Paper bow tutorial

A few people have asked me how I made the little paper  bow on my last card, so I thought I'd make a video tutorial....it's my first one, so be gentle with me!  I hope you find it useful.

Wild about Washi

It's been such a long time since I blogged, I wonder if anyone will read this!  If you do, I thank you for bearing with me....adapting to being a full time carer to an unexpected new baby at the age of 48, whilst coping with ME and Fibromyalgia, has been tough, but I finally think I'm getting a handle on things!  I've set up a new craft space in a tiny quiet corner of my bedroom and I'm here to share the fruits of my first bit of "me time" in ages.

I've completely fallen in love with washi tape..I'm so glad that Stampin' Up has released some this year, to match a couple of the wonderful new paper collections.  Washi is so easy to use, and inexpensive, I think it's a must-have in your craft stash.  Here I'm trying to hang on to the last gasp of Summer by using the beautifully bright Gingham Garden DSP and matching washi tape.  I've paired them with simple white cardstock, a bit of bling, and clean and simple sentiments from the Happy Day stamp set.

I've used the large oval punch to make the little paper bows, they are so easy to do and so effective.  I found a tutorial on YouTube by US demo Dee Slater, and a similar one by the fabulous Sam at www.pootles.co.uk

The colours are Island Indigo, Pear Pizzazz, Melon Mambo and Daffodil Delight.  I made a simple mat of Whisper White cardstock and added lines of washi tape...stamped the greeting using my Stamp-a-Majig to get perfect placement, and added the paper bow and some basic rhinestones.  I added the panel onto a plain white card base using stamping dimensionals for a clean, white on white look.

I thought they would make a cute gift set, so I'm going to spend this evening making some gift packaging for them, and that will be my first Christmas present made lol!

I hope you like my washi tape makes, and I hope to be back again soon with another project.

If you'd like to order some washi tape, or any other Stampin' Up products, you can now visit my online store and order 24/7, and have your order delivered straight to your door...how cool is that?  You can access my store via the link on the "Order Stampin' Up"  tab at the top of the page.

Until next time....Jolly crafting!

The Retirement Lists are here!!!

It's that time of year again!  In getting ready for the new annual catalogue launch in July, Stampin' Up publishes the retirement lists....lists of products that will no longer be available after 1 July.  In fact, these products are only available while stocks last, and may sell out way before then, so if there's something you can't live without, please contact me ASAP to place your order, as I'd hate for you to  be disappointed!  Some of the huge variety of stamps, inks, papers, ribbons and tools are discounted by up to 50 per cent so get browsing.

The retiring stamp sets can be found here.

And the retiring accessories list is here.

There are some fabulous bargains to be had, including designer paper packs at up to 50 per cent off, and bakers' twine for £1.88 a pack!  I'll be back over the coming days to spotlight some of the fab products that will soon be disappearing forever!

New Arrival!

Yes, we have an exciting and beautiful new arrival in our house!  Am I talking about my gorgeous new grandson Zachary...or the new Stampin' Up Spring/Summer Mini Catalogue?  All I can say is that both are exquisite and set my heart fluttering :)

Here's the new catalogue...it's jam packed with on-trend craft stash for the Spring and Summer months....check out the gorgeously  trendy honeycomb embossing folder - a snip at just £7.50 - and the hearts a flutter stamp set with matching framelits, perfect for valentine's day and beyond.  I'm loving the new flower trim and the Artisan embellishment kit, full of wonderful vintage lace, buttons, doilies and other beautiful adornments.

If you'd like to have a browse of the catalogue, click the link in the sidebar, or contact me if you'd like me to send you a paper copy.  If you'd like to place an order, I'd love to help you out...check out the "Order Stampin' Up" tab above for details.

We've been incredibly busy taking care of Zac, who was born unexpectedly on 23 January, but I should be back soon with some samples using the beautiful things from the Spring/Summer catalogue, and of course, Sale-a-bration is still in full swing, so you can earn FREE items with every £45 spent in both the main and seasonal catalogues!

How about ordering £162.50 worth of products of your choice....for just £99?  Join my team during Sale-a-bration and you can do just that!  You can run your Stampin' Up business YOUR way, whether you just want to get discounted products for you, your family and friends, or if you want to take advantage of the exciting new business and earning possibilities with Stampin' Up!  Feel free to contact me for an informal chat if you'd like to check out what being an Independent Stampin' Up Demonstrator is all about.

And now, I'll leave you with a picture of our other exciting new arrival...baby Zac...born by Caesarean on 23 January, weighing 5lb 14.

Until next time, 

Jolly stamping!

Allie x

Sale-a-Brate good times, come on!

Sale-a-bration, the most exciting time of the Stampin' Up year (apart from new catalogue launches of course) is here!

First of all, I hope you like my new blog redesign, in honour of this exciting promotion!  And here's how you can benefit during Sale-a-bration.

Between now and 22 March, for every £45 you spend on Stampin' Up products (before shipping), you get to choose from an exclusive range of goodies for FREE!  Yes, that's one for EVERY £45 spent, so if you spend £90, you get two, etc.  How amazing a deal is that??? 

And wait til you see the products you can choose...exclusive stamp sets in both clear and wood mount, designer series paper, ribbon and buttons, punches and embossing folders and a host of other fabulous items.

Click HERE to see the Sale-a-bration flyer.

Stampin' Up hasn't forgotten its hostesses either...if you hold a workshop of more than £150 during Sale-a-bration, you will get a pack of silver glimmer paper FREE, in addition to any Sale-a-bration items you earn from your own purchases.  If your workshop reaches £300 in sales, you'll get the glimmer paper, AND an entire matching bundle of products, including a stamp set, buttons, three spools of ribbon and a pack of designer series paper!

And if you would like to join my growing team and run your own Stampin' Up business (whether as a hobby or business demo), during Sale-a-bration you can choose £162.50 worth of products of your choice for only £99!  I would love you to call or email me for an informal, no obligation chat about what being a Stampin' Up demonstrator is all about and what it could do for you.  You don't have to hold workshops or classes if you don't want to - you can just get discount on purchases for yourself, your friends and family.

If you'd like a copy of the current catalogue or Sale-a-bration leaflet, or would like to make an order, give me a call or drop me a line, I'll be happy to help.  You can also access the catalogue on line by clicking on the link in the sidebar.

Just to whet your appetite, here's a sample I've made with one of the gorgeous FREE Sale-a-bration stamp sets, Bloomin Marvellous.

 This is a card I created for my swap at our upcoming team training.  I just love the sentiments in this set!

I think when you see what Sale-a-bration has to offer, you'll be as excited as I am!