Stamps Ahead

It is Christmas Eve or will be in about 12 hours, classes will finish for this week, and I am headed for Crowne Plaza, Changsha this afternoon to spend Christmas there. I am meeting Jan and Brian for Christmas Dinner (6pm) in the hotel dining room. Here is a little Christmas sack and Candy Canes I made up for them . Images: (c) 1990-2008 Stampin'Up! (r) Artwork: Margaret L Crawford My sister sent me a Christmas Pack of goodies (this is where the Candy Canes were found) and this will be coming with me as well. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas, A Happy Holiday Season and have a happy time.

I awoke up this morning, looked out of the balcony door and what did I see - Snow!!! Look you can see the snow falling. Okay not enough to make a snowman! but snow nevertheless and it is cold, cold, cold.

Here are a couple of Christmas photos from China. More later. Enjoy your day. Margaret

Many years ago I saw this technique and I have searched the internet, but could find no references. And I am not sure now whether this was how they did it. Anyway for my 3rd challenge for this evening I went with a 6" x 6" scrapbook page. You need two copies of a photograph. Cut or punch out 1,2, or 3 focus points on one of your photos. Matt this with a very small matt - too large and it will overpower the final page. Use Stampin' Dimensionals to raise the image off your other image. Place over the corresponding image on your photo. Stamp or use rub-ons to finish of the page. Done. What this photo does not show is that your cut/punch images are raised of the page creating a 3D effect . Enjoy. Images: (c) 1990 - 2008 Stampin' Up! (r) Artwork: Margaret L Crawford

Just the thing for friends living overseas or family/friends that you want to give a gift card to as a gift. There are many patterns for this around on the net. Here are my versions. If you would like the measurements email me and I will send them to you. Images: (c) 1990-2008 Stampin' Up! (c) Artwork: Margaret L Crawford

This month, I am setting the challenges for The INKlings, here is the first challenge card. It uses a template that is available only to Stampin' Up! demonstrators - have you considered becoming a demonstrator, there are excellent resources available to help you. Back soon with the other challenges for this evening. Images: (c) 1990-2008 Stampin' Up! (r) Artwork: Margaret L Crawford

One of the benefits in being a Stampin'Up! demonstrator is that you have access to a wide range of templates that are available on their demonstrator website. Here is an 'easy as' 6" x 6" scrapbook page using the template as well as just Urban West rubons - no stamping needed. Enjoy. Margaret Images: (c) 1990-2008 Stampin'Up! (r) Artwork: Margaret L Crawford

Back in August, I wrote that I was making christmas cards for a fellow stamper to raise funds for the Hemophillic Association, well Marelle has sent me one of her cards as a thank you. It is great to get mail from friends and family in Australia and overseas. Thanks Marelle. Images: (c) 1990-2008 Stampin' Up! (r) Images: Marelle Taylor

Tonight, I am participating in a cyberchallenge with my SU group, The INKlings, Alana is setting the challenges tonight, it is also her birthday - Happy Birthday Alana. Our first challenge was a colour challenge using Bali Breeze DSP from new mini - alas I have not got mine yet, so I pictured what a hotel in Bali would have hanging on their wall. Here is my contribution. Images: (C) 1990-2008 Stampin'Up! (r) Artwork: Margaret L Crawford The second challenge was to do a scrapbooking page based on a card sketch found at SCS . I turned the sketch around to fit the picture taken last week on LiJiang River, Yangshou. I had had my photo taken by so many students at this early stage of the trip, that for this one I decided 'model pose'. Well all week students would say 'model pose' it was fun and a good memory. Images: (C) 1990-2008 Stampin'Up! (r) Artwork: Margaret L Crawford

Please head over to my China blog to check out some pictures of my recent trip to Yangshou and Guilin. Here are a couple of photographs to whet your appetite. I have gone to the local Kodak shop here in Xiangtan and will scrapbook asap.

Jayne, Happy Birthday, here is a vitual cake sent to you via cyberspace. Made in China. "sorry no candles". It is full of cream, cream and more cream - I think somewhere in there is a sponge. Then, when you have finished the cake, enjoy this virtual Banana Split from Hagan-daaz, again made in China. As I could not be there to wish you a "Happy Birthday" in person, I enjoyed all of this last Saturday and thought of you. Happy birthday and may you have a great day. Margaret. p.s. I will print these out and scrap 6x6 page and send a copy to you.

Tonight I am participating a cyber stamping challenge over at the INKlings. Kylie is setting some challenges around Christmas. The first challenge was to make a pocket card (using dimensions found at Splitcoast Stampers). Here is my card. I have used Happy Christmas, Mate and used my Watercolour Wonder Crayons to get a colourful image. Here is the second card I made tonight from a sketch found at http://tayloredexpressions.blogspot.com/2008/07/taylored-expressions-cupcake-challenge_11.html I have made my own background as I did not pack any Designer Series Paper! (Picture me hitting my head) . Images: (c) 1990-2008 Stampin' Up! Artwork: Margaret L Crawford

One of the teachers is celebrating a birthday tomorrow, here is a card I made for him. I bought limited stamp sets that could be used for a male, so I have used Level 1 hostess set - A Little Bit of Happiness. I taped over the words 'thank you' for stamping into Versamark, took the tape off, stamped onto watercolour paper and then using Watercolour Wonder Crayons painted the images. I stamped several of the images onto the Olive Green card. He has recently built a new home and has started his roof top garden and is it now Autumn this card seemed appropriate. Images: (c) 1990-2008 Stampin' Up! (r) Artwork: Margaret L Crawford

Today 9 of my students from Class A assisted with Class B by leading group discussions. As thank you I made each of them a small Thank You card. I have used a mixture of supplies from two Simply Sent Kits - Sending Happy Thoughts and Friendly Thoughts. The greeting came from Occasionally. Images: (c) 1990-2008 Stampin'Up! (r) Artwork: Margaret L Crawford

I am just back from a long weekend in Shanghai, China and before I went I 'googled' scrapbooking Shanghai. A great surprise there was an on-line store, Scrapbook Studio 1 , so I emailled them. The reply also said she had a store that opened limited hours and yes she would be open between 2pm and 5pm Saturday. I caught a taxi out from my hotel, and of course I was early and whilst waiting for the shop to open, next door there was a fabulous French bakery/cafe that had only opened 2 days previously. The most magnificent Smoked Salmon Baguette and vanilla slice and I was welcomed as one of the family to the shop. Then time for the scrapbooking shop to open - Laura imports all the goods from USA (even those made in China) for the local market. I got a cutter and some great papers with Asian themes and a few other things. Here are some photographs of both shops and me eating, of course in the cafe. Good food and a papercrafting fix - what else does a girl need on a miserable wet Sa...

I can't believe that I have made two cards in two days here in China. It has been so hot, I think sitting in my bedroom/office with air-con on has made me get creative. Here is a card I have made and sent off to a good friend in Kentucky (hi Reta if you are reading this). Instead of stamping this time I have used some SU rub-ons from the Urban West collection. There is a little bit of stamping I used the Paisley background stamp. Posting mail from China is an experience all of its own - you go to the post office and once you have been able to let the service assistant know where you want to post the letter to - she (and it is always a she there are no males) will weigh it and give you the stamps required. She will make sure that you have the addressee details in bottom right and my details in top left, and you have to have an envelope that they will give you - you cannot use your own envelopes!. Oh and I found out today if you want to send mail to a Chinese address (as I did) you ...

Today in China it is Teachers Day - when I arrived in class this morning the students had written "Happy Teachers Day" on the board. And I later received, from another class this bunch of flowers. Well I got a further surprise when I went back to teach my 2nd class of the day my students from all 3 classes presented me with a bunch of flowers also,they are show on the right. I can't believe how blue the sky is looking in the picture on the right - it sure is not blue and I have never seen it without a haze, my camera must have compensated. To all the teachers throughout the world - Happy Teachers Day to you.

Here in China it is now Autumn and to recognise this I got out my stamps, crayons and watercolor brush and made a card with autumn tonings. You would not know today was Autumn as it is very hot and humid, I have just finished my first class for the day and I am now sitting in my air-conditioned bedroom/study cooling down. This is a small card 10.5cm x 7cm, as I did not have much room in my suitcase to bring loads of paper, stamps and accessories with me. I have watercoloured the image with Earth Elements crayons and for the central leaf/greeting I have raised another stamped image, of the same design, with Stampin' Dimensionals. What I did do, that I have not done before, was use the watered crayons around the distressed edge of the watercolour paper - I think it gives a nice soft effect. Enjoy. Images: (c)1990-2008 Stampin' Up!(r). Artwork: Margaret L Crawford

I spent a couple of nights in Hong Kong enroute to Xiangtan. Here are some photographs.

Well I never, it looks as though I can access blogspot here in China. I will try to upload some photos later.

I return to China this evening and will not be able to post to this blog whilst I am there. I will be back in January. In the meantime check out my adventures at http://margaretinchina.spaces.live.com/ or if you have Facebook I am on there. Thanks for visiting...........Xiangtan here I come.

In an earlier post I wrote about the challenge set by Jayne to use layout from p17 of current SU mini catalogue. Here is the card I received from Jayne. She has used the Always set available in the catalogue. Her message on one of the circles - celebrate spring. Thank you Jayne. Images: (c) 1990-2008 Stampin' Up! (R) Artwork: Jayne Mercer Spring is coming so I have also been trying out my new camera and here are some photographs I have taken, on the macro lens, of flowers around my garden.

In an earlier post I wrote that I was making Christmas Cards to be donated, well I have been busy since then making cards. Today I got out the Bloomin' with Beauty set and my Stampin' Write Markers and set about watercolouring the images. The large greeting stamp (on the single flower card) is a SU stamp set from the USA that I was given as a Christmas present from a friend in the USA last year and is not available here. These are non traditional cards and I hope you enjoy viewing them. Oh and I photographed them with my new digitial SLR so I am getting used to using the different lenses. Images: (c) 1990-2008 Stampin' Up! (R) Artwork: Margaret L Crawford

The INKlings group that I belong to has weekly challenges set by Jayne. This week it was to use the same layout that is on pg. 17 of the current Mini Catalogue. We were to make 2 cards - one to post and one to be sent to the next person on the list. We could change the colours but I decided to go with the colours shown as I do not use them very much - Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Ruby Red, So Saffron and Soft Sky. I made one exception and used Very Vanilla instead of Confetti White. For inking I used my Stampin' Write markers. Oh and one other thing....... we were to make them both in 15 minutes ....... well I failed that big time. The stamps are from Simply Sent Kit - Simply Delights and the scroll from Baroque Motifs for one of the punched circles. I added additional texture by using Ruby Red to stamp word "You", 3 staples and ribbon along Sky Blue strip. Just to show that I did indeed make two cards here are the photographs. Images: (c) 1990-2008 Stampin' Up! (R) A...

Each year a fellow cardmaker organises a collection of cards that will be sold to raise money for The Haemophilia Foundation of NSW. I got into 'inspiration' mode today and made several cards to be donated- here are some I made. The first uses Fabulous Flowers (with Real Red ink) and the second Happy Christmas, Mate and I have watercoloured the images. Images: (c) 1990-2008 Stampin'Up! (r). Artwork: Margaret L Crawford

What do Baroque and Boronia have in common? Well they both start with "B". Here is a quick and simple card I have made using Baroque Motifs stamp set. Images: (c) 1990 - 2008 Stampin' Up! (r) Artwork: Margaret L Crawford The Australian wildflower Boronia has been a long time favourite and I took this photograph at Vision Valley where the retreat was held last weekend.

One challenge was to use the colours - Groovy Guava, Blush Blossom, So Saffron and Wild Wasabi. Here is my card, I used the stamp set "Pick a Petal". If you look closely you will see that I distressed the edge of each petal. Images:(C) 1990-2008 Stampin'Up(R) Artwork: Margaret L Crawford

This weekend I had 2 days of cardmarking and scrapbooking,with fellow members of The INKlings. I participated in a "card in a box"and this is the card I created. It is a very easy and quick card to make. I have used the star from stamp set Nursery Necessities, and Purely Pomegranate and Garden Green Inks. Simply stamp 1st star onto a Love Notes card and back of its matching envelope. Stamp 2nd star onto scrap paper and then punch out using Star Punch. Adhere already stamped image then stamp greeting. Done. I will post more photographs later. Images:(C) 1990-2008 Stampin' Up! (R) Artwork: Margaret L Crawford

Here is a card I have made for a friend's 13th birthday tomorrow. I have used the Classic Stars Wheel and yes the panel is on crooked - this was done on purpose. To embellish I used the large star punch and a now retired piece of patterned SU paper (this was the one I wanted to use as it was a masculine card) and several stamp sets - 'For You' from One of a Kind (from the current Spring Mini-catalogue, notice how the star covers the flower on this stamp!), Short Order Numbers and Calendar Cues. Jaydn - have a great year ahead and welcome to your teenage years. Images: (c) 1990-2008 Stampin' Up! (r) Artwork: Margaret L Crawford

What a great name for a stamp set - Think Happy Thoughts. On Saturday I am meeting some friends for lunch and I have made them this little package of chocolates. The chocolates are some I bought at Hong Kong airport and the covers are made using this wonderful set - I stamped the "Friendship" image and then used the 1 3/8" circle punch and the scallop punch and attached to the chocolates. I have use my new favourite Purely Pomegranate for the ink and ribbon. Enjoy! Images: (c) 1990-2008 Stampin' Up! (r) Artwork: Margaret L Crawford

It is raining in Sydney today. So I thought why not post some photographs I have taken of the beautiful Sunshine Coast. Now to scrapbook...