ESAD Retired List Blog Hop

Welcome to the ESAD Retiring Products Blog Hop, whether you have arrived from Sherylee Tutt's Stampin' Up! Blog or are starting out here, please enjoy this blog hop by following the links at the bottom of each post.

This is a very exciting time of year for Stampin' Up! as the release of the new Idea Book & Catalogue is just around the corner, and to clear room for some amazing new products a number of products in the current IB&C are retired.  This is a bitter sweet time as often we have to say good bye to some old favourites for ever - Yes forever.  Once they are gone they are gone :-(  I know there are a few sets going this year that I will really miss.  A number of us over at ESAD wanted to do a blog hop as a chance to showcase some of these retiring items before they are gone for good.  If you would like to order any make sure you get in quick as once they are sold out they won't be restocking.

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 fee free to click here to join our wonderful group

I chose to base my blog entry around Eastern Blooms, this was one of the stamps I got in my starter kit when I joined up as a demonstrator, and I have to say it was my favourite set for a long time.  I did a card similar to this when I first got the set, so thought I would do a farewell version now.  I chose Pretty in Pink, Early Espresso and Regal Rose as my base colours, I just love how the pinks go so well with the Espresso. I used a rock n roll technique on the big flowers, with the small ones on the background I inked up the stamp on the stamp pad and then coloured the centre of the flowers with my Stampin' Write Marker.  The sentiment is from Basic Phrases, another set I got in my starter kit, and another that is retiring at the end of the month. I also used a couple of 5/8" Jumbo Brads in the centre of the main flowers (but they aren't retiring thank goodness!).

For this next card I was inspired to team Eastern Blooms with the Elegant Soiree DSP, making a feature panel from stamps in the set and then stamping the main flower in VersaMark and then embossing with Gold Embossing Powder straight onto Soft Suede card stock.  3/8" Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon gives it a more feminine feel and this ribbon, along with many others, is also on the retiring products list.  Again the sentiment is done using Basic Phrases.

My final card was a bit of a fun one to do, I started off with a concept in my head but then it took on a life of it's own as I kept finding more retiring products to use on this card!  Firstly the Designer Label Punch is about to leave us, this one has always reminded me of trains - I am not sure if the shape of it reminds me of the front of a train or the station signs across London!!!  I have stamped the small flowers and punched them out with the 1" Circle Punch (not retiring), I used small metal eyelets (retiring) to attach them to the punch out shapes.  I wanted a band of colour along the bottom so used the 5/8" Certainly Celery Grosgrain ribbon (retiring) over a strip of Soft Suede.  Another retiring product is the Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, now 40% off, and I have used this to frame the sentiment from the Great Friends set, which is another favourite of mine and also retiring.  To tie in the Certainly Celery I stamped over the sentiment with the large stamp in the Fresh Cuts retiring stamp set, this is easier to see if you enlarge the picture of the card. 

I hope you have enjoyed my creations as much as I did making them. From here visit Juliette Chapman's Blog - Jules Krafti Krafts - to see what she has created.  Don't forget to leave some comments as you pop around visiting the blogs, we all love to hear what you think of our creations.

Just in case there are any missing posts, or issues with links here is a list of all the participants.

1. Keryn Campbell – http://www.kerynscards.blogspot.com/

2. Michelle Martin – http://www.ministamper.com/

3. Richelle Fletcher – http://www.stampingwithrichelle.blogspot.com/

4. Sharlene Meyer – http://www.magpiecreates.com/

5. Karen Southwell – http://kareniescrafts.blogspot.com/

6. Carole Stedman – http://www.carolestamping.com/

7. Sherylee Tutt – http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/sherylee/blog

8. Monique Fielder – http://stamping-with-moni-q.blogspot.com/

9. Juliette Chapman – http://www.juleskraftikrafts.blogspot.com/

10. Rebecca Scurr – http://www.stampinwithrebecca.wordpress.com/

11. Yvonne Walker – http://www.yvonnescreativecorner.blogspot.com/

12. Karen Rogers – http://www.karenstampz.co.nz/

13. Dani Fender – http://www.danifender.blogspot.com/

14. Cathy Clark – http://www.cathyclark.com.au/

15. Tanya Bell – http://www.stampingt.com.au/

16. Kelly Nelson – http://www.kellysstampinspot.wordpress.com/

17. Sharlene Torres – http://www.stampwithsharlene.com/

18. Kari Hughes – http://www.karigail.wordpress.com/

19. Mel Sharp – http://www.astampaddiction.blogspot.com/

20. Christie Kunkel – http://www.christiescreativecorner.blogspot.com/

21. Debbie Lamb – http://debstampinstyle.blogspot.com/

22. Clare McIlhatton – http://www.crafty-cow.com/

23. Michelle Halling – http://michellehcreations.blogspot.com/

24. Nicole VanSteelandt Derendorf –

http://www.stampingdownunder.wordpress.com/

25. Elizabeth Dyson - http://www.libbystampz.blogspot.com/

26. Joanne Kechagias – http://www.joannekechagias.blogspot.com/

Happy Stamping

My Lovely Secret Sister

As you might remember from a previous post I have a lovely Secret Sister from over at the ESAD website.  She has created me some truely wonderful gifts and cards over the last three months and it was a pleasure to recieve this last gift from her.  She is still hiding her identity from me but I will be sure to let you all in on the secret when I know who she is.

 This month was the final gift, and my SS made me this lovely set.  I love everything about this, the "look" which I am calling Vintage Grunge.  The colours are so great together, they match the DSP Elegant Soiree, and my SS has used some of this DSP in the gift bag and in the card.  Baja Breeze, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla and Basic Gray. 

 The bag is such a tricky little idea, its a front panel and back panel added to a white bag, done up at the top with some lovely matching ribbon.  I love the flower and suspect its from one of the Big Shot Dies, the buttons in the middle add a nice touch.  I love the layering of the DSP on the card too, I find it so hard to layer like this myself, my brain wants to line everythign up perfectly.  But I so love the look, I am going to have to challenge myself more I think!

Isn't the card cute - the Hodge Podge Hardware really goes with this Vintage Grunge look, and the little strip of DSP is a lovely touch,  great way to add a feature.  This patterned cardstock was made from the Extreme Elements stamp set and I love it to pieces,  I have previously used it with bright bold colours, but this pressie from SS has made me look at it in a new light.

A huge big thank you to my SS for all the time and effort you put into my cards and gifts, it has been really special to get such wonderful happy mail.

Keep a watch on the blog, over the next couple of days I will post up some pictures of things that I have made inspired by this lovely SS present.