A Great Deal!

Stampin' Up! have listed an awesome promotion that is too good to resist!  Truely any self confessed craftaholic needs to take advantage of this or you really can't be a real craftaholic.

Host a Workshop until June 30th with just $450 in sales and you receive:

A Level 1 Hostess Set of your choice
$40 Free Spend on anything from any of the Catalogues AND
A BONUS $70 Free Spend

That's right - $110 FREE Shopping Money to buy whatever you want from the Catalogues!!!!!!

Now tell me how can you let that opportunity go by.  Get a group of friends together and give me a call and book a date before the time runs out!

Thanks for Caring

Sadly we all at some stage have a need for a Sympathy card and I know I find it very hard to think of one when I really need one.  With that thought we made two Sympathy cards this week so that when the time comes we have one at hand.  My thoughts of sympathy cards is that they should be subtle and simple and the new Thanks For Caring set is just perfect.  It is important to look at this set outside of just a sympathy set as the little flower and butterfly stamps are just gorgeous and can be used for any occassion.  A couple of the words can also be used for other occassions.

Stamps:  Thanks For Caring

Ink:  Black Stazon, Bashful Blue

Card:  Bashful Blue, Very Vanilla, Water colour paper

Access:  Framed Tulips Emboss Folder, Designer Label and 2 3/4" circle punches

Stamps:  Thanks For Caring

Card:  Bashful Blue, Whisper White

Ink:  Black Stazon, Bashful Blue

Access:  Scallop Circle and 2 3/4" Circle Punches, Blender Pens

Emboss Resist Awash With Flowers

This week we revisited the Emboss Resist Technique.  I recently got the gorgeous Awash With Flowers set so just had to use it of course.

Stamps:  Awash With Flowers, Tiny Tags

Card:  Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, Glossy White

Access: Jewelry Tag Punch, White Emboss Powder, Versamark, Whisper White Grosgrain, Hemp Twine

Onsies

This card has been around for awhile now and I was inspired by a few people.  The talented Karen who is on my list of Blogs I visit and Crafters Anonymous both inspired me to give it a go.  It is such a cute idea.

Card:  Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Baja Breeze

Ink:  Bashful Blue, Baja Breeze

Access:  Lattice Embossing Folder, Designer Label Punch, 3/4" and 1/2" circle punches, Baby Tees Wheel, Blender Pens

A little bit French

I thought it was about time I got around to posting again.  I have made several attempts over the past few weeks but sadly have failed each time so you may be in for a little overdose.

This card is from last weeks class.  I wanted to do something that was a little bit antiquey but this wasn't actually what I had in my head but this is what made it out.  I have recently become very attached to Crumb Cake card stock.  It is not a colour that I have ever used and I have to admit I had the original sheets I got in a mixed pack when I first signed up to Stampin' Up almost 3 years ago!  I am now onto my third pack in as many weeks.

Stamp Set:  Artisic Etchings, French Foliage

Card:  Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black, Crumb Cake

Ink:  Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler

Access:  Music Notes Wheel, Build A Brad, Daubers

Splash of Summer

In a complete contrast to the Autumn colours in the previous card I went more towards summer colours and feel.  The icecream is created using the Build a Cup Cake punch from the Autumn/Winter catalogue.  it is such a versatile punch and can be used for so much more than just cupcakes.  The matching stamp set "Create a Cupcake" is also very flexible when you really look at it. 

Stamps:  Create A Cupcake

Ink: Soft Suede

Cardstock:  Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Soft Suede

Punches:  Build a Cupcake, Modern Label

Extras:  Silver brads, Square Latticfe Embossing Folder, Daffodil Delight PomPom Trim ribbon

Autumn Leaves

French Foliage from the Autumn/Winter Mini is not a stamp set that I would naturally be drawn to I have to admit.  After doing a bit of internet surfing I saw some very inspiring creations and thought I should give it a go.  Given the weather lately, I also had to stretch myself out of my normal colour range and look at yellows and oranges which I very rarely use.  I was really happy with the end result and just love this set now.  If you have over looked it, maybe give it another look.

Stamps:    French Foliage, Word Play 

Ink:  Daffodil Delight, Early Esspresso, Tangerine Tango

Card Stock:  Early Esspresson, Tangerine Tango, Very Vanilla

I Feel Ulcers and Grey Hairs Coming

After 12 months and a long 120 hours of Learner Driving lessons, my 17 year old son got his red P's on Monday.  )Eeeekkk!!  I spent all of Monday with a stomach full of butterflies and breathing into a paper bag.  Torn between thinking of all that driving I will no longer have to do and the fact that my baby was going to be out there all on his own on the road was excrutiating.  Why do those beautiful little cherubs we bring home from hospital have to grow up???

After we both paced the RTA waiting for his turn to do his test, quoting all the things we could remember that would be important, a very lovely, smiling man called his name - a good start.  Off he went, a little apprehensive but confident he had done the work.  I was left to continue to pace and look at the clock every minute and a half.  Finally he walked back in but wasn't sure how he went.  Another excrutiating few minutes dragged by until he got called up again.  Holding our breath we listened to the instructor and the only words I think Leroy  heard were congratulations - everything else was "white noise".

We are so proud of him but now the worrying kicks in.  I never realised just how terrifying it would be watching him drive off for the first time solo and not sure how long it will take me to get used to it.

Anyway I just had to make him a card so after a search on the internet, I found this great punch art car on Melissa's blog site.  Thanks Melissa for this great tutorial, I was far too stressed to think anything up on my own!

Flowers For You

Our second card was designed to be suitable for Mother's Day without it actually having the specific words.  Sadly we are not all fortunate enough to still have our mothers so I wanted to make it flexible.

Stamps:      Elements Of Style, French Foliage, Teeny Tiny Semtiments
Card:          Old Olive, perfect Plum, Whisper White
Ink:             StazOn Black, Perfect Plum, Old Olive
Acces:        Old Olive Satin Ribbon, Jewelry Tag punch, Hemp Twine, Sponges, Blender Pens, Nestabilities
                  Scallop dies

Every now and again, I really enjoy doing some colouring and the Elements Of Style flower is a great stamp to use for this technique.  The blender pens are perfect for smaller areas of colouring.  I stamped the image in the Stazon ink so that there was no chance of the ink "bleeding" into the colours.

Fairy Princess

My holiday was officially over this week with classes returning.  It was great to catch up with some of you and to hear about your holidays.

Our first card was a very girly and now that I look at it, I can see that she needs a little wand to finish of the Fairy Princess look.

Stamps:    French Foliage, All In The Family
Card:       Pretty In Pink, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White
Ink:          Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Rich Razzleberry, Chocolate Chip
Acces:     Big Shot, Finial Press Emboss Folder, Top Note Die, Beautiful Butterflies Die, Pearls, Dazzling
               Diamonds, Sponges