Loving those Long Fellows!

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

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!

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

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!

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!

 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!

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