Stamp with Me: November 2010

12 Weeks of Christmas - Week 9

Week 9 of our 12 Weeks of Christmas @ Stamp with Me!

Each week, I will showcase a Christmas themed project in the lead up to Christmas to make your gift-giving easier and with that special handmade touch. At the end of each week, you will be able to download each project's supplies and instructions (available in PDF format).

Have a ball and make your own paper ball ornaments. Ribbon, strips of paper and brads are all you need to create. Grab your kids and make some ball ornaments with them!

Contact me if you would like a copy of the PDF instructions

If you have any queries on the projects, please contact me. All products unless specified otherwise are all Stampin' Up! and I am able to assist with all your Stampin' Up! needs.

Friends are Flowers!

Friends are like Flowers and it's true. Flowers have got to be one of my most favourite things and I love my friends, so it goes to form that Flowers and Friends go together, which is why the Friends Never Fade stamp set is a gorgeous stamp set in my ever-growing stash!!

I made these birthday cards a little while ago and can't believe they haven't been blogged yet, what was I thinking???

The first card was CASEd from a lovely card I had seen, but now I can't remember where :(

I love how the cards have been given the vintage look too with some distressing, embossing and sponging!!

Here's what I used:

Stamps: Friends Never Fade & Teeny Tiny Sentiments
Inks: Basic Brown & Chocolate Chip (sponging)
Papers: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Pear Pizazz, Blushing Bride & So Saffron CS
Other: Sponges, Crochet thread, Pearls & Scallop Border Punch
Big Shot: Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder

** I did colour in the flower centres with some Twinkling H2Os. They add such a glimmery effect!

From the Vault....

Shock horror!! I was cleaning out my craft cupboard. OK, start again (truthfully this time). I was looking in my craft cupboard which means pulling out heaps of stuff to get to the back when I found some Christmas cards from my first ever Stampin' Up! Event that I was involved in. We're talking 2008 now! We had Festive Favourites Stamp Camp at a local club which was really fun and really showed me what you can do with stamping. Unfortunately the Festive Favourites stamp set is now retired, but these cards showcase techniques you can easily adapt with a similar stamp set (or even the Festive Favourites set if they're in your stash!!):

These cards are so lovely and involved watercolouring techniques, lots of Dazzling Diamonds and even a Snowman Shaker card! Maybe these give you some inspiration .... I know they did for me, so back to the grind and Christmas Card making I go!!

Joy!

I'm quickly sneaking in another Christmas Card made with the Welcome Christmas stamp set. Remember, I told you I would!! It's the last one for a while, I do solemnly declare!

I made this card to show a friend of mine how easy it is to incorporate embossing into your cards. Although I have used white on white, the embossed (Petals-a-Plenty) layer does stand out from the plain white card base. I then used a Stampin' Write Marker to colour in the centres of some of the flowers, added a strip of Jolly Holly DSP and popped up my greeting with Dimensionals. Super Easy!!

Here's what I used:

Stamps: Welcome Christmas
Inks: Poppy Parade Classic Ink & Stampin' Write Marker
Papers: Whisper White CS & Jolly Holly DSP
Other: Big Shot, Petals-a-Plenty Embossing Folder & Stampin' Dimensionals

Stepping it Up!

OK, I admit!! You will be seeing quite a few Christmas cards made with the Welcome Christmas stamp set. It's my new favourite of course! But this time I thought I would do something different. Make a clean and simple card, step it up and then step it up again! Sounds crazy maybe, but it was fun giving it a go!!

First I started with this card. Keeping it plain and simple, I stamped directly onto the cardbase. The simple designs and colours made the card look so elegant!

Mmmm, the colours look a bit washed out on this one, but it does look great in real life *promise*!! I also added a bit of glitter to the 'berries' which makes the card too. So now I took this card, and stepped it up (just a little bit!!):

As you can see, I took the same focal image on white and matted it to a Cherry Cobbler base. I then stamped the whole greeting onto a piece of Whisper White CS, cut it out and popped it up on the page with some Stampin' Dimensionals. The card looks great, and I would send it in a flash, but then I stepped it up again (final stepping it up!!):

This time I went back to the Whisper White CS base, matted the card with Old Olive, added some ribbon and Jolly Holly DSP, and this time popped up the wreath (with careful cutting!!) and the greeting matted with Cherry Cobbler.

All simple cards, but they look so different with just a few additions when you 'Step it Up!'

Here's what I used:

Stamps: Welcome Christmas
Inks: Old Olive & Cherry Cobbler
Paper: Whisper White CS, Old Olive CS, Cherry Cobbler CS and Jolly Holly DSP
Other: Certainly Celery Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals and Kindy Glitz (red)

Welcome Christmas in Blue

Don't you just love Special Offers!! I took advantage of the Welcome Christmas Bundle Offer from the Stampin' Up! Dress Up Christmas Promotion which ends very soon! I love the Welcome Christmas stamp set. It combines Christmas memories with elegant greetings and stamps. Perfect for Christmas. So when I saw a cute little card on the Stamp That blog, I decided I would have a try!

I also played with the new gorgeous colours of Marina Mist (Love it) and Early Espresso (Love it too!). Combined with white, this colour combination is becoming a favourite of mine!!

Here's what I used:

Stamps: Welcome Christmas
Inks: Early Espresso
Papers: Early Espresso, Marina Mist & Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Snow Flake Embossing Folder and White Satin Ribbon

It's funny, I only use Red & Greens for my Christmas cards - I am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas, but you know what? I was really happy with this one!!

Happy Birthday Matthew!

You might have noticed my absence the last few days .... but I have been busy, honest!! Yesterday was Matthew's 3rd Birthday. My cheeky little monkey is growing up into a gorgeous 3 year old. He's so much fun and I love him to bits!! To help celebrate Matthew's birthday we enjoyed a visit from my dad, his wife and my niece over the weekend (they travelled from Melbourne and left to go home today). So it was all happening at my house. But oh, so much fun!!

Matthew had a lot of fun helping us decorate his Farm Yard birthday cake. He was pretty pleased with blowing out candles too!!

I made Matthew a train card to match his birthday party invites from the other day. Click here to see the invites!

Stamps: Party this Way, Choo Choo & Right on Track wheel

Inks: SU Old Olive, Marina Mist, Soft Suede & Poppy Parade Classic Inks

Papers: Whisper White & Old Olive CS, and Greenhouse Gala DSP

Other: Stampin' Dimensionals, Chipboard Numbers and Big Shot, Cloud Die

Happy Birthday Matthew!! We love you xx

SU Product Updates

Punches Temporarily Unavailable:

Please note that the following items are currently unavailable for ordering due to quality issues:

Ornament Punch (item 119847--this is available in the Idea Book & Catalogue on page 146)

Stampin' Up! are currently working with the vendor to solve these quality issues. We understand the current problems with these punches pose issues for our customers. We also understand the Ornament Punch is part of the Dress Up Christmas promotion. The following bundle will be affected by this issue and it will not be available for ordering:

Delightful Decorations Bundle (item 124044)

Please be assured that Stampin' Up! are doing all they can to solve this problem as soon as possible. We will post another current update letting you know when these punches become available.

Isn't it great to know that Stampin' Up! cares about the quality of their products to ensure you have the best tools and products available!

12 Weeks of Christmas - Week 8

Week 8 of our 12 Weeks of Christmas @ Stamp with Me!

Contact me if you would like a copy of the PDF instructions

If you have any queries on the projects, please contact me. All products unless specified otherwise are all Stampin' Up! and I am able to assist with all your Stampin' Up! needs.

Train invites .... choo choo!

I have two busy times in our years. June when nearly all of us seem to have birthdays and then late November heading into Christmas! In November we celebrate Matthew's birthday and this year he's turning 3. He's at that magical age where he constantly amuses us with his little personality, his quirks and his comments. He's my big baby now but he's still oh so cute!!

This year, we're going to give him a 'proper' birthday party and we're heading off to the Kingston Minature Railway where he and his little friends can ride trains to their hearts content. So of course, I had to make some invitations featuring trains to match the 'theme' of his party. And you know what that means ..... I had to pull out the cute as train stamp set from Stampin' Up! otherwise known as Choo Choo!!

Of course I had to make a few of them .....

I used VersaMark ink to stamp the little steam puffs from the train and then used pastel chalks to give a bit of cloudy white colour! I even used a little cloud die I had handy to make some clouds!!

Here's what I used:

Stamps: Party this Way, Choo Choo & Right on Track wheel
Inks: SU Old Olive, Marina Mist, Soft Suede & Poppy Parade Classic Inks and VersaMark
Papers: Whisper White & Old Olive CS, and Greenhouse Gala DSP
Other: Stampin' Dimensionals, Cloud Die and Sponge Daubers

The party is in 2 weeks ... so look out for some pic's soon!!

12 Weeks of Christmas - Week 7

Week 7 of our 12 Weeks of Christmas @ Stamp with Me!

Contact me if you would like a copy of the PDF instructions

If you have any queries on the projects, please contact me. All products unless specified otherwise are all Stampin' Up! and I am able to assist with all your Stampin' Up! needs.

Christmas Topiary Trees

Okay, I've been MIA for a few days. Sometimes the reality of life with a busy family, three kids and a new house catches up with me. I have to admit though, it was nice to spend time with my WH in the garden planting our gardens. With all the rain we've had lately, the plants are doing just lovely!

On Tuesday, I caught up with a new friend of mine to work on one of our planned projects. We made Christmas Topiary Trees which are just perfect for table decorations. Of course, we made them for Christmas, so it's all decorated Christmas-y but I've got my mind-ticking away on how to update the 'tree's for other special events in the year!!

This is certainly not a sit-down and quickly make project as it required some pre-planning. I also did a fair bit of die-cutting and punching flowers too. But once you're organised and sitting down to decorate, it's fairly easy. I did most of my tree one-handed as Jessica wanted to sit with me rather than play on her bouncer. Never mind. I did finish the trickier parts while she was asleep!!

Using the Stampin' Up! Jolly Holly Designer Series Papers made it all so much easier too. Everything was colour coordinated. Woohoo!!

I'm thinking these might make lovely Christmas presents. Might have to go hunt me down some more tins or buckets and get back to work!!

12 Weeks of Christmas - Week 6

Week 6 of our 12 Weeks of Christmas @ Stamp with Me!

Each week, I will showcase a Christmas themed project in the lead up to Christmas to make your gift-giving easier and with that special handmade touch. At the end of each week, you will be able to download each project's supplies and instructions (available in PDF format).

Make your own gift tags with the fabulous Gifted Stamp Set from Stampin' Up! Handmade tags make the perfect finish to your beautifully wrapped gifts. Why not make a whole stack of tags and give them as a gift too!

Contact me if you would like a copy of the PDF instructions

If you have any queries on the projects, please contact me. All products unless specified otherwise are all Stampin' Up! and I am able to assist with all your Stampin' Up! needs.

SU Product Update

Hooray, Stampin' Up! have announced their supplier of SU Watercolour Wonder Crayons will be available later this month. This means, you'll be able to order these amazing Watercolour Wonder Crayons by the end of this month (November 2010).

All the new Stampin' Up! colours are there too - so you'll be sure to match your colours perfectly! To see these Watercolour Wonder Crayons in the catalogue - click here.

When we See Card

Within the sniffle and tissue zone that is otherwise known as our house, I found a few moments to finish off one of the 'Make & Take' projects from the Stampin' Up! Regionals of last weekend. This project involved water-colouring which I LOVE!

If you were at the Regionals last week or other ones around Australia, you may have noticed a few oopsies. And they're not really oopsies, they are the consequences of having my 'Make and Take' pack mysteriously disappear at the Regionals!! So the original version has some cute ribbon just above the Old Olive scalloped border and a 'proper' paper clip not my trusty (found in the drawer) paper clip! I also haven't spritzed the card as I don't have a Spritzer (I know, shock horror) but it's now on my wish list!

And if you're wondering the only reason, this card didn't disappear with the rest of the pack, was because I had already opened and started it. It just needed finishing and embellishing, but the embellishments had also disappeared :( although I have to say the card still looks lovely anyway!

So to end on a positive note, the wonderful staff of Stampin' Up! gave me a WHOLE NEW 'Make & Take' Pack, so now I can open that and start again!!

Here's what I used:

Stamps: Every Moment
Papers: Old Olive, Very Vanilla and Soft Suede Textured CS and Watercolour paper
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Old Olive & Soft Suede Classic Ink, Jet Black StazOn
Other: Daffodil Delight 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Pearl Basic Jewels, Scallop Border Punch and Aqua Painter

12 Weeks of Christmas - Week 5

Week 5 of our 12 Weeks of Christmas @ Stamp with Me!

Each week, I will showcase a Christmas themed project in the lead up to Christmas to make your gift-giving easier and with that special handmade touch. At the end of each week, you will be able to download each project's supplies and instructions (available in PDF format).

This week, inspired by the wonderful work at Inking Idaho by Becky Roberts, we have these cute little Milk Cartons decorated with the too-cute Holiday Line Up stamp set. It's the perfect stamp set for colouring-in fun! Later this week, I will upload the details including the useful Milk Carton template from Stampin' Up! so you can make them too.

Contact me if you would like a copy of the PDF Instructions.

If you have any queries on the projects, please contact me. All products unless specified otherwise are all Stampin' Up! and I am able to assist with all your Stampin' Up! needs.

For another idea using the Milk Carton, revisit my Easter blog post. I used the large circle punch and a window sheet, to of course, create a window!

It's November!

It's November already!! Can you believe it!! I just look at Jessica and realise she's already 4 months old and then wonder, where has that time gone. And then I look at the shops and see they're getting ready for Christmas, so whether I like it or not, another year is quickly finishing and I need to catch up! And catching up is what I'm trying to do. The kids and I have all got colds, so we're in tissue misery at the moment :( but I'm sure we're all on the mend now and ready to face another new month.

Speaking of new months, it's time for the November calendar page reveal. I based this calendar page on a demonstration I saw at the SU Regionals on the weekend. This project uses the fabulous shimmer paints, new stamps and new cardstock colours. Woohoo!

I've used a sponge dauber to sponge the Champagne Mist shimmer paint directly onto the leaf stamp and stamped over my page. Looks glorious! I've stamped the flowers onto Whisper White CS and coloured the centres with sponge daubers and added a bit of glitter bling. I've also used the new Scallop Trim Border Punch. Am loving that one too!! So many new things, so many new techniques, it's just fantastic!!

Here's a close up of the cute flowers:

Here's what I used:

Stamps: Growing Green
Inks: Certainly Celery, Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze & Basic Grey
Papers: Early Espresso, Whisper White & Kiwi Kiss (now retired)
Other: Sponge Daubers, Scallop Trim Border Punch & Champagne Mist paint

I've also got two 'Weeks of Christmas' projects to share as well .... told you I was catching up, so I'll be back real soon!

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