Last post for today I promise

... for you ... and for me! Personally, four posts in one day is completely excessive and the only reason I am posting this last one is because I promised to let my newsletter readers know the tips for using the faux metal technique with jumbo brads.

You can see the technique in action as the flower centre on the card that I made for hubby for our anniversary today. There is a close up in the bottom left of the picture. By the way, I highlighted the debossed dots with a metallic silver pen.

So, here are the tips:
1. Use only two layers of black embossing powder - any more and it becomes a gooey mess.
2. Since the brad is metal, it gets very hot when you melt the embossing powder so use tweezers or a clip with a wooden handle to hold it while applying heat.
3. The heat also takes longer to dissipate. VersaMark your rubber and wait a little bit before making the impression - also hold the brad in place for a little longer than normal too.

So, that's it! Tips over and time to spend the evening with Hubby! Have a great night.

Stampin' Supplies
Ink:
Sahara Sand
Taken with Teal

Stamp sets:
Cheer and Wishes
En Français
Occasional Greetings
One of a Kind
Sanded
Wonderful Favourites

Cardstock:
Basic Black
Basic Gray
Taken with Teal
Whisper White

Accessories:
Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon
Black Embossing Powder
Heat Tool
Pretties Kit
Sponge Dauber
Stampin' Write Markers in Neutrals

Give 'em the new Razzle Dazzle

(To the tune of Chicago's Razzle Dazzle)

Give 'em the new razzle dazzle
Razzle Dazzle 'em
Give 'em a card with lots of flash in it
And the reaction will be passionate
Give 'em the old hocus pocus
Brad, embellish 'em
How can they see with glitter in their eyes?

What if your lines all are askew?
What if you can't stamp without a tool?

Razzle dazzle 'em
And they'll never catch wise!

This card is to farewell the old and welcome the new. It sports some Jumbo brads and the Birthday Wish single stamp from the Spring Mini ending today and a sneak peak of the Razzle Dazzle stamp set, Real Red Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon and Circle Scissors from the Summer Mini which is launching tomorrow.

The scalloped large circle was made using the corner rounder and if this card wasn't for someone completely utterly special, I would have had second thoughts about doing it. By the way, it isn't for my sister ... and, by the way, that is NOT saying that my sister isn't completely utterly special either!

Stampin' Supplies
Ink:
Lovely Lilac
Orchid Opulence

Stamp sets:
Birthday Wish
Razzle Dazzle
Wonderful Favourites

Cardstock:
Lovely Lilac
Orchid Opulence
Whisper White

Accessories:
Button Latte
Circle Scissors
Corner Rounder Punch
Jumbo Brads in Neutrals
Real Red Polka Dot Grosgrain
Stamp-A-Ma-Jig
Stampin' Write Markers in Gable Green, Lovely Lilac, Orchid Opulence, Real Red, So Saffron

Travel notebook

Hubby and I have just returned from a wonderful jaunt to Phillip Island to attend the wedding of a dear friend and his lady love. The weather was fine and hot (perhaps a little too warm as my decolletage now looks like I dropped a tub of red blush all over it) and the garden setting, with Westernport Bay as the backdrop, was beautiful. The highlight for me was their exchange of vows, which they composed themselves - touching, sweet and so very moving. I have to keep their names secret or I'd have to erase this blog after posting and, well, that'd just defeat the whole purpose of posting! But I'm wishing them lots of love and laughter as they head into their first holiday season in married bliss.

Accompanying me during this memorable trip was this little notebook that I decorated using a standard exercise book. After embellishing the cover, I slipped the book into a plastic cover to protect it from spills and stains. I then used White StazOn to stamp a damask pattern on the plastic cover to add a little more interest and light. Because I'm me, I used the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig and lots of ruled lines to make sure the pattern was even...

Stampin' Supplies
Ink:
Certainly Celery
Lavender Lace
Perfect Plum
StazOn Cotton White

Stamp sets:
24-7
All Scallops
Lovely Letters
No One Like You

Cardstock:
Certainly Celery
Whisper White
Pale Plum
Perfect Plum

Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch Stamp-A-Ma-Jig	[back of the notebook]
Stampin' Write Markers in:    Certainly Celery    Pale Plum    Perfect Plum

A belated posting of swaps

I had these cards loaded and ready for a write-up so long ago that I forgot about them! These were the two other variations of my Convention Swaps ... I imagine some of you thinking, "Convention, which Convention? No Convention around these here parts. Stampin' Up! Regionals, however ..." Embarrassingly, yes, I did mean the Stampin' Up! Australia Convention held last May.

Which reminds me that I should get a wriggle on for swaps for Sydney Regionals so that I'm not, at the last minute, trying to design swaps with just Whisper White cardstock (because that was the only colour cardstock that I had more than 10 sheets of)! Or even worse, bringing a paltry 7 swaps to Regionals like I did the year before.

Stampin' Supplies
Ink:
Certainly Celery
Chocolate Chip

Stamp sets:
Cute And Curly
Funky Forest

Paper:
Whisper White CS

Accessories:
Stampin' Write Markers in Chocolate Chip, Garden Green, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Ruby Red

Jayne Mercer's Girls Night in Cyberstamp

My terrific upline, Jayne, is holding a Cyberstamp to raise funds for the very worthy cause of breast cancer research.

I thought I would pop in with a contribution to the evening but, as usual, I took a lot longer than anticipated to make this card! So I'm dashing off this post so that I can spend some time with my neglected Hubby. I'll post the supplies list tomorrow [ETA: posted now] but, if you do get the chance, please support Jayne's fundraising effort.

Jayne's first challenge was to CASE a layout from the Stampin' Up! 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalogue. Mine was based on the Spring Song card on page 79.

Stampin' Supplies
Ink:
Regal Rose
Riding Hood Red

Stamp sets:
Boho Backgrounds
Fifth Avenue Floral

Paper:
Pink Pirouette CS
Pretty In Pink CS
Regal Rose CS
Whisper White CS

Accessories:
Double Stitched Grograin Ribbon in Rose Red
Flower Designer Brads
Flower Fusion Too
Paper Snips
Slot Punch
Stampin' Dimensionals
Stampin' Write Markers in Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose

Papercrafts Festival demonstration cards: day three

(To the tune of the twelfth day in The Twelve Days of Christmas)

On the third of October
more cards were made by me:
with embossing powder,
white Taffeta ribbon,
Baja Breeze cardstock,
an Ice Rhinestone brad,
Stampin' Dimensionals,
Eyelet Border Punch,
Five stamp pads,
Stamp-A-Ma-Jig,
Whisper White,
Tree Trimmings set,
and some Ski Slope DSP.

Stampin' Supplies

Ink:
Chocolate Chip
Baja Breeze
Old Olive
Real Red
Sahara Sand
VersaMark

Stamp sets:
Many Merry Messages
Tree Trimmings
Paper:
Baja Breeze CS
Old Olive CS
Ski Slope DSP
Whisper White CS

Accessories:
Embossing Buddy
Eyelet Border Punch
Heat Tool
Ice Circle Rhinestone Brads
Silver Embossing Powder
Sponge Daubers
Stamp-A-Ma-Jig
Stampin' Dimensionals
White Embossing Powder
White Taffeta Ribbon

Papercrafts Festival demonstration cards: day two

(To the tune of the seventh day in The Twelve Days of Christmas)

On the second of October
a card was made by me:
using oval punches
Large and new Scallop,
Five stamp pads,
Stamp-A-Ma-Jig,
Whisper White,
Tree Trimmings set,
and some Ski Slope DSP.

Stampin' Supplies
Ink:
Chocolate Chip
Baja Breeze
Old Olive
Real Red
Sahara Sand

Stamp sets:
Best Yet
Tree Trimmings

Paper:
Old Olive CS
Ski Slope DSP
Whisper White CS

Accessories:
Square Scallop Punch
Stamp-A-Ma-Jig
Stampin' Write Marker in Old Olive
Stampin' Write Marker in Real Red

So Saffree

Isn't this month's free (with purchase) So Saffron grosgrain ribbon so perfect for spring and summer projects? Of course, it'd be great for other seasons too (as it is So Saffron) but I doubt that my roll will last until next Autumn. *grin*

I've teamed it up with a Summer Love Rub-On and every time I look at this combination, I want to put on a wide brimmed straw hat and a fresh floral dress then sneak into the closest corn field to run carefree through it. Since I live in the 'burbs, the only accessible farms are those that exist in my mind...most likely a good thing since this romantic notion can't end with me actually being charged for trespassing or collapsing a 100 metres into a row of corn since that's about all my real life stamina would allow. *pictures calling Hubby on my mobile phone to save me when he gets off work and then waiting and waiting* Yep! Much better left in the realms of one's imagination...

Stampin' Supplies
Ink:
Cameo Coral
Kiwi Kiss
So Saffron

Stamp sets:
Great Friend

Paper:
So Saffron CS
So Saffron Patterns DSP
Whisper White CS

Accessories:
Aqua Painter
Designer Brads Flower Assortment
Mat Pack
Paper Snips
So Saffron Grosgrain Ribbon
Stampin' Write Markers in Cameo Coral, Old Olive, So Saffron
Summer Love Rub-Ons
White Gel Pen

I played around with the petals of the flower brad by filling them in with a white gel pen. The flower centre features a rub-on for contrast. Many thanks to Carol for this month's Elite Challenges card sketch which I've used for this card.

Christmas Bollywood colours

What's up with the title of this post? Sounds like a rather random amalgam of nouns, doesn't it? I suppose that is to be expected since the idea behind it is rather random - but I guess you must all be used to that by now! But, please let me explain...

For the first time in what feels like a long time, I devoted an entire night to watching TV (because "Om Shanti Om" featuring Shah Rukh Khan was showing on SBS Two) by myself (because Hubby is overseas). I'm almost a Shah Rukh Khan fangirl - except that I'm too lazy to read about his life story, I have no wall space for posters, I'm too cheap to buy most of his DVDs and I forget, by the time I go to sleep, to dream about him. Well, I did say that I was "almost" a fangirl...and I had to add the last qualifier just in case Hubby reads this.

If you clicked on the IMDB link of Shah Rukh (he and I are so on a first two names basis¹), the one picture of him represents quite well how I think of him - endearing, earnest and ...um... conservatively clothed. Hey! I wasn't kidding about SRK not quite making it into my dreams. But, he is pretty spunky for someone who is in his mid-40s, don't you think? So, imagine my surprise when he appeared like this in a music sequence in the second half of the movie. "OM! Oh my Shanti oh my!" *fans self* *submerges head in a sink of cold water* *runs around the room squealing* I then had to lie down for the rest of the movie - admittedly, I was already lying on the couch for the first part of the movie but that was by choice.

So what does this have to do with anything at all? *ponders* Hmmmmmmm ... I just had to over share? *sheepish grin* That plus the fact that in one of the music sequences, Deepika Padukone was dancing around in scarves coloured just like a Christmas card I made the night before! You can see her outfit in the YouTube trailer of "Om Shanti Om" linked above (at around the 30 second mark). As expected, whilst I was excited to see the colours I had used swirling around the screen, I wasn't thinking about cards during SRK's performance. *sighs dreamily*

Oh yes! Where was I? So, here is the Christmas card:

Stampin' Supplies
Ink:
Green Galore
Pink Passion
Real Red
Silver Encore
Summer Sun
Taken with Teal
Tangerine Tango

Stamp sets:
Many Merry Messages
Tree Trimmings

Cardstock:
Whisper White

Accessories:
Stamp-A-Ma-Jig
Stampin' Write Marker in Sahara Sand

I included a shot of the card at an angle so that the sheen of the Encore Silver is visible. I also used a matt fixative to prevent the silver from smudging. Yet another deceptively difficult card - if only I could make cards that were deceptively simple instead!

Counting down the two days until Hubby is home *claps happily*

ETA: Just entered this card into Shelli Gardner's Stamps Ink Paper challenge. I hope the link to SRK was not too racy!

---

1. It's goes something like this in my head:
LMY: Hey hey Shah Rukh! How's it shakin' my man?
SRK: Hi Lin Mei! Long time no see. How come you never return my calls?

I imagine it'd go something like this in real life:
LMY: He..hello Shah Rukh!
SRK: Uh... Who are you?
LMY: Lin Mei
SRK: Er..OK. Bye Lin Mei. *snaps fingers*
*LMY gets dragged off by minders*

See - first two names basis EVERY time.

Decompression chamber

The INKlings team weekend was tremendously enjoyable and really constructive! It started with a bit of a wobble since I only finished my Card-in-a-Box and swaps at 4:30am on the morning of the camp, began packing anything a couple of hours before I had to leave and the only navigational tools that Kylie and I had to get to Vision Valley was a powerless sat-nav and some printed directions local to a cafe 10 minutes away from our destination. The motorways got us through the first 75km and even though we contemplated exiting a couple of times, we were too giggly (read: slow) to do so and, thus, were saved from ourselves. Once we neared Galston, it seemed like all the roads intersected with each other several times over - which made missing a turn just a reminder of what to do at the next juncture. Now that I look back on it, I am so thoroughly impressed that those responsible for the roadworks had the foresight to invent the equivalent of a Möbius strip highway...you couldn't even choose to be on the wrong side (I'm sure we tested and affirmed that theory a couple of times).

We met up with Fiona at the Greenshades Cafe, amazingly at the designated time, for a hearty serving of lamb shanks on creamy mash and crispy toasted bread soaked in olive oil with basil and garlic. Great company, good food and a wonderful way to start off the team weekend. As for Cania, what's that again?

After finishing lots of everyone else's Card-in-a-Box, I had time to try one of the sketch challenges suggested by Carol. As I only packed a paltry amount of cardstock and ink, I imposed on Fiona, Ruth and Lis for Dimensionals, mat pack and piercer, white embossing powder and inspiration - the last one was completely gratuitous and attention seeking. Thank you for putting up with me, INKlings! Here's an arty shot of the completed card:

Stampin' Supplies
Ink:
Baja Breeze
Chocolate Chip
Sahara Sand

Stamp sets:
Always
Curvy Verses

Cardstock:
Baja Breeze
Chocolate Chip
Parisian Breeze Speciality
Whisper White

Accessories:
1/2″ Circle Punch
Heat Tool
Mat Pack
Stampin’ Dimensionals
Stampin’ Write Marker in Chocolate Chip
White Embossing Powder

The mug shot version is on the Elite Challenges blog ... my scanner has a penetrating brightness that seeps into all the indentations of the textured cardstock leaving it looking completely smooth - a bit like Hubby's head.

Many thanks to Jayne for a fabulous team weekend - I am very grateful to have her as my upline. Also, I'd really like to thank those of you who have been incredibly patient and dropped by even though my blog must have looked like time capsule - frozen in time with no hint of anything new, week after week!

I've been to Hell

to be exact, Cania, the icy eighth of the nine hells of Baator..and back! To be really exact, I've just finished playing Hordes of the Underdark, a computer role-playing game. Here's a Wikipedia definition for CRPG that'd put you through at least two levels of the nine should you choose to read the whole entry. After a near total immersion in the game as an epic² monk, travelling through tortuous freezing climes (fairly approximated by sitting at my computer during these cold days and nights), helping the wretched and battling evil with my bare fists³, on completion of those adventures, I am now suffering decompression.

I am sure many of you would have gone through this condition - it comes upon you lightly when you have watched a wonderfully absorbing movie or hits you like a freight train (or, for RPGers, a Heavy Flail + 10 wielded by a weapons master wearing a Belt of Storm Giant Strength) when you've finished reading the final instalment of a much loved fantasy series. It is particularly heart-wrenching if you've fallen in love with one of the characters. Twilight readers - you know what I'm talking about! Real life suddenly seems like just an opportunity to seek out ways to prolong the experience ... Google the characters, discuss the story to the nth degree with other passionate fans, relive moments in the adventure and, quite possibly, dream about the one that you are most attached too. In other words, do anything to defer the sadness that comes from the end of something that strangely felt special even though it existed only in our imaginations.

I guess it will take a little time for me to mentally pack away by my magical bags of holding and say farewell to my preferred One True Love after I ended up with two from alternate scenarios. Luckily, I had Hubby asking me to leave the computer to keep him company last night - an important reminder of the reality that was worth surfacing for.

Speaking of Hell, I designed the following card for a INKlings Card in a Box training session. A few of the team found making this card rather hellish since a standard wheel can be tough to control at times⁴. The card is deceptively difficult since there are no OFFERs (Opportunities-For-Further-Embellishment Recovery) - there are no layers or embellishments with which to hide a mistake! As the card featured my Marker Over technique, I made copies of it for Convention swaps *wave to Megan*

Stampin' Supplies
Ink:
Certainly Celery
Chocolate Chip

Stamp sets:
Funky Forest wheel
Occasional Greetings

Cardstock:
Whisper White

Accessories:
Earth Elements Markers
Mat Pack

---

1. Hordes of the Underdark^TM is an expansion pack for Neverwinter Nights.
2. Epic - a character that has reached the 21st level for those of you with some RPG interest.
3. Supplemented by the odd pair of magical gloves ... who am I kidding? Make it supplemented continually as soon as I got hold of the first pair...
4. Just like Valen suppressing his demonic taint while in Cania - I couldn't help slipping that in for anyone who has played Hordes of the Underdark.

Too late for Mother's Day

this year...Maybe I'll keep it for next year!

I made this card using Dani's colour challenge of Baja Breeze, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip and Taken with Teal last month. It features my new Marker Over technique - it's new 'cos I've made up a name for it. It involves using a Stampin' Write Marker to accent parts of an image after it has been stamped which is great for jazzing up mono-coloured wheels. You can even add accents of your own ... like dots. I used this terrific (if I may say so myself) technique for my Convention swaps too!

Stampin' Supplies
Ink:
Certainly Celery

Stamp sets:
Bella's Border
Occasional Greetings

Cardstock:
Baja Breeze
Certainly Celery
Whisper White

Accessories:
Certainly Celery Grosgrain Ribbon
Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon
Filigree Designer Brads
Flower Fusion Too
Ice Circle Rhinestone Brads
Stampin' Write Markers Chocolate Chip, Taken with Teal and Tempting Turquoise

How predictable am I?

Completely. Utterly. Depressingly so. *sigh*

A year ago, I took part in Jayne's Cyberstamp where one of the challenges was to select two numbers, put them together to make a page number in the Idea Book & Catalogue from which to case a card. IIRC I chose 7 and 8, giving me 78. Since page 78 featured a scrapbook layout, I reversed the numbers to give 87 and ended up with this card.

This year, Dani reissued the same challenge and what random numbers did I choose? Yep! 7 and 8! AGAIN! Didn't realise it until I thought about it days after the Cyberstamp - about the time I started writing up this blog entry for the new card. Just to reinforce the fact that I am a machine, it turns out that I used Orchid Opulence and Tempting Turquoise both times on a squarish card. Oh well! At least the Curly Label Punch is new... *slinks off*

Stampin' Supplies
Ink:
Gable Green
Glorious Green
Orchid Opulence
Tempting Turquoise

Stamp sets:
Petal Pizzaz
Polka Dot background
Say it with Scallops

Cardstock:
Gable Green
Tempting Turquoise
Whisper White

Accessories:
Curly Label Punch
Eyelet Edge Punch
Mat Pack
Stampin' Dimensionals
Stampin' Write Markers in Glorious Green, Lovely Lilac, Orchid Opulence, Tempting Turquoise
Styled Silver Hodgepodge
Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon
White Gel pen

No inkling

Sometimes it is just unfortunate...you are totally immersed in the process of manifesting that grand vision in your mind and you have no idea about the big picture you are setting in motion - the complete picture. For me, here is how it all started...

We recently had an INKlings Cyberstamp hosted by the very effervescent Dani Fender. I haven't been able to take part in a team cyberstamp for a while so I made a little commitment to do hers. One of the challenges was to make an Easter basket inspired by Makeesha Byl. Because I was too time-poor¹ to follow the tutorial, I decided to use a A5 sheet that was lying around for the base and just make the rest up as I go. The grand vision that I had for this project was to use the eyelet punch to emulate the look of broderie anglaise². I also wanted to add ribbon woven through cardstock as it reminds me of trim on pretty lingerie.

As an aside, how great are the new Stampin' Up! Filigree Designer Brads? There is a little round recess in the centre of the filigree flower for a perfectly sized brad to slot in. You can use the ones included or the smallest sized circle rhinestones brads, for example. This makes the whole thing very stable (no wobbling here) once attached to a project.

The thing that did surprise me about the Filigree Designer Brads was the thickness - check it out in the close up.

Back to the saga. Once the basket was completed, I hunted around fruitlessly for some Easter eggs to fill it. Failing that, I found a box of Ferrero Rocher. As it turned out, the basket fit two chocolates abreast perfectly. Which is exactly the problem...the basket now looks like a brassiere! Waaaaaaaaaah! *sniffle* Just don't imagine tipping the Ferrero Rochers so that the labels face the front! Hey! I warned you...

Stampin' Supplies
Ink:
Certainly Celery
Lavendar Lace

Stamps:
Baroque wheel
Fresh Cuts set
Petal Pizzazz set

Cardstock:
Lavendar Lace
Whisper White

Accessories:
Certainly Celery Grosgrain
Designer Brad Filigree
Double Rectangle Punch
Eyelet Border Punch
Scallop Punch
Small Oval Punch
Stampin' Write Marker in Lavendar Lace
Whisper White Grosgrain

---

1. time-poor: an excuse (aka spin) for being impatient and lazy in this case.
2. Broderie Anglaise: French for "English Embroidery". It is rather ironic that a French term is used in English to describe something as English.

Three punch for you

Happy New SU! Year!

Bye Summer 2008-2009 Mini! Bye old trusty 2008-2009 Idea Book & Catalogue! I can finally lay your rather tatty form to rest...a much deserved deliverance from a year of constant rifling and the odd tear *winces guiltily*

Welcome Stampin' Up! Australia 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalogue! What a gorgeous new range of stamps, ribbons, accessories and In Colors - all showcased in a beautiful catalogue brimming with wonderful crafty ideas. As for getting your own copy to rifle through - you know the drill! Book a workshop and you'll get one free. Otherwise, you can buy a copy from me for $12.95 when you see me next.

As for the title of this post, it is for the Stampin' Up! wonks who would recognise it as a little rearrangement of the now retired Three For You Punch Box. So, why three punches?

Well, I've been a little punch drunk from demonstrating workshops, teaching classes and tending to orders (and backorders). Not that I'm complaining since it has been terrific fun sharing crafts with lots of lovely ladies and it hasn't been bad for my business either! BUT it is my excuse for being amiss in updating this neglected blog...

Secondly, I decided to celebrate the cheer associated with the new year (oooh! that rhymed!) by making a card with a bunch of punch. The punch bowl isn't visible because the beverage has already been doled out. I thought I should add that in case some of you start making things difficult for me by asserting that the drinks are actually cocktails. *looks cross*

Lastly, the cocktail punch umbrella was made with a couple of Stampin' Up! punches.

Look at the time! It's even past midnight in Perth (if they had stuck with our daylight saving schedule)! *grin* Sleep tight! Although I'm sure for most of you it'll be day when you read this...

Stampin' Supplies
Ink:
Almost Amethyst
Basic Black

Stamp sets:
Cheer & Wishes
Cheers To You
Tart & Tangy

Cardstock:
Almost Amethyst
So Saffron
Whisper White

Accessories:
1 3/8" Square Punch
Dazzling Diamonds
Heat And Stick Powder
Heat Tool
Many Marvellous Markers
Scallop Square Punch
Stampin' Dimensionals

Many happy returns Mum!

It is my amazing mother's birthday today. What else could lure me back to this blog after neglecting it for yet another week?! Just-too-busy-ber is living up to its name (I have to admit that it was me who named December as such) and I've been clinging on to the edge with my toes propped on my blog to keep me from falling into the abyss of "BELATED"ness. *pictures self falling from cliff, with arms flailing, towards a river* Please don't ask me about the river...probably to do with watching too many disaster movies when young.

Gee...that stream of consciousness took a windy route! Anyway, back to my wonderful mum who I have to thank for a great upbringing and for working so hard to make sure that I was never short of opportunity. I'd go on and on but it would just embarrass her especially if I told everyone how much I love her and miss her.

So, instead, I'd like to share with you the quaint beginnings of the phrase "Many Happy Returns" in my life. When I was a child in Malaysia, and subsequently, in Perth after our migration, my Auntie Kim and Uncle George (who lived in Sydney) would send me a birthday card every year along with a crisp 10 ringgit or dollar note along with wishes for "Many happy returns of the day". I was always perplexed by this as I wondered whether they wanted me send the money back. Even worse, why would they want me to return everything that I had received from everyone else? Sounded like a miserable thing to wish someone for their birthday if you ask me!

And then I consoled myself with the thought that perhaps the phrase originated from Aborigines and the fact that there is always much happiness when one threw a boomerang and it returned effortlessly to the thrower's hand. After all, I had heard that boomerang catching was a tricky business. Needless to say, I held on to the money and every other gift that I received for my birthday albeit with a sense of how inscrutable Australian phrases and customs were.

Many happy returns, Mum!

Stampin' Supplies
Ink:
Pumpkin Pie
Taken with Teal

Stamp sets:
Live Your Dream
Wonderful Favourites

Paper:
Old Olive CS
Pumpkin Pie DSP
Taken with Teal CS
Whisper White CS

Accessories:
Mat Pack
Scallop Edge Punch
Stampin’ Write Markers in Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie, Taken with Teal and Old Olive
White Gel Pen

By the way, I didn't send this card to my mum - rather I made a card for her using "Summer by the Sea" and didn't take a photo of it in my haste to make sure that she received it in time. Just-too-busy-ber, may you know what it's like to be you! Er... ie too busy!

20 days in November

There are two neat promotions this month which start today and finish on the same day as the Spring Mini, November 30 [ETA: Marker promotion extended to December 14].


Make your mark on your Stampin' Write Marker collection by choosing the right colours for you! For a limited time only, Stampin' Up! are offering Stampin' Write Markers individually for only $4.95 each. This beats the normal price of $5.75 for the Basic Black marker and you get to choose from all 48 colours in the four Stampin' Up! colour families (ooh! and Sahara Sand too!).

Stampin' Write Markers in alphabetical order

Description	Item number	Description	Item number
Almost Amethyst	100043	Mellow Moss	100038
Always Artichoke	105113	More Mustard	100076
Apricot Appeal	105107	Night Of Navy	100069
Ballet Blue	100066	Not Quite Navy	100059
Barely Banana	100039	Old Olive	100079
Bashful Blue	105111	Only Orange	100051
Basic Black	100082	Orchid Opulence	100055
Blush Blossom	100037	Pale Plum	100036
Bordering Blue	100070	Perfect Plum	100035
Bravo Burgundy	105109	Pink Passion	100053
Brilliant Blue	100057	Pixie Pink	105112
Brocade Blue	100064	Pretty In Pink	100045
Cameo Coral	100074	Pumpkin Pie	105115
Certainly Celery	105106	Real Red	100052
Chocolate Chip	100071	Really Rust	100073
Close To Cocoa	100072	Regal Rose	105108
Creamy Caramel	100078	Rose Red	100063
Elegant Eggplant	105110	Ruby Red	100075
Gable Green	100049	Sage Shadow	100040
Garden Green	100080	Sahara Sand	105105
Glorious Green	100047	So Saffron	105114
Green Galore	100048	Summer Sun	100077
Handsome Hunter	105116	Taken with Teal	100068
Lavender Lace	100041	Tempting Turquoise	100058
Lovely Lilac	100056	Yoyo Yellow	100050

My November newsletter has a product focus on Stampin' Write Markers so sign up if you wish - it's free! Please check the Free Subscriptions panel on the right for details on how to do so.


Get fabulous Rub-Ons for 20% off! Spend $20 on Stampin' Up! products and you can buy any number of Stampin' Up!'s Rub-Ons for $15.96. That a saving of $3.99 per package. If that doesn't get you rubbing your hands with glee, well...ok then. *grin*

Rub-Ons	Page	Item Number
A Perfect Day	11*	111277
Anchored	141	110282
Cherished Memories	141	110281
Eastern Elegance	6*	110284
Urban West	141	110285

Page numbers from Idea Book & Catalogue 2008-2009 unless indicated by an asterisk (*) in which case Spring Mini page numbers have been used.

All prices do not include Stampin' Up!'s standard shipping and handling of 5% or $5.95, whichever is greater.

Combine all these offers with whatever you have left on your Spring Mini wishlist - November is the last time to Spring Mini to it!