Reminder - SU! Spring Catalogue Finishes Soon

Just a quick post to remind you that last orders for the current Stampin' Up! Spring Mini Catalogue will close on the 30 November 2009.

This Mini would have to be one of my all time favourites. There are so many great stamps, paper and accessories. I thought I would share a quick blog hop with you to showcase some of the wonderful creations arising from the Spring Mini. So here goes (just click on the links to see the full card):

1. Forest Friends from Marelle Taylor


2. Great Friend from Mary Beerman


3. Unchartered and Parisian Breeze Paper from Beth Stewart


4. Tree Trimmings and Ski Slope Paper from Kylie

(All designs and photos courtesy of the card-makers indicated above.

With thanks to Marelle, Mary, Beth and Kylie).

I hope you enjoy these creations. Sometimes it seems I like looking at cards more than making them. But then I stop procrastinating and make one of my own and know that holding your own creation in your hands is the best feeling.

If you want anything from the Mini before it disappears forever, please contact me on phone 0402 347 010 or email me by 8pm on Monday 30 November 2009.

Thanks for visiting.

Love from Crafty KimT

A Very 70's Colour Challenge

I recently had a weekend away stampin' with other Stampin' Up! demonstrators and one of the challenges set was to create using the above colour combination which originates from Kristina Werner. It looks like something out the 70's doesn't it? To those who can remember the 70's that is.

Now I was busy with another project which I will detail to you in future posts so I wasn't able to take up the challenge but there were some very impressive responses which I thought I would share with you.

First is this one from Carol Dunstan which uses the new Just Beachy set from the recently released Spring Mini Catalogue:


The 4WD and surf board is great for male cards, I've got another card using this set to share with you later. And then there was this cutie using Animal Crackers:

The message is "reach for the stars!" and here is how the card looked when you open it up:


Probably my favourite of these cards was the following from Belinda Hennessey:

I love the Always stamp set and matching wheel teamed with decorative paper and some impressive sponging. Belinda has also used her white gel pen to outline some of the brown images so they really "pop".

Well done to all the participants and thank you for sharing your work.

Love from Crafty Kim

Christmas Card from Clever Carolyn

The new Spring Mini Catalogue contains lots of ideas and items for Christmas which will be upon us before we know it (it's like a slippery downhill slope all the way to December 25th).

The above card was designed by a very clever downline demonstrator of mine, Carolyn Gibbs. She has used a set called Tree Trimmings. But not in the conventional way shown here:


Ryn has used the longer ornament stamped repeatedly in the shape of a star. The background is the smaller ornament stamped multiple times in Baja Breeze ink on the same coloured card stock. The centre of the star and the matting behind the Kraft cardboard are both from Ski Slope which is a new Christmas-theme paper.

I was very impressed with Ryn's creativity but she's taken the card above and stepped-it-up with a ribbon and brad plus some edge distressing. Check out this post on her website to see what I mean.

To see more of the new Mini, please come along to the launch party tomorrow, there's still room for more.

Thanks for your time and attention, please keep watching, I've lots more to share.

Love from Crafty Kim

Reminder of New Mini Catalogue Launch - Saturday 8 August

(Card created by Belinda Hennessey)

Yes, the new Stampin' Up! Spring Mini Catalogue is here. And to celebrate, I am hosting a launch party on in Cherrybrook on Saturday 8 August between 2 and 8pm. It's an open house format so come when you can, go when you must.

There's still room for more people to attend so if you can make it along, you'll be most welcome. Please phone me on 0402 347 010 or email me.

I've just come back from a weekend away with my Stampin' Up! family. I've got so much to show you and I still haven't posted my birthday cards yet. The beautiful card shown above was made by fellow SU! demonstrator, Belinda, using a cute set from the new Mini called Forest Friends along with Pocket Silhouettes. And she's cleverly used the new flower brads.

We'll be show casing more cards using new Mini sets, papers and embellishments on Saturday so please book in. And stay-tuned for more posts coming up.

Love from Crafty Kim

Checking In

Hello everyone,

Yep, I'm still breathing. Please accept my apologies for the absence of posts in the last week. Thanks to those faithful blog followers who keep popping back hoping to find a new post from me.

I've been keeping busy in the last week. I hosted my Get Ready for Christmas paper-craft event last weekend and today was the official Pink Ribbon Day (to raise funds for breast cancer research and patient services). I'll be posting news about these soon.

But first, some housekeeping. Remember this image? I am pleased to announce that Robyn A, Carolyn and Robyn L determined the stamp set to be Always from the SU! Spring Mini Catalogue. The card came from Yvonne Campbell, and here it is in full:


Clever Yvonne has used her Garden Green and Real Red markers to colour the stamp. Then after stamping, she has applied Crystal Effects to the red berries to give them shine and dimension. Thank you to Yvonne for sharing her card idea.

Robyn A, Carolyn and Robyn L will each be receiving a sample of this card and a small selection of Accents and Elements (Christmas stickers) which are also from the SU! Spring Mini Catalogue. Now, my camera is currently out-of-action so I can't photograph these stickers for you but with thanks to my Stampin' Up! family of demonstrators, I can show you some creations from another SU! demonstrators to give you an idea. Here they are:

(With thanks to Sharon Davis for idea and photo)

Gorgeous aren't they? Thank you again to Sharon for helping me through my current camera drama.

I've got lots to share so please keep checking back, there will be plenty of new posts to view this week. But for now, I need to unpack and sort my supplies after the recent Christmas event. And some housework and sleep might be needed too.

Love you later,

Crafty Kim

Quick Scrappin' - Photo Board

I prepared this Photo Board as a make-and-take for a group of scrapbookers that I try to join every month at Brush Farm Bowling Club (warm "hello" to everyone in the group). Its actual size is 14 x 14cm. This one is free standing (i.e. it has a stand at the back). But my friend, Rachel English, suggested that some well placed magnets on the reverse would make it perfect for the fridge in your kitchen or the filing cabinet at your office.

I have used some of the bright Summer Picnic Designer Series Paper from the Stampin' Up! Spring Mini Catalogue to cover a thick, square piece of plain chipboard. The co-ordinating colours for this paper are Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red and Old Olive. I chose to use Bashful Blue and Pumpkin Pie as the complimentary colours for my paper. The use of the Spiral and Tab Punches as well as the addition of some Pumpkin Striped Grosgrain and a Bashful Blue Brad is all I've done to complete the look.

The picture of Ashley and I, taken at Taronga Zoo on an overcast day in July, isn't brilliant in terms of focus or colour. One day I'll get the hang of digital photography - until then I keep experimenting with different papers and printers. The photo is not fastened down with adhesive, it is only held by the clip. So, if you get an updated photo, you can just clip it into place. For a step-by-step instruction on how to quickly create a photo board of your own visit Makeesha Byl's Tutorial (with thanks Keesh).

I'm thinking these photo boards would make nice, easy and affordable gifts for teachers, grandparents and the like for Christmas.

Thanks for visiting my web site.

Love from Crafty Kim

Take Two on "The Swap Card That Wasn't"

Remember this post? Thanks to Michelle, Robyn and Marelle for your suggestions on how to improve the card as well as to others such as Leonie who praised it when I lacked confidence in my creation.

Here's what I came up with in the end:


The changes are background stamping with French Script (now replaced by En Francais), some extra layering of card stock, addition of scalloped corners (made using the Slit Punch) and more half-pearls, one in each corner. The heart from the Always stamp set and overall colouring of Blush Blossom and Groovy Guava, the "For You" greeting from the One of a Kind stamp set and the white taffeta ribbon all remain as per the original card. I'm alot happier with the result although I would never have made many multiples of this card for the purpose of swapping. Note to Michelle, this card is on its way to you.

I'm really into the duo of Almost Amethyst and Lovely Lilac at the moment so decided to extend this card idea into the following card:


This card shape fits into a DL envelope and I've used Almost Amethyst Print Series Designer Paper for the background. I've placed another "For You" greeting (this one from the Occasional Greetings set) punched out with the small oval punch. Note to Robyn, this is on its way to you.

Only one more sleep and I'll be back home in Sydney. I've had a grand time stampin' with Cass. It all ends too soon.

Love from Crafty Kim

Welcome Nathan James

It's been a busy few days but I finally got to making a baby card. My beautiful friend, Kathryn, has been blessed with a gorgeous boy, her third son. Big brothers Thomas and Benjamin are thrilled with their new brother. Ben, is especially proud to be a big brother for the first time after nearly five years of being the little brother.

In the words of Don Herold..."Babies are such a nice way to start people". I couldn't agree more.

The starting point for this card was Bashful Blue. I looked at my trusty Colour Wheel and found that it teams well with Brilliant Blue. I tried teaming the blues up with Barely Banana and it wasn't in any way offensive but it was hardly eye catching. All by myself, I came up with Pumpkin Pie instead (with apologies to Michelle Dyson who has an aversion to orange). But what else? I'm thinking green but what green? So I went for a visit to Stampin' Up! Colour Combos site and plugged in the colours in use. Back came Whisper White (obviously), Gable Green and Wild Wasabi. I do like Wild Wasabi but I love the soft freshness of Gable Green.

I was away...I love giraffes and have a few of them in my collection. I decided to use the little giraffe from Little Hellos and use the Spotlight Technique. I just coloured the giraffe with an orange pencil since Brilliant Blue smudges if you try to water colour or use a blender pen on the image. I used the corner rounder punch to create a scalloped edge and then the 1/8 inch circle punch to add the holes to the scallops. I love the new Silver Hodge Podge from the Spring Mini Catalogue so I framed the words "baby boy" from Everyday Flexible Phrases with silver. I couldn't leave my ribbon reel in its home so Pumpkin narrow grosgrain was threaded behind the silver frame. I used my favourite pad, Versamark, with Itty Bitty Backgrounds to stamp the Gable Green base card.

So, if you're ever faced with a colour dilemma, be sure to solve it by visiting the Colour Combo site. There's always a link to it on this web site, on the right under "Places I like to visit".

I have been working on a Christmas novelty item today and bought some Pascalls Columbines for the purpose. Unfortunately, I was unable to complete the project due to a shortage of the lollies. It seems the manufacturers put less in the bag than they once did ;)

So I'll be back right after I've re-stocked the Columbine supply.

Love from Crafty Kim

P.S. Note to my lovely friend Suzanne, also a recently appointed mother of three boys, if you're reading this. I know baby Matthew is older than baby Nathan and I still owe you a visit and a card. You're not forgotten. Thanks for your patience.

The Swap Card That Wasn't

For those of you who don't know what I mean by card swapping, it's where a group of card-makers get together and each make several copies of their card design with a view to swapping cards with others. Sometimes they are themed around an occasion (such as Christmas) or a technique (like watercolouring); other times it is completely open. In this way, we get fresh ideas and designs to inspire us and also acquire display cards using stamp sets we may not own ourselves. It's always fun.

On Saturday 6 September (yes, that was the day the rain really, really poured down in Sydney town) I attended a Stampin' Up! function at Darling Harbour. It is a mini stamping convention with ladies from all over NSW attending and the excitement in the room full of stampers is huge. You really should come as my guest to the next one but I guess that's for another day.

One of the highlights amongst a day of stamping, learning new techniques and socialising, is swapping cards. Here is the card that I made with the intention of participating in the swap at this SU! function.


I wasn't 100% happy with it, I feel it needs something more in the background. So I procrastinated over making more and in the end, I only made one! Way short of what I needed to go swapping. I regretted it when I saw all of the others' gorgeous swap cards but there's always next time (annual Convention in Canberra next year, I'm counting down the days already).

Perhaps you can help me with ideas to improve this card? It uses the beautiful heart from the new Always stamp set (I could buy the set for this heart alone). The colours are Groovy Guava and Blush Blossom with Whisper White card and taffeta ribbon. The heart has been stamped in Groovy Guava ink on Blush Blossom card stock and cut out with snips. Then it was mounted on top of another stamped heart (Groovy Guava ink on Whisper White card stock) using SU! Dimensionals. A bit of sponging of Groovy Guava ink using Sponge Daubers around the card edges and a "for you" greeting from the One of A Kind stamp set (imagine it perfectly straight) and it is almost done. I got the idea of sticking a half-pearl (white) from the Pretties Kit onto the heart from a card made by Teneale Williams.

Please leave a comment or send me an email ktonnet@bigpond.net.au if you've got any suggestions. Thanks in advance for looking.

Love from Crafty Kim

Faux Tearing - Show Demonstration & Special

Time has flown by since I participated in the Stitches and Craft Show at Rosehill. If you visited the Stampin' Up! stand you may have seen one of the demonstrations. But if you didn't come into the Show or were in too much of a rush to really take notice, here are the details of one of the techniques on display. It is called Faux Tearing and it also showed off the One of a Kind stamp set and matching punch.

(With thanks to Marelle Taylor for card design and photograph)

That Paisley Background pattern you see there is not stamped on a separate piece of card stock and then mounted; it's actually just stamped straight onto the base card. It's a really simple technique and very effective. It makes you want to run your finger over the "torn" edge.

Instructions for creating a faux tear are:
1. Tear a scrap of paper that is at least as wide as the card front. This will be the mask.
2. Lay the torn edge along the base card where you would like the faux tear to be.
3. Use sponge daubers to sponge along the torn edge in ink.
4. Move the mask up a few millimetres and stamp the Paisley Background stamp in the same coloured ink above the tear.

We had a kit available for purchase at the Show, and I'd like to offer this Show special to those of you who weren't at the show. One of the best things about these cards is that you only need one ink pad to make the card.

Faux Tearing Show Special
Background Stamp of your choice (P. 107-08 of Main Catalogue)
“One of a Kind” Stamp Set (P. 4 of Mini Catalogue)
Boho Blossoms Punch (P. 5 of Mini Catalogue)
Pack of 12 Sponge Daubers (P. 150 of Main Catalogue)
Double-stitched Ribbon - 13.7 m (P. 146 of Main Catalogue)
1 Inkpad in colour of your choice (P. 130-31 of Main Catalogue)

Total (including Shipping and Handling) $145 ...that's a saving of over $10!

Purchase price also includes step-by-step Faux Tearing instructions (with pictures), a sample card and further stamp usage ideas.

Please email me at ktonnet@bigpond.net.au if you want to take up this offer.

Thanks for visiting and reading. I'll be back soon with more Show demonstrations, samples and specials.

Love from Crafty Kim

Mint Pattie Anyone? Come Along & Treat Yourself at My Open House

Just a quick reminder that my Open House is on from 7:00 - 9:30pm tonight (Friday 29 August 2008). There's still room for more people if you can make it along.

Above is one of the fun little projects we'll be making. I've used the One of A Kind stamp set and the co-ordinating Boho Blossoms Punch with Sage Green and Close to Cocoa colours to decorate mint patties. Yum!

Most of the items in the new Stampin' Up! Spring Mini Catalogue will be on display for you to view and/or try out.

There'll be more make-and-takes, a demonstration and give-aways. All for $10. Please call me on 02 9484 0117 or 0402 347 010 or email me to let me know you're coming.

Hope to see you tonight,

Love from Crafty Kim

It's Beautiful Too

Sorry I didn't get this card onto my blog on Saturday as planned. But here it is now:


This card is made from the same It's Beautiful stamp wheel that was used to make this card. Except this time, the wheel was inked in Versamark Ink (so called because it is a clear ink that leaves a "watermark" like image on your card stock). I love my Versamark pad; it is definitely the pad I would take with me anywhere if I could choose one ink only. Here it has been teamed with Stampin' Up!® Pastels for what is called "Poppin' Pastels". You can use a number of applicators to apply colour pastels to the Versamark. These include sponges, sponge daubers, "eye-shadow" style applicators and cotton buds. For small, fine areas, you carefully dab the powder on; for larger areas you can rub the powder on it a circular motion. The end result is very pretty. You may want to prevent the pastels rubbing off by using a finishing spray such as Helmar Fixative. For more information on this technique, see yet another online tutorial from Beate Johns.

This card was designed by Lin Mei Yap and she has bordered the image panel with two vertical lines of paper piercing and added knotted Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon. The Designer Label Punch was used to punch out the greeting and in keeping with the feature image, the edges of the label were coloured with pastels too.

As pretty as all these flowery cards are, Father's Day is fast approaching (it falls on Sunday 7 September this year). So next post will feature a male card.

Love from Crafty Kim

It's Beautiful, It's Versatile & It's Postponed

Here's another card I'm planning for guests to make at my Open House. It was inspired by a card made by Angela Parker for our crafty weekend away. I've used the It's Beautiful Jumbo Wheel from the new Stampin' Up!® Spring Mini Catalogue. Stamp wheels are versatile; they can be used as the feature or the background. They're also quick and inexpensive. Once you have the wheel handle (priced at $7.50 for the standard size or $10.95 for the jumbo), you can add any standard or jumbo wheel to your collection for $11.95 or $15.95.

This card has a monochromatic colour scheme, meaning shades of one colour only are employed. I love it in Purely Pomegranate teamed with the co-ordinating double stitched ribbon but it would work equally as well in a variety of other colours. Another feature to note is the paper piercing which follows the swirls in the stamp pattern. Here's a close-up to show you what I'm referring to:



The greeting comes from Circle of Friendship and I've used the scallop and circle punches to mount the greeting and distinguish it from the busy background. I scalloped the corners with the Slit Punch and added some Pretty in Pink Brads to each corner. To reduce the starkness of the white card stock I used my ink pad and sponge daubers to lightly sponge ink around the stamped images.

The invitation to my Open House planned for the afternoon of Saturday 16 August generated lots of interest. Thanks to those readers who replied to me. Unfortunately, many ladies just couldn't make it along on this date so I've decided to postpone the event in the hope of more people being able to attend. I apologise for the disappointment and inconvenience this change generates and thank you for your understanding. New invitations will be sent out by email to my newsletter readers this weekend and I will also publish details here early next week.

I'll be back later today to show you another use of this lovely stamp wheel.

Love from Crafty Kim

Coming Soon....Your Invitation to our Christmas Theme Craft Day

In October this year, my fellow paper-craft addict and Stampin' Up!® demonstrator, Michelle Dyson, and I will be hosting a day-long Christmas card-making and scrapbooking event in the Hornsby / Hills district of Sydney (Australia).

It's a great way to get your Christmas cards made, or to catch up on some scrapbooking. There will be plenty of space for you to spread out your supplies and stay all day. Michelle and I will be demonstrating some gorgeous Christmas projects, and we'll issue challenges to participate in. As well as prizes to be won! You will receive a goody bag of materials to make Christmas projects.


And Michelle and I will have all of our Christmas stamps and associated tools available for your use. Trust me, that's alot of stamps to choose from. And there will be plenty of cards and other items on display to inspire you.

We're just finalising the venue and timing at the moment ahead of sending out invitations. If you are not already receiving my Crafty Kim newsletters by email, please make sure you sign up for my newsletter in order to receive your invitation with all the details.



Now, about these three cards; more treasures from my crafty weekend away. They are designed by Fiona Poirier, Michelle Dyson and Alana Galagher respectively. Thank you to these ladies for allowing me to share their card designs with my blog readers.

All cards feature the funky Christmas set in the new Stampin' Up!® Spring Mini Catalogue, called Season of Joy. If you're tempted to invest in a new set of stamps for Christmas this year, this is the one to go for. It is really versatile, with a tree, a swirl, a star, a snowflake, two flowers and various greetings. And don't forget to get a jar each of Heat 'n' Stick Powder and Dazzling Diamonds, they really add Christmas sparkle to your projects, as seen in the last card. And on this same card, do you like the Purely Pomegranate Satin Ribbon? It comes in Chocolate Chip too. Both are perfect for wrapping gifts as well as for embellishing your cards and pages.

Better get back to making cards while watching the Olympics. I'm working on Father's Day items at the moment so I'm trying to complete them "on the sly". Shouldn't be too hard to escape husband Bryan's attention, he's very absorbed by the sport.

Love from Crafty Kim

Want to learn how to watercolour like this?

I made this card last weekend on my crafty retreat. The starting point was a sketch or layout challenge from Splitcoast Stampers:

For those unfamiliar with a Sketch Challenge, it is a suggested layout for paper-crafters to follow. In my card, the main flower image on the watercolour paper is part 4; the Rose Red Prints Designer Series Paper is part 2 and the Regal Rose Wide Grosgrain Ribbon is part 3 while the base Pretty in Pink cardstock stamped with leaves and the "for you" greeting is part 1.

The stamp set, Bloomin' with Beauty, is from the new Stampin' Up!® Spring Mini Catalogue and for fans of watercolouring, it is perfect. Not confident of your watercolouring skills? Well consult Cambria Turnbow's tutorial Watercolouring for Cheaters. Still not convinced? Consider coming to one of my watercolouring classes (details to follow soon or please email me).

I'm often asked by customers what the larger holes in the Mat Pack template are for? The Mat Pack is famous for its use with a piercing tool and soft foam cushion to embellish a card with a row of pierced holes or faux stitches.



So what are those two sets of larger holes for? Have you tried to set 2 or more eyelets or brads in a straight row and failed? It sounds simple but if the eyelet or brad is out by a mm or 2mm, your eye can see it. So in the card above, I used my Mat Pack to ensure the three Pretty in Pink brads are in a neat vertical row.

Now for a quick bit of fun...the first person to leave a comment with the name of the other stamp sets used in this card wins a surprise gift. Please note this competition is open only to Australian residents and excludes Stampin' Up! demonstrators.

Love from Crafty Kim

Treat Yourself to A Wonderful Afternoon at My Open House

This Popsicle card is one of the projects we'll be making at my open house (in Westleigh, NW Sydney suburb, NSW, Australia) on Saturday 16 August. I've used the Tart and Tangy stamp set (on loan to me from my downline Lesley Annabel - thanks Lesley) from the new Mini Catalogue to make these. The Scallop Circle punch made the bite marks and I added some Striped Grosgrain ribbon to decorate.



Colours are Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun and Wild Wasabi. Hopefully you can see the frosty edge in the (first) picture, this was achieved by sponging the cardboard edges with Whisper White ink using sponge daubers. To see how we'll be doing it, have a look at this tutorial from Patty Bennett.

I'd love it if you can come along, from 12:30 - 3:30pm. I'll be show-casing products from the new Stampin' Up! Mini Catalogue. There will be a demonstration of how to make a Scratch-And-Sniff version of the above Popsicle card, more make-and-takes to complete and prizes to win. You'll also receive a printed copy of the new Mini. Chocolate and other sustenance will be in plentiful supply.

There will be an entry charge of $10 each to cover costs. This is fully redeemable if you place an order for $50 or more on the day.

Please RSVP by Friday 15 August by email or phone 0402 347 010. I will give you further details when you reply to me.

I really hope you can make it along. If you bring a new friend, your entry price will be reduced to $5 so please ask others along too.

Love from Crafty Kim

Beautiful New Stampin' Up! Products - The 2008 Spring Mini Catalogue

Well I don't know about you but I haven't worked through my Wish List of items from the Stampin' Up! main catalogue yet. But this didn't stop me from pouring over the new Mini Catalogue, items from which go on sale today (1 August) until the 30 November 2008.

In my humble opinion, it's Australia's best Mini Catalogue yet. There are some great new stamps sets in it, including a groovy Christmas set, Season of Joy. In fact, there's lots to get you going on your Christmas paper-craft. Stamps, Decorative Paper, Chipboard, Embellishments and gorgeous Satin Ribbon. You know you can never start making your Christmas items too early.

If you enjoy water-colouring, there's Bloomin' with Beauty - I can't wait to colour these images. There's also a really funky little set called Tart & Tangy which is loads of fun and inexpensive as well.

Want to see what I'm raving about? The new Mini is now online. If you'd like a copy to hold in your hands, or an Adobe PDF of the catalogue, please email me.

Now I'm excited to be heading away for a weekend of paper-crafting with other Stampin' Up! demonstrators. While I'm away I'll be working on projects which I'll demonstrate at my open house on the afternoon of Saturday 16 August 2008 to showcase items from the new catalogue. I'll give you more details soon but please, save the date in your diaries.

Love from Crafty Kim