My Very First Stamp Camp

                                                                               

 

 

For the past 11 months I have been preparing for my first card making camp.

The venue was Avalon Homestead.  I have been on a few of Pat Carr's camps at Avalon and have always thought I would like to do one myself. I was lucky to get a spot as trying to get a date at the Homestead is almost impossible because they are so booked up in advance.  It is a lovely setting only 4kms from Toodyay in Western Australia. Peter and Delveen, the owners of the Homestead are the most lovely and accommodating people you could meet. So I've been doing my preps and the time finally came to pack my car and head to the Avon Valley. Actually it was my husbands car because I wouldn't have been able to fit it all in my little car because I had to pick up two other ladies to bring along.

I arrived early and set up with the help of my Mum, Jan and friend Cheryl. We were ready in plenty of time and had some time to settle and relax although it was very easy to set up. I was quite organised. The girls began to arrive and the Oohs and Ahhs began. I was quite pleased that they were impressed with the projects they were about to make over the next few nights and days.
Here below you can see our working space and that view is on three sides of the room. Gorgeous.

 

Avalon Homestead is really home away from home. Peter and Delveen do their utmost to make our time with them very relaxing and enjoyable. The meals are delicious and are real homely. The accommodation is superb. Some of the girls chose to stay in their room on their own while others shared with their friends. One naughty lady didn't go to bed at all for the first night and eventually went late on the second night.  Here are just a few pics I took. One is the hallway to our rooms and there are gorgeous little alcoves between each room with old relics from sewing, telephones, fire station info and more. You need to be there to appreciate all of the beautiful relics that are scattered around the place.

Beautiful homemade patchwork.

The view from our room.

One of us is missing

We managed to scrape ourselves away from our crafting
and feel the sunshine while we had our pics taken.

Well I guess you would like to see some of the projects that the girls made. Some of them are copies from Pinterest and I will endeavour to make a mention to the lovely ladies who shared the projects.

This is a copy from a friend Jan White. I am
not sure where she got it from. The stamp is
not a Stampin' Up! one but I thought it was
perfect for this particular project. The paper
is the gorgeous Floral Boutique DSP from SU!





The next one is a mini album. I saw this one on Pinterest on the Embrace Serendipity blog. Here she did a beautiful mini baby album. I made mine early in the piece and just recently we had to have our family Rottweiler put to sleep due to cancer so I have put some memories into this little album.

I have used various retired SU! DSP for this one so most of the ladies had their very own colour.

 

 

I do apologise for the next one because I cant remember where I got this idea from. It was a very simple project. One to relax with.

 

The next one I think was the first project I made for my camp. I got the idea from Bronwyn Eastley I think. The girls enjoyed doing this one. Of course I had already stamped most of the images and they had to cut them out.

 

 



Sweet Cupcakes was a favourite of mine. Please ignore the rough edges on the inside of this card. It seems that one of the ladies was not concentrating and glued the inside of her card to the inside of mine. Not mentioning any names. :) Unfortunately I didn't take my photos before the camp so some of them were damaged and I had to remake them. Some like the one below got a bit bent but I haven't had the chance to remake this one.

 



Stars and Stripes was the next one which was a very simple one. Some of the girls got a bit frustrated poking the little holes in the cardstock.

This next one I almost scrapped because I thought it was too simple but it seems that it was quite a favourite among the ladies. A couple even put an order in so that they could make this card at home. Not everyone thinks the same as me I guess. This one was made with the Irresistibly Floral DSP which is already embossed and they just sponged over with Bermuda Bay Ink. I am not sure if you can see the Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper as the base for the butterfly.

I love this card. Garden In Blooms. Also made with Irresistibly Floral DSP and Rich Razzleberry Ink. I think this one has a Carolyn King look about it.

 

The fish card I cased from Priscilla stamps This is a very clever idea. I have thought of other ideas since seeing this one. This card uses Seaside Shore Stamp set and By The Shore DSP from SU!

I used Garden In Bloom again for this card. I just love this stamp set. I have also used Vellum and then turned the Vellum over and traced on the inside with the scoring tool to get the white shading.



The Fruit Crate you will have to go here to see it because I gave mine away to one of the ladies who hadn't got around to making it. I used the Fruit Stand DSP for this one. Another of Bronwyn Eastley's lovely projects.

Time for a masculine card although it doesn't have to be. I really enjoyed making this card. I saw the gate on Pinterest and adjusted the card to my liking.

The box album was another project I enjoyed making. I made it in blue because our son was married in February and their colour they chose for the wedding was blue. I did soften the photos though so the true colour did not come out. I will give this to them now that I have finished with it.

Tarnished Foil is the next project. The girls enjoyed making this one. Another masculine one which is always good. I finished it off with Timeless Textures with a hint of gold on the leaves and grid.
For the tarnished foil look ( I used aluminium but you can use the Silver Foil from SU!) you need to adhere some alfoil or SU! foil to a piece of card and then go over it with Staz On Black. Place a scrap piece of paper over the top and run it through the Big Shot using the Hexagon Dynamic Embossing Folder. Once that has been done dab with Versamark and scatter gold, copper and silver Embossing Powder and heat set. You can also run the card through the reverse side of the Embossing Folder which looks great.

This one is a favourite of mine. I found this one on Billie Moan's website and I made it straight away for our grand daughters 20th birthday because it was just her. She has been dancing since she was two years old and still dancing.  Here are a couple of photos of our grand daughter. We are so proud of her. These were taken at dance comps.

Here is the card.

I took ages to purchase Wetlands. I kept wanting it but other products seemed to come before it. I finally purchased it and here it is.

Pat Carr gave all the Stamparoos at Ngaire Anderson's meeting one night a note book to keep in our bags when we are out and about. Carolyn King cased the notebook and adjusted it slightly. This particular one was made by Carolyn and you can get the dimensions here if you wish to make one.

 

 

I saw a card ages ago on Anni Kartens blog and so wanted to make it but Stampin' Up! did not have tiny envelope framelits so I thought I was going to have to make them up myself. That was until they decided to bring out the gorgeous little Love notes Framelit Dies. They are in the Occasions catalogue until 31st May 2017 so be quick if you wish to purchase a set. We never know if they will continue products from the Occasions catalogues. This card is also using the Sending Love DSP.

 



Hey Chick! This one was a real favourite at the camp. Some of the girls have chickens so we had some pretty nicely coloured chickens amongst our cards. Unfortunately this stamp set is no longer available as it was a Sale-A-Bration item. Isnt it cute. I cased the idea from Beths Paper Cuts

The Ladybird Thank you card was cased from Natalie Lapakko on her Stamp Witch Blog and you can get the dimensions from here

Sheltering Tree is another favourite. You can have all seasons with this stamp set.

 

Pop Up Box Card is next. I wanted to use DSP for this one but because it was getting close to camp time there was no time to purchase some that I could use for 20 ladies at one time. I ended up using cardstock for the box which is okay but it would have been better to use DSP. This one was probably the most trickiest one to make because you have to have your measurements correct and have the pieces the correct way around. We used a few extra card pieces for this one. You can find the tutorial  on You Tube

Nearly there!
I chose to do another masculine card with Lovely As A Tree. This one is an easel card. I have inked the tree with Always Artichoke and Chocolate Chip and then huffed on the stamp and stamped my cardstock. I had the clear Embossing Powder ready before the ink had a chance to dry. It came up really well although you probably cant see it in the photo.

 

The very last project was my favourite. It is a Dome card in a box. I have had an order for this one for a wedding which I will post once the wedding day is over. I cased this one from here

I adjusted the size because I wanted to save as much cardstock as I could because it does use quite a bit. I have used Pool Party and stamped the Timeless love flowers in Pool Party Ink.  The girls really liked this one. Very easy too.

 

 

Well that's my camp for 2017. I was very lucky to score a date for 2018 and I hope to manage one the following year but we shall just have to wait and see. I have no more spots left for next years camp so I am guessing they were all very happy.

Oh but there is more!!!!!

The girls made me cry by giving me this gorgeous album (made by Cheryl Houghton- a very talented lady and a dear friend) Pat Carr and Cheryl had all the girls make a little card that Cheryl had prepared. I was so touched by this and did not expect it at all. The girls said I kept coming around nearby when they were trying to make their cards. I didn't even notice. They also gave me a Visa card with $250 on it to help out with an Aromatherapy Course that I intend to do. I literally sobbed as this was such a kind gesture. I didn't do this camp to get recognition. I did it because I wanted my lovely ladies who come to my classes experience what it is like to get together for a few days doing what we love and sharing each others company. You also get to know each other more. I cant wait for the next one. Here is the album. There is also room for me to write my journal of my very first Camp.

Cheryl had the little cards already cut out and the girls had to do their own designs using what was in the boxes from the projects. They then had to write a little something inside. They are so special and I will cherish them always. Thank you girls.



 

 

 

 

Stitched Shapes Framelits

 

 

I am so excited to tell you that Stampin' Up! are bringing Stitched Shaped Framelits but only for the month of November. I will be ordering mine tomorrow. I have wished for these to come out for so long. As you know I don't buy anything unless it's SU! products so I am glad that I am finally able to purchase them. Also for the month of November SU! have some fantastic specials. Go to my Stampin' Up! website for details. I will have them on here soon.

Halfway through Winter

Hello fellow stampers,
Well today was a cold one.  I am not sure what the temperature was but it seemed to get colder as the day progressed.  I'm a naughty girl again as I did not post last month and it was the opening of the new catalogue.  I do hope you have managed to have a look at the new annual catty.  If not click on the icon on the right hand side of the page. It will take you straight to it.
Its been a busy time for me this past month but hopefully I will be on track again.
I have made a few cards and some I cannot show just yet as they are ready for my next workshop and I will want to surprise the girls with their projects.
Here are a few that I have made. Some know that Calypso Coral has not been a favourite of mine but it is gradually growing on me.  I am finding myself using it without noticing. 
The first card was made using wax paper. The paper is quite difficult to find and you may have to purchase it online but it large quantities. I was lucky to receive some from a friend who had plenty.
To get the background image you will need to cut a piece of wax paper and screw it up in your hand and then lay it out again. You can either use it like that or place it in an embossing folder for a different kind of image. You then place one piece of cardstock either side of the wax paper and then put it between some scrap paper because you will be ironing it. The scrap paper will save your iron and ironing board getting was on it. Once you have ironed it you will need to take away the wax paper and then sponge whatever colour you choose to use all over the cardstock on the side the wax paper was. Its magic! See how many images you can get by using all different embossing folders.
Here are a couple of cards using this technique.

 

The next card was made using the lovely Gorgeous Grunge stamp set. I just love this set.

I have used Night of Navy and Crushed Curry for this one. It is a very quick and simple card.

I also used the circle framelits. The sentiment comes from the Confetti Celebration stamp set and I coloured it in with a Night of Navy marker.

 

 

The last card was made using the Swirly Bird stamp set and the Swirly Scribbles Thinlits. I have also used the Thoughtful Banners stamp set. I made this one for my brother who lives in South Australia. He is an avid birdwatcher and photographer.

Well I am off now to watch Lovechild. I hardly ever watch TV these days but a couple of my shows have begun again so I am going to snuggle up on the sofa with my blanket and a hot cuppa and watch my show. I hope you like my cards.  Thanks for popping by :)







Winter is almost here!

Hello there! Gee we had some rough weather yesterday.  It was very windy and wet.  I was amazed at just how dark the sky was in places. In the afternoon I went for a drive to the beach (only a 4 minute drive) and it was so rough. I could see slight patches of blue sky towards the South of the city but our end was black.  It was quite incredible.  A great day for crafting.  I had 11 ladies yesterday a little short of what was meant for the day due to the weather but we had a lovely afternoon. I have 6 ladies today and the sun is shining for us.

I have a few cards to show today. I know some people don't like seeing a repeat of the same cards but the first couple were done using bleach and its interesting to see what card base is beneath once you apply the bleach. The image in the following card was bleached on Soft Suede CS and you can see that once bleached it becomes a colour very similar to Delightful Dijon. I also used Wink of Stella which gives the image a glistening effect but it does look nice without it.



This card used the following:-
Cardstock - Basic Black, Soft Suede, Delightful Dijon
Stamp Set - Birthday Blooms
Accessories - Softly Falling Embossing Folder, Oval Framelits, Versamark,
Basic Black Ink, Basic Black Embossing Powder (soon to be discontinued)
Bleach, Wink of Stella.
 

This card using the bleach to colour the image it turned out similar to
Perfect Plum so hence why I chose the colours here.
I used the following to make this card
Cardstock - Elegant Eggplant, Perfect Plum, Whisper White
Stamp Set - Birthday Blooms
Ink pads - Versamark, Elegant Eggplant
Accessories - White Embossing Powder, Softly Falling Embossing Folder,
Oval Framelits, Wink Of Stella
 

I was having a play with the gorgeous stamp set that we received at On Stage Sydney. Its called Sitting Here. I decided to make the swing into a bench seat so I took the ropes off and cut off a couple of the slats from the back of the chair to make the legs longer at the front of the chair. I added short legs to the back. I enjoyed making this card and again I have used bleach to colour it in. It brings the wood colour nicely. I fussy cut the chair.


I have used the following to make this card:-
Cardstock - Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Stamp Set - Sitting Here, Confetti Celebration (sentiment)
Ink Pads - Old Olive, Marina Mist, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Daffodil Delight
Basic Grey

The last card was also made by having a play with the new Love & Affection and Timeless Textures stamp sets. I stamped off with Crumb Cake for the background but when stamping off I noticed I had a slight tinge of pink on my card.  I realised that when stamping off I was placing over some pink ink I had on my scrap sheet.  I thought it was a nice effect although I tried to do it again and couldn't get the same effect. I have sponged around the large flower with Early Espresso. All of the card front was made using Whisper White and sponged with Crumb Cake. The sentiment came from Birthday Blooms stamp set. Here it is. I hope you like it.


Products used:-
Cardstock - Early Espresso, Whisper White
Stamp Sets - Love & Affection, Timeless Textures, Birthday Blooms
Ink Pad - Early Espresso, Crumb Cake (and the left over pink from my scrap sheet)

Well that's about it for this time with the card making.
We have an exciting time coming up on the 1st June when the new catalogue presents itself.  I know there are lots and lots of lovely stamp sets and ideas.  Don't forget you only have until the end of this month (May) to purchase from the current catalogue. You will need to be quick though as stocks are running low for the discontinued products and some have gone already.
Take care everyone and enjoy your stamping.
Thanks for popping by:)

Weekly Deals Leaving Us

Yes thats right.  Weekly Deals leave us on April 19th.  Sad isn't it.  If you would like to check out what is available just click here and you will find there are a few more than there normally are.  There are some products that are on my Wish List.  There may be something there that is on your Wish List and not only that some of these items may be retired from the catalogue at the end of May so you had better be quick. As at this stage I have no knowledge of what is leaving the catalogue but when I know I will let you know.

I have been a busy little bee making my swaps for On Stage Sydney.  I've made over 40 of these card fronts in four different colours because everyone has different tastes for choice of colour.  I normally do a card that takes much more time than these but thought that the demonstrators would like something simple for their workshops. (hopefully they like them)  I do like the black one as it is bold and striking.

For these cards I have used the following:-
Cardstock - Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Basic Black, Rose Red, Whisper White
Ink - Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Basic Black, Rose Red, Versamark
Stamp Set - Enjoy The Little Things. Petite Petals
Accessories - Wink of Stella (centre of flowers), Rhinestones
For a change I have not used a Stamp-a-ma-jig like I usually do. We dont need to because the stamp set is Polymer.  They are great for line up stamping.  I do love my Stamp-a-ma-jig as all my girls at my workshops know.

The next card is for our upcoming workshop.  I was inspired with this card from Jennifer McGuire and you can see her card by clicking on her name.  I love Jennifer's cards and tips she gives. You can sign up and receive emails each time she uploads a video of a new project. Here is her card that she created. I love how she has used the Vellum at the top of her card. Nip over to her blog to see how she has done it.

Here are the two cards that I made which was inspired by Jennifer's creation.  I just love the Happy Birthday stamp from Happy Birthday Everyone which is a hostess set.  If you like this stamp as much as I do and haven't got it yet all you need to do is have a party or put in an order for $250 or more. Its a great way of obtaining free products.

For this card I have used the following:-
Cardstock - Whisper White, Vellum, Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo, Mint Macaron
Ink - Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo, Mint Macaron (sponging) & Basic Black
DSP - Its My Party from the Occasions Catalogue ending May 31.
Accessories - Balloon Punch

I used the following for this card:-

Cardstock - Whisper White, Vellum
Ink - Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Versamark
Stamp Set - Flower Patch, Sassy Salutations
DSP - Wildflower Fields (from the Occasions Catalogue)
Accessories - Circle Framelits, Flower Fair Framelits, Gold Embossing Powder,

Well that is about it for this time. I will be back with more once I have returned from On Stage Sydney.  Its creeping up so quickly. The last one we went to was in Perth and it was a fantastic day full of laughs, excitement, new ideas and giveaways and of course not to forget to mention all the friends new and old that we meet on the day.
See you when I return and thanks for popping by:)

April is here already!

Oops I have been missing in action again. Doesn't time just fly by this time of the year? I use to always say that life as we get older will be at a slower pace.  Well that is just not true as I am sure you all know.  Well those of you who are up in the upper years that is. I know even the young ones now are saying that time flies so it really must be true.

I am loving this weather today.  It is threatening rain but there is only a 20% chance today but one can always hope.  I am actually on my own this morning which is highly unusual and I am really enjoying the peace.

A couple of SU! buddies and myself are off to On Stage Sydney on the 16th of April.  We fly out late on the Friday night and arrive at 6.30 next morning and quickly head to On Stage to begin at 7.30am.  I am sure we will be able to stay awake during the day as it is always full of fun and excitement.  We head back after the day has ended and arrive home around midnight that night with Sunday to re-cooperate. We are excited to be able to see the launch and receive our copy of the new Yearly catalogue which unfortunately wont be able to share with you until 1st June. However, I will be able to give you some sneak peeks. Wont that be fun!

Well time has ended for the Sale-a-bration catalogue which ended yesterday.  No more chances for the free products for another year with Sale-a-bration. Of course if you have a party yourselves there are always free products to choose from so you never miss out on a good deal.

Here are a few ideas from the Occasions catalogue.

We still have our Handmade from the Heart Occasions Catalogue which runs through till May 31st.  You need to be quick as there is only two months left but what if they run out of stock? How disappointing would that be? Click on this link to check out what is available.
There are some lovely products in this catalogue.  I know when browsing through the catalogue sometimes you come across a product that just does not do anything for you until you see it made up. Wow my mind has been changed so many times about a product that I couldn't see myself buying.

We also have the Clearance Rack available where you can save up to 60% on certain products.  Check them out here to see how you can save.

You have until early Tuesday evening for this weeks Weekly Deals.  There are some great bargains to be had here. Don't forget to check each Wednesday to see which deals are in motion for the week. Would you like to see what SU! has in store for you this week? Well just click here to view
Well that's about it for now. Please stay tuned for more coming soon.
Thanks for popping by :)