New Stampin' Up! Catalogue is Out!

Wow! The new Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalogue has been launched! It is chick full of new products, wonderful ideas, new colours and tools and embellishments, ribbons, you name it! I love to browse through mine to find papercraft ideas.

 

You can order your very own copy (item no 133261) by going to the Shop at SusanSalutations today. Let me know when you order one and I can send you some extra information about the items in the catty. 

"Scuse me now. I'm off to play with a new stamp sets and coordinating punch I got on one of my pre-orders :) Will show you what I made tomorrow.

Happy crafting!

Wildflower Meadow

One of the best things about being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator is being able to access new goodies early. The set I was experimenting with tonight is called Wildflower Meadows and it has a matching embossing folder that just makes it so lovely! It will be available in the new Stampin' Up! catalogue coming out on July 1st in Australia.

I used another stamp set with this new set to see what a bit of extra stamping would do to the design, and I really liked it. I added some of the flowers from Summer Silhouettes (132082 in wood, 126447 in clear mount). Then I added various types of ribbon to add a little bit of luxury, and finally I added sparkle with some Dazzling Details (127845) and some shimmer paint mixed with rubbing alcohol.

The cardstock I began with was Whisper White and the coloured cardstock were in Baja Breeze, Rose Red and Gumball Green. I chose matching inks as well but added some Midnight Muse and Not Quite Navy as well.

 

See how nice the embossed areas make the images? 

I think I'll get a lot of use out of this new stamp and embossing folder combo. I love how Stampin' Up! does this sort of thing :) 

Till next time.

New Blog Header!!

I was playing with My Digital Studio tonight because I wanted to brighten up my blog. I found a little video which explained the simple process of making a header, and after playing for a while, here it is! I see I got the blue of one flower slightly too bright but that is easily fixed. I will go back in and sort it out in a bit. Meanwhile, let me know what you think!

And if you want to learn about My Digital Studio and get a FREE copy of the program yourself, come along with me to the Brisbane MDS event on Saturday, 17th August,. Let me know if you want an invitation to this event :)

OR: If you want to play with My Digital Studio, you can download afree 30 Trial!  Simply use item code # 130910   or if you’d like to purchase the unlimited version use the code # 130646 and it’s just $24.95!

PS: It's all changed now and I like it much better.  He, he!

The Disappearing Stampin' Up! Retirement List

Oh my word! It has come down to SIX DAYS only before the goodies on Stampin' Up!s Retirement List disappear, maybe FOREVER!! If you are still wanting something listed, do hurry to order. Many items are already sold out! Go to SusanSalutations to see the list :)

My Digital Studio Tour!

Stampin' Up! is holding some training in My Digital Studio (MDS) in Brisbane and I am going! Want to join me? Here's some information about it for you:



Let me know if you want to come with me :)

Faux Patina Technique

It sure was good to see friends at this month's CRaft Class. I taught them how to create a faux patina look with a bit of white cardstock, and embossing folder, some inks and embossing powder. It was amazing to see how we all turned out different effects usign the same tools, techniques and cardstock1 Each card was truly a one-off. Here's mine:

I just love the glimpses of gold and the depth you can get with layering inks!

If you want to see more examples of this technique and see some instructions for hwo to make your own, my PaperCraftCentral Facebook page has all that. And if you need any of the supplies used, come back to SusanSalutations and place your order :)

Happy stampin'!

More June Specials!

Some new Stampin’ Up! Specials for June have been announced!

The first special is a stamp set in a series of stamp sets that will be realeased each month until April 2014!  Each stamp set will feature favourite stamps from Stampin’ Up!’s past 25 years as well as one never before seen stamp image. View this month’s stamp set “Best of Flowers” (item code 133342) 

SINGLE  STAMPS:

Stampin’ Up! have also released 5single Clear Mount stamps to the Australian market.  These stamps come in clear mount only and do not come in a clear mount case.  They are one single stamp.

 

You can always order anything you’d like online straight away  or contact me to place your order for you.

Happy shopping!

The 2013 Retirement List is Here!

While i was asleep last night, something very interesting was announced in the Stampin' Up! world. The 2013 Retirement List arrived! The items on this list will only be available while stocks last this month, and after June and the launch of the new catalogue, they will disappear forever. So if you would like something, be quick and order so you won't miss out!

Hybrid Thanks Card

I've been playing with My Digital Studio (MDS) to see what I can do. As I am relatively new to digital crafts, everything I make is a learning journey. I'm liking it all more and more.

Last night I randomly started a project using a tag template. Once I had it all the way I wanted it in MDS, I printed it on ordinary paper. That allowed me to tape a piece of Whisper White over the top of the print and printing again. It came out beautifully!

Once it was printed I wanted to mount the tag on a piece of Certainly Celery then add a ribbon, a rhinestone and a card base (I used Shimmer White for the card base).So I turned it into a HYBRID! (A mixture of digital and traditional elements).

What do you think?

 Imagine running off as many of these as you like to send out quickly to friends and family who have spoiled you in some way! What a quick project.

If you would like to get your own My Digital Studio program, you can have a FREE 30 day trial. The cost of the program is $24.95 and you get an instant download.

So why not grab the program and start playing today? There's always some free digital packs to go with the program available. New digital items come out every week!

Happy digital crafting.

Beautiful Floral Framelets Cards

We made some lovely cards at Lesley's card classes just recently. I want to share them with you. The first one is made with Whisper White cardstock using the Floral Framelets die set. We cut the card base on teh fold. The we cut the mat from the Print Poetry designer series paper stack. We stamped in  Midnight Muse and Crumb Cake ink and the stamp sets are Daydream Medallions and Papillon Potpourri. The stitched 3/8" ribbon is in Summer Starfruit and there are little Basic Gems pearls along the butterfly bodies and around the edge of the card. We cut and made an envelope and stamped it with more of the butterflies.  It's such a pretty card.

 The second one was cut from Daffodil Delight, Pacific Point and Rich Razzleberry cardstock (stamped in Rich Razzleberry too). The stamp sets are Language of Friendship and Itty Bitty Banners (with matching framelet to cut it out of course). The card base is cut from the length of a piece of A4 cardstock and is folded in a Z. The the front piece is cut out using the Floral Framelet die (just roll it half way through the Big Shot) and embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots folder on the other side.

When he saw the bird card, my husband remarked a person could put a special die cut photo inside the card using the mat as a base, then write their greeting on the back of the bird piece. What a clever man!

Thanks so much for a lovely morning out, Lesley.  It's great to be able to share ideas with you and other Stampin' Up! demonstrators :)

Some of these products I used on Lesley's cards are going to be retiring at the end of June, so if you see something you want to order, be sure to Shop Now so you don't miss out!

The New Idea Book and Catalogue from Stampin' Up! is almost here!

Oh my - I just flipped through the NEW Idea Book and Catalogue. My wish list just grew half a meter - LOL!

Attention Australian Crafters: Who wants THE new annual Ideas Book and Catalogue from Stampin' Up! sent directly to them next month? Yes there will really be a new catalogue available next month! That's a whole month earlier than it will be officially released.

The cost is AUD$9.95 to have a catalogue sent directly to your door - includes catalogue AND postage. 

If you would like to take advantage of this limited time offer,  message me your address and I can give you my  direct deposit details for payment.

 .... or you can wait till July and add it to a regular order.....

This and That!

A new scrapbooking/journaling system is available from Stampin' Up! You can get a discounted bundle if you order before May 31st. After that it will all be available in the new Idea Book and Catalogue coming out in Australia at the end of next month and new This and That goodies will be added over time. Here's a little video that gives you a peek at the new products you can get now:

Item	Description	Price
131268	Epic Day This and That Journal	$18.95
130814	Epic Day This and That Designer Series Paper	$18.95
131463	Remember This and That Rotary Stamp	$9.95
131271	Epic Day This and That Designer Stickers	$8.95
131269	Epic Day This and That Designer Washi Tape	$8.95
133905	Epic Day This and That Bundle Includes the five This and That products listed above. Only available in a bundle until 31 May.  In case you want to know: The journal cover is 20.6cm x 16.5cm. There are 31 double-sided pages in it, two of which have pockets in them. If you would like to see the papers and  some of the embellishments in a slightly slower, less snappy video, try this one below. (I made it so do be kind! Lol!)	$55.88 15% Off Retail Value!

Faux Velvet Technique

It's been awhile since I tried a new technique. Then along came the Australian Cardmaking, Stamping and Papercraft Magazine with their faux velvet technique and I was off to my craft room to experiment :) The result is soft, subtle and makes paper look like fabric! I liked the technique so much I used it at this month's crafty class. The cards everyone made were so pretty.

See what you think:

Here's my tutorial for how to make the faux velvet background, of course :)

After I made the soft and subtle background, I started thinking about how to make soft accents for the card itself. I had some velvet ribbon to add, some pretty border embossing with my edgelits, and then I remembered I knew how to make faux suede! I made the little flower accent with that technique:

Then I softened the edges of the Cherry Cobbler cardstock with my distressing tool.

All supplies used on this card are from Stampin' Up! Some are current, some are retired, so if you want anything used to make the card here, just ask about ordering. Supply list is as follows:

Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White and Old Olive cardstock (all current) (love the Confetti Cream cardstock too but it is retired).
Black embossing powder (current)
White Stazon ink (retired)
Versamark (current)
Flower brads (current)
Velvet ribbon (retired)
Parlor Prints stamp set (current)
Retired vintage style flower and leaf stamps
Basic Gems pearl (current)
Sentiment from a retired stamp set too
Needlepoint Border Textured Impressions embossing folder (current)

Have you got My Digital Studio Yet?

My Digital Studio (MDS) is a lot of fun, even for previous non-digital scrappers. I know because I am a previously inexperienced digital scrapper. I downloaded the full MDS program when it first came out and am enjoying learning how to use it. Here's a quick page I did just for fun, showing some pictures of our Motorhome renovations (I intend to scrap on the road, by the way!! No need to weigh the MH down with loads of craft tools there!):

Right now there are selected digital downloads at 25% OFF! Did you know that there are also lots of FREE downloads available,  even if you don't yet own MDS??? Well, there IS! Just go to SusanSalutations and click on 'Shop Now' near the top right. Go to the store, then search for Digital Downloads, then search by category, and you will see the free items there.

Happy shopping for free!

Happy Mother's Day

It is Mother's Day in Australia so I am wishing everyone who already is or is in the process of becoming a mother, a happy day.

If you need a last minute Mother's Day card idea, there are heaps of them on PaperCraftCentral, thanks to the lovely people who have contributed to previous Cards For Troops drives.

Here's a little card to inspire you:

Have a wonderful day, however you spend it.

Vellum and Embossing

Do you use vellum cardstock? Do you emboss it at all? I think doing this is my new favourite technique :) I have had the pleasure of making a few wedding cards lately and have been embossing on vellum for elements in each one I have made. Will I ever recover? Lol!

Here's a sneak peek at some wedding cards I  made:

If you want to see more, you can at PaperCraftCentral.com! And of course, if you see some supplies you would like, just place an order on SusanSalutations.

Happy crafting!

My Digital Studio (MDS)

I am a hands on papercrafter. Or I thought I was. Now My Digital Studio (MDS) has come out, there are so many new and cute projects being made by savvy digi scrappers I just had to try it! You can make so much more than scrapbook pages with it. You can make cards, elements to cut out and use any way you want, 3d papercraft items, banners, cupcake flags, invitations, and more!

And if you DO make scrapbook pages, you can have them printed at places like Harvey Norman's.

Here's a little video to inspire you to try the free download, or purchase the program outright.

• MDS software: It's easy enough for beginners, but includes a variety of tools for advanced designers too. Anyone can try it FREE for 30 days! You can download it straight from my store (item 130910).  
• Downloads: Check the store every week for new artwork to build up your digital library. 
• Print Products: You  can choose from a wide variety of high-quality print products (not available in all markets).  
• MyDigitalStudio.net: Check out our online community with forums to answer questions, videos to train techniques, and regular blog posts to provide inspiration and the latest product line information.

Let me know when you start making things with MDS!

Explosion Box Album

I went to a class this week (yes, I attend classes when I get a chance too!) run by a fellow demonstrator. Lesley had made some lovely kits up for us to make and complete an Explosion Box Album, all in a few hours. I had made these pretty little boxes before but had never filled one completely with photos. Do you know, I could fit 24 pictures in it and on it? And I wound up with such a beautiful, decorative item that I now have on display in my living room. It's a great reminder of our trip to Thailand, so easy to show guests and visitors :) Thanks, Lesley! It was a lot of fun. (We girls got a lot of talking done too! Lol!)

If you want to make and Explosion Box album of your own, I have some instructions for you on PaperCraftCentral, or you can contact me for a kit. Remember, all the supplies you need are available for purchase at SusanSalutations.

More About Colour Refresh - Spoiler Alert!

Stampin' Up! is going to change out their colours! Here's what they say:

Announcing our Colour Refresh! We love colour and we know that you do too. Colour is fundamental to who we are and what we offer. It's important for us to stay up-to-date with colour trends so we are thrilled to share our updated line of colours, and hope you will be as excited as we are by the new possibilities!
Why now? In 2010 we did a big colour renovation and shared our plans for smaller colour refreshes every three to five years to keep our colours on trend. Well it has been three years and we are excited to announce that the upcoming 2013-2014 annual catalogue will include 10 new colours (most of which are returning In Colors from previous years)! We are welcoming back some of your favourites, moving some colours around, and introducing three brand-new colours, so take a look!

Beginning on 4 April 2013, all retiring/discontinued colour products (i.e. ink, paper, ribbon, accessories, etc.) will be available only while supplies last so get your favourites before they run out!Just go to SusanSalutations and place your order today.

Here's how the new colours will look in June:

PS: Yes, it can be sad to farewell a favourite colour, but I am looking forward to the exciting colours coming in the 2013-2014 annual catalogue too :)
 

Sewing on Papercraft Projects

Do you ever sew on your paper projects? Faux stitching is great for adding quick accents (you can see some great paper piercing templates and paper piercing equipment on page 181 of the main Stampin' Up! catalogue) but sometimes I just want to stitch around a whole layout! I really like having a sewing machine for that. I am fortunate that I have an older sewing machine that I reserve just for such times :)

Do you sew? If not, why not? Lol!Here's a layout I where I doubles stitched a wavy border around the main stripey mat (this photo brings back so many good memories too!):

If you like this look and do not yet have a machine, you might like to look at some of the best sewing machines for beginners at my friend's new website. You might find other things you will like there, too.

Happy stitching!

Oh Hello

I had a little time this afternoon so made up a thank you card for a man. I used the Oh Hello stamp set  and Daffodil Delight, Soft Suede and Pacific Point inks on Very Vanilla cardstock. The arrow shape is coloured with some of my Many Marvelous Markers. I hand cut the arrow shape but punched out the clear heat embossed sentiment with the Decorative Label punch. The dp is International Bazaar and the ribbon is Daffodil Delight too. I hope the three little rhinestones don't make it less masculine! Oh and I also coloured the arrow again and stamped it on the envelope to match the card.

Supply List (can be ordered from my SusanSalutations website)

Oh Hello Stamp Set 130733 clear block, 130730 wood mount
Decorative Label punch  120907
 International Bazaar designer series paper 126920
 Daffodil Delight 1/4" (6.4mm) stitched grosgrain ribbon 126872
 Basic Jewel Rhinestones 119246
Daffodil Delight inkpad 126944
Pacific Point inkpad 126951
Soft Suede inkpad 126978
Very Vanilla cardstock 106549
Clear embossing powder 109130
Many Marvelous Markers 119806

New things from Stampin' Up!

Stampin' Up! has been putting out so many new things lately! I like the new way they will batch their colour families, for instance, and the new colours coming out soon (in the new catalogue die to be released in June). Some colours are retiring so make sure you order some of your favourite ones before they disappear.

I LOVE the new storage box ideas for wooden stamps. But you can use them for so much more! Here's a little video showing some ideas for using them:

  You can order directly from my site now, by the way. That is yet another innovation by Stampin' Up! Just go to any page on SusanSalutations and click on the 'Shop Now' tab at the upper right of the page.
  Have fun and happy crafting!

Cards for Troops 2013!

Aren't these snowmen cute? I made them with Stampin' Up! Circle punches and Stampin' Write markers. There's some felted acrylic behind them for texture and to add to the 3d effect.

I gave this card to one of my sweet girlfriends for Christmas.

Christmas? Did you see me type Christmas? Yes! You did! And it's only April! Why would I do that?

Well, it's because my annual Cards for Troops drive has started again :) That means anyone who wants to cheer our Troops on deployment overseas where they cannot buy seasonal greetings for their family and friends can start making cards to send to them. I'd love you to join in too. There are lots more details about how to do this on PaperCraftCentral.com so let me encourage you to go on over and find out more.

Happy card making!
PS: A huge thank you to everyone who has helped with the Cards for Troops drive in the past ♥

The Open Sea

My niece is getting married in May! I am so happy for her. She sent me the cutest wedding invitation. It was a message in a bottle, partly filled with sand and exquisite little shells, then the invitation was rolled up and tied with raffia. The raffia was long enough to come out of the top of the bottle and be captured by the cork, so I could just haul out my invitation. It was all mailed in a sturdy mailing tube so arrive absolutely intact. Clever girl :) It's going to be a beach wedding.       

   

I just had to make a reply card that matched my niece's seascape theme. The Open Sea stamp set seemed perfect for the job.  She had chosen sand colours so I got our my Very Vanilla cardstock, and some Crumb Cake cardstock too. I embossed the background piece then mounted my stamped, sponged and heat embossed image on top. The owl punch made some cute little hearts to add, and I tied a piece of Crumb Cake netting with some gold cord and added a little bronzed fan accent.

.

Hope you have a fabulous day, sweet niece :) xxx

Chalkboard technique

I've been seeing this technique all over the 'net so was delighted when a friend's class (thank you. Lesley!) focused on this technique. Here are a couple of cards we produced at Lesley's class. She had set up the stamps on a large acrylic block first. We used our embossing buddies to swipe the black cardstock first and give it a 'just erased chalkboard' feel. Then we stamped and embossed in white. I drew lines around my image in white gel pen, then we mounted the image on Stampin' Dimensionals, on Island Indigo cardstock and Sycamore Street designer paper, before tying a bow in Island Indigo ribbon. Cute, cute, cute!

Baby Bundle Fun

This week I got to play with my punches again :) I love punch art. Maybe you noticed? I seem to have a 'run' of paper punch projects at times. This time I made baby cards for a swap I joined. The brief was to make baby cards without using blue or pink, and you had to include a handmade embellishment. Enter, punches! Lol!

This little baby in a carriage was made with different sized circle punches, a border punch, some Baby Bundle stamps, ribbon and brads. I hand drew the little face. The carriage is popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals and in real life, the Lucky Limeade and Always Artichoke colours were brighter. That's Daffodil Delight ribbon, so I really need to work on how to balance my photos!

Hmm. That may be why I signed up for a photography course starting this weekend :) Hope I can improve my photo quality. Stay tuned!!

Liebster Award

How sweet is this? Vicki Hodgeman of Cards on the Table gave me the Liebster Award:

Wasn't that nice of her? Thank you, Vicki.

As part of "spreading the love" I now have to award this to 5 other blogs.
So here they are in no particular order:

1. Shirley
2. Alz
3. Frenchie
4. Melissa
5. Shanni

Do go see what these girls can do with paper :)

I'll be back with another project for you soon too.

Tea Shoppe Birthday

It is raining hard here again today so instead of taking a car trip like we planned, we stayed home to avoid the flooded roads. I thought about cleaning the house but guess what I wound up doing instead? Yep, crafting! Woo hoo!

I have a friend who is having a birthday in a few days (Shh! She isn't a crafter so I am pretty sure she won't check this blog, but you never know! Lol!)  and we have spent many enjoyable times together over a cup of tea. When I saw that Stampin' Up! has cute little Tea Time Trinkets in the new Feb - June seasonal catalogue, I just had to have some to make a card for her. They come with cute little lobster clips and split rings for you to thread on your favourite trinket. I chose the tea pot in this case but there are a couple of mugs and a teacup and saucer to choose from as well :) AND they go beautifully with the Tea Shoppe stamp set!

How cute are they!!!

This card was made with a Very Vanilla  card base.

See how shiny the main tea cup image is? It has been heat embossed with gold embossing powder, then cut out and popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals.

I used the Vine Street embossing folder (from this year's Sale-A-Bration) to make the oval background out of More Mustard cardstock. I cut that out with my oval framelets using my Big Shot.

There's Summer Starfruit stitched ribbon wrapped around the bottom of the oval and I used Chocolate Chip  Baker's Twine to add the charm, finishing with a little tied bow.

I mounted the oval on a piece of designer series paper from the Spice Cake series, on Very Vanilla and then on Old Olive cardstock.

I made the background by stamping an En Francaise image in Soft Suede on Very Vanilla cardstock, then popped that up on the Very Vanilla card base.

At the last minute I added the sentiment (also from Tea Shoppe and stamped in Old Olive and Soft Suede), a quilled yellow daisy and some Pearls. Oops! I see the little tea pot has flipped over in this photo! Sorry about that! My friend will be able to detach her tea pot charm from the card and use it as a phone dangle or to adorn any other item she so chooses. Or she can just leave it on the card.

I embossed a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock with the Tulip Frame embossing folder for the inside of the card, and stamped Happy Birthday inside the frame with the retired Well Scripted stamp set. Then I adhered it to the inside of the card and wrote a special message to my friend on it (which is why there's no photo - forgot to take one before writing the personal stuff! Sorry!) The extra piece of cardstock helped to balance the weight of the card out since I already had a few layers on the front there.

I really like how cute this card turned out. I can't wait to give it to my friend!

Coordinating Co'ordinations

Did you know that Stampin' Up! now has Co'ordinations cardstock in some of their own colours?? They do! Lol! I found a video made by Shannon today that explains a little abotu the cardstock and tools you can get from Stampin' Up! and shows a couple of cute projects to try with them. Here it is:



As always, let me know if you would like to place an order for any of the Stampin' Up! products, and do remember that theSale-A-Bration special is still alive and well too, enabling you to earn FREE products!