Evening all,

How's the weather by you ? On Monday here it was very windy with torrential rain  all day so what did I do ? Cosy inside crafting ? No - we had new windows  fitted at the back of our house so I was huddled round the fire with a gale blowing through and 3 dripping men trekking in and out !!!
Still,bless them, they battled the elements and all is finished.


Todays cards are male orientated for a change.

The balloon card is CASED from one I made at the shoebox swap but I'm sorry I can't remember who's design it was but please let me know so I can give credit. The other card is made using The Open Sea stamp set.
I have also challenged myself to make something Christmassy with the colour combination, however untraditional so here goes ............

Love that new snowflake set, turquoise Christmas card I'm not sure but I like experimenting. What do you think ?

Thank you for the lovely comments for Isabel. Having started her final year at primary school just  3 weeks ago, tomorrow evening we are going to the High School open evening !  I will be so sad when our primary school days are over, especially as my two girls have been to the same school that my sister and I went to. They grow up much too quickly once they start High School !

Proud Mom moment

Evening all,

One of the main reasons I love making cards is the fact that you can make something really personal and todays card is to celebrate a 'proud Mom moment'.

Last week Isabel was appointed Deputy Head Girl of her primary school and the local MP visited the school for a special assembly to present the badges.
She did really well as she had had to send in a letter of application and also attend an interview- a daunting task when you're only 10 !

Anyway I set to work so it would be ready for when she got home......

Letter It is a fantastic set for personalisation. Colours are to match school colours.

As it was a special occasion I even used some new ribbon, coming soon to a catalogue near you lol !
Did you also spot the new Gumball Green designer paper ? There are also some retired products but it just shows you need to get your favourites quick before they are gone forever - you never know when you will need them !

I'm so proud of my 'baby' and although the shops cater for most occasions these days you can't buy a card like this - and she loved it even more 'cos Mom made it !

Christmas class

Evening all,

I did plan to update my blog last night but best laid plans and all that ...
Sophie injured her foot playing netball after school and we ended up spending the evening at A & E. Several hours, and 2 lots of x rays later it was decided there were no broken bones and we got home about 10pm. Think her recovery will be swift as she has a school trip to London this week to see Shrek the musical and she really wants to go!  It was definitely a 'people -watching' experience in the casualty dept- the staff working there have my utmost respect.

Back to the cards, I warned you last time that Christmas is not too far away and so have some cards we made at my Wednesday class last week.

Combining the old with the new, sentiment is from the retiring Contempo Christmas set but the paper is from the new Autumn/Winter catalogue. Flourish is from Everything Eleanor and the cute little hearts are from the Owl punch.

Cute little robin this time.

This one definitely seemed to be everyones favourite ! I found it easier to build the wreath by putting a small amount of glue around the edge of a punched scallop circle and then attaching the leaves.this helped to keep the shape and stopped the glue getting onto the door. Love how the embossing folder and a few swipes with an inkpad makes a nice wooden door.

Hope you like ? A couple of the ladies said this week it had inspired them to make a start on their Christmas cards, need to make a start on mine but it won't be tonight - I need to go and refresh the bag of frozen peas lol !

Bye Bye Beau Chateau

Evening all,

Can't believe how autumnal it has been today- was it really only Sunday that we were having a barbecue in the sunshine !
I apologise in advance for the quality of the photos today but it is getting to the time of year where the light disappears much too quickly.


Todays cards all use the lovely Beau Chateau papers. I love this colour combination and will be very sad to see them retire.

This one has been stamped with The Simply Soft hostess set. I must confess the original design didn't have the diagonal strips but it fell onto an inkpad during my class so I practised my belief that there are no mistakes- just add another layer lol !

Baroque motifs this time, was my favourite set a while ago.  The gorgeous new products mean I have regular new favourites !

Flight Of The Butterfly, one of my earliest Stampin Up purchases and where I learned the art of 2 step stamping although this card was done using the 'kissing' technique.

I also made a little basket using the Two Tags die, just the right size for some Ghiardelli chocolates.

Thank crunchie it's Friday tomorrow, another week has flown by. I went to the local garden centre at the weekend, the sun was blazing and as I stepped through the door I was greeted by 4 snow covered Christmas trees and Boots have got their gift sets in too ! Be warned Christmas is coming !

Cheerful Treat

Evening all,

Hasn't it been a beautiful day again ? It almost feels like summer lol !

Todays items have been made using the very bright and cheery hostess paper Cheerful Treat. If you want any of this paper you need to be really quick as it is only available to hostesses (or with an order of £150) until the end of the month or while stocks last. If you like what you see get in touch as soon as possible and I will arrange a crafty party for you.

This cupcake set is sadly retiring too but is still available at the moment.

The balloon little owl is holding has been 'paper pieced ' using a stamp from this set too.
The gorgeous teabag dispenser is inspired by one that Karen brought for us to make at the recent Shoebox Swap so thank you Karen !
You may just be able to see my teabags peeping out of the bottom. After spending ages studying all the various teabag boxes in Holland and Barrett the assistant came over and asked if he could help me. I explained I needed to know which teabags were packaged in individual sachets and he asked which flavour I would like. I got a very strange look when I replied it didnt matter about the flavour I was only concerned about the colour of the sachet lol !!!

Enjoy your weekend x

Must try harder..

Evening all,

Well one daughter back to school and the other one is back tomorrow and it seems to have been the fastest summer holidays I can remember. My blogging report would definitely read 'must try harder' and I am hoping to get back to a more 'normal' routine across the next few days and talk to you on a more regular basis.

It is a very exciting time in the Stampin Up world, the new Autumn Winter catalogue launched on Saturday and I have added a link to the right so have a look through at some of the lovely goodies inside.
The retired list was also announced and it is definitely a case of going,going, gone and some things have sold out already ! So if you want something get in touch ASAP as you may be disappointed if you leave it too long.
One of the perks of being a demonstrator is that I have also had a peek at the new main catalogue and have also been able to pre order a few items to play with. If you would like to know about the other benefits of joining Stampin Up please email me to arrange a chat.




Today I have a gift bag to show you that I decorated with the gorgeous ( and hopefully still available at a bargain price ) Mocha Morning papers .............

Thiswas to be a retirement gift from an office collection so there was a piece of card for everyone to sign and I stamped some wrapping paper for the jewellery to be wrapped in.

Can you see the texture of this flocked paper -its definitely one to keep for stroking lol !

Last Wednesday I turned into 'domestic goddess' for the day, I had my card class in the morning and then in the afternoon I made a bouquet for a birthday at work and also made some cupcakes. What a fab day !

Anne (and any other sugarcraft experts) please look away now because, expert I'm not, but I did enjoy myself and they were well received.

Inspired by Pool Party and Pretty in Pink colour combination. Back soon x