Color Refresh coming soon!

Stampin Up did a major update of their colors in 2010 and now they are doing a smaller refresh.  Some of the old colors are retiring to make way for brand new colors and some of last year's In Colors which are coming back as core colors.

The new colors will be available from 1 July 2013.

The retiring colors (ink, cardstock, ribbon & accessoris) will only be available WHILE STOCKS LAST, so if there is a particular favourite of yours get in quick. Contact me to place your order.

I'm a little sad to see that More Mustard is going, as it was the very first ink pad I ever bought.  I thought I'd pull it out and here is a birthday card for a 7 year old boy I made this morning:

I've also used one of my favourites - big shot textured impressions embossing folders. They are a quick, easy and very effective way to add some depth to your craft. At only $13.95 they are cheap too.

I've just bought the Honeycomb folder, so stay tuned for some samples.

Product of the week & online ordering!

Before I show what I've been doing with this week's product of the week, Stampin Up have some big news.  First up there is a Clearance Rack sale - previously retired items are back until sold out.
These must be ordered through  a demonstrator, so contact me to order yours.
Second - and this is big news - Stampin Up now have 24/7 online ordering!

Click the link to the right, and you will go to Stampin Up's online ordering site. You can choose a demonstrator (pick me!) or not. It's cheaper if you do use a demonstrator.

Email (bestml@bigpond.net.au) or call/text me 041 452 9950 if you have any questions or want to book a class or workshop.

Now, on to the product of the week!

This week I have been playing with Embossing Powder.  Not just any embossing powder though, it's Vanilla Scented. Yum!

In real life the embossed flowers are shiny and smell like Vanilla. It's a super quick and very impressive technique. Each card took about 15 minutes to make.  If you'd like to learn more, contact me.

The next one uses Tempting Turquouise embossing powder. It's not scented but I love the crispness of the colour against the white. I really like the three blues together (Midnight Muse, Tempting Turquoise & Island Indigo) too.

Finally, here is one from a little while back, again using vanilla scented embossing powder.

All cards use the Mixed Bunch stamp set and Well Scripted stamp set for the sentiments.

Happy stamping!

Product of the week:Memorable Moments stamp set

I think this is my new favourite stamp set!  It is raining and miserable here, perfect weather for doing some craft, and playing with some of the new stamps and products I got in my last order.

This first card was for a school friend's 7th birthday party.

This card came together really quickly, which is what I like.  One of my favourite things about Stampin Up products is how everything coordinates - it really takes a lot of the hard work out of creating beautiful cards.

Products used in this card are:
Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Island Indigo Cardstock
Daffodil Delight Cardstock
Whisper White Cardstock
Memorable moments stamp set (I recommend clear for this one)
Labels collection framelits die
Chevron embossing folder
Island Indigo ink pad
Real Red ink pad

Other:
Big Shot
Snail Adhesive
Acrylic Stamp Block


The next card is for a male family member's birthday next week:

Lots happening with this one but still really quick:

Midnight Muse Cardstock
Comfort Cafe DSP - very versatile, I really like this paper.
Cherry Cobbler Core'dinations cardstock
Lattice embossing folder
Apothecary Accents framelits die
Essentials Paper Piercing Pack (this is a new product $13.95)
Midnight Muse ink pad
Memorable moments stamp set

Other:
Big Shot
Snail adhesive
brads
Paper Piercing tool & mat
stampin dimensionals


Lastly, I made one more card for another birthday coming up.  I used quite a few of the same products as the masculine card above, but gave it a feminine spin:

Once again I used a base of Midnight Muse cardstock, with Comfort Cafe paper and the memorable moments stamp set.

I love how the comfort cafe paper is so versatile, this is the fourth card I've made with it now and they are all very different.

I also used the Daydream Medallions stamp set and matching framelits die, stamped onto Very Vanilla cardstock.
I cut the banner out with my super sharp Paper Snips, and sponged around the edges to give it a bit of dimension.
I really like how this one turned out too.

Now is a great time to order stampin up products, as the Sale-a-bration sale is on until 22 March.
Contact me to order your own copy of the catalogues, to place an order or book a workshop.

Sale-a-bration 2013 is here!

Stampin' Up's annual Sale-a-bration started on 1 February and it is fabulous! This year there are even more free products to choose from, including some from the main catalogue.

I received my first order last week and it was a bit like Christmas - I spent $100 and received around $90 of freebies (I was also the hostess so got hostess freebies as well as Sale-a-bration freebies).

Now is the perfect time to host a party - contact me to arrange one. Or if having a party is not your thing, you can have a "virtual party" - circulate the catalogue among your interested friends, collect their orders and cash and I will place the order, deliver the goodies and the free products of your choice.

I just had to make a quick card to play with some of my new products.

Cardstock - Summer Starfruit (2013 InColor)

Paper - Comfort Cafe

Blossom Punch

Itty Bitty Banners Stamp Set 

Itty Batty Banners co-ordinating Big Shot Die

Midnight Muse ink (2013 InColor)

Naturals Buttons

Stampin Up! Heartfelt Event Sydney

Last Saturday I went to the Stampin Up Heartfelt Event in Sydney. It was the first Stampin Up event I'd been to, so I wasn't sure what to expect.
It was a great day. There were two demonstration booths, with demonstrations running all day, showing nifty tips and tricks.

This photo is from a demonstration on making little gift bags (I will be making lots of these for teachers gifts - stay tuned).

  

Above is a quilt made with Stampin Up fabrics, and using Stampin Up dies with the Big Shot to cut out the flowers and butterflies. Below is a quilted Christmas table runner, again made using Stampin Up designer series fabric. The flowers were cut out with the Big Shot. So much beautiful work in these.  

There was a "product playground" - various tables set up with demonstrators giving hands on advice on techniques and products. I really enjoyed sitting down and trying out products.  

Scattered around the room were display boards where people had made cards and decorations and put them up for display.  I took so many photos! 

Upstairs there were demonstrations as well - I really liked the Christmas decorations by Sophie Zadeh. I can't wait to have a go at making these. In fact I ordered quite a bit of Stampin Up product last night, ready to make lots of Christmas decorations and cards and gift tags....

 This is from the front of the Holiday Catalogue. Note to self: buy a hot glue gun!















This looks so much better in real life - it is actually embossed and the tag shimmers.







Can't wait to share all the crafty Christmas things I make!

A weekend at the beach

I had the day off on Friday so we decided to make the most of it, and go camping.

We headed off Friday morning to Port Macquarie, then took the ferry across the Hastings River. We could either drive on the beach or on Point Plomer "Road", but since we hadn't gotten a beach permit nor had we checked the tides (small oversight), we decided to take the road.  At first I was disappointed as it was just a well graded gravel road but after a while it deteriorated and it was great fun - driving on sand, rocks, and very uneven and bumpy.

Our plan was to camp at Point Plomer (the boiling billy book said it was good) but when we got there it was packed, blowing a gale and there was no shade! No thanks.

We kept going and arrived at Delicate Nobby Campground. It too was packed but the sites were separated by bush / trees and it also had real toilets and hot showers. 

Not the cheapest campground - $50/night for the 5 of us but by now it was 2pm and we wanted to set up camp.

The beach was right across the road and we had a fire each night. The only drawback was the bus load of foreign backpackers that were SO LOUD! so much for the campground rules about curfews! Also having to queue for 45 minutes to get into the shower.

We visited Crescent Head and climbed to the top of the heads and I saw some whales. 

We also investigated a couple of other campgrounds nearby - Racecourse and Goolawah National Park - both looked to have brand new toilets and outdoor cold showers. Both were packed but had some shaded spots, and easy access right onto the beach. The beach was really nice - very flat and safe looking for the kids.

Overall it was a nice little get away - the boys enjoyed the beach, playing in the sand and we went for a really long walk and they met some super cute dogs.

There were plenty of interesting pools of water to splash in (if it had been warmer).

The boys enjoyed climbing on the rocks.

These dogs were on a walk too, they were so cute I couldn't resist taking a photo.

Christmas card with a twist

I have been very neglectful of my crafts lately - I just seem to be so busy that I haven't had time to do anything.  This week I made an effort to do some cardmaking.  Over at the Stampin Up group, Linda posted a challenge: make a Christmas card using non-traditional colours. I decided to use completely different colours to those I would normally choose.  

Here is my finished card:

I used the following Stampin Up products:

Summer Starburst, Night of Navy and Very Vanilla cardstock; Summer Starburst ink; Baja Breeze ribbon, Tiny Tags stamp set, Easy Events stamp set, Big Shot, Egelits die, Apothecary Accents framelits die and Window Frames framelits die. 

I also made a couple of birthday cards, including this one:

I've used the Mixed Bunch stamp set and matching punch and the same edgelits die (I quite like it) - very quick and easy but very effective I think.

To order any of the products or a catalogue delivered to your door, email me at bestml@bigpond.net.au.