Friday Fun

Day off work today so decided to have some fun with my Stampin' Up! supplies.

I'd seen this effect on cards before and had thought it must be white embossing powder on coloured card but actually its a brayer and embossing folder technique (Thanks to Monica for the instructions) on whisper white. I love how crisp the Elegant Bouquet looks in white against the perfect plum.

I added a Sentiment from the Something to Celebrate Hostess set on to a die cut tag edged with perfect plum and finished off with a bit of ribbon for a touch of texture.

I don't have any perfect plum designer paper at the moment (terrible oversight I know) so I used some of my stash of retired designer series paper to make a non-matching gift bag :) (thanks to the instructions on Angela's blog) to hold some Stampin' Up! goodies for my friend Margaret's birthday. This time the sentiment is from the Afterthoughts Hostess set stamped onto a decorative label punch out layered onto a sizzix circle and a eyelet border punched strap.

If your interested in any of the products used or would like to learn these techniques yourself feel free to email me.

More Punch Art

Well after the success of Daniel's lion and Moses in his basket I've been searching for more punch art for other stories.

Staying with Moses for this week he was looking after his father-in-laws sheep when he had the encounter with the burning bush.

There are loads of very cute punch art sheep online but I took inspiration for my sheep from Retiree's gallery at splitcoast stampers with the addition of some wiggley eyes. I couldn't find a punch art burning bush in my searches but Jackies Campfire gave me the idea to use the 2 step bird punch for flames and the punch has a branch with leaves already so used that for the bush. I kept it simple with just two colours of card for the flames rather than sponging to make it easier (and less messy) for kids.

I'm really enjoying working out punch art characters for my Sunday School class and the Stampin' Up! punches are really easy and safe for the kids to use with some supervision.

If you have any ideas for other bible related punch art please let me know.

Punch Art!

I love our Stampin' Up! punches. They're the main reason I became a demonstrator back in 2009 I'd seen a tutorial on you tube just simply using the scalloped circle and a range of smaller circles and that was it I was hooked. I love how they coordinate with our stamps and how they're sized to layer and work with each other.

But now I also love how versatile they can be. I was looking for a new Sunday School idea last week as we had visiting children who were all very young so wouldn't be able to do our normal quizzes, word searches and crosswords. I wanted something crafty but simple and preferably that I could make from what I already had. Quick trip round google later and I'd found several punch-art lions to go with the Story of Daniel in the Lions Den.

This week the kids are still here so I'm going with Moses in the bullrushes using an idea from Michele Reynolds

I'm now officially hooked on punch-art and the other shapes you can find or make from just a few punches. All right I now have way more than a few. Lookout for more punch art in the future.

If you would like to start or add to your punch collection please contact me for more details on the full range of Stampin' Up! punches.

I scrapped!!

Its been a while since I did any scrapbooking. I keep meaning to get started and I read lots of blogs and forums and look at lots of ideas and then think - I'll do it later.

Well at last later caught up with me. I'd seen a sketch on Shimelles blog and immediately thought of one of the photos I'd bought on my recent trip to Las Vegas so here is my oversized picture layout of my trip to the Shark Reef Aquarium at the Mandalay Bay.

I dipped into my Stampin' Up! stash of cardstock, designer paper mixing in a bit of pink with the blues to match my top and the coral. I used our new exclusive Top Note and Fun Flowers Dies for the Bigshot and with our embossing folders to add some texture. Then I had great fun making my Shark lettering with chipboard letters, various shades of blue inks, crystal effects and lots of time and patience :) Crystal Effects advises 30-60 mins to dry if using a thick layer but don't believe it. I always leave mine overnight. Just to be sure :)

I'm please with the final result and glad to be back scrapping. Hopefully more holiday layouts to follow soon.

Let me know what you've scrapped recently or what you find keeps you from scrapping.

Mini Catalogue 2011

It's Mini time again!!

This years mini catalogue has been eagerly awaited as this year we get the Bigshot! and there's a whole load of dies, sizzlets, and embossing folders that are exclusive to Stampin' Up!

I found a video tutorial on YouTube for using the Circles 2 die and heat tool to make flowers

Die cut four of each circle from sheer man made fabric, layer up, punch hole in centre, secure with brad and use scissors or pincers to hold brad while heating fabric with heat gun, stop when you like the effect.
Remember to let it cool before touching the brad!

I'm also working on a class showing different card folds so thought I would try a 'Step Fold' style card, think I may have got a bit carried away with the butterflies.

There also some lovely Stamp Sets, Punches, Buttons and Ribbons for us to play with and as usual it complements whats already available in the main Idea Book and Catalogue.

Look out for more projects in the next couple of days and if you would like any more information on the classes or projects please do get in touch here

The mini will be available to order from the 1st April (no joke) and run right through to the 30th September 2011. You can have a peek by clicking the link on the left or email me for more info. Remember the items in the Mini are only available up to the end of September and there are no guarantees that any will be carried over to the next main Idea Book so order quick.

Sale-a-bration 2011

Join the Sale-A-Bration!

It's Sale-A-Bration time again at Stampin' Up!, and friends, fresh ideas, and free product is what it's all about!

Every year Stampin' Up! gives customers, hostesses, and new demonstrators the opportunity to earn fantastic, limited-edition products they'll enjoy for years to come. This year, you can choose from the following exclusive stamp sets:

So Happy for You wood-mount item 121853 clear-mount item 123220

Punch Bunch wood-mount item 121847 clear-mount item 123211

Sweet Summer wood-mount item 121849 clear-mount item 123214

Bliss wood-mount item 121851 clear-mount item 123217

Get FREE stamp sets by doing any of the following:

Spend
You'll receive a free Sale-A-Bration stamp set when you spend £45 on Stampin' Up! merchandise (product sales before shipping and handling). There's no limit—for every £45 you spend, you can select another FREE Sale-A-Bration reward!

Host
You'll receive a free Sale-A-Bration stamp set when you host a workshop of at least £300 (product sales before handling and shipping)—this is in addition to all of the regular hostess benefits!

Join
During Sale-A-Bration, anyone who joins as a demonstrator can choose any stamp set—a value of up to £44.95—from our current Idea Book and Catalogue!

The Sale-A-Bration promotion starts on 30 December 2010 and runs through 28 February 2011, so don't miss your chance to earn free products! Talk to your demonstrator today to book your workshop or learn more about this promotion. Your demonstrator has a full-colour Sale-A-Bration brochure full of beautiful project ideas you can make using these limited-edition Sale-A-Bration sets. You can also view the Sale-A-Bration brochure online.

Just contact me to discuss which sets you'd like, how you'd like to earn them and get ready to Sale-A-Brate!

It's October - It's Here!

It's the first of October so that means the launch of the all NEW Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalogue for 2010-2011.

You can click the link above or the cover of the catalogue to browse through the new bigger book.

I'm so excited to share this with you.

We have new colours, new stamps, new punches, new tools, new ribbons, new papers and lots and lots of new ideas.

You can get your hands on a copy of the new catalogue by booking a workshop with me or if you can't wait and have to order now you can add one to your next order at only £5.95.

Also, new this year, postage is now capped at £4.95 and no longer increases with how much you order so start working on those wish lists now :)