Handmade by Lou

Hello from the USA!

2012-01-11T08:21:00.001+10:00

I hope you are all having a Happy 2012 so far - we are having a wonderful time away. The kids are being really good and everyone is enjoying the change of pace.

Here are a couple of photos from our holiday so far. Enjoy!

As you can see, theme parks have featured highly on our itinerary so far. We are becoming experts in roller coasters!

So far we have been to Texas and Florida, with San Francisco still to come.

I hear it is really humid and hot in Brisbane at the moment - it is Winter here, of course, and I must admit I am not missing the humidity. I'd better go before the iPad runs out of battery and I lose this post for the second time (Grrrr!).

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-22T20:09:00.000+10:00

To all my friends in Blog-land, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I have a confession to make - I didn't send ANY Christmas Cards out this year. Not a single one. I'm hoping to make up for it next year!

Here is the traditional Santa Photo to share with you:

AND

I have exciting news -

On Boxing Day, we are all going on a

How exciting! We are going on the trip of a lifetime to the USA as a family, for six weeks!

So you see why I haven't been able to do much crafting for Christmas - too busy packing, planning the trip, doing 50,000 loads of washing, anxiously watching the AUD exchange rate, re-packing, and keeping four excited kids amused since they finished school 3 weeks ago.

I will be back when the kids go back to school, with the usual scheduled programming. I will try to do a few blog posts while I'm away - mainly to show off my kids and I having fun!

Have a wonderful Christmas, and see you next year!

Two weeks till Christmas

2011-12-12T08:14:00.001+10:00

Does that strike fear in your heart? Or are you smug and satisfied with the knowledge that you have done everything already? I am no where near ready, and for the first time in many years I might not actually get around to mailing cards out this year!!!

Shocking, I know.

I have been busy making teacher gifts as you know, and here is what the Kindy teachers got this year: an elegant box made from acetate die cut with the Fancy Favor Die and embossed with the Big Shot (seriously, what would I do without it?) with about half a dozen hand made gift tags inside. The tags were made from the leftover tags that were cut out when I made my Advent calendar - thrifty, no?

Advent, Summer Mini, December Frenzy....Phew!

2011-12-01T17:27:00.001+10:00

Hello! What a crazy, busy, fun time of year! Tomorrow is the last day of school for two of my kids (one finished school last Friday, and one has one day next week to go), and I've been up to my elbows in teacher presents, end of year patents, and the like. I'm sure it has been the same for you.

Today our new Summer Mini and the December Frenzy launched - WOW!

Here are the details of the December Frenzy:

Or you can see more HERE.

The Summer Mini is gorgeous - hard to pick a favourite new product! Plenty of lovely new stuff for Christmas, including glimmer paper (I've used it below).

Here is the Summer Mini, You can read it online HERE.

One of my favourite Christmas traditions is an Advent calendar. in the past we've had Lego calendars, and those chocolate ones you buy at Target (the chocolate always starts to melt in our Summer heat before Christmas Day), and this year I was inspired to make one myself.

Here it is, and the instructions:

Two Tags Advent Calendar

Paper
•Whisper White card stock
• Real Red card stock:
•Lucky Limeade Cardstock
*1/2 sheet Red Glimmer Paper (121790, $8.95 for two 12"x 12" sheets, Summer Mini Catalogue)
Stampin’ Up! Accessories
• Big Shot
•Two Tags Bigz Die (115954, $39.95)
• Timeless Type Junior Alphabet Medium Sizzlets Die (115951, $139.95)
• Scallop Circle Punch (119854, $33.95)
3.5cm circle punch (119860, $30.95)
Extra Large Oval Punch (119859, $33.95)
• 2-Way Glue pen
• Stampin’ Dimensionals
•White Bakers Twine (124262 $4.95) Summer Mini Catalogue
Cherry Cobbler 3.2cm Striped Grosgrain (I used Real Red, but it has retired)
Sticky Strip
SNAIL adhesive
2 small elastic hair bands

My Notes

1. Using the Big Shot, die cut 48 of the wide tags from the Two Tags die (I was able to cut three sheets of cardstock at a time, which helped speed up the process).
2. Assemble by merely adhering two tags together to form a triangle shaped box.
3. Decorate each triangle box as desired - I alternated real red and lucky limeade cardstock with mine. For the numbers, die cut red glimmer paper with the numbers medium sizzlets (you may wish to roll through the Big Shot twice to ensure a clean cut).
4. Using a long piece of striped grosgrain ribbon (hemp twine would also work) attach a small hair elastic to both ends using a small strip of Sticky Strip. This will make it easy to hang your Advent Calendar.
5. Using Baker's twine, attach each box to the striped grosgrain as shown.
6. Don't forget to put some treats in each box! I put four small sweets in a small plastic bag, tied with red ribbon, as I have four children - you could put anything you like!

Tag time

2011-11-27T06:50:00.001+10:00

I have a few gift tags to show you over the next few days. You know how I love products that coordinate? Well, swoon, Two Tags die (for the Big Shot) is another one! See how the thin tag is made to work with the scallop circle punch? Love it! The stamps I've used here are old favorites: Punch Pals, and Perfect Punches. In the second photo you see the other tag this die makes - totally cute and the work of moments.

Child's Play!

2011-11-23T14:08:00.000+10:00

Look at the gorgeous card my sweet daughter (Thing 1 as she is affectionately known) made for her friend! I am totally going to copy it and pretend I made it! She stamped the recycled brown wrapping paper too - that's my girl!

2011-11-16T13:55:00.001+10:00

Sigh. I really did think I'd be able to cram 2-3 classes into this month, maybe a workshop too? And my Christmas cards would of course all be ready to send by now. Teacher Presents would be wrapped and ready to go.

Of course what really happened - the Year 6 Musical (Opening Night is tomorrow night!); the end of year music concert at two different schools, I got a chest infection, half the kids had a virus, a fencing competition, Stampin Up Regional Training, the Year 3 Planetarium Excursion, and a little thing called Reality, or "What Were You Thinking?"

I'll be back when I can.

Big Shot Promotion to Die For!

2011-11-10T19:22:00.004+10:00

Big Shot Promotion

Dates: 1-30 November 2011

Promotion Details: During November, you can get 10 percent off select Big Shot dies-no other purchase necessary!

Page	Item	Description	Retail Price	10% Off Price
156	117332	Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslits Die	$21.95	$19.75
156	114515	Flower Burst Embosslits Die	$21.95	$19.75
157	114517	Manhattan Flower Textured Impressions Embossing Folder	$14.95	$13.45
157	116824	Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions Embossing Folder	$14.95	$13.45
157	119277	Elegant Lines Textured Impressions Embossing Folder	$14.95	$13.45
158	113440	Buttons #5 Sizzlits Die	$9.95	$8.95
159	113466	Pillow Box Bigz Die	$36.95	$33.25
159	114507	Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die	$39.95	$35.95
159	120903	Scallop Square Duo Bigz Die	$39.95	$35.95
160	115953	Mover & Shapers Punch Windows	$54.95	$49.45
160	120893	Tasteful Trim Bigz XL Die	$69.95	$62.95
160	121810	Petal Cone Bigz L Die	$59.95	$53.95

Don't have a Big Shot? Get 10 percent off the exclusive Big Shot Bundle! The Big Shot Bundle (item 128944) includes the following:

Page	Description	Retail Value	10% Off Price	Item
155	Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine	$186.85	$168.16	128944
156	Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslits Die
157	Manhattan Flower Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

More Christmas fun!

2011-11-09T21:54:00.001+10:00

I am sure I didn't show you these cards already...
But if I did, I'm sorry! I will come back and edit - I am writing this on my iPad, waiting at the doctor's surgery.

This card uses the Ovals die, Big Shot (seen this month's promotion yet? Whoops, haven't put it on the blog yet!), the Pennant Parade stamp set and matching punch) and Four the Holidays stamp set.

this is one I CASE'D from the current Idea Book and Catalogue. Love that glass glitter!

And finally, one made with an alphabet on my wish list - I borrowed this stamp set from the lovely Manda.
What else to tell you? Since my last post we've had my eldest son's 9th birthday party with a Halloween theme:

My seven year old did her first school assignment (with help from Mummy's Big Shot) on penguins:

The kids and I tried out some of the settings on my SLR camera:

And my Mum, Aunt, Sister and I made 6 aprons, 6 Lederhosen, and 12 Chinese Dancer costumes for my eleven year old's school musical. Well, they did the sewing; my involvement was multiple trips to Spotlight to buy more fabric, cutting out, and making sandwiches and cups of tea.

Christmas Stamp a Stack

2011-10-28T06:34:00.000+10:00

This is what you missed yesterday, unless you came to my class: we made ten of these cards, based on a Becky Roberts design. Pretty aren't they? They feature the "Letters to Santa " DSP and Merry & Type stamp set.
I am planning another Christmas Card Stamp a Stack and a 3d class - make an Advent Calendar, so stay tuned for those details!

Tis the Season

2011-10-26T05:56:00.000+10:00

Here's a card I made which would be quite easy to mass produce - I used Tis the Season, Jet Black Stayzon, water colour crayons, a blender pen, cherry cobbler spotted ribbon, and the big shot scallop circle and clear circle dies. The sentiment was heat embossed with new Cherry Cobbler embossing powder. Lots of sponging around the edges with the tea stain ink from the distressing kit.
I love this DSP (First Edition SpecialityDSP) too, so versatile!
Funny to think the Big Shot has only been in our catalogue for a year, but it is utterly indispensable to me now!
A quick reminder about my class tomorrow and Stamp night on Friday night too. Hope you are having a lovely week!

Fun things to do with Kids

2011-10-19T00:04:00.001+10:00

I was looking through some photos on my computer just now and came across some taken on the recent school holidays I'd forgotten about. (please note I am doing this post on my iPad on the Blogger App this time, I am not sure how the photos will appear, so bear with me until I can edit the post please!)

Have you taken your preschooler to the Queensland Art Gallery lately?

We love the Art Gallery, GOMA, the State Library, and the Museum. But the Art Gallery is especially fun at this time of year when the jacarandas bloom. There is a gorgeous painting of a jacaranda in the Gallery and every year something magical happens....

Some kind gallery fairy drops jacaranda flowers under the painting! Kids love it.

Another thing they enjoy is saying hello to the Gallery Mice ( you can buy a book about them in the Gallery gift shop).

If you haven't taken them there, you should!

Getting a jump on Christmas

2011-10-18T06:37:00.000+10:00

I have been trying to blog these photos for days now - I edited them on my iPad and then the Bloggsy app didn't want to load them - I think I need to reinstall it or some such palaver. Then the software upgrade on my iPad took hours.....yadda yadda.

Here are some recent cards I made, using the same colour combination. The Bingo card was cased from the IB&C. So fun! The other card features a new alphabet stamp I borrowed from lovely Manda....it is on my wish list now!

Birthday Owls

2011-10-07T18:20:00.000+10:00

Hello! It has been wonderful with the kids back to school this week...except then I fell into a heap with a bad cold, asthma, etc, which hasn't been so fun. It has also meant that I haven't yet sorted out details of my classes etc this month - but fear not, I'll get onto that ASAP!

In the meantime, my eldest has been invited to her BFF's sleepover birthday party tonight, and I had to whip something up (literally moments ago). BFF is heavily in love with all things owl related at present, so I dragged out that faithful owl punch and went to work:

Stamps: Perfectly Penned
Ink: Early Espresso
Paper: Pool Party, Real Red, Brights DSP Stack, Old Olive, Early Espresso, Shimmery White
Other: Big Shot, Ovals die, Owl Punch, Bird Punch, 2-way glue, Dimensionals

Here's the card I made, and as I had the present in a large kraft paper bag, I added a co-ordinating tag made in seconds with the Big Shot using the Two Tags die:

Paper: Pool Party, Early Espresso, Shimmery White, Brights DSP Stack
Other: Big Shot, Ovals Die, Two Tags Die, Owl Punch, 2 Way glue, Dimensionals

Too easy! And best of all, I used scraps that were on my desk already!

Gotta dash, doing the Kindy & school run.

I Dig You!

2011-10-02T20:36:00.001+10:00

It is my twelfth wedding anniversary today, and I made a card for my beloved (which I will steal back from him to put on my sample board, LOL) with a very masculine tone.

My hubby works in the oil &gas industry, so this industrial "Big Boys Toys" stamp set is perfect for him.

This is the other stamp set I played with when I was at Amanda's last week. It is one that is on my wish list as I not only have two little boys, I think it will be useful for Big Boys too!

Here are the other cards I made:

As you can see, I used the same colour combinations for all the cards, which is an efficient way to make a batch of cards for future use, as well as make maximum use of the cardstock with the least amount of wastage.

A Productive Playdate

2011-09-30T08:27:00.001+10:00

The other day my kids and I had a lovely playdate with my Stampin' Sister Amanda, who is an incredibly talented Demonstrator and lovely person. There were seven kids altogether, and they all got along beautifully, setting up tents in the backyard, and making up games. While they were occupied, Amanda and I stamped - I used a couple of her stamp sets that I haven't yet purchased, but are on my wish list: "Dinoroar" and "I Dig You".

Want to see what I did? Here are the Dinoroar cards:

Special Birthday

2011-09-21T14:26:00.001+10:00

My little sister (LOL, I have 3 little sisters), had a milestone birthday this week, and I made her a glam but simple card, because she has an understated, elegant style. Wish I was more like her!

Stamps: Delicate Doilies, Perfect Punches
Paper: Shimmery White, Brushed Gold, Confetti White
Ink: Encore Gold (retired)
Other: Big Shot, Lots of Labels sizzlet, adhesive pearls, Whisper White Satin, Wide Oval Punch

Pretty, no? It is a bit sad that the gold ink is no longer with us, I could have used gold embossing powder - and I intended to, but ran out of time as I made this almost on my way out the door (as usual).

My gorgeous sister, the Birthday Girl, our Mum, and me

Hope the school holidays are treating you well (it is school holidays here in Queensland). We have been busy with sleepovers, craft activities, swimming, etc. Fun times!

What We Made Part 4

2011-09-15T10:28:00.000+10:00

Last but not least, clever Bec O'Gorman created these lovely cards:

Stamps: Delicate Doilies, Oval All
Paper: Very Vanilla, Pool Party, Pear Pizazz, Vellum, Early Espresso
Ink: Versamark, Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz
Other: Heat Gun, White embossing powder, brads, paper snips, Oval punch, scalloped oval punch, Polka Dot Embossing Folder, Perfect Pennants die, Scallop Trim Border punch

Stamps: Bring On The Cake, Pennant Parade
Paper: Lucky Limeade, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Island Indigo
Ink: Crumb Cake, Island Indigo, Early Espresso
Other: Paper Crimper, Linen thread, Itty Bitty Circle Punch, 3/4" circle punch, Petite Pennants Punch, Big Shot, Polka Dot Embossing Folder

I've noticed that each of us used the Big Shot in some way on at least one of the cards we designed - funny to think the Big Shot was only in our catalogue a year ago, now it is hard to create anything without it!

If you still don't have your own hard copy of the new Idea Book & Catalogue, let me know and I'll get one to you. It would be the perfect time to book a workshop - Christmas will be here before you know it, so we will be getting busy with Christmas Cards soon too!

What We Made Part 3

2011-09-15T10:05:00.003+10:00

Now for lovely Linda Craven's designs. Her signature colour combination is pink and brown, and she used it to full advantage here!

Stamps: Printed Petals, Curly Cute
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Early Espresso, Whisper White
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Melon Mambo, Early Espresso
Other: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Scallop Square Duo Bigz Die, Scallop Circle punch, Itty Bitty Circle punch, Paper Snips

Stamps: Creative Elements
Paper: Whisper White, Soft Suede, Baja Breeze, Cherry Cobbler
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede
Other: white Organza Ribbon, square punches, paper snips, dimensionals

What We Made, Part 2

2011-09-14T20:49:00.001+10:00

Here are the gorgeous cards designed by clever Steph Pike, using the NEW in colours Lucky Limeaide and Wisteria Wonder, new embossing folder, new punch as well as new stamps!

Stamps: Need for Speed, Petite Pairs
Paper: Basic Gray, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White
Ink: Jet Black Stazon, Cherry Cobbler, Basic Gray
Other: Brads, Mat Pack, Blender Pen, Big Shot, Stripes Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

Stamps: Party This Way, Pennant Parade, Create A Cupcake, Parlor Prints
Paper: Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White, Crumb Cake
Ink: Early Espresso, Wisteria Wonder, Crumb Cake, Lucky Limeaide, Versamark
Other: Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Gun, Build a Cupcake Punch, Scallop Border Punch, Petite Pennants Builder Punch, Whisper White Taffeta ribbon

I think we really needed some new masculine stamps, and Need For Speed fits the bill for boys of all ages. I love how deceptively simple but simultaneously detailed Steph's cards are. I love how she's used the Pennant Parade stamp and matching punch with the cupcake punch to create an ice cream cone - genius!

Stay tuned for more cards tomorrow.

What we made part 1

2011-09-13T15:28:00.001+10:00

As you can tell from my last post, we had a successful New Catalogue Launch on the weekend. Around 60 happy stampers were kept busy making eight cards, and there were door prizes, a raffle and pre-loved retired stock to be purchased at bargain prices.

Here are the two Christmas cards I designed featuring brand new products.

The first card uses River Rock, Not Quite Navy, and Poppy Parade with the new a la carte stamp "Something for Christmas" which we inked up with markers. It also features the new lace ribbon border punch, it is so detailed and pretty, I love it!

The second card uses a new in colour, Pool Party, a new Designer frames embossing folder, and new stamp set called "Merry & Type". It also features shimmery white cardstock, which is gorgeous for special cards - and Christmas is special, right?

I will feature the rest of the cards over the coming days, so watch out for them!

A lovely day

2011-09-12T17:48:00.002+10:00

Busy Stampers

Clever fingers

Big Shot Magic

Heat Embossing

Tasty Treats

Inspiring Displays

Pretty Details

New Products

Beautiful Babies (and mothers)

Tuckered Out

Lou and Steph

Happy Winner!

More bad photos

2011-09-07T07:18:00.001+10:00

Sorry. I haven't had time to take new photos, which is a shame because these projects look much better in real life. This stamp set, called Creative Elements, was given to us at Convention back in May - so I have been biting my tongue for four months! These projects were done at Convention as Make & Takes (I added the photo of my son later, of course!)

See the ribbon? Seam Binding! See the little scrap page - die cuts from the NEW Petal Cone Die! I have a few more projects to show you with this set, but I'll retake those pictures.

At present I'm busy preparing for our big Launch on Sunday. I'll take photos of the cute little decorations I'm making (hopefully I'll finish them today!) and I'll keep the projects a surprise until after the Launch. I can tell you that I've designed two Christmas cards, using NEW Christmas stamps, and one also uses a new embossing folder.

Stay tuned!

On-Trend: Pennants

2011-09-03T19:38:00.000+10:00

Another trend I've spotted everywhere lately is the banner/pennant trend. Not only do we have a new Big Shot Die, we also have this completely gorgeous new punch that even co-ordinates with two stamp sets! Swoon. You know how that makes my heart go pitter-pat.

Stamps: Party This Way, Pennant Parade
Paper: Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Very Vanilla
Ink: Tempting Turqoise, Real Red
Other: Perfect Penant Builder Punch, Modern Label Punch, Paper Snips, Dimensionals, Brights Brads, Kitchen Twine, Linen Thread

Stamps: Pennant Parade, Word Play
Paper: Wisterior Wonder, Whisper White, Pool Party, Calyps Coral
Ink: Concord Crush, Calypso Coral, Pool Party
Other: String, Brads, Dimensionals

I know, how cute are they????

On-Trend

2011-09-02T19:18:00.000+10:00

Have you noticed that doilies are everywhere at the moment? Doilies? Those crochet things your Nana used to have everywhere? Well, you know how the world of design lives to make everything old new again....the Doily is back.

And I must say, I rather like them!

Stampin' Up! is of course completely on board with this trend, as you can see by the Flirtatious Product Suite. Suite - as in, a whole range of co-ordinating stuff. Stamps, DSP, Big Shot Dies and FABRIC.

I haven't used my fabric yet, but I'm thinking of making something like this when I do:

Gorgeous!

Here are a few cards and a 6 x 6 scrap page I have made....I am really enjoying this trend and love the new in-colours with it!

Again, I've got some photos that are well lit, others not so much because I'd already put them on my display board before I photographed them! D'oh!

6 x 6 inch scrapbook page
Paper: Flirtatious Speciality DSP (the pink laser cut), Calypso Coral, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Simple Letters Alphabet, Perfect Penants die, 1 3/4" circle punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch, Basic Rhinestones

Stamps: Delicate Doilies, Teeny Tiny Sentiments,
Paper: Pool Party, Island Indigo, Whisper White
Ink: Pool Party, Island Indigo
Other: Crimper, Basic Rhinestones, Perfect Penants Die, Big Shot, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Sentiments, Printed Petals
Paper: Pool Party, So Saffron DSP (from Subtles Paper Stack), Pink Doily cut from the Flirtatious Speciality DSP laser cut page, So Saffron, Whisper White.
Ink: Melon Mambo
Other: Big Shot, Polka Dot Embossing Folder, Eyelet Border Punch, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Antique Brad

Stamps: Word Play
Paper: Pool Party, Flirtatious Speciality DSP laser cut, Whisper White
Ink: Melon Mambo
Other: Big Shot, Perfect Pennants Die, Whisper White Satin Ribbon, Crop-a-dile, Basic Rhinestones, Dimensionals, 1 3/4" circle Punch

Stamps: Delicate Doilies, Teeny Tiny Sentiments
Paper: Pool Party, So Saffron DSP, Whisper White, So Saffron
Ink: Pool Party
Other: Big Shot, Perfect Penants Die, Paper Snips, Rhinestone Brad, Basic Rhinestones, Modern Label Punch, Word Window Punch, Dimensionals

As you can see, I made most of these with the same colours and DSP. I love that you can stretch out the laser cut doily speciality DSP by cutting out the pieces. Hmm, looks like Pool Party is quickly becoming a firm favourite of mine too! It looks good with pink, yellow, Island Indigo, Chocolate Chip, White, Red, Black...

What to show you first?

2011-09-02T13:55:00.003+10:00

Decisions, decisions! I'll start with the new Christmas set, Tidings of Joy, which is a seriously sweet Nativity scene, and fun to colour!

I like to stamp it on watercolour paper with Black Stayzon ink and colour it using an aqua painter and ink pads. I have to get the watercolour pencils and more of the crayons to play with too. You can see by the photos that one was photographed during the day, and one at night! Oopsie. They both share a similar layout, but use different colours. I think this one would be fun to stamp a few times for the kids to colour with their pencils as a Christmas Holiday project.

Stamp: Tidings of Joy
Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Pool Party, Watercolour Paper
Ink: Black Stayzon, Pool Party, basic tray, daffodil delight, cajun craze, cherry cobbler, soft suede, crumb cake
Other: aqua painter, Scallop border punch, paper snips, dimensionals, linen thread, naturals button

Stamp: Tidings of Joy
Paper: watercolour paper, Island Indigo, So Saffron DSP from Subtles Paper Stack
ink: as above plus island indigo
Other: aqua painter, linen thread, brights button, dimensionals

More projects to come using NEW STUFF!

It's finally here!

2011-09-01T11:04:00.001+10:00

The 2011-12 Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalogue is here!

It is so gorgeous!

You can click HERE to read it online right now if you can't wait any longer!

So many new and inspiring things in this catalogue - the best one yet, in my opinion. Not only new colours, new stamps, new accessories - but FABRIC! And the Big Shot has gone down in price too!

There is also a new system for Hostess Benefits - which is awesome. Here are the details:

*Not including shipping.

Hostess Dollars
The new hostess merchandise section of the catalogue will, as always, contain stamp sets andother selected products. These items remain exclusive to hostesses and must be purchasedwith hostess dollars. You’ll notice there are no longer levels of products associated withworkshop sales totals—there are now prices associated with hostess items. This price is not aregular retail price, however, but reflects a discount, so hostess dollars go further when used onhostess products. But hostesses will have the best of both worlds—not only will they getexclusive products, but they can use their hostess dollars on anything in the catalogue!
50%-Off Items
We’re very excited about the addition of the 50-percent-off items—and hopefully yourhostesses will be, too! A couple of things to note about this benefit:
50-percent-off items will be noncommissionable and do not count toward the networkshop total.
Hostess dollars cannot be applied toward the purchase of 50-percent-off items.The 50 percent is taken off of the full catalogue price of the item.

So much cool new stuff - FABRIC, Big Shot Dies, Stamps, ribbons, brads, paper, new colours....swoon! I have died and gone to Heaven, I tell you. One of the perks of being a Demo is having an advanced copy of the new Catty and being able to pre-order new stuff - Lordy, do you people know how hard it has been not to show you the new stuff I've been playing with? There is a reason my blog hasn't been updated much this past month, LOL.

If you are coming to our Launch on the 11th September, you'll get your own copy of the new Catty plus you'll have a play with new stuff....there are still spots available, so hurry if you want to come along! If you don't know anyone who wants to come with you, that's OK too. I'll make sure you sit next to someone nice who plays well with others.....actually stampers are generally all nice people!

If you can't come, and want a copy of the catalogue, let me know and I can either mail one to you anywhere in Australia ($12.95 + $5.95 postage) or if you are local, I can drop it off or you can pick it up from me for $12.95.

Now is the perfect time to book a workshop too, because my hostesses get a free catalogue!

Also, there is a great recruiting promotion on at the moment - you can join as a Demo with a Mini-Kit for only $169! This is great for those of you who thought you might like to join just for the discount, or weren't sure if it was for you. They have dropped the requirement for an ABN too, so it is easier than ever to sign up. Let me know if you have any questions. I'd love for you to join my team.

I'm running out of time but will do another post shortly with photos of projects I've made with NEW STUFF! (Have to upload the photos!)

The Retired List - gone for ever

2011-08-12T07:08:00.003+10:00

I've just cut and pasted this list from the Retirement List Page of my blog. I'm always surprised at which stamps sell out first, although Choo Choo isn't a shock due to the number of people with small boys who love trains.....sadly now gone. Put your order in TODAY if you don't want to miss out on something you've had your eye on.

As at Friday 12th August the following are no longer available:

Stamps:

Choo Choo (116887)

Garden Whimsey (116362)

Sanded (112356)

Full Calendar (115812)

Card stock:

Marina Mist 12 x 12 (119687)

Bashful Blue 12 x 12 (119973)

Early Espresso 12 x 12 (119691)

Night of Navy 12 x 12 (119932)

Chocolate Chip 12 x 12 (119926)

Punches:

Star Punch (119875)

Photo Corners Punch (119878)

Spiral Punch (119872)

Small Oval Punch (119863)

Accessories:

Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelets (108431)

Metallic Eyelets (105319)

Pewter Jumbo Eyelets (108432)

I'll be selling my own retired stamps at the New Catalogue Launch, as well as (blush) unopened packets of DSP, some retired accessories....look forward to seeing you there!

My Foray into Retail!

2011-08-10T11:57:00.002+10:00

Forgot to mention, when updating my blog earlier with the New Catalogue Launch details, my exciting news: my cards are for sale in a shop!

The Mistress of Spice (link to her website HERE) is a fab local shop in Gordon Park, Brisbane, where you can purchase ready-made delicious curries and other yummies plus spices, cooking related gifts, etc. The Mistress herself, Elise, is an old friend of mine (by old, I mean we went to school together, not admitting my age!) and she mentioned that she is often asked by customers if they have any cards to purchase when they buy a gift. Hopefully her customers will fancy a Handmade by Lou card!

Elise is incredibly talented and has even written a cookbook. Her food is to die for!

New Catalogue (2011-12) Launch

2011-08-10T11:12:00.002+10:00

Don't miss it! This is always a fun day, where you not only get your own copy of the new catalogue, you get to play with new products, chat, and have a fun Girl's Day Out! We will also be offering for sale our retired products at reduced prices, as well as door prizes, raffles, etc. Get a group of friends together and contact me to book your places!

The End Is Nigh...

2011-08-03T21:18:00.001+10:00

...the end of the 2010-11 Idea Book & Catalogue, that is!

Over on my sidebar you'll see a button that links to the Retirement List. These are stamps and accessories that are being discontinued, and will not be available to purchase in the new Catalogue which goes live on 1st September.

The Retired stock is only available as stocks last, no backorders, no rain checks. If you miss it, you miss it. Please make sure you let me know right away if there is anything you've had your eye on that is scheduled for retirement.

I've seen a PDF copy of the new IBC and it will be fabulous! So while I'm sad that some things are leaving for good - like eyelets - I'm excited about all the new stuff that is coming. As a Demo, one of my favourite things is getting to order new stuff a month before anyone else - my preview order will be coming this week!

This month I'll do my best to feature some of the retiring products so they can go out with some applause.

I will make a page letting you know which items have sold out as soon as I know.

I'm planning a class showing the retired stuff some love - not sure when I'll hold it yet, with the Ekka Public Holiday, etc. But I'll be sending invitations once I've decided.

Make sure you let me know if you want to be one of the first to get your hands on a copy of the NEW Catalogue and I'll put one aside for you when my box arrives!

The Ship Song Project

2011-07-28T12:01:00.003+10:00

OK, not at all stamping related, but I've just discovered the Ship Song Project, a tribute to the iconic landmark, The Sydney Opera House. I love it. You can download the video for free in iTunes at present. I've been playing it over and over.

Don't Be Shocked...

2011-07-18T21:39:00.001+10:00

But I'm posting again! LOL!

The kids are back at school, and I am determined to get better at posting regularly. Can you believe it is only a couple of weeks until we find out which things in the Catalogue are retiring, and only about six weeks until the new Idea Book & Catalogue? Can't wait!

In the meantime, here are some recent scrapbook pages to show you:

This is a very "clean and simple" one that I can't remember posting - my apologies if I have previously!
I loved how the card stock (Pacific Point) just went so well with the photos.

This one features a favorite photo of mine - I love the cheeky look on my baby's face! The flowers are all punched or die cut with the Big Shot, and some are then embossed as well. This is CASEd from our SU! Demo publication, I love it! I have also stamped various flower stamps there. Stamps: Printed Petals, Petal Pizzazz, Vintage Vogue. Big Shot dies: Floral Fusion, Flower Folds, Island Floral, and the Elegant Lines, Perfect Polka Dots, Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folders. Punches: Fancy Flower Extra Large, Boho Blossoms Extra Large, Itty Bitty Shapes punch Trio. Other: brads, adhesive pearls. I added some dimension to the petals by curling them slightly with my bone folder.

While I was on a roll with the flowers, I did this page:

Big Shot Dies: Blossom Party. Other: Spiral border punch, tea stain ink (distressing kit), buttons, linen thread.

I finally broke down and purchased the Leaves die, I couldn't resist using it with this gorgeous paper from the current Mini ( it ends at the end of the month). I love these earthy colours.

I was supposed to go for a run today....it is now 9:30pm so I guess it isn't happening tonight! Maybe if I go to bed now I can get up early tomorrow? Hmm, we'll see how that pans out!

An Old Fave

2011-07-17T08:46:00.001+10:00

I was fortunate enough to be invited to hold a workshop in Cherie's home yesterday, which was heaps of fun! Can you believe that one of her guests, Vanessa, used to work with me at Target when we were both fifteen doing Thursday nights and Saturday mornings? Brisbane has 2 degrees of separation.

I wanted to use a versatile stamp set which is an old fave but hasn't seen much love recently, so I picked Circle Circus.

This is the card we made, using Sahara Sand, Regal Rose, Rose Red, and Tempting Turquoise. I love that the circles coordinate with our punches and you can add interest without bulk by lifting some of them with Dimensionals.
The happy birthday is from Party This Way.

Here's the same card, with different colours: Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, and Tempting Turquoise.

Finally, here is a 8 x 8 scrapbook page I made using the same stamp set. Can you see that I stamped the bubbles in Versamark, then heat embossed them with clear embossing powder? The letters were cut out with the Big Shot and the adhesive sheets to make them easy to apply like stickers! I'll have to post more about the adhesive sheets another time.

Right now I have to tidy up for my Downline Day today!

Going to miss that kid.

2011-07-13T10:18:00.000+10:00

My eldest is off to school camp today. She's hardly slept, she is so excited. I repacked her bag last night, LOL, insisting she take warmer clothes. She's looking forward to spending time with her friends, doing canoeing, archery, the campfire, etc etc. I know she'll have a brilliant time. Just going to miss her. On Monday I ended up in bed all day with a migraine, and she was the sweetest little nurse, keeping the little ones out of my room, making me cups of tea, checking on me. She's not allowed to grow up and leave me. I'll miss her too much.

In other news, I have the two youngest home sick today. So they are having a great day lying on the couch watching tv. Again, I kind of like having them around.

Did I tell you I have a new recruit in my downline? The lovely Michelle! Welcome to my team. This girl is seriously creative and passionate about Stampin' Up! I love her to bits too, I'm so glad to have met her - only a year ago - as a customer. Now she's a friend and my downline! Can't wait for her blog, she'll knock your socks off with the gorgeous things she creates.

Finally, I must show you the gorgeous butterflies another friend and customer, Sarah P made recently to decorate her table for a special occasion she was hosting:

Aren't they divine? She used her Big Shot with the Bigz butterfly die (on page 154, $42.95.), called Beautiful Butterflies, and her embossing folders.

I think I should commission her to do more samples for me, don't you?

Blogging from my iPad?

2011-07-11T15:55:00.001+10:00

I have discovered a new (new to me, anyway) App for iPad called Blogsy which will allegedly make my blogging life easier. Let's test it, shall we?

Previously if I'm away from my computer I have had to email my blog posts to Blogger, which is ok, but a little klutzy. I can post photos, but can't edit my post and it is a bit hit-and-miss as to how much text goes with the photo, which can be frustrating!

For the purpose of this experiment I've uploaded some photos to Picasa (which is the photo sharing platform used by Blogger/Google).

This is one of the cards we'll be making at my Masculine Cards Class later this week, it is CASED from a card I saw on Splitcoast by a talented lady called Carrie Sampsel, she has a blog called Carrie's Scrapyard

Woo hoo I can make links from Blogsy! Yay!

I have a feeling Blogsy and I will be getting very well acquainted over the next few weeks!

Half of my children are back at school tomorrow, I'd best check they have uniforms, etc.

July Promotion: Free Gift with Purchase!

2011-07-07T14:27:00.000+10:00

Close up of the free goodies:

Can't wait to start creating with mine!

It's Been a While

2011-07-06T22:14:00.042+10:00

OK, I know I'm usually terrible at posting here during school holidays, but this is ridiculous!

What's been happening? Well, my husband travelled overseas for 3 weeks for work, leaving me a pseudo-single parent of four children. He ended up missing our baby's 4th birthday and our eldest son's First Communion. Oh, and the day he left our computer died. I was without email for almost a month!

Remember the Baby Shower from a few posts ago? Our lovely niece had a beautiful, healthy baby boy named Louis one week ago. Congratulations Chris and Nick! Love the name, for obvious reasons! I haven't been able to meet him yet due to viruses and things going around my kids at present - just couldn't risk getting a newborn sick. Can't wait to give him a cuddle. Horrifying to realize I'm officially a Great Aunt.

In the first week of the school holidays my eldest child had to have dental work done under general anaesthetic as day surgery, not fun. Another child will need the same shortly. Apart from that, we have had playdates, sleepovers, movies, a day in the Botanic Gardens, a day at the Gallery of Modern Art, plenty of Lego, Wii and Nintendo DS time, some sewing, some baking, and some sleep ins.

New Computer!

Now my husband is home, we have a new computer (but haven't got everything off the old computer yet) and school holidays are almost over.

I am still getting used to the new iMac (it was great to have FaceTime when my husband was in the US) and will have to do some fiddling to figure it all out. It will be better when we get all the stuff from the old computer (such as Photoschop actions, digi scrap stuff I've purchased...etc).

On the upside, my family's Lifestyle Change is going well - the kids now eat multigrain bread without complaining and I'm up to week 7 on my Couch to 5K programme (learning to run on my treadmill). I've also lost 13.5kgs since October last year, with more to go.

From a Stampin' Up! viewpoint I've been busy too - I've had a few workshops lately, which was fun. I've got another couple coming up and I'm getting to really enjoy them. I'm free in August if anyone is thinking of hosting a Retirement Workshop (the Retirement List will be out next month). I also have a new recruit! Welcome to the team, Michelle! I'll post a link to her blog as soon as she gets one.

Here are a few of my recent creations - a thank you note for one of my hostesses, and the tags I made for the recent workshop orders with the Big Shot. Fun, aren't they?

Anyway, I haven't abandoned my blog, I've just had life get in the way. Which happens.

I'll do another blog post about this month's promotion, too!

Mmmm, cupcakes!

2011-06-08T22:56:00.001+10:00

Here's some yumminess I made for a special birthday girl last weekend - her Mum is an exceptionally talented baker, so how could I go past the cupcake punch and matching stamp set? I also used the new-to-me adhesive sheets (why have I waited so long?) to punch the little pieces with DSP to make then into stickers.

I had enough left over to make this cute tag ( Lately I've been trying to make cards and matching tags as with children the card often gets separated from the gift in all the excitement).

The next pictures are of a card made by my customer and friend Michelle Clarke - she hasn't a blog yet- for my uplink Steph's latest sketch challenge. I think she did a great job! Nice to have a guest artist here at Handmade.

The final picture is my first attempt with glitter and the adhesive sheets. Love it!

Market Night

2011-06-07T22:44:00.001+10:00

Hello, Blogland! Remember me? As usual, despite my best intentions, life has gotten in the way of my blog lately.

What have I been up to? Well, since my last post, I've turned another year older, my children have had the usual round of birthday parties, school activities, sport activities, etc, and I've had fun at a fundraiser Market Night at a local State School.

It was a lovely night, with tables set up for different party plan companies, as well as local talents with Beautiful products to sell. My table was set up with displays and a free make and take. I also contributed a raffle prize and made some new friends. I also met old friends, including a girl I used to work with back when we were both in high school! Small world.

My biggest asset was my lovely assistant - my eldest daughter, who was a big help and was fabulous at walking up to strangers with a brilliant smile and a charming "would you like to make a card?". She is pretty cute and hard to resist!

I don't know how much they raised for the Prep school, but I hope they reached their target. I had a great night, and it looked to me as though all the guests did too.

Please excuse any quality issues with this post - my computer is dying and my husband (resident expert on all things electrical) is away for work, so I can't use it for a little while. Emails might not be seen for a while as well, unfortunately.

Lucky for me the trusty iPad has come to the rescue!

The Babyshower

2011-05-28T19:39:00.001+10:00

I am pleased to report the Babyshower for our beautiful niece went off without a hitch.

I made the decorations (Baja Breeze and Riding Hood Red was the colour scheme) with the Pennant Die - what fun! I think they really made everything festive, don't you?

In case you were wondering, I also made some yummy vegetarian sausage rolls (in my trusty Thermomix), a fresh him hommus dip (again, Thermomix), an apple tart (recipe from The Pioneer Woman), and some mini caramel tarts. My fabulous sister-in-law (and Grandma-to-Be) made yummy mini Chicken Burgers, and my Mother-in-law made tasty sandwiches. We also had cupcakes, courtesy of our niece's best friend.

Our niece has a great bunch of beautiful girlfriends - such lovely "Aunties" for this lucky new bub!

I'm exhausted, but pleased that we were able to celebrate the newest member of the family with love. I love babies, and I love parties, so what could be better than combining the two?

Last Deal of the Week!

2011-05-25T10:24:00.001+10:00

And it's a goody - wheels and rub-ons this week!

So contact me pronto if you want to take advantage of this sale!

I totally have 5,000 things to do today...so I'd best dash. I'll have heaps to show you soon, promise.
In the meantime (because I'm a procastinator), I've changed blogger templates to reflect the season...finally a chill in the air!

What a week!

2011-05-22T07:20:00.002+10:00

It started off so well. Monday, an old friend came around for a well overdue catch up, Tuesday I did a little laundry, some groceries, etc...then Wednesday. School Assembly day at my kids' primary school. That was the day my youngest would not listen to me when I told him to sit quietly. Instead he ran off playing and climbing and jumping around the concrete steps and just when the Assembly finished I heard The Cry that every mother knows immediately is her child, and she knows...it's bad. Sure enough, I found my baby crying with a bleeding gash to his head and a massive lump, getting bigger by the second.

Ice pack from the school first aid room, a quick trip to the GP and monitoring for concussion.

Thursday - little man's head a lot better ( no more lump!) and a busy day with cello, French horn and after school activities which mean we are only coming home from the school pickup at 5:00pm and catch peak hour traffic. And it is raining. Because of the rain, the young inexperienced driver behind me fails to leave enough room to stop, and ploughs his Toyota into the back of my car. We are shaken, but unhurt. The young man was unhurt, shocked and apologetic. His car was undrivable and will be written off. My big, safe Volvo was drivable and lost the bumper bar. We were so very lucky. Cars are just things. Insurance will cover the damage. My babies and that poor young fellow are ok.

Then to add to a big week, I took all four kids to the dentist. The sheer logistics involved in getting everyone from two different schools to our dentist in the city by 3:30pm was like a carefully choreographed ballet. I got there on time! By the time we finished, after hearing bad news about the state of two out of four children's teeth, it was again 5pm and peak hour traffic.

And the craft news: above is a picture of the cupcake picks a friend has commissioned for a special celebration. I think we are going with the lighter gold. I'm also busy making decorations for my niece's baby shower next weekend, can't wait to show you!

Here's to a better week this week!

New Deal of the Week!

2011-05-18T07:32:00.000+10:00

Ribbons & Bling! What more could a girl want?

Convention, continued

2011-05-15T10:29:00.000+10:00

I'm actually typing this at the airport on my way home! It has been a whirlwind couple of days, and I am tired, happy, inspired, creatively recharged and excited to apply all I've learned!

I must share these photos with you. You know the tv game show "Minute to Win It?". Well Stampin' Up! did their own version of it, and my roomie Lyanna qualified to become a co test ant! It was totally hilarious, and sadly she didn't win. However she did get $50 voucher and a card from Shelli Gardiner herself!

The other reason I come to Convention

2011-05-14T06:52:00.001+10:00

Shell Gardiner, co-founder and CEO of Stampin' Up! is so charming and warm in real life. She always does a stamping project on stage and always makes herself available or a photo and chat. Poor woman must find smiling so much exhausting, but you'd never know it. You cannot help but to reenergized and inspired by her. The other reason I come to Convention is the lovely Stampin' Sisters I have from allover Australia and NZ. It is such a wonderful way to make new friends, catch up with old ones, share and get inspired by your peers. Lyanna and I are both Brisbane girls, and we met up with and became friends with Leeanne and Zarna from Parkes NSW. We went exploring Melbourne in search of food, and ended up at The Spaghetti Tree. Such a great night! We laughed and talked and ate too much.

Momento Mall Goodies

2011-05-14T06:41:00.000+10:00

Momento Mall

2011-05-14T06:25:00.001+10:00

These photos show the gorgeous decorations made by some hardworking creative SU! artist using our DSP, etc. Recognize some of the cards? They are from the IB&C. The lighting in the room wasn't the best, sorry.

Convention Day 1, Part 2

2011-05-13T21:50:00.000+10:00

Finally it was time to make our way through the Melbourne rain to the Convention & Exhibition Centre. I met up with my dear friend Zarna Gould, a Demonstrator from Parkes in NSW.

If you've never been to a Stampin' Up! Convention, let me tell you what goes on. First of all, there are swaps. Swaps are sample cards, which Demonstrators exchange with each other so we can get inspiration and ideas from each other. It is a lovely tradition which truly encapsulates the Stampin' Up! Statement of the heart: "to love what we do and share what we love as we help others enjoy creativity and worthwhile accomplishments. In this we make a difference."

It is a fun way to break the ice and meet people from all over Australia and New Zealand, too!

I will post photos of some of the gorgeous swaps I received soon.

Swaps go on throughout the day, but mostly in the mor I g of the first day, while people line up to register and collect their fabulous Convention Bag. Convention Bags are always lovely, and they contain NEW stamps!!!! I can't show the stamps to you just yet, but I can show you the funky bag.

The next highlight of the first day is always Momento Mall, which is where Demonstrators can buy lots of cool stuff. Here I am with my friend Nikki Stalker, a Demo from NSW. See the cute bags she's holding?

More photos soon!

Convention, Day 1, Part 1

2011-05-13T06:51:00.000+10:00

After days of preparing swaps, freezing school lunches so my wonderful Mum wouldn't have to make them (she's helping out with the kids while I'm away), finding and washing all my winter clothes, packing and unpacking then repacking my suitcase, I was finally ready to leave sunny Brisbane for Melbourne.

The day I arrived was the coldest May day Melbourne had seen in years, I've been told! It was even hailing!

I met up with my roomie Lyanna (Lyanna is in the same downline as me) and after we deposited our bags in the apartment, we set off to explore Melbourne on foot.

These photos are from my iPhone, so not fab, but give you an idea. Melbourne is famous for great shopping and great food. Heaven! We checked out iconic landmarks such as Flinders St Station, and Union Lane, famous for it's graffiti.

I'm emailing this blog post from my iPad and can only send 5 photos at a time, so this post will be broken into parts. See you after the jump!

Baby Shower!

2011-05-12T06:05:00.000+10:00

I'm throwing a baby shower for my lovely niece at the end of the month, and I had a lot of fun makin the invitations. I used Baby Bundle and the colours are Baja Breeze and RidingHood Red. The photo isn't great, my apologies!

I'm going to have fun with decorations too so stay tuned!

New Deal of the week AND Convention!

2011-05-11T12:32:00.000+10:00

If you click on my Stampin' Up! Website over in my sidebar, you'll see there is a new Deal of the Week - and it's a doozy! Big Shot dies!

If you needed to take advantage of the special between now and Sunday, drop me a line (louisetsutton@Gmail.com) because I'm in Melbourne away from my computer - but I have my trusty iPad with me, so I can blog, Tweet, etc and process your order while I'm away!

This will be my third Convention. It is a fun annual event run by Stampin' Up! for Demonstrators in Australia & New Zealand and I'm so glad I'm here. In previous years it was held in Brisbane, Canberra and Sydney. Also this year it has been extended by a day so it is the same length of time as our US cousins. Sweet!

I'll try to post photos, news, etc to this blog, my Facebook page, and Twitter, so stay tuned!

Louise Sutton
Ph: 0414 671 290

Sent from my iPad

May Deals of the Week! Week One

2011-05-01T18:06:00.000+10:00

My Yellow Period, part 3

2011-05-01T08:33:00.001+10:00

For some reason, my computer isn't speaking to me today.

Fortunately, my iPad is! So I'm emailing in this blog post from my iPad (not bragging, just impressed by techie stuff, as I'm a Luddite).

As you can see, my Yellow (and grey) Period continues.

Hopefully my computer will forgive me so we can get past all this not speaking nonsense, so I can edit this post with details of the stamps, etc!

Oh, by the way, I have a Handmade by Lou Facebook page I'd love you to "like". I will be updating it with Deals of the Week, promotions, etc too.

More Delightful Daffodil

2011-04-29T10:07:00.001+10:00

As promised, more YELLOW! Enjoy some sunshine!

Hello, yellow!

2011-04-28T15:08:00.001+10:00

Stamps: Sew Sweet,
Paper: Basic Gray, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Rich Razzleberry
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Rich Razzleberry
Other: Spiral Edge Punch, Cutting Kit, Embosslit, Big Shot, Sponges, Paper Snips, grey thread

Stamps: Growing Green
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Basic Gray
Ink: Basic Gray
Other: Spiral Edge Punch, Cutting Kit, Big Buttons, Brights Designer Buttons, white thread

I have been in a grey mood lately. A grey and yellow mood. Basic Gray and Daffodil Delight to be exact. I LOVE this combination! I'll be showing you a few samples of this combo over the next few days - I kind of went nuts!

Because I'm a novice at photo editing on my iPad, the colours look different in both photos - I promise they really are the same! I used the same sketch for both cards, and the same colours.

The first cards showcases the cute sewing theme in the current Mini Catty. I used the Sweet Buttons Embosslit from the Mini Catty (and added a Rich Razzleberry button for some zing). This is the card I designed as the Make & Take at my Team Meeting last night.

The second uses a stamp set I love but haven't used much (oops), called Growing Green. It features Big Buttons from the Mini Catty and some normal sized buttons from the Brights designer buttons in the main Idea Book & Catalogue.

Keep tuned for some other exampes of Yellow Yumminess over the next few days!

Happy Birthday Linda

2011-04-27T11:19:00.000+10:00

I hope everyone out there in the Blogosphere had a restful and happy Easter break. It was a five day public holiday here! Thankfully, the kids are back at school today so I can get to the computer to show you some pretties.

It was my uplink Linda's birthday yesterday, and slacker that I am, the card was only mailed today! However this post proves that I was thinking of her on her special day. I know stamping on acetate and using acetate in cards isn't terribly new, but I hadn't tried it before. I was so pleased with it, that I think this month's class will feature acetate!

Stampin' Up! sells 12 x 12 sheets of acetate in two thicknesses, which I admit I haven't yet tried (blush). I happened to have a box of clear binding acetate sheets in A4 size which were donated to me by my sister, so I thought I'd try them. They worked wonderfully. Of course, I've used Stayzon ink instead of our Classic ink, and the adhesive rhinestones for some bling factor. The card stock is Melon Mambo, which looks great with Basic Black. I know Linda loves pink, so hopefully she'll love this card!

I must dash now as I am doing the make & take for tonight's team meeting, and I haven't started yet!

One punch, 3 Ways

2011-04-20T16:15:00.000+10:00

Yes, you read it - one punch 3 ways! I love it when my tools/stamps can do double or triple duty.

I was totally inspired by a card Jayne Mercer made and posted on her blog recently with the new cupcake punch from the Autumn-Winter Mini. I had to use my cupcake punch and CASE her gorgeous card!

Here is the punch:

Cute, huh? Naturally there is a matching cupcake stamp set which co-ordinates with it (swoon). You know how I love the matchy-matchy!

Here's a couple of straightforward "cupcake" cards I made with the cupcake punch and stamp set:

Stamps: Create A Cupcake; Got Treats
Paper: Pear Pizazz, Blushing Bride, Wild Wasabi, Rose Red, Whisper White
Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Blushing Bride, Rose Red,
Other: Cupcake Punch, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Dimensionals, Brad, Tasteful Trim Die, Big Shot, Pinking Hearts Punch

Stamps: Create A Cupcake
paper: Real Red, Night of Navy, Early Espresso, Whiper White
Ink: Real Red, Early Espresso
Other: Cupcake Punch, 2 way glue, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Early Espresso grosgrain, Word Window Punch

Fun! But when I saw Jayne's card, I was inspired to try something else.

Here is Jayne's card:

Card by Jayne Mercer - see her blog (link above) for details

OMG! How cute is it? The top of the cupcake is PERFECT for clouds!

So I had a go, but I changed my version slightly.

Stamps: Party This Way
Paper: Marina Mist, Real Red, Whisper White, Old Olive
Ink: Bashful Blue, Real Red, Old Olive, Basic Black marker
Other: Cupcake punch, sponges, Word Window punch, Dotto, Dimensionals, Big Shot, Polka Dot embossing folder, 13/4" circle punch

In my version, I stuck the cupcake tops down with Dotto removable adhesive, and rolled over the top with a brayer. After I removed the "cloud" masks, this was the result. The Hot Air Balloon basket is the bottom of the cupcake, and the sentiment is from Party This Way.I hand drew the black lines with a pen.

Taken with these clouds, I tried another method:

Stamps: Cheep Talk, Occasional Greetings
Paper: Whisper White, Soft Suede, Pear Pizzazz
Ink: Bashful Blue, Pear Pizazz marker, Peach Parfait Marker, Soft Suede marker
Other: Stampamajg, Dimensionals, Cupcake Punch, Sponges

Again, I punched out a couple of cupcake tops and used Dotto to temporarily keep them in place while I sponged around them - I just kept doing this until I was satisfied with the result.

My six year old thought this was very pretty so I taught her how to do it, and this is the card she made:

Isn't she clever? And it looks quite "Springtime" and "Easter" to me too!

If my six year old can do this, I'm sure you can too!

I'm sure I've just scratched the surface with the fun things I can make with this punch. If you have tried something fun, Post a link to your blog in the comments, or email me a photo so I can post it and we can all have a look!

Happy Easter, everyone!

Banner Birthday Girl

2011-04-15T07:45:00.000+10:00

In my last post I showed you a card I'd made for a boy's birthday. Using the same layout and elements, but changing the colours, I made a girl's card. I used so e scraps of leftover DSP fro. The Autumn Winter Mini (Sweet Stitches) and stamped Happy Birthday in Melon Mambo using a stamp from the Party This Way set.

Of course, the wrapping paper is stamped to match and made from recycled brown paper, and there is a cute tag to match.

I've also included a photo of the gift tag I made for Artie, to match his card.

School holidays have begun here, so I'll post when I am able to....perhaps I'll get some stamping time?

Happy Birthday Artie!

2011-04-11T11:47:00.001+10:00

This is a fun card for a little boy named Artie, which has no stamping! Shock!
It does use rub-ons, DSP, brads and twine. The A is die cut with the Big Shot.
I also made a matching gift tag, and a girly version which I photographed but haven't uploaded yet, so bear with me.

I love the pennant motif which seems to be everywhere at the moment.
Hope you are having a Happy Monday!

What you missed in this month's class

2011-04-09T11:43:00.001+10:00

Using a Lauren Meader template I printed directly onto the cardstock, we made these sweet Totes in bright happy colours, to match the cheerful retro Sweet Stitches DSP and the gorgeous pom pom trim. I am going through that trim like you would not believe, I just love it!

The large tote was packed with three simple cards, and the little tote had gift tags inside, pictured below.

I was planning to repeat the class one evening, so be sure to contact me if you would like to make one for your Mum!

Strength & Hope Campaign

2011-04-04T22:06:00.000+10:00

Have you heard about the Stampin' Up! Stregth & Hope campaign yet?

As part of Stampin' Up's Making a Difference programme, Stampin' Up! is proud to partner with The Breast Cancer Research Foundation® in the Strength & Hope Campaign.

Throughout the 2011 Autumn-Winter Mini Catalogue sales period, Stampin' Up! will donate $2* from the sale of each Strength & Hope set to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). Contact me to host your own Strength & Hope workshops, or to order this stampset and and help contribute to an amazing cause.

Item	Description	Price
123663	Strength & Hope wood-mount set	$35.95
124232	Strength & Hope clear-mount set	$28.95

*Stampin' Up! is donating $2 from this purchase to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®. BCRF is dedicated to preventing breast cancer and finding a cure in our lifetime by funding clinical and translational research worldwide. For more information about BCRF, visit www.bcrfcure.org.

Shelli Gardiner, founder of Stampin' Up! talks about the way breast cancer has touched her family (as it has touched many families, mine included) in a video you can watch here.

Here is a card I've made using the images from this lovely stampset:

Stamps: Strength & Hope, Just Believe
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Rich Razzleberry, Early Espresso
Other: Hodgepodge Hardware, Mat pack & paper piercer, sponges, Circle Scissors, Pretty in Pink tafetta

I even felt inspired to decorate the inside, which I never do normally!

all materials, as above

I think this set works well with the Vintage or Shabby Chic style, don't you?

this is not my work, but it is fabulous, no?

Happy Monday!

2011-04-04T11:57:00.000+10:00

Well, yeah, it's Monday. Blah. Back to lunchboxes, finding lost school shoes and nagging kids to brush their teeth for me.

Between getting the kids to school, dropping off the ironing (no, I don't iron. My husband and I both hate it so we have since the day we said "I Do" outsourced this chore!), clearing away the breakfast chaos and putting on another load of washing, I've made a Handmade by Lou Facebook Page today. There's a "Like" button on my sidebar, so if you read my blog, make sure you "like" me too! I was posting a few blog links to my personal page and thought I might give this business page thing a go. That, and I was avoiding housework.....

I have also sent out email invites to my Mother's Day class this Thursday, 7th April at 10:30am, so if you'd like to come, let me know! We also have Stamp Night on Friday night (8th April) so let me know if you'd like to come along to that! I know, I should have sent out the emails last week - but I had a crazy one with sick kids, parent/teacher interviews, yadda, yadda. You know how it is! I am also planning on offering this class one evening, but next week most likely. I'll confirm that later.

I've taken a few photos with my "good" camera which I'm about to upload and edit, so I'll be back with them soon. The good thing about my iPhone is that I can post directly to my blog, but the photos really aren't that great.

Sew Cute!

2011-04-01T14:56:00.000+10:00

How cute is this? I stamped the background with the little dress pattern, then stamped the pattern onto some waxed paper and cut out the pattern. Cute! The button die cuts, stamps and pom pom trim are doing me in! Way too cute! This is my kind of sewing.

Autumn's here!

2011-03-31T22:46:00.000+10:00

And it brings a new Mini Catalogue from Stampin' Up! I am posting a bunch of catalogues tomorrow so if you are not on my mailing list, shoot me an email and let me know if you'd like one too.

I will post some samples I've been working on over the next few days, so look out for them.

Here is a scrapbook page I did using some of the NEW big buttons, pom pom trim, DSP, and a new die!

I promise to edit later with a better photo! I shouldn't even bother trying tp photograph at night with an iPhone!

Simple boy birthday

2011-03-30T16:38:00.000+10:00

My standard "go to" stampset for the 8 + year old boys is "Just Rugby". As usual, I stamped some recycled brown paper for the wrapping! It is a pretty clean and simple card, but I figured9 year old boys aren't really into cards as much as I am, and of course, I was in a hurry, so simple was the order of the day. This is a great little set, useful for boys of all ages.

Walking the cat and other sports

2011-03-19T10:57:00.000+10:00

I had to share this.
My husband is trying to teach our kitten to walk on a lead. Why? I don't know. He has succeeded in proving that cats do whatever they want.

The Hello card is made with one of the SAB sets you can still earn when you spend $100, but only until the end of the month!

The next photos show the card we made last night at Kelly's workshop - hi Kelly! We used products from the Summer Mini and showed how an "Easter" stamp set could be used to make a birthday card. The other two cards are stepped up versions to show what a bit of bling can do!

We had a lovely time and chatted till late!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T12:05:00.001+10:00

Hope you have a good one and remembered to wear your green today!
Here's a quick photo of the cards my kids gave their teachers today.

Bliss Part 2

2011-03-16T19:23:00.001+10:00

Twice the Bliss! These are the other two cards I made with the colour combination Blushing Bride, Sahara Sand, and Perfect Plum. Again, they were inspired by the talented Marelle over there on my blogroll.

I've also used another SAB set called So Happy For You. Only available until the end of March, so hurry if you don't wish to miss out!

Blushing Bliss

2011-03-16T15:45:00.001+10:00

I CASEd this card and the next two from Marelle Taylor (her blog is over on my blogroll) but I changed up the colours. I challenged myself to use a new (for me) combination and the Colour Coach picked this out: Sahara Sand, Perfect Plum and Blushing Bride.

The stamp set used is one of the SAB sets you can earn until the end of the month - Bliss. I think it is my fave.

Easter Class

2011-03-11T17:19:00.000+10:00

I held my March Easter class yesterday (I'm also holding it tonight) and I have to admit, I was not sure it would be a success.

Being organised, I'd decided ages ago on the project, but left it until the night before to prep and make my own sample. And at 11pm I decided I HATED it, but it was too late to design a new project!

Of course, in the morning, after a cup of tea and actually finishing the project off I decided it wasn't so bad. Thankfully my lovely customers agreed! We made a project I discovered on UStamp, a pretty woven basket with a matching gift card. The original was designed with a set of cards, but this one has chocolate eggs in it.

Ink: Black Stazon, Versamark

Paper: Very Vanilla, Basic Black

Stamps: Tiny Tags, Easter Blossoms

Other: Black satin ribbon, crochet trim, Black embossing powder, heat gun,

Hodgepodge Hardware, Tombow Multi glue, Sticky Strip.

My main problem was that I was rushing and not allowing the glue time to dry - which made for a sticky, frustrating and lopsided project! I must say the baskets my ladies made were much nicer than mine!

Lovely Michelle and her basket of goodies!

My baby sister Jane

Beautiful Sarah - see how much neater her basket is?

I didn't get a photo of my other customer's (my cousin Sarah) basket, but believe me, all these girls outdid me, hands down! I suppose slowing down, starting it at a decent hour, and letting the glue dry before trying to weave will help! That and having a good teacher, right? *crickets*

The stamp set I used for the gift card is from the Summer Mini - such a gorgeous sillhouette! We heat embossed it with black embossing powder and it looks fantastic on the Very Vanilla cardstock. Elegant. Remember that the Summer Mini will finish at the end of the month, so don't delay if you want it!

Using my stash part 2

2011-02-27T17:05:00.001+10:00

I have a basket full of unused make 'n take packets from workshops, launches and classes. I tend to make a couple of extra so if someone unexpectedly turns up, they won't miss out...but then if someone cancels at the last minute, I have leftovers. They sit in that basket, mocking me. Not any more! I have dedicated my spare time this weekend to making something with them so they are not wasted. Apart from needing to top up my own card box I like to give some to my lovely mother in law for her birthday so she has a decent supply. So here are my first examples ( more to come):

The first photo shows what the cards were originally supposed to look like ( part of a class I did for Mothers Day I think last year), the second photo shows how I used the same elements with different punches and stamps. What do you think?
The last photo doesn't have a "before" photo; I believe it was originally a Christmas card two years ago- it uses Soft Sky cardstock which retired quite a while ago!

Birthday butterflies

2011-02-19T14:47:00.001+10:00

My youngest daughter had a birthday party to go to after school yesterday so I needed to whip a card and present. The present was easy - some hand made hair accessories from the Big Shot (see my post about my recent fabric in the Big Shot class) and I forgot to snap a photo of them, sorry.

At least I remembered to snap the co ordinating card!

Ten years

2011-02-18T08:47:00.002+10:00

Well, coming up twelve this year actually! This layout is done using a photo taken of Paul and I when we went out for dinner for our tenth wedding anniversary. Can you believe this is the first time we've ever been to dinner for our anniversary ? Sad but true. You see, four out of our six birthdays fall within 5 weeks and our anniversary gets lost in there. But not our tenth!

You can see I took the colours from my outfit - Tempting Turquoise. I found some old chipboard alphabet in my stash and used the letters spelling "TEN" as a mask, spraying the gold spritz over them. I then sponged the Presto Patterns DSP with Tempting Turqoise ink to reveal the pattern (they come as blank white 12 x 12 sheets, and you reveal the pattern when you colour the paper - cool!) and spritzed some more gold around. I am going to have to stock up on those before the end of this mini! The hearts are from a current hostess set.

Stamps:Punch Potpourri (hostess)
Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, Presto Patterns Speciality DSP, Whisper White
Ink: Gold Glow Smooch Spritz, Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise

A lovely award

2011-02-16T07:41:00.000+10:00

My lovely Stampin' Sistah Manda awarded me this lovely thing or inspiring her. She's such an inspiration herself! And someone I am grateful to have met through Stampin' Up!

Now I have to pick five inspiring people....

1. Nicole
2. Amy
3. Leah
4. Zarna
5. Liam

Hard to stop at just 5!

Thanks Manda, you made my day!

Using up my stash

2011-02-13T06:00:00.000+10:00

Have you got a big stash of embellishments you never seem to use because you don't want them to run out? Or you thought they were really cute but can't find the right project to use them on, or maybe your style has changed?

(Raising hand) My name is Louise and I'm an Embellishment-holic. I must confess I bought every single colour of brad just before SU! changed their colours and I've been holding onto them because they are retired and I can't get them anymore! Argh! But I also can't use retired products in my workshops or on swap cards, so they just sit there. I finally gave myself a stern talking too while starting the BIG SPRING (-ahem, it is Summer) CLEAN a couple of weeks ago and decided I'd use up the brads - even if it means using them ALL up!

Mind you, I haven't finished the spring clean yet; it sort of got sidetracked with all the back-to-school palaver, and I haven't gotten back to it yet. Ooops. I was just so pleased to have my crafting mojo back I just went with it.

Anyway, here is a double page 12 x 12 layout I did of our holiday to Sydney last year. What better way to use lots of colours than a layout about Luna Park?

Stamps: Party This Way Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Riding Hood Red markers
Paper: Pacific Point, Whisper White, Riding Hood Red
Other: Piercing Tool, brads, Big Shot, Timeless Type (? I think) Alpha dies, white gel pen

You'll no doubt be pleased to hear I still have lots of retired brads yet. Which should tell you how many I had to start with, becuse I used a lot in this layout! Sorry about the photos which were taken after I'd put them in their plastic sleeves.

Have I shown you these before?

2011-02-12T14:56:00.000+10:00

Some quick 8x8 scrapbooking pages I made while watching the 24 hour flood coverage.

This one is a photo of the newest member of our family, isn't he sweet? I kept it simple, with some co-ordinating punches, stamps and clear buttons from the Summer Mini (you know how I love matchy-matchy!) called Itty Bitty Bits.

This page was done at our Regional Training Day last September, but I've only recently added a photo from my brother's wedding in November. It uses a butterfly die-cut and there are stamps, too which you can't see too well.

Not a great photo taken with the plastic sleeve on! It is a CASE of a page in our Demo magazine Impressions, which I love.
I've used crochet lace from the Summer Mini, little flower punch from the Mini, adhesive Rhinestones and pearls, Broadsheet Alphabet, Baroque Motifs, Newsprint DSP and the edge distressor I think.

The great thing about the 8 x 8 format is that it is quicker to complete than a full-sized 12 x 12 page, naturally!

What you missed today...

2011-02-10T16:39:00.001+10:00

...but you can do tomorrow evening if you like. Email me if you are interested! Here are my lovely models showing off their creations!

Shaker Heart - Valentine idea?

2011-02-10T06:00:00.000+10:00

I had bought this stamp set and the heart treat cups months ago, but finally decided to stop hoarding them to make this card. I think I will expand on the idea to make cute little Valentines for my kids. We don't usually get into Valentines Day as a family, but this might just change this year!

I ran out of sweets to put into the cup, so instead I stamped hearts and punched them out to make a shaker card instead.

Stamps: Sweetheart, Broadsheet Alphabet
Ink: Melon Mambo, Wild Wasabi
Paper: So Saffron, Melon Mambo, Whisper White
Other: Full Heart Punch, Heart Treat Cups, Pinking heart border punch (Summer Mini), Small heart punch

Builder Birthday

2011-02-08T06:00:00.001+10:00

Wow, my eyes, my beautiful eyes! Sorry, the colours are a little bright in this photo!

On the Summer Mini Bandwagon again, I invested in the Builder Wheel and used it to make a card, or three, and gift wrap for my lovely Godson Liam's birthday. I had fun inking up the triple cell cartridge with Real Red, Pacific Point and Tangerine Tango. The hardest part was lining it up so I got "Happy Birthday" stamped properly, but I'm getting better with some practice. Simple, bright and fun card for a little boy, don't you think? I also stamped the card with Seeing Stars to add some interest.

Best part is, I now have a couple of spare cards for the next boy's birthday!

Why?

2011-02-06T20:54:00.001+10:00

I used to be able to email posts from my iPhone, which was brilliant if I was posting on the go with photos taken on my phone. Sigh, it appears I can't do that any more, for reasons unknown.

ETA: I fixed it! YAY! Look forward to more bloggity goodness on the run!

Still, at least I have poor quality photos to show you!

I started these cards when I was messing around with the Big Shot getting ideas for the class I'm doing this week (Big Shot with Fabric - contact me if you are interested, as I have a couple of spots left). I found some thin cork sheets to put throufh the BS and realised that the big flower in the Island Floral die (Summer Mini p 21, $42.95) nests nicely with the Fancy Flower punch - Eureka!

I really like these colours together - I was challenging myself to use a colour I hadn't used before - Cajun Craze. It looks wonderful with Elegant Eggplant and More Mustard. Who knew?

Stamps: On Your Birthday
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Cajun Craze markers
Paper: Confetti White, Elegant Eggplant, More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Whisper White
Other: Gold Glow Smooch Spritz (Mini Catalogue); Island Floral Die (Mini Catalogue); Square Lattice Embossing Folder (Mini Catalogue); Big Shot; Fancy Flower Punch, 3/4 " circle punch, Rich Regal buttons, Cork Sheets (non- SU!)

Stamps: On your Birthday
Ink: Elegant Eggplant marker
Paper: More Mustard, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White, Cajun Craze, Cork Sheet (non-SU!)
Other: Square Lattice embossing Folder; Island Floral Die, Big Shot, Fancy Flower punch, Scallop Circle Extra large Punch, 13/4" circle punch, 3/4" circle punch, rhinestone brads, Rich Regals Buttons, Gold Glow Smooch Spritz

Stamps: Perfect Punches
Ink: Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Elegant Eggplant markers
Paper: More mustard, Elegant Eggplant, Cajun Craze, Whisper White
Other: Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Island Floral Die, Fancy Flower Punch, 3/4" circle Punch, Wide Oval Punch, Rich Regals Buttons, adhesive rhinestones, Gold Glow Smooch Spritz

Sorry about the quality of the photos. The cards look much better in real life, I must say.
I also realised, when listing all the products I used, that I have used a LOT from the Summer Mini! LOL. It is a good one, I must admit. Remember you can earn free SAB stamps when ordering from the Mini too, so if you've been umming and ahhing about something, now is the time to go for it!

Have a happy week!

February Class: Fabric in the Big Shot

2011-02-02T13:55:00.000+10:00

Whether you are a brand-new stamper or cardmaker, or an experienced papercrafter, you are welcome to attend one of my monthly classes. I hold them at my home in Brisbane, during the day, and on an evening. RSVP is essential, and if you have it, please bring your own basic kit and adhesives. The cost will vary depending on the project we are making.

February Class: Fabric with the Big Shot!
I've seen gorgeous brooches, hair accessories and even shoes and clothing embellished with fabric flowers with the Big Shot - so let's give it a try!
Cost $25
Date: Thursday 10th February, 10:00am
Bring: nothing!
RSVP essential
Venue: My home, Brisbane

NB there will be an evening option on Friday 11th Feb from 8pm available to those who cannot make it during the day - please let me know if you wish to be added to that list

Here are some samples of the pretty things we will be making (no not the girls, although I think they are pretty! The hair accessories!).

These were my prototypes, and I've practiced a lot more since then, with felt, different colours, etc. How easy would it be to make these as presents? Come have a play with fabric and see what you can make!

Sale-A-BRATION time

2011-02-02T07:28:00.000+10:00

SAB officially started last week, but I'm only getting a chance to update my blog today....sorry about that!
I have a button on my sidebar ----> with details, but in case you've never heard of SAB, here goes!

Sale-a-bration is the biggest promotion of the Stampin' Up! year, it runs from 25th January to 31st March 2011. You can earn fabulous, free exclusive stamp sets during this promotion three ways:
1. Spend $100 on any SU! products (including the Mini Catalogue) and earn one free SAB set of your choice. You can earn as many as you like - there is no limit.
2. Host a workshop of at least $600 and earn one free SAB set (as well as the generous hostess benefits); and
3. Join SU! during SAB and choose a free stamp set from the Idea Book & Catalogue valued up to $79.95!

The fun part is that every SAB, Stampin' Up! releases four exclusive stamp sets which are never ever offered as part of another catalogue. They are only available at this time. I have a little collection of previous SAB sets going, which I can't wait to expand with the gorgeous sets this year!

Check out this years' sets - they come in a choice of clear mount or wood mount for the first time!

Here is the SAB catalogue - click HERE to download it as a PDF.

I've got more things to show you but I need to dash now or I won't get the kids to school on time!

Christmas Joy

2011-01-19T06:00:00.000+10:00

Here is the annual Santa photo scrapped with stamped embellishments, plus ruffled ribbon and buttons. The wish lists are stamped as well - I love being able to record what the kids told Santa, of course, I've forgotten in previous years, but it will be great to look back on this in years to come. I can't believe they are all looking at the camera and smiling! A Christmas Miracle, I tell you!

Apologies for the photo - I took it after I'd put the page inside my album, so the reflection from the page protector is a bit annoying.

Blurry close up of details: Wish Lists stamped from Taking Care of Business Set, punched with Spiral punch and mounted on Cherry Cobbler; ornament stamped in Old Olive and punched out with the co-ordinating punch and adhesive rhinestones added; gorgeous striped old olive grosgrain ribbon with buttons tied with embroidery thread.

Summer Mini Launch!

2011-01-18T07:00:00.001+10:00

Whoops! I think I forgot to post about the Launch we held on the 4th December!

Somehow I forgot to take photos of the projects we made (d'oh!) but my Stampin' Sistah Bec has great pictures and a rundown of it on her blog Heart and Craft (click for the link).

The Summer Mini runs until the end of March so you still have plenty of time.

I am in the process of slotting in some workshops and classes into my calendar and have some really fun projects in the works! Sale-A-Bration is also coming up (it starts on the 24th January, the week my kids go back to school!) and that will be HUGE.

My baby starts pre-prep this year, so I'll have a little more predictability in my "work" days I hope, so I'm going to be available for more workshops as well.

I was able to do a little scrapbooking while glued to the news overage of the floods, between texting everyone I could think of who lived near the river to see if they were ok (anyone else ?). Here are two pages from my little brother's wedding in November:

12 x 12 layout with family photos before the wedding
Stamps: Vintage Vogue wheel, Perfect Punches
Paper: Old Olive, Very Vanilla
Other: Old Olive satin ribbon, Top Note Die, Big Shot, Label Punch, adhesive pearls

8 x8 page of the happy couple and their wedding party
Stamps: Baroque Motifs
Paper: Baja Breeze, Garden Gala DSP, Whisper White
Other: Baja Breeze ink, sponge, Top note Die, Big Shot

I hope you enjoy them!

What I've Been Up To...

2011-01-17T11:58:00.000+10:00

School Holidays are almost over. What a crazy couple of months! It rained for almost 2 months, so I have mould throughout my house. But I wasn't flooded, so I'm not exactly complaining.

I helped a friend at East Brisbane with flood damage

Fortunately, the water didn't get into her house. You can see the tide mark on her fence.

Empty fruit and veg stands at my local supermarket due to the flood.

We spent time before and after Christmas at Caloundra and the kids had fun at the beach - for the 3 days or so it wasn't raining!

Back in Brisbane, the kids did lots of baking and cupcake decorating (this was a children's holiday activity at our local Westfield Shopping Centre).

Because it was too rainy to go to the beach, my youngest daughter and I had pedicures together at Caloundra! How cute is she?

We also got a new kitten, named Bunky.

My husband grew a holiday beard.

My son became obsessed with Plants vs Zombies.

I have also been doing some scrapbooking, which I'll share with you in the next few days.

Stampin' Up! Loves Queensland

2011-01-16T18:42:00.000+10:00

AUSTRALIA FLOOD APPEAL

13 January 2011

To help the victims of the floods that have devastated over three quarters of Queensland, join with us in supporting the Australia Flood Appeal. Stampin' Up! will donate $2 AUD of the retail value of sales from any stamp set (with a retail value of $30 or more) sold in Australia and New Zealand from 15 January through 15 February to the State Emergency Services in Queensland.

I am back from holidays, I am safe and well (my home is nowhere near the floodwaters) and I will be back soon to post more bloggy goodness!

Just had to pass on this cool and generous fundraising opportunity from Stampin' Up!.

I hope all my readers are safe and well and ready for 2011.

Relaxing break

2010-12-22T14:07:00.000+10:00

I am having a lovely break at the beach with my family - thank you for reading my blog! Have a safe and relaxing Holiday and a Merry Christmas! See you in the new year!

Little gifts

2010-12-21T07:58:00.000+10:00

I recently needed a thank you gift and the Big Shot made it easy to jazz up some simple chocolates! I decorated the box with the Razzle Dazzle stamp set and Elegant Thank You for the tag, which I made with the large scallop punch from the Summer Mini. Quick, simple, co-ordinated.

Handmade gift idea

2010-12-16T16:27:00.000+10:00

I'm sorry it has been so long between posts! At least I can show you what I've been doing in my absence. We had our team Christmas party on Monday night which was lovely! We have a tradition where we all make a present as a Secret Santa, and I forgot to take a photo of the secret Santa gift I made! It is adapted slightly from a Becky Roberts idea.
here is a similar one I made as a prototype:

Summer is here!

2010-12-05T21:24:00.000+10:00

My kids are all on school holidays now, hooray! No more uniforms, lunchboxes and schedules. It also means less free time for me to create and update my blog - but that is probably a good thing, right? I'm feeling a bit tapped out creatively speaking, and my mojo is at the beach, without me!

Still, I know I'll be drawn to my stamp desk (when I can find it!) to work on some new projects now that the new Summer Mini is here!

Click here to see the new Summer Mini online - I am trying to mail out hard copies but life is getting in the way. I'll do my best! Send me an email if you would like one in your hot little hand!

Speaking of the new Mini - the Launch was fantastic! I'll post some pictures of the gorgeous projects we made as soon as I dig them out of my camera, promise!

There is also another promotion running this month - December Frenzy! You can get up to 50% off some great Stampin' Up! products from the 1st to the 29th December. Don't delay - there could be some great gift ideas in that promotion. Just sayin'.

Heat Embossing Tutorial - now with pictures!

2010-12-05T19:30:00.000+10:00

Heat Embossing Tutorial

Stamps: Four The Holidays, Delightful Decorations, Season of Joy
Ink: Versamark, Night of Navy, Real Red
Paper: Confetti Cream, Confetti White, Real Red, Night of Navy, Ballet Blue (retired)
Other: Movers and Shapers Die, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Silver Embossing Powder, Heat Tool

Nothing says "Christmas" like some lovely gold or silver embossing, am I right? In case you are new to stamping, or have been wondering how to do it, here is an illustrated tutorial for your edification and enjoyment!

You will need:
Embossing Buddy (103083 $9.50)
Powder Pal or scrap cardstock (Powder Pal 102197 $37.95)
Versamark (102283 $13.95)
Embossing powder (Silver 109131 $8.95)
Heat Tool (106586 $49.95)
Small Paint Brush
Stamps and Paper, naturally!

Step one:
Swipe your cardstock with the Embossing Buddy - this will minimise, if not eliminate stray embossing powder going where you don't want it to. Your fingers leave small traces of oil etc on the cardstock, which attracts the embossing powder. So believe me, it DOES make a difference.

The Embossing Buddy IS your friend!

Step two:
Ink up your stamp in Versamark and stamp your image. Versamark is a clear "sticky" ink which can be used alone to create a gorgeous watermark effect, or for heat embossing as we are about to see, due to its slow drying nature. Normal Classic dye ink is totally unsuitable here as it will dry almost instantly.

See the watermark impression?

Step three:
Sprinkle embossing powder of your choice over the Versamark. Now you see why you need the scrap cardstock or Powder Pal - you tap the excess powder back into the container (this can be messy). Use the paintbrush for any stray bits of powder that are stuck in the wrong spot.

I tend to keep all my most used embossing poders and glitters into these handy Glad containers, as they are easier on the clean up than the little pots they come in.

Make sure you have no stray specks of powder before you melt it!

Step four:

Melt the powder with a heat gun. Yes, you CAN use a toaster; but I don't recommend it as people have burned down their kitchens that way! Do NOT try to use a hairdrier instead - it isn't hot enough and will just blow the powder off. I've also heard of people trying to use an industrial heat gun - it is too hot and will scorch the paper. Use a craft heat gun, people, please. This is not the type of thing you want to mess with.

Keep the heat gun on the powder until you see it change - looks magical! Don't overheat it, or the image will look flat instead of raised. You can also scorch the paper if you hold it too close or for too long. This is something you need to practice, as your heat gun might be slightly hotter than mine, for example.

Again, Glad to the rescure! I find a tray helps me not burn my fingers and reflects the heat, speeding up the process.

Step five:
Once you have melted the powder - admire your work. Impressive, no?

Stampin' Up! sells all of the products listed above. Just in case you wondered. And you can purchase them from me, just drop me an email.

Now go out there and heat emboss with confidence!

Heat Embossing Tutorial

2010-11-29T21:33:00.000+10:00

Nothing says "Christmas" like some lovely gold or silver embossing, am I right? In case you are new to stamping, or have been wondering how to do it, here is an illustrated* tutorial for your edification and enjoyment!

You will need:
Embossing Buddy
Powder Pal or scrap cardstock
Versamark
Embossing powder
Heat Gun
Small Paint Brush
Stamps and Paper, naturally!

Step one:

Swipe your cardstock with the Embossing Buddy - this will minimise, if not eliminate stray embossing powder going where you don't want it to. Your fingers leave small traces of oil etc on the cardstock, which attracts the embossing powder. So believe me, it DOES make a difference.

Step two:

Ink up your stamp in Versamark and stamp your image. Versamark is a clear "sticky" ink which can be used alone to create a gorgeous watermark effect, or for heat embossing as we are about to see, due to its slow drying nature. Normal Classic dye ink is totally unsuitable here as it will dry almost instantly.

Step three:

Sprinkle embossing powder of your choice over the Versamark. Now you see why you need the scrap cardstock or Powder Pal - you tap the excess powder back into the container (this can be messy). Use the paintbrush for any stray bits of powder that are stuck in the wrong spot.

Step four:

Melt the powder with a heat gun. Yes, you CAN use a toaster; but I don't recommend it as people have burned down their kitchens that way! Do NOT try to use a hairdrier instead - it isn't hot enough and will just blow the powder off. I've also heard of people trying to use an industrial heat gun - it is too hot and will scorch the paper. Use a craft heat gun, people, please. This is not the type of thing you want to mess with.

Keep the heat gun on the powder until you see it change - looks magical! Don't overheat it, or the image will look flat instead of raised. You can also scorch the paper if you hold it too close or for too long. This is something you need to practice, as your heat gun might be slightly hotter than mine, for example.

Step five:

Once you have melted the powder - admire your work. Impressive, no?

Stampin' up! sells all of the products listed above. Just in case you wondered.

*my computer is too slow to load my pictures as someone (looking at my husband with intense glare) has exceeded our monthly downloads. I'll have to edit and post the pictures on the 1st December. Sigh.

More Christmas Cards

2010-11-16T07:12:00.001+10:00

Whoops, it took me a little longer than I'd hoped to get back to my blog - what can I say? the Silly Season has started early this year! I have been stampin' up a storm though, so I have lots to show you (it has taken ages to upload and edit the photos, I think my puter is starting to get a little difficult in her advanced age). I'm pretty sure I haven't uploaded these yet, anyway! None of them have the traditional green and red colour scheme (I must be subconsciously rebelling?).

Stamps: Delightfully Decorative
Ink: Sahara Sand, Tempting Turquoise
Paper: Sahara Sand, Tempting Turquoise, Brushed Gold, Whisper White
Other: Ornament Punch, Dimensionals, Linen thread

Stamps: Delightful Decorations
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Sahara Sand, Tempting Turquoise
Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Rich Razzleberry, Brushed Gold, Whisper White
Other: basic rhinestones, ornament punch, linen thread, dimensionals

This was a design I CASEd from Paula Funston, I think I saw it on SCS?
Stamps: Hello Again, Winter Post, Short & Sweet
Ink: Bashful Blue, Real Red
Paper: Real Red, Bashful Blue, Whisper White
Other: Trio of Hearts Punch, Crimper, Dimensionals, stapler, scallop edge punch

Also - this weeks' class is about making Christmas presents, which I need to do with only a few weeks left of school ! Come along and make some gifts for teachers, neighbours, etc.

Summer Mini Launch!

2010-11-15T22:21:00.001+10:00

Clear your calendar and save the date for our Summer Mini Launch, Friday December 3, 2010. Cost $30.

Virginia Golf Club, Elliott St, Banyo.

Here is the flyer with added details:

I hope you can make it!

Crazy week - you know what it's like?

2010-11-07T21:47:00.000+10:00

I've had a crazy week which isn't that unusual really! I've had gastro, my husband was away for work, I had a class and I had a stall at a friend's Christmas market. Throw in a year 5 band concert, a fencing competition and an under 8's rugby breakup and you'll see why I haven't posted much lately!

Tomorrow I will be child-free so intend to upload and edit, so you will have to be a little patient with me please!

I have to share a funny with you - I was in a flap on Saturday morning, trying to mass-produce some Christmas cards to sell at the market which I was doing at the last minute. My darling husband tried to help by suggesting that I just stamp Santa hats on some birthday cards I already had. Made me laugh, bless his heart! He just doesn't get it!

Quickest, no-fuss party bags on the planet.

2010-10-31T16:18:00.000+10:00

Well, ok. Maybe a plain paper bag is quicker. But is it cute? No.
My oldest son turned 8 during the week and he had three mates over yesterday for a low-key party. About half an hour before the boys were to arrive I realised that I hadn't made anything special for party bags! Not to worry, with my trusty Big Shot, a stamp, a punch and some medium cello bags from Stampin' Up! and I had these whipped up in about five minutes!

The blue bag topper was made by folding a Top Note longways, and was stapled to the cello bag once treats were inside. The thank you on old olive card stock was stamped with a stamp from a set which was sold with the curly label punch last year (I think it is retired). It was punched out with the curly label punch, and stuck on with dimensionals. For the final touch, I die cut the first letter of each boy's name in real red cardstock and stuck it on the label with 2-way glue.

I literally used scraps to make these. Bless the Big Shot!

Obviously, eight year old boys don't care about how fancy the treat bag is, or I'd have decorated further. They seemed pretty pleased with them!

Week 3 Christmas Card

2010-10-26T17:41:00.000+10:00

Couldn't think up a snappy title this week!

This is a design I CASE'd from Paula Funston, her blog is called precioso designs.
Stamps: So Swirly Jumbo wheel, Winter Post
Ink: Pear Pizazz, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White Craft ink
Paper: Crumb Cake, Pear Pizazz, Cherry Cobbler
Other: Heat & Stick powder, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Heat Tool, Diamonte Brad, Pear Pizzazz ribbon.

Quick and easy! We tried the glittery deer with plain Versamark, but it looked better with the white craft ink under the glitter.

Next Christmas Card Stamp-A-Stack is next week. Stay tuned!

Deceptively Simple

2010-10-21T21:49:00.002+10:00

Week 2 of the Christmas Stamp-a-Stacks was very successful today, with my hardworking gang churning through the work to get all ten cards done before we all had to scatter in different directions to collect children from school.

This card proved to be more involved than it looks at first glance:

Stamps: Sanded Background, Music Notes wheel, Baroque Motifs, Perfect Punches
Paper: Crumb Cake, Rich Razzleberry, Shimmery White
Ink: Versamark, Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Platinum Shimmer Paint
Other: Adhesive Rhinestones, Stamp-a-Ma-Jig, 11/4 " circle punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Rich Razzleberry grosgrain, Linen Thread, Dimensionals, Sponges

The card took a little while because it involved a little more technique than you might expect. First, there was the background: we stamped the Crumb Cake (formerly known as Kraft) layer with the Sanded background in Versamark, which created a subtle texture. Next we rolled the Music Notes wheel across three times, inked up with Crumb Cake ink. I'm not entirely sure that my music notes are right way up!
Next, we sponged the edges with Crumb cake ink. Then came the swirl from Baroque Motifs (a classic stamp set, so versatile) in Old Olive ink. The next step was a little involved - the ghosting technique done with the SAMJ to ensure the image was slightly offset, stamped with Platinum shimmer paint applied directly to the rubber with a dauber. Then came the Rich Razzleberry flowers, the Rich Razzleberry ribbon and tag, attached with linen thread. Oh, and see the white part on the tag? Shimmer White cardstock (YAY!). It is lovely in real life. For a final touch, we added bling in the form of diamontes.

I hadn't realised when I made my sample, that the shimmer paint was VERY messy to work with when you make this card in bulk. Oops, sorry girls!

For a one layer card, this has a lot of texture and interest, built up with the layers of collage and the "ghosting" effect. It is also a perfect example of how you can make non-Christmas stamps and non-traditional colours (step away from Green and Red sometimes!) really work for you in a Christmas Card.

I'll show you the second card we did, a little later.

Dressing Up Christmas Promotion!

2010-10-17T09:20:00.001+10:00

Ho, Ho Ho! Just as I'm starting to prepare for Christmas, Stampin' Up! brings out this promotion - it's as though they read my blog! Hahaha.

The promotion runs from 16th October to 30th November. You can earn FREE ribbon two ways: either you purchase one of four bundles (details below), or you host a workshop worth $550.

Here are the details:

And can you believe it - the ribbon I used in the Top Note Card in my last post is one of the FREE spools you can earn! How is that for serendipity?

Here is the lovely brochure:

Who doesn't want to dress up Christmas with all these gorgeous co-ordinating products? It takes the thinking out, which is a time-saver when you are mass-producing things at Christmas Time. Do your kids like to give a little present to their classmates? To the Team? Coach? Teacher? Dog Wash Lady?

It can add up quickly. Especially if you have four children in more than one activity! Ok, maybe that is just me!

Here is a closer look at the samples, too:

Stamps: Welcome Christmas*
Paper: Whisper White Cardstock, Real Red textured cardstock, Christmas Cocoa Speciality DSP*
Ink: Soft Suede, Versamark
Other: Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder, Real Red 3/4" Polka Dot grosgrain (reversed), Basic Pearls, Mat Pack, Paper-Piercing Tool
*From the Welcome Christmas Bundle

Stamps: Delightful Decorations*
Paper: Whisper White Cardstock, Soft Suede Textured Cardstock
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Old Olive
Other: Mistletoe Ribbon Originals*, Linen Thread, Basic Rhinestone Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals, Ornament Punch*, 1/16" Circle Punch, 3/4" circle Punch
* From the Delightful Decorations Bundle

Stamps: Gifted*
Paper: Very Vanilla Card Stock, Jolly Holliday DSP*
Ink: Old Olive Stampin' Write Marker, Real Red Stampin' Write Marker, Soft Suede Stampin' Write Marker
Other: Sleigh Bells Ribbon*, Clips Assortment, Stampin' Dimensionals, Big Shot, Fancy Favor Bigz Die
* From the Gifted Bundle