The Melbourne Stitches & Craft Show 2017

This weekend I am lucky enough to be apart of the Stampin' Dream Team at The Stitches & Craft Show.


We are a group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators who have some together for the purpose of the Show where we showcase various  kits. Obviously the kits have been made using various SU! products & include all the pieces to make a complete card or 3D item.

They have all been greatly received & we heard many positive comments about our kits, the display & the way our team worked together! It's always a bonus to know that our customers are happy with us!

During the show, we have a great special available. When you purchase the 27 Blend Markers with the Colour Me Happy card kit from me, (RRP $267.76), you will also receive FREE a packet of Thick Whisper White cardstock & a FREE Momento Inkpad! 

These additional items means you can get colouring quicker, there are so many more opportunities for you to play!!

You will also have $25 to spend on anything in the catalogue - YES anything!!

 I was reminded today, during the show of how lovely the simple act of giving someone something handmade is such a beautiful thing. A gentleman bought a particular kit for his wife, from me, to celebrate their 43rd Wedding Anniversary. He was so happy to have found something to make for her, 'this will finish my gift for her beautifully,' he said proudly.

How wonderful is that act of love? Im all warm 'n fuzzy, I tell ya!

Until next time, keep Stampin'...

"Australians Throw Out 6 Tonnes of Fashion Waste Every 10 minutes..." *GASP*

Ive known about BeeKeeper Parade for about 2 years now & just bought my second bag from them. Have you heard of this company?

These bags have been made from material that would otherwise go into land-fill, (an extremely wasteful & thoughtless situation). Thanks to the vision of Koky & his sister, Sophie, (now an amazing shining star each night),  Koky was able to build a business on these materials that would have been thrown away, never to be enjoyed...

This morning I received my "Weekender" bag, a stunning large rainbow bag, that I can use when Im not needing my smaller Unicorn bag, my first BeeKeeper Parade purchase!!

The green bag that was used for posting this wonderful parcel to me, repurposed 'recycled rice or fish feed bag', therefore continuing to upcycle items that would usually thrown out!! And it has a zip for a closure, so I can continue to use it here at home!!

Not only are these bags saving products from being thrown out, but some of the money is used to help a Cambodian child go to school FOR A WHOLE YEAR!! How is that not a wonderful thing, also? By me buying a bag, I am saving the planet AND helping a child's education!

These bags are so well organised, they have various pockets inside for a phone, a clip for keys, a large external pocket for my diary or laptop and a couple of zip pockets for all things secret!!

But wait - there's more!!!!

Here in Australia, the government is still arguing about the value of those who love a partner of their own sex, ie: (Same Sex Marriage).... *sigh*  So some of the money from this purchase also goes towards the Marriage Equality Campaign. #loveislove, right?

I have always been a supported of the minority, so this is something I believe strongly in, (for so many reasons...) In the very least, I have a stunning bag that will work for my busy liftstyle - the conversations that may arise from it, is an absolute bonus!!

And now Im thinking I just may need to update my purse, its looking a bit ragged next to these stunning items!!

Let me know if you check out Koky's site or even go down and have a look at his shop, Im yet to get there....

Thanks for stopping by :)

Beam Me Up BB8......?

Right up until the night before my neice's birthday, I had NO idea who BB8 was...

I was happy not knowing...
Had no need to know...or so I thought...

Until I asked my 12 year old son what I should make for Rillie's birthday card!

He told me "BB8, she loves him!!" Insert Aunty Jo's blank face...

Thank goodness for the internet, cos he came back with this:

And you would think that would have explained everything, right?

Ummmm, nope!!

Kyle explained that this is the newest droid from the latest Star Wars movie and then I vaguely had an idea of which genre he was referring to.

With all that in mind, I finally came up with this card for Rillie.

The shaped inside the circle was cut by hand and the letters were done using the Big Shot and Little Letters Thinlits. The colours are Basic Black, Basic Grey, Whisper White and Pumpkin Pie.

Well, beam me up, cos I pulled it off! She recognised who I intended the card to be!!
Go me and happy birthday to Rillie!!

Therapy Time.

There is no surprise that any type of craft has huge therapeutic benefits. These range from enhancing fine motor skills, the opportunity to be social with those of a similar interest & the elation of completing a given task, however simple or involved.

I have a friend who has had a rough time dealing with a brain tumour.
She had "Trevor The Tumour" removed & then began her long road to recovery.

After a while, my friend asked for some kits to be made for her, as she is spending a lot of time simply sitting. She needed something to do with her hands, that could be a challenge to her, but not so much that she couldnt achieve the end product. The other part of her brief was that the card could be used for her to give to those who helped her during her recovery.

What a beautiful gesture, hey?

Enter: Stampin' Up! products!! I muddled over this conundrum for a while, before I came up with a card design that she could use and that I felt reflected her.

This is my card design:

This card has 13 elements to it, between the 3 base layers, the flowers, embellishment and the sentiment. This was no mean feat for a woman who has been through a lot in the last few months! 

But at least she can take her time and choose to send off her cards as she makes them, one by one.

I wrapped all the separate peices and wrote an essay, just in case she was having a bad day or her short-term memory was playing games on her

Not long after I sent her parcel to her, she posted this photo. She is busy getting into her cards, when she has the time, energy and discipline :))

Sharing my therapy with others, makes me feel all warm 'n fuzzy, Im happy to give her a helping hand, considering we live away from each other.

I hope you get some therapy time, whatever your craft is....until next time, Jo xxx

Kids In The Kitchen...errr, the Stamp Room!!

Every now and then, one of my 3 children will want to come in and actually make something in my stamp room. Rachelle, 14 decided she wanted to make a small gift for her teachers, after seeing an item from On-Stage 2015.

So Rachelle made 13 of these beauties, stage by stage and then happily handed them out on one of the last days of Year 8.

As the receiver pulls the tab on the right, the left peice pulls out also.

Of course, they were very well received!! Well done Rachelle, I loved having you in my stamp room, let's not wait until next Christmas before another visit, pleeease????

Spending time with children AND stamping is absolutely a win win for me!!

Saying Thankyou To Our Neighbours :)

While we were away in Queensland, enjoying the sunshine and fun, (all those cold weeks ago!!), our neighbour Kelly and Lee were watching our home. It was such a great peace of mind, knowing someone was looking after our house!!


It is for that reason that I decorated this Stampin' Up! pre-made & scored box, (now retired...) for them. I actually loved coming home and using the products from such a great company, knowing those Designer Papers, ribbons, embellishments & inks always co-ordinate so well, it certainly helps!!

Of course, when I had finished making the box, I needed a matching card, so I set too work on one. This time I used the Expreslsions Thinlits with the Big Shot in the Soft Suede cardstock, a couple of rhinestones and I was done!!

I put a note book, a pen and a bottle of bubble mix inside, (which 5 year doesnt like bubbles, right?) and put it altogether for a photo, of course!!

After the problems we had a couple of years ago with a person we trusted taking valuable personal documents & using them for crime, I am incredibly grateful to have people around me that I can rely on. I am very 'thankful' to have Kelly, Lee & Kirah living next door to us!!

Here's hoping it won't be so long before the next post, this time :))

My Easter Gift

Wowzers, it's been a while since my last post... Work deadlines, migraines and school holidays have caused all that, sadly...anyway, back to why we are here, right :)

Our  family does small gifts at Easter, so I decided to use one of my many, many Maccona jars for one of them.  My gorgeous neice Rillie loves all things a bit freaky, so this fitted the bill, totally!!

I decorated the jar using retired Designer Paper and the Bow Tie punch, amongst others, coming up with this funky bunny to match the belly band around the jar.

And in all the yumminess of chocolate, I buried these hair ties. a bit cute, hey?
I hope Rillie doesn't think that we are only giving her a jar of chocolate, 'cos these will look great in her stunning hair!!