ESAD SAB Blog Hop

Ok first of all some explaining... ESAD is a Yahoo Group I belong to (I belong to a few yahoo groups) for Demonstrators and I have been a member for ages basically since I became a demonstrator, it's great for sharing ideas and information and meeting other demos. It stands for Extremely Special Aussie Demonstrators. Now if you have been watching my blog for the last few weeks you will know what SAB stands for - 'Sale-A-Bration' - Stampin' Up!'s Promo to beat all promos for the year and what a great way to jump start 2010! So get those orders together and call me today (0414 400 841) so you can earn your FREE SAB sets. Don't forget that for every $100 you spend you can qualify for a FREE SAB set - there are FOUR FABULOUS SETS to choose from. Next..... a blog hop is basically as it says, you hop from one blog to another as you follow all the links and complete the trail. The idea is you can see a great selection of all the wonderful creations that we have all come up with using one of the SAB sets. The bonus is there is what we call BLOG CANDY (FREE STUFF) up for grabs. All you have to do is comment on all the blogs as you go to go into the draw for the BLOG CANDY. So if you are on the blog trail, you should have arrived from Debbie William's Blog.
If you missed the starting line you can start here.
Now you are here let me explain what I have created. I have chosen to use the Vintage Labels SAB set.











I have decorated a 5 x 5 Stampin' Up! Journal and have made a Lindt Gift Box. I have used Real Red & Whisper White Cardstock and the Pink Flamingo DSP. I have also used Real Red and Regal Rose 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon. For the Lindt Box I have decorated it with a flower from the Blooms Die Cuts (P.144 IB&C) and one of the new Jumbo Grommets from the Mini Catalogue. You need to use the 1/2" Circle punch with the grommets for the centre but because I had punched the scallop circle around the scallop image I couldn't get the small punch to reach into the centre so I punched a small 1/2" Circle out of scrap and used it to trace one and then cut it out with my craft knife.




For the journal I have used another Real Red flower from the Blooms Die Cuts and then mounted little 1/2" Regal Rose circles around the petals. This red flower is sitting on a white 4" circle I cut using my Circle Scissor Plus then (it may be hard to see from the pic, sorry) I have attached a scallop border that I crimped. This is super easy to do, I made it for a card a while ago and I included the instructions on that post here. I used the length of a A4 cardstock but it was not quite long enough to go all the way round so had to add a small piece to finish the circle (hope you cant see my joins). You may also notice that I have used the curly label stamp from this set and attached them to act as little dividers for whatever.
I hope you like my 'Valentine's Colours' since it is just around the corner I figured why not. This pair would make a lovely thank you gift or Valentine's present. I have always been tempted to let my husband loose in my craft room to see what he comes up with for me - NOT! hehehe



Now you can head off to Gardenia Pepworth's Blog to see what she has been up to for the Blog Hop. Have fun everyone and don't forget to comment on all those blogs to go into the draw for the BLOG CANDY. I am donating my journal for the draw (sorry my husband has already put his name on the Lindt Block). Remember you have to be in it to win it!

Two more sleeps...

There are only two more sleeps until the SAB Blog Hop Starts. Dont forget to check back here on Monday morning bright and early to join the fun and see all the awesome creations we have waiting for you. But here is a little teaser until then. This card uses one of the frames and a sentiment from the Vintage Labels Set (the set which I will be showcasing on Monday). I have framed it with a piece of silver hodge podge (tomorrow is your last chance of the Stampin' Up! sale to get the Silver Hodge Podge at a discounted price of $43.46, normally $57.95) and I have used the Butterfly Prints from the New Mini with the matching punch stamped on vellum. In the background I have stamped with Versamark the beautiful flower from the Razzle Dazzle set which is also in the Mini Catalogue.

Cardstock - Kraft, Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip DSP

Ink - Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Versamark

Accessories - Silver Hodge Podge Hardware, Mat Pack and Paper Piercer, Scallop Edge Punch

More Calendars...

I purchased a tutorial a while ago from the very talented Jenny Moors and only recently had a chance to make these adorable little calendars with drawers. I actually made these before Christmas but forgot to post them here. The one on the right is virtually a straight copy from Jenny's creation. I then decided to make one of my own using my fav DSP - Urban Garden. They both use various bits and pieces from the Pretties Kit. I have since been able to purchase better calendars rather then printing off and cutting up my own - YAY! You can see the better calendars used here from an earlier post with a link on where to get them.

New year, new site and new challenges...

Here is the first challenge from a new blog for Aussie and NZ stampers - Just Add Ink. This site is brand new, just started TODAY! They are going to have heaps of different challenges so get on board to jump start that creative talent. Oh and the bonus is there are FREEBIES to be won too! Now these colours are totally out of my comfort zone and great for my 'no or little PINK new year's resolution'. This is also satisfies my desire to complete more colour challenges this year. After being away all week on holiday I had to jump start my creative spark again and CASED this to come up with this card. Yet another way to use these gorgeous new SAB sets. Bring on Monday I say for the best promotion of the year! I will be making the most of my last two days before I go back to work (nothing like work to shock me back to reality) so this weekend will be packed full of posting - stay tuned.

11 Days to go...

This week I have made some cards using a different SAB set - this time I have used Happy Moments. A really cute little set and a definite must for all those who love to colour out there. I have taken some inspiration for these from various samples on SCS. Stay tuned for next weeks final sneak peak. Remember you only to spend $100 to earn one of these sets for FREE. Sale-a-Bration (SAB) is the best time of the year to purchase Stampin' Up! products because of all the extra FREEBIES you can get. For example, if you place a $300 order, you will qualify for a level one hostess set PLUS you can spend $30 on any merchandise from the catalogue PLUS you can choose 3 SAB sets as well!!! Gotta love SAB :) There are also added benefits for becoming a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator during SAB, in addition to your starter kit you can choose any set from the catalogue up to $79.95 FREE. Plus if you join my team, I will give you an additional welcome pack including lots of handy business tools to get your new venture off the ground. I just love this job! Call me today for further information on 0414 400 841, would love to hear from you and am more than happy to answer any questions you may have. Happy Stamping :)

Stationery Carousel (yes it spins!!!!!)

This is a combination of a few creations from Tammy Beaver and Jenny Moors and their very inventive projects but with my own take on combining the two. I have been working on this most of the afternoon (too hot to go outside - 45 degrees today!) I have used the Ballet Blue DSP from the Hostess Patterns Pack available as a level 1 freebie. If I made another one I would use cardstock for the drawers next time to make this a little more sturdy. I have combined Tammy's awesome carousel idea (she is a genius!) but I have done only one layer of drawers and then I have used Jenny's calendar idea for the top but modified it a little to include a pen and post-it-note pad. For those of us not lucky enough to have the matchbox die, you can find some fabulous instructions here from Kristen to make your own easily. I finally found a supplier for these nifty little calendars here in OZ - really affordable too! For my drawer handles I have used a brad and an eyelet together so there is something to grip - so easy! The top and bottom square platforms are simply covered card from the back of the DSP packs. It isn't super fancy or decorated only one colour, I just had the idea and wanted to see how it would turn out. The bottom spinner uses a ribbon spool (see you never should throw ANYTHING away - OK chief horder here *g*) Check out Tammy's awesome tutorial with excellent instructions for how this mechanism works. I will fill the drawers with stationery items like paperclips, rubber bands, mini bulldog clips, eraser etc.. The last two photos are taken with it turned upside down so you can see the spinner platform and the drawer handles up close. I may run this as a class later in the year ready for next calendar year. BTW, you should all be proud of me - NO PINK! New Year's Resolution on track...........

Finally........

I actually started this project a while ago (as you can tell from the retired DSP, really miss these papers and colours) after seeing so many on SCS but was missing the key tool to put it together but now I have it :) This is a card organiser and birthday book all in one. It's a fantastic reference to organise myself for all the birthdays during the year but would make a lovely present for someone. It is super easy to make too. All you need is a pack of your favourite DSP paper (including 2 of the cardboard inserts from the back, hope you keep these, very handy indeed) Select six of your favourite sheets. For each one you are going to first of all score it 4" from the bottom then fold up. With it folded you are then going to score it down the middle at 6" and fold in half back the other way with the pockets on the outside. So what you have created is two pockets on either side with dimensions 8" x 6" for each page. Repeat this for all six sheets and arrange in preferred order. For the covers, I have cut 2 pieces of card from the back of the DSP packs 8-1/4" x 6-1/4" but you make these even bigger if you wanted, it just looks nicer if they are slightly larger than your pages. Then I have covered them in DSP front and back. Finally attach your calendar pages and bind together and decorate. If you would like more detailed instructions and the calendar pages, see here. I will definitely be making some more of these, stay tuned.

Something for me for a change....

I am always making cards, projects and albums for everyone else and I thought it was time to make something for me for a change. I recently got the outline alphabet as it is on special at the moment (50% off) and saw this project and thought it would be fun to make one too. I have blown it up a little cos I didnt have a mat for my frame but if I make another I will do it better next time. My squares are 2-1/2" and I made my own BIG button. I layered a few punched circles of DSP together and sanded the edges then punched two small holes in the middle to resemble a real button. Finally I covered it in a layer of Crystal Effects (I love this stuff - so versatile) and tied a thin strip of DSP to act as ribbon. And I layered the rose to look a little like paper tole I guess. I used Dazzling Diamonds on the letters and the butterfly as well as some pearls from the Pretties Kit.

21 days to go.....

SAB (Sale-a-bration), the biggest promotion for the Stampin' Up! year is only 3 weeks away and I will be posting teaser projects each week leading up to commencement. This is by far the best opportunity for you to earn FREE stamp sets by placing orders for as little as $100. Each order of $100 enables you to choose from 4 exclusive stamp sets (not available any other time and cannot be purchased) and the more you order, the more you can get for FREE, there is NO limit. For every $100 order - one FREE set. Here is this weeks project, a little set of 3 x 3 note cards in a cute little matching tote. This set is called Vintage Labels, definitely my favourite at the moment. It consists of 6 stamps - 3 sentiments and 3 labels. This set also coordinates perfectly with the Curly Label Punch, the Scallop Circle Punch and the Wide Oval Punch. If you would like the instructions to make one of these little totes, click here. I also made some matching envelopes (you can buy packs of 20 cards and envelopes in this size for $13.50 - 10 each of white and vanilla) using some of the Desginer Series Paper from the new Mini Catalogue called Kaleidoscope. Super easy jsut cut a small piece to fit inside the envelope about half way in and then stick it to the flap and cut around the edge of the flap the excess DSP - wa-lah! I know that one of my new year's resolutions was not to use pink but kinda necessary for this paper and besides I have used Pink Passion, a pink I don't normally use hehehe :)

New Year's resolution (yes another one, I have a few)

I have a few New Year's Resolutions mainly trying to stay away from PINK, yeah well I will let you know how that's going, stay tuned for tomorrow's post.

I want to start participating in some of the Mojo Monday sketch cards. Here is my first one which is actually challenge #119 the last one for 2009. Just scraping in mind you as the deadline is tomorrow morning (gotta love being downunder). I have used some of the frames from the new set Framed with Love, and I used my Circle Scissor plus to cut the circles. My embellishment is made up of some flowers from Flower Fusion Too and a silver brad. Colours used include Perfect Plum and Baja Breeze. Thanks for looking.

More Mini Catalogue Sample Cards....

Both these are CASE's (Copy and Share Everything) of ideas I found here and here. Trying to use different colours and stay away from PINK for a while - my new year's resolution, going to be tough but gonna give it a shot. The first card uses the Framed with Love set with the cute flourish for the border and one of the frames for the sentiment. This set is great value too as you get 5 different frames plus the flourish and flower element all for $49.95.

It's great to combine with the other sets in the mini too like I have done with the second card with the Butterfly Prints ($25.95) which has a coordinating punch! I have used the little flower from the For Everything Set ($47.95) also from the mini and the reeds from Inspired by Nature (IB&C p.74) The sentiment on this card comes from the Thoughts and Prayers (IB&C p.48) stamp set. I added a little Certainly Celery Button from the Sherbet Designer Buttons ($15.50), also in the Mini Catalogue.

Sweet Treat Cups

I have been having so much fun with these little cups - just so versatile! Here are some baby cards inspired by this sample. I had a heap of buttons in a huge container that were just waiting to be used (probably not like this but at least it 'rattles' ) I used the Pink Pirouette and Baja Breeze textured cardstock with the matching Patterned DSP with some matching ribbon (Gee I love SU and how easy it is to coordinate projects).

I also made a gumball machine but with Jelly Belly Beans. This card has a little pull tab to get the beans out when you open the card. And if you look closely I have put a brad in backwards to act like the handle. All these cards were made using the new set Something Sweet ($44.95 - there are 14 stamps in this set!) which is in the New Mini Catalogue. It has coordinating Sweet Treat Cups and the 1 3/4 Circle Punch.