Crouching Dog Graphics

I have a stamp-a-stack scheduled shortly and the girls have requested “something with 5th Avenue”.  Of course I love to watercolour with this set, but the thought of the time factor with that!!!  Seven girls watercolouring five cards each, hmmmmm…..could take some time (considering that they are also making five christmas cards each as well).  So decided to do a big version of spotlighting.  I’m fairly pleased with how these babies turned out and really hope that my girls will love them too.

Products are all Stampin’Up! of course!

Stamp sets – 5th Avenue Floral,  Happy Moments (SAB current)

Punches – Word Window

Inks – Stazon Black

All cards had Whisper white and black card stock

Perfect Plum Card – Inks – Pale Plum, Perfect Plum and Lavendar Lace

Really Rust Card – Inks – So Saffron, More Mustard and Really Rust

Bravo Burgundy Card – Inks – Pretty in Pink, Riding Hood Red and Bravo Burgundy

Pink Passion Card – Pretty in Pink, Pixie Pink, Pink Passion

Pacific Point Card – Bashful Blue, Baja Blue and Pacific Point

Come back tomorrow and hopefully I’ll have worked out their Christmas card.

These girls do lots of stamp-a-stacks.  Each month they make five Christmas cards and five other card (this month is ladies birthday – next month it may be men’s birthday and so on)  Come Christmas they have the back broken of their card made and a good supply for the coming year of various events.  Yes!  we even stamp-a-stack sympathy cards.

Enjoy!

Tickled Pink!

As grandparents we are ‘tickled pink’ to have such beautiful grand daughters.  This layout is of our eldest grand daughter, Tannikah.  She’s growing into such a beautiful young lady.  Obviously Monty loves and misses her lots too.  He couldn’t resist poking his nose into the photograph.  He does spend all his time with TK when she’s visiting and pines for her when she leaves.  Hope you enjoy this page as much as I did creating it.

Cardstock – Pretty in Pink and Rose Red

Inks – Rose REd

DSP – Berry Bliss (now retired)

Ribbon – Purely Pomegranate Satin (now retired)

Stamp Sets – Flight of the Butterfly

Accessories – Five Petal Punch, Boho Blossom Punch,  Stamp-a-majig  and white gel pen, Pretty in Pink brads

Are you the candidate I’m looking for? 

I’m searching for three or more creative and independent individuals to join my small dynamic team, The Bent INKlinations.

Selection Criteria:

Essential: An interest in papercrafts, enthusiastic attitude. The desire to work in a fun, rewards-based environment.

Desirable: Experience in stamping and scrapbooking, or a desire to learn.

Working Hours: Flexible, will suit anyone with a spare few hours to 30+ hours per week to build your own customer base.

Job Description: Create cards, scrapbook pages and off the page projects with the fabulous range of stamps, cardstock, inks and accessories in the Stampin’ Up! range. Share your love of stamping with others, teaching people about this rewarding and constructive hobby. Extensive and ongoing training is available, both from Stampin’ Up! and myself as your team leader.

Salary: Commensurate with effort dedicated to the job. Earn a generous commission starting at 20% instantly, rising to 32% of your personal monthly sales. Other rewards include free and discounted products, early access to new releases, and a fulfilling sense of camaraderie with members of my own team and wider team. Operate at varying levels to suit your life circumstances, with full support. Start up costs: Purchase the Starter Kit for just $324 including postage and handling. You can extensively customise the kit to suit your tastes in stamp sets and colours. A pack of business materials including catalogues and order forms is included, as well as a comprehensive training CD-ROM. The kit contents are valued at $564, a saving of over 40%.

Until March 31st 2010, you can select an additional stamp set worth up to $79.95 for no additional cost. Contact me to learn more, and  discuss your new career.

Applications close: When you’re ready to start having fun with Stampin’ Up! !! Don’t miss the fabulous extra value until March 31st!

I think I’m becoming addicted to scrapbooking.  Who’d have thought that?????

This double layout is one from Tony and Amber’s wedding album.  Scrapbooking is soooooo very easy with Stampin’Up’s! Simply Scrappin Kits.  This kit is called “Love Sparkles”.  There’s enough in this kit for four double layouts and bits left over for quite a few cards and all for the amazing price of $36.95.  This includes the 12 x 12 cardstock, designer papers and embellishments.  What a bargain!  It just makes the pleasant task of scrapping even more pleasant. 

This is the first page of the DLO.  On the walk from the wedding vows to the reception, the wedding party found this rock shelf and couldn’t resist ‘climbing’ in their finery.  Kids!  who’d have ‘em.

Here we have the two pages together.  I’m soooo pleased with how they turned out. 

Cardstock – Love Sparkles Simply Scrappin Kit

Circle Scissors, Corner rounder, Eyelet Punch

Hmmm!  I’l lovin’ this one!

The Tenterfield Show was on this week end.  I decided to enter two pages into the scrapbooking section.  They included this one and my previous entry of Funny Face (see two blog entries back).  I had to have a friend pick my stuff up from the Show office as I was in Brisbane for the week end.  He just arrived here with the great news.  I won first and second prize for my entries.  I would dearly love to know how the judges arrived at their decision.  (not that I mind which one took the 1st prize)  I’d just like to know what they were looking for.  I also won 1st and 2nd prize for my cards however I’d entered five cards and they just arrived home in a bundle, so I’ve no idea which one won and which one came second!!!!! ……and I received a second for a decorated tin which I’d entered into the ‘Recycled’ Class.

All that mumbo jumbo aside.  The delightful child in this layout is my “step-grand-daughter”.  The first page shows her with her Dad (Jason).  It was her 5th birthday and she dearly would like to have been a ‘fairy’.  Need I say more???

I had left a space for a journalling block on the second page.  Since I wasn’t at the birthday I didn’t feel I could journal what happened.  I was leaving that to her Dad.  The judge’s don’t seem to have minded the blank space.

Cardstock – Whisper White, Rose Red, Kiwi Kiss, Cameo Coral

DSP – Raspberry Tart (such a girlie look!!)

Inks – Basic Black, Rose Red,

Stamp Sets – Life Definitions, Once Upon a Time, Flight of the Butterfly,  Lovely Letter Alpha, Short Order Alpha

Accessories – Circle Scissors, Eylet Punch, White Gel Pen

Since arriving in Tenterfield I’ve been asked to do a few Children’s Birthday Parties.  Initially I was reluctant.  I wasn’t sure how I could keep their attention focused for a set period of time.  However, after lots of advice from lots of wise people I took a deep breath and accepted.  I’m so glad that I did.  I’ve met lots of lovely mums, great polite kids who have all thoroughly enjoyed creating something.

These two projects were big hits with the kids. The first is a card.  The kids had a great time making this one.  Watching them create the background was lots of fun and my apologies to those mum’s whose girls went home with ink on their pretty party frocks (ooooopppppppsssssssie!)

Carstock – Whisper White and Tempting Turquoise

Ribbons – Certainly Celery and Tempting Turquoise

Inks – Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery and So Saffron

The second project was the puzzle.  Wow!  we had lots of fun with this one!

Inks – Basic Black, Glorious Green, Green Galore, Lovely Lilac, Only Orange and Pink Passion

Stamp Sets – Flight of the Butterfly and Inspired by Nature

I’m so glad that I said “Yes” to the children’s parties.  Hope the kids are having as much fun as I am!!!!

I’m off this week end to Brisbane to help the lovely Madonna with a charity day on Saturday.  I’m sure she has all the info on her blog so click on her link in the side bar and check out what’s happening.  If you live in Brisbane and like cardmaking, please come along and assist this very worthwhile charity.  Apart from all that you’ll have lots of fun!

This is the first page of my double layout of Tony and Amber’s wedding.  I’d not scraped a black and white photograph before and didn’t really know where to start, however I’m pleased with the final result.

This is the second page.  Amber certainly look beautiful and radiant on the day.  It wasn’t really difficult to choose captions for these pages.  I don’t think I have seen a more radiant bride than Ams, and she thoroughly enjoyed her day. 

Now the two pages together.  I really must get a move on with this album, the happy couple have already celebrated their first anniversary.  Chop, chop Jacqui!

Products used are all Stampin’Up! of course!

Stamp Sets – Baroque Motifs and Lovely Letters Alphabet

Cardstock – Basic black and Ruby Red

Inks – Versamark

Embossing Powder – Black and Fine Supernova Glitter (pink)

Sponging around the words was in Ruby Red and Basic Black

There’s lots of embossing on these pages and it took a-g-e-s- to do.  Each letter had to be stamped and embossed individually.  It was worth the effort though,  I just love the embossing effect on the black cardstock.  The embossing buddy was invaluable.  Remember to use it every time  before you emboss.  It stops the static spraying of the embossing powder over the cardstock.

Although the photographs are black and white, I have added pieces of colour to the flowers and Ambers necklace using the aqua brush and ink pad ink.  I really like the effect that it creates of the small amount of colour in the black and white print.

I hope you like these pages as much as I enjoyed creating them.  Please leave me a comment as I’m a scrapbook novice and would like some feedback.

Cheers!

Greetings All on this beautiful Australia Day!

I feel truly blessed and humbled to be posting this message from our home in the beautiful town of Tenterfield in the Far north of tghe New England Tablelands.

Today I got to spend the day in the town that we have recently called ‘home’.  Tenterfield truly is the Birthplace of OUR Nation.  Sir Henry Parkes delivered his Federation speech in this town, right down the street from where I live!  The Tenterfield School of Arts has restored the room in which that famous speech was delivered, along with lots of other memorabilia. 

Most of you will remember this town, not as our Birthplace, but as the town of the Tenterfield Saddler.  Peter Allen sang of his father that ‘worked on High Street and live on Manners’.  As luck (or bad luck) happens at that same time my own grandfather was the saddler in Glen Innes, which is only 1 hour south of here.  Just think.  Had he been 1 hour north I’d be famous now!!!!  Maybe even be able to sing!!!!  Hmmmmm……stretching the imagination now Jacqui!

On another note, not quite so noble!, Capt. Thunderbolt made this town his ‘home’.  You can visit his cave hideout, see where he kept his horses,  right near the town.  No wonder no one ever found him!!!!!  That place is amazing!!!!  If you visit the area be sure to visit this site just north of Tenterfield on the Mt. Lindsay Highway.  (along with the Tank Traps from WW1 – more of those important gadgets in a future post)  I’ve read lots of fascinating stories of Capt. T. since arriving here.  Just how did he venture from here south to Muswellbrook in very rugged territory and very arduous conditions.  It snows here!!!!!  No wonder his life ended at 34 ish.

Enough of the history lesson.  I hope that everyone has had an amazing Australia Day and that we take the time and opportunity to reflect on the fact that we live in one sensational country.  Let’s all take care of this beautiful country in which we live, more importantly,  each other.

Blessings always.

The most exciting promotion on the Stampin’ Up! calendar begins today!   That’s right Sale-a-bration begins from this very day. 

During Sale-a-bration customers can choose one FREE SAB stamp set for EVERY $100 spent.

Hostesses are able to choose a FREE SAB stamp set once sales reach $600.

SAB is also a great time to join Stampin’ Up! as new demonstrators can choose a FREE stamp set up to the value of $79.95

These specials are only available until the 31st March 2010.

Contact me today to place your order or arrange a convenient time to discuss how you can begin your very own business, and have lots of fun as well.

An earthquake struck Haiti on  12 January, 2010.  The devastation that this earthquake has left is nothing short of disasterous.  The remainder of the world can assist the people of Haiti and Stampin’Up have made it easy for us crafters to contribute,  by purchasing the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set.

From now until 28 February 2010, $2 from every I {Heart} Hearts stamp set sold  will be donated to the American Red Cross’ Haiti Reflief and Development Fund. The Red Cross is already well-established in Haiti, and this money will be used to provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need.

It just so happens that Stampin’Up! also have punches that match this stamp set perfectly.

Call me to place your order and remember the deadline of 28 February, 2010.