SWEET BIRTHDAY GIFT CARDS

Yes, I do think my little cards are sweet, hee hee, but the title of my post actually refers to a new stamp set that is in the Stampin' Up! Summer Mini catalogue ... only 2 more days until the new products are available to purchase!!  As a demonstrator, I was able to get my hands on a few of the goodies in advance (as you probably already know, from the previous 'sneak peeks' I've posted recently). 

I have put together a little set of birthday gift cards, using an adorable little stamp called Sweet Birthday.  The stamp has a cake image and a greeting, and is only $12.95.  I've used Stampin' Up!'s Love Notes in Whisper White - for $13.50, you get 20 cards (10 each of Whisper White and Very Vanilla) with perfect little matching envelopes.  LOVE these little cards.

I used my Stampin' Write Markers to colour the cake image, picking colours from the Pink Flamingo Designer Series Paper.  The colours used are Cameo Coral, Tempting Turquoise, Summer Sun and Real Red.  Using the matching Stampin' Pads, I inked up the sentiment.  After stamping it a few times (in different colours), I punched it out with the Word Window Punch - the perfect size.

Stampin' Up!'s 1 3/8" Circle Punch fit perfectly around the cake images, which I then layered onto punched out Scallop Circles.

I'm a bit 'challenged' with my photography at the moment, so please forgive the quality of these images!

Here's a little Cameo Coral and Tempting Turquoise number, using Pink Flamingo DSP.  For a bit of 'interest' I pierced a hole in each scallop of the scallop circle layer.



I made a few other little cards with the same layout.  I've used Tempting Turquoise 1/4" grosgrain ribbon on one; stamped stars (from Starring You stamp set) in Versamark on the Real Red background of another; and used dimensionals to raise the main image on most of the cards.  As well as Pink Flamingo DSP, I have used Good Morning Sunshine DSP (the yellow 'dotty' panel).  Hope you like them!



I think the size of this little cake, and the gorgeous accompanying sentiment (don't you love that font?), is just right for gift cards.  I can see myself making LOTS of these!  Only 2 days to go, people!! (I hope you're almost as excited as I am!!)

IT'S A "PARTY HEARTY" PARADE.....

One of the stamp sets, in the current Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalogue, that I was not convinced I 'needed', was Party Hearty.  However, some brilliant creations by some of my friends, and fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrators (part of our Art With Heart team), put paid to any doubts I had - so, I've joined the Party Hearty bandwagon! 

I found a really nice, simple, clean layout of a card on Splitcoaststampers, and unashamedly CASEd it.  Here is the result (bad photography and all):



Stamps: Party Hearty, Occasional Greetings

Card: Taken With Teal, Whisper White, Rose Red, Kiwi Kiss

Ink: Taken with Teal, Rose Red, Kiwi Kiss

Other: Small Tag Punch, 3/4" circle punch, eyelet (from my stash), Crop-a-dile, linen thread, 1" Double-Stitched Rose Red grosgrain ribbon, Stamp-a-ma-jig

How CUTE do those little party hats look??  I love them!  And to think I didn't need them - ha!!

Here's a slight variation, using the same basic layout, but using only Party Hearty stamps (including the present image stamped in Versamark all over the Rose Red panel), and a couple of teal rhinestone brads:



Stamps: Party Hearty

Card: Taken with Teal, Whisper White, Rose Red

Ink: Taken With Teal, Rose Red, Kiwi Kiss, Versamark

Other: 1" Double-Stitched Rose Red grosgrain ribbon, rhinestone brads, 3/4" circle punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig



I have one more Party Hearty card to share with you.  I was so loving this layout, that I made a third card, using a different colour combination.  In the upcoming Summer Mini, there is some luscious Real Red polka dot grosgrain ribbon.  I am a sucker for red ribbon, and love polka dots, so this is one of my favourite products in the Mini Catalogue! (Easily pleased, aren't I?)  This time I teamed Real Red with Chocolate Chip, and Tempting Turquoise. 



Stamps: Party Hearty, One of A Kind

Card: Real Red, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Tempting Turquoise

Ink: Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Tempting Turquoise

Other: 3/4" circle punch, 3/4" Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon - SUMMER MINI, Stamp-a-ma-jig

I love these simple, cute cards.  Which one's your favourite??

TODAY'S "SUMMER MINI" SAMPLE

The upcoming Summer Mini catalogue from Stampin' Up! contains some products that just scream "summer"!  I've made a card using the Designer Series Paper that will be available to buy from 1st December - beautiful colours, perfect for 'girly' projects.  There is very little stamping on this card; just 'bling' and a new embellishment from the Summer Mini.  What do you think - girly enough???


Stamps: Wow Flowers (sentiment)

Card: Pink Passion, Tempting Turquoise

DSP: Kaleidoscope - SUMMER MINI

Ink: Versamark ink pad

Other: White embossing powder, Scallop Edge Punch, White Jumbo Grommet - SUMMER MINI, Build-a-Brad, 1/2" circle punch, coloured rhinestones (popped out from rhinestone brads), Stamp-a-ma-jig

CHRISTMAS WORKSHOP & A 'SNEAK PEAK'

Yesterday I had a *little* workshop for Laura, one of my lovely Stampin' Up! customers, who had requested a Christmas focus.  We made a simple card, and a gift card holder, using the beautiful Christmas Classics stamp set.  Laura, just imagine that THIS is what the card should've looked like (for everyone else's info, I managed to leave my red marker at home, so the image looked a tiny bit different!) - thanks for being understanding!



Stamps: Christmas Classics

Card: Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White

Ink: Versamark ink pad, Old Olive, Real Red & Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write markers

DSP: Ski Slope

Other: Chocolate Chip 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, stampin' dimensionals



Using the same stamp set, and Designer Series Paper, we made a super-simple gift card holder.  I just had to photograph this against my craft room window, because today we have RAIN!! What a beautiful sight; Melbourne has been experiencing an extremely hot and dry Spring, and it makes us feel a bit nervous about the summer months ahead (given the Black Saturday bushfires that were so devastating this past February).  Here's the closed, and opened, versions:







Stamps: Christmas Classics

Card: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White

DSP: Ski Slope

Ink: Versamark ink pad, Old Olive Stampin' Pad, Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write marker

Other: Sponge dauber, 1 3/8" circle punch, Sticky Strip (super-sticky double-sided tape), large oval punch, scallop oval punch


The Ski Slope Designer Series Paper that I've used in these projects is about to retire, from our Spring Mini catalogue in Australia.  So, if you'd like to get your hands on some, please contact me - it's available only until the end of November.

I will be very sad to see go many of the products featured in Stampin' Up!'s Spring Mini catalogue.  However, the good news is that we have a Summer Mini catalogue about to launch, with some gorgeous new products available to purchase from 1st December.  I have used one of the new stamp sets on an engagement card I made for my niece and her partner - have a look at these beautiful hearts:



Stamps: I (Heart) Hearts - SUMMER MINI, Organic Outlines

Card: Whisper White, Real Red, Chocolate Chip

Ink: Real Red and Chocolate Chip Stampin' Pads, Versamark ink pad

Other: Build-A-Brad, 1/2" and 3/4" circle punches, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Chocolate Chip 1" double-stitched grosgrain ribbon, stampin' dimensionals

Keep checking back for more Summer Mini projects, and in the meantime, check out this fabulous card made by Kirsty Brown - you're going to love this stamp set!!

BIRTHDAY CARD FOR A "CRICKET-MAD" BOY

Don't keel over in shock, people - I know, two posts in one day, after a bit of a drought in the posting area!  Actually, two posts in minutes, because I didn't get myself properly organised before saving my Christmas card post.

Jack, my darling first-born son, turned 14 on Saturday.  He lives and breathes cricket; as far as he was concerned, he had the perfect birthday - playing junior cricket in the morning, and senior cricket in the afternoon.  It meant (as it does every Saturday) that he left home at 7.00am, and didn't get home until 7.00pm.  Personally, I can't see the appeal in that, but this post is about Jack, so I won't bore you with my views on cricket!

This season Jack changed cricket clubs, and has joined a club with a great development programme, which is helping him work towards his goal of playing cricket for Australia one day.  He's determined, so we'll see!  His new club colours are (in Stampin' Up! colours!) Brilliant Blue and Summer Sun, with a Basic Black strip.  With this in mind, I made this card for Jack:


Stamps: Just Cricket, Occasional Greetings, Defining Alphabet

Card: Whisper White, Brilliant Blue, Summer Sun, Basic Black

Ink: Versamark, Basic Black, Brilliant Blue, Summer Sun, Riding Hood Red

Other: Stamp-a-ma-jig, Wide Oval Punch, 3/4" and 1" circle punches, black brads (from Vintage assortment), stampin' dimensionals

"I WISH" SIMPLY SCRAPPIN' KIT .... CARDS PART 2

After a really lovely Stampin' Up! workshop on Saturday, I was inspired to play a little more with the "I Wish" Simply Scrappin' Kit featured in my last post - hence the rather unimaginative title of my post today!  We creative types can't be creative ALL the time!!

The first card I have to show you, is using the Designer Series Paper from the kit, that co-ordinates beautifully with the Snow Swirled stamp set.  I have stamped (in Versamark ink) a few large snowflakes at the bottom of the card, to subtly tie in with the pattern on the paper.  The main image is simply a stamped sentiment, punched out with a circle punch, matted on some red card and overlaid with a scalloped die-cut sticker from the wonderful kit.  Too easy!



Stamps: Best Yet (Hostess Set), Snow Swirled

Card: Old Olive, Real Red textured

Ink: Real Red stampin' pad, Versamark ink pad

Other: "I Wish" Simply Scrappin' Kit, Real Red 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, scallop edge punch, white gel pen, 1 3/8" circle punch, sponge dauber



I decided to use Kraft as the base colour for my next card; this alone pretty much guaranteed it'd be a favourite!  Kraft is my 'go-to' colour, for those of you who don't know me so well.  I LOVE how this card turned out; the papers and sticker strips in the kit are so beautiful, and make very easy work of putting together a lovely card.  The only stamping on this card is the sentiment, using a Cute & Curly stamp (from the Curly Label Punch bundle - check that out on the Christmas Extravaganza promotion I told you about, a couple of posts back; it's so cute).  I stamped it in Real Red, on whisper white card, then sponged the edges of the punched-out piece with Sahara Sand ink - complements the kraft colour beautifully.



Stamps: Cute & Curly

Card: Kraft, Real Red textured

Ink: Real Red, Sahara Sand, Old Olive

Other: "I Wish" Simply Scrappin' Kit, Chocolate Chip 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Old Olive brad, Real Red brads, sponge daubers, stampin' dimensionals

I hope those of you living in the southern states of Australia are surviving this heatwave; thankfully in Melbourne today it's a little cloudy to start the day - so nice to feel some coolness in the air!

Thanks for visiting my little corner of the world today. 

Christine  :)

I LOVE THE "I WISH" SIMPLY SCRAPPIN' KIT!!

I was in the mood to make a couple of simple Christmas cards, with minimal stamping, the other day, so I thought I'd break open my new "I Wish" Simply Scrappin' kit.  This kit is one of the products featured in Stampin' Up!'s Christmas Extravaganza promotion. Purchasing it, along with a few other goodies, could earn you a free punch! I am not a scrapbooker, but, even though this kit is designed to make scrapbooking easy, I have found it is perfect for making loads of cards!  At $36.95, it is fantastic value - enough textured cardstock, co-ordinating papers and self-adhesive die-cuts to create dozens of cards.

Here is the first card I made:



Stamps: Many Merry Messages

Card: Old Olive, Whisper White

Ink: Old Olive Stampin' pad

Other: "I Wish" Simply Scrappin' Kit, Real Red 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Scallop Edge Punch



I love how well the red snowflake die-cut sticker co-ordinates with the Scallop Edge Punch - don't you?  The star and the circle greeting are from the kit, too.  All I did was stamp a simple greeting, and attach some ribbon - easy peasy.

My next card has as the focal image a die-cut strip from the kit - I just LOVE those berries.  Although the photo doesn't clearly show it, I stamped in Versamark ink an image from the Soft Summer stamp set (available in our Spring Mini catalogue, only until the end of November!), that I thought co-ordinated beautifully with the berries, and created a bit of 'interest' at the top of the card.



Stamps: Season of Joy, Soft Summer

Card: Real Red, Old Olive textured, Whisper White

Ink: Versamark, Old Olive stampin' pad

Other: "I Wish" Simply Scrappin' Kit, Real Red 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Scallop Edge Punch, sponge dauber



Well, folks, that's it for today.  I'll be sure to post some more cards made using this lovely kit in days and weeks to come.

An exciting announcement I have to make, about the promotion I told you about in my last post.  There is now a choice of two punches, for the free punch on offer.  Contact me if you'd like to place a qualifying order!

SPRING MINI FAVOURITES ... and THINKING OF CHRISTMAS.......

With November here (already?!) it's time to re-visit the Stampin' Up! Spring Mini catalogue, as the products are available only until the end of this month.  There will be a (delectable) new mini catalogue released on December 1st - this means that all the items in our current mini catalogue will be NO LONGER AVAILABLE!!  It is with some sadness that I say that, as I just love a number of products in this 'mini'.  In my last post my Christmas card featured the wide Riding Hood Red striped grosgrain ribbon, and the scallop oval punch - two "must-have" items that you can buy only until the end of November.  If you need a copy of the Spring Mini catalogue, please email me, and I'll be happy to get one out to you.

I am in love with the corduroy buttons from this mini catalogue, so I thought I'd show you a way to use them, on a simple card I made for my father-in-law's recent birthday.  I was inspired by the 'dotty' pattern on the Urban Oasis Designer Series Paper I chose to use; the colours, and the size of the dots, were a perfect match for corduroy buttons.  Here's a photo of the card (please excuse the 'rustic' look of the peeling paint on our balcony handrails!!):



Stamp: On Your Birthday

Card: Kraft, Basic Gray, Baja Breeze

Ink: Sahara Sand, Basic Gray

DSP: Kiwi Kiss Patterns, Urban Oasis

Other: Corduroy buttons (Basic Gray, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss), Basic Gray taffeta ribbon, sponge dauber




Now, for the second part of my post title ...



Many of us card-makers are well into the swing of making Christmas cards, but, well, shopping for gifts is another matter entirely!  Stampin' Up! has a fantastic promotion that starts today, and goes through until December 14th - you can earn yourself a free gift (a Scallop Square punch, $30.95 worth) every time you purchase products totalling $85 from the Christmas Gift-Giving Guide. Take a look at the range of beautiful products that are tailored towards gift-giving in this promotion; you won't be disappointed!  I'd love to help you out with your Christmas shopping, so email me at c.blain@yarravalleysnackfoods.com, or phone me on (03) 9737 1755, if you'd like to place an order, or ask any questions about this exciting offer.