It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ...

Okay, so it's not really, although it's cold enough outside *g* ... apparently it snowed yesterday in parts of Victoria, and it's not exactly tropical outside today either. Ah well, this is what you get for a Melbourne winter.

And I know Christmas is still more than five months away, but I'm excited because I got a new stamp set - one that I have been eyeing off since I saw it in the US Stampin' Up! mini catalogue last year (actually, I got more than one new stamp set, but I will talk more about the others at a later date).

This set, Season of Joy, will be available to purchase from next month (August) through to November, through Stampin' Up!s mini catalogue promotion.

Anyway, this is my first card from it. In fact, I haven't even had a chance to ink up the other stamps in the set - too much actual paid work to do, and it's also school holidays which means I'm also trying to spend a bit of time with the kids. It was inspired by this one from Splitcoast Stampers ... I liked the simplicity and the effect of smooshing the stamp pad onto white cardstock. You can't tell from the photo, but actually looks kind of like a chalk finish.

And I used my new So Swirly wheel down the right hand side ... this is in the current catalogue, and co-ordinates with the Priceless set, but also with this Season of Joy as well. I love it when sets match together. The wheel was inked up with Versamark because I wanted a really subtle finish, but the effect was a little too subtle - so I dusted over it the Pretty in Pink chalks (matching the Pretty in Pink cardstock and ink).

Images © 1990-2008 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used: Season of Joy stamp set, So Swirly Stampin' Around wheel, Pretty In Pink and Whisper White cardstock, Pretty In Pink, Basic Black and Versamark ink, Stampin' Pastels, Pretty in Pink ribbon.

Stay posted ... I hope to put up more samples from not only this set but the other two I ordered sometime over the next few days. I love new stuff!

Oh, and did I mention that all stamps from the upcoming Mini Catalogue are (drumroll please) DIE CUT! Yup, no messy trimming, just pop the stamps out and stick 'em on. So easy, so quick.