Dunkleys Great NZ Craft Show Coming to Whangarei!

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The Dunkleys Great New Zealand Craft Show is returning to Whangarei on June 11-13 at the ASB Leisure Centre at Kensington Stadium! I have booked a stall there, and will be doing demonstrations and make'n'takes during the three day expo.

There is a link on the top right hand side of my blog where you can print out a discount voucher to get $1 off the price of entry ($2 if you come on Friday 11 June!), and I also have vouchers to give away if you don't have access to a printer. Come on down to Kensington Stadium and see me - and keep watching my blog and Facebook site for specials and freebies that will only be available during the Dunkleys weekend!
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Scrappy Monday!

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I just love Mondays! The start of a new week, the opportunity to get everything done that wasn't done last week (hehe), and a chance to show you some of my scrapbooking!!

This page is an old one I did - one that I promised I would show you last year before I took my blogging 'holiday'. I made this page before I went to Australia to spend Christmas with my brother and his family, and it captures the main reason for my visit: to see my nephews and niece!

I used the I Wish Simply Scrappin' kit - a great kit to use to make quick and easy scrapbook pages as all elements co-ordinate together! This kit contains 8 sheets of 12"x12" textured cardstock (four different colors), 6 sheets of 12"x12" double-sided patterned paper, and 6 sheets of die-cut stickers - all this for only $43.95!

I have also used some of the scrumptious Button Bouquet buttons to add a little texture on the page, using linen thread and tiny strips of DSP to fill the button holes. The two corduroy buttons are from a different set that has sadly now retired :( - luckily I stocked up before they finished so still have plenty in my stash!

Also, to add some stamping to my page (which I find isn't always necessary when using the Simply Scrappin' kits, but I like to so I did!) I have used the Snow Swirled set which is still available in the main catalogue. That set sure did get a workout at Christmastime, and is one I'll be keeping in my collection for many years to come!

As this week is the start of National Scrapbooking Month I'm making the following offer to encourage you all to get scrappin'! Purchase any Simply Scrappin' kit during May and receive 5 metres of 1/4" grosgrain ribbon (in co-ordinating colours) FREE! Contact me today to place your order, and let me know which colour ribbon you would like to receive. Simply Scrappin' kits can be found on pages 136-38 of the main catalogue and on page 33 of the Autumn/Winter Mini; 1/4" grosgrain ribbon is on page 151 of the main catalogue.

Recipe (all products by Stampin'Up! unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Simply Scrappin' I Wish kit
Stamps: Snow Swirled
Ink: Versamark
Other: Silver embossing powder, Button Bouquet, linen thread, Chocolate Chip marker
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I'm Back and I'm Blogging!!

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I must put my hand up and admit it - I've been a very bad blogger!! It's been five months since my last blog post (before yesterday's), and it's not as if I haven't been doing anything crafty... Actually, I have been doing LOTS, which I'll show you over the next few days/weeks/months! Thanks to all of you who have told me to get my A into G and start blogging again - see, I do listen to you (sometimes!).

My apologies in advance too; because I have been very bad and haven't blogged in so long, Stampin' Up! has gone through one whole mini catalogue AND Sale-a-bration while I've been away. Consequently, you may see projects that feature some products that are no longer available (although I live in hope that we'll see them again in the new Idea Book & Catalogue that comes out in September!). However, now that I have blitzed through my wishlist (yes, Demos do have these as well...) of goodies from the new Autumn/Winter Mini I have lots of new toys to play with, so you'll be seeing some of the projects I've been busily making with those as well. My gosh, I may have to blog every day for the next year just to get through everything I want to show you!!

Here's the first project I made when my goodies arrived; as you can see, I used a lot of my new toys to create this: the delicious new Rich Razzleberry cardstock, ink and ribbon, the new Cottage Wall DSP, the two-step bird punch, the Vintage Vogue set, and the Little Leaves Sizzlet die.


I used this card as my project at the Waipapa Extravaganza on 27 March. Those attending got to make four projects designed and taught by three different Demonstrators, and the ladies who booked to come to the Extravaganza through me also got to take home a little box filled with Easter goodies that I made for them. I got the idea for the punch art bunny from a blog I happened upon during my travels through cyberspace, but unfortunately have lost the link to it otherwise I'd post it here.


Stay tuned for more of my projects in the very near future!
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Just Add Ink Challenge #14

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Nothing like a challenge to get someone back into blogging is there! I umm-ed and ahhh-ed about whether to post this page, as it didn't come out as 'heritage' as I would have liked, but thought I would share anyway, as part of it has a really nice collage effect.


This page showcases my gorgeous god-daughter, Carla, who has (surprisingly!) graced the pages of my scrapbooking pages (and blog) many times before! Last year she was finally old enough to travel up from Auckland to visit me in Whangarei, and we had plenty of photo opportunities when we visited Mair Park and she started climbing the old trees!!

I wanted to capture the timeless nature of this park, and to also show that this was an historic visit for us both. Hence the heritage-style page! I bought the twill tape ages ago when I saw how cool it looked stamped, but haven't managed to pull it out of my stash until now. I love it! To make the title shown below I first wheeled the Very Vintage jumbo wheel using Soft Suede, then randomly stamped the vine, from the de-vine (hehe) Vintage Vogue set in the new Autumn/Winter Mini, using Old Olive ink. I then stamped the title and flowers using Rich Razzleberry (or Rich Raz as I call it!), frayed each end of the tape and attached with brads. A few buttons cut out using the Buttons #5 Sizzlet and a bit of linen thread and Crystal Effects, then my title was completed!



I also stamped some flowers from the Vintage Vogue set onto vellum cardstock using the Rich Raz, cut them out and adhered to the page. A bit of faux-stitching using the mat pack, piercing tool and white gel pen to tie the Cottage Wall DSP together gave the page a nice collage feel. I know that the faux stitching and hand-cutting of the flowers takes time, but I love how the detail gives the page a real 'hand made' feel.

So, that's my take on the Just Add Vintage challenge! It's so nice to be blogging again - this will be a regular thing, I promise!! Go and check out the other great entries at Just Add Ink - there are some stunning ones this week!

Recipe (all products by Stampin'Up! unless otherwise noted):
Ink: Old Olive, Soft Suede, Rich Razzleberry, Sahara Sand, Whisper White
Paper: Old Olive, Soft Suede, Kraft, Vellum Cardstock, Cottage Garden DSP
Stamps: Lovely Letters alphabet, Vintage Vogue
Other: Vintage brads, Top Note Die, Buttons #5 Sizzlet, twill tape, glue dots, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Mat Pack and piercing tool, white gel pen, linen thread
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Christmas Gift Giving Promotion

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Just a short post today to tell you about a fabulous promotion that Stampin' Up! has running until 14 December 2009, where you can get a FREE punch (either the Scallop Square or Boho Blossoms) worth $35.95 for every $105 you spend on certain items from the IB&C (Idea Book and Catalogue). To download the complete list of items please click here.

Tomorrow I'll post a picture of a page I made with one of the items on the list, the I Wish Simply Scrappin' kit ($43.95). These Simply Scrappin' kits are awesome for making quick pages and cards, as they include a co-ordinating combination of cardstock, patterned paper and diecuts which goes together with little effort. I Wish has a Christmas theme, making it perfect for this time of the year, but as you will see tomorrow it doesn't necessarily have to be used on a Christmas page...
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Sneaky Peak!

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As promised, here is a sneaky peak of the door prize I've made for this weekend's event. Not the best picture I know, but that's what happens when you do photography at night (grrr!). Some lucky person will go home with this stationary kit on Sunday at the Tauranga Christmas Extravaganza - woohoo!! It has compartments inside that hold stamps, envelopes and greeting cards, as well as space for a notepad and calendar.


I got the template for this from the very talented Michelle Habib, who sells full instructions for making it on her website. I'm planning on making a few of these for Christmas presents, especially for some of my older relations. And if you're lucky I might just share the inside with you all sometime!
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So Young, So Innocent...

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It seems my scrapbooking ladies just can't get enough of Heritage scrapbooking, but in order to make this page more versatile I have leaned towards more of a 'modern' heritage style.


This is my Third form (Year 9??) photo taken in 1986 when I was in my first year at boarding school. I can't believe how young and innocent (naive??)I look in this photo!

In order to give the page a timeless feel I have used the gorgeous Parisian Breeze DSP ($27.95), which is only available until the end of this month (sob!) when the Spring Mini catalogue ends. This DSP is a textured coverweight, so is perfect for those mini albums. I'm really going to miss it when it's gone... (can you tell!?!). I've also coupled this paper with the beautiful Great Friend set (also leaving in the Spring Mini!), which at $37.95 for five co-ordinating stamps is great value. In order to make the customised border shown below I used Baja Breeze ink to stamp the En Francais ($39.95) background onto glossy cardstock and then stamped the butterfly from Great Friend in Versamark before embossing it with white embossing powder (some students used clear embossing powder too so that the En Francais words showed though), and lastly sponging over the top with Baja Breeze again. I love how it all co-ordinates and really showcases this (modern) heritage page!

To add some extra special touches I have used a crystal brad, white half pearl and flower from the Pretties kit ($66.95 for TONS of bling!). The flower has been dyed with the Baja Breeze reinker to co-ordinate with the rest of the page. A few butterflies fluttering through the bottom left-hand corner symbolize my journey from innocence to... well, all that I am today!

Check out my blog tomorrow for a sneak peak of the door prize I am making for the Tauranga Extravaganza that is on this coming Sunday at St Johns Church in Bureta. I still have a couple of spaces left to fill so please contact me ASAP if you would like to join us for a fun afternoon of stamping and crafting on Sunday afternoon!