Coffee at Claire's

Christmas photo card using Crayon rubbed embossing

2011-11-21T11:17:00.000+10:00

Sometimes it's nice at Christmas time to send your loved ones a card with a family photo on it. This is a card that we made at a recent workshop which was quite a quick and simple card to do. We used the crayon rubbed embossing technique which I found a tutorial for here. And then cut the piece into a Top note shape using the Big shot die. Apart from that little process the rest of the card was very simple and straightforward!
The colours used are Whisper white, Real red and Old olive.
I hope this gives you a little bit of inspiration for your Christmas cards this year :)
Happy Stamping!
Love, Claire

Build a blossom

2011-11-19T16:52:00.000+10:00

Time to take a brief detour from Christmas! I received the Blossom Petals Builder punch as a bonus recently and have had lots of fun playing with it! Here it is teamed with the Build a blossom stamp set which is pretty much the perfect combo in my mind... as it is a 2 step stamping set and it co-ordinates with a punch! To top it all off I have used a Jumbo Stampin' around wheel along the bottom of the card. The ribbon is the super skinny 1/8" Taffeta ribbon in Daffodil delight. I am finding this ribbon can be just enough for a perfect final touch on a card :)
Colours used here are Elegant eggplant, Old olive, Melon mambo and Daffodil delight.
Happy Stamping!
Love, Claire

Something for Christmas with embossing, markers and shimmer

2011-11-19T11:19:00.000+10:00

More Christmas! Can't get enough of it really :)
Here I have used the Vintage wallpaper embossing folder to create that beautifully textured background and the lovely new Something for Christmas Alacarte stamp with markers. The colours used are Very vanilla, Old olive, Cherry cobbler and Real red.

I don't know if you can see in the picture, but I have used a little bit of the vanilla smooch spritz on this stamped and hand cut decoration from the Tree trimmings stamp set. It just adds a little shine to the card!

Happy Stamping!
Love, Claire

CASEing Teneale Williams - Tree Trimmings Christmas Card

2011-11-17T11:18:00.000+10:00

I really do admire Teneale Williams style! I found this card on her blog, here. It was such a lovely bright Christmas card that I just had to do my take on it... which wasn't a lot different really! I have subsituted all of the colours though. Teneale used Old olive, Baja breeze and Real red whilst I chose to use some of our current in colours - Lucky limeade, Pool party and Poppy Parade. My sentiment is also different as I used the current Teeny tiny sentiments stamp set on my card.

Hope you enjoy and go have a little look at Teneale's beautiful creations.

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Christmas Tidings of Joy Sidestep card

2011-11-12T11:20:00.000+10:00

It is almost upon us.... Christmas time!! It comes up so quickly, quicker each year I am sure (Hmm... starting to sound old, aren't I?!)

This is just a simple little card, although it might look complicated, it is only a matter of a couple of scores, cuts and folds and then you will have a lovely side step card ready to decorate! I used my Circle scissors to cut the two circles on the card and the Tidings of Joy stamp set. Click here for a tutorial on how to make the card base. The colours are Cherry cobbler, Not quite navy and Very vanilla.

When I saw this stamp set I just knew I needed it! I love how it focuses on Christ's birth as the central point of Christmas. It's such a precious time to remember God's wonderful plan for us all through sending his son Jesus Christ to earth for us. The phrase, "Oh tidings of comfort and joy" is exactly what Christmas is to me - A comfort, knowing I am saved and joy that I can celebrate it and rest in that salvation when all else can seem lost at times. I hope you all have a wonderful lead up to Christmas! Have a think on what Christmas truly means to you....

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Just Add Ink Colour challenge 91

2011-10-28T11:20:00.003+10:00

Hi my Stamping Friends!

They have a very sweet Colour challenge going on over at Just Add Ink at the moment which is to use Blushing bride, Cherry cobbler and a Neutral of choice. I chose Very Vanilla.

This card was very quick to make using two of the new Stampin' Up! hostess stamp sets. The stamp sets are called Simply Soft (the two step stampin' main image) and Precious Butterflies (the background and sentiment). I have also used the soft stitched ribbon in Blushing bride.

This is a really lovely colour combo and I might try to fit in another attempt this week, no promises but I will try!

Happy Stamping!
Love, Claire

PS I'm trying out a new view on my blog that Blogger have started... what do you all think?

Something Traditional for Christmas

2011-10-26T15:11:00.000+10:00

Here is a quick little card that we used at a recent workshop. I just love this Vintage wallpaper textured folder for the Bigshot and you may notice in the close up that the pattern pops a little on this card as we inked up the folder before doing the embossing (using real red - same colour as the cardstock). I really love this effect.

Another popular effect I have noticed lately and that I have been using myself is this ruffled ribbon look. It's very easy to achieve - simply use a strong adhesive such as sticky strip by placing a strip on the card where you want your ribbon to go and then gather your ribbon by pinching it as you put it on the card. As long as you use a strong adhesive it works perfectly every time!

And the stamp we used is the Something for Christmas, one of the new alacarte stamps in the current Stampin' Up! catalogue. It's a very versatile stamp but here I've just used it with our Stampin' Write markers.

The colours are Real red, Whisper white and Old olive.

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Friendship card using flirtatious fabric and Wisteria wonder

2011-10-24T15:31:00.002+10:00

Following on from my pretty little hair accessories the other day is this card which also uses the Flirtatious Designer Fabrics from Stampin' Up!

The base of the card is Wisteria Wonder and the darker purple ink and cardstock is Elegant eggplant. I have always loved using Elegant eggplant and the new In color, Wisteria wonder is a beautiful shade to pair with it.

The flower was made using the Originals blossom party die on the big shot and held together by a lovely little Wisteria wonder printed designer brad.

Any questions, please just ask!

Happy Stamping!
Love Claire

Flirtatious Fabric gifts

2011-10-22T21:21:00.003+10:00

Hello girls!
I feel like I have released my inner girl in the last few days creating these sweet little items! She has been hiding since I gave birth to the first of three boys almost 7 years ago! LOL!
Seriously though, these were so much fun to make, so simple and so effective! I made this little head band and hair clips for a loyal hostess of mine who has 3 little girls. I have used the beautiful new Designer Fabrics from the current Stampin' Up! idea book and catalogue which was released in September. These colours and patterns are just so pretty and girly. This set of three patterns you see pictured are called Flirtatious.
The flower shapes are cut using the Originals blossom party die.

I had to purchase a glue gun for this project - wow, aren't they a fun tool to use! Hehehe! You might also notice in the picture the hair clips have the little Rhinestone brads and on the hair clip I have used the new printed designer brads in Wisteria wonder, one of our new In colours. So cute and fun - you just have to give this project a go!
If you aren't into such girlie colours the fabrics are also available in a range of other colours and patterns (check out the catalogue for details).
Happy Stamping.... or Happy Hair Accessory Creating!!
Love, Claire

Christmas Card Making Kits with Stampin' Up!

2011-10-01T15:51:00.001+10:00

Hello!
To make your Christmas card making easier this year Paula and I have come up with two card kits to help you make 20 cards and 10 gift tags. All the instructions, cardstock, ribbon, stamps and inks you need are in the kits. So not only will you be able to make beautiful cards with these kits but you can keep the stamps and inks to use on your other beautiful creations :)

Snow swirled Card making kit:
This first kit features the Snow swirled stamp set and the colours are Cherry cobbler and Old olive. You will receive the stamp set and two ink pads, Cardstock to make the 20 cards and 10 precut tags, Ribbon and full instructions on how to make the cards. All these items are yours for $102.10 including Stampin' up freight. If you are outside of the Cairns area please let me know your postcode and I can let you know how much it will cost for me to send your kit to you.
Suggested add ons for this kit are Dazzling diamonds glitter ($8.50) with the multipurpose adhesive ($7.50) or maybe some Rhinestone brads ($19.95 for 84).

Something for Christmas Card making kit:

Our second kit features the lovely new Something for Christmas Alacarte stamp and the colours are Real read, Lucky limeade and Concord Crush. You will receive the stamp and three Stampin' write markers (You can colour directly on to the stamp using the thick end of these markers and can use the thin end to write in your cards or do your scrapbook journalling), Cardstock to make the 20 cards and 10 precut tags, Ribbon and full instructions on how to make the cards. All these items are $59.60 including Stampin' Up! freight. I can also do a freight quote on this kit if you live outside of Cairns.

Suggested add ons for this kit is the Crystal effects liquid ($11.95) - you squeeze it on to the stamped image like glue and it sets clear and raised up like glass. And don't forget your adhesives. I would suggest Snail adhesive ($12.95 for a 12 metre roll or $8.50 for a refill) or Multipurpose liquid adhesive ($7.50).

If you are interested in either of these kits please just drop me an email at clairedaunceysu@gmail.com

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Something NEW for Christmas

2011-09-14T23:11:00.000+10:00

Hello my stamping friends!

Just thought I would pop in to share a card with you as it has really been too long between blog posts. Whilst I have been busy it hasn't stopped me stamping, but my dear camera has definetely died so I am relying on my trusty iphone as a camera and it really doesn't cut it with photo quality... so we are on the lookout for a new camera... but in the meantime I hope you can cope with some very average picture quality!
Here is one of the cards we'll be making this Saturday at our New catalogue Launch. I've used a brand new A la carte stamp here called Something for Christmas with the lovely Stampin' write markers directly on the stamp. Some gorgeous new Cherry cobbler striped grosgrain ribbon and the (new to me) Vintage wallpaper embossing folder in the Big shot.
I am running this launch with my friend and upline, Paula and she will be sharing another cute and New card with us all. If you haven't reserved your spot at this workshop yet then make sure you email or call me in the next day so we can make up your kits for you!

I have lots of new ideas here that I just have to photograph and then I can share with you all! Until then,
Happy Stamping!
Love, Claire

In with new and Out with the old...

2011-09-14T22:54:00.000+10:00

Hi my Stamping Friends!

So have you had a chance to view the beautiful new Idea Book and Catalogue online yet? If not click here to have a sneaky peak. You'll need a big cuppa and quite a few moments of peace to browse the wonderful new colours, projects and stamps! If you'd like a hard copy of this beautiful book just send me an email and I can get a copy to you for $12.95 or free when you host a workshop.

I will have some lovely new projects to show you very soon but in the meantime I thought I would show you my list of old stamps for sale! This is my "Out with the old" sale so that I can clear some space for new things!

These stamps are priced to clear (most 40% off)!

All stamps are wood mount with light to medium use unless otherwise stated. Some have ink on the wood blocks which won’t affect the stamps use.

Used stamps have been kept clean and in good condition with stampin’ scrub and mist.

Stamp sets used: RRP Sale price

Merry Merry 112223 (08-09 IBC) ~~45.95~~ $27.60

All about Christmas jumbo roller (08-09 IBC) 109690 ~~15.95~~ $9.60

Lovely labels 116390 (09-10 IBC) ~~24.95~~ $14.95

Weathered Background stamp 108948 (09-10IBC) ~~33.95~~ $20.35

Hello Again 117717 (10-11 IBC) ~~21.95~~ $13.20

Retro remix standard roller 115619 ~~11.95~~ $7.20

Great friend 116889 ~~31.95~~ $19.20

Happy Moments (Sale-a-bration) $15

Vintage Labels (Sale-a-bration) $15

Sweet little sentiments (Hostess 09-10 IBC) $15

Stamp sets new: RRP Sale price

Whimsical words (Sale-a-bration) NEW unmounted $20

Live like you mean it (Hostess 09/10) NEW unmounted $20

Silhouette Sentiments (Clear mount Hostess) NEW never opened $15

Sweet stems ~~29.95~~ $17.95

Ink pads:

Ink pads have had light use. Well inked. $8.95

Retired colours: Brilliant blue, Green galore and Taken with teal (shrink wrapped).

Current colours: So saffron and Elegant eggplant.

Stampin’spots set of 12 in the old Rich regals colour family ~~$41.95~~ $25-

-Most of these spots are unused but I haven’t checked them all to see if they are still well inked.

Punches: - 1 ½”circle punch (not Stampin’ Up! but same as old punch design – same manufacturer) $15

T&C's: Postage is at purchaser's cost or items can be collected from me in Cairns. I will pack and ship as carefully as possible but I am unable to accept resposibility if the parcel is damaged or goes missing. Payment is by paypal or direct deposit.

If you would like any of the above items or need some more information please email me: clairedaunceysu@gmail.com

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Inkspirations challenge with our soon to depart Cheep talk

2011-08-11T12:04:00.002+10:00

Hi girls!
I always love popping into the Inkspirations Challenge website to see what beautiful creations Keesh and the girls have come up with! It's not often that I am organised enough though to actually try one of the challenges, photograph it and then blog it! But this week (despite a broken camera - thank you iphone camera for saving the day) somehow, I have managed to get an entry into the challenge!
This week is a sketch challenge. Click here to see the sketch and what all the Design team girls have created!

I thought I would use one of my all time favourite Stampin' Up! sets called Cheep talk. I've also used a fave colour of mine, Baja breeze with Chocolate chip, Wild wasabi and a touch of pumpkin pie on the little bird. I often use this set with my markers to colour each part of the bird or branch in different colours.

I have used the same set to decorate the inside of the card with the sentiment: "You've got a friend in me!"
This is one of those fabulous sets with lots of little bits and pieces that work together really nicely. If this set has been on your wish list, remember that it will retire on August 31st or if it sells out earlier.
Contact me if you would like to place an order for any item from our current catalogue or the Last chance list by emailing me clairedaunceysu@gmail.com
Happy Stamping!
Love Claire

Say Goodbye, Say Hello.....

2011-08-01T21:05:00.002+10:00

In the world of Stampin' Up! Australia, August is the month we say Goodbye to so many of our favourites! The retiring list has been released and can be found here. If you would like to order any of these items please email me clairedaunceysu@gmail.com as soon as possible so that you don't miss out as these items are only available while stocks last! I will be placing an order this weekend if you would like to add to this you will only have to pay the 5% workshop order postage instead of the $5.95 postage.

Also, with our beautiful (I've seen it and it is!) new catalogue due for release September 1st you can say Hello to the new! Please email me if you would like to order a NEW Idea book and catalogue from me for $12.95. It will be to you as quick as the postie is! :) (We can distribute them during August!!) Or receive one for free when you host a workshop in September!!

I thought we could take a little trip down memory lane by revisiting some projects I have created with some of the retiring sets....

Great friend
Eastern Blooms
Bugs and Kisses
Hello again
Cheep talk

I hope this inspires! Happy Stamping!
Love,
Claire

Upsy Daisy thank you card

2011-07-20T11:44:00.000+10:00

Hi my stamping friends!!

I have a simple little card to show you today using one of my favourite techniques which is using your markers directly onto the stamp. It works beautifully with this big Upsy Daisy stamp.
The background on the So saffron and Peach parfait was achieved using the ink pad pressed lightly onto the cardstock.

If you have any questions, just ask! Thanks for stopping by and Happy Stamping!
Love Claire

Kindness with free buttons!

2011-07-14T12:28:00.005+10:00

Hi my stamping friends!

I hope you are all feeling bright and chirpy today!

Don't you just looooove these bright little buttons? They look so sweet teamed up with the new A la carte Hello Blossoms stamp. I have used the old olive marker to just ink the stems and scallop base and then adhered 5 of these little Daffodil delight flower buttons on top.

Again, I have used the markers to colour the Kindness stamp from the Heard from the heart stamp set. The sentiment says: "Kindness comes in many forms but always from the heart". A very lovely sentiment! The ribbon used here is the luscious 1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain ribbon in Old olive. This ribbon has a beautiful soft feel to it.

If you'd like some of these gorgeous buttons for free... then click here for the details and then send me an email to place your order! clairedaunceysu@gmail.com

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

My beautiful friend...

2011-07-11T16:22:00.002+10:00

This is a little card that I made for my best friend... She is one amazing lady having just given birth to her fourth baby! They have 3 little boys and have just finally had their princess as number 4! I am so happy for them! Love you Nat!

These cute little buttons and bright ribbon just makes me happy! This card was very much inspired by this card from Andrea Walford. I am a big fan of Andrea's work!
If you would like some of these pretty little buttons and ribbon then you can get them for free this month with an order over $100! Email me clairedaunceysu@gmail.com if you would like to place an order!

Happy Stamping!
Love, Claire

Something pretty.... and some upcoming blog candy!

2011-07-05T14:18:00.003+10:00

Hello my friends!

I have a pretty little card to share with you today. This was made for my Mum's birthday in late May. I just love making these sweet little flowers at the moment! I have used the square lattive embossing folder for the crumb cake base of the card and there are also some stamped flourishes from the Vintage vogue stamp set there too. The other colours I have used are Chocolate chip, Very vanilla, Blushing bride and Pear pizzazz.

Here you can see the flower up a little bit closer - it is made using the scallop circle punch. You cut the scallop circle into a spiral before winding it up into the flower shape. I must confess that I learnt this technique on youtube!

I have also noticed that I am coming up to my 100th blog post so I thought that it was high time I had a blog candy competition!! I will be back in the next couple of days with more information about how you can enter to win some free Stamping items!

Stampin' up! are also offering a great promotion this month. It is a free gift with purchase promo which means that if you spend $100 you will receive a free roll of ribbon and a set of 48 designer buttons (see picture below)! Click here for more information.

Please comment or email me at clairedaunceysu@gmail.com if you have any queries about this card or this months special offer.

Happy Stamping!
Love, Claire

Bring on the cake!

2011-06-30T15:16:00.005+10:00

I had a lovely little workshop last Sunday for a fairly new customer, Tanya. We were meeting to make 3 cards together for $12. These are always fun classes because it allows everyone to try out a few different ideas and techniques and play with many of Stampin' Up's wonderful tools.

One of the requests for Tanya's workshop was a girlie birthday card. This colour combo came to me in a lovely way - I had some melon mambo cardstock out and just popped it on my desk with a few scraps that were already there which happened to be in Daffodil delight, Peach parfait and Regal rose! I found it to be such a fun and girly combo!

I have used the delightful and very handy Cupcake punch for this card. This is currently available in the mini catalogue as is the cute pom pom trim seen here in Tangerine tango and Daffodil delight. The melon mambo background and the cupcake base have been embossed in the bigshot with the polkadot folder.

Also in the mini is this fantastic Birthday greetings set called Bring on the cake. This is where the cute sentiment comes from and we also stamped Happy Birthday on the inside of the card and coloured it in using the Stampin' write markers.

Happy Stamping!
Love, Claire

Our final Deal of the week for May!

2011-05-25T08:17:00.002+10:00

Good morning my stamping friends!

Today I have for you our final Deal of the week for May! Some really fun things to play with here! Click HERE to view the catalogue online! Be sure to contact me by Tuesday May 31st if would like to order any of these cute products!

This Week's Deals:

Item	Page	Description	Regular Price	Sale Price
113838	62	Right on Track Stampin' Around Wheel	$11.95	$8.37
115619	68	Retro Remix Stampin Around Wheel	$11.95	$8.37
119975	134	Vintage Type Rub-Ons	$15.95	$11.17
118760	134	Play Date Rub-Ons	$16.95	$11.87

Happy Stamping!
Love, Claire

Imagine the possibilities JAI colour challenge 68

2011-05-23T14:10:00.002+10:00

There is a beautiful colour challenge over at Just add ink at the moment! The colours are Baja breeze,Pear pizzazz, Perfect plum and Whisper white.

I have wanted to try this inlaid embossing technique with the square lattice embossing folder for sometime now and am really pleased with the results!

I have used the Word play stamp set for the sentiment. Punches used were Boho blossoms, 2 step bird and eyelet border.

Happy stamping! love Claire

Wish big

2011-05-17T15:27:00.002+10:00

I had a bit of fun making this card! It's one of those bright and cheery cards perfect for a birthday and really very quick to make using the new cupcake punch. The colours are Whisper white, Tangerine tango, Tempting turquoise and Poppy parade. I just love the ribbon I have used on this card. It is available in the five in colours and it's such a soft and delightful ribbon to use.
The sentiment is from the gorgeous Word play set which is new to our Idea book and catalogue. I also used the Scallop circle punch and the 1 3/8" circle punch here.
I found it best to use sticky strip for the ribbon to ensure it stays in place. The scallop circle has been adhered using a stampin' dimensional to give it a little lift and I have used Tombow adhesive glue for the cupcake to stick it all together.

Happy Stamping!
Love, Claire

Deal of the week #3

2011-05-17T15:04:00.003+10:00

Hello girls!

Here I am with our third Deal of the Week for May! This week there are some gorgeous Rhinestones and Ribbons available for you to snap up at fab prices! Contact me by Tuesday May 24th by 4pm if you wish to place an order for any of these items. Here are this week's deals:

Item	Page	Description	Regular Price	Sale Price
119750	137	Daffodil Delight 5/8'' (1.6 cm) Satin Ribbon	$16.95	$11.87
119963	137	Certainly Celery 3/8'' (1 cm) Taffeta Ribbon	$12.95	$9.07
109112	139	Square Fire Rhinestone Brads	$19.95	$13.97
109113	139	Square Ice Rhinestone Brads	$19.95	$13.97

Deal of the week #2

2011-05-11T17:03:00.005+10:00

Hi girls!

Well we have made it to another Wednesday and this month that means more special deals from Stampin' Up!

This week we have some fab deals on big shot items!! Ooh they are always lovely things to have in your stash. I love how by using different cardstocks and papers you can cut or emboss something totally different everytime! And the Stampin Pastels New colour kit is also reduced!

Click here to check out the specials for this week.

Don't forget the specials end Tuesday May 17th!

Happy stamping! Love, Claire

More cute cupcakes

2011-05-10T11:00:00.002+10:00

So, here I go again with this seriously cute cupcake punch! It's so easy to whip up a little card with this handy tool!! Here the colours are Melon mambo, Early espresso, Wild wasabi and Pretty in pink. The paper patty case is from the Sweet switches DSP also found in the Autumn Winter mini catalogue. The cute pom pom trim is in Melon mambo and also from our current mini. The sentiment comes from the Birthday bakery hostess stamp set.
I should also mention that this card is a half size (so it's half an A5 sheet folded in half).

Happy Stamping! Love, Claire

Cupcakes!

2011-05-09T16:19:00.001+10:00

Hello everyone!

My favourite new thing from our Autumn-Winter mini catalogue is the very cute Build a Cupcake punch. With one punch movement you cut out a cupcake base and frosting top as well as a candle with flame, cherry and sprinkles! Simply punch out a couple of colours and you can create your own cupcake.

I have used some 'boy' colours below to make a birthday card. The colours are Pacific point, Bashful blue, Real red and Wild wasabi. The strip of patterned paper is from the /brights patterns designer series paper stack. This is a really great set of patterned papers comprising 40 sheets - 2 each of 2 double sided designs in the 10 Brights colours. The papers measure 12"x12".

I have found the best adhesive to use with these little punched out shapes is the Multipurpose liquid glue which some of you may know as Tombow glue. It has a fine point tip at one end for fine pieces (like these punched shapes) and a wider tip at the other for adhering larger surfaces such as a photo.

Well I hope this inspires you a little! Happy Stamping!
Love, Claire

Something quick and fun!

2011-05-02T12:05:00.000+10:00

These cards were so quick to make!
The key is to choose some designer series paper and use that as your colour base and then add a matching stamped image. I have come up with two very different cards here with the same layout and concept here.
The first is a friendship card which I gave to my bestie here in Cairns.

This second version is a male birthday card - the look here was a bit more rough and manly with the map DSP a bit roughed up to look like a well used road map!

And yes, you're all going to go nuts at me because neither of these papers are available any more for purchase! eek! But my challenge here is this, go dig out some of your favourite dsp and a matching stamp set and inks. Then go get crafty ~ I'd love to see your results! Leave me a link in your comments if you give this a go!

Happy Stamping!
Love, Claire

Back with some great deals during May!

2011-05-02T11:15:00.006+10:00

Hello everyone! I know, you must think I have fallen off the face of the earth! Well thankfully I haven't! I have just been so busy lately! We had a great trip down to the Sunshine coast in March and then we've had family visiting from Hong Kong and Melbourne over Easter and of course everything in between with three little boys keeping me very busy! Our Samuel is nearly 6 months old now and scooching around on the floor, almost crawling! Wow time flies by!

Despite my absence, I have been stamping! I have had a few workshops and had fun with some of my own projects also. I have a couple to share with you today in a later post. But first off I wanted to tell you about some super specials that Stampin' Up! have for you this month.

Every week during May Stampin' Up! will be releasing a special deal available for one week only! So if you see something you like, let me know asap and I shall organise to have it delivered to you.

Here is the first deal of the week:

Item	Page	Description	Regular Price	Sale Price
121578	37	Tag Alongs Wood-Mount Set	$31.95	$19.17
120468	59	More Monkey Accessories Clear-Mount Set	$23.95	$14.37
121550	59	More Monkey Accessories Wood-Mount Set	$29.95	$17.97
120003	75	Cottage Garden Clear-Mount Set	$24.95	$14.97
119163	75	Cottage Garden Wood-Mount Set	$32.95	$19.77
121494	98	Compliments to the Chef Wood-Mount Set	$35.95	$21.57

Now this offer is available only until Tuesday May 10th - so don't miss out!

I will be back a little later with a couple of cards for you!
Happy Stamping! Love, Claire

Time for tea?

2011-02-22T14:02:00.003+10:00

Here is my little submission for this weeks Just Add Ink challenge. The girls over at JAI have come up with a lovely sketch for us to play along with this week!

I have made this card half the usual size (So it's half an A5 sheet folded) and used some of our lovely in colours, Peach parfait, Concord crush and Pear pizzazz. The stamp sets used are Vintage vogue and Morning cup and I have used the curly label punch and the eyelet border punch.

You can see in my first photo that I have used paper-piecing for this card using the free hostess set of In color patterned papers - so sweet! I just love these papers, the patterns are really beautiful! You will definetely want a pair of paper snips scissors if you plan to cut out little pieces like this!

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

A FUN Inkspiration

2011-02-10T15:06:00.003+10:00

Hi girls!

I am not sure what it is but the Inkspirations challenges are inspiring me to scrapbook lately! This weeks challenge (#56) is a colour challenge comprising of Basic black, Cherry cobbler, Baja breeze and Whisper white. I'll admit, it wasn't an easy one for me at first but once I pulled out all my ink, CS and accessories it started to come together quite quickly. I have just made an A4 layout here (I didn't have 12x12 in any of the colours!) so I will probably place this onto a 12x12 at some stage. I do quite like making progressive pages such as this where you can place a smaller completed layout onto a 12x12 sheet. I think for me a 12x12 piece of CS can seem a little overwhelming at first!

I have once again used the big shot for a bit of added texture and interest. I just love this square lattice embossing folder and of course the sweet little top note shape for journalling. This stamp set, Notes and Details from the Summer mini catalogue is perfect for Scrapbooking with. I have also used the now retired Big Deal alphabet and the also retired baja striped ribbon.

This is my favourite part of this layout, Ethan's cheeky little smile! Oh I just love him :)

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Just in time for Just add ink!

2011-02-09T22:18:00.002+10:00

I have a last minute entry for this weeks challenge over at Just add ink. This is such a sweet colour combo that I couldn't miss it! The colours are: Early espresso, Soft suede, Rose red and Regal rose. I have been waiting on my order to arrive from Stampin' Up! which included some soft suede cardstock but alas it is not here yet so this card had to go ahead without it! Please excuse the poor photography... it was way too windy outside today to get a decent photo and I had dear little Levi (2 years old) 'helping' me with the camera also! lol

I really love using this Vintage vogue stamp set. Here I have done a little collage stamping using soft suede and rose red. The collage panel is dotted with three small hand cut flowers each centred with a basic pearl. This is then mounted onto some regal rose cardstock which is on some embossed Rose red which is finally mounted on some Early Espresso for the card base. This sweet soft suede polkadot ribbon is from the mini catalogue in Autumn last year. I do wish I had bought more of this ribbon at the time! Oh well...

I hope this inspires you to create something today!
Happy Stamping!
Love, Claire

Inkspirations 55 - Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

2011-01-30T19:40:00.002+10:00

Hi my stamping friends!

This year I want to scrapbook more! My goal is one scrapbook page a month although I hope that by 'forcing' that first page each month, more may just naturally happen! Do you find that? That sometimes you just have to make yourself do one scrap page or make one card and all of a sudden the creativity gets flowing and you are on a roll? I love that feeling :)

I had a bit of fun this afternoon with Keesh's sketch challenge over at the Inkspirations website. I have had these photos of my hubbies creative cooking for a few months now and have been planning to scrap them and this sketch seemed to fit the photos well.

This sketch just screamed 'scrapbook me' when I first saw it... I hope you like what I have come up with...

Another part of inspiration for this little layout was the sweet Playdate DSP. I have pretty much stuck to the same colour combo as are found in the papers - So saffron, Tempting turquoise and Real red. There is a little Bashful blue and Daffodil delight in there also ;)

I know there is nothing 'new' about it but I just love this ruffled ribbon look at the moment. The cupcake has been cut out and mounted with stampin' dimensionals. And can you believe it, only one stamp on this layout from 'Art by design'.

Well I'll stop waffling on, I hope this inkspiration challenge inspires you to go and create something!

Happy stamping! Love, Claire

Colours: So saffron, Tempting turquoise, Daffodil delight, Real red, Bashful blue

Stamps: Art by design

Accessories: Playdate DSP, Mat pack and paper piercing tool, Scallop edge punch, Daffodil delight satin ribbon, Sticky strip, Stampin' dimensionals.

Just add ink 52 - A sketch challenge

2011-01-24T12:55:00.004+10:00

This week there is a great sketch challenge over at Just add ink. And this is my take on it.

I had already watercoloured these little teacups and the teapot to make a thank you card for a lovely friend of mine that I love to share a cuppa with. She has been so generous in making meals for our family since Samuel's birth so I wanted to make a special card for her.

This sketch challenge just helped me to complete the design! I love using challenges for a bit of inspiration. Why don't you head over to Just add ink now to see this week's challenge and give it a go yourself!

Colours: Rich razzleberry, Pear pizzazz, Very vanilla

Stamps: Vintage vogue, Morning cup

Accessories: Watercolour paper, Aquabrush, Rich razzleberry grosgrain ribbon, Corner rounder punch, Top note die, Big shot.

Happy Stamping! Love,

Claire

Just believe in Monochrome for Just add ink!

2011-01-18T12:24:00.004+10:00

This week at Just add ink the challenge is to just add Monochrome. My friend and upline, Paula has lent me this delicious stamp set, Just believe and I thought it would look great in a monochromatic colour scheme. I have made two cards, but the first one pictured is my entry for this weeks challenge.

This first card has a Baja breeze base with Not quite navy and whisper white card stock on top. The ribbon is Marina mist in grosgrain and the ink is Night of navy - I managed to use lots of different blues here but I think it all works. Baja breeze and Marina mist are such soothing colours to me, I just love them.

The main stamp has a faux silk effect on it using scrunched up tissue paper. It gives a really nice effect, making it look a bit more special.

This second card is very similar, here the card base is Marina mist with Not quite navy and whisper white cardstock and the ink is Night of Navy. I have just used the eyelet border punch down the side. Again, there is the faux silk effect on the main stamp. For the sentiment here i have used the Teeny tiny sentiments stamp set and the markers with the stamp-a-majig to position it all in the right place!

I thought I'd photograph my cards in front of our very lush garden! It is so wet up here at the moment (I am not complaining though, we are not flooded) but the ground is so soft and muddy and everything especially the weeds are growing like crazy and so green!

Thinking of all those who are in flood affected areas, now extending further down south :( God bless you all.

Love, Claire

Stampin' Up! flood appeal and a 'tea-riffic' card!

2011-01-15T13:08:00.005+10:00

Here is a special announcement from Stampin' Up! regarding how they will be supporting the flood appeal:

"As flood waters continue to inundate Australia in what has been described as the worst flooding in 37 years, we express our deepest sympathies to those who have lost loved ones and homes and to those whose lives have been changed forever. We, like so many of you, feel a compelling need to lend support to all those who have been affected.

Stampin' Up! demonstrators have a long history of making a difference in the lives of others--especially when disaster strikes and the need is greatest. Nearly two years ago, we watched another tragedy unfold in Australia. Our hearts were touched as demonstrators, customers and friends joined together in support of the Bushfire Appeal. We've done it before and we can certainly do it again!

Please join with us by supporting the Australia Flood Appeal--a cause in which Stampin' Up! will donate $2 AUD of the retail value of sales from any stamp set (with a retail value of $30 or more) sold in Australia and New Zealand from 15 January through 15 February to the State Emergency Services in Queensland."

And here is a little card which uses the gorgeous set, Morning cup. This was one of the first sets that I just had to have from the 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalogue. It's so cute and looks fabulous watercoloured. The colours used here are Rich razzleberry and Pear pizzazz on a Very vanilla base. It has a cute stampin around wheel that co-ordinates with the set which I have used on the top and bottom of the card.

The watercolouring has been done using the aquabrush and ink.

This is a card that we will be making at one of my upcoming workshops.

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Happy Birthday....

2011-01-10T09:08:00.002+10:00

To me!

Yep, 28 years old today. And sitting at home with a sick hubby and three challenging little people! But, I have settled bubby Samuel (now 9 weeks old) and have the older two playing happily out in the garden so I thought I would visit with all my blog friends and share a little card - a birthday card!

This card was made for my lovely friend who celebrated her birthday at the end of December. I know she likes the Stampin' up! Love leter DSP so I made this card with similar colours. I used cherry cobbler, basic black and very vanilla cardstock. The ribbon is the gorgeous 5/8" black satin ribbon. I have embossed the Cherry cobbler CS with the Manhattan Flower textured impressions and the little butterfly from the Great friend stamp set has been embossed for a glossy finish. The sentiment comes from the set, Teeny tiny sentiments - such a useful set!

I hope you all have a happy day. My plan, to enjoy the day as it comes, doing what I love, being a mum. I hope this card inspires you to create something fun today!

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Something for the man in your life

2011-01-01T12:20:00.005+10:00

Hi girls!

A big happy new year to you all! May 2011 be a wonderful year for you in all you do!

I have a confession... when the 2010-11 Stampin'Up! Idea book was released I was quite disapointed by the lack of new mens stamp sets. Well can I just say that the new Summer mini catalogue has totally redeemed this situation! There are new products in this mini that make great mens cards!

Here I have made a card for a male birthday. I have used the gorgeous new Sentimental Journey stamp set from the mini and teamed it up with the Travel Journal designer series papers. That gorgeous Bashful blue cardstock has been embossed with the new Square lattice embossing folder on the Big shot and to tie in with the DSP I have used a knotted piece of pumpkin pie grosgrain ribbon (love this vibrant ribbon) and stamped a sentiment from the Upsy Daisy stamp set in Pumpkin pie ink. All of this is positioned on a Crumb cake base.

The Sentimental Journey stamp set has 8 stamps in it including a ship, airplane, car, suitcase and compass plus three word stamps - journey, travel and detour. This is a set that is also brilliant for scrapping with and I plan to use it for this as I have so many travel photos yet to be scrapped!

Please click on the link to the left to see the Summer mini catalogue and drop me an email if you wish to make a purchase.

I mentioned that there are a few new products for masculine cards in this mini, so I will be back with more soon!

Happy Stamping! Love, Claire

Perfect punching with some papers!

2010-12-31T22:46:00.003+10:00

Here is a sweet little birthday card made for one of our little friends who turned 2 recently. I just love stamps that co-ordinate with punches and this card demonstrates just how quickly you can put a card together using these co-ordinating products. These fun Playdate designer series papers also inspired the colour combo I have used here.

I am entering this card into this weeks Just add ink challenge which is to just add Summer - butterflies and flowers say Summer don't they? :)

Supplies used:

Stamps: Perfect punches, Butterfly prints

Ink: Chocolate chip, Real red

Cardstock: Chocolate chip, So saffron, Whisper white and Playdate DSP.

Accessories: Scallop edge border punch, Wide oval punch, Butterfly punch.

Happy stamping! Love, Claire

Christmas card production line!

2010-11-20T07:42:00.003+10:00

Good morning girls!!

As promised, here is a little piccie of the cards that my sister and I have mass produced for her clients! We made 80 in all and actually Laura is yet to finish putting them all together as we just ran out of time at the end of her stay (truth be told, sushi and shopping took priority!).

We used items from the Delightful decorations bundle to make this card - that includes the Ornament punch, Delightful decorations stamp set and the Old olive ribbon from the free ribbon bundle, Mistletoe originals. The colours used are Cherry cobbler and Old olive on a Whisper white base. The Old olive stamped decoration is actually stamped on the inside of the card and the card front has had the decoration shape punched out to form a little window. The sentiment comes from the Welcome Christmas stamp set and is stamped in Early espresso ink. We also used the Perfect polkadots embossing folder to achieve the polkadot pattern on the Cherry cobbler cardstock.

Don't forget that the Dress up Christmas Promotion where you can qualify for free ribbons runs out on November 30th. Contact me if you'd like to order any of these gorgeous bundles with free ribbon before then.

Happy stamping! Love, Claire

Some Birthday Cheer

2010-11-10T14:43:00.002+10:00

Hello Girls!

Well, for those of you in blogland who have not yet heard, our dear baby boy Samuel arrived on Sunday November 7th @ 1.45am! So he is just over 1 week old and so lovely! He is going so well, feeding and sleeping wonderfully.

I thought I would pop by today to share a couple of Birthday cards with you. The first one was for a little girl at Ethan's school. It uses the stamp sets For Everything and Perfect punches. The colours are Pear pizzazz, Blushing bride, Marina mist and So saffron.

This next little card was made for a good friends little boy who turned 3 a couple of weeks ago. I love all the blues that we have in the Stampin Up! Colour collections now but my favourite would have to be Marina Mist. This card uses the stamp sets Teeny tiny sentiments and Fox and friends. The colours are Bashful blue, Marina mist and Tempting turquoise.

I have had my gorgeous sister Laura here for the last week and she has been a wonderful help to me as well as a great companion. Tomorrow we have to finish making 100 Christmas cards for her to send to her customers and friends! Wow! We'll be busy that's for sure. I will take some photos to share with you all next time.

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Welcome Christmas

2010-11-08T10:00:00.002+10:00

Hi Girls!

I am just loving having so many new products and colours to enjoy at the moment. A really surprising stamp set for me has been the Perfect punches set. It contains 6 stamps with greetings which co-ordinate with Stampin' Up punches. This one here is the Joy at Christmas stamp which I have used with the scallop circle punch and 1 3/8" circle punch. Pear pizzazz is really one of my favourite colours at the moment and here I have teamed it up with Real red and a little Concord Crush.

The beautiful little family scene is from the Welcome Christmas stamp set and I have stamped it in Pear pizzazz and Versamark before heat embossing it with some clear EP. The Versamark allows the Embossing powder to stick to the image.

Don't forget the current Christmas Promotion where you can receive free ribbons when you purchase one of the Christmas Bundles or host a qualifying workshop! Have a look at the Stampin' Up! website here for more information. Please email me if you would like to place an order.

Happy Stamping!!

Love, Claire

Heart of Christmas wreath

2010-11-06T09:00:00.002+10:00

Hi my stamping friends!
A little something to share with you but it's not so much of the stamping variety - much more punching and bow tying here today!
Here I have made a simple wreath using the branch from the Two step bird punch and one of the little flowers from the Boho blossoms punch. Some of the new SU adhesive pearls and lovely Real red satin ribbon just finish it all off!
I am also really enjoying the Heard from the heart stamp set which includes four beautiful sayings.

Happy Stamping!
Love, Claire

Vintage birdie

2010-10-28T08:24:00.014+10:00

Good morning my stamping friends!

It's a beautiful day here in Sunny Cairns - the birds are singing, butterflies floating about and it's not too hot - yet! And on top of that I am preparing to head off to one of my new team member's homes for her first workshop! A great morning planned.

I just had to pop in and say hello though and share this little card with you. I have used a few of my favourite things of the moment to create this one. I just love the bird punch and am loving inking up Vintage Vogue at the moment too! Plus these new colours of Pear Pizzazz and Concord Crush are sooo lovely.

Stamps: Vintage vogue, Perfect punches

Colours: Old Olive, Pear Pizzazz, Crumb cake, Whisper white, Concord Crush.

Accessories: Eyelet border punch, Two step bird punch, Wide oval punch, Concord Crush Stitched Poly ribbon.

THANKYOU also to Tennille from Stamping With Tennille for sharing this Blog award with me! I can now pass the award onto 8 of my blogging friends! So please go and find some new and fresh inspiration from the following bloggers - who always inspire me!

Makeesha Byl
Paula Fuller

Oh and there is no baby news yet... still all snuggled up and waiting for this little one's arrival!

Happy Stamping my friends!

Love, Claire

Christmas Inkspirations!

2010-09-15T11:08:00.003+10:00

Hello girls!!

Well I am just going all festive at the moment! I think with our baby due in November I am determined to be on top of things this Christmas so I have actually begun on making some Christmas cards. When I saw Makeesha's Inkspirations sketch challenge this week I thought of this Christmas wreath straight away. It is from the new stamp set, Welcome Christmas which I am loving playing with as it also has some beautiful little silhouette stamps of children toboganning and a family decorating the Christmas tree.

This really is quite a simple card - I am desperately missing having background stamps at the moment, I really need to get some new ones... and I also need to get some of the beautiful big shot embossing folders so that I can be back on board with decorating the backs of my cards! But to add a little interest I first stamped the wreath in Pear Pizzazz (One of the SU delicious new In colours) and used the Poppy Parade (another new In colour) Marker to highlight the berries. You may also notice if you look closely a few tiny little pearl berries. These are the new Basic Pearls - they are adhesive and just gorgeous :). The Merry Christmas comes from Teeny Tiny Sentiments. The ribbons are Real red Satin and Old olive taffeta.

Hope this has been a little bit of inspiration for you! Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Birthday Bakery at Just add ink

2010-09-11T20:13:00.003+10:00

There is a very delicately sweet colour combo challenge over at Just Add Ink this week. The colours are Pretty in pink, So saffron, Certainly celery and Crumb cake (used to be called Kraft).

So what a perfect opportunity for me to create a card with the equally sweet new Hostess stamp set called Birthday Bakery! My order from the new Idea Book and Catalogue landed on my doorstep yesterday so after assembling my stamps and unwrapping everything yesterday I had fun creating today! I also couldn't resist using a little of my new roll of Pretty in pink taffeta ribbon.

This was also doubly enjoyable as I was stamping this card for a good friend who lives up in the Northern Territory serving with her family up there as missionaries. It was her birthday in August but I knew of something she was excitedly wanting from the new Idea book so I am sending her a late birthday gift.

Cardstock: Pretty in pink, So saffron, Crumb cake, Whisper white

Ink: Basic black, Pretty in pink, Certainly celery, So saffron

Stamps: Birthday bakery, Perfect punches

Accessories: Taffeta ribbon in pretty in pink and whisper white, Scallop oval punch, Wide oval punch, Mat pack, Blender pens, Snail adhesive.

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Great friend

2010-09-01T04:00:00.002+10:00

Do you have a great friend? Someone who you can call about anything in the world? When you're down or when you are excited about something? And regardless of how you sound on the end of the phone they'll gladly chat with you about whatever it is that is happening in your world. I am so blessed to have a friend like that!

This friend is who I made this little card for...

And this friend is going into hospital today for an operation and I just wanted to say that Natalie, I am thinking of you and praying for you. May you have God's perfect peace over all of this. Love you heaps my Great Friend!

Claire xo

A Hoppy Memories album

2010-08-30T09:03:00.009+10:00

We recently had a visit from my husband's lovely parents and it was such a fun few days! We did lots of great touristy things (a perk of living in a tourist area) including visiting Green Island, going Go Karting, shopping, eating out together. It was great! I wanted to share some of the photos we took with Julian's parents in a little memory album. I know they don't have scrapbooking albums so I wanted to make something a little smaller that they could either stand up on a shelf to display the pictures or close up and slide into their bookcase. This is what I came up with.

FRONT COVER

PAGE 1-2

PAGE 3-4

PAGE 5-6

BACK COVER

The colours I have used are Kiwi kiss (retiring), Tempting turquoise, Pumpkin pie, Real red and Whisper white. The album uses the Hoppy Memories Simply scrapping kit. I just love these kits for quick, simple projects. They contain cardstock, co-ordinating patterned papers and great little die cut self adhesive cardstock pieces with journalling boxes, cute pictures, letters and more. I used A4 cardstock to make this album. The front page uses a retired alphabet set and do not attempt such a title page with out a stamp-a-majig!! I also used the Cheep talk stamp set on the back page which is a thank you page for a swing set Julian's parents bought for our boys on their visit.

If you are keen to know more about how to make one of these little albums then contact me and I can arrange to run this project as a class for you. This can be an excellent Christmas gift for family or teachers and adapted to any theme.

Happy Stamping! Love, Claire

Just Add Ink 31 - Colour challenge!

2010-08-25T08:55:00.004+10:00

Good Morning Ladies!

Last night I found an ounce of energy so I decided to stay up past my bedtime (8pm!) and do some stamping. :) It was so fun and this weeks colour challenge from Just add ink was the perfect inspiration (I love these colours):

I decided to use the beautiful new stamp sets Cottage Garden and Heard from the heart. I just love these new sets. Cottage Garden is a two step stamping set which is one of the first things that I loved about Stampin' Up's range of products. To stick with the colour challenge I stamped the second part of the two step (the solid flower) with real red ink stamped off once. I think this worked okay.

I was feeling fancy so I pulled out the heat gun and did a bit of heat embossing on the greeting (hard to see in the photo unfortunately). To achieve this with SU inks you need to ink up in Versamark and then coloured ink and then stamp, sprinkle with clear powder and heat set.

The little butterfly has been given a similar treatment but I used heat and stick powder and dazzling diamonds on it instead of the clear powder.

The ribbon is 5/8"chocolate chip ribbon from SU - only available until August 31st!

I hope this gives you all a little creative inspiration for your day!

Happy Stamping! Love Claire

Farewell Nursery Necessities and Hello Triple Choc Brownies!!

2010-08-07T22:17:00.002+10:00

Hi girls!

Today, Paula and I held our Last Chance Retiring workshop. We had such a lovely afternoon with the ladies that were there! This is one of the cards we made using the Nursery Necessities stamp set which sadly retires at the end of this month. If you look closely you may be able to see that we have actually stamped the elephant onto some of the Tea party DSP before cutting it out and popping it onto the Saffron cardstock. We also used the mat pack to pierce around the saffron cardstock and used the marker to draw faux stitching between the holes. Today, some of the ladies used the white uniball signo pen to draw their stitching which made it stand out well. The colours used on this card are Whisper white, Almost amethyst (retiring Aug 31) and So saffron.

And what is an afternoon of stamping without tea, coffee and something sweet? Paula made some delicious scones with jam and cream - she is such a wonderful scone maker! I made a Triple Chocolate Brownie which is one of my favourite chocolatey treats. I had a couple of requests for the recipe so I thought I should add it to my blog! Enjoy.

Triple Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients:

185g butter
185g dark chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups caster sugar
2/3 cup plain flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
One block of top deck chocolate (minus a row for the chef!)

Method:

Preheat oven to 180c and butter and line a baking tin measuring 23cm square.
Place butter and dark chocolate into a saucepan and stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Allow to cool.
Place eggs and sugar into mixer and beat until light and creamy. Fold this through the chocolate mixture.
Sift flour and cocoa into the chocolate mixture and stir.
Add the top deck chocolate chopped into half squares. (You can also use half white and half milk chocolate of another brand, I just find to use the one block is quite cost effective especially if you can find the choccie on special).
Bake for 35-40 mins until set on top and not wobbly but don't overcook it as you want it nice and moist inside. Cool in the tin and then cut into squares. Makes about 20 pieces.
This is also delicious served warm with ice cream for dessert! It can be made a day ahead and stored in the fridge.

Happy Stamping and Cooking!

Love, Claire

Just Add A Man Card!

2010-08-04T13:50:00.002+10:00

Hi girls!
This week over at JAI the challenge is to Just add a man card but to make it doubly challening they also added in a colour challenge which is Baja breeze, Chocolate Chip and Kraft.
Here is my simple entry which uses the weathered background stamp and a sentiment from Cute and Curly. The punched star is adhered with a silver brad. The faux stitching is achieved with the white signo uniball pen.

I hope this simple card inspires you to create your own 'man card'! And head over to the Just Add Ink website to check out the gallery of wonderful creations of 'man cards' over there!

Happy Stamping, Love Claire

Stampin' Up! Last Chance List and my new recruit!

2010-07-31T13:13:00.008+10:00

Hi girls!

Well I have lots of exciting news today!

Firstly, Stampin' Up! have released their Last Chance List from the 2009-2010 catalogue. This is very exciting as you have the opportunity to purchase some of those wonderful items from your wish list at reduced prices! Click here to see the full list of retiring products and email me at jc_dauncey@bigpond.com to place your order. I can have your order shipped anywhere in Australia from $5.95 shipping. Don't forget that this month is also your last chance to purchase any retiring cardstock or inks of colours that we are farewelling from our range. Don't miss out, a couple of items have already disappeared, never to be seen again!

My other announcement is that my lovely friend Mikaela has decided to join Stampin' Up! as a demonstrator! Mikaela, it's so lovely to have you on board and I look forward to spending more time stamping together and sharing our love of stamping with others!

If you are interested in finding out more about becoming a demonstrator with Stampin' Up! then just shoot me an email as I would be happy to chat with you about how it can work for you. Some people like to run workshops and make a business of it, whilst others enjoy having access to a great discount on Stampin' Up! products as a hobby demonstrator.

And finally to let you know about a workshop I will be running next Saturday with my upline Paula Fuller. The workshop will be held on Saturday August 7th from 1.30-3.30pm in Edmonton, Cairns. Contact me for full details. Cost is $5 to make two cards and enjoy afternoon tea with us! Please rsvp to me by Thursday August 5th if you would like to join us!

Happy Stamping! Love, Claire

Wonderful Brothers - JAI 27

2010-07-28T20:43:00.005+10:00

Hey girls.... I just had to give this sketch challenge at Just add ink a second go! I have decided to do a scrapbook page with some photos of my boys. I am sorry about the photos - they're fairly average due to it being too late at night to take them outside!

I have used textured Not quite navy as the background with Baja breeze. The DSP is from Urban garden. I am really loving my little Alphabet dies for the Big shot! So handy for scrapbooking.

I love these photos. Ethan and Levi were just walking along the street hand in hand. Ethan was being such a good big brother and Levi wasn't resisting the guidance. Totally cute.

Here is a close up of the little pocket I made to hide my journalling.

Happy Stamping!

Love Claire

Sunny Fox and friends - Just add ink 27

2010-07-27T19:00:00.002+10:00

It is time again for a little challenge over at Just add ink. This week is a sketch challenge. Click here to check out the current challenge and why not give it a go yourself?

I just love these little animals from Fox and Friends, a new stamp set in our Autumn/Winter mini catalogue. They each have such different personalities which makes for a very versatile set or you can use a few together like I have today.

This is my first version of the card using a Tempting Turquoise background. I have used DSP from the Sunny Days Simply Scrappin' kit (also in the current mini catalogue) and have used the colours from this pack in my choice of ink and cardstock (Tempting turquoise, Pink passion, Old olive and Pumpkin pie).

My second version is oh so close but uses a Pink passion background for a more girly version. The sentiments are stamped from the set called Teeny tiny sentiments. I love a simple card!

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Inkspirations sketch challenge #33

2010-07-27T13:43:00.005+10:00

Hello girls!

Time for a little sketch challenge from the blog of the lovely Makeesha Byl. I have had the pleasure of becoming friends with Keesh since she moved up to Cairns this year but this is the first time that I have managed to get an entry up for one of her Inkspirations challenges! This week is a sketch challenge and had me dusting off the oval nestabilities to make this little Christmas entry.

I have used the Loads of love stamp set which is a set I really enjoy using (borrowed from friends!) and have had my eye on for some time now. So when it came up as one of the Two step stamping sets on special this month I just couldn't say no! It's always fun to ink up a new stamp set and I just love this little Christmas tree that sits in the back of the pick up truck. I am hoping for some new accessory stamps for this set when the new cattie comes out but we'll have to wait and see....

The DSP comes from the I wish Simply scrappin' kit which I used last Christmas to make a heap of cards and gift tags as well as a couple of scrapbooking layouts. The truck is stamped and coloured on SU watercolour paper which gives great results.

If you are keen to purchase this stamp set whilst it is 20% off (or any of the other two step sets on special) please click here to see the list of what's on offer and email me to place your order. jc_dauncey@bigpond.com

Remember that this offer ends on Saturday, July 31st.

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Just Add Embossing!

2010-07-20T16:48:00.006+10:00

Hello Girls!

Today I have a couple of cards to share with you. Both are inspired by the challenge over at Just Add Ink which is to Just add embossing. The first card uses two of my favourite colours, Not quite navy and Baja breeze. I was in awe of Danielle Daws take on this beautiful technique using clear embossing and brayering so I had to give it a go myself.

Project 1 supplies:

CS: Not quite navy, Baja breeze, Whisper white, Walk in the park DSP. Ink: Versamark, Not quite navy. Stamps: Upsy Daisy, Teeny tiny sentiments. Accessories: Baja breeze striped grosgrain riboon, scallop oval punch, brayer, heat tool, clear embossing powder.

My second project is a bit of a challenge to myself but I have included embossing on it. I used colours that don't normally appeal to me and also my Organic Grace stamp set which I have not used a lot. I am quite happy with the final outcome even though it's quite different for me. This project uses all retiring colours.

Project 2 supplies:

CS: Really rust, Handsome hunter, Mellow moss, Apricot appeal. Ink: Versamark, Apricot Appeal, Handsome hunter, Mellow moss. Stamps: Weathered (background stamp), Best yet (hostess set), Organic Grace (hostess set). Accessories: Hemp twine, stampin' dimensionals, heat tool, clear embossing powder.

Please remember that at the end of August many colours will be retiring with Stampin' Up. Please check with me to see which colours are leaving us and what you need to stock up on!

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Just Add Ink 25

2010-07-14T19:18:00.006+10:00

Well here is my very last minute entry into this weeks Just Add Ink challenge. It's a colour challenge this week and I decided to do a scrapbooking layout. The colours in the challenge are Elegant Eggplant, Very Vanilla, Rose Red and Soft suede - stunning colours. I have used the very beautiful Vintage Vogue stamp set from our current mini catalogue. Even though I would never claim my style to be vintage I do love this set.

Update on Thursday - here are some better pictures so now you can see the colours better :) Don't you think that the rhinestone brads just work beautifully with these flowers?

Happy Stamping!
Love, Claire

An update on me and a two step stamping promotion!

2010-07-13T19:59:00.004+10:00

Hi girls!

Oh dear, it has been quite some time since I have visited blog land! I am soooo sorry for leaving you all hanging although I know you won't have been bored as there are many wonderful sites out there for you to gain some inspiration from!
I am nearly 24 weeks pregnant now and taking iron supplements and feeling much, much better! So I am slowly creeping back into the world of stamping (and reality TBH). I had a lovely stamp a stack with a group of girls the other day which was just wonderful - great way to get myself back into it! (Thanks Anne!!)

I wanted to make sure you all knew about the fabulous offer on this month with Stampin' Up! They are offering a 20% discount on several of their two step stamping sets. This was one of the first things I just fell in love with when I started using SU products and you can buy some of them at 20% off - including two brand new sets in our Autumn/Winter Mini catalogue!

To view which stamp sets are on special please click here. Please just email me with any questions or to place an order.

If you have ever considered opening your own Stampin' Up account (ever drooled over that starter kit on the inside back cover of the catalogue) well now is a great time to sign up - there is currently a further 20% discount off the starter kit but only if you join by July 31st. Click here for more info on this super offer. Remember you can just sign up to receive the kit but if you wish to run workshops and be a demonstrator I am very willing to support you every step of the way. Any questions, just email me!

Thanks girls for your listening ear! Now that I am re-entering the atmosphere I shall post some creations for you all to see very soon!

Happy Stamping!
Love Claire

Colour renovation

2010-04-20T11:48:00.011+10:00

Hello all!

I am sure you have all heard something about the new colour renovation going on at Stampin' Up! There have been mixed responses to it but I am really into these changes. I think there are some beautiful new colours and I love the way they are presenting the colours in Collections(they aren't called families anymore). The biggest change I think would have to be the removal of the Earth Elements family and the addition of the Neutrals collection. Don't worry, a lot of your favourite Earth Elements have been re-allocated to other collections Such as Pumpkin pie and Old olive who have joined the Brights collection! You will also see that some of our current in colours are here to stay!

But rather than me ramble on about it all here are the new Colour Collections:

You might notice the return of a couple of 'old' in colours and a few of our current in colours which will be staying for good: Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Pacific Point, Tangerine Tango, River Rock, Soft Suede, Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze and Wild Wasabi.
There are also a few new colours to be released in our regular range in September: Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake (currently called Kraft), Cajun Craze, Cherry Cobbler and Marina Mist.
So there is lots to look forward to!

And here are the colours that we will be farewelling at the end of August:

If you have any questions at all feel free to email me or leave a comment. If there is a colour you just looooove which is retiring and can't do without now would be the time to stock up on cardstock and ink refills just in case they run out of anything. But personally I just can't wait for these new colour collections! They are so beautiful and fresh!

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Butterflies from the heart

2010-04-10T09:21:00.002+10:00

Hi girls!
Still alive here... sorry about the big pause in posts!
Here is a little card made with the beautiful and very handy Butterfly punch from the Summer mini (still available for purchase!) and the new Heard from the Heart stamp set from the Autumn Winter Mini catalogue. The colours are Tempting Turquoise and Real Red on Whisper white. I used the Butterfly prints set from the old mini catalogue (not available currently) but there is a set in the main Idea Book and Catalogue called Flight of the Butterfly which works well with the punch also.

Happy Stamping! Love, Claire

Last chance $1000 email workshop sale

2010-03-16T11:56:00.002+10:00

Hello!

I've got an exciting little offer for you all! With Sale-a-bration and the Summer Mini Catalogue both in their final weeks I thought I would give you an opportunity to double your Sale-a-bration freebies!

When you participate by placing a $100 order (+5% postage) not only will you receive the Sale-a-bration set of your choice but you will also receive an extra freebie from the list below!

If you spend $200 you receive 2 Sale-a-bration sets and 2 items from the list below!

Don't forget that the gorgeous Sale-a-bration sets are only available until the end of March and will not be seen in future catalogues so if you love them this is a great chance (and your last chance) to get your inky fingers on them!

So, place your order by Tuesday March 30 to receive your choice of Sale-a-bration set for free plus one of:

Level 1 hostess set - Your choice
Level 1 hostess set - Your choice
Level 1 hostess set - Live like you mean it
Whimsical words stamp set (SAB)
Happy Moments stamp set (SAB)
Good neighbours stamp set (SAB)
SAB set - your choice
$30 credit
$30 credit
$30 credit

Depending on the number of participants the prizes available may be adjusted accordingly but you will still get your free SAB set and one extra item as listed above. I will draw the prizes out of a hat on March 30th.

Please email me at jc_dauncey@bigpond.com to place your order which can be paid for by direct deposit or credit card. Orders must be emailed to me by March 30th.

Please click on the catalogue images to the left to view the main Idea book and catalogue and Summer mini catalogue and the Sale-a-bration banner above to see the lovely sets available for free.

Happy Stamping!! Love, Claire

Just add Easter

2010-03-12T16:32:00.005+10:00

Thank you to the Design team over at Just add ink this week... you've given me the perfect excuse to buy the first Easter choccies of the season! This weeks challenge is to Just Add Easter! How could I make this sweet little Easter gift basket (designed by Makeesha Byl) without filling it up with yummy, choccie, Easter goodness? That just would not have been right...

I also thought this challenge was a brilliant excuse to crack open the newest colour ink pad and card stock in my collection.... Razzleberry! It's one of the luscious new In colours from Stampin' Up! that will be available from April 1st!

These little baskets are really so quick to make. It's simply a matter of a couple of scores, cuts, adhering and putting the handle on with some brads. You can see Makeesha's tutorial on this box complete with measurements here.

I used the wide oval punch to make my little Easter eggs and the sentiment is from the Chit chat Rub ons available in the current Summer Mini Catalogue which is such a great little set of rub ons with a sentiment for EVERY occasion!

I have used clear rhinestone brads throughout this project which pair so nicely with the flower images from the Vintage Vogue stamp set which will be available from April 1st!

Supplies used:

Stamp sets: Vintage vogue

Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Old olive

Cardstock: Rich razzleberry, Old olive, Whisper white, Cottage Wall DSP

Tools: Paper cutter, Bone folder, Mat pack (for piercing), Clear rhinestone brads, Chit chat rubons, Wide oval punch, Scallop circle punch, Scallop edge punch, Paper snips (scissors).

Happy Stamping! Love, Claire

Little girl bird-day card!

2010-03-08T09:02:00.001+10:00

Hi girls!
Bird-day - get it? Haha.... ahhh... (I'm so funny...)
Just a sweet little girly card to share with y'all using one of my favourite sets, Cheep talk. I made this for a little friend of ours who had her birthday party on Saturday and turned three! Happy Birthday Ruby :)

Supplies: Stamp sets: Cheep talk and Vintage Labels (SAB set available til Mar 31)

Ink: Pink passion (original and stamped off for the lighter pink), Green galore (marker) , Close to cocoa (marker)

Cardstock: Pink passion, Green galore, Whisper white

Accesories: 1/4" Pretty in pink grosgrain ribbon

Happy Stamping! Love, Claire

Another entry for Just Add Ink colour challenge

2010-03-07T08:48:00.001+10:00

Hi girls!

I think I found this colour challenge at Just Add Ink such an, um, challenge that I just had to overcome it! I had to give it several goes to make something work! So this is my second entry for this colour challenge - I went for a brighter birthday card look. I have just assembled my Happy Moments Sale-a-bration set recently and thought this little present stack would look cute if all the gifts were different colours. So I used versamark to stamp on Pink passion, Green galore and Tempting turquoise and then cut out each present and adhered using a stampin' dimensional to make it pop out a little.

It certainly is a bright little card! But I guess that's perfect for a Birthday!

Supplies used: Stamps: Happy Moments, Sprinkles

Inks: Basic black, Versamark

Cardstock: Green galore, Pink Passion, Tempting Turquoise, So saffron, Whisper white.

Tools/accesories: Tempting turquoise 1/4" Grosgrain ribbon, Circle scissors, Scallop circle punch and 1 3/8"circle punch.

Happy Stamping! Love, Claire

JAI7

2010-03-06T08:22:00.004+10:00

Here is my entry for JAI7 - A colour challenge using Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise, Pink Passion and So Saffron. I love all these colours... on their own or with other colours... but together this is a tricky little combo! They are all quite strong colours so it is easy to go a bit gaudy with this colour combo. I hope I have done it justice!

This is a little close up of the emboss resist technique I have used. I heat embossed the upsy daisy image using clear embossing powder on glossy card stock. I then brayered the Pink Passion ink over the image and wiped the ink off the daisies with a tissue.

And here is my completed card! I really love using the whimsical words stamps on my cards at the moment. There is a sentiment in there for every occasion (almost!) and the swirly writing is so easy on the eye.

Supplies used: Stamps: Upsy Daisy and Whimsical words (sale-a-bration set only available til March 31)

Ink: Pink Passion

Cardstock: Whisper white, Glossy, Tempting turquoise, Green galore

Tools: Eyelet border punch

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Gratitude

2010-03-04T12:17:00.003+10:00

There have been times in my life where I have kept a gratitude journal. You just record 5 things each day that you are thankful for. I haven't done this for ages but my dear friend Natalie has reminded me of this in her recent blog post and so I thought I would take up the challenge and do my own Thanks x 20 list of the things I am thankful for.

I am thankful that I've had my husband home for a few days...

...and that now he is at work doing something he loves

For Ethan (my 5yo) changing his behaviour at school after some correction from the teacher and Julian and I.

For Ethan's school and teacher.

For Levi (17 months) who is just so cute.

That my family is healthy.

That we have a little home to call our own

That I just found 20 minutes for some quiet time with God.

That my sister visited last week.

That I have 'work' one day a week with an organisation that I believe in...

and that Julian can look after Levi whilst I do that work.

That I can have fun, meet people and earn money whilst doing a craft that I love.

That I can be home with my boys.

No matter how far spread across the country and the world my family is, we all love each other.

For the trials we've had that have taught us much.

For friendships God has given me here in Cairns.

For my Dad and the reconnection we have had via phone calls recently

ThatI can look forward to the fact that Julian and I are going out to dinner sometime soon.

For this yummy pizza slice from bakers delight that I am eating for lunch!!

For my friend Natalie who inspires me with her faith in so many ways!

And just had to add one more - I am thankful to have over 20 things to be thankful for!

Go and give it a go, you'll remind yourself how blessed you are!

Love, Claire xo

Just Add Ink challenge #6

2010-03-03T13:13:00.006+10:00

This is my entry for this weeks sketch challenge at Just Add Ink. This is the first time I have used my new Weathered background stamp which I won in the first week of Just Add Ink's launch blog candy. (Thanks girls! It's great :) )
I also had to ink up three sale-a-bration sets for this challenge! I have used Happy Moments, Vintage labels and Whimsical words. It's a slide card where the insert slips in the top of the card which is like a pocket.

Recipe:

Cardstock: Tangerine Tango, Old olive, More mustard, So saffron, Very vanilla (sounds like dinner or dessert!)

Inks: Old olive, Chocolate chip, Pumpkin pie.

Stamps: Weathered, Whimsical words, Vintage Labels, Happy Moments.

Other: Old olive grosgrain ribbon, Wide oval punch, 1 3/8"circle punch, linen thread, mat pack, sponge daubers.

I hope this is a little inspiration for you! Happy Stamping.

Love, Claire

My distraction!

2010-03-02T21:31:00.001+10:00

I'm sorry it's been so long between posts! But I have the best excuse!! Last Monday morning I awoke to what I thought was my mobile phone alarm clock waking me at 6am... but no! It was actually my little sister Laura who lives way, way, way down and across in Perth calling me. At first I was a little perplexed at why she was calling so early especially when she suggested I hop out of bed to put the kettle on! At least until I realised that she was calling from my front door! Yes, that's right my precious little sister hopped on a plane and flew 4 hours through the night arriving at 4am and waiting patiently to the acceptable hour of 6am to come visit me in Cairns! It was such a special surprise. We had the whole week together and enjoyed doing the school run together, shopping, coffee-ing and seeing a movie and going out for dinner. It was great.

Now, If you click on this precious photo I am sure you'll notice something else new... braces *sigh* oh well they are just short term to finish straightening some stubborn teeth - they went on last Friday and they hurt like crazy... I can't wait to get them off already!

But to stamping.... you'll have to be patient! I will be back I hope very soon with some cards to share with you but in the meantime why not go try out the challenge at Just Add Ink... it closes tomorrow at midnight - quick hop to it! I am!!

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Owl together with polkadots!

2010-02-19T09:00:00.000+10:00

I seriously love these owls. They are just adorable. This is a little card that we'll be making at a workshop I am running this morning. It's just a fun bright card. My blog candy from Just add ink arrived the other day which included this bright and chirpy Real red polkadot grosgrain ribbon. Isn't it fun? And you can use the other side as well to just have plain real red grosgrain with the stitch down the sides. I also love the little curly label punch bundle which contains the curly label punch and four stamps that co-ordinate. This is what I have used for the sentiment. I was thinking this could be a card for male or female, young or old... Maybe to boy it up a bit you could just tie a knot in the ribbon instead of the tie... but other than that I think it would suit most tastes!

Thanks so much to the girls from Just add ink for my fun new things including this ribbon! I love it. I also received a background stamp (my first ever) so will have to show you some ideas with that very soon! Go check out their website for some awesome challenges, tutorials and ideas.

Happy Stamping!
Love, Claire

PS Contact me if you'd like to host a Sale-a-bration workshop as my diary is filling up!

Shooshi

2010-02-18T10:32:00.002+10:00

Hello girls!

Shooshi is Ethan's name for Sushi :)

When I started this blog I mentioned that I might post recipes but really the task of photographing my food has just been too huge. I am not a great photographer - still learning even some very basic tips but I thought I would give this recipe a go.

Sushi is a healthy food, really quite easy to make and so cheap! We often visit Sushi Train and can spend about $25 there as a family for lunch but these were so cheap to make at home that I don't know that we'll be back at the Sushi train for a while! I will include some costings so that you can see what I mean. It was also fun to make as a family. I prepared all the ingredients and then we all had a go at rolling our own sushi.

Lets start with a cute photo of my little chef:

Get your ingredients ready: (Everything I purchased from my local Coles so they're accessible ingredients. Check out the Asian food section.)

5 x Nori sheets ($2.89 pack of 10) $1.45
1 cup Sushi rice ($4.27 for 1kg) $1.07
2 tblsp Rice wine vinegar ($1.99 for 250ml) $0.25
1 1/2 tblsp sugar (pantry)
Kewpie Mayo ($4.19 for 300g) $1.05
Carrot, Cucumber (I used less than half one), Baby corn, Avocado and Tuna (half a large tin) for fillings.

Method:

Combine 1 cup rice with 1.5 cups water in a saucepan with a lid. Bring to the boil.
Reduce heat to low, make sure lid is on firmly and simmer for 20 minutes.
Whilst rice simmers combine Rice wine vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan. Stir over heat until sugar is disolved. Set aside off heat.
Turn heat off under rice after 20 minutes. Stir with a fork to fluff rice up. Pour vinegar mixture over hot rice and gently stir through.
Tip rice onto baking paper lined tray (I used a cookie sheet/tray) and spread out gently. Allow to cool.
When ready to assemble your sushi place one Nori sheet onto a bamboo sushi mat. The Nori is crispy at this point. The rice softens it. With moist fingers pick up the rice and spread over Nori sheet right to the edges except leave a 2cm space at the far end of the sheet.

7. Place your fillings onto the rice. Here I have used tuna, cucumber, carrot and kewpie mayo.

8. Using the bamboo mat gently roll the sushi up. Apply some pressure so that the sushi rolls compactly but not so much as to split the Nori sheet or ooze your filings out the ends. Moisten the end of the nori sheet with water and rub gently to seal.

9. Slice the Sushi into 1.5cm pieces (not pictured) or leave as hand rolls as below. Use a serrated knife for this

The other thing that I love about sushi is you can make it in the afternoon and refrigerate only to pull dinner out of the fridge a moment before serving. Great for a hot night when you can't face turning on the oven.

Other filling ideas are: cooked prawns, teriyaki chicken, smoked salmon, cream cheese, capsicum.... any other ideas out there?

Happy sushi rolling!

Love, Claire

You're too kind....

2010-02-15T11:00:00.007+10:00

I am spoilt for choice with some beautiful new stamp sets at the moment! I am really enjoying using Whimsical words which is one of our Sale-a-bration sets which I received for free! So I knew I had to use this set in my entry for this weeks Just Add Ink challenge 4 which is a colour challenge. The colours are:

Which is exciting for me because I LOVE Kraft cardstock and Rose red is one of my favourite Stampin' Up colours! Woo!

Don't you just love the little More Mustard button? They are so gorgeous. I tied a little linen thread through her and adhered her with a glue dot. The ruffled ribbon was inspired by Lisa Johnston. Isn't that such a great idea? Having the stitching down the sides means you can just pull on the thread to ruffle your ribbon. So easy.
It might be a little tricky to see but for the flowers I stamped them in versamark on Sage shadow and then sprinkled with clear embossing powder and heat set. So they have a lovely darker tone to them and a nice sheen in real life which the photos haven't really captured.

And here is the final product. A thank you or appreciation card.

Ingredients: Cardstock: Kraft, Rose red, Sage shadow.

Ink: Versamark, Rose red

Stamps: Whimsical words, Eastern blooms

Accessories: Double stitched Rose red ribbon, Playground designer buttons (More mustard), Linen thread, Glue dots, Stampin dimensionals, Scallop circle punch and 1 3/8 circle punch.

I also want to say a big thank you to Amanda at Just Add Ink for the photography tips. It really did help me out with these photos.

Thanks for looking! Happy Stamping!!

Love, Claire

Saturday morning

2010-02-06T12:05:00.003+10:00

Well we've had a busy morning! We started playing with the cuttlebug with my 4 year old son Ethan because he loves helping me make the sandwich and rolling the cartridge through! So he embossed and cut a few shapes and then I did a few for myself. Including the circles below. I of course have on my wish list the Stampin' Up Circle scissors as they look so versatile and I hear easy to use. They are on the last page of our Summer mini catalogue.
Then it was to vacuuming, baking chocolate banana bread and finally onto making my entry (using my circles) for this weeks challenge over at Just add ink. This week it is a layout challenge:

Ingredients:

Cardstock: Garden green, pink pirouette, Rose red, Whisper white

Ink: Pink pirouette, Rose red

Ribbons: 5/8"striped grosgrain Pink pirouette, Double stitched grosgrain Rose red

Accesories: Gorgeous Kiwi kiss designer button (I threaded a teeny tiny thread of Kiwi cardstock through the button to look like thread).

Well I better go check on that choc banana bread... the aroma is divine!

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Just add hearts!

2010-02-02T18:35:00.002+10:00

Well I have been thinking about all things Valentine's with it being February and all and then the lovely girls at Just Add Ink have come up with a super challenge for the week called "Just add hearts!" What a great idea. This is my contribution:

I wanted to go for something a bit masculine so started on the basic black and I have done a bit of tearing and distressing edges and scrunching the little circle to give it that kind of worn in look... I never really considered the stamp set Always to be a Valentines day set but the sentiments are really sweet for the special man in your life. This one says 'always on my mind-forever in my heart.' There is another one that says 'You mean everything to me' - also a delightful sentiment for your valentine!

Recipe:

Stamp set: Always

Cardstock: Basic black, Kiwi kiss, Whisper white

Ink: Whisper white craft, Kiwi kiss

Accessories: Kiwi kiss satin ribbon and jumbo grommets (Summer mini catalogue)

You can always take the whisper white ink up a notch by heat embossing it to really make it stand out.

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

My big school boy

2010-01-28T19:08:00.000+10:00

Well here he is, all dressed up for school! He was so happy on Wednesday morning as we got ready for his first school morning! It is quite a long drive to get to Ethan's new school and all along the way we had him saying, "I'm just so excited"!! Very cute.
When we arrived he found his spot on the bag rack and put his lunch into the fridge and promptly sat down and played with the 'tap tap' game (where they use little shaped wooden pieces and nails to hammer into a cork board). He was really happy so we didn't feel that we needed to stay too long. We had some hugs and said goodbye and he was all good! It all just went so well.
He was happy upon pick up at lunchtime and after a lot of prompting he shared that they'd had a little walk around the school and that he made a friend but couldn't remember his name! He also saw another little boy in year 1 (they share a playground) that he knows so that was nice. We took him out for sushi lunch (his favourite) after school! What a great day!!

We're just so proud of him *happy sigh*

Love, Claire

Just Add Ink Colour challenge 1!

2010-01-24T23:45:00.004+10:00

This is what I came up with from the beautiful colour selection in the Just Add Ink colour challenge 1.

I just can't resist my Butterfly Prints stamp set at the moment with co-ordinating punch and am so loving these jumbo grommets from the Summer mini catalogue also - they are gorgeous and so so easy to use! All you need is the 1/2" circle punch and a bone folder to push down the little prongs on the back. Other stamp sets used were Sprinkles and the sentiment is from Upsy Daisy. I love this Double stitched Grosgrain ribbon also... it's so generous!

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Just Add Ink

2010-01-22T21:33:00.002+10:00

I have just discovered such a wonderful website - especially for fans of Stampin' Up! products. Just Add Ink is a design challenge website started up by Danielle Daws and Amanda Reddicliffe. The use of Stampin' Up! products in these challenges is encouraged so it is a great resource for some fresh ideas using our gorgeous products.
I have found lately that trying out a couple of challenges here and there is very inspiring. By starting with a colour palette, a layout or a technique you're challenged to try something different but given a framework to guide you. If you ever struggle with coming up with ideas (You might say, "I'm not creative") then give some challenges a go as they'll broaden your mind and teach you to be creative!
I am about to have a go at their current challenge of So saffron, Taken with teal, Rose red, Chocolate chip and Whisper white. Some of my favourite colours in there - it will be interesting to see what I come up with!!

Happy Stamping!
Love, Claire

Haiti Disaster relief promotion

2010-01-22T00:05:00.003+10:00

Hi everyone,

In response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti on January 12 Stampin' Up are committing to donate $2 from the sale of every I {heart} hearts stamps set which is in the current mini catalogue. All donations from the sales will go towards the American Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund. This money will be used for immediate relief as well as long term support through supplies technical assistance and other assistance to those in need.

This set of 8 stamps is $42.95 and co-ordinates with the heart to heart punch. It's a versatile set for friendship cards, wedding, engagement and Valentine's day as well as being perfect for scrapbooking. It can be found on page 6 of the Summer Mini Catalogue.

Please contact myself or your regular Stampin' Up demonstrator if you wish to purchase this lovely set and help the people of Haiti.

Love, Claire

A kind word for a birthday

2010-01-18T21:49:00.005+10:00

Isn't this little girl sweet, just swinging away.... For my birthday one of my dear friends stamped a whole bunch of these girls for me to colour and I had some fun doing that last night! I have a few birthdays approaching so I thought I should make some birthday cards with these girls.

The card has a base of Perfect plum layered with Certainly Celery.
The designer series paper peaking out from below the punched eyelet border is from the Tea party pack. Such sweet, girly paper!

Here we have some punched flowers (Boho blossoms punch) adhered using a rhinestone brad. The Celery sentiment is from the Best yet set (hostess) and punched out with the Curly label punch from the Curly punch bundle. I sponge daubed the edge of the sentiment and it is backed by another curly label punched from more Tea party DSP.

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Half a one sheet wonder!

2010-01-17T21:33:00.004+10:00

Hello everyone!
Have you ever created a one sheet wonder? Well this is a half sheet wonder! I have been inspired by Claire Daly's post on this clever technique to make some quick cards. You simply take half an A4 sheet of cardstock and stamp it randomly with your stamps of choice. Then chop up that piece of cardstock and use it on cards with other embellishments etc. This is what I came up with.

So I made 6 cards using the half A4 sheet so you could potentially make 12 cards using this method with a whole A4 sheet. It only took about 1.5 hours to make these six cards. If you would like to learn this method first hand then let me know as I would be happy to incorporate this into your workshop.

Recipe:

Cardstock: Whisper white, Tempting turquoise, Real red, Pumpkin pie, Old olive.

Ink: Whisper white craft, Tempting Turquoise, Real red, Pumpking pie and Old olive.

Stamps: Butterfly prints, Eastern Blooms, Lovely labels, Embrace life and God's blessings.

Accessories:Punches: scallop circle, butterfly, large oval and 1 3/8"circle. Ribbon: 1/4 " grosgrain in Old olive, Real red and Tempting turquoise. 5/8" grosgrain in Old olive . Playground designer buttons (More mustard)

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Hand made flower

2010-01-12T20:12:00.003+10:00

I have found a new favourite colour - So saffron. It's a beautiful buttery yellow - and I felt it was the perfect background for this flowery card.
This is an idea that I picked up from Stampin' Up!s monthly magazine we receive as demonstrators. I love the ideas they give to us and this is my version of it. To make the flower you simply punch some scallop circles out of stamped cardstock. You curl the scalloped edges up using a dowel (I used a large needle) then you simply stack the flowers and pop a Designer button in the centre. I used the delightful new Playground buttons here from the Summer mini. I'll list all my ingredients below.
If you are keen to get your hands on these inspiring monthly magazines as well as a great discount on Stampin' Up! products then contact me about signing up as a demonstrator! It's great fun and you can be anything from a hobby demonstrator buying supplies for yourself and supplying your friends right up to making a career out of it with brilliant incentives... so drop me a line. We have a promotion coming up where you can receive a free stamp set when you sign up - so it's a great time to do it.

Cardstock: So saffron, Very vanilla, Old olive (stem), Chocolate chip.

Ink: Versamark and Tempting turquoise

Accessories: Playground button, 1/4" old olive grosgrain ribbon, linen thread, chit chat rubons

Tools: Scallop circle punch, Scallop edge punch, Snail adhesive, Mini glue dots

Stamps: Butterfly prints

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

For Everything

2010-01-09T23:25:00.002+10:00

I had the chance for a play with a new stamp set called 'For Everything' the other day. This is a sweet little set from the Summer Mini catalogue which includes the sentiment "Thanks for everything you do"as well as a stamp that says, "friendship" in an oval frame. This is one of the Two step stamping sets as the stem is a separate stamp to the flowers and so you can mix and match them to suit your design. This is a card I have CASEd (Copy And Share Everything) from the Summer mini catalogue on page 13. I used the Stampin' write markers and the blender pens to colour the flowers. There is also a lovely little rub on sentiment from the Chit chat rubons, also in the Summer mini - I love how many different greetings are in this rub on set and it comes with a sheet of white and a sheet of choc chip rubons. Cardstock colours are So saffron and Certainly celery. Ink colours are versamark (at the bottom of the card), Certainly celery, Pink passion, Elegant eggplant, Pumpkin pie, Summer sun, Real red, Tempting turquoise and basic black.

As soon as I saw the For Everything set I thought about using one of the flowers as a tail for the bird to turn him into a peacock! I think he's quite cute! I played on the Turquoise colour here by using that as my main card colour to go with the little birds bright colour. Other cardstock is Certainly celery, So saffron and Lovely lilac. I used the Stampin write markers in Tempting turquoise, Glorious green, Pumpkin pie, Lovely lilac and Pink passion to colour the bird.

I hope this is a little inspiration for you. Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Cheep talk

2010-01-04T22:41:00.002+10:00

Just a quick post to share a couple of thank you cards made with the Cheep talk stamp set. We were shown so much hospitality and kindness when we visited Arnhem Land recently that I was inspired to make these cards for some people to say thank you.

Recipe for Baja Cheep talk:
CS: Baja Breeze, Kraft, Whisper white, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Old olive, Baja Breeze, pumpkin pie and Chocolate Chip.
Stamps: Cheep talk and Retro remix standard wheel.
Accessories: 1/4" Old olive grosgrain ribbon, stampamajig and Mat pack

Recipe for Pear cheep talk:
CS: Very vanilla, Kiwi kiss, Whisper white
Ink: Chocolate chip, Old olive
Stamps: Cheep talk
Accessories: 1" double stitched choc chip grosgrain ribbon, kiwi designer button, linen thread and stampamajig

I hope this is a little inspiration for you. Happy Stamping!
Love, Claire

Summer Mini Launch

2009-12-30T23:19:00.002+10:00

Stampin' Up! have a beautiful new mini catalogue out for Summer and it's jam packed with gorgeous stamp sets, fun accessories and awesome embelishments! On January 15th @ 7pm I will be hosting a little Summer Mini workshop. It'll be a fun night creating a couple of cards and a sweet little gift box. Cost is $10 for the three projects with plenty of fun and laughs thrown in for free! Contact me if you would like to attend. Please RSVP by January 11.

Some Scrapbooking

2009-12-29T19:12:00.001+10:00

I thought I would share with you some scrapbooking that I managed to put together whilst on our trip up North. These are some photos of Levi on his actual first birthday when we went to Muddy's playground for a play and fish and chips lunch. He just loved splashing around in the water there. Ethan popped that little yellow flower behind Levi's ear and it stayed there for a long time. Doesn't he look so happy about life?
I am still defining my scrapbooking style but I would have to say that I am much more into putting a few photos onto a 12x12 layout than just focussing on one shot. However sometimes you do have such a gorgeous picture that it can be the only one on the page.
I used some adhesive die cuts from the Hoppy Memories Simply Scrapping kit and they are so cute. I love the images in this kit with the frogs and turtles and thought this cute little character was the perfect company for Levi's cuteness on this page!
I do have to apologise for the picture quality here. I really struggled to get it all in focus. I do hope you can see it well enough.

Recipe:
Cardstock: Yoyo yellow and Pacific point
Ribbon: 5/8" Kiwi kiss striped grosgrain.
Embellishments: From the Hoppy Memories Simply Scrapping Kit
Marker: Chocolate chip

Happy stamping!
Love Claire

Pink Daisies

2009-12-28T10:00:00.000+10:00

This is an effective way to use your Stampin' write markers. Using a larger detailed stamp such as the Daisies from Upsy Daisy start by using the lightest colour markers to colour in the stamp. I started with Regal rose on the flowers and then added the rose red to the centre base of a few daisies before colouring the stems in old olive. By this time the ink has dried a little so you need to give a good warm huff with your breath all over the stamp to moisten it. Then stamp onto some whisper white cardstock. The card was finished with some pink pirouette cardstock and 5/8" striped grosgrain ribbon and a Kiwi kiss base. I stamped the greeting also from the Upsy Daisy set in Old olive as I don't yet own the Kiwi kiss ink.

Enjoy and Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Something bright and cheerful!

2009-12-27T09:00:00.002+10:00

This is a sweet little card using a new set from the Summer Mini. It's a happy little card which can be changed to suit the occasion by your choice of greeting. The stamp set is called Hello again. The card is whisper white with Lovely Lilac and Kiwi Kiss cardstock. I used markers for the flower in Pumpkin Pie and Old olive and the Lavender Lace for the butterfly and greeting. The greeting comes from the Upsy Daisy set but you could also use the 'Hello' which comes in the Hello again stamp set. The ribbon is the 5/8" Striped grosgrain in Kiwi Kiss.

I hope this is a little bit of inspiration for you!

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

I'm back!

2009-12-26T21:43:00.005+10:00

And I have lots to show you :) I took a bunch of stamping things up North with me and had lots of fun creating. It was lovely to have the opportunity to have a stamping night with some of the MAF ladies in Nhulunbuy before we flew out to the little island of Milingimbi. A couple of the girls were keen to make a Tri shutter card and I just happened to have just enough cardstock and patterned paper to make another version of this card using the Butterfly Prints stamp set from the Summer Mini. We had such a great night together.

We used a kraft background with Washington Apple papers, Bashful blue, Real red and Pumpkin pie ink, Bashful blue 1/4" grosgrain ribbon and the beautiful Butterfly prints stamp set. It would have saved us a fair bit of time if I had received my butterfly punch in time... but now I have it and it's wonderful! I love it! And it also co-ordinates with the butterfly images from Flight of the butterfly (p. 82) in the Idea book and catalogue.

I only have a couple of dates available for workshops in January. Contact me if you would like to have a workshop with some of our lovely new products from the Summer Mini.

Also, until January 24th there is a great inventory clearance sale on with Stampin' Up! There are some awesome reductions! Check them out at http://www.stampinup.com.au/

Happy Stamping!
Love,
Claire

PS Stay tuned for some scrapping layouts and more cards over the next few days!

Faux metal effect

2009-12-03T23:09:00.004+10:00

Hi girls!

This will probably be my last post until I return from NT. But I just had to share this fun technique with you! This is my latest swap in my Artist Trading Card (ATC) techniques swap and the technique is Faux metal. If you are into heat embossing then you must try this... if you are not yet into heat embossing then you must get into it and try this because it is such fun and a great effect!
There is a tutorial here on Splitcoast. Basically you use versamark ink and Silver embossing powder on cardstock and heat set four layers or so. Then you quickly whilst the embossing powder is still wet press a stamp into it. This is how I made the silver flowers on the ATCs. The recipe is below.

Recipe:

Cardstock: Kiwi Kiss, Whisper white

Ink: Versamark, Certainly Celery, Basic Black

Accessories: Heat tool, Silver embossing powder, Old olive 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Snail adhesive.

Stamp sets: Eastern Blooms and Best Yet.

Enjoy!

Love, Claire

Love Album

2009-11-29T22:06:00.004+10:00

This is just a little album that I made for my lovely husband for our 7th Wedding anniversary... how time flies when you are having fun! I can't believe we're at 7 years already :)

It was a fairly simple process to make. It starts out as a 12"x 12" piece of Cardstock which you score at 4" and 8" both ways so you end up with a grid of 9 squares. Then you cut out the 4 corner squares and embellish. I trimmed the front flap a little and used the corner rounder punch to neaten it up.

I plan to make a few of these for family for Christmas in colours from the Bold Brights family - such as Real red, Tempting turquoise and Only Orange. But I will put photos of our children in them instead for a little keepsake for the grandparents!

Recipe:

Cardstock/Paper: (I am so naughty... that blue - the base of it all is not a current colour... I'm off to the naughty corner)... Kraft CS, Bordering Blue CS, Very Vanilla CS, Urban Garden DSP.

Ink: Versamark, Bordering Blue and Basic Black Stampin write journaller.

Stamp sets: Big deal alphabet, Always

Accessories: Kiwi kiss striped grosgrain ribbon, Mat pack, 1 3/8" circle punch, Corner rounder punch, Stampin' dimensionals.

Happy Stamping!

Claire xo