Alana Galagher

Christmas Blog Hop in July

2011-07-25T10:11:00.003+10:00

So sorry - I am having computer troubles & can't get my pictures to come up. Please continue on to Caths blog to continue on the Blog Hop.

Workshop cards

2011-06-30T12:02:00.005+10:00

Whoops - I turn around & suddenly it's been nearly 3 months since my last blog post!!
Last weekend my SIL had a workshop, so I had to dust off my Stampin' Up! goodies & make some cards. At a loss where to start I found this lovely card made by Genelle so CASED it -

I haven't changed it at all just added a different sentiment. I loved the colours (Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzaz, Early Espresso) & how cute is the inlaid embossing panel Here is a close up of the inlaid enbossing made using the Boho Blossoms Punch & Little Leaves Sizzlit die - doesn't it look like a peice of patterned paper!

Thought I'd also make the same card but change it up abit by using different colours, punches & dies

For a girly twist I used the colours from the Sweet Stitches DSP in the Autumn-Winter Mini Catalogue along with the gorgeous Beautiful Wings Embosslit I really love the inliad embossing technique - you can hardly tell that there are four layers of cardstock on the embossed piece!

Next up for a masculine feel I used Not Quite Navy, Cherry Cobbler, More Mustard & Always Artichoke along with some different sized circle punches for the pattern.

Finally, my boyish scheme of Pacific Point, Real Red & Pumpkin Pie. I have a young chap in mind for this card so have used the Timeless Type Junior Alphabet Dies to personalise it with his initial & age.

If you live local to me & would like to make these cards, then contact me to book your own workshop - hopefully I will be back with more stampin to share in alot less than 3 months time :-)

Strength & Hope

2011-04-07T15:57:00.003+10:00

I made this card for an INKlings swap that I took part in recently. It uses the new Strength & Hope stampset from the Autumn-Winter Mini Catalogue - Stampin' Up! will donate $2 from the sale of this stampset to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. I really love the new Framed Tulips ambossing folder & for this card I have sponged the embossed parts with Crumb Cake ink.

Mmmmm - think I have a bit of a 'thing' for this butterfly & the rock & Roll technique!!

I hope the swappers liked my card, as I received some gorgeous ones back in return. You can see Kari's here & I am hoping the other girls blog their cards so I can link them also.

Stampset: Strength & Hope Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Choc Chip, Crumb Cake, Whisper White Ink: Daffodil Delight, Choc Chip, Crumb Cake Accessories: Antique Brads, Framed Tulip Embossing Folder

Blog Hop Candy

2011-04-02T19:26:00.004+11:00

It's not too late to check out the INKlings Blog Hop & have a chance to win some lovely handmade goodies - I am contributing these 2 cards along with a stash of retired ribbon. All you need to do is start the Blog Hop here & comment on each of the 10 blogs before midnight AEST on 3rd April (sorry candy only available to Australian residents & non-SU! Demonstrators) I made these 2 cards using up some scraps from my Blog Hop layout & the Inlaid Embossing technique. It is a really simple technique - simply stick on your punched, cut or die cut images & then run the lot through the Bigshot. My first card uses die cut flowers from the Birds & Blooms Sizzlets & the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder My second card uses the butterfly from the new Strength & Hope stampset that have been inked in Daffodil Delight & the edges rolled in Tangerine Tango. Here is a close up to show you the inlaid embossing - I have used the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder for this one - I really don't know how I survived without a Bigshot, as I seem to use it on everything!

Stampsets: Strength & Hope, Inspired by Nature

Cardstock: Garden Green, Daffodil Delight,m Whisper White, Sweet Stitches DSP

Ink: Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Wild Wasabi

Accessories: Basic Rhinestones, Birds & Blooms Sizzlets, Perfect Polka Dot, Vintage Wallpaper & Framed Tulips Embosing Folders

INKlings Blog Hop

2011-03-31T21:09:00.009+11:00

Welcome to The INKlings’ Team’s Autumn-Winter Mini Catalogue blog hop. You may have arrived here from Cath's blog or just be visiting my blog, whichever way once you’ve checked out my creations you can continue the hop through the links at the end of this post to the next team member.

With a new Mini Catalogue out today we thought it would be a great time to showcase the gorgeous new products to all our blog readers. You can check out the new mini catalogue online here or if you'd like your own copy contact me today and I'll pop one in the mail to you.

Want to win some Blog Candy? Simply leave a comment on each blog before midnight AEST on 3rd April and then email Kari at karigail@internode.on.net.au and let her know you’ve done so and you’ll be in the running for some fantastic handmade cards plus other goodies. Sorry Blog Candy prize not available to SU! demonstrators or anyone living outside Australia, but you're more than welcome to leave us a comment!

As soon as I saw the Sweet Stitches DSP in the Autumn/Winter Mini Catty I fell in love, funny thing is that it wasn't with these papers, it was all the other ones. When I was searching for some pics to scrapbook I found these from my daughters first day of school & realised that the colours matched the uniform perfectly (the sports uniform is even yellow & green)

Please forgive my contraband doily - since the colour was such a great match I couldn't resist adding it.Here are a couple of close-ups of the cute flowers that I made using the Birds & Bloom Die through my Bigshot

I also LOVE the gorgeous butterfly from the Strength & Hope stampset. Stampin' Up! is donating $2 from the sale of every set to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, so if you'd like to make a difference contact me today to order your own set.

Well that’s all from me. Next stop on the INKlings’ Team Blog Hop is Liz. Have fun and don't forget to leave a comment on each blog to win some great Blog Candy - I have made 2 gorgeous cards to giveaway as blog candy, just haven't had a chance to take a pic yet!

-------------------------------------------------------

1. Kari Hughes - http://www.karigail.wordpress.com/

2. Fiona Brown - http://www.fionajanestamping.blogspot.com/

3. Clare McIlhatton - http://www.crafty-cow.com/

4. Jayne Mercer - www.jaynemercer.com/blogs

5. Beth Stewart - http://www.elisabethstewart.com/

6. Christie Wallace - http://www.christiescreativecorner.blogspot.com/

7. Cath Dean http://www.cathdean.com/

8. Alana Galagher http://www.alanagalagher.com/

9. Liz Halbisch - http://www.lizhalbisch.blogspot.com/

10. Dani Holland - http://www.daniholland.wordpress.com/

Cupcake Inspiration

2011-03-23T14:20:00.005+11:00

My scrapbooking has really fallen behind in the last year, so I've been trying to get abit more done lately. Afew weeks ago Jayne hosted an INKlings cyberstamp & one of the challenges was to join in the So Shelli Creative Challenge. This month it is Crazy for Cupcakes & I knew straight away what photo's I wanted to use - only problem is, apart from the cupcakes wheel, I don't own any cupcake stamps .......yet. Luckily I received this cute cupcake invitation in the mail last week which was just the inspiration I needed.

I tossed up the idea of just using the actual invite on my layout, but couldn't find the right papers, so I created my own cupcake using Stampin' Up! papers

This layout is also abit of a sneak peek at some of the new Designer Series Paper in the upcoming Autumn-Winter Mini Catalogue & is available to order from 1st April 2011. I have also used one of the new punches, the Decorative Label Punch. The other new punch would have been perfect for this layout as it is a Build a Cupcake - very cute & now on my wish list :-)

Here are a couple of closer pics -

Stamps: Cupcake Wheel

Cardstock: Pretty In Pink, Very Vanilla, Vellum Cardstock, Sweet Stiches & other assorted DSP

Ink: Versamark, Pretty In Pink

Accessories: Melon Mambo Marker, Scallop Edge Border & Decorative Label Punch, Crop-a-dile, Bigshot, Timeless Type Junior Alphabet Dies, assorted Buttons

Camp Cypress 2011

2011-03-15T18:08:00.005+11:00

Over the last 3 years I've been running a small Scrapbook & Stamping weekend at Baradine on the first weekend in March. We stay at Camp Cypress & always have a great time - this year was no exception.

I saw on Marelle's blog that at her camp she ran a MasterCrafter contest which sounded like lots of fun, so I CASEd her idea. Although not everyone liked the idea of having to do challenges they were all good sports & joined in (I think they even ended up having fun!)

First up was the Mystery Bag which contained an A5 sheet of Brocade Blue, 1 Brocade Blue brad, A5 sheet of Kiwi Kiss, length of Rose Red Stitched Ribbon & a scrap of patterned paper. I instructed the ladies to create anything they liked using at least 3 items out of the bag & they came up with these beauties -

Everyone voted on their favourites & sadly the bottom 5 were eliminated. Mandy's card below was the winner - there was almost an uproar when it was thought that she had only used 2 items from the 'Mystery Bag', but on close inspection from the judge (me!) it was discovered that Mandy had covered her Brocade Blue brad in Fine Supernova Glitter - clever thing.

I had downloaded afew Sketches from Makeesha's blog & Mandy choose the one below for the next challenge -

& here are all the fantastic creations.

The eliminated crafters got to vote for the winners, with Belinda's gorgeous scrapbook page taking the round.

The top 3 crafters now had to compete in the Pressure Test! I had CASEd this cute Easter box from Kirsty earlier in the day & the last challenge was to recreate it in 20 mins - adding your own personal touch. There were lots of laughs & nerves got the better of the crafters, so I kindly added 5 mins extra time so each had a finished box to 'dish up'. They all did a fantasic job - as you can see below. First on the left is my CASEd one, then Belinda's, Leanne's & Jenny's. All the eliminated crafters voted for the overall winner, which was Leanne, with her Pink Personalised Bunny!

If you would like to join the fun next year, let me know & I will add you to my emailing list.

AWOL!!!

2011-03-12T13:15:00.004+11:00

I can't believe it has been well over 12 months since my last blog post - I am very red faced about it! Not that it is a very good excuse, but I have been very busy with work, kids & lots of other stuff. In March last year we bought a small property about 8km from town, then spent 5 months painting the house & changing the kitchen from this .......

to this ......

It is a huge improvement & has made the old farmhouse much more comfortable to live in. I think the bathroom is going to be the next project ........ just need to find some more $$ :-)

I have just spent the past weekend at my annual scrapbook & stamping getaway with 13 other ladies & we had a great time. I will try & post some pics of what we got up to in the next few days ............ I am determined not to let 12 months pass before my next post!

Happy Moments

2010-01-29T18:14:00.004+11:00

Thanks so much to everyone who visited my blog & left lovely comments for the Blog Hop on Monday. It's not too late to enter for the blog candy, but you'll have to hurry as it closes tonight. To win you will need to visit every blog on the hop & leave a comment on each one. Once you have done this send an email to leonie@stamp-a-latte.com & you will be in the draw. You can find my original post, with the link to the next blog here.

I had to make another couple of card sets for a workshop today & went a little overboard so have afew more to give away. I will send a set to the first 4 people to email me their address & which colour they would prefer - the only catch is that you must also have left a comment on my original blog hop post.

Must dash as we are going out for a BBQ tea :-)

ESAD SAB Blog Hop

2010-01-24T22:50:00.008+11:00

Welcome to the ESAD SAB Blog Hop. What is ESAD, what is SAB & what is a Blog Hop?????

ESAD - is a group of Australian & New Zealand Stampin' Up! demonstrators. We have a fantastic Yahoo group where demonstrators can ask questions, share ideas & inspire each other. If you are a Stampin' Up! demonstrator in Australia or New Zealand you can find out more about how to join ESAD here.

SAB - stands for Sale-A-Bration & is the most exciting promotion on the Stampin' Up! calendar. During SAB (25th January to 31st March 2010) customers can choose a free SAB stamp set for every $100 spent, Hostess can choose a free SAB stamp set for every $600 in sales & new demonstrators can choose a free catalogue stampset to the value of $79.95.

For the Blog Hop, you just follow the link at the end of my post to the next blog to check out some more creations using SAB stamp sets. There are 42 blogs in total & if you comment on all of them you will be in the running to win some amazing blog candy including inkpads, ribbons, stampsets etc.

As soon as I saw these cards, I knew I had to CASE them. They are so quick & simple to make yet still look gorgeous. I have made mine in Pink Pirouette & Baja Breeze using 1/4 of an A4 sheet each, so they are a small 10.5cm x 7.5cm

Stampset: Happy Moments

Cardstock: Confetti White

Ink: Pink Pirouette, Close to Cocoa, Black Staz On

Accessories: Designer Buttons, Aquapainter, Pink Pirouette 1 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon

Stampset: Happy Moments
Cardstock: Confetti Cream
Ink: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Black Staz On
Accessories: Corduroy Buttons (retired), Aquapainter, Kiwi Kiss Satin Ribbon

Another great thing about these cards is that they fit into one of the Stampin' Up! medium sized cellophane bags. I found some matching DSP in my stash & made a couple of bag toppers to package up my cards. If you would like the chance to win one of these card sets, along with many other great prizes then make sure you continue on the blog hop & comment on each of the blogs. The blue set will be sent to the overall blog candy winner & I will draw a winner from those who comment on my blog for the pink set.

Thanks for hopping by, make sure you continue on to Amy's blog for the rest of the ESAD SAB Blog Hop.

Blog Hop & SAB tomorrow!!

2010-01-24T14:38:00.005+11:00

Not much blogging this week, I've been abit busy! The kids have just finished 2 weeks of daily swimming lessons & although it was nice to be in the water during the hot weather, I was glad for a day at home on Friday. Not that it was very relaxing as I was busy making Tomato Relish - 12kg of tomatoes & 41 jars later here is the end product. Now on to the reason for today's post - to let you know that the most exciting promotion on the Stampin' Up! calendar begins tomorrow! During Sale-a-bration customers can choose one FREE SAB stamp set for every $100 spent. Hostesses will also get to choose a FREE SAB stamp set once sales reach $600. SAB is also a great time to join Stampin' Up! as new demonstrators can choose a FREE stamp set up to the value of $79.95

These specials are only available until the 31st March 2010.

I will also be participating in a SAB Blog Hop tomorrow, so make sure you come back to see some projects using the SAB stamp sets & find out how you could be in the running to win some great prizes.

Above are afew peeks at a card I have just uploaded to the Elite Challenges blog to keep you going until tomorrow :-)

Circle Punch Flowers

2010-01-16T18:08:00.003+11:00

I've been making afew quick & easy flowers using up some of my left over DSP & a couple of Circle punches. I have used the new 1 3/4" Circle punch in the Summer Mini Catalogue along with the 1 1/4", 1" & 3/4" Circle Punches.

Here is a close up of one of my flowers. To make the leaves I have folded a 2" strip of Old Olive cardstock in half & put it through the crimper on an angle, then cut out some half circles. Once you fold out the cardstock you get a great leaf shape. The buttons I have used are from the new Playground & Sherbet Designer Buttons.

Kraft cardstock is such a great colour & goes with anything, so I just had to change the DSP & ribbon I used for afew different cards. This one is in Tempting Turquoise.

For my Pretty in Pink & Bashful Blue versions I also added a cute little butterfly using the new Butterfly Prints stamp set & matching punch.

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Oh Dear ..........

2010-01-03T20:59:00.005+11:00

I've been MIA for so long, I'm sure all my readlers have moved on. Never the less, I have made a New Years Resolution to blog frequently again. Life has been quite busy since I last posted - we have visited friends in Sydney, went for a camping holiday on the beach & I've generally been busy chasing around kids & working. We were also lucky enough to spend Christmas with my parents on the Gold Coast, which was lovely.

Although I haven't had alot of time to do much stamping, I did make these frames for the kids Grandmother & Great Grandparents using some of the fun Double Sided Papers from the new Summer Mini Catalogue.

Sam's frame uses the new Tall Tales DSP - I kept it very simple & just cut out a couple of trees, added his name using the Jumbo Outline Alpha & the year using a retired numbers set.

For Josie's frame I cut out some flowers from the new Kaleidoscope DSP - the colours matched her pink shirt perfectly. Once again I used the Jumbo Outline Alpha for her name & a retired numbers set for the year, I also added a rhinestone brad on top of the "i"

Thanks for stopping by, I promise it won't be another 3 months before I post again.

Toolboxes for Dad!

2009-09-14T14:54:00.003+10:00

While at Camp Cypress the clever Kerryl taught us how to make these gorgeous toolboxes & matching card using the Totally Tools stampset. Here is everyones toolboxes after the class

Closeup of one of the great toolboxes

& here is my card! If you check out the top picture you can see that everyone made thier cards a little different - depending on what sentiment they wanted to use. I had seen this idea on SCS using the tape measure from Totally Tools to spell out 'dad' & just had to use it (especially since it was the main reason I bought the stamp set!!)

Flowerpot Card

2009-09-13T23:04:00.004+10:00

Last Thursday I hosted the INKlings Cyberstamp & one of the challenges I set was to make a flowerpot card. I've seen afew of these around the place & they are lots of fun to make. There were some other great flowerpot cards made by Ryn, Ariane & Karen, thanks for playing along :-)

I used the Petal Pizazz stamp set to make my flowers & buttons from Button Bouquet & Button Latte for the centres

I have also used the gorgeous new Riding Hood Red Striped Grosgrain ribbon & used some Hemp Twine to tie on another button.

I also taught this as a class at Camp Cypress - here are everyones gorgeous flowerpots, don't they look gorgeous!

Camp Cypress Retreat

2009-09-10T08:11:00.003+10:00

Last weekend I held the 2nd Stamping & Scrapbooking Retreat at Camp Cypress in Baradine. 11 lovely ladies joined me for a fun weekend of crafting & we had a fabulous time creating until all hours of the night. I thought I'd share a couple of pictures of the great location, in the heart of the Pilliga forest.

Here is our accomodation - each cabin has four rooms, each with there own ensuite. The rooms can sleep up to six on three bunk beds, however we only used the bottom bunks, so there was only three in each room.

The next retreat is set for the first weekend in March 2010, so if you'd enjoy a weekend of fun & crafting, mark it in your diary - I'll have more info available soon & hope to share our creations with you over the coming days.

Choo Choo

2009-08-16T13:18:00.003+10:00

I made this card last month for an INKlings card swap. It uses a fun new set from the Spring Mini Catalogue - Choo Choo & the matching Stampin' around wheel - Right On Track.

To create the cloud background I punched out a scallop circle, placed it on the card base & sponged baja ink over the top.

Stampsets: Choo Choo, Loads of Love Accessories, On Your Birthday

Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Bella Rose & Sweet Slumber Specialty DSP

Ink: Baja Breeze, Basic Black, Tangerine Tango

Accessories: Old Olive, Summer Sun, Real Red & Choc Chip Markers

Marelle's Sevens Box

2009-08-14T13:58:00.004+10:00

How cute are these boxes! You can find a great tutorial on how to make them on Marelle's blog. I made these for my Mini Catalogue Launch last weekend - everyone who attended got one containing a sample of In Colour Stitched Ribbon.

Stampset: Great Friend

Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, Whisper White

Ink: Riding Hood Red

Accessories: Pink Pirouette Stitched Grosgrain, Rhinestone Brad, Scallop Oval Punch

Elite Sketch Challenge

2009-08-12T12:59:00.002+10:00

Every month over on the Elite Challenges Blog, Carol sets a sketch, colour & stamp set challenge. This is a little sneak peek of my card for the August sketch - to check out my full card & list of supplies used click here

Ribbon Tags

2009-08-10T17:27:00.002+10:00

I first saw these cute little ribbon embellishments here. I have posted a card using them before, but thought I'd give them a rerun & add some of the gorgeous new corduroy buttons A fun thing to do is dye your corduroy buttons. I used a sponge dauber & then touched up the buttons using my markers. You will need to make sure the button you want to dye is lighter than the colour you want to change it to - I have dyed a gray button Choc Chip & a Baja Breeze button Rose Red.

Stampsets: On Your Birthday, Trendy Trees, Fresh Cuts

Cardstock: Whisper White

Inks: Choc Chip, Baja Breeze, Rose Red

Accessories: 1" Stitched Grosgrain, Hemp Twine, Corduroy Buttons

Corduroy Button Share

2009-08-02T21:41:00.003+10:00

Have you seen the new corduroy buttons in the Spring Mini Catalogue? They are just gorgeous & really add a special touch to any project. If you would like a sample of all three colours that are available, then join in my corduroy botton share - for $15 you will recieve 18 buttons, 2 of each design in three colours, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss & Basic Gray.

I have used the gorgeous Baja Breeze corduroy buttons on this card - it is a sketch challenge from a recent cyberstamp I joined in.

Stampset: Great Friend, Cute & Curly

Cardstock: Kraft, Baja Breeze, Pretty In Pink, Whisper White

Ink: Baja Breeze, Pretty In Pink, Close to Cocoa

Accessories: Pink Striped Grosgrain, Baja Corduroy Buttons, Designer Flower Brad, Curly Label & Eyelet Border Punch

Stampin' Up! Spring Mini available now!

2009-08-01T16:42:00.005+10:00

You can download a PDF file by clicking here, or send me an email with your addres & I'll pop a hard copy in the post - stamping@alanagalagher.com

Cyberstamp Colour Challenge

2009-07-30T22:31:00.004+10:00

Last weekend a demonstrator group that I am a member of held a cyberstamp. It was great fun to chat with some lovely demonstrators around Australia & also participate in some fun challenges. One of the challenges was a colour challenge of So Saffron, Basic Gray & Whisper White, so I thought I'd break out some more goodies from the upcoming Spring Mini Catalogue to create this card...

There is some new DSP - Walk in the Park, new stampset - Oval All & the latest punch - scallop oval, it is a perfect match for our large oval punch. I've used my scallop edge punch to make the scallop square mat, you can see a tutorial here if you would like to make one too.

Here is a closeup of the scallop oval. I have used my inkpad & a blender pen to colour in the birds chest & the flower.

Stampsets: Oval All, Friends 24-7
Cardstock: So Saffron, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Walk In The Park DSP
Ink: Basic Gray, So Saffron
Accessories: Scallop Oval, Large Oval & Scallop Edge Punch, Soft Subtle Brads, Dress Up Ribbon Originals

I will post some more of my cyberstamp creations over the next few days.

Spring Mini catalogue is almost here!

2009-07-29T21:51:00.003+10:00

The Stampin' Up! 2009 Spring Mini Catalogue goes live on Sat August 1st. It has some really lovely stamp sets in it & my fav - gorgeous corduroy buttons. Another favourite of mine is the Great Friends stampset, I just love the butterfly.

Stampset: Great Friend

Cardstock: Basic Gray, Whisper White, Bella Rose & Urban Oasis DSP

Ink: Basic Gray, Regal Rose

Accesssories: Gray Taffeta, Kiwi Kiss Corduroy Button, Eyelet Border Punch

Scrapbooking Just Rugby

2009-07-28T21:08:00.002+10:00

I got the Just Rugby stamp set specifically to use on scrap pages of my son playing football & finally I have made one - it's only taken about 12 months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I made this for a challenge on one of the demonstrator groups I am a member of, it uses a great sketch from Page Maps that I have been wanting to try out since I saw it.

I've used some elements from the Hoppy Memories Scrappin' Kit to try & add some interest. I also peirced holes in the ball & threaded some twine through them to imitate the stitching.

Stampsets: Just Rugby, Jumbo Outline Alpha

Cardstock: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie Textured, Pink Flamingo DSP

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black

Accessories: Hoppy Memories Scrappin Kit, Black Hemp Twine, Black Brads

Camp Cypress

2009-07-20T14:26:00.005+10:00

Grab your kit and escape from your busy life with a fun weekend of stamping & scrapbooking at Camp Cypress in the peaceful Outback of NSW.

When: From 1pm Thursday 3rd September to 3pm Sunday 6th September 2009

Where: Camp Cypress is situated at Baradine in North West NSW - approximately 497kms from Sydney, and 45kms north-west of Coonabarabran. From Baradine it is only a 3½ hours' drive to the famous opal mining town of Lightning Ridge, via Coonamble and Walgett.

Cost: $200 from Thursday night (includes 3 nights accommodation, a light supper on Thursday evening & all meals until Sunday lunch) or $180 from Friday (includes 2 nights accommodation & all meals from Friday lunch until Sunday lunch).

Accommodation will be 3 share, in fully air-conditioned cabins with ensuites
All meals provided – breakfast, lunch, dinner, morning & afternoon tea
Challenges & competitions – there will be some great prizes on offer
Free classes & information sessions
Extra workshops available for an additional cost
Plenty of FUN!

You can see some of the fun projects we made last camp by clicking here.

Send me an email if you would like a registration form or more information - stamping@alanagalagher.com

Ooops........it's been awhile!

2009-07-17T22:06:00.004+10:00

Gosh, the time just seems to slip away lately & before I know it almost a month has passed & my poor little blog has been left neglected :-(

The INKlings seem to have abit of a baby boom going on at the moment with Dani, Clare & Mel all welcoming little girls into the world over the last couple of weeks, so I thought I'd break out my new Build-A-Roo stamp set.

Stampset: Build-a-Roo
Card: Cameo Coral, Chocolate Chip, Watercolour Paper, Pink Flamingo & Bella Rose DSP
Ink: Black Staz On
Accessories: Paper Piercer, Button Latte

Stampset: Build-a-Roo
Card: Regal Rose, Riding Hood Red, Pink Flamingo DSP, Watercolour Paper
Ink: Black Staz On, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Cutter Kit, Button Bouquet

I've seen afew of these cute crocheted flowers around the internet lately, so bought a book & followed this tutorial along with another video tutorial I now can't find & taught myself how to make them. The first few were abit rough, but I think I'm getting the hang of them now :-)

I still have one card to make & also have to get them sent out........soon :-)

More Raspberry Tart

2009-06-23T14:56:00.002+10:00

I've been having more fun using the gorgeous Raspberry Tart papers - they are so bright & fun.

Stampset: Trendy Trees

Card: Pink Pirouette, Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red, Raspberry Tart DSP

Ink: Rose Red

Accessories: Pink Pirouette Striped Grosgrain, Button Bouquet, Eyelet Border Punch

I made the corner decoration by layering one of the photo corner punch outs onto a scallop square punch out & hand cutting off the bits of the scallop square that I didn't want.

Stampset: Define Your Life

Card: Kiwi Kiss, Regal Rose, Rose Red

Ink: Pink Pirouette, Kiwi Kiss

Accessories: Rose Red Brad, Eyelet Border Punch, Scallop Square Punch Photo Corner Punch

Raspberry Tart

2009-06-20T21:50:00.002+10:00

Did anyone even notice my HUGE error ...... I said in a previous post that I was using Urban Garden DSP when in actual fact it was Urban Oasis DSP - what a twit! Anyway, I've now moved onto Raspberry Tart!

Stampsets: Eastern Blooms, Upsy Daisy

Card: Rose Red, Regak Rose, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, Raspberry Tart DSP

Inks: Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red, Regal Rose

Accessories: Kiwi Satin Ribbon, Fire Circle Rhinstone Brads, Flower Fusion

Ounches: Whise Oval, Designer Label, Large Oval

INKling Cyberstamp

2009-06-18T14:06:00.004+10:00

I made this card for the latest INKling Cyberstamp. The challenge was to use Kraft, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss & Basic Gray - I think I failed as I didn't include any Kraft, although Fiona, who hosted the evening, kindly said I could count the twine as Kraft!

It was abit tedious cutting out these tiny flowers, but I think it was well worth the effort as they look great & are just the right size to fit on a mini glue dot!

Stampset: Thoughts & Prayers

Card: Basic Gray, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Urban Garden DSP

Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Basic Gray

Accessories: Pewter Brads, Kiwi Kiss Striped Grosgrain, Twine, Button Bouquet

I also want to send out a huge thanks to the lovely Marelle Taylor, for sharing a great tutorial she found on getting rid of the 'grey gloom'. I need all the help I can get as I'm not a real good photographer & as you can see by the comparison below, the one on the right has been adjusted & looks much brighter.

Makeesha's Inspiration Challenge #8

2009-06-14T18:07:00.003+10:00

I wasn't game enough to try out Makeesha's colour challenge last week....they were abit too bright for me, so thought I'd better make up for it by having a go at this weeks challenge. You can click here to see the inspiration picture & check out the other entries. As soon as I saw the picture I thought of this card that Jayne Mercer made, so had to CASE it. I've used the Poppin' Pastels technique using Stampin' Up! Pastels & Versamark ink. If you live in my area, you can come along to my technique class on Tuesday 16th to learn how it is done.

Then I saw this card on Renee Van Stralen's blog, so had to remake my card, with afew adjustments. The image looks slightly different in this card as I used White Craft Ink instead of Versamark.

Stampsets: Inspired By Nature, Cheer & Wishes

Cards: Mellow Moss, Kraft

Ink: Choc Chip, Versamark, Whisper White

Accessories: Stampin' Pastels, White Taffeta Ribbon, Eyelet Border Punch, Button & twine

More Urban Garden

2009-06-09T20:56:00.003+10:00

Hope you aren't sick of seeing Urban Garden papers yet, coz I've got afew more cards to show you. They are, of course, CASEd from Splitcoast Stampers.......

Stampsets: Frames with a Flourish, Best Yet

Card: Kraft, Whisper White, Urban Garden DSP

Ink: Basic Black

Accessories: Kraft Taffeta

Stampset: Fresh Cuts

Card: Kraft, Basic Black, Urban Garden DSP

Ink: Basic Black

Accessories: Build-A-Brad, Distressing Tool, Paper Piercer & Mat Pack

Not much stamping on either, but they were fun to make. I've now moved on the Rasberry Tart DSP for a change :-)

Elite Challenge

2009-06-06T16:51:00.003+10:00

Each month Carol sets some great challenges over on the Elite Challenges Blog. I have uploaded one this afternoon, so if you'd like to take a look head on over & make sure you check out the rest of the gorgeous cards uploaded by members of the Elite Stampers while you are there.

Urban Oasis & a couple of chooks!!

2009-06-05T23:22:00.006+10:00

I've been having fun making afew things using the gorgeous Urban Oasis Double Sided Papers. This card has to be one of the quickest & easiest I have ever made ......

Stampset: Occasional Greetings

Card: Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Urban Oasis DSP

Ink: Basic Gray

Accessories: Button Bouquet, Twine

I totally CASEd this layout from splitcoast stampers ( ETA: Oooh just found this on Delys blog, she has some awesome scrapbooking)- loved it as soon as I saw it! I'm so happy to be finally getting some scrapbooking done, it feels good.

Stampsets: Defining Alpha, Jumbo Outline Alpha

Card: Urban Oasis DSP, Confetti White

Inks: Basic Gray

Accessories: Lace Edge Border Punch, Daubers, Distressing Tool, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

When we moved into town we didn't bring all our chooks with us. I wasn't really worried, but my hubby decided we should get some more. I told him I didn't want as many as we used to have, so he brought home 1 rooster, 2 hens & 7 chickens *roll eyes* I was thinking more along the lines of 2 or 3 ....... I guess it's less than the 20 we had on the farm!

Good Try ????

2009-06-02T23:33:00.003+10:00

I'm not too sure if this really is a 'good try' as I'm not real happy with it. I've been trying to use my Just Rugby stamp set & it's been giving me some grief. I used last weeks Mojo Monday sketch to help abit......

Stampsets: Just Rugby, Good Friend

Card: Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow, Windsor Knot DSP

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Library Clip, Twine, Metal Edge Tag, Silver Brads, Crimper

Now I just need DS8 to score a try at footy so I can give him the card - he's a fairly laid back player, so it could take awhile :-)

A Flower For All Seasons

2009-05-29T21:53:00.004+10:00

Once I finished my card for Keesh's challenge using A Flower For All Seasons I couldn't stop. To save my mind from having to think too much, I used the same layout & just changed the colours :-)

Stampsets: Flower For All Seasons, Best Yet

Card: Riding Hood Red, Creamy Caramel, Kiwi Kiss, Watercolour Paper

Ink: Black Staz On, Basic Black, Sahara Sand, Summer Sun, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Creamy Caramel

Accessories: Red Tafetta, Button Bouquet, Eyelet Border Punch, Aqua Painter

Not too sure about this one! I didn't have any Summer Sun cardstock, so instead inked up some Whisper White with Summer Sun ink using my brayer.

Stampsets: Flower For All Seasons, Short & Sweet
Card: Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss, Kraft, Watercolour Paper
Ink: Black Staz On, Basic Black, Sahara Sand, Summer Sun, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, Creamy Caramel
Accessories: Kiwi Satin Ribbon, Eyelet Border Punch, Aqua Painter

I love the little frog in this image - it is sooo cute!

Stampsets: Flower For All Seasons, Best Yet
Card: Baja Breeze, Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, Watercolour Paper
Ink: Black Staz On, Basic Black, Sahara Sand, Summer Sun, Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss,
Accessories: Tanhgerine Striped Grosgrain, Eyelet Border Punch, Aqua Painter

I'm rather challenged in the photography taking department at the best of times, but thought I'd show you the extra challenge I faced today.....

Someone got abit jealous - I was paying more attention to my cards than her!

Inkspirations Challenge #7

2009-05-28T17:02:00.003+10:00

I've been wanting to join in one of Makeesha's challenges for ages, but just never seem to find the time. Well this afternoon I found 10 mins & whipped up this card using some of the colours in the gorgeous inspiration photo.

I've had this set since Convention & thought it was about time it saw some ink ........ now I just need to ink up the other three images.
Stampsets: Flower for All Seasons, Short & Sweet

Card: Pink Pirouette, Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze, Watercolour

Ink: Basic Black, Creamy Caramel, Sahara Sand, Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette

Accessories: Button Bouquet, Red Tafetta, Eyelet Border Punch

Scrapbook Challenge

2009-05-26T12:05:00.002+10:00

One of the demonstrator groups I am a member of is going to have monthly scrapbook challenges & as soon as I saw this month's sketch on Mandy's blog I knew I wanted to play along. These pics are of my sister & son taken a few years ago ....... aren't they cute. Sandi will probably choke me when she's sees them :-)

Stampsets: Life Definitions, It's All Good (retired), Retired Alphabet

Card: Sahara Sand, Basic Gray, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, Urban Oasis DSP

Inks: Basic Gray

Accessories: Kiwi Kiss Striped Grosgrain, Metal Edge Tag, Filigree Brads, Circle Ice Rhinestones, 1' & 1 3/8" Circle Punches

A Step Back in Time

2009-05-25T22:12:00.005+10:00

I had planned to post some more cards & I even finished a couple of scrapbook pages, but am having trouble photographing them, so instead I thought I'd share some pics from the weekend. Our local Ag Show was held on weekend & it included a 'Step Back in Time' parade down the main street - I couldn't make it to the parade, but my husband took the kids down & I returned home just in time to see this coming down the street. This is my BIL, Nephew, Daughter Josie, Husband & Dolly the horse! They'd just finished having billy tea & fresh damper at the show ....... I'm abit upset I missed out :-(

Here is Miss Josie all dressed up - she looked very cute, if I do say so myself. Her outfit was made by my Mum & worn by me in a similar parade when I was little.

Hope you enjoyed this little diversion, I will try & take some descent pics of my scrap pages tomorrow to share.

More Circle Circus CASEing

2009-05-22T23:02:00.004+10:00

I've been making some more CASEd cards - this time I used this card for inspiration to create this fun little set. These cards are really simple & took no time at all to whip up - they can also be used for just about any occassion.

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE the new buttons? Of course I couldn't resist adding a strip of cardstock to them also - I 'm sure I did warn you that you would be seeing this alot :-)

Stampsets: Circle Circus, Best Yet (Level 1 Hostess)

Cardstock: Kraft, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze

Inks: Close to Cocoa, Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze

Accessories: Button Bouquet, In-Color Striped Grosgrain

Circle Circus CASE

2009-05-20T16:43:00.004+10:00

As soon as I saw this card I knew I had to CASE it. I had planned to change the colours, but it was my Mum's birthday on the weekend & her favourite colour is pink. Circle Circus is one of the sets that all demonstrators who attended Convention were given. It's a great set with 10 circle themed stamps that fit inside our many circle punches, including one that fits the scalloped circle.

I have once again used a strip of cardstock threaded through the button & this time tied it in a knot.

Stampsets: Circle Circus, Short & Sweet

Cardstock: Kraft, Pink Pirouette, Close to Cocoa, Whisper White

Inks: Close to Cocoa, Pink Pirouette

Accessories: Pink Pirouette Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, twine, retired button (only becouse I haven't got Button Latte ....... yet :-))

INKlings Cyberstamp

2009-05-17T16:02:00.003+10:00

Last week we had a team cyberstamp & the first challenge was to use some Double Sided Papers on a card. This is my effort, using Urban Oasis DSP - you could also create the same card using the gorgeous Fifth Avenue Floral stampset (it's on my huge wishlist!)

I'm not too happy with the one little bit of stamping - really should have dug out the trusty ol' Stamp-A-Ma-Jig! I'm really loving the new buttons & a fun thing to do is cut a thin strip of cardstock to thread through the holes ....... I think you may be seeing this alot!

Stampsets: Upsy Daisy (for sentiment)
Card: Basic Gray, Urban Oasis DSP
Ink: Basic Gray
Accessories: Button Bouquet, Gray Taffeta

There was also a scrapbook sketch challenge, which I am still working on ........ I think I could be the slowest scrapbooker ever!!

May Specials

2009-05-15T21:54:00.002+10:00

The month is half over so you will need to act quickly if you would like to make the most of the two fantastic promotions that Stampin' Up! are offering during May Who doesn't love FREE things! Until 31st May when you buy 3 packs of Double Sided Paper, you will receive a 4th absolutely FREE. This great offer applies to all the new papers except Sweet Slumber Specialty & Patterns Designer Series Prints.

Stampin' Up! has made it even easier & cheaper to become a demonstrator, with the scrapbooking starter kit. If you would like to know more send me an email & I'll send you a free information pack - stamping@alanagalagher.com

Oh My ....... it's been awhile!

2009-05-15T18:27:00.006+10:00

Oh My..... I don't even know what happened to this post - it was supposed to show up last night!

I have been such a slacker & can't believe how long it has been since my last post. I have been busy (not just slack!) - I have moved house (may have only been 25km, but still not something I want to repeat anytime soon), travelled to Canberra for the Stampin' Up! Convention (had heaps of fun & learnt lots) & in general been busy running after the kids & keeping the tax man happy doing Business Activity Statements!

Anyway, if you are visiting, I'm sure it's not to hear my excuses. Here are the two swaps I took to Convention

This one was abit of a pain to mass produce - but I love how it turned out.

Stampset: Good Friend

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Tangerine Tango, Good Morning Sunshine DSP

Inks: Tangerine Tango, More Mustard, Choc Chip

Accessories: Vintage Brads, Wide Choc Grosgrain, Scallop Edge Punch

This is not my exact swap, but is fairly similar. It is a crimped envelope - you can see a tutorial here.

Stampset: Inspired By Nature
Card: Whisper White Envelope
Inks: Rose Red. Markers - Rose Red, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive, Choc Chip
Accessories: Crimper, Lace Edge Border Punch, Pretty In Pink Striped Grosgrain, Spritzer

I'm hoping to be back on a more regular basis now that we have settled into our new house - it definately won't be another month before I post again :-)

Out with the OLD, in with the NEW!

2009-04-02T20:53:00.006+11:00

The Stampin' Up! 2009/2010 Idea Book & Catalogue is finally here. It is packed full of new stamp sets, papers, ribbons, buttons, brads & the list goes on & on. Here are a couple of ways you can get a catalogue:

Host a workshop & I will not only give you a FREE catalogue, but I will also include a FREE inkpad of your choice for any workshops held in April & May
Join my stamp club & I will not only give you a FREE catalogue, but you will also receive FREE product samples, a FREE level 1 hostess set & a minimum $30 to spend on any catalogue items you like
Purchase a copy for $10 + postage - can be delivered anywhere in Australia

Contact me today if you are interested in any of the above - alana@aussiebroadband.com.au or 0428 964360

Here is another sample from my Clear Envelope Brag Book class last Friday. This is using retired cardstock & papers, but check out the new brads - they are gorgeous

Stampset: Pick A Petal

Cardstock: Groovy Guava (retired), Choc Chip, Whisper White, Afternoon Tea DSP (retired)

Ink: Groovy Guava (retired)

Accessories: Chocolate Wide Grosgrain Ribbon, Pewter Jumbo Eyelets, Cherished Memories Rub Ons (retired), Flower Designer Brads (NEW!)

This brag book was made by my Mum - she did such a great job for someone who has never even made a card!

Stampset: Pick A Petal

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, Brocade Background (retired)

Ink: Always Artichoke

Accessories: Old Olive Wide Grosgrain Ribbon, Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelets, Antique Brass Brads, Flower Fusion, Urban West Rub Ons (retired)

I will be back soon with details of the New Catalogue product shares that I am offering :-)

Clear Envelope Brag Book

2009-03-25T22:09:00.002+11:00

Just a quick reminder for anyone in the Wee Waa area - are you coming to my class on Friday? This is what we will be making... This cute little brag book will hold up to 12 photo's. I've put in some of my little cherubs last Easter - aren't they cute :-)

Give me a call (0428964360) or send me an email (alana@aussebroadband.com.au) if you would like to attend.

Birthday Boy

2009-03-25T21:58:00.002+11:00

My son was 8 yesterday & although I can't show you a picture of him with his really cool punk rocker cake I made (I couldn't find my camera & it really wasn't a very cool cake...lol) I can show you the card I made him........
The footy season is just about to start, so I thought I'd get out my Just Rugby stamp set. I have also used one of the new In Colors available from April 1st, Red Riding Hood - I LOVE IT!

Stamp sets: Just Rugby,It's All Good, Occasional Greeting

Cardstock: Red Riding Hood, Basic Gray, Whisper White

Inks: Red Riding Hood, Basic Gray, Basic Black

Accessories: District Ribbon Originals, Pewter Brads, Scallop Square Punch

A couple of awards

2009-03-22T20:33:00.005+11:00

I'm really slack at passing on awards, but am very chuffed to have recieved them! Sorry to the lovely talented ladies who gave me these awards back in December (I did say I was slack!!)

I received this lovely butterfly award from Petronela, Mel & Tegan

& was lucky enough to receive this cute award from Karen

Final Stamp 'n' Camp Cypress

2009-03-20T21:48:00.001+11:00

Here are the last of the projects from Stamp 'n' Camp Cypress. I thought I'd show everyone how versatile some of our stamp sets are & one of the most versatile has to be Pick A Petal. Check out these great cards, all using Pick a Petal - I have sourced most of the ideas from Splitcoast Stampers.

Birthday....

Christmas.....

Valentines or just because I love you.......

Isn't this ladybug soooo cute - it could be used for anything.......

I thought this was the most ingenious thing I have seen - would never have thought to use the petal this way......

These last two pics are of a little 6x6 scrapbook page that everyone also made - they are the same page, just in different colours. I have also turned the pink page on it's side for a landscape photo.

This is not my son! I wanted to put a pic on the page to display, but forgot to take any with me so pinched this one of my BIL from my MIL & will be giving this page to her.

This one is my mum & sister. My Mum loves pink, so I will have to turn this into a 12x12 page to put in her album.

I haven't put any details of all the products used for the cards etc, so if you have any questions please send me an email & I'll answer them for you - alana@aussiebroadband.com.au

More Stamp 'n' Camp Cypress

2009-03-18T21:25:00.002+11:00

Now that life has settled back into some sort of normality I can show you some more of my projects from Stamp 'n' Camp Cypress. My clever friend Trish showed everyone how to make this very cute box of boxes. I have seen these around before, but always thought it looked abit difficult, however I'm pleased to say I was wrong. I have used the gorgeous Ginger Blossom papers from the Summer Mini & just love how my boxes turned out.

Stampset: Occasional Greetings

Cardstock: Ruby Red, River Rock, Ginger Blossom DSP

Inks: Ruby Red

Accessories: Choc Chip wide Grosgrain, Three For You Punch, Antique Brass Hodgepodge

Thanks to my talented upline Jayne, I was able to teach an Envelope Fun class, where we made lots of fun projects using different sized envelopes.

Stampset: Live Your Dreams

Cardstock: Regal Rose, Old Olive, Rose Red

Inks: Regal Rose, Rose Red, Old Olive, Brocade Blue, Choc Chip, Certainly Celery

Accessories: Tafetta Ribbon, Brayer, Twine, Wide Grosgrain Ribbon, Crop A Dile

Punches: Scallop Edge, Scallop Square, Scallop Circle, 1 1'4" & 1 3/8" Circles

The things kids do!!!

2009-03-15T12:56:00.003+11:00

I would never have believed a 3yo could swallow a 50 cent piece ......... until yesterday when my daughter did just that!

I think I lost 10 years of my life & have never driven so fast. Thankfully we had a fantastic team of ambulance men & women & doctors who worked together to choose the best course of action to remove the offending coin. 24 hours later & Josie is back home fighting with her brother again, so all is well :-)

Stamp 'n' Camp Cypress cont.....

2009-03-14T10:59:00.003+11:00

At Stamp 'n' Camp Cypress my lovely downline, Mandy, taught afew classes. This 8x8 page was one of her free classes & everyone loved making it. Out of the 1000's of pictures I have, I couldn't really find one of my family that fit, so this is a friends child - hence the blurred face. Stampsets: Bold Butterfly (retiring), Itty Bitty Backgrounds (retiring), Flitting By Wheel (retiring), Think Happy Thoughts
Cardstock: Cameo Coral, Ruby Red, Whisper White, Mellow Moss
Ink: Ruby Red, Mellow Moss
Accessories: White Gel Pen, Paper Piercer & Mat Pack
Punches: Scallop Edge, Scallop Circle, 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" Circles

Mandy also taught this super cute Easter Sweetness class. I didn't make all the gorgeous cards & containers, but did get one of the cute little egg belly bands.

Stampset: A Good Egg

Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Pretty In Pink, Whisper White

Ink: Black Staz On, Barely Banana, Pretty In Pink

Accessories: Blender Pen, Paper Piercer

Punches: Scallop Cirlce, 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" Circles

Camp Cypress...

2009-03-12T15:48:00.006+11:00

Gosh I have alot to show you, but have not been able to find the time to post! Last weekend myself & 18 other ladies had a lovely time at Stamp 'n' Camp Cypress, Baradine. We stamped & scrapped till the wee hours of the morning & laughed until we cried. It is always so much fun getting together with other like minded people & I always pick up some hints & tips that make life easier. I am always worried that I will loose one of the parts of my mat pack, so was rather excited when I saw this idea...

Using the crop-a-dile, punch a hole in the foam & hard mat in your mat pack, then keep them together with a large hinged ring. I was then thinking of a way to keep them handy, as I usually have a hard time trying to find mine amongst all the other ESSENTIAL craft goodies I own, so ......

... using my trusty crop-a-dile once again, I punched a hole in the side of my ink pad caddy & now will always know exactly where my mat pack is :-)

Above are afew of the fun things camp attendees made using punches. I sourced most of them from the internet at Splitcoast Stampers & here as I'm not clever enough to make them up myself. My friend Trish, however is a clever thing & made the cow up herself!

How cute is the sheep - so much fun to make & everyone loved it!

I will be showing you all the other fun projects we made over the next week.

Updating the Retiring list

2009-03-09T22:56:00.002+11:00

Quite afew things are selling out fast, so if there is something you want, email me now before it is too late. The full list is here & the following items are either sold out or low in stock

107565 Flip Flops Unavailable
109020 Wild Wasabi Classic Ink Refill Unavailable
109015 Soft Sky Classic Stamin' Ink Refill Unavailable
109016 River Rock Classic Stampin' Ink Refill Unavailable
109017 Purely Pomegranite Classic Stampin' Ink Refill Unavailable
100381 Earth Elements Eyelets Unavailable
100378 Soft Subtle Eyelets Unavailable
109019 Groovy Guava Classic Stampin' Ink Refill Unavailable
108748 Best Friend Numbers Unavailable
107212 Mateys Map Unavailable
105320 Basic Eyelets Unavailable
103195 Gifts Galore Unavailable
107561 Garden Annuals Unavailable
109610 Confetti Simply Scrappin' Unavailable
104279 Leaf Prints Unavailable
110255 Bundle of Joy Unavailable
112402 Short Order Numbers Unavailable
109018 Blue Bayou Classic Stampin' Ink Refill Unavailable
111852 River Rock A4 card stock Unavailable
108720 Ahoy, Matey Unavailable
108747 Best Friends Alphabet Upper Unavailable
111851 Soft Sky A4 card stock Unavailable
109185 Jersey Ribbon Originals Unavailable
105316 Rich Regal Eyelets Low Quantity
101259 Black Hemp Twine Unavailable
108740 Bareback Unavailable
106662 Dasey Field Unavailable
108638 In Color 12"x 12" card stock Unavailable
109186 Theater Ribbn Originals Low Quantity
105445 Soft Subtle buttons Low Quantity
111850 Wild Wasabi A4 card stock Unavailable
106610 Basics Outline Low Quantity
103981 Earth Elements Low Quantity
103981 *Earth Elements & Neutrals buttons Low Quantity
100900 Gift sacks Low Quantity
108763 By Land Low Quantity
104065 Fishy Low Quantity
112253 *Dad's Day Low Quantity
108849 It's Your Birthday Low Quantity
105531 Antique Brass Hodgepodge Hardware Low Quantity
112391 Everything Baby Low Quantity
112310 Fabulous Flowers Low Quantity
107464 Rough Texture Low Quantity
107465 Speckled Low Quantity
107467 Birthday Low Quantity
108923 Stipple Rose Low Quantity
112272 Classic Backgrounds Low Quantity
108929 Symbols of Solicitude Low Quantity
112316 Forever in My Heart Low Quantity
105446 Rich Regal Buttons Low Quantity
108746 Best Friends Alphabet Lower Unavailable
112229 ABC Images Low Quantity
108857 Linen Low Quantity
108998 Beautiful Life Low Quantity
110248 Polka Dots & Petals Low Quantity
104156 Flitting By Low Quantity
106523 Five-In-One Card Cover Envelope Template Low Quantity
110730 *Pockets & Pieces Office Accents Low Quantity
108722 All I Have Seen Low Quantity
108944 Unfrogettable Low Quantity
111853 Purely Pomegranate A4 Card Stock Low Quantity
105515 *Pewter Hodgepodge Hardware Low Quantity
104829 *Light Blue Gingham Ribbon Low Quantity

Retiring .........

2009-03-03T19:44:00.004+11:00

Not me, but a heap of stampsets & products from the current 2008/2009 Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalogue are. Stampin' Up! are making way for NEW products, so the items on the retiring list will only be available until 31st March 2009, unless they sell out sooner. Some items have 25% off, you can see the full list here - the following red items have already sold out & the blue items are low in stock - so if you see something you want be quick before thay are all gone!

107565 - Flip Flops - Unavailable
109020 - Wild Wasabi Classic Ink Refill - Unavailable
109015 - Soft Sky Classic Stamin' Ink Refill - Unavailable
109016 - River Rock Classic Stampin' Ink Refill - Unavailable
109017 - Purely Pomegranite Classic Stampin' Ink Refill - Unavailable
100381 - Earth Elements Eyelets - Unavailable
100378 - Soft Subtle Eyelets - Unavailable
109019 - Groovy Guava Classic Stampin' Ink Refill - Unavailable
108748 - Best Friend Numbers - Unavailable
107212 - Mateys Map - Unavailable
105320 - Basic Eyelets - Unavailable
103195 - Gifts Galore - Unavailable
107561 - Garden Annuals - Unavailable
109610 - Confetti Simply Scrappin' - Unavailable
104279 - Leaf Prints - Unavailable
110255 - Bundle of Joy - Unavailable
112402 - Short Order Numbers - Unavailable
109018 - Blue Bayou Classic Stampin' Ink Refill - Unavailable
111852 - River Rock A4 card stock - Unavailable
108720 - Ahoy, Matey - Unavailable

105316 - Rich Regal Eyelets - Low Quantity
101259 - Black Hemp Twine - Low Quantity
108740 - Bareback - Low Quantity
106662 - Dasey Field - Low Quantity
108638 - In Color 12"x 12" card stock - Low Quantity
109186 - Theater Ribbn Originals - Low Quantity
105445 - Soft Subtle buttons - Low Quantity
111850 - Wild Wasabi A4 card stock - Low Quantity
106610 - Basics Outline - Low Quantity
103981 - Earth Elements - Low Quantity
103981 - *Earth Elements & Neutrals buttons - Low Quantity
100900 - Gift sacks - Low Quantity
108763 - By Land - Low Quantity
104065 - Fishy - Low Quantity
112253 - *Dad's Day - Low Quantity
108849 - It's Your Birthday - Low Quantity
105531 - Antique Brass Hodgepodge Hardware - Low Quantity
112391 - Everything Baby - Low Quantity
112310 - Fabulous Flowers - Low Quantity
107464 - Rough Texture - Low Quantity
107465 - Speckled - Low Quantity
107467 - Birthday - Low Quantity
108923 - Stipple Rose - Low Quantity
112272 - Classic Backgrounds - Low Quantity
108929 - Symbols of Solicitude - Low Quantity
112316 - Forever in My Heart - Low Quantity
105446 - Rich Regal Buttons - Low Quantity
108746 - Best Friends Alphabet Lower - Low Quantity
108747 - Best Friends Alphabet Upper - Low Quantity

Embrace Life

2009-02-19T19:43:00.003+11:00

As soon as I saw this card on SCS I knew I had to CASE it. I followed the link to the creators website & found out that she is an Australian demonstrator in WA - so thanks Cathy for a great card! I love that this is a matchbook fold card, which is something a little different to a normal card.

Stampsets: Embrace Life, Short & Sweet

Inks: Ruby Red, Groovy Guava, Basic Black

Cardstock: Groovy Guava, Ruby Red, Watercolour Paper, Ginger Blossom DSP

Accessories: Black Brad, Black Gingham, Scallop Edge Punch

A little blue card ......

2009-02-16T17:13:00.004+11:00

I have been trying really hard NOT to make this card all day, but just could not get it out of my head, so in the end I gave up & made the darn thing. I should have really been prepping for a class with 20 ladies tomorrow, so thankfully since I've been thinking about it so much, it was really quick to make. I've combined Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge & Makeesha's latest Inspirtations Challenge.

Stampsets: None (I'm starting to make a habit of not using any!)

Inks: Brocade Blue

Cardstock: Night of Navy, Brocade Blue, Bashful Blue

Accessories: Bashful Blue 1" Double Stitched Ribbon, White Taffeta Ribbon, Cherished Memories Rub Ons, Cutter Kit

Punches: Scallop Circle, 1 1/4" Circle, 1" Circle

Now I'm off to try & finish my class preparations :-)

Cards for a Cause

2009-02-13T20:00:00.000+11:00

As promised, here are the cards that were peeking out of my Card Organiser yesterday. Each month my upline Jayne designs a card & any INKling who wishes to be involved, uses the design to create some cards that are then donated to Camp Quality. This month Jayne used the Priceless stamp set, which sadly I don't own .....yet, I have just put in my order for it so Stampin' Up! will be donating $24.47 (50% of the retail value) to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Appeal. Anyway, since I didn't have the same stamp set I made afew slight changes & created the following female & male versions. I love how this one turned out - are you sick of Live Your Dream yet??

Stampsets: Live Your Dream, Occasional Greeting

Cardstock: Groovy Guava, Choc Chip, Whisper White, Afternoon Tea DSP

Inks: Groovy Guava, Choc Chip

Punches: 1 1/4" Circle, 1 3/8" Circle & Scallop Circle

I have only just gotten the Large & Small Star Punches & I don't know how I lived without them! They are lots of fun & make a great embellishment for male cards

Stampsets: Wanted, Expressive Flexible Phrases

Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, Soft Sky, Whisper White, Afternoon Tea DSP

Inks: Wild Wasabi, Soft Sky

Punches: Large Star & Small Star

It only took about 15 mins to whip up 7 of these cards - such a small amount of time that will hopefully put a smile on the face of some children that are faced with the challenges of living with cancer.

Card Organiser

2009-02-12T21:20:00.002+11:00

If you live in my area, you can come along next Friday to one of my Year Of Cards Organiser class & I will show you how to make this great organiser to keep your cards in. I have used one of my favourite stamp sets from the Summer Mini called Live Your Dream, which is one of the sets that Stampin' Up! will be donating money from the sales of to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfires 2009 Appeal - you can read more about how Stampin' Up! are helping here. There is a page for each month with a pocket to keep your cards in along with a handy calendar to remind you when everyone's birthday is

Stampset: Live Your Dream

Cardstock: Groovy Guava, Soft Sky, Choc Chip, Afternoon Tea DSP

Inks: Groovy Guava, Soft Sky, Choc Chip

Accessories: Guava Double Stitched Ribbon, Bind-It-All

I will post a pic & the info on the cards that are inside my pockets tomorrow :-)

Victorian Bushfire Appeal

2009-02-12T09:07:00.004+11:00

Stampin' Up! have just reminded my why they are such a wonderful company to be associated with. From now until 31st March they will be donating 50% of the retail value from sales of the following stamp sets to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal:

Priceless
Seeing Spots
Baroque Motifs
Live Your Dream
Looks Like Spring*
The Snowflake Spot*
Bodacious Boquet*
Polka Dots & Paisley*
G'day Mate*
Be Happy*

* sets marked with an asterix will be retired at 31st March 2009

You can click here to see the flyer .

I will also be donating my comission (20%) from all sales from now until the 28th February to the Bushfire Appeal. Remember that Sale-A-Bration is still running, so if your order reaches $100 you will not only be donating $20 (my commission) to the Bushfire Appeal, but will also receive a free SAB stamp set & if your order includes any of the above stamp sets 50% of their value will also be donated. Contact me today to place your order & help those that have lost thier homes & loved ones - alana@aussiebroadband.com.au

2 challenges - 1 card

2009-02-08T16:48:00.003+11:00

I had so many things I should have been doing yesterday, but being the master procrastinator that I am, I made some cards instead! I had so much fun doing Makeesha's challenge last week, so thought I'd join in again this week & I incorporated it with the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge.

Stampsets: Eastern Blooms, Circle of Friendship

Inks: Sage Shadow, Regal Rose, Rose Red

Cardstock: Sage Shadow, Regal Rose, Rose Red, Whisper White

Accessories: Pewter Jumbo Eyelets, Rhinestone Brads, Sage Shadow Grosgrain, Pretties Kit, Mat Pack & Paper Piercer

Punches: Scallop Circle, 1", 1 1/4 ", 1 3/8" Circles, Scallop Edge

Not much chit chat today - I have to catch up on all the things I didn't do yesterday :-)

Bold images on coloured cardstock ........

2009-02-07T22:16:00.003+11:00

Bold images on coloured cardstock do not stamp properly! YOu can test it out if you like, but no matter what you do, the image will never be as clear & crisp as when you stamp on Stampin' Up! Whisper White or Very Vanilla Cardstock. Do not despair, as you can see below, there is a way to get around this problem.

Simply stamp your solid image onto Whisper White cardstock, wait a short while for the ink to completly dry & then use a brayer to dye the card whatever colour your like. You can see the difference above - the image on the right has been stamped using Basic Black ink onto Groovy Guava cardstock & is not very clear, while the image on the left has been stamped in Basic Black ink onto Whisper White cardstock & brayered over in Groovy Guava ink. I had never thought to do this - I actually saw it the other day on Georgina's blog while doing a little blog surfing.

Here is the finished project that I attached the tag to - I've been trying to use up some of my rub-ons so have removed the labels off some handwash & decorated it with Urban West rub ons.

Pictures for Mum

2009-02-07T21:50:00.003+11:00

Wouldn't you know it - I just found my camera!!! Of course it is now too late to take any photo's of the projects I've been working on, so you will have to wait until tomorrow.

While you wait I thought I'd quickly put up these photo's of my little girl on her birthday so my Mum can have a look.

She loved her doll house (thanks Mum) & had to hold her cards while I took this photo. It was all her idea, so I guess that means she liked the card I made her, although was upset that she couldn't find the Wiggles card Mum sent (I found it under the lounge today & Josie wanted another photo in front of the doll house with it LOL)

Josie wanted a Dolly Varden Cake, which I thought would be easy enough, but nearly ended in disaster when I took it out of the oven too soon (way too soon - there was cake mix running out of the centre when I tried to turn it out of the pan!) Anyway, I'm sure I committed a cooking sin by shoving it back into the oven, but am pleased to say it still held the right shape & was even edible :-)

Cute x 3

2009-02-07T12:18:00.004+11:00

I had plans to post a mini tutorial on my blog today, but have left my camera in town *roll eyes* Sometimes I'm sure I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached!! Anyway, I searched through the pics on my computer & found these 3 that I made for an Elite Challenges sketch challenge awhile back - as you can see I had fun paper piecing the cute little all-in-one suit.

Stampset: Big On Spring

Cardstock: Spring Fling DSP, Pretty In Pink, Whisper White

Ink: Black Staz On

Accessories: Rhinestone Brad, Wide Celery Grosgrain, Pretty In Pink Stampin' Write Marker, 2-way Glue, Dazzling Diamonds

Stampset: Big On Spring

Cardstock: Rose Red, Regal Rose, Whisper White, Bali Breeze DSP

Ink: Black Staz On

Accessories: 1" Double Stitched Rose Red Ribbon, Rhinestone Brad, Regal Rose Stampin' Write Marker

I wasn't real happy with this last one, so it didn't get a close-up!

Stampset: Big On Spring, Rough Texture Jumbo Wheel
Cardstock: Purely Pomegranite, Textured Close to Cocoa, Pretty In Pink, Whisper White, Afternoon Tea DSP
Ink: Black Staz On, Versamark
Accessories: Double Stitched Pomegranite Ribbon, Pretty In Pink Brads, White Gel Pen

A Challenging Challenge!

2009-02-02T15:32:00.004+11:00

It is my daughter's birthday today & I realised last night that I'd been a slack mother & hadn't made her a card yet! I thought I'd use Makeesha latest Inkspirations Sketch Challenge, only problem was that I had left all my inks, punches & most of my tools at my mother's house in town - I was even hard pressed to find a pair of scissors .... eek. I couldn't not give Josie a card, so set myself the challenge of a stampless, inkless card & this is the result.Stampsets: NONE!
Inks: NONE!
Cardstock: Pretty In Pink, Purely Pomegranite, Whisper White, Berry Bliss DSP
Accessories: On Board Ginormous Pieces, Rub Ons, Rhinestone Brads, Pink Gingham & Pomegranite Satin Ribbon.

Summer Mini SAB Party

2009-01-27T13:00:00.000+11:00

Want to learn how to make this cute Pop Up Card? Then come along to my Summer Mini SAB Party on Saturday the 31st Jan 2009. This will be one of the 3 Make & Takes that I will be demonstrating & you will be making. The beauty of this fun card, is that it folds flat so can easily be sent in the post.

Have you seen the gorgeous felt flowers in the Summer Mini Catalogue? They come in an assorted tin with the three colours shown - Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie & Old Olive.

The party starts at 1pm, so come along to check out & play with some of the new products that are available in the Stampin' Up! Summer Mini Catalogue. Along with the Make & Takes, there will be specials, prizes, freebies & more, so email me if you would like any more information - alana@aussiebroadband.com.au

Sale-A-Bration One Sheet Wonders

2009-01-26T22:20:00.004+11:00

Mel has a challenge on her blog this week to make a One Sheet Wonder, which I have never done before, so thought I'd join in. If you haven't heard of a One Sheet Wonder before, it is simply one sheet of cardstock that you have stamped all over, then cut/punched to use on cards. I have used the Sale-A-Bration stampset called Botanical Blooms that can be yours for FREE, by simply spending $100 on Stampin' Up! products before 28th Feb 2009.

Generally you would stamp a whole A4 sheet, so would be able to make up quite alot of cards, but here I have only used an A5 sheet.

This card has been CASEd from the very talented Teneale - I don't think I have seen one card that she has made that I haven't LOVED!

I have CASEd this one from Sue - I love her innovative use of stamps.

And lastly this one has been CASEd from Beate - who is a German demonstrator & really makes me wish I could read German as she has some great projects on her blog.
Stampsets: Botanical Blooms, Yummy, Fast & Fun Notes, Short & Sweet
Cardstock: Sage Shadow, So Saffron, Pretty In Pink, Whisper White
Inks: Sage Shadow, So Saffron, Pretty In Pink
Accessories: Pink Taffeta Ribbon, Scallop Square Punch, Scalloped Edge Punch, Small & Large Oval Punches

I had so much fun that I thought I'd make up the same cards in a different colour theme & really love how this lot turned out so made a matching card folder.

Here is the folder opened, I also stamped some matching envelopes. You can find the instructions for the folder on Makeesha's website.

Stampset: Botanical Blooms

Cardstock: Old Olive, Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Apple Cied DSP (retired)

Ink: Old Olive, Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Chocolate Taffeta Ribbon, Vanilla Wide Grosgrain Ribbon

Punches: Scallop Square, Scalloped Edge, Large Oval, Small Oval

Punch Art ATC's

2009-01-19T16:10:00.003+11:00

Just before Christmas I participated in a Punch Art ATC swap & thought I'd share my effort with you today. Sadly I can't take credit fot the super cute idea of turning the scallop square punch into a baby's blanket as I CASEd it from Splitcoast Stampers.

Stampsets: Boho Backgrounds, Cheer & Wishes

Cardstock: Mellow Moss, Bashful Blue, Pretty in Pink, Blush Blossom, Whisper White

Inks: Mellow Moss, Versamark

Accessories:Taffeta Ribbon, Basic Black, Blush Blossom & More Mustard Stampin' Write Markers

Punches: Scallop Square, Scallop Edge, Word Window, 1" Circle, 1/16" Circle Handheld, Corner Rounder

SALE-A-BRATION

2009-01-17T09:00:00.001+11:00

It's on again! From 1st January until 28th February 2009 you can earn limited edition Sale-A-Bration stamp sets for FREE - read on to find out how.

Customers: For every $100 you spend you can choose one of four Sale-A-Bration (SAB) stamp sets. There is no limit, so spend $200 & recieve 2 FREE SAB sets, or spend $300 & recieve 3 FREE SAB sets along with a FREE level 1 hostess set & an extra $30 to spend.

Hosts: When you host a workshop that has orders over $600 you will be able to choose a SAB set for FREE (along with all other normal hostess benefits)

New Recruits: Join the Stampin' Up! family & become a demonstrator during Jan or Feb & you will be able to choose an additional set from the main Idea Book & Catalogue up the the value of $79.95 for FREE

If you would like to check out the limited edition Sale-A-Bration stamp sets, just click on the picture of the SAB Catalogue on the right, or send me an email & I will either email or post you a copy - alana@aussiebroadband.com.au

Oops, it's been awhile.....

2009-01-16T14:18:00.005+11:00

... my excuse is that I have been on holidays :)
I was planning on posting afew things while I was away, but my computer was struck by lightning during a storm. Luckily it only affected my modem, however that was enough to prevent me from getting onto the internet. I will be back soon with some craft related pictures, but thought I'd share some from our holiday first.

Here we are dining alfresco at the resort (aka my parents place)

This pic of the kids & my MIL was taken at Fingal Head - 2 days later a man was bitten by a shark at the same beach!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mum & Dad got the kids tickets to Wet 'n' Wild & Seaworld for Christmas - I think it was the best present they got, as we had lots of fun. The above pic is Sam & I on the Kimakaze at Wet 'n' Wild - the look on his little face was priceless & had me in stitches the whole ride!

At Seaworld our favourite thing was the Dolphins show, it was amazing

We also loved the Viking's Revenge Flume Ride - I love this picture & the looks on all our faces :)

For Grand Father

2008-12-27T20:56:00.001+11:00

As mentioned in my previous post I was lucky enough to recieve some stamped images from For Father as a Christmas present - & I was so grateful. For Father is a new set in the current Summer Mini Catalogue & I'm kicking myself that I didn't get it. Of course it is not too late, as it is still available until 31st March - so it could be making an appearance in my bookshelf soon.

Anyway, onto the card - I made this for my Grandfather's 80th birthday last weekend. He loves labradors & currently owns a beautiful yellow dog named Skip, although my dog is a little too orangy for my liking. I used More Mustard & So Saffron Stampin' Write Markers, but maybe should have used a little Creamy Caramel to tone it down abit.

Here is abit of a closeup of my watercolouring, certainly nothing extrodinary, but I was quite pleased with it. I have just coloured in the outline & shaded areas with Stampin' Write Markers & then used an Aquapainter to blend the colour.

Stampset: For Father, It's Your Birthday

Cardstock: Choc Chip, Basic Black, Confetti White, Close to Cocoa Textured & Watercolour Paper

Ink: Black Staz On

Accessories: Double Stitched 1" Wide Choc Grosgrain Ribbon, Twine, Jumbo Antique Brass Eyelets, Aquapainter, So Saffron, More Mustard, Choc Chip & Basic Gray Stampin' Write Markers

YAY - presents......

2008-12-26T20:31:00.003+11:00

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas.

Our family had a great day - the kids got spoilt, as usual & we all ate too much!! I was lucky enough to be involved in 2 Secret Santa's & thought I'd show you pic's of my gorgeous goodies
First up is this dashing pressie from my INKling Secret Santa Carol! Thanks so much Carol, I can't wait to use the brayer, rhinestone brads & all those Ribbon Originals.

Next is this gorgeous parcel is from my Elite Secret Santa - Lisa R, thanks Lisa, it is beautiful!

Here it is opened up, I can't wait to use some of the new wide Grosgrain Ribbon & rhinestone brads. Isn't the contertina card awesome - it also included some For Father stamped images that I have aleady used, so check back tomorrow & I'll show you what I created.

I have just realised that I was actually involved in 3 Secret Santa's, as my family had one too - I just forgot about it as it didn't involve stamping stuff.........I got a new hairdryer :-)

Peaceful Wishes

2008-12-24T17:15:00.003+11:00

I made quite afew of the following card this Christmas & I think it's fairly obvious why! I CASED this from Splitcoast Stampers & it was by far the simplest Christmas card I've made. Stampset: Peaceful Wishes
Cardstock: Whisper White
Ink: Always Artichoke, Real Red Marker, Basic Black
Accessories: 2 Way Glue, Glitter

While shopping the other day I was this little ornament & thought it would go perfectly in my Christmas project I showed you earlier this month (see here for a reminder)
It fits into one of the sections perfectly & the colours are quite a good match also.

Even though the donkey looks more like a cow, I still think it is pretty cute. There is only one sleep til Christmas Day - may the Peace & Joy of Christmas find your home!

Christmas Fun

2008-12-22T08:14:00.002+11:00

I've been having lots of fun making these packets of poop to sell at a local Christmas Mardigras & also as a fun little gift for Chistmas Day Here they are all ready to sell

This is my Sultana Reindeer Poop - named so as they are choc covered sultanas

Snowman Poop - even though we don't get snow at Chirstmas here in Australia (or any snow at all where I live!) I thought these were cute

I also made some Nutty Reindeer Poop using choc covered nuts. Don't forget that by simply spending $20 you can get Festive Favourites at 20% off - the fun little reindeer fits perfectly into the small tag punch!

Stampsets: Festive Favourites, Tags for All (retired)

Cardstock: Old Olive, Real Red, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Kraft

Inks: Basic Black

Accessories: Contraband Ribbon (I'm trying to use it all up!), Hemp Twine, Stampin Write Markers, Scallop Circle, Small & Large Tag Punches

More Christmas cards

2008-12-12T19:09:00.001+11:00

I find Splitcoast Stampers a great place for inspiration - all Stampin' Up! stamp sets are listed alphabetically, making it really easy to find a fun way to use your stampsets. There are also lots of tutorials on techniques & projects.The card I CASEd this from was a small 3x3 card - I changed afew things & think is works well for a normal sized card too.
Stampsets: Lots of Dots Wheel, Party Punch (hostess set)
Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Very Vanilla, Dashing DSP
Inks: Certainly Celery
Accessories: Red Grosgrain Ribbon, Square Fire Rhinestone Brad, Real Red Stampin' Write Marker

I've seen this card around alot & it looks great in lots of different colour combinations too!
Stampset: Lovely as a Tree, Occasional Greeting
Cardstock: Always Artichoke, Whisper White
Inks: Always Artichoke
Accessories: Artichoke Grosgrain

Merry Christmas Wanted!

2008-12-11T18:22:00.001+11:00

Who doesn't want a Merry Christmas!! I've been having fun making Christmas cards using non-Christmas stamp sets. I think I actually used Apple Cider DSP which is not available any more - you could easily substitute spotted River Rock DSP from Dashing or the new Ginger Blossom papers if you wanted the same look.
Stampsets: Wanted, Party Punch (hostess set)
Cardstock: Real Red, Very Vanilla, Apple Cider DSP
Inks: Real Red
Accessories: River Rock Double-Stitched Grosgrain, Scallop Circle, 1" & 1 1/4" Circle Punches

I can't believe how many things can be made with a flower petal! I have seen butterflies, dragonflies & smiley faces all made using Pick a Petal - must get too it & make some myself. I first saw these candles on Splitcoast Stampers - they'd also look fab on a birthday card too & are a great way to use up some patterned paper scraps!

Stampsets: Pick a Petal, Occasional Greeting
Cardstock: Purely Pomegranite, Whisper White, Holiday Harmony DSP (retired)
Inks: So Saffron, Always Artichoke
Accessories: More Mustard & Basic Black Stampin' Write Markers, 2 Way Glue, Dazzling Diamonds

Christmas CASEing

2008-12-09T12:00:00.000+11:00

I'm back with some more of my Christmas cards, although I can't really call them mine, as I CASEd most of them. I found todays 2 cards on the blog of a talented Australian demonstrator - Nicki Tidbold. She is very clever & I've loved everything that I've seen on her blog - I liked these cards so much that I haven't changed them much at all!

I think this card was actually designed by another Aussie demo - Robyn Lawton. I can't believe I have only just bought Crab & Co, it is just soo cute & very versatile.
Stampset: Crab & Co
Cardstock: Real Red, Old Olive, Whisper White, Dashing DSP
Ink: Black Staz On, Real Red
Accessories: Blender Pen, Olive Grosgrain, Puff Paint & stapler

I loved Nicki's original card using Season of Joy, but since it is now retired (I hope it returns in next years Idea Book & Catalogue) I thought I'd use a current stampset
Stampsets: Occasional Greeting, In the Spotlight (hostess set)
Cardstock: Confetti White, Always Artichoke, Wintergreen DSP
Ink: Always Artichoke
Accessories: Rhinestone Brad (from Pretties Kit), Sponge Daubers, 1 3/8 Square, 1 1/4 & 1 3/8 Circle Punches

Christmas Cards

2008-12-08T07:00:00.002+11:00

I thought it was about time that I tried to get organised for Christmas & made some cards - so here they are ....... ... about 97!! I've been using left over card packs from Workshops, Classes & Stamp-A-Stacks that I have been holding recently, which made it alot easier to get so many made quickly. Most of the cards have been CASEd from once place or another, so I thought I'd post them individually so you can see where I CASEd them from. Both these cards have come from a telented American demonstrator - Michele Force.

This card is pretty much an exact CASE, although I did change the stamp set used.

Stampset: City of David

Cardstock: So Saffron, More Mustard, Night of Navy, Whisper White

Inks: Night of Navy, More Mustard

Accessories: Navy Grosgrain Ribbon, Square Fire Rhinestone Brad

I've changed the colours & stampsets for this card - although I did CASE the layout & the idea for the So Swirly Wheel down the right hand side.

Stampsets: So Swirly Wheel, Hung Up on the Holidays, Peaceful Wishes, Occasional Greeting

Cardstock: Groovy Guava, Purely Pomegranite, WildWasabi, Whisper White

Inks: Wild Wasabi, Groovy Guava, Purely Pomegranite, Basic Black

Accessories: Guava Double-Stitched Ribbon

I'll endevour to post the rest of the cards over the coming week - I also need to make time to write in & send the cards :-)

Custom Baubles

2008-12-06T17:24:00.004+11:00

My sister recently bought me some clear glass baubles from Spotlight - they are so much fun because you can decorate them however you like!
For the one above I have stamped the crab, from the stamp set Crab & Co, onto acetate using Black Staz On & then coloured it using some Sharpie pens from Woolworths. I love Staz On ink - it gives such a crisp clear image & can be stamped onto glass or plastic & when dry it won't rub off. Once the image was coloured, I rolled it up to fit through the hole at the top of the bauble - the acetate will unroll once it is inside the bauble & you will be able to see the image. I've also added abit of sand from the kids sandpit in the bottom - I would have loved to add afew shells as well, but the ones we brought home from our last trip to the coast are too big, so I had to make do with afew rocks instead.

For the next one I have rolled up some 1/2" x 6" pieces of scrap Bali Breeze Double Sided paper & put inside. I also adhered a Rub On onto the other side. I'm hoping to find some time to try our afew more ideas for my custom made baubles in the next few days.

Tying up Christmas

2008-12-05T13:07:00.003+11:00

Not organised for Christmas yet? Need to make some last minute cards? Still need to buy those last minute gifts? Well during December simply spend $20 on any product & Stampin' Up! will give you 20% off a great range of selected items that are sure to help you 'Tie up Christmas'. Click here to see the full list of discounted products. The stampsets would be great for Christmas cards, the calendars & punch box wonderful gifts & I'm buying some of the wide grosgrain ribbon to tie around presents. One of my clever downline made these cards using the Festive Favourites stampset that happens to be available for 20% off this month - thanks to Mandy for allowing me to share them with you.

I love the little tag on this one. The stamp from this set fits perfectly in to the tag punch & by using both the small & large one, you can create a cute layered tag

Stampset: Festive Favourites

Cardstock: Whisper White, Real Red

Ink: Black Staz On, Real Red

Accessories: Real Red, Chocolate Chip & Creamy Caramel Markers, 2 way glue, Dazzling Diamonds, White Grosgrain Ribbon, Small & Large Tag Punches

I love how Mandy has used the Dazzling Diamonds on this card - aren't those snowmen cute! She has also used Many Merry Messages, which is also available foat 20% off once you spend $20

Stampset: Festive Favourites, Many Merry Messages

Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Whisper White

Ink: Blue Bayou, Black Staz On, White Craft Ink

Accessories: Bashful Blue & Certainly Celery Markers, 2 way glue, Dazzling Diamonds

Christmas ATC's

2008-12-04T12:53:00.002+11:00

It doesn't take much to sidetrack me & since the arrival of my Summer Mini products I have abandoned my Christmas projects. It is way past time that I got organised & actually made my Chrissy cards, especially since Christmas is now only 3 weeks away !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! These are the ATC's I made for last months swap & I forgot to post them here.

Stampsets: Peaceful Wishes, Short & Sweet

Cardstock: Purely Pomegranite, Always Artichoke, Whisper White

Inks: Purely Pomegranite, Always Artichoke

Accessories: Pomegranite Satin Ribbon, Pewter Brad, Blender Pen (to colour the berries pomegranite)

Summer Mini Love

2008-12-03T13:38:00.004+11:00

Things I LOVE in the new Stampin' Up! Summer Mini Catalogue:

Scallop Edge Punch - no more using my corner rounder for scallop edges YAY!
1" Double-Stitched Ribbon - I thought this ribbon might be too wide & therfore hard to tie in a knot or bow, but I am happy to report that it is not. It is soooooo nice, I just love it & have already used almost a whole roll of the Rose Red
Bali Breeze Double Sided Papers - the colours are just gorgeous & I'm having lots of fun using them

I really love just about everything in the catalogue really, but for the purpose of this post I will only list the items I actually used on the cards :-)

These cards were for a recent card swap I was involved in. I couldn't decide which colour I liked best, so made both

I coloured the word in using my Taken with Teal marker, then covered with 2 way glue & Dazzling Diamonds.

I also challenged myself to make a scrapbook page using a white background & am really happy with how it turned out. I used the same colours as the cards & have done the wording the same - although you can't see the diamonds in the pic.

Stampsets: Big on Spring, In the Spotlight (hostess set)

Papers: Whisper White, Taken with Teal, Regal Rose, Bali Breeze DSP

Inks: Rose Red, Taken with Teal, Versamark, Black Staz On

Accessories: Scallop Edge & Scallop Circle Punch, 1" Double Stitched Ribbon, 2 Way Glue, Dazzling Diamonds

Hello Summer Mini

2008-12-01T13:10:00.009+11:00

If you haven't got a copy of the new Stampin' Up! Summer mini catalogue, then you'd better let me know so I can send you one, or you could also click on the link on the right to check it out on the Stampin' Up! website. It has some really gorgeous stampsets & other fun products & the colours are so bright & fresh.

For last month's INKlings ATC swap I used one of the new sets I prepurchased, called Embrace Life - it is such a lovely set & there is also matching Double Sided Papers available. I didn't have enough Rhinestones Brads to make all my swaps the one colour, so had to mix it up abit & ended up using Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Purely Pomegranite & Blue Bayou

The theme was 'sparkles' so I have also added some Dazzling Diamonds to the flower, which has been stamping using Staz On onto Watercolour Paper & coloured with my Aquapainter & ink.It is fairly simple, but I am very happy with how they turned out.

Stampset: Embrace Life
Ink: Black Staz on, Blue Bayou, Purely Pomegranite, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Wild Wasabi, Old Olive
Paper: Watercolour Paper, Blue Bayou, Purely Pomegranite, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Rhinestone Brads, 2 Way Glue, Dazzling Diamonds, Aquapainter, White Gel Pen

Goodbye Holiday Harmony

2008-12-01T10:11:00.005+11:00

The Spring Mini has now finished & I will be sad to see Holiday Harmony double sided papers gone - I made this project to enter in Shelli's Happy Holiday Creative Challenge. I'm not really sure what you would call it, but I will be adding some pics of the kids & using it on the centre of my table over Christmas. As it folds flat you can also mail it, so I may even make one to send to my Grandma. Here it is closed & folded flat.

You untie the ribbon to open.

& can retie the ribbon to keep it opened out. There are four sections, so you can add lots of photo's, I also think it would look cute with a small nativity scene in each section - ETA I found a cute little nativity that fits perfectly, you can see it here!

Stampset: Party Punch (hostess set)

Papers: Purely Pomegranite, Always Artichoke, Holiday Harmony DSP

Ink: Purely Pomegranite, Encore Silver

Accessories: Hand Selected Accents & Elements, Styled Silver Hodgepodge, Rub Ons, Theater Ribbon Originals, Double Stitched Pomegranite

Boxes, Bags, Baubles & Bows

2008-11-24T21:38:00.003+11:00

These are some of the projects I will be showing you how to make if you come along to my Boxes, Bags, Baubles & Bows class on Saturday morning - send me an email if you are planning on coming along - alana@aussiebroadband.com.au

Now for any overseas visitors who may not know what a 'sausage sizzle' is - it's just a sausage sandwich, usually cooked on a barbeque, hence the 'sizzle'. Quite an Aussie thing, especially in the summer - although I'm not too sure if it technically is a sandwich, as it usually only involves one piece of bread with a snag (sausage) that has been cooked on the barbie (barbeque, BBQ) slapped in the middle, with a good helping of tomato sauce (ketchup - we never use this word :-))

Fabulous Angels

2008-11-24T00:14:00.005+11:00

Aren't these the cutest little Angels?? As soon as I saw this one, I had to make it straight away. They are made using the large flower from the Fabulous Flowers stampset.

Once I started I couldn't stop, so made afew colour variations. I can see there will be afew of these on my tree this year.

I was trying to use only Stampin' Up! producst, however I had to used some contraband silver cord. The beads are from the Pretties Kit & the halo is a ribbon slide from the Styled Silver Hodgepodge.

I added some glitter to this one & love how it turned out.

I can't believe there are only 4.5 weeks til Christmas & I have not posted a Christmas card on my blog yet!!! I hope the rectify this soon. In the mean time check out my kids with Santa. We went to our first Christmas party yesterday at the Cuttabri Wine Shanty & had a great time. Santa delivered presents that were kindly donated by the Salvo's & they also put on a free sausage sizzle.

Not sure what Santa is telling Sam here - I hope it was to behave!

This one of Josie cracks me up! She lent in for a cuddle & got abit excited - Santa doesn't look too impressed though.

Cyberstamp & Summer Mini Sneak Peak

2008-11-21T20:29:00.003+11:00

Last week the INKlings had our monthly cyberstamp & it was my turn to set the challenges. I was going to try & resist using products from the upcoming Summer Mini as they aren't available to customers yet, but I couldn't help myself.

First up was a colour challenge inspired by my new favourite papers Bali Breeze - Rose Red, Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise & Pumpkin Pie. Above I have covered some Stampin' Store containers with the gorgeous new double sided papers.

I thought I'd also make a card for the colour challenge & above is my sample using a new stampset Live Your Dream. How do you like the ribbon? It is the new 1" Double-Stitched Rose Red Grosgrain Ribbon & is just gorgeous. It also comes in Chocolate Chip & I have a feeling you will be seeing alot more of it in the future (I've almost used up my preorder roll already)

Next challenge was to make a scrapbook page using a card sketch from Beate Johns. Above is a 6x6 page, once again using the new Bali Breeze papers & if you look in the bottom right hand corner you will see another new product - Flower Fusion felt flowers, they are lots of fun!

The above page uses the same sketch, however it is 12x12. I have used Live Your Dream stampset again & this time teamed it with the co-ordinating Afternoon Tea Double Sided Papers. The beautiful big scallop circle is another new product - Carousel Note.

I hope you enjoyed looking at my cyberstamp efforts, along with abit of a sneak peak at some of the new products that will be in the Summer Mini - available from 1st December 2008.

Christmas Tags & Pouch Tutorial

2008-11-10T17:50:00.005+11:00

I thought a tutorial was way overdue, so here is one for a quick, easy & inexpensive gift. I am going to give out afew as early Christmas presents, but they could easily be made up with birthday tags to be used throughout the year.Materials required:
6x6 page protector
8.25" x 6.5" cardstock (I've used Purely Pomegranite)
3.5" x 3" cardstock for tag base
Designer Series Papers (DSP - I've used Holiday Harmony)
Extra cardstock for matting (I've used River Rock, Purely Pomegranite & Always Artichoke)
Word Window Punch
Vintage Brads
Crop-a-dile
Length of ribbon (I've used River Rock Double Stitched Grosgrain)
Stamps (Season of Joy & Tags for All)
Ink (Always Artichoke & Purely Pomegranite)

1st step is to cut the binding holes off the 6x6 page protector.Be careful to cut between the two seams on the side - you can see this clearer in the pic below. You will be left with a clear pouch that is open at the top & has 3 closed sides.

Lay the trimmed page protector onto your 8.25" x 6.5" cardstock as above, lining the bottom edges up. The open end of your pouch should be at the top, with an overhang of cardstock above it

Fold the extra cardstock over the top of the page protector. If you wanted to score this first the measurement is 1.75". At this point you can stamp on the front of the folded cardstock, you may also like to place a 6x6 piece of DSP into the page protector.

Place the page protector back into the folded cardstock, making sure that the open end is under the fold. Using the large hole of the crop-a-dile, punch a hole about 0.5" from the top. Push the crop-a-dile all the way in, on the side of the cardstock. Do this on the other side also.

Thread some ribbon through the holes & tie a bow at the front. Your tag pouch is now finished - on to making the tags to go inside.

For each tag you will need:

3.5" x 3" piece of cardstock

3.5" x 3' piece of DSP torn in half

stamped image from Tags for All

cardstock mat for your stamped image

1 x brad

piece of cardstock punch using the word window punch.

Adhere the layers in the following order - 3.5" x 3" cardstock, torn DSP, cardstock mat, stamped image. Fold the word window punchout in half over the edge of the tag & use the mat pack & paper piercer to pierce a hole through all the layers. Insert your brad through the hole.

Your pouch will easily hold all the above tags & more.

When putting your tags into the pouch, there is no need to unthread the ribbon. The holes will be far enough apart that you can undo the bow, lift the flap & slide the tags in.

I used Stampin' Up! Dashing DSP to make this Christmas Card Pouch, I had also made a sample using Wintergreen DSP, but gave it away before I took a photo of it, so will have to make another one.

HOpe you have enjoyed & understood this tutorial :-)

Happy Birthday Jayne

2008-10-29T10:41:00.005+11:00

Jayne is my upline with Stampin' Up!, she is a very talented stamper & a source of inspiration, not only for me, but the rest of her team - The INKlings. We are located all over Australia which makes it abit hard to get together & have a birthday party, so we decided to have a virtual birthday party instead. I have brought some candles for the yummy cake that Margaret is bringing

If you'd like to keep partying, then hop on over to these blogs:

Michelle

Secret Garden Mini Calendar

2008-10-20T17:13:00.002+11:00

Here is another Mini Calendar - this one is made using papers & die cut stickers from the Secret Garden Simply Scrappin' Kit stuck onto a wooden coaster. Afew people have asked, so here is the info - if you are in Australia you can purchase these mini calendars from Educational Experience, I can't post a link, but I'm sure if you google the name you can find them :-)

Mini calendars

2008-10-19T21:49:00.005+11:00

Afew weeks ago I received come cute little mini tear off calendars in the mail, so thought I'd make some up into fridge magnets with my business card at the top. I have just attended a weekend scrapbooking & stamping retreat at Lake Keepit, so gave one to each of the lovely ladies who came. Sadly I was afew short so need to make up some more to send out - if you attended the camp & missed out please send me an email with your address & I'll pop one in the post to you - alana@aussiebroadband.com.au

You may have noticed I didn't come back with my Mini Spring Fun Day projects - sorry about that, they will be up soon :-)

Bad Blogger, Birthday Specials & Baby Cards!

2008-10-07T19:59:00.003+11:00

I know.... I've been a very bad blogger. I did try to upload these photo's last week, but photoshop was playing silly buggers. I got the idea for these cute little cards from Lauren Meader's blog - she also has a tutorial to help you recreate them, they were lots of fun & really easy.

Stampin' Up! is turning 20 this month, so to help celebrate they are giving you 20% off the following 5 stampsets (click here for more details):

Short & Sweet
Crab & Co
Birthday Best
Pretty Princess
Big Bold Birthday

They are also taking 20% off Simply Sent Card Kits, but only until October 11th (click here for more details)

Stampsets: Short & Sweet, Petals & Paisley
Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, Whisper White
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue
Punches: Scalloped Circle, 1 3/8" circle, Small Oval, 1 3/8" Square
Accessories: Markers, Buttons, Brads & Eyelets

I've been rather busy getting ready for my Spring Mini Fun Day on Saturday. We will be making at least 3 projects - I'll come back & share them with you soon :-)

6x6 Swap

2008-09-29T07:59:00.004+10:00

Recently I organised a 6x6 scrapbook page swap for the INKlings demonstrator team that I am part of. I made the theme 'All About You', so everyone had to include some information about themselves - it was great fun learning abit more information about these lovely ladies, some of whom I have never met 'in real life'

I used one of my new favourite stampsets, Brocade Basics - I really can't believe I didn't like this when I first saw it!! I heat embossed the leaves on the background with white embossing powder, cut out the petals & attached with a gorgeous brad from the Styled Silver Hodgepodge. The medallion on the top left was made using silver embossing powder & the faux metal technique - lots of fun!

Here is abit of a closeup of the embossing & flower. The photo is so typical of my family - it is so hard to get a nice picture of everyone. Journalling reads:

'I love getting family photo's taken, but Bernie hates it! Usually he is frowning or looking grumpy, so wouldn't you know it, the one time he smiles, the kids are being FERAL!'

Stampset: Brocade Basics
Cardstock: Kraft, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Basic Gray
Ink: Versamark, Pretty in Pink
Accessories: White & Silver Embossing Powders, Pink Taffeta Ribbon, Stylied Silver Hodgepodge

Huge thanks to the other ladies who joined in the swap -

Dani
Lin Mei
Kari
Clare
Fiona
Ruth

Spiral Punch

2008-09-26T13:58:00.003+10:00

Firstly, a quick thanks to everyone who has been leaving me comments lately. I love comments - they mean alot to me :-)

Tegan was wondering how I made the edge on the black cardstock for my Sesame St spinners. I used the Stampin' Up! Spiral Punch - it is great for covering Stampin' Up! On Board Art Journals or other spiral notebooks, you can see a tutorial I have made here. I have also used it on the following card & scrapbook page.

Thanks so much for your question Tegan, if you would like to email me your address, I'll send you one of my spinner cards in the mail - alana@aussiebroadband.com.au

Multicoloued In Colors

2008-09-26T12:46:00.004+10:00

I love colouring onto my stamps with Stampin' Write Markers to give a great multicoloured image, however the In Colors don't come in markers, so you need to improvise. Above are some of the things I have used to get a multicoloured image using In Colors:
Bold Stampset - I'm using Tart & Tangy
In Color Inkpad & Reinker - Wild Wasabi (I will also use Purely Pomegranite, but it's not in the picture
Blender Pens
Stampin Write Marker - I'm using Real Red
Masking Tape
Baby Wipe

The first & probably the easiest was is to ink the whole stamp in Wild Wasabi & then use a baby wipe (or cotton bud) to clean the ink off the stamp in the areas it is not wanted. I then used my Real Red Stampin' Write Marker to reink the area with the desired colour.

Another way is to make your own In Color Markers using blender pens & reinkers. You can soak the pens in a small amount of ink, which works well if you are using it straight away, however the ink does soak up the pen if left awhile. I place a drop of ink into my inkpad lid (then there is no mess to clean up) & give my blender pen a little soak in it each time I reuse it. You can then use in the same way as a marker to ink your stamp. This is great if you want to use two different In Colors to colour your image

This last one I will show you is using masking tape. I quite often use masking tape, but usually when I don't have to cut the tape into any shape. So I could cut the tape to be the right shape I placed it on my stamp & coloured over it with a pencil, this will leave a mark where the edge of the leaves are. I then cut it out & replaced on the stamp, inked the stamp in Wild Wasabi, then removed the masking tape so I could colour the rest of the image with my marker - abit fiddly, but it does work.

Do you know of different/easier way to stamp a multicoloured image using In Colors?? If so, I'd love you to leave a comment & let me know.

Spring Mini Fun Day Invitation & tutorial

2008-09-23T16:36:00.000+10:00

To celebrate World Card Making Day (October 4th) & the arrival of Spring I will be having a Spring Mini Fun Day on the 11th October. There will be lots of fun things to make, things to learn, prizes & giveaways - so make sure you contact me if you would like to come - alana@aussiebroadband.com.au . I will be donating $5 per attendee to the Wee Waa Hospital, along with 10% of any sales.
This is the invitation I made to send to afew of my loyal customers & friends. They were lots of fun to make & of course I forgot to take a photo of them all before sending!
I thought I'd do up a really quick tutorial to show you how they were made - enjoy :-)

Supplies:

12cm x 10cm piece of cardstock (I used Real Red in this example)

Paddle Pop Stick (again, I found some red ones to tie in with my colour theme)

Horizontal Slot Punch

Corner Rounder Punch (not pictured)

Scalloped Circle Punch

Small piece of ribbon

The other items pictured are optional, I used them to embellish the front of my paddle pop invite - Old Olive & Real Red Markers, 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" Circle Punches, Stamps (Tart & Tangy), Snail, Real Red, Wild Wasabi & Whisper White cardstock

Firstly fold your 12cm x 10cm piece of cardstock in half

In the middle of the right hand side punch 2 holes with the Horizontal Slot Punch. For the first hole I pushed the punch in as far as it would go & punched, then I moved it downwards about 1cm to make the second hole - you can see this abit better in the next picture
When making this example I forgot to round the corners - so if you wanted to, you would need to do this now. Most Stampin' Up! punches don't cut through 2 layers of cardstock very well, however the corner rounder does, so I punched mine with the invite closed, you also don't need to punch the top right hand corner.

After punching the corners, insert the paddle pop stick through the punched holes as pictured

Usind the Scalloped Circle punch out the 'bite' mark in the top of your invite. I punched out the front one first, then closed my invite & used the front as a guide to punch the back 'bite'

Tie your piece of ribbon around the paddle pop stick

Your invite is now basically complete, just print off the party details & stick on the inside & decorate the outside.

My outer embellishment was very simple - I coloured the strawberry (or apple) from Tart & Tangy with my markers & punched out with a 1 1/4" Circle & layered on a 1 3/8" Real Red Circle & Wild Wasabi Scalloped Circle
Whenever I am using my punches I always hold them upsidedown - this way I can always see exactly what I am punching. This is particularly helpful when punching out a stamped image as it allows you to make sure the image is in the centre of the punch
Stick the strawberry/apple on the font & you have a cute little invite! You can see that the invite on the right has the corners rounded & the one on the left does not.

If you were paying close attention you may have noticed that I have used Wild Wasabi cardstock & an Old Olive Marker - they don't really match, but I thought they were close enough. I have since changed my mind, so check back tomorrow & I will show you a couple of different ways to use an inkpad to create a multi coloured image.

And the winners are .........................

2008-09-23T09:47:00.003+10:00

Australian Only Blog Candy, as drawn by RandomJosie.org

kate j
Open Slather Blog Candy, as drawn by RandomSam.org (who is allegedly home sick *rolling eyes*)

nicpiper

I will be contacting kate j & nicpiper shortly to organise delivery of your goodies. Thankyou so much to everyone who entered, it was especially great to see so many of my local girls joining in & commenting :-)

Sesame Street Spinners

2008-09-19T17:36:00.006+10:00

Lin Mei's 2nd challenge for the INKling cyberstamp was to make a spinner card. They are really fun - when you tilt the card to the side the image spins all the way across the card - if you click here you can see the tutorial I followed & if you are in Australia you can substitute the penny for 5 cents.
I immediately thought of a spinning flower or butterfly, but then thought that others probably had the same thought (are you still with me?), so wanted to do something different. I then remembered seeing some cute little Sesame Street punchies around the blogosphere lately & decided Elmo would be great at spinning!

This is so different to the cards I have been making lately, but was heaps of fun & the kids loved it, so I decided to make Elmo some friends.

I think Oscar the Grouch is my favourite, but have just thought (oh no not again!!) that I need the Bugs & Kisses stamp set to make is little friend Slimey!

Stampset: It's Your Birthday
Cardstock: Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White, Summer Sun, Old Olive, Night of Navy, Basic Gray, Pumpkin Pie, Close to Cocoa, Choc Chip, Pretty in Pink, Summer Picnic DSP
Ink: Basic Black
Punches: Scalloped Circle, 1 1/4" Circle, 1/2" Circle, Small Oval, Horizontal Slot, Spiral, Word Window

INKlings Cyberstamp

2008-09-18T19:03:00.005+10:00

Monday night was our team cyberstamp which was hosted this month by the very talented & funny Lin Mei. If you have the chance to check out her blog please do - Lin Mei has a hilarious sense of humour & her posts always give me a giggle.

First up was a colour challenge - Basic Black, Almost Amethyst, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White & abit of Silver. I had a hard time adding black & had to settle for the stamped image & sentiment being the only black used!

I was feeling abit challenged, so CASEd the layout for this card from the current Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalogue - page 41. I find the catalogue a constant source of inspiration for layouts, colour combinations & embellishment ideas. If you would like a copy for FREE, then send me an email - alana@aussiebroadband.com.au I will give one away to the first 3 people who email me!

Here is a close up of the paper piercing & the cute little owl popped up on dimensionals. I coloured the image in with an aquapainter & inkpad & although it is not particularly good it still looks OK

Stampset: Celebrate Everyday
Cardstock: Almost Amethyst, Choc Chip, Amethyst DSP
Inks: Basic Black, Choc Chip
Accessories: White Grosgrain Ribbon, Silver Cord (retired), Aquapainter, Mat Pack & Paper Piercer

I will post the 2nd card I made for the cyberstamp tomorrow. If you don't already look at Carol's blog, make sure you head over there to check out the creative way she used the same little owl from Celebrate Everyday - very clever Carol :-)

Australian Only Blog Candy

2008-09-18T17:23:00.005+10:00

WOW - what a difference one year can make! Just over 12 months ago I made the decision to join Stampin' Up! as an Independent Demonstrator & it has been one of the best things I have ever done. I have made some lovely friends & learned so much about papercraft & stamping, been published & I also started this blog. I never thought that many people would be interested in looking at what I made, but soon this blog will have had 20,000 hits!!! As a thankyou to my loyal visitors I am offering up the following blog candy:

New unmounted Merci stampset - as used for my recently published cards here
Handmade bookmark
3x3 notecards & co-ordinating box

Only one entry per person & once comments reach 15 I will add extra goodies & keep adding extra for every additional 5 comments. Sadly I have had trouble posting things overseas in the past, so this candy is only open to Australian residents - however overseas visitors can enter in my 'Open Slather Blog Candy". To be in the running to win, leave me a comment on this post before 10am AEST Tuesday telling me what your favourite Stampin' Up! stampset is!