Making Merry Monday # 13

Something a little different from me today ... some punch art. He is just so cute!  I was looking around the net for some inspiration to make a Santa and found a penguin instead!   Not sure where I found him or if he really does look like the one I found ... I often go looking for inspiration and once I get started end up making something completely different ... and I hope he inspires you to do the same.

Made using two oval, a circle and the word window punches, oh and the feet are from the scallop circle, he was quick and easy to whip up ... such a cute card for kids.  The googley eyes are from our local shop ... heaps and heaps of them for $2.  I used a versamark pad and stamped the snowflakes, and tore some whisper white card stock to make the snow drifts and added a phrase from Many Merry Messages ... of course it wouldn't be Merry Monday if there wasn't a liberal sprinkling of Dazzling Diamonds to finish the whole thing off!

Hope you like the  Merry Monday Penguin ... I've got a whole week off work (yipeeeeee) so I have heaps of creativity planned ... in between the rock climbing, roller blading and ice skating my kids have planned for me ... if I don't break anything I should have heaps and heaps to share with you - wish me luck!

Happy Monday!

Nikki

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You Are A Star!

More scrapboking, this time KP and the Mighty Stingrays. With the season well and truly over we are now waiting for the cricket to start ... and the Saints to win on Saturday but that's a whole new post!

I had fun making this page as I have just bought the Star wheel and the Star punches - I love them.  I've even punched stars from the patterns I made using the wheel ... the star punches even fit the inked images too ... how cool is that!

I've also used a little silver star brad from the Hodge Podge set ... but it's a little difficult to see in the photo sorry.

Back soon with some more cards.

Happy stampin!

Nikki

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Beautiful Smiles

I've been having a bit of fun scrapbooking today ... I love to document the things that happen in our lives and I can never seem to catch up with all the photos that I want to scrapbook.  This is one of my favourites from a few weeks ago. It is the daughter of one of my friends who I have missed very much since moving to Melbourne ... I hadn't realised quite how much until she bought her lovely family to see us a few weeks ago (we missed you JP).  Well the good news is that this lovely family are making the move across from Perth back to Melbourne in the not to distant future and the Sadlers are very very excited for them.

Olivia did make me laugh though ... it was just weeks after the nagging for a kitten and this time is was for a  little sister ... humm perhaps the kitten seems an easier option after all! Izzy is just the most beautiful little girl ... she loved playing with our dog Max, climbing in and out of his bed and taking a bath in his water bowl .... gosh I had forgotten just how much mischief one little cherub could get herself into.

Hurry back Palmer family - we are looking forward to seeing you all again very soon.

Nikki

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Making Merry Monday # 12

Another Season of Joy sample ... Chocolate Chip, Real Red and Old Olive ... with the soon to be gone (well in November ... and I'll be sad to see it go) ... Ski Slope paper.

I can't believe that I have made 12 cards already ... and a few more during the classes when I am demonstrating ... this is great ... at this rate everyone will have their card on time this year ... no last minute panics.

Well I am off to make some more ... feeling that I need to move away from this set ... now is that a great excuse to buy a new one?  Perhaps ... but I've seen a few cards made with 'non festive' sets that I want to have a go at .... of course adding the 'InkyArt' touch ... so off to play and watch this space!

Merry Monday and happy stampin!

Nikki

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Stampless Cards!

It was hard but thank goodness for the star punches!

   

As with most of the Stampin' Up! punches the stars fit perfectly together so you can punch the little star and then the bigger star and the result is the outline star ... how cool is that? 

I set myself a challenge to produce three cards from the same card stock for a project I am doing ... the colours were Real Red, So Saffron, Basic Grey and Certain Celery.  I've also included the free ribbons!

Don't forget that for the month of September for all orders over $100 you will receive two ribbons ... So Saffron and Certainly Celery ... total value $30.  FREE ribbon .... is it only me getting excited?  Phone or email your order today - don't miss out!

Happy stampin (or perhaps today that should be punching!)

Nikki

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ATC Swaps

I've joined another swap on our demonstrator forum - wasn't quite sure what I was signing up for but if you know me well, you'll know I'll give anything a go once!  

As it turned out it was quite exciting ... an ATC is an Artist Trading Card - the same size as a footie card. This swap is based on techniques and happens once a month; the first of which was distressing ... that a technique name not the state I was in when I was making these - lol

 

And here is my offering ... I do hope that they make the grade!

Basically I've just roughed up all of the edges and then inked everything in sight ... including my fingers and the table top!  The stamp is Upsy Daisy stamped in Versamark and then pastels have been added, oh and of course a few dazzling diamonds here and there.  I stamped the whole image and then when I had finished with the pastels and sparkles I used the 1 1/4" punch to select areas of the stamp that I liked.  

I am really looking forward to receiving the samples from the other demonstrators .... they should arrive sometime next week.  I'm going to store them in the plastic wallets that my son uses to protect his footie cards ... not that I am allowed any of his ... he just pointed me in the direction of the footie store!  So if you come to any of my classes or workshops be sure to ask to see them ... that's if I haven't shown them to you first!

Happy stampin!

Nikki

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Making Merry Monday # 11

Apologies for the poor photograph - I really needed to have sorted out the lighting a bit better.

This is another card using the Season of Joy set, this time I have stamped the image twice and used one of the images as accents for the other ... I've cut the little bits out and mounted them. 

Chocolate Chip, Real Red and Baji Breeze are a great combination together with the Ski Slope designer series paper for Christmas.  I am going to have to buy a few more packets of the Ski Slope before the mini ends in November ... going to use it to make my cards this year.

Hope you are having a very Merry Monday.

Happy stampin!

Nikki

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Look What My Beautiful Daughter Made

Olivia made this beautiful album for one of her best friends as a birthday present ... it is filled with photos taken with her mobile phone whilst at school of all the fun times she has had with her classmates. It's just 6 pieces of card stock (6" by 6") held together with ribbon.  Olivia used Old Olive, So Saffron and Pixie Pink and designed each page inside and even made little tags for some of her friends to write messages on.  

I wish I could show you the pages but sadly there are pictures of other girls and I'd need to check that it was okay to do so with their parents, so for now you just get to see the front cover, but suffice to say her friend loved it.  Olivia now has orders from all of her girlfriends for one on their birthdays.

Whilst she was making it I did think it's great that just a few pieces of matching card, ribbon, inks, Party Hearty stamp set and some lovely photos and she has produced a priceless gift - it took her two nights to put it together and she was very proud of the result.  She had fun as we sat together and I became her stamping assistant, and her friend will treasure it forever.  

Well done Livs ... perhaps you could make one for me for my birthday in October :o)

Love Mum

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Helping Westmead Hospital

I do a lot of blog browsing and tonight I came across this message on Jayne Mercer's blog asking for support for the Play Therapists at Westmead Children's Hospital.

You can turn this ....

... into a room full of smiles.  

I was asked during my class last week what I did with all the scraps left over ... to which I replied I keep them all - and I do, in a little box. I also remarked that at some point I had to be brave (or ruthless) and decide how small was too small to keep and then throw some of them away (OMG can you just imagine ... throwing away good card stock ... or is it just me that has this wee problem?)!

Well I am very pleased to say I don't have to make that decision now, because I will be punching them into shapes and sending them to Jayne Mercer ... what a great cause.

It doesn't have to be Stampin' Up! card stock or paper - anything will do.  Either send them straight to Jayne (the address is on her website) or pass them onto me and I'll send them for you ... both Kieran and Olivia have offered to punch all my scraps into shapes ... see it can even keep your kids entertained throughout the holidays - lol.

Wouldn't it be great to think that by using scraps and our punches we can brighten someone's day and share our crafting passion.

Thank you for your support.

Nikki

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Making Merry Monday # 10

Morning morning how are you?

Time again for another Christmas card ... is it just me or are the weeks flying by?

This is a card I have made for a team swap .... using Season of Joy, Ski Slope DSP, Chocolate Chip card stock, Real Red ribbon and a wee Old Olive brad.

The little bow is made using the double rectangle punch - I had planned a few little photos of how to do that for you for today but unfortunately a trip to Marysville on Saturday and a soccer match and presentation afternoon on Sunday took priority ... so it's still on my list of things to do!

Have a great day and happy stampin!

Nikki

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Happy Birthday Victoria

Yes another birthday ... and yes another niece ... this time it is the lovely Victoria who also lives in England.  Victoria sends us MSN messages when we are asleep ... and we send them back when she is asleep!  Occasionally though we manage to all be on the computer at the same time and so we sometimes get to speak to each other - but not nearly enough. 

Made with Priceless (I love this set ... definitely on my wish list ever since I borrowed this set from my friend Tammy), I've turned my peep hole Christmas card into a birthday card using the little flower that fits perfectly within the 1 3/8" circle punch; and then had fun decorating the envelope.

This is the new Walk in the Park designer series paper from the Spring Mini which coordinates brilliantly with Basic Grey and Baji Breeze ... the wording is from Upsy Daisy set.  I really like this card and am thinking that I need to invest in the star punches to transform this idea into a male card too ... something else to add onto the wish list!.

Hope you are having a good day and happy birthday Victoria.

Happy stampin!

Love Nikki

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Happy 25th Wedding Anniversary

It's my brother-in-law and his wife, Steven and Yvonne's, silver wedding anniversary today.  I can hardly believe that I know someone that has been married that long - LOL makes me feel very old :o)

 I wanted to make something a little special for them ... and the heart from the Always set is just perfect.  

Embossed in silver with a little sparkle and set on Not Quite Navy, Kraft and Bella Blue DSP, I really did like the final result.  

I've become a bit of an envelope embellisher ... I wonder if the postie appreciates it!  It's just so easy and I don't know why I hadn't thought of it before ... 

Wow, two posts in one day ... have you seen the grea Stampin' Up! September special offer.  If you are on my mailing list you'll have already received an email from me ... if you'd like to go on the list and be one of the first to hear about the special offers, just send me your details using the 'email me' link in the top right hand corner.

Happy stampin!

Nikki

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Celebrate Spring with some FREE ribbons!

This is such exciting news ... Stampin' Up! have a new September promotion .... FREE RIBBONS!

 

Ribbon bundle includes 9.1 metres each Certainly Celery 5/8″ poly-twill ribbon and So Saffron 5/8″ grosgrain ribbon - that's over 18 metres of ribbon in total.

What a great colour combo to celebrate the start of spring .... to qualify all you need to do is to place an order between the 1st and 30th of September for $100 or more, or hold a workshop with sales totaling more than $600.

I love the fresh colours and have spent a great couple of hours putting together some lovely designs - I've even created a Christmas card but you will have to wait until Making Merry Monday to see it ... sorry to tease you!

I've put together a pack of goodies with instructions to make the above card and three others together with an off the page item.

The pack contains the following items:

Great Friend stamp set $31.95 (from the Spring Mini)
So Saffron Stamp pad $11.95
Chocolate Chip Stamp pad $11.95
Chocolate Chip marker $5.75
So Saffron Marker $5.75
Certainly Celery Marker $5.75
24 sheets of card stock (So Saffron, Certainly Celery and Chocolate Chip) $10.50
Patterns Designer Series Papers - 6 sheets of Chocolate Chip and 6 sheets of So Saffron  $16.95
40 sheets of Whisper White card stock - $13.50

Total of $114 plus FREE shipping to your door (if you wish to change the stamp set, ink pads or marker pens for an alternative product to the same value just let me know).

Plus the step by step instructions to get you started.

This ribbon isn't available from the catalogue - this is a special one off promotion.

Call or email your order today ....

Happy stampin!

Nikki

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