Online Extravaganza - 10% off selected items for 24 hours only on 24th November 2020

 If you have had your eye on something lovely from the Annual Stampin' Up! Catalogue, be sure to order on Tuesday 24th November to save 10%!

 I wanted to let you know now so you have time to plan. There are some exclusions to the 10% off, so I am showing you those here:

There's still so much more available! If you do order, please do use host code

UQ2N9Y3M  and choose me, Susan Hurley-Luke, as your Demonstrator. It might be time to stock up on some supplies for Christmas/New Year crafting, or even gift someone else with some Stampin' Up! goodness. I think our kits are beautiful gifts, for example. They have just about everything you need to make beautiful cards and more.

Happy shopping!

Susan

 

Designer Series Paper Sale 1st to 31st October while supplies last!

 

Do you love Designer Series Paper? I do! If you want a bargain on so many dsp packs from Stampin' Up!, be sure to check out the October sale in my SusanSalutations store! 

Be sure to shop with me, Susan Hurley-Luke.

I hope you get something nice!

Sailing Home with Embossing Paste - a masculine card

There was a new challenge form Sara Douglass, the Stampin' Up! CEO this week. (Yes! She is a crafter too!) She challenged all who love Stampin' Up! to use some stencils and embossing paste this week, and I decided I would answer her call!

So I broke out my (retired) silver embossing paste and a plastic spoon as a tool for spreading it (I couldn't find my palette knives!), found a stencil and some water colour paper, and got to work.

First I washed down my watercolour paper with water from a Water Painter. Then a dropped a couple of drops of Balmy Blue reinker on the paper and washed that around with my Water Painter as a background.

That had to dry before I used my embossing paste so I speeded the drying time along with my heat tool.

Next I laid my stencil down on my silicone craft mat and smooshed some embossing paste over the top. You can get these palette knives to handle the paste. Just remember to have a flattish container with nice, warm, soapy water handy to put your stencils and tools into after you finish smooshing. Embossing paste dries hard very quickly. I also popped my Silicone Craft sheet in ti be cleaned.

While the paste was drying, I prepared some stamped anchors and seaweed, and I heat embossed one anchor in silver. I got my sentiment tag ready too. And I found some retired Designer Series Paper to decorate my Smokey Slate card base inside and out, and got that ready.

I added some retired Baker's Twine to my anchors and then arranged the elements on my card front.

My watercoloured, embossing pasted background with the Sailing Home elements on top

Once I was happy with their placement, I adhered everything down, then added this layer to my decorated, fun fold card base.

Don't forget to decorate the inside of your card!

Have you tried embossing paste yet? You can now get White (141979) and Shimmery White (145645) embossing paste and can change the colour of both with a few drops of reinker, so you can have nearly 50 colours!

Here are some of the other supplies I used in this project:

Sailing Home stamp set

Smooth Sailing dies 

The stencil I used is retired. Current stencils are available.

Palette Knives

Silicone Craft Sheet

Water Painters 

Fluid 100 Watercolour Paper

Heat Tool

Blossoms In Bloom!

This week I have been creating with the Blossoms in Bloom stamp set and dies (Bundle item number 154123). What a great bundle this is! The big, beautiful main stamp and die really caught my eye. I have linked all the products I used so you can find them in my SusanSalutations online store. I just know you will want to recreate these cards or explore some ideas of your own!

First I started playing with the dies. The main die fills a whole card front! I could cut the die cut in half and make two cards! Woo hoo!

I used one of my Water Painters to water paint different ink colours on the Shimmery White A4 Cardstock die cut and let them dry before I cut the die cut in half.

All it took was some Basic Black cardstock, some Gold Foil sheet and some Gold Stampin' Emboss powder with a few Gilded Gems to create this card. I mounted it on a Pretty Peacock cardstock base.

Here's a closeup of the water painted blossoms on black:

Then I wondered what the second half of the die would look like when glued to a thick Whisper White cardstock base, I was not disappointed!

It was so fresh looking! I added a few sprinkle images to complete the look. And some more Gilded Gems.

I embellished my envelopes with blooms from my Floral Essence stamp set.

Then I turned to the stamp set. Wow, I loved the stamps too! Here's a couple of samples of the stamped blossoms. I used the whole stamp for these cards. You could just colour some of the blooms with Stampin' Write Markers if you wanted a partial image of course.

This first card is stamped in Bumblebee ink and the centres are stamped in Cinnamon Cider. The leaves are stamped in Mint Macaron. I mounted the Whisper White cardstock layer on Just Jade cardstock and finished with some Just Jade ribbon and some Rhinestone Basic Jewels.

The next card is the same except for the colours of ink and cardstock. I stamped the petals in Magenta Madness and the centres in Bumblebee. The leaves are again Mint Macaron ink. I added some gems and this time I used some Misty Moonlight cardstock and some Misty Moonlight ribbon.

When I embellished the envelopes, I used the smaller blooms and leaves from the Blossoms in Bloom stamp set.

These cards were quick and easy to make! I love that I could sit down and make a couple of cards in each design. When I make cards, I like to make a couple at a time. I figure I might as well do that since I have all my supplies out for one project anyway.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my projects today.

Oooh wait!, I just realised I have not made any cards with the dies and stamps together on one card! And the size of the blooms stamps and dies really are wonderful for scrapbook pages! What would they look like if I cut a die shape with foil? Or vellum? Or if I heat embossed the stamped blossoms? Or layered them? Or.....

Right, back to the craft room. Lol!

Here's how to order the bundle or the individual stamp set or dies from my store. Leave me a comment if you order and a link to your own project using these dies so I can see!

If you just want the Blossoms in Bloom stamp set, here it is

If you just want the Many Layered Blossoms dies, here they are

If you want the Blossoms in Bloom bundle, this is the page.

Enjoy your stampin' day.

Forever Greenery Product Suite

One of the nicest suites in the new catalogue for me is the Forever Greenery Product Suite. It's just so lovely to create with.

When I first ordered I left out the stamp set! I was interested in the designer series paper and embossing folders (which are smaller, by the way, than the size we have been used to from Stampin' Up!) and forgot about the stamp set! I have ordered it now and have to wait till it arrives to use the beautifully details distINKtive images.

The beauty of the product suites is that you get a discount when you order everything together. If you like though, you can pick and choose what parts of the suite to order individually. You won't get the savings you get with buying a suite, but it is possible to order everything individually.

In the meantime, I played with the dsp and some of the elements to make a photo gift folder. I love how it turned out. Here is the front before I finished adding ribbon and dsp to the tags in the pockets:

And here is what it looks like inside. I left the Whisper White panel free so I can stamp and write on it when I know who I am giving it to.

Here's the first tag folder I made using retired dsp to see how it would turn out. I liked it so much!

I finished this one much more thoroughly using the Forever Blossoms stamp set. It's a beautiful set of images and sentiments too.

I hope you enjoyed my projects and if you are now wanting to have some of these products yourself, remember to shop at my lovely new SusanSalutations Shop!

Do remember to choose to shop with me, Susan Hurley-Luke 😊 Thank you!

New Catalogue, New Shopping Site!

The 2020-2021 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue is LIVE! You can see it at my revamped SusanSalutations shopping site. The site has been revamped to give you a much better shopping experience.

You can still use the old links but I recommend you update your bookmark for the SusanSaultations shopping site. You may also find you have to re-enter your password as the new site won't know it yet. :)

You will notice bigger images, better filters to search for products, and a new place to make your Wish List, which can then be shared with friends and family in case they want a hint about what to get you for birthdays and Christmas!

You can also search the new catalogue online there, but if you live in Australia and would like your own copy so you can place orders with me, please contact me via email at susanl_hl AT yahoo.com
When you do order, look for my picture to make sure you are ordering with me.

It's so exciting when a new catalogue comes out, AND a new recruiting special! Right now you get to choose a FREE bundle  on top of your great value Joining Kit if you join my team in June!

Meanwhile, why not start browsing the new Ideas Book and Catalogue? 

Hope to chat with you soon!

Bird Ballad Anniversary Card and some other card ideas

One of the designer series paper packs I am going to miss when the new catalogue comes out in June  is the one that I featured in the anniversary card - Bird Ballad designer series paper.

It has so many beautiful designs. I especially love the birds that have been coloured in and seated on beautiful branches with leaves and little flowers. I have fussy cut numbers of these little scenes and popped them up on card fronts.  I thought the pair of birds shown above were perfect to wish my friends a happy anniversary.

There are many choices of birds for your cards. Here is one who landed on my card's windowsill to wish someone a cheery hello!

This trio of birds made a fancy card even fancier. I made my backgrund by making a grid of coloured cardstock squares, then layering a laser cut sheet on top, and finally adding my popped up birds and a pretty bow.

Quick cards are possible using a stamped image of the birds  on top of the designer series paper. The single stamped bird looks mighty fine on the envelope. The birds take next to no time to colour with Stampin' Blends.

I made a Z fold card for a special friend's birthday, this time highlighting the pretty flowers on the designer series paper, but making sure I added in some fussy cut little birds at the front.

So can you see how beautiful and versatile this designer series paper is?

It won't be available much longer.

If you want to grab a pack or two, order from SusanSalutations as soon as you can to avoid being disappointed.

It could sell out any time now.

Happy crafting!

Grace's Garden

Oh my word, I just love Grace's Garden stamp set and dies. When I saw it in the Stampin' Up! catalogue, I knew I had to buy it. And it didn't disappoint!

I chose shades of purple to make my garden card as the birthday girl I made it for loves purple.  

It was fun finding out how I could make all sorts of tones of purple with my inks and an aqua painter. 

Here's how it turned out:

 Isn't it beautiful? The stamps and dies are just wonderful to work with! It also helped that I was making this card for a good friend who, like so many of us, was facing a birthday in lock down. She is also an avid crafter and gardener, so this bundle of goodies was made for her!

You can see how dimensional the card front is, with fence palings, plants, a cat and a bird all popping off the page.

 I decorated inside my card and the envelope as well.

This bundle is still available in my online store, so hop on over there and grab them if you like them as much as I do :) I cannot guarantee the bundle will still be in the new catalogue in June, so you can get a discount on these products till June 2nd or until the bundles run out.  

Last Chance Products are Out Now!

Every year about this time, Stampin' Up! lets us know what is retiring from their offering and therefore what is staying through the next Stampin' Up! year. This year they are putting those retiring products on the Last Chance List.

Every year the first things to sell out are usually the retiring In Color reinkers, and the die cutting dies that are going away. This year the colours that are retiring are Blueberry Bushel, Pineapple Punch, Grapefruit Grove, Call Me Clover and Lovely Lipstick.

If you need the reinkers for the colours I just listed, better grab them fast!

One thing that may puzzle some people is the fact that so many Blends are listed as retiring. Don't panic! The Blends will still be there (except for retiring In Colors). They are not going to be offered as single pens though. They will be sold in combination packs of dark and light pens, and they will get new order numbers too.

Some bundles will no longer be offered at a discount either, but the stamp sets and dies will be offered separately. If you have your eye on a bundle, why not get it at a discount before June 2nd (or before it sells out?)

Do contact me if you have any questions or need help ordering. I am always happy to enable you! Lol!

Anzac Day Wreath

In Australia it is Anzac Day on April 25th, a day to commemorate those who lost their lives during Word War II on the battlefields. Usually people get up at 4am to attend an open service honouring the Anzacs. This year that won't be possible, but people are making and hanging wreaths of poppies on their fences and front doors, and decorating candles with poppies and agreeing to go to the end of their driveways at 5.55am to stand in silence and respect for 10minutes, to honour those lost lives and the freedoms we were given by them.

I decided to make a paper poppy wreath for our front door using the Poppy Moments dies. Being paper, it cannot be hung out in the weather, but it makes a statement.

There are free instructions for how to make a wreath like this on PaperCraftCentral.com

I'll be stamping poppies on vellum to wrap around a candle jar too so we can hold lighted candles in our driveways.

What are you making for Anzac Day?

Lest We Forget

New Logo, New Name!

You'll notice a little difference at the top of the page I have had a new logo made, and decided to re-name Susan's Saga to reflect my Stampin' Up! name, SusanSalutations. Now you can easily search for my blog and my store as they will be under the same name!

I am still the webmaster at PaperCraftCentral.com and will continue to update there with the latest news and ideas for projects.

Let me know if there is something you would like me to talk about on SusanSalutations or at PaperCraftCentral.com. You can always tell me by commenting here.

In the meantime, here's a new project for you where I created a card with the My Meadow stamp set. You can only get this stamp set during Sale-A-Bration time, which lasts till March 31st,

Enjoy!

And I love my new SusanSalutations paper dolls logo. I hope you do, too!

Sale-A-Bration Is Here!

Good news! Sale-A-Bration, which happens at the beginning of every year, is open NOW!

That means you can SHOP and earn free products for every $90 you spend.

You can earn free products by HOSTING a demonstration  where you and your guests earn free products for every $90 you each spend, AND the host can receive more rewards depending on the total sales for the day.

You can also JOIN Stampin' Up! and get a marvelous kit worth more than the $169 you spend, plus receive some free designer series paper and a mini trimmer!

Sale-A-Bration goes from January 3rd to March 31st 2020, so be sure to read about the details on my Stampin' Up! News page right away!

Yay, yay, yay! I love Sale-A-Bration time!