Making Merry Monday 2010 # 2

Happy Monday and welcome to another Christmas card idea.  

As promised, this year I am making two of every card I create ... one for me ... and one to send to Tracey Hanshaw who will be collecting cards to send to our Defence personnel who are serving their country overseas.  So this week's card ...

Another Winter Post creation, a top note die cut is an ideal base for any card.  Here I have just stamped the snowflake and cute reindeer and sponged around the edges .... such a simple quick design.

Back next Monday with another idea for you - and news of some special blog candy ... but you'll have to send me some photos to win!

 

Convention Swap 2010

As promised, here is my swap ... I had such a good response to the bookmarks I made for the last blog hop I thought I would make a few as my swap.  Didn't manage to make the 100 I was aiming for ... but that's okay - Olivia helped me to make 30 or so ... for which I am very grateful - thanks Livvy xxx

I've used the Vintage Vogue stamp set and the Very Vintage wheel together with a technique called Masking.  You simply stamp the image twice ... cut one out and use the cut out to cover the other image - then you roller (or stamp) over the top ... remove the little cut image and hey presto .... Masking!  

If you'd like a template so that you can make these too leave me a comment and I will email one to you.  If you left a comment last time check your mailbox because you should have received one last night!

Book a class or workshop and I'll show you how easy it is to make these - new monthly stamping class starts on Friday 2 July at 7.30pm - call or email to book your seat - 0428 254 952.

Thanks again Olivia for your help - hope you enjoyed your extra lollies from the English Lolly Shop in Darling Harbour.

 

Perfect Punch Art

 

Check out the latest layout on the Stampamemory site today ... a site dedicated to the use of Stampin' Up! products for scrapbooking.

  

Convention 2010 News

WOW - it is the only word that sums up almost 500 women (well almost 498, there were two men - how brave were they?), all in one city and at times, in one room .... all obsessed with stamping and scrapbooking!

My 'obsession' shall we say ... was fuelled this weekend watching and listening to staff from the Stampin' Up! home office in Utah doing what they do best ... sharing their passion for a company with ethics, values and a commitment to their 'staff' ... us demonstrators.

I know you want to see photos so here goes ....

My most favourite of all - having my photo taken with Shelli Gardener - CEO and Co Founder of Stampin' Up!  She makes herself so accessible to everyone - I wondered when I saw her photo if she really did smile that much ... and I am here to tell you she does. 

Her smile was the biggest during Prize Patrol ... a time when a room full of excited demos wait patiently to see if their lucky band colour appears on the screen to signal that they have won a free stamp set .... my band didn't appear so I had plenty of time to watch Shelli ... and my goodness did she smile when the Prize Patrol frenzy was happening.  Her passion as a CEO is infectious - she is so in touch with reality - and I love her strive for perfection and harmony.

And here is another lady who I admire very much - Bonnie Thurber the Director of Demonstrator Training.  Last time I met Bonnie she had lost her luggage on the way to Melbourne, this time she had lost her voice and did her whole presentation in a whisper ... and she said next time she hopes to have lost 100lbs - she needs to loose nothing - she is a gem and her presentations had my cheeks aching with laughter.

Here we all are - just finished lunch and ready for another session - a sea of demonstrators.

Pam Morgan, Vice President, Demonstrator Relations showing us how to exercise using the Big Shot machine - she was hysterical - again another person who oozes passion for the job that she does.

Shannon West, Training Event Facilitator - a beautiful warm person who made me fall in love with the Circle Scissor Plus - a tool which last week I was wondering why I had purchased - well let me tell you after her presentation I am hooked - and that is a 'man in black' one of a team of guys who made sure we could all see and hear what was happening - they did an excellent job.
 

And some of the Art with Heart team ... across the top - Christine Blain and Judy May, then across the front Miriam Thomas - the Number 1 Rising Star for 2010 and Claire Daly the Number 1 Demonstrator for 2010 - my upline - well done girls.

And here is another photo I love - Sue Madex is a fellow demonstrator - a kind and sharing person who I work with to attend shows and exhibitions.  Sue is the number 15 demonstrator in Australia this year and she will be attending the Incentive Trip to Hamilton Island.  A very deserving winner - she is so giving of her time and resources - well done Sue :o)

A big well done to three other members of the Art With Heart Team - Kathryn Lowe, Ange Dickins and Sue Bayliss - all very talented ladies who received Stampin' Up! awards.

I've returned to Melbourne full of ideas of how to show you that Stampin' Up! really is the pick of the bunch - the warmth and passion of all the employees, the friendships I had forged through the internet which were realised in person in Sydney confirm, that I did indeed make the right choice in becoming involved in such a fabulous company.

So come back for more inspiration, more creations and more sharing .... I am rejuvenated and raring to show you some beautiful projects.

And for those that know me well - you'll appreciate all these photos of me ... I think I have just doubled my collection :o)

Oh and my swap ... well if my Canon SLR will do as it is told I will show you that in a day or two.  

I also have news of a recruitment special - and news of the new stamps sets we all received ... check out your newsletters which will arrive before the end of the week - not on the newsletter list ... then sign up now so that you don't miss out.

 

  

Making Merry Monday 2010 # 1

Yes it is back for another year ... the concept came from Anita Meade last year  .... to make a Christmas card every Monday ... so that by the time Christmas arrives you'd have a stash to help with the panic that usually sets in during this very busy time.  

I'm starting a little later than I wanted but that's okay .... it's still May and I still have seven months to go :o) This year I am going to make two of every card I create ... one for me ... and one to send to Tracey Hanshaw who will be collecting cards to send to our Defence personnel who are serving their country overseas.  This is a cause very close to my heart with a husband in the Navy .... and I met with Tracey at Convention - she is a warm and gorgeous person - mobbed by 'fans' at every opportunity .... more about Convention tomorrow.

So here is the first card for 2010.  Winter Post is one of my favourite sets and I hope it will remain in the catalogue when it is republished in September ... this is also a great layout for a card.

It is so simple - in fact I just stamp away on a piece of Whisper White and then choose what I'd like to see in the squares by using the punch and select by looking before punching.  This way you can make of these little squares and it makes card production super quick.  The brad has been used heaps to pinch through several layers of the ribbon to created the bow effect just to finish it all off. 

I've used Real Red, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip - Versamark to create the background images and lots of sponging.

So there you have it ... post a comment or better still send me a photo of your Christmas creations if you want to join in this year .... check out Ros Davidson's blog too ... she started ages ago and already has quite a collection.

So as promised earlier - head back tomorrow for all the Convention news.

 

Convention 2010

Well it has been a long time coming but, I am finally packing my bags and leaving for Sydney on Thursday and I am very excited :o)

I'm off to Convention ... so what's that all about .... well Convention is an annual Stampin' Up! event ... a chance for demonstrators from across Australia and New Zealand to congregate in one place to experience good times with stamping friends and also get creative new ideas for workshops and projects.  It's a time for education, celebration and motivation.

Convention always includes time to swap cards (my swap will be uploaded in a day or two for you to see), attend business classes and new product demonstrations - yes we get to play with some new stamps, participate in Make and Takes and just simply enjoy the best time with stampers and friends.

This is my first year at Convention and I remember this time last year reading all the reports about how fab it was and thinking ... I want to go ... I can't believe that one year later I've been a demo for almost a year and I am actually going to be there.

So keep popping back for updates ... I'll be uploading projects whilst I am away together with the odd photo or two of all the brilliant things we are going to get up to.

Looking forward to meeting all of my online friends and fellow Art with Heart team demonstrators  ... roll on Thursday.

 

SAM Challenge - A 'Shaped' Layout

Challenge time again ....  Ros has been the Challenge Master this month and wants to you to create ... 

"A 'shaped' layout, not your standard typical square or rectangle shaped layout."

I have to confess I struggled with this concept ...being a 12 x 12 girl, the thought of making something a different shape was hard .... I started by trying to draw the Eiffel Tower, then the Sydney Harbour bridge .... neither worked, then I was watching my son sort though his one milion and one footie cards and hey presto .... inspiration and a Footie Top!

It's a very simple layout but I think the effect of the shirt shape makes it look a little more special.

Because the photo was so large there was no room for journalling ... so I created a little journalling tag using the Top Note Die Cut and left one side of the photo 'open' so that the tag can be removed.

 There were some additional expenses for this page too ... another packet of footie cards to replace the ones I have used on the page ... :o)

Ssshhh don't tell anyone, I do have a confession to make, this page will be going into our album as a 12 x 12 page :o)

So now it is your turn ... can you make a shaped layout?  Upload it to the Stampamemory website here ... or send your images to me and I'll post them here on my site for you.  The prize is a choice of either On Board So Tweet Chipboard or On Board Batch Of Blooms - so certainly worth creating a page and entering our competition.

 

Happy Birthday Nicky

Oh yes another May birthday ... this time a friend from England.  We had some great times together when we lived in the same street in Scotland, but I left to live here and Nicky moved to England.  So now we exchange emails from time to time cards for special occasions.

As you can see I have been having fun with the Big Shot again - and this time I have used my favourite technique of brayering and sponging to create a cute card.  The little polka dots are from the impressions folder and the top note die cut has been trimmed to fit the card.

Then I've used some sponging to create a scene upon which I have set a cute little bird - he (or is it she) is the Extra Large Two-Step Bird punch - this punches the bird in three parts ... very handy and I can see this punch being very useful for creating other things too.

So Nicky I hope you enjoy your card and have a fantastic day - the Sadler family do miss the fun times we all had in Scotland.

Love from Paul, Nikki, Olivia, Kieran and Max 

xxxx

Happy Birthday Yvonne

May is our birthday month - do you have one of those?  Lots of friends and relatives have birthdays in May.  I do have a sense of achievement when I get all the cards made for this month ... I even had most of them in the post super early too.

This is the card I have made for my sister-in-law Yvonne.  

I am in love with the Big Shot - and especially the embossing folders - you can make cards so quickly and easily - and the new Tiny Tags set and matching Medium Jewelry Tag - so cute and so quick.

I've punched out several of the punches and then tied them all together with a piece of hemp twine ... just a cute little embellishment.

And here is another version, yes another birthday ... this time for Aris, a good friend of mine who celebrates her birthday at the end of April (yes this one was late!).

These cards are so easy to make and very effective ... expect to see lots more of these :o)

Happy Birthday.

 

Not Quite Mother's Day

Check out my latest scrapbooking page over at Stampamemory ... the site dedicated to scrapbooking using Stampin' Up! products.

  

Happy Birthday Indi

Indi our nephew is celebrating his birthday today - making cool cards for teenagers is a hard task ... not sure I got it quite right but Kieran loved the bike so I might be on the right track ... almost!

This is the Just Riding set and I was going for a grungy look ... I have a scrapbooking page in my head using this set ... with faux tiling ... hoping to get the time to make it happen one night this week.

Happy Birthday Indi - we hope you have a great day.

Love from Uncle Paul, Auntie Nikki, Olivia and Kieran xxxx

Product Shares

With all the yummy new products in the Autumn Winter mini I thought it was time to offer a few products share .... so how do these work?  Well if love all the embellishments and ribbons in the catalogue (and lets face it who doesn't) this is a great opportunity to own a little bit of each item in the share.
  
6" x 6" squares of both Autumn Traditions and Cottage Wall - that's 24 squares in total for $9 per share including postage.


4.4 metres of 1/2" Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon - Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry and Soft Suede for $20 including postage.

Contact me if you'd like to take part in either or both of these shares.  If you'd like to suggest other products shares please let me know.