December Thank you cards

 This is just a lovely time of year with Summer just on the rise, warm days but not yet too hot. The flowers and insects all buzzing and gathering nectar. I love how you experience it so fully when you're the parent of a 9 year old. Everything is amazing and wonderful, gross and beautiful all at once.

 One moment we are exaning a bee in a flower, the next a dragon fly in a spider's web, lizards on the path and feeding the fish in the pond.

 I just have to show you a photo of our white goldfish (we call her swift ) she is very fast and very big for a gold fish. We only have two gold fish left in our pond and surprisingly neither are very gold. One's white and one's black (with poppy out eyes).

The cards for today are Thank you cards featuring the "Papillon Potpouri" stampset which is punched out with the matching butterfly punch.

The flower is from "Blooming with Kindness" which is a very similar image to the new business cards I have had printed.

The colours are: Pool Party, Island Indigo, Wisteria Wonder and Elegant Eggplant.

Padded ornament card

 Here is another card idea we were shown at the Heartfelt Event in sydney by Marelle (if I remember correctly). Anyway this is my interpretation of her card.

The padded ornament is made with a square of fabric and padded out with half a cotton wool ball.

My Bow is made with some scalloped Tulle ribbon. Cut in thirds lengthways.

Another view from above ...

Ingredients:

Cardstock- Cherry Cobbler, whisper white.

Fabric - Timeless portrait.

Ink - Cherry Cobbler

Shimmer paint - platinum (sponge dauber)

Stampset: Merry Minis, Greetings of the season.

Tools and accessories: Ornament punch,

Scallopped Tulle ribbon, Rhinestone jewels.

Christmas cards in the mail

  I love this time of year!

Everyday I go to the letter box and  there will be some happy mail waiting there for me.

Over the last month I have received some lovely cards from some beautiful people and I want to share them with you.

 This one is from a fellow stampin' Up demonstrator: Felicity Hawkins and her gift to me, a gorgeous ornament in my favourite colours.  

 It came in it's own handmade box and everyone who sees it comments on how pretty it is.

This one is from Tia Routledge. I love the simplicity and texture.

Sophie Conus I love the ribbon, layering and rhinestone detail.

 Debbie O'D's gorgeous pendant with oversized pearl - its so elegant.

 Jill Fitzgerald's double gate fold card with an interesting twist- very creative.

And Michelle's lovely christmas card in blue, white and silver.

Now I have this stampset and punch I am going to have to CASE it.

That's copy and share everything - the crafter's motto.

Crafters Anonymous christmas tag swap

 Christmas tags - an absolutely necessary item to dress up a gift.
Earlier this month I made nine christmas tags to swap with the ladies in my online crafting group.

 I try to make them all the same, (well similar) to each other using the same ingredients, but they all have some little quirk or difference.
I have used the Build a wheels from the holiday catalogue Snowflake Party and Good Cheer on the background. I simply rolled the wheels in crumb cake and Early Espresso inks on the two tags die.

My ornament punch adds the point of interest with a champagne glimmer paper scallop circle and Merry Christmas 3/4" circle layered on top.

I have layered my gumball green stitched satin ribbon on top of stamped white cotton.

And the scalloped Tulle ribbon makes a soft bow at the top.

 And these are the tags I received in return. Such a variety of styles and ideas that are so pretty you could hang a few of them on the Christmas tree as decorations.

My collection of tags is from: Carole Stedman,  Dawn Fergusson,  Annette Sulivan,  Tania Cordie, Suzanne Cook, Keryn Suthers, Tia Routledge, Anne Brignall and Nerida Carter.

Shaker frame tutorial

How to make the Little owl shaker frame:
You will need - shaker frame adhesive circle (36 frames in a pack) $8.95
Circle punches: 1" and 1 1/4" punches. (2.5cm and 3.2cm)
Window sheet (aka: acetate, ovehead transparency, clear thick plastic)
Some Cardstock.

 Step 1. Choose a tag or stamped image to "frame".

 2. Place one of the shaker frames onto the image. (leave the top piece of paper on).

 3. Select some glitter ( I have used glass glitter and dazzling diamonds) and add it inside the shaker frame.

 4. Peel off the top piece of paper to reveal the adhesive.

 5. Punch out a piece of clear acetate (window sheet) and stick on top.

6. Punch a circle of cardstock (to make a cardstock ring).
Use a  mini Glue dot to stick a piece of cardstock on top (to cover the edge of the acetate and create a frame).
7. Shake!!!! Instant snow dome with glitter snow!

Snow Festival printed tags - Best value Christmas product

 Voted best value Christmas card making product is the...
Snow Festival printed tags for only $6.95 for 25 preprinted tags that you can just write your message on an add to a gift, or stamp a greeting and add to a card.

To make these different I have added some ribbon or some dry embossing with Gumball green cardstock

 .And these three are on Beautiful Baja Breeze cardstock with white ribbon.

 Those trendy little owls are on everything, so why fight it!!!

My last card uses the gorgeous Cherry Cobbler cardstock with Gumball green stitched ribbon and a shaker frame. He's so cute!

Snow Flakes Christmas card

 We had a fabulous day stamping yesterday (Thursday) ... making christmas cards.
It was kind of an end of year Christmas lunch and last minute stamp a stack rolled into one festive Day.
Jill and Soph made a few of these ones above with the Snow Flurry Big shot die using whisper white and silver glimmer paper.

 We stamped our own background using the Greetings of the Season stampset in Not Quite Navy ink.
Then stamped the Season's greeting stampset from "Snow swirled" just because it fitted easily into the apothecary accents framelit die that we liked the shape of.

And the second card was made with all the little bits of snow flakes left on the table after I put away all my toys. Kind of like random snowflakes falling - not that we have snow here at this time of year but I always think snow flakes symbolise  freezers and air conditioners, which is where the chilled champagne comes from. So who couldn't love snowflakes at any time of year?

Clearance Rack Specials 14 Dec to 21 Jan

Stampin' Up! want to Wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy new year ... and our gift to you this month is an amazing list of Stamping products at discounted and Special prices!

Some items are 50% off and some are 70% off!

Stampin' Up have never done this in Australia before. These are Retired products from the 2011-12 Catalogue at bargain prices.

For the Week of: 14 December, 2012 - 21 January, 2013 (while supplies last)

Details: We're temporarily taking over a hundred products out of retirement
with discounts up to 70 percent off retail-only while supplies last!
We'll have four different groups of products on sale during the next month.
Click here to view the list of Specials for 14Dec-21Jan.

• Each special is available for one week only.
• There is no minimum purchase required to participate in this special offer!
• Qualifying Clearance Rack orders are eligible for hostess benefits!
• Clearance Rack Blitz items are only available while supplies last for each time period they're on sale-so don't wait!
• Sorry, but there are no refunds or exchanges on Clearance Rack items.
• The page numbers refer to last year's catalogue (that retired 31 August 2012).  

If you need a paper copy of the old catalogue give me a call.

Some of the specials that jump out at me are:

Stampin'up! ink pads for $4.50 (Old Olive, Real Red and Regal Rose)

Stampin write Markers $2.95 (Elegant Eggplant, Ridinghood red and Regal Rose)

Incolour A4 2010-12 Cardstock $7.00

Dasher the reindeer $8

Elebration $9.95

Something for christmas $7.50

Beau Chateaux Designer paper $7.50

Tagtastic stampset $14.50 clear mounted.

To place your order:

Email me at: nerida_carter@hotmail.com

Phone or SMS: 0468 877 125

Note: to guarantee receipt before Christmas place your order today 14/12/12, cross your fingers for a speedy delivery if we send it on Monday17th.

Another Owl card today!

Surprise!

It's a Christmas card and it has that cute little owl on it.

The design is simple, for a large number of cards to be made in one session.

The very few ingredients Recipe:

Stampset: Owl Occasions (note the background stamping on the Gumball green strip)

I placed all the little clear mount stamps on a single block and did a quick background with only one or two inkings - yay!!!

Colours are: cherry cobbler, gumball green, Midnight muse and a soft suede branch.

Tools: 6.4cm circle punch and Modern label punch.

Ornaments and music notes

 What says christmas more than christmas carols and ornaments on the tree?
Jess has two music teachers and her class teacher plays the recorder so these musical notes just make a lovely background for several of her cards.

Simple as: this second one uses just the musical notes wheel, Delightful decorations and Greetings of the Season stampsets and the ornament punch.
First card is Elegant eggplant and Marina Mist while the second one has more traditional colours of Real Red and Lucky Limeade green.
If you are needing to place an order before Christmas, please send an email to nerida_carter@hotmail.com or text to 0468 877 125 by the 14th December.

Teacher's gift

 Its that time of year when we make calendars, notebooks and gift boxes to say thank you to teachers. Whether it's just thanks for putting up with my child for 4 terms or thanks for something more, or like me you just like wrapping up parcels of chocolate, biscuits and tea bags in cardstock and ribbons.

So this is what I have made today. A kind of emergency kit for the school day.... what every teacher will appreciate: a strong cup of tea, gingerbread biscuits and some chocolate !

Recipe:

Whisper white and cherry cobbler cardstock

Ink: Early Espresso, cherry cobbler and Gumball green.

Stamps: Scentsational Season, Musical notes wheel,

Builder wheel: Snowflake party and Good cheer.

Tools: Blossom punch, small scallop circle, snow flake die, Big shot.

Word window punch.

Scallopped tulle ribbon: cherry cobbler and Crumb cake.

Simply scored tool.

Quick and simple cards

A quick and simple card with only one stamp and a sheet of patterned paper?
Add this to a couple of framelits and edgelits and you have a christmas card for a nephew who has just moved out of home into his first house.

Card Recipe:

Stampset: Heart of christmas

Ink: Baja Breeze, Primrose Petals and Soft suede (inkpads and markers)

Cardstock: Whisper white, Gumball green and Crumb cake.

Designer series paper: Snow Festival

Big shot, Apothecary accent framelit, Adorning Accent edgelits.