A mini retreat! Reserve the date now 25th October

Get out your calendars and diaries and a big red texta! Myself and fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrator and experienced papercrafts teacher, Kim Tonnet from Westleigh, are hosting an all day "mini-retreat" Christmas Stamping and Craft Day. The date is Saturday 25th October, from 9.30am-5pm

Wouldn't it be lovely to set aside a day to catch up on your Christmas craft tasks in peace and good company?
It's a great way to get your Christmas cards made, or to catch up on some scrapbooking. Bring along your own cardstock and adhesives and crop tools and any current projects. There will be plenty of space for you to spread out your supplies and stay all day working on whatever you want to, in an inspirational environment.

Kim and I will be demonstrating some gorgeous Christmas projects, and we'll issue challenges to participate in if you wish. There will also be prizes to be won! You will receive a goody bag of materials to make Christmas projects. And Kim and I will have all of our Christmas stamps and associated tools available for your use. Trust me, that's a lot of stamps to choose from!! And there will be plenty of cards and other items on display to inspire you.

Further details including cost are being finalised now, so check back here for updates and registration information soon! I'll also be sending out invitations to my mailing list, so if you're not on it, contact me to be added. The venue is the Pennant Hills Bowling Club function centre, which is close to public transport by both bus and train, and parking is also available. The Bowling Club bistro will be open for meals and snacks, and the cafe strip of Pennant Hills is a short walk away.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Some dates for your diary!

OK, schedules have been compared, dates have been chosen (September is a chaotic month around here, with fathers day and 4 other family birthdays as well!)

Upcoming dates for your diaries are: Saturday 13th September, at my home in Cherrybrook for my Beginner's Class at 10am-12 noon and a Christmas Stamp-a-Stack to run from 2pm -5.30pm. If you wish to do both, you certainly can, just stay longer!

The Beginner’s Class is suitable for those who have never stamped or made cards before, or who have dabbled a bit. Even if you have made quite a few cards you are bound to learn some new techniques and tips to help you along on your cardmaking journey. You will make three projects to take away with you, and learn the fundamentals of cardmaking, a tools tutorial and numerous practical techniques for creating stylish cards.

Cost: The cost for the Beginner Class is $15.00, which is redeemable against a catalogue order of $50 or more on the day of the class. The new 2008/2009 Catalogues will be available at the classes for the discounted price of $10.00, RRP $12.95

What’s Provided?: All materials and supplies for creating your projects are included, and you will receive comprehensive written class notes and instructions. Light refreshments will be provided, and there will be a draw for a lucky door prize.

Bring a friend Special: Bring an interested friend along, new to Stampin' Up! and both you and your friend will receive a free ribbon sampler pack

Christmas Stamp-a-Stack 2pm-5.30pm

I'm getting started early this year! Absolutely and Positively DETERMINED not to be making cards into the second half of December! Want to join me?

You'll have lots of fun, and learn plenty of cardmaking techniques along the way in a chatty casual environment. I'm planning on holding several of these Stamp-a-Stack sessions between now and December, so there will be lots of opportunities to build your collection, ready for sending off to your loved ones.

So, what is a Stamp-a-Stack and how does it work?

You will create 6 cards, 3 each of 2 different designs. Everything you need is provided, pre-designed, with instructions and samples, ready for you to sit down and create a stack of cards!

Home baked snacks/late lunch and refreshments are included in the class cost.

Cost: The Stamp-a-Stack class is $15.00.

• Stamp-a-Stack Specials:
  "50/50" - If you place an order during the class to the value of $50 or more, the class cost is reduced by 50% to $7.50


• "Hostess Appreciation" - Book a Stampin' Up! Workshop during the Stamp-a-Stack, and you will receive a Classic Ink pad FREE, in your choice of colour, valued at $9.95. Your inkpad will be delivered after your workshop along with your guest's orders. You will also receive a Hostess Package with all the information you need to host a successful workshop, including the Idea Book and Catalogue valued at $12.95 FREE


• "Door Prizes" Door Prizes will be awarded during the event

Please feel free to bring your own additional cardstock and adhesive to complete as many more cards as you can in the time, using my stamps and tools - including my extensive Sizzix and Cuttlebug collection.



RSVP ASAP, by Thursday11th September on (02) 9484 9447 to reserve your place in either of both classes!

What I was supposed to be doing...

While I was otherwise occupied creating masterpieces of stamping and punching experimentation with Miss 3.5, here is what I was supposed to be making....

DH and I did a last minute deal this year for our anniversary, as the 2 days I had planned to go shopping were not do-able due to sick Miss 3.5 So, his task was to buy a present for himself (and for me) and my task was to make us a card each for the other to give. Now, DH has attended my beginners card making class twice now, and he plans to do the next intermediate class too. He's not at all bad, so it would have been nice to see his own creation. Anyway, it worked out better this time for him to do the shopping and me the creating.

The top card ended up being from DH to me, and uses the One of A Kind set from the Spring Mini, which, being part of the Boho West theme of this year's catalogue, matches nicely with the Berry Bliss Designer Series Paper (and also several other sets such as Boho Backgrounds and Priceless)

The base card is Chocolate Chip, stamped with Versamark using the small flower motif. A vertical band of Berry Bliss paper is matted with a just-slightly-wider Very Vanilla band. Chocolate Chip Scallops are layered with 1 3/8" and 1 1/4" circles of Purely Pomegranate and Very Vanilla. Two of these are stamped in Purely Pomegranate with the large flower from the trio stamp, and the Happiness greeting is stamped in Chocolate chip from Warm Words, a set I turn to over and over. Finishing touches are Rhinestone Brads from the Pretties Kit and some Stitched ribbon in Purely Pomegranate. The actual card layout is a taller than usual card at 4" x 7 1/4" folded, because I was trying to be efficient with using up part pieces of cardstock. It fits in a DL envelope though, which is handy to know!

The second card I made to give to DH. Please excuse the photo, it was taken a bit late in the day. Nice shadow effects though!! The card base is Night of Navy, stamped in Versamark using the star flower from "Looks Like Spring" Then there is a horizontal band of Ruby red, again attacked with the Distressing tool for nicely ruffled edges. A band of River Rock is stamped in Bordering Blue and Night of Navy using the harlequin and overlay stamps, aligned using the Stamp-a-ma-jig to create an Argyle pattern. I stamped the large flower and the flower trio onto Ruby Red and Night of Navy cardstock in Versamark, and used clear embossing powder to give them a shiny raised finish. I hand cut the large flower, and used the Spring Bouquet punch to punch the trio flowers. Two large flowers were layered, and a star flower added on top with a Aged Copper brad, and the other flowers were mounted using Stampin Dimensionals to pop them up a bit. The greeting from "One of a Kind" was stamped on River Rock in Night of Navy, and mounted behind a Hodgepodge bookplate. Ta Da!

Both these cards took much longer than usual to make (see post Little Distractions below!!), but I was pretty pleased with how they turned out. Hope you like them! All products used are by Stampin' Up! and are available to purchase through me, just contact me Or, come along to a class to learn the basics of cardmaking and discover why it is such a rewarding and practical hobby!

Little Distractions...

Last week, I had a little girl here with a bug, a rotten ear infection that hit like a ton of bricks on Wednesday arvo.... In perfect time to be exiled from Preschool on Thursday... But, the antibiotics kicked in right away, meaning I had one happy, chirpy little girl who wasn't interested in staying in bed, or watching TV... So! In between trying to make an Anniversary card and some overdue Artist Trading Cards for a swap, (not to mention all the other more mundane stuff I usually do on my child-free days) we did some stamping of a different kind, lots and lots of punching, quite a bit of "can you make this sticky pease mummy?" etc etc etc. It was fun, if less than productive in a grown up kind of sense! The 'card' uses the cute Strawberry from the 'Tart and Tangy Spring' Mini set , and the colours for the leaves, berry and dots were all individually specified by my budding stamper and applied (by me thankfully!) using my newly acquired full set of Stampin' Write Markers (oooooh, yum! how did I manage without them!) There's more images stamped on the inside, you'd have to be psychic to guess the colour combinations though!! She hijacked some of the embossed punched flowers I was using on my husband's anniversary card, plus a few more scraps she found on the floor, and stuck them on. VOILA! Instant masterpiece, to be treasured always :) The mountain of punched blossoms uses the Boho Blossoms punch from the Spring Mini, the Spring Bouquet punch, plus the odd retro daisy thrown in cos she could see 'that other flower punch up there on the wall mummy!) There's about 3 12x12 sheets worth there, lets just say my blossom punches are nicely worn in now! I hope you get a giggle from my day with my newest recruit!

More tomorrow hopefully, including pics of the cards I did get made eventually, and details of upcoming classes and events.

Ooops!

Oh dear... Sorry folks! Been far too long between posts - life in general has been somewhat more distracting than usual! I have quite a few things backed up to show you, so stand by for the deluge!

This is a card I made for my husband's birthday this month. All products used in making this card are Stampin' Up! and are available for purchase through me. I am really liking the Bayou Blue/River Rock combo for classic masculine cards. This one uses the Canvas background in Bayou Blue ink on a River Rock base. Then there is a Bayou Blue layer that I have stamped with the motif stamp from the Boho Backgrounds set, in Bayou Blue ink. Then there's a horizontal band of Mellow Moss, which oddly matches the colour of Bayou Blue ink on River Rock that I stamped the background with, but in a solid colour. This layer is stamped with the all-over dot motif stamp from Boho Backgrounds, in Versamark. I have attacked this layer with the Distressing tool from the Cutter Kit (item # 106958) - man I love that gadget! So easy to even up slightly wonky edges and much easier than using a scissor blade. Top that with a layer of River Rock, again with distressed edges. I have used the Happy Birthday Stamp from "It's Your Birthday" to stamp the greeting in Bayou Blue, using my trusty Stamp-a-ma-jig. To embellish, I used some Aged Copper HodgePodge brads and a D Ring. The Bayou Blue stitched ribbon has white cords, but I painted them with my Aquapainter and some River Rock ink, to 'beige' them down to match the River Rock. End result?? He loved it :) More to come....!

What a wonderful weekend!

Ahhhh..... What peace and relaxation! The only way it could have been improved was if it lasted a whole week!

I spent last weekend at a gorgeous bushland retreat, indulging in endless hours of stamping, a touch of scrapping, a few activities thrown in for good measure, all wrapped up with great company and lots of laughs! The retreat was organised by one of my uplines, Jayne Mercer, for her "Inklings" Team, and I can hardly wait for the next one! It was my first totally child-free, uninterrupted crafting weekend in longer than I can remember, if ever!! And it was utter bliss!

Many of us participated in a giant 'card-in-a-box' scheme, and over the course of the weekend I completed 16 cards, each designed by a different demonstrator. There was a wonderful variety, and I got to play with a few new techniques too! We also had some great sketch and colour challenges, and had a hilarious time attempting to answer obscure quiz questions. It was great getting to know lots of my fellow SU demonstrators better, as the relationships that have developed between us are one of the best things about being with SU!

Here are a couple of pics - sorry about the slighly out of focus one of my lovely downlines Carolyn and Clare - their happy faces say it all regardless though!

The second image is my first attempt at the "Zindorf" brayering technique - lots of fun to do, and I am looking forward to practicing some more!

Sorry! I changed subscriptions again!

After switching the feed service just a week or so ago, I subsequently did some more research into the different systems available, and found a much cooler one!! So, my apologies to those who have just set up the RSS service, but I think the advantages of the Feedburner thingy will be well worth it - including a more timely delivery of update emails and the option of adding to whatever feed service you use - Google Reader, Bloglines etc.

I have just spent a wonderful retreat weekend making cards, and I am working on my photos, so expect some pics tomorrow!

Stampinkpaper