Housekeeping and Customer Lists

Further to yesterday's post on the newsletter, and on clearing our my own inbox this morning of clutter I regrettably don't have the time to read, I have had a major clear out of my customer database.  Now that I have been a demo almost 5 years, there are a lot of people who may no longer be interested or who have another preferred demo.  There have been merged customer lists, and a change from Constant Contact to my Demonstrator website emails, times and hobbies change and that's OK!  There were also quite a few 'opt-outs' which means the Demonstrator Website does not send on newsletters to those email addresses.  For a while there, it was quite easy to accidentally unsubscribe, so if you would still like to receive my emails, it's easy to re-subscribe again, by clicking this link.  I guess if you don't want the monthly-ish email, you won't miss it, but if you do, you're most welcome to re-sign.  Thanks for visiting, it was nice 'knowing' you, one day maybe we'll meet again...

Triple Treat flower and Dandelion Project needs your support!

Here are two cards that I made having chosen a colour combination inspired by the delicious "Cheerful Treat" Hostess Designer Series Paper.  I used the Triple Treat flower stamp, from the a la carte collection (see it on page 14 of the catalogue, #125040 just $16.95!).  As the name suggests, this stamp can be used with (or without!) three different punches for quick easy cards - 5 petal flower, Fancy Flower and 1/2" circle punch.  It also suits the "Rock and Roll" technique for adding a darker colour around the outside of the stamp for a two-tone effect, or you can use markers to colour different sections of the stamp.    There's some sewing, some distressing and some yum Concord Crush poly twill ribbon.  Concord will be leaving us come September 1, and it is a quite unique dark purple/blue, which looks stunning with Wisteria Wonder, Melon Mambo, Lucky Limeade and lots more - make sure to stock up (and get a reinker for your pad!) before it's gone...  act now!

Speaking of 'act now', here's a totally non-stamping related plug for a cause about which I am most passionate - bullying.  More precisely, it's a support and anti-bullying digital book being planned.  It's a unique idea, with obvious appeal to children, presented in an accessible digital format.
The "Dandelion - Bullying is for People with no Imagination" project is currently listed on "Kickstarter", with 10 days to go to reach the funding target.  There is a short video with information by the creator, access it via the widget below and lots of options to help - every dollar counts!  I'm sure as a community of very imaginative people we can get them over the line and feel proud to have contributed a little to a big cause.



Please help if you can, and spread the word so we can help make this project come to life!

Kate Mason's Canvas Napkin Art Class

There is no stamping on this particular example, but you could quite easily add stamping to this really cool, really fun, and easy technique!
Kate Mason was one of the three awesome teachers this year, and she taught a class on the fascinating technique of paper napkin collage.  The teaser images on the class flyer and the plethora of darling artworks on her blog and etsy shop had me quite excited to try something new. I'm planning to have a go with some of my immense collection of Stampin' Up! Designer Series paper and fabrics too, chucking in a bit of texture paste and gauze too maybe, a la Louise Nelson (who's workshop I loved at last year's e2c).  Adding it to the never ending 'to do' list.  Shame there's so much tedious, less crafty stuff that must come first.  I wonder how many art subjects I would need to do at uni before I would be allowed to teach that too???  Hmm, there's an idea!  After all, there's plenty of science in art!

 I changed the designs only a little from the class samples, mainly moving the images to make space for a large quote on each, and switching the colours around.  I had an idea straight off that I wanted to put an inspirational quote on each as a gift for my two lovely kids.  I went looking for rubons, but the only ones I liked were too small and/or the wrong font style.  Hmm, what to do?  I was not keen on writing directly onto the finished canvas, for fear of stuffing it up, but I had a brainwave about using the white layers from the 3 ply napkins, which weren't used on the canvas base.  I took my Sakura Pigma black pen and hand-wrote what I wanted to say, then carefully cut around the lettering and applied it just like another layer of printed napkin.  It meant I could write a word as many times as I needed to get the spacing and look to be how I wanted.  I just need to add a final coat of matte sealer, and then the kids can have them.  I'm desperate to make more, but as per above, there's less fun stuff ahead in the queue :(  Better get off here and start ticking some of those items off I guess... 

Escape2Create 2012

Just posting these pics makes me wish I was back in the shed, stamping and laughing, soaking up the creative vibes that were so thick in the air you could cut them!  As always, Amanda, Sue and Meredith (the main organising team) together with their wonderful teachers for the year, Nat May, Mardi Winen and Kate Mason made it an unforgettable trip.  I feel lucky that I get to stretch the experience out to nearly a week, because it's a fair way to go.  For the last two years, Andrew has been part of the incredible behind the scenes team making everything run smoothly, helping out in the kitchen with the wonderful Val Slater (my newly adopted physics and chemistry HS teacher mentor!), and this year's volunteer cooking trio of Leanne, Mel and Kym.  This year, following on from last year's "Man in Pink" tag, he scored the label of "Mr McGuyver" from Mardi.  Lucky me that he's made himself so indispensible that I get to be amongst the chosen few who have the pleasure of attending and helping out.  I'm so inspired, my buckets are flowing over with enthusiasm, now just to find the time needed to play!  A huge thank you to everyone who is so friendly and welcoming to us out-of-staters, if I ever feel the need to move to the country, the Eyre Peninsula would be top of my list I reckon!

An apple for the teacher? Well, a cherry is close :)

Oh. My. Goodness. !!!
What a week!  During the intensive month of teaching methodology subject we were all placed at a random school for 8 days of "In School Orientation Program".  It's sort of a 'thrown in the deep end' approach, as after the first three days, you are teaching solo (while being observed, and rescued if needed).  I took a Year 8 science class, and a Year 10 class for the last 5  days.  Today, in our Year 10 class doing a genetics unit, every single bench successfully extracted great spool-able globs of gorgeous DNA from wheatgerm.  It was a prac usually done (with less success apparently) with Year 12 Biology, so it was sort of a 'proud mummy' moment watching them get great results.  I ventured outside into the playground with Year 8, looking at the effect of light on grass growth, and it was interesting to see their behaviour and engagement change over the days as they got to know me.
My conclusions:
1. I've never rushed from place to place so much in any job, I was totally whacked by the end of each day!
2. I've never had to cart so much paperwork and books from lab to staffroom and back again, and then to and from home
3. Lesson planning takes hours and hours!  Especially if you make the effort to make their lesson engaging and appealing.
4. It is hard to predict what is going to happen next - there's always something happening to throw a spanner into the lesson plan.  In the space of the 8 days I encountered Year 12 boys dressed in feather angel wings and red satin boxers delivering "Hug-a-grams" on Valentines Day, "mufti-madness", special assemblies, to motivational media presentations and more.
5. Seeing adolescents start to trust you and work for you is worth every bit of the above.  Bribing with lollies and stationery items helps here... ;-)

So, thank your kids teachers!  They sure deserve it.

I have one more week of intensive methodology, and then an exam, and then things will settle to a more 'leisurely' routine.  If you'd like to offer your group of friends for me to practice my newly polished teaching skills on, I'm totally itching to do some Stampin' Up! workshops for Sale-a-bration, I'll even bribe you with lollies!  First to book will get an extra prize from my stash!  Give me a call, 0403 175 790 or send an email and we can compare diaries to find a suitable day and time.

Above is a card I made with the "Button Buddies" stamp set, coloured with markers, and stamped onto a Whisper White panel.  I matted it with Pear Pizzazz, and then Whisper White again, and put it on a background of Riding Hood Red stamped with the sadly retired "Polka Dot" stamp. I used some of the extra wide striped grosgrain as a hanger, and played around with a bit of narrow taffeta Old Olive ribbon to secure a knot at the top.  A sentiment down the bottom from "Just Believe" and it was all done.  If you wanted to dress it up even more, you could add a couple of buttons over the cherries, for a 3D effect.

Have a good weekend everyone, also a reminder that the next Stampin' Crop day is Saturday 25th February, from 10-5, details as usual.  New people always welcome, just call or email as above for more info.

Happy New Year!

Groan!  Yes, I know it is already nearing the end of January before I have gotten around to a Happy New Year post on my poor blog.  School holidays must have some kind of time-sucking vortex function, feels like it anyway.

I hope all my readers have enjoyed a peaceful and relaxing break over Christmas, or if not, at least nothing too stressful!  We have been pretty busy, doing the long-awaited exterior paintwork on our house.  Looks great, but not much time has been had for fun stamping stuff.  Luckily, I have managed to squeeze in a couple of crafting days masquerading as play-dates for my kids - Thanks to fellow demo friends Amy and Nicky for the inspired locations and great company.  I have taken some pics of what I made on those days, but still have quite a backlog from before Christmas to show you, so I'll get to that first :)

But, before anything paper-based, I feel compelled to show off my finished scrap quilt!  It's been a while in the making, given that I started it in the year 2000...  Here's the epic story.
When I was writing my science PhD thesis, I worked in Australia's biggest patchwork fabric shop for a mentally un-taxing income.  I've always sewn, having had a dressmaker mum, but I'd never made a quilt.  I figured that would be a good time and place to learn, and would provide a little light relief while writing.
Obviously, I haven't been working on it constantly, and the top was finished not long after my first child was born in 2001.  A while later, I added backing and batting, and basted it.  Then it sat, meanwhile I went back to work and then had child # 2, and did quite a few other things, like getting stuck into Stampin' Up!  I ummed and ahhed about the actual quilting, wanting to do it myself but not quite having the skills to do all that funky freemotion stuff.  Eventually, I just whizzed all over with nice straight lines of stitching. Phew!  Bundled away for a while longer.
Then, I thought I'd be brave and try some nice border patterns.  Every available different type of marking pencil/spray/chalk/paper pattern later, and quite a bit of unpicking, I've decided freemotion is something that I suck at.  So, it was decided at last to stick to simple, straight lines of stitching.  Decision made, and it was finished completely, bound and all, in a matter of the last few of days.  Did I mention that I stupidly decided to tackle 'something useful' like a king size bed cover for my first quilt?  No? (insert rolling eyes/facepalm smilie here).  I love it to bits, and am looking forward to dressing my bed with it, and passing it down to my kids as an heirloom one day.

 

It's very nice to have one of my "UFO"s (= Un Finished Object) done and dusted.  What do you think? 

A few days left to save! December Frenzy ends soon...

Hello everybody!  I hope all my readers have enjoyed a peaceful and relaxing Christmas Day, and are enduring the school holidays with ease and grace?  It's been unbelievably busy here, mainly due to me hosting the family Christmas.  I have NO idea how my grandmother managed to make it all look so effortless well into her old age, wish she was still around so I could ask her!! 

The kids are leaping on any chance to go for a swim, and it's lucky we've had a few days of warmer, less wet weather.  Or, perhaps I should make that ONE child is keen to don cossies, the other one was home from the last day of school for about 10 minutes before he broke his little finger!  It's all strapped up and splinted, but he's still managed to get it wet a few times, so I've had plenty of practice re-bandaging.  It's put a dent in his holiday style though!  Lucky he's pretty tough, and it should heal fine as long as he doesn't do more damage before it heals.  He's off to the doc again in a day or two for a repeat xray to see how it's healing, and a swimmable fibreglass cast if I get my way!

Onto more crafty matters:
The December Frenzy sale runs until 31st December,  and there are still plenty of bargains to be had.  Only the Every Moment set and the Ornate Blossom set have returned to normal catalogue price, as of today, but I'd still recommend not leaving it too late in case other items are also low in stock.

The pic above just shows the Christmas treats we made for the kid's classmates - Hershey's Nuggets, Red and Green M&Ms, and Maltesers, with Santa Owl toppers, apparently they went down well, making 60+ did take a wee while though!!

And, congratulations to Joan from Ulladulla NSW for being the winner of my pre-Christmas prize draw, I hope you enjoy your stamp set and goodies.

Happy relaxing everyone!

More motorbikes - Father's Day Card

Another motorbike stamp, another one just retired!!  I hope all of you who liked it managed to order one before the end of the Autumn/Winter mini, because I'll not be parting with mine!

This is a card I made for my dad, who enjoys rebuilding and riding vintage motorcycles.  His favoured bikes are a bit more European in style than this one, but we can make do! His favourite colour is green, so I've used Wild Wasabi as the card base, stamped with the Woodgrain background.  Getting inspiration from the colour combination in the Just add cake DSP, I've paired it with Baja Breeze, So Saffron and Pumpkin Pie.  These panels have been run through my crimping tool several times, in both horizontal and vertical directions to get a waffle look, and then torn and the layers separated.  You can see the waffle texture best in the Baja Breeze strip at the bottom, where I have highlighted the bumps with a skimming of ink from a sponge block.

The main image was stamped in Stazon Black, and coloured with markers and some silver Shimmer Paint applied with a Blender Pen.  The halo-like splodgy background was made by scribbling patches of colour onto a damp acetate sheet, masking off the final stamped image, then pressing the acetate over the top to transfer the ink.  I secured the panels with the mini library clips, because they are both cute and blokey!  The sentiment is from the JUST GOTTA HAVE IT set, Teeny Tiny Sentiments  (I use this set so often I've considered setting up a keyboard shortcut :p )

Hope you like - back to assignments! 

On that note, if there is anyone out there with a diagnosis of dyslexia who would like to give me a sentence or comment about what it meant to them as a child at school (or as an adult), I'd love to receive them via email at michelle.dyson@bigpond.com  

You won't be identified, but your quote might make it to my mini movie about Inclusive Education practices.

Thanks!

Time for tea?

Here's another UFO - unfinished object.  All it really needs is a sentiment, so perhaps I'll leave it until the right moment appears to give it away?  I made this card while at the escape2create retreat a few months back, late, late one night (when I tend to do my best crafting)  I used the "Morning Cup" stamp set, and my crayons and markers to colour the images, stamped in Stazon.  I also used a mask to stamp the coffee cup several times as if there were a cluster of cups on the worktop.  There certainly was plenty of coffee consumed on these late nights, with grateful thanks to Meredith for her fabbo Nespresso machine and the #10 capsules with extra KICK!  They were so yum that I had to remind myself that I have a perfectly good coffee machine that makes great coffee, already sitting on my kitchen bench...  And that I don't *really* need a Nespresso.  Much.

Back to the card - it uses the fluffy delightfullness of Melon Mambo Pom Pom trim, get it before it's gone from the Autumn Winter Mini catalogue, available in Daffodil and Tangerine as well. The card base is Baja Breeze, and the patterned paper is Elegant Soiree.  There's a bit of lifting and popping with dimensionals, and a bit of tearing and shredding with the distressing tool from the cutter kit, and that's it.  Hope you like, off to make some cards for a swap!

It's been a long time coming, but worth the wait I hope!!

Keeping this post at the top for easy reference, until the end of the ticket sale period!  There are also a couple of updates, in RED!

Towards the end of last year, I had planned a fundraising raffle for a fellow demonstrator's little boy, Ethan. However, there were already plans underway for a major fundraiser for another special demonstrator baby, Lara, of "We Stamp for Lara" fame, and I decided to postpone my (much smaller) effort so it didn't distract from that event. Then, of course, we have had the most disaster-laden summer I can ever recall, with floods, fires, earthquakes and tsunamis, so that timing didn't seem quite right either. Touch wood, things appear to be settling a little, but in any case I'm going to pop this 'out there' now, and do what I can, with your help for Ethan's worthy cause. Some of my lovely customers have purchased tickets in this raffle already, as I started it with my catalogue launch back in September 2010. In fact, they encouraged me to expand the raffle in an effort to raise as much as possible. So, I announce the new, improved......


Fundraising Raffle for Ethan


One of the nicest things about being a demonstrator is the wonderful friendships that develop between us. We rally together to support many worthy causes, this time to help Ethan.

Ethan is the 6 year old son of Corina Beyer, a Riverina demonstrator. Ethan has Type 1 Diabetes, very difficult to manage in a young child. He has an insulin pump fitted, reducing the burden of multiple daily insulin injections. However, he still requires blood glucose monitoring every 2 hours round the clock, to prevent him from lapsing into a diabetic coma. Imagine the kind of stress this places on a family, if only from lack of unbroken sleep!

Ethan has recently trialled an automated continuous blood glucose monitoring system, which sounds an alarm if his levels fall outside the crucial range. However, the device costs $1250. And, the consumables cost more than $150 per week. Unfortunately, the Diabetes subsidy scheme does not cover this equipment. Your support will help to give Ethan a much more normal life, as well as his family!


Tickets are $2 each, or 6 for $10
Your name and contact number will be recorded against ticket numbers, and you'll receive an email with your ticket numbers once your payment has been received.  Prizes will be drawn using an online random number generator on TUESDAY 31st MAY.

How to purchase tickets?
Please follow these steps:
1. Email me on michelle.dyson@bigpond.com with your name, address, contact number and the number of tickets you would like to purchase.
2. Make a deposit to the following account:  St George BSB: 112879 Acc: 456399187  Name: Michelle Dyson and use your SURNAME as a reference.
3. Receive an email with your ticket numbers and drawing details to keep as your record.
Tickets are generally available to Australian residents only, due to the expense of mailing prizes to international winners, thank you for your understanding.  However, if you are able to arrange payment from an Australian bank account and can nominate an Australian address in the lucky situation of being a winner, I'd be delighted to issue tickets!

Attention troublemakers (because there's always one...):
Please be assured that I have investigated the procedure for holding this raffle under NSW law, and you can read more for yourself about the conditions and rules here.  No permit is required as the total prize value and method of promoting and drawing fall within the guidelines in the document linked here.  I have also received permission from Stampin' Up! to run the raffle, and they have donated a large box of wonderful goodies which have enabled me to expand the number of prizes.  Due to difficulties other demonstrators have had using Paypal to collect charitable donations, Paypal will generally NOT be accepted as a method of payment for tickets.  If you are overseas, without access to an Australian account, and desperately keen to contribute, contact me via email to see if we can work something out. Funds will be transferred to Ethan's Trust Account in batches, after I process and issue tickets. Further details of the draw timing and location will be provided closer to the date, and observers are welcome to attend.

Now, nitty gritty stuff dealt with, on to the PRIZES!!  I'd like to acknowledge the kind donations from members of my team, other demonstrators and Stampin' Up! Australia.

First Prize:

Prize pack includes: Simply Sent Card kit

Papercrafts Gourmet Book

Simply Scrappin Kit

Butterfly Punch

Days to Remember 12x12 calendar

Selection of ribbon, adhesive, brads, glitter

Stamp Set, cardstock, patterned paper as shown

Valued at  over $400

Second Prize:

Prize pack includes: Simply Sent Card Kit

Simply Scrappin Kit

Designer Series Papers

Cardstock, rub ons, box kit

Blender Pens
Stamp set

Selection of ribbons, glitter, brads

Punch, as shown

Valued at over $300

Third Prize:

Prize pack includes: Simply Sent Card Kit

Simply Scrappin Kit

Designer Series Papers

Cardstock

Stamp Set

Rolls of ribbon, glitter and brads

Plier punch, as shown

Valued at over $250

Fourth Prize

Prize pack includes:  Simply Sent Card kit

Designer Series Paper pack

6x6 patterned paper pad

On Board Chipboard pack

4 rolls ribbon

Glitter, buttons

Stamp Set

Daubers and Sanding block samples, as shown

Valued at over $250

 

Fifth Prize:

Prize pack includes:  Punches Three Gift tin with punch, stamp set and ink spots

Designer Series Paper pack

On Board Chipboard pack

Jumbo roller

Ribbon Rolls

Ink Pad

three markers

adhesive remover, as shown

Valued at over $200

I'll think you'll agree you wouldn't mind winning ANY of these prize packs! 

I look forward to issuing your tickets, and helping a young boy get a bit of his life back!

Many, many thanks for your kindness and generosity, and good luck in the draw!

What!!?? Who'd drive more than 4000km just to go to a scrap retreat??

Me! Me! Me! (and, with luck, Me! again next year!)
Yep, it really is an Escape 2 Create.  A round trip of a whisker over 4000km from here in Sydney to Port Lincoln, SA and back again, the third year in a row.  It's become a trip my husband and I look forward to, knowing the best places to stay, to stop for fuel, food and (respectable) bathroom facilities along the way.  We had the car loaded up with materials to teach my stamping workshop, lots and lots of papercrafting stuff for creating into the wee hours, and a back seat snooze zone with blanket and pillows for resting between driving stints.

Words can't quite express how much I appreciate being able to participate in such a great event.  Amanda, Meredith, and Sue have created an extraordinary retreat, to fill a need in an isolated pocket of Australia that is simply brimming with creativity and resourcefulness.  There is quite a few more people working behind the scenes, including Val and Kathryn the volunteer kitchen goddesses and the Eyre Peninsula papercraft retailers.not to mention each and every e2c participant!

It was indeed an honour to be invited to teach, and I'll move heaven and earth to be there again in 2012, if you'll have me! Nabbing a teaching spot might be the only chance I have, this year booked out within an incredible 15 MINUTES!  It is worth every single kilometre and more to share in the wonderful 'thing' you have created together.  I'll bribe you if necessary, dangling my "man in pink" like a carrot....  LOL!  Thank you to all the brave ladies who faced their stamping fears at my workshop, we made a delightful mess, and I hope you are all inspired to go home and dig out your neglected stamping tools and materials. 

I was sorry I didn't get myself organised in time to book into the scrap classes, being taught by legendary Australian scrapbookers Fran Tynan and Tatum Woodroffe.  Their creations were AMAZING!  It was nice to soak up the inspiration just by being seated close by though, and to wander around seeing how everyone's layouts looked so subtly different!  I did however get to take part in the incredibly fun workshop by 'upcycling' legend, Lou Nelson, using texture paste, stencils, gauze, glimmer spray, plastic bubble packages and dress pattern tissue to create a deliciously textured scrap 'page'  It's not yet finished, but I love how it looks so far!  Stay tuned...


And, being that it was a scrap retreat, I created an honourary scrap page.  I feel like I haven't scrapped in years, finding the bite-sized canvas of a card to be easier to fit in amongst my busy life.  But, I do enjoy creating a few special memories with selected photos.

Going from last photo to first:

A4 Scrap page - inspired by Amanda Hall  's hallmark size, as well as the awe-inspiring A4 talent of fellow teacher, Fran Tynan.  Just as the scrappers were thinking of their stamps as re-useable rub-ons, I was attempting to think, "it's just an oversized card"  The background is Pear Pizzazz, the paper scraps are from the Greenhouse Gala DSP, and the journal panel is cut using the Scallop circle BigShot die from the Hostess pack of In Colour paper.  The splodge stamp is from Extreme Elements, the Friends stamp from Vintage Vogue, and the flower is punched using the Scallop Circle and Butterfly punches, on scraps of brown paper stamped with images from the Friends never Fade stamp set that matches the Greenhouse Gala papers.  I secured the flower with an Antique brad, and added a mini vintage tag to trim.  Up the top, I added a Clips Assortment clip with a snip of Pear Pizzazz twill ribbon.  Around the outside I doodled a border of Early Espresso marker.  I chose the colours based on the photo, taken in the Central West of NSW, hope you like!

Next pic up: Dawn breaking, towards Wilcannia.  Taken at speed through a grubby windscreen unfortunately, due to there being a Road Train not far behind me...

Sculpture of oversized park bench, Broken Hill Line of Lode Miner's Memorial.  Love the light in this one, SOOC.

The rusted, tunnel like Miner's Memorial - inside are the details of the more than 800 men who have lost their lives in mining accidents at Broken Hill since silver, copper, tin and zinc were first mined there in the 1800's.  This complex has won many architectural awards, and is perched on top of the giant "mullock heap" that dominates the town-scape.

Next up - what's country Australia without a bit of "Big Kitsch"??  This is Kimba, which claims to be halfway across Australia.  Not sure of the validity of that, but hey, it's got a Big Galah!  Freaky looking really...  And it is in close proximity to the curiously named town "Iron Knob"

Next up, third from top - something a LOT more aesthetically pleasing!  The escape 2 create girls go to extra-ordinary effort to createa theme for each year's retreat, this one was 1950's housewife humour, complete with vintage colour scheme, old-style magazine adverts in the table number frames, pinwheel decorations and great pop-art style graphics.  The goodie bags contained all kinds of curious snippets, I look forward to creating with them at some time in the future (when I clear my desk of Constructivism essay papers...*)

Second from top - the shed, what a fabulous creating space!  High ceiling, expansive width, room to move, and an airy feel.  This was taken quite early during setup, it didn't stay this peaceful looking for long.  It was simply buzzing with creative energy!

And, at the top, somewhere near Nymadgee, northern central NSW.  Bugger!  I forgot to take a photo of the to-die-for Vanilla Slice from the 5 Loaves Bakery in Cummins, SA.  Long way to go for coffee and pastries, but we WILL be back!  Like I said, worth. every. kilometre. 


* yes - I have done it again, a nice loooong post, with lots of pics, when I should really be investing time in wrapping my head around the "vast and woolly" topic of constructivism.    Now my typing fingers are nice and lubricated, I'll take a break and enjoy a glass of wine  :P

(Plenty of) Elements of Style - Happy Birthday Ryn!

First, let me say that assignments are IN.  I was very good and refrained from procrastinating further until today.  Always plenty to do on the ole' to do list, but I do enjoy slipping in a cosy blog chat amongst the more mundane :)

My downline team member and good friend Carolyn, known as Ryn to many shares her birthday with me, along with lots of other things in common!  It wasn't possible to meet up on the day, as our schedules have become busier than ever lately with work, uni and other commitments.  But, we met for lunch yesterday at a T2 tea shop and enjoyed a yummo selection of high tea goodies with steaming pots of Earl Grey  (yet another taste we have in common!)  It was lots of fun, and I wished we got a chance to be decadent like that a little more often!

Anyway, here's the card I made for Ryn, using the Elements of Style set.  Again, this card started out as a rescue project, so I can thank Barbara (yes, the same Barbara who provided the beautiful rescued watercolouring in the post just before this) for her exacting standards.  This time it wasn't a wayward punch chomp, but a slightly wonky greeting.  Four words Barb, Stamp A Ma Jig.  But!  Never mind, it created material that I was keen to put to good use.  It involved a lot of fussy cutting, but I was very pleased with the result.  I chose colours from the crayon watercolouring used, Old Olive and Blushing Bride, and recycled a distressed piece of Confetti Cream cardstock from a previous stamping session. Ryn would be proud of me - she's big on minimising waste.  I stamped the same flower sprig onto the scrunched Confetti panel in Early Espresso ink, and mounted the cut out watercolour paper image over it with Stampin' Dimensionals.  I curled and distressed the edges of the other layers, and used my new punch, Pinking Hearts along the right hand side

(be quick for this punch - it's in the current mini, ending March 31st, and I'm not sure about it being available again until at least September)

The base of the card was stamped with the Bella Toile background in Old Olive ink, and I used an offcut made into a pennant shape to stamp the Birthday Wishes greeting from the Level 3 Hostess set Occasional Quotes.  I used an Antique brad to attach a scrap of Blusing Bride twill ribbon to the pennant, and slipped it behind the Confetti layer.

As a final touch, I got out the Crystal Effects dimensional lacquer, and dabbed glossy accents onto the flowers.  It takes a while to set, but gives a beautiful raised shiny finish to a special card for a special someone.  Happy Birthday Ryn!

A very special Get Well - Because I Care

Hot on the heels of Elements of Style comes this Get Well card for a special friend and mentor.  It also uses the easy watercolouring technique of watercolor wonder crayon with blender pen.  First, about the card itself, then a bit about it's recipient...

There is a slightly amusing tale behind this card,  it's what I call a 'rescue project'  One of my lovely customers, Barbara, does beautiful watercolouring, and was busy using her new crayons with the blender pen.  Her gorgeous hydrangea blossom from the Level 1 Hostess set was beautifully coloured, trimmed into a panel for the card she was working on, then laid aside.  However, Barb was in driven production mode this Stampin' Crop day, trying to complete some projects before needing to leave earlier than usual.  A few steps later, she grabs a scrap of Very Vanilla to stamp a greeting on, and duly punches it out with the Scallop Oval.  Oops...  The punch monster had left lovely teeth marks in the coloured flower image on the other side of the 'scrap'...  Into the rubbish tub it was tossed, and Barb got on with making a replacement.  No!! you can't throw that away, I'm sure you can do something with that!!  So, it was handed over to me as a challenge of sorts.  And here is the result!  I stamped a second flower on a piece of Naturals Ivory card, and coloured with the same colours Barb used.  I trimmed around the damaged section, following the outlines of the hydrangea bracts, to create a new, slightly smaller layer to create dimension with.  The change in cardstock colour from Vanilla to Naturals Ivory adds to the shading and depth.  Bet you can't tell where the oval scallop bite is now!  I also rescued one of the leaves and overlaid it on my stamped image, and made one for the other side for balance. 

The card sat like this for a few days, with the matching greeting from the Hostess set, but then the ideal opportunity came up to complete it.  I added a Soft Suede background stamped with Wonderfully Worn background in matching ink, then layers of Crumb Cake and Blushing Bride.  Blushing Bride twill ribbon was wrapped around the base, and I had an idea to try the ribbon ruffle technique.  I wasn't sure how the diagonal weave would go, but thought it was worth a try.  Instead of creating a nice straight piece of gathered ribbon, the ribbon naturally curled and twisted, and I could quickly envision a ribbon flower.  A few stitches of thread later to secure the ends, and my twill hydrangea accent was done!  A few adhesive half back pearls from the Jewels Basic Pearl pack to the main image and the centre of the ribbon flower complete the card.

A special card, for a special person - my upline and mentor Jayne Mercer.  Jayne is currently recuperating from surgeries for gallbladder removal after a nasty attack last week.  Get well soon Jayne, now it's our turn to return some of the kindness and care you offer all your team members.  Pop on over to Jayne's blog if you'd like to leave a message for her, I'm sure it would make her day

Now, what's this - two longish posts in under a week,  how could that be?  A dose of procrastination perhaps?  Hmm, that would be true - an assignment on the Skemp theory of relational vs instrumental mathematical instruction awaits, as well as a critical analyis of some educational psychology papers.  But the ideas have been percolating while I warm up my typing fingers, and I'll finish them before I return to more pleasurable writing tasks, pinky promise!! 

Gold Medal for exemplary customer service awarded to " Pink Poppy "

I am very much a believer in excellent customer service, and it is something I try hard to provide myself.  However, every now and again, I come across service that goes so far above and beyond the norm that I feel proud to bestow my thanks in as public a way as possible - hence this unusual blog post:

The back-story - On Christmas afternoon my 9yo son unwrapped a gift from his auntie, which included a cool animal shaped "Balloon Ball Buddy"  Miss Soon To Be 6 also received one.  Of the assorted treasures they received, these toys were the most captivating, and were quickly extricated from their packaging and inflated.  For a short few minutes, there was much amusement and pleasure, but then Master 9's tore apart under very moderate inflation.  There were tears, quite a few of them, wrapped in much disappointment.  Miss STB6 very graciously offered to stem the flow by telling Master 9 that she would share hers with him, although she was now anxious that her toy would suffer the same fate.  I offered that I would try and find him a replacement as soon as possible, and so as not to forget, and before the packaging could be binned, I sent off an email explaining the story above to the distributor address on the packaging,  Yipose Trading Company P/L, who are most commonly known as "Pink Poppy" , purveyor of all things pink and girly.  You've almost certainly seen their stands of hair clips and bows and similar goodies on your shopping adventures, but I'd never seen the balloon toys before.

Scroll forward to 9am Boxing Day morning, when the doorbell sounds.  Expecting to find neigbouring children keen to play, imagine my stunned amazement to find a representative from Pink Poppy, with not one, but TWO replacement "Ball Buddies", and an additional gift for both Master 9 and Miss STB6 of a cool 'projector' pen, and a sturdy kid-sized shopping bag to boot.  There were a few more tears, of happiness this time, along with profuse thanks.  Mere hours after sending the enquiry, on a traditional family day, where no one would be expected to read work-related emails, let alone act upon them.  Quite simply amazing!

I am so very impressed at the speed and thoughtfullness with which the drama was resolved, and would like to congratulate the people responsible for their excellent service.  You certainly made our day, and restored a little faith in the commercial world as well.  A very well deserved "StampInkPaper Gold Medal of Service " is hereby bestowed upon you!  If you're reading this and have an outlet that suits their range, perhaps you should check them out as a supplier!!

Christmas Wishes

Merry Christmas everyone!
I thought I had succeeded in doing something new with my Demonstrator Business website, making an e-card in a different program and inserting it into the e-card editor in DBWS.  It looked fine in preview, and I was quite proud of my efforts!!  However, something is not quite right..... Apologies to everyone who receives an email with a little red x square....  I'll try again, perhaps another day though!

Santa is nearly here, hope you've been good enough to get what you most would like :)

Farewell Fudge and Welcome Kimba, aka "new and improved Fudge"

A few weeks ago we said a considered and sad farewell to our second fur-child, Fudge.  Fudge was 11years old, young for a burmese, but had been battling a rare (in cats) digestive condition for almost 2 years. She was suffering from a pancreatic enzyme insufficiency, which meant that she was unable to extract enough nutrition from her food.  She was perpetually hungry, and lost a great deal of weight, from a healthy 4.5kg in the top photo down as low as 2.3kg. 

Once she was diagnosed, and started on her treatment, she regained quite a bit of her body mass to 3kg, and was happy and active, if still ravenous!  However, she had some setbacks recently, and while she recovered from the first with a course of Flagyl, she was unable to bounce back a second time.  A week or so before her euthanasia, she stopped purring, and lay around not doing much, and the expression on her little face just said 'tired and sad'.  My children have grown up with Fudge, and were understandably upset at the prospect.  We discussed at length the fact that it was not fair to keep dragging her along as she was, and they could see that it was the right time to make the decision.

 We'd also heard that there was a large number of special cats in urgent need of re-homing after their breeder and owner had been forced to move interstate, and thought that if we could offer a kind and loving home to another animal in desperate need, it would both fill the void and make it easier (for us) to part with Fudge.
Unfortunately for us, the burmese cat we had hoped to adopt had been rehomed via the PetRescue site,  but we were told there was another cat, a little unwell, who may or may not be adoptable.  In a strange co-incidence, the foster carer called the same afternoon as Fudge's departure to say that she was improving and that we could adopt her.  In another uncanny co-incidence, the new cat was the same (quite uncommon) Chocolate Tortoiseshell colour burmese as our adored Fudge.  It was certainly meant to be.  And so, we have welcomed Kimba to our family, and she has made herself more than at home with her super affectionate nature, athletic exploits and kittenish curiousity - hence the "new and improved Fudge" tag.   That's Miss Kimba, also known as "Kimasarby Dream Catcher", in the lower photo, looking suitably adorable.

So, if you're looking at getting a family pet for Christmas, I do urge you to contact any of the several rescue organisations, such as Pet Rescue  to see if you can offer a happy home to an animal in need, instead of purchasing from a breeder or pet shop.  Many breeds of dogs and cats have their own Rescue organisations, and there are delightful bitzers and moggies as well, all waiting to lavish their love on you.

Soon, back to something more like craft, thanks for reading :)

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!

We Stamp for Lara - starts November 1st, please help!

Please get behind me and many other Stampin' Up! Demonstrators in our support for a fellow demo, Madonna Dunn.  Madonna's youngest daughter, Lara May, was unexpectedly born with the most severe form of Cerebral Palsy, and will need ongoing treatment, therapy and extensive support for her lifetime.  As with anything medical, special needs means especially expensive.  Essential items that we take for granted such as chairs, strollers and car seats are available, but at a cost of many thousands of dollars.  To this end, Madonna and the members of the wider Elite team have organised a project, We Stamp for Lara.  This is a month-long event, to which you can subscribe for a cost of $25.00.  Entry into the event gives you access to a wonderful selection of tutorials, challenges and daily prize drawings, as well as a gallery and forum.  Everyone involved has donated their time and skills to ensure that every cent raised will benefit Lara.  Madonna, angel that she is, has also arranged to donate any outgrown equipment to the Xavier Children's Support Network for the use of other children like Lara, so your participation will benefit others for years to come.

There is just a few days before the event begins, so please share this information with your crafty friends, and have a great time doing something GOOD.  Payment is via Paypal, and you can click on the button at the right hand side to sign up NOW!

Thank you!

Colour Renovation! Make your list and check it twice...

Exciting changes are ahead for Stampin' Up!...

Here I have paraphrased the Press Release from Stampin' Up! Headquarters, since it describes more eloquently than I can what it's all about. I've also changed the dates to reflect the schedule here:

Color is uniquely personal. Some people are drawn to soothing, soft shades, and others relish energetic, vibrant colors. Regardless of color preference, Stampin' Up!'s renovated color collections available September 1, 2010 has something that everyone will love. The company extensively researched trends in fashion, design, paper crafting and home décor for almost two years in addition to holding focus groups with customers and demonstrators to decide on the palette of colors that would make up the color renovation.

The renovated color collections will include 25 carryover colors, 10 returning In Colors (which are now core colors), 5 new core colors, and 5 new In Colors, for a total of 45 colors. The company will continue to offer five new In Colors each year, and In Colors will have a lifespan of two years. Colors are divided into four collections: Subtles, Brights, Regals and Neutrals.

"We're thrilled with our color renovation," notes Shelli Gardner, co-founder and CEO of Stampin' Up! "We've always been known for our color coordination. These new collections allow us to continue our commitment to that approach, and combine it with an exciting new line of fresh, vibrant colors. Each collection is so beautiful, people will have a hard time choosing which collection is their favorite."

The new color collections offer many versatile choices, and as always, include a wide variety of coordinating products and accessories. Whether you have a color collection already in mind, or you want to explore the options available in Stampin' Up!'s complete line, you'll want to see the exciting new world of color for yourself.

So, what does this mean for you? Take a look at the newly re-organised collections. You'll see many of your current favourites, some of them have moved house though! The collections look updated, refreshed and rejuvenated, and you're also going to love having some of your old "In Colors" back - including Wild Wasabi and River Rock!

There are 29 colours retiring, which means they will be unavailable after 31st August. Many you won't miss at all, perhaps you've never used them (perhaps a clue as to why they're leaving us!!) Others, such as Close to Cocoa and Mellow Moss, Pale Plum and a few more are going to be missed, a little, at least until you come to love their replacements. Please please please check your collection, and ensure you have a reinker for any inkpads due to retire, and perhaps a small stash of cardstock to complete any projects. Just give me a call and I'll be happy to ensure your investment in our colour system will continue to give you crafting pleasure for many years to come!