Faux Metal Accents

Images Copyright 1990-2007 Stampin’ Up


Here's a quick and easy card. I was asked to do a kids card for one of my workshops. This is what I came up with although I think it's not necessarily for kids. At the workshop I re-did the same card, but instead of the large flower I used the elephant image from the "Wild about You" set from the new catalogue. So by changing the stamps slightly it can have a completely different feel.
I've used the white gel pen to do the faux stitching around the edge of the Real red cardstock, and I've used the "Rough Texture" jumbo wheel to the left of the main images. But the main feature of the card really is the "Faux Metal" piece that I did the "Smile" stamp with. This is a great technique, although I have to say it does take a little practice, and Im still working on it. It basically involves building up several layers of embossing powder, and then, when the embossing is quite thick and still warm, you stamp your image into it. As long as you are using metallic embossing powder (ie Gold, silver or copper) it will give you the look of metal. What do you think Guys? Hope you enjoy it!
Happy Stamping!

Linda

"But I'm not Creative...."

Images Copyright 1990-2007 Stampin’ Up!



How many times have I heard THAT at a workshop??

You never hear a child say something like that. All children have absolute confidence in their ability to create. It doesnt matter to them if their creation isnt perfect, or isn't worthy of the Art Gallery. They just love that feeling of creating something. Why then do we adults become our own worst critics and lament our lack of ability?

The point is that just the simple act of putting aside a little time to express yourself creatively is good for your soul! Many of my customers tell me that the feeling they get when they allow themselves to make a card or a scrapbook page takes them away from all the other things that cause them stress. It's really important to take time for yourself, and creating a new project can be part of that. I love watching people at my workshops completely forget their other problems for a while and just make something beautiful. It's a real buzz for me.

But how do you create something if you honestly believe that you have no creative skill? One great way is to CASE, (or steal) other people's ideas. CASE stands for Copy And Share Everyting and in the papercraft world it is absolutely fine! Sometimes it's just the start you need. Usually you'll end up putting your own spin on it anyway, and it becomes yours. You'll find lots of ideas in Magazines as well as on internet sites, and of course, this blog.

Above I've put 2 cards side by side. The first card is directly copied from Page 77 of the new Stampin'Up! Idea Book and Catalogue. You'll find this a great resource as it is filled with card, layout and project ideas on every page. (If you dont have one yet, please contact me at higgiz@bigpond.com) The second card uses exactly the same layout and design as the first card, but I've used different colours and different stamps. How cool does it look? See, it's OK to copy and then make it your own.

So the next time you feel as though you are lacking inspiration find someone else's idea that you love, and make it yours! And I dont want to hear you say you-know-what!!! :)

Happy Stamping Guys!

Linda

Only 2 weeks left to WIN A STAMP SET...

Here's a quick card made using the "Simply Said" stamp set. Cute, huh?
Images Copyright 1990-2007 Stampin’ Up!




Just a quick reminder guys... the competition that Im running to win a stamp set will finish at the end of May 2007. So if you havent already entered here's what you need to do...

1. Subscribe to this blog by entering your email details into the box where it says "Subscribe Me".

2. Post a comment on this blog. You can comment on any post that takes your fancy.

Once you've done these two things, you'll be entered into the draw. Pictures of the sets that you can win can be found in the "Competition Time" post below, dated 22 April. Good luck!

Paper Crafts Festival 1st - 3rd June 2007

For anyone close to Sydney NSW on the first weekend in June I would recommend getting yourself and a friend (or several) to the Paper Crafts Festival. This is a big event and will be a great place to be if you are into Paper Crafts of any kind. There'll be lots of exhibitors showing off their stuff, and several of us are really honoured to be manning (or should that be wo-manning?) the stand this year on behalf of Stampin'Up. Over the course of the 3 days, we'll be demonstrating lots of techniques and people will be able to stop by and make a project with us for free. That means that everyone who joins us during the show will be able to take home a little memento of their time with us Stampin'Up girls. There'll also be Showbags and Lucky Door prizes. So please come and say "Hello"!
For those of you who plan to make it, here's the details for your diary:
Paper Crafts Festival,
1st, 2nd & 3rd June 2007
Sydney Showgrounds
Sydney Olympic Park
10:00am - 5:00pm Friday & Saturday
10:00am - 4:00pm Sunday

Here's the official website for anyone who wants more details, including a timetable of classes and a list of exhibitors:

http://www.papercraftsfestival.com.au/

Hope you can join us for some stamping and fun!


Finally, here's a card for you all. It's by special request as I did a workshop for a lovely group of girls today and they asked whether I could post a picture of this card on my blog. I think they have it in mind to CASE it, (In case you are wondering, that stands for Copy And Share Everything) so I am quite honoured that they would want to. (In Card-making and Scrapbooking, copying is absolutely fine, dont ever feel guilty about it. That's why those Card and Scrapbook mags exist, so that the rest of us can find inspiration!) If you ever copy something EXACTLY however, you are supposed to credit the original designer. Otherwise, go for it and HAVE FUN!

Still feeling the buzz....

Well I've been back from Convention for a few days now. And I cant believe that Im still feeling the buzz even now. IT WAS FANTASTIC! Stampin'Up definitely know how to spoil their demonstrators! We (Georgina, Cheryl and myself) travelled down to Sydney together and stayed in a hotel close to Darling Harbour. To be honest, it was like a weekend long slumber party! I do love my kids, but the break away from them for 2 nights was lovely too.

It's hard to say what the highlight of the Convention was. There were so many. But meeting so many of my online friends for the first time in real life would have to be up there... as well as the Awards Night dinner, and the sessions themselves. I learned SO much! I think it exceeded our expectations on so many levels.
So the question is... how many of you will be joining us next year? Already we have the dates (April 11 & 12, 2008) and the venue (Brisbane!). There's no way that I will be missing this event, it truly was one of the best weekends I've ever had!

So to finish off, I am posting a couple of pictures of the many sample cards that were up on display. Many of these were examples of techniques that we learned over the course of the weekend. I want to thank my beautiful friend, Carol Dunstan, for taking the time to photograph the sample boards, and for giving me permission to show them here. Many thanks Carol.

If anyone has any questions about any of these samples please just ask me. Thanks for looking!

Convention 2007

Well life here has been busy busy busy. But I've decided lately that I just need to accept that my life is like that, and probably wont change for a very long time. Just have to keep juggling those balls in the air, and hope that I don't drop them too often. :) Even though I'm busy, life is good.

One of the reasons that I've been so busy this week is that tomorrow I will be joining a couple of hundred other demonstrators for a Stampin'Up's very first Australian convention at Darling harbour in Sydney. I am sooooo excited! I'll be meeting some of the Stampin'Up staff for the first time, as well as lots of other demonstrators. The group of demonstrators that I am in is called the "Elite Stampers" and we all keep in quite close contact via a forum on the net. But tomorrow many of us are going to be meeting up IRL (in real life) for the very first time and that is going to be so much fun! Besides this, SU has planned lots of sessions for us to attend... some of them are business focused, and some of them are techniques based. Cant wait to learn some new stuff and get some new ideas! Also we are each being given 2 stamp sets from the new Catalogue to play with (I love getting free stuff!) and there's also a celebration dinner on the Saturday night. I have a feeling that we are going to be quite spoiled.

So tonight I still have a bunch of packing to do, and organizing the family before I leave tomorrow morning... so I'd better hop to it.

This all means I wont be around for a couple of days, but keep those subscriptions rolling in and post a comment to get a place in the competition prize draw. (See the "Competition Time" post for more details of what you can win)

I did actually try to upload a new layout for you all to see, but for some reason Blogger is not allowing me to add images tonight. I'll try in the morning if I get time. See you soon!

Linda

Smart Start Promotion - May 2007

Stampin' Up have just released their "Smart Start" promotion. For anyone out there who has ever considered purchasing the Stampin'Up demonstrator kit, now's a great time to be thinking about it a bit more. Just for May, the kit is available at the great price of $299. That's almost $600 value, for less than $300. Any way you look at it, that's a great deal!

And it's not just the kit itself that makes this a great deal. Here's just some of the other stuff that you get:

* Cost of starter kit is only $299!!!! Valued at $585 that's a whopping savings of $286! ($25 of regular kit price)

* Ongoing discount on all your purchases - a minimum of 20%

*Choose the contents of your kit (you choose the stamp sets, and ink and cardstock colours)

*Low freight costs

*Fantastic upline support

*Demonstrators win free stamp sets

*Earn money to support your habit

*Access to demonstrator section of the SU! website, with templates, patterns and ideas

*Full colour monthly newsletter with new ideas and techniques featured each month

*No penalties if you drop out

*No annual subs

*Flexible working hours for those with families or work commitments

*Great training DVD with starter kit and training sessions Australia-wide

*Regular demonstrator incentives

*Demonstrators are eligible for hostess benefits too

*Access to a large team forum and gallery

*All consultants are able to attend annual conference if they wish

*Doing what you love - No more working at a job that's just a job

*Spend time with people who love to do what you do

* Take advantage of the fact that it's a brand new catalogue and everyone is very excited about it.

And I PROMISE THAT'S NOT ALL! Even so, that's a much bigger list than I thought it would be!

Any questions? Just contact me at higgiz@bigpond.com. I would love to talk to you more about it.


All paperwork must be received at the Stampin' Up! office before 5:30 pm AET on 31 May in order to be eligible.