Welcome to the first week of our Heart Of Christmas Blog Hop to help get you feeling festive and organised and inspired for some papercrafting.

I'm excited to be taking part in a special Christmas blog event this year for the Art With Heart team that I belong to.  Thanks to our team leader Claire Daly for organising the hop.

 Here's my first Christmas card creation for the year.

I was cutting some of our new Christmas papers and accidentally cut these ones a little short.  Meant to cut 4" x 6" pieces but I ended up with some 3" and 1" offcuts and thought they'd work together on a card - voila.  The paper is Joyous Noel DSP and it has gorgeous metallic touches of copper here and there.  Love the colours - Tranquil Tide and Merry Merlot are two of the main colours.  

The ribbon covering the DSP join is a stunner.  Merry Merlot on one side and a beautiful copper sheen on the other.  Isn't it just beautiful. 

I've used the Merry Christmas To All bundle for the greeting.  Mix and match the framelit words, and the script and plain stamped words to make your chosen greeting.  The merry is cut from copper glimmer paper - another favourite from the upcoming Holiday Catalogue.  These products are available from September 5th when the catalogue officially goes live.

Are you all organised at Christmas? I'm usually a last minute scrambler but perhaps if I get cracking each week with the Heart Of Christmas blog posts I'll have a nice stash of cards all set to go in December.  I know I have a few very organised class regulars who get their cards all made early in the year.  One day Susan!

Click here to see the rest of the cards in this weeks Heart Of Christmas. 

Happy stamping!

Cheers, Sue

For each of the last 4 years I've been choosing a word for the year - One Little Word, inspired by Ali Edwards.  I took her online OLW class one year and really enjoyed it.  (Well, I enjoyed the tasks I completed. Apparently my OLW that year wasn't FINISH. Wink.)

This year I've chosen 'Priorities' and I wasn't sure at first that I'd picked a word that resonated with me but it is quite growing on me now that we're back to school and getting back into routines. 

I had lots of fun this evening having a play in MDS to make a little 6 x 4 inch sized project to print and pop on the fridge where I'll see it each day.

I've used the digital Sweet Sorbet DSP.  I've got the 'real paper' pack of this too and it is just gorgeous.  I love the colours.  Then I added alphabet punches of the letters for my word, filled them with the colours from the paper using the colour picker tool.  I added some digital transparent tape underneath so they'd stand out a little more, plus some drop shadows and grey matting.  Might be hard to see in this picture but I've also added some words faintly in grey on the letters to remind me of some of my priorities this year. 

The first one is 'words and actions.'  I went along to the Junior School info night at the kids' school earlier this week and one of the presentations was from the school counsellor.  Amongst other things she spoke about 'showing kids we care with our words and our actions' and that sentence has really stuck with me this week.

Here's a close up of a few other letters and their little reminder words ......

What are your priorities for this year?  The challenge for me is always keeping them front of mind when we start to get busy.  I have a bit of an aversion to our calendar getting too hectic but it gets tricky to keep those white spaces some weeks doesn't it.  Anyway - good luck if you're setting forth on renewed efforts towards some of your priorities this year. 

Have a great week.

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

I've so been looking forward to this blog hop since Ros let us know the theme would be techniques. I know - great idea isn't it!  I always love learning new things, or being reminded of a technique I've forgotten.   Grab a cuppa and have a browse round the 7 stops in today's hop and get some tips for 7 different stamping or craft techniques. 

Waving a hi if you've arrived here from Ros's blog where she's showing us all about washi tape.  And a hello if you're kicking things off from here. 

My card today features glitter panel technique - one my Christmas In July class regulars know well as I think I include it every year. 

First up you need to stamp your image.  I've used the gorgeous gingerbread man (and star) from Scentsational Season and the colours Cherry Cobbler and Baja Breeze.  I used the labels framelit and my Big Shot to cut out the piece of cardstock.

Grab your Versamark Pad out.   Is yours all beautiful and pristine or has it had a bit of an interesting life like mine!! 

See!   Tap your cardstock on the versamark pad (stamped image side down) - you'll need to move it a few times. 

 


Move and tap, move and tap, until your cardstock is nicely coated with versamark.

Now it is time to get out the heat gun, heat and stick powder and Dazzling Diamonds.

Tip heat and stick powder to liberally cover the cardstock ......

And then tap off the excess ...

... and heat with the heat gun until you see the powder change.  It will look shiny and you'll notice it is quite sticky.   Don't keep at it with the heat gun as this tends to dry it out and it will lose a bit of  tackiness. 

Now time for a dip in the Dazzling Diamonds fine glitter. 

Tap off the excess and I usually give it one more quick blast with the heat gun.  You won't see a change but it seems to help do that last little bit of setting.  (And blows off any excess that is not stuck down.  We have a nice sparkly floor in July!) 

Here's our glitter panel on a card.  (The card layout is based on this Tina Gillespie card that I really liked.) 

Some silver glimmer paper 1" circles to form the scallop trim, some Be Of Good Cheer DSP and shimmery white cardstock for the base and embossed panel. 

I hope you get a chance to get all sparkly trying glitter panel technique.  Holler if you've got any questions.

Now it is time to head along to the lovely Margaret's blog to find out about kissing with an embossing folder - sounds intriguing!  Click here:   Margaret's blog

Have fun and I hope you learn some new techniques while you hop along the stops in today's blog hop.  Now I'd best be off - we have a certain little lad turning 6 this weekend so a cake to decorate and presents to wrap!

Cheers,  Sue

Hello - time for our monthly blog hop and you'll love the theme this month.  It is masculine projects.  I always seem to have a ton of feminine cards on hand and hardly any blokey ones.  Grab a cuppa and head on round the 7 stops in the hop if you'd like a bit of inspiration for crafts for the guys in our lives.  Waving a hello if you've arrived from Ros Davidson's blog.  She always has such stunning projects to share.

I set myself a challenge yesterday when I was creating my cards and that was to use the scraps left over from my Christmas In July classes, and a couple of the techniques as well.  Here's what I came up with ....

Some leftover strips of the Christmas themed paper - Letters To Santa.  Old Olive and Early Espresso cardstock.  A touch of tearing and crimping and some ribbons.  Blokey ribbons - hmmm not sure there.  What do you think?  I've been tying little bundles of ribbons on everything since I got back from Convention.  Who was it who showed that little tip?  I'll update to link - my memory is fuzzy tonight. 

I had some more leftover strips so thought I'd make another card.  For this one I scrunched and grunged up my strips with a sanding block, and sanded the scored lines on the base card too.  I had some leftover punched circles of silver glimmer paper.   They looked a bit bright for my card so I painted them with Soft Suede reinker. 

The greeting is from Happiest Birthday Wishes - I punched out the ring with a couple of circle punches.  (Tip: Small one first then the bigger one.) 

Hmm - what is that smudge on the left of the card?  I'm sure it is not ink because I was too impatient to wait for the reinker to dry.  Nope - must be a smudge on your screen.  :-)

Time to head on now to the next stop on the hop and you can find that here:  my lovely, caring friend Christine Blain.  I know she'll have something just gorgeous to show you so I'll wave a bye for now. 

UPDATED:  Here's a list of all the hop stops if you're visiting a little later.  Christine, Kathryn, Nikki, Di, Tina, and Ros.  Watch out - you'll be rather tempted to order Extreme Element after a lap of this hop.  I was!

Happy hopping and I hope you get some ideas (and some time) to add to your 'cards for the boys' stash in the coming weeks.

Cheers,  Sue

It is all about paper paper paper this month with our May specials so what better theme for our blog hop than DSP.  Anyone out there like me - I love patterned paper but have rather a tendency of hoarding it.  This hop should provide loads of inspiration for getting it out of the stash and on to a project.  8 stops in today's hop.

Waving a hello if you've arrived from the gorgeous Alisha's blog and let's get rolling if you're kicking off from here.  

We've been making rosettes this month at my classes - this one features the lovely Twitterpated DSP.

Products for this one: Island Indigo base card then Shimmery White cardstock for a touch of sparkle. Blushing Bride and En Francais background stamp (LOVE this stamp.)  Blushing Bride pleated satin ribbon.  The swirl is from Elements Of Style stamped in Riding Hood Red.  Rosette features Twitterpated DSP, the Blossom Bouquet Punch and an Antique Brad to finish.

Once we'd finished class I had a bunch of strips of DSP left over and a stray rosette I'd been demonstrating with, so revisited a card I made last week  and put this quick one together.

DSP in this one is Twitterpated and also one piece from Sweet Shop that also had Island Indigo in it.  You just can't go wrong with colour coordinated products really.  Just mix and match.

SCORING:  I've always loved score lines on cards but always seemed to manage to get them crooked with my bone folder and a ruler.  I wasn't sure if I needed a Simply Scored as I don't make many boxes or 3D things, but boy is it getting a good work out!  Love it for scoring random lines - just great for when you need a little texture or that elusive 'hmmm needs something.'  

So that's it from me for this hop.  Waving a bye - have a super weekend.

Now it is time to head along to the next stop along the line - the talented Kathryn Manglesdorf to see which of our lovely DSPs she's creating with. Click here for Kathryn's Stampin' World.

Class ladies - if you liked our rosettes, keep an eye out along the hop and you might spot one of those lovely wreaths of rosettes that we were talking about.  You'll find gorgeous cards using a range of techniques plus you'll be inspired by a fabulous bunch of 3D projects - a train, a set of drawers, lots of wow.  Happy hopping!!

Have a great time!    Cheers, Sue

Hello hello - May is here and we're celebrating paper paper paper. Free DSP on offer for customers and free DSP if you join in May.  (Details here.) 

To kick off paper month in style, how about a blog hop.  I'm part of the Art With Heart team and there are lots of talented scrapbookers in the crew led by Claire Daly.  Our blog hop today has 11 stops so you'll have lots of inspiration along the way for ways to use your Stampin' Up DSP in your scrapbooking.   Waving a hi if you've arrived from Alisha's blog and let's get moving if you're kicking off from here.

Now I'm a very simple scrapbooker - a photo, some paper, a story.  For this layout I've just gone with a word actually that I hear when I see this photo of Hannah.

A sparkle in the eye, sparkly dress and shoes, a sparkly smile.  I look at this photo and see a bright, happy girl, and must be a mum thing but I almost get a lump in the throat seeing how fast she is growing up.  I want to hang on to my little girl, but am excited to watch her mature too. 

The DSP is the gorgeous Paisley Petals.  It has some bold eyecatching designs but I've used the more muted tones on the reverse for my page.  (The beauty of double sided paper.) 

I've matted with coordinating colours - Always Artichoke and Not Quite Navy, plus Early Espresso for the photo. 

My base is a scrapbooking favourite - Crumb Cake.

My letters (Simple Letters Alphabet die pg 159) were cut from the silver glimmer paper. 

They got a bit lost on the page ......

.... so I grabbed out an aquapainter and my Not Quite Navy reinker and painted on a few layers of colour to coordinate with my papers. 

Aaaaah, that's better.

Some of our delicate little pearls and Baroque Motifs to snazz up the base layer a little.

Ready to pop in the album.   Now I don't know about you but I'm very excited about this blog hop and can't wait to zip round the sites and get some scrapbooking ideas.  I've got a nice stash of my favourite DSPs and I just know the girls will get me all inspired to get it out and get creating.

Next stop in the hop is the very talented scrapbooker Kathryn Ruddick  using one of my favourite packs of paper.  Have fun!

And get in touch if you'd like to take advantage of our May paper specials.

Cheers, Sue

Just in case you're visiting another day - here's the direct link to each of the hop posts:

Kathryn, Deb, Claire,  Tina, Nikki, Ros, Amanda, Kathryn M, Di, and Alisha

Happy Saturday to you - yay for Saturdays.  And happy blog hop day too for any of you wanting a lap around the inspiration circuit.  Our theme today is the Autumn Mini and there's so many gorgeous things in there that I'm quite looking forward to hopping around myself to see what my stamping buddies have made.   9 stops today - have fun!

Waving a hello if you've arrived from the lovely Kathryn's gorgeous creation  and let's get moving if you're kicking off from here.  I'm using one of my favourites from the new mini - Bordering On Romance.

The flower is embossed in black on to watercolour paper and coloured with an aquapainter and ink pads plus a few extra drops from some ink refills. 

Colours: Soft Suede, Regal Rose and So Saffron.

I used the Colour Coach for my colour combo ....

Tip: Have some paper towel handy - I'm no expert water colourer but it is easier when your brush is just damp rather than really wet, so I like to dab often. 

Watercolouring done then it was time to grab some coordinating cardstock and bits and bobs for the card.  (Scroll down for the full supplies list.)

Isn't it a lovely set for any of the colouring techniques.

And that's it from me today.  Next stop is the super talented Ros Davidson. 

Ros will have a full list of the hoppers too in case you get lost along the way.  

Happy stamping if you get inspired to get those inks and stamps out after hop hop hopping! 

Have a great weekend.    Cheers, Sue

Just in case you're visiting another day - here's the direct links to the hop posts:

Ros, Christine, Amanda, Tina, Nikki, Di, and Alisha (oops can't get that last link to work)

Card Materials:

Stamp Sets: Bordering On Romance and Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Punches: The biggest circle punch (6cm I think?), Modern Label and Designer Label Punches

Framelits - Labels

Watercolour card

Inks and cardstock: Regal Rose, So Saffron, Soft Suede

The dotty embossing folder (can you tell I'm going from memory here and it is a  little rusty! Grin.)

Square Lattice embossing folder

Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon and some pearls to finish things off.

Happy Saturday to you.  Blog hop time again with my craft buddies and this month we're working with a Becky Fleck sketch from PageMaps.  6  stops on the hop today - I hope you get a little burst of 'creativity vibe' on your way round the projects.   Hello if you've arrived from the lovely Ros's blog and hello if you're starting from here.

Here's the sketch Ros found for us ....

I've been doing lots of crayon resist this month at classes so combined that with the sketch to put this card together.

Colours:  So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Blushing Bride and Wisteria Wonder - a nice pastel combination today. 

Ribbon:  Blushing Bride Stitched Ribbon and Wisteria Wonder Ruffled Ribbon with some of our self stick pearls as a finishing touch.   I love these ones - they come as a long string of pearls you apply in one step.  I like to use a pair of tweezers. 

Stamp Set: Fabulous Florets (page 14 of the soon to finish Summer Mini) stamped in Staz On onto glossy cardstock. 

Other: A white crayon and lots of sponge wedges.  The Big Shot and Top Note Die, plus Finial Press embossing folder.  Versamark and white embossing powder for the solid flower.

This is a great technique if you feel like being a bit creative.  You feel quite the artist sponging away adding colours and really can't go wrong.  You get a slightly different result every time depending on where that colour lands and how much you add.  Fun!  Plus it doesn't take too much in the way of fancy tools.  Just Stazon, glossy cardstock, a white crayon, sponges and ink.  And some outline stamps. 

OK enough from me - time to head on off to the next stop in the hop. 

Click here for the talented and ever so lovely Nikki Sadler. 

Happy Hopping!   If you've got time stop for a while and say hi - helps us keeps those blogging batteries charged up.  Have a lovely weekend.

An energetic weekend for some of our family - John is riding in the Otway Challenge this morning - not sure that the weather is exactly smiling on him!   

Cheers,  Sue

Hello - blog hop time again and this month my friends and I are hopping with Saleabration products.  If you're not sure what to pick for your freebie with a $100 order, then perhaps this blog hop will help you decide.  Or give you some ideas for what to do with your selection if you've already taken advantage of SaleABration.

Waving a hi if you've arrived from Kathryn's gorgeous project, or perhaps you're starting off from here.  There are 7 stops on the hop today.

Confession time: I put my project together yesterday when the temperature was about 37 (ugh) so mine is definitely on the 'quick and easy' end of the card making spectrum!

I've combined two of the stamp sets:  The Celebrate is from Outlined Occasions and the star is from Sprinkled Expressions.   You can choose wood or clear mount for your SaleABration stamps.

I've stamped my greeting with Basic Black ink and used my Brights Markers to colour the outlined letters, and added a bit of sparkle with some rhinestones and with the Shimmery White cardstock.

Perfect for celebrating a bright, happy occasion.   

Next stop on the hop is the very talented Ros Davidson who always has an inspiring project to share.   Happy hopping and have a great weekend.

Cheers, Sue