What is a basic kit?

For my classes and Extravaganzas, I often tell you to bring along your basic kit. So what do I mean by basic kit?  In your kit are the things that you use every time you craft and is often kept in some sort of case or holdall for you to transport easily.  Things that I suggest for your basic kit are:

Bone Folder - For burnishing* your cardstock to give a nice crisp fold and a professional look.

Paper Snips - A good quality pair of Paper Snips like the Stampin' Up! ones is well worth the investment.  If you use ribbon, reserve a pair of scissors for this and don't use them on paper as it may dull the blades.  I also like to keep an old pair on hand solely for cutting adhesives (such as cutting dimensionals in half) as the adhesive will build up on the blades.  To clean the blades, I use some eucalyptus oil on a cotton pad and rub the blades.  Then rinse and dry thoroughly.

Paper Piercing Tool - Pierce tiny holes in paper or cardstock. You can also use it to remove small or stuck pieces from Big Shot dies or die-cut shapes.  Also useful for picking up and adhering glue dots.

Ruler - I like to use a metal ruler and then I can use a knife to tidy up any edges that are uneven or not straight.

Pencil & Eraser - always useful to have on hand.

Sticky Note Strips - these are a useful little addition to your kit.  Useful for marking pages in your catalogue, writing yourself a note if you need to, or for holding cardstock when you are using a punch and the cardstock isn't quite long/wide enough to hold.

Tombow Multipurpose Adhesive - this is my main go to adhesive for most things.  It has a strong bond and dries clear.  It can also be used two-way, as a temporary adhesive if you let it dry clear before you adhere anything to it. 

Tear & Tape Adhesive - another highly recommended adhesive.  Very easy to use with it's tear-able paper backing.  Also a very strong bond, perfect for making 3D items and boxes.

Stampin' Dimensionals -  these add depth and dimension to your project.  Sometimes popping things up just adds that extra touch that finishes things off perfectly.  I wouldn't be without my dimensionals in my kit.

Glue Dots - Good for holding heavier embellishments or sticking down errant ribbon.  Also useful for poking into gaps when you have already stuck something down but have an errant spot that not's sticking.

As you build on your supplies I also highly recommend the Stampin' Trimmer.  This makes cutting cardstock a breeze with its built in measurements and ease of use.  It also has the ability to score cardstock which is essential for getting a crisp, professional look to your projects.  You will not be without it.  

If you are using a lot of Photopolyer stamps, then a Stampin' Pierce mat is recommended.  Using a mat gives you even pressure and ink coverage with detailed or background stamps


 *Burnish - 1. to make smooth or glossy by rubbing; polish. 2. To rub with a tool that serves especially to smooth or polish. 3. To improve or make more impressive - www.thefreedictionary.com

Some of the above Images (C) Stampin' Up! (R)

Rodney Extravaganza on World Cardmaking Day

Last weekend was World Cardmaking Day and our Rodney Extravaganza.  Admittedly it was through good luck rather than by design that two coincided, but we were rather pleased they did.  

Here are the fabulous Christmas projects that we taught.  The guests made all of these projects to take home, and some lucky people won some great prizes.

To start with my project I taught.  My starting point was this card using the Best Birds stamp set and matching Bird & Blooms dies .  I changed the colours, background and added to it to end up with my card as you see it here.  Sometimes all we need is an idea and our project can end up completely differently to how the original looked.

I then made a tag to go on our new treat tubes from the Holiday Catalogue.  The treat tube was empty but on my instruction sheet I shared these ideas as to what you could put in them:

• Tic Tacs
• Mini M&Ms
• Chewing Gum
• Chocolate Raisins
• Small Peppermints
• Cash - rolled up banknotes
• Hair ties (a sweet gift for little girls)
• Tweezers (mine are always getting lost in my kit)
• Homemade Bath Salts
• Seeds (a lovely gift for the gardeners in your life)
• Hot Chocolate & Marshmallows or Coffee (to go with a special mug gift)

Next was Mary & Kylie's project.  They used the Detailed Gate Thinlits Dies and the fun Santa Paws stamp set from the Holiday Catalogue.

You'll find these gates in the Halloween section of the Holiday Catalogue. It goes to show, even if you're not into Halloween (which a lot of us in NZ aren't), don't skip the Halloween pages because there's more to them than just Halloween.  I think the stamp they used inside, called Santa Paws, is very cute and rather fun.  

This project also had a matching desk calendar to go with it, which makes a great gift when you pair it with the card.  

Sticking with the gift theme, Karen made a card which was also, cleverly, a wine bottle tag. 

Using the Musical Instruments Framelits Dies and the Merry Music Speciality Designer Series Paper gave this card a lovely Christmas Music feel. 

 

The sentiment inside used the Musical Season stamp set and the beautiful Foil Snowflakes from the Year of Cheer Suite on page 36 of the Holiday Catalogue.  You can order the dies and the stamp set in a bundle and save 10%.  

Lastly we have Nicolette's project.  Using the At Home with You bundle from the Annual Catalogue, Nicolette made this 3D project.

From the front you see the outside of the 'house' with a Christmas Wreath on the front door.  But peek inside and you'll see the family Christmas Tree set against wallpaper made also using the Merry Music Speciality Designer Series Paper. 

 

Using the Wood Textures Designer Series Paper has given the clever illusion of a deck at the front door.  Viewed from the top, you can see the unique shape of this fun card.

Don't you think all these projects are fun?  The guests certainly thought so - they had a great day and loved them all.  If you'd like to join us for the next Extravaganza, please talk to me and put your name down on the guest list.  You won't be disappointed.

Here are some photos from the day, plus a picture of the gifts each of my guests received on arrival.

 

October Deals

Stampin' Up! have three promotions for you this October.  Check them out below.

The first is for World Cardmaking day.  You can get 15% off selected stamp sets, plus 15% off Notecards & Envelopes and if you buy two Fast Fuse Adhesives you'll two refills for free.  See which stamp sets are included in the promotion in the flyer below

They're still a little hard to read the prices but it's as big as I can make it.  Feel free to contact me and ask me for details though.  This deal is only available until the 10th October.

The second deal we have for you is a Designer Series Paper sale.  Until the 31st October, when you buy 3 packs of selected paper, you receive a 4th one free.

Don't be put off by the idea that you wouldn't need that much paper - grab a couple of friends and do a deal.  If you pay for a pack each, you can split the free one up between you and receive 4 free sheets each.  You could either pick a pack each that you like, to keep as your one pack, or share the whole lot out between you.  It's the perfect way to get a variety of Designer Series Paper - for the cost of a single pack.

My newest favourite Designer Series Paper is included in this promotion too - Painted Autumn.  Check it out....

 

 
Lastly, there is a Host Promotion called Merry Patterns.  If you host a party before the 31st October, with qualifying sales, you will receive an amazing limited edition stamp set on top of everything else you would normally receive for being a host.  This includes up to 16% of the value of your orders back in Stampin' Rewards dollars to spend on anything in either catalogue, the opportunity to purchase one item at 50% reduce price (if you reach level three or four sales) and a special host gift from me.

Check out the stamp set in the video below.  I'm loving those candles - they could be used for more than just Christmas projects. 

 

 

Father's Day

Yesterday was Father's Day here in New Zealand. I was a bit stumped on what to do for Dad's card.  Then I decided sunflowers could be masculine.  

Read down to see how I made the sentiment & stamped the flowers

It's a shame you can't see it in the photo, because it really added to the effect, but the Wood Textures Designer Series Paper behind the sunflowers is embossed with the Pinewood Planks Embossing folder.

The sunflowers come from the brand new stamp set called Painted Harvest and I love it.  The sunflowers are so real.  It's a two step stamp and I have used Crushed Curry for the first layer and Peekaboo Peach for my second layer.  The leaves are two-step as well and are Old Olive and Always Artichoke.  

The sunflowers do need to be fussy cut.  I know some people hate that - you either love it or you hate it - but the leaves are a brand new punch and I love that too.  You can buy the stamp set and the punch as a bundle and save 10%.

The leaf was just the thing to stamp on the inside of the card too.  I used the sentiment from Dragonfly Dreams, which I think is the perfect sentiment for Fathers Day.  

For the sentiment on the front of the card, I was looking for something long and narrow but I was having trouble finding anything in my stash.  Then I happened across the Birthday Friends Framelits Dies.  In particular, the flag caught my eye (in the picture of the dies it shows them upside down with the cutting part facing up so the flag is backwards).  I cut out the flag, turned it over so it faced the opposite way in which it was intended and trimmed off the flagpole.  I sponged the edges with Crumb Cake ink and it became the perfect sentiment - just what I wanted.  

The moral being - don't be afraid to think outside the box.  You might come up with something great that you didn't expect.  

Supplies:
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Wood Textures DSP
Stamps: Painted Harvest, Thoughtful Banners, Dragonfly Dreams
Ink: Crushed Curry, Peekaboo Peach, Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake
Other: Leaf Punch, Birthday Friends Framelits Dies, Pinewood Planks DTEIF, 

Thanks to an idea from Pinterest for the inspiration for this card.





 

Ronald McDonald Fundraiser Raffle

Who wants the chance to win over $200 worth of Stampin' Up! product?

Raffle Tickets $2 each or 3 tickets for $5

First prize includes:

• Limited Edition Stampin' Up! bag
• Candy Cane Lane Designer Series Paper
• Chocolate Chip 12x12 Cardstock
• Pack of Clear mount stamp cases
• Limited Edition Stampin' Up! Pencil case
• Stamp Set - Pretty Kitty (wood-mount)
• Stamp Set - Seaside Shore (wood-mount)
• Fast Fuse Adhesive
• Fast Fuse Adhesive Refill
• Bow Builder Punch

All proceeds to Ronald McDonald House Charities. Raffle drawn Friday 8th September.

To purchase tickets - email me at kathryn@aspotofstamping.co.nz.  Last tickets sold Thursday 7th September by 10pm.

Not open to other demonstrators and only to people in Auckland please (as I won't be able to ship without great cost). The winner must collect from me, or I will ship to them (in Auckland) at their cost.

Craft Night - Ronald McDonald Fundraiser

TICKETS: Cash payment on the night is fine (or contact me to pay prior).  RSVP is essential so I can prepare enough kits for the cards you'll make.  Thank you.



Thank you to Michelle Zanotti, Karina Chin, Sara Langland and H2 Designs for their inspiration for the projects we'll be making.

A Big Thank You

Over the recent school holidays we were lent a board game by a friend of my Mum's.  I had been saying that I used to enjoy playing it as a child but that I couldn't buy it now, and wondering what had happened to the set I had (as Mum had saved my other board games for me), and she said they had it. 

We were very grateful to be lent the game and my girls and I enjoyed playing it over the holidays.  Here's a card and small token to say thank you to the family who lent it.