Treats for your sweets

Are you all over christmas cards yet?? I know I am lol, so this promo has come along at the most perfect time I think:

Valentines is looming, and this year I am determined to be organised and have my cards ready to send out, i have a couple this year to prepare and as yet don't own any of these gorgeous little heart treat cups so guess whats on my post christmas shopping list???? Yep the clear mount (I like these a lot) stamp set and my FREE set of heart treat cups, definitely going to be organised THIS new year!!

So below is a PDF flyer of the special AND if you click on it it will take you to a full size version with which you can print out for yourself, cant get any easier than that can it?

 

If you would like to purchase any of these items to receive your FREE set of treat cups then email me HERE today, as with other promotions, stocks deplete pretty quickly, so get in early to avoid disappointment.

A fortune teller basket???

I love Stampin' ups! little You tube videos, they are always quick and very easy, and this one is no exception,

Please note though, here in Australia we dont have the scallop ribbon punch yet, but we do have a variety of scallop punches you can use just for this project. Happy viewing.



 

A lovely award from over the ocean....

Wow, another year and christmas has come and gone, this year was a tad quieter but quite nice for a change.  I hope you had a lovely day.
I received a lovely blog award from  over the ocean yesterday, thank you so much Clare.
I stumbled upon this gorgeous blog a few months ago now, and I adore visiting and I must say Clare has the most amazing creations on her blog, so pop on over and check out her fabulous work.  I love to meet new people who share the love of craft from all over the world, and I am so glad I got to meet Clare, even if its thru blogging :)

There are some rules to accepting this award:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award.  Thanks Clare
2. Share 8 things about yourself
3. Pass it on to 8 bloggers
4. Contact those bloggers and tell them about their award

Okey Dokey, here are 8 things about myself:

1. My husband whom I met 17 years ago, was a boss of mine lol. (I was 18 when I met him)
2. I was taught to sail when I was 15
3. My son is my greatest achievement in life - he has just turned 4 xxx
4.One day I would like to visit Egypt
5. I am afraid of heights
6. I have built 3 different homes at different times lol - may consider doing it again!
7. I dont like early mornings (after years starting work from 3am, I now like to sleep)
8. I cant use a sewing machine (and can barely sew a button on)

Now to pass the award on to 8 other bloggers and in no particular order:

1. Sam - Ryemilans Stamping and Scrapbooking
2. Andrea - EnchantINK
3. Sheri - Paper Bag Create
4. Melissa - Creating from the heart
5. Janiel - My little pieces of art
6. Clare - Clares Creations - am sending you one back as your blog is one of my most faves!!!
7. Kirsty - Kirstys cards 'n' scrapping
8. Delys - Little scraps of paper (amazing SU scrap booking)

Have a safe and happy christmas

Twas the night before christmas and all through the house, not a creature (except the dog) is stirring, not even a mouse, The stockings are hung (though not by the chimney as we dont have one lol) with care, and hopefully santa soon will be here!

Yay, its christmas eve, and I am loving this magical time of the year and the precious memories I can create with my adorable son, So from my family to you and yours I wish you a very:

I hope father christmas (or santa as known to some) brings you everything on your wish list and more, I hope you all have a happy christmas spent with loved ones, good company and terrific food and so much more. 

If like us, you are packing up to travel (we are camping for two weeks) then have fun but  Most of all please stay safe.

Happy holidays

Melissa 

PS: I will have some scheduled posts on my blog over the next two weeks so feel free to pop back for those, but normal crafting will resume in late January, thanks to all who have stopped by and left comments and support throughout the year, I appreciate it

Christmas table Name Tags

A couple of years ago I bought my mum some individual ornaments - these ornaments are actually name tag holders, so on the bottom there are cute little santas, trees etc and they have a metal stem at the top with a little clip with which to hold the name tag/place setting.  I ran out of time last year for the place setting names, but yay - got them done this year and here they are:

Details:  All Stampin' Up!

Stamp Sets:  Winter post, Christmas classics

Ink Pads:  very vanilla craft (NAH), old olive, cherry cobbler

Cardstock:  Very vanilla, cherry cobbler

Punches:  Ornament punch, modern label punch

Tools:  Cropadile, paper piercer and mat, heat gun

Other: gold eyelets and brads, sponges, gold trim for the bows (retired).

some christmastime treats

Some christmas time treats 

the crystal effects isnt quite dry on the holly yet!

Pretty in Pink

My friend had an early birth this week, baby Monique wasn't supposed to make an appearance until the new year. But she just couldn't wait lol, so today I got to sit and make something pink - yay! That makes a very welcome change I must say.  Anyway here is my card and gift bag ready, now I just get to do the best part - shop for her - yay!!!

Fun and fast notes, happy new baby stamp was stamped in versamark then clear embossed to provide a background.

A small thank you....

Over on my friends blog Ju, she had a link to the "fly lady" well out of curiosity I thought why not have a look see, well that has started a whirlwind of cleaning for me, Now let me say that BC (before children) I was an absolute nutter perfectionist about my house, it was always up to show home quality, and even my cleaner would come in once a week to find there wasn't that much to do, so imagine my dismay when after having my son,  my house looked like world war 3 and I could not for the life of me get it in order.  During the day I am not one of those who doesn't have one single toy out, so you do know now that I actually do have a child, but at the end of the day I like everything to go back to its rightful place, anyway, back to the fly lady, I started on her 31 day plan, then amongst that started on her zones, and my house is nearly back up to show home standard (except for the odd toy here and there during the day) but to achieve this I had to DE-CLUTTER and a LOT.  SO it worked out fabulous timing that my lovely next door neighbours have been away, as for the past 5 weeks we have used their bin to discard all this clutter (and we are still going).  SO a small thank you was needed for when they returned:

Here are some little treat bags I have made for them both:

 

A photo cube

I am so excited, as the girls loved my banner over at Project Tuesday enough to feature me this week, you really should check them out, each week they give you another 3d item to try, its so much fun, and the best part they do all the hard work finding you the directions on how to make it, you just have to submit an entry. Anyway this week is to make a photo cube, I really dont need one at this stage so I have turned mine into a home decor piece.  For anyone who knows me, then you know I love all things French (still trying to convince hubby to letting me change over all furniture to emulate that oh did I mention I would Lurve a chandelier or two ha ha ha hope he reads this).  Anyway it goes perfectly with the new diary, notebook, and note pad block I am to get for christmas, so its just perfect for what I need - now maybe he will let me get a shabby writing desk for my bedroom - hmmmm
Ok here is the little box my mum picked up for me that the cube has to sit near, so hopefully I have tried to get a good match:

and here is the photo cube made into a home decor item:

Details:

Stamp Sets:  Artistic Etchings, Carte Postale (retired), and other
Ink Pads: crumb cake, early espresso, basic black, rich razzleberry
Cardstock: cream confetti, crumb cake, very vanilla


Tools: cutter kit, sponges

Last christmas scheduled post...

I think this is the last scheduled christmas post of an actual craft item I have for you this year, its been a fabulous end to a fantastic christmas season of crafting, all the new stamps that Stampin' up! have to offer in their christmas range was fantastic and I enjoyed using them all, the one I surprisingly ended up loving the MOST (besides dasher) was Christmas Classics, I reckon I used it on most gift giving items.  Ok enough about that, here are my last christmas offerings, I have used Cadbury chocolate baubles for the treat box section, and one of these gifts actually contains gift cards, so very versatile, I think.

Details:

Stamp Sets: Christmas classics, best yet (retired)
Ink Pads: Old olive, cherry cobbler
Cardstock:12 x 12 cherry cobbler (textured), very vanilla
DSP:Jolly holiday
Punches:small oval and scallop oval punch, modern label punch for treat box window
Tools:  Cropadile, paper cutter is a necessity
Other: small cellophane bags (on special at the moment), jumbo eyelets, old olive striped grosgrain ribbon, twine, white gel pen, 2 way glue, dazzling diamonds.

Thanks

I am on a roll, since I have had all my christmas shopping done and wrapped by 1st December (yay), and all is left is fresh food shopping, I seem to have a bit of downtime (very unusual) this week to sit and actually create, I dont think I have ever been so organised (thanks to the fly lady), it almost feels like I have missed something lol.
I went into my stash of prepared thank you cards to send one out to a customer, and the cupboard was bare lol, so I have used the challenge over at Just Add Ink to create another one, or two or more,

Here is the sketch:

 As I already had elegant soiree and crumb cake on my desk from last nights scrap layout, I thought I would give them a whirl with a card or two:

THis cute little flower from afterthoughts, nearly ended up in the bin this morning as I was mounting the stamps, its so little, I almost didn't see it, but it is a little cutie.

Details:

Stamp Sets: Afterthoughts (hostess set)
Ink Pads:  Baja breeze, chocolate chip
Cardstock: Crumb cake, Very vanilla
DSP:Elegant soiree
Punches:  1 1/4" circle punch
Tools: acrylic block
Other: baja breeze grosgrain (retired) and twine

A scrapbook layout

Its Mojo Monday Challenge time and this week I found myself looking at this sketch for a few days, and for the life of me nothing came to mind EXCEPT a scrapbook layout, so I thought may as well get a head start on some scrapbook layout ideas for classes next year. Here is the sketch:

and here is the layout I created, now I have a photo in mind but do you think I can find what file I have stored it under? nope so am off to try and find that!.

the top of the sentiment isnt glued down so that the photo can be popped behind it.

Cutter kit was used to give the baja breeze cardstock some interest.

French Filigree background stamp is used on two of the baja breeze corners, stamped in versamark.

Details:

Stamp Sets: Occasional Quotes, french filigree
Ink Pads:  versamark, basic black
Cardstock:  Crumb cake, baja breeze, very vanilla
DSP:  Elegant soiree
Tools:  Cutter kit, corner rounder
Other:  retired corduroy brads, crochet trim.

An aussie sort of christmas....

Each year I give mum and dad a cow money box with money I have popped in there thoughout the year.  I dont ever really know how much is in there, but its a surprise for them after we have all gone home to count it. On the weeks that my mum looks after Harrison for an extra day while I work, I pop a little more in the "cow" lol.  They have long given up giving us ideas on what to buy them so this way, they can put it towards their mini trips away.  Anyway, this year I thought I would make a little cow "pen" for it lol.  I used the Tim Holtz fence die, love this, and dived into my stash for the wreath, and the string of lights that I picked up from a cheap store last christmas. Lucky for me they NEVER look at my blog lol.

Tag around cows neck is from lots of tags die set, and the ribbon is the one that came with the special we had last month. Oh and ran 1 1/2 sheets of A4 pear pizazz through the crimper and cut up to make "grass" for the cow to sit on.

Woodgrain background stamp is used on the fence, and all crumb cake cardstock has been edged in early espresso ink using a sponge.  North pole sign post was hand drawn and cut,, except for the two modern label punch signs.

the wreath, candy cane and the light garland was from a cheap shop last christmas, and is from my stash.

the finished product

tag is made using nesties and the tab punch from SU the to and from is from winter post stamp set, white gel pen accents, white cardstock is sponged in pear pizazz, and the crumb cake once again is sponged in early espresso.

Will definitely need a big shot machine for this project!

Something VEREeeeee different for me.....

Ok, so clean lines is NOT my style, and neither is so much white, but I thought I would give it a try this week, I found the colours hard over at JUST ADD INK this week lol, I actually think this may be only the second time EVER i have used tempting turquoise, and I NEVER use basic grey, so this is what I came up with:

basic grey is edged around the inner white cardstock. Small and large star punches were used. Stamped stars are from extreme elements.

Added some dazzling diamonds for a little more of something,

Ok, now I know you are going to say that it looks pink arent you?  Well it is actually riding hood red, but what i did was inked up an acrylic block with riding hood red ink, spritzed it with water then stamped onto my cardstock so that it was a lot lighter, I am not a huge fan of riding hood red, so this was my way around using the colour lol.

have you been naughty or nice???

I needed a christmas card for a male, but I still wanted it christmassy hence the blue bling, but I think I will just scrape in for a male with this one lol, Also on the inside holds a gift card, I followed a sketch over at Stamping 411.