Sad News

Images Copyright 1990-2007 Stampin’ Up!

Hello everyone,

Some of you would already know this, but very sadly we lost our General Manager of Stampin'Up Australia, Dave Abbott, last Thursday. Dave had been sick and in and out of hospital for most of this year, having fallen ill towards the end of last year. I only had the opportunity to meet Dave once, at our Convention in May, but from that meeting and from other communications that he sent out to us from time to time, I can tell you that he was an amazing person. At Convention we knew he was very ill... when he gave out the awards at our Awards Dinner he did so sitting down, as he was too weak to stand throughout the proceedings. But he told us he was honoured to be there, and wouldnt have missed it for the world. When he became even more unwell not long after Convention many of us sent him cards and good wishes. He actually took the time to compose an email to reply to us, to thank us for the cards, and to tell us how he was going to beat "this thing". Sadly that was not to be. But he fought his illness for almost a year, and remained interested and involved with the Australian Stampin'Up demonstrators throughout this time. I feel humbled and so very proud of what he has done for us.
The saddest part of this is that Dave leaves behind a wife and young family (3 children). Some of the demonstrators in our team attended his funeral yesterday, and Im told it was a beautiful service. My thoughts are with his family, and also with the demonstrators who knew Dave better than I, and who had been touched by his kindness. Dave was only 41.
Above is the card that I will be sending to them. Sympathy cards are not always easy, although I have to say that I didnt find this one difficult. It's funny how sometimes an idea and colours and design just seem to come to you. I've used the SU Wild Rose set here, with the French Script background. The sentiment is from the All Year Cheer 1 set.
Im so proud to work with Stampin'Up... they are doing something really lovely for Dave's family. The following post is taken directly from the SU demonstrator website:

"In Dave's honour, we're setting up a fund to help his family through this difficult time. During the month of November, we're releasing the All in the Family stamp set for sale in all our markets. All proceeds from the sale of this set during this time will directly benefit Dave's wife and three children. Please look for further communication soon regarding this opportunity to help Dave's family.

Dave, thank you for all that you taught us. You will be greatly missed."

When I have more details about the Stamp Set I will let you all know.


Linda

And the winner of the Punch Challenge is....

Thanks so much everyone for your entries in the little competition I held this week. I loved getting lots of emails and comments and it was so much fun that I think I'll have to do another one really soon... Hmmm what can I give away this time? I'll have a little think and post something new...

In the meantime I need to announce this week's winner. Congratulations go to....

Robyn Little

Robyn, if you would like to contact me at higgiz@ bigpond.com and I'll get your details and organise to send you your prize. You also need to let me know which inkpad colour or Punch you would like to get, so you might need to have a little think about it!

So what was the correct answer? I used the Slit Punch under the ribbon, the Word Window Punch at top left for the Words, and the Round Tab Punch to make the large circle for the Dragonfly. Would you believe that I had nearly 30 entries for this little comp, but only 8 people guessed correctly. See, I told you it might not be what you think! :)

So here's a quick little tutorial on how to get the Round Tab Punch to make a large circle...

1. Position your Round Tab Punch where you want your circle to be. (Note that when you are punching it's always a good idea to hold the punch upside down... that way you can see exactly where you are punching and line it up perfectly)






















2. Now turn your punch (or paper) so that you now have the punch at right angles to where you originally punched, line the curve of the punch carefully up with the first punched outline and punch again...

















3. Voila! You now have a large circle which is bigger than any of the standard circle punches available from SU. I've used this a few times lately and it is very cool :)




I hope you all enjoyed this challenge! I did :) Now that you know how, you'll have to get your Round Tab Punches to work! (Did you also know that the Round Tab Punch can be used to make brackets and parenthesis?)

Happy Stamping!

Linda H

How cute is this?

Images Copyright 1990-2007 Stampin’ Up!


I love papercraft! There is no limit to what you can do with it. I am originally a scrapbooker who kind of got into making cards as well... after all, I had all the materials and it helped me justify my habit to my husband..."But Look honey, we save so much money on buying cards!" LOL! But actually that's not a complete lie... Cards are expensive! And I love the effect that sending a card can have on someone... so many times I've heard people say that a card brought a smile to their face when they really needed it. So I believe the in the power of a little card sent at the right time.

But I wanted to show you something different. Lately I've had the opportunity to make boxes and wallets and here is a simple little Card Tote bag. It's just the right size to stash your A5 cards, and I've been making them to match so they make a great gift too. This one features this month's promo set "Looks like Spring" (see the post of Monday 1st October for the details) and was quick and easy to make. I also made these with a couple of workshop groups lately and they LOVED them. I hope you love them too.

Enjoy!

Linda H

PS Dont forget that the Punch Challenge (see previous post) ends tomorrow so get those entries in to have your chance at winning!

Coolness Galore and a Little Competition!

Images Copyright 1990-2007 Stampin’ Up!


If you are after some beautiful card and papercraft ideas, a wonderful place to visit is the Elite Challenge Blog (you can find the link over on the right hand side of this page). "Elite Stampers" are the downlines or team of Angela Sargeant. Angela joined with Stampin'Up on the very first day that they opened for business in Australia, and she now looks after a great big team of us! Another of the girls that signed up under Angela, Alisa Tilsner, was responsible for setting up the Elite Challenges blog as a team challenge site. Alisa posts challenges for us to do if we wish... sometimes they are colour challenges, or perhaps Sketch challenges, or sometimes we'll be challenged to use a particular SU stamp set. Each month there are new challenges to attempt and I've now had a go at several of them.
The card you see above is my attempt at the latest colour challenge. The colours we were given to use were Tempting Turquoise, Cool Carribean and Green Galore. So the challenge is called "Coolness Galore". I've used Cool Carribean cardstock as a base, and then used Tempting turquoise ink, and matted the main Paisley image in Green Galore. The main dragonfly image is stamped in Black ink on Vellum paper, and I've used the watercolour crayons to colour in the reverse side of the vellum. (The technique is called "Stained Glass")
I think the work on the Elite Challenge Blog is just beautiful, and I am honoured to be a member of the team. Take a look at the blog, who knows, maybe you'll feel challenged to create something wonderful yourself?

So here's a little challenge for you. I've used 3 different SU punches to create this card. Who can tell me which ones? It might not be what you think! You can either comment on this post to provide your answer, or you can email it to me at higgiz@bigpond.com All the correct answers will be put into a hat and the winner will be drawn out on Sundey 21st October. The winner can choose any small sized punch (valued at up to $13.50) or a free Classic inkpad in any colour they choose. You can be located anywhere (you dont have to be in Australia) but the competition is not open to SU demonstrators... Sorry girls!

Enjoy!

Linda

Edited to add: I will only be able to give away the small sized punches or inkpads as available in Australia... that is, if it's in the Aussie catalogue then I am happy to offer it as a prize. Some colours that are available in the US are not in the current Australian catalogue - for example the current "In Color" range is different in the States. I noticed one of the entries is hoping to win a Wild Wasabi inkpad... but we dont have that one here...Sorry! (I hope we will get it next year because it's a yummy colour!) You can view the Australian catalogue by going to www.stampinup.com and then clicking on the Australian flag. I am happy to offer any of the Classic inkpads ($9.95au) or small sized punches (up to $13.50au) Great to see all the entries coming in... and good luck guys!

Save 20% to honour World Card Making Day

Images Copyright 1990-2007 Stampin’ Up!


Yep, there really is such a thing! The actual day falls on the 6th October, so to celebrate it in style, Stampin'Up are offering a fantastic 20% off the Simply Sent Card Kits. But the 20% off will only be available for 4 days from the 4th to the 8th October. You will find these kits on Pages 18-20 of your 2007-2008 Idea Book and Catalogue, or you can click Here and view the catalogue for a look at the 4 different packs available.
These kits make the most wonderful gifts, and are also great for people who would like to get started with Cardmaking but dont have a lot of materials to get started. Everything you need to make 10 cards is included... stamp set, ink, glue, cardstock (already cut to size) and other embellishments such as buttons, ribbons, or crayons - depending on the pack you choose. Full instructions are included, and it all comes to you packaged in a gorgeous little box. (Im a sucker for anything in boxes or tins... why is that exactly?) Once you've made your 10 cards you will still have the ink and stamps so you still have the tools to create other cards, all you will need is some cardstock.

My big girl is 5!!!

On a personal note, my eldest is celebrating her 5th birthday today! This morning she came (early as per usual) into our bedroom and announced "Guess What everyone.... Im 5!!!". The presents were on the end of our bed and she squealed and did a little dance. When she answered the phone after breakfast she answered with "Five year old Emma Speaking". Dont you remember the days when you were THAT excited about birthdays??? I asked my hubby today what it would take for him to get them excited about birthdays again. His answer was "a Flat screen TV". Hmmmm, it seems that we need to spend a lot more money now to get that kind of a result.

Anyway... Happy Birthday Emma! We hope that you have the best birthday EVER!

Love Mummy!

Looks like a Spring Promotion...

Images Copyright 1990-2007 Stampin’ Up!


Hey everyone!

Firstly I wanted to say thank you to all those people who took part in the Blog workshop I held here last month. It was a big success and everyone seemed really happy with the freebies they will be receiving. I had fewer workshops last month due to lots of family goings on, so it was great to be able to recover some ground with the orders received here. I feel really lucky to have so many wonderful customers and I enjoy your comments so much, so a great big THANK YOU from me. And whilst I'm talking about this, you might remember that I mentioned that the largest order would also receive a free inkpad.... Congratulations to Beth Lane! Beth, I'll contact you in the next couple of days to find out what colour you would like. I get such a buzz out of giving away free stuff... how exciting!

Now, here's what's new. For their October promotion, Stampin'Up have announced a timely offer on the "Looks like Spring" stamp set. That's what I've used on this card above... and Im guessing you'll be seeing a lot of this stamp set over the next few weeks! I also used the matching Spring Bouquet Punch (yep, you stamp the little flowers and then punch them out precisely with the matching punch - a fantastic way to get lots of little flowers for your cards or layouts and NO CUTTING involved... gotta love that!) AND I also used the matching Spring Showers Double-Sided Patterned Paper. The ink is Chocolate Chip, on Choc chip cardstock.

So what exactly is the promo? When you purchase the Looks like Spring stamp set (Set of 6 stamps for $57.95rrp) and the matching Spring Bouquet punch ($30.95 rrp) you will receive one of your choice of the 2 matching patterend paper packs ($16.95 rrp). AND as a special offer to readers of this blog, the first 3 people to order this great set will ALSO RECEIVE A FREE CLASSIC INKPAD - colour of your choice ($9.95 rrp) That's $26.90 value - free if you order right here on the blog. To take up this great offer, email me at higgiz@bigpond.com - or click on the "Order" link on the top right of this page.
Click here for a better look at the patterned paper or Here

Enjoy the card :)

Linda