I was very excited when the  lovely ladies over at the Simply Stampin’ Challenge Blog asked me to be a guest designer for them this week.  Two of the design team, Kelly and Amanda are both members of my team of Inspiring Inkin’ demonstrators and I love seeing what they come up with each week, so it was an honour to have been asked to design for them, I hadn’t realised that they were going to grill me with questions too!  So do go and visit and see what we chatted about!

The Simply Stampin’ Challenge blog was set up to inspire you to get creative with your Stampin’ Up! products, and each week they set a challenge.  Sometimes the challenge is a theme, sometimes it’s a colour challenge and sometimes like this week it’s a sketch.

I have used the Bordering on Romance set and wanted a soft, subtle card.  I used a combination of So Saffron and Daffodil Delight to colour in the flowers using my markers and the pleated ribbon in Pear Pizzazz set the tone for the rest of the card.  The background paper is from the Twitterpated Designer series paper pack and is the reverse of the paper I used on my notebook here.

I have used lots and lots of pearls on the card and some of them are the tiniest ones we sell, a quick tip is to put your finger on the top of the pearl and use the tip of your Stampin’ Up! paper snips to lift it up that way you always get the glue and the pearl.

The sentiment is from Petite pairs and to get that lovely shape I used the Scallop oval punch to punch the sentiment and then stuck it on a post-it note and fed it through the punch again to get the shape you want, a little bit of sponge daubing in both Pear Pizzazz and soft Suede and lots and lots of pearls finished it off !

Well that’s all for me today, I’m taking the weekend off to get some more DIY sorted, the patio if it’s dry and the lounge walls if it’s wet!  Have a great weekend.

Happy Stampin’

I love, love, love this die !!!!!!!

First I used it to decorate my new notebook. Big picture so you can see the Elegant Bird Die in all it’s glory, and a close up of the scrummy new Twitterpated designer series paper, beautiful roses and lots of Island Indigo in it too, it matches so well with the ruffled ribbon.

Then there is a whole flock of Elegant Bird dies on this picture frame, I designed this for a display for the regional Stampin’ Up! training I ran a section on PR.  More new designer series paper on this too, it’s called Attic Boutique and is really lovely, you will see lots of this over the next few weeks.

and then lastly for today a card with lots of new products on it, the Elegant Bird die, Adorning Accents embossing folders and Edgelit dies, and some more of the Attic Boutique paper too!

I hope you have fallen in love with the Elegant Bird die too, I shall be back soon with more Stampin’ Up! UK summer mini products.

Happy Stampin’

There is so much in it and so many things to tell you about this is going to be a very long post, so I’d grab a cuppa and settle down !

First things first here is a picture of the new Stampin’ Up! UK Summer mini and if you click here, it will take you to the online version.  If you would like a paper copy, please email me and I will pop one in the post to you.

There is so much in this mini catalogue, Framelets, embosslits, Simply Scored Board, new stamps, new pleated ribbon, bakers twine, the list is very, very long and you are going to want everything I am sure !!!  Over the next few days I’m going to showcase projects using lots of the yummy goodies.

Now one way you can get your hands on the new products is to attend one of my classes or clubs.  You can find out more here and here.  Booking closes on the 7th May for my 19th May  classes, one of them includes your own Simply Scored board, do check them out!  You can also book a home party with me, you invite your friends and family, I will bring along lots of the new goodies and demonstrate them and everyone will get the opportunity to do a make and take and get hands on with the products.  Or you can place an order by calling 01329 846909 or emailing me, I can take Visa and Mastercard over the phone.

I did say there was lots of news, well this next piece of news is amazing !

Stampin’ Up! are launching a new lower priced starter kit from today.  The new kit costs £99 and is fully customisable with any items from current catalogues, you can choose £130 of products and yes that does mean you can pick items from the Stampin’ Up! UK Summer Mini too !  You will also recieve a business kit worth £45 that will help you get started with your business.  Of course if you join my team you also get me to help support and guide you during your Stampin’ Up! journey!  You can find out more about becoming a demonstrator here and here, but the best thing to do is call me 01329 846909 and we can have a chat, I can answer all your questions.

So that is fabulous right……..okay there is even better news, if you join Stampin’ Up! during May 2012 you will receive a FREE convention place which normally costs £149.  You will be able to attend the Stampin’ Up! European convention in Mainz, Germany on 2-3rd November 2012. You will need to pay for your travel and accomodation to the event but your entry fee is paid.

If you want to see the type of things we get up to at convention do check out these posts here, here and here.

There is a youtube video of the 2009 convention which was also held in Germany and was our first convention, if you don’t blink you might see me……. 1.24 !!!

Stampin’ Up! European Convention

Joining Stampin’ Up! as a demonstrator was the best career move I ever made, I have my own business, I craft with the most amazing people, use the best quality craft products and earn an income too!

I have a few places left at my Inspiring Inkin’ experience event being held in Whiteley, Hampshire on Saturday 12th May between 2pm-4pm, tickets are £7 and include refreshments and 3 make and takes, if you are thinking about becoming a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator this would be a great opportunity for you to find out more.  Do contact me for more details.

So why not join me and my team of Inspiring Inkees, one of the largest and most successful teams in the UK ?

Happy Stampin’

Today’s projects are using the Fabric, yes I did say fabric !  Spice Cake Fabric in fact, now I am NOT a seamstress, I did spend many happy years cross stitching and making tapestries but I have no skills in the ‘proper sewing’ line.  So all my projects using fabric, need to also use glue!

The covered notebook uses the 12×12 self adhesive big shot sheets and to be fair takes a bit of time and patience, firstly you need a hard backed book, you cut the fabric to size with about an inch extra on all sides, then peel off the backing sheet from the adhesive and stick the Spice Cake Fabric onto it.  If you then replace the backing sheet and rub all over, this helps the adhesive stick to the Spice Cake Fabric, once it’s ready peel the second backing sheet off and lay the Spice Cake Fabric glue side up, I worked from left to right, smoothing out bubbles as I went, you then curve the Spice Cake Fabric around the edges of the book.  I covered over the raw edges with a piece of Pool Party card and then decorated the front with some crochet trim and a flower cut from a piece of Spice Cake Fabric that I had stuck onto a piece of card to give it some dimension.  The flower is finished with one of the huge Spice Cake buttons.

The ragedy flower brooch is made using the Spice Cake Fabric and the Fun Flowers dies for the big shot, I cut lots of layers, which is so easy to do with the big shot and I did actually sew them together, okay so I know I said I only glue things…….but basically I just sewed the button onto the fabric and everyone can sew a button on !

Here is a close up, I washed the brooch and whilst it was wet scrunched it up and put it on a radiator to dry, it’s sooooo cute!

My final picture for today is of my new toy and one that is getting so much use at the moment!  I love real fires and have always wanted one at home but we live in a house with no chimney!  So as part of the extension build, we had a huge shiny silver chimney installed and this beauty !  It has glass on 3 sides and is made of cast iron so the heat from it is amazing, I am getting through a few logs though, but I have learnt how to chop kindling and prepare logs and I still have all fingers and thumbs attached after using the axe, so all is good.

I hope you are nice and warm and dry where ever you are, and you manage to get some crafting done today!  I have 2 more orders going in for the current Stampin’ Up! UK Spring mini catalogue, one on Friday and one on Monday, if you can collect from me there will be no postage to pay, if you would like your parcel sent direct via UPS the charge is £4.95.  The wonderful Spice Cake product suite is going at the end of the month, so if you love it, get it now!

Happy Stampin’

We never know which items will make it from the mini catalogues to the main catalogue when it launches in the autumn so my advice as always is, if you love it get it NOW !!!!

The Postage Stamp Punch is so versatile I have already shared some cards with you a few weeks ago here.

The first 2 cards today use patterned paper which really showcases the punch. This Daffodil Delight card really brings sunshine into a very gloomy day! The punches are from the Flirtatious Speciality paper and the butterfly is from my favourite Big shot embosslit die, Beautiful wings.

This second card I’m afraid uses SAB papers and stamp sets, but since many of you have them or you could swap out the papers and stamps for others I thought I would still show it to you today.  first you take 2 squares of card and overlap them to make the star shape, then I have punched 8 Postage Stamp Punches and put a little bit of tombow glue into one corner of each of the pieces.  Starting at the top I layered the pieces clockwise once I got to the beginning I tucked the last piece underneath. A vintage brad finishes it off.  I looks very similar to the teabag folding technique, but it’s far less fiddly!

And finally this card uses the matching stamp set that co-ordinates with the Postage Stam[p Punch, it’s called Perfect postage and has 4 images, a bramble, Bunny holding a balloon, a cake and the heart stamp which I have showcased here.

Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo and Cherry Cobbler are the ink colours, just make sure you clean the stamps with your Stampin’ Scrub well in between each colour.  The sentiment if from Teeny Tiny wishes and I stamped it onto Whisper White card and punched it out using the Modern label punch, then I fed the punched piece through the side of the Postage Stamp Punch to get the fancy edge.

Well that’s 3 cards from me I hope that has given you some inspiration for today, I’ll be back very soon with some projects using the Spiced Cake fabric, I can’t believe there is only a week to go………ARGH!

Now I am holding an event with some of my wonderful team on Saturday 12th May between 2 and 4pm in Whiteley, Hampshire, the event is for people who are new to stampin’ Up! or would like to find out more about becoming a demonstrator.

Join us for an afternoon full of creativity and fun, where you can enjoy making some fabulous handcrafted projects while learning more about Stampin’ Up! and it’s opportunities and exclusive products! The cost of this event is £7 payable in advance, please call 01329 846909 or 07890 426945 or email me to book your place.

Happy Stampin’

So I have 2 Quick Stampin’ Up! Cards for you today and then a belated Mother’s day card, more about that in a while!

The card on the left is perfect for the current weather!  It’s from the Easter Blossoms stamp set, this set is only available until the end of April 2012, when the Spring mini Catalogue finishes.  I stamped the En Francais background first then over stamped the branch and coloured it in with my trusty blender pens and Pretty in Pink ink.  The Men’s card on the right is so simple, three strips of  designer series paper and a greeting from Petite Pairs.  Now if you don’t recognise the Designer series paper it’s ‘Frightful sight’ the Halloween set of papers! Each strip has been edges with Basic Grey ink and a sponge dauber to add some depth. I bet you can think of lots of scraps you have to make that Quick Stampin’ Up! Card !  I’m am convinced that all crafters are born with a need to hoard paper !

This third card is also a Quick Stampin’ Up! Card and I nearly didn’t show it today, because of course Mother’s day was last week in the UK.  I know that people from around the world visit my website and Mother’s day is at different times through the world so this is for them and it could be inspiration for next year if you are in the UK !

The reason this card is special is the use of punches, I hadn’t realised that the Word Window punch, sits perfectly inside the Large Oval punch which of course sits ontop of the Scallop Oval punch, which then looks fabulous over the top of the Elizabeth stamp.  The reason I am so excited about this discovery is that the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set has 24 stamps covering almost every event you can think of and each one will fit inside the word window punch!  It really was another Quick Stampin’ Up! card with the additions of some patterned paper strips and the scallop edge punch.

I hope you have fun in the sunshine, I’d love to hear what plans you have for making the most of this weather.

Happy Stampin’

I know people say as you get older time goes quicker, but I really would like to know how come we are almost at the end of March ?  That is a quarter of this year gone already !  Now the most important thing for you to know is that the exclusive stamp sets and paper pack that are part of this years Sale-a-bration offering will no longer be available after the 31st March 2012. I do have orders going in several times a week if you can collect from me in Fareham, Hampshire or Stampin’ Up! can deliver direct to you via UPS where ever you are in the UK for just £4.95 regardless of the size of the order.

There are also only 9 days left to take advantage of the Stampin’ Up! Sale-a-bration special deal on the starter kit to become a demonstrator.  Being a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator is the best job I have ever had, I can craft and earn an income and now this is my full time career. I have a large team spread across the UK from the Shetland Islands to Lands End.  I feel passionately that my role as an upline is to support my team and work with them to help them achieve their dreams, you can read more about this here and here.  Call me to find out more about how you can start your journey as a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator on 01329 846909 or 07890 426945.

Now I know this is a bit late as it’s a Mother’s day card but I can report that it did arrive safe and sound before Mother’s day !  It uses one of my favourite colour combinations of the moment Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla and Calypso Coral, yummy!  I have used the Fresh Vintage Sale-a-bration stamp set and the For my family stamp set for the lovely curvy ‘Mum’.

In my classes and workshops over the past few weeks many of you have asked about the extension and my craft room, well things are still moving along, although slower than I had hoped.  We did move all the furniture around yesterday. From the old lounge to the new lounge and from the spare room into the old lounge…….and on Mother’s day we went looking for curtains and came home with a tumble drier, light fitting and a bed !  It is so much fun shopping with my hubby !!!!

We did make a decision on the curtains in the end, but they have to be ordered, and then we need to decide on paint for the walls.  But none of these things is my craft room I hear you cry ! Unfortunately all these things need doing before we can start on my craft room, we also have a fireplace to knock down and folding doors to build, fires to move and then the craft room will start to take shape. I will get there !

I hope you are having a great week, and remember only 9 days left of Sale-a-bration!

Happy Stampin’ in Sale-a-bration

The scrapbooking classes I run each month are a great excuse for me to sit and scrapbook when I prepare for the class, like most scrapbookers I seem to have far too many pictures and not enough time !  It was lovely a few weeks ago when I made these pages and the kids were asking questions about the photos.  They both remembered their first teacher Mrs Kemp and it was lots of fun to share the memories with them.  Kimberley found it rather amusing that she had a lopsided hair cut………that was until I explained that it wasn’t a bad hair cut, the day before she started school she used her ‘safe’ paper scissors pulled up several chunks of her hair and chopped it off!  I think my hairdresser made the best of a bad job!!!

This double page layout of Connor shows him at his cheeky best!!!!

See I said it would be a quick post, lots and lots of designing and prep work to do, I’ll be back soon !

Happy Stampin’

This first card uses the Fresh Vintage Sale-a-bration stamp set, I have coloured the stamp using the in-colour markers, it’s a really quick card to make and since both the ruffled ribbon and the Designer series paper pack is all in the same colours it all sits together really well.  I love the Postage Stamp punch as it gives dimension to the card.

This second card is not a new idea at all, if fact I remember making paper pinwheels at Brownies, believe me that was a long time ago !  When I was a brownie we had little brown dresses and wooly hats with pompoms on the top!

Back to the card…… this again uses the Postage Stamp punch and the in-colour designer series paper pack and the absolutely gorgeous printed brads.  Now I do suggest if you are going to make these pinwheels you do start out with a 4″ or 6″ square to have a practice on before you use the tiny square that you get from the Postage Stamp Punch. a little dot of glue does help secure the triangles. All you do to make them is cut from each corner diagonally towards the centre, making sure you don’t cut all the way through.  I have used cocktail sticks as handles and finished off with the Outlined occasions stamp set another free Sale-a-bration set you can get with a £45 order.

I hope you have a great weekend what ever you are doing, I will be back over the weekend with some school days scrapbook pages.

Happy Stampin’

Every month I hold a Stampin’ Up! Scrapbooking class called Scrapbook Sisters in Locks Heath, Hampshire.  You can find more information about the classes I run here. Every month the attendees make 3 scrapbook pages, a 12″ x 12″ single and a 12″ x 12″ double  layout. Each attendee has a pack of papers, card stock and accessories so they can make the pages, but I do have lots of additional stamps sets, punches and Big shot dies so they can personalise the Scrapbook pages. We have a theme every month and the pages that follow are wedding themed, you may remember I had a wonderful time at my friend Siobhan’s wedding in October, well the class was an excellent opportunity to scrapbook those photos.

I stuck with a Very Vanilla and Neutrals theme, with a hint of gold.  I used Champagne shimmer paint on the En Francais background stamp on the Soft Suede card stock, it’s really difficult to see on the computer screen but it gives a lovely hint of gold and a little bit of texture.  The flowers have been made using the Triple Doily Triple Layer Punch, scrumpled, daubed with Shimmer paint and layered, then topped with a pearl.  The mat layer for the photo is made using French Foliage stamp set and a strip of Mocha Morning designer series paper and some lovely velvet ribbon finishes the page off.

I think when the lovely ladies at the class saw the double page layout they all took a sharp intake of breath, it’s very pretty, but that is a huge amount of hearts to punch and glue on!

I had taken lots of colours of card stock so each person could choose the right accent colours for their photos, Siobhan’s colours were a really deep purple so I used Elegant Eggplant for the title and the little heart.  More texture with punches, crochet trim and ribbon.  The Sale-a-abration set Elementary Elegance made the plaques either side.

I’m not sure if you can see the badge Siobhan is holding on the central picture, it’s a Guide badge.  Siobhan and I have known one another for years and met originally at a Girl Guide international training, we have worked together in many different ways and had many adventures but it was Guiding that brought us together.

I have roast potatoes sizzling and calling my name so I shall disappear for today, I shall be back soon with some more cards.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Happy Stampin’ and Scrapbooking

The Triple Treat Flower design is found in the Spice Cake designer series paper and works beautifully with the Spiced Paisley stamp set and the Spiced Cake Designer Fabric.  But the co-ordination doesn’t stop there, the Triple Treat Flower is so named because it co-ordinates with 3 punches, the fancy flower punch, 5 petal flower punch and the 1/2″ circle punch.

I have 2 projects for you today, the first is a quick card and the second is a Scrapbook page.  They both use the same colours Pool Party, Soft Suede and Very Vanilla.  The stamp set is Spiced Paisley and of course the Triple Treat Flower stamp is taking centre stage!

On the card I have stamped the Triple Treat Flower in Soft Suede on Very Vanilla punched it out with the 5 petal flower punch and then stamped it again onto Pool Party card and stamped it out with the Fancy flower punch.  The notebook effect on the cardstock it made using the cropodile to punch holes and then snipping from the edge to the hole.  Lots of sponge daubing finsihed the Triple Treat Flower card.

I love this picture of Kimberley, one of her friends took it a couple of summers ago, it really captures her!

The letters have been cut using my brand new tools,the Alphabet Simple Letters set of dies, they are an investment at £80.95 but I got them for half price as I was the hostess of a £300 party, we all love a bargain !  Since we are in Sale-a-bration I also got a Sale-a-bration set for being the hostess of a £300 workshop, it just keeps getting better.  I do have a few dates free in March so if you want to get your hands on some free stamps call or email me and get a date booked.

Thank you so much for all your kind calls, emails and cards, oh and chocolates……. following my last post about achieving the Stampin’ Up! 2013 incentive trip, it has been a very exciting time.  I am very excited to say that several of my team are also determined to get the trip too, it will be wonderful to share this experience with them.

We did however have some sad news last week, Brian’s Uncle Tony died followed a few days later by one of Brian’s parents very dear friends Bob.  Due to needing to spend time with the family and funerals I have had to change some events, thank you so much to all of my lovely customers who have been so understanding.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, I shall be back on Saturday with some more scrapbook pages.

Happy Stampin’

I know I do go on…. and on ……and on……..about how rewarding it is to be a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator!    As a demonstrator you get discount on your products, earn commissions, receive free products, access amazing training, wonderful events and much, much more.  I am such a people person, being a demonstrator allows me to craft all day everyday with some amazing people, my team, my customer friends, and demonstrator friends that is a huge reward.

I love this picture, it was taken in November last year at the Stampin’ Up! European convention in Paris, Vanou is the wonderful French demonstrator next to me, an amazing creative talent and a lovely person, you can visit her blog here.  We would have never met if it wasn’t for Stampin’ Up! I am so grateful for the opportunities it has given me and the people it has brought into my life.

Crafting for a living is a dream many people have, but I’m here showing you it can be done.

Last week I achieved the 2013 Stampin’ Up! incentive trip to Utah.  It’s a 5 day all expenses paid trip for 2 people, so Brian and I can go to the USA together!  Now Stampin’ Up! are amazing and they have moved the dates for the trip into July so if we would like to……we can go to the Stampin’ Up! Convention in Salt lake City the week before!  Oh my, indeed I will be extending my trip!

Would you like to see what they have in store for us?

Well the squeals of delight haven’t really stopped!  I am still bouncing around and very excited.  Woo Hoo!

So as you can see things are pretty amazing here right now! I would love to show you how you can live your dream too! Email me or call me for a chat, check out my information about joining my team here, and FAQ’s here.

I must dash, Technique club tonight and then a workshop tomorrow and all day classes on Saturday.

Happy Stampin’

I have to say too many stamps is a really good problem to have and it shouldn’t put you off wanting to join Stampin’ Up! as a demonstrator!  In fact extra stamps is the bonus of joining right now, not only do you get a great deal with your starter kit, it costs you £119  but you will receive £250 worth of products, AND an additional free stamp set of your choice of any value.  That means when you join Stampin’ Up! your kit costs £119 for almost £300 of products, you can then build a business to suit you, the time you have available and the income you wish to earn. I do have some more information about joining Stampin’ Up! and my team here and here.

If you would like an informal chat to see if being a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator is right for you or if you have more questions I would love to hear from you.

01329 846909 or amanda@inspiringinkin.com

Today’s card is nice and bright and sunny, just right to lift the gloomy skies here in Hampshire.  The amazing thing about Greenhouse Garden is that is is so easy to use and yet looks like it took hours, you have got to love that!

Daffodil Delight and Peach Parfait are the colours, they are guarenteed to bring a smile to anyones face!

Happy Stampin’

We are at the beginning of half term here in the UK, so I am having a fairly relaxed week workwise, spending much of the week running my teenage children around!  I do wish the spring would appear though, it’s still really rather chilly here.

With that in mind I wanted to share a project with you today that was actually a Christmas present.  Now I know you probably have your head in your hands, what is Amanda thinking?  Christmas……it’s only February.  But you see there is method in my madness!  This is a Stampin’ Up! Gift Voucher and it doesn’t matter when in the year you get one ! It could be for Valentines day……..I little late perhaps but how many of you would forgive your other half being late with a card if it contained a Stampin’ Up! Gift Voucher?

So although this one is Christmas themed I can make them to suit any occasion, all you have to do is address the envelope and write your message.  How simple is that?

This is the front of the card, Pool Party and Island Indigo and look glittery brads, so yummy!

This is the inside with the Stampin’ Up! gift voucher tucked inside the right hand pocket.

Below is the inside of the card once the gift voucher is taken out, so it makes a cute card too.

So birthdays, anniversaries, Mother’s day, Valentines day, Christmas or just because you care, I’m sure you know someone who would love to recieve a Stampin’ Up! Gift Voucher.    Email me or call me on 07890 426945 to order one today.

Happy Stampin’

There I said it, I have a new passion in my life, it’s called Pinterest and it’s sooooo addictive!

Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to  organize their favorite recipes, store links to their favourite crafting tutorials, patterns, cards, plan their weddings even get ideas to decorate their homes or in my case their new craft room!!!! The pin boards have direct links to the original source of the picture so you can go directly back to that fabulous Stampin’ Up! card you found 3 weeks ago !  I love anything that will organise my world.

Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. That’s the addictive part, I can lose hours!

If you click here you can go to my pin boards and see what it it all about. If you want to visit the Pinterest site directly click here.

Now the quickest way to get a Pinterest account is to be invited!  So if you want to get in on the action email me to request an invite and I will send an invite to you.  Once you register, please email me and let me know your Pinterest name ( mine is Inspiringinkin) so I can follow you.

You may have noticed on the last few posts there is a ‘Pin it’ button just above my signature at the bottom, this means you can add my projects directly to Pinterest really quickly just a click of a mouse, you have got to love technology!

So I guess you visited my website today to see something pretty? I hope you think this card fits the bill, it’s my favourite Sale-a-bration set, Fresh Vintage partnered with the Everyday Enchantment papers, they are sooooo scrummy you really, really NEED them!

You can see the papers better in this shot and the dimension of the card.  It’s a stepper card with 2 side panels, it’s probably got a proper name, I don’t know!

Tomorrow is the last day to book on my 28th February classes, I have some great projects lined up including working with Fabric and the Postage punch, you can see the full details here. It would be lovely to see you.

Have fun with Pinterest and remember Sale-a-bration continues to the end of March, you have time to get more than 2 sets !

 Happy Stampin’ and Pinterest….ing !

Today I’m going to share some pictures of my Simply Adorned necklace. I have been spending sometime working with the lockets because it was the main feature of my most recent Stampin’ Up! team training and I held a Simply Adorned class last week too.  You can find out more about my Stampin’ Up! demonstrator training here and my classes here.

This is a picture of the large Simply Adorned locket, it’s 1″ x 1 1/4″ and opens from the top, there is a hinge at the bottom so you can put your stamped artwork inside. I’m not sure how well you will be able to see from the picture but the glass at the front of the locket is bevelled.

It is possible to put small embellishments onto your stamped images, the pearls making the butterflies bodies are the tiniest Stampin’ Up! jewel pearls, they are very tiny!

The beauty of the Simply Adorned range is that you can change your art work to match your outfit, I decided to make a suite of Simply Adorned inserts all using the same colours, but using lots of stamp sets! The back of each insert is stamped too so it doesn’t matter if the locket turns round when you are wearing it.

To go with the Simply Adorned lockets there is a range of charms and trinkets, you can find them on page 7 and 8 of the Spring 2012 Stampin’ Up! UK mini catalogue, you can see a copy here. The picture below has a close up view. All of the Simply Adorned Charms and Simply Adorned Trinkets come with a jump ring and a lobster claw clasp making attaching them to the chain really simple.

Each of the Simply Adorned baubles and Simply Adorned charms has it’s own presentation box and are also fitted with a lobster claw clasp.  You may have noticed on the first picture I have attached a vintage brad to the chain, you can see the reverse on the left hand side of the picture below just above the Pearl Bauble, I have bent the legs of the brad around so there are no sharp edges and it sits perfectly onto the chain.

It’s been a busy week, the builders finished on Friday so all is quiet in the house, the extension looks wonderful, I will share pictures soon.  It does have to dry out though, so it will be several weeks before we can move the furniture in and then start re-arranging the rest of the house and start……..dare I say it out loud? Start building my craft room Woo Hoo !!!!

I hope you have enjoyed seeing the Simply Adorned range in more detail, I would be very happy to order any of these products for you and can have them delivered to your address in the UK or you can collect them from me. Just send me an email or give me a call on 01329 846909.

I shall be back very soon with some more Sale-a-bration projects.

Happy Stampin’ with Simply Adorned

Today it’s the turn of the Sale-a-bration 2012 set Elementary Elegance.  This is a perfect set for card-makers and scrap-bookers alike, the main image makes a great journaling box, which we will be using at my scrap-booking class tomorrow.  To find out more about my classes held in Locks Heath, Hampshire please click here.

So onto today’s cards using Elementary Elegance, I have stuck with a really classical colour combination for this first card, it uses Pool Party, Soft Suede and Very Vanilla.  I’m not sure quite how well the spots show up but the spots have been sponged with both Soft Suede ink and Champagne Mist shimmer paint, it’s really sparkly in real life! The centre of the main image fits perfectly with the curly label punch leaving the elegant border around the edge. I love the way Stampin’ Up! co-ordinates stamp sets with punches it makes things look so finished.

The second card is one I will be demonstrating over the next few weeks at my workshops in lots of different colours and styles.  It uses the spritzer alongside the Elementary Elegance stamp set and really makes a feature of the seam binding ribbon.

I hope you like the cards today, I shall be back tomorrow with the final Sale-a-bration 2012 set Sprinkled Expressions, it will be after my classes though!

A quick update on the building works, we have windows, doors, a roof and the plasterers are working hard right now.  The floor should be in early next week followed by the heating and the final electrics, so next week will be a bit noisy and disruptive but then it should be finished.  After a few weeks of drying out we will then be able to move into our lounge and then the real fun begins……..our old lounge will be ripped apart and turned into a dining room and my craft room, Hurrah!  I will put up some more pictures early next week.

I hope you enjoyed today’s Elementary Elegance cards, see you tomorrow.

Happy Stampin’ with Elementary Elegance

The first Outlined Occasions card is really quick and uses the hearts from the confetti stamp set as a background. I have stamped in the same colour ink to get a soft subtle effect.

Now this second card is almost an exact copy of one demonstrated to us by the wonderfully talented Shannon West at our convention last November.  I have added just a little bit more bling……..everything needs more bling !!!! It does take a bit of time to punch out all the hearts, but getting them lined up is easy using your grid paper.

I know it’s short and sweet today, I hope you like the Outlined Occasions cards. I have had no power for over 6 hours today and I have a million things to do before I leave for a workshop tonight.  Do pop back tomorrow it’s the turn of Everyday Elegance !

Happy Stampin’

Yesterday I told you all about the benefits of joining my team and Stampin’ Up! during Sale-a-bration, you can see that post here. It’s is such a wonderful job and you get over £290 of  products for £119, Over £171 of free products…… I can’t believe why you wouldn’t want to join!!!!

So today I’m going to explain how wonderful Sale-a-bration is if you are a customer or a hostess.

As Sale-a-bration is for EVERY £45 you spend you can get multiple Sale-a-bration stamp sets and Designer series papers too! If you have a wishlist that is huge, or you still have some Christmas money to spend, treat yourself and when you spend £90 you get 2 items absolutely FREE! If your order goes above £150 you would get 3 Sale-a-bration items and £25 hostess pounds to spend on anything in the catalogue as well.

If you are a Hostess, during Sale-a-bration you get extra benefits too when your party total goes over £300, you can choose an extra Sale-a-bration set for free in addition to the amazing Stampin’ Up! hostess benefits of £50 hostess pounds to spend on anything in the main or mini catalogue AND you can choose any item for half price too ! I know that a party total of £300 seems a lot but if you and 6 guests all order £45 to get your free Sale-a-bration sets you will easily hit the magic £300.

You can see the Sale-a-bration catalogue here.

I thought you would like to see some cards made using the exclusive stamp sets and paper pack, so every day for the rest of the week I am going to showcase a different set.

First up my favourite, now okay I know I shouldn’t have favourites but I do !!!  This is Fresh Vintage and the Sale-a-bration Designer series paper pack called Everyday Enchantment matches it, remember there is no limit to the number of sale-a-bration sets you can earn!!!!

This first card focuses on the new 2012-2013 in Colours.

I have used the markers to colour in the large image, using the markers is very quick to do and gives you lots of variations of images from just one stamp.  Because I have used a dark card base, Island Indigo I have put an insert inside.

My second card today is a monotone card, Island Indigo again, sorry can you tell it’s my current favourite colour……..! I love the simple elegance of this, it has quite a lot of dimension to it with the diecut flowers and bling and how can you not love that ruffled ribbon?  The diecut flowers are from a new die in the mini catalogue called Blossom party and in the top right can you see the new postage punch?

I’ll be back tomorrow with Outlined Occasions !

 Happy Sale-a-bration Stampin’

So why is now a good time to join Stampin’ Up! ? Tomorrow sees the launch of the best promotion of the year, Sale-a-bration, it starts on the 24th January 2012 and runs until the 31st March 2012.

If you are new to Sale-a-bration and wondering what it is, and why it is such a great promotion you are in for a fabulous surprise. During Sale-a-bration everyone placing an order of £45 or more will receive a FREE Sale-a-bration item of their choice. There are 4 stamp sets and a beautiful set of Designer Papers to choose from which are totally exlusive to Sale-a-bration.You can’t buy them, you can only earn them with a £45 order. But that is not all, if you host a £300 party or join Stampin’ Up! during Sale-a-bration you get additional benefits too!

When you join Stampin’ Up! and my team of Inspiring Inkees during Sale-a-bration you get to choose an additional Stamp set for free, that is a stamp set from the main or mini catalogue of any value !  Potentially that gives you over £290 of products for only £119, that is over £171 of free products…….what AMAZING value !!!  The starter kit is fully customisable so you can design it to suit you and your needs.

When you join Stampin’ Up! and sign up with me you will become part of my team Inspiring Inkin’, and I’ll provide you with all the help and support you need — but I will never push or pressure you to do more than you wish to. Whether your goals are to just support your paper-crafting or stamping habit or you want to build a successful business, I am here to help. I will be here for you at all times – all you have to do is call or email me!

I run monthly evening and quarterly all day meetings for my team, they always have stamping at it’s core but will also be focused on business topics and skills, so whether you are a demonstrator who has joined to just get your discount or intending on building a business there will be something to interest you at these meetings. Inspiring Inkin’ is a fabulously active team of people who love what they do and share what they love with others!

This is a picture of our quarterly team training which I held last Saturday, it was an amazing day, filled with Stamping, laughter and business information.  We where inspired by demonstrations and shared hints and tips all day.

There are lots of amazing reasons why you should join Stampin’ Up! and my team today, I have more information here and a FAQs here too.

I run a new demonstrator training for all my new recruits and support them by running their first party alongside them too, it gets you off to a great start.  Did you know that if you place an order for £150+ within 45 days of signing you can earn a MASSIVE 30% discount on the net sales? And if you reach sales and recruiting goals in the first 6 months of being a demonstrator you can also earn free stamp sets and even the opportunity to get the cost of your starter kit back in cash !!!!!! That is all before the specials and promotions that run on selected months.

This is absolutely the very best job I have ever had, sharing and teaching paper-crafting and rubber-stamping isn’t really work is it? I can even do my design work at home in my PJ’s!

I would love you to join Stampin’ Up! and my team for the friendship, support, inspiration and fun we share.

So why not call me on 07890 426945 for a no obligation chat and find out about all the benefits of deciding to

Join Stampin’ Up!