ESAD Blog Hop

I know I have been away from blogging for a week or two but other things have taken over my life again.  So I thought I'd give my blog a spring clean, bring in some flowers and summery colours and rectify my absence by  starting with a hop; an ESAD Big Shot Hop! 

If you've hopped over from Jan McAnulty's blog welcome ... and if you haven't don't worry, start here because blog hops are a circle and you can hop on and hop off wherever you wish.

From the alphas to the embossing folders to the Top Note die - I am in love with my Bertie Big Shot :)

Here's a close up of the new Vintage Wallpaper Embossing folder - I embossed this Chocolate Chip piece of cardstock as a whole piece .... to do this trim an A4 piece of cardstock to the same width and double the length of the folder.  Then run the cardstock and embossing folder through the Big Shot twice, once from one end and then turn it round and emboss the other half - therefore embossing both ends of the cardstock.  

The Top Note die is a brilliant shape to use as a journalling panel.

Now, if I could find the details of whose who in this photo I would have journalled this so that you could see - what I do know is that the lady is my great grandmother and the gentlemen are my grandfather and his brothers - isn't it just lovely to have photos like this.

The colours I have used are Chocolate Chip, More Mustard and Basic Black together with a sheet of the new designer series paper Newsprint.  I screwed this lovely piece of paper into a ball and then smoothed it out again .... and used a sponge with some Chocolate Chip ink to age it a little. 

Now before I let you hop off to the next blog .... I'd really like to tell you about ESAD.  ESAD stands for Extra Special Australasian Demonstrators and it is an online group just for Australian and New Zealand demonstrators for Stampin’ Up!

We so love what we do and not only do we love to share it with our customers, friends, and wonderful blog visitors but we share our love for what we do with each other as Demonstrators. We run swaps, challenges, tutorials, product know how and cyberstamps and we are always there to help and support each other when its needed.  So if you are a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator located in Australia or New Zealand then please feel free to click here to join our wonderful group.

 

Do you want to win prizes?  If you leave a comment on every blog in this hop, you will go in the draw for some blog candy (items or products donated the participating demonstrators!) . To be in the running, just email Leonie at when you have visited and commented on every blog so that she can put you in the draw (customers only please).

 

Okay time to hop along .... off to the wonder world of Angela Purdie - have a great time.

 

 

Summer Mini Blog Hop and Blog Candy!

Now this is exciting .... my first blog hop!  You can join in at any point ... just hop aboard and off we go!  

If this is your first time to my site, welcome ... hope you find some inspiration and come back often.

Yes it's official ... there is a new Summer Mini and it is full of beautiful things - click on the image for a look-see or contact me to receive a free copy in the post.

Well what's a blog hop?  Some members of ESAD (Extremely Special Aussie and New Zealand Demonstrators) have got together and we have all posted a NEW Summer Mini idea for you this morning. We have linked our posts together so all you need to do is grab a cuppa, sit back and enjoy the ride .... it's going to be fun.

So who are ESAD and how can you join?  It's for all Australian and New Zealand demonstrators of all levels. Click here to join and receive the help and encouragement you need in your business from both new and experienced demonstrators.  I've only been a member for a month or so and I receive the daily digest of information that keeps me up to date with my business in a jiffy.  

And here's my blog hop entry ...

Introducing the new Butterfly Punch and Butterfly Prints stamp set - a Summer Mini special!  When I saw these in the new catalogue I was immediately reminded of some photos that are long overdue the scrapbook treatment ... in fact they had been sat on half finished pages for five years ... oh how bad is that!

So after carefully retrieving the photos, I made a new page - these photos were taken in 2004 when our son was six - even at this lovely age he was a determined little lad.  When Kieran puts his mind to it ... the results are amazing ... it is one of his great strengths. 

Just take a look at those flushed cheeks - during the many visits to the zoo I have photos of all of us with the butterflies - except for Kieran - they never stayed long enough for me to take a photo ... Paul was away at the time and when I asked the kids what they wanted to do at the weekend Kieran said 'I want a photo with the butterflies at the zoo' - so off we went.

The wording reads:

After many visits to the Butterfly House at Melbourne Zoo we finally managed to photograph some butterflies which had landed on Kieran.  He stood still for nearly half an hour in the hot house when finally two of the scruffiest butterflies landed on his arm.  He didn't mind - he was chuffed to bits.  Olivia and I called him Butterfly Boy for the rest of the day!

 
The new punch makes it very easy to produce heaps of butterflies - perhaps I have gotten a bit carried away - what do you think?  

Now if I had an alphabet stamp set I would have included the title Butterfly Boy ... but alas the only set I have is a little too girlie for KP - so untitled it must remain ... however I really love the stamp that comes with the set ... it reads 'Love is like a butterfly - it goes where it pleases and pleases where it goes' - how very true.

Materials list:

Stamps: Butterfly Prints

Cardstock: Really Rust, Summer Sun and Very Vanilla

Ink: Really Rust, Summer Sun, Versamark and Basic Black

Punches: Butterfly Punch and Large Oval

Accessories: Stamp-a-ma-jig - to line up the butterfly body bits!

Other: Black Writer

Now did someone mention Blog Candy?  We sure did ... if you visit and post a comment on all the blogs linked in the Blog Hop, you go into the draw to win some Candy ... crafty candy of course; the sort that is 100% fat free :o)  Don't forget you need to comment on all of the 30 blogs in the hop  to qualify for a place in the draw.

So leave a comment here and then blog hop along to another Nikki ... Nikki Stalker - one very talented demonstrator in New South Wales.

And don't forget to come back again soon for more projects from the new Summer Mini.