to get a blending effect. I did the same thing with Chocolate Chip on the bottom half. Then I removed the sun mask, and stamped the branches from Always on the right hand side.
The finishing touches are some black grosgrain ribbon on the left, with a Hodgepodge paperclip, and the sentiment is also inside a Hodgepodge frame.
'Always' is another gorgeous set that is only available until the end of this month!

Time for a Challenge!

I haven't had time for a Kristina challenge for aaaages, and I really don't have time this week either, but I just couldn't walk past these colours!!

So, this super-quick and simple (but hopefully elegant!) card is doing double-duty as a birthday card for a special someone and my challenge card!

It's also a sneak peak of a stamp set that is coming soon ;o)

Stamps: Polka Dot background, Embrace Life
Cardstock: Sahara Sand, Old Olive, Whisper White
Ink: Whisper White, Old Olive, Certainly Celery
Other: Celery Wide Grosgrain ribbon, Scallop border punch (also coming soon!), Blender Pens

One of a Kind

Another set from the Mini that I'll be sad to say goodbye to..."One of a Kind", and it's matching Boho Blossoms punch. I used the colours from THIS Elite challenge for this card: Old Olive, So Saffron, and Blue Bayou. I love the rich buttery yellow of So Saffron, and I'm not normally much of a yellow girl!
I stamped the large flower from One of a Kind in So Saffron ink, and used a dauber to give it a bit of extra colour (just like I did HERE). I stamped the triple-flower in Blue Bayou ink and punched it out with the Boho Blossom punch. The rest is really easy, just more punching and a So Saffron brad and Blue Bayou ribbon to finish it off.

Bloomin' with Beauty

I thought I'd better get cracking and show you some more Spring Mini Catalogue creations before it disappears at the end of this month!
This is the most beautiful set to watercolour, and I'll be so sad to see it go! *sob*
I've watercoloured with the brush tip end of my markers, straight onto watercolour paper, and then blended with an Aquapainter. You get really deep tones colouring this way, and it's really quick too! I used Apricot Appeal and Pumpkin Pie markers for the flower, Mellow Moss for the stem and leaves (use the fine tip end for the stem), and then Going Gray around the flower to add a shadow.
It's hard to tell in the pic, but I stamped the Linen background on Apricot Appeal cardstock in Apricot Appeal ink. It gives the cardstock a textured look. I used the stamp-a-ma-jig to line up the blossom definition (from 'Bloomin' with Beauty'), and stamped in Pumpkin Pie ink. I paper-pierced the Pumpkin Pie cardstock strip, top and bottom, and sponged the edges too. The friendship stamp is from 'Think Happy Thoughts' and I stamped the little bee from 'Bloomin' with Beauty' in the middle. I wanted the circular sentiment to sit flat, so I used the 1 3/8" circle punch to take a 'bite' out of the main image panel (after I adhered the 2 layers together). Then I could pop the sentiment circle in to fit snugly where I wanted it.

Stamps: Bloomin' with Beauty, Linen, Think Happy Thoughts
Ink: Apricot Appeal, Pumpkin Pie, Black Stazon,
Cardstock: Apricot Appeal, Pumpkin Pie, Mellow Moss, Watercolour Paper
Markers: Apricot Appeal, pumpkin pie, Mellow Moss, Going Gray
Other: Apricot Appeal Grosgrain ribbon, Mat pack, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig

November Promotions

There's not 1, but 2 great Promotions during November. Each one runs from 10-30 November.Single Stampin' Write Marker Special Offer

From 10-30 November, purchase Stampin' Write markers individually for $4.95!
Never before offered in Australia!

If you've ever wanted to try Stampin' Write Markers, but haven't wanted to buy the whole pack, this is your chance!
Or perhaps you have some markers that are so well-loved that they need replacing?
Maybe you've wished for ribbon in a colour that is not available? Just use a marker to colour in White Taffeta ribbon, and quickly and easily make your own custom colours.
...I know I'll be stocking up on some of my favourites!
Read more about it HERE

20% off Rub-Ons Promotion
If you've ever wanted to try Rub-Ons, this is your chance! Read more about it HERE

Spend $20 on regular catalogue merchandise and qualify to purchase any Rub-Ons assortment at 20% off! Once you spend your $20, you may purchase as many packs as you like!
Only $15.96 per pack (regularly $19.95). There are 2 sheets in every pack, one black and one white.

Page Description
141 Urban West Rub-Ons
141 Cherished Memories Rub-Ons
141 Anchored Rub-Ons
6* Eastern Elegance Rub-Ons
11* A Perfect Day Rub-Ons

*From Spring 2008 Mini Catalogue

You can see a selection of cards I've made using rub-ons HERE
Feel free to email me with any questions you may have!
I'll be back later today with a card :o)

12 Cards of Christmas - Card 12

The last day! I hope you've enjoyed my 12 Cards of Christmas. Don't forget to check out my Special Offer at the bottom of this entry!

This is the card we were going to make at my Christmas Stamp-a-Stack last week:

...in Old Olive, River Rock and Purely Pomegranate. But, thanks to Old Olive cardstock being on backorder (*gasp!*), this is the card we ended up making:

Nothing like being forced to step out of your colour comfort zone!! This is my Garden Green substitute, and I have to say, I quite like how it turned out!

This card started life as another Elite Challenge. Click HERE to see it's original form. I adapted it to be more suitable for a Stamp-a-Stack. It's really easy to get a collage-y effect with the Season of Joy stamp set. I stamped in Sahara Sand first (I felt that it worked better with Garden Green than the more yellowish tones of River Rock), and then stamped the tree in Garden Green, and then the swirl in Purely Pomegranate. It's really quick and easy, and it doesn't matter if you don't line it up perfectly (gotta love that!)

The sentiment is layer upon layer of circle punches. First the scallop, then the 1 3/8", then 1 1/4", followed by 1" (stamped with 'Party Punch'), and finally the 1/2" circle.

Stamps: Season of Joy, Party Punch (Level 1 Hostess set)

Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Sahara Sand, Garden Green

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Purely Pomegranate, Sahara Sand, Garden Green

Other: Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1" circle punch, 1/2" circle punch

Now, my Special Offer! If you would really like to make your Christmas cards this year, but are wondering how you can possibly fit it in, I've got a way to help you do it. Just choose a card from my "12 Cards of Christmas", and email me with how many you would like to make, and I will cut all the cardstock for you, and send it to you, along with a completed card. You can also order any stamps and supplies you need to complete each card, if you don't have them already (the supplies for each card are listed at the end of each post). I'll email you back with the price, and we'll take it from there.

So maybe you can get all your Christmas cards made after all!

12 Cards of Christmas - Card 11

This is the other Stamp-a-Stack Design for this month. It's actually a modified version of THIS card I made for the Elite Challenges blog. I thought my class attendees would kill me if I made them do all that cutting out! This way, they just have to cut out the 3 leaves (5 times LOL)
I think this one's pretty self-explanatory. It's all just straight stamping, apart from the 'leaves' which are actually just the flower stamped in Always Artichoke, and 3 petals cut out to make leaves.
Tomorrow I'll have the last card for you, and the Special Offer I promised!

Stamps: Season of Joy (again!!)
Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Always Artichoke, Creamy Caramel
Cardstock: Whisper White, Purely Pomegranate, Always Artichoke, Creamy Caramel
Other: Large Oval punch, Corner Rounder punch, Purely Pomegranate Double Stitched ribbon, Paper Piercer, sponge daubers

5 Reasons to Love the Double Rectangle Punch

I use the humble Double Rectangle punch a LOT. In my opinion, it's a very worthwhile $11.50 investment!
Here are some of my favourite ways to use it: (number 2 is the promised Nifty Knot-Tying Tutorial)

1. Make Ribbon slots
2. Tie a nifty knot (*NEW* Tutorial)
3. Tie a Faux bow
4. Make an ornament hanger
5. Make a candy-cane sized hole

12 Cards of Christmas - Card 10

This card is actually THIS month's Christmas Stamp-a-Stack design, and I have just opened up a new class time for all those people who need to make more Christmas cards. This is the last class I'm running for this year, too. (I'm having December off classes, but will still be around blogging and taking orders, etc!)
You can come along on Thursday 27th November at 9:30am and make 5 of this card, and 5 of another design (which I will show you tomorrow). Email me if you would like to come!
For those who can't make it to the class, you'll just have to pay close attention to my instructions...
I used the very popular "Dashing" paper, which has just come off backorder today (hooray!). The sentiment from 'Party Punch' has been stamped in Real Red ink twice: once on Real Red, and once on Very Vanilla card stock. I punched out the Red one with the Designer label punch, and the Vanilla one with the 1" circle punch.
I made myself a template for punching slots in the designer label punch. Here's how you make one, so that you always get your slots in the right place:
1. Punch out your Designer label
2. From some scrap cardstock of a different colour, punch out 2 "slot" pieces using the Double Rectangle punch (or the Horizontal Slot punch for larger ribbon)
3. Use 2-way glue to adhere the 'slot' pieces to the Designer label:

4. Now punch out the 2 slots by positioning your punch over the slot pieces:
This gives you a template which you can now use to just draw in the slots next time you need to thread some ribbon through a Designer Label!


I used Real Red narrow grosgrain ribbon which fits beautifully through these slots. I popped the Merry Christmas circular sentiment up on Dimensionals. The Christmas Tree image has been stamped in Black Stazon ink, so the ink doesn't run when I watercolour it.

By the way, I mounted my 'Fun and Fast Notes' set with the greetings cut off and mounted on the sides of the blocks, so words and pictures can easily be stamped separately.

I watercoloured using Watercolour Wonder Crayons and an Aquapainter, and at the class I'll show you how to do some really fast colouring that still looks good!

Stamps: Fun & Fast Notes, Party Punch (Level 1 Hostess set)
Cardstock: Old Olive, Real Red, Very Vanilla
Ink: Real Red, Black Stazon
Other: Dashing DS Paper, Designer Label Punch, 1"circle punch, Double rectangle Punch, Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon, 2-way glue pen, Dimensionals, Watercolour Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter

12 Days of Christmas Cards - Card 9

Are you sick of this set yet?? Hopefully not! If you scroll down and check out my other samples, you can see how different they all are (and I still have a couple more coming!!).
This colour combination has had a workout this year: Purely Pomegranate, River Rock and Always Artichoke. It's the colours in the gorgeous Holiday Harmony papers in the Spring Mini (that finishes at the end of this month!). For the background, I've stamped the swirl in Versamark ink, and the small flower in Whisper White ink. On the Always Artichoke strip, I've done some faux stitching with the Mat Pack and White gel pen (at $18.95 and $7.95, it's the cheapest "sewing machine" you'll ever buy!). The main image has been inked in River Rock and then the edges rolled in Always Artichoke ink. I also sponged the edges of the cardstock with Always Artichoke ink and a sponge dauber. I've used just a small piece of Pomegranate Satin ribbon in the corner. It's so rich and lustrous, and really adds a touch of elegance to the card. Finally I've stamped the star on a scrap of Whisper White cardstock and punched it out with the 1/2" circle punch, and popped it up on a Dimensional.

Stamps: Season of Joy
Ink: River Rock, Always Artichoke, Purely Pomegranate, Versamark, Whisper White
Cardstock: River Rock, Always Artichoke, Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White
Other: Purely Pomegranate Satin Ribbon, Mat pack, White Gel Pen, 1/2" Circle Punch, Sponge Dauber.

12 Cards of Christmas - Card 8

I do love the challenge of making Christmas cards out of non-Christmas stamp sets. The very clever Liam gave me the idea to use this one. It's "True Friend" from our Spring Mini, not even remotely a Christmas set. But the flower looks slightly poinsettia-like, and the other one is a bit starry or snowflake-ish, and then you stamp in Christmas colors and voila!
The background has been stamped in Versamark. Next stamp 'Merry Christmas' in Old Olive ink (I used the one from 'Season of Joy', but you could substitute any Christmas greeting), and then stamp the other stamps around it in Real Red and River Rock.
I discovered a nifty ribbon-tying trick, and I'll try and do up a tutorial for that sometime this week!

Stamps: True Friend, Season of Joy
Ink: Real Red, Old Olive, River Rock, Versamark
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Real Red, Old Olive
Other: Real Red Wide Grosgrain Ribbon

Edited to add: The Promised Tutorial "Nifty Knot-tying Trick"

In the card I showed you above, I just tied the knot in the usual way, by wrapping it around the piece of cardstock and tying a double knot. Sometimes I tie the knot as a separate piece of ribbon, but I still find that I need to tie a double knot to make it stay in place. Here's a trick you can use so you just need to tie a single knot, and it will stay in place without coming undone. This is what the finished card looks like with the new knot:

See how the knot sits nice and flat, and is not bulky, unlike the first card I posted?
So here's how you do it, step by step with photos!

1. Use the Double Rectangle Punch to punch 2 holes where you would like your knot to be. You'll be going through 2 layers of cardstock for one of the holes, so use your big muscles!

This is what it should look like:

2. Thread a piece of ribbon through the 2 holes (make sure it is long enough to tie a knot with):

3. Place another piece of ribbon across the front of the cardstock, and adhere it to the back

This is what the back looks like:

You can tape over the ends with Sticky Strip to hold it securely.

4. Tie a single knot over the top. Because the ribbon is going through the 2 holes, it will stay in place, and tie tightly without the need to do a double knot.

Voila!
I hope you found my tutorial useful :o)