Stampin' Up!'s Online Extravaganza Is Back - For One Week Only!

by Joanne James19. November 2017 23:00

 

Stampin' Up!'s Online Extravaganza is here! Starting tonight at 11pm GMT for one week only, 19-26 November, you can save up to 40% on select products. To sweeten the deals, we will be having 24-hour sales on the first and last day of the promotion, featuring special products available for that day only. 

Our first incredible offering of this promotion will be the 24-hour stamp sale. Select stamp sets will be 20% off for the first 24 hours of the Online Extravaganza. The Stamp Sale takes place on 19 November 23:00 (GMT) to 20 November 22:59 (GMT).

To close out the Online Extravaganza with a bang, there will also be a special 24-hour flash sale on 27 November, after other Online Extravaganza deals end on 26 November. I will be back with more information on this flash sale later in the week. Check back here for the announcement and more details!

Here is the full list of deals this week:

 

 

You can download a PDF version of the deals list by clicking here.

Don't forget, the first of the 24 hour flash sales begins tonight at 11pm GMT and includes the following stamp sets each with 20% off:

 

 

Some great deals there - plenty of opportunity to grab some bargains to add to your stamp collection or alternatively start your Christmas shopping in earnest! Local customers - I have an order going in tomorrow if you would like to add anything to it to save on postage. If you are purchasing online, remember to add this month's hostess code 2S4X3VQ6 to your online order for an extra thank you from me.

Happy shopping everyone!

Painted Harvest Triple Fold Card

by Joanne James15. November 2017 22:00

Today I'm just popping by with a quick blog post to share a quick card with you - the last of my cards from my technique class featuring the Painted Harvest bundle earlier this month. Our final card is a real showcase of the fabulous Painted Autumn designer series papers in the form of a triple fold card - take a look:

 

Continuing with our 'thankful' theme, the triple fold design of this card showcases the gorgeous Painted Autumn papers, with five different panels of paper on the main Very Vanilla folded section and a sixth on the belly band that holds it closed. There is a hidden circle on the inside of the back panel on which to write your greeting and the belly band is decorated with another of those lovely sunflowers and another of the sentiments in the Painted Harvest set. I can't find my photo of the card when open, showing the inside - if I manage to track it down in my backed up projects I'll come back and update this post. In the meantime, I'm sure you get the idea!

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. 

If you've enjoyed the outputs of this class, I have a similar one featuring the Delightful Daisy Suite on Monday 4th December with a couple of spaces left - you can see the full details here. Contact me for more information or to book your place - I would love you to join us!

Don't forget 9PM tomorrow is the first opportunity you will have to go online and reserve the new Stamparatus stamp positioning tool - you can read all about it here. I'll be back tomorrow with another reminder and hopefully a creative project too. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Introducing The Stamparatus - The Best Stamp Positioning Tool EVER And How To Get Yours!

by Joanne James14. November 2017 15:20

Hello lovely readers! Apologies for an even longer blogging absence than usual - as many of you will know if you follow me on Facebook, I was at Stampin' Up!'s #Onstage2017 UK event at Solihull at the weekend, in readiness for the launch of the new Spring-Summer catalogue. Not only did I attend the event, I was one of the Onstage presenters and had the privilege of presenting one of the new product collections to the 480 demonstrators present. This was a great gig for me, as I love presenting and was so excited to share the things I had been working on secretly in the weeks leading up to the event. I will of course be sharing them with you too in due course, however today I have some news that is SO exciting it just can't wait!

It’s big news when something breaks the mould and changes everything. The Stamparatus will change the way you stamp, and before long, you’ll wonder how you ever crafted without it! Why do YOU need one? You’ll fall in love with stamping all over again when you learn everything you can do with it!

  • Make multiples with ease
  • Consistently stamp crisp, clean images
  • If you want a darker impression, apply more ink and restamp—no need to start over
  • Make fewer mistakes, saving time and money
  • Easily create 2-step, 3-step, and 4-step stamped images using reversible plates
  • Develop new and specialised stamping techniques with adjustable stamping plates and precision placement

I am very excited about this product: the idea of a stamping positioning tool was conceptualised, designed and produced in collaboration with a select group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators, of whom I was one. Demonstrator input has been critical to the final design. This is a product that has been designed by demonstrators, for stampers - and it shows.  Here are the crucial details you need to know:

  • Compatible with Stampin’ Up!’s red rubber and photopolymer stamps
  • Includs a foam mat to use with photopolymer stamps
  • Rulers and gridlines for quick measuring
  • 2 open sides so you can stamp on larger paper
  • 2 reversible plates: a total of 4 surfaces to work with
  • 2 magnets to hold the paper in place
  • Magnet storage areas on the reverse
  • Retail Price: £44.00/59,00 €

 Here are some images of the tool that show these features in more detail:

          

And this animation shows just how easy it is to use:

 

Want the scoop on this life-changing tool? check out the 5 things you need to know in this informative video by Carrie at the Stampin' Up! Home Office:

 

With the launch of this tool, Stampin' Up!  are trying something different too: we are testing a new reservation system. And it acts like a true pre-order. You reserve your spot and we guarantee shipment as soon as the product arrives in our warehouse. Everyone will place reservations and receive their product at the same time. This system will allow us to get the product to market as soon as possible while avoiding backorders and efficiently managing inventory.

The global launch will feature three reservation windows. For each window, please note the following:

  • Reservation quantities are while supplies last only.
  • Limit is 1 tool per customer per reservation window, however you may participate in multiple reservation windows.
  • The 3 reservation windows and approximate delivery dates are as below:

16–30 November 2017

   -   Approx. 1 February 2018

5–30 December 2017

   -  Approx. 19 March 2018

15–30 January 2018

   -  Approx. 15 April 2018

So how can you get your hands on one?

You can PRE-ORDER your Stamparatus in any of the reservation windows over the next few months. The first window will open on Thursday 16th November at 9PM GMT - that's two days from now. To reserve yours then, simply visit my Online Store and log in. If you don't already have an account, set yourself one up. Make sure you see my name as your demonstrator in the top right corner of the screen.


Once you are logged in, visit the STAMPARATUS page and click on RESERVE. You can see more instructions below if you decide to cancel or try to order outside of a reservation window. All the details regarding when you'll receive your Stamparatus and more detail on the points above can be found in the Customer Q&A document that you can read by clicking here

What Happens When Your Stamparatus Arrives?

Your Stamparatus will be added to a shopping basket for you, and you will sent an email asking you to complete the transaction and pay. You can add other Stampin' Up! goodies to your basket at that time, so you only pay one lot of P&P. If this is during either of the first two delivery windows, you will be checking out during Sale-A-Bration, so it's worth adding a little something to your basket to take your order over £45 so that you will qualify for a free Sale-A-Bration item too! Also, be sure to add my current HOST CODE for that month if your order is less than £150 - you can always find this in the 'Shop Online' box on the right hand side of my blog. You'll then earn fabulous rewards direct from me - including a free 'Stampin' With The Stamparatus' class to ensure you get the most out of this amazing new tool.

A long post today but there's a lot of information to communicate. If you've any questions or queries, do get in touch with me prior to Thursday.

Back tomorrow hopefully with a creative post! Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Painted Autumn Suite Collage Card

by Joanne James7. November 2017 06:00

 

I'm back with another of the cards made at yesterday's technique class featuring the Painted Autumn Suite, which also uses the current sketch over at The Paper Craft Crew:

 Play along with the Paper Craft Crew for Square Sketch Challenge 266. The challenge starts November 1st and ends November 7, 2017 at 1 PM EST. Visit the blog at www.papercraftcrew.com to check out the design team samples and to submit your project. #papercraftcrew #papercrafting #sketchchallenge #color #playalong #imakecards #cardmaker #diy #sendacard #craft #stampinup #cardchallenge #papercraft #bigshot #rainydayfun #designteam #becreative #artsandcrafts #hobby #snailmail #createeveryday #crafttherapy #creativelifehappylife #pcc2017

I love the fact that the sketch had lots of bits and pieces which allowed me to use lots of the items in the Painted Autumn Suite:

 

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

Painted Autumn Patterns - I decided to use the panel to feature a piece of the gorgeous Painted Autumn DSP that I hadn't used previously. I hope you, like me, stocked up on this paper when it was part of the 'buy 3, get 1 free' offer -  the designs really are beautiful. I took my inspiration from the swirly leaves and branches of the paper and using the sketch built my design from there.

All About Texture - This card is full of elements that add texture: ribbon, burlap, enamel dots, punched leaves, touches of nature elements, punched border - all of which add to the loose, collage feel. 

Realistic Planks - The background panel is embossed with the Pinewood Planks Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. This 3D, dynamic folder creates deep and realistic dimensional embossed impressions that look just like the grain of pinewood planks - the perfect way to add interest to my background without detracting from the other elements.

I'm also linking up with the gals over at SUO Challenges today where they currently have a 'thankful' theme going on. 

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. 

I am managing an early post today as I have an all-day Christmas stamp-a-stack and then I'm out talking to a local women's group about festive packaging this evening. I hope you have a great day; I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Painted Harvest Eclipse Thank You Card

by Joanne James6. November 2017 21:30

It's Monday and the start of another week - only 7 weeks to go until Christmas! I'm not counting down today though; Today I'm sharing a card that I made with the ladies in the second of my technique classes this month that also fits a new(ish) challenge that has appeared in blog land - the TicTacToe Challenge:

 

I went across the top row for my Painted Harvest thank you card - take a look:

 

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

Large Letter Eclipse - Eclipse cards that use a word raised out of a background are everywhere right now and so on-trend, i thought it was about time I shared one with you. What a great opportunity to use those Large Letter Framelits again - these framelits really are so worth the investment! I went with a wide, thinner card than usual that is just right to fit my 'thanks'.

Painted Harvest - I created my sunflower background using a repeating pattern of bright sunflowers; my chosen colours are Crushed Curry and Peekaboo Peach and I think the latter most certainly adds a vibrancy to this card - the letters really 'pop' against those sunflowers.

A Split Sentiment - I decided to use a split sentiment to really tie my raised letters into the theme of my card: on my small cut oval I partially stamped one of the sentiments from the Painted Harvest set that says 'gather together & give thanks', omitting the 'thanks' and selectively inking the remaining portion, so that my raised letters complete the sentiment. 

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. 

I hope your day was a productive one; the ladies in today's class all produced some fabulous creations! My next class in December is using the Delightful Daisy bundle - for more details check out the event on my Facebook page here and get in touch to book your place. I'll be back tomorrow with another project using the Painted Harvest stamp set. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Say 'Hello' To Stampin' Blends - The New Alcohol Markers From Stampin' Up!

by Joanne James1. November 2017 22:00

 

Today is a big news day: Alcohol markers are back! It's the first of November and as promised in an earlier post, today sees the official launch of Stampin' Blends to customers.  These high quality, dual-tip markers come in 12 exclusive Stampin' Up! colours; they each have a light and a dark shade for the ultimate blending experience. In addition, there are two further colours, bronze and ivory, and a colour lifter to give your blended images the finishing touch. 

 

 

Stampin' Blends are available in 2-marker combo packs, as single markers or as the whole collection. There are so many great stamp sets in the catalogue that are perfect for colouring; in addition to celebrate the launch of these fabulous new pens, Stampin' Up! have also released a new stamp set and card project kit designed to be use with Stampin' Blends:

 

Color Me Happy Project Kit (144069)

  • You'll be coloured happy every time you create with this stamp set.
  • The line-art images are perfect for colouring techniques.
  • Quantity: 10 rubber stamps
  • Suggested clear blocks (not included): b, c, g, h, i

 

 

Color Me Happy Project Kit (144609)
The Colour Me Happy Project Kit will be available while supplies last.

The kit includes:

  • 16 card bases, 4 each of 4 designs
  • 16 envelopes with printed design inside, 4 each of 4 designs
  • Gold foil accents
  • Die-cut cardstock background and accents
  • Printed and gold foil die-cut accents
  • White Baker's Twine
  • Mini Pool Party tassels
  • Circle and star sequins
  • Gold foil tape

Coordinating colors: Basic Black, gold foil, Night of Navy, Pink Pirouette, Pool Party, Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry

If you're a fan of Stampin' Up! Bundles, than you'll love that these two coordinating products (project kit and stamp set) are available as a BUNDLE...save 10%. 

I am so excited about the arrival of these new pens and I can't wait to share some of my coloured creation with you. In the meantime, here's a little video from the nice people at the Home Office showing these pens in action: 

I'll be back soon with more news and another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Label Me Pretty Sweet Cupcake Card

by Joanne James28. October 2017 19:00

It's the weekend - hurrah! It's always nice when the weekend rolls around, although I must confess this week has been a little easier than usual in terms of my usual activity schedule, with both James Juniors being on their half term holiday break. We have been enjoying time with friends, indoor climbing and outdoor play, making the most of the mild autumnal weather. I need to make the most of this weekend as that is all-change again come Monday with one of them at least back to school.

So, today I have a change from Christmas! I'm sharing a card for this week's challenge over at Just Add Ink where the challenge is all about cake:

 My card features cake two ways - take a look:

 

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

A Neat Trick With Birthday Friends - The little girl holding the cupcake on my card has come straight from the Birthday Memories designer series paper (currently available as part of the 'buy3, get 1 free' paper promotion) but I didn't have to fussy-cut her; one of the framelits in the Birthday Friends Framelits set fits her shape perfectly. I simply lined them up on the big Shot, ran them through and voila - one little girl, complete with cupcake, and not a paper snip in sight!  

A Co-ordinated Background - I wanted to add some detail to my background without detracting from my sentiment or sweet little girl, so decided to continue the 'cake' theme with some tone-on-tone stamping in Blushing Bride using the cupcake in the 'Sweet Cupcake' stamp set to create a subtle background wallpaper.

From My Kitchen - I think the little girl has a slightly mischievious look about her and certainly looks like she is peeking around the side of something. I decided to make a feature of the sentiment and this one from the 'Label Me Pretty' stamp set is the perfect fit. 

All in all a sweet card - all I need now is a home-baked cupcake to go with it!

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. 

So tomorrow it will be back to Christmas with my card for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players, however in the meantime I would really like to hear your thoughts: I'm mindful that I have been sharing a lot of Christmas projects lately as it is often what I'm making at this time of year, but as my readers how do you feel about this? Are you happy to get as much Christmas inspiration as possible, or would you prefer a mix of projects? Do leave me a comment below - I'd really love to hear your thoughts on this. 

Until tomorrow - happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Labels To Love Quick and Easy Christmas Cards Two Ways

by Joanne James25. October 2017 20:19

I've been busy hosting a few Stampin' Up! parties this month - the current hostess promotion to earn the Merry Patterns stamp set means that it's a great time to gather with friends for an evening of creative fun. Today I'm sharing a couple of the cards that my hostesses and friends have had the opportunity to make:

 

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

Labels To Love - The Merry Little Labels stamp set and Everyday Punch bundle have been very popular with my customers and I wanted to share the other stamp set in the catalogue that also co-ordinates with the Everyday Label Punch: Labels To Love. There are sentiments for a variety of occasions in this set, not just Christmas, and each of them fits the Everyday Label Punch - that makes for a winner in my book! We used a couple of the Christmas sentiments and paired it with the festive Quilted Christmas papers. I even decorated the envelope flaps with a piece of co-ordinating paper in the alternating colourway. Here's one of them - you can see the second one at the bottom of this post:

 

Add Sparkle With Tinsel - The Mini Tinsel Trim is great for decorating your Christmas packages but is also great for adding a touch of sparkle to your cards. here we tied knots in each end and created a loop behind the label for a quick touch of glitz. 

A Quick Card Solution - These cards are a slightly smaller than a standard card size, measuring 12.7cm x 8.9cm, as we used Stampin' Up!'s white notecards and envelopes for speed. They arrive pre-scored and with envelopes included and are great if you are mass-producing or want to make some quick and easy cards, for Christmas or any time. They are also great for children's cards - both the James Juniors go through a pack of these when making up their Christmas cards for classmates.

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. 

I've had lots of fun making these cards with some of my party groups; check out my Facebook page if you'd like to see some of the action. Equally if you would like to get together with friends for an evening of crafty fun in the run up to Christmas, do get in touch - I would love to share Stampin' Up! with you.

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

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Quilted Christmas Star Quick and Easy Card

by Joanne James24. October 2017 21:00

I've had a busy day with the last of this month's technique classes - I'll share these cards later this week - and a couple of hours of garden tidying ready for the winter. Today I'm sharing another card using our sketch this week over at The Paper Players. Here's a reminder of the sketch:

You can see my original card here; I liked this sketch so much I made a second card too - take a look:

 

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

Quilted Christmas - I used two of the Quilted Christmas patterned papers on today's card. The festive papers and colours in this pack make co-ordination easy and I love this traditional red and green colour combination. 

Add A Banner - The simple banner on my card is 2" wide and was punched with the Triple Banner Punch. This is one of my most useful and most used punches and whilst it gets lots of love I don't often give it a shout-out in my blog write-ups as it's one of those punches that I almost take for granted and there always seems to be something more exciting to talk about. Well, not today - three cheers for the Triple Banner Punch!

All About The Stitching - There is a common thread (pardon the pun!) running through today's card design and that is 'stitching'. From the patterns of my paper, to the stitched border that I used for my sentiment panel, along with the baker's twine bow and that pretty stitched felt star embellishment, stitching links them all and results in a clean and simple card with a seamless design. 

A simpler version of Sunday's card using the same layout, yet I love it - might have to knock a few more of these out to boost my Christmas card stocks! 

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:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Cherry Cobbler Monochromatic Be Merry Christmas Card

by Joanne James16. October 2017 10:00

It's Monday again - doesn't a new week roll around quickly? Today I'm sharing a Christmas card that I made using this week's sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches:

I decided to go monochromatic with this one using a bunch of co-ordinating products from the Be Merry Suite - take a look:

 

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

Be Merry - I decided to feature the charming reindeer from the 'Merry Mistletoe' stamp set front and centre on my card today. This was one of the sets that was available at a discount during the World Card Making Day promotions, so I'm sure lots of you will have snapped it up! I am also featuring this set, along with the Be Merry designer series papers - still available until the end of the month as part of the current 'Buy 3, get one free' promotion on designer series paper - at my November Christmas Stamp-A-Stack Event on Tuesday 7th November. This is an all-day event that will enable you to make 40, yes 40 Christmas cards and envelopes in one go! you can see more details on my Facebook Events page here - if you live in or around Northampton do get in touch if you'd like to join me in person for this event. This class can also be provided as a 'class to go' in the mail, so if you're further afield and this is something that interests you, do get in touch to order yours. 

Mask It - The observant amongst you will notice that the sentiment I used on my card today is also from the 'Merry Mistletoe' stamp set, but not as designed. On the stamp the words are one on top of the other, but I wanted them to run one after the other to fit across the banner on my card. I am not one to cut up my stamps (absolute sacrilege in my book!); luckily there was no need for such drastic measures. I simply used some low-tack tape to mask off the bottom word before inking my stamp, removed the tape and stamped 'Christmas' then did the same in reverse and used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to add 'Wishes' alongside it.

Is It A Sprig? - I needed an embellishment to finish my card and immediately reached for the metal pieces in the Year of Cheer embellishments pot. The little stars speak for themselves, but the other design, the one that I used on my card today I'm not really sure what it is supposed to be - is it a foliage sprig perhaps? I think they look a little like a reindeer antler - hence my choosing it for my card today. What do you think - I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Mini Catalogue

BROWSE THE CATALOGUE

The mini catalogue is now live! Read and download your copy here.

Shop Online

Access my online shop 24 x 7, 365 days of the year:

Current March hostess code:

S9F2XJJW

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Join My Team

It's always a great time to join Stampin’ Up! New team members can get £130 worth of products for only £99 + free business supplies + free shipping + all the fun being a part of Stampin’ Up! Stampin' Up! has something for everyone: join my growing team and benefit from my support to enjoy Stampin' Up! however you choose.

If you're interested, call me for a chat to understand how I can help you realise your goals. Alternatively, if you have already decided to sign up and you just can't wait, please click here for the link to the online form where you can sign up and order your starter kit right away! 

Latest Kit!

Stampin Cut and Emboss

The Rock Legend Kit has all you need to make 8 cards with coordinating envelopes. Along with the new Panda Friends Kit, both are available from January 4th for just £14 each - get yours here!

2023-24 Annual Catalogue

BROWSE THE CATALOGUE

Click on the catalogue for a full list of current SU! supplies - if you would like to order any of the items featured, please drop me a line at [email protected] or give me a call on 07773 421446 - I'd be happy to help.

New Online Exclusives

There will be new products available exclusively in the online store from 5 March - check them out here.

About Me

Hi I'm Joanne and live in Northampton and when I'm not looking after my husband and two beautiful children, am an avid crafter with a passion for all things Stampin' Up!

I must confess that I have never been a big rubber stamper - until I discovered Stampin' Up! that is. I love the fact that I can get such great results with co-ordinating stamps, inks, papers and punches - the possibilities are endless! Join me on my stamping journey as I share the things I love and be inspired to create amazing things yourself!

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This is my personal blog and is not endorsed by Stampin’ Up! I hope you find it a plentiful source of ideas and personal inspiration but please don't copy my designs for contest submission or use for classes, publication or sale without express permission.