CASEing the Catalogue to make a Haberdashery Card

Just a quick post because it's way past my bed time (I'm up late preparing to leave my family and employment for 4 days so I can attend the annual Stampin' Up! Convention in Canberra). Just as well I'm not driving down; I might even get a chance to nap in the car.

On page 71 of the new Stampin' Up! catalogue, I found a card I really liked and decided to CASE it (Copy And Share Everything, the paper-crafter's motto). And I have plenty of scrap decorative paper (who doesn't?) so I created the card above. It had a haberdashery feel to it so I took this idea further and added a button. It's not very clear in the photo but I've made a border from paper piercing.

The base card colour is Certainly Celery and I've used the small swirl from Priceless plus a greeting from Occasional Greetings. Along with my 1.25 inch Square, Small Oval and Scallop Edge punches. The ribbon is Going Gray Taffeta and there is Linen Thread through the button. A Vintage Pewter brad completes the picture. Note I used Going Gray ink as an alternative to black ink, it's less harsh.

I liked the simplicity of this card and extended the idea to make another Mother's Day card:


In this card, the base card stock is Mellow Moss and I've used a Gold Brad and Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon. As an alternative to the paper piercing border, I punched a 1/8 inch hole in each of the scallops of the scallop border. Looking at it now, I should have used my Stampin' Dimensionals to pop-up the punched Cameo Coral flower in the top left square. Ah well, it is late.

Depending on the paper you use, this card could suit any occasion. I've got lots of scrap paper so if you would like some 3 x 3 inch squares and card stock to match, drop me a line at ktonnet@bigpond.net.au, including your postal mail address, and I'll send some out as my gift to you. Offer open to all Australian residents.

I'll be taking my laptop away with me so fingers-crossed I'll manage to get back here and let you know what a ball we're having despite the freezing weather ACT residents are currently enduring, brrrrrrr....

Love from Crafty Kim

P.S. And thanks in advance for your patience during this short interruption to normal SU! business.

Simply Red

Here's a simple and fast card designed by Margaret Crawford who has been a good friend to me in the last two years. It uses Inspired by Nature and the Friendly Words jumbo wheel both stamped in Riding Hood Red ink.

I really like the sentiments on the Friendly Words wheel, for example:

True Friends,
are hard to find,
difficult to leave,
and impossible to forget.

and

Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together. Woodrow Wilson (he is a former USA President).

It makes a lovely background on a card or scrapbook page.

And the main image, well, if you're looking for a stamp set you can do lots of techniques with, Inspired by Nature is the one. I hope to bring you more examples in the future to show case its versatility.

And there's that Eyelet Border Punch again, is it on your Wish List yet? Or more to the point, is it on your family's shopping list for Mother's Day? I'm here to help with gifts for the crafty mother in your life. Please get in contact with me soon to arrange.

It's about time I gave you a creative tip or technique demonstration but I think that is going to have to wait until next week because I'm off to Canberra this coming week for the annual Stampin' Up! Convention. Yes, there really is such a thing as stamping conference. I'll be stampin' and hanging out with other paper-craft tragics from Friday 1st until Sunday 3rd May. But it's not goodbye just yet, I'll be posting here before I go.

Hope your upcoming week starts well.

Love from Crafty Kim

Hoot Hoot Hooray - It's an Owl Card

Have you noticed how popular trees, woods, birds and owls in particular have become in the realm of paper-craft? My own interest in owls started last Christmas when my lovely friend, Fiona, and I used some Hero Arts Owl stamps to make Christmas cards. Then I travelled to Africa where I saw plenty of real owls up close and my fascination grew. So I was really pleased to see a new owl set in the 2009 Stampin' Up! catalogue.

I made this card following a design by Beth Stewart who declares Owl Together Now to be her favourite set of the new catalogue. The colours are Kiwi Kiss, Close to Cocoa and Pacific Point. The background paper is from the Urban Garden Designer Series Paper and the ribbon is Pacific Point Grosgrain. I've used a blender pen and ink pads to colour the image because of the small working area. I've eye-balled the positioning of the owls and balloon rather than used a Stamp-A-Ma-Jig. Which is why one of the owl's feet are not sitting on the branch but hey, it's a bird, they jump and fly so why not?

Love from Crafty Kim on Anzac Day 2009
Lest We Forget

Pink Pocket Silhouette

On Wednesday last week I got together with a group of other Stampin' Up! demonstrators to make cards using new stamps. It was so much fun; being school holidays, we had kids running around every where but they kept each other amused while we played with rubber. I've said it before but one of the best things about being a SU! demonstrator is meeting others who share the paper-craft passion.

I made this card above following a design from Joanna Wassens. It uses Pocket Silhouettes (P. 72 of the new catalogue), Best Yet (P. 19 of the new catalogue, a level 1 hostess set) and the Eyelet Border Punch (how pretty is this punch?). The colours are Pretty in Pink and Certainly Celery.

So pretty, so simple. I've got more cards to share from this day over the next week so please stay tuned.

Love from Crafty Kim

Important Diary Date

Here's an important date for your diaries. I have been kindly invited to participate in a....

CRAFT SUPPLIES

CLEARANCE SALE

For sale will be all things crafty as myself and several other Stampin' Up! demonstrators clear out our cupboards of both SU! items and goods from other manufacturers. Papers, stamps, punches, embellishments, in great condition, all priced to go.

So please come along and grab yourself a bargain. There will be lucky door prizes to win too.

When: Saturday, 23rd May 10am -2pm

Where: The Church Hall (Blacktown East Presbyterian) Cnr Heffron Rd and Gallop Gr, Lalor Park (near Bella Vista and Blacktown). I will post map/directions closer to the date.

- DON'T MISS THIS -

Hope to see you there on the day.

Love from Crafty Kim

Final Tally for Stampin' Up! Bushfire Appeal

In mid-February, Stampin' Up! launched a Bushfire Appeal in response to the tragedy that affected so many lives in Victoria and across Australia. I'm pleased to announce that with the sales of the Bushfire Appeal sets, the final donation amount to the Australian Red Cross Bushfires 2009 Appeal will be $77,889.63!

THANK YOU to all those customers who purchased the Bushfire Appeal sets, you've made a difference to those whose lives have been shattered.

I thought the card above was "on-topic" since it depicts the beautiful gum blossoms prevalent in our native bush land. I see it as a sign of hope and recovery for not just our bush but our communities in those areas affected by recent bushfires. I know it will take time but the bush is resilient and so are Australians. To create this card, I've used a stamp set created exclusively for the Australian market, called Bloom Away (page 88 of the main catalogue). I've also used the Weathered background stamp. The colours are Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red and Garden Green. I've stamped the image in Staz-On onto watercolour paper and coloured with my Stampin' Up! Markers.

Love from Crafty Kim

(Decorative 12 x 12 inch) Paper on My Mind

Hello,

Another long pause between posts, thanks for checking back to see if I have updated my blog. I remain committed to an ongoing web presence but I'm suffering from more ideas than time!

One of the things I've been doing between posts is cutting up the new Stampin' Up! Designer Series Papers. Yes, all 23 sets of 6 different designs. I ended up with thirty-two sets of one-hundred-and-sixty-eight 3 x 3 inch samples. Big thanks to my step-daughter, Chrissy, for helping me cut up sheets and collate sets. And then my dear Mum zoomed-in to help me post these samples out to customers and fellow demonstrators. Where would I be without Mum?

A timely thought since Mother's Day is fast approaching. I've been dreaming about paper as I'm sure you can appreciate so when asked to design some Mother's Day cards for upcoming classes and workshops, I used some paper!

In the card above I used Pick a Petal stamp set (page 96 of the main catalogue) stamped in Ballet Blue on some dotty Barely Banana paper (Spring Showers - now retired). The other colour is Mellow Moss. A rhinestone brad, some edge distressing, paper piercing, ribbon and sponging, and we're done. Use this idea for other occasions by leaving the "Mum" off or subsituting it with another greeting.

Enjoy your day and thanks again for looking,

Love from Crafty Kim

Here's to Friendship

"A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be." Douglas Pagels

Without friendships, my life wouldn't be anything approaching the joy it is because of my friends. To all of you, thanks for being a part of my world. I truly appreciate you. I hope everyone had a safe and happy Easter.

Now about the card, it's one of those cards that I couldn't let go of. I stamped the images and wasn't happy with their positioning on the cardboard but I refused to give up on it. I think I did a reasonable job of rescuing it but I'm still not 100% happy. I must give credit where it is due; the use of So Saffron (the yellow colour) was my husband, Bryan's, suggestion. He offered it more in hope of getting me to be quiet about the card after I had loudly agonised over various options (he maintains that some of the craft room is his home office).

The other colours are this year's In-Colours; Pacific Point, Baja Breeze and Riding Hood Red. The ribbon is the co-ordinating Pacific Point Striped Grosgrain Ribbon. I've used my Blender Pen and Baja Breeze Ink Pad to colour the "Good Friend" greeting.

Now I'm supposed to be designing a card for a card swap I'm attending with some other stampers tomorrow and then I'm booked to teach a class in the evening. Plus I need to go to work at my other job later tonight so must get on it. I'll come back to share what I make.

Love from Crafty Kim

A good time was had by all at New Catalogue Launch

Hello,

Just wanting to quickly share with you what I did last Saturday night. My step-daughter, Chrissy, and I went to a new catalogue launch party. Chrissy is seated at the front left in the photo above with my friends, Kim, Britta, Barbara and Fiona.

Chrissy got into the stamping quite easily, and made this card first:


It features three of the new In-Colours; Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point and Baja Breeze and the new stamp set, Good Friend, with a small piece of paper from Good Morning Sunshine Designer Series Paper. The Tab Punch and Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon have also been used.

There were several new items and, card samples made with them, on display. It was a popular spot:

Thanks to these lovely guests for letting me take their photo, especially to the lady posing nicely with the catalogue [I'm told she used to be a Tuppa consultant so she "knows the ropes" :) ].

While I was busy talking, Christina kept occupied making another card:


This card features the stamp set Three Little Words. The inside of the card is stamped with "thanks so much". The colours are Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze and Pink Pirouette. This pink is lovely and soft, almost like fairy floss. The background image has been stamped in Versamark. Punched flowers from the Boho Blossoms Trio Punch have been layered and topped with half-pearls from the Pretties Kit. An edge scalloped with the Scallop Border Punch and Chocolate Grosgrain Ribbon finish the card.

I stayed after the guests had left and made one more card which is still in need of a finishing touch but I will post it later this week, when my Pacific Point Ribbon arrives. When Michelle started suggesting I sleep-over on the sofa couch, I knew it was time to go so reluctantly we went home, happy to have the extra hour of sleep with the finish of daylight saving.

A good time was had by all. If you couldn't make it this time, please don't miss the next event. I am off to the Stampin' Up! Convention in Canberra on the 1 May so I'm thinking I'll host a gathering after I return to share the new techniques and ideas we gleen.

Love from Crafty Kim

You could win this Fresh Cuts Stamp Set

Hello,

Well it's been a busy week at Stampin' Up! My first order with the new catalogue goodies hasn't arrived yet (I'm patiently waiting - not) but I had the opportunity to play with a new set called Fresh Cuts. Like many stamp sets in the SU! range, it has other items designed to work with it. In this case, the related product is Fresh Cut Notes and Matching Envelopes. These are die cut cards, with a large flower cut out from the front. Here I have placed two layers of card stock behind the die cut flower. One layer (Baja Breeze) is a rectangle stamped with the background stamp of the set. The other layer (Kiwi Kiss) is the 5 petal flower punch. I've also used my 1/2 circle punch for a mat behind a Styled Silver Brad from the Hodgepodge Hardware. A White Taffeta Ribbon finishes the card nicely. I must remember to decorate the envelope, "never a naked envelope".

Now this Fresh Cuts stamp set is also one of the stamp sets that those who purchase the new catalogue from me go into the draw to win. The new catalogue is $10 for local pick-up or drop-ff (North West Sydney suburbs) or $12 posted to anywhere in Australia. The catalogues are available for the whole year but the lucky draw offer closes on 30 April 2009.

Lastly, did you notice my use (above) of the New In-Colours? Readers of my newsletter received a full run-down of the new colour offerings. If you'd like to learn more, please subscribe to my newsletter by sending me an email or phone me on 0402 347 010. While you're in the sign-up mood, why not sign up for website updates too, the sign up box is over there ------>

Better go but I'll be back with some more Fresh Cuts ideas. And I really must get cracking on Easter novelties.

Love from Crafty Kim