Christmas Gift Ideas for Stampers - Wishlist Service

It's official, Christmas is less than a month away...
I was out shopping last night, and couldn't believe how busy it was, for a Thursday night - signs of things to come!

So, here's a way to shop from the comfort of your own home, using my Wishlist Service.  This works especially well for those of you with 'significant others' who tend to either:
a) leave things till the last minute and then fail spectacularly anyway, having ignored any subtle and not so subtle hints you've dropped over the last months.
b) just buy for you what they want for themselves, like that power tool or Taggart box set on DVD
c) get you nothing at all because they had no idea what to get you (DOH!) and then ran out of time to try and find something...

All you need to do is to write out your Stampin' Up! wishlist, hand it to them with my details jotted on the back, and tell them that if they ring me, it will all be taken care of in one easy step. Complete with bonus handmade card, and giftwrapping too if you're local. What could be easier for them, and more satisfying for you? Everybody happy, and that's the way it should be! It's Christmas!

Phone me on (02) 9484 9447 or email me at michelle.dyson@bigpond.com Gifts can be delivered ANYWHERE in Australia (the handmade card will be forwarded separately from the delivery if you are outside my personal delivery area)


Ho Ho Ho! Just call me Santa ;)

Vintage Letterpress with Artistic Etchings

Here's one of the first cards I made with the Artistic Etchings set.  As much as I loved it when I saw the beautiful vintage elements, I wasn't sure how easy it would be to create with, but I was pleasantly surprised to find my 'vintage groove' straight away, and I've been enjoying the collage/quirky style very much!

I think the original layout came from a sketch challenge at our recent team weekend, but of a very different clean and simple style of card.  Not for long once I got hold of it!

Card base is Crumb Cake, and there is also Very Vanilla, Soft Suede and Basic Gray.  I've layered, I've distressed, I've asymetricked (yes, I know that's not a word, maybe it should be?), I've crimped, added metal embellishments, and all together it gives the vintage look.

One thing that was a bit of an experiment was using the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder for the Big Shot machine to apply ink to the Debossed sections of the cardstock.  Here I used Baja Breeze ink, and swiped it over the smoother pattern side before running through.  You get a reverse type effect when you run the ink over the raised side.  This "letterpress" style is quite popular at the moment, and there are several newish tools on the market to make invitations with.  I think it's nice that you can take tools you already have and achieve a similar effect.  And if you don't already have the tools, then it's another reason to NEED them!! 

Speaking of NEEDS, there is a short while left on the Dressing Up Christmas Promotion, running until the 30th November.  The Ornament Punch bundle is currently unavailable however, due to a technical issue with the punch which is being worked on right now.  There are still three other bundles to choose from to get FREE RIBBON, including the Welcome Christmas bundle with very pretty Christmas Cocoa specialty paper.  Give me a call on 0403 175 790 to order.

For those of you who's significant others need some prodding and direction in the Christmas Gift department, stay tuned for details about my "Christmas Gift Wishlist" system, which makes it so easy for them to get you what you want!! Later today, hopefully, if I can get a few more things crossed off my to do list!

I'm going to be a SCIENCE TEACHER!

Woo Hoo!!  I thought it would be weeks and weeks before I would know, but this morning I received notification that I have been offered a place in the Graduate Diploma of Education at Macquarie Uni, starting next year.

No need to panic, I plan to continue with my Stampin' Up! life (it will no doubt help keep me sane!)

I'll be studying part time, and when I'm done in 2 years I'll be qualified to teach science to high school students.  I'm looking forward to the challenge, and to using the mothballed parts of my brain, in a career where I can share something else that I love, with the most important resource we have here in Australia, our children!

Thanks to Cafe Press for the image,  I'll be ordering!

Important Update for 'We Stamp for Lara' PayPal be DAMNED!!!!

Despite Lara's mum Madonna going to considerable effort to get a Government Approval Sanction specifically for this fundraising project, PayPal have seized her account where the donations have been made, and will not release any funds. PayPal were even asked prior to the donation buttons being placed if they required a copy of the documentation, but have blocked the account anyway. Come ON!!! We're mothers and friends helping a severely disabled child to access vital equipment, not terrorists or drug dealers!!! Get over yourselves, PayPal!! I'll be closing my Paypal accounts after this has been resolved, and I encourage you to do the same if at all possible. Vote with your feet to show how you feel about this reprehensible 'bully-boy' behaviour!

To this end, a brief message from the lovely Mads:

So, if you have friends that you want to join up or know of anyone else who’s interested, please direct them to Lara’s trust account:

Heritage Building Society
Mrs M J Dunn T/F Lara May Dunn
BSB 638010
A/C #: 12189650

So pass along the message girls. We will make sure that PayPal release the funds quickly. Word of mouth is a powerful tool. An angry Mother is another one!

Love and Hugs,
Mad

There's still plenty of time to jump in and join, you'll be able to access all of the daily tutorials to date, all the future daily tutorials and prize draws and of course, the grand prize draw of a Bigshot! Let's stick it to PayPal and show them we can succeed without their high fees and heavy-handed tactics!

Special masculine birthday card with Medallion

This one is a square card for a change, and I've been making a few of them lately and I've enjoyed the change in proportion.
I love, love LOVE the Medallion stamp, it can be used in so many ways for so many occasions.

Here it has a textured Very Vanilla base, 10" x 5" folded, followed by a Basic Black layer with distressed edges.  Tying the colours all together is a piece of the wonderfully useful "Newsprint" Designer Series Paper.  I've really ripped into this layer, tearing and rolling to give a distressed appearance.  The image layer is Confetti Cream, and I started the Medallion image by inking up with River Rock.  I then daubered a small amount of Basic Black ink  around the edges of the "branches" before stamping.  I repeated the image on a second piece of Confetti Cream, this time using Sahara Sand and Basic Black.  I trimmed the centre circular motif  and distressed the edges with the Cutter Kit distresser tool, mounting it over the base layer circle, with Stampin' Dimensionals for a bit of  'pop'  The finishing touch is a pewter "build-a-brad" with s 1/2" punched circle of Newsprint paper under the epoxy dome.  Now that I've shown you my little trick with the "Dog Bone" punch below, you'll know how I created the double layered Modern Label punch.  I used the "Party This Way" stamp set for the greeting, it's my current "go to" birthday sentiment.  All done, and the recipient was happy too :)  It's been CASE'd a few times by my regular crafting ladies, so I hope you like it too!