a third of my door and wreath cards

this one is a more modern door. The main reason for doing these cards are to show some of the ways you can make wreaths! This one is made from two scallop circles punches and on circle punch. "TWO SCALLOP CIRCLES?" I hear you say - YES - Stampin' Up! are introducing a larger one in the new Summer Mini which comes out tomorrow!

The best way to make a ring using punches is to punch the inside circle first then using the punch upside down you can punch the larger one nice and evenly as you can see the hole from the first punch. This method is great for any type of ring or frame you may need. I often do it with ovals when I want a hand bag handle, you could use any shape where you have two punches the same shape but different sizes. You can do so much with this method.

I used Wild Wasabi for my wreath and the awesome pearls that we have in the Idea Book & Catalogue, they just add a little something to ANY project. The door is Soft Suede and Very Vanilla, the bow is Very Vanilla taffeta ribbon and the stamp is from the Delightful Decorations stamp set which I coloured using markers - Wild Wasabi and Poppy Parade. The door handle is one of the brads in the pack that has four colours - black, white, vanilla and silver, and they come in two sizes - this is the smaller size.

Last door is tomorrow - just in time for my classes. Tomorrows afternoon class is 1.30-3.30pm - an hour later than normal as I have to collect my son from his last exam. I can't wait for these exams to be over - can imagine he is even more excited about the prospect! lol Now what is a 15yo going to do for the next 2 months before the start the new year at school?? I have a feeling I will be employing him to wash windows etc hehe

another door wreath card

this one is more traditional. I have used the Stampin' Up! bird punch to make the leaves for the wreath. The stamp greeting was from the Welcome Christmas set and the bow is made from one of the new laces that are in the new Summer Mini catalogue which goes live on 1st December - which is only 2 sleeps away! Yes Christmas is in less than 4 weeks!!!!
I used Riding Hood Red for the door and Very Vanilla for the door which was stamped in Crumb Cake with the wooden stamp. The wreath is Almost Artichoke, which I sponged the edges a bit.
Don't forget I have two more of these type cards to show you, so see you tomorrow.

wreath cards

Firstly I must apologize but I am unable to show any photo's of Friday's display and sales table at my mother's Probus group. It was such a rush to get it set up I didn't have a minute to snap a pic! But it was a VERY successful morning and my cards and gifts were flying out the door - so my bank account is looking a lot happier than before! Thanks everyone who purchased them!

Now back to crafting! I have made a series of these cool door wreath cards and I will show one a day for the next 4 days. The first one here is for a challenge on Crafters Anonymous which was to create something Christmassy and it had to have - something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. SO something old is the card base which was from my starter kit back in February 2009! Something new is the stamp - Welcome Christmas which just came out in the new Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalogue. Something borrowed is the idea for these cards. They are all over the web and my upline Jacque made one as her swap for last weeks team training event. And finally something blue - the card base again - the whole look of the card was to be blue and icy, so different to what we get here in New Zealand - where it's very hot and sunny!

One part of the challenge was it was supposed to be a 3D item - but I reckon a DOOR is pretty 3D! lol as a moderator on the site I'm not eligible to win a challenge but it's fun to get involved! hehe

sorry for no blogging

this week has flown past and I can't believe I haven't posted this week! that's a first for me. What also is a first for me is that I haven't crafted all week!
I am doing a presentation at my mothers Probus group this morning so I have been prepping for a sale table that they wanted. So I will take some pictures today of my display table and my sales table. Then back to crafting..........

thanksgiving in New Zealand

Last night I went to my up line Jacquie's place for her level one training and we had a thanksgiving dinner. Jacquie is from the US and always has a thanksgiving dinner and although we celebrated it with her a week earlier we all had a WONDERFUL time! We each took part of the meal with us - I made a dessert called "zucotta" which is a Russian for pumpkin (spelling my be a bit out) which I thought was appropriate for thanksgiving. We had a great time just chatting and laughing together. We did a make and take too, but I can't show you that or my swap I made as it's using goodies from the upcoming Summer Mini which goes live on the 1st December. But I was chuffed that the girls voted mine swap as the 'wowest' one.
So I wanted to make a thanksgiving card for Jacquie to say thanks for all she does etc, and it was a bit of a challenge as we don't have specific thanksgiving stamps in New Zealand put I managed to put this card together. I kept to more tradition colours - Soft Suede with Cream Confetti and gold card stock. The sentiment on the front is from the Sense of Time stamp set and of cause I used my favourite boarder punch - scallop trim. I stamped the big flourish from Baroque Motifs and used the mat pack for the piercing. Finally I used a bit of hemp twine and a button just to finish it off.
I think the most important part is what you personally write inside the card, this comes from the heart not some catalogue. It's a great time to sit back and think about how well we have got it. I know many of us suffer physically from one ailment or another (some of us have a shopping list full!) but most of use have a roof over our heads, food in our kitchen and the luxury of being about to create in our spare time. Lots of us have friends and family close to us, others far away that we can connect to with just a few clicks of the mouse, we have pets that give us love unconditionally and the chance to learn new things. It is for these things that we can be grateful for.

Bookmark Christmas Card

Isn't this such a great idea? it's a card with a bit more - a book mark! The card looks great by itself but with the book mark the receiver of the card has a useful bookmark that will remind them of your card and for thinking of them.

I used the new Concord Crush teamed up with the crisp Whisper White. The stamp set I used is Delightful Decorations and the Vintage Wallpaper Stampin' Up! Big Shot embossing folder. A bit of ribbon and a touch of bling and it's done.

I would love to show you how easy this card is to make, it can be made for ANY occasion. Contact me today to book a time in - the days are filling up before Christmas so sooner is better than later!! hehe I am accepting dates in the new year for workshops or other Stampin' Up! events too.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

another way to give at Christmas

...is to give a card WITH chocolate - aaahhhh BLISS!!!

This is another version of the Becky Roberts ones I have been making but I wanted something that would hold a thin bar like a Cherry Ripe or Chunky Cadbury bar. So I virtually redid the whole template to fit, also I tweaked it to fit New Zealand size of A4 and in metric.
The base is Soft Suede and the DSP is the Cocoa special one from the Welcome Christmas special bundle again. Poster for the special is on the right.
This is one of the projects that we are making on Saturday for my team training. We are having our first proper training session - which will include business training as well as creative training. And lots of yummy food of cause! lol I am a nibbler of a crafter. When I craft with friends I often eat pineapple lumps which for those not from New Zealand and yummy small chocolate coated bits of heaven. hehe
This project is also my submission for the current fortnightly challenge on Crafters Anonymous - which was for a 3D Christmas container. If you are a crafter and would like to join our great supportive on line community email me for an invite. julia.leece@slingshot.co.nz

more sweet treat cup decorations

I used the scrummy speciality paper that comes with the Welcome Christmas Ribbon bundle that Stampin' Up! have on until the end of the month. Click on the flyer on the right to get all the goss, cause you get to pick a FREE ribbon like the white and red one I've used on two of these baubles.
These would make FAB teachers presents or a little something to give to a work mate. The sweet treat cups are only $7.95 (NZ) for 12 - that's only 66 cents EACH!! I can't guarantee that putting sweets in them will be good for any diet you may be on if you are anything like me - one for the decoration, one for me, maybe two for me etc hehe

If you would like to make more great Christmas projects - my team are having a CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA on Sunday 12th December at 1pm. We have hired the Whenuapai Hall which is a great venue for crafting!! You get to make 4 TERRIFIC projects that whilst we will be Christmas focused you can make them for ANY occasion, birthday, weddings etc.

SO if you are free that day contact me for further details julia.leece@slingshot.co.nz

Just Add Christmas

This week over on Just Add Ink the theme is CHRISTMAS so I decided to make these cool as baubles. They are made using the Stampin' Up! sweet treat cups. The other day on a team forum someone posted a request for Christmas decorations made using the cups so I am one not to let a challenge go unattempted (no that isn't a real word but it is in MY WORLD! lol) ! I made a few variations. These one are probably my favourites but I made some non snow globe ones which I will post tomorrow.

They are REALLY easy to make. I stamped a piece of acetate with Stazon and then cut it out using the #2 circle Bigz die with the Stampin' Up! Big Shot machine. I then put some chunky glitter on the bottom of the cup and carefully poured water into the cup. The biggest trick is not to put to much water in so it goes on the sticky surrond otherwise it wont seal and you will have a wet mess - a very pretty one with all the glitter but still a mess! heehee

Then I just decorated them from there. You can use your Crop-a-dile to punch a hole in the top of the ring to thread some ribbon thru without damaging the seal.

I would LOVE to see what you come up with - please send me a link to your blog when you post them julia.leece@slingshot.co.nz or if you would like me to come to your place to teach you and some friends how to do these, then email me too!!

another version of the box - with a card this time!

Again another version of Becky Roberts template - this time instead of the having a box with the sign above it I have a card to the side. It is made with the one sheet of cardstock which is fun.
I have used Pacific Point for the base card and highlighted it with a piece of Blueberry Crisp DSP and some Very Vanilla ribbon. I stamped the matching stamp to the DSP from the Razzle Dazzle set in Sahara Sand on some Very Vanilla card.
I went on a 'lollie run' the other week and we got thses cute peppermint cremes and this box fits four perfectly! I don't think my diet is doing very well when I have these cremes in my craft room - it's like one for the project and one for me! lol
I have a few more versions of this box so come back tomorrow :-)

Isn't this a cute as box! I have made a series of them - all the same but all totally different! I love getting an idea and running with it. The original template came from the VERY talented Becky Robert's 12 Days of Christmas.
I have twisted it around and changed it from a card to more of a display! hehe.
I used Crumb Cake card and wheeled the jumbo Petite Petals wheel in Crumb Cake. The sentiment in Real Red is from the MUST HAVE set Word Play. But the ribbon is from the current 'Dressing Up For Christmas' Stampin' Up! promotion which only runs till the end of the month. Click on the promo flyer on the right of this blog to see the two ways you can get this ribbon for FREE!!!!
as always -- email me for more information or to place an order.
thanks for visiting

shopping card!!

It's my brother's partners birthday in a few weeks so I wanted to make a card that reflected her personality! As you can see she loves shopping nearly as much as me! So the Stampin' Up! Level One Hostess stamp set Birthday Bakery is perfect as it has this cute as shopping bag!

The DSP (designer series paper) is this years specialty paper called Sweet an Sour. What you can't see in the photo is the glossy aspect to it. Once side of all the sheets are embossed in some way giving it a lovely shine. The colours are Pumpkin Pie and Rose Red - just yummy together and represent the bright and cheerful nature of Jackie.

I used the scallop circle Bigz Die with the Big Shot machine as well as the 'Lots of Tags' dies. I also used the word window & modern label punches.

Jackie's name was made with my brand new Cricut.

Also thought I would let you know that I got another TOP PICK at Just Add Ink's challenge for week 42! I am so excited about it! It was for this card -

I still LOVE sponging!!

This card I made for some friends who have just bought a beach house at Omaha and I wanted to give them a house warming card and present.
Sponging is relatively easy - the trick is to always start with lightest colours and light sponging ie softly does it! I used nearly every blue in the Stampin' Up! range, but I started by masking off the sun and the water line. I did the sky first then moved the masks the other way to do the sea.
You will see I used some masks to make the clouds too.
The sea has some white gel pen lines on it for more effect.
The stamp sets I used for the grasses were Just Believe and Pocket Silhouettes. I mounted it on Pacific Point and Basic Black.

creating your own unique background

There are lots and lots of ways you can do it but today I will show you this one.
First start with Stampin' Up!s glossy white card stock then in a very small container put a few drops of rubbing alcohol and a drop or two of reinker and mix them. Using a piece of cloth rub the colour over the glossy card. I started with the lightest colour, and worked my way around. Some parts the colour combined and other parts I left solid colour. This method dries VERY quickly.
Now using Jet Black Stazon stamp an image all over it. I used an image from the 5th Avenue stamp set.
Then using your favourite embossing folder, emboss the card using the Big Shot - I used the Manhattan flower folder. Doesn't that look great!
To create the flower embellishment I punched the flower shape and then using my bone folder and a old mouse pad I rubbed all over the punched image. You rub over both sides until the card starts to 'split' - ie two layers appear on the edge, and then you gently pull them apart. This method is called suede-ing cause it looks like the card is suede! You do need to be careful when rubbing the punched card that you don't tear it.

Mounting the card with black and white tends to make your colour image go 'pow'! heehee.

If you would like to have a go at this technique contact me and we can arrange a class or workshop either at your place or mine. Makes a great time to get a few friends together and craft together.
julia.leece@slingshot.co.nz

remember those little pink lollies -smokers??

well here I have popped them in another card using the lovely heart sweet treat cups.

The card base is Blushing Bride and I have teamed it with a sheet from the In Color Pattern DSP pack. The cute stamp Sweetheart goes so well with the heart sweet treat cups - I have stamped around the heart (although it doesn't come up very well in the photo) and the little leaves are from the same set, which are stamped in Pear Pizzaz. I punched two lengths of the Pear with the scalloped boarder punch and used the great new awl that Stampin' Up! have introduced in the new catalogue (I LOVE IT!!) to make a line of pierced holes to add some more texture.

The hearts themselves are Very Vanilla and I have rolled the Petite Petals Jumbo wheel over them (on the inside of treat cup) - the little one has two hearts - just because I can! lol

The banner which says 'friend to friend' is slightly wavy - sorta like it's blowing in the breeze! hee hee.

To get the treats out you just pull the Pear tag and the lollies fall from a hole in the back.

The inside of the card matches with the scalloped 'grass'.

I haven't done ANY paper crafting today, been sewing curtains - I don't really like that job! hehe

These ones are just for our bedroom, which only has three smallish windows. Now hubby has decided that he likes the fabric so much that he wants new curtains in our lounge and dinning room! Easy to say - but that's two very large ranch sliders and four other windows!!!!!!

I told him he HAS to help - luckily his nick name is McGiver so I am sure he will do a FAB job! lol

Thanks for visiting - see you soon!

Just Add Ink #42

It's been a few weeks since I have done a Just Add Ink challenge but I just loved this weeks challenge which is a sketch. I thought it cried out for me to use the new heart shape sweet treat cups as I hadn't opened my packet yet! So today I packed a few things and went to a fellow demo's place for a crafty afternoon. Now this was the first time I had actually met Narelle but she lives within a stones throw from me and when someone invites me for a craft playdate - I'M THERE!!! lol

When you craft at some one's place you usually don't take all the things you need - murphys law or something hee hee - so with limited supplies I came up with this. Narelle had printed the challenge sketch for us to do as a challenge, which was kinda freaky as I had intended to do the sketch anyway! how weird is that!

We had a great afternoon crafting and chatting about ALL things crafty - thanks Narelle, and I think I've made some new friends!

I used Stampin' Up!s Basic Black and Very Vanilla card, Basic Black ink and the DSP is part of the Naturals Colour Pack DSP. If you haven't looked at these colour packs then GO and have a look! hehe They are 12"x12" and you get two sheets of each of the two patterns for all the colours in each family. And for the In Color pack you get four sheets instead of two.

Anyway thanks for visiting.

double embossing

I used both heat and dry embossing on this card. I was inspired by Ann Wills
she made a card similar like this for our full Team Training event last weekend. What you do is brayer Versamark ink over one inside part of an embossing folder, then put it thru the Stampin' Up! Big Shot. Then sprinkle embossing powder (I used silver) and heat set it. Doesn't it look FAB!!!
I matched it up with the silver embossed words (from Contempo Christmas) and a bit of bling! The ribbon is from one of the bundles that are on special (see the flyer on the right) and the edge of it almost looks silver too! A bit of Jolly Holiday DSP, some Old Olive & Cherry Cobbler cardstock and it's done.
The card has lots of texture and sparkle, making it very eye catching - thanks for the inspiration Ann!

DSP STAR

isn't this stunning! It's made from DSP (designer series paper), a pair of scissors and glue dots!
It was a class over on Crafters Anonymous by Yvonne Walker. This particular DSP is a retired on as it was my first attempt - but I was SO proud of myself I just HAD to share it! hehe

Can you imagine on of these on top of your Christmas tree? or smaller ones decorating the tree. This is about 20-25cm in diameter. Who would of thought that using the fabulous Stampin' Up! products could be made into something so cool!

We are running classes about every two weeks at Crafters Anonymous. Email me for an invitation to this ALL CRAFTS site. julia.leece@slingshot.co.nz

box card

isn't this a cool kind of fold!!

It's called a box card for obvious reasons LOL and it makes a nice change from the standard card. It definitely is a card that you have to concentrate when making it and a bone folder is a MUST for all the crisp folds you need, but it is actually fairly easy.

I made this card for a challenge over on Crafters Anonymous which was:

to have a Christmas theme BUT with non traditional colours and the catch is there has to be movement of some sort in the item....a part of the entry has to move!

So I choose Concord Crush and Pretty in Pink with Very Vanilla, not often you would have a purple Christmas card! lol I used the Lap of Luxury DSP which is a very pretty pack of double sided papers. The stamp sets are Word Play for the front image and Christmas Greetings for the inside greeting. I popped the bauble on the front image up after I added some Pretty in Pink and Dazzling Diamonds.

I am really pleased with how this one turned out, Stampin' Up! products always make life so much easy as you know they quality products and with the products able to match in colours etc it takes A LOT of guess work out of your projects - which means you have MORE time to create!

I wonder if I should teach this as a class?? what do you think??

Don't forget to email me if you would like to join Crafters Anonymous - a ALL crafts site. julia.leece@slingshot.co.nz

fancy envelope pocket

this is such a fun project. The pocket that the card sits in is made from an envelope. All products are as usual Stampin' Up! so you know it all coordinates.

This is an optional project tomorrow at my classes - so if you would like to know how to make these email me for details of my classes here in Albany, Auckland, New Zealand.

julia.leece@slingshot.co.nz

chocolate butterflies

the other day on the Stampin' Up! demo's website someone asked if anyone had tried using the Beautiful Wings Embossilits dies (118138 $26.50) to create chocolate moulds. WELL let me say that was a challenge I WAS NOT going to pass!

So I got some acetate and embossed it and then painted on the melted chocolate. It's best to chill the moulds first then chill them after they are complete- I do it usually only about 5 or so minutes. Then you just lightly push them out. I think they look great and would be FAB on top of cupcakes or cakes. What do you think?