MagpieCreates

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T08:05:00.001+13:00

I hope you all get a little something from someone special today! As February has not only Valentines Day, but also my wedding anniversary, I have been surprising my hubby with little gifts each day this month. I am going to be sharing a heap of them this week here on the blog and also some exclusively on my Facebook page.

But first, here is a wee make 'n' take that I demonstrated at a workshop last week - in time for all the guests to get themselves organised for today:

I started by CASEing this wee love note from our Stampin' Up! demonstrators magazine Impressions, and although it is super cute, it looked a little too inconsequential to be a make 'n' take...so I scaled it up!!

I am just loving that Woodgrain background stamp - I have been using it a lot lately! And that red Glimmer Paper from the summer mini - swoon - I will be stocking up on that before the mini ends!

Materials
Stamps: Woodgrain, Pretty Postage
Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Glimmer Paper
Ink: Pretty in Pink
Other: Postage Stamp Punch, 1" Square Punch, Itty Bitty Punch Pack, Pretty in Pink Scallop Dots Grosgrain Ribbon

Inspired!

2012-02-13T08:28:00.000+13:00

The last couple of weeks I have posted an inspiration pic on my Facebook page. They are pics that I have seen on the web that have really made me go WOW and feel like heading off to the craft room to create.

Here is the first one I posted:

I just loved the soothing, calming effect this picture had on me - not to mention that I am currently obsessed with sea green/duck egg blue colours! Here is the card I put together based on the inspiration:

I went very clean and simple for this one - in keeping with the calm inspiration piece! I created an oval mask from scratch paper and stamped my background image over the top to create the focal background.

Materials
Stamps: Kindness Matters, Fine Flourish
Cardstock: Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Whisper White
Ink: Pool Party, Calypso Coral
Other: Big Shot, Framed Tulips TE Folder, Ovals Originals Die

Love U!

2012-02-10T09:10:00.000+13:00

A super quick card i whipped up using the Candy Conversations stamp set from the Summer Mini Catalogue. I have been having a lot of fun with this set recently, so you will see a few more ideas using it this month!

Materials
Stamps: Candy Conversations
Cardstock: Whisper White
Ink: Real Red & Basic Grey Stampin' Write Marker
Other: Bone Folder, Stamp-a-ma-jig

Ladybugs 2

2012-02-08T09:04:00.000+13:00

As promised, I am back with the birthday card I created for my Miss 2. In keeping the theme of her party, I went for a ladybug card:

I am mostly happy with how this card turned out - I love the shape of the card and the way the wings hinge open, but I was a little disappointed with the 'face' - I just couldn't get it to work right - even after 4 attempts!

Materials
Cardstock: Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Scallop Circle Die, Circle Scissors Plus, 1 3/8" & 1/2" Circle Punches, Brads, Gel Pen, Stampin' Write Journaller

Little Ladybug Birthday

2012-02-06T08:33:00.002+13:00

My youngest turned 2 last weekend, and we threw her a little celebration with a Ladybug theme. My parents gave her a gorgeous Ladybug costume for Christmas when she was 1 but she has only just grown into it so that set the theme!

As it was just a small family morning tea, I kept everything pretty low key, with just a few special touches:

The garland was made by punching out a bunch of circles and sewing them in a chain. Miss 5 had great fun helping me punch and feed the circles into the sewing machine. A little before christmas I found some great adhesive ladybugs so I added some of those along the garland, as well as creating a big 2 on some of the balloons.

Of course, I also did a little themed baking - a ladybug birthday cake:

And some fun cupcakes as well!

Last but not least, Miss 5 and I also created these little ladybugs for all the cousins to take home with them. The were created using the Sweet Treat Cups and a variety of circle punches.

As you can see, we filled them with jaffa's, but we didn't want the kids to have to destroy their ladybug to get the lollies, so we created a little trap door in the back.

Everyone had a lovely morning celebrating our special wee girl! I'll be back on Wednesday to share the birthday card I created her.

Materials
Cardstock: Real Red, Basic Black
Other: 2", 1 3/4", 1 3/8", 1 1/4", 1" & 1/16" Circle Punches, Sweet Treat Cups, White Gel Pen, 2-Step Bird Punch, Tag Punch, Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker

No, I didn't go back on holiday....

2012-01-31T12:00:00.000+13:00

..although I wish I could!

Sorry for the break between posts - my daughters only head back to school/creche in the next couple of days so I am only fitting little bits of work in where I can - back to regular routine and posts next week!

Anyway, I did manage to make a few cards last week, one of them being for my niece who turned 8. This is a case of the Summer Mini Catalogue, with just a couple of small changes:

I used a couple of new to me products on this one - the Topsy Turvy Stamp Set and the Tempting Turquoise Embossing Powder. My niece loves orange so it was fun to make such a bright card!

Materials
Stamps: Topsy Turvy
Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise, Melon Mambo, Whisper White
Ink: Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, Versamark, Basic Grey
Other: Dazzling Diamonds, Heat Tool, Scallop Dotted Ribbon Punch, Tempting Turquoise EP

2012-01-25T09:19:00.000+13:00

Joining anytime is great, joining now is fabulous!

Get your starter kit for only $289

Choose any current stamp set for FREE

If a discounted kit and free stamp set weren't enough, Stampin' Up! has just announced major changes to it's Demonstrator Career Plan - now the rewards for being a demonstrator are even better!! Changes include:

Decreased quarterly mimimums! From April 1st, the minimum amount demonstrators need to spend is just $450 (excl GST). Join during Sale-a-bration and you have until the end of June 2012 to meet your first quarterly minimum.

Great new Stamping Start program from 1st January. It's easier than ever to earn free stamp sets, product bundles, and you can even earn a cash bonus equal to the cost of your starter kit. This applies to demonstrators who want to rejoin too!

Fabulous ongoing career benefits. Higher volume rebates, Bigger cash rewards, FREE product bundles every new catalogue, and even earn FREE registration to Stampin' Up! events including Convention.

There's never been a better time to be a demonstrator!

The Stampin' Up! Starter Kits aren't just for demonstrators who want to build a business. Here are just some of the benefits of joining Stampin' Up! for either business or hobby:

Stampin' Up! Starter Kit has a retail value of $725, but is a steal at $289
You can Customise the kit with your choice of stamp sets, ink colors and more (of equal or less value).
Receive 30% off your first order of $350 retail (in your first 45 Days) plus you still qualify for all the usual hostess benefits.
Enjoy 20% off all your orders.
You are able to view and order new stamps and products before catalogues are released to the public.
There's no obligation to sell or hold workshops and no penalty if you decide to drop.
No Annual Fees to pay.
You'll have access to fabulous project ideas on the Demonstrator Web Site and in the monthly Impressions newsletter.
The chance to attend fantastic Stampin' Up! events, including the annual Convention!

Want to earn extra income through your stamping passion? I'm here to help you succeed when you are ready.

JOIN NOW simply click here, then click on JOIN NOW in the top right hand corner. Or if you would like to discuss this great opportunity email me

2012-01-24T12:00:00.000+13:00

Today is the first day of Sale-a-Bration - undoubtedly Stampin' Up!'s biggest promotion of the year - so to celebrate ESAD are having a blog hop showcasing some of the wonderful products you can get for FREE!! If you have been following the hop, then you will have arrived from Keryn's blog, but if this is your first encounter with the blog hop, then just follow the link at the bottom of this post and work your way around the other fabulous blogs!

What is ESAD?

ESAD stands for "Extra Special Australasian Demonstrators" and it is an on-line group just for Australian and New Zealand Stampin Up demonstrators.

We so love what we do and not only do we love to share it with our customers, friends, and wonderful blog visitors, but we share our love for what we do with each other as demonstrators. We run swaps, challenges, tutorials, product know-how, and cyberstamps, and we are always there to help and support each other when it is needed.

So if you are a Stampin' Up! demonstrator located in Australia or New Zealand, then please feel free to click here to join our wonderful group

I have been busy making plum jam the last week and it looks just so homely with all the jars lined up on the bench. One of the jars in particular caught my eye and inspired todays project! I absolutely adore the Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper and co-ordinating Fresh Vintage stamp set, and accessories - it is just the perfect kind of vintage and reminds me of my Nana who was a great jam maker.

This card was inspired by one created by Jan Radu. I loved how she had used the top note die with DSP to create an extra opening on the card. It really suits this vintage look too!

How cute is the paper, ribbon and brad on this jar - and you can get them all for FREE until the end of March - awesome!!

The finished ensemble ready for giving!

So, that's my projects - now it's time to carry on with the hop, by heading over to the fabulous Madonna Dunn!

Don't forget that if you would like to get some of the above Sale-a-Bration products for FREE, all you have to do is place an order over $120. You get a free sale-a-bration gift for every $120 spent and there are no limits to how many you can earn! Email me to place your order!

Materials

Stamps: Fresh Vintage, Petite Pairs, Kindness Matters

Cardstock: Poppy Parade, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Everyday Enchantment DSP

Ink: Soft Suede, Poppy Parade, Lucky Limeade, Peach Parfait, Soft Sky

Other: Big Shot, Top Note Bigz Die, Ovals Original Die, Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad Pack, Pearls

2012-01-24T09:24:00.000+13:00

FREE Stamps, FREE Designer Series Paper, FREE Ribbon & Brads

There are 3 great ways to earn FREE products during Sale-a-bration:

Place any order over $120* and choose a FREE gift. There are no limits, so spend $240 get 2 FREE gifts, spend $360 get 3 FREE gifts etc

Host a workshop with sales over $700 and you choose a FREE Sale-a-bration gift. Gift is in addition to our already generous hostess rewards!

Join Stampin' Up! during Sale-a-bration and you will receive your kit at a 15% discount, PLUS choose an additional stamp set of any value from the Idea Book & Catalogue to be added to your kit for FREE!

This year there are 4 great stamp sets to choose from, as well as the gorgeous Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper, and Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad Pack. You can view the Sale-a-Bration catalogue here.

Sale-a-bration products are exclusively designed for this promotion so they cannot be purchased!

Email me now to place your order and to start choosing your FREE gifts!

*Excluding shipping. Promotions runs 24 January - 31 March 2012

Hello & Happy New Year!!

2012-01-22T21:01:00.000+13:00

Hello out there everyone! I hope the new year has started off well for you all - are you ready to face all the possibilities that a new year brings?

It has been a month since I blogged and in fact a whole month since I last crafted too!! I know, can you believe it - a whole month without stamping! I have been enjoying a good bit of R&R and it has been wonderful!

We enjoyed a lovely Christmas day with family, the weather was superb so our daughters could make wonderful use of the trampoline Santa brought them! Between Christmas and New Year we just enjoyed spending some time together at home and gathering the last few bits and pieces we needed for our camping trip.

A couple of days into 2012 we headed to sunny Napier for 7 nights camping in our tent. All started off well, until night 4 when it started to rain heavily at about 8pm and proceeded to pour down for the next 18 hours!!! The entire campsite was awash with water, so we made the decision to move into a holiday unit for the night and see what the weather did the next day. The morning dawned clear and sunny so we moved back into our tent and the diggers moved into the campsite to dig trenches and lay gravel! A fun adventure for everyone! The rest of our time camping had the most spectacular weather, and when we reached our final day no one was ready to head home so we extended our stay by another 4 nights!

Enjoying lunch outside the tent

It was a wonderful 10 days of relaxing, playing at the park, visiting the aquarium, swimming, trip to a great petting zoo, scootering, eating (lots!), and reading (I finished an entire novel for the first time in nearly a year!) For our final 3 days we were lucky enough to have some great friends come and join us with their tent - the kids thought it was fantastic having their mates right outside the door!

Since returning home I have been harvesting a bumper crop from our plum tree and turning it into jam & plum pie. We are also on the countdown for our eldest daughter starting school, so have been busy making sure we have everything that she needs for her first day.

And, today I finally made a return to my craft room. I haven't missed crafting the last month, but it sure did feel good to head back in there and get inky today - in fact I managed to complete 4 projects in just a couple of hours! It was refreshing to take a break from stamping and I am now re-energised and full of hundreds of great ideas for the year ahead!!

So that was my summer holiday - I will be back on Tuesday with all the details about Sale-a-Bration, as well as a great Blog Hop for you all to enjoy!

Wishing you all a VERY Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T13:28:00.000+13:00

I am at the end of my Christmas preparations (well, once my Christmas Spice Chocolate Cake comes out of the oven soon!), and have even had time to enjoy a lovely relaxing lunch in the sun!

I wanted to wish each and every one of you a relaxing and enjoyable Christmas and New Year period! I hope you all get the opportunity to enjoy good food and fun times with family and friends. If you are traveling, please take care on the roads!

I am going to take a little holiday from blogging for the next few weeks while I enjoy some fun in the sun with my family - camping, day trips, relaxing at home and working on our 'to do' list around the house!

To finish off the year on the blog, here are the little gift card holders I made to go with some gifts. The holder idea came from Jo-Anne in my downline who shared the idea at our recent team day, and the front is a CASE of the Summer Mini Catalogue:

MERRY CHRISTMAS! See you all in the new year!!

Materials
Stamps: Merry & Type, Stitched Stockings
Cardstock: Poppy Parade, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White, Flirtatious Specialty DSP, Just add Cake DSP, Glimmer Paper
Ink: Wild Wasabi, Poppy Parade
Other: Stocking Builder Punch, Rhinestone

Quick Gifts from the kitchen

2011-12-22T10:31:00.000+13:00

I'm finishing up the last of my Christmas gifts and tags today. I love to bake at Christmas time - it really isn't Christmas for me until I have made my xmas mince pies, iced my Christmas cake (I baked it back in September), and put together some yummy treats as gifts.

This year I whipped together several of these super quick gift boxes to fill with baking for friends, neighbours etc

A sheet of cardstock, a sheet of Designer Series Paper and some of the gorgeous twine from the Summer Mini Catalogue - it really couldn't get any easier!

Materials
Stamps: Season of Joy
Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Subtles Patterns DSP
Ink: Cherry Cobbler
Other: Ornament Punch, Bakers Twine, Rhinestones

Team Thank You's

2011-12-21T08:26:00.000+13:00

My team had our final team day of the year on Saturday. We always enjoy a fun day of stamping, chatting & eating - we share ideas, do a shoe box card swap and get inspired and motivated!

At all of our team days I like to give everyone a small gift to thank them for being a member of my team and as Saturday was our xmas meet-up I gave them all a little extra Christmas present too!

You will see a little sneak peek at some of the FREE products you will be able to earn during Sale-a-Bration early next year - more on that in the new year!

Extended Candy Wrapper

2011-12-20T11:38:00.000+13:00

I just love the Candy Wrapper die that is featured in the Summer Mini Catalogue, but it can sometimes be a little small for your needs. So, you can extend it! I created these longer versions packed with treats for my daughters Kindy teachers:

You could easily make it longer again, just by folding your cardstock cleverly before you cut it in the Big Shot! I can see chocolate bars being wrapped in longer versions - a project for the new year, I think!

Materials
Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Mocha Morning Specialty, Silver Glimmer Paper
Other: Big Shot, Candy Wrapper Die, Triple layer Doily Punch

Rainbow 5

2011-12-16T09:10:00.000+13:00

I'm back today with the birthday card I made for my Miss 5. She is very much into art and craft - painting, drawing, colouring, constructing things from paper - I wonder where she gets all of that from ;) A recurring theme in her pictures is rainbows and so she often comes and asks me "What colour comes next in the rainbow?". Now she won't need to ask, she can just look at her card!

I CASEd this card from one I saw on Pinterest a few weeks ago - I just knew it would be perfect for this occasion!

Materials
Cardstock: Whisper White, Rose Red, Perfect Plum, Wild Wasabi, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Patterns DSP Stacks
Other: Big Shot, Tasteful Trims Bigz XL, White Taffeta Ribbon

Aliens Love Smelly Jelly

2011-12-15T14:33:00.000+13:00

Sorry I am a bit late getting this post up - I have been battling a throat infection all week and have only just started to feel better!

Anyway, late last week I shared the invitations for my daughters 5th party, and I promised to share some of the details of the party! We spent a couple of hours enjoying fun, games and food - one of the most popular games was 'Pin the Eye on the Alien':

My hubby did a great job of copying the stamped alien image on the invites to create our alien, and the eyes were created with just a couple of circle punches.

Then it was on to the food:

This was the only pic I got of the table before all the rest of the food was laid out. The food was all based around what the aliens eat in the story Aliens Love Smelly Jelly, so we had biscuits all bendy & round, pizza that rises when you want it and hovers near your face, smelly jelly, and of course cake!

I also made some Alien marshmallow pops for a bit of fun - these were by far the most popular item on the table!

And finally my attempt at the cake from the cover of the book - not my best cake effort, but Miss 5 loved it so that's the main thing!

I made a little felt alien for each of the children to take home with them, sadly we forgot to get photos of all of them lined up!! There were several different colours and a couple of different shapes. I also tried to give them each a different look by changing the eyes, mouths and eyelashes for each alien.

Lastly I put together a little tube of 'alien food' for everyone to take with them.

Materials
Stamps: Make a Monster
Cardstock: Melon Mambo, Pacific Point, Whisper White, DSP
Ink: Stazon
Other: Circle Punches, Scallop Circle Punch

Shelli's 50th

2011-12-12T09:13:00.000+13:00

I am still editing photos from my daughters 5th party, so I will share those with you later in the week. In the meantime I will share this elegant wee 50th card I made way back in October for the co-founder & CEO of Stampin' Up!, Shelli Gardner. Someone at head office in Utah had the great idea of getting as many birthday cards as possible sent in for Shelli, and they then packaged them all up in a giant gift for her!

She received 1200 cards!! How cool is that - and she read each and every one of them! You can read about it on her blog here.

Materials
Stamps: Sincere Salutations
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Daffodil Delight, Mocha Morning Specialty DSP
Ink: Basic Grey
Other: Vanilla Satin Ribbon, Pearls, Antique Brads

Birthday Aliens

2011-12-09T08:00:00.005+13:00

My eldest daughter turns 5 next week and tomorrow we are having a party for her. Her favourite book for the last 6 months or so is one called Aliens Love Smelly Jelly by Tony Mitton and Guy Parker-Rees. It is a great story about a group of aliens meeting on the planet Zum-Zee for a special picnic tea. The story and illustrations are so fun that we decided to go with a Aliens Love Smelly Jelly theme for her 5th party!

Here is the invite I created using the Make a Monster stamp set (except that in this case I made an alien!)

I'll be back on Monday with pictures of all the bits I created for her party - including my attempt at that cake on the cover!!

Materials
Stamps: Make a Monster
Cardstock: Pacific Point, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Brights Patterns DSP, Cheerful Treat DSP
Ink: Stazon

Lace Ribbon Thanks

2011-12-07T07:52:00.000+13:00

A simple card design that went out in several of my customers orders recently. I just love the new Lace Ribbon Border Punch - easy to use, but so effective!

Materials

Stamps: Sincere Salutations

Cardstock: Island Indigo, Whisper White

Ink: Calypso Coral

Other: Fancy Label Punch, Lace Ribbon Border Punch

Baby Shower Booties

2011-12-05T07:21:00.000+13:00

A very good friend had her baby shower this weekend, and I had a lovely time putting together a wee gift for her and baby. Those of you who receive my monthly newsletter will have already seen the card as it was part of this months tutorial.

The card uses the bleaching technique to achieve the white horse on the green medallion - a very easy but effective technique! I also used one of my favourite new products from the Summer Mini Catalogue - the Bakers Twine. I have used the Whisper White one on this project, but let me tell you, I have used all 3 colours for so many things!

These gorgeous paper baby shoes have been around for a while and I have been waiting so patiently for the occasion to make some! They went down a real treat with the mum-to-be!

And here is the full gift ensemble together! It is so simple to dress up a plain white box with a belly band made from Designer Series Paper and Bakers Twine.

Materials
Stamps: Ain't Love Grand
Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, Garden Green, Marina Mist, Early Espresso, Whisper White, Subtles DSP
Ink: Versamark, Basic Black
Other: Big Shot, Polka Dot TE Folder, Pennants Bigz L Die, Black Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Scallop Edge Punch, Paper Crimper, Bakers Twine, Aquapainter, Bleach

Up to 50% off stamp sets and accessories!!

2011-12-04T19:46:00.000+13:00

Selected stamp sets and accessories at never-seen-before prices, but only until 31 December! Check out these great deals:

To place your order, Email Me now!

Summer Mini Catalogue Blog Hop Time!

2011-12-01T12:00:00.012+13:00

It is 1 December so that means it's not only the first day of our new Summer Mini Catalogue, but also time for another ESAD blog hop to showcase all of the wonderful new products from the mini!! If you have been following the hop, then you will have just arrived from the lovely Corina Beyer's blog, but if this is your first encounter with the blog hop, then just follow the link at the bottom of this post and work your way around the other 24 fabulous blogs!

What is ESAD?

ESAD stands for "Extra Special Australasian Demonstrators" and it is an on-line group just for Australian and New Zealand Stampin Up demonstrators.

So if you are a Stampin' Up! demonstrator located in Australia or New Zealand, then please fee free to click here to join our wonderful group.

I have created a little gift set for todays blog hop, showcasing the gorgeous new Spice Cake Designer Series Fabric and Spice Cake Buttons!

This cute sleeve stops your fingers from getting burnt holding on to a hot disposable cup. This is the perfect gift for any coffee-addict, and would look especially cute given with a re-usable cup filled with chocolate coated coffee-beans, which is what I have done here!

I am definitely not a sewer, but even I found this easy to make! You can find the instructions and pattern here.

And here is a matching card to give with the gift. As well as the new fabric and buttons, I have also used the new Charming stamp set - also available in the Summer Mini Catalogue.

I was particularly excited when I discovered that the medallion stamp from Charming fitted the 1 1/4" Circle Punch, and that the punch out nestled perfectly into the centre of the Spice Cake buttons!!

Well, that's it from me so now it's time to follow on with the hop, by heading over to check out the wonderful projects from Kelly Nelson!

Materials

Stamps: Charming, French Foliage
Cardstock: More Mustard, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, First Edition Specialty DSP
Ink: Soft Suede, More Mustard
Other: Spice Cake DS Fabric, Spice Cake Buttons, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Rhinestones, hair elastic, felt, thread

Christmas Project Extravaganza - Day 30

2011-11-30T09:00:00.002+13:00

Day 30 - Love Voucher Book

Can you believe that we have reached day 30 already! Where has November disappeared to!

The final project for the Extravaganza is a fun voucher book. This little voucher book is the perfect gift for your special someone, or that person that has everything! Each pocket in the book can hold 2-3 ‘love’ vouchers. These vouchers could be anything you choose: 1 night off the dishes, free babysitting for an evening, a ‘get out of the bad books’ voucher….anything that you can dream up that the other person might enjoy or get a chuckle out of

I deliberately kept the decoration on my book very simple so that the focus would stay on the vouchers inside. The great thing about this idea is that it could be used for any kind of occasion - Birthday, Mother's/Father's Day, Christmas, Anniversary, Valentines.

Sadly, that brings us to the end of the Christmas Project Extravaganza for this year. I love working on Christmas projects so it was a very happy few months completing all of the different items for the Extravaganza.

In case you are interested here are a few fun facts about how I put the Extravaganza together each year:

I start collecting ideas for projects in January and jot them all down as I think of them. The list usually ends up with about 70 ideas, which I then whittle down to 30 before I start creating.
I sometimes abandon ideas part way through the creating stage - either because the idea didn't really work, or it just doesn't 'feel' right
I rejected 7 completed projects this year because I didn't really like the finished result, or because I came up with better ideas and so something had to be cut to make room!
I started work on projects in June. I had to make a judgement call on whether products were going to make the new catalogue or be retired. This year I got it wrong on only 2 projects.
I spent well over 50 hours working on projects, editing the photos and uploading the blog posts
I'll probably do it all again next year ;)

Materials

Stamps: Contempo Christmas

Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Real Red, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Subtles Patterns DSP

Ink: Real Red, Crumb Cake

Other: Big Shot, Petite Pocket Bigz XL Die, Two Tags Die, Ornament Punch, Brads, Bakers Twine, Corner Rounder Punch, 1/16" Circle Punch

Christmas Project Extravaganza Virtual Class

Want to learn to create 6 of the projects featured in this years Extravaganza? Then why not join my Christmas Project Extravaganza Virtual Class. Every 5th day during November you will receive, direct to your inbox, a full tutorial for 1 of the projects featured here during that week. Thats 6 great project tutorials for just $20. You can join anytime during November - 5 tutorials have already gone out, so you will receive those as soon as you join the class. To join the virtual class simply click the button below:

Christmas Project Extravaganza - Day 29

2011-11-29T09:00:00.002+13:00

Day 29 - Swirled Card Trio

Lots of white heat embossing created todays trio of Christmas cards. I embossed a whole A4 sheet of cardstock with the snowflakes before cutting it up to create 6 cards (2 of each design)

These cards are very striking in real life - especially with the little pops of Poppy Parade!

Materials

Stamps: Snow Swirled, Tiny Tags

Cardstock: Island Indigo, Poppy Parade, Whisper White

Ink: Versamark, Island Indigo

Other: Fancy Label Punch, Neutrals Buttons, White Taffeta Ribbon, Heat Tool, White EP, Jewellery Tag Punch

Christmas Project Extravaganza Virtual Class

Christmas Project Extravaganza - Day 28

2011-11-28T09:00:00.000+13:00

Day 28 - Christmas Wall Art

You may remember the card I shared on Day 1 of the Extravaganza. For today's project, i took that card and upsized it, before framing it to create a unique piece of christmas art.

The frame is a plain wooden one designed for framing scrapbook layouts - I simply gave it a few coats of glossy red spray paint!

Materials

Stamps: Merry & Type

Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Poppy Parade, Whisper White

Ink: Poppy Parade

Other: Big Shot, Tasteful Trims Bigz XL die, Candy Cane Christmas DS Fabric

Christmas Project Extravaganza Virtual Class

Want to learn to create 6 of the projects featured in this years Extravaganza? Then why not join my Christmas Project Extravaganza Virtual Class. Every 5th day during November you will receive, direct to your inbox, a full tutorial for 1 of the projects featured here during that week. Thats 6 great project tutorials for just $20. You can join anytime during November - 4 tutorials have already gone out, so you will receive those as soon as you join the class. To join the virtual class simply click the button below:

Christmas Project Extravaganza - Day 27

2011-11-27T09:00:00.000+13:00

Day 27 - Fabric Christmas Tree

A fabric Christmas tree to sit on my mantle with the paper one I created for last years Christmas Countdown.

I have kept my tree very simple but you could easily dress this up with rhinestones, brads or buttons

Materials

Other: Deck the Halls DS Fabric, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon, styrofoam cone

Christmas Project Extravaganza Virtual Class

Christmas Project Extravaganza - Day 26

2011-11-26T09:00:00.000+13:00

Day 26 - Christmas Stockings Card

I love seeing our family Christmas stockings hanging ready on Christmas Eve, and these stockings are just as cute!

More new products from the Summer Mini Catalogue on this one - the Stitched Stockings stamp set and matching punch of course, but also the new Bakers Twine, which I have threaded on my buttons. I love this new twine so you will be seeing it a lot from now on - it come's in 3 great colours too!

Materials

Stamps: Stitched Stockings, Many Merry Messages

Cardstock: Real Red, Early Espresso, Whisper White

Ink: Real Red, Old Olive

Other: Scallop Ribbon Punch, Cherry Cobbler Bakers Twine, Brights Buttons, Stocking Builder Punch

Christmas Project Extravaganza Virtual Class

Want to learn to create 6 of the projects featured in this years Extravaganza? Then why not join my Christmas Project Extravaganza Virtual Class. Every 5th day during November you will receive, direct to your inbox, a full tutorial for 1 of the projects featured here during that week. Thats 6 great project tutorials for just $20. You can join anytime during November - 4 tutorials have already gone out, so you will receive those as soon as you join the class. To join the virtual class simply click the button below:

Christmas Project Extravaganza - Day 25

2011-11-25T09:00:00.001+13:00

Day 25 - Simple Paper Ornaments

These ornaments are so simple to make that even my almost-5 year old has been making them for our tree - so if you have young ones to entertain these would be the perfect activity to do together

As I have a very mischievous Miss 2, the bottom half of our tree is going to be decorated with paper decorations this year - that way I don't have to worry about any of my precious vintage decorations getting broken, but she still gets to enjoy the tree!

Materials

Cardstock: Brights Patterns DSP, First Edition Specialty DSP, Glimmer Paper
Other: Buttons, 1" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Bakers Twine

Christmas Project Extravaganza Virtual Class

Christmas Project Extravaganza - Day 24

2011-11-24T09:00:00.000+13:00

Day 24 - Yo-Yo Card

Earlier in the Extravaganza I shared a bauble created using fabic yo-yo's. Today's project uses the same yo-yo's but this time on a card to create a fun xmas tree.

I added brads, glitter brads and buttons for a little extra decoration on my tree! This is not the kind of card you would send in the post as it is a bit too bulky, but perfect if you are going to hand it to the recipient.

Materials

Stamps: Merry & Type

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler

Ink: Soft Suede

Other: Jumbo Brads, Glitter Brads, Neutral Buttons, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon, Deck the Halls DS Fabric

Christmas Project Extravaganza Virtual Class

Want to learn to create 6 of the projects featured in this years Extravaganza? Then why not join my Christmas Project Extravaganza Virtual Class. Every 5th day during November you will receive, direct to your inbox, a full tutorial for 1 of the projects featured here during that week. Thats 6 great project tutorials for just $20. You can join anytime during November - 4 tutorials have already gone out, so you will receive those as soon as you join the class. To join the virtual class simply click the button below:

Christmas Project Extravaganza - Day 23

2011-11-23T09:00:00.001+13:00

Day 23 - Elegant Candy Wrapper

Todays' project is a sneak peek of a couple of new products that will be released in the Summer Mini on 1 December. The box is the great Candy Wrapper Bigz Die, and all that glittery goodness is the new Glimmer Paper - the fantastic look of glitter, without all the glitter mess!

Black & Silver seems to be a popular colour combo for Christmas these days - I went with the gorgeous flocked paper from the Mocha Morning Specialty DSP to add even more texture to this elegant favour box.

Materials

Cardstock: Basic Black, Mocha Morning Specialty DSP, Silver Glimmer Paper

Other: Big Shot, Candy Wrapper Bigz Die, Doily Triple Layer Punch

Christmas Project Extravaganza Virtual Class

Want to learn to create 6 of the projects featured in this years Extravaganza? Then why not join my Christmas Project Extravaganza Virtual Class. Every 5th day during November you will receive, direct to your inbox, a full tutorial for 1 of the projects featured here during that week. Thats 6 great project tutorials for just $20. You can join anytime during November - 4 tutorials have already gone out, so you will receive those as soon as you join the class. To join the virtual class simply click the button below:

Christmas Project Extravaganza - Day 22

2011-11-22T09:00:00.001+13:00

Day 22 - Vintage Swirled Card

I originally made this card as one of the invitation options for my Dad's 60th party (he chose a mid-winter Christmas theme), but he went with the Dasher option instead.

You really can't go past gold embossing at Christmas time. It is often one of the very first techniques we learn when we start stamping, but it still gives such a WOW!

Materials

Stamps: Snow Swirled, Tiny Tags

Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla

Ink: Riding Hood Red, Versamark

Other: Gold Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Antique Brads, Baja Breeze Seam Binding Ribbon, Scallop Border Punch, Jewellery Tag Punch

Christmas Project Extravaganza Virtual Class

Want to learn to create 6 of the projects featured in this years Extravaganza? Then why not join my Christmas Project Extravaganza Virtual Class. Every 5th day during November you will receive, direct to your inbox, a full tutorial for 1 of the projects featured here during that week. Thats 6 great project tutorials for just $20. You can join anytime during November - 4 tutorials have already gone out, so you will receive those as soon as you join the class. To join the virtual class simply click the button below:

Christmas Project Extravaganza - Day 21

2011-11-21T09:00:00.001+13:00

Day 21 - Petite Pocket Mini Box

A very cute little box made using the Petite Pocket Bigz XL die. I am going to package some hair clips in this little box, to go into my daughters xmas stocking.

The tree on the front of the box was created using the Pennant Parade Stamp Set & matching punch, and acts as both decoration and the closure for the box.

Materials

Stamps: Pennant Parade

Cardstock: Real Red, Old Olive, Early Espresso, Whisper White, Brights Patterns DSP Stack

Ink: Old Olive, Real Red, Early Espresso

Other: Big Shot, Petite Pocket Bigz XL Die, Old Olive Dotted Scallop Ribbon, Pennants Builder Punch, Modern Label Punch, Rhinestones

Christmas Project Extravaganza Virtual Class

Want to learn to create 6 of the projects featured in this years Extravaganza? Then why not join my Christmas Project Extravaganza Virtual Class. Every 5th day during November you will receive, direct to your inbox, a full tutorial for 1 of the projects featured here during that week. Thats 6 great project tutorials for just $20. You can join anytime during November - 4 tutorials have already gone out, so you will receive those as soon as you join the class. To join the virtual class simply click the button below:

Christmas Project Extravaganza - Day 20

2011-11-20T09:00:00.000+13:00

Day 20 - Merry & Bright Shimmer Card

A simple, shimmery card in a non-traditional colour combo of Concord Crush & Very Vanilla

The shimmer paint and crimped mat give this card a real punch!

Materials

Stamps: Merry & Type

Cardstock: Concord Crush, Very Vanilla

Ink: Concord Crush

Other: Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Paper Crimper, Sponger Dauber

Christmas Project Extravaganza Virtual Class

Want to learn to create 6 of the projects featured in this years Extravaganza? Then why not join my Christmas Project Extravaganza Virtual Class. Every 5th day during November you will receive, direct to your inbox, a full tutorial for 1 of the projects featured here during that week. Thats 6 great project tutorials for just $20. You can join anytime during November - 4 tutorials have already gone out, so you will receive those as soon as you join the class. To join the virtual class simply click the button below: