Swap-bot Mini Album

Here is the photo you have been waiting for patient readers!  It’s the mini album I made of my swap-bot goodies so far.

I’ve used bits and pieces from my stash, recycled some things (the front and back covers came from a 6×6 album box) and added in things I’ve received in swaps like; postcards, sb papers, notes and pen pal letters, stickers, buttons etc.  I absolutely love it!  I’ve been wanting to make a mini album for ages that included all different size pages and was a bit eclectic and collagie (I know – not a real word).  It’s nice to be able to leave the album out to flick through every now and again and it’s a great way to display stuff you wouldn’t normally display.  I’m so happy with how it’s turned out so far and of course it’s a work in progress as I’ll keep adding things to it.  So what do you think?  Have you checked out swap-bot yet?  You know you really should – it’s totally awesome!

mwah

Kris

Handmade Christmas Ornament Swap

Hi folks

Well I’m still having a ball on Swap-bot getting and sending lots of lovely snail mail!  I have just created a swap for handmade Christmas ornaments, this is my first time hosting so I’m very excited.  This is an Aussies only one (sorry gals) to save postage costs and we will have two partners each.  It’s fairly simple and straightforward so if you want to join in hop along to swap-bot go to my profile under krismakes and look under hosting swaps.  You will need to be a member of swap-bot to join in though!  I will post photos once swaps are received.

Oh and yesterday I made a mini album for all my swap-bot goodies.  I love it, it’s like a great big collage!  I will take a photo today and stick it in this post so stay tuned.  Edit:: will post separately!!!!

hugs

Kris

Swap-bot, new Tim Holts & a day off!

Phew this working full time is just not for me ha ha.  I haven’t had much time or energy for crafting these last couple of weeks.  I did have yesterday off as in Victoria it was a public holiday for the Melbourne Cup.  Though I didn’t place a bet I loved watching the news and seeing all the vibrant colours of the jockeys uniforms and the beautiful dresses and hats worn by the ladies.  It made me want to be there!  Maybe next year?  The winner is below in orange and black, the horse was Shocking!  Not literally, it was just a regular racehorse lol.

photo courtesy theage.com.au

So having the day off I though I would get heaps of crafting done but alas that was not the case.  I did however unpack my lastet order from Kaszazz with was over $250 worth of goodies just for me!  You see one of my workshop submission had finally been added online and I had a $250 voucher burning a large hole in my pocket.  And I decided to take active leave for November and December which means I still get all my bonuses and benefits but don’t have to put any sales in.  Kind of like a holiday.  Of course if there’s anything I need or anyone else needs I can still order which is great to know.  So my plan for these two months is to play play play.  I got lots of gorgeous products including more design adhesives ( I am addicted), new glitters, embossing powders, stamps, rollergraphs, distress inkpads, paint dabbers and of course I had to get the new products from Range & Tim Holtz – Distress Stickles in Brushed Pewter, Tarnished Brass, Rock Candy, Picket Fence and the the new Distress Crackle Paint in Rock Candy!

I don’t think we got the Antiqued Copper…?

This stuff looks amazing, check out the tag Tim made below.  I cannot wait to try out all these lovely goodies.  These are all NEW from the last big convention in the USA and I’m so thrilled that Kaszazz has got them straight away!  And of course everything I bought was at the new cheaper prices – BONUS!!!!!  Email me if you need a price update sheet krismarr(at)iprimus(dot)com(dot)au

All images from Tim Holtz blog, go check it out for more info but I will do a post as soon as I have had a good play with these products.

So what else did I do on my day off?  Well I have recently found a great site that will hopefully make my snail mail dreams come true.  It’s called swap-bot and it’s for people to connect and swap all sorts of lovely goodies including hand made items, postcards, pen pal letters, craft supplies and lots more.  So yesterday I wrote letters, made gifts and packaged up a whole lotta love to send out.  It is so much fun sending surprises and even better receiving mail.  It’s kind of addictive so I’m trying to pace myself.  I plan to host some swaps soon so when I do I’ll post about them here.  I hope to get a few more regional (Aussie only) posts going as postage charges can be a bit exy for overseas parcels especially when most people are on a budget these days.  Go check out swap-bot if you love getting real mail!

happy times

Kris

Embossed Christmas Cards

Well boys and girls it’s not too early to start making your Christmas cards!  I’ve been having a little play with some simple designs that I can whip up bulk style to cover all the card sending needs this Christmas.  Ahem not like last year when I didn’t make any…I know it’s unbeleivable isn’t it?  These three cards are all embossed and I’ve used distress inks on the base card with our new swirl stamp which is becoming a sure favorite.

This first card I’ve used Verdigris embossing powder on the design adhesives (yes you can use them that way too – they are amazing).  The colours of the card is all wrong so I need to use the verdigris on something else but it is a beautiful finish, it’s a bit hard to see in the photo but the powder has greens and golds in it which melt together to give a lovely pattina.

These two are just embossed with the gold ep.  They look quite pretty for a quick and simple card.  I think I’m onto a winner with these two.  So will you be making your own cards to send out this Christmas?  Do you even send cards?  I love receiving mail, it can really brighten your day so now I’ll take any excuse or holiday to post something out!

Happy Holidays (almost)

Kris

Blog Wars and cheaper Kaszazz products!

Hiya folks!

Today I have some cards to share with you that I made for the Blog War Challenge a week or so ago that I never got to post.  The Challenge was glitter and double sided sticker paper (jac paper).  Now I thought it would be a great opportunity to buy some of the new glitters that Kaszazz has brought out and to use them with the new Design Adhesives.  If you haven’t heard of Design Adhesives they are essentially a double sided sticky image, many of them are in our much loved rollergraph designs and there’s a few new ones too.  You get four sheets of them in a pack and most designs can be cut up to use individually which makes them terrific value.  I am really into these little beauties!

I bought two of the new glitters and let me tell you they are SPARKLY!  I got Sparkling Amethyst a dazzling, vibrant pinky purple and Peridot a knock-your-socks-off bright green.  The colours are so rich that I can’t wait to add more to my collection – especially now the price has been reduced!  Yes you read that right, don’t adjust your computer screens it is not a misprint ha ha.  Due to a few reasons Kaszazz has LOWERED the price on many products including glitters, design adhesives, embossing powders, ink pads, ribbons and lots more.  It mostly the things that come from the USA as our dollar is performing so superbly.  You will be happy to know that now as well as great service from your consultant you can get products that are on par or cheaper than the shops and on line.  How awesome is that?  Makes my job even easier not to mention more spare change for me to spend on more product!  If you need a copy of the new prices please drop me a line to krismarr(at)iprimus(dot)com(dot)au and i’ll email it to you pronto.

Okay now on to the cards…

Aren’t these the most happy shiny Christmas cards you’ve ever seen?  It was a bit hard to get the detail and sparkles in the photo but you get the jist of it.  I love the bright fun colours, something a little different for Christmas cards eh?  So what do you think?  Love them?  Too bright?  Do you like traditional cards or modern when it comes to Christmas?  I like them all really but using different colours is a nice change.

aurevoir

Kris

Design Adhesive Clear Cards

I’m back!  And with some awesome cards to show you too.  Last Kaszazz training we toddled off to Oxley, just outside of Wangaratta for a change of scenery.  Juene was our lovely host and she made some divine treats for us along the lines of jelly slice (my fave), hedgehog and trifle, gosh we were spoilt.  We had a play with the new design adhesives as some of the gals hadn’t used them yet so we chose a new workshop by Naomi Elliott (2H409 Daisy Design Adhesive Cards).  I love these cards, they are actually quite simple to whip up but look amazing.  I am becoming a big fan of these design adhesives, so far I have bought five different ones, I just can’t stop!

Aren’t they cute?  These would make a lovely little card to give to a friend on her birthday, actually since there is no specific sentiment so you could use them for any occasion.  Sometimes it’s nice to send a card “just because”.  That Naomi is quite the innovator, her work gives me so much inspiration, she is always coming up with new ideas and alternative ways to use products.  Thanks Naomi!

cheerio for now folks, I hope to be posting a bit more this week

Kris

Hanging page, Ergo Updates & Paperific!

Well lucky me I had yesterday off making it a long weekend – don’t you just love those?  Unfortunately it does mean I have to work Wednesday (woe is me you say!).

I just wanted to do a quick update for Devin and anyone else wondering how the Ergorapido was going.  Is it weird to be in love with your vacuum?  I have been zipping it out for little spot cleans here and there and I keep waiting for the novelty to wear off!  I think this is a fantastic machine.  I’ve done quick floor going overs in the kitchen/lounge for that after-weekend tidy and I used it in my scrap studio twice.  It’s fantastic to be able to quickly suck up all those tiny bits of paper and I detached the small hand held and used it directly on my work bench.  So much easier than dragging out a big vacuum just to do one room.  So all in all I can highly recommend it.  Easy to use, easy to empty, just plain easy

Last night I taught the 2H223 12×12 Chipboard Wall Hanger workshop to some lovely gals in Numurkah and they all picked different papers and colours to use.  I wish I had taken a photo of them all because every single one looked amazing.  Here is my version.

I just love that blue dots paper from the Kaszazz Flourish line.  Actually all the papers in that line are gorgeous, you can check them out in the catalogue on page 34.   I should start using them more often methinks!  The photos I used are of James and myself trying to get a “decent” photo together; you know the ones where he smiles in one while you are frowning and in the next you’re sittin’ pretty and he’s got a goofy look on his face!  Sometimes it’s very hard work to get that perfect shot – but you end up with lots of fun ones along the way.

I have exciting news to share – I am going to be at Paperific in Melbourne this November working at the Kaszazz stand!  Paperific is a massive craft fair focusing on, yep you guessed it – paper crafts.  I haven’t had the chance to attend one yet so this will be a doubly (is that a word?) exciting affair.  It’s going to be fabulous because Kaszazz have just brought out a very special offer for new consultants – an extra $200 worth of current product for FREE when they join – that’s HUGE.  So it will be a great opportunity for people to come and check it all out.  I can’t wait.  I’ll give you more details about the special joining offer and Paperific very soon, but if you can’t wait drop me a line at krismarr(at)iprimus(dot)com(dot)au now.

Have a great week peeps!

Kris

Kissing Cards – stamp technique

Well I did say I would show you these kissing cards…and here they FINALLY are!  I’m actually sheduling this post as I have a big weekend ahead; my cousin and Aunt are coming to Shep this weekend and we are catching up for lunch on Saturday, then in the afternoon James, myself and our friends are going to the Annual Shepparton Show – I love it, the food, the rides, the animals, the atmosphere, then Sunday we are catching up with some of my old uni friends for lunch.  Oh and I’m going to a Body Shop party Friday night.  Phew I don’t think I’ve ever packed so much in one weekend!  One thing I am going to insist upon is taking lots of photos.  So tell me about your plans for the weekend?  Relaxing…busy…working?(I hope not!)

This is another of Naomi Elliot’s workshops for Kaszazz, did I tell you how clever she is?  Well she is!  Naomi is a great inspiration to me and hundreds of other consultants too I am sure.  Can I just say I absolutely lurve these cards, the colours, the technique, the stamps – it’s all just perfect.  And you would be surprised how easy they are to make.  Seriously!  If you’re interested in learning this technique drop me a line krismarr(at)iprimus(dot)com(dot)au and don’t forget if you are on your own please let me know and I can arrange a class at my place.

“kisses”

Kris

P.S. I’m working on my own workshop featuring the new Design Adhesives so stay tuned!

shiny new things

Well it’s been a fantabulous week for spoiling myself.  Take a look at these goodies…

1. My new mobile; it’s a 6700 Classic Nokia.  My old XpressMusic was dying and the contract was almost up so the nice people at Virgin Mobile waived the small payout fee left and sent me this beauty on Monday.  I have to say I have been with Virgin for umm about 4 or 5 years now and they are great.  I’ve never had any issues, the people are nice and helpful and I’ve had coverage in places where James’  Telstra network hasn’t.  Anyhoo the 6700 is a nice, simple phone as I don’t really use my mobile much except for messaging and the occasional call.  It has a 5 megapixel camera which is quite good compared to the other phones out there.  Now I just need to load up on some groovy ringtones!

2. I finally bought something off madeit.com.au the aussie version of etsy.  I had earmarked these two as favorites for a while and they arrived in my letterbox on Tuesday.  I love them love them love them.  Did I mention how much I love them?  How pretty are those earings?  And how cool is the necklace – it’s perfect for me being as indecisive as I am hee hee.  I got them from Gillian at Eclectic moi and she was so helpful and prompt sending my goodies.  They arrive in lovely packaging and with a few little surprises.  I can highly reccomend Gillian as a seller.  Go check out her jewelry, it’s all so exquisite and her photos are wayyy better than mine.  And yes I will be buying more!

3. Now some of you may not see the excitement in this one but I’ve never been happier to do the vacuuming!  A week or two ago my old vac broke (yes I have been living with dust bunnies everywhere) and Wednesday I bit the bullet and bought a new one…..ermmm…two.  Yes I bough two vacuums but wait let me explain!  I had been thinking about getting a little dust buster type thing for those inbetween vacuums, you know the scenario; visitors on their way and no time to drag out the big vacuum or your partner wore his work boots inside and now there’s little dirt piles here and there…need I go on?  So that’s why I bought the Ergorapido – fancy name huh?  It’s pretty cool as it has a detachable hand held on it too.  I will have to report back on it’s performance as it’s busy charging before it’s first use.

Now the Miele Cat and Dog is awesome!  I had to have a lot of therapy to overcome my fears of spending so much on a vacuum but I reasoned that since the housework needs to be done why not have decent tools?  I used it as soon as I got it home yesterday and whoa does that thing SUCK!  I nearly did my shoulder in trying to vac the carpet but luckily there is a power adjustment for different jobs.  My floors have never been so clean (well they still need a wash but you know what I mean right?).  I love my vacuum.  Did I just say that?  And I have to say that the most pleasant customer service experience during this adventure was at Harvey Norman with a lovely staff member called Richard, which is where I ended up purchasing both vac’s.  The other two sales people I dealt with (at Retravision and Godfreys) could really do with some polishing of their customer service skills.  I had to mention this as I am big on customer service (after working in retail many years) and bad service is a real bone of contention with me.  So if you want a new vac go see Richard at Harvey Norman Shepparton!!!

4. Oh I almost forgot I got a new haircut too

I got a little arty with the photo!  I know not exactly a craft post but hey I never said this blog was exclusive lol!  So have you spoilt yourself lately?  Are you also in love with your vacuum?  Do you also loathe bad customer service?  Received any good service lately?  I want to hear all about it – leave me a comment below.

Happy Friday

Kris

Weekend Workshops

Hey there how’s everyone’s week going?   It’s my day off tomorrow, oh yeah baby….sorry to rub it in like that

On the weekend I spent some time making up some Kaszazz workshop samples with a couple of other consultants.  We had so much fun and just talked and talked and talked.  I can’t wait to do it again ladies!   The first workshop we did was Distress Spritz and Shimmer Cards 2H171 and I did it in both colour ways which got a tad confusing at times but was worth it as they are both just gorgeous.  This workshop uses a few different techniques that we hadn’t tried before – harnessing the awesome power of the mini mister lol!  It really is amazing what that teeny tiny little spray bottle can do.

Aren’t they pretty cards?  If you’re interested in booking this workshop feel free to drop me a line at krismarr(at)iprimus(dot)com(dot)au.  Also any lonesome card makers out there don’t be afraid to let me know and I can organize a workshop at my home.

The second workshop we did was a new Christmas card one 2H365 Flourish Christmas Cards – yep folks it’s not that far away you know.  It’s around this time of year that Christmas starts creeping up on you and if you don’t start organizing yourself now…well it’s at your own peril really hee hee!

I really like the simplicity of these cards, they are great for beginners.  We used two different types of inks which is actually quite unusual for a workshop but both colours look fantastic.

I’ll be back soon with some photos of a cute kissing cards workshop I did on Sunday, they are way cool!!!  I’m off to cook a tuna pasta bake for dinner, mmmm.  Oh and Clemantyne wanted to stop by and say “hi”.

scrap happy

Kris