Here's another card I've made with the Timeless Tulips stamp set.  This one I CASE'd from Karen Ksenzakovic, whose use of colour caught my eye.

Karen used a different stamp for the front flap of her z-fold card - I used Handwritten with Granny Apple Green ink stamped-off once.  My biggest beef now that I'm using A4 sized cardstock is that the background stamps are just a wee bit short to cover the entire card length!  If I hadn't pointed that out, would you have noticed?  Please let me know.​

The A4 cardstock also doesn't give quite as much room for the tulips, but I think it works just fine here.  I used the birthday sentiment from the Timeless Tulips set, and cut it out with a Stitched Rectangles Die, layering it on a die cut from the Lakeside Dies.

In this picture you can see the strip of Lovely Lipstick cardstock I adhered to peek out from behind the front panel.  

​Here's what I used for this card:

Information for All Classes:
1:00 - 4:00 PM
Nancy's Stamping Studio
1801/151 Berkeley Street, Melbourne 3000
1 block E of Haymarket tram stop (19/59) and Flemington Rd/Peel St (58). Also 3 blocks W of Lincoln Sq./Swanston St - UniMelb tram stop. Contact for parking info.

RSVP at least 2 days before class so I can be sure to have enough materials prepared.
​ 
*************************************************************************
Monthly Card Class
Make 5 projects featuring a variety of techniques and great Stampin' Up! products. Perfect for experienced and novice crafters!

​$30 - all supplies and afternoon tea included.
​
January 
Saturday, 18 January RSVP deadline Thursday, 16 January
               &
Tuesday, 21 January RSVP deadline Sunday, 19 January

February
Saturday, 8 February RSVP deadline Thursday, 6 February
               &
Tuesday, 11 February RSVP deadline Sunday, 9 February

March
Tuesday, 17 March RSVP deadline Sunday, 15 March
               &
Saturday, 21 March RSVP deadline Thursday, 19 March
*************************************************************************
Specialty Classes
​Perfect for experienced and novice crafters!

Watercolored Backgrounds 
Learn how to make quick and dramatic background layers for your cards.  You will take home a variety of sample panels and finished cards. $30.00, all supplies included.
Saturday, 1 February 
RSVP by Thursday, 30 January


Stamp With Me, Get It Free — Timeless Tulips Edition
Make a variety of cards using the Timeless Tulips stamp set, and take the set home with you!  
$40 - includes stamp set
$65 - includes stamp set and coordinating punch
Saturday, 14 March
RSVP & prepayment due by Sunday, 1 March

Here's another card I made featuring the Birthday Bonanza Suite.  I CASE'd this one from Ange McKay because I just love it!  I did change a few details....

I'm still loving the fun, bright colours as we are out of our grey winter and into our sometimes sunny, sometimes grey, sometimes smoky summer.  

​Here's what I used to make this card:

Get a FREE pack of Champagne Rhinestones!
Order both the Paper Shares and the Ribbon Shares for $65.50
($56 Nancy’s Nifty Notes team member price) plus postage

Paper Shares
$37.50 ($32 Nancy’s Nifty Notes team member price) plus postage.  
Get a quarter pack of each of these 7 sets of paper

• From my Heart*
• ​Parisian Blossoms*
• Peaceful Poppies*    
• Birthday Bonanza*    
• Tropical Oasis*        
• Country Club*        
• Best Dressed (6”x6”)  
• plus FREE quarter pack of Lilly Impressions DS

​* Please note that 12" papers are cut in half, so you get 6 sheets of 12"x6" paper – perfect for 3 full card fronts. The direction of the cut (vertical or horizontal) is random.  Order 2 shares for one full sheet of each 12”x12“ and 2 sheets of Best Dressed 6”x6”.

Ribbon Shares
$28 ($24 Nancy’s Nifty Notes team member price) plus postage.
Get a quarter roll of each of the 6 ribbons & 4 twines plus 6 tassels (2 each of 3 colours). 

• Real Red Double-Stitched Satin
• Petal Pink Metallic-Edge
• Whisper White Crinkled Seam Binding
• Daffodil Delight Ruched
• Braided Burlap Trim
• Mint Macaron Sheer Linen
• Country Club Twine (4 colours)

RSVP and payment to be received by 5:00 p.m. 15 January. I'll order everything and they will be sent to me to be chopped, packed and labelled. Then they will be ready to be collected or mailed.

Here are the 3 cards I made during my Facebook Live video this week.  You can watch the replay on Facebook or on YouTube.  I love it when viewers leave me comments either during the live broadcast so I can respond right away, or during the replay.  Feel free to ask any questions about what I'm doing, or to make requests for projects/stamps you'd like to see on my videos.

This first card is truly #simplestamping, using just stamps, paper and ink.  I CASE'd it from Theresa McEntee on a Facebook page.  She'd done them in a whole rainbow of colours, which is a great idea!  While this set is photopolymer and I stamped it "freehand" with no issues during the video, if I was going to mass-produce these I'd set up my Stamparatus and be ready to rock and roll!  The colour I used for this one is Highland Heather (with Old Olive for the greenery).

This card uses just the tulip image that fits in the coordinating Tulip Builder Punch.  I inked it up with Pineapple Punch ink, then used a sponge dauber to apply a bit of Real Red ink on top to get a variegated flower.  If you watch the video I explain how to use Press N Seal plastic wrap to get the placement of the stems and flowers just right.  Hat tip to my friend Tania Tobin who demonstrated these techniques on her Facebook Live back in November.  The stems and some of the leaves are stamped directly on the Whisper White panel in Granny Apple Green, and a few are stamped, punched out and popped up with Dimensionals.

This card is CASE'd from Jan Clothier.  Mine is a bit different, because I didn't look at hers as I re-created it, so some of the positioning is different.  I do like masking the column and using Stampin' Sponges to blend the colours together.  It's always cool to remove the mask and see the crisp lines.

Here's what I used to make these cards.  Scroll down to see how you can get your own set and learn how to use it in one of my classes!

If you like what you've seen in this post consider signing up for my Stamp With Me, Get It Free - Timeless Tulips Edition class on March 14.  This class features 5 projects (different from the ones above) made with the Timeless Tulips stamp set and punch, and you take home PDF directions for each card and either the stamp set ($40) or the stamps and punch ($65) depending on which option you choose.  I'm also happy to offer this as a mail-order class with PDF directions for each card if you are in Australia but can't attend the class.  Please note that this class requires prepayment by Sunday, March 1.

Here is my first play with the Birthday Bonanza Suite (p. 32 of the Mini Catalogue).  This suite of products just makes me smile, much the way the Dino Roar Suite in the Annual Catalogue does.  

I've CASE'd this card from Kathy Swanson, though I changed it just a bit.

I stamped the lion's body in Daffodil Delight, and the mane and tail pouf in Mango Melody.  The coordinating dies make quick work of cutting him out (and they work on the coordinating Designer series paper, too)!  I also added the Mango Melody panel behind the tag to help it stand out more.  The tag is part of the Bonanza Dies, and the Mango Melody is cut with a Stitched So Sweetly die.

The photopolymer stamps are so easy to line up – the face on the lion and the balloons with their strings.  There are 3 great sentiments in this set, and presents, too.  I'm so glad I purchased this entire suite; I think I'll get a lot of use out of it. The only thing I didn't use on this card are the cellophane bags!

As a Stampin' Up! demonstrator I'm wholeheartedly invested in SU! products.  Occasionally, however, I run across something sold by another company that is different enough from what SU! offers that I make a purchase.  The stamps used on the following cards are from an Australian paper crafting company, but you can see why I bought them!

After the trip to the Great Ocean Road and Grampians National Park with my parents and son, we got back to Melbourne and wanted to make some cards that reflected our experiences for my mom to share with friends.  Here's what we made, along with a few pics of our trip.

King parrot

Saw lots of kangaroo signs, too.  Our drive into the town where we spent the night in the Grampians was full of them, bounding onto the road in front of the bus, then away into the bush.  We had to travel very slowly, with lookouts at the front shouting, "right!" or "left!" when they spotted a 'roo for the driver.

Probably saw 100 windmills and water tanks as we drove through the countryside.  I enjoyed using my sponge brayers to make a background for these images.

Only saw 1 koala high in a gum tree while on the trip...but Mom & Dad saw more at a wildlife park a week later.

There was a huge, noisy flock of these sulphur-tipped cockatoos in the trees outside our motel in the Grampians. They were too fast in flight and too hidden in the trees to get any pics.

Mom and I had a fun "crafternoon" designing and fussy-cutting together!  I am pleased with how we were able to combine the stamp images with SU! papers and inks.

Have you had a chance to look through the Sale-A-Bration brochure?  Did you notice the Golden Honey Specialty Designer Series Paper on page 10?  One side of each sheet has a lovely pop of gold foil, the other has pretty black-and-white designs. This fun and versatile paper can be yours for FREE when you place an order of $90 or more!

Here are a couple of cards I made with one of the sheets:

The sentiment on this card is from the So Sentimental set, and is cut out and layered with the coordinating Stitched So Sweetly Dies from the Mini Catalogue (sold as a bundle which saves you 10%!).  I added some Noble Peacock Rhinestones to the open flower centres.

Same DSP, but this time I coloured the flowers with my Light Poppy Parade Stampin' Blends marker.  The sentiment is again from So Sentimental and is cut with another Stitched So Sweetly die, with a Layering Ovals die-cut piece behind. The flower centres have some (Frosted and) Clear Epoxy Droplets.

 Here's everything I used to make these cards:

Information for All Classes:
1:00 - 4:00 PM
Nancy's Stamping Studio
1801/151 Berkeley Street, Melbourne 3000
1 block E of Haymarket tram stop (19/59) and Flemington Rd/Peel St (58). Also 3 blocks W of Lincoln Sq./Swanston St - UniMelb tram stop. Contact for parking info.

RSVP at least 2 days before class so I can be sure to have enough materials prepared.
​ 
*************************************************************************
Monthly Card Class
Make 5 projects featuring a variety of techniques and great Stampin' Up! products. Perfect for experienced and novice crafters!

​$30 - all supplies and afternoon tea included.
​
January 
Saturday, 18 January RSVP deadline Thursday, 16 January
               &
Tuesday, 21 January RSVP deadline Sunday, 19 January

February
Saturday, 8 February RSVP deadline Thursday, 6 February
               &
Tuesday, 11 February RSVP deadline Sunday, 9 February

March
Tuesday, 17 March RSVP deadline Sunday, 15 March
               &
Saturday, 21 March RSVP deadline Thursday, 19 March
*************************************************************************
Specialty Classes
​Perfect for experienced and novice crafters!

Watercolored Backgrounds 
Learn how to make quick and dramatic background layers for your cards.  You will take home a variety of sample panels and finished cards. $30.00, all supplies included.
Saturday, 1 February 
RSVP by Thursday, 30 January


Stamp With Me, Get It Free — Timeless Tulips Edition
Make a variety of cards using the Timeless Tulips stamp set, and take the set home with you!  
$40 - includes stamp set
$65 - includes stamp set and coordinating punch
Saturday, 14 March
RSVP & prepayment due by Sunday, 1 March

OK - here we go!  New year, new mini catalogue, new Sale-A-Bration!  I was really strict with myself and didn't play with any of my preordered products until I was completely finished with my Christmas cards - made, written, stuffed with the annual family letter, addressed, sealed and stamped!  Then came family time with a 2-day road trip and other holiday activities and sight-seeing. So here, finally, are my first cards with some January-June 2020 Mini Catalogue product!

These 2 cards are made from one 6" x 6" square of Peaceful Poppies Designer Series Paper (DSP).  I received this square as part of the DSP sampler pack (along with a great paper mini paper cutter) that goes to new demonstrators who join during Sale-A-Bration*.  This paper is so pretty it needs very little else to make a beautiful card.

I added a strip of Basic Black cardstock that I stamped with a sentiment from Perennial Birthday in Versamark and heat set with White Stampin' Emboss Powder.

This card was made with the strip that was left after cutting the card front above, mounted on Whisper White, Basic Black and Rich Razzleberry.  The sentiment is from Special Celebrations.

The really nice thing about this approach to card making is that you can use what you have in your stash.  Pull out some DSP and a few sentiments and whip up some cards today!

​Here's what I used to make these cards:

Your choice of $235 worth of products from the Mini or Annual Catalogues in your starter kit for only $169, PLUS 

• a new Mini Paper Cutter 
• a 6”x6” Designer Series Paper Sampler
• any stamp set from the Mini or Annual Catalogues

As a member of the Nancy’s Nifty Notes team you’ll save 20-25% on ALL of your future Stampin' Up! purchases. Isn't that awesome?  What I love most is that there is NO OBLIGATION: no selling, no parties, no requirements. It is just a GREAT deal!

Contact me with any questions: nhoetker@mac.com or 0424 968 039.

Get a FREE pack of Champagne Rhinestones!
Order both the Paper Shares and the Ribbon Shares for $65.50
($56 Nancy’s Nifty Notes team member price) plus postage

Paper Shares
$37.50 ($32 Nancy’s Nifty Notes team member price) plus postage.  
Get a quarter pack of each of these 7 sets of paper

• From my Heart*
• ​Parisian Blossoms*
• Peaceful Poppies*    
• Birthday Bonanza*    
• Tropical Oasis*        
• Country Club*        
• Best Dressed (6”x6”)  
• plus FREE quarter pack of Lilly Impressions DS

​* Please note that 12" papers are cut in half, so you get 6 sheets of 12"x6" paper – perfect for 3 full card fronts. The direction of the cut (vertical or horizontal) is random.  Order 2 shares for one full sheet of each 12”x12“ and 2 sheets of Best Dressed 6”x6”.

Ribbon Shares
$28 ($24 Nancy’s Nifty Notes team member price) plus postage.
Get a quarter roll of each of the 6 ribbons & 4 twines plus 6 tassels (2 each of 3 colours). 

• Real Red Double-Stitched Satin
• Petal Pink Metallic-Edge
• Whisper White Crinkled Seam Binding
• Daffodil Delight Ruched
• Braided Burlap Trim
• Mint Macaron Sheer Linen
• Country Club Twine (4 colours)

RSVP and payment to be received by 5:00 p.m. 15 January. I'll order everything and they will be sent to me to be chopped, packed and labelled. Then they will be ready to be collected or mailed.

Hi all - hope you've been having a good holiday week, whether you're celebrating a Solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah or anything else!  I've been enjoying having my family here.  My parents, son and I went on a 2-day small coach tour to the Great Ocean Road and Grampians National Park.  You may have caught some pics on my personal Facebook page...I'll post a few at the end of this post, too.

I am taking a bit of a break from my regular blogging schedule this week and next. As well as spending time with family exploring Melbourne and Victoria, I'm also helping my daughter prepare to return to Arizona for 2 months starting on Monday, so I'm not having much time to craft at the moment!  But I did want to pop on here and remind my Australian readers about my Product Shares since the RSVP deadline is next Tuesday night.  

And, while I said on my preorder unboxing video that I didn't know what I would do with the Birthday Bonanza Suite's treat bags, I wanted to show you that I did find a use just before I went to bed on Christmas Eve...simple little choccy bags at everyone's place Christmas morning.

Get a FREE pack of Champagne Rhinestones!
Order both the Paper Shares and the Ribbon Shares for $65.50
($56 Nancy’s Nifty Notes team member price) plus postage.

On my Facebook Live video this week I showed a quick and easy way to chop a 12" x 12" piece of Designer Series Paper (DSP) into useable rectangles that make it easy to create simple, yet interesting cards in a flash.  You can watch my video on replay via Facebook or YouTube.

Note:  I will not be doing videos for the next 2 weeks in observance of Christmas and New Year's Days.  Come join me for new videos featuring Mini Catalogue and Sale-A-Bration products beginning 8 January!

This is Kylie Bertucci's "Love It Chop It" method, where she promotes taking your DSP and cutting it all into the first layer of a card (10 x 14.9 cm or 4" x 5.25") and storing it that way.  I don't do that personally because I don't have a problem cutting into my DSP (some people never create with theirs because they don't want to use up what they love), and I do projects on occasion that call for larger pieces of DSP.  To learn more about this method of card making, including plenty of inspiration, join Kylie's Love It Chop It Workshop Facebook Group.     

These cards feature products from the Christmastime is Here Suite.  Once I cut my 12"x12" into 6 pieces, I layered one on a card base, added a piece of ribbon and a sentiment on a die-cut shape and there was my first card.

Then I cut one of the rectangles in half diagonally, making 2 triangles.

For the next one I coloured some of the Gold Metallic Edge Ribbon with the Light Mossy Meadow Stampin' Blends to get coordinating ribbon.

I cut the next rectangle into 3rds, then cut them a bit narrower to have a border around each piece.  No fancy measuring, just eyeballed...but it was probably about ⅛" or 4 mm.

Then I cut a panel in half vertically.

And another into approximately ⅔ - ⅓, with a piece of Gold Shimmer Ribbon to hide the seam.

And finally I cut down the DSP layer another interval (¼" or 4 mm each dimension),  layered it on a cardstock mat and wrapped it with ribbon before putting it on the card base.

So, in under 45 minutes on my video with lots of distracted chatter I made 8 cards.  I did have the card bases and sentiments pre-cut and stamped, but even if I didn't it would be under an hour.

You can use this approach for any theme(s) and crank out a pile of cards to have in your stash.  Hope you've found it useful to see!

Each December I like to have a collection of little gifts on hand.  They are perfect for service providers, host(ess) gifts, colleagues or stocking stuffers.  This week I'll share the ones I've done this year, which I also offered in a class to my customers.
​
This desk set pattern is by Tina Wardell, who very generously has 4 different designs that utilise mini calendars with PDF instructions and a video tutorial on her blog. 

I decided to use the Mosaic Mood Designer series paper for my desk set, and chose the Terracotta Tile and Soft Suede cardstocks from there.  It's actually an easy project to put together, and would work well even if you don't have the mini calendar to put on the pocket.

This particular sentiment comes from the Silhouette Scenes stamp set, but there are many that would work.