It's your time - the best $25 you'll ever spend

Stampin' Up! is continuing to celebrate its 25th anniversary with the best offer I've ever seen. For the next 2 weeks - October 7-21, you can join SU for just $25. Wow, I know!
I joined Stampin' Up! 6 1/2 years ago (time flies) & could talk all day about why I love being part of  Stampin' Up! & that joining is one of the best decisions I ever made, but this offer is about you, not me, so....

Is this you?
- playing with stamps, paper & ink makes you smile.
- you love using Stampin' Up products & you own a little or a lot.
- you love a great bargain.
- you can't wait to see what's new.
- you craft on your own, with friends, or family.
- you may have hosted a Stampin Up! party or previously been a Demonstrator.

If this is you, the $25 offer is made for you. Here's how it works.
- Pay $25 & receive $25-$26.95 in products of your choice in your starter kit.
- Receive business kit including current catalogues to share with friends, plus order forms etc.

Joining Benefits
- Remain an active Demonstrator until 31 March 2014 - without paying anything else. That's almost 6 months to see how much you'll love about Stampin' Up!
- Receive a minimum discount of 20% discount on all products, even when they're on sale.
- Receive hostess rewards on any product order totalling $300 or more (like our hostesses do normally).
- Be first to see & order new products from upcoming catalogues.  Between now & March we'll have at least:
    - A new Seasonal Catalogue - pre-order in January - February launch.
    - Sale-a-Bration - early 2013
    - New individual product launches -  Demo pre-order starts today on 3 new fab products!
- Have access to hundreds of thousands of ideas & like minded people on our global Demonstrator community site.
- You'll be part of my local Stampin Up! Team - the Diamond Stampers.

More perks to get you started...
- Place a $300 order within 30 days of joining & you'll earn a free stamp set of your choice from our Annual Catalogue (any value). redeemable from 1 December.
- Place a $400 order within 45 days of joining & you'll receive a 30% discount on the whole order. Order in October & you'll receive an extra $25 in hostess benefits (that's $85).
Stampin' Start program benefits if you're business minded.

It's important to know:
To remain an active Demonstrator past 31 March 2014, you'll need to place $440 in catalogue orders (before your discount is applied) by 31 March, 2014 & then every 3 months. Every order after your $25 join fee contributes to this total. If you choose not to do this, you'll simply lapse as a demonstrator. In this case, there's nothing more you have to pay or return. I can help show you how to place your orders to get the best value from your discount & available benefits. Easy!

It is totally your choice where you take the Stampin' Up! opportunity. Choose to order just for you. If you'd love the opportunity to sell to friends & family, earn extra cash, begin a new business, or anywhere in-between, there's great benefits to be earned & I'm here to help.

If you've read this far, you know how much you have to gain from just $25. If you're ready to take the next step - join now!

Questions? If you're local to me - Panania, sw Sydney. I'd be happy to meet for a cuppa & help you with any info. If you're not local, just e-mail or call me for a totally no pressure chat.

My wish for you is that you too will find that Stampin' Up! is so much more than stamps & a great discount. I've met some of my dearest friends (waving) through Stampin Up! & can't imagine my life without the relationships I've made. Whatever you decide, thanks for reading this far & I hope you have a happy week.
Inky wishes, Di

Casing the catalogue - with Flower Shop bundle

I get so many ideas to try from our catalogues - colour combos, layouts, techniques & other tips. Today I'm sharing cards inspired by the layout of this sample on page 27 of our Annual Catalogue.

...and here's the first card I made, using the fab Flower Shop stamp & punch bundle. The colour combo is wisteria wonder, elegant eggplant with a touch of pink pirouette & strawberry slush.

For a little twist on the layout, I cut 2cm off the card front & added patterned paper  to the inside with another flower to carry the theme.

 I really liked how it turned out, so I made a second card using a new in-colour combo of pistachio pudding, coastal cabana & strawberry slush & another Flower Shop flower.

 

Hope you like what I did with the sketch. If you have any q's about the cards, just ask. Next time you need a little spark to get you started, flip through the catalogue & see what catches your eye to try. Thanks for visiting.
Until next time, inky wishes.
Di 
PS: The Flower Shop Bundle includes the Flower Shop stamp set & matching pansy punch. Even better, you'll save 15% on the separate price of each when you buy the bundle. Sweet!

Supplies
Card 1
Stamps: Flower Shop, Friendly Phrases (retired)
Card/paper:  wisteria wonder, elegant eggplant, pink pirouette, whisper white card, Subtles DSP stack
Ink: elegant eggplant ink pad
accessories: basic rhinestones, pistachio ruffled ribbon
Tools: pansy punch, Big Shot, Needlepoint Border embossing folder, 2 1/2 inch circle punch

Card 2
Stamps: Flower Shop, Happy Day
Card/paper:  pistachio pudding, strawberry slush, coastal cabana, whisper white card, In-colour 13-15 DSP stack
Ink: pistachio pudding,strawberry slush ink pads
Accessories: coastal cabana ruffled ribbon
Tools: pansy punch, stylus (to score lines on strawberry panel), 2 1/2 inch circle punch

More sunburst / starburst birthday cards

I'm back to share two more full sunburst/starburst cards like this one. These are addictive I tell you. This one is my favourite... so far. ;-)

I had a vague idea in my head to make a sort of abstract landscape scene, so I chose four colours from the Subtles DSP stack - so saffron (sun), pool party & marina mist (sky), pear pizzazz (land). I pieced them together using the same method in my instructions here (layout 3).This is how it looked after piecing (with v messy desk mostly cropped out).

Changing the placement of the centre point can really change the look of the finished design, so I use a cardstock frame with a window the size of my finished card front to help me see the options. I move it around until I'm happy with the final look, then mark the cut lines I need. If you enlarge the pic, you can see my light pencil lines.

Sunburst Teen
This one for a new teen shows a different look, with the focal point in the lower left (layout 2 in my instructions. Love the rule of thirds!

The colours here are pool party & island indigo from our sadly retired Patterns DSP. I added some some silver cord down to some of the rays to add a little more sparkle.
My lappie battery is almost dead, so that means it's time to say finish up for now. I'll be back soon with something new. Until then, thanks for visiting & thanks especially to those who've taken the time to leave comments lately. I really do appreciate your encouragement. If you'd like any more info or just want to say hi, just leave a comment anytime you like :-)
Inky wishes, Di 

Supplies
Sunburst Scene
Stamps: Label Love
Card/Paper: marina mist, whisper white card, Subtles DSP Stack - so saffron, marina mist, pool party, pear pizzazz
Ink: marina mist ink pad, so saffron marker
Accessories: basic pearls, white taffeta ribbon
Tools: artisan label punch, modern label punch

Sunburst Teen
Card/Paper: island indigo, pool party card, silver glimmer paper, In colour Patterns DSP stack (retired)
Accessories: silver cord
Tools: 2 1/2 inch circle punch, Big Shot, Circles #2 bigz die (2 inch circle), Typeset Alphabet/Number dies, Essentials Piercing Template, piercing tool, piercing mat

Sunburst birthday card for guys (& instructions)

I've seen lots of great sunburst/starburst cards lately, so I tried the technique too. Now I'm totally hooked! They're so easy to make, look fab & are perfect for using up scraps too. I showed my lovely August class ladies how to make this masculine version using the Sweater Weather DSP from the Holiday Catalogue. I've shared my instructions below, so you can make one too.

I liked the idea of the rays radiating over the whole card, with the sentiment at the centre, so went to work on how to do it. I used 16 same sized triangles for my sunburst. After a trial run, I realised some maths was needed to calculate the correct triangle size (& angle) to ensure each of the 16 triangles would match up without gaps or overlaps. I came up with a final rectangle size of 12cm x 5cm, cut diagonally into 2 triangles, which well & truly covers a regular card front.
I sponged the edge of each piece (crumb cake ink) & the completed sheet to give more depth. It's subtle but does make a difference when you see it with & without sponging. Here's a close-up of my favourite new sentiment (Label Love set), punched with the matching artisan label punch. I added a mat behind the sentiment to help it stand out & some fabric ribbon & linen thread. Instructions to make the artisan label mat are below.

Before I move on to the instructions, here's a final view, showing the inside, which I decorated with the sunburst offcuts.

Full Sunburst Card Instructions

1.  Cut 8 rectangles - 12 x 5cm from DSP – 2 of each colour. Cut each rectangle diagonally to make 2 triangles, making a total of 16 triangles.

2.   (Optional) Sponge edges of triangles to add depth.

3.  Draw a horizontal & vertical line on scrap paper, meeting where you want your sun to radiate from. I've shown some examples I like. I used layout 1 for this card.

4.   Completely cover top quarter of scrap paper with glue (I used a glue stick to give time to position correctly) & start attaching triangles in desired order. Make sure points meet at the centre & lines. Pieces shouldn't overlap. Continue adding glue & triangles, a quarter page at a time until circle is complete.

 Here's my partially completed sunburst too.

5.   Trim off excess around scrap to required size for card front. Sponge edge if desired, then complete card.

Tips for scraps or different sizes
I generally start with 5cm x 12cm pieces, as it gives me flexibility to change my focal point after I piece the triangles. If you're making a smaller card, using scraps, or making a non-centred design, you can reduce the size of the rectangles/triangles using this template in my instructions below to save paper. It will always work as long as the angles remain the same. Who knew geometry would ever be  useful for papercrafting? :-)

How to make a mat for the Artisan Label punch
 

1. Punch two artisan labels.
2. Cut one label horizontally in half. (left pic). Adhere pieces behind top & bottom of sentiment, leaving small border showing.
3. Cut end pieces off second punched shape (right pic). Cut remaining piece horizontally in half. Adhere behind each side, leaving small border showing & so that curved edge lines up with corner of punched sentiment (as shown in card pic above).

I hope you'll try making your own sunburst card, or the artisan label mat. I have some more sunburst cards to show you - next time since this post seems to have taken forever. Thanks for visiting & please leave me some comment love if you like the project, or the instructions have been helpful to you.
Inky wishes, Di

Supplies
Stamps: Label Love
Card/paper: naturals ivory, choc chip, very vanilla card, Sweater Weather DSP
Ink: chocolate chip ink pad, crumb cake ink pad, tangerine tango marker
Accessories: linen thread, fabric ribbon, brad
Tools: artisan label punch, sponge dauber

Triple layer for Father's Day

Today's card is one we made at my August masculine card class. I know Father's Day is now over for this year, but I'm sure you need masculine card ideas all year round.

 

I'm generally a clean & fresh cards kind of gal, but I really had fun making the grungy background & seeing how different it could look with more or less stamping. It still has the clean triple layers though, so still me I think. I used 2 stamp sets to create the triple layer - Clockworks & Gorgeous Grunge - both of which are perfect for masculine cards. The colours I used are crumb cake, soft sky & island indigo. The stamped layer used here is very vanilla, but the colours worked with white too. You can see the stamped layers better in this close-up.

I needed a bold sentiment to finish it off & this one from Delightful Dozen fitted the bill perfectly. I coloured in the outline letters with a soft sky marker to add a little more colour. Some of my class lovelies changed to a birthday sentiment, which looked great
I'm sure you've all tried a triple layer card by now, but if not, you must! Start with this blog post & video by the awesome Dawn Olchevske- why redesign the wheel! You can make your layers any size, but if you're a metric girl who likes even layers, you'll want to convert your measurements to better fit our A4 cardstock. These are my tried & true cutting measurements.

My triple layer card measurements

Use these measurements & the cutting layout pic below to cut enough pierces to make 2 cards from each A4 sheet.

Mat Layers  (island indigo card in sample)

1: 13.8 x 9.5cm

2: 11.3 x 7cm

3: 8.8 x 4.5cm

Cut A4 cardstock down to 9.5cm wide, then cut pieces as shown in the diagram below

Stamped Layers (very vanilla in sample
1: 13.3 x 9cm
2: 10.8 x 6.5cm
3: 8.3 x 4cm
Cut A4 cardstock down to 9cm wide, then cut pieces as shown in the diagram below.


Cutting Layout

 

I think that covers everything, but if there's anything else you'd like to know, just leave me a comment. I'll be back next time with the second card from the class. Thanks for visiting.
Inky wishes, Di
PS: thought you might like to see the separate stamp images I used from Clockworks & Gorgeous Grunge. You'll definitely be seeing more Grunge here! One final suggestion -  I love having this set in clear mount, as it makes it really easy to position the stamps, but if you don't have lots of clear blocks, I'd recommend you choose wood mount, so you can easily add to the layers without having to change stamps. Isn't it great you have the choice!

  

Supplies
Stamps: Gorgeous Grunge, Clockworks, Delightful Dozen
Card/Paper: crumb cake, very vanilla, island indigo card
Ink: crumb cake, island indigo, soft sky ink pads, soft sky marker
Accessories: Candy Dots - island indigo, soft suede, linen thread
Tools: circle punches - 1 3/8 in, 1 1/4 in

Smile, it's your birthday

Ah the best laid blogging plans... Anyway, I'm back to share a fun card based on a fab idea by the equally fab US Demo, Deena Boos. Deena made the cutest camera card, which I immediately pinned to try. Now I pin a lot, but I'm so glad this one actually made it to paper & made me smile too.

 

I took the colours from the fun DSP (i am me). Deena provided instructions for the camera using Chalk Talk & Circles framelits dies & a circle punch. I used circle punches (no circle framelits...yet!) & the retired jewellery punch for the white rectangle. I added a circle birthday sentiment (A Fitted Occasion) around the lens & I thought the smile sentiment (Happy Day) worked perfectly too. Here's a closer pic of the camera. You can see the lens & camera base are both popped with dimensionals.

I hope this card makes you smile too. Thanks to Deena for sharing such a great idea. I think I'll be using this one again. If you're still reading, thanks for visiting & hope to see you here again.
Until next time, inky wishes
Di

Supplies
Stamps: Happy Day, A Fitting Occasion
Card/Paper: pool party, so saffron, real red, basic gray, whisper white card, i am me DSP, silver glimmer paper
Ink: basic gray ink pad
Accessories: basic rhinestone, 
Tools: Big Shot, Chalk Talk framelits, circle punches - 1 1/2in, 1 3/8in, 1 in, jewellery punch (retired), corner rounder, Essentials piercing template, piercing tool, piercing mat

Getting dressy 3

Oops, where did that 3rd dress post go? Well, I'm sharing it finally today.

The jacket is made with the same Dress Up framelit die as the dress. I simply cut off the dress at hip length & then cut a little triangle from the bottom to top to create an open jacket effect. Some tiny pearls add some sweet bling. The dress is popped off the card & hangs from a line with a cute little hanger shaped paper clip (Hung Up Cute Clips). The sentiment is a favourite from Create a Cupcake, & it fits perfectly in the decorative label punch too. I really liked how this one turned out & can see many more dress ensembles in my future.

Thanks for visiting & hope you've enjoyed seeing my 'dressy' cards. Leave me a comment if you have any q's.
Until next time, inky wishes
Di

Supplies
Stamps: Create a Cupcake
Card/Paper: riding hood red (retired), marina mist, whisper white card, Twitterpated DSP (retired)
Ink: marina mist
Accessories: basic pearls, white bakers twine, hung up cute clips
Tools: Big Shot, Dress Up framelits, decorative label punch, itty bitty punch pack (flower)

Getting dressy 2

Sharing another dressy card with you today.

I used more Twitterpated DSP for this dress. I love that the framelits allow you to see exactly where you're cutting, so you can fussy cut the paper to suit the pattern. It's hard to see in the pic, but the dress form is popped off the card with dimensionals too. Sadly, all the papers & riding hood red card I used are now retired, but thankfully the dress framelits & Apothecary Accents framelits are very much available. If you'd like more info about the card, just ask. I'll be back next time with one more dress card with a bit of a twist.

Until then, inky wishes

Di

Supplies
Stamps : Friendly Phrases (retired)

Card/paper: crumb cake, night of navy, riding hood red card, Twitterpated DSP, Night of Navy Patterns DSP
Accessories: basic pearls, crumb cake taffeta ribbon
Tools: Big Shot, Dress Up framelits, Apothecary Accents framelits, Itty Bitty punch pack (flower)

Getting dressy 1

The next few cards I'm sharing took me back to the fun of playing with paper dress-up dolls as a little girl. These days, the dress-up fun comes from the framelits that coordinate with our pop 'n' cuts dies.

I chose a pretty print DSP for the dress (from the retired Twitterpated pack) & accessorised with ribbon & a punched flower. The possibilities really are endless. The mirror is an embossed oval designer frame for the mirror frame & punched vellum. Before I go, these are the framelit designs, so you can see what I'm waffling about.

That's all from me for now, but I'll be back with another pretty dress to share. Thanks for visiting.
Inky wishes, Di

Supplies
Stamps: Create a Cupcake
Card/Paper: marina mist, crumb cake, pink pirouette, baja breeze, rose red, whisper white card, vellum card Twitterpated DSP, Pink Pirouette Patterns DSP
Ink: Island Indigo ink pad
Accessories: island indigo ribbon, basic pearl
Tools: Big Shot, Dress Up Framelits, Designer Frames embossing folder, xl oval punch, word window punch, Itty Bitty punch pack flower

Paper lovers unite & save

You know you love paper & during August you can get all your new faves & save too. Just pay for 3 packs of regular DSP* & you'll get to choose a 4th pack free*. Easy huh? Check out what's available here. Contact me if you'd like to order.
* The offer includes all $18.95 DSP packs. Doesn't include Specialty packs or colour collection DSP Stacks.