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!

Following on from my previous post about Frames with a Flourish, another of the stamps sets that I will find it very hard to see the back of will be Nursery Necessities.

It is such a perfect set for all things baby, with its variety of sweet images.

Here is a project from the depths of my picture archive that is almost a year old now, but has not yet seen the light of day here…

Just over a year ago we had some lovely neighbours move in across the street, and shortly after they arrived, so did their first baby – a gorgeous little man named Jacob.

I got him a set of cute little singlets and packaged them up in a little box to match the pictures on the front

Here’s the matching card…

This next gift is another long-ago project and also one that has never been blogged, but even worse, has never been given!

I made it for a girl that I worked with for a little while several years ago who had a baby boy – gosh, it would be well over a year ago now…  I don’t see her often and after I made it, time just slipped by until it got kind of pointless, especially as the gift was socks and feet tend to, well, grow.

Anyway, here it is along with its matching card (cased from one by the lovely Sarah Jane Kalé)…

The little box slides open to reveal the sock bounty within…

…and fits three pairs in total…

Can you see what I mean about the delight of Nursery Necessities..?

Here are some more cards using this gorgeous and to-be-missed set…

If you read my earlier post, then you will likely have a slight case of déjà vu, being that some of the cards in the round up above also contain Frames with a Flourish, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to show you them again

Wouldn’t you agree that there is indeed a vast array of possibilities with this delightful Nursery Necessities set?!

If having a versatile, gender-variable and let’s be honest, flippin’ cute baby stamp set is something you think would be a useful thing for your stampin’ collection, then you really can’t go past Nursery Necessities.

But if you don’t act by tomorrow, it will go past you, as it won’t be making a showing in the soon to be released 2010-11 Idea Book & Catalogue, so be sure to contact me if you want to nab yourself a set while you still can!

*retiring products in red*

“Baby Jacob Gift Set”
Stamps: Nursery Necessities
Paper: Baja Breeze, Basic Grey, Going Grey, Whisper White, Vellum cardstock, Patterns Pack II hostess DSP
Ink: Baja Breeze, Going Grey
Accessories: Word Window Punch, 1/2″ Circle Punch, Scallop Edge Punch, Baja Breeze Striped Ribbon, Baja Breeze 1″ Double Stitched Grosgrain, Stampin’ Dimensionals

“Socks in a Box Gift Set”
Stamps: Nursery Necessities, Polka Dot background
Paper: Brocade Blue, Night of Navy, Bashful Blue, Whisper White
Ink: Brocade Blue, Night of Navy, Bashful Blue, Versamark
Accessories: Wide Oval Punch, Scallop Edge Punch, Brocade Blue 5/8″ grosgrain, Clear Buttons, White Embossing Powder

I‘m finding it hard to believe that we are a mere day away from the end of August, and I feel as though I haven’t done some of the retiring items justice.

There are some stamp sets that I have loved a lot and will really miss so I thought I would take a minute to show you some projects that I have made with some particular faves…

I loved Frames with a Flourish from the start and have pulled it out on many an occasion when I have needed a frame of some description in whatever project I was stamping at the time.

This one is a little box made with two Scallop Envelope die cut-outs and an extra strip of cardstock to form the base.  I have been demonstrating this at most of my workshops this past month, with a little set of four cards to go inside using the Frames plus Pocket Silhouettes as well.

This is a card that I made absolute ages ago after I had an idea to use the dotted swirly frame in the set as a background.  I made the card, was satisfied that I had got the idea out of my brain and onto paper and never did anything else with it, hence the delay in putting it up here

The smudgy effect of the stamping was achieved by first stamping onto Kraft (soon to be Crumb Cake) cardstock in Chocolate Chip ink, then running over the top of the image with an Aquapainter to soften the lines a bit.

Here are some previously blogged cards (and a couple of books!) that I have made using Frames with a Flourish too.

Click on the thumbnails to see them in full size and in their original posts…

So there was a little trip down Frames with a Flourish lane.  If you love this set as much as I do, I encourage you to get in touch with me before the end of tomorrow and I’d be happy to place an order for it, plus any other retiring products that you find yourself in need of

*Retiring products in red*

“Scallop Envelope Box”
Stamps: Frames with a Flourish, Pocket Silhouettes, Teeny Tiny Sentiments
Paper: Kraft, Naturals Ivory
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Sahara Sand
Accessories: Scallop Envelope Die, Word Window Punch, Horizontal Slot Punch, Kraft Taffeta Ribbon, Stampin’ Dimensionals

“Thank you card”
Stamps: Frames with a Flourish, Occasional Greetings
Paper: Baja Breeze, Naturals Ivory, Chocolate Chip, Kraft
Ink: Chocolate Chip, White craft ink
Accessories: Pretties Kit, Very Vanilla 5/8″ grosgrain, Aquapainter, Stampin’ Sponge

Just a quick post to let you know that if you’re local to Perth, have a couple of hours free in the afternoon of Saturday September 4th and have a vague interest in knowing what’s in the upcoming 2010-11 Idea Book & Catalogue AND the desire to own your very own copy, then you might might be interested to know about my catalogue launch party…

My last launch party for the Autumn-Winter mini catalogue was a very cosy affair -  cramped if you want to get technical – largely owing to the fact that I had it in my shoe-box sized house and was overwhelmed with people wanting to come!

This time I have hired a meeting room in a local Community Centre, so we can spread out a bit more, but places are still limited, so if you want to come along you’ll need to be quick!

Many places have already been taken by those on my customer mailing list – they get first go at everything that  I do in the way of events, so if you want to have first dibs on events, special offers and other fun stuff and you don’t already get my newsletter, then I suggest you rectify that immediately before moving on…

Here are the details for the launch…

When: Saturday September 4th
Time: 2 – 4.30pm
Where: Rivervale Community Centre
Cost: $5
What: A party in honour of the oh-so-beautiful 2010/11 Idea Book & Catalogue, inclusive of your own copy to take home, make and takes, fun novelties, chances to win prizes and an exciting (and YUMMY) surprise that I am super-duper excited about!

But if you want to come, you MUST book and pay for your place first, which you can do by emailing me and I will send you bank account details for transfer, or if you’d prefer to pay by credit card, hit the little button below and away you go!

The last chance list is in its final days, but just to keep things interesting (and to keep some additional dollars in your pocket) Stampin’ Up! has announced some amazing additional discounts to some list items, which you can see in the following table…

As always, it’s strictly on a while stocks last basis, so if you want to take advantage of these deals, I suggest you contact me to do so as soon as you can!

*CO=Carryover Flyer
*AW=Autumn/Winter Mini Catalogue

Many items on the main last chance list have already sold out, and others are on their way out as we speak, so check –>HERE<– to see if there’s anything you need while it’s still available!

Following on from my post of last week about lovely Lara and her family, I have this morning drawn the winner (with a little help from my small girl) of the assortment of delectable prizes from Stampin’ Up!

Thank you so much for your generous and thoughtful donations to this most worthy of causes.

Here is the “barrel” of entries into the draw for the prizes….

..and the winner is….

Congratulations Sandi and thanks again to everyone who donated.

I will be in touch to get your prize to you.

You’ll be pleased to know that in the interests of recycling and pre-schooler entertainment, the prize draw slips have been claimed by Sophie and since used in a ticker-tape parade of sorts and are currently serving as food for her plush polar bear

Right on the tail of the previous post, here comes the next one with my entry for Helping Hudson challenge #5!

This time it was a sketch…

And here’s my entry…

I just love the big flower from Petal Pizzazz and paired it on this occasion with the gorgeous big flower filled circle from Circle Circus.

The colour combination is from nowhere in particular, I just wanted something bright and funky and kept pulling ink pads out of my cabinet until I was happy with the look

Right, that’s me for the evening.  I am off to scan my new catalogue for  the 178th time to see if there is anything I have neglected to add to my wishlist.

You just can’t be too careful with some things….

Stamps: Petal Pizzazz, Circle Circus, Teeny Tiny Sentiments
Paper: Old Olive, Melon Mambo, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Cottage Garden DSP
Ink: Old Olive, Melon Mambo, Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Tempting Turquoise, StazOn Jet Black
Accessories: 1-3/4″ Circle Punch, Whisper White 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder

Right, let’s get this show back on the road and back into chronological order!

With a mere couple of hours until this week’s challenges close over at Helping Hudson, I have just managed to scraped in with challenges four and five.

At least I will scrape in if I can manage to keep the waffle to a minimum, so without further ado (or waffle), here is the colour challenge for the week…

And here is what I did with it…

A nice simple card – the best kind when the recipient is a bloke, as I can be close to certain that they’re not going to treasure it for the remainder of their days like the gals in my life are more likely to do

Usually I watercolour this stamp set, but I had a bit of a brainwave and paper pieced it with some scraps of DSP that I think can pass quite well for the amber fluid, complete with rising bubbles…

If you’re a super quick stamper, photographer and blog poster, chances are you still have time to whip up an entry into Helping Hudson Challenge #4 for yourself, but you’ll have to be quick…

HURRY!

Then pop back here, as I’m about to upload challenge #5…

“Helping Hudson Challenge #4 – Colour”
Stamps: Cheers to You, Basic Phrases
Paper: Baja Breeze, So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, Confetti White, Bella Rose DSP, Good Morning Sunshine DSP
Ink: StazOn Black, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: 1-3/4″ Circle Punch, Chocolate Chip Double Stitched Grosgrain, Stampin’ Dimensionals

**This post will remain at the top until Friday August 20 – please scroll down for more current posts**

Last week I had a blast of a time entering the Helping Hudson challenges, and hope to set aside some time later this afternoon to finish off the remaining two of this week’s as well, but in the meantime, do you want to hear something FUN…?!

My card for last week’s technique challenge was judged the winner and just a couple of hours ago I received a lovely package of delightful things as my prize.

How exciting, right?!

Well as it turns out, it could be more exciting for YOU, as I’m going to give the prizes away – plus a little extra that I put in from my own stash – in exchange for a favour that you can do for a dear friend of mine and her beautiful daughter.

Here’s what is up for grabs…

• A 12×12 Days to Remember calendar – personalise this with your own scrapbook pages to make a beautiful gift or keep it for yourself!
• Spring Flowers Designer Series Paper – 12 sheets of beautifully co-ordinated patterned paper
• On Board Blossoms and Basics – 6 sheets of die cut chipboard in a fabulous assortment of funky shapes and sizes
• Mellow Moss gingham ribbon
• Bold Brights eyelets
• Both Way Blossoms – a Level 2 hostess set from a couple of catalogues ago that is brand new and hard to come by!

And here’s why…

Madonna Dunn is a fellow Stampin’ Up! demonstrator who I have had the pleasure of hanging out with on a couple of different occasions at conventions in recent years.  She has one of those larger than life personalities that makes everyone in the vicinity want to be part of her conversation, and a way of inserting her own gorgeous brand of humour and delight into everything that she does.

Madonna and her family – most especially her lovely Lara May – are in need of some help to purchase a piece of specialised equipment so that Lara can be as involved in the family’s everyday life as her various medical challenges will allow.

I won’t go into detail here, but instead would like to direct you to Madonna’s blog where you can read all about sweet little Lara, the challenges she and her family face and the specialised chair that will make a huge difference in the lives of them all.

BUT before you go, I want to let you know what you need to do to be in with a chance of winning the stash of goodies.

When you get to Madonna’s blog, you will see a “donate” button in the sidebar under the heading “Lara May Chair Fund”.  Click on this button to make a donation using your credit card or PayPal account.  Then forward the receipt that you get for your donation to me at sarah@sarahklass.com and I will enter you in the draw once for every dollar that you donated.

If you have neither a credit card nor PayPal account, and would rather donate by bank transfer, simply leave a comment on this post telling me how much you would like to donate (keeps it all accountable!) and I will provide you with details of an account where you can deposit your donation and I will send it via PayPal on your behalf.

Again, every dollar in your donation amount gives you an entry into the draw for the prize and every little bit helps.

I will leave this post at the top of my blog for a week – until next Friday August 20th- after which I will do the drawing for the prize.

I will add that if you have no use for the stampin’ goodies (HELLO?!!), or if you reside outside of Australia (Stampin’ Up! policy doesn’t allow for the sending of prizes internationally), then you are of course welcome to make a donation anyway, knowing that it will be gratefully received

Alrighty, let the donations BEGIN!

If you saw last week’s posts of my Helping Hudson challenges and you’re paying any attention at all (and have a modicum of mathematical capability) you’ll be wondering why my last challenge was number three and all of a sudden I’m posting number six.

You haven’t missed anything, I promise, it’s just that I saw this challenge and it piqued my interest, so much so that I dropped everything to have a go and will get to the previous two challenges as soon as I can.

Wanna know what got me so intrigued….?!

This!

It’s a very funky printable template for an octagonal box and the challenge entries that are popping up over there are quite simply amazing!

I started envisaging my entry as soon as I downloaded the template – I wasn’t going to be happy until I was able to make this into……

A PENCIL!!

Yep, this project shouted Faber Castell HB to me as soon as I saw it, but you can thank my handsome husband for the idea of the eraser and the “shavings”.

In fact, it was rather a collaborative effort all around, as Mr Pythagoras and his handy dandy theorem played a large part in getting the measurements right for the “lid” too.

Thanks again to Tim who remembered that there was a Pythagoras and that he had a theorem…

Who ever said that trigonometry would never be a useful subject once you’d left school..?!

The lid is hinged on one side and flips up jauntily to fit any number of delights inside…

My big girl has been hovering around, as she tends to do whenever there is a fun project in progress, and no doubt as soon as I finish posting this, I will get the inevitable “Who’s that for?”/”Can I have it?” barrage of questions

The challenge is open for another couple of days, so if you want to have a go – head over –>HERE<–, download the template and go for your life!

“Helping Hudson Challenge #6 – Pencil Box”
Stamps: None
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Basic Grey, Going Grey, Pixie Pink, Creamy Caramel
Ink: None
Accessories: 1-1/4″ Circle Punch