ESAD Christmas Blog Hop

I hope you’re ready for another ESAD Christmas Blog Hop!

What is ESAD?

ESAD stands for Extra Special Australasian Demonstrators and it is an online group just for Australian and New Zealand demonstrators for Stampin’ Up!

We so love what we do and not only do we love to share it with our customers, friends, and wonderful blog visitors but we share our love for what we do with each other as Demonstrators. We run swaps, challenges, tutorials, product know how and cyberstamps and we are always there to help and support each other when its needed.

So if you are a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator located in Australia or New Zealand then please feel free to click here to join our wonderful group.

You should have arrived here from the blog of Pauline Bennetts, but don't worry if you're missed it ... all the blogs are linked, so you can hop around in a big circle until you get back here, and see all the fabulous projects we have prepared for you.

Before I show you today's cards I really must apologise for the quality of these photos. I don't know if it's me, or the cards, or the light, but I took tons of pics and this was the best I could manage (it's probably me lol). Anyway ...

For my first card I've used Cherry Cobbler cardstock as the base. To this I've added a piece of window sheet as the card front, and stamped on it with Frost White shimmer paint. It takes quite a while to dry, and although the shimmer doesnt show up in the photo, in real life it's really lovely. I've used textured Whisper White cardstock and the Merry Details Sizzlet die to cut the tiny trees and snowflake. They are adhered with glue dots, and I've added a couple of Rhinestone Jewels for extra sparkle. The greeting is from Curly Cute and is embossed in white on the inside of the card. A Whisper White Taffeta ribbon finished it off.

My next card also uses the Merry Details Sizzlet die (you might need your sunnies lol).

Sorry for the glare that hits you in the eye. I had to take this outside in the sun so you could actually see that the snowflakes are "suspended" on fine gold thread. Two of the snowflakes were adhered together with the thread in the middle, so I could suspend them in the window that I cut in the front of the card. The brushed gold edge around the inside of the window is actually a full panel on the inside of the card, and very conveniently hides the threads. The snowflakes are painted with Frost White shimmer paint too, and a frame was added with slivers of brushed gold cardstock.

I added tiny rhinestones to finish off the front of the card, and adhered a panel of Cherry Cobbler to the inside. Shows the shadows nicely don't you think? lol

Now it's time to hop off to see what fabulous projects Tanya Bell has created.

Thanks for dropping in,

Inky hugs

Aly

Dress Up Christmas with Free Ribbons!

Stampin' Up! have just announced a FANTASTIC deal for Christmas. Get a head start on your Christmas cards and gifts with one of these terrific bundles, and choose from a gorgeous selection of exclusive, limited time only, FREE ribbon!

 

 This offer is valid from 16 October to 30 November, but only while stocks last, so get in early to avoid disappointment, as once the bundles are sold out they will no longer be available.

Click on the link in my sidebar to view full details, or visit my Demonstrator Business Website. 

 If you'd like some ideas for using these products or creating your own cards and gift packaging, why not try one of my Christmas Classes during November. Check out my Calendar, and call me to book your spot. Or why not host your own workshop and qualify for more FREE stuff! I love giving away free stuff, and would love to talk to you about the great benefits of being a Hostess. 

It's a fabulously windy day here .. so now I'm off to hang some more washing. Back soon with pics :)

Thanks for dropping in,

Inky hugs,

Aly

WOW Did I Really Make That?

Does that ever happen to you? When you finish a card you look at it and can't believe you created it? hehehe Well that was my thought when I sat back after creating this ...

All the fabulous inspiration out there in blogland must be rubbing off on me!

I totally love how this turned out (if only everything turned out this well lol). I used a sketch from Richelle Fletcher for the ESAD Week 34 Card Challenge, but turned it around to accomodate my rather large circle. I stamped En Francais background in Crumb Cake on Whisper White, and then stamped All A Flutter over the top with versamark and clear embossed it. I sponged Crumb Cake and River Rock ink over the image panel and then cut it out using my Circle Scissor. I added some sponging with Soft Suede to create more depth. This panel was then matted on Early Espresso and Cajun Craze. The image piece was mounted on dimensionals on Crumb Cake, with an Early Espresso layer, on a Cajun Craze card base.

I also punched a leftover piece of the panel with the Curly Label punch to create the sentiment (from Baroque Motifs). The embellishment was created with the branch from the 2Step Bird punch, a Latte (retired) button, and a piece of Early Espresso 1/8" Taffeta ribbon. A strip of Satin ribbon and some Early Espresso brads finish it off.

I think it might be a little while before I can bear to part with this one hehe ... and couldn't have done it without all the fabulous stamps and products from Stampin' Up! I still marvel at how easy it is, even for me, to create gorgeous cards ... and I can show you how too. Contact me today to book a workshop or class and then you can WOW your family and friends as well. I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for dropping in,

Inky hugs,
Aly

A Little Elegance

Hi there,

One of my "new favourite" items from the new catty is the Elegant Lines Embossing Folder. Oh gosh it's beautiful! I've been seeing this on lots of American blogs for quite some time now, and was so excited we were getting it, and I can honestly say it is so much more gorgeous in real life than in pictures. The impression is deep and very crisp, and looks stunning on white cardstock. It's also fabulous on coloured cardstock too, and I plan to play with it a LOT more lol.

I've used Daffodil Delight as my card base, and mounted the embossed panel with no other matting (I like the pop of yellow around the edge). I've also used some other new favourite things - Antique brads, new Satin ribbon, Beautiful Wings embosslits ... and, of course, Pearls!

I've actually tried to keep the embellishments fairly low key, aiming for an elegant, rather than flashy look. Was I successful? The largest butterfly has been cut from vellum cardstock, and I've painted it with Champagne Mist shimmer paint (to die for stuff!!), adding just a few pearls for the body. Two little tiny butterflies were cut from Perfect Plum, and adhered on one side only, so their wing still pops up. I also added a few pearls to some of the circular embossed areas on the card.

This is the first time that I've tried the "scrunchy" ribbon technique .. soo quick and easy to do, and I love how it looks, especially with the Antique Brad on the side. For a step-by-step picture tutorial, visit Sharon Field, who explains it beautifully.

Well, that's it from me today .. I'm off to play with more goodies hehe.

Thanks for dropping in,

Inky hugs,
Aly

Time Flies ....

Oh my Gosh!! Where did September go?? I thought I'd better pop in with a quick post, just so you know I haven't fallen off the face of the earth hehehe. It's been a really busy (but exciting) month, with the new catty, my Launch Open House, then Regionals, some secret stamping stuff, classes .. you get the idea lol.

I've managed to get some creating time in there as well, and have a ton of photos to edit. Hopefully I'll get that done soon. In the meantime, I thought I'd show you a quick something .. this card was for the ESAD Week 32 Challenge, which was to use Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, Certainly Celery and Crumb Cake.

Oh gosh .. no white ... no black ... this was soooo hard lol. I'm quite pleased with how this turned out though, and glad I decided to have a go. I've used the Blossom Party die to create the flower, and added a tiny Paper Daisy and a Rhinestone Jewel to the centre. The paper daisy was coloured with a Pretty in Pink marker, and painted with Shimmer Paint for a little extra interest. I also added a rhinestone to the sentiment. I'm loving the new Scallop Trim Border Punch. A pierced edge finishes off the bottom panel. I did contemplate stamping a background on the crumb cake card base, but decided to leave this clean and simple.

Short and sweet today ... but I'll be back soon. Hope to see you then :)

Thanks for dropping in,

Inky hugs,
Aly

So Many Choices .. So Little Time ..

Hi there,

I really hope your day has been as exciting as mine! I've been eagerly waiting for delivery of my first box of goodies from the new catalogue .. and today it came! Oh My Gosh! What to play with first? It was such a hard decision hehe. After much oooohing and aahhhing (and drooling too lol) I finally decided on a stamp set I've been dying to get.

This card is a copy of one by an American demonstrator, Tina Dyck. I loved the composition of her card, and couldn't wait to recreate it for myself. I adore silhouette images, and this is one of the prettiest ones we have. The card base is the new InColor Concord Crush .. a beautiful rich, deep purple. I've masked three squares with torn post-it notes and sponged Concord Crush, Peach Parfait and Pear Pizzazz (also new InColors). The grass silhouette is stamped directly over the top with Basic Black ink, and the sentiment was also stamped on Basic Black. This card was very quick to create, and is one of the cards you'll see if you attend my Catalogue Launch Open House this coming Saturday (11th).

Another card I will have on display is this one ...

I've used the same silhouette image, but this time I've coloured it with my markers (new lol). The grass and leaves are Old Olive and Always Artichoke, and the flowers are Cherry Cobbler. They look quite pink in this photo, but are really much more red in real life. Unfortunately I haven't received my new cardstock yet, and had to use a piece of Riding Hood Red down the side, but it's a fairly good substitute and co-ordinates much more nicely than appears in the photo. I've used the new Scallop Trim Corner and Scallop Trim Border punch around the Always Artichoke panel, and mounted it onto a Crumb Cake card base. I've stamped the same sentiment over the image using Basic Black ink.

As a final finishing touch, I just HAD to add some tiny pearls from our new Basic Pearl Jewels pack. I have craved these for so long lol ... be warned .. you'll be seeing a lot of them from now on hahaha.

I have a ton of other cards and projects in the works and can't wait to show you. Stay tuned.

Thanks for dropping in,

Inky hugs

Aly

I Love Happy Mail!

Hi there,

Just had to share pics with you of the awesome happy mail I received the other day, from my sweet friend Tanya.

Isn't the card lovely?!! Melon Mambo is not a colour I normally use .. but with Crumb Cake and Whisper White it looks absolutely delicious! I'll have to try that combo for myself. I also really like Tanya's ribbon treatment, and now that a crop-a-dile is on its way to my house I'll be able to try that too!! But that's not all she sent. Feast your eyes on these goodies!

Oh my gosh! How sweet is that? A pack of sweet treat padded envelopes, Dress Up ribbon originals and ... something I've had on my wish list for such a long time ... an On Board Journal!! And everything tied up in a long piece of Soft Suede polka dot ribbon. Tanya .. you are a little treasure, and so very generous. Thank you thank you for your gift. Now to wait for my goodies from the new catalogue to arrive so I can decorate my journal :)

Thanks for dropping in
Inky hugs,
Aly