Stationery Set

This is a stationery set that I made for a class that I ran back in February. We used the "In Full Bloom" Simply Scrappin' Kit to decorate a notebook, calendar, pen and post-it note holder. They were so quick and easy to put together, using the self-adhesive die-cuts. Lots of fun too!

Another Baby!

...There must be something in the water! This is a card I made on the weekend for my aerobics instructor. She's just become a first-time Grandma. Yes, that's right, my aerobics instructor is a granny. Isn't that so cool!? If I look half as good as she does when I'm a granny, then I'll be happy!

On the card I've used bashful blue, certainly celery and barely banana. The stamps are Greetings Galore and Label Classics. I've used the slit punch to make the scallops and the word window punch for the greeting. I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to get the little rocking horse to fit perfectly inside the oval. I used blender pens and the inkpad to lightly colour the image.

BTW, the idea for this card came from a card made by Sarah Keith, a new level 2 downline of mine. I spotted her card for Bronte when I visited at the hospital, and couldn't wait to make my own version! Hope you don't mind me CASEing, Sarah!

Nice and Simple

This is a quick and simple card I made a while ago using SU! Designer Series Paper ("Sassy"). I stamped the little cupcake in Basic Black, and coloured with Stampin' Pastels. The cupcake is also stamped in Versamark under the greeting.
The Stamp Set used in "Birthday Best" (a great little $25.95 set) and the cardstock is Pink Passion. I'm hoping we get this colour in individual packs next year...all my customers with little girls have been asking for it!

Autumn

Can you believe it's just around the corner?? February feels like it is disappearing before my very eyes.

This is a card that I've been demonstrating at my workshops during January and February (all products are Stampin' Up!®). It really showcases the Stampin' Write Markers. I'd be lost without my markers...they really extend the versatility of your stamps, enabling you to omit parts of the image that you don't want to use, and giving you multi-coloured images.

I've used a "matchbook fold" for this card (the Old Olive band slides off and the card opens up that way).

First I've inked only the leaf in More Mustard, and stamped with the fade-off technique for the background. I used the Colour Coach (yet again!) to give me Not quite Navy, Close to Cocoa and Old Olive for the other colours. I inked the main image using markers , and then blended the colour on the leaf using Blender Pens. The Stamp-a-ma-jig helped me to get the other greeting perfectly straight, and then finally I've finished off with some Hodgepodge...3 brads (use the Paper piercing tool and mat to line these up straight) and a fancy paperclip with some gingham ribbon tied to it. Easy Peasy!

Scrapbooking...

It's not something that I've done a lot of, but I'd definitely like to get into doing more. I made a BIG album at the end of last year as a 50th Wedding Anniversary present (talk about being thrown in the deep end!) and on my "to do" list is to make an album for my sister Yvette with pics from our trip to London and France last year. It was actually supposed to be her Christmas present, but the other album took over my brain, my spare time, my life....

This is a page that I put together a while ago using Stamps, punch and papers from the Mini catty (now expired, but finger's crossed some of these will appear in the new catty), and also using the Heartfelt Thanks set to make the little embellishment.

We're having a Cybercrop on Saturday night, so I'm hoping to make a start on Yvette's album then. Starting's the hard part for me....I'm very into completion, so once I get going, I just keep going until I've finished. But I can manage to put off actually making a start for a really looooonnnngggg time....

Happy Valentine's Day

Jacob (6) woke up this morning and the first thing he said was "I need to make a card for my teacher for Valentimes Day!"...so I've obviously taught him something good! He then made a card with a volcano on it....maybe I haven't taught him so well after all... LOL

This is a card I made during a Cyberstamp challenge. I used the SU! Colour Coach for inspiration (LOVE that thing!!), and chose brocade blue, orchid opulence, pixie pink and certainly celery. The stamps sets I've used are Big Deal Alphabet, Fresh Fillers, Gentler Times and Loving Hearts.

....Of course you could always just make a card with a volcano on it instead! ;-)

Hostess Gifts

This is what my hostesses are getting if they have a workshop during January and February. The 2,4,6,8 box is the first item I demonstrate, and then I pop the little bag of lollies with a matching tag in, and then I show them how to mount a stamp (I use one of the "handmade by...." stamps) and pop that in too. They also keep the other items that I demonstrate too, so they end up with quite a good stash!
Don't hesitate to contact me mail@marelletaylor.com if you'd like to join in the fun!

What a Blessing!

Baby Bronte Rachel was born on Friday, and I just finished making this card for her (and her Mum!). I know her Mum will appreciate it, since she's a stamper too (and my downline...Hi Karen!). We haven't been to visit yet, but I've seen a couple of photos, and she's just gorgeous (and I'm not just saying that...I know a lot of newborns are actually kind of ugly, but not this one!). I can't wait to see her and have a cuddle!!

Card ingredients (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Big Deal Alphabet, Very Punny, Little Pieces

Colours: Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Gable Green, Sahara Sand

Ribbon: Celery Grosgrain, White Organdy

Other: Pockets and Pieces, Tag Sheet, Circle Punch (x2)

It Says It All Really...

..."Delight in Life"

If we could all do that every day, the world would be a better place. This is a card I made using one of the Sell-a-Bration sets for a CyberStamp we had on Wednesday night. Georgina Martin hosted it (she's one of my sidelines and a Very Talented Stamper-VTS) and I made this card for a monochromatic challenge. I looked at the Dynamic Duos on the Stampin' Up! Colour Coach and thought "Summer Sun....I never use that colour, let's give it a go". It's paired with Barely Banana, and the layout is CASEd from a card by Jayne Mercer (another sideline and VTS). I've used the SU! white gel pen to highlight the background stamping, and Cream Grosgrain ribbon to embellish.

So my challenge to you is to do something today that is purely delighting in life.

On Thursday I did my grocery shopping and they had these teeny weeny pears that were so cute I couldn't resist buying them. As soon as I came home I tipped them out of their plastic bag and put them into the bluest of blue bowls I could find. I placed them on our wooden table where the sun was filtering in, and just looked at them....delighting in life.

Seeing Spots!

This is a card and matching envelope that I made for one of my customers. I wanted to make a little square card, but didn't have an envelope to match, so I've used one the regular SU! envelopes, and put a strip of Gable Green cardstock down the left hand side, so the card sits snugly in the envelope instead of moving around. Before I slid the cardstock in, I used one of the SU! circle punches to punch a hole in the envelope so you can see the Gable Green peeking through, and then I've embellished it using the same stamp set. I just LOVE the way the punches are exactly the right size for the stamps!! And now you're going to ask what that stamp set is, aren't you? Well, if it doesn't look familiar, that's because it's not in our current catalogue. This was a Christmas gift all the Aussie Demonstrators got from Shelli Gardner, CEO and Cofounder Of Stampin' Up! (Isn't that so nice of her!) But don't fret...it will be in the new Idea Book and Catalogue, due out in April!

The rainbow in our backyard at dusk yesterday...

The artist's skill

is to choose what the eyes should see;

a weed is a wildflower

and rust, verdigris

Very Punny

....is one of the Sell-A-Bration sets we're using at this month's Tuesday night Stamp-a-Stacks. We're also using the Slit punch in a few different ways, the very versatile Versamark Inkpad, and we'll also be playing with the Stampin' Pastels. So, you'll pick up lots of tips and techniques, and leave with a stack of cards (8 in fact!) to start the year with.

Just contact me on mail@marelletaylor.com if you'd like to join in the fun!

P.S. Am walking like an arthritic old woman today (note to self: do not go back to a Step class when you haven't been to aerobics for a long time) but it actually feels good to feel sore, in a weird kind of way....

Exercise...

I went back to aerobics today, for the first time in aaaaages. It felt good to bring my muscles out of the cupboard and dust them off. At the start they were saying "See, I still work!" and by the end, "You'll pay for this tomorrow!" I used to think Weight-loss was a place, and that if I could only get there, then I would be happy. Well, I've walked the long road, and found that there is no place, just a long, long road that never ends....in fact it's not even a road, it's an escalator going down, when you want to go up. You put on weight by simply standing still. To stay in the same spot, you have to keep moving, and if you want to actually want to get anywhere, then you have to go twice as fast. No wonder so many people give up, or get where they want to be, and then slide straight back down again. There's no easy way to move yourself up that escalator, you have to eat well and move a lot! I think the trick is finding ways to make moving up the escalator more fun. Sometimes I have to let myself slide down a step or two, to give myself the energy to keep on moving up again....not sure how many steps I slid down over Christmas!!
I have a Stamp-a-stack tonight, with only a couple of people coming, so I'm going to make cards too, so I can replenish my stash :-)

Kids Rooms

We had a Garage Sale on the weekend...a great opportunity to move lots of stuff along to other people's homes, make a bit of money and help a couple of friends sell their unwanted stamps (so they can buy more Stampin' Up! stuff!). We redecorated the kids rooms in January, so there were lots of baby toys and stuff that they no longer use, including heaps of Wiggles stuff (my little boy is growing up too fast!). This is what their new rooms look like:

Both kids chose a turquoise-y colour (Jacob's is slightly darker, but you can't really tell in the pic). Amy has a new Loft Bed, so she can have her own hide-out underneath. Their rooms are so much easier to keep tidy now too, as there's more storage, and less stuff!

The First Post...

Does it sound as ominous as it feels? Sending words out into the ether and knowing that they will be there for anyone to stumble across is like leaving the front door open and inviting strangers in, just to watch me go about my business.... I suppose I'll get used to it, but for now I feel quite naked! This is ME or a reflection of me, out there for everyone to see. Maybe I should just stay here in my burrow where it's nice and safe!
Seriously, or actually not-so-seriously...I mean this is a BLOG, who could take a BLOG seriously?? It sounds like a place where a toad might live, or a word to describe the stuff at the bottom of the beer glass after you've taken the last swig....

This is where I plan to share my cards and creations, made with rubber stamps, paper and ink. I'm a Stampin' Up!® Independent Demonstrator, and have been since April last year. Apart from my family, stamping is the thing that makes me happiest, and Stampin' Up! allows me to share it with others, and even makes me some money (when I don't turn around and spend it all again on stamps, that is!) What could be better?!

This is a card/calendar that everyone gets to make in my Workshops in January and February. It's a card with a calendar on the front. The 'spine' of the card is perforated, and there are magnets on the inside, so that after it's been sent as a card, it can spend a year on a fridge or filing cabinet as a calendar. I've used Rich Regals colours - Brocade blue and So saffron, and coloured with Watercolour Wonder Crayons and Aquapainter. My sister Yvette kindly bought me the mini calendars in the UK, and brought them with her when she visited us in early December.

Oh, and if you want to check out the Stampin' Up! goodies, you can see the catty here:
http://www.stampinup.com/au/ena/default.asp
Don't forget to check out the Sell-A-Bration Promotion too...if you spend $100, you get to choose a stamp set for free! There's 4 sets to choose from in the Sell-A-Bration brochure...the hardest bit is deciding which one to choose! (but then you could always spend $400 and get all four ;-)