Spritzer | Tool Tip

Today, I discovered a fabulous 'double duty' use for the 'Spritzer'. Most of us know this tool as the slightly disturbing looking gadget that resembles a 'Snot Sucker' (device that removes boogies from babies noses)

It's primary function, in reality, is a kind of manual air brush whereby you clamp a Stampin Write Marker into the holder so that the brush tip of the marker hangs over the nozzle where air rushes out. When you squeeze the 'Spritzer' chamber, this air sends tiny little particles of ink over your project. Basic translation is that it is kind of like paint flicking using a tooth brush.

So my other use of the 'Spritzer' is to leave the marker out, and simply use the capacity of this tool to blow air. This sure beats blowing excess glitter with your mouth as it probably does not take too much imagination to realize that the potential to add saliva to you project is high - so sorry if the idea of this is gross! The alternative is to brush away the excess glitter with a soft paint brush but this is slow & kind of boring! The 'Spritzer' on the other hand is fast & kind of cool!

I'm always really excited when I discover my tools have 'double duty' and I highly recommend the 'Spritzer' when glittering.

FREE Valentines Make & Take Card

This lovely Valentine's Day card showcases the very versatile 'Stampin' Write Markers'. Designed by Stampin' Up! and displayed at the recent Inncentive Trip, I wanted to share this card with you. This Saturday is the final 'Focus on Love Defined Stamp Set' workshop 10am till 11.30am at my home studio 17 Mossvale Dve, Wakerley. This is a FREE workshop and you will get to make this card as well as a mini card bonus. These are your cards to make and take home with you! If you don't particularly want 'Happy Valentine's Day' as the card greeting, I have a selection of greetings for you to choose from.

Make some time for yourself on Saturday morning
and enjoy company & creativity.

RSVP 3348 9456 | 0448 896 001 or by email liz@danichbe.com

Sharing my Studio!

One of the many great things about being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is that I am able to self fund all my craft purchases as well as contribute extra money into the household budget. With the new school year approaching, I used some of my January payment to purchase a double desk for my children to work on their computers.

The computers were previously in the girls' rooms, however, we never considered this ideal. Now that the girls have school provided laptops, my husband and I made the decision to move all the electronic activity into my studio. This will mean that my studio has 'double duty', which makes me feel better about the amount of space I occupy. But more importantly, I will be able to prepare for workshops but be easily available to help my children with their homework.

Imagine the difference extra money in your household budget would make! This is a business that is family friendly and you can choose your level of activity according to the time you have available.

If you would like to learn more, please contact me via my Demonstrator Web Site where you can also join immediately or email me liz@danichbe.com

Thank You Tuesday Craft Group

A heartfelt thank you to all of the Tuesday Craft Group ladies who worked on building up the stockpile of 'Angel Footprint Cards' today. Kim, Kate, Liz O, Jill, Olga, Ursula, Marjorie, Trish, Glenda and Diane worked tirelessly sticking, punching & cutting out our precious cards which are donated to the Mater Mothers & Royal Brisbane Bereavement Programs.

These cards are used by nursing staff to stamp the little footprints of angel babies (stillborn bubs), so that parents have memory of their child to take home. We also make coordinating cards, so that name cards may be made and these are also made available to the special care nursery. These cards are made using materials we have been able to buy from the proceeds of our raffles at the Christmas Card Workshops. This had been made possible by the generous donation of raffle products by Stampin' Up! as well as the support of the Paper Angels Group of Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrators and their customers.

Of course, none of this would happen without help to put these cards together and I am extremely grateful to everyone who has helped in any way, be it attending the workshops, buying raffle tickets and as highlighted today, putting the cards together.

One concern that came up today was the quantity of cards we are making. When you actually make each of these cards, you do tend to think about how awful it is that there is a need for them at all. I was pleased to be able to answer this question and I thought I would share it with you, just in case you are wondering. The Mater Hospital, where we first started, found that when a baby was stillborn it was not just the parents that wanted a record of the precious footprints. Grandparents on both sides and sometimes other family were also requesting these cards. The Mater Hospital asked me if it was ok if they used more than one card for each angel baby. Well of course that was just fine and our pleasure to make some difference, albeit however small. It does seem small when you consider the enormity of what the family is going through. If you look at the cards we made below, you will just see the base cards. we actually supply specially sized pieces of 'Whisper White' Cardstock, which are used to pop the footprints on as well as stamp names on the name cards using alphabet dies. We supply, inks, stamps, cleaners, adhesives and training to back all this up.

After craft group, I picked my kids up from school. My goodness what a hot day we have had today in Brisbane. When we arrived home, ice blocks were definitely the go. I was so hot even I had one but boy were they weird - mango & coconut - it was like drinking 'Reef Oil' if you know what that is? The kids loved them though and chose the trampoline to sit on - naturally I kick them outside when eating this type of thing! Neo our black lab tried very hard to have a taste of the ice blocks to no avail!

Coordinate your way to Scrapbooking Success

Inspired by a magazine sketch, I created this layout starting with 'Blueberry Crisp Designer Series Paper' as my starting point or base page if you like. 'Pacific Point', 'Daffodil Delight' & 'Rich Razzleberry' completed this 'Sweet Set' of colours with the aid of Stampin' Up! Cardstock, inks & 'Printed Petals' Stamp Set.

I took advantage of both my Stampin' Up! Big Shot Alphabet Dies, to create the title and used Stampin' Write Markers to alternately colour the small border flower stamp in the 'Printed Petals' Stamp Set. How fabulous that Stampin' Up! makes 'Daffodil Delight' Satin Ribbon to PERFECTLY coordinate with my page.

I'd like to claim credit for this 'sweet' combination of colours, but credit must go to my very useful colour coach that came up with a combination I probably would not have thought to do. I'll let you in on another secret that might surprise you - I chose the sketch and colour combination before I found the photos. That might break every scrapbooking 'rule', but sometimes this is a fun way to scrapbook and if you have as many photos as I do, you will be amazed how easy it is to find the perfect photo match. Would you have guessed this is the way I made this page?

Here are the products & accessories that I used, although the 'Blueberry Crisp Designer Series Paper' and cardstocks are not pictured. If you would like to find out more about these products, order them or book a workshop so you can have a 'hands on experience' using them, I would love to hear from you. You can reach me on 0448 896 001 or email liz@danichbe.com

I'm loving my 'Presto Patterns' & Crop Nights

You just know when you've made a great scrapbooking acquisition when you've almost used the entire packet of mixed patterns up and are thinking about buying another. It took me a while to start using 'Presto Patterns Specialty Designer Series Paper', but I'm now officially obsessed! I have now discovered a really cool way to watercolour this amazing paper to create unique backgrounds without curling the paper! In previous posts I have sponged colour on and in our latest Demonstrator's Meeting, Amanda taught us how we can use chalk as well.

I really enjoyed playing with the products during 'Crop Night' whilst having a chat with the girls. For those of you who are not sure if 'Crop Night' is another language, basically it is a social get together where people bring what photos and cardstock etc they have. Using inspiration from each other and resources such as books, albums & samples, we all aim to scrapbook our photos. No experience is necessary to participate in Crop Night. I have some extra materials on hand to help things along too! Sometimes we create a storm and other times we spend more time talking and enjoying supper! Crop Nights are starting to appear on my event calendar and as they gather numbers, I will add in more sessions. Each Crop Night is strictly limited to 6 people including myself to ensure we have plenty of space and don't have to wait too long to use resources such as the Big Shot.

Did you know that you can dye trims & embellishments with Stampin' Up's Classic Dye Reinkers. I dyed this 'white' pom pom trim with Baja Breeze Reinker - very neat and easy to do! 'Word Play' Stamp Set is an awesome stamp set for scrapbooking quotes & titles, as pictured below and stamped with 'Cajun Craze Classic Ink. 'Baja Breeze Classic Ink' has been spritzed over the whisper white cardstock using a Stampin' Write Marker & Spritzer.

The flower accent was created with split cardstock, whilst the glittered letters were made with the supernova glitter and Big Shot dies as described in recent posts. The colours I used to watercolour the 'Presto Patterns' were 'Baja Breeze' and 'Pear Pizazz'.

'Look - I've journalled'

I'll fess up - my biggest challenge with scrapbooking is journalling and I'll either leave it out all together or use hidden journalling panels. However, I really want my kids to remember details behind the photos and in the case of this page, journalling is vital as the boys probably wont remember this far back themselves.

This page features 'Blueberry Crisp Designer Series Paper' on a 'Cajun Craze' Cardstock Base. 'Razzle Dazzle' on page 69 of the 2010/2011 Idea Book & Catalogue is the coordinating stamp set to the DSP. Instead of the larger steel rule Alphabet Dies I have been using recently, I switched to the smaller 'Timeless Type Junior Alphabet Medium Sizzlit Dies', so that I could fit my titles on the page.

The accent was created using a chipboard circle covered with very vanilla cardstock and stamped using the 'Rock and Roll' technique using 'Sahara Sand ' and 'Cajun Craze' Classic Inks.



Here's a visual of some of the tools and materials I used. The 'Two Way Glue Pen' is the easiest way to stick down smaller die cut letters that I have found. It is kind of like a 'glue texta', with a nib that allows you to 'draw' glue on small areas.

Create everything you need

One of the very first things that attracted me to Stampin Up, was the idea that I could create any background, accents and titles that I wanted. I began this page with the very cool 'Presto Patterns Specialty Designer Series Papers' on page 10 of the current Summer Mini Catalogue. Having chosen the script paper, which is in fact clear embossed script on a white background, I sponged 'Marina Mist Classic Ink' around the page perimeter and 'Certainly Celery Classic Ink' in the centre of the page. I then blended these two colours with the 'Marina Mist' to achieve a graduated change of colour rather than a harsh line. I sponged 'Prettty in Pink Classic Ink' onto another strip of 'Presto Patterns DSP' which I edged with the 'Scallop Trim Border Punch'. I then used 'Tiny Tags' and 'Artistic Etchings' Stamp Sets to 'frame' the 5 x 7 inch photograph using 'Black Staz On'.

Fabulous Floral accents were created using the NEW 'Island Floral Bigz Die', which you use with the Big Shot Machine. I distressed each flower using a bone folder and then split each one into 2, giving me that lovely fuzzy textured finish on the pink blooms. The center of the fuzzy pink blooms was created by punching out a 3/4 inch circle, distressing, splitting in half, scrunching up and securing at the back with a dimensional. The daisies were created using 'Paper Daisies' from the main Idea Book & Catalogue with a 3/4 inch circle which was punched with a mini hole punch.

The 'acrylic style tag' was created using the 'Oval Steel Rule Big Shot Die' with 'Thick Window Sheets' on page 122 of the main catalogue. I then stamped a greeting from the very useful, 'Word Play' Stamp Set using Black Staz On, whipped up a 'cheats bow' and secure to the page with a combination of 'Crystal Effects' and Glue Dots.

It was pretty hard to rip the background page but I forced myself to risk it, inked it up a bit more with 'Marina Mist Ink' and rolled the edges back. I then filled the back with a remnant of 'Newspaper Print DSP", which I had inked with 'Marina Mist'. Easy!

Finally I created my glittered chipboard letters using the 'Simple Letters Alphabet' which is the Big Shot Steel Rule Die Set I have been using a lot lately. Before I cut the chipboard out, I covered it with double sided 'jac' paper, which would be the only element not available from Stampin Up - you might have access to another type of double sided stick paper or you could replace this with another glue that you apply after cutting the letters out. Once the letters were cut out, I simply peeled back the second layer revealing the tackiness and smothered with 'Aqua Fine Supernova Glitter' on page 141 of the main catalogue. I adhered the letters to the page with 'Tombo Mutipurpose Liquid Glue'.

I'm really happy with what I was able to create for myself using raw materials in the colour combinations that I wanted. If you don't feel game to try this at home, you can always stock up on the required products and come along to a crop night, where I would be happy to help you create this page.

Another Scrapbooking Idea to Share

Definitely not a 'fussy la la' (Ursulaism) scrapbook effort, this double page spread accommodates an impressive 12 photographs. These photos were taken in 2006 of one of our favourite spots (Wellington Point) and really needed the 'just do it' approach.

The small photographs are trimmed to 3 x 4 inches and the larger photos are simply the standard 4 x 6 photo. The DSPs are taken from the 'Blueberry Crisp' Designer Series Paper, which really is not crisp at all, rather distressed so go figure. Anyway, I created the fancy mat simple by tracing it from another paper I had and then inking the edges in Whisper White Craft Ink and embossing to set - you could also use white craft ink. The title was done with the same tools used in my last posting, along with the smaller sizzlits to create the word "Island'. Shock Horror - I actually was brave enough to display my scrawl and journaled in a white gel marker.

Result? My kids loved it so I'm happy!

Crop Night this Saturday

Inspired by a layout design by Veronica Goh, I created my version with the gorgeous 'Elegant Soiree' & 'Newsprint' Designer Series Paper. A textured 'Soft Suede' 12x12 base with 'Baja Breeze' Butterfly Accents, cut with Stampin' Up!s exclusive 'Beautiful Butterflies' Bigz Big Shot Die, demonstrate perfectly why Stampin' Up! are the masters of coordination.

Come along and CASE (copy and share everything) this elegant layout this Saturday night at my first Crop Night of 2011. Limited to 6 people and starting at 7pm, Crop Night is $10 and includes use of tools such as the Big Shot as well as a light supper. Check out the following link to view all my events for January, February and March http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/lizcollett/events

RSVP via email liz@danichbe.com

Dress Up Christmas Bundle Class Series

Stampin' Up! is offering 4 bundles and you can find the full details on my Stampin' Up! website www.lizcollett.stampinup.net

My personal favourite is the 'Welcome Christmas' Bundle, which is why I am running classes with this particular bundle. The specialty DSP is not available separately, which is a shame as it is stunning and I would be personally using tons of it if I could! Below is a clearer snapshot of this DSP, which includes 2 flocked designs - how gorgeous! We will be making 6 projects, including 4 cards, one scrapbooking page suitable for framing and an ornament. Please book asap as I am running these classes in my home studio and numbers are strictly limited.

Sarah's Wedding Place Cards

Check out the place cards I have made for my friend Sarah's wedding on Friday I delivered 81 place cards and 10 table names this afternoon to Sarah's mum & dad and thankfully they were thrilled with the result.

Orange is a popular bridal colour at the moment and Sarah had requested burnt orange. Thank goodness I knew this before the last catalogue ended, as I was able to buy up on 'Really Rust' Card Stock. Each black card base is a 1/4 of an A4 folded in half. I printed the names directly onto Whisper White Card Stock and matted them with the Really Rust Cardstock, which I ran through the Big Shot using some bridal embossing folders (non SU). I think the black ribbon wrapped around the rust and white makes these the Rolls Royce of place cards. The cards were adhered to the black folded bases with dimensionals.

I'll try to remember to take some shots of the cards on the tables on Friday - this photo was quickly snapped as Sarah's dad checked over the spelling with Marianne (Sarah's soon to be MIL) and we bagged them up into tables ready to be delivered to the reception. Lesson of the day is, it takes longer to print 81 names, adhere them and tie black ribbon bows, than you might think!

LAST CHANCE TO ORDER

A4 CARDSTOCK at LOWEST PRICE

Beat the NEW Catalogue Price Increase for A4 Cardstock

Currently a pack of 24 sheets of cardstock is $10.50 plus shipping/handling

That's a very small 46 cents each (including shipping/handling)

On Wednesday the 1^st of September the price will rise to $13.95 plus shipping/handling

Whilst this will still represent excellent value for Stampin' Up's high quality cardstock, this represents an increase of 15 cents per sheet to 61 cents (including shipping/handling)

ORDER TODAY (Monday 30^th August) or TOMORROW

10 packs of A4 (240 sheets) and pay only $110.25

(After Wednesday this will cost you $146.50)

All A4 stocks of Neutrals have SOLD OUT (black, white, kraft, gray, sahara)

ONLY Single Colour Packs are available to order

(KIWI KISS SOLD OUT)

You may also order single packs or boutique mixed packs*

*Mixed packs must only be non retiring colours and are assembled by myself

Each mixed pack must add up to 24 sheets

Stampin' Up! Mixed Packs of 36 sheets are also available at $14.50

(In Color Mixed Pack is SOLD OUT)

EMAIL or PHONE me ASAP

Available only whilst Stocks Last

Florist Ribbon Bows

I have been asked many times, how the Paper Angels make our gorgeous bows on our charity event raffle prizes. Having been taught by the lovely Ursula, I thought I would share what I have learned in a technique video.