Hurry Up 2012!

I'm not a huge fan of wishing your life away - I've always got so much to get done I'd like to slow life down just to give myself a head start most of the time ...

But ..... I've plenty of crafting planned for 2012 and I can't wait!

Have you noticed all the new buttons down the right hand side of my new look blog?  

I've signed up for several Big Picture classes next year including Stacey Julian's TWELVE; a brilliant scrapbooking course for three months and I've finally been able to buy a Becky Higgins' Project Life kit (I've gone for the Cobalt colourway) having missed out last year (can I tell you how unbelievably excited I am about that); and I am also embarking on Cathy Zielske's Eat Well Move More journey too.

We have our final One on 1 blog hop planned for tomorrow - the final chapter for 2011 and the grand reveal for 2012 - yes I'll be doing this again too.  I've loved loved loved One Little Word - its just 'ME' - tune in tomorrow for the wrap up on 2011 and to check out my new word for 2012.

Don't forget ladies, anyone can join up ..... its fun; check it out.

I'll be sharing my progress here throughout 2012, and of course, I'll always be showcasing the lovely Stampin' Up! goodies all year long too!

Happy New Year's Eve!

Love Nikki

x

 

 

Birthday Wishes

I needed a birthday card for a 16 year old in December - Extreme Elements is such a cool set to use, I just picked three colours and stamped away.  

And it was so easy to create another one using the same colours - Night of Navy, So Saffron and Baja Breeze.  I've used the new Bakers Twine from the Summer Mini.

Why not take a look at some of your stamp sets and see what you have that you can randomly stamp some images with to create some quick and effective cards.

Happy stampin'

Nikki

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All Change

I'm in spring cleaning mode - so bear with me whist I have a whizz through my little piece of blog land with my feather duster ..... few changes here and there .... does the prospect of a New Year make you feel this way too?

Nikki

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From Our House To Yours - Happy Christmas

The Sadler Gang - Sydney - November 2011

I can't believe that it is almost here .... its Christmas Eve and I 'think' I have finally done everything on the 'to-do' list.  And looking at my poor deserted piece of cyberspace, updating my blog wasn't on the list was it!

Its just been one of 'those' months - I've been creating but as soon as I created it was popped in an envelope and posted - no time for photos!  In fact, there are some very dear Stampin' Up! ladies who will be receiving Happy New Year messages as I simply ran out of time.

I'm pleased to report that my husband is home - for a whole 10 days!  We are travelling back to Sydney on the 28th and the kids and I will hang out with Paul for another 10 days - that just about doubles the total number of days we've all been together this year - awesome!

Wishing you and yours a happy Christmas and a lovely New Year.  I'm ticking something off my bucket list by seeing the fireworks in Sydney on New Year's Eve ... I can't wait!  We even get to share this experience with our very dear friends - doubly excited!

But I've a few things lined up for you here .... I've missed blogging and I am looking forward to creating and sharing with you once again.

Happy Christmas and thank you for your friendship.

Nikki

x

 

 

 

One On 1 - For November

Can you believe that we are nearly at the end of the year?  We only have one more task left for the OLW in 2011.  As we come to the end of the year and the end of my first OLW journey I have been trying to sum up what this has meant to me.  Then today I read this from Ali Edwards .... 

A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can be sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow. From my own personal experience, it can be a catalyst for enriching your life.

In 2006, I began a tradition of choosing one word for myself each January - a word that I can focus on, meditate on, and reflect upon as I go about my daily life. My words have included play, peace, vitality, nurture, light, and story. These words have each become a part of my life in one way or another. They've been imbedded into who I am, and into who I'm becoming. They've been what I've needed (and didn't know I needed). They've helped me to breathe deeper, to see clearer, and to grow. 

... and I thought .... that's it in a nutshell - how can I express it better - I can't!

In keeping with the '11th hour type of girl' that I am (and have come to accept this year) - here I am at almost the 11th hour and 59th minute ..... completing the task (hence the dodgy photo).  If it wasn't for Margie and the rest of the One on 1 girls I would not be as up to date as I am - thank you.

So without further ado - thanks for visiting and don't forget to leave me a comment.  Away you go to visit the lovely Debra - I was having a little looksee through Debra's site just now - she has some lovely family photos - and she reminded me to wish a belated Happy Thanksgiving to all my American visitors.

Happy blog hopping and I'll see you again next time. 

Nikki

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December Frenzy

Do you like bargains?  Well why not add a few extra gifts in your Christmas stocking this year - Stampin' Up! are offering up to 50% off some lovely items from the current catalogue.

Check out the list below - and remember - these are only available until stocks last so if you want to place an order get in quick.  There's no minimum quantity either.

So what's on the list?  Click on the picture below to find out!

Call 0428 254 952 or email me now if you want something.

Happy Stampin' 

Nikki

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Christmas Blog Hop

Welcome to our last blog hop of the year - a Christmas themed one of course.  Hop on board and be ready to be inspired (I am in need of inspiration - I've hardly made any Christmas cards this year).

I was inspired by my fellow blog hoppers Alisha Watson's Regional swap and  Judy May's recent JAI win, to try out the pop up Christmas tree using the Pennant Parade stamp set and matching punch.

Here's a sneak peek of a new A la Carte stamp from the upcoming Summer Mini - a single stamp called Stylish Star - isn't it cute.

The colours used are Lucky Limeade with either Riding Hood Red or Wisteria Wonder - ovely quick cards to make and the pop up posts well too.

Time to hop off now to see what the lovely Sue Madex has created.

Happy blog hopping

Nikki

x

ps if you'd like a free copy of the new Summer mini and you don't have a demonstrator already, just send me an email and I'll pop one in the post for you.

 

Stamping with Friends

Every so often friends drop in to stamp or create.  A regular visitor is Sharon, we stamp, chat and put the world to rights  - I love our nights together.  Recently we were on a mission to make a card for a little girl who was turning 3.  Here's what you get when you mix up some enthusiasm, a need to use a Sweet Treat cup, a request to not use blue cardstock, some lollies .... oh and a bottle of bubbly!

Isn't he cute?  I hear that he didn't last long once Miley had opened the card and she really wasn't interested in the little pull tab we had spent ages constructing so that you could eat the lollies without damaging the card!

But still it kept Sharon and I occupied all night!

Hope you had a great birthday Miley.

And if you ever have a free evening and want to stamp - you know where to find me ..... anyone is welcome.

Nikki

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Sweet 16

I didn't think I would ever be old enough to be the mother of a 16 year old!  But now that I am, its not so bad ... Olivia is growing up a bit faster than I would like, but she is becoming such a beautiful person, Paul and I are so proud of her.  She is a brilliant big sister to KP and such a good friend to her peers ... yes she drives us mad occasionally but that's her job isn't it!  Her future is so full of promise and more importantly lots of fun too.

I have been itching to make an easel card for ages - its wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

I've used a glitter brad to 'prop' the card up - and lots of new Summer Mini products too.  The papers and stamp set are from a new product suite called Beyond the Garden - the stamp set is Fabulous Florets.  There's some new embossing powders and a textured impressions embossing folder in this suite too.

 The  'Sweet 16' sparkly letters have been die cut using some new Glimmer Paper - this is super sparkly (imagine Dazzling Diamonds gone crazy) - it is gorgous and a must have for sparkly cards.  I've also added Dazzling Diamonds to the cut flowerheads - can a card have too much sparkle I wonder?

Olivia has her exams this week and is taking her Learners Test tomorrow - so for now she is celebrating by doing lots of studying.  But after all that hard work she will be celebrating her birthday in Sydney next weekend with her best friend - and her Dad of course!  We leave on Thursday night - she is very excited - we even have tickets to the new Harry Potter exhibition (she's a huge fan having read each of the books a gazillion times).

No doubt I will have more than enough photos to scrapbook by this time next week.

Happy birthday Olivia - we love you sweetie

Love Mum and Dad 

xxxx

 

 

 

 

Want a FREE stamp set?

Not just ONE free set, but TWO free sets and a bottle of champagne glitter glass (retail value $7.95) too.  

All you have to do is sign up as a new recruit before the close of business on 27 November.

So what will you receive?  Well you will receive two new sets from the upcoming Summer Mini .... You Are Loved clear mount set (retail value $47.95) and Fabulous Florets (retail value $44.95) - both these sets are new to Australia and are stunning.

I was lucky enough to receive both the Fabulous Florets set and the Champagne Glitter Glass at our Regional event in Melbourne last weekend - and as this is a special month of prizes and awards for demonstrators across the globe (so far this month I have earned some Antique Brads and another new stamp set from the Summer Mini - Stampin' Up! are so generous), I thought I would offer the first person to join my team before 27 November the freebies that I will receive.

So what are you waiting for?  Pictures of the stamp sets perhaps?  

Well I can't provide photos of the sets because they haven't been released yet, but come back on Monday to see the card I have made for my daughter's birthday - hint hint!

$289 for the Starter Kit (contents shown on the back page of the catalogue) - worth $610 plus you will also receive over $100 worth of extra goodies as well.

Perhaps someone needs an idea for a Christmas present for you?  You don't have to be a business builder - you can just join up for the Starter Kit and leave it at that.

Check out the Join My Team page for some more ideas of how this could work for you.

And remember, only the first person to sign up this month will be able to win all three goodies.  Although don't worry - anyone who signs up before 27th November will also receive the You Are Loved clear mount set too :o)

Call or email and I can send you all the information you need to see if this is the right decision for you.

Please note these freebies are only available from me, this is not a company wide special offer :o)

Happy Stampin

Nikki

x

It was my birthday :)

Over two weeks ago I celebrated another birthday - not sure I am that happy to be getting older but hey we can't stop time can we.  Of course having some crafty friends I received quite a few handmade cards which I thought I'd share with you.

KP was on card making duties whilst Olivia  was making the cupcakes and dinner.  He sneaked some cardstock and a few markers.  He said I look 33 on the outside (he needs his eyes testing bless him) and on the inside of the card he wrote 'happy 43rd birthday' - cos I am 43 on the inside - didn't have the heart to tell him I am actually 44 ;)

This lovely card is from Teena Pillar - who really needs to get herself a blog!

And this one is from the lovely Christine Blain - go and check out her other creations she is very clever.

And a lovely card from Susannah in Scotland (waving madly to you lovely lady).

yes another card, this time from my stamping friend Tracey - love it!

 and finally a card from another stamping friend Sharon - she is so clever I love the little cut out peep hole - will be casing that for sure.

I had a lovely day - albeit that I had to work, but it was fun.  The kids cooked dinner and then I went out for a walk with some soccer mums.  

This picture is a bit blurry (I hope Olivia's photos are better) -  as Paul was away, the kids made dinner, had been to the shops and bought me a lovely present and even set the table.

It really was a great day.

Nikki

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Stampamemory Challenge - November 2011 - Double Page Layouts

Its been ages since I have felt the need to complete a double page layout, how about you?  This month the Stampamemory team challenge you complete just that ..... I used to struggle to get everything to fit on one page but now one page layouts are all that I complete.  I found this a little challenging .... so I chose a subject that had lots of photos.

Our trip to Sydney gave me lots of photos.  By cropping all the family ones first I was then able to include the photos of the other memories, cropping them to fit in the empty spaces.

I tied the two pages together using a simple hand drawn dashed line around the border.

And I balanced the pennant title on the top left hand side of the page against some little buttons on the bottom of the opposite page.

Having punched out the pennants using the punch I then embossed them with polkadots and stapled the little flags onto a piece of seam binding and cut slits in the cardstock to feed it through.

I  created some little title blocks using a circle punch.

And the Scallop Square die cut for the Bigshot makes a create journalling block. I've used the Beau Chateaux papers with Marina Mist and Soft Suede cardstock.

I enjoyed creating this double page layout and as we are off to Sydney again this month it was great to have scrapped the previous visit.

Why not have a go yourself and enter our November Challenge - check out all the details here.

Happy Monday

Nikki

x

Chinese Whispers Blog Hop

A blog hop with a difference today.  A group of us played Chinese Whispers recently - do you remember that game as a child?  Its basically a game whereby one person makes the first card, emails a photo of it to the next person on the list and that person CASE's the card.  She then sends a photo of her card onto the next person on the list and that person CASE's and so it goes on.  No matter where you are on the list you only ever get to see one card - it was great to see how it evolved.

Now if you are starting here, it would be best to go back to the beginning, click here to hop back to Tina Gillespie's blog to see how it all began.

And so here's mine - I'm number 11 on the list.  I made this card for a lovely girl who was celebrating her 16th birthdy just recently.

So next on the list is the lovely Kathryn Rudderick - enjoy.

Happy stampin!

Nikki

x

Its One on 1 Time Again

The start of a new month brings with it One on 1 time again.  Thanks to Debra for sending you along to my little piece of cyberspace.  

This month's task was to revisit photos of our word.  I struggled last time to find enough photos of my word and what it means to me but over the course of this year, I have opened my eyes to so many photos I want to include within my album now.   I haven't printed my photos yet, but here they are, these all remind me of changes that have come about in the past few months.

We moved offices - and with it left behind a heap of 'history' - a new start!  Whilst I never blog about my work - it is a really big part of my life - and has been one of the biggest changes this year.

The garden is quickly becoming a new passion of mine - I've even been weeding!  how to stop a naughty dog from digging up the new plants - now that is a mystery but I won't be beaten - hanging baskets I am thinking LOL

Taking time for myself - painted toenails (even if they aren't expertly done) ... give me so much pleasure!  I'm learning to look after me, starting with my feet .... and that will please my Mum xx

Cooking healthy food for the family.  With my husband being away so much it is very easy to 'slip' into snack mode .... the kids love this quiche (very good for you because it is made with filo pastry - and I add in 'yucky' green stuff - spinach to you and me) so I make one every week - and its devoured within hours. I love to cook and enjoy providing the children with healthy foods.

Sydney, regretably, is still going to be a prominent part of our lives as my husband embarks on a new posting with the Navy this month - one that will see him living there for at least another 12 months.  It isn't what we planned but moaning isn't going to change it - so we are all embracing this change knowing that one day he will be home with us again.

Olivia and I have become Mebourne Heart fans - KP always went to the matches with his Dad, now when Paul isn't in town he has to put up with some girlie company - secretly I think he likes this change very much.

I have a passion for quotes and I especially love this one - it kinda sums up where I am at right now - I am really loving how this One Little Word is working for me.

Over the course of the last few months I have found these few images which resonated with me and my word - I love the Change Button - how accurate is that .... we just need to be ready to press the button and change can happen.  And how true is the little verse; we can achieve so much if we are open to changing the way we think.

     
And two final photos, some lovely pink boxing gloves to remember to stop beating myself up over small trivial things and a clock - time is precious - I need to learn to use it wisely, cos really time does fly!

Time now to hop along to see Monica to hear how her month has gone. 

Hope to see you next month ... who can believe that we are in November already?  Two more months and it will be time to choose another word .... perhaps this time you will join me on this journey - I can really recommend it.

Thanks Margie for all that you do in keeping this hop hopping xxx

Nikki

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Making Merry Monday

A friend told me this weekend just past that there are 8 weeks until Christmas.  Is anyone else as shocked by that little gem of information as I am?  OMG - that's not long is it.

Without further ado, here's a card that I was going to teach in a Glitter class.  Yes I am going to say WAS because this class is doomed I think!  I've had to cancel it so many times for all sorts of reasons, so I am thinking it is a sign - this class isn't meant to happen :o(

Here's a close up of the sparkliness (yes a new word for the 2011 festive season). And how do we do that?  

Well you stamp your image first.  Then take your Versamark pad and stamp this over the image - straight onto the cardstock - not onto the stamp - you need to cover the cardstock completely.  (Tip: I tend to stamp several images on one piece of cardstock and then Versamark and glitterise (not sure that is a real word either) the whole lot at the same time).

Cover the whole piece of card with some Heat and Stick powder - use a heat gun to melt this.  When the powder is moulton, sprinkle over Dazzling Diamonds.  Tap off the excess and heat again.  (Tip:  just a little flash of the heat gun this time - we are just setting the Dazzling Diamonds not melting it).

Hey presto you have some lovely sparkly pieces to make into cards.

This card uses the Delightful Decorations set and matching Ornament punch. Using a matching stamp and punch means you can churn a few of these out in double quick time - just what we need with only 8 weeks left to go!  The swirl is from Baroque Motifs.

Happy Making Merry Monday.

Nikki

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Big Shot Blog Hop

Yes it's that time once again for another blog hop -  this time show casing the lovely Big Shot - one of my favourite tools.  There are  six stops along the way - grab a cuppa and hop on board for some lovely inspiration.   

My most favourite die is the Timeless Type alphabet - being a scrapbooker I love that I can create any title I like.  I took a tip from Tina Gillespie (the hop before me)  and 'chopped off the curly bits' to change the style of the letters - what a fab idea.  

I also love the versatility of the embossing folders.  Just on this scrapbooking page alone I have used both the alphabet and three embossing folders.  

Embossing cardstock and papers is a cheap and easy way to change their look and feel.

Hop along now to see the lovely Sue Madex - she's been absent from our hops for a little bit and we've missed her.

Just have to finish this post with a close up on my boy, did he really look like this once?  Was he really this little and cute?   

Happy hopping and big shotting!

Nikki

 

x

 

Shabby Chic Flowers

I was a little late with this birthday card.  A lovely class and workshop friend of mine, Tracey, has recently celebrated her birthday - and a slight technical hitch (I have brithdays loaded into my calendar on my phone but sometimes the reminders don't work - operator error of course) - meant that this ended up being a little belated!

Tracey creates the most beautiful cards and scrapbooking pages so the pressure was on to make something I didn't think she had seen before.

These flowers really are simple to make - the way the cardstock acts when you spray it with water and scrunch it up is amazing - I think Tracey will like the end result.

So happy belated birthday Tracey.

Nikki

x

Field Flowers

This is another one of those sets that as soon as I saw the new catalogue I knew would be in my collection very soon.  Inspired by the cover of the new book, I made the following card.

I've dipped into the new In Colour range - Calypso Coral and Lucky Limeade, teamed with Very Vanilla and Early Espresso.

The swirly background stamp is from the Creative Elements set - its quite a useful set with this swirly stamps, a butterfly, a flower and a few other stamps too.  The First Edition Speciality papers are great to stamp on - I've highlighted the centres of the flowers using Dimensionals to.

I decorated the inside of the card too.  The flower parts are separate stamps, and I used the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig to line everything up perfectly.

Happy Stampin'

Nikki

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