Three offers of the special kind

Stampin' Up! have three great promotional offers right now...

First one 

FREE PAPER PROMOTION

That’s right! Get FREE Designer Series Paper for SIX MONTHS when you become a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator during October or November.

As a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator, you’ll enjoy exclusive benefits such as

• A 20 percent product discount!
• A free subscription to Stampin’ Up!’s demonstrator magazine!
• Access to a thriving online community of stampers and paper crafters from around the world!
• An open invitation to fabulous Stampin’ Up! events!

This is in addition to the great sign up offer which sees you getting £130 worth of product plus your business starter kit all for just £99. If you would like to know more about joining my team please contact me or if you are ready to join now and would like to do it online please go to the online sign up here

Second One 

FREE CHRISTMAS GIFT SPECIAL OFFER Merry Christmas from Stampin’ Up! It’s only November, but Stampin’ Claus is giving you an early Christmas present: a FREE Festive Paper-Piercing Pack when you buy the Ornament Keepsakes Stamp Set and Candlelight Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper Bundle.  Choose from the following options: Item Description Retail Value Special Price 132260 Christmas Gift (wood-mount) Includes Ornament Keepsakes Stamp Set (wood-mount), Candlelight Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper, Festive Paper-Piercing Pack £49.70 £42.45 132261 Christmas Gift (clear-mount) Includes Ornament Keepsakes Stamp Set (clear-mount), Candlelight Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper, Festive Paper-Piercing Pack £43.70 £36.45 132262 Christmas Gift (wood-mount bundle) Includes Ornament Keepsakes Bundle (wood-mount), Candlelight Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper, and Festive Paper-Piercing Pack £62.70 £55.45 132263 Christmas Gift (clear-mount bundle) Includes Ornament Keepsakes Bundle (clear-mount), Candlelight Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper, and Festive Paper-Piercing Pack £57.70 £50.45 This special offer is only good until 30 November 2012, so contact me to place your order today!  and finally...the Third One INK-REDIBLE HOSTESS PROMOTION Dates: 1 November  – 16 December 2012 Promotion Details: Hostesses who hold a minimum£325 party during the promotion period will receive a FREE collection of Classic Stampin Pads—they can choose from Brights, Subtles, or Regals—a £44.50 value!  Plus, the free ink is in addition to the regular hostess benefits—INK-redible! Your Party Sales** Free Ink Collection Hostess Credit Items at 50% Off £325 Yes! £50 1 item £400 Yes! £65 2 items £500 Yes! £80 3 items £750+ Yes! £120 4 items The Fine Print To get free ink, the order total must be at least £325 before shipping and handling. *Neutrals Collection not eligible **Does not include shipping & handling All of these fabulous offers run for a short time only so please do not miss out, contact me to discuss how you can take advantage of the great deals being offered right now.

Until next time, take care

Christa   xx  

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 

Last chance alert

There are only a few days left to order products from the
2011-12 catalogue and then its gone...  to place an order all you need to do is contact me


After next week you will be able to order from the brand new 2013 catalogue . I'm not allowed to post a picture or links to it  until it goes live on Monday, but it is fantastic and packed with page after page of gorgeousness.

To find out how to get your personal copy of the new catalogue  or to learn more about how Stampin' Up! could enhance your crafting please just drop me a line here.

Over the next few days I will post a few projects...using products that we are saying bye bye to soon alongside sneaky peeks of products we will welcome in next week.

Until next time, take care
             Christa   xx 

Stampin' Day

I am off tomorrow for a fun stampin' day with my extended team members. I am really looking forward to it, apart from the early start and the train journey that is...but once I get there, it will all be worth it. Since I stopped working outside the home I am definitely not a morning person!

As part of our team meet ups we swap samples for our inspiration boards and this time round the suggested theme is winter...and so in addition to making a dozen tree cards, I have used the fabulous new snow flurry bigz die from the Autumn Winter Seasonal Catalogue to make some really simple but pretty hanging snowflake ornaments. The die itself is so pretty that all was needed was a little glitz with dazzling details and a rhinestone in the centre, but you could add far more decoration if you wanted or you could cut the whole thing out of the glimmer paper for extra sparkle.

The photo isn't the best as the swaps are all bagged up and ready to go so I popped one into the scanner for quickness, but I hope you get the general idea of how pretty this die is...




My bag is all packed up and ready for the morning and now its time for me to head to bed if I want to be able to move when the alarm goes off tomorrow. Who knew there was a 7.30 in the morning too?

Until next time, take care
       

Christa   xx  

95 days and counting

Oh my goodness did you know that there are just 95 days until Christmas???

 YIKES!!!!

 I have a couple of festive events planned and need to do a lot of prep for those and with that in mind I have been trying out a few festive projects.

This cute little tree card is inspired by something I saw online a while ago. Unfortunately I did not save the project link and so had to figure out the dimensions etc myself...which meant this one took way longer than any future cards will take, but it really is simple and it fits nicely inside a standard envelope.

This very basic sample was made using the new Festival of Prints designer series paper stack from the new Autumn Winter Seasonal catalogue and the trim was made using the scallop ribbon border punch. I plan to try a few others using the ruffled edge ribbon that came with the 2011-13 in-colour collection too.

Once the card is assembled as in the picture you can then go ahead and decorate it as you wish... even  really bling it up if you wanted to...  The punched square base can be stamped or embossed (or both) you can add a tag or label, or a ribbon, tulle or twine. The gorgeous glimmer paper (also in the A/W seasonal) would make a perfect star for the top of the tree. You could also use some of the mini punches or even the smaller framelits to add decoration to the tree and of course it would not be the festive season without a glitz and glitter....

And of course you can use up all the offcuts to make smaller versions  as  really cute matching gift tags...

Until next time, take care

Christa   xx 

Happy Stampin'

Today our niece turned eighteen and family members turned to me to make cards for her special day... by the time I had made six different designs and had delivered them to various family members, I realised I had yet to make a card from us ...

So this card  includes her favourite pink, uses some of my favourites from the summer mini catalogue and provides a sneaky peek of something very new.

The stamped flowers were coloured with watercolour wonder crayons,cut out by hand, fixed to the card using dimensionals and then highlighted with crystal effects and to finish I popped a rhinestone in the centre of each. The end result was quite pretty...and sadly lost in the rather poor quality photo.

I am off to join other team members for a stampin' day out this weekend and will be busy making swaps -starting tomorrow. I have yet to decide on the design for my swaps,  but once I have it figured out I will post a sample...or two...  since I am known for not being able to stick to just one design

Until next time


Christa   xx 

Sharing...

I just wanted to share a couple of the lovely gifts I received at in the past week or so.

The first is this very cute brooch (right) which everyone at leadership training was given by the very lovely Donna , who came over to join us from the USA to share some of her experiences and projects with us all.  It is just the perfect gift for a group of Stampin'Up! demos and I  have never seen anything like this anywhere... It is just so cute...I love it! Thanks Donna!




On the same day I got the beautiful  brooch  (left) from my lovely upline Bekka. This is just so pretty and has been admired by many. To be honest the picture really doesn't do it justice...it is made using twisted fabric, lace trim and the gorgeous new scallop edge tulle from the new seasonal catalogue with a fabulous antique brad at the centre. Thanks Bekka, I love it and will wear it often.


And my final gift was from my Mum who stumbled across these in a little shop in Devon ...she said I saw it and I thought of you... Its actually a fridge magnet but I have fixed it to my magnetic board in my craftroom where I can see it...Thanks Mum!

I spent a lovely few hours today with my new downline Karen, talking about stampin' matters and then of course doing some actual stampin'...because we love what we do and we love to share.

Until next time, take care

Christa   xx  

One sheet wonderful

On Saturday my husband and I went to the last day of the Paralympics athletics competition...which was a real WOW! It was totally amazing, inspiring and just plain wonderful!

The Wow factor has remained with us  and so when I saw a project idea listed with the heading WOW I was immediately  drawn to it.

As Stampin' Up! demos we like to share ideas and this is how some of the fabulous projects and variations on projects happen. This particular one is taken from a project shared  by Rebekah Harwood,  so HUGE thanks to Rebekah for sharing...and prettiness aside, the WOW factor here is that the entire project  is made using just one sheet of 12x12  designer paper!

 This was my  trial run using designer paper I had left over from the Berry Blossoms pack which featured in the Spring mini catalogue. I plan to start making loads more of these cute boxes using some of the newly released  collections of  papers, but I simply couldn't wait to show this one off, because tomorrow it will be on its way to someone..                                                                 

From the one sheet of designer paper you can make the box, matching lid, a belly band to secure the two and a paper ribbon bow to decorate the band... and still have enough paper left over to make a pretty gift tag to compliment the project.

There is also the option to make a smaller insert to  provide another layer to the inside of the box, although  this would need to be from another piece of card  or paper as one 12 x12 sheet will only stretch so far and even a Stampin' Up! demonstrator cannot do the impossible... 

 But this little project shows just how great Stampin' Up! designer series paper is...it is really good quality of course but the real bonus is that all designer papers from Stampin'Up! are double sided so there is no such thing as a wrong side to the paper and the only 'difficulty' you will have is deciding which side to use. 

  I will upload more projects in the next few days...

Until next time, take care

                                       

                         Christa   xx                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

                                                                                                               

 

Caught the Bug

I took delivery of  a new order today and after unpacking and admiring my new goodies I did the sensible stuff first and  mounted the stamps, attached labels and found a home in my craft room for each new item...

and then I got them all out again and started stamping and cutting and generally trying everything all at the same time. It looks like a dervish ran through here...

I finally have the gorgeous ornament bundle (featured in the project on the front page of the seasonal catalogue) and I have stamped and cut loads of the ornaments tonight so that I can start trying different designs tomorrow - hopefully I will have something to share shortly.

You know how sometimes you look at something in the catalogue and you think oh that's nice (or unusual or useful) but you don't absolutely love it straight away... that is until you see something someone else has made and then it goes straight to the top of your wish list...well,  I felt a bit like that about the perfectly preserved set when I first saw it...but now I am  delighted that I finally have the perfectly preserved set and I am having such fun trying out all the ideas I have for that cute little jar...

The possibilities are absolutely endless...but there was one that was simply too good to resist. ...  and since the Ghoulish stamp set was still on my desk anyway,  it seemed pointless to even try ...

This little fella will be winding his way to a pal who caught a bug and  is a bit off colour at the moment - after all, they do say laughter is the best medicine.

Remember if you'd like to order anything from any of the current catalogues or fancy holding a workshop or coming to a class just drop me a line and I'll get right back to you.

Until next time, take care

                                      
Christa   xx  

From Ghoulish Ghouls to Cookie monsters

   Yesterday I talked about bundles and the Ghoulish stamp set and kit and today I would like to give a quick mention to the the delightful new cookie press stamps... 

This  brand new product line gives you stamps that you use to make embossed patterns on your home baked cookies and biscuits....and there are three designs in each set. They are so cute and have resulted in a flurry of baking among demonstrators. Cookie press stamps can provide fun for kids of all ages.

 I can't share pictures of cookies made by me because they simply don't exist  at the moment, but if you buy the cookie press stamps and send me pictures of the cookies you made using the cookie press stamps, I am happy to feature

                                                          

 pictures

 of your cookies 

 right here 

If you plan to bake your smart new cookies to give as gifts, there is even a kit available to help you produce great packaging...that's assuming you manage to save any cookies from being eaten by the cookie monsters in your home. 

Tomorrow my latest order will be delivered and I can't wait to get started on a couple of projects which I hope to be able to share with you soon.

Until then, take care

Christa   xx 

A few of my favourite things

Okay so the new seasonal catalogue is out and its fabulous... There really is something for everyone inside - even for the non-crafters.

The most obvious gorgeousness is the Christmas ornament on the front cover ( it is just amazing and has such potential...I can't wait for mine to arrive and as soon as it does I will be making a few sample projects)  but once you start to turn the pages, you will find that Stampin' Up! have great things in store for us....

First great new thing is bundles... these are specially chosen products  and when you buy them as a bundle you save 15% of the individual prices. There are a total of seven bundles in the seasonal catalogue including stamp sets with matching framelits dies, calender bundles ( these will make great little gifts)  a ghoulish bundle which includes a stamp set , treat bags and accessories (everything you need to make super fun treats) and a note cards bundle to make beautifully personalised Christmas cards  that family and friends will treasure...

I was at Leadership training in Reading yesterday and as part of all our Stampin' Up! meetings we swap sample cards and projects with other demonstrators. Among my swaps were some cards I made using the Ghoulish Googlies bundle.

 This is just one of the cards I made using the Googly Ghouls stamp set with a googly eye embellishment. Like so many other people, a bag of eyes was one of my very first purchases when I began my crafting adventures years ago now, but these are really super cute and the little black pupils roll around in the eyeball!

Now I am known for never making two exact versions of the same card, so of course I used all the stamps in the set in my swap making...and ended up with a full compliment of monsters, witches, bats and spiders...

This set is perfect for Halloween of course, but I can see it having lots of uses throughout the year.  for cards and other projects for monster fans.

While I wait for my order to arrive I am planning the projects I will make...I will share some more thoughts tomorrow as I complete my tour of the new seasonal catalogue .

Until then, take care




Christa   xx 

Introducing...

The new Seasonal Catalogue ...

Autumn Winter 2012 sees the release of first new seasonal catalogue from Stampin Up!

 No longer a mini catalogue, this is a full sized A4 catalogue with 40 pages of fabulous new goodies! And the gorgeousness starts right there on the cover with the fabulous ornament bundle and carries on right through the very last page with something for everyone.

 If you would like your own copy of the new seasonal catalogue  or would like to order any of the gorgeous goodies  all you need to do is contact me 


And as the new products arrive we say goodbye to some old favourites with the release of the retiring products lists. 

The list is split into two parts this year. Retiring Stamps are on one list - here you will find all the stamp sets that are retiring. When they are gone, they are gone, never to be seen again. If one of your favourites is on the list now is the time to act. Among those on the list are a few at reduced prices, so you could bag a bargain too.

The second part of the list is accessories...on this list you will find all the non stamp items like designer papers, card stock and ink pads some at 25% or even 40% off normal catalogue price. Just as with the stamp sets, these are only available while stocks last and once these are gone, they are gone.

If you have any questions about any of the items in the new seasonal catalogue or anything on the retiring list please just let me know and I will do my best to help.

Christa   xx 


PS I was at an all day  Stampin' Up! training seminar today...had a fabulous time too. Will share more very soon.

Almost time to wave Bye bye

to the summer mini catalogue... there are just two more days left for you to order any of the fab goodies in the summer mini.

and then its gone....


But as one door closes, another one opens...and it will soon be time to say HELLO to the brand new Autumn/Winter 2012  seasonal catalogue...which is just packed full of FABULOUS goodies and is released on 1st September.

And don't forget to check out the soon to be released list of retiring products too...check out what's on there because once its gone, its gone...never to be seen again. Who knows, you could bag yourself a bargain...

But I won't spoil the surprise...just a couple more days and all will be revealed.

If you want to order anything from the summer mini before its too late and its gone, or you'd like to get your hands on a copy of the fabulous new seasonal catalogue then please do  get in touch...you can contact me here

Until next time...

Christa   xx 

Better late than never

In April I finished this project which I had always planned to frame... and finally today it is hanging on the wall where it belongs.

It was developed from an idea by Monica Gale and is made using card and borders from a Simply Scrappin' kit and lots and lots of fabulous chipboard shapes, ink and stamps. I added a couple of little touches (metal tag & raffia) but everything else is of course from Stampin' Up!


I am really pleased with how it turned out and delighted it is finally on display while there is still some of 2012 left.

Perhaps this will motivate me to finish some of the other almost completed projects on my work table... only time will tell ;-)

Until next time,

Christa   xx 

Waste not...

I am one of those people who hates to throw away anything that can be used in crafting...and every time I take a delivery of Stampin' Up! goodies I know the box will contain the famous brown paper packing .


Stampin'Up! clearly take every aspect of the business seriously and even the packing materials are of good quality...and therefore too good to throw away. After every delivery I can be found smoothing and folding the packing paper and adding it to a growing collection... So I thought it was about time I did something with some of my packing paper mountain.

While the mini books I am making as keepsake gifts for family members were drying I punched out a pile of flowers using the blossom punch and the brown packing paper. Then with a brad and some ink I set about making flowers...

These are the first two...prototypes if you like.
I was quite pleased with how they turned out.

I have since punched lots more... some that I first stamped with the en francais background stamp and I have cut more using  the daisies BIGZ die and a few with a set of nestabilities dies.

I have some ideas of projects I want to try using these paper flowers and I will share them once they are completed...provided all goes to plan of course.


Until next time...Happy Stamping!


Christa   xx