TIDY UP TUESDAY

Hellooo....

The weeks are just flying by and here we are ready for another TIDY UP TUESDAY.

Last week I promised to show you how I store my designer Papers.

I use 2 different ways but you can use one or the other depending on space and budget.

I was lucky enough to pick up this fab 12x12 storage tower when my local craft shop closed and I use that to house my current papers. This makes them accessible when planning classes.I tend to use things I can see readily so have my current items in view.

For retired papers that I simply can't bear to part with then I use 12x12 clear boxes from my local store. I label them as you can see along the edge so again at a glance I can find what I need.

Papers are stored by the year they were in the catalogue.

Inside each box the are marked with a post it note with the name of the paper, year of release and type of catalogue.

I really hope that helps you and have fun with your storage but above all make it work for you. 

Eastern Palace Invite

                                                                   Helllloooooo

                                             Can you tell I'm just a little bit excited
                             Stampin' UP! have come up with a fabulous customer offer!

How fantastic to be able to offer you a special deal on upcoming products a month before the new annual catalogue goes live.

Starting today customers can order this fabulous bundle of products on a Customer Pre- Order!!! 

Bundles are exclusive to the early release and will no longer be available after 31 May 2017. Individual items in the Eastern Palace suite will be available with the release of the 2017-2018 annual catalogue on 1 June 2017.

There is no minimum purchase required to participate in this promotion.

To find out more and to place your order contact me using the comments box below

Winter wishes???

Helloooo...

I wanted to share with you one of the cards from last nights Christmas club. Yes I know I said it- the dreaded 'C' word left my lips and as we head towards warmer(?) days my thoughts turned to bare trees and snow.

I run this club every year and it's one of my more popular events.We gather once a month for a couple of hours and make 10 cards. I design 2 cards and everyone gets to make 5 of each.  

This card was inspired by one I saw on pintrest, Sorry no original poster was found but if parts of this card look familiar to you then Thank You x

I used the retired set Thoughtful branches and combined it with the Stitched Framelits and the gently Falling embossing folder both of which are here to stay!

Thank you for popping by

Tidy Up Tuesday

Hello.... 

It's getting the to the time of the year when demo's across the world start going through all their stamps, papers and accessories and retiring some much loved items. Fear not though it's all in a good cause as we prepare for all the lovely new goodies about to be revealed when the Annual Stampin' UP! catalogue is released. 

For demos this is on May 2nd and for customers just a short while later on June 1st.

With that in mind and the state of my craft room as I begin the cull I thought it might be nice to share with you how I store all my goodies in a feature called Tidy Up Tuesday!

I'm one of life's tidy crafters although by no means perfect. I aim over the next few weeks on a Tuesday to show you how I do things and sometimes even how I aspire to do things starting with the staple of our craft STAMPS!  

This shelf sits on my desk to the right hand side and holds all my current annual stamps. They are all in alphabetical order and its easy to slide a new set in without too much bother. They are all with in arms reach and I can see exactly what I have.

When it comes to sets from the Seasonal, Occasional and Sale-a-Bration catalogues I keep them on a separate shelf above my current sets. This means I can easily identify which catalogue they came from and if they carry over into  the annual catalogue then I move them to the currents shelves.

 Just to the right of my desk and slightly out of eyeline and on a staggered system are my retired sets. I don't keep all my retired sets but some I just can't part with and I use in my personal crafting.

The back row has sets from previous years which have retired and as you can see have a red dot on them. This is to make them easy to identify as retired when I am using them. 

On the front row are the sets which are about to retire but are current till 31st May. I will go through these over the next few days and decide which will earn a red dot and which will go in my sale box. 

Some years its an easier task than others lol!

Pop back next week when I will show you how I deal with all the beautiful papers we have to play with. 

Almost time to say goodbye...

Good morning... As I write Stampin' UP! demos across the world are beginning their travels to On Stage. Its the time of year when we all get together in locations across the globe to meet, craft and yes a little business gets thrown in too lol.

In our house we make it a rule not to both be out of the country at the same time so as the Nutty one is currently serving with the RAF in sunny USA I get to stay here and hold the fort.... which sadly means I'm missing all the hugs and fun with my fellow European Demo's In Amsterdam! 

Something else I'm missing, well going to miss are the fabulous 2015-2017 In Colours...

These colours have been my crafting companions for the last 2 years and like when any group breaks up there are some I will miss more than others...

Tip Top Taupe has been my go to when ever I needed a neutral with a little extra!

Watermelon Wonder, a little bit of sassy in the world of orange, although some say pink!

Mint Macaron... Everyone's favourite group member and going to be missed by so many! 

Cucumber Crush... The one that always takes a while to connect to but when you do, boy does it fit right in!

Delightful Dijon... A fabulous cheeky little yellow with so much personality!

I have to say I'm going to miss them all but Delightful Dijon and Mint Macaron are going to leave a big hole in my crafting world.

Which one are you going to miss the most and why???

Post your comments and I will choose a winner to receive a little goody bag of their favourite colour so you don't have to be sad for too long lol.

As always if there is anything you need then I suggest you head on over to my shop but beware these colours will sell out fast and may not be around for much longer

Swirly Scribbles Poppies...

Helloooooo....

I took some time away from a wedding stationary order this morning to enjoy time scrapping with a friend. We both have very different projects to work on but it was nice to have some company in the studio while we created. 

I have wanted to scrap these pictures for a few months and I'm so pleased I did. 

When I'm not busy with my craft business and prepping for classes I spend some of my time raising funds for our local Poppy Appeal. I have been connected to the RAF my whole life and love being able to give something back. 

These photos were taken during Remembrance last November and are of the display we put up in our local store to raise awareness and funds. 

I love the versatility of our stamps and dies and this is one of those times I'm grateful for that.

I used Swirly Scribbles Dies to create the red part of the poppy, the 3/4 circle punch for the centre and the leaf from the Flower Fair framelits. I'm sure you will agree its a very modern looking poppy but works well with the layout

Here is a close up of the Poppy with the leaf of course in the 11 o'clock position.

Hope you enjoyed today's offering.

New look blog...

It's finished.... 

My lovely new blog has had a make over and is looking fresh and a little more grown up. It's been about 5 years so it was time to try a little change.

Huge thanks to Angie who has tackled all things technical. I really couldn't put this together without here and if you want a new look for your blog then be sure to click on the banner on the right hand side just above my blog list to ask for her help.

Back later with a creative post that doesn't involve too much technology lol

Die Cutting and Classes...

If you are like me you have spent more hours than you care to admit to looking for the one framelit that seems to escape every time you are prepping or in deed holding a class.

Frustrated by the lost crafting hours I decided to create something that would keep the little devils, I mean angels in check.

This is my solution for home. I had a 12 x 12 frame in the cupboard without glass as it had broken and I always meant to do something with it. 

Perfect for keeping my dies together while prepping for classes or mass production. 

I used adhesive magnet sheets and stuck them to the backing board of the frame. I then popped a piece of Designer Series Paper on top, lightly sticking down in the four corners with snail. This means I can easily change the paper if I want. 

Pop the backing board back in to the frame and hey presto!

Then I realised I needed something to help my customers during class. It's all too easy for dies especially the smaller ones to slip under or into the wrong place. 

I have had this frame lying in my craft room for a while as I had intended to turn it into a stamp positioner but you know how it is, easily sidetracked  lol. 

Instead I added some more magnetic sheets the back board and cut some more Designer Series Paper to fit. This time I added a thin acetate sheet over the paper to stop it getting grubby during classes. 

The fab thing about this frame is it closes like a book which means I can pop the frames I need on there for class, close the front and away I go.

While I'm not using my framelits they are stored in their original packaging in a tray which keeps them all together. 

I hope this helps some of you with your framelit storage.

Hellooooo from the other side....

Now you all have that tune running round your head I will leave you with the briefest of posts to say.....

Hopefully soon there will be an update to the look of the blog too. I'm the least technical person I know so I'm engaging a little help with it lol. 

Pop back for a little craft related post tomorrow as well as an update on the offers currently being run by Stampin' UP!

Enjoy your day xx

In with the New...

Helloooooooo.........

It's been a while and I must apologise for neglecting you but I have been busy I promise. Apart from sorting out a few health issues which I won't bore you with but will say are all under control I have been busy working behind the scenes.

In April I was given the honour of being a Display Stamper for our On Stage local event in Telford. I was lucky enough to get the new In Colours from Stampin' UP! to play with and they are just GORGEOUS!

Since then I have been busy working behind the scenes on new classes and ideas to keep my ladies creating. 

The format of my classes will be changing slightly but I am happy to say the same quality of creating will continue as well as the laughs and friendships.

Here is a sample of  part of an upcoming class. 

This focuses on one of the new In colours combined with one of the old along with a new stamp set which was part of a Thank You from Stampin' UP! for the display work I did. 

Getting to create everyday and be rewarded for it is one of  the things I love so much about my Stampin' UP! career and if you are interested in joining the fun the keep a look out for a special offer coming YOUR way starting June 1st.

X KEEP CRAFTING X

Good Morning...

A little break from the Christmas crazy that seems to be taking over us all today with a little peek at a new stamp set coming up in the Seasonal Catalogue which goes live on January 5th.

Balloon Builders is a cool little collection of balloon shaped stamps, you know the kind of balloons clowns make things from?

As soon as I saw this in the catalogue I knew it would be on my wish list. There some fab  

samples in the catalogue to inspire you but straight away my head said wedding card. The horseshoe balloon reminded me of confetti you throw at weddings and so last night I put ink to card and this is what I came up with.

I stamped the horseshoe in Pink Pirouette and Sahara Sand to allow the gold embossing to really shine.

This shows the embossing much better and the texture and shine is second to none. 

I hope you enjoyed the little break form Christmas and if you want to know more about how to get theses stamps for yourself and even better still at a discount then please get in touch. I would love to hear from you and even better welcome you to my team x

Project Life catch up...

Apologies from the start but this post is a little picture heavy compared to my usual.

It's been chaotic here beyond belief and while we have still benn enjoying the fun that Pax gets up to, managing to blog about it has gone to pot.

So here is a catch up of the Elf antics and how they have been recorded in the album. 

Thank goodness for Project Life when real life gets busy

Day 4 Pax tries to get the goodies on top of the fridge

Day 5 Pax went on an adventure and got stuck in the tree! Thankfully Caiden is a top reader and managed to read the note Pax left and found him just in time.

Day 6 Pax decided to have some fun in the night and bounced all the way downstairs like and andrex puppy! 

Day 7 Pax found Caiden's art box and decided to cheer up the bananas!!!

Day 8 Just what a busy Mum needs.... Pax decided it is too warm here and wanted to play in the snow again like he does at the North Pole. Only thing he found was flour so we woke to flour angels.

Be sure to keep popping by to see how the album develops. Hopefully time will be plentiful this week. 

More Elf adventures...

Pax is proving to be a very lovable little Elf. Caiden is excited every morning to come downstairs and see what has been going on and even more excited to help me record his adventures in his own little album. 

Stampin' UP! and their Project Life kit have made it so much fun to save the memories. 

A little bit of washi tape and the photo is added to the layout in seconds. 

Here is the double page ready to pop back into the album.

Pop by again tomorrow to see if the lovable little chappie carries on behaving!

Good Morning... 

Another fun filled night with our little visitor and this time I got to share the fun of recording his adventures with Caiden as he helped me put this page together.

A simple layout today using just the top 2 pockets in a four pocket page from the Project Life pack. 

I used 2 of the smaller matte cards with the left hand side one acting as a background to the photo. 

Caiden, who is just 5 1/2 (isn't that half important when you are that age lol) added the little stickers to the picture. He was adamant that he did it all by himself and I think he did a pretty good job. 

Just show's how simple memory keeping can be and with Project Life from Stampin' UP! it is even easier as the packs all co-ordinate with our regular products.

Be sure to pop back tomorrow to see how we fill the bottom pocket. 

Good Morning... and it's most definitely a 

day!

Ciaden has been a little down with his Dad being away for so long but Pax the Elf seems to be helping. 

The look of pure amazement on his face says it all and I'm loving how easy it is to pop the picture into the days layout. 

Project life really is making this a fun adventure for us both. I'm loving the ease of putting it together daily and Caiden is loving the adventures and having something to show Daddy when he gets home.

I don't know why I left it so long!!!

Pop back tomorrow to see more of Pax's shenanigans! 

Something New...

Starting something new can be quite daunting and that's just how I felt when I ordered my first Project Life kit from Stampin' UP! I have been a demo now for sometime and knew that the kits they put together would work but this was my first attempt at this type of memory keeping.

I have 'scrapbooked' over the years and recently completed an album for my Dad's 65th so why so nervous?

I can say now I honestly don't know. 

I decided to scrap the adventures of our new visitor PAX, the elf on the shelf. 

The beauty of this system of memory keeping is that you can prepare the pages ahead of time if you wish and just add details or you can do each page as you go.

I opted to put the pages together all at once and add pictures and journalling each day. 

Here is the opening page of our album and each day I will be sharing with you the adventures of Pax and my little boy Caiden. 

If you would like to know more about the products used or how to Project Life your own memories then please leave me a comment. 

Be sure to pop back tomorrow to see what Pax gets up to when he returns from his nightly visit to Santa to report on Caiden's behaviour!

Festive Frenzy....

Hello and welcome to another Blog Hop from the Stampin' Creative girls. You will have arrived here from the lovely EMMA. Such lovely projects x

I can't believe where the year is going and with the Nutty one having been away for the last 6 weeks I feel time is getting away from me. We still have 4 weeks to go before he is home, so with the stress of dealing with everything from renovations to homework and housework by myself,  crafting time is very much therapy and very much needed. 

Even the youngest members of the family need to feel special at the dinner table and here is a little place setting just for them. I used the Snow Place stamp set and matching framelits to create a little trio of place mat, cutlery pocket and napkin holder. I laminated the place mat so little spills won't ruin the fun. 

Of course no dinner is complete without a cracker so here is one made using the Envelope Punch Board. Each cracker holds 3 small chocolates, Just enough to fill any little holes left after dinner(!)

Finally something new I have discovered and am loving recently... Pocket Letters. This is a fun way to swap little goodies and art. Each pocket letter is made up of 9 ATC sized cards which you design and decorate then place into the pockets. Behind each card is a little gift and this can be crafting goodies or edible! 

I have used Project Life cards and accessories along with Lost Lagoon cardstock and the Snow Place stamp set again. 

This set will soon be on it's way to my swap partner. If you would like to find out more and join in a swap or two then pop over to OUR GROUP on facebook 

Hop on over to EIMEAR for some more fab projects x

Stampin Creative October Blog Hop

Hello.... Boy are the evenings drawing in now. 

Here we are again with another blog hop from the Stampin Creative.

This months theme is Fancy Folds and I know you will have enjoyed a fab creation from LOUISE. Such a talented lady. 

I decided to try a fold I have never done before and to add to the excitement I pulled a stamp set I haven't inked yet either.

Here is my Waterfall Card using Gift from the Garden. 

I always thought these were harder then they are and I will definitely be making more as they are so effective.

A simple mechanism allows you to reveal the images one by one.

I kept to a simple pallete of Watermelon Wonder, Soft Suede and Wild Wasabi to ensure the Fancy Fold was the feature of this card.

I hope you enjoyed this fold and be sure to try it yourself (it's not that scary - honest!).

Now hop on over to PIP for some more fab creations

Squishy Bag fun...

It's day 2 on the 30 day Challenge so here is a card I have designed for this weekends class. 

We are focusing on techniques with Stampin' UP!  reinkers and this is a card which uses those and very little else. 

As you can see it creates a very soft background with little effort but be warned a whole lot of mess!

I call this the 'Squishy Bag' technique but I'm sure there is a more technical name for it out there somewhere lol.

I will be back tomorrow with a tutorial and a different colour way for you.

I used Whisper White for the card above while the card below uses Glossy White. Both cards were created at the same time with the same bag so it shows the different look you can create just by changing the cardstock used.

Enjoy your day and be sure to pop back tomorrow for a tutorial and different card

Happy New Year.....

No I haven't gone a little mad or overslept by 3 months lol... 

Today is the start to the new Stampin' UP! year. A fresh set of goals to achieve, new friends to be made and along the way a tonne more fun to be had.

A new goal for me is to blog more and as if she had read my mind my lovely upline MONICA set a challenge for our team to blog for 30 days in October.

Here is a recent card I made for a swap with fellow demos and it is especially meaningful as I look back on 3yrs of being a demonstrator.

One of the things I love about being a demonstrator is the fantastic support and encouragement you get from your upline, fellow team mates and other demos. There is a real sense of friendship and love within our crafty family and each and everyone I meet in my Stampin' UP! journey really do make me happy.

Join me tomorrow and for the rest of the month as I challenge myself and hopefully bring you a little inspiration along the way.