Welcome to the Blog hop.-:¦:-•:*'""*:•.-:¦:--:¦:-•:*'""*:•.-:¦:-‹(•¿•)›

Hello and Welcome to my Blog, I hope you're enjoying your hop around tour. How gorgeous are these new sets in our Summer mini !!! I have really enjoyed being part of the ESAD yahoo group and as I said in my previous post we all have a lot of fun sharing ideas and tips to improve our Stampin'Up! know how. ESAD stands for Extra Special Australian Demonstrators, if you think you would like to join in the fun and you are a Stampin'Up! demonstrator in Australia, all you have to do is click on this button: Click to join ESAD-SU

Now onto my projects...

Lucky Duck...

This card has been made with the really cute set called ' Wagon Full Of Fun ' I have used my ink pads and Aqua brush to colour this little duck in, I also used a sponge to colour the edges of the water colour paper which has been distressed with the cutter kit distressing tool. The Bashful Blue taffeta ribbon is accented with the 'Lucky Duck' label which has been punched out with the Word window punch and tied on with some 'Linen thread', I used the same thread to sew a cross in the top left hand corner. The designer paper is from the 'Tea Party' pack found in the main catty. The background on the 'So Saffron' card stock is done with the 'Reto mix' wheel in SoSaffron ink. I've added a bit of bling to the duck's ribbon with a two way glue pen and some gorgeous 'Dazzling diamonds. Cardstock used was: So Saffron, Bashful Blue and Water colour paper. Inks used were So Saffron,Basic Brown, Bashful Blue, Pink Pirouette (for cheek), Creamy Caramel and Apricot Appeal.

For Everything Stamp set.....

For this watering can I have used the set called 'For Everything'. All the little images in this set are simply adorable and really fun to colour in with the Stampin'write markers, I used Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Barely Banana, Almost Amethyst and Apricot Appeal markers. I also used the Eyelet border punch for the lace look around the bottom and on the spout. The ribbon is Whisper white 1/4" grosgrain. Ink pads used were Regal Rose (for the little flowers) Pretty in Pink (for the So Swirly wheel), Lavender Lace and Certainly Celery. Cardstock used was Whisper white and Pink Pirouette. I used a White Signo gel pen to highlight some areas of the wheeled image. I hope you like these projects. Now don't forget to leave a comment before you go onto the next blog, if you leave a comment on all the blogs in the hop you will have a chance to win some really yummy blog candy including ribbons, stamp sets dazzling diamonds and more. So Good luck! Say hi to Chris for me at your next blog here: http://dotdotstamping.com/ Once you have visited all thirty blogs please e-mail Leonie to let her know that you have done the tour and would like a chance to win the blog candy at: (mailto:leonie@stamp-a-latte.com)

Take care and thanks for visiting with me, lots of inky hugs from...

Bye, Bye Butterfly.....

It is with great sadness we will have to say goodbye to one of my favourite stamp sets 'Great Friends', the Spring mini is finished at midnight tonight (Eastern time). Of course when we say goodbye to one mini, we always say HELLO to a new mini, so to celebrate the start of our new Summer mini I am taking part in a Blog hop. You will be able to visit lots of blogs owned by Australian Stampin'Up! demonstrators, we all belong to a wonderful on-line group called ESAD ( Extra, Special, Australian Demonstrators). It is a group which is open to Australian and New Zealand Stampin'Up! demonstrators, where we can share ideas, templates, play in challenges and on-line cyber stamp weekends, give each other lots of support with business ideas and general Stampin'Up! news etc. I digress! "it's just such a lovely group to belong too" But back to the Blog Hop, As I said you can click from one Blog to the next to visit all these wonderful demonstrators and see what beautiful designs they have come up with to display all the new products available in the up-coming mini. If you would like to join in the Blog hop there will also be a chance to win some great Stampin'Up! products free, all you have to do, is visit every Blog on the Blog Hop tour (apx. 28)and leave a comment with your name which will then go into a barrel to be picked out for some Blog candy containing ribbons, stamp sets, dazzling diamonds (glitter) and much more. Not only will you get to see some wonderful art work, but you will also get some great ideas to use with your own creations, so if you like the idea of joining the hop, it will all begin tomorrow morning at 6am (Eastern Time). So pop back for a visit, have a comfy chair and a nice cuppa all ready to enjoy your viewing pleasure. See you tomorrow, lots of inky hugs from ....

Up yer Kilt!

Grant with the rest of the group up on stage

Me with my very handsome hubby.

Grant with his very proud mum!

Grant all ready for his Highland Gathering stage performance.


Well I promised several friends and family that I would upload some photos of the Highland Gathering last weekend, so here the are. It was an absolutely brilliant day and 'The Ferrymen' were so well received, they sold out of their CD's and everyone was singing along or dancing to their music. I must admit I'm very lucky because I get to listen to them rehearse every week too. They play every Friday night at a mock Tudor village pub called "The Elizabethan" they have got quite a few fans that come every Friday to hear them play, I go along as much as possible, but because I normally have a class here on a Sat. morning, it makes it difficult for me to get the sleep I really need to be my best for my very dear stamping friends. Oh well, I'll post some art work later, just wanted to show off my musical hubby! Have a great day, lots of inky hugs from....

All for Marie's Birthday..

I have a very dear friend called Marie (pronounced Mah-ree)as in the Scottish song ' All for Mari's wedding' and as it happens she is actually Scottish. Anyhoo a few weeks ago it was the lovely Marie's birthday and she has a thing for butterflies, so I thought I would make her a cute little watering can with butterflies all over it. I used some of our retired dsp (designer paper) from last year as I knew she also loved that too, the little butterflies are from a retired set but the big one is from "Great friend" which is in our mini. The sentiment is from a retired set, but is on a punched out large oval which is sitting on a scalloped oval (from the mini). I hope you like as much as Marie did. Take care, lots of inky hugs from...

One more water spritz image.

Hi All, This is the last water spritz image for you, it is from the "Soft Summer" set in the soon to say good bye Spring mini. Soft Summer is a two step stamping set, which is very versatile to use because you can use each stamp by itself or put them together to give a more detailed image. I used a mix of crayons and markers for this one along with the water. I hope you like it. I will upload some photos from my very special day yesterday here soon, so keep visiting, lots of inky hugs from...

A bit more water spritzing...

Hey there, I hope you have had a good week. I thought I would show you a few more pictures from our water spritzing day. The flowers above are from the "Echoes of Kindness" set, which is a FREE level two stamp set. This is a beautiful set with wonderful words to match, I think it's well worth having a fun get-together with some friends just to earn this set. I used the "Watercolor Wonder Crayons directly to the stamp and spritz the water on before stamping onto the card stock. The heart above the flowers is from another of my favourite sets (I know they're all my favourites) called "Always", instead of using crayons for this I used the Stampin' write markers before spritzing. If you would like to take part in any of my technique classes, please contact me via e-mail or leave me a comment for more information on times and places etc.

Oh well that's all for tonight folks, take care. Lots of inky hugs from..

Cute widdle wabbit!

Hi Guys, I must start by telling you about the wonderful time I shared with some great friends and my daughter last night. We all went out for dinner, then went to see Twilight, followed by New Moon. Makeesha, Monnie, Elysia and myself had such a brilliant evening/morning, it started at 7.30pm and went right through till 2.30am this morning, needless to say I suffered a very tiring day today with lots of yawning, but it was all worth it, the films were great and just watching Elysia and Keesh get sooo excited was really funny. It was a brilliant night shared with great company, it really makes me feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family around me. It was just the tonic I need, so thanks girls!
The cute little card above was made by using that sweet little set called Forest Friends, I also used one of our beautiful flower brads, they're so heavy and well made. They come in various colours and can be found in our current mini on the very same page as Forest friends (pg.12) so go check them out before we say good bye to this much loved mini at the end of this month.
Take care all, and thanks for visiting with me, lots of inky hugs from ....

Origami Christmas tree.

Hello there, I hope you are having a good week. I thought I'd keep with the Christmas theme a while longer and show you this little tree card I made with my Friday group a few weeks ago. It's really quite simple to make, and once you've mastered one it's a bit like riding a bike, the rest is easy. The background was made by stamping in versa mark and clear embossing the swirl stamp from the Season of Joy set. The paper pot is from the Ski slope pack in the current mini. I'm gonna really miss that paper! Oh well, that's it, short and sweet tonight. Thanks for stopping by, lots of inky hugs from...

Did I say Christmas is coming??

I know you probably don't want to know this but...It's just under six weeks (that's 40 days) until my most favourite celebration of the year! CHRISTMAS. So if your wondering what to buy for your paper crafting friends or need a shopping list to give your loved ones some ideas for your presents I've got just the thing. The best bit is, if you choose $85. worth of goodies from this special gift list you get and extra pressie FREE, you can choose either the scalloped square punch or the Boho blossoms punch (retail value $30.95ea.) found on pages 152-153 of the main catalogue. How's that for some incentive to get Christmas shopping! This special is valid until the 14th of Dec. 09. Please click on the link below to down load the special Stampin'up! gift lift list:

http://www3.stampinup.com/au/documents/Holiday_Extravaganza_GGG_AU_1009.pdf

If you would like to place an order and have it delivered straight to your door or your friends in time for Christmas, please contact me for more info by clicking on "my Stampin'Up! web link" Which can be found at the top right hand corner of this blog. You can see the two choices of FREE punches bellow. Lots of inky hugs from....

Christmas is coming!

Square Scallop Punch. Boho Blossoms Punch.

Hello there, I hope this finds you all enjoying a nice relaxing time and having fun blog surfing. I made this card with some of my regular ladies a couple of weeks ago, I showed them how to use their small and large tag punches to make this pretty poinsettia flower. Last year I used the same technique with another group to make pretty stars with glitter to bling it up. The leaves were made using that fun tool, the paper crimper, I used Kiwi kiss. The flower is real red and basic black, there is a shiny crystal brad in the center, but it's hard to see in this photo. Hope you like it, take care. Lots of inky hugs from...

Sock monkey tri-shutter.

I thought you might like to see the birthday card I made for my little God daughter this year. I must admit, I didn't fall in love with this little guy in an instant. He kinda grew on me, my daughter Elysia has a thing for monkeys and collects them, so it goes without saying that as soon as she saw this set in the catalogue she begged me to get it. Well, I was really good and held off for the first three months and then I caved! To be honest the more I use him the more I actually like him. I used a technique called paper piecing to do this card, so instead of colouring him in I just stamped him onto designer paper and cut him out. The cup cakes are from a wheel and went well with the birthday girls party theme of Cupcakes of course! Oh well, take care and thanks for visiting, lots of inky hugs from...

A couple of Great Friends...

Hey there,

I must admit being home all day and not being able to move around very well has given my blog a new lease of life! These are all projects which were made quite a few weeks ago, but I never had time to just sit and upload them. So I thought I'd do some catching up this week. Here are two cards that have been made using the Great Friends set "Luuurv this butterfly" I'm really going to miss this set when it goes at the end of this month. The paper is also from the Spring mini, its from the Walk-in-the-park pack. I also used the new scalloped oval (also found in the mini)with set that matches Oval All and the eyelet border punch from the main catty. I hope you like them, lots of inky hugs from....

Forest Friends.

Good evening all, I'm happy to report things are looking up and I'm really on the mend. I even got all my new stamp sets mounted up this afternoon, I'm not sure how eager I would of been if they weren't all die cut though! It really makes it so easy that our stamps no longer need trimming before mounting...Thanks Stampin'Up!

Well it's been really humid today and it's still rather sticky now, but not as bad as over in South Australia, you poor things. I'm sure we will have our fare share before too long and our AC and pool will get lots of use. This little card is made with the set called Forest Friends from our Spring mini, I made it for our display at the Stamp-a-thon in Aug. I adore these little creatures, they remind me of Bambi. I cut the hole out in the card for the owl to look through, using the 1 3/8 circle punch, so when you open the card the owl is on the inside. I used the butterfly from "Dreams Du Jour" which is in the main catty. Oh well, take care. Lots of inky hugs from...

More Soft Summer.

Hello again, I can't believe how fast this week is going, considering I'm doing absolutely nothing. I'm being very good and just resting, albeit very boring! I'm hoping if I behave myself I will recover from my op really fast and be back to stamping up a storm in no time. Especially as my box of new goodies from the up-coming new Summer mini arrived today, I didn't even touch the box till my daughter came home and lifted it onto the table for me, then I carefully undid all the tape and got all excited to see those shiny new stamp sets, tools and accessories looking up at me. Well, I managed to mount a few of my new sets before getting all light headed and hot, so hubby suggested I come back to the box after just relaxing in the lounge for a while. I think it must of been all the excitement of seeing those wonderful new products! ok it could of just been me still recovering from my op!
I thought I'd better show you some more from our present mini before it has to leave us on Nov.30th. this card is a case of the one on page 22 of the mini, where you can see the set used which is called Summer Soft, this is a two step stamp set and has 6 stamps in it. I hope you like it, take care and thanks for visiting. Lots of inky hugs from...

Water colour spritz.

Hello, I'm feeling a little delicate, but glad to be home. I would like thank all who have sent me get well wishes. I am definitely well on the road to recovery. I made this card with some of my lovely clients who wanted to know how to use their water colour wonder crayons. I used several sets on this card including Soft Summer, Great Friends and Words of kindness. I love the soft tones on this card and I hope you like it too, lots of inky hugs from ....

Great Friends.

here's another stamp from the soon to be departing mini, it's called Great friends and it's definitely been my favourite set from this Spring mini. The paper is from the Urban Garden pack, another of my favourites. I hope you like this one, I copied the layout of a card we made at regionals last year, the ribbon is the gorgeous Baja Breeze 1" double stitched grosgrain. Thanks for stopping by, lots of inky hugs from...

Forest Friends.

Hello and welcome to my Sunday afternoon, the sun has been shining and the day has been peaceful, just as a Sunday should be. The card above is one of the cute little creatures from the set called Forest Friends, this set is found in our Spring mini and runs until the 30th of November 09. So If you have any sets on your wish list from the Spring mini, don't forget to contact me or your closest demo to order them for you. The sentiment on this card is from the Level one free hostess gift called Best Yet, I love this set as it is so versatile and seems to have something for every occasion in it. Oh well, take care and thanks for visiting with me. Lots of inky hugs from....