A very quick reminder, that today is your last chance to order from the Summer Mini catalogue. Please contact me, with your credit card details, if you would like to place an order.
This cute little Easter bunny is just one of the items that will no longer be available after today 😦
Happy stamping,
Chris
**Thank you to all of you have left such wonderful messages and emails of love and support, your thoughts are very much appreciated.**
I just wanted to let you all know that I won’t be blogging for a little while, as my beautiful and beloved Mum passed away at 4am this morning, only 8 days before her 80th birthday.
She will be sorely missed.
This photo of Mum with Jamie was taken on Christmas Day. It is a bit hard to believe that was only three months ago.
How quickly things can change.
So if you are lucky enough to still have a Mum, make sure you call her and tell her just how much she means to you.
I will resume classes again in a few weeks time, but in the meantime, happy stamping!
Chris
I recently came across an amazing lady, Karen Cummings, who last year collected hundreds of handmade cards to send to our Australian troops overseas, so that they could send cards home to their families for Christmas.
She is currently collecting cards for Mother’s Day, so I am putting the call out there to all of you cardmakers, lets show our support for our fabulous armed forces.
As a former serving member myself , (although I wasn’t lucky enough to serve overseas), I know just how difficult it is to be isolated and away from family and loved ones for long periods of time. I also understand just how hard it is for the families left back at home, and how much the correspondence means to both parties.
So, lets see how many we can make. They don’t have to be complicated, just a nice handmade card that someone can send home to their Mum for Mother’s Day.
I will be collecting cards until Friday 26th March, so please, if you can put aside 10 minutes a week over the next couple of weeks, it will mean so much to someone’s Mum!
If you would prefer to send them straight to Karen, just click on the link above and email her for her address. And please feel free to email me if you have any questions.
Thanks in advance,
Chris
There, I told you I would be back today with the card that matches the box from yesterday’s post. But only a very short post today, as I have a busy day. It is my lovely husband’s birthday today!
Anyway, here is the card, using the wonderful new Cottage Garden stamp set, which comes in both wood mount and clear mount. I have the clear mount version. And I have used the colours of the Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper, which are Old Olive, Orchid Opulence, the new Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, and of course a little bit of white embossing for the greeting and some dazzling diamonds for the centres of the flowers.
And, I must not forget the all important Big Shot and Top Note Die, which I have used to cut out the white layer. Both the Big Shot and Top Note Die will be available through me from Stampin’ Up! from 1st April – how exciting is that??? 🙂
Hope you have a lovely day! Chris
Yesterday was a public holiday here in Canberra, and was also my lovely sister’s birthday. She was very, very lucky because I used some of my new goodies from the Autumn / Winter catalogue to make her card and gift box.
This first box is one I made for the gift from my Mum to my sister, and it matches the Tri-Shutter card from this post. It uses Pink Pirouette and Riding Hood Red cardstock and inks, as well as Kiwi Kiss Ink, and features A Rose is a Rose Stamp Set. The ribbons are not Stampin’ Up! but are from my large stash!
The second box I made to hold a photo frame. The frame was from one of the $2 shops and cost me…. $2! But shhhhhh don’t tell my sister that. I have used the Planter Box Rub-ons to decorate it and am quite pleased with how it came out. I did try to take a photo of it out of the box but it didn’t turn out very well, but you get the idea.
And the box is made from Orchid Opulence cardstock for the base, clear acetate for the lid, and the belly band is made from the absolutely divine Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper. I have also used the Cottage Garden Stamp Set for the three little flowers that decorate it. And don’t forget, you can order these both from 1st April, although personally, I don’t know how you can stand to wait that long! 🙂
There is a matching card to go with this box as well, but I thought I might keep you in suspense a little and save it until tomorrow!!
So until then, happy stamping,
Chris
As many of you know, I belong to a group of stampers who are all Stampin’ Up! demonstrators from around Australia and New Zealand, called the ESAD group. The group often runs swaps, which I am generally keen to take part in, as I am able to use many of the ideas in my own classes etc.
At the moment I am taking part in a kind of swap, that we call “Secret Sisters”. As a very brief explanation, I am a sister to another person who I send things to, I know her name, but she doesn’t know mine. I also have a “Secret Sister” who sends things to me. She knows my name, but I don’t know hers. Ok? Clear as mud?
Well, anyway, my Secret Sister (who ever she may be), sent me this gorgeous card last week, using lots of my favourite things, and I just wanted to share it with you. And….. you will also get to see a bit of a peek of one stamp from one of the great greeting sets from the Autumn / Winter mini Catalogue (and yes, there a few in there).
Now, I hear some of you other demonstrators and customers saying “oh, but you can’t do that!”, so I just want to clear that one up. Not all that long ago, there were some changes to the demonstrator agreement, which means we are now allowed to show items that have been made with things out of the upcoming catalogue. I can’t let you see the catalogue, I can’t show the stamp sets etc and I can’t sell you anything before the 1st April, but I can show you the cards, scrapbook pages etc that I make using those things. So guess what? I am going to show you lots! 🙂
Anyway, lets get on with it! I absolutely adore the colours of Sage Shadow and Elegant Eggplant, and don’t they just look great in this beautiful card. So, thank you Secret Sister, for my “happy mail” 🙂
Stamp Sets: Fifth Avenue Floral, Heard from the Heart (available from me on the 1st April, and not before!! 🙂 )
I have to admit that the Heard from the Heart Stamp Set was not on my wish list, that is, until I received this card, but now it is, along with lots of other stuff 🙂
Happy Stampin everyone,
Chris
This is just one of the many new things I am thrilled, and excited about.
There has been a huge demand from Demonstrators and customers, for re-positionable stamps and the clear mount blocks to go with them. And I am so excited to be able to tell you that, once again, Stampin’ Up! have delivered exactly what has been asked of them. As of 1st April 2010, Stampin’ Up! will release most of it’s stamp sets in both wood mount and clear mount sets. So yes, those of you who love your wood mount stamps, don’t worry, they will still be available. But now there is also the option of the same high quality stamps that Stampin’ Up! is so well known for, in a clear mount option. These stamps will still be made of rubber, in the same way as the tradition stamps, and with the same deep cut, but in a re-positionable system using clear blocks.
So, what is the advantage and some of the features of the Clear Mount Stamps?
I will be running some classes on how to use the clear mount stamps in the coming months, and will also have some for you to see at my Autumn / Winter Mini Catalogue Launch party on Wed 31st March at 7.30pm. This is a free event, but you must let me know if you want to come along. There will be demonstrations and displays of many of the new goodies, as well as a make and take or two, so come along and see what all the fuss is about!
… but phew, what a week… or two!
Some of those dreaded “change of season” bugs hit our household full force over the last couple of weeks. My poor husband had a week off work (totally unheard of) and my son was sick with it as well – at the same time, of course. And then just when they were starting to get over it, I got sick with a very nasty tummy bug that saw me visiting the emergency unit of the local hospital. Fortunately it was only a short stay, and I managed to escape the hospital the same day that went in. But recovery has been a bit of a slow process, and I am now on some medication which seems to be helping, although not quick enough for my liking. Being unwell is just soooo not me, especially when my mind is willing but my body just isn’t.
So, needless to say, I have a million more ideas running around in my head, but have only had the energy to make a few of them.
I did promise to share some more of the cards I made using the Seeing Spots Stamp Set, which I will do shortly. And I also have to share some of the excitement of the amazing new Autumn /Winter Mini Catalogue which goes live on the 1st of April, but as a demonstrator, I have been lucky enough to see. Actually, I have spent quite a few hours with it firmly adhered to my forehead! It is gorgeous!!!!! I desperately need the lotto gods to bless me with very large amounts of cash that I can spend on all of the mini catalogue, because to honest, I think I could buy every single thing in it.
I will come back with another post with some details on the new clear mount stamp sets, but in the meantime, some cards.
As well as Seeing Spots, this one uses the lovely Nature’s Nest Stamp Set which is only available until the end of this month. And the greeting is from the Sale-a-Bration set Vintage Labels, again only available until the end of the month.
Cardstock is Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip and Whispers White.
This second card uses the Heartfelt Thanks Stamp Set, in the colours of Barely Banana, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery and Chocolate Chip.
And this last card using an all time favourite of mine, Lovely as a Tree, along with On Your Birthday for the greeting. The colours are Barely Banana, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White.
Hope you are getting lots of stampin done, and for those of you in Canberra, enjoy your long weekend!
Chris
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