Don’t miss out on your favourite 2014-16 In Color products

The time is coming... the retiring list is on its way soon, in readiness for a new catalogue at the beginning of June.

While I can’t predict what will be on the retiring list (well, I can hazard a few educated guesses but please don’t hold me to them), I CAN tell you that the products pictured below will definitely be on their way out. Yes, the 2014-16 In Colors will be going (*sob*) to make way for a new set of In Colors. I know LOTS of people will be particularly sad to see Blackberry Bliss and Lost Lagoon go, and I will mourn the loss of Mossy Meadow, so now is the time to start stocking up on ink refills, cardstock and ribbon if you want to hang onto your favourites.

Why now? Because from the moment the retiring list is released, items will only be available while stocks last... and people around the world will be rushing to place their orders. Seriously, they will. And there’s absolutely no need to leave it until then because we KNOW that the In Color 2014-16 products will be going. You can most likely add to this list:

• ALL the Designer Series Papers (and definitely those featuring In Colors)
• Possibly all the washi tapes (because they usually co-ordinate with DSPs)
• Gorgeous Grunge (that’s just a hunch)
• Tap, Tap, Tap (another hunch)
• Sprinkles of Life (because we usually get a new RMHC stamp set every year)
• Modern Mosaic embossing folder (another hunch)
• Plus, of course, many items from the Spring/Summer catalogue

So there you have it: buy now and you’ll miss the rush, and avoid the risk of being disappointed. Don’t tell me I didn’t tell you so!

More about the In Colors 2014-16

In Colors 2014-16 colour combinations

Blackberry Bliss A4 Cardstock [133682] £6.50	Hello Honey A4 Cardstock [133685] £6.50	Lost Lagoon A4 Cardstock [133686] £6.50	Mossy Meadow A4 Cardstock [133683] £6.50	Tangelo Twist A4 Cardstock [133684] £6.50
Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad [133642] £6.00	Hello Honey Classic Stampin' Pad [133643] £6.00	Lost Lagoon Classic Stampin' Pad [133644] £6.00	Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad [133645] £6.00	Tangelo Twist Classic Stampin' Pad [133646] £6.00
Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Ink Refill [133648] £3.00	Hello Honey Classic Stampin' Ink Refill [133649] £3.00	Lost Lagoon Classic Stampin' Ink Refill [133650] £3.00	Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Ink Refill [133651] £3.00	Tangelo Twist Classic Stampin' Ink Refill [133652] £3.00
Blackberry Bliss 5/8" Striped Cotton Ribbon [138421] £6.50	Hello Honey 5/8" Striped Cotton Ribbon [138417] £6.50	Lost Lagoon 5/8" Striped Cotton Ribbon [138418] £6.50	Mossy Meadow 5/8" Striped Cotton Ribbon [138419] £6.50	Tangelo Twist 5/8" Striped Cotton Ribbon [138420] £6.50
2014-2016 In Color A4 Cardstock [133687] £6.50	2014-2016 In Color 12" X 12" Cardstock [133680] £9.00	2014-2016 In Color Designer Series Paper Stack [138433] £20.00	2014-2016 In Color Stampin' Write Markers [133654] £13.50	2014-2016 In Color Designer Washi Tape [138382] £7.25

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

AWC41 and a Sprinkles of Life Sneak Peek

A little Sneak Peek for you today, although I’m sure you’ve already seen many marvellous creations with this stamp set on tinternet already!  It’s a new stamp set called Sprinkles of Life and it’s fabulous in many ways. Here are a few:

1. There’s a co-ordinating punch! We all love a co-ordinating punch, don’t we?

2. That cloud shape I’ve punched out also matches two other stamps in the set; flowers and leaves for the tree

3. Yes, the punch does a whole tree, in separate pieces so you can punch them out in different colours

4. But there’s more… the set also features an ice cream cone, so that this very “cloud” you see here can become a yummy ice cream. And there’s a basket, so you can put the flowers on top… or put the “cloud” on top to create a cupcake!

5. As if that wasn’t enough to make you want this set, for every set sold, Stampin’ Up!® will donate £2 to Ronald McDonald House Charities. This great cause provides support and a free place to stay for parents of children receiving medical treatment far from home. There are several locations around the UK, attached to some of the major children’s hospitals. You can read more here. 

So the stamp set’s great and you won’t feel guilty buying it because it will help deserving families, what else is there to say?

Oh yes, this card is for the Around the World Challenge 41. As you can see, I cheated on the colours a little, as I had already packed away my Crisp Cantaloupe ink pad (which is retiring soon) and had completely run out of cardstock! So I swapped to Blushing Bride instead. 

And now I have to tell you that, sadly, this will be the last challenge. Unfortunately, despite getting lots of readers of the Around the World Challenge Blog, not many people are taking part in the challenges. As it takes quite a bit of time creating the challenges and our projects, particularly for organiser Marie-Josée Trudel, we have decided to channel our energies elsewhere. 

Not that I have much energy for crafting at the moment; our upcoming extension plans seem to be all-consuming… and the work hasn’t even started yet! I’ll keep you posted… as long as I can get to the computer, that is!

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Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Autumnal card with Color Me Autumn DSP

After a busy weekend, I’m back with an autumnal card made with products from the Autumn/Winter catalogue.  It’s very simple, letting the gorgeous DSP do all the work, with some help from these fab little wooden embellishments. 

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Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Saturday I spent all day with crafty friends. The morning was my team meeting, and it’s always nice to get together with friends from my downline. We made stars from the Many Merry Stars kit, talked about forthcoming products and enjoyed a very extensive fuddle. For those who don’t know what a fuddle is, it seems this is a local word and it is what some people would call a “bring and share”. Well we brought so much between us that we were sharing it all day and beyond!

In the afternoon I held a new style of event which I called Craft & Chill. This was a bit like a scrapbooking crop I suppose. I provided the room, the refreshments and a Make & Take, and guests had the option to purchase additional M&Ts if they wished, or create their own projects which they brought along with them.

Everyone said how much they enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and it gave people the perfect opportunity to finish off their Christmas cardmaking… and help make a dent in the rest of our fuddle!

We also made some stocking filler items for the cat shelter, which held a fundraising event the following day. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures of the cat and dog versions – what was I thinking? 

Nuts About You "hang in there" card

Something you should know about me is that when I need to create a lot of samples in a hurry (eg, for my catalogue launch this Saturday), I simply turn to Pinterest and start CASEing (Copy And Share Everything).  That way, instead of fiddling around with paper and stamps and probably producing one original idea in three hours, I can turn out several projects in the same amount of time. 

Of course, it helps enormously that the US/Canada catalogue comes out one month earlier than ours. This means we have a whole month of projects to copy! 

Sometimes I stay with the card I’m CASEing, sometimes I adapt to the supplies I have and sometimes I go so far off piste that you wouldn’t recognise them as the same card. 

This one was a very close copy of a card made by US demonstrator Linda Callahan. All I changed was the DSP, the button and the colours of the stamping (as you probably know, I prefer stronger colours).  Like the previous project I posted, I inked the tree in Soft Suede, then cleaned off the leaves using a cotton bud, before reinking them with a marker. 

I love the trend for the circles of thread/twine and can never get them perfect. I learned recently that this was because many stampers spray them with starch first (maybe hairspray would work too?). After learning this, I decided that life was too short and I’d simply live with the imperfection!

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