7 Things to know about the new Holiday Catalogue release from Stampin'Up Australia

If you've been following along you will already know that I just LOVE this new Holiday catalogue from Stampin'Up!   There are a few things that are helpful to know about this catalogue....

1. It will be released TOMORROW... September 1st 2015.  It will be live from MIDNIGHT!

2. Be prepared to be wowed by the completely beautiful products in this catalog!  If you have a copy make time to sit down with a cuppa and be inspired!  You might need some post it tabs to mark your favourites.

3. If you don't already have a hard copy of the catalogue you will be able to view the catalogue online after midnight on the 1st September... so come here to my blog any time from tomorrow onwards and click the "Our Catalogues" tab at the top of the page. You'll be able to view the PDF.

4. You can order directly from me and have your order delivered anywhere within Australia, right to your door.  The easiest way is to use the Online Store... click the "Shop Now" button to go straight to the store. You'll see my name in top right hand corner so you'll know you're in the right place.  Im offering a thank you gift for all online orders over $50... but you'll need to use the September Hostess Code to take advantage of that! The September code will be here on the blog on the 1st of September... so check back so you can use it to ensure you receive your gift.  For more information click HERE to find out about how the Online Thank you gifts work.

5. If Online ordering isn't an option for you, you can still contact me directly by email or my mobile phone 0412 375 552, and i'll place the order on your behalf.

6. If you'd like your own Christmas card class with your friends... a chance to play with these awesome products for yourself... then CONTACT ME..... we'll make a date and I'll bring everything and we'll have some fun, and a chance to shop if you wish!  Or you can call me on my mobile 0412 375 552.  I run classes here at home of course, but if you'd like one at your place I am available to travel anywhere in the Sydney metro, Central Coast or Hunter areas.

7. If you would still like your own hard copy of the catalogue contact me to request one. You just need to be in Australia for me to send you one!

See you back here tomorrow!

It's Daffodil Day.. so here's some yellow for you

As its Daffodil Day today - to raise money for the Cancer Council - I was originally thinking i would like to make a card to remind everyone that it's an important occasion.

Thing is, I don't have any daffodil stamps at the moment. So I decided to work with yellow anyway, since thats as close as I could get.  And used the "Definitely Dahlia" background stamp.  The top flower is embossed in clear and then sponged over with both Daffodil Delight and Crushed Curry ink. The lower flower is stamped in daffodil and edged a little with Crushed Curry. I added a little sparkly gold (vellum and glimmer paper) to finish it off.  The card corners were rounded and the sentiment is from the "Tin of Cards"

Im actually teaching embossing at a class this weekend... its still one of my favourite techniques and I never tire of it!

I hope you like it too... the yellow and white combo is so fresh!

Don't forget that there are only a couple of days left to take advantage of the August Hostess Code which is QQYCCCMQ . There will be a new code here on my blog on the 1st September.  If you'd like to find out more about how you can benefit from the Hostess Code then click HERE.

Latest Grand Vacation Achievers Blog Hop... Welcome!

I am loving being part of these Blog Hops! I've started to look forward to them every month.  The best bit for me is when they go live and I can scroll through the blogs of all the girls taking part and see what amazing things they have created!

Everyone who achieves the Grand Vacation from Stampin'Up is welcome to be part of the hop. Not everyone can do it every month (a lot more achievers have earned the trips than are able to take part in the hop) but you will notice some repeat appearances from various people... as well as some new faces this month. The hop is open this time to demonstrators all over the world who have also earned the next trip.

This month's theme is nice and simple... we are doing a "Holiday catalogue Sneak Peek".  As you know I've been putting up "sneak peeks" all month anyway, so its an excuse to do another one.

Even though I have several favourite stamp sets from this new catalogue, this one is the leader of the pack... its called "Lighthearted Leaves".  I am seriously in love with it.  And there are quite a few reasons why... its just pretty, for starters. But its also a design that can be used year round.. and for a variety of situations. It could be anything from thanks to birthday to sympathy. So its really versatile. I also love that you can use it for lots of different techniques... like colouring as I've done here. But it also looks great embossed.  And lets not forget that they match the Leaf Framelits in the main catalogue either!

The card base is Sahara Sand. I used the 6"x6" "Winter Wonderland" vellum stack for the stripey strip at the bottom of the card, and added some of our Sahara Sand lace above that. I wrapped the silver cording Trim around the card and tied a bow. Then I cut a silver circle from a piece of foil paper, and embossed it with the new "Woodland" embossing folder. The leaf itself is stamped in Elegant Eggplant ink, on Perfect Plum cardstock. I cut it out with the matching framelit (MUCH easier than trying to cut it by hand!) and then coloured some of the leaf with my Whisper White ink applied with Blender Pens.  The final touch is one of our new Iced Rhinestons.... I love them! It added that final bit of bling!

The really exciting news is that our new Holiday catalogue will be released NEXT WEEK! So you will be able to order anything from it from September 1st.  To order just click the SHOP NOW button on this page and you'll be taken to my store. You can have your order delivered straight to you, anywhere in Australia, for a low postage charge.

Here's a closer look at the detail of the card....

To work your way through this Blog Hop you just click on the name of the person next on the list below.

Thanks for visiting my blog today... don't forget you can also see more of what I've been up to on my Facebook Business page :-)  Enjoy the hop!

This Week's "Weekly Deals" from Stampin'Up - Aug 26th - Sept 1st

We have some great new deals this week... and especially if you love Embossing Folders because there are quite a few of those in there! Plus the gorgeous Typeset paper is on special this week.. its one of my favourites, and it features on a lot of my cards! Including the one above - its the stripey paper at the bottom of the card.

Here are the deals below.. click on what you'd like to order. It will take you to my Online store and can be delivered to your door anywhere in Australia.

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Reverse Embossing with your Big Shot

This week I am running a "Big Shot Basics and Beyond" class and will be showing all kinds of techniques and tricks you can do with your Big Shot.  I thought you'd like to see one of the tricks i'll be showing.. this one is reverse embossing. The card above shows off this technique.. the embossed shape around the sentiment was created this way.  I've done a close up shot and sponged around this one so you can see the effect more clearly:

If you'd like to come to class this week here are the details...

Dates:

Tuesday 25th August @ 7.30pm

or 

Wednesday 26th August @ 11am

To book your spot click HERE or contact me on my mobile 0412 375 552

I hope to see you!

Big Shot Basics and Beyond

This week I am running my "Big Shot Basics and Beyond" classes.  These are aimed at everyone who either owns a Big Shot or is thinking of buying one. We'll be playing around with different Big Shot techniques... and as the class name suggests, we'll start with basic techniques, and then move on to some really cool things you can do with your Big Shot.  So you'll be going home with some truly lovely projects.

The card you see above is one we'll be creating in this class.  In shows both embossing and cutting techniques... and even the colour is applied to the background with the Big Shot.  I know you'll love making it.

To book your spot, click HERE to email me that you are coming along.  The class is $25 (my standard technique class price) but if you bought your Big Shot from me then your class is only $10 (to thank you for your business).  Classes are held in my home on the Central Coast, address supplied on booking.  Here are the dates:

Tuesday 25th August @ 7.30pm

or

Wednesday 26th September @ 11am

At this time I do still have spots available in both classes.

I hope to see you in class!

Another sneak peek from the Holiday Catalogue... Embellished Ornaments!

Tonight I opened up my Embellished Ornaments stamp set and the matching framelits. And this is what came out of my playtime tonight!  So much to love with this set!

Actually as so often happens, I made an error when stamping my sentiment on the bottom of the card... so thats why we ended up with Vellum, gold cord and a stamped banner there instead. But it turned out ok after all!  I love that we don't do "mistakes"... a "mistake" is simply an embellishment opportunity right??

But you know what is my absolute favourite product on this card?  The gold cord!  I love it... which means I need to buy the silver too! So easy to tie and use!  I also used the new Fine Tip Glue Pen.. another "must have" item... its great for glueing those intricate or tiny elements. In this case it was great for gluing the detailed dies to the backing piece.

If you want to play with these items for yourself, make sure you book in to the launch on the 30th August. More details HERE

I hope you enjoy the card today.

This week's "Weekly Deals" from August 19th to August 25th

Check out this week's "Weekly Deals"!  Also if you are in the Online Store, new clearance rack items have been added!

To order click on the SHOP NOW button or click the items you want.  Use the Scroll arrows to view all this week's specials.  Shopping online is easy and means that you can have our beautiful products shipped to your door, anywhere in Australia, for a low postage charge.  Have fun shopping!

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Simple stamping with Lighthearted Leaves from our Upcoming Holiday Catalogue

Yep, its another sneaky look at one of my new favourite sets from our upcoming Holiday catalogue.  This time the set is called "Lighthearted Leaves"... and it is SO versatile!  The other thing I love about it is that it can be used all year round.  Not to mention that it also co-ordinates with our Leaves framelits for the Big Shot, adding to the ways you can use it!

This time I've kept it very simple!  I chose 3 of the leaf stamps and stamped them randomly in Soft Suede ink on my card base made from Crumb Cake cardstock.  I then took a blender pen and coloured parts of the leaves with Whisper White craft ink... I love this bit because I find colouring quite therapeutic! And then I finished the card off with a few gold sequins from one of the Project Life accessory kits ("Moments like these"). (Truth be told, I had made a smudge with a bit of soft suede ink on the base, and so some gold sequins seemed like a good way to disguise my mistake! But as so often happens I think it looks better as a result!

I bet Im not the only one that finds cute ways to cover so-called "mistakes"!

If you like this you might also like my Facebook Business page! Hop over there by clicking HERE and hit the "LIKE" button.  That way you'll get to see even more of my creations :-)

PLUS Don't forget the Holiday Catalogue Launch! You'll get to play with lots of new products... for more information click HERE.

Linda x

2 SPOTS LEFT in my "Hello Life" Project kit class

At this moment I still have 2 spots left in this awesome class tomorrow, Wednesday 19th! Here's what you get:

* The full "Hello Life" kit valued at $43.50rrp
*All the materials and supplies to make approximately 20 cards, treat bags and tags - and you'll still have leftovers to take home!
*Full instructions and further ideas
*Lunch!

All this for only $50... its a bit of a bargain! Class starts at 11am and we'll be done in time for you to enjoy a nice lunch together. Classes are held on the Central Coast and you just need to email me by clicking HERE to let me know you are coming. Beginners welcome!

Brayered Backgrounds with the new Wonderland set from the upcoming SU Holiday catalogue

This last week I held my Ombre classes and we learned several different ways to create beautiful backgrounds. This one is my personal favourite.

The misty background for this card was created with a brayer.  I used two different shades of ink (Wisteria Wonder and Perfect Plum) and layered the colours to create this effect.  What was really satisfying to me in the classes was that EVERYONE who attempted it came up with something that they were really happy with.  Brayering is not an exact science... so that means that it will look a little different every time you do it, but that is one reason why it is so unique and beautiful!  The subtle gradation of colour is what makes this perfect as a backdrop for these beautiful "Wonderland" pine trees.

You'll be seeing  a lot more of this set!  I have fallen in love with it and have lots more ideas swirling around in my head as to how to use it.

Stay tuned for more "Sneak Peeks" over the coming days. And if you'd like to get up and person with these products then come along to my launch! Details can be found by clicking HERE.

Reason for the Season... another Holiday catalogue "Sneak Peek"

Im really enjoying ALL of the new catalogue products I've had the chance to play with so far!  So many different kinds of products... I think there is something to suit everyone!  So today this set "Reason for the Season" arrived and so I sat down to make a couple of projects with it.

This card is very simple.. but I like that about it. I used the poinsettia stamp in the set, coloured it and cut it out. Then I used some of our new Wonderland washi in the back ground and added the sentiment from the same stamp set. Thats pretty much it!  The poinsettia is given a bit of a lift with Dimensionals.

I hope you are enjoying my sneak peeks as much as I am enjoying showing them to you!

I'll be back with more soon!

This Week's Weekly Deals August 12th - 18th

Check out this week's "Weekly Deals"... lots of glimmer and shine to get us ready for the Holiday season!

To order click on the SHOP NOW button or click the items you want.  Use the Scroll arrows to view all this week's specials.  Shopping online is easy and means that you can have our beautiful products shipped to your door, anywhere in Australia, for a low postage charge.  Have fun shopping!

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Holiday Catalogue 2015 - don't miss the Launch! (And another sneak peek!)

One of the things I love about each Holiday catalogue release is all the shiny, glittery Christmassy stuff! And this year's catalogue does NOT disappoint!  Yesterday I cracked open my Fancy Foil vellum pack (you know I love me a vellum pack!) and decided to see what it looked like made into a Gift Bag with the Gift Bag punch board.... and here is the result! Pretty cute hey??

It only took a few minutes to create the whole thing including the little tag, which is just a 1" strip that I "flagged" with the Triple Banner punch. The "Merry Christmas" is from our new "Flurry" stamp set, and I also used the matching snowflake punch to punch a red foil snowflake. The wooden element is from the Wooden Snowflakes pack, and the gold cording trim is also to be released in this catalogue.

You are going to LOVE this Holiday catalogue! Stampin'Up have produced a GORGEOUS catalogue for us!

Im having a catalogue launch on the Central Coast where you can come and make your own gorgeous creations from new Holiday stuff! Get ahead on your Christmas cards and projects!  It will be held at 1.30 pm (note the time change) on Sunday the 30th August and you'll see and play with LOTS of new products!  Cost is $20 and includes everything! Prepayment is preferred where possible.

Click HERE to book in, as I am only taking the first 8 people.  7 SPOTS LEFT AT TIME OF WRITING!

My first Sneaky peek from the SU Holiday catalogue - welcome to Wonderland!

I enjoyed being inspired by the last Mojo Monday sketch so much that I've decided to do it again! But this time Im making it extra special by combining it with my very first sneak peek at new Holiday Catalogue products!  My first box of goodies arrived today and I decided to crack open a few of my favourites and use them to recreate the sketch.  This set is called Wonderland and I think I might have fallen just a little bit in love with it! The gold embossed vellum behind is part of the matching Wonderland suite... isn't it lovely??

If you like what you see.... come along to my new Holiday Catalogue Launch!  There will be creations to make, lots of products on display, prizes, launch-only specials and a very special BUY ONE GET ONE FREE from my retired products.

Numbers are limited so don't delay in booking your spot.

The launch will be held on SUNDAY 30TH AUGUST AT 1.30PM. Cost is $20, and you'll go home with several beautiful handmade projects made with all-new products.  Prepayment is preferred where possible to secure your spot. This launch will be held at my home on the Central Coast, address supplied on booking.

Click HERE to book your spot!

In the meantime enjoy my Mojo Monday sketch... Don't forget you cant order these products yet as they are not yet released, so the first chance you'll get to play with them will be the launch!  Here is the sketch below that inspired me for today's design:

  PS.. For those wondering how the BOGOF sale will work.. you will be able to use the price of the retiring goodies to receive CREDIT against new catalogue products!  Please note that there will be items in my retiring stash previously not out on display.  But I will only be doing this on the day of the launch.. it will not be an ongoing special.

Mojo Monday Inspiration - MOJO409

Its been a very long time since I submitted a card to the Mojo Monday site... but today I loved their sketch and decided to give it a go! This week they are working on Mojo # 409!

Here is the sketch that inspired me this week:

And another view of the finished card so that you can see the embossed image a little better.



I really enjoyed making it and it made me think I should get back to doing more challenges!

What do you think??

I'll be back with more soon!

Linda x

Garden in Bloom for easy Stamping

This week I received a new stamp set into my collection... its called "Garden in Bloom", and although I liked it from the beginning of the new catalogue, I was finally won over by all the awesome creations I saw made with it online.

So often thats the way.. you see all those gorgeous online samples on Pinterest or other blogs, and you suddenly realise you NEED to own it yourself, right??

So I cracked it open today and used it for the first time, and this was the card I created.  I love the way that the flowers stamp in a haphazard, imperfect way.  Very watercolour-ish.  The colours are Calypso Coral, Watermelon Wonder, Cucumber Crush and Mint Macaron.  So yep, thats 3 brand new Incolors in there too. The sentiment is from the "Butterfly Basics" stamp set.  I've provided a full showcase of the products used below.

If you'd like to order these or other products for yourself (and have them delivered to your door anywhere in Australia) then click HERE to visit the online store. You'll just need your credit card to order!

Here are the products for you:

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Vintage Leaves with the Ombre Technique

I recently acquired these Vintage Leaves stamps along with the Big Shot Framelits to cut them out (who wants to sit there and fussy cut around these leaves? Not me!), and today I had my first play with them.  I must have been thinking about them in my sleep because believe it or not I woke up this morning and had the idea for this card in my head. Of course, it didn't turn out exactly the same... but I must say I am really happy with the result!

This is one of the cards we will be featuring at next week's Ombre Techniques class. A few people have asked me what the heck is Ombre?  Well very simply it is the subtle gradation of colour from light to dark (or dark to light).... it is usually a background technique, but you can use it for stamping too, or adding colour to your focal points.

In the case of this card I used it for the background, and I've watercoloured the background with Tip Top Taupe ink.  As you can see the background is quite light at the top, and gets darker as you look down the card, until its quite dark at the bottom.  This creates quite a bit of drama and interest in the finish of your project. If I had not creates this ombre background, the leaves would still have looked pretty, but the card would have been less atmospheric.

I'd love to know what you think!

You can comment below... or pop over to my Facebook Business Page and comment on the card there.  While you are there, be sure to "like" my page so that you can see lots of different ideas and projects to inspire you! (I post to my Facebook Page more often than my blog)

I've listed the products used below... to purchase for yourself visit the Online Store.

Thanks for visiting!

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Beautiful Backgrounds with Masks

I love our Decorative Masks... for between $5 and $10 you can choose a pack of beautiful masks to suit your style! The one I have used on this card is from the Happy Patterns mask pack (details below) and this 3d look is so easy to achieve!

I placed the mask over my piece of Calypso Coral cardstock, and sponged over the entire area with Calypso Coral ink. Once finished I removed  the mask, and then repositioned slightly off from the original positioning. Then I sponged over it again, but this time in White ink.  The result is a shadow effect... and it literally appears to jump off the page!  Then you can go ahead and make up your card as usual.

I find that the 3d effect works best with a medium shade of cardstock.. not too light, and not too dark. The shadows show up best if you stick to a medium shade.

I hope you like this card today!  I've popped all the products used in the showcase below. If you'd like to make cards like this one for yourself... come to a class with me (schedule above) OR book in a workshop at your place. Thats the best way to get some products for free and have lots of fun learning something new with friends. :-)

Or if you live anywhere in Australia you can purchase any product through my ONLINE STORE and have it delivered to your door for a small charge.

Click HERE to send me a message!

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