A Challenge...

The other day I challenged myself to use 2 things - the In Colour Poppy Parade, which is my most neglected In Colour and the Every Moment stamp set, which I really like, but have hardly touched. This card was the result.... I used a Sketch Challenge from somewhere too.
The colours are Cherry Cobbler, Poppy Parade, Always Artichoke and So Saffron...way out of my comfort zone! The little border and sentiment are from Because I Care (Level 1 Hostess set). I masked the flowers, stamped in Black Stazon and water coloured with ink pads and a Blender pen.
We're off to my Brother-in-Law's wedding this weekend. They live in Gymea Bay, so we are staying there overnight, and then it's my birthday on Sunday, so it should be a fun weekend!

Free Ribbon anyone?

Stampin' Up! are running a "Dress Up Christmas" Promotion until the end of November. When you purchase one of 4 bundles, you get to choose a free roll of ribbon! None of this ribbon is available in the catalogue, and some of the DSP in the bundles is also not in the catalogue. The only way to get your hands on this delightful stuff is by purchasing one of the bundles:

Description	Wood Mount Item / Price	Clear Mount Item / Price
Gifted Bundle Gifted Set and Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper	124041; $66.90	124042; $56.90
Welcome Christmas Bundle Welcome Christmas Set and Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper	124045; $69.90	124046; $59.90
Season of Joy Bundle Season of Joy Set and So Swirly Stampin’ Around Wheel	124043; $67.90	------
Delightful Decorations Bundle Delightful Decorations Set and Ornament Punch	124044; $72.90	------

And you can choose your FREE roll of Ribbon:
Mistletoe Ribbon Originals (value $21.95)
Sleigh Bells Ribbon (value $15.95)
Riding Hood Red 1-1/4″ Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (value $19.95)
Real Red 3/4″ Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (value $19.95)
Email me if you would like to order a bundle and get some free ribbon!
This offer is available until November 30, or while stocks last.

Crazy week!

You can probably tell I've had a crazy week...my presence on here has been virtually non-existent. Hopefully you've been too busy perusing the new catalogue over and over again to notice! I've been flat-chat getting ready for my Launch Party, which was on Saturday. It was a great day. I think everyone had loads of fun, and hopefully went home feeling inspired.
This is one of the make-and-takes that everyone got to make:

I know I'm going to love having a dedicated Neutrals colour family with 10 lovely shades in it to play with. One of my favourite pages of the catalogue is page 65. A neutral colour palette always seems so sophisticated and restful at the same time.
On this card I have only used Sahara Sand and Basic Black. The gorgeous Bella Toile background stamp (which I was lucky enough to earn as a Convention Award set) doesn't need much dressing up. I've also used the lovely Scallop Trim border punch and the oh-so-versatile Perfect Punches set (I think this set made it on to everyone's wishlists on Saturday). I've also used a corrugated strip of cardstock, which I made using the Crimper. It's a nifty trick to have up your sleeve if you don't have any co-ordinating ribbon.

I'll be back tomorrow to show you the other make-and-take!

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Bella Toile, Perfect Punches
ink: Basic Black
card: Sahara Sand, Basic Black
other: Wide Oval Punch, Crimper, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Dimensionals

Sweet Little Cupcake

I had to whip up a quick card for a 1 year old girl the other day...and when I say quick, I mean "quick I need a card to go with this bunch of balloons I'm delivering" LOL
...and then I snapped a quick photo in quite dull lighting. I played around with the brightness, but now the colours look a bit off, so you'll just have to imagine that the Baja Breeze is bluer than that.
I used the set "Big Bold Birthday" (retiring this month), but used half a scallop circle for the top of the cupcake, instead of the stamp . The rest is super-simple. Don't you love the extra little touch that the white gel pen adds? LOVE that pen!

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Big Bold Birthday, Short and Sweet
ink: Baja Breeze, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, So Saffron
card: Baja Breeze, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
other: Scallop Circle Punch, White Gel Pen, Large Oval Punch, Small Oval Punch

12 Cards of Christmas - Card 1

It's time again for my 12 cards of Christmas! This is my third year doing this, and this will be the 50th Christmas card on this blog... wow, that's a lot of yuletide joy!
This year, many of the 12 are Stamp-a-Stack cards, which means they are simple designs that are easy to mass-produce. I've been running Christmas Stamp-a-Stacks since July, so lots of my ladies are totally organised now, and have all their Christmas cards made. Not me, however! I always feel like I have to come up with something totally fresh and new for my own Chrissy cards. This year's design is going to be really clean and simple (emphasis on the SIMPLE!).

At my classes I often do one design in traditional Christmas colours, and use non-traditional colours for the other design. Here I've used the Tree Trimmings set from the Spring Mini Catalogue (a bargain at $24.95, and only available until the end of this month) Very much non-traditional colours here: Elegant Eggplant, Pumpkin Pie, Rose Red and Kiwi Kiss! I really like these colours together.
For two of these cards, I have hand-drawn the string, using a Basic Grey marker (not as stark as black) and a ruler, and for the other one, I used the 'string' stamp in the set. The swirls are from Baroque Motifs, and the 'Season's Greetings' is from Many Merry Messages. It's a Christmas greeting set that I have used to death. It has handy Christmas greetings that can be used both for the front of cards, and for a verse inside as well. I've found it to be a very worthwhile investment.
The other greeting "a very Merry Christmas to you" has been very handy too. It's from "Best Yet" Level 1 Hostess set, and it fits beautifully inside the Large Oval punch. I couldn't decide what colour to stamp it in, so I used 3! I used my markers, and coloured the two ends first (Pumpkin Pie and Rose Red) and then the middle part in Elegant Eggplant. It's always a good idea to colour with the darkest colour last so you don't contaminate your markers.

I'll be back again with Card 2 tomorrow!

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Tree trimmings, Many Merry Messages, Baroque Motifs, Best Yet
ink: Elegant Eggplant, Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White Craft
card: Elegant Eggplant, Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red, Whisper White
other: Wide oval, Scallop Oval, Large Oval, Designer Label, Basic Grey marker, Pumpkin Pie marker, Rose Red marker, Elegant Eggplant marker

I survived!

Well I made it through the weekend, and am out the other side! The Craft Sale was a huge success (and heaps of fun too :o) Thank you to everyone who came along. We're already planning to do another one next October!

After the Craft Sale I came home and made up 80 Chocolate Wallet Kits...phew! Some were for people coming to my Open House yesterday, and some were for Project by Mail. I'll be closing off the Project by Mail this Friday (30th October), so email me now if you want to purchase a kit.
EDITED TO ADD: Demos are welcome to purchase kits (sorry, I am not selling instructions separately though). However I can only take orders from Australia.

It's a very dreary, rainy day here in Sydney today (but we do need the rain), so here's a *bright* card I made recently using Circle Circus:

It's a super-quick one to whip up if you need a card in a hurry. I hope it brightens up your day!

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Circle Circus, Think Happy Thoughts
ink: Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango
card: Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White
other: Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, mat pack, corner rounder, dimensionals

Catching Up!

Have you missed me?? We had a lovely time camping. The weather was kind to us, and it rained on our journey there, and our journey home, but stayed fine the whole time we were there. It was freezing though, and both kids came home with colds, which they were kind enough to share with me! I think I had a double dose... I'm feeling a lot better now but my voice has still not completely returned. Hubby has been interstate too, so I've been soldiering on without him to bring me cups of tea!

He's back now and we all went to see "Up" yesterday (the latest animated Pixar movie). I highly recommend it. Maybe I was feeling more fragile than normal (or probably I'm just a sap), but I had tears in my eyes several times. It's really, really sweet (and I think the kids enjoyed it too LOL).

In between all that, I managed to get all my November classes designed and October classes prepped, but I'm so behind on here that I haven't even shown you September's designs!
This was one of the Stamp-a-Stack designs. I think these were some of my favourite cards that we've made this year. The colours are very 'me', and they were very simple to make too:



I love, love, love the Bella Bleu Paper. To add some depth and definition to the main images, I inked them in Sahara Sand, and then sponged some Not Quite Navy and Close to Cocoa ink on the stamp before stamping it on Very Vanilla cardstock. I also sponged Sahara Sand ink around the edges. Both of the stamp sets are Level 1 Hostess sets, which means you can't buy them, but you can earn them for free. Email me if you want to know how!

I've had a ton of requests from people wanting to do the Chocolate Wallet as a Project by Mail. I've never offered one before, but I'm pleased to say that this will be my first! Stay tuned for details over the next day or so!

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Best Yet (Hostess), Organic Grace (Hostess)
ink: Sahara Sand, Not Quite Navy, Close to Cocoa
card: Kraft, Very Vanilla, Not Quite Navy
other: Kraft Taffeta ribbon, sponge dauber, Eyelet Border Punch, Scallop Edge Punch, Bella Bleu DSP

Sense of Time Stamp-a-Stack

I thought a masculine design would be a good idea for my August Stamp-a-Stacks, since Father's Day is just around the corner. I couldn't go past the Sense of Time set in the Spring Mini. It's not my usual style, but I was quite happy with how these came out, and the set is soooo easy to use. You really can't go wrong. I'm thinking it would make lovely heritage-style scrapbook pages too....

I also focused on some different ways to use Jumbo eyelets in this class. The hardware feel of the eyelets make them a great masculine embellishment (and the Crop-a-dile makes easy work of setting them!). I also used some Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, and some Linen thread. Tearing and sponging adds interest and texture to these fairly simple designs.

I have used some slightly neglected colours on these cards too - Mellow Moss and Bordering Blue. They both have a touch of grey in them, which makes them perfect for blokes :o)

So if you haven't made your Father's Day cards yet, whip out a collage style stamp set and some hardware, and you'll have them done in a jiffy.

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Sense of Time, On Your Birthday, Occasional Greetings
ink: Close to Cocoa, Bordering Blue, Mellow Moss
card: Bordering Blue, Mellow Moss, Naturals Ivory, Kraft
other: Brass Jumbo Eyelets, Linen Thread, 3/4" circle punch, 1" circle punch, Chocolate Chip Wide grosgrain, ribbon, Crop-a-Dile, sponge daubers, tag punch, Chocolate Chip marker

Team Meetings

One of my favourite gatherings are our team meetings. I hold them in my house, and it won't be long before we don't all fit, but I'm going to have them here for as long as I possibly can! We're planning a second storey renovation for early next year which will include knocking down a couple of walls downstairs to make a large dining room at the back of the house, so that will help! I'm going to put off hiring a hall for as long as possible because I just prefer a homey atmosphere. Our team meetings are always pretty informal. It's just a nice way to touch base with everyone, compare notes, and share what we've been up to. Of course there's always some stamping too. This was our most recent make-and-take. Everyone at the meeting made one, plus I like to mail one out to all those who couldn't make it on the day.

It's a super quick card that can easily be adjusted to suit almost any stamp set and punches, so it's a layout that I come back to again and again for workshops.

TIP: This card uses A4 cardstock very economically. The Kiwi Kiss piece is 10.5 x 7.4cm, so you can get 8 from an A4 sheet with no leftover bits. The Whisper White piece is 10.5 x 5.9cm so you can get 10 pieces from an A4 sheet with no leftovers. Super quick and easy for last-minute card emergencies!

This design also works well in workshops because although it is very simple, it has quite a few steps. So one person can be stamping butterflies (stamp 3 times in Riding Hood Red ink without re-inking the stamp), while another stamps the background stems in Pink Pirouette, and another stamps their sentiment in Kiwi Kiss. There's also some Paper piercing, faux stitching, edge distressing, sponging and punching to keep everyone busy, and give them some practise at various techniques and tools.
I couldn't resist making a stepped-up version....sometimes cards just beg to have their glad-rags on!Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Great Friend, Oval All
ink: Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss
card: Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White
other: Scallop Oval, Large Oval, Mat pack, White Gel Pen, sponge daubers, Cutter Kit (Distressing Tool), Felt Fusion, Rhinestone brads, Pink Pirouette Striped ribbon, Horizontal Slot punch, dimensionals

Back down to earth!

It's been back down to earth with a thud this week! I haven't had a single present on my pillow, no one has whisked away my plate after I've finished eating, and I've even had to eat lunch alone!! It's been hard getting Noosa out of my system, I tell ya!

All that aside, I've had back-to-back classes the last few days, and it's been fun sharing all the Noosa news and swaps with so many of you. I haven't had a chance to do any creating since I've been back, so I thought I'd show you the other card we made in last month's technique class, on embossing:

We used the 'Fifth Avenue Floral' rose for the background, and embossed with clear powder. I love this effect of a raised shiny background. For the focal image, we stamped the rose again on watercolour paper and this time embossed with white powder. The colouring has been done with Patty Bennett's "Fool Proof Watercolouring" technique. So effective and easy to do!
Then some sponging, layering and paper piercing to finish off. The embellishment is Basic Grey Taffeta ribbon, a flower brad and a half pearl (I borrowed this genius idea from the very clever Teneale).
I'm hoping to get some creating time in tomorrow (fingers crossed!)



Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, Fresh Cuts
ink: Versamark, Baja Breeze, Basic Grey
card: Basic Grey, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, Watercolour paper
other: Flower brads, Pretties kit, White EP, Clear EP, Heat tool, Small oval Punch, Large Oval punch, Eyelet Border punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Basic Grey Taffeta Ribbon, Mat pack, sponge daubers, dimensionals

Blog Candy Winner!

And the winner is......


A few of you had correct guesses, so well done, but the first correct answer was Liam on 15/8 at 5:43pm. Congratulations Liam, and thanks everyone for having a go!


Here is what I used to make this card:


Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Upsy Daisy, Fresh Cuts
ink: Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, Old Olive
card: Sahara Sand, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White, Old Olive
other: White Gel Pen, Brayer, Kraft Taffeta Ribbon

This card was born when I was practising my brayering. I started brayering in Baja Breeze and built up the deeper colour with Not Quite Navy. I then stamped Upsy Daisy in Not Quite Navy, and outlined some of the stems with a White Gel pen. I mounted it on Not Quite Navy, which gave me a lovely panel that needed to be turned into a card. None of the colours that I tried it with worked, I think because I had made an in-between shade of "Not Quite Baja Breeze" with my brayering! I settled on Old Olive and a neutral, Sahara Sand, but it was one of those cards that just felt blah to me.
You were all so kind, saying that my card was fine as it was, but I really didn't like it! So rather than just making a few adjustments, I have given the card major surgery. I ripped off my brayered panel, tossed out the rest of the card, and started over.
This is what I came up with this time:

I'm still not 100% happy, but I think it's better...what do you think??

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Upsy Daisy, Oval All
ink: Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, Basic Grey
card: Basic Grey, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White, Urban Garden DSP
other: White Gel Pen, Brayer, Basic Grey Taffeta Ribbon, Baja Breeze Double-Stitched Ribbon, Wide Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Not Quite Navy Marker, Basic Grey Marker, sponge daubers

P.S Now I'd better go and pack!!! I'll be checking my emails while I'm away, and am still able to place orders, so let me know if you need anything :o)

Embossed Kindred Spirits

Last month's Technique Class was Embossing. I thought everyone has 'been there, done that' with embossing, but I had a few requests to run a class, and even most of my seasoned stampers (SS) came along. To make the class a bit more interesting for even the SS, I tried to incorporate a few of the more unusual embossing techniques. Most people tend to think gold or silver for embossing, but for this card, we embossed the main image in white. We also embossed on Designer Series Paper, for something a bit different. Don't you just love how the image and papers co-ordinate?! It pleases my matchy-matchy heart. Gotta love Stampin' Up!
For the greeting, I showed my class attendees how to emboss using Dye Inks...just ink your stamp in Versamark first, and then the dye ink, and emboss with clear powder, so the words are raised and shiny.
How nice are these Filigree Brads?? They have to be my favourite brads in the whole catalogue. I love using a Rhinestone brad in the centre of them, rather than just a silver one, for extra bling.

Only 2 sleeps now until Incentive Trip (yes I'm a wee bit excited!!). I'm planning on updating my blog while I'm in Noosa, so you won't have to miss me too much ;o)

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Kindred Spirits, Upsy Daisy
ink: Versamark, Basic Grey
card: Basic Grey, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Urban Garden DSP
other: Corner Rounder Punch, Filigree Bards, Rhinestone Brads, Kiwi Kiss satin Ribbon, White Embossing Powder, Clear Embossing Powder, Embossing Buddy

Flower Power!

If these cards look familiar to you, it's probably because they look remarkably like the ones on page 140 of the Catalogue. I was admiring the colours and designs of the "Flower Power Card Elements" when it struck me that they would make a good Stamp-a-Stack. Now obviously it wasn't going to make for a very economical class to buy a gazillion Flower Power kits, so I came up with my own take on it.

My 'patterned paper' strips are actually 10.5 x 9.9cm pieces of cardstock that we stamped with 'Boho Backgrounds' and 'Wow Flowers' and then cut into 1, 2, 3 and 3.9 cm strips. We made some medallions from the circle designs in the stamp sets, and then assembly was quick and easy.

These 2 stamp sets are such a bargain. Wow Flowers ($24.95) is tucked away at the bottom of page 140.
The 'birthday wishes' stamp fits perfectly in the Word Window punch, and the others work well with the 1" and 1 1/4" circles.
Boho Backgrounds (p 107, $29.95) is also an extremely versatile set. It's great for male and female cards, and the medallion can be punched and layered in so many different ways.

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Wow Flowers, Boho Backgrounds
ink: Perfect Plum, Rose Red, Old Olive, More Mustard
card: Perfect Plum, Rose Red, Old Olive, More Mustard
other: Whisper White Grosgrain ribbon, 1" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch

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

Flight of the Butterfly

Thanks for all your lovely comments about my weekend work. I also made a frame for our dining room wall (which was another thing on my to-do list) but I haven't taken a photo of it yet....now that's on my to-do list! It never ends!!

I'm loving the "Flight of the Butterfly" set at the moment. It's a really pretty set to work with. Here's a card I made for a couple of special friend's birthdays:

I used the very pretty Candy Lane DSP (I love the pink and brown combos in it).

I didn't want to tie the ribbon in a knot, so I made a slit in the paper, and made a loop for another piece of ribbon to pass through.

TIP: I used my Mat Pack to get the 3 brads in a nice even row. I can never get them straight otherwise!

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Flight of the Butterfly
ink: Close to Cocoa, Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose
card: Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla
other: Very Vanilla Wide Grosgrain, Rich Regals Brads, Regal Rose Marker, Dimensionals, Mat pack

Party Hearty - Part 2

I do 2 different kinds of workshops (or home parties): Traditional workshops, where I demonstrate a few different things, and everyone makes a card to take home. It's free, and everyone gets to get their fingers inky, but it's not too overwhelming for beginners. After they've been to a Traditional workshop, most groups like to move on to doing a Class. Usually this takes the form of a Stamp-a-Stack (everyone makes 6 cards), but it can also be a project like this one - 4 cards and a matching Pocket Tote Bag.
These 4 cards have all been made from the same pieces of cardstock. To me, that's the magic of stamping. You can take the same pieces of cardstock, the same colours, and even the same stamp set and end up with an infinite number of completely different cards. At a traditional workshop we would make just one of these, but I still love to show everyone how different you can make them look. The Pocket Tote Bag with envelopes and the other 3 cards are a gift for the hostess for having the party.

I first saw this bag when Liam brought one along to a team meeting. I always feel inspired after team meetings! Liam is our Ideas girl. She ALWAYS has something new to wow us with.
She has even been kind enough to put a tutorial for making this bag on her blog HERE. Make sure you leave a comment to thank her!

Here is what it looks like inside:

I'm currently taking workshop bookings for late June and July, so email me if you'd like me to come and make a project like this with you and your friends!


Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Party Hearty
ink: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Riding hood Red, Chocolate Chip
card: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Riding hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
other: Scallop Circle punch, 1/2" circle punch, 1" circle punch, Word Window punch, tag punch, Kiwi Kiss striped ribbon, Wide Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, Chocolate Chip Patterns DSP, Riding Hood Red patterns DSP, Linen Thread, Silver brads, Mat pack

Sweet Nothings

...on to the next part of my Convention presentation! (are you sick of this yet??)
Unfortunately I only have one pic of this bit :o( I also showed a 12x12 page (yes, can you believe it??) and a card, and also a 4-fold pouch. If anyone took pics of those, I'd love it if you could email them to me so I can pop them up here for everyone to see.
These were all projects made with the "Sweet Nothings" Simply Scrappin' Kit. These kits make such quick and easy projects and definitely aren't just for Scrapbookers. This is a "sunny boy" (or sour cream) container that I put together using the Simply Scrappin' Kit:

I did a tutorial on these a while back. I didn't seal up this one, though. I just punched 2 holes and threaded some ribbon through to hold it shut. You can still open it without even undoing the ribbon, and pop a little gift inside. I love showing these at workshops, because they are soooo easy, and require no preparation!
Tomorrow I'll show you a couple of technique cards using Upsy Daisy :o)

Fresh Cuts

If you're looking to make a really quick card, you have to get your hands on the Fresh Cut Notes. They are just gorgeous and sooo quick and easy to use. They are square cards, with a die-cut flower design in the front. They are designed to complement the Fresh Cuts stamp set, but of course you can come up with your own creative ways to use them. I made a set of these in under half an hour, in all different colours. This one was my favourite though - Baja Breeze.
I made an insert for my card from Baja Breeze cardstock, and embossed the Fresh Cuts image in white embossing powder on the front, so that it would show through the cut-out flower. I stamped the small flower design (from 'Fresh Cuts') in Baja Breeze ink, and cut it out. I put a clear Rhinestone brad through the centre and then punched out a 5-petal flower to stick over the brad 'wings'. I'm so glad we can now buy the Rhinestone brads separately. I used to ration them when they were part of the Pretties Kit, but now I can use them willy nilly LOL
The 'vine' design down the side is also part of Fresh Cuts, and so is 'for you'. It is such a useful set of stamps! There is also a lovely 'thankyou' stamp in the set. I used some white Taffeta ribbon to finish it off, and stamped the envelope to match.
I'll show you the full set that I made next time.
We had a fabulous time camping...the weather was just perfect for us. Now that we're back I'm madly preparing for Convention. I was lucky enough to be asked to present, and I've been busy preparing lots of samples! It's in less than 2 weeks *gulp!* I'm starting to get nervous alreday!

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Fresh Cuts
ink: Baja Breeze, Versamark
card: Fresh Cuts Notes, Baja Breeze, Whisper White
other: 5-Petal Flower punch, Rhinestone brad, White Embossing Powder, White Taffeta Ribbon

You Take the Cake!

Cupcakes are pretty trendy in the papercraft world right now. The stamp set 'Party Hearty' has become a firm favourite already, not only because it has a cupcake in it, but it also has lots of other elements to make more masculine cards too...and there's no colouring in so you can whip up a batch of cards really fast!
This card was really quick to make. I just stamped each cupcake once onto a piece of Whisper White the width of my card, and once more onto some scrap Whisper White. I gave each cupcake on my card a different coloured candle, and I cut out the 3 cupcake tops from the scrap piece, and popped them onto the card with a dimensional. Don't these colours look yummy together? Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze, Regal Rose and Basic Grey.
To make the greeting multicoloured, I inked up the whole stamp in Pink Pirouette, and then used a Regal Rose marker to ink the word 'you'. Because there is no Baja Breeze marker, I just wiped off the ink with a cotton bud (q-tip) and carefully inked the word 'cake' with the edge of my Baja Breeze inkpad. Finally I used a Basic Grey marker for the line of dots.
I did a row of paper piercing with the Mat Pack, just to 'ground' the greeting more, and tie in with the line of dots under the words.
The finishing touch is some wide Regal Rose Grosgrain ribbon.

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Party Hearty
ink: Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze, Regal Rose
card: Pink Pirouette, Basic Grey, Whisper White
other: Scallop Edge punch, Word Window punch, Wide Regal Rose Grosgrain ribbon, Mat Pack, Regal Rose marker, Dimensionals

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