Tomorrow my littlest love turns 9.  Can any other Mum out there relate to the slightly-sad feeling of their youngest growing up??  I LOVE seeing my boys grow and develop, and feel enormously proud of the beautiful human beings they are, but I can't help but see that shortly my cuddly little man will not be too keen to cuddle his Mum. Hopefully that will be a passing phase! (Jack, 13, has come back around and, amazingly, even lets me kiss and cuddle him in public.)

My boys are working at the Royal Melbourne Show tonight, which has afforded me some crafting time.  Just as well, because I have been totally under-prepared for Ethan's birthday tomorrow.  I have made my boy a card using one of his favourite stamp sets, Pun Fun (have to love that rocket for boys, especially!).  I was inspired by this card made by Sue Madex; love the look of stars punched out of cardstock, and adhered to the same coloured card.  Here is the end result:

Stamps: Pun Fun, Starring You

Card: Kraft, Pacific Point, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White

Ink: Pacific Point & Riding Hood Red stampin' pads, Versamark ink pad

DSP: Good Morning Sunshine and Candy Lane (for paper-pieced rocket parts)

Other: Small star punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, scallop circle punch, scallop edge punch, rectangle & scalloped rectangle nestabilities

Despite the blurry photography, I hope you like it!  I think my boy will be happy with it - mind you, he may not pay much attention to the card, since there's cake and presents to be enjoyed.  May you all have as happy a Sunday as my boy is bound to have.

I've finally had a chance to play with the SEPTEMBER RIBBON BUNDLE ......

I have had a very stressful few weeks, with trying to run our business while my husband was overseas, and taking on even more workload with our Office Manager leaving.  I was temporarily relieved when Andrew returned, to lift some of the stress from my shoulders.  However, this week he gave us all a scare when we found that he has two blood clots in his leg - Deep Vein Thrombosis, that was not something we seriously considered he'd have at his (middle!) age.  This means he must rest at home (under the care of hospital nurses visiting daily to inject him with blood-thinning medication) for at least a week.  I am almost crumbling under the load of what I need to bear, trying to keep our family life strong with all the business demands.  Thank goodness for my craft room, is all I can say!

Despite feeling exhausted, last night I was determined to have a play with my new ribbon, that I got for free with the great September promotion offered by Stampin' Up!  I have not been able to do anything creative lately, so I relished the opportunity to make some cards to showcase the ribbon that is available only this month.  Be warned - I got busy!



Stamps: Seeing Spots

Card: Almost Amethyst, Whisper White, So Saffron, Certainly Celery

Ink: Versamark ink pad, Almost Amethyst and Certainly Celery stampin' pads

DSP: Tea Party

Other: Eyelet Border Punch, Certainly Celery poly-twill ribbon, white gel pen, sponge daubers, dimensionals, circle punches (1 1/4", 1 3/8", scallop circle)





Stamps: Outlined for Fun

Card: Almost Amethyst, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White

DSP: Tea Party

Ink: Basic Gray stampin' pad, Almost Amethyst, Pretty in Pink and So Saffron markers

Other: Pretty in Pink brads, So Saffron grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals, Crystal Effects, Button Latte





Stamps: Outlined for Fun, Seeing Spots

Card: Whisper White, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink

DSP: Tea Party

Ink: Basic Gray stampin' pad, Whisper White craft stampin' pad, Versamark ink pad, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron and Certainly Celery markers

Other: Certainly Celery poly-twill ribbon, eyelet border punch, 5/8" white brads (from neutral assortment), dimensionals, sponge dauber, 1" circle punch, Crystal Effects





Stamps: Outlined for Fun

Card: So Saffron, Riding Hood Red, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White

DSP: Washington Apple

Ink: Riding Hood Red, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie stampin' pads

Other: White gel pen, scallop edge punch, So Saffron grosgrain ribbon, Boho Blossoms punch, Ruby Red and Pumpkin Pie brads, dimensionals, sponge daubers





Stamps: Embrace Life, Say it With Scallops

Card: So Saffron, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White

DSP: Haiku

Ink: Tangerine Tango, So Saffron stampin' pads, Versamark ink pad

Other: Scallop square punch, So Saffron grosgrain ribbon, Button Latte, dimensionals, sponge daubers, scallop edge punch

Well, I think that's QUITE enough from me for today.  I needed to make up for lost time!  If you like these ribbons, remember they are available only as a special for September, free with any order of $100 or more of Stampin' Up! product.  Please email me if you have any questions, or need these ribbons!  Here's what the ribbon bundle looks like:

AAAAAAH..... SPRING!

Today we had a sure-fire sign of Spring being in the air; what a beautiful, sunny day in Melbourne.  It's so nice to feel the warmth of the sun again.  Here's my card for today:



Stamps: Great Friend

Card: Very Vanilla, So Saffron, Certainly Celery

Ink: So Saffron and Certainly Celery stampin' pads, Staz-On jet black ink pad, Versamark ink pad

DSP: Tea Party

Other: Certainly Celery 5/8" and 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Ice Circle and Clear Circles rhinestone brads, 1 3/8" circle punch, scallop circle punch, sponge dauber, dimensionals

Aren't these colours nice and "spring-y"?  Stampin' Up! has a FABULOUS promotion this month, which allows you to get the following ribbon bundle for FREE!



With every order of Stampin' Up! product to the value of $100 or more, you can receive TWO rolls of ribbon absolutely free!  If you love ribbon as much as I do, this is enough to cause heart palpitations!!

These ribbons are not available to buy, and are on offer only for the month of September.  The bundle comprises one roll (9.144m) of Certainly Celery 5/8" poly-twill ribbon, and one roll (9.144m) of So Saffron 5/8" grosgrain ribbon. The width of the ribbons is the same as the wider ribbon on my card above.

So Saffron co-ordinates with, and complements, so many colours and Designer Series Papers in our current Idea Book & Catalogue.  It is a beautiful, soft yellow (not quite as bright as in the amateur photograph of my card!).  Certainly Celery is, as you can see, also a lovely soft colour.

If you agree that these ribbons are "must-haves", please email me - I'd be happy to take your order!