A quick post from me today to share some of the thank you cards I made recently to pop into bags with my customer's orders. I used another retiring stamp set: the hostess set "Happy You", available to hostesses when they host a Stampin' Up! party. This is a great set for making 3x3" cards - the perfect size for little note cards or gift tags.

Here are my cards:

I mounted these on a piece of Brights DSP just to give a sharper edge to the design and spent a pleasurable few minutes colouring in the images with my markers and blender pen. A little tip for you when stamping images like this with a view to colouring in - I often stamp my image outlines in Basic Grey as opposed to Black, as I think it makes the image appear less harsh.

These cards are a great example of how no matter how little time you have, a few minutes is all it takes to stamp a quick card. This stamp set has lots of little stamps perfect for every occasion - but you're running out of time to own it! If you would like a fun evening in crafting with friends, please contact me to book a date to host your own party. With the new catalogue launching on July 2nd, be one of the first to play with all the great new products and colours - there's never been a better time to be a Stampin' Up! hostess.

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Happy You (Hostess set)

Cardstock: Whisper White, Pacific Point Brights DSP

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Basic Grey, Pacific Point, Marina Mist, More Mustard, Real Red, Sahara Sand

Tools: Blender Pen

No stamping today! I have another Dress Up project from last month's quarterly training session: this time a lovely set of gift tags in a nice little pocket holder made using the Pop n' Cuts base again. Here's the outside of the box, decorated with its own dress on a Cute Clip hanger and another of those little filter paper flowers:

Open up the box to reveal a lovely set of dressed mannequin gift tags, each one with its own outfit:

This kind of holder is so easy to make just by adding in a couple of central score lines and box section to hold the tags; it would also make a nice notelet holder. As for the tags - what better way to ensure a gift for someone special is 'all dressed up'? My particular favourite outfit combo is the embossed filter paper sundress with the hot pink patterned bolero cardigan; leave me a comment and let me know which one you prefer, or better still how you would dress yours?

If you would like to get your hands on a gift tag set like the one above, you can do one of three things:

host a party during the month of May - this will be my hostess gift to thank you for booking a party and if you have party sales totally £300 or more, you could use your hostess credits to obtain the Pop 'n' Cuts Card base, Pop 'n' Cuts Dress Form and All Dressed Up framelit and stamps bundle ABSOLUTELY FREE!*

ask me about a class - if I have enough interested crafters, I will run a class featuring the Dress Up framelits and Pop 'n' Cuts base and you can learn how to make this set and more

contact me via [email protected] to place your order today

So many choices - I hope one of them tick's your box and I look forward to hearing from you. Back tomorrow with anohter project - until then, happy stampin'!

*Hostess credits for party sales of £300 totalling £75 (£50 plus £25 bonus if you host a party before May 30th) with one item purchased at 50% discount price

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Cardstock: Marina Mist, Sunshine and Sprinkles DSP

Ink: Basic Grey

Tools: Dress Up Framelits, Big Shot, Itty Bitty Punches, Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder, Fancy Fan Embossing Folder, Heart Punch

Finishing Touches: Basics Rhinestones, 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon Basic Grey, Creped Filter Paper, Cute Clips

Lots to share today: new Stampin' Up! offers, some lovely makes and a 'sneak peek' of tomorrow's post - but you'll have to read everything else first!

Stampin' Up! has announced two great offers that will run from April 15th-May 30th: If you host a £250 party, you will earn an additional £25 in hostess credits to spend on any items you like from the current annual and Spring-Summer catalogues - that's a whopping £65 worth of product absolutely free, just for hosting a party. All you need to do is contact me to arrange a date, invite your friends round and pop the kettle on - I'll take care of the rest.

If you've ever thought about becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, there's another great offer that will be of interest to you: if you sign up before 30th May, you will receive an extra £25 worth of product of your choice in your starter kit - that's a total of £155 worth of product for £99 cost - bargain! You will also receive a business supplies pack worth £45, which brings the total value of the starter pack to £200 - a great deal at half the price. Whether you want to be a hobby demonstrator and simply take advantage of the opportunity to purchase your craft supplies at a discount, supplement your existing income or work with a specific financial goal in mind, or build a business out of your love of crafting that has endless opportunities and the flexibility to work the hours of your choice and do a much or as little as you like, Stampin' Up! has something for everyone. In addition to the extensive resources that Stampin' Up! offers, I like to give my team members something 'extra'. In addition to my personal support in helping you make the most of everything that Stampin' Up! has to offer, I like to share my enthusiasm and passion and inspire them to create great things. Here's the welcome card and gift I made for new members of my team during Sale-A-Bration earlier this year, inspired by something similar I had seen on the SU corporate blog:

A lovely decorated notebook for those all important moments when inspiration strikes and a co-ordinating welcome card. I used the Vine Embossing Folder and co-ordinating stamp from the Madison Avenue stamp set, highlighting with some hearts from my Owl Punch and the 'Oh Hello' stamp set from the stamp set of the same name. Here's a close-up of the notebook:

And here's a close-up of the co-ordinating welcome card: 

So if you would like to say 'Oh Hello' and join my team of Crafty Owls, do get in touch with me here if you'd like more information. Alternatively, if you've already decided and are ready to order your starter pack, just click here to complete the form online - it's really straightforward.

Lastly, I promised a 'sneak peek' of tomorrow's post, which will feature one of the cards from my class tomorrow evening - so here it is:

You'll have to come back tomorrow to see the whole thing though - until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Oh Hello, Madison Avenue (Sale-A-Bration - retired)

Cardstock: Island Indigo, Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, Poppy Parade (retired)

Inks: Crumb Cake, Island Indigo

Tools: Vine Embossing Folder (Sale-A-Bration - retired), Stamp-a-ma-jig, Owl Punch

A short departure from my love affair with my Spring Sampler set today to bring you a card made with the Spring stamp in the Four Seasons set. I know it's already officially British Summer Time, but the weather seems to have only reached Spring-like proportions this week, so I don't think I'm too tardy:

I used a So Saffron card base and used a section of one of the Print Poetry Designer Paper sheets as a background for interest, but only across half of the card so that it didn't overwhelm or detract from the stamp whihc is the focal point. The Print Poetry papers in the Spring-Summer catalogue are great value: 48 sheets of 11.4 x 16.5 cm paper, 4 each of 12 designs for just £6.25 and the perfect size for card making. To add depth to the Spring stamp, I firstly inked the centre circle with my marker pens and cut out using a 1 1/4" punch. Then I inked the stamp in Gumball Green and punched out with the Scalloped Circle punch, then removed the centre with the 1" punch and overlaid on the original nesting bird using Dimensionals.

I coloured this little bird blue as I'm hoping he will be a good omen: last year we had a family of blue tits nesting in the cavity wall of our house and as blue tits are known to return to nesting sites year after year, this year we mounted a nest box with bird cam over the hole in the wall. This week we have seen definite signs that the bird box has been visited, so here's hoping we get to see a blue tit family in the making - I'll keep you posted!

I'll be featuring the other stamps in the Four Seasons set in coming months; this set is exclusive to hostesses and is one of a number of products that can be yours free* if you host a party. So if you'd like to get you're hands on one, simply give me a call or contact me at [email protected] and invite your friends round for a night of creativity, shopping and fun!

Back tomorrow with another card - until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Four Seasons: Spring (hostess set)

Cardstock: So Saffron, Whisper White, Print Poetry Designer Series Paper

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Gumball Green, Easrly Espresso, Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, So Saffron, Wild Wasabi

Tools: 1" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch

*Hostess sets are products available exclusively to party hostesses. Hostess credits are awarded on a sliding scale based on overall party sales. See online catalogue for more details.

I've been out a wedding fair all day today but as I haven't blogged for a few days, thought I'd do a quick post to share with you some thank you cards I made for the lovely ladies who placed orders at the last party I ran. I wanted something simple as I had several to make and decided to use the Sale-A-Bration Bloomin' Marvelous stamp set as many of them had chosen it as their free gift with a £45 order and I wanted to give them a little inspiration. So this is what I came up with:

I love the effect you can get by using a frame within your picture to add focus, and by stamping the third butterfly and punching out it looks like the butterflies are almost flying off the page. A little sparkle adds a finishing touch. I also used the precut notelet and envelope sets to make these (card measures 12.7 x 8.9cm), so I didn't even need to cut and score the basic cardstock - super quick. If you would like this stamp set, Sale-A-Bration is running for another 19 days so drop me a line if you would like to place an order. That's it for today - I'm off to soak my aching feet!

Until next time, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Bloomin' Marvelous

Cardstock: Pool Party, Whisper White

Ink: Pool Party, Primrose Petals, Raspberry Ripple, Island Indigo

Tools: Bitty Butterfly Punch

Finishing Touches: Dazzling Details, Whisper White Notelets and Envelopes

Today I thought I'd share with you the 'make and take' card that I made with all the lovely ladies who attended my first party recently (Hello ladies, if you're reading this!). It's similar to something I saw whilst browsing on Pinterest, but with my own twist and designed to make the most of some of the lovely goodies that are available free during Sale-A-Bration. It uses four of the possible 17 items on offer - see if you SU! fans can spot them all!

We stamped a greeting from Bloomin' Marvelous and a simple flower from the Madison Avenue stamp set onto Whisper White card stock, then layered this piece of card using dimensionals onto a Crumb Cake card base, having first adhered a couple of coordinating strips of Sycamore Street DSP along each of the vertical outer edges. The flower was finished with a button threaded with a piece of contrasting ribbon from the matching accessory pack. I sized the card to fit the new Crumb Cake medium envelopes and we stamped a flower onto the front of the envelope for a finishing touch.

A great night was had by all: thank you ladies for being kind to me on my first outing. If you love to craft, need a reason to get together with some like-minded friends and would like to host an evening to make this card or something similar, do get in touch - there are great additional hostess benefits during Sale-A-Bration too, the perfect way to grow your own craft stash!

Until next time, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Madison Avenue, Bloomin' Marvelous

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Sycamore Street (DSP)

Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Tangerine Tango

Finishing Touches: Sycamore Street Ribbon and Button Pack, Medium Crumb Cake Envelopes

Just a quick post from me today! Before I move on to the last stamp in this set, today I thought I would share with you another ferris wheel stamped using the rock and roll ink technique; this time an easel birthday card I made recently for a friend of mine, whihc also includes the 'Celebrate' stamp from the same set.

As you can see, this time I've used a trio of ink colours; I think it makes a lovely female birthday card and the easel card design just makes it a little bit different.

Remember, the 'Feeling Sentimental' stamp set is just one of the 17 items you can receive free with a £45 spend during Sale-A-Bration, so if it appeals to you just contact me to host a party or place an order before 22nd March and this set could be yours.

Until next time, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Feeling Sentimental

Cardstock: Whisper White, Primrose Petals

Ink: Primrose Petals, Perfect Plum, Regal Rose

Hope you all enjoyed Valentine's Day yesterday. Today I thought I would share the second instalment of my experimentation with 'Feeling Sentimental' - this time, with the ferris wheel stamp from the set.

I've used the same simple layout as for the phone box, but this time have used a blue midnight muse card base and experimented with the 'rock and roll' stamping technique to add some interest. On the first card I've stamped in blue straight onto the card and left it at that; the second card I stamped in a combination of midnight muse and pacific point. This is a really easy technique: you simply ink your stamp all over in the lightest colour you are going to use, then 'rock' sections of your stamp over the top with a darker colour to get a graduated colour. I actually quartered mine, but you can achieve a different effect depending on how you ink up, roll and how many ink combinations you use.

I'll be back tomorrow with another example using this stamp and technique, but on a birthday card using a triple ink combination, so do come back and see how different this stamp can look. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Feeling Sentimental

Cardstock: Whisper White, Midnight Muse

Ink: Midnight Muse, Pacific Point

A quick post from me today as I've been busy preparing for a forthcoming wedding fair. Another card with Valentine's in mind: this time, using the 'together' stamp from the 'Happy You' hostess set in the main catalogue: 

I've used a front fold overlapping design in vanilla for a change, with the stamp coloured with markers and a blender pen and showing through a punched circle. I've used a lovely piece of More Amore designer paper on the right for contrast and a punched Pretty Petites label to hold the card closed.

That's all for today. Join me tomorrow for a 3D project - meanwhile, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Happy You, Pretty Petites

Paper: Very Vanilla, More Amore (DSP)

Ink: Real Red; Stampin' Write Markers: Real Red, Primrose Petals

Tools: Blender Pen, Petite Curly Label Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch

Yesterday I held my first Stampin' Up party - thanks to all the lovely ladies who attended for being so kind to me on my first outing! I thought I would do a quick post today to share with you the gift I made for the hostess as a thank you.

It's a set of four notelets in a co-ordinating box, featuring the Madison Avenue and Vintage Verses stamp sets and the Sycamore Street designer series paper and designed by the lovely Monica Gale for our recent training event. You can check out her blog here - and spookily, as I've just gone to create the link I can see she has blogged her own set today; clearly great minds think alike!!!!

If you would like to receive a similar gift set, then all you have to do is get in touch with me and arrange to host your own Stampin' Up party - it's a great opportunity to get together with your crafty family and friends, make a project and receive lots of free goodies; in addition to free products of your choice depending on your party sales, you can also receive some of the lovely silver glimmer paper featured in the cards above with orders above £150. This is a great product - it doen't shed, like some glitter card, it can be coloured with the aid of ink and rubbing alcohol to match specific projects and a little goes a long way!

Come back tomorrow for some more cards on a Valentine's theme and the launch of the new Spring-Summer catalogue.

Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Madison Avenue, Vintage Verses

Paper: Pool Party, Whisper White, Sycamore Street (DSP), Silver Glimmer Paper

Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Pool Party, Summer Starfruit

Tools: Bitty Butterfly Punch, Oval Punch, Elegant Butterfly Punch, Small Heart Punch, Scallop Border Punch, Apothocary Accents Framelits

Finishing Touches: 1/4" Rich Razzleberry Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon