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Friday 31 January 2014

Peaceful Petals in Purple - take two!

What an exciting week it's been! Sale-a-bration has begun, the fabulous new seasonal catalogue has launched and I've been up to my eyes in gorgeous new stash!  I made this quick card yesterday for CASology's Purple challenge but, you know, I wasn't that happy with it. So I've had another go today - come and see:


This one was made when my youngest son came home from school. He wanted to give me an account of his day so he made us a cup of tea each and I got out the fussy cutting!


Isn't this bloom from Peaceful Petals a beauty?!  I've added the tiny pearls for a little extra detail too.


This is the 'thank you' sentiment from the set - very handy! I'll start by saying thank you for your indulgence while I get my purple moment sorted out!

Here's what you'll need to make this project
Stamps: Peaceful Petals
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Wisteria Wonder classic inks plus Pear Pizzazz marker
Card stock: Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant
Other: Basic Pearls, Envelope Board (for corner rounding), paper snips, stamp-a-majig

You can order from my online shop any time, day or night,
but if you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm always happy to help.
You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.

So it's Friday and I have no idea how that happened! Does anyone else feel as if someone's pressed the fast forward button?! It reminds of when I used to do exercise videos back in the day. You had to rewind them to try and work out what on earth the aerobic queens were up to and it always looked as if the ladies were learning how to fly!

Have a fantastic weekend and I'll see you very soon,

Thursday 30 January 2014

Peaceful Petals in Purple

One of my new year's resolutions was to make sure I got plenty of floral stamps from the new catalogues this year! Last year I realised that nothing gets me going more than a flower stamp. Unless it's a bird image, or maybe a tree, or... anyway I digress! Peaceful Petals was one of my first choices from Stampin' Up's new seasonal catalogue and I've used it today to make a quick card for my Three Minute Thursday slot. Come and see:


The flower was stamped in Elegant Eggplant ink and coloured with markers and an aquapainter. I added a piece of matching card stock to the bottom of the panel and curved the corners with the corner rounder on my envelope board.


I stapled on a tag is from That's the Ticket - a set I'm obsessed with at the moment. I'm horrified at how patchy it looks though - I'm so used to the brilliant ink coverage from the new-style foam-filled ink pads but Elegant Eggplant is one of the few ink pads I haven't yet replaced. Looking at this, I'll be doing so as soon as possible!

EDITED TO ADD: I was SO not happy with this card and couldn't stop thinking about it! It felt unfinished to me and in the end I added a row of pearls:


Slightly better? By the way, in case you're worrying that I stuck each individual pearl on separately, the Stampin' Up pearls have some rows of pearls that are stuck together for this very purpose so it was very quick to add them!

I'll be linking this card up with CASology, where the cue word is Purple, and CASE this sketch where this is the fabulous sketch this week:


Here's what you'll need to make this project
Stamps: Peaceful Petals, That's the Ticket
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Wisteria Wonder plus Pear Pizzazz marker
Card stock: Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant
Other: Ticket punch, aquapainter, envelope board (for the corner rounder)

You can order from my online shop any time, day or night,
but if you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm always happy to help.
You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.
CHOOSE A FREE SALE-A-BRATION GIFT FOR EVERY £45 YOU SPEND!

Isn't it strange about our reactions to colour?! I didn't used to like the colour purple, although I've got over that now, and why are little girls obsessed with pink? My daughter was recently playing hide and seek with her boyfriend's two year old sister and when she asked: "What number shall we count up to?" the answer came firmly: "PINK!"

See you tomorrow,

Wednesday 29 January 2014

Another exciting new release from Stampin' Up

You get a bonus post from me today as I wanted to tell you about an exciting new product and I didn't want you to miss it.

NEW - portable embossing!
First, is a new release: the Texture Boutique, a small, lightweight embossing machine that you use with the Textured Impression embossing folders. Here's a short video that shows you how it works:



This little beauty is a cousin of the all-singing, all-dancing Big Shot and while it doesn't die-cut like the Big Shot does, it's perfect for those who love the look of texture but are not ready to invest in the large machine.


The Texture Boutique costs only £26.95 and if you were to get it with all these gorgeous new embossing folders in the spring catalogue...


... that would come to £49.45 and you'd be able to choose one of the Sale-a-bration gifts for free! Like this beautiful dotty embossing folder for example!


There's a limited supply of these embossing machines - they're available only while stock lasts.

You can order from my online shop any time, day or night,
but if you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm always happy to help.
You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.

Don't forget to check back tomorrow when it'll be Three Minute Thursday here and I'll have a new project to show you using one of my favourite new stamp sets from the new Seasonal Catalogue.

See you tomorrow,

Another idea for the Sale-a-bration Accessory Pack

So Sale-a-bration has started with a bang and it's now even more of a pleasure to shop for Stampin' Up goodies as you can choose a great free gift with every £45 you spend! The new spring/summer catalogue has gone live too and it's lovely to see my customers get more for their money when buying the exciting new goodies.

I just haven't been able to stop making things with those wonderful Sale-a-bration freebies and today I have another card to show you using the Accessories kit.


I used Jen's sketch from Less is More for this one. The card base is a tone-on-tone speciality card stock called Natural Composition that works well with the gorgeous self-adhesive cork embellishments in the free Sweet Sorbet Accessories Pack.


Aren't these flowers gorgeous? I've embellished one of them with a bow made with some of the cord that also comes with the Accessory Pack. The flowers are positioned in a strip of washi tape, in a gap made using the Banner punch, another Sale-a-bration freebie.


I wanted the side of the strip stamped with a sentiment to overlap the side of the card so I stuck it to some card stock first to make it strong enough. The corners of the card were given a nice curved finish using the corner rounder on my envelope board (which remains out on my desk at all times!)

Here's the sketch I was using today:



Here's what you'll need to make this card
Stamps: Happy Watercolour (sentiment)
Ink: Stazon black
Card stock: Natural Composition speciality designer card stock, Whisper White
Other: Epic Day This and That washi tape, Sweet Sorbet Accessories kit and banner punch (Sale-a-bration freebies), envelope board (for rounding corners), Essentials piercing template, mat and tool, stamp-a-majig

You can order from my online shop any time, day or night,
but if you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm always happy to help.
You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.

Cork always reminds me of the bit in Harry Potter where the Weasley twins are taking the mickey out of their big brother Percy. Harry is being greeted by Percy when the twins take over:
"Harry!" said Fred, elbowing Percy out of the way and bowing deeply. "Simply splendid to see you old boy!"
"Marvellous," said George, pushing Fred aside and seizing Harry's hand in turn. "Absolutely spiffing!"
Percy scowled.
"That's enough now," said Mrs Weasley.
"Mum!" said Fred as though he'd only just spotted her, and seized her hand too. "How really corking to see you!"
And there we are - a master class in how to deal with someone who's being a pompous idiot!

See you tomorrow,

Tuesday 28 January 2014

New releases AND free gifts from Stampin' Up!

It's like a dream come true! Not only can you get your hands on heaps of new Stampin' Up products today, as the new seasonal catalogue goes live, but you can also get free gifts with your purchases because Sale-a-bration starts today! How does it work?


There are no catches - it really is as simple as this:  For every £45 you spend, you can choose one of the full-size, top quality Sale-a-bration gifts absolutely free! Click here and scroll to pages 11-17 to see all the gorgeous freebies on offer!

Oh, and that's not all!  What if you have a wish list as long as your arm? (hmm, I know the feeling!) Well, that's no problem because you get hostess credits AS WELL AS the Sale-a-bration freebies and the more you spend, the more freebies you earn!


In fact, if your order hits £250, you will get the usual £40 worth of free items that you can choose from anywhere in any current catalogue AND you'll get an EXTRA £25 worth too! Why not club together with crafty friends and family?  You can earn a whole lot more!

So how do you place your order? You can shop any time of the day or night in my online shop, or you can contact me direct - I'm always happy to help if you have any questions.

Of course, Sale-a-bration isn't just about shopping - it's a great time to join Stampin' Up too!


I'd love you to join my team, The Inkredibles, and have put together a special pack to get you started. All kinds of demonstrators are welcome in my group...


... and whether you'd like a hefty discount off your favourite crafting supplies or are thinking about setting up regular craft classes or would like to run a Stampin' Up business that provides you with an income, I'd love to hear from you! Click here for more information or give me a call on 01280 820593 for an informal, no-pressure chat.

So what's new at Stampin' Up?
The new seasonal catalogue is a delight! Come and see some of my highlights:


I'm thrilled to see lots of different styles of stamps and the must-have Tag Topper punches:


Not only do these make speedy tags in a choice of styles and with an automatic hole for ribbon/string...


...they also make a wealth of other projects like these cute little treats.

There are lots of kits in this seasonal too, for those that enjoy putting together a project. My favourite is the beautiful burlap wreath, with everything already die-cut so that you can simply put it together with a glue gun:


Wouldn't it make a fabulous Easter decoration?!

If you prefer making your own flowers there's a new stamp set with matching punch or how about this little beauty - the Spiral Flower die? Here's a short video showing you how it works:



If you're a fan of Stampin' Up's money-saving stamp set and punch/die bundles, you won't be disappointed. There are no few than six of these in the catalogue!

All the exciting new products will take your creativity to new levels but Sale-a-bration is the perfect opportunity to stock up on your favourite items too - and get more for your money! Enjoy browsing the new seasonal catalogue online but if you prefer a paper copy, please let me know.

You can order from my online shop any time, day or night,
but if you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm always happy to help.
You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.

Are you as excited about all these new products as I am? I'm not sure if that's possible! When my catalogue came through the post before Christmas I dropped everything to leaf through it. While I was browsing, my youngest son peered round the door. "Are you alright?" he asked anxiously. "You're making weird noises!" Apparently I was "whinnying" with excitement!

See you tomorrow,

Monday 27 January 2014

Upcycling with Sale-a-bration accessories

I am SO excited that Sale-a-bration starts TOMORROW! This is such a brilliant promotion - I love telling my customers that they can choose a free item for every £45 order and I also love telling those who are joining my team that they can choose an extra £20 worth of products for their starter kits! Of course getting to use a whole load of wonderful new stash myself isn't to be sniffed at either! Come and see what I've been up to:


The Sweet Sorbet accessories kit has been exciting me just as much as the new stamp sets! There are some fantastic cork embellishments in the kit and I adore the cord which you get in all three of these wonderful spring colours. I made this little vase from an interestingly-shaped empty spice jar and it's the perfect size for three small spring blooms like these mini roses.


It was was a doddle to make: I cut a piece of multi-purpose adhesive sheet to fit the middle section of the jar, stuck it on and peeled the backing sheet away. It was easy then to wind the Sweet Sorbet cord around the jar to form the three textured stripes.

I made a card to coordinate with the vase, thinking it would make a sweet thank you gift set.


The Sweet Sorbet designer papers are just beautiful! There's a floral that I could just frame and look at all day but this stripe is also a big favourite of mine. I cut out a panel, pierced a frame round it using the Essentials piercing templates, then attached a simple tag stamped with a bold sentiment from Oh Hello.


For a little bit of detail, I unraveled some of the pink cord so I had a thin strand and used it to handsew a rough double border on the side of the sentiment tag. The card was finished with a stylised flower made with punches and a candy dot.

Here's what you'll need to make this project
Stamps: Oh Hello
Ink: Stazon black
Card stock: Whisper White plus scraps of Summer Starfruit, Crisp Cantaloupe
Other: Sweet Sorbet Accessories kit/designer paper (Sale-a-bration freebies), Essentials piercing templates, mat and tool, 2 step bird punch and circle from the Itty Bitty punch pack, Candy dots

Crafting Clare online shop, shopping with Vicky Hayes, Stampin Up clearance rack
You can order from my online shop any time, day or night,
but if you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm always happy to help.
You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.

There's a store cupboard meal that I prepare in an emergency which I call Easy Peasy Cheesey Rice. You basically cook a pot of basmati rice and, while that's cooking, heat up a can of chopped tomatoes seasoned with black pepper and chilli, and boil some frozen petit pois. You serve the tomato sauce on a bed of basmati rice mixed with the peas and sprinkle with grated cheese. The whole thing takes just 12 minutes and certainly keeps the wolf from the door! Yesterday evening, my daughter got home from work hungry and said she'd like to make herself some Easy Peasy Cheesey Rice. "How do you make it?" she asked. "Oh it's easy," I told her without thinking. She looked at me sternly. "And peasy I suppose," she said. "And cheesey as well!"

See you tomorrow for the seasonal catalogue launch and the start of Sale-a-bration - woohoo!!

Friday 24 January 2014

Sale-a-bration with a Christmas twist

It's Friday already and the launch of Sale-a-bration and the new spring/summer catalogue next Tuesday is getting closer! Have you made your list? And checked it twice?! (Luckily it doesn't matter whether you've been naughty or nice!) Talking of Christmas, I've been making Christmas cards with some of my Sale-a-bration sets. Come and see:


Don't these banners from Banner Blast work well for a contemporary festive card?! I had a look at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown for inspiration and the challenge there is a monochromatic card with ribbon and one rhinestone - I think I've covered that here!


There are lots of different styles of banner in this free set, one of which has a coordinating punch - and yes, that's available as a freebie too! I've 'suspended' my banners from a strip of taffeta ribbon and topped it with one of the Expressions thinlits dies. I've learned (the hard way!) that with these fiddly shapes, backing my card stock with multi-purpose adhesive sheet before cutting gives me a self-adhesive die-cut that's clean and easy to attach to my project. Have you spotted the gem?


Here it is - embellishing the star! As well as a variety of banners, there are three useful bitty shapes in this set: a flower, a heart and a star.

I had a look at my other 'go to' Christmas card challenge too, Merry Mondays, and found this gorgeous inspiration photo there.


Well of course I had to have a go at that too (keeping my fingers crossed that no-one would pop round and find me still in my PJs!)


I stamped my Dictionery background stamp into a mask made with one of the Labels Collection framelits, placed a strip of natural ribbon across it and topped it with a fussy-cut flower from the beautiful Petal Parade Sale-a-bration set. Its stylised shape reminded me of a pine cone!


Can you see that I've stamped it three times and layered it up? It's quite effective in real life! I stamped a couple of the stars from Banner Blast and added another of the die cut sentiments.

I'll also be linking these cards up with the Rudolph Day challenge and saying a big thank you to the lovely Sarn for getting me going early with this year's Christmas card stash! Edited to add: Oops - I'm a day early so I'll have to link up tomorrow... might be the first time I've ever been early for anything!

Here's what you'll need to make these cards
Stamps: Banner Blast, Petal Parade (Sale-a-bration freebies), Dictionary
Ink: Baked Brown Sugar, Real Red, Early Espresso
Card stock: Very Vanilla, Real Red for the die cuts
Other: Expressions thinlits die, Labels Collection framelits, Big Shot, Banner punch (Sale-a-bration freebie), Real Red 1/8" taffeta ribbon, Naturals ribbon (retired, cotton ribbon is similar), Basic rhinestones, paper snips

Crafting Clare online shop, shopping with Vicky Hayes, Stampin Up clearance rack
You can order from my online shop any time, day or night,
but if you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm always happy to help.
You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.

While my older two children are in the middle of exams, my youngest is at the stage where he's choosing which GCSEs he'll be doing. We had a really good talk about it yesterday evening and he seems to be pretty clear about the subjects he wants to do, even though he has no idea what  career path to follow really (since being a chat show host may not work out at first!) It seems ridiculous to me that we were talking about his life as an adult when he turned up for our talk with a pair of underpants on his head and left doing an excellent impression of a snail!

Thank you for joining me for Sale-a-bration sneak peeks this week. Have a lovely weekend and I'll see you very soon.

Hugs,

Thursday 23 January 2014

3 minutes with a Sale-a-bration freebie from Stampin' Up!

Are you ready for another Sale-a-bration sneak peek?! It's Three Minute Thursday here today, so I've come up with a quick, one-layer number using the beautiful Petal Parade. Come and see:


This may be my favourite of the stamp sets... but it's a close call! I certainly love these stylised images and they're perfect for collage-style stamping as in this one layer card.


You can make these images look soft and feminine using pastels but I've gone for an edgier look here using a retro colour palette and a very modern font for the sentiment. It comes from a brilliant new set called Geometrical which you'll find in the new spring/summer catalogue out next Tuesday.

I think I've just got time to link this card up with One Layer Wednesday, where the challenge is to restock your stash with one layer cards.

Here's what you'll need to make this project
Stamps: Petal Parade (Sale-a-bration freebie), Geometrical (available 28th Jan)
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Blushing Bride, Summer Starfruit classic inks plus stazon black
Card stock: Very Vanilla
Other: stamp-a-majig

Crafting Clare online shop, shopping with Vicky Hayes, Stampin Up clearance rack
You can order from my online shop any time, day or night,
but if you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm always happy to help.
You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.

I often talk to myself while making cards. "Hmm," I muttered the other day. "I wonder what would be a darker version of Blushing Bride... "My daughter overheard this and joined in. "I should think it's full-on, embarrassed bride," she said helpfully, "walking down the aisle with her dressed tucked into her knickers!"

See you tomorrow,