Hopping with FREE DSP!

Oh yes, hands up who wants some free Designer Series Papers?

A group of lovely Stampin' buddies are hopping today to inspire you with some DSP creations.  You have just 5 sleeps left to either Buy 3 get 1 free DSP, or join as a demonstrator for just $169 (and choose goodies of your choice to the value of $235) and receive a free pack of DSP every month from June to December - that's an extra $132 worth of value!

So here's my creation to inspire you.  A few strips of punched Twitterpated paper, a Top Note Die and an embossing folder and hey presto you have yourself a base for a lovely card.  This flower has been sat on my desk for months waiting for just the right card front!

If you'd like the instructions for the flower leave me a comment with your email address and I'll send the information to you.

Time to hop along to the lovely Christine Blain - my fellow roomie at the forthcoming Stampin' Up! Convention in Canberra (along with Judy May - another talented demonstrator) which kicks off Thursday.  Excitement has definitely set in - I'm like a little kid at Christmas.

Back next week with class card samples, swap samples and new of Convention highlights.

Enjoy the hop

Nikki

x

Big Shot Blog Hop

Yes it's that time once again for another blog hop -  this time show casing the lovely Big Shot - one of my favourite tools.  There are  six stops along the way - grab a cuppa and hop on board for some lovely inspiration.   

My most favourite die is the Timeless Type alphabet - being a scrapbooker I love that I can create any title I like.  I took a tip from Tina Gillespie (the hop before me)  and 'chopped off the curly bits' to change the style of the letters - what a fab idea.  

I also love the versatility of the embossing folders.  Just on this scrapbooking page alone I have used both the alphabet and three embossing folders.  

Embossing cardstock and papers is a cheap and easy way to change their look and feel.

Hop along now to see the lovely Sue Madex - she's been absent from our hops for a little bit and we've missed her.

Just have to finish this post with a close up on my boy, did he really look like this once?  Was he really this little and cute?   

Happy hopping and big shotting!

Nikki

 

x

 

Happy Birthday Mum

Photographed on a very dreak Melbourne morning - sorry .... the card is straight I promise!

Concord Crush, Basic Black with Whisper White - lovely crisp combination.  I was making some ATC's a few nights before I made this card and decided I would turn one of them into a card for my Mum.

Here's  a close up of some of the detail.  I've used the edging punch and emphasised the scallops with little pearls, and I just love the Tiny Tags - they make such a cute little embellishment for the ribbon.

Here's a close up of the ATC's I made (Artist Trading Cards) - I am sure there is a 'proper' name for the technique that I have used to create the little cupcakes but I am going to call it the Mashed Technique!

I've punched the cupcakes using the new punch from the Autumn Winter Mini and adhered all the little bits onto some Whisper White Cardstock.  I then ran this little piece through the Big Shot using the Lattice Embossing folder (still available from the Summer Mini).  All the little pieces became 'mashed' together!

I hope you have a super day Mum - thinking of you always.

Love Paul, Nikki Olivia, Kieran, Max and naughty Spencer

xxxx

Beautiful Butterflies

 I made a promise at the beginning of the year to send a card to everyone I knew who was having a birthday this year.  So far - three months in I don't think I've missed one!  But .... making cards for other demonstrators is always a little more challenging I think to making cards for someone else.

These two cards are currently 'postal' ... for two lovely friends I have met through Stampin' Up!  If it hadn't been for this lovely company and our passion for all things ink, card and ribbon, we would never have met.

Happy birthday lovely ladies - enjoy your day and I hope you like your cards.

Happy Stampin!

Nikki

x

Happy Birthday Tess

Yes the littlest of our Sadler-Petrie family celebrates her birthday today.  Happy Birthday sweetheart.

 We hope you have a lovely day with your family and look forward to our Sadler-Petrie event.

Love the Sadlers

x

No Time To Make a Card?

So you think you don't have time to make a card?  Well think again!

Conversation goes something like this ...

Olivia says 'mum could you please make a card for my friend's birthday?'  

I smile thinking that is so cute - she wants me to make a card for one of her friends .... I say 'of course sweetheart when do you need it for?'

Olivia says 'in about ten minutes time - its for the party you are just about to drive me to!'

I was going to say .... ten minutes, I can't make a card in ten minutes .... but thought what the heck - I like a challenge (and a kid who asks me to make them a card LOL). Big Shot here I come, one Top Note die cut, embossed though the Elegant Bouquet embossing folder, small snippet of Concord Crush patterned paper to make the Beautiful Wings embosslits butterflies, Perfect Punches for the sentiment and a Tiny Tag cos I can't make a card without one of those on it ... hey presto!

Just call me Super Mum :)

I love Stampin' Up! - matching papers, punches, ribbons and embellishments - just what you need when you need to create in a flash.

Love Nikki

x

Baby Tees

Something weird happened to this post .... it was on Facebook but not here - so I've reposted it just in case you missed it.

One of the team had a little baby girl just over one month ago - there has been lots of clucking going on ... so cute that baby Ivy is.  Here's the card I made to welcome her into the world.

Pretty In Pink, the Baby Tees wheel and a bit of colouring in ... how cute is it.

And here's a close up of the ruffled Pretty In Pink satin ribbon - isn't it yummy.

Thinking I may be having to make another in blue for a lovely friend of mine who is having her third child in a couple of months.

With my youngest having just gone off to high school, I rather enjoyed making this baby card ... but don't panic .... I enjoyed making the card but having another baby?  Nah I don't think so LOL 

Happy Stampin

x

Inkspirations Colour Challenge #56

Another challenge, I like challenges!  This time the Inkspirations Colour Challenge.

My new male stamp set - Extreme Surf with Extreme Elements.  I punched the stars and used the Tombow glue to stick them into place before I ran the cardstock through the Bigshot Waffle folder - seems to squish (that's a technical crafty term LOL) the stars into the background .... works well I think.

The sentiment is from the new Sale-a-brations set ... yes the one that 'should be used' with the scallop square punch ... I stamped the image, punched out the sentiment using the star punch and then 'filled in' the unstamped bits by touching them up with the ink which was left on the stamp ... now I wonder ... did I explain that okay - does that makes sense?

Hope you like the card and that you will find time to take part in a challenge or two this week.

Happy stamping.

Nikki

x

CraftExpo News - starts tomorrow

Starts tomorrow ladies and the team are there today setting up our space.  We have so much to show you, some beautiful displays, some great demonstrations ... and a fabulous prize basket to be won. Our very own Sue Madex and Kathryn Lowe will be demonstrating at the Discovery Centre too - want to see the Big Shot in action - make sure you don't miss their presentations.

There are 12 of us taking part - you can check out the talent by checking our special Show website Try Some Stamping ..... be sure to click on the tab at the top and check out the projects; and there's a sneak peak of the Show Specials too.

If you want all the details for ticket pricing, parking etc check out the CraftExpo site here.

I've created a display of Christmas cards this year - had lots of fun putting together some different samples ... here's one of my favourites.

The idea for this card came from offcuts!  The frame part is the left over from another card.  I sponged some Real Red onto the Very Vanilla offcut just to see what it would look like and loved it so much I had to make a card with it.   The little bird has been created in the same way and the trees are from the Lovely as a Tree set in Craft White with Dazzling Diamonds.  One of the Many Merry Messages stamps finishes the card off nicely.

So if you want to see more ideas - stop by and say hello.

 

ESAD Blog Hop

I know I have been away from blogging for a week or two but other things have taken over my life again.  So I thought I'd give my blog a spring clean, bring in some flowers and summery colours and rectify my absence by  starting with a hop; an ESAD Big Shot Hop! 

If you've hopped over from Jan McAnulty's blog welcome ... and if you haven't don't worry, start here because blog hops are a circle and you can hop on and hop off wherever you wish.

From the alphas to the embossing folders to the Top Note die - I am in love with my Bertie Big Shot :)

Here's a close up of the new Vintage Wallpaper Embossing folder - I embossed this Chocolate Chip piece of cardstock as a whole piece .... to do this trim an A4 piece of cardstock to the same width and double the length of the folder.  Then run the cardstock and embossing folder through the Big Shot twice, once from one end and then turn it round and emboss the other half - therefore embossing both ends of the cardstock.  

The Top Note die is a brilliant shape to use as a journalling panel.

Now, if I could find the details of whose who in this photo I would have journalled this so that you could see - what I do know is that the lady is my great grandmother and the gentlemen are my grandfather and his brothers - isn't it just lovely to have photos like this.

The colours I have used are Chocolate Chip, More Mustard and Basic Black together with a sheet of the new designer series paper Newsprint.  I screwed this lovely piece of paper into a ball and then smoothed it out again .... and used a sponge with some Chocolate Chip ink to age it a little. 

Now before I let you hop off to the next blog .... I'd really like to tell you about ESAD.  ESAD stands for Extra Special Australasian Demonstrators and it is an online group just for Australian and New Zealand demonstrators for Stampin’ Up!

We so love what we do and not only do we love to share it with our customers, friends, and wonderful blog visitors but we share our love for what we do with each other as Demonstrators. We run swaps, challenges, tutorials, product know how and cyberstamps and we are always there to help and support each other when its needed.  So if you are a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator located in Australia or New Zealand then please feel free to click here to join our wonderful group.

 

Do you want to win prizes?  If you leave a comment on every blog in this hop, you will go in the draw for some blog candy (items or products donated the participating demonstrators!) . To be in the running, just email Leonie at when you have visited and commented on every blog so that she can put you in the draw (customers only please).

 

Okay time to hop along .... off to the wonder world of Angela Purdie - have a great time.

 

 

ESAD Christmas In July Blog Hop

I hope you’re ready for the ESAD Christmas in July Blog Hop!  I love Christmas and I love that in Australia I get to celebrate it twice :)

You have arrived from Sharlene Torres site (Sharlene is the lovely lady who puts all of the ESAD hops together for us - thank you), but if you haven't, don't worry - a hop is a circle so there is no beginning or end, hop on here and enjoy the ride.  So firstly I need to let you know what ESAD is all about.  Well ESAD stands for Extra Special Australasian Demonstrators and it is an online group just for Australian and New Zealand demonstrators for Stampin’ Up!

We so love what we do and not only do we love to share it with our customers, friends, and wonderful blog visitors but we share our love for what we do with each other as Demonstrators.  We run swaps, challenges, tutorials, product know-how and cyberstamps and we are always there to help and support each other when its needed.  So if you are a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator located in Australia or New Zealand then please feel free to click here to join our wonderful group.

 

Regulars to my blog will know I am a scrapbooker so whenever we have these hops I use it as an 'excuse' to get another page done LOL.  So this page is of Christmas day in 2006 - I'm still in 'scrapbooking catch-up mode' and when I complete a page like this I am so pleased .... another momentous day captured!

I've used Baja Breeze textured card stock for the base as it matched Olivia's dress perfectly, and Rose Red for the accent colour to match Olivia's PJs. 

The ribbon detail has been made using the double rectangle punch - I've just punched it several times along the bottom edge - just using the edge of the punch as a guide to keep it 'evenly-ished' spaced and then I've threaded a piece of 1/4" Whisper White grosgrain ribbon through.

Stamp sets used are Season of Joy and Punch Pals, which I have stamped using the marker pens in Basic Grey and Rose Red, and I've added some little snowflakes along the top using a Versamark pad.  The Tag and Scallop Circle punches make these really easy little embellishments to make - the flowers of course of hand cut.

The sparkly letters are of course, the Timeless Type Big Shot Alphabet - an absolute must for a scrapbooker ... I love being able to create any title that comes to mind without have to worry that I don't have all the letters.  I've then used the Two Way Glue pen and some Dazzling Diamonds to add some Christmas sparkle.

Journaling has been written freehand with a white Signo pen - I think handwriting is so important on our scrapbooking pages - in years to come my children and grandchildren will have heaps of examples of my handwriting ... so no matter how much you hate your writing ... you just have to include some on a page every so often.  And the Journaling reads:

Big smiles, young faces ...

Skinny 'ribbins' and transfer tattoos ...

Laptop, PSP, camera, fish tanks, Guinness Book of Records and lollies!

So there you have it - hope it inspires you to grab some Christmas photos and record the moment.  Now's the time to hop along to Clare Mcilhatton I've just found her site - yes by linking it here (and spent half an hour just having a little look around - Clare has made some beautiful things) ...

So thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave a comment.

 

SAM Sneek Peek

Are you missing SAM - yes I am, yes I am :)   ... scrapbooking production has dropped off - there are no urgent dates to meet ... but that's okay, behind the scenes we are cooking up a brilliant revamp ... so to just keep you interested here's a little layout from me ...

Hop on over to StampaMemory to see the full story and page.

Come back on Saturday to take part in a Christmas In July blog hop with the ESAD demonstrators ...

Till then 

 

Making Merry Monday 2010 # 3

Morning, and welcome to another Making Merry Monday .... today's offering is a little gift ... everyone needs a gift tag or two at Christmas time so why not make a couple of these packs to give away as pressies.

Four handmade tags would make an idea gift for a teacher (along with choccies of course), or to send in the post with a card - everyone needs gift tags!

The bag topper is a top note die cut which I have ran through the Polka Dot Impressions folder and then folded in half - such a cute touch.

I'll be using one of the tags to create a matching card .... so quick and easy.

 

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!

 

Happy Birthday Nicky

Oh yes another May birthday ... this time a friend from England.  We had some great times together when we lived in the same street in Scotland, but I left to live here and Nicky moved to England.  So now we exchange emails from time to time cards for special occasions.

As you can see I have been having fun with the Big Shot again - and this time I have used my favourite technique of brayering and sponging to create a cute card.  The little polka dots are from the impressions folder and the top note die cut has been trimmed to fit the card.

Then I've used some sponging to create a scene upon which I have set a cute little bird - he (or is it she) is the Extra Large Two-Step Bird punch - this punches the bird in three parts ... very handy and I can see this punch being very useful for creating other things too.

So Nicky I hope you enjoy your card and have a fantastic day - the Sadler family do miss the fun times we all had in Scotland.

Love from Paul, Nikki, Olivia, Kieran and Max 

xxxx

Happy Birthday Yvonne

May is our birthday month - do you have one of those?  Lots of friends and relatives have birthdays in May.  I do have a sense of achievement when I get all the cards made for this month ... I even had most of them in the post super early too.

This is the card I have made for my sister-in-law Yvonne.  

I am in love with the Big Shot - and especially the embossing folders - you can make cards so quickly and easily - and the new Tiny Tags set and matching Medium Jewelry Tag - so cute and so quick.

I've punched out several of the punches and then tied them all together with a piece of hemp twine ... just a cute little embellishment.

And here is another version, yes another birthday ... this time for Aris, a good friend of mine who celebrates her birthday at the end of April (yes this one was late!).

These cards are so easy to make and very effective ... expect to see lots more of these :o)

Happy Birthday.

 

ESAD Mother's Day Hop

Oh yes another Hop - I love Blog Hops!

You will have just arrived from Debbie William's blog, but if you haven't and you are starting here ... don't worry ... hops are a circle ... you can hop on and off where you choose.  Now if you'd like to win some blog candy all you need to do is to leave a comment on all the blogs in the hop (16 in total) and then email the organiser Sharlene Torres and let her know that's what you have done - so simple!

Mother's Day for me happens in March (three weeks before Easter) .... being an English chick that's just what happens ... but ... being an Aussie chick too (thank goodness you can't hear me speak - lol), Mum did say that she'd quite like having two Mother's Days so perhaps Mother's Day in May will become more normal for me I think.

Having just achieved a recent promotion, I was able to get the Big Shot for FREE - yes FREE - excited is an understatement. 

I've used the Top Cut die to make a little bag.  I used this last night as a prize for a workshop - the ladies loved it.  It is so simple to make.  

Then I have cut two Top Notes (at the same time) and ran the Very Vintage wheel over them in Soft Suede.  A little Melon Mambo Vintage Vogue flower with a little centre in Soft Suede and a brad, the little bag was almost complete.

I used the Hostess Level 1 set, Best Yet to create a tag, punched with the large oval, scallop oval and wide oval, this is a quick and easy way to add a sentiment.  I've attached it to the Melon Mambo Polka Dot ribbon handles with a little piece of Linen Thread ... finished off with a little bit of sponging with the Soft Suede ink .. perfect.  Here's a little sketch to show you the dimensions for making the little box inside ...

I love being a demo ... not only do we get a generous discount we also receive great incentives ... and you can became a member of ESAD - it's for all Australian and New Zealand demonstrators of all levels. Click here to join and receive the help and encouragement you need in your business from both new and experienced demonstrators. And if you want to join Team Inky ... click here to find out more.

Right time to hop onto Melissa Barkwith's blog for more inspiration - enjoy your day.

 

Happy Birthday Mum

It's my Mum's birthday today ... Happy Birthday Mum :o) 

Elegant Eggplant, So Saffron and Old Olive remind me of spring time ... it's okay I haven't gone mad ... mum lives in England and spring has sprung for her.

The beautiful Vintage Vogue stamp set is just so beautiful and I have teamed it up with the Very Vintage wheel and the Best Yet Level 1 hostess set sentiment.

I was very pleased with this card .... went a little OTT as I attached another Top Note die cut to the inside of the card and a few more flowers .... but I reckon if you can't go a bit mad on your Mum's card when can you?

Hope you are having a fantastic day Mum - love you.

Love Paul, Nikki, Olivia, Kieran and Max (woof woof) 

xxxxx 

PS - thanks to Christine for coming to my rescue and sending me some die cuts - my die cutting machine ... the Big Shot ... hadn't arrived and I had a vision of this card that just needed to be made for my Mum.  Christine came to the rescue and sent me a 'few' of her die cuts to help me out - thanks x