Circle Circus Trio

Well I am amazed that I am still succeeding in my New Year's Resolution to update my blog daily. Long may it continue ! ! !

My friend Vikki celebrated her birthday this week and I had to make a much more simple design than usual as she does not like "fussy" cards. I know her favourite colours are earth tones and I also know she loves the wide striped Stampin' Up ribbon so I went with plain and simple Very Vanilla and Chocolate Chip. I used my Circle Circus stamp set which all demonstrators received as a free gift when we attended SU Convention in Germany in November (How bad is it that this is the first time I have used this set since November ?) Let me tell you though, I will certainly be using it a lot more in the future as it is gorgeous to work with. As you can see once I had made Vikki's shades of brown card I went on to make a couple more cards, this time using Chocolate Chip and Brocade Blue. I also made a further 8 cards using this set but cannot show you those until early next month as they are for my Stampers 10 ladies when they receive their February orders ( they are really funky for me)

I have been making something really lovely today and will post that project tomorrow when I also show you the card I made for my Mother -in-Law whose birthday it is on Sunday.

Back to my craft room clearout now

Love you (very)Much

I thought I would share something a little different with you today and that little something is a 6x6 scrapbook page of my Great Niece and a tiny pocket filled with sweets (pocket idea from the very talented Monica)

Both of these projects came about came about as a result of my lovely upline Jenny challenging the rest of the members of our team to make something using a heart image. I made the little pocket first (using the Love you Much stamp set) as my entry for Jenny's challenge and then because I loved how that turned out I used two other images from the set and made this page about how much my little niece means to me.

I used the triple heart image and punch to make the flowers on the right of the page. You use 5 or 6 heart punches for each flower and they are just held together with a brad at the pointed end of the heart. I know this is quite a plain scrapbook page but I do like the clean cut look to pages especially when they are only 6x6. I save my "busy" look for my 12x12 pages lol.

Well hope you like today's offering, please leave me a comment if you do

Happy Moments Card Box set

Here is my creative offering for today. This little box is called a Mini Pizza box and it easily holds up to six little cards and envelopes. I have made this matching set using the Happy Moments stamp set. This is just one of the four "Sale-a-Bration" sets you can choose from to earn for free if you place a qualifying order with me before the 28th of February (£45 minimum spend before P&P for each free stamp set)

I stamped the images in black stazon and simply water-coloured using my ink pads and an aqua painter brush.I hope you like this set as much as I do.

More Bella Toile

Hope you are not fed up of Bella Toile yet as I have another idea to share with you using that same stamp.

This time I have actually used it to create decorative panels to use in place of Designer paper on this little card box. The box template comes from a class by the lovely Jenny Moors and is available to purchase on her blog HERE I love that you can make such a detailed patterned paper from just one stamp and as I said before you can choose many different looks dependant on the colour ink you use. I stamped in black stazon and then just highlighted a couple of the flowers using my pretty in pink ink pad and waterbrush as before. I then made the three thank you cards to match with the Bella Toile stamped in Pretty in Pink and also using the Flight of the Butterfly stamp set. (You can fit more cards and envelopes inside the box if you wish).

I love this striking colour effect of the black, with the pretty in pink and very vanilla. This would make a lovely useful gift for a non crafter and I'm sure it wouldn't take long to make a batch of them.

Bella Toile Background Stamp

I keep meaning to upload one new card each day to share with you but somehow it doesn't seem to happen. Today however I have not one but TWO cards to share with you, the reason being I want to show you how one simple background stamp can look so different depending how you use it.

For the simpler of the two cards I just inked my new Bella Toile stamp( I am already loving this stamp) with Close to Cocoa, layered the stamped image onto Chocolate Chip, then Very Vanilla cardstock. I simply added a ribbon and sentiment and it was done. I think this makes for an elegant card and with 48 matching Stampin' Up cardstock and Ink Pad colours available there is a colour to suit everyone. ( ohhhhhhhhhhh and I must tell you that I have just taken delivery of all 48 re-inkers so will now be able to easily dye any of my Whisper White ribbons to create a perfect match )

For the other card I stamped the Bella Toile in Stazon Black onto Whisper White cardstock and then coloured it all in using my ink pads as a colour palette ( squeeze your SU ink pads before opening and this will transfer a little ink onto the inner lid of the pad and you can then pick up this colour with a water brush as I have done) I then just used cardstock and brads to match the ink colours I had used. This card seems much "busier" to me but I still quite like the effect.

My hubby said the two cards reminded him of the difference between black and white and coloured photography and I thought that was a brilliant description. I'm amazed at how different the two cards look.

Almost forgot to share this masterpiece

Hi there

I have been uploading some pictures from my camera this evening and discovered this picture that I meant to share with you last week. This is the Christmas card that my hubby made for all our family members this year. I was a wee bit bogged down with preparations leading up to Christmas so he offered to make ALL of the family cards for me ( think it was just the excuse he needed to play with my SU stash really)

The upshot of all of this is that this is the card design he came up with(5 weeks or so ago) so I think he is to blame for all our snowfall as it only started after theses cards were made. Little did we know that our landscape would so closely resemble the scene on his creations. Anyway we finally now have rain so hopefully all the snow will melt over the weekend and we will be able to get back to normal, so thought I would share this last snowy scen with you all.

I will be back tomorrow to post one of my new creations, my first of 2010.

We still have snow

Just thought I would share another snow picture with you. This is how my rear garden still looks, three weeks after it was first covered with snow and all the roads on our estate look the same. Luckily hubby's car does have snow tires so we have been able to get out for essential food shopping etc but my little car has not moved since the Sunday after boxing day.

I usually love snow but being housebound for virtually 3 weeks and having been suffering with a nasty hacking cough seems to have had an extremely negative effect on my creativity. I do feel more positiveand creative today however (maybe because I have my Stampin Up! Sale-a-Bration order due to be delivered) so I am making a start on a special birthday card for my Mother-in-Law. Her birthday is on 24th January so I shall be very pleased to get it completed today ready for posting in plenty of time to reach her.

Tomorrow I will be working on my card making class for Thursday 28th of this month. We will be making a lovely box with matching 4"x4" cards using the gorgeous Bella Bleu designer papers. If you would like more information or wish to join me for this class please contact me as places are limited.

And we have yet more snow !!!!!!!

This is the view from my window this morning.

We have had a few heavy falls of snow for over a fortnight now (which have not cleared) but with this blizzard that is falling right now I have a feeling we are definitely going to be snowed in by tonight. It's a wee bit worrying in that hubby is actually 30 miles away at work in Manchester until later this afternoon and could easily get snowed "out" whilst I will be snowed in. Ummmmmmmmmm think I will leave it another hour or so and decide if I need to let him know just how bad it is getting.

Stampers 10 Gift Bags

I have been very busy this week making my Christmas cards and gifts for my Stampers 10 ladies. I wanted to give each of these special ladies a little extra Christmas present from me to show how much I appreciate them being a member of my monthly Stampin' Up groups. Do you think they will like their little gift bags ?

I have also made cards for each of my customers and have delivered most of them this afternoon. I have to say I am thrilled at just how many more cards I have had to make this year as my crafty circle of friends has grown steadily during 2009. I will post a picture of the card tomorrow when I have delivered the last couple.

I will be starting a Stampers 10 and a Stampers 6 group in January so if you have a wish list as long as your arm and would like to spread the cost over 6 or 10 months please email me for further details. In addition to being able to spread the cost of your purchases you will also qualify for free hostess benefits and a free stamp set. The places on these two new groups are limited so if you do wish to sign up in January please book your place asap.

Missing in Action

Please accept my apologies for a total lack of blog posts in the past month. Since getting back from Convention I have had the most manic time ever with very little spare time to spend on my computer. I have been busy getting christmas gifts made for my crafting ladies, I have done two craft stalls at local events AND this last Monday I have held my first new Craft Club meeting.

My new "Bee Crafty" club meets on alternate Mondays at my home in Bacup. Bring along your own projects and work on them in the company of other crafty ladies or purchase a project kit from me on the day. We have choccies, home made cake, coffee and crafts.....what more could you ask for ?

My group is small and friendly so if you would like more details please email me. I look forward to welcoming you to my club.

Convention Swaps

I thought I would share with you today a couple of pictures of a couple of the organised swaps I signed up for at Convention. My offering for the 3-D Swap was this one with the Pheasant from the Autumn Days stamp set (I love the versatility of this set) This is a covered photo album with space for 36 photos. I thought they would be a great idea for my swap buddies to have a lasting keepsake of our amazing experience in Bad Homburg. They can use them for either photos or even pop some of their received swaps inside.

The other organised swaps I joined were for Card Candy and these are my two offerings for those. I was amazed at the card candy sets I received and so glad that I took the time to join the swap.

If you too would like to be able to join in the fun at our next European Convention which will be held in London AND if you would like to become part of my Stampin' Up team then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Back from Convention

Hi everyone

I am back from my trip to our FIRST ever European Stampin' Up Convention in Bad Homburg Germany.Before I say anything else I want to say the hospitality I received in Germany was second to none. I travelled with my husband and nephew and we all had a wonderful time. We did not stay in the actual Convention hotel but the one we did stay in , the Park Hotel was lovely and the staff there were brilliant.

I have been counting down the days to Convention for months and it was EVERYTHING I expected it to be and so much more. So many different things made this an experience that I will remember for a long long time.

• The sample boards which were filled with some awesome projects


• Workshop WOW demonstrations on stage


• Gorgeous make and take projects packs


• That unique special feeling of being part of an amazing event in our European SU journey


• Seeing the pride on the faces of every one of those demonstrators as they were welcomed on stage to receive the awards for their hard work

There were two other things that made MY Convention experience for me...........

The first is the many swaps I received from all the other demonstrators who attended Convention, their work is awesome and I will be aiming to share many of those swaps with you here on my blog.

And finally.................

the joy of spending two whole days in the company of some lovely people who I hope will become real friends as we continue our Stampin' Up journey together. I hope we will all get to meet again at the next Convention in 2010 and that by then we will be joined by many more. Here is a picture of just one of the groups of existing internet friends I have made since joing Stampin' Up! It was so wonderful to be able to meet these people in real life and put faces to names at last. Also present here were my Upline Jenny and my Downline Jill.

SU Convention Bad Homburg, Germany 2009

Hi Everyone

Just a quick post to say "hello" from Bad Homburg in Germany, where I am attending the first ever European Stampin' Up Convention. I met up with my Upline Jenny and another Demonstrator Jo for a quiet drink this evening and here is a picture of us just relaxing in the bar at their hotel.

I must get off to bed now as I have an early start tomorrow morning and don't want to miss a single thing. I will try and get online tomorrow night to share some Convention pictures with you.

New Catalogue Launch Party

Apologies to all for being such a bad blogger this past 2 weeks. As a result of my rather nasty bout of flu it took me all my time to get everything ready for my launch party so I just wasn't organised enough to update my blog.

I am thrilled to say that my party went like a dream on Tuesday and everyone had a great time.

Congratulations to Maureen who won first prize in my raffle. Your big basket of goodies is on its way to you and I am sure you will enjoy all of it. Other congrats go to Jen W, Suzy, Sheila, Vikki, Jenny S, Gillian and Cathy who all won prizes too.

My thanks go to all my ladies who attended and who made the day such a wonderful success. I look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Here are a few pictures of my samples to share.

Bella Bleu NEW designer papers

Just had to share this card with you to showcase just one of the NEW Bella Bleu papers from Stampin' Up!. ( I used Night of Navy rather than Not Quite Navy on this particular card) I have also used the brand new Eyelet Border Punch which is gorgeous.

I got my first order from the brand new catalogue yesterday and I am blown away by this paper. It co-ordinates perfectly with Kraft, Very Vanilla and Not Quite Navy cardstock and inks. It is such an elegant and stunning set of papers and I already know I will be ordering loads of it over the next year. I am already in the process of creating a concertina box and six cards with this set so class ladies watch out for more details and the samples at my launch party on Tuesday.

Launch Party Invite

Sorry for the lack of posts this past fortnight. I have a few days away on holiday and brought the flu back with me as a souvenir which wasn't good.

On top of that we have just started work on our new kitchen so I had to empty it all which took forever. I am now without a "working" kitchen for a few days whilst the main work is done so it's all a wee bit chaotic here, however it is going to be gorgeous once it is completed.

So all in all I am a wee bit behind with my prep for my launch party on the 13th so will now be spending the next 9 days frantically creating lots of nice samples for all my guests to enjoy on the day. I thought I would share with you the invite I made for all my existing customers and extend that same invite to any of you who would like to pop in on the 13th. Just email me me for further details.

Happy New Year

No I haven't gone completely mad, REALLY I haven't.

I am of course referring to a new Stampin' Up! catalogue year.

Today is the day that the brand new 2009/2010 catalogue is launched and I am thrilled with the goodies it has in store for you. I personally already have a whole new wish list with "must have" new stamp sets, gorgeous ribbons, accessories, punches and Designer Papers.

I have just placed my first "New Year's" order and as soon as my parcel arrives I will be busy beavering away to make all new samples for you to view at my Catalogue launch party on the 13th October.

I have a nice stock of the new catalogue ( Stampers 10 copies are already reserved for you) so if you are not yet in my Stampers 10 group but would like to purchase your own copy then please contact me. The on-line catalogue will be available shortly and I will post a link as soon as I am able to do so. Please feel free to email me if you wish to place and order.

New Catalogue Launch Party

I have now set the date for my party to celebrate the launch of the brand new Stampin' Up! catalogue.

Launch party will be held at my home
Tuesday 13th October from 10am to 6pm.

I would be delighted if you would join me at this event. The choice is yours to either just drop in or stay for a while and have some fun. There will be a free make and take project for everyone to create , nibbles, sample boards with lots of ideas and ample opportunity for you to browse the new catalogue.

As a party special I am offering FREE postage for all orders over £40 placed on the day (usually a minimum of £3.95)

My other party special is the new catalogue at a discounted price of £3.00 (usually £4.95) Please email me to reserve your copy by 1st October.

Please email me to confirm you will be attending and if you wish to reserve your catalogue or if you do just require more information.

New ideas for a tidy craft room

I was trying to tidy up a wee bit in my craft room the other morning and for the hundreth time my glue bottles/tubs toppled over ( I used to keep them altogether on a little tray) In that instant I decided I had to stop what I was doing and come up with a more practical solution. I dug out some beer mat coasters, covered them with our beautiful SU designer papers, punched holes and made a desk tidy...................and within the hour I had a really sturdy new desk container in which I fitted ALL the items perfectly.

As soon as my class ladies saw it they decided they would like to make one too so that is one of the items we shall be creating in my next class which is 17th September.

After creating this first basic one I decided to go a step further and make one with an added memo sheet holder for my desk area as I am always hunting around for a snippit of paper. So now I have my own bespoke desk tidy complete with a stash of 4x4 memo sheets. I do have a few pens and pencils in it but as you can see it is mainly for all my Stampin'Up glues, tools etc.....all those things that I reach for EVERY day when I am crafting.

Stampin' Up! Last Chance items

Hi there

Just to let you know that Stampin' Up have released their "LAST CHANCE" list today. This is a fanatastic chance for you to grab yourself a bargain as there are many items with a 25% or 50% reduction in price.

Please be warned that you will need to act quickly if you do want to order anything from this list as these retiring items are guaranteed to fly out the door, especially with such massive discounts off of some of them. All items are only available whilst stocks last so please act fast to avoid disappointment.
You can view the list HERE