Here is our beautifully decorated stand at Paperific (lets call this the 'before' photo), where a group of us worked together over the weekend to share the love of Stampin' Up! We met some wonderful people who love this amazing hobby as much as we do, and some who are discovering it for the first time…. yes, we heard lots of 'ooohs' and 'ahhhhs'.

If you are visiting this site after meeting us at Paperific… welcome, and thanks for dropping by! And if you were one of the unlucky ones who were in the building when the freaky storm hit on Saturday, my commiserations! At about 3.30pm the heavens opened with the worst hailstorm in 40 years here in Melbourne, Victoria. Yes, it really was hailing INSIDE the exhibition building at the Melbourne Showgrounds, Flemington.

Hailing inside. Photos courtesy of Juliana Main

Before long, the evac siren was sounding, the main lights went out and water was coming inside from all directions!

Raining inside. Photos courtesy of Juliana Main.

Hailstones at the door

Melbourne was hit badly, with many of us finding dented cars and worse! But, you know what? It was great to see so many acts of kindness and generosity during the whole episode, with strangers looking out for each other.

Even though our papers were dampened, our spirits certainly were not! We even had a few good laughs as we watched someone completing their Make & Takes on another stand before they were ready to evacuate! Papercrafters sure are a hardy bunch. LOL

Here is the simple little Make & Take that I did before all the dramas started. This card demonstrates our beautifully coordinating stamps and punches, and uses the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set from the Summer Mini catalogue and the Heart to Heart punch. The sentiment is the Sale-a-bration set Whimsical Words. Participants also stamped the matching envelope.

On display was another way to use the same punch (CASE source: the very talented  Ilina Crouse).

This card above was also one of our stamp club projects last month, just in time for Valentines Day.

The Summer mini catalogue is in its final weeks – with items available until the 31st of March. Let me know if you'd like the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set or any other item before it's too late! Don't forget, purchases before the end of March help you qualify for FREE STAMPS with Sale-a-bration!

Happy stamping,

Hello! If this is your first time visiting, welcome… feel free to look around and  subscribe (check the top right sidebar) so you’ll always be kept up to date.

As promised in my last post, I’m sharing a couple more pop-up cards that were on display at my class last weekend. All the ladies did a great job of the pop-up cards, and keeping up with the pace. Yep, we covered a lot of info in those 2 hours!

This slider card above features the stamp set called That’s Funny (p55) and those “complimentary peanuts” that give us a chuckle. It reminds of the days when Lonestar Steakhouse at Chadstone had complimentary nuts in big barrels, and the shells were all over the floor! Anyone else remember that?

And open…

And below we have another type of pop-up; one which has an additional insert that you can embelish.

Well here we are in March already which is our final month of Sale-a-bration. Have you got your free stamps yet? This really is a great time to stock up on snail adhesive refills, Whisper White cardstock (sooooo perfect for stamping on), and other basics so you can choose another free set!

If you are dropping by Paperific this weekend, stop by the Stampin’ Up! stand and say g’day. I’ll be there on Saturday and Sunday, along with a bunch of other lovely demo’s. We’ll have free Make & Takes and demonstrations all day, and lots of project ideas to inspire.

Happy stamping,

The long-awaited Stampin’ Up! Pop-Up Cards Class is on this Sunday 28th February and I’m really looking forward to it – talk about FUN! The class is booked out, but I’d be happy to run it again if you have a group of friends who are interested. Next month’s "All Occasions" class is also booked out, but I’m looking to add some extra dates to the Class Schedule. Contact me if you’d like to be notified of extra classes.

I thought I’d share some of the projects we’ll be making. You know, pop-up cards can get pretty complicated – but they can also be really simple.

And the real magic happens when you open them up!

This spiral card might look a bit familiar to some of my stamping buddies, because the colours and layout are based on a swap I made for our Stampin’ Up! Convention last year in Canberra. The pop-up part is new though!

I’ve done LOADS of research into pop-up cards lately (and I call this work?? LOL) and I’m blown away with the amazing creations that some talented papercrafters have concocted!

I do like the Pop-up Slider though. I’ve made a few lately, but I like this one which was based on a Make & Take project we did at our Stampin’ Up! Regional Training Day last year.

I’ll share more Pop-up Slider Cards next week.

And of course we couldn’t miss out on a pop-up card with butterflies…. here’s a little sneak peek for now.

So there you go!

I’ve had some lovely emails this week from my stamping buddies asking why I wasn’t blogging (thanks guys xx). I had one of the lurgies going ’round but started feeling much better when my DD3 presented me with this card – made from my scraps and a glue stick! How creative  

To make life easier I’ve added a new tool to the top right sidebar, did you notice? You now have the option of subscribing to this blog so you can be notified when I’ve updated it or posted a new message. You have the choice of getting the notification by email, or straight to your feedreader. Cool, huh?

Happy stamping,

Tags: pop-up cards, stampin' up!

Happy Valentines Day!

Card features: Candy Lane DSP (p135), Chocolate Chip cardstock, Valet Ribbon Originals (p150), chocolate Fine Supernova glitter (p145), Sweet Sticky Cuts (p145).

Happy stamping,

[*big wave*] Hi, thanks for visiting.

Today I’m sharing some of the Make & Take projects that my workshop guests will be making during February. There is a choice of colours, and it’s a simple yet practical layout.

We’re using the wonderfully versatile Happy Moments Sale-a-bration stamp set – free with purchases over $100. We’ll also get to play with the gorgeous PolkaDot background stamp and some punches. There’s also a touch of watercolouring there, just for fun.

If you’d like to make these projects, it’s really easy. Just get in touch with me and we can organise a class or workshop to suit your needs. It’s soooo much fun.

Come back on Valentine’s Day to check out some projects that share the love!

Happy stamping,

Have you ever wanted to add embellishments to one-layer cards, without it ruining the look on the inside?

I really wanted to add some bling to these simple, clean cards but I didn’t want the pins from the brads to show on the inside. With multi-layer cards it’s easy… you just add the brads to the top layer only, and then attach that layer to the card base. Problem solved. You can’t do that with one-layer cards though.

Today I’m sharing a trick that’s been around for ages, but it is sure is a beauty. Simply grab a Stampin’ Up! brad (the Fire and Ice circle and square brads look fantastic), and follow the steps below to extract the gem.

STEP 1.

Choose a Rhinestone Brad
(p149 Idea Book & Catalogue)

STEP 2.

Pull the pins (legs) apart to expose the back of the brad

STEP 3.

Using a sharp tool (hobby knife or the ends of your scissors), pry open the two clasps holding the rhinestone brad

STEP 4.

The rhinestone should come out quite easily, but you might have to give it a gentle push. Be careful not to scratch the front of the gem with your blade.

STEP 5.

Push the gem onto a Mini Glue Dot (p154 IB&C).

Your gem is now ready to use.

Happy stamping,

Tags: gem, rhinestone, stampin' up brads, tutorial

Today’s card share was created by one of the talented demonstrators in my team – Keryn Moon, Stampin’ Up! demonstrator from Lilydale.

Keryn gave me this adorable slider card at our team day last month, and I really enjoyed CASEing it. It features the Level 3 hostess set, Window Dressing. As you pull the insert, the images move to the window above before the final message is revealed.

You can write your message on the back of the insert. To cut out an opening for the windows I used a hobby knife and it was surprisingly easy. I usually only use scissors for detailed cutting but I might have to pull out the hobby blade a bit more often.

If you are near Lilydale or in the Yarra Valley area, and you are looking for a local demonstrator, then contact Keryn. No doubt she’ll be able to show you more gorgeous projects just like this one. 

Today my two older kids (DS9 and DD6) went back to school after the long summer holidays . I’ve been hanging out for school to start – just like they have! – but now that they’re gone it’s soooo quiet in the house and I’m missing them! Lovely to spend one-on-one time with Little Miss 3 though!

My next post will have a tutorial on creating bling so check back soon.

Happy stamping,

Tags: slider card, Window Dressing

Hi stampers!

Today’s project is a fun card I whipped up for a special friend’s birthday.

It is made from a couple of Carousel Notes (p131 Idea Book & Catalogue) which are joined together with a brad. If you squint you can *just* see the red brad in the middle of the clear embossed flower on the right there. hehehe

Anyway, this brad is where the top carousel note swivels to the left so the message can be read on the card underneath (click the image below for a demo).

The birthday present image is one of the cute stamps from the Happy Moments Sale-a-bration set. That stamp is going to get a lot of use, for sure!

I have been making all sorts of cards with interesting folds and flips and pop-ups lately, as I’m getting ready for my next class:

Booking and pre-payment is essential for this class. With a month to go there are only 3 spots left, so if you’d like to join us for this class please let me know so you won’t be disappointed. Contact me for more details.

Happy stamping,

Sale-a-bration has begun!

From now until the end of March…

Customers: Choose one of 4 gorgeous Sale-a-bration (SAB) stamp sets for FREE with every $100 purchase

Hostesses: In addition to the already generous hostess benefits, choose another SAB set when your workshop total reaches $600

JOIN US!: When you join my team as a demonstrator during Sale-a-bration – regardless of whether you want a discount or a business – choose any stamp set from the Idea Book & Catalogue (up to $79.95) as a bonus to your starter kit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I love each of the four Sale-a-bration sets that are available this year. And you can’t beat the price!

This matchbook fold notepad features the new SAB set Good Neighbors. Inside is sliced and diced copy paper, which can easily be replaced when the notepad if full. The sentiment is from another of the free SAB sets, Whimsical Words. 

Stay tuned for more posts featuring the new Sale-a-bration stamp sets.

Happy stamping,

Keep reading for a special offer for you…

Help make a difference in the lives of those who continue to suffer from the effects of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on 12 January. From now until 28 February, 2010, Stampin’ Up!® will set aside $2 from the sale of every I {Heart} Hearts stamp set and donate it to the Red Cross’ Haiti Relief and Development Fund. The Red Cross is already well-established in Haiti, and this money will be used to provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need.

For every set sold through me, I will be donating an additional $8 to the same Red Cross fund, bringing your total assistance to $10.

As a special thank you for helping, when purchasing the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set you can also get the co-ordinating Full Heart and/or Heart to Heart punch at the special price of $25 each. (This is offered by me as your Stampin’ Up! demonstrator, and is not a company-wide promotion).

Like most of us, I have been watching the news reports with real sadness and wondering what I can do to help. If you have been considering donating to the Red Cross, this could be a great way to do it,  knowing that $10 will be going towards the people of Haiti.

Edited: For more information on Stampin’ Up!’s amazing generosity, click here to visit Shelli Gardner’s blog (co-founder and CEO of Stampin’ Up!).

Note: I {Heart} Hearts stamp set and punches must be ordered at the same time to qualify for the special ‘thank you’ price.