You can feel it in the air… The days are getting warmer.

Winter is nearly over. WooHooo.

And I'm so so so ready for Spring.

Chocolate Treat Holder featuring  The Nicest Things stamp set

The start of Spring on the 1st of September also signals the start of a new Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalogue. And I'm SO ready for that too. Want your own copy? Just email me and we'll get it happening for you.

The book has been a big hit with my newsletter subscribers who took advantage of their special offer. (If you don't already have a demonstrator you can sign up for my newsletter here).

Hope you have plenty of sunshine in your day too!

Simone's Reminders:

→ FINAL DAYS of the Last Chance List
→ 25% Discount still available on great stamp sets, including Tart & Tangy (now only $16.46 – love that cute strawberry stamp!), Build-a-Roo (fill the kangaroo pouch with all sorts of goodies @ $34.46),  Lots of Bots in wood-mount (fun one for the kids @ $23.21) and more.
→ 40% Discount on even more sets, including Hello You, On a Pedestal and Gifted. 
→ Orders MUST be in by 10pm August 31st. Email or phone 0411 642 038

Tags: chocolate treat holder, The Nicest Things

Time to say Good-bye to retiring stamp set "Hello Again", now 25% off at only $16.46

Here's a list of all the retiring items that are Sold Out (as at 20th August):

 STAMPS

• Sanded
  
• Cheers to You
  
• Friends 24-7
  
• Full Calendar
  
• Garden Whimsy
  
• Choo Choo
  
• Afterthoughts Hostess set (wood mount)
  

CARD STOCK

• 12"x12" packs in Rich Razzleberry, Bashful Blue, Marina Mist, Wild Wasabi, Night of Navy, Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, River Rock, Sahara Sand, Very Vanillia.
  
• Brushed Metallic A4
  

ACCESSORIES

• Antique Brass and Pewter Jumbo eyelets
  
• Metallic eyelets
  

PUNCHES

• Spiral
  
• Designer Label
  
• 1 3/8 x 5/8 Oval
  
• Photo Corners
  
• Star
  

To download the Last Chance List of retiring products, click HERE.

There's only a little over a week to go, and then they'll be gone for good. The good news is there are some great bargains still to be found, including the Jolly Holiday 12×12" papers… only $10.17 for 12 double sided sheets!

Contact me if you want to grab any of these last-minute items.

Have a great weekend,

Jessica Williams' Birdcage,
made from 100% Stampin' Up! products

Tip: Click images on this site to view full size

Isn't it truly amazing?

Today I'm sharing a paper Birdcage created by Jessica Williams, an incredibly talented papercrafter in our team of Stampin' Up! demonstrators.

Jess was one of the presenters at our recent EurekaStampers Team Day and graciously agreed to share tips on creating 3D Paper Sculptures.

She showed us some gorgeous projects, and at the end presented this birdcage to me as a gift! As you can imagine I was totally speechless.

Here are some close-ups. Apart from the wire to attach the flower, all products used are 100% Stampin' Up!

I actually thought the bird was bought from a shop and was made of foam or ceramic or something.

But no, it's Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper!

The flower is made from cardstock, with the cage panels around the side embossed with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder through the Big Shot.

If you're a regular visitor to my blog you may remember this amazing card that I posted last year, another of Jess's creations. Well worth checking out.

Thank you Jess xx You are amazing!

Happy stamping,

Simone's reminders:

• The Last Chance List is proving to be a hit with more items selling out. Place your order today to avoid disappointment.
   
• Sold out items: Now include Sanded background stamp, Full Calendar background stamp, Bashful Blue & Early Espresso 12×12" packs (these will be back in the next catalogue in a reconfigured format), all eyelets, Spiral punch, Star punch, Photo Corners punch and the Small Oval punch. Yes, these retiring items are going like hotcakes. 

Welcome to a new week, and I hope you had a great weekend. I was busy with workshops (hi Andrea and friends, hi Colleen and friends) and my daughter's 8th birthday party. What a fabulous way to spend the weekend.

A couple of questions and comments came up about the noodle boxes I had at the end of this post.

They were chocolate-filled boxes I purchased, and simply removed the gold foil bow that was on the top. I wrapped the cartons in wide 1 1/4 inch striped grosgrain ribbons. Love that ribbon! It is suprisingly soft and very easy to work with even though it's wide.

The sentiment on the front was created in a flash courtesy of the Thanks embosslits die for the Big Shot die-cutting and embossing machine.

**Retiring item alert **

Yes, this embosslits die will only be available until the end of August (unless sold out earlier). Also retiring is a selection of the current season colours of wide striped ribbons, including Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Rich Razzleberry, Certainly Celery, Night of Navy and Early Espresso (my fave).

SOLD OUT ITEMS (as at 6th August)

* all the eyelets

* the large star punch

* the photo corners punch

Contact me to place your orders – I will process them immediately so you don't miss out. 

Happy stamping,

TIP: As with most photos on this website, just click on an image and a larger picture will open up in a new window. A bit easier on the ol' eyes. 

Tags: Last Chance List, thanks embosslit

During August I will be highlighting some of the stand-outs on the Last Chance List, including some of the best deals and also my much-loved favourites.

We'll kick it off with the Biggest Discounts….

40% off, in fact!

Hmmm, nice!

I love the Gifted stamp set and used it a lot last Christmas, as in these tags below (left and right tags, retired paper).

Of course the Jolly Holiday 12×12 designer series paper (see below) was a favourite… I went through packets! And at only $10.17 for 12 sheets it's an absolute bargain now. Great for cardmaking, scrapbooking or off the page stuff like memory books… or Christmas trees!.

But my pick of the bargains is the Hodgepodge Hardware. Loving the 40% off!!!! You can read about some interesting uses of Hodgepodge Hardware here from a post a while back.

If you want to snap up any of these before they run out, just send me an email and I'll organise it for you straight away.

Happy stamping,

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE LAST CHANCE LIST

Tags: 40% off, Last Chance List

1st – 31st August, 2011 (select items while supplies last)

It's time to say goodbye!

Hundreds of products from the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalogue are retiring, and now is the time to get them before they're gone.

The list will be updated regularly as items sell out, so visit here for the latest information.

Happy stamping,

Tags: 2011 Last Chance List