​Good morning!

It has been very cold here, and very wet. I know it's winter, and it should be cold and wet, but I must be getting old because this year I've really felt both!

We kept the house warm with the fire going. Someone asked how much we pay for firewood - we don't! During the summer we collect firewood, bring it home and let it season for a year so it's nice and dry and ready to burn. It's not a chore to us; we turn it into a day out with a picnic lunch, and who doesn't enjoy a picnic?

I made pizza bases, using the bread maker for the dough. 

All our meals were cooked from scratch, using what we had on hand. No one was hungry and no one turned their nose up at any meal. 

I juiced lemons and froze the juice. The peel wasn't nice enough to zest, but it was perfectly good to drop into a jar of vinegar for lemon cleaning vinegar. 

Veggie peelings went into the freezer to make stock. 

I picked more rhubarb and stewed it, then froze it. During summer I'll mix it into plain yoghurt for breakfast. 

Not much happening in the garden, thanks to the rain and the cold. Keeping on top of the weeds is keeping me busy for a few minutes each day.

My lavender (don't you love how it's "my" lavender) is looking gorgeous. I picked a few more stems  to strike. They are really easy to do, and who wouldn't love a pot of lavender as a gift? I know I would.

No sewing done, not even mending last week. 

Last week I had sorting and tidying the craft room on my to-do list and for the most part it has been sorted and tidied up. I still have the fine detail sorting to do this week and then everything will be organised and in it's place, easy to find and use. That's the plan anyway!

A lot of time was spent in the craft room, making samples, and writing up tutorials, and cutting and packing card kits for my Card Buffet yesterday. It was a really nice afternoon, beautiful women creating beautiful cards, letting their inspiration take over and making my designs their own. It was a lovely way to spend a cold and wet Sunday afternoon.

It is free shipping day!

Today only, May 21st, 2024, until 11:59pm, Stampin' Up! is offering free shipping on all orders over $65!

If you have things on your wish list, and you love the new 2024 - 2026 In Colours (because they are just gorgeous) or you are new to card making, scrapbooking and paper crafting or even new to Stampin' Up products (and you can read about how and why I became a Stampin' Up demonstrator here) then this is the deal for you - an EXTRA $144 of brand new products IN ADDITION to the $235 you choose for your starter kit! And all this for just $169 (with free delivery!). 

This has to be the deal of the year:  $379 worth of product for just $169 (and free delivery)

If you are a card maker, scrapbooker or paper crafter and you don't have a Stampin' Up Demonstrator, talk to me and let me help you create your starter kit and your gorgeous paper craft projects.

P.S. There is absolutely no obligation to do anything other than order your starter kit either. You can take the kit and create to your hearts content, you can take the kit and become a hobby demonstrator and enjoy 20% off your orders or you could take the kit and build a business  - it's entirely up to you.

Whatever you decide, I'd be honoured (and excited!) to help you with your Stampin' Up journey.

You can see here what's included in the Starter Kit special (aren't those colours just beautiful):

Join me to celebrate the launch of the new Annual Catalogue and have some fun at my card buffet trying new products.
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Event registration includes:
*Three choices from the Card Buffet (six available)
*Free annual catalogue
*Free Make & Take
*Displays with sample projects
*The chance to try out new products
*Entry into the Host prize draw with every $50 order
*Bonus free product from me for orders over $100


How the buffet works:
1. Choose the project you want to create (6 to choose from).
2. Purchase the ‘kit’ containing the materials & instruction sheet. ($5 per card)
NOTE - Your first three choices are included in your class registration fee.
3. Locate the tools basket for that project.
4. Get crafting - don't forget to show off your unique card creations!


Come for a little while or stay the afternoon.
Create one project or all six (three are included in your event registration fee).


There's no obligation to spend anything more at all, just drop in and have fun creating.

A few weeks ago I took the plunge and signed on as a Stampin' Up demonstrator.

I love the products, especially the cardstock and the stamp pads, and have taken advantage of special offers and special occasions to add to my supply over the last few years. 

During the holidays Wayne and I were talking, and brainstorming how we are going to supplement our retirement income, and of course Home Among the Gum Trees will be a part of my contribution to our income supplement, with the various products I can make and offer to you for sale. 

I am fussy about the materials I use in the things that I make, be they for gifts, donations or sale. I know I would want whatever I buy to be the best quality it can be, and that's another reason I use Stampin' Up cardstock and stamp pads, and some of the tools when I'm making cards and scrapbooks (did you know I make scrapbooks and memory books too, they are usually to order); the quality is always there and the end result shows this.

So thinking along the lines of my future self and what I'd like to be doing in my retirement (which is still a long way off unless I can convince someone that early retirement would be a good thing) and after talking with my darling, I took the plunge and joined the Stampin' Up crew. 

Every now and then you'll see me do a video that will feature Stampin' Up products. As I do with most of the craft/cardmaking/Scan and Cut videos, I'll list the materials and tools used for each project with a link to how you can buy them, if you want to, and if you'd like me to be your Stampin' Up demonstrator, I'd be thrilled to share my passion for paper crafting and these wonderful products with you (and you can be sure that the Cheapskate in me will make sure everything gives you the best value for your money). 

Well it could be. But as I say often, many years ago we made the conscious decision to ditch the stuff that isn't important to us so we could have the cash to enjoy the things that are. 

And these days, quality craft supplies are important to me. 

Why did I choose Stampin Up, when there are other brands around?

Well about six years ago the card group I belong to went to what was called a garage sale, hosted by some Stampin Up demonstrators, where they were selling their retired stock and tools. 

I was a skeptic! I wasn't going to spend a lot of money on something I could get from a $2 shop. So, me being me, I bought one stamp pad - Mossy Meadow - for $5. It was secondhand and I figured if it was awful then I'd only lost $5.

I'm still using that Mossy Meadow stamp pad and it is my absolute favourite colour for stamping too. Mossy Meadow is that gorgeous dark green that just co-ordinates and blends and contrasts with everything. It's dark enough to use instead of black, when black just isn't going to work, but still a green when you need it to be a green. 

And folks, that's why I'm a huge fan of Stampin Up. One $5 stamp pad is still going strong, even with all the stamping I do (I make hundreds of cards every year). 

The next thing I tried was the cardstock. Again I was wary because it was expensive, to me anyway, but the cardstock I had been using was terrible. It didn't crease well, cracking more often than not on folds; it didn't cut cleanly, leaving fluff on all the cut edges; it wasn't square - and I could probably have overlooked the cracking and fluff, but not being square nearly sent me crazy! Having cardstock be absolutely square is vital when you make fancy fold cards - you don’t want to spend a lot of time only to find the end result is out of square and nothing lines up.  So I am a huge fan of the Stampin' Up cardstock. 

Two reasons why I just love the products. 

But how do I call myself a Cheapskate when I buy these products? 

Easy. 

First off - value for money. You do get what you pay for; if you pay for quality, you get quality. 

Secondly - I sell a lot of my cards, but I donate most of my cards, as well as sending them to friends and family, and I make scrapbooks and memory books to order, so I want them to be nice. And good quality. And I want to get value for money from the supplies I use.

But I can still call myself a Cheapskate and use Stampin Up products because I work Stampin Up to my advantage. 

Right now there is a joining special: join Stampin Up as a demonstrator before 28th February  2023 and you can choose up to $315 worth of product - any product - from their catalogues and pay just $169.  That's a 47% discount! 47% - that's a great deal. 

So I took the plunge and I joined as a demonstrator, chose my products, and paid just $169 for so much cardstock, some DSP, a punch and a stamp set - I chose what I wanted in my starter kit, perfect as I already owned some Stampin' Up products. 

That's how I can not only afford to use Stampin' Up products, but use them as a Cheapskate. 

Does this mean that I will be pushing Stampin' Up constantly? No. It means I will still be doing my best to share what I believe to be the best value for your money when it comes to your (and my) paper crafting.

If you have any questions, just ask me. And if you don't already have a Stampin' Up demonstrator I would be honoured to become yours, and share my love of all things paper crafting with you. 

Visit Stampin' Among the Gum Trees