ESAD Sale-A-Bration Blog Hop

Today marks the release of the Sale-A-Bration promotion at Stampin' Up!  I have to say this is one of my favourite times of the year because Stampin' Up! give away FREE stamps, yep totally free when you purchase $100 in product.  The super exciting thing about Sale-A-Bration this year is that not only are there four great stamp sets to choose from but we also have the option of a full pack of 12'x12' Designer series paper, or a cute Brads and Ribbons bundle, so there really is something for everyone.  If you don't already have a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and are interested in learning more please contact me 0412 064 670.

The other exciting thing about Sale-A-Bration is that it is time for another ESAD Blog Hop, where you get to hop around and see what some of the ESAD girls have created with these great FREE products.  You might be starting here or you might have hopped on over from Pauline Bennetts' Blog

What is ESAD?  ESAD stands for "Extra Special Australasian Demonstrators" and it is an on-line group just for Australian and New Zealand Stampin Up demonstrators.  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 it is 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

Here is the first item I made for the blog hop, a DSP sampler to show off not only the beautiful DSP available but also can you see the little brad holding it together?  That is one of the brads from the Free Ribbon and Brad bundle.  Doesn't it go so well with the Blossom Boquet Triple Layer Punch!  I purposefully chose the colours for the front of the DSP sampler because they are the coordinating colours for the DSP, and that will help remind me!

I wanted to make a desk set with some of the exclusive SAB products, and had my first play with adhering DSP to chipboard and putting it through the Big Shot.  I then used my Crop-A-Dial to punch the holes in the chipboard and threaded them together with the Lucky Limeade Ribbon that comes in the Ribbon and Brad bundle.  To add some detail I wrapped some of the Calypso Coral ribbon around the corners of the Scallop Square.  I am loving this ribbon, it is so delicate and pretty it is the perfect addition to any project.  And I have to say the value in the Ribbon and Brad bundle is amazing - 2 rolls each containing 9.1m of ribbon and a pack of 30 brads with 5 different patterns on them!  Can you see the little butterfly brads that I have used to hold my calendar on with - they are so cute and match the little butterflies on the DSP perfectly.  

My final project was going to be a picture frame, but I decided to use it instead to hold one of the stamps from the Fresh Vintage set also available at SAB.  I used my markers to colour in the rubber and then stamped the image, you can just see how well the image on the stamp matches the pattern on the DSP.  I added some butterflies from the Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die, and of course some pearls to give it that something special.  You will see I have used the Curly Label Punch and cut slits in the corners to create photo corners for my frame, I just love how well these go with the Top Note Die.  Again this is DSP adhered to chipboard and run through the Big Shot, something that was demonstrated at our Regional Training day in Canberra. 

I hope you enjoy the Bog Hop, don't forget to follow the links at the bottom of each post to hop around all the blogs.  Next on your journey is the lovely and talented Bron Heslop, don't forget to leave some comments as you hop around so the ladies know how much you are enjoying the hop.

Happy Hoppy Stamping

Sale-A-Bration

Today marks the start of Sale-A-Bration.  I think it's the best time of the year in the Stampin' Up! Calendar as it is the time when we get to give away FREE stamps or accessories with any order of $100!!  Check out the options in the SAB catalogue widget on the tool bar to the right.  There are 4 great stamp sets; a Designer Series paper pack that is to die for; or a Ribbon and Brad bundle which are so cute. 

The best part is that for every $100 you spend you get to choose another FREE item from the SAB catalogue!  Hostesses who have a workshop with a total of $600 in sales will get a bonus SAB item in addition to all the regular hostess benefits!!!

If you are thinking of joining the Stampin' Up! Family as a demonstrator, whether it is to build as a business or just to get the great benefits for your own use, now is the time to do so.  The starter kit valued at $610 is being offered at a discount price of just $249 (usually $289); in addition to that you also get a stamp set of your choice from the main catalogue.  This is an amazing offer - I joined in SAB in 2010 and haven't looked back.

Contact me for more details monique0368@gmail.com
Happy Stamping

Black and White Sympathy

Today is the first day of a two week holiday for me, and I am looking forward to the break, partly because it's a holiday and partly because I will be catching up with family and attending my brother's wedding!  It seems that the upcoming wedding however didn't inspire my creation for this weeks CAS-ual Fridays #36 and Splitcoast Sketch Challenge #368.

It wasn't until I went to find a sentiment that I decided to make this a sympathy card, I think the sombre black and white make it fitting.  I think the layout and stamp choices would look great with bright colours, I may just re-create it to test the theory.  The stamps are from the Sale-A-Bration set Fresh Vintage,  I am loving the flower and finding all sorts of uses for the stamp I used in the decorative panel.

Happy Stamping

Vintage Flowers

Time for another challenge over at Paper Lovin' Gals, this week we have another picture to inspire your creations.  As usual it doesn't matter what about the picture inspires you, it could be the flowers, the colours or even the little glass jars!  That is the beauty of these challenges.  I would also like to enter my card in the Freshly Made Sketches challenge this week.

For me this week it was a few things that caught my eye, the colours, the flowers and even the little ribbon that holds them together.  The stamp I have used is from Fresh Vintage, one of the sets available FREE as part of Sale-A-Bration which starts on the 24th January.  I wanted to give the idea of  a vine climbing over a trellis or lattice fence with the flower reaching for the sun.  I coloured the stamp with my Stampin' Write Markers and used the smaller flower in the set with Versa Mark to create the subtle flowers on the right of the card.  A few carefully positioned pearls to add that special something and I was complete.

Don't forget to pop over and see what the other Design Team members have created to help inspire you to join in the challenge this week.

Happy Stamping

Sunny Lovin'

One of my lovely on-line friends, Shirley McAvoy, has been asked to be a guest on the Design Team for Sunny Challenges & Creations blog, so for her first challenge I decided I definitely had to play along.  Pop over to her blog as well as the challenge site, I just love her creations she has a bright fun style, which really matches her personality!  One of my highlights in going to Stampin' Up!  Convention last year was that I got to meet some of my on-line friends, and Shirley was one of those ladies.  Any-hoo on with the challenge!  This week was to create a card filled with Love - I guess with Valentine's Day not too far away it is a great time to make a card for someone you love.

I decided to use one of the stamps from up-coming Sale-A-Bration called Outlined Occasions.  I just love the fun feel of this set so you will be seeing more cards featuring it over the next weeks and months.  I kept the card fairly simple as I am trying to do more Clean and Simple cards.  I have raised all the hearts up on Dimensionals to give some added depth and spritzed them with a mix of rubbing alcohol and Champaign Shimmer Paint.  Usually this doesn't photograph well but I think this picture managed to capture some of the sparkle.  The line of stamping along the bottom of the card is a stamp in another Sale-A-Bration set called Fresh Vintage, again expect to see a fair bit of this set on my blog as well!  

Happy Stamping

More Butterflies

As I went to title this post I realised that the image on my card is again butterflies, maybe it is time for me to get out in the garden!  Mind you it is a bit cold and overcast today, who knows what has happened to summer this year, just last week it dropped to 1.6 Celsius (that is 34 Fahrenheit for my US visitors) - maybe that is why I am craving butterflies, they have all hidden from the cold!

I have taken inspiration from three different challenges for this card, Just Us Girls challenge is to use collage stamping, Friday Mashup was to make a thank you card using DSP, and Colour Throwdown gave me my colours although I had to change Soft Sky to Pool Party.

I joined today with On-line Card Classes for Clean and Simple Card Making.  The reason I mention this is because one of the first techniques was to use masking to add a layer to a card without actually adding a physical layer, and I wanted to try this out.  In the class they used the masking to create a frame, I used it to add feature to the centre leaving a blank frame around the outside - which left it less clean and simple lol.  On reflection I could have stamped off the En Francais image so it wasn't as strong, but I think the All a Flutter butterfly stands out enough.  To bring in a little more of the Daffodil Delight I added some extra little butterflies from the Clearly for You stamp set and used some 1/8" Daffodil Delight Taffeta Ribbon over a piece of the 3/8" Soft Suede Taffeta Ribbon.  The Thanks So Much sentiment comes from the Pocket Silhouettes set.

Hopefully I will get a few more cards made today as I am off to do some of the on-line classes and try a few Clean and Simple cards.

Happy Stamping

Beautiful Butterflies

This weekend I have the house to myself, which is something that almost never happens.  I started the day by doing a bit of housework, mostly to justify spending the rest of my day creating!  Unfortunately you will have to wait a little while to see most of my creations as I was working on projects for the ESAD Blog Hop to celebrate the start of Sale-A-Bration, so pop back on 24th to check them out.

I did get make a couple of other things that I can show you, the first of which was a card inspired by three challenge blogs - the colours are from the challenge at Colour Q, the sketch is from Freshly Made Sketches, and I am also joining in Stampin' Royalty's challenge to add fabric to a project.

I was a bit worried the Flirtatious fabric wouldn't go with the image, but after cutting some strips 1.5cm wide I frayed the edges and then added some pearls and I think it actually goes quite well.  The image of course is from Elements of Style which I stamped on water colour paper and coloured using my Aqua Painters.  I finished off with some butterflies and more pearls.  I have left a sentiment off this card it would be a good card for a number of occasions - Birthday, Thank You, Mother's Day, even a Sympathy card.

Happy Stamping

Silhouettes and Dresser Draws

Well it is definitely 2012, and it seems time is flying faster this year than last! Another week has gone by and so I have another inspirational picture from Paper Lovin' Gals for you.  

I love this old dresser, doesn't it have great character?  I was initially going to get very crafty and actually try and re-create a set of draws but I didn't quite have the time to do that, so I decided to utalise the draws on the dresser for inspiration.  Then I saw the challenge at City Crafter Challenge Blog which is to use a black silhouette image, and I knew which stamp I would use.

I recently used this stamp from Just Believe on another card and have decided I love it in silhouette, this time instead of little butterflies, I added some pearls to the centre of the flowers to give it some lift.  The little black brads are similar to the knobs on the draws and I like what they add to the card.  I also wanted to pick up some of the blue from the wall behind the dresser and so used Night of Navy ribbon and stamped the sentiment from Elements of style in it also.

I hope you have enjoyed my creation make sure you pop over to Paper Lovin' Gals and check out the creations the Design Team have come up with.  As usual you can use anything in the picture to inspire your creation, so let your creativity run wild and join us.

Happy Stamping

Bird of Friendship

Isn't this a cute picture?  It's the inspiratinal picture from Paper Lovin' Gals this week and I used it as well as the sketch from Stamping 411 for my card this week.  Come and play along taking anything from the picture you like to inspire your creativity.  It certainly wasn't the snow that inspired me as I sit here in the middle of an Australian summer with the air conditioner on lol.  But that is the great thing about having a picture, you can take whatever you like, layout, colours, theme, or a combination to inspire your creativity.

I was so excited when I saw the stamp set Language of Friendship in the 2011-12 Stampin' Up! catalogue, I just love my 2-Step Bird Punch and this set fits perfectly with him, there is even a stamp to give him legs!  In my card however I see him just taking off in flight from the vines, so he doesn't need legs.   I wanted a touch of the deep red of the berries so used Cherry Cobbler to colour in the flowers and the detail near the bird's eye.  The sentiment is also from the Language of Friendship set, and the vines are from Elements of Style.

Pop over to Paper Lovin' Gals to see what the rest of the design team have made to help inspire you this week then join in with us.

Happy Stamping