A look back at... Stampin' Up washi tape

Since I became a Stampin' Up demonstrator, I've been posting pretty much every day for nearly five years - can you believe it?! I thought it would be a lovely idea from time to time to take a look back at past makes - like this washi thank you card I made with the gorgeous Watercolour Wonder washi tape:

This card may have been made last year but gold is still very much a key trend...

... and I still love to sprinkle sequins about on my cards! How about you?

My washi tape collection is growing fast and I adore having it in all sorts of colours and designs, either to add a tiny touch to a project or to make it the focus, as I did here.

Go on ladies - get out the washi and don't forget to let me know how you get on!

BUY THE SUPPLIES TO MAKE THIS CARD NOW!
Click on any item to be transported to my online shop!
Don't forget you'll get a free Sale-a-bration item for every £45 you spend

Watercolor Wonder Designer Washi Tape £4.50

Gold Sequin Trim £4.50

Four You Wood Stamp Set £12.95

My shop is open 24/7 so you can buy Stampin' Up products from me any time, day or night.

If you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm happy to help.

You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.

And talking of washi, I'd better get the laundry on... My, I certainly do live a glamorous life!

Are you around tomorrow? Well prepared to be wowed because it's the Artisan Design Team blog hop here! See you then,

A quick male card using Fall Fest by Stampin' Up

Did you see my Fall Fest card in the Artisan Design Team blog hop yesterday? I loved that fun metallic embellishment technique but today I've used this gorgeous stamp set in another way that's perfect for the time-challenged among us and suitable for men too! Come and see:

According to my market research (I asked all the males in my family!) fuss-free is the way to go for male cards but they do like a bit of colour. Well, I think this card covers it!

I stamped the sentiment first, using my stamp-a-majig to make sure it was straight, and then added the Fall Fest leaves in gorgeous, jewel-like, autumnal colours - Old Olive, Crushed Curry, Tangelo Twist, Baked Brown Sugar.

COLLECTING THE COLOUR COLLECTIONS
If you're thinking that's a lot of ink pads, I urge you to collect ALL the Stampin' Up colours as it really opens up the creative possibilities. When I first discovered Stampin' Up, my demonstrator suggested that I add an ink pad to every order I made so that I could start to build up my collection, and that's a slow but sure way of doing it.

A quicker way of getting all the colours is to buy the Stampin' Write markers first. You can use them on all but the largest stamps and they enable you to stamp multi-coloured images too. Another benefit is that you'll discover the colours you use most often and can invest in full-sized pads of those colours if you choose.

If you'd like to spread the cost of your Stampin' Up collection and get free goodies as well as other perks, you might consider joining my Stampers 6 club. Click here for more information.

I'll be linking today's card up with The Paper Players, where there's a gorgeous Fall challenge, and The Male room where they're looking for male cards with an autumn feel.

BUY THE SUPPLIES TO MAKE TODAY'S CARD NOW!
(Click on each item to find it quickly in my online shop) 

Fall Fest Photopolymer Stamp Set £13.95	Whisper White A4 Card Stock £7.50	Tangelo Twist Classic Stampin' Pad £4.95	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad £4.95
Baked Brown Sugar Classic Stampin' Pad £4.95	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad £4.95	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad £4.95	Stamp-A-Ma-Jig £10.95

My shop is open 24/7 so you can buy Stampin' Up products any time, day or night.

If you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm happy to help.

You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.

My daughter and I have always enjoyed spending Pinterest time together and I'll be sad to lose my Pinterest pal when she goes off to uni at the weekend. We've been making the most of it before she goes though and yesterday we came across this:

Yes, it appears that 'a pineapple a day keeps the worries away'. Well if only someone had told me about this earlier! Think of all that time I've spent worrying! But then we spotted this...

... and now I'm worried that for the pineapple to be effective, it must be worn like this. You see? There is no real end to the worrying!

Have a great weekend and don't forget to come and comfort me on Monday when I'll be getting used to being the only female in a male household!

Stampin' Up Artisan Design Team Blog Hop (ish!)

Hello again stamping chums! Did you miss me? I missed you but oh, what a fantastic holiday we've had! Wall to wall sunshine, mountains of ice cream and so much laughter my sides ache! The best bit though was that instead of the usual wistful feeling at the end of the holiday, I felt really excited because I knew there was a very special something waiting for me at home:

A beautiful gift to welcome me to the Stampin' Up Artisan Design Team 2014-2015! Would you like a peek inside?

I gasped when I lifted the lid - I didn't know what to look at first!

Aw, thanks SU - you really have made me feel very welcome! Inside this card I learned about a nice boost to my bank account AND a huge Stampin' Up shopping spree AND a boxful of products to be delivered to me each month! In fact, you know that feeling of wanting EVERYTHING in the catalogues? Well that isn't just a dream anymore!

Just look at these gorgeous flowers! So beautifully put together - I love them!

And what's this elegant-looking package?

From Tiffany's? Oh stop it now!

I will treasure this for ever! But wait - there's something else!

What's in this intriguing little sack?

It's a personalised stamp celebrating my place on the team!

DREAMS REALLY CAN COME TRUE
Are you wondering how all this happened? Well, it was like this:

When I first saw that Stampin' Up was inviting applications for its Artisan Design Team, I allowed myself a brief, fabulous vision of being awarded a place on the team before putting it firmly aside. Honestly, who did I think I was?!

But later, when discussing it with a Stampin' Up friend, I blurted out that I wanted a place on the team "so badly it hurts". I realised then that I had to at least try for it, so I sent in an application.

Fast forward three months... An email pings into my inbox from the lovely Paula Gorry, Stampin' Up's UK Business Development Manager asking if I'd be available for a phone call later that day as she has "something exciting to share." I'd forgotten all about the Artisan Design Team and spent the day coming up with increasingly unlikely reasons for her call.

I'm afraid Paula must have thought I was being very stupid on the phone! I didn't do any whooping or anything because I was too busy being utterly stunned! It was only when I'd put the phone down that it actually hit me: I had been chosen by Stampin' Up to showcase its products as part of an elite design team!

And that, I have to tell you, means the world to me!

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU
Hang on a minute! You didn't think I'd go off without showing you a little stamping did you?

This simple one layer card was made from the heart - both to Stampin' Up for honouring me with the place on the team and to all the people who have left me messages of congratulations. I'm very touched.

I used Flower Patch, one of Stampin' Up's new photopolymer sets, which is the most brilliant two step stamping set ever - and no stamp positioner required! Of course you don't have to layer the stamps  - you can go totally simple as this card demonstrates.

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE THIS CARD

Flower Patch Photopolymer Stamp Set

£22.95

Four You

£12.95

Four You

£9.95

Tangerine Tango Classic Stampin' Pad

£4.95

Tempting Turquoise Classic Stampin' Pad

£4.95

Pear Pizzazz Classic Stampin' Pad

£4.95

2013-2015 In Color Sequin Assortment

£4.50

Whisper White A4 Card Stock

£7.50

Clear Block Bundle

£58.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

COME AND HOP WITH US EVERY WEEK!
The Artisan Design Team will be posting fabulous new projects for you in a blog hop each Thursday. I was away on holiday when the first blog hop happened but you can catch up with all my new friends in the team here:

Becky Cowley
Krista Frattin
Inge Groot
Lisa Harlow
Kerstin Kreis
Helene Legrand
Barbara Meyer
Allison Okamitsu
Keith Rueda
Sarah Sagert
Cindy Schuster
Mercedes Weber
Teneale Williams
Susan Wong
Kaitlyn Zumbach

What a marathon post this has been! You definitely deserve a nice cup of tea if you've made it this far (and I'm feeling a tad parched myself!) Enjoy your weekend and I'll be back on Monday with more inspiration.

My new favourite Stampin' Up set!

Okay. Let's introduce you to my new all-time favourite stamp set from Stampin' Up! We need a drum roll here... and perhaps some trumpets as well! Heck, let's get a whole brass band out!

Yes, it's Kinda Eclectic and oh my goodness, you really do need this set right now! This card was made by stamping the sun in So Saffron ink, adding Old Olive leaves and layering with Crushed Curry background dots. Collage style has never been so easy!

The sentiment from Four You was stamped in Island Indigo to add a bit of an accent colour and underlined with Old Olive bakers twine tied in a simple bow. TIP: I 'nibbled' the edges of my panel with the ornament punch in the Merry Minis pack to make a recess for my bakers twine to sit neatly in.

Look how dynamic that sunburst is! And those beautiful leaves - you know what a weakness I have for leaves!

I can tell you right now that there will be many, many more projects made with this amazing set and it goes straight to the top of my Highly Recommended list. Now, just imagine what you could make with it!

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE THIS CARD
(Click on each item to find it quickly in my shop) 

Stamps: Kinda Eclectic wood or cling, Four You wood or cling

Ink: Old Olive, Crushed Curry, So Saffron, Island Indigo

Card stock: Whisper White

Other: Old Olive bakers twine, Stamp-a-majig

Click above to place an order 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've probably told you before that brass bands make me cry - and bagpipes too. I don't know why. Maybe it's the sound of nostalgia? Perhaps it's the sight of grown men being cooperative with each other?! Whatever the reason, it's embarrassing at parade season when I always have to retire to the back and snivel into a hanky!

See you tomorrow.

Baby toys on a Hardwood shelf

I haven't finished showing you cards made with Stampin' Up's fabulous new Something for Baby stamp set! Today's card is one of my favourite makes and I thought it would be fun for a tot's birthday. Come and see:

We had one of those stacking rings toys when my daughter was a baby. I decided to use it in a toy shelf scene so I coloured the rubber with markers, stamped it and cut it out (there are coordinating framelits to make this easy and you can buy the stamp and framelits in a bundle at 15% off!) I couldn't resist adding a friendly little face - after all, every child knows that toys come to life at night!

Some more toys were needed so I made a ball with the circle in Stampin' Up's Geometrical stamp set, shading the rubber with markers before stamping and cutting out. The pull-along duck comes from a hardworking stamp set called Embellished Events, a real all-rounder with images for every occasion and sentiments too. I added some bakers twine as the 'pull' for my duck toy.

The shelf was made by masking off a strip of the ever-useful Hardwood background stamp before stamping. I arranged the cut-out toys on the shelf and added a sentiment below it.

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE THIS CARD
(Click on each item to find it quickly in my shop) 

Stamps: Hardwood wood or cling, Something for Baby wood or cling,
Embellished Events wood or cling

Ink: Brights markers, Crumb Cake marker

Card stock: Whisper White

Other: Baby's First framelits, Cherry Cobbler bakers twine, 1" circle punch (for the ball), paper snips, Stamp-a-majig

Click above to place an order 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 you love it when small children encourage you to let your imagination go while playing with them, only to pull you up short. My daughter's boyfriend has a cute baby sister who loves playing house, cooking on an imaginary stove and pouring out invisible cups of tea. Her brother, entering into the spirit of this on one occasion, asked if she'd like some porridge. She nodded enthusiastically so he folded his hands into a bowl shape and offered her some. She looked at him critically. "That's not porridge," she said. "That's just hands!"

See you tomorrow.