Going going ... retirement list

This month our Stampin' Up team have been Farewelling stamps and products from the 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalogue. A few of us swapped cards with the challenge to use as many retiring products as you can. Here are 4 that I received:

Debra has used Fresh cuts stampset, Occassional greetings and Marina Mist Satin ribbon. 

 Karen has used Great Friend stampset, Sunny Garden DSP, The Designer Label punch, photo corners punch and the Certainly Celery striped grosgrain ribbon.

 Linda has used: The BlueBerry Crisp DSP, Razzle Dazzle stampset and Occasional greetings, Marina Mist satin ribbon, and the also retiring Designer label punch.

 Nerida (stamping joy) used two retiring stampsets: Friends 24/7 and sense of Time AND the Designer label punch. Then because I love this stampset I made another card to celebrate August retirement month.

This card uses The Sense of Time stampset in Pacific Point and black embossing powder.

Now if you are wanting to order any thing from the retirement list just send me an email to nerida_carter@hotmail.com and we will place your order asap.

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The retirement products are going very fast from the wharehouse and the the latest update from Stampin' Up tells me the following items are now no longer available to order:

Garden Whimsy Stamp set [wood-mount] -

(If you are looking for this one I have a "gently-used" set that I will be selling off on 1 September.)

Choo Choo Stamp Set [wood-mount]

Sanded Background Stamp [wood-mount]

Full Calendar Stamp [wood-mount]

Bashful Blue 12" x 12" Card Stock

Rich Razzleberry 12" x 12" Card Stock

Early Espresso 12" x 12" Card Stock

Chocolate Chip 12" x 12" Card Stock

Night of Navy 12" x 12" Card Stock

Marina Mist 12" x 12" Card Stock

Crumb Cake 12" x 12" Card Stock

Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelets

Metallic Eyelets

Pewter Jumbo Eyelets

Photo Corners Punch

Spiral Punch

Star Punch

Small Oval Punch

Point taken in the Elite Challenge.

So that was February, and it's already March!!!
On Saturday I tried to quickly whip up an Elite Challenge Card for the month of February. One of the challenges was to use the colours: Pacific Point, Taken with Teal, Tempting Turquoise and Orchid Opulence. I have been thinking over these colours for the whole month, gathering courage.

I thought the colours could be a bit heavy: the Teals and the Blues... so with the help of a whisper white Fresh Cuts Note card I think I managed to keep it light and white to carry those heavier hues.

  The front of the card is stamped with the damask stamp from Friends 24/7 stampset ... I have used this stamp over and over again.... then I slipped a square of Orchid Opulence behind the cut out panel stamped with Tempting turquoise.

I puched two flowers out with the 5 petal punch one in Taken with Teal and the second Tempting Turquoise. Placed them behind and a pacific point cut out flower in front.

All held together with one "Build a brad".

The sentiment is stamped in whisper white craft ink onto Pacific point and punched out with a word window.

And I couldn't help myself - I had to put the smallest stamp from Flight of the butterfly in orchid opulence on the side.

Recipe:

Ink: Pacific point, Orchid opulence, Tempting turquoise, whisper white craft.

Cardstock: Whisper white, Pacific Point, Orchid opulence, Taken with teal, Tempting turquoise.

Punches: Five flower punch, Eyelet border, word window, 1.3cm circle.

Stampset: Friends 24/7, Flight of the butterfly, Fresh cuts.

Fresh cut Notes, Build a brad, DSP.

A fresh cut for a fabulous friend

I have to say this was a very quick card to make. The fresh cut cards with a pre - punched flower in the centre coordinate with the flower punch.
The flower is cut out of a spare piece of velum left over from another project. If you look very closely you will see it has the en francais stamp in white stazon ink stamped on it.The small purple flower was punched using the one of a kind punch. I have attached the flower to the card with a small white eyelet and a dot of crystal effects with a clear rhinestone ont the top. Behind the flower cut is a piece of lovely lilac cardstock stamped with the Enfrancais background stamp in elegant eggplant.
On the top layer of white, it is not your computer screen or your eyesight playing up ... I have stamped the background stamp in almost amethyst and eggplant ink.
Recipe:
Stampset: Oval all, En francais background stamp.
Cardstock: Fresh cut note card, velum, Lovely lilac, whisper white.
Ink: Almost amethyst, Elegant eggplant.
Tools and accessories: Eyelet border punch, scallop oval punch, large oval punch, flower punch, one of a kind punch, crop a dile (for hole punching and eyelet setting). Small white eyelet, clear rhinestone and crystal effects, dimensional adhesives.

Urban Oasis in black and sahara sand

I have made these little gift and Thank you cards to go in this cute little bag. The bag is made from a single sheet of 12x12 Double sided paper. The folded bag has a pocket on both sides and is made with the bella bleu DS Paper - the colours are vanilla and kraft....

I have edged all the sides of the paper with the eyelet border punch and added a black circle scallop with a circle of paper stamped with the flowers from pocket silhouettes in neutral colours.

The three cards to go in it are very simple:

Starting with a Sahara sand card stock base. A mount of basic black cardstock and a square of DSP.

This time I have used the Urban oasis DS paper. I love the black, grey and kraft colours together in silhouettes.

Then I simply stamped the greeting: Thank you (from the fresh cuts stampset) onto some sahara sand cardstock, cut it out with the large oval punch and wrapped the black grosgrain ribbon around it before adhereing it all to the card.
These "Thank you" and "for you" cards are kind of All occasion cards - you could have a little card wallet with these in it and just give them to people who do kind things for you - child carers, teachers, volunteers ... with a chocolate for a friend.
You can make three of these cards from a single page of sahara sand cardstock and half a sheet of black and less than half a sheet of the DSP.

Enjoy!

Brayer bliss - experimental embossing.

On this card I began with a pale pink pirouette and tangerine tango brayered piece of gloss white cardstock, then clear embossed the fifth avenue floral flower over the top.


Next, I took to it with the brayer a second time, using the "Brayer like your life depended on it" technique (thanks for the terminology Linda!).
Gradually darkening the layers of ink to Riding hood red to bring out the embossed image.
The flower is now lighter than the background but still a rainbow of pinks and oranges and red.

I mounted the gloss cardstock on basic black then, prepared the base card by stamping the tres chic background stamp in versamark and clear embossing powder. It creates a great shiny texture ... very satisfying to do and play around with.

The "for you" sentiment is from the Fresh cuts stampset, punched out with the large oval punch and finished with black grosgrain ribbon and a clear rhinestone brad ... loving these little accents at the moment.

Birthday cards and pencil holder in Bella Bleu paper

Happy Birthday ...

I made this card a week ago for my sister her birthday is not till next week. She loves everything white on white, well this was the closest I could get - white on vanilla, a touch of kraft patterned paper from the bella bleu designer series paper pack.

I was pressed for time (as I was meeting her for lunch) so I scrapbooked a family photo and framed it in white for her, then I made her a pencil tin to match the card and scrapbook page...

The ribbon around the tin is kraft tafetta and the flower stamp in the centre from the Pocket silhouette stampset in sahara sand. I love how everything matches.

Gorgous papers in this pack. Is this where I mention that for the month of May stampin' up have a special on papers? Normally, you get 12 pages of double sided paper for $16.95. $1.40 per sheet. Until 31 May, when you Buy three designer series paper packs you get one free. For $50 you will get 48 pages that's only $1.04 per page.... this is the time to stock up?

Materials: Fresh cut note card, bella bleu designer series (double sided) paper, metalic gold cardstrip. Stampset: short and sweet Ink: sahara sand Accessories: very Vanilla tafetta ribbon, filigree brad, eyelet border punch, five petal flower punch.

Fresh cuts

These Fresh cut note cards have to be one of the quickest simplest ways to make a card for a gift, a birthday, thank you or even invitations.
With this one I have cut a piece of sahara sand cardstock and stamped the fresh cuts stamp in close to cocoa, and then attached it with double sided tape so that the image is showing through the die cut flower on the front.
I have punched a stylish edge to my card with the eyelet scallop edge punch, then distressed the edge of the white cardstock by tearing and roughing it up with my finger nail.
And then I added a ribbon. At first, (top photo) I have tried the satin cream and kiwi kiss ribbon (because I love how satiny smooth it is ) then tried a piece of choc chip grosgrain ... I like them both.
The centre flower is the fresh cut stamp on textured choc chip cardstock cut out and attached with a silver brad to the centre of the die cut flower.
The sentiment is from the stampset: A little birthday cheer.
Open the card and I have used the stem sayings happy birthday to decorate the inside and there is that gorgous vanilla satin silk ribbon showing.


I have another one that I made with patterned paper but I am thinking of keeping it for a special birthday card next month so I will keep it under wraps until then.

Tangerine tango Thank you card.

Do you ever make a card and just love how it turned out ... this one just says bold bold bold.
I have used the ever lovely fresh cut stampset - how many cards have I made with this one set?
The little branch of flowers makes a lovely border and also a feature if you line it up nicely, get it perfect with the stamp-a-ma-jig, or do it by eye.




The four scallop squares were punched out from the one stamp image with the scallop punch and arranged in a line across the black cardstock ... raised on dimensionals.
I love the detail in this stamp, layered images over the scripted writing: thinking of you,thinking of you, thinking of you... like a subliminal message, or white noise in the background ...

Thank you for taking a look at my cards ... inspired? All products used to make this card are from Stampin' Up and can be purchased through me!!!

Kiwi kiss and baja breeze rock and roll

I found a kiwi kiss coloured candle while shopping the other day ... So nice to be able to find a gift to match your card, or should that be a card the right colour to match your gift?
The technique used is my tried and true rock and roll stamping. Pressed the large freshcut stamp into the baja breeze then rolled the edges into the kiwi kiss ink pad, huffed on it, and stamped the image on whisper white cardstock. You never know how it will come out exactly, thats why I like it, a bit of a surprise what parts of the stamp are green or blue or a combination of both. Perhaps the base is a little fiddly but I had cut out those three flowers and the frame, so wove the ribbon through the holes and secured it behind the eyelets.

Materials:
Cardstock is: kiwi kiss, baja breeze, basic black and whisper white.
Ink: baja breeze, kiwi kiss and black.
Punches: 1" circle, scallop square.
Accessories: Crop a dile, soft subtle small eyelets, bashful blue tafetta ribbon, Dimensional adhesive.

Fresh cuts black and white with Riding hood red

You can do so much with this stampset ... white ink on black cardstock, mounted on some bright riding hood red for a colour lift and placed on a sahara sand cardstock base.

I wanted to calm down the sahara sand with a little close to cocoa background stamp of the linen texture kind. I even glanced the white craft ink pad over the edges of the card to give a kind of stone wash look.

Fresh cuts in riding hood red and tangerine tango ...

This stampset is a favourite of mine ... and I have only had it for two weeks ... Riding hood red replaces Purely pomegranate in my heart and tangerine tango is a whole lot nicer than the very questionable pinky colour of last year.
I have been experimenting endlessly with this stampset and colour combinations ... perhaps I could do ten quick cards with the fresh cut stampset over the next week (or ten days).
You will either love it or hate it by then.
I am hoping you still love it because it goes so well with the fresh cut note cards ... and I havent even put ink to paper on those yet.

Fresh cuts of Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine, Riding hood red and Old Olive

How lovely do these colours go together?

It is Autumn and I think a little chocolate chip and close to cocoa might give it more depth.

But I wanted to show you how our old Olive ribbon tones in so beautifully with the new kiwi kiss green, riding hood red and tangerine tango. Materials:

Stamp set: Fresh cuts.

Kiwi kiss, tangerine tango and whisper white cardstock.

Riding hood red, tangerine tango and Kiwi kiss ink pads.

Old Olive grosgrain wide ribbon.

Punches: square scallop punch, round scallop punch, scallop edge punch.

Circle punches.

They've arrived ...

The long awaited day! My box of catalogues arrived and I have been stealing moments from when and where I can to go through each page and see what was new and what has been included and how it has been used with the new in-colours and

all those beautiful new ribbons, buttons, new designer series papers, border punches and clear rhinestone and silver filigree brads.

There are many new stamps in new styles that will inspire me to come up with a few different styles of cards and new ideas with punches and boxes and scrapbook pages.

The style watch pages at the front have some gorgous colour combination suggestions.

I've tried to give you a glimpse of the pocket silhouettes and ...

.... the fresh cuts stampset (I have featured in my cards here) And, above is just a peak for you to see the butterfly and new flower stamps and you know how happy I am that embrace life made it into the new catty ... and a favourite but definitley underused stamp (for me) is the heartfelt thanks. There are big bold flower stamps too.
So enough of the teasing! If you would like to play with the new tools, accessories, papers and stampsets contact me soon, to reserve your place at the Idea book and catalogue launch night.

When: 7.30pm on the 9th April,

Thats the Thursday before the Easter long weekend and the school holidays.
Where: The hall behind the Baptist church at Narara.

Email nerida_carter@hotmail.com
or phone me for more of the details or check my earlier posts.

You are invited - to the 2009-10 Stampin' Up catalogue launch Party!

When: Thursday 9th April 2009
Where: Narara Baptist Church Hall
Time: 7.30pm
Cost: $15
What's included: A free Idea Book and Catalogue (normally $10),
3 make and take projects,
Lucky door prize, plus regular prize patrol draws through out the night.
Light supper, Tea and Coffee.

Please contact me by email to reserve your place at my table.
Places are limited.
Bring a friend and make it a girl's night out.