Making Merry Monday # 22 and Summer Mini News

I can't believe it has been a whole week with no blogs - you must have thought that somebody had gagged me :o)  I reckon that Twilight card zapped me of my energy to be crafty!  So sorry - back now though!

It's almost December and the start of the silly season!  How is your card making going?  If you've been playing along since the start then you should be well on your way - have you started writing them yet?  

We, the Sadler Family, include a newsletter and some photos every year ... talk about making a big job into a huge job ... lol ... but from all the emails and letters we receive after Christmas I think the extra work is worth the effort ... the rewards are great!  I love to catch up with old friends and as we are well travelled (thanks to the Navy) we have friends scattered everywhere - it's great to catch up on their news - only the other day we received a card from one of our neighbours in Scotland with news of the families who we shared our lives with for six years - it was the highlight of last week - thank you Una.

So as today is the very last day for orders for the Spring Mini I thought I'd post my last card using Tree Trimmings.  I love this set ... and will be sad to see it disappear ... I think it is perfect for Christmas and at only $24.95, its not too expensive either.

Colour are Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive and Whisper White - the swirls are from Baroque Motifs.

And just because it's the last day of the Spring Mini, I've also included another card using the beautiful Ski Slope paper $16.95; if you love this paper you need to call me now to place your order - we have until about 9pm tonite to place orders.

This one uses the Square Scallop punch which is a freebie if you purchase some products from the Christmas Extravaganza before 14 December ... click here for details. 

Colours are Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip and Baja Breeze - I've just bought the Crop-o-Dial - wow - an eyelet set through some grosgrain ribbon and two layers of card - like slicing through butter ... why has it taken me so long to buy one of these gadgets?

And here's the inside:

Isn't that little snowman cute and the little tag on the front - both are part of the Punch Pals set that I purchased recently ... that's a set that Olivia wanted to buy ... she's been making some stockings for the family cards ... I'll show you those in a week or two.

As we say goodbye to the Spring Mini with the Scallop Oval punch, corduroy buttons and my all time favourite the Great Friend stamp set (such a beautiful butterfly) ... there is much excitement in the Stampin' Up! world because tomorrow marks the launch of the new Summer Mini ... it contains some very beautiful summery things, including some beautiful new papers and a fabulous punch ... I can't wait to show you.

To mark the launch of this new catalogue, starting at 6am on Tuesday 1 December, some of the ESAD Team will be hosting their very first Blog Hop showcasing items made using products from the Summer Mini Catalogue, so don't forget to come back tomorrow.  It doesn’t matter where you start as there will be a link to the next blog in the chain all the way along till you finally finish where you started.  And if you leave a comment on each and every blog in the chain you'll be entered into the draw to receive some Blog Candy - woo hoo!

So see you back here bright and early tomorrow and don't forget if you just have to have any of the items in the Spring Mini make sure you phone or email today :o)

Hope you have a very Merry Monday.

 

Making Merry Monday # 21

Another glittery Party Hearty number ... I really do love stamp sets that can multi-task - makes them an even better investment doesn't it - lol! 

I've used the snowflake from Winter Post with Versamark and dazzling diamonds for the background, a piece of Choc Chip grosgrain ribbon and then layers of choc chip and real red cardstock.  Love the party hats standing proud as Christmas trees and a simple saying from Many Merry Messages.  I've sponged the edges of the white and red cardstock just to add a finishing touch.

This is a simple and quick card ... one which could be duplicated quickly for those of us who are always in a rush at this time of year.

Hope you aren't panicking too much ... back next Monday with another one.

 

Our Girl is 14

And we are feeling very old!  Never did I think I would be making a card for my daughter with a red truck on the front ... but here it is ...

Oh yes it is a Twilight card .... I am so pleased with it.  Why? Well I am not a Twilight mum, just the mum of a Twilight addict so a lot of effort has gone into its creation ... firstly I needed inspiration so I trawled around the internet and found the site for Angela Sargeant and this lovely card.  

I then realised that I needed the Loads of Love stamp set for the little truck, which I don't own so I put the call out on the Art With Heart Forum and Vivian from Riddles Creek (a fellow Stampin' Up Demonstrator) sent me loads of stamped images of the truck - I coloured it with a Real Red marker pen and aquapainter and hey presto ... Bella's truck!

Of course, being the sponging and brayering girl that I am, the background was easy and the Lovely as a Tree stamp just perfect, but then I needed a quote.  I found a fantastic website but which quote?  Was Olivia Team Edward or Team Jacob?  A coded SMS to her at school and she's Team Jacob.  Found this quote and typed it onto Whisper White cardstock and punched it out with the curly label punch - and I am pleased to say she loves it.  She recognised the quote immediately - she is such an addict!  There were many ooo's and arrhh's from her girlfriends - hence one pleased mum :o)

So what does a 14 year old girl want for her birthday ... a GHD hair straightener of course ... not any old one ... a limited edition one that was discontinued a couple of months ago!  But we found one thank goodness - there were many squeals and wiggles of her bottom (Olivia's happy dance - something she has done since she was very tiny) - so I think she loved her present too - thanks to Granny for chipping in - GHDs aren't cheap are they.

Now I would love to show you photos of our beautiful daughter but she is still in her PJs and it's Saturday afternoon so that isn't probably going to happen today!  She went to watch New Moon with her girlfriends after school yesterday and then they all came back to have a movie night in our TV lounge ... there are doonas and pillows everywhere and now I have just two PJ clad girls who keep popping out for more junk food.  It was so lovely yesterday to sit in the kitchen and listen to their shrieks of laughter and constant nattering - Olivia has a great circle of friends and from the sounds of it ... they seem to spend their school time playing jokes on each other ... I love hearing all their stories.

So perhaps later I will persuade Olivia that she really does need to get dressed and then I can take some photos - but I expect it will be tomorrow before they make it onto here.

Happy 14th birthday Olivia 

Love from Mum, Dad, KP and Max the hairy hound

x

Echoes of Kindness and Candle Stamping

Another candle and another technique I had never tried before.  This stamp set is a level II hostess set and it is beautiful.  It isn't something that I would initially pick out of the catalogue but now that I have used it I love it. 

I've stamped the image in black onto watercolour paper and then I've used the marker pens and watercolour brush to fill in the details.  Using a Brocade Blue marker, I have scribbled onto a piece of plastic (the top of the clamshell box that holds the stamps to be precise) and then I've picked up the ink with the watercolouring brush and coloured in the image.  I then got a bit carried away and decided to colour in some white tafetta ribbon with the same Brocade Blue marker to make a matching piece of ribbon - how cool is that!  The Oval All sentiment and scallop punch finished off the card. 

I've then stamped the image onto the candle using the marker pen directly to the tissue paper and finished the candle off with some So Saffron ribbon, some more of that 'homemade' Brocade Blue ribbon and a little sparkle.

Such a beautiful set ... hope the recipient likes them :o)

This set reminds me that the Spring Mini is finishing very soon so if you've been thinking of buying the Oval All or Scallop Oval now is the time ... before it is too late!

Making Merry Monday # 20

Goodness me ... is this really week 20?  Do I have 20 cards already?  Probably not ... I keep giving them away as samples .... going to concentrate this week on sorting out the family and friends cards ... I would never be able to show my face if this year, of all the years, my cards were late or non-existent!

Today's card is one for all the lovely Paperific ladies I met this weekend.  I am exhausted but gee I have had so much fun.  I was exhibiting on Friday and Sunday and it is an absolute pleasure to meet and chat with so many like minded crafty ladies ... hello to you all :o)

 

And here is a photo of the technique I showcased ... now regular readers of my blog will know that I am a fan of sponging and brayer ... and if you have signed up for my newsletter you will have received the technique sheet this month.

For all of you who have just found this website click here to find the details on how to make this quick and easy card.

Well that's it for today, hope you are having a lovely Merry Monday.

Oops nearly forgot ... the winners of the lovely baskets of goodies for the prize draw are Linae from Kensington and Agnes May from Hawthorn - you will be contacted by Sue Madex in the next day or two ... enjoy ladies :o)

Sponging and Brayering

Technique Sheets

SPONGING AND BRAYERING

 

Cut a 1 3/8 inch circle from a post it note (include some of the sticky bit) and stick on the card as a mask for the moon.

Sponge over with Not Quite Navy and Baja Breeze.  To blend the ink a little better you can sponge and then use a circular motion with the sponge – or use a dauber.  Blend the colours to give a gradual darkening.  I’ve also inked the edges with the sponge too to create shading.

 

When you have finished sponging, remove the post it note circle and swipe Not Quite Navy over the moon (to look like clouds) – Sponging is also good – it is just to ‘knock’ the white off a little.

Tear some scrap paper to create a jagged edge and use this as a mask for the ground. Sponge or brayer Basic Black ink to make the ground. 

 

Create ‘hills’ by moving your jagged edge and using the residual ink left on the brayer to create paler areas.

 

Stamp your images in Basic Black – here I have used the Lovely As a Tree set – other sets which look great are Upsy Daisy and Pocket Silhouettes. This looks best if a part of the image overlaps the moon.

 

I’ve stamped once as you normally would and then stamped again just slightly to the right without re-inking to produce a fainter image – this gives the trees depth.

 

I’ve used this technique many times, have a play and see what you come up with.  Each one will be different.  How about changing the colours to reds or oranges to reflect a sunrise or sunset … the possibilities are endless.  

Paperific 13 - 15 November - Starts Today

Come along and say hi - I'll be there on today and Sunday.

There's make and takes and a fab marker pen offer ... photos of the stand and the ladies of the Art With Heart Team to follow next week.

 

For more information of where / when and how much click here

Come along and say hi

Collage Stamping ATC Swap

Another ATC swap - and another technique I haven't tried before.  Collage stamping was great fun.  I've used the Organic Grace Hostess Level One set and clear embossed the fern leaves before sponging So Saffron and More Mustard to create the first layer (can you see the little moon I created with the 1" circle punch ... sign up for my newsletter before the 10th of November and you'll receive the instructions for this easy technique).

 

I've then stamped the flowers in Chocolate Chip and sponged the edges followed with the dragonflies in Old Olive.  I was quite pleased with them and finished them off with some linen thread, So Saffron and Chocolate Chip layers of cardstock.

I am really enjoying the ATC swaps - they are so tiny and look lovely displayed in clear pockets - when I have received the whole set I'll post a photo for you all to see.

Christmas Extravaganza - Update

Seems that the Stampin' Up! customers are loving the new special offer this month ... so much so that only a few days in and they've changed the promotion ... for the better of course!  And so they don't run out of freebie stock!

Now for every $85 you spend from the gift guide you can choose between a Scallop Square punch or Boho Blossoms ... indeed if you place two orders for $85 each you can have one of each for FREE!

Whooo hooo now I think that is great news!

Call or email if you'd like to order anything from the Gift Guide.  You can view it on line here.

Making Merry Monday # 19

I've been having a fun day today ... what do you do when it is over 30 degrees and you're too hot to plant out the new veggie patch?  Well you stamp on candles of course!

How beautiful is this?  This technique was demo'ed at the recent Regional Training day I attended and I have been itching to have a go ever since.  It compliments last week's card perfectly!  And of course I couldn't stop at one ...

I made heaps!  I even made a matching birthday card and candle for a friend - but you'll have to wait to later in the week to see that one in case she pops in her to see what I have been up to :o)

Now have you heard of the saying 'if you can't beat 'em join them"?  I have a very crafty daughter who shares by crafting passion.  Since joining Stampin' Up! on 31 May this year, Olivia and I have spent so much time together creating lovely things that I often think that alone is a good enough reason to be a demonstrator - I sit at my kitchen table almost every night creating and Olivia can often be found sitting next to me creating her own masterpieces too - priceless when you consider she will be 14 this month ... I love it and am thankful of the time we spend together.

Well I also have an 11 year old son, a cool dude who is a sports maestro and just 'all boy'.  As we sat on our swing seat in the garden after dinner last night he says to me 'can I do some card making with you tonight mum?' ... talk about taking me by surprise.  And here are his creations ...

 I love the imagination of reindeer pulling a surf board!

 He's liking the surfboard set I've just bought!  At one point he said 'can you pass me the Chocolate Chip ink pad please mum'  ... god love him!

 He asked me to show him the 'ribbon thing' which roughly translates into sticking a bit of Real Red ribbon along the bottom of a card with snail ... 

 Yes he did do the 'ribbon thing' himself here with no help ... and patiently coloured with markers the Season of Joy stamp ... 

 
And a birthday card ....

He's gone to bed with ink up to his elbows (quite literally) and the Stampin' Up! catalogue under his arm ... he says I need more 'boy' sets and I think he is quite right.

It's moments like these that I cherish and I'll definately be making these photos into a scrapbooking page ... Kieran (or KP as he is affectionately known) used to spend time with me when he was younger scrapbooking and even has his own album ... but as mums of boys growing up would know ... this is short lived ... I am thankful for yesterday and the half hour it took KP to make the cards .... if you are a Granny , Auntie or Uncle Sadler or Newman you need to forget what you have just seen  ... these are your Christmas cards - :o)

He'll be so chuffed when he reads this post today :o)

Hope that you are well and happy and have a wonderfully Merry Monday and if you too want to stamp on a candle ...check out my classes - they are filling up fast.

I Knew I Could Get Linda To Make A Card!

I have a friend who doesn't understand craft ... doesn't appreciate the loveliness of paper and ribbon and the excitement of opening an ink pad and playing with glitter and glue ... okay so I am slightly mad but you get the picture ... well look what happened when she came to play the other night ... 

Linda is the lady who started the book club I belong too (not that I have read the books this past few months or even made it to the meetings but I do try) - she is also the secretary for my son's soccer club and as my husband is the President it amuses me to watch her keep him in line :o)

 

Linda ... and her lovely friends Carolyn, Mel and Leah came along too to have a play with my Stampin' Up! goodies and to see their 'non believer' in action - she looks a natural doesn't she!

 

Can you believe it?  Not only did Linda change my design to suit her tastes, she then sat and stamped and cut all of those flowers from the Eastern Bloom set and made another card .... talk about impressed!

And here's a close up (which Linda insisted I take a photo off just to show you all how clever she was) - we had a great time and I am hoping we can do it again some day.  

Cheers for a great night girls.

POST UPDATE:  OH HAVE I GOT HER HOOKED ... Linda emailed yesterday and asked if she could come again to make another card ... she has a creation in her head that's red, white and cardboard box colour (that will be Kraft to us fellow Stampin' Up! girls!) ... god love her!  She told me not to laugh ... I didn't I just shouted 'YES"!  We are hooking up tonight for more creativity!

Happy Belated Birthday To Me!

It was my birthday on the 25th of October and I have only just managed to find the time to write and show you some of the beautiful cards I received this year ... 

 Beautiful sparkly card from Susannah and John in Scotland

 
 A beautiful creation from my scrapbooking buddies Tammy, Aris, Tina and Kathy

 From Christine Blain, a fellow demo that I have met through Stampin' Up! - check out her blog she is extremely talented

 And finally ... the best of all ... one from Olivia, my gorgeous daughter ... isn't she clever!

And here's my birthday present - I've wanted a Pandora bracelet for ages.  I love it - the beads are very me.  The heart shaped one on the right is one I chose as a gift from my mum - it's like a modern day charm bracelet isn't it.  We bought one for Olivia for her 13th birthday and every occasion we buy her a new bead ... lets hope Paul remembers to get me a new bead too now :o)

Well that's it for the birthday round up - I've some lovely photographs to scrapbook of our dinner at a mexican restaurant - perhaps sometime in the next couple of weeks I'll have time to put my ideas down onto paper.

Christmas Shopping with Stampin' Up = FREE Gifts for You!

Oh yes, it's a Christmas Extravaganza!  

Stampin' Up! are entering into the Christmas spirit with a great new promotion which ends on 14 December ... spend $85 on any of the items from the Gift Guide and you will receive a Scallop Square Punch worth $30.95 for free!  And there is no limit to the number of free gifts you can receive - for each and every order of $85 or more you receive a free Scallop Square Punch!

Check out the finer details here 

There are lots of goodies to choose from - so if you see anything you like just give me a call and I'll place the order for you.

STAMPIN FREEBIE UPDATE : Stampin' Up! have now added in the Boho Blossoms punch as an alternative to the scallop square .. so now there are even more reasons to start your Christmas shopping early ;o)

Happy stampin

Love Nikki

x

Making Merry Monday # 18

 

It's November already ....does that send anyone else into a panic too?  I have bought three presents but that isn't nearly enough, panic is setting in ... but I do have a stash of cards ... so I am feeling a little more organised than normal :o)

This is another Winter Post creation, with the trees from Lovely as a Tree.  I've inked the trees in Old Olive and stamped them once as you usually would and then again without reinking ... setting the stamp just off centre to produce the 'shawdow' impression - gives the trees some depth I think.

I've used Chocolate Chip and Riding Hood Red and sponged the edges of the card with Chocolate Chip ink - I use a dauber as they give a really nice finish.

And then I've used the Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon and a piece from the HodgePodge hardware kit ... I was worried that this would make the card too heavy but it didn't - I will put a little bit of padding over it though when I post it ... not sure how it will travel through the postal sorting systems ... crunched is so not a good look is it!

I hope that you are having a very Merry Monday and that November hasn't sent you into a panic too.  Come back later today for news of how Stampin' Up can help you with your gift shopping and reward you with freebies too!

Happy stampin!

Nikki

x