Whoa ... what happened there? October Promotions!

Somehow I fell off the planet for a couple of weeks there ... I personally blame school holidays, which isn't much of an excuse really, as we've not really done much. We did get to the Melbourne Museum to see the Pompeii exhibit ... well worth it, despite the crowds.

Sadly I have no new samples for you today ... yes, I know! How slack! But I do have news of this month's promotions (yup, two of them).

Firstly, it's World Card Making Day this Saturday, October 3. This is a day set aside to encourage us all to take time to make a card or two for our friends and family (and for us to buy stuff from the participating companies *g*). Whatever the reasons for setting it up, it's a good reminder that everyone loves to receive mail, and what better mail than a handmade card from a loved one?

Stampin' Up! is having a World Card Making Day celebration for the entire month of October!

To celebrate WCMD 2009, you can purchase either the Flower Power Simply Sent Card Elements kit or the Rock Star Simply Sent Card Elements kit (each of these kits is priced at $30.95) during October, and receive 20% off the price of either of the matching stamp sets, Wow Flowers or Starring You (these sets are normally $24.95, but during the promotional period they will be available for $19.96).

So for each of the Simply Sent Card Elements kits you buy, you are entitled to the 20% off either stamp set - there are no purchase limits to this promotion, and there's no requirement to match the stamp set to the purchased kit.

Note: The promotion only relates to the kits and stamp sets mentioned above.

Secondly, if you're thinking about joining the Stampin' Up! family, now might be a good time for you ... for every person who joins between October 7 and December 31 2009, Stampin' Up! will donate $5 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

PLUS every recruit joining between now and the end of December will receive a FREE pack of Raspberry Tart Designer Paper and a Pretty In Pink Classic Ink Pad to help them get started.

If you would like to know more about becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, please feel free to contact me with your questions.

Happy Birthday Anne-Marie

(I hope that the card has already arrived and been opened, otherwise this will be a big surprise for you *g*).

It was my friend Anne-Marie's birthday the other day, and so (late as always) I whipped this up the night before to get it in the post on the day so it would arrive only one day late. Rather than my usual effort of several days, if not weeks, late.

The layout was pretty much totally CASEd from this card posted on Splitcoast Stampers.

Four of the seven flowers were stamped separately and attached with dimensionals, as was the body of the bird (and boy, am I wishing I had a Pumpkin Pie marker - that beak was tricky to ink off the pad *g*) and the greeting. My Stamp-A-Ma-Jig came was invaluable for ensuring the flower stalks were evenly placed and the three flowers at the back were positioned correctly.

And the birthday greeting? One of the new "individual" stamps from the Summer Mini Catalogue - a very useful stamp to own, and see how beautifully it fits into the Wide Oval Punch? Love that!

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp set/s: Cheep Talk, Birthday Wish
Ink: Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun, Pacific Point, Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery
Cardstock: Pacific Point, Real Red, Whisper White
Other: Old Olive Stampin' Write Marker, Wide Oval, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

Tri-Shutter Card

There seems to be a lot of samples lately of a style of card known as the Tri-Shutter (for reasons which become obvious as you play with one of these). I finally got around to making my own version recently, and have to say I'm pretty pleased with how it came out.

These cards are really not that hard to make. I used the instructions found here, modified slightly to suit an A4 piece of cardstock. So long as your score lines are evenly spaced, with an interval in the middle twice the size of the outside folds (that makes no sense written down like that, but if you follow the instructions you'll see what I mean), it should work just fine.

And they're fun to decorate. Here I've used the Designer Series Paper "Sweet Always" as the inspiration for the colour scheme and stamp set - Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip and Pumpkin Pie is perhaps not a colour combination you would consider in the normal scheme of things, but it really does work as you can see.

I have a little more work to do on the inside of the card, but it looks so darned pretty as it is I don't want to mess it up *g*.

And here's a shot of the card from above, so you can see how it stands and get an idea of how it all folds together to fit in a regular C6 sized envelope.

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp set/s: Always
Ink: Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie
Cardstock: Regal Rose, Whisper White
Other: 1/2" Circle Punch. Sweet Always Designer Series Paper

Peninsula Craft Expo Wrapup

Well, we had a lovely time down in Mornington over the weekend, and would have to recommend this show to anyone who can make it next time - the organisers were lovely, there was Devonshire tea (mmmmm) and the atmosphere was really friendly.






A few snaps to show you a couple of our displays ... (if you look closely at the photo on the left, you'll see a glass bikkie jar, complete with mini chocolate biscuits ... they were intended for display purposes, but were also handy for getting us through the afternoon *g*).






And our group leader, Gail, doing what she does best - keeping people informed about Stampin' Up

A little too pink, even for me!

I have to try this technique again, but in a different colour. I came across the original (shown here - isn't it lovely?) a few weeks ago, and finally got around to making my own interpretation of it recently.

I have stamped the big swirl from Baroque Motifs randomly on a piece of Regal Rose cardstock with Regal Rose ink. Then using the floral stamps, I added contrast using Whisper White Craft ink. Sponging the edges of the layer in Whisper White finished it off nicely, giving the main piece a little contrast from the base card, also Regal Rose.

And because it looked a little bare, I added the strip of punched Whisper White cardstock down the side; I do wish, however, that I'd thought of that before I stuck the card together ... had to do a little encouraging to get it to stay LOL.

(PS I have no idea what is going on with my camera ... the card is not an odd bowed shape at all, the edges are perfectly straight, and yet this picture shows it all skewed. Must've had gthe camera on the wrong setting (again) - I hate my new camera ... *sigh* ... should've bought another Canon instead).

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp set/s: Baroque Motifs, Short & Sweet
Ink: Regal Rose, Whisper White Craft
Cardstock: Regal Rose, Whisper White
Other: Small Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Eyelet Border Punch, Whisper White 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon

Want some FREE stuff?

For the month of September, any order exceeding $100 will receive a ribbon bundle FREE. The bundle consists of a 9.1 metre roll each of Certainly Celery 5/8" Poly-Twill Ribbon and So Saffron 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon. You can also earn one of these exclusive ribbon bundles by hosting a workshop exceeding $600 during the promotion period.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love ribbon, so I can't wait to get my hands on this lot.

Did you know you can stamp on ribbon? It's not restricted to simply tying a bow or knot, you can also add a word or design stamped on ribbon to give a project that finishing touch.

Click on the ribbon above, or contact me today to find out more!

Peninsula Craft Expo - September 5-6 2009

If you're at a bit of a loose end during the first weekend of September, and you live somewhere near the Mornington Peninsula, you could do worse than visit the Peninsula Craft Expo in Mornington and say hi to those of us working on the Stampin' Up! stand there.

The fair is being held on Saturday September 5 and Sunday September 6, from 9am till 4pm each day. Entry is only $5.00, and you will see a variety of craft retailers from the Mornington area.

You can read more about the Expo at their website here.