Last chance for FREE Sale-a-Bration products!

Do you have everything on your Sale-A-Bration wish list? Tomorrow is your last chance to  earn free Sale-A-Bration items with every £45 purchase. Drop me a line or order online using the special code below to qualify for an extra free gift! 

The code is: 

A7BCZMGC

(Order £25 of products before 5pm on Thursday, using the above code, to qualify for a free gift from me, posted to you during April. Don’t use the code if you're spending £150 or more as you'll get Stampin’ Rewards!)

Mix It Up Monday: Last chance for Flowering Fields

It’s Mix It Up Monday and time for another colour combination from my In Color charts.  And this is a combination which takes me way out of my comfort zone; it’s clean, it’s subtle, it’s tasteful. And, most of all, it include grey; not really my thing at all! But I’m reasonably pleased with the finished project, which also serves as a reminder that time is running out for you to earn this beautiful, delicate stamp set FREE. 

Yes, Sale-a-Bration is coming to an end on Thursday, so if you want any of the fabulous SAB freebies, I recommend you act fast. Please consider ordering through my online store - as a thank you, I’ll send everyone who spends £25 or more online as uses the code below a small gift in the post in April. Don’t use the code if you’re spending £150 or more, as you’ll earn your own freebies that way!

The code is: 

A7BCZMGC

Please use the code before 5pm on 31st March to qualify. Thank you! Oh, and if you missed my Mum on the radio today, please see yesterday’s post for the link to listen.

Flowering Fields Clear-Mount Stamp Set [141303] £0.00	One Big Meaning Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139420] £17.00	Card Stock A4 Smoky Slate [131291] £6.50	Marina Mist A4 Card Stock [121682] £6.50
Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549] £7.25	Marina Mist Classic Stampin' Pad [126962] £6.00	Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad [131179] £6.00	Mint Macaron Classic Stampin' Pad [138326] £6.00
Mint Macaron 1" Dotted Lace Trim [138424] £5.50	White 1-1/4" (3.2 Cm) Jute Ribbon [137904] £8.25	Very Vintage Designer Buttons [129327] £5.50	Paper-Piercing Tool [126189] £3.75

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

"Derbyshire's favourite octegonarians" return to Radio Derby

Aagh, nearly forgot to tell you. Tune your wireless into Radio Derby tomorrow lunchtime as Jean and Shirley (aka my Mum) – now billed as “Derbyshire’s favourite octogenarians” – are back for a one-hour Easter Monday special. I dread to think what shame will be brought on the family this time...

If you dare, you can listen/listen again here

Caturday: Matlock Bath black cat

Last weekend I spent a few days in Matlock Bath with some crafty friends. We hired a cottage and crafted from dawn (well, almost) to dusk and beyond. The food was fantastic thanks to our resident chefs, and the projects were amazing. But I still need fresh air so headed off for a short walk on Sunday morning – it was such a glorious day that it seemed criminal to stay indoors.  A few metres from our cottage I bumped into this little beauty. I think it was a girl cat, due to its shape, and she was very, very friendly.  She joined us as we made our way up the hill, but then, about halfway up, headed off home.

Easter pull-out chocolate treats

When crafty friends get together, they can’t resist gifting each other with something fun and handmade, so for my crafty weekend in Matlock Bath, I made these. They are a variation on the Gästegoodies I made for my club members, but I adapted the template to allow for the bunnies, which are taller than Ferrero Rocher chocolates. Don’t ask me for measurements please, I don’t have them any more! But all you need to do is follow Alexandra Grape’s excellent tutorial (which is in German, but trust me, you’ll work it out) and make the longest strip longer, to create a taller tunnel. 

Oh My Goodies Clear-Mount Stamp Set [134090] £16.00	Botanical Blooms Photopolymer Stamp Set [140757] £15.00	Tin Of Cards Photopolymer Stamp Set [138946] £15.00	Large Oval Punch [119855] £14.50	Scallop Oval Punch [119856] £16.00	Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack [133787] £15.50
1-3/4" Circle Punch [119850] £16.00	Banner Punch [133519] £11.50	Tangelo Twist A4 Cardstock [133684] £6.50	Botanical Gardens Designer Series Paper [140583] £10.00	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock [140490] £6.50	Mossy Meadow A4 Cardstock [133683] £6.50
Hello Honey A4 Cardstock [133685] £6.50	Old Olive A4 Card Stock [106576] £6.50	Brights Candy Dots [130931] £5.50	Cajun Craze Classic Stampin' Pad [126965] £6.00	Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad [133645] £6.00	Hello Honey Classic Stampin' Pad [133643] £6.00
Mint Macaron Classic Stampin' Pad [138326] £6.00	Gold Sequin Trim [132983] £4.50	Basic Black 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon [138430] £8.25	Gold 1/8" Ribbon [134583] £4.50	Gold Baker's Twine [132975] £3.25

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Oh My Goodies - fabulous 3D "wow" project

How’s this for a project to take me out of my comfort zone? Not only is it pretty and pink, it is 3D and actually quite complex. I found the idea on Pinterest (where else?) and traced it back to a Youtube video by genius German demonstrator Alexandra Grape. The tutorial was in German but I didn’t let that put me off – and Alexandra had helpfully put the measurements across the screen. I even picked up a few new German words along the way, including my favourite, “Gästegoodies”. 

I won’t attempt a tutorial here as you really need to see the video. But I will say that the mechanism is extremely clever but very simple. It’s a strip of plastic (cut from a document wallet) wrapped around the cardstock, so that when you pull the chocolate out of the tunnel, the greeting pops out of the other side at the same time. Genius! Come back tomorrow for an Easter-themed variation on this project. 

Apologies for the ropey picture, by the way; I took them in a hurry before heading off for the weekend. 

Oh My Goodies Clear-Mount Stamp Set [134090] £16.00	One Big Meaning Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139420] £17.00	Timeless Textures Clear-Mount Stamp Set [140517] £18.00	Love Blossoms Designer Series Paper Stack [140548] £7.25	1-3/4" Circle Punch [119850] £16.00
1-3/4" Circle Scallop Punch [119854] £16.00	Scallop Oval Punch [119856] £16.00	Large Oval Punch [119855] £14.50	Tag Topper Scalloped Punch [133324] £21.00	Early Espresso A4 Card Stock [121686] £6.50
Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock [140490] £6.50	Gold Foil Sheets [132622] £3.75	Card Stock A4 Blushing Bride [131287] £6.50	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [126974] £6.00	Blushing Bride Classic Stampin' Pad [131172] £6.00
Gold Sequin Trim [132983] £4.50	White 1-1/4" (3.2 Cm) Jute Ribbon [137904] £8.25	Gold 1/8" Ribbon [134583] £4.50	Gold Baker's Twine [132975] £3.25	Banner Punch [133519] £11.50

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com