GET WELL WISHES

Sigh...


Cameron seems to have had a relapse and its getting increasingly hard for me to see my little man in such a state. Last night I decided to have him stay up with me as he was far too bunged up to sleep. We sat in the kitchen and crafted together, I did all the cutting while he did the stamping. Hasn't he done well?  Here is what we made.

A Get Well Pouch.

I really like this idea, its cute and quirky and is sure to make the recipient feel better.

As you can see, I have filled mine with a Cuppa Soup and Lemsip, just what the doctor ordered!

Cardstock: Green Galore and Regal Rose

Ink: Pixie Pink

Stamp sets: Stampin' Around Handel with "Its Beautiful" Wheel and "Fun and Fast Notes"

Non Stampin' Up! bits: Envelope and of course the soup and Lemsip, LOL!

 

MINI TREAT BOX

Well, Cameron is doing better. He is still ill though, so as the Easter holidays begin on Friday I have decided to keep him at home with me for the rest of the week to make sure he is fit and well sooner rather than later. 


Yesterday, we all rested! We needed it, after a shaky night with my "baby" (he tells me to pack that in)! This meant no crafting and I can tell you that I rather missed sitting at my kitchen diner thinking up bits to make and stamping cardstock, quite missed chatting with you too actually.


The children are sleeping now and so I have made a quick and easy mini treat box filled with sweeties. Not sure if you can see but I have covered the punched hole with a bit of acetate (window sheet). I'll probably give it to Cameron when he wakes up. Now, granted its not very boyish but I just love this stamp set and these colours...Sorry Cam, LOL!

Cardstock: Whisper White

Stamp Set: "A Beautiful Thing"

Ink: Pixie Pink and Green Galore

Accessories: 1/4" Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon and 1 3/8 Circle Punch, medium window sheets, corner rounder

 

PHEW!

I really should be renamed "Superwomen" women you know, LOL!  My little boy Cameron is full of cold, his eyes are all puffy and red (I am sure he has conjunctivitis too) and he still just wants to go outside and play football. Poor kid, I have had to force him to stay in bed with DVD's, home baked banana loaf and unlimited play on his PSP; a rarity I promise you. The PSP bit I mean!

Anyhoo, while running up and down looking after him, jiggling baby Ava on my hip, stuffing copious amounts of laundry into the washing machine and baking the banana loaf, I managed to make these!

More swaps but this time for my mate in all things "crafty", Loraine over there in Shropshire. She doesn't have the "All in the Family or "A Good Egg" stamp sets, I hope she likes them. 

The first, you will all have seen in my blog entry for 4 March, but I have used the flower stamp from "A Good Egg" for the background instead of the "Its Beautiful" wheel.

Cardstock: Gable Green and Tempting Turquoise

Ink: Green Galore and Brilliant Blue 

Stampin' Pastels: Brocade Blue and Barely Banana 

Accessories:1/4! Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon and 1 3/8 circle punch

Swap Number 2

Cardstock: Whisper White and Tempting Turquoise, Gable Green

Ink: Brilliant Blue, Green Galore, Pixie Pink, Real Red

Stamp set: "All in the Family" and  "Fun and Fast Notes" (sentiment)

I just adore these little family stamps, so cute! 

They are winging their way over to you Loraine and should be with you early next week!

 

OH, SWAPS!

One of the really cool things about being a Demo are the swaps! We share examples of the bits and pieces we have made in a bid to collect ideas to inspire both ourselves and our customers.

I have just been working on two swap pieces for a new Demo pal of mine, Kazz. We are both new actually and only have a small selection of stamp sets and accessories so these swaps will help build our sample's stash! 


Kazz doesn't have "Fun and Fast Notes" or " A Good Egg" stamp sets so I have made these...

Simple...But I thought this was a great way to show you folks just how easy it all is!

Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise and Regal Rose

Ink: Brilliant Blue

Stamp Set: "Fun and Fast Notes" and "A Good Egg"

Accessories: 1 3/8 circle Punch

I decided to go with this background as it was way for me to ease myself in to using my Stampin Pastels in a more "elaborate" way. The result, a cheery, customised background!

Cardstock: Whisper White

 Ink: Versa Mark

 Pastel colours: Pixie Pink, Green Galore and Tempting Turquoise. 

Here is the finished swap, simple but very cute even if I do say so myself, LOL!

Cardstock: Whisper White, Green Galore, Glorious Green, Summer Sun

Ink: Basic Black, Versa Mark

Pastel colours of chick: Brocade Blue and Summer Sun

Stamp Set: "A Good Egg"

SOMETHING FOR THE BOYS

I don't know about anyone else but I seem to find cards for guys notoriously hard to dream up. Stampin' Up! has made it just that little bit easier though. So many of the stamps can be used for male and female cards, all we have to do is find the right colours and with the Colour Families (page 6 and 7 of the Idea book and catalogue), that bits easy too!


I made this today with my little boy Cameron in mind; its not his birthday until August but you can never be too organized I always say. 


I had a bit of a "ding" in the left hand corner but I live by that age old adage, "there are no mistakes in crafting", LOL! 

Cardstock: Green Galore and Glorious Green

Ink: Real Red, Brilliant Blue and Basic Black

Stamp sets: "Fun and Fast Notes" and "Cheers and Wishes"

Acessories: Silver Brads, corner rounder

  

SPRING FLOWERS

So, I sat at my little craft table (aka the kitchen diner), its scattered with yet more "scraps", some lollipop sticks, scented tea candles and various stamp sets. I have set myself the challenge of using these bits. I do like challenges, I think it helps to keep my crafting fresh. However, after almost 30 minutes of staring blankly in to the distance and wishing Ava would wake up so I would have to hurry away; I came up with this! What do you think?

I think these would make cute "Thank you's" for almost any occasion and of course with Stampin' Up's! four colour families (page 6 and 7 of the Idea book and catalogue), the colour combinations are too numerous to mention. And because the candles are scented the recipient will get a little extra surprise! 

Cardstock: Whisper White and Glorious Green

Ink: Pixie Pink and Green Galore,Glorious Green

Stamp Set: "A Beautiful Thing"

Accessories: Silver elastic cord and Small flat Cello bag

Non Stampin' Up! bits: Lollipop stick (inked with Glorious Green) and scented tea candle

 

14 DAYS AND COUNTING

Just in case you had forgotten there are only 14 days left for you to place orders as part of the "Perfect Pairs"promotion!

It's a well know fact that you can always count on a punch to match a stamp set with Stampin' Up! and now they have made it even easier (and cheaper) for you to get your hands on both! 

Click here to find out how.

 

A STROKE OF GENIOUS

My fellow Demo, Loraine has shamed me I'm afraid. She is a true busy bee, posting to her blog daily and crafting just as often it would seem. So here I am, not once but twice in one day! Beat that Loraine, LOL! 


Gosh....I wish I had thought of this idea myself. In fact I am a tad annoyed that I didn't, especially as I have just been reading up on a little (but wonderful) thing they call progressive scrapbooking. This is where you take a 6x6 scrapbook layout and turn it into a 12x12 page. Give me time folks, I will get busy with that sometime very soon! 


So, the idea here is progressive card making! You start with a 3x3 card and turn it into something larger. The 3x3's are lovely but they can be a bit impractical at times so if you have a fair few lying around, then this idea is a fantastic one. Here is one I came up with. Good on you for thinking up such a gem, Heather! 

3x3 card.

Using the stamp sets, "Cheers and Wishes" and "A Good Egg" 

Cardstock: Regal Rose and a Love Note

Ink: Versa Mark and Pixie Pink

Ribbon: 1/4" Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon

Love those dots! 

 Finished, progressed card!
A5 sized, using the super cute Hedgehog from the "Fun and Fast Notes" stamp set
Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Regal Rose
Additional ink: Brilliant Blue
1 3/8 circle punch

Still using up my "scraps" by the way!!

MINI CHALLENGE

Well today I set myself a challenge. I have so many bits of "scrap" card and ribbon lying about that I thought I would (and should) get to work using them all up. Besides, I need some mini samples to take with me to workshops. Here is what I came up with...

Mini Thank you note. I send one of these to all my hostesses.

Using the "A Beautiful Thing" stamp set

A happy birthday card.

Using the "Good Egg" stamp set and "Fun and Fast Notes" stamp set

Mini party favour or known to us Demo's as the "2,4,6,8" box.
The cardstock is scored at 2,4,6 & 8 inches.
Using the "A Beautiful Thing" stamp set

 "Sour Cream" container, as named by the American Demo's!

The fast food restaurant "Wendy's" stores sour cream in them.

You might like to put mini party treats in yours though, tee hee!

Using the "A Beautiful Thing" stamp set

I lurve this stamp set....Can you tell?

 

SCRAPPY HAPPY

As some of you may know, I am mummy to two of the cutest kiddies around! Sorry guys but its a fact, LOL! I am forever taking snaps of them and now there are camera phones....Well, I never miss a precious moment.


After spending time with my Upline recently, I seemed to have caught the scrapbook bug. She has warned me though, "scrapping" is extremely addictive and too much of it may lead to a serious lack of interest in...Well, anything else! 


So here it is, a simple layout to show all you newbies that you don't need much to get a great result!

Ingredients

• A beautiful Thing stamp set
• Stampin' Pastels
• Tempting Turquoise cardstock
• Regal Rose cardstock-stamped with the solid flower from set in Pixie Pink ink
• Whisper White cardstock-stamped with the larger flower from set in Versa Mark ink. The stamped image was then dusted with a Stampin' Pastel.
• 1 3/4 circle punch (although any will do)

  

ONE DOWN...

Many more to go! Today I held my very first workshop! It was so much fun and boy, have I learnt a lot! The best laid plans always go to waste, isn't that what they say?

The ladies were so bubbly and always cracking jokes that the workshop outline that I had planned to work with quickly went flying out of the window! Never fear though, I still managed to talk about all the important bits and Stampin' Up! just sold itself!

"My ladies" were so impressed with the exceptional quality that Stampin' Up! offer and had a great time stamping, sticking and filling their mini Easter baskets (Make and Take) with choccy eggs! 

I have another workshop booking too, yipee!

If your reading, thank you ladies, it was an absolute blast! I hope to share Stampin' Up! with you again soon. 

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

Hello folks! Well I have been busy trying to plan my workshop as well as get myself some much need custom. I have designed and printed some flyers and sent letters and emails to as many people and social organisations as I could think of. I have had one response so far but it's still early days so I am staying upbeat!


I have made yet another Easter " Make 'n' Take", I hope I can stick with this one! I keep finding cool things to have a go at and while the card below was great, perhaps it was not simple enough. I am trying to show my guest's how fun and easy paper craft can be, I don't want them taking notes and worrying about making mistakes! What do you think of this?

Ingredients:

• A Good Egg Stamp Set
• Stampin' Around handle with "It's a Beautiful Thing" wheel
• Regal Rose cardstock
• Certainly Celery cardstock
• Whisper White 1/4" Grosgain ribbon
• Pixie Pink Ink

It was very simple and quick to assemble! Not sure if this is the greatest snap though but it's the best I could do with a crying 4 month old in the background, tee hee!
 

A GOOD EGG

Hey all!


Its been a while but I didn't want to bore you with tales of planning and what not, so here I am with the fun stuff!


Here it is, my very first "Make and Take"! What do you think? Its an Easter note card made with Stampin' Up's! " A Good Egg" stamp set and some other goodies from my starter kit. I just love this stamp set, its so cute and I am not the only one that thinks so as the set is now sold out!

Ingredients:


A Good Egg stamp set
A 1-3/8 circle punch
A Stampin’ Around® handle with "It's Beautiful" wheel
1/4" (6.4mm) Grosgain ribbon in Whisper White
Gable Green cardstock
Tempting Turquoise
Brilliant Blue ink pad
Green Galore ink pad
Barely Bannana Stampin' Pastel
Old Olive Stampin' Pastel


I have my first workshop planned for the 20th March and I am really looking forward to it. Most of the guests are work colleagues of my sister's who have seen my many, many craft exploits (my sister loves to take snaps or bring my bits in to work and pass them around) and so are very eager to get stuck in! She even had people asking to be invited once they knew what was going on, so I will writing up some more invitations tonight. The Stampin' Up! invitations are lovely!


I'll keep you all posted, wish me luck!