New Catalogue!

Yes it's here at last!  Over 200 pages of fabulous ideas and amazing products that just can't help but inspire us to be creative!  If you still haven't seen a copy - them click on the link and view the online version.  Want your own? Here are just a few ways you can get your hands on a copy...

Why not book a home party or private class?  Just invite a few friends to join you for a great evening of crafting fun.  I can design a class or party to suit you and your friends and help you to maximise your sales.  So not only will you get a FREE catalogue - you could also benefit from some great hostess benefits too!

Special offer this month - FREE catalogue for anyone attending one of my classes this month - but hurry - only a couple of spaces remain on the Waterfall Album class on Monday 15th October and  just 3 for the Christmas class on Thursday 18th October.  (All classes cost £17.50 - with a credit of £14 to spend on the night on your choice of product).

If you have a long wishlist - why not join my stamper's 6 club?  It's a great way to spread the cost of your spending and get the benefits of hosting a workshop.  You have to commit to spending £25 each month for 6 months - but you will also get a minimum of £25 FREE hostess spend on your month as "hostess".  And if that isn't enough... you also get to attend one of my classes each month for just £3.50 and a FREE catalogue.

You can also get a FREE catalogue if you place an order of £45 (plus p&p if you can't collect).

SO all you need to do now is decide HOW you would like to get Your FREE catalogue!

News News News!

WOW!  What a lot to tell you today.  SO much happening at Stampin Up!  The retirement list is published today - lots of stamp sets being retired and lots of acessories too.  So much so that they have split the list into two parts this year.  Hopefully I will have managed to get the links working on my blog for you and you will be able to see the lists by clicking on them.  However, don't be too alarmed by some of the items you see on the list!

The ink pads are not changing colours - just being revamped with a newer version that should give better coverage. Also a few other accessories are also bing revamped - watch out for the * that will tell you this is the case.  However, if you love 12x12 textured cardstock - or 12x12 generally have a good look through the list as some of this will not be available in the future.  Just remember that once these items have sold out that is it - and none of them will be available in October - so if you like what you see - let me know asap.  I will be ordering later today!

Finally - all this is happening to make way for lots of new goodies in the new October catalogue - but as if that wasn't enough excitement - Stampin' Up! are also giving us a fabulous new Autumn/Winter Seasonal Catalogue that is available from TODAY until February.  Check it out - there are lots of fantastic new items for us to desire!

Anyway - I will be back later with more news on classes and other bits!

Open House Fun!

Hi Everyone

It's been a little while since I last posted - it's been a busy few weeks of classes and my open house and today I helped my friend Pip with her mini launch party.  Lots of fun and crafting!  Firstly I'd like to thank everyone who has been along to one of these days - thank you - it's been a real pleasure to craft with you all.

I guess I better show you some cards now!

 Opps!  Hope you don't get neck strain trying to look at these cards!  I cas'd the idea from the lovely Jenny Moors - I loved the simplicity of the colours - they just seemed so fresh and clean.  I used the fabuous Twitterpated papers and simply stamped in the matching colours. The mixed bunch stamp set and blossom punch just lend themselves to this style of card.

I'll be psoting details of some special mixed paper and card packs which I am offering over the next few days along with the details of the charity event that Pip and I are running on August 11th to raise money for the Breasy Cancer Campaign.  If you fancy an afternoon or morning of crafty fun with a few friends - keep your eyes out and book your tickets.  They are on sale NOW priced at £7.50 with a minimum of £5 from each ticket going to the charity.

Lots to tell!

Wow - what a busy few weeks it has been and what a lot of news I have for you.  If you haven't already spotted the new posts on the left - check out the new summer mini catalogue which launched on 1st May.  It is jam packed with lots of lovely new products - I have so many favourites!  At last we have the new scoring tool which is just so versatile - not only can you score every 1/8th Inch, but there is a metric plate and also a diagaonal plate.  Which is so new it isn't even in the catalogue!

We had a fantastic demonstration of how to use this at our recent training day in Reading and I can't wait  to get my hands on it!  Talking of training - as usual many of the demonstrators make card samples to swap with others - a great way to get new ideas or see stamp stes that we don't own.  I was running very short of time and so am very greatful for the help that my friend Emma gave me to make this little lot!  It's a shame we don't have smellovision - as we used the new cherry scented embossing powder - and it is really quite effective!

I've also used the new embossing edgelits and textured embossing folders to create the canopy for my "Tea Shoppe".  I will show you more from the new ctalogue over the coming weeks.

 Also I have updated my class list - please check out the charity fund raiser details - my friend Pip and I have set a target of £500 that we would like to raise for Breast Cancer Campaign.  We'd love to see you there - having fun and eating cake - all in a good cause!

Finally a word of warning - the classes on 7th June and 12th July (Men's cards and stamp a stack) only have one or two places still available.  So don't leave it too late to book!

Another mini card

I was really pleased with how well this little card turned out.  I used the stamp set Button Buddies - which makes some really easy and simple cards.  The stamps are designed to work with the buttons - so in this case the butttons would normally form the flowers - genius!  HOWEVER..  in this particular instance I decided to use one of the itty bitty punches and a pearl instead!

I coloured the stamp with the marker pens, cut an extra vase out and used dimensionals to pop it up.  A butterfly from the beautiful wings embosslit to finish and voila!

Butterfly Card

I bought the first edition speciality papers ages ago - but haven't done much with them (naughty me!).  So when I was making these cards I decided to incorporate a little into the card.  I stamped some images from Everything Eleanor onto the paper using the second ink impression - and I really LOVE the effect it gives - so simple and effective!  I just added a punched butterfly using flight of the butterfly  and a simple greeting punched using the word window punch and it was all done!

I'll show you some of the others tomorrow!

Beautiful Butterflies

These beautiful little boxes are called Pizza Boxes - beacause they open and shut just like a pizza box!  They are really simple to make and they can be adapted to different sizes.  They make great little gift boxes - just fill with a few chocolates, a pretty soap... you are limited by your imagination! These boxes are filled with mini cards!

This is what the ladies made at my recent class. If you fancy having a go and have a few friends who would like to join you - give me a call and I can come to you!

I'll show you the cards over the next week or so!

The Princess and the Frog

The moment I saw the Littel Princess Stamp Set I knew I had to make this card. It really is my sense of humour! I made it as a double swing card using the clear square scallop to create the swing. on the front we have our little princess working her magic on the frog to turn him into a prince - but instead he just turns into a bigger frog! I made the frog using a variety of punches - lots of circles, ovals and a heart punch for the feet! I just need a little girl to send it to!

Dinoroar Tag

I fell in love with this gorgeous set as soon as I saw it in the catalogue. I just love the cute faces!! I made this mini card in a concertina style and it just looks as if the two dinosaurs are playing chase. The idea for the footprints came from my downline pip (check out her site - queenpipcards.co.uk). They are made using part of a leaf from the french foliage set (another favourite of mine!). I simply stamped them and used an aqua pen to colour tint the images . Easy!

Aliens

I don't have many excuses to make children's cards as most of my nieces and nephews are too old to enjoy these fun cards. So I had great fun recently when I had to make a selection of cards for a children's card class. This card was based on a number that I had seen on different blogs many months ago. I love the idea of using the crop o dile to create the different planets and placing one of the aliens standing on a planet. It is also a great excuse to use the brights colour range to go a little crazy! I'll show you more of the children's cards over the next few days.

More Techniques

I just wanted to show you this last card from my techniques class - I must confess that this was probably my favourite! The techniques is called faux Silk - and it is another one that you really need to see in real life as the picture doesn't do it justice.

The finish has the look and feel of silk - lots of texture - but really simple and effective. Start with a piece of tissue paper and stamp your chosen image over the paper. I used an image from Simply Soft - a hostess set - stamped in chocolate chip and coloured in using a baja breeze marker. Once this is done, scrunch up your tissue paper (yes you did read that right!), open it up again and smooth it out over a piece of card stock covered in glue (I used a glue stick). It's just like smoothing out the foil wrappers that cover chocolate mints!

If you like the look of these classes, then check out the list of current classes on offer - bring a friend if you want - or if these dates don't suit you, get a few friends together and I can come and run the class at yours on a date of your choice. just ring or drop me a line to arrange.

Final Easter Card

I've been on a bit of a roll recently - I guess it is guilt for not blogging enough - that plus I want to show you the cards that i made with this set before you lose the chance to get it for yourself!

For this card I used a bleach technique to remove the colour from the card stock to make the white blossom. As you can see I used my favourite Easter Blossom set agin - but this time in a more vintage style.

I used chocolate chip ink, blushing bride and crumb cake card stock. I distressed the edges of the crumb cake by sponging ink around the edges and rolling the edge of the card until it split. A vintage brad and touch of victorian crochet trim just add that finishing touch.

More Easter Blossoms

I loved this set the minute I saw it in the Spring Mini catalogue - but I tried really hard to resist it! But when I was looking around for a stampset to use for my techniques classes - I knew I had to give in! This card uses another simple technique called Faux Pearl. Y9u can't really tell from the picture but the card has a beautiful shimmer to it and it really does look like a mother of pearl finish. You need to use a little of the shimmer paint (I used Frost White) and some scrunched up cling film to create the background. Once it has dried, sponge some ink over to complete the look and stamp away. I love the image of the girl and the blossom - and it's so easy to add a few flowers to the basket and use it for other occasions.

If you love this set as much as me - don't forget you only have until th end of this month to get it.

Happy Birthday Chris

This is a card that we made in the special occasions class a few months ago - I meant to post it ages ago but forgot! All the cards were A5 size. Still it came in very useful as I have 2 friends at work who turn 50 this year! I was able to give this one to a friend whose birthday is today. Hope you like it!

Easter Cards

OOps - sorry about the sideways post - I don't know why this happens! Anyway, I thought I ought to show you some of the cards that I made recently for a techniques class. This simple card was made using the baby wipe technique. I used the soft suede, pool party and calypso coral reinkers to create my own "ink pad" on a baby wipe. I then stamped the scroll image and greeting from the Easter Blossoms before punching/cutting them out and mounting them on some lucky limeade and island indigo card stock. Simple but very effective.

Hope you are having a lovely Easter break

Amie's Card

I was asked by a friend to make a voucher for her future daughter in law. She was treating Amie to our craft day on 17th March. Ann had used the colours crumb cake and rose red to make Amie's card so I used the same combination to make the voucher. Although I hadn't set out to use a vintage style - it evolved as I started to combine the different elements. I had great fun making it and I hope that Amie likes it when she received the gift!

Make it Show

I thought I would share some pictures of the Stampin' Up! Stand from the show this weekend. It was lovely to see so many familiar faces - I'm just sorry that I didn't get a chance to chat with you all. If I met you for the first time - hello! I hope you enjoy looking at the cards on my blog! Thankfully my back stood up to the test!

Make It Show Farnborough

Yipee - it's finally here! A number of SU demo's have been working hard to get ready for this show - creating a fabulous make and take for all who pop by to see us, devising a number of special offers to tempt you all and creating some beautiful cards and other projects to showcase all that Stampin' Up! can do!

My own preparation has been hampered these past few days by a bad back - but hopefully I will be fully functioning on the stand today! I look forward to seeing many of you at the show today - but for those of you who can't make it there - I am offering 10% off any order given to me over the period of the show.

If you want to take advantage of this offer - just email me with your order this weekend. And don't forget to take advantage of the sale-a-bration offer too!

Marry Me?

No this isn't a proposal - but the name of a new stamp set in the Mini Catalogue! I really like this particular set because the images and words are so simple. I think it is also quite versatile - and it could be used for anniversary cards and special occasions. As I work in a school - I immediately think of the school prom! I would just ink up the image (minus the veil) for those sorts of occasions!

For this card I used the incolour Pool Party card stock and stamped my images in versamark. I then heat embossed the majority with white embossing powder. I created the butterflies with the Beautiful Butterflies Die and used both card and embossed vellum card stock to create the 3 d butterflies.

Cup Cake Heaven

Those of you who know me, know that I love to bake - so it should be no surprise that one of my favourite new stamp sets from the Spring Mini Catalogue is the fabulous Create a Cupcake and matching builder punch. They are such fun to use together! There is no end of different combinations for the toppings - from candles, to sprinkles and flowers - but I think my favourite topping has to be the cherry - especially when it is punched out in the fantastic new glimmer paper. (the picture in the Spring Mini really doesn't do it justice!). Best of all - these cupcakes have no calories!

Sale-a-bration Inspiration

If you haven't made your mind up yet about the sale-a-bration limited edition stamp sets and paper set - here are some ideas of just what you can do with them!

Aren't they fabulous!

My personal favourites are the fresh vintage stamp set and sale-a-bration papers that coordinate so perfectly with the stamps.

If you would like to get your hands on one of these fabulous sets - there's only one way! You can choose one of the sale-a-bration items for FREE every time you place an order worth £45 or more until the end of March.

So don't miss out on this fabulous offer - and if you place an order over the coming weekend I am offering a 10% discount! What are you waiting for?

Sale-a-bration baggie books

This is one of the cards that I've created over the past few days. It started off quite simply - but i kept adding elements! It's hard to see from the picture but I have used the music note wheel and versamark ink pad to create an embossed background. I've then used some genuine vintage music and the lovely new perfect postage stamp set and matching punch. You can't really see but I stamped the heart using both versamark and real red so that I could then use clear embossing powder. If you've not tried that before it's a really good way of colour matching your embossing without having to buy lots of different colour powders.

Do you see the red glitter card? It's fabulous - and a little goes a long way! A bit of ribbon and lace trim to finish off and the card is complete. I haven't shown it here, but I also decorated the inside using the scallop corner punch to decorate the insert.

One valentine's card done - but don't tell my husband!

Happy New Year

Better late than never! It's been a busy few weeks, but after a well deserved (at least I like to think it's well deserved) break, I am ready to get crafting and blogging again.

There are so many new things happening in the Stampin' Up! world that it's hard to know where to begin! But I will start with the fantastic new Spring Mini Catalogue. If you haven't seen it yet you can click on the image at the side and view it online - alternatively, drop me a line and I will be happy to post one out to you.

There's so many lovely new stamp sets (and some have matching punches) that I've hardly known where to start! And not just 1 new DSP - but 3 to choose from!! My personal favourute is Spice Cake - I just love the colour combinations. I've been having great fun with the cupcake set and punch and I've become a huge fan of the new glitter card. No matter how hard I rub at the card the glitter just won't come off!

As if that isn't enough to wet your appetite - starting on 24th January we have the sale-a-bration starting. For every £45 you spend you can choose from 4 specially created sets of stamps - or the most gorgeous pack of paper. In fact I spent yesterday with a bunch of other lovely demonstrators making 4 sets of 4 cards to showcase these lovely sets.

I'll be posting the pictures over the next few weeks.

I have classes starting again on 12th January - making a selection of "store cupboard" cards using the new sets. Future classes will include a selection of cards for children, special occasions and some new techniques (or perhaps old techniques that you haven't used for a while!)

If you want more details of any of my classes just click on the link over the next few days or contact me directly.

The 24 - 26th February sees the Make It Show back in Farnborough and I will be on the Stampin' Up! stand on Friday 24th (Please pop by and say hello!).

Finally there is our Craft Day - provisionally scheduled for 17th March - so lots to do and lots to tell you about over the coming months.

Bye for now - but check back tomorrow for your first pictures of the year!