It's school summer vacation here so my crafting time has been limited as I spend time with the James Juniors and I haven't managed to get into my craft room all week, despite receiving my Autumn-Winter preorder. This first glimpse of the new Autumn-Winter catalogue from Stampin' Up! (a demonstrator perk!) has me starting to think about the projects for my forthcoming luxury weekend craft retreat in October - it's never too early to start creating for Christmas!

I have lots of lovely ladies enrolled to attend and have just the last couple of spots remaining, so thought I would do a quick reminder in case any of you would like to join us for a weekend of crafting bliss:

If getting away from everyone and everything and having some ME time appeals, then a luxury weekend of crafting and a Creative Escape with The Crafty Owl sounds just the thing for you.

Where is the retreat held?

The venue for the Craft Retreat is the award-winning Highgate House Hotel, conveniently located just off junction 1 of the A14 in Northamptonshire.

Set in beautiful grounds it is the perfect destination for a getaway; gorgeous surroundings, good food and your own stylish bedroom for the night.

Its central location in Creaton, Northamptonshire can be easily accessed via the M1 (junction 16/19) and the M6 – making it a perfect destination break for you and your friends from afar.

What is included?

The Creative Escape package includes an overnight stay and all food for the weekend, lunches, snacks, evening meal and breakfast together with unlimited tea and coffee. You have 2 full days of crafting with your own table for the whole weekend – no need to tidy away! Bliss!A goody bag of Stampin’ Up! crafting supplies is also part of the package and will be more than £100 in value. The supplies will enable you to complete the projects for the classes run throughout the weekend and you'll have lots left over to take home too!

The Classes

The classes offered during the weekend are optional. The weekend is yours, so you can choose to keep with class pace or do your own thing. There is no requirement to complete everything, you can do exactly what you want – chat, craft, chill … the choice is yours. Choose to craft at every possible moment, or take a break for a walk or a drink in the lounge – it’s all up to you.

How do I book?

Sounds like your kind of fun? Email to joanne@thecraftyowl.co.uk and I will contact you to confirm your place and payment details. Your hotel room will need to be paid for to the hotel in full at the time of booking and this will secure your retreat place. The remaining balance will be paid to me directly thereafter. Rates for the weekend are as follows: Single occupancy (single room) is £330 per person or double occupancy (twin room) is £310 per person. Full terms and conditions are available on the Creative Escape Crafting Retreats page on my website.

The October Creative Escape will have a distinctly Christmas theme so why not come along and give yourself a head start on your creative makes for the festive season? 

If you have any further questions or queries, please do get in touch - I would love you to join me!

I'll be back tomorrow with my next creative project fr this week's challenge over at The Paper Players; until then, happy stampin'!

I've just got time to squeeze in my entry for the current challenge over at Festive Friday where the challenge is to feature a lighthouse and/or rays on your card:

I did a technique card last week featuring the Come Sail Away suite so have been making lots of lighthouse cards in readiness for this - here's one of them:

I had been doing some experimenting with inked backgrounds and on this card used some blue Brusho on Shimmery White cardstock, covered with scrunched up cling film before leaving to dry and then removed the cling film. I then covered with a liberal spritz of champagne shimmer and I added a collage of stamped and diecut bits and pieces from the Come Sail Away suite to complete my card. No rays of light - I was trying to capture stormy seas behind my lighthouse. This is quite a different card for me - watercoloured backgrounds and collage-style cards are not my forte, but it was fun to create and this is the first time I've used Brusho and really liked the finished effect.

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 have another card similar to this one which I will hopefully share later this week in an alternative colourway.

This is my card for Tuesday so I hope you enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Sailing Home Bundle (£46.75)	Shimmery White A4 Cardstock (£9.25)	Night Of Navy A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Smoky Slate A4 Cardstock (£8.25)
Basic Gray A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Whisper White A4 Cardstock (£9.00)	Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Embossing Buddy (£5.50)	Versamark Pad (£8.75)
Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder (£5.50)

Today I'm sharing a card using the current sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches that was also inspired by the current Time Out Challenge:

I went with neutrals and masculine today and with those circles on Kim's sketch offering lots of creative possibilities, I saw ship's wheels in their place - take a look:

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

Sailing Home - I suddenly realised this week that despite having brought this set home with me from Onstage back in May, with the exception of my Make and Take this is the first card I've made with it (a case of new product overload as usual!) I have an upcoming class with this set and a ton of 'works in progress' on my desk, so will definitely have lots more to share in coming weeks. The only stamp I used on today's card is the sentiment - I think this makes a nice sentiment for a male anniversary card, but would also work for a mentor, teacher or coach I think; anyone who sets direction and motivates others.

Come Sail Away Compasses - I wasn't sure that I would use the paper pattern that I featured on today's card with all of those compasses and measuring instruments (there's always one in a pack that goes to the bottom of the pile, right?) so I pushed myself to cut into it and I think with some black accents it adds just enough detail to work on today's card. The stripey pattern on the reverse will definitely be more popular with me, but for now challenge accomplished! 

Smooth Sailing Ship's Wheels - My trio of ship's wheels were diecut using the Smooth Sailing Dies - check out the embossed detail on these, so lovely. I cut them from a scrap of (retired) brushed silver cardstock from my scrapbox and finished the centre of each with a black faceted dot for a little understated bling.

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:

Sailing Home Bundle (£46.75)

Come Sail Away Designer Series Paper (£10.75)

Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock (£7.75)

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad (£5.50)

Basic Black A4 Cardstock (£8.25)

Happy Monday everyone! Today I'm sharing a card that I made for my monthly technique class last week featuring the Bird Ballad Suite that uses the current sketch over at The Paper Craft Crew as the inspiration for the layout:

I was intrigued by the oval shape as I don't tend to use ovals on my cards often and I wanted to incorporate a few different techniques. This is what I came up with:

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

A Spotlight on Fussy Cutting - The Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper is beautiful and just like the co-ordinating 'Free As A Bird' stamp set, offers a ton of fussy cutting possibilities - no co-ordinating shaped framelits for these feathered friends I'm afraid! I fussy cut one of the birds and backed him with a Crumb Cake stitched oval shape. If you look closely at the photo below, you will see that I didn't remove all of the paper - for the really tricky bits, such as around the legs and branches, I simply coloured the paper with my Crumb Cake Blends marker to blend in with the background. 

Background Birds on a Branch - The sketch shows some background stamping behind the banner and this inspired me to get out my watercolour pencils and add a very subtle row of birds using one of the stamps in the 'Free As A Bird' stamp set. I did some tone-on-tone stamping, stamping the image in So Saffron, then delicately coloured with my watercolour pencils and blended with a blender pen. Only the outer edges of the image are visible behind the oval, but I really like the way this detail adds interest to the background and spotlights the fussy cut bird and oval. 

Stamp and Emboss - Once I had completed all of the stamping and colouring on my card base, I ran the whole thing through my diecutting machine and embossed it with the Subtles 3D embossing folder. The texture this adds is so subtle it doesn't distort the stamping at all, but adds an almost silky feeling to the cardstock. I love it! Some lace and pearls and a little envelope decoration complete my card. 

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; I have a lot to achieve today so need to get on with it! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper (£10.75)	Free As A Bird Cling Stamp Set (£20.00)	Very Vanilla 3/8" (1 Cm) Scalloped Lace Trim (£6.50)	Pearl Basic Jewels (£4.75)	Crumb Cake A4 Cardstock (£8.25)
Stitched Shapes Dies (£28.00)	Watercolor Pencils (£15.00)	Watercolor Pencils Assortment 2 (£11.75)	So Saffron A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad (£5.50)

I have the second of this month's technique classes tomorrow and it features the Bird Ballad suite. As I'm a little pressed for time today, I thought I'd share with you the 'make and take' we made using products from this suite at Stampin' Up!'s Onstage event when the annual catalogue was launched  - take a look:

Super pretty papers and a stamp set that is perfect for colouring, this suite is great for everything from super-simple cards through to more complicated creations. My card class is focusing on fancy folds, colouring and fussy cutting and I'll share these creations with you later thi week. For now though, this card shows how easy it is to create something pretty with some DSP, a little colouring and a lacy bow.

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

 to follow

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

to follow

The wait is over - it's June 4th and the new 2019-20 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue is here! I will be updating my links on the right hand side of my blog and you will find a permanent link to the new catalogue there, but for today you need look no further than the picture below which will take you straight to the new catalogue:

The new catalogue is fantastic, with so many great new products to choose from. I've sent paper copies to everyone who has shopped with me in the last 12 months; a digital copy of the new catalogue can be accessed via the image above and it will be permanently linked via my blog on the right hand side if you don’t have a paper copy and wish to browse. If you have your paper copy and just want to go straight to the shop to place your order, click here - ordering systems have now fully transitioned from the old stock items to the new so you are good to go! Also, remember to add the current hostess code for June TBSAWQXE if your order is less than £150 and ensure your preferences are set to 'contactable' to receive a thank you in the post from me.

There are a few items that due to unexpected shipping delays will not be immediately available and the main product I need to flag with you in the new in-color Purple Posy; there have been issues with the quality of the ink and so will be unavailable until these have been resolved. Rest assured I will post more information on this as soon as this comes online. There is plenty that is available though, so you can always add these items to your 'next time' list!

I'll be sharing my favourite items from the new catalogue in a blog post soon. Also, in addition to my Annual Catalogue Open House Drop-in Session tomorrow Wednesday 5th June from 10am-1pm, I have decided for the first time to hold an all-day online annual catalogue launch party on Saturday 22nd June on my Facebook Page. This is a great opportunity for you to see some of the products, take advantage of my BOGOF sale of retired stamp sets, and have some fun even if you don't love in or around Northampton! RSVPs to my online event will be required as it will be held in a closed group so if you are interested and would like access then do get in touch!

I also have a number of classes lined up in coming months featuring products from the new catalogue - the first of which are detailed below:

• 20th June - Bird Ballad Suite
• 8th July -Daisy Lane Bundle

Full details for these classes can be found on my Facebook Events Page  or alternatively under the 'Events/classes' tab on my website.

That's a lot of information for one post; if I were you I would put the kettle on, put your feet up and get comfy and settle down with your new catalogue for a browse and start creating that all-important wish list!

Back tomorrow with a new project; until then, happy shopping!

Happy weekend everyone! Today I'm sharing another of my Needlepoint Nook cards from a previous class that really showcases the co-ordinating designer series paper  - take a look:

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

Embroidered Paper - The Needlepoint Nook Suite is perfect for creating the look of handcrafted embroidery with much less effort and has stamps, papers, accessories and framelits that fit the theme. The papers in this suite are so pretty, they look almost as if they have been hand embroidered. I love the multi-coloured pattern I used on this card - so pretty!

Hand-Stitched Stamping - The floral elements in the Needle & Thread stamp set are distinctive stamps that have the almost photographic appearance of embroidered flowers. I used a combination of ink pads and Stampin' Write Markers to create a bright spray of flowers, adding in a few additional diecut pieces too. 

A Stitch in Time - There's more stitching with the stitched border but my favourite is definitely the stitched sentiment label that conveniently fits the Pretty Label Punch.

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:

Needle & Thread Photopolymer Bundle (£43.00)	Needlepoint Nook 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper (£10.25)	Pretty Label Punch (£17.00)	Poppy Parade Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Poppy Parade A4 Cardstock (£8.00)
Blushing Bride A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	Crushed Curry A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	Very Vanilla A4 Cardstock (£9.00)

I've had my first class of the month today and today I have a couple of cards to share with you: one from my class and one that my class card was based on, both of which were inspired by the lovely Julee Tilman's current Mojo Monday sketch (turned through 90 degrees):

Here's the first card I created using the beautiful All My Love suite - take a look:

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

Whilst the papers in the All My Love suite feature classic romantic colours, these papers are not just about hearts - they feature some fabulous florals too. This card features one of my personal favourites and compliments the Soft Sea Foam background beautifully. 

Along with the die cut detail of the sentiment panel, this makes for a simple yet pretty card. 

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

Here is the second similar card that we made in my class, using an alternative colourway, this time with a couple of diecut flowers to compliment the patterned paper:

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Forever Lovely Photopolymer Bundle (£45.00)

All My Love 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper (£10.25)

Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock (£7.25)

Soft Sea Foam A4 Cardstock (£8.00)

Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)

Linen Thread (£4.75)

Today I've just got time for a quick post to share another card made using the Sale-A-Bration stamp set 'By The Bay' that I made a while ago but haven't got around to blogging. Here's my card:

A simple scene watercoloured on shimmery white paper with inks and an aquapainter, layered with a tone-on-tone panel of Balmy Blue embossed with the Stripes embossing folder and paired with some burlap and leaves and a sentiment with stitched edge detail. Easy as that! You have only 4 more days to snap it up for free with a £45 order so if it's on your list, get your order in before the weekend. 

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

By The Bay Cling Stamp Set (£0.00)	Simple Stripes Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (£8.00)	Rectangle Stitched Framelits Dies (£33.00)	Shimmery White A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Balmy Blue A4 Cardstock (£8.00)
Soft Sea Foam A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	5/8" (1.6 Cm) Burlap Ribbon (£6.50)	Mossy Meadow A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	Wonderful Floral Framelits Dies (£32.00)

No post yesterday I'm afraid as my day was long and busy, from the moment the youngest James Junior got dropped off at school at the crack of dawn to go on his school trip to Paris to an evening spent helping out with a local Brownie pack followed by Girl Guides doing a spot of Mother's Day crafting. Today has seen the arrival of our German language school exchange student, but a long journey has resulted in an early night so I've time to sit and blog this evening. Today I'm sharing the most popular card from my last Sale-a-Bration class that features not one, but three of the fabulous products that can be yours free with a purchase of £45 or more:

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

A Trio of Sale-A-Bration Goodness - Today's card features three of the Sale-A-Bration goodies that are still available for you to receive free with a spend of £45 - can you spot them all? The wooden butterfly from the Butterfly Elements, and a piece of Grapefruit Grove foil sheet that has been embossed with the Country Florals Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. This card is so simple to recreate and would work in lots of alternative colours too - the ladies in my class loved it! Check out the detail of the foil embossing - it really is lovely. 

Shop, Host, Join: There's Still Time - So whether you are going to shop and spend £45 or more (you get one free item for each £45 spend, or one of the higher-value ones for a £90 spend) or host your own party (an online party - or single qualifying order if your shopping list is a long one! - are still options at this stage), you still have 5 days to do so, so get those orders in. 

Join My Team For An Extra Sweet Reward - Whether you are a hobbyist or would like to build a business of your own, there's never been a better time to invest in a Stampin' up! starter kit. Not only will you receive £170 of product of your choice for a £99 spend, if you pay an additional £26 you can receive the fabulous and super-useful craft and carry tote too. You can read more about all of the Sale-A-Bration offers in my earlier post here; if you've any further offers, or would like to chat to me and find out the details of a special incentive that I am offering for qualifying joiners this week, do get in touch - I would love you to join my team.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Butterfly Elements (£0.00)	Grapefruit Grove & Lovely Lipstick Foil Sheets (£0.00)	Country Floral Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (£0.00)	Butterfly Gala Photopolymer Stamp Set (£20.00)	Merry Merlot Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Merry Merlot A4 Cardstock (£8.00)
1-1/4" (3.2 Cm) Circle Punch (£15.00)