Christmas Gift Guide

NB: I'm having trouble with my emails right now - can receive but not send. Please be patient - if you need a quick reply, stick your phone number on the end and I'll call you. 

It's one of the busiest shopping weeks of the year as everyone gets ready for Christmas. Why not take the stress away this year and get your gifts from Stampin' Up!® No frantic dashing to the shops - just drop me a line and I'll get it all ordered for you. If you want free shipping, hop onto my orders which I'll be placing on the 5th and 10th please. Otherwise, it's £4.95 to any UK address of your choice. 

So, who are you shopping for?

For the friend you just know will love cardmaking...

Simply Sent kits (£11.95 and £12.95) are a great way to start them off.  You get all the supplies to make eight cards and, if you like, you can top them up with a small set of two greetings stamps (It’s Your Day or You’re Cherished, both £7.95.) They’re all on p104, so check them out.

For the seamstress...

How about some of our gorgeous designer fabric? We have five collections, each containing three co-ordinating pieces measuring 68.6xm x 45.7cm (that’s a bit bigger than a fat quarter). As you’d expect, the quality is great and the designs are gorgeous. £8.95 per pack, p105.

For the little princess in your life...

The Little Princess stamp set (£16.95 in wood) and a black or grey ink pad (£4.95) is the perfect way to get them started – they can colour the images with their existing pencils or crayons. They can use the set to make birthday cards for their friends and even make their own party invites, too! Page 32

For the scrapbooker...

Our Simply Scrappin’ kits are excellent value at £18.95. You get six sheets of Designer Series Paper (three each in two double-sided designs), eight sheets of textured 12x12 cardstock (two each in four colours) and three 12x12 sheets of top quality self-adhesive die-cuts.  There really is loads of stuff in these kits and I highly recommend them! Page 100.

For the non-crafter...

Just can’t convince them that they’d like crafting? Why not make them a present instead? How about decorating an On Board Journal (£6.25, p103) with some of our lovely Designer Series Paper (from £9.95, p96-99)? Or buy one of our Designer Printed 6x6 Ring Albums for £9.95 (p103) and fill it with photos from the year? They make perfect “brag books” for grandparents!

For the artist...

They may not be into stamping but there are still plenty of top quality products for the true artist. Try our Watercolour Pencils (£19.25, p112) or the Watercolour Wonder™ crayons (£16.95, p112). Our Aqua Painters (£12.25, p113) are popular, too, and can be used with ink, crayons, pencils... you name it. Less mess, too, as all the water is contained within the brush handle.

For your crafty friends...

... the catalogue is your oyster!

Can’t decide?

Why not treat them to gift voucher – these are available from me in any denomination and come with a free hand-stamped card.  

For any of the above, please email me and I'll do the shopping for you!

Step up for Christmas

And this was my Make & Take, which I think everyone loved! This is one of the most popular images from Easy Events right now (might have something to do with the time year!) and here I’ve shown the basic Make & Take we did at the workshops (top), along with an example of a stepped-up version for those who have more time and resources at their disposal.

Some of the cards were Cherry Cobbler and some were Real Red, purely because I had a LOT of Make & Takes to pack up, and ran out of Cherry Cobbler towards the end!

Both cards see the image stamped in Lucky Limeade and the leaves coloured using the same ink pad and a blender pen. For the Make & Take, we coloured the berries in using a blender pen and either Real Red or Cherry Cobbler ink pad, according to which card base was used. But for the stepped up version, I wanted to make it look like real mistletoe, so coloured the berries using Frost White shimmer paint, applied with a cocktail stick. It looks fabulous, but took quite a while to dry, which is why we couldn’t do it at the home workshops.

Both cards feature the gorgeous new Scallop Dots Ribbon in Chocolate Chip, and a strip of Lucky Limeade cardstock, corrugated using the paper crimper. The stepped up version has the image mounted on an extra layer of Lucky Limeade cardstock – looks lovely but you might want to keep to the simpler version if you’re making a lot and are concerned about time, cost and postal weight.

You can also just see that I added a scalloped edge to the bottom card – this is using the fab new Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch with just the tiny scallops showing. Subtle but effective.

And finally, I finished off the bottom card with a flower button and a hint of linen thread.

Oops, nearly forgot to say that I totally CASEd this card from a Canadian demonstrator called Carrie Gaskin.

Stamps: Easy Events

Cardstock: Real Red/Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Lucky Limeade

Ink: Lucky Limeade, Cherry Cobbler

Accessories: Paper Crimper, Scallop Dots Ribbon - Chocolate Chip, Linen Thread, Regals Buttons, Frost White Shimmer Paint, Blender Pen, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch

All products by Stampin’ Up!®

Two Tags Die projects

With all the excitement of Convention, I never got round to showing you my October/November workshop projects!

I was concentrating on a few products: the new Easy Events stamp set, the new Two Tags die and two old favourites; Watercolour Wonder™ crayons and blender pens.

First let me explain the Two Tags die. It looks like this and you won’t be surprised to know that it creates two tags – one looks like a bookmark and one more like a luggage label, with a score line across the centre. When I first saw it, I admit I thought “Tags? Why?” and moved on. But then I started to see it springing up on blogs by more imaginative demonstrators than me, and had another look. That’s when I realised just how versatile this die really is – it’s fab and I’m using it ALL the time right now – yes, it’s the same die as the one I used to make my swaps and the container for the Eiffel Tower charm.

This was my 3D demonstration, which also doubled up as the hostess gift.

You simply take two of the wider tags and fold them at the score line. While they were folded, I stamped flowers along the bottom in Wild Wasabi ink – using the clear-mount set meant I could do this quickly without the use of a Stamp-a-ma-jig.

Next I joined them together to make a 3D triangle, thus.

The main image is stamped in Basic Grey (so much softer than black, I think) and coloured with Watercolour Wonder™ crayons.

Inside, there’s the smallest cello bag filled with bits and bobs for my hostesses – buttons, ribbons, embellishments etc. I punched a hole in the bag using the Crop-A-Dile™. I threaded two pieces of ribbon (Grosgrain Ribbon  and new Chantilly lace) through the hole in the front, through the bag and out the other side, then gathered it all up together and tied around the top with linen thread. Very cute I thought!

And just to show people how they could use the other die-cut from the Two Tags die, I also showed these projects – very simple bookmarks and another 3D item. They’re all decorated with Easy Events and all use various Subtles cardstocks. The 3D item at the back is the same principle as this one.

Stamps: Easy Events

Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla, Rose Red, Whisper White, Bashful Blue

Ink: Basic Gray

Accessories: Big Shot, Two Tags Die, Watercolour Wonder™ crayons, blender pens, linen thread, Chantilly lace crochet trim, Pretty in Pink Grosgrain Ribbon, Pretty in Pink Scallop Dots Ribbon, Crop-A-Dile™

All products by Stampin’ Up!®

Bags, bags, bags - and SU fabric!

As well as the Eiffel Tower charm, I wanted to give my team members something to remember Convention by – as a thank you for coming along and being such great downlines. So I decorated a jute bag for each of them, as I knew they’d be needing extra luggage on the return home!

They were all different but I’ll just show one of them – this one uses the Timeless Portrait fabric, combined with a little black felt to help it stand out.

To make the fabric stiffer, I made a 50/50 mix of PVA glue and water and painted it on. It dried very quickly and worked remarkably well. Next I ran it through the Big Shot to create the flowers and layered them up on the felt, topping it off with a black button. I had to sew them together, which is a bit of a trauma for me, but even I managed this. The stiffened fabric can be scrunched up to make it stand out more, too.

The tag is made from fabric, too! And, after a few experiments, I settled on this method:

1. Take some of the backing from a pack of Designer Series Paper and cut a piece slightly larger than the flower you plan to use.
2. Cover on both sides with a piece of one of the Big Shot Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets (p122).
3. Peel off the backing and cover with your chosen fabric.
4. Run through the Big Shot with your chosen die. It works brilliantly!

I punched a hole with my trusty Crop-A-Dile™ and threaded some ribbon through to finish.

While I was at it, I decided it was high time I finished off this gorgeous little bag which my friend Kelly made for me using the fabric. She knows I can’t sew so offered to make me some fab samples. The bag is reversible, but I wanted to decorate it in some way, so added a flower to my favourite side; the Cherry Cobbler one of course!

Again, this is made with a combination of black felt and fabric, topped this time with a couple of buttons from the Regals and Neutrals packs. Sewn on by my fair hand – I even managed to ensure that the stitching only went through the Cherry Cobbler fabric and not through to the inside! Impressed I hope!

Cardstock: Just the backing from a pack of DSP

Tools: Big Shot, Fun Flowers die, Crop-A-Dile™

Accessories: 1/8” taffeta ribbon - Basic Black; Designer Buttons – Neutrals, Regals; Timeless Portrait fabric.

Other: Black felt

All products by Stampin’ Up!® apart from black felt and jute bag

Convention 2011

 
 So.... I’m back from Convention at Disneyland Paris and beginning to feel a little more human again. Was too exhausted to post anything yesterday. But it was a good exhausted as, just like last year, we had a fabulous time!
Here's as short a summary of the weekend as I could write -and some pix, too. Sorry no picture of the team, but I forgot to ask their permission to post them and don't want to delay any longer. 

I travelled by Eurostar to Paris in a group of six demonstrators – four of my downline (Alison H, Judie, Jacqui and Sue) and Ann, who lives nearby but has been adopted into our team because her upline lives on the other side of the country.

Convention is an exciting couple of days, jam-packed with great demos, inspiring business sessions, fun Make & Takes, swapping, prizes and presents - and some very, very exciting sneak peeks! This year's theme was "Grow", so there were lots of displays featuring flowers and plants, all made with SU products of course. 

And there are lots of display boards, featuring artwork by European demonstrators and SU staff. They range from simple to really complicated - but are always inspirational. I was delighted to see a couple of my own projects on the boards, too! 

On arrival, we all received a fabulous Convention bag. This year Stampin’ Up!® have excelled themselves, with a really handy business bag in practical black, with lots of pockets – and, as we discovered on our way home, a strap to slot it over the handle of a wheeled suitcase. In it was an Idea Book & Catalogue in a gorgeous binder, as well as our free stamp sets – Creative Elements (p67) and It’s Your Day (p104) - which we used for the Make & Take sessions. I’ll post the Make & Takes over the next few days – I’ve missed daylight again so don’t have photos of them yet.

During the two days of Convention, there are various sessions - some motivational, some new product demonstrations, special announcements, Make & Takes (we did four - two on each day). And, of course, there's Memento Mall (right), where you can buy lots of exciting goodies, including shopping totes, umbrellas, keyring charms, playing cards, an exclusive "Grow" stamp, pop-up bins, etc. It's very hard to restrain yourself! After each demonstration, there's Prize Patrol - and I'm delighted to report that Alison H won a fabulous pack of goodies – a stamp set, Designer Series Paper and fabric from the forthcoming Mini catalogue!

On the Friday evening, there's the Gala Dinner, where the top achievers are rewarded for their efforts. I didn't get to walk the stage this time, but I have to admit I was relieved about that! What was more special than any awards was our welcome from the French demonstrators, who lined the entrance to the dinner hall, wearing feather boas and straw hats, singing us in! I didn’t catch all of the song, but did hear the words “mes deux amours... Stampin’ Up! et Paris” (my two loves... Stampin’ Up! and Paris).

There isn’t a lot of down time at Convention but there was a little more than last year, thanks to our feedback, and we had some time to spare in between events, which was a great opportunity to catch up with other demonstrators from the UK as well as France and Germany, and enjoy hanging out with our own group.

Ann and Sue took the opportunity to take a tour of the park on the free bus service... only to discover that it was merely a shuttle to take visitors to and from the train station! I can still hear Alison H saying in exasperated tones: “You were supposed to take the little white train not the yellow bus!”

I asked my travelling companions for feedback and have received two so far.

Sue says: "A weekend of firsts: first Convention, first trip to Paris Disneyland, first outing with our team, first experience of a Stampin' Up! event and, of course, first trip on the yellow bus! A real sense of belonging and looking out for each other. Well worth the effort."

And Ann says:  “Convention was absolutely fantastic, and made even more so by the companions I had. I would like to thank all of you for adopting me into your team  and making me feel so welcome. I had a fabulous time and even enjoyed the yellow bus ride Sue and I took. We at least got to see Disney Station. The one thing about being a Stampin’ Up Demonstrator that really struck home over the weekend, apart from all the material benefits etc. is that you do feel part of one big family. Last year I went alone, but this year I was lucky enough to have been adopted by Helen’s team and they really made me feel part of it. Thank you girls.”

Next year’s Convention will be held in Mainz, Germany, from November 2-3. I don’t know if I will be able to go just yet as it falls in the school holidays so I may be going away with my own family (rather than my SU family!) or may not be able to get time off work. But if you’re free, I highly recommend it – you are guaranteed to have a great time! Of course, it’s only open to active Stampin’ Up!® demonstrators, so if you’re not a demonstrator yet, you know what to do and where to find me!

Team gifts for Convention

We couldn’t go to Paris as a team without commemorating the occasion in some way. As I’ve mentioned before on here, every time one of my team attends an official Stampin’ Up!® event, I present them with a bead for their keyring. They earn a keyring from me when they achieve their first SU promotion and become a Bronze 2 demonstrator – so yes, sometimes they have a bead before they have something to put it on!

Instead of a bead this time, I thought we should have something special – so found these cute little Eiffel Tower charms. I’ve cheated and had mine on my keyring for weeks – thankfully, nobody has noticed! I packed them up using the fabulous Two Tags die, scored twice and folded forwards this time. The Scallop Circle is only attached at the top, so that the flap fits under it. I used the Artistic Etching stamp set because it has an Eiffel Tower stamp in it – sadly it wouldn’t fit on this project, but the thought was there!

Again, all different colours – got to use those scraps!

Stamps: Artistic Etchings, Tiny Tags

Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla

Ink: Not Quite Navy, Cherry Cobbler

Accessories: 1 3/8” circle punch, scallop circle punch, Two Tags Die, Big Shot, Heart to Heart Punch

All products by Stampin’ Up!®

Convention Swaps 2

Today’s the day! Off to Convention, so just a quick post to show you my other set of swaps. These are that old favourite: Elizabeth Shaw after-dinner mints, which fit perfectly inside these little favours made from the Two Tags die. I LOVE this die – it has so many possibilities!

All I’ve done is score the bookmark shape at 3.5cm and 5cm from the short end and fold it up. The chocolate is taped inside using sticky strip.

And isn’t it clever that the Scallop Circle Punch fits so perfectly inside the top of the bookmark? Stampin’ Up!® are so good at that sort of thing – it definitely won’t be merely a happy accident.

All these are different colours as I was using up some scraps of cardstock, and it made the job less repetitive for me. I will list some of the colours used, but don’t hold me to them!

Stamps: Just Believe

Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Whisper White, So Saffron, Perfect Plum, Melon Mambo

Ink: Melon Mambo, Elegant Eggplant, Rose Red

Accessories: 1 3/8” circle punch, scallop circle punch, Two Tags Die, Big Shot, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch

All products by Stampin’ Up!®

Convention swaps 1

Getting very excited now because tomorrow I’m off to Paris for the annual Stampin’ Up!® European Convention! I’ll be travelling with five other excited demonstrators to Disneyland, where the Convention will be held on Friday and Saturday. I don’t expect I’ll be able to update my blog while I’m away but have scheduled a couple of posts to keep you going – and will have lots of news when I return!

Swapping is a big part of Convention but I have to admit that making the same project over and over again really doesn’t float my boat. So I may not have made as many swaps as some ladies but I have made an effort and there are some little cards made to fit the small square envelopes in our new catalogue.   They’re all bagged up and ready to go, with the recipe printed on a piece of paper in the back. As you can see, they’re not all the same – that’s partly because I didn’t have enough of the same sheets of Designer Paper for 30 cards and partly to keep the job interesting for me!

I’ve used the hostess stamp set, Happiest Birthday Wishes, which I’m sure you’ll be seeing a lot more of. This is the most expensive hostess set in the catalogue – one of the benefits of the new Hostess Scheme is that even a £150 workshop can earn you the biggest hostess set, with some free spends to spare!

I’ve stamped the image three times – once in Melon Mambo on Whisper White; twice in Concord Crush – on Melon Mambo and Pink Pirouette. I’ve punched them out using the 1” circle punch, 1 3/8” circle punch and the scallop circle punch. In fact, you’ll notice that there’s very little cutting on these cards – the punches did all the hard work!

Stamps: Happiest Birthday Wishes (hostess)

Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, Melon Mambo, Certainly Celery, Whisper White

Paper: Cheerful Treat (hostess)

Ink: Melon Mambo, Concord Crush

Accessories: ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon - Certainly Celery, 1” circle punch, 1 3/8” circle punch, scallop circle punch

All products by Stampin’ Up!®

I'm back! (Not that I ever really went away)

Ooh, sorry for my terrible blogging lately – have never been so lax! It’s partly because I’ve been so busy doing workshops, preparing for Convention (it’s this week!), having visitors and generally getting on with life, partly because I haven’t had time to make anything new recently (apart from my Convention swaps) and partly because it’s always so blooming dark that I rarely get an opportunity to take photos of my projects anyway! Managed to snap some this morning though and here’s one of them... which uses the oh so lovely Aviary stamp set, which I totally love.

I’ve stamped the bird cage in Basic Black, then stamped the little bird in Rose Red and topped the cage with a Basic Pearl. It’s a very simple card, but I really like it – especially the dotty background, which I have been forced to stop using because it’s rightful owner demanded its return. Doh!

Stamps: Aviary

Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, Basic Black, Whisper White, Rose Red

Ink: Basic Black, Rose Red

Accessories: Big Shot, Polka Dot embossing folder, taffeta ribbon - Basic Black, Basic Pearls

All products by Stampin’ Up!®

Little thank yous

A set of little thank you cards made using Easy Events. I made them all different colours because I get bored doing things all the same – and because I’m trying to wade through my Subtles scraps box! (I’m finally beginning to make an impact – it was VERY full!)

I coloured the flowers with Watercolour Wonder™ crayons and blender pens, then – quelle horreur! – I even added a little glitter in the centres of each flower. Don’t know what came over me.

The little scalloped tab feature is made using the Pennant Punch.

Stamps: Easy Events

Cardstock: Various Subtles, plus Whisper White and Basic Black

Ink: Basic Gray

Accessories: Watercolour Wonder™ crayons – Subtles, Pennant Punch, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, blender pen

All products by Stampin’ Up!®            

Beau Chateau gift set class

This beautiful gift bag is made with Beau Chateau Designer Series Papers. I love these papers and I love this bag – although next time I think I’ll make the cardstock trim in Soft Suede.

Fill the bag with a set of beautiful handmade cards and you have a fantastic gift for Christmas – something the recipient will know you’ve made with care.

So, why not join me at my class on Saturday, 10^th December to make the bag and four cards to go inside? Yes it will be intense as we don’t usually make so many projects but we’ll keep the cards simple and I’m sure we’ll have fun! We’ll be using brand new products from the new Idea Book & Catalogue so this is a great opportunity to get your hands on something new and exciting and have a play!

The cost of the class is £15, which will include a fab goodie bag to make your projects with. Among your goodie bag items will be: 

• Half a pack of Beau Chateau Designer Series Paper (one full sheet of each design)
• A quarter pack of Antique Brads (one of each design)
• 1m Soft Suede taffeta ribbon
• 1m Marina Mist Scallop Dots ribbon
• 1 sheet of Stampin’ Dimensionals 

Plus all the pre-cut cardstock and envelopes required to complete the projects. Any leftovers will be yours to take home.

The class is on Saturday, 10^th December, 2pm-4.30pm (doors open 1.45pm) in our usual venue in Horsley Woodhouse. Booking is essential, with payment by 20^th November, so I can buy the supplies.  The cost is £15. If you would like to make two of each card, please add £4 to cover supplies. You can either work quickly at the event or complete them at home.

I do hope you can come! Please email me for more details.

Cardstock: Marina Mist, Soft Suede

Paper: Beau Chateau

Accessories: Stampin’ Pastels, Sponge Daubers, Neutrals Brads, Antique Brads, Big Shot, Fun Flowers Bigz L Die, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch

All products by Stampin’ Up!®            

Fab offer for hostesses!

Ooh, how exciting! Extra freebies for hostesses who hold a party between now and 15th December!

In this fabulous new offer, anyone who holds a workshop totalling £300 or more will earn a Paisley Petals Bundle FREE! The bundle consists of a pack of Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper and the Paisley Petals stamp set (wood or clear-mount), worth up to £33.90.

This is in addition to the usual hostess benefits. A £300 party earns you £50 to spend anywhere in the catalogue, including on the exclusive hostess products. It also earns you the opportunity to purchase ANY item at 50% off! So yes, you could get your hands on a half-price Big Shot!

My calendar is pretty tight but I do have some slots at the end of November and during December, so please get in touch if you want to take advantage of this fab offer!