Quick, Clean and Simple Christmas Card Stamp-a-Stack FRIDAY OCTOBER 15th

Christmas Card Stamp-a-Stack - Quick, Clean and Simple
Friday 15th October, 7.30pm till around 10.30pm



The next Christmas Card Stamp-a-Stack is all about making cards suitable for fast, easy construction, but maintaining a hand-crafted and elegant style.  Just what you need when you have a long list of friends and family and are short on time (isn't that everyone?)
It will be held on the evening of Friday 15th October. It's a fantastic opportunity to get started on your stash of Christmas cards for the year with much of the hard work done for you. You'll make 15 cards, 5 each in three different designs. Stay tuned for some sneak peeks when I've finalised the samples. Everything is provided for you - pre-cut cardstock, all materials and embellishments, adhesive and beautiful Stampin' Up! envelopes to match. The class will be set up so you can construct the cards in an assembly-line format, with full instructions to create more later if you wish. The cost of the class is $25 and places are limited to ensure individual attention. Please give me a call if you'd like to book a seat, on 9484 9447 or 0403 175 790, or email me.

New In Colors and Printed Petals for Charlotte

Here is a card I made a week or two back, for a special 5 year old, Charlotte!  I've used several of this year's In Colors, Blushing Bride, Concord Crush and Pear Pizzazz, combined with crisp Whisper White.  I stamped the base card with Blushing Bride (I can see that I will be abbreviating that to BB before too much further into the year!!)  Then I edged a panel of luscious Concord Crush with the Scallop Trim border punch.  I then played around with some strips of Pear Pizzazz, and gave them the Scallop Trim treatment too.  I was comparing length so I'd know where to chop, when it occured to me that it looked pretty good if I offset the Pear just behind the Concord, to create a double layer. 

The Whisper White panel I stamped with all of the Printed Petals smaller stamps, in the three colours.  Then I whipped out my favourite new tool of the catalogue, the Versamarker Pen!!  This magic pen allows you to create embossed accents wherever you'd like, create embossed handwriting, and lots more.  I sprinkled clear embossing powder over, and heated with the heat tool, leaving the shiny areas to highlight the flowers.

The large flower I created using the Emboss Resist technique, by stamping onto Whisper White using Versamark ink, which I clear embossed.  I then used sponges and daubers to add areas of colour to the open areas of the flower.  To finish, I used some of the beautiful stitched poly ribbon in Pear Pizzazz, and added a Modern Label punched sentiment from the "Party this Way" stamp set.

In other news, I got a lovely surprise yesterday when I was given a blog award! Thanks Angie!

I'm to share three things about myself, and pass on the award to 5 more bloggers who's work I admire for offering that little bit extra!.

1. I'm left handed
2. I have three cats, two Burmese girls and a big boofa British Blue boy
3. I have a PhD in molecular biology, although that seems like a lifetime ago!

The five lovely ladies I'm bestowing this award upon are...
1. Amanda
2. Clare
3. Lisa
4. Beth
5. Vanessa

Off to bed with me, daylight savings has begun and I always make the mistake of staying up too late, luckily there is no-one else here to wake me up in the morning!!

Launch Party Winner and a Make and Take with "Friends Never Fade"

Congratulations to Vanessa J of Castle Hill for being the winner of the Lucky Door Prize at my New Catalogue Launch party a week or so back.  Vanessa has won a new stamp set, "Perfect Punches", a sampler pack of new colour cardstock, and some ribbon lengths.  The draw was based on attendance, but with a bonus ticket for each $50 in orders placed at the Launch Event.  Well done Vanessa, I hope you enjoy your new goodies and your prize!

Above is the card I designed for my Make and Take at the launch.  You can see the one designed by Carolyn Gibbs HERE, using "Morning Cup".  Carolyn Campbell-McLean had designed a cute 3D bauble using the "Delightful Decorations" set, I must ask her to post all the info!

My card uses the "Friends Never Fade" stamp set, one that jumped out at me from when I first laid eyes on it in the new US catalogue when it came out over there in July.  Thankfully, because of the catalogue realignnment, us downunder folks don't have to wait long at all!!  My review - it's a versatile set, with both bold and more delicate images.  The style is reminiscent of Art Nouveau, particularly the abstract flower. You can find it on page 71, and it's just $31.95 in wood mount!  It's shown in the catalogue in Peach Parfait orange, because it's one of the sets co-ordinating with the themed suite, "Graphic Botanical"  That means there is co-ordinating goodies and Designer Series Papers available, and it's a great way to theme an album or event.

I've based my card around the colours in one of the other Designer Series Papers, Elegant Soiree -  Baja Breeze, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla and Basic Gray.  This sample card uses the standard scallop edge punch, as I was waiting for my Scallop Trim punch to arrive - taking this photo I realised that I didn't take a photo of the real deal!!   Then there is a strip of Elegant Soiree paper, that has all the colours in a fine stripe pattern.  The card base is Basic Gray, and I have stamped around the edges with the abstract flower in Basic Gray ink.  The panel is Crumb Cake, stamped with matching Crumb Cake ink  (Yay!!  No more 'making do' with Sahara Sand ink as a Kraft substitute!) with the flower branch design.  I think it might be a Honeysuckle, at least that's what it reminds me of!  The motif is stamped in Baja Breeze, with touches of Early Espresso ink added with the matching marker, then mounted onto a Scallop Circle of Early Espresso.  I then layered it onto a Fancy Flower punchout in Baja Breeze, and there is a Stampin' Dimensional or two in there for some lift.  The sentiment is from my favourite Level 1 Hostess set, "Afterthoughts", stamped in Early Espresso.  To finish there is a simple knot of Early Espresso narrow grosgrain ribbon, attached with a mini glue dot.  Tell me what you think!