StampInkPaper

An apple for the teacher? Well, a cherry is close :)

2012-02-17T22:16:00.000+11:00

Oh. My. Goodness. !!!
What a week! During the intensive month of teaching methodology subject we were all placed at a random school for 8 days of "In School Orientation Program". It's sort of a 'thrown in the deep end' approach, as after the first three days, you are teaching solo (while being observed, and rescued if needed). I took a Year 8 science class, and a Year 10 class for the last 5 days. Today, in our Year 10 class doing a genetics unit, every single bench successfully extracted great spool-able globs of gorgeous DNA from wheatgerm. It was a prac usually done (with less success apparently) with Year 12 Biology, so it was sort of a 'proud mummy' moment watching them get great results. I ventured outside into the playground with Year 8, looking at the effect of light on grass growth, and it was interesting to see their behaviour and engagement change over the days as they got to know me.
My conclusions:
1. I've never rushed from place to place so much in any job, I was totally whacked by the end of each day!
2. I've never had to cart so much paperwork and books from lab to staffroom and back again, and then to and from home
3. Lesson planning takes hours and hours! Especially if you make the effort to make their lesson engaging and appealing.
4. It is hard to predict what is going to happen next - there's always something happening to throw a spanner into the lesson plan. In the space of the 8 days I encountered Year 12 boys dressed in feather angel wings and red satin boxers delivering "Hug-a-grams" on Valentines Day, "mufti-madness", special assemblies, to motivational media presentations and more.
5. Seeing adolescents start to trust you and work for you is worth every bit of the above. Bribing with lollies and stationery items helps here... ;-)

So, thank your kids teachers! They sure deserve it.

I have one more week of intensive methodology, and then an exam, and then things will settle to a more 'leisurely' routine. If you'd like to offer your group of friends for me to practice my newly polished teaching skills on, I'm totally itching to do some Stampin' Up! workshops for Sale-a-bration, I'll even bribe you with lollies! First to book will get an extra prize from my stash! Give me a call, 0403 175 790 or send an email and we can compare diaries to find a suitable day and time.

Above is a card I made with the "Button Buddies" stamp set, coloured with markers, and stamped onto a Whisper White panel. I matted it with Pear Pizzazz, and then Whisper White again, and put it on a background of Riding Hood Red stamped with the sadly retired "Polka Dot" stamp. I used some of the extra wide striped grosgrain as a hanger, and played around with a bit of narrow taffeta Old Olive ribbon to secure a knot at the top. A sentiment down the bottom from "Just Believe" and it was all done. If you wanted to dress it up even more, you could add a couple of buttons over the cherries, for a 3D effect.

Have a good weekend everyone, also a reminder that the next Stampin' Crop day is Saturday 25th February, from 10-5, details as usual. New people always welcome, just call or email as above for more info.

Flirtatious fabric-covered Journal with Fabric Flowers

2012-01-29T21:47:00.000+11:00

I made this for a special relative, to record some important stuff as she goes through her cancer treatment. I've made it pretty and girly, although it is a very plain and practical blank page journal on the inside. It's so hard to think of what to give in these situations, but I think if it were me, a special place to record everything from diary entries to family recipes to hopes and dreams for the future would be useful.

I started with a hard-bound plain journal, and painted the spine bindings to make sure their black colour wouldn't show through. I then added some Pellon padding to the front and back covers. I removed the whole inner page section, so I could fully cover the bindings. I used the purple Flirtatious fabric and Sticky Strip (super strong!) adhesive to attach the fabric around the bindings. I used the wonderful iron-on fabric adhesive to back the dark pink fabric, and used this to line the end papers. Hot glue came in handy for re-attaching the pages inside, and I then ironed on the fabric endpapers to hold it all in place.

Some Wisteria Wonder ruffled ribbon went around the outside to hold loose papers, and from the centre to make a page marker, embellished with some retired "Pretties Kit" beads and pearls. I then cut several sizes and colours of flowers using the "Fun Flowers" Bigshot die, from the three Flirtatious fabrics. But, to make it fast and easy, I used the iron-on fabric adhesive before I cut them, so they could be ironed straight onto the cover. I made a little fabric 'yoyo' from a circle of wisteria fabric and added a button centre. A monogram "A" finishes it off. It took a little while, but the result was worth it, I think.

Hand made gifts for some very special teachers

2012-01-22T22:36:00.001+11:00

My kids had some very special teachers last year, so I wanted to make some special gifts to thank them for their hard work. Mr 10's teacher was able to appreciate his quirky character, like his useful ability to remember collecting notes and classroom organisational type stuff, while conveniently forgetting things like how to spell and times tables. So, together we made Mr M a noticeboard to keep track of paperwork! I built a deep rebate frame with some chunky moulding. The insert is a piece of "Wonderwall" noticeboard stuff I chanced across at Spotlight one day, it is like the wall panel stuff that velcro sticks to, but with a thick EVA foam backing attached so it can be used with pins as well. We used a papier-mache type technique to cover the frame with the school colours, using little bits and bobs of all kinds of patterned paper, some from my stash and some from now retired DSP prints packs. The ribbons are Purely Pomegranate and Blue Bayou Stitched Grosgrain from in colors a couple of years ago, and they are attached on with Build-a-brads and Corduroy brads. I gave the frame a good coat of glue varnish to make it nice and durable. I hope he finds it a useful tool, and remind him of one of his more challenging students!

Miss 6 had a pair of teachers last year, in a 3/2 jobshare. Mrs W was lovely, and I only found out that she is actually the sister of one of my lovely customers when I gave her this crafty gift - a very small world it is indeed!
I made a covered clipboard with some interesting adhesive fabric paper, and a wide variety of ribbons to match the colours. The fabric paper isn't SU, but the colours were so perfect for Pool Party, So Saffron, Calypso Coral, Regal Rose and Chocolate Chip The tin to match has a Calypso Coral and So Saffron ruffled flower on the top, and contained a stash of erasers, merit stickers, and some owl santa chocs.

Mr Mc was quite charmed by Miss 6 I think, and she had a ball in his class. As Mr Mc moves about the school in his dual role as Deputy Principal, I thought he might find it useful to have a tote tray for some of his most needed supplies. It's an MDF caddy, covered with some DSP in newsprinty style papers, and some lettering and a crown cut from some offcuts of black core gold matboard. Mr Mc uses a crown avatar for the class blog, and is definitely king of his little charges, so that explains the decoration! I sponged gold shimmer paint all around the seams, and added some erasers, merit stickers and Santa Owl chocs.

I had lots of fun making these, and the thinking cap is on again already for this year! I'd love to read your comments and ideas for teacher gifts - always helps to start early with inspiration!

Stampin' Crop Day Saturday 28th January

2012-01-19T23:08:00.000+11:00

Sorry for taking so long to set a date for this, the holidays have whizzed
by!  At times it seemed like I was never going to squeeze one into January, but I am determined, especially since I start an intensive full time uni subject
crammed into a solid month from 30th Jan!!

So, drumroll please!!!!!!

Saturday 28th January, 2012
Any time from 10am - 5pm
Bring - your basic personal tools and projects you wish to work on, if any.
Some lunch or plate to share - there will be the usual crusty bread and jam,
dips etc, and bottomless tea/coffee
Cost:  $15, includes use of my stamps and tools, refreshments and casual
instruction.

There's also another great reason to come along, as Sale-a-Bration will be
on!  I'll have the catalogues available, and there are 6 choices this year,
including some delicious designer series paper and brads, ribbon to match
one of the 4 stamp set choices.  So, take an inventory of your supplies,
adhesives, cardstock, and check your wish list for punches or stamps you've
been wanting to own.  Each order of $100 will earn you a choice of a
Sale-a-Bration item, free!  For attendees at my Stampin' Crop, I am also
offering FREE postage and handling for Orders placed on the day.

Please let me know by email if you'll be joining us :)

The set of three little cards in the image was one of the projects I whipped up while my kids ran themselves ragged at Lollipops Playland.  They use the latest batch of In Colors, Calypso Coral for the bases, and accents of Lucky Limeade and Island Indigo.  The stamp set is "Fresh Vintage", my absolute favourite from the Sale-a-bration selection this year.  The postage stamp stamp (??) co-ordinates with the new postage punch from the Summer Mini, and this set also co-ordinates with the Designer Series paper and ribbon/brad SAB choices.    Quick, easy, and versatile.  I've seen so many gorgeous ideas with this set alone, why not add it to your collection, FREE!!

Workshop dates for Sale-a-bration are available, I'd love to show you and your friends the great range of beautifully co-ordinated products, and make your crafting time productive and enjoyable.  Lots of bonuses on offer, especially for SAB, so give me a call to book your free workshop soon!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-19T22:38:00.001+11:00

Groan! Yes, I know it is already nearing the end of January before I have gotten around to a Happy New Year post on my poor blog. School holidays must have some kind of time-sucking vortex function, feels like it anyway.

I hope all my readers have enjoyed a peaceful and relaxing break over Christmas, or if not, at least nothing too stressful! We have been pretty busy, doing the long-awaited exterior paintwork on our house. Looks great, but not much time has been had for fun stamping stuff. Luckily, I have managed to squeeze in a couple of crafting days masquerading as play-dates for my kids - Thanks to fellow demo friends Amy and Nicky for the inspired locations and great company. I have taken some pics of what I made on those days, but still have quite a backlog from before Christmas to show you, so I'll get to that first :)

But, before anything paper-based, I feel compelled to show off my finished scrap quilt! It's been a while in the making, given that I started it in the year 2000... Here's the epic story.
When I was writing my science PhD thesis, I worked in Australia's biggest patchwork fabric shop for a mentally un-taxing income. I've always sewn, having had a dressmaker mum, but I'd never made a quilt. I figured that would be a good time and place to learn, and would provide a little light relief while writing.
Obviously, I haven't been working on it constantly, and the top was finished not long after my first child was born in 2001. A while later, I added backing and batting, and basted it. Then it sat, meanwhile I went back to work and then had child # 2, and did quite a few other things, like getting stuck into Stampin' Up! I ummed and ahhed about the actual quilting, wanting to do it myself but not quite having the skills to do all that funky freemotion stuff. Eventually, I just whizzed all over with nice straight lines of stitching. Phew! Bundled away for a while longer.
Then, I thought I'd be brave and try some nice border patterns. Every available different type of marking pencil/spray/chalk/paper pattern later, and quite a bit of unpicking, I've decided freemotion is something that I suck at. So, it was decided at last to stick to simple, straight lines of stitching. Decision made, and it was finished completely, bound and all, in a matter of the last few of days. Did I mention that I stupidly decided to tackle 'something useful' like a king size bed cover for my first quilt? No? (insert rolling eyes/facepalm smilie here). I love it to bits, and am looking forward to dressing my bed with it, and passing it down to my kids as an heirloom one day.

It's very nice to have one of my "UFO"s (= Un Finished Object) done and dusted. What do you think?

Book now for Sale-a-bration - lots of goodies to earn - here's how it works:

2011-12-27T17:27:00.000+11:00

I'm taking bookings NOW for the Sale-a-bration period, starting January 24th through to March 31st 2012.

You can always get great benefits for free, just by being a hostess, but during Sale-a-bration, you will be showered with goodies galore! It's wonderful for your workshop guests too, and there are great benefits to joining up as a demonstrator in my team as well.

Here's a summary of the goodness on offer:

*Spend $100 and choose a FREE stamp set from a choice of four, OR

*Spend $100 and choose a Designer Series Paper pack "Everyday Enchantment" - love this! OR...

*Spend $100 and choose a pack of organdy ribbon and printed brads that co-ordinate with one of the stamp sets and the paper pack!

*It's the first time here in Australia we've had accessories as well as stamp sets to choose from, and you'll probably have a hard time choosing what you like best - I know I have... The gorgeous card above is not mine, it was made by the talented Krista Fenton, and has been borrowed, with thanks and appreciation until I get a chance to make some goodies with my preordered sets. Krista has used the Everyday Enchantment paper with the matching brads and stamp set - just gorgeous!

*There's no limit, and the benefits are on top of the usual Hostess Benefits, which you receive starting with a $300 order, even without hosting a workshop. For example, place a $400 order and choose *4* Sale-a-bration treats, AND choose $60 worth of products from the catalogue for FREE! Place a $600 order, and choose *6* Sale-a-bration items, AND $100 to spend in the catalogue AND choose one item for HALF PRICE! It's a great way to make that Christmas cash go very, very far!

*Want to be a hostess? It's easy, you just need a few friends, 4 or 5 is plenty. There is no charge, and I travel to you (within approx 1hr from Cherrybrook, Sydney). You and your guests will make a stamped project to take home, and see some great products demonstrated. When your workshop orders reach an easy $300, you receive benefits of $50 to spend, either from the specially priced Hostess Section, or from anywhere in the catalogue. You and your guests also get to choose a Sale-a-bration item for each $100 you personally spend. Reach $600 in workshop sales for $100 to spend, one catalogue item for 50% off, and an extra Sale-a-bration item for free for being a hostess reaching $600 in sales.

*Join my friendly and supportive StampInkPaper team for just $249 that's ~ 15% off, and receive an ADDITIONAL stamp set of any value FREE! The kit is very customisable, and worth $610, the free stamp set adds up to another $77.95 in value. There's nothing to lose, and plenty to gain, from friendship, business skills to a great supplementary income. I'd be happy to chat with you, or check out the "Become a Demonstrator" page tab for some more reading before giving me a call to discuss the benefits for you.

*Dates - I can organise weekend and weekday dates, both daytime and in the evening, so put the word out amongst your friends and give me a call to pick a convenient date to be spoiled!

A few days left to save! December Frenzy ends soon...

2011-12-27T16:58:00.001+11:00

Hello everybody! I hope all my readers have enjoyed a peaceful and relaxing Christmas Day, and are enduring the school holidays with ease and grace? It's been unbelievably busy here, mainly due to me hosting the family Christmas. I have NO idea how my grandmother managed to make it all look so effortless well into her old age, wish she was still around so I could ask her!!

The kids are leaping on any chance to go for a swim, and it's lucky we've had a few days of warmer, less wet weather. Or, perhaps I should make that ONE child is keen to don cossies, the other one was home from the last day of school for about 10 minutes before he broke his little finger! It's all strapped up and splinted, but he's still managed to get it wet a few times, so I've had plenty of practice re-bandaging. It's put a dent in his holiday style though! Lucky he's pretty tough, and it should heal fine as long as he doesn't do more damage before it heals. He's off to the doc again in a day or two for a repeat xray to see how it's healing, and a swimmable fibreglass cast if I get my way!

Onto more crafty matters:
The December Frenzy sale runs until 31st December, and there are still plenty of bargains to be had. Only the Every Moment set and the Ornate Blossom set have returned to normal catalogue price, as of today, but I'd still recommend not leaving it too late in case other items are also low in stock.

The pic above just shows the Christmas treats we made for the kid's classmates - Hershey's Nuggets, Red and Green M&Ms, and Maltesers, with Santa Owl toppers, apparently they went down well, making 60+ did take a wee while though!!

And, congratulations to Joan from Ulladulla NSW for being the winner of my pre-Christmas prize draw, I hope you enjoy your stamp set and goodies.

Happy relaxing everyone!

December Frenzy - Gift Vouchers - Wish List Service

2011-12-11T14:17:00.000+11:00

My bad, my bad bad BAD!!
I was supposed to put this up days ago, but I'm afraid it has been overlooked in the pre-xmas chaos. Which is a shame, really, as there are some fabbo treats on this flyer at great prices, and I really wouldn't like any of my readers to miss out! I'm going to grab a couple for myself, there are some sets there I've been lusting after for a while!

There's still time to have delivery before Christmas, but orders should be in by December 15th at the latest, earlier if you are on the West Coast in Wait-Awhile land. Time is limited for the specials on the flyer, and once stocks are depleted, they will be removed from the promotion, so please don't wait if something catches your eye.

Suggested items - (just a couple, click through to the flyer via the banner image above to see the full list)
Welcome Christmas, from $19.98 (clear) - an excellent Christmas set, 50% off!
Awash with Flowers - gorgeous abstract 2-step stampin set with stylised blooms, just $43.17 - 50% off!
Friends Never Fade and co-ordinating Ornate Blossoms single stamp - from $11.97
and lots more, ribbon, scissors, distressing ink kit, brads, wheels etc.

Christmas Wish List Service and Gift Vouchers available -

Depending on the level of organisation of your significant others, there are a few options to arrive at gifts you really want for Christmas!
Want a surprise? Simply pass on my contact details to your gifter, and I will order, gift wrap and present your gift with a hand-made card (for people able to collect from Cherrybrook) or have it delivered with a handmade card sent by separate mail if you're further away. Here's a link you'll be able to forward to your friends and family - Michelle Dyson Stampin' Up! Website - there's links to catalogues and a contact point, easy peasy

Not keen on leaving the selection up to chance??

Click HERE for a printable wishlist page you can fill in and hand over - the link is direct to the PDF document hosted on "mediafire"

Left it waaaaayyyy too late?

I can send a gift voucher to the amount of the gifter's choice, by either email or by snail mail with a handmade card, and you can choose for yourself!

I look forward to helping hapless hubbies with their gift-giving dilemmas!

Summer Mini and December Frenzy Deals

2011-12-04T21:29:00.000+11:00

Whoa! I've got stacks to tell you about, since it's been so long since I was able to make a proper post.

Probably the most important is the launch of the Stampin' Up! Summer Mini catalogue, that runs from December 1st to March 31st. It's crammed with lots of interesting goodies, some of which have been long awaited!

I lusted after the "Simply Adorned" range as soon as I saw it introduced in the US catty a year or two back. It's a range of customisable jewellery, chains in bracelet and necklace lengths, hanging baubles and pearls, the Trinket Keys and Crowns co-ordinate with it, and there are small and large charm lockets as well. This pic shows my first effort, and uses the matching "Charming" stamp set, also from the Summer Mini. The images are nicely sized for the inside of the lockets, the larger styles have beautiful bevelled glass on the front side, and there's flat glass on the back side for a photo or alternate image. I've woven seam binding ribbon through the chain, and tied on short lengths of Chantilly and Victoria lace trims. The colours used in the locket panel are Soft Suede, River Rock, Early Espresso etc. The base layer is a little rectangle of the pretty Soft Suede and Gold printed paper from the Mocha Morning Specialty paper. On the flat back side, I used another piece of this paper, a Soft Suede flocked with black. mmmm, yum!

Want to have a peek inside the catalogue? Just click on the cover image above. If you'd like to receive a paper copy in the post, please use this link to join my mailing list, and pop a note in the comments box about the mini catalogue.

More to come, pop back soon!

More Stampin' Up! stamp sets for sale... Cheap Prices, Great Quality, Grab 'em quick!

2011-11-28T13:17:00.000+11:00

TAKE THREE $10 Wood mount set of 6 stamps in excellent condition, with plastic clamshell box. Versatile rows of images with sentiments. Original catalogue price $33.95, now just $10!

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT $15 New and unmounted, this set is great for everything from scrap pages to Christmas cards! Original catalogue price $53.95, now just $15!

I've also been keeping the list in the post below up to date with items as they are sold, and I'm of course happy to combine postage to give you the best value on these bargains. Give me a call, 0403 175 790 or send me an email to arrange purchase any of these goodies.

Some more goodies for sale... Pastels and Stamp Sets

2011-11-27T22:53:00.000+11:00

FOR SALE - STAMPIN' PASTELS $25- a brand-new, still in shrink-wrap plastic set of Stampin' Up! Stampin Pastels in the pre-colour renovation colours. Great selection, including plenty of colours that match the new families. The second image shows what the set would look like open. All of the cakes are intact, no cracks or breaks visible from the base of the box. With pastels, you can add colour accents to stamped images, with blender pen or aqua painter, or you can use them for fun techniques like "Poppin Pastels" by dabbing colour over Versamark ink. It's a convenient way to have all the colours at your fingertips. Original price $48.95 + p/h, now just $25!

PICTURE THIS - $10 - Wood Mount Hostess set only available from a recent mini, so this is a rare set! Cute set of greetings with mini images. Use together or separately by inking with markers. New, unmounted, in clam shell box

More to come...

Massive Sale! Stampin' Up! Bargain Wood Mounted stamps

2011-11-06T17:46:00.006+11:00

Cupboards have been emptied, and quite a number of wood mounted stamp sets have hit the pile for re-homing. Some are well used, a few are new and unmounted. All are bargain-priced! Some might be stained on the rubber or wood block, but this has no effect on stamping performance. All stamps are in great condition. UPDATED SUNDAY DECEMBER 4TH - all sets not struck-through are still available!

Postage is available via satchel, with up to 500g costing $7 and over 500g costing $12. If you'd like several sets, I can combine into a large satchel. Pick up from Cherrybrook is also available by arrangement.

This would be one very large post if I made pictures for all of the sets, but since Stampin' Up! stamps are so widely admired,a simple google images search will pull up lots of ideas about the sets and what you can make with them! Where I have easy reference I have included the 6 digit item code.

Stamps A la Carte - single stamps in clamshell boxes $7.00 each

Sweetness Unlimited - 117721 (Welcome Baby Sweetness Unlimited sentiment)
~~Baby Steps - Mother and baby elephant, Congratulations~~
All a Flutter - single realistically styled butterfly
~~Homemade - 122086 - large scallop circle with 'homemade and to die for'~~

Stamp Sets in clamshell boxes- $15.00 each

Silhouette Sentiments - 121460 - Hostess set, images and sentiments
Seeing Spots - new and unmounted
A flower for all seasons - 115802
Eat chocolate - 123555 (be quick for this one, it's been on and off the pile several times over!)
A Slice of Life - 123539 - Hostess set, great line images
~~Forest Friends 116881 - very cute~~
Tart and Tangy - 113031
~~Afterthoughts - 121456 - Hostess set, great sentiments~~
It's the thought - 122047 - Hostess set from a mini, rare!
Sweet little sentiments - 115736 - Hostess set
Hello Again - flower, heart, hello, butterfly
Sweet Summer - 123286
Oh So Lovely - new and unmounted hostess set, beautiful for quick watercolouring
So Happy for you - 123284 - sentiments and small images
Birthday Bakery - 121452 - Hostess set
Happy Moments - birdcage, stacked presents, cake, for you, thank you, happy birthday
Yummy - ideal for stall holders and bakers

Stamp Sets in clamshell boxes - $20 each

Sense of Time - clock faces, cogs, quote sentiments
~~Eastern Blooms - versatile stylised blossoms~~
Together Forever - 112268 - ideal wedding set
Apple Blossoms - 121464 - Hostess set
In the Spotlight - Hostess set, for many occasions, including Christmas
~~One of a Kind - 113013~~
~~Love and Care - 123541 - Mini Hostess set, rare!~~
Big Bold Birthday - 116342 - new and unmounted versatile birthday set

Stamp sets in clamshell boxes - $25 each

Natural Beauty - bird, leaf, flower, word art, butterfly
~~Wonderful Favourite - 111536 - fabulous family set - husband/daughter/niece/to my etc~~
Great Grads - 112278 - sentiments and word art
Build-a-roo - 114391 - sentiments and 2 step stamping set, very cute!
Friends 24-7 115808 - one of my favourites..

Stamp sets in clamshell boxes - $30 each

~~Belle Toile - 121484 background stamp set, new and unmounted~~
Fast and Fabulous - 121468 Hostess set, 2 step floral
Basic Phrases - double mounted set of 24, super handy
Priceless - swirls, hearts, butterflies
Always - 113007 - gorgeous heart, birdie, stem, sentiments and more
Asian Artistry - 119159 - Hostess set from a mini, rare!

Stamp sets in clamshell boxes - $40 each

Everyday Flexible Phrases - double mounted set of 56 - typewriter style font, versatility plus!
Occasional Quotes - 121472 - Level 3 Hostess set, sentiments covering a wide range of subjects. Rare!
Wild West Alphabet - double mounted set of 30 - great for monograms
Schoolbook Serif Alphabet - 112231 - Double mounted set of 24, classic aphabet style

To purchase, please leave a reply here in the comments, and send me an email - michelle.dyson@bigpond.com with your list and contact details. Happy shopping, I'll cross them off as they find new homes :)

Some Elebration Fun for Miss Em

2011-10-20T22:45:00.000+11:00

I do recall my only older cousin having a very cute stuffed elephant toy when I was little. I think he may have been a pale blue, possibly pink? - He was a talking Elephant by the name of Horton, for those of you who know the Dr Seuss story. Anyway, when I saw the A La Carte stamp "Elebration" in the new catty, you can probably guess where abouts it sat on my wish list!!

Here is it's maiden outing, to make a 2nd birthday card for a sweet little girl Miss Em. It was easy to colour with a few swipes of Watercolor Wonder crayons, and I teamed it with the very pretty "Cheerful Treat" DSP from the Hostess Gallery section of the catalogue - it's probably my fave of all the patterned papers this year! The colours are Marina Mist, Melon Mambo, Lucky Limeade, Pink Pirouette, Concord Crush and Bashful Blue with crisp Whisper White and there is a great assortment of playful patterns to choose from, including this stripe. I sponged the edges with Melon Mambo, and added a border using the lovely new Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch $30.95, half tucked behind the left side edge. A few Basics Pearls and a banner greeting using a stamp from another great Hostess Gallery set, "Happiest Birthday Wishes" and it was all done. I'm looking forward to making a little boy version soon, this card was so much fun!

French Foliage and some Rock n Roll

2011-10-19T15:50:00.000+11:00

Well, not exactly rock n roll for the recipient, he's just turned 80, but I did use the technique on the card here to achieve a multicoloured autumnal effect on the leaves. I started by pulling out the Cajun Craze, More Mustard, and every shade of brown in the caddy from Sahara Sand to Early Espresso. Starting with the palest colours of each, I then daubered or rolled the stamps onto the other colours to add highlights. The base is Crumb Cake with the fantastically useful water splodge stamp, followed by a Confetti Cream layer stamped with the script background. This is shredded a bit with the Cutter Kit distressing tool. Next after that there is a scrunched up and shimmer-misted piece of Early Espresso and then a layer of Very Vanilla for the stamped panel. A bit of hemp twine and Early Espresso grosgrain finish it off, along with a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Sentiments on a Modern Label punchie. Some layers of the stamped panel have been popped up as a second layer with Stampin' Dimensionals and I have also added some drips of Crystal Effects on the leaves to give the effect of water droplets but these are a bit hard to see!

Off to find the other SD card with more pics on it - why do they have to make those things so gosh-darn small ! It's on my desk, somewhere! I do need to declutter away the research papers on dyslexia and metamemory, having submitted the last of my assignments for the year (woohoo!) - just 2 exams to go and then from the beginning of next year I'll be on prac placement (watch out kids!) so maybe I'll uncover it shortly...

As I have a little time a little free-er than usual, I am hosting a "Get Ready for Christmas" Stamp-a-Stack event at my house on Saturday 22nd October.

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM (AET)

Mega Christmas Preparation Event!
A great opportunity to get started on your stash of Christmas cards for the year with much of the hard work done for you. You'll make 12 cards, 6 each in two different designs, and a set of 12 gift tags.
Everything is provided for you - pre-cut cardstock, all materials and embellishments, adhesive and envelopes for the cards.
The class will be set up so you can construct the cards in an assembly-line format, with full instructions to create more later if you wish.
The class runs for the whole day, so you can choose to come in the morning or the afternoon, or stay all day and make more Christmas projects of your choice.
The cost of the class is $25 and places are limited to ensure individual attention. Please give me a call if you'd like to book a seat, on 9484 9447 or 0403 175 790, or email me.

There are one or two spots free, please ASAP call if you'd like to nab one!

Hair ties with Fun Flowers and Flower Folds Dies + Flirtatious!

2011-10-10T21:27:00.000+11:00

These were so much fun to make!! Another project using our beautiful new fabrics, this time the "Flirtatious" collection that goes with the Delicate Doilies stamp set and Flirtatious specialty Designer Series Paper. I've used the new Fun Flowers die for the flower in the top photo, simply layering several of the different shapes on the die, cut from each of the three fabrics in the pack. I've stitched through a Melon Mambo button and onto a thick, snagless hair elastic, so they should last quite well. I've given them a spray with a fabric stiffener to ensure they don't fray. Miss 6 and a bit is coveting these, so I'm not sure they'll be mine for long! The one in the bottom photo was made with the Flower Folds Bigz XL die, in exactly the same way. There are several sizes of flower on this die, and I used the smaller ones - you could make a dramatic race-day statement with the largest if you wanted! I hope you are inspired to get out your Bigshot dies and discover their versatility.

More motorbikes - Father's Day Card

2011-10-05T23:20:00.000+11:00

Another motorbike stamp, another one just retired!! I hope all of you who liked it managed to order one before the end of the Autumn/Winter mini, because I'll not be parting with mine!

This is a card I made for my dad, who enjoys rebuilding and riding vintage motorcycles. His favoured bikes are a bit more European in style than this one, but we can make do! His favourite colour is green, so I've used Wild Wasabi as the card base, stamped with the Woodgrain background. Getting inspiration from the colour combination in the Just add cake DSP, I've paired it with Baja Breeze, So Saffron and Pumpkin Pie. These panels have been run through my crimping tool several times, in both horizontal and vertical directions to get a waffle look, and then torn and the layers separated. You can see the waffle texture best in the Baja Breeze strip at the bottom, where I have highlighted the bumps with a skimming of ink from a sponge block.

The main image was stamped in Stazon Black, and coloured with markers and some silver Shimmer Paint applied with a Blender Pen. The halo-like splodgy background was made by scribbling patches of colour onto a damp acetate sheet, masking off the final stamped image, then pressing the acetate over the top to transfer the ink. I secured the panels with the mini library clips, because they are both cute and blokey! The sentiment is from the JUST GOTTA HAVE IT set, Teeny Tiny Sentiments (I use this set so often I've considered setting up a keyboard shortcut :p )

Hope you like - back to assignments!

On that note, if there is anyone out there with a diagnosis of dyslexia who would like to give me a sentence or comment about what it meant to them as a child at school (or as an adult), I'd love to receive them via email at michelle.dyson@bigpond.com

You won't be identified, but your quote might make it to my mini movie about Inclusive Education practices.

Thanks!

My sweet boy is.... TEN! (and a little bit)

2011-10-04T11:49:00.000+11:00

Another card I made at INKlings team weekend, this one for my firstborn, who turned 10 during September. Yep, he was born September 2001 - a few days after "9/11" and 2 weeks early quite possibly due to the emotionally overwhelming nature of those events - this anniversary is going to follow his every milestone birthday for the rest of his life. Certainly his birthday newspapers aren't filled with anything much else! Hard to believe it has been 10 years, but there you have it...

He simply loves orange, always has - and it is a colour I have slowly adapted to using. Peach Parfait is one of the In Colors that will be leaving us at the end of the current catalogue, so don't forget to add it to your collection if you're a fan. As oranges go, it's a good one - quite easy to work with. It's not pastel, or too earthy, or too bright. Here it's paired with the 'Just add Cake' DSPs, and the other colours that feature in it - Poppy Parade, Baja Breeze, Wild Wasabi (and there's even a smidge of Blushing Bride if you are looking for it).

One of the things he was most looking forward to about turning 10, was getting his very own motorcycle helmet (instead of pinching mine!) and being taught to ride my old Honda XR80 trailbike at Grandma and Grandpa's farm. Hence the card feature stamp! It's actually one that I borrowed, and was never released here. It belonged to the "Extreme" series - we had the surfboard and guitarist, and I'd hoped we'd get the dirtbike and skateboarder this year, but all were unfortunately retired. I've also used a Spritzing tool and the splodge stamp from French Foliage for some authentic looking mud spray, and a crimper and torn Confetti cardstock to try and give it an edgy look. The numbers are from the "On Board Merry Medley" set, and I sponged them with ink and coated them with Crystal Effects. The circles are punched from the Just Add Cake paper to ground the design. Or make it too fussy. Whatever you decide, he liked it very much!

Here he is:

Looking pleased as punch with his very trendy trilby, courtesy of his clever Auntie Cherie, and his favourite wombat cake made by daddy. Happy Birthday mate!

Wisteria Doilies and Butterflies

2011-10-03T17:28:00.001+11:00

This card was made for a sketch challenge entry at the INKlings team weekend. The inspiration card had a flower, but I have substituted a butterfly cut from a scrap of picture framing matboard using the Sizzix Big Shot Beautiful Butterflies die. I love love LOVE how the steel-rule dies cut this material, it's got all the benefits of chipboard, but is acid free with a white (or coloured) core, which makes decorating a cinch. I've stamped the butterfly with the Delicate Doilies stamp set in Melon Mambo, and also in Versamark, so I could add some Heat and Stick powder and a generous dose of Dazzling Diamonds glitter - hard to see in the photo, but it gave the butterfly a lovely texture and glimmer.
Behind the butterfly is a torn embossed panel of Melon Mambo, and a strip of Flirtatious Specialty DSP bordered with some Elegant Eggplant Scallop border trim. The card base is another of the new In Colors for 2011-13, "Wisteria Wonder" For those of you (and there were many!) who lamented the demise of the purples in the SU colour range, weep no more, this colour is just so pretty! Finishing touches include some Organza Satin ribbon and a Triple Layer Doily punchie with a rhinestone. Very girly :)

Christmas Events Galore!

2011-10-01T12:47:00.001+10:00

It's a Christmas Countdown - Click on the image below if you dare! (eeeekkkk!)

I'm determined to be ready this year - really, I am!! (I think I say this every year but still somehow manage to have it sneak up on me - really, how DID it get to be October already??)

Here's the go - several events for your diaries, feel free to make one or all of them!

STAMPIN' CROP DAY

8 OCT 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM (AET)

Great timing for Christmas Preparation - come along to my Stampin' Crop day NEXT Saturday, 8th October from 10am-5pm (or any time inbetween to suit you!)

Cost is $15 for a day of crafting with great company, lots of tools and stamps and inspiration galore. Includes bottomless tea, coffee and a light snack style lunch.

Pre-order your requirements now, or bring your projects you wish to work on!

Please call 94849447 to book, or email me michelle.dyson@bigpond.com

CHRISTMAS PREPARATION STAMP-A-STACK #1

22 OCT 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM (AET)

Mega Christmas Preparation Event!

A great opportunity to get started on your stash of Christmas cards for the year with much of the hard work done for you. You'll make 12 cards, 6 each in two different designs, and a set of 12 gift tags.

Everything is provided for you - pre-cut cardstock, all materials and embellishments, adhesive and envelopes for the cards.

The class will be set up so you can construct the cards in an assembly-line format, with full instructions to create more later if you wish.

The class runs for the whole day, so you can choose to come in the morning or the afternoon, or stay all day and make more Christmas projects of your choice.

The cost of the class is $25 and places are limited to ensure individual attention. Please give me a call if you'd like to book a seat, on 9484 9447 or 0403 175 790, or email me.

CHRISTMAS PREPARATION STAMP-A-STACK #2

12 NOV 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM (AET)

Another Mega Christmas Preparation Event! Come along for a DIFFERENT set of cards to make!

A great opportunity to make more Christmas cards for the year with much of the hard work done for you. You'll make 12 cards, 6 each in two different designs, and a set of 12 gift tags (different designs from last month's Stamp-a-Stack)

Everything is provided for you - pre-cut cardstock, all materials and embellishments, adhesive and envelopes for the cards.

The class will be set up so you can construct the cards in an assembly-line format, with full instructions to create more later if you wish.

The class runs for the whole day, so you can choose to come in the morning or the afternoon, or stay all day and make more Christmas projects of your choice.

The cost of the class is $25 and places are limited to ensure individual attention. Please give me a call if you'd like to book a seat, on 9484 9447 or 0403 175 790, or email me.

Free stamps and punch! Book your Christmas Prep workshop NOW!

2011-10-01T12:07:00.003+10:00

What a great promotion, and what great timing!
Everyone wins with the latest treats from Stampin' Up!
Firstly, you can purchase the Stitched Stockings stamp set and the co-ordinating Stockin Tag punch, which will be appearing in the upcoming Summer Mini catalogue, EARLY! Just in time for getting those Christmas cards made! The Summer Mini doesn't start until December 1st, so don't miss the opportunity! You can click on the image above to see the PDF of the offer, with prices and codes. I've already seen quite a few other ideas for this punch, from sock puppets to Hobby Horses and reindeer, and it also makes the quickest and easiest Christmas Gift tags you can imagine!

Or - get the festive season off to a great start with you and your friends at your very own Get Ready for Christmas workshop - and earn the stamp set AND the punch, for FREE! with workshop sales of just $450. That's up to $92.30 worth of products, free, in addition to your usual Hostess Benefits of $60 to spend in the catalogue, in the Hostess Gallery or anywhere else you like.

When: This promo runs from 1st October to 31st October
How:

Call me to place your order for the punch, stamp set or both OR

Place a $450 oder to receive them free!
Book your workshop to get yourself and your friends all sorted for Christmas
Host a Catalogue Party by collecting orders from friends to the value of $450

I have selected dates and times available for special "Get Ready for Christmas" themed workshops, please give me a call to book, 94849447

Perfectly Penned, Perfectly Pink

2011-10-01T11:00:00.001+10:00

One of my favourite DSPs in the new catalogue is "Beau Chateau" - and it is another design that has a co-ordinating fabric collection. The colours are shabby-vintage old pinks and browns, Pink Pirouette and Soft Suede, with soft Vanilla and Marina Mist. The card base here is Soft Suede, then a layer of distressed Pink Pirouette. Over this, I have placed a panel of Beau Chateau DSP with a stitched border, with linen thread for a rustic look. The rosette in the centre is made from a simple strip of fabric, stitched into a circle and gathered on stitching thread. Although retired, the felt Flower Fusion and large flat back pearl from the Pretties Kit called out to be added. The sentiment is from another new set, Perfectly Penned, which is in a lovely script style, and has a great selection of oft-needed sentiments. I've punched this out with the Designer Label punch, and used a layering trick with a second punch for a border. The plain reverse of Soft Suede polka dot grosgrain with a tie of Vanilla taffeta finishes it off. I also made a set of other greetings from the set, so I can always switch out the sentiment as the occasion arises, for an instantly suitable card!

September = busy!

2011-09-29T22:41:00.000+10:00

September in our family is a little busier than the average month, with birthdays for our son, both father and father-in-law, sister in-law, + some friends as well, not to mention father's day. I've not had much time to post on this here blog, but I have got quite a backlog of pics to show you. I'm now supposed to be working on some uni assignments due after mid semester break, so we'll see just how many posts I can make over the next few days in the name of procrastination! There's even quite a bit left over from August, when I attended the 4th Annual Inklings Team Weekend at Vision Valley.

What's up first..... it's almost like a lucky dip as I go a-browsin for images!

OK - here is one I made for a colour challenge at the Team Weekend, using the Timeless Portrait paper colours of Cherry Cobbler, Island Indigo (yummy new In Color!), River Rock, Basic Black and Very Vanilla. And, what's that!! - ooooooh FABRIC!! Yes!! One of my most favourite new products in the new Idea Book and Catalogue are the fabulously fancy fat quarter fabrics! They come as a pack of three extra wide fat quarters, in several designs to match some of the DSPs for this year, for a very reasonable $18.95. I've used a narrow 1" strip here to gather onto a thread, ruffling and pleating before sticking down. The co-ordinating stamp set is "Forever Young", and features the gorgeous tree silhouette and the frame. I've embossed the tree in black, and double stamped the frame and mounted a greeting over the top, from Teeny Tiny sentiments. A bit of narrow black taffeta to finish, and my *17th* wedding anniversary card was done! It's just as well this was the first card I made at the retreat, because our anniversary actually fell over that particular weekend.... (I have a very understanding and accommodating hubby!) From this same fabric, I also started making a little purse, maybe I'll get to finish it soon to show you!

Fancy a Big Shot for $75? Read on to find out how!

2011-09-15T20:28:00.001+10:00

It's true! You could even get one for $50 instead. Or, how about FREE, with an extra $10 or more in freebies on top? Stampin' Up! have introduced a fabulous new system of Hostess rewards to replace the previous Levels system. A hostess now earns 'Hostess Dollars' to spend on either specially priced Hostess merchandise, or she can use it towards ANYTHING in the catalogue instead! As before, Hostess Benefits start at an easily achievable $300 in workshop sales, where you receive $50 in hostess dollars. Under the previous system, you earned a choice of Level 1 stamp sets, and $30 to spend in the catty. The new system allows you to choose even the most expensive set in the Hostess section, and still have some left over. That's like getting a Level 3 stamp set! (earned with a $1000 workshop in the old catty) But wait, there's more (again)... When your workshop sales reach $600, you receive $100 to spend, AND your choice of 1 item at HALF PRICE! See, that's where the $49.95 or $75 Big Shots come in - the choice is yours how you spend your Hostess Dollars. Want your Big Shot FREE? Just host a workshop with sales of $1000, and Stampin' Up! will throw in another $10 to spend. Got a Big Shot already? Then you can add some of our fabulous exclusive dies to your collection instead, or the box of Many Marvellous Markers! Or, the ink Inkpad caddy - the choice is yours! A workshop is a great way to get an introduction to stamping, or to learn a new technique or two. It's lots of fun, and as the products sell themselves, there's no need for pushy tactics. Invite some friends around for a few hours of 'me time' and share what you love, with others. Not local to me? You can host a 'Party in a Box' from anywhere in Australia, collecting orders from family and friends by showing the catalogue around. Contact me to find out when you can schedule YOUR event, I look forward to helping you discover your creativity.

It's a great time to join us!

2011-09-05T14:37:00.000+10:00

If you've been considering what it might be like to become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, now's a great time.
Here's my reasons why:

*We are at the beginning of a new catalogue, crammed full of goodies both you and your potential customers want!
*We are part the way into a quarter, which began September 1st - therefore you have until 31st March 2012 (the end of your first FULL quarter) to meet the low, quarterly minimum sales of $550 (catalogue price)
*You have a good amount of time to get bookings, sales and workshops before Christmas, and the Stampin' Start Program could land you up to 15 free stamp sets to encourage you off to a quick start!
*There's a short time to rest a little (if you want!) after Christmas before Sale-a-bration, the biggest promotion of the Stampin' Up! year begins, and that encompasses the second 3 months period of your Stampin' Start - the timing doesn't get much better than that!

and....

If you're thinking, I have so much stuff already, now I have to buy a full starter kit???

but wait! there's more! (no, not steak knives, or an extra ahh-bra for dialling now...)

*Purchase a mini Starter Kit, for just $169! - during September only...

The kit contents are valued at over $310, and are highly customisable to your taste, and include Stamp sets, stamp pads, cardstock, Designer Series Paper, ribbon, note cards, clear block, blender pen, adhesives and business supplies including a box of catalogues.

Click on the image above to be taken to the SU website to see what it's all about.

If you're keen on the extra value in the usual starter kit, it's available at 20% off, again for September only. Choose this option to get an incredible $610 worth of products for $231.20, pretty good investment, with nothing to lose.

Why choose me, and the StampInkPaper team to join?
I've been with Stampin' Up for 4 years now, and am a Manager of a small team. We're diverse in terms of location and goals, yet are a cohesive and supportive group. We're large enough to provide great resources and support, and small enough to be personal, helping you to develop the kind of business YOU want. There's no pressure or pushing, just all the assistance you need to enjoy yourself thoroughly. I'd encourage you to contact any of my team members from the blog roll list at the right hand side, to get my downline's perspective.

There's more info available at the "Become a Demonstrator" tab at the top - or give me a call 0403 175 790 or email to be sent an obligation-free info pack. I look forward to chatting with you soon :)

Last days for Last Chance! + win PRIZES!

2011-08-24T11:20:00.000+10:00

There are just a few more days left for the current 2010-11 Idea Book and Catalogue, so it's time to take one last good look at the Retiring List to check for must-have stampin' goodness!

I tried to make another sorted list from the Excel file, without success, so I have included the link here to the PDF showing all the retired items and their availablility. CLICK HERE for the list! An "X" in the Availability column means the product has *Sold Out*, sorry!

If you're a visual person like myself, you probably know the sets more by their images rather than their names, so it might be a good idea to have your catalogue nearby and flick through it, crossing off retiring items as you go. Yes, there is a lot of lovely stuff disappearing, don't miss them... Don't forget there are two stamp sets on offer as prizes, you'll get a ticket for each $50 spent on any order that includes at least one retiring item. Hurry, competition must close with last orders on August 31st!

Hopefully I'll be back in soon to show some of the creations I made at the INKlings Team Weekend last week - but first there is an assignment or two calling my name...!

List is shrinking, day by day... + Stampin' Crop day THIS SATURDAY 13th August

2011-08-10T14:43:00.000+10:00

Hello everyone,
Just a quick update to post a list of items that are now SOLD OUT and unavailable to order from the Retirement List:

Sanded [wood-mount]

Full Calendar [wood-mount]

Bashful Blue 12" x 12" Card Stock

Early Espresso 12" x 12" Card Stock

Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelets

Metallic Eyelets

Pewter Jumbo Eyelets

Spiral Punch

1-3/8" x 5/8" Oval Punch

Photo Corners Punch

Star Punch

A bit of info about the 12x12 cardstock, you'll notice on the PDF or sortable Excel list that it is not strictly retiring, but will be reconfigured. 12x12 cardstock is returning to packs of 20 smooth (single colour) or 20 textured (color family pack, 2 sheets each of 10 colours). The packs given in the list, aside from the Espresso and Bashful that are now sold out are 12 sheet packs, 6 sheets of smooth and 6 sheets of textured per pack in a single colour, for $13.95. In future, to get 6 textured sheets in a single colour, you'll need to buy *3* colour family packs, an expensive and potentially wasteful prospect. If you're a fan of Tempting Turquoise, don't miss the chance to nab some at 25% off, just $10.46 a pack.

So, I do recommend that if you have some favourite colours in textured, that you stock up now! Similarly for ribbons, the styles are staying and the colours are current, but the colours in each style will be more mixed up. Several of the ribbons are discounted, and if you are planning any large projects using ribbon, such as invites, make sure to stock up while you can!

I'm placing orders practically every day to give you the best chance of getting retirement items before they are gone. Remember also that you'll get a ticket in the draw for the prize of the Level 2 Hostess Set, Fast and Fabulous, and I'm adding a second prize of your choice from selected Level 1 hostess sets.

In other news, Stampin' Crop Days have shifted to the SECOND Saturday of the month, making August's THIS COMING Saturday, 13th August. These days are a casual social occasion where you can chat, stamp, soak up inspiration, learn a technique or two, or work on whatever you need to catch up on. The cost for the day is $15, and includes a light lunch, use of my tools, stamps and equipment, and casual instruction. Places are limited, so I'd appreciate it if you RSVP to me on 0403 175 790 or email me ahead of time. Location is in Cherrybrook, time is 10-5pm, and new stampers are always welcome!

It's a RETIREMENT Party! Get 'em before they're gone... WIN Level 2 Hostess Set, "Fast and Fabulous"

2011-08-02T10:01:00.000+10:00

The Retirement List is up - and there are some surprises! Click on the banner image just above to be taken to the PDF of the Retiring items list, which will be updated daily to reflect availability. It's organised by category, and you can instantly pick out the extra special bargains, with some items reduced by 40%!

Please dig out your wishlists and catalogue, grab a cuppa and a sweet treat, and browse through to make your choices while stocks last. Some items will be limited in availability, so it would be advisable to have a reserve item or two in case your first choices are no longer available when your order is placed.

Stamp Highlights: These are items I know have been popular, and on a few wishlists - but there's lots more, so be sure to check!

Sanded, Bella Toile and Calendar Background stamps - these are verstatile and will be missed! They are on page 87 of the current catalogue
Occasional Greetings - full of the most used occasion sentiments, p 19
Gifted - just in time for Christmas cards and quick tags, and a whopping 40% in both wood and clear mounts (be super quick for this to avoid missing out) page 21
Christmas Classics - (!) A bit of a shock this one, jog your memory by looking at page 28
Kimono Kids - sob! page 42
Cheep Talk - beautiful bird and branch set, page 50
Beware Pirates - another shock, it's a must have set for those tricky older boys - and 25% off
Just Cricket, Extreme Surfboard and Extreme Guitar - more great boy stamps - be quick I reckon! Check out page 53
Choo Choo, the matching track wheel and Forest Friends - pages 62/3
Eastern Blooms and Scribble This! p66/7
Dreams du Jour - p81 and 25% off too... and Friends 24/7 on page 82!!
Priceless and Fresh Cuts on pages 90/1

Wheels

Most of the wheels that go with retiring matching stamps are going - typically rolling out the door. Check the catalogue on pages 158/9 for the list, especially Neighbourhood, Stars, So Swirly, Scribble, Always in Bloom and Right on Track.

Punches

Spiral Binding (#39), Large Star (#41), Designer Label (#7), Photo Corners (#22), Oval (#14)

There are plenty of other treasures tucked away in the accessories section, including some Big Shot dies, ribbons (current colours, retiring styles, some 25% off), ALL of the Designer Series Papers and Simply Scrappin Kits (some 40% off). There are lots of cardstock items that will be reconfigured, so don't panic when you see those.

Go into the draw to win!

All retirement list orders of $50 or more will go into the draw for a brand new, unmounted Level 2 Hostess Set, "Fast and Fabulous" - this is a set earned with a $600 workshop, so it's a great opportunity to win! You will receive one entry in the draw for each $50 spent (before postage/handling). You can check out this great set on page 13, and click here to see the gallery on Splitcoast showing the gorgeous cards you could be making with it!

I'll be sending out a newsletter next, so please forward it to any stampin' friends who might like to have a look through.

Postage and Handling:

All orders that can be collected from me at Cherrybrook will pay the 5% postage and handling rate, and all orders being sent directly to you will pay the minimum charge of $5.95, or 5%, whichever is the greater amount. I can have orders posted anywhere within Australia!

How to Place an order?

You can call me on (02) 9484 9447 or 0403 175 790 or email me at michelle.dyson@bigpond.com. I can accept cash, cheque (subject to clearance), direct deposit, Mastercard and VISA payments.

Happy Browsing, I do hope you can nab the retiring sets you've been wishing for during the year, they are mighty hard to get hold of when they're gone...

Welcome Christmas in Winter with the Inklings Blog Hop!

2011-07-25T12:03:00.006+10:00

Welcome to the INKlings "Christmas in Winter" Blog Hop!

You may have arrived here from Vanessa's blog or just be visiting my blog, whichever way once you’ve checked out my creations you can continue the hop through the link at the end of this post to the next team member.

How quick is this year going! Have you started to think about your Christmas cards and projects yet? The INKlings team has and we thought that this month was the perfect time to host a Christmas in July blog hop. You'll find lots of great ideas when you take a tour of the blogs of 15 of our crafty team members.

Want to win some Blog Candy? Simply leave a comment on each blog and then email Clare and let her know you’ve done so and you’ll be in the running for a fantastic prize of 15 handmade items plus other goodies.

Sorry Blog Candy prize not available to SU! demonstrators but you're more than welcome to leave us a comment!

My projects use the delightful stamp set, "Welcome Christmas". You can find it on page 26 of the Idea Book and Catalogue, 121584 $49.95 in woodmount, and 120597 $39.95 in clear mount. It has a variety of images, so I find it quite versatile. I've made three different cards with it, and some gift tags are under construction - you may have to come back another time to see those! I've stuck to a simple palette of Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso and Very Vanilla, and have used our Basics Adhesive Pearls and 1 1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon for embellishment on each of the three cards.

Card one is a 1/3 sheet card, so it's a good choice for a gift card, or if you have several squillion people on your Christmas card list. It is quite suited to production en masse, and is the kind of card you could make while watching a DVD in the evenings.

The card base is Cherry Cobbler (oooh YUM!), and I have inked the edges and given it a good squirt with my DIY Shimmer Mist (you can click HERE for a tutorial I did earlier on this). Next is a layer of Very Vanilla, cut just 1/4" smaller on each side for neat layering. Then there is a layer of Early Espresso, my new favourite brown. I've roughed up the edges with my trusty distressing tool from the Cutter Kit here. (tip - you need this tool if your trimmer cuts tend towards the wonky, it masks a multitude of sins...) More squirting with shimmer here too.

Then, a Crumb Cake layer, sponged on the edges, and clear embossed using Versamark ink and the lovely silhouette style Christmas tree family stamp. The label stamp is part of the set, and I have simply inked it with markers in Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso and Crumb Cake, and stamped onto Very Vanilla. It looks fiddly and time consuming, but it's faster and easier than you'd think.

I've added some Basics Pearls and some Stampin Dimensionals behind this to give it some lift from the front of the card. To finish, I have used some of the extra wide stripy Grosgrain ribbon in matching Early Espresso. When I first saw this wide ribbon, I thought "what the!" , thinking it would take masses of ribbon to make something on the right scale. I've since discovered that there are several ways to use this wide ribbon on a card, and with pretty small pieces too. Here I have taken a short snip, approximately 8-10cm, and have folded in half-ish (deliberately not evenly). The centre is secured with a short piece of Early Espresso narrow grosgrain, and it's attached with a mini glue dot (or two for good measure). Ta da! Done!

Card 2 is a standard landscape orientation A5 fold, and again I have used Cherry Cobbler as the card base. Then, a layer of Early Espresso cut 1/2" smaller is layered on this (and I've used the edge distressing tool again) Before I distressed and attached it, I ran it through the Big Shot using the Finial Press Embossing Folder, you can see a peek of this behind where the ribbon is tied. The squares are cut from Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, and Jolly Holiday DSP using the 1 1/4" square punch, and inked the edges before attaching them to the Espresso panel. Here's another way of using the wide ribbon, as a band across the centre, but tied at one point with matching narrow ribbon. The "joy" sentiment is from the set, and I have stamped it twice, cutting a second layer of letters out for a dimensional effect. I cut the oval using the Oval Big Shot Sizzix originals die, a great choice when you need more room than a punch. It's dressed up with a few more pearls, and attached with Stampin' Dimensionals.

The final card in the trio is a Gate Fold A5 card. The card base is Cherry Cobbler, and I have inked the edges and stamped with the gorgeous wreath stamp in matching ink all over the base. The wreath was stamped again ont Very Vanilla after using markers in Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso and Crumb Cake to pick out the berries and open leaves for some colour variation. I then trimmed around it carefully, but for speed and ease of production, you could simply leave it as a stamped panel. The "bow" is not really a bow - yet another way of using a small bit of wide ribbon for maximum effect. it's about 15cm, bunched into two loops and secured with a needle and thread around the middle to stop it from springing apart. I used my ~~lighter~~ portable miniature flame throwing tool to seal the ends of the ribbon on all these projects. Never was a smoker really, but I will be mighty annoyed if these end up on a banned list sometime in the future! I wrapped more Early Espresso narrow grosgrain around the centre, and the tails can be seen peeking through from the back for extra effect. On the trimmed out wreath, I used some dots of Crystal Effects dimensional gloss adhesive to highlight the berries, but perhaps I should have used glitter, you'd be able to see it better in the pic! The wreath is attached to only the left side of the gatefold, so you can still open the card in the normal way. The same effect is used for the greeting and band, in Crumb Cake, and edged with the Pinking Hearts punch. This punch appeared in the Summer Mini, but it is thankfully still available, and I am liking it more and more! The sentiment label was made as above for Card 1, and attached with Stampin Dimensionals and some blingy pearls attached.

I hope you have enjoyed looking at my projects, please don't be shy in asking a question about how I have done something, I love questions! I will be running some Christmas Card Stamp-a-Stacks between now and the end of the year, you can sign up for my newsletter or follow my blog to be kept informed.

Well that’s all from me. Next stop on the INKlings’ Team Blog Hop is the lovely
Ryn Gibbs. Have fun and don't forget to leave a comment on each blog to win some great Blog Candy.

If for any reason you find a missing link on the blog hop head back here to find links to all the members taking part. After the blog hop is over, I'll pop back in here to convert these to permalinks to the actual Blog Hop posts, so you will be able to do it all over again for inspiration later on!

1. Clare http://www.crafty-cow.com
2. Janice http://www.janicespencer.blogspot.com
3. Christie http://www.christiescreativecorner.blogspot.com
4. Kari http://www.karigail.wordpress.com
5. Joanna http://www.joannawassens.com
6. Michelle http://stampinground.wordpress.com
7. Alana http://www.alanagalagher.blogspot.com
8. Carol http://www.inkantations-and-inkarnations.blogspot.com
9. Cath http://cathdeanpapercraft.blogspot.com
10. Amy http://amyandersonsblog.blogspot.com
11. Vanessa http://stampness.blogspot.com
12. Michelle D http://stampinkpaper.blogspot.com
13. Ryn http://rynscraps.blogspot.com
14. Fiona B http://fionajanestamping.blogspot.com
15. Liz Halbisch http://lizhalbisch.blogspot.com

Get Ready for the Inklings "Christmas in Winter" bloghop!

2011-07-22T14:22:00.000+10:00

It's time to get your thinking caps on, and gather some inspiration for your Christmas Projects!

Starting Monday 25th July at noon, you can take a tour of blogs where Inklings team members have posted some gorgeous projects to inspire you! There will be blog candy on offer, so make a note in your diary, snuggle up with a notepad and hot cocoa, and get into the spirit of Christmas in Winter!

A good Sympathy Card (stamp set) is hard to find... Thanks for Caring

2011-07-11T22:13:00.000+10:00

I always feel like I am tempting fate somehow by making a sympathy card without a specific recipient in mind, but I do then try and apply my sense of scientific judgement to overcome this!

It is hard to find a nice, elegant stamp set suitable for sympathy occasions (and nigh-on IMPOSSIBLE to find a half-decent store-bought card at all!), but I think this lovely set from the Autumn/Winter mini fits the bill. The set is called "Thanks for Caring", and you can see it on page 17 of the mini (123565, $39.95 in woodmount). It's not just for sympathy cards, the sentiment messages could be used for many card-giving occasions. It's also the first set I can recall as having a stamp ideal for thanking people for their kind thoughts during difficult times, "Thanks for caring", much easier than handwriting lots and lots of notes.

This card I have made using a Designer Series Paper collection that I haven't used much. I do like the colours and I love the patterns, so I'm not sure why it has been overlooked. Perhaps it is the scale of the patterns as shown in the catalogue not doing it justice? Anyway, it is beautifully elegant in real life - "Lap of Luxury" (120436, p 126). The card base is Concord Crush, followed by a layer of Pretty in Pink, and a wider border of Basic Gray. A square of Lap of Luxury paper sits over these, with a belly band of more Concord Crush. The sentiment is inked with matching markers, and punched out with the extra large scallop circle punch. The matting I have used is a little trick - layering two of the oval shape from the "Lots of Tags" Sizzlit set for the Bigshot (114508, p152) behind the scallop circle. Some Basics Pearls, Concord Crush twill ribbon, and some Stampin' Dimensionals for lift and it was almost done. I wanted to give it a pretty look, so I spritzed it with a squirt of DIY shimmer spray - my tutorial on this can be found here.

If you'd like this set, please don't delay, being a Mini Catalogue set it could well be available only until July 31st before disappearing all together. Please contact me by email or phone 0403 175 790 to order any available Stampin' Up! products, or drop me a question ( I lurrrve technical questions!)

Free Ribbon and Button Bundle! Gift with $100 purchase

2011-07-01T08:46:00.000+10:00

This is such a cute pack! Great for bright, cheery cards. You can get one FREE, a $31.95 value, with an order of $100 or more (limited to one pack per order)

It goes beautifully with the Sewing themed items from the Autumn/Winter Mini, as you can see from the image, where the "Hello Blossoms" individual stamp ( just $13.95) has been teamed with yellow flower buttons and pleated ribbon (left). The pink card on the right uses the pink and blue buttons on the "Sew Suite" button card. Most of us have a clever stitching person in our lives (I have several!), so these products will come in very handy. Click the image to visit my Demonstrator Business Website to view more details on this promotion. While you're there, why not sign up for my occasional newsletter - click "contact me" and follow the prompts.

Time for tea?

2011-06-28T13:54:00.001+10:00

Here's another UFO - unfinished object. All it really needs is a sentiment, so perhaps I'll leave it until the right moment appears to give it away? I made this card while at the escape2create retreat a few months back, late, late one night (when I tend to do my best crafting) I used the "Morning Cup" stamp set, and my crayons and markers to colour the images, stamped in Stazon. I also used a mask to stamp the coffee cup several times as if there were a cluster of cups on the worktop. There certainly was plenty of coffee consumed on these late nights, with grateful thanks to Meredith for her fabbo Nespresso machine and the #10 capsules with extra KICK! They were so yum that I had to remind myself that I have a perfectly good coffee machine that makes great coffee, already sitting on my kitchen bench... And that I don't *really* need a Nespresso. Much.

Back to the card - it uses the fluffy delightfullness of Melon Mambo Pom Pom trim, get it before it's gone from the Autumn Winter Mini catalogue, available in Daffodil and Tangerine as well. The card base is Baja Breeze, and the patterned paper is Elegant Soiree. There's a bit of lifting and popping with dimensionals, and a bit of tearing and shredding with the distressing tool from the cutter kit, and that's it. Hope you like, off to make some cards for a swap!

Huge Retired Item Sale!

2011-06-25T22:56:00.000+10:00

I have just finished listing some SEVENTY items on eBay! You can check out the link to my listings here , or if that doesn't work, my eBay username is *stampinkpaper* - nice and easy to remember!

Of course I offer local pickup for anyone able to collect from me, and if not, I will always find the most economical postage method for multiple items. Postage on multiple items will never be more than my actual cost to post, so please bid with confidence.

There are stamp sets, retired inkpads, markers, reinkers and cardstock, retired pastel colours and more.

Happy Shopping!

Stampin' Crop Day THIS SATURDAY 18th June

2011-06-15T12:53:00.000+10:00

When: 10am - 5pm

Where: Cherrybrook, North Western Sydney (location provided on booking

How much: $15 for use of tools, stamps, inks, tea, coffee and light lunch, plus casual instruction

What to bring: Your basic papercrafting tools and projects you want to work on

Beginners are welcome, and spaces are limited, so if you'd like to have a go at making cards with a lovely group of ladies, give me a call to book a spot, 0403 175 790

Like the card? It was inspired by a technique shown at Convention with torn windows, and was made for my friend Nicky Adamson's birthday recently. Nicky's fave colour is.... ORANGE! The stamp set is "Friends never fade" and the colours are Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz and Peach Parfait.

And the winners are......

2011-05-31T21:23:00.000+10:00

I have drawn the fundraising raffle, using an online random sequence generator.

Winning ticket numbers are:

First Prize - 276 Brooke H of Silverwater NSW
Second Prize - 347 Joanne M of Miami QLD
Third Prize - 258 Kirri G of Indooroopilly QLD
Fourth Prize - 80 Veronica M of USA (with nominated Australian address)
Fifth Prize - 526 Michelle B of Wodonga VIC

Congratulations to all the winners, I'll be sending phoning you ASAP. Congratulations to each and every one of you who bought a ticket, together we sold 563 tickets, and raised very close to $1000, which goes most of the way to getting Ethan his much needed monitor. MWAH! to you all!

Exciting news for Hostesses!

2011-05-27T22:33:00.002+10:00

It's on again, but this time new and improved!

The 'Extra Extra' promotion offers an additional $70 in hostess dollars to spend when the workshop total reaches $450. That's on top of the usual benefits of at least $40 and an exclusive Hostess stamp set. And, the new improved bit is the fact that the $450 total is INCLUSIVE of the shipping and handling charges, making it even easier to attain!

It's on between now and June 30, and I have some dates available for YOUR workshop! Please give me a call to book 02 9484 9447

Just a few days left to get your tickets!

2011-05-27T13:56:00.000+10:00

It's nearly time! Ethan's raffle will be drawn on May 31st, but there's still time to get some tickets and help us get closer to our goal. Here are the steps again, to make it as easy as possible for you:

1. Make your donation to the following account, $2 a ticket or 6 tickets for $10
St George BSB 112879 Acc 456399187 using your surname as a reference

2. Email me - michelle.dyson@bigpond.com to tell me your name, address, phone number and your donation amount

3. Wait for me to issue tickets - this does take a few days at times, as the funds need time to be cleared into my account, and then I need to record your details.

4. Stand by to win a great prize!! And, pat yourself on the back for being a part of something to make such a difference in a little boy's life! Lots of great prizes, but that's not really the point of the exercise :)

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your support!

It's been a long time coming, but worth the wait I hope!!

2011-05-27T13:00:00.000+10:00

Keeping this post at the top for easy reference, until the end of the ticket sale period! There are also a couple of updates, in RED!

Towards the end of last year, I had planned a fundraising raffle for a fellow demonstrator's little boy, Ethan. However, there were already plans underway for a major fundraiser for another special demonstrator baby, Lara, of "We Stamp for Lara" fame, and I decided to postpone my (much smaller) effort so it didn't distract from that event. Then, of course, we have had the most disaster-laden summer I can ever recall, with floods, fires, earthquakes and tsunamis, so that timing didn't seem quite right either. Touch wood, things appear to be settling a little, but in any case I'm going to pop this 'out there' now, and do what I can, with your help for Ethan's worthy cause. Some of my lovely customers have purchased tickets in this raffle already, as I started it with my catalogue launch back in September 2010. In fact, they encouraged me to expand the raffle in an effort to raise as much as possible. So, I announce the new, improved......

Fundraising Raffle for Ethan

One of the nicest things about being a demonstrator is the wonderful friendships that develop between us. We rally together to support many worthy causes, this time to help Ethan.

Ethan is the 6 year old son of Corina Beyer, a Riverina demonstrator. Ethan has Type 1 Diabetes, very difficult to manage in a young child. He has an insulin pump fitted, reducing the burden of multiple daily insulin injections. However, he still requires blood glucose monitoring every 2 hours round the clock, to prevent him from lapsing into a diabetic coma. Imagine the kind of stress this places on a family, if only from lack of unbroken sleep!

Ethan has recently trialled an automated continuous blood glucose monitoring system, which sounds an alarm if his levels fall outside the crucial range. However, the device costs $1250. And, the consumables cost more than $150 per week. Unfortunately, the Diabetes subsidy scheme does not cover this equipment. Your support will help to give Ethan a much more normal life, as well as his family!

Tickets are $2 each, or 6 for $10
Your name and contact number will be recorded against ticket numbers, and you'll receive an email with your ticket numbers once your payment has been received. Prizes will be drawn using an online random number generator on TUESDAY 31st MAY.

How to purchase tickets?
Please follow these steps:
1. Email me on michelle.dyson@bigpond.com with your name, address, contact number and the number of tickets you would like to purchase.
2. Make a deposit to the following account: St George BSB: 112879 Acc: 456399187 Name: Michelle Dyson and use your SURNAME as a reference.
3. Receive an email with your ticket numbers and drawing details to keep as your record.
Tickets are generally available to Australian residents only, due to the expense of mailing prizes to international winners, thank you for your understanding. However, if you are able to arrange payment from an Australian bank account and can nominate an Australian address in the lucky situation of being a winner, I'd be delighted to issue tickets!

Attention troublemakers (because there's always one...):
Please be assured that I have investigated the procedure for holding this raffle under NSW law, and you can read more for yourself about the conditions and rules here. No permit is required as the total prize value and method of promoting and drawing fall within the guidelines in the document linked here. I have also received permission from Stampin' Up! to run the raffle, and they have donated a large box of wonderful goodies which have enabled me to expand the number of prizes. Due to difficulties other demonstrators have had using Paypal to collect charitable donations, Paypal will generally NOT be accepted as a method of payment for tickets. If you are overseas, without access to an Australian account, and desperately keen to contribute, contact me via email to see if we can work something out. Funds will be transferred to Ethan's Trust Account in batches, after I process and issue tickets. Further details of the draw timing and location will be provided closer to the date, and observers are welcome to attend.

Now, nitty gritty stuff dealt with, on to the PRIZES!! I'd like to acknowledge the kind donations from members of my team, other demonstrators and Stampin' Up! Australia.

First Prize:

Prize pack includes: Simply Sent Card kit

Papercrafts Gourmet Book

Simply Scrappin Kit

Butterfly Punch

Days to Remember 12x12 calendar

Selection of ribbon, adhesive, brads, glitter

Stamp Set, cardstock, patterned paper as shown

Valued at over $400

Second Prize:

Prize pack includes: Simply Sent Card Kit

Simply Scrappin Kit

Designer Series Papers

Cardstock, rub ons, box kit

Blender Pens
Stamp set

Selection of ribbons, glitter, brads

Punch, as shown

Valued at over $300

Third Prize:

Prize pack includes: Simply Sent Card Kit

Simply Scrappin Kit

Designer Series Papers

Cardstock

Stamp Set

Rolls of ribbon, glitter and brads

Plier punch, as shown

Valued at over $250

Fourth Prize

Prize pack includes: Simply Sent Card kit

Designer Series Paper pack

6x6 patterned paper pad

On Board Chipboard pack

4 rolls ribbon

Glitter, buttons

Stamp Set

Daubers and Sanding block samples, as shown

Valued at over $250

Fifth Prize:

Prize pack includes: Punches Three Gift tin with punch, stamp set and ink spots

Designer Series Paper pack

On Board Chipboard pack

Jumbo roller

Ribbon Rolls

Ink Pad

three markers

adhesive remover, as shown

Valued at over $200

I'll think you'll agree you wouldn't mind winning ANY of these prize packs!

I look forward to issuing your tickets, and helping a young boy get a bit of his life back!

Many, many thanks for your kindness and generosity, and good luck in the draw!

Convention, Stampin' Crop and a massive Stampin' Garage Sale!

2011-05-18T12:07:00.000+10:00

Oh. My. Goodness! Wow! I am back from convention 2011 in Melbourne, and re-immersed in uni, kids and family life. Sorry for the longer than usual gap between posts, but I have heaps of fun things to show you over the next little while. If you ever get a chance to go to convention, as a guest or as a demo (in my cute little team of course!), I highly recommend it. It runs for three days now, and the whole road trip, convention, shopping and more felt like a luxurious break than a conference! Stampin' Up! events are always great, but this particular convention (my third) was the best yet. Sneak peeks, prizes, delicious food and great company, what more could you want?? Next year's convention will be held in Canberra from May 31st to June 2nd, so if you're keen to attend, ring me for a chat about becoming a demo yourself. There is lots more background info in the 'become a demonstrator' page right here on my blog.

For lots more pics and goss, take a look at Shelli Gardner's blog, So Shelli. Here's just a couple of my pics, the first of the stupendous Bonnie Thurber cracking us all up with her enthusiasm and great sense of fun. This is a fascinator, a la Princess Beatrice, made from the scrap strips on Nursery Suite Quick Accents. There was more, lots more, but I may have been laughing too hard to take a good pic...

Next up is just one of the 10 or so display boards holding the swaps made by the ~500 demos who attended. I'll be carefully looking at the cards in detail later, but you can also see my own collection if you come along to my Stampin' Crop days, or book a workshop with me!

Onto other stuff!

Firstly, THIS SATURDAY 21st May is my monthly Stampin' Crop Day from 10am -5pm. The cost for the day is $15 per person, and this includes use of my stamps and tools, casual instruction, bottomless tea and coffee, and a light snack style lunch. Spaces are limited, and new ladies are always welcome, so give me a call on 9484 9447 to book a place. Bring along your basic papercraft tools such as trimmer and any projects or ideas you are keen to play with. It's a great casual crafting day, no pressure, just lots of laughs and great company.

And, starting this Saturday, guests at my Stampin' Crop day will get first dibs on purchasing items from my mega-clear out Stampin' GARAGE SALE! I have heaps and heaps of stamp sets, and have finally decided to part with my retired inkpads, markers, reinkers and cardstock. I'm still clearing out my studio, so there will undoubtedly be more to add! After Saturday, I'll be loading stuff onto Ebay, and will share a link here once there is stuff to browse.

There is a new batch of discounted goodies available for "Deal of the Week", check out the list here for deals on ribbon and rhinestone brads!

Um, what else?? OH!!! Grab those diaries ladies, because it's time to host a workshop with me! You'll see some great new products, innovative ways to use them, share a happy few hours with some friends, and, best of all, earn lots and lots of free stuff! There's a special new promotion running between Monday May 23rd to Thursday 30th June, called "Extra Extra". For a workshop reaching $450 or more in sales, (INCLUDING shipping!!) you will receive your usual Hostess Benefits of dollars to spend in the catalogue, and exclusive Hostess stamp sets. But, then you will receive an ADDITIONAL $70 to spend in the catalogue!

so, say your workshop sales including the postage and handling amount reach $465. As you can see from the table here you earn a level 1 hostess set and $40 as your usual entitlements, but during this promotion you will have a total of $110 to spend! How cool is that? Please give me a call or contact me via email, I am able to offer catalogue parties as well as traditional in-home workshops, so you needn't be nearby. I do have uni assignment and exam commitments in June, so please be quick for best choice of dates and times.

Deals of the Week are here

2011-05-03T18:54:00.003+10:00

Are you ready for some weekly surprises? You may have seen the ad in the May issue of your favourite crafting magazine letting you know that throughout the month of May, Stampin' Up! are bringing you a new deal on our exclusive products every week! Check our website (or subscribe to this blog to receive updates as I post them) every Wednesday in May, and get up to 40 percent off a selection of incredible products from the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalogue!

There are no limits to the number of Deals of the Week you can purchase and no minimum purchase is required.* Now is your time to stock up on your favourite products!

Be sure to hurry and purchase each week's deals early on so you don't miss out! When the new week's deals start up each Wednesday at midnight, the last week's deals are over . . . forever!

The first week's deals you get a few extra days, here's the posting schedule for easy reference:

•Week 1 Deals - Sunday, 1 May 2011; 12:01 AM (AET)

•Week 2 Deals - Wednesday, 11 May 2011; 12:01 AM (AET)

•Week 3 Deals - Wednesday, 18 May 2011; 12:01 AM (AET)

•Week 4 Deals - Wednesday, 25 May 2011; 12:01 AM (AET)

This week's deals:

*There is no limit to the number of Deals of the Week items you may purchase. However, if we run low on product we will return the product to full catalogue price before the end of the week. If this happens, it will be announced on the Stampin' Up! website homepage.

I do recommend getting in quick for these deals, as they are also available to demonstrators. If you're keen to get an additional 20% minimum off the sale prices, please give me a call to receive a no-obligation info pack on becoming a demonstrator yourself! Demonstrators also get an opportunity to order all the deals still available during the last week of May, just another one of the many perks :)

Tickets anyone?? anyone?? Unfinished Business

2011-05-01T12:07:00.000+10:00

Another super quick one (yes, supposed to be working on assignment for "Mathematics in Schools" right now). So, in the spirit of "unfinished business", here is a card I don't think is quite finished. While working on it at the e2c retreat, I thought it needed some pieces cut from the "Pattern Pieces" stamp from the Autumn/Winter Mini, to go with the buttons and "Tasteful Trim" Bigz XL die. But, I didn't have that stamp with me, and so it remains, perhaps not quite complete. Not unlike a certain maths assignment...

Colours are Peach Parfait, Pear Pizzazz, Blushing Bride and Whisper White. I used the "Button Button" set to stamp some, and the embosslit die to match to make some 3D textured buttons. The Tasteful trim pieces were run through the Square Lattice embossing folder, and I added some machine stitching and crimping. When I get to it, I plan to play around with some vellum stamped pieces from the Pattern Pieces background, to make it look something like my floor when I sew (infrequently these days!)

Hope you like! Finished or not! Somehow, I suspect my maths lecturer will not appreciate an unfinished assignment, so must get back to it.

However, you can keep me in the loop with Stampin' Up! by participating in my raffle for Ethan - tickets are on sale now, just $10 for 6 tickets, great prizes are shown down below - click on the pics to see bigger images. Help me spread the word and get ticket sales going again after the easter break by linking to the post at the top - many thanks!!

Instructions for entering the raffle are all there listed, and I look forward to sending the next installment of funds raised to Corina!

Cheers to you, with a Sweet and Sour Top Note chaser

2011-04-21T21:46:00.001+10:00

Just a quick one, while I take a break from essay writing. Here is another card I made at the e2c retreat, verrryyyy late one night. It was inspired by they colourful cocktails being prepared by the neighbouring table. The layout was inspired by an idea in "Papercrafts" magazine, a US publication that I like for the variety and style of designs, even the ads are interesting! Catching a glimpse of the trends about to hit here is always good. They often have design tips tucked away in the challenge articles, and this one was about using die-cut papers with a decorative edge as a design feature on a card - not just as the background for a scrapbook page. I didn't have any die cut edge papers lying about, but was inspired to create my own custom one using the "Top Note" Big Shot die. I cut a panel to the approximate size, and chopped off one end using the die to create the shape. The shape created neatly frames the sentiment, and also shows off the "Sweet and Sour" specialty thermographic paper to its full advantage.

The image was done with "Cheers to You" a set I took away with me to use, sadly neglected in my collection, although I do love it! I stamped in Stazon black and coloured with my Watercolor Wonder crayons and a blender pen. The papers were perfect for Cosmos and Mango Daiquiris, hence the choice of matting and layering. The final touch was a bit of Pumpkin Pie narrow taffeta ribbon threaded through a Tangerine Tango button. I added a glossy coat of Crystal Effects to the glasses before calling it a ~~night~~ morning.

Did you receive my newsletter today about Ethan's Fundraising appeal? If you'd like to receive my monthly-ish updates, you can click here to add your details to my mailing list. If you'd like to help me spread the word, drop me an email at michelle.dyson@bigpond.com and I'll forward today's special edition. Thanks!!

Thanks so much for your support - let's keep at it!

2011-04-18T22:03:00.000+10:00

Thank you, thank you THANK YOU! I have sold almost 400 tickets to date with your kind and generous support. Corina, Ethan's mum ,has received all the funds cleared to date. I'm hoping to be able to raise lots more however, my dream would be to cover the cost of the monitoring equipment and a few months worth of the consumables. I would absolutely welcome any help in promoting the raffle, to help me achieve this goal!

For now, there are still spaces in my class tomorrow night, to make a beautiful origami box full of gift cards for all occasions. Give me a call if you've been meaning to confirm, or if you'd like to book in. There are more details in this post below. The one in the pic is the prototype though. you'll be able to choose from a selection of co-ordinating SU! DSP and cardstock colours and a wide range of stamp sets and embossing folders to embellish with.

Here's another creation from my recent trip away to the Escape 2 Create retreat near Port Lincoln, SA:

This is a sneak peek of my swap cards for Convention 2011 - better start assembling more of them though, there are not that many days to go!! It uses the "Clearly for you" set from the Autumn Winter Mini catalogue. There are a wide selection of realistic botanical type images, and I can see heaps of versatility for it. The base layer is Crumb Cake, stamped with the "Woodgrain" background. Next, there's a layer of Pear Pizzazz, stamped with matching ink using the gorgeous tile background stamp from the set. I've roughed up the edges with the distressing tool from the Cutter Kit. Peeking out from behind the torn and curled upper right corner is a bit of So Saffron, punched with the Scallop Trim corner punch. There's also a band of So Saffron across the centre, that I rolled up and then across the table edge to soften and give it a faux ribbon look. The central image was inked up to become raspberries, using several shades of green and red marker, using the thumping (perhaps better described as dabbing??) technique, before stamping on Very Vanilla. This is layered on a distressed piece of Cherry Cobbler cardstock. The finishing touches are some linen thread wrapped around the So Saffron band, a butterfly from the set stamped and fussy-cut out, and a hand-cut sentiment tag tied on with a snippet of Chantilly lace trim. It might look complex, but it is relatively fast and easy to make en masse, so hopefully if I see you at Convention, I can maybe swap with you?

What!!?? Who'd drive more than 4000km just to go to a scrap retreat??

2011-04-09T22:18:00.001+10:00

Me! Me! Me! (and, with luck, Me! again next year!)
Yep, it really is an Escape 2 Create.  A round trip of a whisker over 4000km from here in Sydney to Port Lincoln, SA and back again, the third year in a row. It's become a trip my husband and I look forward to, knowing the best places to stay, to stop for fuel, food and (respectable) bathroom facilities along the way. We had the car loaded up with materials to teach my stamping workshop, lots and lots of papercrafting stuff for creating into the wee hours, and a back seat snooze zone with blanket and pillows for resting between driving stints.

Words can't quite express how much I appreciate being able to participate in such a great event.  Amanda, Meredith, and Sue have created an extraordinary retreat, to fill a need in an isolated pocket of Australia that is simply brimming with creativity and resourcefulness. There is quite a few more people working behind the scenes, including Val and Kathryn the volunteer kitchen goddesses and the Eyre Peninsula papercraft retailers.not to mention each and every e2c participant!

It was indeed an honour to be invited to teach, and I'll move heaven and earth to be there again in 2012, if you'll have me! Nabbing a teaching spot might be the only chance I have, this year booked out within an incredible 15 MINUTES! It is worth every single kilometre and more to share in the wonderful 'thing' you have created together. I'll bribe you if necessary, dangling my "man in pink" like a carrot.... LOL! Thank you to all the brave ladies who faced their stamping fears at my workshop, we made a delightful mess, and I hope you are all inspired to go home and dig out your neglected stamping tools and materials.

I was sorry I didn't get myself organised in time to book into the scrap classes, being taught by legendary Australian scrapbookers Fran Tynan and Tatum Woodroffe. Their creations were AMAZING! It was nice to soak up the inspiration just by being seated close by though, and to wander around seeing how everyone's layouts looked so subtly different! I did however get to take part in the incredibly fun workshop by 'upcycling' legend, Lou Nelson, using texture paste, stencils, gauze, glimmer spray, plastic bubble packages and dress pattern tissue to create a deliciously textured scrap 'page' It's not yet finished, but I love how it looks so far! Stay tuned...

And, being that it was a scrap retreat, I created an honourary scrap page. I feel like I haven't scrapped in years, finding the bite-sized canvas of a card to be easier to fit in amongst my busy life. But, I do enjoy creating a few special memories with selected photos.

Going from last photo to first:

A4 Scrap page - inspired by Amanda Hall 's hallmark size, as well as the awe-inspiring A4 talent of fellow teacher, Fran Tynan. Just as the scrappers were thinking of their stamps as re-useable rub-ons, I was attempting to think, "it's just an oversized card" The background is Pear Pizzazz, the paper scraps are from the Greenhouse Gala DSP, and the journal panel is cut using the Scallop circle BigShot die from the Hostess pack of In Colour paper. The splodge stamp is from Extreme Elements, the Friends stamp from Vintage Vogue, and the flower is punched using the Scallop Circle and Butterfly punches, on scraps of brown paper stamped with images from the Friends never Fade stamp set that matches the Greenhouse Gala papers. I secured the flower with an Antique brad, and added a mini vintage tag to trim. Up the top, I added a Clips Assortment clip with a snip of Pear Pizzazz twill ribbon. Around the outside I doodled a border of Early Espresso marker. I chose the colours based on the photo, taken in the Central West of NSW, hope you like!

Next pic up: Dawn breaking, towards Wilcannia. Taken at speed through a grubby windscreen unfortunately, due to there being a Road Train not far behind me...

Sculpture of oversized park bench, Broken Hill Line of Lode Miner's Memorial. Love the light in this one, SOOC.

The rusted, tunnel like Miner's Memorial - inside are the details of the more than 800 men who have lost their lives in mining accidents at Broken Hill since silver, copper, tin and zinc were first mined there in the 1800's. This complex has won many architectural awards, and is perched on top of the giant "mullock heap" that dominates the town-scape.

Next up - what's country Australia without a bit of "Big Kitsch"?? This is Kimba, which claims to be halfway across Australia. Not sure of the validity of that, but hey, it's got a Big Galah! Freaky looking really... And it is in close proximity to the curiously named town "Iron Knob"

Next up, third from top - something a LOT more aesthetically pleasing! The escape 2 create girls go to extra-ordinary effort to createa theme for each year's retreat, this one was 1950's housewife humour, complete with vintage colour scheme, old-style magazine adverts in the table number frames, pinwheel decorations and great pop-art style graphics. The goodie bags contained all kinds of curious snippets, I look forward to creating with them at some time in the future (when I clear my desk of Constructivism essay papers...*)

Second from top - the shed, what a fabulous creating space! High ceiling, expansive width, room to move, and an airy feel. This was taken quite early during setup, it didn't stay this peaceful looking for long. It was simply buzzing with creative energy!

And, at the top, somewhere near Nymadgee, northern central NSW. Bugger! I forgot to take a photo of the to-die-for Vanilla Slice from the 5 Loaves Bakery in Cummins, SA. Long way to go for coffee and pastries, but we WILL be back! Like I said, worth. every. kilometre.

* yes - I have done it again, a nice loooong post, with lots of pics, when I should really be investing time in wrapping my head around the "vast and woolly" topic of constructivism.    Now my typing fingers are nice and lubricated, I'll take a break and enjoy a glass of wine :P

Absolutely the LAST chance! Sale-a-brate with me by 9pm TONIGHT

2011-03-31T10:56:00.000+11:00

I'm writing this on the go, so I'm not even sure if I can get a new pic in! Will have to see what inspiration I have stashed away on my iPad photos. I'm between Peterborough and Port Augusta now, having enjoyed some stunningly lush outback scenery on the drive from Sydney from all the flooding rains earlier in the year.

The reason for the post, a gentle (or not so gentle) PROD to remind you that the current Summer Mini catalogue ends TODAY! So does the Sale-a-Bration promotion, which earns you a choice of four FREE stamp sets for each $100 spend. The Summer Mini has been with us for four whole months, so please be sure to check it out one last time to make sure there isn't anything in it you thought was a permanent item from the main catty (link in the sidebar if your hard copy isn't handy) I know I have to look twice to realise that items such as Well Scripted and the Square Lattice folder that I've been using so often are from the mini. I'll miss them!

I'll be placing one more order tonight (just after 9pm AEST) so if you'd like to tag along with a last-minute item or two, you'd be most welcome! Email or text is probably best, phone coverage is a bit variable: 0403 175 790 michelle.dyson@bigpond.com

Seems I can't get a pic in right now, but I found the one I wanted, which reminds me to YELL from the rooftops that the ORNAMENT PUNCH , missing in action since last November is BACKKKK!!!! All quality issues ave been thoroughly investigated, so it's a good time to make sure you have this versatile punch in your collection.

Been so long you can't remember which one it is? LOL! Google is your friend!

Take care, chat some more later!

Gift Box Class - Tuesday evening, 19th April

2011-03-27T22:01:00.001+11:00

My upcoming class is for an elegant and useful box full of gift cards. The class will be held on Tuesday evening, 19th April 7.30pm - approx 9.45pm. This date is during school hols in NSW, so organise your other half to do some kid-wrangling and take a little break! This box of cards is a useful item to have on hand, but would also make a thoughtful gift for lots of occasions.

The picture above shows the prototype, using some retired colours and papers. During the class you will learn how to make the box and lid from your choice of a range of cardstock and Designer Series papers. Next, you'll make embossed 10 cards to fit inside, using paper and cardstock colours to match your box. Instead of stamping sentiments and greetings directly onto the card, you'll stamp a broad selection of greetings which can be attached as needed, so you'll always have the 'right' card.

Class cost is $25, and includes all materials, instructions, coffee and cake. Bookings and pre-payment are essential as spaces are limited and to allow for kit preparation and ordering of supplies. If you have to cancel for any reason I am happy to provide you with your kit so that the box and cards can be made at your leisure. Please call 9484 9447, or email me , RSVP's appreciated by Sunday 17th April. Location is North West Sydney, details provided on booking.

Time is running out - Sale-a-brate with the Summer Mini

2011-03-23T23:10:00.000+11:00

There are just a few short days left to order items from the current Summer Mini catalogue - it ends on March 31st. I'm driving to South Australia to teach a stamping workshop at a fabulous retreat, leaving next Wednesday morning 30th, but I'll be able to access my email on the way, and my mobile is 0403 175 790 - text messages will be best, as coverage is patchy in lots of areas along the way. Sale-a-bration also ends on the same date, 31st March, so check out the great selection of free sets with each $100 you spend, from any catalogue, mini or main.

The card above is made from one of the sets in the mini, "Grunge Rock" , 122055, just $35.95 in woodmount even! It didn't grab me at first, but then I kept seeing great cards being made with it, especially for men and teenagers - two of the hardest groups of recipients, for many cardmakers at least. The purchase price is about 6 or 7 cards from the shop, so it will pay for itself in no time!! This one started out as a straight CASE of one of the cards that leapt off the page for me while browsing the gallery for this set over on Splitcoast stampers. Imagine my surprise and pleasure to see it was made by Rachel Capps , another demonstrator on the Inklings team. I see Rachel has the quote "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" on her blog header, while grabbing the link, so I hope she likes my version of her beautiful card. Since I am on a grungy bent at the moment, I couldn't help but get out the distresser tool and do some ripping and rolling, and add some linen thread that I roughed up. I added a second guitar, mainly because I couldn't decide which colour to go with....

Another item I've used on this card from the mini is the MUST HAVE!! Square Lattice embossing folder for the Big Shot. This is, without doubt, one of the folders I have found to be most useful of all the designs I own (and there are lots, trust me!!) It looks great for male, female, vintage, clean and simple, works fabulously with the inking technique and more. Just $15.95, 119976, page 17.

So, don't delay, have a little retail therapy session, and cross a few things off your wishlist!

Stampin' Crop Day - some vacancies!

2011-03-17T23:25:00.000+11:00

This Saturday, 19th March is the date for my monthly Stampin' Crop day.

It's a casual, social day, designed for you to bring along whatever projects you would like to work on - cards, scrapbooking, off the page, non papercraft even! I provide my extensive collection of stamps, inks and tools, and my creative genius (splerk!*) is at your disposal for advice and ideas.

It starts at 10am, and runs till 5pm, and I provide a light snack style lunch, bottomless tea and coffee, nibbles and heaps of inspiration. BYO basic tools and materials. There are limited places available each month, but there are a few vacancies for this Saturday.

The cost for the day is just $15.00, so if the idea of good company and some quality crafting sounds good to you, give me a call on 9484 9447 to book a spot. Beginners and new faces are always welcome!

(Plenty of) Elements of Style - Happy Birthday Ryn!

2011-03-16T11:46:00.000+11:00

First, let me say that assignments are IN. I was very good and refrained from procrastinating further until today. Always plenty to do on the ole' to do list, but I do enjoy slipping in a cosy blog chat amongst the more mundane :)

My downline team member and good friend Carolyn, known as Ryn to many shares her birthday with me, along with lots of other things in common! It wasn't possible to meet up on the day, as our schedules have become busier than ever lately with work, uni and other commitments. But, we met for lunch yesterday at a T2 tea shop and enjoyed a yummo selection of high tea goodies with steaming pots of Earl Grey (yet another taste we have in common!) It was lots of fun, and I wished we got a chance to be decadent like that a little more often!

Anyway, here's the card I made for Ryn, using the Elements of Style set. Again, this card started out as a rescue project, so I can thank Barbara (yes, the same Barbara who provided the beautiful rescued watercolouring in the post just before this) for her exacting standards. This time it wasn't a wayward punch chomp, but a slightly wonky greeting. Four words Barb, Stamp A Ma Jig. But! Never mind, it created material that I was keen to put to good use. It involved a lot of fussy cutting, but I was very pleased with the result. I chose colours from the crayon watercolouring used, Old Olive and Blushing Bride, and recycled a distressed piece of Confetti Cream cardstock from a previous stamping session. Ryn would be proud of me - she's big on minimising waste. I stamped the same flower sprig onto the scrunched Confetti panel in Early Espresso ink, and mounted the cut out watercolour paper image over it with Stampin' Dimensionals. I curled and distressed the edges of the other layers, and used my new punch, Pinking Hearts along the right hand side

(be quick for this punch - it's in the current mini, ending March 31st, and I'm not sure about it being available again until at least September)

The base of the card was stamped with the Bella Toile background in Old Olive ink, and I used an offcut made into a pennant shape to stamp the Birthday Wishes greeting from the Level 3 Hostess set Occasional Quotes. I used an Antique brad to attach a scrap of Blusing Bride twill ribbon to the pennant, and slipped it behind the Confetti layer.

As a final touch, I got out the Crystal Effects dimensional lacquer, and dabbed glossy accents onto the flowers. It takes a while to set, but gives a beautiful raised shiny finish to a special card for a special someone. Happy Birthday Ryn!

A very special Get Well - Because I Care

2011-03-01T10:22:00.001+11:00

Hot on the heels of Elements of Style comes this Get Well card for a special friend and mentor. It also uses the easy watercolouring technique of watercolor wonder crayon with blender pen. First, about the card itself, then a bit about it's recipient...

There is a slightly amusing tale behind this card, it's what I call a 'rescue project' One of my lovely customers, Barbara, does beautiful watercolouring, and was busy using her new crayons with the blender pen. Her gorgeous hydrangea blossom from the Level 1 Hostess set was beautifully coloured, trimmed into a panel for the card she was working on, then laid aside. However, Barb was in driven production mode this Stampin' Crop day, trying to complete some projects before needing to leave earlier than usual. A few steps later, she grabs a scrap of Very Vanilla to stamp a greeting on, and duly punches it out with the Scallop Oval. Oops... The punch monster had left lovely teeth marks in the coloured flower image on the other side of the 'scrap'... Into the rubbish tub it was tossed, and Barb got on with making a replacement. No!! you can't throw that away, I'm sure you can do something with that!! So, it was handed over to me as a challenge of sorts. And here is the result! I stamped a second flower on a piece of Naturals Ivory card, and coloured with the same colours Barb used. I trimmed around the damaged section, following the outlines of the hydrangea bracts, to create a new, slightly smaller layer to create dimension with. The change in cardstock colour from Vanilla to Naturals Ivory adds to the shading and depth. Bet you can't tell where the oval scallop bite is now! I also rescued one of the leaves and overlaid it on my stamped image, and made one for the other side for balance.

The card sat like this for a few days, with the matching greeting from the Hostess set, but then the ideal opportunity came up to complete it. I added a Soft Suede background stamped with Wonderfully Worn background in matching ink, then layers of Crumb Cake and Blushing Bride. Blushing Bride twill ribbon was wrapped around the base, and I had an idea to try the ribbon ruffle technique. I wasn't sure how the diagonal weave would go, but thought it was worth a try. Instead of creating a nice straight piece of gathered ribbon, the ribbon naturally curled and twisted, and I could quickly envision a ribbon flower. A few stitches of thread later to secure the ends, and my twill hydrangea accent was done! A few adhesive half back pearls from the Jewels Basic Pearl pack to the main image and the centre of the ribbon flower complete the card.

A special card, for a special person - my upline and mentor Jayne Mercer. Jayne is currently recuperating from surgeries for gallbladder removal after a nasty attack last week. Get well soon Jayne, now it's our turn to return some of the kindness and care you offer all your team members. Pop on over to Jayne's blog if you'd like to leave a message for her, I'm sure it would make her day

Now, what's this - two longish posts in under a week, how could that be? A dose of procrastination perhaps? Hmm, that would be true - an assignment on the Skemp theory of relational vs instrumental mathematical instruction awaits, as well as a critical analyis of some educational psychology papers. But the ideas have been percolating while I warm up my typing fingers, and I'll finish them before I return to more pleasurable writing tasks, pinky promise!!

Elements of Style - Get Well Soon and crayon watercoloring tips

2011-02-27T08:49:00.000+11:00

I made this card for my mum, a keen gardener after her knee surgery late last year. It uses the "Elements of Style" stamp set, to be found on page 99, from $39.95 (clear mount). It is a great collection of stamps that work well either used separately, especially this floral branch, or together. It also has a couple of great greetings, and there is the co-ordinating 'Decor' standard wheel as well. If you have the Baroque Motifs stamp set and love it, you NEED this one in your collection too - you'll find yourself using it time and again.

In this card, the stamped layer is watercolor paper, stamped in Black Stazon. I've used my Watercolor Wonder crayons and a blender pen to colour the image. This is probably the easiest way to watercolour a stamped image, but many people don't know the crayons work brilliantly with a Blender Pen.

Here are my tips for a professional-looking result:

*Stamp image on heavy weight cardstock, watercolor paper is best, followed by Confetti, using Stazon ink
*Choose your crayons, selecting light and dark shades to mix, according to the colour scheme you want
*Add short strokes of crayon direct to the stamped image, not to cover the area, just to lay some colour down.
*Using your blender pen, move the colour around to fill the section, simply stroke onto scrap paper to change colours. You will get more intense colour from the initial pen strokes, this will shade out as the solublised colour moves out of the fibre tip onto the paper.
*For small areas and tiny colour accents, scribble a bit of crayon onto the lid of the tin - this acts like a palette. You can then pick up a small amount of colour to dab where you want it
*You can build up colour intensity by adding more crayon onto parts of the image, to create depth and shading. The hashed or darker areas of the stamp are a good place to do this, as this is where the shadows would be on a real object.You can either leave the crayon as is, or blend it into the colours you've already laid down.
*Don't forget your neutrals to add some shading around the outsides of the stamped image, again look for where a shadow would naturally fall. I often use Sahara Sand for this, as it is a not too brown, not too grey neutral

Back to the card for a mo, and then I'll give a quick rundown of other techniques for the crayons.

The card base is square, Very Vanilla. Can't remember the size Karen, think it was 5" x 5" finished
Next up is a layer of Blushing Bride, our dusty pink In Color for 2011-12. Yum! I've stamped this with French Filligree background in matching ink and distressed the edges with the Cutter Kit
Then there is a layer of Pear Pizzazz, my favourite green of the moment, and the reason I don't miss Mellow Moss as much as I thought I would! Also yum!
Then we have the stamped panel, also distressed, coloured as described above with various shades of pink, red, green and brown.
To finish I used the In Color twill ribbon in Blushing Bride and Pear Pizzazz, and stamped the greeting from "Thoughts and Prayers" in Pear Pizzazz ink.

OK - after a few months of being unavailable, the Watercolor Wonder Crayons have very quickly found their way back into my most-used colouring tools. They are available in sets of 10 in each of the 4 Colour Collections, and also come as a fabulous New Colour Collection kit, with new tins and inserts in the pretty pale green, so you can re-organise your existing crayons into their new families and add the new colours without duplication. You can see this kit on Page 142, it's $64.95 for 17 colours and the fresh new tins. If you're new to crayons, this kit is an economical way to get a good selection of colours to play with. (But if you're like me you'll soon want ALL the other colours too...)

A list of the new colours that come in the New Colour Kit to refresh your memory, now they have become integrated into the old faves in your collection:

Daffodil Delight
Tangerine Tango
Melon Mambo
Rich Razzleberry
Pacific Point
Pink Pirouette
Wild Wasabi
Baja Breeze
Marina Mist
Cajun Craze
Cherry Cobbler
Riding Hood Red
Early Espresso
Crumb Cake
River Rock
Soft Suede
Basic Gray

What else can you use the crayons for??

*Direct to rubber - colour a stamp with crayon by scribbling onto the rubber surface. Bold stamps like Inspired By Nature and Upsy Daisy are perfect choices, but any bold-ish stamp will work. Start with the lightest colour and add accents and layers. Mist your cardstock (heavy weight is best as above) with a fine water spray to moisten the surface. Mist the crayon-ed stamp with the spray, holding the bottle a fair distance from the stamp. You are aiming for a fine dampness, not pooling water. The aim is to 'melt
the crayon, but not to have it dripping off! It does take a little practice, but the beautiful watercolour painting like results are worth it!

*Aquapainter and Crayon - You can also use the Watercolor crayons with an Aquapainter brush, which gives a wetter effect good for larger areas and backgrounds. The base of the crayon has a perforated wrapper, so you can remove the paper from the crayon butt. This way, you can preserve the tip for detail work, and pick up rich colour from the base, just like using solid pan watercolour paint!

Enjoy your Sunday people, please give me a call on (02) 9484 9447 if you're keen to book a free in-home workshop during the Sale-a-bration period (ends 31st March) - you too could be making cards like these!

Stampin' Crop Day - this Saturday 19th February

2011-02-16T16:16:00.001+11:00

Stampin' Crop Day 10am -5pm Come along for the day and work on whatever papercrafting projects you want. There is plenty of inspiration available, and a huge selection of stamps, inks and tools to play with. A light snack-style lunch is provided, and bottomless tea and coffee. Bring your own basic tools and projects to work on. Cost for the day is $15.00, and bookings are highly recommended as places are limited. We're located in Cherrybrook, North Western Sydney. Beginners are welcome, as are older children under the supervision of their accompanying adult. I offer casual instruction and impromptu demos during the day, and it's a great social occasion. To book, please call 9484 9447 or email me today!

Grungy Boy Birthday Card with Extreme Elements

2011-02-16T15:58:00.000+11:00

I had masses of fun with this one!! Some people say they struggle with boy cards, but I find them quite refreshing to do. Must be channelling my inner tomboy... :P

Here is a card I made for a little school friend of my daughter, turning just 6, but past the teddies and trains stage for sure. I love the "Extreme Elements" set, with the co-ordinating single stamps available, here I have used "Extreme Guitar". The messy background style stamps make it easy to create a masculine look.

I started with a base of Early Espresso cardstock, and used the new "Wonderfully Worn" background stamp with matching ink. After that, I have stamped the smaller backgrounds from the set onto a piece of Marina Mist, again with matching ink. Then I scrunched and distressed it. Just think of a scrap of paper that has been kicking around the base of a kid's school bag for a few weeks. I'm familiar with that look, I have a boy turning TEN this year!!!! This layer was deliberately stuck down skew-whiff. Think pasted in homework sheets there.

To brighten it up, I used the yummy new "Daffodil Delight" yellow - so much of an improvement in the useability stakes than the old bright Yoyo Yellow!! Again, this is stamped with background stamps and torn and distressed.

For the stamped image panel, there is first a layer of Very Vanilla, stamped win Marina Mist ink with the splodgy background stamp, and stamped again with the "Extreme Guitar" bloke in Early Espresso ink. I deliberately smudged the stamp sideways to get an impression of movement - to do this you need to ink the stamp really well, and make a sharp deliberate movement to one side as soon as the stamp hits the cardstock. It helps to practice first on a scrap, as it may be easier to slide in one direction than another. Over this, I inked up the bloke stamp again, this time with daubers to get a patchy tie-dye look. I carefully trimmed around this second image and mounted it over the base smudged image.

To finish and personalise, I used a large star punchie with the distressed crown from the "Extreme Elements" set, with an alphabet monogram from "Just Perfect Alpha" Embellishments can sometimes be tricky for boy cards, but these mini library clips are fabbo!

Hope you like, the recipient did, perhaps not as much as the contents of his parcel though, a Nerf Super Soaker water gun :D

Ooops! A VERY early Christmas project - Wooden Advent Calendar wth Ski Slope and Welcome Christmas

2011-02-11T10:56:00.000+11:00

Oh dear, it's been a lot longer between posts than I intended. Life has intervened, with two kids starting school for the year, and myself just about to start back at uni after a long break from study. I've lots of things on my 'to do' list before my course starts, but posting here wasn't at the top of the list, sorry!

So, without further ado, I present a project that is either:
a) very early for Christmas 2011 (because I'm SO organised!)
or

b) so late that you won't even look at it!

Hopefully you'll choose option A!

I used a wooden Advent Calendar kit, and decorated it with the (now retired) Ski Slope Designer Series Papers. Probably the biggest trick to assembling the pieces is to ignore the advice regarding painting first. Assemble first!! Yes, painting might be slightly more time consuming, but not as time consuming (or frustrating) as needing to sand back all the pieces before they'd fit!!!

The little drawers are covered in strips of DSP, and then decorated with rhinestones and Early Espresso marker doodle borders. I painted the chipboard numbers in colours I blended to match Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood red and Kiwi Kiss. The beauty of the SU DSPs is that the patterns and colours co-ordinate so well, and the double sided patterns make it a snap to use little offcuts and strips to vary the look.
I sponged the edges of the raw chipboard drawers with Chocolate Chip ink also, to take away the grey look. The wooden snowflakes were coated in Tombow Multi glue and covered with our Supernova and Galaxy microfine glitters. So Sparkly!! I attached them to the frame with mini Glue dots.

The back of the calendar is covered with a 12x12 sheet of textured cardstock in Riding Hood Red, and I used strips of a red Ski Slope DSP to make a border. I chose a Baja Breeze print Ski Slope DSP for the front window background. I didn't stick in the page, as I wanted to be able to re-do one with each year's christmas tree kid pic.

The page is 8x8", on Baja Breeze textured cardstock. I used the "So Swirly" wheel to decorate one edge, and sponged the other sides with Baja ink. The photo is matted on Old Olive, with a border made with the Scallop Trim border punch. A strip of Real Red cardstock is at one side, with faux stitching made with the Mat Pack kit and white gel pen. Under the other side of the photo I used strips of Ski Slope paper cut into banner shapes. The "Christmas" stamp is from Basic Phrases, and the "Joy" is from Welcome Christmas, I stamped in Marina Mist, but it still wasn't 'popping' from the background as well as I'd like, so I traced around with the white gel pen to match the stitching doodles. A snowflake from Snow Swirled was stamped in Whisper White Craft ink and punched out with the scallop circle, and I stamped the ornaments from the Tree Trimmings set in Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Real Red and Old Olive, mounting them on dimensionals and drawing 'strings' in with more gel pen.

The finishing touches were the drawer contents, but they are all long gone!!! The little drawers are a good size to put praline chocolate balls and mini chocolate santa figures (I got mine from Aldi because I love their Moser Roth choc balls!) You could probably squeeze in about 6 balls.

Hope you like, I am looking forward to bringing it out again for this coming Christmas, and making a new insert page with my cherubs.

Back again soon! (sooner than last time I promise!!)

Happy New Year! Well, the only way is UP right??

2011-01-18T09:46:00.001+11:00

Well, we could have hoped for a better start to the year, what a shocker!! There have been fires, floods and snow across various bits of Australia since Christmas. The widespread flooding in several states, worst of all Queensland has put a literal damper on the lives of a great many people. Spirits remain high, despite the devastation and tragedy, as evidenced by the picture above - The bronze statue of "King Wally" outside his home ground of Suncorp Stadium, sporting some very weather-appropriate gear - he was literally swimming for a while there! One of the great things about the community of Stampin' Up! Demonstrators is how they react in a crisis to do whatever they can to help. This is true also of the company itself - hence the information below about their efforts to fundraise for the victims.

From the Stampin' Up! Office:
Australia Flood Appeal

13 January 2011
As flood waters continue to inundate Australia in what has been described
as the worst flooding in 37 years, we express our deepest sympathies to
those who have lost loved ones and homes and to those whose lives have
been changed forever. We, like so many of you, feel a compelling need to
lend support to all those who have been affected.
Stampin' Up! demonstrators have a long history of making a difference in
the lives of others--especially when disaster strikes and the need is
greatest. Nearly two years ago, we watched another tragedy unfold in
Australia. Our hearts were touched as demonstrators, customers and friends
joined together in support of the Bushfire Appeal. We've done it before
and we can certainly do it again!

Please join with us by supporting the Australia Flood Appeal--a cause in
which Stampin' Up! will donate $2 AUD of the retail value of sales from
any stamp set (with a retail value of $30 or more) sold in Australia and
New Zealand from 15 January through 15 February to the State Emergency
Services in Queensland.

Plus, there are still a few more days to get a FREE pack of Heart Shaped Sweet Treat Cups with purchase of the Full Heart punch or the Sweetheart stamp set:

Item	Page	Description	Price
121576	38	Sweetheart Wood-Mount Set	$38.95
120780	38	Sweetheart Clear-Mount Set	$29.95
119883	146	Full Heart Punch	$33.95

Purchasing the wood-mount set qualifies for the donation amount, plus you get a free bonus worth $6.50!

And/Or get your orders to me now, ready to be placed on the 25th January, when the biggest sales event of the year, Sale-a-bration, begins! With each $100 spent in product, you can choose a free stamp set from a limited edition collection of four. And, with every stamp set in your order worth $30 or more, Stampin' Up! will make the donation. This fund-raising effort across Australia and New Zealand until 15th February has every potential to generate a very large amount of money for people in desperate need, so please do join me in making it a great success! Contact me for details of the free stamp sets on offer, and polish up that wish-list today! I can have orders delivered to your door anywhere within Australia, with postage from just $5.95

Gold Medal for exemplary customer service awarded to " Pink Poppy "

2010-12-30T12:20:00.001+11:00

I am very much a believer in excellent customer service, and it is something I try hard to provide myself. However, every now and again, I come across service that goes so far above and beyond the norm that I feel proud to bestow my thanks in as public a way as possible - hence this unusual blog post:

The back-story - On Christmas afternoon my 9yo son unwrapped a gift from his auntie, which included a cool animal shaped "Balloon Ball Buddy" Miss Soon To Be 6 also received one. Of the assorted treasures they received, these toys were the most captivating, and were quickly extricated from their packaging and inflated. For a short few minutes, there was much amusement and pleasure, but then Master 9's tore apart under very moderate inflation. There were tears, quite a few of them, wrapped in much disappointment. Miss STB6 very graciously offered to stem the flow by telling Master 9 that she would share hers with him, although she was now anxious that her toy would suffer the same fate. I offered that I would try and find him a replacement as soon as possible, and so as not to forget, and before the packaging could be binned, I sent off an email explaining the story above to the distributor address on the packaging, Yipose Trading Company P/L, who are most commonly known as "Pink Poppy" , purveyor of all things pink and girly. You've almost certainly seen their stands of hair clips and bows and similar goodies on your shopping adventures, but I'd never seen the balloon toys before.

Scroll forward to 9am Boxing Day morning, when the doorbell sounds. Expecting to find neigbouring children keen to play, imagine my stunned amazement to find a representative from Pink Poppy, with not one, but TWO replacement "Ball Buddies", and an additional gift for both Master 9 and Miss STB6 of a cool 'projector' pen, and a sturdy kid-sized shopping bag to boot. There were a few more tears, of happiness this time, along with profuse thanks. Mere hours after sending the enquiry, on a traditional family day, where no one would be expected to read work-related emails, let alone act upon them. Quite simply amazing!

I am so very impressed at the speed and thoughtfullness with which the drama was resolved, and would like to congratulate the people responsible for their excellent service. You certainly made our day, and restored a little faith in the commercial world as well. A very well deserved "StampInkPaper Gold Medal of Service " is hereby bestowed upon you! If you're reading this and have an outlet that suits their range, perhaps you should check them out as a supplier!!

Christmas Wishes

2010-12-24T23:30:00.001+11:00

Merry Christmas everyone!
I thought I had succeeded in doing something new with my Demonstrator Business website, making an e-card in a different program and inserting it into the e-card editor in DBWS. It looked fine in preview, and I was quite proud of my efforts!! However, something is not quite right..... Apologies to everyone who receives an email with a little red x square.... I'll try again, perhaps another day though!

Santa is nearly here, hope you've been good enough to get what you most would like :)

Happy Birthday cards for kids with Printed Petals

2010-12-07T08:52:00.001+11:00

Miss L has attended a rash of kindergarten birthday parties of late, about 5 in the last month. Some were actual/close enough birthdays, others were kids who have birthdays during the upcoming holidays, so their wise parents moved the date up to ensure school mates would be around to attend.

I made a couple of this card, using "Printed Petals" I modelled it after this card, originally designed by Jayne Mercer as one of our team charity cards. I made heaps with "Eastern Blooms" but I wanted to see if the larger flower from "Printed Petals" would work, and I quite like the effect. Any stamp set with a largeish bold shape would work, and it's a great design for mass production. Mmm, I feel inspired to go look in the cupboard to see what other stamps I might be able to use with this technique. Simply, choose three or four monochromatic colours in varying shades. Start with the lightest shade to avoid needing to clean in between, and stamp across the card, and off the sides. Then switch to the next lightest shade, and so on, slightly overlapping the images. Finish with a cut out of the darkest shade, popped up and glittered, with some leaves behind it to make it stand out. This time I used the branch from the two step bird punch, but in the previous link I used the 5 petal flower through the crimper. You could hand-cut them if you don't own the punch. Standing by to take your order if you want one though!

The other great thing about this design is that it leaves a space for a greeting, that can be added at a later date to suit the occasion. Since the design is versatile, it could be pressed into service for anything from a birthday card, thank you, get well or note card.

The colours I used for this card are: Melon Mambo base, Whisper White panel for stamping (essential for crisp images!), and the stamping is done in Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Melon Mambo and Rich Razzleberry. The sentiment is from "Curly Cute", stamped in Melon Mambo and mounted on Rose Red. The branches were punched in Old Olive. Done! I think I'll try it again without the mounted base, to see if no border gives the stamped panel more 'breathing space' What do you think??

All products are Stampin' Up!, and all are available to order through me, just call (02) 9484 9447 or email me to place your order or join my mailing list here

Let's get organised - Inkpad labels and Cardstock Colour Labels

2010-12-05T09:31:00.001+11:00

With the Colour Renovation now complete, you've probably had a chance to sort your supplies. Why not start off your New Year all organised, with labels for your inkpads and colour labels for your cardstock files.

Inkpad colour names are laser printed on clear plastic labels, in navy text. They are sized to fit across the end of the pad, so that if you have them stacked or in your Color Caddy, you'll be able to see the colour at a glance. The colours are printed two per label, and there is an easy peel system for removing the backing.

They are printed in colour collections, so you'll be able to find the label you need quickly, and pre-snipped so they are ready to apply by peeling from the split backing. The laser printed ink is resistant to isopropyl alcohol and Stampin' Mist, so you can clean your smudgy pads if you like, without damaging the label.

The set includes all standard colours in the four Colour Collections - Brights, Subtles, Regals and Neutrals, current 2010-11 In Colors, specialty inks including Versamark, Stazon Black, Stazon White, and (now retired) Encore metallics and Very Vanilla (in anticipation of it's return maybe?!) I've also included all the cardstock colours that don't come as inkpads - Shimmery White, Naturals Ivory, Glossy White, vellums, metallics etc. So if you like, you can use a second set to label a colour swatch book.

The cost per set is $5.00 and includes postage anywhere within Australia.

There are also a limited number of sets that include all the current colours as above, as well as the old retired colours and old In Colors back to 2007 - these are available at $7 per set while stocks last, including postage within Australia.

Cardstock labels are laser printed onto matching cardstock, in black bold font. They are pre-cut and sorted into mini ziplock bags per colour collection - Neutrals, Brights, Regals,Subtles, In Color and Specialties (Confetti, watercolor, vellums, metallics etc) They are sized for use in suspension file tabs, and are ideal for labelling the multi-drawer stacking stationery units from Officeworks etc.

The cost per set is $5.00 and includes postage anywhere within Australia.

To order, please email me at michelle.dyson@bigpond.com with your name, address, number of sets of each type you require, and I will contact you to confirm and provide you with direct deposit banking details.

Happy organising!

Farewell Fudge and Welcome Kimba, aka "new and improved Fudge"

2010-12-03T14:52:00.002+11:00

A few weeks ago we said a considered and sad farewell to our second fur-child, Fudge. Fudge was 11years old, young for a burmese, but had been battling a rare (in cats) digestive condition for almost 2 years. She was suffering from a pancreatic enzyme insufficiency, which meant that she was unable to extract enough nutrition from her food. She was perpetually hungry, and lost a great deal of weight, from a healthy 4.5kg in the top photo down as low as 2.3kg.

Once she was diagnosed, and started on her treatment, she regained quite a bit of her body mass to 3kg, and was happy and active, if still ravenous! However, she had some setbacks recently, and while she recovered from the first with a course of Flagyl, she was unable to bounce back a second time. A week or so before her euthanasia, she stopped purring, and lay around not doing much, and the expression on her little face just said 'tired and sad'. My children have grown up with Fudge, and were understandably upset at the prospect. We discussed at length the fact that it was not fair to keep dragging her along as she was, and they could see that it was the right time to make the decision.

We'd also heard that there was a large number of special cats in urgent need of re-homing after their breeder and owner had been forced to move interstate, and thought that if we could offer a kind and loving home to another animal in desperate need, it would both fill the void and make it easier (for us) to part with Fudge.
Unfortunately for us, the burmese cat we had hoped to adopt had been rehomed via the PetRescue site, but we were told there was another cat, a little unwell, who may or may not be adoptable. In a strange co-incidence, the foster carer called the same afternoon as Fudge's departure to say that she was improving and that we could adopt her. In another uncanny co-incidence, the new cat was the same (quite uncommon) Chocolate Tortoiseshell colour burmese as our adored Fudge. It was certainly meant to be. And so, we have welcomed Kimba to our family, and she has made herself more than at home with her super affectionate nature, athletic exploits and kittenish curiousity - hence the "new and improved Fudge" tag. That's Miss Kimba, also known as "Kimasarby Dream Catcher", in the lower photo, looking suitably adorable.

So, if you're looking at getting a family pet for Christmas, I do urge you to contact any of the several rescue organisations, such as Pet Rescue to see if you can offer a happy home to an animal in need, instead of purchasing from a breeder or pet shop. Many breeds of dogs and cats have their own Rescue organisations, and there are delightful bitzers and moggies as well, all waiting to lavish their love on you.

Soon, back to something more like craft, thanks for reading :)

SUMMER MINI is here! Enter the Virtual Launch to win a great prize!

2010-12-01T15:33:00.002+11:00

Woo hoo! It's here! And, it contains a number of the most requested items that didn't make it into our main Idea Book and Catalogue back in September. Well, I guess Stampin' Up! had to keep something back to fill our mini with!

There's just too much else happening in everyone's lives this close to Christmas, so I won't be holding a formal launch like I usually do. However, I'm having a Virtual Launch instead! If you'd like me to send you a copy of the Mini catalogue, please use the "Contact Me" form on my Demonstrator Business Website to drop me a line. Everyone who places an order of $20 or more from either the main IBC, December Frenzy promo or the Summer Mini before December 29th will go into the draw to win a fabulous 'door prize' including stamps and accessories (stay tuned for a pic of the prize goodies). You'll get an entry ticket for each $20 you spend (excl p/h), so you could be getting an extra gift when you spend your Christmas money on some delicious Stampin' Goodies! (yes, I changed it to a ticket per $20 spent in recognition of the expensive time of year - more chances to win!)

Bargain Stamping Goodies with December Frenzy - order today!

2010-12-01T14:47:00.001+11:00

Roll up, Roll up! It's December Frenzy time!

There are a great range of products to choose from, and some are as much as 50% off. Click HERE or on the image above to visit the PDF flyer to print. It shows the picture, price and catalogue page details for each item in the sale. I do recommend that you are quick to place your order to avoid disappointment - if stock runs out it may be backordered until after Christmas. I know I'm adding a few things from this great promotion to my Christmas Shopping list!

My picks:

* Teeny Tiny Sentiments set in Wood mount - Save a whopping 50% - there's absolutely NO excuse to put off owning this fabulous set in the best format. Even if you already have it in clear mount, I'd be jumping at the chance! Now just $31.48

* Autumn Days set in Wood Mount - a great set for Masculine cards, but versatile for Christmas even! Now just $19.48, that's 50% off.

*Pendant Park in Clear Mount - what a bargain at $13.98!

* A Kind Heart Angel Policy stamp - another half-price deal, this stamp is all you need when you are creating items for sale using Stampin' Up! products, now just $5.98

*There's a selection of Stampin' Write marker colours, from $3.45 each and lots more.

This promo runs from now (1st Dec) till Dec 29th, why not browse it alongside the new Summer Mini and call today to organise your Christmas Present to yourself :)

Christmas Gift Ideas for Stampers - Wishlist Service

2010-11-26T17:57:00.000+11:00

It's official, Christmas is less than a month away...
I was out shopping last night, and couldn't believe how busy it was, for a Thursday night - signs of things to come!

So, here's a way to shop from the comfort of your own home, using my Wishlist Service. This works especially well for those of you with 'significant others' who tend to either:
a) leave things till the last minute and then fail spectacularly anyway, having ignored any subtle and not so subtle hints you've dropped over the last months.
b) just buy for you what they want for themselves, like that power tool or Taggart box set on DVD
c) get you nothing at all because they had no idea what to get you (DOH!) and then ran out of time to try and find something...

All you need to do is to write out your Stampin' Up! wishlist, hand it to them with my details jotted on the back, and tell them that if they ring me, it will all be taken care of in one easy step. Complete with bonus handmade card, and giftwrapping too if you're local. What could be easier for them, and more satisfying for you? Everybody happy, and that's the way it should be! It's Christmas!

Phone me on (02) 9484 9447 or email me at michelle.dyson@bigpond.com Gifts can be delivered ANYWHERE in Australia (the handmade card will be forwarded separately from the delivery if you are outside my personal delivery area)

Ho Ho Ho! Just call me Santa ;)

Vintage Letterpress with Artistic Etchings

2010-11-23T11:56:00.000+11:00

Here's one of the first cards I made with the Artistic Etchings set. As much as I loved it when I saw the beautiful vintage elements, I wasn't sure how easy it would be to create with, but I was pleasantly surprised to find my 'vintage groove' straight away, and I've been enjoying the collage/quirky style very much!

I think the original layout came from a sketch challenge at our recent team weekend, but of a very different clean and simple style of card. Not for long once I got hold of it!

Card base is Crumb Cake, and there is also Very Vanilla, Soft Suede and Basic Gray. I've layered, I've distressed, I've asymetricked (yes, I know that's not a word, maybe it should be?), I've crimped, added metal embellishments, and all together it gives the vintage look.

One thing that was a bit of an experiment was using the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder for the Big Shot machine to apply ink to the Debossed sections of the cardstock. Here I used Baja Breeze ink, and swiped it over the smoother pattern side before running through. You get a reverse type effect when you run the ink over the raised side. This "letterpress" style is quite popular at the moment, and there are several newish tools on the market to make invitations with. I think it's nice that you can take tools you already have and achieve a similar effect. And if you don't already have the tools, then it's another reason to NEED them!!

Speaking of NEEDS, there is a short while left on the Dressing Up Christmas Promotion, running until the 30th November. The Ornament Punch bundle is currently unavailable however, due to a technical issue with the punch which is being worked on right now. There are still three other bundles to choose from to get FREE RIBBON, including the Welcome Christmas bundle with very pretty Christmas Cocoa specialty paper. Give me a call on 0403 175 790 to order.

For those of you who's significant others need some prodding and direction in the Christmas Gift department, stay tuned for details about my "Christmas Gift Wishlist" system, which makes it so easy for them to get you what you want!! Later today, hopefully, if I can get a few more things crossed off my to do list!

I'm going to be a SCIENCE TEACHER!

2010-11-11T11:56:00.001+11:00

Woo Hoo!! I thought it would be weeks and weeks before I would know, but this morning I received notification that I have been offered a place in the Graduate Diploma of Education at Macquarie Uni, starting next year.

No need to panic, I plan to continue with my Stampin' Up! life (it will no doubt help keep me sane!)

I'll be studying part time, and when I'm done in 2 years I'll be qualified to teach science to high school students. I'm looking forward to the challenge, and to using the mothballed parts of my brain, in a career where I can share something else that I love, with the most important resource we have here in Australia, our children!

Thanks to Cafe Press for the image, I'll be ordering!

Important Update for 'We Stamp for Lara' PayPal be DAMNED!!!!

2010-11-05T09:30:00.001+11:00

Despite Lara's mum Madonna going to considerable effort to get a Government Approval Sanction specifically for this fundraising project, PayPal have seized her account where the donations have been made, and will not release any funds. PayPal were even asked prior to the donation buttons being placed if they required a copy of the documentation, but have blocked the account anyway. Come ON!!! We're mothers and friends helping a severely disabled child to access vital equipment, not terrorists or drug dealers!!! Get over yourselves, PayPal!! I'll be closing my Paypal accounts after this has been resolved, and I encourage you to do the same if at all possible. Vote with your feet to show how you feel about this reprehensible 'bully-boy' behaviour!

To this end, a brief message from the lovely Mads:

So, if you have friends that you want to join up or know of anyone else who’s interested, please direct them to Lara’s trust account:

Heritage Building Society
Mrs M J Dunn T/F Lara May Dunn
BSB 638010
A/C #: 12189650

So pass along the message girls. We will make sure that PayPal release the funds quickly. Word of mouth is a powerful tool. An angry Mother is another one!

Love and Hugs,
Mad

There's still plenty of time to jump in and join, you'll be able to access all of the daily tutorials to date, all the future daily tutorials and prize draws and of course, the grand prize draw of a Bigshot! Let's stick it to PayPal and show them we can succeed without their high fees and heavy-handed tactics!

Special masculine birthday card with Medallion

2010-11-01T22:25:00.002+11:00

This one is a square card for a change, and I've been making a few of them lately and I've enjoyed the change in proportion.
I love, love LOVE the Medallion stamp, it can be used in so many ways for so many occasions.

Here it has a textured Very Vanilla base, 10" x 5" folded, followed by a Basic Black layer with distressed edges. Tying the colours all together is a piece of the wonderfully useful "Newsprint" Designer Series Paper. I've really ripped into this layer, tearing and rolling to give a distressed appearance. The image layer is Confetti Cream, and I started the Medallion image by inking up with River Rock. I then daubered a small amount of Basic Black ink around the edges of the "branches" before stamping. I repeated the image on a second piece of Confetti Cream, this time using Sahara Sand and Basic Black. I trimmed the centre circular motif and distressed the edges with the Cutter Kit distresser tool, mounting it over the base layer circle, with Stampin' Dimensionals for a bit of 'pop' The finishing touch is a pewter "build-a-brad" with s 1/2" punched circle of Newsprint paper under the epoxy dome. Now that I've shown you my little trick with the "Dog Bone" punch below, you'll know how I created the double layered Modern Label punch. I used the "Party This Way" stamp set for the greeting, it's my current "go to" birthday sentiment. All done, and the recipient was happy too :) It's been CASE'd a few times by my regular crafting ladies, so I hope you like it too!

Punch Art Blog Hop - tutorials and samples galore!

2010-10-29T10:07:00.002+11:00

Hello and welcome to the inaugural South Pacific punch art blog hop!!!

We are a bunch of Stampin Up demonstrators from New Zealand and Australia who love our Stampin' Up! punches. We have gotten together to showcase a selection of the punches you can purchase from Stampin' Up!. We know we will inspire you and encourage you to use those punches in new and beautiful ways. Please leave a comment and let us know what you think to go in the draw to win some yummy scrummy punch art blog candy (sorry, offer not available to su demos, but you're most welcome to leave a comment!).

Here's the list in case you get lost, you can start wherever you like, but to enter the Blog Candy Draw you must comment on all 15 blogs.

1. 2-step Bird and Word Window - Karen Southwell - http://www.kareniescrafts.blogspot.com/

2. Petal card Double Punch - Carol-Ann Torrie http://queen-of-scraps.blogspot.com/

3. Fancy Flower - Sally Williams - http://www.sallycancraft.com/

4. 2 step Owl - Julia Leece - http://www.juliascards.blogspot.com/

5 XL Tag - Amy http://ladybugsanddaisychains.blogspot.com/

6 Round tab - Melissa Davies http://beedevinedesigns.blogspot.com/

7 Modern Label - Michelle Dyson http://stampinkpaper.blogspot.com/2010/10/punch-art-blog-hop-tutorials-and.html

8 Jewellry tag medium, Boho Blossoms, 5 petal flower- clare mcilhatton http://www.crafty-cow.com/

9 Heart small , Scallop Square, Heart to Heart , Full Heart- Lisa Bullock http://daffyscrapper.wordpress.com/

10 Ovals - Pauline Bennetts - http://www.paulinebennetts.com/stampede

11 Butterfly - Tia Routledge http://craftingwithtia.weebly.com/my-blog.html

12 Circle punches - Emma Kirton - http://www.emmakirton.blogspot.com/

13 Ornament - Angie Jones - http://angiescraftfusion.blogspot.com/

14 Scallop trim border and corner- Andrea Buckland http://creatingcardswithandrea.blogspot.com/
15 Eyelet border - Steph Gray http://stampinsteph.wordpress.com/

OK, I'm No 7 on the list, Michelle Dyson. You may have come here from Melissa Davies' blog or just be stopping by here randomly. I've chosen the delectable "Modern Label" punch, which I affectionately term the "dog bone" because of it's shape. Like the Word Window punch, it's a must have for adding sentiments neatly, but it's even more useful for the slightly larger and longer sentiments that can look a bit squished in the Word Window. But hey, you *need* both of them anyway!! LOL :) My projects also use a few other punches you may recognise, and will probably see more of as you hop through the tour!

Here's my project, and a little tutorial about a neat trick using the Magnetic Movers and Shapers Moveable Pieces to co-ordinate with your punches.

Many of our Stampin' Up! punches can be used to create pretty 3D layered flowers, but this one has a nice cottage-y look, reminding me of a paeony flower.

The first step is to punch multiple Modern Label shapes from cardstock of your choice. I have used So Saffron and Regal Rose, but you can stick to a single colour, or choose any other you like.

Next, I've folded them in half and used my Paper Snips to cut little diagonal snips from the middle fold, to give the 'petals' a waist, so to speak. I've also punched a Circle Scallop to use as the base of the flower, this helps to keep it all together.

Next step is to make the cardstock flexible enough to split apart into layers, the "suede-ing' technique. You can scrunch by hand, but that takes a while. If you have a Crimper tool (sort of like a punch in it's usefulness!), you can soften multiple punched shapes at once, and it's much easier on the hands too. Roll the punchies back and forth through the Crimper, not quite all the way so they fall out. Then eject them and put them back in at a 90 degree angle, and repeat. This is breaking down the paper fibres and before long you will see the layers of paper making up the cardstock start to separate, like below.

Now it will be quite easy to peel apart the layers, producing two sides, with a soft, suede-like surface.

It's a good idea to make lots, as there will be some casualties during the separation process.

I used my paper piercing tool and Mat Pack foam mat to poke a hole in the centre of each petal, and threaded them onto a Flower Brad. You can twist the petals around gently to arrange them how you like once they are on the brad spike.

Almost finished flower, with ruffled petals.

I did a little tutorial a few posts ago on this blog, showing how easy it is to create your own shimmer mist using our Shimmer Paint. I tracked down some unscented Isopropanol (Rubbing Alcohol, Isocol) from my local pharmacy, good news for those of us with sensitivities to perfume! I used the Champagne Mist colour to spray my flower. The alcohol evaporates very quickly, but while it is damp you can shape and mould the flower

Ta-da!!! You can see the dampness and the shimmer.

Here is another little trick, making ruffled ribbon. It works with most ribbons, this one is wide grosgrain. Make a small snip in the centre of one end, and draw out a thread (only one or two strands, or it will be too hard to pull on)

It helps if you fold over the other end, and either stitch or staple it, to help prevent the thread pulling all the way out. Ease the ruffles along the length. You will need to start with a length of ribbon at least two and a half times the finished length you want.

Use Sticky Strip tape to secure the ruffled piece on the card, and press down to hold in place. No need to remove the staples, they'll be hidden on the back.

So, here are the tools I used and the finished project. That little purple and black block is the Movers and Shapers piece that matches the Modern Label punch, see below for the cool (and economical!) trick!

The card base is Soft Suede, and I used the Decor Stampin' Around wheel to roll Soft Suede ink around the perimeter. Next there is a layer of Regal Rose with sponged edges. Then, a layer of So Saffron, which I rolled through the Crimper in both directions to echo the distressed flower.

The top layer is Very Vanilla, stamped in So Saffron using French FIligree background stamp, and I used the Cutter Kit distressing tool to roughen up the edges.

The leaves for the flower are made from the Scallop Oval punch, in River Rock cardstock. I could have used Pear Pizzazz I guess, but didn't want to add another colour. They are also crimped, and this makes them soft and flexible enough to fold and 'smoosh' into a leaf. I used Mini Glue dots to attach. The flower was attached with Sticky Strip, since it needs to STAY there! The sentiment is stamped in Soft Suede on So Saffron, with the Curly Cute stamp set.

But wait, you say, there's another layer under there? How did you do that?? Ah HA!!

Here's what you need: 2 x clear cutting plates, and either a third cutting plate or a black "Texturz Impressions" pad - this is simply to adjust the thickness to compensate for the lack of the Movers and Shapers base die.

The shapes in the Punch Windows set can be seen there, the Scallop Oval, Large Heart, Modern Label and Large Star. All will result in a shape that is just slightly larger than the punched shape, so you can layer them!!

The little square block is an optional extra, it's a "Magnetic Ejection Blank" and just helps to get the cardstock off the shaper piece.

Layer as follows: Clear plate (non cutting if you save one plate for cut marks like I do)
Mover and Shaper piece, foam up
Cardstock over the top (hold in place with a little Dotto if needed)
Second Clear Plate (cutting)
Third clear plate or Black Impressions pad
Roll through!

Ta Daaaaa!

Cool hey!!

The best part is that the set of 4 pieces is just $54.95. Essentially, that makes 4 punches. Great if you don't have the punch as an alternative, and even greater if you have the matching punch to layer with!

I hope you've enjoyed my tutorials, please say HI! and feel free to ask any questions you might have.

Next Stop on the Blog Hop is my super-dooper talented downline, Punch Art Queen Clare McIllhatton, whose idea this hop was :) Enjoy!!

We Stamp for Lara - starts November 1st, please help!

2010-10-25T14:42:00.000+11:00

Please get behind me and many other Stampin' Up! Demonstrators in our support for a fellow demo, Madonna Dunn. Madonna's youngest daughter, Lara May, was unexpectedly born with the most severe form of Cerebral Palsy, and will need ongoing treatment, therapy and extensive support for her lifetime. As with anything medical, special needs means especially expensive. Essential items that we take for granted such as chairs, strollers and car seats are available, but at a cost of many thousands of dollars. To this end, Madonna and the members of the wider Elite team have organised a project, We Stamp for Lara. This is a month-long event, to which you can subscribe for a cost of $25.00. Entry into the event gives you access to a wonderful selection of tutorials, challenges and daily prize drawings, as well as a gallery and forum. Everyone involved has donated their time and skills to ensure that every cent raised will benefit Lara. Madonna, angel that she is, has also arranged to donate any outgrown equipment to the Xavier Children's Support Network for the use of other children like Lara, so your participation will benefit others for years to come.

There is just a few days before the event begins, so please share this information with your crafty friends, and have a great time doing something GOOD. Payment is via Paypal, and you can click on the button at the right hand side to sign up NOW!

Thank you!

Intensive Beginner's All Day Class - Saturday 13th November

2010-10-20T12:48:00.000+11:00

Saturday 13th November, 2010
Cherrybrook, North Western Sydney
10am - 4pm Intensive Cardmaking and Stamping Class

If you've dabbled around the edges of cardmaking, or are a scrapper at heart who'd like to branch out, then this class is for you!

We'll be starting from scratch, and covering all the essential information and techniques you'll need to start creating your own professional-looking cards.

There is no prior knowledge assumed, but even if you've been making cards for a while, I PROMISE you'll learn lots of tips to make your cards look even better. I can pretty much guarantee you'll be saying "I didn't know that!" and/or "ahhh, so THAT's how it works!" throughout the day!

We'll be starting with the material I cover in my usual 2 hour beginner's class, and add as many more techniques as we can fit into a 10am -4pm day. You'll go home with a selection of finished projects and technique samples, and all the confidence you need to dive into this most rewarding craft.

To ensure individual attention, the class is for a maximum of FOUR students, and I have ONE space available for the upcoming date. I'm happy to take names and organise future dates for this class, so don't hesitate to get in touch.

Class Cost: $50.00 per person, includes all materials, comprehensive notes, coffee and cake. Lunch is available at local shops a few minutes walk away, or BYO.

Things to bring: Bone folder and paper trimmer (if you have them). A selection of adhesives including a SNAIL or similar tape runner, double sided tape and foam dimensionals.

To book, please call me on (02) 9484 9447 or 0403 175790, or contact me via email at michelle.dyson@bigpond.com

Ooohhh! FREE Ribbon! Christmas Bundle Promotion ON NOW

2010-10-20T10:54:00.002+11:00

OK, back to scheduled programming now that Blogger Image upload is functioning again, I hope the"Test Pattern" I have just taken down has piqued your interest! Ta daaaaa! Purty picture installed!

(!!! Sorry, these kinds of technical glitches seem to happen with notorious regularity, right after I have managed to do something a little bit "WOW" (for me, anyway!!) !!!)

So - on to the nitty-gritty written details about the pretty promotion we have running right now!

There's a selection of bundles designed to get you right on top of your Christmas Creating tasks, and the deals have been sweetened with some delicious FREE ribbon rolls! Choose any of four different ribbon packs with each purchase of a bundle. Or, host a workshop with sales of $550 to choose a free ribbon roll. And, should there be bundles in that workshop order, then they get ribbon too!

The ribbons are not currently available in our catalogues, and there's a choice of 4 styles -

Mistletoe Ribbon pack - bottom roll on composite image above - I am having an educated guess at it being a roll of Old Olive taffeta ribbon and a roll of red-stitched white grosgrain .

Or, choose Real Red 3/4" polka dot ribbon - this was a fave in a mini recently, so take a second chance to nab some while you can!

Or, choose Riding Hood Red wide stripe grosgrain ribbon, matching the other colours in this style in our current catalogue, but in the most gorgeous Christmas red and vanilla. Yum!

Or, a twill style stripe ribbon in vanilla, olive and red, the Sleigh Bells ribbon, shown at the left of the top image with the little spotty box.

But wait! There's more!

One of the bundles is a delicious combo of the "Welcome Christmas" stamp set with a brand new paper pack, Christmas Cocoa Specialty paper. This paper has a selection of patterns in Real Red, Soft Suede and Crumb Cake, and features flocked and metallic accents! Pic is above, but I can't wait to get my hands on it, since it is reputed to be even more appealing 'in the flesh'

OK, so the bundles are:

Gifted Bundle: Gifted Stamp set and Jolly Holiday DSP - p21 $66.90 in Wood mount, $56.90 in clear

This stamp set has images ideal for making quick tags, but three of the five stamps are also ideal for making accent panels for your card fronts. So versatile! The Jolly Holiday paper features the delicious Cherry Cobbler colour, Old Olive, and Very Vanilla. These items have been specially selected to co-ordinate as one of the themed 'suites' in our catalogue this year, "Traditional Christmas"

Welcome Christmas Bundle: I described this above, couldn't help myself! $69.90 in wood mount, $59.90 in clear mount. See the set on p26, it's the one with the beautiful wreath and label greeting on the red card at the right of the top image. It's also got a large JOYstamp, and a sledding and tree decorating silhouette image. My pick of ALL the Christmas stamp sets this year!

Season of Joy Bundle: $67.90 in wood mount only, comes with the set and the matching So Swirly jumbo wheel as the bundle.

Delightful Decorations Bundle: If you haven't already succumbed to the wonderful Ornament punch, then take this great opportunity to get some extra value with the bundle of the punch and matching "Delightful Decorations" stamp set. $72.90 in wood mount.

To order, just give me a call on (02) 9484 9447 or email me . Your order can be delivered anywhere within Australia for just $5.95 or 5% of your order total (whichever is higher) Only about 8 weeks to go.....!!

Sneak Peek... FAST Christmas Card Stamp-a-Stack THIS FRIDAY

2010-10-12T22:48:00.000+11:00

Three card designs, five of each. One class. THIS FRIDAY evening OCTOBER 15th. Doors open 7.15pm for a 7.30pm start. $25 class cost, including Stampin' Up! envelopes and all materials provided, just come along, stamp and assemble! Limited seats available, call 0403 175 790 or email to book...

I am in LERVE! DIY Glimmer mist with SU! Shimmer Paint Tutorial

2010-10-05T14:50:00.000+11:00

Oooh, I just looked at my hand, it's all sparkly!!
I'm so excited, I have just had a play with a new product in our catalogue, Shimmer Paint - available in three colours, Frost White, Platinum and Champagne Mist.
When I first saw the catalogue I was a little disappointed that we didn't get the Smooch Spritz products that the US have in their catalogue, but not any more, cos these are BETTER! More versatile, and more economical to boot! Yay! I love it when things turn out like that :) It's called Shimmer Paint, but that's really not the best name, as it's an ink really. It can be used on fabric (heat set with an iron to make it permanent and washable), it can be daubered onto a stamp directly, it can be painted onto a pre-stamped image, and, using this method, spritzed over things to make them all glittery! There's no doubt more applications, but these are a good enough reason to get some already, anything else is just a bonus!

OK, what do you need - it's dead easy to do, so don't hold back!
*Bottle of Shimmer Paint - teeny tiny bottles of 14grams, but they'll go a LLLOOOONNNGGG way using this technique, $11.50 each, find them on page 143.
*Some Rubbing Alcohol (aka Isopropyl Alcohol, Isopropanol, Isocol) from your local supermarket or pharmacy.
*An eye-dropper, you just want to be able to add the ink dropwise. I've used a transfer pipette since I happened to have one (insert whistling innocently smilie HERE ;)) A baby panadol doser is probably rattling around most homes, would probably work fine.
*A small spray bottle. I've used a mini mister from Ranger as I like the superfine mist, but any small spray bottle will do.

1. Fill the spray bottle almost to the top (about 1cm head space) with Isopropanol
2. Shake the Shimmer Paint bottle well, it has a ball mixer in there, so you should hear it rattle
3. First wet the inside of your dropper with Isopropanol, by sucking some in and then ejecting, this will stop too much of the ink from clinging to the inside. Then carefully suck up a tiny amount of Shimmer Paint, about 10 drops worth and add to the misting bottle, rinse the dropper by sucking up and down until all the paint is gone from the dropper, close the bottles!
4. Shake well before each use, then simply spray onto your cardstock and let it dry.

That's it - too easy. The Isopropanol evaporates very quickly, so it won't take long to dry. If you want more shimmer, you can either add a second/third spray, or add a few more drops of paint to your misting bottle. If you're like me, you'll be digging through your scraps box to test it out on all kinds of cardstock and thinking of all the possibilities!

Here's what it looks like, although it is the devil to capture photographically! The best photo was on dark cardstock, Basic Gray, but the effect was equally beautiful on both Rose Red, Whisper White, and looked especially pretty on a pre-embossed piece of Very Vanilla, using the Vintage Wallpaper folder.

As you can see, it has turned Basic Gray into something more like "Dazzling Pewter", it's quite like a car pearl metallic paint finish, but matte.

So cool, hope you like my instructions, please come back and tell me how you went with your attempts, I'd love to see what you come up with!

Quick, Clean and Simple Christmas Card Stamp-a-Stack FRIDAY OCTOBER 15th

2010-10-04T11:31:00.001+11:00

Christmas Card Stamp-a-Stack - Quick, Clean and Simple
Friday 15th October, 7.30pm till around 10.30pm

The next Christmas Card Stamp-a-Stack is all about making cards suitable for fast, easy construction, but maintaining a hand-crafted and elegant style. Just what you need when you have a long list of friends and family and are short on time (isn't that everyone?)
It will be held on the evening of Friday 15th October. It's a fantastic opportunity to get started on your stash of Christmas cards for the year with much of the hard work done for you. You'll make 15 cards, 5 each in three different designs. Stay tuned for some sneak peeks when I've finalised the samples. Everything is provided for you - pre-cut cardstock, all materials and embellishments, adhesive and beautiful Stampin' Up! envelopes to match. The class will be set up so you can construct the cards in an assembly-line format, with full instructions to create more later if you wish. The cost of the class is $25 and places are limited to ensure individual attention. Please give me a call if you'd like to book a seat, on 9484 9447 or 0403 175 790, or email me.

New In Colors and Printed Petals for Charlotte

2010-10-04T00:12:00.000+11:00

Here is a card I made a week or two back, for a special 5 year old, Charlotte! I've used several of this year's In Colors, Blushing Bride, Concord Crush and Pear Pizzazz, combined with crisp Whisper White. I stamped the base card with Blushing Bride (I can see that I will be abbreviating that to BB before too much further into the year!!) Then I edged a panel of luscious Concord Crush with the Scallop Trim border punch. I then played around with some strips of Pear Pizzazz, and gave them the Scallop Trim treatment too. I was comparing length so I'd know where to chop, when it occured to me that it looked pretty good if I offset the Pear just behind the Concord, to create a double layer.

The Whisper White panel I stamped with all of the Printed Petals smaller stamps, in the three colours. Then I whipped out my favourite new tool of the catalogue, the Versamarker Pen!! This magic pen allows you to create embossed accents wherever you'd like, create embossed handwriting, and lots more. I sprinkled clear embossing powder over, and heated with the heat tool, leaving the shiny areas to highlight the flowers.

The large flower I created using the Emboss Resist technique, by stamping onto Whisper White using Versamark ink, which I clear embossed. I then used sponges and daubers to add areas of colour to the open areas of the flower. To finish, I used some of the beautiful stitched poly ribbon in Pear Pizzazz, and added a Modern Label punched sentiment from the "Party this Way" stamp set.

In other news, I got a lovely surprise yesterday when I was given a blog award! Thanks Angie!

I'm to share three things about myself, and pass on the award to 5 more bloggers who's work I admire for offering that little bit extra!.

1. I'm left handed
2. I have three cats, two Burmese girls and a big boofa British Blue boy
3. I have a PhD in molecular biology, although that seems like a lifetime ago!

The five lovely ladies I'm bestowing this award upon are...
1. Amanda
2. Clare
3. Lisa
4. Beth
5. Vanessa

Off to bed with me, daylight savings has begun and I always make the mistake of staying up too late, luckily there is no-one else here to wake me up in the morning!!

Launch Party Winner and a Make and Take with "Friends Never Fade"

2010-09-29T17:28:00.000+10:00

Congratulations to Vanessa J of Castle Hill for being the winner of the Lucky Door Prize at my New Catalogue Launch party a week or so back. Vanessa has won a new stamp set, "Perfect Punches", a sampler pack of new colour cardstock, and some ribbon lengths. The draw was based on attendance, but with a bonus ticket for each $50 in orders placed at the Launch Event. Well done Vanessa, I hope you enjoy your new goodies and your prize!

Above is the card I designed for my Make and Take at the launch. You can see the one designed by Carolyn Gibbs HERE, using "Morning Cup". Carolyn Campbell-McLean had designed a cute 3D bauble using the "Delightful Decorations" set, I must ask her to post all the info!

My card uses the "Friends Never Fade" stamp set, one that jumped out at me from when I first laid eyes on it in the new US catalogue when it came out over there in July. Thankfully, because of the catalogue realignnment, us downunder folks don't have to wait long at all!! My review - it's a versatile set, with both bold and more delicate images. The style is reminiscent of Art Nouveau, particularly the abstract flower. You can find it on page 71, and it's just $31.95 in wood mount! It's shown in the catalogue in Peach Parfait orange, because it's one of the sets co-ordinating with the themed suite, "Graphic Botanical" That means there is co-ordinating goodies and Designer Series Papers available, and it's a great way to theme an album or event.

I've based my card around the colours in one of the other Designer Series Papers, Elegant Soiree - Baja Breeze, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla and Basic Gray. This sample card uses the standard scallop edge punch, as I was waiting for my Scallop Trim punch to arrive - taking this photo I realised that I didn't take a photo of the real deal!! Then there is a strip of Elegant Soiree paper, that has all the colours in a fine stripe pattern. The card base is Basic Gray, and I have stamped around the edges with the abstract flower in Basic Gray ink. The panel is Crumb Cake, stamped with matching Crumb Cake ink (Yay!! No more 'making do' with Sahara Sand ink as a Kraft substitute!) with the flower branch design. I think it might be a Honeysuckle, at least that's what it reminds me of! The motif is stamped in Baja Breeze, with touches of Early Espresso ink added with the matching marker, then mounted onto a Scallop Circle of Early Espresso. I then layered it onto a Fancy Flower punchout in Baja Breeze, and there is a Stampin' Dimensional or two in there for some lift. The sentiment is from my favourite Level 1 Hostess set, "Afterthoughts", stamped in Early Espresso. To finish there is a simple knot of Early Espresso narrow grosgrain ribbon, attached with a mini glue dot. Tell me what you think!

Friends Never Fade - Team Weekend Swap

2010-09-22T22:29:00.000+10:00

This card is the one that I designed for the Card in A Box swap for the "INKlings" team retreat in August. It uses a few of the new goodies in the new 2010-11 Idea Book and Catalogue.
I chose the colours from my favourite Designer Series Paper, Elegant Soiree, although it wasn't available to purchase at the time. The card base is Baja Breeze, back with us for good now that it is a Core Colour!
I ran the card front through the "Vintage Wallpaper" embossing folder in my Big Shot machine, isn't it pretty!! The next layer is Basic Gray, and I tore the lower half and rolled and distressed the lower edge, and did a bit of sponging also.
The greeting is stamped in Basic Gray ink, using the "Thank you Kindly" stamp set. The stamped panel is Very Vanilla, and I stamped the gorgeous stylised flower in Soft Suede, Baja Breeze and Sahara Sand. To add some dimension, I used the lovely new "Beautiful Wings" Embosslit die to make some pretty little butterflies from various colours, this card has a Vanilla and a Basic Gray creature fluttering above the flowers. I attached them with mini glue dots, and bent the wings up a little.
To finish, I made some paper ribbon. I cut some 1cm strips of Soft Suede cardstock, and ran them through my crimping tool to soften the paper fibres. A few goes passing the strips in and out, and the cardstock ends up being soft and flexible, just like real ribbon. I used Sticky Strip to pleat the paper ribbon across the join, being deliberately messy about it, to echo the torn bottom edge. All done! I might try something similar now that we have the Elegant Soiree paper to match the colour

A Father's Day flashback

2010-09-21T22:43:00.000+10:00

Another sign that I haven't posted in far too long (and that my Septembers are far too busy!) is that I haven't shown the Father's Day card I made for my dad at the recent Team Weekend away. It was a quick and easy one, using a set I love but have neglected for quite a while - All in the Family. My dad has a loving tribe of four dogs, Tully, Wally, Nola and Brownie (shown in this card from left to right). They follow him everywhere, so the stamped image is pretty much autobiographical. The nuts and bolts stamp is from the Lots of Bots set, and the oddly unattached hardware at the top is a reference to the numerous bits of metal usually found about Dad's person. The card base is Old Olive, and the stamped panel is Confetti Cream. There's a slip of Crumb Cake and Chocolate Chip to bring out the colours in the stamped image, authentically roughed up with some paper piercing and the distressing tool from the Cutter Kit. All done, and he liked it. Hope you do too!

Gosh, it's been all action around here!

2010-09-20T22:41:00.000+10:00

Sorry, sorry! It's been so long since I last posted here, I've been pretty flat out getting ready for the biggest party of the year!
Saturday was my Stampin' Up! New Catalogue Launch, and it was a great day. Thanks SO much to my helpers Ryn and Caz, who made this busy day a big success. There's lots more I have saved up to show you, so I hope to be back tomorrow with some more! For now, here are some images from the goody bag treats and the action on the day!

Tons of New Product!

2010-09-02T23:01:00.000+10:00

It's time! We start the new Stampin' Up! year with a fresh, vibrant selection of wonderful new colours, and a huge array of new accessories! As demonstrators, we've pleaded for many of the items tucked away inside, so I'm sure you will be equally excited as customers!

The Idea Book has been totally re-vamped to go along with the Colour Renovation, and I think the new layout looks great - easy to browse and easy to search. There are a number of ways to get your hands on the catalogue, packed with samples and usage ideas, as well as lots of product information:
* Come along to my Launch Party on Saturday 18th September, and receive your copy along with a treat bag, make and takes, refreshments and lots more - Cost is $15.00 per person.
* View the catalogue online here and contact me with your order of $100 or more (excl. p/h) and you will receive a FREE catalogue in your order.
*Host a workshop! Now is the perfect time to gather some friends together to ~~drool~~ ooh and ahh over the new goodies, and your Hostess Pack includes a FREE catalogue as well as everything else you need to host a successful event.
*Purchase a copy of the catalogue from me locally for $12.95, or have one delivered to you anywhere in Australia for $18 including postage and handling.

Back with more samples very soon!

Absolutely the LAST DAY to order Retiring products!

2010-08-31T07:31:00.001+10:00

TODAY, August 31st is the LAST DAY to purchase items from the 2010 Idea Book and Catalogue. Many items are being retired, some are sold out already, so supply can't be guaranteed. After today, reinkers, card stock, marker sets, patterned paper and much more will be gone, with the Colour Renovation about to 'go live'

Please send me a message to michelle.dyson@ bigpond.com or phone me (9484 9447 or 0403 175 790) if you have any items you'd like to add to my final order, and I'll do my best to secure them for you! Orders can be delivered anywhere within Australia for $5.95 or 5% of your order total, whichever is greater.

Quick!! New discounts announced on retiring list items

2010-08-26T14:54:00.001+10:00

OK, so they've got masses and masses of new stuff coming. And lots and lots of products which are being reconfigured. And, some of these items just haven't been flying off the shelves at the desired rate! So - what to do? More space in the warehouse is what Stampin' Up! need, and what YOU need to 'sufficiently incentivise' you is a discounted price!

Here is a quick and dirty list of products that are now discounted for your buying pleasure, I'd strongly recommend jumping on the phone or sending me an email to nab some of these bargains - too good to miss!

Big Bold Birthday Stamp set - 50% off now $26.98
Seeing Spots Stamp set - 50% off now $14.98
Big Deal Alphabet stamp set 50% off $38.98!!!
In Colour Cardstock A4 50% off $7.25
12 pack Stampin' Write Marker sets 25% off $43.46 - choose from Rich Regals, Soft Subtles, Earth Elements of Bold Brights
MANY MARVELLOUS MARKER SET BOX OF 48!!!! Now 25% off, just $175.46
Bold Brights, Rich Regals and Earth Elements Stampin' Spots all 25% off just $31.46 for 12 cube pads!
Urban Garden and Bella Rose Designer Series Paper now 50% off - $8.48
Selected punches now 50% off, coming down to just a ridiculous $15.48:
oval large
eyelet border!!
scallop circle
heart to heart (triple heart large punch)
wide oval punch
scallop edge punch!!
full heart punch
1 3/4" circle punch!! (goes with sweet treat cups)
Butterfly punch!! (quick!)
And, finally, the Crafters Tool Kit, a useful collection of must have tools is now 25% off, $58.46

I'm standing by, and will be placing an order TONIGHT just after 9pm to ensure that I can grab a few bargains of my own - there are some excellent deals here, so be sure to check you wishlists. Remember these items are available while stocks last, and I think these extra discounts are going to have the desired effect in clearing the shelves. Don't wait until the last minute, the Last Chance list ends August 31st! As my special bonus to my readers, place an order with me for free local delivery. You must be able to collect from Cherrybrook.

The pic at the top is a quick peek of me and the team at the end of a long, crazy fun weekend away of stamping into the weeeeee hours (can you see the bags and matchsticks?) More to come, it was a fabbo time and much creating was achieved!!

Bargain Hunters! Last Chance with a Discount List!

2010-08-11T09:01:00.000+10:00

With warm thanks to my lovely team member Ryn Gibbs, here is a list showing the discounted items as an extract from the main list:

StampInkPaper Inc Bargain List

Click on the link, I hope it works this time!!! Then get back to me ASAP with your order, as some items have sold out already, and I prefer happy customers to disappointed ones!!

We Stamp for Lara

2010-08-10T13:47:00.001+10:00

There will be alot more information coming very soon, about a special project that the ELITE team (of which I am a teeny weeny part) is organising in honour of a special little girl called Lara. Consider this image a teaser maybe?

Christmas Card Stamp-a-Stack Class - fully booked!

2010-08-04T14:48:00.000+10:00

Thanks everyone for the overwhelming interest in my upcoming Christmas Card Stamp-a-Stack featuring Elegant Embossing. You can click here to see the details or scroll down a little. The class is now fully booked, but I already have 2 or 3 people keen to attend a repeat session. I am also considering running some clases during the week, to make it easier on those of us who have hectic weekends, and would like to get your valuable opinion on running Wednesday evening classes. Just leave a comment here, or email me to let me know your thoughts, or to add your name to the waiting list. If you've requested a spot for the Friday 13th August evening class, please feel free to confirm your availability.

I'll leave you with another glimpse of Christmas, some 'suspension' cards I made for a recent swap amongst my fellow demos. Hope you like it!

Last Chance List - it's a biggun' !!

2010-08-01T22:38:00.001+10:00

Time to get your catalogue, your wish list, and the LAST CHANCE list and start comparing notes!
It's a massive 8 pages long, and the link can be found here:

Last Chance List PDF Link

As always, all of the Hostess Sets will retire with the current catalogue, but there is still a chance to earn them between now and August 31st (while stocks last)

Next up we have Catalogue Stamp Sets, and the main list I have linked to above is organised in catalogue page order, so that you can easily leaf through. Check the prices as you go, as there are some serious bargains tucked away in there!!

Then we have Stampin' Around Wheels, be quick for these as they have a tendency to disappear at light warp speed.

Then Watercolour Wonder crayons - don't panic, these favourite tools of mine are not retiring strictly, but they will be reconfigured to match the new colour collections. Meanwhile, if you love to watercolour flowers and the like, and want to travel light with your crayons, consider the Earth Elements set as it has everything you need!

OK, cardstock is next - these are all the colours that we knew would be retiring when the colour renovation was announced, but some of the colours are being reconfigured into new names (Kraft is going to be called Crumb Cake for example, and the packs sizes will be changing for most of the Neutrals) There are also some reduced prices here, especially for 12x12 smooth cardstock in selected colours.

LOL! Inkpads and refills - if you haven't been listening for the last few months as I have been HOUNDING you dear readers, about checking your supplies, now is your last chance.

Stampin' Write Markers - there are some cheapies here, with most of the retiring colours reduced to just $4.31, and if you're a fan of Cameo Coral or Apricot Appeal those colours are just $2.88!

Stampin' Around Cartridges - mostly going.... If you're a fan of the pre-inked cartridges for their speed and ease of use, stock up on the colours you don't already own. In the new catalogue there will be uninked cartridges available that your can ink up with an ink refill of your choice, and basic black inked cartridges.

Mmmm, ~~donuts~~ paper.... Designer Series Paper! Prices from just $8.48. All the designs will be retiring, so make sure you've got plenty of your favourites to complete any projects you've got on the go. All of the Simply Scrappin Kits will also be retiring, and "I Wish" is at a reduced price, just in time for your Christmas projects for this year.

Ooooh, Simply Sent Kits - great gifts for beginner and experienced stampers alike. Most are discounted to make them even more appealing- my fave isthe "No One Like You" set, the stamps and colours are just gorgeous, just $62.96.

Embellishments are next up - brilliant prices on die cuts, sticky cuts, and more. Some of the surprises in here include the Pretties Kit :( And Antique Brass Build a Brads (sob)

Ribbons - yum! Also some great deals in this section. Ribbons are going to be totally reconfigured for the new catalogue, and many of the current colours will not be available.

Now - Punches - don't panic when you see the great long list!!! We are switching across to the new punch style, the folding flat design like the 2 step bird, jewelry tag etc. If you love the "whale tail" style, or wish to grab a bargain or two, take a close look.

Miscellaneous bits and bobs are also on the chopping block, including the best pencil sharpener you'll ever use, Love Notes, the ultra useful card and photo storage "Forget me not Keeper"and more.

So, take a good look, and get back to me ASAP with your heart's desire, simply call me on (02) 9484 9447 or 0403 175 790, or send me an email to michelle.dyson@bigpond.com I can have your order delivered anywhere in Australia for just $5.95 or 5% of your product total. Happy bargain huntin!

All items are available WHILE STOCKS LAST! And, if you need a reminder that this statement is the real deal, take a look at the header image - Sweet Slumber Specialty paper is already GONE GONE GONE!!

Just one little Owl

2010-07-24T10:58:00.000+10:00

Here's the second of my Owl cards, a simple colour variation on the one I showed you below. This one is more intense, as I have used the yummiest new colour, Melon Mambo as the upper layer, on a Pretty in Pink card base. Aside for a different sentiment and a solitary owl, all the details are pretty much the same as the other card. I did use a different embellishment for the centre of the Felt Fusion flowers, this time a Flower Designer brad.

What I have done with these two cards, and also a third (unfinished) with a Melon Mambo base, is to take a colour combination that I liked, and a layout that I liked, and tweaked the order of the layers and the sentiments to create a series of cards. By doing this, I can make several cards in a sitting, with little to no waste of cardstock, and without the tedium that mass production can induce at times! It's also an ideal project to do while out at a crop event, as you don't need a lot of stamps, colours or accessories to complete a decent batch. Happy Saturday everyone, hope you can squeeze in some crafting time!

Pretty Cute Owls

2010-07-21T08:49:00.000+10:00

I was given a printout by a friend, of a card she found on Splitcoast that she thought I would like, and I mot certainly did! I can't find the piece of paper right now, but will come back and credit the creator of the inspiring card when I unearth it amongst the rubble that is littering my crafting room... The card base is Pink Pirouette, sponged with Pretty in Pink ink. The next layer is Pretty in Pink, stamped with Pretty in Pink ink with a little sprig stamp from the "Tiny Tags" set, and sponged heavily with Pretty in Pink ink (starting to sound like Dr Suess here...) I cut a circle using my Circle Scissor from Confetti White to make a 'moon', and edged it with Melon Mambo ink. The two little owls were stamped using "Fox and Friends" onto Soft Suede cardstock in matching ink, then cut out. The inspiring card used the owl from "Animal Stories", so I substituted with a set I owned, you could also pop in one or more of the little line-art owls from "Owl Together Now". I cut two sets of "Little Leaves" sizzlit dies from Old Olive textured cardstock on my Bigshot, then trimmed them down a little to remove some of the leaves, giving the birdies somewhere comfortable to perch. I was at a crop night when I made this, and had left my little heart punch behind,so I improvised by cutting out stamped hearts from the "Tiny Tags" set, in Pretty in Pink and Bashful Blue. The sentiment is from my go-to set, "Teeny Tiny Sentiments" - very compact way to cart around a set with a sentiment for just about every occasion there is! The ribbon is non-SU - I had also forgotten my ribbon pouch, so was tempted by the wall of ribbon at the crop location.... This one screamed "PERFECT" at me, despite being the most expensive ribbon per metre in the shop. The things we do for our art, eh? The flowers are Felt Fusion, with a rhinestone brad in the middle. All done! I then went ahead and made a few other variations in colour and sentiment (to maximise the utilisation of said ribbon), so when I get them all done I'll pop them in here for you to see.

Ho hum, off to do a spot of iron shopping, since I killed ours yesterday by knocking it onto the floor. I'd rather be stamping!

Christmas Stamp-a-Stack - Elegant Embossing

2010-07-18T22:07:00.001+10:00

Christmas Card Stamp-a-Stack

Elegant Embossed Cards - Friday 13th August 7.30pm - 10pm

I have planned the first in a series of Christmas Card Stamp-a-Stack classes for the year, to be held on the evening of Friday 13th August. It's a fantastic opportunity to get started on your stash of Christmas cards for the year with much of the hard work done for you. You'll make 12 special cards, 4 each in three different designs. Each of the designs features elegant stamping and embossing, with lots of layers and detail, the sneak peek above should give you an inkling. Everything is provided for you - pre-cut cardstock, all materials and embellishments, adhesive and beautiful Stampin' Up! envelopes to match. The class will be set up so you can construct the cards in an assembly-line format, with full instructions to create more later if you wish. The cost of the class is $25 and places are limited to ensure individual attention. Please give me a call if you'd like to book a seat, on 9484 9447 or 0403 175 790, or email me.

Kindred Spirits in Plums

2010-07-17T23:35:00.000+10:00

Kindred Spirits is a lovely set, just $38.95 for two large background stamp sized images and two sentiments. The set is double mounted, which does take a little getting used to, but I think it's well worth it for compactness and value. One side of the large stamp has what I call the 'berry sprig' (above) and the reverse side has a branch that looks like misteltoe. The sentiments include "Kindred Spirits", as the set name would suggest, and a well sized "With Sympathy" - never a sentiment you wish to need, but need it you will, from time to time :(

The card above has a Perfect Plum base, followed by a distressed Pale Plum layer, inked with Perfect Plum ink. For the image layer I have used Confetti White for it's handmade look. I have also taken the distressing tool from the cutter kit to this layer and inked the edges with Mellow Moss ink.

I used markers to ink up the various elements of the "berry sprig" - Pale Plum, Perfect Plum and Mellow Moss.. With two of these three harmonious colours retiring, make sure they are in your collection if they appeal to you. The sentiment was stamped using my Stamp-a-ma-jig and Mellow Moss ink. I thought about adding some ribbon or a metal designer brad, but decided to leave it in elegant simplicity.

Onto slightly happier thoughts, I have seen some cracker Christmas cards made with the Misteltoe-looking side of the main stamp, perhaps I'll have a play with making some of those soon.

Even more Friends 24-7 and a reminder about 2-step Stampin' Special

2010-07-15T22:59:00.000+10:00

The final part of my Brocade Blue Friends 24-7 set... Brocade Blue cardstock is the base, stamped with Baroque Background in Brocade Blue ink. The sentiment is from the unmounted "Friendly Words" wheel, who would have thought you could get 14 stamps that match the main set for just $15.95? To embellish I used a hat pin, crystal faceted beads, pearls and silk flowers from the Pretties Kit.

Here's a pic of all three pieces together:

Two-Step Stampin' Promotion
We're now half way through July, so there's about 2 weeks left in the special offer on selected stamp sets.
Make sure you take a look at the list in my post below here and see if you can be tempted...

Discounted Starter Kit Promotion

July 31st is also the very last day to take advantage of the 20% discount on the Starter Kit. Start your own business for just $259, and make your job something you love, flexible, and rewarding. Lots more details can be found here, or give me a call to chat about this enjoyable opportunity.

Friends 24-7 part II

2010-07-14T21:14:00.001+10:00

Here is the second in my "Friends 24-7" set of cards. I loved this set as soon as I saw it in the catalogue, and was one of my first purchases. And when I saw a tutorial by the very clever Annette Stewart about unmounting the "Friendly Words" wheel and cutting it into separate images, I had to make my own! As for the pizza box below, the base was Brocade Blue, stamped with the Baroque background. A series of nested shapes was cut from Confetti White and Night of Navy to mat the images with. Images from the "Friends 24-7" set and the unmounted sentiments were stamped using Brocade Blue and Night of Navy markers, and I used the stamping off method to create light background tones with the damask stamp. To finish, I used Whisper White Taffeta and Brocade Blue narrow grosgrain ribbons and some silk flowers from the Pretties Kit. There's another card to show you, if you like these, come back for a look tomorrow!