The Last Day is here!

Yes, today is your last chance to order from the 08-09 Idea Book and Catalogue, and the Summer Mini. Let me know by 9pm tonight if you need anything!

Thank you for all your comments on my Blog Candy post! You all know your Retiring products very well. There was not one incorrect answer!

I used my trusty Bingo machine to draw a number, and the winner is #13.....Krystal!

Email me with your address details Krystal, and I'll pop some Retired goodies in the mail for you.

To see out the Old Catalogue, here are a couple of cards made with Polka Dots and Petals stamp set, and it's partner, Polka Dots and Paisley:

Here I've stamped in some bright colours and softened the look with some vellum over the top.


This was a Stamp-a-Stack from a while ago (that's Cool Caribbean - last year's In Color on the top right!)

3,2,1 Blog Candy Time!

Firstly I have to apologise for my bad blogging week. After Stamp Camp and then classes and then a Media Launch, it has been a big week! I still have so much catching up to do too...

This is my other stamp-a-stack from this month. I used some non-masculine sets to make some masculine cards. There's lots of retiring product used here!

I thought it was about time for some blog candy! It's a 3,2,1 challenge:

Name the 3 retiring stamp sets I used on these cards?

Name the 2 retiring colours I used?

Name the 1 retiring punch I used?

You have until Monday morning to leave a comment. I will put all the correct entries into a hat, and the winner will receive a pack of assorted retiring goodies!
Anyone can enter!

Already Gone!

Sticky: KEEPING THIS AT THE TOP - SCROLL DOWN TO SEE MORE RECENT POSTS! Thanks

Items most recently added are highlighted in RED
Wheels
107565 Flip Flops Standard wheel GONE
107212 Mateys Map Jumbo Wheel GONE
103195 Gifts Galore Standard wheel GONE
107561 Garden Annuals Standard Wheel GONE
104279 Leaf Prints Standard Wheel GONE
106662 Daisy Field Standard Wheel GONE
106610 Basics Outline Jumbo Wheel GONE
104065 Fishy Standard Wheel GONE
107482 Lily Pad Standard Wheel GONE
104156 Flitting By Jumbo Wheel GONE
107464 Rough Texture Jumbo Wheel LOW QUANTITY
107465 Speckled Jumbo Wheel LOW QUANTITY
107467 Birthday Jumbo Wheel LOW QUANTITY
104061 Star Studded Standard Wheel LOW QUANTITY

Stamp Sets
108748 Best Friend Numbers GONE
110255 Bundle of Joy GONE
112402 Short Order Numbers GONE
108720 Ahoy, Matey GONE
108747 Best Friends Alphabet Upper GONE
108740 Bareback GONE
108746 Best Friends Alphabet Lower GONE
108763 By Land GONE
108923 Stipple Rose GONE
108765 Cheery Chat GONE
112253 Dad’s Day LOW QUANTITY
108849 It’s Your Birthday LOW QUANTITY
112391 Everything Baby LOW QUANTITY
112310 Fabulous Flowers LOW QUANTITY
112272 Classic Backgrounds LOW QUANTITY
108929 Symbols of Solicitude LOW QUANTITY
112319 Forever in my Heart LOW QUANTITY
112229 ABC Images LOW QUANTITY
108857 Linen LOW QUANTITY
108998 Beautiful Life LOW QUANTITY
110248 Polka Dots & Petals LOW QUANTITY
108722 All I Have Seen LOW QUANTITY
108944 Unfrogettable LOW QUANTITY
108874 Mostly Flowers LOW QUANTITY
112216 Keep Christmas LOW QUANTITY
112300 Elegant Notes LOW QUANTITY

Accessories
109020 Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin' Ink Refill GONE
111850 Wild Wasabi A4 Cardstock GONE
109015 Soft Sky Classic Stampin' Ink Refill GONE
111851 Soft Sky A4 Cardstock GONE
109016 River Rock Classic Stampin' Ink Refill GONE
111852 River Rock Cardstock A4 GONE
109017 Purely Pomegranate Classic Stampin' Ink Refill GONE
111853 Purely Pomegranate A4 Card Stock GONE
109018 Blue Bayou Classic Stampin' Ink Refill GONE
111860 Blue Bayou A4 card stock LOW QUANTITY
109019 Groovy Guava Classic Stampin' Ink Refill GONE
108638 In Color 12x12 GONE
100381 Earth Elements Eyelets GONE
100378 Soft Subtle Eyelets GONE
105316 Rich Regals Eyelets GONE
105320 Basic Eyelets GONE
109610 Confetti Simply Scrappin' GONE
101259 Black Hemp Twine GONE
109085 Jersey Ribbon Originals GONE
103280 Embossing kit GONE
105515 Pewter Hodgepodge Hardware GONE
109186 Theater Ribbon Originals GONE
105445 Soft Subtle Buttons LOW QUANTITY
105446 Rich Regals Buttons LOW QUANTITY
103981 Earth Elements & Neutrals Buttons LOW QUANTITY
103978 Earth Elements Buttons LOW QUANTITY
100900 Gift Sacks LOW QUANTITY
105531 Antique Brass Hodgepodge Hardware LOW QUANTITY
106523 Five-In-One Card Cover Envelope Template LOW QUANTITY
110730 Pockets & Pieces Office Accents LOW QUANTITY
104829 Light Blue Gingham Ribbon LOW QUANTITY
112666 Lifelong Notes Simply Sent LOW QUANTITY
105532 Aged Copper Hodgepodge Hardware LOW QUANTITY
109170 Pumpkin Pie Prints Designer Series paper LOW QUANTITY

VIEW THE FULL RETIREMENT LIST HERE
I'll be keeping my blog updated with this list at the top as items on the Retired list sell out.

Brocade Basics

I've been busy getting ready for Stamp Camp! Teneale and I are having our first all-weekend event, and it's going to be heaps of fun!!!
So, just a quick one today, because I still have soooo much to do!
I was surprised to see Brocade Basics on the Retirement List. We've only had it for a year :o( At least I have used it a LOT!
I stamped the leaves and stems in Old Olive ink on Very Vanilla cardstock. Then I stamped the Linen Background stamp (retiring) in Versamark over the entire piece. I then sponged pastels in Old Olive and Creamy Caramel over the top to soften the image.
I used one and a half a dyed Pretties flowers, some Pretties pearls and a hatpin for embellishments. There's also the Paisley background on there, stamped in Versamark on Purely Pomegranate.
Lots of background stamps are retiring, but there is only 1 new background stamp in our new catalogue, so if you love backgrounds, you'll need to buy them by March 31. The good news is that most of them are 25% off ($25.46)! Check out the list HERE (they are all on page 107 and 108)

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Brocade Basics (retiring), Linen background (retiring), Paisley background (retiring), Short & Sweet
ink: Old Olive, Purely Pomegranate (retiring), Versamark, Close to Cocoa
card: Purely Pomegranate (retiring), Old Olive, Very Vanilla
other: Pretties Kit, Pomegranate Double-stitched ribbon (retiring), Stampin' Pastels

One last Fling!

I've been having one last fling with Bodacious Bouquet and Purely Pomegranate at this month's Stamp-a-stacks. I couldn't resist including the lovely Paisley background in some of these too. I'll be selling off my retired stamps after April 1st, but I just don't think I can bear to part with that one! ....that's a first for me!

I actually have some spots free this Tuesday night (17th), if you'd like to come and make these cards, plus 4 other more masculine designs. Email me to book in!
Can anyone spot the 2 tricks I have used with the Square Scallop punch on these cards?

Don't forget that you can purchase Bodacious Bouquet as part of the Bushfire Appeal until the end of March. I'm giving 20% off all 10 sets, so this one comes down to $47.16, with 50% of the proceeds going to the Appeal.

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Bodacious Bouquet (retiring), So Many Sayings (Level 1 Hostess retiring), Paisley background (retiring), Polka Dot background
ink: Old Olive, Pretty in Pink, Purely Pomegranate
card: Old Olive, Pretty in Pink, Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White
other: Scallop Square punch, Photo Corner Punch, Word Window Punch, Scallop Edge Punch, Black Grosgrain Ribbon, Vintage brads, Purely Pomegranate Double-stitched ribbon

More Bodacious!

Tracy commented that I'd had my money's worth out of this set and she is soooo right...especially because I didn't pay a cent for it! As Demonstrators, we get to earn a lot of our stamps for free. This year I'll be choosing 9 free sets from the new catalogue...which is a lot harder than it sounds!! If you would like to learn how you can earn free rubber, just email me with your snail mail address, and I can send you a free Information Pack about joining Stampin' Up!
These cards were for a Stamp-a-Stack I ran at the end of last year. The other design was a little time-consuming, so I made this one super-simple. We just stamped up a whole sheet of Whisper white with Bodacious Bouquet, cut it into quarters, and used the "no cutting" method to whip up 4 quick cards. (just fold your cardstock as normal, and then cut or tear off the front, and attach your quarter sheet behind the torn/cut edge) ...Easy Peasy!
Can you believe that I still have more Bodacious to show you? Stay tuned...

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Bodacious Bouquet (retiring), Short & Sweet
ink: Soft Sky, Blue Bayou, Really Rust, Mellow Moss
card: Soft Sky, Blue Bayou, Really Rust, Mellow Moss, Whisper White
other: Designer Label Punch, Large Oval Punch, Small Oval Punch, Large Tag Punch, Small Tag Punch, Mellow Moss Taffeta ribbon, Soft Sky Double-Stitched ribbon, Blue Bayou Double Stitched ribbon

Featuring....Bodacious!

I'm pulling this card out of the archives. When I make a few cards I take photos of them all, and then when I write a blog post, I choose one to show you. For some reason, this one never made it to the blog. I can tell I made it a while ago because the ribbon on there retired last year!
Bodacious Bouquet is one of my all time favourite sets. I originally bought it to challenge myself, as it was a step outside my comfort zone (big and bold!). It's such an easy set to use, and I think I've converted a few people to it. You may have seen Teneale's gorgeous cards on the cover of Australian Cardmaking, Stamping and Papercraft magazine this month.
I'm offering this set at 20% off as part of the Bushfire Appeal this month....until it sells out, that is!
You can see lots of other examples of cards I've made using this set by clicking HERE.
This card is pretty self-explanatory. I've added a couple of finishing touches - some paper piercing in the top right corner (using the Mat Pack), and some faux brads in the flower centres. TIP: To make a faux brad, just punch out a circle with the 1/4" circle punch (retiring). Adhere it to your card with 2-way glue, and then apply a drop of Crystal Effects to make it shiny. Make this the very last step of your card, so you can set it aside to dry. Great for when you don't have a brad in the right colour!

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Bodacious Bouquet (retiring), It's Your Birthday(retiring)
ink: Rose Red, Apricot Appeal, Certainly Celery
card: Certainly Celery, Rose Red, Whisper White
other: Retired ribbon, Celery brad, Crystal Effects, Dimensionals, 1/4" circle punch (retiring), Mat Pack

Big Pieces

Another set that will be sadly missed...'Big Pieces', and its partner 'Little Pieces'

My set has been extremely well used! It comes in so handy for:
Quick and simple cards
Christmas cards
Backgrounds
Clean designs
but best of all Masculine cards, like this one:

This was a long-ago stamp-a-stack. The greeting has since been retired. But the idea might still be useful to you!

I'm always reluctant to buy "masculine" stamp sets, because they are so often pictures of golfers, fisherman, cars, etc, and if the particular man you are making the card for does not fit into that category, then you are stuck! And I don't like having stamps sets sitting there being rarely used!

I've stamped the background with the inks full-strength, and then stamped off first onto scrap, and then onto the Vanilla cardstock for the centre panel. This gives a lighter shade, which means that the images aren't competing with the sentiment. Doesn't that circle on the right look lonely? These days it would have a scallop circle around it!

On a completely different subject, thanks to your generosity, Stampin' Up! has so far raised $58,131.68 for the Bushfire Appeal. What an amazing effort. Thank you!

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Big Pieces, Little Pieces, All Year Cheer (retired)
ink: Brocade Blue, Chocolate Chip, Mellow Moss
card: Kraft, Brocade Blue, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip
other: 1 1/4" circle, 1 3/8" circle

Come and Visit Me!

I'll be at Craftfest this weekend, and I'd love it if you popped by to say hello. I'll be on the Stampin' Up! stand along with Teneale Williams, Angela Sargeant, Jayne Mercer, Lin Mei Yap and Annmarie Tutt.
You can read all about the show HERE

Make sure you come and visit us...we'll be featuring technique demonstrations and there's a free make-&-take, and lots of special offers. Of course we'll also have lots of gorgeous samples up to inspire you. We'd also be happy to answer any questions that you may have about Stampin' Up! products or the company itself. Hope to see you there!

When: Friday March 6th to Sunday March 8th, 2009
Where: The Dome, Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush
Time: 10am - 4.30pm
Admission:
Adult - $15
Seniors, Aged or Disability Pensioners - $13
Children under 5 - Free
Children (5 to 16 Years) - $7
Family (2 adults and 2 children) - $35
Group (minimum 10 pre-booked) - $12 each

Stamp-a-Stack of Stars

More star cards! This was my Stamp-a-Stack from last month, and I was going for a boyish look with these. A bit of a different colour combo for me - Blue Bayou, Ruby Red and More Mustard.
We won't know if this set is retiring until we see the new catalogue....I have my finger's crossed that it will stay...but suspect that it will not :o(
The More Mustard grosgrain ribbon and of course the Blue Bayou stitched ribbon are both being retired. I can understand the Blue Bayou, because it's an In Color, but I was a bit surprised at the More Mustard. At the rate these retiring products are disappearing, soon there will be none left!
I think these ones are pretty self-explanatory, but let me know if you have any questions!

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: In the Stars (Summer mini), Congrats (SAB 2009), A Little Birthday Cheer
ink: Blue Bayou (retiring), More Mustard, Ruby Red
card: Blue Bayou (retiring), Whisper White, More Mustard, Ruby Red
other: Large Star punch, Small Star punch, Blue Bayou ribbon (retiring), More Mustard ribbon (retiring), dimensionals

Goodbye Bud Basics

I was shocked to see 'Bud Basics' on the Retirement List.... the only good news is that it's 25% off while stocks last. What a bargain - only $25.46!!
It's one of my favourite and most versatile stamp sets. It's a 2-step stamp set, so you can do so much with it! Like these:
Bud Basics Bling
Paper Piecing
Pink Buds (I used the co-ordinating Basics outline Jumbo wheel on this one)
Wet Paper Watercolouring
Big Buckle card
and then this card I'm showing you today is the Crayon Resist technique.
I did this card at a workshop for Kerry, who is now my lovely downline Kerry. Hi Kez!

Just stamp on gloss card, then use a white crayon (raid the kid's crayon box...what do they need white crayons for anyway??) to highlight parts of the images. Then sponge your inks over the top. Voila!

The sentiment is just some layering of ribbons and punches.

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Bud Basics, Think Happy Thoughts
ink: Lovely Lilac, Almost Amethyst, Certainly Celery, Tempting Turquoise
card: Lovely Lilac, Certainly Celery, White glossy, Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise
other: Scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, 3/4" circle punch, 1" circle punch, Whisper White grosgrain ribbon, Tempting Turquoise Grosgrain ribbon, Dimensionals

The Retired List is HERE

...and it's a whopper! It's our biggest list ever, because they are bringing our catalogue more into line with the US - which is fabulous news because I always want what they've got ;o)

You can view it HERE by page number
or HERE alphabetically
You might like to print it out and then highlight the retiring sets in your catalogue.
Goodbye beloved Paisley and Brocade Basics *sob*

The fantastic news is that some items are discounted by 25%!! (marked with an asterisk *) ...and a couple by 50%! (2 asterisks **)

So, check the list to see if anything you love is disappearing forever - but order it fast, because these items are only available while stocks last! Email me

Other news is that inkpads will be increasing in price to $11.95 on 1st April, so you may like to stock up on your favourite colours before then!