Ok, this is serious!
Stampin Up! are having a crazy inventory sale with a large number of stamp sets and other products on sale for 50% off!!
Have a look at the Stampin Up! website for all current sales and promotions.
This is not one of those frustrating sales where the only things available are the dodgey things that no-one wants anyway- there are some gorgeous alphabets down from $78 to $39!
If you would like to order anything please email me: gabrielnorris@optusnet.com.au
Monday, December 14, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
50 something sleeps...
I can't believe it's been so long since I posted. I have been photographing a lot of stuff and working on my Stampin Up demonstrators website, so my poor little blog has been neglected.
I went to the Stampin Up regional a few weekends ago, but I can't publish the new stamps we got our the lovely projects we made, as they are part of the new Summer Mini catalogue which is not yet officially released... so you'll have to wait for those :)
I do, however, have a gorgeous little Christmas project to share with you if you are looking for a cute little gift idea or something a little different for table places or party favours.
These are called sour cream containers (I would have called them a Sunny Boy, but obviously in the US this is how they get their sour cream??)
They are SO simple to make, but would look lovely with names stuck on them as table settings or with a small gift inside as an alternative to Christmas crackers.
I used Basic Grey papers from the Fruitcake collection, as it was the only Christmas paper I had on hand, but I think they look great :)
You can easily scale them up or down in size depending on what use you had in mind for them.
Here is an image of the template for placing the tape. The paper is A6 in size.
Take off the tape on the side and one of the pieces top or bottom.
Roll the paper into a tube and stick using the side piece of tape.
Squeeze together the end with the tape exposed.
You will now have a sort of cone shape (I will post some photos of what this looks like when Penny is not asleep in my study) and you can put a note or gift inside- perhaps some hand-made chocolates or jewellery (hint hint, Mel ;)
Remove the adhesive strip from the tape at the other end and squeeze that end together to seal completely.
If you don't want them destroyed when people open them, try closing one end with a clip instead of sealing with tape (I found some cute star-shaped paper clips at Officeworks for $1 a pack). Or perhaps punch a couple of holes and thread through some ribbon.
I went to the Stampin Up regional a few weekends ago, but I can't publish the new stamps we got our the lovely projects we made, as they are part of the new Summer Mini catalogue which is not yet officially released... so you'll have to wait for those :)
I do, however, have a gorgeous little Christmas project to share with you if you are looking for a cute little gift idea or something a little different for table places or party favours.
These are called sour cream containers (I would have called them a Sunny Boy, but obviously in the US this is how they get their sour cream??)They are SO simple to make, but would look lovely with names stuck on them as table settings or with a small gift inside as an alternative to Christmas crackers.
I used Basic Grey papers from the Fruitcake collection, as it was the only Christmas paper I had on hand, but I think they look great :)
You can easily scale them up or down in size depending on what use you had in mind for them.
Here is an image of the template for placing the tape. The paper is A6 in size.
Take off the tape on the side and one of the pieces top or bottom.
Roll the paper into a tube and stick using the side piece of tape.
Squeeze together the end with the tape exposed.
You will now have a sort of cone shape (I will post some photos of what this looks like when Penny is not asleep in my study) and you can put a note or gift inside- perhaps some hand-made chocolates or jewellery (hint hint, Mel ;)
Remove the adhesive strip from the tape at the other end and squeeze that end together to seal completely.
If you don't want them destroyed when people open them, try closing one end with a clip instead of sealing with tape (I found some cute star-shaped paper clips at Officeworks for $1 a pack). Or perhaps punch a couple of holes and thread through some ribbon.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Cards are meant to be sent
Today I actually wrote in some of my cards!!
I have been having a wonderful time recently making cards, but realised that I have not been sending any. What's the point of all this beautiful work if no-one is going to see it?! I want my cards to brighten up someone's day and remind them of how wonderful and precious they are to me.
So I had a lovely morning writing and sending cards...
Friday, October 2, 2009
Lighting up my life
Well, I have not been happy with the quality of my photos and was starting to feel itchy to get some good shots on my blog. I want to update this a lot more often.
I was reading my sister-in-law's blog and she had posted details of a light box she had made to photograph her jewellery (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7363285)
So I decided to make one for myself and see if it would help with the photography.
Here is the journey so far...
I made the light box out of a plastic container, a cot sheet, a sheet of white paper and 2 clamp lamps.
This helps to light the item without harsh shadows.
Next I played with the camera. I played with shutter speed, aperture, macro and white balance settings.
Here are a couple of shots to show the difference this process has made.
1) is a photo of the card on the kitchen table, no adjustments to the camera
2) with the light box but no changes to the camera
3) my final masterpiece :)
I was reading my sister-in-law's blog and she had posted details of a light box she had made to photograph her jewellery (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7363285)
So I decided to make one for myself and see if it would help with the photography.
Here is the journey so far...
I made the light box out of a plastic container, a cot sheet, a sheet of white paper and 2 clamp lamps.
This helps to light the item without harsh shadows.
Next I played with the camera. I played with shutter speed, aperture, macro and white balance settings.
Here are a couple of shots to show the difference this process has made.
1) is a photo of the card on the kitchen table, no adjustments to the camera
2) with the light box but no changes to the camera
3) my final masterpiece :)
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Surprise yourself!
Sometimes I imagine a card in my head, but when it comes to putting it to paper, it just doesn't seem to work out as it did in my imagination *sigh*
And then sometimes I surprise myself and make a card that I am truly proud of and amazed by.
This is one such card... the tri-fold shutter card. I found some tutorials online to get an idea of the basic folds and cuts required and then designed the aesthetics myself. And I am really pleased with the results.
All of the styles I saw online used paper as the basis for the card. I had used the papers I had in stock a few times, but was eager to try new designs. I started to wonder how I could use my stamps to create something different. And this one surprised me even more. I was thrilled with it- simple, elegant and very effective. The most time-consuming part was cutting out the flourish and flowers, but it was well worth it.
Welcome!
Hello, and welcome to my new blog!
I've been making cards and other paper crafts for years. Over that time I've learned a lot about the right and wrong way to do things and about the products I like and don't like. I keep coming back to Stampin Up as a great source of interesting and unusual products that make it much easier to produce amazing cards that my friends and family love.
More recently I've become interested in sharing what I've learned with others and so I've become a Stampin Up demonstrator and have started running classes. Now when I show someone how to make a card I'm also able to give them a single source of high quality product so that they know that no matter how many times they make it it will come out exactly how they want it every time.
With this blog I'm hoping to share ideas and techniques that I use to help you make your cards look fantastic, as well as let you know about new and interesting Stampin Up products and special offers. I'm looking forward to hearing from you as well and finding out about what clever things you're doing with your cards.
Keep Stampin'
Gub ;)
I've been making cards and other paper crafts for years. Over that time I've learned a lot about the right and wrong way to do things and about the products I like and don't like. I keep coming back to Stampin Up as a great source of interesting and unusual products that make it much easier to produce amazing cards that my friends and family love.
More recently I've become interested in sharing what I've learned with others and so I've become a Stampin Up demonstrator and have started running classes. Now when I show someone how to make a card I'm also able to give them a single source of high quality product so that they know that no matter how many times they make it it will come out exactly how they want it every time.
With this blog I'm hoping to share ideas and techniques that I use to help you make your cards look fantastic, as well as let you know about new and interesting Stampin Up products and special offers. I'm looking forward to hearing from you as well and finding out about what clever things you're doing with your cards.
Keep Stampin'
Gub ;)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)