Sneak Peek - Stampin' Up! June Promotion

Well May was the month of the Stampin' Up! Paper Party Promo which is about to end before this week is out and they have another great promotion starting June 1. I made this little sneak peek card today in quite a hurry because I have "heaps" to do so i can escape on Wednesday to go to SU Convention in Canberra so I thought if I don't put this little peek up today I probably won't be posting again until I get home on the 3rd June. But have to admit I will probably come home so inspired that ideas will be flying out of my ears!! lol. Anyhow hope you like this little effort i am sure the June promo will give quite a few people a "reason to smile"........cheers Sue

Punch Art Kitty - One of my Convention Swaps!

Well I am definitely getting excited now! Only a few days till I leave for the Stampin' Up! Convention 2012 in Canberra. These punch art kitties (kitty design from Jackie Topa US demo) are one of my swaps which look very simple but after making thirty of them, they are not as simple as i had planned but am very happy to have these completed at least! The bottom photo is a scrap book layout I did which was inspired by the "ideas boards" from convention last year. Stampin' Up puts samples of everyones swaps up on big display boards for all to see - hundreds of inspiring ideas that make your head spin! So for now I am going to put my attention back to finishing my other swaps - Im running out of time!!! cheers Sue

Stampin' Up! Framelits make quick and easy cards too!

I am really liking Stampin' Up!s new framelits in the Autumn Winter Mini Catalogue they are really versatile and you can make a whole card really easily with literally just the framelit shapes and they are also great for small 3D projects and scrapbooking (you can cut a photo out with a smaller framelit and frame it with a bigger one!) they just make a project that bit different with a lovely shape. I made this card in some nice fresh colours of Saffron and Lucky Limeade for a "Birthday Pen Pals Swap" that I joined into and can't wait for my birthday when I will recieve about twenty different hand made cards from ladies all over Australia............lucky me!

A couple of scrapbook pages from Stampin' Up! convention in Melbourne last year!

I was really relieved to actually catch up on at least some of my scrapbooking projects recently. I have more "on the go" than I care to think about! However I have finished my scrapbooking from convention last year in Melbourne - just in time, cause convention this year is only twelve days away and I'll have a whole new bunch of photos to scrap! Stampin' Up Convention is in Canberra this year and there is a whole bunch of excited demos and hobbyist alike getting ready for the annual event! It isn't just the social, sharing ideas, workshop "wows", new products etc i think for a lot of the ladies it is a bit of precious "me" time away from demands of work, family, household chores and the like and so many of us are sooo looking forward to an exciting few days break away! Some would already have their "swaps" made and organised (I was organised last year - sigh!) but it came around quicker than I realised so this week I will be flatout making my swaps for the next week!! I will post them up before I leave here for "chilly I think" Canberra!  

Stampin' Up Tea Shoppe - inspired by Mother's Day Cuppas

Well these cards are like "chalk and cheese" to me even though the layout is the same. The second "psychadelic" coloured card was inspired by a "colour challenge" and these colours certainly took me for a good walk outta my comfort zone, however in the end I liked my layout. I was inspired enough by all the "Mother's Day" coffees I had today to make one in colours more suited to me! It was probably all the caffeine I consumed today that fired me up enough to make it tnite! lol ! Think the second card is actually more the way I'm probably feeling now after so many coffees than the first one! Hope everyone had a great day and got spoilt like all good Mums deserve for at least one day of the year! So enjoyed the dinner I didn't cook tnite even though it was takeaway!

Mother's Day card with some "flower power"!

Here's a couple of Mother's Day cards I made with a bit of "flower power"! This is the first time I have used my "Blossom Builder Punch" and I added a little bit of quilling in the centre. They were actually inspired by a card made by Mary Fish (Stampin Pretty) who is a US demo TFS! I have to admit i don't get very fired up to make Mother's Day cards these days cause I lost my Mum about 18 months ago but it's still a happy day for all the rest of us Mums. I will keep my fingers crossed that my DD is a "chip off the old block" and secretly make a creation of her own for me like she did last year! That's the best gift of all in my book!

3D gift set project- Strawberries and Chocolate!

Sunday mornings are the best day to get away with staying in your pjays and creating - it's probably the only day! Anyway I had a bit of inspiration happening early and it's now after lunch but this is the result! I am really happy with this lot which is good because I don't feel like I wasted the morning! lol.
The inspiration came from all those "punch art" strawberries on the net, sorry I can't give anyone in particular credit for it there are alot out there and I have no idea who started the idea - thanks anyway!

In one of my very first "posts" I made a 3D "triangle or pyramid shaped gift box and it was christmas themed with a little red and green owl (using the Stampin' Up! owl punch) on it. That "favour" box is the same is the one in this set and I will post up a little "mini tutorial" for it soon for those who might like the instructions for it. I am not computer skilled enough to make video tutorials (yet?? lol, maybe one day!) but it is "so easy" I will show you how with a couple of photos instead!

Well now I'm gonna drag myself away from my desk and start prepping a "Sunday roast" for dinner! This will be interesting because I have never cooked one on a "Webber bbq" before! My brother bought me one the other day for a gift and I'm gonna "test it out"! Enjoy what's left of your Sunday.......Sue

White crayon resist technique - my attempts!

Can't help myself - I have to have a go at just about every technique I see! This one is called "crayon resist". Firstly you stamp your dark (black in this case) image onto glossy paper then you add some white crayon to areas you would like to highlight. The only tricky bit with the top card (which is one of my favourites "Elements of Style") is that you have to concentrate on where you have marked with the white crayon because you can't see it on the white card and because it has so many flowers and leaves I got a bit lost with where I had done and where I hadn't! Anyways the rest is simply to sponge on some colours and then give it a rub with a scrap bit of towel or a little rag to smudge it in a bit.

The bottom card with the girl on the swing from "Forever Young" I actually tried to recess inwards with the framelits dies but it didn't turn out as effective as I planned but I liked it in the end. Enjoy the rest of your weekend............Sue

Simply Scored Idea - faux tile effect

This is another "easy" idea of another way to use Stampin' Up!s new Simply Scored Tool and I am totally honest when I say i don't know what I did before I bought mine because I use it all the time now!
This "faux tile" effect was just scoring at 1/2 inch intervals and then stamped on, just something a bit different. I also made a baby card which I scored on glossy cardstock and stamped the little duck from "Easy Events" and it actually looked a bit like bathroom tiles because of the gloss but I had a bit of bother photographing it so the effect was visible so I can't share that one but you can get the "ghist" from the description!

Stampin' Up! has some great things happening this month with a "Paper Party" special which is buy three packs of DSP (designer series paper) and get one for free - that's a good deal especially if you want to stock up on a few of your favourite packs before they retire when the new catalogue comes out in a few months time.

Stampin' Up has also a great new deal for anyone wishing to join up. It is now only $169 to join and for that you can choose $235 worth of product of your choice and receive $80 worth of business supplies with your order and free shipping!! And just to top that off if you join this month (May) you will also receive a free pack of DSP each month until December! Pretty good I reckon! The other great part about that is you can do as little or as much as you want with your membership i.e. If you only want to join to get the great discounts on their quality product for your use that's fine or if you want to do a bit more and earn some extra $$ that's fine too. If I hadn't joined already I certainly would be this month!!!
If you are interested just send me an email or give me a call and tell you more about it and answer any of your questions.

Emboss Resist - Apothecary Art - Vintage style

"Emboss resist" is a really fun and easy technique to do! Basically all you need to do is "emboss" your stamped image, in this case I used white embossing powder and one of  Stampin' Up!s new Apothecary Art stamps and then rubbed some "crumb cake" ink over the image with a sponge! The new "framelits" are a really good shape for vintage style projects as well! In the new Autumn Winter Mini catalogue we have a new sentiments stamp set called "Loving Thoughts" this is what I used to gold emboss the "Wonderful You" and last but not least I used the new "Attic Boutique" Designer Series Paper for the background. Obviously i love to play with new product and this card was "easy as" hope you like it!

Stampin' Up! Elebration meets Pedal Presents - Childrens Birthday Cards

Well as I said yesterday the weather has been lousy so it's great for being indoors and crafting, I also mentioned I had received my order of goodies from Stampin' Up! I had ordered the Elebration stamp and also the new hostess set in the Autumn Winter mini catalogue called Pedal Presents. Well whilst I was checking out my new stamps I got an idea to merge two together and put the elephant on the bike!! So I have now created two birthday cards, one for a boy and one for a girl and got to have a practise at my watercolouring! Which I have to say is very relaxing to do! Hope you like!!

Japanese Doll Punch Art Cards

It's been raining so bad the last couple of days there's no better excuse to stay inside and create! I had been mucking around with some punch art projects for a bit but hadn't gotten to finishing anything but this morning my Stampin' Up! order with some new goodies from the Autumn Winter Mini arrived! I have to say I now have a new favourite stamp - and that would be the filigree style flower which is the background stamping in the card above! Just looove it! It's in the new "Mixed Bunch" stamp set and has a co-ordinating punch that matches this set. I haven't used the punch yet but have been quite happy playing with just this one stamp alone today! I think it's supposed to be pouring with rain again tomorrow but i don't mind! Lol

Stampin' Up! Bigshot shapes make home/garden decor accents with aluminium flashing!

Well these projects were so much easier to make than photograph! I am also not the most computer savvy person on the planet so why the two pictures are stuck together i don't know but you can still them anyways!

These make great decorative garden stakes but as you can see they could be personalized for a special ocassion. I just went to "Bunnings" and bought some 3mm aluminium flashing and some wire for under $20. I had some old chain and jump rings laying around from a previous "beading" tangent and there you have it! I do have to say i have seen shapes cut with the big shot before with aluminium cans but they are thinner and "sharper" so I thought I would try something a bit thicker to see if it wasn't quite as sharp. I didn't use gloves and just took my time and and happy to say no band-aids were needed for my fingers during the few hours it took me to make them all!......cheers for now ..Sue

Stampin' Up Large Tote Bags made with Designer Series Papers and cardstock great size for larger gifts! - Autumn & Winter Colours

These large tote bags were my first attempt at a free tutorial I found on the net - sorry can't remember where I got it! I will be starting to hold small classes for 1-4 people after the easter school holidays are over and I am going to make one of my first ones this tote in a different patterned paper to match a card for a "Mother's Day' themed project. Will be posting more info about these soon!!

wishing everyone a happy and safe Easter break and "happy crafting" if you get time to create over the holidays..........cheers for now.......Sue

Wedding Invitation Ideas made with Stampin' Up! Have fun, make your own and save heaps!

Well today is the very first day of Stampin' Up! New Autumn Winter Mini Catalogue and this one in particular is really exciting because we now have the much anticipated "Simply Scored" which in my opinion is next biggest tool since the "Big Shot"! I have been lucky enough to have mine for a few weeks now because if you join Stampin' Up! demos get to buy and play with new product a month early and I have to say as much as I am prone to doing things the hard way with a ruler and bone scorer I will never, never, ever go back to that outdated method now I have my brilliant scoring tool! I now keep it permanently within reach when I am crafting!

There's also other great new products in the mini like the Adorning Accents Edgelits and Embossing folders and also "Framelits" which are really light weight and compact to store compared to dies and punches, not that I don't love my punches and dies but I won't have any problems looking for room to store plenty of framelits shapes!! I used these products to make the wedding invitations above and have to say the curvy shapes are well suited to wedding style creations. Funny enough I have three friends at the moment who are all helping organise "purple" weddings so made these up with Stampin' Up!s Elegant Eggplant cardstock - it really is a lovely colour but unfortunately doesn't do justice in these photos.  

If you are interested in making your own wedding stationery and I can help you with making or creating them just phone or email me and also if you would like a copy of the new mini catalogue just contact me.......cheers for now, Sue..........P.S. Daylight saving ending today is going to completely throw my body clock out the window for a week or more so I will no doubt be "craftin at all sorts or hours" lol.

Easter Tag and Card Ideas made with Stampin' Up! Bird Builder Punch

Here's some really easy and quick Easter card and gift tag ideas - the first picture are gift tags I made with the lovely Language of Friendship stamp set. The card in the second picture with the "chicks in eggs" I "cased" from Tami White's blog (US) and I loved them so much I had to have a play with the idea but I copied it pretty much exactly because I don't see the point in trying to change something that really looks good and works. The bottom card with the very cute and simple bunny on it I copied from Mary Fish's blog she is also another talented US demo! These were all quick and easy to create and I like the idea of a nice little handmade tag to put with a gift of chocolate easter eggs.

Well tomorrow may very well be "April Fools Day" but it is also the beginning of the Stampin' Up! Autumn Winter Mini Catalogue so there's more exciting products to play with and also a fantastic new tool that I just can't get by without!!

Mini Easter Bonnets made with empty Stampin' Up! button/brad containers - great way to recycle!

A great little gift idea for easter - just need to pop a few little eggs inside! This idea was inspired by another Stampin' Up! demonstrator, Kerry Bunting, who has lots of great project ideas, thanks for sharing this cute idea Kerry! (so many demonstrators share inspiring ideas I never have to worry if I can't think of something new there's so much creating out there I'm right for ideas for life!)

Christian Occasion Themed Cards - Christening, Wedding, Sympathy & Easter all created with basically two Stampin' Up! punches!!

Hi all! I still have my creative energy "mojo" going crazy at the moment! Too much to create not enough time to do it all in! I have to admit I am not the fastest crafter because I enjoy my time making things and it just totally relaxes me just sitting and creating but like they say "easier said than done" and if I could create as quick as I think of the ideas.........?? I better just settle for enjoying the moments!! So these cards are all similar with the punched crucifix in common but hey what a variety of cards can be made from this simple punch idea only using two Stampin' Up! punches - the Scallop trim border punch and the Scallop trim corner punch!

I am now at a stage of being organised enough to be able to offer classes and workshops for small groups from my home in Umina now and am quite happy to teach "one on one" as well!! Just give me a call or email me if you live within the Central Coast area and would like to learn about paper-crafting!!!!!!  

Stampin' Up! Easy Events - "easy as" cards

These cards were just so quick and easy to make and took very little time as well! The name of this stamp set "Easy Events" speaks for itself and you can make a whole variety of different ocassions from just one stamp set! Baby, birthday, christmas,sympathy, thank you - to name a few. I am going to make a nice gift box to put them in and give them as a gift! Too easy!

Stamping on tiles with Stampin' Up! Stazon and chalk pastels

I have stamped on other mediums before (other than card and paper) but was not aware that "chalk pastels" would stick to tiles until I saw a video tutorial by Tami White (StampwithTami) on the net the other day and she demonstrated applying chalk to tile with a blender pen! Well that was all I needed to start me off on a "tile creating mojo frenzy"!! lol. I thought they would make great little inexpensive gifts for all occasions! As you can see in my pictures, they would even make a different "wedding favour" for guests at their place settings! They are great as a "tile card" or "coaster".
 A few tips - glossy tiles don't take to chalk as well as the flat or tumbled tiles but if you are only using stazon you are able to wipe off any oooppses no trouble.
Stazon does not come off the rougher textured tiles so there is no room for error but they are great to chalk colour.
Seal them with only the "lightest" spray coats of laquer or the stazon will run very easily. A few very light coats works and they don't take long to dry inbetween.
These were soooo fun to do, something different but still able to make them with my favourite stamp sets!