Merry Christmas Everyone

Hello All

Just came on to wish all of our customers friends and blog followers a Very Merry Christmas.

We finished work yesterday afternoon and have had a really festive day today and Harry has hed a wonderful time opening his presents goingfor a long walk in the snow covered park and really enjoyed his Christmas dinner.

As usual i cooked way to much and we couldnt manage pudding at all.

We have both just chilled out after dinner and watched loads of telly and generally have had a nice relaxing evening.

The shop will be closed now until Wednesday 5th January but Gordon and i will be going in every other day until then for a few hours just to get all the internet orders processed and sent out to you .

If you do come to the shop on these days we wont turn you away you are always welcome .

If you need to come to the shop desperately for something please leave a message and we will let you know what days and time we will be there.

Once again a Merry Christmas to you all.

Smiles from Rob Gordon and a very full Harry xxx

We Made It { Snow Problem }

Hello everyone.

This is what the picture was like on our road this morning.

Although the snow was coming down fast before i went to bed it had obviously rained through the night and the sun was out too so the thaw has started.

We gave it a couple of hours just to make sure the weather wasnt suddenly going to turn on us and then set off to the shop.

We got there without any problems ( except for me having to stop for sweets on the way ).

The guys who own the garage opposite us had cleared a lot of the snow away from our shop with a digger thing they have so that was even better and hopefully by Monday it will all be back to normal in the car park area.

Below is a pic of Harry and i just before we opened thhe door to the shop.

And heres one of Gordon sitting in the snow next to the shed we keep all the folded up used boxes to take to be re-cycled when the shed is full.

Gord was actually standing up when i was about to take the photo but slipped and i clicked just at the right moment haha

The internet was back on and we got straight to work on all of the orders we hadnt been able to do for the last couple of days and we are coming back in again tomorrow to finish the rest so that we can take them to the post office first thing on Monday morning (we are so lucky to have the village post office just around the corner from the shop ).

We will be at the shop around mid-day tomorrow until 3.00 pm so if you do need to phone us give us a call in those hours.

Monday hopefully we will be back to normal opening hours and if you feel brave enough to come in and see us please phone first so we can let you know if the parkijg situation is ok.

Thanks for popping by and all your lovely e.mails.

Smiles Rob Gordon and Harry xxx

Todays Weather Update and some Pics

Hello all.

Well after non stop snow yesterday we woke up to a few more inches of snow and a beautiful sunny morning.

We went and measured the snow on the patio table as we have done every day and its up to 20 inches, heres the table and chairs below all merged into one blob by the snow.

Although it is still unsafe to drive to the shop today as the village is now unaccessable we decided to get our walking kits on and visit the old cemetary just a few yards away from where we live and let Harry have some fun.

The Cemetary was hardly disturbed and i took some gorgeous photo's and here are some of my favorites.

The picture above and below is a victorian chapel used for funerals and weddings until the late 1960s .It is a beautifil peice of architecture and looks even prettier in this winter wonderland.

Next up is another Harry Snow Dog Picture.

His coat seems to absorb the snow and makes little tiny snowballs appear all over him but he certainly doesnt mind it as you can see.

And here are a few i took of the landscape around us just because i want people to see why i love walking in this cemetary so much in any weather but Winter is the most spectacular time in here for me.

Hope you enjoy the photos as much as i did taking them.

We had been promised by the weatherman on the local radio a snowless night but just half way through im a celebrity tonight ( hope Stacey Wins ) we looked out of the window to see this.

The most heaviest snow we have seen yet and as you can see it makes the sky look like fog as it is so dense.As i look through my craft room window now it has calmed down a little but is still falling heavy so i will let you know what happens tomorrow.

We were going to try and get to the shop tomorow and leave the car somewhere and then walk the rest of the way so that we can at least answer phone calls and get all the orders processed ready for Monday but im not sure that will happen now especially if we have another 6 inches of snow overnight will let you know tomorrow.

Well i will stop now and i hope everyone out there is keeping warm and is OK.

Thanks for dropping by.

Smiles Rob Gordon and Harry xxx

Winter Draws On

Hello everybody.

Hope you are all keeping warm and are snuggled up in your craft rooms.

Yesterday we woke up to 12 inches of snow here but as our house is on the main road that leads to our shop we decided to see if we could get there.

It tooka bit longer than usual but we managed it, the last bit being most difficult as we had to come off the main road and into the village which was just about passable.

I couldnt believe it when i saw how much snow was against the doorway and Harry was in seventh heaven.

Anyway to cut a long story short we managed to get most of the orders done before the internet server went down and took them all down to the post office on the way home.

The snow was getting up again and the post mistress told us that she wasnt sure if the post van would get here today but its all ready to be picked up so dont panic.

We arrived home safely and Harry went straight into the Garden and made himself into a snow dog.

He absolutely loves the snow and he really makes you feel warm inside when hes playing in it and it takes your mind off the coldness,

Today we have 18 inches of snow and it is wild outside with cars bashing into lamp posts and just swirving all over the place so we are going nowhere until it all calms down.

Here is a pic i took out of my craft room window just as im writing this of a car that has hit a lamp post being towed away by a lorry and a police car stopping all the traffic into town.

So ive got a big stew on the go downstairs and have decided to get some Christmas cards done as i havnt even had time to do any yet.

I think we will be trying to get to the shop again on Sunday as going any earlier would be crazy at the moment.

As you know we will catch up with all the orders then even if it takes us all night and will post them off on Monday.

I will keep you all informed of any changes over the next few days and post more pics too.

Take care everyone especially if you have to go out.

Smiles and Snowballs from Rob Gordon and Harry xxx

Last Weeks Fantastic Plastics Workshop.

Hi Everyone.

Last wek was a fantastic workshop even if i do say so myself.

All the girls got to grips with the friendly plastic on their first go which is really unusual and because of that we managed to get loads of techiques in.

I couldnt put this on until now because i took my SD card out of my camera after the workshop as it was full and put it in a safe place until i got home. Then when i got home i couldnt find it even after sifting through everything i had bought back with me.

I have searched all week and then this evening when i wasnt thinking about it i found it in my Glasses case, Honestly im getting worse haha.

I showed my students the basics of using Friendly Plastic and lots of different ways of using it and then showed them some unusual and unique ways to use Shrink Plastic on its own and combined with Friendly Plastic and other materials so we really did have a mixed media extravaganza going on.

We all had a great time and i am really proud of how well they all picked it up.

Here are some pics and a little video of the girls work.

Thank You Girls for a really great day and you were ALL wonderful.

Smiles Rob xxx

Have You Entered our Blog Candy Giveaway on the New Blog

Hello Everyone.
Dont Forget you can win a Cuttlebug and a No More Shims Mat over at our Design Team Blog.
All you have to do is go over and become a follower and leave a comment .
We will draw the winner out on the first of September which will be filmed live at the shop.
The link to the Design Team Blog is on the right hand side of the page.
So go on give it a try as you never know it could be YOU.
Smiles Rob , Gordon and Harry.xxx

Yesterdays Launch of the New Scor-Buddy on Create And Craft

Hello Everyone .

Yesterdays European launch of the new scor-buddy was a great success and i thought Di and Karen did a fantastic job and gave out some brilliant tips and tricks.

Trust Gordon to get the easy bit and sit down for the whole two hours haha.

For those of you who havnt seen the Scor-Buddy it is a lovely mini scor-pal ( inches) that is ideal for taking anywhere because of its size and it also comes with its own travel bag.

Use it for invitations,card making,small gift boxes and dont forget that this fabby little board can do all its big brothers can.

You can make standard greetings cards, Gate folds, Brochure folds and accordian folds.

Dont forget you can also use the Scor-Bug with the Scor-Buddy too.

The Workshop Today

Hi Again

Di has been doing her all day Stampbord Mirror Workshop today and everyone has had such a great time although ive never known a workshop so quiet as everyone was concentrating and getting lost in their artwork.

There has been so much interest in this class that Di will be doing another one in the not too distant future.

Here are some pics and a video from todays class.

Lets start with the hostess with the mostess Di

Here are the ladies working on their mirrors.

And here are the fabulous frames which are being made as i write this.

Teeth Tradeshows Jetlag and Workshops

Hi everyone

Well what a couple of weeks weve had here at Once Upon A Stamp.

Firstly i have to appologise for not blogging but i have been in quite a bit of pain with all the dental work i have had to have done over the last couple of months and have not been fit for doing anything especially in the last few weeks.

Anyway all the work on my mouth was finished two days before we went to Chicago for the Craft Trade Show and i think Gordon was happy as my mouth was that sore i couldnt talk much so he had to do all the ordering.

We had a great time and have found some fab new products so keep watching the web shop.

We have still got some places left on some of our August Workshops and here they are.

Dimentional Cards and Notebook

Tutor ........ Jean

Price ......... £15.00

Dates ........ Weds 18th August 2010.

Sat 21st August 2010.

Time ........ 11.00 am - 1.30 pm.

Places left for Wednesday class .........1

Places left for Saturday class .............4

Everything you need for the class will be provided as well as lots of drinks and biscuits.

This fabulous workshop will introduce you to cottage cutz dies as well as nestabilities and the Cinch book binding tool.

You will be leaving with two or three cards and also a decorated Notebook that you have made yourself.

Jean is a fantastic teacher and will show you some wonderful techniques to add to your card making skills.

Let Us Stamp Part Two.

Masking, Layers and Resist Techniques.

Tutor ...... Karen.

Dates ...... Weds 1st September 2010.

Sat 4th September 2010.

Time ...... 11.00 am - 1.30 pm.

Places left for Wednesday class ...... 2

Places left for Saturday ......... 5

Everything you will need for the class will be provided as well as lots of drinks and biscuits.

Both of Karens classes for the first of this series of Rubber Stamping techniques for beginners filled up really quickly and i can see this one going fast too.

Karen will be taking you step by step into the world of Rubber Stamping special effects and you will be amazed at the cards you will be making.

This is not just a workshop for beginners as even more advanced stampers will find this class really useful.

I thought i would put a couple of photoes up of Chicago as we both thought it was probably the most beautiful city we have been to in America. The architecture is amazing as the old and new buildings all seem to merge wonderfully with each other There is so much to see and do and it also seemed a very safe city and we didnt feel threatened once even walking around after dark. We will most definately be back

The first day we woke at 7.30 in the morning after sleeping for 12 hours (it was only supposed to be an hours nap ).We did a twelve mile walk of the city and then went to the Aquarium which was fantastic.Here we are half way round it taking a breather.

This is Downtown Chicago and as you can see for a city it really is beautiful. The large boat in the background takes you on an architecture and history tour of the city and we just didnt have time to do it this time but its on our list for next time.

Below is a little video
i took of Navy Pier from the water taxi we were on

I thought this would be a good time to try out putting a video onto our blog.

Im just going to take some photos of Di and the ladies doing her Mixed media Stampbord class and will put them up later.

Thanks for dropping by.

Smiles Rob, Gordon and Harry.
xxx

All Set Up and Some Exciting News

Hi All

Well we have been up at Doncaster most of the day setting up for the Papercraft show at the Race course.

It was great to catch up with all our friends who i hadnt seen since the N E C in Birmingham as i usually work at the shop and look after Harry while Gordon and the girls do the shows.

So after six hours we finally had everything almost finished, just a few adjustments to do tomorrow morning before the show starts.

Heres a pic of the stand and Gordon practicing his looking Gorgeous pose for tomorrow to attract the ladies to the stand haha ( hes going to kill me )

Im really excited to be demonstrating tomorrow and am really looking forward to meeting our customers both old and new.

Di and myself will be demonstrating the scor-pal, Just-rite stamps, Cottage cutz dies, Nestabilities, Magnetic Aperture Mats, and our new No More Shims Embossing mat for the cuttlebug using some very unusual things to emboss with. So come along to our stand and be prepared to be amazed and have lots of fun too.

And heres the exciting news i cant wait to share with you.

We are going to be launching our very own DESIGN TEAM BLOG and it will be happening some time next week so stay tuned as there is going to be a nice prize for somebody to win in the first week.

And here are the Design Team ( straight from the craft corpse of Prisoner Cell Block H ) haha

They are from left to right Di, Michelle, Jean and Karen and what these girls dont know about paper crafting isnt worth bothering with.

They will be sharing tips and techniques with you and sharing their samples and artwork as well as setting each other monthly challenges which they will show the progress and finished result on the blog.

They will also give you more information about their workshops here at Once Upon A Stamp and their appearances on TV and craft shows around the country.

We are also going to be doing lots of competitions and blog candy and also do some how to videos when we get the hang of it.

I hope you are all as excited as we are and that you will join in with us and have fun reading what we are all doing and working on.

Well its bedtime for me now as its an early start tomorrow.

Hope to meet some of you tomorrow and if i have time i will take a few pics of the show to share with you.

Smiles Rob, Gordon and Harry xxx

Shows and Workshop updates.

Hi everyone.

Firstly im so glad to be back in blogland. As some of you know my poor old computer had to go away for a big operation as i had pushed it to its limits and after nearly two months its back.

The other great thing is that i have had a brand new computer (just for meeee ) that i am only going to use for my artwork and journalling stuff and my blogs. The really good thing about this computer is that it is so light and that means i can take it everywhere with me too so if we go anywhere interesting i can keep everyone up to date while we are on the move.

The Workshops have all been well attended and have been full within weeks so now i will give you dates of some we have coming up for the end of this month and into August.

LET US STAMP Part 1

TUTOR ....... Karen

Price .......£ 15.00

Dates ........ Weds 21st July 2010.

Sat 24th July 2010

Time ...... 11.00 am - 1.30 pm

Places Left for Wednesdays Class ........ 4

Places Left for Saturdays Class .............4

Everything you will need for the class will be provided as well as lots of drinks and Biscuits.

This is a series of workshops for beginners in stamping and papercrafts and will be taught by the fabulous Karen.

Karens background as an art teacher in primary schools will really shine through in these workshops as she will take the fear and mystery of inks, paints, stamping and generally letting go, away with her quirky techniques and wonderful teaching skills.

The first part of this on going beginners workshop will let you into the wonderful world of Inks and how to use them with your rubber stamps. You will learn the difference between Dye based, Pigment, solvent and embossing inks and how they are all used for different rubber stamping techniques.

At the end of the class you will have some wonderful samples you will have made and the knowledge of knowing which ink to use for the best results in your Rubber stamping art.

Our classes do fill up quite quickly so please book as soon as possible.

AN INTRODUCTION TO ALCOHOL INKS

TUTOR ....... Di

PRICE ......... £15.00

DATE ......... Weds 4th AUGUST 2010

TIME ......... 11.00 am - 1.30.pm

Places Left ....... CLASS FULL

MIXED MEDIA STAMPBORD MIRRORS.

TUTOR ......... DI

PRICE ........... 40.00 (this includes a full bag of mixed sized Stampbord and your mirror )

DATE ........... Sat 7th AUGUST 2010

TIME ............. 11.00 am - 4.00 pm

PLACES LEFT.......... 4

Please bring a packed lunch if you wish as only tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided.

An all day class with the lovely Di.

Di is the Queen of Alcohol Inks and you will be amazed at this wonderful work of art you will achieve on this workshop.

Using Stampbord, Alcohol Inks, Rubber Stamps and inkpads turn a plain miror into a work of art.

Di will show you how to work with Stampbord and the scratch tool to bring life to your rubber stamped images.

Combined with Alcohol inks and different ink pads you will learn lots of new techniques as well as the confidence to go on to greater things.

Our Classes do fill up quite quickly so please book as soon as you can to avoid disappointment.

FANTASTIC PLASTICS

TUTOR .......... Robert

PRICE ........... £25

DATE ............. Sun 29th AUGUST 2010.

TIME ............... 11.00 am - 2.00 pm

PLACES LEFT .............. 6

Everything you need for this workshop will be provided as well as tea, coffee and biscuits.

Robert will take you on an amazing artful journey in this workshop and also be prepared to laugh a lot as fun is the best way to learn new things.

Come and learn the basics of Friendly Plastic and then combine it with Shrink plastic to make some wonderful jewelry and embellishments for your papercrafts and altered art.

You will also be using Friendly plastic with molds and using other materials which will include alcohol inks ,Lumiere Paints and beads.

This is a fun class which has been put together for beginners as well as advanced crafters where you will learn lots of new techniques and leave with loads of samples you have made for you to use at home in your art work.

SUMMER CRAFTING SHOW At Doncaster Racecourse.

DATE .......... Sat 17th and Sun 18th JULY 2010.

We hope to see you at this new papercraft show on those dates where we will be selling our wares as well as giving you some great demo's.

Robert and Di will be demonstrating on Saturday.

Jean, Karen and Michelle will be demonstrating on Sunday.

Gordon will be there both days just standing there looking gorgeous haha.

Hope to see you there.

I have some more news to tell you but will leave you in suspence till tomorrow.

Its great to be back.

Smiles from Rob, Gordon and Harry xxx

Upcoming Workshops and dates

Here are a few workshops that we will be holding at the shop soon.

Please book early as they fill up pretty quick.

Please Phone or call in at the shop to pre book your places.

All Card making classes must be paid for in advance.

SUNDAY MAY 23rd 2010

Dragonfly Necklace with Swarovski Crystals.

TIME 10.30 am - 1.00 pm

Cost £15 which includes Lindas wonderful tuition, everything you need to make your project and lots of tea,coffee,fun and chocky biscuits.

Come and join the lovely Linda the Queen of Beading for one of her fabulous Beading Classes here at Once Upon A Stamp.

Linda is AMAZING and even if you have never beaded before you will love Lindas way of teaching and will leave the class with lots of knowledge and a beautiful peice of Jewelry that you have made yourself.

Linda also brings a collection of beads and findings for you to purchase even if you are not doing her class.

WEDS JUNE 2nd and SAT JUNE 5th 2010

DISTRESS INK TECHNIQUES WITH DI

Time 11.00 am - 2.00 pm

Cost £15.00 which includes Di's fabulous tuition , everything you will need to create your works of art and lots of tea coffee fun and chocky biscuits.

If you have been to the shop or the papercraft shows you will know how creative and passionate Di is about Distress Inks and she will show you all the techniques you have always wanted to learn and some new ones too.

We are doing two classes one on Wednesday and another on Saturday so you have a choice of which day you would like to attend.

Please book early as our workshops fill up very quickly.

WEDS JUNE 16th and SAT JUNE 19th 2010

SHUTTER AND STEPPER CARDS with JEAN

TIME 11.00am - 2.00 pm

COST £15.00 which includes Jeans Expert tuition , everything you will need to create your cards and lots of tea ,coffee, fun and chocky biscuits.

If it can be folded, manipulated and made to look beautiful then Jeans the Queen.

If you have been to the shop and seen her fabulous samples or at the shows with us you will know just how lucky we are to have such a talented papercraft artist in our midst.

Jean will take you step by step into the world of paper scoring and cutting using the Scor-Pal and lots of beautful papers and embellishments.

You have a choice to come to the Wednesday or Saturday class but please book early as Jeans classes do fill up really quickly.

We may be doing some more classes in June so keep watching the blog

Fun and Games

Hello everyone and it really has been lots of fun getting ready for the Scor-Pal show on Create and Craft show last Monday and wasnt Karen fantastic for her first time on the telly.
The show was such a success that they have asked us for more Scor-Pals and are now re running the programme again over the next week so dont delay get your Scor-Pal today you really will understand why its the best scoring board out there.
Here are some pics of the samples we took with us for the show and every one has been made using the Scor-Pal and Graphic 45 papers.









We are now busy getting all the samples ready for our next show which will introduce you to the CottageCutz dies which work on all of the popular machines such as the Wizard,cuttlebug and sizzix big shot.
These dies are really detailed and although they dont emboss the cut lines give a three dimensional look to your cards and scrapbook layouts so pleae dont miss the demos and the fantastic dies we are taking on.

We have had a little visitor staying with us for the last week and he still has a wnother week with us.
His name is Bob and hes a three month old cockapoo and Harrys best friend.
He is no trouble and has settled down nicely and has even been for two dips in both our ponds (i dont think the frogs toads and newts were very happy though.
Heres a piccy of the two lads in the garden.

I think Harry will be quite upset when Bob has to go home and so will we.

I have some dates for workshops at the shop coming up for the end ofMay and June and i will be putting those on here tomorrow.
I am going to finish off my pasta disaster dish now for when Gordon gets home from the papercraft show at Port Sunny and both the boys are fast asleep after their fun and games in the garden.
See you all tomorrow.
Smiles Rob Gordon Harry and Bob xxxx

Easter in Paris

Good Friday fell on Gordons Birthday this year so we decided to have a well deserved break in Paris and promised each other to just chill out and not do too much ha ha famous last words.
We stayed 20 minutes away from the city as hotel rooms are much bigger and i just cant cope with small spaces.

Below is the foyer of the Novotel Wellbeing where we stayed. It was really convenient as it had a free shuttle service to the airport and the train station into Paris which ran every ten to fifteen minutes so it saved on taxi fares.

And here is a picture of our room which was lovely and big with space to move around and not feel that you were staying in a shoebox.

We arrived about 8.00 pm so we settled in and then i took Gordon for a Birthday meal and a few drinkypoos and then a lovely sleep in a really really comfy bed.

Easter Saturday was rain rain rain so we went to the Louvre and spent a good seven hours looking at all the fabulous artifacts it had to offer and of course i just had to go and see the Mona Lisa first and i wasnt dissapointed i thought she was magnificent.If you do go yourselves dont forget to look up as you walk around as most of the ceilings are works of art in their own right as this picture shows.

We both really enjoyed the museum and we are sure we didnt do half of it as it really is a masive place.
By the time we came out of the louvre it had stopped raining so we went up to the Montmatre area of Paris which is my favorite place as it has still got that vintage Parissian feel to it and you see artists painting and accordianists playing Edith Piaf songs and the little cafes are always full of people, and the views from the steps of the sacre couer are amazing as you can see in the pictures below.

Above is Sacre Couer

Easter Sunday was a lot better weather wise so we went to an Antique and Flea Market in the South part of the city and it was a great morning out seeing lots of lovely things and a lot of rubbish too.

I bought some lovely vintage cabinet cards of Parisienne men and women that will be used in my artwork at some stage.
After lunch we decided that instead of walking around the main sights of Paris we would take the open top bus and just get off where we fancied and it was great. We saw all the things we wanted to see in around three and a half hours and it really did save our legs.

Monday saw us going to another Antique and Flea Market this time in a beautiful squre in the East of the city where i bought a book of old Art Nouveau Lithographs for 15 euro,s which i thought was really good value.

While we were at the market i noticed we were very close to Pere Lachaise Cemetary where Edith Piaf lies at rest and as the weather was nice we decided to pay a visit. Now i must tell you that if you want to see beautiful Art nouveau architecture, statues and stained glass you will find it all in Parisienne cemetaries. Below is an example of a wonderful Art Nouveau Tomb.

Tuesday took us to Montparnesse as i had heard there were some fantastic art shops there and we found some fab ones. I found some wonderful watercolour journals in all shapes and sizes and i just had to have a couple and a few more things to find space for in my craft room at home.

After the most wonderful crepes i have tasted at a little cafe we went to the war museum as Gordon wanted to see the tomb of Napoleon 1st which i must admit was an amazing thing to see as his casket is hugh (considering he was such a little man ) heres a pic of it.


As this was our last day we decided to go and look at some of our favorite places before leaving so we went to view the eiffel tower from the Trocadero Gardens as it is such a stunning sight from there. I also found another little old cemetary just around the corner with some beautiful stained glass windows and sculptures and i had to take a photo of the Eiffel Tower from in here as i coulnt beleive how quiet it was and yet just around the corner it was just a mass of people.

We had a great time walking by the seine and taking in all the wonderful sights along the way and after a real full day (the temperature got up to 70 0/0 today too ) we got back to the hotel at 8.30 and then went and had a last night slap up meal which was also great.

Oh i just had to take one little extra thing home with me hope you dont mind Paris.

We really did have a great time and packed loads into four days, Harry also had a great time as he was staying with little Bob the cockapoo puppy at his aunty Michelles.

So now its back to work now and back to reality

Smiles from Rob Gordon and harry xxx