I know what you are thinking!!

I know that we never want to see Christmas again . . . until December! 

I know you are wondering why on earth I would start sharing Christmas projects in February when we are still in Christmas overload, having created Christmas cards and home decor items for the last 6 months of last year, from Christmas in July, all the way through our bleak winter, rainy spring and into the frantic lead-up to December 25th.

I know that I suffered Christmas burnout! And that's why I need to post this now. Because a few people asked me about water-colouring the Father Christmas stamp and wanted to see how I did most of my Christmas cards.

And I did take step-by step photos at the time, but it was just too busy a time to keep banging on about it! And since the Father Christmas stamp set is still available to buy in the Holiday Catalogue Carryover List, I thought now would be a good time to show you those step by step photos! Just in case you loved it so much, you wanted to use it to start creating your own Christmas cards for the 2017 season - good idea to start now! 

So, I started with Thick Whisper White Card, and the Archival Basic Black Ink Pad. Make sure you allow time for it to dry properly. Next step was using the blender pen and Delightful Dijon Ink Pad. Don't you love how that Dijon takes on a gorgeous gold look in this application?

The tree is coloured with Garden Green Ink Pad and Blender Pen.

How do I use the blender pen with the ink pad?

I squeeze the lid of the ink pad (when it's closed) to force some of the ink into the lid, which I then use like a paint pallet. I pick up the ink with the blender pen, and be sure to always have some scrap paper nearby to take any excess off in case you want to colour a little lighter.

There were plenty of little details in the Santa image to turn to gold - just like Midas!

The next step was using the Real Red Ink Pad, and I'm sorry I don't seem to have taken a close up photo, but you can see I applied the colour more intensely where shadows would fall naturally, and allowed it to be lighter on the top of the sleeve and facing panels of his coat where light might fall.

The final step in the colouring was applying very small amounts of Soft Sky ink onto the fur trim and his beard, and in the shadow on the ground, because even though we know these items are white, they can still have shadows which may take on a blue effect.

The background layers were Whisper White embossed with the Holly Textured Impressions Embossing Folder on page 27 of the Annual Catalogue, and Real Red card cut with Layering Ovals Framelits.

So then the coloured Father Christmas images had to be cut with the ovals too.

The layering was a good task to do at Chirnside Park Shopping Centre casual kiosk - especially when our favourite ladies from Gloria Jeans make great coffee like this to keep us going!

For a bit of variety and interest, I mounted the cards as a mixture of portrait and landscape, and used two different greetings.

I also did a couple of variations with the backgrounds using other stamps from the set.

At the end I had some left over card bases and Real Red Scallop ovals, so I made a couple of extra cards using some of the pieces I had previously cut from the Candy Cane Designer Series Paper.

The Father Christmas Stamp Set is available to order through my online shop. Click on the picture to see it.

What is an ATC??

An ATC is an Artist's Trading Card.

What's the point?

Well, of course you remember footy trading cards and Pokemon trading cards, and Zoo Animal trading cards and all the rest of the different cards that supermarkets now put out there for kids to collect and swap - but WHAT has that got to do with Artists and why would they want to swap tiny cards?

Well, the very simple and short answer is it's a way for Artists to share techniques, colour schemes, new products in a miniature artwork designed to inspire and challenge them.

What have ATC's got to do with Stampin' Up!?

My wider Stampin' Up! team has an ATC swap each month and with around 15 people participating, and a set theme each month, it means we have a great way to inspire each other to look at our SU products in different ways, try new techniques, step outside our comfort zone on a colour scheme etc and after swapping, we end up with 15 miniature artworks done by other demonstrators, to keep in an inspiration album for future reference - like when our mojo has gone on holiday and we need a creativity boost.

January's theme was Paper Piecing Technique - a theme which was definitely not new to me - I like fussy cutting! But it was a good technique to get ones teeth into to use our Stampin' Up! stamp sets with. 

I decided on "Remarkable You" stamp set - because the images are nice and big and chunky, making them easy to cut out - remember, I needed to do 15!

I teemed it with the gorgeous Cupcakes and Carousel's Designer Series Paper Stack because of the fine details in the paper.

I started by stamping the image in Archival Black onto the background layer, and onto the pieces that would be cut out for the paper piecing part of the technique.

Then I used our Stampin' Up! Blender Pens with a tiny bit of ink from the lid of the Bermuda Bay ink pad to darken some of the shadow areas of the stamped images.

Next I did a little collage stamping onto the background layer - leaves and words to add depth and interest, and then cut out the flowers from the bluer paper and adhered it over the background layer.

I'm very proud of these! They're very Arty! And I'm really happy with the way they turned out.

This current month's theme is stamping, not using a stamp!! I haven't come up with anything yet - this could get messy!

Click on the picture below to see the paper in the Online Shop.

Click on the picture to buy the Remarkable You stamp set.

Every 2nd Wednesday morning I have a little stamping class - "We Create Wednesday's", and for our last get together I had been asked if we could come up with some simple Wedding themed cards.

Now, I don't know about you, but I've never created a simple wedding card in my life - they all take hours and are very intricate and detailed with lots of layers and embellishments, so in the end, I decided to resort to Pinterest to see if anyone was creating anything simple using some of the new Stampin' Up! Occasions Catalogue products to create "Simple" cards!

I found that most of the cards still use several layers and include cutting out pieces with the Big Shot Die Cutting Machine - which isn't hard, but it does add an extra step or two to the cards - so the definition of simple changed a little!

These are the cards we came up with. 

Each one of these cards was in some way inspired by those we saw on Pinterest by Marcy Denning, StampinBJ, Stasia Sloma (stampzone), Pam Jorgensen and Su Mohr.

Here are some close ups.

There's a smattering of new products in here, available online in our Occasions Catalogue or as a Sale-a-bration free item. You can browse the pdf files of the Sale-a-bration Flyer and Occasions Catalogue here.

Or shop online here.

And don't forget if you are local to me, I'm on the casual kiosk at Chirnside Park Shopping centre today, so you can come and see the cards in real life, and order products direct from me.

Earlier in the year, a lovely customer was looking for some ideas for some quick, simple Valentine's Day cards that could be easily reproduced at home without having to have tons of Papercraft supplies.

We sat down and played with just a couple of stamp sets, a limited colour range of ink pads and just single layer, Whisper White cards.

We had a lot of fun experimenting and I think we came up with some really great simple cards for quick Valentine surprises!

We haven't used layers of card stock for matting - but do you see what we've done here, creating our own layers with the background stamps?

We did have a bit of a laugh and cheer at our very "Kylie" inspired first card! Notice the greeting? Can you remember Kylie Minogue's song "Sealed With a Kiss"?

The way we stamped it, the tail of the K almost looks like a nose, with the lips below it - we are calling that our "Very Kylie" card.

All the supplies for these cards (ink pads, stamp sets, packets of Note Cards) can be purchased in my online shop.

If you check back tomorrow, I will be posting the next series of cards in the romance theme - Wedding and Engagement cards. These cards have lots of layers but are still simple enough for people just starting out in the card-making journey.  If you would like to see them in real life, I will be on the kiosk at Chirnside Park shopping centre tomorrow and will have them with me, so you can even touch them!

See you tomorrow, either here on the blog, or in person at Chirny!

With life so busy, taking care of work and family commitments, there just doesn’t seem to be enough time to set aside to enjoy cardmaking or scrapbooking.
So, why not change the script?
Come along and spoil yourself with some ‘Me Time’ at this value-packed, fully catered retreat where you can craft all weekend, chat, and be inspired by others – and perhaps indulge in some pampering with an optional massage.
This retreat is timed just right to give you a sneak peek at the new Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalogue 2017-2018 and you will receive a copy of your own to take home with you. Be one of the first in Australia to see and use some of the new products available. Your welcome pack will also contain some new product samples to inspire you.
We will have displays, demonstrations, challenges, prizes, make and takes and much more to get your creativity flowing.  
Inclusions for the weekend at Adekate Lodge, Creswick are:

• a large, well lit, communal, heated stamping hall, separate dining area and small lounges
• simple but clean bunk style rooms with heaters
• stunning, peaceful surrounds with walking tracks
• all meals*
• make and takes, challenges and prizes

Optional extra classes will be offered on Saturday and Sunday – A comprehensive class description will be available in April 2017.
Cost - $270 with $100 deposit required to secure your booking. We are taking bookings now and limited spaces are available so book quickly. Please read our terms and conditions.

Please RSVP or request further information via my website calendar by clicking here.

Or phone me on 0418 361 931.

Sale-a-bration is one of those times of the year when you will hear us talking A LOT about how awesome it is being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and being part of a really active, generous and inspiring team. We love our team, we love Stampin' Up! we love our monthly get together night and we want EVERYONE to be a part of it!

But rather than just telling you about it, I thought I'd just show you a little album of photos from our last Team Night of the year, in mid December, getting ready for Christmas.

So for me, the day was filled with creating - that would be in the kitchen, and in my Stamping room as I made lovely snacks for supper, and prepared some projects for the girls to make. I have to thank Jenny Wren here for cooking the little cakes to be turned into jelly-cakes and pre-making and freezing the yummo Hedgehog slice!

We usually have some ladies bring along Show'n'Tell - what they have been making lately, to show everyone. We have plenty of time to chat if someone had a question whether it be a business related question or about a technique or product, and then we get into some hands on stamping.

We seem to get along best by having a bit of a production line, where mostly one person does the cutting with the Big Shot, another stamps, another presses out pieces etc, until we all have enough bits to make our project. It means less movement around the room without people having to climb over the top of each other, and it makes the whole proecess a bit quicker.

For our Christmas end of year party, we decided to make the gorgeous Santa's Sleigh table centrepiece. I'm really not sure who to credit this original idea too, however, I did find written instructions from Lavinia Gruizinga (a demonstrator from the UK), so I'll give her credit! Her instructions were very clear and easy to follow.

We used the Santa's Sleigh Bundle - a packet of Thinlets Dies and a matching 15 piece photopolymer stamp set. You may be thinking, "Why would I show you something that was in the finished Holiday Catalogue and no longer able to be bought??"

Well, the good news is, both these products are still available in the Carry over list and you can still order them! Perfect if you run out of time like I do every year and want to start getting some decorations or gifts ready for Christmas in July or even next Christmas! LOL

Click on the Buy Now button below to see the Carry Over products in the online shop.

Now picture this . . .

There's 10 of us in the room, two are cutting out die cut shapes with the Big Shot, two or three are poking out the little pieces, a couple are stamping, everyone has a cup of tea or coffee (or a glass of wine), there's slices and savouries and lollies to snack on, the noise level is like the MCG during a Madonna concert . . . we're helping each other, we're talking about Christmas plans and how full-on December is, we are inspiring each other with our projects, we're asking questions, answering questions, laughing, eating, creating, sharing the step-by-step photos on our secret Facebook groups with our other team members who can't attend in person because the live too far away . . . just being women, just being together.

We really love our team nights, and I'm sure you would love it too!

Did I mention you get an awesome finished project to take home and share with your family and friends?

This is the very best time of the year to join Stampin' Up! There is no risk, you don't HAVE to do anything after joining if you don't want to, but you are welcome to immerse yourself in our lovely, caring SU family and be inspired, be cared about, be made to feel part of something awesome.

We will make sure you know what you need to do in order to stay a member of our lovely team, we can't do it for you, but we can give you a wealth of information about what has worked for us, to keep us active, inspired and creative. You will be welcome at our team get togethers, also on our Facebook group, to receive team emails and to join other demonstrator only forums.

The Stampin' Up! starter kit is $169.00. You select $235 worth of products and during Sale-a-bration you choose an extra two stamp sets - any stamp set to go in your kit for no extra cost. This is an amazing bargain - up to $414 of products for just $169, and like I said before, no risk. If you freak out after the first month, the products are your's to keep.

Get more information here.

Or ring me to catch up for a coffee! 0418 361 931

February Team Night is tonight - Thursday 9th February in my stamping room.

I recently had a phone call from a customer asking about a technique we used back around 2012-2013, and which was a lovely technique with striking results.

It was a perfect reminder for me to try some of the older techniques with some of our new colouring tools  and stamp sets.

I just love how the Triple Time Stamping Technique came out on this card using Birthday Blooms Stamp Set and our new Watercolour Pencils.

The card stock I've chosen to layer with is Rich Razzleberry and I just used three colours from the Watercolour Pencils - the Old Olive, Pacific Point and Rich Razzleberry.

I've blended them very lightly with an almost dry Aquapainter, so as not to move too much colour or ripple the Whisper White card which I stamped on with the Basic Black Archival Ink.

I love the limited colour palette of this card, and how the layers really make it. I will probably remake it again soon with slightly differently layering and it doesn't quite sit on the card the way my fussy eye would like it too - and I would prefer it to have a sentiment stamp somewhere there too.

Have you ordered the Watercolour Pencils yet? Click on the picture below to find them in the online shop.