Good Evening!!

I know I’m coming to you a little late today however we’ve been out trying to find me a new workbench – a nice long one so I have plenty of room to make a mess create and store all my tools and such.  We have decided to go with the one we’d chosen from Ikea a little while ago but be sure you’ll see pictures once I’ve cleared the area and have the new table and its all set up and before I make a creative mess!

Now onto this week’s sketch for the Utah Divas Internation Sketch challenge # 130 …

As you know we had the new Autumn/Winter Mini Catalogue start on 1st April and one of the ‘must have’ sets in the new mini is the Strength & Hope stamp set.  Now this is not just ‘another’ stamp set – this one is very special and worth the purchase whether you are a stamper or not!  You see its been designed for a very special purpose – and not just for Australia but for Stampin’ Up! worldwide!  This set was created to raise funds for Breast Cancer Research and while anyone raises funds for Breast Cancer Research this also creates awareness of just how this illness affects so many people and just why it is so very very important that us women check our breasts regularly. So for every set that is sold throughout the world Stampin’ Up! will donate $2 to that countries National Breast Cancer Research Foundation – dont you just love how Stampin’ Up! do whatever they can to help those in need whether its from Tsunami’s, Floods, Fires, Hurricanes or Breast Cancer! I dont know a company that gives back as much as Stampin’ Up! does.

Oh yeah … the sketch … the card … whoops!

Here is my card that I created using the Strength & Hope set and this week’s sketch …

I have to say I love how this turned out! I surprised myself and I even surprised myself more when created my own little corner frame from the flourish stamp and all by accident!  I wanted to stamp the image close to the edge so i could punch out the little pink heart and it turned out on an angle on the scrap piece of cardstock and when I saw it I immediately thought “oh what a cool corner frame”!  Sometimes the best ideas do actually come out of nowhere!

I also wanted a ‘special’ butterfly and the single layer one wasnt doing it for me so I thought some acetate wings would go nice and give it a ‘floating’ effect.  Here’s a close up …

This just shows the dimension of the butterfly not to mention those gorgeous pearls and a bit of the corner frame.

Now dont forget to stop by the other Sketchy Divas and leave some comment love – cos we allll love comments! The next blog on the list is the lovely Ruthie Burkey or you can visit via the Utah Divas International Blog.

Now for all Strength & Hope stamp sets I sell not only will Stampin’ Up! donate $2 to the National Breast Cancer Research Foundation but I too will dontate $2 to the National Breast Cancer Research foundation. So contact me today to place your order and help raise funds for Breast Cancer Research.

Happy Sunday to you!  I do hope you are relaxing and having a wonderful day – Sunday is the day of rest after all!

I wanted to share with you the card I made the other week for Janine’s Workshop – she asked for saleabration & razzleberry and this is the make n take I came up with ….

All the ladies loved this card and I just loved creating it – and its such an easy card to make – the hardest bit is gathering the ribbon but once you get the knack of doing that its super easy

I’ve been talking a little about the joys of being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator of late and one of those joys is “being part a large stamping community” and this is so so true – you might think it sounds like guff but really it is very true.  Once you join Stampin’ Up! you realise its more than a company or party plan business – its more like family – but the family you want to have!

One of my lovely Stampin’ Up! sisters awarded me with the Liebster Blog award last week so thought it was time I popped it on my blog. I met Zarna at last year’s convention for the first time although I think we ‘knew’ each other before then just not ‘in person’. Since then we’ve become good friends via Twitter & Facebook (gotta love Social media!) and will be spending more time with her at Convention this year in May which I’m really looking forward to!

Now I have to pass this award on to five more Bloggers I love so here they are …

1. Melissa Garland – Mel is another Stampin’ Up! sister who has become a dear and close friend
2. Lisa Ryder – Lisa is a ‘real’ Stampin’ Up! sister as we have the same upline and become a very dear friend
3. Tanya Kittos – another Stampin’ Up! sister I met online who has also become a great friend
4. Angela Sargeant - Now I’ve know Angela for years (way before Stampin’ Up!) and she is actually my Stampin’ Up! Granny (do you feel old now Ange??) and I love sharing this journey with her. She is definitely a keeper – cos she knows too much about me!
5. Gretchen Barron – I love Gretchen’s Blog as she does the most wonderful cards and projects. I met Gretchen through the Utah Divas International group and yes she is a Stampin’ Up! sister too!

All these ladies (and more) bless me each day and I’m blessed to have them as friends!

A big thank you to Zarna for giving me this award – cant wait till May hun!!

If you’d like more information on becoming a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator and joining this wonderful family then please dont hesitate to contact me.

If you are a regular visitor to my blog then you will know just how much I love being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator. This past week has been busy again with getting in those last orders for February and being able to pre-order new stamps and accessories from the upcoming Mini Catalogue as well as the normal housewife & mother duties I have. My new stamps arrived yesterday afternoon so I get to play with them later today!

I feel pretty blessed to be a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator as its meant I can be home for the kids before and after school and keep the house in some form of order – now all these things I couldnt do if I was working in the workforce.  Not only do I have these blessings but I also get my stamps at a regular discount of 20% (sometimes more) and being paid to share what I love to do is just a bonus!

I always hear people say “I’d love a job like yours” well … guess what …. you can!  Stampin’ Up! always welcome new demonstrators and I’d love for you to be a part of my team.  During Sale•A•Bration you get an even better welcome as you can choose a bonus stamp set to the value of $79.95 – how nice is that?

But thats not all – if you join my team not only do you have access to the Stampin Up! Demonstrator website but you will have access to a variety of other forums including my private forum which is just for my team. You will also have me to help and guide you when needed. If you join with me you will also receive a bonus welcome gift just from me as a little thank you to for joining my Stamp A Latte team.

One of the forums you will have access to is the ESAD (Extra Special Australasian Demonstrators) group.  This group is great as we all share and encourage each other and with over 600 members there’s so much wealth of knowledge and experience there. We run cyberstamps, challenges and swaps and of course the odd blog hop.  Just recently we had a Summer Mini Catalogue swap and here is the card I made for that swap.

I do love how this card turned out and I might even do it as a Convention Swap! I used the colours from the Diva Coffee Break Colour Challenge #216 being Early Espresso, Rose Red and Blushing Bride.

Recipe:

Stamps: Thoughts & Prayers, Well Scripted
Paper: Early Espresso, Rose Red, Blushing Bride and Very Vanilla
Ink: Early Espresso
Accessories: Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Pinking Hearts Border punch, Basic Pearls Jewels and Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon

This card will be one of the cards for the Stamp A Stack on 12th March – it really is very easy to do.

If you like the idea of always getting your stamps and accessories at a discount but dont want to do all the party stuff then that is ok too – the beauty of Stampin’ Up! is that you can do as little or as much as you like. You can even pick the stamps you want in the kit as long as they are the same or lesser value than those suggested on the Demonstrator Kit Order form. Plus there is no annual fee to  remain a demonstrator like some other companies have.

If you join now you could even come to the Stampin’ Up! Convention in May with me!  Signing up is quick and easy as its all done online so no pesky forms to fill out – you just need to answer the questions online.

If you have any questions or would like more information about all the benefits of becoming a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator then please contact me for a free no obligation Information Pack and so I can answer your questions. 

Oh and dont forget to ask about my special gift to you for joining my team.

How special is this!

Last week I received this award from the loverly Tammy Fite – a fellow Utah Diva and Stampin Up Demonstrator from USA and then a few days ago I got the same award from the loverly Nikki Stalker – a long time stamping friend and fellow Aussie Stampin Up Demonstrator.

I am always humbled when I get these awards and especially when they come from fellow Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators.

Now as part of this award I need to share 8 things about me and to pass this award onto 8 bloggers and let them know they too have been awarded with this very prestigious award.

So ……..

8 Things about me ….

1. I am a Christian and think I’d be in a very dark place if I didnt have my faith.
2. I love coffee (you didnt know that did you??)
3. I love to Stamp (didnt know this either did you?)
4. I have a Cichlid Fishtank – and my fav fish is ‘Jack’ my Frontosa who is 15cm long & 7cm high (6″ x 2 3/4″)
5. I was born on my Aunt’s birthday and share my birthday also with my Brother in Law (the one who makes my storage units)
6. I cant wait till Stampin’ Up! Convention in May
7. I cant wait till school goes back next week!
8. I think I need another coffee!

Now to pass this award onto 8 Bloggers I love to visit …

1. Lisa Ryder
2. Libby Dyson
3. Patty Bennett
4. Melissa Garland
5. Kerri Hunter
6. Maxine Conrad
7. Jo Dumbleton
8. Gretchen Barron

Make sure you go check these ladies’ blogs out cos they are all uber talented and such lovely ladies as well

Today is cold and raining and I thought I’d share a couple of awards I received from the very lovely Andrea Buckland.

Andrea and I met through being Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators and we met (in real life) for the first time last May at Convention. Andrea and her hubby stayed a little longer to visit family and they stopped in on me while they were here and driving back from Canberra.

I have been so very blessed with the friends I’ve made since joining Stampin’ Up! and Andrea is such a blessing to me and I’m honoured to accept these two awards from her.

Firstly ….

Best Blog Friends Forever Award

I think the name says it all dont you??  Thanks Andrea for giving me this award and now I’ll pass it onto 5 more blog friends being …..

1. Lisa Ryder
2. Libby Dyson
3. Melissa Garland
4. Kerri Hunter
5. Tanya Kitto

The next award Andrea gave me was the ‘One Lovely Blog’ award ….

So sweet of her dont you think??

Now to pass this one on – I’ve selected blogs that I get inspiration and motivation from ….

1. Inking Idaho
2. Creations by AR
3. Claire Daly
4. Jayne Mercer
5. Sharlene Torres

Thanks again to Andrea for the honour.  Enjoy your awards girls

Happy Sunday to you all!

I had my monthly Stamp A Stack here yesterday and I was very happy that the house was back in some form of order after last weekend’s reshuffle!  The ladies even noticed my loverly new cupboards!

Last month the girls asked for a card using the lovely new Owl Punch from Stampin’ Up!® so what’s a girl to do??

I love this punch and it is just so much fun to play with so therefore it shall now be known as “the Owl of Happiness”!!

Here’s the Owl card we made yesterday ….

Recipe:

Stamps: Woodgrain Background, Just Believe, Heard from the Heart
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Cajun Craze, River Rock, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Greenhouse Gala DSP
Inks: Cajun Craze, River Rock, Early Espresso
Accessories: Two Step Owl Extra large punch, Little Leave Sizzlets, Big Shot, Crystal Effects

How cute is this card??

It’s also suitable to give to anyone for just about any occasion – just by changing the sentiment!

I’ve also found that when assembling your owly it is best to use the Tombox glue with the fine nozzle and a pair of tweezers.  I find that if you add Crystal Effects to Owly’s eyes and the heart and it just makes such a difference.

I just love this little punch and its rather versatile as you can create other items with it – not just owls!

This was the first time I’d actually inked up my Woodgrain Background Stamp – its one I received as part of an award from Stampin’ Up! at convention in May. It makes a great background and I can see it being used quite a bit in the future!

If you would like to make this card then contact me today to book in your free demonstration!

Wow how special was it this morning when I started up my puta and found not one but three emails advising me that I’d been given a “Beautiful Blog Award” from three friends.

So a very huge thank you to Linda Craven, Nikki Stalker and Mae Collins for this honour

Thanks again to the lovely ladies who awarded me this award – I am very touched

Hi everyone … I hope you are enjoying this last week of school – well those in NSW anyways.  Dont forget its Easter this weekend so make sure all your Easter Bunny preparations are all done! I’m sure there will be a huge rush on carrots over the next few days!

Here’s a card that I created for my mum as its her birthday on Thursday.

Mum loves roses and I love this rose!

My last two Stamp A Stack groups made this card and they just loved it!  Its quite easy to put together and the hardest part is just the embossing!

The Pink Pirouette layer is stamped in versamark then clear embossed.  The rose is stamped in Whisper White onto Whisper White cardstock and then clear embossed. Its then coloured using the Aqua Painter and Pretty in Pink Classic Ink Reinker and highlighted with the Regal Rose Classic Ink Reinker.  You will need your Aqua Painter to be very wet for this technique to spread the ink over the whole flower.

I would just love to show you how to make this card and you and your friends could make it for free just by holding a demonstration! So all you need to do is to email or ring me to book your demonstration in.

Now for my special bonus offer ….

The Stampin Up! ‘year’ goes from April to March and during that year you can achieve Sales and Recruiting goals and receive awards at Convention to achieving set goals. The first level Sales goal is $20,000 and I am just $500 short of this amount and am asking for your help so I can walk the stage, receive a special $20k pin and receive a bonus free stamp set at Convention in May.

Now there are only two days left to achieve this goal so I know I’m asking alot but if you would like to help me I am offering some special bonuses for those who place an outside order and pay on or before Wednesday. These offers are only good through me and only available until 8pm Wednesday 31st March and they are ….

1. The first five orders of  $70 or more will receive either a bonus Designer Brad set or pack of Designer Series Paper of your choice
2. The first four orders of $150 or more will receive a level one hostess set
3. Purchase my ‘must have adhesives set‘ for $60 and receive a bonus adhesive remover! This set consists of Snail Adhesive, Snail Refill, Stampin Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive, 2-way glue pen and Sticky Strip. This set is valued at $65.85 and is just $60 plus you get the Adhesive Remover valued at $3.75!

All orders received from now until 8pm Wednesday will go into the draw for a pack of Fine Supernova Stampin Glitter – this consists of 5 jars of superfine glitter and is valued at $26.95

All orders received for $150 or more from now until 8pm Wednesday will go into the draw for a free ‘Wanted’ stamp set.

Payment can be made by bank transfer, cash or credit card and must be receive by 8pm Wednesday 31st March, 2010.

So ring or email me now to place your order and help me ‘walk the stage’ at convention! Remember these offers close at 8pm Wednesday 31st March, 2010.

Just a quick note today to announce the winners of a couple of recent challenges I’ve had here.

Firstly …. for the ESAD Sale A Bration Blog Hop

Thank you to each and everyone of the girls who were in the Blog Hop – we all managed to get our posts and links working with just a couple of minor hitches. So thank you so much and your projects were just awesome (insert applause)

Now another huge thank you to all who visited each blog and left a comment! It was a huge blog hop with 41 blogs involved so I thank you for your patience and making it all the way through! I had 43 ladies email me to confirm they completed the rounds so its my pleasure to announce the following as winners of our blog candy ….

1. Donna Zammitt

2. Keegan Rigby

3. Charmaine Black

So ladies I’ve sent you an email tonite so please send me your mailing address so we can get your candy in the mail!

Also, last week I announced a colour challenge I put to the girls at my ESAD-SU Yahoogroup and shared the card I made.  The cards made were all awesome! and I thank you all for playing and am happy to announce the winner of the card challenge is the lovely Cathy Clarke from Queensland.

So congrats Cathy youre card is now on the home page for the ESAD-SU Yahoogroup and I’ll have a little something in the mail for you this week. This is Cathy’s gorgeous card

I will be back tomorrow with a card and a mini tutorial so make sure you pop back for that!

I am always amazed at not only how many people visit my blog but those that tell me my blog inspires them!  What an absolute honour it is to know that some I admire also get inspired by my work.

Today I was visiting Bev Mantle’s blog and found that she had awarded me a “Fabulous Blog” award. To say that I was thrilled is an understatement especially with the other blogs she’s listed me with!

Now the rules for this award are simple and that I share 5 things I am addicted to and then pass the award onto 5 other lovely blogs.

So for my addictions here goes ….

1. Stampin Up! (that surprised you didnt it??)
2. Coffee
3. Bejewelled Blitz on Facebook
4. Latte’s
5. Coffee

Now for the blogs – these are the blogs that inspire me the most. They may not be my closest friends but they do inspire me with their ideas and projects and they are not listed in any particular order.

• Becky Roberts – Inking Idaho
• Patty Bennett - Patty’s Stamping Spot
• Paula Goff - Inking Addict
• Diana Gibbs – Stampin with Di
• Andrea Walford - Andrea Walford

Thanks so much to Bev for this wonderful award and the blessing of calling her friend!