O 2 B STAMPIN!

The REAL meaning of Christmas…

2009-12-11T12:06:00.001+13:00

Hi everyone!

I KNOW that I haven’t been blogging recently, but that’s just fine with me… I’m enjoying doing some things that are just way more important – like spending quality time with my friends & family… without feeling guilty because I should be at home prepping for a class or workshop! I may or may not continue to blog next year, but for right now, I’m enjoying the start of what I’m hoping will be a fabulous long Summer. I wanted to leave you with something that struck a real chord with me last year when I was super busy doing my stamping, and feeling like I was really not pulling my weight as a Mum/Friend/Wife terribly well. This is well worth reading – and thinking about.

Wishing you all a WONDERFUL Christmas, and a safe & enjoyable 2010.

Michelle

1 Corinthians 13 Christmas Style
©By Sharon Jaynes

If I decorate my house perfectly with lovely plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights, and shiny glass balls, but do not show love to my family - I'm just another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals, and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family - I'm just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family - it profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties, and sing in the choir's cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn't envy another home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.
Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of your way.
Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can't.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.
Love never fails. Video games will break; pearl necklaces will be lost; golf clubs will rust. But giving the gift of love will endure.

A Christmas Card & another recipe!

2009-10-30T11:31:00.001+13:00

Happy Friday everyone!

There’s such a wonderful feeling about Fridays I think… the start of a couple of days off where we get to relax a little and do some fun things together. YAY!! Tonight I’m taking a group of ladies for some card-making at our church. We only have about 15-20 minutes to make one card, so I am really hoping that I don’t go over time! Here’s the card I came up with for the class

This will also be one of the cards I’m making at my Christmas Class next week – yes next Thursday, not the 12th as I’ve stated on my previous post… Sorry! Phone me if you’d like to come along – details are on the side of my blog.

I’m really getting into this home baking (eating it as much as anyone!), so here’s another recipe for you to try out. I’m always finding that our boys won’t eat the weet-bix crumbs, and I end up throwing them out. Now, I’ve found a way to use them in a delicious recipe in the microwave.

Terri-Lee’s Microwave Chocolate Crunch

125g buter, 1 cup self-raising flour, 2 Tbsp cocoa
1 cup weeb-bix crumbs, 1 cup coconut, 3/4 cup sugar

Melt butter & mix in remaining ingredients. Cook on high for 6-7 minutes. Ice & cut while still warm. This crunchy slice is really crunchy, so make sure you don’t overcook it.

Have a fabulous Friday – I’m off for lunch with friends!

Michelle

NO PRESSURE Christmas Classes for you!

2009-10-22T12:33:00.004+13:00

Good morning everyone!

As I have had so many lovely people asking about Christmas Card Classes, I have decided that I’ll hold two classes next month. The details are below.

If these dates don’t suit then please give me a call, as I am also available for classes on other dates, so if you would like to get together a small group (or a larger one!) then I’m happy to come to you at a time that suits us both. Details for this NO PRESSURE Christmas Class are the same as below, with a minimum of six people attending. I’m happy to come to your place, (there may be a small charge for mileage depending on where you live), or I can host it at mine.

DETAILS :

Thursday 12th November and Wednesday 25th November 7.30pm.
We will make 9 cards – 3 each of 3 designs.
Cost $20 per person
Phone me on 06 7533736 / 027 3711420 or email o2bstampin@hotmail.com to register.

Oh, you may be wondering about the NO PRESSURE part of these classes… I know some people are intimidated by pushy sales-people at events such as these trying to sell them a whole heap of things that they never end up using – well, I’ll guarantee you that this won’t happen at my classes! I’m no longer selling any stamping products (except cardstock by the piece if you need some) so there will be no need to worry that you’ll end up walking out with a huge bill! $20 is all you’ll need to bring.

Here’s one of my Christmas Cards that was inspired by the lovely Sarah Klass. Thanks Sarah – I just love your style!

Enjoy your day – it’s pouring here, so I cancelled everything for the day, and am enjoying a day at home.

Michelle

DELISH COOKIES :
Oh, I’ve been baking lots recently (funny that!), and have a wonderful recipe to share with you all – keep reading if you’re interested in a great biscuit recipe that makes a whole heap of biscuits, and even a Non-Biscuit-Baker like me can make successfully!

These cookies are called the $250 Urban Legend Chocolate Chip Cookies – this IS a legend, with no truth what-so-ever behind the emails that are circulated on a regular basis, but the cookie recipe is delicious anyway, and the story kinda makes the cookies taste ever so slightly better, I’m sure!!

1 cup butter
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 cups oatmeal or muesli
350g chocolate chips
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla

Blend the oatmeal (I used old muesli that no-one would eat, as it had gone a little stale, and it was perfect) in a food processor until it is a powder. Cream the butter and both lots of sugar. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Roll into balls and cook at 190 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Deeeelish while still warm, but still a fabulous cookie for days after – if they last that long!

The ingredients listed are halved from the original recipe, as this makes heaps anyway. These cookies freeze well.

Enjoy, and don’t eat them all yourself before the kids come home from school…

Here is the Urban Legend in full detail

Creative Kids Class Tomorrow

2009-10-07T10:58:00.001+13:00

Good morning!

It’s so great that it’s warmed up a little again – it’s been absolutely FREEZING here for a few days. It seems that Spring has run, and Winter is nearly coming back again! Stink – school holidays are more fun when you can be out and about doing things! Anyway, if you children are a little bored, then bring (or send) them along to my Creative Kids class tomorrow. I have two sessions – the first is from 10am-12noon, and the second is from 1pm-3pm. Children can come to both or one of the sessions. If they are coming to both, then they are welcome to stay with me for the lunch break as well.

If children are staying by themselves, then I would suggest age 7 and up, or if you would like to come and stay with them and help them with the projects, then I’m happy to take any school age child.

Here is one of the projects we made last week. It was a fun project to do, and even the adults all took templates to make one at home! I have to thank CHERIE, my fabulous friend, who made one of these for me last Christmas, and I managed to gently pull it apart and take a template from it to make. Thanks so much Cherie – you’re just wonderul!!

Each session we make different projects, and usually we make at least 3 projects per session, depending on difficulty!

Give me a call or email if you would like your child to come along.

Have a great day!

Michelle

Faux Alligator Purse & Matching Card

2009-10-05T14:43:00.001+13:00

HelllllooooO!! I’m here. Finally. WE Stamp has finished today, so the late night stamping is now a thing of the past. For now! I want to share with you some of the projects that I created for WE Stamp – these are all now available for you to purchase as a individual PDF Tutorial for just NZ$5 per project. I’ll be uploading them over the next week, but if you can’t wait, just send me an email, and I’ll send you my bank account details so you can get it asap!

It’s not too late to join WE Stamp – all of our projects will remain on the blog for downloading or printing until the end of November, so you’ve still got lots of time. Just click on the WE Stamp blinkee on my sidebar to go to the blog and join up. Today I shared a Faux Alligator Purse, and when I was photographing it, I realised that it matched perfectly with one of my favourite cards, so I’ve put them together as a lovely gift set.

This was such a fun purse to make – I’ve never done this technique before, and was amazed that it worked first time for me – that’s a first!

Well, the good news is that I now have a “To Do List” that has only 3 things left on it. AMAZING!! I always struggle with my list, and it frustrates me, as I seem to add to it more than crossing it off. My office is now 99% in order (I may just post the “before & after” pictures!) and I’m loving being in my office once again. There’s nothing worse than sitting down to create only to have to shove all the other things off your work area because you are too scared to file anything away in case you never see it again… YKWIM???

Tell me your BEST de-cluttering tip as a comment on this post, and I’ll pick a random commenter and send you one of my PDF’s (of your choice) for free, just to celebrate being so much more in control of my life again!

Happy Monday!

Michelle

A card that’s a little different.

2009-09-25T21:13:00.001+12:00

Hi everyone! WOW – school holidays have started today. I’m just hoping for some lovely weather to get out and enjoy it with the boys, but at least we all get to stop the rushing around – YAY!

Speaking of School Holidays, I have a school holiday programme happening at my home both Thursday’s of the holidays. The details are :
Thursday 1st October and/or Thursday 8th October
10.00am – 12noon and/or 1.00pm – 3.00pm
Cost $15.00 per session, or come to all sessions and pay just $50. Children are welcome to stay with me during the lunch hour at no additional cost. The programme would be best suited to children age 8 and over. BYO Drink bottle, snack, scissors & lunch if staying all day.

We’ll be making three projects each session (each session will be different projects), and lots of lovely Christmas Cards & Christmas Gift ideas as well. Phone or email me to register. Limited to 8 per session.

I have been stamping a lot this week, (and spring cleaning the house…), but mostly for WE Stamp projects. Here is one of my mini-projects that I have done this week. I have no idea what it’s called!
As usual, my photography was done late at night, so the colours aren’t quite true, but you’ll get the idea! Our current round of WE Stamp is all go, with projects each day until the 5th October, especially focusing on some gift ideas and Christmassy things to get you thinking along those lines. You can still join up – the cost is NZ$20 for the whole round, and you don’t have to rush through the projects, as you get about 8 weeks before we remove them from the blog!

And here is another sample for some more inspiration.

Happy Stamping!

Michelle

WE Stamp Wednesday #8

2009-09-23T14:26:00.001+12:00

Hello everyone! It’s been a lovely, crazy, busy week for me, and I just feel like I’ve been on holiday for a while. Just lovely! I’ve enjoyed the sunshine, walking (and losing) the dog and of course lots of lunches & coffees again this week. I must admit to have a few MORE lunch dates than usual this past week, as it was my birthday on Sunday, and I started celebrating on Wednesday with lunch out with some wonderful girlfriends, then kept going like that until Sunday. I was brought coffee and chocolate in bed on Sunday morning by people who obviously know me VERY well – that was breakfast! YUM! My fabulous family gave me a great dinner that was almost a surprise for me on Saturday night, then I a child-free birthday lunch on Sunday with my DH. WOW – possibly the best birthday week I’ve ever had! So now back to reality I think!
Now, it’s Wednesday already, and of course over at the WE Stamp blog we have a new sketch challenge to take part in. Feel free to pop over and upload a card you make with this sketch, even if you aren’t a member!

I have yet to come up with my card for this sketch – that may have to wait until tomorrow I’m afraid! Hope it’s lovely where you are today – it’s raining here, but we’re heading out for a birthday dinner at our friend’s who have an outdoor pizza oven. AND they are going to make DESSERT PIZZAS!!! MMMMm mmmmmm!

Happy Stamping

Michelle

WE Stamp Wednesday Sketch Challenge #6

2009-09-12T18:33:00.001+12:00

Hi everyone! I know it’s not Wednesday, so I’m either very early, or very late for the WE Stamp Wednesday challenge … you know that it’s the latter, right?? Never mind – I’ve done it, and I must admit that this sketch has been a real favourite of mine. This is what I created today while the rain was pouring down.

Feel free to take part – you don’t need to be a member of WE Stamp, you can just play along for fun! Our next round of WE Stamp begins on Tuesday 15th September – wooohooo!! It seems like a long time since it finished, and I’m really looking forward to sharing some more projects with you. So for less that NZ$1 per day, you will get 21 ideas and projects to motivate and inspire you. This time around we will be looking at some gift ideas for Christmas, so you can get all sorted before the mad rush begins in December!

I’ve just got to show you what my darling middle son (only a MIDDLE child would do this, right??!) did last week. The boys were all told to go clean their rooms up, and Mason’s room is always a mess. He tries on too many clothes, then doesn’t put them away, and always finds lots of things to do rather than tidy up. Last weekend though I thought I’d made a breakthrough when he lasted for 30 minutes in his room – WOW! I looked outside for a moment, only to see this…

followed by this…

Little monkey – he was having a ball sunbathing outside while everyone else tidied up! Today, I took the bull by the horns, and got two boxes, filled them up with everything that wasn’t put away, and told him he has until bedtime tonight to put them all away, otherwise I’ll take the two boxes full of stuff for the garage sale. I think it made a little bit of impact, but time will tell.

Hope you’re having a fabulous weekend

Happy Stamping!

Michelle

FINAL CLEAROUT – DEMO SUPPLIES & LAST STAMP SETS

2009-09-02T18:11:00.002+12:00

Now, I guess that got your attention huh?? I’m down to the last few stamp sets to sell from my huge sale – you’ve got some fabulous bargains over the past 3 weeks, and I’m really glad that these stamp sets have gone to some lovely homes – Happy Stamping with them!
Now I just need find homes for the last few things – let me know if you want any of these.

BOTANICAL BLOOMS – NEW $10
BUD BASICS – NEW $40
CONGRATS – NEW $10
EXPRESSIVE FLEXIBLE PHRASES – NEW $45
FRIENDSHIP BLOOMS – NEW $25
GREETINGS EIGHT – EX COND $40

KISSES REGULAR WHEEL – NEW $7

CHUNKY SPRINKLES BLUE – NEW $6
CHUNKY SPRINKLES GREEN – NEW $6
CHUNKY SPRINKLES WHITE – USED ONCE $5
CHUNKY SPRINKLES PINK – NEW $6
EARTH ELEMENTS BUTTONS - $4
THE TEARING EDGE RULER – EX COND $20
5/16” NEUTRAL BRADS – 1/2 PACK $7
5/8” NEUTRAL BRADS – 1/2 PACK $6
CORDUROY BASIC GRAY BUTTONS – 1/2 PACK $10
COLOUR COACH – GOOD COND $10

And now for some stamping! Here’s my card for the WE Stamp Wednesday challenge.

and here’s the sketch it’s based on

Pop over and have a go – I really enjoyed this one, and it was really quick!

Michelle

WE Stamp Wednesday Sketch Challenge #4

2009-08-25T22:30:00.001+12:00

Good evening everyone.

While I’m sitting here at the computer, I thought I’d get a head start on Wednesday, and post my WE Stamp Wednesday challenge card here – the reject one! WHAT a night. Wrong stamp set to fit into the oval as it should be, then words wouldn’t stamp right, then ovals were all bumpy… and on it went. I finally put this card aside in disgust and made a whole new one, that’s just slightly better. It’ll be over on the WE Stamp blog first thing Wednesday for you to see that I did actually improve – I think!

See – wrong way around, and just not right! Hope your night has gone better than mine.

Happy Stamping.

Michelle

WE Stamp Wednesday Challenge #3

2009-08-19T12:21:00.001+12:00

Good afternoon everyone! The WE Stamp Wednesday challenge is up for this week, and this is what I came up with.

Pop over and take part in the challenge – it’s open to anyone, not just WE Stamp Members! The next round is starting 15th September, so the work has already started on our projects, and it’s going to be FABULOUS!
Hope you are enjoying your day

Happy Stamping.

Michelle

SALE TIME!

2009-08-16T06:57:00.001+12:00

Hi everyone.

Sorry, after an absolutely wonderful evening out with some girlfriends, I forgot to publish the post with all of my stuff for sale, so here it is – finally! Everything starts at 25% off and the discount goes up from there depending on the condition of the stamp sets. There is no shipping charges, unless you wish for me to post it to you, then standard postage will apply – approximately $4 for a regular stamp set, or maximum $10 postage if you are buying a whole HEAP of things!

CLICK HERE to go to my list.

Have a fabulous day!

Michelle

Season of Joy.

2009-08-15T08:58:00.001+12:00

Good morning!

Firstly, I want to say that I have been surprised and incredibly overwhelmed by the emails, phone calls, visits, flowers, gifts and comments since sharing that I have resigned as a demonstrator. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Your support has really been so very encouraging and positive, and confirms that I have indeed made such great friends over the past couple of years. I have read each one, but am unable to reply to all of you personally, so please accept my heartfelt thanks! I’m nearly through sorting my stamp sets, cardstock & stuff for sale so I will post that later today on my blog. I’ve set myself (with the help of a friend who has told me she’s coming to inspect my office in two weeks) a goal of having my office completely ordered and sorted by the end of August, so that’s been a great project to start getting into, along with getting all organised for tomorrow’s Christmas Class.
Here is one of the cards we are making tomorrow – it is a CASE of Kim Richards from last year. This is a card that Kim made as a swap last year, and I really liked the layout, so decided to change colours and DSP, and remake it – why change something that’s so gorgeous huh??

See the clever way Kim made this tag – I thought this was a fabulous idea! Using the 3/4" circle stuck to the back of the 1 3/8" circle then punching a hole through with the horizontal slot punch. Very cute – thanks Kim for your fabulous idea! REALLY looking forward to tomorrow’s class – see you then!

Michelle

News. Finally.

2009-08-13T12:02:00.001+12:00

Hi everyone. I know you’re all probably thinking I’ve run off to a desert island, but unfortunately the reality is not quite as exotic. This week I resigned as a Stampin’ Up demonstrator after a very long and difficult few weeks. I’m not going to go into details here, but instead focus on the positive side of all this – lots more time for coffee, walking, squash, coffee, shopping, coffee and of course stamping! YAY! Did I mention coffee?? See, every cloud DOES have a silver lining. AND, this is the fastest I’ve ever lost weight, and I’ve ALMOST weaned myself off chocolate… I’d better try and fix that!

So, the good news is that I’m having a huge sale of all the stuff I’ve accumulated over the past 2 1/2 years, including lots of brand new sets, all at the best prices you will get anywhere! These will be available to purchase for about 2 weeks.

I am currently putting together a list that I will put onto my blog later this week for you to check out, otherwise just send me an email if there’s something you are wanting to get before I sell it to someone else!

Now for some stamping – over at the WE Stamp blog we are having our latest WE Stamp Wednesday sketch challenge. Here’s my card for it – go over and check it out, and even upload your creation if you like. The next round of WE Stamp is starting on 15th September, and is going to be staying at the AMAZING price of NZ$20 – that’s less than $1 per day!

This card was made for my wonderful friends Cherie & Angela – friends like you are hard to find, and I’m absolutely blessed to have two of you!!

Have a fabulous day everyone.

Michelle

WSSC1 – My take.

2009-07-31T11:27:00.001+12:00

Good morning. Here is my simple card for the WE Stamp Sketch Challenge (WSSC1) – pop over to the front page of the WE Stamp blog and check out my more detailed version. I’m really loving this set – Three Little Words. You are welcome to play along as well – simply create a card using the WE Stamp Sketch provided and post it to your blog or online gallery, then upload it via Mr Linky.

The Spring Mini Catalogue Launch taking place on Sunday is now fully booked sorry – watch out next week for some cards from that. You can still place an order by Sunday with me to enter the draw for one of two Stampin’ Up! Gift Vouchers though – you don’t have to be there to enter the draw.

Happy Friday everyone!

Michelle

WE Stamp Sketch Challenge #1 (WSSC1)

2009-07-30T23:28:00.000+12:00

Good Evening!
Tonight we started our classes at Inglewood High School again. SO much fun – the women are really fabulous, and I come away from there buzzing. Thanks ladies – you’re so much fun to stamp with!

Over at the WE Stamp blog we are having our first Sketch Challenge, and I’d love for you to take part. This layout is a favourite of mine, and one that I use often. It can be as simple or detailed as you wish. You can go over to the WE Stamp blog (whether you are a member or not… and if you’re not… why not join up now and get all of our projects from this round before they disappear!) and participate in the challenge, and upload your card via Mr Linky.

I will be posting a card tomorrow for this challenge, and look forward to seeing what you all come up with as well!

Michelle

Mojo Monday #97

2009-07-28T11:51:00.001+12:00

Woohoo! It’s another Mojo Monday sketch to play along with. These sketches are so great – give you a fabulous place to start, and things just seem to flow from there. This card has been made with a particular friend in mind – a very special friend - “just because”. OK, so maybe it’s “just because she had a birthday last Wednesday”. NO – don’t even consider that I may have forgotten her birthday. I sure didn’t forget – in fact, when she arrived at my place on Sunday, I asked her if she was all ready for her birthday tomorrow… See – I didn’t forget – just wrote down the wrong date for her birrthday. {SHAME}! Sorry Jacqui – you are so incredibly gracious, and even when I SAW YOU ON YOUR BIRTHDAY and didn’t wish you a happy birthday, you still didn’t say anything! Man – I’m really bad! So I’ve made this card, and am just putting some finishing touches on a little something to go along with it, and then I’m heading up town with Blake, who has a teacher-only day today, and we’re having lunch up town. Blake has spent about 3 hours cleaning his room from top to toe. No grumbling, no whining or moaning – he just got stuck in, and our rubbish bin is now FULL! Isn’t that fabulous? So we’re celebrating – with lunch! After lunch I’m coming home to make some Triple Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes – YUMMO! We’ve got our final squash competition against another club tonight, and it’s all come down to the wire – we're only 1 point apart at the moment, so if our team all win our games – we’re the champions!! No pressure or anything!

STAMP SETS : Tres Chic, Great Friend. Cardstock/Ink : Sahara Sand, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Cameo Coral, Baja Breeze. Accessories : Photo Corner Punch, 1/2 Pearls from the Pretties Kit, Dazzling Diamonds, Oval Punches, Coluzzle, Taffeta Ribbon, Walk In The Park DSP.

Better fly – have a great day!

Michelle

Mini Catalogue Launch THIS SUNDAY

2009-07-27T16:16:00.002+12:00

Good afternoon!
Come along this Sunday to my Mini Catalogue Launch. If you are interested in coming along, please let me know by Wednesday night. I have a couple of spaces left for Sunday afternoon from 2-4pm, and lots left for Sunday night from 7-9pm. There is NO COST to come along, and we’ll be making two make & takes with some of the lovely new sets from the Spring Mini Catalogue. You’ll get your own copy of the mini catalogue as well as some nice nibbles & bubbles to enjoy your evening, AND there are TWO $50 GIFT VOUCHERS to be won – simply place an order on the night, or book a workshop! Even if you haven’t been to a class with me before, you’re VERY welcome! Bring a friend who hasn’t been before and you’ll receive a little thank you gift from me as well.

I wanted to share a couple of cards from yesterday’s $2 cards. Both of these were swaps from convention – I LOVE that we come home with heaps and heaps of new samples that are just stunning, and then when MY brain freezes for ideas, I can use someone else’s – fabulous!!

This stunning card was made by a demonstrator from Australia – Cathy Clark
RECIPE : Stamp Sets : Dreams Du Jour, Watercolour Vine Wheel. Cardstock/Ink : Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze. Accessories : Markers, Earth Elements Brads, Mat Pack, Baja Breeze DSP.

And this wonderful card was made by another Australian Demonstrator – Chris Parker-Barnes.
RECIPE : Stamp Sets : A Rose Is A Rose, It’s Your Birthday. Cardstock/Ink : Very Vanilla, Pink Pirouette, Mellow Moss, Ruby Red. Accessories : Mellow Moss Taffeta Ribbon, Spiral Punch, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

THANK YOU ladies for your fabulous swaps that I have very much enjoyed making.

Have a wonderful night.

Michelle

Stamp Club Project

2009-07-24T20:11:00.002+12:00

Good evening! I thought I’d show you one of the cards we made last night at Stamp Club – it started out as a complete case of Cherie’s card (SUCH a huge thank you for allowing me to case your projects AND for providing all the templates – you’re a real GEM!) and then as I discovered I didn’t have the right cardstock or ribbon, I changed it and this is how it came out.

RECIPE : Stamp Set : Three Little Words, Priceless. Cardstock/Ink : Regal Rose, Kiwi Kiss, Real Red, Whisper White. Accessories : Scallop, 2 circle punches, narrow grosgrain ribbon, markers, Raspberry Tart DSP

Now I can’t show you a picture of the inside, as it didn’t come out, and now it won’t photograph well, so that will have to wait, and I’ll add it on tomorrow! Instead, I’ll show you another of the projects from last night – A Pillow Box.

RECIPE : Stamp Set : Sweet Little Sentiments (Hostess Set), One of A Kind. Cardstock/Ink : Textured Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White. Accessories : A CD!!, Cutter Kit, White Taffeta Ribbon, Scallop Oval Punch, Oval Punch, Word Window Punch.

This is the cutest little box, that we decided should definitely have chocolates, or A RING… in it! Everyone made theirs from different cardstock & Ribbons, and they all looked gorgeous!
I’ve just got home from Business House Squash, and had a long hot shower, and am now in my pj’s – and it’s only 8pm!! How lovely! Sad huh – Friday night and I’m excited about a night at home. Boy how things change!

Hope your night is fabulous, wherever you are!

Night!

Michelle

Mojo Monday Sketch #96

2009-07-23T16:18:00.001+12:00

I saw this sketch layout at mojo monday, and knew that I simply had to make some time to do it – LOVE this layout! Unfortunately, when I sat down to create last night, I just sat. And sat. Hmmm. What set to use… what colours… what DSP?? HELP!

RECIPE : Stamp Set : Enjoy Every Moment. Cardstock/Ink : Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Baja Breeze,, Whisper White, Real Red. Accessories : Coluzzle, Fire & Ice Brads, 1/2” & 3/4” circle punches, striped grosgrain ribbon, cutter kit.

This card took me about 2 hours, and lots of re-stamping, as I kept getting red ink on the white cardstock each time I cut it out – I think I had some red ink on the back of the inkpad. Drove me CRAZY! The three strips of DSP got lost on the Old Olive cardstock, but NEVER MIND! I got there, and managed to hide the imperfections pretty well. I think! Not quite what I imagined, but it will do. Wrote off last night, then started stamping this afternoon, and was on a roll! YAY! I’ll show you the three projects we are making at Stamp Club tonight later.

Have a fabulous night

Michelle

For my darling…

2009-07-22T16:59:00.001+12:00

Helllllloooo Stampers!!

I’ve had one of THOSE weeks. You know the ones… “STOP THE WORLD. I WANT TO GET OFF” weeks. Started on Monday having my tooth pulled out – long story – and went downhill from there, ending last night with me falling asleep on the couch at 9pm during a great movie, with Brad Pitt, Matt Damon & George Clooney in it… I mean, HOW could I possibly fall asleep with the eye candy on t.v??? (Not that I don’t have my very own eye candy right here in my house….). After a fabulous weekend playing squash and having no children all weekend, this week has been quite a shock. So, last night I decided that “tomorrow couldn’t possibly be any worse. Right!?” and it hasn’t been. I took myself off up town, did the groceries, a couple of jobs, and bought a pair of shoes. YIPPEE! Nothing like retail therapy, ESPECIALLY shoe therapy to make yourself feel better, and there are lots of SALES in the shoe shops, including a 50% off EVERYTHING sale in one of my favourite shoe shops in town. So, now I’m home, cooking a Pork Roast for dinner that will convince my DH that' I’m a Domestic Goddess (honestly, it really doesn’t take much!!), and finally blogging! I’ve had this box half made for a couple of days now, and finally bought some more lollies (‘cos I ate the last ones in one of my moments of desperation) and finished it this afternoon. I have made this for my Darling Husband (DH – aka Said) as he’s been so fabulous over the past couple of days, including listening to a good friend of mine sobbing on the phone and not freaking out and throwing me the phone; Coming home from work last night and saying “Off you go – I’ll finish doing the dinner. You go and relax!” – WOW! WHAT A MAN! Everything seems so much better when you have a supportive ear listening and backing you, (and right now my grateful thanks go out to the “others” who have been incredibly supportive & encouraging to me.. you know who you are! – does this sound like an Oscar acceptance speech??).

ANYWAY…. this little cube is one of the “mini” projects I have done over on WE Stamp this week. I have made up a template to print directly onto your cardstock so it’s super easy. To join up all you have to do is CLICK HERE and then hit the “join WE Stamp” button. You will then have access to all of our fabulous 8 projects, templates & ideas so far, and be delighted each day until the 4th of August with new projects. OK. So. Are you sick of me talking yet?? LOL – I’m making up for lost time. I already have something else to blog for tomorrow, so I’ll see you all then!

Have a great night.

Michelle

Tomorrow is THE DAY!

2009-07-14T17:53:00.001+12:00

Hi everyone! Finally, just one more sleep until WE Stamp’s first round opens tomorrow – I can’t WAIT! I’ve been flat out with school holidays, a sick son, squash and WE Stamp so not much other time left for creating! Today I want to give you another sneak peek – this time at one of our fabulous projects that will be included in this round of WE Stamp!

Doesn’t this look gorgeous?? You can still join WE Stamp, simply by CLICKING HERE to go to the WE Stamp blog, and clicking on “Join WE Stamp” – simple! If you are desperate to do our projects, but enjoy making things as a part of a group, with someone to instruct you, then we have that covered for you as well! On Saturday 15th August WE Stamp are holding an all day event, where we will be making lots of the projects from the current round. If you are interested, then watch this space for details coming soon.

I hope you all stay warm tonight – I’ll be back later this week with some creating for you.

Take care
Michelle

Do you want a peep at the new mini??

2009-07-10T16:02:00.001+12:00

I KNOW some of you are desperate to see some of the AMAZING new stuff in our new mini catalogue, which is beginning on 1st August… so here’s a little peep for you. I must say, this mini is my absolute favourite ever – soooo hard to decide what NOT to buy. I really LOVE it! This set is my current favourite, and I was very excited when I saw it was in the mini.

This shows you not only a new stamp set, but also some new DSP – fabulous!!

This card also fits into the MOJO Monday Sketch #94 – hooray for Mojo Monday!

I have a wonderful invitation for you all – I’m having a Spring Mini Event, to celebrate Spring getting closer… AND to show you all our fabulous Spring Mini catalogue. Here are the details :

Sunday 2nd August 2-4pm OR 7-9pm
Cost : Free – includes a free mini catalogue & make & take

I’m offering free shipping on all orders during August, and giving away a $50 Stampin’ Up! Gift Vouchers to two lucky people who place orders on the night. Bring a friend who hasn’t been before, and you’ll also get a lovely goodie bag. We’ll be making something using some of the new stamp sets & products from the mini, and of course having a few nibbles, and even some bubbles (and no.. I don’t mean the type you blow at kids parties!), so make sure you RSVP by Sunday 26th July – I look forward to sharing some of these wonderful new products with you.

PLUS : Book a workshop to be held during July or August and receive either a free pack of the gorgeous new Designer Paper OR a pack of mixed cardstock of your choice, plus get a second entry into the Gift Voucher draw.

Michelle

MOJO MONDAY SAVED MY BACON!

2009-07-08T17:53:00.001+12:00

So…. it was only 8 1/2 hours until we started our monthly team meeting, where we are swapping cards made with our favourite stamp set. And I was stuck! Until 1.30am this morning, I was freakin’ out, wondering if I could fake Swine Flu and get out of the swap for another day.. then I spied the Mojo Monday sketch challenge – THANK YOU!! I used the image that I had already stamped seven times (ok, so more than 7, as I had to ditch quite a few due to the state I was in trying to stamp in a hurry!) and added some more layering, and my card turned from “ho-hum” to “whew! I’ve done it”! Sometimes we all get “stampers’ block”, and need a little kick start. I find a challenge sketch or colour challenge often is just what I need.

Stamp Sets : Inspired By Nature, Dreams du Jour. Cardstock/Ink : Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White. Accessories : Crystal Effects, 1 1/4” & 1 3/8” circle punches, Haiku DSP, Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon.

I hope your day has been a good one. I’m off to prepare for our children’s holiday class – tomorrow! WHY do I leave everything until the night before?? I will do better… soon!

Michelle

WE STAMP BLINKIE & BLOG CANDY!

2009-07-06T12:47:00.001+12:00

Good afternoon – I hope you are all enjoying a little bit of sunshine today – just perfect for the start of the school holidays! We have had an overwhelming response to the opening of WE Stamp so if you haven’t yet been to our gorgeous new blog, then check it out by clicking HERE. You can enter our blog candy draw (valued at $150) any time before the 20th July by downloading our FREE template for my Guylian Chocolate Box and uploading your creation. You can ALSO get an entry simply by displaying our blinkie on your blog! If you want to post our blinkie, just cut & paste the HTML code below and insert it as a gadget in your blog sidebar. Don’t hesitate to email me if you would like some help doing this – it’s not hard once you’ve done it once!
HTML CODE :
<a href="http://westamp.blogspot.com/" target="blank"><img src="http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu49/Michellehabib/westampblinkie.gif"></a>

Here is a card that we made at Stampin’ Up! Convention in Canberra recently – I haven’t quite got around to posting it before today …

Stamp Set : Trendy Trees. Cardstock/Ink : Textured Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Whisper White, So Saffron, Baja Breeze, Tangerine Tango. Accessories : Twine, Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals.

Have a wonderful day!

Michelle

Some Scrapbooking

2009-07-05T13:38:00.001+12:00

This is one of the pages from May’s double page layout that we did at our Scrapbooking Madness evening. I’ve just got around to putting a photo on it, and I’m so delighted, as the colours just tie in perfectly! We are having a Scrapbooking night THE LAST FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH. There is a class from 6pm-8pm, then an open crop from 8pm-midnight. You can come for the class and the crop for just $20, and make two double page layouts, or just the crop for $10, where you bring all of your own cardstock, and can use our ideas and inks, stamps & punches.
Gorgeous photo, huh?? Yep – this photo was taken by Jacqui Jones – who I’m sure will very soon be a famous photographer, and I have the honour of receiving some of her photos in a gorgeous calendar. Thanks Jacqui – this was just a stunning gift, and one that I can continue to use in my scrapbooking!

This is a photo from Pukekura Park – our gorgeous Park right here in New Plymouth, and one that has heaps of photo opportunities. In fact, as teenagers we used to go up there most Sunday afternoons during Summer and hire the boats that go out on the lake – and have water fights! We used to get some of our passengers to get off on the little island in the middle of the lake… then leave them there. Yep – that was sooo much fun, until someone fell in, and we got banned from going back.. hmmm. Mum – hope you’re not reading this, as I don’t remember that I ever told you about this! Oops!
Hope you’re enjoying your Sunday – don’t forget to pop over to the WE Stamp blog to get your free download of our template and enter the blog candy draw. There is also a new challenge up for you to take part in. A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Michelle

I TOLD you I’d be back with some creating!

2009-07-03T09:39:00.001+12:00

Good morning! OK, so if my creating is for a class, that does still count, right?? This adorable little fish comes from the website of the very talented Jan Tink. Isn’t he sweet? This is one of our cards we are making this morning at my Punch Art Class. It’s repeated tonight at 7.30pm, and I can still fit you in if you have found yourself at a loose end – phone me to let me know though!

And here’s a close up…

Stamp Sets : Circle Circus, On Your Birthday. Cardstock/Ink : Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, Green Galore, Whisper White. Accessories : Haiku DSP, Bold Brights Brads, White Eyelet (retired), Large Oval Punch, Scallop Punch, Scallop Edge Punch, Five Petal Flower Punch. Have I forgotten anything…??

Have a wonderful Friday – yippee – I LOVE the feeling of a Friday! Lunch out with friends again today after my class, which I’m very much looking forward to. Hope you all get some time having a coffee with someone lovely as well!

Michelle

WE made it!

2009-07-02T09:37:00.001+12:00

Good morning!

I’m delighted to tell you all that WE Stamp is now LIVE. It’s been a long and very interesting journey, and we are all very excited to finally have our blog open. Go and check it out for the BLOG CANDY and for the FREE TEMPLATE to download and create on of my lovely Guylian Chocolate Boxes.

If you would like one of my lovely sparkling Blinkies for WE Stamp, just cut and past this HTML code and put it on your blog – once you’ve done that, leave a comment on the WE Stamp blog and you’ll get an entry into our BLOG CANDY draw!

I do hope you will forgive me for the lack of regularity that I have been blogging in the past month, but WE Stamp is one of the big reasons. I have been busy busy creating some fabulous projects for our first round which begins on 15th July.

SO…. I can hear you asking “What IS WE Stamp”? In brief, it’s an online course that teaches, inspires, rewards & (hopefully) motivates you in all things stamping. Each round runs for 21 days, with loads of ideas and projects for you, which come with full instructions. The cost is just fabulous…. wait for it…. NZ$20.00 per round!! WOW! That’s even better for you overseas customers who will benefit from our weak NZ dollar, so what are you waiting for? Go visit, make sure you become a follower to get one entry into our blog candy draw, and better yet, register now for our first WE Stamp round.

I’m really hoping that I’ll have something creative to share with you all here by tomorrow. Really hoping!

Don’t forget about our school holiday programme, which is on both Thursdays of the school holidays - $20 per session per child. Morning sessions from 9.30am-12.00pm or afternoon sessions from 1.00pm-3.30pm. The second Thursday afternoon is already fully booked, so hurry and confirm your place for one of our other sessions.

Have a fabulous day – just one more day of school until we have two weeks of school holidays. YAY. Hmmm. Maybe. Depends how much the little tykes fight I guess!

Bye! Oh, and a HUGE Happy Birthday to my BF Keren. We’re going to celebrate with lunch and coffee. And chocolate – of course!!

Michelle

Scrapbooking Class tonight.

2009-06-26T13:55:00.001+12:00

Hello! After an unbelievable downpour that lasted about half an hour this morning, the afternoon looks like it might almost be sunny! YAY! I can handle the rain, but HATE the wind & HATE being cold. I love Summer & Spring, but Winter really is a bit tough for me. Never mind – it only lasts for 3 months. 3 LOOOOONG COLD WINDY MONTHS…. Right. Luck for me that in the last month of Winter, I’m escaping with Cherie to THE SHERATON, NOOSA – YIPPEE! All expenses paid by Stampin’ Up! YIPPEE! How’s that to get you out of the Winter blues?? OK, so back to New Zealand… here’s my double page layout that I’ve created for our class tonight. Once again, these photos are some of my very favourite, taken right here at a local beach, on one of those spur-of-the-moment days when we decided to take the dogs down to the beach for a quick swim. I took my new camera, and the pictures were just gorgeous. That was in Summer. When it was warm enough to go to the beach after 3pm and swim without getting hypothermia. Ahhhhh.

Only yesterday I was complaining about one pack of DSP that I haven’t been able to “get into”, and one of the in-colours that I NEVER use. Today, I’ve created two pages using these, and just love them. Funny! Don’t forget, we have our Scrapbooking Madness the last Friday of the month from 6pm-midnight, or anything in-between, and you can come along for just $10 if you wish to just do the open crop, where you use all of our inks, stamps, punches etc but bring all of your own perishable stuff, OR you can do the four 12x12 pages that we have prepared for you AND stay for the open crop for $20. It’s BYO adhesive & a little snack to share, then chill and have fun with all of us working together to create some gorgeous pages!

Have a wonderful weekend – I’m off to Auckland in the morning, so you won’t be hearing from me ‘til Monday.

Take care!

Michelle

Oh yeah… I forgot – did you see the blinkie?? ALL will be revealed on 1st July, but this is going to be FABULOUS! Prizes, challenges, give-aways and of course… loads of FUN!

Oh BOY!

2009-06-24T12:50:00.001+12:00

So this morning when I didn’t want to get out of bed… I should have taken that as a divine sign that I should STAY in bed! Last night it all started when my darling son dropped his fathers WHOLE plate of spaghetti bolognase on the floor. SPLAT. Not a good look, when it splatters all up the cupboards (that are white!) and right across the floor. Don’t tell my DH, as I can no longer find the plate that we shoved it all back into, and have a funny feeling that he may have eaten the dropped food when he got home last night… oops! That was ok. This morning, I found a dead hedgehog on our driveway when I was walking the dog home from school. Disgusting! So, I got it into a box, and put it out of the way, along with the other evidence we have that we have a dog running around on our property… Nice! Then I looked at the dog and remembered that she had a dirty brown mark on her neck last night. You guessed it – she rolled in above mammal, and the smell was.. was you can just imagine! SOOOO, in the absence of my DH who would usually do the real dirty work, I washed the dog, ignoring the stench coming from her as I washed, and reminding myself that I was yet to have a lovely hot shower and the smell would be gone soon enough. So, then I was on a roll, and washed the windows, and the car – woohoo! That’s amazing for me, and it was only 10.00, and the surprises were not over for the morning. I went to be organised and get the meat out for dinner, to discover that our freezer door had been left open a little, and had frosted over… fortunately, the chicken that I was about to have for dinner was the only thing apart from the bread that was a little defrosted, but now I had to clean out the old freezer that we use for a beer fridge, then put the meat out of the big freezer into there - squishing everything into very small spaces… then start to defrost the big freezer so I could clean that out and get the stuff back in. Charming! The morning continued, with me discovering that my darling child (the same one who had spilt the plate of food last night) had indeed cleaned up his bedroom – right into the laundry basket. Apart from one item, everything else looked very very familiar – that would be because I had only washed and folded it all yesterday, and the little imp decided that it was easier to throw back into the wash rather than put away! BOYS!!!! So, I now have a huge washing basket full of his clothes to fold up himself and put away tonight. That should discourage him from a repeat of this little idea for a while at least!! So, needless to say, I’m onto my third coffee, and second gin this morning~!! (Just kidding about the gin!) OK, so I’ve got that off my chest, and now I have some more calendar pages to show you!

This was one of Cherie’s pages – gorgeous colours, and a page easily done for male or female. Thanks Cherie – this is just great!

And this page was done by Toni – my favourite stamp set at the moment, so means that of course, I LOVE this page as well! The words from this set are so good! Thanks Toni – you’ve done such a fabulous job with this page!

Oh, and the date… 1st JULY! You will want to be checking back here on the 1st of July to see what it is that has kept me from blogging so often recently – I’ve been so busy working on my project, and have been slightly delayed in telling you all about it.. but I promise – it will be worth the wait! Without giving away too much more today… keep your eyes open!

Catch you later – I’m off for a squash game to get rid of some of my frustration (see above for source of frustration!)

Michelle

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #23

2009-06-23T10:58:00.001+12:00

OK, so I know it’s not Sunday, but at least I’ll be on time for a challenge, right??!

Stamp Set : Trendy Trees. Cardstock/Ink : Not Quite Navy, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, Baja Breeze. DSP – Urban Garden. Accessories : Striped Ribbon, Hodge Podge (retired), Word Window Punch, Square Punches, Twine.

If you want to have a go, then go over to Karen's blog and check out the details & other entries.

I’m just zipping out the door, so I’ll be back with some more details, and a DATE for you all to watch out for!

Catch you later!

Michelle

A calendar class starting next month.

2009-06-22T22:15:00.001+12:00

Hello! Somehow my whole day seemed to slip away today – spending a large portion of it having coffee with friends, which was just lovely, considering how cold it was outside! Here are another couple of calendar pages from our M&M’s swap : This amazing page was done by Kim Richards, and it is simply stunning! You can’t see the sparkles over the trees and dove, but this really is just a gorgeous page. I can’t wait ‘til Christmas now so I can have this on my bench throughout December! Thanks Kim – very cool!

And this page was done by Helen – another delightful page that I just love. Fabulous work Helen!!

I am starting an ongoing Calendar Class, beginning next month. Each month we will complete three pages for our calendar. The cost is just $30.00 for your first session, which includes the 6x6 Days-To-Remember Calendar ($22.95) AND three completed calendar pages, then just $5 per month after that. These calendars make fabulous gifts, and will be completed by the end of September, so you have plenty of time to get these posted for overseas Christmas gifts if you wish. This will begin on Wednesday 22nd July at 10.00am OR 7.30pm.

Enjoy your night.

Michelle

Calendar Pages

2009-06-21T23:48:00.001+12:00

Good evening! I know…. bad blogger…. but, well Life just happens, y’know?? But I think I’m back on a more regular basis now – our busy squash weekends have now gone for the moment, and I’m left nursing sore muscles and lots of laughs from a great weekend away in Palmerston North for the doubles tournament. I’m proud to say that I managed to partner my DH for three of our six doubles matches and we are still speaking to each other!! YIPPEE… in fact, in one game I was laughing so hard that I couldn’t even hit the ball – NOT good when you’re playing, but very entertaining for everyone involved! It really was great to get away for a weekend without the children (HUGE thanks to my lovely Mum & Dad, and Sharlene & Harry for having our boys for the weekend!), but so good to be home again. SO. Back to some stamping. On Friday morning we had our monthly M&M’s meeting and handed over our swaps that we’ve been planning for a while. We are all doing a calendar, and each one of us made two calendar pages for everyone. It was a big task, but everyone rose to the occasion, and I’m left absolutely speechless – they are AMAZING.. I’ll show you one of mine now, and photograph the others tomorrow.

I used my corner rounder to scallop the large gray circle, then used my coluzzle to cut out the other two circles, although you could easily trace around a cup or saucer for the right size circle.

Stamp Sets : En Francais, Dreams du Jour, Daisy Dash Wheel. Cardstock/Ink : Basic Gray, Going Gray, Rose Red, Whisper White, Versamark. Accessories : Corner Rounder, Coluzzle, Pastels, Daubers.

I’ll be back tomorrow with some more fabulous pages!

Goodnight,

Michelle

Floating Watercolouring (aka watercolouring for idiots!)

2009-06-13T22:00:00.001+12:00

Yep – that’s what it’s known as… watercolouring for idiots, or fool-proof watercolouring. I can tell you that everyone can make this watercolouring look amazing! It’s really fun to do, and the outcome is stunning. This was another of the cards we made at our recent technique class. It was inspired by a card done by Marelle Taylor using this same technique.

Stamp Sets : Fifth Avenue Floral, A Rose is a Rose. Cardstock/Ink : Basic Gray, (hmmm… that reminds me… tomorrow is Gray’s Anatomy – YAY!), Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Old Olive. Accessories : White EP, Versamark, Taffeta Ribbon, Hodge Podge, Eyelet Border Punch, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, Sponges, Aqua Painter, Re-inkers (Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Riding Hood Red).

Whew – that seems a lot of stuff just for one card – but it sure was fun! Well, we have survived our busy day, with one game of hockey cancelled which made it easier. Just one more game of squash tomorrow, then I can rest my weary body. Hope that the girl I played today is feeling just a little tired as well!

Have a wonderful night.

Michelle

Sliding Stationery Boxes – Class or Kit

2009-06-11T22:00:00.001+12:00

Good evening! Finally… some decent light to take some reasonable photos of the sliding stationery boxes we made on Monday night. These are FABULOUS gifts, and are easy for you to remake at home once you learn how! We are having two classes on Wednesday 1st July – one at 9.30am-12noon, and the other from 7.00pm-9.30pm. If you have a small group of friends who would like to get together at some other time and make these, then let me know – I’m happy to fit in with you! The cost for the class is $25 per person, or $15 if you make a $50+ order on the day. The cost for the kit is $20, or $10 with a $50+ order. The PDF is $5.00. These will be ready to post on Monday, so order yours over the next couple of days if you wish to get yours soon!

BELLA BLEU SLIDING STATIONERY BOX

Inside of Stationery Box

These are the Bella Bleu cards I made.

RASPBERRY TART SLIDING STATIONERY BOX

Hope you’re having a great week – nearly the weekend! This weekend we’re having a real busy one – trying to fit in three games of hockey and six games of competition squash between our family… will make for an interesting one!

Michelle

The brayer is BACK!

2009-06-10T08:13:00.001+12:00

Good morning! I’ve been busy stampin’ my heart out for classes and stamp club this week, which means I have had little time to blog. I’ve also been finishing my new version of the Sliding Stationery Box which will be available for you by Friday. We are also having another class for the Stationery Box because I know lots of you have been drooling over it when you see it! The class will be Wednesday 1st July eithet 7pm or 9.30am, and will be $25 (or $15 if you make a $50+ order on the night). There are two choices of design – Bella Bleu or Raspberry Tart. Limited number of each kit, so register early to get your first choice.

I thought I’d quickly post a card that we made at Technique class last week for you before I race the kids to school before my Stamp Club arrive at 9.30.

This card was based on a similar one done by Roz Blignaught which I received at convention for a swap. If you would like to make some of these cards with a group of your friends then let me know – ANYONE can make cards such as these with a little guidance.

Stamp Set : Upsy Daisy. Cardstock/Ink : Brilliant Blue, Lovely Lilac, Pink Passion, Black Staz-On, Versamark. Accessories : Grosgrain Ribbon, Glossy cardstock, Brayer, Scallop Edge Punch.

Have a fabulous day!

Michelle

It’s THIS cold!

2009-06-05T11:30:00.001+12:00

OK, when the wildlife come inside to sit by the fire, you KNOW it’s REAL cold! Cute huh?? Last night we had a great time with some ladies who came to make a Scrapbook in a Box. The boxes were all so different, and really really cool. Awesome colours & decorating – good on you ladies. Hope you all are now looking for photos to put in them… Ailie…!

Here’s my one, without photos as yet, but I’m sure I’ll get them done sometime soon!

Stamp Sets : A Beautiful Thing, Three Little Words. Cardstock/Ink : Raspberry Tart DSP, Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red, Pink Pirouette. Accessories : Heaps of punches… brads, ribbon.

I’m just finishing my sample for the Sliding Stationery Kit for next Monday’s class (7.00pm) – if you would like to come, there’s still space. The cost is $25, or $15 with an order of $50+ on the night.

Have a fabulous day!

Michelle

The new improved version!

2009-06-04T14:59:00.001+12:00

Hi there! Hope you day is as gorgeous as ours is here in Taranaki! A beautiful sunny, crisp day, and the mountain just looks AMAZING! Must take my camera and get a photo to post. Here’s the new improved version of the bleaching card I mentioned yesterday. Cool huh??!

Stamp set : Inspired by Nature. Cardstock/Ink : Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Old Olive. Accessories : Bleach, Baja Breeze Striped Grosgrain ribbon, cutter kit.

Michelle

Living with PASSION!

2009-06-03T22:12:00.001+12:00

Good evening! I’ve had a fabulous few days, with some classes that have been very cool. Thanks mainly to the lovely ladies who have come along I must admit! Tonight I had my second technique class for the week, and thanks to JACQUI'S wonderful idea, have come up with a slightly amended version of one of the cards.

This was the card I created to teach the bleaching technique – very simple, yet a great way to use your stamps with something most of us have in our laundry. No special equipment needed, just make sure you clean your stamps well straight after using bleach on them. I’ve just taken a photo of the “after” card, but the lighting is just shocking, so I’ll have to do that tomorrow for you!

Have a go – just pour a little regular household bleach into a shallow container with a folded handi-towel on the bottom. Make sure the handi-towel is soaked through but not drenched. You don’t want puddles of bleach on the bottom. Then stamp your desired stamp into the handi-towel as you would a stamp pad. Check no drips are going to fall off on your card… (see above for what it looks like if you DON’T check!) and stamp directly onto your card. Hey Presto – how easy is that! First up - I must say my dentist is an absolute darling, and I highly recommend her, but today was just a one of THOSE days where not much went right to start with. A word of advice… bleach is not so much fun to play with if you have it squirted into your mouth (diluted of course) just as you are inhaling. My second trip to the dentist today resulted in a little drama with bleach choking me when I inhaled at the wrong time… NOT a pleasant visit today I’m afraid. Bleach, pain AND a numb tongue that stopped me from enjoying my muffin at lunchtime. NOT good at all! Guess it can only get better from here huh? Until I get the bill at the end that is. Ho hum. The fun things we get to spend our money on. Just imagine how many pairs of shoes I could buy for the same price as a root canal… imagine! NO, I’m not even going there. I won’t sleep tonight otherwise. Shoes are over-rated. Right??

Thanks for hanging around!

Have a fabulous night.

Michelle

Nothing over $20 again at Bendon - ‘til Monday

2009-05-31T17:11:00.001+12:00

OK, so that got your attention huh?? The Bendon factory shop has a fabulous sale on at Mega Valley. There’s NOTHING over $20, and heaps & heaps of stock, including some really gorgeous new stuff! Check it out. Although, the thought of trying on lingerie in this FREEZING weather is almost enough to make you cry. ANYWAY… I’ve been flat out this week – great, but busy. We had our last School class yesterday, and we made a simple version of the Scrapbook-in-a-purse (or scrapbook-in-a-wallet for the boys), but I forgot to take photos. They all did an amazing job. This is a gorgeous card that the lovely Wendy made (at Cherie's class) and got all the kids to sign for me. SOOOOO sweet – thank you Wendy!!

And on Friday night we had our first Scrapbooking Midnight Madness crop. It was fabulous – with some yummy yummy food brought along by the ladies, so chocolate, fudge, chips & dip added to scrapbooking makes for a wonderful night! Here is one of the double layouts we did – super simple to start off, and plenty of room to bling it up.

Now I need to put some photos on the pages. Sometime. Soon. Don’t forget I have some spaces still available for the Technique Class on both Tuesday morning (10am), or Wednesday night (7pm). Come and learn some new techniques for your cardmaking.

Enjoy your night, and stay warm!

Michelle

Fabulous new Box-In-A-Bag for my lovely hostess

2009-05-27T23:21:00.001+12:00

Good evening! I’ve just come home from a wonderful workshop with Debbie and her friends, and had such fun! “HELLO” to you all – thanks for coming along and making my job such a pleasure! Debbie asked if I could demonstrate the box-in-a-bag that I made ages ago. It is the perfect size for filling with homemade fudge or chocolates, or even bought chocolates. Here are two of the new designs I made for tonight.

Want to make one??? Go and check out the tutorial done by Diana Gibbs and have a go!

Goodnight!

Michelle

A NEW Kit, and a reminder about FRIDAY!

2009-05-26T22:01:00.001+12:00

Good evening! So sorry, I’ve not been blogging, but sometimes.. well, LIFE!! Ya Know?? Anyway… I’ve been working away to complete some new samples for my kits, and projects, (plus working away on my super exciting project that I’ll be able to reveal soon) so here’s my new Scrapbook In A Purse – aka Carousel Notes Purse! I haven’t used Carousel Notes though, I’ve created my own. I LOVE these colours – once again – gray! I have two of these kits all cut and ready to post to YOU – how’s that for prepared?? Of course, if you live overseas, then you can still have fun with this project, by purchasing the PDF with step-by-step instructions & photos on how to create this very lovely scrapbook-in-a-purse. Just so you know, the little tabs do actually pull out, and there is your journalling block, or another space for more photos!

The Kit, which includes all pre-cut cardstock, ribbon, the build-a-brad & FULL step-by-step instructions is just $15 including postage, or the PDF instructions is $5. See my side-bar for BUY NOW buttons.

I want to remind you all that THIS FRIDAY we have our very first Scrapbooking Midnight Madness Crop! YAY!! You have the choice to come along at 6pm and make four 12x12 pages that we have designed for you, then stay as long as you like and play with your own scrapbooking and our punches, stamps & inks. The cost for the class is just $35, which includes a pack of DSP of your choice (valued at $19.95), plus four sheets of 12x12 cardstock, various embellishments & extra cardstock to create two DOUBLE PAGE layouts. OR, if you ONLY want to bring along your own scrapbooking project then you’re very welcome to come and pay just $10 & stay until midnight if you wish! BYO snacks to share & adhesive. This class will be at my home this month. Phone me asap if you want to come along. We’ve limited this class to 10 so we have loads of space to scrap.

Hope you are all staying lovely & warm – we actually saw some sun today, but the Mountain is covered in snow, which looks stunning.

Thanks for checking back!

Michelle

M&M’s Swaps

2009-05-21T20:52:00.001+12:00

Good evening! I’ve no new stamping of mine to show you today, but I have got some fabulous cards from our Team Meeting yesterday. As I told you, our challenge was to use a different fold or technique in our cards, and this is what everyone came up with :

Toni’s

Kim’s

Cherie’s Helen’s

Cool huh??! I’ve been busy fighting a toothache. The toothache won last night, and my DH phoned the dentist (again) and begged them to see me today! Isn’t he so sweet!! I wasn’t in much of a fun mood last night – toothaches affect your ears, then your face feels like someone has punched you… The receptionist said when I walked in today “most people don’t look this happy when they come to the dentist!”. I was so grateful they fitted me in, and my tooth is certainly feeling better than it was, but there’s a root canal to come in 10 days. Hmmm. As you can see, I’m busy working on BUY NOW buttons for my kits – these are particularly useful for overseas buyers – NZ buyers are still welcome to post a cheque, or pay via internet banking.

Remember last week when I said that I’ve got some really exciting plans to tell you about? Well, I haven’t forgotten them, and in fact they are also why I’ve been a little busy. The time is getting very close now when I can reveal it all to you – just a little more to do on that particular project. I can tell you that I’m VERY excited!!

Have a great night, and thanks for looking!

Michelle

Thoughts & Prayers Swap

2009-05-20T16:30:00.002+12:00

Hello! What a week… I’m very much OVER the drama that goes on sometimes, and am ready for a nice quiet end of the week. Yeah Right!! This morning we went out to very chilly Inglewood (mind you, it’s freezing in New Plymouth as well!) and had our M&M’s meeting at Toni's. It was sooo lovely to be inside with the fire going, and a real shock to go back outside! Our swap challenge this month was to use a new technique or fold, or anything new that you’ve just learnt, so I took the opportunity to use this very cool idea that Marelle Taylor showed us at convention

If you’re going “WHAT…. new technique???”, then look closely at the glitter strip I have done – its done using sticky strip and then sprinkling our Super Nova Glitter over it. VERY easy, and it sure does sparkle! I borrowed this set from Sharlene, as I haven’t yet purchased it, and I must admit that I really like it. Lovely to colour with markers, and such beautiful words.

Stamp Sets : Boho Backgrounds, Thoughts & Prayers. Cardstock/Ink : Elegant Eggplant, Rose Red, Whisper White. Accessories : Markers (Old Olive & Elegant Eggplant), 1 3/8” circle punch, Designer Label Punch, Super Nova Glitter, Sticky Strip, Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Cutter Kit, Sponges.

Last night I travelled to Opunake with a group of ladies to play squash (and it was FREEZING there as well!), and I gave them a little gift to say “sorry” for a little mistake on my part… The week that I was in Australia for Convention, I made a mistake on the squash roster, and sent the ladies to a club that was about 50 minutes travel, instead of telling them that we were playing at our own club that night. Oops! I felt so bad, but the ladies were all so gracious about it – even laughing about it. How kind! So I made them a little bag of rocky road as a little gift. Looking at it now, I’m kinda wishing that I had doubled the recipe and made some more… I’m drooling over this picture!! If you want a real simple & very yummy recipe for rocky road, then here it is, courtesy of Cherie!

CHERIE’S ROCKY ROAD

400g Chocolate Melts, 50g butter (melted together in microwave). Stir in about a bag of marshmallows (chopped), and 3/4 bag of Homebrand Raspberries (cut in half) and a couple of handfuls of cornflakes. Pour into square tin to set.

You can also add peanuts. YUM!!

Enjoy your night, and I hope you’re warm where you are!

Michelle

Kits also sold as PDF only, and a lovely make & take

2009-05-19T13:45:00.001+12:00

Good afternoon! What were my famous words yesterday saying “I’ve got a lovely quietish stamping week this week, so I’ll get around to doing my office…” Ha!! I simply tempted fate I think… All good though – last night we had our SOS Team Meeting here, and Megan taught us how to do a lovely make & take that was showcased at convention. We had lots of fun reminiscing & getting excited all over again, trying to convince those who didn’t come this year that next year is a MUST COME! Join my team during May for just $175, and come with us all to Sydney next year – 21st & 22nd of May, for a FABULOUS weekend away with the girls!

Here’s our make & take (thanks Megan)

Stamp Set : Fifth Avenue Floral, Best Yet. Cardstock/Ink : Chocolate Chip, Glossy White, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze. Accessories : Mat Pack, Paper Piercer, Twine, Three Flower Punch, White EP, Versamark, Heat Tool, Cutter Kit, Gold Brads, Large Oval Punch.

I spent this morning stamping with my sister & lovely Yvonne (HI!!), which was such fun. We made three fabulous projects that are really very cool. One of them we will be having a go at next month for my Stamp Club. You are welcome to join us if you are tempted, but not quite convinced yet to join… THIS MONTH, you can come to my Stamp Club for just $10 (or free with a $35 order) and make three fabulous projects yourself. I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll have a blast, so come & check it out with no obligation to commit to stay! A new round of Stamp Club will begin in July. Spaces are available on Wednesday 10th June 9.30am (four spaces only), or Tuesday 11th June at 7.00pm.

NOW… after a few emails & requests from overseas blog visitors, I have decided that I will offer the PDF’s for my kits for sale so that you can receive the instructions with photographs & VERY detailed instructions (yes, Stampin’ For Dummies!) so you can make these at home, or for your classes & clubs. Each PDF will be NZ$5.00, and I’m was just about to figure out how to get a “buy now” button on my blog through Pay Pal, but have been phoned by school to come and get my son, who has had his head split open by an accident with a ruler… he’s been take to the emergency Dr and had it glued up, as they couldn’t get me by phone.. Oops! Anyway, the aluminium man is on his way to fix my door, so my darling Dad has run off to get Blake while I wait for the man. It never just rains, does it???! So, the Buy Now button will come soon!

Take care
Michelle

Upsy Daisy Thank You

2009-05-18T16:05:00.001+12:00

A super quick card, which is what I just LOVE about Upsy Daisy – the cards can be sooo simple yet look really cool. This is a thank you I made for a lovely lady who gives me a giggle often, and is soooo incredibly patient, even tho’ we’ve never met. Thank You to you – you’ll know who you are when you get my card!

Gotta fly – I’m rushing out for a quick game of squash in 30 minutes, and I don’t have more than the idea of dinner in my head, and my DH will be home in 20 minutes, and I’d better be looking like I’m organised… hope I can pull it off! We have a big team meeting here tonight, so I think I’d better get someone to vacuum as well… or maybe we can just have dim lighting?? LOl!

Have a great night

Michelle

p.s wasn’t Gray’s & Private Practice FABULOUS??!! Can’t wait for next week!

Convention Highlights – this time!

2009-05-17T18:14:00.001+12:00

Good afternoon! Now I have a few more minutes, I thought you might like to see another of the projects I showed at Convention which is also now available for you to purchase as a kit for just $15 including postage (NZ ONLY). It is the Guylian Gift Box, which contains a box of Guylian Chocolates (no these are not included in your kit as it increases the postage to much!), and two gift tags and two 3”x3” cards in an adorable divided box with an acetate window.

Here’s a shot of the girls before we went on stage for our Workshop WOW presentations - Nicky Tidbold, Ngaire Anderson, Me, The vivacious Shannon West from Stampin’ Up! Utah, and the delightful Shelli Gardener.

And me doin’ my thing on stage. I look pretty calm here – looks can be SOOO deceiving! I’m sure the cameraman could hear my heart thumping! After I told everyone that I was imagining them in their underwear I was very aware of the man very close beside me filming… I had to reassure him that I wasn’t meaning him! In this photo, at least I have my apron the right way on. I put it on in front of Nicky & Ngaire, and as I was tying the back up Nicky started laughing her head off, and managed to say “you might want to put your apron on the other way!”. I had it inside out – you can only imagine the giggling that went on – imagine if I had gone on stage with it inside-out and the Stampin’ Up! logo in reverse … how embarrassing!!

Now I have to show you a photo of a fabulous card that my son Blake made for me this afternoon – without any help from me I might add.

Isn’t it just gorgeous?? All the boys sat down this afternoon and played with my things that were still scattered right across the table from yesterday’s class with school children. We made a scrapbook in a box, and the kids all did such an amazing job. Every one of them were very different, but each one was fabulous. Such creative kids – it’s amazing what happens when you give children a little bit of card, some cut-out or punched out images and a little guidance. I do need to tell you that this week we are going to be offering our Creative Kids classes out to the schools, so if you want to book a space for your child, make sure you phone me asap (we have already had a great amount of kids registered).

That’s all for today I think – I have a wonderfully quietish week for Stampin’, so I’m really hoping to get on top of my …. office! Grrrr. The source of much frustration for me! Think I might re-arrange everything. That way it forces me to pull everything apart and really sort out things. Maybe…!

Have a wonderful Sunday (YAY – Gray’s & Private Practice!!!) night.

Thanks for stopping by!

Michelle

KITS, KIDS & MORE Convention Highlights!

2009-05-16T10:44:00.001+12:00

Good morning! I JUST LOVE hockey. OK, so I love that the boys games are at 11.30am – such a lovely sociable time to play winter sports!! Before we head off, I thought I’d let you know about a couple of fabulous new classes I have coming up.

KIM’S SLIDING STATIONERY BOX. I’ll have some photos to show you next week of the new design, but if you haven’t yet seen it here’s a look at KIM'S box made with last year’s DSP. It is VERY cool. It includes three cards, plus the notepad & pen.

Saturday 6th June 1.30pm-4pm OR Monday 8th June 7pm-9.30pm. Cost $25.00, or if you place an order of $50+ on the day, you will get the class for just $15.00. Places limited to 8 per class, so you do need to book early.

CREATIVE KIDS CLASSES. Sharlene and I are offering some fabulous creative time for kids (and “chill” time for Mum’s) during the next school holidays. Kids can come to either one or all of the sessions and will make three different projects at each session.

Thursday 9th July & Thursday 16th July. Morning session runs from 9.30am-12noon. Afternoon session runs from 1.00pm-3.30pm. If children are booked into both sessions, we will be happy to look after them during the lunch break. Cost $20 per child per session. BYO Drink bottle, snack, scissors and lunch if they are staying all day. At this stage, we are offering the classes for children aged 9-12 years.

For both of these classes, you will need to pay in advance to confirm your place.

Off to hockey… Catch you later! Whoops, forgot the convention highlights – that’ll have to be later

Michelle

p.s good news… the kits are done, and are in today’s post!

Upsy Daisy – again!

2009-05-15T09:48:00.001+12:00

Good morning! We had a fabulous class last night – a HUGE hello to all you ladies, and thank you for giving me my whole month worth of laughing all in one night! A special thank you to TERESA, for providing the much need, and very much enjoyed snacks for last night… YUM!! This is another card we made with the lovely Upsy Daisy set. This time using some sponging to create a very different look to my last card. This is a great card for either men or women, and is a “multi-purpose” card – one you could use for almost any occasion, so really handy to have in your card box.

If you’d like to make these cards with a group of your friends, then let me know, and I’m happy to come to you, or have you come to me. $10 for 5 cards is an absolute STEAL! Out of town, and can’t come to a class… NOT a problem! Just order the Upsy Daisy set from me for just $39.95 plus P&P, and for an additional $5 I’ll post it to you, WITH kits for the five cards included!

Enjoy your Friday!!

Michelle

Don’t you just love it when..

2009-05-14T08:14:00.001+12:00

A plan comes together?? Or a card at least! Today is the first of two Upsy Daisy classes, where we’ll be making 5 cards using this wonderful little set! As this week has had a definite lack of relaxed cardmaking time, I turned to the catalogue for some inspiration to get me started, and this is what I found. I thought this card was a stunning example of putting the right colours, a bit of DSP and one of our gorgeous stamp sets together and coming up with a fabulous simple card!

Stamp sets : Upsy Daisy, Frames with a Flourish. Cardstock/Ink : Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White. DSP Baja Breeze Patterns. Accessories : Versamark, Clear EP, Paper Snips

I colour embossed the flowers by first stamping my stamp into versamark, then immediately into Not Quite Navy ink and clear embossing the image, which produces a lovely shiny image.

I still have some spaces left in both tonight’s and tomorrow’s classes, so if you want to come along and have some fun, give me a call today. A big thank you to JACQUI, who first made me aware of the Frames with a Flourish stamp set, that I had overlooked, then convinced me to purchase it after she had made some gorgeous creations with it! Thanks!!

Enjoy your day, and thank you so much to all you lovely people who sent lovely wishes for Mason’s quick recovery. THIS is what I love about Stampin’ Up! (along with many other things of course) – the lovely people who you meet who quickly become good friends, and are just so darn nice. Thanks!

An apology to those who are waiting for their kits so patiently – I WILL get on top of them this week, and they’ll be in the post to you asap. Thanks so much for your understanding!

Michelle

FREE STAMPS FOR YOU!

2009-05-12T21:00:00.002+12:00

Hi there everyone! I’ve had an interesting couple of days since I last posted, saying that Mason was home sick – we ended up at the Doctor’s twice on Monday, and were sent to hospital. Hmmm. Urgent calls to my darling Mum & Dad who took the other two boys bowling with them until my DH came home, then a race to get up to the hospital before it got too dark & cold. Not an experience that I’d like to repeat too often. The nurses and doctors were amazing – really great, but the sleeping arrangements SUCK! 10 people in one room, separated by curtains, and half of those people are sick – doesn’t make for a night of peaceful, uninterrupted sleep! Being woken every hour by the nurse doing checks & giving meds to Mason was like a form of torture, and nearly did my head in – BUT… he’s home now, and hopefully going to sleep well tonight, in spite of the amount of steroids pumped into him over the last 36 hours that have him bouncing off the walls!

Here’s a (very yellow) photo of a very sick (???) little boy last night when he was admitted to the ward, and was full of meds which I’m sure included laughing gas, as he got the giggles!

Sooo… I’ve had no time for stamping, but plenty of time for planning, and I’ve come up with a great offer to help me, help you! My big box of retired stamp sets cause me grief – where can I store them until I sell them, and it’s going to take me ages to put them onto trade me, sooo here’s the deal – ANYONE who places an order with me from the current catalogue (including the current Scrapbooking Specials) OVER $100 can choose one of my retired stamp sets for FREE – up to $40.00, as listed on my retired list HERE. If you place an order OVER $200, or sign up to get the amazing Scrapbooking Starter Kit deal for just $175.00 this month, then you can choose either any TWO stamp sets, up to the value of $40.00 each, or any one stamp set of any value plus any wheel.

I hope you can help me out by giving a good home to some of my sets. I’ll keep the list updated as they sell, so it’s a first-come basis only. This offer is valid until 15th June, or until my sets run out!

Well, lots still to do before tomorrow’s stamp club so I’d better get moving.

Have a great night – hope you’re staying warm where you are!

Michelle

Stamp Club this month

2009-05-11T13:07:00.001+12:00

Good morning – I hope you are warm & cosy where you are – it’s absolutely freezing & miserable here, which means a wonderful day to stamp & stay inside – YAY! I have Mason home sick with asthma, which always seems to be worst in the middle of the night, so we’ve been to the Dr to get that sorted, and now he’s happy playing with a new toy, so I’m getting myself organised for Stamp Club tomorrow & Wednesday. One of my favourite (in fact, possibly my very favourite) card from convention swaps was done by the delightful Rebecca Trip. Rebecca is incredibly talented, and so lovely, and her swap was just stunning – so much so that I’m going to use it for one of the projects this week at Stamp Club.

Thanks so much Rebecca – this card is just adorable! Back to the planning now. Have a great day!

Michelle

Raspberry Suite Colour Challenge

2009-05-09T21:22:00.001+12:00

So… a first for me – completing a challenge with Raspberry Suite. I simply couldn’t resist these gorgeous colours, as I’m particularly into GRAY at the moment – as the girls who I shopped with in Canberra & Melbourne will tell you. Half of the clothes (in fact, OVER half) I bought were gray. Hmmm – only ever had two gray things before in my wardrobe, so this is interesting! ANYWAY (and BTW, I STILL have to get some gray shoes – I did buy a couple (OK, FIVE!) pairs of shoes, but no gray ones.) In fact, I have never been into more than 40 shoe shops and only bought 5 pairs of shoes – all the heels were incredibly high, and I could just see me breaking more than a nail when I tripped over, as I would, wearing these sensational creations…. ANYWAY….! Here’s my entry for the Raspberry Suite Colour Challenge this week. DON’T ask what I’m hiding under the ribbon at the bottom, because even I nearly squealed when I had added the embellishment that is safely tucked under layers of sticky strip – sometimes even I wonder what I’m thinking!

Stamp Sets : Priceless, Occasional Greetings, Bloomin’ With Beauty. Cardstock/Ink : Basic Gray, Whisper White, Pixie Pink, Pretty in Pink. Accessories : Dimensionals, Pink Taffeta Ribbon, 3/4” circle punch for notched corners, markers, aqua painter, versamark, clear EP.

This is a card that my lovely friend & downline Cherie very kindly taught me how to make, and even dropped over a template, just to make sure I “got it” – Thank you!!! It’s called a Mountain Fold card, and we’ll be making one of these (obviously not a Mother’s Day one") at my Stamp Clubs this week.

Hopefully my Mum won’t be checking out my blog tonight – we’re getting together for lunch tomorrow, which will be really nice.

Just wanted to update you about my association with UStamp, as I’ve had a lot of questions asked. I have chosen not to continue being on the UStamp Dream Team. It was an honour to be asked, and a huge learning curve for me doing the last round of UStamp. I’m sure there will be another NZ Dream Team Member joining the UStamp Team soon, and in the mean time, Makeesha is sure to keep you all on the edge of your seats with her projects for the current round. Thanks for your concern!

Have a wonderful, wonderful night – I’m now off to read my book. YAY! To all the Mother’s reading – take a moment to congratulate yourselves on the amazing job you do. The most under-valued, underpaid & overworked job I know – but also the most rewarding, without a doubt. Our children are such a blessing, and some days it’s easy to overlook that, as we pick up the scooters left on the driveway, the half-eaten apples left by the television, and ask for the 101st time today “who’s cup is this left on the bench”, but really, we are so fortunate to have them, and I wish to acknowledge my own Mum, who has been such a huge part of making me into the person that I am today. Thanks Mum – you’re such an amazing woman & Mother, and I thank you for what you have instilled in me, and for the values that I am now attempting to pass onto my own children.

I love you Mum!

Goodnight!

Michelle

My three little blessings – this is my all-time favourite photo of them!

Kids Class – FUN!

2009-05-09T17:15:00.001+12:00

Hi there ! Today was my first class for kids, and I must admit that I was a little concerned about how it would go – would the kids enjoy it… would they cope with the projects I had selected… would I cope with 8 children in a class without their parents (apart from my lovely assistant/parent Wendy – THANK YOU!), but I needn’t have worried – the kids were fabulous. It amazes me how children have no fear about doing things differently, and their creations were all just wonderful. I’m looking forward to next week now. Here is one of our projects from today – a genie bag just in time to fill with chocolates for Mothers Day.

Stamp Sets : Wonderful Favourites, Enjoy Every Moment. Cardstock/Ink : Basic Gray, Tangerine Tango, Basic Black, Whisper White. Accessories : Wide Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Eyelets, Ribbon (non SU), Dazzling Diamonds, 3/4” circle punch, dimensionals.

My DH came home this afternoon with a lovely box of my favourite chocolates – Lindt Lindor – YUMMMMM! They ~~were~~ are delicious! So I think that may just be my dinner sorted… the boys are out with their Dad, and I have a lovely peaceful evening at home tonight that I’m really looking forward to! Time to get a little organised with my projects, and some time to hopefully finish a book that I started in Canberra. Too many good movies I watched on the flights to read my book – Note to self : LISTEN when people tell you NOT to watch Marley & Me in public, as sobbing over a dog on a flight is NOT cool!

I hope you enjoy your evening!

Michelle

KITS AVAILABLE NOW

2009-05-08T22:14:00.001+12:00

Hello! I’m sitting here like a little fat pudding – we took our son & 8 other kids out to dinner tonight for his birthday (which is on Sunday, but we're celebrating tonight), and I ate WAY to much. What a surprise, right?? What is it about an “all you can eat buffet” that makes you want to eat all you possibly can fit in without actually bursting?? Hmm – some kind of inbuilt thing – I think I’m just like a Labrador Dog, who apparently is the only dog that does not have a “full – stop eating” mechanism, and will just eat until they are sick. I don’t quite go that far, but I sure do test that theory sometimes – shocking! It was yum though – especially all that seafood. Mmmmmmm. ANYWAY… back to why I’m here – I’m delighted to let you all know that I am able to offer you kits for some of the fabulous projects we have done recently, including the purse that I presented at convention. I’ll be adding new kits along the way, but for now, you can purchase any one kit for $15.00, or two kits for $25.00, including P&P anywhere in NZ. All kits will be pre-cut, and instructions will be provided by email with a PDF including pictures to help you create a masterpiece at home! Photos for my other kits will have to wait until I can remake the projects in current DSP, but they include a Carousel Notes scrapbook (picture shown in old DSP colours – will be different), and a Valentines Box (as shown at convention – excluding the chocolates!) which I will also upload after the weekend. For now, here’s the first one!

Urban Garden Purse (as shown)

Carousel Notes Mini Scrapbook (will be re-created using current DSP & stamps – check next week for a new pic!)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Michelle

A yummy healthy treat – sort of!

2009-05-07T22:39:00.001+12:00

Good evening everyone! I finally got around to making something tonight – seems I’ve spent about two days shuffling papers, mail & washing, so tonight it was CREATE time, and it was fun!

This little cutie cylinder was demonstrated by the very talented Shelli Gardener, co-founder of Stampin’ Up!, and a beautiful lady who inspired and excited all of us at convention. Shelli is not only a very talented business-woman, but a gifted stamper and communicator, and one of the loveliest people you are ever likely to meet. She was incredibly down-to-earth with her stamping, and had us hanging on her every word so we didn’t miss a thing. One of Shelli’s projects was a cute treat cylinder which I had attempted in the past, and ended up after many hours frustration throwing away as “impossible” to make the ends fit, no matter how I tried. Well – along comes Shelli, and shows us how to create this using our scallop punch as the base, folding up the little scallops so they can attach to the outside edge of the cylinder, then covering that with DSP, just as I’ve done in this sample. How simple!! I filled my cylinder with (what’s left of) the chocolate coated sunflower seeds, which are incredibly good for you – that is if you don’t think about the chocolate coating, which is really all you can taste, as the sunflower seeds are about 10% of the make-up of the candy. LOL – but I’m going to stick with “healthy”, because it makes me feel better!

A big “HELLO” to Louise, Claire, Jacqui, Jo, Keryn, Linz, Joanne, Rel, Sujata and many more - Thank you for congratulations and hugs. Stampin’ Up! certainly seems to attract the nicest people! Another HUGE HELLO to Joviann, who is meeting me for coffee sometime SOON.

I’m looking forward to seeing a whole lot of you at some of my classes & events that are coming up – it’s been a while since I had classes, so I’m really looking forward to starting them off again this Saturday with a group of 9 & 10yr olds from Frankley School – this should be a fun class. I’ll be sure to show you some of our projects.

Don’t forget Mother’s Day on Sunday – I won’t be posting my card until Sunday – because my Darling Mother will be peeping – HI MUM!

Thought I’d share a couple of photos from convention with you. PLEASE IGNORE the big stain on the front of my dress… I thought I’d cleaned the butter off that fell all over me during dinner, but from the photos, obviously NOT! Shame… Never mind!

We have some of the NZ girls in the top picture with Shelli (third from left); Sharlene & I; Karen & I (my blogging friend – HI KAREN); Cherie, myself & Angela; Angela, myself & Helen (post-dinner – STAINED dress!), and finally a group photo of our table, which includes Megan & Beth, and the offending butter shown ON my dress. Hmmm….

Did I mention that I will have some very very exciting news to share with you all next week??? I can hardly wait – it’s going to be amazing!!

Have a fabulous night!

Michelle

Classes & Much More!

2009-05-06T23:58:00.001+12:00

I told you I’d be back! I have some wonderful classes & events to share with you – something for everyone coming up in the next 6 weeks.

Tuesday 12th May 7.30pm Stamp Club (New members welcome)

Wednesday 13th May 9.30am Stamp Club (Fully booked)

Thursday 14th May 7.00pm-9.00pm OR Friday 15th May 10am-12noon UPSY DAISY $10 CLASS – Make 5 cards for $10, using the wonderful new Upsy Daisy Stamp Set. Purchase Upsy Daisy on/before this class and come along for free! Register by Monday 11th May.

Friday 22nd May 7.00pm-9.00pm GIFT CLASS $15 – Make one gorgeous handbag and a fabulous gift box both with co-ordinating gift cards. Register by Friday 15th May

INAUGURAL SCRAPBOOKING MIDNIGHT MADNESS EVENT – Friday 29th May 6pm-MIDNIGHT. After hearing so many people saying “I’m sooo behind on my scrapbooking, I just don’t know where to start…”, Sharlene & I have decided to offer you a fabulous place to start – with other scrapbookers in the same position! For just $35 you will receive a pack of Designer Paper of your choice, plus four sheets of 12x12 cardstock, various embellishments & extra cardstock to complete two DOUBLE PAGE layouts that we will have on display for you to create – that’s FOUR pages completed! We anticipate the class will run from about 6pm – 8pm, then it’s an open crop, where you can bring out your own scrapbooking projects, use all of our punches, ink pads & stamp sets for FREE, and finish some more pages of your own! YAY!! This class will run every month, on the last Friday from 6pm-midnight, so you can be sure that you will be inspired all over again. REGISTRATION is essential (along with your choice of Designer Paper) and will only be confirmed when payment is received. Bring a friend, and enjoy a fun, relaxed, very social occasion. Let us know if you can’t make it ‘til a bit later, and we can accommodate you as well! Leave whenever you’ve had enough, or stay until we turn off the lights at midnight.

This month we will hold the event at my house – BYO adhesive & snacks to share – Tea & Coffee will be provided.

Tuesday 2nd June 10.00am-12.30pm OR Wednesday 3rd June 7.00pm-9.30pm TECHNIQUE CLASS $15 Join me to learn four new techniques for those who want to go beyond the basics. We will create four cards using these new techniques that are sure to WOW your friends – IF you can bear to give them away that is!

Tuesday 9th June 7.30pm Stamp Club (New Members Welcome)

Wednesday 10th June 9.30am Stamp Club (Fully booked)

YOU ASKED FOR IT…. A “NO FRILLS” STAMP CAMP! SATURDAY 20TH JUNE 1PM-4.30PM

That’s right – you said that PRICE was a factor in not coming along to our last Stamp Camp, so we listened, and here we have our first NO FRILLS HALF DAY STAMP CAMP. We are SURE that you are still going to love our projects, (as they’re going to be of the same fabulous standard we have previously WOWed you with), but we won’t be giving out spot prizes or gift packs this time, and no fancy afternoon tea, but some good old fashioned FUN while we stamp. This means that we have drastically cut our expenses, and our price to you is just…. $25 PER PERSON! WOW – for TWO wonderful projects. AND… if you bring along a friend who hasn’t been to a STAMP CAMP with us before, you will each receive a $5 discount.

Places are limited to 10 participants, so be in quickly with registration and payment to confirm your place by Saturday 13th June.

BYO adhesive – tea & coffee will be provided

WOW – Hope you’ve made it through all that information, and are still with me! Here’s one of the gorgeous purses that I presented to the demonstrators at Convention in Canberra, and that we will be making at our gift class on the 22nd of May. It is simply GORGEOUS (I hope you agree!) and is one that is sure to impress whoever you give it to.

I have so many more classes that I’m simply busting to share with you, including Kim’s Stationery Box (that is just simply AMAZING), and plenty of other 3D, technique and card classes to keep you all fully stocked with cards & gifts for every occasion, and a very exciting new venture that I’ll be able to share with you next week. YIPPEE!!

Goodnight!

Michelle

WOOOHOOO!!!!

2009-05-06T14:01:00.001+12:00

Hello to you all – I’m back from convention in Canberra, and full of the joys of an amazing time away with other stampers, friends, and even a sister! We had a blast, and were very spoilt once again this year. Here is just SOME of the amazing things that I walked away with. Some of the stamp sets were earnt, some won, and some were just gifts from Stampin’ Up!, because they really value & appreciate everything we do. How cool!!!

Some of the observant amongst you may notice the small expensive looking box at the bottom of this picture. Well – that was a HUGE surprise for me. You see, Stampin’ Up! decided to reward even further the top three demonstrators in three categories with a gorgeous…..

TIFFANY Pendant (or earrings, or bracelet). WOWZA!! I was stunned – totally shocked, when my name was called out for one of the recipients of this gorgeous gift in the Leadership category. How very generous! Of course, without a team to lead, I would not be able to earn such a reward, so to my wonderful team of women who work hard, play hard & shop even harder… THANK YOU. I can’t express the feelings I have after our trip away, and certainly wish that my entire team could have come to experience this fabulous convention – maybe next year!

If you would like to join my team, then I’ve got such a wonderful opportunity for you. How does joining Stampin’ Up! for just $175.00 sound? This will get you a scrapbooking starter kit, and the opportunity to excel in a business that works around YOU. Or if you prefer, you may wish to purchase the starter kit for the minimum 20% discount and just order for yourself and a couple of friends. Whichever way you want to join – I would be delighted to welcome you to our team. We need all kinds of demonstrators, and you can be sure that I will give you the support to achieve your goals, whatever they may be.

Picture the Possibilities!

There has never been a better time to join Stampin' Up! In celebration of National Scrapbooking Month, join Stampin' Up! as a demonstrator for only $175 with our limited-time Scrapbooking Starter Kit. The Scrapbooking Starter Kit contains the following:

Schoolbook Serif Alphabet stamp set*         RRP $91.95
Simply Scrappin' Petal Party                           RRP $43.95
Earth Elements 12x12 textured card stock   RRP $25.95
Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad                 RRP $13.95
Craft & Rubber Scissors                                   RRP $44.95
*Substitute for any stamp set up to $91.95 value.

The Scrapbooking Starter Kit also contains all the business supplies contained in the standard

Starter Kit:
Getting Started DVD
Getting Started Guide
Guest Invitation Postcard (100)
Idea Book & Catalogue (8)
To My Hostess Envelope (10)
Project Sample Sheet
Recruit Brochures (20)
Hostess Brochure (20)
Hostess Benefits Form (10)
Customer Order Form (50)

FREE DESIGNER PAPER

BUT… if you are not convinced to purchase the Scrapbooking Starter Kit, maybe you wish to take advantage of the other special Stampin’ Up! has for May – Purchase three packs of DSP and get one for FREE! WOW – That’s a $19.95 discount.

You can choose from the following designs:
Item #           Description
112042          Urban Garden
112470          Haiku
113976          Pink Flamingo
112468          Sweet Always
113992          Tea Party
113975          Raspberry Tart
113966          Good Morning Sunshine
112469          Holiday Treasures
112041          Bella Rose
113974          Bella Bleu
113978          Urban Oasis
112461          Washington Apple
112039          Windsor Knot
113980          Candy Lane

There are no limits to how many packs you can earn, for every 3 packs you purchase, you will get 1 FREE!
Order your Designer Series Paper NOW by phone or email!
Offer valid 1-31 May 2009

I’ve got such a lot more to share with you, including my classes for this month and next, and my projects that I presented at convention (shaking in my chair, in front of 400ish women!) but I’d better fly and get some dinner happening before I get too carried away though!

Thanks for looking!

Michelle

Talk about PROCRASTINATE!

2009-04-29T18:58:00.001+12:00

Ok, so tonight I should be busily packing my bag to leave tomorrow, and what do I do??? Of course, I blog! I think I’m just putting off doing my swaps (oops, I mean packing my swaps of course, as I’m SUPER organised, and finished mine AGES ago!) and the “what shall I take” dilemma. I’m taking less than ever I’ve decided – more room for some new shoes!!

I had a class out with some lovely ladies in Waitara today, and it was also a LOVELY distraction from packing & sorting… and here’s one of the cards we made. Thanks to all of you who came today – hopefully you’re all enjoying admiring the projects you made – well done to you!

This is called a Tea Bag Fold, and is a slight variation on the one I made recently with Mostly Flowers. This time I used Boho Backgrounds, which is such a versatile set, and Baroque Motifs. I’m sure you can work out the colours for yourself!

Have a wonderful week – I’ll see you back here sometime next week once I unpack.

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle

Just for Joanne

2009-04-27T22:34:00.001+12:00

Hi everyone, and especially Joanne!

Joanne missed out on our last class for Inglewood High School, and hasn’t yet seen all the projects we made, that I’m taking out to her this week, so I thought I’d better put on another photo, just for Joanne!

This card was inspired by a card done by Beate on Splitcoast Stampers. A fabulous place to get ideas for your cards (www.splitcoaststampers.com).

Stamp Set : Pun Fun, Classic Stars Wheel. Cardstock/Ink : Baja Breeze, Real Red, Baja Breeze Patterns DSP. Accessories : Large & Small Star Punches, Gold Brads, Photo Corner Punch.

Today, the boys all went back to school, and I had great plans to get sooo much done with 6 whole hours to myself. Hmmm. I just couldn’t get myself organised. I managed to get a bit done, but felt a little odd with no noise… so I went and had coffee with my sister! TOMORROW, I’ll get sorted. Probably! Actually, tomorrow I have a hair cut & colour, and after reading MAKEESHA'S post about her horrific haircut, I’m freakin out just a little! I mean, how bad can it be, right??

Hope you like the card Joanne!

Have a wonderful night.

Michelle

KWerner Colour Inspiration # 50

2009-04-26T21:10:00.001+12:00

YAY – TIME TO STAMP!! With just a few things (very important things, mind you) left on my “MUST DO” list before I leave for Australia this week, I’ve actually got some time to create tonight. My DH is out, and the boys are about to have an early night, getting ready for going back to school tomorrow morning (YAY, just quietly), so I gave myself an hour to make a card for the KWerner colour inspiration, and this is what I came up with.

Stamp Set : One of a Kind. Cardstock/Ink : Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Whisper White. Accessories : Versamark, Dazzling Diamonds, Heat & Stick, Grosgrain Ribbon, Wide Oval Punch, Designer Label Punch, 1 3/8” circle punch, Markers, Dimensionals

Check out the other amazing entries at Kristina's Blog.

Have a wonderful night!

Michelle

Masking 101

2009-04-25T17:29:00.001+12:00

Good afternoon! I hope your day was as fabulous as mine has been… creating three fabulous projects in one day gives you a real feeling of achievement. Thank you to everyone who was involved – it was a great day! You’ll have to wait to see photos of our projects another day, but in the meantime, here’s a card that I made this week – it was actually a technique tutorial I was asked to do that is not needed anymore, so if you want to know how to create this card in a step-by-step, photographed tutorial, then just leave me a comment with your email address and – I’ll email it out to you. It’s kind of a little bit too much information to post on here, and I’m trying to get my head around linking to a document… somehow… Anyway – I gave this to my DH for his birthday which was on Wednesday. It’s a great card for a man. I did think about putting the whole family on the front of the card, or me driving… but in the end I just left it empty.

Well, I’m a little weary, so I think it will be a lovely quiet night tonight, before I attempt to do my swaps tomorrow for convention – YAY!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Michelle

A double slider sweetie!

2009-04-25T09:18:00.001+12:00

Good morning! A real quick post before Stamp Camp starts in 30 minutes…! This was one of our projects at my Thursday night class – A double slider. It is such a WOW card – and pretty easy to make with a bit of help from a friend!

If you would like to make this (or a similar) card for a WOW class, then give me a call and we’ll set up a date for you and some friends. A class starts at $15 for 3 WOW cards, or a combination of WOW and 3D items. You can either have it at your house or mine, and with just a small group of friends you can tailor-make your class to your wishes. Or if you like to more simple, quick cards, then we can do a class where you make 4 cards for $10.00! What are you waiting for??

Stamp Set : Fifth Avenue Floral. Cardstock/Ink : Chocolate chip, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White. Accessories : Eyelet Border Punch, Ribbon, Round Tab Punch, and lots of dimensionals!

Hope you enjoy your Anzac Day!

Michelle

I’m in LOVE!

2009-04-24T10:51:00.001+12:00

… with Fifth Avenue Floral (ok, AND my DH!!!!!) WOW – this stamp set is just fabulous! I did an impromptu make & take at our M&M’s team meeting on Wednesday using this set for the first time, and it showed just how simple & quick a card can be and still have that WOW factor. Sharlene has made a card very similar to this, which gave me the inspiration for my card – THANKS!

Stamp Set : Fifth Avenue Floral, Boho Backgrounds. Cardstock/Ink : Not Quite Navy, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White. Accessories : Versamark Ink, Heat & Stick Powder, Dazzling Diamonds, Wide Oval Punch.

Last night we had our last Inglewood High class (a make-up class that we missed) at Kim’s house – well, what a LAUGH! Kim, your muffins are to-die-for, and no, I HAVE NOT GOT A COLD… it’s just a headache, blocked nose & croaky throat. Thanks girls for a much-needed laugh. I never knew we could take so long to make three cards – I guess that was all the laughing, eating & drinking that went on with it, and hey, what do you expect stamping with BLONDES!! Sorry to all the blondes out there, but we did have a few VERY blonde moments last night!

Have a fabulous day everyone – I’ve got lots & lots to do getting ready for our Stamp Camp tomorrow – WOOHOO!

Michelle

M&M’s swaps & a wicked recipe

2009-04-22T22:04:00.001+12:00

Hi there!

Today we had our M&M’s meeting, and the most bestest part is getting everyone’s swap cards. WOW – they were nothing short of FABULOUS today. I just love the colours, stamp sets & layouts from everyone. What a very talented group of women! Thanks ladies – such wonderful swaps from you all!

By CHERIE

By TONI

By Helen

By TRUDI

By KIM

Now, I have a terrible recipe to share with you all that I made this morning (and last night…) for our morning tea. Terrible, because it only takes 4 minutes, 20 seconds to cook in the microwave, and I tell you, it’s DIVINE!! YUM – Terrible! Thanks to Sibylle for making this for us last week, and for kindly sharing the recipe! I’ll know who to blame when I next weigh myself!

Sibylle’s Microwave Brownie

100g melted butter
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp bp
1/2 cup choc chips

Stir with a fork. Bake in a microwave safe bowl for 4 min 20 sec (Line bowl with baking paper, otherwise it's very hard to get out, and try not to drop the brownie on the bench once it’s cooked, as it will break into three pieces in front of your guests – believe me, I know!). Leave the brownie in the dish for at least 10 minutes – IF YOU CAN! The mixture tastes very good, but the cooked brownie is really yum. Enjoy!

Michelle

Inspired by Nature & STAMP CAMP THIS SATURDAY!

2009-04-21T23:38:00.001+12:00

Good evening everyone! I’ve just inked up for the very first time one of the gorgeous new sets from our new catalogue – Inspired By Nature. LOVE IT!! This is my swap card for tomorrow’s M&M’s meeting (and yes, I always seem to leave my swaps ‘til the night before). We simply had to use some of the new in-colours.

What I love most about this set it the simplicity of the cards you can make with it – the stamp set & words speak for themselves, without lots of fuss, so just perfect for a last minute card! I used our new eyelet border punch along the side of my whisper white card, then along a strip of Baja Breeze card, then attached a strip of black card behind that just to add to the contrast. I stamped the flower first in Sahara Sand which I had stamped off lightly first to give a lighter shadow colour, then used the stamp-a-ma-jig to restamp the flowers in Pacific Point just slightly up above the original stamp. Cool huh?!

Now – STAMP CAMP!! This is on Saturday from 10am – 4pm, and we are making three VERY cool projects – I’m talking major cool projects, not just some cute little box, but WAY COOL things that you’re going to just LOVE. We still have spaces available for you & a friend to come along. If you and a friend book and pay together by Thursday 5pm, then I’ll give you a reduced rate – A VERY SPECIAL rate of just $40 per person, instead of $50. Of course, if you just want to come by yourself, then I still have a space for you as well, just at the normal cost of $50. This is your chance to spend the day creating alongside other like-minded women – how much fun is that?!

Have a wonderful night, and I’ll be back with some more stuff tomorrow!

Michelle

HELLOO!!!

2009-04-20T22:44:00.001+12:00

Whew – sorry about the absence – I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders, as today I’ve finished what has been a marathon preparation few days for me. I’ve just finished my very first video tutorial (I’m kinda hoping that I’ll get better with the focusing as time goes on… and that it will only take me ONE day, rather than THREE to do a 7 minute video!) for UStamp, which starts on Friday, plus another tutorial for UStamp in PDF format. AND tonight, I’ve just completed my sample card for Stampin’ Up! Convention which is in 10 more sleeps – YIPPEE!! I can’t WAIT! SO, I have been super-busy, with school holidays and all, and fitting in a few days out at the bach (where the boys caught a lovely lot of eels – YUCK) and buying a new car for me .. it’s SOOO cute… which we pick up tomorrow… and, well, you get the gist, so my blogging has just had to wait while I got all this other STUFF done. what a fabulous feeling now though – I feel like I could stamp all night now, which I kind of have been doing over the past couple of nights! Whoops!! Don’t tell my DH, as he’s fast asleep by the time I sneak into bed at the moment. Poor neglected baby! So, what have I got to show you… hmmm. Pretty much nothing I can show you right at the moment. Ummmm… surely something… nope. Nothing. Sad huh? So, I’d better get on with making something fabulous to WOW you with tomorrow. Just wanted to tell you that I’m not ignoring you all – and “I’ll be back”!

Oooh Oooh Oooh – I’ve found something!!! YAY! This is kind of a sneak peek at my UStamp project, but I wont even tell you what it is, and you’ll never guess, so I think that’s ok.

Do you see this gorgeous little mat in Basic Gray that I made? I’m preparing myself mentally to have another go at making a video tutorial, so if you would like me to do one showing you how you can easily make this, then let me know. 10 comments means I’ll do it – any less than 10 and I think I’ll just have another little cup of coffee instead!! CAN YOU TELL I’M SLEEP DEPRIVED???

Have a fabulous night

Michelle

The things you find…

2009-04-14T11:10:00.001+12:00

When you clean up your office cupboard! Honestly – it’s been like Christmas today. I found this scrapbook page (in a 8”x8” size) which obviously was put aside before being finished, so today I thought – FINISH IT! I just added a couple of rub-ons, which are absolutely fabulous for real quick scrapbooking, and mounted the 8”x8” onto a 12”x12” chocolate chip page. Done. How simple. This photo is another of my favourites. This is my big boy, who is now 11, and would DIE if he saw I’d put a baby photo of him & his lovely curls on my blog! I’m very nearly done (although the hallway is now filled with things that don’t belong in my office, so I now need to go sort out who to put/throw them!) so I can get on with enjoying the tidy workspace – while it lasts!

Have a fabulous day, and thanks for stopping by!

Michelle

So, I just moooooved the junk out of the way!

2009-04-13T21:51:00.001+12:00

I'm finished organising my office. Ok, so maybe not quite finished, but at least I've cleared enough space to stamp something. Seriously! I was getting withdrawl symptoms looking at all that new ribbon, DSP, stamps & punches just screaming out my name "use me, use me". In the best interests of all involved, I set aside the piles yet to be sorted, and made a card, and it's way cool! I first saw a flower pot pocket card done by Stephanie Luman, and knew I simply had to have a go. Cool huh?? I'll be making some of these cards at my classes this month (and probably for my M&M's swaps, Convention Swaps, School classes.... - you get the idea??!)

Stamps : Best yet (BRAND NEW HOSTESS SET - WOOHOOO!), Eastern Blooms. Cardstock/Ink : Tangerine tango DSP Patterns, Certainly Celery, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White. Accessories : Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon, 5 Petal Flower Punch, Curly Label Punch.

This was just such a fabulous card to make. OK, so that's my little play, and now I guess I'd better ignore the screams from the OTHER stamps that I didn't use (not to mention the other DSP & punches..) and get back to my sorting so that tomorrow I can start with a clean desk. Right??

AND - who else was bummed that at 8.30pm, as I ignored the phone call that was coming in and about to watch Grey's Anatomy, which I have been hanging out for since last Sunday, did you go "Oh STINK" (or words to that effect), and then answered the phone only to have your sister on the other end going "it isn't on tonight??" LOL. STINK. Had to watch something, as it was my T.V night, so I watched Memoirs of a Geisha. WOW. Very cool movie. Beautiful woman. Makes you put on a little more anti-wrinkle cream, and do a few squats & sit-ups after watching that. Doesn't it?? Ha - I WISH!

Enjoy your night!

Michelle

QUICK AS PAGE, AND A SPECIAL FOR YOU!

2009-04-13T09:50:00.001+12:00

HI!! I'm in the middle of organising my life! Well, ok, my house then! I'm tired of having to hunt for everything because it hasn't been put away in the right place, so I've spent half of yesterday and now today tidying, throwing & putting away things. I LOVE doing it, but find there is always so little time to really get stuck into these sorts of things. So, my lack of posting will improve - as soon as things are moved off my office desk and into a place they belong! Here's a REAL quick page I did for the MAY page on my Nana's calendar. I suddenly realised that my Mum & Dad would be visiting my Nana today, so I quickly did this late Saturday night.

... I did warn you that it was quick!! LOL. AND, the photo is not blurry, as it appears, but I took this late at night, and only realised today when I uploaded it that the picture is pretty shocking, but it's too late to fix - the page is on it's way to Nana. I know that she appreciates the new pages each month. Check out the Eyelet Border Punch ($35.95) - it's SOOO cool. I punched the edge of the DSP with it, then added a strip of black that had been punched also with the eyelet border punch behind. I really like the effect. I can see that this is going to be a huge favourite of mine! Hope to get some serious stamping done this week - I'm off to the bach for a couple of days so will take some essentials with me. Chocolate, Cardstock & stamps! LOL. Who needs fruit & vegetables anyway??

ANYWAY... I mentioned a SPECIAL!! Seeing as it's a lovely long weekend, what better time than now for a fabulous offer for you. Everyone who orders an eyelet border punch (and that includes everyone who already has this month) will go into the draw to win a credit to the value of $35.95 (the cost of the punch). I will draw the winner when I've sold the 10th eyelet border punch. That's a 1 in 10 chance to win the cost of your punch back in new products!! I'll keep you informed as to how we are going.

Have a wonderful Monday!

Michelle

Fresh Cuts - brand spanking new!

2009-04-09T21:27:00.001+12:00

So great to get some new stamps - much as I LOVE most of the sets I have, it's always exciting playing with new stuff. And my big order hasn't yet arrived (and I'm not a BIT impatient. Really! NOT!) yet. So for Stamp Club yesterday, I made this card with the new Fresh Cuts stamp set. Very pretty set - I'm looking forward to playing some more over the school holidays, but right now, I'm off to bed. Yes - early for me, but very much needed. Hopefully tomorrow I'll feel 100% again after a good night's sleep.

Stamp sets : Fresh Cuts, Baroque Motifs, A touch of Nature, retired (butterfly). Cardstock/Ink : Elegant Eggplant, Certainly Celery, Whisper White. Accessories : Clear EP, Versmark, Heat Tool, Sponges

Goodnight, and have a fabulous Easter!

Michelle

FREE ... FREE ... FREE ... FREE

2009-04-09T08:35:00.001+12:00

OK. Got your attention?? How would you like to get this stamp set for FREE?? Yep - that's right. Free. I LOVE this set - it's a Level 2 Hostess set, and all you have to do to get it for FREE is have a FREE workshop with me (or a paid class, where you get a group of friends together and have a class of your choice, i.e 4 simple cards for $10, or 3 more advanced cards for $10) and you can have this Hostess set for FREE with just $700 in sales at your workshop. PLUS... it gets better! You will ALSO earn $80 to spend in the catalogue!! That simple! So phone me to book in a date, and start telling your friends about how they can come and stamp with us for FREE!

I have a couple of bids on the in-colour packages so far, and you only have until tonight to place your bid. I'll notify the winner first thing tomorrow.

This is the card I made for our Catalogue Launch Party last night, with one of the new in-colours, Tangerine Tango. Thanks to all the wonderful ladies who came along and supported us - it was such a great night.

Last day of school before a 2 week break. YAY! I'm really really looking forward to these holidays, even though the weather forecast is not so great. It will be fabulous to just "chill" and get on top of some housework (Hmmmm) and filing!! I will be releasing some class details over the next few days as well, so keep an eye out for them.

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Michelle

Eggs, Eggs, Eggs!!

2009-04-08T09:12:00.001+12:00

My dear, kind & wonderful friend, Jacqui.... ra ra ra! No, really, Jacqui is such a lovely friend. She arrived at my WITT class yesterday with a beautiful Easter Surprise for me my boys. It was filled with 6 beautiful big eggs. 2 each for the boys. Check out Jacqui's version of this story HERE!

And here's one of our Stamp Club projects for this morning - the girls are coming any minute, so this might be real short!

Let me know if you want some instructions - it's sooo easy, and thanks to Cherie originally for showing me how to make this, then to Helen for making me up another template when I couldn't find the one Cherie made for me... I tell you, I'm sure I have early onset alzheimers!!

Enjoy your day - I'll see some of you tonight at the Bowling Club for our Catalogue Launch Party. YAY!

Michelle

In Colour sale

2009-04-06T08:01:00.001+12:00

Hi there - Happy Monday!

Gee - how can it be Monday already, and HOW can it be the last 4 days of school this term!?? As I mentioned yesterday, I have a stack of cardstock & ink pads from the 208/2009 in-colours that I am going to be selling. Here's what I have :

PACKAGE ONE :

Cardstock - 23 sheets River Rock, 1 sheet Wild Wasabi, 4 sheets Groovy Guava. PLUS a bag of scrap pieces of these colours.

Ink Pads - Wild Wasabi, River Rock, Groovy Guava

Remember THIS card?? This was a popular card we made at our Christmas Class last year using the above colours! It was originally cased from a swap brought back by my sister from Incentive Trip last year - I'm sorry, I don't know who made it though.

PACKAGE TWO :

Cardstock - 7 sheets Purely Pomegranate, 1 sheet Blue Bayou, 3 sheets Soft Sky. PLUS a bag of scrap pieces of these colours.

Ink Pads - Purely Pomegranate, Blue Bayou, Soft Sky

Ribbon - Approx 1 metre Purely Pomegranate, Approx 2/3 roll of Soft Sky

If you are interested, then you can place a bid on these - THEY MUST SELL, so any bid could be the winner. I'll choose two of the bids placed (not necessarily the highest) and let you know on Thursday 9th April if you have won. Either email me your bid (o2bstampin@hotmail.com), or leave me a comment on this post with your bid. Make sure you stipulate package 1 or 2.

I'm off for MORE coffee & breakfast with friends. What a great way to start a Monday. Actually, I've already spent the morning growling at children for beserk behaviour - WHAT IS IN THE AIR TODAY?? Hopefully walking to school will help them wear off some of their energy before they get home again in ... 7 hours!!

Michelle

A Little Something Just for you... AND

2009-04-05T09:02:00.001+12:00

Good morning!! I wanted to share a Wedding Gift Voucher card that I made up a couple of weeks ago (seeing as I've been too busy having coffee in the sun to be stamping anything recently!) - it was cased from a card made by Dawn I added the Pomegranate cardstock, and the pocket inside to slip in some cash, or a gift card, and added a velcro dot to close through the punched circle. Cute & easy! We will be making a similar version of this card at Stamp Club this week.

AND... I have a pile of 2008 cardstock & ink pads in the in-colours. If you are interested, I'll post details later today.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Michelle

Wine Charm Box

2009-04-04T20:20:00.001+13:00

Good evening! What a gorgeous day here in Taranaki! I sat with friends down at the port having coffee for over 2 hours this afternoon, and it was just delightful! The project I'm sharing tonight was one of the UStamp projects from the last UStamp series. I just LOVED this idea - a Wine Charm Box. I made this to match the colours of these gorgeous wine charms that my lovely friend Raewyn made for me - wasn't that just the sweetest thing to do?? AND to top it all off, the colours of the beads on these charms match perfectly the colour of my wine glasses! Don't forget that registrations are already open for the next series of UStamp, which starts on 24th April. You can register by clicking on the link from the UStamp Blinkie on my sidebar.

Have a great night!

Michelle

Scallop Lid Box

2009-04-03T10:24:00.001+13:00

Good morning!

Here's a little box we made last night at Inglewood High School. I'm happy to email you the template - just leave me a comment here. It prints directly onto cardstock, which makes it sooo much easier! Just a little cutting, some scoring, then decorate. Off to the Weetbix Try-a-thlon today with Mason. It's a gorgeous day, so should be lots of fun.

Stamp sets : Enjoy Every Moment $63.95, Kindness Jumbo Wheel $18.95. Cardstock & Ink : Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, So Saffron, Regal Rose. Accessories : Crimper, Scallop Edge Punch, Markers, 3/4" circle punch, 5/8" Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon, Round Tab Punch

Enjoy your day!

Michelle

Scribble This

2009-04-02T07:48:00.001+13:00

Good morning! Here's a card that I saw a long time ago done by Laurie Zoellmer in pastel colours. I just changed around the colours to use the brand new Tangerine Tango, which I'm sure is fast going to become my favourite!

Stamp set : Scribble This. Cardstock/Ink : Tangerine Tango, Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Summer Sun. Accessories : Crimper, Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds, Markers.

I'm looking forward to an extra hours sleep this weekend - kinda short on the hours of sleep at the moment! I seem to get my second wind at about midnight, then I don't want to go to bed. Then a few hours later, I don't want to get up! Do you ever have that problem??

Oh - BTW - we have two new pets. Have a guess at what they are!

Have a fabulous day!
Michelle

Why Women Take Soooooo Long in the Toilet!

2009-03-31T22:06:00.001+13:00

Finally - the answer to the age-old question is found HERE!! Seriously, I went out for coffee yesterday with some friends, and was given a copy of this to read. Well, I laughed soooo hard that I was told to be quiet by one of my friends! If you need to laugh out loud right now - READ IT!! I had to find a copy of it, so googled it and found it - that's how good it is!! Don't be put off by how long it is.... just READ IT!

Have a wonderful night!

Next time your boyfriend asks you why you were in the bathroom so long, show him THIS!

When you have to visit a public bathroom, you usually find a line of women,so you smile politely and take your place. Once it's your turn, you check for feet under the stall doors. Every stall is occupied.

Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the stall. You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter, the wait has been so long you are about to wet your pants!

The dispenser for the modern seat covers' (invented by someone's Mom, no doubt) is handy, but empty. You would hang your purse on the door hook, if there was one, but there isn't -so you carefully, but quickly drape it around your neck, (Mom would scream if you put it on the FLOOR! ), yank down your pants, and assume ' The Stance.'

In this position your aging, toneless thigh muscles begin to shake. You'd love to sit down, but you certainly hadn't taken time to wipe the seat or lay toilet paper on it, so you hold 'The Stance.'
To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can hear your mother's voice saying, 'Honey, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!' Your thighs shake more.

You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday - the one that's still in your purse. (Oh yeah, the purse around your neck, that now,you have to hold up trying not to strangle yourself at the same time). That would have to do. You crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It's still smaller than your thumbnail .

Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn't work. The door hits your purse, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest, and you and your purse topple backward against the tank of the toilet.'Occupied!' you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious, tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, lose your footing altogether, and slide down directly onto the TOILET SEAT It is wet of course. You bolt up, knowing all too well that it's too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper - not that there was any, even if you had taken time to try.

You know that your mother would be utterly appalled if she knew, because, you're certain her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, 'You just don't KNOW what kind of diseases you could get.'

By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the inside of the bowl that sprays a fine mist of water that covers your butt and runs down your legs and into your shoes. The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too.
At this point, you give up. You're soaked by the spewing water and the wet toilet seat. You're exhausted. You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks.

You can't figure out how to operate the faucets with the automatic sensors,so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past the line of women still waiting.

You are no longer able to smile politely to them. A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet paper trailing from your shoe.(Where was that when you NEEDED it??) You yank the paper from your shoe,plunk it in the woman's hand and tell her warmly, 'Here, you just might need this.'

As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used, and left the men's restroom.

Annoyed, he asks, 'What took you so long, and why is your purse hanging around your neck?'

This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with a public restroom(rest??? you've GOT to be kidding!!). It finally explains to the men what really does take us so long. It also answers their other commonly asked questions about why women go to the restroom in pairs. It's so the other gal can hold the door, hang onto your purse and hand you Kleenex under the door!

Michelle

Online Garage Sale!

2009-03-31T21:01:00.001+13:00

Here's my big garage sale clean-out, ready for the new lot to arrive in about 10 days! YAY!! All stamps are used, unless stated otherwise, and in good condition, with some minor ink staining. You can email or phone me to hold any items for you for a couple of days. Postage is $4 per set, or you are welcome to pick them up.

* brand new, unused.

HOSTESS SETS :

*From the Garden (Level 1) $25
*Oh So Lovely (Level 1) $25
*So Many Sayings (Level 1) $25
*A Little Bit of Happiness (Level 1) $25
*Infinite Goodness (Level 2) $40
*Cause for Celebration (Level 2) $40
*Spring Solitude Bundle - wheel & stamp set (Level 2) $40
*In the Spotlight (Level 3) $65
*Party Punch (Level 1) $25

Time Well Spent (Level 3) $50

STAMP SETS :
*Alphabits $25
*Birthday Best $25
Bud Basics $30
French Flair Background $30

Merry Merry $35
Pure & Simple Alphabet Upper $50
Stipple Rose $22
Tag Time $50
Take Three $28
Whimsical Alphabet lower $50
Wild Rose $68

WHEELS :
All About Christmas $10
Leaves A La Carte $10
Basic Outline $10
*Kisses $10

PUNCHES :
1/8" Circle Punch $10

Paper Piecing Punch $15

2009 Sale-A-Bration Sets
Polka Dot Punches $25
Congrats $25
Yummy $25
Botanical Blooms $25

Oval Punch meets Dazzling Diamonds

2009-03-31T07:27:00.001+13:00

Good morning!

I'm back from my weekend away in Waiuku, and had a fabulous time with the great team of women up there. Thought I'd better post something just to let you know I'm still here! This is a case of a card done by Louise Ryan, and I just LOVE it. I must admit - adding the dazzling diamonds to all those ovals is a little time consuming and fiddly, but I do think the end result is totally worth it!

Here's how to do it :

Petals : Punch 10 small ovals out of coloured card (I used Purely Pomegranate) and then punch a large oval directly over the hole created. If you punch them off centered so one edge is a little wider than the other then the petals look more authentic! Then punch two more ovals as above out of green card (I used always artichoke) for leaves.

Glue 5 petals on vellum (I used card, not paper vellum) in a flower shape (overlapping the middle). Make two of these flowers, then glue the two green ovals onto the vellum for leaves. Cut out each flower and the leaves, and apply 2-way glue pen to the ovals, without getting any glue on the vellum. Sprinkle over Dazzling Diamonds Glitter and tap off excess. Layer the flowers and the petals as desired, and then punch out a 3/4" circle and dazzle that up as well. Attach this in the middle to hide all the overlapping bits.

Enjoy!

Michelle

Just before I go...

2009-03-27T09:07:00.001+13:00

Hi there everyone - Just a quick post before I pack the car and head up to Waiuku and spend the weekend with my LOVELY team of women up there. This is a box made with the 5-in1 envelope template. It's fun & fast, and very sweet. We made this last night at Inglewood High School. Well done girls! If you would like to see a fabulous video tutorial on making these boxes, check out Dannie's Designs Blog posting here. Thanks Dannie - it's a fabulous tutorial! I just adjusted my measurements for the base a little to make it fit onto a sheet of A4 cardstock, so started with a 20.5cm x 20.5cm box base, and scored at 2.5cm on each side. That seemed to work just fine.

I'll be back with more to show you on Monday.

Enjoy your weekend!

Michelle

p.s if you have asked for my retired list, and haven't received it - don't worry - I'm STILL getting it sorted! I WILL be emailing it out early next week.

Stepper Box

2009-03-24T18:48:00.001+13:00

Hi everyone! Thought I'd share with you all what we made at WITT today - it was requested that we learn how to make the Stepper (or Fantasy) box, and even though I'd already made them quite some time ago, I still REALLY enjoyed having another go at it. Each one is different, depending on what DSP you use. This one I used up the last of my Spring Silhouettes DSP, along with Not Quite Navy * Whisper White cardstock. If you want to have a go, then check out the tutorial HERE. I changed my measurements from inches to centimetres so that I could make it easier (LOL), and so my lid was 17cm x 17cm, and my inside boxes 14.8cm x 14.8cm (just a piece of cardstock cut in half exactly) I also didn't put on the little flap bit - seems to be "excess to requirements" to me!

Off to finish of getting organised for tomorrow - Kim is teaching a group of demonstrators how to make her fabulous Stationery Box - watch here for more details!

Oops - sorry, somehow my watermark has disappeared from my photos!! NOT going to go back now, so enjoy!

Michelle

Cute (& SIMPLE) Easter Egg Basket

2009-03-23T17:12:00.001+13:00

I'm BACK!! I've finished my guest blogging spot on Lindsey's blog, and it was fun to challenge myself to post something on a regular basis - hope you missed me.. ! ANYWAY - here's a cute little Easter Egg basket - this one is SUPER simple. Don't you LOVE simple - I know Trudi does - check out her cute & simple card she posted today. It's very sweet!

I used the soon-to-be-gone Ginger Blossom DSP, and the Styled Silver hodgepodge. Don't ask me how I DIDN'T eat these little Crunchie Eggs - maybe because they take so long to peel the wrapper off, and are hardly worth the effort??! LOL.

Goodnight!

Michelle

A peep at the new in colours & PAY IT FORWARD

2009-03-21T20:31:00.001+13:00

A little time this afternoon to just play - with my new in colour cardstock & inks. LOVE them. I even made markers with all the in colours (something I meant to get around to last year, but never quite did). If you don't know how, leave me a message 'cos it's VERY cool to have in colour markers to use on your stamps. YOU SIMPLY HAVE to come along to the catalogue launch party on the 8th of April and see how very cool the new catalogue is, and hopefully win the gift basket of goodies from the new catalogue. I did a wish list this afternoon - OUCH! LOTS of things I absolutely LOVE, so lucky for me we get such a good discount as a demonstrator! If your wish list tends to get a little out of hand as well, then talk to me about just HOW good a discount you get on your orders - you don't have to do classes or workshops if you just want to place your own orders and some for your friends that's all good as well. Let me give you a hint... how's 30% off your FIRST order, then a minimum of 20% off each order after. Of course, there's a little fine print, but I promise you, we are very well looked after.

Here's a little peep at the card I posted over on Lindsey's blog today. I've got another couple of days blogging for Lindsey while she is away at her Retreat, and it's been fun - good to keep motivated that's for sure!

Now - I played along with a Pay It Forward that was on Wanda's blog TWO WEEKS AGO {{SHAME}} and have finally got around to posting it on mine. It's such a fun thing to do (and get). Here's how it works - the first five people who respond to this post, will receive a handmade surprise from me! The catch is that you have to pay it forward, post this on your blog, and send out five handmade surprises of your own. What a fun way to spread some Autumn good cheer!
Now - I'm going to limit this to NZ only players (sorry overseas ladies!), so go ahead, and leave me a comment.

Have a WONDERFUL weekend - my DH is out with our eldest son shooting possums (YUCK) and I have been feeling a little "off" today - played a terrible game of squash where I might as well have been playing in gumboots for all the running I did, then came home and sat out in the sun to read a book, and fell asleep. Woke up feeling odd, and think I've got an ear infection judging by my deaf ear & sore neck & head. Sent the others off to my sister-in-law's birthday dinner and now I'm going to watch Mama Mia by myself before a relatively early night. Hope I last through the movie - tend to fall asleep when I'm not doing something in front of the t.v, so might mount some stamps or something!

ANYWAY - enjoy YOUR evening.

Michelle

KWerner Colour Inspiration #46

2009-03-20T23:16:00.001+13:00

Hey there everyone! I just HAD to do the KWerner Colour Inspiration Challenge, even though it was one of the toughest ones so far - I struggled with the colours, and where to put everything again! Think it might have been working with Riding Hood Red (one of the brand spanking new in-colours!), but I persevered, and managed to fit in ALL of the colours required, although I did have to throw in a little white to break it down just a little!

This is a cute little box I designed to hold a box of Guylian Chocolates. Don't ask where all the chocolates are though - I think both you AND I know the answer to that one!!

Speaking of chocolate.... there is a stamp set that I'm simply dying to get from the BRAND NEW CATALOGUE I RECEIVED TODAY that says "Coffe, Chocolate, Men - some things are just better rich." Think I'm going to have to get that one!

Enjoy your night!

Michelle

You know that feeling??..

2009-03-20T21:43:00.001+13:00

I signed up for an exercise class and was told to wear loose fitting clothing.

If I HAD any loose fitting clothing, I wouldn't have signed up in the first place!!

Hope you are all having a fabulous day!

Enjoy your weekend - I'll see you back here on Monday.

Michelle

Peep for a gift box

2009-03-20T07:29:00.001+13:00

Good morning everyone! Thanks for stopping by Lindsey's blog, where I'm guest blogging the rest of this week. Here's another peep of what I've posted over there today.

Don't forget to register for Stamp Camp which is coming up on 25th April from 10.00am - 4.00pm before 1st April if you would like to get a free pack of cardstock (RRP $12.50) - makes for a fabulous day stamping, and creating wonderful projects with others who love to stamp!

I'm going to be sending out MY list of retiring stamp sets from my collection, which has dwindled significantly to make way for the FABULOUS NEW STUFF! If you would like me to email you through the sets I'm selling with prices, then please let me know.

Enjoy your Friday - I hope you are impressed that I had two brownies in the oven this morning by 6.30am. My DH thought I'd lost my mind when he woke to find me baking at 6am! LOL - the things you do. Hope it tastes half as good as the mixture! That's what I call a good start to the day. Coffee & brownie. YUM!

Michelle

CATALOGUE LAUNCH 8TH APRIL

2009-03-19T17:23:00.001+13:00

Hi to you all - I haven't slipped off the face of the earth, but have been super super busy creating loads of stuff that I will be sharing on LINDSEY'S BLOG over the next couple of days while Lindsey is away having a ball at her stamp retreat, just like this one... which uses one of our BRAND NEW STAMP SETS that is going to be in the new catalogue! WOOOHOO!

I DO have some fabulous news for you all though - Sharlene and I are getting together to do a HUGE CATALOGUE LAUNCH on Wednesday 8th April at the Westown Bowling Club. You can come along and check out some of the new stamp sets and the awesome new in-colours that will be featured in the brand new catalogue!
For just $15 you will receive your very own copy of the new catalogue, you will also get to make two make & takes with the new stamps sets, and enjoy some nibbles and of course good food!

During the evening some lucky person will win a basket full of goodies, including ink pads and cardstock in the brand new in-colours! You'll be able to order on the night, so even if you don't win the basket of goodies, you can still order your own new in colours and new stamp sets, punches, Designer Paper & MUCH MORE!!
Call me now to save your spot and your place will be confirmed on receipt of payment.

Date: April 8th, 2009 from 7:00 - 9:00pm
Location: West End Bowling Club, Cutfield Road, Westown
Cost: $15 (pay for your catalogue and get everything else free!!)

Have a wonderful day.

Michelle

And the WINNER OF THE USTAMP SPRING 09 PASS is...

2009-03-15T08:05:00.001+13:00

Pam! Congratulations Pam - random.org picked you as my winner! If you would like to send me an email at o2bstampin@hotmail.co.nz then I can organise your membership in plenty of time for the new UStamp Spring 09 sessions. THANK YOU to the ladies who took part - I hope you had fun, as I sure LOVED getting all your comments.

UStamp Spring 09 starts on 24th April, and promises to be packed full of amazing ideas and creations. If you wish to purchase your membership then click on the blinkie on my sidebar, and you'll be all signed up in just a couple of minutes. Don't forget to tell them that Michelle sent you, and that will earn ME another pass to GIVE AWAY to one of YOU again!

Enjoy your Sunday. I'm going to be busy getting ready for my Guest Blogger position on Lindsey Blackhurst's blog, Stamp With Linz next week - I'm so excited, and just a little nervous!

Michelle

LAST CHANCE TO WIN & A CATALOGUE LAUNCH PARTY.

2009-03-13T22:07:00.001+13:00

Hello! Sorry, again a crazy busy day - should have been a lovely quiet catch-up type of day that I was really looking forward to, but as it sometimes happens one thing leads to another, and I had no time for catching up on anything! Never mind - I was really pleased that I was able to quickly do the KWerner challenge first thing! So, THIS is going to be my last question for you to enter for the FREE UStamp Sping 09 pass ...

Who is the Australian Dream Team Member for UStamp, and whose challenge (#61) has she just completed?

You have until midnight Saturday to enter - I'm really looking forward to drawing out a winner and announcing it on Sunday - Thank you to you lovely ladies who are playing along!

The last UStamp Super Special for you is ...

Heat Tool OR a Paper Cutter - (ESSENTIAL's for your cardmaking!) just $45.00 each plus shipping. This special ends at midnight Saturday!

My Stampin' Up! Pre-Order arrived today - Yippee! There are some VERY cool stamp sets, and the new in-colours are just gorgeous! Speaking of gorgeous... Sharlene & I are having a little party - OK, a BIG PARTY to launch the new catalogue & have a little fun! I'll post the details tomorrow, as I'm needing SLEEP right about now!

OH BUT WAIT - I haven't told you my VERY VERY exciting news..... check HERE TO SEE WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT ...

Goodnight!!

KWerner Colour Inspiration #45

2009-03-13T10:13:00.001+13:00

You can check out the other entries for Kristina's Colour Inspiration HERE.

LOVED this challenge, thanks Kristina! Elegant colours - something that I thought of for a wedding card, or anniversary.

En Francais, Eastern Blooms, Together Forever. Basic Gray, Basic Black, Whisper White, Scallop Edge Punch, Designer Label Punch, Large Oval Punch, Basic Black Grosgrain Ribbon, Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon, Versmark, Heat Tool, White EP.

Enjoy your day!

Michelle

Easter Egg Box

2009-03-11T20:34:00.001+13:00

This is SUCH a sweet little box, found originally on www.starlightstamper.com. The ladies all LOVED making it - it was SOOO easy. OK, not quite so easy today, as nothing seemed to fit quite right on the inside, but I think we all got there in the end! Well done to you ladies who persevered, and I hope your eggs are all safely sitting in their little boxes. There was one egg left over somehow. Was... No prizes for guessing where it went shortly after I returned home from a birthday lunch with my Mum (HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM!). She still looks 50 to me. I have told you I should be wearing my glasses more, right!? No really, Mum's so good to us, and it's just fabulous to have my Mum living just a 5 minute drive from my home. Thanks Mum for all that you do - hope you had a wonderful night at Dawn's place - I know she was going to be spoiling you! Sooo, without further ado, here's the box!

I've been stamping (and eating) all day, apart from our lunch out, (which was great) catching up on the projects that people needed made for them, and I'm very nearly THERE! YAY. Just in time to make the projects for tomorrow night's Inglewood High School class! LOL. NOW - did you all see the Stationery Box that Kim made HERE and HERE? It's just fabulous, and we have finally got Kim to book a date for us to come along and make this amazing project! Kim is holding two classes (maximum of 10 per class). Details are :

Wednesday 25th March 10.00am at my place (New Plymouth) AND Friday 29th March 7.00pm at Kim's place (Inglewood).

COST $20.00 per person (or $15.00 for a pre-cut kit with step-by-step instructions). You will need to book and pay to confirm your place. This class is open to anyone, whatever level of stamper you are, I'm sure you'll just love this box. You can register through me, or leave Kim a message on her blog. THANKS Kim - I'm SO pleased that we've got some dates booked in. I just can't wait!

Well - just pretend this post is really tomorrow, as I think it's going to be a busy day, and I may not quite get to blogging... sooo here's Thursday's UStamp Question to enter the draw for the FREE UStamp Spring 09 Pass...

What is the full name of the co-founder of UStamp. One of them is Dawn Rapsas, who is the other one?

Today's Super Special is...

Stampin' Write Markers (Family Set of 12 markers - your choice of colour) just $55.00 plus postage!

There's just two more days to enter the draw, and 2 more Super UStamp Specials!

Thanks for stopping by!

Michelle

Well done everyone!

2009-03-11T08:19:00.001+13:00

WOW - You sure are getting good at answering these questions... Don't forget - you don't have to answer all of the questions each day, but the more you answer, the more entries you get into my draw!

Today's UStamp Question is ...

You can get a FREE UStamp Pass by introducing some "new to UStamp" friends. How many friends need to use your name to earn you a FREE UStamp Pass to the next event?

And seeing as yesterday I forgot to put on a Super UStamp special (that is available to ANYONE, not just UStamp members!) here's a great one for today ...

Purchase two ink pads, and receive a re-inker of your choice for FREE!

I'm putting in an order tonight, so make sure you email your order through to be before 9pm if you want to take advantage of this (or any of my other) UStamp Super Specials.

NOW, look at this!!! I was delight & mortified yesterday when I opened my mailbox to find a parcel all the way from Canada! Delighted, because this adorable gift set is just so gorgeous, and mortified, because I realised that I had taken part in a UStamp Secret Sister Swap that I hadn't done yet! Oooooh! So THANK YOU to Michelle Hanway for this gorgeous package - yours is IN THE MAIL TODAY!

I'd better get a hurry on - boys need to get to school, and I have Stamp Club starting in just over an hour!

Have a fabulous day.

Michelle

Today's question to WIN a FREE UStamp Spring 09 Membership is...

2009-03-10T16:30:00.001+13:00

OK, so I'm just a little little bit late posting this, sorry! What I'm doing is every time you answer the daily question correctly this week, I put your name into the draw to win a FREE UStamp Spring 09 Membership, which starts on 24th April. I'll be posting some more information about UStamp later this week, but for right now, just a quick question...

"What is the spelling mistake regarding ME on UStamp's blog?"

Check out the sidebar for information on the Dream Team Members! Answer this simple question by leaving a comment on this post, and I'll put you in the draw! I won't be posting any answers until the end of the week, so make sure you keep answering my questions, and you'll get ANOTHER entry into the draw - so long as you're correct of course! LOL

Sorry, no cards to put on here again today - I'm in the "survive" mode, which I LOVE, but HATE! LOVE being busy busy, but HATE feeling slightly rushed... I'm sure you know what I mean! Anyway - Stamp Club tonight, so am really looking forward to making our projects together.

Have a fabulous night

Michelle

Enter to WIN with today's question..

2009-03-09T16:18:00.001+13:00

OK, so this morning I set out for half an hour to pick up two of my boys who stayed away from home last night, and I ended up coming home 5 hours later! What a great day - stamping with my Sister and creating the coolest e.... - well, I can't possibly tell you and spoil the surprise for my Stamp Club ladies tomorrow and Wednesday, so I'll be sure to post it at the end of the week! So, nothing new to show you just yet - but here's today's question to enter the UStamp Spring 09 FREE membership draw..

What is the name of Dawn Rapsas' blog? Dawn is the co-founder of UStamp, and a very talented lady. Check out the UStamp blog on my sidebar to go and find out the answer - I'll post your answers at the end of the week! No cheats for you today! LOL

While you are blog surfing, check out Wanda's blog on my sidebar - she's got a fabulous "Pay It Forward" going on (plus some wonderful creations) that you can enter!

TODAY'S SUPER USTAMP SPECIAL IS : ...

Hodge Podge Hardware - receive half a share of Hodgepodge Hardware (Either Pewter, Copper or Brass) for just $25.00 INCLUDING SHIPPING! That's 69 pieces of Hodgepodge, plus 50 brads!

The pewter & brass Hodgepodge are low quantity, so please have an alternative colour in mind in case it sells out super quick this week! Please note : The tin is not included.

Subject to availability - while stocks last.

Hope to post something a little later - depends how much of my re-organising my wardrobe I get completed before my DH comes home!

Enjoy your afternoon.

Michelle

I LOVE it when that happens...

2009-03-08T14:53:00.001+13:00

Yep - a card that comes together "just like that", and that you LOVE when you have finished. That's what's happened today. This card took me no more than 30 minutes to come up with from "I've got absolutely no idea where to start" to completion, and I am thrilled with the end result! Wooohooo!! I used one of my last 2 pieces of DSP from Bali Breeze - the piece that I HATED, and thought I'd never use - well, what do you know - I actually used it, and like it!

And here's a close up with the pastels...

So, I'm not sure of the "offical" way to use Pastels, but this is what I do... The secret is to use the daubers. I used to think that you could get away without them, but NO - they make sure the pastels go exactly where they are supposed to, and they are the right density to ensure a fabulous colour from your pastels. I inked up En Francais with versamark, and stamped it through a square (homemade) stencil to give the white frame around the image. Then I inked up Eastern Blooms with versamark, and stamped that over the top, again through the stencil I had made. Then I started with my softest colours I was using, and using the daubers, applied the pastels to the stamped images by gently "scratching" with the dauber on my finger, over top of the image. Does that make sense? What I mean, is I don't rub to hard, because then your pastel colour smudges all over your white cardstock, where you don't want all the colour - you just want it to go onto the stamped images, right?? So by gently scratching the colour on, you get a beautiful coloured image. What do you think? Can you understand what I've done, or do I need to be more specific? BTW - I heard that using hairspray will set your pastels so they won't rub off, so hopefully that is correct, as my card now looks AND smells lovely!! LOL.

Well - off for some more creating - I'm on a roll now!

Enjoy!

Michelle

WIN WIN WIN

2009-03-08T13:18:00.001+13:00

That's right - you can win a FREE UStamp 09 Spring Pass right here - all you have to do is answer the question I post each day on my blog, every day from today until next Saturday, and for those dedicated followers, one of you will win a Free UStamp Pass (Valued at US$25.00). So leave a comment on this post, and make sure you check back tomorrow for the next question! How easy is that? (I won't be releasing the comments for publication until tomorrow, so you can't check what everyone else has answered!) You can find all the answers by visiting the UStamp web page (click on the UStamp Logo on my sidebar).

TODAY'S QUESTION IS : ....

What is the date of the Grand Opening for UStamp Spring 09?

Each day this week I will also be posting a "Super UStamp Special" (which you can purchase either one or all of). You can pay by direct credit, or Paypal, and I'm happy to post to out-of-towners! If you join up with UStamp and list me as a referral, then you'll get a bonus treat in with your order!

TODAY'S SUPER USTAMP SPECIAL IS : ....

Purchase Stampin' Pastels $57.95 (plus 5% postage) and receive a free blender pen!

I'll be posting a card I have made using these wonderful Pastel's later today to give you some inspiration!

Enjoy your Sunday afternoon!

Michelle

Playing with Carousel Notes

2009-03-07T23:25:00.001+13:00

Well - I've had a wonderful evening playing with things I've been meaning to make for such a long time, but never quite seem to have enough time, so tonight, my DH was out, and the kids were all asleep, so I put on the radio, sang along, and played! FUN! This is one of the projects I made - it's a Carousel Notes Bag, which I originally saw on Cambria Turnbow's blog, and have just changed it around to make a box base rather than using the Carousel Notes envelopes. The measurements for the base are :

24cm x 21cm. Score at 9.5cm in from each short side, then score at 5cm in from each long side. (couldn't get the stupid template to draw lines properly, and I've spent way to much time getting frustrated, so may replace the instructions with a picture shortly....!) You can check out Cambria's tutorial HERE. I'm intending to fill this with some of the infamous mini crunchie bars that I have now deemed fit to give away (I've checked them many many times...) to a lovely friend who is due to have a baby any day now.

Enjoy your weekend!

Michelle

Mojo Monday & KWerner Colour Inspiration Challenge

2009-03-07T13:41:00.001+13:00

Hello! After a week that left me to busy to do any challenges, I have had time to play today, and decided to do my first Mojo Monday challenge (which was so much fun!) and combine it with a KWerner Colour Inspiration.

Pretty in Pink/Chocolate Chip/Close to Cocoa cardstock. Vellum, Markers, Fire & Ice Brads, Chocolate Satin Ribbon, Pink Taffeta Ribbon, White Gel Pen. Embrace Life Stamp Set.

Enjoy your afternoon - the sun's out finally (after standing in the pouring rain for cricket this morning), and we're off for a game of squash, to wear off a few of the crunchie bars I have had to test to make sure they meet the standard before I use them in my classes.... Yeah Rite!

Michelle