It’s the start of another year and hopefully it will be a happier year for me than last year.  For those of you who don’t know I lost my Mum last year and also had to watch a  lot of close friends and extended family mourn their own losses of loved ones. Of course there were also the natural disasters that struck all over the world. As I see it, 2012 has nowhere to go but up.

My family and I have just come home from a month long trip to the US & Canada. We had a wonderful time which included our first ever White Christmas in the Rocky Mountains in Canada. It was a fantastic trip but quite exhausting, and is the main reason I have been AWOL for such a long time. I thought I’d better jump back on here so that you knew I was still alive and hadn’t fallen off the face of the earth.

I’ve come home to lots of excitement in the Stampin’ Up! world. Of course there is the new Summer Mini Catalogue that is out at the moment.  You can have a look at all the gorgeous new products here.  I’m particularly taken with the Spice Cake Designer Series Paper and the Spiced Paisley stamp set. Once I’ve finished unpacking from our holiday and have cleared a space on my table I’ll be making something very yummy with them.

I will be starting my monthly classes again shortly. Keep popping back here to check as I will be posting the class schedule in the next week or so. If there is any particular technique or style of card you would like to learn, or if you have a special occasion coming up that you would like to make cards for, then let me know and I will plan a class especially for you.

Annette

Yes, that’s right folks, Stampin’ Up! are having a huge December sale. You can get up to 50% off some stamp sets during December. So if you’ve been putting off buy your favourite set, have a look at the list of stamps & accessories available here.

 I will be away during December but I will have may laptop with me & will still be able to place an order.  So, if you would like to snap up a bargain contact me via email.

Firstly I’d like to welcome my good friend & neighbour Claire who recently joined.  Claire has been a great supporter of me and loves the Stampin’ Up! products as much as I do. She has a beatutiful blog to showcase her talent. Head on over to her blog – A Crafty Little Fox - and have a look.

Secondly, I’d like to say a big hello & welcome to Tanya Di Micco who also joined recently. Tanya found her passion for cardmaking after attending a few workshops and classes run by her friend, and now “mum” in the Stampin’ Up! family, Kathy. Tanya also has a blog – At Midnight Creating – so go over there and take a look at her gorgeous creations.

When you’re visiting Claire & Tanya’s blogs be sure to leave them a message and say Hi!

I have links to their blogs on my blogroll.

Annette

I used the medallion from the Artistic Etchings set and Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler and Very Vanilla cardstock.  You may not be able to see it in the photo but I sponged over the top of the medallions with some Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint.  I haven’t used it before but I love the effect it gives. It’s very subtle but it just takes the card up another notch.  The numbers I cut out using my Big Shot and stuck some of the new Champagne Stampin’ Glass Glitter onto them.

I think it works really well without being overly feminine. The best thing is that my husband loves it and he’s the one who counts.

We made the two cards above using the Big Top Birthday DSP and the Up Up and Away stamp set which co-ordinate perfectly with each other.  The cards were quick and easy to put together and everyone had their own variation on the cards I demonstrated. It was so great to see the creativity.

I’d like to thank Claire for hosting and Charlene, Antonia, Fiona and Julie for coming along and sharing in the fun.

Can I just say that this is one of the most exciting times to join Stampin’ Up!. If you’ve been thinking about it then now is the time to do it with the $169 Mini Starter Kit offer BUT you can also get the full Starter Kit (valued at over $610) for $231.20 (that’s 20% off).

If you’d like any more information you can use the Contact Form at the top of the page to get in touch with me.

• Easy Events Clear-Mount Set*
• Pennant Parade Wood-Mount Set*
• Basic Black Classic Stampin’ Pad®
• Old Olive Classic Stampin’ Pad
• Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin’ Pad
• Real Red Classic Stampin’ Pad
• A4 Smooth Card Stock Assortment
• Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper*
• Chocolate Chip 1/2″ Scallop Dots Ribbon*
• Notes Cards (20)
• Clear-Mount Block C
• Blender Pen (1)
• SNAIL Adhesive®
• Business supplies
(*New to 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalogue)

If you’d like more information either email or phone me. I’d love to have you join me.

As always, if you would like to get your own copy of the catalogue, please either give me a call or email me.

I have some other exciting news to follow this post, so stay tuned.

Exciting day in our house yesterday. My baby boy, Noah, turned 10!! I think he had a wonderful day.

Here’s the card I made him. I wanted to tie it in to the invitations that I’d made for his party.  It was quite simple to make but I loved the way it turned out.  I used Night of Navy for the card base and the stars are Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi, Riding Hood Red and Whisper White.  I used the small and large star punches for the stars and stamped them with various stamps from the Circle Circus set in Versamark just to give them a bit of depth.

I hope you like it. Noah loved it.

Annette