Quick announcement - new craft classes

I only have a couple of samples left to show you from the existing catalogue, and they are for a party tomorrow night so I don't want to spoil the surprise.

So before I launch into my new catalogue samples next week, here's a quick announcement.

Starting in July, I will be holding monthly craft classes on a Friday morning. Yes, morning. Sorry to all those folks who work but I'm sure there are lots of people out there who would love to spend a weekday morning doing something they love, or trying something new.

Here are details:

Crafty Fridays

2nd Friday in the month

9.30am-11.30am

Venue - my house in Denby

£6, or free with a £30 order

Booking with payment one week in advance. 

Very limited places available, due to space restrictions 

More details from me - just click here!

NB: I've had a few questions about these events, so just to clarify... the £30 order cannot be part of an existing club or workshop order as these already carry perks of their own. The projects are intended to be simple - going back to basics really for beginner stampers. We will probably do two small projects during the session, but this will depend on the project. The number and simplicity of the projects is reflected in the price. The events are ideal for beginners - so feel free to bring a friend who has never stamped before!

More Amore pouch

This was another of the shoebox swaps we did in the hotel room at Telford the other week. This one was provided by Alison or Donna… or a combination of both, I never did work it out!

It uses the retiring Two Tags die. I was just about to type “get it while you can” but I thought I’d better check the up-to-date retiring accessories list and, sadly, it’s already out of stock. This is why you should absolutely not delay with your orders during retiring month. I’ve had to disappoint a few people this week, sadly.

So, assuming you already have the Two Tags die, you could make this with any Designer Series Paper – you just fold it over at its crease and you have a cute little pouch. I’ve had so much mileage out of this die and I’ll be sad to see it go.

Here we’ve used More Amore DSP from the Spring/Summer catty – this paper will no longer be available after 30^th June, so get that while you can! It’s wrapped up with Pool Party ruffled ribbon – this will be retiring, too.

Topping it all off is a cute (but now a little squashed) creped filter paper flower. This was made by punching several scallop circles in two different sizes, joining them with a brad, scrunching them up and dipping in a solution of alcohol coloured with a few drops of ink. Effective, eh?

Cardstock: Gumball Green textured (is that even possible?)

Paper: More Amore, Creped Filter Paper

Accessories: Pool Party ruffled ribbon, Two Tags Die, Scallop Circle Punches, that leaf die whose name I can’t remember

Caturday cool dude

So many cats deserve to be Caturday today but Mr Winky wins due to his inability to realise he was wearing a daisy chain for THREE hours yesterday. Daughter put it on him and then went out... he was next spotted prancing around the garden in it two hours later. As he seemed unperturbed by his adornment, we left him to it and an hour later he was STILL sporting his jewellery. He finally cast it off before bedtime. He's such a daft lad.

In other news, there are still a few places left on my Catalogue Launch Party. Please CLICK HERE to register.

And I also have a few places left on the next round of the Virtual Hostess Club, which I am hoping to start in July. Members get their new catalogue before anybody else - even before the Catalogue Launch Party! For other benefits, please click here, then drop me a line if you'd like to join. Don't forget that I lost all my data so if you have already told me you'd like to join, please remind me!

Hearts and hexagons

At the Regional Training event the other week, some of the team brought shoebox swaps for us to make in the evening, which was fun.

This beauty was provided by Alison Higley and I absolutely love it. It’s bang on trend, as I’m banned from saying at home, because it uses different shades of white and cream, features hearts, hexagons and printed text… and is very simple. So much for Generation Y – it’s a bit worrying when the trendiest member of your team is a grandma!

Stamps: Hearts A Flutter

Cardstock: Naturals Ivory, Whisper White, Very Vanilla

Paper: First Edition

Ink: Summer Starfruit, Midnight Muse

Accessories: Hexagon embossing folder, Hearts a Flutter Framelits

Best of Flowers card with Tea for Two paper

I had chance for a quick play with Best of Flowers to make this card to congratulate one of my team on her recent promotion. I was delighted that Helen achieved her Bronze 2 because, if I recall correctly, she only signed up because she wanted the full set of markers and it worked out as a better deal to get the full Starter Kit!

I inked the stamp using markers then coloured some of the flowers in using a blender pen, picking up the ink scribbled from the marker onto a clear block. I have to put it on record that I think I am actually warming to Calypso Coral. Yes it’s taken two years but it’s happening at last. Love this spotty paper, anyway.  It’s from Tea for Two – get it while you can!

I couldn’t find my doilies – I made this card before yesterday’s Big Clearout –so improvised with some punched scallop circles from Creped Filter Paper. Some tiny strips of cardstock jazzed up the button – a trick I learned at Monica’s retreat in the spring.

With the card, I sent Helen a keyring (right). Everyone in my team gets a keyring like this when they reach Bronze 2. The bead represents their first promotion. They get further beads for every additional promotion, plus for attending official SU events. So Helen already had a bead for attending Regionals before she received the keyring! Now at least she has somewhere to put it. 

Stamps: Best of Flowers

Cardstock: Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla

Paper: Tea For Two, Creped Filter Paper

Ink: Lucky Limeade and Calypso Coral markers

Accessories: Naturals Buttons, Ruffled Ribbon – Lucky Limeade, Scallop Circle Punch 

Farewell to French Foliage and Curly Cute

We had friends staying this weekend and spent a lovely Saturday afternoon chilling in the sunshine (I know!) with Pimm’s and an indulgent Saturday evening dining on top quality fish and chips. Later, the men (and boy) stayed up late to look at Saturn through a telescope.

Sunday morning, I was asked to give a cardmaking demonstration. Well, I don’t need asking twice, so I dug out some leftover Make & Take packs and we had a go.

Unfortunately, I’ve just trawled through my blog and can’t find the original card we made from this pack… and I put the sample in the post only on Friday. Isn’t that just typical?

But if you went to Angela T’s party during Sale-a-Bration you may just recognise these elements, “reimagined” to use two much-loved stamp sets which will be retiring at the end of this month; French Foliage and Curly Cute.

Normally I don’t get too sentimental when stamp sets retire, but this year some of my most favourite sets are going; these two, plus Nature Walk, Artisan Etchings and that really useful set, For My Family (I might hang onto this one as it really is very handy indeed).

But life goes on, so back to this card… the doily is folded, off centre, to give the illusion of two.  The scraps of ribbon come from the Artisan Embellishment Kit from the Spring/Summer catalogue – remember that items from this catalogue are not guaranteed to be carried over but do not appear on the retirement list. Talk to me if you’re not sure whether to order or not.

Stamps: French Foliage, Curly Cute

Cardstock: Raspberry Ripple, Very Vanilla

Paper: Tea For Two

Ink: Raspberry Ripple, Primrose Petals, Lucky Limeade, Crumb Cake

Accessories: Artisan Embellishments Kit, Paper Doilies 

More news - Best of 25 Years and single stamps

It’s all happening in the world of Stampin’ Up!® Not only do we have the retiring products lists to study, wail over and shop from… and we demonstrators are busy with our pre-orders from the new catalogue and planning our launch parties… now SU has made TWO more exciting announcements.

Best of 25 Years Stamp Sets

As part of our 25-year anniversary celebration, SU is bringing back some of our favourite stamp images from the last quarter century and combining them into five sets, which will release – one set per month – until October 2013. Along with some great classic images, each “Best of” set will also include a never-before-seen image, although many of the images may be new to us in the UK as we’ve only had SU here for five years.

All the “Best of” sets will be available in clear-mount only and will retail at £13.95. A new one will be released each month, but will remain available until 31^st March 2014.

This month’s stamp set is called Best of Flowers and you’ve already seen a hint of it in this post, as we were lucky enough to be given a free set at the Regional Training event in Telford. The cool thing, which I haven’t exploited yet, is that the flower I used actually fits the 1 ¼” Scallop Circle Punch. That would have saved me a lot of time when making 10 boxes!

Anyway, here’s a pic of the full set.

Single Stamps

The second announcement refers to single stamps. Over in the North American market, SU has been experimenting with single stamps and seen very positive results. So now we’re getting them, too – aren’t we lucky that SU has America to use as a guinea pig for us?

From now until 31^st August, or while supplies last, you can purchase five single image stamps. They are all clear-mount only and will be packaged in cello bags, rather than boxes.

Here they are – I love the one with the specs!

Meanwhile, it is, of course, also Caturday… so here’s Maddie, baby Max’s very patient mum, no I was wrong, it's actually Popeye,  who belongs to the cat shelter's owner, but had popped in for a visit.