Now this picture is something to get us in the creative mood.

Are you at the point of wrapping presents? Or are you still getting everything organised? 

I’m a bit of both at the moment, but this sweet picture certainly got me in the crafty mood. We are inspired by the colours in this picture, including Shaded Spruce, Blueberry Bushel, Crumb Cake and Powder Pink. I think the blue could probably even be Night of Navy but I love how Blueberry Bushel adds just a touch of lightness. 

Here is what I came up with…

Bike Ride by Stampin’ Up!

It’s been a while since I used the Bike Ride stamp set so it was fabulous to play with it again.

Now I’ll be honest, there are a lot of pieces in this set and unless you’re very familiar with bicycles you may be scratching your head a little (like I was!), trying to work out where all the bits go. I’ll give you a hint, just go to page 28 of the annual Stampin’ Up! catalogue and you’ll see some great projects there. Or if you don’t have your catalogue handy, just click here and you’ll see how it all works. 

It’s a clever set, with different stamp images for the peddles, handles, wheels, rims, saddle and more. 

And to add to the cuteness level, we are even given bike accessories like a basket, a dog, books, flowers and more. 

The Darling Label Punch Box was used to make the sentiment. This is a ‘must have’ in any crafters collection, if you ask me! 

It’s my huge honour to introduce the next crafter on our blog hop, because she also happens to be our Guest Designer: Cathy Pinchbeck. You can see what Cathy has created for us here. 

Thanks for joining me for my Colour INKspiration project. I hope you’re inspired to try this colour combo out for yourself. 

Don’t miss the sale – on now, while supplies last!

Happy stamping, 

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What’s CASE-ing The Catty? CASE stands for “Copy And Share Everything”. It means we use the ideas and inspiration from one project and apply them to another to create something altogether new. Each Sunday evening at 7pm AEST/8pm AEDT the CTC Crew kick off a new Challenge, using the Stampin’ Up! catalogues as inspiration. The CTC Crew are Stampin’ Up! demonstrators from Australia and NZ.

Just click on the ‘Next’ link below and you’ll work your way around the Blog Hop until you’re back here again (or back to where you began). Then you can play along too! To learn more about joining the challenge, follow the instructions below.

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So here we are in December already. Time flies, doesn’t it?

We’re counting down the weeks until Christmas, and certainly got in the mood this weekend by putting up our Christmas tree and decorating the house. Always such a special thing to do with the kids (and dogs and cats!). It seems that each ornament holds a special memory, and the handcrafted ones bring back special thoughts of the creator. 

This week the CTC theme is “CASE a Colour Combination from the Holiday Catalogue”. 

I was very happy to oblige with this one! We recently held a big team event with my Stampin’ Up! family, and one of the swaps we arranged centred around the colour theme from pages 5-7, the All Is Bright suite of products. So gorgeous! 

Here’s the All Is Bright ‘vision board’ for inspiration…

The colour combo here is Call Me Clover, Crushed Curry, Real Red, Whisper White and a touch of neutrals (I added in Crumb Cake). And yes, it’s a very traditional one for Christmas with all those reds and greens. 

And check out all the amazing swaps that our team made! So pretty. 

This is the one I came up with…

If features the Bring On The Presents stamp set (page 16 Holiday Catalogue), the Sprig Punch, Joyous Noel Glimmer Paper and the Darling Label Punch.

The gold flecks were so fun to create. I just dipped the end of an old Aqua Painter (or you could just use a small paint brush) into the Vegas Gold Shimmer Paint, then tapped the brush until flecks of gold landed on the cardstock. The trickiest bit was making sure I waited… patiently… for the shimmer paint to fully dry so there were no smudges! 

To continue on the hop, just click on the Next button below and you’ll be on your way to see Rebecca’s gorgeous project. 

 

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Would you like to have a go at this week’s challenge? To join in, you can either directly CASE (Copy and Share Everything) or use a sketch/layout, colour combination or something similar, as inspiration for your own creation. Then simply take a photo of your project and upload it to the latest challenge album in the CASEing The Catty Challenge group on Facebook. Each challenge will end at 7pm (AEST) on Saturday before the next challenge is posted. We pick some winners each week, but most importantly it’s a fun way to get out of your creative comfort zone and try something new. 

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Happy stamping, 

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Welcome to the home of the Colour INKspiration Blog Hop. We are a group of Stampin’ Up! ® Demonstrators who love to create papercraft projects using Pinterest-inspired colour combinations. Every second and fourth Wednesday of the month we have a design team blog hop where we showcase projects using the featured colour palette. The hops will commence at 7pm (AEST). Our ‘home’ is the Colour INKspiration Facebook Group where we encourage everyone to join in by uploading their projects to highlight the current colour combo. Hopefully you can use our blog hop as inspiration! Will you join us? For more ideas and inspiration, check out our Pinterest board.

 

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How picture perfect is this? Delightful on so many levels!

This time we’re working with Blueberry Bushel, Balmy Blue, Lovely Lipstick, Gorgeous Grape and Granny Apple Green. 

A striking, bold, luxurious colour palette for us to create with. 

This is what I came up with…

This card features the P.S. You’re The Best stamp set, a new addition to my collection and fast becoming a favourite. I grabbed the sentiment out of my Soft Sayings Card Kit box. 

Now I know what you’re thinking… a green typewriter? Well it made me giggle and it fitted with our colour challenge for this fortnight. So I went with it! 

Paper Piecing Technique

The typewriter was made using the Paper Piecing technique. 

The image was stamped on various coloured sheets of cardstock, then parts of the typewriter were cut out separately. Then the image was pieced back together by gluing them onto the white base. 

The Glitter Enamel Dots in Granny Apple Green finished the card off. 

Next up on the blog hop is the amazing Bronwyn Eastley. It’s always a treat to see what she has for us. 

Happy stamping, 

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What’s CASE-ing The Catty? CASE stands for “Copy And Share Everything”. In other words, we use the ideas from one project and transfer them into another to create something altogether new! Each Sunday evening at 7pm AEST/8pm AEDT the CTC Crew kick off a new Challenge using Stampin’ Up! catalogues as inspiration. The CTC Crew are Stampin’ Up! demonstrators from Australia and New Zealand.

Just click on the ‘Next’ link below and you’ll work your way around the Blog Hop until you’re back here again (or back to where you began). Then you can play along too! To learn how to join the challenge, follow the instructions at the end of this post.

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I’m so excited to be back with the CTC Crew this week!  It’s been far too long since I joined this talented group for a CASEing the Catty Sunday Blog Hop.

This week the challenge theme is “CASE a birthday card and give it a Christmas twist”.

Now that’s a fun challenge! 

I was inspired by the layout of this card on page 164… 

I stripped back the bright colours to simply gold and white, and chose the bauble pattern from the All is Bright DSP. The layout is almost exactly the same. 

For a bit of extra interest I added die cuts from the Detailed Deer Thinlits dies.

The sentiment was created by heat embossing the stamped image from the Christmas Traditions Punch Box on to vellum, then layered it over a gold foil circle. 

A nice simple one to get us back into the groove.

To continue on the hop, just click on the Next button below and you’ll be on your way to see what Peta has created for us. 

Don’t forget that our Online Extravaganza continues today with over 300 products currently 10% off! 

Hope you can join us in this week’s fun challenge! 

Happy stamping, 

 

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Would you like to have a go at this week’s challenge? To join in, you can either directly CASE (Copy and Share Everything) or use a sketch/layout, colour combination or something similar, as inspiration for your own creation. Then simply take a photo of your project and upload it to the latest challenge album in the CASEing The Catty Challenge group on Facebook. Each challenge will end at 7pm (AEST) on Saturday before the next challenge is posted. We pick some winners each week, but most importantly it’s a fun way to get out of your creative comfort zone and try something new. 

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Online Extravaganza Host Code: VEQTK46A

The Online Extravaganza is on now! 

Now this is something fun. THREE sales running back-to-back, and each sale going for 48 hours. So that’s 6 days of savings on your crafty supplies. By the end, nearly every item from the annual catalogue will have been on sale!

We’re kicking it off with Sale #1…

On Friday 23rd November 2018 and Saturday 24th November 2018, save 10% off most Paper products and Embellishments, including: 

Bags

Tags

Brads and Buttons

Cards and Envelopes

Cardstock

Designer Series Paper

Specialty Paper

Embossing material & Glitter

Ribbons & Twine

Washi Tape

SHOP THE SALE

I can’t remember a time we’ve had cardstock on sale, so I’ll be replenishing my stocks today. Don’t forget to check your stash of vellum, glossy cardstock and foil paper too. 

To make it even easier for you, discounts will be calculated automatically at checkout. Please note that sale items will depend on availability, so my suggestion is to order early to avoid disappointment. I’m expecting this to be a popular time to stock up and there are NO rainchecks, so I will certainly be placing my order early. There are some exclusions, mainly bundles and the two big tools (the Big Shot and Stamparatus) but you can check the full list of exclusions here. 

SHOP THE SALE

Use Host VEQTK46A Code for extra bonuses (see below for details)

Up Next: 

On Sunday 25th and Monday 26th November: Save 10% on nearly all stamps and kits* (some exclusions apply, including bundles because they are already 10% off the individual prices). This sale will cover stamp sets, project kits, card kits, kit refills, Memories & More products and those AWESOME punch box kits. 

On Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th November: Save 10% on nearly all tools and ink* (some exclusions apply, including the Big Shot and the Stamparatus). This sale will cover most adhesives (not Snail), applicators, cleaners, most punches and cutting tools, embossing folders, Framelits and Thinlits, ink pads and refills, markers, scoring tools, and stamp blocks and cases.

ORDERING BONUSES

• ORDER FROM ONE 48-hour SALE:
  • Receive a thank you card in the mail featuring NEW products from the upcoming Occasions catalogue, and a sheet of Stampin’ Dimensionals.
• ORDER FROM TWO 48-hour SALES:
  • Receive a thank you card in the mail and a sheet of Dimensionals (as above) plus six sheets of 3″x4″ patterned paper.
• Order from ALL THREE 48-hour SALES over the six days:
  • Receive the thank you card, Dimensionals and patterned paper (as above) plus a sweetly packaged mini pack of coordinating card bases, ribbons and/or embellishments! Happy mail just for you. xxx

I bet your inbox is inundated with Black Friday sale promotions today, just like mine.

It’s a great time to make a start on your Christmas gift buying, or just to spoil yourself because you deserve it. Well, if you’re anything like me, you know that nothing beats when you’re in the flow of making a beautiful project and you have all the elements you need to make the project look just right. Isn’t that the best feeling?  How lucky are we to have this wonderful hobby to light us up. 

I hope you enjoy saving 10% on nearly every Stampin’ Up! product over the next 6 days with the Online Extravaganza. I’m so excited because I plan to shop this week too! 

What an exciting few weeks it has been!

It seems that I’m a bit behind in blogging, so today I’m here to do a catch-up post and then I can get back to sharing projects and ideas here on my blog. Thanks for spending some time here. xxx

We have just returned from the bi-annual Stampin’ Up! conference which we call OnStage (You can watch THIS HIGHLIGHTS VIDEO to see what it was all about).

This event is held in April and November each year. If you’ve been a regular visitor to my blog you might remember that last November I attended the event over in Salt Lake City (and did a stopover in Hawaii too). This year I stayed a little closer to home and attended the one in Melbourne, Australia with dozens of team members and hundreds of demonstrators from all over the country.

With such a big group we thought it would be fun to extend the weekend by holding a team function on the Sunday. This turned the weekend into something *totally amazing*, but I slept well when it was all over – hehehe. 

CentreStage Leadership Event 

The theme this time was Black & White as we celebrated Stampin’ Up!’s 30th birthday. We did some helpful training and a lot of socialising. Dinner was delicious and so was dessert – an amazing buffet!

I was thrilled to receive a beautiful gift from Stampin’ Up! for being in the Overall Top 10 in Australia. A huge honour to get this lovely leather bag and purse. 

To make it even more exciting, we got a copy of the upcoming Occasions Catalogue which will go live in early January. PLUS we got a copy of the 2019 Sale-a-bration brochure which shows all the items that we can earn for FREE with a qualifying purchase between January and March 2019! 

[Sorry! We can’t share the inside pages of the catalogue yet but if you would like to join Stampin’ Up! you can get your hands on these new products in December.] 

We also heard some VERY exciting news. Stampin’ Up! is introducing CLING STAMPS!

These are actually the same red rubber that we’re used to, but the labels are new and improved. They are super tacky and – as the name suggests – they *reeeeeeally* cling. A lot!

You won’t have any problems keeping them stuck on your block. No need to have clean blocks or add glue to your stamps. They will stick… stick… stick! 

We are also phasing out wood-mounted stamp sets.

Only 4% of stamp sets sold are wood-mount, so the time has come to remove them from our product line so we can all have room for other more popular goodies. Wood mount stamp sets – including background stamps – won’t be in the next annual catalogue in Australia. I used to buy all my background stamps with the wood block, but now that I’m using the Stamparatus it’s clear-mount (or CLING mount) all the way for me!

OnStage

The official part of our convention kicked off on Saturday morning. The queue was already long at 7.20am but we were all excited to be there so it was a happy wait. When we got inside we were greeted with a gorgeous box and inside was our reversible bag, pens, note pads, a stamp set, lucky number badge (for Prize Patrol gifts) and more. 

We heard heartwarming stories of how Stampin’ Up! has enriched so many lives over the past 30 years, just as it has mine over the past 11+ years.

Each year there is a ‘theme song’ which is catchy, inspiring and uplifting. I LOVE this year’s song! Best of all, you can buy this song as a digital download and all money will go towards Autism organisations, including Aspect (Autism Spectrum Australia).  

(link to Love, Live & Share It Today video)

Panorama of the Melbourne OnStage crowd (click to enlarge)

We learnt more about the new products that are coming out, and saw a number of fabulous presentations on the big screen and then could have a closer look over on the displays later. 

And did I mention the giveaways? There were plenty including all-attendee giveaways like this one… 

In fact, this is the huge pile of loot that I brought home at the end of the day. (To be honest, I found a few more bits and pieces like the pens and the Greece Incentive Trip pin after I took this photo – oops). 

Team Day

The fun continued after the doors closed at OnStage. 

With the help of my amazing team leaders and upline, we hosted a Post-OnStage Team Event and invited all our team members to attend! Not all could make it of course, but we did have a brilliant day with nearly 70 people. 

We created, ate lots of yummy food, swapped projects, admired the displays, did a little training with our visiting guests (including the Regional Sales Director of Stampin’ Up! from Salt Lake City, Utah and our own Demonstrator Development Manager from Sydney), and everyone received a gift! We also created our own Punch Guide to use as a handy tool when trying to find the right punch to fit stamped images.

All of our attendees received a personalised, lined case [ordered from Emma at Acacia Grey Studio]. 

We finished these off with a some Powder Pink Shimmer ribbon as a zipper pull and sealed the ends to prevent fraying. 

We are already looking forward to our next get-together. In April 2019 we’re off to Auckland, New Zealand for the next OnStage event. Woohoo!!!

Customer Appreciation Event  

We have just finished our last official stamp club/class for the year, so we are finishing off next month with a Christmas party and a free Customer Appreciation event. I’m so excited about this event!

We are also making plans for the coming year of classes. If you – or someone you know – would like to join a regular group for creative fun, art therapy and cardmaking, then please get in touch.

Classes are in Creswick, Victoria, which is a pleasant 20 minute drive from Ballarat in central Victoria. We have attendees come from as far as Melbourne and Geelong – so if you don’t mind a drive you are most welcome to join us. This really is a gorgeous part of the world, so if you can find the time to get away from it all once a month, then a day in the ‘country’ with a couple of hours of stamp therapy could be just what the doctor ordered. 

I’m currently building a waitlist of interested people for my 2019 classes and events, so if you would like to be on that list please message me. Existing stamp club members get first option to continue, but I may consider adding an extra class or two if my schedule permits. 

A day in the life…

On the home front, we have had ballet and dance activities galore, plus my big boy turned 18 years old this week AND he finished his last Year 12 exam! Not quite sure where the last decade or so went. It seems like only yesterday he was learning to read and playing with Lego, and now he’s embarking on his own life’s journey. Well I’m proud to say that he’s grown into a lovely young man and I’m excited to see where he’ll go in life. 

Christmas is racing towards us, but it’s definitely not too late to get creative this year.

Would you like to make your own Christmas cards? What about tags, gift packaging, or decorations? Check out all the Christmas products in my online store here> SHOP THE HOLIDAY CATALOGUE.

Handcrafted projects are not only a beautiful way to express our creativity, but they are the perfect way to share a piece of ourselves with those we love. 

COMING SOON: Online Extravaganza

Phew, this has been a big post!

Well, if you’ve stuck with me this long you can be rewarded with a bit of a ‘heads up’.

Stay tuned for an Online Extravaganza from 23-28 November. I’ll share news about that once I know more, so make sure you’ve subscribed to this blog or follow me on Facebook. 

Snowflake Showcase – Available November only

There’s still some time left to get your hands on FIVE new products that are ONLY available in November. Watch THIS VIDEO to learn more. 

1. Happiness Surrounds stamp set. 14 photopolymer stamps suitable for all-year-round use. 
2. Snow is Glistening stamp set. 14 photopolymer stamps with unique detail. 
3. Snowfall Thinlits dies. 20 dies with intricate details. These dies co-ordinate with both the Happiness Surrounds stamp set AND the Snow is Glistening set. 
4. White Velveteen sheets. 2 sheets per pack. They velveteen sheets can be sponged and coloured, and are the perfect ‘feel’ for snow projects. 
5. Snowflake Trinkets. 20 per pack, these embellishments have a low profile and feature a rhinestone embedded in each one. 

Thanks for hanging out with me for a while. Please drop me a line in the comments below to say Hello, and to let me know you were here. 

Happy stamping,