Remember when your age was the most important number in the world?

My youngest daughter recently had a big birthday so now proudly holds up 5 fingers at every opportunity.

Inspired by this, we've been adding big chipboard numbers to her friends' birthday gifts. So much fun! We made the chipboard 5 shown here from the On Board Sheets (p155 Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalogue) and the fabulous Simple Numbers Bigz dies with the Big Shot.

We stamped directly on the chipboard with ink to match the ribbon, and wrapped the gift in simple paper.

Quick and easy but it sure gets a big smile from the littlies.

Happy stamping,

How do you organise your craft supplies?

I have all my punches hanging on cheap Ikea towel rails above a low book shelf, and the new style punches are stacked neatly underneath.

Easy to reach, I can see them all at a glance and by going up the wall they don't take any of my valuable desk space!

(Mind you, it doesn't seem to matter how big my desk is, I always end up working in an area about the size of a postage stamp because the rest of the desk is covered! Is it just me?)

I was talking to a crafting buddy recently who stores all her supplies by category. She has a box for all Christmas-related products – stamps, embellishments, papers, etc. We were chatting about the stocking punch and she was debating whether to 'put it away for Christmas'. My reply was: Noooooo! The stocking punch isn't just for Christmas!

A quick search on Google will show you heaps of different uses for this punch. I shared some Christmas related projects with it last year, but there's so much more to this one!

A little while back I made this baby card using the Stocking Builder punch and Stitched Stockings stamp set.

I was inspired by another crafter but can't find her blog now (I'll keep looking and will update here when I find it).

DID YOU KNOW… that the Stocking Punch will NOT be carrying over into the new catalogue when it's released later this year?
When the Summer Mini Catalogue finishes you'll no longer be able to order it through Stampin' Up! We also got notification that "Once the current inventory of this punch has been depleted, it will no longer be available for purchase.".

One of my favourite things to do with my craft supplies is to use them in other ways than they were originally designed for. You get so much more value out of your purchases that way.

How do you use your supplies in interesting and unusual ways? I'd love to hear them.

Happy stamping,

With the first day of 2012 nearly over (here in Australia, at least), I hope you had a great one!

We started our day with a lovely family walk, but it got very hot very quickly so we spent the rest of the day recovering and doing almost nothing! Well, not exactly 'nothing'. I actually sewed together some Ooshka Babushka dolls with my girls from kits I picked up at the one of the Melbourne craft shows last year. If you look closely you can even see some Stampin' Up! stash supplies (ribbon, Flirtatious fabric and pearls).

As promised, here are some more highlights from 2011 posts. Enjoy!

July

August

September

October

November

December

Check out the January – June highlights HERE.

Happy stamping,

Wishing everyone a fun and fabulous New Year!
Let's make it the best one yet.

Enjoy this walk down memory lane as we recap some projects of 2011.

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

Check out the July – December highlights HERE.

Happy stamping,

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,

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.