Get an extra $90 in hostess dollars for FREE in June/July!!!

What an exciting month - Stampin' Up! has just released two amazing offers for customers and hostesses! The first offer is amazing - if you host a workshop party during June/July you can get an extra $90 in hostess dollars! Yes for a party with sale cover $650 you get the normal free catalogue and ideas book RRP$12.95*, a free demonstration of your choice and a free make and take for you and your guests - plus you get the normal $100 in hostess reward dollars and one item at 50% off - and then as a winter bonus you get an additional $90 in hostess dollars free! Remember you can redeem your hostess dollars on anything in the current catalogues so if you want to shorten your wish list, contact me now to book a workshop party or place an order.

French Foliage CASE

I was part of an online fundraiser recently for Breast Cancer and one of the samples made was a CASE of a CASE and consequently now I have no idea who originally made this card - but I love it and wanted to share my card with you. It's sort of another variation on a faux layered card, it doesn't look like a card made just from Whisper White card stock does it?? 

Did I ever tell you that the best value item in the entire Stampin' Up! catalogue are the stamping sponges - $6.50 #101610 for 3 that I cut up and make into 18, topped with the round tab punch labels so they don't get mixed up when I am using them.........bargain!

Stamps: Loving Thoughts, French Foliage 

Ink: Early Expresso, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake

Card Stock: Whisper White
Accessories: Linen thread, mat pack, paper piercer, paper snips, Dimensionals, stamping sponges.
Non-SU! Post-it notes

Reason To Smile Sneek Peek!

I was so excited to hear that there are two awesome new Stampin' Up! offers coming for June - one of which involves FREE rubber! I also wanted to take part in this months sketch challenge on Craft Project Central and here's the sneak peak result.......

I combined making my own designer paper using the two step stamps with some fussy cutting and Twitterpated designer paper & Baker's twine. I love the look of the square lattice folder - what's your favourite embossing folder?

Stamps: Reason to Smile, Every Moment
Ink: Basic Gray, Cherry Cobbler, Blushing Bride, Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzaz
Card Stock: Whisper White, Twitterpated designer paper, Basic Gray
Accessories: Dimensionals, Big Shot, Square Lattice Folder, Cherry Cobbler Bakers Twine, blender pen, stamping sponge, paper snips.

Why should I pay so much for SNAIL when I can get 50m of double sided tape for $2?

Several people ask me which adhesive is the best to buy as SNAIL isn't the cheapest. In some classes I also use a different brand of double sided tape (Stylus) as I don't have 12 SNAIL dispensers and to be honest if we used SNAIL in class I would have to either ask people to BYO or pay an extra $5 a class as I find when it's not their adhesive they try to paint with the SNAIL rather than just using it as an adhesive! 

I am reluctant to get people to bring their own tape for two reasons, firstly if people start bringing their own stuff to class, it gets mixed up with my stuff and things might get accidentally put in the wrong bag during clean up time and if they run out or forget to bring it they'd end up using mine anyway. Secondly people chose different quality adhesives and honestly you do get what you pay for and I would hate for someone to look at a card made in one of my classes and judge it as being rubbish purely based on the quality of the tape chosen by the creator (not me) - see below for an example.

Here is a card I made using cheap tape a few years ago, I was making some samples up and ran out of my SNAIL adhesive so grabbed the nearest tape to finish it off which happened to be from my sons craft box.

Can you see the oily looking trails left by the tape along the whisper white Top Note? Well here's a closer look.............

Sort of ruins the look of all the lovely sponging along the edges doesn't it? Well look what happens when I apply some gentle pressure.......

The whole lot just came apart - the adhesive just doesn't stick well over time and leaves a papery trail and an oily residue.

Now not every card is designed to last forever, but for those special people whom you make a handmade card for and like to keep it for longer than just the week or so of the event or can you imagine making a scrapbook page with this tape?? Definitely not acid free and wouldn't create something that will last from generation to generation! I strongly recommend thinking twice before you chose which adhesive you will use to create your artworks with as it's a shame to spend all that time, effort and supplies only to have it all come apart or be ruined by oily residues........

SNAIL is refillable and comes in 12m rolls, it has a continuous dispenser and is acid free and you really do only need a small amount in each corner of a card to hold it together permanently. To order SNAIL click here #104332 12m SNAIL adhesive $12.95 #104331 SNAIL refill $8.50.

Faux Layering with Just Believe

In a recent techniques class we did faux layering - a fairly simple technique that combines sponging and masking techniques, some patience, lots of post-it notes and practise to create an awesome dimensional look on just one layer of card stock! I must confess though - the sentiment for this one was popped up as a separate layer, pearls were added as flower centres. The background was created using the Love Blossoms roller wheel that is a carryover item from the Summer mini catalogue and can still be ordered here.

Stamps: Love Blossoms roller wheel, Just Believe

Card stock: Basic Black & Whisper White

Ink: Concord Crush, Peach Parfait, Pear Pizzazz & Basic Black

Accessories: Stamping sponges, basic pearls, large oval punch, scallop oval punch, dimensionals, window sheet.

Button Buddies Pig

This was a fun card I made recently for a class focused on the stamp set Button Buddies and designer paper, this month is the best time to get designer paper as for every 3 packs, you get one free!

Stamps: Button Buddies, On Your Birthday, Pennant Parade 

Ink: Regal Rose, Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight

Card Stock: Big Top DSP, Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Regal Rose

Accessories: Big Shit, Tasteful Trim die, Perfect Pennants, 2.5" circle punch, Petite Pennants Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Dimensionals, Crystal Effects, stamping sponge, Basic rhinestones, subtles designer buttons. 

Birthday & Friends Scrapbook Pages

Here's another lost scrapbook layout from last year (I loved that DSP so pretty), from memory this was an aborted layout, that didn't make the cut into a class........although I like the chipboard flower embellishment that I made for it and the hidden journalling in the envelope......

although I like the chipboard flower embellishment that I made for it and the hidden journalling in the envelope......

I know I didn't finish the layout s it has no title on it - even though I am assuming it was done for a birthday because of the cake die cut! Then I morphed it into these pages.........

I love how the Stamp-a-ma-jig makes it so easy to line up elements like this part of Artistic Etchings....

Doesn't it make a great border for the photo mats & journalling components? The journalling was hidden inside this envelope.......I love the scallop envelope die......it has a perforated part (similar to the Top Note die, so you can trim things off and it gives it a perfect layer).

Inside the envelope, the stamping and sponging matched the rest of the layout (you can tell this was one of my finished layouts as it had sponging on it - unlike the one at the beginning of this post!).

Stamps: Artistic Etchings, Friends 24-7
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Riding Hood Red, Basic Black
Card Stock: Very Vanilla, Riding Hood Red, Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Love Letter DSP.
Accessories: Big Shot, Scallop envelope die, Tasteful trim die, Simple Letters alphabet, stamping sponges, blossom party die, chipboard sheet, 2 way glue pen, multi-purpose adhesive sheets, decorative label punch, round tab punch, Big Bold Cupcake die.

May Team Swaps

We had a lovely evening last week where we got to spend an evening chatting all about the latest Stampin' Up! news, swap cards and make a useful business tool. The swaps were a to of fun and they focused on the theme of the in-colours. Here's what we swapped......

Lovely use of lace and the Top Note die by Jocie:

Inlaid embossing after fussy cutting LOTS of Vintage Flowers by Tracy:

A very sweet card by Myleigh:

A funky fold opening card by Nikki:

Stunning layering of the Fun Flowers die by Marsha:

and mine - well I forgot to take a photo of it *grin* I'll re-create it and post it on here soon! Hope you got some ideas from the above swaps, I know I did!

Video - Spreading the Ink Technique

This is from an American Stampin' Up! demonstrator training section, but it's too cool not to share with you as it shows you how to create a unique embellishment for a card or scrapbook page. Carrie Cudney from the Stampin' Up! Corporate Office takes a white embossed stamp image from Fancy Flower, adds a little water, then lets the ink spread with the aqua painter. You have to give this technique a go and take a picture and let me see the results!

I've had one of my Aqua painters for over 8 years and it's still going strong - so it really does pay to buy a quality products, another reason I love Stampin' Up! If you need to order any supplies to make this project contact me now!

Another Birthday Card - Field Flowers

I forgot to put the photo up of another birthday card I received last month - a lovely card made by one of my downline Tracy - who CASEd the card from Andrea B. I have to say this is has to be my personal favourite from the current catalogue - not a massively popular one, but for me I completely love this set!

and here's a close up of the flowers that she hand cut and popped up on Dimensionals

Thanks Tracy it's a beautiful card!

Stamps: Field Flowers, Happiest Birthday Wishes, Parlor Prints
Card Stock: Not Quite Navy, Whisper White
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Marina Mist, Old Olive
Accessories: Dimensionals, paper snips, wide oval punch, brayer.