Wildflower Meadow to celebrate a special promotion

I work with a small (but beautifully formed!) group of Stampin' Up demonstrators called the Inkredibles. I feel so proud when one of my team celebrates an achievement and was recently delighted for Jacqueline whose hard work paid off with another promotion. To mark the occasion, I made her a little gift set using some of the new items from the brand new catalogue. Come and see:

I used the gorgeous new Wildflower Meadow embossing folder and matching stamp, my favourite Gingham Garden washi tape, some fabulous chevron designer paper and some core'dinations card stock - both of which now come in all the Stampin' Up colours! And if you're dying to get your hands on these items, they'll be available TOMORROW when the new catalogue goes live!

The retro-style card has a split background and the flower was stamped onto cardstock embossed with the coordinating folder, cut out and embellished with a length of bakers twine.

This little pouch is really easy to make - I must do a tutorial at some stage. I used the divine new Soft Sky for the base and decorated it with the chevron design from the new Patterns designer paper stack. I love this little tag from the Creatively Yours stamp set.

Inside the pouch is a little tag stamped with the a tree from Lovely as a Tree and accented with more chevron paper and an adorable little arrow clip from the new Essentials Hardware Clip collection. Suspended from a strip of card stock is a tiny balloon charm, made with the retiring Up, Up and Away stamp set, which Jacqueline can clip onto her Inkredibles charm bracelet. All my team members get one of these bracelets when they achieve their first promotion and each time they promote again, I make a new charm for them to add to it.

This little box was made with the same products as the card and pouch and contains...

... chocolate of course!  After all, it's hard work promoting and a girl has to keep her strength up!

• There's room for new members of the Inkredibles and I'd love it if you joined us. The starter kit costs only £99 and I am here to give you as much help as you need. Hobby demonstrators and business demonstrators are equally welcome in my team! Click here to find out more.

Here's what you'll need to make this set
Stamps: Wildflower Meadow (available tomorrow), Delightful Dozen, Creatively Yours, Up, Up and Away (retiring)
Ink: Early Espresso, Raspberry Ripple
Card stock: Soft Sky, Whisper White, Core'dinations Early Espresso
Other: Markers, Wildflower Meadow embossing folder, big shot, Early Espresso bakers twine, Striped organdy ribbon (retiring), corner rounder, Colour Collection designer paper stack, Gingham Garden washi tape, Essential Hardware Clips, stamp-a-majig
I CAN ORDER STAMPIN' UP ITEMS FOR YOU AND HAVE THEM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR ADDRESS IN THE UK. I'M COMMITTED TO PROVIDING EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND AM ALWAYS HAPPY TO OFFER HELP AND ADVICE. TO FIND OUT MORE OR TO PLACE YOUR ORDER, JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL OR GIVE ME A CALL ON 01280 820593.

The weather was glorious at the weekend - perfect for the F1 Grand Prix held at Silverstone which isn't far from us. We're not huge motor racing fans in our family but we do love the Red Arrows display which kicks the event off each year. We go to a local vantage point to watch this and it's always incredible.

We were trying to work out what shapes the planes were making and at one point my youngest son thought they were making the Vodafone logo. "Yodaphone?" said my husband, mishearing much to our entertainment. Now how would that go? "Hello? Called you I have!" Yes - I think that could definitely catch on!

I'll be back tomorrow with a tour of my favourites from the new catalogue. Don't miss it!!!

Comfort Café tissue boxes

Buzzing! That's what I still am after Saturday's Stampin' Up regional event! It's wonderful to get together with a group of friendly, supportive people who are passionate about crafting, meeting old friends and making new ones, exchanging ideas and inspiration, getting giddy with excitement about Stampin' Up breaking news, receiving free stamps... One of the highlights for me was meeting up with some of the ladies in my downline for the first time. We've known each other from Blogland for some time but it was lovely to meet in real life!

I made some of my little tissue boxes for some of the ladies in my group - come and see:

Aren't these florals gorgeous?! They're from the Comfort Café designer paper range. I thought tissues might come in handy to mop up the tears of joy and laughter LOL!

This tag was made using the Ticket duo builder punch layered over the Label punch and trimmed at the sides. I thought the recipients would appreciate this sentiment from the Occasions Alphabet set. It usually says 'celebrating another year of love' but I inked it up with markers leaving off the last word and added Stampin' Up from the Creatively Yours set, using my stamp-a-majig to position it.

The other tag is perfect for the little stars in your life! I cut the star out of silver glimmer paper then cut the negative shape out with a 1" circle punch. This was layered over a scalloped circle with a smaller circle of Summer Starfruit stuck onto it. The tags were bound together with white bakers twine and tied to the tissue box with grosgrain ribbon - I adore the stitched detail on this and it comes in so many of the Stampin' colours!

Here's what you'll need to make this project
Stamps: Occasions Alphabet, Creatively Yours
Ink: Soft Suede, Raspberry Ripple markers
Card stock: Whisper White, Early Espresso/Night of Navy
Punches: Large oval, 1 1/4" Scallop circle, 1" and 3/4" circles, star punch from the Itty Bitty punch pack, corner rounder
Other: Whisper White bakers twine, Stitched grosgrain ribbon in Night of Navy/Early Espresso, stamp-a-majig
I CAN ORDER STAMPIN' UP ITEMS FOR YOU AND HAVE THEM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR ADDRESS IN THE UK. I'M COMMITTED TO PROVIDING EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND AM ALWAYS HAPPY TO OFFER HELP AND ADVICE. TO FIND OUT MORE OR TO PLACE YOUR ORDER, JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL OR GIVE ME A CALL ON 01280 820593.
• Get more for your money - place an order for £250 and choose £65 worth of products free! Or join SU and get £155 worth of products for just £99! Offers end 30th May 2013

One of the best things about being away is coming back home to my favourite people in the world. My family gave me a lovely welcome home - you'd think I'd been away for weeks! My oldest son came downstairs after everyone else. "Hello," he said. "I haven't seen you for ages. Where have you been?" I couldn't believe it - all last week I was telling him I'd be going to the Stampin' Up Regionals. I began to say this when he interrupted me with his throaty chuckle. "I know!" he said. "I'm only winding you up!"

See you tomorrow for more crafting fun!

Stampin' Up shimmer paint scene

Stampin' Up shimmer paint makes the most wonderful glimmer mist and faux mother of pearl using the Champagne Mist and Frost White versions but what about the Platinum? I was inspired to experiment by Create a Scene where the challenge is to create a winter scene. Come and see:

I made my scene by dabbing the paint onto glossy card stock and then sponging Pacific Point ink down the side. The Lovely as a Tree image was stamped over the top once using white stazon ink, then again with black stazon using a stamp-a-majig to offset it slightly. I swiped the bottom of the panel with versamark ink and embossed with white embossing powder to create a snowy foreground.

Here's another photo taken from a different angle to show you how the image changes in different lights - it's all quite shimmery and makes a great wintery-looking sky.

The glossy panel was attached to Pacific Point card stock which had been punched using the Word Window punch. The sentiment is stamped in the negative space - it's from Teeny Tiny Wishes and is the perfect size to fit this punch.

This was the Christmas card my lovely Stampers 6 club ladies received this year, so I made six of them...

... and this is the back of the card. I think it's a nice touch to stamp the card with a 'created by' stamp - this one is from the Creatively Yours set which has several '© Stampin' Up' images that you can use if you want to sell your cards. I signed my name using a Pacific Point marker - I love the way you can make everything coordinate with Stampin' Up products.

Here's what you'll need to make this card
Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Creatively Yours
Ink: Stazon white and black, Pacific Point classic ink
Card stock: Glossy white, Whisper White, Pacific Point
Other: Platinum shimmer paint, Word Window punch, Pacific Point marker, versamark, white embossing powder, heat tool, stamp-a-majig
I'd be delighted to order any of these items for you and have them delivered straight to your address in the UK. I'm committed to providing excellent customer service and am always happy to offer help and advice. To place your order, just send me an email or give me a call on +44 (0) 1280 820593. Please note that today is the last day to order if you want delivery before Christmas!

You'll be glad to know I survived my party weekend although I needed a restful day yesterday to get over my late nights. My daughter, who has a job at a local hotel, entertained me with stories about various parties she'd been waitressing at over the weekend. The highlight was her description of the end of a fancy dress party where she'd encountered Cruella de Vil comforting a distraught and rather worse for wear Tinkerbell!

I'll be back tomorrow to share a gift I took along for the hostess of one of the parties I attended at the weekend. See you then,

Mouthwatering for my daughter

I've just come back from my youngest son's school fair. This morning, before we left, I prepared a little 'Something Shiny' for today's Less is More challenge and left it to dry; and now I've turned it into a card... come and have a look:

I've been dying to use this lolly from the Mouthwatering set! Isn't it amazing?! I stamped it twice, once on the card base and again on a scrap of card stock. The second one was given a generous coat of Crystal Effects and left to dry (while I frolicked at the fair!) and I LOVE how glossy it turned out! I cut just the ice bit out with my sharp paper snips before popping it up over the image I'd stamped on the card base.

I made up this mad sentiment out of two stamps from For My Family and the 'delicious' from Creatively Yours' - it's for my own daughter who likes a sentiment to be on the eccentric side! She has been off school revising for her GCSEs and has done much of it in the living room where I work. She's the kind of lovely person who makes everything seem like fun and I have really enjoyed having her there. So this card is for her, to say well done for finishing her exams and for entertaining me at the same time!

Oh and I forgot to mention that I'm still going flourish bonkers from last week! The flourish here is a favourite stamp from the Season of Joy Christmas set that I've used over and over again. I inked it up with Bashful Blue ink and stamped it off on rough paper before stamping it on the card base. The sentiment is finished off with a tiny heart punched with my owl punch.

Here's what you'll need to make today's card:

Stamps: Mouthwatering, Creatively Yours, For My Family, Season of Joy

Ink: Poppy Parade, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso

Card stock: Whisper White

Other: Markers, Crystal Effects, Owl punches, paper snips, stamp-a-majig

I'd be delighted to order any of these items for you and can have them delivered to your address in the UK. I'm committed to providing excellent customer service and am always happy to offer help and advice. To place your order, just send me an email or give me a call on 01280 820593.

You may be wondering whether my son enjoyed the fair today. Well, my view is that these fairs are put on to raise money for the school so here's what we do: we decide how much we'd like to donate and then I sit my son down, hand over the cash and tell him solemnly that it is his responsibility to spend it however he sees fit... He had a ball!

I can't wait to see all the shininess going on in the LiM gallery this week - see you later!

3 minute engagement card

I'm always happy to hear of ways to help others through crafting. One way cardmakers can help a very worthy cause is to join in with the St Lukes Charity Challenge. This is a monthly challenge, with prizes, where you not only make a card, but also actually send it in along with any others you may have spare. The cards are sold to raise money for the St Lukes Hospice in Sheffield which cares for terminally ill people and offers support to their families. I think it's a great idea to help others by doing what we love!

It's a great challenge this month - the theme is Bling, which gives me the chance to make something I've been wanting to try for a long time with Creatively Yours, a stamp set you might just have overlooked from the main Idea Book and Catalogue (page 84). Come and see:

Creatively Yours is a wonderful set consisting of eight images designed to add that professional touch to your handmade creations. The gorgeous image I've used here usually says 'handstamped' in the little box but with a stamp-a-majig, all things are possible...

...and the box makes a great home for a 'congratulations' sentiment which fits in nicely with its heart swirls and hand with heart motif! Give the hand a rhinestone ring and you suddenly have an engagement card and the brushed silver card base just adds to the celebratory feel.

I know what you're thinking: as bling goes it's pretty understated but you have to remember I'm a CAS kind of a girl and also that the card took only three minutes to make! If I'd had a bit more time, perhaps I would have stamped the hand again, cut it out with a circle punch and popped it up over the original (the 'ring' would obviously be placed on the popped up hand.)

Here's what you'll need to make today's card:

Stamps: Creatively Yours, Perfect Punches (sentiment)

Ink: Basic Grey and Real Red markers

Card stock: Whisper White, Brushed Silver

Other: Basic Rhinestones, stamp-a-majig

I'd be delighted to order any of these items for you and can have them delivered to your address in the UK. I'm committed to providing excellent customer service and am always happy to offer help and advice. To place your order, just send me an email or give me a call on 01280 820593. And don't forget to add a free pack of designer paper if your order is £45 or more (Offer limited to one pack per qualifying order - click here for details).

We've been having a major clear out here, of out-grown, outdated clothes mainly. In the back of my youngest son's wardrobe we found something which triggered many memories: a white beanie rabbit belonging to my daughter which had gone missing many moons ago. She had called it Snowball but the boys had stolen it, given it the villain's role in one of their games and re-named it Mip the Kipper! The game, which went on for several years, ended with the evil rabbit being heroically captured by the other beanie toys and thrown into The Abyss (the back of the wardrobe). Oh those wonderful times before the evil xbox turned up! Maybe that should be 'thrown into The Abyss' one of these days!

See you tomorrow,

Christmas with Autumn Days

Autumn Days is one of my all time favourite stamp sets. It has just the sort of natural images I love and I use it for absolutely everything - scrapbooking, masculine and feminine cards, birthdays, thank you cards, get wells, Christmas... yes, it might be called Autumn Days but Christmas is one of the things it does best!

I've stamped a similar design to the one on my gift voucher box I showed you last week, but using silver embossing this time...

... then mounted the panel onto a mat made with scalloped squares punched out of the luscious Cherry Cobbler card stock and stuck together. I added a berry sprig cut out with my paper snips and a few rhinestones for extra sparkle!

The sentiment from Petite Pairs has become a firm favourite of mine and has a coordinating stamp designed to go inside the card that says '... and a happy, joyful, bright new year!'

Come and see the back of the card too - I wrapped the Lucky Limeade card stock right round the back of the card and added this gorgeous little stamp from the Creatively Yours stamp set. I think it adds a really lovely personal touch!

I had a wonderful time with this set and made several cards with it - but I'll show you the others another time otherwise we'll be here all day!

Supplies needed for this card:

Stamps: Autumn Days, Petite Pairs, Creatively Yours

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, versamark, markers

Card stock: Very Vanilla, Lucky Limeade, Cherry Cobbler

Other: Basic rhinestones, Scallop Square punch, silver embossing powder, heat tool, stamp-a-majig, paper snips

I'd be delighted to order any of these supplies for you and can have them delivered to your address in the UK. I am committed to providing excellent customer service and am always happy to help and advise. Just send me an email or give me a call on 01280 820593. 

Everyone has begun to do those exciting whisperings and rustlings in our house which means secret plans are afoot. I just love it!

Thank you for dropping in today. I've got loads more ideas for cards and other projects, so do pop back soon!

Hugs,