Tag - You're It!

And the hits keep coming from Stampin' Up!  You can pick a bundle with 6 decorative boxes, the Stamp a Tag Kit, and Cherry Cobbler 1" ribbon ($34.95, 135811)  or you can choose the extra large gift boxes (set of 3) with the Stamp a Tag Kit, and the 1" Cherry Cobbler ribbon ($32.95, 135812) .  How gorgeous are your gifts going to look?  (remember my post HERE ?)

Order yours before 30th November, from my online store.  

Speaking of gifts, and Christmas - my next class is this Thursday, 31st October (I know, Halloween!) so make sure you let me know if you'd like to come.

Blink and you'll miss it...

....because I nearly did!

Stampin' Up! 25th birthday promotion:  25 stamp sets discounted by 25%!    Whoops, it ends on 28th October - that's Monday!

For full details of which stamp sets are discounted, go to my Online Store HERE where they are all shown.

The 25 sets include stamps such as Apothecary Art, Betsy's Blossoms, Gorgeous Grunge and other awesome, must have stamps!  Even some Christmas sets!  Be quick or you'll miss out!

New Fun Interactive Cards!

Seen the latest trend in cardmaking?  Interactive cards.  From 22 October you can order the new Thinlits card dies from me.  We'll be using them in my next Christmas Card Class (Thursday 31st October - Halloween!).  As a Demonstrator I was able to pre-order them, and mine arrived on Friday.  I have been having lots of fun playing with different ideas with these beauties!

Here's my first attempts, using some retired DSP from my stash:

Check out this video by Stampin' Up!  showing how to use them:

Tag Time!

I love going to my local office supply shop!  I love finding boring things, and upcycling them to make something, well, pretty :-) .

Here's what I found at my last visit:

 Plain old manilla labels, purchased in bundles of 100.  Look what I did to them:

Stamps:  Creative Elements, Express Yourself (Hostess);  Fibres:  Island Indigo Baker's Twine; Ink:  Gumball Green, Early Espresso, Island Indigo, Soft Suede, Corner rounder punch

Stamps:  Creative Elements, Express Yourself; Ink:  Island Indigo, Soft Suede; Paper:  gold foil (Holiday Mini); Other:  Scallop edge punch; Island Indigo Baker's Twine

Stamps:  Gorgeous Grunge; Label Love

; Ink:  Calypso Coral, Pistachio Pudding, Coastal Cabana; Punch:  Artisan Label

Stamp:  Six-Sided Sampler, Postage Collection (Hostess); Ink:  Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight; Other:  Hexagon Punch, Stamp a Majig

Stamps:  Delicate Doilies; Tags 4 You (Holiday Mini), Ink:  Gumball Green, Cherry Cobbler; Punch:  Label Bracket Punch, Corner rounder, Fibres: Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine

Stamps:  Magnificent Maple (Holiday Mini), Tags 4 You; Ink:  Gold ink, Early Espresso, Soft Suede; Other - corner rounder punch, Island Indigo Baker's Twine

They were easy to mass produce into groups of six the same and put them into little boxes I made from cardstock and some acetate (I have a stack of leftover acetate book binding sheets, which are also cheaply obtained from an office supply shop).  Unfortunately, I didn't  keep notes of the measurements I used to make the boxes, but they were easy to make.  I used sticky strip to adhere the boxes together (awesome stuff), and tied with a ribbon.

I made these tags for a customer to give as Christmas presents.  I'm currently making a stack more to sell at a Market next week.  Wouldn't they make lovely Secret Santa gifts?

As always, you can make these yourselves and order these stamps and inks, etc from me, via my online store , or by contacting me. 

Join Stampin' Up! For $25 starts TODAY!

Just letting you know the recruiting promotion where you can join my team for only $25 starts today and only runs for 2 weeks.  I'd love a few more recruits!  What are you waiting for?

 To join, follow this link to sign up online.  Join Lou's Team!

Any questions?  Just ask me!  Contact me by email:  louiseTsutton@gmail.com.  I'd be happy to answer any queries.

October Promotions!

There are two fabulous promotions this month from Stampin' Up!  - first this Hostess Promotion, running all month until the 31st October:

 

There are three ways you can party more with me in October:

1.  Book a party - invite some friends around, make some tea, and I'll teach you how to make a fun project.  A fun Girls' Night/Day In! You will earn Hostess Dollars ($50 free product) if the sales from your party reach $300.  You'll get the extra $25 to spend if your sales total $400 or more - which means $85 free stuff!

2.  Place an individual order (or get together with a friend to order together) with me by email  for the qualifying amount (see #1).

3.  Place an Online order with me for the qualifying amount (see #1).  Follow the link to My Online Store

If you want to place a small order, without qualifying for Hostess rewards - that's OK too!

The second Promotion this month is HUGE - you can join my team as a Demonstrator for only $25 between the 7th October and the 21st October 2013.

This is a special 25 year anniversary offer and is unlikely to be repeated.  So if you have ever thought about joining to get the fabulous discount or just to have a "hobby job" to bring in a little extra cash - this is your chance. 

If you are interested, or want to know more - contact me!  You can sign up online from my website HERE.

And while I'm at it - today is the day new Digital Downloads for MDS are released!  Here are this week's downloads:

 

For a better look and to purchase any of these Christmas downloads (I have my eye on several!) please go to my Online Store HERE.

Remember, the recruiting offer is only for two weeks, starting the 7th October.  The Party Promotion is on until the 31st!

Product Spotlight - Kraft Boxes

It is easy to overlook them, hidden on page 160 of the Catalogue - but I think the Kraft Gift Boxes (124106 $4.95 for 4) are a bit of a gem.

They are flat when they arrive, so you can easily stamp them, emboss them, cut them up to make them a little more personalized, etc.   They are a great size for small gifts, or for a set of handmade gift cards, or baked treats - and a lot fancier than a paper plate. 

Here's one I recently filled with choc-chip cookies to give as a hostess gift when my son went on his first sleepover:

I lined the box with baking paper - it's what I had on hand.  I would have used waxed paper or greaseproof paper if I had them.  I easily fit 6 handmade cookies in the box.

The outside of the box - I made this decoration a long time ago (Blossom Builder punch, now retired!) and adhered it to the box lid.  These are the sorts of things you could make in bulk while watching TV, and use them as you need to decorate gifts.  Easy way to dress up a simple gift for friends, neighbours, teachers...

If you were giving some home made cookies as a gift to someone this Christmas, wouldn't it be fun to add the recipe too?

Here's my recipe - I made the cookies with my Thermomix and adapted one of the basic recipes from the Everyday Cook Book that comes with it.   

The Recipe card was made with MDS.  Naturally!

Of course, you can make chocolate chip cookies without a Thermomix - you may have a favourite recipe of your own.

In case you haven't had enough of the Kraft Gift Boxes, there are two more types in the Holiday Mini - a large gift box, and one with a clear window!  Awesome!

Here are a few creative and clever ideas thought up by the Stampin' Up! artists that I saw on the Stampin' Up! Blog (on the USA site).  They look a lot more glam than $1.23 each don't they?

Here are a collection of decorated Kraft gift boxes from the Stampin' Up! Blog (on the US site). Feel inspired?

You can find them on my online store HERE.