Using your Non-Christmas Stamps on Christmas Cards

I wanted to share another of the Christmas cards that we did at our Christmas Stamp a Stack this week. I have a "thing" about Christmas cards made with stamps that were not originally designed as Christmas stamps. Like this one. The set used is "Party Hearty" and really it's more of a Birthday/celebration stamp set. But if you use the right colours, those party hats can look remarkably like Christmas trees. If you want to use non-Christmas stamps, then getting the colours right makes all the difference.

Im not sure why that idea appeals to me. Maybe I just like a challenge.

I have the second Stamp-A-Stack coming up this coming Monday, but it's already full. If you would like to do one of these classes (where you get to make 6 Christmas cards for $15) I will be running at least one per month between now and Christmas (most months I will do two) and the details will be posted on my blog as they come up. I'll be announcing more classes in the next few days, so stay tuned.

Postponed Christmas class - now rescheduled to next Tuesday (23rd June 09)

What a cold wet week it's been around here! I have to say though that I am grateful for our lovely warm heated house - I dont mind winter so much when I can keep warm. Last night the weather was particularly appalling, and so I had some of my class attendees ring to say they would prefer not to go out last night - and I cant say that I blame them! So we decided between us all to reschedule last night's Stamp-A-Stack (where you make 6 Christmas cards for $15) to next Tuesday night at 7.30pm. So I do still have a few spots available, and if Tuesday night (23rd June) suits you then email me at higgiz@bigpond.com to reserve your spot.

You can see one of the cards we are making in the previous post.

Hope to see you!

Linda H

Christmas? What, already? Are you serious???

Yep, I most certainly am!

This year I have started my Christmas Stamp-a-Stacks earlier than usual - by popular demand. I have two this month - one day one and a night one, and the day one is already full.

The night one however, is not. I still have 3 spots left in my class tomorrow night, June 18. If you would like to get ahead with your Christmas cards this year, this is the night for you! You will make 6 Christmas cards - 3 each of 2 different designs - and by doing some of these nights between now and Christmas you should have quite a collection of cards by the time that Christmas rolls around. The card shown here is one of the cards we are making tomorrow night. (The other one is a surprise!) The cost to make the 6 cards and use all my stuff is $15.

So if you live on the Central Coast, NSW, (or are in driving distance) why not come along to tomorrow night's class? Just email me on 0412 375 552 to reserve your spot. I will give you the address details when you book in.

For anyone who is paying attention this card is also my answer to this week's Mojo Monday challenge. Here is the sketch:



Gotta love these challenges - they really help me come up with something new when it's required.

Hope to see you! :-)

Sur-prise! Having your cake and eating it too...

.... Or not, in this case. It certainly looked good enough to eat, but it was way better than a real cake in so many ways, and with far less calories. Isnt it just divine? It was put together by the most wonderful group of friends for my birthday a week ago, made with love by Jayne, and then each slice of cake was filled with all manner of SU goodies - buttons, felt flowers, brads, ribbons, clips, pretties pearls etc etc!!! How lucky am I? All these gifts were given to me by Jayne, Ness, Sharon, Cheryl and Georgina - who had all travelled (some with their entire families) to Wollongong (a long way) to be with me for my birthday - and I had no idea that they would be there.

It's originally all Ness's fault. It had been her birthday shortly beforehand, and so when we had planned a long weekend for myself and the kids in Wollongong, she had mentioned that they were going out for her birthday dinner on the Saturday night, and would we like to join them? Of course we would! Little did I know that she had been busily hatching a "cunning plan" behind my back!

As we were arriving on the Saturday night, and walking through the door of the restaurant, she said casually... you might recognize a couple of people. The first person I saw was Cheryl (who is in my downline team) and her husband... and then I saw Georgina (my upline) and that's when the penny dropped. Of course I did what any normal overwhelmed person would do... I burst into tears - and cried my eyes out on Ness' shoulder. It was a wonderful night.

Here's the thing. I cannot believe the kindness shown to me by so many people in recent weeks and months. I am more grateful than you will ever know. If you had told me when I first joined SU that the community between demonstrators would be like this, I would not have believed you. Papercrafters are amazingly kind and big-hearted people - that's one of the reasons we do what we do in the first place. And put us all together and something amazing happens. The kindness of customers and other demonstrators has amazed me over and over.

You guys will never know how much this has all meant to me, and will continue to mean over the coming months and I am guessing, years. I feel so lucky in so many ways. Thankyou so much!

Mojo Monday #90

Hello again... I really enjoy taking part in various challenges - and Mojo Monday is one of my favourites. When inspiration strikes for one of these challenges, you pretty much have to do it straight away.

So here is this week's Mojo Monday sketch that I followed:



It's not something I would ever have come up with by myself... but I was still amazed by how quickly the card came together - it's a relatively simple card I guess. Here's what I used:

Cardstock: Kraft, Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla

Stamps: Circle Circus, On Your Birthday

Ink: Not Quite Navy

Accessories: Bella Bleu DSP, Scallop Circle Punch, 1&1/4" Circle Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Build-a-Brad (Pewter), Silver Brads, Dimensionals.

To order any of these products for yourself, or to attend a class or workshop please contact me at higgiz@bigpond.com

And here's a close up so that you can see the Build-A-Brad in the centre of the embellishment at the top. I love Build-A-Brad - they are so cute!

Fifth Ave Floral Class this Wednesday 10th June 2009

I wanted to show you some pictures of the projects we are making this Wednesday at the Fifth Ave Floral project class. At the time of writing this I still have some places left... so please let me know ASAP if you would like to join us and I will book you in. Just email me at higgiz@bigpond.com to reserve your place.

This card and card-holder package would make a lovely gift - or could just be something beautiful that you keep for yourself. In fact I have given one of these packs to a girlfriend of mine just this morning - it made a beautiful birthday gift. At this class you'll make 4 cards and the Double Pocket card holder. I have to make a special mention of the Basic Gray card on the far right hand side of the top picture... it was given to me by the lovely Sharon Davis for my birthday - how lucky am I? So I have asked her permission to use it for the class as it was such a beautiful card that I couldnt NOT share it with my customers. Thank you Sharon!

Here are the class details if you would like to come:

When: 7.30pm 10th June
Where: Narara, Central Coast, NSW
Cost: $20
All materials and a light supper provided.

Sorry about the photo quality... Im actually away at the moment, and so it's not photographed in my usual spot for taking photos. If I get time I'll update the photos when I come home.

Here's a couple of the cards that you will make:



And this one:

Something Different - Cheep Talk Panorama Card

I will have some more photos for you over the next couple of days... I had the most wonderful surprise last night when some of my beautiful friends surprised me for my birthday - how lucky am I? And wait til you see the cake... I promise to take a photo and show you - you'll love it!

This weekend I am staying at my gorgeous friends Vanessa and Simon's house down in Wollongong, and I woke up this morning and saw a birthday card for her daughter Phoebe. It was done with Noah's Ark images, but I thought it would be cool done with "Cheep Talk". So here's my first attempt at what I am calling my Trifold Panorama Card. It was actually really easy and fun to do... and shows off this great set really well.

The following picture shows off the fold a bit better. Hope you like it.

My latest Mojo Monday attempt

Every now and then I love to participate in the Mojo Monday challenges... they get me inspired to try something different, and then I usually have another card that I can use at workshops or classes as well. So it's a great way to get those creative juices flowing - in fact if you ever have trouble finding inspiration, then I recommend you try using a sketch - whether it's the Mojo MOnday ones, or one of literally hundreds that you can find online.

Here was this week's Mojo Monday sketch:



And here is my card:



For this one I used the Urban Oasis Designer series paper. The cardstock is Kraft, Kiwi Kiss, Basic Gray and Very Vanilla. The sentiment is from the "Occasional Greetings" stamp set. Finally I have used Filigree and Silver Brads, and Kiwi Kiss Satin ribbon. Like it?

And whilst I am on the subject of challenges, I also did another challenge for the Elite Challenge Blog today. You can find it here. This is actually one of the cards that I am doing in next week's Fifth Ave Floral project class, so if you would like to join us for that one, please email me at higgiz@bigpond.com to book your place.

SU June and July promotion - EXTRA HOSTESS BENEFITS!

If you've been thinking about having yourself a Stampin'Up workshop, then now is a great time to book that in with me. If you hold a Stampin'Up workshop in June or July 2009, and sales reach over $600 (and that's not hard!) then you will receive an additional $40 to spend on product of your choice. That would mean that you would receive a minimum of $110 to spend (as well as either a free Level 1 or Level 2 stamp set)... how cool is that? See your Idea Book and Catalogue for more details re the benefits available - or click over on the right hand sidebar where you see the picture of the catalgoue. So NOW is the time to book your workshop in.

Here are a few Frequently Asked Questions about holding a workshop with me:

Q: What do we actually do at a workshop?
A: Everyone who comes will receive a pack of materials for them to make 2 projects - the projects themselves will vary, but everyone will go home with something that they have created themselves. As a demonstrator it's my job to teach everyone, included people who have never done papercraft before, how to make our gorgeous cards and other items. So it's a great way to connect with your creative side, but also to socialize and enjoy each other's company.

Q: How many people should I have at my workshop?
A: The answer is as many as are comfortable around your dining table. The ideal number is 6-8 in my experience, but of course sometimes groups are smaller than this, and sometimes they are larger. But you dont need many people in order to have an enjoyable afternoon/night - and to earn yourself some great benefits along the way.

Q: When should I have my workshop?
A: To get in on this special you will need to book into June or July, but anytime is a good time really. Saturday afternoons tend to book out quickly, but I can also do some week nights, and on occasion I can do a Sunday afternoon. If you would like to book a workshop, email me at higgiz@bigpond.com and I'll grab my diary and we will work out a date that is good for us both.

Q: How can I enjure that my workshop will be successful?
A: Good attendence is obviously a key to a good workshop - I provide invitations if you wish to use them and you should invite more people than you actually think will come, as not everyone can always attend. Make sure you follow up the invites with a quick phone call several days later - it makes it easier to confirm numbers, and also to remind anyone who has forgotten. I will contact you a few days before the workshop to get an idea of numbers so that I can prepare the materials.
The other thing that will make a huge difference to your workshop success is to have some outside orders on the day. Not everyone can come usually, so when you book your workshop you will receive a free Idea Book & Catalogue from me, and you can show it to people. Even if they cant come, they may still wish to place an order. This will boost your sales figures at your workshop, getting you closer to that magic $600 figure, to make the most of this promotion.

Q: What do I need to prepare?
A: In reality there is not much preparation required on your part after you have invited and reminded your guests. For the workshop I will need a table - kitchen or dining room tables are best, but even a coffee table can be used if that's what you've got. As your guests will be getting creative, remember that they will need some room to work. I will provide all the materials for the projects. It is usually nice for everyone to enjoy a cuppa at some point too, and sometimes people will have some bikkies or snacks, but please dont feel that you need to go over the top... simple is good and no-one expects you to be a Master Chef. (A packet of Tim Tams or similar usually hits the spot).

Q: How do we pay for our products?
A: There are several payment options - cash, Direct Deposit, MasterCard or Visa, although my preference is Credit Card. But any of those are fine.

Q: How long does it take for Orders to arrive?
A: Please allow 7 business days after all completed orders are processed for delivery of your products. The date that orders are processed will however depend on how quickly the money is received for the orders... generally I am unable to process the order until payment is received. (Which is why I prefer Credit Card).


Well that should answer some of your questions. If you are not close to the Central Coast area, and would like to host a workshop, please still let me know.. if I am not able to do it myself I am only too happy to put you in touch with a demonstrator in your area. If you've never had an SU workshop before, do try it, because they are heaps of fun... and if you havent had one for a while, now is a great time to jump into it and do it.

(And I've popped a card here for you today - it's a male card that I did at a couple of my workshops last month.. enjoy! Dont Baha Breeze, Basic Gray and Black look good together?)