Christmas Card Class Tonight...

...Just a little reminder that I have a Christmas card class tonight (Wednesday 24th September) at my home in south Canberra.

We will be making two Christmas cards using different techniques, including paper folding and masking. The class starts at 7:30pm and costs $10 per person (refundable if you place a Stampin' Up! order of $100 or more with me on the night).

The cost includes all the materials you will need for the two cards (including envelopes and a sample sheet for your technique journal) and a light supper (which includes the chocolate cake I just pulled out of the oven ;-).

I have a couple of places free tonight (maximum group size is 6 people), so if you are interested in joining us, please send me an email at: navarino@yahoo.com and I will get back to you.

Here is a teensie pic of one of the cards we will be making tonight...just to whet your appetite.



Have a lovely day (isn't the weather in the ACT beautiful today :-)!
Sam.

More lovely Blog comp entries...

Having a little competition on my blog has been very exciting! I am loving getting new entries. It is not too late to enter, so if you are keen to have a go the details can be found in this post.

The latest entries are all beautiful!! Poor hubby is going to have such a hard time choosing. I've told him what his duties are, and he is up for it. I may also ask Miss 4, who loves checking out cards, to choose her favourite too...and there might be a little something in it for that person too :-).

Ok.....the first lovely card I have to show you is by Caroline:



Then there are two beautiful cards by Karen...you can also see them both on her blog here and here:





and the final gorgeous entry for now is by Jean:



Thanks again girls for taking the time to create for my challenge. I love your cards...and they are giving me lots of inspiration :-).

Have a great day,
Sam.

Noel, noel...

I was doing a bit of tinkering today, and this is what I came up with...



The colours are Real Red and Whisper White. The design on the background cardstock is from the Peaceful Wishes Christmas stamp set, it has been stamped in Real Red Classic Ink, and the berries highlighted with a white gel pen.

I used 5/8" Real Red grosgrain ribbon and Real Red Striped grosgrain ribbon. I have also used a large Aluminium Circle tag and the Noel sentiment is from the Many Merry Messages stamp set.

It is a simple card, but I think it looks effective!

Sam.

Some blog comp entries...

I was very excited to receive some entries in my 20K blog competition last week...see this post for the details. Ladies, I am so sorry it has taken me this long to post the pictures here.

The first entry comes from Angela K. Thanks Angela....your card is beautiful!



The second entry is by Robyn Clarke, a fellow Stampin' Up! Independent Demonstrator. Isn't it gorgeous?!



Ngaire has also taken up my challenge, and this is her lovely card!



(Unfortunately Ngaire can't win due to the comp only being open to current Oz residents, but I am so pleased that she submitted a card anyway!).

Thank you again ladies for taking up my challenge! For those still thinking about entering...the comp closes Tuesday 30th September, so there is still plenty of time to get your entry photo to me ;-).

Cheers,
Sam.

For a friend...

This card is for a good friend who is retiring...



I was hesitant about putting a bow on a card for a man, but I am happy with the end result and hope that he will like it too.

The stamped image is from the retired (how appropriate) Stampin' Up! set, Fun & Fast Notes, and has been stamped on watercolour paper in black Stazon. I have watercoloured the image using an aquapainter and classic ink. The background card is in Tempting Turquoise. The next layer is a piece of More Mustard DSP from the East Coast Prep pack. Then there is a piece of Real Red which I have cuttlebugged, then a piece of Wild Wasabi. The ribbon around the Real Red layer is from the Jersey Ribbon Originals pack.

I have received two beautiful entries for my 20k blog candy competition which ends on Tuesday 30th September. I will try and post pictures of those cards later today. Thanks so much for entering ladies!

Back later,
Sam.

Merry, Merry Christmas

I've had this window/shaker card in my head for a while now......and no, there wasn't a lot of spare space up there while it was 'on the inside' ;-). It didn't come out exactly like I'd imagined...but I can always tinker with it later...



The cardstock is Night of Navy and the stamps are from Stampin' Up!'s Merry Merry set. Merry, Merry is available during September as part of a promotion where you buy the set, and get the matching jumbo Stampin Around wheel free. There are five other sets and matching jumbo wheel available as part of this deal click here for more information.

But back to my card...The front panel is mounted up on a double layer of dimensional edging (the left-over strips from around the edges of sheets of dimensionals). I have also inked the edge of this piece using a sponge and Whisper White craft ink. The window was cut out using one of the Nestabilities Petite Oval Dies in my Cuttlebug. I have stamped images from the Merry, Merry set on a piece of acetate using Cotton White Stazon, and then stuck it over the window with sticky strip (on the underside). I did try to emboss the acetate in white, but the heat of the heat tool melted the acetate...DOH! I am going to get some different types of acetate and give them a try, apparently the old OHP acetate works, as might the laser printer acetate.

I stamped the large baubles from Merry, Merry in Versamark Ink, onto the background cardstock, and then embossed these white. I dumped a GINORMOUS pile of Dazzling Diamonds onto the background cardstock (a la Derek! - if you were at the recent Regionals you might know what I mean) before I stuck down the window layer on top. If you find you have any Dazzling Diamond 'leaks' in the corners of the window you can 'fix' them using Crystal Effects (it is all hidden under the top layer, so you won't see it). I have tied a piece of White Taffeta ribbon around the base of the card. The sentiment is a Rub-On from the Cherished Memories set.

...and thats's it! Definitely not one to be making 50 of though....imagine the mess...UGH!!!!!
Ciao,
Sam.

A groovy little gift idea...

I wanted to show you just one of the amazing swaps I got at Regionals on Saturday. This one is from my fellow demonstrator, Veronica. Isn't it gorgeous?!




The cardstock colours are: Mellow Moss, Cameo Coral, Chocolate Chip and Confetti White. The stamps are from the One Of A Kind stamp set. Veronica has also used a Mellow Moss eyelet, a Mellow Moss button, the paper piercer and the slit punch. The beautiful little candle inside is a PartyLite "cherry orchard" tealight (Mmmmmmmmmmmmm....:-). The tealight is held in place with a dimensional.

While I was outside with the kids this afternoon I couldn't resist taking some snaps of one of our beautiful Magnolias which is in full bloom at the moment.





Ciao!
Sam.

Sydney Regionals 2008 - Swap Card

I went to Sydney on the weekend, and spent a fabulous day at the Convention Centre being WOW'ed, and swapping, and making cards, and hearing business tips and meeting up with lots of demo friends. It was great fun, and I've got lots of ideas to share with you at upcoming classes and workshops.

I managed to make some swaps last week, and this is my card:




My swap was only the card front, but I recently used this design at a workshop and we made the whole card (of course ;-), and this is the inside:



This card uses Always Artichoke and Purely Pomegranate cardstock, Holiday Harmony DSP, Purely Pomegranate satin ribbon and the Season of Joy stamp set, the latter three being available in the current Stampin' Up! Spring Mini Catalogue. I have also used gold brads, sponges and Purely Pomegranate Classic Ink, dimensionals and glue dots.

I had originally designed this card as follows:




But the opposing angles felt a bit odd, so I did not end up going with it in the end!

I hope you all had a fab-o weekend too!
Thanks for dropping by,
Sam.

Little Love Notes

Just some more little fete goodies...



My apologies for the glare from the cello bag. I made them and bagged them up last night and forgot to photograph them first. Even if I'd remembered, it would have been a dodgy photo (my OTT globe died the other week, and I don't have a replacement - actually I did, but now I don't...its a long story, and one that involves considerable stupidity on my part, so lets not go there ;-).

Anyhoo...Love Notes. Two in each pack, plus their own little envelopes. Summer Picnic DSP and Blooms Die Cuts...both my favouritest things in the Stampin' Up! world right now. What more can I say?

Ciao!
Sam.

TAKE YOUR MANOLO OUT OF MY STRAWBERRY PATCH...

...ok, not a Manolo (not even Prada or Jimmy Choo) but it is in a strawberry patch!




I was inspired to make this shoe after I saw another lovely shoe on Shelli's blog. Shelli received this shoe while she was attending the recent Stampin' Up! Australian/New Zealand Incentive Trip 2008 at Palm Cove. I believe that Shelli's shoe was made by the very talented Liz Collett.

I got the template that I have used for my shoe from the Hewlett Packard website. I have done a fair bit of tinkering with it in Photoshop to get rid of the colour and pattern on the original template, and enlarged the size (I wanted it to print out as a plain outline directly onto our Stampin' Up! A4 cardstock). Ellen Hutson also has a pattern for a very similar looking shoe.

My little shoe is made in Real Red, and stamped with the strawberry from the Tart and Tangy set, also in Real Red. The embellishment over the toes is made using the Scallop Punch and both of the large Circle punches. I've also used the strawberry stamp again, this time colouring it with Stampin' Write markers in Glorious Green and Real Red.

I may make some more of these for our upcoming fete, and I think I will clear emboss the strawberry for a little more effect. The lollies inside are strawberry flavoured (well duh!), and I've popped them in a small cello bag and tied the top with Red Grosgrain ribbon. I've used the 'Made With Love' stamp from the Art By Design stamp set (in accordance with the Angel Policy rules), and it looks like the label you find inside shoes (IYKWIM?)...kinda cool! You can also easily add a strap with buckle, but in my shoe that would have obscured the little lolly bag inside :-(. Maybe another time!

Have a great day!
Sam.