My favourite stamp from this year's great Sale-a-bration sets is the birdcage, from the Happy Moments set. If you've been to a class or workshop with me over the past few months, no doubt you've heard me raving about it… It's so cute!!

These cards were inspired by a few I saw on Splitcoaststampers, and in particular Petronella Hardy's lovely samples from her website. In these cards the birdcage is teamed with Baroque Motifs.

I'm able to take last minute orders from the Summer Mini Catalogue until 8pm Wednesday 31st March. You can choose a free Sale-a-bration stamp set – like Happy Moments, perhaps? – for every $100 order.

Contact Simone Bartrum, 0411 642038 or (03) 5345 1592

Email: stamps@simonebartrum.com

I'll be back with some more Easter projects soon, and of course from THURSDAY the very exciting launch of the brand new Autumn-Winter Mini catalogue. WooHooo!

Today's Easter project is a mini treat holder. It has a little chocolate bilby inside!

For our international visitors,  the bilby is an endangered Australian marsupial. Some people say that the Easter Bilby brings chocolate eggs to Aussie kids, instead of the Easter bunny! lol

I added this fun little project to my March workshops, and it's been really popular. Would you like to have a go?

I made my first attempt at a YouTube video. It's only 1 1/2 minutes long but will give you a 'visual' on how to make the closing device! Oh, and you might want to click on it to view the enlarged picture because I made the text a bit too small! As I said, it's my first one so I'd love some feedback (be gentle!) and don't forget to leave me some comment love.

1. Cut cardstock 20cm x 7.5cm (you can get 4 from an A4 sheet, with one of them being a teeny bit narrower than the others).

2. Score at 6cm, 7cm, 13cm, 14cm. Burnish the score lines.

3. Grab your Curly Label punch and just slip one corner of the front flap into the punch, then squeeze! Do the same for the opposite side.

4. Now, grab your Word Window punch and push the bottom flap in as far as it'll go. then Punch!

5. You have now created a closure.

6. Decorate the front as desired, and don't forget to attach your chocolate treat I used Mini Glue Dots (gotta love those things!).

I've made a few of these little yummy treats… would you like one? Anyone who puts in an order via email before 12noon on Wednesday 31st March  will get a  complimentary  Easter Bilby treat in the mail next week! These are the final days of the Summer Mini and  Sale-a-bration catalogues so don't delay.

Happy stamping,

Only a week until Easter, so we're kicking off with some Easter projects over the next few days. Special thanks to today's featured stamper Lorinda Penn for this delightful triangle box. This was Lorinda's swap at a recent team event, and it's such a fun, bright design – and a good size too! Perfect for holding some yummy chocolate eggs.

These boxes are so easy to make. You just need a rectangle of cardstock (this one is 29cm x 10.5cm) and score in half along the long side. Then just find the mid points of each side and create a score line between the four points. This creates a diamond shape. All you need do is fold along the score lines to close up the box, and add a closure (such as ribbon). Clear as mud? LOL. Well if you need better instructions or to place an order before the end of Sale-a-bration, just let me know!

Stamps: A Good Egg

Inks: Chocolate Chip, Rose Red

Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Lovely Lilac, Yoyo Yellow, Only Orange, Chocolate Chip, Gable Green.

Happy stamping,

Wow! I'm totally blown away with the lovely emails and messages I received after my last post. Thank you so much for the love and support and most of all friendship.

I think I'm more shocked than anybody that I've actually earned the Stampin' Up! Incentive Trip! If you're not sure what this is all about, this is how Stampin' Up! explains it…

Every year, Stampin' Up! rewards the achievements of qualifying demonstrators with an amazing trip to an extraordinary locale where attendees participate in fun activities, relax in luxury, and – of course – stamp!

When I joined as a demonstrator just on 2 1/2 years ago I really only planned to buy at a discount and make cards as a hobby. I had heard about the Incentive Trip and was in awe of the achievers when I attended my first Convention in Brisbane in 2008. It seemed a world away from where I was.

Well, fast forward 2 years and here I am, still pinching myself. It just goes to show that ANYone can do this!

I can only say how incredibly blessed and grateful I am to have an AMAZING team who are now very special friends, some of the most wonderful and creative customers (aka stamping friends) and an incredibly supportive family. And, I'm so grateful to be working for (can I really call it 'work'?) a company that is so generous.

*big hugs*

On to today's project… I'm excited to share this box set of cards made using the 2U Card Elements & More set (p142 IB&C) which I was recently given as a gift.

I loved working with this kit. Everything is included to make the sample project (the carousel card at the top of this post) but you can still change things around to make unique projects by adding some extra cardstock for example. Isn't it great how everything co-ordinates? I used some extra Ruby Red cardstock and DSP to make the box to hold the cards, and textured Chocolate Chip and Tempting Turquoise cardstock for the square card below.

Don't forget we only have just over a week left of Sale-a-bration. We're in the final days of Stampin' Up!'s big FREE STAMPS giveaway, but it's not too late to claim your free set (or get another one!). And if you've been thinking about joining up, I'd love to have a chat  with you about how it can fit in with your life. Until the end of March, you can choose an extra stamp set (to $79.95 value) with the already great value starter kit!

Happy stamping,

Today I'm doing the big Happy Dance!

After three long years and some blood, sweat and tears I have
FINALLY….

can you guess, can you guess????

FINALLY….

to keep you in suspense just a minute more, here's an original card I made to celebrate

LOL!

I've FINALLY….

finished my first proper quilt!

Ok so maybe that bit of news wasn't very exciting, but it is to me *LOL* and I just had to share it!

I enrolled in a patchwork and quilting course a few months after we left Melbourne and moved to regional Victoria, mainly so I could get out of the house and do something different (I was pregnant at the time). I learnt how to hand-piece a sampler quilt, and this week I finally finished hand-quilting it! No work of art, that's for sure, but you've got to start somewhere!

Our group of Creswick Quilters are holding our first ever Quilt Show this weekend in the Bill Huntley room at John Curtin Aged Care, Creswick. It's for a great cause, as all proceeds go to the hospital. I'll be there on Saturday if you want to drop by and have a giggle at us. Phew, soooo glad I finished mine in time!

Now let me see, there was some more news…. now what was it?

oh THAT's right….

did I mention that I earned the Stampin' Up! Incentive Trip to Hamilton Island this week?

*giggle*

Thank you Stampin' Up!

I'll have a lot more to say on that on Sunday after the quilt show is over

Just a quick one today… I'm excited to let you know about a new time for the next gift-giving class:

Mothers Day Class
Sunday May 2nd
2pm – 4pm
Class Fee: $20 (all materials supplied)

We'll be making a beautiful gift made from the heart… something your mother, sister or special friend will treasure. Or keep it for yourself!

More details will follow, but as many of my regular attendees know these classes are very special and do tend to book out so I wanted to let you know this new date straight away.

Now I can't go without sharing a card, can I! Nooooooo!

Ok, well this card has a bit of a history. The rooster part was made at one of our team days last year (Tracy demonstrated how to apply More Mustard ink to glossy cardstock with the brayer)  and I just knew I'd use it! This one's for you Tracy

Happy stamping,

May 2nd Mothers Day Class booking request

Hey there

This month's Stamp Club topic by special request  was Masking.

We looked at a few different methods and added a new page to our Technique Journals. I really must take a photo of everyone's journals… many of them are decorated now and they look fantastic.

Anyway, so masking it was.

And here are the cards we made.

Flight of the Butterfly stamp set, Inspired by Nature stamp set, Pacific Point cardstock and ink, Baja Breeze cardstock and ink, Whisper White cardstock. Stamp-a-ma-jig, dimensionals

Embrace Life stamp set, Tangerine Tango cardstock and ink, Old Olive wide grosgrain ribbon, Haiku DSP, stazon jet black ink, Crystal Effects, versamark

Everyone discovered another reason to love post-it notes after using them with this technique, and as usual both stamp club groups were a pleasure to teach and lots of fun.

I'm looking forward to sharing some good news soon regarding something I've been working on. It's probably NOT what you're thinking, but who wants to have a guess????? hehehe

Happy stamping,

Here is our beautifully decorated stand at Paperific (lets call this the 'before' photo), where a group of us worked together over the weekend to share the love of Stampin' Up! We met some wonderful people who love this amazing hobby as much as we do, and some who are discovering it for the first time…. yes, we heard lots of 'ooohs' and 'ahhhhs'.

If you are visiting this site after meeting us at Paperific… welcome, and thanks for dropping by! And if you were one of the unlucky ones who were in the building when the freaky storm hit on Saturday, my commiserations! At about 3.30pm the heavens opened with the worst hailstorm in 40 years here in Melbourne, Victoria. Yes, it really was hailing INSIDE the exhibition building at the Melbourne Showgrounds, Flemington.

Hailing inside. Photos courtesy of Juliana Main

Before long, the evac siren was sounding, the main lights went out and water was coming inside from all directions!

Raining inside. Photos courtesy of Juliana Main.

Hailstones at the door

Melbourne was hit badly, with many of us finding dented cars and worse! But, you know what? It was great to see so many acts of kindness and generosity during the whole episode, with strangers looking out for each other.

Even though our papers were dampened, our spirits certainly were not! We even had a few good laughs as we watched someone completing their Make & Takes on another stand before they were ready to evacuate! Papercrafters sure are a hardy bunch. LOL

Here is the simple little Make & Take that I did before all the dramas started. This card demonstrates our beautifully coordinating stamps and punches, and uses the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set from the Summer Mini catalogue and the Heart to Heart punch. The sentiment is the Sale-a-bration set Whimsical Words. Participants also stamped the matching envelope.

On display was another way to use the same punch (CASE source: the very talented  Ilina Crouse).

This card above was also one of our stamp club projects last month, just in time for Valentines Day.

The Summer mini catalogue is in its final weeks – with items available until the 31st of March. Let me know if you'd like the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set or any other item before it's too late! Don't forget, purchases before the end of March help you qualify for FREE STAMPS with Sale-a-bration!

Happy stamping,

Hello! If this is your first time visiting, welcome… feel free to look around and  subscribe (check the top right sidebar) so you’ll always be kept up to date.

As promised in my last post, I’m sharing a couple more pop-up cards that were on display at my class last weekend. All the ladies did a great job of the pop-up cards, and keeping up with the pace. Yep, we covered a lot of info in those 2 hours!

This slider card above features the stamp set called That’s Funny (p55) and those “complimentary peanuts” that give us a chuckle. It reminds of the days when Lonestar Steakhouse at Chadstone had complimentary nuts in big barrels, and the shells were all over the floor! Anyone else remember that?

And open…

And below we have another type of pop-up; one which has an additional insert that you can embelish.

Well here we are in March already which is our final month of Sale-a-bration. Have you got your free stamps yet? This really is a great time to stock up on snail adhesive refills, Whisper White cardstock (sooooo perfect for stamping on), and other basics so you can choose another free set!

If you are dropping by Paperific this weekend, stop by the Stampin’ Up! stand and say g’day. I’ll be there on Saturday and Sunday, along with a bunch of other lovely demo’s. We’ll have free Make & Takes and demonstrations all day, and lots of project ideas to inspire.

Happy stamping,