Stampin' With Michelle Pepper

Wow, it's the end of the month already? Hmm, I can't let the month end without sharing about this stationery set which I was inspired to make for a friend.  Three convincing reasons for my making the effort to make this set: 1) My friend is American, and while the thing she loves about being in New Zealand is me (ok, ok, I am not the only reason - ha! - among many other reasons), I know she misses her family and her life in the States. So over there, her birthday would be in Autumn, not Spring as it is in New Zealand. Hence the reason I chose to use this retired (but right now on clearance, so you can either purchase through emailing me or click here ) Sweater Weather DSP which screams Autumn colors to me.  2) She's a fan of Charles Dickens, and I love, not only the friendship we have, but also the friendship between her children and mine. The perfect stamp for it therefore is one that is from the From My Heart stamp set.  3) She shares my love for pre

Around the World Stampin' Up! Challenges is celebrating their 1st birthday with Challenge #25 's theme being "Thanks". The challenge closes on September 29th, so there is still time for you to participate in the challenge too :-) I have just entered the challenge with this card, so join me! Click here to see more ideas, and to Like my entry (it is the 12th card you'll see on the list of thumbnails at the bottom of the page). I like to include a Thank You card in my customer's orders (although it sometimes doesn't happen due to life's busy-ness or maybe it's just because I am not organised enough). Moreover, I try to add value by customising the card to their order. For example, a new customer ordered the Tag Topper Scalloped Punch so I made this card to give her another idea for using the punch other than just for making tags with. The floral theme is my go-to theme when I don't know a person well, and Flower Patch  (with coordinating F

Does this card seem familiar? It is my CASE of one of the projects I got to make at the recent Auckland Party Time event. I haven't (yet) got the Choose Happiness stamp set, so I set about a challenge for myself to CASE the Kraft Grid line Journal cover (see below) with the stamp sets I already have. Original Make & Take from event: Well, I can't stop at just one card, so I also came up with the card below in a softer colour palette. It is also another excuse to use the Good Greetings stamp set, which, until the 31 October,  is the Hostess' when she host a party with the qualifying sales. What do you think?  I hope you found it helpful to see how a card can be CASED, using stamps that you already have. It's no guarantee though, that you will not crave (all the more even) for the very stamp set you don't have that was used in the original project :-) Oh, that was quite a mouthful, lol!

Look at these Make & Takes I got to make at the recent Stampin' Up!'s Party Time Auckland event. This is a regional training for demonstrators so it was awesome to meet the other demonstrators - so many talents out there! I am told these regionals are a little taste of what Convention is like ...hmm, maybe I will get to next year's event at the Gold Coast...anyone want to come with me? Back to the Make & Takes - can you see the versatility of this stamp set? It is called Choose Happiness . All three projects were made with only this one stamp set. Wow!  Choose Happiness Wood Mount $51.95 Choose Happiness Clear Mount $37.95 So, now that I have learned some tips at the Regional Training on running a workshop, I am rather keen to put it to practice! Contact me so we can plan a Stampin' Up! party you can host for your friends and family. It'll be fun, I promise :-) Also, don't forget until 31 October, as a host, y

As a demonstrator, we get the Impressions publication every two months from Stampin' Up. These are jam packed with ideas and training tips. This month I have been challenged by one of the articles about not neglecting the poor old envelope. It is so true that envelopes often take a back seat. The dear humble envelope can be so much more - just like the present itself is dressed up with a fancy package, so can the handmade card be dressed up with its envelope. It is another opportunity to say something about the recipient of your lovingly handmade card. So I made a special effort with the project for my "Connect through Creativity" class this month. What do you think? I would write the recipient's name on the heart die cut. The envelope can be re-used simply by removing the heart die cut which is only clipped to the clothespin. Then out comes the card from inside the envelope: The lighting is all funny but this next one is more true to the colours. Don

It is still Father's Day here, with one more hour to go. I meant to post this earlier but got a little sidetracked with the two eldest boys playing in separate soccer tournaments. So, this post will be a feast for the eyes, mainly photos only and a few comments :-) I first came across the idea of corner bookmarks back in 2011 when I first joined up as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. Isn't that a neat idea? I love novel things that are also very practical like that. Recently while I was in the process of thinking about a project for my September Mum & Me class, I came across Australian demo Kylie Bertucci's cute Australian animal bookmarks. I knew immediately I have to figure out how to replicate these for my class. And here are my complete CASE of two of Kylie's creations, using my own method as I didn't get a tutorial from Kylie (sorry Kylie! I am grateful for the pics you shared on your blog though). Here is Mr Crocodile which my 8 year old th