Welcome to my Stampin' Up team!

My children are delighted to be breaking up for the school half term holidays today and I'm happy too because it means I'll get to see more of them. I'm so lucky to be a Stampin' Up demonstrator - not only do I get to work in the crafting industry but I choose my own hours too! It's hard to imagine an employer being okay with me saying:  "Actually I don't fancy coming in to work next week - my children are off school and I'd like to spend some time with them!"

If flexible working appeals to you, why not join Stampin' Up yourself? A starter kit costs only £99 and, during the current Sale-a-bration promotion until 22nd March, you'll get to choose an incredible £162.50 worth of products to put in it! Do contact me if you'd like to know more - I'll be happy to answer all your questions so that you can decide whether it might work for you.

Whenever anyone joins my team I send a little pack to welcome them. It contains a gift and card from me as well as one or two items to help them with setting up their business. Today's card was made for a lovely lady who recently joined my team. Come and see:

I've used the wonderful Madison Avenue stamp set (get it for free during Sale-a-bration!) for the flowers and decorated them with buttons made with my Sweet Buttons embosslits die. Can you see how the buttons have been 'threaded' with the fine end of a marker?

Once the leaves were stamped, I cut them out with my indispensable 2 1/2" circle punch to make a focal point for the card. A little Marina Mist sponging round the edges gives the illusion of sky.

The fabulous banner is from the Itty Bitty Banner set - also available as a Sale-a-bration freebie. I coloured just the border of this one with a marker and added a different sentiment using my stamp-a-majig to get it positioned accurately. The 'you' was cut out with my sharp paper snips - this is much easier than you may think and I love the effect.

Here's what you'll need to make this card

Stamps: Madison Avenue, Itty Bitty Banners (Sale-a-bration freebies), A Word for You

Ink: Gumball Green, Summer Starfruit, Midnight Muse, Marina Mist

Card stock: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, scraps of Primrose Petals, Gumball Green, Summer Starfruit

Other: Sweet Buttons embosslits die, Big Shot, 2 1/2" circle punch, markers, paper snips, stamp-a-majig

I'D BE DELIGHTED TO ORDER YOUR STAMPIN' UP ITEMS FOR YOU AND HAVE THEM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR ADDRESS IN THE UK. I'M COMMITTED TO PROVIDING EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND AM ALWAYS HAPPY TO OFFER HELP AND ADVICE. TO PLACE YOUR ORDER, JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL OR GIVE ME A CALL ON 01280 820593.

• DON'T FORGET TO ADD ONE OF THESE FREE SALE-A-BRATION ITEMS FOR EVERY £45 YOU SPEND

Well, another Valentines Day celebration has gone by. Before my daughter went away, I was trying to explain to her why this time of year is one of the busiest for purveyors of lingerie. My youngest son overheard this conversation and was moved to join in. "If I was a girl," he said stoutly, "and my boyfriend bought me a pair of pants, I would not be happy!" So there we have it then!

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