Well readers, it's the first of the month and there is lots of news, so there will be a few posts from me today, but you're going to want to read them all as there is lots of great product and promotional information, so bear with me and stay tuned! I promise I will also do a creative post too, as I have a fabulous autumnal card to share with you today. So first up - there is a new 'Best of' anniversary set this month; this time it's the turn of 'Best of Sale-A-Bration', featuring some beautiful flower images:

If you would like to order this stamp set, then either give me a call in the conventional way and I would be happy to place an order for you or hop over to my online store and place your order today. Don't forget, the other 'Best of' sets are also still available - you can see these by searching under the 'Promotions' category in the box to the right of my blog page.

From today, I will be issuing a mystery hostess code at the start of each month for my online store; if you add this code to your online orders, you will be entered into a draw at the end of the month to win the total hostess credits for all orders placed online during that month. So make a note - this month's hostess code is as follows (valid until 30th October):

4DS9WR2Q

So tell all your friends, as the more orders placed, the more hostess credits that will be accumulated - it's like hosting a party, without having to invite your friends round!

Please check the 'Party More, Get More' blog post today to see another special 25th anniversary offer for hosting a party this month. The additional hostess credits will also apply to online orders, so October is a great month to start accumulating some great benefits.

Back soon with a creative project; until then, happy stampin'!

My second post of the day today, so a quick creative one this time! I just wanted to share some thank you cards I made recently for some customers to pop into the bags with their orders. I made quite a few, so needed something that was quick to execute. I decided to use a selection of the butterflies in the Papillion Potpourri stamp set to create this simple one layer card:

I used the lovely pre-cut and scored Stampin' Up! notelets and the colour scheme was inspired by the Birthday Basics DSP that I also had out on my desk to make the card I'm going to share with you tomorrow. A simple sentiment and a co-ordinating stamped envelope and voila - a pretty card set in no time at all!

Don't forget, the Papillion Potpourri stamp set and co-ordinating Bitty Butterfly punch bundle is available to order at a 15% discount during the month of September, so you have just under a week to take advantage of this offer. If you live local to me, I will be placing an order later this week so if you would like to save on p&p contact me to add you order to it. Otherwise just go to my online store to place your order by clicking on the supplies links below or for the bundle on the right hand side of my blog page.

Also, if you haven't yet checked out the Clearance Rack in my online store, go take a look! There are some great bargains to be had, with some items as much as 80% off.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

This is the first of two posts today: I thought my lovely crafty readers might appreciate a quick business update post to cover off some important news, offers and MDS information that I'm sure will be of interest to you.

Firstly, big news - The Clearance Rack is here!

You can get great discounts on retired product and add fantastic products to your collection. The Clearance Rack can only be viewed through my online store by clicking on the image above or via the link on the right hand side of my web page to start shopping. Only discontinued products will be listed and stocks will be available only whilst supplies last, so will be added to and removed on an ongoing basis. If you haven't already created an online account, it's really easy to do - check out my post here for more details.

Secondly, the Envelope Liners Framelits Dies have been discounted by 25% until further notice!

There are three dies in every pack of Envelope Liners Framelits (132218). Stampin' Up! have announced that they are going to make a small modification to the largest of the dies, to ensure that the corners are more rounded to co-ordinate with the Stampin' Up! C6 envelopes. In the meantime, the existing dies will be discounted by 25% until the new framelits are ready to go on sale (at the original price of £22.95). So if you fancy a bargain, the existing liners can be purchased for £16.95 until the new framelits are available.

Thirdly, here is the link to this week's MDS digital downloads:

If you haven't downloaded it already, there is a 30 day free trial for you to try if you would like to have a play before committing to the full version. Just go to my online store to download.

Back later with a quick creative post of the day; until then, happy stampin'!

This is the first of two posts today, as there's lots of news to share! Firstly, I'm excited to announce that there is a new series of never-before seen single stamps available from today, all with a Christmas theme:

These stamps are available as clear-mount only (blocks available separately) and won't be sent in typical SU! cases or packaging; they'll be packaged in cello bags. If you'd like a case for your stamp, you can buy Clear-Mount Stamp Cases that come in packs of four separately (these are available in the main catalogue).

There are 8 different stamps to choose from, starting from £4.50. These stamps are only available through 31 January 2014 and will be great for cards and tags during the festive season, so get them while you can! Choose one or collect all eight - the choice is yours.

Secondly, as today is Tuesday it's the day for this week's My Digital Studio (MDS) downloads - click on the date buttons below to link to my online store to view them in more detail and to purchase. I've also included the links to the downloads for the last two weeks in case you're new to all this and want to catch up!

This week's downloads include the new in-colour ribbons, the Thankful brush and tablescape kit and some of the Christmas stamps from the current seasonal catalogue. 

If you haven't already looked at MDS, you should really consider downloading the free trial version from my store: you get a really comprehensive trial version for 30 days absolutely free, to help you decide whether you would like to go ahead and purchase the full version for £13.95. I would urge you to download it and take a look: whatever your area of interest - scrapbook pages, photo albums, cards, home décor and more - you will be amazed at the things you can create.

I'll be sharing some of my own MDS projects here on my blog in coming weeks - if you've already downloaded and started creating, do share your creations with me - I would love to see them.

Back shortly with today's creative post; until then, happy stampin!

A busy day today in more ways than one: both James Juniors returned to start a new school year today, but also some big news from Stampin' Up!:

Firstly, you can now shop with me online! 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; so if you have an urgent need for a roll of ribbon, or are awake in the early hours and have a sudden urge to start planning your next craft project, just click the 'Order Online' button on the right hand side of my page and start shopping. No need to change out of your pyjamas :-)

In addition to the button on the right, here is the link to my online shop for you to copy and save to your 'Favourites' bar:

http://joannejames.stampinup.net

All you need to do is go to my page, click on the 'Shop' button in the top right hand corner, then click on 'Create Account' on the left hand side, then you are ready to go. There is a flat fee delivery charge of £4.95 no matter how much you order, and your goodies will be delivered to your door by UPS within 3-5 days.

Secondly, for all of you who have been waiting since you saw the teaser on the back cover of this year's annual catalogue and have been waiting patiently - My Digital Studio (MDS) is here!

MDS allows you to embrace digital design the Stampin' Up! way: it's really easy to use with tons of fonts, stamps, punches and backgrounds included in the package. These, coupled with regular easy digital downloads will allow you to create and print your own custom-designed scrapbook pages, cards, invitations and other products with ease. Here's a link to an introductory video by Paula Gorry from Stampin' Up! UK showing you just how easy it is to create a tag in minutes:

I'll be sharing some of my own creations in due course, but if you can't wait to start using it yourself, you'll be excited to know that there is a 30 Day FREE MDS TRIAL available for you to download NOW! All you need to do is go to my online shop, create an account and look for the 'My Digital Studio' link on the left hand side and order it for immediate download (item number 130910). If this gets you hooked and you want to download the full version, this is available for the bargain price of just £13.95! Simply order MDS, item 130646, again for immediate download at £13.95. There are new digital downloads released every week, which I will share with you via my blog and Facebook pages.

That's all for now - any questions, please get in touch. Until next time, happy stampin'!

Today I'm sharing a birthday card commission that I made for my sister-in-law's very special Mum, who celebrates her 70th birthday today. I decided to use a combination of some of my favourite of this year's in-colours and the lovely Secret Garden framelits. Here's the finished card:

I love the pretty ruffle trim ribbon and added a tiny sliver of silver glimmer paper to add a little sparkle. I must confess to having had a few failed attempts before producing a card that I was really happy with - I needed this card to be 'just right' and am pleased to say I was happy with the finished result. Here's a quick picture of the card I made for Ann to wish her a special 70th birthday: 

Not the best of photographs, I'm afraid - when flat you can see the sentiment through the aperture cut with an oval framelit - but hopefully good enough to give you an idea. This one uses a similar colour scheme and the Flower Shop stamp set - check out the vellum flowers on the front, which I stamped then heat embossed with Iridescent Ice for a lovely sparkle.

One last thing on my original card: did you notice the little butterfly stamped on vellum that highlighted my label? Here's a close-up:

This is one of the butterflies in the Papillion Potpourri stamp set, punched out with the Bitty Butterfly punch - these are the items on offer at 15% off when you buy them together before 30th September - you can read more about this offer here.

Both James Juniors are back at school tomorrow; whilst I'll miss them not being at home, I can't deny that I'm looking forward to getting back into my craft room for a bit more creating - lots to do!

Do come back in the next day or so to see what I've been creating; I'm looking forward to sharing some of my Christmas ideas and September is a month of birthdays for me, so I'll have lots on this front too. Until next time, happy, stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Secret Garden, Delightful Dozen, Memorable Moments, Papillion Potpourri

Cardstock: Whisper White, Strawberry Slush, vellum

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers:  Strawberry Slush, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding

Tools: Secret Garden Framelits, Oval Framelits, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig

Finishing Touches: Strawberry Slush Stretch Ribbon Trim, Silver Glimmer Paper, Basics Pearls

Another product update post for you: as some of you may be aware, there are a number of catalogue errors in the current catalogue (contact me if you would like a full list!), most notably the pricing of the new colour ink and cardstock bundles. This item was temporarily withdrawn from sale, but I can now announce that the following items are now once again available to order:

In addition, for a limited time only (until 3 January 2014) single markers in the new colours are also available to order individually at a cost of £2.95 each.

This is the last of the SU product update posts for the time being I promise! Back tomorrow with a craft creation (or two!) Until then, happy stampin'!

This is a quick post with details of this month's exciting Stampin' Up! offer and the new 'Best of...' set for September. This month's offer is on this great butterfly-themed bundle:

Buy the Papillion Potpourri stamp set and Bitty Butterfly Punch (pages 90/183 of the Annual Catalogue) together before 30th September and receive a 15% discount. If you've been considering purchasing either or both of these items, then this is the promotion for you!

 Secondly, the 'Best of...' set for September is 'Best of Christmas' - a lovely set of four stamps, that includes the little brother of the much-loved and missed 'Dasher':

This set represents great value at £13.95 (clear mount only) and like the other 'Best of..' sets, will be available until 31st March, although the sooner you get this set, the sooner you will be able to get cracking on those Christmas cards!

I will be posting ideas using both of these sets this month, so do check back to my blog in the coming weeks for inspiration. Meanwhile, if you would like to order either, do get in touch and I can place an order for you.

Until next time, happy stampin'!

Another 40th birthday card today, this one showcasing lots of new products. This was the birthday card from my children to their uncle, so I wanted it to fauna fun design; this is what I came up with:

I used the Birthday Basics Designer Series Paper as the inspiration for the colour scheme for this card - that and the fact that I already had Bermuda Bay out on my desk (I love this new colour!) I built the sentiment from my Simply Sketched Alphabet stamps and added a fun element by replacing the 'OO' with a pair of spectacles and googly eyes. I stamped the spectacles by inking up one pair on my 'Spectacular' single stamp - I have been having lots of fun with this stamp (as a specs wearer it really appealed to me!); this, and the other single stamps, are still available to purchase until the end of the month. See the box on the right of my blog page for more details and make sure you contact me before the end of the month if you'd like to order one.

My children thought this card was really funny, although I'm not sure that I would have got away with it as far as my specs-wearing brother-in-law is concerned, were I not a specs wearer myself!

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

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: ABC-123 Sketch Alphabet and Numbers, Spectacular

Cardstock: Summer Starfruit, Bermuda Bay, Raspberry Ripple, Very Vanilla, Birthday Basics Designer Series Paper (SAB - retired)

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Bermuda Bay, Raspberry Ripple

Tools: Simply Scored, Big Shot, Typeset Alphabet Die, Stamp-a-ma-jig

Finishing Touches: Googly eyes (non SU)

I've had a busy day today having fun with a bunch of lovely ladies making Christmas projects. I will share the first of these with you tomorrow, but today I want to announce the new 'Best of' set for August - Best of Shelli. Following the UK launch in June, to celebrate its 25th anniversary, Stampin' Up! is releasing a new 'Best of' stamp set featuring 3-4 past favourites and one brand new design, each month until October. Each set costs £13.95 and will be available to purchase until 31 March 2014 (clear mount only). This month's set was personally chosen by Stampin' Up's CEO and founder, Shelli Gardner, as her personal favourites from the last 25 years. The set features the following designs:

This month's set is an eclectic mix of styles and will offer a wide variety of creative opportunities. If you can't wait to get your hands on them, then drop me a line at [email protected] and I will happily place an order for you.

The month of August also heralds a new discount promotion: for every 3 packs of designer paper you order from the annual catalogue (*excluding specialty papers and paper stacks) you can choose an additional pack free!

So this is a great time to stock up on your designer paper - with 11 different sets to choose from, you will be spoilt for choice!

Back tomorrow with some fabulous Christmas inspiration; until then, happy stampin'!