Discovered these amazing "found metal" sculptures at Wycheproof over Easter, and as I was browsing through the photos, it reminded me of the amazing new Designer Series Paper we have called "Well Worn".  It's all in rust tones with lovely worn patches and would make amazing masculine cards.

So, here's the challenge . . .

Using these amazing sculptures as inspiration - whether it be the colours, the patterns or the shapes, come up with a masculine card or two that will really appeal to the rust lover in all our favourite men-folk.

Email me a photo of your card (small size maximum 500 x 500 pixels) and I will create a gallery for "Rust Inspired" masculine cards for us all to be inspired by. I'll be back in a day or two with my own creations.

Email your photo to : [email protected]

Who's ready for a little bit of inspiration?  If your mojo has gone out the window, this is sure to help get it back.  It's blog hop day in Stampin' Up! land and my stamping friends have been busy with new products from the brand new Ideas Book & Catalogue to keep you inspired.

You may have come from Judy May's delightful blog, or you may be starting right here.  Either way, enjoy the journey, and by clicking on the links at the bottom of each post, you will go right round the group.

I've loved playing with the new products, nothing like new toys to get you motivated. The first new thing I want to show you is this delicious new In-Colour. It's called Pool Party, and you can see why!

Also new on this gift voucher wallet is the Posy Punch flower stamp and the divine Lace Ribbon Border Punch which is proving very popular so far!  The colours don't show up real well here, but I have teamed it with Rich Razzleberry and Elegant Eggplant.  You'll see why when I open the wallet and show you the gift voucher itself!

The actual voucher is a template of Microsoft Publisher 2003 (yes!! that old!) and when I printed it, I thought it would go well with Marina Mist. But once I got out to my craft room, I realised it matched perfectly with the new Pool Party!

Here's a close up of the Posy Punch stamp, inked with markers.

Another group of new products I have been loving is the Pennant Parade set of 13 stamps, Petite Pennants Builder Punch and Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper.  Makes for gorgeous birthday cards!

What I love about the Just Add Cake DSP is the amazing array of colours in the paper, making it very easy to co-ordinate with products already in your collection.  I even used a heap of Poppy Parade which is one of last year's In-Colours that I have never used before!

One of my favourite and most used stamp sets from the new Idea Book & Catalogue so far is called Creative Elements. Its a lovely set of 8 floral & flourish images which lends itself to beautiful girly cards, and vintage projects.  Here's a light, bright, any occasion card the girls got to make at my catalogue launch.

There's more of that lovely Lace Ribbon Punch and some more new Designer Series Paper, this time from the delicious provincial inspired Beau Chateau.

Don't you love how the 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon threads right through the lace border?

You can learn to make any one of these cards at a free Stampin' Up! workshop or better still, while there's an amazing reduced price Starter Kit available, why don't you consider joining the Stampin' Up! family and sharing projects like these regularly with your fellow stampers?  Contact me today if you'd like more information about this - the special price only lasts until the end of September.

Well, hopefully I have inspired you lots, now it's time to hop off and visit the rest of the blog hop.  You can continue on by visiting the other Kathryn in our group - a lovely, talented person. Click here to go to her blog.

Oh and don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of each blog, we love to know what you think of our projects! See you again soon! 

Hi everyone,

Just a quick post in a busy week!  I had a lovely time with some of my stamping friends last Saturday and I just wanted to show off the little gift box we made.  I know you have seen 2-5-7-10 boxes before, but gee, aren't they lovely revamped with new colours and punches from the 2011-2012 Ideas Book & Catalogue?

Introducing the new In-Colour Wisteria Wonder, designer series paper "Flirtatious", Lace Border Punch, and totally gorgeous Scallop Dots Ribbon in Elegant Eggplant, teamed with the Pinking Hearts Border Punch and stamps from Clearly for You.

Here's a close up of the front, featuring all those lovely punches!

If you're looking for more ideas, don't forget to check back in over the weekend so you can take a little journey on our blog hop and see more projects made with the lovely new products! See you then!

Hi Friends,

Been a busy few days, so while I have lovely new projects to show you, I haven't had time to photograph them and upload the photos. However . . . there is a blog hop coming this Saturday 24th September, with my stamping buddies from our wider team of Stampin' Up! demonstrators, and our theme this week is projects using new products from our lovely new catalogue.

So, when you are looking for some inspiration later this week, be sure to come back here and visit our little circle of blogs to see some lovely projects and products!

See you then! (if not before!!).

I have been enjoying the lovely laser-cut doily designs in the new Flirtatious Specialty Designer Series Paper Packs.  Paper is not just for scrapbooking (or using in the kitchen!!) but with this DSP you can make some gorgeous peep-hole cards too, to make the most of the sensational doily cuts.

The large 4.4cm Circle punch fits nicely under the doily pattern to create a framed window.  And the great thing about this paper is you can choose the lovely bright Melon Mambo or Pumpkin Pie side, or you can turn the doily over for the lovely subtle white.

The size of the doily pattern is also ideal for smaller cards, and the level of detail in the laser-cut doily means you can keep the card very simple and it still looks lovely!

Here I have used the same circle punch to punch out the centre of the doily and have attached another one to the inside of the card with the white side showing outwards for that two tone effect.  I got this idea straight out of the Ideas Book and Catalogue, and there are many other inspiring projects in there you can use.

Don't you love peaking through the window?

I'd love to know what you think of the new papers, what's your favourite? Please leave a comment below to tell me which one you love and why!

I know it's very late, but I have been wanting to share with you this lovely idea for Dad's Day!  And I suppose with birthdays, and then Christmast just around the corner, it's really never too late!

We often buy Tony's dad some of his favourite goodies - a bag of soft licorice, some nice shortbread, and of course his favourite wine.  This father's day, I dug out a retired Stampin' Round Wheel with a very suitable pattern, inked it up with Early Espresso ink and rolled a tag and a white craft bag for the gift wrapping.

We combined Father's Day dinner with a birthday celebration this year and had 11 family members for a delightful roast meal.   Shhhh, don't tell him, but here's a sneak peak at the celebration!

What a lovely time we had, and both men appreciated their hand-stamped cards and gift.  Next time you have a gift to wrap, instead of rushing out to the newsagent for some wrapping paper, why don't you have a look at what's in your collection to add some decorative touches with?

Ladies,

Your dinner parties have NEVER looked THIS GOOD!  Imagine a product that is so versatile that you can dress up every course of you dinner party meal with fabulous pizzazz and have all your guests oohing and aaahing about your amazing cooking skills.

Want to know what this amazing product is and how it works?

I am talking about the all new, singing and dancing Flirtatious Specialty Designer Series Paper, your new best friend in the kitchen!

How does it work?

Well, for kids parties, Fairy Bread never looked so good!  Now, Flirtatious Specialty Designer Series Paper will dress up your fairy bread with amazing patterns so every little hand reaches for more!

Imagine the looks on the faces of the OTHER MUMS when they see your gorgeous fairy bread - they will HAVE to HAVE the Flirtatious Specialty Designer Series Paper too!

Having girlfriends over for coffee? 

Now your boring cappucinos are a thing of the past! Take out a piece of your Flirtatious Specialty Designer Series Paper, add the finishing touches to a gorgeous cappucino and listen to your friend telling everyone at the tennis club what a Barista you are!

More ideas?

How about finely chopped fresh herbs sprinkled over the Flirtatious DSP template onto a bowl of piping hot Broccoli and Spinach Soup?

Or imagine a large white dinner plate, coated with a layer of cocoa powder that has been applied over the Flirtatious DSP, and in the very centre of the plate surrounded by this swathe of lovely pattern, is a mouthwatering piece of mudcake with double cream.

How about chocolate sprinkles, applied over the Flirtatious DSP onto a bowl of your favourite fresh mango sorbet?  (Mango season is coming!!).

The possibilities are endless, and your girlfriends are going to be talking about your creative kitchen skills for the rest of eternity!

So how do you get your hands on this must have best friend for your kitchen?

It's easy!  Flirtatious Specialty Designer Series Paper is only $24.95 and is available right now in the 2011-2012 Stampin' Up! Aus/NZ Ideas Book & Catalogue.

Each pack contains 2 doily laser-cut double-sided designs, and 2 each of 5 double sided 12" x 12" printed designs, and whilst I can't offer you a set of steak knives with this amazing product, if you'd like to order a pack and pick it up from me at home, I will make you one of those to die for cappucinos!!

What are you waiting for, pick up the phone and order your Flirtatious DSP today, so you can start wowing your friends!

Phone : 0418 361 931 or Email : [email protected]

Some more samples from my 2011-2012 Ideas Book & Catalogue launch . . .

Crumb Cake ink and Card, Soft Suede Card & Early Espresso Ink, butterfly from Creative Elements inked with Stampin' Write Markers and stamped on Very Vanilla card.  Decorative Label Punch for the extra layer behind the butterfly (I can hear my stampin' friends laughing from here!).

Direct to rubber inking with the Stampin' Write Markers is one of my favourite techniques - you get so many options this way!

My next sample also uses the lovey butterfly from Creative Elements, but I have added a clear embossed background using the amazing Parlour Prints background stamp.

There's also a new border punch in there - the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch. That's a mouthful isn't it? But what a great punch!

I've also used the colour spritzer tool and a spray of Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint on each of the butterflies to add a little interest.

I love how this simple Cherry Cobbler folder holds a pen and notepaper for my shopping lists or to do list, that just slots neatly into the pocket in my handbag!  Very easy to make.

Have you seen the new catalogue yet? I have just updated my class and events page with a couple more events, so please check them out. I'd love to see you there if you're able.

Hi everyone,

One of the things I love about being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator is going to SU! Convention and Regionals and getting so many inspiring ideas from the design staff at Stampin' Up! and from my fellow stampers.  This year at convention we received the gorgeous stamp set "Creative Elements" (it's on page 89 of the new book!). It's adorable, and the very talented SU! staff had made a fantastic display with cards and layouts created using this set.

From the photos I took at convention, I was able to take inspiration from and recreate several of these gorgeous cards in time for my new catalogue party last Saturday.  Want a peak?

Aren't we glad Wild Wasabi came back as a regular colour in our collection, and don't you just love the way it sets off this Pretty in Pink flower (stamped four times and fussy cut).

I love that Itty Bitty Buttons have also come back in our new catalogue - they were so much fun in the Summer Mini, and it will be great to have them to mix and match with our new stamp sets and Designer Series Paper.  This one has some deep red embroidery thread knotted through it and is attached to the front of a very simple card using the lovely butterfly from Creative Elements.

Did you guess that I had to get out my Stamp-a-Majig to line up the butterflies and the text?

Can you imagine being part of the fun, and seeing such inspiring projects before these stamp sets are even made available to the public? 

Right now Stampin' Up! are even offering a generous discount to people who'd like to enjoy sneak peaks, more discounts and such great inspiration, and it's so easy to join online. Click here to go to my demonstrator page and on the left hand side of the screen you'll see an image which says "Join Now". Follow the steps and before you know it, you'll have a gorgeous Starter Kit in the mail and can start enjoying all the benefits of being a member of the Stampin' Up! family.

My One Little Word is GROW, and this month's prompt was to kind of take a deep breath, and capture where our journey has taken us so far, with just a single photo.

I chose to do a self-timed photo of myself, in my very messy, "temporary" stamping room.  When we started this OLW journey, I was hoping that my room would be completely revamped, renovated and refreshed by now, but part of the GROWTH journey for me is learning and accepting that long term projects don't take a few weeks or even a few months, they could take a couple of years, so to GROW is to accept, embrace and enjoy where I am now.

I quite like how that works out for me after an enormously busy month in August, and with lots of plans in place for busy, busy times over the next few months and probably long-term!

Very excited that today is also the start of our brand new Ideas Book & Catalogue for all the Aussie and Kiwi stampers. And it looks like Stampin' Up! definitely want me to grow in September too.

Take a look at what they have done!

This is a fabulous offer for all those addicted stampers who already have lots of Stampin' Up! products, and want to get the discount and all the perks for themselves without having to double up on things like the Stampin' Scrub.  If you join in September, there are two BARGAIN options for joining. For all the details, visit my Stampin' Up! demonstrator page by clicking here.

Well, back to the blog hop!  Here are all the other participants.

If you'd like to continue on from me, go visit Amanda by clicking here. You can do the whole loop just by following the links at the end of each post. Have a great journey, and fantastic weekend coming up!