Linda Higgins

Updated Class Schedule - come and create cool stuff with me!

2012-02-06T18:33:00.004+11:00

This week I am running this month's technique class - "Watercolour Resist"... already the evening class is full, but I do still have spots in the Day class on the Wednesday. To see what we are making in the class, please click HERE. For a full listing of what classes I have coming up, please check the class schedule over to the right hand side of my blog. Just scroll down a little to see what's on. If you received this post as a Feedblitz email, you will need to click on the blog title at the top of the page to view it properly.

Today I am giving you a sneak peek of my Button Buddies Project Class... you will make 6 notecards that fit into a cute carrier box. This class is $25 to attend, and as always, all materials and light refreshments are provided.

To book in to any of my classes (or to place an order) just email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com. I hope to see you at a class soon!

Spots for next Week's Watercolour Resist Class

2012-02-03T07:23:00.002+11:00

Hello everyone,

Just a quick post today to tell you that I still have a couple of spots left in next week's classes in which we will be creating beautiful backgrounds with the "Watercolour Resist" technique. You can see the three projects we will be making right here... although some of the colours we use in the class may vary.

I have had so many questions and interest about the cards that I have made with this technique that it just seemed that running a class was the obvious thing to do! It's a lot of fun, so please come and find out the tricks and tips to make it work. Cost is $20, and the times are 7.30pm Tuesday 7th February, and 11am Wednesday 8th February. All materials and light refreshments are provided. Get those creative muscles flexing!

I am based on the Central Coast of NSW and I will give you the address details when you book in. Contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com to reserve your spot.

Linda

Playing with New Toys

2012-01-29T16:39:00.004+11:00

I love playing with new stuff - especially when they are free! One of the really cool things about being a Stampin'Up demonstrator is the opportunity to earn free stamps and other products. Last year I was lucky enough to get several of these sets, and last week I put a claim in for a set I have been eyeing off for quite some time. It's called Field Flowers and features in our 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalogue. I've seen lots done with this one, and so I thought since I had a free set to choose that I would just choose something that I really loved, without thinking about how I might use it in my business. So thihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifs is my first card that I've made with it, and like the ones you might have seen on page 69 of our current catalogue, I wanted to use it with the "First Edition" specialty paper. I used "Pool Party" and "Island Indigo" inks and cardstock from our new Incolor Range... and have teamed it with a piece of the new Sale-A-Bration designer series paper. I like it because it looks fresh and clean, and that tends to be what I prefer. Having said that it's a pretty simple card, and it only took a few minutes to put together.

And in typical style I already have a business use for it.. we are going to use it at our next Stamp Club get together. I have two clubs this coming week (one night and one day). If there is enough interest I am going to start another club over the next month or so... so if a stamp club is something that you have thought about, please contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com For a basic idea of how it would work, please click HERE.

Here's a close up that shows off the Dazzling Diamonds glitter in the centre of the flowers:

SAB 2012 is finally here! Get your free stuff now!

2012-01-24T14:43:00.005+11:00

Here we go again... finally Sale-A-Bration (SAB)is here again. Now's the time to get your beautiful SAB products for FREE... and they are only available from now until the end of March.

If you haven't heard of SAB before I will quickly summarize it for you... but for those that have, you know how it works!

For Customers: Every $100 you spend on any SU products during the SAB period will automatically give you the opportunity to pick from our lovely SAB catalogue. That's a free item for every $100 spent! To see this year's brochure and the selections, click HERE.

For Hostesses: In addition to all the great hostess benefits that you already get for hosting a Stampin'Up workshop, you can also earn extra rewards for workshops with sales of $600 or more. Click HERE to see the sets and/or products you can earn

For Joining Stampin'Up!: It's a widely known fact that this is one of the best times of the year to join Stampin'Up as a new demonstrator. Normally, the Demonstrator kit (worth over $600) is $289 to buy, but during SAB, it's only $249! Not only that, but when you join Stampin'Up before the end of March, you also get to choose any stamp set from any of our catalogues and it's your gift from SU... completely free. The stamp set can be of any value, and you can choose a wood-mount or clear set. If you would like a free information pack to explain the benefits more fully, please contact me.

If you would like to know more about these great deals please contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com or of course you can email your orders to me too. I do still have a few spots left in February and March for workshop dates, so please contact me to book your spot.

I know you are going to love this year's SAB offerings. Let me know what you think!

Elementary Elegance

2012-01-20T13:21:00.006+11:00

Another SAB stamped card to show you today... I dont have this set yet, but kindly made use of one belonging to Jenny Hayward. Thanks Jenny! It's so great to be able to borrow stamps and products from other demonstrators!

The frame around the Curly Label punch is from a SAB set called "Elementary Elegance" and its one the sets you can choose for free with any order of $100 from January 24th until the end of March 2012. I thought it came up beautifully with these colours... "Blushing Bride","Soft Suede" and "Very Vanilla". I also used the sentiment from the set "You're a Gem". And of course the punch is the curly label punch.

To place an order simply email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com.. I can have your order delivered to anywhere in Australia for a low postage charge. And dont forget that every $100 qualifies you for another free product. Gotta love that!

Here's the full card:

Still a couple of spots left in next week's Art Journal class...

2012-01-18T21:26:00.003+11:00

Hello everyone out there!

Just a quick post to remind everyone about the lovely Art Journal class I am running next week... I do still have spots left in both the evening and the day session at this point. Up above is a picture of what it looks like... although I am sure that everyone's will turn out slightly differently depending on the patterned paper that they are using. But what's great about this is that you will get to sample some of our lovely selections from our SAB catalogue... WHICH STARTS NEXT WEEK on the 24th January 2012. Yep, that's right... Sale-A-Bration(SAB)is back again next week, and this year we have more freebies to choose from than we have had previously in Australia. :-)

And they are beautiful! On the Art Journal here you can see several of the choices... the patterned paper is one, The stamp on the butterfly is from a new set called "Fresh Vintage", and the brad in the middle of the butterfly is new pack of brad available with matching ribbons as another selection. Only 3 of the choices are shown here, but there are six altogether. This means, that for every $100 you spend on any Stampin'Up products, you will automatically receive one of these great SAB choices FOR FREE! For a catalogue please contact me and I can get one out to you.

In the meantime come along and join a class! A list of upcoming classes is on the sidebar to the right of this blog (or if you have received this information in a Feedblitz email, click on the title at the top of this email to visit my website). To book in to the Art Journal class or any other class, please email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com

The Art Journal class details are as follows:
When: Tuesday 24th January @ 7.30pm
or Wednesday 25th January @11am
Cost: $30
All materials (including blank art journal) and light refreshments provided.

Enjoy the pics.. and I have some new projects to show you shortly.

Linda xx

My Favourite card at the moment

2012-01-13T10:45:00.004+11:00

As we get closer to the 24th January and SAB I have been happily creating some great cards and projects to show you. I am loving this year's Sale-A-Bration (SAB) selection... they are just beautiful, and for the first time in Australia, we aren't just offering free Stamp Sets... this year we have gorgeous patterned papers, brads and ribbons. They are all limited edition, meaning that they wont be available after the end of March, when SAB ends.

But how do you get them? Easy! Every $100 you spend on Stampin'Up products from any of our catalogues will get you another free selection from the SAB brochure that starts on the 24th January 2012. As soon as it is available I will post a link to the SAB catalogue on this blog so that you can view it online. Or if you prefer a hard copy.. please email me and I will pop it in the post for you.

Today's card is going to show up at a few of my workshops in January and February, so if you want me to come and show you how, please contact me. I was really happy with this one! The layout design was inspired by a card I received a few years back from the talented Claire Daly, and I have revisited this design several times over because it works so well with different colours and sets. But it shows off our new SAB patterned papers really well.. don't those colours look great together? I used the SAB set "Fresh Vintage" to stamp the butterfly.. of course it matches with the DSP design. The brad in the middle of the butterfly is also a special SAB brad... I love that I can so easily put colours and designs together because everything matches!!! But after all, that is the whole attraction of SU right???

To get a hard copy of the SAB brochure, or to place an order please email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com

It's all very exciting... I have lots of show you. Not only do you get a free selection from the SAB brochure with every $100 spent, you also can get extra sets for hosting a workshop, and of course this time of the year is one of the very best to hold one... because you get more, and so do your customers! I am booking up quickly, but I have a couple of dates left later in February, and in March. Reserve yours before I get booked out! January spots are completely gone!

There is also an awesome kit special during SAB... so if you have been thinking of supporting your hobby or better yet... making some extra money... just contact me and I can get an information pack to you.

Have fun!

Sweet and Simple

2012-01-11T11:12:00.004+11:00

Maybe its just me, but I really love little cards. You know, like gift cards and such. One of my favourite sizes to work with is 10cm x 10cm cards... and that's what I have made for you today. This was so quick to do!

My favourite bits are of course the little details. The red Glimmer paper is punched out with the Postage punch, the pearl is one of our Basic Pearl adhesives, and the little scallop border was made with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch. I do like this colour combination... its Real Real and Baja Breeze.

I hope everyone has been enjoying some down-time over the holidays and is feeling re-energized and ready for 2012!!

Art Journal Project Class - still spots left!

2012-01-02T12:31:00.006+11:00

As promised I wanted to show you a photo of this very beautiful Art Journal that we will be making in this month's Project class. Isn't it divine? This lovely little album features our gorgeous new SAB Designer-series paper, and the beautiful "Fresh Vintage" stamp set. There are a lot of techniques used in the production of this Journal... including embossing, markers direct-to-rubber, Big Shot techniques, and using Adhesive sheets. I would like to be able to tell you that I designed it myself, but instead this time I was inspired to run this class based on the Art Journal shown in our brand new SAB brochure. If you would like a copy of the brochure sent to you please contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com

The class also includes the cost of your 5" x 5" Art Journal (rrp $13.50) and all other materials. It makes a beautiful gift, or of course, something special just for yourself. The cost of this class is $30, and I am offering it as both a day or a night class.

The two dates on offer are:
Tuesday 24th January at 7.30pm or
Wednesday 25th January at 11am

If you would like to come along and make this lovely project with me please email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com My classes are held on the Central Coast NSW.

Please note that these lovely SAB items are only available during the Sale-A-Bration dates, ie between the 24th January and the 31st March. You can choose any one of these great products with every $100 order between these dates. For more information or a brochure, please call me at 0412 375 552

Happy New Year 2012!

2012-01-01T13:55:00.003+11:00

Happy new year to all you people out there wherever you may be. I have loved bringing you another year of blog posts and ideas... I hope you've enjoyed reading as much as I have enjoyed showing you lots of fun stuff. I hope that 2012 is an AWESOME year for you all... and that you find time and space just for you... time to get creative isnt just fun nor it is just to produce some new project. I believe that being creative is a necessary part of who we are, and we were designed to exercise that part of our brains. That's why it fills your soul when you make something beautiful... no matter what the medium - it could be paper, metal, fabric or glass. Just find your creative side out there somewhere... its just waiting to be discovered. :-)

Today's card is a simple one. There is "Irridescent Ice" embossing powder on the raised parts of the flowers, but its a bit hard to see in the photo. One of my new year's goals is to work on my photography skills. :-)

Have a lovely day, and I hope that the year ahead is something really special for you.

Linda xx

Some more Last Minute Christmas Gifts

2011-12-24T12:25:00.004+11:00

These are this year's bottle tags... I made them up with the Petite Pocket Die, and added some simple decorations. The little heart Decoration and Candy Cane I purchased elsewhere but all the rest is Stampin'Up product... oh except for the bottle of wine! Have to say I am really pleased with how they turned out... I included them in the projects at the recent Christmas Gift Class.

Sometimes it's the simple things that make the best presents...

Happy Christmas Eve everyone!!!

Handmade Gift Ideas

2011-12-18T20:59:00.004+11:00

I've been busy of late making quite a few gifts for friends... for both Christmas and birthdays. I'll try to show you a few of them over the next week or two. Today's is actually a gift I made for a friend... so simple and yet so effective! You really cant go wrong with the Mocha Morning paper. I removed the glass so that the butterflies' wings could be popped up higher, and added half-back pearls in the centre of each butterfly.

This was actually one of our projects at my recent Christmas gift class... and as far as I know everyone enjoyed making it, and loved the result. A few of my participants told me there wont be giving it away, but prefer to keep it for themselves...:-)

I used the same idea for the other project (the one you see below)... it's just a different kind of frame. They look great though don't you think?

If you are looking for a quick and easy but effective gift, I would recommend these. You will just need the mocha morning paper, vellum, butterfly die and of course a frame. Decorate to your heart's content. xx

Those tricky Masculine cards

2011-12-13T10:59:00.003+11:00

There is a belief out there that cards for men are tricky to do. Actually I think that if you have the right stamp set, and the right colours, then it becomes relatively easy. Add some twine for texture, or some metal for strength.... and the job becomes even easier.

With the release of our Summer Mini this month we have the awesome stamp set called "The Open Sea" which is great for guys. And to streamline it even further, there is a matching Patterned paper pack :-) How simple is that? And today's card shows them off beautifully.

In fact this is one of the projects from my Mini Launch... I have two launch events... one tonight (13th December @ 7.30pm) and one tomorrow (14th December @ 11am). I can squeeze one or two people in to each if you have a spare few hours to get creative.

To place an order to be back before Christmas (I am placing my last orders this week) or to book in for the launch, please email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com

I am also doing beautiful gift vouchers (value of your choice) if you have crafty friends in need of Christmas gifts... take the hassle out of deciding what to get, and just get them a gift voucher. :-)

Linda xx

Our last Stamp Club Project for 2011

2011-12-12T12:24:00.004+11:00

In 2011 I ran 3 different stamp clubs. Two day clubs and one night club. (These are different to the Big Shot clubs which are virtual clubs....I'll be starting new Big Shot clubs in the new year) In a Stamp club we actually get together to make a different project each time. I love them for a few reasons... for example they are a good source of regular income for me, and we get the chance to make a project each time that is a step above what I would be prepared to do as a normal workshop project.

But for me the very best thing about Stamp Club is that I really get to know each club member a lot better, and I also have the privilege of watching some really lovely friendships form in each group. Pretty much every year I have seen tentative quiet groups at the beginning of the year, and as the year progresses, the groups tend to get a bit louder as they relax and become more comfortable with each other.

Around this time of each year I start looking for expressions of interest from those people that would like to be in a club. This year all my groups have decided to continue on into 2012, although there are a couple of members that are unable to continue due to other life stuff. So I am looking to fill those spots, and if there is enough interest, then I will also start more groups.

So what is Stamp Club all about? They are run either monthly for a minimum of 6 months, or Bi-monthly for 12 months. We need 6 members to begin. At each get-together all members place an order which is at least $50(rrp) in value, meaning that we always have an order value of at least $300 each time. Each member takes their turn at being the hostess. So when you are the hostess, you get the hostess benefits that month, which is a minumum of $50 (in free products of your choice. Hostesses are allocated in the order that they join the club. For the day club, the hostess also brings along lunch for us to share, and for the evening club, the hostess brings supper. Clubs are held on the Central Coast of NSW, and I hold them in my home.

Having run these clubs for several years now, I can tell you they are one of my favorite things about being a demonstrator. If you think that being in a club is for you, please email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com I will be starting new clubs in the new year.

The card you see on this page is the most recent project I made with Stamp Club... its a "Centre Step card" and I was inspired to make it after seeing a similar idea in one of our Demonstrator magazines. As far as I know everyone liked it. :-) We don't always make cards.. this year the clubs have done some great 3D projects as well. I do hope that you enjoy this one though, and I am really excited to find lots of new projects to share with my club groups in 2012.

Card No. 2 for this Friday night's Stamp-a-Stack

2011-12-07T23:08:00.006+11:00

Just a quick post to show you the second card we are making for this Friday night's class (9th December 2011). It's really a very simple card.. but I've used the new glimmer paper on it for bit of impact! :-) I was inspired here by a card I saw on Patty Bennett's blog in the US.

You can see that I've used the red glimmer paper, and also the silver... but if it looks a bit greenish.. thats because I've coloured it to suit my card. I'll be showing you how to colour the silver Glimmer paper to suit whatever project you are working on.. doesn't it look cute?

If you would like to join us I do have a couple of spots left. At this class you will make 6 Christmas cards (3 each of 2 different designs) for a cost of $15. All materials and light refreshments are provided. Classes are held on the Central Coast of NSW.. so if you would like a night out to be creative, and make some handmade Christmas cards, please just email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com and I can give you all the details.

Please note that this is my very last SAS of the year. Other events are listed on the right hand side-bar of my blog. I hope to see you at one of my classes soon :-)

Birthday Boxes

2011-12-06T13:48:00.004+11:00

Last weekend we belatedly celebrated Ben's birthday with a pool party. I made the decision to just invite all his kindy class mates... this is the only time I will be able to get away with that as Im sure politics will set in over the next couple of years. Luckily this is an age where they are a lot more accepting, don't you think?

The party went really smoothly, and all the reports were good. Ben's words were "This is the best day of my life!" So I would say that's worth it wouldn't you? At the end of the day, I gave out lolly boxes for his friends, and I thought you'd like to see them. I made 20 boxes on the day in under an hour - gotta love the Big Shot Machine for that! :-)

December Specials for you!

2011-12-02T21:39:00.005+11:00

Here we go with two great new promotions coming your way:

1. Our new Summer Mini Catalogue is here! Click HERE to view it online. And dont forget that I am running two Mini Catalogue launches this month - a day event and an evening event. I do at this point have spots left in both. Over the coming days I will be showing you some great projects using some of our new Mini Products! I love getting to play with new stuff!

2. December Frenzy is now svailable for you too. Some items on the list are marked down by up to 50%... woo hoo! And just in time for your Christmas shopping. :-) Click HERE to see which items are on special. To order any of our great specials this month all you need to do is to email your order me at lindastamps@bigpond.com It's that easy! I accept credit card or direct deposit, and I can have your order sent to you anywhere in Australia for a small postage charge.

I have lots to show you in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

Wrapping up November

2011-11-29T23:48:00.004+11:00

Well we are officially into the last month before Christmas and the count down is on. I have been busy making Christmas cards and enjoying our last few Christmas card classes. Also tomorrow (30th November) is the last day to order selected Big Shot Dies and Embossing folders at the special price as well as the Big Shot Bundle on sale too. Click here to see them.

Coming up in the next few weeks I have the very last Christmas Stamp-A-Stacks for the year, as well as the Mini Launches for our Brand New Summer Mini Catalogue. There are some beautiful new products I cant wait to show you. And of course we are coming into the SAB (Sale-a-Bration) promotion that starts in the last week of January. The offerings this year are FABULOUS! And as always, for every $100 you spend between January 24th and the end of March, you will receive a free SAB item. For the first time in Australia this year's freebies are not just stamp sets! And the they are beautiful!

And if all that wasn't enough, we have December Frenzy about to start! Watch my blog in the next few days to see what's on sale. Or you can also check the Stampin'Up website after the 1st December to see the new specials. Just email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com to order your products ahead of Christmas, or to book into any of my classes.

If you are wondering what the pictured project is all about, I promised that I would pop up a couple of sneak-peeks of some of the projects from my Christmas Gift Class to held in December.. so here is the first one for you. Although I do have a different colour scheme in mind, I wanted to show you the concept anyway. This one is a great little desk-calendar. It was quick and fun to make. Unfortunately I am completely full for this particular class, but I still have spaces in the Stamp-A-Stacks and mini launches at this point.

I've had a great November.. so thanks to everyone who has helped it to be a really successful month!

Linda xx

2011-11-27T12:43:00.003+11:00

Ok.. so its not my usual card. But then it hasn't been a very usual week this week either. Last Saturday, so just over a week ago, I was at the beach with my kids and managed to break my foot. So I have spent quite a lot of time sitting around this week, in between running classes (thank goodness for a job where I can mostly work from home!) and coming up with unusual ideas.

This one is certainly unusual.. but I think you can see where I drew my inspiration from for this Get Well soon card. :-) It's completely top-heavy, totally impractical and a bit unbalanced... just like me. Hoping I wont get to use the card anytime soon though... unless I send it to myself. Although I do know a couple of people who have recently injured their feet and/or ankles....

So this week I head back to the hospital to visit the Fracture Clinic and they will tell me what happens next and how long I need to be off it for. Hoping to have it off in time for Christmas... but I guess I will find out. Life is never a dull moment around here.

Upcoming December Events

2011-11-25T19:42:00.006+11:00

Hello everyone!

How cute is this card? Simple cards are always my favourite... but this one is simple AND fun. I came up with it after browsing through a grocery magazine. There was a little box in the mag... and I thought... ooooh... that would make a cute card. So I made it, and cant wait to share it with you at the next Christmas Stamp-A-Stack. I have two SAS dates left for 2011.. they are Tuesday 6th December @ 11am, and Friday the 9th December @ 7.30pm. Cost to attend the class is $15, and you will make 6 cards to add to your Christmas card stash (3 each of 2 different designs). Light refreshments and all materials are supplied. Just come along for a lovely couple of hours escaping the madness of our busy lives while you get to exercise those creative muscles. :-)

If you would like to join us then please just email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com

I do also have places left at the Mini Catalogue launches. The dates are Tuesday 13th December @ 7.30, and Wednesday 14th December @ 11am. Cant wait to show you what's coming in our lovely new catalogue. Lots of fun stuff, great Christmas gifts and also some gorgeous masculine style stuff. You're really going to enjoy these new goodies.

One last thing.. the Christmas Gift class is now completely full! Thank you to all those who have booked. Where possible I would love to receive pre-payment for this class (it helps with budgeting for all the products I need to pre-purchase), but I will not see many of you beforehand, so I do understand. I'm looking forward to sharing some great gifts with you. :-)

Because classes do fill quickly, please email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com if you would like to come along. Please dont reply to the feedblitz email that appears in your inbox.. I wont receive it. Just email me directly instead.

Looking forward to showing you lots of exciting stuff in the next few weeks.

Linda xx

Last month's ribbon Share

2011-11-22T19:45:00.003+11:00

I still have a couple of Ribbon shares left over from last month's share if anyone would like to take advantage of this deal. There are two ribbons on offer... a quarter roll share of the seam binding ribbon (7 colours, approx 2.3m of each colour) for a cost of $24, and the other deal is a quarter roll share of the Ruffled ribbons (5 colours, approx 2.3m of each colour) for a cost of $25. Or buy both shares for $45.

They are both lovely, but the Seam Binding ribbons are my new favourites.... the photo above shows them all together. They are soft so lend themselves to lots of different techniques - but most importantly they are easy to tie into great bows.

Email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com if you would like to take one of these last shares.

Linda

Ribbon Technques... a few spots left for this class next week.

2011-11-17T23:04:00.003+11:00

Next week I am running my Ribbon Techniques class again.... I ran this one as a night class last week, and the girls that came told me that it was a great class. So this time I am running the same program, but as a daytime class. You will make 3 projects, for a cost of $15, and I am showing you different ways to ruffle ribbons, how to use ribbons with your Big Shot, and how to tie the perfect bow.

The ATC above is one of our projects.

If you find yourself with a spare day next Tuesday (22nd) please contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com Classes are held on the Central Coast, and I can give you the address when you book.

Hope you can join us!

Linda :-)

Card No. 2 for this week's Christmas card class

2011-11-14T22:36:00.004+11:00

OK... so its late and you'll have to excuse my clumsy night photography... but I wanted to post this photo of one of the cards we are making at this week's Christmas Stamp-A-Stacks. If you've been following my blog you will remember that I put up the other card a few days ago (click HERE to see it) so now you know what they both look like. :-)

You get to make 3 cards in each of these 2 designs for a cost of $15, so that you go home with a total of 6 lovely Christmas cards. I always run these classes as both a night class and a day class so that as many of you can attend as possible. At this point I do still have spaces in both tomorrow night's class (the 15th November at 7.30pm) or Wednesday's class (the 16th November at 11am). Light refreshments and all materials are supplied. To grab yourself a spot, simply email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com.

Dont forget if there is anything you wish to order, you dont need to wait for a workshop. Just email me your order anytime and I will see that it gets to you. I place orders at least once a week, so the turn-around time is very fast.

I hope you enjoy the card... I only just got my hands on the "Merry and Type" stamp set, and so its been getting a workout. :-) I also used the "Petals-A-Plenty" embossing folder on this card.. it works really well for Christmas cards, because the flowers resemble Poinsettias. And dont forget that this embossing folder and various other Big Shot folders and dies are on special this month. To see whats on special, click HERE.

Christmas Stamp-a-Stacks next week - November 2011

2011-11-11T16:45:00.003+11:00

Just a quick post today to remind people that I still have a few spots left at the two Christmas Stamp-a-Stacks I will be running next week. At Stamp-a-Stacks you get to create 6 cards (3 each of 2 different designs) and of course this means that you have 6 more cards to add to your Christmas card stash. Which is becoming a pretty good idea now that its only 6 weeks to Christmas! Aaaaargh! I really need to get my act together and get organized! (Every year I say that!)

Ok.. so here are the details if you would like to join us for a creative session:

When: Tuesday 15th November @ 7.30pm OR Wednesday 16th November @ 11am

Where: My place @ Narara on the Central Coast - address supplied when booking.

Cost: $15

All materials and light refreshments provided.

I've posted one of the cards we will be making. We'll be breaking out the Gold Embossing powder for this one :-) Hope you like it!

Fiji Incentive Trip - Days 4 and 5

2011-11-05T21:35:00.013+11:00

I still have two more days of our Fiji trip to share with you. (Sorry its taken me a couple of weeks.. Im almost there now!)

The final day of the trip dawned bright and clear again. The Saturday of the trip is always ours to spend how we like, although the Farewell dinner is held on that last evening. Some of the girls and their guests lazed by the pool, and some went on various daytrips. When Denielle and I went down to a leisurely breakfast we ended up chatting to Shelli and Sage who had just returned from an early morning Hot Air Ballooning adventure... they raved about it! For me, I was just happy to have a day to chill out and do very little!

Our breakfast spot right by the lilypads:

But right AFTER breakfast, Shelli said they were planning to go Sky Diving! Talk about packing in lots of adventure into one day! Me? I had a booking at the Hotel Spa for a pedicure. Well actually they called it a "Foot Ritual"... it was an hour of foot massage and pampering, and was soooo relaxing. I love being able to treat myself to the occasional pampering session!

Here is the spa:

Holiday feet:

Then we had a beautiful lunch with Mango Cocktails at Salt Restaurant.. and ended up sharing a table with Shelli and Sage again!

Here is the table at Salt:

Denielle and myself:

Then the four of us went for ice creams (really really good icecreams by the pool!) before wandering up to the Hospitality suite for some more American "candy" and a wheel spin. I forgot to mention the wheel spins in my earlier posts. I think this year's prizes were even better than previous years. My favourite prize was a gorgeous Baja Breeze cardi, with the SU logo on the sleeve. Just lovely... it's getting lots of wear! Each year I have really enjoyed catching up with the girls in the hospitality suite... lots of chit-chat and lounging around. It's so lovely to be around people whose company you enjoy in such a relaxing atmosphere.

Teresa, myself and Denielle on the balcony overlooking the pool:

In the afternoon, Denielle and I did a bit of souvenir shopping in the local Port village. The Australian dollar works out very well right now in Fiji, so its a good time to be buying a few bits and pieces to take home. I bought some gifts for the kids, and also a couple of souvenirs for me too. Each year I try to bring back something for the house so that I can have reminders around me of the various trips I have been able to take.

That night the dress code was "Smart Casual" and we firstly enjoyed mocktails and nibblies out on the verandah, before being asked to make our way down to the beach for a spectacular "Firedancing" display. My photos of this came out very poorly I'm afraid. Then we headed back to the main hotel to into a beautifully decorated room for dinner. Each table place had an Oyster shell with our name card (the shells were from Broome to encourage us to earn next year's Incentive Trip!). Dinner was of course a wonderful meal, and we were just about to start dessert when a choir of schoolchildren from one of the local schools entered the room to sing to us. They were mesmerizing! I don't think there were many dry eyes in the room by the time the children had finished singing. The last item that they performed was the traditional Fijian "Goodbye Song" and even though I didn't of course understand the words, the emotion in the song is unmistakable. It was completely beautiful, and such an honour. Shelli of course spoke to us all, and each time I listen to her, I am very sure of the message that she has... that as demonstrators we are so valued, and that they are very interested in us, and in how are businesses and growing here in Australia and New Zealand. I find her very inspiring!

Here is dessert:

The funny thing is that I was so enthralled with the children singing that I actually forgot to eat my dessert! When I came back to the table it was gone! Never mind... I had enough food in Fiji to last me a lifetime!(Note that I didn't forget to take a photo of it though!)

Here is Shelli, myself, Denielle and Sage at dinner:

Our final night pillow gift was a wooden Kava bowl and even a packet of "Kava mix"... I haven't actually made it up, but I looooove the bowl:

So ended another wonderful day.

The final morning we needed to be up bright and early to head back to the airport. Our breakfast was served in the hotel lobby and we selected our pastries and fruit to fill our take away boxes with. Coffee was also supplied.. yay for that! We were at the airport in plenty of time, and did some last minute duty-free shopping before boarding our plane. We were seated all quite close to each other so we were able to chat a little about our wonderful trip, and I have to say the trip passed quite quickly for me.

Before we knew it, we were back in Sydney and collecting our bags. There were some sad goodbyes and hugs, and then back to reality!

I have enjoyed each and every Incentive Trip that I have been honoured to earn in my career with Stampin' Up!.. but as unbelievable as it sounds, this was my favourite one so far! Fiji is just a magical place, and I would love to go back again... and I would really love to take the kids because they would just love it. So I just might have to start saving my pennies!

I can't thank SU enough for the way they spoil us and make us feel valued. It makes it all worthwhile, and I feel so very lucky! Thank you for reading about my adventures... I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing about it.

Linda xx

My little November Special

2011-11-02T09:48:00.004+11:00

November is such a busy month.. everybody is starting to think about shopping for Christmas gifts, so why not do some of your gift shopping with me? Not only do we have lots of wonderful gifts for crafty people, I also do gift vouchers for any amount so that your giftee can choose their own gifts. This is especially great for the guys... if they just dont know what to buy, put them in touch with me and we can organize a gift voucher so that you can get what you REALLY want for Christmas!!

I also have a couple of extra classes this month... with Christmas around the corner I have a couple more Christmas Stamp A Stacks.

As my little November special, if you attend any class this month and spend $50 or more at the class, you will get your class at 50% off.

Stay tuned for details of my next project class, and the Christmas gift class which will also be announced shortly.

Enjoy this beautiful Spring weather... I treated myself to a coffee and a browse through the windows in East Gosford this morning. I love these kind of days!

A sale to Die For!!!

2011-11-01T07:20:00.003+11:00

Welcome everyone! We have a great special for you this month... if you are a Big Shot owner.. (or other die cutting machine)... or maybe you were thinking about buying yourself a Big Shot for Christmas? Well now is the time!

During November, get 10 percent off select Big Shot dies. Use these exclusive dies to create fabulous shapes, embossing, and more!

Here are the dies on special for you:

10% Off the Price of these:

Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslits Die (rrp $21.95) now $19.75
Flower Burst Embosslits Die (rrp $21.95) now $19.75
Manhattan Flower Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (rrp $14.95) now $13.45
Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (rrp $14.95) now $13.45
Elegant Lines Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (rrp $14.95) now $13.45
Buttons #5 Sizzlits Die (rrp $9.95) now $8.95
Pillow Box Bigz Die (rrp $36.95) now $33.25
Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die (rrp $39.95) now $35.95
Scallop Square Duo Bigz Die (rrp $39.95) now $35.95
Mover & Shapers Punch Windows (rrp $54.95) now $49.45
Tasteful Trim Bigz XL Die (rrp $69.95) now $62.95
Petal Cone Bigz L Die (rrp $59.95)now $53.95

Don't have a Big Shot? Get 10 percent off the exclusive Big Shot Bundle! The Big Shot Bundle (item 128944) includes the following:

Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine
Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslits Die
Manhattan Flower Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

For this bundle of items you would normally pay $186.85, but for the month of November pay only $168.16.

I will be making sure that I am demoing lots of Big Shot stuff all month so you can play with all these items (I have most of them, and I guess its safe to say I will have them all myself by the end of the month because we get our Demonstrator discount ON TOP of the other discount!). And the Big Shot demonstrations will kick off this weekend as I am heading out to the Penrith Papercraft Festival. The festival runs from the 4th to 6th November, so if you are looking for a fun day out please come along, and dont forget to visit us at the Stampin'Up! stand. You can even sit and make a card with us. :-)

To order products, including this month's great specials, please just email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com. Or if you wish to attend any classes or events, please also contact me via email. I am on the Central Coast, NSW, and very happy to assist you will all your papercraft questions and product needs. Products can be shipped to anywhere in Australia for a small postage charge.

Enjoy the specials!

Christmas Card Stamp a Stack this Wednesday

2011-10-31T16:54:00.003+11:00

I still have a couple of spots left for this Wednesday's Christmas Stamp-A-Stack at 11am. If you would like to come along just email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com. Here are the details:

Date: Wednesday 2nd November 2011

Time: 11am

Cost: $15 - you'll make 6 cards (3 each of two different designs), light lunch and all materials supplied.

At this time of year we are busy making oodles of Christmas cards.... I do all the hard work for you... designing and cutting... all you have to do is turn up, stamp and put them together... and enjoy the process :-)

You can see one of the two cards we are making up above... the colours we use may differ slightly. And I used a Mojo Monday sketch to create my card... I love sketches when you are feeling short of inspiration!

Hope to see you on Wednesday!

Incentive Trip Day 3

2011-10-23T21:01:00.014+11:00

Day 3 of our trip (Friday) was a little less eventful... as we started to get into "chill-out mode". My room-mate Denielle had planned a visit down to the Coral coast to visit some old friends, so she was up reasonably early and off for the day. I took the opportunity to sleep in a little, read a book and do my own thing. I took it easy at breakfast (the huge buffet selection made it difficult to choose quickly anyway) and then headed to the poolside "V" bar which was the location for our Make and Take session. But first... swaps!!!! The Incentive Trip swap is my favourite swap of the year and it's such an honour to be part of it. Not only is the quality of the swaps mind-blowing, but many of the girls do wonderful projects that are much more than a card... this year there were pennants, notebooks, mini-albums and lot of other amazing creative ideas. And of course gorgeous cards! The last couple of years I have found a ton of good ideas for my classes right there amongst the IT swaps. Glad to see that this year is no exception :-) Thank you to all my fellow demonstrators who swapped with me!

Here they are....

Here is our morning tea:

Vanessa waving at our table, with Dave, Jennifer and Lisa in the background:

Our table group:

(That's Kim, Me, Ness and Lisa in the back row, and Jennifer, Dave and Patrice in the front row.)

After swaps, we got into the make and takes for this year. And although Im not allowed to show you them just yet (because we used as-yet-unreleased products)I can tell you that they were fantastic! You are going to love our new mini catalogue - it's due out December 1st. Creating projects with lots of other demonstrators that you admire and enjoy the company of is such a privilege! And of course we got to spend time with Shelli, Dave, Aaron and Emma too (from the various Head offices) so it was just a wonderful morning. We also presented Shelli with a beautiful album that contained 6x6 cards or scrap pages from each of us... Simone Bartrum co-ordinated that effort and she did a great job putting it together and also decorating the album. Beautiful work Simone!

After the Make and Take session everyone wandered off to spend the rest of the day doing whatever they felt like doing. I wandered around the hotel a bit, and ended up finding a lovely hammock on the beach to read my book in. I read a bit, dozed a bit, read some more and slept a bit. And managed to fill in a couple of hours doing completely nothing. Im not sure how long since that has happened!!!

That night Denielle arrived back from the coast, and Simon, Ness, Denielle and myself headed by "Bula Bus" to the local Port village. We were looking for a Fijian restaurant to sample some local cuisine... and we found exactly what we were looking for. I had Mussel chowder, a whole Lobster and a glass of wine all for around $50! (Australian)... we were pretty impressed.

Then we headed back to the hotel and cocktails at the bar before heading back to our rooms... another pillow gift!

Here's what was inside:

Love these Pure Fiji products! I've never smelled so good! :-)

Thank you SU!

Another great day at the office :-)

Fiji Incentive Trip - Day 2

2011-10-21T21:22:00.018+11:00

We began Day 2 of our trip rather rudely with a 4.30am start! (And let's not forget that Fiji is an hour in front so that was 3.30am NSW time!) Breakfast was in the hotel lobby... Coffee, (ahhh, that's better) fruit and various pastries that we could take with us if we chose... we boarded the bus bound for the Upper Navua river. It was quite a drive.. several hours by two different buses - we had to change into two smaller mini-buses in order to negotiate the dirt roads through the Fijian highlands. I have never been to Fiji before and the Coral Coast scenery is just magnificent. It's relatively untouched but for various resorts that nestle along the beachfront.

We stopped for morning tea (banana bread) and then continued into the rainforest. One of the girls (Marelle I think?) was heard to mention that they should have mentioned that we might need our sports bras for the trip (to say it was bumpy was an understatement!) but we finally disembarked and collected our paddles and life jackets. We got the "scare talk" before setting off on a 20 minute hike through the jungle down to the riverfront. To be honest, that was the hardest part of the whole day... that hike was pretty full on, and I wished I had been more consistently doing my regular walking program at home because we needed a reasonable level of fitness to make it comfortably. So getting into the boat was actually a relief by the time we got there.

We were assigned a guide (oarsman) and it was 4 people per boat. I was really lucky to be sharing with Ness and Simon and Denielle. Our guide was named Noah! Isnt that appropriate? We were obviously in safe hands :-) These guys are from the local highland villages and they really know what they are doing. The way they guide the rafts through the currents and between the rocks is just amazing.

It was the most amazing experience! I don't think I have ever laughed so much. And we were rowing for 5 hours... so that's a long time to laugh! My stomach was sore from laughing at the end. Suffice to say you get to know your fellow crew members in ways you never did before!

I don't think we were going for more than 10 seconds when we got stuck on a rock! And we all had to bounce up and down to get ourselves off.. it was so funny! Here are a few snaps to give you an idea of our day...

The walk down to the river

Whew! We made it to the river!

Looking really glamourous here:

Because of the rain we had to have our lunch at an alternative spot... so we lunched in a cave:

I lost count of the waterfalls, but they were just amazing!

More rapids:

It wasn't rough at all.. in fact the "rapids" were very gentle. So it was great for someone like me who was a complete beginner. Denielle overcame her fear of rafting completely... it took only a few minutes for her to realize that it really wasnt so bad after all! I am so proud of her, and really so glad to have been able to take her with me to have such an amazing experience!

We experienced all the seasons pretty much on the way.. we started in brilliant sunshine but then it came over cloudy and misty, and then it poured, and then there was a storm. All the while the temperature remained warm and comfortable.. I think it was a really good time of year to do a trip like this. You can see how pristine and gorgeous it was... apparently this is the river that they filmed one of the Anaconda films. Not that they have those there... I probably wouldn't have done it if I thought there was any chance of that! But Im so glad I did.

At the end we helped get the boat out and deflated in the pouring rain, which funnily enough didn't matter at all... we were already so wet it didn't make one bit of difference. I have never been so wet through in all my life. And trying to change into dry clothes in a tin shed in the jungle with the rain pouring so hard that you cant hear anything.... well that was an experience. We were offered afternoon tea in a Fijian village.. which was lovely too. It all added to the experience of the day.

Then back on the bus and most of us were so tired that we dozed on the way back home. That night we headed off to bed pretty early. Although first Denielle, Ness, Simon and I had a lovely meal at "Salt" - one of the hotel restaurants. It was really lovely. I had to tell my 5yo son about it... that there were frogs hopping around the floor of the restaurant whilst we were eating. When I told him, he couldnt beleive it, and announced "Mummy! I would love to go there and hug all those frogs!" Cute!

Back to our rooms to discover of course our next pillow gift! This time Im allowed to show you the outside, but not the inside of the box.... because of course there were some lovely new products from our soon-to-be-released Summer Mini Catalogue. Here is the box:

You might recognize it as one of our lovely new Big Shot storage boxes from our latest catalogue. I'm rather liking that!!! It was quite full of some great new stuff for us to play with.

So another wonderful day. I have to say that the River Rafting experience for me was one of the best things I have ever done. I would love to go again one day if I have the chance... although Im not sure I will ever get there again. But that's one of the aims of these group activities... SU try to engage us in activities that you wouldnt normally do. It was simply mind-blowing. Thank you Stampin Up! I am so proud to be associated with a company that values its demonstrators like they do.

I'll be back with more Incentive trip chat soon. xx

Fiji Incentive Trip Day 1

2011-10-19T20:56:00.009+11:00

Wow! What a fabulous time we had in Fiji! I think I am still on "Fiji Time"..... and anyone that has been to Fiji will understand that means I am still pretty relaxed, and even a few days after my return I haven't completely succumbed to my frantic lifestyle. And in their usual style, Stampin'Up made us feel very special... I guess you could say spoiled... and I so love being involved with a company who go to so much trouble to make sure we feel valued and rewarded for what we do. It's an amazing thing.. and I am so glad to be part of that!

So... here is a summary of the first couple of days of our trip. This year my travelling partner was Denielle Bernauer, and to say we had a good time together would be the understatement of the century. Denielle is in my wonderful team of demonstrators, so its great to get along so well with someone that you also work with! Our flight was due to leave at 11am on the first day so we had stayed at an airport hotel the night before.. Simon and Vanessa Webb collected us from the hotel and we boarded our flight very excited to be on our way. I haven't been through customs or anywhere that requires a passport for quite a few years, so it was a real adventure for me. I love airports, flying and everything about the actual trip... so I was already happy. The fact that I got to share the flight with many of my demonstrator friends made it extra special.

The very first thing you see and hear in Nadi airport when you arrive is the troupe of strumming, singing Fijians welcoming you to Fiji! I love those guys! We had only a short transfer to our gorgeous hotel.. the Sofitel on Denarau Island. What a gorgeous hotel... its right on the beach, and everything is just beautiful. The weather was warm but not too humid - it feels tropcial, and storms nearly every afternoon, but it was perfect. Here are a few pictures of where we stayed:

Hotel Lobby

Our Room

View out the window

We were told to wait in our rooms to be collected for the welcome Dinner on the first night. But there was a mix-up with the rooms and we waited, and we waited, and waited. Finally they found us! We were only 45 mins late... our "collection party" consisted of two big Fijian men in their war paints and costume... who introduced themselves with a loud and somewhat scary "BULA!!!" Denielle nearly jumped out of her skin! I was worried about being late... but one of the men assured me that "No-one is ever late in Fiji!" Hmmmm.... I think I could learn to like that philosophy!

Of course our dinner was amazing... there were some wonderful Fijian specialities to try, and we were serandaded by a great group of Fijians during the meal:

One of the fun things was giving Shelli her first birthday gifts from us all.... her birthday was the day before the trip... so Denielle had made a couple of sets of her gorgeous Beveled Window Frame jewellery for her.. and Shelli loved it, so that was fun. We also had the singers do a Fijian version of "Happy Birthday" which was loveLy. We were given a talk by a Fijian gentleman who gave us the "do's" and "dont's" in Fiji.. the "Dont's" really stuck with me... they are:

1. Dont Rush
2. Dont Run
3. Dont worry

Like that!

The other thing he explained were some useful Fijian words, and how to say them. "BULA" is the main greeting... and everyone says it to everyone! And you aren't supposed to say it quietly either. :-) "Vinaka" is "Thanks".. or "Vinaka Vaka Levu" is "Thank you very much". We used those a LOT.

After such an early start we were all pretty tired so that was the end of our day... and we had to be up early for the following morning's River Rafting Adventure!!! More on that one later! But I was pretty excited to get back to our room anyway because there was of course waiting for me the first of my "Pillow Gifts":

My "Baravi" Bag (Beach bag)... which I took nearly everywhere with me whilst I was in Fiji. I'm sure it's going to get lots of use! How lucky are we... I loved all our gifts each day! I'll try to show you all the stuff we got (except for the upcoming product that I'm not allowed to show you just yet ;-)

I'll be back soon with another installment... glad to be able to share this one with you!

Incentive Trip Swaps... and BULA!!!

2011-10-14T12:32:00.008+11:00

Bula!

I had prepared a great post for you when I was in Fiji... but then I couldnt get my photos to upload on the Hotel Computer (that would be user error I'm thinking). Never mind... I'm back on deck today, and will be uploading photos from the trip for you over the next few days.

So just a quick one today.. I promised I would show you my swaps when I could... so now that I have handed them out, here they are. I used the beautiful Mocha Morning paper of course (RRP$24.95) to create these cards... how can you go wrong when you use gorgeous paper like that? And yes, there is flocking on the paper, so they not only look good, they feel good too :-)

Suffice to say that I had a wonderful time.. the weather was humid but not too hot, just lovely. The highlight so far for me (although its hard to pick just one!)was our River rafting adventure down the Upper Navua river on Thursday... I truly felt as though I was in another world. I promise to come back and post photos for you to see... truly amazing!

For now, here are my swaps, and I will pop back with more when I can. xxx

Vinaka

Here is the card closed:

This is one of my favourite card folds... sometimes you will hear it called a "Joy Fold". The next two pics show how it opens up:

And now completely open:

I hope you like it! They were lots of fun to make :-)

Winners are Grinners...

2011-10-11T16:42:00.005+11:00

Well I'm off to Fiji in less than half an hour to be part of this year's Stampin'Up Incentive Trip! (We don't fly til tomorrow morning, but I'm heading down to Sydney now and staying the night)'I am busting to show you all my swaps for the trip, but dont want to spoil the surprise for the other girls on the trip so I wont show you for a few days.

But in the meantime I can show you what my Stamp Club girls got up to last month... these are the new Petal Cone die, made up into a little box. But what makes them special is that there are covered in fabric! And not just any fabric either... this particular one is the new "Timeless Portrait" fabric that just happens to match our lovely Designer Series Paper pack by the same name. I love how everything matches don't you??

These were actually pretty easy to make. First you adhere your fabric on to a piece of our Multipurpose Adhesive sheets. Then peel the back off the adhesive sheet, and attache a piece of cardstock the same size. Then you run the whole thing through the Big Shot in whatever shape you wish... I used the Petal Cone because its my new favourite die (this month anyway!). And then I just folded along the pre-made score lines (yes the Big Shot does that for you too) and made it into this cute box.

Finally those that came to classes and workshops last month will remember that I ran a little competition to win a $50 voucher. (Every $50 spent in September got you another ticket in the draw) And today I have drawn the winner and it is.... (drum roll please....)

PATRICIA THOMAS!!!

Congratulations Patricia!!! Well done!

I'll be in touch when I get back from Fiji and you can let me know what freebies you would like to "spend" your $50 on!

Thanks for everyone that ordered last month.. it was a great month for me and a great way to celebrate my 5 year anniversary with SU! Thank you to all my lovely customers and team... without you guys I wouldnt get to do wonderful things like go to Fiji. :-) Who knows? Maybe I will be able to make it to next year's trip to Broome! Fingers crossed!

Here are a few more of the Fabric Petal Cones that the girls made... in all different colours! I thought they looked great together so had to take a photo. Enjoy!!

October Ribbon Shares

2011-10-06T00:03:00.003+11:00

Ok... its Ribbon Share time again. This time I have picked two of my new favourite ribbons... the Seam Binding ribbons, and the In-color Ruffled ribbons. You can see the gorgeous Seam Binding ribbon used on the above card... this one is in "Cherry Cobbler" - its just yummy! One of the best things about it is how easily it ties! I'll pop up a photo of the ruffled ribbons for you real soon.

Here is how it works. You love the new ribbons.. I know you do! ;-) But you hesitate because you dont really need the 9.1m of ribbon that is on each roll... and how on earth will you decide between all those gorgeous colours, and if you buy each one, wow that's a lot of money. Well.. with a ribbon share you avoid all those issues, and end up with all the colours, but for a fraction of the price. If you want to see the ribbons, turn to page 138-39 of your new Idea Book and Catalogue. Or click HERE to see a new catty.

I will divide the ribbons up for you... this time we are going to do a quarter-share of each ribbon colour. Which works out to be approximately 2.27m per colour.

The Seam Binding Ribbons (all 7 colours) will be available for $24 (approximately 2.27m of each colour). This figure includes postage.
The Ruffled ribbon (all 5 colours) will be available for $25 for each quarter roll, including postage.

Or buy both the Seam Binding share, and the Ruffled ribbon share for $45, and get a good deal!

So who's in? Please contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com to be part of the share. Let me know whether which share you would like to receive, or both. I need 4 people for each share to get started. I will order these ribbons over the next couple of weeks and wind the share up before the end of October. Please note that I will email you back to confirm that I have received your email - I would hate you to miss out on this. This means if don't respond, I haven't received your email.

Now don't forget that I will be in Fiji on the Stampin' Up! Incentive trip next week from Tuesday 11th October and back on board on Monday 17th October. So I wont be able to reply to your emails during this time. I will be placing another order before I go, so please contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com if you have anything you need. Oh... and dont forget too our fantastic Simply Stocking promotion this month! Click HERE for more details about that! Love it!

Simply Stockings Promotion

2011-10-01T00:05:00.004+10:00

In October we have a fabulous promotion for you to all share in. Introducing the "Stitched Stockings" stamp set, and co-ordinating punch! You will be able to purchase these items in October ahead of its release in the next Mini Catalogue in December. Or, if you host a workshop in October with sales of $450 or more you will automatically receive both of these items for free! Woo hoo!!!

I've quickly whipped up a simple little card here for you so that you can see what they look like... but for a better look at all the stamps and punch, click HERE. The wood-mounted set will retail for $53.95, and the clear-mount will retail for $42.95. The punch will be $33.95. So for you girls who are already booked into my diary.... how cool is that? Because you guys have the opportunity to get them for free. :-)

We will be using these stamps and punch at next week's stamp-a-stack on Wednesday 5th October at 11am, and I still have spots free at this point if you would like to join us. Contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com to reserve your spot.

I also wanted to issue a last call for anyone out there wanting to be part of the Big Shot club, or the Accessories club. I currently have one space left in each club... we are starting this next week. There are heaps of benefits to being in the club... click HERE to read more about it. Or contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com for more information.

Only a few days left of our Amazing Special

2011-09-27T14:16:00.004+10:00

Every month I have lots of wonderful things for you product-wise.... there always seems to be something new with SU, and they keep us happy with new products and specials on a regular basis. But this month we have had our very best special of the year... and there is only a few days left.

Of course I am talking about the kit special this month... for only $169 you can purchase our "mini kit" which contains over $310 worth of products! Or alternatively you can purchase the full kit for $231.20... which contains over $600 worth of products! Why WOULDNT anyone who loves our products want to take up such a fabulous deal?? To be honest, after 5 years with this wonderful company, I can't imagine why not!

This is the best deal we have had all year... and it ends on the 30th September. And here's how easy it is to join... just click HERE... then click on the "Join Now" option, fill in the form and have your credit card handy. That's it! There are no tricks and no special requirements to join other than you need to be over 18. No ABN required, no special creative talents... just a love of our Stampin'Up! products! That's it. As long as you are a demonstrator you will have access to a whole range of resources and ideas, and will of course receive a minimum of 20% discount on your products.

If you have any questions I am happy to answer them... you can email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com Truly.. if you have ever thought about joining, then what a fantastic chance this is. Alternatively for more info you can click HERE and choose the "Join the Fun" button.

Here is a list of what you will find in your Mini Kit (the $169 option).. don't forget that many of the items can be substituted so that makes it an even better deal for you.

* Easy Events Clear-Mount Set*
* Pennant Parade Wood-Mount Set*
* Basic Black Classic Stampin' Pad
* Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad
* Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad
* Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad
* A4 Smooth Card Stock Assortment
* Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper*
* Chocolate Chip 1/2" Scallop Dots Ribbon*
* Notes Cards (20)
* Clear-Mount Block C
* Blender Pen (1)
* SNAIL Adhesive
* Business supplies

*New to the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalogue

The regular kit can be viewed HERE.

I'll be back soon to show you some new projects that I've been having fun with... xx

2011-09-25T22:32:00.003+10:00

I've just had a lovely weekend away at a scrapbooking retreat, and managed to be very productive for a change! The retreat was organized by my friends Robyn and Jo, and we had a lovely group of girls to eat, share and craft with all weekend. The best thing for me was that I actually completed all my swaps for the upcoming Fiji trip... woo hoo! I'm usually finishing them at 3am the morning that we fly out... or last year I was still doing them in my hotel room after we arrived (some of you may have seen the photos of myself and some of my demonstrator buddies putting my swaps together!). But not this year.. they are DONE... and I must say I am really happy with them. I'll show them to you once I have handed them out in Fiji... until then its a surprise! ;-)

Just a quick card for you today. This is one I did a little while back using the "Spotlighting" technique.. and oldie but a goodie. I've done a few Christmas cards with this set now... he's such a cute birdie. This one was done for a recent cyberstamp with some of my online SU friends, and the requirement was that we had to use non-traditional Christmas colours.

Keep watching my blog for details of two things coming up... a new Ribbon Share is starting in October, and we also have a fabulous Christmas promo coming up in October too. And an extra give-away for hostesses!(That's on top of the new hostess benefits) I only have a couple of spots left for workshops in October, so please let me know if you would like to hold a workshop of your own. You can contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com

Oh... and dont forget that this is the very last week of our fabulous joining special!!! Click HERE for details.

Sneak Peek of Card Number 2

2011-09-19T22:08:00.003+10:00

... for tomorrow night's class. Every now and again, you make a card and think "wow"! This is one of those cards... I really love the way this one turned out.

I have used the "Pennant Parade" stamp set, punched them with the matching Petite Pennants punch... and simply turned the pennants upside down to create Christmas trees. The stamp set includes a little pot and trunk stamp for this exact purpose... making it a really versatile set. The word "Merry" is also from the same set. I used the colours from the "Letters to Santa" patterned paper pack, and used a strip of that paper along the bottom of the card. The background behind the main circle is stamped with the Parlour Prints background stamp. And of course finished off with my new favourite.... the Seam Binding ribbon.. this time in Pear Pizazz. I love it!

If you want to come and make three of these cards (plus three of the ones I showed you in the last post) then email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com The class will be held on the 20th September at 7.30pm on the Central Coast, NSW, and you will make 6 cards for a total of $15. All materials and light refreshments are provided. I can give you the address details when you book in.

Christmas Card Class on Tuesday night - still spots left

2011-09-19T00:46:00.003+10:00

I still have spots available in my Tuesday night Christmas Stamp-a-Stack... and here is one of the cards we are making. Not the world's best photo, but you can hopefully see that I've sponged Champagne mist Shimmer paint on the embossed background, and used a row of our new Gold Glass Glitter across the main image. The stamp is from our "Ala Carte" range, and its called "Something for Christmas".

As always with Stamp-A-Stacks we will make 6 cards, 3 each of 2 different designs, for a cost of $15. All materials and light refreshments are provided. So if you love Stampin'Up, or just are into card making or papercraft, and live in driving distance of the Central Coast, NSW, pop the date in your diary, and come along :-) To book your spot please email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com I can give you the address details when you book in.

I hope you can join us!

Linda xx

My Regional Training Presentation

2011-09-11T20:54:00.006+10:00

I was very honoured to be asked to present at this year's Regional Training in Sydney. I haven't presented for a couple of years, and when Sophie from SU rang to see if I would like to do it, I jumped at the chance. Today I want to show you the cards that I made with my chosen technique.

I'm not sure if the technique has an official name, but I've been calling it "Watercolour Resist"... I love it because it gives a different result every time, and I seem to be drawn to more unpredictable techniques. I also love when I use these kind of techniques in a class because each of my customers goes home with something different, that they created themselves... and there isnt another one quite like it. This makes you feel quite "arty"... and I love the creativity that can inspire!

So I think I will run this as a class in its own right in the coming months.. stayed tuned for that.

I used wet watercolour paper and reinkers for the first couple of projects here:

And then I showed a cool way to use the inks from our distressing kit:

This was probably my favourite card of the ones I showed... but they are all very different. Which one do you like best??

If you made it to Sydney Regionals, I hope you enjoyed the day... I had a fantastic time, and SU put on a great event as always. If you havent been to Regional training before, definitely plan to go next time - its available to both Demonstrators and their guests, and represents great value! What you come away with in terms of information is so valuable, and the connections that you make with other demonstrators is a wonderful thing.

Lastly, if you would like to find out more about becoming a demonstrator yourself, please email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com Its a NO-risk, completely fun way to make extra income, and if you have any creative bones in your body at all, then you will love getting your hands on all those lovely products at a discount. And in September 2011, you can do that for as little as $169... how good is that? For more information, please contact me!

Look what came by courier today!

2011-09-09T16:17:00.005+10:00

I just love surprises in the mail!

Here's what was inside:

Air Tickets and itinery, schedule for the 5 days away, and wheel spin tickets to win prizes each day we are there. All inside this cute Fijian wallet and tied up in raffia. I love the thought and detail that goes into these things. And I love the little rubber stamp on the outside of the wallet too.... how appropriate!

Since you guys are the reason I am going, I thought you'd like to see it all. It's just over a month til we fly, so its great to have all the tickets and information now. Now just waiting for my new passport to arrive!

Back soon with some more new stuff!

Sneak-peek of a Launch card for tomorrow

2011-09-06T13:57:00.003+10:00

As my day launch is tomorrow I thought I would give you just a peek at one of the projects we are going to be making... and this one is using the absolutely divine new Specialty paper called "Mocha Morning" (rrp $24.95 for a pack of 12) It's hard to see in the photo here, but this is a VERY tactile card - particularly because this piece of background paper is flocked, which just makes you want to touch it! This is my personal favourite paper so far in the new catalogue, but I'm sure that I will do what I normally do and change my mind at some point. But I really really love this!

And yes, I can still squeeze in one or two more if anyone makes a last minute decision to come. The launch starts at 11am, we will make 3 projects, and there are prizes and all materials supplied. (As well as a light lunch) The cost is $20, and includes your new catalogue. All events are held at Narara on the Central Coast, if you need the address I can give you that when you book in.

Forever Young

2011-09-06T09:58:00.003+10:00

Hey everyone.. just a quick card to show you today, as I am busy preparing for my first launch tomorrow. But I have been enjoying all my beautiful new things (even more arrived this morning) and have been having so much fun just PLAYING with it all. This card was a fun one to make.. I am enjoying the new Incolor range.. the two colours here are Island Indigo and Pool Party. The stamp set is "Forever Young" - I previously showed you the clock from the same set (click HERE to see it).

Hope you like it too. xx

Day Catalogue launch next Wednesday 7th September

2011-09-02T17:23:00.005+10:00

Hello everyone,

Many of you would have received my newsletter with the details of next Wednesday's launch... I have no spots left at all for the evening launch, but still a few left for the day event. So if you would like to join us, we will be making 3 projects, and you will get the chance to get your hands on lots of new stuff! Plus there are Launch-only specials, and of course a light lunch is provided. The cost is $20 and includes all materials and your 2011-12 Idea Book and Catalogue too. It will be held at Narara on the Central Coast, and I can give you the address details when you book in. We will be starting the launch at 11am on the 7th September.

To reserve your spot please contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com. If you attempt to reply to this email in your inbox, it wont get through to me.. you must use the email address lindastamps@bigpond.com

And because it is Father's Day this coming Sunday I thought you might like to see the Father's Day card I made this week. Isn't it cool? This is brand new set we have available in our new catalogue called "Best Dad Ever" - I'm a bit sad that it has only just come out because I think it would have been very popular for Father's Day.. but there is always next year!

Enjoy! xx

Join Stampin Up for only $169 in September

2011-09-01T16:34:00.004+10:00

What a fabulous promotion we have this month! If you have EVER thought about becoming a Stampin'Up demonstrator and sharing your love of papercraft with other people... then NOW is the time! We have two options for those that wish to be part of this... you can join with our special "Mini Kit"... it's valued at over $310 and just for September is just $169. Please note that this kit wont be available after September. This is a really great deal if you have been a customer of SU for a while and have already bought a ton of stuff... stop paying full price for all your products and join my wonderful team of demonstrators! And for those of you who have been demonstrators before, and are looking for an opportunity to rejoin... this is a wonderful opportunity!

Here's what is in the Mini Kit:

* Easy Events Clear-Mount Set*
* Pennant Parade Wood-Mount Set*
* Basic Black Classic Stampin' Pad
* Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad
* Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad
* Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad
* A4 Smooth Card Stock Assortment
* Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper*
* Chocolate Chip 1/2" Scallop Dots Ribbon*
* Notes Cards (20)
* Clear-Mount Block C
* Blender Pen (1)
* SNAIL Adhesive
* Business supplies

*New to the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalogue

All that for $169!!! Please note that you can customize your kit by substituting many of the items... just contact me for more information about that.

The other option this month is to buy our regular kit - which from today (September 1st) is worth OVER $610!!!! This month only it is 20% off... so that's a total of $231.20 That's a good deal, no matter how you look at it.

Both kits equip you as a fully-fledged demonstrator... what you do with that is completely up to you. But for those wanting to make some extra dollars, and to build it up, I am happy to offer my help and support as necessary. That's why we talk all the time about "Sharing what you Love". Joining Stampin'Up remains, 5 years down the track, one of the best decisions I have ever made.

For more information, please contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com.

Linda H
xx

Here it is...

2011-09-01T07:55:00.005+10:00

Happy Spring Everyone!

and of course... HAPPY NEW CATALOGUE

Click here to see an online version, or contact me to get your own!

And thats not all I have for you this month! Lots to tell you in the coming days. To start with, for one week from today (that is the 1st to 7th September 2011) I am offering free shipping on all orders placed with me. Thats a 5% discount... and the reason is to say thank you for your business... as on the 7th September I will have been with the company 5 years! Woo Hoo... (dont worry I am going to be around for a long time :-) I have loved being part of Stampin Up... and I am here to stay. I am blessed to make an income doing something that I love... and I love sharing this with as many people as I can.

Also starting today we have a fabulous recruiting promotion... In September 2011 you can choose to join SU with our fabulous Mini Kit. There is $310 worth of value in it... and you pay only $169!!! If you have EVER thought about joining SU... (and especially if you already have lots of stuff!) then this is an awesome time! What business do you know of that costs only $169 to start?? Please contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com for more information!

Enjoy the new catalogue! xxx

This is it... the very last day

2011-08-31T00:53:00.002+10:00

Finally, August 31st has come.. and we need to bid farewell to our current 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalogue. If you need to see the retiring list you can view it here... items already sold out are marked with an 'x'.

The card I chose to show you today is actually a CASE directly from the catalogue (page 86 in fact). I copied it as closely as I could and gave it last weekend as a gift to one of my wonderful hostesses. She had told me she really liked that particular card - so I had most of the products required and made it for her. Cute isnt it? The tree is made from chipboard, and I have used patterned paper to cover it, and then sanded back the edges with my Sanding block. I like how it turned out. I hope that Donna does too!

Already my evening Launch to showcase the Brand new Catalogue is full, and so I have scheduled a second launch for those that would like to come along... this time it will be a day launch, to be held on the 7th September at 11am. Cost is $20, and you will receive a copy of the catalogue, (valued at $12.95 rrp) plus you will go home with 3 great projects that you have created yourself. There will also be some giveaways and launch-only specials on the day. Light refreshments and all materials are provided.

If you would like to join us please email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com This launch event will be held at Narara on the Central Coast, I can give you the address details when you reserve your spot.

So I will take one last fond look at our current catty, and then Im going to move on and celebrate the brand new one just around the corner... cant wait!!! xx

Big Shot Class this Wednesday

2011-08-28T09:50:00.003+10:00

Hello everyone! WOW... August is almost over, and so is our current catalogue. That means you have only a few days left to order many of our wonderful products. To see the list of what is being discontinued click here. From Thursday 1st September we have a whole new catalogue to play with... so we are really down to the wire now with the current catalogue. The list is growing of those products already sold out.....Dont miss out!

So... this week I am running my "Getting Creative with the Big Shot" class. We are going to be making a number of projects, and we will be using lots of different types of dies and embossing folders. We will also use the "Mover and Shapers" dies which you wont have seen me use before. The class runs at 11am on Wednesday 31st August, and the cost is $20 if you have not purchased your Big Shot through me... but if you have purchased it with me, your class is free. All materials and a Light lunch is supplied.

I've included some pics here of some of the types of projects we will be making - a minimum of 5 projects, but we might get to make 6 if time permits. So you will go home with quite a stash of creative projects, and a lot of information.

This is also that weird time of year when we are in "changeover"...you will see me using some retiring products, and also doing sneak-peeks of new products. So you might see I have used some of our new Incolor range in these photos... lots to look forward to.

Contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com to reserve your spot. Hope to see you on Wednesday. xx

New Catalogue Launch and a "Sneak Peek"

2011-08-16T13:36:00.004+10:00

Here we are with just 2 weeks of our current catalogue to go... and that means time is running out to make those last minute purchases from our Retiring List before they are gone!

But dont be too sad... because we have our beautiful new catalogue for you to get your hands on, and I am running this year's catalogue launch on Tuesday 13th September at 7.30pm if you would like to attend. First in, best dressed. The venue is the Narara Baptist Church Hall at 127 Narara Valley Drive, Narara. So if you are into Stamping or Stampin'Up, and live on or close to the Central Coast NSW, make a date to play with some beautiful new items!

You will be amongst the first to play with the new products featured in the new Catalogue to be realeased on September 1st. You will receive your own copy of the new catalogue on the night, as well as making 3 great projects. As always there will be prizes and supper provided so come along and be part of the fun! Cost is $20,which includes the cost of your catalogue, and for this event I am asking that you pre-pay to reserve your spot.

I can only open this event to the first 10 takers. However, I will possibly run a second day event should there be sufficient interest in that.

And yes, the card featured here is made with products from our brand new catty! I am really liking this new set, and the blue is one of our brand new "In-Colors", although in "Real Life" it is somewhat brighter than I have been able to photograph here. Let me know what you think!

Quick update: These items already sold out...

2011-08-12T13:39:00.004+10:00

The following items are now no longer available to order:

Garden Whimsy Stamp set[wood-mount]
Choo Choo Stamp Set [wood-mount]
Sanded Background Stamp [wood-mount]
Full Calendar Stamp [wood-mount]
Bashful Blue 12" x 12" Card Stock
Rich Razzleberry 12" x 12" Card Stock
Early Espresso 12" x 12" Card Stock
Chocolate Chip 12" x 12" Card Stock
Night of Navy 12" x 12" Card Stock
Marina Mist 12" x 12" Card Stock
Crumb Cake 12" x 12" Card Stock
Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelets
Metallic Eyelets
Pewter Jumbo Eyelets
Photo Corners Punch
Spiral Punch
Star Punch
Small Oval Punch

That's it for now... but the list is growing every day. To see the list of what is list click here. Dont miss out! Please email your order through to lindastamps@bigpond.com as I am placing orders every few days to make sure that we can still get stock. I have one going in Sunday night if that is of interest to anyone. But you need to let me know. :-)

Retirement Party this Sunday.. grab a Bargain!

2011-08-12T00:49:00.006+10:00

I am hosting my first "Retirement Party" this coming Sunday 14th August, and if you love Stampin Up and are anywhere on or close to the Central Coast you are welcome to join us! It's more of an afternoon tea really... I will have tea and coffee and afternoonish foodie stuff, and you are welcome to come, chat and even make a card if you feel so inclined. I will also be putting out my current retiring stock for those that come and allowing you to put "first dibs" on the ones you might like to purchase after September 1st (I'm not allowed to sell them before then). I am holding the afternoon tea at two times.. the first group at 1.30pm (only a couple of spots left) and again at 3.30pm. That way you can fit it in to your afternoon in the most convenient way for you. Contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com if you would like to attend, and I can give you the address details when you book in. There is no cost to attend this time around.

And also because its retiring month... I wanted to show you not one, but FOUR cards today. My team is made up of wonderful girls who love their papercrafting as much as I do... and we sometimes hold team swaps. Everyone creates several cards, depending on the number of people in the group, and we send them all to whoever is co-ordinating the swap. She then redistributes them back out to everyone so that everyone gets one of each card. So in this swap we had just 4 girls... we each made 4 cards, sent them to Karen, who was co-ordinating, and then she sent us back one of each. So now I have 4 new cards to show you... and this time the theme to work with was to use as much Retiring product on the card as we could. Everyone did a great job! Here they are:

Debra:

Nerida:

Karen:

Linda:

I thought they were pretty good! And we had a short time-line this time because we needed to get these out so as to take advantage of them before they are sold out. So there you go... thats what some of us demonstrators like to get up in our spare time. Make cards for fun, and for each other!

Dont forget the retired list is starting to see more things running out... just email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com if you have anything you need to order!

xx

Tomorrow night's class - Polished Stone Technique

2011-08-08T14:25:00.003+10:00

I have to say this is the hardest technique to photograph well!!! I do apologize for the quality of this image. It's really hard to get the true effect of the technique in a photo... I tried different kinds of light, and different angles, but struggled to get it right. I promise it looks better in real life!!!

But here is another of the cards we will be making tomorrow night, (Tuesday 9/8 at 7.30pm). We will be making 3 projects, and its a simple but striking effect. In this case it looked to me like a cloudy sky at sunset! Or am I just being hopeful?? Never mind. Its quick and easy to achieve this look. I do have spots left in the class at this point, so please contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com if you would like to book in. Classes are held on the Central Coast, and the cost is $15. All materials and light refreshments are provided.

The Stampin'Up "retired list" for 2011 has now been released... if you would like to see it, click here. There are quite a few items already sold out... so dont wait too long to order! And dont forget my retirement party this coming weekend! I will be hosting an afternoon tea this Sunday (14th August) and you can come and enjoy, and make a card with me. I am also allowing my customers to go through my retiring collection. Once again email me if you wish to attend at lindastamps@bigpond.com... I will hold 2 "sittings", one at 1.30pm, and the other at 3.30pm. There is no cost to attend. Hope you can make it!!!

Polished Stone Class next week

2011-08-05T07:31:00.003+10:00

I did confirm this in last month's customer newseltter... but if you have just been watching the blog you may not know that this month's technique is "Polished Stone". I am running two polished stone classes this month - one next Tuesday (9th August)at 7.30pm, and the other on the Wednesday 24th August at 11am. Classes are held on the Central Coast... I can give you the address details when you book in. At this point I still have seats available for both. You will make 3 projects for a cost of $15.

Polished stone is a technique that can give you a lovely subtle background - like the one shown on the card featured here. Or you can use it to create a more striking background too. But I am sure you will love the projects that we are making - the card on this page is just one of the 3 projects.

This card also features quite a number of retiring products. The Bugs & Kisses stamp set, "Sanded" background stamp and the Level 3 hostess set "Occasional Quotes". All going this month!

So if you would like to join us as either of this month's technique classes (or any other class for that matter) please contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com I hope to be able to show you yet another awesome technique!

Gone already! (And Party time)

2011-08-03T22:50:00.004+10:00

Wow... that didnt take long. Already things on the list are starting to run out. I was putting my order through tonight because I wanted to make sure that my customers can get the paper packs that they ordered (they have been ordering the Jolly Holiday Patterned paper because its marked down to $10.17 per pack, and with Christmas coming up its perfect timing!). I had quite a few items on there from the retired list and was shocked when the ordering system told me that already the Jumbo eyelets and the Spiral Punch have both sold out! That means that they are sadly no more!

So if there is ANYTHING on that list that you dont want to miss out on... please get your order to me ASAP! Every year this happens, as people rush to get their favourite discontinuing items. In fact this year Stampin'Up have themselves suggested to us that customers (yes, that's you!) make a back-up choice in case their first choice has already gone.

So to help everyone say goodbye to their favourite stamps and accessories I have decided to hold a little "Retirement Party" and you are invited!

I will hold this event on Sunday afternoon the 14th August and so that it doesn't get too crowded, I plan to hold two "sittings", one at 1.30pm, and the other at 3.30pm. The idea is that I will prepare supplies for some cards using retiring product. You can come along and make one and enjoy a cuppa too whilst socializing and being creative. I will have lucky door prizes and also the opportunity for you to choose which of my retiring stamps and accessories you might like to give a new home to. So if there is anything you have been eyeing off in my collection, (and its being discontinued) then you can put your name on it.

Just let me know which time will suit you best, and I will book you in... to book just email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com The Retirement Party will be held at Narara on the Central Coast of NSW.. when you book in I can give you the address details if you don't have them already. Space is limited.. so it will be "first in, best dressed"... I can have up to 10 or so people attend each session.

And by the way.. there is no cost to attend. I am doing this partly to show my appreciation to my wonderful customers.. without whom I would not enjoy my fabulous little business nearly so much! So thank you for all your support, and I hope that you can come and enjoy afternoon tea with me.

Tonight's class

2011-08-02T12:19:00.003+10:00

I have this morning had two cancellations for tonight's Christmas Stamp-A-Stack... so if you find yourself with a free night, then please email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com to come along tonight. Yes, I do realize its late notice! But that's life.. and your opportunity to take advantage of it if you are free.

A Stamp-A-Stack is a card class where you get to make 6 cards (3 each of two different designs) for the low price of $15... all materials are supplied, and light refreshments are also provided. You will go home with 6 of your Christmas cards made, as well as having a social and creative night out. The class starts at 7.30pm, and usually ends at around 9.30ish.

So email me if you would like to come. If you haven't been to a class before they are held on the Central Coast of NSW, and I can give you the address when you book.

And of course, if you cant make it tonight... there are lots of other classes coming up!

I hope you enjoy the card here... this is the second of two cards we are making - I showed the other last week.. Click here to see it. The card today features the very cute "Dasher" Stamped in Frost White Shimmer paint on Rich Razzleberry Cardstock. I just love Chocolates and Purples together! I was going to use the Medallion stamp on the background (which you can still do if you prefer) but chose "Sanded" as that is sadly on our retiring list this month! Also retiring are the Jumbo Eyelets so I used them too. Might as well whilst I can right? Check out our retiring list by clicking here if you want to see what is going to be discontinued at the end of this month. These items will not be available after August 31st, or even sooner should they sell out beforehand!

Enjoy!xx

Here it is....

2011-08-01T12:21:00.004+10:00

Our Retiring List for 2011! Click here to see the list... Please note that these products are only available until August 31st or until stocks run out. Many items will sell out quickly (those who have been following SU for a while will be familiar with this!!!) Don't leave it too late to order! As items start to sell out I will update the list here for you. So keep checking back.

What will I miss? In the stamps... I am going to miss the beautiful "Friends 2-7" (as shown in the card on this post) and the "Bella Toile" and "Sanded" background stamps! And accessories.. there are some that are sad to see go, but I have faith that our new accessories will more than make up for them. Although there's a couple of punches that are a bit sad for me... the spiral punch has always been so useful! I'll have to play with that one this month before it goes! And the Large Star punch too.

To place an order, simply email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com and let me know what you need. I can have your order shipped directly to you if you wish, anywhere in Australia, for a small postage charge.

Those of us who are demonstrators have been given a "Pre-order" opportunity... this means that this morning I ordered some gorgeous stuff from our brand new catalogue! (SU gives us a selection of products we can choose in advance) I cant wait to show it all to you next month! Trust me... I am soooo excited about our new stuff... and you will love it too.

Almost there...

2011-07-30T10:11:00.003+10:00

Tomorrow, July 31st 2011, is the very last day to order from our Autumn-Winter mini catalogue... if you still need anything please email me before 9pm Sunday 31st July at lindastamps@bigpond.com I can have your order delivered to your door, anywhere in Australia for a small postage charge. Click here to see the catalogue. And dont forget that there is the "gift with Purchase" offer this month too. (Spend $100 and get a free pack of buttons AND a roll of matching ribbon - check my previous posts to see what you can do with them)

As for today's card... I loaded it up with Mini stuff! Well now's the time to do it right? To be honest... its a little too much for me - I prefer simpler cards, but here it is anyway. What do you think?? Too much?

Dont forget to check back here on Monday... our 2011 Retiring List will be out!

Last days to order from our Autumn-Winter mini!

2011-07-25T12:38:00.003+10:00

So here we are... its the last week of July.... I cant believe how fast this year is flying by! The 31st July is the last day to order from our Autumn-Winter mini catalogue. Of course we wont know which stamp sets are going into the new Idea Book and Catalogue due out on the 1st September until it's release, but there are some items we can be sure of... patterned paper is one of the items that always is retired in each mini. Other items we will have to wait and see.

There will also be the retired list coming out on August 1st, and I will be sure to post it here so that you can see what is going out. It's all very exciting! I cant wait to get my hands on that new big catalogue and all those lovely items coming in!

This is also the last week for you to grab our lovely "Ice Cream Parlour pack" of buttons and ribbon - I've posted another card I made with it here for you. This is one I made whilst visiting my friend Vanessa - thanks Ness for letting me use your "Sew Suite" set... that's one I don't have :-) This set provides a great way to show your buttons off, so I was keen to make the most of that.

A button and Ribbon pack is your gift with your order of $100 or more. To order just email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com and if you wish to view our catalogues click here. I can have your orders sent to anywhere in Australia for a small postage fee.

What? Christmas already??

2011-07-21T07:39:00.003+10:00

Well yes... and no. Its not really of course (thank goodness for that! Im not ready!) but I am now going into Christmas mode with my Stamp-a-Stacks from now until the end of the year. These are always popular... in fact my next Evening one is already booked out on the 2nd August... but if there is enough interest in it, I will run a second evening one in August. There is also a day class that is filling fast on the 17th August. Cost is $15 and you will make 6 cards (3 each of 2 different designs).

So I thought I would show you one of them. One of my customers asked me to use the Delightful Decorations set, so here you go. Such a great and easy set for Christmas, and the fact that it has its own punch really helps!

Enjoy xx

Distressed Again

2011-07-18T12:08:00.003+10:00

This time I wanted to show you a card I made a while back using my "Distressing Essentials kit"... I love this card because I have a real thing for Red and Black... they make such a striking combination. I covered the chipboard heart with patterned paper (the "Jolly Holiday" DSP rrp $16.95), and then sanded it back and added some charcoal distress ink. I then crumpled the Cherry Cobbler Cardstock behind the heart and curled up one corner. The houndstooth design paper behind the heart is from the "Love Letter" DSP pack (rrp $16.95) - which is one of my three favourite packs from the current catalogue. Dont forget that the patterned paper packs will be retiring at the end of August so get yours now... and of course if you make an order that is $100 or more you will also receive the gorgeous "Ice Cream parlour" set of buttons and ribbons as your gift with purchase... but only until the end of July 2011.
Finally on this card, I added one of our Rich Regals buttons (also in Cherry Cobbler)... dont you love how easy it is to co-ordinate all your colours with the SU range??
Dont forget I have my evening bleaching class running on Tuesday night, but its almost full! Email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com if you wish to place an order, or if you could would like to book in for any classes. You can view the class schedule by checking down the right hand side bar of my blog.
Enjoy the card! xx

Revisiting an Old Technique...

2011-07-12T09:04:00.005+10:00

I wanted to show you one of the cards we are making at next Tuesday Night's technique class... this month's technique is "Bleaching". Some of you may remember I ran a bleaching class a couple of years ago, but I have had a number of people ask me if I will run it again... so by popular demand.... ta da!! If you cant make next Tuesday night's class, don't despair! I am also running this one as a day program on the 27th July. You will make three projects to reallly All materials at my classes are supplied and light refreshments are provided. Just come along and enjoy.

So who would have thought you could make something so beautiful with household bleach?? And really, let's be serious, would you rather use bleach to produce lovely artwork, or to clean the toilet? Do you need thinking time? The great thing about bleach is that its something we all have in our homes anyway...so why not use it in your papercraft? The card you see above is CASEd (copied) from one we were shown at our recent Convention by the talented Kirsty Brown. I just changed the colours and layout slightly, but otherwise I cant take any credit for it. My team member Cate Milton also did this card as a project at her recent team training. It's a great technique!

I still have a couple of spaces available on Tuesday night... check over on the right hand side bar for more class details. Cost for technique classes is $15.

(I had to show you a pic of the bow close up... how nicely does this ribbon tie???)

More cute and Simple....

2011-07-11T14:46:00.005+10:00

Yet another card I have thrown together with not a lot of effort (this is one that I made whilst visiting my friend Vanessa Webb... thank you Ness for the inspiration!).... and using this month's promotion special again too. The ribbon and buttons on this card are this month's special... whenever you place a $100 order in July you will automatically receive a 13.7m roll of this white grosgrain ribbon decorated with cute flowers, and a pack of matching buttons. (rrp $31.95) I have been really enjoying using these and for those of you attending workshops this month we will be using them at those workshops of course.
To place an order simply email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com

July Promotion! Free stuff for you!

2011-07-07T18:28:00.008+10:00

I so love "Gift with Purchase" promotions... Dont you???? I have now made a few cards with these lovely buttons and ribbons and will be showing them to you over the next few days! The one you see here is one I made recently whilst visiting my lovely friend Vanessa... this card is simple but cute! I think these buttons and ribbon work best with simple cards.

From 1-31 July, get a FREE exclusive bundle of ribbon and buttons when you spend $100 on your choice of Stampin' Up! products. That's a $31.95 value, but free for you!

Bundle includes:

* White 1/4" (.63 cm) grosgrain ribbon with repeating flower designs. Approximately 13.7m.
* 48 flower buttons. Sixteen each in 3 colours (Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo and Pacific Point). Approximately 1/2" (1.27 cm) in size.

That's it! Free adorable accessories with a minimum purchase.

How cool is that? To order you dont need to attend a workshop or do anything else special... just place your order with me by emailing me at lindastamps@bigpond.com Of course for those of you with workshops booked... you will get to take advantage of this at your workshops! So here's to a great July, and cant wait to see what you come up with these gorgeous buttons and ribbon!

In the meantime I am updating my class schedule right now.. so check out my classes for the second half of July and into August. Just email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com to reserve your spot.

Big Shot Clubs Starting up again in July!

2011-06-23T12:47:00.004+10:00

Hello blogworld! I am going to be starting up my Big Shot clubs again in July after just last month finishing up the last round of Big Shot Clubs. What's the big deal about the Big Shot? Well take a peek through my cards on this blog for starters... there arent that many cards that I make without it, and it is my most favourite tool to demonstrate with and get creative with, because the results are so dramatic. And fast. And easy! What more could you want??

There are two types of clubs that I run... firstly a Big Shot Club that allows people who dont yet own a Big Shot to get their hands on one, as well as matching dies and embossing folders, over the course of 6 months. This a great way to do it because you spread the cost of the purchases out over 6 months, which makes it much more manageable. The second club is basically the same idea, but for those that already have either a Big Shot or another Die-cutting machine... its called the Big Shot Accessories club. Over the course of the 6 months you get lots of dies, folders and other accessories of your choice. All up you get much more than what you are actually paying for, so its a great deal!

But that's not all! In both clubs you will also receive a tutorial each month, and one month out of the 6 you will also receive hostess benefits (a minimum of $30 to spend on products of your choice, and a free stamp set as well). Hostesses are allocated in the order that people sign up to the group. There is no need to attend classes or workshops, as these clubs are virtual, and the products can be delivered straight to you.

So what's it cost?? If you are local to me (Central Coast) the cost per month is $50, whilst those who are further away will be paying $55 per month to cover additional postage. This means that you can be part of the club no matter where in Australia you are. To be part of it, or obtain further information, contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com

I am starting to fill these clubs so contact me soon to be part of it!

Last Minute I know.....

2011-06-21T13:03:00.002+10:00

I have had a couple of cancellations for tomorrow's Distressing Class. So if you dont have plans for tomorrow... please feel free to join us! You'll be learning the basics of Distressing.. using lots of different tools to rumple, tear, rough-up, ink and sand your paper and ribbons to get that Antiquey/Vintagey feel to your cards. Look in your papercraft mags to see lots of examples as its a pretty hot technique right now!

Cost for tomorrow's class is $15, and you will make 3 projects. All materials and a light lunch is provided.

Hope to see you!!!

Something to show you.....

2011-06-20T13:53:00.003+10:00

Hello everyone!

As you know, playing with anything NEW is one of the joys of papercrafting!!! This is a cute card I made this morning with our very special July release of Buttons and Ribbons. What's the big deal? Well, anyone that makes a purchase of $100 or more in July will automatically receive a roll of this ribbon and a pack of the matching buttons! Cute huh? And the card was really easy to make.

So for all my customers, this will make July a great time to buy... but even better to host a workshop! It means that all your guests will be able to qualify for this little gift. To book yours, just contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com... I have a few spots left in July, so dont miss out!

I've also added our first Christmas Stamp-A-Stack of the year to the schedule... so check it out!!!! (Starting next week!!!)

Hope you enjoy the card (it's a happy one!)

Linda xx

Distressed!!!

2011-06-16T10:53:00.004+10:00

No, not me... but some of my cards lately have been!

This months technique class has been "Distressing"... so lately I've been distressing every papery surface that I could get my hands on! I have to say that distressing is quite outside of my comfort zone... I would call myself a "clean and simple" papercrafter... and that goes whether I am making cards, scrapbook pages or any other paper creation. But given that Distressing is so hot in the papercraft world right now (just look through any Craft mag at your local newsagent) it makes good sense to explore it, and see what its all about.

And here's what I found out. It sometimes is difficult to step out of your comfort zone and create something that goes against your natural preferred style. But it's worth it because the end result will actually take you by surprise. I noticed this with my class attendees the other night... some of them even made faces as they crumpled, stressed, tore and "grunged" up their paper. And yet, at the end, everyone was happy with the result. Even if you discover that its not the way you like to work, there is something very "freeing" about letting go of your need for things to be perfect! So at the beginning of the class I encouraged them to just go with it, relax and enjoy the process... and you know what? I think we all did. I ended up really enjoying it, and am looking forward to next week's class (check the side bar for the schedule). At time of writing though, I only have one seat left.

Where possible I am giving customers the option of purchasing part of their supplies at classes and then receiving a discount on the class fee. In this case, I am offering the opportunity to purchase the Distressing Essentials Kit ($37.95 plus P&H) and then only pay $5 for the class. The alternative is that you may wish to use my supplies and in that case the class is $15.

The card above is one of the cards we made at this week's class. It was really fun to make!!

Please note that I am running two new Big Shot clubs starting in July. Big Shot clubs are awesome as it gives you a way to pay off your Big Shot over time and get dies, tutorials and free products along the way. One club is for people to get the Big Shot and Dies itself... and the other is for people who already have a Big Shot and are after more accessories to go with it. Email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com for more information.

And lastly, I will be wrapping up the Ribbon Shares shortly. Some people have opted for the Taffeta, and others for the Wide striped Grosgrain... and some of you are like me and couldn't decide so you got both! This is the best value way to get lots of colours of ribbon for a great price. Check it out by clicking here.

Below is a close up of the detail of the card at the top of this post. I'll be back with more distressed cards to show you soon....

Here's our Second Card....

2011-06-07T11:35:00.003+10:00

So for tomorrow's Stamp-A-Stack I have created, as always, two different cards, and you get to make 3 of each of the two different designs. (So a total of 6) I have already showed you the first card, and now, here is our second. I have loved every card I have made with this set, it just works! The set is "French Foliage" from our current Mini Catalogue. (rrp $31.93 in clear, or $39.95 in wood). And it works for guys as well as girls too.

So if you would like to join us, just email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com and reserve your spot. The cost of the class is $15 - for that you make six cards, all materials are supplied and a light lunch too if you wish to stay for that.

Hope you enjoy the card xx

Still some seats left for this week's Stamp-A-Stack

2011-06-06T09:52:00.002+10:00

I still have a few seats left for my Stamp-A-Stack on Wednesday at 11am. We will be making 6 cards to add to your card stash... 3 each of 2 different designs. (One of them is shown above)... unfortunately you cant see the glitter on the top of the cupcake, but its pretty cute :-) If you would like to join us, the cost is $15. All materials and a light lunch is provided.

Classes are held on the central coast... I can give you the address when you book in. To reserve your spot, email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com

Hope to see you there!

Linda

Ribbon Shares - Back by popular demand.

2011-05-31T11:57:00.008+10:00

I have been threatening to do this for a while now... and lots of people have been asking "when? when?"!!! So it's time!

This time I have picked Ribbons that I have not shared out before. We are going to do two ribbon types:

1. The Wide Striped Grosgrain ribbon which normally retails for $19.95 for a roll of approximately 9.1m.

2. The 1cm wide Taffeta ribbon which normally retails for $12.95 per roll of approximately 9.1m.

Here are some pics in case you aren't sure which ones they are:

So what then is a Ribbon Share? Well, a lot of my customers often tell me that they cant decide which colour to get... this is a way for you to get all the colours for a smaller price than having to buy all the rolls.

Ribbon Share A: Receive 1.3m of each of the 11 colours available in the Wide striped Grosgrain ribbon. The cost of this share will be $33.

Ribbon Share B: Receive 1.3m of each of the 13 colours available in the 1cm Taffeta ribbons. The cost for this share is $25

or if you choose to take part in both A and B shares then the total cost will be $55 (which means that your shipping is free).

Contact me to take part in the shares by emailing me at lindastamps@bigpond.com, and let me know whether you would like Share A, B or both. This is a great way to get all the colours you want, especially if you are a bit like me and have difficulty making colour decisions!

And one last thing... please note that tonight's Stamp-A-Stack has been postponed to Tuesday night the 21st June. Just email me if you would like to join us.

Deal of the Week - Week 4..... and Updated Class Schedule

2011-05-25T00:22:00.004+10:00

Well here they are.. the final "Deal of the Week" items for you...

113838 p.62 Right on Track Stampin'Around Wheel Normally $11.95, now $8.37

115619 p.68 Retro Remix Stampin'Around Wheel Normally $11.95, now $8.37

119975 p. 134 Vintage Type Rub-ons Normally $15.95, now $11.17

118760 p.134 Play Date Rub-ons, Normally $16.95, now $11.87

I hope you have all enjoyed the Deals this May!

You might also notice that I have updated my class schedule here on the blog... just click into the blog and then view down the right-hand side bar to see the May/June class schedule. Email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com if you would like to attend any of the upcoming dates.

I look forward to hearing from you! xx

Tomorrow's Technique Class Card #2

2011-05-24T09:56:00.005+10:00

I still have just a couple of spots available for tomorrow's Technique class and thought I'd give everyone a look at another card we are making... I also showed you another of the cards last week which you can view again here. The class is Faux Mother-of-Pearl... and you will love this simple and beautiful technique. This same class ran last week in the evening, and this week it is on as a day program at 11am Wednesday 25th May. So if you would like to come along, contact me today (24th) by email at lindastamps@bigpond.com and I will make sure we save you a seat! Classes are held at Narara, on the Central Coast of NSW. Cost is $15, and includes tuition, all materials and a light lunch. I will be giving the last couple of spots to the first people I hear from, so get in quick!

Here's a close up for you....

Check out this Week's Deals (Week 3)

2011-05-18T10:13:00.003+10:00

Here we go... it's Week 3 already!

Item Page Description Regular Price Sale Price
119750 137 Daffodil Delight 5/8'' (1.6 cm) Satin Ribbon $16.95 $11.87
119963 137 Certainly Celery 3/8'' (1 cm) Taffeta Ribbon $12.95 $9.07
109112 139 Square Fire Rhinestone Brads $19.95 $13.97
109113 139 Square Ice Rhinestone Brads $19.95 $13.97

To get any of these items at these great prices just email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com and I can have your order delivered anywhere in Australia for a very reasonable postage charge. I know for myself I plan to stock up on some ribbon!

Enjoy! xx

Faux Mother-of-Pearl Technique class....

2011-05-16T13:49:00.003+10:00

I have two upcoming Faux Mother-of-Pearl classes coming up this month (one is a day class and the other is evening) and the first one is tomorrow night the 17th May. So I thought you might like a "sneak peek" of one of our items we will be creating.

This card I had in mind as a Masculine card (people are ALWAYS asking me to create Masculine cards!) and the actual "Faux Mother-of-Pearl" technique has been used on the background behind the Tree. Its a little hard to see in the pics, but trust me... its an awesome technique! It is pretty simple.. but those techniques to me are always the best. Here's a pic of it close up... still hard to see in the photo, but hopefully you get the idea!

On this card I used "Lovely as a Tree" for the main image.... I still come back to that set over and over!

If you would like to come along to the class it is only $15 to attend, and all materials and light refreshments are provided. Classes are held at Narara on the Central Coast and I can supply the actual address for you when you book in. Spaces are limited so please email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com if you would like to book in.

Here are the two dates:
Tuesday 17th May @ 7.30pm and
Wednesday 25th May @11am

I hope to see you there!

And I will also be posting some details for our FANTASTIC Stampin'Up convention for you in the next few days... what a unbelievable time we had in Melbourne last week! I am looking forward to sharing lots of the ideas and news we learned at Convention with you over the coming months... but for now just trust me that there is lots of great stuff coming your way!

I will share just one thing with you for this post though... SU have done away with the need to have an Australian Business Number (ABN) before joining SU as a demonstrator! How fantastic is that???? It will make a big difference to some people I am sure! So if you have ever thought about joining us... there's even one more reason to do that now! Woo Hoo!

Thank you SU for a wonderful 3 days of exciting stuff!

This week's Deal! (and some Convention Buzz)

2011-05-11T12:40:00.005+10:00

You might remember that on last week's post I told you there will be a new "Deal of the Week" released each Wednesday this month... so here we go for this week:

Item # Page # Description Reg Price Sale Price
120963 142 Stampin Pastels New Colour Kit $28.50 $22.80
115957 151 "Thanks" Embosslits Die $21.95 $17.56
114513 151 "Sweetest Stem" Embosslits Die $21.95 $17.56
113483 155 Pennant Bigz XL Die $74.95 $59.96

This deal will only be available until close of business next Tuesday evening (17th May 2011) so make sure your orders are with me before then. To order just email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com ... and there are some good deals there for those of you with Die Cutting machines!

And finally I wanted to let you all know that I am heading off to Convention today! Can you imagine several hundred SU demonstrators all in one location? It is one of the highlights of the year without a doubt.... and this year we are in Melbourne! So if you need to contact me in the next few days I am still available but it is quite likely you will reach my voicemail on my mobile phone. Just leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

This year's Convention will no doubt we another great event... and I hope to have some news about new stuff and lots of fantastic new ideas to share with you too. I will also find out how I did personally with my SU business this year... I know I am up for a few awards and the Awards night is always a amazing event on the final night. Cant wait to share some highlights with you!

One of the other fun things we get up to is swapping! For those that dont know, demonstrators love to swap cards so that we all get to share in each other's creativity. Wanna see my swap effort???

I'll show you a picture of the swaps I get back ok???

Have a great week... I know I will! xx

Welcome to Deals of the Week!

2011-05-02T11:40:00.003+10:00

Stampin'Up have brought back their very popular "Deals of the Week" for the month of May. Each week there will be big savings on some of our wonderful products... you never know what will be next! This week there is a 40% saving on some of our stamp sets... check them out:

Tag Alongs Wood-Mount Stamp Set – Usually $31.95, NOW only $19.17 (page 37)

More Monkey Accessories Clear-Mount Stamp Set – Usually $23.95, NOW only $14.37 (page 59)

More Monkey Accessories Wood-Mount Stamp Set – Usually $29.95, NOW only $17.97 (page 59)

Cottage Garden Clear-Mount Stamp Set, Usually $24.95, NOW only $14.97 (page 75)

Cottage Garden Wood-Mount Stamp Set, Usually $32.95, NOW only $19.77 (page 75)

Compliments to the Chef Wood-Mount Stamp Set, Usually $35.95, NOW only $21.57 (page 98)

I've listed the page numbers for you so you can check in your catalogue.. but if you dont have one, then click here to see an online copy.

Every week in May there will be a new deal.. but get in quick because they will only be available for the week and then the price will return to the regular price. To order your specials, email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com and I can have your order shipped anywhere in Australia for a small postage charge.

Enjoy! xx

And the Winner is.....

2011-04-30T11:47:00.004+10:00

Recently I ran a little competition. I offered those who had purchased a Extra-large round Scallop punch from me the chance to win a $20 voucher to spend on SU products of their choice ... well I have drawn the winner and this time around the winner is......

Liz Hill! Congratulations Liz... please contact me to claim your prize. :-)

And whilst I am writing happy news, I wanted to share my own happy news with you all... people keep asking me if I managed to achieve this year's Incentive Trip, and I am really happy to report that YES! I got over the line. Sure, I managed it with only days to spare (this year was the closest I have come to missing out in the past 4 years!), but I made it... and am so happy to be going away yet again with an amazing group of people who love working with this company as much as I do. In the last four years we have seen some amazing and beautiful locations...Palm Cove in 2008, Noosa in 2009 and Hamilton Island in 2010. This year is the first year I will need my passport! We are off to Fiji... want to see where we are staying??

This is the gorgeous Sofitel Resort on Fiji's Denarau Island. Looks pretty cool huh?? I cant wait. We dont get to go until October, but I am told the weather will be lovely then and its always great to have something to look forward to!

But what is really important to remember that we never achieve such things in isolation....I would not be going to Fiji if it werent for my wonderful customers and Demonstrators in my team. It really is a combination of things that help you earn the trip. We are rewarded for all kinds of things, but the key to attaining the trip is actually having good balance in your business. That means I need to make sure that I am achieving results in different areas... both my team development, and also my own personal sales. That's why I am saying that it would not be possible without you.. my readers, customers and team members. Not only do you guys make doing business a pleasure, but it makes it worthwhile in a practical sense. I have been able to go places and do things that I would not have been able to do without SU, and I am so grateful for it all.

Thank you so much!!!

Linda H

PS The card at the top of this post is made with the Strength and Hope stamp set from our latest Autumn/Winter Mini catalogue. The set is available in wood-mount or clear options, and for every set sold Stampin'Up will donate $2 to the Breast Cancer Foundation to support Breast Cancer Research. I'm using this set at most of my workshops currently so if you are attending or holding a workshop in the coming weeks you are likely to see me use it. Hope you like the card...although there is quite a bit of Champagne Shimmer paint sponged onto the main part of the card, and it doesn't show up in the photos I'm afraid. Here is a close up of the detail:

And stay tuned for my next post... we have "Deals of the Week" starting from May 1st right throughout May. These were really popular last year... so keep an eye out for some great specials.

Linda H xxx

Mother's Day Project Class - here is what we'll be making

2011-04-20T08:52:00.004+10:00

Last year I ran a very popular Mother's Day Class - we created a beautiful gift for Mums. However this year's project could be suitable for just about anyone, so even if you already have Mother's Day sorted, you will just love this! I saw this lovely Accordion File Card holder on Splitcoast Stampers a while back and have been waiting for the right opportunity to use it. And how lovely does it work with the very gorgeous Autumn Spice Designer series paper. This paper is cardstock weight... so just perfect for creating a 3D item like this.. it gives it a much more substantial feel. I've also used our new Designer Big Buttons, and the cards inside feature the beautiful "French Foliage" stamp set. Aren't those leaves just beautiful??

The class is running on Wednesday 27th April at 11am at Narara on the Central Coast, and the cost is $25. If there is sufficient interest I will also run it later in May as an Evening class, however that will miss out on the deadline of Mother's Day. Still its a great project! I enjoyed the last project (the Scallop Mini Album) so much that I would like to run more of these during the year... what do you think??

Enjoy the project.. and hope to see you at our class.

Here's a peek inside the Accordion Folder:

Here's the cards that will be going inside our folder:

Evening Catalogue Launch... some spots still available!

2011-04-11T14:17:00.003+10:00

Want to see what's new? Come along to my Mini Catalogue launch this Tuesday (12th April) at 7.30pm and you will get to play with lots of wonderful new stuff! Everyone will go home with several gorgeous projects that you have created yourself. The card you see here is just one of the creations... so come and play! Classes are held at my place at Narara, NSW and the cost is $15. All materials and light refreshments are provided. Email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com to reserve your spot, and I will give you the address when you book.

The card on this post is made with the new Create-a-Cupcake stamp set and matching punch. And that's felt below the cupcake, which I cut with my Big Shot Machine. Love that! Here's a close-up:

Still a couple of Launch spots available...

2011-04-06T13:50:00.002+10:00

I have two more Launch dates coming up in the next week, and at this point I can still fit in some more. The first is happening this Friday (8th April)at 11am for you ladies who like to attend daytime events. The second is next Tuesday night (12th April) at 7.30pm. Please note that at time of writing this I only have 3 spots available in my Friday launch group.

So what's a launch? Basically its your chance to get your hands on the new products from our Mini Catalogue and play with them. You will get to make several projects and there are also specials and prizes only available at launches. The cost is $15 and all materials and light refreshments are provided. I hold these at my home on the Central Coast, NSW, so come along and enjoy a great time bringing out your creative side.

To book in email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com I look forward to seeing you!

Linda xx

PS... The card here uses the brand new "Strength and Hope" stamp set. Stampin'Up are donating $2 from the sale of every Strength and Hope set for Breast Cancer Research. If you wish to purchase one of these great sets, I can have it delivered to you anywhere in Australia for a small postage fee. Order yours today. To see Shelli Gardner, Stampin'Up's CEO, talking about this campaign, click here.

New Catalogue, New Stuff! Come and Play!

2011-04-01T06:34:00.004+11:00

Ooooh... I do love this card. I am running a "Bargello" technique class next week, and for quite some time now, I have been promising to put up a card showing you how to use this simple but great technique. Well here is it. I have used the yummy "Blueberry Crisp" paper and my top note die of course. But have you seen what else I've used?? From our brand new Mini I have chosen the Framed Tulips embossing folder, and the awesome Decorative Label Punch. I am so going to LOOOOVE this punch! The sentiment is from the new "Create a Cupcake" stamp set. Dont they work well together?? Love it!

Welcome to our Brand new Autumn-Winter Mini catalogue, out today! It's 23 pages of yumminess... paper products and accessories to make you smile. This time there is a strong sewing theme... although there is lots other stuff in there if sewing is not your thing. If you would like to see it, click here. I am going to be running two launches for this catalogue - a day Launch on Friday the 8th at 11am, and an evening event at 7.30pm Tuesday the 12th April. You will make three projects at the Launch, and there will be prizes too. All materials and Light refreshments are provided. All this for a cost of $15. Please note that launches are always popular and usually book out so dont delay.

I will be holding these launches at Narara on the Central Coast (NSW), address is supplied on booking. To reserve your spot, email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com

This is it... Last day to get your free Stamps!

2011-03-31T11:04:00.004+11:00

We are almost down to the wire now... I will be putting in my last Sale-A-Bration order tonight... and also the last orders from the Summer Mini Catalogue. I am going to really miss some of these products... especially the clear Square Scallop die (which I have used to death!) and the Large Circle Scallop punch. I am really hoping these will reappear in our new September Idea Book and Catalogue.. but of course we have no way of knowing for sure until then.

The card here today uses lots of Mini Catalogue bits and pieces... the much-loved "Aviary" stamp set, the Chantilly Lace, the Itty Bitty stamps, as well as the matching buttons and punches, and of course the Antique trinkets too. I used the Spolighting technique on this card, borrowing that idea from my team member Denielle Bernauer. I thanked her for the inspiration, and then she told me that she borrowed it from somewhere too.... isn't it great to have a talented group of papercrafters to copy and share with?? That's my favourite thing about being a demonstrator.. the friendships and sharing between demonstrators! I love it!

This is also the last day to get your Sale-a-Bration freebies... if you place a $100 order from either of our catalogues before close of business today (around 9pm) then you also receive a free SALE-A-BRATION set... Click here to see them. To view the catalogue click on the catalogue picture to the right, or click here to see the mini catalogue. To order just email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com I can have your order mailed to anywhere in Australia for a low postage charge.

I will be starting to show you new stuff from our Autumn-Winter Mini catalogue tomorrow.. so stay tuned for what is coming.

Oh.. and enjoy the card... check back tomorrow!!! xx

2 Days left! Both our Mini Catalogue products and Sale-A-Bration Freebies will come to an end March 31

2011-03-29T11:49:00.003+11:00

I'm actually quite frustrated today because I had taken a great picture of a couple of my cards to show you using Mini Catalogue products. For some reason my camera and computer aren't talking to each other today however. So I am putting up a photo instead of a card I did a while back using the "Party This Way" stamp set. This card was a CASE of another I had seen on a blog somewhere... cant remember where now.. but I loved the idea. If this looks a bit like your card.. please let me know so that I can give credit where it is due. Anyway, Ben gave it to one of his friends at their birthday party... and yes, I do realize that 6 year-olds don't really appreciate cards, but it was fun to make so why not?

So we are on the final run this week of our Mini Catalogue and Sale-A-Bration free stamp sets. If you place an order with me by close of business on Thursday (31 March) you will be able to still choose from our lovely mini, and if your order is over $100 worth of products then you will also qualify for a free Sale-A-Bration stamp set, in your choice of wood-mounted or clear stamps. To order just contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com

Of course our new Mini starts on Friday April 1st so I know you are all excited to see what's coming up. If you want to get really close to the new sstuff here is your chance.... I have 2 Launch dates:

Friday April 8th @ 11am

AND

Tuesday April 12th @ 7.30pm

Launches this time around will be held at my home, so numbers are limited. Cost is $15 and there will be prizes and lots of creative activity with new stuff. All materials and light refreshments provided.

I hope to see you there!

Linda H

A second SAS card for this Thursday's class

2011-03-22T11:09:00.003+11:00

In the last post last week I showed you the first of the two cards for this month's Stamp-A-Stack... now I am showing you the second one. I actually did a couple of different versions of this card (same cardstock pieces, but different stamp sets and a whole different look) at last weeks evening class. This Thursday is the day class - I am trying to do two classes the same so that all my customers find it easier to attend. Those who work or who have small children at home tend to prefer the night classes, and the remainder prefer the day schedule, but I have been getting a great response for both, so I plan to continue this.

At the present moment I have only a couple of spaces left for this Thursday's class. If you would like to attend please contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com and I will book you in. The cost is $15, and you will be making 6 cards (3 each of 2 designs). We get started at 11am, and finish around 1pm.. please feel free to stay for a light lunch afterwards if you wish. All materials are supplied.

I have also had some enquiries about Stamp Clubs. All my clubs are now full for the current period, however if you are interested in more clubs please let me know. I am considering starting more clubs in July.

Enjoy this simple little card, and I'll be back with more soon...

Oh! And dont forget that both SALE-A-BRATION and the current Mini Catalogue come to an end on March 31!!!

Sneak Peek of Tonight's class

2011-03-15T08:14:00.003+11:00

I can still squeeze in one or two more people for tonight's class (7.30pm 15th March) if anyone would like to join us. Just wanted to show you one of the cards we are making... I made this one as a birthday card, but you could use any sentiment really.

To join us, just contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com. And if a day class is more your thing I am running this at 11am on March 24th.

Enjoy the card :-)

Linda H

Scallop Mini Album... and More classes for March

2011-03-06T13:00:00.002+11:00

I wanted to give you a Sneak Peek of the project we are making at my Scallop Mini Album class on Tuesday night (8th March). I do still have places available at the present time so if you would like a night out to be creative, and this looks like something you would like to make, please email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com to reserve your spot. This project is a $20 class, and all materials and light refreshments are provided.

Mini Albums make great gifts (think Mother's Day, birthdays etc)... although I must confess I have a little trouble giving them away sometimes! So I have ended up keeping quite a few for myself :-) The one you see here has an acetate cover - I have stamped flourishes over the corners... it not only reinforces your album, making it stronger, but it also looks kinda cool dont you think??

I have also in the past week updated my class list over the coming month, so if you look over on the right hand side of the blog you will see what I have coming up.. both night and day classes to keep everyone happy. I hope to have a "Barjello" card to show you in the next couple of days as that one is our technique this month. Places at classes are limited, so please contact me early if a particular class grabs your attention. (If you just receive this post as an email through Feedblitz, you will need to actually click on the title bar at the top of this page to see the class schedule... please contact me if you have any problems with this).

I hope that you are all having an awesome weekend!!!

Look what is finally available....

2011-03-01T11:17:00.005+11:00

I am so glad to be able to let you know that the Extra-large Scallop Circle punch (118874) is finally available for purchase. You can see it here behind the smaller circle punch - its quite a bit larger than the existing punch... the size is 2&3/4" (4.4cm). Have to say I've already been using mine adnauseum... I love scallopy circles on everything I can get them on! Here's the story... this extra large scallop featured in our current Summer Mini, which as you know runs out at the end of March. But due to some quality concerns with the original batch of punches, SU made a decision not to make them available for sale until their concerns were alleviated. After LOTS of testing, we have now been told that we can sell them again! Hooray!

The chocolate wallet you see above is one of my Stamp Club creations this month - we made it in a couple of different colours. But I wanted to show you the size difference between the two scallop circle punches. That way you will have an idea of the size of the new scallop punch.

To celebrate this momentous occasion (ok, maybe I am a little over-excited) I am offering one customer who purchases the Extra-large Scallop circle before March 31st the chance to win a $20 voucher to spend on products of their choice. This is just a special available from me to encourage you all to get this wonderful punch whilst you still can... after March 31 it wont be available (unless it shows up again in our Big Catalogue due for release in September). So contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com to order yours! Cost is $33.95 plus postage and handling. I will draw the winner out of a hat and announce them here on my blog at the beginning of April.

I plan on using this punch all month... so if you are coming along to classes or to a workshop... it wont be far away. Here's another card I made with this scallop a while back... if you are a regular blog visitor you made recognize it as I put this one up back in November.

Oh... and I now only have a couple of evening stamp club spots left. All the day clubs are now full. If you have one free evening every second month to commit to stamp club and make something cool each time (and get some freebies as well) then contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com

Enjoy!

Stamp Club Spots available

2011-02-20T21:32:00.003+11:00

Hello everyone!

Well school is back and I now have two little people making the daily trek to school. And pfft to those people who wanted to know what I will be doing now that I am a "lady of leisure". Obviously these people have no idea of the drama that is my little family and lifestyle. Sigh.

I am getting back into the swing of clubs and classes for 2011. I have two day stamp clubs running this year... there is one spot left in one of them, but the other is full. The available spot will be a Wednesday 11am spot, every second month. I also have a few spots left in my evening stamp club. Once again this will be every second month, on a night to be decided (last year we ran on a Tuesday night, but will wait to see what suits the majority of the group).

For anyone who is wondering what Stamp club is all about, it is a regular get together of the same small group (6 people) and the minimum spend on SU product each time is $50. The idea is that each time we have a $300 workshop and each member gets their turn at receiving the hostess benefits. We make a project each time - something a bit special that I dont make in regular workshops. So if you would like to join a regular group of like-minded people and spread your spending out over a 12 month period, this could be just your thing. For more info, or to join a group (day or night) just email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com Stamp clubs are held at my home on the Central Coast. Remember I only have one day spot left at this point.

In the meantime enjoy my little Owl card... this one uses the "Punch Bunch" stamp set (which is one of the free-with-$100-purchase sets available til the end of March). I had a customer request a "Bright and Happy card", and this was the result. Like it?

:-)

Happy Valentines Day

2011-02-14T12:17:00.004+11:00

Yes, I know, not everyone goes for the romantic notion that is Valentines Day. But I like any excuse to come up with cards that just say "I love you!". I don't think that they should be restricted to one day a year however! EVERY day is a good day to tell significant people in your life that they mean the world to you!

My daughter presented me with a heart that she made for me. And I made a few cards of my own. I wanted to show you one of the cards I made...

Such a simple little card... I did this one at my weekend workshops and everyone loved it. (Well no-one told me they didn't, so I will take that as a compliment and twist it for my own advantage!) Here is the full card:

I used:
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Black, Regal Rose
Ink: Black, Real Red, Regal Rose, Pear Pizzaz
Stamps: Punch Potpourri (heart), Teeny Tiny Sentiments
Other: Elegant Lines Embossing Folder, Word Window Punch, Full Heart punch, Basic Rhinestones, Black Satin Ribbon, Dimensionals, Snail, Sponges, Blender pens

Dont forget if there is ever a need you have for papercraft products, or to attend a class, contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com

Enjoy!

Bliss

2011-02-08T10:54:00.006+11:00

Again I have been playing with the beautiful "Bliss" stamp set (one of our free sets with the current SAB promotion) and thought you might like to see what I've been making. These have been my workshop cards for recent workshops, and I love how simple they are. But no-one says that simple cant be elegant, right?

I originally made the sample card in Baja Breeze, but then changed it to Blushing Bride. I've now done both, and cant pick my favourite.

Here it is again close up.

I also wanted to start letting people know that we have stamp clubs beginning this month. I have evening and day stamp club spots available. What is a stamp club? Well basically its where you come along to my house every second month, and you get to make a project and meet with the same group of wonderful people. Over the past couple of years we have made some fantastic projects! Each member commits to spend $50 at each club get together, and that way we always have a minimum of $300 for a workshop. Each member takes their turn at being the hostess - which means that you get the benefits (a minimum of $30 to spend and at least one free stamp set) for next to no effort because all you have to do is turn up and spend $50! Each hostess brings a plate when it is their turn to host too. The club runs for 1 year, so we get together 6 times in all. If you need any more information, just contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com We have only a couple of days spots left at time of writing this. So dont miss out!

I think the best thing about stamp clubs is the friendships that form within them.. certainly that has been the case for me, but the girls that come along tell me the same thing.

I hope you enjoy these cards, and if you have been looking for a way to get creative on a regular basis, and spread out the cost of your purchases, then contact me about Stamp Club!

February Class Schedule

2011-01-30T09:19:00.004+11:00

Well I think EVERYONE now knows that SAB (Sale-A-Bration) has begun. This means that if you place a $100 order of SU products you will then be able to choose a free SAB set from our SAB catalogue. Workshop hostesses can also qualify for additional SAB sets (on top of their regular freebies) and for anyone thinking of joining SU as a demonstrator.. there are extra benefits there as well. Ask me for more info if you have any questions at all.

Wow... I have now been a Stampin'Up Demonstrator for 4 and a half years. And still, after all this time, I love it! The best part for me is sharing what I love with other people... whether that be at a workshop, at a craft fair, or at the many classes and events that I run from home (and sometimes other places when they are too big for home!) I am blessed a thousand times over to have the most wonderful customers, and the friendships that I have formed through this business amaze and astound me. My life is so much richer for it. I was chatting with a friend a week or two ago (yes, another customer who has become a dear friend) and thinking about where my life is right now.. and was astounded to realize that I am probably happier than I have been in years. That sure, my life isn't perfect, and looking after 2 kids full time is full on, but I have so much freedom. Creativity is very important to me, and being able to express that at my own pace is a fantastic thing. I have been able to assess what's important to me, rather than just going through the motions. What's important? Faith, family, friends, creativity, spontaneity. Life is about choices.. even if we dont always choose our circumstances, we certainly choose how we respond to it. Sometimes its not possible to prioritize everything, but I think we do the best that we can.

So this week, my youngest child begins Kindy and so a new chapter begins. Maybe that's why i am feeling so philosophical :-)

If you would like to attend any of my upcoming classes, my current class schedule is on the right hand side of my blog (if you cant see it, you may need to click on the blog title at the top of the page). The card featured at the top of this post is one of the projects you will make in the Black Magic class. I love this technique! I will be running this class twice this month - once as a day class and once as a night class - Tuesday 8th February @ 7.30pm and Thursday 17th February @ 11am. I run classes from my home on the Central Coast and am happy to supply my address when you book in. Everything is provided so you dont need to bring anything with you, and the cost is $15.

I hope you can make it.. check out the other classes over the right.

Getting ready....

2011-01-23T07:37:00.004+11:00

...for SAB (Sale-a-Bration) which begins this week! Tuesday 25th January is the first day of this amazing promotion.... and I cant wait to show you the stamp sets that you can earn for free. I have been busy booking in workshops and at this point I do have some dates left before the end of March, so please contact me at lindastamps@bigpond.com if you would like to get yours in during the promotion dates.

So whats the big deal about SAB? Well, I guess that it's our biggest promotion because there is something for everyone... whether you be a customer, hostess or even interested in the Demonstrator kit. For EVERY customer order over $100, you will automatically receive your choice of one of 4 different stamp sets. The sets this year are lovely, and I wanted to show you my personal favourite so far... the card you see here is made with the set "Bliss". There are two versions of the same card.. which one do you prefer?? Butterflies are always big with me, so this stamp set was an immediate winner. So as a customer that spends $100 in one transaction, this is one of the choices. As a hostess, if your workshop reaches $600 or more, then you can also receive an additional set for that. And if you've been eyeing off the demonstrator kit, then this is a great time to jump in and grab it... you will also receive ANY stamp of your choice from ANY of our catalogues... and that is ANY value! And with the newly configured and reduced Demonstrator kit.. do you really need more motivation?

So... I would love to work with you at your own Stampin'Up workshop... there are always so many benefits, but at this time of year, it's even more rewarding. Dont forget my class schedule will also be resuming in February, so stay tuned!

Australia Flood Appeal - making your stamp purchases count

2011-01-15T11:12:00.003+11:00

We have all been horrified by watching the flooding that has devastated (at time of writing) 75% of Queensland. For those reading who are overseas, Queensland covers a huge area on the North-eastern coast and inland of Australia. The stories of loss and sometimes heroism are coming through every day, and the tragedy just seems to go on and on. Some towns are now cleaning up, whilst others are still bracing themselves for more damage. (And as Queensland suffers, now parts of Victoria are also flooding... what a crazy country we live in!)

As part of their community spirit - something of which I have always been very proud - Stampin' Up! are assisting in this cause. For every Stamp Set that you purchase that has a retail value of $30 or more SU will donate $2 to the State Emergency Services in Queensland. (This donation will be made throughout New Zealand and Australia, so talk about it with your demonstrator if you already have one.) The appeal runs from January 15th until February 15th 2011. Here's the way it was written on our SU demonstrator website today:

"As flood waters continue to inundate Australia in what has been described as the worst flooding in 37 years, we express our deepest sympathies to those who have lost loved ones and homes and to those whose lives have been changed forever. We, like so many of you, feel a compelling need to lend support to all those who have been affected.

Stampin' Up! demonstrators have a long history of making a difference in the lives of others--especially when disaster strikes and the need is greatest. Nearly two years ago, we watched another tragedy unfold in Australia. Our hearts were touched as demonstrators, customers and friends joined together in support of the Bushfire Appeal. We've done it before and we can certainly do it again!

Please join with us by supporting the Australia Flood Appeal--a cause in which Stampin' Up! will donate $2 AUD of the retail value of sales from any stamp set (with a retail value of $30 or more) sold in Australia and New Zealand from 15 January through 15 February to the State Emergency Services in Queensland."

So if there is a stamp set that you have had your eye on, now is a great time to grab it.. you will also be contributing to a great cause!

Reminder... Sweethearts class on Saturday 15th... places still available

2011-01-14T13:31:00.002+11:00

Just a quick reminder about the Sweethearts class tomorrow... I do still have places left at this point. Cost is $20 and you will make the projects that I showed in the last post... click here to see them again.

I will be returning to normal class schedules once the kids are back at school at the beginning of February. So stay tuned for more class info coming up.

Enjoy xx

Sweet & Sour Sweethearts Class this Saturday

2011-01-11T21:23:00.006+11:00

Hello everyone... I was looking at my schedule and realized that I have a bit of child-free time this coming weekend. I was kind of thinking out loud when I mentioned at Monday's stamp club event that I might think about holding a class on Saturday. Two of my stamp club girls signed up on the spot, which kind of cemented my idea.

So... I am running my Sweet and Sour Sweethearts class this Saturday at 2pm. The cost is $20 and you will make the 3 projects you see at the top of this post (although it is possible that you may find different confectionery options!). I hold classes in my home on the Central Coast, so I can give you my actual address when you book in. I have spaces available at the time that I am writing this, so if you would like to come along, please just email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com.

My apologies that the quality of the photos is not absolutely fantastic, but the light here has been pretty ordinary this past week. But I can assure you that the projects look even better in real life. And at least you get the idea!

Hope to see you here!

Here are some close ups for you....

Playing around with the Sweet Treat Cups

2011-01-07T15:27:00.004+11:00

As promised I am back to show you what I've been up to with my Sweet Treat Cups... so easy, and so fun!

I had a lovely group of friends drop in this week to make cards with me (and eat and talk!). We played around with these and I will show you some other things we came up with over the coming days.

To make this one is super simple. I cut the Top Note shape with my Big Shot Machine, then punched the heart shape with the Full Heart Punch. Of course the treat cups fit perfectly :-) so you just fill them with your item of choice (I used Skittles, but you can use whatever suits) and then mounted them on DSP and added some ribbon. The stamped image around the heart is from the Sweetheart stamp set (also included in the promotion). To see more promotion details please click here. If you wish to place an order please email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com or call me on 0412 375 552. I can have your order sent anywhere in Australia for a small postage charge.

Enjoy the card, and I'll be back with more soon.

Happy New Year!... and a Sweet Promotion

2011-01-05T09:01:00.003+11:00

Happy New Year to everyone!

Wow.. the Christmas crazy is over for another year. As usual, I didn't get all my cards out that I wanted to. I did do some, so that's better than the previous year! It's not making the cards that is an issue... I do that all year, and so by the time that Christmas rolls around I have plenty. No, the issue is actually sitting down to write on them, address and stamp the envelopes, and get them in the mail!!! Do you know that I sent my last batch of cards the week AFTER Christmas! So typical of me. So there are still some cards I hope to get to, but now they will be appreciation/new year cards, rather than Christmas. You can send thank yous anytime right??? Sigh. My apologies if you sent me a card and I didnt reply :-(... maybe I'll get them all done next year. Decided to stop beating myself up about it, and move on!

So we have a cute new promotion to help us bide our time waiting for Sale-A-Bration to arrive (which incidentally begins officially on the 25th January). But the Sweethearts promo is here right now! If you buy either the Sweethearts stamp set, or the Full Heart punch, you will receive a pack of Sweet Treat Cups at no charge. (Buy both and you will receive 2 packs). See the pic above for a few ideas you can do with them... and I might even post a few creations I have made with them in the coming days. I do love Sweet treat cups - in the past I have mainly used the round ones, but these heart ones are so cute!

By the way if you would like to book your Sale-A-Bration workshop... I am running out of dates quickly! Sale-A-Bration runs from the 25th January to the end of March, and it is the best time of year to host a workshop, make a purchase (stamp rewards for every $100+ order!) and to join SU as a demonstrator... because the rewards are better at this time of year than any other! Contact me via my email at lindastamps@bigpond.com if you would like to book your workshop in. I conduct workshops in your home and you get to make beautiful creations and enjoy time together creating. I run these workshops anywhere from the Central Coast to Sydney and north to Newcastle. Just let me know where you are. If I am unable to assist you I can put you in touch with someone who can!

Finally I wanted to announce a winner from my little Penguin card comp... its Jess! Jess, if you would like to confirm your address by emailing me at lindastamps@bigpond.com then I can send you your very own penguin :-)

Enjoy!

Christmas Penguin

2010-12-16T12:25:00.004+11:00

I found this cute penguin design on Splitcoast Stamper (I need to credit Megan with the design, but I dont know her surname.. so sorry!) I tweaked it a little to make him a bit Christmassy by adding the "Do not Open" stamp from the Winter Post set, and popped it up on Dimensionals so that I could add a candy cane. Sure it doesnt fit in a regular envelope for posting purposes, but there are times when a little extra postage is warranted don't you think??? This one is for extra special people!

I have never done much in the way of punch art, but I really enjoyed making him... in fact we made these at Stamp Club this week. (The last one of the year!) He is actually a combination of punch art and Big Shot art... I used the top note die for his main shape. Easy, and really effective!

Want a cute penguin like this for your own? Leave a comment on my blog this week and I will put all the entries in a draw and send a penguin card out to one lucky winner. You can be anywhere in the world to enter. Check back here after Sunday 19th December to see if you have won. (Dont forget that I am working on Australian time and date)

Hope everyone is enjoying the lead up to Christmas and you are remembering to take out some time for yourself!

Linda xx

Christmas Gift Class

2010-12-10T13:09:00.003+11:00

Hello everyone...

I have just had a last minute cancellation for my Christmas Gift-making class. So if anyone would like to spend a fun afternoon creating Christmas goodies for friends tomorrow (Saturday 11th December at 2pm) please email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com to Cost is $30 and you will make 4 gorgeous gifts that will be perfect for friends, teachers or family members this Christmas. And the best part is that you can say "I made it myself". Gifts handmade with love are the very best kind. :-)

And here is a sneak-peek at just one of the things that we will be making... I have photographed this one on a wine bottle, but if you are not a drinker it could just as easily fit onto a water bottle or bottle of any kind really. Enjoy!

Linda

Playing with New Stuff

2010-12-10T08:30:00.004+11:00

Those of you who attended my launch events recently will remember this card. I wanted to show off as much new product as possible at the launches of course, and this was the first card we created. It's actually a very simple card, but we had lots of fun putting it together.

Here is what we used on the card that's new from our Summer Mini catalogue:

Love Defined Stamp Set 121777 (Wood) $47.95 or 122066 (Clear) $37.95
Square Scallop Clear Die 115950 $42.95
Itty Bitty Bits Stamp Set 122072 (Wood) $20.95 or 120060 (Clear) $16.95
Bitty Buttons 118791 $7.95 (pack of 64)
Punch pack 118309 $30.95 (pack of three)

I love the Itty Bitty stamps and how they match the buttons and the punch pack. And here is a tip.. did you know that if you are buying them in wood rather than clear, you can fit the 3 punches into the same stamp storage case! How cool is that! I was wondering how I would store them but the problem is solved. (Thanks to my upline Georgina for making that great discovery!)

I also used the Teeny Tiny Sentiments for the words on the card - because they are one of the great items on special this month as part of our "December Frenzy" sale. Usually the wood-mounted stamps retail for a price of $62.95, but right now you can grab them for $31.48. Thats a great 50% saving! I love my set of these because it means you have a greeting for almost every occasion - there are 24 different greeting in the set. Let me know if you would like to order this or any items... we still have time to get our orders back in plenty of time before Christmas! To order just email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com

Here's hoping you enjoy the card, and are not too stressed in the lead up to the Christmas holiday season. Take a breath, relax, and maybe make a card! (That's what I do for stress relief!)
xx