I think I may have mentioned on a previous occasion or two that I have a folder on my computer named ‘to blog’.  This folder contains images of projects completed over a good long while that are stored there so that I know I need to put them up here for you all to see.

At this point they would more aptly fit in a folder entitled ‘what the heck are you waiting for?!’

If not for the fact that the computer doesn’t like anything other than letters and numbers in its folder names, I may well have had a go at changing it.

So anyway, I’ve decided that it’s time to clear the backlog, what with colour collections being renovated and only just over a month until stamps and all sorts start retiring and all.

So herewith, my first offering from the aforementioned folder.  Blow the dust off if you will

This is a card that I made for my sweet niece Izzy, who turned 11 in December last year.

See what I mean about backlog?

Moving on…

I just had to have a go at the Sweet Treat Cups when they first appeared back in the previous mini and LOVE how they jazz up  a card.

The fact that you can fill them with mini M&Ms or other small chocolatey treats is a definite bonus, particularly where an 11 year old girl is involved.

You may have noticed in the flower to the right that there is also a small protrusion…

See?!

When I first laid eyes on the Sweet Treat Cups, they reminded me instantly of a class that I saw offered by a co-worker at a local craft shop where I worked momentarily a few years ago between children.  It involved using objects found around the home in your crafting and card making.

Can anybody tell me what I’ve used here for the smaller flower?

Petal Pizzazz would have to be one of my absolute favourite and most-used stamp sets from this current catalogue and I always get nervous around this time – a month or so out from retiring lists appearing – that one like this will retire.

I REALLY hope it sticks around and heads will not have to roll.

I’m just sayin’…..

As it turns out my nephew, Izzy’s little brother Harry has his birthday exactly a week before his big sis, so he got a Sweet Treat Cup on his card too.

No girly flowers here though….

…just a rocket!

This idea came from my super-clever and delightful sis-in-law Janny who is part of my stampin’ team.

She came up with the oh-so-awesome idea to fill the STC with blue and green mini M&Ms, thereby creating Earth for the rocket to blast off from.

Is this not the coolest idea for a boy card you’ve ever seen?!

Whether or not Harry paused to appreciate the artistry and inventiveness of this idea prior to tearing it apart to get to the M&Ms, I can’t honestly recall, but one can remain hopeful.

In fact, for both of the cards, I installed a handy little flap behind the STC using a scrap of cardstock and the slit punch so that getting at the contents doesn’t require complete annihilation of the card itself…

Again, whether or not Harry noticed this thoughtful inclusion is another thing entirely.  Let’s just say its a good thing he’s my favourite nephew

The Sweet Treat Cups are perfectly designed to work with the 1-3/4″ Circle Punch, both of which are available in the current Autumn/Winter mini catalogue.

If you’d like to grab some of these to have a play with for yourself, don’t hesitate to get in touch!

“Izzy’s Sweet Treat Flowers”
Stamps: Petal Pizzazz, Short & Sweet
Paper: Regal Rose, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Summer Sun, Kiwi Kiss
Accessories: Eyelet Border, Word Window, 1/2″ & 1-3/4″ Circle Punches; Regal Rose 5/8″ Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin’ Dimensionals

“Harry’s Sweet Treat Rocket”
Stamps: Pun Fun, Big Bold Birthday, Season of Joy (stars)
Paper: Baja Breeze, Close to Cocoa, Night of Navy, Watercolour Paper
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Baja Breeze, Close to Cocoa, Riding Hood Red, Night of Navy
Accessories: Scallop Border, Word Window $ 1-3/4″ Circle Punches; Riding Hood Red Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Aquapainter, White Gel Pen, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Many of you would already be aware that we are smack bang in the middle of the most fun time of the Stampin’ Up! year – Sale-a-bration!

Other than put a little advertisement up to the top right there, I haven’t done much in the way of shouting it from the rooftops, so I hope to rectify that today by sharing a couple of cards I made with my favourite of the stamp selections available in the Sale-a-bration brochure.

I loved all the stamp sets on sight, but my favourite one is Happy Moments.  I reckon you can’t go wrong with a stamp set that contains four images that could be used for pretty much any occasion, PLUS three greeting stamps into the bargain as well.

And it is a bargain, ’cause it’s free!

It – or any of the other three sets in the catalogue – can be yours for free with any order of $100.  Spend $200, choose two sets.  Spend $300, choose three sets plus the associated hostess benefits.

Spend more than that, and you and I need to have a serious chat about the Stampin’ Up! demonstrator opportunity…  Oh and did I mention that if you take up that particular opportunity during Sale-a-bration you get to choose a free stamp set from the Idea Book & Catalogue too…?

Yep, you do.

See I told you Sale-a-bration was fun!

Ok, onto the cards.  They both use the stack of gifts stamp from the Happy Moments stamp set, which I love because you can colour it all girly and pretty, or make it more boy-ish colours too – both of which I have done in the following examples…

This first card was for a little school friend of my big girl, whose 7th birthday party was just this morning.

The cutest thing was that when Hannah gave her the card, as she was ripping into it, she said “I know what this is – this is a card that your mum made”.

They’re onto me…..!

Here’s a close up of the watercolouring on the stamped image, and I also wanted to point out something else about this part too.

See the scalloped border around the edge of the circle?

Well that circle is the 1-3/4″ Circle Punch and we don’t actually have a corresponding scallop circle punch in the catalogue.  Check out this post on Marelle Taylor’s blog for a nifty little trick to get different sized circles out of your original Scallop Circle Punch…

“Happy 7th Birthday Madelen”
Stamps: Happy Moments
Paper: Kiwi Kiss, So Saffron, Watercolour Paper, Regal Rose Patterns DSP (Level 1 Hostess)
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Kiwi Kiss, So Saffron, Regal Rose, Tangerine Tango, Baja Breeze
Accessories: 1-3/4″ Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Aquapainter, Tangerine Tango striped ribbon, Stampin’ Dimensionals

The next card was for the principal at school after I noticed a couple of weeks ago that his birthday was listed in the school newsletter.  It’s such a lovely school that my big girl goes to (and next year, so will the little one…!) with just one class for each year level and the teachers and the principal know each and every one of the kids by name.

Here’s his card…

The image on this one is also watercoloured, but this time I first stamped and embossed with White Embossing Powder, so it gives the image quite a different look.

So that’s just two simple examples of the many different looks that you could get out of this one stamp, never mind that you have three other image stamps in the set to play around with as well.

Sale-a-bration runs until the end of March, so get in on the free stamps action by contacting me and letting me know what you’d like for your $100 (or $200 or $300!) order

“Happy Birthday Mr Martin”
Stamps: Happy Moments, Short & Sweet
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Naturals Ivory, Kiwi Kiss, Watercolour Paper, Urban Garden DSP
Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Sahara Sand
Accessories: Chocolate Chip side double stitched ribbon, Aquapainter, Stampin’ Sponges, 1-3/4″ Circle Punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals

I mentioned a couple of posts ago how much I have loved working with the Walk in the Park DSP from the current (but only until the end of the day!!) Spring Mini.

Well here is a little more evidence of just how much I have enjoyed myself with this very pretty paper…

This card was for the first birthday of a sweet little poppet belonging to some gorgeous friends of ours.

The layout of the card was cased pretty much directly from page 11 of the Spring Mini, I have just changed the colours.

“Elsie’s First Birthday Card”
Stamps: Gallery
Paper: Old Olive, So Saffron, Whisper White, Walk in the Park DSP
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Wide Double Stitched Baja Breeze grosgrain, Flower Fusion Too, Rich Regals brads, On Boards Lots of Letters, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Next we have a couple of cards that I made for some birthday parties that my big girl was invited to a couple of months back.

This one actually combines the Walk in the Park DSP with the Parisian Breeze Specialty DSP, so let’s call it Walk in a Parisian Park

“Ruby’s Walk in a Parisian Park 7th Birthday Card!”
Stamps: Cheep Talk
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Walk in the Park DSP, Parisian Breeze Specialty DSP, Pink Pirouette Patterns DSP (for the birdie’s wing!)
Ink: Rose Red, Basic Black
Accessories: Flower Fusion, Flower Fusion Too, Vintage brads, Scallop Edge Punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals

The next one also uses my favourite and most used stamp set from the mini – Great Friend

“Isobel’s 7th Birthday Card”
Stamps: Great Friend
Paper: Baja Breeze, So Saffron, Whisper White, Walk in the Park DSP
Ink: Cameo Coral, Baja Breeze, So Saffron
Accessories: Kiwi Kiss striped grosgrain, Stampin’ Dimensionals

And finally in this very varied hodge-podge of a blog post, here is yet another occasion in which I have used the lovely combination of Walk in the Park and Great Friend…

These were the vouchers that I created for our team stamping day back in July to give to the girls in the team that provided our stamping projects and ‘wow’ demonstration.

What I love about the colours in the papers and the Stampin’ Up! product co-ordination feature in general is how a single idea can be changed around into a variety of slightly different ones just with a bit of good old mixing and matching as I’ve done with the vouchers here

“July Team Day Vouchers”
Stamps: Great Friend
Paper: Baja Breeze, So Saffron, Kiwi Kiss, Cameo Coral, Walk in the Park
Ink: Baja Breeze, So Saffron, Kiwi Kiss, Cameo Coral, Basic Grey
Accessories: Silver Brads, Corner Rounder Punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals

I hope you’ve enjoyed what actually became rather a marathon in the park!

Next up, my sister (in-law) comes walking in the park with me…

Stay tuned!

Remember me…?

I’m the one that pops in here occasionally and shows you a project or two that I have made from time to time.  I use the word ‘occasionally’ very loosely…

You might notice that I have also used the word ‘recently’ in the title of my post, and those of you who know precisely how many neices I have, how many of them I am Godmother to and when their birthdays are will know exactly how loosely I’m using that particular word….

It’s been rather a bustling few weeks around here, with more workshops packed into a shorter time-frame than I am accustomed to (loving this though!) plus life in general keeping me moving along at rather a cracking pace, so my blogging has suffered somewhat in the process.   I can report however,  that I have just spent a good half hour or more editing no less than 25 photos of different things that I have been working on in recent times, so there are posts a-comin’, let me assure you!

Just don’t go asking for a time-frame, that’s all…

Starting with this card for the 4th birthday of sweetie-pie Ruby…

I was inspired by this gorgeous card that my team member Danneil posted to her blog earlier in the year.  Dan has since stopped blogging, but you can still go and check out her gorgeous stuff that she has posted previously, just don’t go there expecting updates

This is the inside of the card…..

…and this is the little guy up close and personal like…

Such a cute stamp this one, and I love that you can totally get away with colouring him in all roughly and uneven and it adds to his hedgehoggy texture rather than making you look like you failed kindergarten.

Keep an eye out for 25 more posts coming your way…..soon, keeping in mind my propensity to use words loosely of course….

“Ruby’s 4th Birthday Hedgehog Card”
Stamps: Fun & Fast Notes, Short & Sweet
Paper: Apricot Appeal, Certainly Celery, Naturals Ivory, Patterns Pack II DSP (Level 1 hostess)
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Rose Red, Apricot Appeal, Going Grey
Accessories: Aquapainter, 1-3/8″ Circle Punch, Certainly Celery wide grosgrain, White Gel Pen

Recently a dear little bloke that belongs to some very dear friends of ours had a birthday.  I use the term ‘recently’ quite loosely, and have come to realise that I use it an awful lot here on my blog, as very rarely do I manage to create something and upload it within anything approximating a decent time frame.

Recently covers all things from several months to 5 minutes ago around here.

So this little fellow who recently had a birthday (June 20th if you must know) turned four.  My issue here is that I own very little that is suitable for male cards and even less, males that are under the age of 18.  The beer mug from Cheers to You was hardly going to cut it….

So I challenged myself to think outside the square a little bit and using this stamp from Big Bold Birthday…..

…I came up with this card…

As you may well be have been able to glean for yourself, the Stamp-a-ma-jig is pretty much a must have for this particular card, being that there is no way on earth that I was going to come close to lining up all those dots without it.

Then as you can also probably see, it was simply a case of working out which dots to colour in to form the number 4.

I had a few false starts with the idea, as originally I had planned to colour in the left over dots in a different colour, you know, for a bit of contrast.  Well I no longer have that particular attempt, but bring to mind a picture that you look at made up of dots in different colours where you have to try and make out a letter or number within the pattern to determine whether or not you’re colour blind, and you will pretty much have it.

Do you know the pictures I mean?  Not really the look I was aiming for…..

A couple of layers, some co-ordinating brads and length of ribbon and that’s all there was to it!

What’s your favourite way to stamp outside the square, or use a stamp in the way that it may not have been originally intended….?

“Lachie’s 4th Birthday Card”
Stamps: Big Bold Birthday
Paper: Baja Breeze, Pacific Point, Real Red, Whisper White
Ink: Baja Breeze, Pacific Point
Accessories: Pacific Point striped ribbon, Bold Brights brads, Real Red Marker

You may have seen, as I have, various incarnations of an adorable flower pot card making its way around the internet in recent times.

The first such one I saw was an amazing swap card at one of our team days a few months ago from my lovely friend and team member Tracey, using Flower Fusion felt flowers.

Since then I have seen all sorts of varieties.  Some stamped, some more with Flower Fusion, some Die Cut Blooms here and there, the possibilities are endless!

So being the bandwagon jumper-on-erer that I am, I decided that the 6th birthday of one of my big girl’s sweet little mates was the perfect time to get on board!

I am loving Petal Pizzazz to BITS, and it was the perfect set for a bright and cheery flower pot for the bright and cheery birthday girl in question

So tell me….what’s your current favourite stampin’ bandwagon?

“6th Birthday Flower Pot!”
Stamps: Petal Pizzazz, Sanded
Paper: Whisper White, Really Rust, Naturals Ivory
Ink: Really Rust, Summer Sun, Riding Hood Red, Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss
Accessories: Buttons (retired), Bold Brights brads, Kiwi Kiss striped ribbon, Scallop Edge Punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals

My big girl was invited to the birthday party of one of her sweet little classmates recently, which of course called for a sweet birthday card!

It doesn’t get much sweeter than strawberry scratch ‘n’ sniff my friends….!

The Big Bold Birthday set is perfect for this technique as it’s a nice solid stamp set, and cupcakes that smell like strawberry….?  Perfect!

To get this technique happening, simply make a half and half mixture of clear embossing powder and sugar free jelly crystals.  The sugar free part is important as you will be heating it in the same way you would normally when you emboss, and the combination of sugar and heat gun makes for a burnt, brown, not so attractive cupcake, although if you’re anything like me in the kitchen, it would be fairly true to life.

But enough about my baking misadventures….

So you stamp the image you want to make into scratch ‘n’ sniff with Versamark, then pour over your embossing powder/jelly crystals mixture.  Heat with the heat gun and that’s pretty much that!

Scratch, sniff and enjoy!

“Caitlin’s 6th Birthday Strawberry Cupcake Card!”
Stamps: Big Bold Birthday
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Close to Cocoa, Regal Rose, Whisper White, Close to Cocoa Prints DSP (retired)
Ink: Close to Cocoa, So Saffron, Versamark
Accessories: Clear embossing powder/sugar-free strawberry jelly crystals, Stampin’ Dimensionals