Ready for December - our Awesome Advent Calendar

This is the first year I have actually gotten my act together and found the time to actually make an Advent Calendar... most year's I've thought about it briefly, and then I've gotten distracted with all the other things Im supposed to be doing in readiness for the Christmas season.

Then Stampin'Up went and brought out their latest Holiday Catalogue.. and wouldn't you know it... they had this great set of Tiny Treat Boxes for only $11.95, plus they brought out this fantastic set of number stamps called "25 DAYS"($41.95)... the two work together to create this advent calendar... and here is my version! It was actually a lot of fun to make :-)  I picked a colour scheme I liked and just made each number up as I went.. i love that how you do them is completely up to you!

When so much of the work is done for you (the boxes go together really easily) its hard to resist!

I'm looking forward to December... stay tuned... Im going to be putting up lots of gift ideas in December!

Linda x

Many Merry Stars stamp set in blues

I am really enjoying the "Many Merry Stars" stamp set this year... a mixture of snowflakes and stars.. how can you go wrong?  This was a fun card to do, and pretty quick too. I stamped my snowflakes onto a Soft Sky panel.. firstly in white (which I also heat embossed in white), and then I sponged some Lost Lagoon ink over the tops of the white snowflakes and extending around them. Then I stamped more Snowflakes in Night of Navy. Lastly I spritzed just lightly with Night of Navy in a spritzer bottle. I love the effect!

I wasn't going to ad the trees, but I changed my mind at the last minute.  The card would still have worked without them. I like the way that little tree cuts out so beautifully with the tree punch, and so I thought why not?  A little bit of bling in the centre of each one finishes it off.  You could use any sentiment with a Christmas message, but I used the "Seasons Greetings" from the "Watercolor Winter Too" set.

I hope you enjoy this card today... its also a reminder about next week's Stamp-A-Stack for those of you not quite finished your Christmas cards yet. We'll be making 6 cards (3 cards each of 2 designs - this card today is one of the designs) and the total cost is $20.  All materials and refreshments are provided.

The dates are:

2nd December @ 7.30pm (only 1 spot left)

or

3rd December @ 11.00am

Classes are held at Narara on the Central Coast.  Email me by clicking HERE if you'd like to join us.

Here are the supplies below if you'd like to make this card for yourself.

Many Merry Stars Photopolymer Stamp Set

$27.95

Naturals White A4 Card Stock

$12.95

Soft Sky A4 Card Stock

$11.95

Lost Lagoon A4 Card Stock

$11.95

Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad

$12.95

Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad

$9.95

Lost Lagoon Classic Stampin' Pad

$9.95

Stampin' Spritzer

$4.95

Stamping Sponges

$5.95

White Stampin' Emboss Powder

$8.95

Finishing Touches Edgelits Die

$16.95

Tree Punch

$29.95

Rhinestone Basic Jewels Embellishments

$8.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

OMG... such a great deal!

If you are a regular visitor on my Facebook business page or you receive my newsletters, you would already have heard about this fantastic deal that is on right now.

For ONE WEEK ONLY until the 2nd December 2014 you can join Stampin'Up Australia as a demonstrator for only $126.75.. which is a 25% discount on the usual price of $169.  But not only that, any orders that you place in December will earn you an additional 5% cash back!!!  Which is fantastic for anyone that has been thinking about joining anyway... but great for those that are regular customers of Stampin'Up product too. 

For example, say you've been going to place an order of perhaps $150.  Instead, you could buy the demonstrator kit for only $126.75, and you will get $235 worth of products OF YOUR CHOICE! Why not??

As a demonstrator it is completely up to you as to how involved you wish to be.. you can be what we usually call a "hobby demonstrator" and buy mainly for yourself and your friends. Or you can run classes and make a part-time income, or you can do it full-time like I do.. the choice is yours! 

For more information you can email me by clicking HERE... or you can click on the "Join my Team" tab above and fill in the online forms to join. It really is that simple. 

After 8 years with Stampin'Up I can honestly say I have never regretted my decision to join.. and I love being part of a company with so much Heart.  If you love SU too, then think seriously about being part of the fun, and doing what you love. 

Festival of Trees, Lost Lagoon, Silver and white. Magic!

I made this card today whilst preparing for a workshop tomorrow. The hostess is hoping to make quite a lot of cards for Christmas so asked that I come up with a simple design.

There is something about blue and white together that is just magic. Its clean and fresh. The blue here is "Lost Lagoon" (in my workshops I keep calling it "Blue Lagoon" which makes everyone giggle.. I just say I am having a Christopher Atkins moment) and the ribbon and ink and cardstock all match (of course!)  I added in some silver (the foil DSP is from the All is Calm paper pack) and some silver foil vellum too.  I also embossed the Naturals White background with the "Lucky Stars" folder for a bit of extra impact.

Im sure they will like it tomorrow, and I hope you do too! Here's the full card...

To book your own workshop with me just click HERE to send me a quick email. I'll come to you and show you whats new and exciting from Stampin'Up and we will create something for everyone to tai home.  I travel anywhere in the Hunter, Central Coast or Sydney metro areas. And don't forget we have a new catalogue (and our Sale-a-Bration specials) starting on the 5th January. I am already booking dates into January so call me if you'd like to have your own :-)


Below are the products I used to create today's card (click on them to order)

Festival Of Trees Photopolymer Bundle

$48.95

Soft Sky A4 Card Stock

$11.95

Naturals White A4 Card Stock

$12.95

Lost Lagoon Classic Stampin' Pad

$9.95

Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad

$9.95

Smoky Slate A4 Card Stock

$11.95

All Is Calm Specialty Designer Series Paper

$21.95

Lucky Stars Textured Impressions Embossing Folders

$13.95

Circles Collection Framelits Die

$45.95

Lost Lagoon 3/8" Silky Taffeta Ribbon

$9.95

Modern Label Punch

$29.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

Looking for a great Christmas gift? Here it is!

If you are looking for a great gift for a crafty friend this Christmas, but you're not sure what to get... I have the solution for you!  I've been making up these great gift card holders, and you can either add a gift card of your choice.. or even better... you can purchase a gift card from me to allow the recipient to choose their own present from Stampin'Up's awesome catalogues.  You can make the voucher for any amount that you choose. And don't forget, if they delay their spending until the 5th January they will be able to be part of the Sale-A-Braton promotion... our biggest promo of the year... to make even better use of their voucher!

There are two ways to purchase gift vouchers from me.  First you let me know the value of the gift card that you would like... I will make up the gift card holder (like the one you see here) and then you can choose to pay cash/bank deposit/Paypal for the amount that you select.  OR if you prefer to pay via credit card the bonus is that you don't pay for the gift until it is redeemed when the recipient places their order.  So thats one way to delay some of your Christmas spending until AFTER Christmas.. so its a good way to help with the budget :-)

Once we have sorted out how you are paying for the card I will then get it to you (anywhere in Australia) so that you have it ready to give to your lucky giftee.

To redeem the card, the  recipient will contact me and let me know what they want. If it has been paid for in advance they can just choose their products and they will be sent directly to them. If the voucher is awaiting a credit card payment, then i will contact you when the order is placed and we will use your credit card at that time to go ahead with the order.

To order your gift vouchers please contact me by clicking HERE.  Vouchers are redeemable until March 31st 2015.

Every year I make up new Christmas gift card holders... but I really love how these ones turned out, and they were really simple to make. Hmmmm... I feel a video tutorial coming on.....

Enjoy the gift card holder and I will be back with more for you soon. :-)

Linda

The Seasonally Scattered Stamp set is awesome for simple cards

This is another card for my Stamp-A-Stack this week coming (have you booked in yet?) and I really liked the simplicity of it. Sometimes less is more, and I think this card proves it.

We'll be making 6 cards at this week's classes so that will help you make some good progress on your Christmas card stash :-)  So you'll go home with 3 like this one, and 3 like the one in the previous post (click HERE to see that one) all for a cost of $20.  My classes are held on the Central Coast (Australia) and I use Stampin'Up products to create all our gorgeous projects.  All materials and refreshments are provided.

The dates this week are:

Tuesday 18th November @7.30pm
or
Wednesday 19th November @ 11am (only 3 spots left)

Click HERE to reserve your seat.




Enjoy today's card.. I've listed the supplies below so that you can purchase the supplies to make your own card if you wish. To purchase, just click the SHOP NOW button.  Orders are shipped directly to your door, anywhere in Australia for a low postage charge.

Seasonally Scattered Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$30.95

Seasonally Scattered Wood-Mount Stamp Set

$42.95

Naturals White A4 Card Stock

$12.95

Bermuda Bay A4 Card Stock

$11.95

Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad

$9.95

Coastal Cabana A4 Card Stock

$11.95

Whisper White A4 Card Stock

$14.95

Lucky Stars Textured Impressions Embossing Folders

$13.95

Banner Punch

$18.95

All Is Calm Specialty Designer Series Paper

$21.95

Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper

$8.95

Watercolor Winter Too Photopolymer Stamp Set

$20.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

Christmas Card Classes coming up! Book your spot!

I have added new classes to the schedule, and by popular demand I have added extra Christmas card Stamp-A-Stacks. So at each of those classes, you will make 6 Christmas cards to add to your stash. Each time we create 3 each of 2 different designs, for a cost of $20 including envelopes.  Of course this covers all your supplies and refreshments too.

So if you would like to get your Christmas cards made in time this year... come along to one or more of the following dates:

Tuesday 18th November @ 7.30pm
Wednesday 18th November @ 11am (only 2 spots left)
Tuesday 2nd December @ 7.30pm
Wednesday 3rd December @ 11am
Tuesday 16th December @ 7.30pm
Wednesday 17th December @ 11am

There are other classes too, (Project Life and an ADVENT CALENDAR!) so check them out over on the right hand side of this blog (scroll down a little). More classes are being announced soon too so stay tuned.

And yes, the card you see above is one of our cards we'll be creating this week.  Click HERE to email me and reserve your spot!

Linda xx

Video Tutorial By Popular Demand: my Christmas Diorama Card

Here we go guys... last week I showed you my Christmas Diorama Card... and to say it received a LOT of great feedback is actually an understatement.  Thank you so much for the kind words about the project!  I had it rolling around in my head for a while before I sat down to make it, and I'm so glad that it turned out even better than I expected :-)



As promised I have a made a Video Tutorial so that you can create your own. I made these with some of my Stamp Clubs this month... and they loved them too!  The most time-consuming part of the Diorama card is the decorating bit... it really depends on how much work you want to put into the scene at the back of the card.  I'll be showing you a few more samples of Diorama cards in different styles over the next few weeks, so either check back here or if you do the Facebook thing, you may find it easier to "like" my Facebook Business page as all my blog projects and other samples appear there too.  And of course I do pin all my blog projects to Pinterest too, so you can always follow me over there!



In the meantime please check out the Video Tutorial.  I hope you enjoy it, and I'll be back with more for you very soon.



Linda x

Cards by Accident :-) A non-traditional Christmas colour scheme

Sometimes I purposefully sit down at my desk in order to make a card or other projects. And sometimes it happens by accident.  Let me explain.

The "Projects by Accident" are the ones that often are the most fun.  And mainly because they are always such a surprise. On Friday night I had one of my Stamp Clubs in my home, and after we all finished chatting, laughing and creating, they all went home.  Before the events my craft room always looks pretty organised.  So it looked like this:

But during the club it looked like this:

So its safe to say that there is always a bit of clean up to do after we are done.  There is bits of cardstock and other offcuts and such all over the place. I had another club coming around late on Saturday morning so I went in on Saturday morning to straighten things up ready for the next round. And in front of me on the table were some left over gold stars, and a piece of blackberry bliss cardstock.  And I saw them sitting there together and they spoke to me. Yep, just like that. Suddenly instead of cleaning up, I was creating with a whole new colour scheme with what I had found there on the desk. I was suddenly in "design mode" and very quickly after that I had created the card you see here today.

So even though I didn't set out to make this card... thats what I ended up with. Kinda fun huh?  Maybe its just that I can be terribly productive when I am actually procrastinating.....

Why don't you head into your crafting space and see if anything lying around inspires you to come up with an unexpected project??

Surprise!