Mini Mail Out!

I've been busy mailing out copies of the new Mini Catalogue today. If you'd like a copy, just send me an email (or if you already have a Demonstrator, I'm sure she'd be happy to send you one :o)

And a quick reminder to email me by 9pm Friday (that's tomorrow!) if you'd like to get $20 in Stampin' Up! goodies for FREE, plus a 1 in 6 chance to earn a Level 2 Hostess set. Find out how HERE

Twin update!

Some of you may remember my Proud Auntie moment back in November last year...well I thought it was about time you had an update!Here are my twin nieces Hannah and Rebecca 8 months on! Aren't they gorgeous?! They're starting to move about, eat real food and babble away to anyone who will listen! They are such good babies, happy and content :o)

Last Chance Virtual Workshop!

This was so popular, that I'm running another one. If you missed out last time, or would like to join in again, this is your chance!

Would you like to to advantage of this month's Hostess Promotion, but don't have time to host a workshop?

Why not join in my Virtual Workshop? It's easy! All you have to do is email me your order of $100 or more by this Friday 31st July with "Virtual Workshop" in the subject line. Once I get 6 orders, I will combine them and all 6 of you share in the Hostess goodies! This means that for every $100 you spend, you get to choose $20 in freebies! And what's more, I will put the 6 names in a draw to win a Level 1 or Level 2 Hostess Set!
So just email me your order of $100 worth of goodies from the catalogue, and make sure you choose an extra $20 in freebies, and I'll let you know if you're the lucky winner of a Hostess set!

The orders will be sent to me (shipping and handling charge of 5% applies), and I can either deliver it to you if you live nearby or mail it if you are further away (I will cover the cost of mailing it to you).
Email me now to join in the fun!

Elite Challenges

I've been having fun combining some Elite Challenges with some Mojo Monday sketches again. Here are some snapshots of my efforts (you'll need to click on the pictures to be taken to the full card)

This one was a Colour Challenge (with a sneak peak of something gorgeous from the new Spring Mini!), paired with a Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge.

This one was a Stamp Set Challenge, using Circle Circus. Again I've used a Mojo Monday Sketch

Here I've used my favourite stamp set from the new Mini "Great Friend", and some gorgeous new DSP too. This was one a Sketch Challenge.

2 Guest Bloggers!

I've really enjoyed looking at the entries for my Christmas in July Challenge. You still have a few days to enter....you might win some new embellishments from the Spring Mini!
There are some great "twisted" creations. Here are 2 more from some blog-less team members of mine. The first is by Di Cruise, and it is sooo cute: She's used "All in the Family" with "Party Hearty" Christmas hats....they look like Santa's little helpers!
The second one is by Cheryl. She has been really clever and used a non-Christmas stamp set AND non-traditional colours:

"Big Bold Birthday" stamped in Pacific Point and Kraft, and there's a new Jumbo brad on there too (coming in the new Spring Mini, due out in just a few days!)
Thanks ladies, I love your creations!

Back in Action!

It has been an eventful school holidays, with various bouts of illness hitting different members of the family at different times! That, combined with my Mini Catalogue Launch Party and next month's classes to get ready for, has been the reason why it has been so quiet on here lately. The kids are back at school on Tuesday, so things should be getting back to normal soon.

My Launch Party is happening this Sunday (2nd August). I have only a couple of places left, so email me now if you would like to come! There's an afternoon session (2-4pm) and an evening session (7-9pm). You can pick up your copy of the Spring Mini Catalogue, plus there will be 2 make-and-takes, Special Offers, and a little treat box to take home! Not to mention champas and nibblies!
If you can't make it on the day, I'll be sending out a special Spring Mini Newsletter to all my subscribers, so stay tuned for that. It will have a couple of Special Offers, plus you can sign up for Ribbon and Embellishment Shares. Make sure you are subscribed to my newsletter! (just enter your email address in the box over there ------->)

Wingardium!

It's school holidays here, hence my lack of posts. I LOVE school holidays, and my kids and I are having a ball doing bits and pieces around the place (off to see Harry Potter today!). But it's just not conducive to blog posting! That's why I love my job, though, because I know you all understand ;o)
I actually have been getting some stamping done, I just haven't taken any pics yet...so I'm digging an old, old one out to show you today.
This is using one of my favourite sets, Priceless, in a pretty, girly colour combination:

So Saffron, Regal Rose and Rose Red. The sentiment is from one of last year's Hostess sets, but you could easily substitute a current one. I cut out the butterflies and popped their wings up on dimensionals and then added some glitter. The final touch is some more bling in the form of a Rhinestone brad.

Now, Harry Potter beckons...Wingardium Leviosa!

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Priceless, So Many sSyings (retired)
ink: So Saffron, Regal Rose, Rose Red
card: So Saffron, Regal Rose, Rose Red, Whisper White
other: Word Window Punch, Rhinestone Brad, Regal Rose Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals

Pocket Silhouettes

Just a quick one today, as I have some girls from my team popping over for a fun morning of stamping with goodies from the new Mini Catalogue!

One of my favourite little sets from the Catalogue would have to be Pocket Silhouettes. It's so versatile and very easy to use. This is a set of cards that I've been using at Stamp-a-Stacks to showcase both this set and the In Colors.
I've used In Colors along with Sahara Sand (the colour that goes with everything!) and Chocolate Chip (that also goes with everything!).
Quick and simple little cards, with LOTS of punches!

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Pocket Silhouettes, Sanded background, Short and Sweet
ink: Baja Breeze, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point, Sahara sand, Chocolate Chip
card: Baja Breeze, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point, Sahara sand, Chocolate Chip
punches: Word Window, 1 3/8" circle, Scallop Circle, Tag, Small tag, 1 1/4" Square, Scallop Square, 1 3/8" Square, 1 1/4" Circle, Scallop Edge
other: Chocolate Chip Double-Stitched Ribbon, White Grosgrain ribbon, Linen Thread, Cutter Kit

Faux Tiles

As promised, here is my other Technique class card.... Faux Tiles this time. This technique has been around for ages, but I hadn't done it for a while, so it was time for a revival. I've made my "tiles" on gloss cardstock, so they are shiny like real tiles, but any cardstock will work. I've stamped a background on mine and then brayered over the top, but you can also sponge it. I scored the "tiles" using the scoring blade of my trimmer, and then stamped a background with the gorgeous flourish in the friends 24-7 set in Baja Breeze ink. It's quite faint in the photo but much more obvious in real life. Next I brayered Baja Breeze ink over the top, and the ink doesn't go into the score lines, giving the appearance of tiles. You can accentuate the "grout" with a white gel pen if you like. You can experiment and make your tiles, square, rectangles or diamonds.

I stamped the bird in Close to Cocoa and lightly watercoloured it with ink and a Blender pen. I wanted it to be glossy, so I embossed it with a couple of layers of clear embossing powder.

TIP: When you want to completely cover a piece of cardstock with embossing powder, take a second piece of cardstock exactly the same size as your first. Adhere the 2 layers of cardstock together, but don't apply the adhesive to the entire piece. Leave part of it open, so you can hold it with a pair of tweezers. This gives you something to hold on to while you apply embossing powder and heat it. Then when you are done, stick the open part down. Not only does it make it easier to emboss (without burning your fingers or getting tweezer marks), but the 2 layers make it sturdier too :o)

I embellished the card with some Vintage brads and some wide Baja Breeze Stitched ribbon. I used a strip of Baja Breeze Patterns DSP for the lower part of the card, and stamped my greeting on top. The greeting is also from Friends 24-7, It says "Here for You" but I used a Chocolate Chip marker to just ink the words "for you".



Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Friends 24-7
ink: Baja Breeze, Close to Cocoa, Versamark, Sage Shadow
card: Sage Shadow, Close to Cocoa, Glossy White, Whisper White
other: Wide Oval punch, Vintage Brads, Wide Baja Breeze Stitched ribbon, Baja Breeze patterns DSP, Trimmer with scoring Blade, Blender pen, Dimensionals, Clear Embossing Powder

Faux Silk

One of the cards we made in last month's technique class was Faux Silk, and it turned out to be an immensely popular class! It's such an easy technique, but has a real wow factor to it.

To make this card, all we did is ink up the Inspired by Nature flowers with markers, and stamp onto tissue paper (just ordinary white tissue wrapping paper that you can get anywhere). Then comes the hard bit - scrunch it up! Now flatten it out, but don't remove all the creases...they are part of the faux silk look. Then apply Stampin' Up! glue stick all over a piece of Whisper White cardstock and glue your tissue paper to it, creases and all. Fold all the ends under neatly (just like wrapping school books!) and there you have it. It has a lovely crushed silk texture to it.

TIP: The very observant people out there might notice that my flowers are facing the opposite way to the way it stamps out. Normally they face this way:
But this time I wanted my sentiment on the other side. Because the tissue is almost transparent, you can flip it over and use either side. This method would be perfect if you want to do something like make 2 fish kiss, or 2 little girls face eachother, but you only have one stamp. Simply stamp on one side of the tissue, and then flip it over and stamp on the other! It sure beats using a Reverse Image stamp!

To finish off the card, I stamped the grass in a lighter shade of green (Mellow Moss) to give it more depth. The rest of the card is just layering and sponging. The background on the base card is the Friendly Jumbo wheel, and the sentiment comes from the wheel too. After wheeling the background, I left my wheel inky and just used a Chocolate Chip marker to ink the words that I wanted, and then wheeled onto scrap cardstock and punched it out. I also decorated the inside to make it extra-special:

Our other technique was Faux Tiles, and I'll show you that next time :o)

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Inspired by Nature, Friendly Jumbo Wheel
ink: Chocolate Chip, Mellow Moss, Pale Plum marker, Perfect Plum marker, Always Artichoke marker, Chocolate Chip marker
card: Close to Cocoa, Pale Plum, Mellow Moss, Perfect Plum, Whisper White
other: Large Oval punch, Designer Label Punch, Wide Oval punch, Chocolate Chip Wide Grosgrain, SU! glue stick, sponge dauber

Challenge #3 - Christmas in July

July's challenge is called "Christmas in July", but you need to make a Christmas Card with a Twist. That means you can use either non-traditional colours or a non-Christmas set (or both, if you are feeling really adventurous!)

I love the challenge of using a non-Christmas set to make Christmas cards. You can see some of my past efforts HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE .... I told you I love the challenge! There are even more, but that will give you the idea!

This is a card I designed for next month's Christmas Stamp-a-Stacks:

I've stamped the branch from the "Kindred Spirits" set in Old Olive ink on Sahara Sand cardstock. Then I coloured in the berries with a Ruby Red marker. A dot of Crystal Effects makes then nice and shiny.... Easy Peasy!
This month's Christmas Stamp-a-Stacks start tonight. I'm running 3 classes over the next 2 days and they filled up really quickly. I think everyone loves the idea of having all their cards made before the Silly Season hits! I'm running the classes (with 2 new designs every month) at the beginning of each month until December. I can also run the class for a group of your friends in your home, at a time of your choosing. Email me to book in!

I'm going to use Mr Linky again this month, but please also leave a link to your cards in the comments section of this post.
I'm looking forward to seeing what you all come up with! I'll pick my favourite at the end of the month, and the winner will receive a sample pack of Stampin' Up! embellishments from the New Spring Mini!

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Kindred Spirits, Best Yet (Hostess set)
ink: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip
card: Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip
other: Crystal effects, Ruby Red marker, sponge dauber, Large Oval punch, Designer Label punch, Wide Oval punch, Eyelet Border Punch

Virtual Workshop!

Would you like to to advantage of this month's Hostess Promotion, but don't have time to host a workshop?

Why not join in my Virtual Workshop? It's easy! All you have to do is email me your order of $100 or more by this Friday 3rd July with "Virtual Workshop" in the subject line. Once I get 6 orders, I will combine them and all 6 of you share in the Hostess goodies! This means that for every $100 you spend, you get to choose $20 in freebies! And what's more, I will put the 6 names in a draw to win a Level 1 or Level 2 Hostess Set!
I can run another one later on in the month if there is enough interest.

The orders will be sent to me (shipping and handling charge of 5% applies), and I can either deliver it to you if you live nearby or mail it if you are further away (I will cover the cost of mailing it to you).
Email me now to join in the fun!

Challenge #2 Winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered my Step It Up Challenge. I've really enjoyed seeing all your entries throughout the month. You can view all the entries HERE. Just click on each name to view their inspiring artwork. And here's a slideshow of everyone's work:

And the winner is (I wish I could just pick everyone!)




......CHERYL!

I really love the way she took this gorgeous card:

and managed to make it even more gorgeous:


Cheryl wins a sample pack of Stampin' Up! embellishments.
I'll be announcing my July Challenge tomorrow, so stay tuned for that!