It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year ....

Don't you just love that song, it's so Chrismassy. but for Stampin' Up fans everywhere the most wonderful time of the year has to be our version of the January sales, and the start of the Sale-a-Bration promotion.

To add even more excitement, we will also launch the new Spring seasonal catalogue, so you will be able to order lots of brand new products, and for every £45 spend, you can choose a free Sale-a-Bration item. I'm not allowed to post any photo's of the new brochure or sale-a-bration brochure just yet, but I can show you a sneak peak card that I have made, showcasing some new products. Enjoy.

I forgot to add the card, and I haven't added the sentiment! but here you can see the new World Traveller emboss folder and the gorgeous Going Places papers.

Home For Christmas DSP ....

Here is my last post on Christmas projects. I used the Home for Christmas designer papers to make my last post, the advent calendar, but I don't think that particularly draws attention to the papers. So, here are a couple of other projects ...... Firstly I made the birdhouse, I think this may become a tradition for me, because I made one last year, and they are so cute, I cut all of the elements
out of the papers and really enjoyed making it. Today I found a little time to finish using the papers and made this scrapbook layout. Just out of interest I only used half a pack of papers on all three of the projects, so it just shows how far you can make it go :)

Advent ....

I'm sure a number of people have seen an advent calendar almost exactly like this one, I have to say I was inspired by Pinterest on this project. I'm not a great fan of the site, and aren't even sure I fully know how to use it, but I think the original may have been made by Allison at http://nicepeoplestamp.blogspot.ca    I have kind of figured out my own way to make it, and I have used a cake board to stick mine to. It's not perfect, but I have enjoyed it, and the overall effect is sweet. I'd like to add a few embellishments, and  think it needs wider ribbon, but over all I'm happy with it :)

Bauble ....

So I know a few people have compared last years White Christmas with this years Happy Scenes, and I just love them both. Obviously the Happy Scenes works beautifully with the window die, but I have loved revisiting White Christmas this month. One final project I am going to post is this bauble, I have seen a few of these which have inspired me, but I have made mine using both stamp sets (one on either side). I added some of the sequins and snowflakes to the snowman side, for a "shaker box" style creation :)

White Christmas .... again

This had to be one of my favourite sets of last years winter seasonal so I was delighted when they brought it back in the full annual catalogue, so that I could use it for a little longer in classes etc. I still have my cards from last years 5,4,3,2,1 class that we did at team training as I loved them so much, and I have made a fresher version adding up to date papers and the softly falling embossing folder. I also cut the word jolly from the current winter thinlits, but then cut away a few letters to create the word "Joy" ....

 

I have to say, I can't decide what my favourite item has been from the seasonal, but it is very close between the window thinlit die and the softly falling emboss folder, love love love, so had to make one more card ......

White christmas .... Star Book

Well I have been very remiss at blogging recently and have been away for a lovely week and then been terribly busy at work since I came back. Although I have only been back from Madeira for 2 weeks tomorrow, it feels like a lot longer. It was so nice last Sunday to be able to go to our teams social stamping event. We all do our own projects and it is just a get together to chat and catch up. I really enjoyed it as I have missed most of the team events this year due to holidays (can't complain). Anyway one of the team Karen Watts http://kraftingk.blogspot.co.uk/ was making a Star Book, it's years since I made one and I decided to play along and follow Karen, anyway due to my excessive chatting I fell hopelessly behind, but as I had made one before, and after a few tips from Karen, I was able to complete this at home, and here is the end result ....

Festive Fireplace ....

Last weekend I taught a class. It is a format that has been used before where you make 5,4,3,2,1 cards. 5 easy, 4 a little harder and so on. The class went really well, and I was happy in the end although I struggled with some ideas for this set :) I love that it has coordinating dies so all the little "accessories" can be cut out uniformly, and I am going to try and use it in some other formats, for instance new home, or birthdays of some sort .... watch this space :)

This fancy easel fold card was designed by my friend at The Craft Spa

Happy Scenes ....

This has to be my favourite set from this years seasonal, I do love trees so perhaps that was the attraction, but also the theme through the window is something I like in Scrapbooking. These cards were so easy to design because I think it's easy to showcase something that you love yourself, and I love the papers and embossing folders too.

Softly Falling emboss folder and Christmas greetings thinlit dies

Happy Haunting designer papers

Merry Moments paper stack

Halloween part 2 ....

Well it is a little after the event but as you can still order the lovely seasonal Halloween products from Stampin Up, why not ..... here's a further layout I have made using the gorgeous Happy Haunting designer papers and Spider Web doilies. Again I meant to cut a title from the black glimmer paper, but it will be added later.

 We had a fabulous Halloween party at home, and I put some of my ermm (clears throat) crafting skills to play in helping my hubby make this boat. it was a surprise for our guests and the children that attended, and went down really well. I did say to people "I made a boat this week in all the spare time I have" lol

Halloween part 1 ....

Just a quick layout using the fab new Stampin Up Halloween papers. Absolutely love the spider web doilies in the seasonal catalogue, and really did mean to cut my title "Halloween" out of the gorgeous new Black glimmer paper, but then I forgot !!!

Wonderland ....

There are some gorgeous samples out there of this beautiful stamp set. I am a sucker for trees and could buy every set that is released, but I have to resist, these are a few cards I have made at team training recently and also the middle one from the wonderful Amanda Bates at the Craft Spa. :)

Also loving the square Pillow Box die, page 41of
the seasoanl

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit ....

and another thing I have been really busy with are these rabbits !!!! I haven't sewed (except for on the odd scrapbook layout) for over 30 years. Hubby was on a Stag weekend in Dublin recently (yes he really is a little old for all that), and so my lovely friend Kathy came to babysit me and protect me from any moths or spiders lol. Kathy had bought us a "sewing project" this little kit of mother and baby rabbit. Kathy was very patient and kindly showed me how to use my sewing machine properly, but it has taken me every half an hour here, and hour there, to finish these rabbits over the last three weeks. They really have been a labour of love, but I am so pleased I have actually managed to make something for the first time since I was at school :) Looking at them, I can already see all the rookie mistakes, but I am still really pleased with them and they are now sitting on the spare bed....  

Absense ....

I have been seriously absent for the last month but time has just slipped by. I have been crafting and had a wonderful weekend in chesterfield with some friends. We scrapped all weekend and I was so pleased to get through 12 layouts :)

Seasonal Catalogue .....

well the launch was on Tuesday, and I have to say this is such a strong catalogue, I think everyone is going to be going Christmas mad over the next few weeks, and I certainly have a class prepared and arranged for next month :) I have a couple of orders already and i'm sure as more samples of the new products are seen, there will be a Christmas "frenzy" :)

Brayer or Bags ....

Been a little absent, but had a lot on over the last few weeks. I finally had half an hour to craft this evening and decided to get my Brayer out. I need to practise and try some other mediums with it, but this was an effect I got just from building up one ink, Night of Navy. I also played with a plastic bag and probably made the quickest card I have ever made :) Here's a sneak of a new product that is in the new Autumn Winter catalogue due out on 1st September, it's packed with lovely products but I particularly like these edgelit dies(this one is Santa and his sleigh) ....

Sweet Li'l Things DSP ....

Can't tell you how cute these  designer series papers are. There are so many cute patterns that coordinate beautifully with the new in-colours and a few of the oldies as well. I like that S.U. have done that with the paper designs, because if you haven't managed to buy all of the new in-colour cardstock or inks, at least you probably have something existing in your stash that will work :)

I really enjoyed "fussy cutting" all the little strawberries and layering them in a cascade :)

They're a bit of a mess now, but here are some of the paper designs.

Choose Happiness ....

The bottom one in my favourite "In Colour" Mint Macaron.

I'm teaching a card making class in a few days and have been playing with various stamp sets to make a variety of cards for on the day. I have found Choose Happiness to be one of my favourite sets, it's so versatile and you can achieve lots of different looks with it. These are my first few samples with this set and i'm sure there will be more to share. I couldn't help but CASE the white and Sahara Sand card from Kerry Willard Bray, with a slight twist :)

Kinda Eclectic ....

Had this stamp set since the new catalogue went live, but I have just been so pressed for time throughout June and into July, yes I have been having fun, but I still need my crafting fix ;) I've seen lots of nice samples made with this set, and want to convert it into a scrapbooking layout at some time, but for now, here are a few samples I have made.

Inspired by Pinterest

Something for the weekend ....

Well I thought about naming this post Birthday part 3, but thought I would move on, although I have been away for my "birthday holiday" lol. After two weeks away I was only back for a week before I went to stay at a lovely cottage in the Yorkshire dales, so life has been fun and busy with little time for crafting :( But I do get serious "Craft Withdrawal" after anything over 2 weeks, so while I was at the cottage, I did squeeze in a little bit of scrapbooking ,,, here's my favourite layout from the week (mainly because I love the photo of Robyn and Ruby sun bathing in the garden) :)

Mallam Tarn

View from the cottage, Mallam cove was just to the right

punches ....

Scrapping ....

Again I apologies for the non SU products here, but my scrapping buddies came round the other day, and this was the only crafting I had time for. I had fancied showing them how to use some mixed media techniques for a while and we experimented with stencils, stamps, gel medium and wax. Just a title and some enamel dots here and there, and I think this one is finished :)