a super quick chrissy card

I am giggling to myself as the lady I gave this card to is called 'Chrissy' LOL BUT it still was a super quick Christmas card! hehe I used the brushed silver cardstock. I punched the middle one out of a scrap that I had scored every 1/4", the right one is the largest circle punch for the Whisper White and the #2 circles die for Big Shot. And the left one is the wide oval plus the tail of the biggest petal from the Blossom Petal Builder punch. I added the top of the Ornament punch to the outside two baubles. With the left bauble I embossed it with the Lattice embossing folder which hides any joins!!

The ribbon is left over strips of the brushed gold cardstock too.

I have been pretty slack this year sending Christmas cards - I ran out fairly early and haven't sent them to heaps of people I usually do. I just ran out of time to make them and just COULDN'T send store bought ones could I?? lol My New Years resolution is to start making Christmas cards EARLY!!!

:)

project for my last class of the year - an easel calender!

Sorry for the loooonnngggg gap since my last blog post, life has just gotten in the way - that and a very sore back! But this week I am having my very last class for the year and this is what we are making - a lovely calender easel card!. This can be used as a card, and a gift in one!! Great for those last minute Christmas present.

I opened my pack of Spice Cake DSP for this project. I must admit that when I first saw the pictures of it in the Summer Mini Catalogue I wasn't a fan as I don't like green and orange together BUT I am so pleased I ordered it (along with the matching fabric!) as I LOVE IT!!! I think the inclusion of the Soft Suede and Pool Party helps the More Mustard and the Pear Pizazz to be happy together! hehe AND Stampin' Up! have offered these enormous buttons to match the DSP. Of cause the lush velvet ribbon goes awesomely with it all!!

I even love the Spiced Paisley stamp set which matches again and I have used for the decoration on the front panel

Inside I have allowed for a space to write a greeting to the receiver of the gift, plus another nice sentiment from Every Moment stamp set which goes well with the sentiment I used for the front from Elements of Style - my always go to stamp set!!

If you want to order any of these products email me at julia.leece@vodafone.co.nz

thanks :)

Up on the Rooftop BLOG HOP - UStamp with Dawn and Friends!!

Welcome to the UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! Up On The Roof Top 2011

World Showcase Holiday Blog Hop.

If you have been following the Blog Hop from the beginning, you have just been wowed by Melissa Huie's AMAZING Sparkling Ornament - wouldn't one of those look great in you house this Christmas!!

If you are just joining the Blog Hop, no problem, as you can start at any point. All the Designer's Blogs are linked together so you will be able to see ALL the FABULOUS projects we have for you.

My project is this frame that I designed. I LOVE making things from scratch - that way you can get EXACTLY what you want, in the colours that you like and in the size you need.

I love using the Brushed Gold cardstock and embossing it with the Lattice Embossing Folder. And heat embossing with the Cherry Cobbler and gold ties it all together.

The card matches the frame to make a complete gift!

As a Special Thank You for stopping by my blog I am giving away BLOG CANDY!!

Please leave a comment about my project to be entered for a chance to win a great goodie bag of current Stampin' Up! products. I will randomly select a winner to be announced on Tuesday, so please check back to see if you are the lucky recipient!

AND there's MORE...LOTS MORE!!

• You have the opportunity to get the downloadable PDF Tutorial for my project FREE!! It's a GIFT from UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! Woohoo!! See the blinkie below to access the FREE Blog Hop Website.

• In the Spirit of the Holiday Season, you have the opportunity to get in on "Special Holiday Pricing" for the upcoming UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! SCORE!! Event. The Stampin' Up! Simply Scored Tool is HOT STUFF and SCORE!! will feature 40+ projects, all created using the Simply Scored Tool. SCORE!! is a MUST NOT MISS Event!! See the blinkie below to join and get in on the Early Bird savings.

And now for the most exciting giveaway of the season...

Everyone that joins the new and exciting upcoming event - SCORE!! - with "Special Holiday Pricing" will be entered into a Drawing to win 1 of 3 FREE Passes for an ENTIRE YEAR of UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! events!!

YES!!

You read that right!!

YOU could win a whole year of UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! events FREE!!

***Special Holiday Pricing of just US$19.99 ends Dec 8th***

Winners will be announced on Friday, Dec 9th.

Click the Blinkie below to join SCORE!! with Special Holiday Pricing

and a chance to win a FREE Year of UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! events!!

Click the blinkie below and you will be taken to

THE UP ON THE ROOFTOP BLOG HOP WEBSITE!!

Of course it's ***FREE*** to join and

there you will find the tutorials for ALL the blog hop projects,

PLUS live chats, challenges and more prizes!!

You will even have an opportunity to be considered for a spot as a Guest Designer!!

Yes!! It is all FREE, so tell all your friends and

join the fun with UStamp with Dawn and Friends!!

***

AND last but certainly not least, it's time to hop on over to the next Designer's Roof Top, so please click below for NEXT BLOG, where you will find FIONA ready to share a delightful Holiday project with you.

If you would like to hop back to Melissa's Roof Top, please click below.

Thanks again for stopping by and Happy Holidays to YOU!!

A FRENZY of savings - up to 50% off

Stampin' Up! are not only starting their new Summer Mini today but also a month of FRENZY sales - below is the awesome sales which will go on all month BUT my last order for the year will be 27th December but get in early and grab yourself or someone else some GREAT Christmas pressies!!

Item Page Description Discount Retail Price Sale Price

120597 22 Welcome Christmas Clear-Mount Set 50% $47.95 $23.98

121584 22 Welcome Christmas Wood-Mount Set 50% $59.95 $29.9

117715 28 I {Heart} Hearts Wood-Mount Set 40% $50.95 $30.57

121528 35 Got Treats Wood-Mount Set 40% $48.95 $29.37

117699 42 Something Sweet Wood-Mount Set 40% $46.95 $28.17

116686 46 For Everything Wood-Mount Set 40% $57.95 $34.77

119163 67 Cottage Garden Wood-Mount Set 50% $39.95 $19.98

121508 72 Every Moment Wood-Mount Set 40% $38.95 $23.37

121480 74 Awash with Flowers Wood-Mount Set 40% $87.95 $52.77

121522 75 Friends Never Fade Wood-Mount Set 50% $38.95 $19.48

120618 75 Friends Never Fade Clear-Mount Set 40% $30.95 $18.57

121600 75 Ornate Blossom Wood-Mount Set 40% $24.95 $14.97

123551 88 Clearly For You Wood-Mount Set 40% $57.95 $34.77

123848 96 Chloe Stampin’ Around Builder Wheel 40% $11.95 $7.17

116911 126 Padded Envelopes (3) 40% $7.95 $4.77

119263 138 Poppy Parade 1/2'' Stitched-Poly Ribbon 30% $20.50 $14.35

119267 138 Blushing Bride 1/2'' Stitched-Poly Ribbon 30% $20.50 $14.35

119731 143 Regals Flower Brads 30% $20.50 $14.35

119730 143 Neutrals Flower Brads 30% $20.50 $14.35

118762 146 Distressing Essentials 30% $45.95 $32.17

103179 149 Craft & Rubber Scissors 30% $45.95 $32.17

112531 149 Circle Scissor Plus Glass Mat 30% $45.95 $32.17

a great calender

Over on Crafters Anonymous Tia took Monday's class and we made this cool calender. It spins revealing the different months as you go. The first 6 months are on one side and the last ones are on the back as shown below. I used some of the new products out of the Summer Mini Catalogue which goes LIVE tomorrow!! The DSP is SCRUMMY!! it has a matching stamp set to which I have overlapped the DSP with stamping it in Cherry Cobbler. I have used Not Quite Navy and Whisper White.

If you would like a free Summer Mini Catalogue please call, text or email me julia.leece@vodafone.co.nz

Thanksgiving card

Yesterday I was lucky to be involved in a Thanksgiving dinner when my direct Upline invited us to her families dinner. She is from America so this is an important part of her year and I think it's lovely that she shares this special time with her Stampin' Up! family! So to say thank you to Jacque for opening her home and sharing her table with me I made this card for her.

I have been inking up embossing folders for ages so thought that the same technique would work well with the the Embosslites dies. Here I have used the Flower Burst die and inked in More Mustard. I used More Mustard for the ink on the Crumb Cake card base, punched Word Window and the crimped cardstock, Soft Suede for the piece of card, Early Espresso for the ink on the frame and words. I've added some paper piecing in a line and the bit of linen thread tied around the frame and finished with a bow. And of cause I did the envelope to match!

Happy crafting everyone!

Thanksgiving card

A paper rose wreath for Christmas!

I made this wreath by rolling the lovely First Edition Speciality DSP into roses and then hot glued them on to a foam ring. I used about 6 sheets of paper for it. The idea came from Stephanie Lynn's blog Under the Table

It took a bit longer than I thought it would but pleased with the result.

The ribbon I used is a sneak peek from the upcoming Summer mini catalogue that goes live on the 1st December (less than a week to go!!LOL) - the ribbon only comes in vanilla but I dyed it Cherry Cobbler to make it more lush for my wreath.

Thanks for looking.

Holle's turning ONE!!

my friend's Claire and Alan's baby girl is turning one soon and I wanted to make a bright and fun card for her. I freely admit I struggle with kids cards - I can do baby but I'm hopeless at kids cards! Luckily with the Stampin' Up! Design Series Papers makes the job a LOT easier! I have used 3 different sheets from the "Big Top Birthday " set - I freehand drew the "1" and then just did layers for it. The balloon stamp is a Stampin' Up! stamp but currently not available in New Zealand/Australia. The main colour's used are - Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Real Read - there is also Old Olive and Pumpkin Pie snuck in there too hee hee

I love layering and giving cards that extra bit of texture - this pic shows the details.

It's always nice to decorate the inside of the card to match the front - and here I have continued the theme.

I am sure we will have a good 1st birthday at the park in a week or so!

my VERY first Ustamp with Dawn designing project!!

a few weeks ago I got an email from one of the best known Stampin' Up! demo's ANYWHERE - Dawn Rapas - she runs a site called Ustamp with Dawn and they have 'rounds' where they focus on a 'product' and there are at least 30 different projects that are designed just for it by demo's from all over the world!! The one she invited me to design for was Knock Out Punches - World Companionship 2011 and so it's all about PUNCHES!! I was HONOURED to be part of it and above is my project that I designed (yes from scratch! lol) showcasing a HEAP of punches.

My project went live on Friday so I can now share it with you. Why not go over and join in the fun - there is so much on offer!!!

something for the sewer in your life

these are PIN CUSHION RINGS! aren't they sweet! AND very useful for when you are sewing - these keep pins at hand -literally! I made them using the YO-YO maker and before tying them off I filled it with filling AND most importantly a flat big button which stops you pricking yourself with the pins!!! lol Then they are sewn on to the ring bases which have loops for attaching them. I used the three fabrics from the Beau Chateau set - they are sooooooo lovely!!

Here is what they are like on the hand. I got the idea off the awesome Pintest.com site - they used hot glue and bottle tops but I think my version are a bit more posher! lol I want to try to stamp on to plain fabric and use that - as you wouldn't be washing the fabric it doesn't matter about the type of ink you use.

Thanks for looking :)

meet the man who will adorn my craft room wall!!!!!

Isn't he LOVELY! lol I started with an old shop mannequin (yes he is life sized!!!) and then covered it completely with torn strips of paper from the Specialty Designer Series Paper called First Edition Specialty. Then I cut out all the letters from Basic Black using the two Big Shot alpha's in the current Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalogue - Timeless Type Junior for 'Shakespeare' and the other out of Simple Letters alpha.

The flourishes were hand cut from the Neutrals Collection Paper Stacks. It's a bit hard to see in the photo but the body has been sponged and coloured to look old. I still have some coats of varnish or similar to seal it all properly but I LOVE how it turned out and just HAD to share it! hehe! Below is a close up of the papers.

By the way I bought 10 of these 'chests' so I have sold on some of them so I have a few more to decorate over time! lol

not a stamp in sight!

this very quick paper only Christmas card is made solely from the new Design Series Paper called 'Letters to Santa'. I used 3 different sheets, one for the tree, one for the backing and one for the sentiment. The base of the card is Early Espresso and I have use Whisper White for the layer. I even used a strip of Early Espresso for the faux ribbon. I made it to show you can make great cards without embellishments if you want to. Just look at the papers and see what parts you can use to make stuff.

The tree is a very clever fold that I have NO idea where it originates from - but THANK YOU to whoever created it - it's so cool!!

I love getting swaps esp. when they come from the other side of the world!!!

I am a guest designer on the current round of Ustamp with Dawn - the Knockout Punch round. And one of the things the designers do is swap cards with each other so I received this awesome card from Twila Davis (visit her blog here). I don't have this set of papers and it's great to see it in real life - I might order it now - BUT you will have to wait till our new SUMMER catalogue goes live on the 1st December! We don't have the stamp set available to us down under but I love having a sample with it on.

The card opens up and as you do it produces a box inside the card and there is a greeting that you look thru a punch out to see - very very clever!!

So a BIG THANK YOU Twila for sending me such a lovely card.

Beau Chateau Yo Yo mouse

not a title you see very much these days hehe - but this is the latest addition to my craft room. I just LOVE the Stampin' Up! fabric, it's so nice to work with. Also imagine getting (or giving) this as a gift with a card mad out of matching paper!

Now to think of what else I can make out of the fabric...................................

single layer chritstmas card

this is one of the cards I am teaching at a workshop on Sunday (along with the sing Rudolf). It's created by using a brayer (or you can sponge it). I think this will be my Christmas card this year that every one will get - it's very easy to create, cheap to produce as it's only one sheet of cardstock but still very effective and Christmassy!

I think ANY card with Dasher on it is always a winner! hehe 'Dasher' is a single a la carte' stamp that Stampin' Up! sell - and the Merry Christmas is from a small set of just two stamps called 'Christmas Greeting' so it's VERY economical way of starting into card making.

see you tomorrow :)

my version of the carol singing Rudolf!

I have wanted to make a singing reindeer card for AGES but didn't have the tools to make the antlers but now with the new wee die that Stampin' Up! introduced in the Idea Book & Catalogue in September we can make lovely antlers! They did change the small oval punch which meant the mouth was more wider and less longer than what people used before so I thought I would make it a feature by adding some teeth! hehe I created this by using the the small oval punch twice - first you punch a arch in some Whisper White cardstock then you punch out that arch with the same punch a bit higher creating the teeth that fit in nicely in Rudolf's mouth. The addition of the music wheel stamp to make sheet music.

I am teaching this card on Sunday at Anita's workshop - if you would like me to create this card yourself at the comfort of your own home with some friends contact me to book a workshop and not only will you get to make this you will be introduced to the wonderful world of Stampin' Up!!

email me at julia.leece@vodafone.co.nz

yippee I was picked the winner!!

over at Just Add Ink I got picked as the winner this week for my bookworm punch art book mark (pictured below) YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

It's so nice to be acknowledged by your piers - the designers at JAI are REALLY good! So why not go over to their site and join in on the next challenge!

Deck the Hall photo board

this must of been one of the quickest projects I have EVER made! I started with an old 12"x12" canvas that I had painted on years ago but didn't like it anymore. Then I covered it with 3 layers of quilting batting, these where tacked to the back frame just with a staple gun. Then I wrapped the Stampin' Up! Deck the Hall fabric over it all and again using the staple gun I stapled it into place. Then I stapled in the lovely denim tape that is now available in the pattern shown and then threaded brads just thru the denim tape - not the whole thing.

I think it took me about 15 mins!! now I can have photos or even cards being displayed on it!

I have a few more projects made out of our fabric but I will give you a break from them for a bit so I can show you some cool cards.

See you then!

Deck the Hall Christmas Ball decoration

here is another use for the technique I introduced the other day - these are three foam balls that I have decorated in the three different fabric samples you get in the Deck the Hall's pack.

These make lovely Christmas decorations - I love the 'olde' feel they give.

thanks for visiting :)

Deck the Hall wreath

This is a wreath I made last week. It's made using the new Stampin' Up! fabric called Deck the Hall and believe it or not there is not a stitch of sewing in it!!

The wreath is made of foam and you cut out bits of fabric and then using a metal nail file you push the fabric into a groove you have precut with the file. EASY PEASY!!!

Here is a closer view to see the details. Even the ribbon is not just wrapped around I cut the strips so they just go slightly to the back - I worked out I saved about 30 cm of ribbon doing it that way! I am always looking for ways to 'save costs' for any project!! The ribbon is held in the back with small pins. I covered the back of the wreath with stick on felt just to finish it off. Can't wait to hang it up for Christmas this year!!

thanks for visiting!

every book worm NEEDS one of these!

This is the project that my class made this week - again it's a bookmark but we attached it to a card - so it's perfect for that 'no gifts please' invites where you want to give a bit of you with the card! I made the book with the larges square punch and of cause sponging gives it all the definition it needs. The rest is 1" circle punch, itty bitty circle punch (eyes) and a flower from boho punch for the cute as hands. The antennas are just thin strips of card curled around the piercing tool.

If you make a book mark like this (or the Sesame St ones) you MUST ensure the back it pretty too - so just mirror the back to match the front'.

I'm going to enter this in the Just Add Ink challenge for the week - just add a tag or bookmark. It's been awhile since I did enter any challenges so I thought it would be - esp. when Brownyn E suggested it! Thanks Bron!! Here's the link to their challenge this week - JUST ADD INK it's only just started so why not enter yourself!

Have fun!!

here are the last 6 characters

this is 'Snuffy' (according to Google lol) Grover and Grouch....

and of cause Cookie Monster, Elmo and Big Bird. I must admit that these designs are everywhere on Google Images - when I was a kid we never had 'Snuffy' or 'Elmo'! I remember when my kids were young and the 'Tickle Me Elmo" came out we were like 'who is Elmo?' LOL

The fun thing about them is they are bright and colourful and make you smile - and of cause useful as a bookmark! lol

Tomorrow I have a project that involves a bookmark and a card together!!

thanks for stopping by!

Burt & Ernie and The Count!!!

here are more of my Sesame Street characters that I made for my swaps for my team training on Saturday. Burt and Ernie were fairly easy to do - I used the Boho punch for their hair but I think Burt's nose is a wee bit big but I think it adds to the fun of it! lol There are lots of Burt & Ernie's around on the web.

The Count was all made up by me as I couldn't find another one on line - used the ornament punch for his face and the bird punch for his ears. His nose is the tallest heart in the 3 heart punch. When you start doing punch art you look at an object and start to think what punch would make that shape and go from there. It's GREAT fun. I have some more Sesame Street ones to show tomorrow and another cool home made character I made today for my class tomorrow. See you then!

miss piggy & kermit!!!!

I made a heap of these book marks for my team training on Saturday - all characters from Sesame Street and the Muppets. These two I made completely from scratch as I couldn't find a Google image of them as punch art anywhere!! I used the ornament punch for kermit's face and I HAD to have real pearls on miss piggy!! lol

Come back tomorrow for more characters.

lovely flocked swap card

I recently made this card for a swap in America - I had to make 3 cards the same but forgot to make an extra one for me! lol I used the LOVELY specialty DSP Mocha Morning. I used punches to create the tag end (a square on a angle) and the modern label punch for the 'claws' holding the tag. Also I used circle punches to nip the corners on the layers as well as for the circles that the ribbon flowers are sitting on. I LOVE using the new seem binding tape and it rolls beautifully to create the elegant flowers.

it's always nice to match the inside of the card and the envelope to the front of the card- ties it all together! The colours for the card is Basic Black, Very Vanilla and Soft Suede.

thanks for visiting my blog, I am sorry it's been over a week since last post - LIFE just gets in the way sometimes! hehe

luscious trifold stepper card

I LOVE my new Specialty DSP Mocha Morning - with its luscious flocked paper! I just sit a pat it a lot but the other day I took the plunge and cut some! We made the trifold stepper card on Monday night at the Crafters Anonymous online class taken by Bek Kaberry.

I also used the First Addition Specialty DSP too - for both the flower and the big panels. The flower petals I rolled my brayer over them covered with Crumb Cake ink. I also stamped the matching flourish from Elements of Style which is the same as on the flocked DSP.

There is ALWAYS a place for a few pearls or rhinestones...................

and also a bit of ribbon!