What an amazing month September has been!

We are a week into the school holidays and life is full-on in our household… it gets like that sometimes, doesn't it?

Hubby and I are leaving for the Stampin' Up! Incentive Trip to Fiji in less than 2 weeks, so by the time that comes around I'll be ready to flop in a deck chair and not move all week!

Now I did manage to sneak in some crafting-for-fun time. No matter how busy we are, it's important to set aside a little time for the soul. Well, it is to me… I just get too grumpy if I don't. Hmmm, just ask my family.

I wanted to make a nice card for someone special, and tried some new things on this one.

I'm not sure… what do you think?

Clearly For You stamp set, Bevelled Window Pane, Cherry Cobbler seam binding, Always Artichoke card base, Stripes embossing folder

I just hope the recipient likes it.

This month's Joining Special has been incredibly popular. We've been excited to welcome many stampers, cardmakers and scrapbookers to the Eurekastampers team.

Some are looking to extend their hobby, some are keen to start their own business, others are simply looking for a discount on their craft supplies or meet new friends with similar interests. Who knows where it will lead?

They are all great – and valid – reasons to join.

If you are still thinking about it, remember that the limited-time Mini Starter Kit is only available until this Friday evening, 30th September. The full Starter Kit will revert to its regular price (which is still amazing value) on the 1st of October. Any questions? Just ask.

See you in October… with some very exciting news! Hint: If you love Christmas, you are going to want to check this out.

Happy stamping,

This week I've been playing with a new fun colour combo, featuring three of the five new "In Colors".

Island Indigo               Pool Party           Calypso Coral

I'm loving Island Indigo. Gorgeous. And I think it partners beautifully with Pool Party. 

Just a hint of Calypso Coral finishes the trio today, but I'd love to try the two blues with maybe Regal Rose or even Poppy Parade. I'll add that to my To Do list!

Ribbon Tip:

Try adding ribbon in loops behind your flowers. They add a whole new dimension to the flower, and can also highlight one of the colours in your project.

In this card, we've looped the Calypso Coral ruffled ribbon behind one of the flowers from Posy Punch (p9 IBC). The ribbon is secured with Mini Glue Dots (p144).

Have fun going a bit loopy with ribbon!

Happy stamping,

Simone's Tips & Reminders:

• Did you know you can see a larger version of each photo on this blog just by clicking on it?
• Looking to get some of the new In Colors? The BEST DEAL is on the bottom of p120 in the Idea Book & Catalogue. You get 20 sheets of cardstock and five FULL-SIZED classic stamp pads for only $56.95 + p/h. The ink pads alone are worth $11.95 each!
• Newsletter Subscribers can still secure one of the Ruffled Ribbon shares or Seam Binding shares. Final orders now being taken for this round of shares. See your August Newsletter for details. If you don't already have a demonstrator why not subscribe to my newsletter for monthly projects, hints and ideas.
• We're in the final weeks of this months special: become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator for only $169. Click HERE for more details.

This was my contribution for our August Team Swap.

Theme? You guessed it. 6"x6" scrapbook pages!

It features the bright and fun Just Add Cake scrapbooking paper (p129 Idea Book & Catalogue), and matching Peach Parfait, Wild Wasabi and Baja Breeze colours. The little banner is from the adorable Pennant Parade (p37) stamp set and matching Pennant builder punch (p153). I loved making this page.

Just Add Cake designer series paper (p 129 Idea Book  & Catalogue)

Today is a special day because it's my Mum's birthday (Happy birthday Mum! Love you xx). And, it's 4 years ago today that I became a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, so I guess you could call this my Stampaversary!

My youngest munchkin was only a 9-month-old baby when I joined up, and now she's getting ready to go to school next year. Where have the years gone?

Well I can say that becoming a demonstrator was one of the best things I did for our family, and also for me personally. It has brought many wonderful people into my life. And of course a never-ending supply of crafty things is pretty darn good too! Lol. 

Happy stamping,

Simone's Reminders: Interested in starting your own Stampin' Up! adventure?

Check out this link with the September JOINING SPECIAL.

Sometimes I come across unusually shaped presents and – wow – aren't they a challenge to wrap?!

I usually wind up scrunching the paper at one end and sticking heaps of tape over it. Then I quickly turn it upside down before the whole thing pops open. Lol. Know what I mean?

So anyway, I was giving the beautiful Stampin' Up! paper snips as a gift recently and was perplexed at the unusual shape.

(Yes, I was ignoring superstitions about giving scissors as a gift because they really are the BEST scissors and cut right to the teeny tiny tip).

With its triangular shape I didn't want a replay of any scrunchy wrapping paper incidents. So I grabbed a sheet of the beautiful paper from the 2010-2012 In Color Paper Stack (p130 in the new Idea Book & Catalogue) and set to work on some customised gift packaging.

Gift packaging embellished with Vintage Brad, Tiny Tags stamp set and Jewelry Tag punch

With a snip here and a snip there, and some discreetly placed Sticky Strip, we were done!

Love that Blushing Bride colour. Just the right shade of 'not-quite-pink'.

Thanks for stopping by today. If you can spare a minute feel free to leave me some comment love and let me know you were here.  xx

Happy stamping,

Do you ever find yourself using the same layouts or colour combinations in your cards and scrapbook pages?

Well, every now and then I will share a new favourite Colour Combo here so we can try it out together. Will you join me?

Today's combination is soft and pretty, and very easy to work with.

The card features the brand new My Friend stamp set.

Have fun with these colours and have a fabulous weekend,

Wowsers! Have I got some B-I-G  N-E-W-S  to share with you today. You might want to sit down and buckle up because this is SUPER EXCITING.

1. New Idea Book & Catalogue

It's Here! Just click on the cover to view the catalogue online. Or better yet, contact me and I'll get one sent to you.

For the cost of a magazine
you'll have 12 months of inspiration at your fingertips.
Over 160 pages, in fact! You'll be carrying this book around with you EVERYWHERE!
$15 direct to your door, including postage.

2. Mini STARTER KIT

This is SO EXCITING, I literally squealed when I saw this.

Starting from today, you can join as a demonstrator and get ALL the FABULOUS BENEFITS for only….

okay, are you sitting down?

$169

I KNOW!!!! How great is that!

I can think of quite a few of my stamping friends who will be jumping up and down at this. This MINI STARTER KIT is perfect for those who have been stamping for a while and – lets face it – you've got a good collection of Stampin' Up! goodies. For more info on what exactly is in the kit, visit the Specials page HERE.

But, hey, the kit is just a BONUS in my eyes. The real value is what you get every single day of being a demonstrator.

From the moment you join my group you'll get a MINIMUM 20% discount off ALL purchases. And that's just the beginning. Inspirational resources, your own business, training tools, a supportive group, a dedicated upline, and best of all you'll be ONE OF US!

This is GREAT STUFF and I'm very VERY excited. Can you tell? LOL.

3. Discounted FULL STARTER KIT

And the news just gets better and better. If you are just starting out or maybe want to maximise the value of the kit, you can still get the full Starter Kit but during September it's 20% off.

Guess how much the kit is worth?

I'll give you a clue, it's even better value than in the last catalogue!

With the bonus of the Colour Coach and a punch and paper snips it's now worth $610. And it's yours to keep F-O-R  E-V-E-R. You never ever have to give it back. You get 8 catalogues to share with friends, and I'll be offering a great PowerStart mentoring program for those who want to give their new business a flying start.

Value of Full Starter Kit: $610

Cost to You: $231.20

I can tell you that we've got some fabulous things to look forward to over the next year, and I'm absolutely thrilled to be a part of it. Thanks so much for being a part of it too.

Don't forget to subscribe to my monthly newsletter. The September edition will be out VERY soon!  Move the mouse up to the top right corner of my blog and you'll see the big SUBSCRIBE heading.

This excitement is making me dizzy… I better go and make something.