Pretty - n - Ink

Contact Details

2010-10-21T04:25:00.000-07:00

Hi there! As you can see I'm a very neglectful blogger. Life in general keeps me busy but please know that while I neglect my blog, I'm putting my time and energy into my family, friends, workshops and classes. I'm still a very active Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and can be reached by email on stampingkatie@hotmail.com for any orders, workshop bookings, or just to say hi! I always love hearing from you! Happy Stamping!

SALEABRATION, Summer Mini and Classes for February 2010

2010-02-10T03:49:00.000-08:00

Sale-a-Bration Hi everyone!!! It's Sale-a-bration time again at Stampin' Up!, and that means fresh ideas, and free stamps!! Every year Stampin' Up! gives customers, hostesses, and new demonstrators the opportunity to receive fantastic, FREE, limited-edition stamps they'll enjoy for years to come. Here's how Sale-a-bration works:

Spend: When you spend $100 on Stampin' Up! products (from either the main catalogue, and or the Summer Mini) you'll receive a free Sale-a-bration stamp set - and there are 4 different sets to choose from. There's no limit--for every $100 you spend, you can select another FREE Sale-a-bration stamp set!

Host: When you host a workshop of at least $600 (before shipping), you'll receive a free Sale-a-bration stamp set in addition to all of the regular hostess benefits!

Join: During Sale-a-bration, anyone who joins as a demonstrator can choose any stamp set--a value of up to $79.95--from our current Idea Book and Catalogue or Summer Mini Catalogue. Please feel free to contact me if you'd like to join my Pretty-n-Ink team!

Sale-a-bration is running till the END OF MARCH, so there is still time to book your workshop. If you don't have time for a workshop, you can place your order with me anytime before March 31st to receive your FREE set. You can view the gorgeous Sale-a-bration stamp sets when you click here.

Summer Mini Catalogue
The summer mini is FULL of gorgeous new products - my favourite being the Sweet Treat Cups and matching stamp set, Something Sweet on pages 8-9. Don't forget to check out my other favourite on page 12, Butterfly Prints with a matching butterfly punch! And if you love tools as much as I do, then make sure you look out for the Circle Scissor Plus on page 22. You can view this mini online or I can send one to you in the mail. Just let me know! This mini finishes on March 31st so make sure you place your orders before then.

Help Haiti

From now until 28 February, 2010, you can partner with Stampin' Up! to make a difference in the lives of those who continue to suffer from the effects of this devastating earthquake. Stampin' Up! will set aside $2 from the sale of every I {Heart} Hearts stamp set and donate that money to the American Red Cross' Haiti Relief and Development Fund. So far, there have been more than 7500 sets sold worldwide in support of this cause. This money will be used to provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need.

Stamp-a-Stack

Stamp a Stacks are back, kicking off the new year with a birthday theme, both in feminine and masculine styles. This class is scheduled for Tuesday March 2nd, starting at 7:30 PM. The cost is $20, which is includes all products needed to make 10 cards, 5 each of 2 designs. These classes are highly popular, so please email to book your spot at my craft table soon.

This class can be repeated for personal craft groups. The minimum amount for these classes is 5 people and maximum is 8. Please contact me to arrange a suitable time for your group.

Technique Class
The technique classes are back this year as well. I have a pile of new techniques to show you in the coming months. In each technique class you'll make 1 - 6"x6" scrapbook page, 1 - regular sized card and 1 - gift card. The cost is $17 which covers all the materials used in class, plus an addition to add to your technique books (if you're keeping those at home). February's technique is the much requested Punch Art! This class will be held on Thursday February 25th, 7:30 PM. Please call or email me to book your place at my craft table.

This class can be repeated for personal craft groups. The minimum amount for these classes is 5 people and maximum is 8. Please contact me to arrange a suitable time for your group.

Happy Stamping!

2009-10-15T19:24:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Again I need to apoligse for my lack of blogging. I put my time and energy into my workshops and classes, friendships and family, therefore my blogging gets put on the back burner most of the time. Sorry! If ever you want to know whats happening with classes or any SU specials, then please feel free to email me at any time. I love hearing from you!

SAS - As we all know, Christmas is just around the corner. Christmas themed workshops are in full swing at the moment. I've come up with a Stamp a Stack (SAS) that will help you along with those preparations for the silly season. I'm holding this class on 2 nights, Thursday October 22nd and Friday October 23rd. In this class you'll make 10 cards, 5 each of the 2 designs you see in the picture on the right. The cost is $20, all materials are provided and both classes start at 7:30 pm. Please email or call me soon to book your place at my craft table. Come along and get in the mood for Christmas and make some cards!

August Classes and Stampin' Up! Spring Mini

2009-08-13T22:49:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Wow! I'm on the blog within a month from my last post. I'm on a roll! I just wanted to let you know that I'm starting up the Christmas themed Stamp a Stack (SAS) classes in the lead up to December 25th. My goal is to offer a class each month until November, so by the time the silly season is upon us, you'll have 40 cards ready to mail. SO, the first class is being held this Tuesday, September 8th at 7:30 pm. You'll need to email me to book your place at my craft table ASAP as I KNOW places will fill up quickly. The cost of a SAS is $20 which includes all supplies used for making 10 cards, 5 each of 2 designs, plus envelopes.

I still have a few places left in this months technique class. You'll be learning is Spotlighting! Have a look at the sneak peak picture to get an idea of what Spotlighting is. The cost of this class is $17 and you'll make 1- 6"x6" scrapbook page, 1 card and 1 gift card. This class will be held THIS Thursday August 27th at 7:30 pm. Please email me to book your place at my craft table!

Christmas is coming - FAST! If you're wanting to get some ideas for your Christmas cards this year, then please book your workshops now. I'm already taking bookings for November (for those wonderful people who can plan that far in advance!) So please think about it, talk to your girlfriends, and let me know what you'd like to do!

Remember the gorgeous Stampin' Up! Spring Mini is now available to order from. Click here to have a look or drop me an email with your address and I'll pop one in the mail to you. You can place orders with me at any time. Credit cards are accepted as well as bank transfers if thats easier for you. I'm always on the email, even when you don't see me on here, so please don't hesitate to contact me at anytime.

Happy Stamping!

Spring Mini Link

2009-07-31T13:07:00.000-07:00

To view the beautiful Stampin' Up! Spring Mini Catalogue, click here.

Technique Class, SAS and the Spring Mini

2009-07-27T05:28:00.000-07:00

Baby its cold outside! Cold days are a good excuse to stay inside and keep warm and do the things you love....like Stamping! With the help of your comfortable pair of trackies, ugh boots and something hot to drink, I want to assist you in enjoying this winter. So I'm offering you the chance to join in 2 upcoming classes I have organised (Sorry - I cannot provide the trackies and ughs, but can do the hot drink and a home made cookie or 2). The first is a technique class that I hold each month. Due to several people being sick this week, I have a few places left for this class which will be held THIS THURSDAY NIGHT, July 30th at 7:30pm. July's technique is one of my favourites - Stamping with Markers. I love that you can buy the markers individually now, (in all the colour families except the In Colours), so you'll see me using them more and more in classes and workshops. They are very affordable at only $5.75 each. So, if you've been interested in the markers and want to try them out, then this class would be a fabulous way to do so! On Thursday you'll make 1- 6"x6" scrapbook page, 1 regular sized card and 1 gift card. The cost is $17 and all materials are provided. See the picture on the left for a sneak peak. Please call or email me ASAP if you'd like to participate in this class.

The second class is a Stamp-a-Stack (SAS) in which you make 10 cards, 5 each of 2 designs. See picture on the left to see what you'll make. The cost is $20 which covers all materials used in the class, as well as envelopes (which are stampable to match your card). If you're free on Thursday August 6th at 7:30pm, and would like to make 10 cards to add to your stash, then please call or email me to book your place at my craft table. I love to have you over!

The Spring Mini Catalogue is almost here!! Personally I think its one of the best minis we've had so far! Its FULL of gorgeous stamp sets, a new scallop oval punch, more pretty patterened paper, White Staz On and Staz On Remover, more Rub-Ons and of course it holds lots of new ideas. The Spring Mini runs from August 1st till November 30th. Drop me an email if you'd like me to put one of these in the mail to you. As soon as August 1st arrives, I'll add a link for you to view it online.

Looking ahead: Christmas themed Stamp a Stacks will be back in preparation for that crazy time of year. I will offer them from my home but if this is something you'd like to do with your craft group, then let me know and we can arrange something for you and your friends.

Next month's technique will be Spotlighing!

I'm Back!

2009-07-26T05:51:00.000-07:00

Surprise! Its me and I'm back to blogging. So sorry for not being in touch for the past couple of months. When life gets crazy then something's got to give - and that will usually end up being the blog and newsletters. Of course you can always email me if you want to know whats going on the in world of Stampin'Up!, which many of you did. Thank you.

So what have I been doing that has made my life crazy you ask? Well! That new catalogue I posted about in April was welcomed and received by all of you with open arms and tons of workshops and classes. It was lots of fun creating new workshops with all the fun goodies that the new catalogue held. The classes I began to offer filled within hours so I've been holding more classes for private craft groups. Another thing, I've had 2 trips away from Canberra: first to the USA in June and then to Adelaide during the July school holidays....both for a much needed break. But I'm back and starting to look toward Christmas already. The Stamp-a-Stacks with a Christmas theme will begin again soon. The technique classes have been a big success and will continue on each month. My newsletter will be out in the next couple of days. There are a couple of spots left for my technique class this Thursday night - but will let you know in the newsletter.

Here are some random pictures of things I've been making:

A gift voucher before the In Colours changed, and a basket woven from some SU textured cardstock and filled with chocolate eggs at easter. Yum!

The cards I made for the Stampin'Up! Convention in May. I made 30 of these!!

Another owl card.....I'm loving the "Owl Together Now" set!

New Stampin' Up! Catalogue and Upcoming Classes

2009-04-22T23:28:00.000-07:00

The new 2009-2010 Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalogue has arrived! Its packed with beautiful stamp sets, some new must have embellishments and some very pretty new In Colours. Click on the catalogue to the left to view it online, or contact me to buy your own copy. Better yet, if you book a workshop, you get the catalogue for free!

The new stamps sets in this catalogue are die-cut, meaning there is no cutting involved before mounting them onto the wooden blocks. Stamp sets that were brought over from last year's catalogue still need to be cut out with your craft and rubber scissors.

The new In Colours are vibrant and very pretty. They are called Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Tangerine Tango, Pink Pirouette, Pacific Point and Riding Hood Red. (Love the names!). Here is a link to colour combinations you can use with these new In Colours. You can print it off and keep it with your Stampin' Up! supplies.

You'll notice in this new catalogue that Stampin' Up has removed the section at the back where it tells you all the details about the projects made throughout the book. Here is a link for you to view these details with pictures, and here is a link with text only. Again, you can print it off and just keep it somewhere for a handy reference guide. A nice addition to this catalogue is the step by step techniques that are found throughout the book, just to tempt you to try something new every now and then.

The technique class for this month is Faux Silk. Its one of my personal favourites! In the class you'll learn how to do this easy yet fabulous looking technique by making 1 card, a gift tag and a 6" x 6" scrapbook page, as well as a sample for your technique books. The cost is $17 which includes all supplies used in the class. Date: Thursday April 30th 7:30 pm. Please email or call me to book your place at the craft table for this night! Next month's technique is Emboss Resist.

Stamp-a-Stack classes are happening again. This class I've put together is for children's cards, 5 boy cards and 5 girls cards, and you'll be watercolouring! The cost is $20 which includes all materials used in the class as well as 10 envelopes (which can be stamped to match your cards as well). Date: Tuesday May 19th, 7:30 pm. Stamp a Stacks are popular classes, so don't wait too long before booking your seat at my craft table. Please send me an email or call me to save your place!

Lastly, I want to show you what my son made with some SU products a few weeks ago. He's really into everything pirates and he has watched me on many occasion creating cards and trying different techniques on paper. He asked if he could try and make a treasure map to add to his piratey collection of stuff, using some of my SU things. WELL! I gave him some chocolate chip ink, a piece of SU Kraft coloured paper and some markers and he set to work for an hour. Below is his result! He now wants to teach his friends how to make one of these.
:-) Love it!

March Technique Class

2009-03-12T15:40:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry for the delay in getting my class out this month. I usually have March as my month to have a break, and to begin preparations for the new catalogue. I was hoping to do a quick trip overseas as well, but it hasn't worked out for this month, which is why I've been putting off the date for the NEW Technique Class to the end of March.

I've been working with my lovely downline Tanya to bring you new and exciting Technique Classes. Every month you will learn a new technique. During each technique class you will create a 6"x6" scrapbook page and two cards along with a sample of the technique. You will also be provided with instructions to add, with the sample, to your Technique book. The technique books are the Stampin’ Up! 5x5” On Board Art Journal, a ring-bound chipboard book containing 20 cardstock pages.

The cost for technique classes will be $17. Plus the one-off cost of purchasing a Technique Book for $13*.
This month's technique is Heat Embossing. When: 7.30pm, Thursday 26th March 2008 at my home. Places are limited to a maximum of 8 bookings, so please email or call me to book your seat at my craft table ASAP. Next month's technique is Faux Silk.

Looking ahead: I can't wait to start the "Stamp-a-Stack" classes again, using NEW products from the NEW catalogue. The NEW 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalogue begins on April 1st!!! I've had some sneak peaks and I'm LOVING what I see.

*Price discounted for class participants only

Retiring List Update

2009-03-03T16:07:00.000-08:00

Here are the products on the Stampin Up retiring list that are no longer available or are in low quantity. As you can see things are disappearing quickly! Order what you want now, so you don't miss out. List is updated daily.

10756 Flip Flops Unavailable
109020 Wild Wasabi Classic Ink Refill Unavailable
109015 Soft Sky Classic Stamin' Ink Refill Unavailable
109016 River Rock Classic Stampin' Ink Refill Unavailable
109017 Purely Pomegranite Classic Stampin' Ink Refill Unavailable
100381 Earth Elements Eyelets Unavailable
100378 Soft Subtle Eyelets Unavailable
109019 Groovy Guava Classic Stampin' Ink Refill Unavailable
108748 Best Friend Numbers Unavailable
107212 Mateys Map Unavailable
105320 Basic Eyelets Unavailable
103195 Gifts Galore Unavailable
107561 Garden Annuals Unavailable
109610 Confetti Simply Scrappin' Unavailable
104279 Leaf Prints Unavailable
110255 Bundle of Joy Unavailable
112402 Short Order Numbers Unavailable
109018 Blue Bayou Classic Stampin' Ink Refill Unavailable
111852 River Rock A4 card stock Unavailable
108720 Ahoy, Matey Unavailable
108747 Best Friends Alphabet Upper Unavailable
111851 Soft Sky A4 card stock Unavailable
109185 Jersey Ribbon Originals Unavailable
101259 Black Hemp Twine Unavailable
108740 Bareback Unavailable
106662 Dasey Field Unavailable
108638 In Color 12"x 12" card stock Unavailable
111850 Wild Wasabi A4 card stock Unavailable
108746 Best Friends Alphabet Lower Unavailable
105316 Rich Regal Eyelets Low Quantity
109186 Theater Ribbn Originals Low Quantity
105445 Soft Subtle buttons Low Quantity
106610 Basics Outline Low Quantity
103981 Earth Elements Low Quantity
103981*Earth Elements & Neutrals buttons Low Quantity
100900 Gift sacks Low Quantity
108763 By Land Low Quantity
104065 Fishy Low Quantity
112253 *Dad's Day Low Quantity
108849 It's Your Birthday Low Quantity
105531 Antique Brass Hodgepodge Hardware Low Quantity
112391 Everything Baby Low Quantity
112310 Fabulous Flowers Low Quantity
107464 Rough Texture Low Quantity
107465 Speckled Low Quantity
107467 Birthday Low Quantity
108923 Stipple Rose Low Quantity
112272 Classic Backgrounds Low Quantity
108929 Symbols of Solicitude Low Quantity
112316 Forever in My Heart Low Quantity
105446 Rich Regal Buttons Low Quantity
112229 ABC Images Low Quantity
108857 Linen Low Quantity
108998 Beautiful Life Low Quantity
110248 Polka Dots & Petals Low Quantity
104156 Flitting By Low Quantity
106523 Five-In-One Card Cover Envelope Template Low Quantity
110730 *Pockets & Pieces Office Accents Low Quantity
108722 All I Have Seen Low Quantity
108944 Unfrogettable Low Quantity
111853 Purely Pomegranate A4 Card Stock Low Quantity
105515 *Pewter Hodgepodge Hardware Low Quantity
104829 *Light Blue Gingham Ribbon Low Quantity
List updated 10.3.09

Stampin' Up!'s Retiring List

2009-02-28T05:34:00.000-08:00

To view the complete list of stamps, papers, buttons, eyelets, inks, ribbons, chipboard, punches, rub-ons, hodgepodge hardware, and other misc products that will be retired this month, click HERE. Some of the products are reduced in price from 25% to 50%!!!!! Order up quick!!!!

Summer Mini, Sale-a-Bration, Bushfire Appeal, and Upcoming Retiring Products

2009-02-24T17:08:00.000-08:00

Stamp sets Yummy from Sale-a-Bration and A Happy Heart from Summer Mini

Its exciting times as we gear up for a new Stampin' Up! year!! Yes, that means a NEW catalogue is just around the corner. But before we see it, I need to let you know that a large list of retired stamp sets and products will soon be released. And if you've seen in other years, once this list is up, everything starts to disappear quickly. So ATTENTION IN COLOUR FANS: Buy your In Colour re-inker bottles, cardstock and ribbons NOW, before March 1st arives. I remember last year, all the In Colour re-inker bottles were sold out within a day or 2, so PLEASE order them today. Also, in these last days of February, why not go through your catalogue and see what things you've had your eye on and write them down. When I send you the retiring list of products on March 1st, you'll be able to quickly see if those things are retiring, or if you can relax because they'll be sticking around for another year. Trust me, things go really quickly once that list is up, so PLEASE don't wait too long and then miss out!

We're almost at the end of Sale-a-Bration, a time where if you spend $100 (and we all know how easy it is to do that!), on any Stampin' Up! products then you receive a FREE stamp set, one of 4 different ones to choose from. Have a look at this link I've provided to see these gorgeous sets! I must have all your orders by noon, this Saturday, February 28th if you'd like to receive one of these FREE Sale-a-bration sets. They are exclusive to this promotion, and will not be seen again!

Have a look at the GORGEOUS Stampin; Up! summer mini catalogue available until the end of March. Lots of beautiful stamp sets, papers, rub-ons, felt flowers, ribbon, punches etc. You MUST check it out! Espcecially the punches! The scallop edge punch is in there and you don't want to miss that! You can order these things up until the end of March, but I'm hoping that a few of the items in this mini catty will make it into our NEW 2009-2010 Idea Book and Catalogue. Fingers crossed!

Stampin' Up! has put together a Bushfire Appeal so help the victims of the Victorian bush fires. When you click here you'll see a list of stamp set that you can purchase and Stampin' Up! will donate 50% of the sales to the Australian Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Appeal. So far Stampin' Up! has raised more than $15,000.00 for this. You see on this list a few stamp sets that will be retired, so you many want to snatch them up fast before they are gone! This appeal is valid until the end of March. My lovely downline and friend Tanya Blewitt has put together raffles to raise money for this cause. If you'd like to buy tickets and be in for a chance of winning lots of Stampin' Up! products, then click here.

Looking ahead.....Technique Classes and Stamp-a-Stacks are starting up again in March. The details will be released on March 1st! Sneak peak of the first technique class is in the above picture.
Book your new catalogue workshop now! I've already pre-ordered several boxes of the new 2009-2010 catalogues, so if you book your workshop, you can get your free copy when they arrive!!!

This is a card I made for some friends who are expecting their first baby girl. Really hope this Pick-a-Petal set sticks around for another year. Its one of my favourites! Happy Stamping!

Part 2 of the Scrapbook Class

2008-12-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

Today

2008-11-23T04:18:00.000-08:00

Could a Sunday morning get any better than this?? Good friends, lots of laughs, delicious tea served in a beautiful tea pot and cup, champagne, & cupcakes. Ahhhhhh. Note to self: Do this more!!!

November Stampin' Up! Specials and Class

2008-11-09T03:47:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited to bring you 2 Stampin' Up! promotions this month. This first one is my favourite! From November 10th till the 30th, you can buy the markers individually!!! Normally you can only buy these markers in a set of 12, so here's your chance to grab the colours you love so much! I know I'll be replacing some of the ones I've used the most over the past 2 1/2 years. Don't miss out on this special!! For more details please click on the above link, and please have all orders to me by noon on the 30th.

The next special is the Stampin Up Rub-Ons are 20% off from November 10th -30th. These make great gifts for the stamper and scrapper in your life...including yourself! More details are in the link. So again, please have all orders to me by noon on the 30th.

Just a reminder that the Spring Mini catalogue will be finishing at the end of November. If you don't have a copy of this little beauty, then email me your address and I'll get one in the mail to you. If want to look at it right now, then just click here to view it online. And again, I need to have all orders by noon on the 30th.

Finally I've finished the first of 2 beginner level scrapbook page classes. In this class you'll be making 6 pages, that are 6"x6" in size. In the previous years I have held calendar classes. This will replace that class, but these pages are designed to fit the Stampin Up 6"x6" Desktop Calendar, or they will fit perfectly into a 6"x6" album. Both are wonderful Christmas gifts or just to keep for yourself. To view the remainder of the scrapbook pages, scroll down a bit. The date for this class: Thursday November 27th, starting at 7:30pm. The cost is $30 which includes all materials used to make these 6 pages. You don't need to have your pictures with you on the night, you can always add them after the pages are complete. Places are limited so please contact me ASAP to book your place at my craft table. Another 6 pages will follow in December, so that you'll have enough pages to fill a calendar. class is now full.

Too Cute to Cook

2008-11-07T17:01:00.000-08:00

I love shirts with sayings...this is my favourite one I pull out when I want to get out of making dinner.

More Waterfall Cards

2008-11-07T15:57:00.000-08:00

I made these waterfall cards for a swap and for my immediate downlines late the other night. You're looking at a sneak peek as to what is coming soon too......for more details on how to make a waterfall card, scroll down to the first one I made as a baby girl card below. I'm loving the groovy gauva and chocolate chip colours together.....let me know what you think!

Upcoming Scrapbook Class

2008-11-07T15:50:00.001-08:00

Here is a peek at the upcoming scrapbook class. This is aimed at beginner level but experienced scrappers might enjoy whipping up a few quick pages too. The pages are 6 x 6 size and can be made into a calendar or just inserted into an album. I'm trying to find dates to do this class and it will be in my newsletter later today.

My Owl

2008-11-07T15:44:00.000-08:00

I'm totally in love with this owl from the Celebrate Everyday Stamp set. I find I'm using him over and over again for all kinds of different cards. On this one I've paired him with the Artfully Asian Set using watercolour paper. I finished him off with a bit of Crystal Effects on his eyes, but that didn't show up in the photo.

Time to Play

2008-10-28T18:47:00.000-07:00

I've had a bit more wind beneath my wings lately, so I've been having tons of fun creating scrapbook pages again. Not that I have never enjoyed creating those, but as you know they're a bit more work than creating cards. So, I just thought I'd share with you what I got up to the other day.
I've always love twill....all colours, all widths and was spoiled for choice while living in Hong Kong. I've got plenty of Stampin' Up's twill in my stash too, so I started to play around it and I'm LOVING the result!

Firstly I dug out some letter stickers and stuck them to to the twill, pressing them down hard so no corners were sticking up. Then I mixed some real red ink refill with some water and brushed my twill with it until it was covered, then left it to dry.

After it was dry, I carefully removed the stickers, and my verse stuck out from the twill beautifully.

I also heat embossed a Jenni Bowlin chipboard butterfly, (which I bought from my dear friend Ainslee at Scrap Junkie) with the Stampin Up En Francais background stamp and inked over top with more real red ink. I added some of Stampin Up's clear buttons and put it together.

The end result! This page design is from one of my scrapbook idols Nia Reddy's pages I saw and sketched down on a scrap piece of paper a couple of years ago. I only just found the sketch tucked away in one of my many idea books.....and I still loved it.

Check This Out!

2008-10-14T15:46:00.000-07:00

This FREE online class looks great, too good to keep to myself! I'm SOOOO doing it! "You don’t have to be a scrapbooker, just a person with stories to tell." This class is for everyone! For more info and registration for the class, check out Jessica Spague's website.

Waterfall Card

2008-10-12T17:04:00.000-07:00

I've had a few workshop themes lately that involved making cards that were different from the usual fold in half piece of carstock. I've got to say that I've had a TON of fun experimenting with different card folds and gift box ideas. My favourite so far is this Waterfall Card. With my friend Tanya just having her baby, I couldn't wait to try out this card for her! Its a lot easier than it looks! You pull down where the ribbon is, and the card flaps, flip up and over.....and then the card message is hidden under all the flaps. Does that make sense???

The instructions on how to make this type of card are here.

October Stampin Up Special & Newsletter

2008-10-05T13:42:00.000-07:00

October is here and Stampin' Up! is bringing you a fabulous Birthday Promotion. When you spend $20 on regular catalogue merchandise, you receive any of the stamps sets below with a 20% discount. Birthday cards are one of the most popular reasons for sending a card; everyone needs a birthday set (or two!) to be ready for the occasion. There is no limit to the number of sets you can purchase below after you have found your initial $20 to spend from the main catalogue. You can view the details of this promotion when you click here, and please have all orders to me by noon on October 31st.

Another special is valid FROM OCTOBER 4-11th only, you can purchase the Simply Sent kits at 20% off! (You can see these kits on pages 12-14 in the main catalogue). This is a great time to buy them for your stamping friend or family for Christmas or just to treat yourself! This is a fantastic deal, so please have your orders to me by noon on the 11th.

I have another Christmas card class to offer you, but before I give you the details, I just want to say how much I've enjoyed catching up with so many of you in these classes. Its such a fun night for me to have you over. There is usually LOTS of good conversation and laughs. And please know that what is said at my craft table - STAYS at my craft table!!!
I'm holding this class on Saturday October 25th and Thursday October 30th. Both classes start at 7:30pm and you'll be making 10 cards, 5 each of the 2 designs below. The cost is $20, which includes the envelopes and all supplies used in this class. Please email or call me to book your place in either of these classes.

Class update: Both classes are now full. I'm trying to organise another night for this class. Let me know if you're interested!

I'm still planning on holding a couple 6x6 scrapbook page classes for those of you who are interested in putting together a calendar or just to have some beautiful memories on some pages. I'm a bit behind in preparing these as I my usually quiet social life has been bombarded with visitors. My lovely sister and her kids were here for the last week of term and part of
the school holidays, and now my best friend from Hong Kong has arrived with her kids for the remainder of the holidays....with my son's birthday squeezed into the middle of that. So please know I haven't forgotten about this class, I'm just taking a little longer to get it ready. If this is something you are interested in doing, would you mind letting me know. It would just help me to know if I need to prepare for a full class or just for a few people. Thank you!

Congratulations Tanya!

2008-09-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

My lovely friend and downline, Tanya, had a beautiful baby girl 3 weeks ago. Her name is Georgia. I've only just got to meet her yesterday and have a cuddle. I was one of the lucky ones who saw her awake. Apparently she is a fabulous sleeper! (lucky for some) Welcome Georgia and congratulations Brenden & Tanya! Post edited on 3 October.

Happy Father's Day!

2008-09-07T20:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day dad! I sent my dad the second card for Father's Day and the top card I put together for a workshop. I bought the Dad's Day stamp set months ago, hoping that I'd be ready for Father's day this year. The details of card follows:

Card #1: Dad's Day stamp set, Bravo Burgandy, Handsome Hunter inks and Bravo Burgandy, Handsome Hunter, Sage Shadow & Naturals Ivory cardstock. Also the Rough Texture wheel with Bravo Burgandy ink was used and the brads and ribbon slide was from the HodgePodge Hardware. Card based on a sketch I have - one of my favourite and most versatile ones. I used this gorgeous colour combination for my Christmas cards last year.

Card #2: Dad's Day stamp set and Sanded background stamp, Chocolate Chip, Brocade Blue, Mellow Moss and Night of Navy inks. Mellow Moss, Brocade Blue, Very Vanilla and Kraft cardstock. Hat pin and beads are from the Pretties Kit. Ribbon is the Kraft Taffeta and Moss Gingham. Based on another fun card sketch.

Stampin' Up! September Special and More Christmas Card Classes

2008-09-02T17:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring everyone!
It's so nice to feel the warmer weather again! I love the feeling of new beginnings that spring brings us each year. My camera and I need to get out more and capture some of the beauties before they're gone.

To launch you into spring, Stampin' Up! has a special called "Free Wheelin". When you purchase a preselected stamp set, you'll receive the coordinating wheel for FREE. There are 6 preselected stamp sets in this special, and they're all gorgeous! You can see what stamp sets they are and more details about this special when you click this link. If you want to add some free wheels to your supply, then please have all orders to me by September 30.

The August Christmas card classes were tons of fun and it was a great way to catch up with so many of you. I've put together another Christmas card class to keep the momentum up for the approaching season. The dates for this class are Thursday September 18th, starting at 7:30pm, and Saturday September 20th, also starting at 7:30pm. In this class you'll make 10 cards, 5 of each design. As you might be able to see in the close up picture, you'll be doing some gold embossing (the Season's Greetings/trees card), followed by some fun shading with the Stampin' Up! Pastels. Embossing is really easy, so please don't be deterred by that word. This would be a great opportunity for you to try it out! On the 2nd card (the pine cone/branch card) you'll be layering with colours as well as using the Stampin' Write Markers. The cost is $20 which includes all supplies used in the class, including envelopes (which you can stamp to match your card). Please email or call me soon to book your seat for either class.

Please keep in mind that I can run classes for your group of friends and for craft groups that can't make it to my pre scheduled class times. Just contact me and we'll work something out for your group.

The Spring Mini Catalogue has been a HUGE hit Australia wide. If you haven't checked it out yet, have a look online or email me your address and I'll pop one in the mail to you. The mini is valid until the end of November.

My Journaling Journey

2008-08-04T17:16:00.000-07:00

I'm doing an online journaling workshop everyday this month with Big Picture Scrapbooking.com. LOVING IT! Journaling is something I've always struggled with. I've kept gratitude journals and "daily dialogue" journals on and off for 10 years as writing has helped me through painful & lonely times and through the changes in my life. I recently read through my old journals and was encouraged at how far I'd come in those 10 years, and yet in other ways, how SO very far I have to go. I could tell when I was having a bad day as the only things I could be grateful for were my baby's smile, our health and good weather. Not that those things aren't important, because I'm still extremely grateful for each of those things. Although now....I LOVE wet, cold miserable winter days that keep me inside a warm, comfortable house.

I've been given so many opportunities to see the beauty and the horrors in this world. I have some photographs to assist in the memories, but most of the stories are stuck inside my mind as I don't feel I can do the stories justice on paper. Hence my decision to do the journaling workshop! I receive journaling prompts each day, which I write about, while learning about excerpt journaling and vignette journaling. Its only the first week and I can't wait to receive my email about my next writing assignment. Todays journalling prompt was "the back door". Lots to write about there!

2008-08-04T04:44:00.000-07:00

As demonstrators, we are regularly given stamping ideas from the head office in Sydney and in America. Its a valuable tool in helping us get ideas of what we can show our customers and in planning our workshops. The above card is one of those cards they gave us and its using Circle of Friendship stamp set, which I don't have. The style and simplicity of this card grabbed me though. I just thought I'd share what I came up with using this as a template, and several of my stamp sets. (stamp sets are Priceless, Seeing Spots, Boho Backgrounds and Big Bold Birthday)

Away with the Birds

2008-08-04T04:12:00.000-07:00

This is the bird I mentioned in my newsletter below. It's part of the Always stamp set in the Spring Mini. Pretty isn't it?! Well....this bird just said "emboss me", so thats what I did in a few different ways. The green bird in the middle/top is first inked in old olive, then rock-n-rolled in taken with teal and stamped on whisper white. I then stamped over the top, using the stamp-a-ma-jig with Versamark and heat set it with clear embossing powder. The 2 other white birds sitting in the middle were just stamped with Versamark and embossed with white embossing powder. The last bird on the lower right was first stamped in soft sky, then again with Versamark and heat embossed with several layers of clear embossing powder. I liked the way they all turned out. I'll have to play some more and show you pictures of the finished card.

August Classes and The Spring Mini Has Arrived!

2008-08-04T02:35:00.000-07:00

I've got some winter cheer to share with you. Check out Stampin'Up!'s new Spring Mini Catalogue! It's full of new & beautiful stamps, paper, ribbon and accessories. I have so many favourites in this mini (the Always set with a gorgeous bird and beautiful heart and the Celebrate Everyday set has the cutest Owl!) so choosing what I REALLYwanted was difficult. A bonus with all the stamp sets in this mini is that they are all die cut, which means there is no cutting needed. You just pop them out, stick them to the correct wooden blocks and apply the sticker.....too easy!! Check it out for yourself when you click on the link above or send me an email with your address and I'll pop the mini in the mail to you.

I've got a class to offer you and this time its more of a Stamp-a-Stack (SAS) rather than concentrating on a new technique (although I'm sure you'll learn something with these cards). With Christmas sneaking up on us, I've put together a class using 2 NEW Christmas stamp sets (as well as some of the new Designer Series Paper, Holiday Harmony) from the above mentioned Spring Mini Catalogue. As I'm quite booked up with workshops on weekends, and due to the numbers interested in getting started on Christmas cards, I'm offering this class on 2 different evenings, Thursday August 14th and Thursday August 28th. Both classes will start at 7:30 PM. In this class you'll make 10 cards, 5 of each design. The cost is $20 and that includes all materials used and envelopes. If you're interested in attending either night, email or call me to book your place ASAP.
(Update 6/8/08: both classes are now full. Will post on here if any spaces become available, so please check back or let me know if you're interested in attending)

The Stampin' Up! Promotion this month is the New Demonstrator Starter Kit price being reduced to $299, but only until August 15th. Remember, you can customise this starter kit to suit your style. Click the link for more details and please call me if you're interested in joining my lovely team of ladies who love stamping as much as you do!

Looking ahead: There will be another 2 Christmas card classes in September, with 2 new cards to make, just to keep your card supply growing. There will also be 6x6 scrapbook page classes coming in October and November. This will replace the previous years Calendar class, as you can make the 6x6 scrapbook pages and attach them to a calendar yourself and give as a Christmas present, or keep them for you to enjoy.

If you're interested in hosting your own Christmas workshop and jump starting you and your friends into the crazy season, then contact me soon as dates are filling up fast!!

Stamping Day!

2008-07-15T17:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from a day of stamping with my and Tania's downlines & friends. We each took in turns to show a techique to our little group and of course we made swaps for our card stash. Lots of laughs and great company! Thanks Tania for organsing and hosting this fun day!

2008-07-13T04:40:00.000-07:00

This is for my fellow Harry Potter/JK Rowling fans. (I know who you are). I just finished watching the "A Year in the Life of JK Rowling" on TV tonight and thought I'd post up a couple other items of interest. Jo wrote an 800 word Harry Potter prequel and it was up for auction in June, which sold for $25,000 lbs and all proceeds are for charity. You can read it here, as well as many other short stories from well known authors. (You need to click on "Read our Authors Stories", then on JK Rowlings name). When this story card went up on the internet, it received approx 70,000 hits in the first 20 hours. The card is written in her handwriting, so its a little tricky in parts....but its good! The characters are James & Sirius, 3 years before Harry was born.

The other REALLY good link to give you is here, where JK Rowling is giving the Harvard University commencement address last month. Jo gives such an inspiring speech about the fringe benefits of failure and the power of imagination. I hold a soft spot for Jo as she started writing when she was a single mum, living alone in London. The applause at the end is very moving........

7 Random Things You May Not Know

2008-07-13T03:44:00.000-07:00

Ok...I've been tagged. Not once but twice now, by Margaret first, then Tanya. So I've been thinking about what 7 random things about myself that are interesting for you to read about.

1. I was the grand prize winner in a Paper Salon/Self-Addressed contest in the USA at the end of 2005. (Paper Salon is another rubber stamping company). I won lots of goodies from them. You can see my creation when you click here.

2. I spent 2 of my teenage years living in Hawaii. So many good memories of watching "green flash" type sunsets every night (see Pirates of the Caribbean 3 to see what I'm talking about), the volcano blowing once a month (again bringing some of the most beautiful sunsets you'll ever see), great friends who I'm now reconnecting with via Facebook, cliff jumping, body surfing, eating Mud Pie at the Kona Inn.....the best place in the world for that!......and I could go on and on and on.

3. I did a bit of volunteer medical work in a Bangkok handicapped children's orphanage when I was 21. It had the worst living conditions you could imagine (children chained to the wall and locked in cages). One of the more life changing/eye opening experiences for me that I'll never forget.

4. I had the priveledge of getting to know some girls in the hill tribes of Northern Thailand (right on the very remote Thai/Burmese boarder - thick opium area) - who were taken out of prostitution. These girls were aged 8-18. Again, another life changing experience that stays with me to this day.

5. I helped build a preschool in Manilla Philippines for the resident children who lived on "Smoky Mountain", one of Manilla's largest dumps. A few times a week I was able to visit homes on the dump and deliver food to the families that lived there. And other times I joined the medical teams and did basic first aid. This was my first exposure to extreme poverty and desparation. I was 15 years old.

6. I'm a CKU (Creating Keepsakes University) graduate from San Jose in 2004. A scrapbookers dream!

7. I have sun bathed (fully clothed) on one of the most beautiful, untouched beaches of the world, Banda Aceh, Indonesia (the Boxing Day Tsunami had a direct hit on this place in 2004). It is a STRONG muslim area where Islamic law is upheld, so yes, I kept all my clothes on and just wiggles my toes in the sand.

2008-07-11T05:01:00.000-07:00

A Piece of Heaven

2008-07-11T04:33:00.000-07:00

I escaped to this little piece of heaven this week. My son is visiting his dad in New Zealand at the moment, so for the first time in 14 months, I had more than 36 hours to myself. Being an introvert, the dream of getting away by myself was just too enticing. My friends and family made sure I had enough to take with me to keep me occupied and pampered: a lovely scented candle (which I burned for the entire time, thank you Ainslee!), cookies (thanks Carol from NLPC), warm snuggly socks (thank you Steph and Ainslee), good DVDs to watch (thanks mom & dad, Mary & Joe and Chris & Carol!), some new scrapbooking supplies (thanks Steph), chocolate (thanks Ainslee) and some good reading (thanks Gab!). It did help that my birthday was a few days prior to my holiday!

July Newsletter and Stampin' Up! Special

2008-07-06T18:54:00.000-07:00

This newsletter is just a quick note to let you know what is happening in the world of Stampin' Up! in the month of July. School holidays are upon us again.....which means we have passed the half way mark to Christmas. This year is flying by! Yes I've started thinking about Christmas already, as several of you have booked "Christmas in July" theme workshops, which are always tons of fun. And personally, I'd like to be a little more prepared this year, if I can.

July's special is perfect for those of you who have been thinking of joining Stampin Up. The starter kit is reduced in price from now until August 15th. You receive $560 worth of stamping goodies for the price of $299. Click here to have a look at the flyer for more details. If you find the stamps in the starter kit are not your style, then you are free to customise your own starter kit with stamps of your choice, as long as they are of equal value. The same goes for the colours. If you're not a Bold Brights kind of gal, then you can choose your favourite colours instead. Please give me call or drop me an email if you have any questions. I'd love for you to join my team!

My son is in New Zealand for the school holidays, so I'm taking advantage of some child free time and going to the coast for this coming week. I want to recharge my creative batteries and catch up on some sleep! (my son is a very early riser). So, please know that if I don't reply to your emails until Friday, then that just means I'm sitting in front of a fire reading a good book, or wiggling my toes in some cold sand. I won't be near a computer for this week.

Looking ahead to August......there are more fun products arriving on our shores! As well as another technique class to attend. I look forward to sharing these things with you then!

2008-06-21T03:09:00.000-07:00

Here is another page I sent to HK. This one was a lot easier! I can't remember what paper line this is....I won it and then liked it too much to use. (it might be Crate) There are a few Stampin Up products used here: Wonderful Words & Together Forever stamp sets, the flower is from the Pretties Kit and I coloured it with Soft Sky & close to Cocoa ink to match the papers, and the ribbon is Soft Sky double stitched. I also used a clear button and a Jumbo eyelet....I'm loving my new Crop-a-dile! All my old eyelets are being resurrected!

Stuff I've been Working On

2008-06-21T03:01:00.000-07:00

My dear friend in Hong Kong is moving to Australia with her family (her husband got a basing in Adelaide...yayyyyy!!!) at the end of June. Christopher grew up with her kids, Matthew & Sarah and they are the brother and sister Christopher doesn't have. Anyway....everyone in our circle of friends is putting together a surprise (ha!) scrapbook album of their time in HK. I contributed a couple of pages, like this 17 photo layout here. The friends in HK decided on a theme of blue and brown....which I love, but found it a bit challenging with my very colourful pictures. I used my cherished Elsie, Toby KI Memories paper line and embellishments. I'm proud of my loopy doodle on the bottom. On the right side is the Elsie paper doodled like that. The left hand side is mine, copied exactly the same and with a perfect colour match too ( There wasn't enough of the doodled paper for both pages.) Allison hasn't seen it yet, but as I'm sure she doesn't read my blog, I feel pretty safe posting it up.

I'm Back and June Newsletter/Stampin Up Specials

2008-06-01T20:41:00.000-07:00

What a whirlwind its been since the new catalogue arrived at the beginning of April! You've had me VERY busy with all the new catalogue workshops you've booked. Its been lovely to meet so many new stampers, as well as catching up with those of you who I see throughout the year. I must apologise for neglecting my blog lately though. Due to being busy, and striving to achieve balance between my work life and home life, (which has a very fine line drawn between the two as I work from home), something had to give, which was the blog. My schedule is returning to "normal" so my blog is a priority which I'll update shortly.

I'm happy to tell you about 2 promotions this month. In June, Stampin Up! is encouraging you to take a day & turn off your mobile phones, computers and even the TV, and sit down and make a card for someone to receive in their MAILBOX, not the INBOX. Remember that good ol' fashioned way we used to stay in touch with our friends and family? Stampin Up! is calling it an eScape and they want to help you take time to make cards by offering you a little bundle of goodies for a discounted price. For details click here or on the above eScape. If you'd like to order this little bundle then please have all orders to me by June 29th at the latest.

The second promotion helps those who have booked a workshop from June 1st until July 15th. If your workshop totals $700 or more, then you earn yourself an additional $50 of free merchandise! That's A LOT of stuff! When you reach the $700 goal, you already receive $80 of free merchandise, so an additional $50 will give you $130 of FREE Stampin Up goodies! If you don't have time to host a workshop, but would really like to take advantage of this promotion, then you could host a "Catalogue Party". A Catalogue Party is done by organising you and your friends to peruse the catalogue then have everyone email or call me with their orders. Depending on the total of all the orders, you can receive the hostess benefits! This usually works best for those of you who are already familiar with Stampin Up and its products. Click here for more details about the hostess promotion.

Technique Friday is happening this month on June 20th. The technique is Watercolouring. I've been having lots of fun using the watercolour paper, so I thought I'd let you in on the fun too. You'll make 10 cards in this class, 5 each of 2 designs, both cards will use the high quality Stampin Up watercolour paper. You'll also get to play with the Aqua Painters and watercolour crayons. I've had to increase the cost of this class a bit due to the materials used, which will be $23 (that includes the envelopes). My table only holds 6 people, so if you're interested in trying the watercolouring, technique, then email me to book your place soon!

The Spotlighting technique class that I held last month was great, but several of you missed out as my table filled up pretty quickly. I have set another date and have only 1 space left at my table for someone to join us. The class is being held this Friday evening, June 6th. The cost is $20 and again, you'll make 10 cards, 5 each of 2 designs, envelopes
are included. Let me know if you want to fill the last spot at my craft table on Friday night!

A New Stampin' Up! Year Has Begun!

2008-04-01T04:28:00.001-07:00

I'm SO excited to tell you that TODAY is the beginning of the NEW Stampin' Up! Year. Which means that the NEW Catalogue
is here and now available to order from. It is packed FULL of NEW stamp sets, fresh NEW 'In Colours', lots of NEW ribbon, flowers and rhinestone brads, and some fun NEW punches, including the much anticipated Scallop Punch. I can't wait to get my hands on these things and show them to you in the workshops! If you haven't yet booked your workshop, give me a call and we'll make a date. Just you wait till you see how pretty the NEW HOSTESS STAMP SETS are!!! You'll be able to view this new catalogue after 12:00 noon today (April 1st) on the Stampin' Up! Website.

In Colour Bonus: As I mentioned above, the NEW 'In Colours' are fresh & beautiful. I LOVE them! I know some of you are hesitant about trying new colours as the 'In Colours' aren't included on the Colour Coach. When you click here, you'll see 5 pages of different colour combinations that use the existing Colour Families (Bold Brights, Soft Subtles, Rich Regals & Earth Elements), with the NEW 2008 -2009 In Colours. You can print these pages off and keep them with your Stampin' Up! supplies, so you have fresh colour ideas on hand whenever you need them!

I do have a Technique Friday to offer you this month, but I don't have pictures yet, as I want to use some of the NEW products available. If you're interested in joining me on Friday April 18th for a fun evening of stamping, then let me know. I'll have a picture of what we'll be making as soon as my new stuff arrives and I get to play with it.

If you've been tossing up the idea of becoming a Stampin Up demonstrator, now is the time my friend! This catalogue is jammed packed full of fun ideas to get you going.

Misc Stuff

2008-03-02T17:27:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry I haven't been on here lately. Unpacking boxes, getting my craft area set up, and generally just trying to get organised has taken up my time. I also discovered I had a hidden love of puzzles. In my attempt to find different ways to relax and get me OUT of my craft room in the evenings, I decided to try a puzzle Santa gave me at Christmas. VERY relaxing!

Now just to prove I haven't been building puzzles too much of the time...Here is a pic of a few things I've made over the past few weeks and a progress pic of my craft area. I think if you click on the individual pics in that block above, you can see them better.

Stampin' Up! Retired List

2008-02-29T03:03:00.000-08:00

List Updated March 31st

Wow! It's that time of year again when the beautiful 2007-2008 Stampin Up! Idea Book and Catalogue is coming to an end and the excitment is building for what will be in the NEW 2008-2009 Catalogue. There are TONS of products being retired from this present catty....and they're disappearing fast.

To see the full Retiring list of stamps and accessories, click here.

The products below are now sold out and will NOT be available again. I will update this list as it changes. Have a look at the list link above and see if there is anything you'd like to get before its gone for good.

Stamps

All Year Cheer 1

Artifacts

Cheesecloth

Classic Numbers

Glam Girl

Headline Numbers

Its Snow Time

Madonna & Child

Pure & Simple Numbers

On Walkabout

Renaissance Angels

Whimsical Alphabet Upper

Whimsical Numbers

Hostess Stamp Sets

Flowers for a Friend

In Any Event

Love It

Wheels

Bouquet

Bloomin'

Builder Bits

Candy Cane Christmas

Love Swirls

Size it Up

Square Pegs

Wings & things

Accessories

Boxes & Tags Petal Card Bold Brights & Earth Elements

Ink Refill Cranberry Crisp

Ink Refill Buckaroo Blue

Ink Refill Vintage Violet

Ink Refill Marigold Morning

Ink Refill Cool Caribbean

Ink Refill Very Vanilla

Encore Pad Copper

Encore Ink Refill Copper

Punch Corner Rounder Small

Punch Notched Corner

Grosgrain Ribbon Black

Grosgrain Ribbon Burgandy

Grosgrain Ribbon Cream

Grosgrain Ribbon Chocolate

Grosrain Ribbon Celery

Grosgrain Ribbon Bluebird

Grosgrain Ribbon Taupe

Grosgrain Ribbon Navy

Grosgrain Ribbon Light Pink

Simply Scrappin All the Trimmings

Spectrum Pad Celebration

Spectrum Pad Pumpkin Patch

Spectrum Pad Cotton Candy

Stamp-a-ma-jig imaging sheets

Stampin Around Cartridge & Refill Whisper White

Stampin Around Ink Refill Whisper White

Stampin Emboss Powder White Detail

Stampin Emboss Powder Classy Copper

Stampin Stack

I'm Still Here!

2008-02-04T15:32:00.000-08:00

Despite my lack of blogging, I'm still around! I moved house at the end of January, so in leading up to the move I was surrounded in the chaos of packing boxes, and now I'm surrounded in the chaos of unpacking said boxes! Christopher went back to school today so the process of getting organised SHOULD speed up. I'm still available for workshops, so if you'd like to squeeze one in during Sale-a-Bration (which finishes at the end of this month), then call or email me. My craft area is getting set up and I'll be ready to hold classes and other stamping times early in March. Newsletter is late, I'm sorry, due to battles with unhelpful Telstra. I hope to have it to you by the end of the week.
I'll get there, one box at a time!

Sale-A-Bration Time!

2008-01-03T12:39:00.000-08:00

January and February in the Stampin Up! world means its Sale-A-Bration time! What does that mean to you? It means that for these 2 months only, you can receive FREE gorgeous stamp sets. Here is how it works:

Customers: For every $100 order, you will receive a FREE Sale-a-Bration stamp set of your choice.
Hostesses: IN ADDITION to the regular hostess benefits, hostesses will receive a free Sale-a-Bration stamp set for workshops that reach $600 or more.
Recruits: Anyone who joins as a demonstrator during Sale-a-Bration can choose ANY stamp set, value of up to $79.95, from the current catalogue.

There are 4 different sets to choose from and you can see them when you click on this link. So book your workshops now! You don't want to miss out on these stamp sets as they will never be offered again. They're just too pretty to miss!

Summer Mini catalogue is still available to order from and will be until the end of March. If you would like either the Summer Mini and/or the Sale-a-Bration catalogue, email me your address and I'll get them in the mail to you.

Looking ahead to the coming months.......I'm putting together technique classes at the moment as I want you to get more use from the products you order. I'm thinking of one Friday night each month and concentrating on a new technique each time. ("Technique Fridays") I'd like to know what techniques you'd like to see in these classes/workshops and I'll do my best to include them in these Fridays. So, please email me any ideas you'd like to learn.
I'll also be starting up the "Use your Stuff" nights again, where you bring the products you've bought at workshops to my craft table and you can use my idea books and tools to create cards and/or scrapbook pages. These evenings will start up again in March.

Just a few Cards

2008-01-02T04:57:00.001-08:00

Just a few cards I made recently. The Christmas ones above are using up my scraps of Holiday Thyme papers and the Holiday Print & Many Merry Messages stamp sets. The other cards below are cased as I was tight on time. I used the Stamp of Authenticity set for the middle and right hand cards. The left card is using the Best Bar Codes set from the Summer mini catty. And the balloons on the right hand card are from one of the Sale-a-bration sets which are only available in January and February 2008.

C.A.S.E

2008-01-02T04:27:00.000-08:00

Copy And Share Everything! That is something we do a lot in Stampin Up. Its so much easier than reinventing the wheel everytime you need to make a card. I've made lots of cards and have participated in many swaps just so I can give you a good variety of ideas at my workshops. You are more than welcome to copy or just use some of the ideas that catch your eye. Cameras and sketch books are allowed too!

Last month I received this gorgeous Christmas card on the left.....thanks Melissa! Melissa got the idea for her Christmas card from the pink card on the right. Such a pretty design! I love how Melissa used Stampin Dimentionals in the centre of the pinwheel and copper cord to lift this card beautifully.

You'll have to attend a workshop (or ask Mel!) to find out the secret behind the pinwheel. I didn't design this card, (this one is made by Sam Post) but I've CASE'd it a couple of times myself. Love It!

Thank You!

2008-01-02T04:17:00.000-08:00

We received lots of thoughful gifts and cards at Christmas this year......Thank you everyone!
But I just wanted to say a special thank you to NLPC for this hamper full of treats, which were thoroughly enjoyed over the holidays! It was such a lovely surprise! Thanks!

I also want to thank my wonderful aunt in Canada who made this gorgeous quilt for Christopher. I saw my aunt and uncle for the first time in 22 years in 2006....and it was the first time they met Christopher. Such a special gift.....thank you!

Happy New Year!

2007-12-31T03:58:00.000-08:00

Wishing you, my friends and family, near and far, all the best for 2008!
I'm off to bed now.....I can't stay awake any longer!
Hugs.....Katie

For my 80's Friends!

2007-12-31T03:37:00.001-08:00

Ok, when I saw this t-shirt I just couldn't resist! I won't admit how many times I watched this movie when I was a teenager....but wow...what great memories! My sister and brother in law started singing "When Cameron was in Egypts land....let my Cameron go" when I first appeared with this on.....now that song is stuck in my head. I also wore this to the movies and had a few knowing smiles pass me as I walked around. Such fun!

Men are Just Happier People

2007-12-31T03:23:00.000-08:00

Another funny email I received recently.......loved the bathroom one! So true!

MEN ARE JUST HAPPIER PEOPLE - What do you expect from such simple creatures?

Your last name stays put.
The garage is all yours.
Wedding plans take care of themselves.
Chocolate is just another snack.
You can never be pregnant.
You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.
You can wear NO shirt to a water park.
Car mechanics tell you the truth.
The world is your urinal.
You never have to drive to another petrol station toilet because this one is just too icky.
You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
Same work, more pay.
Wrinkles add character.
Wedding dress £2000. Tux rental-£100.
People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.
The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected.
New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
One mood all the time.
Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
You know stuff about tanks.
A five-day holiday requires only one suitcase.
You can open all your own jars.
You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.
Your underwear is £4.95 for a three-pack.
Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
You almost never have strap problems in public.
You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
Everything on your face stays its original colour.
The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
You only have to shave your face and neck.
You can play with toys all your life.
One wallet and one pair of shoes one colour for all seasons.
You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife.
You have freedom of choice concerning growing a moustache.
You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.

No wonder men are happier.

NICKNAMES
If Laura, Kate and Sarah go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura, Kate and Sarah.
If Mike, Dave and John go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Godzilla and Four-eyes.
EATING OUT
When the bill arrives, Mike, Dave and John will each throw in £20, even though it's only for £32.50. None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually admit they want change back.
When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.
MONEY
A man will pay £2 for a £1 item he needs.
A woman will pay £1 for a £2 item that she doesn't need but it's on sale.
BATHROOMS
A man has six items in his bathroom: toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel from M&S.
The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 337. A man would not be able to identify more than 20 of these items.
ARGUMENTS
A woman has the last word in any argument.
Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.
CATS
Women love cats.
Men say they love cats, but when women aren't looking, men kick cats.
FUTURE
A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.
SUCCESS
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman is one who can find such a man.
MARRIAGE
A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.
A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, but she does.
DRESSING UP
A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the bins, answer the phone, read a book, and get the post.
A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.
NATURAL
Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.
Women somehow deteriorate during the night.
OFFSPRING
Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favourite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.
A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
A married man should forget his mistakes.
There's no use in two people remembering the same thing .

The Humble Doorknob

2007-12-31T02:50:00.000-08:00

Recently my parents home was broken into while they were away overseas. The person responsible for this also broke into several other homes in their suburb on same day. All the breaks ins were linked to this one guy as his "signature" was to take the doorknob. (Idiot!)

Anyway, my brother in law took on the job to secure the house once again by replacing the doorknob. The following paragraph is part of the email he sent to my parents regarding this matter :

"what price range are you looking for? The doorknob I bought today was $48. Do you want me to just by a cheap $25 knob, lock the front screen door and have the girls (meaning myself and my sister) access the house through the laundry room from now on and when you return from your sojourn, you can choose a lock set that represents you as a couple. Speaking for myself, I don't think I could let someone choose a door knob for me. It is the first thing someone touches when they enter your house. It really makes a strong impression. It can say "hi, I am brassy and happy" or "I am rustic with a antique patina" or "I am ultra-modern and minimalist, respect my simplicity." you get my point."

I choked on my breakfast at this point. So now when I go to someones house, I have a second look at their doorknob and think about what it might be saying to me!

Our Resident Lizard

2007-12-15T02:22:00.000-08:00

We discovered this little lady living in our backyard last year, but I've never been fast enough with the camera to catch a picture. However, since our tomatoes started to ripen recently, she keeps appearing on the back step, eating whatever stray tomato comes her way. I'm guessing this is a HER as there are 2 baby lizards that sun themselves on the back step as well.

A Modern Gingerbread House

2007-12-15T02:10:00.001-08:00

This is the first thing Christopher and I made to kick off the Christmas season this year....a gingerbread house. We have never made one of these before, so it was new to both of us. The gingerbread was already baked so the assembly and the decor was left to us. I let Christopher have free rein with the decoration, and I just added my little bits here and there....like the icicles and the roof icing pattern for example. Notice the pot plants and the mushroom garden in the left pic and the tall orange water tank, (what every Canberra home needs), in the right pic!

Freedom to Create

2007-12-15T00:10:00.000-08:00

Recently I needed to create a 5x7 page to add to an album that is being put together for a friend who is about to have her 4th baby. As I made this page, I thoroughly enjoyed the freedom that comes with this hobby. I love that we are not bound by rules. If I want to add a few metal eyelets, then I will, if I want to dig out the sewing machine and do some stitching, then I'll do that too. I scrap based on what inspires me at the moment and what I enjoy using at the time. I've been digging through my old stash lately and have loved pulling out my tried and true favourites. I haven't used eyelets in years, but I think they add so much to such a little project. Each of those little pockets hold a quote/verse on motherhood, marriage and friendship. Anyone about to have their 4th baby needs a little (ok....maybe a lot) of support and encouragement from friends and family!
Stampin Up products used: cardstocks, inks, clear embossing powder, crystal effects, dazzling diamonds, stamp sets Simply Said, Everyday Flexible Phrases, Expressive Flexible Phrases and Classic Alphabet. The patterned paper is LilyKate - Basic Grey.

Summer Mini and Card Class

2007-12-07T02:00:00.000-08:00

Well the silly season is in full swing now, and if you're like me you're probably only a short way through your list of things to have ready by December 24th. The Christmas tree is up and the gingerbread house is made, but that's as far as I've achieved.

I thought I'd give you some Christmas pressie ideas for those of you struggling through your shopping list. The Stampin Up catalogue is FULL of small FUN stocking stuffers, like ink pads, buttons, punches, or ribbon. A Hodge Podge metal embellishments set would look great under the Christmas tree too! If you're still looking for the right gift for YOURSELF or someone you know, have a look at the catalogue (its online if you don't have one) and order something fun. I suggest having all orders to me by the 13th of December, just to make sure your gift arrives before Christmas. Gift vouchers are also available!

Just to entice you a little more is the SUMMER MINI catalogue that has just been released this month. If you'd like a copy of one of these mini catalogues, send me an email with your address and I'll get one in the mail to you. You can view it online as well. In true Stampin Up style, its full of some really pretty stamp sets, new papers and ribbon.

There is a SPECIAL 10% DISCOUNT to those who would like to sign up as a Stampin Up demonstrator, valid until the end of February. I'm also offering a FREE SIMPLY SAID STAMP SET (see previous post below) to anyone who signs up as a demonstrator with me, until the end of December 2007. I'd LOVE to have you join in the fun of being a SU demonstrator and being part of my small team of lovely ladies who love stamping as much as you do. Please give me a call if this is something you'd like to do.

I just want to say my sincere thanks those who participated in the All in the Family campaign last month. You've made this charitable effort a great success. Stampin' Up! worldwide sold 7,538 All in the Family sets. All of the proceeds received from the campaign have gone directly into a fund dedicated to helping Dave Abbot's family. Dave was Stampin Up!'s general
manager who passed away in October due to a rare blood disease. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of Dave's wife and three children during this holiday season.

I have one more Christmas card class to offer those of you who need to get some cards made quickly. Its on Thursday Dec. 13th, starting at 7:30pm. Please come along to my home and make 10 cards, 5 of 2 different styles. With these cards you'll be watercolouring and using the markers. The cost is $20 for the 10 cards & envelopes. All supplies are included in this price.
The colours used in the class may vary from the picture as I'll be using the Holiday Thyme paper which comes in 12 different patterns. Please email or call me if you'd like to book yourself in for this class.

Looking ahead to January & February.....Sale-a-bration is happening again, so look at your diaries and book your workshop!! You don't want to miss out on a gorgeous free stamp set that anyone can have with a $100 order. Its a sale not to be missed!

FREE Simply Said Stamp Set

2007-11-27T02:34:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post the 4 projects we made at the Stampin Up event in Sydney the other weekend. So sorry! We made 2 cards, 1 mini scrapbook page and an accordian style card/book. I love how these colours are a bit unusual together, yet so vibrant. We used only the Simply Said stamp set, and one other stamp from the Quick Thinking. I've used these stamps many times in my workshops yet I'd forgotten how many other ways you can use them.
My favourite new technique being: stamp the solid pointed flower and only just lift it off the page before turning it slightly and stamp again on top of the first image. Its the one in the round metal rimmed tag in the bottom left corner of the first photo. So simple yet so pretty....I'll be doing that again!

Sooooooooo....in celebration of this gorgeous stamp set, I'm going to offer a FREE SIMPLY SAID STAMP SET to anyone who signs up as a Stampin' Up demonstrator with me, until the end of December 2007. I'd LOVE to have you join in the fun of being a SU demonstrator and being part of my small team of lovely ladies who love stamping as much as you do.
You remember those new year resolutions you make every year, the ones that involve having more time for yourself to do what you love most......the ones that are usually forgotten by February? Why not make it happen this time??!!? WHY NOT? If you think your "not creative enough", I want you to know that there is a HUGE number of resources available to demonstrators, so there is never a lack of ideas and techniques to learn and show your friends and family. If you're worried about not having time to do workshops around the Christmas/school holiday time, you don't need to worry about that as your first quarterly minimum of $500 isn't due until the end of March, even if you join tomorrow. So, please think about and give me a call. Make YOUR new year one to remember and one to be proud of!!!

Pocket Fun

2007-11-26T03:51:00.000-08:00

I've been playing with a stamp set called Pocket Fun as I've needed a few kids cards lately. I was inspired by the Stampin Up design team (what a job!!...There are blokes behind some of the projects in that SU catalogue!!) who were here from the USA last weekend in Sydney. I also have a workshop in December where the theme is children's cards, so I'm experimenting with different looks for that as well. I really liked this one so I'm in the middle of making a dozen of them. I'll move onto a more girly card next to keep in my stash.

Holiday Thyme

2007-11-26T03:45:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to show you what I've been making with the gorgeous Stampin Up Holiday Thyme Designer Paper that is only available till December 15th. Its so easy to throw a card together with these papers as they match well with the popular christmas colours. Click on the photo if you want to see them a bit bigger.

Card Swap

2007-11-19T15:52:00.001-08:00

Just came back from Sydney where I attended a Stampin Up conference. There were about 100 demonstrators from around NSW/ACT who attended. LOTS of card swaps were happening amongst us demonstrators, which is such a fun way to get new ideas. Here's the card I made to swap. I used the Holiday Thyme paper that is only available until December 15th, All Year Fun and All Year Cheer 1 stamp sets and lots of watercolouring and sponging....with some faux stitching on the boarders.

I went to Sydney with my friend and downline, Tanya. Here is a pic of her gorgeous card, which is also a sneak peak to what is coming soon. I had a great weekend with Tanya & her family. Before heading home on Sunday, we visited the Taronga Zoo. I've never been there before and was blown away by its location, which held some amazing views of Sydney. I took tons of pics which I hope to put into a mini album one day....after I do the mini album of my HK/London/Paris trip and all the other projects I dream of doing and hopefully acheiving in the coming months.

Calendar Time

2007-11-08T16:47:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was my calendar class. This class is not for the faint hearted as its a lot of work.....everybody was finished by midnight.....which I think is a little earlier than last year's calendar. I always use the 6x6 desktop size for this Christmas gift....and all products are from Stampin Up. Here are some of the supplies we used: Petals & Pailseys Designer paper and matching cardstock, circle, spiral and corner rounder punches, Everyday Flexible Phrases, Expressive Flexible Phrases, Lexicon of Love and Polka Dots and Petals, and Collage Alphabet stamp sets, silver brads and chipboard.

Ahoy Matey!

2007-11-08T16:42:00.003-08:00

Christopher received this birthday invitation in the mail yesterday.....simply gorgeous! Makes me want to buy this set now. Wonder if I can convince Christopher to have ANOTHER Pirate birthday party next year? This invite was made by my friend Gab and she used the Ahoy Matey set with the Jumbo Matey's Map wheel. LOVE it!

Stampin' Up November Promotions and Newsletter

2007-11-08T16:00:00.000-08:00

I'm really excited to tell you that Stampin' Up has 2 promotions this month, one is designed to assist in your preparations for the Christmas season and the other is to help a family who has just lost their dad/husband. Sadly, the Australian General Manager for Stampin Up, David Abbott, died a couple weeks ago due to a rare blood disease. I was lucky enough to have met him a few times and even stamped with him once and I was very impressed at how much he knew about stamping, for a bloke! He was very active in training us new demonstrators last year and taught us fun techniques that I have since passed on to you. Stampin' Up has set up a fund for his beautiful family and if you purchase this super cute "All in the Family" stamp set, EVERY cent goes to his family. My special offer to you this month is that if you want to purchase this set of 28 stamps, you'll only need to pay the demonstrator price, which is 20% off the full price. ($59.15 + shipping & handling) Please have all orders to me by November 29th. The All in the Family stamp set will be available in the 2008-2009 Stampin' Up Idea Book & Catalogue, but it will be at its regular price of $73.95.

If you have used the "In Colours" this year then you'll LOVE the Holiday Thyme Designer Paper that is only available this month and until December 15th. Its full of the Cranberry Crisp and True Thyme colours with splashes of Bashful Blue. I've ordered some for myself, and will put some cards together to offer you ideas as well as a card class. I'll send you another email once I've had a chance to play!!

Just a reminder that the SPRING MINI Catalogue expires at the end of November, so please have all orders to me by November 29th. I'm sure there will be something you'd like to put under the Christmas tree for yourself this year!

And.....Its NOT too late to book a Christmas card workshop! I still have a few dates available, so give me a call and let's see what we can work out for you and your friends!

Happy Halloween

2007-10-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

I know that Halloween isn't really celebrated in Australia, but its a day that Christopher & I like to enjoy in our own little way. Last year I made his class at school "grub cakes", cupcakes with gummy worms coming out of the dirt (cookie crumbs). This year its spiders!

Garden Gnomes

2007-10-30T18:33:00.000-07:00

While visiting Floriade recently, Christopher and I viewed the entries in the Garden Gnome competiton. Christopher was so inspired by these gnomes that as soon as we arrived home, he dug out his clay and made half a dozen mini gnomes to live in our tomato plants. Each gnome has a different personality and a different plant to take care of. Our tomato plants are growing really well, so obviously the gnomes are doing a great job!

Canberra Great Strides Walkathon for CF

2007-10-18T17:14:00.000-07:00

Christopher and I are walking in the Great Strides for Cystic Fibrosis Walkathon this Sunday October 21st, around Lake Ginninderra. This walk is being held nationally to raise money for CF. I have come to learn about CF through our dear friends Gab, Anthony and their son Conor who has CF. We'd love to have as many people join in the walkathon so please come and join us on Sunday morning. If you can't make it and would still like to contribute, there is a donation page set up that generates tax deductable receipts when you click on Conor's name above.

Just want to add a note that $11,000 was raised on this day for CF. YAY!!
Thanks everyone who helped make this day a lot of fun and such a success. See you next year!

A Plug for an old Friend

2007-10-14T03:57:00.000-07:00

This movie, The Seeker came out in Australia on October 4th. I haven't been to see the movie yet as its been school holidays, but with Christopher back at school tomorrow, it's at the top of my to-do list. The director, David Cunningham, is an old friend of mine from waaaaaaay back when we were teenagers living in Kona, Hawaii. The last time we caught up with each other was in Singapore about 16 years ago when we were both travelling through Asia. He was just beginning his studies in the film industry. David had such big dreams then, and its just so cool to see where his dreams have taken him. If you saw "The Path to 9/11" last year on TV, (around the September 11th anniversary time) that was his work as well. I wish him all the best with this movie and look forward to seeing what else he directs in the future.

To Do

2007-10-10T04:52:00.000-07:00

I was inspired to jazz up my work area with these wooden letters the other day. You can buy these letters in plain white at a gorgeous shop called The Style Emporium in Gold Creek Village, Canberra. As my file folders and binders on my computer desk are orange and red, I stuck to these colours as I altered these simple little words. I really like the way they look now. The message on the "o" is: Do more than exist, LIVE. Do more than touch, FEEL. Do more than look, OBSERVE. Do more than read, ABSORB. A great message to read daily.

October Stampin Up Special & Newsletter

2007-10-09T23:35:00.000-07:00

I visited Floriade last week and I ooooohed and aaaaahed over all the beautiful colours of the flowers this year. The reds, pinks and yellows were so pretty together. My favourite combination was this one: Purple, white and green. I had a Christmas workshop on the following day and decided to use this colour combination for a Christmas card. I used Perfect Plum, Certainly Celery and Whisper White. It was a pretty card and I liked that it was a little different from the usual green and red colours associated with Christmas. Another place I look to for new colour combos, besides the Stampin Up Colour Coach, is children's clothing. Check out my son's t-shirt and the card I made in the same colours. I'd LOVE to see what colour combinations you come up when you make a card, so take a picture and email it to me!

Please have a look this Stampin Up special for October. When you purchase the "Looks Like Spring" stamp set (page 67 in the catalogue) and the coordinating Spring Bouquet Flower punch (page 140) then you receive the matching Spring Showers or Spring Flowers Designer Series Double Sided Paper (page 133) for FREE (valued at $16.95). You can see 2 examples on the left using these 3 products together. This is a beautiful combination to purchase for yourself or for someone you know for Christmas. If you'd like to take advantage of this special, please have your order to me by October 30th.

I uploaded 250+ photos last week to Snapfish to have printed out. I'm eagerly awaiting their delivery as I can then put together the calendar class. (not using all those photos obviously!) For those of you planning on doing the calendar class, now is the time to go through your own photos and choose one (approx size 4x6) for each month of the year and have them printed off and ready.
In the meantime though, for those of you who are finding it hard to sit down and get started on your Christmas cards, I have an evening to offer you to jump start your card stack. On Saturday October 20th, starting at 7pm, you can come to my home and make 10 cards, 5 of 2 different kinds. One of the cards you'll combine 3 different stamp sets and add a little bling by simply using Dazzling Diamonds, and the other card you'll be able to use the Poinsettia Wheel that was available in last year's spring mini catalogue. Its a favourite of mine and it will get a lot of use this year. You can view these 2 cards if you scroll down to "Upcoming Christmas Card Class" below. The cost is $20 which includes the price of all materials used as well as envelopes (which can be stamped as well, if desired!). My table can only hold 6 people, so please send me an email or call me to book your place.

Let me know if you'd like to host your own Christmas workshop to help you and your friends get started on this years cards, and of course for you to take advantage of those fantastic hostess benefits!

A New Scrap Junkie

2007-10-07T03:16:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Ainslee who just moved her business, Scrap Junkie, from her home to a beautiful shop on the lakefront in Gungahlin, Canberra.

You can find Scrap Junkie at:

The Waterfront

59a Strayleaf Crescent

Gungahlin ACT 2912

Birthday Time

2007-10-01T04:15:00.001-07:00

Its was my son's 9th birthday today. Nine is great age to be. I love that Christopher still likes to hold my hand when we go for a walk. Love that he still wants lots of cuddles when he wakes up in the morning. Love that he secretly blows me a kiss (in front of his friends!) when I drop him at school each day. Love that he now teaches me how to do things on the computer. Love everything about this little guy. So lucky he's mine!
Here's a picture of the invites I made for his science themed party. Christopher's mind never stops creating, building, planning and dreaming up things to make, so we decided on a science theme so that his friends could enjoy making some different things too. The kids started off playing in Moon Sand, a sand that can be molded like playdough, and it never dries out. Great stuff! Then we made lava lamps, slime and set off a home made volcano. Tons of fun and the kids liked it too. I made the cake into the shape of a test tube and filled it with blue jelly. I had only just cleaned up from this party when Christopher, bless him, brought up the topic of what he'd like to do at his 10th birthday party........sigh.....

Katrina, making this cake with the jelly brought back memories of making a cake with you for Joel's 4th or 5th birthday where we used blue jelly and put a couple Wiggles figurines into a Lego boat and half buried some plastic fish in the jelly, then sprinkled cookie crumbs around the edges to look like sand. How cool was that! Wish I got a picture of it!

A pic from the Wedding

2007-09-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

Ok Tanya, this one is for you. I've just been emailed a picture of myself, my sister and my neice at my brother's wedding. The pictures of us from my camera didn't turn out very well as I handed my camera over to someone with chronic camera shake.
Tanya is one of my "downlines" from Stampin Up. She has become a dear friend in such a short time, and is a constant source of inspiration for me.

2007-09-18T14:34:00.000-07:00

I had Thailand on my mind today since hearing about the plane crash in Phuket. We've been lucky enough to have visited there a couple of times and have had wonderful holidays there. I'm really feeling for the families who have lost the people they love and will keep them in my thoughts and prayers.

I got out some photos last night of our times in Phuket and decided to scrap a few of them. This page was fun. I saw a class that Ainslee recently offered at Scrap Junkie about using beads on your pages. So I created my own chipboard accent, painted it then covered in Stampin Up Crystal Effects, sprinkled it with beads and tiny sea shells and even a starfish. I love the way it looks. I also painted my Making Memories chipboard alphabet, then covered them in sand and Crystal Effects again for a shiny finish. If you click on the photos, you'll see them closer up.

Colours

2007-09-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

I've got to say that I think Australia has the BLUEST sky in the world. Its just beautiful! But....I think the UK holds the record for the GREENEST grass. I had forgotten how green, green can be.

Upcoming Christmas Card Class

2007-09-17T19:49:00.000-07:00

I've had my head down putting together a class to help you all get started on your Christmas Cards for this year. I'm really trying to be organised and have my own done BEFORE December arrives. I'll advertise this upcoming class in my next newletter, when I have dates finalised. Its a class where you can make 5 of each of the cards showing. I'll then create another class where you can make another 5 of 2 different cards. But for now I'm concentrating on my son's 9th birthday party which is in 2 weeks. We've decided on a Science theme, so I'm busy planning science experiments for the kids to do....such as making slime and making a volcano with a mixture of vinegar and baking soda lava. I'll look for a lab coat and some wild hair that I could wear so that I look the part of a Mad Scientist or even a Potions Master (hehehe....aka....Severus Snape...although I'd need greasy black hair for that!) Just for a laugh, check out this amazing layout....especially if you're a HP fan.

A Layout from the HK Class

2007-09-17T19:34:00.001-07:00

Just thought I'd show you one of the layouts I put together for the class I taught in Hong Kong. It had to be a stamp free page, as I couldn't take along my stamps. With all the shopping I wanted to do while I was there, the stamps would have added to the weight and taken up some very valuable space in my suitcase! I found it challenging to put my stamps aside and create something without them. Now that I'm home though, I'll probably add something with my stamps. It just seems a little naked without them!

It was a lot of fun teaching this class.....thanks Ange for organising it....and thanks again to Ange, Heidi, Merridy, Emma, Paula and Carla for giving me such a fun evening with you all! Love you ladies!

What my friends are up to....

2007-09-16T18:31:00.001-07:00

Just thought I'd share what a couple of friends have been doing with their Stampin Up products. My wonderful friend Steph (Princess Stephanie) bought the Simply Scrappin' Party Pieces Kit at a recent workshop. With these kits, its so easy to put layouts together quickly as the kit contains everything you need to create some gorgeous pages. This Party Pieces kit was also featured in Scrapbook Etc (my favourite scrapbooking mag) in the May/June 2007 issue in Supply Smarts article. Love it Steph! Thanks for sharing!

My other dear friend Ainslee from Scrap Junkie is a huge Stampin Up fan. Ainslee recently went away for a weekend scrapbooking retreat (sounds wonderful doesn't it). Before going to this, Ainslee prepared 24 ATCs to take with her. If you look closely, you'll see 3 different stamps sets used on these beautiful little ATCs. (Expressive Flexible Phrases, Trading Collection and Mixed Bouquet). Hope you had a lovely weekend away Ainslee! Thanks for sharing!

Hi From Hong Kong

2007-08-17T02:25:00.000-07:00

Christopher and I landed in Hong Kong VERY EARLY the other morning, in the darkness and pouring rain. The blast of humidity upon leaving the airport has rendered my hair unmanageable....something I got used to in the 10 years of living here. Bad hair days are the norm in this part of the world.

I have been away for 18 months yet it feels like I never left. I'm seeing old friends everywhere I go. I'm so looking forward to catching up with the wonderful group I worked with at Island Health (miss you Liz!), and the amazing bunch of scrappers who have attended all the classes I taught while living here. There is one friend that is missing from this picture though as she doesn't live here anymore. Katrina......Its just not the same without her. I walked into the building we lived in and the strangest feeling came over me....punching in the door code, taking the elevator.....weird! Miss you my friend!

At the same time though, I'm feeling really grateful that I call Australia my home and that I have my family and so many good friends there. My sister arrives next Sunday where she and her 13 month old will stay with me at my friends Allsion's home for 2 days and then we'll all fly together up to my brother's wedding in the UK. We will be squeezing in a trip to Paris before the wedding! Mad...I know!

So many memories flood back with every sight and smell. I'm trying to look at HK through the eyes of a tourist while I'm here and trying to show Christopher the dynamics of Asia. Since he was born here and grew up here, this is all very normal to him. The millions of people surrounding us, the constant loud noise of a bustling city, the pollution, the markets etc. I find myself reminding him that these things aren't normally found in Australia. Christopher has fit back in with his friends like he never left. It will be interesting to see how he'll go on our return to Canberra.

Its so nice to be with my wonderful friend Allison again. We're staying with her and her family during our stay in HK. Christopher grew up with Matthew and Sarah, Alli & Ian's 2 kids. Alli and I have a lot to catch up on!

Stampin Up Spring Mini Catalogue

2007-08-07T02:21:00.000-07:00

Stampin Up Australia have just brought out this gorgeous Spring Mini Catalogue. The products in this catty are available from August 1st till November 30th. You can have a look online at all the products that are packed into this mini catalogue, or email me your postal address and I'll put one in the mail to you. There are a couple new Christmas stamp sets as well and a few really fun sets for scrapbookers. There is also 2 NEW punches to purchase that will bring more dimension and fun accents to your scrapbook pages and cards....and don't get me started on the new papers and ribbon...sigh....what's a girl to do!!?!

Attack Cat!

2007-08-07T01:59:00.000-07:00

For some reason my cat has taken a liking to the top of my fridge. Maybe its because its warmer up there and it holds a great view of the backyard. As you can see, her new perch just happens to be right on the edge of the fridge door and as I am "vertically challenged", she is out of my line of sight. That is until I open the fridge door suddenly and she drops, claws and all, onto my head in a frightened state, which is nothing to the shock she gives me. I have since barricaded the top of the fridge with telephone books and bags so I can keep my head cat free!

Completed project

2007-07-30T16:45:00.001-07:00

Just thought I'd post what I completed on that day I had to myself. I turned a small black/red composition notebook into a small journal for myself. I also completed a few scrapbook pages which was a huge achievment for me.

I had a wonderful stamping time yesterday with my friend Tanya. We're involved in a Stampin Up Spring Mini Catatogue swap. I'll post our cards as soon I take a picture. I'll also be able to let you know more about the Spring Mini Catalogue that becomes available on August 1st.

July 21st 2007

2007-07-22T16:40:00.000-07:00

Here is what July 21st 2007 looked like at 7:00 am. We were one of the hundreds (thousands?) of people at the bookshops for the launch of the last Harry Potter book. I loved the way so many dressed up for the occasion....especially the adults. There were a few Harrys, some Hermiones, a couple Rons, a few handmade Nimbus 2000s, a Snape, a Viktor Krum and lots of really clever looking Muggles.

There is no way Christopher will be reading this last book until he's much older though. We have read up to book 4 together and then stopped as it was starting to get a bit old for him. I, on the other hand, could not put the books down and have read them all. Christopher loved being able to dress up in his Gryffindor robe and have people call him Harry for the day. The balloon he's holding says "#1 Harry Fan".

Serious "Me" Time

2007-07-22T16:29:00.000-07:00

Here I am in my craft room, ALONE,.....by myself......without any kids, having a fun, creative time with my some of my favourite things. Christopher and 2 friends are happily playing in the next room. I've got my coffee (check), got music (check), got some new products to play with (check)......I'm in heaven! Please do not disturb!

A Taste of Summer

2007-07-16T06:24:00.000-07:00

Just thought I remind you of what summer looks like. Well for me anyway, strawberries, kiwifruit and blueberries sum up the perfect summer snack. I made this fruit pizza last weekend for my brother's engagment pary. It was SUPER yummy, and such a treat on that c...c...c...cold, wet winter day.

Morning Visitors

2007-07-13T14:45:00.001-07:00

I woke up this morning to find these beautiful visitors outside my kitchen window. My indoor cat really enjoys watching them too, although she is petrified of them! I hang bird seed clusters from a few branches around the backyard to provide some good "Cat T.V." for her, and we get to enjoy watching the birds too!

Why Me?

2007-07-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

Some days I REALLY don't feel like being the brave one in my home. I know....I know...it isn't even that big! I'm much better with these things than I was years ago....but still......Any bigger than this and I call my dad!

My Birthday

2007-07-09T15:21:00.000-07:00

Yes....the dreaded day arrived last week where I turned another year older. Sigh......

I met my wonderful friend Gab in Civic for a HUGE breakfast at one of our favourite cafes, Dobinsons. In the evening, my mom made a delicious lasagna and my brother-in-law Joe made individual chocolate crème brulees (sp??). We all got to melt the tops of them ourselves with Joe and Mary's fun torch thingy......sorry....don't know what its called! They were SO melt-in-the-mouth divine!!! Notice the nice orange stained mouth of Christopher.....lasagna is his favourite as well.

My Happy Place

2007-07-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

Woke up this morning to the sounds of little boys laughter, plans of building a great city and the voices of miniature cars talking to each other. LOVE the imagination of little boys!
Christopher had a friend (Caleb) sleep over last night. It was Caleb's first ever sleep over at a friends home and it was also the first sleep over Christopher has had in a VERY LONG TIME. I'm now sitting here at the computer answering emails, reading the websites that I love to visit, with a hot cup of coffee, completely uninterrupted. Bliss! Wonder if Dave and Heather would notice if I kept Caleb for the entire school holidays???
Off to make some pancakes........

July Stampin Up Special & Watercolouring

2007-07-09T05:18:00.001-07:00

I think I have surprised myself, and hopefully you, by having my monthly newsletter to you before the middle of the month! I'm just really excited about this month's Stampin Up Special as it seems really applicable with all the wet weather we've been having. July is all about Watercolouring! I like to show some basic watercolouring techniques in my workshops, but in this newsletter I want to show you how to take your watercolouring a step further with the amazing crayons and pencils that Stampin Up have.
These watercolour pencils come in a pack of 24 vibrant colours. You can use these pencils on their own to colour in your stamped images (see image 1.) or by simply using a blender pen, turn them into a watercoloured work of art! (see image 2.)
1.

2.

Using the crayons also adds a rich coloured image to your cards and scrapbook pages. Check the photos below where I have used an Aqua Painter to pick the colour up off the crayons and paint it onto the stamp. The aqua painter contains water, so the more water you squeeze to the tip of the painter, the more watery the image will be. Its up to you! And you can easily clean these stamps using your stampin scrub and mist as you would when using ink. Its that easy!

For this month only, you can buy a single colour-family pack of Watercolor Wonder Crayons or Watercolor Pencils for 25 percent off with a $50 purchase. If you're interested in this special (shown below with the discounted price), please have all orders to me by July 30th.

Bold Brights Watercolor Wonder Crayons $29.21
Earth Elements Watercolor Wonder Crayons $29.21
Rich Regals Watercolor Wonder Crayons $29.21
Soft Subtles Watercolor Wonder Crayons $29.21
Neutrals Watercolor Wonder Crayons $14.21
Watercolor Pencils $28.46

Now for those of you who know this catalogue like the back of your hand, you'll have noticed the stamp I've used in images 1 & 2 is something you haven't seen before. Yes there are some fun things to look forward to in the coming months... and I've just given you a sneak peak. There will also be more sneak peaks throughout this month, posted here on my blog.

I would LOVE to see what you create with your stamps, so please email me a picture sometime. I get most of my own inspiration and ideas from what others create. So please show me what you're making!

My Sleeping Babies

2007-06-18T18:45:00.000-07:00

After I had finished watching Grey's Anatomy the other night, (which I've got to say that Meredith just can't die!!! They've have to change the name of the show to Steven's Anatomy if that came about! My heart is still breaking for McDreamy though.....sigh). Anyway....I found my 2 babies sound asleep in my bed. They were just gorgeous together that I had to take this picture. Christopher adores our little cat, Min, and shows his affection by sneaking up on her, poking a finger into her fur and yelling EXPELLIARMUS!. I guess he's hoping that she'll fly across the room (which she does anyway out of pure fright)! Its obvious that Min isn't too bothered by the way Christopher shows his love. So cute!

June Newsletter

2007-06-18T18:09:00.000-07:00

We've had a bit of rain lately, which I know all of us who live in Canberra are grateful for. I LOVE rainy days, and have always kept a box of activities stashed away for just a day. (...although it hasn't been opened much since moving to Canberra!) Rainy or just gray winter days makes me feel like brewing a cup of tea and sitting down to create something colourful. I've done that a bit lately by using the Stampin Up Kraft coloured cardstock as my foundation and when I add the slightest amount of colour, those colours POP off the card. I love that look! What do you think?

The first 2 cards are pretty much the same in style. If I like it, then I usually make more than one. I don't like to reinvent the wheel everytime I want to make a card!

June's Stampin Up Special has to do with those wonderful markers I demonstrate at every workshop. If you purchase any one of the four sets of markers then you can receive a 30% discount on the following stamp sets (shown here with the discounted price): Greetings Galore ($40.57), All the Best ($27.97), Eat Cake ($34.97) or Heartfelt Thanks ($40.57). If you've had your eye on any of those stamp sets, then this is a great deal for you to take advantage of. The markers are one of my favourite and most versatile tool that I use in my scrapbooking and card making. You can click on the link above for more details about this special, and remember to have your orders to me by June 29th.

I'm really looking forward to seeing those who have RSVP'd to the workshop that I'm hosting on Saturday 23rd June at 7:30 PM. If you'd like to come, please let me know by next Wednesday 20th of June. I'll be demonstrating some of the new products that appear in this year's catalogue, such as the chipboard, colour spritzer and the stampin spots. It will be a great time to meet others who love this hobby as much as yourselves.

One more thing that I can offer you this month is a "Use what you buy" night, on Friday June 29th, starting at 7:30pm. This is a night that you can bring those things you've bought at workshops and have sitting in a bag waiting to be used. You can use my tools, inks, cardstock and idea books to help you get going with your own stamping. Or you can just come and use my craft and rubber scissors and cut out the stamps you've bought and get some colour combinations organised using the colour coach. The price is $12 which includes tea/coffee and biscuits and the use of my stuff. My table can only hold a maximum of 6 people so you'll have to contact me to book a place.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

2007-06-11T19:49:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend my parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. WOW! Forty years! I wish them all the best for the next 40....I'm so proud to have them as my parents! Love you both!

I used some of my older but favourite supplies to make this card. I dug out my Making Memories De-fined clear stickers (I don't think you can buy those anymore) and covered the Fancy Pants paper with those stickers, used some of the Making Memories metal embelishments as well. I can't remember where I picked up that heart....but I used Staz On ink and stamped on it with a stamp from the Cute Converse set that is now retired. The chipboard numbers are Stampin Up, I covered those in FP paper and then added ruby coloured gemstones from Heidi Swapp. Then with Stampin Up Crystal Effects, covered the numbers for a shiny finish. The ribbon is also Fancy Pants.
It was fun digging out some of the older supplies and using them again...a great way to get the creative juices flowing!

65 Roses Day

2007-05-24T17:48:00.000-07:00

Today is also 65 Roses Day - the national awareness day for Cystic Fibrosis. Gab's son Conor has CF. I knew very little about it until I met Gab, Anthony and Conor. Seeing them live with CF everyday, with doing physiotherapy, taking medications and doing breathing exercises has made me more aware and hopeful that a cure will be discovered in Conor's lifetime....if not sooner! There have been medical advances over the years but more research is needed and its time help! My son Christopher doesn't really understand what CF is, but he's never too late in reminding Conor to take the tablets he needs after every meal to help Conor grow and stay healthy.
I hope today that you'll stop and buy a sausage from the LJ Hooker sausage sizzles that are set up around Canberra, which are raising funds for CF research. You can also visit their website anytime to make donation : 65 Roses Day 2007 .

Happy 40th Birthday Gab!!!

2007-05-24T17:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday my friend! Hope you have a really special day with Anthony and Conor!
For those of you who haven't met Gab, she is a dear friend of mine who I met while living in Hong Kong. Our passion for scrapbooking lead us to start a little business in Discovery Bay, HK, where we could supply products and teach classes to the scrapbookers in our community. In 2005 Gab moved to Canberra, where her family is from, and I moved back to Canberra early 2006, where my family lives as well. It made moving back here so much easier knowing that I already had a good friend to connect with. Our sons play really well together too. Gab's son Conor is 4 years old and my son Christopher is 8, but the age difference doesn't bother them.
Gab and I spent the day yesterday watching Pirates of the Caribbean 1 & 2, in preparation for going to see Pirates 3 tonight!! Yes... Pirate fever has hit in full force......we've been counting down the days to May 25th....for the movie as well as for Gab's big birthday!

Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea

2007-05-23T04:32:00.000-07:00

If you need something to do or somewhere to go this weekend, please go and visit Ainslee at Scrap Junkie as she is hosting an "Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea" this Sunday 27 May. You'll find lots of inspiration and tons of beautiful products in her shop, and this Sunday there will be door prizes, raffles, & donation giveaways. There is a Stampin Up! Simply Sent card kit to be won as well as other fun things. Ainslee is hoping to raise $1000 for the Cancer Council ACT, so your support of this cause would be greatly appreciated. Check out the Scrap Junkie blog for more details about the day. Hope to see you there!!!

A Very Late May Newsletter

2007-05-23T04:29:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry that time has gotten away from me and I'm only now sending out my "beginning of the month newsletter" toward the end of May! There has been so much excitement with the new catalogue, and I've been busy with workshops and playing with my own new stamps, colour combinations (check out this link for lots of new colour combinations using the existing colour families and the new "In Colour" colours), and some new tools, preparing all kinds of fresh new cards to demonstrate in my workshops.

As some of you know, Stampin Up! usually has a special promotion each month. There wasn't one in April as it was the 2007-2008 Catalogue's first month out. This months promotion is a FANTASTIC deal, but let me ask you a few questions first: Do you like stamping and stamping with others? Do you enjoy meeting people and making new friends? Would you like to buy your stamps and accessories with a 20% discount? If you said yes to those questions, then you might like to think about becoming a Stampin Up! Demonstrator yourself. This month you can join up and receive $585 worth of Stampin Up! products for only $299! What a deal! As you know, I moved back here to Canberra last year, after living overseas for the past 15 years, with only knowing a handful of people here. I had a love for stamping and was very keen to meet people who would also enjoy this rewarding hobby. So it all started with just 1 workshop (thanks so much Gab!) and now after one year I'm SO happy to be able to call many of you my friends. Being a demonstrator also allows me to be a stay at home mum to my son as well as paying less for my own stamps (thus my cupboards are now overflowing and my colour caddy is almost full of inks!!). Please feel free to contact me if you'd like more information about this promotion and remember it ends on May 31st!

Looking ahead in June: I'll be hosting my own workshop to show you how to use some of the fun "toys" that are in this new catalogue, such as the colour spritzer, the chipboard and those gorgeous stampin' ink spots. Of course there will be a card that you'll be able to make using these new products. The date is Saturday June 23rd, 7:30pm. Please call or email me if you'd like to come along!

Some Cards

2007-05-09T17:59:00.000-07:00

I'm been playing with some of my new stamps and LOVING the results. Thought I'd share a few with you: The first one is using the Paisley Background stamp. I stamped it using a few different inks in the soft subtle family, punched out some squares and put it back together (not matching on purpose). I love the detail in this stamp. I also stamped it straight onto Perfect Plum cardstock with Perfect Plum ink for a more subtle effect. If you click on the photo, you'll see more detail. I made 14 of these as I used it in a swap with other demonstrators around Australia.

This second card is using the Watercolour Minis and a canvas background. I love the dimension you can create with stamps that are the "2 Step" design. I stamp a much lighter colour first (in this case its Pretty-n-Pink), then stamp a darker shade (Rose Red) over top. The leaves are Certainly Celery as my lighter colour, then Always Artichoke as the darker. Again, if you click on the photo, then you'll see it bigger.

This last card I tried doing a cracked glass technique. I aged and stamped the images first, then heat embossed many layers of clear embossing powder over top. Put it in the freezer for a few minutes, took it out and cracked it up, rubbed ink into the cracks which gives it the antique look. I probably could have done a few more layers of embossing, but this is a good example of what it looks like.

A Mum's Moment

2007-05-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

I've got to admit that sometimes being a single mother is rather overwhelming. I know I made the right decision in choosing this path for my life, but nevertheless, I can sometimes feel quite small for the big shoes I must wear!

The other day while rushing around packing up the homework, cleaning up after dinner and getting Christopher ready for bed...I found this message on the edge of the bathtub. It brought me to a stop, tears came to my eyes and I could do nothing else except feel SOOOOO grateful for gift that Christopher is to me. I'm such a lucky mum!

Mother's Day is this weekend....Happy Mother's Day to all the mums I know out there! Hope you have a lovely day with your families and that your kids will surprise you with something from their hearts.

One Morning in Canberra

2007-05-08T03:47:00.000-07:00

I got up at the crack of dawn a couple weeks ago and went out with a friend (hi Steph!) and our cameras. It was only 2 degrees outside and still dark....and yes we both thought we were MAD giving up precious warmth and sleep to go out and see what we could capture at that time of day. The above photos show only a glimpse of how lovely it was that morning. With Christopher away in New Zealand visiting family with his dad, I was free to have the rest of the day to myself....and since I started the day waaaaaaaaaay too early...it was heaven being able to crawl back into bed and wake up at lunchtime. I don't think I've done that since I was a teenager!

A Good Read

2007-04-21T03:55:00.000-07:00

Pearls before Breakfast
Found the above link on Ali E's blog. Make a cup of tea before sitting down to read it. Its so worth it! What kind of person would you be in this situation?

Hot Air Balloons

2007-04-20T15:45:00.000-07:00

The weekend following Easter was the annual Hot Air Balloon Festival in Canberra. We went last year in minus 5 degree temperatures...loved it...but we froze! This year was much warmer, 5 degrees above zero, and my dad, my brother-in-law Joe and Cole came along too. The highlight this year was being able to walk inside a giant balloon as it was being blown up. (see the red and yellow balloon below with Christopher in the middle.) We'll be there again next year! If you click on the pictures, you'll see them bigger. Have a read of that football picture, the close up one below.

Pretty - n - Ink

Contact Details

SALE*A*BRATION, Summer Mini and Classes for February 2010

August Classes and Stampin' Up! Spring Mini

Spring Mini Link

Technique Class, SAS and the Spring Mini

I'm Back!

New Stampin' Up! Catalogue and Upcoming Classes

March Technique Class

Retiring List Update

Stampin' Up!'s Retiring List

Summer Mini, Sale-a-Bration, Bushfire Appeal, and Upcoming Retiring Products

Part 2 of the Scrapbook Class

Today

November Stampin' Up! Specials and Class

Too Cute to Cook

More Waterfall Cards

Upcoming Scrapbook Class

My Owl

Time to Play

Check This Out!

Waterfall Card

October Stampin Up Special & Newsletter

Congratulations Tanya!

Happy Father's Day!

Stampin' Up! September Special and More Christmas Card Classes

My Journaling Journey

Away with the Birds

August Classes and The Spring Mini Has Arrived!

Stamping Day!

7 Random Things You May Not Know

A Piece of Heaven

July Newsletter and Stampin' Up! Special

Stuff I've been Working On

I'm Back and June Newsletter/Stampin Up Specials

A New Stampin' Up! Year Has Begun!

Misc Stuff

Stampin' Up! Retired List

I'm Still Here!

Sale-A-Bration Time!

Just a few Cards

C.A.S.E

Thank You!

Happy New Year!

For my 80's Friends!

Men are Just Happier People

The Humble Doorknob

Our Resident Lizard

A Modern Gingerbread House

Freedom to Create

Summer Mini and Card Class

FREE Simply Said Stamp Set

Pocket Fun

Holiday Thyme

Card Swap

Calendar Time

Ahoy Matey!

Stampin' Up November Promotions and Newsletter

Happy Halloween

Garden Gnomes

Canberra Great Strides Walkathon for CF

A Plug for an old Friend

To Do

October Stampin Up Special & Newsletter

A New Scrap Junkie

Birthday Time

A pic from the Wedding

Colours

Upcoming Christmas Card Class

A Layout from the HK Class

What my friends are up to....

Hi From Hong Kong

Stampin Up Spring Mini Catalogue

Attack Cat!

Completed project

July 21st 2007

Serious "Me" Time

A Taste of Summer

Morning Visitors

Why Me?

SALEABRATION, Summer Mini and Classes for February 2010