Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator based in Nottingham but willing to travel - available for workshops, classes and individual orders. Tel 07891476636 or e-mail tracy147@hotmail.co.uk









Monday 14 October 2013

And the winners are......

Hello,

I've just had a very tiring, but pleasurable, weekend spent with my fabulous sister and a lovely bunch of ladies at Arnold Hill school fair.  Its nice to get together with like minded people for a good old chat about crafting... what more could a girl ask for?

Before going I decided to make something that I've had all the materials for since last November and that was drinks coasters.  There are a lot of different instructions on the internet but it mainly consists of plain wall tiles of your choice, I used 4x4, modge podge which is an adhesive, an acrylic spray to seal the coasters so that you can put hot drinks on them.  The final piece on the material list for me was the gorgeous Stampin' Up! papers.

Before I took them to the craft fair I took them into work first to see what the general consensus was.  I was pleased that I got a good response and even an order or two.  So I took them to the craft fair and was delighted with the feedback I received from my customers.  I made 12 sets in total and gift wrapped them ready to give as presents.  Here they are on laid out on my table that's been covered with my crafting table cloth....lol


Whilst at the craft fair I had 2 prize to give away and today my beautiful grandson drew two names out and gave one to his mummy, that was first prize, and the second name to his big nan (my mum) for the second prize.  So who are the lucky winners I hear you asking, well............

First prize goes to..........
Bex C

and the second prize goes to .........
Alison J

Congratulations ladies, I'll be dropping you an e-mail in the next day or so to arrange delivery of your prize.  Thank you to everyone who left their details and maybe you can try again next time we meet :)

I'll be back soon and remember, my class at the end of the month is covering Christmas cards so if you want to join us please get in touch by Saturday at the latest as I need to order products and book the room.  Thanks

Hugs 

Tracy -x-


Saturday 5 October 2013

Become a member of the Stampin'Up! family for less !!!




Have you ever thought about becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator but didn't have £99 spare?  Well for two weeks only you can sign up for a mere £25 , yes you read it right for just £25.  So what's included in this offer I hear you ask... just read on to find out more about this fabulous deal.....

Dates: 7-21 October 2013
  • This offer is only good for two weeks, so take advantage of it right away!
  • During this offer, only the special 25 €/£25 starter kit will be available; the regular 129 €/£99 starter kit will not be available. The 25 €/£25 Starter Kit includes
    • 26.95 €/£26.95 worth of Stampin’ Up! products
    • Business pack, which includes
      • A box of annual catalogues
      • A package of the current seasonal catalogue
      • Getting Started DVD
      • Order forms
      Guest invitation postcards
     
     Not only does the above apply but, if you place your first workshop order of £150 or more, and its within 30 days of signing up, then you will benefit from being able to choose any stamp set in the annual 2013-2014 catalogue which will be redeemable with your first demo order in December.
    You will also benefit from 30% discount on your first order including any hostess benefits you may have earned by holding your own workshop.
    Finally, you will be building up your collection of products quite quickly.

    So what are you waiting for, visit my SU blog and register online or, if you only want to order some products but don't want to wait for me to put an order in, then go to my 24hr online shop, register with me and off you go.  If you would like to look at the current catalogues then click on the pictures on the right of your screen to access a online copy. One last thing, if you are ordering or signing up please make sure my name is in the top right of your screen. 

    You can find my Stampin' Up! blog here... 

    http://www2.stampinup.com/ECWeb/default.aspx?dbwsdemoid=5001670

    Happy Shopping :)

    Hugs 
    Tracy -x-

     




Thursday 26 September 2013

My online shop is now up and running

Hello Everyone,

I know I've been AWOL for a while but I hope to rectify that from now on and post regularly on here.  I have got projects that I want to show you but first I want to tell you about my new SU online shop.   Some of you may have already heard about it but this is the first opportunity I've had to update you all.

So, what does this online shop mean, well it means you can now order directly from me online.  You need never have to organise a party again, unless you want too of course.  Even then you don't need a demo, collect your orders, contact me and I'll give you a hostess code so that you benefit from the freebies if your order reaches the minimum required.  You will need to create an account, whether hostess order or personal order, but once its done that's it, the system should remember you

If you do wish to order from me please make sure that the name at the top of the page is mine.  This link will take you to my online shop and there is never a  time like the present  to go and have a look as SU have launched the clearance rack .  Yes you heard right, a clearance rack where retired stock is reduced in price, some items have as much as 80% off.  So what you waiting for, pop along and start shopping today.

http://www2.stampinup.com/ECWeb/default.aspx?dbwsdemoid=5001670
If you have any questions or doubts please get in touch and I'll happily help you out.  All the current products can be viewed on my shop site, with a menu on the left hand side to make it easier to find things, my blog or, if you would like a hard copy, let me know.

Thats if for now but I will be back soon, honestly, to show you some of the things I have been doing.

Until then, take care 

Hugs
 Tracy -x-

Wednesday 3 July 2013

Scrapbook pages

Last Saturday was my scrapbook class and, although one item on the page is no longer available, I still wanted to show you the pages we did.   I try and vary  the colours we use so always look back to see previous pages we did.  It was a very hard decision as we have made so many...lol.

Anyway, I decided to go with the colour combination of Cherry Cobbler, Wisteria Wonder and Pink Pirouette.  I liked the way these colours went together.  The darkness of the cherry cobbler made the other two colours really stand out.

I have seen on many cards and scrapbook pages the layout as though the picture were in the middle of a sunbeam.  So I thought I'd give it a go.  I got a piece of scrap card that comes with 12x12 papers and just cut it so that I got several pieces that I numbered 1-14, these were my template for the sunbeam effect.   I then layered the pieces on the card stock I was using, drew around them and cut them out.  

Now, because I wanted a kind of monotone look with the sunbeams I used cherry cobbler core'dinations card which, when embossed using the Chevron embossing folder and sanded down, did the job very well I thought.  The next bit was easy, I just stuck the pieces down, now if you are doing this method don't be put off by how untidy it looks in the middle as this is covered up with your picture.  Initially my hubby turned his nose up but when he saw the finished product he was impressed.



As you will see this page only had one photo on it and who better to be the center of attention (well not quite but that was deliberate) than my lovely blue eyed boy, Leo.  He's getting big now, he will be 2 in a couple of weeks, how time flies.  Also on this page are the now retired bottle tops.  I'm sorry to see these go as they were so versatile.... oh well never mind,somethings got to make way for all our new stuff hasn't it ladies?

Now on to page 2. I wanted to use more than one photo on this page but still use the same colour scheme as it was a double page for my scrapbook.  So, I thought, who's cute, got lovely blue eyes and warms my heart every time I see him, no not hubby, although he comes a close second, but my little man again.

You can see from the picture that I stamped all the pieces of card in their corresponding ink.  I used the Mixed Bunch set that has remained in the catalogue to do this.  I wanted to keep it fairly simple but show how inquisitive Leo is getting.  These sets of pictures were taken a on Fathers day when we were all out in the garden.  Leo takes after his mum for following his granddad around, trying to mimic him as that's what Nicola did with her granddad down the allotments.... oh the memories :)


Finally here are the two pages together, I hope you like them?


If you would like to order any of the products I have used, except the bottle tops, please see the list below and just contact me to order.

Til next time

Hugs
Tracy -x-

Products used:
Card stock - Cherry Cobbler, Pink Pirouette, Wisteria Wonder and Cherry Cobbler Core'dinations
Inks - Cherry Cobbler, Pink Pirouette and Wisteria Wonder
Stamp sets - Mixed Bunch - Clear set
Other products - Wisteria Wonder ribbon, Cherry cobbler and Wisteria Wonder marker pens, Clear blocks, SU paper cutter
Punches - Scallop boarder punch
Big shot with Chevron embossing folder
No longer available - bottle tops

Tuesday 2 July 2013

New 2013/2014 Catalogue is out now

Hello everyone,

It may only be July but Stampin'Up! have decided to launch the NEW Annual Catalogue a whole 3 months earlier than usual.  Why I hear you asking?  Well they wanted us, the distant relatives from over the pond lol,  to be on the same catalogue as our American cousins for a little longer than usual.  So, in June they launched the catalogue in the USA and Europe follow in July with 2 seasonal catalogues to follow.

There is so much more on offer including My Digital Studio which allows you to create online pages for scrapbooks and cards.  As yet I haven't had the time to try it out but the reviews already from other demonstrators is very promising.

However, I have used the new embossing folders and some of the papers from the new catalogue.  As a Demonstrator you can order select items prior to the launch of the catalogue so I thought I'd make hubby's fathers day card for last month using my new toys and this is what I came up with....


I have used the new mosaic embossing folder and punch along with some of the new designer series papers and washi tape.  To give the pattern detail I emobossed the core'dinations cardstock in Early Expresso and sanded it down.  After I'd finished it felt like velvet.  I then took some of the DSP, Soho Subway to cover the other side of the card and to punch out the mosaic sections in blue.  Having stamped the sentiment from Really Good Greetings stamp set i punched it out with the label punch and did the same in very vanilla to put round the original shape for a bit of depth.

Some of you would have spotted the Epic Day This and That Designer Washi tape on the top right of the card.  It is clearer in real life and this picture was taken when the sky was over cast, sry.

If you would like to order anything out of the catalogue, or to do this project, just drop me a line and I will put it through for you.  My details can be found at the top of the page.

Hugs
Tracy -x-

Products used
Inks - Whisper White
Cardstock - Island Indigo, Very Vanilla, Early expresso core'dinations
Paper - Soho Subway
Stamp Sets - Really Good Greetings
Tools - mosaic embossing folder, mosaic punch, Big shot, Decorative Label punch, Needle point embossing folder, sanding block
Ribbon - Epic Day this and that designer washi tape

Thursday 16 May 2013

Patterned Party

Hello everyone in blogger land,

I hope you are all well and busy crafting?  Today is full of sunshine but it is rather on the chilly side don't you think?  I remember how hot is was on the 16th May 1989, not like today, as it was the day my eldest daughter was born :)  So I have been up since 8.30 this morning doing her card.  I tried over the last few night but nothing seemed right, no matter what I did, so I packed it all in and went to watch some TV before I threw everything in the bin...lol.

So, despite having older things to show you I'm going to show you the card I've just finished making for her. I have a few stamp sets that have never been used and one of them is Patterned Party so I decided to use this one.  Its a stamp set that shouts fun at you with the bunting, balloons, numbers etc.  I had already chosen the colour scheme as green and purple as I feel they compliment one another.  The other reason was that, at my recent scrapbook class my sister and sister in law used this combination and Nicola commented on how nice it looked together.

Ok here is the card for Nicola's birthday today:


I have used Perfect Plum, Whisper White and Wild Wasabi card-stock.  On the Apothacary Accent Framelit I have used one of the brilliant builder brads, don't you just love them.  I personally think they make a card seem very elegant.  The whisper white card was embossed using the hexagonal embossing folder and looked a bit empty when I put it on the card so I punched out some tiny hearts and stuck then inside one of the hexagonal shapes. Just what was needed I thought.

Below is the inside of the card and I have used Bring on the Cake stamp set for the sentiment.


I hope you have enjoyed looking at my creations and if you have I would appreciate it if you could leave a comment to show you have passed by.

Hugs

Tracy -x-

Products used which can all be purchased from me, just get in touch as I'd love to hear from you,
Card -  Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, Perfect Plum
Stamps - Patterned Party, Bring on the cake
Inks -  Wild Wasabi, Perfect plum
Tools -  Big Shot, Hexagon embossing folder, Apothecary Accent Framelits, Stampin scrub and cleaner
Accessories -  Build a brad,  Elegant Eggplant spotted scallop ribbon

Monday 13 May 2013

Punch Art

Hello everyone,

Sorry about my absence for so long, I don't have any excuse other than life goes by so quicly... Anyway, I'm here now and that's all that matters, isn't it?  I have lots of projects to show you that go back to March and I am on leave this week so I've no excuse not to post ...lol

 To start us off I'm going to show you a card that my daughter asked me to make for one of her friends at work. If you are like me I tend to give cards that reflect the person's hobbies or interests and so I asked my daughter what her friend liked.   This made her laugh and I couldn't understand why until she told me that her friend liked cows!!!   OK I thought, how am i going to overcome this one when none of my sets of stamps have a cow in it?  Easy, punch art.

So I used my trusty Google site and searched under images for  SU punch art cows and hey presto some came up, plus lots of other punch art images.  The one I chose to CASE was off a very talented ladies site, Andi Potler http://www.absolutekreations.com, and was this my end version:

As you can see I only changed the style of the card , mine wasn't an easel card, and the sentiment at the top of the card to reflect the occasion. My daughter said her friend loved it so thank you Andi for coming to my rescue.

I've listed the products I've used below so if you would like to order any of the products please get in touch. I'll be back soon, promise, with more creations. So until then stay safe and happy crafting.

Hugs

Tracy -x-  

Stamp Sets: Itty Bitty Banners
Card : Real Red , Pretty In Pink , Basic Black, Very Vanilla , Whisper White
Ink:  Real Red, Pretty In Pink , Chocolate Chip , Basic Black 
Punches: Modern Label , Word Window, Curly Label  Boho Blossoms, 5-Petal Flower, Heart to Heart , Itty Bitty Bits , 3/4″ Circle , 1/2″ Circle , Extra-Large Oval , Large Oval , Owl Builder , Cupcake Builder
Tools: Big Shot, Stripes Textured Embossing Folder, Sponge Daubers , Paper Snips Paper Cutter
Accessories: Stampin’ Dimensionals, Silver Brads

Friday 12 April 2013

More Male cards

Hi again,

Well spring didn't last long from my last post did it...lol  Anyway as you may have read, about a week ago I posted some cards for my husband's birthday.  I showed you 2 one that was from me and one from little Leo, although he's not so little now... he's two in July where does the time go?

So back to birthday cards, I needed to make 2 for my daughters to give to dad.  Obviously I couldn't make two the same so needed to come up with two more ideas for male cards.  Whenever they are for the girls I always let the first one here chose.  Nicola was the first one to chose this time and chose one where I had used the New Sizzlits S die - pinwheel.- from the spring catalogue (pg 33).  I also, for the first time despite having it months, used the big square scallop die to create the wavy edge boarder and went around them with crumb cake ink.  The ribbon was initially whisper white but, having rubbed it along the Cajun Craze ink pad and leaving it to dry, it became the same colour as the card, just perfect.  The name "dad" was from the set For My Family



Next is the card that I gave to Kirsty for her dad.  Again it was difficult thinking up a front but I found the template for this card among several I have saved in the past.  I usually struggle with the layout of a card so templates are brilliant for me.  So here I used the stamp set The Open Sea.  The embellishment in the top left corner is one of the new bottle top embellishments we have in the Spring/Summer catty on pg 24.  I put it through my big shot to flatten it and then added the stamped image after.  The one inch circle punch is a perfect fit for the larger bottle top and the half inch circle for the smaller bottle top.


The ship images was stamped and then die cut using Floral Frames Framelits, which are another new product, but this time can be found in the main catty on pg 191.  The sentiment is again from For My Family as its hard to get individual "names" in sets don't you think?

Well I hope you have liked looking at my creations and all the mess in the background...lol.  Sry but its been a bit of a hard week for me one way and another and I have only just realised I haven't cropped the photos....doh.

Til next time 

Hugs
Tracy -x-

Saturday 6 April 2013

Is Spring finally here ????

Hello,

I can't believe it we actually have some sun and a bit of warmth, well it is when you are in the sun, bit chilly when you aren't.  But its just lovely to see a bright fresh day.  I think it cheers everyone up don't you?  Hubby is currently in his greenhouse pricking out over 300 plants and I'm about to do some crafting and it is so nice to have the conservatory door open to hear the birds.

Well I have that many cards to show you I really don't know where to start so I think I'll spoil you and combine a couple in the same post.   It was my hubby's  birthday last weekend and, as you can imagine, I had quite a few cards to make.  I generally find it difficult making cards for men  but for these I just found a couple of sketches that I had save and worked from there.

The first card I'm going to show you is the one from me.  Anyone who knows my hubby will know that he is a tea-a-holic.  So what better set to use then the Tea Shoppe stamp set.   Stampin' Up couldn't have made a more apt set for him.  You don't realise until you use this set just how detailed the large cup is.

Now a blokes card, to me,  means mens' colours so I used Pool Party and Island Indigo (both from the 2011-2013 in colours) along with Whisper White card and here is the end result:


I stamped the image onto Island Indigo card-stock with Whisper White ink and put it to one side to dry.  Whilst the image was drying I cut out one of the sizes from the Labels Collection Framelits and then embossed it with the Perfect Polka Dots Folder.  By now the image had dried so I used the next size down
(I had already measured it check the image fitted) and die cut the image.  The rest is pretty much straight forward.  The two sentiments were from both from the  Tea Shoppe stamp set.

Now for the second card.  This is one that Little Leo sent his grandad.  Boy is he getting big now and his speech is coming on in leaps and bounds.  It helps that his mum interacts a lot with him and doesn't just sit him in front of the TV, they are always doing something :)

Anyway, Leo wanted to do a quite simple but colourful card for his Grandad so chose to use the Pennant Parade stamp set to create a party hat card.  The colours were Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, Pool Party and Calypso Coral, well in fact all the in-colours for 2011 to 2013


Its the first time I have put all 5 colours together and I think they look good.  The sentiment is from the stamp set For My Family a very useful set to have.  The punches used were Curly Label and Decorative Label.  Also used was the 1/2" punch to make the pom poms on the hats.

Well I hope you have liked my double post.  I'll be back soon to show you the cards I made for the girl to give to Dad.  Until then take care and look after yourself and your family.

Oh I forgot to show you that Leo even signed the card himself...... don't you just love those memories?

Take care

Hugs
Tracy -x-










Monday 1 April 2013

Something different

Hello everyone, 

I hope you have all had a nice Easter and you are ready to go back to work tomorrow?. 

Today I'm going to show you a card that I made for my mum to give to Kirsty when she turned 21 in February this year.  As it was a memorable birthday I wanted to make a special card that she could keep.  I'm not sure what the style is called, and I think I made my first on like this at one of Julie Kettlewells' training, but what I do know is that its very fiddly to make.

The main body of the card is made from one sheet of 12x12 card-stock and the DSP Patio Party (pg 165 main catty).  You will need an additional strip of 12 x 12 card-stock to make the band.  Using the cotton Ribbon (pg 35 summer catty) I stamped the Happy 21st Birthday message in Night of Navy with the stamp set Memorable Moments (pg 139 main catty).  I have also used one of the quaint little charms from, Tea Time Trinkets,  (pg 1 of the summer catty).


When you remove the band holding it all together it kinda spring open like an Explosion box.  As you can see I have decorated all of the inside edges too with matching DSP.  I have used the retired Just Perfect Alphabet stamp set to stamp out Kirsty's name and a stamp from the now retired, but wasn't when I made the card, Sale-a-bration set called Vintage Verses.  Both my mum and Kirtsy liked the finished product,


I hope to be back soon as I have lots of cards to show you and, maybe ,a sneak peek for the end of the months scrapbook pages.    If you would like to purchase any of the items I have used please do not hesitate to ask and I will gladly order them for you.  Likewise, if you would like to participate in one of my classes then please get in touch so that we can arrange somethings.

That's if from me so until next time take care and happy crafting,

Hugs
Tracy -x-

Wednesday 27 March 2013

Time flies..

..When you are having fun doesn't it?   I have been so busy with work, family life and studying ( I have 2 courses on the go at the minute, I know I must be mad...lol).  Anyway believe it or not I  have done some crafting among all of the aforementioned activities and I would like to share one of them with you today.

Its not really a card more of a mini scrapbook.  I made it for Nicola to give to Kirsty on her 21st Birthday in February.  Kirsty like purple so I had to use that colour and what goes well with purple... pink.

To make this mini scrapbook you need 5 Stampin' Up! envelopes.  You cut the overlay off the envelopes and punch holes on the sealed edge leaving the opening at the front.  Once this is done you measure a piece of card, punch holes in it to match the envelopes and thread ribbon through to secure.  You end up with 10 sides to decorate inside the book and, if you wish, you can make extra pages to fit into the envelope itself as the opening is at the front.  In there you could put photographs, money, a cheque etc.  Needless to say with all that was going off at the beginning of February I didn't do this..lol


This is the front cover and I have used that stamp set "You are Loved" which I thought was appropriate.


For the first page and I  used the stamp set "Amazing Family" as I wanted Kirsty to know how her sister feels about her, although this is sometimes debatable...lol



Next I wanted to give Nicola somewhere to write a message to her sister so I used some of the papers from the Storytime DSP . I think this went down well as its more personal than just a verse.




On one of these pages I used the lovely paper Doilies from the Spring Summer catalogue and the stamp set "All Dressed Up".  I stamped the 21st with the new set "Memorable Moments .  Don't you think we've have some wonderful sets out there at the moment?


Next page saw me using some more paper from Storytime DSP.  I then used "Sweet Cake" and "Fabulous Phrases stamp sets to signify what Kirsty means to Nicola.... again sometimes debatable !!!!




However, for the last page I had to sum up the child Kirsty really was... and that  was ....





but in a nice, funny way that always made us laugh.  You could never stay angry with Kirsty for long.


Thank you for taking the time to read my posts.  If you wish to purchase any of the aforementioned items please do not hesitate to get in touch and I will gladly place your order.

Til next time folks

Hugs

Tracy -x-

Wednesday 13 February 2013

Henry Says

Hi everyone,

I'm sitting at home watching the snow fall and praying that its gone by tomorrow as I don't like driving in it.  My 10 minute journey today took 20 mins today.  

Remember in my last post I showed you a card I made for my youngest daughters partner?  Well I'm now going to show you the one I made for my eldest daughter to give him.  I decided to use a new set from the Spring/Summer catalogue that started on the 1 February until the 30 June. Its called Henry Says and it just sooooo cute.  Not only can Henry (the elephant) be for a birthday but it can be used for any occasion, Christmas, invites etc.

I also teamed it up with other new products from the Spring/Summer catalogue such as the pin wheel die, Soda Pop Tops, new scoreboard and the Print Poetry DSP Stack.  Here is the end result:


I quite liked the finished item.  I pierced the Soda Pop Top with my piecing tool which went through quite easily  So if you like Henry and would like to purchase him just get in touch and I'll gladly put your order through.
ck 
That's it for now but I have lots to show you so will be back soon.

TTFN

Hugs 
Tracy -x-

Products used:

Big shot 113439 £98.95
Pin Wheel Die 129411 £4.50
Henry Says stamp set 128093 £21.85
Soda Pop Tops  129388 £3.75
Black card stock 121688 £6.25
Whisper White card 106549 £7.50
Scoreboard 122334 £25.95
Simply Scored Boarders Scoring Plate 126192 £13.50


Sunday 10 February 2013

Feeling Sentimental

Well its been a very busy end of January/beginning of February with birthdays.  It was my daughters partners birthday at the end of January so I needed to make 3 cards for him, one from us, one from my other daughter and one from my grandson.  As usual I left it right to the last minute to make the cards.  Does anyone else do that?  You know all year long that you have birthdays to celebrate yet never do the cards in advance !!!!!

Anyway, I wanted to do a card using the fabulous free sets we can earn during Sale-a bration so I chose to use the set Feeling Sentimental.  Its always difficult to do male cards but don't you think these are great images to use on male cards?  I do.  I like the telephone box as it reminds me of my childhood when you actually had to go and use it if you didn't want your parents hear your conversation......lol


I used Night of Navy card for the base.  On the top of that I applied Cherry Cobber  Core'dinations card that was available in the Autumn/Winter catalogue, new colours are available in the current Spring/Summer catalogue.  I have embossed it with the new embossing folder, Honeycomb, and have sanded it down with the sanding block to highlight the honeycomb design.

Next I stamped my image in Cherry Cobbleronto Very Vanilla card  and cut it out using my big shot and the Window Frames Collection Framelits  Dies.  I added the brads before I attached it to the card.   Again, in Cherry Cobbler, I stamped the sentiment from the set and cut this out but this time I used the Apothecary Accents Framelits.  The brads were added and then attached to the main card.

I think it turned out okay and, to be honest, it looked better in the flesh but then again most things do, don't they?  I'll be back soon to show you some more cards made for the Jan/Feb birthdays.

Thanks for stopping by, please leave a comment to show you have visited my page.

Hugs
Tracy -x-

Products used:
Stamp set: Feeling Sentimental (Free with a £45 spend until 22 March)
Big shot (113439 @ £87.95) If you are interested in purchasing the big shot don't forget to check out my Specials page for a great offer.
Embossing folder - Honeycomb (129378 @£7,50)
Window Frames Collection Dies ( 129021 @ 22.95)
Apothecary Accents Dies (127003 @ £20.95)
Stampin' Sanding System  (129367 @ £3.75)
Not Quite Navy Cardstock (126971 @£ 6.25)
Metallic Brads (119741 @ £5.75)
Very Vanilla card (106549 @ £7.50)











Sunday 27 January 2013

Is it a car, is it a plane, no its a pirate ship...

Now I know that when you think of Stampin'Up! you think of cards.  Well I was given a challenge at work the other day by my boss.  To start with I took the "book" card in for everyone to look at and sign.  My manager the said. "can you do a pirate ship?"  At first I thought she was joking and took no notice of the request.

Anyway, on my way home a week last Friday I got to thinking she might not have been joking.  So I got on the internet and searched a well known site for Pirate ship images and patterns and a fair few came up.    I picked one out that I thought was an easy shape and cut it out from the cardboard we get with our 12x12 papers. 

Once I had the basic shape I covered the ship in the wood pattern paper from the Natural Composition Selection of papers.  I then  punched out cannon holes on the side of the ship using the 1" punch.  I must admit I thought I might break my punch but it went through with a little bit of pressure. I then made the cannon hole surrounds by punching out the 1" circle and then went around that with the 1 1/4" punch. From there I designed steps at the rear of the ship, a deck at the front of the ship and a seat (you can just see them in the picture),  Through the seat I made a small hole and put through it a wooden skewer (not SU lol) and secured it to the bottom of the boat with a glue dot.

It looked a bit bare so I punched out some bunting using the Howlstooth and Saringbone DSP from the Autumn/winter catalogue with the Petite Pennants Builder Punch.  I found the flag on the internet and printed that off.

I took it into work last Monday but my manager couldn't get into the office due to the snow so it wasn't until Wednesday that she saw it.  Well to say she was pleased was an understatement. It was for her 5yr old to take into school and she loved it.  Here is the final result:

When she came in the following day she told me her son was amazed by it and wanted to make some cannons, a crows nest and wheel to go on it.   It made my day on a day what turned out to be a very sad one for me.

I hope you like my creation.  I'll be back soon with some more cards as I have lots to make over the next 2 weeks as my daughter turns 21 in a few weeks time and her boyfriends birthday is next week.

Hugs 
Tracy -x-

Products used:
Petite Pennants Bulider punch
1" and 11/4" Circle punch
Howlstooth and Scaringbone DSP
Natural Composition Speciality paper

Thursday 24 January 2013

Hello,

How are you all doing?  I've got a couple of days off work so am making the most of them. Yesterday was a bad day as I heard that a friend is really poorly and it made me realise how important family and friends are.  I've also realised that if a friend cannot accept you as you are then they aren't your friend so its pointless worrying about it so make the most of the family and friends who do care about you and appreciate life itself.

So, to cheer myself  up, I went to the hairdressers this morning with my youngest daughter and had our hair cut.  I had to laugh at Kirsty, she went too get some money from the cash machine and wouldn't use it as it charged her for the privilege.  She was astounded that she had to pay to get her own money out.  So, guess who ended up paying, yes that's right, me...lol.   Its funny that even though they have both left  home and have jobs I still end up paying.  From there we went to see my mum so it was a really nice morning.

Anyway, enough about me, I'm now going to show  you something I've made since I was last here.  To be honest, not only have I not blogged for a while I haven't done much crafting.  I know how bad is that?  Well to get me back into swing I made a card for one of my friends at work.  She turned 30 this week so I wanted it to be a special card so decided to do a book card.    Below are the end results:

This is the front of the card.                                         This is the card open                                    
     



This is the box for the card  








As you will see the end result was pretty good, even though I say so myself as it was my first attempt at one of these cards.  I found the fiddly part was "pleating" the pages together, you really do need 2 pairs of hands.  I just love these colours, quite neutral yet so elegant.

For the outer part of the book I used paper, well its more like card, from the Speciality Designer Paper Natural Composition Speciality.   It is lovely paper and has a fabulous shine to it that isn't really picked up in my photos.   I then used another Designer Series Paper, Comfort Cafe, for the top layer of the card.  Some of you may have noticed that there's something new on my box, well you will have to wait until I'm able to tell you what it is......

We all chipped in and got her some jewellery to put inside the card.   I wasn't there when they gave her the card but I was told she was thrilled with everything, especially the card..... lol

I hope you like it too, til next time

Hugs 
Tracy -x-
Products used:
DSP- Comfort Cafe, Natural Composition Speciality
Ribbon
Very Vanilla card 
Big shot - Labels Collection Framelits
Stamp Set : Bring on the Cake, Delightful Dozen
Dimensionals
Ex SU alphabet for the numbers

Tuesday 22 January 2013

Hello everybody,

I wish you a very belated Happy New Year.  I'm sorry that I haven't been around for a while but with Christmas, work and family life, it can get a bit hectic at times and sometimes something has to take the back burner.  But I'm back now and I hope to bring you some lovely creations with all the gorgeous products Stampin' Up! are going to bring us this year.

For those of you who have been buying Stampin'Up! for a while will know all about Sale-a-Bration. For those of you who have never heard about it you're in for a treat.  During Sale-a-Bration you have the chance to earn FREE, EXCLUSIVE stamp sets and products.  Yes you did read it right they are FREE and  EXCLUSIVE, you won't see them in a brochure anywhere.

So how do you earn the stamp sets I hear you cry?  Well it's easy, from the 22 January - 28 March, for every £45 you spend you get the chance to choose a free item from the Sale -a -Bration brochure (if you would like one sending out let me know and I'll get one in the post to you immediately)  Alternatively you can click on the icon on my home page and it will take you to the brochure itself.

Now, I must admit it does look a bit spaghetti junction however, but I have been sent a more easy on the eye layout...lol  Here it is


Some of you eagle eyed people will have noticed that there are come products from the main catalogue This is not a mistake it just allows you to get something different from the stamp sets.

So what are you waiting for, get in contact to book your workshop, invite a few friends along and lets have some fun earning the FREEBIES 

I'll be back shortly with some creations I've made so don't forget to pop back to see what I've been up too.

Hugs 

Tracy x