KALEIDOSCOPE BUTTERFLY PRINTS

Isn't that a pretty sounding title?  A little unimaginative, on my part, but, hey, I do struggle with post titles!

I'd like to share with you today a card I made for my niece's birthday.  My lovely friend Leanne, who does not have a blog, but who makes the most beautiful cards, inspired me to make this one.  She 'enabled' me to buy the embossing folder that created that oh-so-pretty background, and I borrowed her idea of adding some butterflies stamped (with the Butterfly Prints stamp set) and punched out.  Thanks Leanne!  My card is much simpler than the one I 'cased', but I think it's a happy card; hope that niece of mine likes it!



Stamps: Butterfly Prints (Summer Mini), On Your Birthday

Card: Whisper White, Pink Passion

Ink: Pink Passion and Tempting Turquoise stampin' pads, Jet Black Staz-On inkpad

DSP: Kaleidoscope Designer Series Paper (Summer Mini)

Other: Yellow and orange rhinestone brads, Cuttlebug embossing folder (not SU!), Large Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, dimensionals

Bright and HAPPY MOMENTS

Hello everyone!  (Well, hopefully there's at least one person reading this, because I do like to share, you know?)

I have one more Sale-A-Bration "sneak peek" for you, using colours inspired by this card by my friend Claire.  I love the boldness of Rose Red, Taken With Teal and Pumpkin Pie together.  Once more, I've coloured a white-embossed image on kraft  - this time, the flower stamp from Happy Moments, my second-favourite Sale-A-Bration set!  The vase was created by (accident, actually, but I rather like it) punching out the stamped kraft panel with a Wide Oval Punch, then using a circle punch to make the indentation in the top.  Pretty cool?  The flowers and vase are raised up on dimensionals (double-sided adhesive foam dots).  The tiny butterflies stamped in Versamark (clear ink) along the base of the teal card are from Hello Again, a sweet stamp set from the Summer Mini catalogue.



Stamps: Happy Moments and Whimsical Words (Sale-A-Bration sets), Hello Again (Summer mini)

Card: Taken With Teal, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Rose Red, Kraft

Ink: Versamark ink pad; Taken With Teal stampin' pad; Rose Red, Taken With Teal, Pumpkin Pie & Old Olive markers

Other: White embossing powder, SU!'s Paper Snips (great for fine cutting), Wide Oval Punch, 1 3/4" circle punch, sponge dauber, dimensionals, Eyelet Border Punch, Rose Red 1" double-stitched grosgrain ribbon 

HAITI RELIEF EFFORT supported by Stampin' Up!

Amidst all my light-hearted posts about the cute stamps on offer at the moment, I'd just like to share with you an initiative that's been announced by Stampin' Up! Australia. 

In the wake of the devastating earthquakes in Haiti this past week, Stampin' Up! has put in place a fundraising effort that will run through until 28th February.  I know that stampers, by nature, have big hearts (happy to make a generalisation here!), so I'd like to appeal to you to support this very worthy cause.  The Red Cross are working on the ground in Haiti, to help people rebuild in the aftermath of this catastrophe.

One small way that we, as stampers, can help, is by purchasing the great I (Heart) Hearts Stamp set from the current Summer Mini catalogue.  For every one of these sets sold between now and 28th February, Stampin' Up! will donate $2.00 to the Red Cross in Haiti.

Please click on the link below to read all the details:

Download Haiti_Relief_0110_AU_NZ.pdf



Not only is this such a worthwhile cause, but the stamp set itself is gorgeous.  There are 8 heart images in the set, it is $42.95, and several of the hearts co-ordinate with Stampin' Up!'s heart punches (oh yeah!).

I'll leave you with a picture of a card I made using this set, so you can see just how pretty the hearts are.



Please, email me if you would like to order this set from me.  If you already have your own Stampin' Up! demonstrator, I hope you will support her/him, in helping to make this campaign hugely successful.

SALE-A-BRATION samples ... "the red series"

I have a couple more cards, made with Sale-A-Bration stamps (you know, those ones you can earn for free ... only 3 more days until they become available!), to share with you.

One of my 'go-to' colours is red, and I love Stampin' Up!'s Riding Hood Red (one of this year's "in colours", available until September 2010).  I've used it in both of the cards I have to show you.

In this first card, I've used a Sale-A-Bration stamp set called Good Neighbors (yes, even though it's been released in Australia, the American spelling remains, much to the dismay of the more pedantic amongst us!).  It is my favourite of the four sets on offer, and contains 10 gorgeous little stamps - mix and match houses and rooves, with a couple of other cute complementary images.  The house stamps fit perfectly inside Stampin' Up!'s square punches - have to love that!


Stamps: Good Neighbors (Sale-A-Bration), Thoughts & Prayers, Occasionally

Card: Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Whisper White

Ink: Riding Hood Red & Basic Black stampin' pads, Pretty in Pink & Basic Black markers

DSP: Bella Rose

Other: Valet Ribbon Originals, 3/4" circle punch, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" square punches, dimensionals



My next card combines my love of red with my love of kraft, mixed in with Chocolate Chip and white - what a combination!  I've coloured in, with my Stampin' Up! markers, the cake image from the Happy Moments Sale-A-Bration set, that is white-embossed on kraft card.  See, I told you there'd be more of that going on!


Stamps: Happy Moments (Sale-A-Bration), Party Hearty, Polka Dot background stamp

Card: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Riding Hood Red

Ink: Whisper White Craft stampin' pad, Versamark ink pad, Chocolate Chip stampin' pad and marker, Riding Hood Red stampin' pad, Ruby Red and Close to Cocoa markers

Other: White embossing powder, sponge dauber, Scallop Circle punch, 1" circle punch, Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon, Chocolate Chip 1" double-stitched grosgrain

Just try to look past the wonky image, and admire my ribbon treatment, if you will - I was pretty pleased with myself on this one!

That wraps up today's "sneak peaks' of Sale-A-Bration stamps.  We're in for a long weekend in Australia, with Australia Day officially being celebrated Tuesday 26th January - some of us are lucky enough to incorporate Monday into the 'weekend'.  Woohoo - four days to relax!  I'll be going away with my family (and a boisterous 14-yr-old 'add on') to our cabin for the break, which will be lovely.  I will miss my craft room, but will soak up the fresh air, walks, and ample reading time.  I'll schedule one last 'sneak peak' post for the weekend, because when I get back, Sale-A-Bration will have officially started!!

SALE-A-BRATION sneak peak

The excitement is mounting ... only 4 days until Sale-A-Bration begins!  This fun event, that I mentioned a couple of posts ago, means you can get FREE STAMPS.  To many of us, there are few better things in life!! (Seriously.)

I'm committed to using more yellow in my cards this year. (Just something I decided - no real reason!)  With that in mind, I made a card using the 'gift' image from Happy Moments, one of the gorgeous stamp sets that is on offer during Sale-A-Bration.  Here it is:



Stamps: Happy Moments (Sale-A-Bration set), On Your Birthday

Card: Whisper White, Kraft, Only Orange

Ink: Versamark ink pad, Only Orange stampin' pad, Only Orange & Summer Sun markers

DSP: Good Morning Sunshine

Other: Kraft taffeta ribbon, Word Window Punch, dimensionals, white embossing powder, vintage brads, mat pack, paper piercer, edge distresser



I'm loving the look of an image white embossed on kraft card, then coloured with markers - you might see a bit more of that from me.

Remember, you can earn a free stamp set for every $100 order placed - and there's no limit!  If you order $200 of Stampin' Up! product, you get TWO free stamp sets, and if you wanted to order $1000 of product (hee hee), you'd get TEN free stamp sets!  Roll on Sale-A-Bration! :)

THESE MADE ME HAPPY TODAY ...

No card to show you, friends - just some beautiful flowers that I bought for myself.  I am SO happy that in our neighbourhood there is a roadside stall, at which I can buy a bunch of flowers for - get this - $2.00!!

Can you believe that a measly $6.00 bought me this much happiness?

AND

 

 

Life is good :) 

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT...

Hello my friends

Yes, you're seeing correctly - two posts in one day!  Amazing what I can get done when I don't go to work!  Ah, this is the life :)

After my bold red cards, I took a completely different tack, and made a card using a few more products from the Summer Mini.  I wanted to use my Big Deal alphabet set, that I bought at half price in Stampin' Up!'s Inventory Clearance Sale (still on, folks, until 24th January - contact me if you need further details!!).  The paper, white crocheted cotton flower, and the turquoise button, are all from the mini catalogue.  Here is the cute (well, I think it is!) card I came up with:


Stamps: Big Deal Alphabet

Card: Pixie Pink, Whisper White, Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise

Ink: Tempting Turquoise stampin' pad

Other: Kaleidoscope DSP, Fleurettes, Playground Designer Button, mini glue dots, Scallop Edge Punch, Trio Flower punch, white gel pen

 I hope this cheery card puts a smile on your face.  Thanks for looking!

BUTTERFLY PRINTS, IN RED AND BLACK

Now, you may find this hard to believe, from my cryptic post title, but I've been having a play with my Butterfly Prints stamp set (one of the beautiful new sets in Stampin' Up!'s Summer Mini catalogue).  Guess what colours I've used?

I am a great fan of the colour red (so, sorry if it's a bit overdone!), and it always looks striking with black.  With that in mind, and with wanting to use the yummy Polka Dot grosgrain ribbon, also from the Summer Mini, this is the first card I came up with:



I don't know if you can tell from the photo, but I have stamped in Versamark (clear) ink on the red card.  First I stamped the En Francais background stamp, then I stamped over the top of that with the same butterfly stamp that's used in red and black.  Here's a closer shot of the top portion of the card, just because I like what I did with it:



Bit blurry, sorry - quickly grabbed a photo in between heavy rainfalls this afternoon! I used Basic Black ink to stamp the flowery butterfly directly onto the red card.  I've then secured (with a thin strip of double-sided tape) a punched-out red butterfly over the top, and lifted the wings.

The 'ingredients' used in this card are as follows:

Stamps: Butterfly Prints, En Francais

Card: Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White

Ink: Versamark ink pad, Basic Black and Real Red stampin' pads, Jet Black Staz-On inkpad (sentiment)

Other: Real Red Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Edge Punch, Butterfly Punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig



While I had out the stamps, card and ink (and about 2" square of space on my desk, with all the other supplies I have spread around), I made another card using the same colours, with a little injection of my old favourite, kraft.  Here's the second card (son number 1 likes this one better; hubby likes the first one better):



Stamps: Butterfly Prints, Occasional Greetings, Flight of the Butterfly

Card: Real Red, Kraft, Whisper White, Basic Black

Ink: Real Red and Basic Black stampin' pads, Whisper White craft stampin' pad

Other: Real Red brads, Butterfly Punch, dimensionals, mat pack and paper piercer, edge distresser, corner rounder punch.

Which one do you like best?  I have a distinct favourite, that came together easily, but I'm curious to read what you think - leave me a comment!!  :)

SOME FLOWERS FOR YOU

I'm back!!  After a rather long break from blogging (during which I had a wonderful holiday in New York with my boys), I'm happy to be back, and raring to go for another year of fun with Stampin' Up!  I have been busy in my craft room, preparing some cards for Sale-A-Bration (I'll tell you more about that shortly) ..... in the meantime, though, I have a couple of 'flowery' cards to share.

I was inspired by this sweet card, to make a simple and pretty card using Pink Pirouette and Sage Shadow - two colours I wouldn't have normally thought to combine.  I took most of my supplies to last week's stamping night with friends, thinking I'd use Claire's Pocket Silhouettes stamps to totally CASE Cheri's design.  Well, Claire doesn't have the stamp set I planned to use (that'll teach me to be my usual under-prepared self at our monthly stamp group), so I changed it up a bit, using Upsy Daisy.  Here's what I came up with:



Stamps: Upsy Daisy

Card: Pink Pirouette, Sage Shadow, Whisper White

Ink: Pink Pirouette and Sage Shadow stampin' pads, Pretty in Pink and Sage Shadow markers

Other: Pink Pirouette 5/8" striped grosgrain ribbon, 2-way glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds



The next card I have to show you is somewhat, er, less subtle.  I have a pack of Pink Flamingo Designer Series Paper (very bright colours) that has been sitting unloved for a while, so I challenged myself to incorporate it in a card.  I am a huge red fan, so I chose the bold hibiscus patterned paper for the main panel.  The butterfly has been made using Butterfly Prints stamp set, and the new Butterfly Punch - both from the Summer Mini catalogue that is current only until March 31st.  Here's my BRIGHT creation:


Stamps: Butterfly Prints (Summer Mini), Best Yet (hostess set)

Card: Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Summer Sun

DSP: Pink Flamingo

Ink: Tempting Turquoise

Other: Scallop Edge Punch, Curly Label Punch, Sponge Dauber, Butterfly Punch (Summer Mini), 3/4" Polka Dot grosgrain ribbon (Summer Mini), Tempting Turquoise 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, yellow rhinestone brad, dimensionals



Two very different cards, but I have enjoyed having some 'creating' time.  I think I was a bit 'burnt out' after making Christmas cards, and while we were away I didn't even miss stamping (sad, but true).  It feels good to be home, and back into the swing of things, so I look forward to bringing you more cards in the coming days.

Now, I mentioned Sale-A-Bration early in my post.  This is an annual event on the Stampin' Up! calendar, and is fantastic for customers, hostesses, and demonstrators alike - we're excited!  It's a promotion that runs from 25th January through to 31st March in Australia, and works in three ways:

1. As a customer, for every $100 worth of product you order, you can choose a free stamp set from the Sale-A-Bration catalogue.  There are four gorgeous sets to choose from; they cannot be bought.
2. As a hostess, if your workshop sales are $600 or more, you get to choose a free stamp set from the Sale-A-Bration catalogue, in addition to the usual great hostess benefits (of a free hostess stamp set, and free product to the value of $70 or more!).
3. Anyone who signs up as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator during the Sale-A-Bration period, gets a FREE stamp set of their choice (up to the value of $79.95) from the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalogue.

How great are these rewards?!  You can view the Sale-A-Bration stamp sets here: http://www3.stampinup.com/au/documents/SAB_10_AU-NZ.pdf

If you would like your own copy of the gorgeous Sale-A-Bration catalogue, or would like to order any Stampin' Up! products, please don't hesitate to contact me by email.

I'll leave you with a few photos from our trip to New York - LOVED it!

 The whole family in Brooklyn, with Manhattan in the background.


Central Park (INCREDIBLE!) from the top of the Rockefeller Center.  Amazing views over Manhattan.



 Snow in Central Park; beautiful.