Stampin' Up! Weekly Deals - Available Till 30th December

Today I finally feel like I'm on holiday! Our family celebration was held on Boxing Day, to allow my daughters-in-law time to celebrate with their own mothers. We also have to fit around everyone's work arrangements and my eldest son is back at work today (Saturday). The festive left-overs were divided up last night, and this morning I've laundered the Christmas linen and it's flapping happily in the breeze. 

I'm late AGAIN with the Weekly Deals but they are too good to ignore so I will share them late, rather than never. After all, the shop is open 24/7 and the warehouse staff are back on deck Monday morning waiting to pack your order! The reduced prices show up automatically in the online shop.

Favourites of mine from this bunch are the Chalk Talk Framelits, Oh My Goodies stamp set and the Circles Collection Framelits. Even if you don't own the Chalk Talk stamp set, those shapes are great for adding interest to your cards or journal tags. I've shared several of these cards before, but they illustrate how often I use these Framelits. This card has two of the Chalk Talk Framelits paired with two sizes from the Banners Framelits. There is a glimpse of Chalk Talk stamping too but the greeting is from Perfect Pennants. I blogged about this card here, last February.

This next card was made a while back too using Perfect Pennants for the sentiment on a double banner. The tag behind the banners is another Chalk Talk Framelit and it was a perfect way to ground all those elements together. The Chevron Border Punch, Petite Petals Punch and a Hardwood background stamp also made it onto this card.

Lastly, for the Chalk Talk Framelits,  a change of colour and two more shapes paired with those Banners Framelits again! The sentiment is from the Hip Hip Hooray Card Kit and the Confetti Star Border Punch, currently in the Holiday Catalogue will carry over to the Occasions Catalogue,beginning 6th January. Chalk Talk Framelits are $32.21, till Tuesday.

Circles Collection Framelits are useful for all sorts of things. They complement the Starburst Framelits, and can accommodate many a greeting, as you can see with this rather large 'Happy 60th Birthday'.  This card was shared on my blog back in March when my friend Carol celebrated her 60th. Circle Collection Framelits are $34.46.











Oh My Goodies is a very useful stamp set too, I used it here to make this birthday card. Umpteenth is a favourite number of mine - I didn't know it was used universally!!!! A wood-mount stamp set is only $32.21 this week only.

This week would be a good time to check through your Holiday Catalogue to see if there is anything you're wanting as last orders will be taken 5th January. A number of items are carrying over, so you can always ask me for that information.

Email, text 0417 500 681 or leave a message on this post for any questions you may have.

Have fun creating,

Rachel

The prices below are pre- Weekly Deals, the correct price shows in my online shop, but the icons will take you there.

Circles Collection Framelits Die

$45.95

Squares Collection Framelits Die

$45.95

Chalk Talk Framelits Die

$42.95

Banners Framelits Die

$45.95

Perfect Pennants Wood Stamp Set

$51.95

Perfect Pennants Clear Stamp Set

$41.95

Hip Hip Hooray Card Kit

$34.95

Oh My Goodies Wood-Mount Stamp Set

$42.95

Oh My Goodies Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$30.95

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Good Thoughts From The Flower Patch PP213

I don't know what you do when you can't sleep, but last night I was up at 3 a.m. stamping! I didn't try to assemble things at that hour of the morning but I laid out my pieces, so I was sure it could go together nicely when I surfaced this morning. I didn't have anything on this morning that couldn't be changed around, so I've had a nice long chat with my dear daughter-in-law and shortly I will head out for a spot of hydro-therapy! Enough of the chit-chat and on to my card.

Another set of VERY challenging colours! Maybe that was what was keeping me awake?
Blackberry Bliss is a big favourite from the NEW In Colors, and I've stamped a panel with I Love Lace as well as one of the big blooms from Flower Patch.

Naturally I used the matching Flower Fair Framelits to cut the flowers and leaves, it makes crafting so easy. I don't think a day passes when I don't use my Big Shot for something.

I've layered the lace panel onto Champagne Glimmer Paper to match the Itty Bitty Banner. It's quite hard to see that detail. The On Film Framelit 'polaroid' makes a great frame for any composition, and then there's a scattering of smaller Flower Patch blossoms in Cajun Craze 'stamped off' once. The Always Artichoke ink shows up much darker on the card, this is my favourite leaf in this gorgeous set.


Don't forget to pop over to The Paper Players for more inspiration with these colours.

Must get away to the pool before the school kids arrive there!
Rachel

Perfect Pennants Wood Stamp Set

$51.95

Perfect Pennants Clear Stamp Set

$41.95

I Love Lace Wood-Mount Stamp Set

$30.95

I Love Lace Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$24.95

Flower Patch Photopolymer Stamp Set

$44.95

Flower Fair Framelits Die

$42.95

Flower Patch Photopolymer Bundle

$74.75

On Film Framelits Die

$49.95

Bitty Banners Big Shot Die Framelits

$25.95

Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad

$9.95

Cajun Craze Classic Stampin' Pad

$9.95

Always Artichoke Classic Stampin' Pad

$9.95

Always Artichoke A4 Card Stock

$11.95

Card Stock A4 Baked Brown Sugar

$11.95

Champagne Glimmer Paper

$8.95

Pearl Basic Jewels Embellishments

$8.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

Sending Good Thoughts DD#96 & RS#108

Even I didn't think I could follow a sketch as closely as this! Just found this sketch at Retro Sketches fitted exactly with an idea I had brewing, how fabulous! I still have quite a bit of the Print Poetry Designer Series Paper stack (129312) left to use, and since it is in the clearance rack at only $7.99, more than one of my customers have taken advantage of the special price and purchased it, so maybe they're looking for some fun ways to use some. I had already cut the patterned paper into strips and mounted it onto Gumball Green when I spied a color challenge that would work with my card. Dynamic Duos have challenged this week with Gumball Green and 'your choice': - my choice is Primrose Petals
I echoed the design on the paper with an embossing folder Beautifully Baroque, and after it was attached I put it through the Big Shot again and 'ironed'  the pattern flatter for a very subtle pattern. My centre piece is a banner stamped with a sentiment from Perfect Pennants, although the last two words are covered with the mother's day greeting from Teeny Tiny Sentiments. The Word Window Punch is ever so handy and a Gumball Green banner from Bitty Banners Framelits really sets it off. In Australia, Mother's Day is early May (I actually don't know if it is the first or second Sunday, maybe my children will set me straight!) I expect I will make a good few more Mother's Day cards before then as my work colleagues like to purchase for their mothers.



We are still having very warm weather for Autumn, (30°c) but it is cool in the mornings and evening, such a lovely time of year! I have had a busy day at work, but needed good light to photograph my card.
Have a good week...
Rachel

Stars Card in a Box

It was a lovely card class here on Friday night, with the girls making Card In A Box cards, all individual and all beautiful creations. The trouble with working at night is a) tiredness b) difficult lighting! We all agree that my electrician son should install some more down lights in the craft room, but trouble is, he doesn't work in the trade anymore because he doesn't like getting into the ceiling space.
The conditions weren't really ideal for photographing their creations, but earlier I had taken a reasonably clear photo of the back of a card being created for Mother's Day which has a Travel/French theme. The front was gorgeous too, but by the time it was finished , it was VERY late! We had some lovely floral fantasies for special birthdays, and a small boy's first birthday card. I'm sure the recipients will be thrilled!
If the ladies email me photos of their finished card, I will edit them into the blog, how about it girls?

Genella's card above and below

During the week before the class, I decided to put together another variation of this fun card. Simply Stars and Starburst Sayings featured heavily in this production. The Starburst Sayings stamps are a breeze to cut out, with their matching Framelits, and you know, if you bundle the stamps and framelits, key in the right code (wood 134817 $77.25: clear 134818 $69.50) you save 15%. If you do it before Monday 31st at 11pm, you'd only have to buy another $20 (approximately) to earn a FREE SALE-A-BRATION item. $90 before shipping qualifies. After Monday, it's all over for another year!

I'm lucky enough to still have a retired star punch, which punches the larger star from Simply Stars. I sell off some of my retired stock to help finance the next purchases, but some things are just too good to let go. I do hope star punches return, or maybe there will be framelits for those in the new catalogue, released July 1st in Australia. The Circle Card Thinlets Die has a star and a heart included, and they were well used in the class.

Label Something stamp set provided the greeting and just like all the stamps in Label Love, it can be punched out easily with the Artisan Label Punch. My girls love Label Love, it has stamps for babies, weddings, birthdays, just for you and more. I've forgotten to point out to them that if they buy the stamp set and the Artisan Label Punch together in a bundle, they can save 15% on the cost as well. It jogged my memory when another clever customer put her order in today, so I'm just pointing that out too. The prices are actually slightly lower than shown in the current catalogue, a lovely surprise when you enter the following codes, although the prices I've entered here are correct - wood mount bundle 132723 $60.25: clear mount 132722 $52.50.

The back of the card is reasonably plain, another star punched out and 'Make A Wish' sentiment from the Perfect Pennants stamp set. That can be bundled with the Pennant framelits for a 15% saving. You just need to find the Bundle and Save  boxes throughout the large annual catalogue or the thinner Occasions catalogue.

You can see a floral card here, or another floral in a different color scheme, plus some childrens cards here.

If you and a friend would like to make your own card in a box, and South Morang, Victoria isn't out of your way, email me for a day or night. It takes about 3-3½ hours. The 8th and 9th April are good for me at the moment, daytime or evening.

Hope you're having a great weekend,
Rachel

You & Me RS #107

My poor hubby has been in hospital this week for a shoulder reconstruction. It gave us both a bit of a scare when the surgery took almost 5 hours instead of the estimated 1½-2 hours. Just goes to show that he really does have a very high tolerance to pain. I finally was able to bring him home today, and it is a really good feeling to have him safely tucked up at home.

I knew I wanted to use the Ampersand  Embossing Folder for this sketch, and that naturally then proceeded to using 'You & Me' from Perfect Pennants. Those two just fit together so beautifully, and I used my 1¾" circle punch to notch out a spot for the greeting to show. After I trimmed the Strawberry Slush card around the curve of the ampersand, I mounted it on a square of the Silver Foil sheet, and then onto another square, this time Coastal Cabana.

Another greeting which goes really well with this sort of card is 'Never Underestimate the Power of Two' from Yippee Skippee! I used that on the inside with two hearts from the Peachy Keen stamp set and a single flower from Oh Hello. The inspiration sketch is another terrific one from Retro Sketches, I haven't had time lately to enter their weekly challenge, and didn't think I would this week either, even though I have had some time off work. However, the patient is co-operating at the moment, so all is good in the craft cave!!! There's a day or two left on this challenge, why not try your hand at the sketch too? Click on the name to link over to Retro Sketches.

Hope you have some time  this week for what you love...

Rachel

Ampersand Embossing Folder 132970 Occasions Catalogue

Thank You Banners

Do you have a favourite stamp set in the Occasions Catalogue? I'm beginning to think mine just might be Happy Watercolor. There are just so many different ways to use those two flower stamps and the font on the words is such a nice one. I've put together a card today using both the flowers, for a thank you card. I hadn't planned to combine RetroSketches with the colour challenge at Create With Connie and Mary, or the Paper Players 'thank you' challenge but somehow the three of them just came together!

I have resolved to try to use Summer Starfruit more frequently, and it seems that those who dream up color challenges have the same mindset too - how strange!

I also thought I would give my Starburst Framelit Dies a rest, and pulled out the Banners Framelits Dies. I KNOW they will be a big favourite too, especially when I start using the Perfect Pennants stamp set with them.

Paper Players are thankful for spring, and I totally understand that, after the horrible winter they've had in the northern hemisphere. Those of us in the southern hemisphere (I live in Melbourne, Australia if you don't know yet) are thankful for autumn and some respite from the heat and  bush fires, and yet our temperatures are still over 30°celsius!

Thanks for dropping by my blog,
happy crafting,
Rachel