Easter swap time

My team the WOW paperKrafters meet today for our monthly meeting and this means swaps - I'm sad I know but as much as I love blog hopping, I much prefer the real thing in my hands so I love swaps.

I used Greetings Eight (which I see is called Eight Great Greetings in the States) as one of it's greetings is Happy Easter & a cute wee bunny with eggs.

One of my team mates Patrice from the bigger team gave me the directions for cutting & scoring a gable box - which I must say holds a surprising amount of eggs! There's also a very cool tutorial on SCS which you can view HERE to create your own.

Will share the others great ideas, once they've had a chance to blog them themselves.

Tea Party Mini Squash Album

This is the project Clare & myself taught 48 ladies from AAPNZ last week - we were a bit worried before we started as we had 50 kits, but only 2 of the stamp set &  ink pads & 10 glue sticks - but WOW they were good - they had 1-¼ hours to do it & completed it in 45 minutes!

Here it is opened up -  it folds together like a concertina - if you know how.

Stamp set: Priceless

Ink: So Saffron, Pretty in Pink, Almost Amethyst, Certainly Celery

Paper: Pretty in Pink, Tea Party DSP

Other: Anywhere glue stick, So Saffron ribbon

We didn't embellish it to much for simplicity due to the numbers but it still looked really sweet. The mini squash album can be made in any sized square - this was the last one I created with an 8" square & it was significantly bigger - the mini one is only 6" squares to start off with. It's perfect for adding small photos & thoughts. The general concept:

 

 Look at this cool edible flower bouquet I received as a thank you (Clare got real flowers) created by www.edibleblooms.co.nz & yes it was very edible!

 

So thank you ladies a really enjoyable aftermoon. 

So if you're got a group meeting coming up or just a small group of ladies you like to craft with do suggest getting in a friendly SU! demonstrator i.e. me to have a play session with. Please do contact me for more details.

Lazy day at the beach layout

My team had a 6x6" scrapbook layout swaps in the weekend & I've always loved the card in the IB+C on page 68 & thought it would make a cool scrapbook page - now 6x6" are so easy but really effective (& dare I say it quick). I also wanted to showcase my new toy - Circle Scissor Plus (the more I play with it, the more I wonder how I ever did without it).

Stanp set: Just Surfing
Ink: Kiwi Kiss, More Mustard, Close to Cocoa, Pacific Point
Paper: Kraft, Whisper White, Pacific Point, Baja Breeze (& Summer Sun in the real LO)
Other: Hemp twine, dimensionals, circle scissor plus, paper snips (really need good quality snips to cut out those waves & board), word window punch, decorative scissors, sponge

and here's the LO with a gorgeous model - my Pete & for you Aussies that read my blog yes he's reading Mark Waugh!

Just Surfing is phenomenal value only $28.95 for a set of 3 stamps & Circle Scissor Plus is $65.50 & it can cut from 1" to 6" in 1/8" increments! Do contact me if you'd like to know more about either product!

I was really stoked my LO was picked by my team to be the most WOW of the swaps - now how cool is that - Pete was chuffed too as he thought he'd helped me win!

Easel butterfly cards

Told you I'd be gone awhile & I have but hopefully blog posting will return to normal as of today.

My dear friend Judy had her birthday in the week & she always makes me the most fantastic cards imaginable - so pressure time for me - well I'm in love with our new butterfly stamp, punches & easel cards so knew exactly what I was going to make after seeing someone's lovely card created for the colour challenge on ESAD - unfortunately she hasn't watermarked her photo or posted it in the challenge file but I did see it & it was my favourite - so thank you whoever you are (if you know who it was let me know please).

 

Stamp sets: Whimsical Words (SAB 2010), Butterfly Prints, Baroque Motifs, Flight of the Butterflies (the wee butterfly inside)

Ink: So Saffron, Cameo Coral, Baja Breeze

Paper: So Saffron, Cameo Coral, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Walk in the Park DSP (retired)

Punches: Butterfly & Scallop Edge

Other: Flower designer brads, sponge

I also received some special mail in the post or by hand - those ones you know that are going to be special as the envelopes look so pretty!

From Pauline McCardle in Napier - the same but different in Almost Amethyst & Barely Banana

  

Aren't I a lucky girl! Thanks Pauline

It was a WOW of an afternoon all right!

Hi all - yes I've been quiet on the blogging front (& maybe so for quite a few more weeks) as lots of events on or coming up. Yesterday was the second WOW paperKRafters team event and to all accounts & purposes I think the 30 attendees had a ball - someone even came from Vanuatua to attend but we also had a stamping friend from Hamilton come up too - so thanks Catia & Sarah for going the extra mile all right!!

My project was based around 3 gorgeous heart-shaped soaps so the perfect solution was Marelle Taylor's 7s box!

Stamp sets: A Happy Heart, Sprinkles
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Stazon White
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White
Other: Acetate, Scallop Oval Punch, Dimensionals, 1/2" circle punch, mini glue dots, anywhere glue stick (so good for boxes), 2-way glue pen & dazzling diamonds glitter, cellophane bag & taffeta ribbon.

No team event would be complete without a cake & I made a Blueberry & Apricot Upside-down cake - the recipe can be found on kareN cookZ and of course door prizes & of course the great demos I work with so do check out the left hand side of my blog for their projects I see Debbie already has her springy thingy card posted - it sure was a real WOW.

If you haven't attended one of these before you don't know what you're missing out on - I'm involved with my bigger team the Creative Inkers & we're staging one in Balmoral, Central Auckland on Saturday March 13th 1-5pm $40 for 4 projects (with $10 credit on the day if you spend over $50) so contact me if you'd like to know more - seats are filling fast!

Celebrating the first wedding anniversary

Ahh that totally got you thinking! No not for me but I have been asked about using paper to create a gift for a first wedding anniversary present  & the colour red. As I am teaching this requestor how to make a mini squash album at an upcoming event I've used that technique. Well I hope this is what Mae was thinking of & hopefully she can visualise how it all folds in & out concertina-like to create a wee album. All it needs now is for her to add her own words & photos. I've stuck on the wee hearts & embellishments with Dotto (a removable adhesive - so she can remove them or re-position where she likes). I've also clear embossed the large heart on the front cover so it's lovely & shiny. I've used 8x8" squares - so this is a bigger model than I usually create.

Stamp set: Baroque Motifs, A Happy Heart
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Versamark
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Basic Black, Riding Hood Red Patterns DSP
Other: Clear embossing powder, sponge dauber, Heart to Heart punch, Riding Hood Red striped grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals, anywhere glue stick (all the layers have been stuck down with this), Dotto removable adhesive

Hearts for Haiti Update

To date in just fifteen days, 7524 of the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set has been sold. From each of these sets, Stampin′ Up! is donating $2 to the Red Cross’ Haiti Relief and Development Fund. Thanks to you guys I have sold 3 of the 7524 sets!

My own personal bundle offer:
The stamp set is $49.95 & co-ordinates with 2 of the punches Heart to Heart and Full Heart (both $35.95). This bundle 3 of will earn you one Sale-a-bration stamp set.

I will offer my support to this worthy cause by offering the above bundle at 10% off  & free shipping anywhere in New Zealand (i.e. $110 for the lot plus you'll earn a free SAB set).
 

Friends 24-7 for real

It was my bestest friend Donna's birthday last weekend and I wanted a very special card for her and shock horror Pete & me spent too long in the garden so no time for whipping her one up so I pulled one out of my treasured stash of cards that I had made at my upline Jacque Pedersen's card classes.

I'm sure I'm not alone in that I find it really hard to give away a card I've made in class but I was desperate & this was perfect as it's so pretty.

It was the first card I'd ever made using the Popping Pastels technique & wow is an understatement, all those images have been stamped on with Versamark & then using a sponge dauber the Pastels have been applied. If you haven't tried it do have a go as you will go WOW!

Stamp sets: Friends 24-7, En Francais (BG)
Ink: Versamark, Basic Gray
Paper: Confetti White, Basic Gray, Old Olive, Baja Breeze
Other: Stampin' Pastels, Gray taffeta ribbon, linen thread, button, curly label punch, dimesnionals

Donna loved her card so it was worth the pain of giving it away.

Bright & cheery birthday card

I am so in love with the Kaleidoscope DSP we have in the summer mini & can't help myself I keep using it!

It was the fabulous Debbie Lamb from my team's birthday on the weekend & I whipped this up using my favourite stamp set in the summer mini For Everything.

Stamp set: For Everything, On Your Birthday
Ink: Basic Brown, Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise, Pixie Pink
Markers: Pixie Pink, Summer Sun, Only Orange, Tempting Turquoise
Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Kaleidoscope DSP
Other: Tempting Turquoise narrow grosgrain, blender pen, dimensionals, bold bright brads, fire rhinestone brads.

From all accounts it sounds like she had a fabulous day!

Moving circles

This week's inspiration on NZSU blogs is Patrice Halliday-Larsen's gorgeous moving circle card - note sure if mine does hers justice but I know where I can tweak my next version to improve on it. I'm really happy with my first go & if you're like me & fascinated by things that move - have a go - you won't be disappointed.

I cut out my circles with the Circle Scissors - 4" & 4-¼" - this was my first mistake - the difference between the circles should be greater - at least ½" I'm  thinking.

Stamp sets: Fifth Avenue Floral, On Your Birthday
Ink: Pixie Pink, Only Orange, Summer Sun
Paper: Kraft, Whisper White, Pink Passion, Kaleidoscope DSP
Punches: Small & large oval

Other: Brad, Tombow glue, Circle Scissors