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!

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

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

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

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)

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!