Tea for two

My lovely Mum celebrated her 75th birthday this month and  as her special treat I had booked for us to go for Afternoon Tea at The Ritz....

so what better to use when making her card than  the delightful Tea Shoppe stamp set and the gorgeous Attic Boutique designer papers.


The whole Ritz experience was fantastic and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for  a special celebration treat. We had a fabulous time from start to finish and I think we could both easily get used to being treated so well.

Are the cakes as delicious as rumour has it? What do you think... over to Mum...

Christa   xx 

The Open Sea

Today I was asked to make a card for an adult Grandson and since I LOVE The Open Sea stamp set in the current mini it was my immediate go to choice for this card . . . It is great for making backgrounds - I used all of the various elements on this one - and the ship image looks fabulous highlighted in a punched out porthole with mini brads as rivets

Of course this stamp set would be great for any male cards. . . including father's day which is coming up in June.

If you would like to get this stamp set or any other Stampin' Up! products please just contact me

Until next time, Happy Stampin'!

Christa   xx

Up,Up and Away

Up, Up and Away . . . I just LOVE this new  and very versatile set from the new summer mini catalogue. There are 14 stamps in this set . . . yes I did say fourteen stamps - six different balloon options, four sentiments and four additional elements.

This is just a very quick and easy card I made this evening but I just know already that this will be a stamp set I will go to time after time.

With Up, Up and Away the sky's the limit!

If you'd like to get this set or any other Stampin' Up! products simply contact me and this set could be floating its way to you in a matter of days.

Will be back soon with more form the new mini, but until next time, take care

Christa   xx

Loving the new mini

I have all my lovely goodies from the new mini now and have been like a kid in a candy store trying them all out - you should see what used to be my desk , although you'd have a hard job spotting it under the mountain of goodies spread all the way along it.

The horrible weather has meant more crafting time, but it also means the lighting here is horrible and so in the end I scanned this card ...which is not ideal as alters the colours and  it makes the pearls look like metal pins...but anyway this is a pretty little card I made to say Thank you to someone who did me a good turn recently. It is made using the gorgeous Bordering on Romance stamp set . I used Wisteria Wonder and Pool Party from the in-colour collection and the framelits die to cut the main panel.

 Actual crafting has taken priority this week but I plan to upload some new projects in the coming days

Happy Monday!

Christa   xx 

It's Summer

                                                                                                                                                                 

 It may not feel much like summer . . .
 but the new summer mini is here!!!

                     

As one door closes (on the fabulous Spring mini catalogue) another opens on the new and fabulous Summer Mini. 

Okay so with the awful weather at the moment it doesn't quite feel like summer, but what better excuse than to cheer the spirits with the fabulous new products in the new summer mini.

Would you like to know what's in the new summer mini?  As you would expect, it is packed with marvellous new products like...

Lots of lovely new stamps sets(and there really is something for everyone)  including florals, nautical themes and something sweet . . .

There are three new designer paper sets with some truly gorgeous patterned designs, there’s fabric too and ribbon and twine and buttons of course -  and there's even scented flavoured embossing powders!

And that’s not all...for the Big Shot fans (and let’s face it who is not a fan..I LOVE my Big Shot and don’t know how I ever managed without it) there are some fabulous new ultra thin Framelits dies and we also have Edgelits ...and matching embossing folders! I have had these for a few weeks now and the possibilities for them are endless. I love them!

Another NEW addition to the MINI is....

THE SIMPLY SCORED!!!

 This fabulous new scoreboard is just perfect and will enhance your crafting no end, especially if you are a fan of 3D projects. . . It is great quality (its SU after all), comes with a stylus and place markers and has a handy hidden storage compartment. 

If you prefer to work in metric there is an optional metric board overlay that can be purchased separately and simply slots in place ... and if that wasn’t enough, we also now have

 

The diagonal plate will put an end to all those non standard size envelope (and gift box) problems – you can make envelopes in any size to fit non standard cards and in any paper or cardstock you like to co-ordinate with your card or project.  If you are like me and save all those scraps of Designer Papers that you can't bear to get rid of,  then like me, you are going to be making envelopes to match just about everything!

Although Demonstrators were able to purchase the new release items a month in advance for pre-order,  (and many were showcased in the ILWS summer mini launch blog hop on May 1st) we weren't able to get the diagonal plate...until now – and we are all so excited to get our hands on this. Mine is ordered and on its way... I can't wait!

The new summer mini is the perfect antidote to the so called summer weather. . . so grab a copy and settle back and enjoy. If you don’t have a copy of the new summer mini yet and would like one please contact me with your details and I will get one in the post to you asap. If you just can’t wait for the postman there is a link to the mini in my sidebar.


Until next time

Christa   xx 

Joining is fun...

JOINING STAMPIN’ UP! IS EASY AND FUN!

Join Stampin’ Up!  and do things your way . . . with the new completely customisable Starter Kit 

Stampin' Up! have made some changes this month and one of them is the new starter kit...and the new (lower) price of £99.  Now you can build your own personal kit to suit your own personal style. This new flexible starter kit means that you get to choose £130 worth of any of the high-quality products currently available, and to help you get your business up and running you'll also get a business supplies pack valued at £45 ...so you will get a customisable kit worth up to £175  and all for for just £99!

And if that was enough, if you join during during the month of May 2012 Stampin' Up! are offering free convention registration...worth £149! 

To get started (or to learn more about joining my team) just contact me today... It’s that easy.

ILWS Summer Mini Launch Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to the next step along  ILWS blog hop to celebrate the release of the brand new Stampin' Up! summer catalogue.  If you started at the beginning you should have made your way here from Sally's blog

I am sure you have already realised just how excited we all are at the great new products available in the new summer mini.  As demonstrators we are lucky enough to be able to preorder products a month before the release date. This helps us to prepare some samples to share with you and it has been so hard to choose which ones to highlight today...because I love them all.

 This first card is made using  lots of the new goodies from the new summer mini . . . the gorgeous Apothecary Art stamp set which was coloured with watercolour crayons and die cut using the new framelits dies. I also used the very pretty designer paper from the new Twitterpated suite and I cut this using the new adorning accents Edgelits dies (a set of two fabulous edgelits that you will use time and time again) and then I used two of the matching adorning accents embossing folders (from a set of three) - one that matches the die I used and the other is the really sweet hearts used as an accent across the middle of the card. Finally - as if that wasn't enough great new products, I added some of the absolutely gorgeous satin pleated ribbon.


I was having so much fun with the gorgeous papers that I also used them to cover a notepad, which I topped with a band of ribbon and an accent stamped from the new                                                     Bold Blossoms stamp set . . . 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                       





and I also used them to make a cute little basket, which I filled with an assortment 
of  stamped flowers using the same Bold Blossoms stamp set and the matching Blossom Punch







But as I said at the start I LOVE all the new goodies and  as well as loving Bold Blossoms, I am particularly enjoying using the Bright Blossoms stamp set.  This set has so many possibilities and I made these  cards  as examples of just some of the ways you can use the stamps.

For the lilac card on the right I used the Blossom punch on plain white card and then stamped the tulip petals from the Bright Blossom set to make the flower, which was offset. The small sentiment is punched from the smallest Apothecary Art set

 Both of the black and red cards used framelits,
in each case with the smaller framelits combined
with the frames oval embossing folder.

The card on the left uses Twitterpated  designer paper and the stamp from Bright Blossoms was stamped onto  black card using white stazon ink.

For the card on the right I used  stamping markers and added rhinestones  and accent pieces to finish it off.




The flower on the yellow smile card  on the left was made in the same way as the one on the lilac card above but I have included this one purely because it shows the other edgelit die and embossing folder in the sets.




So as I am sure you can tell, I have had such fun playing with my new goodies already and  of course from today you can order these great products too. If you would like a copy of the brand new summer mini  or would like more information about Stampin'Up! please contact me today. . .  and if you just can't wait for the postman to deliver, then you can view the new catalogue online

Thank you for visiting today...your next stop along the hop will be Donna's blog where she has something gorgeous to share with you.




It seems like there have been a few scheduling problems and a couple of glitchy links and so below is the full list of the entire blog hop to help anyone who got lost along the way.


Group 1.


1. AlisonP ~ www.craftyalisoninlyon.blogspot.com 
2. Crafting Alison ~ www.craftingalison.blogspot.com
3. Sarnie - www.kraftybiker.blogspot.com
4. Pat - www.pinkycardsandcreations.blogspot.com
5. IOW Sarah- www.stampinsarahiow.blogspot.com
6. Frankiesue - www.frankiesue.blogspot.com
7. Anne-Marie - http://classycrafters.blogspot.co.uk/
8. Angela - www.sparklycards.blogspot.com
9. Elaine - www.thesassystampers.blogspot.com
10. Sara - www.craftingandstamping.com
11. FrenchieJo - www.frenchiejo.blogspot.com
12. Leanie - www.beautifulimpressions.co.uk
13. Michelle (ShellieStamps) - www.craftypaper.co.uk
14. Fiona - http://oakfieldcrafts.blogspot.co.uk/
15. Tina F -http://littlewhitehousecrafts.blogspot.com
16. (9399) Amanda - http://thecraftspa.blogspot.com
17. Emma (daisydaye) - http://emma-daye.blogspot.com
18. Jan (JJ66) - http://jan-crippin.blogspot.co.uk/
19. Bluedaisy (Tracy) - http://bluedaisydaydreams.blogspot.co.uk/


Group two


20. Nuttysgirl (Emily) - http://www.stampinmermaid.blogspot.co.uk/
21 CarolynUK - http://stampaholix.blogspot.co.uk/
22 Allyf - www.serendipitypapercuts.blogspot.com
23 Vronie www.vronstampin.blogspot.com
24 Kim www.kimfeecrafter.blogspot.com
25 Beckie (Littlebeckie) www.bextiesandstickytape.blogspot.com
26 Sally http://girliepink.blogspotcom
27 Christa http://serendipity-stamping.blogspot.co.uk/    * You are here
28. DonnaM www.head-over-heels-by-dlm.blogspot.com
29 Laura http://airingcupboardstamping.blogspot.co.uk/
30. Emma H http://emma-letsstamp.blogspot.com/
31. Margaret K www.makingpapercrafts.blogspot.com
32. Kate http://stampinupwithkate.blogspot.co.uk/ 
33. Sarah http://esellek.blogspot.co.uk/
34. Jayne http://jaynescraftycorner.blogspot.co.uk/
35. Clare http://sparklecrafts.blogspot.com
36. Sharon http://stamps-n-inks.blogspot.co.uk/
37. Julie http://www.the-crafty-bug.blogspot.com
38. Anthea http://stampin-divas.blogspot.co.uk/
39. Vicky http://vickylouscorner.blogspot.com

Enjoy

Cxx

Upcoming blog hop...

Great news...Stampin Up have  a new Summer Mini Catalogue coming very soon...It is filled with lots of lovely goodies that I know everyone will love...  and to coincide with the new summer mini launch there will be a big blog hop...

It starts on 1st May at ten o'clock in the morning. I am excited to be taking part and I can't wait to see some of the fabulous projects that will be on offer along the hop.

Big Thanks to Elaine for providing us with the little blog hop advertising banner...

Countdown to Last Orders

The fabulous Spring Mini comes to a close at the end of this month . . . so if you have been waiting or thinking shall I/shan't I?  PLEASE do not wait too long or you might miss your chance to buy some gorgeous stamp sets, delightful designer papers and some amazing embellishment options, including the Simply Adorned jewellery range . . .  Please note that you will not be able to buy from the Spring mini after Monday 30th April.

If you have any questions about the Spring mini products or want to place an order please contact me

These are a couple of projects made using items from the spring mini

Strawberry badge using fruits & flowers stamp set

Cupcake stamp and builder punch

Using spice cake designer paper

Yikes yellow... to Yay!

Last Sunday found me in Peterborough - not a place I would normally spend a weekend, but the venue for our quarterly Stampin' Up! training day...and as always a big part of the day is the swaps we share. This time round we were told the theme was to be 'Yellow'...which meant I spent a full two weeks thinking Yikes...yellow ... rather than making a start on the forty cards I needed to make for the swaps...

 With just three days to go to training day the penny finally dropped...as my latest order of fabulous (new) goodies arrived and after unpacking all the new things it was less a case of yikes yellow and more a case of Yay!

So I thought I would share a small taster of my swap samples... and in the process provide a teeny weeny sneaky peek at what's coming very soon...


Have you spotted what's new?  I promise you are going to LOVE some of the new products coming your way...


and there will be a fabulous blog hop on 1st May to kickstart the launch...watch this space as they say...

Free papers

I got my free papers delivered and I chose the Berry Blossoms set  which was featured in the Spring Mini. It matches the Fruit & Flowers stamp set which I love and of course these goodies will not be available after 30th April when the Spring mini ends.

 I like all of the patterned papers of course  but I love the way this particular design really showcases the gorgeous in-colours against the rich chocolate background and so this was the one I grabbed first to make a very simple card.

For this I used the designer series pattern papers free in the current April promotion, the flowers from the fruits and flowers stamp set (shadow stamped for contrast), early espresso and wisteria wonder card stock, perfect polka dots embossing folder in the Big Shot,  and the small oval and word window punches.

Remember the free papers promotion only lasts until the end of the month - don't miss out. Contact me today to learn more or to place your order including any of the limited items in the Spring Mini catalogue. Avoid disappointment and  get these goodies while you can.

April Showers

It's April and unsurprisingly the showers are here. . . but  Stampin' Up! are showering us with another great offer to brighten our day . . . For the entire month of April anyone who places a qualifying order gets to choose one of four great designer paper packs absolutely FREE!

These are top quality, double sided 12x12 designer patterned papers and they can be yours for FREE with any order over £45 during April 2012. Don't miss out on this great opportunity. . . For further information and to place your order please contact me

Springing Back

Just back from the USA . . . I am still slightly jetlagged, but looking forward to getting back into the swing of things as soon as possible. It seems I got back just in time to Spring forward with the move to British Summer Time this weekend (Thanks Mum for reminding me)

While I was away I managed to squeeze in some time with a  Stampin'Up! demo friend in the US and I got invited along to a few local events which were tremendous fun. It was great to witness first hand how they do things over there and I took away lots of ideas for future classes of my own.

Of course no SU event would be the quite the same without a make & take session and these were great fun too. Some of the goodies I tried out over there aren't yet available in the UK...but watch out because there could be some good stuff coming down the line very soon....

                                                                                                                                                                                    In the meantime I can share these cute little Easter projects...   A chick card (above) made using the top note die and assorted punches ...and the Easter hanging banner (below)                                                                                      

E and A 

S and T

E and R 

Completed EASTER hanging banner

As soon as the jetlag subsides I will be back with some updates on my US crafting experiences, some more projects and  some exciting information about future promotions...

But for now its nap time zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Cxx

Sale-a-brating Fabulous Freebies

I am really enjoying the fabulous SAB freebies and wanted to share this card I made this week using the free everyday enchantment papers and the Fresh Vintage stamp set. I choose to stick totally to the gorgeous in colour collection and used the marvellous markers to ink my stamp.

For this project I used:-
Calypso Coral card  smooth card
Everyday Enchantment  designer paper (SAB)
Fresh Vintage Stamp Set (SAB)
Four of the five in colour markers (Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Pool Party & Island Indigo)
Sentiment from Create a Cupcake set (p22 of the Spring mini catalogue)
Bird Builder punch
Word Window Punch


I am having such fun with my SAB freebies  and will post more in the next couple of days.

There is still time to get your hands on one or more of the great SAB sets on offer by simply placing an order for £45 (excl p&p) before the end of March. If you would like to know more about the great SAB offers check out the details in my earlier post and if I can help in any way please do get in touch.

Stampin' Away day

Today I enjoyed a rare treat . . . a Stampin' Away day with the team. A whole  creative day filled with paper, ink and bling with lots of laughter and some cakey stuff thrown in for good measure.
It was so good to create in the company of fellow Stampin' Up! enthusiasts doing what we do best . . . Inspire, Create & Share. As is usual at these events swapping is a big part of the day.

 For this day the theme was friendship and I made some handy bookmarks, pairing crumb cake cardstock with the latest in-colours. These were fun to make and I kept one for myself too.

Of course not only is it fun to make things to swap, but its always a delight to receive projects that others have made, often with the same or similar materials. The variation in designs never ceases to amaze me and just goes to demonstrate that with the right materials and a little imagination the possibilities are endless.

Today I got some gorgeous swap items. I will take a picture of them when the light is good and will upload and share them so you can see exactly what I mean.

I always come away from these events feeling energised and today was no exception. My Stampin' Away day was a great experience. If you like the sound of this and would like to come along to a future event please drop me a note

Cxx

Its Sale-a-Bration time

Let's all sale-a-brate ....

For those of you who don’t know about Sale-A-Bration it is one of THE best times in the Stampin’ Up! Calendar...and everybody wins during Sale-A-Bration...

There are of course great offers for hostesses of qualifying workshops as usual and  great offers for customers too.


 During sale--a-bration for every £45 you spend (excluding p&p), you get to choose from a range of exclusive time limited products. These products are not currently available to buy, you can only get them as part of the Sale-A-Bration promotion and this year you get to choose between no less than four fabulous stamp sets and these gorgeous designer papers  








This is in addition to any hostess benefits you may qualify to receive and it’s not limited to one set per person, you get to choose free products for every £45 you spend (excluding p&p)


And there is also no better time to join the Stampin’ Up! Team... 


I joined during  a SAB  promotion and in addition to my starter kit which was already excellent value, I  picked up lots of extra benefits for FREE  - which happens to be my absolute favourite price!


 Join my team during Sale-a-Bration and in addition to your fully customisable starter kit (already great value at £119 for £250 worth of products)  you also get to choose any other current stamp set for free. This means in total you will get nearly £300 worth of products for just £119!

  So as you can see there are plenty of reasons to sale-a-brate. If you would like to know more about

√ hosting a workshop in your home

√ organising a virtual workshop with your friends

√ joining the Stampin’ Up! Team


or you have any questions about any of the products please just let me know and we can have a no obligation chat at a time to suit you.


Cxx

What a day...

After being poorly all over Christmas I am finally feeling better and on Sunday I went up to Peterborough to spend the day with other Stampin' Up! demonstrators. The day was all about what we do 

Inspire 

Create

Share

 and included some inspirational conversations, lots of creativity - we made several projects during the day using fabulous new products...and sharing - sharing ideas and experiences and sharing our creative work. 

Before each of these get together events we all make some sample projects which we then swap and share with our fellow demos. This event we all used products form the new mini catalogue which was released last week.

For my swaps I decided to use the new fruits and flowers stamp set... and when I started out I had no idea where this would take me. These are a few of the swaps I made... 

Firstly I started out making cards using the fruits and flowers stamp set and teeny tiny wishes sentiments set, with strawberries and cherries stamped in real red ink and covered in crystal effects to really make them look juicy...I also used the heart punch, scalloped ribbon, some embossed card (using an embossing folder and my Big Shot) and some of the gorgeous ruffled ribbon. 

In the second set I just  couldn't resist adding in a few cards made using lucky limeade base card with chocolate chip textured card and the fabulously delicious Spice Cake range of designer papers

and as well as the cards I made these really cute little mini post it holders. For these I used the fruits and flowers stamp set in real red and old olive ink onto crumb cake and I chose a variety of  ways of decorating for the closures. These were such fun to make and are the perfect size to fit in a pocket , purse or handbag.

The swap items I got form my fellow demos were  amazing. I will try to take a photo of them and will upload it soon.

I returned home last evening, exhausted but invigorated and ready to get creative.

 I have great plans for things I would like to do in the coming year... 

What do you have planned?

Happy New Year, Happy New Mini

Happy New Year... 2012 is here and today sees the launch of the new Stampin' Up Spring mini catalogue which is packed with lovely new goodies to kick start your  new year creativity.

To celebrate the new mini and showcase some project ideas using goodies from the mini catalogue a group of demos have linked up for a blog hop. Sadly I was unable to join the hop this time because have been unwell all over the holidays and am still battling the dreaded germs, but you can find the start of the blog hop here with Alison . I plan to  check this out right now, I know it will be good.

If you don't already have a copy of the new mini catalogue and would like one please contact me
 or you can browse  or download an online copy

So for now its Happy New Year, Happy New mini and Happy New Hop....

Cxx

Guilty as charged...

I admit it...I am seriously guilty of blog neglect.
The craftroom makeover is still a bit of a work in progress because when I tried to bring all my goodies back in here I realised I hadn't considered some extra storage needs...for all the fabulous goodies I had bought and am planning to buy...

Preparations for the festive season have kept me super busy too and so this is really just a passing hello...I will do way better in the new year I promise.

 Here are a few of the things I have been making...

A cute little bag made using the Stampin' Up! top note die and oval punches

  Some cute little gift and treat boxes using the pillow box die

 Some treat boxes made using the milk carton die and the bird punch

 and some Santa treat holders made using the pillow box die, scallop circle die,  punches and embossing folders...all from Stampin' Up!








If you would like to learn more about Stampin' Up! products  or are interested in joining the Stampin' Up! team, please do get in touch. I am happy to help.

A slight pause

There has been a slight pause in activity because my dear sweet husband decided he wanted to do something nice for me and he stripped my craftroom and began to give it a full make over.

The idea is good and very generous and the end result will be amazing, but the process is agony. All my crafting materials are packed & stacked while the work goes on and not being able to get busy is driving me crazy.

My ideas and enthusiam are on high but productivity is stalled...Thankfully we are coming the final stretch and normal crafting service will be resumed shortly...

Meantime I am enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of the makeover. The room has had a complete refurb and I love the new colours and the floor is simply gorgeous...so nice in fact it seems a pity to bring furniture back in here. It all has a new wood smell and the sawing, drilling and banging all indicates progress so I am enjoying it all.  Another couple of days and all my goodies can come back in here and  I can STAMP my mark on my new improved workspace.

Will post pics once it is finished...and before I make it all messy again.