The Join Stampin' Up! for $25 started TODAY!

If you are thinking about all the benefits of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, now is the time to join.  For $25 you get everything you need to start your own business, AND free product

Help Stampin’ Up! celebrate 25 years with the $25 starter kit--get started today. Visit https://ida.stampinup.com/en-au/agreement to learn how.

You get $26.95 worth of any Stampin’ Up! product of your choice PLUS FREE business kit including 8 annual catalogues, 8 Holiday mini catalogues, order forms, getting started pack etc.That's more value than the cost of the Kit itself! Woo hoo!

Amazing special coming up! From October 7th for two weeks!!

Have you ever thought about becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator but the cost of the regular (though well worth it!) kit stopped you? Do you already HAVE a lot of Stampin' Up! goodies so becoming a demo is the next logical step (think of the discounts you'll get as a demo!) Interested in starting your own crafty home business? THIS is the month to do it!

Starting on October 7th, you can sign up to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and join my group for only $25!

Yes, you read that right. You pay just $25 for a LIMITED TIME.

When you click on the image you can read more about it and get ready for October 7th. You'll also see a way to earn extra Hostess dollars or why not shout yourself a limited edition 'best of' stamp set? You can read all about it by clicking the picture:

 Happy crafting!

The New Seasonal Catalogue is Here!

Today is the day Stampin' Up! released its new seasonal catalogue! It is chock full of lovely stamps and supplies, including Christmas stamps, paper and embellishments. Just take a look at some of the wonderful banner kits and card kits! As usual, I want ALL of it. Lol! Stampin' Up! knows how to create beautiful yumminess to craft with. Take a look for yourself at what's new at SusanSalutations.

Stippled Blossoms

It's birthday time again! After the fish card (my husband and his friends liked it, by the way) I wanted to make something pretty. A friend is celebrating her birthday this week and I thought she might appreciate a pretty card. My thoughts turned to the lovely two-step stamping set called Stippled Blossoms, and also to Strawberry Slush ink. It's a new Stampin' Up! colour I have not had time to play with until today. I found some paper doileys from a retired kit and was off!

I stamped the flowers in Strawberry Slush then in Basic Black over the top of that on a rectangular piece of Whisper White. I added leaves in Old Olive and Basic Black as well. Then I broke out my border punches and some Old Olive cardstock, and then I decided to stamp the flowers again and cut them out to be popped up over the top of the original flat stamps, after some shaping.

The doiley needed a little adjusting to fit just right but I liked how it sat in the end. I added a sentiment from Simply Sketched in gold embossing, mounted it on a tag punch with a fancy punch underneath, then spritzed it all with  Calypso Coral. Oh, the background layer with the faux stitching is a retired piece of designer series paper too.

I finished off with a couple of little crystals and it was ready to have its portrait taken!

 

I hope she likes it! My friends birthday is later this week :)

By the Tide

Let's go all nautical tonight. It was time to make a masculine card since tomorrow is my hubby's birthday, and as he is mad keen on fishing I just HAD to buy the By the Tide stamp set, didn't I? I smuggled it in to the house with him none the wiser and snuck into the craft room while he was watching The Tourist on TV tonight. I told him I had seen the movie (I had, of course, and would have liked to see it again, but I needed to make him a card even more!) It was fun to make this card for him. The By the Tide stamp set is gorgeous.

First I made the main background by sponging and blending Certainly Celery, Baja Breze, Marina Mist and Garden Green ink across some Glossy White paper. I wanted to make a sort of oval shape with a lighter middle. It was lovely with all those blues and greens but I wanted it to 'pop' more so added a final edging of Chocolate Chip ink.

I did the same to my Baja Breeze card base bottom, then stamped some coral and seahorses across it in Chocolate Chip and Marina Mist.

Then I took Black Stazon ink and stamped my fish directly to the main background, but I also stamped him on some extra Glossy White paper, let that dry and coloured both fish in with Stampin' Write markers in various colours. I fussy cut my second stamped and coloured fish out then shaped him with a flower shaping tool and mat, and popped him over the first image with a double stack of Stampin' Dimensionals.

Then I grabbed my favourite greeting set this week, Perfectly Penned, and stamped the greeting in Island Indigo ink. I immediately poured clear embossing powder over the words so they could be heat embossed.

There are some speckles in white gel pen and silver shimmer paint as well, to make it look like the fish is trailing water drops. I just touched the end of a bamboo skewer to the paint in the lid of my pot of shimmer and then lightly touched some water trails onto the fish and background.

My main image is mounted on Night of Navy cardstock, then wrapped in linen thread and popped up over the card base.

My brother happened to be around when I finished making the card and he said he liked it, so hubby surely will. I have one male vote of confidence already, after all! Lol!

I'll let you know what he thinks tomorrow :)

Available Supplies from Stampin' Up! (some things I used have been retired):
By the Tide stamp set (clear mount) 129120
Perfectly Penned stamp set (clear mount) 122892
Night of Navy cardstock 106577
Linen thread 104199
Stampin' Write! markers
Marina Mist ink 126962
Garden Green ink 126973
Island Indigo ink 126986
Chocolate Chip ink 126979
Clear embossing powder 109130

(PS: If you have a fisherman in your life, you might want to Shop Now for your supplies)

Cake Banner Topper

Do you ever have one of those little puzzles to solve when crafting, and you fall asleep at night before you solve it? I had made a cake and wanted to put 'Happy Birthday' on it in drizzled chocolate, but there was no chocolate left in the cupboard. Probably because I had eaten it at some stage. Anytime there is chocolate in the house, it doesn't last long around me! So, there was no chocolate. Alright, I went to bed still wondering how I was going to add a greeting to my birthday cake in the morning.

Somewhere around 3am, my eyes popped open and I suddenly knew what to do! I would make a paper banner cake topper! There were quite a few on the 'Net and I used my memories of them to work out in my head how I would make my own. Instead of counting sheep, I counted punches and paper....zzzzzzz

In the morning I went straight to my punches, cardstock and Big Shot dies, and made this:

I used a retired alphabet die set I had, and the scallop and circle punches that fit the font. The colours I chose were Crisp Cantalope, Coastal Cabana and Pistachio Pudding. Then I got my husband to bring me two clean bamboo skewers from the kitchen and covered them in Epic Day Washi Tape from Stampin' Up! (well, it was for his birthday cake, which he shared with a few other friends later in the day, so he didn't mind helping). I found some Baker's Twine in Calypso Coral to adhere the punches to, in two rows, then covered the backs with some Calypso Coral circles as well. The ends of the Baker's Twine is wrapped and tied around each skewer in one spot.

There's a rhinestone on the letter 'd' as well, and I might bling this topper up some more before I use it again (Yes! I foil wrapped the bottom of the skewers so I could recycle this! It's now safely stored away in its own clean little cello bag with a clean card behind it with a bit more Washi Tape to hold it in place).

So next time you can't sleep, I recommend counting punches and cardstock. I slept like a baby after I did :)

Supplies: (You can order the numbered ones from SusanSalutations, 24/7!)

119854     1-3/4" Scallop Circle Punch
119861     1-1/4" Circle Punch
Die cut alphas
131302      Coastal Cabana cardstock
131177      Pistachio pudding cardstock
131176      Crisp Cantaloupe cardstock
126983      Calypso Coral cardstock
125573      Calypso Coral Baker's Twine
131269      Epic Day This 'n That Designer Washi Tape
Clean Bamboo Skewers
Foil
Adhesives

Fan Card

I don't know what I was thinking. It's winter here and I got drawn to making a fan card? Well, we did have a small heat wave this week, but it is cool again this morning! I definitely don't need a fan! Lol!

The card idea was so pretty though, I just had to CASE an idea from Carolyn King. I saw a card of hers that showed a folded doiley fan, and it would not leave my mind till I had tried it out. I tried out her layout too but there the similarities sort of ended.

Here's the card I made:

You just fold your doiley in quarters to make the fan, and ink all the edges. Ruffle the edges a little to make them more three dimensional. Add some pretty lace and a sponged rose and a tassel.

I chose Pretty in Pink and Rich Razzleberry, and the brown is Early Espresso. I made the little tassel by wrapping Baker's Twine around two fingers abotu four times, then wrapping and tying the end around the top third. Cut the long ends to suit your card.

The square is cut with a Big Shot scalloped square die then rolled through an embossing folder. The stamping was done with a wheel (Very Vintage). I used the scallop edged border punch too, And the lightest background came from a paper stack.

Here's another one with a Rich Razzleberry rose:

 Yes, I even made two of them. Then I made up kits for this week's Craft Class ladies. And they didn't seem to think it was strange to be making fan cards in winter either! At least, they didn't say they thought it was strange. Lol!

 

Tag Card

I saw a nice card somewhere that used the idea of having a tag sing open to reveal your sentiment and personal message. For the life of me I cannot locate the blog I saw it on! But the image stuck with me and I had to try one out for myself.

I remember the sample card had a layer made with the Tulip Embossing Folder, so I knew I had to make my tag to fit inside that shape. I made my tulip layer out of Soft Suede, and then thought it would look good with a Basic Black cardstock frame.

The tag itself is hand cut from Ivory cardstock and the sentiment was stamped in Bermuda Bay ink, then embossed with clear embossing powder. I then embossed lines around the tag with my Scoring Tool.

I made the rolled roses from Strawberry Slush, and Bermuda Bay cardstock.  I punched some flowers from  Crisp Cantalope cardstock and turned them into faux suede layers to sit the rolled roses on. Their centres are the new Candy Dots in Soft Subtle colours. Their leaves are the bird wings from the Bird Punch and I punched them out of Pistachio Pudding cardstock. I finished off by tying the tag closed with some retired Baja Breeze seam binding.

This was a fun card to make! I think the ladies at my Craft Class today thought so too. I sure hope they did.We had a discussion about the delicious names for the new In Colors from Stampin' Up! and decided we felt as though we were assembling a fruit salad or desert pudding instead of paper crafting today. Lol!

PS: You can purchase all but the retired Stampin' Up! items used on this project from my store at SusanSalutations anytime, 24/7.

A Lovely Stampin' Up! Promotion!

Buy 3 Get 1 FREE Offer
 
Collect a paper stash for every creative mood and project. Feeling cool and eclectic? Check. Need something bold that’ll pop? We’ve got you covered.

During our limited-time offer buy three of your favourite packs of Designer Series Paper and then choose one for free—so your paper stash will be ready for any mood that hits.

See your options on pages 151, 153, and 154 of our annual catalogue! *Designer Series Paper Stacks and Specialty Designer Series Papers not included.

Talk to me today to get yours or go to SusanSalutations to learn more!!

By the Seashore Masculine Birthday

We have a friend who loves the ocean and fishing. It's his birthday this week and I was wondering what to make for him. Hubby asked for a fish card (I love it when he suggests something, and I will be buying a fish stamp before too long now), but I hadn't got round to buying a fish stamp yet, then I saw a wonderful card made by demonstrator Karren Johnson from New Zealand and I thought, 'That's It!' and got to work.

Here's my take on Karren's card:

 

It's all made with shades of brown and a tiny hint of Blush Blossom and So Saffron for the inside of the shells. I used Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla and Soft Suede cardstock and inks. The Happy Birthday stamp came from a retired set whose name escapes my mind right now, but I did emboss the words in black. And I used a retired designer series paper pack fro the hand cit banner along the bottom of the main image, and sponged each one of the pennants. The background stamp set I used was also a retired set. And I sponged a background fro my popped up, fussy cut shells with Crumb Cake and a torn piece of paper.

I hope our friend likes the card :) I sure did. Thanks for the idea, Karren!

Ronald McDonald House Charity Stamp Set

Did you know Stampin' Up! sponsors Ronald McDonald House here in Australia and all over the world? They do! One way they do it is to create a special stamp set where a certain amount of its purchase price goes to Ronald McDonald House. I love to contribute to causes like this in any way I can, so found the little video they made about the stamp set and the charity for you to see.

It's a bonus that the stamp set is a cute one, too!



You can order your own Tag It stamp set by shopping at SusanSalutations and ordering Tag It with the code 130300 for wood mount and 130303 for clear mount.

More Wildflowers

Wildflower Meadows is such a gorgeous stamp and the matching embossing folder takes cards to the next level for me. I know there is so much more I can do with this set, and need lots of happy crafty time to play with it and see what else it can do. Tonight I coloured the image with my Stampin' Write markers and then gave it a a light mist of water. It's so pretty! I also cut out the little hummingbird and popped him up over his original flat image. Doesn't his mix of colours make him look sweet? I gave him a tiny bit of shine with some shimmer paint mixed with rubbing alcohol. I sponged around the first layer with Pumpkin Pie and around the card base in Crumb Cake.

 There are pearls in the middle of all the open flowers.

For this card I used Wisteria Wonder, Baja Breeze, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Wild Wasabi and Crumb Cake inks. The designer series paper is from a Color Collection Designer Series Paper Pack in Pumpkin Pie.

You can't see it very well in the photo but the background card is stamped with Flowering Flourishes in Crumb Cake. The flourishes  continue onto the back of the card too.

Inside I embossed my sentiment (from God's Blessings) in white embossing powder:

This card turned out to be one of those special ones.

Now I need to make some more for some very special people in my life. My friends are such a blessing to me. I can make their flowers in all their favourite colours! Yeah!

I hope none of them have seen this card now! Lol!

I have a card for Craft Class tomorrow that will use just a  piece of the Wildflower Meadow stamped image, so stay tuned to see that soon.

Big Shot Magnetic Platform!

I don't know about you but when it comes to cutting stamped images out with a die on my Big Shot, I need to Post-It note it in place before I cut. Otherwise I wind up with perfectly cut OFF CENTRE die cuts!! Then I have to start all over again with a new stamped image and fresh paper. Not fun. I mean, stamping IS fun and maybe I should just look at it that way? Hmm. I tried, but I really wished for a better solution.

Well, guess what is next on my Wish List? Stampin' Up! has a solution to my problem called the Magnetic Platform!! It does the job like no Post-It note can :)

Here's a little video showing the plate in action:

If you are like me and want one of these platforms, you can Shop Now. Come to think of it, you can shop anytime you like, really. My shop is open 24/7. The platform is on page 184 of the new catalogue, item no 130658, and the cost is $69.95.

Let me know how it works for you if you get one.

Meanwhile, happy stampin'

PS: Thank you Vicki for helping me see the two errors on this post :) I must have had my mind on too many things this morning! Lol!

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!