Happy Birthday Mum

As well as making lots of Christmas cards I have had two Christmas birthday's to make for as well.

My Mum is not particularly good with the computer (in fact she does not own one) so I think I am pretty safe posting a photo of the card I made for her.

Stampin' Up! supplies used were:

Card Stock/Paper : Whisper White and Real Red plus the flock window sheet from the Candlelight Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper pack
Ink : Real Red
Stamp set : Teeny Tiny Sentiments
Accessories : Lacy Brocade embossing folder, Whisper White Organza Ribbon, Delicate Designs embossing folder, Large Scallop Edge die, Apothecary Accents framelits, Big Shot and Modern Label punch
Misc : Dimensionals, Sticky Strip

Luckily I'm not posting this one as there are a number of layers with dimensionals on. I've already been stung by the post office for cards that people have sent with not enough postage on.  I don't mind paying the extra postage but it's the additional £1.00 charge that they add that I have the problem with. At least I've solved the issue of having to also pay £1.50 parking for the privilege of collecting the card. I've found that you can pay the fee online and then the card turns up a day or two later.

I'll post a photo of my daughter's birthday card on Boxing Day - her birthday is Christmas Day and I know that she occasionally looks at this blog so I don't want to spoil the surprise.

Last of the Christmas cards?

Last week I discovered that I had miscalculated the number of Christmas cards that I had made and needed to send. It seems I was some 20+ short!

Here are two of the ones that I finished making this weekend.

They are the same basic idea but as you can see one is landscape and the other portrait.

Stampin' Up! products used:

Card stock : Cherry Cobbler, Gumball Green and Whisper White
DSP : Candlelight Specialty Designer Series Paper
Ink : Gumball Green
Stamp set : Greetings of the Season
Accessories : Northern Flurry and Perfect Polka Dots Embossing folders, Big Shot, Ornament Punch
Misc : Real Red 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, Dimensionals

Close up views of the cards.

You never know, there might be one of these winging it's way to you (well snail mail).

November's Stampin' Up! Offers

Please note that this post will stay at the top of my blog until the end of November. Please scroll down for the latest post.

Last month Stampin' Up! opened it's doors in the Netherlands and Austria and this month Stampin' Up! are celebrating it's 5th Anniversary of being in Europe. Exciting times are ahead because as an Independent Demonstrator I am now able to recruit demonstrators from not just the UK but also France, Germany, the Netherlands and Austria. Not only can I recruit but people living in those countries can also purchase Stampin' Up! products through me and have them delivered direct to them.

You will notice from the side bar that there are currently two offers this month - the continuation of the FREE Paper for 6 months if you join as a demonstrator and also the new FREE Festive Paper Piercing Pack if you purchase the Ornaments Keepsake Stamp Set and Candlelight Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper bundle.  Both of these offers run until the end of this month. Click on the links in the side bar for more information. But, there is more.

There is a third offer if you are interested in holding a Party between now and 16 December 2012. If you hold a qualifying party - minimum sales of £325/€475 you can choose a FREE collection of Stampin' Ink Pads - a £44.50/€59,95 value. You can choose either the Brights, Subtles or Regals Collection. Please note that this offer is in addition to the normal hostess benefits available. Check out the following link.

Chocolate treat - 2nd Sneak Peek

I have to admit that one of my addictions (apart from all things Stampin' Up!) is chocolate. And, not just any chocolate but the good old Cadbury's sort.

When I went to Leadership training the other month I saw some great ideas for the Christmas Table and also for small gifts. The gift ideas gave me an idea for the a great small gift for a friend or a stocking filler. Of course it involves chocolate too.

Apologies for the shadow on the left. The Crumb Cake card stock looks crumpled which it is not as you can see from the photo below.

I think that this would make a cute Teacher's Christmas gift or a Christmas Stocking Filler. I will be sharing this project at my Regular November Card Classes. Check out the Events & Classes page for more information.

Candlelight Christmas Box - one sheet wow

This cute little box has been made out of one 12" x 12" sheet of the Candlelight Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper. All I can say is wow. It's lovely to be able to make a whole project out of just one sheet (there is a tiny little bit left over but that is easily remedied) of paper.

My thanks go to Rebekah Harwood for sharing this project on a Stampin' Up! website.

As I mentioned above, the little box along with the matching sleeve and ribbon/bow and tag are all from one 12 x 12 piece of designer series paper. I have used a sheet from the new Candlelight Christmas pack but you can use any double sided sheet of 12" x 12" paper to make this project. It all depends on the occasion you want the box for.

Here is the open box. There is even some nesting ribbon inside for that small gift to be placed in.

We will be making this box at my regular October class (26th and 27th) so please contact me if you are interested in coming along.

Leadership Training

Once a year Stampin' Up! hold a Leadership Training day.  So I yesterday I headed to Reading to have some fun and swap ideas and projects with demonstrators from around the country.

One of the highlights of the day is the swapping of cards and projects. There were 83 other Stampin' Up! demonstrators who went but there was no way that I was going to make that many.

In the end I spent the best part of a week making 30 swaps - 10 each of three projects.  I made these using products in the new Autumn/Winter Catalogue and I thought you might just like to see them.

Here is my basket of swaps all packaged up and ready for the off. I did think about decorating my basket too but simply ran out of time.

This first project is my take on an ornament that I saw on the demo side of the Stampin' Up! web-site - it was on Shelli Gardner's blog (for those of you know don't know she is, she is a co-founder and the CEO of Stampin' Up!). I have altered it to fit my stash of products. You can hang this from the Christmas tree, or use it as a door hanger or even a gift tag for a bottle of wine or any other present.

If you are trying to figure out what products I used, here is a list of them (to make it easier I have highlighted the new ones):

  Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla card stock.
  Early Espresso Core'dinations card stock
  Fresh Vintage Embossing Folder
  Candlelight Christmas Designer Series Paper
  Crumb Cake Scalloped Tulle Ribbon
  Stampin' Sanding System
  Delightful Dozen Stamp Set plus one from new Annual Catalogue (ssh, enough said)
  Crumb Cake and Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Pad
  Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon
  Window Frames Framelit Dies
  Festive Paper-Piercing Pack
  Linen Thread and Pearl (you can just about see it)

The second project was a Christmas Card with a slight difference. The third tree was attached to the inside of the card so that when you opened it a tree shaped hole was left behind.

Now you see it.

Now you don't

The products used are:

Scentsational Season plus same secret set used in previous project 

Crumb Cake,  Cherry Cobbler and Very Vanilla card stock

Lucky Limeade and Cherry Cobbler Stampin’ Ink Pad

Festival of Prints Designer Series Paper Stack

Holiday Collection Framelits Dies

Oval Punch

Scallop Oval Punch

  Rhinestones
  Dimensionals 

The third project was one I made with a Halloween theme and it's a slightly different version of the one that I posted on my blog a week ago. I decided to make two version as I think both the Mummy and the Frankenstein Monster are really cute. And, yes the boxes are filled with sweets.

The products used are:

Googly Ghouls stamp set
Googlies
Basic Grey and Very Vanilla card stock
Basic Black and Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Ink Pad
Lucky Limeade Stampin' Write Marker
Howlstooth and Scaringbone Designer Series Paper
Candy Wrapper Die and Big Shot
Labels Framelits Die
Festive Paper Piercing Pack
Striped Satin Ribbon
Oval Punch

I hope you have enjoyed checking out my swaps. I will be taking photos of the swaps I received and will be posting them on here over the next few days or so.

In the meantime, if there is anything you fancy from the Autumn/Winter Catalogue or the Retirement List drop me a line.