Some more Last Minute Christmas Gifts

These are this year's bottle tags... I made them up with the Petite Pocket Die, and added some simple decorations. The little heart Decoration and Candy Cane I purchased elsewhere but all the rest is Stampin'Up product... oh except for the bottle of wine! Have to say I am really pleased with how they turned out... I included them in the projects at the recent Christmas Gift Class.

Sometimes it's the simple things that make the best presents...

Happy Christmas Eve everyone!!!

Handmade Gift Ideas

I've been busy of late making quite a few gifts for friends... for both Christmas and birthdays. I'll try to show you a few of them over the next week or two. Today's is actually a gift I made for a friend... so simple and yet so effective! You really cant go wrong with the Mocha Morning paper. I removed the glass so that the butterflies' wings could be popped up higher, and added half-back pearls in the centre of each butterfly.

This was actually one of our projects at my recent Christmas gift class... and as far as I know everyone enjoyed making it, and loved the result. A few of my participants told me there wont be giving it away, but prefer to keep it for themselves...:-)

I used the same idea for the other project (the one you see below)... it's just a different kind of frame. They look great though don't you think?

If you are looking for a quick and easy but effective gift, I would recommend these. You will just need the mocha morning paper, vellum, butterfly die and of course a frame. Decorate to your heart's content. xx

Those tricky Masculine cards

There is a belief out there that cards for men are tricky to do. Actually I think that if you have the right stamp set, and the right colours, then it becomes relatively easy. Add some twine for texture, or some metal for strength.... and the job becomes even easier.

With the release of our Summer Mini this month we have the awesome stamp set called "The Open Sea" which is great for guys. And to streamline it even further, there is a matching Patterned paper pack :-) How simple is that? And today's card shows them off beautifully.

In fact this is one of the projects from my Mini Launch... I have two launch events... one tonight (13th December @ 7.30pm) and one tomorrow (14th December @ 11am). I can squeeze one or two people in to each if you have a spare few hours to get creative.

To place an order to be back before Christmas (I am placing my last orders this week) or to book in for the launch, please email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com

I am also doing beautiful gift vouchers (value of your choice) if you have crafty friends in need of Christmas gifts... take the hassle out of deciding what to get, and just get them a gift voucher. :-)

Linda xx

Our last Stamp Club Project for 2011

In 2011 I ran 3 different stamp clubs. Two day clubs and one night club. (These are different to the Big Shot clubs which are virtual clubs....I'll be starting new Big Shot clubs in the new year) In a Stamp club we actually get together to make a different project each time. I love them for a few reasons... for example they are a good source of regular income for me, and we get the chance to make a project each time that is a step above what I would be prepared to do as a normal workshop project.

But for me the very best thing about Stamp Club is that I really get to know each club member a lot better, and I also have the privilege of watching some really lovely friendships form in each group. Pretty much every year I have seen tentative quiet groups at the beginning of the year, and as the year progresses, the groups tend to get a bit louder as they relax and become more comfortable with each other.

Around this time of each year I start looking for expressions of interest from those people that would like to be in a club. This year all my groups have decided to continue on into 2012, although there are a couple of members that are unable to continue due to other life stuff. So I am looking to fill those spots, and if there is enough interest, then I will also start more groups.

So what is Stamp Club all about? They are run either monthly for a minimum of 6 months, or Bi-monthly for 12 months. We need 6 members to begin. At each get-together all members place an order which is at least $50(rrp) in value, meaning that we always have an order value of at least $300 each time. Each member takes their turn at being the hostess. So when you are the hostess, you get the hostess benefits that month, which is a minumum of $50 (in free products of your choice. Hostesses are allocated in the order that they join the club. For the day club, the hostess also brings along lunch for us to share, and for the evening club, the hostess brings supper. Clubs are held on the Central Coast of NSW, and I hold them in my home.

Having run these clubs for several years now, I can tell you they are one of my favorite things about being a demonstrator. If you think that being in a club is for you, please email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com I will be starting new clubs in the new year.

The card you see on this page is the most recent project I made with Stamp Club... its a "Centre Step card" and I was inspired to make it after seeing a similar idea in one of our Demonstrator magazines. As far as I know everyone liked it. :-) We don't always make cards.. this year the clubs have done some great 3D projects as well. I do hope that you enjoy this one though, and I am really excited to find lots of new projects to share with my club groups in 2012.

Card No. 2 for this Friday night's Stamp-a-Stack

Just a quick post to show you the second card we are making for this Friday night's class (9th December 2011). It's really a very simple card.. but I've used the new glimmer paper on it for bit of impact! :-) I was inspired here by a card I saw on Patty Bennett's blog in the US.

You can see that I've used the red glimmer paper, and also the silver... but if it looks a bit greenish.. thats because I've coloured it to suit my card. I'll be showing you how to colour the silver Glimmer paper to suit whatever project you are working on.. doesn't it look cute?

If you would like to join us I do have a couple of spots left. At this class you will make 6 Christmas cards (3 each of 2 different designs) for a cost of $15. All materials and light refreshments are provided. Classes are held on the Central Coast of NSW.. so if you would like a night out to be creative, and make some handmade Christmas cards, please just email me at lindastamps@bigpond.com and I can give you all the details.

Please note that this is my very last SAS of the year. Other events are listed on the right hand side-bar of my blog. I hope to see you at one of my classes soon :-)

Birthday Boxes

Last weekend we belatedly celebrated Ben's birthday with a pool party. I made the decision to just invite all his kindy class mates... this is the only time I will be able to get away with that as Im sure politics will set in over the next couple of years. Luckily this is an age where they are a lot more accepting, don't you think?

The party went really smoothly, and all the reports were good. Ben's words were "This is the best day of my life!" So I would say that's worth it wouldn't you? At the end of the day, I gave out lolly boxes for his friends, and I thought you'd like to see them. I made 20 boxes on the day in under an hour - gotta love the Big Shot Machine for that! :-)

December Specials for you!

Here we go with two great new promotions coming your way:

1. Our new Summer Mini Catalogue is here! Click HERE to view it online. And dont forget that I am running two Mini Catalogue launches this month - a day event and an evening event. I do at this point have spots left in both. Over the coming days I will be showing you some great projects using some of our new Mini Products! I love getting to play with new stuff!

2. December Frenzy is now svailable for you too. Some items on the list are marked down by up to 50%... woo hoo! And just in time for your Christmas shopping. :-) Click HERE to see which items are on special. To order any of our great specials this month all you need to do is to email your order me at lindastamps@bigpond.com It's that easy! I accept credit card or direct deposit, and I can have your order sent to you anywhere in Australia for a small postage charge.

I have lots to show you in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!