I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth, I promise....!

I've just been busy with Life stuff! Holiday, packing for holiday, unpacking from Holiday.....you know the drill.

I have a couple of things to show you. First, a card I made for my parents' 40th Wedding Anniversary (do you recognise the layout and colour scheme from page 21 of the IB&C?)

Congrats, Mum and Dad!

Ingredients: (All Stampin' Up! unless otherwise stated)

Stamps: En Francais, Cheer & Wishes, Botanical Blooms (retired),

Paper: Certainly Celery, Garden Green, Regal Rose, Whisper White

Ink: Garden Green, Regal Rose, Rose Red, Certainly Celery

Accessories: Edge Distressing Tool, Pastels, Sponge Dauber, Nestabilities Oval and Scalloped Oval Dies, Cuttlebug Machine, pearls from Pretties Kit.

Next is a "Stepper Box" I saw on Sam Post's blog - the directions are from Stampin' Terri's blog here - it was quite easy, but looks hard. I'm going to make more of these, they are fun! I used Baja Breeze DSP, Baja Breeze cardstock, ribbon and felt flower, baja corduroy button, plus a flower from the Pretties Kit to decorate the lid.

Next is a double 12 x 12 page scrapbooking layout I did of our New Zealand holiday. It is based on a Becky Higgins' Sketch (from the US Magazine, Creating Keepsakes). I like using sketches on 12 x 12 pages, because I feel overwhelmed about where to start otherwise. Becky's sketches are usually for multiple photographs too, which I love, as I can never take less than 100 photos of any occasion. All paper and ink is Stampin' Up! Here's a detail of the accents and embellishments I used - a snowflake stamp from "Occasionally" and "Short & Sweet" with Kaisercraft adhesive rhinestones, and snowflakes I die cut out of vellum with my Cricut Expressions machine. I also used the Cricut to cut out the title.

Ingredients: Baja Breeze 12 x 12 Cardstock, vellum, Whisper White and Basic Black Cardstock, Stayzon Opaque White ink, Kaisercraft adhesive rhinestones, Accents and Elements Cartridge, Doodletype Cartridge, Cricut Expressions.

I have a few more things to show and tell, but that's for another post.

Have a wonderful week!

Sneak Peek at NEW Aussie 2009-2010 Catalogue!

As a Demonstrator, Stampin' Up! gave me the chance to order a few new stamps and the new in-colour inks and cardstock before the new catalogue arrives - sweet! The NEW in- colours are: Riding Hood Red, Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze and Pacific Point. I'm especially loving Kiwi Kiss (kind of a softer form of Old Olive); Pink Pirouette (lighter than Pretty in Pink); and Riding Hood Red (darker than Real Red).

Here is my box 'o goodies:

And here are some of the things I've been making with them!

This uses the versatile "Lovely As A Tree" which I've sponged with Summer Sun, Tangerine Tango, and Riding Hood Red for the sunset sky. I've sponged the foreground with Old Olive and Kiwi Kiss, then the edges with Chocolate Chip. Lovely Autumn colours! The sentiment is from "Cheer & Wishes".

Next is a card I made with one of the stamps from the NEW "Eight Great Greetings" set. I've also used Pink Pirouette, Ridinghood Red ink and card, and the scallop edge punch. The background is from the new

"Good Friends" set.

Here is the NEW "Fresh Cuts" Stamp with co-ordinating "Fresh Cut Notes". I've used Baja Breeze ink and cardstock. Isn't it gorgeous? Needs some ribbon, but I haven't got any Baja Breeze ribbon yet.

This dear little tulip is made from the Pick A Petal set, and I used Pink Pirouette for the base card. Doesn't it look good with the Regal Rose ink and card mat? The green for the "grass" and stem is Kiwi Kiss. I also stamped the base card with the Sanded background stamp in Versamark, which is difficult to see unless you click on the card to enlarge.

This cute birdie is from the NEW "Good Friends" set. There's something very Retro and Partridge Family about him. Notice the groovy DSP I used in the first card?

And here are the Easter Baskets I've been playing with! I'll have to come back and edit to include the link for them as my little ones are banging on the door (this post has taken longer than I thought it would!), but for now, the little Kiwi Kiss and Chocolate Chip Goody Bag Wrap is from Makeesha's Make It Monday last week. The link is here.

Notice the cute little Easter Bunny? Yup. Another NEW stamp set - Eight Great Greetings. I'm thinking of using these for teacher presents at Easter, filled with Easter Eggs.

These Gable Boxes are Pink Pirouette stamped with the So Swirly Wheel - cute, huh? The bunny on the tag is from the Occasionally set.

Anyone interested in learning how to make any of these Easter Boxes? I'm running a class - email me if you would like to be included!

Are you getting excited about the new catalogue yet?

Oh, and Happy St Pat's Day for tomorrow! Like millions of Aussies, I have Irish ancestry which I especially love to claim on St Pat's Day. My daughters learn Irish Dancing, my favourite colour is green and I love me some Irish music. Don't even get me started on Guiness and potatoes! So naturally I had to make some St Patrick's Day cards for our dancing teacher, etc.

I saw this nifty idea (on Splitcoast, of course) by Joanne (sleepyinseattle) of using the heart from the "Always" set (Spring Mini, hoping it makes it into the new catalogue) to make a four-leaf clover. Ingenious, no? The keen-eyed among you will also notice I've used a NEW stamp from the NEW catalogue - the sweet clover vine (clover isn't a vine, is it?) is from Fresh Cuts, as well as Kiwi Kiss ink. I also used a clover stamp from the Occasionally set.