Perfect Afternoon

Hi everyone! Just a quick post today to show off some prep I’m doing for a workshop.

I’m spending a lovely afternoon getting acquainted with my new blendabilities and Perfect Peacock 133830 stamp. I’ve used three sets of blendabilities to colour this image – Daffodil Delight, Old Olive and Coastal Cabana, and I have to say I love the combination. Can’t wait to try them out on some sketches in my art diary!

This peacock card will be flying off to a new home tomorrow. My friend Michelle is hosting a Stampin’ Up! Party, and she’ll be receiving this card as part of her hostess gift. I’ll be back later on to show the other cards we made.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Cheers,
Dani

Back in the Stamping Seat

Hi everyone – I know, it’s been ages, but I have been a little busy. Since I last posted, we’ve welcomed a new member to our little Inky family – our beautiful daughter Evie, who will be 6 months old next week.

I’m still working out how to juggle the sometimes conflicting needs of a tween, a little girl and a not quite toddler, but I’ll get there.

Next week, I’ll be making an appearance at my daughters’ school fete – if you’re in inner-west Sydney, please come and say hi.

I’ll have lots of retired Stampin’ Up! stock for sale, along with a few items made especially with the Garden Festival in mind. Hopefully the spring weather will smile on us – it’s been a bit difficult to predict at the moment. I’m hoping to get back to blogging in a regular basis, so watch this space. Thanks for taking a peek today!

Dani

What’s New in October at Stampin’ Up!

Hi Happy Stampers!

I know, long time no see. Things have been a bit hectic in our family recently, but I think I’m finally back on track. I hope you can take advantage of some of the amazing specials available this month – all the information is available on the promotions page at my Demonstrator Website, especially the details of joining SU! for only $25.00. Perfect if you already have a lot of SU! merchandise, and you’d like the chance to begin as a Demonstrator. Even if you don’t want to start your own business, and just love crafting as a hobby, 20% off all SU merchandise is a pretty sweet deal. Contact me if you’d like more info, or if you don’t need convincing, join the fun now on my Demonstrator page – you will need a credit card to join.

Stampin’ Up! is celebrating 25 years of business this year, but it seems we’re the ones receiving all the presents. If you were planning on hosting a workshop this month, add a few items to your wish list – there’s a chance to earn $25.00 extra to spend!

I also have all my classes listed for the rest of 2013 in my Events Diary – hope you’ll be able to make it to a few. Please note, there will be no Thursday classes on 17th October (my daughter’s birthday) and 31st October (trick or treating!). There are also some special Saturday project classes in November leading up to Christmas – I’ll be featuring photos of these on my blog this month.

Cheers,
Dani

Beautiful Basics

Hi everyone! My kidlets have been back at school for a week now – time to take a deep breath and head back into our usual routine.

I know, I did say I was going to post my Washi Tape cards next, but I’ve decided to show you one of the cards we made at my last Technique Thursday Class instead, for two reasons. One, I think it’s beautiful (can I just say how much I love this stamp set and matching framelits) and two, I need to pop it in the post. By tomorrow, it will be winging it’s way to a very special birthday girl – my Mum.

• Stamp Sets: Backyard Basics, Bring on the Cake
• Inks: Summer Starfruit, Tangerine Tango, Calypso Coral, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso
• Cardstock: Vellum, Very Vanilla, Soft Suede
• DS Paper: Epic Day This and That
• Accessories: Clear Embossing Powder, Blender Pen, Sponge, Dimensional, Heat Tool
• Big Shot: Backyard Basics Framelits, Ovals Collection Framelits

I’ve made the butterfly on this card using a technique called Stained Glass – stamp and emboss your image on the front of your vellum, and then colour with ink on the back – markers worked best on an image this size. Then I used the matching framelits to cut the butterfly out. I’m so happy to have these framelits – cutting out on vellum can be tricky, but this time Bertha Big Shot did all the work for me, and it makes it look like I have phenomenal scissor skills!

I’ve used my blender pen to not only soften the lines between each colour on the butterfly, but also to do some very subtle colouring on the beautiful lily images on the card. They were stamped with Summer Starfruit, and then I’ve dragged some of the colour back in with my blender pen. It’s a nice technique to use with a line stamp when you don’t want to stamp in black and then colour in.

Just a reminder also, that there’s an SMS open house on this Saturday – if you’ve got some crafty project that you’ve been meaning to get finished, bring it along! You can email me at inkypinkystamps@gmail.com for my address details.

Thanks for taking a peek today!

Cheers,

Dani

Woohoo – The new catalogue is here!

It’s school holiday time here, which means my life got a little more hectic, and it’s a battle for who gets a turn on the laptop. It’s the first chance I’ve had to sit down to let you know all about the beautiful new Annual Catalogue now available and ready for online ordering. And it’s sooo pretty! I love the new style and layout. They’ve gone for a very quirky hipster look this year, full of wonderful ideas and products, and I thought I’d take a moment to draw your attention to a few of the things I love about it.

• No huge Gardner Family photo! Shelli Gardner, one of the founders of Stampin’ Up!, always shares a personal message inside the front cover of the Annual Catalogue, and it’s usually accompanied by a photo of the huge Gardner clan. They’re a very photogenic family, but the portrait with them all in it usually looks a little staged – Shelli has admitted that there’s usually a bit of photo shopping involved, as it’s nearly impossible to get all the children looking at the camera at the same time! This year, there’s a very personal looking layout in a This ‘n’ That book, with small individual photos – I think it looks awesome. And it’s lovely to hear some insights about her 25 year journey with Stampin’ Up!

• Birthday Basics Birthday Stamps are at the front! Lets face it – it’s usually Birthday Cards that we make the most of, and all the stamps are right there at the beginning of the catalogue. (Also, don’t stress that you can’t find any Christmas themed stamps and supplies – these will all be in the Holiday Catalogue, which will launch at the end of August!)

• Bundles of Fun – One of the best things about Stampin’ Up! is that they love to coordinate! There’s quite a few 15% off bundles scattered through the catty, but here’s a heads up so you can find all the discounts! They’re available in both Clear Stamp and Wood Mount, so check the actual catalogue page for the product codes.
  • Page 12: Chalk Talk Bundle – Chalk Talk Stamp Set and coordinating Framelits Dies
  • Page 32: Label Love Bundle – Label Love Stamp Set and coordinating Artisan Label Punch
  • Page 79: Backyard Basics Bundle – Backyard Basics Stamp Set and coordinating Framelits Dies
  • Page 95: Flower Shop Bundle – Flower Shop Stamp Set and coordinating Pansy Punch
  • Page 123: Mosaic Madness Bundle – Mosaic Madness Stamp Set and coordinating Mosaic Punch
  • Page 125: Six-Sided Sampler Bundle – Six Sided Sampler Stamp Set and coordinating Hexagon Punch
  • Page 158: Tag a Bag Bundle – Gift Bags and coordinating tags, mini pegs, bakers twine and dimensionals

• Gift Giving – not only are there lots of examples of home wares and special gifts you can make scattered through the catty, there’s also a special section that begins on page 158, with boxes and ready made tags.

• Statement of the Heart Stampin’ Up!’s ongoing commitment to Ronald McDonald House will now take effect in Australia and New Zealand too! For every purchase of the Tag It Stamp Set on page 45, they’ll donate $3.00 to their favourite charity – it’s such a cute stamp set too. I’d love to find out more about their support of Ronald McDonald House in Australia, and will keep you posted.

• Cute New Products

• Simply Pressed Clay and Moulds – page 167. Make your own button and flower embellishments to coordinate with every project – the white moulding clay can be coloured by kneading a few drops of ink into it, or colouring with markers after it dries.
• Washi Tape! – I love washi tape, and find it to be a very versatile crafting tool and now Stampin’ Up! sells it too! At the moment there are only two different coordinating sets of three, but I’m sure there will be more available soon.
• FIFTEEN new colours – yup, that’s right FIFTEEN. There’s five new in-colours – Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding and Strawberry Slush (they look as yummy as they sound!) that will stick around for two years. You can purchase a new 2013-2015 in-colour assortment pack 131293 for $47.95 that includes 20 sheets of cardstock (4 sheets of each colour) and the five new ink pads. There’s also 10 new colours – some are old in colours that have returned, and some are brand new. It’s all part of Stampin’ Up!s pledge to keep their collections fresh and up to date. If you can’t wait, and would like to buy the ten new colours all at once, there’s a bundle – 10 ink pads and 20 sheets of cardstock (2 of each colour) available on page 139. Please note, there’s a typo there – it’s not $47.95 as listed (what a bargain that would be!) but $93.95. Still an awesome price, when you consider one ink pad is usually $9.95 – that means you’re virtually getting all the cardstock and one ink pad almost free!
• Candy Dots – want a brad, but not the bulk? Use a candy dot! These are available in all the Stampin’ Up! colours, and look just like brads, but are adhesive backed. Changed your mind and want it to be a brad after all? Just stick it on a Candy Dot Brad Base (page 171) and make a silver framed coloured brad. Awesome versatility!
• Ribbons and Papers and Buttons Oh My! – the designer series papers starting on page 150 are just beautiful this year! I can’t wait to get my hands on them and start creating. See the amazing button collection on page 168 and the ‘to tie for’ ribbons, twine, trim and thread on page 172.

If you’re not local to the Summer Hill area, and would like a catalogue, please email me – I can post one to you directly for $9.95. You can view the catalogue online by clicking the picture on the right hand side of my blog. Can’t wait to get ordering? Visit my online store by clicking on the shopping button up the top.

Thanks for popping by – hopefully I’ll have a chance this week to upload some washi tape cards!

Cheers,

 

 

 

 

A Scrapbooking Swap

Hi everyone! I’d like to share something a bit different with you today. I’m not known for my skills as a scrapbooker (although I love looking at others beautiful work), but I’m having a lot of fun playing around with the scrapbooking features included in Stampin’ Up!’s My Digital Software (MDS).  Hmm, maybe I might need to change my tune!

I have had some experience using digital imaging software previously, like Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, and gimp (a free software available for download). I have found MDS to be very user friendly, and have had lots of fun learning by basically jumping in and trying it out by changing the look of my blog, making cards, and now for a team swap, a digital scrapbook page!

• Program – My Digital Studio
• This and That Epic Day Digital Kit – Digital Download 133465 $14.39

All these photos were taken on a Summer Holiday in Queensland. Because they were all taken with my phone, they’re not the best quality to enlarge, but some of them are so cute, I had to find some way to display them! The beauty of doing this in a digital page, is that I have used an existing photo layout perfect for this size photo.

All I had to do, was choose the background paper, drop in the photos, add a few embellishments (think of them as digital stickers), and add my text. The This and That digital kit offers grunge, vintage and eclectic styles all in one – all the things I like! You’ll notice my blog header and side buttons were also made using this kit. It includes 22-piece SVG stamp brush set, 12 Designer Series Papers, 101 embellishments – basically all the This and That traditional products in digital form. And the colour palette is gorgeous – Basic Gray, Calypso Coral, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Gumball Green, Island Indigo, and Pool Party.

I’m thinking of getting this printed and put in some white box frames for the grandmas – so many cute photos of my girls in one place!

If you’d like some more info on MDS, please don’t hesitate to email me, I’d love to have a chat.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hi Happy Stampers!

 

I’m turning 40 this month, and I think everyone else should get to celebrate too! So, if you make a purchase from my online store during June that values at least $40.00 before postage, you’ll go in the draw on 1st July to win $40 worth of free Stampin’ Up! product of your choice, just in time for the arrival of the new Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalogue!

Don’t forget about the current retirement sale – there are heaps of bargains available as Stampin’ Up! clears the decks for the arrival of the new Annual Catalogue products, available 1st July!

I’ll be continuing the Birthday Party theme this month, with a special birthday party class on Sunday 23rd June at 1.00pm. Our class will have a ‘cupcake’ theme, but you can use the ideas for the projects we’ll be making for any party – favour bags, cupcake picks, banners and decor ideas. The class will cost $25.00 and will include party treats – some healthy, some not so much! Email me at inkypinkystamps@gmail.com to book.

 

Inky Fingers Events for June 2013

Thurs 6: Technique Class – 7.30pm $20

Thurs 13: Technique Class – 7.30pm $20

Thurs 20: Technique Class – 7.30pm $20

Sun 23: Cupcake Party Class – 1.00pm $25

Thurs 27: NO CLASS

If you’d like to attend any of my classes, please email me to make a booking.

Thanks for visiting!

Cheers,

 

 

It’s time to retire!

Not me, but it is almost time to say goodbye to the 2012-2013 Annual Catalogue, and all the wonderful extra products we’ve had in our Seasonal Catalogues this year. Hundreds of stamps and accessories from the 2012-2013 catalogues are retiring, and this is your chance to get them before they’re gone. Many products are only available while supplies last, so be sure to get your orders in early! Some items have amazing discounts! You can view the list of retiring products here, but some may have already sold out!

The quickest way to place your order is through my online store – see the link on the right! Happy Shopping!

Cheers,

Dani

Just a quick reminder…

This is the very last day you can take advantage of this great offer. Who doesn’t like extra spending money? It’s not too late, you can still sign up on my demonstrator website. Just click on the Join My Team button on the right!

Cheers,

Dani

What’s the Inky Pinky Stamper up to in May?

So much happening in May!

Stampin’ Up! are coming up with some amazing deals for their Australian and New Zealand customers in the lead-up to the release of the new annual catalogue in July.

There will be offerings of new products that will continue to be available in the 2013-2014 catalogue, along with weekly new offerings of downloadable digital content for My Digital Studio – available every Tuesday.

One new product that I just can’t wait to show you is the new This and That range. It’s sort of a hybrid ‘diary/ideas book/memento holder/I’m pretty sure I’ll lose that so I’ll stick it in here’ type affair. If you’re familiar with Smash books, you’ll know what I mean. I’ll be running a weekend workshop on Sunday 26th May that will include the Epic Day Bundle, plus a yummy lunch. Details to follow soon!

The other Big News is it’s time for a Colour Refresh! In 2010 when Stampin’ Up! did a big colour renovation, they shared our plans for smaller colour refreshes every three to five years to keep colours on trend. Well it has been three years and SU! is excited to announce that the upcoming 2013–2014 annual catalogue will include 10 new colours (most of which are returning In Colors™ from previous years)!

To make room for these new colours, some older colours are retiring. You can still buy them now, and stock up in the lead up to the Colour Refresh. Remember to get refills for your retiring inkpads so that you can use them for many years to come!

I’m pretty excited – I’m loving the look of the new colours, and my beloved Blushing Bride is making a return!

The new colours will be available for you to purchase when the new catalogue begins in July. Stay tuned for a few sneaky peeks of projects that I create in these beautiful new colours.

Inky Fingers Events for May 2013

Thu 2 May – No Class
Thu 9 May – Technique Class 7.30pm – Cost $20
Thu 16 May – Technique Class 7.30pm – Cost $20
Thu 23 May – Technique Class 7.30pm – Cost $20
Sun 26 May – Product Playdate 11.00am  – Cost $65
Includes This and That Epic Day Bundle and Lunch
Thu 30 May – P.M.S.  7.30pm – Cost $5

Contact me for available dates if you’d like to hold a Stampin’ Up! Party

Cheers,