Altered Penguin (Stampin' Up)

Green Birds and Apples

2010-10-10T18:34:00.009+11:00

My lovely mum called the other day, with a special request. Could I make a thankyou card for the medical clinic that was so helpful on their last holiday? Well, sure I could! Easy! And to make things easier, she told me the clinic had very pretty decor, which she described. I googled as we talked, and soon I was looking at photos of Apple Tree Medical in Cairns. Wow, she was right, a pretty clinic!

I decided (obviously) to case the joint. That's "CASE", Copy And Steal Everything, a scrapbooking term for deriving inspiration from the efforts of others.

Here is my tester. I decided to go with dots in shades of green, and of course my pretty bird punch. The Sizzix Timeless Type Junior Alphabet was the perfect typeface, so of course I decided on die cut letters. Dots a bit big, I thought. Need to make a bigger card, or smaller dots.

Making a tester is a GREAT idea - nothing like actually seeing what you plan to make before you start sticking.

I went for smaller dots. Here's the final card:

I've turned one dot into a leafy apple, and added a "Daffodil Delight" base card to hold it all together.

Those greens are: Certainly Celery, Kiwi Kiss (a retired colour), and Old Olive.

I raised some of the dots (they are 1/2 inch circles, by the way) up with Stampin' Dimensionals. Perfect for the job, and a little 3-d just adds to the impact.

I don't always remember to make the inside of the card pretty, but this is a special case, so... The bird here is a different brand, by the way. Not quite as iconic as the Stampin' Up bird, but I finally decided on using it too. The dotted line is just marker ...

And finally, a pretty envelope is a must. I took a quality envelope, and added some stamping from the Cheep Talk set - it all comes together. How good is it that the ink, markers and card all match each other? So easy to get good results.

So, this goes in the mail to Mum for her approval, and (if she likes it) off to Cairns to brighten the day of some hard working medical people!

I told you you'd need Fifth Avenue Floral

2010-09-30T19:47:00.005+10:00

So, I claimed, back here, that you'd be needing the Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set. Here's more proof.

In this example, I've gone nuts with watercolour pencil. I've overlapped the lines, and used the odd resulting shapes ... bit of fun, a bit fussy. A bit time consuming, I have to say, but that gave me plenty of time to listen to some music.

New favourite colour scheme - Rich Razzleberry and Pumpkin Pie - bright? You have no idea!

And here's more evidence... I coloured just one flower (with those well known alcohol based markers, but honestly, water based ones would give you a lovely result too). The newsprint background paper is, the new 'Newsprint' designer paper by Stampin' Up. So glad I can finally indulge my newsprinty leanings in "official" projects - the ones where I am trying to show off the products I am so pleased to be allowed to offer for sale!

The scalloped edges have been stamped with our gorgeous music wheel stamp - oh, yum!

And "This is no Humbug" is straight from the decorative paper. Of course.

New Stuff, and some of it penguin-oriented!

2010-09-20T19:54:00.007+10:00

So, enjoying the lengthy breaks between posts on this blog? Yeah, me too! Plenty of good stuff to share though, so let's go!

There's a new catalogue! There's a link to it here, and of course, I can provide you with a lovely printed copy.

And here's one highlight - the new OWL PUNCH! Yup, that little owly guy is all done with one punch (there are a bunch of bits, and you get to have fun assembling owls out of different colours and patterns. I've elected to make the owl's tummy out of our new Newsprint Designer paper. Love it!

Notice the woodgrain? That's a new, BIG, woodgrain background stamp. I've stamped it twice, just of register, in two shades of brown. Nice stamp.

Notice the dark brown? That's a new colour, called Early Espresso. It takes a very special kind of person to get excited about dark brown card, but if you are one, don't worry, you are among friends.

Oh, and some old favourites are back in the catalogue. There's the gorgeous Butterfly Prints, and the deer little Forest Friends. I used Forest Friends here on a card for my daughter - the set has a nice tree, a rabbit, an owl, and a deer. Here, I've combined it with Trendy Trees (the orange tree), as well as a punched heart. Oops, didn't show the deer in this card...

For some reason, Forest Friends makes me think of Bridget Jones' Diary.

Oh, yes, I promised something penguin-oriented too. Here ya go. Made from the Owl punch, with minor modifications. He looks a bit surprised, doesn't he?

You'll be needing Fifth Avenue Floral

2010-08-07T18:38:00.004+10:00

I'm often asked about favourite stamp sets - here's one! Fifth Avenue Floral, introduced in last year's catalogue (and still to be available in the forseeable future, of course) is just a fabulous one!

Here's some of the fun I've had with mine lately:
This is a pretty simple technique, a bit of fun for a stamping afternoon or evening ... stamp your image onto watercolour paper, in any of your favourite water based Stampin' Up inks (not black or white, they are different...). The strong colours work best. This is Rich Razzleberry (totally excellent for this purpose).

Then grab an aquapainter, or a fine paintbrush and water, and just ... paint the inside of the petals with water. Let the ink run. If you do a petal at a time, the in will run into each petal, rather than just all over. Dry it off with a heat tool as you go, if that helps. But basically, just paint water and have fun!

For the background, I've used the (sigh - breathtakingly nice) "Manhattan Flower" Textured Impressions folder for the Big Shot. It matches the large rose in the stamp set. Oh, and there's the curly punch too.

Here's another go I had at that same watercolour technique:

At the recent Stampin' Up convention, the lovely Shelli herself (the CEO and chief muse to all demonstrators) used actual old book pages in a sample she made in front of us - yes, she does what I do, takes apart old damaged books and makes them precious again! So I feel good about showing this one off - it includes a page from a very damaged French-English pocket dictionary.

The colour here is Not Quite Navy - I've found it's the "runniest" ink of all for watercolouring purposes. That is, it loves jumping onto a paintbrush and going where you tell it.

See that little oval shape around the "For You" sentiment? Made that with the Word Window, but I had to punch twice. That's worth learning - you can make a short oval as well as a long one.

I have two more Fifth Avenue Floral goodies to show, but they aren't finished, and I really mustn't spoil the surprise by showing them off half done!

Anyway, there are roughly a brazillion other ways to use this set. It has three flowers, a stem, and a nice sentiment too. It's super-popular, and you can have it for $45.95. Maybe you should think about putting it on your wishlist.

That bird punch again

2010-06-08T19:46:00.004+10:00

Are we tired of the bird punch yet? No? Didn't think so!

Here's the little guys just grooving around my art journal - Soft Suede and Kraft (the light brown colour) are my colours of the moment. Loving them!

By the way, Kraft is getting renamed soon - it's going to be Crumb Cake. A much more alliterative Stampin' Up name! And it's getting promoted to a full colour, not just an also-ran. So it gets a stamp pad, and a marker, the whole treatment - yay!

But here's what I really wanted to show off - alternative birds! You'd know when these guys land on your shoulder - CHIRP!

That's just a circle punch making the body, of course, and a Stampin' Write journalling marker for the little details.

Bargains! Bargains!

2010-06-04T19:49:00.006+10:00

Oh boy, this is what we need - just THIS WEEK, four really popular punches are on special, at 35% off. Now, this only applies until Tuesday, when a new offer will appear. No, I don't know what. But I'm looking forward to it! The Scallop Oval punch is included - one of the most amazingly popular punches - see it in use here. And here (that's a penguin card, so we love them).

Here's some stuff I laboriously cut and pasted from the Stampin' Up web site...

Deals of the Week

Throughout the month of June, we are bringing you a new deal every week! With the Deals of the Week, you'll get up to 50 percent off a selection of products from the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalogue!

This week's deals:

Scallop Square punch - ~~$30.95~~ $20.12

Trio Flower punch - ~~$30.95~~ $20.12

Boho Blossoms Punch - ~~$30.95~~ $20.12

Scallop Oval Punch - ~~$30.95~~ $20.12

See what I'm sayin' - the Scallop Oval Punch - yay! A little bit of gorgeous for $20 and change.

I'm putting in my own order shortly, you want me to include yours?

Some fabulous Stampin Up swaps

2010-06-04T18:21:00.005+10:00

A little free time ... why don't I post a few photos of fabulous swaps I got at the recent Stampin' Up convention?

Here's one I really admired : by Jane Norrish, it's a terrific little box (containing a packet of tissues, very handy). The box is made of Kraft coloured card (which is getting a rename soon, so Crumb Cake - a much more Stampin' Up name!). The stamps are all from the pretty Pendant Park stamp set, which is in the current mini catalogue. And wow, I think they must have had Jane's box idea in mind when they put the set together, because it all works so very well! The stamp set is a very reasonable $27.95 if you get it in clear mounted (or you can have wood mounted for a little more).

Now let's have a look at something made by Carolyn Bennie (who, amongst other things, was pushing a pram at convention - that's a busy lady). She had made heaps of sets of earrings! Yes, actual earrings! Check HER blog for a bit of info about how she made them - the Tiny Tag punch was instrumental, of course.

Me and Shelli - Convention news!

2010-05-29T20:20:00.004+10:00

Here's an awesome picture - ME with SHELLI (boss of Stampin' Up). She was in Sydney for the convention, and of course so was I. Gail nudged me over to have a photo taken with the great lady, and she was polite enough to pose for everyone who asked.

I showed this to Jeff, and he just looked blank. I told him it was like him getting a photo taken with Steve Jobs. While Steve hands him an iPad.

'Cos Shelli DID give me (and everyone else) some stamps ... pretty ones too, but I can't show you them yet...

Tons of stuff to fill this blog with, but first of all I'd better alert you to the SPECIALS - join up as a demonstrator yourself for only $259 right now - yes, you get the big starter kit, worth over $500, with lots of choices as always.

And - stand by for June specials. No idea what they are. Just stand by, OK?

I made the candy hearts!

2010-05-24T22:45:00.010+10:00

Just when I have tons to add to this blog, the boys (grade 7 twins) have a big project to work on, that they've been dragging their heels on for weeks. So at nearly 11pm I get a few minutes on the good computer.

I just got back from Stampin' Up Convention, in Sydney! It was fabulous, we all had a ball.

And my first thing to share is this : I made candy hearts! That was my swap.

Jeff and I were out one evening, sans kids (it happens for two hours a week, so we always make the most of it). We'd eaten delicious noodles, and were ready to go home, but I suggested "Let's wander until we see something new". In the newsagent, getting pen refills, we found something new - a confectionery cookbook published by Frankie magazine. There, I've given you links, so no complaining.

We flicked through this pretty book (full of retro food styling - old toffee tins, vintage fabric - it's luscious!). We got to the page about candy hearts - their sample ones had stamped messages. Jeff said "Hey, you have stamps...". We just looked at each other, and we HAD to make candy hearts. He helped me shop for ingredients (glucose syrup was the only odd ingredient, and that was easy to find). I rolled out the mix, cut them out with a tiny heart cutter, and picked the right stamps for them. Circle Circus was a big success, as was the word from Trendy Trees. I stamped right onto the candy, using food colour as my "ink". Yes, yes, I cleaned the stamps really well before and after. If you were actually planning to eat them, I'd buy a fresh set of stamps and use them for confectionery only. That's gotta be good for business!

Here's what hundreds of fresh candy hearts look like drying in the kitchen. I made over 100 bags with three to a bag, so that must be ... a lot to roll out.

The first few people I swapped with took them and just popped them in their bags, so I started saying "Help yourself to candy hearts - I made the candy!" THAT got people taking a second look.

I was totally convinced I had made the cleverest and most creative swap there ... until I actually started swapping! Whoa, these ladies know how to do some stuff! Stand by for some photos when I get unpacked.

I'm going to Convention!!

2010-05-19T19:45:00.004+10:00

Woo hoo! I'm off to Sydney for the Stampin' Up convention - two days (and a bit) of fun, friendship, and getting revved up about making stuff, showing how to make stuff, and sharing the love generally. I have swaps to share - about 100 of them! So with any luck, I'll get to come back with 100 different arty things from other people.

Here's a photo of my swaps - but it doesn't show the whole thing ... stand by for that.

You like the owl? It's from Fox and Friends, my first unmounted stamp set. It's in the current mini catalogue.

Bag Book Time!

2010-04-13T22:41:00.008+10:00

What's this in my stash? A fancy paper shopping bag, with nice ribbon handles? Well, I did get a great pair of pants out of that transaction, but there's no point in letting the bag go to waste, is there? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

If you're thinking "It's bag book making time!", then you'd be right!

I snipped and chopped at the shopping bag, getting all the good bits out. The star designs are printed in silver, so I didn't waste them. The paper made the cover of the book (covering some mat board), and the handle became the closure and bookmark. For the pages, I selected various colours of Stampin' Up cardstock.

See, I was getting around to mentioning Stampin' Up stuff.

It had to be SU cardstock, because I'm planning to write, paste, and stamp into the book, and I wanted pages I could rely on.

The ribbon closure has an old belt buckle added. Eyelets set courtesy of the Cropadile. From the line of eyelets on the closure, you can see the book is designed to get fat! Fabric scraps from Reverse Art Truck. That's a wooden toggle hanging off the bookmark. The word "details" came from the bottom of the bag - it was contact details!

The pages are black, Whisper White, Kraft, Very Vanilla, Only Orange and vellum. I cut A5 sheets of each colour (then realised I wanted the a teeny bit smaller, and trimmed them all), organised the pages into a nice order, then made the book.

Actually, before making the book, I decorated each and every page with punches. ONLY punches, and only with the colours of card that were already in use in the book. Some pages are so decorated there's precious little space to write, but hey. I've just shown ONE photo from inside, but there's lots more (mostly simple).

I used just about every punch I have. Ah, it was fun, and even though this was a "just for the sake of it" project, it has set off a few ideas for "real" projects. That's why we muck around with our art materials, folks!

What am I planning to do with this eccentric book? I thought I'd take it to the Stampin Up Convention in Sydney in May as my travelling art journal. There's always things to write, draw or stick in, and with all those stamps around, I should be able to pretty up a few pages too!

And here's a link to TS14+, the unknowing sponsors of this book, and makers of yummy, comfy clothes!

Happy New Mini! There's a BIRD PUNCH!

2010-04-02T11:53:00.007+11:00

Yay! There's a new mini catalogue out, and it's super-cool! I mean it, there are some fabulous products, that have had even the demonstrators scrambling. Here's one:

It's a punch - a bird punch! It's a two-part punch - that is, the bird and wing are separate pieces, encouraging you to punch them out of different cardstocks. The elegant branch is nice enough to buy just for itself, but there it is, included in the SAME punch. Oh my! At $30.95, this extra large sized punch is a lot of fun. And it's a new design too - it folds flat. Works well, and stores like a little flat brick.

Want a closer look? Course you do:

I've had a play with one of the stamps from the Circle Circus set as my "texture", and my colour scheme here is Kraft (brown), Kiwi Kiss (awesome green) and Summer Sun (brilliant yellow, but I've toned it down behind the bird).

I've sponged all the edges - once you start sponging, you can't stop.

So - the bird punch is just one of the new goodies. There's a whole mini catalogue to look at, and I have a few spare copies still. Let me know if you want one!

Little Houses from the Good Neighbours set

2010-02-17T22:43:00.003+11:00

I've been at it again.

Here's what I made when I tinkered around with the Good Neighbours set from the Sale-a-bration catalogue. Now, who wouldn't want to make a table full of these?

I made heavy use of the Stamp-a-ma-Jig stamp positioner, which made the alignment a breeze. I stamped four houses (for the sides, I've use the "upstairs" part of the taller house), in Old Olive. I added a roof to two of the house parts (in Pumpkin Pie), and then snipped with care. I left a tab inside, and used a tiny dot of glue to hold the house together.

Did you know you can get this stamp set for FREE? Yup, it's a bonus with any order of $100 regular Stampin' Up stuff. And there are three other Sale-a-bration sets to choose from too - and you can earn all of them if you want. Check the brochure. Yummy!

A colour challenge!

2010-02-01T10:02:00.006+11:00

Anne-Marie, another Stampin' Up demonstrator in the "Gail Force Stampers" family, decided we were all whinging a bit too much about not having any inspiration lately - any "mojo", as we say.

So she threw down the gauntlet. She asked us to open our Summer Mini catalogues to page 16, and look at the "Kaleidoscope" decorative paper there. In catalogues, Stampin' Up thoughtfully prints a colour chart of the colours that match with all their decorative papers. Neat, hey?

Our challenge was to take that palette of six colours, and make ... something ... with it. The colours were a bit eye-popping! There's Tempting Turquoise, Green Galore, Summer Sun, Only Orange, Pink Passion and Pixie Pink. Yes, that's TWO different pinks, and some intense brights. Not my usual combo, but hey, I was up for a challenge.

However, I was a bit short of stamp pads. I only had one of the mentioned colours. So, I pulled out my full set of Watercolour Crayons - what a great way to have one of every colour! And I disregarded the (unspoken) specification that it should be a stamped card. Instead, I went silly with collage. And it was fun! I collaged some papers (photocopies from old magazines), painted thinned gesso over the whole thing (wiping any excess off, especially off the person's face). I coloured with crayon, and used a water brush to move some of the colour around. Then I could stamp on top of the whole thing at will. With borrowed stamp pads - we demonstrators stick together. What fun! Here's my results - and I made some others later, which you'll see on my regular blog.

These stamps are all from the "Hello Again" set, in the Summer mini catalogue. A great, all-purpose stamp set.

Here's Chris' take on the same challenge. And here's Kaz's.

Little Christmas Gifts

2009-12-17T13:39:00.004+11:00

I needed to make some little thankyou gifts this year for a Christmas event. Stampin' Up stuff to the rescue (and chocolate of course).

Here's what I made : there's a tube of So Saffron cardstock, made to fit a chocky bar (they are exotic Skor bars from Canada - delish!). Before fastening them at the back I ran the Retro Remix wheel over them. Then got to work with the punches to make Santa. That's a square scallop punch cut in half for his hat. I think I could have done with a face a tad smaller - as always, owning circle punches in every size is a good idea.

I drew the faces on in Stamp 'n Write marker. I should probably practice those!

What? Stamps on special?

2009-12-17T11:51:00.007+11:00

Yes, it's true, Stampin' Up are having a SALE! There's a clearance of certain inventory items, and I'm very pleased about a couple of them.

First of all, check the list on this page, that'll show you what's on offer.

Next, grab your catalogue, and see what we're talking about.

Finally, recoil in delight as you discover ALPHABETS! HALF PRICE! Yup, three of them, two of which I don't already have. There's the Jumbo Outline alphabet (excellent, and used in my Giraffe card here). You can colour it in! You can overlap the letters. The "o"s are circles.

Then there's the Big Deal alphabet, which I've shown in full here (yes, it took some computer wizardry to do that, so you can be impressed). Oh wow, I need that one.

And there's also the Wild West alphabet, a very ornate and cool one...

Each of the alphabets is use $38.98 (that's half price). Good deal!

And there's more besides, but you'd better have a look. As my little friend Giraffy the Giraffe* would say, "Too cool".

* must work on that name.

Do the bunny hop!

2009-12-17T11:34:00.004+11:00

Here's something I made... I was using the "Forest Friends" set from the last mini catalogue (such a great set, I'll bet that turns up in a regular catalogue in the future - not that I would know). It needed a little something.

Then my order from the CURRENT mini catalogue arrived. And there was the little something!

What would a little bunny be thinking of? Carrots, of course.

The carrot is made of (wait for it, it's good) the body of the butterfly from Butterfly Prints. Our friends at Stampin' Up have designed the wings and body as separate stamps, so you can use the butterfly punch on the wings. Yay for that!

For the record, to ink up a carrot, you can do one of two things. Use two markers (that's easy), or use two stamp pads. Since it's strictly top-half-one-colour and bottom-half-the-other-colour, you just tap half the stamp onto the pad, and have a good look from the side. My colours were Old Olive and Pumpkin Pie.

Oh, and of course the big thought bubble is the scallop oval. But what is the small bubble? You'll work it out.

A special ATC for Paperific

2009-11-15T17:29:00.004+11:00

I was very happy to attend Paperific simply as a stamper this year - not working or running a stall. Ah, what fun!

I made some ATCs for swapping - wanna see?

Now, if you are keen of eye, you will notice that the stamps I'ved used here are NOT from the current catalogue. They are "retired" (that's so much nicer than saying "obsolete").

So here's my little essay on "retired" stamps.

It IS a nice thing to keep using your retired stamps, you know. You bought them because you love them, and old friends don't stop being old friends.

So when I'm representing Stampin' Up, or at a SU! function, or trying to sell you something (!) I'll be using all the latest and greatest. But when I just feel like tinkering with my lovely stamps, I'll be dipping into the old classics often. No wonder some older stamp sets become collectors items.

Oh, and you'll see, I managed to use that curly label punch on the day it arrived! That's Kraft card, and Old Olive ink, a classic combination, and behind the window it's Very Vanilla card and the same ink. I've added a little "drop shadow" in pale grey marker to the flowers - it makes them pop! And did I tell you SU! sponges are the best? I think I did. Well, they are.

Christmas Gift Giving - or maybe for you?

2009-11-15T17:03:00.006+11:00

Have a look at the Gift Giving Guide Stampin' Up have released for the holiday season (I've added a link to it here, and it's on the Stampin' Up website too). What a great idea! If you spend just $85 on the goodies in the guide, you will score a FREE punch. A Square Scallop punch to be precise. Everyone needs that one.

But here's and extra bit of info - the offer's been updated - you can choose either the Square Scallop punch, OR the Boho Blossoms punch - that's the one with three flowers. Boho Blossoms features on page 95 AND page 153 of the catalogue ; it also goes with the "One of a Kind" stamp set on page 95. So that's awesome.

Second awesome bit if info is, I have worked out the absolute best package to get from the Gift Giving Guide (or "GGG" as we like to call it). It's what I bought with my first run at the GGG (yes, I'm planning another). If you choose the Curly Label Punch Bundle (that's a stamp set and punch that belong together), then add the Spiral punch (that's the one that makes "sprocket" holes along the edge of your cardstock, and makes pages that fit into our Art Journals), that comes to just over $85, and you'll get your freebie. So that's three gorgeous punches and a set of stamps for $85. Now THAT'S a Christmas present.

My first Bagalope!

2009-11-04T19:53:00.004+11:00

Bag-a-what? A Bag-a-lope, of course! It's a little bag made from an envelope, a cool trick known to lots of stampers, and cultivated by Stampin' Up! demos everywhere, because they are easy to make and demonstrate.

I just had to be different though - couldn't make a straight forward one for my first one...

So I decided it would be a BIG one - made from a C5 envelope (that's the one that fits a piece of A4 paper folded once). You know, a smaller bag would be more sturdy - well obviously! But the person the gift is for needs a LOT of chocolates.

And instead of tying the top up with an elegant ribbon, I went for this cool handle. The secret's the tag punch, folks!

I've used stamps from the Hello Again set, and the Retro Remix wheel (wheels are the secret of bagalope decoration). Those stamps will be coming in the Summer Mini Catalogue, in December. And of course, my two favourite colours, Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive.

Hmm, well, I'm sure I could do a fancier one, but I have to say, that was pretty fun and easy for a quick gift.

Pretties from Regionals - just a few of them

2009-10-20T17:56:00.004+11:00

Here's one of the reasons we go to regionals - to find out what clever things others are doing.

The Sock Monkey stamps set has been a running gag amongst the Gail Force Stampers (I know, it's rude, but we thought it was just a bit of a silly one).

And then Danielle Scholtz makes this! A really appealing card using that set. I am just loving the bananas! The clever bit is, she's stamped onto two colours of cardstock, and assembled the results, for instant gorgeous! And she's managed to restrain herself to a fitting palette, which looks fab.

Here's another really awesome swap, by Kathy Faulkner, who CLAIMS it wasn't that much work. HAH! The card inside the stocking slides out to reveal a message. That's just a whole bunch of awesome. A very popular swap.

Introducing the Kimmie

2009-10-20T16:38:00.008+11:00

In a fit of whimsy today, I created a new stamping form.

It's not an Inchie, it's not an ATC (Artist's Trading Card); it's a KIMMIE.

That's a 1cm square art work. No, it's not easy to make, or share, or even find, but it IS metric, and that counts.

The whole story of the creation of the kimmie is on my other blog, but here's the answer to the key question - where did that pretty butterfly stamp come from?

And the answer is - it's in the middle of one of those gorgeous oval stamps from the Oval All set from Stampin' Up. These stamps are the ones that go with the VERY popular oval scallop punch. They're in the current mini catalogue - which is only on sale until the end of November.

So if you fancy owning Kimmie the Tiny Butterfly, you'd better act fast! I'm takin' orders, but if you have a local Stampin' Up lady (or man), make their day today with an unexpected request!

And here's a scoop - Kimmie the Tiny Butterfly bears a familial resemblance to - something I'm not at liberty to talk about just yet. Something I expect you'll be able to buy soonish. I'm just sayin'

Regionals - the big day out 2

2009-10-18T07:13:00.006+11:00

Here's what Stampin' Up! thinks is an "intimate" gathering - whoah, that's a lot of demonstrators!

Hollie gave an excellent talk about using photos in scrapbook pages, and how to pose for a nice photo yourself. Lean forward and stick your neck out to avoid double chins! After that, it was a festival of neck-sticking-out!

Here's Chris, sticking her neck out...

And here's Lizzie, sticking her neck out...

And here's Gina, sticking her neck out. Rochelle is thinking about the alternative method, putting something in front of you. I'm not sure that a large icecream was the best choice.

A big stampin' day out!

2009-10-18T06:46:00.006+11:00

Oops, did I neglect this blog for a bit? Must have blinked in the this busy world! No matter, here's some news.

I went (with lots of other "Gail Force" girls) to Stampin' Up regional training day yesterday - that's "Regionals" to us. It's a day of talks, demos, making stuff, and lots of swapping, with a better-than-average lunch in between.

Lots of photos to share, but let's start with the most important thing. Me. Or my swaps, anyway. They certainly consumed my thoughts for the days preceding Regionals. Being, as you may know, a bit of a punch fan, I decided that was the way to go. I thought about making more cards like the ones I made for the Quilt fair (actually I thought about recycling the last few of them) but it felt like a day to do something NEW.

So, I punched out a few basic shapes and shuffled them around on the table until a new kind of Stampin' Up punch penguin emerged. And a li'l fishy too. My vellum supplies came in very handy as water.

So, Pauline, I hear you ask, how did you solve the adhering vellum problem? I don't see any brads or eyelets!

The adhesive is hidden under the "icebergs" - that mean the vellum is a pocket. Your penguin COULD be free swimming, for a fun interactive card. Cute, hey?

I managed to give away 35 of these little guys in no time flat. Swapping is fun, and well worth the effort (remind me next time, when I am trying to get out of it!).

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®
Supplies used:
Stamp set: Trendy Trees
Ink :Pumpkin Pie
Cardstock: Whisper White, Black, Pumkpin Pie, Ballet Blue, Vellum, Very Vanilla
Other : Large Oval punch, Small Oval punch, 3/4 inch circle punch, 1/2 inch circle punch, 1/16 inch circle punch, Word Window punch, Scallop Circle punch, Stamp 'n Write journaller

Faux Embossing

2009-08-21T08:48:00.007+10:00

This is a nifty technique Flick taught me. She was demonstrating at the recent Quilt and Craft Fair (you've gotta go to those shows, there's demonstrations a-go-go - at least, there are when WE go!).

The faux 3d effect is quite eye-popping!

It looks like the image is embossed (that is, traced on the back with a stylus, so that the image stands up, enough to cast a shadow).

But it's totally flat!

The effect is achieved by stamping once with White craft ink (and what a great ink that is - the best white ink I've ever used!). Let it dry, or dry it off with a heat tool.

Then, use a stamp positioner, like the Stamp-a-ma-jig, to stamp the same image, offset to the side by just a few millimeters, in a dark ink.

Then (this is the unexpected step) stamp a SECOND time in the dark ink, in exactly the same spot. Why? Umm, it's very technical. The first stamping establishes the image, and the second one makes it ... better. Seriously, the effect of the white is powerful, so it takes two layers of regular ink to balance it out.

Here's a close look at the faux-embossing part :

You can see I couldn't keep my hands off my old favourite art material, pages from an old dictionary!

Here's another example I made in the same session.

The butterfly stamp from the Great Friend set (in the current mini catalogue) is also good for this technique. All the other stamps in this card are from that set too. So nice that everything just goes together!

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®
Supplies used:
Stamp set: Great Friend, Baroque Motifs
Ink :White Craft ink, Not Quite Navy
Cardstock: Not Quite Navy, Brocade Blue, Kraft
Other : Stamp-a-ma-jig

Open House August 12 - Come Along!

2009-08-02T17:25:00.004+10:00

To celebrate the start of the Spring Mini catalogue, I'm having an Open House at my place, and you're invited!

What will we be doing? Well, I'll demonstrate a few things (I could go on like that all night, so you'll need to stop me). I'll have samples for you to look at, and plenty of products for you to see first hand, handle, and maybe even use. I'll have a make and take project ready to go, so you can make something of your own. There will be catalogues to browse through, and you can buy a full catalogue on the night. And of course I'll have a copy of the Spring Mini for you. The kettle will be on, and there will be baked goodies. I like to bake, and eat, so that's an important feature.

Here's the details:

Date : 12 August 2009
Place : My home - call or email me for the address
Time: 7.30pm
Cost : nothing, of course!
Can I make an order?: Sure! But you don't have to.

I'll ask you to RSVP by phone or email.

And my sample here is a set of blocks, decorated with the very sweet Choo Choo stamp set from the mini. I used ordinary acrylic paint on them - I confess I did the whole thing rather quickly; you could certainly get a neater result - but I was INSPIRED!

Vellum and Watercolour Crayons - mmm, yes!

2009-08-01T13:49:00.006+10:00

I mentioned earlier I'd like to play with some vellum - well, I went ahead and got some Stampin' Up vellum, in both the cardstock weight and the paper weight.

Here's what I made : I've stamped the sprig of leaves, and the "for you" message, from "Great Friend" (in the mini catalogue). I've stamped the flower from "Fifth Avenue Floral" onto the heavier vellum, and coloured with watercolour crayons. I cut out the flower, and adhered it to the base card.

The Stampin' Up watercolour crayons did a fantastic job. When you watercolour, you want to be able to move the colour around just as you like it. These crayons are very obedient, and the colour just glows!

Adhering vellum is always a tricky one - how to hide the tape, or whatever you use? I found that the Stampin' Up glue stick did a great job of sticking vellum to cardstock. Just had to weight it down for a few minutes while it got properly stuck.

See my tricky trick? White gel pen touches to highlight the flower - it really makes it pop!

I made these samples at the Quilt and Craft fair. Such a nice time to colour in flower after flower, and chat to an audience at the same time!

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®
Supplies used:
Stamp set: Great Friend, Fifth Avenue Floral
Ink : Summer Sun, Old Olive, Basic Black
Cardstock: Old Olive, More Mustard
Other : Watercolour crayons, Aquapainter, White Gel Pen

NOW the mini catalogue starts!!

2009-08-01T11:51:00.006+10:00

All Aboard!

Additions to this blog over the next few days will feature items from the Spring Mini Catalogue.

Here we have "Choo Choo", the gorgeous little train set. It's made of all solid stamps, so of course, I've stamped on Very Vanilla cardstock (the best stamping cardstock I've ever used) for crisp, clean images.

What do you know, the animals from Wild About You like to ride on the Choo Choo train! I love it!

As you can see, I got my "Right on Track" wheel going, in spite of having no handle for it. For your information, yes, it can be done, but it's a bit of a bother. At a mighty $7.50, I'll be ordering the handle. Then, once I have a handle, I can get more wheels, eh?

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®
Supplies used:
Stamp set: Choo Choo, Wild About You, Jumbo Outline Alphabet
Stampin' Around Wheel : Right on Track
Ink : Summer Sun, Pixie Pink, Old Olive, Ruby Red, Not Quite Navy, Cameo Coral, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Old Olive, Brocade Blue

Spring Mini Catalogue Preview!!!

2009-07-31T14:04:00.006+10:00

Just one day to go until I can blab about the pretty things in the new Spring mini catalogue! The catalogues are out there, and I have some to give away too, but as a matter of good style, I'm saving my "Ta-dah!" until the day the catalogue officially starts.

Which is tomorrow.

But today, I can offer you a very special preview,
brought to you in Altered-Penguin-O-Rama.

First preview is a Stampin' Around wheel - yes, I've bought my first wheel! Shame I didn't remember to order the handle at the same time. Ah, well, I'll be making an order tomorrow or so, it can go on that one. Then I'll be set - after all, you only need one handle. Don't you love the design? It goes so well with this stamp set :

Which is sure to be a hit with young boys in particular!

While this set is rather boy-oriented, there's another set in the catalogue that young girls will go nutty over. Less young girls will love it too - I know, I did!
Then we come to the finale of my preview - this!
I know, I know, we've been waiting, and it's here. And the thing that goes with it too. And it goes so well with the other two things that are just like it but different. You'll love the cool results - highly suitable for scrapbooking as well as stamping.

Well, I do hope you've enjoyed my preview. Come back tomorrow for a slightly more informative one.

If you fancy a copy of the mini catalogue for yourself, let me know, and I'll have one to you in a jiffy.

And guess what - I'm planning an EVENT! A no-stress, all-for-fun, get-your-hands-inky, open-house catalogue launch, and you're invited! Mark the evening of 12 August in your diary, and the details will be here tomorrow.

Oh, and if you're not on my mailing list, why not join now? Then I'll invite you properly.

Our Day out at the Quilt and Craft Fair

2009-07-28T15:32:00.009+10:00

This past weekend, a group of Stampin' Up demonstrators had a stall at the Quilt and Craft fair in Melbourne.

We had a lovely time - here's a photo of our stall, with Flick and Chris looking like they know what they are doing (actually, they do).

Here's the door prize we gave away - ooh, everyone loves a door prize.

And here's some of the samples we had on display. The awesome, very decorative ones are by Flick, and the choo-choo train blocks, and penguin box, are mine. The box I made is a template from the demonstrator web site - a nice benefit of being a demo is access to great tools like that.

And here's what we like to set up at our stalls - LOTS of samples. It's a good idea to come by and just look. Up in the top right corner you'll see Chris' One Sheet Wonder - I have to do one of them one day.

And here's Flick's own photos, including one of ME at the stall!

More Penguins, more craft show

2009-07-26T07:08:00.004+10:00

I spent some of Friday at the Quilt and Craft fair, chatting about Stampin' Up, and I'm off there again today.

Due to fantastic sales of cardstock and ribbon, I'm predicting there's some free space on the table now, so I made a box! I used a template from the Stampin' Up web site (another sneaky benefit of being a demonstrator) so it was pretty quick and easy. And I made a different type of punched penguin for the decoration. You likin' the fish? Me too!

The penguin is made of the small and large oval punches, the 1 inch and half inch circles, and the word window punch. Too easy!

Penguins for sale at the Craft Fair!

2009-07-24T07:28:00.003+10:00

Yes, actual penguins (see?)

This is a punched card I've made. At the Stampin' Up stall, we're offering handmade cards for sale, something we usually don't get to do.

So I've been busy making multiples of my recent favourite design, the little penguin. Want one? Sure you do! Come to the craft fair and buy one.

Want to make your own? Well, I could just tell you how, but if you live near me, I could come on over with all the gear, and show you! How's that for a deal! Just get some friends together (a few is fine, more is fine too) and we'll have a night of stamping and punching fun. That, my friends, is how easy a Stampin' Up workshop is. I might even bring cookies.

The colours here are some real favourite; Old Olive and So Saffron, as well as Basic Black and Whisper White.

Altered Penguin's going to the Craft Fair!

2009-07-15T12:49:00.003+10:00

Hot on the heels of Paperific (one of the most exhausting weekends of my life!) comes the Craft and Quilt Fair at Melbourne Exhibition Centre. And a group of us Stampin' Up Demonstrators are having a stall!

Now, here's what we're going to be doing : at any time, one of us will be demonstrating. Each demonstrator is doing her own choice, so if you keep coming back, you'll keep learning new things. We'll be offering our famous showbags for $10, containing not only the HUGE Idea Book and Catalogue (worth $12.95 alone) but also the gorgeous mini catalogue for August. You won't be able to order from the mini catalogue for a few days, but you can lodge your request with a demonstrator.

We'll have a splendid display of all kinds of stamping, all done with Stampin' Up products. We should be able to name every stamp and accessory used, so the display alone is a great learning tool.

We'll be offering cardstock in neat A5 packets, in the colour families, at 24 sheets for $6. This is a great way to get your hands on a nice variety of colours already cut to card size. If you fancy the bigger A4, or even 12x12, packets, you can place an order on the day.

We'll be offering ribbon sampler packs, with 1m lengths of several ribbons. We've grouped them beautifully, so whatever you choose will be really useful. Our ribbons match our cardstock and inks - don't get me started on how important that is! If you love a ribbon and want a whole roll, you can order it on the day.

We'll also be ducking out to browse and have coffees. Oops, I think I was supposed to play that bit down. But really, 'working' for Stampin' Up is all about sharing what we love, so a day out wearing your Stampin' Up apron is really a play day!

New Art - those wonderful crayons

2009-07-09T19:01:00.004+10:00

Check it out, I drew this with a black Stampin' Write marker, and coloured it with Stampin' Up watercolour crayons. The crayon colours were just spectactular - Garden Green with Always Artichoke made an excellent avocado skin colour.

Phew, I don't usually draw - at all.

Oh, maybe I should let you in on the secret.

It's ... tracing paper! I traced a photo from a catalogue. And I did the colouring on the reverse side! Looked great.

The only thing is, the tracing paper I used was rather lightweight, and buckled a bit with the watercolouring. I think I'll get some Stampin' Up Vellum (it comes in paper and cardstock weight) and try again. Mmm, card weight vellum, that has possibilities.

And of course, you could exploit this technique with stamps and stamp pads, in place of drawings.

The really neverending card!

2009-07-09T09:15:00.003+10:00

Did you like the Neverending Card in my last post? Here's a better look at it, through the magic of stop-motion animation. What fun!

The Never Ending Card

2009-07-01T17:23:00.008+10:00

One of the nice things about being a Stampin' Up demonstrator is that you don't do it alone - your upline, and her "family" all work together as a group. I'm a member of Gail Force Stampers - the group that comes under - you guessed it - Gail! Just this week, the Gail Force Girls got together for a special afternoon - Flick, another group member, showed us how to make the wonderful "Never Ending Card".

Well, it was marvellous! The table was set with card cut and scored for us already (that's the kind of thing we do when setting up a workshop - just to guarantee that everyone gets success). It didn't look like enough card, but what do you know? It was! All the interesting construction comes in the first step, which is so easy to do (when someone clever shows you!).

Then we spent a lovely afternoon decorating our cards, gossiping, and snacking.

We used some small bits of Designer Series Paper, and everything else was stamped onto Whisper White cardstock. I enjoyed helping myself to Flick's huge marker collection. Wow, you can do a lot with markers! I inked up a number of the stamps with markers (the pink/green cupcakes, for example) - that's one way to get two colours into an image. I also used markers to colour the sprinkles on the larger cupcakes, and to add a touch of detail to the cake cups. Oh, and the cherries, of course! So, although nothing is "coloured in", the card looks very colourful.

You'll see I've also used a bit of sponging - the very edges of each white piece are sponged with a colour from the range I was stamping with. I was pleased to try the official Stampin' Up sponges - turns out they are excellent, and great value at $6.50 for a set of three. I've been using some less good sponges for a while now, and they really need retiring. I'll be thrilled to get smooth new ones.

I'm thinking this would be a terrific project to show to others. Probably not for a general workshop, but great for a class or club setting. Hmm. One of my goals is to get a stamp club together. Well, I already run a stamp club, but I'd love to host a Stampin' Up one, where I present a new project each time, and we all stamp away, enjoying the company, and having a go with stamps and goodies. That's something to work towards.

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®
Supplies used:
Stamp set: Party Hearty, Crazy for Cupcakes
Ink and markers : Summer Sun, Pixie Pink, Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise, Ruby Red
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black

Phew! So that's Paperific!

2009-06-24T13:36:00.011+10:00

Well, I've been to every Paperific before, but this time I had a new hat on - Stampin' Up Demonstrator. So I got to demonstrate, run Make and Takes, and chat to people.

I arrived on Sunday morning to find Janine disgruntled - she'd noticed our sign said "Stamping Up", when the company name is really "Stampin' Up!" (yes, the exclamation mark is part of the name). Looking for a good deed to do, I reached up and peeled off the "G", and cut an apostrophe out of the sticky material. I'm sure that gets me some kind of award!

Next step was Make and Takes - I was first up on the Sunday roster. So I got to sit down, and wait for customers. Hah, easy job, everyone knows Sunday morning is quiet. Except that I had two happy stampers immediately, and then another two, and then an unbroken stream of people all the way until the next demonstrator came on duty. She was caught up in something, and I powered on for nearly two hours - loving it, too, it was fun! Here's what we made : a little booklet, with Summer Sun cardstock for the cover, ordinary squares of exercise book paper for the pages, and images from Circle Circus stamped on Very Vanilla, and punched out. Oh, and connected with eyelets, using the Cropadile. I hung the book on a hinged ring, as a cute bag tag.

That scallop circle punch sure is popular - it's fantastic with Circle Circus.

Then I started punching out these shapes out of the scraps. Naturally, people asked to keep them too, so I didn't come home with freebies. Ah well.

Later in the day I got to demonstrate. Ah, sitting down again. I whipped out the watercolour pencils and coloured in the little bird from "Spring Song". Magic, especially combined with the right punches.

I was using my aquapainter for watercolouring. I had recently taken it apart and cleaned it up. I was hoping it would last a bit longer, and guess what - yes it does! This little guy must be six or seven years old, and still going strong for all watercolouring purposes. Aquapainters are available in packs of two (this size, and a bigger one) for $19.95, so that's plenty of watercolouring fun for your money.

What did I make? Check it out! Cute bird, huh? It fits snugly inside the 1 3/8 inch circle punch. I timed myself, by the way. With the base card already cut, I could turn out one of these ATCs in 3 minutes flat! Including colouring, but not including chatting time. So there ya go, colouring doesn't have to take long.

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®
Supplies used:
Bag Tag
Stamp set: Circle Circus
Ink: Summer Sun, Not Quite Navy, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Summer Sun
Accessories : 1 inch punch, 1 3/8 inch circle punch, Scallop circle punch, Cropadile, eyelets

Bird ATC
Stamp set: Spring Song, Organic Grace,
Ink: Basic Black, Summer Sun
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, More Mustard, Chocolate Chip
Accessories : Aquapainter, Watercolour pencils, 1 3/8 inch circle punch, Scallop circle punch

Paperific starts tomorrow!!!

2009-06-18T18:17:00.006+10:00

And I'm going to be there!

But not until Sunday, it turns out.

Never mind, I'm there all Sunday, working on the Stampin' Up! stand, and browsing around whenver I'm allowed a break.

Here's a sneak - two cards from my display. They both use one of my favourite new stamp sets : Fifths Avenue Floral. Look out for different demonstrator's takes on this one - EVERYONE is doing something different - it's just so versatile! My two here are pretty different, they hardly look like the same set.

The pink card here uses one of the flower stamps, stamped in black on Very Vanilla, and coloured with Watercolour Crayons (lovely things they are - they come in the 48 special Stampin' Up colours!).

The orange/green/yellow card uses the same stamp set, stamped all over a sheet of Very Vanilla, using Pumkin Pie, Summer Sun and Olive Green (and I think Ruby Red too). These colours all come from the Earth Elements family - that's why they are extra specially harmonious.

You can get this gorgeous stamp set from me by hosting a workshop, or just making an order - it's priced at $45.95 (plus a small postage charge). That's for FIVE stamps in a neat storage box.

Who's "G"? I think it has to be Gail, my upline's upline, and a very nice friend.

So, I'll be running Make and Takes on Sunday at 10 am (first cab off the rank), and demonstrating at 1pm. I'll be swapping ATCs from about 1.05pm (tee hee, can you work out what I am demonstrating?).

Alphabet to the rescue!

2009-06-14T19:25:00.007+10:00

I had a super time colouring this hummingbird with watercolour pencils. I even did research on colours (although I admit I didn't conform all that closely...).

So, pretty bird, ready to go, and I was faced with the big problem - how to actually make it look nice on a card. One big problem; I had stamped and coloured on an offcut of Very Vanilla cardstock - it was an odd shape at the bottom. I couldn't cut it straight (I'd lose a lot of the flower) so tearing was in order.

Mmm, nice tear. Having two torn edges echoing each other makes the tear look "meant"; so does the sponging. That's Rose Red ink, and Rose Red cardstock underneath. I am so enjoying the fact that things match!

Now, we just need something to finish the card. I'm not much of a one for bling, so words are the go. Nothing inspires. Wait, I know, use an alphabet set, and create a short, punchy message.

So, what's a word that suits this picture, nice and sentimental, full of meaning. And it should be three or four letters long. I tried a few on scrap paper :

"Hi" and "Hello" didn't work for me, so I realised "Mum" is my special word. As a bonus, I'm sure it's time to send my Mum a pretty card.

I practiced stamping "mum" at lopsided angles, and chose a favourite. Finally I finished the card.
Phew! And people wonder why I don't turn out that many cards. But what major fun it's been!

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®
Supplies used:
Stamp set: Spring Song, Jumbo Outline Alphabet
Ink: Basic Black, Rose Red
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Rose Red, Always Artichoke

Altered Penguin's going to Paperific!

2009-06-11T07:32:00.003+10:00

I, and about eleven other demonstrators, have taken a stall at Paperific, the papercraftiest paper craft show in town! It's coming up on 19, 20 and 21 June. We're going to be taking turns to demonstrate, run make-n-takes (defn: a free activity where you get to make something and take it home), and offering show specials.

I'm not at liberty to say what the specials are right now, except to hint that they are totally good, properly thought out, and a very good deal. We've priced them to include postage right to your place!

We're also offering some goodies at the stall - showbags (with a thick juicy catalogue in every one), and some excellent specials to buy on the spot.

So I'm busy working out just what I can offer for MY demonstration, and MY make and take. It has to be pretty, easy to transport, eyecatching, and different from what everyone else is doing. Phew! Good thing I like to demonstrate.

A rose is a rose

2009-06-08T19:10:00.007+10:00

Well, I'm getting into the swing of this particular blog. Here's another pretty card I made. I adore the 'Fifth Avenue Floral' stamp set, and I've just started playing with it.

I stamped the large rose on Very Vanilla, and coloured it with the watercolour crayons. You see, I do love every watercolour medium.

The special thing about THESE crayons is that they come in the named 48 Stampin' Up! colours. It's pretty hard not to find matching cardstock! I coloured with mostly Rose Red, and a little Summer Sun, and of course those are the card colours I used too. And Rose Red ink on the 'A' monogram too, natch. AND Rose Red ink on Rose Red card for a background. See, it all goes together!

Trivia item : why did I use the "A" monogram on this card? Is it meant for my Aunty Agatha, or my friend Annie? Nope, I only just bought the alphabet, and I have only mounted "A" and "B" so far! Couldn't wait to use it!

I did a variation, which is getting mixed reviews around here : the rose is coloured with just one crayon - Charcoal, from the neutrals set. Perhaps I'll do another one, with ONE coloured flower and some neutral ones in the background.

Like the scalloped edge? So do I! That's one nifty edge punch.

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®
Supplies used:
Stamp set: Fifth Avenue Floral
Ink: Basic Black, Rose Red
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Rose Red, Summer Sun
Other: 1 3/8inch circle punch, circle scallop punch, scallop edge punch, word window punch, watercolour crayons

Welcome to my Stampin' Up blog!

2009-06-08T08:13:00.005+10:00

I've started a new blog, to go with my new role as an independent Stampin' Up! demonstrator. Yay! Let's start with a card I just made with goodies that just came in the mail. 'Cos making stuff is what it's all about.

This one uses the very pretty "Spring Song" stamp set, which of course I bought - it has a bird!

I've coloured Mr Birdy with the watercolour pencils - my first time using the Stampin' Up! ones. Wow, they are smooth, and full of pigment! You can tell nice pencils with your eyes shut - just listen to the sound they make when you colour with them. The cheap pencils we give to kids make a "skritch skritch" sound, but good ones just sigh. Ahhh.

My daughter tells me I didn't colour the bird's head right. She says the head should be the same colour as the back. I could scoff and say "what would she know", but she's usually right, so there's my task for next time.

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®
Supplies used:
Stamp set/s: Spring Song, Organic Grace
Ink: Basic Black, Old olive, Not Quite Navy
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Old Olive, Not Quite Navy
Other: 1 3/8inch circle punch, circle scallop punch