Stampin’ Up! have announced today their first ever Australian Inventory Sale. Some stamp sets are 50% off. The sale starts on 15th December (tomorrow) and runs until the 24th January but only while stocks last. Don’t miss out. You can check out the stamps, papers, glitter and much more that are on sale here.

Contact me today to order yours before they run out!

A very quick post today, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to all of you for your lovely and generous comments on my Blog Hop projects. I enjoyed making them and have enjoyed sharing them with you.  And I’ll be back real soon with some other projects using some of the new products from the Summer Mini Catalogue.
Thanks for stopping by.
Chris

Welcome to the very first ESAD blog hop!
ESAD (which is short from Extremely Special Aussie Demonstrators) is a yahoo group which connects some 300 Stampin’ Up! demonstrators from around Australia and New Zealand.  So if you are a demonstrator and are not part of this group, feel free to click here to join.

And now on to my projects today.  I have chosen to highlight one of the gorgeous new ribbons in the Summer Mini Catalogue, the Real Red Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, which is here just in time for Christmas.  So I thought it only appropriate that I make a Christmas Card with a difference and show you another way of using some of that yummy ribbon that we all have a stash of! 🙂  I have simply put a layer of ribbon behind the open areas of the Fresh Cut Note front so that the ribbon shows through.  But of course you could use the same technique with a punched out shape.

Stamp Sets: Season of Joy, Occasional Greetings.

Inks: Real Red, Versamark.

Cardstock: Real Red, Whisper White, Fresh Cut Notes.

Accessories: Real Red Polka Dot Ribbon (2009/10 Summer Mini Catalogue), Silver Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Large Oval Punch, Circle Fire Rhinestone Brads.

Next is a gift bag to match the card, which also features the Polka Dot ribbon, and I have used the new Circle Scissors to cut out the circles for the front and back.  These Circle Scissors make cutting out circles a breeze, and is just so easy to use.

Cardstock: Real Red, I Wish Simply Scrappin’ Kit.

Accessories: Real Red Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Circle Scissors, Crop-a-dile, Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelets.

Artwork copyright Chris Parker-Barnes
Images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin’ Up!

These two items, (along with some Stampin’ Up! goodies) will be up for grabs as the Door Prize at my Mini Catalogue launch on Tuesday 8th December at 7.30pm.  So if you live in the Canberra area and would like to come along and have a look at more of the products available in the new mini catalogue, just send me an email or give me a call.  Places are limited though, so get in quickly to register.  Cost is just $5 and includes some “make and takes”.

Well, that’s all from me for the time being, but your next stop on your blog hop is with the very talented Christie Wallace from Christie’s Creative Corner.  And make sure you leave a comment for Christie, and all of us, to be in the running to win some Blog Candy!  But yes, you need to leave a comment on each of the blogs to be in the running to win.  And when you have left a comment on each of the 30 blogs taking part, will need to email our blog hop co-ordinator Leonie, to let her know that you have qualified for the blog candy, by midnight on Wed 2nd December.  leonie@stamp-a-latte.com  Names will be drawn at random.

Have fun, and come back soon.
Chris

Just a very quick post today, to let you know about this exciting event. 

 I am teaming up with a group of fellow Stampin’ Up! demonstrators to bring you a Blog Hop! 
So, what is a Blog Hop, you might ask?  It is where you go from one blog to another via a link on each person’s blog.  Each blog will feature some projects made using products from the new Summer Mini Catalogue.  All the blogs are from members of the Extremely Special Aussie Demonstrators (ESAD) group – that doesn’t mean we think we are extremely special, 🙂 but let me assure you, there are some very talented stampers in the group.

So, make sure you come back here on Tuesday 1st December 2009.  There will be some Blog Candy up for grabs, and lots of great ideas and ways to use the yummy new goodies from the Summer Mini catalogue.

See you then!
Chris

after this post 🙂
I just couldn’t resist showing you some of the gorgeous roses that I picked from our garden this morning, and yes, they just happen to be pink as well.  They are from one of many rose bushes we have in our garden which are all just starting to bloom.  This one though is very beautiful, and the scent is so strong and filling my craft room with beautiful perfume 🙂  I think it might be time for a rose scrapbook page.  Another time though, when I am over the pink thing! 🙂

I hope I have inspired some of you to create something new this weekend, even if it isn’t pink!  I will be back in the next couple of days with some more ideas for you.  In the meantime, happy stamping.

For those of you who haven’t taken part in a Cyberstamp before, I highly recommend that you give it a try.  They are always heaps of fun, and a great way to get some new ideas and inspiration.
This evening is also to raise funds for the Cancer Council through Girls Night In. 
This particular Cyberstamp is being run by a fellow Stampin’ Up! demonstrator, whose work and ideas I think you will enjoy, Jayne Mercer.  All you need to do to take part is just pop on over to Jayne’s blog, where she is posting four different challenges throughout the night.  And if you don’t want to take part in the stamping fun, but would like to make a donation to Jayne’s Girls Night In, the details on how to do that are there too.  Just click here to join in!  http://www.jaynemercer.com/blogs/index.php
The first challenge is already up, so lets get stamping! 🙂
I will also be posting my own entries to the challenges here for you to see.
Have a great evening.

I know my blog posts have been few and far between recently, but with the weather starting to warm up ever so slightly here in Canberra, and the sun out a little longer each day, it has been just too hard to resist being out in the sunshine and doing some gardening.  However, I have still been spending quite a lot of time in my craft room and getting a lot of stamping done, so I do have some cards and ideas to share with you.  But one at a time 🙂

The Fun Flowers Stamp is one of the recently released individual stamps in the Spring Mini Catalogue.   I haven’t used it much so far, however here is a card I made a few weeks ago for a colour challenge.  The challenge was to use the colours So Saffron, Whisper White and Basic Grey.  It is a probably a little difficult to see in the photo, but I have embossed the Fun Flowers image with white embossing powder onto the patterned paper.

Stamp Sets: Oval All, Fun Flowers individual stamp

Cardstock: Whisper White, So Saffron, Basic Grey, Walk in the Park DSP.

Ink: Basic Grey, Versamark.

Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, Scallop Square Punch, White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Paper Snips, Rich Regal Brads, Paper Piercing Tool and Mat Pack, White Gel Pen.

Artwork copyright Chris Parker-Barnes

Images copyright 1990 – 2009 Stampin’ Up!

I will try to be back in the next couple of days with some more for you, that’s if the sun doesn’t lure me back out of doors 🙂

Chris

Just a very quick post today, particularly to say thanks to all of the lovely ladies who attended the Snow Swirled Christmas Stamp extravaganza, this afternoon.  We had a fabulous afternoon of stamping, fun and frivolity, and I just thought I would share a photo  of what you missed out on if you weren’t there! 🙂  Unfortunately I forgot to take photos earlier, so some people had already left by the time I started clicking away, but Michelle, Carolyn and Trudi were still enjoying themselves.

I will be having a break for a couple of days, but after that I will put up some photos of what we made.  So until then, happy stamping,

Chris