Moving Forward (and slipping backwards! )

Yippeee the snow has gone !

It was lovely yesterday to get up and see the world had changed back to colour overnight as everywhere had been white for over a week.
I think I must be getting old because I used to get excited about snow but last week it was just a nuisance. I got my car stuck one day and I also fell over on the ice. I don't think I would have got many technical marks on Dancing on Ice but Jason Gardiner may have given me some points for performance as my keys and money were scattered everywhere and Isabel burst into tears !
 I was lucky though because although I banged my head on the floor , there was no serious damage. Isn't there a saying ' Where there's no sense, there's no feeling ' lol. I do however have a very pretty bruise in a lovely shade of Elegant Eggplant/ Midnight Muse but fortunately its in a very ' well cushioned'  position and out of public view  !!

Today's card is using a stamp from Moving Forward but I have also used the Sale-a-bration freebie Bloomin Marvelous flower to create an effective background.........

 Pretty isn't it ? Fresh and Spring like, although that may be wishful thinking for a while longer !

Isabel's baking class had to be cancelled the previous weekend  and this Saturday evening our street was still covered in ice....

That's not water, it's the shine from solid ice. We then had another heavy snow shower and then overnight it  all disappeared and Isabel was pleased to go to baking.

This week was quite challenging as she had to try and replicate some characters and I think she did very well.....

Tasted yummy too !

Lets hope the weather causes everyone less problems this week x

Bloomin Marvelous

Just a quickie card today using the lovely flower from the FREE Sale-a-bration set  Bloomin Marvelous......

I love the look of stamping on to newsprint paper. Colours are Pool Party, Perfect Plum and Rich Razzleberry. Think I will be using this set a lot !

We have had MORE snow overnight, and it's still coming down. I'm getting a bit fed up of it now  but I will leave you with some pretty pictures from the walk to school.....

and my 12 inch ruler has nearly disappeared in the undisturbed snow in the back garden !

Time to Sale-a-brate !!!!

  Sticky post - scroll down for newer posts

Morning all,

Yes, it's finally here - the time of year when Stampin' Up! offers you freebies with qualifying orders. So how does it work ? For each £45 you spend you can choose from selected freebies and there are 17 different options to choose from ! Stamps, designer paper, a punch, embossing folder, buttons, ribbons etc so it may be a difficult choice but remember it's a freebie for each £45 and it lasts til 22nd March so there's plenty of time to collect a few lol.  Like a peep ? Click on the Sale-a-bration  piccie to the right

If you host a party ( or collect orders ) that total £150 there is an extra treat available and if the totals get to £300 then there is a bundle of treats for the hostess, ask me for me details.

Probably one of the best deals is if you decide to join Stampin' Up ! - the starter kit costs just £99 but you get to choose anything you like to the value of £162.50 and yes, it still only costs £99 ! This offer is only available during Sale-a-bration so if you would like to know more please get in touch for a chat as I would love to welcome you to my team.

I've tried to keep the details simple but if you need to know more email me : mrsjuliewade@sky.com

Let it snow .......

Well, they forecast snow and snow it did !!!

We are fortunate here that we don't normally experience the extreme weather conditions that other parts of the country suffer from but we did get some 'proper' snow yesterday.
It snowed constantly for hours and we ended up with about 6 inches (measured with a ruler and not the optimistic male estimate lol ) and even more in places where it drifted. The schools closed at lunchtime and even Hubby left work and started the weekend early.
 
This is the snowman that Isabel has been making this morning now the blizzard has stopped.......

At least she didn't put her Wolves scarf on him !

Once I'd thawed out from the trek to school yesterday I decided to make the most of the wintry conditions and 'cook up' my January batch of Christmas cards. Of course it had to be Snowflake Soiree again and this is what I came up with....

The snowflakes are stamped with Versamark and then heat embossed with white onto Midnight Muse card. Hope you can see on this picture the gorgeous blizzard effect created by using Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz

You are right if you can detect an air of 'smugness' as I have now completed 30 Christmas cards and it feels good !

Most of our plans for the weekend have been postponed but I am quite happy to continue my hibernation and keeeeep crafting !  Stay safe x

More cakes.......

Brrrr it's freezing ! Looking at what's forecast for Friday I think I am going to have to hibernate !

One of my crafty New Year resolutions ( apart from the Christmas cards) was to try to use up scraps quickly rather than add them to my pile and also to make more than one card at a time of a similar design. While you have the stamps, ink etc out it really is just as quick to make a few and will hopefully stop me being so lastminute.com when I need a card to post.

Anyway here are some more cupcake cards, this time from the Easy Events set..............

Sorry the picture is a bit blurred but it's too late because I've used them all already ! Colours are Midnight Muse, Primrose Petals and So Saffron and papers are from Patio Party. All completed very quickly but varied slightly to suit each recipient - still personal but better time management !

I am hoping the weather is not going to prevent us getting to Isabel's baking class this weekend and sorry Kate but the cake with the yellow flowers had gone before you left your comment lol !

Keep warm x

Creating Cupcakes

Evening all,

Got any snow yet ? You had to be up early this morning to see the shower here. It only lasted about 5 minutes and there was no evidence left behind so we will have to wait and see if there is any more to come.

For Isabel's birthday last month I arranged for her to do a  junior cupcake decorating course. Today was the second session and I made a little gift for her to give to the lovely Sarah from Bake 180 that runs the course.

Made with Create a Cupcake, colours are Pool Party, Crumb Cake and Pretty in Pink.   And inside....

And here are Isabel's efforts....................

Aren't they fantastic ? They look too good to eat don't they but I'm sure we will force ourselves lol !
I'm sure she would be thrilled if you left her a comment.

Time to go and sort the tea out, guess what's for afters ?

Back to classes

Evening all,

Wednesday today and my first class this year, lovely to get back together again !

Today I gave my ladies a chance to play with a few new items coming very soon during Sale-a-bration. The colour combination was Primrose Petals and So Saffron with Natural Ivory. Nice and fresh and a change from all things festive !

This cute envelope is very quick with the scalloped envelope die and there is a little message card inside

Sorry but this image refuses to be rotated ! Spotted anything new ?

A little box made with the envelope die again and a 3 x 3 card to go inside.

Must go as I want to watch One Born Every Minute ....... definitely doesn't make me broody lol !

'November's' Christmas cards

Evening all,

Happy weekend ! I'm still a bit confused about what day it is but normal routine is gradually settling down and I'm sure once the girls are back at school next week we will get back to normal.

I haven't mentioned the footie for a while but poor Hubby and Sophie have gone down to Luton to watch Wolves lose to the non league side in the FA Cup. After all the other dismal defeats over the Christmas period I'm sure they won't be happy when they get back ! Still, they don't have to go do they ? Should find a much more enjoyable hobby lol !

More Christmas cards for you today. If you are finding it difficult to get motivated to make even more Christmas cards now then why not treat yourself to a new stamp set ? By the time you have had a little play with your new toy you will have rustled up a batch of cards and I must confess it does have a big 'feel good' factor to know I've got some done already.

I have used the beautiful Snowflake Soiree set, which is only available until the end of the month so if you like it contact me quickly and I will order it for you.

Colours are Soft Suede and Pool Party. I really enjoyed making these and it is amazing how quickly you can make a batch of 10 . So, that's 20 Christmas cards  for 2013 and I feel very pleased with myself !!!

Happy New Year !

 Happy New Year everyone !

Hope you all had a fab Christmas. We had a lovely time and enjoyed celebrating the girls' birthdays too. December is completely crazy but it is also my favourite month of the year.
Last night we all sat and watched (without any gadgets ! ) all the old camcorder films from when the girls were born and it was lovely to reminisce - now I have a teenager and a tweenager it was cute to see how sweet they were once lol !

I have managed a little crafting over the break and guess what I've been making ?  Christmas cards !!! No, I haven't gone completely bonkers, there is method in my madness.....
I don't know about you but I found Christmas came all too quickly this time and I ended up rushing around until the last minute. Ever since I was first pregnant and knew I wouldn't be shopping in December I have been organised and prefer to have everything bought and wrapped by beg of November and then I can spend the run up to the big day doing 'Christmassy' things. This time I was much too disorganised and I have vowed not to let it happen again. Previously, I have got ahead with my cards by making 10 per month and then it doesn't become a mammoth task later in the year -  so I have started already and made my batch for October and November !!!

Why not start with January and February ? Well again there is a very good reason. The Stampin Up Convention is being held in the UK this year, yipeee, and knowing I will have lots of swaps to make I thought I would get my Christmas cards done in advance !

This is' October's' offering..............

I did make 10 , they are just not all pictured !

I have also just discovered the Natural Ivory cardstock and this makes a great , economical card base. If you look really carefully you might notice a sneak peek of something coming soon .....

I love the burst of energy and desire to get everything organised that comes with New Years Day. I have taken down all my Christmas decorations today, cleaned all the windows inside , put all the dates on my new calender and done 4 loads of washing ! Sadly, it normally disappears as quickly as it arrives so I am off to do some planning for forthcoming classes while I am still feeling so productive !