Making Merry Monday and Some Snow

Soft Suede, some reverse masking and Winter Post .... a modern twist on a classic card ... a very festive Making Merry Monday.

And it feels like Christmas for me this weekend - here's what I did on Saturday ...

That's KP and I crash landing at the bottom of the Koala run at Lake Mountain. Do you like the fluro beanie I was wearing - its a coach's beanie from the soccer club .... the kids could easily spot where I was in the crowds LOL

Paul and Olivia walking back up the hill after a toboggan run.  We had so much fun ... it even snowed whilst we were there - we went with our lovely friends the Petries - so much fun and so much snow.  We built some snowmen - but I will be scrapbooking those so you'll have to wait and see them in a couple of weeks - oh and it was Paul's birthday :)

So hope you have a very happy and merry Monday.

 

 

 

Making Merry Monday

Well I think it could be time to start this again .... Helping Hudson is ticking along nicely .... so I have some more time to make a few cards to share with you.

I often use the Top Note die as a basis to make a card - this time I have used a circle punched from a post-it-note for a mask and then sponged the colours to create a landscape for the lovely reindeer from Winter Post and the line of trees from Lovely as a Tree.

A bit of two way glue pen-ing and some dazzling diamonds to finish ... along with a sentiment from the Punch Pals set - and this makes a lovely Christmas card.

Have you made a start on your cards yet?  Don't forget that Tracey Hanshaw is collecting cards for the troops overseas ... check out the details here.

 

Making Merry Monday 2010 # 2

Happy Monday and welcome to another Christmas card idea.  

As promised, this year I am making two of every card I create ... one for me ... and one to send to Tracey Hanshaw who will be collecting cards to send to our Defence personnel who are serving their country overseas.  So this week's card ...

Another Winter Post creation, a top note die cut is an ideal base for any card.  Here I have just stamped the snowflake and cute reindeer and sponged around the edges .... such a simple quick design.

Back next Monday with another idea for you - and news of some special blog candy ... but you'll have to send me some photos to win!

 

Making Merry Monday 2010 # 1

Yes it is back for another year ... the concept came from Anita Meade last year  .... to make a Christmas card every Monday ... so that by the time Christmas arrives you'd have a stash to help with the panic that usually sets in during this very busy time.  

I'm starting a little later than I wanted but that's okay .... it's still May and I still have seven months to go :o) This year I am going to make two of every card I create ... one for me ... and one to send to Tracey Hanshaw who will be collecting cards to send to our Defence personnel who are serving their country overseas.  This is a cause very close to my heart with a husband in the Navy .... and I met with Tracey at Convention - she is a warm and gorgeous person - mobbed by 'fans' at every opportunity .... more about Convention tomorrow.

So here is the first card for 2010.  Winter Post is one of my favourite sets and I hope it will remain in the catalogue when it is republished in September ... this is also a great layout for a card.

It is so simple - in fact I just stamp away on a piece of Whisper White and then choose what I'd like to see in the squares by using the punch and select by looking before punching.  This way you can make of these little squares and it makes card production super quick.  The brad has been used heaps to pinch through several layers of the ribbon to created the bow effect just to finish it all off. 

I've used Real Red, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip - Versamark to create the background images and lots of sponging.

So there you have it ... post a comment or better still send me a photo of your Christmas creations if you want to join in this year .... check out Ros Davidson's blog too ... she started ages ago and already has quite a collection.

So as promised earlier - head back tomorrow for all the Convention news.

 

Happy Christmas

Yes, Mum's card has arrived and she loves it.  I knew she would .. it is so sparkly and very traditional.  Thanks to Claire Daly for the inspiration. 

And here are Olivia's card for the family ... she whipped these up one night whilst I was out ... love the non traditional colours she has used.

 There's a little Punch Pal penguin peeping out the sparkly window!

 Love the bow tying too ... much better than me!  And the handwritten greetings.

 And the Punch Pal snowman and scallop circle stamp .... lovely.

Well that wraps up the cards and festive projects for another year ... I do hope that you have been inspired.  I have received more handmade cards this year than ever before ... from Iris folded Christmas Trees to glittery sparkly Season of Joy cards, from the UK and from my aussie friends ... it is great to see so many people participating in this addictive hobby!

We are off on our holidays in a couple of days time so this little piece of cyberspace may be a little quiet for a while (I've a few things lined up for you but not many) - but I will be back in full swing mid January with news of a new monthly blog hop with the Art With Heart Team, Saleabration and of course I really must get cracking with some new Summer Mini projects too.

Hoping that you and yours have a lovely festive season ... keep safe and I'll be back in 2010.

 

   

Making Merry Monday # 24

No cards today just boxes!  I've always admired the various off-the-page creations of others and spent a whole afternoon and evening making the following boxes.

These boxes are so quick and easy - made from a whole sheet of A4 cardstock.  I've used the Winter Post set and made some lovely tags too.  These are pressies for the girls in my office.

And then there are these ... thank goodness for the Scor-Pal ... makes folding at the right spot just so easy.  I love how these boxes turned out - I really love the tags as they are so quick and easy and a great way to use up the scraps of beautiful paper I can't bring myself to throw away.  I used the now retired Parisian Breeze Speciality papers to make the boxes - the textured cover-weight card stock.

Had a lovely day yesterday, also rustled up two birthday cards and nine Saleabration card swaps - back to reality today ... work!

If you'd like measurements and templates just leave a comment or email.  Don't forget today is the last day for the Christmas Extravaganza so if you want to place an order for Christmas call or email (0428 254 952) - Hope you are having a Merry Monday.

 

Making Merry Monday # 23

I hope you enjoyed the ESAD summer mini hop - it was so much fun and as I hopped around the 30 or so blogs I was amazed and inspired by the new range of goodies ... and yes my little conservative shopping list suddenly grew to quite a long list of 'must haves'!

As we are now well and truly into December and at the pointy end of the year where everything now needs to be quick as the days and weeks seem to speed up fly by faster than ever ... I have created a Christmas card using the new butterfly punch. 

This is actually another ATC swap but I made a few extra and turned them into Christmas cards ... I made 14 of these in just a couple of hours.

The butterfly punch has been cut into two and then layered to make up the tree.  Word Window punch has been used to create the tree stump and the wording and of course the star just tops it all off.  I've sponged all the edges with Craft White and then the two way glue pen to add some dazzling diamonds.

Stamp sets used are Punch Pals for the words and Winter Post for the snowflake.  Cardstock colours are Old Olive, Real Red, Basic Black, Silver (for the star), Chocolate Chip and Whisper White.

Same punch art tree just a different coloured cardstock for the card base ...  

CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA ENDS VERY SOON

Just a reminder that the Christmas Extravaganza will be finishing on 14 December (this time next week), this is the last date that orders can be placed for a guaranteed pre-Christmas delivery.  Click here for details of this very special offer - and earn a free gift for yourself too - remember you get to choose either a scallop square or boho blossoms punch work $30.95 for free. 

So if you are thinking of buying some Stampin' Up! items for Christmas please make sure you contact me before this date - and don't forget I can also make up a beautiful gift voucher if you aren't sure what your recipient would like.

Back in a couple of days with more ideas.

 

Making Merry Monday # 22 and Summer Mini News

I can't believe it has been a whole week with no blogs - you must have thought that somebody had gagged me :o)  I reckon that Twilight card zapped me of my energy to be crafty!  So sorry - back now though!

It's almost December and the start of the silly season!  How is your card making going?  If you've been playing along since the start then you should be well on your way - have you started writing them yet?  

We, the Sadler Family, include a newsletter and some photos every year ... talk about making a big job into a huge job ... lol ... but from all the emails and letters we receive after Christmas I think the extra work is worth the effort ... the rewards are great!  I love to catch up with old friends and as we are well travelled (thanks to the Navy) we have friends scattered everywhere - it's great to catch up on their news - only the other day we received a card from one of our neighbours in Scotland with news of the families who we shared our lives with for six years - it was the highlight of last week - thank you Una.

So as today is the very last day for orders for the Spring Mini I thought I'd post my last card using Tree Trimmings.  I love this set ... and will be sad to see it disappear ... I think it is perfect for Christmas and at only $24.95, its not too expensive either.

Colour are Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive and Whisper White - the swirls are from Baroque Motifs.

And just because it's the last day of the Spring Mini, I've also included another card using the beautiful Ski Slope paper $16.95; if you love this paper you need to call me now to place your order - we have until about 9pm tonite to place orders.

This one uses the Square Scallop punch which is a freebie if you purchase some products from the Christmas Extravaganza before 14 December ... click here for details. 

Colours are Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip and Baja Breeze - I've just bought the Crop-o-Dial - wow - an eyelet set through some grosgrain ribbon and two layers of card - like slicing through butter ... why has it taken me so long to buy one of these gadgets?

And here's the inside:

Isn't that little snowman cute and the little tag on the front - both are part of the Punch Pals set that I purchased recently ... that's a set that Olivia wanted to buy ... she's been making some stockings for the family cards ... I'll show you those in a week or two.

As we say goodbye to the Spring Mini with the Scallop Oval punch, corduroy buttons and my all time favourite the Great Friend stamp set (such a beautiful butterfly) ... there is much excitement in the Stampin' Up! world because tomorrow marks the launch of the new Summer Mini ... it contains some very beautiful summery things, including some beautiful new papers and a fabulous punch ... I can't wait to show you.

To mark the launch of this new catalogue, starting at 6am on Tuesday 1 December, some of the ESAD Team will be hosting their very first Blog Hop showcasing items made using products from the Summer Mini Catalogue, so don't forget to come back tomorrow.  It doesn’t matter where you start as there will be a link to the next blog in the chain all the way along till you finally finish where you started.  And if you leave a comment on each and every blog in the chain you'll be entered into the draw to receive some Blog Candy - woo hoo!

So see you back here bright and early tomorrow and don't forget if you just have to have any of the items in the Spring Mini make sure you phone or email today :o)

Hope you have a very Merry Monday.

 

Making Merry Monday # 21

Another glittery Party Hearty number ... I really do love stamp sets that can multi-task - makes them an even better investment doesn't it - lol! 

I've used the snowflake from Winter Post with Versamark and dazzling diamonds for the background, a piece of Choc Chip grosgrain ribbon and then layers of choc chip and real red cardstock.  Love the party hats standing proud as Christmas trees and a simple saying from Many Merry Messages.  I've sponged the edges of the white and red cardstock just to add a finishing touch.

This is a simple and quick card ... one which could be duplicated quickly for those of us who are always in a rush at this time of year.

Hope you aren't panicking too much ... back next Monday with another one.

 

Making Merry Monday # 20

Goodness me ... is this really week 20?  Do I have 20 cards already?  Probably not ... I keep giving them away as samples .... going to concentrate this week on sorting out the family and friends cards ... I would never be able to show my face if this year, of all the years, my cards were late or non-existent!

Today's card is one for all the lovely Paperific ladies I met this weekend.  I am exhausted but gee I have had so much fun.  I was exhibiting on Friday and Sunday and it is an absolute pleasure to meet and chat with so many like minded crafty ladies ... hello to you all :o)

 

And here is a photo of the technique I showcased ... now regular readers of my blog will know that I am a fan of sponging and brayer ... and if you have signed up for my newsletter you will have received the technique sheet this month.

For all of you who have just found this website click here to find the details on how to make this quick and easy card.

Well that's it for today, hope you are having a lovely Merry Monday.

Oops nearly forgot ... the winners of the lovely baskets of goodies for the prize draw are Linae from Kensington and Agnes May from Hawthorn - you will be contacted by Sue Madex in the next day or two ... enjoy ladies :o)

Making Merry Monday # 19

I've been having a fun day today ... what do you do when it is over 30 degrees and you're too hot to plant out the new veggie patch?  Well you stamp on candles of course!

How beautiful is this?  This technique was demo'ed at the recent Regional Training day I attended and I have been itching to have a go ever since.  It compliments last week's card perfectly!  And of course I couldn't stop at one ...

I made heaps!  I even made a matching birthday card and candle for a friend - but you'll have to wait to later in the week to see that one in case she pops in her to see what I have been up to :o)

Now have you heard of the saying 'if you can't beat 'em join them"?  I have a very crafty daughter who shares by crafting passion.  Since joining Stampin' Up! on 31 May this year, Olivia and I have spent so much time together creating lovely things that I often think that alone is a good enough reason to be a demonstrator - I sit at my kitchen table almost every night creating and Olivia can often be found sitting next to me creating her own masterpieces too - priceless when you consider she will be 14 this month ... I love it and am thankful of the time we spend together.

Well I also have an 11 year old son, a cool dude who is a sports maestro and just 'all boy'.  As we sat on our swing seat in the garden after dinner last night he says to me 'can I do some card making with you tonight mum?' ... talk about taking me by surprise.  And here are his creations ...

 I love the imagination of reindeer pulling a surf board!

 He's liking the surfboard set I've just bought!  At one point he said 'can you pass me the Chocolate Chip ink pad please mum'  ... god love him!

 He asked me to show him the 'ribbon thing' which roughly translates into sticking a bit of Real Red ribbon along the bottom of a card with snail ... 

 Yes he did do the 'ribbon thing' himself here with no help ... and patiently coloured with markers the Season of Joy stamp ... 

 
And a birthday card ....

He's gone to bed with ink up to his elbows (quite literally) and the Stampin' Up! catalogue under his arm ... he says I need more 'boy' sets and I think he is quite right.

It's moments like these that I cherish and I'll definately be making these photos into a scrapbooking page ... Kieran (or KP as he is affectionately known) used to spend time with me when he was younger scrapbooking and even has his own album ... but as mums of boys growing up would know ... this is short lived ... I am thankful for yesterday and the half hour it took KP to make the cards .... if you are a Granny , Auntie or Uncle Sadler or Newman you need to forget what you have just seen  ... these are your Christmas cards - :o)

He'll be so chuffed when he reads this post today :o)

Hope that you are well and happy and have a wonderfully Merry Monday and if you too want to stamp on a candle ...check out my classes - they are filling up fast.

Making Merry Monday # 18

 

It's November already ....does that send anyone else into a panic too?  I have bought three presents but that isn't nearly enough, panic is setting in ... but I do have a stash of cards ... so I am feeling a little more organised than normal :o)

This is another Winter Post creation, with the trees from Lovely as a Tree.  I've inked the trees in Old Olive and stamped them once as you usually would and then again without reinking ... setting the stamp just off centre to produce the 'shawdow' impression - gives the trees some depth I think.

I've used Chocolate Chip and Riding Hood Red and sponged the edges of the card with Chocolate Chip ink - I use a dauber as they give a really nice finish.

And then I've used the Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon and a piece from the HodgePodge hardware kit ... I was worried that this would make the card too heavy but it didn't - I will put a little bit of padding over it though when I post it ... not sure how it will travel through the postal sorting systems ... crunched is so not a good look is it!

I hope that you are having a very Merry Monday and that November hasn't sent you into a panic too.  Come back later today for news of how Stampin' Up can help you with your gift shopping and reward you with freebies too!

Happy stampin!

Nikki

x

Making Merry Monday # 17

Another Winter Post with a beautiful word stamp from the Many Merry Messages set.  Kraft could be the 'new' Old Olive as I love the way this card has turned out.  

I've used some water colour paper and then some Old Olive and Real Red ink with an Aqua Painter to colour in the image.  The ink pads are really versatile if you use them in this way ... whilst the pad is closed you squeeze the box together to push the lid into the ink pad (don't panic the boxes are flexible enough to do this)  ... when you open the ink pad there is a 'pool' of ink inside the lid that you can now pick up with either the Aqua Painter for water colouring or the Blender Pens to make a marker pen ... how cool is that!

Back very soon with birthday news, more cards and evidence that you can turn a 'non-believer' into an addict in just one evening!

Hope you are having a very Merry Monday.

Love Nikki

x

Making Merry Monday # 16

I was wondering last week how many days it was until Christmas .... never actually worked out the exact number - didn't want to scare myself, but I do know that we are already half way through October ... oh heck! 

So there really is no time like the present to make a start on those Christmas cards .... I've 'invested' in a new set 'Winter Post' ... and so yesterday afternoon I whipped up a few cards ... I really love this new oldie worldie set .... that reindeer is just so cute.

I've used, Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Riding Hood Red and Very Vanilla for this card .... the ribbon has been 'pleated' using the Sticky Strip double sided extra tacky tape and the Taffeta ribbon and the trees are from the Lovely as a Tree set.  

I've seen this ribbon technique around the net and even tried it once but it didn't work for me, that is until yesterday .... I attended the Melbourne Stampin' Up! Regional Training day which was held in the city - Bonnie Thurber who is the Director of Demonstrator Training residing in Salt Lake City in the US, demonstrated this technique and when I saw the roll of Sticky Strip it all made sense.  If you've never used this tape before ... beware!  It is sooooo sticky ... but then I suppose you've gathered that from it's name :o)  It just grabs the ribbon and holds it in place, so pleating is a breeze.

So who's Bonnie Thurber, well if I can find Bonnie's blog I will let you know because you just have to 'meet' this most amazing lady.  Having travelled all the way from the US for the Stampin' Up! Regionals she managed to arrive in Melbourne minus her luggage!  Poor love, inside her luggage was not only all the usual 'stuff' that ladies just need to travel with ... but her samples that she was going to demonstrate to us.  

As I sat making four brilliant projects with my new free stamp set and roller from the soon to be released Summer Mini, I was keeping an eye on this lady who seemed to be quite busy herself with her card and snail trail.  Little did I know just how talented Bonnie is ... she managed to rustle up three samples using just what she could find around the room and the contents of her bathroom goodie basket!  Little bags and boxes and a great demo of how to pleat your ribbon onto a card.  Just amazing - Bonnie is a demonstrator herself so she understands Stampin' Up! from both sides of the coin ... her business tips were extremely helpful - she was entertaining and happy to answer all of our questions ... an absolute pleasure to meet.

Back tomorrow with more news from the Regionals and my swap.

Happy stampin

Love Nikki

x

Making Merry Monday # 15

I was a little worried last night that I didn't have anything to show you today ... I don't think you've seen this one have you?

It's a complete CASE from the packaging you receive the I Wish Scrap booking Kit in .... (CASE = Copy and Share Everything or Copy and Selectively Edit) but in this case is it completely 'not' my idea :o) 

I was completely stumped for ideas when I made this card and hadn't been a demonstrator for very long and so didn't have very many products.  I was so pleased with this card ... so very simple, that's the beauty of the scrap booking kits.

And the reason why I didn't have anything to show you?  Well this weekend I was with the Art With Heart Team at CraftExpo - we had a ball but it was exhausting.  I'll post some photos in the week of the Saturday team ... but for now ...

Merry Monday and happy stampin

Love Nikki

x

Making Merry Monday # 14

Okay, I know, so it's Old Olive ... but it is a new stamp set - lol

I've been making heaps of cards using Party Hearty this past week as this is my contribution to the forthcoming Craft Expo which starts this Thursday and I thought this was a cool idea for a Christmas card with a non-festive set.  I've seen it done somewhere but I can't remember where (if you know can you let me know so that I can organise a link here - thank you).

So the card is Old Olive, Chocolate Chip and Riding Hood Red with some of the I Wish DSP, a large brad and some in colour ribbon.  I've used the marker pens to get the two colours on the image ... this would make for a very quick card if you need to make a lot of them.

As we head into October and daylight savings many of us are beginning to think of presents and cards for Christmas, so if you've been playing along with the Making Merry Monday you should have quite a nice stash of cards organised ... if not ... then there is no time like the present to make a start ... come on a couple of cards a week and you'll soon have them finished.

And don't forget, if you are heading to CraftExpo this week be sure to drop by and say hi.

Happy stampin

Love Nikki

x

Making Merry Monday # 13

Something a little different from me today ... some punch art. He is just so cute!  I was looking around the net for some inspiration to make a Santa and found a penguin instead!   Not sure where I found him or if he really does look like the one I found ... I often go looking for inspiration and once I get started end up making something completely different ... and I hope he inspires you to do the same.

Made using two oval, a circle and the word window punches, oh and the feet are from the scallop circle, he was quick and easy to whip up ... such a cute card for kids.  The googley eyes are from our local shop ... heaps and heaps of them for $2.  I used a versamark pad and stamped the snowflakes, and tore some whisper white card stock to make the snow drifts and added a phrase from Many Merry Messages ... of course it wouldn't be Merry Monday if there wasn't a liberal sprinkling of Dazzling Diamonds to finish the whole thing off!

Hope you like the  Merry Monday Penguin ... I've got a whole week off work (yipeeeeee) so I have heaps of creativity planned ... in between the rock climbing, roller blading and ice skating my kids have planned for me ... if I don't break anything I should have heaps and heaps to share with you - wish me luck!

Happy Monday!

Nikki

x

Making Merry Monday # 12

Another Season of Joy sample ... Chocolate Chip, Real Red and Old Olive ... with the soon to be gone (well in November ... and I'll be sad to see it go) ... Ski Slope paper.

I can't believe that I have made 12 cards already ... and a few more during the classes when I am demonstrating ... this is great ... at this rate everyone will have their card on time this year ... no last minute panics.

Well I am off to make some more ... feeling that I need to move away from this set ... now is that a great excuse to buy a new one?  Perhaps ... but I've seen a few cards made with 'non festive' sets that I want to have a go at .... of course adding the 'InkyArt' touch ... so off to play and watch this space!

Merry Monday and happy stampin!

Nikki

x

Making Merry Monday # 11

Apologies for the poor photograph - I really needed to have sorted out the lighting a bit better.

This is another card using the Season of Joy set, this time I have stamped the image twice and used one of the images as accents for the other ... I've cut the little bits out and mounted them. 

Chocolate Chip, Real Red and Baji Breeze are a great combination together with the Ski Slope designer series paper for Christmas.  I am going to have to buy a few more packets of the Ski Slope before the mini ends in November ... going to use it to make my cards this year.

Hope you are having a very Merry Monday.

Happy stampin!

Nikki

x

Making Merry Monday # 10

Morning morning how are you?

Time again for another Christmas card ... is it just me or are the weeks flying by?

This is a card I have made for a team swap .... using Season of Joy, Ski Slope DSP, Chocolate Chip card stock, Real Red ribbon and a wee Old Olive brad.

The little bow is made using the double rectangle punch - I had planned a few little photos of how to do that for you for today but unfortunately a trip to Marysville on Saturday and a soccer match and presentation afternoon on Sunday took priority ... so it's still on my list of things to do!

Have a great day and happy stampin!

Nikki

x