July Specials!

Have you tried Two-Step Stampin'™? This is a process by which you use two or more stamps to build up an image or picture. Throughout July, Stampin' Up! are offering selected Two-Step Stampin' sets at 20% off catalogue price!

The sets on special are:

Item	Page	Description	Regular Price	Sale Price
116386	39	Loads of Love	$39.95	$31.96
116342	42	Big Bold Birthday**	$53.95	$43.16
115860	78	A Rose is a Rose**	$66.95	$53.56
116332	86	Playful Petals**	$52.95	$42.36
115770	98	Cheep Talk	$47.95	$38.36
115946	115	Wonderful Favourites	$39.95	$31.96
119187	14*	Tiny Tags (wood-mount)	$38.95	$31.16
118592	14*	Tiny Tags (clear-mount)	$28.95	$23.16
119163	31*	Cottage Garden (wood-mount)	$32.95	$26.36
120003	31*	Cottage Garden (clear-mount)	$24.95	$19.96

*From 2010 Autumn-Winter Mini Catalogue
**Retiring stamp sets!

And as you can see, just a heads up that if you don't buy Big Bold Birthday, A Rose is a Rose or Playful Petals this month or next month, you will miss out as they are retiring as of August 31. So why not snap them up at a bargain price?

Big Bold Birthday has been a favourite of mine, as shown in these posts. I haven't used it in a while, better drag it out and dust it off *g*.

Cheep Talk is another set which I can highly recommend - with 11 stamps in the set there are so many different ways of using it. There's two cute little birdies, a branch, three phrases and a few different things to stick on or around the branch to create a picture. Here's one variation (keep an eye out - I will post another variation in a couple of days).

Images © 1990-2010 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: Cheep Talk
Ink: Old Olive, Pacific Point, Pumpkin Pie
Cardstock: Pacific Point, Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White
Other: Scallop Circle Die

Wonderful Favourites is possibly the best value stamp set you'll ever buy, and at $31.96 during July it is an absolute bargain. The set comprises the words "Wonderful" and "Favourite" in nice big curly writing, then has 21 stamps with words like "mother", "father", "in law", "to my", "and" and so on, so you can build up a personalised greeting for your favourite people.

Lastly, if you are planning on buying a Two-Step Stampin' set, can I recommend purchasing a Stamp-A-Ma-Jig if you don't have one already? These little tools are invaluable for lining up those tricky elements so that you can position them just so on your cardstock.

Vintage Vogue

This stamp set, Vintage Vogue, really is gorgeous. It has a soft, old-world sort of feel which goes so well with muted, vintage colours. Or something a little more out there like I've used here.

You may recognise my new favourite colour combination which I also used here.

This time I took a piece of Whisper White cardstock and randomly stamped it using Vintage Vogue in So Saffron, Pretty in Pink and Rich Razzleberry. I had to be careful not to overdo the Razzleberry - it is a very powerful colour *g*. Then I cut the cardstock up into strips and used them to make three different cards as shown here.

This is a great idea for those times when you want to make the maximum number of cards in the minimum amount of time - this strip style is super quick and oh-so-easy.

Images © 1990-2010 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: Vintage Vogue, Warm Words
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron
Cardstock: So Saffron, Pretty in Pink, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White
Other: Large Oval Punch, Wide Oval Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, Scallop Edge Punch, Very Vintage Jumbo Stampin' Around Wheel

Birdie Bookmarks

How much do you love this punch? It is so darned cute, and also surprisingly versatile - just Google "Two Step Bird Punch" and take a look at all the awesome ideas.

Here I've just used it to decorate a simple bookmark - I find these little bookmarks so quick and easy to make, and handy to have in a house like mine where there's always two or three books on the go at one time (per person, that is *g*).

The tab is stapled on because I find that it holds together better than just gluing or using tape. And inside, at the bottom, is a little pair of self-adhesive magnets so the folded bookmark will "grip" the pages of the book.

Images © 1990-2010 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose
Other: Scallop Circle Punch, Two Step Bird Punch, Round Tab Punch

Now, that's a simple bookmark. Here's one with a little more work involved.

I have stamped the Baja Breeze (and, by the way, how glad am I this colour is staying!) using the Sanded background stamp and Whisper White Craft Ink - it really does look like a piece of distressed card now! I punched the Chocolate Chip circle and then ran it through the Big Shot using the Perfect Polka Dots embossing die. The bird and it's wing have been sponged around the edges with Regal Rose ink, and the wing has also been stamped in Regal Rose using the swirl from Priceless.

Same bookmark, different look. Pretty nifty, huh?

Images © 1990-2010 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: Priceless, Sanded
Ink: Whisper White, Regal RoseCardstock: Baja Breeze, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose
Other: Scallop Circle Punch, Two Step Bird Punch, Round Tab Punch, Perfect Polka Dots embossing die

More Scallop Envelope Fun

The other day I posted a couple of things I'd made using the Scallop Envelope die, and had to share this as well ... so sweet!

If you cut two scallop envelope dies, then trim all but 1/2" from the bottom, you can use the die to create a little gift card box for 3" square gift cards. Simply fold all the sides in and stick them togehter, fold the front flap down and secure it somehow (here I've used a brad to hold it all together).

You can wrap a piece of Designer Series Paper around the box to dress it up a little if you want.

Of course, being me I had to do things somewhat differently. Instead of cutting two envelopes and cutting the bottom flaps off, I used a folded piece of cardstock and placed the fold 1/4" up from the bottom score line so all I needed to do to construct the box was fold all the scoring in and stick the sides together.

And here's the box with the gift cards I made to go inside.

Images © 1990-2010 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: Priceless
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Pumpkin Pie
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Riding Hood Red, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron
Other: Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Vintage Brads, Scallop Envelope Die, Washington Apple DSP

New Week, New Deal - FINAL Deal of the Week

Throughout the month of June, Stampin' Up! is offering a new deal every week! You could get up to fifty percent off the catalogue price of selected merchandise from the 2009-10 Idea Book & Catalogue!

And this week, the Deal is ...

Up to 45% off selected accessories!

Item 109113 Pg 149 Square Ice Rhinestone brads was $19.95 now $11.97 40% off!
Item 109111 Pg 149 Circle Ice Rhinestone brads was $19.95 now $11.97 40% off!
Item 109112 Pg 149 Square Fire Rhinestone brads was $19.95 now $11.97 40% off!
Item 111848 Pg 150 Bashful Blue 1" double-stitched grosgrain ribbon was $19.95 now $10.97 45% off!
Item 109050 Pg 151 Certainly Celery 5/8" grosgrain ribbon was $14.95 now $8.97 40% off!

Remember this deal is ONLY available until close of business on Tuesday, June 29, so act now so as not to miss out!

Contact me today!

Scallop Envelope Variations

I've been playing around with my Scallop Envelope Die for the Big Shot (what a fun tool this thing is!) and have come to the conclusion that it is a whole bunch more versatile than you would first think.

Okay, so the basic die does this ... it cuts out a teeny little envelope pattern, with score lines - all you need to do is fold it all together and stick down the sides and voila! A little tiny envelope for a little tiny gift card.

When I say tiny, I really do mean it. The envelope shown here measures a whopping 8cm by 5.6cm. So I made a tiny little gift card to go inside - how cute is this?

Images © 1990-2010 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: Always
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Pumpkin Pie
Other: Sweet Always DSP, Scallop Envelope Die, Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch

But, what if you wanted to give someone a gift card? One of the credit card style from, say Target or Myer? There's no way you'll fit one of those into one of these little envelopes, so what do you do?

Aha, I will tell you the secret!

Take a piece of Designer Series Paper, about 6 inches square. Fold in half and place the fold against the third scallop from the left of the scallop envelope die, then run it through your Big Shot. When you unfold the resulting template, you will find that you have a wider envelope, about 10cm across - plenty of room for that gift card!

Of course, there's a crease down the middle, but that's easily disguised by cutting a belly band and decorating it with an appropriate message.

I got the instructions for this little tip over at this page - thank you to all the hugely talented people who work all these kinds of things out.

Images © 1990-2010 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: Best Yet (Hostess Set Level 1)
Ink: Not Quite Navy
Cardstock: Not Quite Navy, Confetti White, Very Vanilla
Other: Bella Bleu DSP, Scallop Envelope Die

Another Kraft Card

I know it's not a "real" colour (although that will change come September and the new catalogue, when the new colour family of "Neutrals" will be created), but I'm loving Kraft at the moment.

Combined with the new colours Melon Mambo and Rich Razzleberry to spice it up, you have to admit it makes a great background.

How do you like this - so simple, yet totally effective. I wish I could remember where I saw the original which inspired this (if I find the link I promise to post it).

***
21/6/10: Edited to add: Found the original! It's here - now you can see why I had to make this card *g*.

Images © 1990-2010 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: Pocket Silhouettes
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Sahara Sand
Cardstock: Kraft, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Very Vanilla
Other: Scallop Edge Punch

Guest Cardmaker

Today I have a guest stamper posting their creation on my blog ... my own 11 yo daughter LOL.

She was watching me stamp the other night (a regular occurence at our place) and suddenly wanted to see all the different cardstock colours - and before I knew it she had the punches out and had come up with this!

Pretty cute, huh? Love the look on this little guy's face *g*.

Sadly, I think this may be a one-off - normally my kids aren't that interested in what I do for fun, although they are very handy when it comes to colour decisions and are usually absolutely correct in their choices (thanks guys!).

Images © 1990-2010 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Stamp(s): Cheep Talk
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Cameo Coral, Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla, Whisper White
Other: Wide Oval Punch, Large Tag Punch, Word Window Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker

New Week, New Deal - Deal of the Week #3

Throughout the month of June, Stampin' Up! is offering a new deal every week! You could get up to fifty percent off the catalogue price of selected merchandise from the 2009-10 Idea Book & Catalogue!

And this week, the Deal is ...

Up to 50% off selected stamp sets!

Item 114263 Pg 34 A Happy Heart was $41.95 now $20.98 50% off!
Item 115792 Pg 57 Greetings Eight was $49.95 now $24.98 50% off!
Item 116330 Pg 78 Bella's Bloom was $24.95 now $14.97 40% off!
Item 113009 Pg 97 Enjoy Every Moment was $53.95 now $26.98 50% off!
Item 114283 Pg 97 All Scallops was $55.95 now $27.98 50% off!

Odd ... I only have one of these stamp sets *g* - perhaps I should get my order in as well!

Take a look at what I did with one of the stamps from All Scallops here - it coordinates nicely with the Scallop Edge Punch.

Remember this deal is ONLY available until close of business on Tuesday, June 22, so act now so as not to miss out!

Contact me today!

And remember to check back either here on my blog or over at my Stampin' Up! website regularly to see what the final Deal of the Week will be next week.

Pocket Easel Card

A week or so ago, I saw this card and, because I'm a sucker for the tricky-looking cards, immediately had to sit down with the instructions and make one of my own.

Okay, the first one was a pretty poor effort, but I excused that, because it was my "practice" copy (the one where I work though the instructions step by step and make my mistakes) and I hadn't even used my beautiful Stampin' Up! cardstock to make it.

This is Version 2.0, and I have to say I'm pretty happy with how it came out.

I've been having a little bit of a Kraft cardstock kick at the moment, and am looking forward to September when it is to be renamed to Cake Crumb AND we will be getting a matching ink (!!!). The subtle colour you see in the background of the Very Vanilla panel is actually Sahara Sand - not a bad match, but not perfect.

Here's what's inside - a slip out piece of card perfect for writing your message (also lightly sponged and stamped with Sahara Sand).

And this is the back, so you can see how it all fits together.

Images © 1990-2010 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: Vintage Vogue
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Sahara Sand
Cardstock: Kraft, Very Vanilla
Other: 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Very Vintage Stampin' Around Wheel

Who? Who? Who?

I love this stamp! It is part of a set of seven cute little animals, from the current Autumn/Winter Mini Catalogue. They're perfect for making cards wo welcome a new baby or scrapping those precious first photos.

Or just making fun cards like this *g*.

You can see another card using this little guy, and one with the monkey from the same set, here.

Images © 1990-2010 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: Fox & Friends
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
Other: 1-3/4" Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 5/8" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Scallop Edge Punch, Mat Pack

New Colour Combination

I just realised that it's been over two weeks since I posted anything I've made - shame on me! This will be rectified over the next few days as I pre-post some updates.

I saw a lovely card made with these colours the other night, and just had to sit down and try them out. Who'd have thought that Rich Razzleberry (my new favourite), Pretty in Pink and So Saffron would work so well together?

Shame about the photo coming out so dark ... blame Melbourne's legendary rainy weather for this! Even though this photo was taken outside at 1:30 in the afternoon, this is the best light I could get *sigh*.

I am so happy that Rich Razzleberry will be taking its rightful place as a Core Colour in the next catalogue (September - not long to wait now!) - it would be so hard to say goodbye to it!

Images © 1990-2010 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: Cottage Garden, Best Yet (Hostess Level 1)
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron
Cardstock: So Saffron, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White
Other: Large Oval Punch, Wide Oval Punch, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder

Deal of the Week #2

Throughout the month of June, Stampin' Up! is offering a new deal every week! You could get up to fifty percent off the catalogue price of selected merchandise from the 2009-10 Idea Book & Catalogue!

And this week, the Deal is ...

Designer Series Paper ... over 30% off selected patterns!

Item 112470 Pg 132 Haiku DSP was $16.95 now $10.17
Item 113976 Pg 132 Pink Flamingo DSP was $16.95 now $11.02
Item 113992 Pg 133 Tea Party Haiku DSP was $16.95 now $10.17
Item 113975 Pg 133 Raspberry Tart DSP was $16.95 now $11.02
Item 114037 Pg 133 Sweet Slumber DSP was $22.95 now $14.92

Remember this deal is ONLY available until close of business on Tuesday, June 15, so act now so as not to miss out!

Contact me today!

And remember to check back either here on my blog or over at my Stampin' Up! website regularly to see what the next Deal of the Week will be.

Updated News - Colour Renovation

Just a heads up for all of you who are planning on placing orders for the retiring colours after the announcement of the big Stampin' Up! Colour Renovation ...

With the recent increase in demand following the announcement, demonstrators have been advised that effective immediately, Stampin' Up! can no longer guarantee availability of retiring colour products. So these products are only available while stocks last.

So please, if you don't want to miss out, place your orders early! Contact me today to be sure!

The colours in question? Here's a quick list (or download the PDF file here):

Pink Passion, Pixie Pink, Pale Plum, Orchid Opulence, Lovely Lilac, Lavender Lace, Almost Amethyst, Bordering Blue, Brocade Blue, Ballet Blue, Brilliant Blue, Taken with Teal, Glorious Green, Handsome Hunter, Sage Shadow, Mellow Moss, Green Galore, Gable Green, Barely Banana, Yoyo Yellow, Summer Sun, Apricot Appeal, Only Orange, Really Rust, Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Blush Blossom, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Going Gray

*whew*

That's a long list! Lucky they're replacing these with some luscious new colours as well as returning a few past In Colors to be incorporated into the core group (and, of course, there will be new In Colors as well!).

The new colour collections will be:

Brights: Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Pacific Point, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango, Real Red
Neutrals: River Rock, Chocolate Chip, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Basic Gray, Basic Black
Regals: Elegant Eggplant, Night of Navy, Not Quite Navy, Always Artichoke, Garden Green, More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Riding Hood Red, Cherry Cobbler, Bravo Burgundy
Subtles: Pink Pirhouette, Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Perfect Plum, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue, Baja Breeze, Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery, So Saffron

You can download a PDF showing these colours here.

Sydney Trip

As you may know, recently I spent a few days in Sydney, attending the Stampin' Up! annual Convention. We travelled up on Thursday, May 20, and came back on the afternoon of the 23rd. In between, we spent two days being entertained and informed by Stampin' Up staff from both Australia and the United States, and also had a little time for sight seeing.

I had my camera with me, as always, but unfortunately a lot of the photos I took inside the Convention are either really shoddy, or of things I can't actually show you just yet (here's a hint ... our new Idea Book & Catalogue is only a few more months away ...!). So for your viewing pleasure, here are some highlights of Sydney, mostly around the Darling Harbour precinct ...

Darling Harbour at night

A very obliging seagull who allowed us to take his photo, even though we never produced any food at all ...

A ship docked in Darling Harbour ... as you can see, the weather wasn't the best, and the rain was coming in, but the light at the tail end of the day was intriguing

Inside our hotel - an out of the way little row of shops

Some very happy Gail Force Stampers at the Awards Dinner on Saturday night ... from left, Anne-Marie, Gail, me and Pauline

Our table decoration at the Awards Dinner - a big round vase (more of a fishbowl) with tulips lining the inside and a candle in the centre. Imagine 80 tables with one of these at each ...

On Sunday morning we visited The Rocks ... I found this guy outside a little shop specialising in psychic readings, holding up a glass topped table.

And of course, no one comes home from Sydney without a picture of the Harbour Bridge. The masts in front were actually attached to a building, but I liked the way they looked in front of the bridge.

You already know what this is *g*

Deal of the Week #1

Throughout the month of June, Stampin' Up! is offering a new deal every week! You could get up to fifty percent off the catalogue price of selected merchandise from the 2009-10 Idea Book & Catalogue!

And this week, the Deal is ...

Item	Page	Description	Regular Price	Sale Price
112081	152	Scallop Square punch	$30.95	$20.12
109183	153	Trio Flower punch	$30.95	$20.12
110711	153	Boho Blossoms punch	$30.95	$20.12
114889	n/a*	Scallop Oval punch	$30.95	$20.12

*From Carryover flyer

Any (or all) of these four punches for over 30% off!

And can I recommend the Scallop Oval punch? It nests with the Large and Small Oval punches, and is great for adding messages to your cards and scrapbook pages.

This offer is available until close of business on June 8, 2010, so place your order quickly!

Contact me today!

And remember to check back either here on my blog or over at my Stampin' Up! website regularly to see what the next Deal of the Week will be.