Talk to the Animals

And now for something slightly different....a card made without stamps!  I've seen these cards and finally got a chance to make one...a Penguin card!! 

How versatile is the Big Shot Top Note Die?!  Not only can you make things like quilted cards and boxes, you can also make cute animals! 

I've named him Bert. :)

I'll even give you a run down on what I used to make Bert. 

Body: Top Note Die in Whisper White and a piece of Basic Black

Feet: Curly Label Punch in Pumpkin Pie

Flippers/Hands: Large Oval Punch in Basic Black

Nose/Beak:  Large Oval Punch (folded over in half)

Eyes: Circle from Big Shot Die Circles #2 and the white marks are made using my White Uniball Signo (also available from Stampin' Up)

Ribbon: Melon Mambo Polka Dot

Put them all together and you get the cutest Penguin in Queensland! :)  You can also get Bert to hold things, some people have given him a heart to hold, such as this one here.

I've also made a cute Monkey card using the monkey from Fox & Friends. 

This is just a small card and I got the idea off the Stampin' Up! Demonstrator website.  Demonstrator's get all sorts of ideas from Stampin' Up each month, which is very helpful!

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes, Fox & Friends

Paper: Sahara Sand, Pink Pirouette, Certainly Celery, Whisper White

Ink: Chocolate chip

Accessories: Extra Large bird Punch (for the branch), Melon Mambo Polka Dot Ribbon, 4.4cm Circle Punch, Cropodile, Snail, Sticky Strip.

I recommend you have a go at making Bert the Penguin, its lots of fun and he's so cute!!

Easter Creations

I made several different boxes over Easter, and used several of the new products in the Stampin' Up! Autumn-Winter Mini Catalogue, including window sheets, the Scallop Envelope Die and Rich Razzleberry paper and ink.

This box was made using the box by Angie at Chic n Scratch.  I love this box as it's very simple to make and looks cute!  I used Pink Pirouette DSP and used the curly label punch to create the hole at the front of the box. I then adhered some medium thickness window sheet on the back of the cut out, which leaves a lovely see-through window!

I also made another bunny box, and it, along with the one I've posted about previously, were given to a couple of young relatives.  I was able to fit a surprising amount of easter eggs and other chocolates in there!

This box was made using the Scallop Envelop Die from the new Mini Catalogue.  I used Rich Razzleberry card stock and ink and the easter greeting is from Loads of Love Accessories stamp set.  I cut out 4 scallop envelopes and stuck them together with sticky strip to create this box!  Once again I used the curly label punch.

The other box I created was to hold an Easter present for a very tiny new relative. She's a bit too young for chocolate, considering she's only about 6 weeks old, so we bought her a little outfit and I made a box to put it in.  I used Pink Pirouette DSP and cardstock, Regal Rose ribbon, circle and scallop circle punches, and Regal Rose ink for the turtle from Fox & Friends.

You can find a tutorial for the box here. It's called an A2 card box.

And that's what I've been up to lately!   As well as job hunting, which is going fairly well, after a slow start to the week.  Fingers crossed I get a job next week so I can buy more awesome products from the new Autumn-Winter Stampin' Up! Catalogue!

If you're interested in learning how to make any of the above boxes or would like a copy of the new catalogue, feel free to email me at l_prothero@yahoo.com

Big Shot Top Note Die

One of the new Big Shot dies available through Stampin' Up! is the Top Note Die.  It's quite a versatile die.  I've had a play around and have come up with a couple of examples.

This card was made using a square punch where I punched out a variety of squares from the Good Morning Sunshine DSP.  I then stuck them on a piece of cardstock and ran the paper and Top Note die through my Big Shot and out came this:

I used the curly label punch and stamp from the curly label punch bundle.  Pacific Point card stock and ink and a flower designer brad.

I used the top note die to make a box!  You can find the tutorial here.

Box Closed:

Box Open:

The owl stamp is from Fox & Friends also in the new Mini Catalogue. The background stamp is from the Priceless stamp set. Paper is Melon Mambo, Taken with Teal and Whisper White. Ink is Chocolate Chip and Versamark.

These are just a few of the the ways the Top Note die can be used.  Contact me if you would like to learn more about this product or any other Stampin' Up! products at l_prothero@yahoo.com

Stampin' Up! - Big Shot

Stampin' Up! is now offering the Big Shot in Australia!! This is fabulous news as there is so much you can do with the Big Shot!

Here's a little information about the Big Shot for you:

"The Big Shot is a sturdy manual die cutting machine used to die cut materials for use on crafts, home décor projects, and even clothing--it's a big deal! You'll love what the Big Shot machine--a six-time winner of Creating Keepsakes Reader's Choice Award for best die cutting equipment and dies--can do for you.

Design your own custom pillow appliqués using the Scallop Circle Bigz die or make custom fabric flowers to embellish a quilt. From sewing to quilting to home décor, the Big Shot is the perfect tool for many types of crafting. "

The Big Shot costs $179.95 (plus postage) and comes with 2 cutting pads. Stampin' Up! has many exclusive dies available for purchase as well.


Contact me today at l_prothero@yahoo.com if you would like to do a workshop or class to find out the benefits of owning a Big Shot!

Update

I've finally finished moving from the Gold Coast back to my home town of Brisbane. I'm currently in work and home limbo at the moment, but I do have access to most of my stamping supplies, so I'm hoping to get some stamping done soon!!

In the meantime, here's a video created by the Stampin' Up! people with information about the Big Shot, which you will be able to purchase from April 1.