Stamp Happy - Top New Zealand Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Simple Berry Basket Die Table Favour

Life is back to "normal"!  I had the pleasure of having one of my many cousins here last week, which was so fun. I hadn't seen him since I was a child, and luckily, at 45 he's still a great guy!  He came down to help my husband get set up in a new business, so hopefully he will be coming back often!

I wanted to share with you some table favours I made up for my Team Leaders at Stamp Camp last month. These are simple, but really love, particularly for a birthday party, a high tea or a wedding:

These were easy to make using the new Berry Basket Die.  You don't have to, but I used both the Something Borrowed Designer Series Paper and Sahara Sand Cardstock (double layer) to create the base for strength.

The embellishment from there is simple - just one of those gorgeous Butterfly Dies with a bit of coordinating Twine and all clipped on with a Mini Metallic Clothespin.

Try this for your next party favour!  I have discovered a cool way to easily cut these butterflies - video coming!

Remember any order of $110 earns free products!

 

 

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

 

Back to Black Altered Coffee Cup Gift!

Karen Williamson of Tauranga surprised me with this lovely gift of chocolatey craftiness when I was there a few weeks ago.  Always lovely to receive a handmade gift!!  (although massages are welcome too.  :)

Such a cute idea!  This would be fun done up in many of our papers.

Love the idea here of a double ribbon.  And a favorite image: the large tag from Chalk Talk.  Perfect for any ocassion, masculine or feminine.

And inside was found a hot chocolate sachet and a chocolate spoon!

Thanks for stopping by!  And thank you Karen!

 

Back To Black Designer Series Paper

Chalk Talk Clear-Mount Bundle

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

Simple Stems & Fresh Prints Altered Tin

I still had a few of these tins in the cupboard and thought it'd be fun to dress these up in something bright and girly. The Fresh Prints paper stack and the Simple Stems stamp set were perfect!

This is the tin I made.    The cool thing about the paper stacks is that each tin turned out so differently!

Marnie made one totally different to mine - love how each was unique!

Here is our little collection after class.

We used the Scallop Tag Topper Punch, the same punch I used to make the card below, for the tag.  Easy to make a mat for it!  Punch the red the full 2 inches wide and simply cut the Whisper White to about 1 3/4 inches wide and punch.

So fun and happy!!

Have a super day!

 

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Scallop Tag Topper Closure Card

Sneak Peek Simple Stems FMS 119

Beautiful Vintage Boxes

It's been a wonderful summer and a lovely time with all four children home.  I hope your summer holidays have been relaxing and fun, too. 

Rob and I have been working on creating a "man cave" outside, seeing as he so kindly organized my awesome "craft room".  That's been a lot of work . . . .

One of the days we were invited to meet up with an Australian demonstrator, Colleen Blake, who was here on a NZ cruise for an afternoon.  We had a lovely lunch out on the water.  She graced us with these lovely gifts filled with chocolate:

Made with a bit of doily and various flowers, it's a beautiful little box.   There are also only a few weeks left to order from the Holiday Catalogue, which includes this gorgeous Script Embossing Folder!!

Crisp Cantaloupe is still proving to be my favorite color at the moment. 

I am working on my 2014 calendar, as you may have seen to the right.   Some items I have put in tentatively and may not be a "for sure" date just yet.   Please do have a look and let me know if there is anything you'd like to see put on for this year!

Have a super day!

 

 

Christmas Window Boxes

Thanks to Stampin' Up!'s tag kit, this is a quick and effective little project, perfect for sharing your home baking or small gifts!    We had a great time sharing this project last night at the Parenting Place in Greenlane with the lovely ladies there.  They all made this no problem, from beginner to experienced.

 

What's even better is the majority of the materials for this project are 20% off!!

See my Specials & Promotions

The Decorative Window Gift Boxes come six to a pack and are a snap to put together - the window and the white printing are already there, too.

The cute tags are from  the Stamp A Tag kit, which does include tags, stamps, inks, and twine.  Super deal and a great "all in one" gift for someone, too.  (these are not Christmas specific). 

The printed paper strip are literally little cut-offs I had left over from the Season of Style paper stack, and the flowers are a simply pansy punch cut out of both Old Olive and Cherry Cobbler cardstock. 

Besides the box itself and the tag, the rest of this project can be made with leftover bits and pieces.  Love that!!

Upcoming Events:

21 November Takanini Stamp Class $15 7:30pm

23 November  Wedding Project Class in Birkenhead 2pm  $15

30 November Nelson Scrapbooking Day $55 for four layouts 9:30am

 

Simply Sketched Mini Muslin Bag Card Set!

Inspired by one of the Artisan projects on the Stampin' Up! site, this is a cute little gift set featuring the Mini Muslin Bags.  I've made three love note cards to fit inside - add in a piece of chocolate and a pen and it's a lovely little gift!

I used the set Simply Sketched here, and enjoyed using ALL the images in the set!

I've stamped in Staz-On for all the images, and then used both Aqua Painters and the Blender Pens to colour in the images.  I was impressed how easy it was to do this on the Muslin Bags!

The love note cards are made with the Naturals Ivory cardstock, which is a near perfect match to the Muslin Bags. 

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Simply Sketched

Colours: Crisp Cantaloups, Calypso Coral, Pear Pizzazz, Basic Grey

Other: Black STaz-On, Various Stampin Up Ribbons, Blender Pens, Aqua Painters, Vanilla Shimmer Spray, Diagonal Scoring Board (for envelopes), Mini Muslin Bags

 

Join us!

Saturday Oct 19th Auckland Scrapbooking!  Make 3 layouts for $40. 10 am to about 4pm in Birkenhead

Sunday Oct 20th Cardmaking!  Make two projects today for $15. 2pm

Monday Oct 21 Warkworth Card Class!  Make two projects tonight for $15  7:30pm

 

For Those who Hate Tying bows: Check out the Big Bow!

Why not make it out of paper?!   I got to see so many fun and cool ideas using the Big Bowz Die at the North American Stampin' Up! Convention, that it was top of the list of things to buy when I came home!  I got it out last week and made up this simple, but cute box:

I decided to emboss the bow before assembling not only for fun, but it made the bow more pliable to bend into shape.  The die actually comes with the pieces to make it a double bow (or more!), but opted for a more simple look on this one. 

I think what I love is the stamping with White Staz-On onto the window on the box!  These are the Decorative Window Gift Boxes that come already scored, cut, printed with the white medallion, and with the window already there!  How easy is that? I just added the Christmas Sentiment and the bow. Done!

I chose the stamp image out of Christmas Messages that already had a chalkboard sort of look - combined with the more vintage colour combo of the Cherry Cobbler and the Crumb Cake, I thought it was perfect.

TIP: *** Staz-On is the only ink that will actually dry on acetate. We carry it in Black or White.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Christmas Messages

Colours: Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Crumb Cake

Other: Big Bowz Die, Linen Thread, White Staz-On, Vintage Buttons

Join Us!

Sunday Sept 29 Birkenhead Card Class 2pm  $15 Make two projects this afternoon!

M, W, F during School Holidays - School Holiday Programme  10 am to 12:30pm  $20  Various topics for each day.  Limited to 6 students each day - email for a flyer

Saturday 5 October Hamilton Stamp Class - Join us for two projects 10:30 am  $15

 

Afternoon Tea - A lovely surprise gift!

It was my pleasure to spend last Saturday in Thames helping to hostess a Stampin' Up! Open Day for the lovely ladies there.  Besides being a wee bit chilly, it was a fun afternoon!  One of my team member, Rosie Dunn, gifted me with this beautiful box for helping out on the day:

It WAS full of homemade brownies, but not for long . . .they were yummy!

The box is the Tag A Bag gift boxes, which are already scored and ready to go for a quick package.

The papers are Afternoon Tea in Coastal Cabana and So Saffron. And don't you just love the new Expressions Thinlits?!   Once I worked out how to get them out of the die, they are brilliant!  I can see I'll be using these lots, especially on my layouts.

That flower flower is made using the Simply Pressed Clay and the Flower Molds,then painted with a mix of Crystal Effects and an ink refill.  So nice!

It was a few days, I must confess, before I realized that detail on the left hand side was a wee card tucked under the flower.  So cute, Rosie!

I loved this idea so much, I've now recreated it in a Christmas theme!  I will be including this in my 12 weeks of Christmas emails!  Be sure and sign up for my newsletter list to get yours 12 weeks of Christmas tutorials:

 

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I'll see some of you tomorrow in Nelson for our Scrapbooking day!  Have a super weekend!

Tag a Bag Gift Box - Another Idea

Well the week has whizzed by!  I wanted to share another cute idea with the Tag a Bag gift boxes, this one designed by Tanya Wong and Rachael Knight:

They taught this at our Auckland EXtravaganza last weekend (or the weekend before??! LOL), and everyone loved it.  The acrylic lid was embossed, a nice technique to add some interest without "blocking the view".

Inside the box, the ladies worked really quickly to make up SIX tags in cascading colours. Nice!  It was a great project to try many of the new stamps and punches.

Have a super weekend!  I will be at home tomorrow for our Scrapbooking Day here and looking forward to it!  Off to go and put the finishing touches on one of our projects.

 

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Tag a Bag Gift Box Idea

Tag a Bag Gift Box Idea

I've been heads down preparing my presentation for the My Digital Studio Tour Auckland 7 September, so my craft desk has been a bit neglected lately. I hope to see lots of you in a few weeks at the MDS Day, with classes, demonstrations, and prizes to be had!  And even better, the $45 registration fee gets you the FULL MDS software package!

I'd like to share today a lovely project designed by Kristine McNickle for our Hamilton Extravaganza last weekend, featuring the Tag a Bag Gift Boxes and the Flower Shop Bundle:

I love that new Alphabet Press Embossing Folder - and it looks great on the CoreDinations cardstock too.

The boxes come with the Kraft Base and an acrylic lid that goes all the way around the box.  Kristine has designed the Primrose petals Insert here to add a bit of colour.  Cute idea!

The flower embellishment is made from the Flower Shop stamp set and the coordinating Flower Punch (buy both together at a 15% discount).  Fresh and easy!

The lid and the "leaves" are done using the Cordinations cardstock and sanded up for a vintage look - combine with the Brights colours for a very trendy project!

I'm off to pack for my day adventure tomorrow to Tauranga for the Crop & Shop event!  Hope to meet some new friends and listen to a lot of Elton John.  x

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Flower Shop, Happy Day

Colours: Primrose Petals, Bermuda Bay, Wild Wasabi

Other: Basic Rhinestones, Candy Dot Brad Bases, Flower Shop Punch, White stitched Ribbon, White Gel Pen, Sanding Block, Alphabet Press Embossing Folder

 

World's Greatest Father's Day Tin

These papers are now retired, but I forgot to share this one with you!  I did this project with my fun little holiday program group I had here a few weeks ago.  They loved it and all the projects turned out so differently!  (I let them all choose their own papers and have a good old play).

Kids are so fun.

 

We took some empty paint tins and decorated them up with "dad-like" papers and stamped out the World's Greatest for our dads, grandpas and uncles.  None of these kids were wanting to do this for any brothers . . . give them another 15 years.  :)

We filled half the tin up with brown paper, leaving the other half for chocolates or similar.  I wasn't about to fill up their tins with lollies this far ahead of the date!  Hmmmm....

I'm happy to say that this tin pictured was my sample one. It was full of cadbury favorites.  And it went with me to Utah, where we met up with my very own dad, who drove down from Boise to see us.  It was nice to give my daddy a present that said DAD across the front.  Made me feel about 7 again.  I loved it and so did he.

Isn't it wonderful to have the sun shining today?  I almost feel a sunburn on my arm as I write this is my fabulous new studio (thanks, Rob!).

Have a lovely weekend and I look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow at our Auckland Extravaganza or Sunday at the Hamilton Extravaganza!

xx

 

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Fan Fair Altered Jar

Well this was a fun and quick project to copy . . I mean Make!  LOL  This was something Rachael Knight brought to one of our Extravaganzas, and I thought it was just lovely.  A few months later I found these jars and whipped one of these up for myself.  Cute lolly jar or for those bits of ribbon or even a jar for change (can't see through it so the kids won't see . . .)

I really do love the Fan Fair papers and love that it's both pinks and blues included, so great for scrapbooking projects as well.

And who doesn't love a cute doily?  Hubby had fun poking all the little bits out for me (see on my facebook page what he did with them).

Thanks for the inspiration for the fun project!!

Order your supplies online or email me!

 

Supplies Used:

Stamps: That's the Ticket, Tiny Tags

Colours: Crumb Cake, Riding Hood Red, Island Indigo, Basic Gray

Other: Little Leaves Die, Vanilla Flower trim, Linen Thread, Ticket Punch, Doily Die, Stitched Basic Gray ribbon, Fan Fair DSP

 

 

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A present for me! Floral District Bag

Thank you so much to one of my newest team members, Andrea Schweer, who sewed me up this cute little pencil bag!  I told her I was going to use it for my money/change purse because the black Stampin' Up! one was forever getting lost in the depths of all my big bags.  The bright colours will make it easy to find!

Very nice work, Andrea, getting that zip in so perfectly.

And the inside is a cool contrast:

Now, rumour has it that all the fabrics are being deleted in the USA, so it's very likely we won't have them any longer in NZ, either.  So please order them soon if you want them!  Shame - I so look forward to sewing every year for my team gift!  But I am totally confident Stampin' Up! will have something coming that is equally exciting!

Our retiring list comes out June 1.  Please let me know if you want be notified straight away via email.

Place your orders online!

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Rain or Shine Gift Box for Mother's Day

Mother's Day will be here before we know it, so I thought this month I'd focus on feminine -themed projects.  Some of my classes did a couple of beautiful cards for mother and some did this set of four cards to give to their mothers.  Either gift would be enjoyed!

This project features the Rain or Shine stamp set 126777and the Pinwheel Die  129411:

The case for the four cards and envelopes has little pockets inside to hold the cards. So cute!   The front cover uses the Sunshine & Sprinkles DSP  126922- a happy set of prints.

Two of the cards inside were inspired by a project we had at the last Auckland Extravaganza, designed by Rachael Knight and Sara Falconer and the other two I just made up once the ball got rolling.

These are made using the notecard and envelope  sets 107311  - such a bargain at 20 notecards and 20 envelopes for only $11.95! 

I loved using the Cloudy Day 127022 embossing folder with these ones!  I dabbed just a bit of the Whisper White ink over the top to make the clouds stand out just a little bit more. 

And if you didn't yet notice, I took these pics in my NEW craft room, which is still a work in progress, but I think another week or so and it will be all done.  I need to get some chairs for one thing.

And here is the mess still in one corner of the room:

  I've put a few pics of the rest of the room up on my Facebook Business Page - come on over and check it out if you haven't already!  I'd love to see what you think.  And any great ideas on chairs are welcome, too!

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Sunshine and Sprinkles Box Card Featuring the Pinwheel Die

Sunshine and Sprinkles Box Card Featuring the Pinwheel Die

This card was fun to make and even more fun to teach!  It's cool seeing people's faces light up when they realize how easy something so complex-looking can be.

I've used the very fun Pinwheel Die on this project for a fresh look and paired the bright colours in Sunshine and Sprinkles with black to really make them pop!

The belly band slides off and the card opens like a box - a fun surprise for the recipient!

I love using double sided papers for projects like this.  Not only do you have double the selection, but isn't it a nice touch to have prints linside the project as well?  Just like a designer lined jacket.

On the belly bank I used the new Wishes Your Way stamp set, which pairs up so nicely with the pinwheel die.  It's a long sentiment, perfect for across a card, but for this particular one, it was just too long.

So, one of the advantages of clear mount stamps is you can just cut the rubber!  I know it sounds awful, but I cut the image in two pieces and placed them on the block how I wanted them spaced.

 

It's really not a big deal; you can just position them back as original for use later if you wish.  I love the versatility of rubber stamping!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Wishes Your Way 129156, Sweets for the Sweet 122512

Colours: Marina Mist, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Basic Black

Other: Brights Brads 119740, Pinwheel Die 129411, White Embossing Powder 109132, Black Taffeta Ribbon 119261, Scallop Trim Border Punch 118402

 

 

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Sycamore Street Gift Bag

This project is one designed and presented by Rhonda Fawcett last weekend at our Tauranga Extravaganza.  She's used quite a few new products on here AND showed everyone how to use those fabulous new Piercing Templates!

Rhonda has covered a basic brown paper bag with cardstock and embellishments and punched a handle through the top.  Cute! 

This is the Sycamore STreet DSP, a SaleABration special.  I've been playing with these prints the last two days and have grown to really like them.  Fresh and fun!

As an extra bonus for everyone (including me!), a sweet pressed cookie was included.  Marvelous job,isn't it?  They looked fantastic. And Rob tells me they were especially delicious and asked me to make more.  Hmm, then I had to confess I didn't make it . . .

Cookie Stamps are on page 161 of your catalogue.

15 days left to SaleABrate!

 

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Grocery Bag Dispenser

Over the summer, we went on a rampage getting the house organized.  It was kind of necessary as we combined two full houses into one.  One of the projects Rob requested was one of these Grocery Bag Dispensers, which actually did free up a lot of space under the sink.

 I really didnt' have any leftover bits from the bags I made my team for Christmas, so these are leftover from LAST year's project!  Made from the Spice Cake and last year's Christmas fabric (I forgot the name), I liked the combo of the dark green, the crumb cake, and the Pool Party.

The bags go in the top and out the bottom, keeping them tidy and hung up off the floor as well.

And no, I don't really have this on my china hutch.

I found the free tutorial online here, compliments of Moda.  These were fun to make with just leftover bits and pieces, so a very cost effective project too.  Hmmm, these might turn up again around December.

Our bundles of three generous fat quarters are $19.95 and found in the seasonal catalogue page 170-171.  Email to place your order!

I Love You Kraft Box

It's nice every year about this time to make up something for the men in our lives.  I know, I know - I spent the last three Valentine's Days without a husband, but everyone still has fathers, brothers, friends, sons, and so on.  Any man appreciates a little gift and a reminder they are special to someone, especially if it includes a bit of chocolate!  It's not just us women who like the sweet stuff!

I love the new Kraft Boxes - so easy!  Just put them together and done.  And so nice and sturdy too.  I decorated this one up and it passed approval by the two boys in my house.  Both commented they'd be happy with anything, especially the chocolate bit . .

I used the Hearts Framelits Die set to cut the cool window on the top of the box, so they can see all the goodies inside.  Not too girly, but a nice detail.

The box is covered in the Pool Party CoreDinations cardstock, embossed with the Chevron folder, and then sanded to reveal the white core.  Looks nice!

The top detailing is done using the new stamp set, That's the Ticket.  Very cute set!  And so trendy right now to use the ticket shape.

I used the heart cut out leftover from the lid and stamped it up with the new Beyond Plaid stamp set.  Love how that turned out!   A little detail with the SaleABration button and a word from Lovely Little Labels tops it off.

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Annual Team Christmas Breakfast

The last week was heads down deep in a sewing project for my team!  I really do enjoy making things for other people and again, it's a reminder why I fell in love with crafting in the first place.

Every year I try and make something lovely for my team as a thank you gift for all they do.  It's been an amazing nearly six years - making friends, seeing positive changes in people, learning to work as a group and so much more.  I really am grateful for the position I am in.

So this year I wanted to sew up some cute bags for the team.  I did get a nice early start to these, but then got sidetracked by a wedding.  It was worth it!  :)

Here is our finished effort:

My daughter, Madeleine, was a real trooper and stayed up three late nights in a row helping me out.  We had a great time, though, chatting and listening to her latest music fetishes.

My friend, Janine, also put in quite a few hours and was so appreciated!!!

The Beau Chateau version is on the side above and was very popular.  We are also sending this one to school tomorrow for Kjirsti's teacher.

You can also see the Timeless Portrait ones.  These were all taken.  Black, red, and white is always a hit.

This version using the Summer Smooches fabric was my daughters' favorites.

The Twitterpated version was my personal favorite.

This Floral District bag was the most popular amongst the team attending on Saturday. All of them I had out were spoken for and I finished up two more quick for others.

The Comfort Cafe fabric bags turned out very nice. Fresh, but elegant too.  I quite liked these, a close second in my book.

We made a couple of bags using the Candlelight Christmas fabrics in the Holiday Catalogue.  They aren't really tooooo Christasmy and are quite handsome bags, really.  Kjirsti picked one of these to keep for herself.

Some of the bags had hand embroidery or stitching on them.  The majority had machine top stitching just for speed.  We enjoyed doing some by hand and the effect was quite nice.

Sorry Julia!!! Here are the ladies going for it!!  FUN!

xxxxx

 

Easy Gift Bag!

If you're like me, the Christmas cards are nearly done and now I am thinking along the lines of gifts and packaging.  We made this fun little, easy, & quick project in class last week.  It's a nice gift for any age - just vary the book title inside.

 

We used the Designer Papers, Floral District, here as they matched the best with the cookbooks I had on hand.  (I swapped mine out with someone so I could have chosen a different print for this particular book, but no matter!!)    Plus, I do love Christmas, but it IS nice to do something different than red and green for a gift. 

You can use any book or I've been told these ones are still readily available.  Simply wrap a 12x12 sheet of printed paper around your book and seal at the back and the bottom.  Done!  Couldn't be easier than that!

We did add some ribbon handles and a simple embellishment to the front.

I LOVE the stamp set Layered Labels and the coordinating die set, Apothecary Accents.  I've used these quite a bit on my layouts, and here they are again for an easy label for this gift.

Hope you've enjoyed!  Give this one a go!

Place your order here for

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Layered Labels set of four

Colours: Baja Breeze, Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight

Other: Apothecary Accents Dies, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Stripes Embossing Folder, Corner Rounder, Large Oval Punch, Rhinestones, 1/4 inch Stitched Ribbon