School Holiday Happiness

School holidays are here and that means one thing . . . no making school lunches for two whole wonderful weeks!!! YAY!

Sure, there are certainly other joys to the school holidays like spending time with our lovely children, not having to hurry everyone up to pack bags, clean teeth, polish school shoes or get on that bus; but not having to make sets of school lunches is definitely a BIG bonus!

Well, I have been having lots of creative fun lately. I have been stamping, sewing and crafting up a storm. Unfortunately that has lead to a rather out of control craft space which needs to be reined in well and truly. But before I start a major clean up, here is a pickie of one of my latest creations:
A lovely lady at my husband's work has her baby shower today before she departs to have her baby. Babies are so exciting and such a blessing to any family. Sadly, my husband just informed me her last day was today, as not only is she having her baby, she is also moving away. I have used a hostess set here from the 2014-15 catalogue, which I just adore and after much inspiration from Pinterest, here is what I came up with:

All products used are Stampin' Up: Cardstock: Whisper White, Hello Honey, Festival of Prints DSP (retired), Trim The Tree DSP (retired). Inks: Early Espresso, Marina Mist, Tangello Twist. Stamp Set: Hello Love (Hostess set 2014-2015). Other: SNAIL, Fast Fuse, blender pen, glue pen, paper snips, paper trimmer, Basic Jewels - rhinestones.
Well enough for today,
I am off to entertain my kids (try to anyway).
I'll be back really soon with my last of my masculine challenge cards.
Until then,enjoy crafting up a storm.
Joelle

Upcoming Holiday Class for Children - Mini Album - Week 2

I am really looking forward to my kids classes coming up in the holidays. I love how the kids are so creative and are often bubbling with excitement about creating something new and amazing. 

It always fascinates me to see how creative children can be and the different ideas they come up with, yet they are all given similar supplies. I provide a kit for each child in the class, with all of the supplies that they will need to complete their project, they then have the choice to create one exactly like mine or create their own. The majority of children choose to create their own, which is absolutely wonderful! 

Today I am showing off my craft class for kids for the second Wednesday (8.6.15) of the NSW school holidays.

I will be offering 3 differing kits that the children will choose from (blues, greys & yellows OR floral pinks, greens & yellows OR purples/yellows & greys).

Here are the completed examples of the 3 colour options:

 These are the finished mini albums closed.

The floral colour scheme album -  first layer

 The floral colour scheme album -  second layer

These little albums have plenty of space to add photos, journalling & memorabilia, and yet fold up to be so compact. They are the perfect brag book for the child, or fill them with memorable photos and they become a special gift for a loved one. They would also make the perfect year six graduation gift (all their friends could autograph it), add a couple of pickies from the night and voila! A unique keepsake.

If you would like your child to experience the joy of creativity in a positive small group environment, contact me today to secure their place.

I hope you have enjoyed checking out my latest kids class project.

Until next time,

Get crafty!

Joelle

Upcoming Classes for Children

I have been so busy preparing for my children's school holiday craft classes and . . . wait for it . . .(drum roll please). .  launching my childrens after school craft classes to begin in Term 3, 2015.

I am so excited! With thousands of great ideas running through my brain at a million miles per hour, I am busy, busy, busy.

Today I have a photo of my kids card class which is running in the first week of the July school holidays (see details on the left hand side of this blog). Each child will make a set of cards along with a cute little box in which to store them in. There is an option to either make the box a pretty one with a butterfly or a more masculine one with some different embellishments. These make a great gift or are super useful when you need to find a quick card before flying out the door with a box of chockies for somebody special.

In regards to term time lessons, I have planned that each week the children will have a small project that they will complete to take home. We will also be working on a major project each week, which will be taken home at the end of the term. So exciting! So if you live in the Far North Coast or Northern Rivers Region of NSW and have a child aged between 8-14 years of age that might be interested in attending holiday craft classes or term lessons once per week, contact me ASAP. Places are limited. 

I'll be back soon with a photo of my other holiday Mini Scrapbook class which is running in the second week of the school holidays.

Until then, craft up a storm!

Joelle 

Masculine Card #5

Ok, so I showed you four of my masculine cards, now it's time for number 5. I am pretty happy with this one and of the six cards that I have done, my husband has told me this one is his favourite (yep, storing that in the memory bank!) 

Today's card was so quick and easy to make, yet looks pretty good, if I do say so myself! This "Hardwood" background stamp has been sitting on my shelf for about a month now begging me to pick it up and use it, yet my "mojo" wasn't quite in the right place, but I had I ignored it's pleas until now ("Yep, the woman has finally cracked it, she thinks her stamps talked to her", I hear you say). I have also used the "Hello You" thinlits which are fast becoming one of my favourite dies. I also managed to create a faux button by simply using circle punches and some linen thread (another of my favourite supplies to use on masculine cards). I have made a card just like this one for my father-in-law's birthday, I hope he likes it.

All products are Stampin' Up! Stamp Sets: Crazy about You, Hardwood. Inks: Chocolate Chip. Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, Old Olive. Other: Hello You thinlits, 3/4" circle punch, 1/8" & 1/16 handheld punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, linen thread.

Although my photography is not super on this one, I was happy with the overall effect.

My last card in the challenge isn't far away now. . . but until then,

Happy stamping!

Joelle

Masculine Card Challenge Card #4

I've done it again! I have completed yet another masculine card yet again. Today's card is a little bit of fun. I love this stamp set as I enjoy a bit of a laugh now and then, and this set sure does just that. I have also incorporated my love of animals in using this set and always find it amusing to see a dog chasing it's tail (I know how it must feel sometimes!) This set is called Giggle Greetings and sadly, I have had this set for a while and never even opened the case (oh the shame!) I have put this card together with the intended purpose of presenting it to a male that has maybe graduated from high school or university, achieved a goal they had set for themselves or even landed a new job or promotion.

This card uses Stampin' Up! exclusive products. Stamp Set: Giggle Greetings. Cardstock: Soft Suede, Envelope Paper (NEW!) in Tip Top Taupe, Watermelon Wonder, watercolour paper. Inks, Soft Suede, Watermelon Wonder, Memento- Black,  Smokey Slate. Other: Arrows TIEF, Blender Pen, Fast Fuse, Stampin' Dimensionals.

Hope you like this one.

Until next time,

Ink up those claws and stamp!

Joelle

Masculine Card Challenge Number 3

Well here I am, back with another male card for you to check out. I always find it hard to make sympathy cards at the best of times, but a sympathy card for a male is normally even trickier. So I set my self a challenge within my challenge! Today I have created another card using the Wetlands stamp set. Sometimes it is just hard to find the right words, so I chose to use the "thinking of you" sentiment as, that is exactly what I do when I am trying to let someone else know that I am sorry for their loss, I am thinking of them. So, may I present. . . my 3rd card in my "male challenge":

All products used are exclusively Stampin' Up! Stamp Set: Wetlands, Inks: Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Chocolate Chip. Cardstocks: Old Olive, Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip. Other: Fast Fuse, Stampin' Dimensionals, linen thread, Woodgrain TIEF.

Until next time,
Stamp up a storm!
Joelle

Another Masculine Card

Well, here it is, my next male card. I have really had to step out of my comfort zone for this challenge, which I know is a good thing, but it is certainly tricky.  I have concluded that I "need" a couple more male themed stamp sets, which will be a while coming, as there is sooooooo much I "NEED" from the new catalogue!
Today, I have decided to go with a male birthday card using a set I wanted for ages, but didn't get around to purchasing until recently. This is my first time using this set and I must say, I am really excited as there are so many possibilities and occasions for using it.

All products used are exclusively Stampin' Up! Stamp Set: Wetlands. Cardstock: Marina Mist, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Crumb Cake. Inks:  Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Pool Party. Other: Stampin' Dimensionals, Fast Fuse, glue pen, paper trimmer, linen thread, sponges, 1/8" handheld punch.

I have another card in this stamp set to show you soon.
Until next post,
Get those claws inky & stamp!
Joelle

Brrrr it's cold outside!

Yes, today is certainly a gloomy day on the Far North NSW coast! So what do you do to keep warm? Get busy stamping of course!
After covering some sets of books for the school library, I thought I'd get busy with some stamping. Today I have got a card to show you that I have made using a great new stamp set from the brand new catalogue. There are so many new things to love in this new catalogue, my wish list is swamped!
Today I have made a card using the stamp set we were given at convention, along with a couple of our new in colours (Watermelon Wonder and Cucumber Crush).
I find it really hard to come up with new ideas for masculine cards, girly cards are easy peasy; we are so easy to please! So I decided to set myself a challenge, I have set out to make 6 masculine cards and over the next couple of post entries I plan to show them on my blog. My kids are always involved in sport, so it seemed only fitting to make a card I could use for them. Today's card was super quick and very simple.
So here is card number 1:

Stampin' Up! products used in this card are: Whisper White, Cucumber Crush and Daffodil Delight cardstock, Watermelon Wonder, Tangello Twist, Daffodil Delight, Cucumber Crush and Tempting Turquoise inks. Gorgeous Grunge and I Think You're Great stamp sets. Other: Rhinestone Basic Jewels (couldn't help myself, I had to add some bling!), SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals .
Please let me know what you think.
Until next time,
Get those claws inky!
Joelle

Finding my "Mojo"

Well, finally, my much missed crafting "mojo" has returned with lots of crafty ideas and inspiration, I have so much to share. I have been crafting up a storm of late, planning to get myself out and about by doing a few markets locally and also preparing for my up coming childrens classes.
I thought I'd show you a photo today of my stall at a local market last weekend, unfortunately I only had a couple and the other photos didn't want to co-operate and keep coming out sideways in Blogger!

We were so fortunate to have some of that balmy sunny North Coast weather up here this week, so lots of people were out enjoying the sunshine and the market too, it was a great day. It was so lovely to catch up with old friends and meet new families.

Yours in ink,
Joelle

Convention Swaps

Well the weather up this way had suddenly got a little chilly! Though, we are fortunate that when I say a "little chilly" I do really mean "a little" with an average daytime temperature of around 19 degrees!!! Yes, I know, that's not chilly at all for those down south, but we poor far north coasters think it's a big difference. Our gorgeous whales are making their way up the coast, so we are in for a fantastic performance across the next couple of months as they make their way to warmer waters once again.

Today I have  some pics of my convention swaps - each convention many SU! demonstrators make several swaps to exchange with other like-minded (craft crazy) demos. I am always a fan of doing something a little different, so I decided to make 2 different types of 3D swaps - one a mini self-closing box and the other a domino keyring with embossed feathers from the "Four Feathers" stamp set which VERY sadly didn't make the cut for the new catalogue (sniff, sniff). I love convention swaps because you get to meet such a wide range of people from Australia and NZ who are just so talented and enthusiastic. They are happy to swap and chat about the technique they used to create their swap, leaving me with lots of fresh ideas and inspiration for my own work. It's so nice to know that there are others out there just as crazy and passionate about their craft as I am. I made an all time record for me of 50 swaps this year, so I received almost as many to bring back home, as I gave a few away to friends who hadn't had time to do swaps this year.

  Self-closing box : Blackberry Bliss cardstock & ink, Very Vanilla cardstock, Always Artichoke ink & cardstock, Flower Patch & Amazing Birthday stamp sets,13/8" & 11/4" circle punches, Simply Scored, paper trimmer, Fast Fuse, Stampin' Dimensionals & Sticky Strip.

Domino Keyrings: White dominoes, Four Feathers stamp set, Versa mark, Blackberry Bliss, Chocolate Chip, Smoky Slate, Island Indigo, Bermuda Breeze,clear or gold embossing powders, Dazzling Diamonds, heat tool, jewellery findings,
 metal glue.

Well, what do you think? Hope you like them.

Yours in ink,

Joelle

I'M BACK! And so is the NEW CATALOGUE!

Yes, it's true! I am finally back to my blogging. The past year and a half has certainly been a roller coaster ride and more. But, I am back at last and more inspired and excited than ever, especially since attending another Stampin' Up! convention on the Gold Coast. After that, I spent some much needed time reflecting on my life and looking forward to what the future holds (way too D&M I know!)

On a lighter, very exciting note, can you believe the 2015-2016 STAMPIN' UP! CATALOGUE  finally went live TODAY (Click the catalogue image on the right hand side of my blog to view it as a PDF now)

Ooooooooooooo so EXCITING! As a Stampin' Up! demo who was fortunate enough to attend convention just a month ago, where I was lucky enough to get my hot little hands on a copy of the catalogue and then I even got to try out some of the new products - I know, exciting huh?! But I had to keep so much of it a secret! Now, I can actually talk about it and buy any of the products available in it. As a demo, we are fortunate to have sneak peaks and order some of the catalogue products, but not all of them. Amazingly, the old catalogue finishes today and the new one also starts today, I don't believe this has ever happened before, so today is your LAST CHANCE to order anything from the 2014-2015 catalogue that is still available.

I am also SUPER excited about my new upcoming classes for kids. I have loved crafting ever since I was a young child. It was often my escape into another world, blocking out anything else that stood in my way.

I have the dates for my upcoming classes on the left hand side of my blog. There are also some photos of previous classes I had run in some of the school holidays last year. Watch this space for more to come.

I promise I'll be back really soon.

Yours in inky claws,

Joelle