Just a quick post from me to let you know about another new product that is now available - the Texture Boutique Embossing Machine!

I uploaded the flyer to the bar on the right hand side of my blog yesterday, but just wanted to bring it to your attention as it's such a cool gadget if you're into embossing but don't necessarily have the budget or require the additional functionality of a Big Shot.

This machine is embossing made easy! Manufactured by Sissix, the Texture Boutique Embossing Machine works with Stampin' Up!'s range of embossing folders to transform ordinary cardstock, paper, metallic foil or vellum into a textured masterpiece. Here's a short video that shows you how it works:

There are some great new embossing folders in the new Spring-Summer catalogue that would pair up nicely with this machine:

• Ampersand Textured Impressions Embossing Folder
• Scallops Textured Impressions Embossing Folder
• Arrows Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

You can find more details on each of the above if you click on the product links below. If embossing is your thing, if you order the Texture Boutique Embossing Machine and all three of the new folders, you order will come to £49.45 and you will qualify for a FREE Sale-A-Bration gift - and the Decorative Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder would be the perfect choice! Just click on the links to go to my online store to purchase.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Texture Boutique Embossing Machine

Ampersand Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

Arrows Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

Scallops Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

Decorative Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

Yes it's arrived - Sale-A-Bration, the best time of the Stampin' Up! year begins today!

Sale--Bration runs from today, 28th January until 31 March 2014 and there is so much to celebrate - you can read all about it by clicking on the brochure in the side bar of my blog, but the key things to know are:

FREE GIFTS: For every £45 you spend during Sale-A-Bration, you get a free exclusive Sale-A-Bration gift - and there are 13 to choose from!

MORE FREE GIFTS: Get £25 more to spend on any Stampin' Up! products with a qualifying party*

EVEN MORE FREE GIFTS: If you decide to join Stampin' Up! during Sale-A-Bration, you can choose £150 worth of products for only £99 (instead of the usual £130). All this in addition to a 20% discount on future product purchases, the ability to order new items in advance of everyone else, along with the wider benefits that joining a company such as Stampin' Up! has to offer. Also, if you join my growing team of Stampin' Up! demonstrators, you will receive additional benefits, including a FREE copy of my Product Table Builder software to help you make the most of your online sales opportunities - this is an exclusive benefit to those who sign up to be a part of my team (worth £35). My team is a mix of those who are hobby demonstrators and those who use Stampin' Up! as a business to earn them additional income and are a great bunch - everyone is welcome and I would love you to join us.

The best way to see these products is to attend my February classes, which will feature Sale-A-Bration products, or give me a call on 07773 421446 and arrange to host your very own Stampin' Up! party. To whet your appetite, I made a short video showcasing lots of the Sale-A-Bration products - they look even better close up than in the brochure, so why not click on the link below and take a look:

I hope that got you all excited - don't forget, please get in touch via [email protected] or call me on 07773 421446 if you would like to get your hands on some yourself or click on the links below to hop on over to my online shop! 

Today also sees the launch of the Spring-Summer catalogue, featuring some lovely new products - please check out today's other post for more information on my favourite things!

Lots going on today so back soon with more creative delights; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Sale-A-Bration Products available free with a £45 spend:

Petal Parade Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Sweet Sorbet Designer Series Paper	Decorative Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder	Sweet Sorbet Accessory Pack	Good As Gold Card Kit
Banner Blast Wood-Mount Stamp Set	Banner Punch	You're Lovely Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Twisty Treats Kit	Heartfelt Banner Kit
See Ya Later Wood-Mount Stamp Set	Hooray For Parties Digital Ensemble	One Big Sale-A-Bration 2014 Digital Ensemble

*An extra £25 of hostess credits will be earned for all qualifying party sales of £250 or more.

A quick blog post just to share this week's My Digital Studio downloads; I have inadvertently not been bringing these to your attention in recent weeks, so thought today was a good day to put that right, not least as it gives a 'sneak peek' of one of the DSP designs and embellishment sets that will be featuring in the new Spring-Summer seasonal catalogue that is out on the 28th January.

I've included the links to each of the items in an enlarged table below - just click on the links to go to my online store to purchase. Or if you prefer to wait for the pre-printed versions, just another 20 days to go!

Retro Fresh Designer Series Paper - Digital Download

This And That Make Note Stamp Brush Set - Digital Download

This And That Retro Fresh Embellishments - Digital Download

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

As promised, I managed to get some photographs taken today and wanted to share with you a variation on yesterday's MDS card that you can see here. This is a larger card, A5 size, and something of an MDS hybrid: I printed the same panel for the central section, but also created a larger panel using another of the stamps in the set which I repeated and inverted to create an outer border panel, then mounted both layers on Midnight Muse cardstock:

I really like the addition of the layering and the border image - it reminded me of fireworks! - and gives a different look to the card I think. The interior panel was the same as the one I created for yesterday's card.

Hope you like today's variation. Back tomorrow with a card using one of my absolute favourite new stamps - the Flowerfull Heart that's available this month as part of the 'Whole lot of Love' promotion (details on the right hand side of my blog). Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Mds Download - Digital Download

Midnight Cheer Ensemble - Digital Download

Midnight Muse A4 Card Stock

Whisper White A4 Card Stock

Happy New Year to you all! I hope you've all had a lovely day recovering from the excesses of last night or simply enjoying what is traditionally the last day of the holiday season today. I've spent mine having a family day with the extended James clan, generally enjoying good food and catching up before we all start back to work tomorrow.

Today I have another My Digital Studio project to share with you; this is a Happy New Year card that I made using the Midnight Cheer download. Having hunted through my stamp sets, I didn't have anything that was really appropriate for New Year, so decided to browse through MDS and I found this download, which I love. I stuck with the suggested colours of Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit and Sahara Sand and created the basic layout. Here's the front of the card:

I created a really simple greeting for the inside using other stamps in the set - here it is:

I also created an A5 hybrid version of this card using additional layers and mounted on Midnight Muse, but I haven't managed to photograph it yet. Hopefully I will have another round of photographing tomorrow, so I should be able to come back and update this post with the additional photograph then. I can see me using this set in future years too, ringing the changes with an alternative colourway and also using it to create party invitations and a piece of frameable home décor. I love the flexibility that MDS gives in this regard.

That's me done for today; back tomorrow with some exciting new projects to share. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Mds Download - Digital Download

Midnight Cheer Ensemble - Digital Download

I know lots of my lovely blog readers have already purchased and are benefiting from the Product Table Builder application that I developed with my 'Dearly Beloved' (husband!) to help independent Stampin' Up! demonstrators worldwide to create links in their blog posts to the products used in their online DBWS store, and are finding it a great time-saver.

I use it every time I do a product 'make' post - it really takes no time at all. Some of the feedback I've received from happy Stampin' Up! Demonstrator customers includes:

"I LOVE it - well worth the investment!" - Monica Gale, UK

"It's easy peasy ... seriously easy! Amazing value for money!" - Carole Bryson-Wood, UK

"An excellent tool. "- Helen Ding, UK

"Thanks again for your great program!" Sabine, Germany

"The Product Table Builder is a great tool. I'm looking forward to using it on my blog." Dörthe Thiele, Germany

"It's a great program and does exactly what I want to do on my website! Saves a lot of time and very easy! "- Lindsay Tindal, UK

"What a great tool!" Colleen Vassos, Canada

For those of you that either missed my original post or haven't come across it via another SU! demonstrator, here is the link to my YouTube video which shows you what it's all about and just how easy it is to use:

Today is the last day that the Product Table Builder from The Crafty Owl will be available at the introductory price of £20. From tomorrow, it will revert to its standard price of £35. So what are you waiting for - if you fancy a bargain, get shopping today!

Click here for the link to my shop to purchase. Back soon with another creative project; until then, happy stampin'!

Good evening blog readers! I have spent a lovely day crafting today and putting together lots of lovely things using the current 'Whole Lot of Love' promotion products and items from the forthcoming Sale-A-Bration celebration, but today I wanted to share with you a New Year card that I created in MDS using the Year End Review infographic digital download. This set is great for creating a family Christmas card that shares important news and milestones over the year along with some fun festive facts however since I am approaching the first anniversary of the start of my blog I thought it would be a great way to take stock of everything I've achieved this year and record some of the Crafty Owl's milestones.

So here is the image that forms the basis of my card:

I'm still getting the hang of MDS and don't profess to be an expert, but it's a great way to create things that you could possibly stamp and this card is a good example of that. If you're a new MDS user or would just like to know more about what MDS has to offer, I am considering running small face-to-face classes to develop your use and understanding further in 2014 - if you live in Northampton or the surrounding area and this is something that interests you, please do contact me at [email protected] for more details.

For the above project, I used lots of the elements within the Year End Review download, some of which I modified to suit my theme, along with one or two others in place of the seasonal embellishments that were more Christmas-themed. I hope you enjoy reading the fun facts I've included about my Stampin' Up! journey this year - thanks to all of you my blog readers, customers, Product Table Builder users and my wonderful downline and wider extended team members for all of your support and encouragement this year - here's to an equally successful 2014!

Back tomorrow with another project; in the meantime, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Year End Review Infographic Postcard Template - Digital Download

Mds Download - Digital Download

Just a quick reminder to let everyone know that the Clearance Rack has been updated and there are now lots of items available, some with as much as 80% off. There are packs of A4 cardstock from just £2.49, lots of ribbon and even the Holiday Stocking Bigz Die if you wanted to make some last minute Christmas stockings!

So, what are you waiting for - click here to go the clearance rack in my online store and grab a bargain whilst stocks last!

For my second post today I have something very exciting to share with you: if you're a Stampin' Up! demonstrator who, like me, enjoys writing a blog and sharing your creative ideas, read on! 

Since having had a DBWS online store earlier in the year, I've been listing the products used in my daily blog posts and linking them to the corresponding product in my online store. There are a few different ways in which you can do this, but if you do it manually 'the long way' it's very time consuming. I investigated other tools in the marketplace that are designed to make this job easier, but found them to be generally quite expensive.

So I set to work with my genius of a husband and created our very own Product Table Builder! The Product Table Builder from The Crafty Owl is designed specifically to build product links to a demonstrator's DBWS online store and feature the Stampin' Up! products you use in the projects you blog. The Stampin' Up! Product Table Builder from The Crafty Owl is highly customisable to provide you with the correct look and feel for your blog. You have complete control over the following aspects of your product table:

• Include a border around the completed table to ensure if stands out in your blog post.
• Include a border around each product so it looks more like a button.
• Control the colour of the borders so that they fit your existing blog themes.
• Change the size of the product images to use more or less space in your post.
• Increase and decrease the number of table columns so your product table fills your blog post.
• Advanced options also allow further customisation including border links, CSS inclusion and other advanced features.

If you look at my earlier blog post, you will see two examples of tables that have been built using the Product Table Builder from The Crafty Owl - here's a screen shot of what it looks like on the screen:

 If you would like to see the Product Table Builder in action, please check out this video that shows exactly how it works, from the easy installation to using it to link the products you use in your blog posts to your DBWS online store:

 The Product Table Builder works in conjunction with your unique Stampin' Up! demonstrator ID and can be used with UK, US, European or South Pacific stores/catalogues. It has also been tested and proven to work with a wide range of the most common blog platforms.

I can honestly say that this little piece of software has totally revolutionised my blog, saving me a considerable amount of time in building product links into my Stampin' Up! blog posts. Today I am pleased to be able to offer The Product Table Builder from The Crafty Owl to you to purchase at an introductory price of £20 during the month of December. This is an introductory offer that is valid for the month of December 2013 only; from 1st January 2014 it will be on sale at the standard retail price of £35.

If you would like to purchase a copy of The Product Table Builder from The Crafty Owl, please click on the link below or the button on the right hand side of my blog to order yours:

The Product Table Builder from The Crafty Owl runs on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 (not Windows RT). It will not run on iPads, Mac Books or other Apple products. It will not run on Android Tablets or Windows RT devices, e.g. Windows Surface.

If you have any questions, please drop me a line at [email protected] or leave a comment below and I will be happy to answer them. As with all other content in my blog and on my website, this product has been developed by me independently of Stampin' Up! and is not endorsed by Stampin' Up! in any way - just wanted to make that clear!

Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin' (or product table building!)

Good morning lovely readers - no blog post yesterday as I had some very important last-minute work to finish, but do not fear - today there will be (at least) two blog posts to make up for it!

So today we're having a short break from Christmas projects as it's the first of December and the launch of Stampin' Up's 'Whole Lot of Love' promotion - stamps and products designed with Valentine's Day in mind, but can be used for lots more besides. You may have noticed that Valentine's-themed projects didn't feature in the current seasonal catalogue, hence this special promotion to enable you to be prepared in good time for the big day. There are some great products in this set, ranging from cute (Monster Hugs - adorable! - available from 9th December) to practical (pre-cut card and envelope sets) and romantic (check out that Eiffel Tower!) to beautiful (the Flowerfull Heart - a keeper that would look just as beautiful on a birthday card for someone special). Here are the images for each set:

Aren't they great? I'll have some samples to share using a selection of these products in the not-too-distant future, but meanwhile in keeping with the theme I thought I would share this card with you that I made using the 'love' Thinlits die: 

If you're a fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrator and you attended our recent European Convention in Manchester, you may well have seen this card already. It was one of the projects I entered for the Convention Design Competition and whilst it didn't win, it was on the display boards for everyone to enjoy. My other project was 3D, but I chose this card as my second project as it's very clean and simple and typical of my papercrafting style. I am in love with these thinlits and also like how they can be used not only with the word itself, but you can use the relief too - no need to throw away this piece, a real two for one! I created an ombre background in the relief - I love this technique and think it looks great when done in inks with a brayer or sponged, but also like the clean look it gives with this kind of project. A few extra pieces and a small diamante just finish it off.

One of the funniest things that happened at Convention was that I attended an early Friday evening workshop and left my two downline team members who were attending Convention with me to browse the display boards. When I met up with them later, they both said to me 'You should come and see this card on the board - we love it and think you will too.' And the card? Without them knowing it was mine, they led me to this card! What can I say? Great minds clearly think alike! It did give me a lovely warm feeling inside though - love you, my little Crafty Owls!

Check out the product links below if you would like to have a go at either recreating my card or purchase any of the lovely new Valentine's products.

Back tomorrow with another creative project; check out today's other post though if you're a Stampin' Up! demonstrator - your life is just about to get a whole lot easier ....

Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used (for love card):

Stampin' Up! Whole Lot of Love Products (Monster Hugs available from 9th December):

Love You More Wood-Mount Stamp Set	Love You More Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Follow My Heart Wood-Mount Stamp Set	Follow My Heart Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Flowerfull Heart Wood-Mount Stamp
Sweetheart Treat Bags	Sweet Sayings Cards And Envelopes