A morning in TV land

Well, I had my 5 minutes of fame this morning appearing on the Good Morning show here in NZ. I know being on live TV is not something that everyone gets the opportunity to do, so thought I would share a little about the experience here for you all.

I had to report to Avalon studios at 9.15am and was taken straight down to the Green Room, which is just a big lounge with a TV so you can watch the show while you are waiting. There is tea and coffee etc, and it is where all the 'talent' hang out and wait for their segment.

We had only been there about 5 minutes when I was taken down to make-up. I had to apply my own make up at home this morning, so the make-up artist just did final touch-ups.

With make-up finished, I had time for a quick loo stop before I was taken into the filming studio to get fitted with my mic and set up my projects.

Firstly I will say that I was VERY nervous, and did not sleep a wink last night! But actually once I got in the studio and started talking to Brendan (the host) before we went on air, I relaxed and felt quite ok with the whole thing. Brendan was very easy to talk to, and good at making you feel at ease. Once we got underway it was really easy to forget that there were cameras on you, and it just felt like teaching a friend to stamp. Here is the card we created

When you see the show on tv, it looks like it is filmed on this HUGE big set, but in actual fact it is really small and all the areas you see are very cramped together. If you missed the show this morning you will be able to view it online later today at www.tvnz.co.nz/goodmorning. Here's a clip - sorry the quality is not great:

Materials

Stamps: Season of Joy

Cardstock: Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White

Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip

Other: Large Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch. Rhinestone Brad, Riding Hood Red Grosgrain Ribbon

Back with a bright & fun Birthday Card

I took a little break from stamping at the end of last week to finish reading the new Dan Brown novel The Lost Symbol. It's a great read if you're looking for something to sink your teeth into!

Anyway, I am back today with a bright & fun birthday card. I originally saw this card on Splitcoaststampers several months ago, and have been meaning to try it out ever since. It is a very bleak day here in Wellington today so apologies for the poor photo!

For those blog readers from NZ who are interested in learning more about World Cardmaking Day, be watching the Good Morning show on TV1 tomorrow morning!

Materials

Stamps: Circle Circus, Everyday Flexible Phrases (retired)

Cardstock: Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, Riding Hood Red

Ink: Basic Black, Baja Breeze, Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, Riding Hood Red

Other: Kiwi Kiss Satin Ribbon, 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" Circle Punch

More Running of the Brides

Sorry I haven't been back to update for a couple of days but it has been a busy week! You will probably remember my post about the wedding invites I made for More FM's Running of the Brides competition here. Well the winning couple loved the invites and so I was asked if I could make another 30 invitations, plus 70 matching place cards for the reception. Needless to say I have been buried in Bashful Blue Cardstock and White Embossing Powder for the majority of this week.

If you are a bride or groom looking for stationery for your Wedding, please visit my Wedding Stationery page for more information about the wedding services I offer. To book your stationery consultation, please email me

Here are some more pics

Materials

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Frames with a Flourish, Cheer & Wishes

Cardstock: bashful Blue, Whisper White

Ink: Bashful Blue, Versamark

Other: White Embossing Powder, White Grosgrain Ribbon, Heat Tool

Only 3 Places left!

Christmas in October Class!

There are only 3 places left for the Christmas in October Class on Thursday 8 October, so you will need to get in quick to secure your spot.

This class is the perfect class to kick-start your festive creating for the season. We will create a range of Christmas themed projects including a card, gift box, gift bag and more! I will also demonstrate several other gift & gift wrapping ideas.

To book your place email me now or book via Paypal here

I hope to be back with a new project to show you a little later today - but I am in the middle of the new Dan Brown novel, and it is hard to put it down - even for stamping!

All is revealed!!

Now that I have finally finished the big project, I can let you know all about it. For those of you that guessed Wedding Invitations, you were indeed correct!

I was contacted by MORE FM radio station last Friday and asked if I could provide the wedding invitations for the prize package in their Running of the Brides Competition. I was given the brief that it could be any colour/design I liked so long as it was wedding themed, no names could go on the invites because the winning couple won't be known until this weekend, and the radio station needed the invites to be delivered within the week!

I of course agreed, thinking what a great opportunity it was, and then went into a state of mild panic when I realised that only 1 week wouldn't give me time to order in any product, so the whole job would have to be done using just what I had in my stash already ARRGHHH!!!!

I finally finished them all this afternoon and will pop them on the courier as soon as my little person wakes up. So are you ready to see the finished product yet??

And all packaged up ready for delivery:

I am really pleased with how they all came out, and would certainly venture into this territory again if asked! I would love to know what you all think!

Materials

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Cheer & Wishes, Frames with a Flourish

Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Whisper White

Ink: Versamark, Bashful Blue

Other: White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, White Grosgrain Ribbon

Another Prototype Reject

Another of the rejected project prototypes to share with you this morning. This one just did not come out as planned at all, so VERY quickly made it on to the reject pile!

I hope to share the winning design and all the details tomorrow!

Materials

Stamps: Friends 24/7, Frames with a Flourish, Cheer & Wishes

Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White

Ink: Versamark, Basic Black

Other: White Grosgrain Ribbon, White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool

Big Project Prototype

I am taking a break from working on my big project so thought I would sneak in a quick post. Now I can't tell you what the big project is just yet (hopefully in a day or 2), but I can share some of the initial concept prototypes I made for the project. All of these prototypes were rejected for one reason or another. Here is the first one:

Please keep in mind that this was just a prototype made very quickly to get the idea down on paper - so it is not perfectly constructed! This one uses the Friends 24/7 stamp set and a good amount of black embossing powder.

So, anyone want to try and guess what I'm working on??

Materials

Stamps: Friends 24/7

Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White, Riding Hood Red

Ink: Versamark

Other: Black Embossing Powder, Heat Tool

More Tree Trimmings!

It's ok, I almost have the Tree Trimmings set out of my system so I promise this will be the last card using this set for a while! It really is such a great set for simple, classic cards!

I am working on a very big project this week with a REALLY tight deadline, so while I will try to make it back here with a new card tomorrow, I can't promise it!

Materials

Stamps: Tree Trimmings, Many Merry Messages, Winter post

Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss

Ink: Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Basic Grey

Other: Scallop Edge Punch

Stylish Simplicity

One of the things I love about being a Demonstrator, are the great resources that Stampin' Up! provides for us. One of those resources are Regional/Field Trainings, and last night it was Wellington's turn. We enjoyed a great night of training and stamping demonstrations, swapping ideas, and general discussion with fellow demonstrators! As with all Stampin' Up! events there were Make n Takes to complete, but I can't show those projects to you just yet, as we used a Brand New stamp set that has not been released yet! - I promise I'll share the projects with you a little later in the year!

In the meantime, here is a card I CASE'd from Mary Fish earlier this week. I just loved it's stylish simplicity, and had to make one for myself!

Isn't that 1 1/4" Striped Ribbon just GORGEOUS? I can see this ribbon featuring a lot in my festive gift wrapping this Christmas!

Materials:

Stamps: Tree Trimmings, Best Yet

Cardstock: Whisper White, Kraft

Ink: Garden Green, Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Marker

Other: Rhinestone Brad, 1 1/4" Striped Grosgrain

Saying Goodbye to great Neighbours

Our good friends and neighbours have just sold their home and purchased a new one. I made them this card to Congratulate them on finding their new dream home! We sure will be sad to see them move from just across the road, but thankfully they will only be a couple of km away.

I have had the Neighbourhood Stampin' Around Wheel since it was first released in the Catalogue, but this is the first time I have had the chance to use it!

Materials

Stamps: Neighbourhood Stampin' Around Wheel, Cheers & Wishes

Cardstock: Whisper White, Tangerine Tango, Haiku DSP

Ink: Basic Black, Watercolour Pencils

Other: Very Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon, Blender Pen, Rhinestone Brad, Corner Rounder Punch

Simple Season of Joy

I am demonstrating at a fundraiser for a local Scout group this weekend, and this is one of the 3 cards everyone will be making. A quick and simple xmas card using the Season of Joy stamp set. This card is a great design if you need to make a heap of cards quickly, but it could also very easily be stepped up if you wanted a bit more detail!

Materials

Stamps: Season of Joy

Cardstock: Old Olive, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Holiday Treasures DSP

Ink: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip

Rumours about Changes within Stampin' Up!

I have been very saddened over the last few days to hear the large outpouring of negativity within the NZ paper crafting community towards Stampin' Up! regarding changes to the Independent Demonstrator Agreement that have been announced in the United States.

There is an awful LOT of MISINFORMATION on this topic floating around on the web. Many of the posts I have seen people referring to are very much one persons own view on the situation, which has often been far from the truth. It would be appropriate for people to not react or further forward this type of information unless they have read the ACTUAL document supplied by SU with all the accompanying Q & A. Many of the posts floating around the web appear way over the top when you consider the changes that are actually being made.

The changes have not been announced for the NZ market, but it may be only a matter of time before they are announced. I think the reaction in the US by some demos is all a bit of a storm in a teacup, and having read the actual US document I would be more than happy to sign the new IDA if/when released in NZ.

It is a real shame that all this info has been placed in the public domain when it is actually a private legal matter between SU and each of it's demonstrators. It is giving SU a rather bad rap which in all honesty it does not deserve.

People should also remember that Stampin' Up! is really 50,000 Independent Demonstrators worldwide. Many of these demonstrators have worked very hard, and invested a lot of effort into building successful businesses that they would not have without the opportunity Stampin' Up! offers.

Non Christmas Tree Trimmings

I love it when you can use stamps intended for a particular event for something completely unrelated. Thats why I just had to CASE the fabulous flower that Nicole Derendorf made using the Christmas set Tree Trimmings. Here's my take on the lovely Nicole's card:

Materials

Stamps: Tree Trimmings, Sweet Little Sentiments

Cardstock: Rose Red, Cameo Coral, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, Raspberry Tart DSP

Ink: Cameo Coral, Chocolate Chip

Other: Corduroy Button, Rhinestone Brads, Stamp-a-ma-jig, White Gel Pen

A Fathers Day Jar

I suddenly realised on Friday that I didn't have a gift organised for little person to give to her daddy for Fathers Day (she had already made a card earlier in the week), so a bag of M&M's sitting in the pantry, and another of the glass jars came together for this VERY quick gift! I forgot to take a pic of the jar before it was given, so the level of M&M's is a little lower now!

I used some rub-ons from the colourful & fun Bright Delight pack. Some were applied direct to cardstock, and I also applied a strip of them directly to the edge of the lid.

Materials

Cardstock:Tangerine Tango, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Good Morning Sunshine DSP

Ink: Tangerine Tango

Other: Bright Delight Rub-ons, 5/8" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, Curly Label Punch, Jumbo Brads

A Little Something Jar

This morning I received a shipment of glass jars & bottles in preparation for my Christmas in October Class, and I just couldn't resist grabbing one out and having a play this morning! To start with I stamped on the sides of the jar using White Stazon ink

Next I started on decorating the lid. A bit of punching, stamping, inking & crimping later, and it now looks like this:

To create the Corduroy Button, I simply took one of the Baja Breeze corduroy buttons and

sponged on Riding Hood Red ink with a sponge dauber. I think it makes a cute little gift to give to

someone. I can't wait to start designing some Christmas ones now!

Materials

Stamps: Forest Friends, Priceless

Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Riding Hood Red Patterns DSP

Ink: Stazon White, Riding Hood Red, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa

Other: Eyelet Edge Punch, Paper Crimper, Corduroy Button, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch

Patch Inspired!

I love the motifs that often feature on Pumpkin patch kids clothes, and one of my daughters tops has been screaming 'CASE ME' for several months. Today I finally got to recreate it in paper! Heres the top:

And here is my paper take:

Materials

Stamps: Good Friend, Forest Friends, Simply Said

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, Candy Lane DSP

Ink: Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Pretty in Pink, Ruby Red

Other: Heart to Heart Punch

Upcoming classes

These are the classes I will be running over the next few months. You will need to get in quick if you would like to attend the Christmas in October Class as this one is already filling up fast! To book for any of my classes either hit the Buy Now button below the class, or email me.

September Class - Stamping 101

Learn some of the basics of Rubber Stamping including 2-Step Stamping, Rock n Roll, Heat Embossing and Masking. You will complete 4 cards in class using these techniques. This class is perfect for the complete beginner, or if you just want to brush up on some of your basics.

When: Thursday 17 September 2009

Time: 7.00pm

Where: Churton Park, Wellington

Cost: $25

October Class - Christmas in October

The perfect class to kick-start your festive creating for the season. We will create a range of Christmas themed projects including a card, gift box, & gift bag. I will also demonstrate some other gift & gift wrapping ideas.

When: Thursday 8 October

Time: 7 pm

Where: Johnsonville, Wellington

Cost : $35

November Class - Christmas Stamp-a-Stack

The perfect class for those that want to get their Christmas Cards made quickly, ready to post. In this class you will complete 8 quick Christmas Cards in 2 designs

When: Thursday 12 November

Time: 7pm

Where: Johnsonville, Wellington

Cost: $30

To book for any of these classes, click the Buy Now button above, or email me!

So much to tell you about!!

Welcome to Tuesday everyone! I warn you in advance that this post is going to be long, as there is just so much to share with you all today!

First up, it is the beginning of the month so that means there is a FABULOUS new promotion from Stampin' Up! to tell you about! This month you can get FREE Ribbon!

Thats right, a beautiful, Exclusive Ribbon Bundle is all yours absolutely FREE when you place an order over $120 or host a $700 workshop.

The ribbon bundle includes 9.1 metres each of Certainly Celery 5/8" Poly Twill Ribbon, and So Saffron 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon. These ribbons are both exclusive to this promotion and are not available in the Idea Book & Catalogue. Promotion valid 1-31 September.

Did you know that it is Random Act of Kindness Day here in NZ today? RAK Day has been running in NZ since 2005, when an Auckland citizen decided that NZ needed a little more kindness. So why not do something nice for someone in your community today - it will make both you and the recipient feel great!! Here are a few suggestions of things you could do:

* Give someone a Hand Stamped card

* Buy a Stranger a Coffee

* Collect goods for a FoodBank

* Help someone with heavy bags

* Give Blood

* Drop clothes to the your local charity store

* Surprise someone at home with breakfast in bed

* Take scones to work

* Compliment a stranger

* Leave enough money in a vending machine for the next person to get a free treat

Finally today I want to share the September Project of the Month that went out in my newsletter this morning:

This month I went for a Christmas Swing card. The top image shows the card closed, and then open in the bottom image.

Materials

Stamps: Season of Joy, Tree Trimmings, Many Merry Messages, Winter Post

Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White

Ink: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Basic Grey

Other: Dazzling Diamonds, Crystal Effects