Sneak peeks ... and only one more sleep

A Sneak peek ... you can see the new Idea book and catalogue peeking out from behind these cards and patterned papers... want your own copy?
There are several ways to get your hands on one:
- Buy it for $10 (yes they are normally $12.95 plus postage).
- Hostess a party (get it for free)
- Come to the Idea book Launch on 15th September

Here is a card made with a new stampset Friends are flowers that never fade.
The matching paper is quite lovely with new colours and old: pear pizzaz, baja breeze and chocolate chip.
I've used versamark ink on the chocolate layer of cardstock to repeat the pattern and "tied" a white taffeta ribbon with a clear rhinestone brad - so easy to make a card.

How do you love this flower set - who would think Red, blue and chocolate would look so gorgeous together?

Lastly, I did a quick Thank you card:

Simply a piece of Designer series paper on a square of chocolate chip cardstock
With a sentiment punched out on top and a half Pearl.

I hope these cards have given you a taste of what to expect in the next catalogue and I wish you all many nights of dreaming about cards and stamping ... only one more sleep till Spring!

Artistic Etchings with Melon Mambo

Ever dreamed of making a card or scrap page in your sleep?

This is a brand new stamp set from the 2010-11 Idea Book and catalogue. I couldn't go past this stamp set as it will go with the En Francais background stamp and has this lovely circular medallion, crown and key.

I stamped the Eiffel Tower in white craft ink on to Basic black cardstock.

The Crown and key are done in white ink on black too, before being cut out and attached to the top note with dimensionals.

I have stamped the AMOUR ("love") sentiment with black stazon ink onto velum cardstock.

This is a nice way to make a ribbon bow, I think, you just fold the ribbon and cinch it in the centre with a rhinestone brad and mini glue dot it to the card.

 

Card Recipe:

Stampsets: Artistic etchings, En francais background.

Cardstock: Melon Mambo, Whisper white, Basic Black, Velum cardstock .

Ink: White craft ink, Rich Razzleberry, Soft suede

and black stazon ink..

Tools and accessories:

Eyelet border punch, white taffeta ribbon, square Rhinestone brad, dimensional adhesive.

Big shot machine and top note die cut.

Good bye Kiwi Kiss (friend to friend)

Kiwi kiss has been a favourite of mine and sadly it will be one of the colours going at the end of this week.
It is brighter than Old Olive and goes great with Riding hood Red for Christmas cards.
So today I celebrated with a farewell to Kiwi kiss with some patterned paper behind this Pendant Note Card.

This is the second card I have made using the kraft coloured Pendant notes.
The centre is die cut so you can press the negative pieces out and place your patterned paper in behind it.

I have used kiwi kiss patterned paper behind and added a kiwi kiss bow to the front held with a clear rhinestone brad.

This kraft cardstock just cries out vintage to me... so I broke out the Vintage vogue stampset for the flowers and vines around the edge.

To accentuate the flower I have layered it with Pacific point patterned paper cut out with the wonderful Boho Blossom punch held with a basic black brad.

Friend to friend sentiment is from teeny tiny sentiments punched with the word window punch.

So we say good bye to Kiwi Kiss and clear the shelves as we eagerly anticipate a new in colour range next week.

50% Off - The Absolutely Last chance - bargains!

The warehouse needs to be cleared to make room for all the new colours and products in the new catalogue so take a LOOK at the big discounts Stampin' Up are offering this last week of August.
LOOK: papers for $8.48 and punches for half price ....

As they say only available until stocks last!

Item #  Page Description       Discount  Discounted Price

116342 42 Big Bold Birthday 50%                    $26.98

116408 100 Seeing Spots 50%                         $14.98

116344 121 Big Deal Alphabet 50%                 $38.98

116208 126 In Color card stock (A4) 50%         $7.25

112042 132 Urban Garden Designer Series paper 50% $8.48

112041 134 Bella Rose Designer Series paper 50% $8.48

107305 152 Oval Large punch 50% $15.48

 113692 152 Eyelet border punch 50% $15.48

109043 152 Scallop Circle punch 50% $15.48

113694 152 Heart to Heart punch 50% $15.48

112082 152 Wide Oval punch 50% $15.48

112091 152 Scallop Edge punch 50% $15.48

113693 152 Full Heart punch 50% $15.48

104310 155 Crafters' Tool Kit 25% $58.46

112004 AW28* 1-3/4" Circle punch 50% $15.48

116629 CO* Butterfly punch 50% $15.48

105538 127 Bold Brights Stampin' markers 25% $43.46

105537 127 Soft Subtles Stampin'  markers 25% $43.46

105540 127 Rich Regals Stampin' markers 25% $43.46

105539 128 Earth Elements Stampin' markers 25% $43.46

105541 127 Many Marvelous Markers 25% $175.46
105550 128 Bold Brights  Stampin' Spots 25% $31.46
105551 128 Earth Elements  Stampin' Spots 25% $31.46
105552 129 Rich Regals Stampin' Spots 25% $31.46
*CO=Carryover Flyer
*AW=Autumn/Winter Mini Catalogue

Email nerida_carter@hotmail.com, phone 0468 877 125 or text me, asap to place your order.
These specials are Only available until 31st August, or when stocks run out.

Gift card holder in Fifth Avenue florals

We had a fun night on Tuesday night at Alicia's house - Alicia had us make this gorgeous gift card holder.
It opens like a little purse with a concertina double pocket inside.

It is basically a small folded card with a belly band covered in embellished flowers.

I really enjoyed making it. Even though I did end up finishing the belly band and inserts this morning in day light.

What do you think?

Each centre of the flowers has a rhinestone on it and the colours are:

 Kiwi kiss, not quite Navy and Baja Breeze with whisper white.

When you open it you see the tabs for two cards that fit neatly into the envelope "pockets".

One is for your message (mine just says "for you" at this stage) and the second tab is to place a gift card or voucher into. They would be just the right size for a movie ticket, gift card, folded notes, or a gift voucher from Stamping Joy!!!

That's my business card slipped in between the flower and the slit punch holes...

Iit could be anything you like - I am thinking Christmas gift vouchers for my nieces and nephews.

The photo above shows you a side view of the cut envelope,  that creates your two pockets... Alicia recommends you use a good quality envelope instead of a business style one with the blue lining and I tend to agree ... but if that's all you have then they work just fine.

Card recipe:

Stampset: Fifth Avenue Floral.

Cardstock: kiwi kiss, whisper white.

Designer series patterned paper: Stampin up - Urban garden.

Tools: Scallop edge punch, scallop circle punch, boho blossom punch, round tab punch, slit punch ($11.50).

Rhinestone brads.

Enjoy!!!

Collage stamping and a male birthday card

Male birthday?

Designing a card for a male is the antithesis to my usual purple pretty floral cards, so this was always going to be a challenge.

Finding a stampset without a flower is a challenge in my craft room!

So when it came to selecting a stampset and colours - I had to try the collage technique as I truly could not settle on one male stampset and I have done stars and trees many times before.

I have used the Pendant note cards. They are precut and come in Kraft, Kraft and Kraft.

A perfect male colour - call it kahki, call it crumb cake -

It reminds me of the overalls that my dad used to wear in his shed and in the garden.

The ink colours are all pretty much from the same pallette: sahara sand, Soft suede and chocolate chip.

I've gone very heavy on the ink pad "smooshing" - thats a technical term for swiping the ink pad over the cardstock to give a distressed dirty look which is very masculine I think.

Nothing crisp and clean for this style of card.

Card Recipe:
Pendant notes (15cards and envelopes) for $17.50
Stampsets: Tres chic background (expiring), Frames with a flourish (expiring),
Artistic Etchings (sneak peek), Happy birthday is from Party this way (sneak peek).
Cardstock: whisper white.
Ink: Soft Suede, Sahara Sand, chocolate chip.
Tools and accessories: Eyelet border punch, Soft suede polka dot ribbon (expiring), button bouquet, embroidery cotton, mini glue dots, dimensional foam adhesive.
Like this card?    Let me know what you think by leaving me a few words.
Just click your mouse on POST A COMMENT under this post - Enjoy!!!

Save the date: 15 September 2010

The new 2010/11 Idea book and catalogue will go live on 1 September 2010.
Are you as excited as me? Can't wait to play with the newest products from stampin' up?

As expected there are so many new things to play with in this catalogue.
 New patterned papers, new colours, new tools, new stamps, new buttons, ribbons and embellishments...

And the date has been set for our 2010/2011 New Catalogue launch ...

Wednesday 15 September 2010 at 7.30pm

Put the date on your calendar now ... other details will come later.

Birthday card in three pinks

I had a sweet little girl in mind when I made this card. So I chose my favourite three pinks:

Melon Mambo, Pixie Pink and Rose Red.

The stampset used for the animals is "Animal Stories" you might be seeing a lot more of this stampset in the next year ... that's a big hint regarding the new catalogue coming out next month.

I stamped in all the images in Melon Mambo.

The birthday cake is a single stamp from the A la Carte selection.

I've used two punches here, the circle punch to cut out the cake and the circle scallop punch to cut out the pixie pink cardstock.

  

There are a few new stamps used here but they are just a sneak peek of whats in store ...

This one is pretty obvious - A brand new sentiment set: and it fits beautifully into the wide Oval punch.
I've put it up on dimensionals and made a bow under the oval with the Melon Mambo ribbon (RETIRING) this gorgous polka dot ribbon is going ... after 31 August.

Thats it your first sneak peek of some of the new and returning stampsets.

Send me an email if you are needing any of those last chance specials.

Scallop circles and little leaves with the BIG Shot.

I have been busy creating a few cards with a mixture of old and new bits and pieces this week.

We are in the middle of the last month before the new Idea book arrives and the last few weeks before the current catalogue finishes.

There are a few old and new things hidden in the card above.

The card is shaped by rolling some orchid opulence cardstock (folded in half) through the Big shot machine using the large scallop circle die.

Did you notice the gorgeous embossing folder I have used?

Then I have run it through again between the embossing folder to get that lovely vintage wallpaper texture.

The centre is a ruffled flower using the scallop circle Punch with a few boho blossom flowers in the centre and a Rhinestone brad to hold it all together.

The little leaves behind the ruffled flower make an easy accent behind.

Most popular stampsets in July!

Are you curious what other stampers are buying?

Want to know what's popular right now?

 Here are the top ten stamp sets
 that sold from Stampin' up in July 2010:

120003 Cottage Garden (clear-mount)

118592 Tiny Tags (clear-mount)

115770 Cheep Talk (wood-mount)

115860 A Rose is a Rose (wood-mount)

119163 Cottage Garden (wood-mount)

116386 Loads of Love (wood-mount)

116332 Playful Petals (wood-mount)

118598 Vintage Vogue (clear-mount)

111536 Wonderful Favourites (wood-mount)
117693 Very Vintage Jumbo Stampin' Around Wheel

My card is made from the very popular Vintage Vogue stamp set ( I think it was overshadowed last month only because there was that Two step stamping promotion sale last month).
My favourite stampset for the month of July was the Vintage Vogue and the vintage vogue wheel!
I am loving the Pale Plum and Rich Razzleberry colours together.
This Razzleberry spotted ribbon (and the melon mambo one aswell) will expire at the end of this month along with the pale plum ink and cardstock so enjoy it while it lasts... I am.
Thanks to Linda for the layout of this card... you can see Linda Higgins' cards using this set in the July edition of Australian cards and papercraft magezine.

Making Peace with the Paper Piecing technique

Paper piecing is the technique for August.

Warning: Paper Piecing requires the use of scissors!

 It requires the cutting of small pieces of paper.

 If you don't have hours to cut around small detailed stamps on patterned paper don't even try this.

Really, if you stamp them first, then sit down in front of the TV while you're cutting, it takes no time at all - its quite peace - ful.

And if you select simple shapes its even easier...

Me, I just like butterflies

The first step, which I didn't photograph, (because this is not a tutorial) is to stamp your background.
I used the Very vintage wheel in kiwi kiss ink, rolled on a diagonal. Then I took my All a flutter butterfly stamp in Old Olive ink and stamped it onto the background a few times.
Taking the same stamp I inked it in black Stazon and stamped it on my patterned paper.
I used the cottage wall and some pink pirouette patterned paper.

Then you cut out the patterned paper and stick the butterflies over the stamped images on your background.

Paper piecing project done.

 That was fun wasn't it?

I made eight of these little Artist trading cards to swap with this month.

No two cards are ever the same. The sentiment says "Bee Happy!"

So that was paper piecing ... now off to try some paper piercing... oww, that might hurt.

In Sydney for a couple of days of relaxation and adventuring...

Long name for a scrapbook page ... .

 I still haven't quite worked out the difference between a photo album and a scrapbook yet,

but that's fine... I just have to learn to take less photos or take a less photogenic sweet child next time I go on holidays... 

The first Page shows gorgeous Jess getting aquainted with our hotel room at the Old Sydney Holiday Inn. It is an old converted wharehouse with heaps of character and lots of natural light in all the rooms and the huge atrium inside.

On the Roof top of the hotel is the swimming pool, spa and sauna... Jess took teddy with her for a bit of R&R while we checked out the city views. That's the harbour bridge and the Opera house to the right.

That sunshine in the middle of winter was beautiful, we could have hung around all day.

But, the city shops and sights were beckoning...

and we had to go adventuring:

Can you remember when you were a kid and found a sign with your name on it?

It didn't ever happen for me until I went to Nerida street, Chatswood.

But Jessie has a garden named after her!

We discovered the Jessie street garden in the city and she was over the moon.

Ok, the stamping is minimal on these pages... I have used the big shot Timeless type alphabet to do my titling (the set contains both upper and lower case alphabets) and the Lots of Tags die for the "a few days of relaxation..." The hearts are punched with my small heart punch - it makes a cute border with great contrast against the Pacific Point textured cardstock.

I think what I like about this alphabet is that it makes me think of a magezine font ... now all I have to do is come up with some better titles for my scrapbook pages.

Stampset: Frames with a flourish

Cardstock: Textured 12x12 Pacific Point and Kiwi kiss, whisper white smooth.

Ink: Basic Black Stazon and marker pen.

A Two Bird Birthday celebration

At Convention I photographed a card up on the display boards and now I have made my own CASE (copy and share everything) ... it may not be an exact copy but it is probably pretty close.

 I just love the colours together: Rich Razzleberry cardstock with the Cottage wall designer series paper.

The background stamping is Upsy Daisy in rich razzleberry ink. Have you notice how stampin' up ink is always a tone darker than the cardstock of the same colour? so that you can get this shadow stamp affect.

The page of writing is half a Top note cut with my Big shot machine and sponged around the edges with ink.

The script is stamped with the rustic rooster background stamp in pale plum ink to give it that rustic vintage look. I have edged the "page" with the spiral bound punch.

The bird punch is just heaven to use as it is in the new punch style. Much easier to store because they are flat and like a good hole punch very easy to use.

I love how you can position the birds wings taking flight, or resting when the bird is on its branch.

*Two step bird punch $30.95 will be going up to $33.95 after 1 September!