Regional Training - part 2 - swaps

When it came to deciding what to make for my swaps, I just couldn't decide which stampset to use and which colours to play with. What technique to share?

Eventually, I asked myself with the new catlogue out now what is it I want to enjoy most?

And it came down to the new in-colours!

Here is my swap:

I have punched five butterflies in the latest new incolours:

Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder, Island Indigo.

The technique is simply gluing the punched shapes to a piece of cardstock (in this case Early Espresso), and running it through the Square Lattice embossing folder with the Bigshot.

You get this great embedded tapestry look.

Now I know you are wondering -

How can I get a sample of all these great new colours?

Take a peak at page 120 of the Idea book and catlaogue.

You can buy 5 incolour inkpads (valued at $11.95 each) and 24 sheets of mixed coloured cardstock (valued at $13.95) for just $56.95.

That's like getting an ink pad and a third of the paper pack for free!

You can also get 5 in-colour markers for $27.95.

Now, back to the Regional training in Sydney on the weekend...

I made just 9 swaps and managed to bring home ten. 

Karen Cummings made this very clever little chocolate frog holder. It is made with the Two tags die and looks so gorgeous in Cherry Cobbler cardstock and patterned paper. For those emergency chocolate moments, such a sweet idea.

 This one is from Bettina Hogerzeil - using the very pretty "Friends Never Fade". So pretty in these colours and the variety of ways she has stamped and textured them.

 Vanessa Webb is one of my favourite demonstrators and designers, her card uses the "Forever Young" stampset and "Parlour prints" background stamp with the Timeless portrait designer series paper.

 Ellen Woodbridge made this lovely bookmark - what an excellent idea for a gift.
"Forever young" and "Parlour prints" stampsets used with three of the in colours: Island Indigo, Pool Party and Calypso Coral.
The girl on the swing image just says Spring, warm weather and laughter.

 Heather Partridge has used "Creative Elements" on this creative tryptich layout, layered on the square lattice embossing folder. Dont know about you but I love butterflies and flowers. This is a perfect set for all different card styles.

Kay Jacob, Stacey Fitgerald  made these great little projects. Using my favourite purples!

Sydney training day (part 1)

What a busy week we are having ...
On Saturday Stampin' up ran their annual training day for Demonstrators and their guests.
Our day started early at the Exhibition Centre in Darling Harbour.
There were presentations from Stampin up staff and some very talented demos:

 Beth Stewart, Kerry Bunting, Linda Higgins and Marelle Taylor

 Here is my upline: Linda getting "miked up" for her presentation on stage.

She demoed a fabulous workshop WOW using a water colour resist technique and another called acetate resist. Here are some the samples she made with this technique.

 Aren't they just gorgeous? I know I will be having a go at this with heat embossing and coloured reinkers.

 Stampin up trainers showed us wonderful new things to do with the big shot and dies.

Sophie Zadeh showed us how to tint, brayer and emboss velum with differnet ink colours.
While Clare Martin gave us a presentation on using the Builder wheels, cartridges and spotlighting with the bevelled windows. We tied the perfect bow using a kitchen fork with Amanda Maycocke. So many new ideas and products to combine with fabric and cardstock.

It was a fabulous day with much sharing and swapping of ideas. Here are just some of the lovely ladies I shared my day with: Ellen, Penny and Nerida (me)!

Tenielle, Penny and Ellen.

We had such a fun day.

I will post again later with my swaps fom the day.

Happy thoughts ... Smile

This is a card I made as a response to a challenge put out by Linda Higgins a while ago, and as it is fairly simple and hasn't seen the light of day, I thought i would share it here, because i can!

The smile stamp is from "Be Happy" stampset and the embossed silver panel is the "So Swirly" Wheel, stamped with Versamark ink and embossed in silver embossing powder.

The little flowers are from Think Happy thoughts stampset, cut out and held inplace with silver brads for that added silver bling.

And the ribbon and matching cardstock is Certainly celery.

Inks: Orchid Opulence, elegant eggplant and Versamark.

Cardstock: Orchid Opulence, Cetainly Celery and Whisper white.

I enjoyed myself putting this card together having the Layout given to me by the challenge takes out the heartbreak of deciding where to start and what to put where.

While i am here i have loaded another photo from the pictures i took at the regional training conference at Darling Harbour.

I only know Linda, personally but feel as if i know each of the others as i frequent their blogs and websites so, frequently.


Tomorrow i might even post a card featuring a technique from one of the demonstrations on the day ...



In the meantime, here is my amethyst and black collection.
A very detailed little card experimenting with the scallop punch and DS papers, I think i even coloured the white oganza ribbon with amethyst ink so it blended in.

I put the notebook cover together with scraps from other projects: The Cherish stamp is from the Baroque Motifs stampset. Bonjour from Carte Postale and Happy thoughts being embossed in silver and matted with the scallop punched amethyst and black cardstock.

And then i made a matching little box to keep my "Love notes" cards and envelopes in.

Think happy thoughts is kind of my quote for the day, and for my life at the moment ... no matter what is happening good or not so good I focus on what I am thankful for at the moment and put aside the rest ... well, it works for me.

Always in Orchid and Amethyst ...

Two posts in one week ... I'm not sure if this counts as a card but these are the swaps I made using the Always stampset from the mini spring catalogue, the floral background stamp is in orchid opulence ink and the bird and heart are stamped using the 'rock and roll' technique with both Almost amethyst and orchid opulence.

The cardstock used is whisper white and lovely lilac. I havent perfected making more than one of the same card yet so they were all slightly different as i made them in very small batches and over a gap of about 3 days.

On Saturday 6th September I went to my first Stampin up event!!!

As a new demonstrator the Regional Training Day at Darling Harbour was very exciting and a whole new experience for me. And it was a great opportunity to meet some really interesting and friendly ladies who have started with SU in the last month or so.

Stampin up certainly know how to put on a professional and well run event: our registration included a brand new stamp set that hasn't been released in Australia yet, (wait for the Summer Mini coming up in December), speakers and demonstrations, four make and takes and a boxed lunch sitting out on the balcony looking over darling Harbour. These are the gorgous women who were sitting at my table.

Enough talk - the photos say it all.

It was a long full day this one was taken just before we left for home, after 6pm.