Days later...

Its now a few days since  the Telford event  and strangely it feels like it was yesterday and at the same time it seems like it was ages ago...

Batteries are now recharged, at least those in my camera are, and I was able to retrieve the photos and take some of the swaps I received...and I thought I would start with those...

I got quite a few tag and bookmark swaps and these are pictured left... the top right pink with the flower is also a bookmark - the clever page saver kind that pops over the corner of the page.
In addition to these there are also three mini cards in the picture

 The second picture shows the cute 3D birdhouse and the mini briefcase - this had a sherbet sweet inside...we used to call them space ships when we were kids and they are still just as yummy as I remember! A great selection of card designs and the kraft bag project on the far right with the tangerine tag is actually a teabag holder and has mint tea inside which was a lovely surprise.

In the background you will notice a canvas bag with the Stampin'Up! logo on it... These were given to us at the registration desk and were used to carry home our freebie give-aways ...and my prize patrol goodies...

The products inside the bag are all brand new product lines that will be in the new catalogue when it comes out at the end of June...so for now they are a secret...but watch out for sneaky peeks coming very soon...

Before I go let's not forget that today  is Wednesday and that means weekly deals day... If you haven't done so already, please pop along and check them out in case there is a deal on something on your wishlist


Until next time, take care

Christa   xx

What fun...

I had a fabulous time at the Stampin'Up!  UK regional event at Telford. Over three hundred demonstrators gathered together to hear the latest news from Stampin'Up!, see some sneak peeks at products from the upcoming catalogue (not too long to wait now...) and  to share creative ideas.

As well as the chance to catch up with old friends and the opportunity to see up close some of the exciting new things coming our way, one of the highlights is always prize patrol...and I was one of the very lucky winners of some yet to be released totally fabulous  products.... watch out for sneaky peeks very soon

I am home now, exhausted but inspired. I took lots of notes and hundreds of photos... I got lots of fab swap projects and  I will take pics of them as soon as my camera is charged so for now I can only show the full images of the swaps I made...

Once me and my camera are properly recharged and working on full power again  I will be back...

Until next time, take care

Christa   xx

What do you a call...

What do you call a gathering of demonstrators from up and down the UK?  I am sure there should be an official name for it...but anyhow this weekend there will indeed be a gathering of demonstrators for the UK regional event in Telford and always it is guaranteed to be energetic, noisy and above all fun!

As always swapping is a big part of any demonstrator event and with over 300 people due to attend the possibilities are endless. I did not get as many swaps prepared as I usually do, but I do have some because it just wouldn't feel the same without a little swapping... the projects are always amazing and inspirational and I always come home with loads of new ideas...

As I am leaving today I can't post pics of my swaps but I will share teeny tiny peeks and I can say I used Life in the Forest stamp set as the focus for my swaps this time.  When I get back I will  show my swaps in full along with some of the swapped projects I got in return.


Until next time, take care

Christa   xx
                                                                                                                                

Smile...

                                                                                                                                                                                 
It's the weekend...it's mid May and the weather is truly atrocious - it just hasn't stopped raining and it was so cold earlier we actually had to put the heating on!

Its miserable out there and so I thought today I would simply share a smile.


Happy Weekend one and all


Until next time, take care

Christa   xx

Show & Tell Card Candy Part 2

Card Candy  part two

So carrying on from my previous card candy post,these are the rest of the card candy swaps I received back from other participants and these are all made using stamps set I do not currently own... Interesting that of the ten sets chosen by swap participants, I already own exactly half. 

The first one on the left was made by Emily using the Perfect Couple stamp set. Like me Emily opted to focus on the current in-colours in her card candy  - they are really pretty - and she has used no less than eight punches to make her candy selection.

The next set  (on the right) was made by Charlie- Louise  and she chose the very cute Zoo Babies stamp set from the main annual catalogue. 

Charlie opted for gender neutral colours rather than  pink or blue and she used a variety of punches in the making of her  very pretty candy . 

Another baby related set was the focus for Laura's card candy  (pictured left) and Laura chose the equally cute Baby, We've Grown stamp set from the Spring and summer catalogue. Laura chose to work in pink and  blue for the gender specific stamps as well as the yellow with neutral shades.

Moving away from babies, a set with a rather cute name is Peachy Keen and this was the set chosen by Sarah for her candy. (pictured right)  This set also coordinates with the On Film framelits dies . A mix of words, shapes and elements this is a great set for candy.

  

Pictured on the left,  the last of the swaps is the candy made by  Elaine who chose to work with the By The Tide stamp set. I have seen lots of fabulous cards, including many scene builder style, made with this set but  I had never before  seen any card candy or card elements using By The Tide ...and it works so well . Elaine's candy includes a border, a panel, a tag and some  decorative elements.

And that ends the show & tell for the entire card candy swap (parts one and two)  I hope that you will have found some inspiration from the fabulous work featured  here and that you will have enjoyed the chance to see the work, design ideas and styles of several demonstrators all  located in one spot.

If you have been inspired to make card candy of your own I would love to see it and would be happy for you to share with a link back to your own projects.

As always, if you have any questions, want to know how to get hold of any of the products used in any of the candy examples or  if I can help in anyway you know what to do... please just get in touch

Until next time, take care

Christa   xx

Show & Tell - Card Candy

CARD CANDY!

I recently took part in an organised card candy swap  over at ILWS and organised by the lovely Jo. If you are not familiar with the concept let me quickly explain... There were ten demonstrators involved and we each chose a stamp set and  used that stamp set  to make ten packs of card candy. Once we had made and packaged our candy we all sent it to Jo who sorted it and sent us back one each of the ten completed sets (so we  each got one of our own sets back too)

I chose to use Perfect Pennants stamp set and matching framelits for my card candy and I used mainly the current in-colours. I used a number of techniques to make my candy including embossing, water colouring, faux stitching, paper piercing and of course the all important stamping...and I used card stock, stamps, ink, sponges, chalk marker, framelits, punches, foil paper, washi tape, glimmer paper, ribbon, candy dots and rhinestones - but the beauty of card candy is that while it may utilise lots of different products, it allows you to make use of all the offcuts and smaller pieces you may have left over from other projects... and at the end of the day you get some pretty cool card candy pieces that are totally unique.  Once you get started making card candy I don't think you will ever want to buy a pack in a shop again...

I think card candy also help us to see stamp sets in a new light. Sometimes - and we all do this - I have looked at a stamp set and thought well that's nice but how would I use it?  I consider my stamps and investment of sorts and so I like to know that I will be able to make the most of each set I invest in...card candy provides yet another creative option.

So without further ado I will share  some of the card candy that I received in the swap. Some of the stamp sets used are sets that I own and I  will start with these. All of the sets came packaged in cello bags with pretty toppers but since I want to focus on the candy itself I have zoomed in a bit.

This first one (on the left) was made by Jo  and she chose the Life in the Forest stamp set. This is a great one for colouring and scene building and I love all of Jo's fabulous candy designs. The little bunny was an extra added to the outside of the packaging which was a lovely touch. This set came out in the Spring and summer catalogue and is quickly becoming a favourite of mine. I fully expect I will be using it a lot in the near future.



The set (to the right) was made by Sandra and she opted for Bright Blossoms stamp set. I have owned this one for quite some time and must admit I don't use it as often as I should. ..but seeing what Sandra has done  and how she has made the most of this set using it with a variety of punches and dies has given me some fresh ideas.





The next set (on the left) was made by Alison using Everything Eleanor.  I have already really got a lot of use out of this set and yet I had never ever considered using it to make candy and Alison has really made me think differently about an old favourite. She has combined a lot of techniques and products including pressed clay flowers.

The last of the sets I own was the Just Sayin' stamp set and coordinating word bubble framelits chosen by  Julie. This is another new set from the spring and summer catalogue and this is a fine example of how what is a basically a sentiment set can be up-scaled into something a little more. The super cute punch art owl was a fabulous extra touch to this  set of candy.


So that is part one of the card candy swap show & tell.  I loved that the card candy I received gave me some new ideas on how I could use those sets that are already in my collection ...and of course it generally prompts creative thinking about how to use other sets in similar ways too.

I will come back to the rest of the card candy swaps - the sets I do not personally own -  in another post but for now if you have any questions, would like to know more or need some general information please do get in touch.

Until next time, take care

Christa   xx

Show & Tell - new photopolymer stamps

With so many great products and a wealth of fabulous projects out there I decided it is time to use this blog for a spot of regular show & tell ..and it starts right here with new product!

Click on image to go to offer

Stampin' Up!  has just announced that in the new 2014-15 catalogue we will have our usual wood mount and clear mount stamps but that we will also be getting photopolymer sets too. These have been available in the USA for some time now, and I was lucky enough to try them last year so am really pleased they have finally made it across the pond.

  

 I must admit (like many stampers) I was never that impressed with the results I got with the clear photopolymer stamps in the past, but Stampin’ Up! have found a high quality material that gives the quality images we have grown to expect from Stampin’ Up! products and once I tried them myself I was suitably impressed.

There will be a selection of brand new photopolymer stamps in the new catalogue in July but if you can’t wait for the new catalogue to try these for yourself, Stampin’ Up! has an offer for you…From now until 31 May when you place an order for £60 or more (not including P&P) you can choose one of these four Photopolymer Stamps for FREE.  This will be your only chance to get these sets as they will not be in the upcoming catalogues and supplies are limited!

I have just taken delivery of a set of the new photo-polymer stamps – I got Show & Tell set # 2 which in case you hadn't already guessed, I used to stamp the Show & Tell button at the top of the page....it seemed just perfectly suited for the job!

So…what are they like?

Well the first thing you notice is that they arrive in a cello bag  and are held on an acetate carrier sheet. 

When you peel them from the backing sheet they feel quite sturdy (for want of a better word) They are easy to position where you want them on the block and they stick really well to the acrylic blocks. Of course as you’d expect they are transparent so you can see exactly where you are stamping. 

This is particularly useful with alphabets and borders…and of course the slightly pliable nature of the photopolymer means that you can do even more with the element and border stamps…like make an arrow arch slightly or a make a border curvy rather than straight...which is what I did very quickly here with one of the arrows from the Show & Tell set #2.

As always if you would like to know more about the featured new photopolymer sets, about any Stampin'Up! offers, promotions and products in general or would like to know more about becoming a demonstrator yourself please drop me a line and  I will do my best to  help and to  answer any questions you may have.

Until next time, take care

Christa   xx

ILWS Spring & Summer Blog Hop

A small  group of demos from ILWS got together and decided it is time for another little blog hop featuring some of the fabulous goodies in the Stampin' Up! Spring and Summer 2014 catalogue collection... 

The hop started with Laura and if you followed all the way along you should have landed here from Lorraine's blog

 So after all the fabulous projects you have already seen, here is mine - which I hope you will like. I  got the inspiration for this project from a friend (who is also a demo) while I was visiting her on holiday in the USA. She was planning something similar for one of her groups but of course I was not going to be there to experience her group or to see the finished projects. When I came home I decided I would  take the basic idea, add  my own twist, change things up a bit and this would be my main blog hop project.

  

 So for this project I have made a set of six any occasion cards in a range of colours using the Starburst Sayings stamp set   and the matching starburst framelit dies -both featured on page 34 of the Spring/Summer 2014 catalogue.

  
And  because a set of cards makes a nice gift, I decided to make a matching bag box to hold the cards and envelopes until they are needed. 




The card holder was made from two 8x8 pieces of card and uses the same decorative elements as used on the cards themselves.











             I  chose to make the cards in different colours - matching card base and ink colour while keeping the silver elements the same on each card  and I changed the design arrangement on a couple of the cards..

 
 I  used the gorgeous designer  printed vellum in both the spots and the stripes designs









To keep the set as versatile as possible I kept the insides of the card plain, with just a single stamped element in the bottom corner. This allows for any personalised message to be added later.










The same stamped details is carried on to the bottom corner and the back flap of the envelope  to give that coordinated effect.







And that is the set.  I was undecided as to how to close the bag - it doesn't actually need a closure, the score lines hold everything in place,  but if it is a gift then I think ribbon would look nice...so here is the finished set all tied up with a bow.

 I hope you had fun hopping along with us today. If you would like to know anything about the projects featured, the products used or if you are generally interested to learn more about Stampin' Up! please do not hesitate to contact me

You have now reached the end of the blog hop. In the unlikely event you got lost along the way or if you landed here purely by chance and would like to see all the projects featured in this hop, I have added a complete list of blogs taking part in the hop today below.

1) Laura Mackie - www.laura-creativeideas.blogspot.co.uk
2) Jo Blackman - www.jo-joscraftyblog.blogspot.co.uk
3) Sarah Keerie - www.esellek.com
4) Janneke de Jong - http://jannekedejong70.blogspot.nl/
5) Sue - http://www.stampysue.blogspot.co.uk/ 
6) Lorraine - http://www.thestampingrove.co.uk
7) Christa - http://serendipity-stamping.blogspot.co.uk/  * YOU ARE HERE*

Until next time, take care

Christa   xx

Up and coming....

Exciting news...   delighted to report that Stampin' Up! have announced that they will be

We are so so so excited to let you know we’ve partnered with the amazing Becky Higgins to bring you the real deal—authentic Project Life products, now in exclusive Stampin’ Up! colours and designs. If you’ve somehow missed the Project Life craze and are wondering what it’s all about, we’ll fill you in: it’s a super simple, totally affordable way to get your photos into albums: you just slip your photos into Photo Pocket Pages and add designed cards. It’s a back-to-basics approach to documenting your life. In a nutshell, it’s all about spending more time making memories and less time scrapbooking them.

We’ll offer a complete Project Life product line in the new annual catalogue, available beginning 1 July. You’ll also be able to order a selection of Project Life products a few weeks earlier than that! We’ll let you know more as the date nears. 

Project Life is great and to have a range of exclusive Stampin' Up! Project Life products is the best news. Look out for more information and product news.

Until next time, take care

Christa   xx

Happy Easter...

Hope the Easter Bunny paid a visit and left you some chocolate to help ease the rather drab weather we seem to have today.

I find myself in a chocolate free zone -  hmm...there is definitely something wrong with that!

Happy Easter one and all


Until next time, take care

Christa   xx

Weekly Deals are Coming

I have just returned from my travels (more about that another time)  and Stampin' Up! have just announced that  the very popular Weekly Deals are coming to the UK starting tomorrow.

Every Wednesday throughout April  a new set of  product deals for that week will be posted. We will not know in advance what the weekly deals will be,  but there will be a  variety of products  including some digital downloads.  It is a while stocks last offer so you will need to remember to check the offers on my demonstrator business website every Wednesday to see what bargains are on offer for that week.

                                                                                This week the offers include dies, framelits, embossing folders and a digital download kit all at reduced prices. The dress up framelits (included in the offer) are still among my favourites and I used them to make these cute lolly-frocks.




Hope you will enjoy the deals throughout April.

Until next time, take care

Christa   xx

A Friendly Card

Things are still hectic here as we deal with the aftermath of the  mega-leak (which is thankfully now fixed) and my moving into the new craftroom has been stalled ever so slightly by a couple of small practical considerations...that we had not considered! But while it is not fully operational yet, it is still possible to work on a corner of the standing workstation..which is what I did when I needed to make a card to pop in with something I was sending off to a friend.

I made the background by using a couple of  ink pads direct to whisper white card. The sentiment on the front was from the Feel Goods stamp set. I stamped the butterfly (Best of Butterflies set) in black ink onto the card front,  and again onto vellum and onto the panel for the inside of the card too. I hand-cut the vellum butterfly and fixed it over the stamped image on the card front using sticky strip, with a line of small coloured gems  over the tape line. (gems not SU but they were sitting on top of a box on the counter so I grabbed them for quickness) The fake stitching was done by hand using a fine line black marker and this was repeated on the inside panel too. The stamped greeting inside the card is from the new Perfect Pennants stamp set which is in the Spring Summer seasonal catalogue. Simple and easy card to make but I was quite pleased with the end result.

Hopefully we will have fully considered the outstanding craft room considerations by this week and I will be able to get things fully set up and operational so I can start making lots of pretties again very soon

Until next time, take care


Christa   xx

Sharing the Love

Happy Valentine's Day one and all. I hope that it has been what you wished for... 

Since it is the day of lovers, I thought I would share a couple cards I  made to celebrate the occasion. 

 There hasn't been much of the more traditional romance and flowers type celebrating in our house (well none of that at all if I'm honest) but what I did get was a trip to Ikea yesterday and  today my man with a drill and a screwdriver putting up shelves and rails in my new craftroom...After all these years he knows how to make me smile and his efforts really were appreciated...and  beats chocs and  flowers any day!

Romance does not always have to be traditional and I loved the dramatic black and white and red of this first card (right)... and the contrast with the softer pinks of the card below.

Of course because my craftroom refurb has taken way longer than we expected it has been a challenge to locate the things I needed to make the cards...and this second one has a few more things form my general stash than is usual on this blog....but we do what we have to and these were fun to make and they put a smile on the faces of those who received them.

We are nearing the end of the craft room make over and it will be fabulous when it is finally finished and everything is put away in its rightful place. We have learned some valuable lessons along the way...the first I will share is that if you are ever considering undertaking a major refurb of your craftroom, decide how long you think it will realistically take, double it and then add two weeks for good measure! That will bring you somewhere near the real number of days/weeks/months it will  actually take.

Onwards and upwards...

Until next time, take care


Christa   xx

Lets Celebrate...Sale a Bration

A double whammy of delight...the launch of the new spring summer  seasonal catalogue form Stampin' Up!
Thirty nine colourful  pages packed with fabulous products and creative ideas.

There are some great new stamp sets, punches, embossing folders and the designer papers are just beautiful.

As demonstrators we get the chance to advance order and so I have had time to use many of the new products and I will be back later with some of my favourites and some samples too.

Click on the picture to see the full offering and start building your wish list

 As if a brand new seasonal catalogue wasn't enough, it is also the start of our favourite time of the year

So there is cause to celebrate because for every £45 you spend you can earn free products. Click on the pictures to see the full details of what's on offer for 2014.

To check out the bundles  or to see all the fabulous products you can get for free click on the banners

And of course there is never a better time to join Stampin' Up! than during sale-a-bration where your starter kit gets you so much more. I joined during salebration and have never looked back. Check it out by clicking on the picture below and if you have any questions please do let me know

So that is what you need to know to get you started. Have fun with the catalogue and brochures, if you have any questions about any of the products or the offer details please do get in touch  or  if you would like a paper copy of either the catalogue or the saleabration brochure please drop me a line and I'll pop one in the post to you

I will be back later with some thoughts and ideas on the new products.


Until next time, take care


Christa   xx

A Fresh New Start

Happy New Year...late I know, but things have been hectic since we began the craft room renovation just before Christmas and my husband went down with a severe case of the decorating bug so it has been non stop  renovations here and my craftroom, while all freshly painted, became a stop gap general paint store while he kept going in the other rooms up here.

Crafting time has been minimal because most of my fabulous supplies are packed away and instead of the ten feet of work table I currently have a  small table just two and  half feet square on which to work....and it is in the middle of the room so things keep sliding off the back of it onto the floor. It is not ideal...


All of this is made worse because I have fabulous new goodies and want to make lots of fab samples and projects to share but it is hard going in these conditions.

I love the fabulous fun new retro papers  I used them in the card on the left... and the new stamp sets have so much potential I am going to have hours of fun with them all.

It is hard to find somewhere with decent light at the moment, and that doesn't look like a construction site, but I will  try to get some decent photos taken of what I have done so far... these include further sneak peeks of products from the upcoming Spring & Summer catalogue.

The renovations will soon be finished and my craftroom will become fully operational... Normal service will be resumed very soon.... my stampin' sanity demands it

Until next time, take care


Christa   xx

Merry Happy Everything

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing I wish you a Merry Happy Everything.

May this season  be everything you hoped for and may the coming New Year bring you all that you need.

Until next time, take care


Christa   xx

Building on crazy - the craft room reno project

Just a very quick note to say that of all the crazy ideas we ever had, this has to be right up there...

With less than two weeks to go before Christmas and while in the middle of festive preparations (dare I admit I still haven't finished making all my Christmas cards yet... eek!) we have started a major renovation project at home... involving (GASP!) my craft room.

I am pretty sure there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth (from me) during this process and to that end I have started what will be a temporary blog-ette for the sole purpose of recording the process.
If you are in the least bit interested you can follow my pain...I mean progress,  here and if you couldn't care less you won;t be troubled with any of it here among the inky-papery stuff.

Until next time, take care


Christa   xx

Crazy for Christmas

It is that time again...the run up to the festive season when everything  starts to get a little bit crazy. The traffic is even heavier than usual, the crowds are building and tempers are fraying as queues grow longer...

So instead of joining the commercial craziness  decided to stay indoors in the warm and punch some snowmen...

Now that is not as violent as it may sound..I  am a peaceful soul  at heart and of course I mean that I take some cardstock and my beloved punches and punch out some characters to decorate my remaining Christmas projects.

But sometimes the craziness creeps into crafting too and this particular snowman has a certain look about him...so I thought I would share him with you today.

As the craziness builds, stay sane and punch a snowman...you just know you want to...

Until next time, take care

Christa   xx

Clearance rack Blitz

Clearance Rack Blitz is HERE

Starting 10th December 2013 Stampin' Up! is having a clearance rack blitz with lots of  fabulous goodies at up to 80% off . Products are only available  while stocks last, so pop over and check it out now to avoid disappointment.  It may be worth pointing  family and friends , or even Santa in that direction too so that you can be sure of getting something fabulous in your stocking on Christmas morning. 

 If you have any questions or need any help or information please do let me know - my contact details are on my DBWS webstore page.

Until next time, take care

Christa   xx