Monday Muse....

Sometimes when crafting your mojo goes awol and it's always good to know how to give it a kickstart. For me if I have hours to spare (never!!!) I head to Pinterest, but when time is tight and lets face it for most of us that is the case, I head for a quick mooch around the blogs.

With this in mind and the need to get myself back into regular blogging I decided to dedicate Mondays to kickstarting the mojo and also to showcase some of my favourite bloggers. 

This card is a version of one I saw on Sam's Blog. 

As you can see I have simplified it a little but the general feel of the card is the same. I also made this card using 3 of our pink colours.

  

Till next time - Happy Crafting

I'm Back....

It's been a while and to be honest there is no other reason than life just got in the way... With 4 kids, dogs and a partner in the RAF life doesn't always go to plan!

I have been busy behind the scenes with my crafting and building my business slowly. I promoted to Bronze 3 within my first year under a new upline and now have a team of my own with 2 downline and classes are getting busier. However my business took an unexpected turn after a local Cupcakery asked if they could stock a small basket of my cards. I have become fantastic friends with June and Andy who own and run Lady B's Cupcakery  and they have supported this addition to my business unbelievably!

I now supply cards to 3 local businesses which you can imagine keeps me busy.

I have taken some time to look at the management of my day to day business and have structured my working day to allow more efficient working. I have also allowed time for more regular blogging so I hope you will bear with me and I look forward to sharing some recent creations with you over the next few days, weeks and months.

Till then Happy Crafting

Stampin' UP! Swallowtail....

Hello....

It's been a while but with the Nutty One still in Afghan and the kids off on school holidays there just never seemed to be enough hours in the day. 

We are finally back into a routine and with only 5 weeks left till the Nutty One returns I can finally update my blog. 

I was busy crafting over the summer when time allowed and thought I would share with you one of the projects from my new Mermaid Makes Class.

These new classes are run every 3 months and included in the cost of the class is a bumper bag full of Stampin' UP! product. These classes are run slightly differently in that I have lots of samples on display, all of which can be made from the contents of the kit. Each person then decides which projects they would like to do and away they go... I am on hand as always to assist and encourage 'artistic license' 

This project is an 8"x8" page however the Swallowtail stamp overhangs the edges slightly. 

The papers used are Modern Medley and the punch is the new Hexagon Punch.

I used Stampin' Up! reinkers mixed with a little Isopropanol Alcohol to colour the image and also to provide some interest to the background. 

As you can see below the Swallowtail Stamp was first stamped onto the page then stamped again and cut out, mounted on Stampin' UP! Dimensionals to give depth.

A few randomly placed Stampin' Up! Rhinestones add a little bling.

I hope you enjoyed this project and for more information on how to purchase the products used or on my classes then please use the "contact me" button on the top right.

HAPPY CRAFTING

Hello to all of you joining us on our New Catalogue Blog hop. I hope you have made yourselves comfortable for a creative tour of some of the new goodies in the Stampin' UP! 2013-2014 catalogue.

You will have hopped here from the lovely Nicky who has some lovely projects I'm sure you will agree.

I wanted to go down the masculine route with my first project as I know we all struggle to craft for the men in our lives. 

I used Chalk Talk for both sentiments and made them the feature. The backgrounds are done with Gorgeous Grunge which is fast becoming my 'go to' set and  is fab for mens cards and gifts.

Colour wise I went for Basic Grey and 2 new colours to our pallete - Smokey Slate and Bermuda Bay. 

Here is a close up of the card

The front of the box which appears to be a normal box but hides a very clever trick. This box is one that the lovely Zoe showed me when I went over to see her recently. 

Here you see the opening which is like the end of a cracker. It's such a lovely way to present a gift.

Finally, even with the lovely hot weather we have been having we can't as crafter's ignore the fact that Christmas is coming so I have 2 cards to show you that both use Mosaic Madness.

This lovely stamp set has a matching punch and embossing folder!

It has a very Moroccan feel to the set but as you can see is versatile enough to double as Christmas Ornaments.

The same concept here but using a darker colour scheme and some Bakers Twine

I do hope you enjoyed today's hop around the desks of some of the Stampin' UP! demos and we have inspired you to try out some of the new goodies we have on offer. 

If you would like more details on any of the products or classes then please contact me using the button (top right).

Now onto the talented Ruth to continue the hop.

Ribbon Swatch Tutorial

Good Morning all...

The sun is trying hard to shine by the seaside and it looks like being another lovely day. The kids are all on summer holidays now so we are enjoying a lay start to the day. 

While chatting with some of my other demo friends I came across a question about ribbon swatches and the best way to show our gorgeous ribbons off to customers. 

Here is the way I do it and a short picture tutorial on how to achieve the same look. 

This is my swatch from last year. I will be using the time over summer to update it with all the new ribbons

To make these all you need is....

I also use a seed bead threaded onto the eye pin to give extra security. 

Once the seed bead is threaded onto the eyepin I start putting the ribbons on. It's fairly easy to push the pin through the ribbons. 

I have only threaded one ribbon so you can see the components clearly but you will need to thread all your ribbons on at this stage.

Once all the ribbons are on you will need to put the bead cap on. These come in lots of different styles so you will have fun choosing them too. 

Next is the swivel clip or you can just use a jump ring. I use the swivel clip to allow me to take each ribbon swatch off the main ring easily. 

Here I have removed the swivel clip just for the purpose of taking the picture. You need to bend the eyepin over and trim so that the free end tucks back into the bead cap. Make sure you have tucked it in well. 

Here is the finished swatch. Of course yours will have more ribbons on but it was easier to take photos this way.

Please pop back and let me know how you get on. It's really easy to do (if a little fiddly) and your customers will love being able to see the ribbons in all their technicolour lovelyness!!!

I hope you all have a lovely day whatever you are doing .

Sunshine and Stampin' UP!

It's a gorgeous day here by the sea and so after a walk to the beach and some housework I thought I would show you a couple of cards from a recent class. 

First though a picture of the gorgeous blue skies which are overhead at the beach today.

Back at home and in the garden for this lovely sunny shot of a tunnel card. This card features some retiring product as well as some that are staying. If you still have items you want from the 2012/2013 Stampin' UP! catalogue then you need to contact me this eve. I will be placing my last order tomorrow morning and some items are already be retired and no longer available.

I love the 'splodge' from French Foliage and will be sad to see it go but I can tell you there is something which while not the same will work equally well!

This card is one that featured in a class but I loved it so much I took it to a recent shoebox swap with other Stampin' UP!  demos and I'm pleased to say they liked it too. It's always so nerve racking to showcase your work in front of fellow demos....

Here is the last of the cards I wanted to share with you today. This is a 'Joy' fold card and closes up nice and flat for postage. I love the sunny yellow papers and again I will be sad to see them go tomorrow but equally excited to be able to order the new papers on Tues. 

If you are excited to see the start of a new Stampin' UP! catalogue year and want to get up close and personal with some of the new product as well as have the chance to get your hands on some bargains in my 'Retirement' sale then please come along to my open house on SUN 7th JULY 10am-2pm. It's a drop in but if you would like your own copy of the new catalogue then please contact me using the button at the top right to let me know you are coming and I will have your catalogue waiting for you. Cost is just £5

Stampin' UP! sneak peek...

Hello and firstly an apology for having been absent for so long... Its been a crazy busy month here as we prepared for the Nutty ones trip to Afghanistan. He is there now and we are nearing the end of the first week without him.

As for me I am making full use of the theraputic properties of crafting and passing the time creating lots of yumminess.

It's some of that yumminess I'm going to share with you today.... Last night was my first Christmas Stamp Club of the year and 6 lovely ladies joined me to make 10 cards with 2 ladies ordering kits to do at home. We spent a lovely 2 ish hours crafting and laughing and they all went home happy to have started the mammoth task of handcrafted Christmas cards. By the time we reach the end of Nov they will have 60 handcrafted cards without even thinking about it. 

Here is the first of the cards they made. A simple card with little dimension so you don't have to break the bank on postage!

The second card has a little more dimension and but is still post friendly

Both cards use a fabulous new set from the up coming  Stampin' UP! Catalogue 2013.

The set is called Mosaic Madness and as well as the very 'Morocan' feel this stamp set has it is great for Christmas Baubles! The set has a matching punch and embossing folder all of which can be ordered through me from 2nd July. 

There is still time to join the club either in person or via kit and have 50 cards made ready to send. Use the 'contact me' button for more details