Taking note

... and giving notebooks. Other than blinging jumbo brads, I've been busy decorating notebooks as gifts for some noteworthy people in my life. The first one was a birthday gift to Joni, who has been a friend from the first full time job I ever had in Sydney. Being a technologist, I'm not sure if she will get much use out of this but it may come in handy for making paper aeroplanes or writing messages to be inserted into bottles should she ever happen to be stranded on a deserted island. You just never know when a piece of paper may save your life!

Stampin' Supplies
Ink:
Chocolate Chip
Close to Cocoa
Sahara Sand

Stamp sets:
Defining alphabet
Lovely Letters alphabet
No One Like You

Cardstock:
Chocolate Chip
Kraft
Whisper White

Accessories:
Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelets
Chocolate Chip Double-Stitched Grosgrain
Crop-A-Dile
Eyelet Border Punch
Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

Bling it on, Brad!

I love a big Brad even more than Angelina Jolie. Rewind! Actually, I can't say for certain that Angelina loves big Brads or even which size ones she has, but I can say that I love 'em - big and small. At the moment, I'm having a ball playing with the Jumbo Brads in the Spring Mini and adding lots of colour and sparkle to them with my heat tool, heat and stick powder and fine glitter. Makes them almost red carpet worthy, imho...

Stampin' Supplies
Ink:
Kiwi Kiss

Stamp sets:
A Great Friend

Paper:
Pink Pirouette CS
Walk in the Park DSP
Whisper White CS

Accessories:
Fine Supernova Glitter
Flower Fusion Too
Heat and Stick Powder
Heat Tool
Round Tab Punch
Small Oval Punch

Who would have thought that these brads came in neutrals?

Gift card card

I'm posting a rather multi-function card today - firstly, it is multi-challenge card since it was made for this month's Elite sketch and colour challenges. And secondly, it hides a gift card under the Mellow Moss front panel...which makes the whole ensemble a gift card card! I've put a little tag as a hint to the recipient that there is something worth opening on Christmas Day.

It's all make-believe, however, since the hidden gift card is just an expired discount card, the card itself is a mere card front and, thankfully for the recipient, the card won't be given to anyone. The embossing, as difficult as it is to see in either of the pictures, is real though...truly it is...

Stampin' Supplies
Ink:
Always Artichoke
VersaMark

Stamp sets:
Season of Joy
Winter Post

Cardstock:
Always Artichoke
Mellow Moss
Riding Hood Red
Very Vanilla

Accessories:
1 1/4″ Circle Punch
Clear Embossing Powder
Designer Label Punch
Heat Tool
Linen Thread
Riding Hood Red Striped Grosgrain
Sponge
Stampin’ Dimensionals
Stampin’ Write Markers in Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip, Mellow Moss, Ruby Red

Travel notebook

Hubby and I have just returned from a wonderful jaunt to Phillip Island to attend the wedding of a dear friend and his lady love. The weather was fine and hot (perhaps a little too warm as my decolletage now looks like I dropped a tub of red blush all over it) and the garden setting, with Westernport Bay as the backdrop, was beautiful. The highlight for me was their exchange of vows, which they composed themselves - touching, sweet and so very moving. I have to keep their names secret or I'd have to erase this blog after posting and, well, that'd just defeat the whole purpose of posting! But I'm wishing them lots of love and laughter as they head into their first holiday season in married bliss.

Accompanying me during this memorable trip was this little notebook that I decorated using a standard exercise book. After embellishing the cover, I slipped the book into a plastic cover to protect it from spills and stains. I then used White StazOn to stamp a damask pattern on the plastic cover to add a little more interest and light. Because I'm me, I used the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig and lots of ruled lines to make sure the pattern was even...

Stampin' Supplies
Ink:
Certainly Celery
Lavender Lace
Perfect Plum
StazOn Cotton White

Stamp sets:
24-7
All Scallops
Lovely Letters
No One Like You

Cardstock:
Certainly Celery
Whisper White
Pale Plum
Perfect Plum

Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch Stamp-A-Ma-Jig	[back of the notebook]
Stampin' Write Markers in:    Certainly Celery    Pale Plum    Perfect Plum

Christmas Gift-Giving Guide Promotion

From 1 November until 14 December, you will receive a choice of a super useful Scallop Square punch or a pretty Boho Blossoms punch valued at $30.95 when you spend $85^* on any of the following products:

IB&C Page	Name	Item Number	Price*
Gifts for Neighbours
137	I Wish Simply Scrappin' kit	112193	$36.95
128	Real Red 12" x 12" card stock	106545	$14.50
151	Old Olive 5/8" grosgrain ribbon	109054	$14.95
130	Small flat cellophane bags	103104	$7.50
153	Curly Label Punch Bundle	112966	$65.95
126	Kiwi Kiss A4 card stock	116204	$10.50
127	Whisper White A4 card stock	106549	$13.50
150	Riding Hood Red 5/8" striped grosgrain ribbon	111374	$19.50
93	From the Kitchen of stamp set	115810	$52.95
Gifts for Card Makers
142	Thanks x 2 Simply Sent Card Elements & More kit	116809	$48.95
143	More Thoughts Simply Sent kit	116810	$83.95
142	2U Simply Sent Card Elements & More kit	116808	$48.95
143	No One Like You Simply Sent kit	116811	$83.95
Stocking Stuffers
155	Cutter Kit	106958	$33.95
151	Button Latte Designer buttons	114333	$15.50
151	Button Bouquet Designer buttons	112092	$15.50
150	Dress Up Ribbon Originals (2.7 m of each)	114317	$24.95
150	Valet Ribbon Originals (2.7 m of each)	114318	$24.95
150	Pigtails Ribbon Originals (4.5 m of each)	114316	$27.95
Gifts For Scrapbookers
136	Petal Party Simply Scrappin' kit	113059	$36.95
137	Rock-a-Bye Girl Simply Scrappin' kit	112165	$36.95
137	Rock-a-Bye Boy Simply Scrappin' kit	112172	$36.95
138	Sweet Nothings Simply Scrappin' kit	113925	$36.95
138	Hoppy Memories Simply Scrappin' kit	113936	$36.95
Gifts for Kids & Teens
67	Just Jawing stamp set	115828	$45.95
128	Bold Brights A4 assorted card stock	106560	$14.50
128	Real Red Stampin' Write marker	100052	$5.75
128	Brilliant Blue Stampin' Write marker	100057	$5.75
128	Glorious Green Stampin' Write marker	100047	$5.75
147	On Board 5" x 5" Art Journal	108495	$13.50
152	Spiral punch	108341	$20.95

* Does not include Stampin' Up!'s shipping and handling charge of 5% of the product total or $5.95 whichever is greater.

A belated posting of swaps

I had these cards loaded and ready for a write-up so long ago that I forgot about them! These were the two other variations of my Convention Swaps ... I imagine some of you thinking, "Convention, which Convention? No Convention around these here parts. Stampin' Up! Regionals, however ..." Embarrassingly, yes, I did mean the Stampin' Up! Australia Convention held last May.

Which reminds me that I should get a wriggle on for swaps for Sydney Regionals so that I'm not, at the last minute, trying to design swaps with just Whisper White cardstock (because that was the only colour cardstock that I had more than 10 sheets of)! Or even worse, bringing a paltry 7 swaps to Regionals like I did the year before.

Stampin' Supplies
Ink:
Certainly Celery
Chocolate Chip

Stamp sets:
Cute And Curly
Funky Forest

Paper:
Whisper White CS

Accessories:
Stampin' Write Markers in Chocolate Chip, Garden Green, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Ruby Red

Jayne Mercer's Girls Night in Cyberstamp

My terrific upline, Jayne, is holding a Cyberstamp to raise funds for the very worthy cause of breast cancer research.

I thought I would pop in with a contribution to the evening but, as usual, I took a lot longer than anticipated to make this card! So I'm dashing off this post so that I can spend some time with my neglected Hubby. I'll post the supplies list tomorrow [ETA: posted now] but, if you do get the chance, please support Jayne's fundraising effort.

Jayne's first challenge was to CASE a layout from the Stampin' Up! 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalogue. Mine was based on the Spring Song card on page 79.

Stampin' Supplies
Ink:
Regal Rose
Riding Hood Red

Stamp sets:
Boho Backgrounds
Fifth Avenue Floral

Paper:
Pink Pirouette CS
Pretty In Pink CS
Regal Rose CS
Whisper White CS

Accessories:
Double Stitched Grograin Ribbon in Rose Red
Flower Designer Brads
Flower Fusion Too
Paper Snips
Slot Punch
Stampin' Dimensionals
Stampin' Write Markers in Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose

Papercrafts Festival demonstration cards: day three

(To the tune of the twelfth day in The Twelve Days of Christmas)

On the third of October
more cards were made by me:
with embossing powder,
white Taffeta ribbon,
Baja Breeze cardstock,
an Ice Rhinestone brad,
Stampin' Dimensionals,
Eyelet Border Punch,
Five stamp pads,
Stamp-A-Ma-Jig,
Whisper White,
Tree Trimmings set,
and some Ski Slope DSP.

Stampin' Supplies

Ink:
Chocolate Chip
Baja Breeze
Old Olive
Real Red
Sahara Sand
VersaMark

Stamp sets:
Many Merry Messages
Tree Trimmings
Paper:
Baja Breeze CS
Old Olive CS
Ski Slope DSP
Whisper White CS

Accessories:
Embossing Buddy
Eyelet Border Punch
Heat Tool
Ice Circle Rhinestone Brads
Silver Embossing Powder
Sponge Daubers
Stamp-A-Ma-Jig
Stampin' Dimensionals
White Embossing Powder
White Taffeta Ribbon