Three Birthdays and an Anniversary!

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

A Christmas Planner with Jolly Holiday DSP

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

September Card-making Class Update

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

Colour Inspiration

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

Welcome to my new obsession.. Stampin' Up!

Welcome to my new blog! As you'll see, it's all about my new venture into the world of Stampin' Up!

I was introduced to Stampin' Up! (or SU as I'll be calling it) by my scrapbooking and cardmaking friend, Pat, some months ago when I was still in Croydon. She became a SU demonstrator back in January and has been enjoying wonderful success with her cardmaking classes. I've been thinking about becoming a demonstrator myself for quite some time - and now we've achieved our dream relocation to Eastbourne, the time feels right.

So here I am.. a new Stampin' Up! demonstrator, living by the seaside and doing what I love.. playing with paper, stamps and ink.. what could be better?!!

I took delivery of a thrilling box of goodies yesterday.. and here are a couple of cards I made this afternoon.

Stamp set: Basic Phrases
Punch: Extra Large Two-step Bird
Cardstock: Very Vanilla; Summer Sun; Pumpkin Pie

Stamp sets: Basic Phrases; Bird On A Branch
Punches: Butterfly; Scallop Edge
Cardstock: Very Vanilla; Chocolate Chip
Ribbon: 1/4" Grosgrain - Very Vanilla

I'm off to a crop in Hailsham tomorrow so I'll be back soon to share what I make there.

Thanks for looking!

Sarah x