A CASE of true love!

I have a lady who regularly comments on my Blog - and I am ashamed to say I often don't get a chance to comment back - even though I absolutely LOVE her work... even if she doesn't use SU product.

So although I haven't had a chance to craft since I got back from convention - here is one of her cards I CASED using SU products - I hope she likes it and I have done her original design justice.

Here it is!

So is it you??? - It's Chrissy from Chrissys4Cards - you can visit her blog here - Chrissys Blog

Its a lovely design I'm sure you'll agree!

The two stamps that I inked with Versamark and embossed with white embossing powder are from Papillon Pot Pourri and  Summer Silhouettes.

Here is a close up. Thanks for the inspiration Chrissy! xxxx

And now for something a little different. I run a Stampers 6 - this is where 6 people each commit to spending a minimum of £25 per month - which means each month there are £25 worth of FREEBIES!

Each of the Stamper 6 members takes turn to 'earn' the freebies and if, in the month they choose/are allocated, sales reach the higher level for hostess benefits - the hostess that month gets any extra too!

It is a fabulous way of budgeting and so I have decided to offer it to my blog readers and customers. So if you are interested please call me or e-mail me for more information.

I am adding a tab at the top of the page so you can get more info.

Hope you are having a fabulous weekend!

Back Soon!

Paula xxx

Stampin' Up! European Convention Manchester - Sneak Peeks

Well guys, it's Thursday and I expect you have probably heard enough about Convention - but I am still buzzing and STILL haven't had a chance to play with MDS (My Digital Studio) - we had an awesome session on it at Convention and I am dying to have a play!

In addition I have some NEW products that I must get on and create some sneak peeks for you with.

Oh - and some of the freebies I forgot to show you were the Make and Takes - which I still have to create!

AND - "c'mere there's more!" (you may 'get' this depending on your generation) There was an awesome Christmas Card from one of the Dutch Pinkies that she demoed and I am determined to CASE.

Anyhow... here are a couple of sneak peeks... These stamps and the watercolour card blanks will be coming to a catalogue near you soon! LOVING that Poppy!

And there are a couple of new stamps used here - but they are very subtle... I am CASEing this too!

Blimey - just remembered I need to add the Hearts Collection Framelits to my next order!

Well that's it from me for today... tune in for more posts - though maybe it's time for a few of my own projects... D'ya reckon?

Laters!

Hugs,

Paula xxx

Stampin' Up! European Convention - Part 3

So here are the swaps I received at convention... Aren't they just stunning!

So many fabulous ideas and samples I can share in my business.

Love this cute little calendar!

If you can see your swap in here - please leave a comment to say 'Hi' - and feel free to include a link to your blog!

Back tomorrow with a couple of sneak peeks!

Paula xxx

Stampin' Up! Convention, Manchester, 2013 - Part 2

Part 2 of my manchester experience at convention is the most amazing swap - don't get me wrong - there were absolutely tons of gorgeous swaps I received, but this one tickled me and shows a great use of the Bigz Bows Die.

It was swapped by a young lady called Claire Dean - unfortunately I can't find a blog but Claire - it is stunning so if you (or anyone who know you) reads this... a big thank you!

So here are some piccies...

How cute is that? Just read the poem too!

Just adorable!!!!!!!!!!!!

Back soon with some more photo's.... my zillions of swaps!

Stampin' Up! Convention Manchester 2013 - Part 1

Hi Folks,

As I expected I was far too exhausted and busy yesterday sorting out my haul from convention and getting the house back in order - I still haven't had time to play with my new Stampin' Up! Goodies!!!!

This was my first convention and exceeded all my expectations - imagine nearly 1000 excited people, loads of freebies, fantastic company, amazing and inspirational talks and demonstrations. Not to mention a whole raft of sneak peeks! You are going to love all the goodies coming up in the next few months - just scrummy!

AND whilst we were at convention Stampin' Up! released their 'Carve your own' stamp kit - Undefined - in the UK.

So just to share a few piccies - I have so many!

Me and my convention 'Roomie' Lizy - fellow Pinkie and a fabulous companion! You can check out her Blog here. 

The CEO of Stampin' Up! Shelli Gardner was seriously injured in an accident recently , so her equally amazing daughter Sara Douglass took the helm for convention - she was amazing and did her Mum Proud!

The head of the Pinkies team, Michelle Last, not only did a business talk for everyone, she also won all the available accolades at awards night, making her the top performing demo in Europe! Respect! And a lovely lady to boot - I am so lucky to be part of her team! There were 85 Pinkies at convention. Here are just a few!

We were the largest team and the noisiest crowd - and the Pinkies are a fabulous, warm, welcoming and supportive group!

I spent most of convention with the 2 lovely ladies with me here, Lizy and Caroline (her blog is here) 

Last of all, here is my haul of freebies from Stampin' Up! I can't show you some as they are new products - but as you can see we were spoiled rotten!

Tomorrow I'll be sharing my favourite swap that I received. I would do a double post today... but don't want to spoil you!

Paula (Still on cloud 9 and brimming with inspiration) xxx

Stampin' Up! Convention Swaps Part 2!

Hi - Me again!

Well - Convention is well and truly under way and I can't wait to share with you!

I made 120 general swaps - swapping is a way for demonstrators to share ideas and get to know one another. I will swap with 120 other demonstrators and come home with 120 brand new ideas! How cool is that?

So this is my 'general' convention swap, it is a really simple card front - I have done it in 3 different colourways but just photographed this one.

The stamp set is Blooming with Kindness.

Back soon with some convention pictures. Though I may be needing to recover tomorrow!

Paula xxx

Pinkie Swaps for Convention

By the time you read this I will be waiting for my train to Manchester!

Yup the day has finally arrived and I am so excited! Nearly 1000 Stampin' Up! Demonstrators from across Europe will be coming together for this amazing event. Hopefully I'll have some pictures to share next week!

Tonight at about 9pm after the early registration and Silver Reception, the Pinkies are meeting up. We're going to do some swapping and just really say Hi to each other.

I wanted to make exclusive Pinkie swaps but couldn't really think of what to make until a friend bought me a bag of 'Lifesavers' back from the US - for those of you who don't know they are fruit flavoured and about the same size as Polo's.

Well I figured, what could be more appropriate for Convention Goers than some Lifesavers? If nothing else it's something to suck whilst watching presentations.

I used the Labels Collection Framelits to make toppers for the bags and added Butterflies from Papillon PotPourri - punched with the Elegant Butterfly, and Flowers from Flower Shop, punched out with the Pansy Punch.

I hope my fellow Pinkies enjoy them!

Back soon with my other Convention Swap!

xxx

Convention Design Challenge

You may remember I showed you a couple of Christmas cards I made based on my entry for the Convention Design Challenge.

Now we are nearly at Convention I thought I would share my entry with you.

I have used the Expressions Thinlits and trimmed the 'Thankful' to make Thank U. I used the Boho Blossoms and Itty Bitty Punches with leaves from the Bird Builder for the flowers and leaves, I used the Adorning Accents Framelits and Embossing Folders, the background is the In-Colour DSP (designer series paper). I have embellished with some Pearl Basic Jewels.

I hope you like it and I'll be posting my swaps later this week.

Can you believe I am packed already?!

Paula xxx

Not good! The excitement is building!

Sorry - I always seem to be apologising but I just haven't had time to post much this week. Mainly because I am getting everything ready for Convention and just haven't had five minutes to spare!

Convention is a HUGE event that Stampin' Up! put on each year for their demonstrators. There is absolutely loads to see and do, hundreds of fellow demo's to meet, freebies galore, an awards night and dinner... I am so excited I could burst! And I leave on Thursday morning.

I have made all my swaps and will post them later in the week. If you think you might like to attend Convention next year, get in touch and I can talk to you about becoming a demonstrator - there is absolutely no pressure on you to sell if you just want to take advantage of the discounts yourself...

Anyhow, one of my fellow Pink Ladies, Suzette designed these and I have been copying them loads as they are super cute and were very popular at the Craft Fair, The jars are from Ikea, I have stamped them in white Stazon using the Secret Garden stamp set.

Then added the tags made using Chalk Talk and the matching framelits, tied on with matching Taffeta ribbon and the flower is punched using one of the Itty Bitty Shapes and the leaves from the Owl Builder punch.

I hope you like it and hope to post again soon!!!!!!!!!

Paula xxx

Wish Lists and Bows

Hi Folks, hope you are all well!

Today I shall start by explaining the Wish List Service I offer...

Here is what happens -

1)   You choose your wish list and send it to me
2)   You receive cards/an e-mail you can give to your 'givers' explaining the process
3)   Your 'givers' contact me with their budget
4)   I allocate the budget to an item on your list and send your 'giver' a 'gift voucher' to print off (or hard copy) and send you
5)   7 days before your special day I close the ordering and if there are hostess pounds earned I allocate them to more items from your wish list
6)   The order is despatched to the address of your choice...

I will always let you know how much the value of the order is so you can make it up to earn hostess pounds.

I mean - if your order value is £145 - it could be worth your while to spend that extra £5 and get £25 more to spend on your wish list!

Just get in touch if you would like more information.

Today I am also sharing a video tutorial making bows with the Envelope Punch Board - I saw these on Pinterest and had to make them.



Finally - and just because I can - here is a gratuitous 'Cute' picture of our new residents... who are currently playing chase up and down the stairs... how can something so small sound like an elephant ?

Clever embossing...

Ever been frustrated because you haven't got the right colour embossing powder for a project?

Me too! So I figure as Versamark is clear... I just need to add coloured ink - without getting it on my Versamark pad.

I add Versamark to my stamp, then add coloured ink... IN THAT ORDER. :-)

Next stamp the image on your card stock... sprinkle on clear embossing powder (or in this case Irridescent Ice as I wanted some sparkle).

And you have coloured embossing - there are no bounds - you can have any colour you like.

In fact - if you used your Stampin' Write Markers, you could colour the stamp like a rainbow!!!!!

Such a simple solution.

Back soon!

The stamp sets I used are Million and One and Flower Shop.

Once the novelty of the kittens has worn off a bit I'm hoping to get time to enter some challenges. We'll See!

xxx

New Additions...

Well the new additions are here, the only thing is we ended up keeping 3 as my friend who was having the black and white one had a horrendous reaction... poor girl - she and her family are gutted.

I always struggle with names but like unusual ones so we have called them...

Makita (Kita), Dixon & Mason.

Aren't they gorgeous? Here they are all making themselves comfortable on my 6 year old niece...

Makita and Mason cuddle up together and clean one another... 

Mason and Dixon are typical boys and play fight together...

I do have one question... why is it that despite spending a small fortune on fleecy beds and things, the 3 kittens want to sleep in the litter tray???????????? Absurd!

Dixon is the biggest of the three but is still quite small at 620g

Makita is a petite little girly at 350g and Mason sits between the two at 540g. They are quite small but Mum had a big litter.

I hope I haven't bored you too much - as you can imagine not a lot else is getting done at the moment. I have spent half of today sat on the floor watching them and half of that they were asleep!

I must get and do some more crafting. 

Paula xxx

Hello new followers!

Just a quick hello to my new followers and a special hello to all the lovely ladies I met at the Craft Fair at Widmer End School this evening. It was a lovely, well attended event and I met lots of new and experienced crafters - I look forward to keeping in touch and introducing you to Stampin' Up!.

In the mean time, please do have a look around my blog, browse the catalogue and feel free to ask any questions.

If anyone would like to subscribe to my monthly newsletters please send me an e-mail by clicking here.

I'm off to bed now - we're picking up 2 kittens tomorrow so I may be a little too distracted to post but I'll have some more projects for you soon! xxx

THANK YOU and Video Tutorial

Today I feel honoured and slightly humbled, one of my cards has been pinned on Pinterest a great deal and it has bought a lot of traffic to my blog - I would like to say a huge 'Thank You' to all my followers and anyone who chooses to Pin one of my creations.

Please do leave a comment somewhere if you visit - if only so I can return the visit.

Today I am posting a video tutorial showcasing the Envelope Punch Board, I have tried videoing slightly differently - but I think I need to work on this! I shall be trying more angles in the weeks to come - at least now I have simplified my 'equipment' it isn't such a nightmare to set up.

My Christmas Cracker is not the same as the other 'square' ones I posted - this one is hexagonal... as hexagons are so popular...

I also use the Stampin' Trimmer and Simply Scored.

I am now also offering Gift Vouchers and a Wish List service - you give me your wish list - give your friends and family my contact details and I will allocate the money they wish to spend to items on your list. I will e-mail them a 'Voucher' they can enclose with your Birthday or Christmas card saying what they have paid for or contributed to.

Now for the Video - Hope you enjoy it!

Design Challenge from Stampin' Up!

A few weeks back Stampin' Up! set us a challenge to design a project for display at convention with the winner, winning a shopping spree.

We could submit up to two items, a card front and a 3D project - of course a lot of the demo's went away with their heads full of ideas.

Though I'm afraid I was stumped, I'm not great at innovation and freely admit that without the internet I would have very few ideas, and most of mine are at least partially copied.

Anyhow, we had to have our designs in to Head Office in High Wycombe by the 31st of October. Not that I often leave things 'til the last minute but last Sunday I had a sudden flash of inspiration... all by myself!

And here are a couple of cards using a similar theme - but I will keep Sunday's original until convention. Only 3 weeks away!!!!!!!!!!

I used Whisper White card, Season of Style DSP, The Boho Blossom, Itty Bitty Shapes and Bird Builder punches, Adorning Accents edgelits and embossing folder and the Expressions thinlits.

Here is a close up of the flowers with their Rhinestone jewel centres.

I know it's nothing super elaborate but I think they are really pretty and simple to do.

Hope you are having a fabby weekend and I'll be back soon... I only have the washing to do, the rabbit to clean out and the dogs to walk on Sunday so tonight and tomorrow I hope to be crafting!

Pxxx

Endings and New Beginnings...

Today is my last day in my present job, it won't be too traumatic as I will be starting my new job on Monday - but only in a different building. But it is still a bit scary!

And another new beginning... Introducing the new Envelope Punch Board from Stampin' Up!

It's an awesome tool and is what I used to make those lovely crackers. It is really versatile and can be used to make boxes, crackers, file cards as well as envelopes!

Here is a little video - there are absolutely hundreds of video's all over the web, so I apologise for not recording one myself but everything is mad, with the job change, nights drawing in, halloween, Christmas and craft fairs... Plus visitors needing to stay in the spare (craft) room, downright inconsiderate if you ask me!

I'm doing some housework tonight so I don't have to spend the whole weekend cleaning! Maybe I'll get time for a little crafting! Laters!

Pxx