55 days and counting

 It hardly seems possible but there are just 55 days until Christmas !!!

I have a two day Festive event booked in mid December and need to make lots of lovely goodies to sell ...and so I really have to start thinking about things Festive...

I have also been asked to provide some cards for Headway North London - the local branch of the  charity supporting those affected by brain injury.

With that in mind I grabbed my new Delicate Designs embossing folders and picked the snowflake option (there are two folders in this set and the  other one is a gorgeous lace effect) which I
used on both of these cards.

For the blue snowflake card I used the fabulous Bigz Snow Flurry to cut the snowflakes and punched circles of glimmer paper for the centre of each. The merry Christmas sentiment was stamped in tempting turquoise ink (to match the cardstock) and highlighted with rhinestones.

The Santa card was made using a border from the simply scrappin kit ( these kits have lots of uses and are definitely not just for scrapbooking). The Santa stamp is one from the Christmas Wishes hostess exclusive set from the Autumn Winter Seasonal catalogue. I used the itty bitty punch and some of the lush glimmer paper for the pom pom on the end of Santa's hat. The glimmer paper was also used for the decorative corner (Ssh...naughty me, the corner die used is not from SU)

I have a desk covered in stamped Santa's...I love this image it is such fun and there will be more cards and projects using this stamp in in the days that follow.  If you would like to learn how you can earn hostess stamps for yourself please do drop me a line

Until next time, take care

Christa   xx

Happy Hour

I am back.... after two weeks in 90 degree sunshine the grey and damp UK is a real delight to come home to...

Jet lag has been brutal but tomorrow I am off to Peterborough for a fun training day with other demonstrators in the team. I am really looking forward to a creative day...I just hope I can stay awake all through it!

Swaps are a big part of all our get-togethers and  because I have been home less than 48 hours, I was really short on time. Still I hope that my simple swaps will be well received.

For these I used  whisper white and the new in colours...the examples in the photo are Primrose Petals. I used two embossing folders top and bottom of the coloured panels and the Happy Hour stamp set. I also used three punches -the postage stamp punch, oval punch and one of the itty bitty punches (for the glimmer paper flower in the centre)

I have some new projects planned for next week and will resume regular posting as soon as I am fully awake and have mind and body on the same planet and time zone.

Until next time, take care

Christa   xx

The NEW catalogue

Here it is...the new and much improved catalogue with over 200 pages of absolute gorgeousness. You can find the Online version of the new catalogue HERE and you can choose to save a copy to your PC



Nowseems like the perfect time  for a quick whistle-stop guide to the new catalogue and to share a few important things

• Stamp sets:  There are over 200 exclusive stamps sets over 147 pages, with something to suit all occasions, styles and tastes
• Cutting and embossing: There are 10 pages dedicated to the Big Shot with lots of fabulous exclusive dies & embossing folders, fabulous die storage options &  pages of  fabulous punches too.
• Designer Papers:  There are 14 collections of beautiful designer series papers
• Fabric & Ribbon: There are more designer fabrics than ever, including  the very popular Spice Cake fabric and some beautiful ribbons, included some gorgeous new stitched style
• Scrapbooking: There are 4 brand new simply scrappin' kits (and these are not just for scrapping, they work beautifully for cards and other projects too) and new ring bound scrapbook albums and divided page protectors
• Colour families: There are the ranges of co-ordinating products in the usual colour families, plus the launch of the new 2012-20914 in-colour collection
• Storage & Tools: And then there is the practical side., fabulous new storage options for papers, card and dies, packaging options,  a new bigger stampin' scrub, larger mat packs and bigger piercing templates and a fabulous new trimmer and table top cutter.

Important stuff : Prices

•  Great news! Some things have come down in price by over 10%
•  In the new catalogue you will see there are two prices listed. The first higher number is in Euros for customers in the wider European market, the second price is in £ sterling.. UK customers will pay the second price in £ sterling.

If you would like your own copy of the new catalogue , have any questions or would like to order any of the products please contact me


Important stuff (number 2) : SPECIAL OFFER from Stampin' Up!

If you have a product wish list a mile long and you love patterned paper this could be the perfect time for you to join my team. For just £99 you get a fully customisable starter kit of products to the value of  £130, plus a business tools kit worth £45 to help you get started.  As a Stampin' Up! demonstrator you will become part of a friendly creative team sharing our love of crafting, you will get as much support as you need along the way and will enjoy great product discounts.... and if you join Stampin' Up! during October or November 2012 you will  receive a pack of designer series patterned papers every month for six months for FREE!

If you would like to discuss becoming part of my team please contact me and we can have a no obligation chat. If you are ready to get started right away you can use the online sign up here

Until next time, take care

Christa   xx  

• 
  

It's here

The new annual catalogue goes live today and it is over 200 pages of gorgeousness..So to help a little,  a group of demonstrators decided to get together and do a blog hop featuring projects made using some of the fabulous new products.

If you are already on the hop then you should have come from Vronnie's blog . If you landed here without hopping, you may want to go to the very start which is Laura's blog and hop all the way along. 

Elements of Style stamp set using some of the new in-colours

 As demonstrators we are lucky enough to get advance copies of the catalogue and my wishlist is huge and grows every time  I look through the book...which is often!  There are just so many fabulous goodies inside.


There is just so much that I love and it was hard to know  which ones to feature.  Elements of Style is a real favourite of mine and so seems a natural place to begin. For these samples I have used some of the gorgeous new in-colours.

Patterned Party Stamp Set

                                                                                             
                                                                                        Another new favourite is Patterned Party with banners, balloons, pretty packages and cake it is a super set and perfect for direct to stamp inking with markers. It will be an absolute winner when it comes to making party invitations

Although I am primarily a card maker I thought it might be fun to include a scrap page  to fit the new 8x8 scrapbooks.
For this I used primrose petals and gumball green card from the new in-colours, layered two kinds of the new scallop edge tulle and topped with designer paper, stickers and borders form the Merry Moments simply scrapping kit. The image I used instead of a photo was stamped with the new Kindness Matters stamp set.

Christmas Tree 

       

                                                                                   
                                                                                    And since it is now October it doesn't seem right to leave out Christmas altogether... The Tree card on the left is made from whisper white card embossed using the big shot  and card  and strips torn and layered at the base and covered with dazzling details. The tree itself was made from designer papers diagonally cut from the Merry Moments simply scrappin' kit.

And the little tree shaped cards below are made using the new perfect pennants die and covered back and front with strips of the festival of prints designer series paper stack which is a handy size for card making or matting on scrap pages.





Finally to end, this is one of a set of quick and easy cards made using note cards and envelopes set with the festival of prints DSP  and Snow Festival Designer printed tags and Owl Occasions stamp set and some dazzling details to finish.

Well that's it from me for now. There will be more of my favourites in the coming days but now it is time to say goodbye as you hop on over to see what delights Ruth has in store for you next...you will find Ruth's blog  here


In case you have missed a step or have lost your way or hit a roadblock, here is a full list of the stops along the blog hop.

1 - CreativeIdeas_Laura http://laura-creativeideas.blogspot.com 
2 - Margaretk21 - http://makingpapercrafts.blogspot.com 
3 - Angela www.sparklycards.blogspot.co.uk 
4 - Leanie - www.beautifulimpressions.co.uk 
5 - Alison - www.craftingalison.blogspot.com 
6 - Beckie - www.bextiesandstickytape.blogspot.com 
7 - Gill - http://lilybygilly.wordpress.com 
8 - Diane - http://craftwithstyle.blogspot.com 
9 - Dawn - www.tartanstamper.blogspot.com 
10- Zoë http://www.stampingscene.blogspot.com 
11- Fiona W - http://oakfieldcrafts.blogspot.com 
12- Elaina - http://moulinrougestamps.blogspot.co.uk
13- Anne-Marie - http://classycrafters.blogspot.co.uk 
14- Sarah - http://esellek.blogspot.co.uk 
15- Vronnie - http://vronstampin.blogspot.co.uk
16- Christa - http://serendipity-stamping.blogspot.co.uk   *you are here
17- RuthE - http://pearsonifiedcrafting.blogspot.co.uk 
18- CarolynUK - http://stampaholix.blogspot.co.uk/
19- Amanda - http://thecraftspa.blogspot.com
20- Patricia - http://stampinbeckscraft.blogspot.com
21- Tara - http://ihaventgotacleverblogname.blogspot.co.uk
22- Emma (Citaborca) - http://cocktailofcard.blogspot.co.uk/
23- Emma H - http://www.emma-letsstamp.blogspot.co.u
24- Sarah Scribbles - http://card-delights.blogspot.com
25- Sarnie - http://www.kraftybiker.blogspot.com/
26- Sharon - http://all-inked-up-sharon.blogspot.co.uk
27- Lynn - http://www.heavenlycrafts.com/stampinheaven/
28- Emma - http://www.emma-daye.blogspot.com
29- Erika - http://twintroublescreations.blogspot.co.uk/
30- Elaine - http://thesassystampers.blogspot.co.uk/
31- Nicky - http://nickyjohncock.blogspot.com
32- Jane - http://cheshiredesignhouse.blogspot.com/
33- Kara - http://karascraftycorner.blogspot.com/
34- Ally - http://www.serendipitypapercuts.blogspot.com
35- Clare (Sparkle) - http://www.sparklecrafts.blogspot.com
36- Julie H (craftybug) - http://www.the-crafty-bug.blogspot.com
37- Jane (browniow) - http://www.janeiowcraftycreations.blogspot.com/



 Have fun hopping and please do drop by again.

Until next time

Christa   xx