I'm breathing!

Thank you sooo much for all the lovely messages of support I've received over the past few hours. I have tears in my eyes reading them...I think you all picked up on the note of hysteria in my last post! To be honest, I don't think I have ever felt quite so close to drowning in my life before! At lunchtime today, I left the chainsaws behind and went and had a cuddle with my twin nieces...something I have done far too little of lately! Then I came home, read your messages and said a little prayer and I feel so much more at peace now. Many of you told me to just keep on breathing, and I am!
In my emails there was one from a lovely friend of mine, Sam, and the timing was just impeccable. Some of you may have seen it before, but it was just a perfect reminder for me, having just come home from cuddling 2 little precious golf balls of my own!

The Mayonnaise Jar
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. 'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - family, children, health, friends, and favourite passions – Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car. The sand is everything else --The small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. So...
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children, take time to get medical checkups; take your partner out to dinner; stamp (I added that bit!).
There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. 'Take care of the golf balls first -- The things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked'. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'

I know I'm very lucky to have so many golf balls in my life :o)

Some News!

That title really doesn't cover it....
I'm sitting here having my breakfast to the sounds of chainsaws, cranes and truck reverse-lights. Our second storey renovations start today. Trees are being removed and pruned, wood and scaffolding is arriving, and soon there will be lots of banging on my roof. We were up bright and early to meet with the Building Supervisor at 7am. My next big job is to completely empty Amy's room, our Dining room and my Craft Room/Home office/Computer room...by November 29. We are away at Haemophilia Camp next weekend, and I still have 8 classes between now and then, plus it is Jacob's birthday on the 29th, so I am not feeling like that is a lot of time!! Not to mention the fact that I have no idea where on earth I am going to put it all??

My Farewell Spring Party yesterday was lots of fun. I had 40 lovely ladies come during the afternoon and evening to make Christmas tags and toast in the Silly Season. I had some super specials on offer, and even did a "Treasure Hunt" of some sneak peaks from the new Summer Mini.
The kids Piano Recital was yesterday morning too, so it was a busy day!

I'd better go because I have 30 team members arriving soon for a team meeting. We're having a play with some new goodies from the Summer Mini.
I'll be sending out my customer copies of the mini soon, so drop me an email if you'd like one. I'll also be doing some Shares and Product Bundles.

When I commented to my darling husband the other day that I was feeling a bit stressed, in all innocence he asked me what I had to be stressed about?! He's lucky he doesn't have a black eye LOL. He sure did cop an ear-bashing though as I proceeded to list ALL the things I am stressed about!

Dust!

Sydney is a very eerie place today. After hearing gusty winds all night, I woke up to a strange orange glow, and walked outside to find everything covered in a layer of brownish-red dust. I have never seen anything like it.

The air is finally starting to clear now, but I feel like taking to the streets with a giant vacuum cleaner to suck up all the dirt that is still blowing around. I have been rinsing my mouth out all day too, to get the gritty feeling out of my mouth.

Me at work!

Well, if this isn't a good advertisement for becoming a Stampin' up! Demonstrator, I don't know what is!
This is me at work! Did I tell you I LOVE my job?? One of my customers took this pic of me and my dog Coco (in his spiffy denim jacket) at one of my classes last week. Coco is a BIG help at my classes, meeting and greeting guests and making them feel welcome.
I feel so lucky that I am able to do what I love and share it with others....that I can make money from it (and cuddle my dog at the same time) is the icing on the cake.
I joined Stampin' Up in May 2006, when they were offering $25 off the Starter Kit. To spend $299 on products that I love was an easy decision, and I had no idea at the time of the adventure I was about to embark on. I was working part-time in a job I disliked, and my aim when I joined Stampin' Up! was purely to make my hobby self-supporting. It has gone way beyond that (I am still pinching myself that next month I get to go on Incentive Trip!) and now I can't imagine ever doing anything else.
Let me tell you 10 reasons why now is a fabulous time to join me on this adventure

1. The Starter Kit is only $299 for over $560 worth of products. Read about this month's promotion HERE
2. It is the start of the quarter, meaning you have until December 31 to meet your first Sales quota.
3. A new mini catalogue is about to start, which is packed with gorgeous stuff that people will want to order, and as a Demonstrator, you can order it in July at 20%off!
4. The next mini catalogue is due to start in December, but as a Demonstrator, you will receive yours in October, with a chance to pre-order in November.
5. You get to come along to my monthly team meetings, and attend all my classes for half price!
6. You can join my Team Chat group and meet some lovely ladies and share ideas and business tips.
7. You will be able to attend Regional training, run by Stampin' Up! later this year
8. Christmas is just around the corner and all your friends will want to buy stamps to make Christmas cards
9. You will receive a monthly full colour newsletter from Stampin' Up!
10. Take a look at that photo of me at work again...that could be you!

Contact me if you have any questions, or if you would like me to mail you an Information pack about joining

Ribbon Ring Blog Candy

Melissa over at Ribbon Ring saw my woeful ribbon storage in my stamp room *blush*

And because she is so nice, she sent me a sample of her Ribbon Rings to try.

So now, I have lengths of ribbon, all organised on little tags, hanging on a ring.

I don't have a lot of hanging space, so I've just put my most-used colours onto the ring, but if you had a free wall, you could make a gorgeous display.

So this is where you come in....Melissa sent me a Ribbon Ring Tag Bundle to give away as Blog Candy. You get 30 tags and inventory dots, and a metal ring to hang them on!

Leave a comment letting me know why you NEED ribbon storage help, and you could be lucky! This offer is open to ANYONE. Stampin' Up! demos and overseas residents included!

I'll draw a random entry later on this week.

You Asked!

You might need to grab a cuppa for this one! Here are the answers to all those questions you asked me!

I’d love to know where you feel you get your most inspiration. I love your cards; great layouts and colour combos. So, where do your ideas come from, and how do you keep track of them?
In all honesty, ideas are not something I seem to run short of. Sometimes I start with the stamps… I find stamp sets themselves quite inspiring. I like to sit down with a set, and just see where it takes me. Other times I start with a colour combination…it could be one that I’ve seen somewhere (in the catalogue, at the shops, on a website), or one from my head. A lot of my creating is guided by designs that I have to make for classes and workshops, and the needs for those cards are quite specific (for example, to showcase a technique or stamp set).

Out of all the wonderful cards and other projects you have created, which one are you most proud of or holds the most meaning for you?
ooooh, that’s a tricky one! The chicken cards (one, two and three) stand out in my memory, because a very dear friend sent those stamped images, and they were so far out of my comfort zone. I had always hated that stamp set, and I was amazed that I could turn an image that I really didn’t like into a card that I was proud of! It made me see that being challenged and stepping out of my comfort zone could be very rewarding.

Not much of a question really BUT I would love to see a photo of your stampin' area if you could manage it sometime!!
I’ve had a few requests for this. I’ll take one soon, I promise!

My question is, what is your creative process, do you start with colour, stamps, design, etc?
This varies a bit depending on why I am sitting down to make something. If it were for a challenge, obviously I would start with whatever the challenge dictates (a sketch, a colour combination, a stamp set, etc). This is one reason why I like challenges…it forces you to start differently from how you normally would. If I’m preparing a design for a class, that will also dictate how I start.
But let’s say I’m sitting down to make a card for someone, which is traditionally why you would make a card! I would think about that person, and their likes/dislikes. That might dictate a colour combination or a stamp set. The other thing I like to do is think about something I haven’t used for a while (or at all!) and let that guide me. So, I might think “I haven’t used my new Pretties Kit much”, open it up, pick out a flower, than a colour to use with it, then a stamp set to go with it, and go from there.

I have been stamping only for about one month after a successful Stampin' Up! party. I have been making cards for a few years and have a collection of "stuff" but now I have so much more, how do you store your stamps, ink pads etc as I see you have a cupboard for the punches.
A photo would help with this…but until then… I like to be able to sit at my desk and be able top reach everything I need without getting up. I store all my cardstock in a filing cabinet, in colour families. I have my stamps on some shelves above my desk, which also has little drawers for ribbons, wheels, etc. My inkpads are all on the Stampin’ Up! Inkpad caddy on my desk. I actually find my Stampin’ Up! stuff easier to store than my old stuff used to be. Everything comes in cases and sets! And because of the colour families and co-ordination of products, I don’t need 5000 different shades of blue cardstock, and 6000 pieces of blue ribbon, and 7000 blue inkpads…I just have a few, but they all match each other and work together. I now only own all SU! and I sold off all my other stuff. I tell you, SU! has changed my life!

My question is - WHEN do you stamp? Do you do set yourself a block of time per day or do you do bits here and there when you can?
I’m lucky in that both of my children are now at school, which gives me more time to stamp. I’ll tend to have some days where I’ll plan to stamp for a few hours, and the rest of my week will be structured around it, so I’ll make sure the washing is done, grocery shopping done and the house clean, before I let myself stamp. It’s a great motivation for getting the boring jobs done!

My question is what do you use for your ribbon storage when the ribbon is not in rolls. Have been collecting quite a few loose ribbons lately and am looking for a good storage system.
Most of my ribbon is in rolls, so I’m not much help with this one! My main advice would be to have it visible and accessible, so you USE it.

As I am still relatively new to stamping and card making (but already hooked), my question is.... what are the top 5 Stampin' Up! products you would recommend to someone new to stamping and card making.
Good question!
Apart from the obvious stamp sets and inkpads, the 5 things I couldn’t make a card without are:
1. A good trimmer. I love my SU trimmer. It sits on my desk all the time. I literally couldn’t make a card without it!
2. A bone folder. I hate it when a card doesn’t have a crisp, clean fold
3. A good pair of scissors. Totally under-estimated. I didn’t know how important a good pair of scissors was until I had one
4. Sanding Blocks. Great for getting rid of shaggy edges or rough bits. Also good for distressing cardstock
5. Stampin’ Scrub and Mist. If your stamps are easy to clean and put away, you are more likely to use them, therefore you get more value from them.

My question is how do you fit it all into one day: stamping cards, updating your blog, workshops at night, looking after your family (kids), cooking, cleaning, mad balloons, shopping, preparing workshops, exercise, help kids with their home work, paperwork, ordering, mail outs etc etc, Have you got any good advice on how to fit stamping into your day?
Phew, I’m exhausted just reading all that I fit in to a day! LOL
I have to say, I’m a pretty (OK, very) organised person. I’m also a list person. I write down everything, and have lists for everything. I also have routines, and plan things like meals and write them in our household diary. I’m also efficient and multi-task a lot. For example, if I’m on the phone, I’ll pack the dishwasher at the same time. I also don’t watch TV! Radical, I know, but I can’t fit it in! I also have a wonderfully supportive husband and extremely helpful children!

I would like to say that I love the step-by-step instructions for different things - the faux bow I look up all the time.
I often think I get bogged down explaining too much on my blog, so I’m glad the instructions are appreciated!

My question is about organisation - how do you store your stamps so you know what you have, and how do you remember what you have when you sit down to start a card for someone?
I have my stamps stored in categories similar to the way they are arranged in the Catalogue; Flowers, Christmas, Backgrounds, etc (and I actually don’t own that many...I sell off all my retired ones). When I sit down to create, I can see all my stamps, label side out, right in front of me.

I love the Mothers Day card packs ... I would like to make some for Christmas Presents and wondered if you have made the card box to fit 10 cards in. If you have what would the dimensions be? I've only just started stamping and not too sure on scaling things up.
You could probably squeeze 10 cards into the box if they were fairly flat and didn’t have too much layering. You can’t make this box any wider because you are restricted by the size of an A4 sheet. You could make a wider one using a 12x12 sheet or you could make a tote bag instead.

My question is how do you store your inkpads. Is it true that it is best to store them upside down?
Yes, inkpads should be stored upside down, so that the ink is always close to the surface. Stampin’ Up! Inkpads are the only ones I know of that are designed so that you can store them the right way up, and the inkpad will be upside down, because the inkpad is in the lid! I store mine on the spinning inkpad caddy and I LOVE it!

I am an avid SU! fan (not a demo) and would like to know what your top 5 stamp sets would be out of the new catty that could let you create lots of cards (including word, picture and background stamps).
oooh another tricky one!
1. I love Short and Sweet (p 118). Cute little sayings that fit just about anywhere and little background stamps too…a bargain at $29.95
2. I love Big Pieces (p 88) for all sorts of backgrounds, suitable for any age, male or female and any occasion. They are also great to punch out
3. Wild About You (p 66) is a favourite. Great for kids, but adults too, and you can do lots of solid stamp techniques with it.
4. Petal Prints (p 74) is a lovely floral set that you can do 2 step stamping with and also watercolour
5. I should probably include another word set, but instead I’ll say Baroque Motifs (p 98) because it’s unfailingly elegant and I love it!
I would never advise anyone to get a stamp set because it is “useful”. The ones you will USE are the ones you buy because you love them!

Keep up the good work, as I love your style. I too tend to miss that wow factor and the photos of my cards just don’t do them justice - guess that is another quick question - what do you use to make your photos look great?
Well, thankyou for the compliment, because I don’t think my photos are that great, and it’s something I’d like to improve! My set-up is very simple: I use 2 desk lamps with cool daylight globes in them, a backdrop of 12x12 Whisper white cardstock, and a point and press Olympus camera. I always adjust the brightness up a few notches when I’m editing my photos.

I love checking out the inspiration on your blog & what you are up to. My question is how do you find & manage the time to be so productive??!! Not only coming up with great creations, but also sharing your tips and ideas on your blog.
When I make a batch of cards, (I hardly ever make just one. In fact, it’s not unusual for me to make 4 or 5 in an evening) I’ll take photos of them all, edit them all and have them stored on my computer, ready to upload to my blog. Then, it’s just a matter of typing up a quick description to go with it, and I’m done.

I've just discovered your blog, it's great.... how do you find the time to stamp? Do you stamp at night and just stay up late?
I tend to go to bed at about 11pm…is that late? I don’t watch any TV. That helps!

I have recently found your blog and it is incredibly inspiring. My question is - I have at least 4 roll-on adhesive products from various makers and they are all duds (patchy coverage, don't wind etc). I have read that the Stampin’ Up SNAIL is great - can you tell me what makes this product better than the rest on the market.
When SU! first came to Australia, I bought every roll-on adhesive that there is, so I could compare price and quality. I am now happy to sell SNAIL because it works, the refills are easy to pop in and the price is competitive. It definitely makes card making quick and easy, and saves picking up the backing pieces from double-sided tape!

I was wondering if you could give some ideas for birthday cards for little boys? I find them much harder than girls, but I seem to need them often.
Yes, boy cards are definitely trickier than girls! Try stars (Jumbo star wheel, and punches), bugs (Bugs and Kisses), animals (Wild About You), Transport (cars, boats, trains) or one of the sport sets. Failing that, there’s always something generic like balloons or presents stamped in bright colours. Brilliant Blue with Pumpkin Pie or Night of Navy with Old Olive look great for boy cards. You can also use some of the new Double-sided papers (try Jersey Shore or Simply Scrappin’ Crew Kids Boy)

If you have any great card ideas for 'Stem Silhouettes', I'd love to see them. I love this stamp set, but I'm stuck for ideas on what to do with it.
I love this set, but sold it once it retired. You can do a search on my blog for ‘Stem Silhouettes’ or there’s an abundance of ideas on Splitcoast

Doesn't the ribbon look beautiful!! I want to know doesn't the family get annoyed when the house is full of ribbon/paper etc. I know mine does when my craft has taken over :-)
My family are very tolerant, especially considering I run classes from home 2-3 times per week. I try to keep my mess contained usually, but sometimes I’ll spread out, so I can at least be with them while doing a mindless job like cutting ribbon.

My question is about the amazing boxes - do you design them yourself or are there templates available.
Some come from templates and some from my head because I couldn’t find a template. Often templates need to be adjusted to suit our cardstock, as they are designed for US sizes. Once you’ve made a few boxes, it’s easy to ‘tweak’ them to suit your needs!

My question to you is I always seem to get stuck when it comes to making masculine cards, do you have any tips or maybe some photos you could share with us. I get stuck when it comes to what colours and accessories I should add and if I should keep it simple
Male cards are definitely more boring to make! You can see a few ideas by clicking on the "Masculine" category in the Sidebar. I don’t actually own any of the traditional 'masculine' stamp sets…I find them too limiting. Since all the men I know aren’t into golf, for example, why would I buy a golf set so that I can make one or two cards? I tend to rely on background stamps, patterned paper and words and alphabets for masculine cards. To stop it from looking ‘flat’ and boring, try some Hodgepodge Hardware. Hemp Twine is also great.

How do you do you matting, do you hand cut each piece?
I use a paper trimmer to cut all my pieces for matting. If I have a main piece 4 x 7 cm, for example, I will use my trimmer to cut a mat 4.5 x 7.5 cm

I have a question. I want to cover some chipboard in paper or even cardstock - not quite sure if you can use cardstock - how do you go about this? I have heard about gluing it down and then using sandpaper to get rid of the excess but I have tried it before and have not had much luck. Any help would be great.
I’m planning a chipboard tutorial coming soon. Paper is easier than cardstock because it’s thinner. Use a glue stick to glue all over the piece of chipboard, all the way to the edges and stick it glue side down on to some patterned paper. You can use a brayer to smooth it out and get rid of any air bubbles. Trim around the piece with your scissors (don’t worry about trying to get too close). A Sanding Block is great to smooth down the edges and an emery board is good to get into small crevices. You can also dye chipboard with ink.

My burning question is why don’t we see more purple cards? Everybody loves them so why are there not more purple ink and paper colours? Purple is good for males and female and children’s cards isn’t it? Oh and one more - can demonstrators or customers make suggestions to SU for new colour combinations?
Stampin’ Up! has some lovely shades of purple…Lovely Lilac, Almost Amethyst, Lavender Lace, Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant, Orchid Opulence. We are sadly lacking in purple ribbon though!
Demonstrators and customers can always offer feedback to Stampin’ Up! through Demonstrator Support.

How do you Heat emboss on cardboard chip shapes? I saw it mentioned in a magazine and would love to see some demo photos
I’ll make sure to include this in my Chipboard demonstration. You can emboss on Chipboard in the same way as you would on regular cardstock. It’s a great effect!

I'd love to know what you love most about being a SU Demo. I have just joined...waiting on my kit actually so am interested to know what others think.
There’s very little not to love! I have made great relationships with my customers and fellow demonstrators. It has also challenged me in so many ways. And, for the first time in my life I can truly say, “I love my job”!

I've only just got into stamping but already I have stuff everywhere. I loved your hubby's creativity with your punches and I wondered if you had some hints on how to store all the stuff, particularly the paper - do you keep the colours together in their sets (eg soft subtles) or put the scraps in a box or ??????? I don't know - I'm getting lost in stuff. And stamps and inkpads and lots of other bits.... I'm sure it's only going to get more chaotic!!
I started with my cardstock in one of those File Containers, with each colour family in it’s own sleeve, and scraps in the front. Now it’s all in 2 drawers of my Filing cabinet. I still keep it in the Colour families, but one sleeve for each colour. Scraps are in their own plastic envelope…again, one for each colour family. You will find your storage needs change as your collection grows!

Mine is really a request of sorts. Do you own SU! sets that are exclusively Australian? I live in the US and I would love to see cards made with them?
There are a few exclusively Australian sets. Unfortunately I don’t own any! None of them really appeal to me. Sorry!

Would love to have some hints on how best to use the Stampin’ Up brayer.
The brayer can be used in a few ways. It sounds like a tutorial for this might be a good idea!

It’s good to have creative Aussies blogging, have you thought about video tutorials?
I guess I would need to own a video camera to do that, huh?

I'd like to know how you have your work desk organized for stamping/scrapbooking?Maybe a picture?
hmmm…a few requests for this one…I’ll get onto it soon!

How do you store your ribbons? I would love to know.
It's very basic at the moment. Just in a plastic container, on their rolls, plus a zip lock bag with scraps.

I love your Blog Candy Canes and Faux Bow tutorials! I like tips, techniques, and tutorials. I prefer the tutorials not to be videos because sometimes I like to study the photo of how something is done.
I’m planning more tutorials soon!

Where do you get your inspiration? Do you start with a colour, stamp set or sketch? Also how do you manage your time with young children? Sometimes I feel ready to sink with everything that needs to be done.
I think I’ve answered this one. I can definitely relate to that sinking feeling. I often feel like I’m struggling to keep my head above water, and wish things would stop for a little while so I could catch up!

My question has to do with chipboard too. I have never used it and would like a tutorial on it. I've seen it in scrapbooks but is it too heavy for cards?
Chipboard is actually surprisingly light. Tutorial coming!

If you had to pick just one - what would you say is your favourite blog?
Mine! LOL
Actually, I rarely get a chance to look at anyone else’s blog. It's the reward I give myself when I've ticked everything else off my to-do list...unfortunately that rarely happens!

How do you get your ribbon tied so perfectly on your cards? The knot it leaves is fantastic!
I usually leave my ribbon on the roll to tie it. I find it gives me a better knot that way.

I am stuck for inspiration regarding my 'good things grow' set, so if you have these stamps I'd love to see what you can do with them.
I never owned this set, although it is beautiful. Try Splitcoast.

Do you ever use SU heat and stick powder? I had to have it and now that I do, I can't really make it work for me.
Yes, I love the stuff! Stamp in Versamark or Craft white, sprinkle with Heat and Stick powder, Heat with your Embossing Tool until it just turns shiny (do not overheat), sprinkle with glitter and re-heat to set the glitter.
See my blog entry this morning for an example of this technique.

Also, have you ever used Prismacolor pencils and if so, do you use them with mineral spirits??
No, never. Sorry!

What do you think of the cropadile? I have been umming about it as I have been told good and bad things about it - one is that you can’t reach the middle of the card with it to place your eyelets...
I love it! I hadn’t set an eyelet for a million years, and now I’ve gone eyelet crazy. It hasn't been a problem not reaching the middle…I always seem to need my eyelets close to the edge!

Well done if you made it this far! I think I've answered all of your questions. Feel free to email me if there's anything I've missed.

Catching Up!

I've been honoured to receive not one, but TWO awards in the last day. Michele gave me the E award:And Leonie gave me the Spread the Love Award!

Aren't I Lucky?! Thanks girls! Because it's too hard to think of 10 people to pass these awards on to, I'm going to give 5 people both awards (that's probably against the rules, but too bad!)

1. Teneale Williams (who has a website not a blog, but since I'm breaking rules anyway, I might as well go the whole hog!) because she's the most talented stamper I know and one of the loveliest people I've ever met too.
2. Alisa Tilsner (even though she's probably been nominated a zillion times already) because she's such a star!
3. Jayne Mercer (even though I know she's got one of them already) because she's such a star!
4. Sarah Klass because everything she does is so classy (I mean Klassy!)
5. Claire Daly because she really does do art AND heart!

I've also been a very slack Tagger. I was tagged a couple of times, quite a while ago now, and I'm ashamed to say, I dropped the baton! *blush*
I was supposed to name 7 Interesting Things about myself *sigh* 7 BORING things would be much easier.... Oh well, I'm breaking all the rules today!
7 BORING Things about me:
1. I don't speak any language apart from English
2. I have never lived anywhere but NSW
3. I am scared of heights
4. I don't watch any tv shows
5. I like to read
6. I like to do crosswords
7. I'm not allergic to anything

See, boring aren't I?? And I'm not tagging anyone either :-P

Out with the Old, In with the New!

That's the theme of my Mini Catalogue Party tonight. It's going to be a fun night with a glass of bubbly and some yummy food, Prizes, Fantastic Specials, a Special Guest Stamper and even a goody bag to take home. I've still got lots to do to get ready, but I just wanted to pop on here to say that I have a couple of spots free, due to a couple of last-minute cancellations (it's that time of year I think!) so if you live in Sydney and would like to come, send me an email It's going to be a fun night! And the cost? It's FREE!
If you can't make it, just a reminder about the All in the Family promotion, which finishes in a couple of days (I'm offering this set at $59.15), and also the Spring Mini Catalogue which will also be gone. Let me know by November 30 if you would like anything!
Tomorrow I'll be putting up that tutorial I promised you earlier this week, so stay tuned!

A Worthy Cause...

I have a good deed for you to do today...Go and make a comment here...she needs 100 comments, and then she'll donate $100 to Breast Cancer Research! It's the easiest donation you'l ever make!

http://gone-inkognito.blogspot.com/2007/10/going-pink.html

I've been tagged!

By the lovely Michele

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet, current car) Freckle Lantra (I don't think I'd make a very good rock star!)
2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (favorite ice cream, favorite cookie) Gelato Ginger (ditto on the gangsta!)
3. YOUR FLY “GUY/GIRL” NAME: (first initial first name, first 3 letters last name) M Tay
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Blue Dog
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Glenys Wollongong (Now that's just silly!)
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (first 3 letters last name, first 2 letters first name) Tay Ma
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink and add” the”) The Green Tea LOL
8. NASCAR NAME: (first names of your grandfathers) William Barry (hey, that sounds quite legit!)
9. STRIPPER NAME: (favorite perfume, favorite candy) Amarige Caramel hmmmm.....I was going to write "hard caramel", but maybe better not!
10. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s and father’s middle names) Sheryl Henry

That was fun! (and even better, I didn't have to think too much) Now, who to tag?
Carol
Cass
Joanna

Confession Time

I lied! There is one more chicken! You can see it on Michele's Blog
And since I'm being very honest. I'm very embarrassed to say I've been tagged.....several times.....for several weeks now......
And apparently I'm a Rockin'-Girl-Blogger too! Woo hoo!

Now, I know the deal is that I'm supposed to tag others, but I'm going to be a spoil-sport.
But here's 7 things about me:
1. I'm a tosser! As in, I toss things out. I hate being surrounded by stuff that I don't use. So, if it sits there for too long, out it goes to a new home. My husband is a Keeper, as in he keeps stuff...but I guess I better keep him!
2. I write lists....lots and lots of lists. It's the only way I can keep my brain from exploding.
3. I have all my wisdom teeth. It doesn't seem to have made me any wiser though...
4. I'm a music dag. Is it bad that my kids like A-Ha, Men at Work and The Police??
5. I can't whistle or click my fingers. Sad, but true.
6. I studied Psychology at Uni...and I'm still not sure why.
7. If I lived on a farm, I would be vegetarian.

I've been tagged!
...by the lovely Joanna Wassens.
I have to list 7 things about myself, and 7 blogs I like to visit.

1. I'm never not in the middle of a book
   
2. I'm a carrier of the haemophilia gene, and my son has haemophilia
   
3. I love Trivia Nights (but rarely go to any)
   
4. There isn't a vegetable that I don't like
   
5. I hate shoe shopping
   
6. I love 80s music
   
7. I can say the alphabet backwards, really fast

Boy, doing these things makes you realise how boring you are
Now 7 blogs that inspire me...there are so many, and a lot have been tagged already, so here's a few that I don't think have been tagged yet!

1. Claire Daly
2. Karen Oliver
3. Linda Higgins
4. Di Mancino
5. Cassandra Grambau
6. Bev Mantle
7. Cheryl Andrews
   

Success!

I had my New Catalogue Launch last Thursday night. It was such a fun night. I had 20 guests and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.
They got to make 3 mini square cards, and this is one of them (I've mounted mine onto More Mustard A5 cardstock). They had to "kiss" their buckaroo blue elephant (kissing elephants...what fun!) onto the gorgeous Paisley stamp, use markers to colour the bird and flower, also from "Wild About You", mount it onto True Thyme and then Buckaroo Blue, and use the mat pack and paper piercer and then the white gel pen to make some faux stitching on a strip of Bravo Burgundy cardstock.

Other Success

I'm feeling pretty computer-savvy, having made myself a new banner, incorporated smilies and designed myself a watermark. But in actual fact, all I did was Google searches, and followed other people's directions, which I'd like to credit here.

New Banner
I used a portion of a card I had made, and followed the instructions here:
http://tips-for-new-bloggers.blogspot.com/

Emoticons
I couldn't find an easy way to download smilies using Internet Explorer, so I followed these instructions using FireFox
http://wolverinex02.googlepages.com/emoticonsforblogger

Making a Watermark
I used this tutorial
http://www.stampinkub.com/videotutorials/watermark.html
but since I don't have photoshop, I downloaded
http://www.getpaint.net/ for free and used that instead.

Oh, and that's an updated family pic too, taken on our holiday to Dubbo Zoo.

We Have Emoticons!! warning emoticon overload coming up!!
Honestly how much procrastinating can a girl do? ....but I just have to see if these work, and then I'll go and do some things that really need doing.

And to show that it's not all business around here, I want to show you my hubby's anniversary present. 11 years tomorrow It's an Accordian Book, made using the Stampin' Up! Accordian Book kit...so easy!! I'd never made one before and it was heaps of fun. Here's the cover and the first page. I'll put the other pages up over the next couple of days.

Time for a Change...
The purple was getting on my nerves, so I decided to re-decorate! I've gone for the minimalist look...I'd love to hear what you think. While you're at it, let me know where abouts in the world you are...I'd love to know how far this blog stretches!!
Of course I'm just procrastinating. I'm having a New Catalogue Launch Party here tomorrow night, and there's about a million things I should be doing. What better time to play around with my blog??

The rainbow in our backyard at dusk yesterday...

The artist's skill

is to choose what the eyes should see;

a weed is a wildflower

and rust, verdigris

Exercise...

I went back to aerobics today, for the first time in aaaaages. It felt good to bring my muscles out of the cupboard and dust them off. At the start they were saying "See, I still work!" and by the end, "You'll pay for this tomorrow!" I used to think Weight-loss was a place, and that if I could only get there, then I would be happy. Well, I've walked the long road, and found that there is no place, just a long, long road that never ends....in fact it's not even a road, it's an escalator going down, when you want to go up. You put on weight by simply standing still. To stay in the same spot, you have to keep moving, and if you want to actually want to get anywhere, then you have to go twice as fast. No wonder so many people give up, or get where they want to be, and then slide straight back down again. There's no easy way to move yourself up that escalator, you have to eat well and move a lot! I think the trick is finding ways to make moving up the escalator more fun. Sometimes I have to let myself slide down a step or two, to give myself the energy to keep on moving up again....not sure how many steps I slid down over Christmas!!
I have a Stamp-a-stack tonight, with only a couple of people coming, so I'm going to make cards too, so I can replenish my stash :-)

Kids Rooms

We had a Garage Sale on the weekend...a great opportunity to move lots of stuff along to other people's homes, make a bit of money and help a couple of friends sell their unwanted stamps (so they can buy more Stampin' Up! stuff!). We redecorated the kids rooms in January, so there were lots of baby toys and stuff that they no longer use, including heaps of Wiggles stuff (my little boy is growing up too fast!). This is what their new rooms look like:

Both kids chose a turquoise-y colour (Jacob's is slightly darker, but you can't really tell in the pic). Amy has a new Loft Bed, so she can have her own hide-out underneath. Their rooms are so much easier to keep tidy now too, as there's more storage, and less stuff!