Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Just writing to you to wish everyone who reads my blog a Merry Christmas. I also wanted to explain why there have been no more entries. I have been holidaying at my parents' house on the South Coast of NSW and forgot to email the pictures of the Christmas cards so I have not been able to post. My apologies. There will be more posts in the new year when I get back. Keep looking, though, because there is a chance I will be able to post pictures of the card sets I made for my relatives ( I will try to photograph them this afternoon) Hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Christmas and will have a nice, relaxing boxing day and, to all of my northern hemisphere readers, I hope you're enjoying the last moments of your Christmas night. Talk soon, Elizabeth xx

On the fifth day of Christmas.....

Hi! Big day today! Had all the rellies on my husband's side over for a Christmas BBQ. Feeling very tired and very much looking forward to putting my feet up tonight and relaxing - for a little while at least until the work of pre-holiday starts tomorrow so we can head off on Wednesday!! Here's today's installment.

Well, it's not 5 gold rings, but 2 "Dasher" cards. I love this stamp - it just looks so beautiful and elegant. Hope you enjoy! Happy wrapping, Elizabeth xx

3rd and 4th days of Christmas!!

Help! As with the rest of my Christmas preparations, I am falling hideously behind!!! I am trying to finish off some presents I am making for relatives - some stationery wallets with 6 cards + envelopes and stamps to send them (and maybe a pen to write on them, if I have time and find the right thing at the right price!). That being said, I will include pictures of two other Christmas cards that will not have explanations. Today's entries are your slightly less traditional Christmas cards (I like to be different). I am particularly chuffed with my partridge in a pear tree!! Hope your Christmas preparations are going better than mine - see you tomorrow (?), Elizabeth xx

So Saffron/Early Espresso Bauble card

..And a Partridge in a Pear Tree!

Christmas Bauble Card

Today I made this sponged Christmas bauble card for my daughter's teacher to give to her Mum. I had a lot of fun making it and I was pleased with the results. If you'd like to learn how to make something like this yourself, then contact me (via mobile or email) and I can show you how. Thanks for looking, Elizabeth xx

Day 2 (12 days of Christmas)

Well, by some miracle, I have managed to get to the 2nd day of Christmas entry. Today's entry was part of a stamp-a-stack morning I held a couple of weeks ago.

It used elegant eggplant cardstock for the base and then very vanilla for the top bit (corner rounder punch for the edges),elegant eggplant and old olive inks, Baroque Motifs, Season of Joy, Snow Swirled (words), Tree Trimmings (bauble string)stamp sets and Dazzling Diamonds glitter for a bit of 'bling' on the bauble (sponged with ink through a template constructed using the ornament punch). See you tomorrow for day 3's installment. Elizabeth xx

The 12 days of Christmas!

Hello all! I was speaking to Emily's choir teacher the other day and she reminded me that it had been some time since I blogged. I replied that I was going to do a "12 days of Christmas" theme starting yesterday (woops!) and show a Christmas card a day. Hopefully it will give you inspiration for your own Christmas card-making.

This one was made using the 'Medallion' background stamp with cherry cobbler and versamark and heat n' stick powder and dazzling diamonds glitter. I used cherry cobbler and very vanilla cardstock and the scallop border punch. I embellished using old olive 5/8" grosgrain ribbon and a green rhinestone brad (discontinued - but a clear one would do the job just as well). The sentiment is from last year's "Best Yet" hostess gift and could be substitued with any other appropriate Christmas greeting of your choice. Stay tuned for tomorrow's installment...

Regional training and a new stamp set to play with!

Yesterday was Stampin' Up's regional training day in Sydney. It was a fun day with lots of great things to look at and so many talented people to listen to! I came away inspired with a lot of ideas to help my business. I also came away with a new stamp set which I got to play with during the day and then make something in the evening when I got home. I have a photo here of the projects I made. Three of them were SU designs but the yellow card was what I made when I got home so I could give it to my friend today (it was her birthday on Friday - Happy Birthday, Fabs!) The stamp set is called 'Enjoy Every Moment' (121508 - $31.95(wood mount) or 120522 - $25.95 (clear mount)). Until next time, Elizabeth xx

Artistic Etchings

My lovely downline, Michelle, suggested a colour combo that made mefall in love with Melon Mambo. The card she produced for my birthday was BEAUTIFUL!!! My interpretation of the combo was more CAS (clean and simple) than her lovely vintage card. Mine used Artistic Etchings, big, bold ribbon, the spritzer tool, a rhinestone, newsprint DSP and a big shot embossed background. I'm posting my card tonight and will do Michelle's very soon (I don't think I've pulled the image off my iPhone yet!) Talk soon, Elizabeth xx

Other uses for punches...

On 1st November, my second daughter, Alice, turned 7. To celebrate her birthday, I made a popcorn box cake. To liven up the plate, I punched out stars using Real Red cardstock. The small star punch I used has been retired but the large star would also look effective (119875 - $33.95). Here's a picture of the finished product - the birthday girl loved it!!!!!

Owl together now!!

Wow!!! I just looked at the date of my last post. I have SO much to tell you all about. On Saturday, 30th my fellow, demonstrator, downline and friend, Joanne Kechagias and I organised a 'Girls' Night In' Fundraiser to help raise funds for women's cancer research and support programs. I am not going to get into that at the moment - there will be a post about that in the not-too-distant future. Just a little card for you today that I made with Marie (my Saturday morning lady). It was made using the new owl punch and the beautiful "Elements of Style" stamp set and "Curly Cute" words. The colours are Melon Mambo, Pretty In Pink, Pear Pizazz, Sahara Sand and Concord Crush (one of my favourites of all the new colours!) Hope you like it! Elizabeth xx

Card CASE

Hi, all! Apologies for the length of time between posts - I have been run off my feet attending to 4 sick children with conjunctivitis, flu, vomiting and diahorrea. And, after recovering from that, dropping children off and picking them up from holidays at their grandparents' house which is on the beautiful South Coast of NSW. I have taught school holiday card classes at the Waverly Library, my regular Stamp Club and I have some card-making classes and a fundraiser coming up!!! Enough whinging! Here is a card I made CASEing a design in the Impressions magazine (a montly magazine that all demonstrators receive). It uses the butterfly prints set, the vintage wallpaper textured impressions folder for the Big Shot and some of our beautiful new stick-on half pearls. The yellow is the new Daffodil Delight from our brights range and the ribbon is the taffeta Daffodil Delight ribbon. Hope you enjoy! Elizabeth :)

Father's Day Card

Just wanted to show you the card I made for my husband this Father's Day. I used the Faux Metal technique to achieve the effect you see on the card. Basically, you apply versamark ink to a piece of cardstock and then emboss with metallic embossing powder. You repeat this process 4-5 times and when, whilst the embossing is still warm, you make the impression using the stamp of your choice. I used the measuring tape from the Totally Tools set and I mounted it on a piece of Going Grey (discontinued) card stock which had been embossed using the Bigshot Perfect Polkadots textured impressions embossing folder. The Basic Grey background was stamped multiple times with the Sanded background stamp. I tied a piece of linen thread around the 'metal' bit to give it a rustic effect and put silver brads in each corner to look like rivets. Hope you enjoy, until next time, Elizabeth.

A Good, Old-Fashioned Thank You...

Hi, everyone! I'm trying really hard to keep up with adding new posts as often as I can. A couple of weeks ago, I went to the Opera House to see my daughter sing in her school choir combined with around 600 students from other choirs. It was a great night with singing and dancing items from around the local area of which our school is a part. I love going and watching her sing in the mass choir because I know how much she loves to sing. Enabling students to be part of this requires hard work and sacrifice from teachers (I know, I am one!) and so I felt moved to make her choir teacher (also an SU demonstrator!) this Vintage Vogue thank you card which, Emily informed me, she liked. The sentiment on the front is from the Life Definitions stamp set which, sadly, is leaving us at the end of August. Here is the card. Until next time, Elizabeth :)

Sneak Peek #2!

Hello everyone! A short one tonight to give you another peek at what's coming in only 6 days now (but who's counting?)! A "For You Flower" with a punch to match! Here's what I did with it....



...hope you enjoyed, thanks for looking! Until next time, Elizabeth

Welcome Baby Adelaide - and New Catalogue Sneak Peek #1

On Wednesday, 11th August, my new niece, Adelaide came into the world. She is soooo cute - I just wish we were closer to Melbourne so we could see her in real life but for now I must be content to drool over email pics! I really miss my Melbourne nephews and nieces and my kids miss their cousins! Here is the card I have made to celebrate her arrival. As you have probably gathered from the title of my post, there is a new product (coming live on 1st September) featured on my card. For Stampin' Up! devotees, it won't be hard to spot (LOL)! The only thing I will say is "jumbo wheel" - hope that helps! Oh, and by the way, if you like the Rose Red double-stitched ribbon, it'll be gone for good in a week, so get your orders in quick! That's all for now - more sneak peeks to come soon. Can you believe it's just over a week until the new catalogue goes live? Happy stamping, Elizabeth

Strawberries a la Baroque!

Hi all! Yes, I am still alive and here to add something to my much-neglected blog! What a month August has been!!! More about that later... Here's a card I made a while ago that combines the strawberry from Tart and Tangy (tarted up with crystal effects-LOL!) hanging off an Old Olive Baroque Motifs 'vine'. I adapted the idea from a very talented lady from the States (unfortunately I did not write her name down - she posted on Split Coast Stampers) and this was the result! Hopefully I'll write to you all again much sooner than last time! - Elizabeth xx

Last chance list!!!

Yesterday, the last chance list came out. You have until 31st August to get what you need before it's gone for good! View the last chance list on the Stampin' Up!customer page (www.staminup.com) and email me (reginastmob@optusnet.com.au) or phone me (0402 911 716) to place an order. Hurry - only while stocks last!!!! Stay tuned for a sneak peek of the new catalogue......

Saturday morning card class...

You may have read in a past post that I conducted a card-making class for my daughter's teacher's Mum. Today she came back, along with my neighbour's Mum to make 2 more cards. This time, we made 2 cards for boys' birthdays. We had heaps of fun, and everyone was really happy with their efforts. Here is a photo of the 2 cards we made. One day, I'll remember to have my camera on hand to take pictures of their work! Elizabeth xx

Rocket Card



Dinosaur punch art card



Dinosaur close-up



Our next class will probably be in September - stay tuned....

Makka Pakka punch art!

Hi all! I've finally got around to taking a photo of(and blogging) my Makka Pakka punch art card. Our dear friends and used-to-be neighbours who have moved to the country, have a son who is 6 days younger than ours. He is turning 3 on 8th August. He will be the recipient of this card. I really hope he's going to enjoy it!

Masculine Gift Idea

Hi, everyone! I didn't think I was going to get back so soon but the kids are happy and my husband is downstairs playing video games! He (my husband) has just started working as Teacher Librarian last term and today I made him this notepad holder which he said he is going to take to work. I am having so much fun designing these things at the moment. Again, got the notepad at the Reject Shop ($1). To make the holder, cut a 20.5cm x 20.5cm square of cardstock of choice. Score at 5cm on each side of the square. To make up the box, cut one score mark at each corner and adhere to the inside. Decorate as you wish and then, using a 1 1/4 circle punch, make a half-circle cut so the notepad sheets are easy to remove. Happy crafting! Elizabeth xx

Update Apologies!

Just a short note to people who regularly view my blog - sorry. With school holidays and the various activities that go with that, I have been unable to put my work up for you to see. I will be blogging this weekend, so please keep an eye out for my masculine gift idea and Makka Pakka (In the Night Garden) punch art. See you soon! Elizabeth xx

Notepad holder tutorial is HERE!

My most humble apologies to those of you who logged on earlier only to find a title and nothing else. I was wrapping up my post (including pictures) and was about to post when it all just disappeared and couldn't be retrieved! I am now no longer angry with the computer and can start again! Thanks for your patience and sorry for the confusion!

So, here's the tutorial.

You need:

1 full sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" cardstock ( I used Rich Razzleberry)
2 extra pieces of cardstock; 1 in a contrasting colour(14cm x 10cm) and 1 neutral piece(13.5cm x 9.5cm) (I used Old Olive and Very Vanilla)
paper cutter
bone folder
stamps, ink and embellishments
ribbon
ruler and pen
word window punch
Crop-A-Dile tool
Sticky Strip
mini glue dots
1 small notepad (mine was 7.5cm x 12cm)
1 mini pen

1. Out of the full sheet of card stock, cut 2 pieces: 29cm x 10.5cm and 16.5cm x 10.5cm Score the longer piece at 14.5cm and the shorter piece at 14.5cm and 15.5cm. Crease score lines with the bone folder.



2. Place the folded part of the larger piece at the bottom. Lay your notepad on top so that it is 1.8cm from the top, 0.5cm from th left-hand side and 2.5cm from the right-hand side. Using your pen, make a dot at each of the top corners of your notepad.


3. Use a ruler to make a line between the two dots - this will be the guideline for your word window punch which you will use to make the slot your notepad will go into. Move the word window punch along the line until the slot is long enough.





4. Put the notepad in the slot to check it will fit and then leave it there while you place you pen. Using the pen, mark a small dot either side of the pen barrel. Punch a small hole on each of these dots using the Crop-A-Dile tool (or hand-held punch). Take the notepad out.




5. Thread ribbon through these holes and pull it tight around the pen. Adhere the ends of the ribbon to the back of the cardstock using mini glue dots. Trim the ends of the ribbon.





6. Put Sticky Strip on the end of the smaller piece of cardstock and adhere it to the inside of the back flap of the main piece. Then use Sticky Strip again to stick the two halves of the larger piece together.




7. Stamp your design onto the neutral cardstock and embellish as desired. Adhere the completed neutral piece to the contrasting colour mat. Adhere the decorative piece to the front of the flap, put your notepad into the slot and your work is done. Enjoy!




P.S. This is my first time writing a tutorial - I hope it's clear enough!

Notepad holder tutorial

I'm very excited because today I designed and made my own 3D item! It's a notepad holder complete with pen. So excited am I, that I have decided to share my work with you in a tutorial. Since my son took so long to fall asleep tonight, I only have time to put up a photo of the finished product and the supplies you will need to have organised when I post the tutorial in the next couple of days. I got the notepads from The Reject Shop 5 for $1. They are 7.5cm x 12cm. I got the mini pens at the same place and I think they were about $2 - $3 for 6.


The finished product!


...inside.


Project supplies

Don't forget to check back in the next couple of days for a step-by-step photo tutorial for my notepad holder. Thanks for looking, Elizabeth

June Inspiration Challenge

My Stampin' Up! team's forum has a monthly challenge set by demonstrators in our group. This month's challenge was an inspiration challenge and the demonstrator setting the task (thank you, Nerida) put up a picture of Monet's painting with the waterlilies (ah, the impressionists...) For the challenge, we were asked to make a card inspired by this picture. Here's what I did:

Two-Step Stamping special!

During the month of July, Stampin' Up! are offering a number of two-step stamp sets at 20% off RRP. The following list contains the names of the stamp sets, their usual price and their special price. The card above this info is made using the beautiful "A Rose is a Rose" stamp set featured in the specials.

Colour Renovation

Stampin' Up! likes to keep their product line fresh and up to date - that's one of the thngs I like most about the company. So, when they announced there was going to be a change in colour families, I knew it would be a considered choice and that the colours going would not be retired lightly. Stampin' Up! spent a couple of years researching their changes and they have come up with a "Colour Renovation" they are proud of. There are four colour families: brights, neutrals, regals and subtles and there are 10, not 12 colours in each family. There will be 5 In Colour introduced each year and In Colours will be kept in for a period of 2 years instead of 1. I am including two pictures below. The first is of the new colours and their organisation and the second is of the retiring colours. Stocks of these products will not last forever so make sure you order your favourite cardstocks and inks before they disappear forever..........

A "Blokey" card

Hi all! This is a card I made for my lovely Dad after he came to help my husband with som e home renovation. We did a house swap - the four children and I went to visit Grandma on the South Coast (beautiful surroundings, but far cry from a holiday I can assure you!!!!) and my Dad came up here to help Brett get some jobs done. He did such a great job and I made this card to say thank you. Making "Blokey" cards can be a challenge but the Totally Tools stamp set (IB&C pg 57) and the sanded background made it pretty easy. Add a bit of scrunching and sponging ('dirtying up'!) and a couple of silver brads and you have a card fit for the blokeyest (?) of blokes. Hope you enjoy - Elizabeth

All you need is LOVE!

I made this item for my church for Valentine's Day and finally got around to photographing it the other week. I bought the wooden letters from a craft shop and covered them with DSP from the Sweet Nothings 'Simply Scrappin' kit. I have then embellished with ribbon and hemp twine, buttons, various items from the Pretties Kit, the "Butterfly Prints" stamp set punched out with the butterfly punch and "Life Definitions" stamp set. I also used felt flowers from Flower Fusion Too kit (with silver brad centres). I wanted to bring it home but people seem to enjoy it as a permanent fixture at church, so that's where it's staying. For now....(LOL)