Simple Stamping

How is this for some simple stamping? No layers - just a beautiful gold-rimmed notecard and matching envelope, a beautiful stamp set and some pretty ink colours.
I used the Stamparatus to make stamping these absolutely fool-proof, and whipped up a batch in no time! All the supplies I used are listed below.

Thanks for visiting. Have a lovely day!
 
Email me to place your order, or click HERE to Shop Now

Product List

Bloom By Bloom Photopolymer Stamp Set [148820] $30.00	Butterfly Gala Photopolymer Stamp Set [148580] $37.00	Gold Foil-Edged Cards & Envelopes [147901] $16.50	Stamparatus [148187] $85.00
Petal Pink Classic Stampin' Pad [147108] $13.00	Calypso Coral Classic Stampin' Pad [147101] $13.00	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad [147090] $13.00

Simple First Frost

I love using the Gold and Silver Foil-edged cards and envelopes to make simple card designs. That foil edge gives them a touch of elegance (but requires no extra effort!). In fact, I even used them to make my Christmas cards this year!

This card is VERY simple....almost a one-layer card. I decided to pop up one flower to add just a bit of interest. This is the First Frost set in the Holiday Catalogue. It's just so soft and pretty.
The colours I've used are Grapefruit Grove, Soft Sea Foam, Gray Granite and Mango Melody. The sentiment is from Southern Serenade.

Thanks for stopping by!



Email me to place your order, or click HERE to Shop Now
Product List

Silver Foil-Edged Cards & Envelopes [147900] $16.50

First Frost Clear-Mount Bundle [149943] $85.50

Southern Serenade Clear-Mount Stamp Set [145921] $37.00

Delightful Coastal Cabana

I have a super simple card to share with you today. It's always handy to have a design like this in your arsenal. All you need is a pretty die-cut - or even better, a piece of paper that's already been die-cut for you! That's the Delightfully Detailed Laser-cut paper. Just add a couple of cardstock panels in your favourite colour (Coastal Cabana for me), and a sentiment (check out Another Wonderful Year for stamps for every occasion), and you're done!
Hope you're having a great week.


Email me to place your order, or click HERE to Shop Now
Product List

Delightfully Detailed Laser-Cut Specialty Paper [146907] $24.25	Another Wonderful Year Clear-Mount Stamp Set [146695] $54.00	Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad [147097] $13.00	Card Stock A4 Coastal Cabana [131302] $14.75
Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock [140490] $13.50

More stars

I had a final play with some Sale-a-Bration sets the other day, doing some Elite Challenges. You can see the fruits of my labour HERE, HERE and HERE. It's always fun to do a challenge!
Don't forget TOMORROW is the last day to earn these sets for free! Email me by 9pm Saturday night to place your final orders.

Here's a super-quick card for you today (because it's my birthday and I have other plans :o)

It's "In the Stars" again, and a card I made for my kids when they brought home wonderful school reports in December last year. I actually made 2 of these, this is Amy's girl version, and Jacob's was a boy version in Blue Bayou, Pumpkin Pie and Wild Wasabi.
Such a quick card to make, and perfect for my 2 little stars :o)

I'll be back on 1st March with a Retirement List for you!

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: In the Stars
ink: Certainly Celery, Almost Amethyst, So Saffron, Lavender Lace
card: Whisper White
other: Chunky Glitter, Tombow glue, Certainly Celery grosgrain ribbon

A Quick one!

I can't believe I only have a few more days to show you cards from the Spring Mini Catalogue! That means YOU only have a few more days to order from it!!
This is a really quick card, perfect for those times when you have to dash out the door, and realise that you need a card for someone.
Just grab a pre-cut and scored A6 card and matching C6 envelope. Wheel the "It's beautiful" Jumbo wheel (from the Spring Mini) in Certainly Celery. Punch out some Groovy Guava and So Saffron flowers using the "One of a Kind"stamp set (from the Spring Mini) and the matching "Boho Blossoms" punch (also from the Spring Mini) and stick them on using the 2-way glue pen. Stamp the large flower from "One of a Kind" (did I mention that this is from the Spring Mini, and it's only $35.95? ;o) in Groovy Guava ink and colour using a sponge dauber, and pop a flower in the centre using a Dimensional. Stamp 'for you' (also from "One of a Kind") in Groovy Guava, and finish with some Groovy Guava ribbon and some Dazzling Diamonds glitter. Just apply 2-way glue where you want the glitter, sprinkle it on, and tap off the excess...no need to even wait for it to dry! How quick is that?

A Quick one!

This is a card I made to match the bag-a-lope in THIS post. This is a great card for those times when you need to dash out the door to a party, and you realise you haven't got an appropriate card made.
Simply grab an A5 Whisper White card (you can buy these in a pack of 20 for $11.50, with envelopes, and they are even pre-cut and pre-scored for you!), wheel "So Swirly" in Bashful Blue, stamp the butterfly from "Priceless" in Purely Pomegranate, and the small flower in Blue Bayou. Add a greeting (mine is from "Short and Sweet") and some ribbon, and you are done! I stamped the envelope to match, and also added a bit of sparkle with 2-way glue and Dazzling Diamonds glitter.
How easy is that?? Now if that hasn't convinced you to take part in This Month's Promotion, I don't know what will.
Now I really do have to dash out the door to a party...a Stampin' Up! Party of course! We're making Christmas cards tonight (Hi Deb and girls!)

Baroque Motifs

When our new catalogues arrived, this set went straight to the top of my 'must-have' list: "Baroque Motifs". I'd admired it from afar for so long, and now we have it! YAY! I'm such a sucker for swirls and flourishes, so you'll be seeing lots more swirly stuff coming up!

This was the make-and-take for my New Catalogue Launch Party last Wednesday night. I had nearly 60 people come along, so it had to be simple! I think I saw the original design on a US blog a long time ago, but I can't find it now for the life of me. Let me know if it was you!!

These are the instructions I printed out for everyone to follow on the night, and they all managed beautifully (even if I did make them do some cutting out!)

1. Fold and Score Whisper White card
2. Stamp Baroque Motif flourish in River Rock ink twice
3. Stamp small Floral Motif in Blush Blossom ink randomly over flourish. Use a Blender Pen to dot the centres in Groovy Guava ink.
4. Stamp Floral Motif in Groovy Guava ink on a scrap of Whisper White. Cut out.
5. Stamp small Floral Motif in Blush Blossom ink on scrap Whisper White. Punch out using ¾” Circle Punch
6. Apply a Mini Glue Dot to the end of a silver brad and dip in glitter
7. Punch a hole in the centre of both floral motifs with the Paper Piercer. Push brad through the 2 layers. Adhere to card using Dimensionals.
8. Stamp “Warm Wishes” (from 'Cheer &Wishes') in Groovy Guava ink.

I'm loving Groovy Guava, and I was a bit unsure about it when I first saw it.

Edited to add: Thanks Michele for jogging my memory! I CASEd this card from Debbie Olson. You can see her gorgeous original here

My favourite things...

The stamp set Blooming with Happiness wins my prize for my favourite Level 1 Hostess set (I'm sure it's very honoured to receive such an esteemed award LOL)
I just love the crisp, fine lines, the little details and the way it lend itself to simple cards like
this and this.
If you'd like to own this set before it's gone forever, you need to place a $300 order by the end of March. It's easier than you think...just show your friends the Retirement List and there's bound to be some things they can't live without! You'll also get an extra $30 to spend on yourself too!My favourite 2007-8 In Color award goes to Cool Caribbean (with Cranberry Crisp a close runner-up)
I've cut my cardstock length-ways for this card. You still get 2 cards from an A4 sheet, but the "spine" of the card will be at the side for a landscape card, or at the top for a portrait. I like having the spine at the side because when you sit your card on the mantelpiece so everyone can admire it for days on end (because of course that's what everyone does with handmade cards, right?!?), it sits up nicely instead of gradually lying flatter and flatter.
It also gives you that "Something Extra" before you've even started. I'm a big believer in Something Extra...I think every card should have something that makes you want to keep on looking. It can be an added detail like Paper-Piercing, a bit of texture, or some sparkle...just those extra details that turn it into something special, and beg the question "how did you do that?"
To make the Arched window here, I used my 1 3/8" square punch (punched in from the side) and then my 1 3/8" circle punch also punched in from the side, to punch out a semi-circle on top of the square. Always use your punches upside down, so you can see exactly where you're punching.
The rest of the card is really easy...a row of Umbrellas stamped in Basic Black. I've attached a piece of Whisper White inside the card, so one of the umbrellas is stamped on that. I've highlighted some of the flowers with my White Gel Pen, and the inside umbrella I've coloured some flowers in Cool Caribbean. I positioned the sentiment on top of the window using the Stamp-a-ma-jig.
The strip along the bottom is made using the Corner rounder punch (guard removed) and the Paper Piercing mat pack.
Now, can anyone spot the mistake in this card?
After taking the photo, I realised, and even re-made the card, but I was too lazy to re-take the photo! There's a little ribbon-y prize for the first person to guess (sorry fellow demos, you'll have to miss this one, so ssshhhh!)

Back By Popular Demand!

Before you start thinking "Haven't I seen this before??" Yes, you have, back on December 17. This is also the card that we used for our Make-and-Take at the Craft Show. I've had a lot of enquiries about the Show Special Kit that we had at the show, so I've decided to extend the offer for a little while here on my blog!
In the kit you get everything you need to make these cards, which suit all occasions.

Show Special Kit
Bud Basics Stamp Set
Pack of 20 A6 cards and envelopes
Stampin’ Dimensionals
Dazzling Diamonds Glitter
Wide Grosgrain Ribbon (13.7 metres, colour of your choice)
3 Inkpads (colours of your choice)

Total (includes Shipping and Handling) $110

PLUS Receive a FREE Sale-a-Bration Stamp Set of your choice!
You may also like to choose a Sentiment Stamp set, such as Wonderful Words or Simple Sayings II to use on your cards.
I will also send you a sample card and full instructions and tips on how to make it.
Just email me by February 28 to take advantage of this offer!

Blog Birthday!

Yesterday it was my blog's first birthday! It was only that I was looking for an old post that I ended up all the way back at the beginning. I can't believe I've only been doing this for a year... now I can't imagine life without blogging! It really is true...your friendhip does make my heart happy!

To celebrate, how about some Blog Candy?? I've never done this before, so we'll see how we go! Leave a comment on this post, and in a week (so, Sunday 10th February), I'll get one of the kids to draw a random number out of a hat. Post #1 will be 1, and so on. The winner will get a Sale-a-Bration Set (see them here ) You can choose your favourite one...hopefully you don't have them all already! Anyone in Australia can enter, but you can only enter once.... Good luck!

Sorry those outside Australia and SU! Demos are not eligible to enter...but feel free to leave a comment anyway ;-)

Oh, almost forgot...here's a quick and simple card made using the Friendship Blooms set. The stems have been made using "All in a Row". I stamped the trio of flowers in Rose Red, Tempting Turquoise and Marigold Morning, and applied Dazzling Diamonds glitter using the 2-way glue pen. The flowers have been cut out and popped up on Dimensionals.

Bud Basics Bling

This will be a familiar card for those of you who came along to my "Out with the Old, In with the New" launch. It is a CaSE of a card I saw on Splitcoast by kysmom, with a few changes. I'm really enjoying using lots of white at the moment. It's such a fresh, clean look. I've paired it with Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip and Certainly Celery. I used the gorgeous Wide Grosgrain Ribbon from the Summer Mini (you'll be seeing me use LOTS of this!). I made my own bling using Stampin' Dimensionals with Dazzling Diamonds glitter dumped on top (very sparkly in real life!!) The sentiment is from the Stem Silhouettes set.
The Bud Basics set is such an easy set to use. The bold flower and the outline are designed to be 2-stepped, but as you can see here, they work very nicely on their own too!

It's Time to Sale-a-Brate!

I've been having so much fun with my new Sale-a-Bration stamp sets, and I've been itching to show you. Now that those 12 days of Christmas are over, I can!
This is my favourite set "Friendship Blooms". It's just so pretty!
The best thing about it though, is that it's FREE! All you have to do is place an order for $100 from any current catalogue, and it's yours. Sale-a-Bration starts on the 1st of January, and lasts until the 29th of February – so you don’t have much time to make the most of this great offer.
Once Sale-a-Bration is over, these stamp sets will never be available again.
During the Sale-a-Bration Promotion, you’ll earn FREE stamp sets when you purchase products, when you host a Stampin’ Up! workshop, or when you sign up to become a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator.
All the details are in the Sale-a-Bration brochure. Let me know if you don't have one yet, and I'll pop one in the mail for you. It has lots of gorgeous samples and project ideas.
And for those of you in the Sydney area...
You're Invited!
I'm having an Open House on the 1st of January from 2pm-5pm, so you can come and try the sets for yourself. There will be nibblies and champagne, a Lucky door Prize or two, and make-and-takes. Email me to book your place!
Cardstock: Whisper White, Blush Blossom, Certainly Celery
Ink: Cameo Coral, Certainly Celery

Inspired by Kerri

Here's a nice simple Christmas card that was inspired by the lovely and talented Kerri. Kerri is a fellow Elite Stampers Demonstrator. We are actually SU cousins. I love having an extended SU family!
This card was actually a combination of 2 of Kerri's cards. This one and this one. And Kerri has even done a great tutorial on Reverse Masking here. I don't own the Lovely as a Tree set, but Kerri has been doing a good job of making me want it!
For my card, I made a mask by cutting a circle from a sticky note. Did you know about this nifty way of cutting a circle using the Round Tab Punch? How clever is that??
Then, I sponged inside my circle use Brocade Blue ink and a dauber. While my sticky note was still in place, I stamped the Crazy for Christmas baubles, also in Brocade Blue. I wrapped some Bluebird Grosgrain around the middle, with some White Organdy tied in with the knot. I stamped "Season's Greetings" from Many Merry Messages (this set sure is getting a workout lately!). Then I gave the baubles some sparkle, with 2-way glue and glitter. A little sparkle always works well on simple cards, I think. The white cardfront has been mounted on a Brocade Blue base.

Look Mum, no Layers!

I challenged myself this afternoon to make a card that had no layers and no mounting, just elegant simplicity. In my opinion, the simpler the card, the more difficult it is to get it right. All the elements of design need to work in complete harmony.
The sun was starting to set when I took this pic, so I'm not sure how clear it is...This card uses Blush Blossom cardstock, and I've embossed the dress and greeting in white detail embossing powder, and then used a Blender pen and the inkpad lids of Cameo Coral and Lavender Lace to colour the flowers. I used 2-way glue and glitter on some of the flowers on the dress too. I scalloped the edge of the card with the corner rounder punch (guard removed) and then used my White gel pen to outline the scallops. Finally, white Organdy ribbon tied around the edge.
So, did I pull it off???

As Effie would say...How excitement!!!

I'm sure I'm not the first one to discover this, but I'm excited anyway... I was playing with punches today, and I discovered that if you take the corner guard off the corner rounder punch, you can make scalloped edges!
My love of scallops began when I learnt that you can make scallops with the Slit punch. However, you can't get scallops on the edge of your card, because the semi-circle faces the wrong way. But, you can do it with the corner rounder! The scallops aren't as 'deep' as the ones you get with the slit punch, but they still look pretty cool IMHO!

I've gone with a very clean colour combo of Cool Caribbean, Black and White. The stamp set is one of the new Hostess sets "Blooming with Happiness" and it has gorgeous fine lines. I've also used "Label Classics". It's hard to tell in the pic, but I've used the 2-way glue pen and Dazzling Diamonds glitter to make a sparkly cake and sparkly umbrella. I've used another nifty punch trick and punched out a rectangle by punching out a square twice. Then some Black grosgrain and White Organdy ribbon to finish it off.