1 week till Christmas!!!!

O.K, seriously, where did that 12 weeks go???

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my customers and blog readers a safe and happy Christmas with their families. Don't forget to take lots of photos so you can have lots of fun scrapbooking in the New Year!!!!

Below is my last handmade Christmas card for the year. I have cased the lovely work of LeeAnn Greff for this one (Flowerbug's Inkspot). Here is her card:

And here is my take on it:

I have used our Holiday Treasures DS papers, a diecut self adhesive "bauble" from the I wish scrap kit and two of my favourite things: scallop circle punch and the Best Yet stamp set.

I hope you have enjoyed this 12 week count down and make sure you check out the Inventory Clerance sale if you haven't already, and get ready for Sale-a-bration starting Jan 25th!!!

Happy Stamping

Clearance Sale !!!!!!!

BIG NEWS !!!!!!!

Stampin' Up are having a clearance sale from tomorrow (15th Dec) till Jan 24th. There are some amazing bargains up for grabs! As you should know all Stampin' Up stamps produced from now on are die cut for super easy mounting onto blocks. While this transition has been coming in, they have been left with a heap of stamp sets that are still the old "square cut" style.

So, to clear this stock out to make way for all new die cut stamps, many of the sets that are in our current Idea book and catalogue have been reduced.

I anticipate many of these are going to sell fast. There are alphabet sets reduced from $77.95 to $38.98!!!!!

Contact me now to place your order. Please note, normal p&h charges apply and this promotion does not coincide with Sale-a-bration, that begins on Jan 25th.

The link to see the list of all the sale items is below:
www3.stampinup.com/au/documents/inventory_clearance_1209_AUNZ.pdf

Happy Stamping,

2 Weeks till Christmas!!!

O.K now it's getting close!!

For this week's post I decided to show you some presents I have made. Covering journals is a really easy thing to do and they look so great when they're done. They make a wonderful present when you want to achieve that personal touch.

For the "Susan" and "Kylie" journals I have used the gorgeous new DS papers from the Summer Mini Catalogue called Kaleidoscope. One of the 12x12 papers in this set include the gorgeous butterfly I have used here. I simply cut the image out and made it the main feature of the design. I have also used the papers to cover our chipboard letters, and used our spiral punch down the edge.

For the "Mrs V" journal I have used the DS papers called Sweet Always . For this example I also used a variety of our products to make up the flower embellishment including our Pretties Kit, Blooms die cuts, Filigree designer brads and a chocolate chip flower brad from the Spring Mini (now retired).

I hope this has inspired you to make some handmade gifts of your own!

Remember you still have time to make a last minute order for supplies. Also, a great gift for those hard to buy for is a Stampin Up Gift Voucher. Just send me an email letting me know how much you'd like a gift voucher for and I'll send one to you straight away.

Happy Stamping,

3 Weeks till Christmas

I think this might be the one stamp set I have used the most out of all my stamps!! Season Of Joy (pg 31 of catalogue) has so many ways that it can be used. When you are on a very tight budget, versatile stamp sets are very important!

This card may look involved but it was so easy to make. This is a basic 5" Real red square card with 16 small 1" squares cut out in Whisper White. Then I just stamped away, varying my colours and not worrying about how images lined up because I wanted a very random look. I then sponged around the edges of each square and adhered them to the card. You could easily add some ribbon or other brads/embellishments if you desired but I liked how the card looked left as it was.

Happy Stamping,

Summer Mini Catalogue is here!!!!

I'm so excited to introduce our new mini catalogue to you!!!! As sad as it was to see the end of the Spring Mini, it's always fun to have brand new products.
I'm busy making up new samples to show you all and have lots to share from our annual regional seminar.
If you are one of my current customers and on my mailing list you should either have your free copy of the Summer Mini already OR expect it to arrive in the next couple of days. If anyone has moved in the last 3 to 4 months you will need to send me your updated details.
I have more copies here looking for a home, so please don't hesitate to contact me if you would like a copy of your own OR alternatively you can click on the picture in the right side bar to view the catalogue online.

Happy Stamping,

4 weeks till Christmas

With only 4 weeks to go it's time to start decorating the house !!! Sure, you can go out and buy just about any decoration you can think of these days, they light up and play music....... BUT call me old fashioned, I prefer the old traditions of making your own paper chains and baubles. So in the 5 minutes I had tonight, between taking kids to dance classes, cooking tea and getting the washing off the line, I had a play and made a few things as you can see above.

No special tools or creativity required, just have some fun. It's economical too because you can use up all your scraps and leftover bits etc... I'm sure you can get a lot more advanced than these examples here. We're in for a hot weekend here, a good excuse to stay indoors with the kids and get creative.



Happy Stamping,

5 weeks till Christmas

Oh these 12 weeks have just vanished! Is it really only 5 to go???


Tomorrow I am off to Sydney for a day full of stamping fun at our annual regional training day. It is a whole day spent with a wonderful group of fellow Stampin' Up Demonstrators. We get a free stamp set that is as yet unreleased and usually make 3 or 4 projects using it. I always learn something new and have a lovely time catching up with everyone.


An optional feature of the day is swapping cards with each other. You can make as many or few as you want and you come home with lots of great samples from other demonstrators.
Below is the card I have made for this year, I have been busy stamping away and managed to make up 30 of these, so after tomorrow should have 30 different cards in return.







I have used my favourite Christmas paper this year, Ski Slope (only available till Nov 30th) and a strip of real read CS cut using our eyelet border punch. Then I wanted to create something a little different, and use stamps that are not specifically Christmas stamps. The Kiwi Kiss swirly leafy pattern is actually the seaweed image from our Ocean Commotion set. I have stamped this 3 times, using the Stamp-a-ma-jig to position it neatly in three different directions. The small red flower is a small flower from the Always set. Then I just finished it off with a greeting from the Best Yet stamp set from our Level 1 hostess gifts. It was quite a quick card to make in a production line (when you have 30 to make!!!).

Till next week,
Happy Stamping,

6 weeks till Christmas

Cute & quick projects!!! That's what we like. Especially this week when I'm flat out with no time to spare. This is just a fun little project that the kids can help do. I bought a big pkt of plastic pegs from a discount shop and then decorated them to use for hanging up your Xmas cards or adding decorations to your tree.

I used a small Christmas set called "Hung up on the holidays" (now retired), but you can use any images you like, and then simply punched the image out with a circle punch, layered this on a scalloped circle and then adhered it to the top of the peg. You could also add a magnet to the back!

I have packaged mine up in lots of 4 to be sold at a school fundraising stall. This was also quick and easy to do using our celophane bags and a little cardstock or DS paper folded and stapled along the top.

Before I go this week a quick update about the "Gift giving guide" promotion. If you do spend the $85, you now have the choice of EITHER a scallop square punch OR the "Boho Blossoms" punch. If you want further details please send me a comment or email.

Happy Stamping,

7 weeks till Christmas!

How fast are these weeks flying by??? Now that November is upon us there's lots to think about.

This is the LAST month for our Spring Mini Catalogue so if you haven't placed your orders already, time is running out.
I'm still hoping to add more members to my team while the "Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign" is on. Remember, not only will Stampin Up make a donation of $5 for every new demonstrator, but you will receive a free pink ink pad and pack of DS paper!!!!
Our new promotion is now on with our "GIFT GIVING GUIDE". Order $85 worth and receive a free scalloped square punch! See below for details.

Now for this week's sample. I have made up a small gift bag, inspired again from the wonderful Makeesha Byl. Some of my local customers will recognise this from workshops earlier in the year. I have adapted the design here for a Christmas theme. Please note the Ski Slope papers and scalloped oval punch used above are only available till the end of the month in the mini catalogue.

Materials used:
Carousel Notes , used 2 in Baja Breeze (page 131)
Real Red CS for box on inside of gift bag (can't see this in photo)
Ski Slope DS paper; Scallop oval punch; Real red grosgrain ribbon; jumbo eyelets; Real red ink pad;
Other: snail adhesive, cropodile to punch holes and set eyelets.

If you would like a link for a tutorial on how to make this project just post a comment or send me an email. Till next week,

Happy Stamping,

November Special

November is here and a new month means a new Stampin' Up Special for you! Some people are hard to buy for but this year Stampin' Up has a "gift giving guide" to help make it easier. The best part is if you purchase $85.00 worth from the guide, you will receive a scalloped square punch worth $30.95 absolutely free!!!!

Click on http://www3.stampinup.com/au/documents/Holiday_Extravaganza_GGG_AU_1009.pdf

to see the flyer in full.

This offer is only available till Dec 14th so get in quick so you don't miss out.

Happy Stamping,

8 Weeks to Christmas

This week I have a very easy project for you all, making gift card holders. These days you can purchase gift cards just about everywhere and they make a very easy present for those "hard to buy for". Below are two holders I made up in hardly any time at all, which are the sort of projects we need at this busy time of year!


The holders open up by untying the ribbon, and inside is a middle flap where the gift card slides into. You also have plenty of room to write on the inside so it becomes a card as well.


You can find a tutorial for this project (and the place I find a lot of my inspiration) over at Makeesha Byl's blog. A link to her blog is on my side bar. Once at her site if you scroll down you will find "Make it Monday" Tutorials and under this is "Gift Card Holders". There are actually 3 different types, the one I used above is the third tutorial. You will notice that I chose to use Designer series paper etc for my decorations, rather than a Stampin Around Wheel. This meant my entire project was actually Stamp and ink free to make it an even quicker project.

The materials list for my designs are:
Cardstock: Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red & Whisper White.
DS Paper: Ski Slope (from Spring Mini-only available till end of Nov)
Ribbons: Riding Hood Red Taffeta & Kiwi Kiss Satin.
Other: Self Adhesive diecut embellishments from "I wish" Simply Scrappin Kit; Scallop Circle punch; 1 3/8" circle punch; Sticky Strip & Snail Adhesives; paper cutter.

I hope you have enjoyed this week's Christmas project.
Happy Stamping,

9 weeks till Christmas

Join My Team!!!!!!!!

For this week's count down to Christmas I wanted to highlight the present you can give to yourself- Becoming a Stampin' Up Demonstrator!!!!!

Now is the best time to join my team "The Fine Prints" because not only do you receive all your normal benefits from being a demonstrator, but if you join between 1st October and 31st December, Stampin' Up will donate $5 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation AND you will receive both a free pack of Raspberry Tart Designer Series Paper and a Pretty In Pink Classic Stampin' Pad to help you get started.

There are many other reasons why this time of year is a great time to join, please send me an email if you are interested to hear more and I will be happy to send you a free info pack.

Happy Stamping,

10 weeks to Christmas!!!

Hi stampers, yes now only 10 weeks to Christmas. And this week I have a product to highlight from our fantastic range. The Simply Scrappin' kits are great value and have so many uses. Not only are they a must for scrapbookers but they can be used to make quick and easy cards, gift tags, gift bags etc... Here is a picture of some of the samples you could make using our "I wish" kit with it's Christmas theme.


The kit is only $36.95 and for this you get 8 sheets of textured 12"x12" cardstock, 6 sheets of exclusive double sided Designer Series paper and 6 sheets of exclusive, self-adhesive die cuts. Below are 2 simple 3"x3" gift cards I whipped up in a few minutes. All I needed was my paper cutter to cut out the 3" cards from the textured cardstock then I just peeled and attached the die cut pieces. The only thing used not already in the kit was a red rhinestone brad. Too easy.


Don't forget our October specials. Scroll down to previous posts for all the details. Time is running out.

Till next week,
Happy Stamping,

11 weeks to Christmas !!!

Yes, one week has finished already, only 11 weeks till Christmas now! I'm cheating today with a card I actually made last year. From memory this was cased from another demonstrator but as it was 12 months ago I can't remember who. It was one of my favourites so I really wanted to share it with you. It's school holidays here and while that should mean more time for stamping, I am away from home for a week so have left all my stamping gear behind.

This card features a very easy technique where you create a collage of images to make what looks like your own patterned paper. It's very quick as the placement of each stamped image isn't important. For the "very merry" greeting at the bottom I have used my oval punches to create the layered image and this is actually adhered to the inside of the card. I have then lined up the oval punch on the front of the card so you can see the words through the "window".

This is a useful technique because it adds decoration and the greeting to both the front and inside of your card at the same time.



Don't forget our October specials. Please scroll down to the previous posts for all the details. Stampin' Up have the World Card Making Day promo, and I have my product bundle special that you can order for this month only.

Happy Stamping,

Celebrating World Card Making Day

During October Stampin' Up are celebrating World Card Making Day NOT just for a day, BUT for the whole month. The special offer for this month is if you buy a Simply Sent Card Elements Kit you can buy the coordinating stamp set at 20% off !!!

These kits are featured on pages 140 and 141 in the Idea Book and Catalogue. You can click on the image on the side bar to see the online catalogue.

If you like you can mix and match the kits and stamp sets. That is, buy the "flower power" elements kit for $30.95, but instead of getting the matching stamp set "Wow Flowers", you may prefer "Starring You", these become $19.96 at the discounted 20% off price. Just let me know in your email when you order which kits and stamp sets you are getting. There is no limit to this offer. Buy 3 kits, get 3 stamp sets at 20% off.

This month we also have a promotion with joining Stampin Up (I'll give you more details about that soon) and of course I have my own special as outlined in the post below. Lots happening in October . I look forward to hearing from you all soon.

Happy Stamping,

12 weeks of Christmas!!!!!

To get over the scary thought that it is ONLY 12 weeks till Christmas, I thought I would start counting down in a fun way instead. Over the next 12 weeks I will be showing you lots of Christmas card ideas, gift ideas, and putting together lots of great packages to purchase along the way with great savings for you!

So, for this our first week (or week 12 of our countdown), I have made the card above which was very quick and easy. This is for those of us who like to make their own Xmas cards with a minimal of fuss. The best way to do this is come up with just 1 or 2 designs that are easy to churn out in a production line style. It is then easy to make a whole stack of cards in no time at all.

For this card I have used patterned papers from Bella Rose and the coordinating colours Riding hood red and Kiwi Kiss. The greeting is from the Level 1 hostess stamp set Best Yet. You might not have considered the Bella Rose papers as Christmas paper before, but if you have a closer look at them they lend themselves very nicely to the season.

My Special Offer For You

I have put together the following bundle which includes many of the items I used in the card above:

1/2 pkt Bella Rose Patterned Paper (1 sheet of each 6 double sided designs)

1/4 spool Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon (approx 2.28m)

1/4 spool Kiwi Kiss Satin Ribbon (approx 2.28m) (This ribbon has Very vanilla on the other side)

10 sheets of Whisper White A4 Cardstock (enough to make 20 cards)

20 Whisper White envelopes

Total Price $25.00

Optional add ons: Riding Hood Red Ink pad $11.95 ; Kiwi Kiss Ink Pad $11.95; Scalloped Oval punch $30.95; Oval punch $30.95.

Purchase the bundle and the add ons for the bargain price of $100 AND receive FREE P&H !!!!!

(You can substitute an item of the same value in the add ons if you wish, just email me and let me know what you'd like to get instead!) This offer is only available until Oct 31st from me. See contact details on the side bar.

Happy Stamping,

Teenage Boy Grunge

Today I wanted to challenge myself to create a card for a teenager. I don't own any of our sport themed sets and while our "Seaworthy" set is great for males with it's surfer image and boats etc, I wanted more of a "grunge" look to the card.

I have used chocolate chip and pacific point for my colour scheme and threw in some hodgepodge hardware and hemp twine to continue the masculine look.




The stamps used are Sanded for the background, two of the circle images from Circle circus and the seaweed image from Ocean Commotion. I have also sponged around the edges. Even though I have used quite a few products for this card, it was still nice and quick to create.

Happy Stamping,

Free Ribbon Anyone????

Spring is finally here and with it is a brand new promotion for you. All you need to do is place an order of $100 or more and you will automatically receive these 2 spools of ribbon absolutely FREE !!! Imagine all the lovely spring scrapbook layouts you will be able to create with these gorgeous spring colours.

You will receive one roll of So saffron grosgrain ribbon, (9.1m and 5/8" wide) AND one roll of Certainly Celery Poly-twill ribbon, (9.1m and 5/8" wide).

This offer is only available until Sept 30th and these ribbons are not available in the current catalogues. You can place an order with me anytime by sending me an email (see my contact details) and orders can be sent to anywhere in Australia.

Don't forget our gorgeous SPRING MINI CATALOGUE. If you haven't already got a copy of your own please contact me and I will get one to you. Orders can be placed from both the Spring Mini and the normal 09/10 Idea Book and catalogue. See the links on the side if you wish to see these catalogues online.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Happy Stamping,

Home Decor

Today I thought I would share with you a project I made a while ago. I had bought some occasional tables at a second hand shop and wanted to decorate them. Painting them blue was easy enough but I wanted something a little more decorative. What was I going to do???? Use Rub Ons of course!!!! It was so easy to do and I was so happy with the results. I have combined different images from different rub on sets depending on their size and what looked the best. What do you think?

Happy Stamping,

Thank you

Hi everyone,

Just a quick post today to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has been on here and checked out my blog and especially to those who have left comments. It is really appreciated.

So here is a Thank you card. I can't use this "Great Friend" set enough! That butterfly is just beautiful! I have teamed it up with the "Haiku" DS papers and a rub on for the "thank you" from the Fashion District rub ons. Then it's just coordinating cardstocks, scalloped punched borders and a little sponging around the edges.





Happy Stamping,

Finding Inspiration

Hi everyone,
Of all places to find inspiration, I was doing the dishes and water splashed on the floor. I reached for my paper towels to clean it up and voila! I thought how great that would look on a card!!! I know, I know, some people will do anything to get out of housework!

So here is a photo of the "inspiring" paper towel and below that is the card I came up with.

I first stamped the swirl pattern from "Baroque Motifs" repeatedly around a piece of white CS, then ran this through my crimper ( a great tool I might add). I actually ran it through a couple of different directions to try and get the more textured look like the paper towel.

The rest of the card was very easy just adding the ribbon and punched out greeting. Simple but effective. Leave me a comment and tell me what you think.

Happy Stamping,

Father's Day Card

O.K, so here is a "guy" card using the layout from the last post as inspiration. Scroll down to read the last post if you haven't already so this all makes sense!

All I have done is made my stamped image a wider strip and centered the other image below it, but otherwise you can see the similarities. I have used the "Trendy Trees" stamp set for this one and trust me when I say you have to use a "Stamp-a-ma-jig" with this set unless you want very wonky looking trees!! The sentiment is from the "Greetings Eight" stamp set which is perfect for Father's Day cards. I couldn't go past 2 of my favourite colours, Chocolate Chip and Kiwi Kiss on this one. I've added a bit of sponging around the edges too to give it a bit more of a masculine look. Hope you like it.