Here we are folks! Last week of ‘Deal of the Week’.  Here’s this week’s deals:

This Week’s Deals:

These discounts are only available until the evening of 31st of May 2011.

Email me now to place your order if you’d like any of these discounted Stampin’ Up! products.

Today I’m sharing with you a card that my 13 year old daughter, Jade, made for me for Mother’s Day last week.  Jade is a huge fan of Teneale Williams’ work and she CASEd this card by Teneale for me.

I’m so impressed with how well she did!  Seriously… the ribbon she worked out all on her own how to do and because we didn’t have any of the Urban Oasis paper that Teneale used (it’s now retired), Jade recreated the paper using Stampin’ Up!’s Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set.

Jade obviously took a lot of time and care to make me this card and I’m so proud of my gorgeous girl.

Here’s a photo of Jade at Christmas with our little furry guy, Ralph, who turns 2 today.  Happy Birthday Ralphie!

Here’s the products that Jade used to make my card. Email me to order any of  these or other Stampin’ Up! products.

Rubber Stamps:
Fifth Avenue Floral

Cardstock & Paper:
Baja Breeze
Very Vanilla
Watercolour Paper
Baja Breeze Patterned Paper Stack

Inkpad:
StazOn Black
Baja Breeze

Tools:
Aquapainter

Accessories:
Vanilla Satin Ribbon
Large Flower Brad
Large Pretties Kit Pearl (now retired)

Adhesives:
SNAIL
Stampin’ Dimensionals
Glue Dots

We’re on to our third week of Stampin’ Up! Australia’s Deal of the Week Promotion.  Here’s this week’s specials:

If you’d like any of these items at the sale price then email me right away to place your order.

This special offer ends on the evening of 24th of May 2011

I’m back! Whoa! and what an amazing 4 days that was.  I’m both excited and exhausted at the same time.

Highlights of the trip? Definitely first and biggest highlight was seeing friends and team members and of course Stampin’ Up! staff.  It is absolutely amazing to be able to spend 4 days with friends having fun and also be able to call it a business trip.  So many laughs, so many fun times… here’s a photo of a ‘game show’ that Stampin’ Up! did at Convention – it’s called “Win it in a minute”.  In this photo, the Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators are trying to unravel a roll of ribbon using a Stampin’ Up! marker but without pulling the marker towards them.  I have some great photos of the next segment where demonstrators had to maneuver a cookie from their forehead to their mouths without using their hands… thinking I shouldn’t post those photos? LOL

Here’s a photo of Stampin’ Up!’s CEO Shelli Gardner demonstrating some stamping.  I could listen/watch Shelli for hours, she’s an incredibly talented and entertaining lady.

This is one of my gorgeous team members, Vanessa Webb, who demonstrated using fabric with the Big Shot.  I’ll have to make up some cards and other samples of my own to post here on the blog to share with you all the technique that Ness used.

Now for some seriously exciting news! (well for me anyway)…. During the awards night I was awarded First Place for Demonstrator of the Year.  Talk about shock!!!  I knew I had come in the Top 25 because when I checked in at Convention I received with my Convention bag a Demonstrator of the Year pin, along with pins for sales, recruiting, leadership and Incentive Trip but I couldn’t even imagine coming first.  It’s all still a bit surreal and I had to actually ask Shelli on stage if she was sure, LOL, Shelli just laughed and nodded.  A huge thank you to my amazing team and customers, this award is because of you all.  For First Place Demonstrator of the Year I received a certificate and cash bonus.  I also received this fabulous Michael Kors sports watch trimmed with Swarovski Crystals as a Leadership Award (again, thanks to my team! I have THE most incredible team).  So funny, my friends kept nudging me telling me I had achieved this prize but to tell you the truth I was so stunned I just sat there and watched the big screen to see my name so I could be absolutely sure.

And now for the list of the Top 25 Australian Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators for 2011:

1: Angela Sargeant
2. Kim Gavarra
3: Marelle Taylor
4: Ngaire Anderson
5: Vanessa Webb
6 – Tracey Penn
7 – Simone Bartrum
8 -Jayne Mercer
9 – Debbie Yeoman
10 -Maureen Crameri
11 – Alisa Tilsner
12 – Linda Higgins
13 – Teresa Brown
14 – Jacinta Ryan
15 – Sue Madex
16 – Sarah Klass
17 – Adele Khoo
18 – Charmaine Black
19 – Lisa Jalocha
20 – Shannean Moncrieff
21 – Liz Collett
22 – Jennie Cass
23 – Susan Rowe
24 – Janine Rawlings
25 – Melissa Garland

Rising Star Awards went to:

#1 – Kylie Bertucci

#2 – Michelle Bartholomaeus

#3 – Can’t remember! I’ll have to hunt down the name and be back to update.

Okay well that’s it for now.  But I will be back to post more photos!  I’ve got to show you all a photo of Aaron Scott (Australian GM) and Emma Parkin-Wilson (NZ Country Manager) riding camels on stage!… just a magical moment

It’s Week 2 of Stampin’ Up!’s Deal of the Week promotion.

Here’s this week’s specials:

This special finishes on the evening of 17th May 2011.  If you really want one of these items at the special discounted price then please email me right away because sale items can become out of stock before the end of the sale date.

Please note this promotion is only for Australian residents.

I’ve got 135 team pins done (hope that’s enough!)

Got some incentive awards and gifts ready

Got my new red lipstick

Now I’ve just got to find my black nail polish and I’m almost ready!!!

Because I’ll be away at the Australian Stampin’ Up! Convention and because it’s my birthday next week… I’ll be giving a little gift to everyone who places an order with me in May.  If you’ve already ordered then I will mail something to you too.  Please note that gifts will be of the Stampin’ Up! variety not anything pictured here!  I’ll still be on email while I’m away so please feel free to email me as usual.

I promise to take lots of photos this time and post some on my blog when I get back home.

Also, don’t forget to check out my blog tomorrow for the 2nd week of Stampin’ Up!’s Deal of the Week offer.

May 2011 is Deals of the Week month for Stampin’ Up!  Each week in May, Stampin’ Up! will release a new set of Deals of the Week.  Tune in each week in May to snap up a bargain!

Deals of the Week for the first week of May are:

Tag Alongs Wood-Mount Stamp Set – Usually $31.95, NOW only $19.17

More Monkey Accessories Clear-Mount Stamp Set – Usually $23.95, NOW only $14.37

More Monkey Accessories Wood-Mount Stamp Set – Usually $29.95, NOW only $17.97

Cottage Garden Clear-Mount Stamp Set, Usually $24.95, NOW only $14.97

Cottage Garden Wood-Mount Stamp Set, Usually $32.95, NOW only $19.77

Compliments to the Chef Wood-Mount Stamp Set, Usually $35.95, NOW only $21.57

Need to see photos? Click here to see the Stampin’ Up! Catalogues online.  Or to receive your own copy of the catalogue in the mail just email me.

If you aready have your own catalogue, then:

Tag Alongs is on page 37
More Monkey Accessories is on page 59
Cottage Garden is on page 75
Compliments to the Chef is on page 98

After posting the card in my last blog post I decided to use the same stamp set to create a card that was a little different.   The last card had a shabby-chic feel with pretty colours so this time I’m posting a card that’s done in Black & White (okay, Black & Vanilla) using the same stamp set.

You can see I’ve used the same bird as in the last card but this time I’ve made it all sparkly and glittery.  I wanted to keep the black/white theme but still wanted the bird to stand out so I stamped it in Versamark then covered the image with Heat & Stick Powder, heated it with a heat gun then covered it with glitter.  After pouring off the excess glitter, I gave it another quick shot with the heat gun just to set the glitter.  If you want a visual on how to do this then click here to see an older blog post with step-by-step photos, it’s using a different stamp but the technique is the same.

I know it’s a bit sad, but I get quite excited when I find stamps that match with my punches or dies that aren’t specifically made to match (is this a cardmakers’ thing? or is it just that working with Stampin’ Up! products I keep looking for matchies?).  Anyway, I was very pleased to find out that I could stamp the flourish frame image from Stampin’ Up!’s Notably Ornate stamp set beautifully inside the Top Note die which I cut out with the Big Shot.  And it doesn’t look like they’re made for each other but I do like the way the “just because” sentiment fits inside one of the die-cuts from the Lots of Tags set of dies.

So there’s my little challenge done.  I love to be able to create quite contrasting cards using the same stamps or products, I always feel like I’m getting good value out of my stamps and tools and it’s a fun little creative challenge.  Maybe you’d like to do the same, create a totally different style of card using some stamps that you usually use in one particular style.

Here’s a list of products I’ve used to make this card. Email me to order any of  these or other Stampin’ Up! products.

Rubber Stamps:
Notably Ornate

Cardstock & Paper:
Basic Black
Very Vanilla
Newsprint Designer Series Paper

Inkpad:
Basic Black

Tools:
Big Shot
Top Note Die
Lots of Tags Dies
Paper Piercer (just around the inside of the tag, the perforations around the Top Note are made by the die itself)

Accessories:
Basic Jewels
Black Satin Ribbon

Adhesives:
SNAIL
Stampin’ Dimensionals

Isn’t it funny the way ideas for cards start?  Most of the time I’m wanting to make a card for a particular person so I look for an image and colours to suit.  This time I was just making a card for no reason and the ideas started with the scallop circle die-cut that’s in the middle of the card.  I had an idea that I wanted something tactile/textured and scallopy in the middle of my card so I started by cutting out the large scallop circle with the Big Shot, then ran it through the Big Shot again in an embossing folder to give the pattern.  After that everything else seemed to just come together.

Whenever I make a card I place all my elements onto the card as if everything is stuck down before I start adhering things so that I can see if the card is going to look right to me.  In this case the scallop circle looked like it was ‘floating’ a bit so I used the Tasteful Trim die on the Big Shot to cut out the double scallop edge strip to visually anchor the scallop circle.   So after this was done and the bow was added, I adhered the scallop circle to the yellow patterned paper (which I sponged around the edge) and then added the stamped images from Stampin’ Up!’s Notably Ornate stamp set.  I used these images because I thought that they would go well with a number of occasions until I decided what sentiment to add.

Technique Tip: Next time you punch out a shape with your punches or you use your die-cutting machine, try also adding some texture to your shape/die-cut by dry embossing it.  You’ll find it adds extra interest to your card without bulk and gives you a very ‘ooh I need to run my fingers over this card!’ look.

Product Tip: The Tasteful Trim die is great to use for those times when you don’t have ribbon in a particular colour you want or if you want your card to be a bit ‘flatter’ for cheaper mailing.

Well, there’s a cheerful card on a dreary Sydney autumn day.  I hope you had a lovely Easter and that you are enjoying ANZAC day today.

So how do you start your cards? Do you start with a person in mind or just a particular stamp you want to use? or maybe some other idea?

Here’s a list of products I’ve used to make this card. Email me to order any of  these or other Stampin’ Up! products.

Rubber Stamps:
Notably Ornate
Fabulous Phrases

Cardstock & Paper:
Pear Pizazz textured cardstock
Designer Series Patterned Paper Stack (Subtles – So Saffron and Pear Pizazz)

Inkpad:
Pear Pizazz
So Saffron (for sponging around the oval, bird and ‘friend’)
Marina Mist
Perfect Plum

Tools:
Big Shot
Scallop Circle Die
Tasteful Trim Die
Finial Press Embossing Folder
Sponge Daubers

Accessories:
Basic Jewels
Daffodil Delight Striped Grosgrain Ribbon
Designer Buttons
Linen Thread

Adhesives:
SNAIL
Stampin’ Dimensionals (to glue down the buttons)

Yes I’m still here! An apology for the drought of 3 weeks without blogging, I haven’t been feeling very well and so I decided that it was best that I didn’t unleash my foggy brain on to the public during this time.  I have been creating though and so I do have some cards to share with you all.

Oh how I love this butterfly! I do have a ‘thing’ for butterfly stamps but the elegance of this image makes my heart sing.  To make the centrepiece I used a piece of shimmer cardstock which I cut out into an oval with the Big Shot then stamped the words image from Stampin’ Up!’s Strength & Hope stamp set onto the oval using Crumb Cake ink and sponged the edges of the card.  The butterfly was stamped directly on top then an other butterfly image was stamped onto a separate piece of cardstock, cut out, then adhered on top (just the centre, the wings are free) that way there’s still a shadow image of the butterfly underneath when you’re looking at the card in real life.

I really do love the look of stitching on cards but I have to admit I’m too lazy to pull out the sewing machine just to stitch some cardstock, so the pink patterned paper that goes across the whole card has tiny holes pierced around the edges then I used a white gel pen to ‘join the dots’ giving a stitched look.

Style Tip: For a shabby chic look go for soft colours and don’t be afraid to mix several patterns and colours together, you can tie them together with some vanilla/white accessories to soften the look a bit.  Anything to do with lace and flowers goes beautifully on a shabby chic card. Don’t be afraid to use lots of embellishments! I admit I’ve used a lot of accessories here but I decided they were much better used on a card than sitting in my craft room unused.

If you have any questions at all on this card (or comments!) please feel free to leave a comment on my blog.

Well that’s it for today, I do have more cards to share so I will be back soon.  In the meantime, Happy Easter!

Email me to order any of these Stampin’ Up! products.

Rubber Stamps:
Strength & Hope stamp set ($2 from the sale of this stamp set goes to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation)

Cardstock & Paper:
Bashful Blue textured cardstock
Greenhouse Gala patterned paper
Subtles Designer Series Patterned Paper Stack (in Pink Pirouette)
Shimmer cardstock

Inkpad:
Marina Mist
Crumb Cake

Tools:
Big Shot
Ovals die
Top Note Die
Sponge Daubers
Designer Label Punch
Paper Piercer and Mat Pack

Accessories:
Basic Pearls
Basic Jewels
Linen Thread
Victoria 5/8″ Crochet Trim
Fleurettes II (crochet flower)
Paper Daisies
Green Rhinestone Brads (Circle Ice)
Hodgepodge (metal label holder)
White Gel Pen
Subtles Designer Buttons

Adhesives:
SNAIL
Stampin’ Dimensionals
Glue Dots