Stampin with Joanna

Watercolouring Fun and Fast Notes

These are some mini cards I made using the new stamp set 'Fun and Fast notes'.  It is a wonderful set with 8 images and greetings making it so versatile.

I have stamped the images only (this gives me the versatility to add the greeting of my choice to the card) onto watercolour paper with staz on ink and then watercoloured them using my watercolour crayons and aquapainter.

If you would like to learn how to watercolour then perhaps consider attending my next card making class, on Tuesday 13th May, 7.30pm at my home in McGraths Hill, Sydney.  We will be making some cards using watercolouring and some that don't.  You make 10 cards in total at a cost of only $20, this includes all materials.  The only optional extra is $3 if you want to purchase envelopes that you can stamp to match your cards.  Give me a call on 0408 657 258 or email me if you would like to attend.  Beginners most welcome.

Here is a close up of the cards above:

Happy Stamping!

Free Gifts at my Launch Party

If you attended my New Catalogue Launch Party last week then you would have recieved these lovely free gifts!

A 'thank you' card, some 'friend' chocolate (cos you always need some chocolate close at hand!) and a lovely ribbon flower! 

I am especially proud of the ribbon flowers!  I came up with this idea all on my own!  I used the empty spools from Stampin' Up! ribbon and recovered them using the scallop circle punch and other circle punches all using the new 'in colours'.  Everyone got a sample of one of the NEW ribbons from the catalogue to take home. Here is a close up:

Everyone who placed an order, even if they couldn't attend, also gets these free goodies in with their order when it is delivered.  I always do this for my launch parties - to make them even more special.  Keep this in mind for my next launch party in a few months so you can get some free goodies too! 

Garden Whimsy in Pomegranate!

Introducting the new "Garden Whimsy" stamp set.  How beautiful is it?!  It has 2 different butterflies, the tulip, a lady bug, little bugs and 2 lovely greetings.

I just fell in love with this set the moment I saw it.

I have also used the new in colours, purely pomegranate and wild wasabi, they look great together.

You may notice some gold eyelets in the corners of the card - these were set using the tool called the 'Crop-a-dile' which Stampin' Up! now sells, much to my joy!  This makes setting eyelets of all sizes a breeze as well as being able to cut 2 different sized holes through almost anything.

My husband asked me to make him a new hole in his leather belt yesterday (can he be losing weight?) which I did in 2 seconds flat with the crop-a-dile. He was very impressed with this tool and I think secretly wants one for himself!

Anyway back to the nitty gritty:

Card:  Wild wasabi, purely pomegranate, whisper white

Ink:  purely pomegranate, wild wasabi

Stamps:  Garden Whimsy

Accessories:  gold eyelets, crop-a-dile, slit punch, 2 way glue pen.

If you would like to see the crop-a-dile in action why not give me a call on 0408 657 258 or email me.  I am happy to come and show you and your friends how to use it, if you live in Sydney or anywhere near Windsor.

Here is a bonus card using the same stamp set and colours.

Happy Stamping!

Boho Backgrounds Card

I have been playing with lots of new stamp sets and accessories from the Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalogue 2008-2009.

This card uses the new set "Boho Backgrounds". It is a very pretty set and I must thank the lovely Lin Mei for letting me stamp these images.  I have taken inspiration from a card sample in the Idea book and added my own twist! 

The hat pin and beads are from the new "pretties kit" which is just scrumptious! It has flowers, beads, pearls, hat pins and rhinestone brads.  What more could a girl want! 

Here are all the juicy details:

Card:  Soft sky, river rock, naturals ivory, blue bayou

Ink:  Blue bayou, soft sky 9both new in colours)

Stamps:  Boho backgrounds

Accessories:  Round tab punch (to make largest circle), scallop circle punch, 1 3/8 inch circle punch, 1 inch circle punch, ice circle rhinestone brad, pretties kit (hat pin, clear beads and pearl), very vanilla  5/8inch grosgrain ribbon, word window punch, stampin dimensions.

Remember you can email me if you would like to order anything you see here or to ask me a question.  I am really quite friendly!

Happy Stamping!

New Catalogue Launch Party Tonight

This is one of the 3 make and takes you will be making tonight if you are attending my New Catalogue Launch Party!  Of course you will be able to stamp the greeting of your choice on the card too!

I have used the new scallop circle punch with the brand new colour, purely pomegranate!  I just love both of these new products!  There are so many new products it is hard to know which to choose.  If you are coming to my launch you will be able to see a lot of new things including:

- new ribbons - taffeta, striped grosgrain, wide grosgrain, double stitched

- new 'in colours' (these are just lovely and coordinate so well with each other as well as the other SU colours)

- new textured cardstock (available in 12 x 12 in all colours!)

- new scallop circle punch

- new photo corners punch

- new rubons

- new chipboard

- new double sided patterned paper (even better at a bargain price of $11.95 for 12 sheets!)

- new stamp sets

- lots of new samples with new stamps

And if that isn't enough there are free gifts for everyone who attends as well as lucky door prizes and launch party specials!

This is your last chance - if you live anywhere near McGraths Hill (which is near Windsor) then give me a call on 0408 657 258 if you would like to attend.  It's free!

Happy Stamping!

My Convention Swaps

Here are all the swap cards I collected at Stampin' Up! Convention in Brisbane!

I made 25 swap cards and swapped them for different samples with my fellow demonstrators.  I love swapping!  It is so much fun and gives you so many great samples and ideas.  I now have lots of new samples to show my workshop guests and friends.  As well as many cards to give me creative inspiration when I need it.

Thanks to everyone who swapped with me.

Happy Stamping!

What I bought at Convention

These are my purchases from Momento Mall, the Stampin' Up! equivalent of Harrods!  OK, maybe not that expensive - but a great shopping experience none-the-less!

I bought:

-  the small black handbag complete with Stampin' Up! logo, which at present has a lovely card from my upline Jayne in the side pocket (thanks Jayne!) but will also fit a mini catalogue or a photo of your loved ones or whatever you like really!

- a cap (with the Scribble wheel embroidered on the peak and top of the cap),

- some pretty magnets,

- a notepad

- and the Dream Big convention soundtrack (to play at my team meetings to inspire all of my team!)

I've also pictured the cute cardboard tote they gave us to shop with.

These items are unfortunately only available to Stampin' Up! demonstrators at convention.  If you would like to be able to buy items like these at next years convention, why not email me for more information.

Convention Gifts

These are all the gifts I got at Stampin' Up! Convention!

A 12x12 bag with a large clear pocket on the side to showcase a scrapbook page, my name tag, lanyard and Dream Big convention pin, my recruiting pin AND 4 stamp sets!!!  Woo Hoo!  You gotta love free rubber!

2 of these free sets were included in the price of convention, fun and fast notes and the happiness background stamp. Garden Whimsy was the set we received at the leadership training session.  And Short and Sweet is the set I received for my recruiting award. 

So not only was convention uplifting, inspiring, refreshing, loads of fun and filled with stamping.

We got free gifts too!!

Next year Stampin' Up! Convention is being held in Canberra from 1st - 2nd May 2009.  If you would like to be a part of the Stampin' Up! family and share in some of the excitment and fun at convention next year (not to mention get free stamp sets) why not email me or call me on 0408 657 258 to find out more.

Watercolouring Card Making Class

Here is what we got to make at Stampin' Up! Convention this year.  A 12 x 12 scrapbook page (mine still needs a photo to be added!), with matching card, 2 love notes using watercolouring, a thank you gift box AND we got to fill in all of the Stampin' Up! colour charts, which have a sample of each of the 48 colours of card, markers and inks.

Here is a close up of the box:

And the watercolouring on the love notes:

We used the Stampin' Up! watercolour paper which makes a huge difference to the outcome of the coloured image.  It makes it so much better! and much easier to manipulate the colour.  I will be running a card making class on Tuesday 13th May which will focus on watercolouring. So if you are interested in finding out how to colour like an expert, and make some cards too, email me now to book your place.

Watercolouring Card Making Class Details:

Where:  My house in McGraths Hill, Sydney

Date and time:  Tuesday 13th May, 7.30pm

What you will make:  10 cards, 2 designs (5 of each one).  Focus will be on watercolouring in both cards.

Cost: $20 per person, extra $3 (optional) for envelopes you can stamp to match your cards

Bookings essential.  Call me on 0408 657 258 or (02) 45 777 504 or email me to book your spot! 

SU Convention 2008

This is me at the Convention Awards dinner with my lovely team members Merryl and Kylie.  I'm in the middle! I had my hair coloured right before convention so am now a little darker than my photo on my blog.  OK, a lot darker!  I asked to go back to my natural colour, mousy brown, and this is what I got!  I just keep telling myself "It will fade, it will fade!" 

Convention was brilliant!  I had so much fun, learnt a lot and really enjoyed spending time with some old friends, and making some new ones!

The theme of convention was "Dream Big".  My dream last year when I attended convention was to be on stage getting an award at the next convention.  I achieved my dream and got to walk on stage, hug Shelli Gardner, get a free stamp set and an award pin, all for getting 6 recruits in the last year (A level 1 recruiting award).  I am very proud of myself!  Thanks to my wonderful team for sharing the journey with me and making it all possible.  Here I am on stage:

   

And if I can do it, anyone can!  If you have ever thought about being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator then email me so I can send you a no obligation information pack.  Then maybe your dream can come true too! 

Happy Birthday Meg!

It is my good friend Meg's birthday today.  Can you guess how old she is?  Hope you have a great day Meg.

This is her card.  I hope she likes it.  I made it so the 40th embellishment looks like a winners ribbon.  I think you are a winner if you make it to 40!  (I'll be there soon enough)

This card is inspired by Marelle Taylor, It is my take on her 'no cutting card'.  Thanks Marelle.

I also tried something new - Colouring my ribbon to match the card. I have coloured the vanilla ribbon by using perfect plum ink.  This is the ribbon you see beneath the '40' circle.  I used the sponge daubers to apply the ink to the ribbon and dried it with my heat tool. 

Details:

Stamps:  Bud basics, Occasional greetings.

Card:  Natuals ivory, always artichoke, perfect plum

Ink: Perfect plum, pale plum, pretty in pink, always artichoke.

Accessories:  very vanilla 1/8th inch grosgrain ribbon, sponge daubers, stampin dimensionals.

Catalogue Coupon Club

My goodies from the new catalogue have arrived!  Yippee!

I have even managed to open the box and have a play with some of my new stamps.  Here is a card I made with the lovely new set 'Baroque Motifs'.  The greeting is from the new set "Occasional Greetings'.

I used my new photo corner punch too.  It is so cool - it punches two different sizes of photo corners and is so quick and easy.  These will be great to add to my scrapbook pages too.

If you haven't seen a copy of the NEW Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalogue then email me now so I can send you a copy.  Only $15 including postage during the month of April. 

If you purchase a catalogue through me you will also become a member of my Catalogue Coupon Club, which entitles you to redeem a coupon for a monthly special for an entire 12 months! Email me to become a member.

Details:

Stamps:  Baroque motifs, Occasional greetings

Card:  Old Olive, chocolate chip, natuarals ivory

Ink:  Old olive, chocolate chip

Accessories:  photo corner punch, mat pack, small oval punch, 1/2 inch circle punch, 1 1/4 inch circle punch, linen thread, hodgepodge antique brass, stampin dimensionals.

Convention Swaps

It's Stampin' Up! Convention time again in Australia!  I am off to Brisbane tomorrow for 3 days of fun, stamping and mayhem!  OK, hopefully not too much mayhem!  but lots of fun anyway!

We will be attending lots of valuable classes on how to improve our Stampin' Up! businesses as well as gain lots of creative ideas for our demonstrations and classes.  There is also 'Leadership training', which I am lucky enough to be able to attend, so we can learn how to better lead and manage our downlines.

I am so excited! and can't wait to get on the plane.  It is going to be so much fun spending time with other lovely ladies who also love stamping and papercraft.  The other Stampin' Up! demonstrators I know are all wonderful people and I am really looking forward to catching up with lots of old friends as well as making some new ones! 

I have managed to put together a few swap cards, not as many as I would have liked but at least I have some!  This is one of them.  I hope the other demonstrators think it is OK!  What do you think?  Would you swap with me?  Leave me a comment and let me know! 

To all other SU demonstrators who are attending convention - I'll see you there! Say hello to me if you see me.

Let's get this party started! 

Heat and Stick and glitter

I have been playing around with my 'heat and stick powder'! What is 'heat and stick powder' I hear you ask?  Well, it is what I used to make the glittery flower on the card above.  It is a Stampin' Up! product and great if you want to make all of your stamped image glittery easily. 

To use it you:

1.  Ink your entire image in versamark ink.  In this case I then also inked my stamp in pretty in pink classic ink too (It does transfer a little wee bit of versamark ink onto your classic ink pad, but I have never found this to be an issue).

2.  Stamp your image.

3.  Sprinkle 'heat and stick powder' on your image.

4.  Heat with a heat tool until just melted.

5.  Sprinkle dazzling diamonds glitter on the melted powder

6.  Reheat with your heat tool to set the glitter.

It's that easy!  And I think you will agree, looks super!  Any card looks better with a bit of bling!

Here are the details of the card:

Stamps:  Bud basics, curvy verses

Ink:  Versamark, pretty in pink, rose red

Card:  Very vanilla

Accessories:  Heat and stick powder, dazzling diamonds glitter, celery grosgrain ribbon, corner rounder, stampin dimensionals, mini glue dots.

To order some heat and stick powder, or some other wonderful Stampin' Up! products just email me.  I can get orders delivered anywhere in Australia.

Here is a close up:

Enjoy your day!

Scribble This returns to McGraths Hill, Sydney!

Old favourites of mine, the 'Scribble This' stamp set and 'Scribble' wheel are back!  They made it into the 2008-2009 Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalogue.  Yippee!  (Page 73 for those of you that have your own copy - if you don't then email me to get one!) 

The Scribble Jumbo wheel is so pretty and makes such a lovely background for boxes and scrapbook pages as well as beautifying cards!  And the 'Scribble This' stamp set is the perfect compliment. The large flowers in the set are just perfect for stamping and cutting out to add to cards and pages (they are both pretty easy to cut out too!)

In the card above I have watercoloured the large flower with the watercolour wonder crayons and my aquapainter.  (It is a great flower to watercolour too!)  I have added some colour to some of the flowers on the wheelled strip too to highlight them.

This is the make and take we did at my demonstration yesterday.  Some of the ladies made their card a mothers day card by adding the word 'Mum' and the greeting "You are a wonderful reason to celebrate!" from the Curvy Verses stamp set. 

If you would like to make this card for your Mum for mothers day why not consider hosting a demonstration or a card making class with me.  You only need to get together a group of 4 people (minimum) to enjoy an evening or afternoon of card making.  Email me if you are interested in finding out more. 

Link to new Catalogue

Here is the link to the new Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalogue Online!

CLICK HERE

Enjoy!

The New Catalogue is Here!

Here it is!  The brand new Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalogue for 2008-2009.  You can order from this TODAY!

If you would like to have your own copy here are the ways you can do this:

1.  Host a workshop for me and get one for FREE!

2.  Spend $100 in the catalogue in April and get one for FREE!

3.  If you would like a copy mailed to you it will cost you ONLY $15 (Usually $12.95 plus $6.95 postage)

Email me today to get your hands on your copy!

Inside the new catalogue are lots of lovely new products including:  rubons, flowers, rhinestone brads, beautiful double sided designer papers, new ribbons, new in colours, great new stamps sets as well as much much more!

If live within an hour or so or McGraths Hill in Sydney (near Windsor) then come along to my New Catalogue Launch Party on Thursday 24th April, 7.30pm.  There will be free giveaways, lucky door prizes, specials, make and takes, nibbles, champagne and lots of fun!  Email me to book your place.

Have a great day!