Double Digit Boy

A couple of weeks ago my darling son turned 10! Yes, he is now a 'double digit boy'! :-)
Here is the card I made for him.

It is a case from the IB&C on pg 11 but of course I changed a few things.


He really loved it and of course my daughter has asked for a card like that for her birthday next year :-)

Supplies:
Paper: Pacific Point, Old Olive, Tangerine Tango, Summer Sun, Basic Black, Baja Breeze, Good Morning Sunshine DSP
Accessories: On Board So Tweet, Chocolate Chip Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Circle Ice Rhinestone Brads, Flower Fusion Felt Flowers
Non- Stampin' Up!: Hand held heart punch, Speech Bubble - computer generated

Until next time....

Tweet Little Bird

It's my very dear friend's birthday next week and I have made the above card to give to her. I wanted to have a play with the gorgeous On Board So Tweet chipboard set. I fell in love with this set when I first saw the Catalogue. So many possibilities! I decided to do a girly pink card and have used the Raspberry Tart DSP to cover the wee bird.

Supplies:
Stamps: Polka Dot, Best Yet, Window Dressing
Card: Pink Pirouette, Old Olive, Rose Red, Kiwi Kiss, Very Vanilla, Raspberry Tart DSP
Punches: Scallop Circle, Scallop Edge, 1 3/8" Circle
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Rose red
Accessories: Kiwi Kiss Satin Ribbon, Dimensionals

Until next tiem...
Janine

Birthday Cupcake

A simple yet effective birthday card for any girl - big or small. This one uses the massive stamp, Simple Birthday Thanks. All I have done is use the Stampin' Write Markers to 'ink up' the part of the stamp I want to use. I have stamped the base onto some Good Morning Sunshine DSP, the icing in Pink Pirouette, and the cherry onto Real Red. The sprinkles are Soft Subtle brads and I have highlighted the cherry with a spot of Crystal Effects.

For the label I have used the Curly Label Punch Bundle and again just inked it up using a Chocolate Chip Marker as I didn't want to use the 'thank you' message. The message is from Best Yet, Level 1 Hostess Set.

It looks good enough to eat I think :-)

Until next time...
Janine

Teddy Bear Fairies

Hello again!
I know, it has been an awfully long time between posts. I do apologise, but I do have a wee bit of an excuse. I am 16 weeks pregnant with my third child and have been feeling pretty yuk. Only now am I feeling a little like my old self :-)
I haven't been terribly busy creating, but I have managed to make a few cards when birthdays have come along. I will post these over the next few days.

Last week was my daughters 7th birthday. For her party we went to the Teddy Factory where all the children got to make their own teddy bear to take home. It was very sweet. I do not own a teddy bear stamp so I decided to make my own wee teddies. I found a tutorial on Andrea Wilford's blog (she is a very talented Canadian demonstrator) on how to make teddy bears with punches. They were very easy and fun to make.



Andrea uses a butterfly die for the wings which we don't have here in New Zealand, so I had to put my thinking cap on. What I did was trace around the butterfly wings from the Garden Whimsy set onto vellum, and cut them out. Viola! Fairy wings, just the right size :-)

For the background sky with clouds, I cut a template of a cloud from card and sponged the sky with Stampin Pastels. The flowers are also punched from the Scallop Circle and 1" Circle punches.

My daughter absolutely loved the card and I was pretty chuffed with the outcome too.

Supplies:
Card: Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Pink Passion, Real Red, Only Orange, Yoyo Yello, Lovely Lilac, So Saffron, Gable Green, Glorious Green, Green Galore, Wild Wasabi (retired), Vellum, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Kraft, More Mustard
Stamps: Itty Bitty Background (retired)
Punches: Scallop Circle, 1" Circle, 1/2 " Circle, Word Window, regular hole punch, 5 Petal Punch
Accessories: Sponge Daubers, Stampin Pastels, White Gel Pen, Stampin' Write Markers, Fine Supernova Stampin Glitter, 2-Way Glue, Dimensionals.

Until next time...
Janine

Make a Wish (Part 2)

As I mentioned in the previous post, I was having trouble adding photos of my card, so here are the two photos I couldn't upload. Oh the joy of computers eh??!! :-)


The one on the left shows the glitter detail on the front of the card, and the other is a blurry shot of the inside where you write your message. Please excuse the incorrect orientation of the photo.

I really enjoyed making this card and could see the endless possibilities using different DSPs and stamp sets.

SUPPLIES:
Stamps: Good Friend, Big Bold Birthday
Card: Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Good Morning Sunshine DSP
Ink: Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss
Accessories: Dazzling Diamond, Word Window Punch, 2 Way Glue

Until Next time...

Janine

Make a Wish (Part 1)

I found this card on the very talented Heather Summer's blog (a Canadian Demo). All I changed was the greeting on the front.
It uses some In Color card and one of my favourite DSPs, Good Morning Sunshine. Here is how it stands up.

As you can see it has a wee card- within- a- card design where you write your message.

I stamped some more of the dandelion 'fairies' on the inside and added some Dazzling Diamonds onto the front. For some reason Blogger won't allow me to upload these photos right now so I'll post them in a separate post with the supplies list.

Birthday Card for a friend

It was my friend's 40th birthday on Friday and I decided to ink up the set Garden Whimsy for the first time. I don't know why it has taken me all this time to finally use this set as I fell in love with it after seeing it in last years Catalogue!! And I have cased this card from the sample in that catalogue. I have used some of the beautiful In Color colours for my card. I hope she liked it :-)

Supplies:
Stamp Sets: Garden Whimsy, Stem Sayings, Short & Sweet
Card: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White
Ink: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point, Rose Red

Until next time...
Janine

Flowers For Mother

I know, I know, I've been AWOL for quite a while. I have been around and I have been creating a little, but just now blogging - sorry ;-)

Some time ago I found the instructions for a wonderful card idea called the Flowerpot Card on Stephanie Luman's blog. When I was trying to decide what to make for my Mother for Mothers' Day, I thought this card idea hit the spot nicely.

These are popping up all over the place on blogs around the world. But they are so cute, a little different and oh so easy. I have made a VERY easy one for my Mum as I left it a little 'til the last moment (who said I was a procrastinator??!! :-) ), but I can see the possibilities are endless!

My flowers are from the Blooms Die Cuts sheet and the pot is in Kraft cardstock with a little sponging along the edges in Creamy Caramel and Chocolate Chip inks. The greeting is from the ever useful Wonderful Favourites stamp set. The leaves are made by using the 5 Petal Punch.

Until next time...

Easter Bunny Basket

Here is a cute little basket perfect for Easter. Just fill it up with a few mini eggs and anyone would be happy to receive it.
I found the instructions for the basket on Dawn's blog here. And it's really easy to make, even for me who is 3D object phobic! :-)
The basket is stamped all over with Boho Backgrounds and the dots are highlighted with our white gel pen.
The wee bunny is so cute and really easy to make with our punches. The head uses the scallop circle; The cheeks uses the 1/2" circle in Kraft; the nose is a tip from petal of the 5 Petal Punch; the eyes are from the 1/8" Circle and the teeth are just a wee scrap of white c/s with a line drawn in Sahara Sand. To make the ears, I stamped two petals from the Pick a Petal set in Creamy Caramel and hand cut them.
Here are a few more tiny baskets in different colours I made. The one with the red bow was made by my 6 year old daughter - so, that proves they are easy - give them a go!

Until next time...
Janine

One Card - Two Ways

One of the great things about being a Stampin' Up demonstrator, is that each month we receive a publication which includes new ideas and ways to use our stamps and accessories. This is where I got the idea for the following two cards.

This bright and cheerful flower is made from folding Designer Series Paper cut out with the Tag Punch. It is so easy to put together and the results are great. A sure way to impress the receiver of the card.



This first card uses the gorgeous colour combination from the DSP Bali Breeze in the current Summer Mini Catalogue. The card base is Elegant Eggplant. I have stamped the 'Thanks' and flowers from Live Your Dream using Elegant Eggplant, Taken with Teal, Old Olive and Pumpkin Pie on Whisper White c/s with a strip of Pink Passion to contrast. The felt flower is also from the Summer Mini - aren't they cute?


The second example uses the DSP Jersey Shore on a card base of Blue Bayou. The greeting is from the very versatile set Short & Sweet stamped in Blue Bayou and Pumpkin Pie stamped on Whisper White with a strip of Real Red for contrast. The centre of both flowers has been stamped with a circle from Seeing Spots.

Let me know which colour combination you like. And if you would like to know how to make one of these cards, let me know.

Until next time...

Janine

Retiring Christmas Sets

Yes, I know it's a bit early for Christmas card making, but if there is a Christmas set that you love in the current catalogue and it's about to retire, you might like to purchase it now before it is gone for good.

Here are a couple of Christmas cards made with some of the sets which will no longer be available after 31st March.

This is a beautiful snowflake set, The Snowflake Spot. Not only good for Christmas time but will add a real lift to your winter scrapbooking pages. I have made the card using retired '07 - '08 In Color Cool Caribbean (still one of my fave colours :-) ) and Brilliant Blue. You can't see it too easily here but I have used a little Dazzling Diamonds glitter to give it a bit of sparkle.

Next up is a card made with two retiring sets, the very retro looking Merry, Merry, and the All About Christmas wheel. Stamped in Real Red, River Rock and Old Olive. This was actually going to be my Christmas card I sent out last year, but 'life' got in the way and shock horror, I didn't get time to make or send out any Christmas cards!!

Next up a card and gift tag (please excuse the orientation of the tag photo but Blogger wouldn't accept it facing the right way - go figure??) using the very cute Crab & Co and co-ordinating wheel Sandy Shells. This is great for Christmas and birthday cards for children and adults and makes some cute scrapbooking accents for those beach layouts.

Until next time....

Janine

Cute Triangle Boxes

Late last year I participated in an online event called U Stamp. It was great and I picked up some great ideas from some very talented Stampin' Up! Demos from around the world.


These are so easy, I even managed to demonstrate them at a few workshops. (I have not been too keen to demo 3D items in the past as I haven't had much success :-) ).
I thought they would make great party favours/goodie bags for kids birthday parties.
The Christmas one on the left uses the set Season of Joy from the Spring Mini and the one on the right uses one of my favourite sets, Crab & Co. This is a really versitile set as it can cover both birthdays and Christmas and the children love it. Crab & Co and its co-ordinating wheel are both retiring as of March 31st. So, if it is on your wish list, be quick and email me with your order before he disappears for ever.

Until next time...

Janine

Retirement List

Yes, it is that time of the year again when we say a very sad farewell to some of our beloved stamp sets and accessories. I know that I am losing a few of some very favourite sets :-(. It does mean though that we will be getting a new catalogue FULL of lots of fabulous new stamps and that can only be exciting right?? You can view the list of all the stamps & accessories that will be retiring here in alphabetical order, or here in numerical page order.

Now in the past, some of the Retired products have sold out really fast. This year is no exception. Below is the list of things that have gone already (in the red) and the products that are running out fast (in Blue)

Page	Item #	Description	Availability
		Stamp Sets
125	112229	ABC Images	Low
62	108720	Ahoy, Matey	Unavailable
75	108722	All I Have Seen	Low
40	108728	*All Through the Year
34	108992	*All-Year Fun
110	108734	*Alphabits
48	108738	*Artfully Asian
102	108742	*Background Sampler
53	111229	*Backyard BBQ
86	108740	Bareback	Unavailable
51	108744	***Be Happy
83	108998	Beautiful Life	Low
124	108746	Best Friends Alphabet Lower	Unavailable
124	108747	Best Friends Alphabet Upper	Unavailable
124	108748	Best Friends Numbers	Unavailable
88	110250	Big Pieces
51	108753	Birthday Best
79	108755	*Blossoms Abound
80	108756	***Bodacious Bouquet
81	108757	Bold Butterfly
101	112294	Brocade Basics
65	112376	*Bronc Buster
78	111232	*Bud Basics
58	110255	Bundle of Joy	Unavailable
63	108763	By Land	Low
116	112326	Calendar Cues
108	108764	*Canvas
94	111234	Carte Postale
115	108765	Cheery Chat	Low
112	108767	Circle of Friendship
30	108768	City of David
102	112272	Classic Backgrounds	Low
55	110246	Crab & Company
28	108772	Crazy for Christmas
33	112253	*Dad's Day	Low
42	108781	*Eat Cake
106	112300	Elegant Notes
116	108785	Everyday Flexible Phrases
58	112391	Everything Baby	Low
117	108786	*Expressive Flexible Phrases
79	112310	Fabulous Flowers	Low
27	108790	Festive Favorites
40	108805	Figures of Speech
108	108806	*Fine Lace
95	108807	*Finest Flourishes
67	108809	Fishy Friends
107	108811	*Floral
32	112316	Forever in My Heart	Low
108	112397	*Friendly
115	111973	***G'Day Mate
110	108820	Genuine Articles
68	111975	*Go Team
56	108828	*Greetings Galore
92	112306	*Happiness
28	108840	*Holiday Wishes
26	108842	*Hung Up on the Holidays
116	108847	It's a Date
112	112320	It's All Good
111	108849	It's Your Birthday	Low
97	108850	Itty Bitty Backgrounds
68	112330	*Just Golf
68	112332	*Just Tennis
31	112216	*Keep Christmas
122	111989	*Kia Ora
96	112338	*Labelicious
113	108855	*Lexicon of Love
53	110254	*Like It a Latte
107	108857	Linen	Low
88	108860	Little Pieces
76	108864	***Looks Like Spring
29	112223	*Merry, Merry
77	108874	Mostly Flowers
118	108875	Much Appreciated
84	108877	Natural Beauty
90	110243	*Office Accoutrement
107	108884	*On the Spot
108	108887	*Paisley
31	108888	Peaceful Wishes
74	108890	Petal Prints
46	110247	***Polka Dots & Paisley
47	110248	Polka Dots & Petals	Low
38	108894	Pretty Princess
126	108904	*Rough Edges Mini Alphabets
83	108906	*Sassy Stems
32	112362	Sealed with a Kiss
122	112346	Seasonal Wishes
124	112402	Short Order Numbers	Unavailable
43	108913	Simple Somethings
29	110244	*Snow Flurries
27	108934	***Snowflake Spot, The
30	108918	*Solemn Stillness
122	112395	Spring Pictograms
91	108920	*Stamp of Authenticity
65	108921	Starstruck
74	108923	Stipple Rose	Low
84	108924	Summer by the Sea
100	112284	*Sweet Sampler
93	108927	*Sweet Shapes
60	112290	*Sweet Thing
49	108929	Symbols of Solicitude	Low
43	108930	Tag Time
38	110249	Tagger's Dozen
49	108931	Take Three
75	108937	Touch of Nature
54	108944	Unfrogettable	Low
108	108954	*Well-Worn Words
36	112336	Whale Wishes
72	108960	Wild Rose
49	108962	Wishing You the Best
120	108963	Wonderful Words
		Stampin' Around Wheels
29	109690	All about Christmas
78	106610	Basics Outline	Unavailale
42	107467	Birthday	Low
80	107466	Bodacious
81	104156	Flitting By	Low
95	108423	Leaves à la Carte
62	107212	Matey's Map	Unavailable
47	108980	Petals
104	107464	Rough Texture	Low
91	107465	Speckled	Low
65	109672	Bronco
54	106662	Daisy Field	Unavailable
67	104065	Fishy	Unavailable
53	107565	Flip Flops	Unavailable
40	107561	Garden Annuals	Unavailable
28	103195	Gifts Galore	Unavailable
32	109678	Kisses
74	104279	Leaf Prints	Unavailable
54	107482	Lily Pad	Unavailable
125	109568	My ABCs
55	108978	Sandy Shells
28	101638	Star
154	104061	Star Studded
		Hostess Sets
24	109812	All about Occasions Bundle
21	112393	Cause for Celebration
18	112261	For a Friend
18	112239	From the Garden
22	112340	In the Spotlight
21	112233	Infinite Goodness
19	112259	Little Bit of Happiness, A
17	112214	Oh, So Lovely
17	112243	Party Punch
19	112245	So Many Sayings
20	111127	Spring Solitude Bundle
23	112263	Time Well Spent
		Accessories
		Brads, Buttons, Eyelets
145	105320	Basic eyelets	Unavailable
147	103977	*Bold Brights buttons
145	100375	Bold Brights I eyelets
147	103981	*Earth Elements & Neutrals buttons	Low
147	103978	Earth Elements buttons	Low
145	100381	Earth Elements eyelets	Unavailable
145	105319	Metallic eyelets
147	105446	Rich Regals buttons	Low
145	105316	Rich Regals eyelets	Unavailable
147	105445	Soft Subtles buttons	Low
145	100378	Soft Subtles I eyelets	Unavailable
		Designer Series Paper
135	110749	*Berry Bliss Designer Series paper
136	109174	*Brilliant Blue Prints Designer Series paper
134	109149	*Brocade Background Designer Series paper
136	109178	*Certainly Celery Prints Designer Series paper
136	109169	*Close to Cocoa Prints Designer Series paper
136	109150	*Dashing Designer Series paper
136	110699	*East Coast Prep Designer Series paper
134	109160	*Fall Flowers Designer Series paper
136	110479	Jersey Shore Designer Series paper
134	109151	*Le Jardin Designer Series paper
135	110748	*Notebook Designer Series paper
136	109176	*Old Olive Prints Designer Series paper
134	109148	*Outlaw Designer Series paper
135	108503	*Petals & Paisleys Designer Series paper
136	109170	*Pumpkin Pie Prints Designer Series paper
136	109167	Rose Red Prints Designer Series paper
136	110698	*Spring Break Designer Series paper
135	110273	*Spring Fling Designer Series paper
NA	106686	**Spring Flowers Designer Series paper
NA	106685	**Spring Showers Designer Series paper
135	110271	*Spring Silhouettes Designer Series paper
135	109157	Wintergreen Designer Series paper
		Hodgepodge Hardware
144	105532	Aged Copper Hodgepodge Hardware
144	105531	Antique Brass Hodgepodge Hardware	Low
144	105515	*Pewter Hodgepodge Hardware	Low
		In Color
129	111860	Blue Bayou A4 card stock
129	109018	Blue Bayou Classic Stampin' Ink refill	Unavailable
129	109013	*Blue Bayou Classic Stampin' Pad
146	109060	*Blue Bayou double-stitched grosgrain ribbon
129	111857	Groovy Guava A4 card stock
129	109019	Groovy Guava Classic Stampin' Ink refill	Unavailable
129	109012	*Groovy Guava Classic Stampin' Pad
146	109063	*Groovy Guava double-stitched grosgrain ribbon
129	108638	In Color 12" x 12" card stock	Unavailable
129	111856	*In Color A4 card stock
129	108694	*In Color textured 12 "x 12" card stock
129	111853	Purely Pomegranate A4 card stock	Unavailable
129	109011	*Purely Pomegranate Classic Stampin' Pad
146	109061	*Purely Pomegranate double-stitched grosgrain ribbon
129	109017	Purely Pomegranate Classic Stampin' Ink refill
129	111852	River Rock A4 card stock	Unavailable
129	109016	River Rock Classic Stampin' Ink refill	Unavailable
129	109010	*River Rock Classic Stampin' Pad
146	109062	River Rock double-stitched grosgrain ribbon
129	111851	Soft Sky A4 card stock	Unavailable
129	109015	Soft Sky Classic Stampin' Ink refill	Unavailable
129	109009	*Soft Sky Classic Stampin' Pad
146	109059	*Soft Sky double-stitched grosgrain ribbon
129	111850	Wild Wasabi A4 card stock	Unavailable
129	109020	Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin' Ink refill	Unavailable
129	109014	*Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin' Pad
146	109058	*Wild Wasabi double-stitched grosgrain ribbon
146	110716	*Wild Wasabi striped grosgrain ribbon
		Miscellaneous
133	103604	*Days-To-Remember 12" x 12" Wall Calendar
148	103280	Embossing kit	Unavailable
133	100900	Gift sacksGift sacks	Low
132	106523	Five-in-One Card Cover Envelope Template	Low
133	110730	*Pockets & Pieces Office Accents	Low
		On Board
140	107307	*On Board Accents
141	109181	*On Board Blossoms & Basics
141	109179	*On Board Ginormous Pieces
140	107306	*On Board Simon Lower
		Punches
142	104942	1/4" Circle punch
142	104943	*1/4" Square punch
143	104389	Double Circle punch
143	106522	*Spring Flower Bouquet punch
143	112670	Three for You Punch Box
		Ribbon
147	109189	*Beachfront Ribbon Originals
147	101259	Black hemp twine	Unavailable
146	104830	*Caramel gingham ribbon
147	109187	*District Ribbon Originals
147	109188	*Fairy Tale Ribbon Originals
147	109185	Jersey Ribbon Originals
146	104829	*Light Blue gingham ribbon	Unavailable
146	104828	*Light Pink gingham ribbon
146	109037	More Mustard 1/4" grosgrain ribbon
146	104831	*Moss gingham ribbon
147	109184	Sherbet Ribbon Originals
147	109186	Theater Ribbon Originals	Low
		Rub-Ons
141	110282	*Anchored Rub-Ons
141	110281	*Cherished Memories Rub-Ons
141	110285	*Urban West Rub-Ons
		Simply Scrappin'
138	109610	Confetti Simply Scrappin'	Unavailable
137	110572	*Crew Kids Boy Simply Scrappin'
138	110567	Crew Kids Girl Simply Scrappin'
139	109649	Round Up Simply Scrappin'
139	109635	Secret Garden Simply Scrappin'
138	109663	*Winter Bright Simply Scrappin'
		Simply Sent
13	112664	*Friendly Notes Simply Sent
12	112666	*Lifelong Notes Simply Sent
13	112665	*Sending Happy Thoughts Simply Sent
14	112667	*Simple Delights Simply Sent
14	112668	*Three Thoughts Simply Sent

So, if you don't want to miss out on anything on your wish list, order today!! Don't delay because once it's gone, it's gone for ever!!

Keep checking back here and I will update the list.

Until next time....

Janine

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Hellooooooo. Yes, I know, it has been a VERY long time since my last post and I apologise for the delay. No real excuses except that life got in the way :-).

But, I'm back now and will try to be a better blogger. I may show you some of the stuff I have created in the past few months later, even though they may be out of date. But just to show you that I haven't just been doing nothing all this time.

Yes, today is Valentines Day. The day for love and romance. Dana made some cards at school this week and was very excited about the whole day. She asked me yesterday if I 'could wait for Valentines Day?' Cute. I lied and said, 'no I can't wait'. So, last night I decided I better put a little effort into it all for her and make a little something for my loved ones.

Below are the results. I decided to make a very quick little card for each of the children using the lovely Sale-a-Bration set, Polka Dot Punches (my favourite in the SAB cattie). It couldn't get any easier :-). Just stamp the heart image in Real Red ink on a wee card - done!

Then I made a bookmark each for the children as I am sick of the screwed up scraps of paper that they use currently.

I recently purchased the Wild About You set as I have admired it since day 1. Joseph loves elephants and purple, so that was my inspiration. I couldn't find my Stamp-a-ma-jig anywhere in my office so had to eyeball the whole creation. Not too bad I thought! :-) I punched various circles in Elegant Eggplant and stuck them down, and stamped his name using Pure & Simple (retired) in Only Orange.

For Dana's bookmark, I couldn't go past Pretty Princess. I stamped the image in Basic Grey and coloured it in using Blender Pens and Pastels. This was framed in Pink Passion using the Scallop Edge Punch and adhered to Lovely Lilac cardstock. Again I punched some shapes using the Spring Flower Bouquet Punch in the same colour and stuck them on. I stamped her name using the Scribble Alphabet (retired). Both were finished off with some gingham ribbon and voila! I just need to laminate them so they are a little more sturdy and sticky finger-proof.

For Stu, I decided to buy a simple block of chocolate (which I can share :-) ) and cover it with stamped card. I wrapped it in Whisper white which I had stamped again with the heart from Polka Dot Punches in Real Red and Pretty in Pink. I made the scallop edge with the new punch in Real Red and stuck that under the flap. For the belly band, I stamped the heart in Real Red on Whisper White and matted in Real Red. This was attached to a Whisper White scallop circle and used as the closing medallion. Quite simple and very quick!

Thanks for looking and until next time...

Janine