RSPCA Fundraiser Stamping/Scrapbooking & Crop Day

Stamping/Scrapbooking & Crop Day

Come along to raise funds for the RSPCA Flood Appeal!

Come along to a fun day of crafting! ALL proceeds from the day will be donated to the QLD RSPCA Flood Appeal to help with repairs after flood and cyclone damage and the care of pets and animals during the recent disasters.

Where and When??
Saturday March 5th 2011. Burpengary Community Hall, 111 Station Rd, Burpengary Qld.

What can you do?
There are three options you can choose from for the day (or come for two sessions):

1. All day Crop. You can come along and work on your own scrapbooking or craft all day, away from the chores and distraction of home! You will be provided with ample crafting space from 10am until 5pm. Cost is $10 and includes morning and afternoon tea, as well as lucky door prizes!

2. Morning Session – Stamp A Stack

Come along and make 15 cards (3 each of 5 different designs) covering a variety of
occasions! You’ll have a fun morning making fantastic cards to have on hand when you need them!

Cost is $25 and includes morning tea and all the supplies and instructions to make the 15 cards, matching envelopes and lucky door prizes!

3. Afternoon Session - Play Date Class

Come along to our “Play Date” Class and make a beautiful set using the “Play Date” rub ons. You’ll make a variety of items including a decorated note pad, gift box, card and
more!

Cost is $20 including all supplies as well as two sheets of the rub ons to keep, afternoon tea and lucky door prizes!

Raffle tickets will also be available on the day to win HUGE prizes of scrapbooking and stamping supplies.

Bookings are ESSENTIAL by Monday the 21st of February 2011. For more information or to book your place, please contact me with your email address :)

Favourite Childhood Story

Do you swap entries for Circle Journals? I have been enjoying this variety f scrapbooking lately. Here is a double layout I did of my favourite childhood story, retold. It's all about puppies and kittens!

I have more images to show you of the secret tags and verses I included, and showing what is behind the tied together doors, so I will provide a link to those soon for you on papercraftcentral.com :)

A Tiny, Cheery Hello

Thank you for all the lovely comments and support you have been leaving for me over the last few weeks. We still have a long road to recovery ahead of us in all Cyclone affected areas. My daughter has had her electricity restored now and my mother and sister are still managing on generators and no phones. But they are all alright. and that is what matters most.

I promised you some crafting now the worst of the storm is passed, so today, here is a cheery little card to say hello. It really is a little card measuring about 5cm x 5cm (2 1/s" x 2 1/2"). These little cards are great to pop in with something you are sending on to someone, almost like a gift card.

I used several different Stampin' Up! sets to make this one. Let's see - there is a background from Tiny Tags, a bird from the Sweetheart set, and a sentiment from Basic Phrases. I used Tangerine Tango, Old Olive and Not Quite Navy ink, a scallop oval punched from Blueberry Crisp designer paper and a base of Very Vanilla cardstock, and Whisper White cardstock for the greeting. There's a tiny pearl on the bird's eye. I popped up the sentiment with Stampin' Dimensionals too.

I hope you enjoy my cheery hello :)

Thank you for your concern

Thank you for your concern about our family. I now live well to the south of where the Cyclone crossed the coast but as I have lived all over the State and worked in the communities affected and still have family and friends scattered throughout Queensland, it was a time of tension and I kept a vigil while the storm raged. I kept in touch with my daughter on Facebook until the storm cut their power supplies. A few hours later I was able to contact my mother, sister and daughter on mobile phone to find out they were safe, and while their power is still cut and their mobile phone batteries have died, I know they are alright. Sleep is still a little elusive while I wait for good communication to be re-established with them all.

The pictures I have published today show what happened at Cardwell, a small seaside town I have driven through countless times. The picture of the road shows a blank space where a garage and cafe used to be. I used to stop to refuel the car and my tummy there. Their marina is a disaster area and so many of their homes have been destroyed. This is what it looks like for several hundred kilometers of coastline where the Cyclone struck so you can imagine my concern for family and friends. The Cyclone was so huge it was never going to miss out hitting some communities in the far north. Thankfully it avoided directly hitting major population centres but the destructive winds were so widespread they shared themselves around and now the people in the area are experiencing storm surges and floods.

The storm was huge. That is why so many people are being affected. The image below is taken from a page about comparing the storm size a few countries.

Thankfully the Cyclone has degenerated into a rain depression now but it is still dumping rain all the way across to the Northern Territory.

I think I will have to get some of these pictures printed out so I can do a layout on the Cyclone sometime soon. It sure has affected our lives.

OK now I plan to return to showing you cards and scrapbook layouts and 3d paper crafts, from tomorrow. As long as there are no more disasters!

My family and friends are OK!

Just a quick update to let you know the Category 5 Cyclone crossed the Queensland Coast at midnight last night. It did not appear to take any lives or injure anyone as people were so prepared. There is a fair bit of property damage to the small towns where the cyclone hit. I have heard from my family and all of them are fine. There is no power to their homes but they are ready fro that too.

The cyclone is continuing to track inland as a Category 2 at this stage so it is a much smaller threat now :)

I am thankful to God for sparing people's lives.

Thank you for praying with me, those of you who prayed, and for your messages of concern and support.

It's still coming....

Due to cross the coast tonight between 10pm and midnight. It's a category 5 now. No one has experienced a Cyclone of this size in living memory. All the family and friends I know of are as prepared as they can be and no one can leave their homes now as the Cyclone is so close. Storm surges will be a huge danger it brings with it. The winds are up to 250kmp/h or 155mph.

I can't stop watching the news updates or texting my sister and daughter and mother.

Cyclone Yasi

This is the latest satellite image from the Bureau of Meteorology here in Qld. I am living far south of the likely impact area but so many family and friends do live in the impact zone. I am praying the Cyclone will cross the coast somewhere there are no people living. Please join me if you are a praying person....it is predicted it will cross the coastline around 4am Feb 3rd...

A sweet little card

This card is really a small note card and is made with a sweet little stamp from the Sale-A-Bration catalogue - Punch Bunch.

I coloured the stamp with different Stampin' Write markers then punched out the centre and popped it up on Stampin' Dimensionals.

It's a simple little card to put inside any small packages or notes you are sending off in the mail, for example - just big enough to write a cheery note on and nothing much more! Lol!

Punch Bunch!

These cute little owls are looking at each other because I altered their pupils a little with a journaling pen! The rest of the owls were made with a new stamp set called Punch Bunch.

I love these stamps as there is a coordinating punch that goes with the owls, but I am yet to buy one. I think they still look cute just stamped on my card though.

Owls are still 'in'! He he. So I made a few cards with them as a feature.

Accordion Album made from Envelopes

Here's what it looks like on the outside.....

Here's what would show in a bookcase.......

C'mon over to PaperCraftCentral and see what's inside this little album :)

Bliss! Sale-A-Bration Has Started! AND it's Australia Day!

EDITED:
Sale-A-Bration started yesterday and what lovely stamp sets they have in this year's mini catalogue! One of the things i like about being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is that I get to order new stamp sets and supplies before they are generally available, to use just for me! Lol! I ordered the Bliss set right away because I loooove vintage images, and this one is a pretty one.

To get this Bliss set for FREE, for every $100 you order during this period, you can choose a set of stamps from this mini catalogue. That’s one set for EACH $100 ordered! Contact me HERE to place your order.
* You can also host a workshop, where everyone will be eligible for the free stamp sets and you’ll also receive a Free set of Sale A Bration stamps for free once your workshop reaches $600. This applies for in home workshops and “catalogue parties” where you collect orders and submit them to me altogether. Contact me to book your workshop or I can send you a catalogue party pack.
* Or if you join Stampin’ Up! during the Sale A Bration period, you’ll not only receive the great savings on the starter kit but you’ll also be able to choose a set of stamps from our Idea Book & Catalogue valued at up to $79.95 for FREE! Check out more information about joining HERE or contact me for an info pack!


Sale-A-Bration finishes on March 31st so there is time to earn your free sets.

I'll upload another couple of images using the lovely new sets over the next few days :)

I'm spending Australia Day crafting as you can see. I hope your day is also a lovely one and that you get to spend it the way YOU want to. Happy Australia Day!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Daffodil delight, Whisper White, Blueberry Crisp dp, Newsprint dp
Inks: Daffodil delight, Pear Pizzazz, Melon Mambo, Not Quite Navy
Stamp Set: Bliss
Accessories: Linen twine, Bitty buttons and punches, Scallop circle punch, Boho blossoms punch, Scallop trim border punch

The First PaperCraftCentral Challenge of 2011

Here's a clue - think small! Think organised! Think taking-the-stress-out-of-unexpected-special-occasions! Then head on over to PaperCraftCentral.com and check out the first Creative Challenge for 2011. The Winner will receive a small RAK from me!

Australian Stampin' Up! Flood Appeal

13 January 2011

To help the victims of the floods that have devastated over three quarters of Queensland, join with us in supporting the Australia Flood Appeal.

Stampin' Up! will donate $2 AUD of the retail value of sales from any stamp set (with a retail value of $30 or more) sold in Australia and New Zealand from 15 January through 15 February to the State Emergency Services in Queensland

If you are in Australia, please do let me know if you would like to place an order to help this appeal to assist flood victims.

Floods in Queensland

We're having extreme floods here in Queensland, a one in a hundred year flood in fact. My families are all safe and dry, but so many are not. We had roads cut around us yesterday and we had to stay put, but today the water in our area has receded. Many businesses and homes near us were flooded and today the cleanup for those places has begun. It is heartbreaking for those people.

Brisbane is still to get the peak of the flood and so many more people are going to lose everything they own. There has been loss of life as well as loss of property and about 70 people are missing as they were swept away by the flood water.

We tried to get to a family member yesterday and found all the roads around us cut. We were concerned as they live on the banks of a creek. We had to turn around and go home, but later had phone calls to let us know the family was safe. What a relief it was to hear their voices.

I took a few pictures of the cut roads and flooded countryside around us while we were out so thought I would share them with you.

May everyone in the flood areas stay safe. There will be a huge restoring time ahead of us all.

Valentine's Day is Coming

Treats for your sweets! An Australian Stampin' Up! special!

Create a handmade treat for all your sweethearts this Valentine's Day using sweet products from Stampin' Up!

From 30 December 2010 through 24 January 2011, get a FREE package of Heart Treat Cups when you purchase the Sweetheart Stamp Set or the Full Heart Punch--make it twice as sweet when you buy both and get two free packages of Heart Treat Cups!

Purchase any of the following:

Item Page Description Price

121576 38 Sweetheart Wood-Mount Set $38.95

120780 38 Sweetheart Clear-Mount Set $29.95

119883 146 Full Heart Punch $33.95

Get FREE Heart Treat Cups:

Item Page Description Retail Value

120435 122 Heart Treat Cups (12) $6.50

Contact me today to place your order (Australia Wide!) OR to schedule your Valentine's workshop if you live near me :)

I am the New Year

I Am the New Year

I am the new year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.

I am your next chance at the art of living. I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the last twelve months.

All that you sought and didn’t find is hidden in me, waiting for you to search it but with more determination.

All the good that you tried for and didn’t achieve is mine to grant when you have fewer conflicting desires.

All that you dreamed but didn’t dare to do, all that you hoped but did not will, all the faith that you claimed but did not have—these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of a strong purpose. I am your opportunity to renew your allegiance to Him who said, "Behold, I make all things new."

(Bible Illustrator)

Merry Christmas to you all!

May your Christmas be a wonderous one, celebrating the birth of our Saviour and Lord.

I look forward to paper crafting with you throughout 2011!

Last Minute Chocolate Christmas Favours

Are you rushing to get last minute gifts ready for the morning? It's Christmas then, you know! Lol! Well, it is Christmas in Australia anyway. I know some people in the world have slmost another day to wait, and this idea may be good for them too.

I just spent about an hour making 36 of these little Chocolate Christmas Puddings and thought I would share the idea with you, just in case. A friend of mine told me how to make them (thank you, Kylie!) and I think they are just as cute as can be!

If you would like the instructions for how to make them, I put them on PaperCraftCentral for you.

Do let me know if you have any last minute ideas for special favours too, won't you!

Thoughts on decorative boxes

If you still have some special presents to wrap and you want to try something different from store-bought wrapping paper, here's a customised decorative box I made to inspire you. I added more views of the box (including what is inside the box!) and a few hints on how to make one of your own on PaperCraftCentral.com,

I made this little box in about an hour. It's not too late to make a really specially presented gift for Christmas!

Kit Kat Favours

Do you like Kit Kat chocolates? They are perfect for using inside a little surprise box like these to send a sweet treat to someone. I made this batch to mail out to my wonderful Stamp Club members last month and they have told me they happily ate their chocolates when they arrived!

It was fun decorating the boxes with tag punches and ribbon.

STAMPIN' UP! SUPPLIES LIST:

Ink and cardstock colours are Old Olive, Poppy Parade and Metallic Silver. I made the butterflies with the Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die.I used some more Greenhouse Gala Designer Paper on the tags. The stamp set is a Hostess Benefit one, Cute By The Inch.

Cards, cards, cards! And a gift tag.

Today I am showing you the last of the cards I made with the same sketch and variations of the supplies used. I am also showing you a card I made by punching out my gift tags and using the punched cardstock as a stencil. The second card shown here was made by sponging gold ink over a bauble cut out, directly onto the surface of the card. I used a curved line to stencil in the garland,  then used Stampin' Write markers and gel pens to add the details to both the baubles and the garland. I punched a small stamped circle and popped it up on the main bauble to become my message. A dash of white on each bauble adds a bit of depth to them as it looks like light is reflecting off the sides.

Have you seen the Christmas Extra Large punch from the Ideas Book and Catalogue? I love it. It is so versatile. I no longer need to buy tags for my gifts at Christmas when I have that punch! Here I have shown you a little tag made by folding cardstock in half and punching the bauble shape so that the fold line becomes the hinge for the tag, and I can write my message inside the tag. Punch designer paper, a stamped image or both and add them to the front of your tag, punch a hole in the top of it and thread it with ribbon or cord, and you have a lovely little gift tag for someone special. I added a punched circle of Whisper White to the inside of this tag so I could write something that could easily be seen.

How are your Christmas preparations going in these last few days before the big event? I am sending out my last cards today and am wrapping some gifts to be delivered on Christmas Day itself. The it will be on to the baking, of course!

(PS: Our greatest Christmas gift has already been given to us from God. The whole reason for the Christmas season is to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour. I am so thankful  for the gift I already have from Him and hope you have it too. Merry Christmas!)

Still more cards!

Just giving you more looks you can achieve with basically the same idea and different designer papers :)

Chris, thank you so much for your nice comment. There is still time for if you want to make a few simple cards like these! I made 25 in one sitting using this idea :) And the people I gave them to reacted with pleasure. It really is the thought behind the giving sometimes, I think, and many people do appreciate handmade cards. I gave an older woman the card at the top and she thought it was beautiful.

Simplicity does it this close to Christmas, I am convinced! Lol!

More Cards

Today I have uploaded another two Christmas card ideas for you (see last post for a supply list). I love the colours in these, but imagine them made in different colour schemes - your favourites in fact! They really do look different when you make them using different designer papers and colours, but following the same basic design....

I will show you more of what I mean tomorrow :) I hope you are getting your cards done or have completely finished that pleasant task!

Busy Days!

Are you still making Christmas Cards? I am. I never seem to make enough during the year and am always making some at the last minute. Fortunately, many of the ones I am making will be hand delivered tomorrow when I see a number of friends at a church luncheon.

Here is a selection of cards I have been working on. Will post more in the next few days. I decided to use the same stamp sets, sketch, colours and supplies and see if I could come up with a couple of different designs. See what you think of them. All supplies are from Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Contempo Christmas, Delightful Decorations, Welcome Christmas, Heard from the Heart
Cardstock: Poppy Parade, Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Pear Pizzaz, Whisper White
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Gold
Ribbon: Poppy Parade Stitched Poly Ribbon, Old Olive Taffeta, gold cord (retired)
Designer Paper: Jolly Holiday, Christmas Cocoa
Extras: Crystal rhinestones, heart punch, Lattice border punch, Real Red Stampin' Write! marker

Christmas Crafting

I like to make card toppers. Do you? I love them because I can then choose a topper and make a card pretty quickly when I need one in a hurry. I made these for the girls in my Stamp Club this month in case they needed to have a topper on hand for that card you suddenly need but might have forgotten to make for somebody! I used a stamp from the Autumn Days set, coloured it in with Stampin' Write markers in Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip and Old Olive, then matted it to some Soft Suede Cardstock. I added a piece of Christmas Cocoa designer paper to some more Soft Suede cardstock, adhered some Old Olive Taffeta ribbon to that, then popped up my image with Stampin' Dimensionals. For extra pizazz I added three little rhinestones ot one corner.

I hope the girls like them!

Ohana Girls

I finally scrapped something! I made this layout using a photo of us girls on the last retreat we went to. It was in response to a Scrapchat challenge where I had to use bright colours (think spring vegetable colours) and had to incorporate a tree into it somehow. There needed to be some flowers on the layout too.  I cut the leaves freehand from paper that was already embossed and drew on them a little bit with my Stampin' Write markers to look like they were veined. It was fun to use some hardware with the ribbon and add in my flowers. I sanded the background paper and emphasised the 'ha' in Ohana because all we do is laugh wen we are together. I hope you enjoy looking!

Summer Mini Is Here!

Finally I can show you the new Summer Mini catalogue! I have already added to my Wish List again. Lol! If you live in Australia I can enable you by helping you order any of the items in this Mini, do send me your email address or contact me.
Oh and I thought I would mention there's also up to 50% off selected Stampin' Up! products this month. Just in time for Christmas!

Another Sneak Peek :)

Sneak Peek!

The Summer Mini is coming! The Summer Mini is coming! I already have a few little goodies from it to play with. As a demonstrator, I get that little privilege :) That way I can give you a couple of sneak peeks at what is coming from December 1st. This card has a few clues on it. What do you think about it?

I'll add another peek tomorrow for your viewing pleasure  :)

A Vintage Paper Wallet

Here's a glimpse of a paper wallet I made for the prettiest Vintage wedding I went to on the weekend. It was so much fun to make! I thought it made a nice change from a handmade wedding card as this wedding had a Wishing Well invitation. I also made up a way the newlyweds can continue to use the little walet over time, should they so choose. You can read all about it if you would like and see how I made the purse as well  :)

A glimpse of the card....

....I made for the box (see post below)

You can see more of the unboxed version and how I made this graduation greeting card at  PaperCraftCentral :)

Footlocker Idea

Here is a little box I call my Footlocker. It is based on an old footlocker my Dad used to take with him everywhere. Recently I had a reason to make a special graduation present for someone who has just completed his basic training in the Army, and naturally the footlocker sprang to mind! If you would like to see more of how I made this box and what I put in it, I have written about it for you on PaperCraftCentral.

Oh and I just had to show you something cute My little puppy is fast becoming very comfortable around his paper crafting owner! Here he is after falling asleep in my paper bin!! He had just woken up to give me an adoring look before going back to sleep. It must have been comfortable in there with all the paper. He he!

Altered Notebook

Have you ever bought a notebook or folder and then wanted to change the look of it? I do that now and then. I bought this notebook from a local supplier and it was plain lime green in its previous life. Lol! I wanted to spice it up so covered it in Stampin' Up! designer paper, ribbon, tag punched and stamped items, linen thread  and some extra bling I had here.

I would love to see some of your own altered notebooks or similar If you have one you could show me, here's where I would love to see them on PaperCraftCentral.com. When you upload you will also be helping out a young school student who asked me the same question about how to alter a notebook or folder!

Thanks in advance for sharing your own altered art with me!

A Congratulations Card

I', having a little trouble with Photobucket tnight and can't seem to centre this image, but I htink youwill get the idea of how it looks ;)

I made this card to congratulate a lady who opened a gym near me. She has two personal trainers who work with her, and while the card is in no way showing these ladies as they are in real life, I think they appreciated the symbolism!!! Lol! The gym's colours are bright pink and black so what other colour would have been appropriate, I ask you?

I used the All in the Family stamp set from Stampin' Up!, and all the cardstock, Stampin' Write  markers and ribbon are all from the same supplier. I used some little pink crystals as well.

And yes, I joined the gym! I'm hoping it does wonders for me to go lift weights and do some cardio training three times a week :)

Teddy's First Layout

Tonight I completed my first layout of Teddy, my new puppy. He is adorable and very time consuming, and I am so glad I have him to brighten my days, though I think he is fast preferring the company of my outside dog Trixie! Lol!

Here I used a piece of Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack put together by Stampin' Up! in this year's new catalogue (p177), sponging it with some Bordering Blue ink. I cut the flowers (not the 3d ones) from another designer series pack called Greenhouse Gala. I used a doily and sponged it with more Bordering Blue ink to lay the photo on, then added some non SU! flowers and a cute little doggie sticker and alphas. I stamped some images and sayings from the D is for Dog stamp set, punched some tags with the largest Tag punch, sponged the edges with Bordering Blue before adding some journaling with the Bordering Blue Stampin' Write! marker and added then some linen thread, drawing the threads together with a non SU! flower. There are strips of the Greenhouse Gala paper and some non SU! lace on the page as well.

Thanks to Caz at Papercraft Addictions for the sketch inspiration!

Make a Matchbook

I wanted to make a cute little gift for a special friend. I had a little book of Post-It notes and thought of making a matchbook of them using my new French Script and All A Flutter stamps from Stampin' Up!

I hope she liked it!

It was fun and easy to make. When I write down the instructions, I will post them here by editing my post for tonight :)