My Catalogue Launch and Retired Product Sale

I'm having a launch party for the new Stampin' Up! Catalogue and I'd love to see you there! You can come along and stay for a little while or a long while. I'll have the tea and coffee on high rotation and am planning some yummy treats too. You can grab a chair and a coffee and have a good look through the catalogue, I'll have some things you can create with new products and there will be gifts and prizes - who wouldn't want to come?! It's going to be fun!

I'll also be holding my Retired Products Sale, which will be a first come, first served cash only dip into my stash of things I no longer need. There will be lots on offer. Ink pads, stamp sets, punches and accessories. Many brand new sets, and things from Sale-a-bration earlier in the year. There will definitely be something for everyone. 

I'm still getting to know people here in Mudgee so  I'd love you to bring along a friend I haven't met yet! And to say thanks, I'll give you both a little something to take home.

Please do let me know you're coming so I can set up enough chairs and coffee mugs! I look forward to seeing you then!

Liz

Paper Feather Tutorial

I'm at home this week on my own with the kids. It makes for an interesting week 'flying solo' and it can be unpredictable - so rather than schedule a face to face class this week and risk having my kids sitting under the table all night I decided to have a pause for a week - I'm sorry! Back to regular programming next week, I promise!

I'm having withdrawals from seeing you all - so I decided you might like to see what I've been doing that you can have a go at too. This is one of my favourite things from Stampin' Up! Convention last month - hand made paper feathers. They're so simple and add such a special touch to your cards or gift packaging.

Here's how I made them.

You'll need:

• Some gorgeous Designer Series Paper or card stock
• A circle punch, any diameter, I've used 1 3/4 inches
• Paper snips
• Bone folder/stylus and ruler, or Simply Scored tool

Punch a circle from your cardstock.

Then, put the circle back into the punch and cut an ellipse from one edge.

 If you're clever, you can get two from one punched circle.

Take your bone folder and ruler or scoring tool and score through the middle of the ellipse, then fold. 

Using your paper snips, cut in towards the 'spine' you have created at 45˚ and spaced a millimetre or two apart, all the way down both sides.

You might like to trim a 'stem' for the feather, and if you want to create a more 'willowy' asymmetrical shape for your feather you can do this with your Paper Snips also.

 Run your bone folder or your fingernail down the spine of the feather to give it some 'arch', then take the feather in your fingers and give it some scrunch and curl, just a bit imperfect, like a real feather.

Ink it if you'd like to and add some sparkle with some Smooch Spritz if you like sparkle, adhere in place with a Mini Glue Dot and you're finished.

I hope you'll have a go at making some Paper Feathers - they're lots of fun and they're quick and easy - a great combination. I'd love to hear about the ones that you make - and maybe see some photos?

Until next time!
Liz.

New Catalogue sneaky peek ;)

Well with only a few more days left until the launch of the new catalogue I thought I might share one of the things I've made with my new toys.

There are a couple of new things on this card - can you spot what they are??

And just because I can't help myself, here's another.....

If you would like your own copy of the new catalogue as SOON as it's available message me! I'd love to get one to you.

Liz.

Some more retirement fun

Well, choosing a week that included a birthday party and the resultant visits from the relatives, in which to challenge myself to blogging every day......wasn't my finest idea!

I hope you've enjoyed a few cards and been inspired - here are a few more.......

If you would like any details for these cards, leave me a comment and I'll let you know!
I'm getting ready for a giveaway on the blog and to enter you'll need to comment :) Why not leave me a little note to say you dropped by today.....to practise.......

Liz.

Day 6: Up, Up and Away!

Hello again! Welcome to almost the end of my first week back at the blog! I'm feeling pretty impressed tonight because it's the night before a birthday party, it's NOT midnight and I'm blogging! Amazing! Now crossing fingers for fine weather in the morning but that's a whole other story....

Here's my card for today.

This card was the Swap that I gave out at Stampin' Up! Convention last year. The stamp set, Up Up and Away, has been another of my favourites and one I've used many times. I really enjoyed the textured background which I made by brayering on Watercolour Paper - so simple and so effective!

I'll let you know tomorrow how the party went and whether or not we all got wet!

Liz.

Oops...missed a day....Day 5!

Well I was determined not to miss two days of my week so here goes with another card using Retiring Stamps. My class tonight was cards using Retiring Stamps and I'm looking forward to sharing some more of them with you over the next few days.

Here's one of my favourites....

This card uses "You are Loved" which is on a HUGE special on the Retiring List. I love using monochromatic colour schemes and Pool Party and Whisper White is high on my list of most used combinations. I'm so glad that Pool Party isn't retiring with the new catalogue - it's becoming part of our regular Colour Families! Woo!

The little tags below the ribbon are using the Tiny Tags stampset and Jewellery Tag punch. These are going! I've used them SO much and have loved them - I'm sure they need a home in your craft supplies too! A really versatile set and sweet :)

Hope you're having an excellent week. Back with more temptations soon!

Liz.

Day 3: My favourite retiring stamp set.....

I'm popping in today to show you a card made with my favourite retiring stamp set: French Foliage. (wood 123557, $34.95, clear 121166, $20.96) I've made so many things with this set I'll be very sorry to see it go - but I have my eye on some potential new favourites so I won't stay sad for too long :)

I've heat embossed one of the leaf images from the set onto First Edition Designer Series Paper (also retiring! 121878, $21.95) using White embossing powder. The finishing details of the card are done in Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla and Whisper White - one of my favourite combinations - so classic!

The sentiment I've used is from Perfectly Penned - not retiring and I'm so glad! Love this one! I've cut it out using the Apothecary Accents framelits - also a well used set in my craft room. 

I must be away! It's my middle daughters 5th birthday today and we've had a fun day of celebrations, which will be topped only by the chaos of a party on Saturday - lots of preparations to get done!

Hope you're having a great week!

Liz.

Day 2 - Retiring List projects

I hope you all had a great weekend and are looking forward to a fun week. Here in Mudgee it's been a frosty morning and it's the day before my daughters birthday so we're in preparation mode - lots of fun here tomorrow!

The project I've chosen to show you today is a card I made for my eldest daughters teacher at the end of last year. She had a brilliant year last year in Kindergarten and the class held a surprise thankyou BBQ for their beloved teacher. I was asked to make this card for the kids to write in (and a few of the mums!). It had lots of pages inside, which were all filled with lovely Kindy writing by the end of the night.

For the front I've used several different designs from the Storytime Designer Series Paper (currently 50% off: $9.48, 126907). The lined 'exercise book' panel, the grid and all the sweet little kids are from various pages in the pack. The 'Worlds Greatest' stamp is stamped in Midnight Muse ink on the DSP and this stamp is also sadly on it's way out (World's Greatest, $16.95, 126270). The 'teacher' sentiment that I've stamped on the Very Vanilla flag is from the 'For my Family' set which is also retiring!! (For my family,  wood: $62.95, clear: $49.95).

You can have a closer look at those sets and papers in my shop and if you have any questions let me know!

Until tomorrow,

Liz.

Retiring Stamps

At this time of year we say goodbye to some old favourite stamp sets (and start getting excited about the new ones that are soon to arrive!)

As a return to the blogosphere challenge I've set myself the task of posting one card every day this week that includes a retiring stamp. So here goes!

Todays card uses the retiring background stamp 'Distressed Dots' (122815, $30.95). I've used Versamark resist on glossy cardstock and brayered Summer Starfruit ink to complete the panel behind my lovely lollipops (from Sweets for the Sweet, not retiring). The ink I've used for the black bows and the sentiments on this card is our Basic Black craft ink, which is also retiring. It gives a lovely depth to the stamped image and being a pigment ink it sits on top of the paper and gives a nice bold image. Basic Black Craft ink (102192, $12.95). You can find all the supplies for this card in my online shop - just click on the button in the side bar, or message me with any questions, I'd love to help out!

I look forward to popping back every day this week and hearing your thoughts on our retiring stamps and accessories.

Liz.