Stampin' Up! Australia - Stampin' Up! Texture Boutique Embossing Machine

Hi

Here's a new product from Stampin' Up!.....the Texture Boutique Embossing Machine!!

...and here's a video...




...and here's the skinny....

If you have always wanted a portable embossing machine, or a machine that easily lives on your desk space, then this product is perfect for you!

Great for the kids craft space too or for the classroom. :)

Order one now!

Cheers
Alison xx

Stampin' Up! Australia - Sale-A-Bration 2014 AND the new Occasions Catalogue!

Hello!

Today is an important date on the Stampin' Up! calendar.....

Firstly.....a new catalogue! The Stampin' Up! Occasions Catalogue  is out today!

click here to view and download the catalogue

The new catalogue is simply gorgeous.....lots of retro images and patterned paper, gold accents, watercolour images and a heap of beautiful stamps and embellishments that will be sure to make it into your shopping cart! 

Secondly....it's SALE-A-BRATION time! For those of you who may be unfamiliar with Sale-A-Bration....it is a most favourite time of year where you can get FREE Stampin' Up! product! With any purchase of $90 (not including shipping), you may select one free gift from the Sale-A-Bration catalogue....there are thirteen different items on offer so there is something to please every type of crafter and card-maker. 

click here to view and download the Sale-A-Bration brochure

If you need some inspiration....Stampin' Up! have put together some Sale-A-Bration bundles.....just some suggestions to get a $90 order together to get a freebie!

So go have a browse at my online store and put together an order to make the most of both catalogues. It can be delivered straight to your door. 

Here is it is a nutshell....with hostess info and a 'join SU as a demo' info too:

Whoo-hoo!! Get cracking on those orders folks! :)

Cheers

Alison xx

Stampin' Up! Australia - Stampin' Up! Easy Events

Hi

I hadn't watercoloured a 'line-art' stamp in a while so I got out Easy Events and did a bit of colouring. I need to work at it a bit, but it is a lot of fun. :)

This card is for the sketch at Less is More this week.

The photography is a bit deceiving....the base card is Very Vanilla textured and the watercolour paper is also vanilla coloured but photographed quite light....it does blend better in real life. :)

Hope you like it!

Cheers

Alison xx

Materials used:

Stamp - Easy Events (retired)

Ink - Raspberry Ripple, Garden Green, Old Olive, Soft Suede, Black Stazon

Cardstock - Raspberry Ripple, Very Vanilla (textured), watercolour paper, Garden Green

Tools - Owl Builder Punch (for heart), Big Shot, Adorning Accents embossing folder, 2 1/2 inch circle punch, scallop circle die, Aquapainter

Stampin' Up! Australia - Stampin' Up! Delightful Dozen Valentine Card - Color Coach Card #30

Wisteria Wonder Card #3.1 and #3.2

Hi

This colour coach combination had me stumped a little bit until I realised that Wisteria Wonder, Pink Pirouette and Cherry Cobbler are perfect Valentine companions!

I was inspired by the muse at CASE Study #174 this week so I did a little bit of 'emboss resist' on this card with some splotches...plus I wanted to have a go at the Freshly Made Sketches challenge this week which is to create an 'angled' card. 

Now I know that this isn't true to the sketch, but trust me when I tell you that I TRIED to make it work, but no matter what sort of banner I put across the panel, it just didn't work....I think my sponged texture wanted to be left bare. So I just left it. So it doesn't really fit the sketch criteria, but you see where I was trying to go with it at least. :)

I embossed my sentiment onto white card stock with white embossing powder and then sponged Wisteria Wonder, Pink Pirouette and Cherry Cobbler ink onto my card and blended them together as much as I could....I also did a bit of splotchy-work with the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set and I did some 'faux bleaching' which is just dropping water from an aqua painter onto my card to give the washed out bleached dots.

I like how this card turned out....it has a bit of a tie-dye/intergalactic supernova look to it.....it is quite cool in real life. :)

Here's the proof that I had other stuff to put on my card.....lots of hearts...couldn't make them work so I made an entirely new card a made a graphic 'heart' flower with them. The stem is some off-cuts from my sponged angled piece. It is without a sentiment as I think it is striking enough without one. :)

Hope you like them. :)

Cheers

Alison xx

Materials used:

Card #1

Stamp - Delightful Dozen

Ink - Wisteria Wonder, Cherry Cobbler, Pink Pirouette, Versamark

Cardstock - Whisper White

Tools - White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Stampin' Trimmer, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Sponges

Card #2

Stamps - none

Ink - Wisteria Wonder, Cherry Cobbler, Pink Pirouette

Cardstock - Whisper White textured, Wisteria Wonder (scrap piece...it has a bit of scoring & embossing on it if you look closely), Cherry Cobbler, Pink Pirouette

Accessories - Jewel Rhinestone

Tools - Big Shot, Hearts A Flutter Framelit (for big heart), Small Heart Punch (for medium heart), Owl Builder Punch (for mini heart), Multipurpose Liquid Glue 

Stampin' Up! Australia - Color Coach Card #29 - Stampin' Up! Thinlits

Wisteria Wonder Card #2

Hi

My card today is inspired by the sketch at Mojo Monday. It is quite geometric, clean & balanced which is just what I like! :)

This card is also part of my Color Coach Challenge portfolio of cards....this one combines Wisteria Wonder with Soft Sky and Sahara Sand. 

My sentiment is cut from Soft Sky using the Stampin' Up Label Card Thinlits Die and I punched a heart from Wisteria Wonder card stock using the Owl Builder Punch. I have featured a sneak peek on this card too....see that banner?....you can earn it for free during Sale-A-Bration starting from 28th January. If you would like a Sale-A-Bration catalogue, just email me! :)

Hope you like my card! 

Remember to place an order while your here at my my online store. 

Cheers

Alison xx

Materials used:

Stamps - Banner Blast Stamp Set (Sale-A-Bration - avail 28th January)

Ink - Wisteria Wonder

Cardstock - Whisper White (smooth & Textured), Soft Sky, Wisteria Wonder (plain & DSP), Sahara Sand DSP

Accessories - Jewels Rhinestones, Silver Ribbon

Tools - Big Shot, Label Card Thinlit Die, Two Way Glue Pen, SNAIL, Stampin' Trimmer, Banner Punch (Sale-A-Bration - available 28th January). 

Stampin' Up! Australia - Stampin' Up Thinlits Thank You Card - Case Study #173

Hi

Do you like this card!?

I was completely inspired by the Case Study inspiration this week from Donna Mikasa (see her card below). I loved the cascading letters and the colours in her card. 

When I was thinking about my card design, I wanted to show that watercolours don't have to look conventional and "pretty"....I wanted to give them a graphic twist so they jumped off the card in a bold kinda way. :)

I did washes of colour onto watercolour paper using similar colours so they blended well. Then I used the 'thx' thinlit from the Stampin' Up! Circles Thinlit Dies to cut the sentiments. 

I flicked ink using my aqua painter to make my splattered background....I love a bit of splatter....it is SO satisfying to do!! 

I hope you like my card....it's a bit different. :)

Cheers

Alison xx

Materials used:

Stamps - none! 

Ink - lots.....okay....here are the pairings...Wisteria Wonder/Elegant Eggplant, Bermuda Bay/Coastal Cabana, Old Olive/Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight/Crushed Curry, Tangerine Tango/Pumpkin Pie, Regal Rose/Melon Mambo

Cardstock - Very Vanilla, Watercolour paper

Accessories - none

Tools - Big Shot, Circle Card Thinlits Die, Stampin' Trimmer, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Aquapainter. 

Stampin' Up! Australia - Stampin' Up! Gorgeous Grunge

Hi

My card today were inspired by these cards by Catherine Pooler. I loved her background stamping and the use of the die cut monogram. 

I am a bit behind on my thank you cards for my boys for their Christmas presents. They were very lucky this year and our relatives and friends were so generous with gifts for them. I like to send thank you cards out as I think it is important for the next generation to develop the art of gratitude and that to say 'thank you' means to honour the person who thought to do something caring towards you. My eldest son (5 yrs old) loves to write his name in the cards and we discuss our favourite things about the gift etc...

So.....why N2? My sons both have names that start with the letter 'N' and my husband and I often refer to them collectively as 'N-squared'....hence N2.

....my 'N' is die cut from a sheet of glossy black card stock that I found in my miscellaneous stash...it was from a backing board from a bound document book. May I make a bit of a trend prediction that glossy coloured card stock will be the next big thing!! When you see this in real life, the N looks so cool and edgy and glossy....you just want to touch it! The '2' is cut from Stampin' Up! Silver Foil....also very tactile and glossy. I just love them together!!! :)

I loved the layout so much that I made another variation on it....this birthday card using Label Love and the wonderful, awesome Essentials Wooden Elements from the up and coming Occasions catalogue. I decorated them with Candy Dots which just makes them MORE cool!

I really love these cards!

Don't forget to browse my online store and place an order if anything here catches your eye. :) The Essentials Wooden Elements will be available on 28th January...email me if you would like your free Occasions catalogue mailed to you. 

Cheers

Alison xx

Materials used:

Stamp - Gorgeous Grunge, Label Love

Ink - Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Old Olive

Cardstock - Whisper White, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay

Accessories - Essentials Wooden Elements, Brights Candy Dots

Tools - Stampin' Trimmer, 2 1/2 inch circle punch, Artisan Label Punch, Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals, Big Shot, Typeset Alphabet Bigz Die.

Stampin' Up! Australia - Stampin' Up! A Dozen Thoughts - Color Coach Card #28

Wisteria Wonder Card #1

Hi

I've now come to Wisteria Wonder on my Color Coach Challenge, and today my coach tells me that Wisteria Wonder is a perfect duo to Elegant Eggplant...and they do look fab together!

Both are quite strong and striking colours so I thought I would keep my card nice and simple so as to let both colours speak.....I put a little bit of gold with the card for a touch of elegance.

The sketch is from CAS(E) this Sketch, and I'm submitting it to the STAMPlorations Blog Challenge this month which asks for feathers! :)

My friend and fellow demo, Madonna Dunn, invited me to play and stamp at her place the other evening, and she has one of those e-cutter things so I took some card stock over to make some feathers. We made a few cards together, talked Stampin' Up!, ate biscuits and discovered we both LOVE the movie Pitch Perfect! :)

It is one of the best things about being a demonstrator....the fun times that are had when you get together and create. 

You will see a sneak peek embellishment on my card....it is from the upcoming Occasions catalogue. If you would like a new Occasions catalogue, please send me an email and I'll pop one in the post. The catalogue is available from the 28th of January! I am SO excited!!!!!!! :)

Cheers

Alison xx

Materials used:

Stamps - A Dozen Thoughts, Happy Day

Ink - Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant

Cardstock - Very Vanilla, Wisteria Wonder, Brushed Gold cardstock, Elegant Eggplant

Accessories - Die Cut feather from Boutique Boxes Designer Kit (retired), embellishment is a sneak peek from Occasions catalogue

Tools - Stampin' Trimmer, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stamp-a-majig, Stampin' Dimensionals

Stampin' Up! Australia - Sale-a-bration 2014 - Stampin' Up! Petal Parade

Hi

I have finally got around to playing in a Dynamic Duos Challenge again, and have created a card for my inaugural entry for the Fusion Card Challenge! I used the sketch only for the Fusion Card Challenge.

I have used the new Sale-a-bration set Petal Parade for my main images and Happy Day for my sentiment. I love the versatility of this new SAB set....I'm going to be using it a LOT! 

All you have to do to get this set for free is place an order of $90 with me between 28 January and 31 March 2014. Just send me an email if you would like a Sale-a-bration brochure...there's tonnes of cool stuff on offer! :)

Cheers

Alison xx

Materials used:

Stamps - Petal Parade (new Sale-a-bration set for 2014), Happy Day

Ink - Summer Starfruit, Garden Green

Cardstock - Whisper White, Summer Starfruit, Garden Green

Accessories - In Color Dahlia (Summer Starfruit), Paper Doily

Tools - Stampin' Trimmer, Scallop Edge Border Punch, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stamp-a-majig, Square 1" punch (to flag my ends for the sentiment banners), Paper Snips, SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals. 

Stampin' Up! Australia - Stampin' Up! Best of Flowers Watercolour - Color Coach Card #27

Elegant Eggplant Card #2

Hi

This card was inspired by a technique tutorial and card that the incredibly talented Iwona Palamountain (aka Chupa) shared at StampNation.

For my card, my colour palette was taken from my Color Coach for my Color Coach Card Challenge. The colours are Elegant Eggplant, Always Artichoke and Sahara Sand.

The tag is actually a Labels Collection Framelit with the sides cropped and a hole made using the Chalk Talk Framelit aperture piece. The flower stamp from Best of Flowers was stamped in Versamark onto Naturals White and embossed in white. The ink was then applied and splattered with an aqua painter. 

My 'love' sentiment was cut using the Expressions Thinlit Die from Elegant Eggplant card stock. 

I really like the way this turned out. Chupa said that the technique is a lot of fun and produces some interesting and pleasing effects from the splattering and she is absolutely right! :)

If you like this card, then you can buy all the supplies to make it from my online store. Please support my business and have a browse. :)

Cheers

Alison xx

Materials used:

Stamp - Best of Flowers

Ink - Elegant Eggplant, Always Artichoke, Sahara Sand

Cardstock - Naturals White, Elegant Eggplant

Accessories - Organza White Ribbon, Bakers Twine White

Tools - Big Shot, Labels Collection Framelits, Chalk Talk Framelits, Stampin' Trimmer, Two Way Glue Pen, Aquapainter 

Stampin' Up! Australia - Stampin' Up! Joy to the World Christmas card

Hi

I made this card for the CAS(E) this Sketch card challenge, but then I forgot to blog it due to Christmas/New Year activities etc... I was also inspired by this card by Catherine Pooler. 

I made five of these cards as I had five of the foil embellishments in my stash. I have a rule to continue to make Christmas cards through out the year so that I have at least 70 when I get to November.  

Clean & simple and oh so quick to make! 

Cheers

Alison xx

Materials used:

Stamp - Joy to the World

Ink - Real Red

Cardstock - Whisper White

Accessories - foil embellishment (non-SU), rhinestones (non-SU)

Stampin' Up! Australia - Stampin' Up! Chalk Talk - Color Coach Card #26

Elegant Eggplant Card #1

Hi!

Firstly - Happy New Year!! Hope 2014 is a great one for you and your family! :)

Secondly, I've been a bit neglectful of my Color Coach Challenge.... I feel like I haven't got very far with it...so I had better press on and make some cool cards based on its suggestions. 

Here's a card using Elegant Eggplant, Basic Gray and Island Indigo.....using the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge #326. This card took aaaaages to come together....I just couldn't make the layers work and so it is slightly different to the original sketch but you get the idea..... The 'stars' panel at the bottom was found in my Basic Grey stash....I always keep little strips like these as you never know when they will come in handy on a card. :)

Hope you like it! It is a little bit different for me....a few layers and bits & pieces. :)

Remember you can buy everything you need to make this card at my online store! Start the year off right and place an order with me! :)

Cheers

Alison xx

Materials used:

Stamp - Chalk Talk

Ink - Elegant Eggplant

Cardstock - Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant, Island Indigo, Basic Gray, I Am Me DSP

Accessories - Regals Candy Dot (Island Indigo), Neutrals Candy Dots (Whisper White), 1/8" silver ribbon

Tools - Big Shot, Chalk Talk Framelits, Merry Minis Punch Pack (star punch), Stampin' Trimmer, Glue Dots, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, SNAIL