I'm Moving House

Well, not really - but I'm moving my blog - which kind of feels like moving house.

So from now on you can find me HERE

To those of you who have subscribed for updates to Sweet Nothings & Simple Somethings, may I ask you very nicely to please re-subscribe to my new blog - I promise to make it worth your while and I think you'll really like the funky new style over at Wordpress.

Hope to see you there :)

Home at last

Well all good things come to an end (or so they say) and our holiday was the best we've ever had but now it's back to earth with a bang. Bianca & Scott want to save up and come with us to Brisbane next year......I think it was our visit to Movie World that tipped the scales - even if they do have to go on holidays with Mum & Dad...lol

Today I had the urge to get stamping again but the old brain is still in holiday mode so I ended up CASEing a card directly from page 73 of the Stampin' Up! Ideas Book & Catalogue just to get the creative juices flowing again. This card uses the Bodacious Bouquet stamp set which was waiting here for me when I got home from holidays......it was one of the six freebies I earned by achieving my Stampin' Start goal. For more info about Stampin' Start, or to purchase Stampin' Up! products, or to host your own Stampin' Up! workshop, just email me here

Ciao for now !!

Hello From Surfers Paradise

This place is amazing.......I've never seen so many highrise apartments in my life - I feel like a country bumpkin ... lol .... Brad's snoozing in our hotel room so now's the perfect time to update my blog.
For those of you who've asked, Convention was an absolute blast. Not only did we learn so much about how to be a successful Stampin' Up! demonstrator - we got to STAMP too...yay!! We also got to swap cards with eachother, and there are some amazingly talented cardmakers in Australia - many of them in the Elite Stampers. But the best thing about convention was meeting my online friends for the first time....I loved each and every one of you and will be looking forward to catching up again in Brisbane 2008..........actually, we drove past the Brisbane convention center today and I got all excited to think we will all be there for the next Stampin' Up! Convention.
AND.....lucky me, I have new Stampin' Up! goodies waiting for me at home - what better way to overcome end of holiday blues than new stampin' stuff :)
Ok, off to check out Sea World - and Movie World tomorrow - I think we'll need to go home for a rest.....lol :)

Convention Here I Come !!

I'm so excited.........Stampin' Up!s first ever Australian Convention starts on Friday May 4th in Sydney......AND I'M GOING !!! Well, I'm dragging poor Brad along with me but seeing as it's our 22nd wedding anniversary on the 4th I didn't want to leave him out - so we're making a holiday of it. 3 weeks of "'just us'" time - wooohoooo

Brad's taking the laptop along so I should be able to get online to check emails and update this blog from time to time, hopefully with lots of exciting news and ideas from convention.

So stay in touch, I can still place orders for you if you need anything and answer emails if you have questions about the Stampin' Up! special for May......Join Stampin' Up! for $299 (normally $324) Awesome....

We get home on May 19th so be good while I'm away and
HAPPY STAMPING :)

I've been TAGGED

TWICE !! Thanks Angela & Cass
Well, being pretty new to this blogging business, I was a bit disconcerted about being tagged - wasn't quite sure what it involved but apparently I'm to tell you 7 things about myself and then 'Tag' 7 other people........so here goes

1. While I love Stampin' Up! and being a demo is just fantastic, I also enjoy Stampscapes...you can check out my gallery here
2. We've been renovating our house for what seems like a lifetime - I'm so over the whole thing.
3. My dog is almost as old as my youngest child. (dog Jessy is 16 and son Scott is 18)
4. S.U. Convention starts on the same date as mine & Brad's 22nd wedding anniversary. (4th May)
5. I was born in the UK but that was a very long time ago...My heart is proud and pure Australian.
6. The only musical instrument I can play is a Kazoo !!
7. I like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain....................... lol

Now to do some tagging of my own - oh and if you're reading this, go visit some of the fab blogs listed below - some really inspiring stuff there.

Sharon

Leonie

Cheryl

Jenni

Gabbie

Tamara

Debbie

If you've all been tagged multiple times - my apologies, but there's a bit of an epidemic at the moment - I tried to choose bloggers who havn't posted a tag reply yet. :) Tina

And The Winner Is............

OOps - almost forgot to draw the winner of the 'Simple Wishes' stamps
AND THE WINNER IS
asward@ ..............congratulations. Thanks to everyone who subscribed for updates to my blog. I hope the winner enjoys their new stamps - asward, could you please contact me by email with your postal address so that I can forward your goodies asap :)

All The Best

Here's a card that I made today in my cardmaking class....what I love about it is that all the ladies in the class made the same card but each and every one of them turned out looking really different - it's interesting to see how people interpret ideas in their own fashion.... I wish I could claim credit for the original idea but it's based on a design I saw on SCS. I used Stampin' Up!s 'All The Best' stamp set for the flowers & leaves, and the happy birthday is from the 'Simple Sketches' set. The cardstock is Ruby Red, Basis Black & Whisper White. The inks I used are Ruby Red, Old Olive and Basic Black and I sponged the edges of the Whisper White with all three inks to get that funny looking effect on the background pieces. After trimming the leaves and flowers and assembling the pieces, I used a little Celery ribbon to finish off the card. I love it.... If you do too and would like to order any of the products used, please feel free to Email me!

Subscribe 'N' Win

This cute stamp set is called Simple Wishes and is about to become 'Retired' from the Stampin' Up! Exclusive Hostess Gift range.

HOWEVER......

You can win this set for FREE simply by entering your email address into the yellow field on the right hand side of this post, then clicking on the Get Email Updates button. Make sure to follow the instructions to activate your subscription. Everyone who subscribes goes into the draw for the stamp set. You can also earn more entries by emailing this post to your friends, (click the little envelope at the bottom of this post) ask them to subscribe and also leave a comment mentioning your name - You'll both get an entry into the draw.

The winner will be drawn and announced here on my blog on 2nd April 2007 and must be a resident of Australia (and a non-Stampin' Up! demonstrator) to qualify for the prize. Feel free to refer your overseas friends to my blog but the winner must be in Australia.

How good is that - Free entries to win FREE STAMPS !!!

Good luck in the draw !!

It's Official !!!

Stampin' Up! have released the list of stamp sets and products which will be retired from the current catalogue and will no longer be available *sob*
You can view the retiring list here (organised by catalogue page number)
http://www.stampinup.com/au/ena/5026.asp

If you don't have a catalogue of your own, you can view it online here http://catalogs.shoplocal.com/stampinup/index.aspx?pagename=shopmain&storeid=1039381

The items on the retiring list are available for purchase from now until 31st March 07 or while stocks last - so check it out and if theres anything on the list that you simply have to have, email me to order asap.

If you have ever considered buying the fabulous Watercolor Wonder Crayons, now's the time.....I think Stampin' Up! may re-release the crayons in the four colour families (Bold Brights, Earth Elements, Soft Subtles and Rich Regals) but when they did this in the United States, the cost was considerably higher.

It's interesting to note that lots of the scrapbooking papers are being retired - this must mean we're getting lovely new ones in the new 2007-2008 catalogue, due out in April.....but remember.....the current ones - and everything on the retiring list - are only available till 31st March.

Right !! off to check out that list again.....I think I just HAVE to have 'Toile Blossoms' (pg 77)

Ciao for now

Technique Tuesday

Today we made trifold cards. I love how I can make these cards apply to any occasion by changing the colours or main image.
I don't know the true name of the technique I used to make the background paper but I opened a plastic laminating pouch and squished ink (two colours) directly from the ink pad onto the inside of the plastic, one colour per side. Then closed the pouch and blended the inks together, the air bubbles caught between the plastic sheets create the design on your cardstock. Place two pieces of glossy white cardstock back to back and open the inked plastic sheets. Carefully place the cardstock onto the inked area and close the top layer of plastic over the glossy card. Use your hand or a brayer to press the ink onto the cardstock. Peel the top plastic layer back and remove your new background paper. The dye inks will dry instantly on glossy cardstock. You can also try the same technique on Whisper White cardstock for a slightly different finish.

This card uses Lavender Lace and Almost Amethyst ink pads and cardstock, also a little Pretty in Pink and Whisper White cardstock to add a colourful contrast. The stamps are from 'In Full Bloom' & 'Happy Harmony' stamp sets and the ribbon is Stampin' Up! Pale Pink grosgrain. Flower image is coloured using an aquapainter and Watercolour Wonder crayons and is lightly sponged around the edges in Lavender Lace ink. The background is made using glossy white cardstock.

This card is made using Pumkin Pie, Apricot Appeal & Whisper White cardstock and inks with a little Old Olive ink to highlight the design. The background technique was used on Whisper White cardstock instead of glossy and the effect is quite different. The stamps I used are from 'Happy Harmony' & 'Sincere Salutations' stamp sets.

All of the Stampin' Up! products I used to create these gorgeous cards are available from myself. Email me! for further details about the techniques used or to purchase Stampin' Up! products.

Fun With Backgrounds

Every Tuesday my friends and I get together for a cardmaking morning. This is what we came up with today.

Both cards are made from Stampin' Up!s Confetti Cream cardstock and use Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip and Close to Cocoa Classic Stampin' Pads. For the card on the left, I used the Cheesecloth background and Natural Beauty stamp sets and coloured the flowers and butterfly with a blender pen and Stampin' Pastels.

For the card on the right, I use the Weathered background and stamps from the Ancient Asia and Art of the Orient sets and coloured also with the Stampin' Pastels and blender pen. The Good Luck stamp is from the Sincere Salutations set. I used my favorite sponging technique to enhance the stamped elements of both cards.

All of the products (and more) used to create these cards are available from me :) and the lovely people in my Stampin' Up! family :)

Ol' Slowhand

On Sunday 11th Feb, Brad & I went to Members Equity Stadium in Perth to see Eric Clapton in concert.......WOW....... it was fantastic....What an awesome, unbelievable show.

Loving Roses

On Thursday night, my Stampin' Up!group had our very first CyberStamp - and although I wasn't able to take part, I still did a couple of the challenges over the weekend.

This card is made using the Stampin' Up! Stipple Rose stamp, Very Vanilla, Bravo Burgundy & More Mustard cardstock, and is coloured with Watercolour Wonder Crayons. I also used a little gold cord to trim the card and stamped a sentiment from the 'Happy Harmony' set which is a Sell-A-Bration FREE set, available until 26th February. You can choose one of four FREE stamp sets every time you spend $100 on Stampin' Up! products. HOW GOOD IS THAT.... For more info you can contact me anytime at tinadickman@iprimus.com.au

I had a great time making this card,. I just love my Watercolour Crayons and think they highlight the Stipple Rose perfectly.

Happy Dance

Woooo Hoooo !!! I did it.... lol

It's Working

Okay....at last I think I've got the hang of this blogging business....many hours and a couple of headache pills later, mind you.....
How can one person be so unbelievably dense when it comes to technology. Seriously, I have trouble working out which button to press on the TV remote control....especially if I don't have my glasses on lol

Now!!! off to take some photos and then learn how to load them up to this blog......OH BOY....wish me luck.