Exciting news in Stampin' Up Australia - with the launch today of two great things. 

My Digital Studio and Online Ordering.

I can't wait to tell you all about them.  Let's start with Online Ordering.

Ordering The Regular Way

If you'd like to order Stampin' Up products you can do it the usual way - give me a call, or shoot through an email or place an order in person at a class or party or over a cuppa.  I can help you with any questions you might have and place your order for you.  No change, business as usual, happy campers! 

A New Way Of Ordering

Now you have one other option - you can browse the new online store and place your order online.  Here's how you do that .....

Visit my Stampin' Up website  (Click here:  Sue's Demonstrator Website.)  You'll see a Shop Now button at the top right of the screen.

Click on that and it'll take you to the online store.  Looks like this .....

You can browse all the different categories down the left hand side to see our full range of products with prices listed.  Same great prices as in our catalogue (as long as you've selected a demonstrator.) 

Follow the prompts to place your order.  

You'll also find a Frequently Asked Questions and our Return Policy down the left side. 

Same great prices and if your order is over $300 you'll qualify for our Stampin' Rewards  (like Hostess Rewards - this is $$ to spend on products.) 

Keep an eye out as there will sometimes be a Clearance Rack down the left side with retired stock at discounted prices. 

If you've got any questions about items, or about your order, or if you have any problems with items once they've arrived - just get in touch with me as usual. 

NOTE:  These instructions will take you to my online store if you are one of my customers or new to Stampin' Up and looking for a demonstrator.  

If someone else is your regular demonstrator, visit the Stampin' Up website, click on Store and select your demonstrator when prompted to be taken to her online store.  The stores are all the same - just make sure the correct demonstrator's name is up the top right. Helps keep everything friendly.   

OK on to the next exciting thing.

MDS:  My Digital Studio is Stampin' Up's line of digital products.  The software is called MDS and it enables you to create a range of digital projects including photo books, individual scrapbook pages, cards, calendars, blog or facebook banners, invitations and heaps more using Stampin' Up's exclusive art, accessories and colours. 

I'll be sharing a heap of tips, tricks and finished projects with you in the coming weeks so we can learn all about it together. 

In the meantime, here's a great 1.26 minute video giving you a little overview.

I can't wait to have a play. 

You can download a copy for a FREE 30 day  trial if you'd like to have a go .....

Click here to do that:   Free 30 Day Trial

The full version is just $24.95 and comes with a ton of digital content. 

Note:  Click here to find out how much space and juice your computer needs to run MDS. 

System Requirements Page

 I'll be back very soon with some My Digital Studio projects to share. 

(And of course I'll still be regularly sharing papercraft projects done the non digital way as well.) 

Happy Stamping and Happy Keyboarding!  

Cheers, Sue  

I was inspired by this card  made by one of my talented team members - Tina Gillespie - to try the clear block stamping technique.  Loved this simple but effective technique so we've been trying it out in my March classes. 

I can see myself using this technique quite a bit to whip up some quick cards.  The new large rhinestones made a nice finishing touch. 

Stamp Set:  Lacy and Lovely (pg 99).  Colours: Bashful Blue, Pink Pirouette and So Saffron. 

Cardstock: Whisper White and Bashful Blue      Other: StazOn Black ink.

I've got another variation to share but I'll wait til after our last class on Wednesday. 

I'll be back tomorrow night though with some exciting news from the land of Stampin' Up.  I'll give you a little hint .....

I should really add a pic of me skipping around the loungeroom saying  'Yippee yippee'  but the loungeroom is rather messy and I'm having rather a bad hair and fashion challenged sorta day so ......

Happy stamping!     Wink.

Cheers, Sue

I've been having fun making these cute little gift cards using the Spring Sampler stamp set and my Stampin' Write markers.  The greeting is from Delightful Dozen.

Here's a few more in a different size and featuring the lovely organdy striped ribbon in the Seasonal Catalogue.  Such a pretty range of ribbons.

Wishing you a fabulous week ahead.  Last week of term - wow that came quickly. We're all looking forward to a bit of a break from the school routine over Easter. 

Happy stamping!

Cheers, Sue

Still playing with my big butterfly stamp.  Here's another card I made with the technique I mentioned yesterday - painting shimmer paint over an embossed image.  I punched some extra butterflies - one with vellum and one with the paper filter paper. (You need to pop some cardstock under the filter paper to punch it cleanly.)  These looked great with a bit of shimmer paint as well.

I embossed the greeting onto vellum as well for a nice translucent greeting panel. 

If you've got your eye on some Stampin' Up products, today's your last chance to grab some freebies.  Details here:  Saleabration

Happy stamping.

Cheers, Sue

The Seasonal Catalogue mentions this lovely technique for adding some shimmer.  Emboss the butterfly with the new Pool Party embossing powder and heat with your heat gun.  Then paint on a bit of Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint.  I used an aquapainter or you could use a little paint brush. 

Other Details:  Naturals White base card, Midnight Muse panel matted with Brushed Gold. 

I'll be back tomorrow with another variation.

Speaking of tomorrow ...... Friday is the last day of Saleabration.  Get your order in before 10pm.  (I'm out in the day but will be home after 7pm for phone orders, or email anytime.)

Happy stamping.

Cheers, Sue

At my February classes we experimented with the Faux Metal Technique using kitchen foil to make a snazzy,  shiny feature for our cards. 

This next one is a little the worse for wear - 'scuse the wrinkles!

My newsletter readers - I popped some step by step photos and instructions for this technique in your March newsletter.  If you'd like to subscribe to my newsletter for all the latest Stampin' Up news, some technique tips and a good smattering of cards - you can find the subscribe button up the top right there.  Just enter your email address and press go.

Special Guest Cardmaker: Julia

Julia is a class regular who always makes gorgeous cards.  She's got a real flair for designing and arranging the components in an eye catching way.  I love seeing what she comes up with.

She used Rich Razzleberry and the Swallowtail stamp for her Faux Metal class card and I liked it so much I made a bunch of them after class to send out to friends.

Here's Julia's card.  Thanks for being a special blog guest Julia.

Saleabration: Last Week

If you've got your eye on any of the Saleabration freebies, you've got one more week left to pop in your order.  One free product from the 19 options with every $100 purchase. Details here.

If you're keen to take advantage of the bonus 25% in the starter kit, join as a demonstrator before March 22nd and get $294 of products (choose any current products) for just $169.  Bargain.

Click here to join my team today.  

Happy stamping and have a great weekend.

I'm ridiculously happy about getting reacquainted with my doona now that the long hot spell has come to a finish.  What a beautiful day it is here today.  Hope the weather in your patch of the world is smiling on you too.

Cheers, Sue

I'd like to give a big huge thanks to everyone who has made a purchase with me over the past year, or attended a class, or been a card party hostess or guest. 

A big thank you also to my fabulous Think Inkers - the members of my rapidly growing team.  (Can you believe there are 70 of us now, spread all over Australia.)

With your help, I'm excited to say I've qualified for the 2013 Stampin' Up Grand Vacation.  Eeek!

This year it is to Utah so John and I will be heading off in July for a week staying at the St Regis Deer Valley Resort.  Yay - very stoked I must say to get an all expenses paid trip for two overseas.

I'm thrilled to be joining my team member Kylie, my upline Claire, my team mate Kathryn (and our husbands) for the trip - so nice to be sharing it with such good friends.  Plus a heap of other lovely stamping friends as well from the Stampin' Up community. 

A massive thank you to Stampin' Up.  I'm rapt to be associated with such a generous company and look forward to another year of inks, stamps and crafty fun. 

Feeling a bit like an Oscars speech here but while we're at it a big thanks to my family who are so supportive of my home based business, who manage to eat their dinner sometimes surrounded by inks and papers and craft tools, and who don't complain about heading down to the dungeons  rumpus room while class is on. Thanks guys.

Here's a couple more pics of the place we're staying at. 

Hmm - without the snow, since it will be summer.  I can't wait to share lots of photos and news about the trip with you.  Along with lots of relaxing, we'll be visiting the Stampin' Up head office, as well as the manufacturing plant at Kanab.  Should be fun. 

To be honest I don't especially care where I'm going - I'm just happy to be going on a holiday with John. 

We both thoroughly enjoyed getting away together for the Stampin' Up Incentive Trip in 2010.  Here's a wrap up of that trip:  Hamilton Island SU Incentive Trip

If we were planning a holiday we'd take the whole family, so it is a lovely treat to be able to go away together without impacting the family budget. 

Oops almost forgot to say a big thanks to my mum, dad and sisters who are tag teaming to mind the kids - couldn't go without your support.  Thanks heaps. Much appreciated   xx

So thank yous all round to all the people that make my craft job such fun.

Have a wonderful week everyone and happy stamping!

Cheers, Sue

Hello and I hope you're having a lovely weekend.  Today's card features the Pop Up Posies Designer Kit.

The kit (on page 18 of the Stampin' Up Seasonal Catalogue) has 9 of those handy tags, plus all the bits and bobs you need to embellish them with 3 styles of flower.  There are 9 fabric covered brads plus the flowers - some as pictured above in Calypso Coral and Pool Party, plus some Very Vanilla patty pan style ones.  You get some bakers twine as well as that Just For You stamp.  Pop the completed tags on a gift, or use them on a card like I have.  The kit including the stamp is $22.95.

I've used a Crumb Cake base and  piece of patterned paper from the More Amore DSP pack on page 10.

I had some lace leftover from the Artisan Embellishment kit too.

Speaking of Amore - Valentines' Day was last month and it was my turn to remember (well only just!)  John and I seem to take it year about.  I remembered rather late so was in my usual rush.  I got a little cake from the bakery,  a card out of my stash from a Stampin' Up event a few years ago, and quickly punched a couple of hearts from the More Amore DSP to pop onto a toothpick and stick into the cake.  Punches are such handy tools!

Here's a closer look at the card.  The stamp set has long retired (I've forgotten the name of it now) but I thought I'd share the idea to use acetate.  Sort of hard to photograph but the base card is acetate or window sheet, then there's the cardstock panel stuck onto the front and inside ready to write on.  A bit of a fingerprint collector but nice for something different.

And now I'd best get back to the dining table.  I'm chained to it this weekend filing a gazillion bits of paper while we have a weekend catching up on some tax returns.  And filling up a few boxes of recycling along the way.  It will be nice to get it all done I guess. 

Hope your weekend includes something exciting.  Happy stamping.

Cheers, Sue