Just for You

Yet another card using Work of Art - I promise, I will be using other stamp sets to make cards soon, but I can't get enough of this one :-)

This was heavily inspired by this card I found on Pinterest (you can click through to see the original artist's blog as well, if you like).  The idea of using the dot from Work of Art to make a simple background appealed to me as simple and effective, and so it turned out to be!

While I love the colours on the original card, I opted for something a little more subtle, combining Coastal Cabana and Smoky Slate with the new In Color (and personal favourite) Blackberry Bliss.

I also dug through my stash and found my Coastal Cabana thick baker's twine to top the tag.

Images © 1990-2014 Stampin' Up!®  
Supplies used:
Stamps:  Work of Art, Gorgeous Grunge

Cardstock:  Blackberry Bliss, Whisper White, Coastal Cabana

Ink: Blackberry Bliss, Coastal Cabana, Smoky Slate

Accessories:  Tag Topper Angled Punch, Coastal Cabana Thick Bakers Twine

Birthday Wishes

I might seem to be pushing this stamp set a little, but that's mostly because I haven't got around to buying anything else from the new catalogue yet (I know! I have to fix that!).

Here's another card using Work of Art - this set is just so versatile!

Images © 1990-2014 Stampin' Up!®  
Supplies used:
Stamps:  Work of Art, Four You

Cardstock:  Crushed Curry, Cherry Cobbler, Pacific Point, Whisper White

Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento Ink, Rich Razzleberry, Pacific Point, Old Olive, Crushed Curry, Tangelo Twist, Cherry Cobbler

Accessories:  Decorative Dots Embossing Folder

It's a Work of Art!

Of all the lovely new stamp sets in the 2014-15 Annual Catalogue, there was one which I just knew I had to get my hands on - Work of Art.

At first glance, it doesn't look like much, but if you have a look around the web you will see hundreds of amazing creations made using this set.

Here's one thing you can do - use one of the shorter "brush strokes" to create a bright, fun flower :-)

I also cracked open a couple of the new In Colors for this one - Tangelo Twist, which is a bright, deep orange, and Mossy Meadow, a dark olive green.

Images © 1990-2014 Stampin' Up!®  
Supplies used:
Stamps:  Work of Art, Hello There (Hostess set)

Cardstock:  Tangelo Twist, Mossy Meadow, Whisper White

Ink: Tangelo Twist, Mossy Meadow, Crushed Curry, Tuxedo Black Memento Ink

NEW! 2014-15 Annual Catalogue is now LIVE!

Yes, it's true - it's July 1, and that means that the new 2014-15 Annual Catalogue is now open for business!

You can check out my Online Store for all your goodies, or take a look at it all in one place by downloading the PDF :-)

Email me if you'd like a copy of your own to flick through.  We all know that an electronic copy is nice to have in an emergency, but nothing beats a paper catalogue to browse through, bookmark, fold the corners over, write in... you know what I mean.

Retirement List now available in the Online Store

I posted the other day about the glitch in the Online Store that meant that the whole Retirement List wasn't showing under the correct heading - just letting you know that this has now been fixed.  You only have a few days left to grab these retiring goodies - and remember, some are heavily discounted!

Check it out now!

Holiday Catalogue Carry Over

Some people (well, not me) are super organised and like to get their Christmas stamping started mid-year.  With that in mind, you might like to have a look at the list of items which are still available from the 2013 Holiday Catalogue - click here to check out a PDF of the items you can buy, and order through my Online Store or if you prefer, email me to place your order.

These carryover items are only available until August 27 (after that, keep your eye out for a new Holiday Catalogue!)

Another Pinspired post

Just a little something I whipped up ... well, actually,  it took a lot longer than I'd expected, but that was mostly sponging each punched flower, and holding it together layer by layer as the glue dried.  The end result was totally worth it, though ...

Here's the pin that inspired this tag.  Hers is so much nicer, but I'm still happy with my little effort.  Some more practice and maybe I can get as gorgeous a result as my Pinspiration!

Images © 1990-2014 Stampin' Up!®  
Supplies used:
Stamps:  Gorgeous Grunge, Fabulous Phrases

Cardstock:  Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Rich Razzleberry

Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Crumb Cake, Whisper White Craft Ink

Accessories:  Blossom Punch, Banner Punch, Scalloped Tag Topper Punch

Retirement List - available online

I've only just realised that the link I gave out the other week to what I thought was the Retirement List in my Online Store actually only shows a few products that are retiring ... oops!  Not sure what happened there.

Anyway, just so you know what is definitely going and won't be available any more after June 30, I have uploaded spreadsheets into my Google Drive for you to have a look at.

The links are:

       Retiring Stamps

       Retiring Accessories

You can download these lists to your computer to sort in Excel, or open them in Google Sheets if you prefer.

Note that some of the products are discounted (but not all).  Also, some have sold out already - if you want to make sure you get your goodies before they're gone for good, please shop through  my Online Store to ensure availability.

Weekly Deals June 18, 2014

The Stampin' Up! Weekly Deals a few months ago were such a success, they have decided to continue indefinitely ... here's this week's batch, available until next Tuesday, June 24:

Don't forget to grab your bargains through my Online Store - otherwise you might miss out!

You make me happy

I love this stamp set.  I haven't used it nearly enough, and while it's currently available in the Occasions Catalogue, it will be gone from the end of June - it's one of those which didn't make the cut for the 2014-15 Catalogue :-(

Here's a card I made recently, pretty much a straight copy (I was low on inspiration that day) from a card I found on Pinterest.  I loved the colours on the original, but didn't want to do the exact same thing, so I went with a bright combination of yellow and blue/green (I still haven't decided which colour family Pool Party and Coastal Cabana fall into).

I also took the liberty of adding random stampings of the paint spatter stamp from Gorgeous Grunge, mostly because I managed to put a yellow smudge on the white cardstock after I'd done all the main stamping and needed to cover it up somehow rather than start all over again.  Your challenge is to find the smudge :-)

This card took a little work and judicious use of the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig positioner - this is a terrific tool, and under-appreciated a lot of the time, I think.

If you want to buy your own Happy Watercolour set, remember that it's only available until the end of June 2014.  Contact me to place your order!

Images © 1990-2014 Stampin' Up!®  
Supplies used:
Stamps:  Happy Watercolour

Cardstock:  Crushed Curry, Coastal Cabana, Whisper White

Ink: Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Daffodil Delight, Crushed Curry, Black Stazon

Accessories:  Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

Hello card

A couple of months ago, I posted a picture of a card I made while playing around with my Label Card and Circle Card Thinlits sets.

While I was on a roll that day, I also made this card ...

The basic idea is the same, and I used another element from the Thinlits (this time the star, the decorative frame and the banner from the Circle Card thinlit).

Images © 1990-2014 Stampin' Up!®  
Supplies used:
Stamps:  Gorgeous Grunge, Four You
Cardstock:  Crumb Cake, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Soft Suede
Ink: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Melon Mambo, Blushing Bride

Accessories:  Circle Card Thinlits

Late Christmas Post

I can't believe I never posted a picture of my 2013 Christmas card!

Yes, I did actually make some.  This year, however, I didn't to the 100 cards that I have previously done for my "real job" to send out to customers, just a few for friends and family.

It was quick and easy - two of my favourite things in a card :-)

Just a reminder - Raspberry Ripple is one of the outgoing In Colors, retiring effective 30 June unless sold out earlier.  Grab your supplies before they're gone for good!

Images © 1990-2014 Stampin' Up!®  
Supplies used:
Stamps:  Mosaic Madness, Daydream Medallions, Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Cardstock:  Raspberry Ripple, Coastal Cabana, Whisper White

Ink: Raspberry Ripple, Coastal Cabana

Accessories:  Kraft Grid Journal, Whisper White Baker's Twine, Elegant Butterfly Punch, Basic Rhinestones

Introducing Project Life by Stampin' Up!

Are you a scrapbooker?  If so, you probably already knew this news - Stampin' Up! has partnered with Becky Higgins, she of Project Life, to produce a range of PL products using exclusive Stampin' Up! colours and accessories.

If you're not a scrapbooker, but would like to be, this might be the perfect introduction to the art.  All you need is a range of PL cards, some of the cool divided page protectors, and all those photos you currently have sitting around in boxes (or even - *gasp* - unprinted on your hard drive).

You can see the available range of Project Life products over at my Online Store - there is even a special corner rounder punch so you can customise the journal cards to suit your existing PL collection.  Also available are journalling pens, framelits (which will also cut your photo/DSP/cardstock to exactly the right size) and photopolymer stamps, plus of course a range of card collections.

Please contact me if you want more information on this awesome new range of products!

It's Adventure Time!

Just something fun for today's post - my daughter went to a friend's birthday a little while back, and needed a card.  Normally she just raids my samples for something suitable (rejecting many because they're just "too flowery".  I like flowers).  This time the card was for a boy, and I definitely didn't have anything to hand that she was willing to use.

So we put our heads together and came up with this ... ask just about any teenager who this is, and they'll know.  For those of you without kids in the right age group (ie. from 2 up to 20 or even older, apparently), this is Finn, the hero of the animated series Adventure Time.

We had a lot of fun making this.  The face is hand drawn and coloured with markers (including a White Chalk Marker from the current Occasions Catalogue for the teeth).  The hat is hand cut, with the Extra-Large Oval punch for the hold through which the face shows.  The background colours are, of course, reflecting the shirt and shorts that Finn wears.

I wonder if I'm brave enough to try to make a Jake card next time?

Images © 1990-2014 Stampin' Up!®  
Supplies used:Cardstock:  Tempting Turquoise, Pacific Point, Whisper White, (retired) Blush Blossom

Accessories:  Extra-Large Oval Punch, Chalk Marker, Primrose Petals Stampin' Write Marker, black permanent marker

Yet another Sneak Peek!

One of the features of the recent Stampin' Up! Convention has always been the make & takes - and this time we had something new - Mini Make & Takes!  Super quick little projects that can be made up in no time at all.  So quick, in fact, that even I managed to get them done (except the scrapbook page one, of course - two out of three ain't bad).

Here are my finished projects:

A notebook (new Kraft Grid Journals) decorated with stamps from Kinda Eclectic.

Closeup - see that text?  That's stamped with my new favourite colour, Blackberry Bliss.  It's not at its best stamped on a Kraft background, sadly.

Images © 1990-2014 Stampin' Up!®  
Supplies used:
Stamps:  Kinda Eclectic

Cardstock:  Whisper White, Lost Lagoon

Ink: Tangelo Twist, Blackberry Bliss, Mossy Meadow

Accessories:  Kraft Grid Journal, Whisper White Baker's Twine, Elegant Butterfly Punch, Basic Rhinestones

One of the new Mini Muslin Bags stamped with stamps from Kinda Eclectic, and decorated with some new Tangelo Twist Stitched Satin Ribbon.  The greeting is Lost Lagoon ink, "stamped off" once to create a softer look.

Images © 1990-2014 Stampin' Up!®  
Supplies used:
Stamps:  Kinda Eclectic

Cardstock:  Whisper White

Ink: Hello Honey, Lost Lagoon

Accessories:  Mini Muslin Sacks, Tangelo Twist Stitched Satin Ribbon

Another Sneak Peek at new products!

Here's a reminder that the new catalogue year starts on July 1, 2014 - and I have sneak peeks of some new stuff to show you!

I am still waiting for my pre-order stuff to arrive (actually putting the order in and not just dreaming about it would be a good start lol) but I have things which we made at the recent Stampin' Up! Convention which I can show you.

Here's the second make & take we did - a little pouch containing three cards, perfect for a gift for someone special...

These cards and the pouch showcase the new stamp set Amazing Birthday, which has a bunch of elements ready to make some awesome cards and gifts for your favourite people :-)

The pouch is made using the new Gift Card Enclosure pack (slightly modified to make a pouch a centimetre deep).  And here is a sample of the fifth new In Color for 2014-15 - Lost Lagoon.

Images © 1990-2014 Stampin' Up!®  
Supplies used:
Stamps:  Amazing Birthday

Cardstock:  Whisper White Note Cards & Envelopes, Gift Card Enclosure Pack, Lost Lagoon, Champagne Glimmer Paper, Crumb Cake

Ink: Lost Lagoon, Tangelo Twist, Hello Honey, Real Red

Accessories:  Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack, Stars Framelits, Whisper White Bakers Twine

Butterflies in Blue

I still spend way too much time on Pinterest (check out my boards at www.pinterest.com/missusmack), pinning things that I may never even remember to look at again.

Sometimes, however, I am inspired enough to actually make something I've seen - this card, for instance:

This card was inspired by this pin, with a few changes, of course :-)

I had a bit of fun putting the colours together - so many blues/greens that work with each other!

Images © 1990-2014 Stampin' Up!®  
Supplies used:
Stamps:  Gorgeous Grunge, Fabulous Phrases

Cardstock:  Soft Sky, Perfect Plum, Whisper White, Coastal Cabana, Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Island Indigo

Ink: Island Indigo, Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, Pool Party, Soft Sky, Perfect Plum

Accessories:  Bitty Butterfly Punch, Basic Pearls, Corner Rounder Punch

Introducing ... Project Life by Stampin' Up!

You may already have heard the news - if you're a Project Life scrapper, you are sure to have!

In April 2014, Stampin' Up! and Becky Higgins announced that they were partnering up to give you the Project Life products you love in the Stampin' Up! colours you also love!

From June 10, you will be able to order Project Life by Stampin' Up! products through my Online Store ...

Now, I'm no scrapbooker - you can probably guess this by just going through a few random blog posts her at StampStuff.  But Project Life is the kind of scrapping I can get behind!  It's all made so easy for you - pick the photos you want to display, select a few journalling cards and accessories, put it all together in the special pocket pages and you're done!  We all have boxes of photographs that are a pain to go through - imagine having a bunch of beautifully presented books that you made yourself, ready to share with friends and family.

Watch this space for more Project Life by Stampin' Up! news...

Sign and Save - $85 Joining Offer!

If you have wanted to join the Stampin' Up! family, but balked at the $169 joining cost (which might seem high, but remember it includes up to $235 worth of catalogue product, plus business supplies), this might be the deal for you!

From May 28 through to June 30, 2014, you can join for the great price of $85 (which includes up to $90 worth of catalogue product, plus business supplies).

As a demonstrator, you automatically get a 20% discount on anything you purchase for yourself (including special offers).  You also have the chance to make money on your sales, with the commission percentages rising as your sales rise.  There is also the opportunity to pre-order products before they're available to the customers, plus great online communities for demonstrators with great ideas, business tips, new friends and more!

If you would like to know more, drop me an email today - I would love to have you join our fun-loving team :-)

Some New Product Show & Tell!

In my previous post, I might have mentioned the 2014 Stampin' Up! Inspire Create Share event (otherwise known as Convention) which this year was held in my home town of Melbourne.  Just because it was here in Melbourne didn't mean that we didn't use it as an excuse to stay in a hotel and hang out with our friends for a few days :-)

Here's the view from our 14th floor balcony on City Road (taken while I played with the panorama function on my my ipod).  You can't say that Melbourne (well, Southbank) isn't pretty from this angle :-)

One of the highlights of Convention is the new products we get to play with, and the make & takes we do with them.  Historically, I have rarely finished the make & takes at the actual event, preferring to bring the half finished items home and put them somewhere safe, to be rediscovered about six months later.  However, I am proud to announce that this time around, I finished all but one of the projects!  My excuse for the unfinished one was that it was a scrapbook page, and you really need photos to finish those off.

So without further ado, here is the first (two) of my finished projects:

This is a pair of cards made with a new stamp set (available from July 1) called Kinda Eclectic.  The instructions and supplies were enough to make two cards, one "basic" and the other "stepped up".  You can also see a few new colours here - four of the 2014-15 In Colors of Hello Honey (the sunburst and punched out flowers), Mossy Meadow (the leaf sprays), Tangelo Twist (the butterfly) and Blackberry Bliss (on the striped paper).

The honeycomb background on the second card was made by inking the Honeycomb Textured Impressions Embossing Folder with some Crumb Cake ink, then pressing gently on the base card.

Come back soon for a peek at some more new stuff!

Images © 1990-2014 Stampin' Up!®  
Supplies used:
Stamps:  Kinda Eclectic

Cardstock:  Whisper White, Crumb Cake

Ink: Mossy Meadow, Tangelo Twist, Crumb Cake

Accessories:  Linen Thread, Basic Rhinestones, Vellum, In Colors Backgrounds DSP, Basics Hodgepodge Clips, Honeycomb Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Elegant Butterfly Punch, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack

Going for the title of World's Worst Blogger

... although I'm sure there are worse bloggers than me, I bet they don't suffer the pangs of guilt I do :-)

Yes, I'm still alive.  Still stamping (a little).  And still excited about the new Stampin' Up! offerings.

It's that time of year again, when old stock retires to make way for shiny new toys.  The Retirement List is now up (click here to head over to my Online Store to see all the retiring products).  Some product is discounted (but not all).

Remember that these retiring products are only available while stocks last.

The new 2014-15 Catalogue will go live from July 1, 2015.  I've seen it - you'll love it!  If you want a copy of your own, please drop me an email.

I have a little bit of sneak peek stuff here with me, which I will be posting over the next few days.  We've just come back from the 2014 Inspire Create Share event (ie. the Stampin' Up! Convention) and as always were treated to three days of presentations, playing and fun - as well as a bunch of giveaways (SU are very generous to their demonstrators and guests at these events).

Speaking of fun, this is three of my friends rocking out to Bjorn Again, who were the entertainment at the Awards Night after party this year :-)  We had the Best Night Ever

Weekly Deals #3 - April 16-22 2014

It's week 3 of Stampin' Up!'s weekly deals - hit my Online Store to grab your bargains!

Item	Description	Retail Price	Sale Price
127885	Champagne Glimmer Paper	$8.95	$6.71
120995	Silver Glass Stampin' Glitter	$6.95	$5.21
129717	Timber Standard Stampin' Around Wheel	$10.95	$8.21
130814	This and That Epic Day Designer Series Paper	$18.95	$14.21
127554	Naturals Designer Buttons	$8.95	$6.71
126882	Merry Mini Punch Pack	$29.95	$22.46
127211	Floral District Photobook Template (digital  download)	$19.50	$11.70

Only available at these prices until Tuesday night - then a new batch of deals will be uploaded to the Online Store at 9am on Wednesday April 23.

Weekly Deals #2 - April 9-15 2014

It's week 2 of Stampin' Up!'s weekly deals - hit my Online Store to grab your bargains!

Item	Description	Retail Price	Sale Price
129372	Secret Garden Framelits Dies	$42.95	$32.21
130101	Dress Up Framelits Dies	$42.95	$32.21
129383	Needlepoint Border Textured Impressions  Embossing Folder	$13.95	$10.46
123113	Flower Garden Textured Impressions Embossing  Folder	$13.95	$10.46
115969	Floral Fusion Sizzlits	$9.50	$7.13
121809	Framed Tulips Textured Impressions Embossing  Folder	$13.95	$10.46
118869	Recipes by Design Digital Kit (digital download)	$10.95	$6.57

Only available at these prices until Tuesday night - then a new batch of deals will be uploaded to the Online Store at 9am on Wednesday April 16.

Here's a sample of a card I made using the Dress Up Framelits - these dies are just too cute!

Still here... with something I actually made!

I had no idea it had been this long since I updated my blog - yikes.

It's also been a while since I managed to make something other than a mess with my craft stuff.

To make it up to you, here's a card I made recently when playing around with my new Label Card and Circle Card Thinlits sets.  It doesn't use the nifty pieces that make a full sized swing card, complete with a place to place your greeting (like this one, which I definitely did not make - it's from the Stampin' Up! online store)

My card just uses some of the little elements from the Thinlits sets - the arrows from the Labels Card Thinlits, and the chevrons from the Circle Card Thinlits.

The result:

I was just playing around with the Gorgeous Grunge set, and liked how it all came together.

Images © 1990-2014 Stampin' Up!®  
Supplies used:
Stamps:  Gorgeous Grunge, Four You
Cardstock:  Smoky Slate, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White, Pool Party
Ink: Smoky Slate, Pool Party, Basic Gray

Accessories:  Label Card Thinlits, Circle Card Thinlits, Ovals Collection Framelits

Best of 25 Years - the final two - Best of Autumn and Best of Snow

We're down to the last two Best of 25 Years stamp sets - Best of Autumn, and Best of Snow.

These sets (and the other nine, all subject to availability) will be available for purchase until the end of April, and then they're gone for good.

Head on over to my Online Store and click on the Stamps link, then the Best of 25 Years link to do a little online shopping and grab these before they go forever.

April's Weekly Deals!

Every week in April, get your hands on some of the Weekly Deals - a new bunch of Deals every week!

This week (April 2-8) you can buy the following at great discounted prices:

Item	Description	Retail Price	Sale Price
125577	Large Pearl Basic Jewels	$8.95	$6.71
126847	Midnight Muse 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon	$15.95	$11.96
126845	Raspberry Ripple 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon	$15.95	$11.96
126846	Summer Starfruit 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon	$15.95	$11.96
123224	Wild Wasabi Stampin' Emboss Powder	$8.50	$6.38
118764	Vintage Trinkets	$9.95	$7.46
129872	Mom, I Love You Digital Ensemble (digital download)	$10.95	$6.57

I'm recommending that you purchase these through my Online Store well before the closing date so you can be ensured of the sale prices.

Online orders will close at 11:59pm this coming Tuesday, and a new batch of Weekly Deals announced the following morning.  Just head over to my Online Store and follow the Weekly Deals link to see the latest offers every Wednesday morning at 9am.

Best of 25 Years - Best of Brides and Babies, and Best of Greetings

Because I missed a whole month of posting, I didn't get to post a picture of January's Best of 25 Years entry ... here it is, Best of Brides and Babies:

Along with February's stamp set, Best of Greetings:

 Remember that all the Best of 25 Years stamp sets will be available right through until April :-)

Check out my Best of 25 Years page to see the rest of the sets and more details about the promotion.

NEW Texture Boutique Embossing Machine

Are you a gadget fiend?  I know I am - I love the accessories you can get that add spark to the creative process and dimension to the projects.

And if you are particularly interested in dimension, I might have just the gadget for you ... the new Texture Boutique Embossing Machine from Stampin' Up!

This little gem will work with your Textured Impressions Embossing Folders to emboss pretty much anything your heart desires :-) - paper, cardstock, metallic foil, vellum - even (in my case, as my "real life" job is with a sticky paper wholesaler) sticky foil paper.

Note that the machine is designed to emboss only - it will not die cut, so you can't use it with your Big Shot cutting accessories like Bigz Dies or Framelits.

If you don't have a Big Shot, but want to join the embossing craze, this might be the tool for you... have a look at the video produced by Stampin' Up! for more information on using this nifty little tool.

Find the new Texture Boutique Emobssing Machine in my Online Store today!

NEW Occasions Catalogue 2014

It's here!  All new products from the 2014 Occasions Catalogue, available from now until June 30 2014.  Loads of new stamps, accessories, punches, papers and pretty much anything that you could wish for.  Click here or the picture above to have a look, or head over to my Online Store (or email me) to shop for yourself :-)

... A break in transmission ... and SALE-A-BRATION

Phew!  That was a big break.  Through no fault of my own, stuff happened over December/early January which kind of took over here in casa del McLucas :-)  Sadly, stamping hasn't really been a priority (not that it is around here over summer - too hot for me *sigh*).

But I'm still here!  Ready to update you on the latest at Stampin' Up!  With apologies for the Lost Month of January, of course.

First up, it's Sale-A-Bration time!  Between now and the end of March 2014, spend $90 and receive a FREE Sale-A-Bration product.  Spend another $90 and get another!  Do this a couple more times and you also qualify for Hostess Benefits!  And during Sale-A-Bration, these benefits are bumped up if your order/party goes over $500.  It's win-win :-)

You could even join the Stampin' Up! family during the Sale-A-Bration period and for the low price of $169 you can get up to $255 worth of merchandise as well as all the business supplies you need to start off - this is an extra $20 on the usual value of merchandise.

Anyway, take a quick look at the items for sale over at my Online Store, or check out the PDF of the flyer at the Stampin' Up! website.