Cute as a Bug!

Just a quick post - My friends Cassy and Stephen have just had a new baby, and here is the card I made for him. Little Felix Lawrence, welcome to the world!

I have used: Gable Green, Tempting Turquoise and Brilliant Blue inks and card stock, as well as Whisper White card stock, plus the teeny handheld hole punch and the corner rounder (guard removed) to make the scallops. I also used the same colour markers to ink the words and to add colour to the caterpiller. Stamp a matching envelope and Voila!

1st Class of the year...

Now, it seems I rarely get to advertise when my classes are on! They get filled up by word of mouth before I even get to put them here!

So to kick off the year, I am running a class by popular demand on how to make the Moon at Sunset card using the Brayer..... plus a bit of a play with the brayer and various things you can do with it.... The class will be $10, and you will take home a completed project, plus get to practice some skills and take with you all the things you practiced to make another couple of projects when you get home. This class will be on Wednesday 6th February - if you are free, email me now! cherylandrews@optusnet.com.au

Stamp Club

Hello all! Just a reminder I am still filling a couple of spaces for the Stamp Club. Why join a stamp club? I'll explain how it works.....

• Each participant agrees to spend $50 on Stampin' Up! Product every 2 months.
• Each time we meet, a name is drawn from the hat - in this way we take turns being the hostess, and therefore reaping the hostess benefits and rewards.
• Everyone is more than welcome to spend more than $50 of course! Setting a minimum limit ensures that each Stamp Club meeting reaches a hostess benefit level.
• If you cannot make a particular Stamp Club meeting (we will rotate meeting times to make sure all can attend at some point!) that is fine! All you need to do is place your order to make sure the whole group still benefits.
• Each Club meeting will focus on something different... new techniques, old favourites and special products, including a project or two to take home.
• Each Club meeting will have mystery prizes, special deals and bonuses exclusive to club members.
• The Club will close when all members have received hostess benefits, so for example, with 6 people involved, we will finish in December.

What better way to build your stamping and scrapbooking supplies! So book your place at my table now! The first Stamp Club meeting will be on Wednesday 20th February at 7:30pm (my place), so be quick! - email me on cherylandrews@optusnet.com.au .

Want free stuff? Of course you do!

At last! I have some freebies to give to my lucky bloggers..... Here's how it will work. We need at least six people to play. This is a one off workshop where everyone shares the benefits!

The rules of engagement:

1 - Each participant will spend $100 on product, and automatically receive the Sale-a-Bration set of their choice.

2 - The 1st person who emails me to play will receive an extra $30 worth of free product OR a level 2 hostess set of their choice.

3 - the 2nd person will receive an extra $25 worth of free product OR a level 2 hostess set (limited choice)

4 - the 3rd person will receive a level 2 hostess set (limited choice) OR $20 worth of product.

5 - the 4th person will receive a level 2 hostess set (limited choice)

6 - the 5th person will receive another Sale-a-Bration set of their choice.

7 - the 6th person will receive a level 1 hostess set (limited choice)

OK! The first people to email me by the 4th February are in - cherylandrews@optusnet.com.au Those who email me by the end of January will receive a free inkpad with their order as well! If there are more than 6 of you, I have other mystery stamp sets to be won. I want you all to win something........... So get your wishlist out, and top up your supplies, or treat yourself to a new stamp set. This blog workshop is ONLY available to Australian residents, and is not available to other Stampin' Up! Demonstrators..... All orders will incur the 5% postage and handling charge ;-) of course! The level 2 sets available in limited choice are: Both Way Blossoms, In Any Event, A is for Adorable. The level 1 hostess sets available are: Reason to Smile, Blooming with Happiness, Springtime Stems, Rivetting. Customers will be given the choice in the order in which they reply to me.

Workshop time....

I have really been enjoying being relaxed and creative... Whilst I have had some workshops going on over the holidays, everything else has been in suspended animation, so I have had time to play....

At our team meeting last Thursday, Melissa from my team (check out her blog on the right there) taught us a new technique - Bleaching. We had a play with some different ideas, and I brought home some of the samples I made so I could create a card or 2 with them. And here is one!

The flower in the square (top centre) is the bleached image. Mel embossed the image from Carte Postale with versamark ink and clear embossing powder onto Chocolate Chip card stock. I used an aquapainter filled with bleach instead of water to bleach out certain aspects of the design. The middle had too much bleach, which ate through the embossing, and therefore blurred the detail here, so I hid it with a brad! (teehee!) The colour faded the longer I left it. At home, I cut out the square shape, and mounted it on Very Vanilla and Apricot Appeal card stock. Using a variation on a theme (see the Carte Postale card with choc and celery below), I scalloped a half circle of the Au Chocolat Double Sided Designer Series Paper with the corner rounder (guard removed) and layered it onto Very Vanilla. Next, I stuck it onto a folded piece of Apricot Appeal, which I stamped with some more images from the Carte Postale set in Apricot Appeal and Chocolate Chip. I repeated the square flower image on to Very Vanilla cs in Choc and Apricot, and cut them out, layering them onto some Chocolate grosgrain ribbon in the corners. The bleached image then was mounted as you see it.... and here is a close up of the bleached image.....

This next card is a simple design at the request of one of my lovely hostesses (Hi Sally!) for a wedding she is attending.... I think it is a great card for other occasions too! I am going to use it as a Christening card.

Things I used: Barely Banana, pretty in Pink and Very Vanilla Card Stock, Jet Black Stazon Ink, Apricot Appeal, Cameo Coral and Certainly Celery ink, aqua painters (NOT the ones I used for bleach!!) mat pack and paper piercer, light pink grosgrain ribbon, oval punches. The stamp sets are Warm Words and Bothway Blossoms. Bothway Blossoms is a level 2 hostess set, which means only hostesses are eligible to get it based on the workshop sales. So if you like this set, then you need to have a workshop! All it takes is a handful of friends or family, a place for them to sit, and a cuppa and a bikkie. It's the easiest way to get free stamps I can think of! So book your workshop right now - remember you have until the end of February to get great Sale-a-Bration deals too! Email me on cherylandrews@optusnet.com.au to book.

10% Offer Extended!!!!

This is a CaSE of a card I saw on Alisa Tilsner's blog (Check out the Elite Challenges site over in my list of Faves!), but I reckon hers is far more artistic than mine..... I have a brayer, and had not used it much, but here is a wonderful use for it! Want to know more? I am going to run a class on brayering in February or March, so let me know if you are interested ;-). It's easier than you think!!!!

Exciting news!!! If you missed out on the Australian Scrapbook Creations magazine special offer of 10% off the price of the Stampin' Up! Starter Kit, then here is your chance! This is the best Starter Kit deal yet, and includes not only the regular Starter Kit valued at $585 for the discounted price of $291.60 (regularly $324), but also during the Sale-a-Bration promotion, new demonstrators can choose another stamp set up to any value from the current catalogues absolutely free! So, up to $665 worth of products and business supplies for only $291.60! It really is a great deal... So what are you waiting for! It takes all kinds of demonstrators to be in my team, whether to build a successful business, or just to supply your own hobby, or to sell to family and friendss, or to run classes at your place.... You can choose how to make Stampin' Up!® work for you! Email me now to get more info on this fabulous opportunity... cherylandrews@optusnet.com.au

Meanwhile, some more Summer Mini Catalogue sets - Carte Postale and French Flair, plus a Happy Hello from the Sale-a-Bration exclusive collection as well...

Hmmm, experimenting with the macro setting on my camera! Hence the slightly bulgy look.... Anyway, you get the idea! I just love things that match and coordinate, and the French themed stamps and accessories in the Summer Mini are really beautiful! The Carte Postale stamp set coordinates beautifully with the Enchante Designer Series Double Sided Paper, and here I have used Certainly Celery, Sage Shadow and Chocolate Chip card stock and inks with the half circle scalloped piece from the Enchante range..... Accessories include the smallest handheld hole punch to make a hole for the silver brad in the centre of the flower, the Stampin' Pastels in Chocolate Chip to create the soft edge on the Mon Amie sentiment image, the one and a quarter inch circle punch on the chocolate chip flower, the corner rounder with the guard removed to create the scalloped edge on the half circle, and some Chocolate Grosgrain ribbon. Not that you can really tell, but the Mon Amie piece is raised on dimensionals, and so is the swallow. This design was inspired by quite a few cards I found on the internet.... noone in particular! All images are © Stampin' Up! 1990 - 2008, artwork by Cheryl Andrews.

This card is a smaller square, and I have used the French Flair background stamp in Cool Carribean ink on Cool Carribean card stock. My wonderful upline Linda gave me the Flirty Ribbon Originals pack from the Summer Mini Catalogue as a gift, and I have used some of this beautiful pink ribbon from the pack. (Thanks Lovely Linda!) There is also some Whisper White card stock distressed on the edges with the distressing tool from the cutter kit, plus the small Oval punch for the Bonjour sentiment. The word and the bird are in Not Quite Navy ink, and Pretty in Pink card stock mats Bonjour with the large oval punch. Bonjour and the swallow images are from the Carte Postale set.

Using the same colours, I have created a Friendship Blossoms card with the Happy Hellos sentiment from Lots of Thoughts - both exclusive sets in the Sale-a-Bration catalogue. The only addition is the regal Rose ink to define the flower outline a bit more on the Pretty in Pink card stock.

Happy Stamping!

Sale-a-Bration

Sale-a-Bration is well under way, and I'm not the only one who has already benefited from the free stamp sets on offer! Have a peek here at the beautiful sets you can earn simply by purchasing $100 worth of product! As a hostess, you also earn great benefits when your workshop sales exceed $600. And if you are wanting to join my wonderful team of demonstrators, either as a hobby, to feed your own stampin' addiction, or to run a successful and rewarding business, during Sale-a-Bration you can choose an extra stamp set of any value to go in the already fabulous value Starter Kit! Everybody wins in January and February!

So here are some things I have been making so far with one of the Sale-a-Bration sets - Friendship Blooms.

I made this at a fellow demonstrator's house for a stampin' get together. (Hi Jayne!) I challenged myself to use a colour or two that I rarely ever choose - Cameo Coral from the Earth Elements range, and Blush Blossom from the Soft Subtles range. Both colours are actually quite lovely when used in the appropriate setting, I decided! So here is my creative effort - Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Cameo Coral and Blush Blossom card stock, Cameo Coral, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla ink, Dimensionals (the flowers stand up on the base card) and the paper piercing mat and template.

This cute little card is one of the Vanilla pocket notes from the Summer Mini Catalogue. I have used some Pale Plum card stock, Perfect Plum, Pale Plum and Certainly celery ink, the 3mm handheld circle punch, a mini glue dot, and the Dazzling Diamonds glitter. (See the sparkly centre in the flower?) I also used the Perfect Plum Marker to isolate the word 'friendship' from the sentiment stamp. (You can see the sentiment in the above picture)

This is one of the Pretty in Pink pocket notes. My Secret Santa from Angela's demonstrator forum sent me in my parcel some stamped images of the Friendship Blossoms set (among other things - Thanx Marelle!! Big kiss...) and so I got to play before I even got my own set! I watercoloured the 2 flowers (one big, one tiny) in Regal Rose and So Saffron. I cut them out, and layered the tiny one on the big one, securing with an Always Artichoke brad. The leaves are watercoloured with Always Artichoke. The sentiment is from the Summer Mini Catalogue set, Small Sayings, as is the teeny weeny flower stamped on the envelope and across the bottom of the pocket card. I have used: Basic Black and So Saffron card stock (Marelle stamped the images in black on Whisper White), Basic Black, Regal Rose, So Saffron and Always Artichoke ink, the paper piercing template and mat, and the corner rounder punch.

These next two are using the sets I have from the Summer Mini Catalogue - just in case you wanted some more reason to own them yourself!

This is the Chocolate Chip pocket note - the third colour in the available range for these - and I have used the leaves from Carte Postale stamped in Very Vanilla ink on the pocket note, and in Chocolate Chip on the envelope. The sentiment is from a level 1 hostess set called Warmest Regards, and I have used some Very Vanilla card stock with some Creamy Caramel card stock. I overstamped the swirl from Carte Postale in Creamy Caramel on the leaf image on the envelope, and added some Cream Grosgrain Ribbon with a tiny buckle from the Aged Copper Hodgepodge tin. It has been given to a male friend of ours - a good Man card I think! Not too girly!

This card uses Big Blooms from the Summer Mini. I love this set - it just lends itself to bold, bright, strong colours! Well, I think so anyway! I will have to challenge myself to use earthy or subtle colours now..... Meanwhile, here I have used Elegant Eggplant, Summer Sun and Whisper White card stock. The inks are Summer Sun, Rose Red, Elegant Eggplant, Orchid Opulance and Pixie Pink. I have used a technique called Rock 'n' Roll on the 3 Big flowers, and I've used my 2 oval punches for the sentiment, and some gold cord to finish it off. The sentiment is from Small Sayings, as is the teeny weeny flowers in the centre of the flowers on either end.

Hope you like my holiday creations! Remember to email me on cherylandrews@optusnet.com.au to place and order, book a workshop, or get some information about being a demonstrator on my team!