Time is running out for FREE punches

Contact me today to place your order for the Christmas Extravaganza promotion, it ends on December 14th (that's this coming MONDAY)

Choose either of the two great punches shown above, each valued at $30.95 when you purchase $85 worth of products from the special flyer.

Click HERE to visit the PDF of the flyer, or visit my post where the items are listed by type HERE

My favourite combinations of must-haves are these:

*curly label punch bundle
*spiral punch
total: $86.90 , including free punch!

*Simply Sent Cardmaking kit (great gift!!)
*choice of Stampin' Write marker - Real Red, Glorious Green or Brilliant Blue
total: $89.70, including free punch!

Or, choose both of these combinations, and select one of each punch! That's $238.50 worth of products for just $176.60. (postage and handling charges are not included in totals) There is no limit to the number of punches you can receive!

Other great basics on the list include the Cutter Kit and Whisper White cardstock, so check it out today and give me a call on (02) 9484 9447 to place your order, which can be delivered anywhere in Australia for $5.95 or 5% of the order total (whichever is greater).

Christmas Classics for quick cards

I love this set, everytime I sit down with it I can make something that looks different. This card is one I designed as a Workshop Make and Take project. The base is Garden Green, and I have stamped the Holly all over in Versamark ink. The patterned paper is from the Holiday Treasures DSP pack, and I have used the Eyelet Border punch to edge it, before sponging the edges with Riding Hood Red ink. The main image is inked up using markers in Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red and a combination of Apricot Appeal and Summer Sun for the bell. I stamped an extra bell and punched it out with the 1/2" circle punch and mounted on Stampin dimensionals. I also added a little dab of 2 way glue pen and sprinkled some Dazzling Diamonds glitter onto the second bell layer. I have matted with Riding Hood Red and a peek of Summer Sun to finish. Quick, easy and great for bulk production. More coming with this stamp set, stay tuned!

Upsy Daisy with a citrus and kiwi twist

Lots of people have said they are tired of this stamp set, because they have used it so much! But I think that is the mark of a GREAT stamp set to own! Not least because you are never, ever going to be stuck for ways to use it, there must be about a million google results for it! I like it because it is

* versatile - can be combined with pretty much any sentiment for any occasion

* simple bold image means it is a quick stamp to use

* suitable for lots of different techniques - shadowing, marker to rubber, crayon to rubber, bleaching and more!

This is a card I made for a friend of my uncle, who is visiting from PNG. She wove two fabulous traditional "Bilum" bags for my kids, after they commented on the one she had brought with her. I hope you like it Veronica!

The base of the card is Tangerine Tango, toned down a little by adding a layer of Kiwi Kiss Designer Series paper over the lower half. Over the join is a piece of Kiwi Kiss Striped grosgrain, and I have threaded it through a little treat from the Summer Mini - Designer Hardware Jumbo Grommets. These come in a mixed pack of neutral colours, including silver, white, vanilla and black, and add a great finishing touch.

The Upsy Daisy stamp was inked up using Markers direct to the rubber. I blended lots of different colours together, including Tangerine tango and Kiwi Kiss using a blender pen. I misted the surface of the stamp very lightly with a water spray before stamping onto a piece of Watercolor paper. A distressed Kiwi Kiss mat and a greeting from Sincere Salutations complete the card. It was a lot of fun, and could be adapted to lots of other colour schemes.

Hope you like it!

Summer Mini Make n Takes with Hello Again and Retro Remix

At the recent Stampin' Up! Regional Training day, we received the Summer Mini set "Hello Again" and the "Retro Remix" wheel as part of our registration. We used these stamps to create a number of projects in our Make n Takes for the day, and you can see the cute projects above.

At the left we have a card made from More Mustard cardstock, with a simple white stamped panel. This is set off by some stamping peeking from underneath the the panel, an extended mat of Old Olive, and a tie of the gorgeous Valet Ribbon Originals satin chocolate polka dot ribbon.

At right, we have a Certainly Celery trifold card, with a double window mat cut from Baja Breeze. Peeking out from the base is a row of Scallop edge Rose Red. Over the window are 4 1" punches, each stamped with a different coloured heart from the Hello Again set. It is finished off with a tie of Tangerine Tango striped grosgrain attached to a Hardware Clip.

At the front, behind a bit of sundapple shadow sorry! is a cute little box. This is the box that inspired the Pale Plum butterfly box a couple of posts down. It was so easy that I have no idea why I've never made one before! I have been asked to do a step-by-step tutorial on this little box, so hopefully I'll get to that this week. This particular box is made from Old Olive textured cardstock, and wheeled across with the Retro Remix wheel. It's wrapped with the fabulously retro orange ricrac from the Pigtails Ribbon Originals pack. A whisper white stamped panel finishes it off. It's a handy size for a few choccies, or a special gift (like that Pandora bracelet loaded up with gold charms perhaps?)

This set did not really jump out at me from the Mini catalogue when I first saw it, but it's on my list now that I've had a play and seen it's versatility in action.

And, if you're a ribbon addict like me, check out the Christmas Extravaganza brochure, as the Ribbon Originals packs are all on there. Yummy!

the BEST Stampin Studio is finished!

It has taken quite a while to sort everything out, but here is my new Stampin Studio! Ta Da!! I moved all my stuff (well, most of it - there is still a fair chunk of other craft-type stuff left behind) from a small upstairs bedroom to the downstairs study. Andrew's computer gear and big workdesk units were somehow dissassembled and man+woman handled UP the stairs, where they fitted perfectly. Thank goodness for that, because I have no idea how we would have got them back out and down again if they didn't quite fit!!

The top photo shows my Ikea Expedit unit, which also survived the move downstairs intact. It houses my paper shelves, office/filing type stuff, sample card boxes, magazines and catalogues and some Trofast tubs with other bulky bits and bobs. This is pretty much the same as it was before (if you remember the original pics I posted a while back) but now I'm downstairs, my office stuff and craft stuff are together. The extra space was created in this shelf unit by...

My new BEST scrapbooking furniture!!! Woohoo!! I've been drooling over the ads in the mags and in various dream stamping studio blog posts for the last couple of years, and I finally have some of my own! I have started with the desk and a Double Mini unit. The desk is lovely and wide, and you have everything at your fingertips in the two side storage sections. The Double Mini fits a huge amount of storage into a compact space, and it is on castors, so you can move it around with ease. I decided to get just the drawers, in 1" and 2" sizes, rather than paper shelves, because I thought it would be more flexible. As it has turned out, 12x12 paper does fit inside the drawers in a neat yet snug fashion, so I have more options to move things around. My labelling machine went into overdrive as I found good homes for all sorts of bits and pieces that cluttered up my previous space, so it is nice and easy to find things.

My new, larger punch rack is up now too, and holds all except my small punches, which now fit neatly in a desk-side drawer. It's a great creating space, so I hope it gives you a little inspiration!

Time to prod your loved ones in the right direction!

It's starting to look a LOT like Christmas... A bit scary, because I am hugely underprepared this year, or at least I feel like I have barely started organising and planning. And, the family Christmas gathering is at my house this year EEEEK!!

So, it is most definitely time to start giving a little nudge to your hubbies and families in the direction you'd like them to head for your Christmas gifts. That is unless of course you would like to receive a 'vegetable scrubbing brush' from your nearest and dearest. Yes, that has happened, you may even read about it on a blog perhaps?? Or, perhaps you'll get a hedge trimmer. Or a boxed set of your partner's favourite TV series. Or, nothing at all because they had no idea what to get you (DOH!) and then ran out of time to try and find something...

All you need to do is to write out your Stampin' Up! wishlist, hand it to them with my details jotted on the back, and tell them that if they ring me, it will all be taken care of in one easy step. Complete with bonus handmade card, and giftwrapping too if you're local. What could be easier for them, and more satisfying for you? Everybody happy, and that's the way it should be! It's Christmas!

Phone me on (02) 9484 9447 or email me at michelle.dyson@bigpond.com Gifts can be delivered ANYWHERE in Australia (the handmade card will be forwarded separately from the delivery if you are outside my personal delivery area)

Ho Ho Ho! Just call me Santa ;)

My new Stampin Up! Website!

It's brand new, and I'm still finding my feet around editing and personalising it, but if you're interested in popping over for a look, here's the link (and clicking the picture should also work, I hope!):

Demonstrator Business Web Site - Michelle Dyson

There are some very cool features, my fave is being able to bypass all the forms and sign up to become a member of my StampInkPaper Inc team, all with the click of a few buttons! All you need to do before joining is to contact me for the special password, but you'd probably want to have a chat first anyway!

It's also a great place to go and see all the latest in official promotions offered by Stampin' Up!, like the Christmas Extravaganza promo, running until December 14th (quick!) Free punches, pretty cool deal!

What else? You can sign up to get a newsletter, get RSS feeds etc when I update, view my schedule of classes and events, see some projects, and lots more. I'll still be keeping my blog, especially while I am still a learner on the proper website, but I hope to be updating both on a regular basis. So, do drop by and have a peek, and leave me a comment here to let me know you've visited. I'll draw a little RAK from the people who comment in a week's time... (PS - Lynda S!! I haven't forgotten, your RAK is on my whiteboard to-do, promise it won't be much longer!)

Summer Mini has landed!!

The Stampin' Up! Summer Mini Catalogue has officially begun. Just when you thought there couldn't be any MORE "must-haves" to add to your collection, a whole new bright collection has arrived. Click on the pretty cover in the image directly above to be taken to a downloadable/printable PDF version, and drop me a line at michelle.dyson@bigpond.com and I'll get a paper copy in the post to you in a jiffy! Or, click on the sidebar picture at the right to be taken to the Stampin' Up! Online Catalogue version where you can flick through the pages.

So, what's inside that takes MY fancy??

* More new individual stamps, in the "a la carte" section. These are great to add to your collection, as they are an economical way of making your existing image and sentiment stamps more versatile, and they also make a great, well-priced gift for a teacher or someone new to stamping.

* A new punch - those of you who are regular readers will probably have noticed that I have somewhat of a passion (or should that be obsession?) with punches. Stay tuned for an upcoming post which will showcase my new, improved (larger!) punch rack! This punch is an extra large 1 3/4" circle, that nests nicely with our existing circle and circle scallop punches, and gives you even more layering options. And, even more of our images and sentiment stamps from the main catalogue will fit inside it! As with all our large punches, the price is a very competitive $30.95, and the item code is 112004.

But, that's not all...

This punch happens to be the perfect size for another new item in the Mini, Sweet Treat Cups. These are a little plastic bubble that makes shaker cards and edible nibbles a snap to incorporate in your cardmaking, and are just so perfect for special Christmas cards. You can see one in action in the top image above, where I have filled it with 'gumballs' stamped with the age of the child who was receiving it. I've also seen Santa tummies, Flowers, snow scenes and even liquid-gel filled creations. The cups have a self-adhesive rim, so inserting them is easy, and what you put in the cup will stay put.

The stamp set I used to create this card is called "Something Sweet" and is packed with great images you can use, with or without the Sweet Treat Cups. You can make a fish bowl, a babies rattle, a flower and more, and the sentiments cover all these occasions and more. It's code number is 117699 and the price is $44.95. I have also used the Calendar Alphabet and Numbers set (115766, $35.95) to stamp the '5's, a 1/4" circle punch to pop them out of some scraps. I have used my Bold Bright Markers to ink up the stamps direct to rubber. The greeting is from the On Your Birthday set. The accessories are also NEW! in the summer mini, and I can see myself using a lot of these beauties - 3/4" double sided Real Red Polka dot grosgrain, and Basic Jumbo Grommets.

* SPECIAL PACKAGE DEAL * Contact me to order the Something Sweet stamp set and the matching 1 3/4" punch and I'll include a FREE package of 12 Sweet Treat cups, valued at $6.50!

This offer is valid until December 31st, 2009, and the total price including postage and handling to your door is $81.85

That will do for now, back later to show you some more goodies!

Phew! What a week!

My apologies for it being a while between posts, but this last week has been a little more hectic than usual. We had our Solar Electricity system installed, so I actually look forward to the next bill, which I am hoping will be minimal or even in credit! In addition to that, there was Stampin' Up! Regional training on Saturday and a Christmas Market at Normanhurst West Primary school, along with preparation of associated swaps and goodies to sell. Phew!

Regional training was a fantastic day, and my guest Kay also enjoyed herself immensely, and is ready to join me on the StampInkPaper team. It is great to catch up with members of my wider team, see presentations from top demonstrators, and stamp with a huge room full of happy people. Kim Tonnet and I, along with my Supporting Demonstrator, husband Andrew can be seen above enjoying some swap making, along with some liquid refreshment

The Christmas Market last year was a great day, this year however it fell on one of the hottest days in Sydney - 41 degrees of stifling heat... Sensibly, visitors thought better of an outing and stayed close to air conditioning! It was very quiet, and most stall holders packed up just after lunch. We headed home for a good swim in the pool. A pic above shows Ryn smiling behind our stall.

The top three photos are of some of the goodies we had for the stall.

First is a small box made from an A5 sheet of cardstock, decorated with some stamps in the about to end Spring Mini catalogue, Soft Summer and Great Friend. I made it using a half sheet of Pale Plum cardstock, then stamped using Perfect Plum. The butterfly was inked up with markers in Pale Plum, Perfect Plum and Lovely Lilac, using the thumping technique, to give a tie-dyed effect. It was very easy to make, and would be the perfect size for something special for a special someone.

Next up are some decorated notebooks, using some of last year's Retired Designer Series papers - Summer Picnic, Ginger Blossom and Apple Cider. The pens I made to match by spraying the ink tube with adhesive, and rolling in glitter for a bit of bling! Just the thing for your Christmas list, shopping list, reminders, etc. The wire spirals have been prettied up a bit with some ribbon snips.

Then we have some more mini Pizza box notelet packs, with stamped sheets inside. These are similar to the other Pizza Boxes I made a while back, but in retired colours of Cranberry Crisp, and using the (sob) retired set Stem Silhouettes.

Hopefully I'll be back soon with some more pics.

In the meantime, my Stampin' Crop day is on Saturday, 28th November, and there are a couple of vacancies. Great chance to stamp up a storm and finish off those Christmas cards! Interested? Call me on 9484 9447 if you're close enough to Cherrybrook to join us.

Tangerine Tango with a bit of Curly Label

Here is a card I made a while ago, duly photographed, and then didn't post for some reason!

It's a card I made for my son's birthday, when he turned 8 in September. His all-time-fave colour is orange, so I broke out the brighter In Colors for this year's catalogue to see what I could come up with.

The card base is Tangerine Tango, stamped with Tangerine Tango ink using the Polka Dot background stamp. Then I have a vertical band of Pacific Point striped grosgrain ribbon. Over this I placed a grunged up piece of Kiwi Kiss cardstock, punched with the Spiral Punch, and distressed with the Cutter Kit distressing tool.

The image is from Fun and Fast Notes, and I have custom mounted this set so the Happy Birthday greeting and image can be used separately id desired. I coloured the image using my blender pens and markers, and inkpads for the In Colors. I have used Stampin' Up!'s lovely watercolor paper to stamp on, in Stazon ink, as it really makes it so easy to achieve a pleasing result.

I matted it onto a piece of Pacific Point cardstock, using staples to give it a masculine touch. The sentiment panel is stamped in Pacific Point using the Fun and Fast Notes set, and the frame is from the Cute n Curly stamp set that comes with the Curly Label Punch Bundle.

What?? You don't recall seeing a plain frame in that set? Well, there's not, but by the magic of marker omission, I often leave out the (useful but not what I wanted this time) "thank you" and ink up just the border. That means I can take my punch template book and peruse my sentiment stamp collection to see what fits in the cute n curly box. Ta da!! Gotta love the flexibility that Stampin' Up! offer with their products!

I used my trusty Paper Snips to cut around the framed image, which then meant I could use the Curly Label punch to mat the sentiment.

All done! He thought it was cool, so that's the whole point really.

So, what's all the Bold and Green stuff about? Well, this card uses several of the items listed on the Christmas Extravaganza flyer, more than enough to score a FREE punch, either the Scallop Square or the Boho Blossoms punch, each worth $30.95.

In fact, add a pack of Whisper White cardstock to those items, and some co-ordinating ribbon Pigtails Ribbon originals and you can choose BOTH of the punches, free, worth almost $62 .

This promotion is detailed a bit further down, so make sure to check it for must-have items, and get your order in before December 14th!

Parisian Breeze - yummy, don't miss it!

What could be better than textured, double sided cardstock? Printed even! That's our gorgeous specialty cardstocks, Slumber Party in the main IB&C and Parisian Breeze in the Spring Mini ENDING SOON! While some of the stamps may make an encore appearance in a future catalogue, we won't see Parisian Breeze in the versatile colourway of choc, cocoa, baja and white ever again after the 30th November. And the designs are just so use-able! There's spots, stripes, floral, damask.... It comes as a pack of 12 sheets, for $22.95, so it's great value for such a heavy weight textured printed cardstock.

Here are some projects I have made with it:

At the top we have some calendar panels made with a Close to Cocoa base, Parisian Breeze paper, and the Eyelet border punch. The stamp set I have used is "Dreams Du Jour" and I have inked the circular stamp first in Baja Breeze, before adding some Close to Cocoa highlights over the top. The ribbon is wide stitched grosgrain in Baja Breeze. The little calendar panels are available from school supply shops, but your could also add a photo here. I hope to sell these, amongst other goodies at a market to be held at Normanhurst West Public School, on November 22nd. Do stop by if you're around the area!

The next is a card I made for my husband's birthday, using the On Your Birthday set for the greeting and the dandelion from A Happy Heart for the image. This card also features the oh-so-must-have Corduroy buttons/brads, also in the Spring Mini, and matching Baja Breeze striped grosgrain ribbon (from the main catalogue) He liked it, and I was pleased with it, the paper and the colourway are so versatile.

I have made sure that I have an extra pack of this paper put away for 'the future' - remembering of course that there is no such thing as too much paper!! Don't miss it, I'll be placing my last order for the Spring Mini catalogue on 30th November, so call me!

Spring Mini catalogue ends soon... don't miss out!

It's been a fast four months! The spring mini catalogue officially ends on November 30th. Many of the items in it won't be available ever again. Some may re-appear in next year's main catalogue, but since that isn't released until September 2010 you'll have a bit of a wait!

The images above show just three of my fave products from this mini - Ski Slope Designer Series paper, Corduroy Buttons and Brads and the Tree Trimmings stamp set. The Ski Slope paper in particular, along with the matching tree trimmings set is so easy to work with, you'll be creating beautifully co-ordinated christmas cards in no time!

Please, please check your wishlists for anything that comes from this lovely little catalogue, before it disappears. If you don't have a hard copy handy, you can click on the cover image link at the right sidebar. Call me, email me, last orders will be going in November 30th.

Sort your Christmas Shopping out now and get a free punch!

Stampin' Up! have presented a selection of goodies to make your Christmas shopping easy!

And, as a bonus, with each $85 purchased from the items listed on the flyer you can choose either a Square Scallop punch (112081) or a Boho Blossoms punch (110711) each valued at $30.95! Order $170 worth from the selected products and choose one of each!

There are some great gifting choices listed, including Simply Scrappin scrapbooking kits, and it is a fantastic opportunity to purchase a Simply Sent card making kit. The "No one like You" (116811) and "More thoughts" (116810) kits contain EVERYTHING you need to make the card designs. They come complete with stamps, ink spot pads, adhesives, pre-cut cardstock, ribbon, envelopes and more, with step by step instructions. They are a beautiful gift for any crafty person, new to stamping or not.

There are also some great basics to stock up on, including the wonderful Whisper White cardstock, the versatile Cutter Kit tool, Spiral punch, ribbons, buttons and more.

Here is a list of everything included in the offer for you, or click on the image above to visit the printable PDF version:

Simply Scrappin Kits

Petal Party $36.95 113059 Pg 136

Rock-a-bye girl $36.95 112165 Pg 137

Rock-a-bye Boy $36.95 112172 Pg 137

Sweet Nothings $36.95 113925 Pg 138

Hoppy Memories $36.95 113936 Pg 138

I wish $36.95 112193 Pg 137

Ribbons

Old Olive 5/8" grosgrain ribbon $14.95 109054 Pg 151

Riding hood red 5/8" striped grosgrain ribbon $19.50 111374 Pg 150

Dress Up Ribbon Originals $24.95 114317 Pg 150

Valet Ribbon Originals $24.95 114318 Pg 150

Pigtails Ribbon Originals $27.95 114316 Pg 150

Simply Sent Kits

Thanks x 2 Simply Sent Card Elements and More Kit $48.95 116809 Pg 142

More Thoughts simply sent kit $83.95 116810 Pg 143

2U simply sent card elements and More Kit $48.95 116808 Pg 142

No one like you Simply Sent Kit $83.95 116811 Pg 143

Stamp Sets

From the Kitchen of Stamp set $52.95 115810 Pg 93

Just Jawing Stamp set $45.95 115828 Pg 67

Punches and Tools

Curly label punch bundle $65.95 112966 Pg 153

Cutter Kit $33.95 106958 Pg 155

Spiral Punch $20.95 108341 Pg 152

Buttons

Button Latte Designer Buttons $15.50 114333 Pg 151

Button Bouquet Designer Buttons $15.50 112092 Pg 151

Cardstock

Kiwi Kiss A4 cardstock $10.50 116204 Pg 126

Whisper White A4 cardstock $13.50 106549 Pg 127

Real Red 12 x 12 cardstock $14.50 106545 Pg 128

Bold Brights A4 assorted cardstock $14.50 106560 Pg128

Markers

Real Red Stampin’ Write marker $5.75 100052 Pg128

Brilliant Blue Stampin’ Write Marker $5.75 100057 Pg128

Glorious Green Stampin’ Write Marker $5.75 100047 Pg128

Other Items

Small flat cellophane bags $7.50 103104 Pg 130

On Board 5 x 5 Art Journal $13.50 108495 Pg 147

So, get your wishlist together, and give me a call (02) 9484 9447 or email me at michelle.dyson@bigpond.com. Or, hand your hubby your list and he can skip the Christmas eve last minute hoopla. Everybody happy! The offer closes on the 14 December 2009 so please don't leave it too late.

We're baaaaaaacccckkkkk!

Gosh, I feel such a slacker for not posting here in so long, especially since Kim Tonnet has not only posted a few times since our return from Fiji but also managed a couple of updates while we were there!! We all had a fantastic time, although as Kim also mentions, holidays with kids are never quite the same as the 'good old days' BC! We packed in lots of activities, interspersed with cocktails by the pool and a beach massage. I even took some Stazon stamped images to colour with Watercolor Wonder Crayons and a blender pen, but didn't manage many!

It is good to be home though, travelling always makes me appreciate how good we have it here in Australia. One of the highlights was a village tour where we met some local children. Because it was a weekend, the tour of their school wasn't on, but the kids were around the village instead. Just before leaving I was reading some reviews of various tours, and discovered that stationery supplies like exercise books, pencils, pens, textas etc are in very short supply in rural Fiji, and are beyond the budget of many village families. I raided my stash of school supplies and took a bag full of things with me to give the children. They were delighted, and I encourage anyone visiting similar places to do the same. One young girl was proudly telling me she wishes to become a nurse, so anything we can do to help them on their path will be greatly appreciated. I plan to stock up big when the 'back to school' sales are on and post a parcel with more supplies early in the new year. Many of the resorts have a village they sponsor, so a parcel addressed care of a major resort should see the items reach their intended destination.

Ah well, better get back to it, so many things on my to do list! I leave you with a couple of photos taken by my 8 year old son, it's amazing what kind of genuine images you can capture when the photographer is a youngster! I think he did a great job. The top one is of a Firewalking Warrior, and the second one is of my son with some of his village friends.

And a great day was had by all - part II

I'm back with some more photos and tales from the Christmas Craft Day. My bestie and co-organiser (or is that co-conspirator??) Kim Tonnet has posted a lovely wrap up on her blog too. THANKS Kim! Certainly couldn't have done it without you either! The entire day was most definitely a team effort, with my husband Andrew, Kim's mum Robyne and our downlines Ryn and Clare all pitching in with abundant help.

From the top is a photo of one of the Make and Take projects, silly me forgot to photograph the fully assembled item, but you may be able to tell it is a calendar. The sample is still firmly buried in the piles of boxes in my studio, one day I may be able to find it again to give you ap proper look! I made it with some retired designer series papers, Afternoon Tea, and the matching (also retired) stamp set "live your dream" Sigh, I miss this set, especially the quote, very inspiring. At least I'll be looking at it all year stuck to the fridge!!

Next up we have the Wall of Inspiration. I am quite proud of my wall hanging displays. I was lucky to find some of the special "wall runner" fabric that velcro sticks to at a nearby Spotlight, and at a clearance price no less! My much under-utilised sewing machine roared into action. And the best thing is that I can roll them up and use them over and over again! We were lent a large selection of samples by Ryn, Clare and also Jayne Mercer, thanks to you all. There was also a large selection of cardmaking books and magazines to stir the creative juices of our guests.

Next we have the talented Ryn, who demonstrated some fab acetate cards using the new Stazon white ink in the Spring Mini catalogue. I will have to ask her to post some pics and instructions for it, it was very clever!

Lastly, we have our youngest guest, the adorably dribbly Miss Katie, with her mum Clare. Clare demonstrated a couple of cool embossing techniques, on ribbon and on Sticky Strip adhesive tape. Again, need to give her a gentle prod to post a step-by step on her blog with some piccies :)

That's it for now, Kim's turn again!