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!

Shake off the January blues, today is THE day - yes, the highlight of the Stampin' Up! calendar, Sale-A-Bration is here! No more sneak peeks - the catalogue is available, the shop is live andfrom now until 31st March the benefits are yours for the taking. You can click on the icon above or the catalogue on the right hand side of my blog page to access the Sale-A-Bration leaflet to download a copy or go directly to my online shop to place an order - we are LIVE!

So what is Sale-A-Bration? For anyone who hasn't come across it before, it's Stampin' Up!'s annual promotion that is loaded with offers whether you shop, party or join:

Earn a free Sale-A-Bration product for every £45 you spend between 6 January and 31 March. This includes the Blendabilities assortments in the annual catalogue -woohoo!

Earn an additional £20 in hostess credits when you host a party and have party sales of £200 or more (this also applies to individual orders). So for party sales of £200, that makes a whopping £50 of hostess credits - more freebies!

Sale-A-Bration is a great time to join Stampin' Up! In addition to your £99 starter kit and additional £31 of free product, you can choose one of the following options: either one of the great new project kits from the Spring-Summer catalogue or 2 of the Sale-A-Bration promotional items. Plenty of choice and flexilibity, whether you want to be a hobby demonstrator and just use your 20% 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.

If you would like to host a party, real or virtual, please do get in touch; my diary is filling up fast and I would love to share these great benefits with you. 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.

As if that wasn't enough, today also sees the launch of the new Spring-Summer catalogue - full of gorgeous new products, including the bunch of flowers on the front cover, which is one of the new kits:

How gorgeous is that?! Just click on the image above on 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. 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!

Thanks so much for popping by today - it's always nice to share good news! Check out today's creative post to see a card made with some of the gorgeous new Sale-A-Bration products - click here for more details!

REMINDER: You have until 11am GMT this morning to take advantage of the £75 sign up offer to become a member of my Stampin' Up! team - click here if this is for you!

Today I'm sharing a card for this week's challenge over at Pals Paper Arts, where they have this fun sketch to work with:

I'm also linking my card up with the lovely ladies over at Less Is More, where they are celebrating their 200th blog post - woohoo! - and congratulations are most certainly the order of the day. Here is my card:

I used Calypso Coral for my card base and added a couple of mats of gold foil and Crisp Cantaloupe, beneath my main stamped panel. I then stamped various sized solid circles from the 'What's Your Type?' stamp set in Calypso Coral on a piece of Whisper White. I then used the striped stamp from the same set, and stamped it in Versamark over the solid circle, slightly offset (and in case, like my daughter, you are reading this thinking 'those circles don't line up', as I shared with her, this was intentional - they're not meant to!) and then heat embossed them in gold. To finish, I added a flagged sentiment banner in Calypso Coral to stand out from the background and heat embossed the 'Bravo!' sentiment in gold too. I love the swirly script of this stamp from the set of the same name and heat embossing adds a lovely luxurious feel I think.

That's all from me today: I have a rather musical day in store, with a class strings recital from the youngest James junior (he's been learning to play the violin for the last 10 weeks as part of an 'access to strings' project), piano lessons for everyone and a spot of Christmas shopping in between. Wish me luck!

Back tomorrow with a triple post; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

What's Your Type? Photopolymer Stamp Set	Bravo Photopolymer Stamp Set	Embossing Buddy	Versamark Pad	Heat Tool - Uk Plug
Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder	Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Card Stock A4 Crisp Cantaloupe	Calypso Coral A4 Card Stock	Gold Foil Sheets

It's official - today is the first of December, the countdown to Christmas has begun! Day one of the advent calendar has been opened, Charlie the Elf has made his return (pictures on my Facebook page later!) and the start of two of the busiest weeks in the school calendar before the end of term. Before I get to today's card, I just wanted to remind you of the current Stampin' Up! joining offer that ends tomorrow morning - you can read the full details here, but in a nutshell you can sign up for £74.25 and receive £130 worth of products of your choice and 5% cashback on all orders placed during December, not to mention the additional benefits of joining my wonderful team! Why not treat yourself to a bundle of Stampin' Up! goodness as an early Christmas present? Call me if you would like to chat more or better still, click here to sign up today!

Onto today's card - this one uses this week's sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches, where the simple sketch from Jen offers so many creative possibilities:

I decided to go with crisp subtles today - here is my card:

I used Soft Sky for my base and image panel, and matted the panel onto a piece of Whisper White. I stamped a little scene in Memento Black using my 'White Christmas' stamp set, being careful to only partially stamp the horizon line so that I could overlay my snowman in the same layer. By using Soft Sky as my base, I could use my white chalk marker to colour my snowman and add detail to my scene on the trees and ground. With the exception of some Pumpkin Pie marker for the snowman's nose and some detail added to his scarf and hat with my silver marker pen, there is no other colour introduced to my scene. I stamped my sentiment in Versamark and heat embossed it in silver and added a thin silver ribbon and bow trim with a snowflake embellishment to finish. This is such a simple card, yet the silver elements add a subtle shimmer in real life that make it quite pretty.

That's all from me today - I have lots of jobs to do so need to get cracking! Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

White Christmas Photopolymer Stamp Set	Embossing Buddy	Versamark Pad	Heat Tool - Uk Plug	Whisper White A4 Card Stock
Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad	All Is Calm Snowflake Embellishment	Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder	Card Stock A4 Soft Sky	Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Write Marker
White Stampin Chalk Marker	Silver Stampin' Dazzle Marker	White Baker's Twine	Silver 1/8" Ribbon

All I want for Christmas is... to become a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator! If this is you, read on - today is the start of a great one week promotion at Stampin' Up! for new recruits from today 25th November until 11am on Tuesday 2nd December. 

Stampin' Up!'s usual sign up offer is great value - for £99 you can choose £130 worth of Stampin' Up! products of your choice, in addition to the £45 business supplies pack (catalogues, order forms, etc.). During the current promotion, there are two great additional incentives:

The starter pack has been discounted by 25%, so for just £74.25 you will receive a whopping £130 worth of product of your choice, in addition to your £45 business pack and if you join my team, all the additional benefits that brings, including a complimentary copy of my Product Table Builder software valued at £35. Your order is also free from postage & packaging charges - a further £4.95 saving. Total savings of over £200!

In addition, whilst you always receive a 20% discount on all orders placed as a demonstrator, which is increased to 30% for the first order over £150 placed within 45 days of joining Stampin' Up!, if you sign up this week you will also have the opportunity to earn a one time cash back bonus of 5% on all orders placed during the month of December, (both demonstrator and customer/workshop orders). Wouldn't that be a nice little Christmas bonus?

Whether you're looking for a little income boost prior to Christmas, want to build a business longer term or just want to enjoy the benefits of discounted craft product as hobby demonstrator, Stampin' Up! has never had a recruitment offer like this one before and it offers exceptional value.

In addition, pre-order for Sale-A-Bration and the new Spring-Summer seasonal catalogue begins on 5th December; if you sign up this week you will be able to get your hands on these products before they go on sale to customers!

I would love you to join my team of Crafty Owls - if you would like to chat more about the benefits of becoming an SU! demonstrator and joining my team, please do give me a call on 07773 421446 or email me via joanne@thecraftyowl.co.uk. Or if your mind is already made up, click here to complete the paperwork online. Why not treat yourself to the gift of Stampin' Up! for Christmas today?

Back shortly with today's creative post; until then, I'm waiting for your call!

Today I have something very special that I've had to keep under wraps for a little while: the latest Stampin' Up! UK Stampissimo video has just been published and guess what? I am the starring demonstrator! I was so excited to be asked by Paula Gorry, Stampin' Up! UK Business Development Manager, to create a project for the latest video with the theme of 'Winter Treats' that once I had a copy of the Autumn-Winter seasonal catalogue in my hands, it didn't take me long to decide what I was going to use - the fabulous new Curvy Keepsake Box Thinlits Die. You can make all kinds of customised boxes with this die, but for the theme of 'Winter Treats' I knew I wanted to create a range of Christmas characters, with Rudolf the Red-nose Reindeer being the star of the show. It meant I could combine the box die with another of my favourite catalogue products that you've seen me use so many times on different projects - the Autumn Wooden Embellishments (LOVE these and one pot lasts an age!)

Here is the reindeer box that I demonstrate in the video - how cute is this?!

The project itself needed to be simple enough to demonstrate whilst chatting at the same time - the purpose of Stampin' Up!'s range of Stampissimo videos is to spread the word about Stampin' Up! to both crafters and non-crafters who may not have heard of Stampin' Up! and give them some insight into the products and the demonstrators who sell them. Whilst they are based around demonstrating and sharing a particular product or project, the informational nature of these videos mean they last longer than your average tutorial so you need to get comfy!

You can get the details for how I made the box above and see lots of other boxes featured in the video itself, but I wanted to share with you some of the 'behind the scenes' photos from my day and give you a little insight into the fun that I had spending the day with Paula and Kelly in the studio, along with the now infamous 'Ben and Jerry' film crew of Ben and James, who do all of the filming for Stampin' Up!'s UK events and did such a fabulous job of recording the day and producing the final video.

This is what filming looks like from behind the scenes -  a real case of lights, camera, action! There are cameras that shoot from the front and from above in order to get a full range of shots and the necessary close-ups. When I shoot video tutorials at home I use an overhead camera, but I'm sitting at my desk. When you're standing up it is quite tricky because you have to be careful not to lean over your workspace, otherwise all the viewer sees is the top of your head! Sounds obvious, but I found out there is a real art to working with your arms outstretched and not leaning too far into your workspace.

Here are a couple of shots of Ben and James, the guys that produce the video - I struggle to tell them apart - they're twins! - but as you can see, one is slightly more camera-shy than the other:

They really are the nicest chaps you could wish to meet and I think they did a great job with the final edit, although I'll admit I'm biased!

This is my favourite photo of Paula and I on the day, taken mid-take once we were properly relaxed and into the swing of things - we really were having fun:

Lastly, here's one of us all post filming each displaying our favourite boxes, the chaps included. They decided the boxes were so easy to make, they might even have a go themselves at making some to grace their family festive table. At the UK training day at Telford earlier this year, the Stampin' Up! demonstrators were treated to a video of Ben and 'Jerry' making their first foray into crafting Stampin' Up! style, so this may well be their second!!

Also, note the festive pot plant on the edge of the desk and the Christmas tree in the video - Kelly and Paula did their best to make the studio look festive, which was quite tricky given that this was filmed some time ago when the sun was shining gloriously outside and it was not even remotely autumnal, let alone wintery! A big thank you the lovely Kelly Francis, who took all of the above pictures - she is an absolute star!

Here are some additional pictures of some of the finished boxes that feature in the video - this is Santa's helper, the mischievous elf: 

This is the man himself, Santa Claus - with his head!:

This one is Santa - without his head! Perfect if you are short on time or want something that's a little more adult-oriented:

Then we have the cutest snowman - check out his twirly carrot nose! 

Here they are altogether - one big happy Curvy Keepsake Box festive family:

I hope you found the 'behind the scenes' tour interesting - now here's the video that you've all been waiting for:

In summary, a truly great experience and yet another of the fantastic opportunities available to me as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator working with this amazing company that allows me to share what I love, be endlessly creative, manage and motivate a great team and have a job that totally fits around my family commitments and enables me to achieve the best work-life balance I've ever had.

If you're reading this and thinking that you would like to know more about the benefits of becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, then do get in touch with me on 07773 421446  - I would love to have a no-obligation chat with you and tell you more.

If you would like to make Rudolf, the supplies list that links to my online store is below.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Curvy Keepsake Box Thinlits Dies	Big Shot Magnetic Platform	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Fuse Fast Adhesive
Autumn Wooden Elements	Chocolate Chip A4 Card Stock	Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker	Basic Black A4 Card Stock
Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Basic Pearls Jewel Accents	Stampin' Blendabilities™ Markers Cherry Cobbler Assortment	Stampin' Blendabilities™ Markers Skin Tone Assortment
Endless Wishes Photopolymer Stamp Set	1-3/4 Inch Circle Punch	Owl Punch	Tombow Multi-Purpose Adhesive

Well, Stampin' Up! 2014 Inspire Create Share Convention - what a blast! I had the best ever time and for those of you following my Facebook page you will have seen some of the photos of what I got up to. Here are some of my favourite pictures, along with the Convention highlights video:

This is me with (from left to right) Katie Adams, from the Stampin' Up! USA Home Office, and my fellow 'In a Nutshell' presenters: Kerry Timms, Pip Todman and Miriam van Eyden at our pre-Convention live theatre run through.

Me and the world famous Mannekin Pis - well, no visit to Brussels is complete without this photo, right?!

 My big moment - the start of the second of my presentations on 'Simple, Fun Experiences' - the highlight of my Convention for sure.

One of my camera-shy downlines, Samantha, showing off her special pin to commemorate her milestone 10K Sales achievement - I'm so proud of her!

Pip, Miriam and I at the after-awards night party - looking altogether more relaxed with our presentations out of the way!

Goofing around with two of my fellow Passionettes, Netty Turner and Monica Gale, my Stampin' Up! Grandma!

This is the chocolatier in the window of the Godiva shop dipping strawberries in chocolate; Samantha and I shared a cone, because we convinced ourselves this was definitely one of our five a day!

This is me with one of my new Dutch Pinkie friends, Caroline van der Straaten - Samantha and I shared a hotel with 28 Pinkies and they are such a good bunch, really fun! So much so, I was made an honorary Pinkie - with team shirt and co-ordinating luggage!

Lastly, another team photo and the official Convention highlights video (look out for me!):

Doesn't that look like fun?! If you would like to join my team and I at next year's Convention, which will be held from 12-14 November 2015 in Brussels, what better time to get on board? There's just 3 days left until the current sign up deal that includes a free pack of Designer Series Paper each month for the next 6 months ends - CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE AND JOIN MY STAMPIN' UP! TEAM TODAY!

We are a fun, team with a mix of business and hobby demonstrators and I would love to welcome you to join us.

Back tomorrow with my Design Team card for this week's challenge over at Colour Me...! and a new set of Wednesday weekly deals. Until then, happy stampin'!

Yes, if you read the title of this post and wondered if you were seeing things - it's true! A new set of Wednesday Weekly Deals is nothing compared to the two big deals of the day today: Stamp Stock & Save and Free Designer Series Paper for 6 months when you join Stampin' Up!

So the scoop on each of these amazing deals is as follows:

Stampin' Up! is so excited about this year's World Cardmaking Day, which is this coming Saturday 4th October, that we're having an amazing 15% off sale on some of your favourite products! From 1-6 October, you'll be able to purchase selected ink pads, paper, envelopes, and adhesive—all at a 15% discount! There are also a number of select stamps that are 20%! Full details of the products included in this offer can be found in the offer flyer here.

The second of today's deals is an amazing 'Pick up a Pack of Paper' deal:

If you join Stampin' Up! as a demonstrator between 1-24 October, you will receive a free pack of designer series paper each month for your first six months as a demonstrator (Specialty Designer Series Paper and Designer Series Paper Stacks not included). That's six packs of designer series paper, worth a whopping £59.75 ABSOLUTELY FREE! In addition to the £31 worth of additional goodies you receive in your £99 starter kit.

In addition, if you join my team you will also receive an exclusive welcome pack and demonstrator handbook to help you build your new Stampin' Up! business, along with a free copy of my exclusive Product Table Builder Software worth £35 that is a must for any blogger who wishes to maximise their online sales. Not to mention the FUN! We are a close-knit team that has members far and wide and in addition to our face-to-face get-togethers and training meets, we are also part of a vibrant online community of fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrators who are always on hand with advice, encouragement and support.

So whether you just want to be a hobby demonstrator and take advantage of quality Stampin' Up! products at permanently reduced prices, or whether you would like to earn an income doing something you love, please give me a call on 07773 421446 to talk about what joining my team can do for you - I would love to hear from you! of course if you've been 'on the fence' and the opportunity to get your hands on even more free goodies is for you, then click here to sign up today - I look forward to you joining my team!

Just a quick reminder that today is the last day to take advantage of Stampin' Up!'s enhanced joining promotion - if you join Stampin' Up! you will receive an extra £20 worth of products of your choice with the standard £99 starter kit - that's £150 worth of products instead of the usual £130 and all for just £99 cost to you (and free postage!).

Don't forget that in addition, to the benefits you receive on joining Stampin' Up!, if you join my team you will also receive an exclusive welcome pack and demonstrator handbook to help you build your new Stampin' Up! business, along with a free copy of my exclusive Product Table Builder Software worth £35 that is a must for any blogger who wishes to maximise their online sales. Not to mention the FUN! We are a close-knit team that has members far and wide and in addition to our face-to-face get-togethers and training meets, we are also part of a vibrant online community of fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrators who are always on hand with advice, encouragement and support.

So whether you just want to be a hobby demonstrator and take advantage of quality Stampin' Up! products at permanently reduced prices, or whether you would like to earn an income doing something you love, please give me a call on 07773 421446 to talk about what joining my team can do for you - I would love to hear from you! You have until 10pm GMT this evening to sign up and benefit from this enhanced joining offer - if you've been 'on the fence' and the opportunity to get your hands on even more free goodies is too good to refuse, then click here to sign up today - I look forward to you joining my team!

Back later with today's creative post!

Well, today is August 28th and that can only mean one thing - the new Stampin' Up! seasonal Autumn-Winter catalogue is LIVE!!

If you're not in possession of a paper copy, you can click on the image above and it will take you straight to the electronic version of the catalogue to browse. If you would like a paper copy and you do not already have a demonstrator, then please drop me an email at joanne@thecraftyowl.co.uk and I will happily put one in the post to you. This also applies to any of my online 'no contact' customers who are reading this - if you have placed an order at any point and selected the 'no contact' option, I do not have contact details for you and I am unable to either post you a catalogue or email you with details of offers, etc. I can't even send you a thank you card for placing your order, which of course I would love to be able to do as I appreciate your custom!

I know I said it when the new annual catalogue went live, but the same applies to this seasonal catalogue - Stampin' Up! really have pulled out all the stops on this one, with great stamps, papers, kits and accessories for autumn, Halloween and Christmas - believe me, you will want it ALL! I've already given you a few 'sneak peeks' of some of the delights in store and I promise there's much more to come on that front!

Did I say the 28th August meant only one thing? Well, actually I meant two! Along with the new seasonal catalogue, there is also an added incentive to all customers who host a party between 28th August -31st October - all party hostesses with qualifying party sales of £200 or more will earn the exclusive 'Good Greetings' stamp set absolutely FREE; this is in addition to their hostess credits, that they can spend on any items they choose! The Good Greetings stamp set contains 19 stamps and really is a most versatile sentiment set, with everything from seasonal greetings to everyday occasion sentiments. Here's a close up of the sentiments included:

If you've been thinking of hosting a party, then call me now on 07773 421446 or email me at joanne@thecraftyowl.co.uk to book a party slot - it's a great way to earn items on your wish list for free and have a fun night in with friends at the same time! Or host a virtual party - if you would like to take a 'catalogue basket' into work or pass it around your friends to gather orders so that you can get more hostess benefits, I can arrange that too!

Before I go just a reminder that the 'Short and Sweet' promotional offer where you can join Stampin' Up! for £99 and receive an extra £20 of free goodies (£150 instead of £130) ends at 10pm tomorrow evening, so if you'd like to talk to me about joining my team don't leave it too late! To read all about it and sign up just click here.

Also, the current Big Shot promotion is due to end 31st August, that's this coming Sunday - so if you want to get your hands on a free or discounted bundle, you only have a few more days to place your order. You can get the full offer details here.

I think that's everything for today; I'll be back tomorrow with a 3D home décor project made using product from the new catalogue, so be sure to pop by.

Until then, happy browsing - and I'm waiting for your call to make that party booking!