Stamp Happy - Top New Zealand Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Card Organizer Box - A Year of Cards

You wouldn't believe I don't already have a box to store greeting cards in - but I don't!  It's been on my "to do" list for some time and yesterday was the day!

 I wanted to keep it quite simple both because it will get handled a fair amount and also so it was a bit "timeless" for years to come.

I've created file tabs inside using the new File Tabs die and kept it simple and casual with handwritten labels.

I'm going to make up a second box with 12 tabs, one for each month and make that box exclusively for birthday cards.

A coordianting pen tops to hide inside the box from the rest of the family is the finishing touch.

Would you like to make one of these, complete with 15 cards to start your supply?

Join us!  29 November Saturday $45 includes the box, pen, file tabs, and 15 cards in 5-7 designs.  10 am to about 5pm.  Soup provided.

Email me to book in

 

 

File Tabs Edgelits Die

Perfect Print Alphabet Bigz Die

Natural 5/8" Chevron Ribbon

Bordering Blooms Photopolymer Stamp Set

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

Bird Punch Gift Card Set

One of the many lovely things we got to do this summer as a family was start to make a "man cave" for the boys out under the driveway slab.    First part of the job was to actually dig it out.  Ugh!!  HUGE job!

I'm not a weak girl, but it was totally labourious.  I called in the troops and asked around at church if some men would come help.   It was amazing.   That next night, we had 12 men there digging away.

The progress they made was impressive!

I busied myself making sandwiches and drinks and ice creams.

I also appreciated the wives who allowed their husbands to give us 2-3 hours on a night they'd otherwise be with their families, so I made up a few gifts as they worked away:

This one I put four similar cards in different colour combinations in a plastic sleeve.

The backing is done up with the up and coming "Decorative Dots" embossing folder (released 28 Jan~!)

It's the packaging that makes it all look so wonderful sometimes.  I gave this one to a mother with only boys, so I made it extra girly for her.

And this is why we do what we do!  xx

Noel Christmas Banner

This is another version of the Stampin' Up! Banner Kit I made for a Banner Class - this time in icy blues and natural colours:

I used the Rosette Die to make the embellishments in between the flags - with a bit of hot glue they were easy to do.

This time I inked the letters (using the included stencils) right onto the canvas - which makes this extra sturdy and durable, too.  

 

Now, to go hang this by the tree!

Merry Christmas!!

 

Build A Christmas Banner

Stampin' Up! has come up with holiday banner kits - and Sofie and I broke out the Christmas Banner Kit last week!  We had a lot of fun each making one.

This banner features the colour combination from the Season of Style papers, but  I don't have even a scrap of it left, so we embellished with ribbons:

Each of the banner pieces has been sponged using Sponge Daubers in various patterns (templates all included in the kit).  When I taught this as a class, many of the ladies did each flag in various colours, and that looked great, too!

The kit also comes with a complete alphabet, spritzers, 18 banners, and a heavy twine for hanging.  I've added a bit of cardstock and some ribbons here for a very simple project.  (Ribbons are always a good idea).

I have two of these kits left over from class, so ready for immediate shipment. In fact, I'll offer free postage on these to save me returning them.  First two get them! 

Check back for the other banner we made!

 

Cookies in a Jar Stampin' Up! Style!

Last night's class was lots of fun!!  We did three different gift ideas, and this one was my personal favorite.  Who wouldn't love getting a jar of  ready ingredients for a fresh batch of yumminess?

We put the recipe on the jar using WAshi Tape both for decorative and to help it stick.  LOVE this Pumpkin Pie one (that's the colour, not the recipe).

 

Layer in the jars:

1/3 c white sugar

1/3 c brown sugar

3/4 c flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

1 c oats

1-1/2 c cranberries, coconut, chocolate chips, nuts etc to fill the jar

 

The recipient needs to add 1/2 c melted butter, 1 egg, and 1/2 tsp vanilla.

 

I left the rest of the jar quite simple. I quite like this clean look and let the layered ingredients do most of the speaking.  :)

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Also stay tuned for the Clearance Rack Blitz starting next Tuesday - up to 80% off of retired stock!!

 

Season of Style Christmas Ornament

This very cute and easy ornament was shared at our Hamilton Extravaganza by Rayleen Baker and Andrea Schweer.  I loved it so much I came home and made up two more just like it!

Made from simple strips of the Season of Style printed paper, it's a quick project using up the bits you may have just thrown away! 

The box is a simple one made from one sheet of Whisper White and a small piece of our Window Sheets - stamped with Snowflake Soiree with White Staz-On ink.  It's a  5 minute box to put together, but makes the ornament as a gift just that much more special.

The Christmas words are from the Christmas Messages stamp set and are a nice finish off to the centre of this Christmas decor.  

I have just a few more classes left before the holidays - please join us!

Saturday 23 November 2pm Birkenhead Stamp Class - wedding themed 3 projects, but you have the option of changing images and words to make the projects more general if you wish.  $15  

Thursday 21 November 7:30pm Takanini Stamp Class - we will be making two Christmas projects tonight, one of which is the above.  $15

Saturday 30 November 9:30am - 4:30pm Nelson Scrapbooking Class - make three layouts and one mini album today $55 all materials included

 

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Hello Lovely 25% off! Set of four cute cards!

This Hello Lovely project was one we did at Convention, which I just got around to finishing not too long ago.  Too much fun to be had at convention and I usually DON'T finish any projects while there!  :)

These are all quite simple cards, but grouped together and with this cute Chevron Bag, it's a lovely gift for someone or for yourself!

Best of all, the Hello Lovely stamp set is 25% off for six more days!

 

This project has given me a great idea for my own Christmas gifts! Stay tuned . . .

Join us for our Christmas Stamp Extravaganzas!  Make five beautiful projects at each!

Auckland Sat 2 November $35

Hamilton Sun 3 November  $45

Tauranga Sat 9 November  $35

Tauranga Scrapbooking 3 Layouts 16 November $40

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

 

Ice Cream Notebook!

The girls and I had a lot of fun yesterday with our little holiday programme we set up at the last minute due to requests and the girls' enthusiasm to have a "job".  Isn't is so heart-warming when your kids show little ways they want to be just like YOU?!

This stamp set (Mouthwatering) is now retired, but the girls loved the idea of an Ice Cream Cone Notebook. We used the sample right out of the catalogue as our inspiration for the front here, and then decorated a pen to match.

There were a number of techniques on this one, but all the kids coped just fine and they all made something to be proud of.

We also gave them a four page booklet if ideas they could write about in their new All About Me books.  Sofie, my 11 year old, spent the rest of the day working on it.  It was nice to see the pride present in all the kids in what they had made.  This also makes a PERFECT gift for a teenager who is struggling with self-esteem.

Next class: Wednesday 2 pm Father's Day or Masculine Theme.  We will be altering paint tins for the boys and also making a card or two perfect for Dad, Grandpa, Uncle, or brother.  Suitable for ages 8 and up.  2-4:30 includes afternoon tea and all materials  $25  Book in here

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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Some 8x8 Bridal Wedding Layouts using Elements of Style

Some weeks ago I was asked to provide some 'entertainment' at a Hen's Party. The hostess thought it would be lovely if all the guest contributed towards making something of a keepsake for the bride.

At her request, we decided to make up a lovely photo album for the bride to use for her wedding photos later.  It was a success! The guests loved having that activity on the side to do, and the bride herself was thrilled to have an album where each of her guests had added a bit of personalization.

Her colours were Calypso Coral and Very Vanilla.  So here is what I came up with that any person at the shower could achieve while still being very nice for the bride:

(these are my photos from my wedding by the way just used for the samples)

Couldn't not use the favorite bird punch!

I designed up four pages the guests created variations of these designs.

EAch of the pages had the flourish from the Elements of Style stamp set, creating unity amongst the pages.

I used the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder and finished it off with the Basic Pearls and the Jewellery Tag Punch.  Easy and effective!

The nice thing about the 8x8 size is that a couple of photos and one embellishment is pretty much all you need!  I used the Apothecary Accent Framelits here, which has been my most used die set for scrapbooking by far, to create a nice accent for the journaling.

The flower here was created by layering all the images from the Boho Blossom Punch. I've inked the edges with Calypso Coral and adhere with a simple brad.

This last design was the most popular!  Everyone loves a butterfly!  I've used both sizes of the butterfly punches, the Elegant Butterfly and the Bitty Butterfly here.  Embellished with some Linen Thread and Pearls, and it looks great.  Oh, and I've used the Boho Blossom Punch for the flowers again here, too!

All of the above were layered on top of the Lattice Die, also done in Vanilla.

I hope this inspires you to try scrapbooking or to make up an album of coordinating pages!

Join us for Scrapbooking Classes!

Thursday April 4 Howick 7:30pm $15

Wednesday April 10th Takanini 7:30pm  $15

Monday April 15th Birkenhead 7:30pm  $15

Madison Avenue Version of the Notebooks

WEll I didn't get a pic of  my girls teaching because I was out teaching myself, but my two eldest daughters, Madeleine (14) and Kjristi (12), taught these cool notebooks to their church youth group on Tuesday. 

We changed them up to make them a bit more "young" and use the Sycamore Street DSP (available just another 8 days!) and the Madison Avenue Flower:

They LOVED that Silver Glimmer Paper!

I also did up a version using the bird punch just in my designing with my own girls what they felt comfortable teaching:

The point of making these with the young women was for them to use them as gratitude journals for 21 days.  The word stamp I have in the little window is a very, very old Stampin' Up! stamp sets called Small Script.  I just love it and it did come in handy for this project!

Oh, I will never tire of our little bird!

The girls loved doing these up, and I was treated to find this lovely post up on Facebook:

The girls were very good and coopertive and happy with what they had made, and that makes it all the more fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

8 days left for SaleABration!  FREE stamps, printed papers, tools, and more!  Email me for a pdf brochure!

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Altered Notebooks with Collage Curios

These notebooks were a great find by Barbara Bicknell at the $2 shop!  We decorated them up with the new Poetry Prints Pack and transformed them from utilitarian to a special gift.

Although, personally, I love notebooks and write in one nearly every day, so I plan to keep these . . . :-)

I had fun playing with the embossing folders - embossed directly onto the notebook!  Took some fiddling to get the right sandwich, but the finished look was really, really COOL.

I'm really liking the Summer Starfruit after this project and the last scrapbooking layout.  The ribbon looks quite nice with this combo.

The blue polka dots one above is my favorite out of all of them.  Just liked the freshness of this one.

The main image is from the stamp set Collage Curious, a great wee set perfect for layering up the images. 

Shona Edmonds and I taught this last weekend at the Hamilton Extravaganza, and everyone just loved that Silver Glimmer Paper.  Almost a shame to cover it up!

There are just 10 days left to get that lovely Vine STreet Embossing Folder!  Shame we can't keep that little beauty a bit longer!

Email me to place your order!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Collage Curious, Kindness Matters

Colours: Midnight Muse, Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green, Crumb Cake, Summer Starfruit

Other: $2 shop notebooks and pens, 1 1/4 inch scallop circle punch, 1 3/4 inch scallop circle punch, 1 inch circle punch, Silver Glimmer paper, Bitty Banners Framelits, Poetry Prints print Pack

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!

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

 

A Stampin' Up! Wedding Work of Art

This was a lovely surprise organized by my northern region demonstrators, Ria Kaire and her team, given as a gift during our marriage ceremony.  She had it couriered to our celebrant, Bron Heslop, a few days before the event.

EAch of the guests were invited to fingerpring and sign themselves on the tree, using Stampin' Up! inks and markers.

I heard from my new Aunt Cherie that they had asked a local artist to paint the tree - and what a wonderful job she did.  It's just beautiful.

We will hang this with pride somewhere prominent in our home.  Waiting for the man with the tools to get over his cold, but I think the entry way would be perfect.

Our deepest thanks for this heartfelt gift and all those who contributed.

Petite Pockets Coffee & Gingerbread Man

It's been a great weekend!  I got to see many of you at our Christmas events, and that was fun for me and for our entire team!

The above picture is yesterday at the Hamilton Extravaganza.  Shona and I had a great time chatting away and teaching the ladies!

At both events, this is what I taught:

These were fun and quick to put together - perfect for a Merry Christmas gift for co-workers, teachers and the like.

We used the Petite Pockets die (love this!) for the coffee and the Top Note Die for the gingerbread man.  We jazzed both up using the new Scentsational Season stamps and dies - cute!!

You still have lots of time to order these now to make this project or similar up for Christmas!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Scentsational Season, Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Colours: Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso

Other: Petite Pockets Die, Festival of Prints DSP, Dazzling Details, Holiday Framelits, Top Note Die, Sugar and Spice Embossing Powder

Upcoming Events:

Saturday Nov 10th Auckland Scrapbooking Day!  $55 for 4 layouts!  If we have extra time, you can work on your own projects 9:30 am to about 5 pm.  Birkenhead

Monday November 12th Christmas Stamp Class in Birkenhead!  7:30pm  2 projects  $15

Wednesday Nov 14th Takanini Stamp Class!  7:30 pm  2 projects $15

Frosty Friends and the Cookie Press!

My 12 year old daughter, Kjristi, had a great time making these sugar cookies!  She used the recipe included in the Cookie Presses, rolled it into balls, and then pressed with the snowflake press.  Fun!

I kept the topper rather simple as it's likely to get tossed.  (Sorry that's just reality).  Cute, but nothing hugely time consuming!

I've used the new Frosty Friends here, a single stamp in the Holiday Catalogue.  Easy to colour in, too.

 

I used the new Window Framelits shapes for the topper for something a bit different.  And don't forget you get a FREE roll of the stitched satin ribbon with any order of $70 - no limit!  See the Specials and Promotions page for all the details. 

 A cute little gift for co workers, neighbors, or other school mums, for example!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Frosty Friends

Colours: midnight Muse, Raspberry Ripple, various markers

Other: Markers, Dazzling Details, Metallic Brads, Window Frame Framelits

 

 

Join us!

Wednesday October 10th Takanini Stamp Class!  7:30pm  $15

Saturday October 13th Tauranga Extravaganza!  Sorry All sold out

Monday October 15th Scrapbooking in Birkenhead 7:30pm  $15

Beautiful Ornament Keepsakes

It was a lovely weekend in Nelson for our stamp camp!  Despite being delayed on the flights, the ladies there managed to speed through all the projects in a shortened time - amazing really.

This project is a copy of the beautiful ornament on the front of the Holiday Mini Catalogue.  It's a fair bit of cutting, but the results are worth it!

It will be a pleasure to have this hanging from my tree this year!

We used the new Ornament Keepsakes set and the matching dies for this one plus the new Cherry Cobbler Tulle.  The more I use that tulle, the more I really, really love it!  I think I will be buying extra and putting it in my sewing stash.

The centre of the ornament uses the Rosette Die, a new addition to the Big Shot family.  You can make these manually with  the Simply Scoring Tool, but running it through a die, complete with edges and the creases already there is oh so easy.

And  a funny story to go with this: I asked Rob to help me with some pre-stamping and cutting for this project.  He really didnt' want to stamp, so he made it into a game for himself.

I cut the Very Vanilla card to fit TEN ornaments and asked him to stamp ten across:

He challenged himself to get eleven. I was impressed with eleven:

Then he was sure he could get twelve.  I said no way, I cut them to fit ten.  But he did it after a few tries:

I said wow, that gives me two extra on each sheet.  Well done!  But not enough, Rob wanted to get thirteen.  I said impossible:

And last few sheets, he got this many:

Eighteen!

There's my boy - in the midst of all the games, all my images got stamped without too much suffering. Good tip for you ladies out there.  :)

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Ornament Keepsakes

Colours: Real Red, Old Olive,

Other: Cherry Cobbler Tulle, Linen Thread, Ornament Dies, Rosette Die, Faceted Buttons, Large Pearls, Candlelight Christmas DSP

Upcoming Events:

Thursday 4th October Scrapbooking in Howick $15 7pm

Saturday 6th October Scrapbooking Day in Te Puke  3 layouts 10 am  $40

Saturday 13th October Tauranga Extravaganza 5 projects $35 1pm