It's that time of year again!

Yes, Christmas is only just around the corner! Which means that I should have started and finished making my personal Christmas cards by now (as opposed to the ones that I make for my employer) and have them stacked up neatly ready to be mailed out to my friends and family.

Yep, like that's going to happen.

What actually happens is I start thinking about Christmas cards in September, then spend the next two months thinking I have loads of time, until I realise it's late November and I haven't done a damn thing about it. Like about now, f'rinstance.

As I was playing about the other night trying to think of ideas I turned to a fun colour combination which I've been using a bit lately - pink, orange and brown. Or, in Stampin' Up! talk, that would be Pretty in Pink and/or Regal Rose, Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Chip. And teamed with my favourite Christmas set, Season of Joy, I've come up with something a little different from the traditional holiday card.

The orange layer gave me the most trouble - it just wasn't working originally until I trimmed it down a little and added the stamped swirls. The edges have been distressed using the little distresser tool from the Cutter Kit, then dragged through the Pumpkin Pie inkpad and sponged until the colour depth around the edges looked "right".

I don't know that I'd mass produce this card - cutting out the tree is awfully fiddly - but it was fun to make!

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp/s: Season of Joy
Ink: Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Regal Rose
Cardstock: Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
Other: 5/8" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, Cutter Kit, Stampin' Dimensionals

What have I been working on ...?

Well, mostly these. Okay, so there's only four cards here, but what you can't see is the other 96 which I made recently (with the help of Sharon - thanks Sharon!).

My day job is for a small company which supplies raw materials to label printers. It has become something of a tradition that we send out handmade cards to our customer base (which all began when I first started there and the boss found out I was a cardmaker). At first it was a pretty easy task, but somehow we gathered more customers over the years and I'm wondering what monster has been created LOL.

Anyway, this year Sharon and I put our heads together and came up with this design (which is supposed to look kind of like a branch of a Christmas tree with baubles - or a pleasing abstract design, whichever you like), and we decided to do four different colourways so as not to drive ourselves insane doing 100 cards in the exact same colour scheme.

I like to think that our customers appreciate the effort - we have had some lovely feedback from them in past years, and when printers are liking your work as a cardmaker, you must be doing something right!

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp/s: Baroque Motifs, Always, Best Yet (hostess)
Ink: Card 1 - Old Olive, Rose Red; Card 2 - Pale Plum, Elegant Eggplant; Card 3 - Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy; Card 4 - Gable Green, Taken with Teal
Cardstock: Card 1 - Old Olive, Rose Red, Whisper White; Card 2 - Pale Plum, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White; Card 3 - Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White; Card 4 - Gable Green, Taken with Teal, Whisper White
Other: Large Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch

Sneak Peek - Summer Mini

Isn't this just so cute? The upcoming Summer Mini catalogue (contact me if you'd like a copy) has some gorgeous stuff, not the least of which is this cool butterfly punch and matching stamp set. The punch will also co-ordinate with a stamp set in the main catalogue (Flight of the Butterfly).

In retrospect, when making this card I should have stamped the vellum overlay as well as the pink layer, as you can't actually see what the butterfly stamps look like (doh!). That's my next project *g*.

The bodies of the butterflies are made by wrapping a strand of gold embroidery thread around the middle and knotting it at the top to create antennae.

Do you like the patterned paper down the side? This is from the Patterns Pack, only available as a hostess benefit (ie. with a workshop or order over $300). The pack contains 60 6' square sheets of double-sided patterned paper - 2 sheets of six designs in five different colours (including Regal Rose shown here) not available as regular DSP.

The biggest problem with the gorgeous double-sided patterned paper? Trying to decide which side to use!

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp/s: Butterfly Prints
Ink: Pretty in Pink
Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose, Vellum Card
Other: Patterns Pack II Designer Series Paper, Butterfly Punch

Hurry! Last Days!

If you've had your eye on any of the gorgeous products in the current Spring Mini Catalogue (click here or here for more information, or here to look at the catalogue online), you only have a few more days to act!

Contact me to get your order in before November 30 - in fact, just to be on the safe side and avoid last minute delays, you should probably finalise your order before about the 28th or so.

On My Mind

Upsy Daisy is still one of my favourite stamp sets. I love the simplicity of the silhouetted outlines, which lends itself to a variety of different looks.

This card just sort of evolved, as I was trying to achieve a completely different look. I like the combination of red, gray and black.

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Sgtamp/s: Upsy Daisy
Ink: Real Red, Basic Gray
Cardstock: Basic Gray, Basic Black, Real Red, Whisper White
Other: Scallop Edge Punch

Love this birdie!

The little birdie here is just so cute and plump *g*. His friend from the set Cheep Talk is a little taller and a little more confident, but this little guy just gets to me. Oh, and he fits nicely in the 1-3/8" circle punch which is a bonus.

You can see that I have used to different colours on the pear on this card (not counting the stem, which is a separate stamp) - to do this I inked the pear with More Mustard, then carefully rolled the edges of the inked stamp in the Ruby Red inkpad.

The bird was inked with More Mustard, then the body was coloured with my Ruby Red marker (which is why it looks a little mottled - not actually my intention, but I don't have a More Mustard marker. Yet).

Oh, and have you noticed the crisp, beautifully focused photograph? Yes, I bought a new camera to replace the one I bought only a few months ago - I finally decided that there was no way it was going to take a decent photo and upgraded. My daughter is enjoying her "new" camera *g*, and I no longer dread taking photographs.

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp/s: Cheep Talk, Sanded
Ink: More Mustard, Ruby Red, Old Olive
Cardstock: Ruby Red, Old Olive, More Mustard, Whisper White
Other: 1-1/4" Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Ruby Red Stampin' Write Marker

Another little box

Subsequent to my post the other day, I was having such fun with the little boxes I had to show you another I made, using new product *g*

Here you can see a glimpse of the Standard Wheel "Retro Remix", which we received as part of our make & take packet at the recent Melbourne Regional seminar.

The wheel coordinates with the set "Hello Again", and you can be sure that I will be making some matching gift cards to keep in this box using that set.

Do you like the flower? This was presented at Regionals by one of our local demonstrators (and if I could remember her name, I would tell you *g*). It's so simple, yet effective - simply punch the scallop circle, snip every second scallop and fold up the petals. When layered with another similar scallop it makes a very pretty flower!

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Ink: Pixie Pink
Cardstock: Pixie Pink, Gable Green, YoYo Yellow
Other: Retro Remix Standard Stampin' Around Wheel, Scallop Circle Punch, Scallop Edge Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, 3'4" Circle Punch

Keep checking back as I will be posting more sneak peeks of items from the upcoming Summer Mini Catalogue - available from December 1!

Christmas Extravaganza 2009

My goodness, is it November already? Do you realise that this means that there is now less than 8 weeks till Christmas? Aaaargh!

If you have crafty family and friends, you might find this month's promotion useful - Stampin' Up! have put together a Gift Giving Guide (click the picture to the left to find out more and download the flyer) with gift suggestions for some of the people in your life.

And the bonus? Between November 1 and December 14, 2009, for every $85 you spend on items from the Gift Giving Guide, you receive a FREE Square Scallop Punch valued at $30.95. So if you spent $170, you could have a punch for yourself and one to give to a friend for Christmas *g*.

I don't own the Square Scallop Punch myself - but once I put my order in, I hope to by this time next week.

Now what are you doing sitting here reading this? You only have seven and a bit weeks to get your Christmas cards made and mailed! In fact, what am I doing here writing this? I have cards to make ... as soon as I think up the design ... oh, the pressure.

You know what's funny? It's not like they move Christmas around or anything, but every year it comes as a surprise and I'm caught unprepared.

Last Chance

You may be aware that this month is the last chance to order products from the Spring Mini catalogue. I have a copy of the next mini (official release date December 1) and can confirm that, with one exception, none of the items currently in the Spring Mini are carrying forward. Occasionally we find that an accessory or two (particularly punches) will carry forward to be available in subsequent mini catalogues, but not this time.

So if you've had your eye on any of the gorgeous stuff in the Spring Mini, don't forget to order it before the end of November, before it's gone for good!

(I personally will be sad to see the Scallop Oval Punch go, it has been a favourite of mine these past few months).

Stay tuned for sneak peeks of new products available for purchase from December 1, 2009 - March 31, 2010!