FREE STUFF :)

Running until the 15th December, if you host a workshop with me and it totals over £300 (which is not hard to do!) you will receive the "Paisley Petals" Stamp set (in wood or clear mount) and a pack of matching "Paisley Petals" DSP for FREE!!! This brand new product bundle is worth up to £33.90!

You will also be able to spend at least £50 hostess pounds in the catalogue, alongside this fabulous offer (yes...that is £83.90 of pure Stampin Up! goodness). Start rounding up your friends and contact me NOW to book a fun filled and exciting workshop with me. Treat yourself (it is the season after all!)

Happy Birthday Nathan!

Today it is my brother, Nathan's Birthday. He is 22. Unfortunatley I won't get to spend the special day with him this year as he is staying in London until Christmas. At the weekend I had a girly craft session with my mum and introduced her to the thrill of Stampin' Up! (She is also in London a lot so hadn't had time to fully explore with me...until now!) We had great fun making him a birthday card each - as you can see below, we went for two completely different looks!

This is the card my Mum made. She mounted some "Big Top Birthday" DSP onto Real Red card stock. This was then finished with a stamp from the "Tagtastic" hostess stamp range. I love the bear; he is sooo cute! (and a bargain too if you're a hostess - only £12 hostess pounds!)

This is my card. As you can see, completely different!! I mounted some "Perfect Polka Dots"

embossed, Early Expresso Card stock onto Soft Suade and covered the join with some Chocolate Chip scallop dots ribbon. I die cut a fancy circle, from the "Perfect Pennants" die, out of the "Well Worn" DSP. I then used a stamp from the "Happiest Birthday Wishes" hostess stamp set and stamped thios onto the DSP in Early Expresso ink. I finished the card off with a small label, made from the "Decorative Label" punch, in So Saffron DSP. I stamped the "Wish Big" sentiment from the "Pennant Parade" stamp set and finally set a clear rhinestone brad on the edge, to bling it up a bit!

Hope you like the cards!

Delightful Decorations Class

Good Afternoon!

I want to share with you the projects we made in my Delightful Decorations Class today. This class focused on the "Delightful Decorations" stamp set and was a great opportunity to show how versitile these stamps are. We made three cards with three completely different looks.

The first card used the more traditional Christmassy colours of Red and Green. I used the "Eylet Border" punch on the left edge of the "Real Red" patterned DSP. I also used the "Ornament" punch on the ornament shaped stamp to add more depth to the card. I finished the card off with a rhinestone jewel to bling it up a bit.

The second card we made in the class was a lot more contemporary than the first. I used "Bashful Blue" and "Marina Mist" card stock as the base and used hints of "Melon Mambo" to add dimension. The "Perfect Polka Dots" embossing folder was used to add texture and the card was finished with embellishments of rhinestone jewels and "Whisper White" grosgrain ribbon.

Last but not least, this card is probably my favourite. It uses the "Pool Party" and "Island Indigo" colour scheme, which are two of the five "in colours" for 2011. I used the "Vintage Wallpaper" embossing folder to add texture and finished the card off with a rhinestone jewel. I really like the depth that is achieved from the ornament punched shape.

If you are interested in attending one of my classes, please visit the "Class" tab at the top of the screen. Eash class will be very similar to this as we make three projects (not to mention the tea and cake!) and it is only £10 for a whole mornings entertainment - supplies included!

All About Aviary

Today I went to Sarah-Jane's house to make some cards with the lovely "Aviary" stamp set. The colour scheme was based on the "Flirtatious" speciality papers as we used these in the card designs too.

The first card uses the "Lace Border" punch. I love this (you will see it used a lot in my projects) as it is so easy to use the punch and add a delicate touch to any project.

This card uses a laser-cut doily which comes from a whole sheet of doilies in the Flirtatious paper set. I think this adds depth to the doily designs on the paper beneath. I have also inked the edges of this card to  make the layers look more subtle and delicate.

 Last but not least, this card just uses the Owl stamp from the Aviary collection. I really like the totem pole effect of the owls stamped vertically. The Wisteria wonder card stock has been embossed with the "Vintage Wallpaper" embossing folder.

Talk soon,

Happy Birthday Mandi!

Today it is my Stampin' Up! sister, Mandi's Birthday.

I have surprised her with a birthday card which uses the "Everything Eleanor" stamp set and the new "In Color" collection of cards and inks.

 

This card is fairly simple but very effective as the colours melt beautifully into one another. I have used the "Perfect Pennants" Die to cut the circles out and have inked the edges of the card to add depth. I have used a piece of card, punched out with the "Lace Ribbon Border", as a stencil and have inked a piece of "Calypso Coral" card with the matching ink, to add pattern. The sentiment is from the "Happiest Birthday Wishes" hostess stamp set.

Have a lovely Birthday Mandi,

Happy Halloween!

Hello!

Today I want to share wit you a spooky Halloween candy wrapper - just perfect for Halloween!

This uses the Candy Wrapper Die on "Concord Crush" card and the pumpkin is from the "Jack of all Trades" stamp set. Depth and texture has been acheived using the "rock and roll" stamping technique. The wrapper has been finished off with some satin ribbon in "Old Olive".

Happy Halloween!!!!

Happy Wedding Day Steve and Caz!

Today I am going to be attending the Wedding of Steve and Caz. They are good friends of mine and it is very exciting (I am getting ready as we speak!) I am, however, not in Portsmouth today as they decided to get married up in Edinburgh!! This is my first time in Scotland (well...I think I went when I was a baby but that doesn't count does it?!) and it is great to be exploring different surroundings and getting to know the Scottish way of life. :) Their Wedding theme is black and white so I made them a beautiful black and white themed card using then new and exclusive "Everything Eleanor" stamp set. I really like how versitile the stamps are and I hope to hold a class using this set in the near future. I embellished the flowers with small pearls and also used the "Lace Ribbon Border" punch (another firm favourite!) on some retired DSP.

The sentiment is from the "Tagtastic" Hostess set. This is only available to people who host a Stampin' Up! Workshop and is from £10 hostess pounds - bargain!!! Contact me anytime if you would be interested in hosting or finding out more about hosting a Workshop (and getting the "Tagtastic" stamp set for FREE!)

Happy Birthday Joe!

Today it is my friend, Joe's Birthday. I have made him a simple, but effective card in various shades of browns and neutrals. I embossed the card with the "Perfect Polka Dots" embossing folder and them embellished the front with stamps from the hostess stamp sets "Happiest Birthday Wishes" and "Tagtastic". Both these stamp sets are only available to people who host a workshop so they are very exclusive (and you can get them for free!).

 I finished the card by rounding the corners with the corner punch and added a mini wire clip with some Taffeta ribbon in "Real Red". I hope he likes it (I certainly had great fun making it)!

Happy Stampin'

Christmas Stamp-a-Stack

On Saturday I went to Sarah-Jane's place and joined in with her Christmas Stamp-a-Stack class. I got to make 10 post friendly christmas cards in 5 different designs. I had lots of fun :). The theme colours were "Cherry Cobbler", "Chocolate Chip" and " Crumb Cake" which added a lovely warm depth to the cards.

Aren't they Gorgeous??? I am definately going to be making more of these this festive season (plus, they are easier to make than they look!!). You can visit Sarah-Jane's blog here for more information.

Christmas is coming.......

Yes I know, mentioning the dreaded "C" word in October, but it is only 74 days away (or just over 2 months)! Whilst you may not have even thought about your shopping yet, it is definately worth thinking about Christmas cards. Here is a card I made with Sarah-Jane last week; isn't it fabulous??!

Front of Card

Inside of card

This card uses the new "Pennant Parade" stamp set and the "Petite Pennants" builder punch. The front of the card has been embossed with the "Vintage Wallpaper" embossing folder, which really adds texture and depth to the card. The 3D Christmas tree on the front of the card folds flat, and it easily fits into an envelope (and will post as normal).

If you are interested in making Christmas cards with me, please feel free to contact me. I will be holding a few Christmas card classes - with lots of festive cheer to get you in the mood! If you cannot wait until then, why not host a workshop with friends?

TTFN,

Halloween Candy Wrapper

Hello once again!
Today I am going to show you another project that I made around Sarah-Jane's house (see her blog here). It uses a brand new die, which is exclusive to Stampin' Up! It is great and just big enough to fit a handful of sweets in it - perfect for Halloween! The spooky ghost is made from the ever versatile "Owl" punch - who said it could only make owls!!

The wrapper is made from "Basic Black" card stock and has been embellished with some "Pumkin Pie!" embossed card stock. The wrapper has been finished off with a piece of striped ribbon in "Cherry Cobbler" (reminds me of humbugs!)

This weekend I will be supporting Sarah-Jane at the Southampton Papercraft Show (and picking her brains on techniques and ideas). If you do happen to be around, it will be great to see you!
Until next time,

New Products :)

Hello again! This is one of the projects that I made around Sarah-Jane's place on Monday. It uses some fantastic products from the new catalogue. Isn't it just great??!

This card uses the fantastic new "Aviary" Stamp set - I absolutey love it!!!!!!!

I have used "Chocolate Chip", "Regal Rose" and "Whisper White" card stock to create a bold colour theme, and the "Perfect Polka Dots" embossing folder to create texture.

The card has been finished with a stamped insert to complement the design. Thanks Sarah-Jane for this useful tutorial! :)

The new catalogue is here!

Yes, it is the 1st of October, which can mean only one thing.....The new Stampin' Up! catalogue is out! It is full of fantastic new products including new stamp sets, designer paper and a new colour theme :)

CLICK HERE to view the new catalogue.

Happy Stampin'

Surprise!

Today I received another beautiful handmade card in the post, but this time from my Stampin' Up! sister Anna. It was a lovely surprise and it sitting proud on my coffee table. I really like how she has used different layers and textures to really give the card depth. It has really made me realise how versatile the products are and how effective a bit of layering can look.

 

You can visit Anna's Blog HERE
Happy Stampin'

Starter Kit!

So my starter kit arrived today! I am mega excited to get Stampin' and create some fabulous projects and to share all the Stampin' goodness with my friends and family! Why not book a workshop with me where I will be able to demonstrate my range of goodies and you will be able to make some projects of your own?

My personalised starter kit (well...most of it!!)



You could, alternatively become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator with me, where you too can receive all the benefits that I have got for just £119 (the products are valued at more that £230). I mean, its a no brainer really and will create hours of fun and you can share your craft passion with others too. Please feel free to contact me for more details on hosting a workshop of becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator.



First Blog! :)

Hey guys!

This is my first EVER blog....(scary!)

This morning I had a lovely surprise in the post from my Stampin' Up! "Mum" Sarah-Jane, whom I first found out about Stampin' Up! through (and after a month of thinking, eventually joined). I was not expecting anything yet as I am still awaiting my starter kit (which will arrive on Tuesday). However, Sarah-Jane has sent me a few goodies to get me started, including a lovely bespoke hand made card and notepad. :)

From Sarah-Jane

I particularly love the designs and how the colour combinations match (the notepad even has a wartermark effect stamp in the corners of each page!).

I feel I will be very looked after in the "Southern Belles" and that they will help me on my way to develping my Stampin' Up! business and be a good "family" to support me on my journey.

Until next time,