Wednesday 30 March 2016

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!)


Monday 28 March 2016

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.



Sunday 27 March 2016

"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...

Saturday 26 March 2016

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.

Thursday 24 March 2016

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. 


Banner Punch
[133519]
£11.50

Wednesday 23 March 2016

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. 

Banner Punch
[133519]
£11.50

The small print

This is my personal blog and my sole responsibility as an Independent Stampin' Up!® demonstrator. All images are © Stampin' Up!® All content including photographs, projects and text are © Helen Read, unless otherwise stated. Please feel free to copy my ideas for your personal use and inspiration - if you are a SU demonstrator you may use these ideas for your events but please give credit where it is due. Please do not use my ideas for monetary gain, competitions or publication. The images on this blog - including blog buttons - should not be copied and used elsewhere on the internet or on CDs.