Another Pop-Up!

When I first started card-making, I used to make pop-up cards all the time. My stamping was pretty ordinary back then, so I guess I thought I had to add something impressive! The nice thing about this pop-up and the last one I showed you is that they can be added after the card is made. So, if you have a card that is a little too ordinary, you can just add the pop-up insert to it, and make it a wow.
Here I've used the very cute Look Who's Turning set to make an ordinary card:

into a wow:

It looks complex, but it's really quite simple. The folds are just in quarters, and the cuts are just done with scissors and then folded back in the opposite direction. You can stamp less images if you need more room to write.
This is one card that doesn't end up tossed on the floor by the child who is opening it :o)

The colours I have used are Poppy Parade, Baja Breeze and So Saffron.

Pop-up Butterfly

Whenever I give someone a pop-up card, it always seems to get a 'wow'....and there's something about receiving a pop-up card, that makes you open and close it again and again, even when you know what's coming!
I had a request to teach a pop-up class for my Technique Classes, and this is one of the cards I came up with. Quite simple on the outside:

I just love the Big Shot Butterflies die. It makes a beautifully shaped butterfly, in 4 different sizes.
Inside is the largest butterfly on a pop-up mechanism:

The pop-up piece is just a triangle of cardstock, and the butterfly is attached to one half of the 'V', so it stands up when the card is open.
Isn't this a gorgeous colour combination? Pear Pizazz, Blushing Bride, Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla and Early Espresso.
The stamp sets I have used are Elements of Style, Bliss (Sale-a-Bration set) and Afterthoughts (Level 1 Hostess set).

I'll be back soon to show you the other pop-up card!

Easter Treat Boxes

It's been school holidays here, and I've been having a lovely time doing family things. We went camping for a few days in Kiama with some friends, and then had Canberra family visiting with us at home after that. Now Easter is just around the corner, and we have lots more family fun planned! I have no classes scheduled for the school holidays, so it's lovely to just relax and spend time with the kids. I thought I'd better hop on and show you some Easter projects before it's all over and done with! Here are the projects we made in my Easter classes during March: I went with a blue and yellow theme this year - Marina Mist and Daffodil Delight. I think they look Easter-y but could still be used for any occasion. We made an extended pillow box with the Pillow Box Die in the Big Shot, and a cute little basket (so easy to make using the Scallop Square Big Shot Die and only requires an A5 piece of cardstock). To make the basket, just score in a tic-tac-toe pattern every 3 scallops, snip opposite score lines on 2 sides and form into a basket! The third box I call a Clam Shell Box. It is really just a small box with an egg-holder insert and then 2 boxes attached with a brad to each side so they open up.... ta-da!....

A pretty cute way to present an egg, huh?

What do you get when you cross a giraffe with a star?

It's been so much fun reading all your comments over the past couple of days. "Baby Star" was the winner with 26 votes, "Baby Jumpsuit" was a close second with 23 and poor "Baby Giraffe" only got 7 votes, however one of those was my sister's hubby, who voted for it despite it's "disproportionately large head" LOL I think that vote carries a little more weight! Of course the most important vote of all was my sister, who was completely torn! She liked the fat-headed giraffe and the Crumb Cake colour, but liked the red of the star, and the stripey ribbon (Baby Jumpsuit didn't even get a look in!). So, here we have a giraffe-star hybrid!

What do you think??

It's a Baby Shower! (and a vote)

In my family we're all so excited because my sister Yvette is pregnant with her first baby (after many years of trying). She's due in July, and after much persuasion, I managed to convince her to let me throw her a Baby Shower. Of course I sat down to design some invitations right away, before she could change her mind! My brief was "not too cutesy" and to use bright colours. We know the baby is a boy, so I didn't have to stick to a gender-neutral colour scheme. Being the rather excited Auntie-to-be that I am, I got a little carried away and designed 3! This is where you guys come in...I thought I would show you all 3 and put it to a vote. Let me know which one is your favourite!

Number 1 "Baby Star": Number 2 "Baby Giraffe": Number 3 "Baby Jumpsuit":

What do you think?

Strength and Hope

I think this set is going to be one of the most popular sets in the new Mini. I have always found that Crafters have such big hearts, and if we ever needed a good reason to buy a stamp set, Stampin' Up! have given it to us. $2 from the sale of each Strength and Hope set will go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, which funds worldwide research into finding a cure for this terrible disease. This is the card we made at my Launch party. It's a nice simple one, but I think it shows off the stamp set, and also the gorgeous Framed Tulips Embossing Folder. The colours I have used are Perfect Plum, Basic Grey, Whisper White and Concord Crush. If you would like to purchase this set and do your bit to help cure Breast Cancer, just Contact me.

Autumn-Winter Mini is here!

It's no April fool! The Autumn-Winter Mini is live today. You can view all the gorgeous new products HERE. I'm especially loving the Decorative Label punch and the French Foliage set. I'd love to hear what your favourites are! Just email me with your address if you'd like me to pop a FREE copy in the mail for you (along with a BONUS coupon!) so you can drool over it "in the flesh"!