My Upline and My Friend

Jenny and I

Jane, Val and myself

Jenny and Jo


Sorry I have not been around for a few days, I have been away to Bournemouth for a mini holiday. I travelled down to Dorset to help my SU Upline Jenny with her All Day Extravaganza Event.
Jenny held this event jointly with a fellow Stampin' Up Demonstrator Jo, who had her downline Helen to help out too. The 3 projects were all stunning and everyone seemed to have a lovely time.
I have been part of Jenny's team for 2 years and she has become my very good friend. She constantly inspires me with her work and strengthens me with her support. Making the special effort to travel down and help has enabled me to give something back and say "thanks for everything Jen"

I had an extra wonderful time as I also got to spend some time with two other members of our Stampin' Up team Jane and Val (like myself, they are Jenny's downline) This morning we have all just booked for the Stampin Up Convention event for November so will now be counting down the days til we are all together again. We may not be the biggest Stampin' Up team out there but we sure know how to have a ball when we get together and we are a "little" loud hee hee. It was lovely to see you girls and can't wait for our Hilton High Jinks hee hee

Class for June

Hi there

Do you like the look of these new designer papers teamed with Old Olive and the gorgeous new colour Rich Razzleberry ? Would you like to make this card box and matching cards ?

If the answer is yes then would you like to join me and my regular ladies for this morning class on Tuesday 22nd June. Please phone or email me asap to book your place. I have a limited number of extra places available on a first come first served basis but they will not be available for long. The class will start at 10am and a light lunch is included.

Stampin' Up! Convention 2010

Stampin' Up! have just announced that the 2010 European Convention is going to take place here in the UK at the stunning Addington Palace in Surrey on the 5th and 6th November.

Needless to say I will be booking my place asap when registration opens on 1st June. I cannot risk missing out as I had a totally amazing time at last year's event in Germany.
Convention is only open to Stampin' Up demonstrators so if you would like to be part of this event and are thinking of signing up as a demonstrator please contact me for more information on how you can join my team.

1st ever Class re-visited

As you know from previous posts I have had somewhat a busy couple of weeks and admit I have been quite weary this week. I did need a class idea in a hurry so I decided to look back over my old classes and lo and behold there was my first ever class that these new ladies had not done. It was actually quite nostalgic to go back to my first ever class, especially following on from my latest "first" with my all day event last weekend. It made me realise what a journey I have been on in the past 16months and how far I have come from that very first terrifying class.

So here is my samples of the class projects and you can see I have used some of the brand new Cottage Wall papers for the body of the box. I am totally and utterly in love with this set of papers and they will be featuring heavily in my class for June along with the gorgeous new Melon Mambo and Rich Razzleberry.

More images from my All Day Event

Much as I rarely show pictures of myself I had to share these with you. The first shows me with the beautiful bouquet and card that my ladies presented to me as their way of thanking me for their crafting day. You cannot see the true beauty of some of the flowers which were deep burgundy red roses with diamond crystals stuck in them, they are stunning. And the reason I am showing the 2nd pic is to give credit to Jill one of my downline team who looked after half of my ladies for me. She was a star and worked really hard so Thank You Jill.

These last two piccys are to show the TWO real stars of the day, namely my Mum and my nephew Matt who looked after ALL of the catering for the whole day. They served teas, coffees, juices throughout the day and ensured that my ladies wanted for nothing. I have received amazing praise from all my guests for both of them. You were both amazing ........huge thanks.

Better late than never

As promised here are a few pictures of my lovely ladies at my craft event last Saturday. As you can see they were all working hard. Back in a mo with a few more pictures.

I survived my first ever All Day Event !!!!!!!!

Well I am delighted to say that I have survived my first ever All Day Stamping Event.

I had 20 very special guests attend the event, namely my lovely ladies from my classes and craft club. I also had 4 ladies who are brand new to me and it was so nice to see my regular ladies welcome them and make them feel at home today.

We made three complete projects and although we worked hard from 10am to 4pm to fit them all in, every lady was very happy with their creations by the time we finished. We started with a decorative gift box with beautiful carnation style flowers, then on to a decorated card box containing 6 cards ( made from a One Sheet Wonder using Vintage Vogue) and finally onto a gift bag and matching card using the quirky and cute Sweet Pea stamp set and accessories.

There was a buzz about the room all day today and I think I can honestly say everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. I was asked when I am doing the next "event" and majority were in favour when I tentatively suggested that my next event could be a Christmas projects party in July. If this is something that you may be interested in then please register your interest and email me so that I can contact you once I have worked out the finer details.

For now I will leave you with pictures of our 3 projects and come back tomorrow with photos from the day.

Card Buffet card

Hi there

I have decided not to show the other card my Jaunty ladies made on Friday as I want to use the design for someone who may visit my blog. Instead I will share one of my card buffet cards with you.

The card buffet is what I call my selection of card kits I have available for the members of my new craft club to make if they do not have a project of their own to work on. I had a starting number of 10 card designs for them to choose from and regularly add 5 brand new designs each month, so there is always going to be something new each time we meet. All the materials are provided in a pack and I bring all the stamps, tools, punches etc they need to complete their given cards. So far it has proved a great success and I am really glad I went along with this idea especially for those ladies new to crafting who as yet do not have a massive collection of stamps.

So this is just one of the designs and it has proved quite popular already ( my ladies are "pink" ladies like myself lol)

Wow Ladies........No need to wait until October ! ! !

Oh my goodness.................... Stampin' Up has made an incredible announcement today.

We do not have to wait until October 1st to lay our hands on three of the brand new colours. As of today 1st May, it is possible to order cardstock and inkpads in Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo and Soft Suede.

In addition there are Polka Dot Grosgrain ribbons to match all three colours (these are simply wonderful) and a brand new set of Designer Series Paper "Cottage Wall" to compliment the new colours perfectly. There is also a set of Printed Window sheets to match.

Needless to say my own order has gone in this morning as I cannot wait to get my hands on these new colours. If you too wish to order and play with these gorgeous new items please contact me and I will get yours ordered asap.

Cards for Men

Hi there
I have had a brief break from my event preparations today as I had my " Jaunty" Ladies for their class today.
They wanted to make a couple of cards for men this week and this is the first design I came up with. It uses one of my favourite colour combinations of Chocolate Chip and Sage Shadow and also a small amount of "Nouveau Chic designer paper. All four ladies enjoyed making this card and loved the colour combination as much as I do. I will be back tomorrow to show you the other card they made.

Papercrafting Event

Sorry for the lack of posts, I have been busy getting all the materials packs ready for my All Day Event. There are now only a couple of remaining places available so if you are interested in joining us please contact me as soon as possible.

Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint

Well what can I say about the brand new product from Stampin'Up that is part of our new Mini Catalogue collection. I am talking about the new Shimmer Paint which is wonderful. I have had a very brief play with the Champagne Mist one ( it also comes Frost White and Platinum) and I am already in love with this product. Imagine being able to turn any colour of cardstock into a pearlescent finish cardstock as well as being able to use it as an ink by using a sponge dauber directly onto your rubber stamps. You can also add any of the 48 SU re-inkers to it and create a whole new colour palette. Priced at just £4.25 for each pot it is incredibly good value for money and trust me when I say just a few drops goes an awful long way.

This card is my first attempt and although you can see a hint of a sheen it does not allow you to really see just how intense the glimmer effect is in real life. Believe me this is going to be a definite addition to my Christmas cards this year and is guaranteed to give them the WOW factor.

If you would like to try them for yourself please email me for ordering details.

Oh my goodness do I have exciting news

Oh my goodness do I have some exciting news for you all today.

Stampin'Up! have decided they are renovating their whole colour structure. This means we are set to lose quite a number of our current colours but boy are they giving us some gorgeous ones to compensate. For the first time ever we will see USA colours here in the UK, like Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze and they will be part of the new 40 Core Colours so will be here to stay.

In addition, just like in the States we will also be getting 5 NEW "In Colours" each year and they will stay for 2 years at a time. So after this first year( when we will just get the first 5 in colours) we will always have 40 core colours plus 10 In Colours at any one time.



Some of you will no doubt see colours on the retiring list that you absolutely love so I would encourage you to gradually build up your own little stockpile. The new colours collections will be available from the 2010/2011 new catalogue which doesn't come out until October so you all have a good 6 months to collect your retiring colours.

As much as there are a couple of colours that I will miss, I am really excited about the changeand I will be first in the queue for getting all those delicious colours we have only dreamedabout until now. How many of you have looked at the USA "In Colours" over the years and wished we had even one set ? Just imagine....from October we will have 15 NEW BASIC / CORE COLOURS which will include those colours we have drooled over AND a brand new set of 5 "In Colours". I think I will be in heaven with all the new colours to choose from.

Pretties Flower and Bride Papers

Happy Easter weekend to everyone.

I am sharing this card with you today to showcase how easy it is to alter the colours of SU goodies. This card uses the gorgeous Bride Speciality papers and one of the Pretties Kit flowers and both have been coloured with SU inks. I used the brayer and the Chocolate Chip ink pad for the striped paper and Close to Cocoa for the swirly top section. I then used sponge daubers and the Close to Cocoa inkpad to lightly ink the large flower and then stamped onto it with the En Francais background stamp using the same inkpad. I then simply added a button from the Latte set and some of the beautiful new Chocolate Chip satin ribbon from the mini catalogue. All in all I like this card and I know I could reproduce it in any one of the 48 Stampin'Up! colours which is fantastic.



I hope you like it too.

Woooohhhhhhhoooooooooooooooooooooo

The Stampin'Up! 2010 Mini Catalogue went live today so you can now order your goodies from me. Please email me if you require your own copy of this catalogue or view the online version HERE

I am totally in love with all the new products that Stampin'Up have given us, believe me I want ALL of it and I guarantee there is something for all tastes this year.

I will endeavour to make samples to share with you next week to showcase some of those gorgeous new items. Bear in mind though that there is an awful lot to choose from so it may take me a little while.

Team Challenge

This box set of cards uses Stampin' Up! tiny 3" x 3" Love Notes and envelopes. A fellow SU demonstrator (Amanda) showcased the box at the recent training day held in Reading. My upline challenged her team members to give it a try and this is my take on that box.

I have used a fabulous brand new Stampin' Up! stamp set which will be available in the mini catalogue which goes live on 1st April. The second I knew this set was coming I HAD to have it as it is such a striking set of images and so versatile. The set is called "Bird on a Branch" and if you NEED to have this set then just email me with your order asap ready to be added to the order I am placing on the 1st April.

I hope you like this teeny tiny cards as much as I do.

Whiteboard class

I have been really busy this past 2 weeks and have therefore been very behind with my blogging so big apologies for the lack of posts again. The reason I have been missing in action is because I have been busy setting up my new craft club and it has been a lot of hard work. I first had the idea about 6 months ago but I finally took the plunge and booked a venue and my very first meeting was on Monday evening. I am only holding the club once a month but I am hoping it will be a success as we have nothing like this in our area and crafter's like nothing better than to craft together and natter as they do it.

I have to say that my regular class ladies supported me fully and without them I would never have been able to give it a go. You know who you are ladies so THANK YOU.

I was thrilled to welcome 5 brand new ladies and even more pleased when they said they enjoyed themselves and will be back next month when we meet again.

I also have a class tomorrow and my ladies will be making this whiteboard. I made this as an experiment after a little chat with my upline Jenny and was thrilled when it turned out so well. I showed it to my class ladies and they all decided they would like to have a go and before I knew it I was planning the class for tomorrow. I hope they enjoy making them and also using them in all of their own craft rooms/ offices.

Well I had better fly again as I am still getting the materials ready for class and it will NOT look good if the teacher is late will it ? lol

Friday class

Hi there

I have recently started a new class by request of 3 of my ladies. They wanted a regular class whereby we do a variety of more basic cards and projects that they choose each week and which we then do the following week.The ideas for these classes come from either my demonstrator display boards or from stamp sets featured in the Stampin' Up! current catalogue that they fancy. This gives me time to plan a project and them the chance to play with certain products or stamp sets before they buy and so far it is going to plan.

This week I was asked by Jennifer to come up with an idea using the ever beautiful "Rose is a Rose" stamp set. I haven't used this set in ages and I am soooooooooo pleased she requested this as I have been reminded again just how gorgeous this one is to use. I decided that we will make a large A5 card as I haven't made enough of these lately. DH also reminded me that we need a Wedding Anniversary card for his brother and sister in law for the end of the week so the Red and Yellow combination is for them. I will probably come up with another little project for my class girls to go with the card but for now I am just going to share the cards with you.

Tomorrow I will share with you a picture of my Whiteboard Class for my regular monthly class. This class will take place next Thursday 25th March.

If you would like the opportunity to join any of my classes please email me to check if I have any places left available. The link is on the side toolbar.

Birthday Card for my downline Jill

Sorry for the lack of posts this week but I have been busy with classes and a Stampin' Up Training Day in Sheffield ( I attended this with my downline Jill and we had a brilliant day with fellow demonstrators from around the region)

So now, on to the card I am sharing with you today....

This little creation is for my downline Jill for her birthday which is tomorrow. Jill has already opened the card as I gave it to her earlier today so I am safely able to share it with you. The card uses a brand new Stampin' Up set of stamps which will be available to purchase from next month ( email me if you would like to order this set, trust me it is gorgeous)

Jill was pleased with her card and even more pleased that I didn't use pink ! ! ! ! !

Anyway I will hopefully be back tomorrow with pictures of my mini pizza box class that I did on Friday for 3 of my special class ladies.

Perfect Pairs

We have a fantastic new offer from Stampin'Up! for the month of March.

During this month get 20% off selected punches when you buy the coordinating stamp set. The qualifying stamp sets and punches are as follows

(Punches shown at discount price)

111564 Flight of the Butterfly £23.95

117404 Coordinating Butterfly Punch £10

111502 In the Stars £24.95

113652 Large Star Punch £10

111678 Say it with Scallops £14.95

113653 Scallop Square Punch £10

113790 Oval All £14.95

115429 Scallop Oval Punch £10

106598 Simply Said £22.95

113693 Full Heart Punch £10**

**Full Heart Punch is also available separately at the full price of £12.50 **

(This is a sneak peek 1 month only opportunity to own this full heart punch, as it will not be available again until the new 2010-2011 catalogue release)

So as now is the ideal time to get your hands on these wonderful stamp sets and punches, contact me today to order yours.

Sale-a-Bration is here (this post will remain at the top until 28/2 please scroll down for more recent posts)

Please note that this post will remain at the top of my blog

until 28/01/10.

Please scroll down for newer posts.

I am so excited to be able to share with you the fantastic news that Stampin' Up's Sale-a-Bration event starts today through until 28th February 2010.

You can view the Sale-a-Bration leaflet

Sale-a-Bration gives you the opportunity to earn FREE stamp sets in one of three different ways

As a Customer

During Sale-a-Bration every customer can earn FREE stamp sets (choose any one of 4 different sets). All you need to do is place a minimum order of £45 ( net sales before P&P) and you will gain your first free set. There is no limit as to the number of free sets you can earn. For EVERY £45 you spend you will earn another set of your choice.

The stamp sets are unique and exclusive to this event and therefore will not be available for general purchase at any time. If you would like to own these very special sets you will need to place a qualifying order before 28th February.

As a Hostess

Host a workshop either in your home or at mine during this period and as long as your total order value reaches £300 ( net sales before P&P) you will earn one FREE Sale-a-Bration stamp set. ( Bear in mind this stamp set will be in addition to the usual Hostess benefits that you would gain from a workshop at this level).

As a Recruit

If you are already thinking of joining Stampin' Up as a demonstrator there can be no better time than during this Sale-a-Bration event.

Sign up during Sale-a-Bration and you will not only receive the already amazing value for money starter kit, you will also earn

FREE stamp set of your own choice to a value of £38.95

( from the current Idea Book and Catalogue excluding Hostess sets)

Please contact me if you require any more information or if you wish to place an order.

Live Your Dream

Following on from my previous post I thought I would share another class creation with you. This selection is what my sister made yesterday. We had a whole day crafting during which she made this Live your Dream class followed by the Mini Memory Book and Card Class. She was really pleased with her finished projects and this format of a whole day of craft worked well for her too. (She works night shifts and sometimes struggles to make all the classes

I love how this bag and cards set looks in So Saffron and Chocolate Chip.

Greenhouse Garden Class cards

Hi there

I had my Greenhouse Garden classes yesterday and all my ladies enjoyed making the mini album and the card. I wanted to share a couple of their creations with you today and these are the cards that Cathy and Jenny created.

Cathy has just moved house and hasn't been able to craft for a while as all her stash is packed away(so glad you enjoyed your crafting morning) and Jenny is the newest lady to join my classes and has only just started making cards ( I am so pleased that you are loving the experience so far)

Both ladies opted to make their cards into Mother's Day creations and I am sure the respective "Mum's" will love the cards.

Isn't it lovely how each lady choose a completely different layout for the 3-D flowers ? I hope all of you enjoy seeing my ladies creations for a change.

Circle Circus Thanks

I thought I would share these little 4x4 cards with you. They are the cards for my Stampers 10 ladies to say thank you for their orders. I wanted them to all be the same theme but in colours to suit each individual member of the group. I picked the 10 colours and then, using my markers I coloured the pieces of Whisper White to match the colour of the stamped images . They are certainly a little bit different from my usual style as they are quite bright and modern looking but all of my ladies loved them. I do need to use this Circle Circus stamp set more as it's gorgeous.

Well I am going to do my 1st demonstration and mini card making session with the Ladies Guild on Thursday evening so I have a busy morning ahead preparing their little make and take packets and getting my display boards ready. I also have two classes tomorrow so all my Thursday preparation has to be finished by the end of today so I had better go and get myself moving.

Hope you like these cards for today.

Live Your Dream Carousel Notes Class

Yet again I have missed a few days between my posts. This is mainly because I have been busy crafting for a few days and have been busy arranging a venue for my first all day craft event on Saturday 8th May. ( Call back after the weekend for all the finer details)

I have also made a little birthday gift for a crafting friend and fellow demo, cut and prepared all the materials for my mini memory book class which is next Wednesday and for the past two days I have been getting my NEXT class ready, the first class for this is for the 25th February....... I cannot believe that I am managing to get this class done so far in advance I am usually frantically typing up notes etc at the last minute.

It never ceases to amaze me just how quickly the time goes when I am in the creative mood in my little craft room, I am sure I only blinked on Monday and it is now Friday already. Anyway I thought I would share the pictures of the next class with you to prove I haven't been idle whilst I have been missing in action.

The Carousel Notes bag template comes from the lovely Jenny Moors over at Stamping Moments. She did a gorgeous tutorial with little tiny love note sized cards but I have made mine bigger at 10cm square. I hope you like them..................

Don't forget to call back next week if you would like more details of my Crafting Event on 8th May ( regular ladies please email me asap if you wish to book as places are limited)

Greenhouse Garden Class

Thought I would share pictures of my next class with you. This class features my favourite stamp set Greenhouse Garden. I am combining the card design I made for my Mother in Law's birthday along with a decorated chipboard mini book to match. The colours are Almost Amethyst, Pretty in Pink and Whisper White which match perfectly with the Tea Party designer papers which we will be using to cover the chipboard books.

This class seems to be proving popular, with the result being that my regular ladies have all booked their places very quickly. If you like the look of this class and would like to make the projects yourself please feel free to email me to see if I can fit you in the existing classes or make a date for an additional class just for you.

Bridesmaid Papers Lace punch flower

I'm back after a couple of extremely busy days of classes, craft trip and an evening out to watch my little Great-Niece in her first performance with her dance school. She is learning Ballet and Tap and loves it. It was the first time she has been on stage and she is only 6 so she made us proud that she didn't lose her nerve.

So all in all I have had no time to craft until today. I have made a little gift box and card this morning with no stamping apart from the sentiment. The flower is one I have seen at a blog called Stampin with Tami. To make the flower you use strips of cardstock punched out along one edge and then you attach those strips to a punched out circle. I love the vintage style look to these and made them in two different sizes, one for the card and one for the box. The cardstock is Chocolate Chip and the gorgeous "bridesmaid" designer paper which I have sponged with Close to Cocoa ink and then rubbed off the excess ( the shiny part of the design resists the ink) This makes a nice standby gift set for a last minute birthday present if needed.

I have my craft club here tomorrow so I'm off to work on a small project idea for them to play with at the meeting.