With all the hype about Sale-a-bration, the Summer Mini catalogue was sort of in danger of being thought of as rather the red-headed step-child (absolutely no offense intended to red-headed step-children), but with so many lovely things contained within its 23 pages, it’s entirely unfair not to shine a bit of light on it, my particular favourite item being the Spice Cake Designer Fabric.

Here is a little (fully reversible) tote bag that I made up using a tutorial that I found {HERE}.  The original pattern for a full sized tote was a bit too large for the fat quarter sized pieces of fabric that make up the pack of Spice Cake, so I shrunk the pattern by half, which makes it just big enough for a wallet, phone, sunglasses and keys.

I know this first hand, as I was so excited when I finished it (which took a couple of hours one evening in front of the sewing machine and TV simultaneously) that I loaded it up the very next day and took it along when I dropped my girls to school

Here’s a peek at the fully lined inside…

And a closer look at the medallion-style embellishment…

I glued a pin onto the back of the embellishment, so that it can be removed and re-pinned in case I want to turn the bag inside out and use the other pattern, or even take it off entirely and pin it to a scarf or jacket

The plaid pattern in the very back is actually a pair of cotton shorts that I found in an op-shop for a couple of dollars and pounced on because the colours were exactly right to co-ordinate with the fabric.  Win!

The only other non Stampin’ Up! product is the circle of felt with notches cut out of it that you can see peeking out from under the jumbo Pear Pizzazz Designer Button.  If Stampin’ Up! had felt in colours that matched the colour collections, I’d be all over it in a second, but until they do (perhaps we can all work on them together ) I will have to source it elsewhere…

I’m SO very excited that Stampin’ Up! is now carrying Designer Fabrics (just WAIT until you see the one coming in the Autumn/Winter Mini *drool*) – it allows me to combine my love of all things Stampin’ Up! with my old and re-emerging love of sewing.

Can’t be unhappy with that

Have you experienced the Stampin’ Up! fabrics first hand yet?  Tell me what you’ve made, I’d love to know!

PS.  If you don’t get my newsletter, you would have missed this vitally important advertisement

As the post title would suggest, today is my thirty-something^th birthday (actually it’s ticked over to midnight since starting to write, so technically it isn’t anymore…) and after a lovely day having lunch and pottering at a garden centre with my handsome man this afternoon and hanging out with my girls this evening, this post is going up much later than I had planned, but I’m here now and have things to share!

Before I launch into the details of the delightful early birthday surprise that some of my stampin’ team members sprung on me exactly a week ago, I thought I’d expand on the second half of the post title…

As you are most likely aware, Sale-a-bration is coming to a close after two “enchanting” months and come March 31st it will be all over red rover for another year.  If you have yet to capitalise on the freebies available with this promotion, or you have capitalised and you rather feel like doing so again, then I have a great opportunity for you!

Here’s how it will go down…*

• 10 people each place a $100 order (before shipping)
• Everybody chooses a free Sale-a-bration item
• Drawn randomly, everybody shares in the hostess benefits amounts to spend as they choose on exclusive hostess stamp sets or catalogue merchandise as follows:

• One amount of $30
• Three amounts of $20
• Four amounts of $15
• One amount of $10
• One additional Sale-a-bration reward

In addition to the bonuses listed above, the person whose order total is the highest will also have the opportunity to purchase any catalogue item at half price**

DON’T FORGET: WITH THE NEW HOSTESS PLAN, THE HOSTESS DOLLARS ARE ABLE TO BE SPENT ON ANY COMBINATION OF EXCLUSIVE HOSTESS SETS AND CATALOGUE MERCHANDISE THAT YOU LIKE, SO ANY OF THE AMOUNTS LISTED ABOVE COULD GO TOWARDS GETTING YOUR HANDS ON ONE OF THE STUNNING HOSTESS-ONLY STAMP SETS AVAILABLE!

Contact me asap to reserve a spot in the last gasp virtual workshop!!

* hostess amounts may change according to the number of people and order totals submitted
** cannot form part of the initial $100 order

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Righto, the next fun order of business is to allow you a peek into what it’s like to have a crew of beautiful hearted stampin’ team members descend on your house of a Thursday evening to throw you a surprise birthday stampin’ session.

We had actually pre-planned a casual gathering to take our Autumn-Winter Mini catalogue pre-order purchases (hello demonstrator perk!) for a test run, so I knew that there would be eight of us at my place that night.  What I didn’t know was that they had been covertly messaging each other for almost a month with plans for a surprise birthday bash, and my suggestion of a play over at my house was all the encouragement needed to swing their delightful plans into action!

Cut to 7.30pm last Thursday night (after I had sufficiently shifted around every item of furniture in my teeny lounge room to make way for two trestle tables) when I heard a car door out the front.  After a little while without a knock at the door, I headed out to my porch to see if anybody needed help up my front steps with their stampin’ supplies.  The sight that greeted me still makes me giggle when I think of it now – picture six grown ladies, all carrying a varied array of stamping equipment, bags and plates of food all crouched in your front garden in an attempt to escape the glare of the motion-sensor security light that popped on as they all converged on my front door.  The sight of me up on the porch galvanized them into action, with Lou springing up to hold up the above birthday banner, SJ with her camera around her neck trying in vain to catch the frivolity on film and Michelle still crouched in the garden doing her best to hide in my hedge.  Bloody hilarious I tell you!

We all proceeded inside where I was informed that I need do nothing – everything was planned, from refreshments to make and takes and the most glorious array of gifts and cards.  Stunned is an understatement.  My face hurt from smiling and I’m pretty sure I spent much of the evening squirming and flapping with joy

Alrighty, enough talking, who wants to see some pictures…?!

Here is the party hat I was presented with at the start of the evening, and there is photographic evidence of it perched jauntily on my head, but it’s out of focus and blurry, quite likely due to the aforementioned squirming and flapping…

There are loads more to see – just hover over the thumbnails for a description and click on the thumbnails for the big picture:

Am I not the luckiest stamper in the world?  Such a fun night surrounded by some of the loveliest gals you could hope to meet, and all because one day six years or so ago, I thought to myself “That Stampin’ Up! thing looks like fun…”

So there I will leave you as it is now way past my bedtime and the birthday festivities continue tomorrow today, with a shopping trip into the city with my lovely mum.

Although I will say that if you like the idea of making new and gorgeous friends with a similar penchant for all things paper and ink, I would encourage you to consider the demonstrator opportunity, particularly since the Sale-a-bration promotion means the starter kit is discounted by $40 and you get an extra stamp set thrown in too!  But you’ll have to be quick, because the offer ends on March 31…

Feel free to contact me with any questions about the opportunity or have a browse of the Join My Team section of my blog

By far one of my favourite varieties of cards to make are ones for babies, and when I can incorporate my current favourite DSP crush, so much the better!

Back in January my cousin-in-law had a baby shower to celebrate the impending arrival of her sweet baby girl (who has since arrived and a sweetie she is!), and this is the card I made for the occasion.

I love all the designs on the Everyday Enchantment Sale-a-bration DSP, so to be able to use so many of them in a quilt like fashion made me a very happy stamper   It also goes a long way to illustrate the versatility of these papers, so if you don’t have any yet, I suggest you move to amend that state of affairs as soon as possible – definitely before March 31st.  Lucky for you, contacting me with your $100 order is all it takes to score your free pack

Vintage and cute play happily together on this card, with the vintage trim and sponging around the edges of the DSP squares and Decorative Label, combining with the oh-so-sweet little owly from Fox & Friends.

With a packet of Stampin’ Dimensionals never far from reach, I popped up both the Decorative Label and the little owl, plus added punched out white and tiny black circles to accentuate his (her?} eyes even more.

Then the only thing left to complete the vintage-y cute picture was the gift – a brown paper package tied up with *FREE* Calypso Coral organdy ribbon and a strip of laser cut doilies from the Flirtatious DSP.

Tune in some time next month for the card I made when the little love was actually born – I need the entire rest of this month to finish sharing the rest of my Sale-a-bration projects before the whole thing finishes!

Stamps: Fox & Friends, Teeny Tiny Sentiments
Paper: Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Naturals Ivory, Everyday Enchantment DSP (SAB), Flirtatious DSP
Ink: Soft Suede, Poppy Parade
Accessories: 1-1/4″ Square Punch, Decorative Label Punch, Two-Step Owl Punch (eyes), Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots Emossing Folder, Victoria Vintage Trim, Neutrals Brads, Calypso Coral Marker, Stampin’ Sponges, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Calypso Coral Organdy Ribbon (SAB)

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!