New Catalogue goodies!

Oh my, when a new Stampin' Up Catalogue comes out things get crazy. I have been flat out creating and doing workshops. Thankyou so much to all the lovely ladies that come to my workshops. I love meeting you all, and being part of your paper crafting.

I have had so many new goodies coming my way that the ink is barely drying before there's more to make.

Absolutely loving some of the new stamps too, and the big, big news is that I have a new 'Big Shot' die cut and embossing machine coming my way soon, like by the end of the week.........Yay!!! So excited!

Here is a lovely little card that we are making at workshops at the moment. Since taking this photo though, I have changed it slightly. For more of a lift I used the spot embossing plate and the Big Shot and then mounted the whole card on a sheet of Island Indigo (new 'In Colour' . I love the new 'In Colour's and have been using them a lot too. Stay tuned for an updated photo in my next post.







So, can you tell I am in infatuated with the new 'Pennant' set? Really, I love any stamp that has a matching punch, it makes like so easy. I decided to start Sophie's 1st Birthday album, and had an 'On Board Journal' waiting to be use. I love, love, love how this turned out!

Of course, there are many, many more I have made, and I'll get back to share again soon, I promise. Stampin' Up also have a great promo going for anyone intested in joining up and getting lots of great stuff for a reduced price. I'll get that up on my blog soon too, as there is no committment to sell, you can just get such a great discount, that I have to share!

Meanwhile, if you would like to book a workshop at your home, or mine, please contact me. I am fast filling up my diary for this year, and even have a few bookings now for next year, can you believe it? LOL!

I am also going to try an 'At Home Paper Craft Night' again soon. If you are interested in joining a group of ladies to create cards, scrapbook layouts or just chat and share ideas, then let me know and I'll keep you in the loop. The last one was great, with a lots of ideas being shared. This is a free night at my home, and you can use my stamps!


xx

Wow, it has been a long time!

I have some great excuses though, I promise. June and July were very busy (as they usually are in this house). Each year we head off for an extended camping/driving holiday during the July school holidays, so June is therefore busy with all the preparations. Good enough excuse? Throw in also a bit of day surgery for me, and it got even busier. However, I am back now, bigger and better than ever before!!

August has seen SU! go mad, with the retirement list out from the old catalogue, and the new catalogue and products coming to us. Sorry, can't share with you just yet, but when they arrive to me, I'll get some projects up pretty quickly so you can see some of the products being used.

So, you can view the list entire retirement list HERE.

You might like to print it out and then highlight the retiring sets in your catalogue.

Some of my favourites are going....in particular I'll be very sad to say goodbye to Party Hearty, if you have been to any of my workshops, you will recognise this one, I used it a lot! :( . If you like this set, this is your last chance to get it for sure.



Always is also going, and again, it is one I use a lot, I love that little birdy!



and Priceless, which you will recognise from cards I have posted here.



The fantastic news is that some items are discounted by 40%!! So, check the list to see if anything you love is disappearing forever - but order it fast, because these items are only available while stocks last!

Some of the highlights to look out for:

40% off:
Gifted (page 21) is now $29.97 (wood) or $23.97 (clear)
On a Pedestal (page 33) is now $20.97 (wood)
Hello, You (page 133) is now $11.97 (wood)

....and 25% off 22 other sets!!!

25% off Fresh Cut Notes (page 123) so now only $13.13 a packet

40% off Jolly Holiday DSP so at $10.17 for a pack of 12 sheets it's perfect for a head start on your Christmas cards, scrapbook pages and gift giving.

25% off Striped Ribbon in Real Red, Certainly Celery, Night of Navy and Early Espresso making it just $14.96 per roll.

40% off "Good Times" Simply Scrappin Kit (page 131) - now only $22.17!

This is the last chance to purchase New Colour Kits from the Colour Renovation (in ink pads, Markers, pastels, and Crayons) page 117 and 142. The Crayons and Pastels are 25% off!

5 Punches are Retiring. - the Spiral Punch, Designer Label Punch, Small Oval Punch, Photo Corners Punch and Star Punch (page 146-8)

15 Wheels are Retiring (page 158-9). get in quick with those!



Email me to place your order

Jo

Spank me now!

Oh, I have been a very naughty blogger haven't I? Spank me now!! (LOL, my husband is laughing at that one!).

Sometimes it is so hard to actually bite the bullet and post, when you haven't done it for a while. But I did it, and here I am again. I have been busy running lots of workshops and have now been promoted to a Senior Associate with Stampin' Up. For me that is pretty cool, as it was my goal for 6mths, and I made it in 4 months. Pretty chuffed with myself.

On the creative front, I have also been busy, mainly creating cards for my workshops. I have been pretty slack in photographing them though. It is pretty slack to blame Sophie, but in reality I can. She is a bit of a devil when it comes to daytime sleeps and that makes it hard to set up for photography, which I like to do in natural light. Oh well, soon I will get to that. Weekends are the perfect opportunity, but of course I have been at workshops or out camping every weekend this month. Busy, busy, busy!

I do however have something to share. Here is a little card I made for my MIL's 60th Birthday. It was case from one created by Nicole Stalker that she showed at a recend meeting. One of those cards that take quite a bit of work, and it shows in the finished product. Very please with how it turned out.





I really like the patterned papers that Stampin' Up have. Here I have used a piece from the Elegant Soiree set of papers, and I love the stick on pearls, they just finish the card off.

For my MIL's birthday we decided to make a banner for decoration. Together John and I made this....

It is not made from SU papers, so you will have to excuse that, but I wanted to share it. It's the first one I have ever made, and it was so easy. Really need another birthday so I can made more! I wasn't really sure how to mount it all, so ended up sewing it onto ribbon using a zigzag stitch on the sewing machine. The next one needs to be ornate and highly decorated, it could look so great hanging in a kids room.

So many ideas in my head...need to get them out!

I'll post again tomorrow with some special deal that SU have on offer at the moment.

xx

You're going to make a what?

Two weeks ago, I packed a few supplies and went off to a handbag making class. Darling Husband was perplexed. I was going to a handbag making class? What? Don't you have enough? A paper handbag? Oh, that sounds useful! LOL

One of the members of my team had made one for our manager's Birthday. She kindly offered to show us how to make them. Thankyou so much Michelle, what a delightful way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Here is the little bag I made, using papers from the Designer Series Paper Patterns Stack in Pastels. You will notice I use these papers a lot. They are fantastic, thick and double sided!



Now I'm on a bit of a handbag roll.....here's another one Amy and I made.



We filled it with little gift tags, and we gave it to my MIL as part of her 60th Birthday gift (Oops, perhaps she didn't want me to reveal her age! LOL). This little bag was super easy, and I found the template online somewhere and just printed it out straight onto the cardstock. I am still using up my old cardstock and patterned papers, so this gorgeous green embossed cardstock is from my stash, so not Stampin' Up.

I think that I might have to put this into my 'must do a class on' list.

Must get off this computer, I have two workshops this weekend, and am going to be flat out with those and a 1st Birthday on Sunday. Busy, busy, busy, but I love it!!

xx

I got it runnin' through my veins!

crafting that is, crafting is running through my veins, it is a compulsion BUT......

Oh, school holidays, they are driving me insane. Yes, I know, only into day 3! LOL

I have so much crafting I want to do, but I lack time, I lack space, and I lack the peace and quiet to do it. To be honest I also often lack the discipline. Often I will sit down on my computer just to check 'something' when Sophie goes to bed, and next thing (like 2 hrs later), I have wasted precious time that I could have used for crafting. What do I do? I surf blogs, I facebook, I visit a few forums, I check the weather, I look at specials going (cudo etc) and just generally waste time. Is this such a bad thing? Mmm....perhaps I should stop justifying it as my 'down time', and just boot myself off the computer.

The reason I got onto that, was that I have so many things buzzing through my brain at the moment, that I am dying to make. Tonight I made my first ever Bunting, you know, flag thingi. I'll take a photo on the weekend, but can't share just yet, as it is a suprise for my MIL, and just incase she reads this little blog, I don't want to ruin the suprise. Amy and I did make the cutest little handbag today, and I still need to photograph the one I made on the weekend. I am liking this little paper handbag making thing, such fun, and so easy to do. I promise to share soon.

What I will share with you though, is this....



I don't know quite what you call this type of card. A 3D self standing card? Someone help me with that one? Anyway, a lovely lady (sorry can't remember who) showed us this at the recent team meeting and I just had to have a go at making one. I used some of the new papers from the Autumn/Winter Mini Catalogue, and quite frankly love them. So Autumnal and perfect to go with the 'Trendy Trees' stamp set. This was one of my first ever sets of stamps I bought from Stampin' Up, and I still think they are gorgeous little things.

Perhaps another class idea? Really, really easy to make, I promise!

I have been thinking for a while now about joining in some of the challenges around. Lets see if next week I can squeeze some into my schedule. Ok no, won't happen next week. Got a busy one coming up!

xx

By request

I often ask the host of a workshop what sort of cards she would like to do. At the moment I am getting requests for Cupcakes (lol, of course) and Mother's Day. But I also have had a lady ask recently for masculine cards. For some reason I have difficulty doing masculine cards. Why? Well, I love flower and pretty things, what girl doesn't? So, here is one that I have crafted. I actually like this cards, as I think it has many different applications. Depending on the colour of the papers used, it could be feminine too. It would also make a great invitation.



During this week, I would like to make some more like this, perhaps with the little flap lifting up. The patterned paper is from the Designer Series Paper Stack in Pastels, that I use so much of, I love that paper, so easy to use. The gorgeous punch is from the new Autumn/Winter Mini Catalogue, you'll be seeing lots of that one, because I think it is gorgeous! I also used the 'A sense of time' stamp set with the Versamark ink pad to create the gorgeous masculine looking bottom section.

The next cards is one that I have made for Mother's Day. Now this has caused me so much grief. I had in my mind how I wanted it to look, and I made one, cut all the papers up for my next 2 workshops (20 sets cut up) and then decided I didn't really like what I had done. I am still not entirely convinced, and I would love some feedback, please? Perhaps it is the colour combination I have used, not sure. I am hoping that it will grow on me! Essentially I like the design of the cards, so maybe it is just the colours. I think I will make it again tomorrow using different colours and see.



This is made using the 'Always' stamp set, that I got in my original starter kit, but have rarely used. I gorgeous set, that I am going to make use of shortly on a scrapbooking layout. I know, I keep saying that!! You will all keel over with shock when I finally do some scrapbooking again.

I have a busy day planned tomorrow. Jack has two friends coming over the spend the day. In order to make Amy feel a little bit less left out, I am hoping to do lots of crafting with her. Of course, that will all depend on how demanding little Miss Sophie is. She is so frustrated at the moment. The only form of communication that she is using a squealling and screaming at us. She is dying to walk and to talk, but just can't get it all together. Hoping and praying that in the next week all the little neurons in her brain co-operate and she figures it all out....either that or I am going to go a bit nuts! LOL

Stay tuned for postings of lots of makings! LOL, does that make sense?

xx

So inspired!

I have can't believe how much I have done this last week. As I logged in here tonight, I realised it has been a week since I blogged on my SU blog, and thankfully I have an excuse.

After trying to get myself together, and actually sit down and create a monthly newsletter, I finally got it this week and it took me so long. I finished it all off, and send it off into cyberspace, only to regret sending it, and wish that I had done it differently. Still working on a better one, but will send off an update this week with the important things in it, that probably got lost in all the information I included in my first email. What is the important information? Well, the address of this blog is VERY important, as is my class calendar (more about that in a minute) and the product share. If you are on my mailing list, I would love some feedback about what you thought of my newsletter, please.

This week I have also pushed myself a little further and plunged headfirst (well before the intended 6mths) into running classes. A lot of my workshop ladies have asked about classes run at home, and they all seem very enthusiastic. I have one lady booked already! Ok, yes it is a friend of mine LOL, but a booking is a booking.

The first class is going to be on Tuesday 3rd May. There will be two classes, one at 10am and one at 7.30pm. Children are welcome at the 10am classes. Refreshments will be served also. The cost will be $10 for 3 cards or $15 for 5. All materials will be supplied. This months theme will be cupcakes. I posted one card in the my last post, and here is the second one for the class. Do you like it? I love the cupcakes, could make cupcake cards forever. Mmmm, must get onto those scrapbooking layouts I keep talking about too.

In this class you will be able to used my 'Create a Cupcake' Stamp set and the 'Build a Cupcake' Punch. I can't promise however that you won't love it so much, that you will have to buy it! Sorry.

Another new stampset in the Autumn/Winter Mini Catalogue I love is the 'Strength & Hope' Set. $2 from every sale of this set goes directly to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Now that is a good reason to buy it alone, but the fact that it is gorgeous is another great reason. Here is a card that I made recently at one of our team meetings with the set. I think the June class should be devoted to making cards with this set.

I just love the colours in this card, and that butterfly is gorgeous.

Please come along to a class soon, they will be lots of fun!

Tomorrow I will post you a sneak peak at a class I went to over the weekend!

xx