Storage by Stampin' Up! - Available 1 April

I’m so excited to share that Storage by Stampin’ Up! will be available from 1 April. But before I go into the details, I just want to remind you that there are a few more days of Sale-A-Bration left.  This means that there’s still time to get those free products by either shopping or joining. Click on the following links for more information –

JOIN

SHOP

The new storage system is designed to hold

• New style Classic Ink Pads and Stampin’ Write Markers
• Stampin’ Blends
• Small items such as ribbon/embellishments and ink refills.

The benefits to you of this fabulous new system are –

• It looks great, and what’s more all your inks etc can be held within reach and will be easily seen. Store your colours by family or in rainbow order, it’s up to you.
• Your ink pads, markers and Stampin’ Blends are stored horizontally, as recommended.
• It’s compact, stackable and modular so you can add units as and when needed. In testing, Stampin’ Up! had 50 units stacked up but I wouldn’t recommend that!!
• It’s easy to assemble and designed to sit on a flat surface (craft table, bookcase etc).
• Because the units stack vertically, it leaves more space for you to craft on your countertop.

There are five different parts to the system. You can order the items you need to start you off and then add to it as and when your collection expands.

Here are just a few examples of how you can use the Storage by Stampin’ Up! system.

I can’t wait to get my In Color supplies organised, so I’m off to find a suitable spot to place them. You can place your order online come 1 April, or contact me direct by email .

Happy stamping.

Fiona xx

Ways to shop and save in March

2019 Sale-A-Bration  – There’s less than a week left for you to earn free things. Join, Shop or Host the choice is yours.

Join my Team – Choose your own starter kit. During Sale-A-Bration you get to choose £170 worth of product for £99 (includes P&P) or add the Craft & Carry tote (worth £47) and pay £125. You then receive a 20% discount on future orders/purchases (for at least 3 months). This is a great way to start your own Stampin’ Up! business or simply make your crafting funds go further.  Click here – JOIN NOW if you have your wish list handy and are ready to join. Alternatively, if you would like more information please contact me at fiona@oakfieldcrafts.com.

Save 10% on Bundles from the catalogues. There is something for everyone simply because there are an amazing number to choose from.

Clearance Rack

Want to earn an income or simply a discount on your own craft supplies?

Any time is a good time to join Stampin’ Up! But, now’s a good time because the current Sale-A-Bration offer ends on 31 March.

Reasons to Join Stampin’ Up!

There are lots of reasons to join Stampin’ Up! Here are what I think are the main ones.

• You get to join a fun and friendly group of people who like nothing better than to get together, chat and craft.
• There is the opportunity to go to exclusive OnStage events in the UK, Europe, USA or any country that Stampin’ Up! has a presence. So far I have been to events in Manchester (my first ever), Telford, Brussels, Amsterdam, Orlando, and the Gold Coast (Australia). At these events you
  • Receive a copy of the latest catalogue (April events – New Annual Catalogue, November events – Spring/Summer Catalogue).
  • Will see new products in action and get to try out some of them when doing the Make N Takes.
  • Win prizes.
  • Meet lots of like minded crafters, share ideas and even mingle and chat with some of your Stampin’ Up! heros (if that’s your thing).
  • Training.
  • There’s an exclusive bag filled with goodies for each attendee.
  • You get to take part in an exclusive pre-order just for attendees.
• A discount on your purchases and sales for at least 3 months.
• You choose how you want to utilise your Stampin’ Up! demonstrator-ship
  • Just for you, friends and family
  • Run your own business to suit you and your family’s needs. This can be through in person events such as classes, solely online or a mixture of the two. It’s your choice.
• Opportunity to earn additional discounts and rewards should you so choose to do so. I never thought when I joined for the discount back in May 2011, that I could earn an incentive trip, but I did!! In July 2018 I went on an all expenses paid cruise for two in Alaska.
• There are so many other opportunities available to you as a demonstrator, and I would love to tell you all about them, but I don’t want to turn this post into a massive one.

Suffice to say, I would love you to join my team of Crafting Acorns.

It does not matter if you live locally or not. Everyone is invited to all team events.  I hold  events both evenings and full days and of course there is also the phone, Facebook groups, Facebook Live and Zoom. Even those on the team who are technically challenged are able to join in through online events!

Current Sale-A-Bration joining offer and another reason why now’s a good time to join

At present you have two joining options:

1. Choose £170 worth of product for £99.
2. Choose £170 worth of product and receive the Craft & Carry tote bag too for £125.

Both options will ship to you for free and will also include a Business Starter Pack too.

Don’t forget that now’s a good time to join because these options are only available until 10.50 pm on 31 March. After that, the joining offer will revert to £130 worth for £99, which is still a really good deal. But, who wouldn’t want another £40 worth of goodies for free?

If you have already made up your mind to join you can do so by clicking on the following link

JOIN NOW

If you have any questions or would simply like more information please get in touch via email  or call me on 07707 695801. I’m happy to chat or meet up whichever suits you best.Happy stamping.

Fiona xx

Ways to shop and save in March

2019 Sale-A-Bration  – There’s just over one week left for you to earn free things. Join, Shop or Host the choice is yours.

Join my Team – Now’s a good time to choose your own starter kit. During Sale-A-Bration you get to choose £170 worth of product for £99 (includes P&P) or add the Craft & Carry tote (worth £47) and pay £125. You then receive a 20% discount on future orders/purchases (for at least 3 months). This is a great way to start your own Stampin’ Up! business or simply make your crafting funds go further.  If you would like more information please contact me at fiona@oakfieldcrafts.com.

Save 10% on Bundles from the catalogues. There is something for everyone simply because there are an amazing number to choose from.

Clearance Rack

Less than 2 weeks of Sale-A-Bration left

Even though there is less than 2 weeks of Sale-A-Bration left, there’s still time to take part.

Shop, Join or Host. How you choose to make the most of Sale-A-Bration is up to you.

Shop – for every £45 spent (excluding P&P) you receive a Level 1 item of your choice. Spend £90 and you receive a Level2 item of your choice or 2 Level 1 items. Enjoy shopping from the comfort of your own sofa by visiting my Online Store.

Join – purchase your kit now and you get

•  £170 worth of products of your choice for £99 or choose £170 worth and add the Craft & Carry Tote (worth £47) for an extra £26.
• No P&P to pay on your starter kit.
• No pressure to sell – it’s fine to be your own best customer. Many of my team are. However, if you are looking to start your own business that’s great and I’m here to help you.
• At least 20% discount on your future orders (yours or customers) until at least 31 July 2019.
• Place your first order before 31 March (you will need to join before 24 March) and receive your own Sale-A-Bration products for each £45 spent (excl. P&P).
• ME! Be a part of the Crafting Acorns and join in the fun.

You can join the Crafting Acorns by clicking HERE or read more about joining here.

Host – there’s no need to host an in person event. If you have a group of crafting friends I am more than happy to come along and craft with you. However, if this is not your thing, you can give them a host code to use when they shop Online in my store. All the orders are added together for the purpose of calculating Stampin’ Rewards so once the total reaches £150 or start to earn rewards.  Contact me for more information.

So, with less than 2 weeks left how are you going to make the most of the options available?

Fiona xx

Ways to shop and save in March

2019 Sale-A-Bration  – less than 2 weeks left to earn free things. Join, Shop or Host the choice is yours.

Join my Team – Choose your own starter kit. During Sale-A-Bration you get to choose £170 worth of product for £99 (includes P&P) or add the Craft & Carry tote (worth £47) and pay £125. You then receive a 20% discount on future orders/purchases (for at least 3 months). This is a great way to start your own Stampin’ Up! business or simply make your crafting funds go further.  If you would like more information please contact me at fiona@oakfieldcrafts.com.

Save 10% on Bundles from the catalogues. There is something for everyone simply because there are an amazing number to choose from.

Clearance Rack

Place an order on or before 31 March, and if your total comes to £45 (before P&P) or more, you can choose one of these for FREE.

If your total comes to £90 or more (before P&P) you can choose one of these for FREE or two of the above.

All Sale-A-Bration items are available on a while stocks last basis so don’t miss out.

Simple Stamping Saturdays No.9 - Animal Outing

Hope you are all keeping warm and cosy on this dull and very windy Saturday. My Simple Stamping Saturdays No.9 card features the Animal Outing stamping set. The last couple of cards have been wedding related so this one and the one planned for next week will be baby related. In fact, I went to town with this stamp set and made three cards.

I had a lot of fun with this first card. The giraffe image was stamped twice to look like they were two different heights. Can you see the frog sitting on the branch on the right hand side? He can be easily missed. The card isn’t gender specific unlike the next two.

 

For the second card I used the rhino and bird image and added a piece of Pool Party ribbon. You can of course any other colour.

The Kangaroo on this card looks so serene but I wonder if she knows she has a Koala Joey in her pouch and no a Kangaroo Joey.

You’ll find the supply list for these Simple Stamping Saturdays No.9 cards below. I’ve included details of all the relevant Clear Blocks you will need. Of course, the blocks can be used time and time again so they are a great investment.

You can place your order with me by clicking on any of the items and that will take you direct to that item in my Online Store or contact me via email .

Happy stamping.

Fiona xx

Ways to shop and save in March

2019 Sale-A-Bration  – lots of ways to earn free things. Join, Shop or Host the choice is yours.

Join my Team – Choose your own starter kit. During Sale-A-Bration you get to choose £170 worth of product for £99 (includes P&P) or add the Craft & Carry tote (worth £47) and pay £125. You then receive a 20% discount on future orders/purchases (for at least 3 months). This is a great way to start your own Stampin’ Up! business or simply make your crafting funds go further.  If you would like more information please contact me at fiona@oakfieldcrafts.com.

Save 10% on Bundles from the catalogues. There is something for everyone simply because there are an amazing number to choose from.

Clearance Rack

Supply Lists for my Simple Stamping Saturdays No.9 cards

Details of the products used for my card are as follows.  Please note that all products are from Stampin’ Up!

Live in the UK? Then you can purchase items via my online shop. Simply click on the pictures below.

If you prefer to order direct from me (rather than Online), simply drop me an email and I’ll be in touch.

Place an order on or before 31 March, and if your total comes to £45 (before P&P) or more, you can choose one of these for FREE.

If your total comes to £90 or more (before P&P) you can choose one of these for FREE or two of the above.

All Sale-A-Bration items are available on a while stocks last basis so don’t miss out.

Happy Mother's Day - Painted Seasons

Here in the UK we will be celebrating Mother’s Day at the end of the month. It therefore seemed like a good idea that one of the card options for last week’s Card & A Cuppa was a Happy Mother’s Day card.

The kits that I made up for the Happy Mother’s Day card included the following:

• Grapefruit Grove card base – 10.5 x 29.7 cm which was scored and folded in half at 14.9 cm
• Whisper White panel – 10.0 x 14.4 cm
• Painted Seasons panel – 9.5 x 13.9 cm
• Strip of Poppy Parade cardstock – 4.0 x 13.9 cm
• Painted Seasons strip – 3.5 x13.9 cm
• Whisper White stitched rectangle
• Whisper White cardstock – 2 lots of 10.0 x 14.cm. One for inside the card and the other for stamping the flower and leaves.

I also took with me –

• Poppy Parade Classic Ink Pad
• Call Me Clover Classic Ink Pad
• Clear Rhinestones
• Glue and Dimensionals

Everyone stamped one Poppy Parade flower, three small Call Me Clover branches and two larger Call me Clover branches.

The Big Shot went to the Card & A Cuppa with me too, and those who wanted to die cut the flower and leaves themselves could. I cut the images for those who didn’t want to. A quick job when you have the right tools such as the Four Seasons Framelits Dies.

The Painted Seasons stamp set does not have any sentiments so the Thoughtful Banners stamp set also went with me. This is a great stamp set because you can make up your own sentiments using the stamps. I left people to choose what they wanted  – Happy Birthday, Thank You etc.

Happy stamping.

Fiona xx

Ways to shop and save in March

2019 Sale-A-Bration  – lots of ways to earn free things. Join, Shop or Host the choice is yours.

Join my Team – Choose your own starter kit. During Sale-A-Bration you get to choose £170 worth of product for £99 (includes P&P) or add the Craft & Carry tote (worth £47) and pay £125. You then receive a 20% discount on future orders/purchases (for at least 3 months). This is a great way to start your own Stampin’ Up! business or simply make your crafting funds go further.  If you would like more information please contact me at fiona@oakfieldcrafts.com.

Save 10% on Bundles from the catalogues. There is something for everyone simply because there are an amazing number to choose from.

Clearance Rack

Supply List for my Happy Mother’s Day card

Details of the products used for my card are as follows.  Please note that all products are from Stampin’ Up!

Live in the UK? Then you can purchase items via my online shop. Simply click on the pictures below.

If you prefer to order direct from me (rather than Online), simply drop me an email and I’ll be in touch.

Place an order on or before 31 March, and if your total comes to £45 (before P&P) or more, you can choose one of these for FREE.

If your total comes to £90 or more (before P&P) you can choose one of these for FREE or two of the above.

All Sale-A-Bration items are available on a while stocks last basis so don’t miss out.

Sale-A-Bration Coordination Update

We are not even half way through March and sadly, some Sale-A-Bration Coordination products have now sold out here in the UK. Hence this Sale-A-Bration Coordination Update.

I had planned various posts and have been busy making projects to share with you. I’m still going to share the Call Me Cupcake projects today as I know that some of you were able to get a hold of them before they sold out.

Here’s the updated graphic showing what is and what isn’t available at the time of writing this post.

I have an order going in tonight. So, if you are able to collect from me and want to add your order to mine please let me know before 8.00 pm.

In the meantime, here are a few of the cards that I have made with the Call Me Cupcake Framelits Dies.

For the card above I used the square spike that would normally go into the cupcake and used them as seed/flower labels.

For this second card, the cloche framelit die was used to cut the aperture for the shaker card. The cupcake is inside the shaker part along with lots of sprinkles – sequins from the Iridescent Sequin Assortment.

For this third card I simply used the candle topper once. The candles started off as Whisper White cardstock and Stampin’ Blends were used to colour them.

On the other hand, I went slightly over the top with the last card below!

The set of three candles were die cut out ten times, coloured using Stampin’ Blends and then stuck to the back of the Whisper White Stitched Circle. Most definitely a labour of love.

I hope that you have enjoyed seeing these fun cards. And, maybe they will inspire you to look at some of your dies in a different light.

Happy Stamping

Fiona xx

Ways to shop and save in March

2019 Sale-A-Bration  – this is the last month of the 2019 event. There are lots of ways to earn free things with even more Level 1 items introduced on 1 March. Join, Shop or Host the choice is yours.

Join my Team – Choose your own starter kit. During Sale-A-Bration you get to choose £170 worth of product for £99 (includes P&P) or add the Craft & Carry tote (worth £47) and pay £125. You then receive a 20% discount on future orders/purchases (for at least 3 months). This is a great way to start your own Stampin’ Up! business or simply make your crafting funds go further.  If you would like more information please contact me at fiona@oakfieldcrafts.com.

Save 10% on Bundles from the catalogues. There is something for everyone simply because there are an amazing number to choose from.

Clearance Rack

Supply List for my Sale-A-Bration Coordination Update cards (excluding the Call Me Cupcake Framelits Dies)

Details of most of the products used for my cards are as follows.  Please note that all products are from Stampin’ Up!

Live in the UK? Then you can purchase items via my online shop. Simply click on the pictures below.

If you prefer to order direct from me rather than online, simply drop me an email and I’ll be in touch.

2019 Sale-A-Bration

Place an order on or before 31 March, and if your total comes to £45 (before P&P) or more, you can choose one of these for FREE.

If your total comes to £90 or more (before P&P) you can choose one of these for FREE or two of the above.

All Sale-A-Bration items are available on a while stocks last basis so don’t miss out.

Piece of Cake - Stepped Up from Simple Stamping

Following on from Saturday’s post, today I’m sharing my Piece of Cake stepped up cards. I’m sticking to the wedding theme for these too.

The first card is a stamped on the one layer and then coloured using Stampin’ Blends.

To make this card –

• Thick Whisper White base card – A5 (21.0 x 14.9 cm) score and folded in half at 10.5 cm
• Petal Pink panel – 10.0 x 14.4 cm
• Smoky Slate panel – 9.5 x 13.9 cm
• Whisper White panel for stamping – 9.0 x 13.4 cm
  • Stamp images and sentiment in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink – starting with the cake stand
  • Colour in images using Stampin’ Blends
  • Apply Clear Wink of Stella to flowers and heart.

The second card is for a more experienced card maker. There’s both die cutting and fussy cutting involved. The cake etc was fussy cut. There is a punch that cuts out both the cake and the cake stand but the bundle has been so popular that the punch is currently out of stock.

 

Hope you like these Piece of Cake stepped up cards. versions. If you want to purchase any of the supplies I used, simply click on the appropriate images below to visit my Online Shop.

Happy Stamping

Fiona xx

Ways to shop and save in March

2019 Sale-A-Bration  – this is the last month of the 2019 event. There are lots of ways to earn free things with even more Level 1 items introduced on 1 March. Join, Shop or Host the choice is yours.

Join my Team – Choose your own starter kit. During Sale-A-Bration you get to choose £170 worth of product for £99 (includes P&P) or add the Craft & Carry tote (worth £47) and pay £125. You then receive a 20% discount on future orders/purchases (for at least 3 months). This is a great way to start your own Stampin’ Up! business or simply make your crafting funds go further.  If you would like more information please contact me at fiona@oakfieldcrafts.com.

Save 10% on Bundles from the catalogues. There is something for everyone simply because there are an amazing number to choose from.

Clearance Rack

Supply List for my Piece of Cake stepped up cards

Details of the products used for my card are as follows.  Please note that all products are from Stampin’ Up!

Live in the UK? Then you can purchase items via my online shop. Simply click on the pictures below.

If you prefer to order direct from me rather than online, simply drop me an email and I’ll be in touch.

Be sure to place your order before 31 March so that you don’t miss out on your free Sale-A-Bration item(s). See below for details of those

2019 Sale-A-Bration

Place an order and if your total comes to £45 (before P&P) or more, you can choose one of these for FREE.

If your total comes to £90 or more (before P&P) you can choose one of these for FREE or two of the above.

 

All Adorned - CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge #311

Hello and welcome to the first Case Colours & Sketches challenge for March. I’m hosting the challenges this month and the first one is a colour one. I’ve decided to use the All Adorned stamp set for the challenge. This is one of the Sale-A-Bration stamp sets introduced in mid February. You can get it for free with a £45 order.

I really love the colour combination that I came up with. But, the problem is that the Blackberry Bliss is quite a domineering colour. So, it’s a case of less is more when using it. With this in mind, here’s the card that I came up with.

Highland Heather ink was used in all three medallions. However, the middle medallion uses a different second image and colour from the other two medallions.

 

I hope that my All Adorned card inspires you to give the challenge a go. You will find the link to add your card over on the  CC&S blog and you have until 10.00 pm (UK time) on 11 March to add your card. There’s only a 4 hr time difference for the next few weeks between the UK and the East Coast of the USA.

In the meantime don’t forget to pop over to the challenge blog to see what other members of the design team have to share.

Happy stamping.

Fiona xx

Ways to shop and save in March

2019 Sale-A-Bration  – lots of ways to earn free things. Join, Shop or Host the choice is yours.

Join my Team – Choose your own starter kit. During Sale-A-Bration you get to choose £170 worth of product for £99 (includes P&P) or add the Craft & Carry tote (worth £47) and pay £125. You then receive a 20% discount on future orders/purchases (for at least 3 months). This is a great way to start your own Stampin’ Up! business or simply make your crafting funds go further.  If you would like more information please contact me at fiona@oakfieldcrafts.com.

Save 10% on Bundles from the catalogues. There is something for everyone simply because there are an amazing number to choose from.

Clearance Rack

Supply List for my All Adorned card

Details of the products used for my card are as follows.  Please note that all products are from Stampin’ Up!

Live in the UK? Then you can purchase items via my online shop. Simply click on the pictures below. Purchase all the items shown and you can get the stamp set for free.

If you prefer to order direct from me (rather than Online), simply drop me an email and I’ll be in touch.

Sale-A-Bration Coordination - The Latest News & Offers

There are some exciting things to share this week in the latest news & offers. Sale-A-Bration coordination starts on 1 March and runs for the whole of the month. The six items that will be available come 1 March, are designed to coordinate with some of the current Sale-A-Bration items. Here’s a quick look at all six.

Hate fussy cutting or just don’t have the time for it? Then the four sets of dies are the answer for you.

Check out these cute So Hoppy Together cards. A couple of the cards were die cute using the Hop Around Framelits Dies.

The other Sale-A-Bration Coordination items available are the Story Label Punch which is designed to coordinate with the Party of My Story stamp set. And the More Than Words stamp set which is designed to coordinate with many of the Sale-A-Bration stamp sets but many of the sentiments can be used on their own too.

Shop for these new items in my Online Store from Friday, 1 March.

Happy stamping.

Fiona xx

Ways to shop and save in February

2019 Sale-A-Bration  – lots of ways to earn free things. Join, Shop or Host the choice is yours.

Join my Team – Choose your own starter kit. During Sale-A-Bration you get to choose £170 worth of product for £99 (includes P&P) or add the Craft & Carry tote (worth £47) and pay £125. You then receive a 20% discount on future orders/purchases (for at least 3 months). This is a great way to start your own Stampin’ Up! business or simply make your crafting funds go further.  If you would like more information please contact me at fiona@oakfieldcrafts.com.

Save 10% on Bundles from the catalogues. There is something for everyone simply because there are an amazing number to choose from.

Clearance Rack

Supply List for the Sale-A-Bration Coordination Hoppy for You card (one on right)

Details of the products used for the Hoppy for You card are as follows.  Please note that all products are from Stampin’ Up!

Live in the UK? Then you can purchase items via my online shop. Simply click on the pictures below.

If you prefer to order direct from me, that’s ok.  Simply drop me an email and I’ll be in touch.

But there’s more.

2019 Sale-A-Bration

Sale-A-Bration is now on, which means that when you place an order and your total comes to £45 (before P&P) or more, you can choose one of these for FREE.

Free with a £45 spend

Free with a £90 spend

 

Painted Seasons - CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge # 310

Welcome to the last challenge for February. Seeing as it’s the fourth challenge for the month Samantha has a sketch for us. I’ve chosen to use one of the new release Sale-A-Bration sets called Painted Seasons.

 

My thinking cap was put on for this challenge. And, in the end, I made myself a mask (large post-it note) to create the semi-circles on the bottom and top of the card.

I cut a large semi circle into a post-it note. Then, with the help of some grid paper I was able to ensure that the sides were even where the circle left the edge of the card. From there, I simply stamped the flowers and then the stems/branches.

This is what the finished card looks like.

The images are stamped in Calypso Coral and Pear Pizzazz ink. I also used Calypso Coral ink for the sentiment (from the A Big Thank You stamp set), which was punched out using the Story Label Punch (available from 1 March).

I hope that my Painted Seasons card inspires you to give the challenge a go. You will find the link to add your card over on the  CC&S blog and you have until 11.00 pm (UK time) on 4 March to add your card.

In the meantime don’t forget to pop over to the challenge blog to see what other members of the design team have to share.

Happy stamping.

Fiona xx

Ways to shop and save in February

2019 Sale-A-Bration  – lots of ways to earn free things. Join, Shop or Host the choice is yours.

Join my Team – Choose your own starter kit. During Sale-A-Bration you get to choose £170 worth of product for £99 (includes P&P) or add the Craft & Carry tote (worth £47) and pay £125. You then receive a 20% discount on future orders/purchases (for at least 3 months). This is a great way to start your own Stampin’ Up! business or simply make your crafting funds go further.  If you would like more information please contact me at fiona@oakfieldcrafts.com.

Save 10% on Bundles from the catalogues. There is something for everyone simply because there are an amazing number to choose from.

Clearance Rack

Supply List for my Painted Seasons card

Details of the products used for my card are as follows.  Please note that all products are from Stampin’ Up!

Live in the UK? Then you can purchase items via my online shop. Simply click on the pictures below.

If you prefer to order direct from me, that’s ok.  Simply drop me an email and I’ll be in touch.

But there’s more.

2019 Sale-A-Bration

Sale-A-Bration is now on, which means that when you place an order and your total comes to £45 (before P&P) or more, you can choose one of these for FREE.

Free with a £45 spend

Free with a £90 spend

 

Let's Talk - Tools for a basic craft kit

Hello and welcome to Let’s Talk – Tools. This is the fifth in my Let’s Talk Series and I’m concentrating today on the basic must haves in a craft kit.

What springs into your mind when you say tools? And no I’m not talking spanners, screwdrivers and things. Not even the cute Classic Garage Metal Elements in the Spring/Summer Catalogue.

So, I actually googled the definition of tools and found this

” A tool is a piece of equipment that you hold in your hands to use to do a particular piece of work”.

The term tools actually means different things to different people. So, to me as a crafter it means trimmers, scissors, punches, punch boards, bone folders etc.

My 5 must have basic tools are

Paper Trimmer

Over the years I have used various trimmers with varying success. After a lot of trials and errors, my Stampin’ Up! one has become my trimmer of choice. The reasons being

• It’s light weight and has a lock on the guard. The lock keeps the guard closed when I’m storing it and furthermore, stops the thin cutting mat from falling out.
• It has both a cutting and scoring blade and there is no need to remove one when when using the other.
• As a result of having both an extendable arm and a large cutting base, you can cut full 30.5 x 50.5 cm (12″ x 12″) paper.
• There are both metric and imperial measurements on the cutting base.
• Storage compartment underneath for storing your bone folder and additional cutting blades.
• Blades are easy to replace and replacements come in packs of two. No one likes fluffy edges on their paper and how often you have to change blades is very dependent on the types of paper you tend to use. Cutting lots of paper such as glimmer paper will require you to replace blades more frequently.

Paper Snips

These are a must have for any paper crafter. They are great for getting into the small spaces on images when “fussy” cutting, trimming fluffy edges and cutting off excess paper. Admittedly I also use mine for ribbon and when I can’t find my Take Your Pick Tool, the sharp tip is great for getting under those small embellishments such as rhinestones.

Bone Folder

Used for scoring and making crisp folds in paper and cardstock. Furthermore, it can also be used for distressing and curling paper.

Clear Acrylic Blocks

These are a must have for mounting and using your photopolymer, clear mount and click mount stamps. These are another item that I have accumulated many of over the years. Blocks are a very personal thing – some people prefer thin ones and others thicker. Having tried all sorts, my blocks of choice are the Stampin’ Up! ones. The reasons being –

• They have a thicker ergonomic design with a groove around the sides. Because of the groove, gripping each block is much easier.
• There are different sizes available. People think one size fits all when it comes to blocks but when stamping this really is not the case. The block needs be large enough to fit the stamp but not so large that it swamps the stamp. This is because lots of open space around the stamp can lead to ink transfer onto the block and then onto your card stock.

Take Your Pick Tool

This four in one tool is a must have for crafters. It’s designed to make working with small embellishments so much easier. The “putty” end is perfect for picking up sequins and placing them perfectly on your projects. The flat, spatula is designed to easily slip under adhesive backed elements such as rhinestones, pearls and enamel dots. There is also a paper piercing tool AND two sizes of stylus tips

I hope you have found this Let’s Talk – Tools post useful.

The previous topics are (click on each topic to jump to the post) –

1. Let’s Talk – Stamps
2. Let’s Talk – Ink
3. Let’s Talk – Paper
4. Let’s Talk – Adhesives

Furthermore, there is an accompanying printable sheet for each post. You will find these in the Tutorial Section. See the link in right-hand side bar.

Happy stamping.

Fiona xx

Ways to shop and save in February

2019 Sale-A-Bration  – There are lots of ways to earn free things. Join, Shop or Host the choice is yours. See below for all the latest items available for free with a qualifying spend.

Join my Team – Choose your own starter kit. During Sale-A-Bration you get to choose £170 worth of product for £99 (includes P&P) or add the Craft & Carry Tote (worth £47) and pay £125. What’s more, future orders (min of 3 months) will receive a 20% discount. This is a great way to start your own Stampin’ Up! business or simply make your crafting funds go further.  If you would like more information please contact me at fiona@oakfieldcrafts.com.

Save 10% on Bundles from the catalogues. There is something for everyone simply because there are an amazing number to choose from.

Clearance Rack

Sale-A-Bration 2019 Items

Free with a £45 spend

Free with a £90 spend

Simple Stamping Saturdays No.6 - Beautiful Bouquet

OK, I know it Sunday and I’m a day late. But hopefully this cute Simple Stamping Saturdays No.6 card will make up for it.

The card was made using the Beautiful Bouquet stamp set. This set is great for a someone looking to start their stamping journey and also for those who are looking for something they can take to the next level. The stamp set contains  images that can be simply layered and also great sentiments. I love the mixture of fonts.

For those of you who prefer a card in the portrait style here’s one for you.

To create the card I used –

• Thick Whisper White card base.
• Strip of Twinkle Twinkle Designer Series Paper. Cut the four colour stripes to the length of the card front.
• Petal Pink and Night of Navy Classic Ink Pads.
  • For the landscape card
    • stamp sentiment first and
    • then glue the paper to the card front
    • stamp the Petal Pink larger flower and then the Night of Navy smaller flower for the centre.
  • For the portrait card
    • Glue the paper to the card front first
    • stamp the Petal Pink and Night of Navy flowers,
    • lastly stamp the sentiment.

Hope you like this week’s Simple Stamping Saturdays No.6 cards and don’t forget to check back later in the week for the stepped up versions. In the meantime, if you want to purchase any of the supplies I used, simply click on the appropriate image below to visit my Online Shop.

Happy Stamping

Fiona xx

Ways to shop and save in February

2019 Sale-A-Bration  – lots of ways to earn free things. Join, Shop or Host the choice is yours. New Sale-A-Bration items have been added.

Join my Team – Choose your own starter kit. During Sale-A-Bration you get to choose £170 worth of product for £99 (includes P&P) or add the Craft & Carry tote (worth £47) and pay £125. You then receive a 20% discount on future orders/purchases (for at least 3 months). This is a great way to start your own Stampin’ Up! business or simply make your crafting funds go further.  If you would like more information please contact me at fiona@oakfieldcrafts.com.

Save 10% on Bundles from the catalogues. There is something for everyone simply because there are an amazing number to choose from.

Clearance Rack

Supply List for my Simple Stamping Saturdays No.6 cards

Details of the products used for my card are as follows.  Please note that all products are from Stampin’ Up!

Live in the UK? Then you can purchase items via my online shop. Simply click on the pictures below.

If you prefer to order direct from me, that’s ok.  Simply drop me an email and I’ll be in touch.

But there’s more.

2019 Sale-A-Bration

Sale-A-Bration is now on, which means that when you place an order and your total comes to £45 (before P&P) or more, you can choose one of these for FREE.

Free with a £45 spend

Free with a £90 spend

 

Meant To Be Valentine card- CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge #308

It’s only two days until Valentines Day and this week Samantha has a Valentine themed sketch for us. My Meant To Be Valentine card is a mix up of a few things. Not something I normally do. I’ve used both the Meant to Be Bundle (Meant to Be stamp set and the Be Mine Framelits) and also the Well Written Framelits Dies.

The Meant to Be Bundle is great because it’s not just for Valentines but can be used to weddings, anniversaries, new baby and lots of other things. Combine it with the Well Written Framelits Dies and the list becomes endless.

I actually used two of the colours from last week’s challenge, simply because they were still on my table. They are great colours for a Valentines card though.

I started off by simply stamping the two smaller Lovely Lipstick hearts onto the card front. But, then I decided that the card looked a little flat. This was resolved by  re-stamping the hearts onto some scrap Whisper White, die cutting them out and then adding them to the card front using some Stampin’ Dimensionals. You can still make out the original stamped images underneath.

The inside of the card was finished off with one small stamped heart.

 

I hope that my Meant To Be Valentine card inspires you to give the challenge a go. You will find the link to add your card over on the  CC&S blog and you have until 11.00 pm (UK time) on 18 Feb to add your card.

In the meantime don’t forget to pop over to the challenge blog to see what other members of the design team have to share.

Happy stamping.

Fiona xx

Ways to shop and save in February

2019 Sale-A-Bration  – lots of ways to earn free things. Join, Shop or Host the choice is yours. Additional items coming on 15 Feb.

Join my Team – Choose your own starter kit. During Sale-A-Bration you get to choose £170 worth of product for £99 (includes P&P) or add the Craft & Carry tote (worth £47) and pay £125. You then receive a 20% discount on future orders/purchases (for at least 3 months). This is a great way to start your own Stampin’ Up! business or simply make your crafting funds go further.  If you would like more information please contact me at fiona@oakfieldcrafts.com.

Save 10% on Bundles from the catalogues. There is something for everyone simply because there are an amazing number to choose from.

Clearance Rack

Supply List for my Meant To Be Valentine card

Details of the products used for my card are as follows.  Please note that all products are from Stampin’ Up!

Live in the UK? Then you can purchase items via my online shop. Simply click on the pictures below.

If you prefer to order direct from me, that’s ok.  Simply drop me an email and I’ll be in touch.

But there’s more.

2019 Sale-A-Bration

Because Sale-A-Bration is now on, place an order and provided your total comes to £45 (before P&P) or more, you can choose one of these for FREE.

Two of the Sale-A-Bration items have been very popular. As a result, the Organza Ribbon is no longer available and the Botanical Butterfly Designer Series Paper can still be ordered, but it is on backorder.

Place an order for £90 (before P&P) or more and you can choose 1 of the following or any 2 from above.

 

All the Latest News and Offers

Just stopping by with all the Latest News from Stampin’ Up!

New Sale-A-Bration Items

We are now into the second month of Sale-A-Bration and there are some new items heading our way on the 15th of this month.

Here’s a little peek at them.

These three new items are currently available to demonstrators as part of a pre-order. This also means that if you join the Crafting Acorns on or before 14 February you can include them as part of your starter kit. After this date they will be available with a £45 or £90 purchase. Please note that Starter Kits do not qualify for free Sale-A-Bration items.

The All Adorned stamp set and the Painted Seasons Bundle have been ordered! I can’t wait to make a few projects to share with you. In the meantime, check out this project from Stampin’ Up! using the All Adorned stamp set.

Here’s a quick reminder of all the Sale-A-Bration items available with a £45 or £90 spend.

Join the Crafting Acorns while the Sale-A-Bration offer is still on

If you are looking to start your own business or simply just have a large wish list then it is really worth considering getting the starter kit and join the Crafting Acorns. If you join in February or March you will have until 31 July (30 June plus a month) to meet your first minimum.

You have two options:

Option 1 – Choose £170 worth of Stampin’ Up! product and pay £99.
Option 2 – Choose £170 worth of product and receive the Craft & Carry Tote (worth £47) for £125.

The Starter Kit ships to you for free (saving you a further £4.95) and includes a free Business Starter Kit (catalogues etc).

I’d love for you to join our team of Crafting Acorns. So, if you would you like more information please get in touch or check out details here.

Fiona xx

Ways to shop and save in February

2019 Sale-A-Bration  – lots of ways to earn free things. Join, Shop or Host the choice is yours. New Sale-A-Bration items coming 15 February.

Join my Team – Choose your own starter kit. During Sale-A-Bration you get to choose £170 worth of product for £99 (includes P&P) or add the Craft & Carry tote (worth £47) and pay £125. You then receive a 20% discount on future orders/purchases (for at least 3 months). This is a great way to start your own Stampin’ Up! business or simply make your crafting funds go further.  If you would like more information please contact me at fiona@oakfieldcrafts.com.

Save 10% on Bundles from the catalogues. There is something for everyone simply because there are an amazing number to choose from.

Clearance Rack

 

Florentine Filigree - Stepped Up from Simple Stamping

Today I’m sharing the stepped up versions of Saturday’s simple stamping card. I have an all day Florentine Filigree class later in the month so these cards will be on show as additional samples.

 

Basic info on how to make the first stepped up card

• Use Lovely Lipstick card stock to make the card base.
• Add a layer of Gray Granite.
• Whisper White panel was stamped using both Lovely Lipstick and Gray Granite inks. Stamp the Gray Granite line  first and then the two Lovely Lipstick lines.
• Apply Red Rhinestone to the centres of the Gray Granite images to highlight them.

The second card is stepped up even further.

Basic info on how to make the second stepped up card

• Use Powder Pink card stock to make the card base.
• Whisper White panel was stamped in the same colours as the first (above) with the exception of the sentiment.
• Use a Stamparatus to ensure that everything lines up perfectly. It needs to be accurate so that it works with the frame die cut using the Florentine Thinlits Die.
• Use the same die to cut out a piece of Lovely Lipstick and glue the popped out pieces to the panel.
• Apply pearls instead of red rhinestones.

Hope you like these stepped up Florentine Filigree cards. You can purchase any of the supplies I used, by simply clicking on the appropriate images below to visit my Online Shop.

Happy Stamping

Fiona xx

Ways to shop and save in February

2019 Sale-A-Bration  – lots of ways to earn free things. Join, Shop or Host the choice is yours. New Sale-A-Bration items coming 15 February.

Join my Team – Choose your own starter kit. During Sale-A-Bration you get to choose £170 worth of product for £99 (includes P&P) or add the Craft & Carry tote (worth £47) and pay £125. You then receive a 20% discount on future orders/purchases (for at least 3 months). This is a great way to start your own Stampin’ Up! business or simply make your crafting funds go further.  If you would like more information please contact me at fiona@oakfieldcrafts.com.

Save 10% on Bundles from the catalogues. There is something for everyone simply because there are an amazing number to choose from.

Clearance Rack

Supply List for my Florentine Filigree Stepped Up cards

Details of the products used for my card are as follows.  Please note that all products are from Stampin’ Up!

Live in the UK? Then you can purchase items via my online shop. Simply click on the pictures below.

If you prefer to order direct from me, that’s ok.  Simply drop me an email and I’ll be in touch.

But there’s more.

2019 Sale-A-Bration

Because Sale-A-Bration is now on, place an order and provided your total comes to £45 (before P&P) or more, you can choose one of these for FREE.

Two of the Sale-A-Bration items have been very popular. As a result, the Organza Ribbon is no longer available and the Botanical Butterfly Designer Series Paper can still be ordered, but it is on backorder.

Place an order for £90 (before P&P) or more and you can choose 1 of the following or any 2 from above.

 

Just Because - CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge #307

Wow, it’s February already. This month Samantha is hosting the challenges and this first one is a colour one. Seeing as it’s Valentines next week, I did think about going with that theme but then I spotted an unused stamp set on my shelf and thought I should give it some love. That’s why I’m using the just for hosts stamp set called Just Because.

 

Here’s my card

I wanted the Lovely Lipstick colour to be a bit more dominant on the card but did not want to use it for the base card. Instead, I used the new Rectangle Stitched Framelits to create the frames and placed them under the central image. That way you still see lots of the Whisper White underneath.

I love the sentiment on this card and had the song ” I am what I am” running though my head while I made it. I’ve known the song for ages but had to look up where it originally came from. The answer surprised me because it came from a musical called La Cage aux Folles back in 1985 (showing my age now).

The inside of the card was decorated too with a stamped strip of Gray Granite card stock.

I hope that my Just Because card inspires you to give the challenge a go. You will find the link to add your card over on the   CC&S blog and you have until 11.00 pm (UK time) on 11 Feb to add your card.

In the meantime don’t forget to pop over to the challenge blog to see what other members of the design team have to share.

Happy stamping.

Fiona xx

Ways to shop and save in February

2019 Sale-A-Bration  – lots of ways to earn free things. Join, Shop or Host the choice is yours. Additional items coming on 15 Feb.

Join my Team – Choose your own starter kit. During Sale-A-Bration you get to choose £170 worth of product for £99 (includes P&P) or add the Craft & Carry tote (worth £47) and pay £125. You then receive a 20% discount on future orders/purchases (for at least 3 months). This is a great way to start your own Stampin’ Up! business or simply make your crafting funds go further.  If you would like more information please contact me at fiona@oakfieldcrafts.com.

Save 10% on Bundles from the catalogues. There is something for everyone simply because there are an amazing number to choose from.

Clearance Rack

Supply List for my Just Because card

Details of the products used for my card are as follows.  Please note that all products are from Stampin’ Up!

Live in the UK? Then you can purchase items via my online shop. Simply click on the pictures below.

If you prefer to order direct from me, that’s ok.  Simply drop me an email and I’ll be in touch.

This note that because the stamp set is a host one, it can only be purchased with Stampin’ Rewards.

But there’s more.

2019 Sale-A-Bration

Because Sale-A-Bration is now on, place an order and provided your total comes to £45 (before P&P) or more, you can choose one of these for FREE.

Two of the Sale-A-Bration items have been very popular. As a result, the Organza Ribbon is no longer available and the Botanical Butterfly Designer Series Paper can still be ordered, but it is on backorder.

Place an order for £90 (before P&P) or more and you can choose 1 of the following or any 2 from above.