{A Little Flip Book}

I do love how these turned out. I wanted to do one in another set of papers, but you know how those other things like children and sleeping get in the way of all the things we want to do.

This book was designed by one of my favorite artists, Taylor Van Breuger. I've switched it around a bit to fit what we were doing. The words are from Carte Postale and the flowers are from Both Way Blossoms. Some of the ladies used Easy Elegance, a new set from the summer mini, and that looked equally as great.

I'm teaching this class again tonight, so I may put some more pics up of this idea, especially if we do end up using other papers. My supply of Recollections Designer Series Paper is dangerously low. You wouldn't know I'd run out of anything from the amount of supplies crammed into my craft room.

{Late, Late Thanksgiving post}

These are the little notebooks I made up for my girls for Thanksgiving. Scroll down to see the female adult ones I made. I don't know where my husband put his "male" notebook - probably buried in his briefcase or in, on, or under his desk at work. It may be next Thanksgiving before it surfaces again.

These were made using a set from the USA catalog, which may be retired now, called Fall Whimsy. This is the best Autumn set, in my opinion. I just love the feel of it - not too stuffy and also not too juvenile. Love the swirly design. I do have one brand new set of Fall Whimsy that I've put on TradeMe periodically. I still have it if anyone is interested.

{THE Triange Box}

All credit for this template goes to Anabel, who needs no introduction because I think everyone knows Anabel. At least, everyone I've ever met in New Zealand knows Anabel.

She made us an adorable box like this using Tempting Turquoise for a swap we did a few months back, and I just had to copy the template. SO very, very easy and fast. In fact, so easy that Tui and Lissa taught this box to the children at church last week! Don't you just love the unusual shape? Perfect for a Christmas tree, I thought.

I've use the double sided Stampin Up Christmas Papers, Holiday Thyme here. So the inside is a cool print as well. I put the "louder" print on the inside for a fun WOW when the box is opened. The stamp set is Solemn Stillness. We've used just a portion of the sentiment here, giving more flexibility to the set. Plus, that's what would fit, so there you go.

{Bashful Holiday Box}

This is my favorite box template. If you took my class at senz south or made the baby shower boxes with me nearly 2 years ago now, you'll recognize this one. It's the same design - just jazzed up differently. This is made out of an A4 sheet of card with no tracing and cutting - just some scores and a few snips and done. I give all credit to my muse, Melinda. She's the one who hooked me on this company and my oldest friend. She's two months older than me, so I can say that. But really, she's known me since we were babies - a real sister. Anyway, one of the many blessings she's brought to my life is THIS box template. (grin)

And it was my other dearest friend, Tui, who wondered what it would look like to use a cuttlebug on acetate. I rolled this over in my mind for a while, and this is what I came up with. Pretty cool, eh? Tui's pretty cool. I'm so lucky to have such a talented team - won't you consider joining us? I'd love to have you stamping and creating and partying with us. Yes, we get wild and crazy with our glitter sometimes . . . .

The background-y stuff is the oft-neglected background stamp called Holiday Print. It's in the Christmas section rather than the background section. It's one of my favorites, but I just don't think to pull it out enough. Very generic - one you could use year after year and no one would notice it's the same image.

Yes, those balls are edible. They are disgusting and cola flavor, no less, but there are a few out there who like them . . . . . Good thing for people like Karen.

{I'm so Blessed}

As a general rule, us women and mothers don't get a lot of special attention during the holidays. The holiday work generally gets piled onto our shoulders . . . I was feeling particularly burned out yesterday and having an "I want to quit" day. But my dear, dear ladies totally changed my attitude around when they all arrived with gifts and goodies for ME! Just look at my loot! I didn't get it in the pic, but I also received a beautiful crystal necklace from sweet Judy. And Mirriel made a delicious butterscotch slice for everyone to share.

I had a giggle when Tracy put shampoo and conditioner in that treat pouch for me! She's a gym fanatic, too. Those three cute boxes are full of goodies for my three angel daughters; I think maybe they have a few 'grandmas' in New Zealand after all.

Not only was I spoiled and appreciated, but didn't everyone do such nice work? I felt/feel very special and loved today. What a true blessing these sweet women are to me.

{Easy Easy Elegance Tile Coaster}

This was by far the most popular design I came up with, and probably the easiest as well! This uses an old favorite, French Script, and a new set from the Summer Mini Catalogue, Easy Elegance. Both are beautiful and the combination is great!

Easy Elegance features three beautiful flower images and a nice, scripted sentiment. Available only through March.

{Summer by the Sea Coaster}

I loved how these turned out! We stamped a set of four using Summer by the Sea and Seaside Sketches sets. (I just made up a tongue twister). These are so easy, my daughter made some by herself. The aged effect of the tiles just looks so cool with these images.

{My Offering}

My team had a Christmas gift exchange this month in lieu of a swap. Many of the gifts were hand-made with extra special effort put in. Sara from Titirangi received my gift - a set of four tile coasters made with a gorgeous, gorgeous set, Carte Postale. I do love how these turned out; I hope she loves them, too, because it was a teensy hard for me to give them away!

This set, Carte Postale, is available for a limited time. It's a set of eleven beautiful images for 58.95, a tremendous value to boot. It also has a matching wheel, paper, and background stamp. Please email or call me to order!

I was the lucky recipient of a Kiwi Christmas cookbook - quite an appropriate gift for me, I thought, considering I am not a native here and because I have no family here, the cooking is on my shoulders. Better mine than Jared's in any case.

{Gratitude Notes}

As many of you know, I am not a kiwi. And my family and myself do LOVE New Zealand. However, there are some traditions and memories that I want my children to have from my homeland, and one of those is Thanksgiving.

Each year we take a day to celebrate the harvest and to take pause to express gratitude for the blessings we enjoy. I made little notebooks for my guests - the one in the picture for the ladies and another design for the men. I didn't snag a photo of any of those before they left the house. I made some bright little pumpkin ones for the children; I'll add a photo of those shortly.

I just want to say thank you to all my wonderful friends, customers, team members, and supporters. I am a very lucky girl.

{A Paisley Notebook}

A $2 shop treasure. Add a little decorative paper, some beautiful images, ribbon, and a dash of glitter, and this $2 notebook becomes gorgeous! Now, how can I apply this principle to myself in each morning?

I think most of us already wear the glitter most days, though.

{Happy Bagalope}

We did this project last week in my classes here at home, and I also presented this a few weeks ago to the ladies in Tauranga. This is a COOL little project - a quick one making an adorable bag out of an envelope! My friend Joan commented that it went together so quickly and easily that she was sure she had done it wrong! Okay, Joan, sometimes I do make you do gymnastics with the ribbon . . . . but you keep coming back for more!

We've used the ever popular Polka Dots and Paisley set here, one of my favorites. I think many of my ladies are going to use these for their Christmas tables.

{All in the Family Keychain}

In case you were ever curious what my family looked like, here we are! It's my husband, me in the orange dress, and my three daughters in dresses of their favourite colours. The words read "Happiness is knowing you".

We made keychains this week using this very, very cute and fun set and Polyshrink. It was great to break away from cardstock for an hour and put these gifts together. This stamp set is just available through the end of November and all sales go towards a fund set up for a recent widow and her three young children.

I thought about making these keychains for my siblings for Christmas because they are easy to mail overseas, but then I remembered that my brother has seven daughters. Maybe I could make him a belt?

{Christmas Seeds}

This is a simple card that has a packet of seeds inside for a small, but useful gift. Of course you can put other things in there, but since Christmas is in the summer for some odd reason in New Zealand, I thought we'd do daisy seeds instead of the traditional hot chocolate.

This set, Both Way Blossoms, is a level three hostess set. From now until the end of the year, if you qualify for a level one set (either through a workshop or a personal or group order), you can choose a stamp set from any level! So you get a level one, level two, or a level three set when you qualify for a level one. That's a great deal, especially if you have had your eye on one of the bigger sets like this one.

{Tins for Tauranga}

The pop cans were such a BIG hit amongst my team and my customers back in Auckland that I decided the ladies in Tauranga needed a little taste of them as well. (Okay, I took chocolates instead of the roasted nuts, but you know what I mean).

I simplified down the first Christmas tin we did a few weeks back for a quick and easy project. We've used the Holiday Thyme papers here and the Snow Flurries stamp set, both big winners this season. I think everyone loved this little project and I suspect there will be a big run on the little tins of nuts all over New Zealand!

{Tauranga Oopsy}

Well, what do you do when you travel three hours to do a workshop and you've forgotten the stamp set?

These are the things that happen when you pack and prepare at one in the morning.

Lucky for me, my partner in crime that weekend, Pauline, had a stamp set with her that made a nice substitute. And Tui was so cool to gloss over my mistake by telling everyone that it was an example of how you can use the same template to make a variety of cards. Which IS true and IS a great point, but I was still rather mad at myself for forgetting such a great set for those fun ladies there.

Anyway, it was a great day overall; I know I enjoyed myself even with just a few hours of sleep . . .

{Anabel's Peace}

This is last month's swap from Anabel, using another beautiful set only available until the end of the month. It's a very clean, simple design using minimal supplies.

This set can be used year round - the images are not necessarily Christmas, but could also be party, sympathy, and Easter. Great value for the price as well!

http://catalogs.shoplocal.com/stampinup/index.aspx?pagename=shopmain&fsid=792a30a8-6188-47af-8ce9-fa7175bc011f&storeid=1039381&circularid=11083

{Merry}

This is Tui's swap from last month. I wanted to show it here, not only because I love it, but because it features a wonderful little word set from the Spring mini catalogue. These are only available until the end of December . . .

She's done multiple layers on here using background stamps and the Cuttlebug folders. Also a great use of those oval punches.

Beautiful work, Tui!!

{My Little Slaves}

What a good support system I have! Here is my husband doing faux stitching and my eldest daughter doing the final assembly on this month's swap cards. Why do I always put it off until the last minute? It's not actually that I put it off, I just have other, more pressing things . . . one emergency to the other sometimes!

Isn't he a good husband? :) And little Madeleine will be taking over the business any day now . . .

{Card Tote - Teacher Appreciation Gift}

What a great project this was! This little tote goes together without a template and lickity-split. I stepped it up a bit, but of course you can make it a more simple and quick design if you have a number to make.

I slotted this as a teacher appreciation gift because it's that time of year and I bet many teachers don't want another box of chocolates. How cool to give them something like this? Especially if your child helps put it together? (if you have the patience of a saint).

I am just showing one card here, but we made four to go inside, all a little different, but coordinating. It's easy to make up a little template for a matching envelope to fit any size card when you use the Stampin Up 5-in-1 envelope template. I love seeing my students' finished projects - all adding their own touches.

{A Gift for Me}

This was really a special gift from my dear friend, Janine. I don't get a lot of hand-crafted gifts, and it means a lot when someone does make me one. I love how she's used our newest products (a sneak peak of what's coming in the new catalogue in December) and how she's coordinated two class projects. This hand-stamped candle fits inside the tin! I believe the candle is one from the Warehouse and the tin is a pineapple one, in case you want to replicate this cool idea. How fun for a recipient to find a matching, hand-made candle and a personalized card inside a sealed tin!! Thanks, Janine, you're a gem.

{Peaceful Wishes in Creamy Caramel}

This card was Case'd off of Michelle Fischer, one of my most favorite artists. It's very simple, subtle, yet still effective. And I wanted to make use of all the stamps in the beautiful Peaceful Wishes set in class this week.

This one has a few steps to it, but goes together very quickly. And, of course, it can be done in other colors, but I liked the effect of the gold and the Creamy Caramel - very sophisticated.

Peaceful Wishes set of five for 54.95.

{Christmas Thyme}

I Love this card! This was inspired by another card made with the same layout, but slightly different stamps and different colors and papers. I've used the Peaceful Wishes set here and then the Warm Words for the sentiment. We don't often think of stamping on patterned paper, but it's quite a cool effect, especially when done with an opaque ink like Stampin Up's Whisper White and then embossed. I've embossed with white detail and glitter here, so the pine boughs are subtly shimmering.

The papers are from Stampin Up's Holiday Thyme collection, available only until Dec 15th and at 15% off retail at that. They are double sided and so gorgeous! What do you think?

It's always fun for me to get out the patterned papers and see all the different creations my students come up with, using this card as a base inspiration. Tui always distresses and changes up the colors, others tend to go more monochromatic, Anabel always adds a truckload of glitter, and Janine always leans towards a more masculine feel. I am so blessed to have such inspiring ladies around me. And blessed to have ladies who put up with me and my crazy ideas!!

{The Magic of Stamping on Candles}

A very, very simple and quick project. I've used Solemn Stillness here. The tag is actually quite nice, but I see the flash removed my efforts from the picture. This is a fabulous way to really jazz up and personalize a few items from the $2 shop - candles and cello wrap. Last year I had my four, six, and eight year old daughters make candles with no problem.

{Cosmo Cricket Pop Can}

I just love this finished product. . . . love the colors, love the stamps, and LOVE the fun idea of "secretly" filling a can. I have one pack of these gorgeous papers left. I think I want to do these for Christmas, but might need to hire someone to clean my house in the meantime with all the projects I want to do . . .

{Tauranga Stamping Classes}

I am going to be in Tauranga this weekend - the 18th of November. While there, I'll be offering two classes with Pauline, a lovely lady on my team and with Tui, my right hand. We will do FIVE fantastic projects with you for only $30.

And that's not all! With that $30, you will also get a FREE 2007 Stampin Up! Idea Book and Catalogue (RRP 14.95). For those who already have the Idea Book and Catalogue (good job!), you will receive a $10 gift voucher for any order placed on the day.

We will be doing two Christmas cards, a gift box, a small gift item, and a scrapbooking layout. And most of all, we will have FUN! Door prizes, fun ladies, and exciting products ~ what more does a girl need? Okay, we'll throw in some chocolate . . . .

{Quick and Easy Christmas Cards Class}

Please email me and subscribe to my email class list for a photo and description of these projects. I have a few kits still available, but they go quickly . . .

{Merry Chistmas}

I demo'ed this card last class, thinking it was too simple for a class project. Well, everyone loved this one! Funny thing is, I did exactly the same thing last year - demoed a really quick project and everyone wanted to do that one instead of the projects I had planned! Oh, well, at least I'm keeping them enthused one way or another . . . .

So this one I saw somewhere, or at least similar, because the idea's been in my mind for a while. But I don't know where so I can't give proper credit. And maybe I did make it up? Not sure. But the idea is super simple - just one color, a wheel, and a sentiment. Oh, and the ribbon, or course. Must have ribbon.

The wheel is called Bold Snowflakes. Wheels are fabulous when you have lots of stamping to do - fast and painless. I then stamped the sentiment from the Glad Tidings set, tossed on some of the grosgrain ribbon and silver cord, added some organdy and a dash of glitter. Done!

Please contact me asap if you'd like to get the supplies for this project so I can be sure they get to you in plenty of time for the holidays.

The other thought is that you don't have to do snowflakes or even Christmas. This is a simple design that could be used with any wheel, any color, and any occasion.

{Taranki}

So many of you know I've been working my bum off (literally) for a competition in New Plymouth. It has finally come and gone and I took FIRST PLACE!

All the watered down soup, tiny quantities of oats, herbal tea, and weighing every meal paid off.

Now I am eating again and thoroughly enjoying it! But still eating well and clean because my next step is the National Competition.

Thanks to everyone for cheering me on. It's you who motivate me to challenge myself and to keep going.

{Small Gift Swaps}

I'm the very lucky lady who gets to work with a FANTASTIC group of Stampin Up demonstrators. One of the perks of my job is getting to do monthly swaps with such talented women. The month of October we swapped small gift ideas, and the results were just over the top! We had everything from scrapbooking kits, needle cases, pin cushions, treat bags, bookmarks, soap, various boxes, albums, and notebooks. Enjoy these photos of some of the goodies.

I included a close up of Anne's swap because she made me laugh. She made these cute lolly pouches, but no, no, I didn't get lollies. She gave me a muesli bar in mine! Gee, you'd think I was on some crazy diet or something!! :) Just to demonstrate how versatile one project can be in any case . . . .

I have the best ladies!

{Explosion Box Album}

This turned out to be a really great project - a really fun and colorful result with lots and lots of spaces for photos or other embellishments.

We used the VERY cool set Polka Dots and Paisleys and the coordinating Polka Dots and Petals along with the matching 12x12 papers, Petals and Paisleys. Wow, what a tongue-twister. All of these really great items are only available until the end of November so act now!!

We had a few new ladies in class, both of whom had a very distinct sense of style, which we all loved. I realize I can be a bit full-on in class, and I hope I didn't scare these two lovelies away. (But then again, I could just blame the rowdiness of the group) I didn't get a shot of their finished albums, but did get a pic of Tui's. I loved how the Old Olive ink showed up on her lid. I just loved all the color in this project.

{Spring Pop Top Can}

This is a very cool, easy, and fun project that leaves the recipient wondering how you got those personal gifts inside a sealed can!

We started out the class with a door prize, which was a finished pop can. My lovely lady Chantell won and she got to open the can (served as a demo for how the finished project worked) and received all those great little treats in the photo!

So I planned two projects for this class, but we had such fun and the ladies got so really into designing their own . . . we only had time to do this one. (The second one we'll do in the next few weeks in another class) Everyone was very pleased with the results, and they all turned out differently. We used the Looks Like Spring stamp set, the Spring Bouquet flower punch, and the Spring Showers or Spring Flowers designer series papers. For the month of October, when you purchase the stamp set and punch, the papers are FREE! (see promotions page) Just look at what beautiful things you can make with these accessories!

I took a few pics of some of the other finished cans that were done in different colours than my sample. These have endless possibilities. I want to make one using the Unfrogettable set and the santa hat from Crab & Co. and then filling the tin with red and green mints.

We filled our tins with some candied peanuts I had roasted up in cello bags. Some other ideas:

tea

hot chocolate

flower seeds
jewelry

baking mixes

bath powders

small soaps

a candle

candies, treats, fudge, homemade goodies

and any other small item . . .

{Festive Mood}

This is my friend Chantell opening her can. Those little fingers are my youngest, Sofie, who was sure Chantell needed some help! And was avoiding going to bed and missing the party. See the above picture for what the can contained - treats, confetti, stamps, ink pad, and a small note. Congratulations! We should have more door prizes . . . .that was fun.

And thanks, ladies, for eating all those nuts! I made up some candied nuts because I had to open . . . . ready for it . . . . 48 cans of nuts to prep for this class!

Here is the exact recipe:

Glazed Nuts

3-4 c nuts

2 tbs butter

1/2 c (more or less as you wish) sugar

vanilla, cinnamon, or whatever you want for flavor

Put all of that into a skillet (frying pan, Nadine) over medium heat, shaking the pan every so often, but not stirring, until the butter and sugar start to melt. Then reduce the heat a bit and stir and shake a little here and there until the sugar is golden brown and the nuts seem pretty well coated with the glaze. Pour out onto a piece of foil or a buttered plate or something where it can cool and not stick totally. These store best in the frig, I think, but they won't last long! I think they might also be really good with some butter extract and a bit of salt added with the sugar. Or maybe a caramel extract? Coffee? Cream? Where's Rachael? We need some more flavors . . .

{Scribble This}

I enjoyed this one, but of course, who doesn't love a fun flower card? I loved the swirls and curls to this set. This is a quick template made with a long envelope to create two pockets inside. Very fast to put together. The front can be done more simply as well.

I made this using the Scribble This set from the Spring Mini catalogue and the Scribble Wheel. http://catalogs.shoplocal.com/stampinup/index.aspx?pagename=listpage&searchtype=keyword&fsid=2fe7ffb4-9c06-46f6-86a4-1acf5206baf6&pagenumber=1&sortby=1&circularid=11083&storeid=1039381&keyword=scribble&keywordsearch=1&storeid=1039381&keyword=scribble&keywordsearch=1

Those clear buttons are a fun accessory as well!

I'm going to offer these gift vouchers for purchase. The minimum amount is $25 for the voucher and the card is FREE. So you let me know the amount to put on the voucher, and I'll send you the completed card to use as a gift. It doesn't have to be this design or the one in the previous post - I'll make up quite a few options. Let those husbands know!! Who wouldn't rather get some stamping money for Christmas instead of a kitchen gadget?? And what an easy and lovely gift for your crafting friends for a birthday.

{Crab & Co.}

This last week we did Gift Voucher Holders or Cards in preparation for Christmas, but really, these are useful all through the year. Hence we did one more generic one and then one Christmas one. I try and do one more quick project and then one more advanced one in class. This one started out as my quick one . . . . but I got carried away. So we did two more involved ones this time.

LOVE the Crab and Co. set! I find these little critters and the punny sayings just adorable. And fyi, it works well with the Unfrogettable set in your catalogue - you can put that santa hat on your frog or use the frog accessories with the sea creatures as well. This set also works out to be a great value at just 4.57 per stamp. This particular set is only available until the end of November and is found in the Spring Mini catalogue.

I just love those Cuttlebug embossing folders!! We brought out the design here by sponging with the Old Olive ink. Some ladies used the snowflake folder instead, and that looked great as well. The words are punched out using the very versatile Word Window Punch. Colors used here are a wow combination - real red, old olive, and cool caribbean. And the liquid applique and a dash of glitter on the hat add that visual texture that makes all the difference.

http://catalogs.shoplocal.com/stampinup/index.aspx?pagename=moreinfo&fsid=2fe7ffb4-9c06-46f6-86a4-1acf5206baf6&storeid=1039381&uniqueid=10691049&circularid=11083

{Peaceful Wishes}

Back from Senz and just now my throat is feeling normal after three days of non-stop talking!! Besides the show, Anne, Tui, and I were up early and up late every day planning and laughing. What a great couple of girls they are. Anne even did my quads workout with me, which was no small feat. one hour and twenty minutes just on quads . . . what a sport!

I so much enjoyed meeting the wonderful people in Christchurch. Everyone was so very nice to me, and it gives me tremendous satisfaction to see the delight on their faces when they can see what they can make in a snap with our beautiful products and colors. Here is one of the cards we did in my Quick and Easy Christmas class. (oops - somehow I got a pic of one without the ribbon on it; I'll edit later, so this is a little "sample" of the real finished product!) I'll post the others after I do that class here in Auckland in a couple of weeks. Peaceful Wishes is a stunner - a great set. You can see the complete set here :

http://catalogs.shoplocal.com/stampinup/index.aspx?pagename=moreinfo&fsid=4b599be3-669e-422b-815a-85edb801a4a4&storeid=1039381&uniqueid=9960440&circularid=10393

At 10.99 per stamp, I'd say it's well-priced for such a gorgeous and versatile set. Please email or call me to order. It's definitely not too early to get those Christmas cards and gifts together!!

{My Most Beautiful Creations}

I'm off to Senz in Christchurch in the morning . . . . busy packing up all my gear tonight. I'll be at the Stampin Up! booth and will also be teaching a few classes, one on Friday and one on Sunday. If you're there, please come along and say hello!! I still have a few spots left in the classes - would love to have you.

I might get a few more posts done tonight, but no promises. I still have two bins of things to list on trademe.

These are my three girls after doing a "yellow" fashion show at the church.