Travel Feed

Masculine Card Ideas

Finding images to go onto cards for males can be a challenge - and then even when you find a great image, putting it with the masculine colours and textures can take us outside our comfort zone.  It's SO easy to make cards to suit women when there are so many more choices of products!

When I was asked to create a 21st Birthday Card for a friends much loved grandson, I was pleased to hear he likes "old things", old leather bags, box Brownies, vintagey, antiquey things!

Out comes the trusty Stampin' Up! stamp set Traveler along with From Land to Sea (he likes lighthouses too!) and I decided on a collage style card in a slightly larger size than our standard A6.

Traveler 21st Card (4)

First I stamped each of the images and added a swathe of colour using the paint brush swipe images from Work Of Art stamp set.

Then I added a bit of extra colour using Blender Pens and Ink pads and layered each piece onto Basic Black.

Traveler 21st Card (6)

Traveler 21st Card (8)

Traveler 21st Card (10)

Traveler 21st Card (12)

Traveler 21st Card (15)

I then just played around with how they best fit onto the card front, rearranging them a couple of times until I was happy with it, added the number 21 in gold glimmer paper and some scraps of various Designer Series papers behind, and stuck them all down.

Traveler 21st Card (1)

Traveler 21st Card (17)

Something this special also needs to have the inside decorated, but I also had to aware of leaving enough room for Grandma to write a special birthday message.

Traveler 21st Card (21)

By all accounts, she was very, very happy that she asked me to create this special card and the young man loved it. How nice is that to have been a part of his 21st birthday celebrations and helping to create special memories for them both.


Mail-A-Card Monday

On my team Facebook page we have a different segment most days to get everyone inspired and active, and Monday is Mail-A-Card day, because after all, we make so many cards, why shouldn't we actually write on some of them and put them in the post to let someone know we are thinking of them!

Mail a Card Monday

Today I am posting a birthday card to someone special - I'll share photos of that, and other similar cards we made at Stamp Club a bit later on - after the birthday has been and gone. But in the mean time, I did promise to tell you a little more about our On Stage event in Sydney.

On Stage is the new name for our Stampin' Up! get togethers that are a combined training day and usually catalogue premiere. It's a time for rewards and recognition for achieving demonstrators, an opportunity to try new products and a wonderful time to catch up with people face to face who we mostly just see on the internet.

On Stage Sydney (9) (500x279)

In April, many of us went to Sydney for the event which was also the Product Premiere for our new Annual Catalogue which starts in just over a week from now. It is such an exciting time to see the new products and to be able to order a tiny selection of them before anyone else can. Can you tell by the bent spine on my catalogue that it's almost worn out already?

On Stage Sydney (10) (397x500)

I volunteered to help set up the displays and hand out Prize Patrol and be part of the entertainment while people were queuing at registration this year - this was an immense amount of fun, besides a really great way to catch up with lots and lots of people.

And do you have any idea how HARD it was setting up the displays on Friday and not being able to say one word to my team members about what I was seeing or doing? My team are like family and the whole time I was setting up products and samples I was thinking how excited they are going to be and who was going to love which items the most! It was SO much fun! And I couldn't wait to see their faces the next day!

On Stage Sydney (2) (500x281)

On Friday evening a small group of us participated in Centre Stage - a special Leadership training and dinner for those who have attained Silver Elite level in our career plan. We had a fun, interactive leadership session and then a gorgeous sit down dinner.

On Stage Sydney (3) (500x281)

On Stage Sydney (4) (500x325)

On Saturday we had the main event with all our friends, including several Live crosses to the global event in Utah, make and take projects, the catalogue launch and lots of giveaways. We learned to LOVE the five new In Colours and took home a colour chart we had made and some sample cards.

On Stage Sydney (11) (500x403)

Of course, as soon as I could get my hands on more ink and card, I had to make some more samples with the new In Colours and I created a quick and easy set of five cards inspired by one of the demonstrations from On Stage, by the very talented and lovely Sarah Klass from WA, and using the Every Occasion stamp set which is a brand new set I received in Prize Patrol.

New In Colours (1) (490x438)

And of course I had to round out the weekend with a lovely run on Sunday morning - to counter all the hours off sitting on Saturday - so I went out early and got a big dose of all the sights which make Sydney so special, and followed that up with brunch at the Rocks and a leisurely trip home in the late afternoon.

Sydney Morning Run (500x257)

Our next On Stage Event is in Brisbane in November - and it's the global one where demonstrators from all over the world are welcome to attend. I would love, love, love more of my stamping friends to come to these events with us - you do have to be a demonstrator though to attend. Have you ever thought about what that would be like?

Can you picture yourself surrounded by crazy stamping ladies, all having an amazing, exciting, inspiring time, being the first to see the new catalogue in real life and get your hands on new goodies a couple of months before anyone else?

You could be there!

You'd be very welcome and we'd make sure you are looked after. If you can see yourself being a part of this, ask me today about being part of our fun, crazy, caring Stampin' Up! team.


Punch Art Kiwis for my New Zealand family

So, I DID promise to tell you a bit about where on earth I have been since late March, and why I haven't been on here telling you all about the end of Sale-a-bration, and the end of the Weekly Deals as we know it, and the Retiring Products and end of our 2016 catalogue.

Well, in the lead up to my husband's first full Ironman event, we decided to take a long weekend and head across the ditch to catch up with some family. Since his dad passed, we have felt it more and more important to stay in touch with the New Zealand side of his family and re-connect with his roots.

And the Kiwi's are SO hospitable!

It was very much a flying visit, but I think we caught up with about 30 relatives in under four days!

And we managed to fit in some recreation and inspiration at the same time.

We went with his gorgeous cousin and dear aunt to a garden centre for lunch - and I have to say, I was REALLY, REALLY taken with this beautiful wall art!

Design Inspiration (500x281)

How stunning is that? And SO many Stampin' Up! colours in there! I can't wait to make something inspired by it!

After our lunch, we had a wander through the garden centre shop and OMG! Look what the heck I found!

Colouring Roll (500x281)

Now, for some reason I seem to have collected a few of those exciting new adult colouring in books, but I've never coloured in any of them, however, this got me really excited! Ha ha! Have you done any colouring yet?

We managed to find a time slot to have a swim in the stunning new Millenium Swimming Pool, which was quite a miracle since every amazing swimmer in New Zealand was there trying to qualify for the Rio Olympics. We also got to see Tony's young cousin play a couple of awe-inspiring water polo matches in the same pool on the Saturday.

We wanted to fit in a long run (for the Ironman training) while we were away, so we headed north to the Orewa Lagoon and did a lap of the lagoon and half a dozen laps of the gorgeous beach, clocking up 23kms in the stunning conditions. If you're ever in the area, the beach is lovely and a walk around the lagoon would be a beautiful way to pass a couple of hours!

When we arrived back in Melbourne, I really wanted to make a thank you card for each of the households who hosted us or went out of their way to catch up with us over that weekend. I had a bit of a search on Pinterest and found some punch art Kiwi cards, which I thought were very cute, so I decided to create a handful of similar ones.

Punch Art Kiwis (2) (401x500)

To start with, that's a lot of circle punches, and lots of "eyes" from the Owl Builder Punch.

There's also a little bit of guess work in cutting the beaks from Word Window Punch shapes.

I used the "A World Of Thanks" stamp for the background and the grass image from "Wetlands" stamp set.

Punch Art Kiwis (5) (500x281)

Punch Art Kiwis (7) (500x281)

Each card was just ever so slightly different, depending on the placement of the eyes and beaks of the kiwis. So much fun and I love how they came up!

I got some lovely response from over the ditch too, so how nice is that - to have ones creations appreciated!

I felt we were no sooner back from Auckland than I headed to Sydney for a long weekend for the Stampin' Up! On Stage event where we had our Product Premiere and new Catalogue Launch. I'll be back to share some of that excitement with you in a day or so!

Kathryn


Stampin' Up! Grand Holiday 2013

Hi Folks,

Well what an exciting week it has been in Stampin' Up! land! Several of my stamping friends and I have had a goal this Stampin' Up! year of qualifying for the Stampin' Up! Annual Incentive Trip (now named Grand Holiday), and over the past week, several more of us have reached our goal, achieving enough points to take our partners on this once in a lifetime trip.

This year Stampin' Up! are taking us to Utah, USA for our Grand Holiday. We'll be staying at the very beautiful St Regis Deer Valley Resort at Park City and have the chance to visit the Stampin' Up! home office in Riverton and the manufacturing plant at Kanab!

Utah Grand Vacation

I am one excited little vegemite!!

We'll also have the opportunity to attend the 25th Anniversary Stampin' Up! Convention in Salt Lake City! I think our South Pacific Conventions are totally awesome, I can't wait to see how huge and amazing the US convention is! Better stock up in the flat shoe department before July!

I am so grateful to be part of an organisation that rewards it's hard workers with such an exciting opportunity and I can't wait to join dozens of my lovely stamping friends - including some that I only know through Facebook and haven't even met in person yet! It's such an honour and a privilege!

But before I even start packing, I need to thank all the lovely people who helped to get me there! Anyone who hosted a workshop, attended a class, placed an order or purchased a kit, my lovely stamp club ladies. You all contributed to me achieving this goal. Thank you!

Then there is my wonderful team the Aussie Inkpressionists, which has grown to 31. Your hard work in recruiting and promoting these past twelve months is a credit to you and is reflected in our teams growth. We have more than doubled in the last 12 months. Well done on a fine effort!

Then of course there are the behind the scenes supporters. My sister the chef, who came and did a stamping with food night for us, my friends who keep inviting me to have a table at their fundraising events, family & friends who always say the nicest things when they get a handmade card.

And last but not least, my number one supporter, Tony, who's patience and great marketing experience and business ideas over the past 5 years have definitely earned him a place on this trip too! I hope you enjoy every minute of it my lovely husband, you deserve to be spoiled by Stampin' Up! too!

Now there HAS to be a sales pitch at the bottom of such a post, so I am just going to say, if I can achieve this, whilst working mostly fulltime, a long way from home, then you can achieve this too!!

The year 2014 Grand Holiday is a Caribbean Cruise on Allure of the Seas.

Talk to me today about what you would need to do to come on an amazing holiday, paid for by Stampin' Up! Our Sale-a-bration Starter Kit special is on only until the 22nd March. Don't wait, call me today!


Happy AUSTRALIA DAY!!

Congratulations to all our "New Australians" who receive their Citizenship Certificates in Australia Day ceremonies across the country today.  We had the pleasure of attending such a ceremony in our nation's capital, Canberra, in 2009 - it was such a buzz!  (or maybe that was the 21 canon salute, or the FA-18 flyover!!).

To celebrate today, I have gone hunting through some OLD photos and dug up a favourite project I did in 2005.  I was working on lots of Altered Book projects at the time, and this one had the theme favourite places.  The month's project had to include "windows" in the page, so I embedded acetate sheets between several pages and created some windows which I stamped one of our favourite national emblems onto - yes, the kangaroo!

Anyway, here's what it looked like!

Sunburnt Country a

The words are just a couple of verses from the very moving Dorothea Mackellar Poem, My Country, one of my all-time favourites.

Sunburnt Country b

Sunburnt Country c

Sunburnt Country d

Sunburnt Country e

Sunburnt Country f

Sunburnt Country g

Sunburnt Country h

Sunburnt Country i

Don't you love that last line . . . I know to which brown country my homing thoughts will fly . . . ?

It's like when you walk down those long corridors at Heathrow after a month in Europe and suddenly you see row upon row of flying kangaroos - yes the tails of dozens of Qantas jets, and with tears in your eyes, you realise . . . you're going HOME!!  Home to the best country on earth! 

Have a great day - enjoy this beautiful fresh air and sunshine and I hope your day is blessed with beautiful happy family memories!