Archive for the ‘Off the Page’ Category

Welcome to the ESAD Christmas in July Blog hop!!

I do hope you’ve come prepared for a wonderful ‘Christmas’ journey so if you havent got your cuppa and some biscuits you’d better go get some now … I’ll wait till you get back to continue.

What is ESAD?

ESAD stands for Extra Special Australasian Demonstrators and it is an online group just for Australian and New Zealand demonstrators for Stampin’ Up!®

We so love what we do and not only do we love to share it with our customers, friends, and wonderful blog visitors but we share our love for what we do with each other as Demonstrators. We run swaps, challenges, tutorials, product know how and cyberstamps and we are always there to help and support each other when its needed. There is also the online chat networking that is available whenever youre online.

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

You should have come here from Clare’s blog but if you havent dont worry … just keep hopping until you get back to me.

Now, like all good bloggers, we all LOVE comments so please be sure to leave us a comment as we just thrive on them!

I have had one of these Simply Scrappin’ “I Wish” kits for eons – maybe even last Christmas and I hadnt pulled it out to use so I thought I’d better take this opportunity and use it before its retired.

Here is what I created ….

We have ….

• A Christmas planner
• A Gift box with toffees inside
• A Gift Bag
• 6 Christmas Cards with matching Envelopes
• 8 Christmas Tags

Now all of these things I made with just half of one of the kits – oh and I had quite a bit left over that I didnt use including adhesive die cuts, cardstock and patterned paper.

So I could still make a bundle more cards, tags and even a scrapbook layout if I wanted to – or I might even dress up a canvas for the Grannies for Christmas.  So just imagine how much you could make with a full kit!

The Christmas Planner

I love the idea of these planners so when I was making projects for this blog hop I thought I’d love to make one of these so I went looking online for ideas and maybe a tutorial.

After spending half a day (I kid you not!) of looking and not really finding what I wanted I sat down and decided to design one myself!  So I did and I love how it turned out!

The Planner takes one sheet of 12×12 cardstock to create then I’ve just added pieces of the Designer Series Paper and adhesive die cuts from the kit to decorate it.  Easy!

Here are a couple of shots inside the planner ….

Then we have the cards ….

These cards were actually made using the Stampin’ Up!® Notecards.  Using the Notecards made them so quick and easy to put together and they come with envelopes so I just stamped some snowflakes from the Snow Swirled Stamp Set and I was done! Easy!

A Box for the special someone with the sweet tooth!

How cute is this box?  These Acetate boxes are so easy to make and you can put anything in them from toffees to candles!  Oh if you are buying someone a gift card you could pop that inside and then fill it up with toffees or Werther’s Caramel Chocolates – now I did buy a bag of those but they umm disappeared … well one does have to do quality control do they not?? I do know that hubby took two of them – the hide of some people!

A Gift bag …..

How nice is this little bag?  Now you could put just about anything in here too … a CD, stamp set, punch, set of car keys, toy car even (being a replica of the new one in the drive-way maybe? please Santa???)

Not forgetting … the gift tags ….

Now these were fun to make and I will probably make a few more – but how cute is that Penguin??  I do so love Penguins   I’ve been eyeing off this Punch Pals set for a couple of years now and thought why not?? My customers need new stamps for their Christmas Stamp A Stacks!

Wow .. .I apologise this post is so long!  I didnt mean for it to be so if you’ve got this far I thank you from the bottom of my Christmas heart!  It does happen to be my favourite holiday and its a shame its all over so quickly.

Now before I go I do have to tell you that if you do happen to see those Werther’s Caramels to grab one bag for you and one bag for me cos they are D-I-V-I-N-E!

Now that you have got this far its time to hop onto the next ESAD Blogger in the Blog hop being the gorgeous Gardenia Pepworth

Now dont forget to leave everyone a comment

With my business I like to have a Financial year diary each year so its easier to file with my Taxation records. Now being a crafter I like my ‘tools’  to be nice and bright and cheery.

If you have ever looked for a Financial Year diary have you ever noticed just how drab and boring they are? Well I suppose there is such a big choice – you can have black, black or umm black!

I always go to Big W and look there first as they are just so affordable and looking at the ones they had last week we worked out (yes I was shopping with hubby) that we could remove the insert and I could then undo the binding, make a new cover and then re-do the binding.

Once I pulled the diary out it I wondered if our spiral punch would fit the binding.

Lo and behold it did!!

So now instead of having to undo the binding, make a new cover and then redoing the binding all I have done is cut a piece of Designer Series Paper the size of the pages in the diary and use the spiral punch down one side.

To give it a little more protection I added a sheet of Acetate over the piece of Designer Series Paper again by cutting it to the size of the pages of the diary and using the Spiral punch and slotting it into the binding.

Now since uploading this post I’ve found out about the latest Challenge over at Just Add Ink. Just Add Ink is a blog run by a couple of fellow Aussie demonstrators with a new challenge each week and this week’s challenge is to ‘Just Add Patterned Paper’ and think my diary fits the challenge.

Now when I need a change or the Designer Series paper becomes a little tatty or retired I can just slot in a new piece of DSP and its just like having a new diary!

As a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator I’ve met the nicest people not only as customers but Demonstrators who have become good friends as well.

I first met Cheryl when I first joined Stampin’ Up! at the first Australian Stampin Up! Convention. A little while later she recruited the very lovely Melissa and she too become a dear friend.

Now there is a saying that there is a no greater friend than one that comes with chocolate … well at this past convention I was presented with this lovely gift and no there wasnt chocolate inside but ground Toffee Nut Coffee from Gloria Jeans – so now I’ve amended the saying to … there is no greater friend than the one that comes with coffee!!

Mel and Chez gave me this awesome little gift for helping them with some computer/blog bits a few weeks back.  I had a lovely time having them here but who can say no to coffee and especially when its packaged so nicely

Thanks girls for spending the day with me and for the awesome coffee!

While on my way to Memento Mall at Convention I ran into the lovely Jane Norrish who after giving me a hug said “Oh I have something for you!” I prayed it wasnt a bill Lol!!  I recently set up a blog for Jane and she brought me a thank you gift. I was overwhelmed as Jane has paid me to set up her blog but look at this ….

How awesome is this gift??

Jane bought a special insulated mug which she could decorate inside and used my favourite DSP – Cottage Wall. She’s also used the same DSP to create my card. Dont you love the quilted effect used on the Top Note Die?

But wait …. there’s more!

This was inside the mug – mind you I didnt realise this till I’d gotten home after convention!

How cool … and sorry Jane I didnt look inside at convention I was sorta sidetracked by Memento Mall and trying to hand out swaps as we got there later than planned.

So as you can see being with a company like Stampin’ Up! changes everything! They have the best demonstrators and customers.  I’ve been with other craft party plan and the other consultants never treated you like this – they wouldnt share anything in case you took business from them – rather scary really!

If you would like more information about becoming a demonstrator and joining my Stamp A Latte Team please dont hesitate to ring or email me.

You can join at the moment for just $259 and where else can you get your own business for that price?

You dont have to do demonstrations or classes – you can sign just to get your products at a discount if you wish. A couple of other bonuses with joining Stampin’ Up! is there are no annual costs to remain a demonstrator and you can swap between hobby and business demonstrator at any time.

So now I not only have an awesome coffee cup but I have coffee to make and chocolates to eat – gotta luv that!!

I’ve had a very busy couple of days with two demonstrations in two days and now my body is telling me to slow down now or else!

I thoroughly enjoyed these two demonstrations and was glad that I could use the same make n takes for both and here is what the girls made ….

I am sorry about the darkness of the background of the photo but if i lightened it the projects became rather ‘bright’.  I love making and giving these Crimped Envelope cards! They are so easy and just that little extra special to give.

You might recognise the little pillow box.

My pillow box was inspired by the lovely one I received from my Secret Sister the other week.  I’ve just added ribbon and a little tag.  These flowers are super easy to make too!  The ladies loved making these and were surprised at just how easy they were. They also loved the Tiny Tags stamp set and how well it matched the new Medium Jewelery Tag punch.

Here is the Crimped Envelope Card.

How special is this? would make an awesome Mother’s Day card dont you think?

I’ve used the Vintage Vogue set to decorate my envelope and then added the flowers after crimping. The sentiment is from the Teeny Tiny Sentiments set and stamped onto whisper white which I’ve cut out using my gorgeous Big Shot and the Lots of Tags sizzlits dies.

If you would like to learn how to make these two projects then contact me today to book your demonstration in.

The ladies really enjoyed using the Big Shot for their projects and were very impressed with how easy it is to use and I’d love to show you how easy it is to use and all the wonderful things you can make with it.

Now I have a couple of Big Shot Bundles for you to purchase – just click on the “Latte Specials” tab for more information and pricing.

You may remember last month I told you about the Secret Stampin’ Sister Swap that we have on our Demonstrator Group ESAD-SU.  The requirements are you send 2 cards and one small gift a month and then on the third month you receive a gift to the value of $30.

Well this is what I saw when I opened my Secret Sister Package for March.

How nice hey?? It even had a couple of butterflies in there for the girls and a note in the card to tell me to share the chocolates! Well I shared the eggs with the girls and hubby and I both had a picnic

You might see in the pack there was a little package with ribbons and daubers in it – in my Secret Sister’s note she also said that one can never have too many ribbons and extra daubers never go astray! Well this is so true – as crafters we all know that one can never have too many ribbons and if youre a sponger/shader like me those daubers get a good workout and I really do need to get some more!

Inside the box I also received a little pillow box with a gorgeous distressed flower on top.  How sweet is that little pillow box? and so simply decorated. It also had 3 little eggs inside. After seeing this I just had to order me the pillow box die!

Also inside the box was a little gift box with flowers and tags.

How sweet is this??

I love the little tags and I just love the flowers and the colours – I just love everything thing about this little gift and stamp sets. How did she know I love purple I wonder??

Now finally … the  card

How lovely is this card?? I love this set and the wheel and the colours and everything about this card. I am thinking that I might know my Secret Sister well as she seems to know everything I like!

I must say though that when I first saw the Very Vintage Stampin’ round I didnt realise it had a butterfly on it until I had actually stamped with it!

The stamp sets used in these items are Cottage Garden, Vintage Vogue, Very Vintage Stampin’ Round and Heard from the Heart.

Did you know that the Cottage Garden set is only available in Australia & New Zealand?? thats right its not in any of the catalogues in USA or Canada. How special is that???

Thank you so much to my Secret Sister – hopefully she reads my blog – I feel very blessed to have you as my Secret Sister!

If you’re anything like me you love free stamps!!

Today I’m sharing a little boxed set of cards I made using the Happy Moments Sale A Bration set – this is one of the free stamp sets you can get just by purchasing Stampin’ Up! products.

Today’s Stamp A Stack ladies made this set in their class today and I have another doing the same set tomorrow night.

This makes a gorgeous gift for anyone and it has different sentiments so you are covered for just about any occassion!

Now you might like to keep the cards yourself so you could always put just the one card inside with a gift card, chocolates or gift voucher for the lucky recipient.

As I have many readers and subscribers to my blog where its just not possible to get to me for a class or have me come to you I am offering the Tutorial including the template for this box for sale – for just $4.00. It comes with a full instructions to make the box and recipes for the cards.

Simply click on the button above to pay and once the funds are received you’ll be directed to download the file. So there’s no waiting for me to get the PayPal email and then send the file to you. You will also receive an email with a link to download. However, should you encounter a problem with the downloading please let me know as this is the first one I’ve done like this.

Dont forget that Sale A Bration is only for 12 more days and its only during this time that you can earn the free Sale A Bration sets or receive the bonus Stamp Set (value $79.95) for joining Stampin’ Up!  If you would like more information about joining my team and all the benefits of Stampin’ Up! please do not hesitate to ring or email me. You can also phone or email your orders through to me and you can pay by Credit Card or Bank Transfer (account details will be given when you place your order).

Thanks for stoppin by

Today’s share is the last from Monday’s Stamp A Stack in which I was asked for ‘Easter cards for kids’.

This is a very easy and simple card and one that you can give to anyone just by changing the colours and designer series papers.

Recipe:
Stamps: Greetings Eight, Occasional Greetings.
Paper: Bashful Blue, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, Whisper White, Regal Rose, Brocade Blue, Morning Sun, Tea Party DSP, Washington Apple DSP
Inks: Jet Black Stazon, Brocade Blue, Regal Rose, Morning Sun
Accessories: Circle Scissor Plus, Ribbons, Stampin Dimensionals, Watercolour Crayons, Aqua Painter, Scallop Circle Punch.

I also showed my ladies how to use your Scalloped Circle punch to create scallops on larger circles. This way you only need the one punch and the ‘know-how’ to use it for larger circles.

I got this idea from the lovely Marelle Taylor and this is how you do it ….

I have punched a 1 3/4″ circle and I want to put a scalloped edge around it and as you can see from this picture that our scalloped circle punch isn’t big enough to do so.

So what we need to do is to punch two Scalloped Circles and punch another circle in the centre – I’ve used the 3/4″ punch here

using your Paper Snips cut right through between a scallop and then from the centre and on every second scallop snip to within a couple of millimetres of the scallop and do this all the way around your scalloped circle. I am hoping you can see the pictures OK to see what I’m talking about! Then on the second scalloped circle cut to how many you need to fill up the scallops.

Using your fingers spread the sections out being careful not to spread too much as they can brake off.

Then take the circle you want to scallop behind and place small sections of Snail Adhesive behind and then spread your scallops around ensuring they are even and have the same amount showing on each one. Once your finished you can then attach to your project or to ensure the scallops dont fall off punch out another 1 3/4″ circle to attach behind to keep it all secure.

So how easy is that??

Now you dont need to buy umpteen scalloped circle punches for each size circle you want to scallop – you just need the one!

As a special bonus from me to you I am offering a bonus just for my customers …. when you spend $60 with me from now until end of March I will give you a free Sale A Bration stamp set.   I have a few spares here so happy to reward my customers in little ways like this so email or ring me today with your order and payment details.

Thanks for stoppin by

Well what an awesome day Saturday was at our SaleABration Spectacular!

We had 46 people come for the day and we all had lots of fun and all the ladies worked hard making all those projects we’d set up for them – they made 8 projects in all and with quite a few going home with door prizes or raffle prizes!

Here is a slideshow of how things looked before everyone arrived ….

Here are the make n takes that I made for the day ….

There were 8 make n takes in all and the other six were created by my lovely fellow demonstrators – Lisa, Jossleen and Clare.  We had some make n take kits leftover so I managed to grab a couple of kits so I can make up the make n takes too.  Now I have some of my kits left over so if you’d like a kit for the above make n takes then please email me with your address and I’ll post them to you.

I do hope those who were there on the day had as good a time as I did!

Thanks for stoppin by

Just a quick note to apologise for not having anything to share for a couple of days – I’ve been busy, busy, busy making samples and make n take kits for the Sale A Bration Spectacular this Saturday.  Its going to be an awesome day full of make n takes, demonstrations and lots of fun – we’ll be showing you stamping, scrapbooking and boxes – we will also be demonstrating techniques and Stampin’ Up! tools and products.

How cool is that flyer??

This is what we delivered to approximately 200 letterboxes last month.

We have more people coming than I anticipated so if you still want to come you’d better contact me today or tomorrow. The first 50 to put their name down will receive a wonderful show bag (or loot bag as I call them)! They are full of all sorts of goodies.

So if you’re not doing anything this Saturday why don’t you come along?

We are raising funds for the Macarthur Dementia Care & Support group oh and I still have raffle tickets for purchase if you want to be in the running for some awesome prizes! We have 7 raffle prizes all up so a good chance to win a prize!

Well yesterday my big girl didnt last long at her first day of High School – I had to pick her up after 2 hours as she was feeling rather sick – too many nerves I think but today she’s back and so far so good   She’s made new friends and can you believe there are three girls in her class all with the same name! Hopefully today I will have the whole day to myself!

This calendar is one that I started before I went away on holidays – I had hoped to give a few as Christmas presents but that wasnt meant to be as I just had too much to do before we left. I can still send them on as ‘just because’ gifts.

So here’s the cover

Here are all the pages that make up the calendar

As you can see I’ve tried to make the months in colours that suite the season they are in – not always easy when most things Christmas have snow on them and well Christmas in Australia is rather hot!

I hope you like this little calendar and I will be running a class for this on 25th February and as my house is small places are limited to ring and book in today!