Seaside Stampers

Introducing... Stamping Obsession!

2011-06-22T15:38:00.008+01:00

Hiya folks,

It's been a bit quiet over here lately.. that's because I've been busy (..that should read VERY busy..) working on a new website.. called Stamping Obsession! Who knew websites could absorb so many hours.. and days.. and even weeks!!!

Anyway.. my idea was to offer Stampin' Up! products in a slightly different format.. as well as the normal way, of course! :o)

Some time ago I realised that, even though my customers loved Stampin' Up!'s gorgeous Designer Series Papers, they don't very often buy the coordinating cardstock.. or ribbons.. or buttons. Which is a shame really, as the products are designed to fit so beautifully together.

It occurred to me that most of my customers couldn't justify buying a whole pack of cardstock in each colour to match their chosen Designer Series Papers.. or a whole roll of ribbon.. or several packs of buttons. More product than they would ever use..? Or simply too expensive!

So I thought it would be a good idea to put together kits containing just the right amount of products... Designer Series Papers - cardstock in coordinating colours (12x12 or A4 - you can choose!) - a selection of ribbon - buttons - and other embellishments as appropriate!

I've called them Crafty Kits and they will be available on a monthly subscription basis.. with some lovely subscriber benefits... or for individual purchase, subject to availability. As well as a box full of yummy goodies, you'll also receive a PDF of Crafty Kits Project Ideas.. so you won't be short of inspiration.

The first Crafty Kit is based on Springtime Vintage Designer Series Papers and is available for order RIGHT NOW!

If you'd like to find out more, please hop across to Stamping Obsession where you can find out all the details! To keep up to date with all the latest news and special offers, you might like to subscribe to new posts by RSS or Email.. or to my Newsletter!

I hope to see you at Stamping Obsession soon.. it's a work in progress so any feedback would be welcomed with open arms!

Happy crafting,

Sarah :o)

Lots of distressing with Notably Ornate stamps!

2011-06-02T09:30:00.000+01:00

One of my fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrators recently organised a card swap on the In Love With Stamping forum.. the brief was simply to use your favourite stamp set to create a card. It was a tough challenge.. which stamps to choose?

Eventually I chose a set from the main Idea Book & Catalogue.. Notably Ornate. I love this set as it just cries out for plenty of distressing.. it's always fun to get a bit messy, right?

I used two invaluable tools in the planning of my card - the Idea Book & Catalogue to get some inspiration and the Colour Coach to choose a colour scheme. I was inspired by a lovely card in the IB&C which used the Nature's Nest stamp set.. and chose the colour combination Cherry Cobbler, More Mustard and Baja Breeze (I added Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla as my neutrals).

After making my card, I set about preparing all the bits and pieces I would need to make ten more! It's much easier to do this in a production-line style rather than making each complete card in turn.

I stamped the birds using the 'rock & roll' technique: inking up the stamp with Baja Breeze ink, then rolling the wing tips and beak on to a Not Quite Navy ink pad for contrast.

I made the tags from Very Vanilla cardstock, then stamped the label stamp over it using Crumb Cake ink. I then distressed the edges using a Distressing tool and sponged them with Tea Stain distress ink from the SU! Distressing Kit. The corners of the tag were curled and creased for an extra vintage effect!

Strips of Newsprint Designer Series paper were also aged by sponging with Tea Stain distress ink. The pieces of Crumb Cake cardstock were roughly torn before being crumpled up and inked direct-to-paper using the Tea Stain ink again.

Once all the cards were assembled, I spritzed the whole lot using the Early Espresso marker pen and the Colour Spritzer tool. It's so exciting seeing your work covered in tiny dots of colour... or maybe that should read horrifying if you love your cards clean and perfect! I have to admit, I love the extra detail (and yes, the mess!) the spritzer creates.

So here's the finished card...

Looks like I'm over that Clean & Simple phase I was going through... for a while at least..

Happy stamping!

Sarah :o)

EXTRA, EXTRA... Hostess Rewards!

2011-06-01T21:41:00.000+01:00

Extra! Extra! Stampin’ Up! hostesses get extra hostess rewards 1 June-31 July, in addition to the already fantastic hostess benefits!

From 1 June-31 July, Stampin’ Up! hostesses can earn an EXTRA £20 to use toward Stampin’ Up! products of their choice when they host a workshop totaling £250 or more in product sales!
This extra benefit is in addition to the standard hostess benefits they receive when they host a workshop.

As a Stampin' Up! hostess, you will receive:

a FREE Idea Book & Catalogue (and mini catalogue when available)
a FREE Hostess-exclusive stamp set of your choice when workshop sales reach £150 or above
FREE merchandise from the Idea Book & Catalogue (or mini catalogue) with a total value depending on workshop sales.

So here's what you could receive when you host a workshop in June and July (don't forget, this is in addition to your choice of Hostess-exclusive stamp set!):

Workshop total product sales (before shipping and handling)	Free Stampin’ Up! merchandise		Extra, Extra hostess rewards	Free Stampin’ Up! merchandise with Extra, Extra hostess rewards
£250 - £299	£25	+	£20	£45
£300 - £349	£35	+	£20	£55
£350 - £399	£40	+	£20	£60
£400 - £449	£45	+	£20	£65
£450 - £499	£50	+	£20	£70
£500 - £549*	£60	+	£20	£80

* The Extra, Extra Hostess Rewards apply to all workshops above £250; to see hostess benefits for workshops totaling £550 and above, visit the Hostess Benefits web page on the Stampin' Up! website.

These wonderful hostess rewards are only one benefit of hosting a workshop. When you host a workshop, you also get to spend quality crafting time with your friends and family, as well as learn exciting new crafting techniques and project ideas.

Your workshop can be as simple or as elaborate as you want it to be. It can be a casual stamping night for you and your friends, a party with food, drinks and music while you stamp, or even a structured stamping class.. just let me know what you have in mind and I'll help you to make it happen!

Book your Stampin' Up! workshop with me now.. call me on 01323 730296.. or email me on slpiggott73@gmail.com.

I look forward to stamping with you soon!

Sarah :o)

Scrapbook Mini Book: two more pages

2011-05-29T17:05:00.000+01:00

When I was a little girl, my cousin Clare and I were obsessed with horses and ponies. Between us, we accumulated a herd of Sindy and Barbie horses and made them stables from cardboard boxes, showjumps from sticks and bridles from wool. Later on, we went on fantastic horse-riding holidays in Somerset and just had the *best* fun together!

I wanted to record these happy times in my 'This is Me!' mini book.. so here's a double-page spread documenting my horsey phase..

Supplies:

Cardstock - Pear Pizzazz, Peach Parfait, Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie (the die-cut heart)
DSP - In Colors 6"x6" Designer Paper Stack (Hostess exclusive)
Tools - Big Shot (£87.95), Timeless Type Alphabet dies (£65.95), Top Note die (£18.95), Lots of Tags dies (£18.95)
Accessories - Certainly Celery Brads (from Subtles Brads collection, £6.25 for 100)

Thanks for visiting!

Sarah :o)

Happy Birthday Mum - a card and a jewellery project!

2011-05-29T08:41:00.000+01:00

It's my Mum's 60th today.. so a huge Happy Birthday if you're reading, Mum!

Here's the card I made for her..

Supplies for the card:

Cardstock - Confetti White, Rose Red, Blushing Bride, Concord Crush, Certainly Celery
Dies - Flower: Daisies #2, Beautiful Wings Embosslits
Punch - Build a Blossom (for the leaf)
Stamps - Curly Cute (Happy Birthday), non-SU! tiny stamp set (MUM).
Accessories - Daffodil Delight Button from Brights Designer Buttons set, Linen Thread

And here's Mum's present - it's a necklace and earrings set I made using a kit from The Eastbourne Bead Company. (Actually I made the earrings using a few leftover beads and some earring findings I had in my crafty stash.)

It's not as short as it looks in the photo.. I doubled it up so I could fit it in an envelope! The necklace was pretty easy to make and I managed it in two or three hours. It's made from these gorgeous shiny shell beads, threaded onto pink cord with knots before and after each one to hold them all in place, four strands altogether. In hindsight I would have made it a bit shorter, or perhaps added another strand.. but hey, it's not bad for a first attempt!

While I was at the Bead Company shop, I couldn't resist buying another kit, for a silver charm bracelet complete with LOTS of very similar shell beads attached on jump rings. It'll be fantastic when it's finished but, having started it last night, I can tell it's going to take a LOT longer than Mum's necklace. Those tiny jump rings are slippery little blighters and I keep dropping them..

Have a lovely day!

Sarah :o)

Scrapbook Mini Book Class: Thurs 26th May

2011-05-27T22:05:00.000+01:00

Hello again!

Just thought I'd share a work-in-progress with you.. it's a mini-book called 'This is Me!' and was the subject of this month's Scrapbook class which took place yesterday morning. Thank you to the ladies who attended the class.. it was a productive and enjoyable morning, and as usual I was thrilled to see how your ideas took shape.

So here are my pages so far...

First the front cover:

To make the covers, carefully cut some cardboard (the type that's corrugated on the inside and flat on the outsides) into squares of 8-1/2 x 8-1/2 inches. You'll need a metal ruler and a large cutting mat.
Cut your chosen Designer Series Paper to 11-1/2 inches square, then place your cardboard square in the centre. Mark all around with a pencil then cut off the corners of the paper just at the point where your pencil lines come together (to form mitred corners).
Fold the flaps over the cardboard and secure tightly with Sticky Strip.
Cover the inside of your cardboard cover with a sheet of DSP or cardstock cut to a tiny bit less than 8-1/2 inches square.
Punch holes with a regular hole punch or Crop-a-Dile .
Decorate your cover as you like!

Supplies:

Cardboard
Designer Series Paper: Greenhouse Garden (£8.75 for 12 sheets)
Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Chocolate Chip (£6.25 for 24 smooth sheets)
Tools: Big Shot (£87.95), Timeless Type Alphabet Dies (£65.95), Beautiful Wings Embosslits (£10.50), Flower - Daisies #2 (£16.95)

Now for the first two pages of my mini-book:

All the details of my birth are tucked away in the scalloped envelope for a bit of privacy! The pages are cut to 8 inches square.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Regal Rose, Pear Pizzazz, Chocolate Chip, Confetti White
DSP: Nursery Suite Specialty DSP (£9.95 for 12 sheets)
Accent Stickers: Nursery Suite (£7.50 for 2 sheets)
Tools: Big Shot, Timeless Type Alphabet, Lots of Tags Sizzlits dies (£18.95), Scallop Envelope die (£18.95)
Accessories: Linen Thread (£3.75 for 13.7m)

And the second pair of pages...

In these pages, I've simply layered three wide strips of Designer Series Papers, along with one of the border stickers from the Nursery Suite Quick Accents pack.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Regal Rose, Confetti White, Chocolate Chip
DSP: Nursery Suite, Subtles DSP stack (So Saffron polka dot) (£15.50 for 40 sheets)
Accent stickers: Nursery Suite Quick Accents
Tools: Big Shot, Timeless Type alphabet, Beautiful Wings Embosslits, Circles #2 dies (£14.50)

I'll share another pair of pages very soon..

Our next Scrapbook class is on Thursday 23rd June when we'll be continuing with our mini books. Don't worry if you missed the first class, it'll be very easy to catch up! The project won't be completed in the next session but once you've got started it's something you can dip into as and when you feel like adding a page or two.

Fancy coming along? Contact me on slpiggott73@gmail.com or call me on 01323 730296 to book your place. I have two places left for this class so please book early to be sure of your spot!

Finally.. if you'd like to purchase any of the products used in this project, please don't hesitate to get in touch (details as above) and I'll happily place your order for you.

Thanks for visiting!

Sarah :o)

Quick cards with Longfellows hostess set

2011-05-27T14:32:00.000+01:00

Phew, it's been a busy couple of weeks! I'll keep this one short and sweet.. a couple of very quick cards I made for friends' birthdays using the Stampin' Up! level 2 Hostess Set, Longfellows.

Supplies:

Cardstock - Confetti White, Pear Pizzazz, Peach Parfait
Inks - Old Olive, Tangerine Tango
Stamps - Longfellows
Tools - Aqua Painters (£12.25 for two)

I'll be back soon with pictures from yesterday's Scrapbook class. Thanks for looking!

Sarah :o)

Monday in May: another chance to win!

2011-05-23T10:45:00.000+01:00

Hello!

Would you like another chance to win the gorgeous Build-a-Blossom stamp set (RRP: £24.95)? As you'll probably know by now, Stampin' Up! are offering you the opportunity to win a stamp set.. and all you need to do is go to their website and answer one very simple question.

What discount do demonstrators receive on all of their sales and purchases?

If you don't already know the answer, you can find out in my previous post here.. or by exploring the Stampin' Up! website.

So why not along to the Stampin' Up! website here, fill in your name, email address and your answer to the question.. and that's it!

If you are at all interested in becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator yourself, even if it's just to get your hands on the lovely Starter Kit, please do get in touch with me and I'll happily answer any questions you may have.

Oh.. and don't forget, if you join during the month of May, you will also be able to select a pack of Designer Series Paper to add to your Starter Kit at no extra charge!

Good luck!

Sarah :o)

Springtime Vintage kit: see what's included!

2011-05-16T07:00:00.001+01:00

Last week I did a workshop where I sold one of my kits from the Mini Catalogue.. my hostess chose the beautiful Springtime Vintage kit as part of her order. As I was putting it all together I took a few photos so I could show you what's included...

So, the Springtime Vintage kit includes:

Six sheets of 12"x12" double-sided Designer Series Paper (1 of each design)
4 metres of Seam Binding Ribbon (1 metre of each colour: Rose Red, Pear Pizzazz, Baja Breeze, Crumb Cake)
12 Designer Big Buttons (1 each of 3 designs in each of 4 colours: Pear Pizzazz, River Rock, Rose Red, Night of Navy)
Cardstock: Choose from 16 sheets of A4 or 8 sheets of 12"x12" textured cardstock in 8 colours: Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, Rose Red, Pear Pizzazz, Crumb Cake, River Rock, Very Vanilla, Always Artichoke)

Buying a kit enables you to receive a beautifully coordinated collection of products without the outlay of buying full packs of all the items individually. The Springtime Vintage kit is fantastic value at £15 (collected from me) or £18 including postage and packing. What's more, if you would like to add the coordinating Baby Blossoms stamp set to your order, you can choose a coordinating ink pad (RRP: £4.95) to go with your kit for FREE!

The Baby Blossoms stamp set comes in Wood-mount (£26.95) or in Clear-mount (£21.95). It enables you to create beautifully delicate floral designs using the Two-Step Stampin' technique (for more information on this, click here).. if you're a fan of Cath Kidston, you will love this set!

You can buy your Springtime Vintage kit right now simply by choosing the option you require and clicking on the Buy Now button below!

If buying the stamp set along with your kit, don't forget to let me know which colour FREE ink pad you would like!

Thanks for visiting,

Sarah x

Mondays in May: Win a FREE Stamp Set!

2011-05-15T16:52:00.000+01:00

SORRY - THIS POST SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE LAST MONDAY.. FOR SOME REASON IT SEEMS NOT TO HAVE APPEARED.. THERE'S STILL TIME TO ENTER THE WEEK TWO DRAW IF YOU'RE QUICK!

THERE'LL BE A NEW QUESTION TOMORROW! :o)

It's the second Monday in May.. and so we have a second chance to win a FREE stamp set from Stampin' Up! All you need to do is visit the Stampin' Up! website - click here - and answer one very quick question to secure your entry into the Prize Draw.

This week's question is..

"What would you like most about being a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator?"

If you're thinking.. "I've no idea! I don't know what it's like being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator..", please allow me to tell you what I like about it!

I have my own business, working from home, working the hours that suit me and my family.
I receive a 20% discount on all goods from the Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalogue and Mini Catalogue, along with cash back when my sales hit certain levels.
I get to preview and order new products a whole month before they are released to the public.
Joining Stampin' Up! has prompted me to start card-making and scrapbooking classes, enabling me to meet some wonderful people and have lots of fun.
I love to design projects for my classes and workshops.. it's fantastic being paid to be creative!
I love the support, friendship and inspiration I get from my fellow demonstrators.. both those in my team and the wider Stampin' Up! community.

So there's just a few things that I love about being a demonstrator! If it sounds like something you would enjoy, why not get in touch with me and I'll be happy to talk it through with you. You can also find more information here.

Thanks for visiting!

Sarah x

Loving those Long Fellows!

2011-05-15T12:08:00.000+01:00

Today is my niece Caitlan's 11th birthday.. so to celebrate I made her a card using the Level 2 Hostess set Long Fellows.. It's a pretty clean and simple one for me..

I coloured in the cat using a Blender Pen (£7.95 for three) and a bit of Tangerine Tango ink.. to do this I squashed the ink pad between my fingers before opening it.. this leaves a smudge of ink on the inside of the lid which you can then pick up with the Blender Pen. The Blender Pen helps you get the ink just where you want it without being too heavy.

Caitlan's present was wrapped with some orange tissue paper and topped with a big flower made using the Flower, Daisies #2 die from the Mini Catalogue (£16.95) and a few layers of hand-made paper in a lovely So Saffron colour. The tag was made with a scrap of Confetti White cardstock, stamped again with the Long Fellows cat. This time I coloured him in using an Aqua Painter (£12.25 for two). I scribbled a bit of Tangerine Tango marker pen onto a saucer and picked up the ink with the Aqua Painter. This gives a more water-coloury, fluid look than the Blender Pen which I really like!

Can you see the difference? LOL.. I've gone over the lines a bit in this one!

Here are the card and present together.. don't they look cute?!

Supplies:

Colours: Tangerine Tango, So Saffron, Very Vanilla (card), Confetti White (tag)
Stamps: Long Fellows (level 2 Hostess set - free with £300 in workshop sales)
Punches: Scallop Trim Border - £14.25, 1" Circle - £9.75
Die: Flower, Daisies #2 - £16.95
Embossing Folder: Perfect Polka Dots - £6.95
Accessories: Silver Elastic Cord - £3.95, Basic Pearls - £4.50, Crop-a-Dile - £23.95

Thursday 12th May: Wedding Card Class Sneak Peek

2011-05-08T17:29:00.000+01:00

Hi there!

This month's card-making class is taking place this Thursday (12th May) at my home in Eastbourne and we'll be making wedding/anniversary/engagement cards. We'll be using the new Wedding Wheels single stamp from the Mini Catalogue (£6.95), along with sentiment stamps from Tiny Tags, Baroque Motifs and Always Elegant stamp sets.

Here are the cards we'll be making...

These cards were made using Confetti White cardstock, a hand-made style of cardstock containing tiny flecks of flower petals.. beautiful for wedding cards! The third card was inspired by a lovely one I spotted on Julie Kettlewell's blog, it's here if you'd like to see.

If you fancy coming along to this class, please let me know by Tuesday. Details about classes are on this page.

Thanks for visiting!

Sarah x

Supplies

Card 1:

Colours - Confetti White, Concord Crush, Blushing Bride
Stamps - Baroque Motifs
Punch - Scallop Oval, Scallop Trim Border
Die - Beautiful Wings Embosslit
Accessories - Adhesive Pearls

Card 2:

Colours - Confetti White, Baja Breeze, Soft Suede
Stamps - Wedding Wheels, Always Elegant
Punch - Scallop Oval, Oval
Accessories - Baja Breeze Seam Binding

Card 3:

Colours - Confetti White, Rose Red, Crumb Cake
Stamps - Wedding Wheels, Tiny Tags, So Swirly Wheel
Punch - Jewelry Tag, Scallop Trim Border
Accessories - Linen Thread

Three Birthdays and an Anniversary!

2011-05-07T09:32:00.000+01:00

I'm celebrating three birthdays and an anniversary today!

Firstly... Happy 34th Birthday to my dear hubby Gareth...

He's a fantastic drummer and used to be in a rock band called WhiteStar before the little 'uns came along.. for now Gareth has to be content with 'pounding the skins' in my craft room/study/general junk room. Oh yes, it's loud..

Second... Happy 15th Birthday to my nephew Torin...

He is currently collecting apps for his ipod.. I stumbled across this image while looking for a picture of an ipod and thought it would do just fine for his card!

Third... Happy Birthday to my dearest upline and friend, Pat...

Pat, I hope you are having a fabulous day after all the stress preparing for your Eve Appeal event last night.. enjoy!!!

And the anniversary..? Well, today I have been a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator for exactly one year. It's been an amazing year, in which I've started running card-making classes, a scrapbook club, expanded my craft collection like you wouldn't believe (unless perhaps you attend my classes..), survived my first Convention, made many wonderful friends, in Eastbourne and way beyond.. Here's to many more years of Stampin' Up! fun.. :o)

Have a fantastic day, everyone!

Sarah x

Supplies

Gareth's card:

Colours: Pacific Point, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red
Embossing Folder: Perfect Polka Dots
Stamps: Basic Phrases
Accessories: Silver Brads from Hodgepodge Hardware; Clip from Clips Assortment
Photo: http://www.sodahead.com

Torin's card:

Colours: Elegant Eggplant, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Whisper White

Embossing Folder: Square Lattice

Punch: Spiral

Stamps: Basic Phrases
Accessories: Silver Eyelets

Photo: http://jon.blogs.com

Pat's card:

Colours: Blushing Bride, Early Espresso, Pear Pizazz
Embossing Folder: Perfect Polka Dots
Die: Beautiful Butterflies
Punch: Scallop Oval
Stamps: Sincere Salutations
DSP: In Colors 6"x6" Paper Stack (Hostess Exclusive)
Accessories: Pear Pizazz Seam Binding, Linen Thread, Button from Neutrals collection

Beautiful Butterflies: a Get Well Card

2011-05-06T16:52:00.000+01:00

Here's a card I made to wish my Nana a speedy recovery from her recent operation. Sending hugs, Nana!

I used my Colour Coach to find inspiration for a colour combination..

The colours I used were Poppy Parade (one of the In-Colours), So Saffron and Baja Breeze. The butterflies were cut on my lovely Big Shot with the Beautiful Butterflies die - definitely one of my favourites.

Supplies:

Colours: Poppy Parade, So Saffron, Baja Breeze
Die: Beautiful Butterflies
DSP: Baja Breeze from the Subtles DSP stack; Poppy Parade from the In-Colours 6"x6" Hostess stack
Stamps: Sincere Salutations; Notably Ornate
Punch: Decorative Label
Accessories: So Saffron Button; Linen Thread; Baja Breeze Seam Binding

Test Drive the Stampin' Up! Starter Kit!

2011-05-05T14:49:00.001+01:00

Would you like a gift that keeps giving in 2011 and beyond?

Do you have a wish list from the Stampin' Up! catalogue of more than £100?

If so, why not take a "Test Drive"?

The Stampin' Up! Starter Kit offers you at least £240 of products for just £119 - that's a 50% discount off the retail price - and you can personalise it to your own tastes!

PLUS you get the benefit of taking the Stampin' Up! Demonstrator discounts and benefits for a "test drive" through to the end of September if you join in May and June - with NO obligation to sell or purchase anything further.

If your motive is simply to get the kit, that's ok!

Did you know..?

You can choose items from the *new* Mini Catalogue to personalise your kit!

During May only, you can add a pack of Designer Series Paper (RRP £8.75) to your Starter Kit for FREE!

When you purchase the Starter Kit, you become a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and a member of my Seaside Stampers team. You are NOT obliged to purchase anything further, hold workshops, run classes or sell products.

You receive Stampin' Up! Demonstrator discounts and benefits through to the end of the next FULL quarter.. so if you join in May or June, the end of the next full quarter is the end of September!

So, what are these discounts and benefits?

Receive a discount of 20% on all products from the Idea Book & Catalogue and Mini Catalogue!
See and purchase new products before anyone else!
Gain access to masses of project ideas and business support on the Demonstrator Website and in the monthly Impressions newsletter.
Gain access to the Demonstrator side of the In Love With Stamping website, which is an invaluable source of inspiration, support and fun!

Tell me... what's in the Starter Kit!

3 wood-mount stamp sets - value: up to £67.85
1 clear-mount set with clear block - value: up to £20.95
1 Stampin' Around Wheel with ink cartridge and handle - value: £14.25
1 ink refill - value: £2.55
1 assorted colour smooth cardstock pack (up to 24 sheets of A4) - value: £6.25
1 cardstock pack Very Vanilla or Whisper White (40 sheets of A4) - value: £7.50
1 Patterns Designer Series Paper stack (40 double-sided sheets) - value: £15.50
4 Classic Stampin' Pads - value: £19.80
1 VersaMark ink pad - value: £5.95
2 Stampin' Write Markers - value: £5.90
1 spool of 5/8" Satin Ribbon - value: £6.75
Stampin' Dimensionals (300 foam pads) - value: £3.25
Stampin' Scrub - value: £13.50
Stampin' Mist - value: £3.25
SNAIL Adhesive - value: £5.50
Blender Pen - value: £3.98
Paper Snips - value: £7.95
8 Idea Book & Catalogues - value: £21.95
8 Mini Catalogues (between April and September) - value: £4.95
Business supplies, forms and tools - value: approx. £25

Yes, you really can have all of this for just £119!

And as if that wasn't enough..

you could also take advantage of the

Stampin' Memories Add-On Kit (optional)

This wonderful kit is just £50 for over £80 of products!

It is only available when you purchase the main Starter Kit and is well worth the investment if you love your scrapbooking.

Here's what's included:

One stamp set - value up to £44.95
1 textured cardstock pack (12"x12") - value £10.50
1 Designer Series Paper pack (12"x12") - value £8.75
1 Quick Accents pack (self-adhesive die-cuts) - value £7.50
1 Designer Printed 12"x12" post-bound album - value £16.95

TOTAL VALUE: £88.65!

If you'd like to take advantage of these offers, click the link below to reach the Stampin' Up! website where you can download the Starter Kit Order Form, Independent Demonstrator Agreement and Independent Demonstrator Application form.

Click here for the Stampin' Up! website.

Any questions? Please don't hesitate to get in touch. I'll be very happy to help!

Sarah x

Tel: 01323 730296

Mobile: 07970 615390

Email: slpiggott73@gmail.com

Win a Free Stamp Set from Stampin' Up!

2011-05-02T12:00:00.000+01:00

Every Monday in May, Stampin' Up! are offering you the chance to win a FREE stamp set! All you need to do is pop over to the Stampin' Up! website and answer one very quick question, leaving your name and email address.. and that's it!

Questions will be updated weekly, so go back every Monday in May to enter again.

Good Luck!

Scrapbooking with your Big Shot!

2011-04-30T12:04:00.001+01:00

After a fabulous long weekend in Wales over Easter, I've been dying to scrapbook some of the (many) photos I took. And what a great excuse to play with my new Big Shot and Stampin' Up! exclusive dies..

A couple of weeks ago I treated myself to a set of Timeless Type Junior Alphabet dies from the Mini Catalogue. I really love using die-cut letters for scrapbook titles.. you can cut them in any colour you like, and with the Big Shot you can use a wide range of materials, too!

In the following layouts, I've used these dies for my title letters and have used a mixture of cardstock and 'funky foam' for the lettering.

Here's a closer look at those die-cut letters:

I've used a couple of other dies here - one of the Sizzlits 'Lots of Tags' 4-pack of dies and the 'Top Note' Bigz die:

The Top Note die is fab for journaling and I just love that ticket die.. so many possibilities!

{The border strips and stickers used in this layout are the lovely Play Date Quick Accents - heavyweight self-adhesive die-cuts which coordinate with the Play Date DSP.}

OK, so here's the other layout..

Again I've used the Timeless Type alphabet dies with cardstock and funky foam - for both the main title and the numbers 1 to 3! I've also used another of the 'Lots of Tags' dies as a label for the date.. here's a close-up:

{The camera was paper-pieced using scraps of cardstock and Designer Series Papers and mounted on Stampin' Dimensionals. Designer Series Papers used on this layout are a mixture of Sweet Stitches DSP and Brights Colour Collection DSP. The journaling boxes were stamped using a stamp from the Sew Lovely set from the Mini Catalogue.}

The Timeless Type set is my idea of the PERFECT alphabet dies... you get upper and lower case letters, numbers and a whole range of punctuation marks and icons, and the font is a classic one which will suit just about ANY layout you might do! Upper case letters and numbers are approximately 2.5 cm high.

Supplies:

Sizzix Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine (includes Standard Cutting Pads and Multipurpose Platform) £87.95
Timeless Type Junior Alphabet (Set of 12 dies in storage box) £65.95
Sizzlits Lots of Tags (Set of 4 dies including 5 tag shapes. Each die measures 5.7 x 6.4 cm) £18.95
Sizzix Bigz Top Note Die (Measures 14 x 15.2 cm) £18.95

In case you are thinking about investing in the Big Shot and this gorgeous Alphabet die set.. you could buy both of these from me and receive your choice of Lots of Tags or Top Note die... along with your choice of Hostess-exclusive stamp set... absolutely FREE! If you need more details, or would like a copy of the Mini Catalogue, please don't hesitate to ask and I'll be delighted to help.

Or why not check out my Mini Catalogue Special Offers page for another very special deal? :o)

You can get in touch to place an order by email, by phone or in person.. all the details are on the Contact me page!

Happy crafting!

Sarah x

Scrapbook Club Thursday 28th April - a Sneak Peek!

2011-04-25T22:46:00.000+01:00

Hello!

I hope you had a wonderful Easter break.. we had a lovely few days with my parents with LOTS of beaches, sand and picnics.. great fun! But now it's back to work and school.. and there's just time to share a sneak preview of the project we'll be making at this coming Thursday's Scrapbook Club. It's called a tri-shutter mini album.. looks fiendishly complicated but it's really not too difficult!

My album uses papers from the Nursery Suite Specialty DSP, along with a few of the matching Quick Accents (self-adhesive die-cuts).

A close-up of the inside of the album..

I think you can see this larger if you click on the photo.. but it shows you how the album looks when it's standing up.

The class is on Thursday 28th April from 9.30am to 12.30pm and costs £15. I have a couple of spaces left if you would like to join in. You'll be able to choose from a wide range of colours and Designer Series Papers to make your album, depending on its theme. You'll also get to use my lovely new Big Shot and dies, including the gorgeous and so-versatile Timeless Type Junior Alphabet dies (I used these for my title 'baby charlie').

Please contact me by Wednesday morning if you would like to join in with this class.. and expect some extra yummy cakes on Thursday as it's my birthday.. just promise you won't ask how old I am.. ;o)

How to make a monster!

2011-04-20T11:43:00.000+01:00

Had such a lovely day yesterday, reading Cath Kidston's latest catalogue/magazine in the sunshine, boys playing happily together.. ahhh, bliss! Then I spotted a reader's letter that spurred me into immediate action. The idea was (sort of) this: get your little ones to draw a monster, then recreate said monster in fabric.. i.e. make a cuddly version of their drawing!

Charlie and Harry loved the idea and were more than happy to play along. So here's Charlie's drawing:

Basically a sausage-shaped creature with wonky arms, spiky hair and a big smile. After choosing a scrap of fabric, ribbons and buttons (free with a magazine).. and a lot of trial and error.. here's what I managed to produce:

Charlie loves it.. and has named it Mr Flowery Monster. Perfect!

With barely time to catch my breath, I was ordered back upstairs to the craft room to find fabric for Harry's monster. He chose a beautiful Melon Mambo-esque pink (to my surprise.. it's normally blue all the way with Harry). This time I thought I'd capture the process and learn from my many mistakes..

Here's Harry's design:

... and here's what to do!

1. Trace the design onto tracing paper, cut it out and pin it to two layers of fabric, good sides on the inside. Cut out the design, leaving a centimetre all round.

2. Sew eyes, nose and mouth (as dictated by the design) on to the front piece of fabric. Remember to leave enough room around the edge for hemming.

3. Turn the two pieces back-to-back again and tack around the edges, leaving the bottom edge open. If you are including ribbons for hair or limbs, tuck these in as you tack around... remember the long parts should be INSIDE at this stage! (Yes.. I didn't do this the first time..). Sew around edges with sewing machine, reinforcing the parts with ribbons sticking out (or just sew round the whole lot twice).

Sorry - forgot to take picture of this stage!

4. Turn monster inside-out and check everything is in the right place. Correct things if, like me, you messed up ;o)

5. Stuff with toy stuffing and sew up the bottom edge, adding ribbon legs if desired.

Voila!!! Meet Mr Pink Monster! I'm delighted to say, Harry loves him.

All buttons and ribbons on this one were from Stampin' Up!

Hope you like my monsters too!

Sarah x

Fun with Stampin' Around Wheels

2011-04-19T11:57:00.000+01:00

I really enjoy making cards with Stampin' Up!'s Stampin' Around Wheels - they make it so easy to produce a quick but effective card. Here are a couple of cards I made recently using the Jumbo Wheels 'Very Vintage' and 'Baby Tees'.

This one (above) uses the Very Vintage Jumbo Wheel and Tiny Tags stamp set, along with Love Letter Designer Series Paper and Linen Thread. The colour scheme is Very Vanilla, Basic Black and Riding Hood Red. I also used the Jewellery Tag and Scallop Trim Border punches. To make sure my stamping didn't go wonky, I used the Stampin' Around Wheel Guide - an essential tool for straight stamping with the Wheel!

To see more cards made with the Very Vintage wheel, check out this post.

This card was made using the Baby Tees Stampin' Around Jumbo Wheel. I rolled the wheel along a couple of pieces of Whisper White cardstock, then coloured and cut out two of the little vests. I mounted these onto my other stamped piece using Stampin' Dimensionals foam pads. The colour scheme is Marina Mist, So Saffron and Certainly Celery. The card was for twin boys so I typed and printed a personalised greeting on Whisper White cardstock and stuck it in a strip along the base of the card.

Hope you like them!

Sarah x

April's Card Class: Easter Cards and Gifts

2011-04-15T21:25:00.000+01:00

Thank you to the ladies who attended my Easter card class last week! Just a quick post to share what we made:

So here are the cards:

(This one was inspired by a card I was very kindly sent by Scraphappy Jackie to put on my display board.. thank you Jackie, your cards were wonderful!)

..and here are the Easter basket and gift bags:

The toppers on the gift bags were made using the new Top Note die in the Big Shot (I LOVE my new Big Shot so much!!).. the pink one was then embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. The rabbit stamp is from the Forest Friends stamp set.. a perfect Easter bunny I think!

Tea, Cake & Craft Party make and takes

2011-04-12T22:31:00.001+01:00

So here's what I got the ladies making at the Tea, Cake & Craft Party last Saturday..

Cards.. using Springtime Vintage Designer Series Papers, gorgeous Seam Binding, the new Four Frames stamp set and coordinating Decorative Label punch:

Scrapbook pages... using all sorts of Designer Series Papers, along with brand-new Beautiful Wings Embosslits - the ladies were able to choose whatever papers they fancied to suit their photos, and came up with some fabulous layouts! Here's my example:

Gift bags... made with a piece of A5 sized cardstock, scored, folded, punched and stuck together, then decorated with punched out flowers and ribbon:

Thanks for visiting!

Sarah x

Tea, Cake and Craft Party update

2011-04-05T21:12:00.000+01:00

A belated update on the Tea, Cake & Craft Party (now I've recovered..)! We had 20 lovely people here, drinking tea, eating the most scrumptious home-made cakes (a HUGE thank you to all who made cakes for the occasion), and of course crafting!

The calm before the storm..

Another massive thank you to those wonderful ladies who helped out by making teas, washing up the mugs and generally making sure everyone was happy.. you truly made the event a success and I could not have coped without you!

It was a very busy morning but the feedback I've received from those who attended has been really positive so I'm absolutely delighted that all the work was worth it. We raised approximately £85 for The Eve Appeal - pretty good I think!

There were around ten ladies for each session, making cards, scrapbook pages and finally little gift boxes. It was lovely to see how people used my designs for inspiration, adding their own touches.. or totally went their own way.. fantastic!

The winners of the Prize Draw were...

Janette - 'So Happy for You' stamp set
Eve - Set of six hand-made cards in a box (see picture below)
Claire - Body Shop Coconut Shower Cream (courtesy of Helen Ridley, Body Shop Consultant - thank you Helen!)

Here are those cards that Eve won..

..and their little gift box..

The butterfly stamp is from the beautiful Strength & Hope stamp set. Stampin' Up! are donating £1 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation from every purchase of this stamp set.

I'll be back soon with more crafty pictures from Saturday..

Sarah x

Mini Catalogue Blog Hop

2011-04-02T09:55:00.001+01:00

Hello and welcome to my blog! If you came via the Mini Catalogue Blog Hop, you'll have come from Sharon's 'My Ink Pad'..

I've been crazy busy these last couple of weeks preparing for my Tea, Cake & Craft Party which should be happening right about now! So I thought I'd show you a couple of projects we'll be making today using products from the wonderful Mini Catalogue.

First, here's a scrapbook page I made using the beautiful Springtime Vintage DSP:

Want a closer look?

Love that Seam Binding ribbon! I've also used the new Four Frames stamps plus the matching Decorative Label punch; Strength & Hope butterfly on the background; and Beautiful Wings Embosslits for the tiny butterflies.

I do love that Springtime Vintage DSP - as soon as I saw it I had the notion of making some bunting with it. Here it is in progress..

Note the Seam Binding again.. this one is Rose Red. And here's the finished article hanging proudly on the mantelpiece!

Next is a card I made using the lovely Sweet Stitches DSP along with those Beautiful Wings Embosslits again.. well they are cute, aren't they!

Also using the Sweet Stitches DSP.. a little box for pins. :o) It's actually a little box I bought from Ikea ages ago with the idea of altering in some way.. and at last I've had a go! The button is one of the Big Designer Buttons in the Sweet Stitches range.

OK, that's it from me! Your next stop on the Blog Hop is Jayne at Mad About Stamps... have fun, and thanks for visiting!

Sarah x

At last.. the Mini Catalogue is here!

2011-04-01T11:13:00.000+01:00

It's been a long wait, but finally I can show you the brand new Stampin' Up! Mini Catalogue... along with a few special offers... and a couple of the projects I've been working on these last few weeks! To view the Mini, just click on the picture in the side bar.. or get in touch with me and I'll send you a copy.

If you're coming to my Tea, Cake & Craft Party tomorrow, you'll be receiving a copy of the Mini in your goodie bag, along with information on the kits and other special deals I'll be running over the next few months.. details are also here!

Tomorrow there's going to be a Mini Catalogue Blog Hop, in which I and my lovely friends at In Love With Stamping will be showcasing a whole host of projects made using the new Stampin' Up! products. Pop back here tomorrow at around 10am and spend a while getting to know the new Mini and being inspired by all the wonderful new goodies we have to play with!

Meanwhile, I'd like to show you a few things I made at a training event I attended a couple of weeks ago (thank you Natalie - we had such fun!)

This little pillow box was made using the Big Shot and Pillow Box Die, embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. The little butterflies were die-cut with the Beautiful Wings Embosslits Dies (exclusive to Stampin' Up!) - you'll be seeing a lot of these.. I love them! This would make a gorgeous little wedding favour box.. and so easy to make!

And here is a small gift bag made using the SU!-exclusive Top Note Die. The label on the front was made with the new Four Frames stamp set along with the perfectly matching Decorative Label Punch. You know, I'm really starting to enjoy making little boxes & bags!

I took these cards (and 12 others..) to the training day to swap with the other ladies there. We'll be doing a similar design at the Tea, Cake & Craft Party tomorrow! The papers are from the Springtime Vintage DSP pack.. if you like all things vintage and Cath Kidston (and I do), you'll ADORE these! The ribbon is Seam Binding - soft, silky and available in four colours - Pear Pizazz, Rose Red, Baja Breeze and Crumb Cake.. it's lush!

Tomorrow, I'll be showing a couple of scrapbook pages, more cards and some home decor projects as part of the Blog Hop so I hope you'll check back as there're sure to be masses of beautiful work on display!

If you would like to place an order, just give me a call or email me and I'll be delighted to help.

Sarah x

One week to go til Tea, Cake & Craft Party..

2011-03-26T13:29:00.000Z

.. and I may be starting to panic just slightly.. There'll be around 15 people coming, a mixture of ladies from my card-making and scrapbooking classes, friends and mums from Charlie and Harry's schools who have little or no experience at crafting. So it's going to be fun, I hope.. and all for a great cause!

I'm afraid I haven't been able to post many projects lately as almost everything I've been making has involved goodies from the new Stampin' Up! Mini-Catalogue, which is under wraps til 1st April. I can't wait to show you.. the Mini is packed full of gorgeousness, it really is FABULOUS!

I will be emailing my mailing list over the weekend about the Mini-Catalogue - how you can get a copy sent to you, a very special offer for the first week of April, news of a Mini-catalogue Blog Hop I'm involved in.. and a chance for you to give me some feedback, if you wouldn't mind.

Meanwhile.. thank you to everyone who attended Scrapbook class on Thursday - I was thrilled to see how you rose to the challenge of making two or three 12"x12" layouts in three hours, each using the same kit of Play Date DSP. The results were beautiful to see!

I eventually finished the layout I was working on too, and here it is:

The layout is a 'scraplift' from Carolyn on In Love With Stamping (thank you Carolyn for the inspiration!).

For the daisies I used the flower stamp from Punch Potpourri (a Level 1 Hostess set), punched out with the matching Boho Blossoms punch. The chipboard letters are from On Board Alphabet Soup - coloured white by pressing into a Whisper White Craft Ink Pad, then covered in Dazzling Diamonds glitter using the 2-way Glue Pen.

Next class is Card-making on Thursday 7th April - we'll be making Easter cards.. although if you would prefer them to be birthday cards, they will be easily adapted! Please see the Card-making Classes page for more details and contact me now to book your place.

Thanks for visiting!

Sarah x

More Scrapbooking with Play Date papers

2011-03-15T14:26:00.001Z

Here's the second layout I'll be using in this month's Scrapbook Club...

And here's a closer view:

I've used Play Date Designer Series Papers, along with matching cardstock and chipboard shapes from the On Board Mix & Match chipboard shapes set (£8.95 for three 12" x 12" sheets with over 100 pieces). I inked the heart and tree by pressing them into the ink pads, then topping up the colour using sponge daubers.

The blue letters were die-cut using Cuttlebug Red Tag Sale dies and the other letters were stamped using Just Perfect alphabet.

If you'd like to join in with Scrapbook Club this month, please check out this page for all the details.

Also, don't forget the Tea, Cake & Craft Party on Saturday 2nd April - tickets are selling fast and places on the Make & Takes are limited.. so if you'd like to come, please get in touch as soon as possible to book your place and buy your ticket. Tickets include a free Mini-catalogue, make & take, tea, cakes, and chances to win a fabulous prize, so you really won't want to miss out! Click on the picture at the top of the page for all the details.

See you soon!

Sarah x

Edited to add: In case anyone happens to revisit this page, after comments received about the title, I decided to alter the layout to include the word 'tree'. Apparently, at first glance, it looked as if I was being rather rude to poor Harry.. ;o) So I have changed the photos to show the new improved layout!

March cardmaking class - Flight of the Butterfly

2011-03-10T20:14:00.000Z

Thank you ladies for coming to today's class - I loved seeing how you interpreted the cards and really made them your own!

I have to admit, having said we'd use Flight of the Butterfly last month I struggled for a while to come up with anything I was really pleased with.. so I turned to some trusty sources of inspiration to help me out! (Sometimes the mojo takes a little holiday, you know?) ;o)

So here are the cards we made today...

This one (above) was cased from the Idea Book & Catalogue (have I mentioned it's full of wonderful card and scrapbook ideas for you to 'borrow' and adapt as you like..?). The colours I used were Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Tangerine Tango and Pumpkin Pie.

This one (above) was inspired by a card I spotted on SplitCoast Stampers (another valuable source of inspiration when your mojo fails you!) by justbehappy.. love the different shades of pink all together - they are Melon Mambo and Regal Rose with a bit of Pretty in Pink satin ribbon!

And finally, this last one was totally inspired by another one I found on SplitCoast Stampers - although I changed the colour scheme and added the yellow punched strip across the middle. The colours are Tempting Turquoise, Real Red and Daffodil Delight.

All of today's cards were made using colours from the Brights Collection, along with Flight of the Butterfly stamp set, the Butterfly punch and the Scallop Trim Border punch. The Boho Blossoms punch was also used on the second card.

Did you know you can buy cardstock in a Brights assortment... 20 sheets of A4 smooth cardstock (2 each in 10 colours) for £6.25? Let me know if you'd like me to order some.. or any of the products used in this class.. and I'll be very happy to help!

See you soon,

Sarah x

Scrapbooking with Play Date DSP.. and a very special offer!

2011-03-07T11:40:00.000Z

Hello!
Here's a quick page I did using a template from Shimelle's 4x6 Photo Love class.

I used the gorgeous Play Date Designer Series Papers which we'll be using in this month's Scrapboook Club (24th and 26th March). The punches are 5-Petal Flower and Boho Blossoms, and I also used brads from the Subtles brads collection and an Old Olive Button from the Brights Designer Buttons pot.

If you'd like to come scrapbooking on Thursday 24th or Saturday 26th March, check out all the details here and get in touch to book your place.. the price is just £12 if you book by this Thursday or Saturday (i.e. up to two weeks in advance), £15 thereafter.

The price includes enough materials to make THREE 12x12 scrapbook pages using the beautiful Play Date papers, coordinating cardstock and accessories - and you'll have access to a wide range of stamps, inks and tools to help you complete your pages. You'll need to bring at least four 4"x6" photos and your basic scrapbooking kit.

I am offering a very special deal this month - if you'd like to buy a 12"x12" post-bound Designer Printed Scrapbook Album, in a choice of three patterns, for £16.95, you can come to Scrapbook Club for HALF PRICE! That is, just £6 if you book by Thursday/Saturday or £7.50 if you book after those dates! Check out page 101 of the Idea Book & Catalogue to view these scrapbook albums.

Contact me now to take advantage of this special offer and secure your place. Beginners to scrapbooking are very welcome - no previous experience is needed as I will help you every step of the way!

Thanks for visiting and I hope to see you soon!

Sarah x

Tea, Cake & Craft Party - Sat 2nd April!

2011-03-02T09:53:00.000Z

I'm holding a Tea, Cake & Craft Party at home on Saturday 2^nd April from 10:00am to 12:30pm in aid of The Eve Appeal and I would be delighted if you could come.

The Eve Appeal is a charity which funds groundbreaking research into gynaecological cancers. For more information, please visit www.eveappeal.org.uk.

Tickets cost £5 and include:

Tea & home-made cakes
One 'Make & Take' session – make a card, scrapbook page or gift box to take away
Your own copy of the brand new Stampin' Up! Mini-Catalogue, released 1st April!
Entry into the Prize Draw.. for a chance to win some gorgeous prizes!
Exclusive Eve Appeal pin badge

There will be three 'Make & Take' sessions featuring products from the brand new Mini-catalogue (hint: you won't want to miss this - it is FABULOUS!).

10:30 – 11:00am Card-making

11:00 – 11:30am Scrapbooking (you'll need a 4”x6” photo of a female loved one - friend, mum, sister, gran or daughter?)

11:30 – 12:00pm Gift box making

If you would like to join in an extra one or two sessions, these will be priced at £2.50 each, payable on the day and subject to availability.

There will be other opportunities to increase your chances of winning a lovely prize.. more details to follow!

Please RSVP by 18^th March, letting me know which is your preferred Make & Take session. Also let me know your address if you need me to post your ticket. See Contact Me page for my contact details!

Payment can be made Paypal (via the button below), cheque (payable to Sarah Piggott), bank transfer (email me for details) or cash.

£3.00 from the price of each ticket will be donated directly to The Eve Appeal.

I do hope you can join me... and if you would like to help this worthy cause by donating cakes or lending a hand on the day that would be HUGELY appreciated!! :o)

Please note: Due to space and safety limitations, this event is open to adults only.

Sarah x x x

February Prize Draw

2011-03-01T11:30:00.000Z

Now I've got all my receipts in order, I can announce the winner of February's Prize Draw...

The Random Number Generator very kindly came up with...

Number 65...

Congratulations Linda!

The prize this month is:

a Two-Way Glue Pen and a pot of Dazzling Diamonds Glitter - woohoo!!

Linda, your prize will be with you soon. :o)

To be in with a chance for the March Prize Draw, you need to either book and pay for a class, or purchase some yummy Stampin' Up! goodies, or host a workshop this month.. and with the March Frenzy just starting, you could even grab yourself a super bargain at the same time.

As ever, I'd like to thank all my class-goers and customers for a fabulous February.. while I'm sad to see the end of Sale-a-Bration, there's always something to look forward to with Stampin' Up!.. so it's onwards and upwards! :o)

Check back tomorrow for details of my special event on Saturday 2nd April.. you really won't want to miss it!

March Frenzy!

2011-03-01T09:57:00.000Z

Happy New Month!

And this month it's March Frenzy at Stampin' Up!...

which means it's your chance to get up to 30% off selected products.

The flyer is a bit pale, isn't it! If you can't quite make it out, you can also check it out on the Stampin' Up! customer website here (it doesn't show the piccies of each product so you might want to have your Idea Book & Catalogue to hand).

I will be showcasing some of these products at our card-making classes on Thursday 10th and Saturday 12th March. Spaces are available on both dates so if you'd like to come, see this page for details - you can now pay online via Paypal!

Would you like to book a home workshop or private class in March? Check out this page for all the details and contact me now to set a date!

I'll be back later with the winner of February's Prize Draw..

and come back tomorrow for news of an exciting event I have planned for Saturday 2nd April! :o)

Scrapbooking with Greenhouse Gala DSP

2011-02-27T09:32:00.000Z

Oops! For some reason I forgot to share these scrapbook pages.. I did them back in November for Scrapbook Magazine and they were published in issue 52 last month. Most of the papers used were from the Greenhouse Gala Designer Series Paper pack - love the colours and patterns in these papers!

Baby Me:

The hearts were stamped on lined paper from Greenhouse Gala DSP using stamps from the Punch Potpourri Hostess set. I coloured the chipboard letters with Baja Breeze ink and added Crystal Effects for a glossy, raised effect.

@ 37:

The butterfly is also from the Punch Potpourri Hostess set (by the way, you can earn this set FREE when you host a workshop).

Chalk & Cheese:

The green spotty paper on the left was actually from the Jolly Holiday DSP pack - but it seems to go nicely with the Greenhouse Gala paper! These little birds were punched using the gorgeousTwo-Step Bird punch and decorated with buttons from the Brights Designer Buttons pack (£7.75 for 72 buttons).

Thanks for visiting!

Sarah x

A quest... for the perfect passport photo!

2011-02-17T11:22:00.000Z

Loved this series of photos we took of Harry last weekend in an attempt to get just one decent picture for his passport! (There were many more.. but these were my faves!).

Supplies:

Cardstock:
Real Red textured 12x12 cardstock (£10.50 for 20 sheets - 2 each in 10 colours)
Whisper White (£7.50 for 40 A4 sheets)

Designer Series Papers:

Bashful Blue from Subtles Designer Series Paper Patterns Stack (£15.50 for 40 double-sided sheets)
Newsprint DSP (£8.75 for 12 double-sided sheets)

Letters & chipboard:
On Board Alphabet Soup (£8.95 for three 12x12 sheets)
Vintage rub-ons (£6.75 for four sheets - Basic Black and Very Vanilla - upper and lower case)
Chipboard arrow - from On Board Mix & Match (coloured with Basic Black marker pen) (£8.95 for three 12x12 sheets)

Stamps:

Dotted Lines Stampin' Around Jumbo Wheel (£8.50)
Stampin' Around Jumbo Handle (£4.95)
Stampin' Around Wheel Guide (which I didn't use.. and should have!!) (£7.95)

Punch:
Word Window Large (£14.25)

Accessories:
Buttons - from Designer Buttons - Neutrals (£7.75 for 72 buttons)
Ribbon - 1-1/4" Basic Black & White Grosgrain (£10.25 for 9.1m)
Badge - from my old stash

If you'd like to order any of the above products (or any others!).. drop me an email or call me and I'll happily order them for you!

Thanks for visiting..

Sarah x

From Clean And Simple to... Messy And Complicated?

2011-02-14T09:54:00.000Z

My Clean & Simple phase was never going to last!

I got the urge to scrapbook on Saturday night, inspired by a sketch on the Pencil Lines sketch blog, and here was the result:

The layout documents a trip to the beach last weekend to explore the fishermens' huts and boats. Harry was particularly drawn to this bright yellow one. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to add some strandline treasures (including dried seaweed, fishing line and a shell) that I'd been hoarding for ages.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight
Papers: Newsprint DSP
Lettering: On Board Chipboard Letters, Vintage Rub-ons, letters cut from Newsprint DSP
Stamps: Texture Jumbo Wheel
Ink: Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad, So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad
Punches: Spiral, Scallop Trim Border
Other: Crop-a-Dile, Paper Crimper, Distressing Essentials kit, Linen Thread, Sponge Daubers

Sale-a-Bration - two weeks to go!

2011-02-13T10:10:00.000Z

30 December 2010-28 February 2011

..{FRIENDS, FRESH IDEAS & FREE PRODUCTS!}..

three easy ways to earn

..{free stamps}..

1. spend

For every £45 you spend on Stampin' Up! products, you will earn one free Sale-a-Bration set of your choice. Just email or call me with your selection and I'll place the order for you.

2. host

Let me help you host your own Stampin' Up! party at home and if your party sales reach £300 or more, you will earn one free Sale-a-Bration set in addition to the already-fabulous hostess benefits (see Host a Workshop page for details)! Why not book your workshop now and enjoy a fun evening crafting with your friends and family?

3. join

Join Stampin' Up! before the end of February and you can choose a free stamp set (excluding hostess sets) from the Idea Book & Catalogue (valued up to £44.95) - see Join my Team page for information on becoming a demonstrator!

And here are the four stamp sets you can earn for FREE during Sale-a-bration!

For ideas on how you can use these stamps, click on Sale-a-bration in the LABELS menu on the right.

February's Card Class

2011-02-12T18:38:00.000Z

Thank you to the lovely ladies who attended my card-making class today and last Thursday.. it's always so rewarding to see how you get on with the projects I've planned for you!

So here's what we got up to this month:

First, a vintage-style card made using the Bliss Sale-a-bration stamp set (I love this set so much!), inspired by the Sale-a-bration flyer...

Second, a Valentine card (inspired by one I spotted on ILWS by Sarah-Jane) and treat box made using the gorgeous Love You Much set...

And finally... a quick and easy card (totally inspired by Julie Kettlewell) made using papers from the Brights Designer Series Paper stack and the adorable owl from Punch Bunch (another Sale-a-bration stamp set)..

Yes, we had a busy time making FOUR fabulous items in two-and-a-half hours and having lots of fun in the process! If you'd like to join in next month, do get in touch.. we'll be making more cards on Thursday 10th and Saturday 12th March. Check out this page for booking information.

Feb Scrapbook Club - Sneaky Peeks!

2011-02-07T11:52:00.000Z

Wow, I can't believe February's Scrapbook Club project is FINISHED.. with just under three weeks to go! I really enjoyed making this month's project - it's a very clean-and-simple chipboard album on the theme of Love.

The album is dedicated to my very male-dominated family, so rather than going for pinks and reds I've used a colour palette of Baja Breeze and Certainly Celery - cardstock and Designer Series Papers - from Stampin' Up!'s gorgeous Subtles collection.

I've also made use of the Love You Much stamp set, which was perfect for this project, along with the coordinating Heart to Heart punch.

All my photos were edited in Picasa (Google's free and very user-friendly photo-editing software) - I cropped them into a square, converted them to black & white and added a blueish tint to coordinate with the Baja Breeze. I printed four to a sheet of A4 photo paper, then trimmed each one to approximately 4 inches, leaving a white border around each photo.

If you're coming along to Scrapbook Club this month - you'll need to bring five photos of someone or something you love (not necessarily your other half.. could be your whole family, as I did, or your pets, or your favourite foods! Whatever works for you, ok?). You can bring 6"x4" prints and crop them to a square shape if you like.. or try doing what I have described above in Picasa if you're feeling adventurous!

Homework!
It would be helpful if you can have a think about the colours you'd like to use in your album (choose two from the Subtles collection).. and also what album shape you want to use... your choice is Square (as I used - and much the easiest!), Tabbed or Bracket (see below).

If you can let me know by the end of this week, I'll be able to get your kit prepared in advance so you're ready to start the minute you arrive! I can't promise but I'll do my best to have your first choices here for you.

It's not too late to book your place!
I have spaces available for both Thursday 24th and Saturday 26th February's Scrapbook Club, so if you'd like to join in please get in contact with me today! Book your place by 10th/12th Feb to receive the discounted rate of £12 for the class (click on the Class Dates and Details page for further information on booking).

Finally.. don't forget, we have card-making classes this week - Thursday 10th and Saturday 12th February - we'll be using the Sale-a-bration sets Bliss and Punch Bunch, along with the Love You Much set shown above!

Hope to see you soon!

Sarah x

Gotta love these colours!

2011-02-02T22:06:00.000Z

Today I needed to make six very quick, simple cards with NO greeting on them... so after some deliberation, here's what I came up with: three in each colourway, butterflies in various papers from the Love Letter DSP pack.

You really can't go wrong with this colour scheme in my opinion! (In fact, it matches our new lounge decor.. coincidence? probably not!)

Riding Hood Red - Baja Breeze - Basic Black - Very Vanilla

Stamps: Very Vintage Stampin' Around Wheel
Punches: Scallop Trim Border; Butterfly
Designer Series Paper: Love Letter

A New Home card using Neighbourhood Wheel and Aquapainters

2011-02-01T13:14:00.000Z

Hi again!

Just wanted to share a card I made for my sister- and brother-in-law to celebrate their new home.

I used the Neighbourhood Jumbo Wheel and Stampin' Around Wheel Guide to stamp a couple of rows of houses on Very Vanilla cardstock. I then coloured one of the houses on the 'spare' row using Not Quite Navy, Blushing Bride and Old Olive ink from the Classic Stampin' Ink Pads and my new Aquapainters.

Tip: before opening your Ink Pad, squash it between your fingers and thumbs to transfer some of the ink from the pad to the lid. Then you can use this as a palette from which to pick up ink with your Aquapainter.

I then cut out the painted house and mounted it on foam pads onto the corresponding one on the row of houses. The houses were matted on to Pear Pizazz cardstock which was punched with the Scallop Trim Border punch. The base card is Peach Parfait, one of the In Colours.

Unable to resist adding a bit more detail, I stamped lots of little bees (from So Happy For You Sale-a-Bration set) in VersaMark ink as a background.

The sentiment was done on the computer and printed onto Very Vanilla cardstock.

I enjoyed painting the one little house so much, I'm tempted to go back and paint the others! But I'm trying to stay 'clean and simple' and there's always the risk I'll mess it up.. so I really should quit while I'm ahead. :o)

Have a lovely day!

Sarah x

January Prize Draw winner!

2011-02-01T09:55:00.000Z

A BIG HUGE THANK YOU to all my lovely customers who have attended my classes and bought some fabulous Stampin' Up! products this past month. I so love this job! :o) I get to meet lots of lovely crafty ladies.. play around for hours dreaming up cards and scrapbook ideas for classes.. and do plenty of shopping for stash! (Even if I'm ordering for you, it's still exciting!)

I would love to see what you make with your new SU! purchases.. and I'd also really like to see your finished scrapbook projects too! If you'd like me to feature any of your cards, scrapbook pages or other projects made using SU! products that you've bought from me.. bring them along to your next class and I'll photograph them for the blog!

Now before I forget... the winner of the January Prize Draw is...

Helen Green!!

Congratulations, Helen - your prize will be included with your current order which is on its way!

The cards at the top of this post were commissioned by one of the parents at Charlie's school. They had to be quick and simple to make, so I used some scraps of Elegant Soiree DSP, along with strips of cardstock punched with the Scallop Trim Border punch, then added the greeting from So Happy For You (Sale-a-Bration set), punched out with the Word Window punch. The colour scheme is Baja Breeze, Soft Suede and Very Vanilla.

And finally... if you'd like to sign up for one of my February card-making classes (Thurs 10th and Sat 12th Feb), I'm holding the price at £8 until the end of Wednesday 2nd Feb (that's tomorrow night!) - so if you fancy coming, get in quick to secure your place at the discount rate!

Thanks for visiting!

Sarah x

Come and join me in February!

2011-01-31T16:07:00.000Z

Hi there!

Fancy joining me for a card-making class or scrapbooking session in February? If so, now's the time to book your place.. I've just updated the Class Dates and Details page so you can see what's happening from now til June.

February's Card-making Classes take place on Thursday 10th and Saturday 12th February. These classes will be showcasing two more of the Sale-a-bration stamp sets - Bliss and Punch Bunch - along with the chance to make a Valentine card using the very sweet Love You Much stamp set!

Scrapbook Club this month takes place on Thursday 24th and Saturday 26th February.. and we'll be continuing with the Love theme by making a chipboard album dedicated to someone (or something) special. You will be able to customise your kit using any of the colours from the delicious Subtles Collection - and use the fabulous Stampin' Up! Colour Coach to help you devise your perfect colour scheme!

Just a quick reminder, too, that Sale-a-Bration is now half-way through! You have til 28th February to earn yourself a FREE stamp set.. if you'd like more information, please check out my previous post here - and then click on the Sale-a-Bration label in the side-bar to see plenty of projects made using the sets on offer. If you would like a Sale-a-Bration leaflet, email me with your address and I'll send you a copy!

I'll be back tomorrow to announce the winner of January's Prize Draw.. good luck everyone!

And finally...

A birthday card for a friend's little girl.. happy birthday Rosie!

Colours: Pear Pizazz, Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise, Pretty in Pink.
Stamps: Punch Bunch (Sale-a-Bration), Party This Way, Just Perfect alphabet
DSP: Brights Designer Series Paper Pattern Stack (Daffodil Delight)

Thanks for your visit!

Sarah x

Inspired by Orla

2011-01-28T14:51:00.000Z

One of my Scrapbook Club ladies arrived yesterday with a brand new Orla Kiely-designed shopping bag from Tesco - only £4 would you believe!

I'd heard something about these bags but, as I don't do the shopping very often (shamefully bad wife that I am), I hadn't actually seen one. Well, I just had to have one! So I sent Gareth off to Tesco's last night with strict instructions to come back with an Orla bag.. never mind the groceries, I need an Orla shopping bag! ;o)

Bless him, he managed to procure one for me...

LOVE the pattern... LOVE that colour scheme! INSPIRED to create something!!

When you get into Stampin' Up!, a strange thing happens.. pretty soon you start thinking in SU! colours. When I saw this bag, I instantly thought Poppy Parade; Old Olive; Basic Grey; Chocolate Chip. Then I thought, how can I 'borrow' this design? Well, here's what I did:

Punch butterflies in the four colours
Stamp over each one in Whisper White Craft Ink using the damask stamp from the Bliss Sale-a-bration set.
Arrange them on a square of Very Vanilla cardstock, adhering with SNAIL adhesive.
Turn over and cut off the overhanging bits with a sharp craft knife.
Mount onto Poppy Parade card blank (mine was 5x5 inches square).
Add greeting 'hello' from Tiny Tags stamp set to one of the butterflies.

Now who said I couldn't do Clean & Simple?! (actually, it was me.) Well, it was a struggle, let me assure you (and I'm still tempted to go back and add bits).

I can see me coming back to this kind of simple design.. I admire it so much when I see it, so I'm not sure why I don't do it more often. Could be the way forward!

What kind of look do you prefer? Clean & Simple or Messy & Complicated?!

Sarah :o)

January Scrapbook Club - Project Complete!

2011-01-27T21:37:00.000Z

As promised, here are a few more pictures of this month's Scrapbook Club project. A big thank you to the ladies who joined me this morning to have a go at the project.. I can't wait to see your finished books.. next month ok? :o)

So here's my cover:

My colour scheme is Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight and Old Olive. All the patterned papers are from the Brights Designer Series Paper (DSP) Pack and the Newsprint DSP pack.

The 'g' is a chipboard letter, inked and coated in Crystal Effects to make it shiny. The other letters (and numbers) were die-cut on my Cuttlebug. The tiny butterflies are from the 'So Happy For You' (Sale-a-bration) set.

First two pages:

{Eek! Wish I'd not left a 'halo' effect round my hair.. oops!}

I've used the Bliss (Sale-a-bration) set to stamp the background.

Thought I'd try doodling my title letters and the speech bubble (being more adventurous already, see? lol).

Second two pages (I showed you the pair yesterday, so here they are individually):

I used 'faux stitching' around the edges of the dotty paper - used the paper piercing template from the Mat Pack to pierce holes all the way round, then joined them up with a black journaling pen.. simple!

The bunting was made using a stamp from 'Party This Way', strung together with Linen Thread.

Third pair of pages:

The background was stamped with 'Sweet Summer' (another Sale-a-bration set). I doodled the scalloped boxes straight on to the DSP, then cut them in half and flipped one side round to show the other pattern (the papers are all double-sided). I used the Paper Piercing Template to help me sew the pieces together.

Fourth pair of pages:

The background was stamped with 'Just Believe' stamps.

And finally..(phew, nearly there) the fifth pair of pages:

Here, I made a pocket from DSP, folded over and punched with the Scallop Trim Border punch, for my tags. The colourful strips at the top of these pages were sliced from the cover of a Dulux paint catalogue.. appropriate to the theme, I thought!

Pages were stuck together back-to-back on three sides to form pockets for my tags. I used a circle punch to cut the semi-circles to allow easy removal of the tags. The numbers on each page were cut from a sheet of Newsprint DSP.

I hope you liked my project! Saturday ladies.. now you know what you have in store! ;o)

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask in the Comments box (by the way, anyone should be able to comment now.. I've changed the settings!).

Thanks for visiting,

Sarah x

January Scrapbook Club - Sneaky Peek

2011-01-26T10:07:00.000Z

Well, the first of this month's Scrapbook Club sessions is tomorrow morning.. and the project is at last (more or less) finished! I really do struggle with 'quick and simple', no matter how hard I try..

So here are a couple of pages from my mini tag book on my crafty goals for 2011.

I will post pictures of the whole book very soon, along with a few details on the materials and techniques I used.

Bookings are now closed for this month's Scrapbook Club, but if you'd like to join in next month, we'll be making a mini-album loosely based around the theme of Love.. more details to follow. Dates for February are Thursday 24th and Saturday 26th Feb, 9:30am to 12:30pm. Book early to receive a discount on the class fee..Click on Scrapbook Club and Class Dates and Details in the side bar for more information.

Thanks for visiting!

Sarah x

Another scrapbook layout

2011-01-23T17:41:00.000Z

This page was made using the Sale-a-bration stamp set 'Bliss', along with 'Notably Ornate' which is another vintage-style set that I'm loving at the moment. I'll just show you a few details..

The flowers were from the retired Pretties kit but similar ones are available separately. I coloured them pink using a sponge dauber and Blushing Bride ink, then layered them up. The leaves were cut using the Two-Step Bird punch. The metal frame is from the Hodgepodge Hardware kit - love those frames!

I made the journaling tag using a piece of white card stamped with the tag stamp from 'Notably Ornate' using Blushing Bride ink. The photo was matted on Blushing Bride cardstock punched with the Scallop Trim Border and Corner punches. The patterned papers are all from the Neutrals DSP stack.

The butterflies were stamped on the black cardstock using white craft ink, then I did three on Blushing Bride cardstock using Basic Grey ink. I cut these ones out and stuck them on the layout, adding adhesive rhinestones for a bit of sparkle!

Scrapbook Club is on this coming Thursday 27th and Saturday 29th January and we'll be making a mini tag book to record our goals for 2011. It's not too late to join in! Call me or email me to book your place as soon as possible if you'd like to come along.

Thanks for looking!

Sarah x

A couple of Punch Bunch cards

2011-01-23T08:37:00.000Z

Been so busy creating things this week I haven't had a chance to share.. so here's a couple of quick and easy cards I made for two little boys' birthdays:

Both cards use Designer Series Paper scraps from the Celebrations pack - just perfect for kiddies' birthdays with its bright primary colours and bold patterns!

I stamped the Owl from 'Punch Bunch' in Pacific Point ink directly on to the white cardstock.
To make the balloon, I stamped the balloon from 'Party This Way' on to a scrap of Bashful Blue cardstock and cut it out. I then cut out numbers from a sheet of Celebrations DSP and stuck them on the unstamped side of the balloons.
The greeting is from the lovely Sale-a-bration set, 'So Happy for You' - just love the cheerful font!
I cut the leaves using the Two-Step Bird punch and Pear Pizazz cardstock.
On the second card I stuck on some googly eyes from a craft shop - super cute!

Remember, Sale-a-bration stamp sets are only available through January and February - they will not be appearing in future Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalogues!

If you like the Owl stamp but don't fancy cutting him out - good news! There will be a punch to match the Owl stamp in the Stampin' Up! Mini-Catalogue, which comes out on 1st April. It's going to be a two-step punch, so you can piece together your owl's body, wings and eyes in whatever colour combinations you like.

Thanks for looking!

Sarah x

Some more Sweet Summer cards!

2011-01-14T13:58:00.000Z

Well it's hardly Sweet Summer at the moment! So here are a couple of bright and cheerful cards to make up for the gloomy weather..

This first one was totally inspired by a set of cards by GOLDCATS2003 on the fantastic In Love With Stamping forum. The greeting is from 'So Happy For You', another very lovely Sale-a-Bration set that's only available until the end of February. I coloured the flowers using Stampin' Write Markers in Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive.

The next one was inspired by a lovely card by pegcraftalot on ILWS, although I did change it by adding the ribbon and the butterfly. The colours are Pear Pizazz, Regal Rose and Rich Razzleberry (with a bit of Pumpkin Pie and Tangerine Tango for the butterfly!).

Do you like the background these cards are sitting on? I just received the 'Brights' Designer Series Paper Patterns Stack with my last order - you get 40 sheets of 12x12" paper in the stack - 2 each of 2 double-sided designs in all ten colours in the Brights Collection - for £15.50... that works out at an excellent 39p per sheet. I can't stop flicking through and gazing at the beautiful colours and patterns... they are SO yummy! :o)

We'll be using these gorgeous papers and coordinating cardstock in Scrapbook Club in two weeks' time.. that is, if I can bear to part with them! We're going to make a mini tag book on our 'Goals for 2011'.. if you'd like to join in, there's still time! Check out all the details on the Scrapbook Club page and then get in touch. I'd love you to join us!

January Card-making Class - Sweet Summer

2011-01-13T16:30:00.000Z

Thought I'd share some pictures of the cards we made in today's card-making class using one of the Sale-a-Bration stamp sets, 'Sweet Summer'. LOVE how simple these cards were to put together.. (well.. relatively simple.. let's just say lessons were learned by me as well as my ladies from today's class ;o) ;o) )!

The colour scheme used was Certainly Celery / Rose Red / Concord Crush - love this vibrant combination (OK, if you want to split hairs, the ribbon is actually Pear Pizazz and the ink is Old Olive but hey.. they coordinate perfectly)!

We used the 'One-Sheet Wonder' technique on an A5 size piece of Whisper White cardstock, stamping randomly all over the sheet with three stamps from the set, one colour for each stamp. The cardstock was then cut into pieces which were used as the basis for four cards.

I used a mixture of greetings on these four cards - the 'good luck' is from another Sale-a-Bration set, 'So Happy For You' and the others are from 'Sincere Salutations'. The border punch used on the first set of cards is the Scallop Trim Border - isn't it FABULOUS!! It's my new favourite and will definitely be getting a lot of use!

I'm doing this class again on Saturday morning - so if you'd like to join in, please get in touch with me as soon as possible! Check out the Card-making Classes page for full details.

If you would like to own either of these Sale-a-Bration stamp sets, please check out this post for details of how you can earn one for FREE! Here are pictures of the two sets we used today:

*I would like to credit Doris Kroh, a German SU! demonstrator, for the design idea in the second set of cards.. I loved it and adapted it for this class!

Thanks for reading!

Sarah x

A scrapbook page!

2011-01-11T23:02:00.000Z

This is my dear little Harry at the park. Lots of details on this page!

The title was made with Stampin' Up!'s bare chipboard letters and shapes. The 'i' was first covered with white craft ink, before using a sponge dauber to cover with blue ink from the Distressing Kit. I then daubed the edges with black ink.

The heart shape was covered with paper from the Love Letter DSP pack - draw around the shape, cut out (slightly smaller than the shape), adhere with Tombow liquid glue, sand the edges with a sanding block (from the Distressing Kit), then ink around the edges with Cherry Cobbler ink using a dauber. I added a loop of Linen Thread to the back, and a red button tied with Linen Thread to the front.

The letter 'u' was covered with Newsprint DSP and the edges inked in black as described above for the heart shape.

Sorry about the blurry photo! The bird from the Notably Ornate stamp set was stamped in Baja Breeze, then over-stamped in blue from the Distressing Kit using the En Francais background stamp. I then cut it out and inked the edges using the blue ink. The yellow strip you can see was crimped using the Paper Crimper.

The flower (from the retired Pretties Kit) was coloured using inks and daubers. The word 'harry' was done with rub-ons from the Vintage Rub-Ons pack (you get one sheet each of capitals and lower case letters in both black and white).

Tiny tags.. held on to the ribbon by a blue safety pin!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizazz
DSP: Greenhouse Gala, Love Letter, Newsprint
Ribbon: Old Olive Grosgrain 5/8", Marina Mist Taffeta 1/8", Linen Thread
On Board Alphabet Soup, On Board Mix & Match
Vintage Rub-ons
Brights Buttons
Rhinestones
Hodgepodge Hardware

Tools:

Stamps: Notably Ornate, Tiny Tags, En Francais
Punches: Jewellery Tag, Boho Blossoms, Scalloped Circle, 1 1/2"Circle, Eyelet Border
Distressing Kit

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T12:59:00.000Z

Happy New Year!!!

I hope you had a lovely time last night, whether your celebrations were full-on or not! We had a pretty quiet one, nice meal, good bottle of wine and a bit of Jonathan Creek. Not such a party animal these days.. :o)

Anyway...

I've just done the December Prize Draw - check your receipt numbers, ladies!!

And the winner is.....

Linda!

Congratulations Linda... you have won a Stampin' Up! stamp set by the name of 'In My Garden'. This was one of the Hostess sets in last year's catalogue so it's no longer available.. but still rather lovely!

Linda also happens to be my very first customer to take advantage of Sale-A-Bration! She will be receiving one of the gorgeous Sale-A-Bration stamp sets absolutely FREE with her order in the next week or so. Lucky lady!

If you'd like to earn yourself FREE stamps too, there are three ways you can do so.

Customers:

For every £45 you spend on yummy Stampin' Up! products, you will earn one free Sale-a-Bration set of your choice. Just email or call me with your selection and I'll place the order for you.

Hostesses:

New Demonstrators:

Join Stampin' Up! before the end of February and you can choose a free stamp set from the Idea Book & Catalogue (valued up to £44.95) - see Join my Team page for information on becoming a demonstrator!

Sale-A-Bration has started!

2010-12-30T09:47:00.001Z

Hi again,

Today is the start of Stampin' Up!'s annual Sale-A-Bration.. and it's your chance to receive free stamps when you spend £45 or more.. host a qualifying workshop... or even join Stampin' Up! (if you're interested in this, please contact me for a chat and I'll tell you all you need to know).

Details of this very special promotion are in my previous post.. and if you'd like to see the four exclusive - and totally gorgeous - stamp sets available from now til the end of February, please click on the Sale-A-Bration picture in the side-bar to open a PDF of the leaflet... or click here to go to the Stampin' Up! website.

If you'd like to make an order.. or host a workshop.. or if you're interested in finding out more about the benefits of joining SU!, please don't hesitate to get in touch (see the Contact Me page for details).

Finally... if you'd like to book a place at my card-making classes or scrapbook club, please check out the details on the relevant pages. Card-making classes in January and February will be featuring Sale-A-Bration stamp sets, so why not come along and try out these lovely stamps? Remember, please book as soon as possible to benefit from a discounted class fee!!!

Have a very happy New Year and I hope to see you soon.

Sarah x

Sale-A-Bration starts on Thursday!

2010-12-28T23:21:00.000Z

Firstly, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! :o) We have been enjoying a few days of family time, fun and relaxation.. I hope eveything's gone smoothly and happily for you too!

But now for some great news... Sale-A-Bration starts on Thursday! If you haven't yet heard about Sale-A-Bration, here's the deal:

You have three ways to earn FREE stamps!

Spend £45 (product sales before shipping and handling) and earn one FREE Sale-A-Bration set of your choice.
Host a workshop of at least £300 (product sales before shipping and handling), and earn one FREE Sale-A-Bration set in addition to the generous hostess benefits.
Join Stampin' Up! during Sale-A-Bration and choose a FREE stamp set (excluding hostess sets) from the Idea Book & Catalogue (valued up to £44.95).

I can't yet show you the four gorgeous stamp sets available as part of this stamp set (although you'll have seen them if you received a leaflet from me recently!) but full details will be posted on the Stampin' Up! website on Thursday 30th December.

The promotion runs from 30th December to 28th February 2011, after which the four exclusive stamp sets will no longer be available.. so if there's a set you simply must have, don't wait too long to make your order, host your workshop or join Stampin' Up!

If you have any questions or would like more information, please get in touch and I'll be delighted to help.

Meanwhile, I hope you have a fabulous.. and creative.. New Year!

Sarah x

Scrapbook Club - undaunted by snow!

2010-12-18T23:35:00.000Z

Well, it was touch and go this morning... should I call off Scrapbook Club or carry on regardless of the white stuff? In the end, thanks to a few quick phone calls, we decided to go ahead. Thank you ladies for braving the elements - we had snow, hailstones like marbles and the occasional blizzard, but nobody batted an eyelid!

So this month's project was a Birthday Planner, to help us keep on top of all those birthdays and other occasions throughout the year which call for a hand-crafted card to be made and sent with love. Here's my creation:

It took me a good couple of weeks to get this project finished.. and a lot of trial and error.. but I'm pleased with how it turned out - and even more thrilled with how the ladies managed to create theirs today in under three hours! It was pretty intense work but worth the effort I think.

Here's a peek at the first two inside pages, showing the calendar for January on the left and a pocket for holding a couple of cards on the right...

...and the little pocket at the back - for storing envelopes or maybe a little address book..?

I've made a few changes to the class schedule from January onwards... full details can be found on the Card-making Classes and Scrapbook Club pages in the side-bar... take a look and do book early to benefit from early-bird discounts and to secure your place!

Details of class projects for the next few months will be available soon.. or at least as soon as I've finished my Christmas cards and thought about what we're eating one week from today..!

Merry Christmas everyone.. and I hope to see you soon! :o)

Notably Ornate.. for any occasion

2010-12-11T23:20:00.000Z

Just a very quick one to share the cards we made in today's class:

This idea was totally borrowed from the Idea Book & Catalogue - loved it and wanted to try it!

And here's the second one:

This one was inspired by a lovely card on In Love With Stamping by Stampycarol... thanks Carol for sharing!

The cards both use the gorgeous Notably Ornate stamp set, along with Contempo Christmas for the greeting. We also got to play with the Colour Spritzer Tool to splatter our images with little droplets of colour, adding a vintage touch to the cards.. it's lots of fun and can be used with the Stampin' Up! marker pens or various other markers you may have already.

Don't forget, if your beloved is stuck for gift ideas for you, a Stampin' Up! gift voucher could be the perfect solution! See the Gift Vouchers page in the sidebar for all the information.

Sarah x

11th December Class Sneaky Peek

2010-12-08T09:52:00.000Z

Here's a little peek at one of the cards we'll be making on Saturday morning using the Notably Ornate stamp set and Love Letter/Newsprint Designer Series Papers. If you'd like to come, please let me know by Thursday afternoon as I'll be preparing resources for the class tomorrow evening.

A Stampin' Up! Christmas

Fancy some gorgeous Stampin' Up! goodies under the tree this year? The very last date for Christmas orders is Monday 13th December - so please don't delay in sending me your Wish List and giving your loved ones my contact details!

If you'd prefer to choose your own goodies after Christmas, you could always opt for Gift Vouchers instead. Please check out the Gift Vouchers page in the side-bar for full details - including information on a couple of very special offers!

A Christmas Planner with Jolly Holiday DSP

2010-11-28T10:12:00.000Z

Yesterday at Scrapbook Club we made Christmas Planners.. and appropriately enough, within half an hour the snowflakes had started to fall! Undaunted we carried on..

(L-R: Becky, Teresa and Janette)

...work in progress..

..and here's one I made earlier!

Here's what we used:

2 pieces of thin chipboard
6 small square envelopes (113 x 113mm)
Jolly Holiday Designer Series Papers
Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive and Very Vanilla cardstock

Stamps:

Just Perfect alphabet
Contempo Christmas
Serene Snowflakes
Just Believe
Basic Phrases
Dasher
Punch Potpourri

The planner was bound together using the Bind-it-All and 5/8" white O-wires.

Next Classes:
Saturday 11th December: Card-making with Notably Ornate stamps and Love Letter/Newsprint Designer Series Papers (non-Christmassy cards!).
As this is the rescheduled class from Friday 10th Dec, I'm holding the price at £5.

Saturday 18th December: Scrapbook Club - Making a Birthday Planner - get organised for 2011 with this handy birthday book and never forget anyone's special day again!
Price £10 - includes full kit and instructions (sneak preview of project and kit coming soon - it's in progress!).

I'm taking bookings for both of these classes now.
If you'd like to come, please let me know by 5th December.
I will need payment in advance please, so that I can purchase and prepare resources for your project kit.
You can pay by Paypal (email address: slpiggott73@gmail.com - mark it as a 'Personal Payment Owed') or cheque (payable to Sarah Piggott - email me for my address).

Many thanks.. I hope to see you soon!

Sarah x

Just Believe... cards from Saturday's class

2010-11-21T21:07:00.000Z

Here's a very quick post to share the cards we made in yesterday's class using Stampin' Up's 'Just Believe' stamp set.

The watercolour effect was achieved by inking up the stamp with Old Olive and Not Quite Navy ink pads, then lightly spraying the stamp with water, before stamping on to watercolour paper. I was a bit anxious about demonstrating this card - the technique can be rather hit-and-miss, depending on how much water lands on your stamp from the spray bottle! The results are also very subjective - some might prefer a less watery look but I rather liked this one!

The background was created with the same flower stamp using Baja Breeze ink on matching cardstock for a tone-on-tone effect. The Old Olive ribbon was pleated and laid down on a line of Sticky Strip tape, with tiny pieces of tape holding down the pleats.

In the second card, the two flower stamps were stamped using VersaMark ink, then embossed with black embossing powder. We then used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to align the flowery frame (stamped in Baja Breeze ink) and the sentiment inside it.

Thank you ladies for coming - I really enjoyed the class and it was a pleasure to see how you interpreted the projects!

Next Classes:

Saturday 27th Nov - Scrapbook Club (Bookings now closed)
Either Friday 10th or Saturday 11th December - Card-making Class (see previous post for details)
Saturday 18th December - Scrapbook Club (kit and project details coming soon!)

Important: Changes to Class Times and Dates!

2010-11-21T19:49:00.000Z

Hello ladies!

Just a quick post to let you know of some important changes to forthcoming class timings and dates.

Saturday 27th November - Scrapbook Club:

Will start at 9.30am so that anyone who wants to visit the Art Exhibition at Community Wise (on until 1pm) will have time to go after the session. I can be flexible on the finish time - we'll say 12 to 12.30pm.

Friday 10th December - Card-making Class:

Unfortunately this is going to clash with my son's Nativity play.. so I'm offering two alternatives:
Friday 10th December - 1pm to 3pm
or
Saturday 11th December - 10am to 12noon.

Please let me know as soon as you can if you would like to attend either of the above sessions... if there's enough demand I'm happy to run the class on both days.

I anticipate the class will involve making a set of Thank You cards using the Notably Ornate stamp set and a play with the new Colour Spritzer Tool!

Apologies for these changes.. and I hope you can join me soon.

Sarah x

Scrapbook Club Sneaky Peek

2010-11-13T14:11:00.000Z

I'm back, as promised, with some information on the kit we'll be using in the next Scrapbook Club (on Saturday 27th November).. and a little peek at the sort of Christmas planner you'll be able to make if you come along (full kit details are at the end of this post)!

You will also have access to a variety of stamps and punches to help you embellish your planner... and you will have plenty of papers left over for another project!

So here's a look at a planner I made earlier (based on a project by Bekka at Feeling Crafty)...

As you can see, it has a loop to hold your pen, spaces to keep gift wish-lists for each member of your family, pockets for receipts and spaces for Christmas card lists or whatever you fancy.

I have another version of the planner in progress, which we'll probably use in class - similar to this one but a little bigger and spiral bound - but I'll show this one after the class on 27th November!

Please note: I'm ordering product for this class on Monday 15th November - so if you would like to come along on Saturday 27th November, please let me know by Monday morning - and don't forget to say which ink pad you would prefer! (Also, if you'd like to take advantage of the Bundle Up for Christmas promotion, now would be a great time to put in your order, too!)

If you are unable to come on the day but would still like to order a Christmas Planner kit, please get in touch and I'll happily make one up for you. The price for this will be £10 (if collected from me) or £12 (including postage to you).

Kit Details:

Jolly Holiday Designer Series Papers: 6 half-sheets of double-sided paper (6x12 inches)
A4 cardstock: 3 sheets - one each of Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Very Vanilla
Stampin' Pad: Cherry Chobbler or Old Olive (please specify which you want)
4-1/2 inch square envelopes: 6 envelopes
4-3/4 inch square chipboard pieces: 2 pieces
Old Olive 5/8 inch Grosgrain Ribbon: 60cm length
O-wire binding (for use in Bind-it-All machine in class) or 2 book rings (if purchasing kit separately from class)
Set of printed instructions.

Bundle Up with Delightful Decorations!

2010-11-12T17:09:00.000Z

In a change to the advertised programme, I decided to use the gorgeous Delightful Decorations stamp set, along with its coordinating Ornament punch, in my class today. Why? Well for two reasons... first, it's a fun and versatile set - and the punch makes it SO easy to create fabulous cards in minutes... and second, it's part of the Bundle Up for Christmas promotion - on now and until the end of December.

So here are the first three cards we made today:

Recipe:
Stamps: Delightful Decorations, So Swirly Wheel, Basic Phrases, Contempo Christmas
Cardstock: Old Olive,Whisper White,Crumb Cake
Ink: Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Platinum Shimmer Paint
Punches: Ornament, Word Window
Other: Sponge Daubers, Silver Elastic Thread, Crystal Effects, Diamond Stickles (non-SU!)

And here are the last two cards we made:

Recipe:
Stamps: Delightful Decorations, Contempo Christmas (for the greeting)
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler
Designer Series Paper: Jolly Holiday
Ink: Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler
Punches: Ornament, Eyelet Border, Scallop Edge, Boho Blossoms
Other: Linen Thread, Pretty In Pink 3mm Taffeta Ribbon, Old Olive 1.6cm Grosgrain Ribbon, Basic Rhinestones

In case you're wondering about the Bundle Up for Christmas promotion.. you can get your hands on an exclusive package of ribbon for FREE when you purchase a Christmas gift-giving bundle. For example, you could buy the Delightful Decorations stamp set and Ornament punch for £37.45 and choose a ribbon package with a value of up to £11.50 for free!

If you're interested, please check out my previous post for further details.. and remember the bundles and ribbons are only available while supplies last. Do let me know if you'd like to take advantage of this deal and I'll be only too happy to help you!

By the way... stay tuned for information on the kit I'm putting together for Scrapbook Club on 27th November.. and a sneak peek at the project we'll be making!

Pre-Convention Stampin' Stars Party

2010-11-08T16:43:00.000Z

Festivities kicked off on Thursday evening with a Pre-Convention party at the Croydon Hilton Hotel, hosted by two fantastic Demonstrators, Natalie O'Shea (my Stampin' Up! 'great-grandma') and Monica Gale. Here's the goodie bag we received (how exciting!):

The triangular box containined a cute little black rubber watch, the organza bag held a silver key-ring charm.. and we also had a fab set of fluffy star deely-boppers to wear (remember them?!).. sadly, I don't seem to have a photo of me in them ;o)!

We also had two Make & Take projects to do - here are mine, a Christmas card and a 6"x6" scrapbook page:

Stamps: Welcome Christmas (this set is in the current Bundle Up promotion if you're interested!)
Colours: Early Espresso, Real Red, Whisper White
Other: Old Olive Satin Ribbon, Curly Label Punch

Stamps: Beware Pirates
Colours: Early Espresso, Real Red, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla
Other: Gold Brads, Twill Tape

I should add, the photo was added later.. I didn't 'happen' to have this on me at Convention!

And finally.. here are a couple of lovely Christmas card samples I received at the party... first, here's one by Kim Fee (my Stampin' Up! granny):

Stamps: Four the Holidays (the greeting); Punch Potpourri (a level 1 Hostess Set which you can earn when you host a qualifying workshop).
Colours: Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Old Olive
Punch: Two-Step Bird

This one is by Elizabeth Probst from Germany:

Stamps: Delightful Decorations (in the Bundle Up promotion); So Swirly wheel
Punch: Ornament (also in the Bundle Up promotion!)
Colours: Early Espresso, Pumpkin Pie

Look out... lots more inspiring card ideas to come!

Sarah x

Ooops.. prize draw result.. and exciting promo news!

2010-11-07T21:56:00.000Z

I hadn't forgotten, honest! Life just got a bit hectic last week with the Stampin' Up! Convention this weekend (more on this to follow) so I held over the prize draw til today.

As I explained in my earlier post, each month I'll be holding a little prize draw for all my customers. To be in with a chance of winning, all you need to do is attend one of my classes or purchase some delicious goodies from the Idea Book & Catalogue (more on this further down... keep reading!!).

The winner, chosen using www.random.org, is...

...with receipt number 21 - Janette Summers! Well done Janette - and thank you for being such a wonderful customer. Your prize will be ready for you at Friday's card class!

Now I have some more exciting news to share.. Stampin' Up! have a truly awesome promotion running RIGHT NOW and all the way through til the end of December! If you're thinking about making a proper start on your Christmas cards, gift-wrapping or even gift-making.. or perhaps you want to get ready for some festive scrapbooking.. you are going to love this!

This Christmas season you can get an exclusive package of ribbon for FREE when you purchase a Christmas gift-giving bundle!

Choose from these bundles:

Description	Wood-Mount Item	Wood-Mount Price	Clear-Mount Item	Clear-Mount Price
Gifted Bundle 'Gifted' Set and Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper	124051	£35.70	124052	£30.70
Welcome Christmas Bundle 'Welcome Christmas' Set and Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper	124063	£36.90	124064	£31.90
Season of Joy Bundle 'Season of Joy' Set and So Swirly Stampin’ Around Wheel	124055	£36.45	---	---
Delightful Decorations Bundle 'Delightful Decorations' Set and Ornament Punch	124058	£37.45	---	---

You can choose from these gorgeous ribbons (FOR FREE!!):

Picture	Description	Item	Retail Value
	Mistletoe Ribbon Originals	116792	£11.50
	Sleigh Bells Ribbon	116795	£8.50
	Riding Hood Red 1-1/4” Striped Grosgrain Ribbon	113099	£10.25
	Real Red 3/4” Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon	115608	£10.25

These ribbons - and the Christmas Cocoa Speciality Designer Series Paper - are exclusively available as part of this special promotion - they are not in the Idea Book & Catalogue and are not available for purchase separately.

Check out the stamp sets available in this deal by clicking the link on the left to view the Idea Book & Catalogue. Or, even better, why not order a real-life copy from me? For the super-value price of just £5 I will get one in the post to you so that you can browse.. and gain masses of inspirational project ideas.. at your leisure!

{Just one thing to note: in the photo above, the red stitched ribbon shown on the right doesn't seem to be part of the promotion (I think it probably was in the US but not over here). However, the Riding Hood Red Striped Grosgrain ribbon that we do get looks absolutely STUNNING.. and I really want some!}

OK, so these wonderful Christmas bundles are only available which stocks last! So if you'd like to get your hands on one (or two!), please get in touch with me as soon as possible.. they are sure to be VERY popular!

I look forward to hearing from you.. or seeing you soon!

Sarah x

And the winner is...

2010-10-27T21:49:00.000+01:00

You know that little prize draw I mentioned on Monday? Well, this afternoon I got my little boy Harry to pick a name out of the Easter basket (unseasonal, I know, but it did the job!).. and here is the result...

Congratulations, Linda! I'll include the prize with your purchases and be in touch about dropping them round to you (delivery is expected on Friday so it'll be this weekend, ladies, if that's convenient!).

Next Thursday is the start of the annual Stampin' Up! convention so I'll be off to Addington Palace, near Croydon, for a couple of days of training, Make & Takes, a fancy Awards night and dinner, and lots of socialising with my fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrators. It promises to be heaps of fun, and I'll be back next week brimming with ideas (and a bag full of freebies and swaps I hope!). *Sigh* It's a tough job but someone's gotta do it!

If you'd like to find out more about becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, please get in touch and I'll let you know what it's all about. And if you decide it's the right opportunity for you, I'd be delighted to welcome you into my Seaside Stampers team!

Be super-quick for a chance to win a prize!

2010-10-25T10:20:00.000+01:00

Are you feeling lucky? I hope so, because I'm about to let you know about some exciting opportunities for you to win a prize!

First of all.. I'll be putting an order in to Stampin' Up! this afternoon. If there's anything you'd like to add to the order, just let me know by 2pm today and – providing you can collect from me, or I can deliver to you - Shipping & Handling will be FREE OF CHARGE. Click on the link in the side-bar to download the Idea Book & Catalogue... or let me know if you'd like your own copy for a discounted price of £5.

What's more, I'll be doing a little PRIZE DRAW for everyone who joins in on this order! {The prize will consist of samples of one of the new Designer Series Paper packs, Greenhouse Gala, along with matching cardstock and ribbon... definitely worth going for!} So far I have three ladies in with a chance for this lovely prize.. would you like to join them?

Secondly, I've been thinking about ways in which I can reward my regular class-goers and catalogue customers to show you my appreciation... and I've decided to start a MONTHLY PRIZE DRAW! Every time you make a purchase – either for a class or for goods from the catalogue, you will receive a numbered, dated receipt. On the first of each month, I will draw one number from the receipts of the previous month – if your receipt has that number on it, you'll win a prize!

I am currently in the process of writing receipts for ALL purchases made during October.. if you're due a receipt (or receipts) , you'll receive them soon! So the first monthly Prize Draw will be held on 1^st November. The results will be posted here on my blog, along with details of the prize – and if you're the lucky winner, you'll get an email too!

Finally.... as you may be aware, Saturday was the first of my monthly Scrapbooking Club sessions. Thank you Linda, Janette, Nicola, Becky and Michelle for coming along and making such a beautiful start on your journals.. I really look forward to seeing how they progress.

{These photos are from my journal.. I'll post more on the Scrapbooking Club page as they are completed!}

Next month's Scrapbooking Club is on Saturday 27^th November and we'll be making a Christmas Planner using Jolly Holiday Designer Series Papers. Full details of the kit and project will be available soon – if you'd like to book a place, please let me know by email or phone by Friday 12^th November. Payment (£10 to include the kit) is required at the time of booking.. I can accept Paypal (you need my email address - slpiggott73@gmail.com - and mark it as a personal payment) or cheques payable to Sarah Piggott.

Next card-making class is on Friday 12th November.. followed by Saturday 20th November... please see the Class Dates and Details page for information... again, booking in advance is essential and payment in advance much appreciated!

Thanks for reading.. and I hope to see you soon!

Sarah x

Delightful Decorations class

2010-10-16T15:41:00.000+01:00

Thank you to the ladies who attended my first Saturday class this morning - you all made two really stunning cards to be proud of!

We used two of Stampin' Up!'s new Christmas stamp sets - Delightful Decorations and Contempo Christmas - along with the matching Ornament punch and Serene Snowflakes stamps.

Here's the first card:

It's based on a similar card I spotted on Splitcoast Stampers here - this is a fabulous site for finding inspiration with Stampin' Up! stamp sets - definitely worth a look!

The colour scheme used is Baja Breeze (the base card), Silver (non-SU!), Soft Suede and Pretty in Pink. The flat-backed pearls and beads are from the sadly-retired Pretties Kit and the snowflakes background was stamped using Platinum Shimmer Paint.

Here's the second card we made:

Same colour scheme but a more retro style. The ornaments were stamped first in ink, then over-stamped with Champagne Shimmer Paint using the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig for accurate positioning. This gives the ornaments a subtle shimmer.

My next class is Scrapbooking Club - next Saturday from 10am til 12.30pm, where we'll be making a journal to review our year (so far!).

Next card-making class is on Friday 12th November - the format is 'Five for a Fiver' using the Tree Trimmings stamp set. If you'd like to book a place, don't hesitate to get in touch.

Sarah x

Vintage Vogue cards from Friday's class

2010-10-11T22:25:00.000+01:00

Just a quick post to share the three cards I made for Friday's card-making class using Vintage Vogue stamp set, along with the Very Vintage wheel and a few other goodies..

In this card (above) I used the Very Vintage wheel to create the background on the base card and Vintage Vogue vine stamp on the birds' wings. The colours are Baja Breeze, Crumb Cake, Perfect Plum, So Saffron, Rose Red and Certainly Celery.

This one uses the En Francais background stamp on the base card and the vine leaves were added behind the flower using the masking technique.

Finally, I used the Very Vintage wheel and Rose Red ink to create the pattern on the lower half of the card. The flowers on the upper half were stamped with Versamark ink. The main flower was stamped in Rose Red with Rich Razzleberry ink dabbed onto the edges with a sponge dauber.

The sentiments are all from the Sincere Salutations set. All three cards were inspired by projects spotted in the new Idea Book & Catalogue - available from me for the special price of £5 posted to your door!

My next class is this Saturday - we'll be making Christmas cards using the brand new Delightful Decorations stamps, along with the new Ornament punch and taffeta ribbons! If you'd like to join us, please call me or email me as soon as possible. Details are on the Contact Me page (see left side bar).

Sarah x

Scrapbooking Club - Kit Details

2010-10-02T23:42:00.000+01:00

So here's the plan for Scrapbooking Club on Saturday 23rd October.. I'm going to make an A5-size journal in which to record my Review of 2010 - a double-page spread for each month. The design of the journal will be based on the gorgeous vintage-style journal on page 64 of the new Idea Book & Catalogue - I love it! If you fancy a look, click on the link on the left to download the Idea Book.

I'm offering a fantastic kit this month - it will contain everything you'll need to create the journal, including some beautiful NEW Stampin' Up! Designer Series Papers, ribbons, cardstock and embellishments.

The super-value kit will contain:

Two A5 size chipboard covers
Black O-Wire binding (I will help you use my Bind-it-All to bind your journal)
7 sheets of A4 Very Vanilla cardstock
1 sheet of Real Red cardstock
1 sheet of Basic Black cardstock
6 half-sheets of Designer Series Paper (Newsprint/Love Letter)
50cm of 1-1/4" Black & White Striped Grosgrain Ribbon
50cm of 5/8" Basic Black Satin Ribbon
50cm of 1/4" Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon
1 Hodgepodge Hardware Styled Silver Frame
4 Brads

You will also have access to the BRAND NEW stamp set Notably Ornate, along with coordinating oval punch, and a variety of other stamp sets and tools.. everything you need to make yourself a very stylish wire-bound journal!

I will provide you will full instructions on how to make your journal and will have sample pages completed to give you some ideas.. but - as we all have different styles - how you complete your book is entirely up to you.

For £10, you will receive:

The amazing value kit described above
Full instructions, sample pages and as much help as you need to produce your journal
Access to my stamp sets, ink pads, punches and other tools
Tea, coffee and biscuits!

You are very welcome to bring your own supplies and projects and make use of my Cuttlebug, stamps, punches and so on. Enjoy a morning of scrapbooking and chatting with fellow crafters! The cost of Scrapbooking Club without the kit is just £5.

If you'd like to come, please book your place by Friday 8th October - letting me know if you require the kit. I can then give you my address details and would ask that you pay by cheque as soon as possible after booking. This will enable me to order supplies and prepare the kits in plenty of time for the session.

Email: slpiggott73@gmail.com
Mobile: 07970 615390

I hope you will join me - I'm so looking forward to it!

Sarah x

The New Idea Book & Catalogue is Here!

2010-10-01T09:01:00.000+01:00

At last... we can unveil the new and wonderful Idea Book & Catalogue 2010-2011!

If you'd like to download a copy, please click on the picture on the left (beware, it's a big file - 22MB!).
If you'd prefer to order a real-life paper copy, just let me know and I will send you one for a special price of £5 (including postage or delivery to your door if you're local).
What's more, I will refund your £5 if you make an order from the Idea Book & Catalogue of £35 or more!

Remember, it's not just a catalogue! This beautiful book runs to 113 pages and is crammed full of inspirational ideas for card-making, scrapbooking and home decoration projects that will have you itching to get crafty!

Host a Workshop!
Fancy trying out some of the wonderful new products before you buy? Why not book a home workshop with me! Get a few friends together and I will come to you, share with you what I love about Stampin' Up! and help you all make a beautiful card to be proud of. As a 'thank you' for being a workshop hostess, you will receive a FREE Idea Book & Catalogue and a special gift from me.

What's more, if your workshop product sales reach £150 or over, you will be able to choose FREE exclusive hostess products, along with more FREE products from the catalogue. For full details on the benefits of being a hostess, please click on the Host a Workshop tab to the left.

Come to a Class!

Would you like to learn new techniques, use some fabulous new products and make some new crafty friends? If you, why not join one of my classes? I currently run two monthly card-making classes on a Friday and a Saturday morning - see the Card-making Classes tab on the left for more information.

If you're more into scrapbooking - or would like to find out what scrapbooking is all about - I'm starting a new Scrapbooking Club starting on Saturday 23rd October. This will also be a monthly club, running on the fourth Saturday of each month from 10am to 12.30pm. Check out the NEW Scrapbooking Club tab for more information.

Finally, for dates and information on what each class will cover, please go to the Class Dates and Details tab on the left.

Become a Demonstrator!
I really enjoy being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator - if you'd like to find out more about what this involves, please get in touch with me and I will happily give you all the details!

Contact Me!
If you need to contact me about any of the above, please click on the Contact Me tab. I hope to speak to you soon!

Open House - here's how it went!

2010-09-27T22:28:00.000+01:00

I had my Open House event at Community Wise on Saturday morning and, to my relief, it went well.. I can't thank Pat enough for coming down from Bromley to help me - she was absolutely brilliant! We set up our displays in the large hall upstairs and soon began to receive visitors from the Farmers' Market which was on in the car-park and inside the centre. Seven ladies took part in my Make & Take - a Christmas card featuring Dasher and the Spiral punch - and all of them produced some really lovely cards.

At 11.30, Pat did a fantastic Make & Take, again to seven ladies, using the Vintage Vogue stamp set and Very Vintage wheel. Some of the ladies were toally new to stamping, yet they still managed to create beautiful cards.

I didn't manage to take many photos on the day - and forgot to take any of the cards we made.. so I will post pictures of those soon. Thank you to all the ladies who participated in our Make & Takes, and to those who came upstairs just to see what we were up to.. it was a lovely day and we really enjoyed meeting you!

For those of you who completed a Door Prize Entry Form - the winner of the Darling Dots stamp set was Janette - congratulations, I have emailed you and will get your prize to you very soon!

If you're interested in joining my card-making classes and NEW scrapbooking club - full details on the 'Classes - Cardmaking and Scrapbooking' page - click the tab for full details. Please contact me by email or by phone to reserve your place at least one week prior to the class date.

Hope to see you soon!

Sarah x

FURTHER DISCOUNTS - Stampin' Up! Retired List

2010-09-17T09:31:00.000+01:00

Stampin' Up! have today updated the Last Chance List and added FURTHER DISCOUNTS on products - only valid until stocks last, or September 30th - whichever comes first.

So what are you waiting for?

Click on the link below to be taken to the SEVEN PAGES of retiring items and look at the pages with ticks along the right hand column to see which items have been reduced further!

http://204.228.150.61/docs/lastchance/en-GB/Lastchance_en-GB.pdf

Happy browsing!!

Sarah x

P.S. - Don't forget to check out my Special September offers - click here for details!

September Card-making Class Update

2010-09-10T23:01:00.000+01:00

Here are a few examples of the cards made today at my monthly Friday 'Five for a Fiver' class...

Yes, that's only four! My other sample card unfortunately fell into an ink pad and is looking a little sorry for itself.. but you get the general idea I expect!

The ladies were given 4x4" card blanks in the following colours: Soft Suede, Rich Razzleberry, Rose Red, Kraft and Chocolate Chip, along with smaller squares of cardstock in the same colours and pieces of Very Vanilla for stamping on.

We used the Cuttlebug and embossing folders for the middle layer and used various greetings stamps along with Dasher to create our cards. Although each lady had the same materials, every card they produced was quite unique! After a little practice, everyone got to grips with using the Stamp-a-ma-jig to align their images, using Sponge Daubers to ink the edges, and using punches in conjunction with the coordinating stamp sets.

Stamps:

Dasher
Punches Three
Sincere Salutations
Basic Phrases
Tiny Tags

Punches:

Scallop Square
Scallop Oval
Oval
Jewellery Tag

My next class is on Saturday 18th September - 10am to 12noon and we will be using 'Serene Snowflakes' to make two to three really special Christmas cards for your very favourite people! The price for this class is £10 and includes all tuition, materials and refreshments. To book a place, don't hesitate to call me or email me without delay.

For all the details on my classes, please check out the Cardmaking Classes page.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah x

Last Chance List.. and Special September Offers

2010-09-07T00:01:00.000+01:00

On 1st September, Stampin' Up! released its 'Last Chance List' - it's a seven-page list of the stamps, cardstock and accessories that will be retiring on 30th September to make way for exciting new products. Why not have a look at the List (click on the picture in the side-bar) - if there's anything you really want, it's best to order it NOW.. once it's gone, it's gone!

One thing to note: it may look as if virtually all the punches are retiring! They aren't... they are being upgraded to the new space-saving stand-up design.

If you need any more reasons to have a browse..

There are discounts of 25% and 50% on some of these products - what a bargain!
I am offering FREE shipping on all orders over £25 (UK only) for the whole of September.
I will also send you a FREE copy of the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalogue (worth £5.95) if your order is over £50 - it will be sent First Class Recorded Delivery as soon as I receive them (on or just before 1st October).
There will be price increases (unfortunately) with the release of the new Idea Book & Catalogue on 1st October. So if there's anything you've had your eye on for a while, why not beat the price rises and buy it now?

I've just gone through the list again and there are great bargains to be snapped up! For example:

Selected packs of 12x12" Textured Cardstock are 25% off.. 24 sheets for £6.94.. that's just 29p per sheet!
Selected Stampin' Around Wheels and Cartridges are up to 50% off... reduced from £7.50 to just £3.75!
Masses of ribbons are now 25% off... get in quick and grab a bargain!
The Tag Punch is 25% off and the Small Tag Punch is 50% off.. both were £12.50, now only £9.38 and £6.25 respectively!

Items are already selling out so if you'd like to make an order, just call me or email me and I'll be delighted to help you! Click on the Contact Me page for my contact details.

Retiring Stamps and Colours - Blog Hop

2010-09-05T10:10:00.000+01:00

Hi there, and if you came from Hayley's blog, welcome to your last stop on this morning's Blog Hop! For those who may have arrived here from my other blog, Paper Obsession, thank you so much for popping across - I'm delighted you made it!

So today we're highlighting some of the beautiful colours and stamp sets that will be retiring at the end of the month (boo hoo.. we'll miss you!).. if you want any of the products feautured, you'll need to get in quick.. once they're gone, they're gone!

First I'll show you a New Baby card I made using the gorgeous Nursery Necessities stamp set. I love this set so I have to admit I'm really sad to see it go!

This card was totally inspired by one I saw in the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalogue.. I just adapted it with my choice of stamps and colour scheme. I made the paper frill by cutting a long strip of Cameo Coral card (approx 2cm wide) and scoring alternately at 2cm then 1cm intervals, repeating along the length of the strip, then folding concertina-style. I stuck the frill down with Sticky Strip tape and tied Linen Thread around it.

Colour Scheme:

Close to Cocoa (A6 base card and stamped greeting)
Cameo Coral (frill and stamped elephant)
Apricot Appeal (lower half of card and elephant's ear)
Barely Banana (stamped moon and stars)

Stamps etc:

Nursery Necessities stamp set
Sticky Strip double-sided tape
Linen Thread
Corner Rounder Punch

My second project is a scrapbook page featuring a photo of my little boy, Harry, as a baby. I love scrapbooking with black and white photos as you have so much freedom in choosing your colour scheme!

I chose the lovely Barely Banana, Ruby Red and Basic Black. My Barely Banana cardstock was A4 size - to make it 'stretch' to a 12x12" layout, I trimmed the long side of two sheets to 11.5 inches, then cut the second sheet to the correct width and stuck it below the first one. I used the Striped Grosgrain Ribbon both as a design feature and to cover the join!

The black letter border at the bottom of the page was created using the Stampin' Around Nursery Letters wheel (also retiring) - I got it straight using the fantastic Stampin' Around Wheel Guide. The stars are part of the Nursery Necessities set I used in the New Baby card above. I cut out the larger one using the coordinating Stampin' Up! Star Punch.. easy!

My journaling labels were made using another retiring stamp set, Frames with a Flourish, stamped in Basic Black and Ruby Red ink. Such a versatile set both for cards and scrapping! The title letters are On Board Loads of Letters - bare chipboard letters which I inked with Basic Black ink.

Do you like the hat pin with pearls and clear beads? I made this up using the Pretties Kit I got last week - and this is retiring too (I can't quite believe it)! This kit consists of a tin crammed full of alterable white flowers, halfback pearls, round pearl beads (in cream and white), clear beads, rhinestone brads, hat pins and silver spacer beads. The kit is £23.25 but when you see how much is in it, you'll realise it's great value.

Colour Scheme:

Barely Banana
Ruby Red
Basic Black, Whisper White (not retiring)

Stamps etc:

Nursery Necessities stamp set
Nursery Letters Stampin' Around Jumbo Wheel
Stampin' Around Wheel Guide
Frames with a Flourish stamp set
On Board Loads of Letters
Pretties Kit
Basic Black Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (3.2cm)
Star Punch
Spiral Punch

I hope you enjoyed the Blog Hop.. and got a better idea of some of the beautiful products that are available just til the end of September. If you've seen anything you'd like to buy, please don't hesitate to contact me or any of the other girls on the blog hop - we'd be delighted to help!

Thank you so much Debbi for organising the Hop - if you didn't reach me via the Hop but would like to see everyone else's work, now's the time to pop across to Debbi's blog where it all starts. Thanks for joining me!

Sarah x

I'm Learning Something New - Are You?

2010-08-26T13:43:00.001+01:00

If you've popped over to see me via my Paper Obsession blog, you're very welcome - thanks so much for coming!! If you're not.. and are wondering what this is all about.. it's an online scrapbooking class by Shimelle Laine which starts on 1st September - click the picture to find out more! As I mentioned over on Paper Obsession, I'm introducing a special offer for the whole of September.

If you love - and would like to buy - any of the products I'm using on my 'Learn Something New' album, I will happily order them for you and have them sent straight to your home.

Normally, the shipping & handling charge per order is a minimum of £3.95, or 5% of your order total. However, for the month of September I am offering FREE shipping & handling on all orders over £25! (UK only I'm afraid).

If you're new to Stampin' Up!, why not have a little look through the Idea Book & Catalogue, or the Mini-Catalogue (click the pictures in the side-bar to download a copy). You'll see they are both full to the brim with beautiful ideas and fabulous products for card-making and scrapbooking.

Here's my front cover of this year's Learn Something New project, showing off a variety of SU! stamps and chipboard alphas (full details on my Paper Obsession blog, here).

You may be aware that the brand-new Idea Book & Catalogue comes out on 1st October, and many of the items in the current catalogues will be retiring (the retiring list will be available from 1st September). So if you do see anything you like, don't delay.. it might not be around for long!

If you would like to order anything, just drop me an email on slpiggott73@gmail.com with your requirements and I'll get back to you fast!

Colour Inspiration

2010-08-22T11:24:00.000+01:00

Inspiring colour combinations can pop up when you least expect it.. shopping in Waitrose a couple of weeks ago, I spotted a little selection pack of Houmous pots in the most delicious colours - so, naturally, I had to buy it!

I've had this bit of packaging stuck on my wall for a while now, waiting for a chance to use the colour combination. So this morning I used it to make a card for my Father-in-law whose birthday is tomorrow:

The colours I used are Ruby Red, Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive.

Supplies:

Stamps - Darling Dots, Basic Phrases, Just Perfect
Inks - Ruby Red, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Soft Suede
Punches - Scallop Circle, 1 1/2" Circle, 1" Circle

The Houmous was pretty tasty too, by the way.. :o)

Sarah x

Dabbling in the dirt

2010-08-19T16:39:00.000+01:00

So, the Blog Hop on Sunday went less smoothly than the first one.. I'm so sorry if you tried to get round to see everyone's pages and came across problems here and there.. Nonetheless, there were again some beautiful scrapbook layouts to see and inspiring ideas to file away for future use!

I'd just like to share a page I made last week - it's of my two boys and their little friend, thoroughly absorbed in their game in a patch of dirt in the garden. Simple pleasures!

The papers are from the versatile Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper stack (£19.50 for 48 double-sided sheets - from the mini-catalogue). If you read this post last Saturday, you'll have seen close-ups of the chipboard lettering (On Board Loads of Letters - £10.25 for three 12x12" sheets) and the orange-red 'Friends' embellishment, made using the beautiful Vintage Vogue stamp set (£19.95 - from the mini-catalogue).

Here's a close-up of those butterflies:

These were punched, using the Butterfly punch (£12.50) from scraps of Sweet Pea papers, inked with Soft Suede ink and given antennae made from small pieces of Linen Thread (£3.25 for 13.7 metres). The gems are non-SU! but are very similar to those available in the Stampin' Up! Pretties Kit (£23.25 for a huge selection of flowers, pearls, beads and other lovely pieces).

If you are interested in buying any of the above products - or any others, of course - please don't hesitate to contact me and I'll be delighted to help you.

Thanks for visiting,

Sarah x

Two-Step Stampin' Blog Hop - Part 2!

2010-08-15T10:00:00.007+01:00

Thank you so much for dropping by.. If you're here for the Blog Hop, you've come to the right place! If you've stumbled upon me by accident, well you're most welcome!

In a nutshell, I and some lovely ladies at In Love With Stamping arranged this little event to celebrate Stampin' Up!'s August promotion - 20% off selected Two-Step Stampin' Stamp sets... click the picture to the right to find out more. The focus is on using these stamps on your scrapbook layouts.

Here's the running order of today's hop, along with the stamp sets you can expect to see in action:

1. Sarah (SarahLP) - Bird on a Branch & Greenhouse Garden (that's me!)

2. Helen (langara) - Something Sweet

3. Anthea (scrappydiva) - Greenhouse Garden

4. Caz (stampingcaz) - Big Bold Birthday

5. Rachel - Trendy Trees

6. Caroline Skinner - Tiny Tags & Loads of Love

7. Jo (Scrapbookparty) -Something Sweet

8. Kara (KaraM) - Big Bold Birthday and Greenhouse Garden

9. Sue (Frankiesue) - Trendy Trees

So here's my page...

The layout is based on a sketch from this month's Scrapbook Magazine. If you read my previous post, you'll recognise those chipboard letters.. :o)

Here's the Bird on a Branch in more detail:

I stamped the Bird with So Saffron ink and used a Sponge Dauber to add Ruby Red to the head and tail.

And here are the Greenhouse Garden flowers in close-up:

I used the 'rock & roll' technique to darken the edges of the red flower, then added some Champagne Shimmer Paint with a Dauber to the centre of the flower (and the journaling spot.. oh, and the branch the bird is sitting on.. once you start adding Shimmer it's hard to stop!).

I hope you enjoyed your visit.. I'd be delighted to read your comments if you have a moment.. By the way, if you missed the first Blog Hop on 1st August, you'll find it here.

OK, now your next stop on the Hop is Helen... have a lovely time!

Sarah x

Ideas for Scrapbook Title Lettering... Part 1

2010-08-14T12:24:00.000+01:00

Three products I can't be without at the moment for scrapbooking are the On Board Loads of Letters (three 12x12" sheets of bare chipboard letters - £10.25), Sponge Daubers (12 for £7.75) and Crystal Effects (£4.95). I've used them on my last few scrapbook pages and can see them featuring again and again!

On some pages, naked chipboard letters will look just right - clean, natural, understated.. but on other occasions you might want to match your alphas to your colour scheme. The easiest way I have found to colour my chipboard is to simply press the letter (or shape) into an ink pad. Press all over with your finger, then lift it up to check the coverage. Repeat until the letter is covered to the intensity you want. In the example below, I pressed really firmly into the ink pad for an intense effect. If you want to cover the edges, you could use a Blender Pen or a cotton bud to take up some ink and dab it round the edges and into all the little crevices.

You can get a lovely two-tone look by pressing just half of your chipboard shape down onto your first inkpad, then repeating with the other half on a second colour. Make sure you start with the lighter colour of ink to avoid contaminating pale inkpads with dark ink.

In the example above, when the ink was dry I added Champagne Shimmer Paint using a Sponge Dauber to add a delicate touch of sparkle to my title.

Sponge Daubers are a brilliantly versatile tool! They are great for picking up colour from an ink pad and creating distressed inky effects on the edges of cardstock, patterned paper.. and your chipboard letters! In the following example, I started by colouring the letters with Pretty in Pink ink. Once dry, I dabbed them with a Sponge Dauber coated in Soft Suede ink for a dirty, muddy effect.

See those little 'raindrops' on these letters..? These are tiny drops of Crystal Effects applied to look like splashes of water.

You can also completely coat your chipboard with Crystal Effects for a dimensional, glossy look. In the following example - a chipboard heart - I coloured with Ruby Red ink, allowed to dry, then carefully applied Crystal Effects all over. be warned - you need to let it dry thoroughly before attempting to stick it to your layout!

I've also applied Crystal Effects to the letter F (from Vintage Vogue set) to produce a shiny, raised effect. {Incidentally, I achieved the two-tone effect by inking the stamp first with So Saffron ink, then adding Ruby Red ink with a Sponge Dauber!}

I hope you've found this useful.. and if you'd like to purchase any of the products featured above, don't hesitate to get in touch.

Look out for Part 2 - Using Alphabet Stamps in your Titles - coming soon.

Meanwhile - there'll be another Stampin' Scrapping Blog Hop tomorrow - Sunday 15th August - starting HERE at 10:00am.. I hope you'll check it out - it's sure to be fabulous!

More Christmas Cards with 'Dasher'

2010-08-09T19:34:00.000+01:00

I love the Dasher stamp! And in preparation for my next class on Friday, I've been making a few Dasher-based Christmas cards.

You may recognise the Old Olive one at the back.. I made that one a few weeks ago.. but the two at the front are new! As before, the inspiration for these cards was from Carolyn, a fellow SU! demonstrator - you can see her boxed set of cards here.

Supplies:

Stamps - Dasher, Sincere Salutations
Cardstock - Rich Razzleberry, Basic Black, Whisper White, Soft Suede
Punches - Oval, Scallop Oval
Ink - Basic Black, Soft Suede
Other - Champage Shimmer Paint, Sponger Daubers, Black & White Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Soft Suede Polka Dot Ribbon, Diamond Stickles (non-SU!)

And finally, a couple more Dasher cards made to a different recipe:

Supplies:

Stamps - Dasher, Punches Three, So Swirly Jumbo Wheel
Cardstock - Soft Suede, Pretty in Pink, Rich Razzleberry, Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Very Vanilla
Punches - Scallop Edge, Scalloped Oval, Corner Rounder (non-SU)
Ink - Soft Suede, Rich Razzleberry, Bashful Blue
Other - Soft Suede Polka Dot Ribbon, Diamond Stickles (non-SU)

The first of these two was inspired by a card made by Pat, and the second one was inspired by Carol's use of the So Swirly wheel on the In Love With Stamping gallery. Thanks for sharing your cards, ladies!

So, which card do you like the best?

Sarah x

Stampin' Up! Open House - Saturday 25th September

2010-08-09T13:28:00.000+01:00

There's an exciting event coming up which I'm thrilled to tell you about.. I'm holding a Stampin' Up! Open House event on Saturday 25th September. It's going to be held at Community Wise in Eastbourne from 10am til 12.30pm, timed to coincide with the monthly Farmers' Market and Craft Fair... so there will be plenty of great reasons to come along and pay us a visit!

The Open House will be held in the large hall upstairs at Community Wise (it will be signposted!). There will be displays of scrapbook layouts, mini-books, cards, three-dimensional projects such as gift boxes and gifts, and home decor items. Along with my friend and fellow demonstrator Pat, we'll be holding demonstrations and 'Make-and-Take' sessions - there will be free goodie bags for anyone who signs up for a session in advance.

If you'd like to join in a Make-and-Take session, please email me to reserve your place. There will be two sessions - 10.30am and 11.30am, each lasting 20-30 minutes. There will be small charge of £1 for the Make-and-Take sessions which will include all you need to make a beautiful card, plus an envelope!

We'll also be holding a Raffle - fill in the Door Prize form and you'll be in with a chance of winning a lovely Stampin' Up! goodie bag.

I hope you can come - Pat and I would love to see you there!

Sarah x

A Two-step Stampin' Anniversary Card

2010-08-05T00:18:00.000+01:00

On Friday 30th July, my hubby and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. Rather than go out for a romantic dinner for two, as originally planned, we decided to take the boys away for a camping weekend. That's a story for another day.. and another blog.. Meanwhile, here's the card I made for Gareth..

Supplies:

Cardstock - Kraft, Almost Amethyst, Very Vanilla

Stamps - Bird on a Branch, Fun & Fast Notes

Inks - Almost Amethyst, Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, Lavender Lace, Ruby Red, Close to Cocoa

Other - Linen Thread

Techniques:

I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to position the flowers precisely on the branch.
The flower stamp on the main image was inked with a combination of inks to give a variety of colours.
I used the 'rock & roll' technique to ink up the purple bird first with Almost Amethyst, then rolled the Perfect Plum ink pad along the head and tail of the bird.
I stamped the greeting by masking off each word in turn with a Post-it Note and using the Stamp-a-ma-jig to get each word exactly where I wanted it.
The birds were stamped on Very Vanilla cardstock, cut out and the purple one mounted on a foam pad, overlapping the red one.

Thanks for looking!

Sarah x