So August has snuck on up, bringing with it the retiring list from Stampin’ Up! – the list of items that will no longer be available when the new Idea Book & Catalogue hits in a few short weeks from now.

Many of the stamp sets on the list have been my long time go-to stamp sets (Petal Pizzazz anyone…?!) and some have only been around for a relatively short time.  Some items on the list have been discounted by up to 40% but ALL of them are only available while stocks last!

To view the list and check out any must haves that you need to pounce on, click –>HERE<– and to order any of those must haves, be sure to contact me asap!

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Of course the retiring list having been released, means that the all new IB&C is only just around the corner, and having had the sneaky peek that being a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator allows me to do, let me tell you, you’re in for the treat of all treats!

This year, to give the new catalogue all the fanfare that it oh so richly deserves, I have teamed up with a group of the demonstrators in my stampin’ team to bring you a launch extravaganza…

The nitty gritty details again, in a less decorative fashion:

Date: Sunday 28 August
Time: 1pm – 4pm
Venue: St Mary’s Anglican Church Hall, 9 Ridge Street, South Perth
Cost: $15 per person (includes your catalogue to take home!)

Places must be pre-booked and paid for, which needs to be done by August 21 to confirm your place.  With all the fun stuff we have in store, you’re not going to want to miss out, so hop to it!

Don’t forget to let any friends know who might be interested in coming along with you – every friend that you bring along who is new to Stampin’ Up! with me will earn you an extra ticket in the super duper prize draw on the day!

Too book your spot(s), be sure to contact me asap.

Righto, I hope to be back in the not too distant future with some reminders of how lovely some of the retiring list products are, as well as some sneak peeks of projects made with some fabulous new stuff, but right now my presence is required on the floor of the toy room, as I’m hanging out with my nine month old nephew this morning and he’s just now woken up

It still feels very far from Autumn over here in the West (although I was delighted to see mention of some upcoming rain in this week’s weather forecast..) but at least it’s Autumn/Winter as far as all things stampin’ are concerned!

The Autumn/Winter mini has arrived, bringing with it all manner of delights, including new stamp sets, Designer Series Papers, Punches, Embellishments and all new Big Shot accessories, PLUS two new and delightful hostess sets.

There really is something for everyone!

Click on the catalogue image below to browse the online version, or complete –>this form<– to have one sent to you in the old-fashioned way…

I said earlier that I’d be back later with my workshop projects for this month, so being later, here I am!

I’m not long back from coaching at my girls’ gymnastics classes, which follows on from a 6am workout in the park, canteen duty at school, and some work in the afternoon, so if I stop making sense (you know, more so than usual) chances are my head has hit the keyboard, so forgive me.

I had an absolute blast with my workshops this month, all of them centered around the Itty Bitty Bits stamp set and matching Punch Pack and Bitty Buttons.  It’s such a totally cute stamp set and I was really happy with the projects I made with them and gave to my hostesses.

I was determined to work Poppy Parade into this month’s colour scheme and was happy to land on this combination, which actually includes four out of the five In-colours, plus Baja Breeze.  Bright and colourful and perfectly suited to the Itty Bitty range.

Here’s the first one…

This first example shows just the stamping aspect of the set – at least the ones that I demonstrated at the workshops did…  This sample of mine has a stuffed up Poppy Parade flower under the punched out one, but imagine if you will a Poppy Parade flower stamped directly onto the circle of Whisper White just like the other two.

Thanks

For the second sample, I busted out the co-ordinating Punch Pack for this, my favourite of the bunch…

Same colours as before, just in different proportions – something I have been doing in all my recent workshops to show the versatility of a combination of four or five colours

For the third sample, I popped on some of the delightful Bitty Buttons for some added cuteness and dimension…

Same colours again, a bit more of the polka dot theme that I seem to have going on, plus a Sale-a-bration set (last day to get yours tomorrow!!) for good measure

At $55.85* for a stamp set, pack of three co-ordinating punches and 64 buttons, you really can’t go wrong, unless of course you don’t act before tomorrow evening, as these sweet products are set to become unavailable as soon as the Summer Mini finishes its reign.

If you’d like to add this set of lovelies to your order of the Square Lattice embossing folder from earlier, you’ll need to get in touch asap to make sure you can get them!

Alternatively you can wait until tomorrow and order at the last minute, as I’ve got something to show you that might have you adding the Aviary stamp set as well…

* Cost for clear mount stamp set not including shipping.  The total of all the products inclusive of the stamp set in woodmount is $59.85

“Itty Bitty Bits of loveliness”
Stamps: Itty Bitty Bits, Teeny Tiny Sentiments, So Happy for You
Paper: Baja Breeze, Poppy Parade, Pear Pizzazz, Blush Blossom, Whisper White, In-colour DSP stack,
Ink: Baja Breeze, Poppy Parade, Pear Pizzazz, Blush Blossom, Peach Parfait
Accessories: Itty Bitty Punch Pack, Scallop Edge, 1-1/4″ Square, 1-3/4″ Circle & 2-3/8″ Scallop Circle Punches; Timeless Type Junior Alphabet Sizzlits, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Pear Pizzazz Stampin’ Write Marker, Blush Blossom Stitched Poly, Basic Rhinestones, Bitty Buttons

So the gastro fairy visited our house this week.  Without going into a whole bunch of detail (you’re welcome) I have been wary of eating anything much these past few days, so energy reserves have been on the low side to say the least.

On a related but much more positive note, I finished my first book club book in three days.

My challenge card this week is a sketch – one that I came up with based on a card in the current Idea Book & Catalogue.  I think I might do more challenges based on samples from the IB&C as you really don’t need to look much past there for buckets of inspiration.

The card I used as a starting point is this one from page 86…

…which I turned into this sketch…

…and in turn, this card…!

Here I used the very sweet Sweet Summer and So Happy for You Sale-a-bration sets, which are two of the freebie stamp sets on offer with your order of $100 for only a couple more weeks!  This is also my workshop make and take for the month

You can see how the final card is based on the layout of the first one, but with a few tweaks, which is the whole idea behind CASEing*.  Sometimes it’s easier to turn the original idea into a two-dimensional sketch first as I have done, that way you don’t “see” the original card quite so clearly and it can be easier to tweak and put your own spin on it.

I’m off to finalise my swaps for my team stamping night tonight – can’t wait to catch up with my gals!  We’re doing Easter themed swaps this month, so I will have a whole lotta Easter inspiration by tomorrow!

* What’s your definition of CASEing?!  I have heard of two things that the CASE acronym stands for – Copy And Share Everything and Copy And Selectively Edit.  I think either could apply, but which one do you think it stands for, or are there others?  Discuss…

“Sketch Challenge #1 – CASEing page 86″
Stamps: Sweet Summer, So Happy for You
Paper: Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Old Olive
Ink: Bashful Blue, Old Olive, Tangerine Tango, Regal Rose
Accessories: Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, 5/8″ Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Edge Punch

I‘m a little bit later than usual with my challenge post today – ‘usual’ being based on only the two Challenge Chewsday entries that there have been prior to this one, however….

I’ve had a busy weekend with a workshop, a team stamping day and last night a scrapbooking class – my first ever (and hopefully the first of many!), so I haven’t had a great deal of time to stamp and photograph my card and then schedule the accompanying post, but with my small girl out on adventures with Daddy, other than being constantly distracted by my absolute favourite YouTube video of the moment (I’ll tell you about that in a minute…) my time for an hour or so is my own, so here I am.

This week I took on Just Add Ink #56 – a sketch challenge that looks like this…

…and turned it into this little card (the operative word being “little” – it’s only 7 x 10.5 cm)…

The card is a tribute to my favourite season, and I am so very ready for Autumn on a so many levels!  We have had the most unrelenting spell of hot and humid weather here in Perth these past weeks and quite frankly I’m ready for a bit of a break from it!  So is my lawn, at least what is left of it.

The other thing about Autumn that is rather exciting and just over the horizon now, is that it brings with it a brand new mini catalogue!  I’m stalking my postie for my copy, which should be here any day now, but I’ve seen a preview online and oh lordy, what a treat we’re in for

If you’d like to reserve a copy to be posted out next month in readiness for the mini to go live in April, please fill out –>this form<– with your details and I’ll be sure to get one in the post for you!

In the meantime, we still have the delightful Summer Mini in all its goodness, which I have been demonstrating lots of this past month.  If you haven’t already, check it out and make sure to grab anything that you want/need before the sales period ends on March 31, not forgetting that until then a $100 order will also score you a free Sale-a-bration stamp set!

Contact me to place your order

And before I sign off, as promised, here is the video that’s been on high rotation on my computer since I was alerted to it last week.  I have not been able to stop watching/listening to it, so from me (and those spunky tenors) to you….ENJOY!

“Challenge Chewsday – JAI #56 -Ready for Autumn”
Stamps: Trendy Trees, Woodgrain, Tiny Tags
Paper: Soft Suede, Early Espresso, More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Whisper White, In-color DSP stack
Ink: Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz, Cajun Craze
Accessories: Soft Suede, Old Olive, More Mustard & Cajun Craze Markers, Lots of Tags Sizzlits, Old Olive 1/8″ Taffeta Ribbon, Scallop Trim Border Punch

The most fun and exciting time of the stampin’ year is here, but before I get to that, I must just let you know that the final tally for my retired stamps Queensland floods appeal was $518.  I still have a couple of payments to come and stamp sets to send, but once all of that is sorted, I will be able to send that money off to the Queensland Premier’s Flood Appeal, so THANK YOU everyone who bought some of my retired stamps!

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Today marks the start of Sale-a-bration, without doubt the best and most lucrative time of the stampin’ year for everyone!

Whether you’re a customer, a workshop hostess or are considering the option of becoming a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator yourself, the pickings are rich…

Get FREE stamp sets by doing any (or all!) of the following:

Spend
You’ll receive a free Sale-A-Bration stamp set when you spend $100 on Stampin’ Up! merchandise (net sales before shipping and handling). There’s no limit-for every $100 you spend, you can select another FREE Sale-A-Bration reward!

Host
You’ll receive a free Sale-A-Bration stamp set when you host a workshop of at least $600 (net sales before shipping and handling)-this is 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 the current Idea Book and Catalogue!

This once a year promotion runs from now until the end of March and I’m so excited to share it with you!

At this stage I have very limited February workshop dates available and fairly limited March ones too, so to secure a date to get stampin’ and Sale-a-Brating with your friends, contact me today!

For more information on the demonstrator opportunity, please don’t hesitate to get in touch or click –>HERE<– for further reading

With Christmas over for another year (and I hope yours was as wonderful as ours!!) Stampin’ Up! is looking ahead to Valentine’s Day with a great promotion involving FREE Heart Treat Cups!

From now until 24 January, when you purchase either the Sweetheart stamp set (your choice of wood or clear mount) or the Full Heart Punch, you will score a FREE pack of Heart Treat Cups valued at $6.50!

For even more fun, purchase the stamp set AND the punch, and you’ll get a FREE pack of Treat Cups for each!

The Heart Treat Cups are an adorable  addition to any card, or as the central feature of any project, the bonus being that you can put all manner of cute things inside!

Try small lollies, buttons, punched shapes, glitter – the possibilities are endless, although I’m a fan of the lollies option myself, as would all the “sweets” in my life be should they be on the receiving end of these little lovelies!

To order some treats for YOUR sweets, send me an email today!

I‘m not sure about you, but over my way the weather is not nearly approximating a Summer’s day today (not that I’m complaining!), but despite that, the Summer Mini from Stampin’ Up! is alive and kicking and packed with some delightful products perfect for your Summer stampin’!

Personally I’m super excited that the delightful Aviary set made the cut and I’ve already inked it up several times for some oh-so-cute projects (coming soon – stay tuned!).

I also love the idea of the Itty Bitty Bits stamp set with a matching three-punch set AND co-ordinating clear buttons, plus there are some gorgeous vintage bits in amongst the cuteness too!

To check all these out, plus MUCH more, simply click on the image below to view the online catalogue, or to save a copy to your hard drive for ongoing perusal and inspiration, click –>HERE<–

And in case a brand new mini catalogue isn’t enough to get you all hot under the collar, Stampin’ Up! has announced an amazing December promotion too!

Just in time for your Christmas stampin’ shopping, December Frenzy sees a huge list of products being discounted – some by up to 50%!

Included are the Circle Scissors Plus – now just $32.97 (were $54.95), Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware – now just $28.98 (was $57.95) plus an assortment of gorgeous stamp sets – one going for a tiny $7.98!!

Here’s the complete list for you to check twice and for a downloadable flyer including images of all the discounted products, click –>HERE<–

To take advantage of these amazing prices, simply send me an email and I can arrange to have your order delivered to your door!

I’ll be back tomorrow with a Christmas project that I’m absolutely delighted with – one that’s been on my Christmas to-do list for a goodly number of years and I’m SO excited to have finally brought it to life!

See you then!

With December 25 approaching at a rate of knots, it’s a great time to start thinking about some Christmas crafting, and the current special from Stampin’ Up! makes it an even better time!

From now until November 30, you can score yourself some FREE, exclusive and not-available-in-the-catalogue rolls of ribbon in one of two ways (or both!)

The first way is to purchase one of the Christmas Gift-Giving Bundles below…

For each bundle you purchase, a roll of ribbon is yours for the choosing!

The second way you can score yourself your choice of these gorgeous ribbons is to host a workshop of $550 or more during the promotion period.

If you’re wondering about the Christmas Cocoa Specialty DSP listed in the second bundle and are not sure where to find it, to be honest with you, neither was I!

It’s also not currently available for purchase from the catalogue and is available only as part of this promotion…

The “specialty” part of the paper is that the two designs at the top are flocked.  Those two are single-sided designs and the rest are double sided.

Contact me today to place your bundle order, or make a booking for a workshop from the small scattering of dates I have available between now and November 30!

It is with much excitement (and rather bleary eyeballs – it’s way past my bedtime…) that I can tell you that the all new, delicious and delightful, gorgeous and stunning 2010-11 Idea Book and Catalogue is now live!

You can see the new catalogue and flick its virtual pages by clicking on the image above, at which point it will open in a groovy new Flash Player, which allows you to bookmark pages, take notes and zoom in for extra detail, all while providing you with a delightful page flipping sound effect, making it seem like the real thing but without the paper cuts and dog-earedness that usually accompanies a hard copy catalogue.

How fun is THAT?!

You can also save the entire catalogue as a pdf to your computer by clicking –>HERE<–

Then when you’re done flicking and perusing and salivating – likely some time next week – and you’re ready to tackle some of the gorgeous projects found within, you can download the Stampin’ Supplies list – otherwise known as the project ‘recipes’ – by clicking –>HERE<–

And then when you can’t stand it any longer and want, no need, your very own hard copy of the catalogue to place lovingly by your bed – the very best place for a Stampin’ Up! catalogue – then you can contact me to book into my catalogue launch party this coming Saturday where for the bargain price of $5 you can come along and join in the stampin’ fun and take your catalogue home at the end!

I have SO much more to tell you, including how you can join in with my new product shares and why now is a GREAT time to join the In-crowd (aka become a demonstrator) but if I don’t go to bed soon, I won’t be in the race to get my big girl to school before lunch time tomorrow, and that’s just not the responsible thing to do…

Bye for now!