Fiona stamps ...: March 2010

Hi and welcome to my post for our Autumn Mini Blog Hop! You might have just arrived from Kerry's lovely blog, hope you are enjoying our projects! Read on to find out how you can enter to win some blog candy!

I recently "made-over" our study with some de-cluttering, a fresh coat of paint and some rearranging of furniture. Before I painted, this room was a badly-painted icky yellow with green trim, and it was only the sheer volume of furniture in this room that put us off painting until now. I painted with Dulux "Puppy" but used Wattyl i.d. paint (low-VOC). This colour works so well with our timber furniture, especially our sideboard and piano.

"What does all this have to do with Stampin' Up! ?" You ask .... well ... after I had put up some artwork and framed some lovely old sheet music to hang over the piano I still had a blank spot over the sideboard. Having spent $$$ on paint, a new blind, and a new bookcase I really didn't want to spend any more money. But I wanted something cream-coloured and a bit 3D.

And then my Big Shot arrived in the mail! Woohoo! I've always wanted something to cut large leaf shapes so the Leaves #2 was the first die I ordered when Stampin' Up! demonstrators could pre-order from the new Autumn Mini. I pulled out some Very Vanilla cardstock and got busy cutting lots of maple and oak leaves. Then I cut a large donut shape (I traced a large plate and then a smaller plate inside) and started adhering the leaves, overlapping until they covered the donut shape.

At this stage it was looking good, but not quite what I had in mind. So I cut more leaf shapes and this time curled each one around a pencil for that "just fallen from the tree" look, and adhered them carefully to the wreath. Finally I used the Extra-Large Two-Step Bird Punch to punch some leaves and a bird and adhered those leaves around the edges of the wreath. (Loving the new style of Stampin' Up! punches!)

Fortunately I had a nail sticking out from the wall where we used to hang a picture and I've just hung the wreath on that, with the bird blu-tacked to the wall in the centre. I love that it is monochrome and therefore you can really see the light and shadows, it looks a bit like those expensive lazer-cut wall features you see in magazines! But I'm also thinking I might make another one in Autumn colours one day soon!

Total time taken: less than 30 minutes
Cost (using what I had): FREE!

And now for some exciting news for YOU: We are offering 2 lucky visitors the opportunity to win some ‘Blog Candy’ this time around. There are a few things you must do to be eligible and they are:

1. You must leave a comment on every blog in the tour. Please also leave your full name with the comment.

2. After leaving your comments, you need to email Kerry and inform her you have done so and would like to be in the running for the blog candy.

**Blog candy is available to residents in Australia only. Entry is open till midnight April 5th. Demonstrators are welcome to participate.

Well, that’s all from me. I hope you left your comment to be in with a chance at the ‘Blog Candy’. Now you’re off to enjoy the wonderful creations of Teneale. (Click here to go to the next step of the blog hop!)

Thanks for stopping by!

If you happen to lose your way here’s a list of all participants:

1. Juliette Chapman http://juleskraftikrafts.blogspot.com

2. Sue Dean http://www.addictedstampers.com.au

3. Meighan Wheller http://meighanwheller.blogspot.com

4. Chary Belfield http://charybelfield.wordpress.com

5. Nikki Stalker http://www.nicolestalker.com.au/blog

6. Sharon Wilson http://shaz.argyle.com.au/blog/index.php

7. Kirrily Matthews http://kirrilymatthews.blogspot.com

8. Rob Irving http://www.stampingitout.com

9. Sally Williams http://www.sallycancraft.com

10. Kerry Bunting http://www.kbpapercraft.blogspot.com