Create With Stamps

I have moved

2010-01-20T14:59:00.001+13:00

I have now got my website up and running so please visit me at
www.createwithstamps.co.nz

Merry Christmas

2009-12-22T11:45:00.000+13:00

Here is a photo of the Christmas card that I made to give to my team, I wanted to do something a little different. It has taken me ages to make them all (still working on a few) by the time I did all the cutting etc but worth the effect. It looks like a penguin march when all the cards are lined up lol. I wanted to make a few more for some of the wider team but sadly have run out of time, that will teach me for leaving things to the last minute but like most people there are so many things that need doing and not enough hours in the day.
Anyway I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Crimped Envelope & Card

2009-12-21T07:19:00.000+13:00

It is funny because when you tell your friends that you are going to make a crimped envelope pocket and card they usually think "is that it, boring!!" lol but when they see it they love it. I love Stampin' Up! envelopes because the quality of them is fantastic so you can use them for more than just placing a card in. Making this crimped envelope pouch is quick, easy but very effective and is ideal for putting a card in, money, vouchers etc. There are a few different things you can make using the envelopes so if you want to know more give me a call.

Our little Angel

2009-12-20T15:40:00.002+13:00

I know this has nothing to do with Stampin' Up! but I just had to share this photo of our little girl Natasha in her first school production. They sang a song twinkle, twinkle little star but changed alot of the words in it. Both my husband Gary and I were so proud of our daughter she did so well singing away and doing all the actions. Natasha is in the middle with the pigtails. It was soooo cute watching them all up on stage.

Heart Treat Pouch

2009-12-20T13:03:00.000+13:00

These little treat pouches are soooo cute and make a wonderful small gift for somebody special. They are very quick and easy to make but very effective. Natasha (my little girl) gave these and some of the other small gifts (prev posts) to her teachers at the end of the school term to say thanks, they loved them.
We also recently had an extravaganza in Hamilton and this is one of the projects that we got everybody to make. Thanks for sharing this fantastic idea with me Rayleen, it really is a fab little project.

2009-12-20T12:46:00.001+13:00

I made these cute little decorations for hanging on the tree, I love the colours because they are nice and bright. I usually am an earth colours girl so this is a bit of a change for me lol. The reindeer one has chocolate raisens in it and the snowman has yoghurt raisens. I got the idea from Pauline and Michelle from Napier and I loved the little saying they had made up to put in the inside of the little treat pouch, they are both lovely and very talented ladies. Here is the saying that is inside.
I hear you've been naughty. So listen... here's the scoop! Instead of getting sweets this year. You get reindeer (or snowman) poop.

Small Christmas Crackers

2009-12-20T12:22:00.002+13:00

I decided it would be neat to make these little Christmas Crackers for our family get together on Christmas Day. They all contain a toblerone which I am sure will go down a treat in our household lol. These are not going to go bang on the day but the great thing about them is you can reuse them if you want to and they do not cost alot of money to make. We can always rely on my Mum for buying the ones that do make a noise so the kids will be entertained with them lol. I got the idea from my wonderful upline Rachael, thanks for sharing how to make them with me.
Delys and I recently did a show in Rotorua and I made up a few of these and some other goodies to sell on the day and they were very popular.

Christmas Goodies

2009-12-19T19:23:00.002+13:00

Christmas is my favourite time of the year and I love creating home made gifts because it is nice to give your family or friends something that has been made with a whole lot of love. I will post some of my other gifts later on. In this photo I have made a gift basket containing chocolates, card, bag in a box, Christmas cracker and a lollipop decoration for the tree. These are all alot of fun to make and very easy to do once you know how.
In case you are wondering yes these are the same ones that are in our add in the latest Up 2 Scrap magazine.
I run classes each month teaching you how to make cards and 3D items so if you are interested in attending just send me and I will get in contact with you.

Christmas Tree decorations

2009-12-19T18:59:00.001+13:00

I thought these little Christmas Tree decorations were very effective but ever so simple to make. Shona D brought them along to the training day and gave us all a quick run down on how to make them. Thanks for sharing the idea with us Shona, I look forward to having a go at making them.
I wanted to share so many other photos with you but my camera batteries died so I did not get photos of everything I wanted so will tell you about our day instead.
Stephanie started the day off with a quiz, neat way of finding out who knows about what is in the catalogue. Natasha (my little girl) then played Santa and handed everybody a present, everybody opened them only to find out when their name got pulled out of the container they got to swap with anybody else in the room. It was funny watching everybody trying to swap the hard boiled egg and the milk bottle top that was a decoration (at the end they got their real present). Everybody also played a memory game and the winners received prizes.
Shona Edmonds, Shona Davy and Vicky-Lee then all shared things they had made like the little decorations.
Delys was the first to do a make n takes and taught us how to make a cute little box. Bev, Rhonda and Shona E taught us all to make a slice of cake with a neat paper flower on the top (my batteries had died by then so missed out on taking a photo of the cake put together but it did look very impressive). Juliette then made a cute little hanging Santa decoration and Rayleen show us how to make a fantastic Christmas tree decoration.
Then right at the very end we played a couple more quick but fun games like drawing a particular punch blind folded and doing a word search I had made up Stampin' Up products hehe, yes there were some more prizes given out.
It was alot of fun and I really appreciate all my team joining in and helping me out to make the day even more enjoyable.

Team Challange

2009-12-19T18:34:00.000+13:00

I decided since it was a Christmas Party we should be playing games and having alot of fun so one of the many things we did on the day was a team challange. The challange was everybody could choose between 4 cardstock colour, 2 stamp sets, 4 inkpad colours and a variety of products like punches, daubers, circle scissor plus, mat pack etc. The results were fantastic as you can see in the photo, so many totally different cards using exactly the same products. The first card is the one my little girl Natasha (5 years old) made, she wanted to join in as well and totally designed hers up on her own. She even cut out a butterfuy and put it on top of a flower, how cute is that lol, yes I am a very proud mother.

WOW very clever

2009-12-19T15:18:00.001+13:00

Trust Delys to come up with something totally different lol, I was not expecting to get a little bag of goodies that included a party blower that really works, lollies etc. I love it and have no intentions of giving it to my little girl, yep she keeps eyeing this one up and wants to use that party blower lol. Well done Delys for a job well done.
We also got some other really fantastic swaps as well so want to thank everybody on my team for putting in so much effort.

Cute Card

2009-12-19T15:02:00.000+13:00

This lovely card was made by Kristine McNickle and she used the Butterfly Prints and co-ordinating butterfly punch. I really love this set and I was impressed with the way Kristine has stamped the flowers so that they are 2 toned and even created her own personal colour while making it. Kristine kindly show us on the day how she created her card and I am sure there would have been a few racing home to try it out. Well done Kristine your card is lovely.

This is soooo cute

2009-12-19T14:49:00.000+13:00

Shona Davy made this fantastic little Watering Can which is adorable, I have not seen anything like it before so was thrilled when I received it as a swap. At this stage the chocolate is still inside it because my little girl has not spotted it lol but not sure how much longer it will last for. Anyway back to telling you a little more about this cute as swap, Shona has used the Hello Again stamp set which is a bargain at only $25.95. Well done Shona your swap is a real little cutie.

Neat little Box

2009-12-19T14:42:00.001+13:00

This little box was made by Bev Poultney and she has used the Tall Tales designer paper from the new mini catalogue and she even put chocolates in as well yum. I really love the shape and design of this little box and it would make a lovely little gift for somebody (no I am not parting with my one lol I like it far to much to part with it). Bev loves making 3D items and comes up with some fantastic projects, well done Bev.

Another Fantastic Swap

2009-12-19T14:33:00.001+13:00

This card was created by Rhonda Fawcett from Matamata and I love it. Rhonda has embossed the turtle shell and cut it out to give it a 3D effect and then coloured it in. I like the snake skin effect that she has made on the strip of paper that also on the card that we learnt at the regional training day. Well done Rhonda your card is fantastic.

Awesome Card

2009-12-19T14:21:00.000+13:00

This is the swap I received from Stephanie Fitzpatrick and I wanted to share it with you because it truely is amazing. When I first saw it I thought Stephanie had used a paper that we do not have but was very impressed to learn that it had started off as a white piece of cardstock and she used her inkpads to created the background effect. All I can say is WOW, well done Stephanie.

Here is my swap

2009-12-19T13:52:00.001+13:00

We all had alot of fun when my team got together on the 6th December for our Christmas party. It is always neat to get all the girls together and have a bit of fun but with it being Christmas time I decided it would be fun to play some games and have prizes for the winners.
We also all made swaps using product out of the new Summer Mini Calalogue, now that was alot of fun. I decided to make a gift voucher holder using the Wagon Full of Fun stamp set and the Circle Scissor Plus. I must admit the circle cutter is fantastic, it is not the cheapest thing to purchase but it is well and truely worth the money.
I loved getting all the different swaps back because I have so many very talented ladies on my team and their work is just amazing, I am going to post some pictures of some of the swaps, I loved them all.

Grab a BARGAIN!!

2009-12-19T12:33:00.003+13:00

If you love Stampin' Up! products now is the time to purchase some of these fantastic items from the sales list. Stampin' Up! have a great variety of Stamps and Accessories that are currently on sale, you will be amazed at the prices you can purchase them for.

These stamps will need to be trimmed before mounting to your blocks because they are the square cut stamps but that is very easy to do, if you are not sure what to do I will happily show you.

To view the sales list please click on the other picture in blue box on the right hand side NOT the picture in this post, thanks.

Have a look at the list, if you have any questions or would like to place an order then send me an email or give me a call. Sale items are available until the 24th January or until stock runs out so it would pay to get in quick.

Window Card

2009-10-29T16:29:00.000+13:00

I decided it would be fun to make a card for NZSU challange which is to make a window card. I used the Full Heart punch to make the window and then punched out a Riding Hood Red heart and placed it thru the window. I have hand cut the flower heart, glittered it and raised it using dimensionals to give it a 3d look. This is a super quick and easy card to make, great if you are in a hurry. If you want to have a look at some of the other cards in the challange go to nzsublog.blogspot.com

Here is the inside of the money holder card

2009-10-20T14:36:00.000+13:00

Here is a picture of what the inside of the money holder card looks like. I thought it would look nice stamping an envelope using the same Santa that is one the outside of the card, it really does look soooo cute.

Voucher, money or Lotto ticket holder

2009-10-20T14:33:00.001+13:00

Everyone loves getting money, vouchers or a lotto ticket for Christmas so I decided to teach everyone in my class how to make this really cute Christmas card / money holder, looks so much nicer than just handing your family or friend an envelope. Everyone loved it and alot left saying they intended to make up a few more to give away at Christmas time, who know you may even end up being one of the lucky ones to get one lol. This is also alot of fun to make and very easy so if you would like to host a workshop just send me and email or give me a call so we can arrange a time that suits.

Hanging Gift Pouch

2009-10-20T14:22:00.000+13:00

I think this little hanging gift pouch is really cute and a fantastic idea for Christmas. One of my very talented team mates Juliette and I teach classes in TeAwamutu and Juliette thought this would be a hit with the ladies in the class. Unfortunately I did not get a photo of the one Juliette made but believe me it was awesome, she used the tea cup from Pun Fun stamp set and put a couple of the long sachets of coffee in it, everyone loved it (thanks Juliette). Anyway I decided to carry on teaching the hanging gift pouch in my Hamilton and Rotorua classes and changed the theme to Christmas and made the little box a little bit wider. I have poped the Christmas tree up using dimensionals and then attached it on the box using dimensionals as well, add a little bit of ribbon and glitter and you have a fantastic little gift to give someone special for Christmas. This is ideal for hanging on a wine bottle, thin door handle or Christmas tree.

Check out my swap

2009-10-15T14:05:00.000+13:00

We had a training day in Auckland on Saturday and this is the swap that I made for the day. I decided that I wanted to create the effect of Rudolfs nose glowing in the dark so I brayered on the white card from each corner inwards. I coloured Rudolfs nose in and then used Crystal Effects to make it appear raised and glowing. The cirlces have been popped up using dimensionals. I just love the Holiday Lineup set because you can create so many fun cards and 3D items with it. If you would like me to come over to your place and teach you how to make something like this let me know.

Do you want some money

2009-10-13T22:59:00.004+13:00

If so I might be able to help, Stampin' Up could be exactly what you are looking for. Earn extra money while having fun, what more could you ask for. Stampin' Up is offering you a fantastic opportunity from now until the 31st December 2009. You will not only get the heavily reduced kit but you will also receive a pack of Raspberry Tart Designer Series Paper and a Pretty in Pink classic stampin pad for FREE. You may wonder why are they giving away extra FREE product, the answer is because it is breast cancer awareness month (the items you are receiving are pink). Stampin' Up will also donate $5.00 to the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation for every person who joins during this time. I am so proud to be part of such a caring business thats main interest is in caring about others. If you have any questions or would like to join my team I would love to hear from you.

I have been spoilt again

2009-10-13T22:32:00.000+13:00

When I was at the training day I was very spoilt and I got this wonderful card from Ria to congratulate me for getting on the incentive trip. The card is big so Ria had problems trying to find an envelope that was big enough to post it in lol. It was lovely to catch up with Ria again and I was thrilled when she handed me such a beautiful card. Thanks for taking the time to make it for me, I will treasure it forever.

This is soooo cute

2009-10-13T22:13:00.003+13:00

A group of us went to Auckland for a training day and had a wonderful time, while I was there Janine kindly gave me this really adorable little present that she made for my daughter Natasha. Janine got the idea from an English blog called Mainly Flowers. Natasha loves it and it took her a whole 2 seconds to want one of the lollipops inside the bag lol well that is a surprise aye. Anyway to cut a long story short I decided I would open the bag because that little cat is just far to cute to risk anything happening to it. Thanks alot Janine you are such a talented and caring lady, it is people like you that make this world such a nice place to be.

Little Treat Basket

2009-09-23T10:28:00.000+12:00

Have a look at the little Treat Basket I decided to make, I thought it was soooo cute and it is very easy to make. I got the idea from a very talented lady called Cambria Turnbow but changed the measurements etc to suit the look I wanted. I made it to match the card I made in the prev post. If you would like to book a workshop to learn how to make the box give me a call or send me an email so we can book a date. I have some neat ideas for gifts that would be ideal for making to give to your childs teacher etc.

I love a Challange

2009-09-22T10:37:00.000+12:00

I have not done a challange for ages so decided that I loved the sound of this one. It is the
The Corrosive Sundays Challenge #30 Kids Birthday CCBJ30.
My little girl loves all the pretty things so I decided to use Tea Party DSP and Pun Fun stamp set to add a bit of life to the card. I coloured it in using the watercolour pencils, TFL and I hope you like it.

Coaster Box open

2009-09-21T17:30:00.000+12:00

Just showing you what it looks like when all the sides have been pulled out in the little coaster album.

Mini Coaster box / album

2009-09-21T17:24:00.002+12:00

I had alot of fun making this really neat little mini coaster album box of our little girl, the 4 sides slide in and out. I decided to use the parisian Breeze textured designer paper from our Spring mini catalogue, I love the colours in this paper. I also covered the butterfly and stamped our girl on paper from the same pack. The flower has been covered using the Good Morning Sunshine DSP because I wanted to use a different colour. The stem and leaves have been inked and then I finished it off using my trusty dauber. I used the round tab punch to make it nice and easy to pull out the side pieces. It took a while to make but I think it was worth the effort. You can put 8 photos on the little box because you turn the box over and the bottom side has been decorated as well so it is a double side box. I hope you like it as much as I do.

WORLD CARD MAKING DAY

2009-09-18T14:14:00.003+12:00

The first Saturday of October is known as being World Card Making day and is fantastic because people all over the world sit down and do something they love, make cards.
If you would like to come over and join in the fun I am going to be holding a Creative Christmas Cards event at my house of Sunday 11th Oct where you get to make some quick and easy but really effective Christmas cards.
If you live in Rotorua we are going to be holding a Creative Christman cards event on Saturday 3rd Oct and you can book in with either Bev, Delys, Jenn or myself.
I will post a sneak peak of a portion of what you can expect to make later.
If you want to know more about these events feel free to give me a call or send me an email, I look forward to having fun with you soon.

View from our room

2009-09-18T12:19:00.000+12:00

Here is a photo of the view we got from our room at the Sheraton, it is such an amazing place to stay. Well I could keep going on and on about all the wonderful things we did on the trip but I am sure you have had enough of me raving on lol.

Everyone loves icecream

2009-09-18T12:14:00.001+12:00

Stampin' Up really surprised us because at the end of the make n takes they rolled in a freezer full off delicious icecream, how cool is that, it tasted devine. The guys ended up joining us and having some icecream as well which was really neat, Gary and a few of the other guys had been out fishing for the morning which worked in really well. It was Gary and Jareds birthday on Friday (how freaky is that) so we decided it would be neat if we all went out for dinner at a Mexican restuarant.

Make n takes

2009-09-18T12:04:00.002+12:00

We had a wonderful time doing the make n takes, alot of thought had been put into designing them and we all really enjoyed ourselves. This is a photo of the group that I sat with from top left is Marelle Anderson, Rachael Knight, Jacque Pederson, myself then bottom left is Ngaire Anderson and Jayne Mercer. It was very entertaining at our table because all of a sudden out of the blue Ngaire broke into a song and then Marelle and Rachael joined in as well wow they are not just talented craft women gee they can sing as well, I decided to keep my lips zipped so not to ruin the occasion (I can't sing lol). Then Ngaire made up a song about Stampin' Up she is such an amazing lady.

Gary making Truffles

2009-09-18T11:49:00.000+12:00

Here is a photo of Gary after making 1 truffle, you can image what his hands looked like after he had finished making a few lol, yes I think he had more truffle mixture on his hands than anywhere else lol, he is such a hot blooded male lol.

Restuarant cooking activity

2009-09-18T11:40:00.001+12:00

When we arrived at the restuarant we were put in teams and worked with a chef and helped cook our lunch, here is a photo of the group I was in, we made truffles that tasted devine. We then all got to enjoy all the different courses that everyone had made, very delicious and alot of fun. We had a lovely time sitting chatting to Shelli, Sterling, Aaron, Emma and partners over lunch.

River Cruise

2009-09-18T11:33:00.001+12:00

One of the planned activities was a cruise along the river, the views were amazing as you can see in the photo. It was very relaxing and something I could get use to very easy lol. We got dropped off at a restuarant that was on the river front for our cooking activity.

Feeding the Dolphins

2009-09-18T11:28:00.000+12:00

We had some time to ourselves during the stay so Rachael, David, Gary and I decided to go on a tour for the day. Our tour included feeding the dolphins which really was amazing, they are such gentle creatures. Rachael (in the photo) and I both decided we wanted to but the guys just wanted to watch. We then headed off and had bacon and eggs etc for breaky yum, then we piled back in the 4 wheel drive and went for a drive through the rainforest(talk about a really bumpy ride lol) and then drove along the beach.

Where we had dinner

2009-09-18T11:19:00.000+12:00

We had a fantastic time on the last evening, we ate dinner outside and the company, view and food were fantastic. The photo does not really show how amazing the place looked but it gives you a bit of an idea. It made me feel like I was royalty and believe me I do not get that feeling everyday lol. It was an old house that had been restored and you could stay there if you wanted, they have weddings etc there, really beautiful place for the rich and famous lol.

Vintage car

2009-09-18T11:05:00.000+12:00

Here is a photo of the 4 of us in front of the car that we went for a ride in, it really was alot of fun but was a bit of a tight squeeze because there was not alot of room in the back for 3 of us especially since Gary and I are not the smallest of people lol but we still had a wonderful time. The lady that was driving the car told us that her husband and her are mad about vintage cars so they own over 40 can you believe that wow, different states of restoration but still pretty amazing. They dropped us off at a lovely restored house for dinner and they had lined the driveways with paper bags that had candles in them, looked amazing like little lanterns, I guess you had to see it to appreciate it.

Incentive Trip at Noosa Heads

2009-09-18T10:38:00.006+12:00

We had such a wonder time in Noosa Heads so I wanted to share a few photos with you, I know it has taken me ages to get around to doing it but it is better late than never lol. I love this photo of Shelli and I so just had to put it on my blog, this was taken on our last evening when we were waiting for the couch to arrive. I can't remember how to add mult images in one post so bear with me as I will be adding a few separately.

Last one for the day

2009-09-16T16:31:00.000+12:00

I know you are thinking that women must be crazy, she does not blog for months and then wham 4 posts in 1 day. I just wanted to share some of the many creations I have made using the things out of the latest mini catalogue before it is too late. Christmas is approaching us fast and I have had a few people asking me already to start teaching some projects and cards so that they can start getting ready for the big celebration. I intend on making a few Christmas presents this year because it works out so much cheaper and you are giving them something made from a whole lot of love. Anyway I will stop prattling on and tell you a little bit about the card. The stamp set I used is Season's Surfin' (it has the cutest little santa skiing behind a reindeer) but I decided to use the palm tree decorated up like a Christmas tree. I coloured all the lights in and then used crystal effects to give them a 3d look then raised it with dimensionals. As you can see I have used my dauber once again (love my dauber lol guess that is why I am nick named the dauber queen). I love the Ski Slope designer papers so decided to use them on this card. I hope you like it.

Everyone loves lollies

2009-09-16T16:20:00.000+12:00

so I thought it would be a neat idea to make a sour cream container using acetate so you get to see the lollies inside, the only problem is my little 5 year old keeps eyeing them up all the time lol. It has been a bit of a mission keeping the container intact but so far so good we have not had any break ins lol.

Another little Bambi card

2009-09-16T16:01:00.001+12:00

Here is another card that I made using the same stamp set, it is such a versatile
set that can be used for so many things. I think Bambi is the cutest little stamp, takes me back in time when I use to watch Bambi on TV, oh dear starting to show my ages now lol. I also used Parisian Breeze designer paper, this is one of my favourite textured papers ever and I will be sad to see it go, the colours are lovely. If you would like to purchase the paper before it is to late (last date for orders is the 30th Nov) send me an email and I will get back to you or give me a call.

Forest Friends

2009-09-16T15:52:00.000+12:00

I think this is one of the most adorable stamp sets in the latest mini catalogue so I decided to make this little card with it. I have stamped it like a mirror image and then put crystal effects and glitter on the lower part to make it appear icey. It looks really neat and makes you almost want to put on your scarf and gloves because it looks cold lol. I also sponged around little bambi to add a bit of colour in the background. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Some Beautiful cards

2009-09-15T15:35:00.000+12:00

I just wanted to share these fantastic cards I received when I returned from the Incentive Trip in Noosa Heads. They really put a smile on my dial and I will always treasure them. I love having such talented and caring ladies in our team, thanks everyone for being so thoughtful and making my day. I will tell you a bit more about the Incentive trip soon but for this post I would like to tell you a little bit about the cards.

Top left hand corner card was made by Anne Bignall, Anne has hand cut out the flowers and raised them to create a 3d look, the card is beautiful.

Middle top card was made by Tee-Jay Horrell, Tee-Jay has hand coloured the flower and lightly daubered around the edges, it looks fab, I love it.

Angie Brunton made me a welcome home card (top right hand corner) using our Pink Flamingo designer series paper, the colours are lovely and bright, another really lovely card.

Karen Rogers sent me the lovely orange congrats card, I love this simple but effective card, the scollop circle moves because it is only attached by the thread (hope that makes sense). I was not planning on getting the ribbon that was used on this card but now I have seen it I just have to have it lol.

Kristine McNickle hand delivered the awesome card on the bottom right hand corner, it would have got squashed in the post. Kristine has stamped the flower from Scribble This set and cut the flowers out, shaped and layered them. It has been secured in the middle using one of the designer brads from the mini catalogue, it really looks fantastic.

Once again I want to say a big thankyou for taking the time to make these wonderful cards, it really did make me feel so special.

2009-09-14T21:36:00.000+12:00

This month Stampin' Up are offering a fantastic deal, if you spend $120 you get this fabulous ribbon bundle for FREE. I could not resist and just HAD to place an order lol anyway I now have the ribbon in my hot little hand and LOVE IT!! If you would like to know more please send me an email as I am more than happy to answer any questions you have.

NEW Website coming SOON

2009-09-14T20:11:00.002+12:00

Sorry I have not posted anything on my blog for soooooo long but the good news is I am currently in the process of getting a new and exciting website built for me, then you will start hearing alot more from me. My new website is called createwithstamps.co.nz

I am really looking forward to sharing alot of exciting events and projects that I have been making. Anyway keep watching this space and I will let you know as soon as it is up and running.

Sale-A-Bration is here

2009-01-12T10:04:00.004+13:00

The best thing about Sale-Bration is you get stamp sets for FREE, I know I love getting something for nothing and I am sure you do as well. During the Sale-A-Bration period every purchase you make of $120 allows you to choose 1 stamp set for free (there are 4 different sets you can choose from). These sets are only available during this promotion for the months of Jan & Feb and you can not purchase any of these sets separately. Hosting a workshop during this promotion also allows you to get a stamp set for free as soon as your sales reach $700. Sale-A-Bration is also a great time to become a demonstrator and join our wonderful team of ladies because you get to choose 1 stamp set for free from the main idea & catalogue book up to the value of $94.95 on top of the already heavily discounted starter kit. I would love to hear from you if you have any questions about this wonderful promotion.

K Werner Challange 35

2008-12-17T23:52:00.002+13:00

Oooooh I love the colours that Kristina has choosen for this weeks challange so I have had a bit of a play and here is what I have come up with. The colours for this weeks challange are chocolate chip, close to cocoa, baja breeze (we do not have this colour yet so I used soft sky instead), so saffron and very vanilla. I also used my dauber, sponge and water colour pencils and crystal effects on the eye. I really enjoyed making this card, thanks for popping in to have a look.

Fun Day Out

2008-12-15T10:26:00.003+13:00

Yesterday we all had a very enjoyable time at our team training that Rachael kindly put on for us. It was full of fun activities and group discussions, started at 10 and finished around 3ish. Rachael asked if anyone was interested in sharing a technique or wow factor thing with the rest of the team. I recently found out how to make icicles so decided that may be of interest so I showed everyone how to make them, I will post the photos on my blog soon. We also got shown how to do a wonderful stamping technique by Kelly, and shown a great way to use up your little left over bits of cardstock. Jen kindly taught us all how to make a lovely Christmas cracker, really easy but effective so I will be making a few more of them for Christmas day. Rachael taught us how to make a really lovely card, quick and easy but very effective so I will post that for all to admire as well. Rachael told us all to bring along a stamp set that we enjoy using and any other items that we use often for making cards because there was going to be a challange at the end of the day. We had a choice from 2 groups of colours so I decided to go with Night of Navy cardstock for the background. You then had to include other colours that are found on our Stampin' Up colour wheel. We had 1 hour to complete our challange and then everyone placed a vote for their favourite card, yay I was the lucky winner. I must admit I had some pretty stiff competition, the other cards were fantastic. Anyway here is a photo of the card I made. We finished the day swapping gifts, everyone had put alot of effort into making something using Stampin' Up products so the gifts were amazing. I wanted to take them all home lol, it was such a neat way to finish the day. If you are interested in becoming a demonstrator you are more than welcome to attend one of our training days, contact me for more information.

Getting ready for 2009

2008-12-12T22:30:00.002+13:00

One of the classes that I took recently was covering a little diary for 2009 and also making a cute little gift box. It was really interesting seeing the different colours and stamps sets people chose, the end results were fantastic and they all looked so different. These make a lovely Christmas present and the best thing about it is they do not cost alot to make. There are so many really neat stamps to choose from when you decorate up your diary, I decided to use Touch of Nature stamp set. I used the old olive marker to colour in the leaves and the watercolour pencils to colour in the little bird. Watercolour pencils are fantastic because you can blend in the colours easily and get a fantastic result. I then stamped the little bird, shaped it and raised it on the diary for a 3d effect using the Stampin' Dimensionals.

Kristina Werner Challange

2008-12-11T22:53:00.004+13:00

I decided it would be fun to enter a Kristina Werner Challange and really enjoyed making a card with colours that I would not have thought about putting together in the past. The challange was to use the following colours Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Bordering Blue, Sage Shadow and Certainly Celery.
I used the flower from Eastern Blooms stamp set and the saying from For Father stamp set, you can find both sets in our latest mini catalogue.
The other products I used was certainly celery marker pen, daubers, 2 way glue pen, glitter and a couple of rhinestone brads.

A Special Day

2008-12-10T19:33:00.007+13:00

I have been having a wonderful time lately helping excited brides to be design matching Wedding Invitations, Place Settings/Gift Boxes and Thank You cards. It is such an exciting time when you are planning a wedding and if you are anything like me you want everything to be perfect. These are a few examples that I have made up using black, white and metallic silver cardstock, I think it is a stunning colour combination. The possibilities are endless depending on what type of design and colours you prefer. I have taken the wedding invitation out of the pouch and if you look closely you will notice that the pouch has a half cirlce punched out at the back so it is nice and easy to get the invitation in and out. The little triangle box is beautiful and ideal for using as a place setting and you can put a chocolate or other treat inside to thank your guests for joining you on your special day. We had a stand at the Hamilton Garden craft show earlier this year and one of the other demonstrators Anne kindly showed us how to make this little box. The stamp set I used was Figures of Speech which is another very versatile set, the roller I used is called So Swirly. I also used a variety of our fantastic Stampin' Up punches including one of my favourite ones which is the scollop cirlce punch to create the scollop circle used on the invitation and thank you card. I love the Stampin' Up punches because they are of a very high quality and easy to use, I must admit I was very excited when they brought out 2 new scollop punches in the latest Summer mini catalogue. Take a look at the new catalogue I am sure you will not be disappointed.

Christmas Tree Decorations

2008-12-09T20:56:00.001+13:00

Recently I was asked to do a Wow factor demonstration at the Stampin' Up Demonstrators Regional Training day so after alot of thought I decided that I would make a couple of different Christmas tree decorations. The first one is a lollipop that I decorated using a variety of different Stampin' Up products and the second one is a basket that has 4 small areas that you can put sweets in and hang on the tree. I used the All-Year-Fun stamp set which has a wide variety of stamps that are suitable for most occasions. These are alot of fun to make and look fantastic on the tree or would make a great little gift.

Natasha's little kittens

2008-12-09T17:53:00.006+13:00

Recently we decided to get 2 little kittens for our daughter Natasha and they really are adorable. The little tabby one is called Angel and the grey and white one is called Scallywag (he really is a little ball of mischief), they get on really well even though they are not from the same litter. I have enjoyed scrapbooking for years so I could not resist taking this photo as they looked so cute. I decided to scrapbook it for a swap that we were doing within our team and I have had alot of positive feedback about it so I decided I would share it with you. I used the Embrace Life stamp set that is currently available in our Summer mini catalogue, this is a really lovely set and I can see myself using it alot. I coloured the leaves and part of the flowers in using the markers, stamped the flowers, cut them out, shaped them, used crystal effects & glitter on the stamens and then attached them onto the scrapbooking page using the stampin' dimensionals so they had a 3d effect. If you are interested in taking classes I would love to hear from you.

I Love Christmas

2008-12-08T22:15:00.012+13:00

I decided it would be lovely to get together with some of my friends that I have made thru being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and have a bit of fun. A few people managed to sneak out the door before I took the group photo lol so I will have to be a little quicker next time getting the camera out. It was a shame that a few could not make it but this time of the year people are always busy with Christmas socials etc but hopefully the next fun event we have they will be able to come along as well. We all had a really enjoyable Saturday afternoon playing different games. I decided that with it being Christmas I would make a few prizes to say thanks to my new found friends for helping support my business by being such loyal customers. The first game we played was Bingo and June was the lucky winner of a litte gift bag that had a double rectangle punch inside (picture below), as it turned out she already had the punch so I swaped it for a voucher, she was really thrilled. It is always nice to win something. The second game we p layed was a quiz about the Stamipin' Up catalogue and I must admit I was very impressed alot of people got most of the answers, I guess I am not the only one that knows heaps about our wonderful products hehe. Anyway Rayleen was the lucky winner of the little brag book (photo above). I have already made one of these that have photos of my little girl in it and have shown people when I do workshops, anyway I have had alot of comments about it so I thought it would be nice to make one and give it away as a prize. It takes along time to make but when the photos have been added it is well worth the time spent making it. The third game we played was a memory game, I placed 20 Stampin' Up items on a tray uncovered it let everyone look for about 1 to 2 minutes and then waited to see just how many things they could remember. I was really impressed because 2 people remembered 19 of the items on the tray followed closely by 18 items. I must admit I would not have done that well myself. Anyway with it being a draw between Rayleen and Bev I asked another question and Bev ended up being the lucky winner, she won a set of stamps. The next person to win a prize needed to be dressed in Christmas colours so once again we had a draw this time between Bev and Poppy so after another question Poppy was the lucky winner. She won a lovely little box I made that had a Jumbo Stampin' Up wheel in it. Wheels are so much fun and I am sure that both Poppy and her mum Lizzie will get alot of use from it. The last challange was everyone was given a piece of cream card and then a selection of coloured cardstock, matching inks, Christmas stamps, punches, glitter etc and everyone was left to create their own card that they could take home with them. When everyone had completed their cards they were put on the table and everyone voted for the one they liked the best. It was a really tough choice as the cards that everyone created were all beautiful but finally after alot of thought Karen was the winner. She made a beautiful waterfall card that is in the centre of the photo. When you pull the ribbon down it shows different pictures including Santa, snowmen and sayings, well done Karen. She won a post-it note holder and a $15 voucher.

Thanks Karen

2008-12-08T21:31:00.002+13:00

There are some people in this world that have the biggest heart and Karen happens to be one of them. I just want you all to know that the reason my blog site is up and running is all thanks to Karen, she really has done such a wonderful job in helping me set it all up. I guess you are thinking gee it sounds like Patrice has no idea on what she is doing, well if you are thinking this then you are sooooo right lol. Thanks Karen for all your hard work, you have put a huge smile on my face.

Tying Up For Christmas

2008-12-06T08:02:00.003+13:00

So tie up your Christmas shopping for family, friends, and yourself with great discounts on Christmas stamp sets and accessories from Stampin’ Up!®

From 1–31 December, spend $20 on any Stampin’ Up! merchandise and qualify for 20% off the following selected stamp sets and accessories.

* Festive Favourites stamp set
* Crazy for Christmas stamp set
* Snow Flurries stamp set
* Tag Time stamp set
* Many Merry Messages stamp set
* 12" x 12" Days-to-Remember Calendar
* 6" x 6" Days-to-Remember Calendar
* Winter Bright Simply Scrappin'™
* Three for You Punch Box
* Very Vanilla 5/8" grosgrain ribbon
* Certainly Celery 5/8" grosgrain ribbon
* White Square Aluminium Metal Edge tags

So contact ME to order yours today. Many of these items would make great Christmas presents.