Only 4 days to go!

There's only 4 days of Sale-a-Bration left!
Items are flying off the Retirement List too. If there's tons of stuff on the list that you just can't live without, how about this for a great way to get it all: Place an order for $300 by the end of February, and you will get 10% off all Retiring stamp sets and Accessories (so your $300 order will cost you substantially less than $300), plus 3 Sale-a-Bration sets, plus a Level 1 Hostess Set of your choice, plus $30 in free merchandise. Now that's got to be the best way to buy your stamps! Just email me to place your order, and I can even have it shipped straight to you.
Now, I'd better show you my last few Sale-a-Bration samples, before it's all over!

How's this for a fresh and pretty colour combination: Ballet Blue, Certainly Celery and Whisper white. I've used markers to ink up the swirl, so I could do the flowers blue and the swirly bit Celery. I stamped the large flower on a metal-edged tag in Ballet Blue, and then stamped one of the smaller flowers in the set in Celery and adhered it to the centre with a silver brad. The gorgeous Wide Celery ribbon has made an appearance again, and I adhered the metal-edged tag with Dimensionals to pop it up. Easy Peasy. I love letting a pretty colour combination and finely detailed stamped images do all the hard work for me!

Valentine doggy!

OK, so I know that I totally missed Valentine's Day (where has February gone??), but I couldn't resist showing you this photo, albeit a little late...This is our little dog Coco, dressed up by the kids for Valentine's Day (actually it says "Valentimes", because that's what Jacob (7) insists on calling it). He is just the sweetest dog, and puts up with anything!

And, just to show I'm not totally unromantic, here's the card I made for my husband for Valentine's Day:

but I suppose I shouldn't admit that I haven't actually given it to him yet...
I used the Heart from "Simply Said" and 'kissed' it onto my Paisley Background stamp in Tempting Turquoise ink. So, now you're probably wondering why I was kissing stamps and not my husband .... Kissing is a technique where you ink up a Background stamp, and press another uninked stamp onto it, and then stamp onto your cardstock. I stamped the little word 'love' from Everyday flexible Phrases in Chocolate Chip ink on the heart. Next I stamped a label from 'Label Classics' (retiring set *sob!*) in Chocolate Chip and cut it out. Then I wanted some patterned paper in Tempting Turquoise and I couldn't find a thing that worked. So I used Teneale's genius idea of Brayering my Au Chocolat paper (that girl is sooo clever, I tell ya!) in Tempting Turquoise. There's lots of corner rounding going on with this card (another retiring product *double sob!*), and a piece of Tempting Turquoise ribbon (can you believe how much ribbon is retiring?? *triple sob!*)

Who says love should be reserved for Valentine's Day anyway? I think I'll go and put this card on his pillow right now!

Faux Tearing

This is the little card I was demonstrating at the Show (yes, blues and greens again!!). I was showing a technique called Faux Tearing, and also Watercolouring with Markers.

Here's how to do it:
1. Tear a scrap of paper that is at least as long as your card. This will be your mask.
2. Lay the torn edge along your card where you would like your faux tear to be
3. Use sponge daubers and your inkpad to sponge along the torn edge
4. Move the mask up over the sponged edge a few mm and stamp or sponge the cardstock above the tear

Here I stamped with the Paisley Background above my faux tear. The colours I've used here are Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue and certainly Celery. The "Merci" Sale-a-Bration set is so lovely to watercolour!

So Long, Farewell... the Retirement List is Here!

Stampin' Up! have released the list a few days early...and it's enormous! While it's sad to see so many lovely products disappear forever, it leaves lots of room for beautiful new Stamps and Accessories on April 1st. One lesson we learnt last year was that these products disappear quickly...in fact, some are sold out already! So, if there is anything you have your heart set on, get in quickly!
To my customers, I am offering 10% off all Retiring Stamp Sets and Wheels. So, grab your catalogue and your wishlist to see what you just can't live without! And the great news is, if you place your order for $100 or more in February, you earn a FREE Sale-a-Bration set too.
If you receive my Newsletter, you should have your copy already, but if you would like a copy of the Retirement List, just email me now!

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!

Not much time left to Sale-a-Brate!

It's been such a fun 2 months, and I'll be so sad when it's over. Sale-a-Bration ends on the 29th February (aren't we lucky to have a Leap Year, so we can Sale-a-Brate for an extra day?!). That means there's only 10 more days to get one of the gorgeous FREE stamp sets! You can see them all here and then it's simply a matter of emailing me your $100 order from here or here, and you can choose a free set for every $100 you spend!
These sets will never be available again, so don't miss out!

This card has been made with the Birthday Whimsy Set. This set is so versatile for making cards for men, children, women, anyone!
And to make it really easy, I've put together this kit which gives you all the supplies to make this card:

SALE-A-BRATION CARD KIT
Large Oval Punch $30.95
Small Oval Punch $30.95
Wide Grosgrain Ribbon $14.95 (choice of colour)
Mixed Pack of A4 cardstock $14.50 (36 sheets, choice of colours)
1 Inkpad $9.95 (choice of colour)
Free Sale-a-Bration Set of your choice
Total including Shipping = $105

PLUS, I will give you an extra FREE inkpad ($9.95 value) or Whisper White Cardstock ($13.50 value) whichever you prefer, AND I will send you this card, with instructions and tips on how to make it.
Just email me by February 28 to take advantage of this offer!

Edited to Add: The colours I've used here are Brocade Blue, Certainly Celery and Bashful Blue

What a Show!

I've had such a fun weekend! Hello to everyone I chatted to at the show. We were so busy, and the response we had to our stand was fantastic. Our make-and-take (this card) was extremely popular, and so was the Maze Book Class, and all our demonstrations. We were demonstrating Faux Tearing, Brayering, Dazzling Diamonds, 5-in-1 template Creations, Ways to use Chipboard and Quick Scrapbooking. If you were there and would like more information on any of these, please just email me. Here's a quick card I made a couple of weeks ago with the Friendship Blooms Sale-a-Bration set. This has been the most popular Sale-a-Bration set for me. Here I've stamped the big flower in Cameo Coral, and Watercoloured using my Blender Pens and inkpad lids. I've stamped the swirl in Bashful Blue down the left hand side (I love this swirl stamp!). Then I punched out an oval , and stamped the 3 flowers peeping through from the inside of the card...when you open it up, there's a white panel with the 3 flowers down the bottom and "Your Friendship makes my heart Happy" inside. I stamped the flowers in Cameo Coral and cut out one of the centres because I felt that it needed some Cameo Coral down the bottom to balance the card. A Bashful Blue button and a teeny piece of Celery ribbon finish it off.
I'll be sending out my E-newsletter later this week, so add your email address in the box over there --------------------->
if you'd like to receive it!

See you at the Show!

The Stitches and Craft Show is now the Creative Living Expo, but there will still be every craft under the sun! I'll be on the Stampin' Up! stand, so come and say Hi! You can sign up at our stand to make an Amazing Maze book (see this post) and you can also come and join in our Free Make-and-Take. There'll be lots of fantastic demonstrations happening too...Dazzling Diamonds, Faux tearing, Scrapbooking and more!
When: 15 -17 February 2008 (that's TOMORROW!)
Where: Rosehill Racecourse, Rosehill, Sydney
Entry: $15 adult, $12 concession (aged and student), Children up to 12 FREE. But if you buy your ticket online, you can get it for only $10! Check it out at http://www.creativelivingexpo.com.au/

Catching Up!

I've been honoured to receive not one, but TWO awards in the last day. Michele gave me the E award:And Leonie gave me the Spread the Love Award!

Aren't I Lucky?! Thanks girls! Because it's too hard to think of 10 people to pass these awards on to, I'm going to give 5 people both awards (that's probably against the rules, but too bad!)

1. Teneale Williams (who has a website not a blog, but since I'm breaking rules anyway, I might as well go the whole hog!) because she's the most talented stamper I know and one of the loveliest people I've ever met too.
2. Alisa Tilsner (even though she's probably been nominated a zillion times already) because she's such a star!
3. Jayne Mercer (even though I know she's got one of them already) because she's such a star!
4. Sarah Klass because everything she does is so classy (I mean Klassy!)
5. Claire Daly because she really does do art AND heart!

I've also been a very slack Tagger. I was tagged a couple of times, quite a while ago now, and I'm ashamed to say, I dropped the baton! *blush*
I was supposed to name 7 Interesting Things about myself *sigh* 7 BORING things would be much easier.... Oh well, I'm breaking all the rules today!
7 BORING Things about me:
1. I don't speak any language apart from English
2. I have never lived anywhere but NSW
3. I am scared of heights
4. I don't watch any tv shows
5. I like to read
6. I like to do crosswords
7. I'm not allergic to anything

See, boring aren't I?? And I'm not tagging anyone either :-P

Another Brayer Background

Yep, it's official...I definitely have the Brayer Bug. Watch out - I think it's contagious!
This time I steered away from my usual Blues and Greens and went for some earthy, autumnal colours instead. I inked up my Brayer in Sahara Sand first, and then inked one edge in More Mustard and the other in Really Rust. I sponged the colours on the Brayer to blend the colours (this helps prevent any lines). Then I brayered back and forth like mad on my Whisper White cardstock. I stamped Stem Silhouettes on top in Basic Black ink. It's hard to tell in the pic, but the Really Rust piece has been stamped with the Canvas Background in Versamark ink. I mounted it all on a Card base of Sahara Sand. Some Hemp Twine adds to the Rustic feel, and the sentiment is from All Year Cheer I.
I actually made this card for my sister who recently had to go to hospital with a broken ankle, but I didn't like it enough to give it to her, and I still haven't made her a replacement (even though she is now out of hospital and hobbling around on crutches!). Sorry Yvette!

Blog Candy Winner!

I used the kid's Bingo Machine to draw a winning number. It has 90 numbers though, and there were only 53 comments, so it drew out the suspense...
First was

78

then

56

and then.....

9!

The winner is.....

Lisa Grainger!

Lisa, I'll be in touch, and find out which Sale-a-Bration set you would like.
Thanks to everyone who left a comment. I had so much fun that I'll definitely be doing Blog Candy more often, so check back soon!

On the Brayer Bandwagon!

There seem to be a lot of brayered sky backgrounds at the moment...blame Alisa...she started it! :-P
Here's my first attempt. I inked my brayer in Cool Caribbean, and then inked the top in Not Quite Navy and the bottom in Certainly Celery. I blended the ink a bit on the brayer with a sponge, and then wheeled back and forth like mad on my Whisper White cardstock until it looked the way I wanted it to!
Then I stamped 'Lovely as a Tree' in Basic Black ink on top. I've had this stamp set for a little while now, but this was it's first inking. I wanted a stamp set to challenge me, and this is a definite departure from my usual style. I don't like it yet, but maybe it will grow on me (trees grow, right?? ;-)
I mounted it on black, and then I had sooo much trouble finding the right colour to mat it on. The brayering had blended the colours and so nothing matched. It was a good reminder of what card-making used to be like pre-Stampin' Up! ....pulling out every single shade of blue, and still not finding the right one. I finally resorted to Sahara Sand. It's like a pair of beige pants...it goes with everything! I played around with stamped backgrounds and finally decided to leave it plain...still not sure if that was a good move or not. The base card is Cool Caribbean, with the edges sponged in Not Quite Navy.
Sometimes everything flows when I make a card, and sometimes it's like going swimsuit shopping....nothing seems to fit right *sigh*

Rose Merci

Thankyou for all the lovely Blog Birthday wishes! And now I know how to get you all coming out of the woodwork...Blog Candy! ;-)I never get tired of watercolouring the "Merci" set, and it looks good in so many different colour combinations. Here I've used Bashful Blue, Sage Shadow and Rose Red. I've watercoloured using my Watercolour Crayons and an Aquapianter. I 'nipped' the corners using the Slit Punch, and attached a piece of Aged Copper Hodgepodge Hardware to the corner. It's a great way to use up tiny scraps of ribbon! I stamped the 'Happy Hello' stamp from "Lots of Thoughts", plus some hearts, bees and butterflies from "Merci" on the Sage Shadow piece in Sage Shadow ink, and then highlighted some parts with my White Gel Pen. I circled "Have a Great Day" with my Basic Black Marker.

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.

Get your Sunnies On!

And now for something completely different...you wouldn't even know this was Bud Basics, the same stamp set I used in my last Pink post. This is a technique that I hadn't tried before - Wet Paper Watercolouring. You can see how it's done here. The trick with this one is knowing when to stop...I think I kept going a bit longer than I should have! I used Watercolour paper, as it absorbs water sooo much better than Whisper White. I used my "Pumpkin Patch" Spectrum Pad for the bold flowers and Ruby Red for the outlines. The ribbon is from "Rustic Retreat" Ribbon Originals. The other colours are Cameo Coral, Ruby Red, Marigold Morning and Real Red. I stamped "Canvas" in Marigold Morning ink on the Mariogold Morning piece.
These are SO not my colours (no Certainly Celery *gasp!*), but it's good to step out and try something different every so often...and now, back to my Certainly Celery LOL