Stamp Easy with Anne-Marie

Clean and Simple FTL 104

2010-08-30T12:48:00.004+10:00

I know I'm going backwards with these layouts but I'm really enjoying them. Here is the layout for FTL 104 followed by my card.The card is Regal Rose and Choc Chip. The sentiment is from Cheer and Wishes.

Cards

2010-08-29T11:04:00.004+10:00

Cards

2010-08-29T10:58:00.002+10:00

Pencil card for teacher.

2010-08-29T10:32:00.001+10:00

Birthday Bird

2010-08-29T10:30:00.002+10:00

Christmas paper card

2010-08-29T10:26:00.002+10:00

Fathers Day Card

2010-08-29T10:22:00.002+10:00

FTL 105 for Clean and Simple Blog

2010-08-28T19:27:00.004+10:00

Here is the FTL 105 layout on the Clean and Simple Blog and below is my card.

Stamps are from Crazy for Cupcakes and Happy Moments. So Saffron and Tangarine Tango cardstock, Haiku paper, Black ink, Word window and scallop border punches.

Clean and Simple Blog

2010-08-28T19:23:00.002+10:00

I've found a great blog called Clean and Simple. Here's the link: http://cleanandsimplestamping.blogspot.com/ There are heaps of different card layouts and samples of how other cardmakers have used the layout. Take a look for yourselves.

Morgan's 18th Birthday card

2010-04-22T16:34:00.001+10:00

My niece Morgan likes surfing and wake boarding so I thought this would be appropriate for her.

Cards

2010-04-22T16:18:00.003+10:00

Boys birthday cards

2010-02-13T18:41:00.000+11:00

Christmas cards for 2009

2010-02-13T18:36:00.001+11:00

Christmas shaker card

2010-02-13T18:27:00.000+11:00

Bleached background, snow swirled Christmas card

2010-02-13T18:10:00.002+11:00

Candle and matching card Teacher gift

2010-02-13T18:07:00.001+11:00

Candle and matching card thank you gift

2010-02-13T18:04:00.001+11:00

Karens Black and White themed 40th

2010-02-13T18:02:00.000+11:00

Forest Friends baby boy card

2010-02-13T17:32:00.001+11:00

Update

2010-02-13T17:27:00.002+11:00

I've been really slack at updating on here so I thought I'd just add some pics of cards that I have made since my last post. If you want any info on what I used to create them or techniques I used, please email me at anemarie@bigpond.net.au and I'd be happy to answer your questions.

September Stamp Club - Spring Card

2009-09-07T00:08:00.005+10:00

For this months stamp club we made a spring card. This card is suprisingly easy and has a great wow factor. Here are the two samples I made for the club.

The first card is made with a Night of Navy cardstock base. The Designer Series Paper is from Urban Oasis. The cute frame was done using the Scallop Edge punch and the flowers are punched with the Boho Blossoms punch. The greeting is from the Oval All stamp set that is available in the Spring Mini Catalogue until 30 November 2009.

For the base of this card I used some retired paper that was from a Simply Scrappin' kit. I stamped the tools from the Totally Tools set onto Whisper White card, coloured them in with markers and added Crystal Effects to give the handles a three dimensional look. The greeting is from the Wonderful Favourite set and I embossed it in silver onto Ruby Red card. I sent this card to my dad for fathers day.

Non Christmas cards using Season of Joy

2009-09-06T23:50:00.004+10:00

The first card was done using the Versamark resist technique on gloss card. The colours are Elegant Eggplant and Pretty in Pink.

The colours on the second card are Tangarine Tango and Pink Passion. I used the Double Rectangle punch to make the holes I threaded the Whisper White ribbon through. The greeting is from the level 1 hostess set, Best Yet

Christmas Cards

2009-09-06T23:42:00.004+10:00

Here are a couple of Christmas cards using the Season of Joy set, Old Olive and Real Red card I made for a fundraiser. They needed to be simple cards for people to make. I've used the Eyelet Border punch on both of these.

Mason's 3rd Birthday Card

2009-09-06T23:37:00.002+10:00

Once again I have reached for the Fishy Friends set when it came time to do a kids card. I know it's retired but I love it. I've been wanting to try one of these folded cards for ages and I'm happy with the result.

I've been scrapbooking

2009-08-09T15:17:00.003+10:00

Hosting the Stamp, Scrap and Chat nights has given me the motivation to get going on my scrap booking, which had taken a bit of a back seat since I got addicted to Stampin' Up! I have been working on an A-Z scrap book of Mitchell form birth to about 3 years old. Here are a couple of pages I've completed recently.

Stamp Club - Tri shutter card and variation.

2009-08-07T17:53:00.004+10:00

These are the cards I made as examples for stamp club this month. I normally make a card or two using the technique and then the club members choose their own stamp set, papers etc from my supply. I prepared instructions for the first card and then made the second card as a variation and it turned out the second card was quite popular too.

I really wanted to do a male card this time as I find them quite a challenge but thanks to the Totally Tools stamp set this one was easy. The base card is Kraft, the Designer Series Paper I used is from Urban Oasis. I added a couple of brads and Jumbo eyelets and here it is. It's a bit difficult to see but I stamped the Birthday Wish twice. The first time in Kiwi Kiss then using the Stamp-a-ma-jig I stamped it a second time in Basic Black just off to one side so the Kiwi Kiss appears as a shadow. The middle whisper white panel is left blank for writing so I used the Mat Pack to punch some small holes in two corners to give it a bit of texture.

The Christmas card was made on a Kiwi Kiss background and the Designer Series Paper is Raspberry Tart. I really liked these colours together, a nice change from the strong Christmas colours of red and dark green. The stamp set for the front and the tree is Season of Joy, one of the most versatile Christmas stamp sets in the current catalogue in my opinion. The neutral card is Very Vanilla though it's difficult to see in the photo and the ribbon is Very Vanilla 1.6cm Grosgrain. I used a metal edge tag for the hanging ornament and added a punched image and a larger punched circle to complete it. The words on the back panel are from the level 1 hostess set Best Yet.

Welcome Lucy

2009-08-07T17:38:00.004+10:00

On 24th July darling Lucy was welcomed into the world by her parents Sharon and Ben Webb. Here is the card I made to welcome her and congratulate her family. It is a mix of current and retired products. The current items I used are: Bunny and Duckling - Animal crackers stamp set; LUCY - Short Order Alphabet; Spotty paper - Pink Flamingo DSP; Base Card - Pink Piroutte card stock; Other card stock - Real Red, Cameo Coral and Whisper White; Ribbon - Whisper White 1/4" Grosgrain. The background paper is from the retired Ginger Blossom DSP and the Welcome new baby is from the retired Level 1 hostess stamp set For a Friend. I embossed this in white on Real Red cardstock.

Super quick card

2009-08-07T17:27:00.003+10:00

I needed a card in a hurry for a 6 year old boy and came up with this. I used circles and paper from a retired simply scrappin set. Using markers I coloured the skulls on the scary skulls wheel and stuck the eyes over to cover up the hearts on the stamp. The 'Happy Birthday to you!" is called Birthday wish on page 3 of the new spring mini. You can buy it individually for $13.95 plus P/H. I love it and have used it sooo many times already.

Tri Fold Card for Chris

2009-07-15T22:46:00.003+10:00

It was Chris's birthday a couple of weeks ago and I had a go at doing a tri fold card for her. The colours on the picture aren't showing quite true but they are Real Red, Cameo Coral and Green Galore for the leaves. The stamp set I used is Petal Pizzazz, one that I just had to have when the new catalogue came out. The card base is Cameo Coral and the paper I used is from the Pink Flamingo Designer Series Paper pack.

Sometimes it's difficult to get an idea of the designer series papers from the catalogue so our wonderful leader Gail Force 1 has made us all a sample book of each of the paper packs in the current catalogue, it's a much easier way to have a look at the papers before you choose. Feel free to contact me for a look if you are in the Berwick area.

Oh and by the way, we will be doing the Tri Fold Card at our stamp club get together on Wednesday 5th August. There are still a couple of places left if you are interested in joining. Send me an email to anemarie@bigpond.net.au

Mitchell's Ben 10 Birthday

2009-07-06T20:51:00.007+10:00

Mitchell turned 6 on Saturday and had a Ben 10 themed party so naturally that meant a Ben 10 card. Obviously there are no Ben 10 stamps so I came up with an unusual solution. I used some Ben 10 tattoos that Mitchell had won at Kiara's party and following the usual instructions, tattooed them on to gloss card. Then I made a never ending card using Always Artichoke card and Urban Oasis DSP. He thought it was pretty cool.

Never Ending Card - July Stamp Club

2009-07-06T17:10:00.009+10:00

Last Monday some of the ladies from our group got together and Felicity taught us all how to do the Never Ending Card. This card is very cool. It's a square card and you open it up on the front then keep opening another three times until you end up back at the front again. We did it for the July Stamp Club project. For this one I used the Big Bold Birthday stamp set. The paper is some old Designer Series Paper in So Saffron. On page 135 you can see the So Saffron paper in new designs. There are also 7 other fantastic colours.

Dawn's Birthday Card

2009-07-06T16:48:00.004+10:00

I made this card for my dear friend Dawn. You might remember she is the lady that likes bling so I thought I'd add a bit. Dawn sells bags and is also a lover of shoes so when I came across these charms some time ago I grabbed them specifically for her card. The card stock colours are Elegant Eggplant, Lavender Lace and Brushed Silver (page 130 of 09/10 Stampin' Up! Catalogue) I did the edges with the new eyelet border punch. This punch is fancier than I would normally go for but it was just so pretty I had to buy it. It looks gorgeous in Whisper White or Very Vanilla and if you put it through a crimper it looks like lace. To get the Letters onto the brushed silver card I stamped the letters in Versamark, then Elegant Eggplant ink and sprinkled them with clear embossing powder. Then I used my heat gun to emboss them. The Boho Blossoms Punch was used for the little flower under the bling hearts.

Warped sense of humour

2009-07-06T16:01:00.006+10:00

Have you ever been sent an email with funny pictures and thought it was worth saving? I was once sent the picture below and decided I would recreate it and give it to a friend for his birthday. Well I thought it was funny!! I used All in the Family stamp set with the stamp-a-ma-jig to line up all the body parts and sponged around them.

Challenges

2009-06-21T13:01:00.007+10:00

Once again I had a go at doing some challenges. The first one is a scrap page from the layout pictured left. I used the Urban Oasis Designer Series Paper and the Fifth Avenue Floral Stamp set. I added a Metal Rim Tag and some of the great new Designer Brads in the current catalogue. The colours are Kiwi Kiss and Baja Breeze.

The second challenge was a card challenge using the colours Rose Red, Perfect Plum and Old Olive. Now I like to use all of these colours but I would never have thought to put them together and I must say I really struggled with this challenge, but that is what they are all about, bringing us out of our usual style and stretching us. I'm pretty happy with the final result but it did not come easily to me. The cute little scallop buckle on the ribbon is from the Silver Hodgepodge Kit.

Faux Tile or Grid Technique for June Stamp Club

2009-06-21T12:57:00.004+10:00

For this months stamp club we did the Faux Tile or Grid Technique. This is a really easy and effective technique and is simply created using a bone scorer or any other scoring tool and a ruler or cutter with a groove to help score straight. Once you have scored your card you can use either side and stamp, sponge or emboss it. The first card uses the Inspired by Nature stamp set and the colours are Old Olive, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla. The second card uses the Upsy Daisy stamp set. With this one I scored the card then stamped the Daisy's in Night of Navy then brayered over it with Ballet Blue. Then I covered the whole piece of card with versamark and clear embossing powder and heat embossed it. The greeting is from the Level 1 Hostess set Best Yet.

Finding your own style

2009-06-21T12:39:00.004+10:00

When you have been making cards or scrapbooking for a while you may notice that your work has taken on a particular look or style. We each have our own style, mine as you will notice from my posts is quite simple. Dawn, one of the ladies in our social stamp and scrap group loves Bling and often adds lots of it to her cards. This card has been done by Helen in the style that we have come to know as a 'Dawn card'. I think it's a lovely card so thought you might all like to see it. Dawn uses double sided tape around the edge of the card and then sprinkles the glitter onto the tape, pressing down lightly to make sure it is attached. The stamp is from the Pretty Princess set form the 2008/09 catalogue.

Remember when it comes to papercrafting, there are no rules and even if you find yourself settling into a particular style, mix it up occasionally. If I see a card or scrap page that I really like I try to work out what it is about it that attracts me and then have a go at recreating something similar. Thanks to Helen Sucher for submitting this card to put on the blog.

Extra FREE products for Hostesses

2009-06-08T17:28:00.002+10:00

That's right, Hostesses who hold a $600 or more workshop during the months of June or July will receive an additional $40.00 in hostess free dollars to be spent on any product from the current Stampin' Up! Ideas Book and Catalogue. This means not only does the hostess get to choose a level 1 or level 2 exclusive hostess stamp set for free and earn $70 worth of free product that they would normally earn for a $600 workshop, they get an additional $40 giving them $110 to spend. Gotta love that!

If you would like to host a workshop during June or July, please email me at anemarie@bigpond.net.au and we'll arrange a time. Remember it's school holidays in June, some of your friends might be looking for a night away from the kids and if you host the workshop at my place in Berwick you don't even need to worry about how tidy your house is.

Some Birthday Cards

2009-06-08T16:49:00.004+10:00

Here are a few birthday cards that I've made over the last couple of weeks.

Andrea's Hedgehog Card:

While most of the products I use are current Stampin' Up! products I do use other products when I'm creating for myself, and the cute hedgehog stamp is one I borrowed from my friend Dawn and is not a Stampin' Up! stamp. The other items used on this card are from Stampin' Up! The colours are Cameo Coral and Very Vanilla. The 'so Glad we're friends' sentiment stamp is from the level 1 hostess set 'Best Yet', the ribbon is very vanilla 1.6cm Grosgrain, the cute little silver buckle is from the Silver Hodgepodge set and I used the Scallop Edge punch for the right hand side.

Cheers to you:

This card was made for my dear friend Mark. I have used some retired Designer Series Paper and matched the colours. I think these are great colours for a mens card. The beer and 'cheers to you' stamp are from the 'Cheers to you' set and the ribbon is Choc chip 1/4" Grosgrain. I used a sponge dauber and choc chip ink to sponge around the very vanilla card.

Six year old boy card:

I used quite a few different techniques on this card. The water was done using the baby swipe technique while the sand was sponged using three different colours. The lovely whale is from the 'Pun Fun' stamp set. When I put this stamp set together I cut the sentiments off the main picture and mounted them on the side of the stamp, that way you can use the picture and the sentiment separately or together. I stamped the whale on watercolour paper with Stazon, coloured him in then cut him out. The star fish is from the retired 'Fishy friends' set. I just couldn't part with this set when it retired and still use it often for childrens cards.

Watercolour Mothers Day Card

2009-05-29T10:25:00.004+10:00

After we had a play with the water colouring, we went on to do a card for Mothers Day. The card at the top is the one that I created using the Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set and the background paper is from the Haiku pack of designer series paper. Everyone made their own card using colours and papers that they preferred and we ended up with some very different cards as you can see in the picture below.

Watercolouring - May Stamp Club

2009-05-29T09:59:00.003+10:00

Water colour crayons, pencils, pens, ink pads and ink refills, there are so many different tools available for water colouring, it's often difficult to know which one suits you the best. So this month for stamp club we had a play with the different options. We started by stamping either the whale or the hippo from the Pun fun set onto watercolour paper and then practiced building up the colour to give our design a round look. I usually use three colours, starting with the lightest colour, then add a darker colour or more of the same colour to give a darker look. By building up the colour a bit at a time it is easier to get a more 3D look to the image rather than a flat look. I also showed how to use reinkers to do a colour wash background. I put a few drops of reinker into a paint palette and added water then using a brush gradually swiped each colour across until I had the effect I liked. I punched a small circle out of a post it note for the moon and stuck it on before I did the colour wash. Then I took it off and sponged a bit of colour on it to give it some texture. The grass is stamped with Inspired by Nature, one of my favourite sets from the new Stampin' Up! catalogue. I used 2 different green inks to give the grass a bit of difference. Eventually I will incorporate these practice samples into a card.

Andrea's visit

2009-05-29T09:45:00.004+10:00

Hi all

It's been a while since I've posted but I have a good excuse. My girlfriend Andrea came to visit me from England and we spent 3 weeks being tourists. We had a wonderful time and as a local I was surprised how much we have to offer in Victoria. It had been a very long time since I had visited some of our wonderful attractions and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. In the time she was here we managed to visit St Kilda Esplanade market and Luna Park, Healseville Sanctuary, William Ricketts sanctuary, Melbourne city of course, Penguin Parade at Philip Island, Mornington Peninsula where Andrea went horse riding on the beach and we even went to Sydney for the day! The photo is of Andrea hand feeding the birds at Grants picnic ground in the Dandenongs.

Kiara's Rainbow Fish birthday card

2009-05-14T22:28:00.002+10:00

This is my attempt at a rainbow fish card for Kiara's 5th birthday. I embossed the outline of the fish in silver on watercolour paper. I used water colour crayons and inks to colour the fish and did a wash with reinkers on the background.

Stampin' Up! Annual Convention 2009

2009-05-04T13:19:00.005+10:00

Hi all,

I have just returned from the Stampin' Up! annual Convention in Canberra and had an absolute ball. All of the 9 members of our team were able to attend so we had just as much fun socialising as attending the Convention Events. We spent 2 days learning how to be better demonstrators, leaders to our downlines and just having heaps of fun. I have come away with motivation and inspiration. Above is a photo of me with Shelli Gardner the cofounder and CEO of Stampin' Up!

Keep checking my blog for photos and more information on what we saw and did at Convention.

All in the Family Birthday Card

2009-04-08T23:35:00.004+10:00

It's my stepfathers birthday on Good Friday and he and my mum are taking Mitchell to Eildon on Thursday so I made a card for Mitchell to give to him. The stamp set is All in the Family, such a cute and versatile stamp set. The base card is Pumpkin Pie and the matting is Close to Cocoa, the ribbon is 5/8 Vanilla Grossgrain and the cute little star brad is from the Silver Hodge Podge. I stamped Mitchell and Woody in Stazon on Water Colour paper and coloured it in using water colour crayons and stamp pad inks. The sign was stamped using Short Order Alphabet on Very Vanilla card stock and I swished over it with my aqua painter to give it a kind of smudged look, brushed the edge along a stamp pad to define it and attached it to the card using dimensionals. Hope he likes it.

Triangle gift box with easter eggs inside for stamp club members

2009-04-04T18:16:00.005+11:00

I saw these cute triangle boxes on splitcoast stampers and wanted to try them. I had all this lovely Designer Series Paper that is now retired so I thought I'd use some up and make these boxes for my stamp club members. I think they are really cute and super easy to make. They had a couple of little eggs in them too, yum!

April Stamp Club - 3 cards

2009-04-04T17:39:00.004+11:00

This month we did the babywipe technique and made three cards. We normally do 1 or 2 cards depending on how time consuming they are to make and the degree of difficulty but there are three great ways to use the babywipe technique and I wanted to show them all.

To do this technique you firstly take a babywipe, fold it in quarters and drip some drops of ink from your reinkers onto it. The area only needs to be as big as the stamp you are going to use if you are making your own stamp pad. The reinkers colours we used below are Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue and Pacific Point.

Card 1 - Baby wipe technique, create your own stamp pad

2009-04-04T17:31:00.005+11:00

This is the first card we made. The stamp set is Eastern Blooms. We stamped the large flower onto the babywipe and then onto gloss card stock. Then we punched it out with the 5-petal flower punch. The blossom was done by colouring the stamp with markers. The branch is Certainly Celery and the blossoms are Taken with Teal. The main card is Taken with Teal and the ribbon and mount card are Certainly Celery. The 'Wish Big' is from the Short and Sweet set and was punched with the word window punch.

Card 2 - Baby wipe technique, swipe

2009-04-04T17:24:00.006+11:00

This card has been made with two of the wonderful new 'in colours' Pacific Point and Tangarine Tango. I love both of these colours but then I tend to go for the strong colours. To do the background for this one just swipe the babywipe across the gloss cardstock. The stamp set used is Ocean Commotion and the 'Make a wish" is from the Big bold birthday set. The seahorse and Tangarine Tango ovals are punched with the large oval punch and the 'Make a wish' was punched using the word window punch.

Card 3 - Baby wipe technique, dabbing.

2009-04-04T17:19:00.005+11:00

This is the third card we did. It is a very simple design using the new Cheers to You set. The card colour is Gable Green and the blue is Tempting Turquoise both from the Bold Brights colour family. The beer and 'Cheers to you' are stamped in Tempting Turquoise. To do the babywipe back ground you dab the baby wipe randomly on glass card.

Playing around with the baby wipe technique

2009-04-04T16:53:00.004+11:00

I had decided we were going to do the baby wipe technique at this months stamp club so I was playing around with colour combinations and cards and this is one I ended up with. It was a little to detailed for stamp club with limited time but I thought I'd put it on here to show you all.

The card colours are black, bashful blue and certainly celery but it's a bit difficult to make out the colours on the scan because I used dimensionals to raise up the main design so the celery looks a bit grey.

Challenge

2009-04-03T00:10:00.004+11:00

As a demonstrator I get to join some great yahoo support groups. One of the groups I belong to is run by some very talented and energetic ladies. Not only do they run their own Stampin' Up! businesses and look after many downlines, they put a lot of time and effort into the group. One of the many things they do is set challenges for us to participate in if we want to. The idea of a challenge is to give us guidelines to work within and use colours, or stamp sets or layouts that we may not normally use and therefore stretch our creativity. The picture above is one such challenge. It is a sketch outline challenge. I have never participated in a challenge before but decided it was about time I gave one a go.

2009-04-03T00:02:00.002+11:00

This is what I came up with. The colours are purely pomegranate, regal rose and whisper white. The stamp set is Always and the 'love you' is from 'Short and Sweet' I love how the words from this set fit in the word window punch.

Skulls

2009-03-28T19:37:00.004+11:00

Mitchell had his first birthday party today for one of his new school friends so I made this card. First I sponged a piece of Whisper White with So Saffron, Always Artichoke and Close to Cocoa. Then I used the new scary skulls wheel with black ink. The eyes on the skulls are hearts so I covered them up with google eyes but my 5 year old told me they would have been cooler with no eyes. I did punch them out with my cropodile first so maybe next time I wont bother with the google eyes.

Stamp Club

2009-03-19T11:50:00.004+11:00

The baby wipe technique on the cards below is one I will be teaching at our stamp club on Wednesday 1st April along with some other fabulous background techniques. If you would like to learn a new technique each month and are prepared to drive to Berwick, come along and join us. We meet on the first Wednesday of the month at 8pm. There is no cost to attend, just place a merchandise order for a minimum of $30 each month. Along with learning new techniques, you will also receive a free Ideas book and catalogue for joining. So send me an email and grab one of the few remaining spots or get your own group together during school hours and if you aren't too far, I'll come to you anemarie@bigpond.net.au

Out with the old and in with the new

2009-03-19T10:52:00.005+11:00

It's that time of year when the new Stampin' Up! Ideas Book and Catalogue is released and some of the current stamp sets are retired. The other thing that changes are the 'in colours' so it's time to say goodbye to Blue Bayou, Wild Wasabi, River Rock, Purely Pomegranate, Soft Sky and Groovy Guava and Welcome our NEW in colours: Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Tangerine Tango, Pink Pirouette, Pacific Point and Riding Hood Red. As demonstrators we are able to order a few items from the new catalogue so we can prepare for the catalogue release and one of the items is a sample of the new in colours. Here are a couple of cards using the retiring Groovy Guava and the new Tangarine Tango. The top one is using the new Cheers to You set.

Crayon Resist - Fishy friends

2009-03-15T15:00:00.003+11:00

Another example of crayon resist. This time I used a dauber to ink up the jelly fish and the seahorse. I used varying shades of blue on the jelly fish starting with the lightest. With the seahorse I added river rock, creamy caramel and really rust to give him a bit of depth. Oh and to get the soft sky on the ribbon I just used a white ribbon and rubbed it along the edge of the soft sky ink pad.

Crayon Resist - Baroque Motifs

2009-03-15T14:51:00.002+11:00

At our stamp club this month we did the Baroque Motifs card in Night of Navy and Groovy Guava using the crayon resist technique.

We stamped gloss card with the baroque swirl stamp in night of navy and allowed to dry. It takes a little longer than we are used to as it's gloss card. We then drew crayon on the places we wanted to keep white. Different crayons will give you different results, for me the cheapest ones from The Reject Shop worked better than the crayola or texta brand ones, but any crayon will work. Next we brayered over the top with Groovy Guava ink until it was covered, allowed a moment to dry a little and rubbed with a tissue so that the crayon residue came off. Then we finished our cards.

Versamark resist or Ghosting

2009-03-15T14:41:00.004+11:00

At our stamp club this month we did a couple of new techniques, Versamark Resist, also known as Ghosting and Crayon Resist. The cards above are done with Versamark Resist. The top one in Always Artichoke and Groovy Guava was one I did at Gail's when she held a Stamp-a-stack to raise funds for the Victorian Bushfire Appeal. The second one in Perfect Plum and Pale Plum is the one we did at stamp club.

Load a wheel up with Versamark and wheel it onto gloss card, then brayer over with a mid to dark ink colour. That's it, couldn't be simpler.

Time Well Spent

2009-03-14T14:36:00.003+11:00

This is another card I did on the Demonstrators weekend away. The set, Time Well Spent is a level 3 hostess set that I hadn't had much chance to use. I like the ribbon on this one. I punched either side of the flower stalk with the double rectangle punch and threaded the certainly celery ribbon tied it in a not, then I threaded the wider very vanilla ribbon behind it.

Polka Dot punches and Dashing paper

2009-03-14T14:07:00.005+11:00

I was playing around one night and thought I would try stamping on the Designer Series paper. I stamped the flower from polka dot punches on the dashing paper and punched it out with the flower punch. To do the leaves I used the flower punch and cut the petals off. The vases were done with the large oval punch and then I just trimmed the top and bottom. I love the simpleness of this card and think it looks great on the black. Who said dashing paper was just for Christmas!

Botanical Blooms and Congrats Sale-a-bration sets

2009-03-14T13:58:00.004+11:00

The blue is bashful blue the lighter brown is close to cocoa and the darker brown is choc chip. I just love these colours together! I like the effect of the two step stamping in this one, as you can see you don't need to line it up perfectly to get a great look.

Time well spent magic card - take 2

2009-03-14T13:39:00.003+11:00

I really enjoyed doing the magic card and thought I'd have another go at it. I like the strong colours on this card.

True Friend and Apple Cider paper

2009-03-14T13:29:00.002+11:00

A few of our demonstrator group "Gail Force Stampers" had a weekend away and naturally we took our stamping stuff. This is a set and paper from the Spring mini that I hadn't had a chance to play with yet. Here is a card that I did while I was waiting for the others to arrive. It took time to cut it all out and layer it but I wasn't in a hurry at the time and I'm really pleased with the result. It also gave me a chance to use some of the gorgeous silver hodgepodge.

Construction birthday card

2009-03-14T13:19:00.002+11:00

Here is a card I did for Brodie's 3rd birthday. The 3 is done with a tyre track wheel. The bulldozer is from a retired Stampin' Up! set called Construction that I just can't part with.

Wild about you pop up card

2009-03-10T17:45:00.003+11:00

I did this card for Noah's 4th birthday. I got the idea from a pop up card book that Mandy had borrowed from the library, thanks Mandy! The clouds are stamped with the top of the cupcake stamp from 'Big Bold Birthday'

Magic Card - Time Well Spent

2009-03-10T17:31:00.003+11:00

For our stamp club in January we made a magic card. When it is closed it's black and white and when you slide it out it's in colour. It was a very fiddly card to make but the result was great.

It's been ages

2009-03-10T13:39:00.002+11:00

Hi,

Christmas is well and truly over and the shock of the new school routine has finally subsided so I thought it was time to update on here. Since Christmas I have also started a new part time job and my new boss has gone on maternity leave. She had a little girl Ashlee the day after I finished my training. Here is the card I made for her.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-21T14:52:00.008+11:00

Well it's that time of year where we are all rushing around. For me it was finishing school myself for the year, lots of kinder parties and a graduation for Mitchell and of course there is the Christmas shopping. I've finally finished that and I have very few to buy for so my sympathies to those still going. Unfortunately I have left making my own cards to the last minute but I've finally finished them. I did two different types this year. One is a Star Card and thanks to Mandy from our stamp club for showing me how to do these. They look like a small tag but when you move the bead or button up the string and open it up you get a very cute star. If you would like the instructions for this card please email me anemarie@bigpond.net.au and I'll forward you a copy. The other is a general card using the Dashing DSP, Certainly Celery, Real Red and Very Vanilla Card stock. The tree is from the Season of Joy set and the 'Very Merry' is from the Short and Sweet set. I'm not sure if you can see in the photo but I used a cuttlebug to dry emboss spots on the very vanilla panel.

This will be my last post until Christmas so I wish you all Joy and Happiness. Have a great Christmas!

Anne-Marie

Christmas Techniques class

2008-11-14T22:56:00.004+11:00

We had a great time at our Christmas techniques class this week. We each made a chocolate basket, a gift card holder and a lolly bag. All great for gift giving this Christmas. It's amazing to see the different variations that appear once a new technique is learnt. Here are our chocolate baskets. They are made with a sheet of 12"x12" card stock and 2 sheets of designer series paper. Some were made using the Dashing papers, two of the ladies used the Holiday Harmony papers from the Spring mini catalogue and I used the Apple Cider papers, also from the Spring mini. I think they look fab and will look even better overflowing with lovely chocolates.....yummm.

Stampin' Up! November Specials

2008-11-14T22:30:00.004+11:00

There are 2 fantastic specials this month running from 10th to 30th of November.

Our first special is one Stampin' Up! demonstrators have been asking for and now it's here. You can buy Stampin' Write markers individually for just $4.95 each. We think this is a fantastic idea! Now you can chose the colours you use most often without having to buy the whole colour family pack.

Continuing our celebration of Stampin' Up!'s 20th anniversary there is a special 20/20 offer. You will get 20% off all Rub-Ons when you spend $20 on Stampin' Up! products. That includes the ones in the current Idea Book and Catalogue and in the Spring Mini Catalogue, that's 5 different designs to chose from. Each pack comes with a page of white and a page of black with many of the designs matching or coordinating with our stamp sets. They can be used on cards, scrapbook pages and hard surfaces such as glass.

To place an order or for more information please email me at anemarie@bigpond.net.au

Where've ya been?

2008-10-31T10:46:00.002+11:00

It's been a while since I've updated on here (cringe) sorry about that. I have been busy with house guests and workshops but I have been doing some Christmas Cards. To get ready for the stamp-a-stacks I needed to come up with some ideas that would be quick enough to be able to make 5 cards each of 2 designs in a couple of hours. Following are three cards I have done so far. The bird one is based on a card I saw on splitcoast but I don't know who's it was so sorry if I don't give you credit but thanks for the idea.

Greetings Galore Christmas Tree

2008-10-31T10:36:00.002+11:00

This is a set a lot of people have but rarely use so I thought I'd try and come up with something quick and easy using the Christmas tree stamp. The cardstock used are Real Red, Certainly Celery, Handsome Hunter and Whisper White. The Handsome Hunter card was put through a cuttlebug to get the lovely dry embossed swirl but if you don't have a cuttlebug or similar you could stamp a background with Handsome Hunter ink, it wouldn't give you a 3D look but would still be very effective. The Christmas tree stamp was inked with Versamark, then Handsome Hunter and heat embossed with clear embossing powder to give it a shine. This would be an easy card to do for a stamp-a-stack or even if you just wanted to produce a few of the same card

Always Christmas Card

2008-10-31T10:30:00.002+11:00

It's a bit hard to see in the photo but the Real Red card was stamped with the Poinsettia from the Season of Joy set in Real Red. The 'Merry Christmas' is also from the Season of Joy set and the bird is from the Always set. The green card used for layering and the ribbon are Certainly Celery. A very simple and easy card to do suitable for a stamp-a-stack.

Season of Joy

2008-10-31T10:19:00.002+11:00

I stamped the words stamp in Purely Pomegranate then again in Handsome Hunter and cut out the '&', middle poinsettia, tree and snowflake. These are attached with dimensionals. The large poinsettia was stamped twice and the small flower stamped three times. These were hand cut out and layered, again with dimensionals. I punched the double ribbon in the corner and threaded the pomegranate ribbon through. The words were then mounted on Handsome Hunter and the card is Purely pomegranate. Because of all the hand cutting this card isn't suitable for a stamp-a-stack but I really like the way it came out.

Stamp Club

2008-10-09T10:21:00.002+11:00

We had a great time at stamp club this month. We made a quick and easy Christmas card, pictured and an Origami Christmas Tree. I'll post a picture as soon as I've finished the card. We also made a really simple gift box that looks fabulous. If you are interested in joining the stamp club, details are on the side panel, or email me and I'll get back to you asap.

Techniques Class

2008-09-29T22:16:00.004+10:00

Here are the two cards we made at the techniques class last Wednesday. Thanks to those who came along, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. The first card is the shaker card using Fishy Friends stamp set, the 'celebrate' is from Spring pictograms and the 'warmest wishes' is from a hostess set called So Many Sayings. The main card colour is brocade blue from the rich regals family and the tab and round punched pieces are done in sky blue, one of this years 'in colours' The second card is a spinner or roller card. The cute butterfly and flower are from the Garden Whimsy stamp set and the 'celebrate life' is again from the So Many Sayings hostess set. The leaves and flowers were inked with marker pens to allow for stamping some of the leaves on their own and doing the flower in a different colour. The background card is Mellow Moss but it looks a bit grey on here, it's a much prettier colour in real life.

Wedding Card

2008-09-20T23:13:00.004+10:00

This is the first wedding card I have made. It's for one of the girls in our Stampin' Up! team. I like the colour combination, purely pomegranate, pretty in pink and whisper white. I'm not normally a pink person but the bride is so I thought I'd use it. The stamp set is called Hearts and Posies and is an old retired set. I probably shouldn't put cards made with retired sets on here but I liked how it came out. I used a cuttlebug for the dry embossing on the bottom. Thanks Helen for the use of your cuttlebug.

Jack's 1st birthday Gel Card

2008-09-15T20:35:00.003+10:00

This is a card I made with a cool technique that uses hair gel to appear as water. It's the first time I've tried it and I will definately use it again it was a lot of fun. Personally I think it would have worked better with a darker background but it's all trial and error. The card was for Chelcey and Glenn's darling little boy Jack on his first birthday.

Birthday and exams

2008-09-15T20:20:00.003+10:00

It's been a while since I've updated on here! Last week was a busy one with my birthday at the start of the week followed by exams, yuk! But now it's time for school holidays which I'm really looking forward to. I had a lovely birthday and I thought I'd show you one of the beautiful hand made cards I got from my dear friend Dawn. She made this using Wild Wasabi and Pumpkin Pie textured cardstock, the wheel is called Baroque and the middle stamps are from the Baroque Motifs set. The lovely words are from Wonderful Favourites. Dawn is such a talented stamper, always coming up with something original.

Fathers Day owl cards

2008-09-05T09:57:00.003+10:00

A couple of owl cards. Sharon Webb created the one on the Creamy Caramel Background and the Night of Navy one is for my dad for Fathers Day. Thanks to the lovely Felicity Gray for the punched owl idea.

Fun with Punches

2008-09-05T09:28:00.008+10:00

We had a lot of fun making things with the punches at our first stamp club get together. We made this very cute sheep and owl and some of the ladies made them into cards. This is Denise Oliver's sheep card.

Thanks to a clever stamper from Splitcoast for the sheep idea.

Stamp Club - Punches

2008-09-02T16:26:00.002+10:00

One more sleep until stamp club and we are going to be doing very cool things with punches. Here is a sample, I made the ice cream using the scallop punch and cutting out the top one to resemble a scoop of ice cream, added a small circle for a cherry and the cone is done using So Saffron designer series paper, though this is a little difficult to see in the photo.

Stampin' Up! September Special Offer

2008-08-24T13:24:00.005+10:00

Free Wheelin’

From 1-30 September, when you buy a preselected stamp set, you’ll receive the coordinating wheel absolutely free! That’s right, order one of the stamp sets below and you’ll get the wheel with it at no extra cost. Pretty cool huh!

Item 113968 Page 29 - Merry, Merry Bundle
(includes Merry, Merry stamp set and All about Christmas jumbo wheel) $45.95

Item 113969 Page 48 - Artfully Asian Bundle
(includes Artfully Asian stamp set and Watercolor Vine jumbo wheel) $45.95

Item 113970 Page 59 - Nursery Necessities Bundle
(includes Nursery Necessities stamp set and Nursery Letters jumbo wheel) $56.95

Item 113971 Page 80 - Bodacious Bouquet Bundle
(includes Bodacious Bouquet stamp set and Bodacious jumbo wheel) $58.95

Item 113972 Page 94 - Carte Postale Bundle
(includes Carte Postale stamp set and Leaves à la Carte jumbo wheel) $48.95

Item 113973 Page 105 - Priceless Bundle
(includes Priceless stamp set and So Swirly jumbo wheel) $48.95

R is for Rocking Horse

2008-08-24T13:09:00.004+10:00

Since I started as a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator I have been so busy with workshops and making cards I have been neglecting my scrap albums. Last night Julie popped over and we did a bit of scrapbooking. Here is the 'R' page of an ABC album I'm doing of Mitchell. I used Best Friends uppercase alphabet for 'Rocking Horse', Best Friends lowercase for 'is for' and the 'r' was stamped with Schoolbook Serif alphabet. The cute baby on the rocking horse is from the Greetings Galore stamp set. The photos are from his first birthday.

All in the Family

2008-08-23T20:13:00.004+10:00

Hi there,

I've been out of action for a while with a bad dose of the flu but am back feeling much better. I thought I'd show you a card I made with my new stamp set 'All in the Family'. It's for my dear friend Dawn's youngest, Mason who has just turned 2.

Winners

2008-08-11T16:31:00.002+10:00

Almost forgot, the following people have won their first class at half price for being the first 5 to respond to the Classes survey.

Dawn Brown
Helen Sucher
Tilly Mazzei
Rochelle Peters
Kellie Lyneham

Thanks ladies, pop me an email and let me know which class you would like to book in for.

A-M

Class timetable

2008-08-11T16:05:00.003+10:00

Hi all

I've finally come up with a timetable for Stamp Classes, which you can see on the right. All classes will be held at my house in Berwick where I have a room set up ready. There will be limited places so book early. For more information on classes and for bookings please email me at anemarie@bigpond.net.au or call me on 8786 7058.

Anne-Marie

Snow Globe

2008-08-10T22:35:00.002+10:00

Here is the card I made for the birthday girl on Saturday. Sorry but the snow globe is from a retired set that is no longer available. I coloured it using watercolour crayons and a blender pen for the castle and Bashful Blue ink and an aqua painter for the glass itself, a bit hard to see on here. The 'Happy Birthday' is from the Pretty Princess set and the number 5 is from the Best Friends number set. The card colours are Elegent Eggplant, Perfect Plum and Pale Plum. I used the scallop punch and a couple of circle punches and pierced holes in the scallop. The brads are some that I picked up at the Quilt and Craft show last month.

I did do a card for the birthday boy from todays party but it was late last night and I forgot to take a photo this morning.

Busy Weekend

2008-08-10T22:16:00.008+10:00

What a busy weekend it has been. Mitchell had his golf lesson on Saturday morning, which he loves. This was followed by a gymnastics birthday party which was loads of fun. Then today he had a party at a play centre for another of his kinder friends. I don't know about him, but I'm exhausted.

Classes Update

2008-08-06T14:10:00.003+10:00

Hi everyone,

Thank you to everyone who answered the survey about Stamp Classes. It was a wonderful response. From the information you have sent to me I will be putting together a timetable of classes I will be running. Remember, the classes will be limited to small numbers so if you are interested, get in quick!

Happy Stamping

Anne-Marie

August newsletter and Stamping Classes survey

2008-08-01T10:38:00.000+10:00

The August Newsletter is on it's way to you via email, as a word document attachment. If you have any problems opening the attachment, please email me at anemarie@bigpond.net.au and I'll pop a copy in the post to you.

I have included a questionnaire about Stamping classes. If you could fill this in and send it back to me asap, that would be fantastic. That way I can make sure I arrange classes covering the techniques you would like to learn and find out which times suit you.

Spring Mini Catalogue

2008-08-01T10:23:00.000+10:00

Hi All

Well it's the 1st of August, the day the new Spring Mini Catalogue starts. This catalogue is available until November 30 2008. If you would like to have a look at what's in this great little book, email me at anemarie@bigpond.net.au with your address and I'll post one out to you, or you can view it at http://www.stampinup.com.au/. It's got some lovely stamps and new designer papers in it, as well as lots of extras such as rub ons, die cuts and even a new punch. I love the Tart and Tangy set it's only $21.95 and has some lovely matching paper at $11.95. And the new Christmas stamps and papers are really pretty. One of my fellow Stampin' Up! consultants showed me a great basket to make for Christmas which I'll do in one of my classes so rembember to get in quick when that one is announced because places are limited.

Welcome to Stamp Easy

2008-07-31T23:13:00.000+10:00

Well here it is, my first post on the new blog and I don't really know what to say. Not like you I hear some of you say! Ok I can normally talk the leg of a chair but it's late and I wanted to get this up and running so I will add some more tomorrow.