Celery trees

I was playing around at my Contain Yourself 2 workshop (well, everyone seemed to be coping quite nicely so I took the opportunity to stamp a little!) and made this. It uses exactly the same pieces of cardstock and ribbon as the card from yesterday but I used Trendy Trees instead. LOVE that set!

It does illustrate how you can adapt a card idea to suit the products that you already have. This is what makes the Idea Book & Catalogue so useful - you don't have to copy the ideas exactly, you can change the colours, the stamp set or even turn a card on its side. Why not have a go at changing an idea around from the catalogue?

Stamps: Trendy Trees
Cardstock: Perfect Plum, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
Ink: Perfect Plum, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
Accessories: ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon - Certainly Celery, Stamp-a-ma-jig®

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the link on the right to view it online.

Take time to smell the flowers

Hello Again is a fabulous set. I admit I only bought it because it was so cheap (less than a tenner!) but now I love it. It’s cute and funky!

We used it at my Contain Yourself 2 workshop to make two of these cards each. It’s a great way to use up all those long strips of cardstock in your scraps box which you think you’ll never get round to using. A strip of Certainly Celery at the top; a strip of So Saffron at the bottom and who cares about the middle bit because it's covered up and nobody can see it!

Stamps: Hello Again
Cardstock: Perfect Plum, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Whisper White
Ink: Perfect Plum, So Saffron
Accessories: ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon - Certainly Celery, Paper Snips, Stampin' Dimensionals

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the link on the right to view it online.

I'm in love with another tree stamp set

I really like the clean and simple look of this card. Love the Certainly Celery card base, too, which is a shame for those who attended my Contain Yourself 2 workshop as I accidentally cut them out of So Saffron. I have NO idea what I was thinking and unfortunately I didn’t have time to cut new ones out of Certainly Celery. But they looked lovely in So Saffron, too, so I think all was well.

And something forgot to say yesterday: a BIG thank you to Pam and Jenny for doing the washing up after the workshop! It was much appreciated.

Stamps: Trendy Trees
Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Rose Red, Whisper White
Paper: Perfect Plum Patterns
Ink: Certainly Celery, Perfect Plum, Rose Red
Accessories: Striped Grosgrain Ribbon – Rose Red, Stamp-a-ma-jig®, Stampin’ Dimensionals

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the link on the right to view it online.

I'm back with another Circle Circus card

Oops, sorry I’ve been neglecting my blog. I’ve had a few email issues, camera battery issues and daylight issues! I’ve also been busy helping some lovely ladies join my Stampin’ Up!® team.

Lots of crafters are now realising what fun it would be to become a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator – make sure you don’t miss out on the fabulous 10% off deal which runs until 13th November. Send me an email if you want to find out more.

On to today’s project... this was one of the cards we made at my Contain Yourself 2 class, where everyone covered a tin and made six cards to go inside. I was really worried that I was overstretching things so bullied them into working fast... and most people finished early! It helped that we made two of each card and, of course, all the supplies are already cut up and ready.

The colour scheme for the evening was Rose Red, Perfect Plum, Certainly Celery and So Saffron, which I think go really well together. I really like this card made with Circle Circus. I like all the Rose Red circles peeping out from behind the main image and I think the Whisper White greeting, stamped in our new Craft ink pad, really stands out.

Stamps: Circle Circus, Trendy Trees
Cardstock: Rose Red, Perfect Plum, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
Paper: Patterns – Perfect Plum
Ink: Rose Red, White Craft
Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8” circle punch, 1 ¼” circle punch, Paper Piercing Tool, Mat Pack, ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon - Certainly Celery

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the link on the right to view it online.

What's stopping you from signing up?

Have I ever mentioned how much fun it is being a Stampin’ Up!® demonstrator? That you’ll meet like-minded people, make new friends, learn fantastic new techniques and... wait for it... get paid for it, too?

Have I ever mentioned that being a demonstrator is so flexible that you can work at it as much or as little as you like? That you don’t even have to do workshops if you don’t want to? But that the rewards are there if you do have the time (and the inclination) to turn it into a successful business?

Have I ever told you that the Starter Kit contains more than £240 of stamping and business supplies? And that you can change some of the supplies to suit your personal tastes? That it’s a mega-bargain even if you never plan to demonstrate? That it’s a no-risk investment because, no matter what happens, you get to keep the kit?

Have I ever told you that you have until the end of your first FULL quarter to meet your first sales target? So that, if you signed up during November, you would have until the end of March?

Have I ever told you about all the extra rewards you can earn with Stampin’ Up!? That you earn the same benefits on your own orders as a hostess does, so lots of freebies could come your way? And have I ever mentioned the chance to earn 15 free stamp sets in your first six months?

I’m sure I must have ... but I know I haven’t told you this: if you sign up before 13th November, you’ll get 10% off the Starter Kit, making it an even bigger bargain at just £125!

What’s holding you back? Why not email me today and see if I can allay your fears?

Hmmmm.... chocolate

Gift ideas don’t have to be difficult or time-consuming. This is just a bag of chocolate balls with a tag. I wouldn’t buy the chocolates again because many of them were chipped so the brown of the chocolate was showing through and they don’t look nice but this would look good with mint imperials or toffee bonbons instead. As for what happened to the chipped and smashed chocolates... do you really need me to tell you?

Stamps: Say It With Scallops
Cardstock: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Scallop Square Punch, ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon - Pumpkin Pie

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the link on the right to view it online.

The buckle card...

So... the Buckle Card, as demonstrated at my catalogue launch. I’ve wanted to demo this card for such a long time but only now do we have the necessary Word Window Punch in our catalogue. And we’re all thrilled!

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE our new catalogue? My wish list is dangerously long. I’m chipping away at it but still covet so much more.

But back to the card. It’s really easy actually; you just make a standard card, then slice part of the front off (save the piece for another project!). The punch a Word Window, vertically, in the remaining flap.

Next you make a flap – or “buckle” - to slot inside the Word Window. The is the only important measurement – this buckle should be narrower than the Word Window.

If you make an inner piece to go inside the card – mine is Old Olive, unsurprisingly - this can be stuck on top of the end of the buckle/flap to cover any joins.

One thing worth knowing is that the Word Window Punch will NOT like it if you try to punch through two layers of cardstock. It will, however, happily punch through a sheet of Designer Series Paper and a sheet of cardstock. So, if you’re using paper and cardstock, go for it. If you’re using two sheets of cardstock, punch one layer then overlay the second layer and use that as a guide to punch again.

Of course, you don’t need a second layer or cardstock or DSP at all – you could always stamp the front.

Stamps: Animal Stories
Cardstock: So Saffron, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Paper: Tall Tales
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon - Chocolate Chip, Word Window Punch, corner rounder

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the link on the right to view it online.

The painless way to get a full set of markers

Do you love markers? Do you only dream of owning the full set of Stampin’ Up!® Stampin’ Write markers in their handy storage box?

You can buy each colour family for £24.95 for 12 markers – £2.08 per marker. But if you want the lovely storage box so that you can store them easily and horizontally to keep both tips inked evenly, you have to buy the full set in one go for £99.95... until now.

Yes, I have a cunning plan. All it needs is four people who all want the full set of markers in the box and are willing to spend £24.95 a month for four months. I’ll even pay your shipping!* It’s
a perfect plan for those who aren’t able, or can’t bring themselves, to fork out £99.95 all at once. And, when you receive your final set of markers, you’ll get the box to put them all in, too!

* Free shipping is offered by me and only applies to the markers, not to any other items ordered. If postage is required to your home, this will be charged at cost for recorded delivery.

Too early for Bold Brights!

I do like this Circle Circus stamp set. It’s so versatile as you can use it to make pretty girlie cards or geometric masculine cards. Or even funky teenage cards. You get the idea.

This is an unusual colour combination for me – in fact, I’m typing this early in the morning and it’s hurting my eyes! But I do like it a lot.

Stamps: Circle Circus
Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Brilliant Blue, Green Galore, Whisper White
Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Green Galore, Brilliant Blue
Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8” circle punch, ½” circle punch, Mat Pack, Paper Piercer

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the link on the right to view it online.

Elephant box

Not my finest hour but it was fab in my head, honest! I need a handle and don’t have any of that fabulous striped ribbon yet (order going in today though!). It probably wasn’t a good idea to stamp Creamy Caramel elephants on the tissue paper either – when it’s scrunched up, they just look brown and smeary.

But ignoring all the faults of the box, check out the fabulous paper used here. Isn’t it gorgeous? It co-ordinates with Animal Stories, the cheeky new set I’ve used. And some of the sheets in this paper pack are so fabulous that you could frame them and put them on your wall!

Stamps: Animal Stories
Cardstock: Summer Sun, Whisper White
Paper: Tall Tales
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: 5/8” Grosgrain Ribbon - Chocolate Chip

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the link on the right to view it online.

Friendly flowers

I’m not supposed to tell you this but my cousin made this card for me during her visit from Canada this summer. Not sure why I wasn’t supposed to say she made it – she has nothing to be ashamed of because it’s a fab card and I love it!

Stamps: Good Friend
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Whisper White
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, More Mustard, Ruby Red, Old Olive. Always Artichoke
Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, 5/8” Grosgrain Ribbon - Chocolate Chip

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the link on the right to view it online.

Olive circus

Oooh, I like this. Am I allowed to say that? Oh well, I have done. I do like the monochromatic look and I expect it’s the Old Olive which makes me love this card so much! I particularly the like Old Olive scalloped edge on Old Olive. I was playing around with my new Circle Circus set, which is great fun and has tons of possibilities.

Stamps: Circle Circus
Cardstock: Old Olive, Whisper White
Ink: Old Olive
Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, 5/8” Grosgrain Ribbon - Old Olive

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the link on the right to view it online.

Autumn bookmarks

This was one of the Make and Takes at my Catalogue Launch on Saturday. Actually, the one on the left was a prototype – we actually made the one on the right with the lovely new striped ribbon. The leaves and corn (is it corn?) are stamped with Creamy Caramel, stamping off to get lighter shades, too. The edges are inked using a sponge dauber and ink from the inside lid of the Creamy Caramel ink pad.

Wishes is stamped in Chocolate Chip on Pumpkin Pie and punched out using the fabulous new Word Window Punch – you need this punch, trust me! And that’s just about it. Easy peasy, and perfect for keeping the right page in your brand new Idea Book & Catalogue!

Stamps: Autumn Days, Basic Phrases
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Very Vanilla
Ink: Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, Word Window Punch, ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon – Pumpkin Pie, Striped Grosgrain Ribbon - Pumpkin Pie

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the link on the right to view it online.

Drumroll please...

Sorry for the delay but I finally have winners to announce:

Summer Design Challenge
Remember this? If you recall, I said that any of my customers who entered the competition would have their creation independently judged to win a stamp set from me. In the event, Kelly came second in the national competition so it didn’t seem fair to judge them so I drew a winner at random. And that winner is... Alison H! Congratulations – you win Best Yet.

Yellow Ticket Draw
First prize: Victoria W wins this fabulous package containing a stamp set (Organic Grace), Fresh Cut Notes plus some fun accessories.
Runners-up: Jenny H wins a Thank You stamp. Janet P and Hazel P both win mini packs of 6x6 Designer Series Paper.

Red Ticket Draw
At my catalogue launch, for every £10 ordered, the customer received a ticket to win the hostess set, at whatever level the order reached. The order reached Level 2 and there was no need to ask the winner which stamp set she wanted because it’s Janet F and everyone who knows her knows that she is desperate to get her hands on Rustic Rooster. So that’s what I’ve ordered for her – have fun, Janet!

Catalogue Treasure Hunt
This was a close-run thing. Nobody got all the questions right but three people scored eight out of nine. We drew a winner at random and that winner is... Kate C! A butterfly stamp will be heading your way.

Finally, there’s a happy ending for my Paper Piercing Tool. Just as I was about to click to add a new one to my latest order, news came in that it had been found. Hurrah!

Ogres have layers... owls have brayers

Obscure title, eh? That's what excitement and exhaustion does to you.

And what a busy and exciting day Saturday was! It was my Catalogue Launch Party and, although I say it myself, I think it went very well. This is largely due to the fabulous help I received from my wonderful downlines Kelly and Tracey... and of course stamping stalwart Betty and my Mum! Not forgetting cake-making and Loyalty Card-stamping by my daughter! Thank you everyone!

And thank you, too, to everyone who came along and joined in the fun. I have some very exciting news for some of you, who have won PRIZES! But I’m afraid you can wait until tomorrow because I want to photograph the main prize which is rather fantastic.

So, to keep you quiet, here is one of the demonstrations I did at the launch. Do you know I prepared several of these to demo but only had time to do the one? So I’m sorry if you missed it!

In the past week or so I’ve been experimenting with brayering – it’s a new technique for me but I quite like it, even though it doesn’t fall into the “quick and easy” category that I lean towards.

For this card I used the Two-Way Glue Pen to attach a ¾” punched circle to my Very Vanilla cardstock. If you allow the Two-Way Glue Pen to dry clear, it’s a temporary adhesive, which is very useful. So, with circle in place, I began to brayer. It’s a long process but not that difficult. If you get stripes, just keep going... and going...

I did find that colours went much darker than anticipated – these two colours are Bashful Blue and So Saffron. Start with your palest colour and work towards the darker one.

Then I removed the punched circle to reveal the “moon” and stamped the owl from Animal Stories using the Stamp-a-ma-jig® to get it in the right place. The Stamp-a-ma-jig® came out again for the sprig from Autumn Days, giving the owl somewhere to sit. Finally, I highlighted the top of the branch and leaves slightly using the white gel pen.

The holes are made using my brand new Paper Piercing Tool, which sadly has gone missing! If you find this, first get a plaster to sort out your finger (because I have the little plastic guard and the protective casing) and then please do let me know asap, because it looks like I’m going to have to order another one!

Stamps: Autumn Days, Animal Stories
Cardstock: Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Night of Navy, Very Vanilla
Paper: Patterns Pack (last year’s hostess set – this year’s would work better!)
Ink: Night of Navy, Bashful Blue, So Saffron
Accessories: Mat Pack, Paper Piercing Tool, White Gel Pen, ¾” circle punch, Striped Grosgrain Ribbon - Bashful Blue, Rich Regals Brads, Brayer

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the link on the right to view it online.

Teal wedding card

I completely forgot to show you this card, which I made for a happy couple back in September. Not the most conventional wedding card colour but the bride’s favourite colour is Taken With Teal, which was also the theme of the wedding, so I just had to use it. Sorry about the dark photo - I took it too late in the day.

I kept it very simple, just stamping Autumn Days a few times, stamping off to get different shades. I added the Mr & Mrs stamp from Basic Phrases and a pearl from the Pretties kit. That’s all!

Stamps: Autumn Days, Basic Phrases
Cardstock: Whisper White, Taken with Teal
Ink: Taken with Teal
Accessories: Pretties Kit

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the link on the right to view it online.

Packing a (new) punch

Another fun image from the Animal Stories stamp set – this time a rather haughty-looking giraffe. He’s stamped in Really Rust on Very Vanilla and popped up to add dimension. The paper is from the Spiced Cider collection, which has survived from the last catalogue, and I’ve doodled around the edges with a Chocolate Chip marker. This is a bit daunting but took me about 10 seconds – I just went for it, and quite like how it turned out.

Oh, and what’s that cute little tab with the words stamped on it? Could it be... a new punch? It could indeed – it’s the much sought-after Word Window Punch and it fits the Basic Phrases stamp set (and others) a treat. It’s rounded at both ends, I’ve just folded one end round the edge of my layer.

Stamps: Animal Stories, Basic Phrases
Cardstock: Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Paper: Spiced Cider
Ink: Really Rust, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon, Word Window Punch, Chocolate Chip Stampin’ Write marker

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the link on the right to view it online.

Earth Elephants

Earth Elephants... geddit? Oh, never mind.

A very simple card but I loved the row of elephants so much that I didn’t want to detract from them. I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig® to line them up and then stamped them in different colours from the Earth Elements family. That’s all... but they look quite cute, don’t they?

Stamps: Animal Stories
Cardstock: Summer Sun, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Ink: Summer Sun, More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Stamp-a-ma-jig®

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the link on the right to view it online.

Three-whit-too-whoo

If one owl can perch, why not three? It’s a bit of a squeeze and the Creamy Caramel owl looks like he might fall off the edge but they seem happy enough.

I’ve teamed the Animal Stories stamp set with the new Autumn Days set, which features lots of silhouette foliage and a pheasant. I think they go quite well together.

I’ve inked around the edges of the cardstock using a sponge dauber and the lid of my Creamy Caramel inkpad. I usually do this with chalks but couldn’t be bothered to fetch the chalks – and I found that this method works really well.

And piercing is going to be a big thing from now on – because we have a new piercing tool and the mat pack, which is now sold separately and is an absolute boon because it means you can pierce in straight lines, no problem!

Stamps: Animal Stories, Autumn Days
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, Creamy Caramel, Very Vanilla
Ink: Close to Cocoa, Really Rust. Creamy Caramel. Old Olive
Accessories: Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Stamp-a-ma-jig®, 5/8” Grosgrain Ribbon – Old Olive

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the link on the right to view it online.

Owl card (not very original but accurate)

I was going to try to wean myself off Old Olive and Real Red when the new catalogue came out ... but I find that I can’t. It goes so well with the new stamps and still features heavily in the samples shown in the new catty.

So here’s a cute little owl, perched on a “branch” from Season of Joy (thanks to the addition of hand-drawn legs) and enjoying one of my very favourite colour combinations.

Stamps: Animal Stories, Season of Joy
Cardstock: Old Olive, Real Red, textured Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Real Red
Accessories: ¾” circle punch, 5/8” Grosgrain Ribbon – Real Red, Scallop Edge Punch, Chocolate Chip Stampin’ Write Marker

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the link on the right to view it online.

Share and share alike

Shares are a great way to get your hands on a wide variety of products quickly. Then you can decide which are your favourites and order full packs later on, if you wish. To celebrate the launch of the new Idea Book & Catalogue, I am currently offering two shares. Please email me or leave a comment with your email address if you wish to take part in either or both of these shares. Check the side of my blog for the number of slots still available.

Designer Series Paper Share
In this share you will receive one 6”x6” square of each double-sided sheet from the following collections (6 sheets each from 9 packs):

• To The Nines
• Pink Flamingo
• Tall Tales
• Nouveau Chic
• Kaleidoscope
• Bella Bleu
• Perfect Plum Patterns
• Merry Moments
• Jackpot

Please note: Only new Designer Series Papers are included. The Bride, Groom and Bridesmaid Speciality Paper is not included in this share. If you’d like to take part in a share for just these papers, please let me know – four people would be needed.

Use these sheets to make 6x6 scrapbook pages or to embellish your cards or other projects. Each sheet is double-sided. If you wish to make the most of both patterns on each sheet, put yourself down for two slots in the share. In the case of the large-patterned sheets, it is the luck of the draw as to which section of the image you will receive.

There are eight slots in this share – each slot costs £9.30 including shipping & handling – that works out at 17.2p per 6”x6” sheet. The paper will be delivered to me for cutting, after which you can collect it from my house or from my next event. Alternatively, I can post it to you (postage charged at cost).

Ribbon Share
There are eight new ribbons in the new Stampin’ Up! Idea Book & Catalogue – this is an opportunity to be able to use them all. Here’s what you’ll get in this share:

• 1 metre Pumpkin Pie ½” Striped Grosgrain Ribbon
• 1 metre Real Red ½” Striped Grosgrain Ribbon
• 1 metre Old Olive ½” Striped Grosgrain Ribbon
• 1 metre Pumpkin Pie 1 ¼” Striped Grosgrain Ribbon
• 1 metre Chocolate Chip 1 ¼” Striped Grosgrain Ribbon
• 1 metre Old Olive 1 ¼” Striped Grosgrain Ribbon
• 1 metre Basic Black 1 ¼” Striped Grosgrain Ribbon
• 1.5 metres Whisper White 5/8” Satin Ribbon

Want more than a metre of each ribbon but don’t want to buy full rolls? Just put your name down twice and you’ll get 2-metre lengths (3-metre length of Satin Ribbon).

There are eight slots in this share – each slot costs £7.00 including shipping & handling. The ribbon will be delivered to me for measuring and cutting. You can collect it from my house or from my next event or I can post the ribbons to you (postage charged at cost).

Edited to add: Bianca, you didn't leave an email address so I hope you find this. I'm sorry but I am not allowed to sell Stampin' Up!® products to anyone outside of the UK. If you don't already have a demonstrator, here's a link to the German demonstrator finder. Hope you can find someone to help you!

New catalogue... new stamp....

The new catalogue is now online! Click here to see it - I'm sure you'll love it! And, if you want to see supply lists for each project, click here. It's a big PDF file which you can download and save to your hard drive. You can print it out and keep it with your new catalogue if you wish but just be warned that it runs to several pages with colour pictures so have lots of toner ready.

I'll sort out a link for the side of my blog later on. It's too early for technical stuff right now. Meanwhile, here's a card with a stamp I've not been allowed to show you until now...

This new stamp is causing a stir among demonstrators. I did a little survey on a forum I visit for demonstrators and two thirds of them said they were definitely going to buy it. So I’d get your order in quickly if you want this one as I suspect it will soon be on backorder ... and we all know how nail-biting it is having to wait for rubber stamps to arrive.

It’s called Medallion and it’s a background stamp so pretty big. Here I’ve just stamped it and cut it into quarters to “tile” it on a square card – but I’ve seen some very spectacular things done with it. I made this with my cousin’s stamp while she was over for a visit in the summer... but I expect I’ll cave in and buy the stamp after all!

Stamps: Medallion
Cardstock: Pink Passion, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White
Ink: Pink Passion, Elegant Eggplant
Accessories: Scallop Circle Punch, Pretties Kit, Boho Blossoms Punch

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the link on the right to view it online.

It's not there yet....

....the new catty that is. I just checked on the Stampin' Up! website and it's not there. Maybe after 11am when the site is updated. I'm off to work so it's all down to you I'm afraid!