Live Like You Mean It

This stamp set is one of the new Level 1 Hostess sets from the current Stampin' Up! catalogue ... if you host a workshop you could earn this set for FREE!

The set comprises the long stemmed flower and phrase shown at the left, a small flower, outline stamps for the flowers and for a leaf and the word "Life". Every time I look at that last stamp, an old song from the 70s band Sherbet starts playing in my head *sigh* wish I still had that album *g*.

Anyway, this was a fun experiment with bright colours including the new In Color Pacific Point - isn't that blue just divine?! I wasn't sure about it at first, but it just keeps ending up on my work surface waiting to be used - you haven't seen the last of it!

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp set/s: Live Like You Mean It (Hostess Level 1)
Ink: Pacific Point, Basic Black
Cardstock: Pacific Point, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun, Whisper White
Other: Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Cutter Kit, Stampin' Dimensionals

One year already!

Wow, that snuck by quickly ... I just checked to see how long I've been writing this blog and it's already been 12 months - and three days. As I haven't anything new to show you this time around (sorry, it's been hectic around my place lately) I thought instead I would show you everything I've uploaded over the past 12 months.

Thanks for reading so far - let's see what I can get to in the next 12 months!

Counting down to Canberra

The highlight of the Stampin' Up! year would have to be the annual Convention, held in a selected capital city each year around this time of year. This year it's in our nation's capital and it's next week (eek).

At most papercrafting gatherings, it is a tradition for attendees to swap creations, and of course a convention hall filled with Stampin' Up! demonstrators is no exception. I have even managed to get my act together enough to prepare swaps (for me this is pretty momentous, generally I'm not organised to make more than one of anything) (I make an exception for these events though!).

This time around I have gone with a couple of different designs, because when I started I didn't have any new stuff, then I got excited about this new set Upsy Daisy and had to do something with that as well. And so I didn't get too bored I ran with a few different colourways on the Upsy Daisy card (you can see two of them here) (okay, there was an ulterior motive - I ran out of Apricot Appeal cardstock and had to use an alternative colour as the base so played around with the other colours*g*).

So here's my swaps. I like them. But I'll be happy to get rid of them all because that means I'll have some lovely new things to look at when I get back from Canberra.

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp set/s: (Cards 1 & 3) Upsy Daisy; (Card 2) Baroque Motifs, En Francais
Ink: (Card 1) Real Red, Pixie Pink, Apricot Appeal; (Card 2) Pixie Pink, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip; (Card 3) Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie, More Mustard, So Saffron
Cardstock: (Card 1) Apricot Appeal, Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White; (Card 2) Close to Cocoa, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Glossy White (Card 3) Pumpkin Pie, Ruby Red, Basic Black, Whisper White
Other: (Cards 1 & 3) Stampamajig, 1-3/8" Square Punch, Stampin' Sponges; (Card 2) 1-1/4" Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Stampin' Sponges

Can't wait till next week!

Mixing it up again

Something I've been doing lately when inspiration has run dry is to recreate a card in different colours - I'm always surprised by how different the same layout and stamps can look just by using an alternative colour combination.

Here's two I made the other day, the same as this one but not the same *g*. Okay, I did switch out the background stamp, but that's just my creative licence, yes?



Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp set/s: Echoes of Kindness (Hostess Set), Weathered
Ink: Rose Red, Old Olive
Cardstock: Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
Other: Uniball White Gel Pen, 1/4" Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon, Cutter Kit, Stampin' Sponges

Thanks for looking!

New Rubbah!

With a new catalogue comes new rubber, and that's gotta be good. Except for my bank balance (ouch) but these things happen.

My new stamps turned up this week and while I haven't been sitting down stamping madly non-stop, I have managed to put together a couple of cards I quite liked using one of my new favourite sets, Fifth Avenue Floral. This set contains three flower stamps, a stem (so you0 can build your own garden) and a phrase as shown on this first card.

Hmmm ... I don't remember this photo being quite so blurry - sorry about that *g*. You get the idea.

The rose stamp is pretty big - the image is about 6.5cm x 7cm, and as with the other two flowers is perfect to watercolour - or, as shown here, stamp onto coloured cardstock and cut out.

Loooove the new Wide Oval Punch!

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp set/s: Fifth Avenue Floral
Ink: Basic Black, Basic Gray, Real Red
Cardstock: Real Red, Basic Gray, Basic Black, Whisper White
Other: Wide Oval Punch, Scallop Edge Punch

The second card I made with this set was inspired by this one at Splitcoaststampers ... I even accidentally used the same words *g*, trust me, I was looking for something different but the typeface just fit so nicely with the design.

I must have been having a red and black day.

The strange thing about this is, while I love how the card came out, and the warmth and brightness of the colours, I'm not a fan of orange at all. I guess I'm learning to live with it, so long as it's offset by another colour.

The colouring was done partly with a blender pen and inkpad, and party with Stampin' Write markers.

Did you know that the word window fits exactly into the Large Oval Punch? Looks very effective, don't you think?

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp set/s: Fifth Avenue Floral, Upsy Daisy
Ink: Stazon Black, Pumpkin Pie
Cardstock: Real Red, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
Other: Large Oval Punch, Blender Pen, Stampin' Write Markers in Apricot Appeal, So Saffron and Summer Sun

"Always" is back

With the return of some stamp sets from previous mini catalogues in the new Stampin' Up! catalogue, one in particular I was happy to see was "Always". And to celebrate I whipped up this nice quick card, inspired by one Karen made a while back.

Yeah, it's pink ... what can I say? I think Pretty in Pink and Rose Red go so well together.

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp sets: Always
Ink: Rose Red, Pretty in Pink
Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Whisper White
Other: 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Uniball Signo White Gel Pen

Creative differences

Sometimes it's interesting to give a group of stampers the exact same materials just to see what they come up with. On Friday, the guests at a workshop were given materials to make something similar to the second card in this post. I knew from past experience these particular ladies would all come up with something completely individual, and I wasn't disappointed *g*.

If only I could remember who made which one! Thank you to Heather, Sue, Dot, Lesley and Rae for a fun evening.

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp sets: Eastern Blooms, Short & Sweet
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, So Saffron
Cardstock: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
Other: Word Window Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Final Tally - Bushfire Appeal

Just a quickie ... during February/March, Stampin' Up! donated 50% of the list price of a selected range of stamp sets to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal. The final tally is in - they raised $77,889.63 for victims of the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria.

Well done to all involved!

If you want to donate, you still can through the Australian Red Cross - the appeal closes 17 April 2009.

Cheers to You

Here's a small and sweet stamp set from the new Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalogue ... it's called "Cheers to You", and I just like it for no reason other than it's fun to colour in *g*.

This is the prototype of a birthday card I sent to my friend Gina recently (hey Gina!). I wanted something super bright to suit the cheerful images, and managed that quite well, don't you think?

As well as the three drinks shown here, the set also contains a beer mug and a martini, and the phrase "Cheers to You" (which you can just see
stamped along the top of the card).

The drinks were coloured using my Stampin' Up! Classic Ink pads as "paint palettes" - if you squeeze the lids while the pad is shut, then open it up there is enough ink transferred to the underside of the lid to pick up with an Aqua Painter for your colouring. Kind of like having a very neat, non-messy set of watercolours.

Did you know that the Aqua Painters are now only $19.95 for a set of two? Bargain price!

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp set/s: Cheers to You, Short & Sweet
Ink: Stazon Black, Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Old Olive, Pacific Point
Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun, Real Red, Whisper White
Other: Aqua Painter, Scallop Edge Punch, Large Oval Punch, Small Oval Punch, 1-3/8" Square Punch

New Catalogue

It's here!

From today you can place orders with me from the NEW 2009-10 Idea Book & Catalogue.

New stamps, new accessories, new colours ... you have to see it!

Contact me today to find out how you can have a copy of this for yourself, as well as how you can get FREE product from this catalogue.