Ta-dah!...

Kia ora koutou

...Don't you just love a surprise?  I do :)  'Surprise' was the inspiration for this weeks Monday Card Class - 'Cards with a surprise'.

Open the card - Ta-dah!....

....A lovely bunch of flowers :)

I learnt how to make the inside of this card from a top 25 Demonstrator and she is also the lovely leading lady of Paper Angels - Liz Collett.  I can't remember who she learnt the technique from.  It is definitely the type of card that blows you away when you open it, just wonderful! And, the Monday Card Class ladies thought so too.

Stamps - Mixed Bunch, Hello Doily, Mixed Medley

Ink - Raspberry Ripple, Regal Rose

Card - White and Pink Basil

Accessories - Blossom Punch, 1" Circle Punch, 5mm Corner Punch, White Printer Copy Paper, Sponge, Mini Glue Dots, Rhinestones, Dimensionals.

Wonderful, simple balloon card - when you open it.....

Ta-dah!....

....Balloons pop-up :)

Had so much fun creating this card.  Got it from a tutorial on You Tube...there is so many pop-up possibilities - butterflies, stars, hearts, flowers...the list goes on!

Card - Blue, Black and White - Basil. Red, Green, Purple, Blue - Foil Mirror Card, Clear Acetate

Accessories - Sizzix Steel Rule Die - Balloons, White String, Silver Ribbon, Blue with Silver Happy Birthday Ribbon, 5mm Corner Punch, Red Double-Sided Tape.

Popular Purple....

There was no particular theme for our previous Monday Card Class, but the delectable, beautiful, bold purple card was inspiration enough for these wonderful creations :)

Pretty Purple Gift Box and Matching Card

Card - 

Accessories - Blossom Punch, Triple Bouquet Punch, 1" Circle Punch, 5mm Corner Punch, Lace Border Punch, Card Trimmer or Scorer, Silver Brads, Silver Ribbon, Red Double-Sided Tape, Dimensionals.

....And, staying with the lovely polka-dot embossed purple paper - I was asked to make a birthday card for an avid netball fan turning 18, she happens to love the colour purple :)

...The Paper Peacock Friday Challenge 

I love a surprise but I really love a challenge...Linda challenged us (loyal Friday cropper's) to make a card, it could be for any occasion, the cards will be judged by her husband Martin - the winning card will win a Kaisercraft Paper Pack.  I designed a card that would appeal to Martin (hopefully - fingers crossed), had a lot of fun creating this card, if it's not chosen - it's still a winner in my eyes :)

Loads of Love -Yellow Pick-up 

Stamps - Loads of Love, Border Banter, I {Heart} Hearts

Ink - Basic Black, Tangerine Tango, Real Red

Card - Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Sale-A-Bration DSP;  Sycamore Street

Accessories - Chevron Embossing Folder, Large Tag Punch, Fashionable Hearts Embosslits, Rhinestones, Dimensionals, Silver Brad, Twine.

...Sale-A-Bration

Sale-A-Bration finishes on 22nd March :(  So - come on!, take advantage of this fantastic promotion.  Free exclusive products for every $120 purchase.  Host a party, you can easily qualify for the free Silver Glimmer Paper pack and the choice of a free product + hostess rewards!  If you sign-up to be a Stampin' Up Demonstrator (active or just for the 20% discount on all products) you get to choose 25% more for your starting kit - in other words: Pay $189 for your starter kit = you choose $356 worth of products for your starter kit! You will also be joining a fantastic team and creating a career for yourself - win/win!!  

Thank you for having a squizz at my blog :)  Love it when you leave a comment...

Ka kite ano

BCH Stampin

What's Your Story?....

Kia ora koutou

...Often, people ask me how did I get into card-making?  Well - this is my story....

My son Xavier was two and a half years old when he was diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder - Autism.  My partner and I cried when we were told of his diagnosis....oh my god the grief - it was shocking, heartbreaking, feeling of uncertainty and hopelessness - our beautiful boy had been given a lifelong sentence of living with a disability :(

Thankfully he was diagnosed young, which meant we could seek help and give him a head start.  I enrolled him into Autism Queensland - Early Intervention Programme, it was a year long programme, two days a week, involving highly specialised teachers and therapists (speech, occupational), the whole enviroment - even the classrooms and playground were specially designed for children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), understandably the programme was expensive and the waiting list was long....
One lucky day, we got a phone call from Autism Queensland - they had a vacancy for Xavier at their Sunnybank premise (this meant a three hour round trip from where we lived).  We said yes and decided to move closer.

We moved to a suburb called Kingston in Logan.  It was affordable, close enough to my work and only 20 minutes away from Sunnybank. I was now in a new area and I wanted to meet the locals, so I went down the road to the local community center Kingston East Neighborhood Group. They were running several free programes for the community, I joined three of them - craft, sewing group and card making (it was the beginning of the end, lol).  This is where I fell in love with card making - the beautiful people I met, and the wonderful friendships made. The lovely lady Ursula (my mentor) was and still is teaching card making classes at KENG - she is also a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.  One of my friends in our card making group wanted to host a Stampin' Up! party for Ursula to demonstrate at and also to get the hostess benefits (free products and big discounts).  I went along and fell in love with the products, next minute (a few months later)...I have signed up - my intention was not to be an active demonstrator, just maintain the minimum quarterly sales so I could get the 20% discount on all Stampin' Up! products.

August 2012 we moved to New Zealand to live.  As a family we were not spending quality time together, Ryan (my partner, best friend, love of my life) and I were both working full-time - we were like two ships passing in the night.  Two days of the week our little whanau (family) would all get to spend time together, even though I was a zombie tired from work....it just wasn't enough! The turning point was when Ryan applied for a job in Christchurch New Zealand (our home town, where Ryan and I were both born).  He was accepted but had to be there asap, well that wasn't a possibility, but the thought of moving back to New Zealand and being close to whanau was very appealing.

Today...I am an active Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and loving it :) Xavier is excelling at life :)

Recently, my niece asked if I could do her a big favour at such short notice....next minute, I'm on Te Karere Maori News talking a little bit about Xavier and Autism and a teeny tiny bit about what I do with my time (Big Curly Hair Stampin).
In the beginning I didn't realise I would be asked about Xavier and his Autism until she interviewed me while filming, lol, so I was a bit under-prepared.  You will see my youngest son Bronson on there too :)

Click on this link -Te Karere Maori News to see my two minutes of fame, the interview is about 10 minutes in.



Here are some photo's of the interview

I designed a card inspired by Te Karere for the interview.

 For You - Te Karere

Stamps - Mixed Bunch, Pretty Petites (sale-a-bration)

Ink - Rich Razzleberry, Basic Black

Card - Whisper White, Sycamore Street DSP (sale-a-bration): Pool Party, Polka Dot Parade DSP: Rich Razzleberry

Accessories - Blossom Punch, Petite Curly Punch (sale-a-bration), 1" Circle Punch, Vine Street textured impressions embossing folder (sale-a-bration), Sycamore Street ribbons and button (sale-a-bration): Pool Party, Tangerine Tango, stapler, dimensionals.

Cards inspired by Sale-A-Bration and Clearance Rack

I (Heart) Hearts - Love Card

Okay, so I'm in love with the colour Rich Razzleberry...you will see it feature in many of my creations :)

Stamps - I (Heart) Hearts (clearance rack)

Ink - Rich Razzleberry

Card - Whisper White, Sycamore Street DSP (sale-a-bration): Tangerine Tango

Accessories - Vine Street textured impressions embossing folder (sale-a-bration), Heart Framelits, Sycamore Street ribbon and button (sale-a-bration):  Tangerine Tango, Rich Razzleberry, 1" Circle Punch, dimensionals.

 Sycamore Street Gate Fold Card

Love, love, love the bright, vibrant colours and patterns of Sycamore Street designer series paper from sale-a-bration...this cheerful card brightens my day and kicks the blues to the curb :)
Stamps - Mixed Bunch
Ink - Summer Starfruit
Card - Summer Starfruit, Whisper White, Sycamore Street DSP (sale-a-bration): Island Indigo, Rich Razzleberry, Vine Street pattern - Summer Starfruit, Rich Razzleberry, Island Indigo, Pool Party, Tangerine Tango
Accessories - Simply Scored, Blossom Punch, Sycamore Street ribbon and button (sale-a-bration): Island Indigo, Rich Razzleberry

 Vine Street - Love Card

Vine Street textured impressions from sale-a-bration - the star of this card.  The I (Heart) Hearts stamp is clear embossed, I am very pleased with the shiny effect - sadly, this photo doesn't do the card justice.

Stamp - I (Heart) Hearts (clearance rack)

Ink - Rich Razzleberry, Versamark

Card - Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Sycamore Street DSP (sale-a-bration):  Pool Party

Accessories - Vine Street textured impressions embossing folder (sale-a-bration), Hearts Framelits, Sycamore Street button and ribbon (sale-a-bration):  Pool Party, dimensionals.

....Well, I have arrived at the end of my 'What's Your Story?' post, thanks for joining my journey and reading my story - I would love it if you were to share your story....
Join me next time....I hope to post pics of my first scrapbook page :)

Ka kite ano

BCH Stampin