Christmas swaps

I have lots of lovely Christmas goodies to show you but they’re a secret until after my final class of the year tomorrow.

So, to keep the festive feeling alive, here are some of my favourite Christmas swaps from Convention. It’s no surprise to me that many of these are from German demonstrators as I really like the German style. 

Fabienne Klinger, Germany - look at all the detail!

and on the the back of the envelope, too!

Alexandra Hamm, Germany - www.stempelhimmel.blogspot.com

Christine from Stempelmanie@blogspot.com, Germany

My friend and downline Alison Richardson, UK

Lisa Runnalls, UK - stampincrazylisa@blogspot.com

This one has lost its rhinestone! Martina Petersen, Germany

Santa's List Label Card Thinlits - and Clearance Rack news!

If you like smaller cards – or want your main element to be a bigger feature of your card – you can cut down the cards made by the Label Card Thinlits to make any size you like. This one is sized to fit our note card envelopes, which we can buy in Crumb Cake, or which come in white with the Whisper White note cards.

I stamped around the bottom with that old favourite, Lovely as a Tree, in Old Olive. Then used the same stamp to represent branches around the white label on the inside. If you don’t have this stamp set, I highly recommend that you get it as it’s suitable for very many occasions; Christmas, masculine, sympathy, birthday… you name it, you’ll be able to make it with this versatile stamp set.

It’s not too late to buy for Christmas presents – why not take a look at my online store and, while you’re there, check out the Clearance Rack. New items have just been added and there are some great bargains on cardstock (some of your favourite retired colours!) and ribbons, not to mention dies and embossing folders and embellishments, too!

You can have your order shipped to any UK address for just £4.95 – and delivery should be within about five days at the moment.

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Santa’s List, Wishing You

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Crumb Cake

Accessories: Label Card Thinlits, Modern Label Punch, Basic Rhinestones, Old Olive Simply Styled Embellishments

Santa's List label Thinlits card - simple and stepped-up

 

Today’s project is a quick and easy Christmas card that still looks impressive – it was my workshop card for November and one of the projects at last week’s Crafty Friday. Please scroll down for the stepped-up version. 

Despite its flip element, it’s very easy to make – using the new Label Card Thinlits dies. The co-ordinating label shape and arrow are just two of the accompanying dies that come with the large die which scores and cuts the basic card shape.

I kept this card pretty simple, as Make & Takes need to be – just adding a piece of DSP, a tiny bit of bling and some Cherry Cobbler Baker’s Twine.

Stamps: Santa’s List, Wishing You

Cardstock: Old Olive, Whisper White, Red Glimmer Paper

Paper: Season of Style DSP Stack

Ink: Cherry Cobbler

Accessories: Label Card Thinlits, Cherry Cobbler Baker’s Twine

And here is the stepped-up version, which sees Santa popped inside instead of on the front label, which is stamped with that old favourite, Lovely as a Tree.

Stamps: Santa’s List, Wishing You

Cardstock: Old Olive, Whisper White

Paper: Season of Style 12x12 DSP

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Crumb Cake

Accessories: Basic Rhinestone, Naturals Trim

Meet Jarvis Cocker

Here’s a cat who proves that spots and stripes DO go together. It’s Jarvis ... and he wants to live with the Common People... or, in fact, any people who love cats and have room in their home and hearts for a fine feline like him. More about Jarvis and the other cats at Woodland Nook Cat Shelter on the shelter blog, here.

Guest crafter - textile artist

Textile artist Samantha Schofield

For a change, today I’l like to introduce you to one of my Twitter friends, Samantha Schofield, a textile artist from Derby.

As my regulars know, I am way out of my comfort zone with anything to do with fabric and especially *shudder * sewing… so it’s great that Samantha is offering classes in this area.

Samantha very kindly reviewed our beloved Santa’s List stamp set on her blog recently so I asked her  what inspired her crafting. Like many of us, she started crafting as a child.

“I learnt skills from my family here in Derbyshire; my grandmothers knitted and stitched, my mother sewed (and still does) and my father was a watercolour and pen and ink artist.”

But it was sewing which became her passion and she went on to study a BA in Textile Design, specialising in print design.

“I love repeating patterns on fabric and paper. It's my weakness,” she says.  “I like to look back at old-fashioned crafts and make them current and practical for the here and now. Vintage books and magazines are my main reference points.”

Samantha holds classes in Borrowash, focusing on her passion for textiles. She says: “Seasonal wreaths, textile keepsakes, brooches, corsages; using fabrics, threads and buttons... and lots of fun! I take on special requests too, a hen party have just asked for French knickers! All my classes are half day so you leave with lots of ideas.

“I enjoying being able to create something handmade and bespoke. In my workshops, you bring your own creativity and learn new skills and techniques while making, with the added bonus of lots of tea and cake! I enjoy sharing my knowledge, it's great to get together and get social and share some of my crafty secrets!”

Samantha runs Crafternoon Teas (wish I’d thought of that title!) at Marmalade and Tea, Borrowash:

Sew a Christmas Keepsake

This Sunday, 8^th December, 2pm-5pm (only two places left)

Handstitch and embellish it with embroidery, ribbons and buttons. Add a vintage hand-typed message to your creation.

Create a bespoke springtime floral brooch

Sunday, 19^th January, 2pm-5pm

Using vintage fabrics, buttons and your own creativity! Choose fabrics from the stash to make yours truly unique.

Rose Textile Corsage

Sunday, 9^th February, 2pm-5pm

Make a beautiful fabric rose for yourself or to give as a gift. Using pinks, creams and reds to create a real keepsake, all finished with a vintage button.

Each Crafternoon Tea comes with a pot of tea, hand baked scone, jam and freshly whipped cream plus a crafty goodie bag.

£20 per head. To book contact hello@marmaladeeandtea.co.uk or call 01332 672862.

Convention Make & Takes

At Convention we all receive packs for our Make & Takes, which we can complete there with our new stamp sets, or bring home to finish.

It’s nice to get away from the hubbub and sit and create for a while – but this year it was just as nice to look around at all that Convention had to offer in the Expo, so I only made one card while I was there this year.

But, in a first for me, I completed them when I got home! It’s a miracle. I wanted to see if I could get a class out of the Convention projects, and I think I can (with a few tweaks here and there). The packs this year were extremely generous – we received a full Tag a Bag Accessory Kit, which I’ve used on this project.

At the top of this post is a clever bag made from the flat gift bags on page 158 of the main catty. The instructions even came with a video we could find online via a QR code. You can see it here.

There was also this project, using the bags flat – it contains a set of note cards, which I changed quite a lot to suit my needs.

This box needs finishing off with some Gorgeous Grunge stamping – I swapped my wood-mount version for a clear-mount set which arrived yesterday, after I’d made it.

And finally, there was the Gorgeous Grunge card and envelope which I completed at Convention but appear to have mislaid! It’ll turn up one day.

So, would you be interested in this as a class? We can change it around – different colours for example – or keep it as it is.

Whole Lot of Love - brand new Valentine's products!

Christmas is just around the corner – the countdown began today as the first window of the advent calendars across the nation are prised open and, in most cases, the chocolate eaten from within. I remember the days when we had to be satisfied with a little picture of a robin! (Clearly I’m getting old.)

If Christmas is just around the corner, that means Valentine’s Day is not far behind and, as crafters, it’s helpful to stay one step ahead.

Releasing our Valentine’s products early means you can get cracking on your projects over the impending break, or even buy these gorgeous stamps and accessories as gifts for friends for Christmas. 

We saw sneak peeks of all of these products at Convention and I have to admit that, despite not being a big Valentine’s sender, I love them! I won the Love Your More stamp set (well, swapped prizes with a friend) and have been playing with it over the last couple of days.

Here’s what I made for a friend’s birthday – I don’t think she reads my blog, so it should be ok. I coloured the bird with markers – it looked really crisp until I decided to add Crystal Effects to the heart. You can just see that the word “Love” has faded slightly, where the Crystal Effects has made the ink run. I know I should have left the ink to dry for longer but patience isn’t a strong point.

So, despite being a Valentine’s set, my first use of it was for a birthday card – and I know I can get lots of use out of these stamps – in, fact, any of the products on the list below would be useful for all kinds of occasions!

The Monster Hugs received the biggest reaction at Convention – these are soooooo cute! They don’t require much crafting (you just add a chocolate or something small to the centre of the monster, wrap the arms around it and seal with a sticker) so are perfect for beginners, for children, for non-stampers you want to tempt into the craft and for when you need something really cute in a hurry. They’d be great for party favours, for giving out to the class on your child’s birthday… and just for keeping in stock for when someone you know could do with a hug.

Check them out… these products are available from 1st December to 27th January only, or while supplies last.

Stamps

Love You More Stamp Set (wood) - 131850 - £19.95
Love You More Stamp Set (clear) – 131853 - £15.95
This set is also available in French and German in clear-mount only – ask for details

Follow My Heart Stamp Set (wood) – 134611 - £13.95
Follow My Heart Stamp Set (clear) – 134614 - £10.95

Flowerfull Heart Stamp (wood only) – 134617 - £8.95 

Accessories

Sweetheart Treat Bags – 134610 - £4.50
12 Heart bags, 12 die-cut labels, 12 pre-cut pieces of Pool Party Baker’s Twine 

Monster Hugs Boy – 132162 - £5.50 (available 9th December)
Monster Hugs Girl – 132163 - £5.50 (available 9th December)
Each pack contains 18 monsters, in either pink or blue, 18 goggly eyes, 18 adhesive hearts 

Sweet Sayings Cards and Envelopes – 134609 - £5.50
12 printed card bases, 12 envelopes (four Real Red, four Pool Party, four Crisp Canteloupe) 

Recipe for my Love You More card: 
Stamps: Love You More, Summer Silhouettes
Cardstock: Whisper White, Pool Party, Calypso Coral
Ink: Pool Party ink pad; markers in Pool Party, Marina Mista, Calypso Coral, Raspberry Ripple
Accessories: Chalk Talk dies, Chevron Ribbon – Marina Mist, Baker’s Twine from Tag a Bag Accessory Kit, Crystal Effects