The retiring lists are here! Discover what stamps and accessories, including the 2014-16 In Colours, are retiring at the beginning of June this year. Retiring products are only available WHILE STOCKS LAST, so if you've still items on your wish list from this year's annual or spring-summer seasonal catalogues, you need to check the retiring lists and if they're on it put an order in pronto!

Please click on the images below to see the complete lists in the online store:

                               STAMPS                                  EVERYTHING ELSE

You can click on this link to access and download the complete Retiring List (in pdf format):

Retiring Stamps & Accessories - available April 18-May 31 (while stocks last)

You have just 6 weeks left to shop from the current annual and seasonal catalogues. Some of the items on these lists will sell out quickly and once they're gone, they're gone. So what are you waiting for? Don't delay, shop today! Click here to go straight to my online store - remember to include this month's hostess code UD3KDWM4 to receive a special thank you from me. If you live in or around Northampton, if you would like to save on postage and collect your order on delivery, please email me on joanne@thecraftyowl.co.uk or phone me with your order.

I'll be back tomorrow with a creative post; until then, happy shopping!

The wait is over - it's June 2nd and the new 2015-16 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue is here! I have updated my links on the right hand side of my blog and you will find a permanent link to the new catalogue there, but for today you need look no further than the picture below which will take you straight to the new catalogue:

This is a day when you really can have it all though:

• Today is the last day to order from the 2015 Spring-Summer Occasions Catalogue. There are lots of great products in the 2015 Occasions Catalogue that are going away after June 2.  Read my previous blog post here for the detail.
• Today is the last day to order from the 2014-2015 Annual Catalogue.  Everything in that catalogue that isn’t carrying over to the 2015-2016 Annual Catalogue is to be found on the Retiring Lists and are available WHILE SUPPLIES LAST - today is the last day to order those items. Many of these items are discounted; there are still some bargains to be had. Check out the remaining retiring items here.
• Today is the first day that you can order from the 2015-2016 Annual Catalogue. The new catalogue is posted above and will be permanently linked via my blog if you don’t have a paper copy. If you have your paper copy and just want to go straight to the shop to place your order, click here. Don't forget to add the hostess code for June UPCSWX2C if your order is less than £150 and ensure you are set to 'contactable' to receive a thank you in the post from me.
• Earn Hostess Rewards under the “Old Plan”.  You may have noticed in the new catalogue that Stampin’ Up! has changed the customer rewards plan for purchases over £150.  In the new plan, now called Stampin’ Rewards, customers and hostesses can still earn free product for these larger orders.  While the total reward has decreased at each level (for example, the free product reward on a £150 order decreases from £25 to £15), the rewards are on a sliding scale that allow you to continue to earn for every £ you spend over and above £150. The aim is to make things more straight forward, but as the new plan doesn't take effect until June 3rd for today there is no change. An added benefit of Stampin' Rewards is that they can be used towards a starter kit if you choose to join Stampin' Up! as a demonstrator - making the starter kit even better value! Which brings me on to the last 'big news' item for today:
• Earn Free Stamps in June’s Promotion for New SU! Joiners.  June 2 also kicks off a new promotion for customers to become demonstrators.  As a demonstrator on my team, you will belong to a friendly team where you get to be the first to see and order products from upcoming catalogues. You also get to earn a discount on the products you already love – with no risks or penalties if you don't meet your quarterly minimum.  Starting today when you join, you also earn two free stamp sets of your choice (they’ll be added to your starter kit). These can be any stamps at all from the new catalogue - so if you choose wisely (think alphabets and large sentiment sets!) these two stamp sets alone could be worth £60 or more. The Starter Kit is £99 for £130 of free product of your choice. My team is a mix of both hobby stampers and business demonstrators and I love and appreciate them all.  If you would like to take to me about becoming a demonstrator and joining us, please do get in touch for a no obligation chat about the benefits or call in at either of my open house events this week. Alternatively if you know this is the deal for you, don't delay and click here to join today!

That's a lot of information for one post; if I were you I would put the kettle on, put your feet up and get comfy and settle down with your new catalogue for a browse and start creating that all-important wish list!

Back tomorrow with a new project; until then, happy shopping!

Yay it's Friday! Clearly we have seen the best of the weather here in the UK this week as it is pouring down with rain here in the UK as I type. Never mind - I am tucked up indoors and want to share more widely the details of next week's Open House to celebrate the launch of the new 2015-16 Annual Catalogue, details below:

Please call me on 07773 421446 or email me with your RSVP so that I can ensure that there are enough 'make and take' packs. This event will be held at my home in Northampton - address details on RSVP. I do hope you will be able to join me!

For my lovely readers who live further afield, never fear - there will be plenty more inspiration right here in the coming days, weeks and months, so stay tuned!

It's Wednesday and you know what that means: a new collection of Wednesday Weekly Deals! This week's deals are included below - they will be available for one week only, before a new collection of deals is announced. 

As always, if you want to take advantage of any of the deals on offer, you can support my business by placing your order online by clicking here or using the link to my store on the right hand side of my blog page where it says 'Shop Online' or with me in person. Don't forget to add the Hostess Code for May FZZMG3JY and be sure to make sure that you don't check the 'no contact' box if you'd like to be kept updated with the progress of you order and receive a little thank you in the post from me. 

Here's a summary of this week's one-week only Wednesday deals - click on each item to go to the online store to purchase:

Birthday Bash Specialty Designer Series Paper	Spring Flowers Textured Impressions Embossing Folder	Calypso Coral Pompom Trim `
Rose Coral Colorbox Chalk Ink Pad	Yellow Citrus Colorbox Chalk Ink Pad	Aquamarine Colorbox Chalk Ink Pad
Chalkboard Paper	Stacked With Love Designer Series Paper Stack	Stacked With Love Designer Washi Tape

Please note - these items are still showing at full price on the Weekly Deals page at the time of uploading, but when you click on a specific product the reduced price is displayed: for example, chalk ink reduced from £4.95 to £3.71 each, and so on. 

Don't forget we also have only one more week left of the retiring list until these items are gone for good. many items have sold out but equally there are still plenty of bargains to be had. There is also only one week left to purchase from the current Spring-Summer seasonal catalogue; a number of items are carrying over into the new 2015-16 annual catalogue, but there are also a number that aren't - they are all listed below with links to the store in case they are on your wishlist:

You Plus Me Wood Stamp Set	You Plus Me Clear Stamp Set	Stacked With Love Designer Series Paper Stack	Stacked With Love Designer Washi Tape	Wood You Be Mine Photopolymer Stamp Set	Hey, Valentine Wood Stamp Set
Hey, Valentine Clear Stamp Set	Birthday Bash Designer Washi Sheets	Birthday Bash Specialty Designer Series Paper	Balloon Bash Photopolymer Stamp Set	Cheerful Critters Photopolymer Stamp Set	From The Herd Wood Stamp Set
From The Herd Clear Stamp Set	From The Herd Photopolymer Stamp Set	Hooray It's Your Day Card Kit	Hooray It's Your Day Photopolymer Stamp Set	Painted Petals Wood Stamp Set	Spring Flowers Textured Impressions Embossing Folder
Painted Blooms Designer Series Paper	From The Garden Photopolymer Stamp Set	Moon Lake Wood Stamp Set	Moon Lake Clear Stamp Set	Petal Potpourri Wood Stamp Set	Petal Potpourri Clear Stamp Set
Flower Medallion Punch	Big On You Photopolymer Stamp Set	Aquamarine Colorbox Chalk Ink Pad	Aquamarine Colorbox Chalk Ink Refill	Rose Coral Colorbox Chalk Ink Pad	Rose Coral Colorbox Chalk Ink Refill
Yellow Citrus Colorbox Chalk Ink Pad	Yellow Citrus Colorbox Chalk Ink Refill	One Tag Fits All Wood Stamp Set	One Tag Fits All Clear Stamp Set	Build A Bouquet Project Kit	Build A Bouquet Photopolymer Stamp Set
Love Is Kindness Wood Stamp	For Peeps' Sake Wood Stamp Set	For Peeps' Sake Clear Stamp Set	Indescribable Gift Wood Stamp Set	Indescribable Gift Clear Stamp Set	Happy Easter Bunny Wood Stamp
Sweet Laughter Wood Stamp Set	Sweet Laughter Clear Stamp Set	Mum's Love Photopolymer Stamp Set	Sweet Dreams Designer Series Paper	Sweet Dreams Designer Washi Tape	Little Sunshine Wood Stamp Set
Little Sunshine Clear Stamp Set	Adventure Bound Designer Series Paper Stack	Adventure Awaits Photopolymer Stamp Set	Something Borrowed Designer Series Paper	Your Perfect Day Wood Stamp Set	Your Perfect Day Clear Stamp Set
Your Perfect Day Photopolymer Stamp Set	Sophisticated Serifs Photopolymer Stamp Set	Class Of 2015 Wood Stamp	So You Photopolymer Stamp Set

It's Sunday and time for a new challenge over at The Paper Players! There were some beautiful girly thank you cards in our gallery last week - this week it is the turn of the lovely Anne-Marie to host and she has a great sketch challenge for us to play with:

I love a good sketch and couldn't resist using this one to showcase some more 'sneak peek' products using the new in-colours, the RMHC stamp set 'Sprinkles of Life' and the co-ordinating Tree Builder Punch, the Cheery on Top DSP stack and another new product that I'm using for the first time - check out my card:

I used two of the 'Cherry on Top' patterned papers for the background and the strip across the middle, matting each onto Watermelon Wonder and then Bermuda Bay and Crushed Curry respectively and for my focal point, I kept the square shape and used it to feature yet another combination from the 'Sprinkles of Life' stamp set - a cute basket filled with flowers. I stamped the basket in Crushed Curry onto the same colour cardstock and stamped the top in Cucumber Crush on Cucumber Crush cardstock, then using the same tone on tone stamping, stamped and either punched out or fussy cut the flowers and paper pieced them, finishing the centres of the larger flowers with candy dots. I adhered this to a piece of Pool Party cardstock, and I also used this colour for my sentiment flag. The final 'sneak peek' product is the trio of In-Colour Blossom Accents that I used for the circles on the sketch - how gorgeous are they?! They add great dimension to a card and just one would be enough to make a big impact - I can see me getting through lots of these!

Before you reach for your inks and stamps, check out what our amazing team has created to inspire you this week:

I look forward to seeing how you interpret our sketch this week. I'm off to the tip to dispose of a couple of trailer-loads of garden rubbish and then for Sunday lunch cooked by my mother-in-law - what an exciting life I lead! 

Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

All sneak peek product today - purchase details to be updated when available. 

It's Thursday and time for a new challenge over at Create With Connie and Mary and this week we have a colour challenge for you:

I also have a sneak peek for you today as I made my card with a new set from the 2015-16 Annual Catalogue called 'You've Got This' - take a look:

This gorgeous stamp comes in two parts with a very useful hatched pattern background stamp that I stamped in Soft Sky on my Soft Sky panel, a few sentiments and beautiful large flower bloom. I stamped my flower in Versamark on vellum and heat embossed it in silver then I coloured the stem with Smoky Slate and the petals with Blackberry Bliss ink and used a blender pen to achieve the detail. I then fussy cut my flower and adhered it to my card front using glue dots, allowing the edges to lift away from the card. The sentiment was also heat embossed in silver directly to the card front and I finished my card with a piece of Soft Sky seam binding ribbon tied in a bow. 

I just love this flower stamp and know that this is one I will be getting lots of use out of, so you can definitely expect to see more of it. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with this colour combination this week - do check out how the other designers have used this colour combination too, as there are some great and varied cards to inspire you. 

I'm also linking today's card up with this week's challenge over at Can You Case It? where their theme is 'May Flowers' - I think my card certainly qualifies as one of those!

I'll be back tomorrow with another sneak peek project, so stay tuned for that. Unitl then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Today I've been at a Stampin' Up! UK regional training event in Telford. These events are both exhilarating and exhausting at the same time! It's a great opportunity to get together with team members, other SU! demos and the Stampin' Up! UK and European Home Office teams, to see lots of new and exciting product and swap work with others as a means of creative inspiration. I love creating swaps for this type of event although they can be time-consuming and always seem to create something rather too elaborate for mass production, hence no post yesterday and a late one today. I made a card for this week's challenges over at The Paper Craft Crew and Colour Me! and then based my swap on this as it features a stamp that is new to us here in the UK so is an annual catalogue 'sneak peek', although if you are a USA reader this set will be familiar to you as it has been available as a photopolymer set for some time: Endless Birthday Wishes.

So here is my original challenge card:  

I stamped the sprinkles stamp on my base of Melon Mambo and used the challenge colours to create my own custom happy birthday DSP which I used for the right hand panel - thank heavens for photopolymer stamps, they made lining up a doddle! I then stamped the cake in Memento Black on Whisper White and coloured with my retired Blendabilities, before mounting on a starburst cut with the retiring Starburst framelits - still available and a bargain at only £11.48 for the set! I added a few sequins for sparkle and to tie in my gold button, and then added a strip with a few DSP banners and the second part of my sentiment (the stamp has these words side by side, so I stamped it in two separate goes, so that the words sat on top of each other and fitted my banner better). 

I liked this card so much I created a (only slightly!) simpler version as my swap for the Stampin' Up! regional event. Here it is in the same colours:

The background and DSP panel was the same, however to save on colouring I stamped the cake in a single colour and mounted on a combination of a 2" circle, 2 3/8" scallped circle and 2 1/2" circle instead and I left off the button and twine. I also created it in three other colour combinations, but totally forgot to take photos of the whole pile when finished! I do however have this 'work in progress' shot of the chaos on my office desk last week:

Well, organised chaos! Here are the other colour combinations: Tangerine Tango and Tempting Turquoise (top left), Calypso Coral and Bermuda Bay (bottom left) and Wisteria Wonder and Elegant Eggplant (bottom right).

Thanks to everyone who swapped with me - I have some lovely samples that I'm looking forward to sharing with my customers. Also, before I go here's another quick photo of some of my downline and team members who I was lucky enough to spend the day with:

Even the camera-shy Samantha doesn't look to cross to have been snapped in this one :-) Love you ladies!

I'm looking forward to sharing lots more of the new and fun things that we got to see and create with at our training in the coming weeks; only a couple more weeks until the new 2015 Stampin' Up! annual catalogue launches!

Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used (challenge card):

Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad	Melon Mambo A4 Card Stock	Pear Pizzazz Classic Stampin' Pad	Card Stock A4 Pear Pizzazz	Whisper White A4 Card Stock
Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Big Shot Magnetic Platform	Starburst Framelits Dies	Old Olive Baker's Twine
Gold Sequin Trim	Gold Basic Metal Buttons	Banner Punch

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used (swap card):

Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad	Melon Mambo A4 Card Stock	Pear Pizzazz Classic Stampin' Pad	Card Stock A4 Pear Pizzazz	Whisper White A4 Card Stock
Banner Punch	2-3/8 Inch Scallop Circle Punch	2" Circle Punch	2-1/2 Inch Circle Punch