Stampin'Up!'s Year end Sale!!! Don't miss out!!

Hello!

I feel like Santa Clause! What better way to end the year than to buy yourself some Stampin'Up! gifts! At a huge discount - up to 60% off!  Also for ONE WEEK ONLY (10 DECEMBER '15 - 17 DECEMBER '15) you can get up to 50% discount on selected 2015/2016 Annual Catalogue products! Click on the image and start shopping!

Don't miss out!

Mel xx

Peaceful Pines - Wishing you joy tag

Hello!

I have been fortunate enough to live with one of the most amazing people that will ever cross my path - my 9 year old son Chris! Because Chris is Autistic he has made me realize the hard work that our teachers put in! We as a family have been blessed with wonderful teachers and educational assistants through the years - for both my children! I love saying thank you to them at the end a the year! Next year we will be moving to a new school so we will also be saying good bye... Of course I have to work within a budget (the perks of being a stay at home mom - not!)! I bought these red mugs from Target and filled them with choccies and then I added THIS tag...  

BEAUTIFUL!

The wide Very Vanilla Subtle Stripes Ribbon worked as the perfect backdrop to my cheerful tag!

A closer look...

My Product List

Hints & Things

• Wide Ribbon makes beautiful bows!
• I would definitely advise that you use the Precision Base Plate with your Big Shot when die cutting Glimmer paper - it really makes it easy! 
• I stamped with Old Olive (Green) onto Bermuda Bay (Blue) - what an amazing effect! I saw this on Pinterest (thank you for y it Daour inspiration Dawn McVey)!

I think the teachers will love it and feel the love when I hand them these?!

I hope to be back soon! Remember as Cardmakers we have it in our hands to spread kindness!

Mel xx

Snow Place - Merry Christmas (2)

Hello!

A reminder that, if today is Wednesday in your valley, to hop on over and see what our WEEKLY DEALS  are! Click on all our promotions while you are there!

Yes, I am still alive and kicking! It has been a hectic few weeks! Who knew selling ( and buying) a house can be so labour intensive?! With my husband working away, getting certain documents signed meant spending quite some time at the Post Shop! In between I was working on some more classmate cards! I had to keep it simple, so I just changed the "characters" around but kept to the same backround I used on my last card! Both my kids loved ( and felt proud) to hand out these to their classmates!

This little penguin comes with some props!

I had to be stingy on my Metallic Sequin Assortment! I ran out of gold - lucky I had some silver left over!

Bring in the Peaceful Pines Stamp set and its coordinating dies!

A little Real Red and sequins I bought quite some time ago (not sure where)

Brightens up this very clean and simple card!

My Product List

Hints & Things

• Seeing as I will have to pack up my craft room soon, I am trying to work through all the tiny bits and pieces. I store the tiniest pieces of Gold Glimmer paper for punching out little stars or snowflakes and I used them for the star on top of my tree. A little bling goes a long way!
• The tree was heat embossed with Iridescent Ice Stampin' Emboss powder. I have a VersaMark pad that I use only for my green inks when I use a clear embossing powder and one for red (both from last Christmas). This way I don't have to clean my stamp in between each card. I inked up with VersaMark ink and then Pear Pizzazz before I stamped on the card stock en then added my embossing powder.
• Each card was stamped with a greeting from the Versatile Christmas stamp set in Real Red ink.

I hope to finish my Christmas stamping today! For my last Christmas project I made a beautiful tag to go with the teacher's gifts this year!  Woohoo! Coming soon  Stampin'Up!'s new Occcasions Catalogue!

  As always take care!

Mel xx

Snow Place - Merry Christmas!

Hello!

Today I'm sharing a sweet little card using the playful Snow Place Photopolymer stamp set! I will make 20 of these for my 7 year old girls class mates! Well one down.... 19 more to go! Thankfully I have finished the backgrounds already!

I'm very happy with the Gingham background that I created with the Brushstrokes background stamp!

Frosty the Snowman or what?

My Product List

Hints & Things

• I first stamped my snowman with VersaMark ink but made sure not to heat emboss the face with Dazzling Diamond Stampin' Glitter - I drew in the face afterwards with markers using the slight image of the VersaMark ink as a guide. 
• My wooden snowflake embellishment was first stained with Whisper White Craft Ink and then with Soft Sky ink (wait for the White ink to dry before you add the Soft Sky otherwise your ink pad will get "contaminated  with the"White ink). I then used Heat & Stick powder to set my Dazzling Diamond Stampin' Glitter.
• I used the Versatile Christmas stamp set for my greeting inside greeting.
• This card is quite a tight fit for its envelope (included in the Note Card & Envelope pack). I did manage to fit it in with some patience though.

That's it! Let me know what you think!

Take care! I hope to share very soon again!

Mel xx

A little Something - Love Peace Joy Square Pillow box gift card holder

Hello!

Better late than never they say! I have been trying to share with you my idea for a beautiful Square Pillow Box gift card holder since last week! We are in the process of selling our house as well as buying a new house and believe me keeping the house clean and ready for potential buyers keeps you busy! Lucky we are very close...

Without any further a do...

Ta da! Normally I would add some lollies, but I recently quit sugar, so have none in the house!

I will be adding some Body Shop lip balm though.

I simply adore the Tags & Labels Framelits!

My Product List

Hints & Things

• I cut my Square Pillow Box using the Precision Base Plate and the Multipurpose platform - I found this the easiest way as my Big Shot wouldn't cut all the way through the Window sheet with the normal Thinlits sandwich using the standard cutting pads.
• I assembled the pillow box with Fast Fuse Adhesive, put the snowflake Designer Series Paper on the inside but adhered the die cut Sleigh Ride Thinlits on the outside. I found this less fiddly!
• I added the Dazzling Diamond Stampin' Glitter with Whisper White Craft ink and Heat & Stick powder - I like the "snowy look" of the little village!
• Feel free to load it with lollies!

I hope you feel inspired! This week I will be working on my Teachers gifts, Class mate cards, etc and will share with you as much as I can. 

Take care and be kind to one another!

Mel xx

Versatile Christmas - The Gift of Love (2)

Hello!

Oh, I am having sooo much fun creating my Christmas cards! And today I will also share my take on this week's Global Design Project CASE-the-designer challenge! This week it is a stunning design by Brian King! I went with the theme (Christmas) and maybe a little bit of his layout!

I started getting ideas together for my and friends and family Christmas cards  for this year, already in September! With a few tweaks on my original design this is it! Just a mention that some of the products I used is part of the Retiring Holiday Catalogue Products  - so hurry if you don't want to miss out!

At times like this I wish I was a better photographer! My Corrugated Paper die cut has the most wonderful sparkle!

Brian King's amazing inspiration!

Now you can see the sparkle!

Small details...

My Product List

Hints & Things

• By making use of the Note Cards & Envelope packs (20 in a pack) I could start with creating right away! The note cards measure slightly smaller than your average card at 12.7cm x 8.9cm (5" x 3.5"). The envelopes are included - so no time waisted in search of matching envelopes!
• For the Corrugated Paper die cut I used the Kraft colour, but added a layer of White Craft Ink before I used Heat & Stick Powder to heat set the Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter!
• My card is quite simple (I can make many in a reasonable amount of time) but small details like the pierced edges, Dazzling Diamond Glitter, sequins,etc packs a punch!

As always I would love to hear what you think and answer any questions!

Take care and remember try not to get caught up in all the preparations of the Season - take a deep breath and enjoy the journey...

Mel xx

Take a look at the Holiday 2015 Retiring products! Don't miss out on your favorites!

Shop!

Snow Place - Merry Christmas!

Hello!

Can I just say that I had an amazing, fun filled time at Stampin'Up!'s On Stage event in Perth! This event was for Demonstrators only and as always Stampin'Up! went above and beyond to keep us entertained (with new goodies) all day! I can let you know to expect BIG and beautiful things in the next Occassions Catalogue! Stay tuned for a very tiny sneak peek at the end of my post!!

This week's Global Design Project challenge is a Christmas theme! Yay! I love creating Christmas cards!

And the lead characters.... two cute snowmen from the Snow Place Photopolymer stamp set!

Only a Gold Embossed top hat will work for my snowman!

I stamped and heat embossed a greeting from the same set in gold onto my Designer Series Paper! 

My Product List

Hints & Things

• My "snow persons " look really snowy - they were heat embossed with Dazzling Diamonds Stampin'  Glitter! Really pretty!
• I used a no 1 round tip paint brush with a tiny bit of Melon Mambo water wash to give my snowmen some rosy cheeks.

As promised, I leave you with a really small sneak peek... 

Coming in the not so distant future... This photo does not do it justice...

As always take care! Stay kind!

Mel xx

20% off on selected stamp sets!! Hurry though - this amazing promotions is only available for 5 days!!

See which stamp sets!

A Little Something - LOVE PEACE JOY

Hello!

I am super excited! Tomorrow I will be attending Stampin' Up!'s very first On Stage event for demonstrators! As always I have created cards to take along and swap out with the other demonstrators! Today I share one of my ideas with you!

Super simple!

Black, White and Gold (and Kraft!) makes for a super elegant Christmas card...

My Product List

Hints & Things

• I Swiped my Whisper White Craft ink pad over my card base for a "snowy" background and then stamped my tiny snowflakes using the same ink on top of that.
• When you stamp on top of the Window sheet with the StazOn ink, be careful it can be quite slippery! So straight down and straight up with your stamp!
• I used Glue Dots to secure my sequins - no way they will be coming off in the post!
• My card measures 3 1/2"  x 3 1/2" (9cm x 9cm) but this is just an idea - you can make it bigger, smaller, thinner, any way you would like it! 

Next week (if all goes well) I am going to play around with the fun Snow Place stamp set and its coordinating dies!

Take care!

Mel xx

Peaceful Pines - 'tis the season

Hello! Hello!

It is that time of the week that I get to share my entry for this week's Global Design Project challenge! To say that I am a fan of Teneale Williams, is putting it lightly! Teneale is the Designer of this weeks sketch challenge. Before I share her sketch... this is my card....

Never in my life did I imagine a Christmas card with a Basic Black, Very Vanilla and Gold colour combo! I absolutely LOVE it! 

Teneale's beautiful sketch!

Adding stitching has now almost become the norm for me...

My Product List

Hints & Things

• The Winter Wonderland Designer Series Vellum Stack is breathtakingly beautiful! At first I used up all the Gold foiled vellum in the stack - I was to scared to try the Black! I can now say that I used quite a bit of the Black foiled sheets and  is just something about this Vellum Stack.... The musical note sheet from the Home For Christmas Designer Series paper worked very well with it, I think.
• My strips for the rosette measured 30.5cm x 4cm and I scored every 1cm lengthwise (using the Metric Scoring Plate with my Simply Scored scoring tool. 
• I found that a hot glue gun works best to glue the rosette into shape.
• Dare to be brave...

Let me know what you think - I would love to hear from you!

Take care!

Mel xx

Cozy Christmas - Christmas Wishes

Hello!

I am officially in panic mode! The work of a card maker never ends! Not long before it is time to hand out Christmas cards at school and send cards in the mail to loved ones! AND I still have to do my SWAPS for Stampin' Up!s upcoming OnStage event! Upcoming as in the 14th of November 2015!!

If I managed to put you in a state of panic... hop on over and have a look at this week's Weekly Deals! Nothing like a bit of shopping to get you over your panic! LOL!

This week's Global Design Project Challenge is a colour challenge! Fun!

This is my Christmas card! A bit unconventional!

I love all these colours, but most probably would not have chosen to use them together! It turns out they are perfect for each other!

I used the last few left over sequins from my Watercolor Wishes Card Kit to add some sparkle to my card!

My Product List

Hints & Things

• I loved creating my own background with the circle stamp from the Work of Art stamp set! This was my way of using the colours in this week's challenge.
• Wooden embellishments are also amazing! I always put a layer of Whisper White Craft ink down before I come in with whatever colour I want to change them! This is also a great idea for Kraft or Crumb Cake cardstock (or any darker cardstock for that matter)!
• My Christmas greeting was heat embossed with Iridescent Ice Stampin' Emboss Powder - this adds a little bit more interest to my card and also work very nicely with the sequins.

As always thank you for taking the time to look at my post! I am off to work on something else unconventional...

Take care!

Mel xx

Wonderland - Merry Christmas

Hello!

I am in the process of deciding what my Christmas cards will look like this year and came up with this idea! Including the sewing, this card took me about 10 minutes to create!

I love Cherry Cobbler! It is such a perfect Christmas Red! Add some Gold and you have the perfect Christmas colour combo!

Early Espresso Seam Binding Ribbon adds the perfect amount of soft to this card!

My Product List

Hints & Things

• Too easy for hints!

Well I am off to see how many of these I can start!

Take care!

Mel xx

Wonderland - Christmas Blessings

Hello! Hello!

I hope that it is going well with you!

I think the most important thing about today, is that it is Weekly Deals Wednesday! Amazing deals on this week!

Today is also the day that I share my take on this week's Global Design Project challenge! I really struggled this time! My aim for this week's posts was Christmas and to bring the challenge and Christmas together.... More than a bit of head scratching going on I tell you! I just could not decide which part of this week's CASE the Designer Challenge I wanted to CASE.

I decided to CASE the layout with layers of Ink, Vellum and Wood (and a little bit of sewing... AGAIN)!

Can you see it?! I loved the colours, layout, stamp sets, everything about Kylie Bertucci's card... 

I love how my Snowflake turned out!

My Product List

Hints & Things

• I spritzed some water onto the You've Got This background stamp (one of my favourite backgrounds ever)!
• I first coloured my Wooden snowflake with Whisper White Craft Ink, then used Heat & Stick Powder to heat set the Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter.
• I tried to use different kinds of layers in place of actual paper layers.

Although I agonized over the layout, I'm rather happy with the outcome and with a few tweaks here and there... might just make some more!

What do you think?

Mel xx

Earn EXTRA Stampin' Rewards between now and the 9th of November 2015!

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Peaceful Pines - May the Christmas Spirit find a home in your Heart Mini Treat Bag

Hello!

As promised in my previous post of my Farm-themed Mini Treat Bag -  a Christmas-themed treat bag based on the same template!

I love the Peaceful Pines Bundle! 

I heat embossed the tree with Iridescent Ice Stampin' Emboss powder and applied Crystal Effects to the little gift embellishment on the clothes peg!

My Product List

Hints & Things

• First and foremost you save 15% PER item by Bundling up! The Peaceful Pines Bundle is a very good start for creating your own beautiful handmade Christmas cards this year! Now is the time to start!
• I used a Sponge Dauber to colour the White Corrugated Paper. 
• Stampin'Up!'s products coordinates perfectly! Start with your choice of Designer Series Paper and then add your ink and stamps! 
• Feel free to comment on my post - I would love to hear from you!

Mel xx

Beautiful Bunch - Thank You

Hello!

This is my take on this week's Global Design Project challenge... 

Any idea what this week's challenge is?

 Red Gingham and a Sunflower? 

I do not own any stamp sets of farm animals or scenes at the moment (the Barnyard Babies stamp set is on my Wishlist), so I had to make a plan... Red Gingham and Sunflowers always make me think of life on a farm (the romanticized version that is!).

I used the middle of one of the flowers in the Beautiful Bunch stamp set to build my little Sunflower!

My Product List

Hints & Things

• Look at your Designer Series Paper differently - see if you can use it for different occasions - I used paper from  the Season of Cheer Designer Series Paper to set my "farm scene".
• I also used Washi tape from the Season of Cheer pack for my little clothes peg.
• For my Real Red Gingham pattern I used the Brush line from the Work of Art stamp set. 
• To give my little Sunflower  dimension I layered 3 punched flowers, but also cut into the little petals to make it easier to shape them.
• By changing the Designer Series Paper and stamp set this can be turned into a Beautiful Christmas treat bag! Look out for my next post!

Don't forget to make some time to craft! 

Mel xx

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You're So Sweet - With Love gift bag

Hello!

Today I'm sharing a tiny gift bag idea! This tiny little  bag is ideal for jewelry or a party favor! For how to punch the little gift bag with a front closure Tenealle Williams  ( Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team member) explains it perfectly! My box measures 7.5cm (length) x 7cm (width) x 5cm (depth). I started with card stock measuring 14cm x 25cm. 

I simply adore Stampin' Up!'s Corrugated Paper, especially the Kraft coloured one!

Of course a tiny bit of gold!

My Product List

Hints & Things

• The Butterfly Basics Stamp set comes in Clear-mount, Wood-mount and Photopolymer stamp sets - I've listed them all for you! Also keep in mind you can save when you purchase the bundle!
• The Corrugated paper lines goes horizontally over my gift back - rather score and punch with your lines going VERTICAL - believe me your scoring will go so much easier!
• I can see myself using the Tags & Labels Framelits many, many times in future! Definitely a set to invest in!

There you have it! Let me know what you think! I really would appreciate your (good) input!

Mel xx

Watercolor Wings - Happy Birthday

Hello!

It definitely is starting to heat up in my part of Western Australia! School is back on and I'm looking forward to getting into my normal routine of at least two projects per week! We are in the home stretch now guys, the end of the year is almost upon us!

My card today is based on this week's sketch challenge by Global Design Project . 

Parts of the butterfly's wings were heat embossed with Iridescent Ice Stampin' Emboss Powder.

This week's sketch challenge.

I added some subtle sparkle with the Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper - I thinks the soft sparkle of the glimmer paper compliments the Kraft coloured Corrugated Paper beautifully.

My Product List

Hints &Things

• I use glue dots to adhere my sequins, they fit nicely with Stampin' Up!'s regualar size sequins and I know they will not come off in the post.
• Lining up greetings is very easy with Photopolymer stamps!
• Sometimes all you need is a piece of Stampin' Up!'s beautiful Designer Series Paper and a tiny bit of stamping!
• This card (or a Christmas version of it) is very easy and quick to make! Create a few while you are at it!

Thank you for dropping by!

Mel xx

Look at this!

I am so proud to be a Global Design Project Winner! 

What a fantastic surprise! Very proud of this win! 

Just back from camping and looking forward to the next week's card making!

Mel xx