Gee I am good at this business promotion stuff

What I should have added to my last Stamp-A-Stack post, was what they actually are!!

A Stamp-A-Stack is an alternative to the usual Stampin’ Up!® workshop - instead of watching and listening to me waffle on the whole time and making one card for free at the end, each guest makes 10 cards (5 each of two designs usually) for the price of $15. All the cardstock is precut and ready to stamp and assemble, and 10 Stampin’ Up!® envelopes can also be purchased, for an extra $2.50 - these can also be stamped on if you like, to make them coordinate with your cards!

Sooo if you’d like to try one out just let me know! Email me or give me a call on the mobile 0403 023 707. I can travel as far as Melbourne or Bendigo, and I’ve even been across to Wandong! I also have downlines in Ballarat, Sunbury and Lilydale so one of us can help you out if you live out that way too.

I should also add that if you’re interested in signing up as an Independent Demonstrator for Stampin’ Up!® yourself….. well I’m happy to help out, and I would LOVE especially to add some interstate members to my team, which is always expanding! I have enquiries from other states for demonstrations, and I would love love love to be able to refer these to members of my own team!

Contact me, again via email or mobile 0403 023 707 and I’ll send out a Recruit Package with DVD and all the information you’ll need - being a demonstrator is a load of fun (and you get your STUFF at a discount! ).

Just thought I’d share some simple cards I’m preparing for a Stamp-A-Stack tomorrow morning…

They’re pretty monochromatic for the most part, using a retiring set called Baby Talk - I’ve used Pretty in Pink and Bashful Blue cardstock and inks, with matching brads and gingham ribbons. I’m planning on taking along my Tidy Alphabet, so the guests can stamp out names to personalise the cards.

The girlie version… 

[photopress:Yeah_its_a_girl.JPG,full,pp_empty]

And for the boys…

[photopress:Bundle_of_Boy.JPG,full,pp_empty]

And I’ve got the bases covered for those who aren’t interested in making baby cards - using exactly the same supplies they can make something like this instead, and stamp whatever greeting they like - I’m taking along It’s Your Birthday, Much Appreciated and All Year Cheer I for them to choose from.

This uses the flower from Petal Prints as the main image, and a background from Beyond the Basics.

[photopress:etal_prints_thinking_of_you.JPG,full,pp_empty]

The second card design is using a set from the upcoming 2007-2008 Idea Book & Catalogue, called Seeing Spots. All Australian demonstrators were sent this set as a gift in January - what an awesome company Stampin’ Up! is!! Colours are Mellow Moss, Perfect Plum and Pretty in Pink.

[photopress:Seeing_Spots_Thankyou.JPG,full,pp_empty]

They’re simple, but that means quick too. Hope they like them!

Hi again, fourth and final post for the day I promise!!

With the help of Wonder Webgirl Gabbie, I *think* my readers can now subscribe to the blog, to get email updates of when I post something new (thanks for the suggestion Elizabeth!).

So bung your email address in the form on the right ——————>

then hit ‘Subscribe me’. You can unsubscribe anytime if you change your mind or are bored witless by my postings

Final step…. keep your fingers crossed and hope this works!

Stampin’ Up! are launching in New Zealand on the 2nd of April!

They are running a referral program, so if you have a friend or family member in New Zealand, who is interested in joining Stampin’ Up! please email me! If they purchase a New Zealand starter kit before April 9th, we both receive a free stamp set from the 2007-2008 Idea Book & Catalogue, if I send in a referral for them. Ask them to email me at jenni.oliver@hotkey.net.au and I can get the ball rolling. (The new demonstrator’s starter kit form, independent demonstrator agreement and independent demonstrator application - available on the New Zealand Customer Website - must be received by the Australian office no later than 9th April to qualify for the free set).

So what’s in it for you?? Well….. if your NZ friend or family member does sign up before 9th April via this referral program, you can choose a stamp set or accessories up to the value of $30, on me, but they must get their forms in by April 9th.

Lastly, my shipment of new catalogues will be arriving this week, so if you’d like to reserve a copy, please let me know. It’s a completely new catalogue, with all new card and layout samples, so it’s well worth the money (for my customers $10 plus postage - if you’re not a local), plus of course new accessories, papers, and 120 new stamp sets!

Contact me if you’d like to book a workshop or place an order - hostesses receive a 2007-2008 Idea Book & Catalogue free for hosting the demonstration!

[photopress:BEAUTY_SHOT_CATTY_002.JPG,full,pp_empty]

Go on…. you KNOW you want one

The cake.

[photopress:Quinn_s_cake.JPG,full,pp_empty]

It’s a Betty Crocker chocolate fudge cake, with cream in the centre, Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate ready made icing from the tub *drool*, and loads chocolate covered raspberries and other choc-filled lollies. Lasted about 30 seconds on the night LOL!

Yeeeha! I finally got down to Ikea to get myself some of those awesome shelves they sell - I chose a great day too, my birthday last week. I took David, and seeing as it was my special day…. well he couldn’t say no! As I’m sure he would have liked to when the cashier totalled our purchases ahem.

It was an interesting time putting them together, as I had to get rid of the table and little cupboard that were already in my craftroom, and ALL THE STUFF IN, ON, AND UNDER them. How did I get so much stuff?? The desk was shoved aside so there was room to lay the new shelves down as we put them together. Then the great craft shuffle, as I tried desperately to find places for the STUFF to go back into LOL! Still, it looks nice and neat now, and is pretty easy to keep that way… plus the kids are happy to play with my cast offs that I couldn’t find a new home for! That empty spot by the way, is now home to my new Cuttlebug

[photopress:IKEA_shelves.JPG,full,pp_empty]

I also picked up some of these groovy (and cheap) DVD holders to eventually mount on the wall - they are the perfect size to store the Stampin’ Up! inkpads, and I love them!

[photopress:Inkpad_holders.JPG,full,pp_empty]

It almost looks professional in there and I’m loving it!!

Well who would have thunk it, but my little baby boy is FOUR today! He has a brand new bike and helmet, and some new toy cars from the Cars movie that he loves so much - tonight is his little party with some family and friends, so hopefully he’ll have fun at that - I’ll post some pics another time of his cake.

This is the birthday card I made for him - it’s a spinner card, so the little present rolls back and forwards between the two kids as you tilt the card, making it look like they’re throwing it to each other. It’s very cute, even though the birthday boy was not nearly as impressed as I was LOL!

[photopress:Quinn_4th_Birthday.JPG,full,pp_empty]

I’ve used Lively Little Ones (another set that’s retiring at the end of this month), and Tidy Alphabet for his name. The other set I’ve used is Everyday Flexible Phrases.

And here’s what could have been a really nice photo, apart from the last minute changes made by the Birthday boy!

[photopress:Kels_and_Quinn_March_2007.JPG,full,pp_empty]

Aaah kids. 

it will be too soon!!!

I bought a bargain bag of banana’s last week - it was only 99 cents so I couldn’t resist it. It was when I opened it on Friday and discovered there were THIRTEEN mushy banana’s in there that I thought to myself…. what on earth will I do with all of them!?

So, we made a double batch of Banana Muffins for the kids to take to school. Banana and Choc Chip Muffins for me to gorge on at home. Hummingbird Muffins for David to take in to work. Two Banana and Chocolate Cakes to stick in the freezer for a rainy day.

Arrrrgh I still had a cup of mashed banana after all that!

After a quick web search I found a recipe for a no fat high fibre loaf cake thing with bran, dried apricots, sultana, coconut and banana of course. I think it will be yummy with lashings of real butter!!

[photopress:Bananas_bananas.JPG,full,pp_empty]

 You Are a Daisy

“You are just a sweet person. When a friend needs a shoulder to cry on, you are happy to offer yours with a box of tissues as well. Once in awhile, you wish you could be a little more dramatic but then sensibility sets back in and you know that you are perfect the way you are.”

Hmmmm, it’s NOT very dramatic is it?? LOL!

This is one of those cute versatile sets that I love….. and is also being retired at the end of the month. :(  I love using it to make up whole sheets of my own patterned papers, then using those sheets to create cards - it’s really effective, and so simple.

The other awesome thing about this set is it’s price. It’s only $23.95!!

I also made wrapping paper the other day by using the plain side of a sheet of grid paper to stamp on, using Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, and Ballet Blue inks - I wrapped up the prize from the Sellabration giveaway in it, securing it with matching Light Pink, Celery and Bluebird Grosgrain ribbons. It looked so cute, and took about 5 minutes to do. I can’t believe I didn’t take a photo to show you. You will all have to use your imaginations and take my word for it, hehehe!

I made this one a little while ago now, it’s really simple, just one of the stamps used as a background, the flowers down the side were embossed with heat & stick powder, then Dazzling Diamonds sprinkled on top. It’s really glittery in real life, but the photo doesn’t make it look that way. I really must learn how to use my camera LOL!

[photopress:Burst_into_Bloom_Glitter.JPG,full,pp_empty]

And this little number is a direct copy from the Stampin’ Up!® customer website.

 [photopress:Burst_into_Bloom_pocket.JPG,full,pp_empty]

It uses my favourite method of stamping this set randomly and in different colours, all over an A4 sheet, then cutting it up into smaller portions for use in my projects. I’ve only used a tiny strip here, so I still have most of an A4 sheet left, to make a whole lot of other cards!

This is going to come in handy, as I’ve committed to doing a stall at the Newham Primary School in November, as well as one at the Flemington Market at the end of April. Gasp!

Apologies for the photo’s being on an angle - I took these pics tonight, and couldn’t figure out where to stand so I wouldn’t get my dopy shadow in the photo - this was the best I could come up with LOL!