Happy Birthday Benjamin

My youngest turned 3 today... how amazing is that? I thought I would show you the card I made for him. Ok, so maybe he doesn't appreciate the intricacies of card-making at this point in his life (and let's face it, he's male - so he will probably never get it. I know that's a generalization, and my apologies to all you male card-makers - I know there are a few of you out there!). But all that aside... didnt this card come up cute? I have always loved this set, but have never actually owned it, so I borrowed it from my beautiful friend and fellow demonstrator Alex last week knowing that Ben's birthday was coming up. He had a lovely day... we had spider cupcakes (as you do) and he got to pick his favourite meal tonight (Tacos). Last night we went out for a birthday dinner with Nanna and Poppy (visiting from Port Macquarie). He received some lovely gifts and told everyone who would listen that he is now 3 (with 3 fingers extended). I just cant believe that he is 3 - he is still my baby boy.

Well that's it. All our family birthdays done for another year.

Next is... Christmas. Aaaaargh - I need to really get stuck into my Christmas card-making if Im going to make it!

Dont forget that if you need to stock up on any Christmas cardstock, ribbons, patterned paper, inks, stamps - or anything else that you need for your cards, you can get them all right here... click here to see a catalogue, or contact me at higgiz@bigpond.com or ring me on 0412 375 552

Happy papercrafting!

Pink for a Reason

For anyone out there who has been hiding under a rock, this past month has been looking a bit on the pink side. And for a good reason... October is the month that we set aside to raise awareness of Cancer in our society, and in particular breast cancer. And of course to raise money to assist with the research on the disease. Today, October 27, is offically "Pink Ribbon Day". One of the local radio stations was today broadcasting from the Brian McGowan Bridge here in Gosford NSW, and they called for Central Coast women to donate their old bras to then be strung up along the bridge. They ended up with enough bras to reach right across the bridge - so anyone driving along the Central Coast Highway this morning would have noticed hundreds of bras lining their way! What a fantastic effort raising awareness for such a great cause!

Of course many of you would have been aware that I have also been raising money this month for the Cancer Council, and I am really happy with the total. I wanted to raise $200, and I am happy to say that we made it! Thank you everyone for your kind donations! I haven't closed it off yet though, so if you still want to donate, I am keeping it open until the end of the month. The easiest way to donate is to follow this link:

http://nsw.cancercouncilfundraising.org.au/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=56764

and fill in the online form. Or of course you can contact me at higgiz@bigpond.com and we can work out another way to do it - cash or bank deposit both work well.

And finally I wanted to post the progress of my own Mum, who was diagnosed with Non-Hodgekins Lymphoma at the end of last year. Many of you knew that she was originally given 6-12 months to live, that was if she didnt have Chemotherapy. But she did decide to have the Chemo earlier this year, and it was pretty terrible - it really knocked her around. This month she had her first scan since the chemo and has now been officially declared in "Remission". It has been such a relief for everyone! So that is my very happy news to tell you all - so many people have asked me how she is going, and so it's great to be able to share some good news with you.

So I am keeping with the large number of pink projects that I've been posting lately. Here's another one for you!

Enjoy!

Even More Pink

Some of you might remember that I did those cute coathangers and babysuit cards for my friend Margy's baby shower a couple of weeks ago (scroll down to see them). Well we only just made it in the nick of time because only 3 days after the baby shower Margy and Wayne welcomed little Lilli Claire to the world. I guess she will be needing all those coathangers (the guests at her baby shower made one each for her - 15 altogether) a little earlier than we thought!

Here's the card I made for her, using the All in The Family stamp set and Berry Bliss paper. Very simple, but I thought it was pretty cute. Hope you do too.

Linda H
0412 375 552
www.lhiggins.blogspot.com

Getting Ready for Christmas

I know, I know, none of us want to think about Christmas just yet. Truth is though, it's only a couple of months down the track, and if you have grand plans to make your own Christmas cards, then now is the time to get started (if you havent already). It certainly saves that last-minute panic!

I have lots of Christmas card ideas for you. You'll find some of them right here on my blog - like this one at the top of this post. But if you have trouble finding the time to do Christmas cards, then I would suggest that you block out an evening or day to get started. Or get together with some friends as a social occasion - and make it a card-making night. Or, come to one of my Christmas Stamp-A-Stacks - it means that you are setting aside a night to just concentrate on Chrissy cards. We make 6 cards (3 each of 2 designs) and that's a great way to get going. I will be offering several of these nights in the next few weeks, so here's a few dates to get you started:

Monday 20th October 7.30p0m
Monday 3rd November 7.30pm
Tuesday 11th November 7.30pm

There are other events and classes coming up, so please check my right-hand side bar to see them (You'll need to click into the actual blog if you are reading this information via my email updates)

To book into a class, just email me at higgiz@bigpond.com

Hope to see you at one of my classes soon!

Linda H

Birthday Specials

Thought you might like to see a card that I came up with today using one of the special promotion sets this month. It's the Pretty Princess stamp set, and I've made quite a few cards with it lately. (My daughter also turned 6 this month - guess which stamp set I used ;-)

Anyways I was having a play with my Markers and an aquapainter this morning - doesn't she come up beautifully when she is watercoloured? And that's just white gel pen used in the flower centres on the Background - it made all the difference to the card.

Normally this set of 7 stamps is $45.95, but this month only you'll be able to get it for $36.76 when you make any $20 purchase. That's 20% off! And it's not the only set on offer. To see what other sets are available click here. Or email me at higgiz@bigpond.com for a copy of the colour flyer.

Hope you like the card. It was really fun to make.

World Card Making Day tomorrow 8th October - Come and support the Cancer Council

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow, Wednesday 8th October, is the day that I would love you to come to my World Card Making day event. I am using it to raise money for the Cancer Council. You've heard of the "Girls Night In" program that the Cancer Council runs each October... well I thought why not have a "Girl's Day In" and do what we love the most - make stuff! So I have cut up several different card designs for you guys to stamp and assemble (you can see some of the finished cards up above), and I am hoping that you will come along and enjoy some company and stamping with me. I will be asking for donations for the Cancer council - although I have suggested $10, you can make this amount any that suits you to make.

My aim is to raise at least $200. I have started the ball rolling by donating online myself at:

http://nsw.cancercouncilfundraising.org.au/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=56764

Its so easy to do online, and you are welcome to do it this way too. A receipt will be issued to you by email straightaway for tax purposes. Otherwise, bring a little cash with you tomorrow and I will be happy to organize a receipt for you. All donations are tax deductable. If you are unable to attend, but would like to donate, then the online donation page is the way to do it.

In case anyone is interested to know why I am supporting this cause you may not know that my Mum has Non-hodgkins Lymphoma which was diagnosed just before Christmas last year. So it's a cause close to my heart.

We will kick off at 10.30am tomorrow. I will have refreshments provided, but feel free to bring a plate if you feel so inclined. Email me at higgiz@bigpond.com if you would like my home address details - I'm on the NSW Central Coast. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

:-)



PS The two cards on the left in the picture above are based on the designs in the Simply Sent kit "Sending Happy Thoughts", whilst the blue one on the right features the "Short and Sweet" stamp set. It was inspired by a card I spotted on Jayne Mercer's blog - thank you Jayne for the inspiration. All these products are currently on special to celebrate either World Card Making Day, or SU!'s 20 year anniversary. Remember that I will be donating 10% of any sales from tomorrow's event to the Cancer Council too. And at 20% off these are really good value for you too. Enjoy!

It's our Birthday...

.... and we're throwing a party! From 1st - 31st October Stampin'Up are celebrating 20 years in business by offering a 20% off special on selected celebration sets. To see that sets that are on offer click here. To take advantage of the special you only need to spend $20. (And we all know how hard that is to do! ;-)

I am lucky enough to own a couple of these sets so I will be using them extensively during the month of October at my workshops.

Also I should tell you that during October my husband is travelling quite a lot for his job, so I haven't been able to schedule many night classes this month. I do have a couple of day events coming up though - see over on the right-hand side bar to see what is on.

The next thing coming up is this Wednesday - Come and make a card to raise money for the Cancer Council. It will run at my house between 10.30am and 2.30pm and you can make a card, and have a cuppa. I will asking people who come to donate $10 to the Cancer Council. And I will be donating 10% of any sales made on the day. There will also be discounts on selected products. Email me at higgiz@bigpond.com if you would like my address.

If you cant make it but would still like to donate please go to my Cancer Council website :

http://nsw.cancercouncilfundraising.org.au/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=56764

Thank you so much for your support. It's so great to be able to contribute something for this great cause.

In the meantime enjoy this little Card holder that I put together. It's based on the template of the one that we made recently at our Regional Training Day. Cute isnt it?

Hope to see some of you on Wednesday.

Linda H