Lotus Blossom - free with Sale-a-bration

When you're a Stampin' Up demonstrator you get quite a lot of free products and it's lovely! I love giving freebies to my customers too and during Sale-a-bration I get lots of opportunities to do that! Click here to find out how you can earn free Stampin' Up products!

LAYER A LOTUS
One of the items that you can earn for free during Sale-a-bration is the beautiful Lotus Blossom stamp set. This set is made of clear photopolymer and consists of layers that make up a beautifully shaded flower. Come and see:

Isn't it pretty?! You can use just one colour ink to layer up your flower head by stamping off twice for the background, once for the next layer of shading and not stamping off at all for the final detail. For this flower I used three different inks though...

... So Saffron for the solid colour, Crisp Cantaloupe for the next layer of shading and Calypso Coral for the final detail.  I love this set! It's great fun and you don't have to be too accurate as you can see from this close-up :)

• Click here to see all the items you could earn for free during Sale-a-bration!
• Click any of the ink pads below to visit my online shop and get your freebies! 

So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad £4.95

Crisp Cantaloupe Classic Stampin' Pad £4.95

Calypso Coral Classic Stampin' Pad £4.95

Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin' Pad £4.95

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.

I love all the beautiful floral stamps that are out there at the moment and I'm really enjoying crafting with clearer, brighter colours. Snow has been forecast across the British Isles though, so it's winter woollies at the ready and let me think now... yes! I'll be getting a few Christmas cards under my belt for later this year!

See you tomorrow for another fabulous Stampin' Up Artisan Design Team blog hop!

New from Stampin' Up, free from Stampin' Up!

So the decorations are neatly put away, the house is gleaming (well, gleaming-ish, and only for a few minutes while the puppy is asleep!) and I'm ready for some creative fun. And that's great because I have some new Stampin' Up products to play with...

FREE STAMPIN' UP PRODUCTS? YES PLEASE!
Yes, the new spring/summer catalogue 2015 goes live tomorrow, AND you can get your hands on some free products while you shop because the fab Sale-a-bration promotion starts at the same time! Are you ready for a sneak peek?

We might have to wait for the warmer weather here in the heart of England but our crafting can be as zingy as we feel! I made this fresh notecard using A Happy Thing, one of the beautiful stamp sets you can earn free with every £45 you spend. (And if you're not after stamps, no worries because there are Blendabilities markers, designer papers, accessories and Project Life items up for grabs too!)

I love the lemon motif in this set and my mind is busy with all the other things I can do with it! This time I coloured the stamped image with Blendabilities markers and sponged in a hint of sky. I really like the bright result.

ARE YOU THINKING OF JOINING STAMPIN' UP?
Sale-a-bration is great for shoppers but it's a great time to join Stampin' Up too as everyone is excited about the new products and the gorgeous freebies. When you become a demonstrator during the promotion, you'll get your great value starter kit (click here for details) PLUS you'll get to choose two Sale-a-bration items for free!

If you'd like to start a business with Stampin' Up, or would like to take your hobby to the next level, just give me a call on 01280 820593 and I'll explain how it all works. I'd love to hear from you - and remember, there's no obligation or pressure. I will simply give you the information and you can go off and decide whether it would work for you.

STAMPIN' UP BARGAINS STILL AVAILABLE!
Don't forget that the Stampin' Up year end sale continues until the end of TODAY! Canny shoppers can bag themselves some amazing bargains with prices slashed by up to 80%! Why not click on my shop below and have a browse?

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 recently realised that my youngest son gets lots of entertainment out of asking me 'why' style questions and then listening to my blundering attempts to explain. Yesterday he asked me if cucumbers contained cucumber juice or water and sat rapt while I went round in circles with my suggestions that all fruits and vegetables contain water but that they are mixed up with other elements that make up that item. When my voice eventually trailed off into silence he smiled at me. "That's amazing," he said admiringly. "It's like saying 1 + 1 = 2 and also if you divide 100 by 50 you get 2 as well!" Yes, well. I'll just go and ink up another stamp I think!

See you tomorrow when the new Stampin' Up spring/summer catalogue goes live YAY!!! And Sale-a-bration starts - double YAY!!!

Change your life with a Stampin' Up business!

Picture yourself at an interview where you're being offered a job. You say that you'll accept but that you have a few conditions:

• You'd like to choose your hours to suit your home life - some weeks you might work a lot, some weeks you may work less. You may prefer to work at night sometimes - in short you want to be completely flexible.
• You'd like to choose when you take your holidays and for how long.
• You don't want anyone telling you how to run the business but, on the other hand, you want lots of support when you need it.
• You expect regular training and access to information 24 hours a day.
• You'd like the company to do the marketing for you, providing regular catalogues and special offers to keep your customers interested.
• You'd like to work with top quality products and you'd like to be able to get them at a discount or earn them for free.
• You'd like to be recognised for the hard work you put in with awards, promotions, cash bonuses and all expenses paid holidays.

What do you think the interviewer would say?!

It does sound like a fantasy job doesn't it? But I can tell you that it's definitely not a dream and that if you are hardworking and focused and are prepared to put in some hard work, you can definitely enjoy a successful and rewarding career with Stampin' Up. Are you up for the challenge?

All you need to start your Stampin' Up business is a starter kit. This normally costs £99 but you can get it for £74.25 (OFFER ENDS TODAY!) What do you get for your money? Your choice of products worth £130, free catalogues, free stationery and free delivery. Do feel free to give me a call on 01280 820593 if you have any questions about how this works or click here for more information.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR STARTER KIT
AT THE SPECIAL PRICE OF £74.25

Once you have been accepted as a demonstrator, you will gain access to the demonstrator-only website with its wealth of resources and will be welcomed into the Stampin' Up family. I'll send you my welcome pack, which will get you started on your Stampin' Up journey, and I will be available to help, support and encourage you every step of the way.

Here's a card and gift I made for one member of my team who achieved her first promotion recently.

She's mentioned how much she likes butterflies, so I used this gorgeous one from Papillon Potpourri for her card...

...adding a dash of sparkle for that celebration feel! 

Here's another one of my pouches made using the Gratitude for Days kit (see another one here.) The band that holds the pouch closed features more butterflies - punched ones this time. And yes, the punches DO coordinate with the butterfly images in the Papillon Potpourri stamp set, which makes cutting them out so quick and easy!

Here's a peek inside that pouch! All my team members get a charm bracelet on their first promotion with a handmade charm to attach to it. At each promotion, they receive another charm - which makes a lovely record of their achievements.

I would love to welcome you to my team whether you want to start a business or simply enjoy the wonderful Stampin' Up products at a discount for your own use. Perhaps it could be an early Christmas gift - and I couldn't think of a better one!

See you tomorrow,

Get ready to celebrate with Making Spirits Bright by Stampin' Up!

There's nothing like the clinking of glasses of bubbly to say congratulations and Stampin' Up's new set, Making Spirits Bright, contains the perfect pair! Come and see:

This card was made for a member of my team who has achieved so much in a short space of time. I wanted to send her a card to celebrate and I hope champagne and gold sequins struck the right note!

The glasses were heat embossed with gold embossing powder and the champers coloured in with blendabilities - can you see how it's blended from light to dark?

I'll be linking this card up with Less is More where the lovely ladies are celebrating the 200th challenge with a Celebrations theme! Huge congratulations to you all, especially Chrissie who came up with the idea for this challenge site with her friend Mandi, and who has grown a wonderful, warm friendly crafting community.

WHY NOT JOIN STAMPIN' UP YOURSELF?
If you've ever wondered what it's like being a part of Stampin' Up, this is a great time to try it out as the starter kit costs just £74.25 until the end of tomorrow, Tuesday 2nd December. You'll get to choose £130 worth of products to put in your starter kit and enjoy loads of benefits as a demonstrator, including:

• 30% of your first qualifying order
• 20% off all future orders
• The chance to view the 2015 spring catalogue in December, a month before it goes live, and pre-order from it
• Free products with qualifying orders
• Low minimums (you'll have until the end of March 2015 to place orders of £275 catalogue price if you want to remain part of Stampin' Up)
• 5% cash back on all orders placed in December
• Free catalogues and stationery 

And so much more!!!

I'd love you to join my team whether you want to start a business or simply enjoy the creative side of Stampin' Up. Do give me a call on 01280 820593 if you're wondering how it all works or drop me an email here. 

I made a little gift to go with this card.

This little pouch was made with one of the envelopes from the Gratitude for Days kit on page 38 of the Stampin' Up autumn/winter catalogue. The kit was designed as a 'grateful diary', to be filled in and kept as a keepsake, but it's also perfect for presenting small gifts.

Want a peek inside?

Slide the band off and tucked inside is a handmade charm. Members of my team get a charm bracelet on their first promotion and a charm each time they achieve another title.

BUY THE SUPPLIES TO MAKE TODAY'S CARD NOW!
(Click on any item to be transported to my online shop!) 

Making Spirits Bright Wood-Mount Stamp Set £24.95	2-1/2" Circle Punch £15.50	Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder £3.95
Stampin' Blendabilities™ Markers Daffodil Delight Assortment £10.95	Gold Sequin Trim £4.50	Stampin' Blendabilitiesª Alcohol Marker Color Lifter £4.50

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.

It's been quite a weekend! I never quite realised quite how restful our cat was until the puppy turned up! I think we can safely say that Eva has settled in now. She knows that she must go outside when she needs to go, sleeps happily through the night and as long as we feed her at regular intervals, play with her and give her lots of cuddles, she's perfectly happy thank you very much!

Look how big she's getting! Never lie on the floor when there's a comfy human to lie on, that's her motto!

See you tomorrow with more celebrations!

The piercing bells! Using Embellished Events from Stampin' Up

I've been really excited by the wonderful new Christmas stamp sets in the Stampin' Up autumn/winter catalogue but sometimes it's nice to bring out the oldies and goodies! Come and see:

The panel on this card has been punched with the Decorative Label punch to make an aperture and I've added the beautiful bells from Embellished Events popped up on dimensionals.

I liked the idea of bells ringing to mark the beginning of the Christmas holidays and it gave me the chance to use one of my favourite sentiments from the Project Life stamp set Holiday Cheer - perfect for those December pages!

Well it's certainly been an eventful week, with broken down boilers and computers interspersed with settling our new puppy in, but I've been thinking about making this card ever since last weekend when I saw Less is More's Jingle all the Way theme and 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown's piercing challenge!

AND DON'T FORGET...
There is an amazing promotion on at the moment where you can actually get a Stampin  Up starter kit for just £74.25 - and be able to choose products worth up to £130 to put in it! What an amazing deal, whether you're keen to start a Stampin' Up business or simply enjoy a discount on these fabulous products - and perhaps the perfect early Christmas prezzie?! Do give me a call on 01280 820593 if you'd like to find out more, or click here to read all about it.

BUY THE SUPPLIES TO MAKE TODAY'S CARD NOW!
(Click on any item to be transported to my online shop!) 

Embellished Events Wood Stamp Set £25.95

Decorative Label Punch £15.50

Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack £7.25

Project Life Holiday Cheer Photopolymer Stamp Set £13.95

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.

I hope you've got a great weekend lined up. I shall be spending mine in the company of my favourite blonde beauty:

Here she is demonstrating the perfect retrieve. Hmm, I wonder if I could get her to show the boys how to 'go fetch' their laundry!

See you on Monday for more crafting fun,

Hugs,

Love Stampin' Up? Join for just £75!

Have you ever had your breath taken away by Stampin' Up designer paper and felt the need to bring it out and stroke it for a week before cutting into it? Have you ever punched the air and cried yes, yes, YES! when placing the designer paper next to card stock that matches perfectly? Have you ever sighed with pleasure when another stamp set is released which coordinates with one of your punches? If you've answered yes to any of these questions, you really do need to join Stampin' Up right away!

Stampin' Up is the perfect, low-cost way to start up a craft business that fits around your lifestyle but it isn't just for business people. The benefits for fans of Stampin' Up products are enormous - 20% off all your orders, free products, invitations to demonstrator-only events, the chance to see and order new products before anyone else, the wonderful friendships you make... The list goes on!

I bet you want to join right this minute - and you couldn't have chosen a better time! Between 25th November and 2nd December, you'll get your Stampin' Up starter kit for just £75, that's 25% off the usual price, AND you'll get to choose whatever Stampin' Up products you like to put in it worth up to £130 AND it will be delivered free of charge to your door!

I know what you're thinking. You think that after you've joined you'd have to spend loads of money to keep up with being a demonstrator. But the truth is that if you join now, you will only need to place orders worth £275 catalogue price between now and the end of March 2015 to remain a part of Stampin' Up. You can be your own customer, or take orders from friends and family, or a mixture of both. Stampin' Up has also announced that demonstrators joining during this promotion will get a 5% cash back on all orders placed in December!

It does sound a bit too good to be true doesn't it, but I assure you there are no catches. Stampin' Up welcomes hobby demonstrators as well as people wanting to start a business - it's the company's way of rewarding your loyalty to its products.

Oh my goodness, and how about asking for a starter kit as an early Christmas prezzie? Imagine opening a box of £130 worth of fabulous Stampin' Up goodies on Christmas morning! (But don't forget this offer is only on for one week, starting 25th November.)

I'm here to answer all your questions so email me here or give me a call on 01280 820593 for a friendly, no obligation chat. Or click here for more information about joining Stampin' Up.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Blendabilities on Under The Tree card bases - Stampin' Up Artisan blog hop

Hooray! It's Thursday and that means the Stampin' Up Artisan Design Team gets together to show what we've been making with all the gorgeous products that were sent to us this month. You might want to pour yourself a nice cup of coffee, sit back and hop around the world with me!

STAMPIN' ON DESIGNER PAPER!
I'm loving the Under The Tree speciality designer paper. It's extra thick which makes it brilliant for boxes but it makes fabulous card bases too! I wondered what would happen if I stamped on the subtle white-on-kraft patterned side, and maybe coloured it with blendabilities... Well, this is what happened:

Isn't that pretty?! I used my Mossy Meadow classic ink pad to stamp an outline image (from the hostess set I Like You) and coloured the flowers with various blendabilities markers. Have you tried colouring with these markers yet? You need no skill at all to use them and they give your projects loads of depth!

The dotty design shows through the colouring and I love the extra dimension it gives. The designer paper is double sided but, as you can see in the photo, I lined the inside of mine neatly with Whisper White card stock panels.

This little gift set was made to welcome a lapsed demonstrator back to my team - did you know that if you give Stampin' Up a try but decide it's not right for you at that time, you can always rejoin when it suits you? Well you can - and because the starter kit is completely customisable, you won't double up on any of your supplies!

Did you spot this cute little box with the matching label? I was short on time when I was making this but that was okay because the Gift Box Punch Board puts together a box in no time at all! I'll show you how in a minute but first, are you curious to know what's in the box?

YUM! A girl has to keep her strength up of course and I hear that this chocolate is full of antioxidants! It's practically health food!

You're definitely going to want to make some of these quick and easy boxes (they're brilliant as little gifts, favours or stocking fillers!) so here's a video showing you how.



I hope you've enjoyed this project. There's heaps more Artisan inspiration on our blog hop - just click the button below and whizz over the Atlantic to where the lovely Allison Okamitsu has been crafting up a storm!

BUY THE SUPPLIES TO MAKE MY GIFT SET NOW!
(Click on any item to be transported to my online shop!) 

Under The Tree Specialty Designer Series Paper £11.50	Gift Box Punch Board £17.95	Stampin' Blendabilities™ Markers Rich Razzleberry Assortment £10.95
Stampin' Blendabilities™ Markers Coastal Cabana Assortment £10.95	Curly Label Punch £15.50	Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad £4.95

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.

I'm off to see my lovely daughter in Manchester today and I'm so excited! When I spoke to her yesterday she had all sorts of plans for us. "And I have some plums!" she said obscurely. "So I can ply you with tea and plums!" Hmm. Might just take one or two little snacks in my handbag!

See you tomorrow,