Stamp Club Reminder - Here's what you Get...

Hello Everyone!

What a cold and wet June it has been! Yes, I know it's Winter, and it's meant to be cold, but I just dont seem to do as well in the colder weather. I'm more of a warm-weather person. I heard on the TV the other day that this has been the wettest June recorded since they began keeping records... and I can certainly believe it. And as Im writing this, the rain has started up again.

So.... as a quick reminder I thought I'd go over the Stamp Club idea again. I have a couple of people asking me questions about the Stamp Club, so here is the run down so that everyone will have the information that they need. It will be "first in best dressed". Here's a recap of what you will get as a member:

* a free 2007/2008 Idea Book and Catalogue
* once in each 6 month period you will receive the hostess benefits (a free stamp set plus $$ to spend on product)
* 15% off one item each order (obviously you would make this the largest item!)
* regular updates via email as to what the current specials and promotions are.
* regular monthly specials that I will announce each month

In return you agree to place an order each month (by the 25th of each month) of not less than $50. This ensures that the workshop total is always $300+ which guarantees that each member will receive the hostess benefits when it is their turn. Each member will have their turn at receiving the benefits in the order in which they joined the group. If you can no longer fulfill your committment to the group you will need to find a replacement for your spot. The committment goes for 6 months.

Finally here's a card that I was inspired to do after viewing our new Mini Catalogue which will be out in August. (Dont worry, as soon as I can order them I plan on mailing one out to as many of my customers as I can - hopefully towards the end of July. If you are not on the mailing list, please contact me at higgiz@bigpond.com) The catalogue is lovely, and apart from all the wonderful new stamp sets and accessories, there are lots of fabulous ideas in there to inspire us all. I just love it!

Enjoy the card - I know it's not Christmas yet, but with all these "Christmas in July" Stamp nights happening at the moment, it seemed kind of appropriate!



Images Copyright 1990-2007 Stampin’ Up!



Linda

Christmas in July - Tuesday 10th July

Images Copyright 1990-2007 Stampin’ Up!


Hello Everyone!

By popular demand I am starting again to run the Christmas Stamp-a-Stacks that were so popular last year. What is a Stamp-a-Stack? Well for $10 you get to make 6 Christmas Cards (3 each of 2 designs). These are really popular because it's a great way to get started on your Christmas cards, and I plan on running several over the coming months, so by the time we get to Christmas you could have quite a stash of cards ready to go!

I thought we would probably do one card in reasonably traditional Christmas colours and another quite non-traditional for something really different. So here's the details:

When: Tuesday 10th July

Time: 7.30pm

Where: My place on the beautiful Central Coast NSW, Please email me at higgiz@bigpond.com for the address details

What to Bring: Yourself! And a friend of course if you wish. You get the use of all my cardmaking and stamping supplies, and I also supply your cardstock which is all precut to size. Light Refreshments will also be provided.

Cost: $10 per person, $5 of which is redeemable against any purchases made.

RSVP: Contact me at higgiz@bigpond.com to reserve your place. Numbers are limited so it will be first in, best dressed.

I'm really looking forward to seeing some of you there! (Or here, actually!)

Happy Stamping Guys!

Linda

More Roses in Winter.... and a little competition

Ok, so it's official, I really love this set. I didnt think I would, and paid it no attention whatsoever up until April this year when I saw Cheryl use the set on a card (thanks Cheryl!). (Aside: Cheryl's blog is over on the right-hand sidebar of this blog if you would like to link to there.) And I thought that with Mother's Day coming up, it would be good for Mother's Day cards. And it was. But I've found lots of other uses for it.

I wanted to put together some thank you gifts for some lovely people who do wonderful things in the lives of myself and my children, so I made up the cards and matching envelopes you see above, and packaged them in a little matching tote box. I was so impressed with them, if I do say so myself! LOL. I cant put up a photo of the tote box, because my camera has died and I can only scan flat objects ie the cards. Oh well, as soon as my camera can be revived I will post a photo of the box. But I promise you they are lovely. The cards will give you some idea, because the tote matches perfectly. And they will make a great gift for someone if you dont want to keep them for yourself. Hmmmm, I may be making these for quite some time as gifts... what do you think?

How about a little mini competition... if you would like to win one of these card sets in a tote with a couple of little surprises inside, just comment on this post below and tell me your favourite colour combination. And if you could also include where you live that would be great. (That's mainly to satisfy my curiosity... I often wonder where you all are) The competition is only open to Australian entrants, and if you are a Stampin'Up! demonstrator, Im sorry you aren't eligible either. But everyone else, please jump on in and good luck! The winner's set will probably differ a little from the one pictured above because I will try to use your favourite colours.

The competition will close at midnight June 30th, 2007.

Dont forget to subscribe to my blog if you would like to receive notification of updates via email. And you can contact me to ask questions, or to place an order anytime by contacting me at higgiz@bigpond.com

Enjoy the competition and I look forward to hearing all about your favourite colours.

Good luck!

Linda

Antique Roses in Winter

Hello everyone,

Well its been an amazing week here on the Central Coast. Most of you would have heard about the Wild Weather that hit us last week. The stories are still coming out of everywhere... it seems that nobody was untouched. We were very lucky here... only minor damage to our property, a couple of small trees down in the front of the house, and our rumpus room sprang a few leaks. We also have a pool and it overflowed, but because we had no power we couldnt backwash it so there was nothing we could do. And my son was sick, and my parents and uncle were staying with us, so we were completely out of towels with no washing machine or dryer. Aaaaargh. Isnt it amazing how we take something like electricity for granted? It certainly makes you grateful when the power comes back on. Altogether we lost power for the best part of 3 days. So the meat all defrosted but in truth, the freezer needed a good clean out anyway. So overall, we were fine, just inconvenienced more than anything.

But some people still dont have the power on, nearly a week later, and there are horrible stories of lives lost and property damaged beyond repair. One friend was telling me that she attended a funeral on Friday and they were told halfway through the service that they needed to return to their cars as the water was rising quickly. My friend was in the last car that got out... many others had to be abandoned. One of her friends has a vehicle that they still havent been able to find... it just floated away! Another of my friends is in the State Emergency Service, and she has had a harrowing weekend, and I think she will need to take some time to recover and get herself rested.

So with all this going on, I havent been doing much stamping this week. But here's a card for you anyway. This card uses the Paisly background stamp (the Floral background would have worked just as well), and I stamped it in Perfect Plum ink on Perfect Plum cardstock. Dont you just LOVE the background stamps? They cover a whole card so give you a great effect in no time. They retail for $33.95, and I think they are great value for a stamp of this size. The paisley one is currently my biggest selling background stamp.

The centrepiece of this card uses the Roses in Winter set... I love this set because you CANT GET IT WRONG. You dont need to line it up perfectly... it just always looks good. I used the Perfect Plum and Pale plum inks, and the leaves are Old Olive (of course!). I used the small corner rounder to create the scalloped edge on the bottom of the centre piece. (Aha... did you know that the corner rounder does scalloped edges??? Its a cool trick!) I've finished the card off with Antique brass Hodgepodge, which makes it look a little old-worldish dont you think? This was a super easy card to make, and took only a few minutes, but Im really happy with the result.

Dont forget to contact me on higgiz@bigpond.com if you have any questions at all. I always love hearing from my customers and friends out there in blog-land.

Happy stamping guys!


Linda

Stamp Club anyone?

Images Copyright 1990-2007 Stampin’ Up!



OK, some of you have been Stampin'Up! customers for some time now, and I thought that it would be good to do something a bit different. I know some of you are already in your own Stamp Clubs, but I thought I would start another one.

Here's how it works:

Each Stamp Club has a minimum of 6 members. The Stamp Club will run for 6 months - although we might all decide to renew our membership after that of course. Each month each member will spend a minimum of $50 on Stampin'Up! products (excluding postage) so that we can spread out our spending. Here's the benefit... each month a different member of the group will get their turn at receiving the hostess benefits. That's a free stamp set and at least $30 to spend on products, and you will get your turn to receive these benefits once in each 6 month period that you are in the Stamp Club. It's a cool way to get your hands on the hostess sets, as they are normally not available for purchase any other way than to have a workshop in your home. A Stamp Club is a great way to achieve this. I really want to be in the Stamp Club too so Im putting my name down as the first member of the group. Anyone want to join me? Just email me at higgiz@bigpond.com or call me on 0412 375 552.

Of course if you do want a workshop in your home, where you and your guests will all make a couple of projects together, then I am more than happy to plan that together with you. The most commonly asked question is "How much does a workshop cost?" and the answer is that it doesnt cost anything at all to hold one. It's just a really fun way to spend a few hours with friends, and also to learn new techniques. Then at the end, there's the chance for you and your guests to order products from our lovely catalogue if you wish. For more information just email me at higgiz@bigpond.com or call 0412 375 552.

Happy Stamping!

Linda

And the Winner is....

You might remember that I ran a competition recently for all the subscribers to my blog... all subscribers were eligible to go into the draw to win their choice of one of two stamp sets. The competition has now closed and I am very pleased to announce that the winner is:

Donna Windle, NSW

Congratulations Donna, you have 3 days to email me at higgiz@ bigpond.com to claim your prize. If anyone out there is in contact with Donna, please let her know that her prize is waiting. I'll also email Donna and let her know.

Thank you to everyone who subscribed and commented on the blog posts. I hope that you are enjoying the cards and ideas found here. I am planning another competition not too far down the track, and hope to do special offers too, so make sure you stick around.

Just to make you all smile, I thought I would post a picture that my 4yo daughter drew of a lion yesterday. It made me feel good, so I hope you enjoy it too.

Have a great day guys!

Linda

Im so tired but....

We've had the most wonderful couple of days at the Papercrafts Festival. The show was a little smaller than we expected but in many ways that was a bonus for us. Lots of people commented that they were glad that they didnt have to push their way through the crowds, and as well, they had more time to stop and talk to us, to watch the demonstrations and to make a project with us. Here's the wallet that people got to make with us......






Lots of people bought our show bags, and lots of people expressed an interest in doing a workshop with us. And everyone enjoyed making the projects, whilst some people placed orders. So the level of interest was really exciting.

If you are one of the many people who took a catalogue with you today, please feel free to place an order by contacting me either by email at higgiz@bigpond.com or by phone on 0412 375 552. I can have your order delivered to you, and the turnaround time is quite quick.

Of course dont forget that the Idea Book and Catalogue is just that - a wonderful ideas book. You'll find inspiration to create hundreds of projects, layouts and cards. So grab a cuppa, find a comfy chair and go through the catalogue at your leisure. You'll be really glad that you did!

And thank you for making the Papercrafts Festival such a lovely experience!

Linda

Trifold Card Class - June 20

Hello everyone,

You might remember that a couple of months ago I went through a Trifold Card stage where I just couldnt get enough of them. Well a few people have asked me if I could show them how to make them, and I thought the best way to do that would be to hold a class. We will make 2 different styles of trifold card, and I'll throw a 3rd mystery card style in there to really make it worth your while. So you will actually get to make 3 projects. I'll be holding the class at my place, and due to a lack of chairs (I really must do something about that!) I've decided that I'll only be able to offer 6 places. So it's going to be first in, best dressed!

Here's the details:

Trifold Card Class (& a bonus mystery card)

Date: Wednesday 20th June

Time: 7.30pm

Where: Central Coast, NSW (just send an email to higgiz@bigpond.com and I'll be happy to give you the address)

Cost: $12

So if you are anywhere on or near the Central Coast, NSW, please book your place and join me for a fun evening. Light refreshments will also be provided. You can either book by sending me an email to the above address, or by calling me on my mobile which is 0412 375 552.

Look forward to seeing some of you there!

Linda

PS In case anyone needs reminding, here's an example of a Trifold card that I posted a while back. They are really beautiful!



























Images Copyright 1990-2007 Stampin’ Up

Dont forget to Call in and Say Hi!

...At the Papercrafts Festival that is!

Today there was lots of interest and there was a crowd around our stand most of the day. The girls all had a wonderful day and everyone is really excited to get back there again tomorrow. So... if you have any spare time on the weekend (or if you dont, make an excuse) to drop in and say "Hi", we would love to see you!

Stampin'Up! is just a lovely company to work for. The products are awesome and the company looks after us so well! So come down and let us share that excitement with you! You'll get the chance to make a project with us, and we'll also be running demonstrations throughout the day. There'll be showbags, hourly door prizes and a daily raffle. But best of all, you can drop in and experience the pleasure of our company! LOL!

The papercraft festival will be open from 10am both Saturday and Sunday 2nd and 3rd June. Check out the official website for more details and directions too. Here it is:

http://www.papercraftsfestival.com.au/

If you cant be there, be sure to think of us! We're sure to be busy and all supportive thoughts sent our way will be much appreciated!

Happy Stamping Guys!

Linda