Friends 24-7 for Anne!

Today is my friend (and fellow islander/stamper) Anne's Birthday.

Happy Birthday Anne!

Of course this called for another Friends 24-7 card!

Inspired by Marelle Taylor, this card is a mix of two colours I would not have thought to put together, but funny enough when someone else is brave enough to try, and you follow suit... it can sometimes turn out awesome just like this...

Stamps: Friends 24-7, Oval All

Ink: Pacific Point, Sahara Sand

Card: Pacific Point, Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla

Accessories: Kraft Taffeta Ribbon, Half Pearls

Tools: Paper Trimmer, Scallop Border Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Daubers, Adhesives, & Dimensionals.

Friends 24-7 can be found on page 81 of the

2009/2010 Idea Book & Catalogue RRP $45.95

BUT..... Being my Stamp Set of the Month for this month - October 2009...

Friends 24-7 can be yours until the 31st for my SPECIAL price of $39.

That's a saving of over 15%.

The month is running out... don't miss out!

Cards for Elana's 4th Birthday!

I have been a little slack posting things I really wanted to post and my list of "must blog this" keeps getting longer and longer.

One of the things I was busting to share was the lovely handmade cards our daughter Elana got sent to her for her 4th Birthday. Elana has some very special people in her life who just like mummy share the love of Paper Craft and they made her these very special cards.

Thanks Aunty Jackie, Aunty Elfie, and Lil. Elana loves them very much! They are still out on display in her room, and in no hurry to be put away!!!!! xo

Q&A: How do I re-ink my Stampin' Pads?

I often get asked "what is the best way to re-ink your stampin' pads?"

Re-inking an inkpad is really easy. Make sure to shake your ink refill bottle first, then simply 'scribble' your ink refill over the surface of the pad. Just one coating should do.

You don't want the pad to be too juicy!

TIP: Craft ink and Versamark inks can be quite thick, so I warm them in a jar of warm water before re-inking the pad. It makes the ink flow more freely.

Do you have a stamping question that you would like answered?

Email me to ask your question, i'd love to help you out.

Pretty are my Friends 24-7!

October's stamp set of the month 'Friends 24-7',

brings such things to mind as

Pretty, Girlie, and Pink!

Today I sat down with just those 3 things in mind...

and I made 2 cards that are just that!

Loving the damask stamp from the set, I had been inspired to try it out with two inks to give a two-tone effect... here's how it turned out...

Making the background was fun, and I was really pleased with how it looked, I didn't want to take away from it too much, so I simply added some ribbon, a pretty bow, and the 'Friends' saying mounted with dimensionals in the centre of the card.

Stamps: Friends 24-7
Ink: Cameo Coral, Kiwi Kiss
Card: Whisper White, Cameo Coral, Kiwi Kiss
Accessories: Kiwi Kiss Stripe Ribbon
Tools: Paper Trimmer, Daubers, Adhesives, & Dimensionals.

One of the highlights for me this year was going to Canberra for the Stampin' Up! Convention. There the Inspiration was non-stop! One of the memorable presentations for me was the one done by Stampin' Up!'s Co founder & CEO Shelli Gardner. Shelli has a real Shabby Chic style and I sooooo love it! The 09/10 catalogue introduced a line of products that she personally has been involved in creating "Shelli's Signature Collection" and Friends 24-7 is part of her collection. (to find Shelli's Signature range, just look for the heart icon).

Shelli made this adorable card in which I have done my best efforts to replica myself, I just love it, but I must say... if you like this, believe it or not, Shelli's was even more adorable.

A couple of tips I learnt from Shelli presenting this card was that you can colour the flowers from the pretties kit with pastels and daubers. You can even stamp on them too! Don't the ribbons look so adorable? I braved the old needle and thread and gathered the pretty in pink ribbon, the ribbon above it is from 'Dress Up' Ribbon Originals, dyed in coffee.

Stamps: Friends 24-7, Friendly Words jumbo wheel
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Sahara Sand, Basic Grey, Kiwi Kiss, Creamy Caramel
Card: Pretty in Pink, Sahara Sand, Confetti White
Accessories: Pretties Flower, Crystal Brad, Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon, Dress Up Ribbon
Tools: Paper Trimmer, Needle & Thread, Coffee for dying, Scissors for distressing, Jumbo Wheel Handle, Aqua Painter, Daubers, Pastels, Spritzer Tool, & Adhesives

Fallen in love with Friends 24-7?

Friends 24-7 can be found on page 81 of the 2009/2010 Idea Book & Catalogue RRP $45.95

As I love each and every one of my friends... and that includes you... I am offering you the opportunity to add Friends 24-7 to your stamp collection at my special price of $39
That's a saving of over 15%!

Only available at this fabulous price until the end of this month!

The 'perfect' invitation for my sister's special day!

As most of you know, I travelled south to my parents house during the last school holidays, in which during that time, my sister Jackie & I set out to tackle to fun challenge of putting together 60 wedding invitations. With 3 kids between us, in the school holidays, one would agree this was to be a challenge just in itself, but thankfully our mum "nanny" came to the rescue and did a fantastic job babysitting, Dad "gumpy" had his share in the babysitting too, so all in all it was a group effort, and well worth it I would say.

What we created was....

the "perfect" invitation for my sister's special day!

The ribbon is held on with slot punches either side of the opening and the ribbon looped through them, so when you open it the ribbon hangs there in place, keeping it looking very classy!(Believe me, a lot of thought went into this invite *giggle*) The Baroque Motifs image has been stamped 3 times on each invite front with VersaMark then clear embossed, it looks WAY better in the flesh than in this photo.

My brother in-law to be, Jason, works for the Australian Defence Force. The wedding will be a 'Military Wedding' with the groom and groomsmen in Service Uniform. That is where I came up with my most brilliant idea yet.... the cute crown buttons on the invitations...

Well I thought it was a brilliant idea until 60 build-a-brads later! lol

For those who are wondering just how did I get the crown in there... the magical world of scanning allowed me to do that. Using a badge from Jason's uniform I scanned the crown, shrunk it down to a tiny little version and printed many little mini crowns in which I punched out and placed into my build-a-brads! Wha-lah!!!!

Stamps: Baroque Motifs
Ink: VersaMark, Chocolate Chip
Card: Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Antique Brass Build-a-Brads, Clear Embossing Powder, Ribbon
Tools: Paper Trimmer with Scoring Blade, 1/2" Circle Punch, Horizontal Slot Punch, Embossing Buddy, Heat Tool, Daubers, & Adhesives.

I can't wait to get mine in the post with some words on it to feel complete!

Bright Delights for my Hostesses!

Stampin' Up! hostesses can enjoy a fun get-together

with family and friends sharing the joy of creativity.

I come to your place and present to you creative projects, everyone who comes along can make a project to take home with them, and hostesses have the opportunity to earn
FREE stamps and products.

As if that wasn't enough... *giggle*

Being a hostess of mine, if you HOST a workshop or class in the months October/November/December 2009

as an added bonus you will also go in the draw to

WIN a Bright Delights Combo Pack!

This pack includes a pack of Bright Delights Rub-ons, 12 pieces of co-ordinating A4 card stock (3 of each of the 4 colours), and 4 meters of co-ordinating ribbon. Value of this pack is approx $35...

WOW winning that would definitely be a 'Delight!'

Jump on the phone now and give me a tingle with a date in mind...

I am looking forward to sharing Stampin' Up! with you!