Just a quick post with additional information out this week: you all know that this year's second Sale-A-Bration promotion will end on 31st August and in addition to hosting and joining benefits (you can read about those here) you also earn a free product for every £45/90 spend - you can see the existing items here. Now there's more good news: from now until the 31st August, you will also be able to choose from a number of other items (you must use the special code as detailed as opposed to the usual item code to get one of these items free with a £45/90 spend):

If you would like more information or to place an order, go here to purchase from my online store (don't forget to add this month's hostess code 6SQFH49A). 

Remember as with all items offered as part of the Sale-A-Bration promotion, they are only available whilst stocks last. Currently all items are still available, however current stock levels suggest that a number of the original items will have run out before the end of the month.

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

A new month and so many reasons to celebrate today - or should I say, Sale-A-Brate?!

First up, we have a new mini catalogue, with everything you need for your seasonal and festive crafting, to take you from autumn, through to Halloween, Christmas and beyond! Here is the new mini catalogue, in all its festive glory:

Just click on the image above or in the sidebar on the right to browse the catalogue online, or contact me on 07773 421446 if you would like a paper copy posted out to you and you don't already have a demonstrator; paper copies will be automatically sent to customers who have purchased with me in the last 3 months. If you are as excited as me and just can't wait, here's the link to my online store - everything is available to purchase from today!

And as if that wasn't enough, we get a second bite of the Sale-A-Bration cherry this year too, with our second 2 month long Sale-A-Bration promotion! Starting from today 1st July until 31st August, you can once again get more bang for your buck when you shop, host or join. You can click on the catalogue on the right hand side of my blog page or below to access the Sale-A-Bration leaflet to download a copy or click on the icon above or on the right to go directly to my online shopto place an order - we are LIVE!

So a reminder of how Sale-A-Bration works: for anyone who hasn't come across it before, it's Stampin' Up!'s annual promotion that is loaded with offers whether you shop, join or host. You can earn a free Sale-A-Bration product for every £45 you spend between 1 July and 31st August. There is also the opportunity to earn even bigger rewards with a £90 purchase. It's the perfect time to purchase those products you've had on your wish list and earn more products for free! 

It’s also one of the best times of the year to join Stampin’ Up! There is a fabulous joining option during this year's Sale-A-Bration promotion: as usual, you can become a demonstrator for just £99 and choose £130 of FREE products for your Starter Kit. In addition to an extra £31 worth of product in your starter kit, you will receive the Making Plans Collection, comprising the making Plans stamp set, notebook trio and a 2022-July - 2023 December Making Plans Planner which includes a beautiful reusable planner - check out the collection below:

There couldn’t be a better time to join the Stampin’ Up! family. Plus, the whole kit ships for free! There is plenty of choice and flexibility, whether you want to be a hobby demonstrator and just use your discount to enable you to purchase craft supplies more cheaply, or alternatively would like to build a flourishing direct sales business and sell supplies to others - it's entirely up to you.

Hosting is also even more rewarding during Sale-A-Bration. When you host a party and reach a certain amount in sales (see the Stampin’ Rewards chart in the Sale-A-Bration brochure for more information), you can earn a free stamp set - this time the 'Perfect Pomegrante' stamp set shown above. Even if your order reaches the qualifying amount on your own outside of a party, you can earn the same free stamp set too, both in person and when shopping in my online store. What's more, you can even apply your Stampin' Rewards to a Starter Kit and become a demonstrator yourself - I would love to welcome you to my team!

If you would like to host a virtual party, please do get in touch. Equally if you've ever thought about becoming an SU! demonstrator, now is a great time to do so - I would love to have a no-obligation chat with you about joining my team and the benefits.

If you would like more information on any of the above, please don't hesitate to get in touch! 

Thanks so much for popping by - it's always nice to share good news! Back soon with lots of projects showcasing products from the new catalogue and today's post for our new challenge over at As You See It. Until then, happy shopping!

The wait is over - it's May 3rd and the new 2022-23 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue is here! You will find a permanent link to the new catalogue on the right hand side of my blog but for today you need look no further than the picture below which will take you straight to the new catalogue: 

The new catalogue is fantastic, with so many great new products to choose from. I've sent paper copies to everyone who has shopped with me in the last 6 months; a digital copy of the new catalogue can be accessed via the image above and it will be permanently linked via my blog on the right hand side if you don’t have a paper copy and wish to browse. If you have your paper copy and just want to go straight to the shop to place your order, click here - ordering systems have now fully transitioned from the old stock items to the new so you are good to go! Also, remember to add the current hostess code for May CUUXZD2C if your order is less than £150 and ensure your preferences are set to 'contactable' to receive a thank you in the post from me.

Due to ongoing supply issues, there are a number of items that are unavailable at catalogue launch - this includes the magnetic plates for both of the Stampin' Cut and Emboss machines (even though only one is listed below):

I will keep you up to date here on the blog as these items arrive.

There is also a promotion that goes live today to coincide with the launch of the new catalogue:

It’s always exciting to be able to invite people to join our community of crafters and creators. And right now it’s even more exciting because when you sign up between 3 and 31 May to become a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator, in addition to £130 worth of products for only £99 + free business supplies + free shipping + all the fun being a part of Stampin’ Up! will receive the following 2022–2024 In Color products in their Starter Kit for FREE:

• 2022–2024 In Color Grid Paper (item 160009)
• 2022–2024 In Color Ink Pad Collection (item 161108)
• 2022–2024 In Color A4 Cardstock (item 159205)
• 2022–2024 In Color 6" x 6" (15.2 x 15.2 cm) Designer Series Paper Assortments (item 159253)

Click on the links above for a closer look at each item.

I would love to chat with you about the benefits of joining my team and being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator; as always, you can always find the link to join my team on the right hand side of my blog page; alternatively it's right here if you fancy jumping right in!

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 later this morning with today's creative post; until then, happy shopping!

I've spent a lovely day outside in the fresh air today watching back-to-back hockey matches, still chilly but with glorious sunshine - at last! So I've a super quick post today to share a clean and simple card that uses the colours over at Sunday Stamps and the sketch challenge over at AAA Cards:

I went for the middle rectangle of the nine grid split and chose a cute party-going otter as my favourite animal (of the moment!) as he won't be around for much longer - take a look:

Here's the low-down on today's card:

The Sunday Stamps challenge is entitled 'Winter Blues' but there's nothing sad about today's card! This cute little otter is from the 'Awesome Otters' stamp set: I stamped him and added a party hat from the same set and coloured him with a selection of Stampin' Blends markers (added below, plus a retired Coastal Cobana set) before finishing with a simple sentiment:

The 'Awesome Otters' stamp set is one of a number of items that can be yours FREE with a £45 purchase during Stampin' Up!'s current Sale-A-Bration promotion. If it's still on your wish list, you have until next Monday when the promotion ends to order yours before it's gone forever. Just click on the links below to go to my online store to get yours - remember to add the current host code for a special thank you from me.

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

Enjoy your evening and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

AWESOME OTTERS CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£0.00)

NATURAL TONES STAMPIN’ BLENDS COLLECTION (£41.25)

BERMUDA BAY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)

TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.50)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)

Today I'm sharing a card that I made for fun using the sketch over at TGIF Challenges and the pink and blue inspiration board over at Hand Stamped Sentiments , where the same colours feature at Colour Hues too:

I love the pink and blue colours of the HSS board and was particularly drawn to the florals and the pink camper van with the palm trees. It was the perfect opportunity to ink up the cute camper in the Sale-A-Bration 'Driving By' stamp set - take a look:

Here's the low-down on today's card:

I used hexagons cut using my Beautiful Shapes Dies, as opposed to a heart as the basis for design, having cut one in the gold-splattered navy paper from the Abstract Beauty pack, and layered it with gold vellum and a double-edged gold hexagon from the Expressions In Ink Ephemera pack, although you could be forgiven for not being able to tell; I didn't have any palm trees, so I used the retired 'Tropical Chic' stamp set and Tropical Thinlits Dies to create some bi-coloured florals and tropical leaves as a back drop for my fun camper van, that I coloured with Blends. Once I'd started layering, I just couldn't stop! I also added in some gold foliage and gold faceted gems alongside my sentiment to finish:

This is one of those cards that I wanted to create 'just for fun' - the sketch and inspo board were too good to pass up!

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

DRIVING BY CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£0.00)	ABSTRACT BEAUTY 4" X 6" (10.2 X 15.2 CM) SPECIALTY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£14.00)	BEAUTIFUL SHAPES DIES (£27.00)	EXPRESSIONS IN INK EPHEMERA PACK (£6.50)	BLUSHING BRIDE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	NIGHT OF NAVY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
BLUSHING BRIDE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	NIGHT OF NAVY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.50)

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Today I'm sharing a card for the current challenge over at Fusion where I used both the sketch and the pink and red hearts in the photo for my inspiration:

No cupcakes on today's card, although I did try and incorporate a little chocolate brown colour! I I have a card that would work for Valentine's, or any other time that you'd like to let someone know how awesome they are - take a look:

Here's the low-down on today's card:

Today's card features one of the cute otters from the 'Awesome Otters' stamp set - one of the many items that can be yours free with a £45 purchase during the current Sale-A-Bration promotion. I coloured him with my new skin tone Blends markers - so great to now have so many neutral tone Blends to choose from! - and then heat embossed a sentiment from the same set onto a red diecut heart for him to hold. I love that the heart is so big it looks like the otter can barely hold it up!

I backed the whole thing with more of my favourite Sweet Talk heart patterned paper, and for the horizontal banner added a red glimmer diecut; what to use for the horizontal caused me most of the thinking time on today's card and I tried a whole range of things before settling on this!

Did you know that otters hold hands so that they don't drift away from each other as they sleep? I think that's so sweet! My other half definitely does not display any otter-like tendencies, preferring plenty of space down the middle of the bed to ensure a good night's sleep! He's thoughtful in other ways though - and will be cooking Valentine's dinner for four this evening, so no complaints from me!

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

AWESOME OTTERS CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£0.00)	SWEET TALK 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£10.75)	LAYERING CIRCLES DIES (£33.00)	BLUSHING BRIDE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	REAL RED A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.50)
BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)	STAMPIN’ BLENDS MEDIUM COMBO (£8.25)	STAMPIN’ BLENDS MEDIUM DEEP COMBO (£8.25)

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the fabulous LeAnne to host this week and she has a bright and cheery colour challenge for you to work with:

I used Kim's fabulous sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches this week for my layout and decided to create something fresh with a hint of spring - take a look:

Here's the low-down on today's card:

Special Moments - I love Kim's sketch this week and will most definitely be CASing her card using my favourite Floral Squares Dies. I decided to use the square to feature my sentiment and the circle for my floral decoration. I love this sentiment from the current Sale-A-Bration set 'Special Moments' - it is a paired sentiment that finishes like this on the inside of my card:

Isn't that so sweet? Perfect to let a friend know how much they mean to you. I layered my sentiment square and added a strip of Sunshine and Rainbows designer paper behind - another Sale-A-Bration freebie!

Pierced Blooms and Stitched Greenery - In addition to my sentiment, my card is all about stitched detailing. I used the Pierced Blooms Dies to create my trio of flowers and leaf stems in the challenge colours to add to the corner of my sentiment square and diecut the background with the Stitched Greenery Dies.

Brass Butterflies - As a finishing touch, I added a couple of teeny tiny brass butterfly embellishments to my sentiment square; these are in the mini catalogue - aren't they sweet?

I really like LeAnne's colour choices this week - they are just the thing to bring a breath of fresh air and spring colour on a cold winter's day!

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

You can see all of my Product and 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

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

Enjoy your day; we have no plans so will be spending it enjoying the start of the half-term break. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

SPECIAL MOMENTS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£0.00)	SUNSHINE & RAINBOWS 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£0.00)	STITCHED GREENERY DIE (£30.00)	PIERCED BLOOMS DIES (£34.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)	SO SAFFRON A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
SOFT SEA FOAM A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	BERMUDA BAY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	BERMUDA BAY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	BRUSHED BRASS BUTTERFLIES (£9.25)

This is my second card for today, again using the 'Driving By' stamp set that I made with a few challenges in mind:

It uses the current Color Throwdown colours and is most definitely a clean and simple take on the codeword at Addicted to CAS this week which is 'Hearts' - and it's another vehicle for the 'V is for Vehicle' challenge over at the Alphabet Challenge blog. I was inspired by a few clean and simple cards that one of the Stampin' Up! Artisans had posted on Instagram that used white ink on a kraft cardbase, so decided to take the fun open top sports car from 'Driving By' and replace the oval balloons with some heart-shaped ones - take a look:

The car and sentiment is stamped in white kraft ink and not heat-embossed, hence the paler appearance (in hindsight, I think I should maybe have used my Stamparatus to get a stronger image - I'll remember that next time!) I used the heart stamp from 'Here Together' and stamped the heats onto the ends of my freehand strings, adding highlights and some dots between the tiny stamped hearts with my chalk marker (these tiny hearts are from the 'Rainbow of Happiness' stamp set). I coloured my trio of hearts using my dry watercolour pencils in Cherry Cobbler, Melon Mambo and Flirty Flamingo to allow for some grainy shading: 

My sentiment is from the 'Happy & Heartfelt' stamp set and I finished with a freehand squiggly frame and some linen thread.

So what do you think? This was a bit of an experiment for me as I rarely use Crumb Cake as a base, but I do like the way it really highlights the three pink hearts. Besides, it's always fun to try something new - especially when the stamp was a freebie to boot! Yay for free products and Sale-A-Bration - you have until the end of the month to get your hands on yours!

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

DRIVING BY CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£0.00)	CRUMB CAKE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	UNINKED STAMPIN’ PAD & WHISPER WHITE REFILL (£8.75)	WHITE STAMPIN' CHALK MARKER (£3.25)	LINEN THREAD (£4.75)	WATERCOLOR PENCILS (£15.00)
WATERCOLOR PENCILS ASSORTMENT 2 (£11.75)	HAPPY & HEARTFELT CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£23.00)	RAINBOW OF HAPPINESS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£17.00)

Today I have a couple of quick posts for you using stamps from the 'Driving By' stamp set, one of the products you can receive FREE with a £45 purchase during the current Sale-A-Bration promotion. For this first one, I made a trio of cards using Linda's sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches - here it is:   

Having pondered those criss-crossed lines on Linda's sketch, I decided to use the horizontal one as a road and the vertical for part of my sentiment. Take a look at my first card and you'll see what I mean:

I used a chalk marker to add some white lines down the centre on my road, and stamped my VW Beetle onto either vanilla or white cardstock (this one is on vanilla) and fussy-cut the car, minus the presents that feature on the roof, and coloured it with my Stampin' Blends, before adding to my card with some dimensionals. I stamped the sentiment onto my vanilla cardbase, having masked out the word 'hi' as I wanted to finish my sentiment with my wooden 'Congrats' diecut, which I added last. Check out the dimension that this adds:

Finally, I added a sentiment from 'Happy & Heartfelt' and a learner (L) plate to the inside of my card to finish:

I liked this layout so much, I created a couple more cards, using different papers. On the one below, I backed my Mint-Macaron car with a red heart (this card will be for my daughter when she passes her driving test - one of her aims in 2022!):

For my third card, I went with a multi-coloured map and a bright yellow car, and I heat-embossed my wooden sentiment with some retired Blueberry Bushel embossing powder for added shine:

 Check out that shine - I love it!

I used up a ton of retired product on these cards - all three of the map papers are from a variety of retired packs, as are the wooden 'congrats' sentiments, however you could substitute a stamped or diecut sentiment and even some of the current vellum layering designs (p.33, mini catalogue) in place of my paper choices. Rebecca will be 17 later this year (where did that time go?!) and suddenly all of her friends have either started learning to drive or will be within the next few months, so I am expecting to need lots of 'Congratulations on passing your driving test' cards and this set is going to get a good workout!

Finally, here's one last picture of all three cards together:

I'm also linking today's cards up over at the Alphabet Challenge blog where they are currently on 'V for Vehicle' - how appropriate! 

If you like these cars, check out my next post where I have another card with a totally different theme, using another car from the 'Driving By' Sale-A-Bration stamp set. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

DRIVING BY CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£0.00)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)

TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.50)

REAL RED STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)

MINT MACARON STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)

DAFFODIL DELIGHT STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)

Today I'm sharing a card that is a 'sneak peek' of one of the cards that I am making with the lovely ladies signed up form my 'Daffodil Daydream' online card class that is taking place next week; I used the great sketch over at Sunday Stamps for my layout, so am linking up with their current challenge. Here's their sketch:

And here's the card that I made using it as my starting point:

Here's the low-down on today's card:

Daffodil Afternoon - I knew I wanted to use this particular design of Daffodil Afternoon designer series paper as my background. Bold designs on dark backgrounds can be intimidating, so I chose it as I wanted to give my class attendees ideas how to use them. Taking advantage of the split panel and choosing the lighter colours for both the card base and mat layer both serve to lighten this pattern. Lots to love about this paper pack, but most of all - it's FREE with a £45 purchase during the current Sale-A-Bration promotion! If you buy the Daffodil Daydream stamp set and die bundle, this makes a great free product choice to accompany it as it co-ordinates beautifully.  

Daffodil Dies - And so onto those Daffodil Dies! There are lots of die pieces in this set but they go together really easily when you know how. We will be going through that in class, so it was only right that I make up a couple of flower heads and use them to decorate my sentiment label. I cut them from colours that matched the daffodils on the paper, then added some ink with a blender brush to each piece to bring a little more depth to the colours. 

And A Beautiful Shape - Finally, I did start out with a circle shape as per the sketch, albeit I then layered it with my sentiment label and daffodil heads almost covering it up! You can see that circle. courtesy of a new die in the Beautiful Shapes set, a little closer on the photo below, where the debossed detail can just about be seen:

I know this die is one I'll be using lots; the added detail makes it a nice centrepiece. It's no stitched circle, granted, but it is a nice alternative!

I'm looking forward to making a version of this card in my 'Daffodil Daydream' online card class next week. I have lots of other classes and events planned in the coming months - if you would like more information, then do get in touch - I'd love you to join me!

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

Enjoy your day; I have been granted a free pass on the school run this afternoon, so am fortunate to be getting a little extra crafting time (I might even make a head start on tomorrow's chores too!). I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

DAFFODIL DAYDREAM BUNDLE (£51.25)	DAFFODIL AFTERNOON 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£0.00)	BEAUTIFUL SHAPES DIES (£27.00)	PIERCED BLOOMS DIES (£34.00)	MATTE BLACK DOTS (£6.50)	VERY VANILLA A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)
BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	PALE PAPAYA A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	PEAR PIZZAZZ A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	PALE PAPAYA CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)
TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.50)	VERY VANILLA A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)