Happy New Year!

I just popped in to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I will be back in a few days with a FABULOUS special offer and some interesting news for you all...

HAPPY 2009!

C xx

Its Here!

Well at last the long awaited day is almost here! Are you tracking Santas progress? Click HERE to see how far the old man has got on his travels...

Heres the last few photos of the gifts and cards I have been busy making. The teachers gifts are all home-made vanilla and cherry fudge. Yummy!

If you are curious about the box in a bag then follow this link HERE for all the instructions with lovely photos to help!


These cards were cased from a few people but mostly StampinAbi who is a lovely girl and if you take a look at her site you will see alot of fabo ideas. This set (A tree for all seasons) is really simple and can be used year round, and its cheap too! I made 30 of these in one evening in many different colours too!


This vase was made for a Great Aunt of mine for a Christmas pressie... Ive used the Cherished Memories rub-ons to decorate what was a (very - think Woolies closing down sale!) inexpensive plain vase. Just make sure you give your surface a good wash in warm soapy water before trying this. I didnt do this first and struggled to get them to stick properly. In each pack of rub-ons you get either brown & white or black & white sheets of the same designs. There are two different packs to choose from. I love them!


Well thats it from me for a few days... I hope you are all well and have a lovely Christmas with those you love. Please remember those who are not able to be with their families this time of year and keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Were off to Christdingle Service later... Should be interesting with my sneezing and coughing! Wish me luck...!

Stay safe & have a merry one.

C xx

PHEW!

I think I need a stiff drink (or two)!
Why is the last week of term always such a frenzy? Ive not had a minute to stop and think this week...

My son has done the Annual St Felix Middle School Show at the Tattersalls sale ring (Very funny... Picture my 12yr old son dressed in jockey silks and green wellies playing 'Stinky' - Dwarf number 14 out of 17...!) So between rehearsals and performances and picking up/dropping off friends & watching the show, then Certificate Assembly for my Daughter (she did a speech - 1 sentence - and played the flute) then a birthday party tonight... My head is spinning! Im quite contented though as I still managed to make 3 batches of fudge for 4 teachers and our retiring dinner lady, AND made the bags to put them in, AND made ALL my Christmas Cards, AND got them (nearly) all delivered on time, AND finished my Christmas shopping, AND made 2 birthday cards, AND had the builder in (MESSY!)... P H E W!!!

That drink is sounding better by the minute!
I took photos of the gift bags for you and will post them here as soon as I find the link to the instructions I worked from...

Have a great weekend... I know I will!

TTFN
C xx

In Love With Stamping.

Are you sitting comfortably? The I shall begin...
Once upon a time a little band of friends had a website... It grew and grew and grew until it was too big for its home. Mummy and Daddy (Karin and Dave) found a lovely new home for this fabulous group with loads more space for people to come and visit, chat and have a good time!

Now this is not just a Stampin' Up! site. You can pop over and browse through the gallery or upload some of your own projects to share. If you are looking for inspiration its a fab place to start. There are regular challenges for when you lose your mojo! If you need advice on a product or cant remember where to find the instructions for that special project come and post a question. You can even come and chat about Strictly or X Factor... We are a friendly bunch of crafters from all over the world... and we dont bite!

Heres the challenge... We have just loaded a counter (a bit like the one on my website...) which tells us our ranking in the 'Top 50 crafting sites'. In the space of a week our ranking has gone up from 184 up to 56! Pretty good going huh?!?!

We would like to get InLoveWithStamping in the top 10 before Christmas. Just for the heck of it! Click above or on the link on the right hand side of this page and take a look. Maybe add the site to your favourites and when you do your daily 'blog surf' (please tell me Im not the only person that does this?) pop over for a look.

Lets see the power of the mouse finger, yes?

TTFN

C xx
By the way if you worry about my mental health... come over, you aint seen nuthin yet!!!

Holiday spirit by the bucket!

Found this over on YouTube...! Heres a link to the Holdman Family website. Take a look at the video clips they are amazing! Bet their lekkie bill is sky high in January!!!

My fave is Amazing Grace...

Another Christmassy link is this one Here. Listen carefully to the words all the way through if you can. Gave me goosebumps!

Back with more cards later.
Enjoy!

TTFN

C xx

Next Installment

OK, heres the next load of photos for you. This time I have used the Hung Up on the Holidays set (106770), which is rapidly becoming a favourite of mine! Its only £13.95and you get 6 stamps in the set. You will need to use your Stamp-a-ma-jig with this one (unless you have a VERY steady hand!) For a tutorial on the Stamp-a-ma-jig there's a link over on the side...

I think I have also found a colour scheme for my cards this year... Im liking the Bashful Blue... What do you think?


If you look closely at the second card you will notice that 2 of the ornaments overlap each other... This was not intentional but gives me the chance to talk about 'masking'. Its very simple - just stamp the image you want to be in the foreground. Stamp this image again onto a piece of post-it note or scrap paper and cut it out. Place this 'mask' over the 1st image and then stamp your next image overlapping this 'mask'. The end result will look like one is behind the other... Easy peasy huh?

More in a couple of days...

TTFN
C xx

OK, Its Christmas soon right...?

I know you all are super organised and probably already done with your shopping but (unusually for me) I have just started thinking about this years holiday... YIKES!

I have started my cards and although not everyone will get a handmade card from me, most will. Please dont be cross if you get a horrid shop bought one, its not because I dont care - its just because I have run out of time! (oooo the shame!!)

Anyway, I wanted to share with you over the next few days some ideas for Christmas Card designs, some traditional, some not so much... and to show you how easy Stampin' Up! makes things with everything coordinating - the hard work is already done for you!

Heres the first installment,
Perfect Presents stamp set Number 111272, only £21.95 for 11 stamps!



As you can see the colours are very traditional, red and green, but the Stampin' Up! colours coordinate so beautifully that I have mixed Real Red with Sage Shadow and a dash of Certainly Celery. Ive also used very simple layouts and added a little Designer Series Paper (Wintergreen and Rose Red). I have also only used a few of the stamps in this set!

Heres a few more not so traditional colours...


You could go completely wild with your colours! Ive tried to stay a little conservative as I need to use these for family & friends, but look out over the next few posts for some soft pastel cards...

TTFN!

C xx

Best Laid Plans...

Firstly, an apology...
For those waiting with baited breath for news and photos of my tricky project... its not done yet!

Secondly, the reason...
Ive been a bit under the weather for the last week. Then my daughter got the lurgy too! But bless her heart, she managed to keep it together long enough to do her second ballet exam on Monday. Talk about 'true grit!'
Im really proud of her, she looked decidedly dodgy, very pale and had dark circles under her eyes. But she slapped on a smile and did her best (which is all I ask of her). The show must go on huh?

Anyway we are all better now. Daughter back to school tomorrow (fingers crossed!) and I might be able to scrape off the layer of crud that accumulates in the house when Mums get ill... All that and then moving furniture and shelving ready for 2 new windows to be installed on Friday.

And you can all tell me off but I need to start my Christmas shopping this week too! AARGH! HELP! Exactly HOW many days till Christmas?

I promise to have LOADS of photos later this week, Ive taken dozens...

TTFN

C xx

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Where have I been this week... Well, Ive been working on a very tricky project which requires skill and attention to detail along with a shed load of patience. When its finished I will be back with photos to show you all!

Y'all come back now... Y'hear?

C xx

Hall of shame!

Well, I did warn you all that I would post some more photos from my Craft day... Here is the hall of shame!

Bit of background - Every time someone said the word 'Christmas' they had to wear the head gear, complete with springy snowmen! I must just say that everyone had a whale of a time coming up with alternative words to say. Needless to say though that when I was doing my instructions it was extremely hard. I think I ended up wearing them the most!

Michelle has a couple of sneaky photos of the day over on her blog HERE so I shall retaliate... This is my lovely Upline (Supervisor, Boss lady) Michelle!
Then the fun and lovely Kerrie!
And Susan (she doesnt always look like this crazed really!)
And lastly two great friends of mine Kelly and Amanda.

There was some very serious crafting going on too though! Look at these two beavering away!

And Lastly!! TEE HEE! I would like to thank Michelle for being so supportive and doing a last minute demo for me on the day and bringing some lovely ladies along with her. Also Michelle, thank you for posting the lovely photos of me (NOT!), and, oh yes, the one you took of me at High Wycombe (SU! Training) was so lovely too! (I looked like LURCH, my mouth was open and I think I had one eye closed aswell! NICE!!)
I thought she might like to see this beautiful photo I took of her giving her demo... Tee Hee hee!!!


Thanks for looking!!

TTFN
C xx

Craft Day Fun!

Well, what a fab bunch of ladies you all are! I had a lovely day today sharing some Christmas (yes, Im wearing the snowmen...!) projects with some friends (old and new). This was all to raise funds for Cancer Research UK and I am happy to tell you all that we have raised £120 so far!



Thank you so very much if you came along today and supported this event.

As time ran out on us I am posting photos of the finished cards below as promised!
>

I hope you all had fun... I will be posting more photos over the next couple of days... Yes, most of you are wearing the snowmen!!!

Thanks again to you all, especially Michelle who did a fab demonstration for us and to Kelly and Amanda who helped clear away and lug the tables and chairs around!

Thanks for looking

C xx

Christmas Craft Event...

Well, spaces are filling up for my event on 2 November! Heres a picture of some of the projects we will be making.



This is just a part of what you can make from one of our Simply Scrappin Kits! If you come along on the day you will get all your supplies and full written instructions so you can go home and make more! I will also be there to give advice and help (although not the kind of professional help that some of my friends need!). Its going to be a lovely, relaxing few hours, (without the children!) and a chance to spend time chatting with new and old friends while supporting Breast Cancer Research UK.

Please contact me for further detail or to book your spot... I need to order supplies this week so ASAP please!!!

See you there...

C x

More blog candy!

Yet more blog candy is being given away Here. I have been following this blog for a while and admiring the work of talented people from all over the world... Take a look for yourselves!

TTFN!

C x

Just a quick note... Go pay a visit to Lindas blog HERE leave a comment and try your hand at winning some 'blog candy'! Her projects are lovely and my personal fave is the stationary box using some of our beautiful new papers...

Go take a gander, tell her I sent you!

Thanks

C x

Thanks everyone!

WOW! I have just found out that the cards I entered into the competition over on our forum www.inlovewithstamping.com/forum came top in the voting! The three cards that won are the ones featured below. Voting was done by other demos and readers of the blog and I am really suprised and honored to be voted one of the winners. Thank you to everyone for their support and friendship.

Happy Birthday Son!

Its my sons birthday today and here's the card I made for him...

As you can probably guess he is a Doctor Who addict! (what 12 year old boy isnt?) Well, sadly he wont be getting the life size Dalek he wanted for his room(!!!) so this will have to do...
I got the template from a lady called Valita Reynolds... visit her blog HERE for some more ideas...

All made with SU! products and White Signo gel marker.

Happy birthday son...
Thanks for looking, off to ice a cake now!

C x

Creative Competition...

Last weekend was National Cardmaking Day and to celebrate this there was a 'Craft-along' and competition over on www.inlovewithstamping.com/forum/
so heres 3 of the entries i submitted... The winners havnt been announced yet but you can hop on over to the forum and take a look at some amazing work from some very lovely and talented ladies!



The tote bag and the Inchies card (with the squares) were made with old USA Stampin' Up! sets but can be adapted for current sets.

So, what do you think...?

Leave a comment..

Enjoy
C x

Happy Birthday Stampin' Up!

Heres this months special offer!


Item: 111618, page 32 Crazy for cupcakes... Retail £20.95 20% off £16.76
Item: 105455, page 33 Birthday Best... Retail £10.95 20% off £ 8.76
Item: 110524, page 58 Cheer & Wishes... Retail £14.95 20% off £11.96

To get these gorgeous stamps at the reduces price just spend £20.00! Once you spend the £20 there is no limit to how many reduced sets you can purchase!

Enjoy,

C xx

Reasons to be a PINK LADY!

So, why am I pink?
Im really excited about this event... its a charity that is close to my heart for various reasons not the least being the couple of health scares I have had myself... I have been known to stand in my childrens school playground and lecture people very loudly about making the dreaded annual lady appointment! If you get nothing else from this blog please check when your MOT is due and PHONE YOUR DOCTOR FOR AN APPOINTMENT!

Sorry, but I did warn you!

This event is not for self promotion, (I can't run the race for life, but what I can do is Papercrafting!) ALL money is going to the charity... in fact if you have anything to donate for a raffle prize or want to volunteer to help-out all offers will be gratefully recieved!

We will have a fun time making papercraft projects that you (hopefully!) will not have done before... a tote bag and 6 christmas cards, christmas tree ornaments, a photo cd holder... and much more. Tuition will be available from me and there will be project sheets so if time runs away from us (from too much chatter!) you can finish your projects at home.

I will need numbers (and fee if possible) in advance so I can make sure I have enough supplies for the day.

Any questions please email me...

Hope to see you there!

C xx

Punch Tutorial

Ive found this Brill tutorial Video for the lovely new Scallop Edge Punch available in the New Catalogue... Its so very easy...

Click Here...

Why am I Pink?

Can you guess why?
Details will be following in the next few days.

I want to ask you all a question...

When is the MOT due on your car? When is YOUR MOT DUE?
Which is more important, your car or your health?

TTFN!

C x

New Catalogue peeks!

Just a quick post to let you all know that in the next few days I will be posting some sneaky first peeks of the fabulous new catalogue! Im not going to give too much away (as I could get into trouble!) but will let you all in on some fab new stamps and accessories. ALSO: I will have a fantastic special offer... Stay tuned!

Goodbye to You...

One of the stamp sets I will be sorry to say goodbye to is this one 'Natures Wonders'.
BUT... You can still purchase retiring sets at a discount - NOW! (While stocks last!)



I kept this one really simple, using only 1 ink, Close to Cocoa and a few scraps of card. The background is the En Francais Background stamp... I didnt ink it up properly but rather than throw it away i just ripped it down and used a smaller piece! Every mistake is a creative challenge!

I did something a little different with the ribbon this time too... What do you think?

Ink: Close to Cocoa.
Card. Very Vanilla, Close to Cocoa, Pretty in Pink, Creamy Caramel
Stamps: Natures Wonders, En Francais.
Bits & Bobs: 5/8" Vanilla ribbon, Pretty in Pink and Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon.

Thanks for looking.

C xx

New Stamps are coming!

There are lots of new stamp sets in our new catalogue... Heres a couple of cards made with a set called For Father...








Im afraid you'll have to wait to see the rest!

I wasnt keen on this one when I saw it and thats the reason I bought it! I like to challenge myself. The joy of Stampin' Up! products is that you are able to coordinate colours and accessories really easily, even when you are working outside of your 'comfort zone'!

I stamped the images with Basic Grey (its waterproof therefore you can watercolour onto it without it 'bleeding') then coloured-in using the Earth Elements Markers. For a muted colour I 'scribble' a little ink onto the plastic stamp container - then use the Blender Pens to pick up the colour and use on the image. You can then add more intense details using the pens directly on the image...

Colours: Basic Grey & Earth Elements Inks.
Card: Very Vanilla, More Mustard, Really Rust, Close to Cocoa, Ruby Red, Brocade Blue, Summer Sun.
Bits & Bobs: Spiral Punch, Black Gingham Ribbon, Stampin Dimensionals (for 3d effect).

Im REALLY excited to be going to a BIG training meeting next Friday and will be meeting up with lots of other demos, learning some fun new techniques, making a new project and YES!, GETTING THE NEW CATALOGUE!!!

I may just post some 'teasers' here if you are really nice to me!
PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT!
Thanks for looking,
C xx

Sept 11th...

We will never forget.

Card Swap 1.

Here is a lovely card sent to me by a fellow SU Demonstrator Kara...



I have started a marker club with 3 other demonstrators and we are doing a card swap at the same time so, every month I will show you one of the other girls cards...
Take a look at the Heart stamped on this card, this multi coloured effect is done with the Marvelous Markers! Isnt it fab? You can colour the whole stamp in one shade or pick out areas with different shades. Just breathe on the stamp after inking and the result is wonderful...

Check out Kara's Blog for more ideas and inspiration...

Im loving the colours on this one Kara!

Thanks for looking
C x

Quick Update

I just wanted to share with you a very special day I had with my Daughter. The whole family went to London for a couple of days and us girls had a fun afternoon (as an early birthday present) at the Hammersmith Apollo watching the stage show of High School Musical! As much as I was dreading it.. I hate to admit it... it was FUN! Sitting in a theatre (which was a sea of Red & White - Never seen so many little girls dressed as cheerleaders off the football field!) surrounded by almost a thousand screaming 8 year old girls wasnt as bad as I expected. I ended up singing along and Im ashamed to say was even standing and dancing at the end. As for Abbi, she thoroughly enjoyed it and wavered between completely awestruck and waving her pom-poms and singing along!

I know its buying into the whole Disney- commercialism thing but at the end of the day the morals and the message of the HSM movies is all about being yourself and not letting others dictate what you do. I think this is a good thing to be teaching our youngsters...

Ok enough from the old fogey! If you can bear it... I recommend it!

Thanks for looking
C xx