Some important news for today:

1. Today is the FINAL DAY to order from the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalogue. Please email your orders before 10pm today (Friday 31st August 2012).

2. Tomorrow, 1st of September 2012, the NEW Annual Catalogue and NEW (Christmas) Holiday Catalogue will be released. Yay! Check back here tomorrow to view the catalogues online.

3. Want your own copy of the catalogues? Get in touch and we'll arrange the best way to get one in your hands. Catalogues come with an EXCLUSIVE sheet of vouchers, a different one for each month of the catalogue. There are some great not-to-be-missed specials in there!

4. Free this weekend? Come visit me at the huge market night in Bendigo tonight (more info on my Facebook page) or at Paperific in Melbourne on Saturday. We'll have catalogues!!

5. STAMP CLUBS: Our current round of stamp clubs are coming to an end so we'll shortly be opening them up to new members. If you would like to learn more about stamp clubs and how you can earn FREE products in the form of hostess benefits, all while learning new techniques, just ask!

6. NEW LOYALTY CLUB PROGRAM: I'm so excited that my brand new loyalty program will be starting tomorrow! This is something I've been planning for many months – and my valued customers will benefit! This new program is designed to reward those of you who email or phone your orders through to me – now all your purchases will help you earn FREE STAMPS.

7. NEW CLASS SCHEDULE: By popular request I'm now offering regular classes on the 3rd Tuesday of each month from 1pm – approx. 2.30pm.  Cost is $15 – everything supplied, and will be held in Creswick (near Ballarat, Daylesford). Bookings essential. It's a lovely way to spend an afternoon and you'll get to try out many of our fun new products. And on the 1st Tuesday of each month from November we'll be offering a Framed Art Class. More news to come about this one (believe me, it's a beauty!!!). But for now, here's a little sneak peek.

Pheww! That was a lot to take in. But I know that tomorrow everyone will have their heads stuck in the new catalogue so I had to get my news in first. LOL.

Have a fabulous weekend – the first of Spring! Can't we just feel the change in the air. 🙂

Happy stamping,

No stamping in today's post, but definitely stamping-related.

Wow! Wow! Wow! I just got the hugest surprise of my life when this amazing box was delivered.

I quite literally have never received anything like this in my life (and made the poor delivery lady check to see if she got the right house!). Even the kids were speechless for a few seconds.

And inside was the most incredible display of roses, lilies and chocolates. And you wouldn't believe who they were from…

… the team at Stampin' Up!

Inside was a beautiful note recognising a promotion I had last month, but I was a bit teary so it took a while to read it properly. lol

Just want to say – again – what an amazing company Stampin' Up! is. The Demonstrator Support girls are so thoughtful, they love cheering us on and really look after their demonstrators!

A HUGE and very heartfelt thanks to our Stampin' Up! South Pacific team.

It's been an amazing and very fun 4 years & 11 months and I can't wait to see where the next few years will take us.

xx

Just thought I'd pop in to say hello and let you know what's happening in July.

CLASSES

As I mentioned last week, I'm holding a few classes this month!

We have a School Holiday class for you and the kids on Monday 9th of July @10am – Midday, ($15 each or 2 for $20). (Edited 4th July: Sorry, this class is now FULLY BOOKED).

And when school goes back in two weeks we have a couple more classes – Sunday 15th @ 2pm – 3.30pm (Edited 12th July: Sorry, this class is now FULLY BOOKED) and Tuesday 17th @ 1pm – 3pm).  Book now for the special price of $15 each. Grab a friend or two and contact me to reserve your spot!

JULY BONUS HOSTESS DOLLARS

Also, during July we have the second and final month of our bonus hostess dollars for orders. More info HERE (including a special offer for my lovely customers).

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

I'll be in and out during the school holidays, but feel free to contact me via email or mobile (0411 642 038). I won't be too far away…Possibly up to my elbows in cupcake mix or glitter paper crowns!

Happy stamping,

The ribbon & button giveaway this month is proving to be popular. Such fun bright colours, the perfect antidote for these cold and bleak wintry days.

Don't need quite enough supplies this month for a $100 order?
Why not collect some orders from friends.
With nearly 14 METRES of ribbon and 48 buttons,
there's plenty to share around. 

We're into the final week of the winter school holidays here, and have enjoyed the leisurely days and sleep-ins.

Little Miss 7 has been begging me to learn to sew with the machine for ages, so this seemed like as good a time as any. I honestly thought she'd sew a few lines and that would be it, but she filled up her practice panel in no time and wanted more!

By the afternoon she'd already made a cushion and even slip stitched it shut after pushing in the soft stuff.

And then went back and made another one for Little Miss 4, who of course thinks her big sister is now a hero.

Gotta love the school holidays. Have a great week, and….

Happy stamping,

We got home from our annual camping adventure today. This is that holiday: no electricity, no running water. Just some of my favourite people in the world, and Mother Nature. 

We love this holiday each year and look forward to it for months… but we also really look forward to the nice hot shower back at home! Funny how the smell of campfire smoke hangs around for so long, doesn't it?!

This trip was even more special because my younger sister and her boys joined us for a few days. And we stamped! My sister is fairly new to cardmaking so we had a great time going through the basics like cutting cardstock, watercolouring and layering. I just wish we'd taken photos of us stamping on trestle tables out in the bush!

But I do have a card to share with you today. I was chatting to a stamping buddy tonight (hi Jenny) and realised I hadn't posted my awning card. I can't remember where I first saw this technique, but this particular card is based on one that fellow demonstrator Tracy Penn gave me.

The Birthday Bakery stamp set is perfect for this card.

Birthday Bakery is one of the exclusive FREE stamp sets for Hostesses (or anyone with a qualifying order). It's such a sweet set! I always partner it with some sparkly Dazzling Diamonds glitter.

The awning is created by adhering 11 punched shapes from the Word Window punch to a strip of cardstock 3.5cm x 10.5cm. The window punchies will overhang at the top and bottom. Adhere to the top of the card front, and bend the bottoms to look like a shopfront awning. Cute!

We made this card at Stamp Club last month, and the clever girls came up with some fabulous themes for other awning cards. How about:

• zoo (Fox & Friends, Animal Stories)
• pet shop (D is for Dog, C is for Cat)
• train station (Choo Choo)
• fruit shop (Tart & Tangy)
• a window scene (Lovely As A Tree)
• baby shop (Baby Bundle)
• toy shop (Family Favourites)
• coffee shop (Morning Cup)
• florist (A Flower For All Seasons)
• Christmas shop (any of your favourite festive sets)
• cake shop (Build-a-Cupcake punch)

I also made a chocolate shop with the new Eat Chocolate stamp set from the Autumn-Winter mini catalogue. So many ideas!

Well I'd better stop chatting and get back to the unpacking. Enjoy the rest of your week.

Subscribe to Simone Bartrum, Stampin' Up! demonstrator – Victoria, Australia by Email

Hi everyone. It's great to be back on the 'puter and blogging again. I've been stuck in my own little time warp after being knocked for a six with a v-e-r-y nasty chest infection. I actually spent 2 days in bed! But on the mend now and itching to get all inky again.

I've got heaps of great projects to share in the coming days and weeks, but thought for now I'd quickly show you this card I made for my brother-in-law's birthday, yes a big Doctor Who fan. I actually went googling for ideas and low-and-behold stumbled upon this card that the amazingly talented Valita designed. Valita recently joined up as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator under one of the girls in my group, so I'm very proud to say she is in my team now! It really is a small world, isn't it?

I'm having a bit of trouble getting used to Matt Smith as the new Doctor. What do you think? Time will tell, I guess 😉

Happy stamping,