Sunday 31 October 2010

Guess where Ive been...

Give you a clue....


Yep.... pussy cat watching... I'll fill you in more tomorrow when I get chance. xxx

Monday 25 October 2010

Packing a punch...

Hi again... how are you all?

I've been spending the last day or so creating, so thought I'd share another project from last weekend. Honestly, you really need to experience a Training Day with Monica and Bekka - they're truly not to be missed and so much fun. We have a lovely collection of projects to make too, and you can see more on Monica's blog of the ones I haven't had chance to photograph yet.

However, this little card box for a set of 4" x 4" cards is one I'd love to share.

We used the wonderful birdy punch (I love that bird!!) and a collection of other punches too to create this piece of art.

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And I'd also love to share this with you too... one of Linzi's little gift boxes that was made last weekend too. Isn't it just the cutest?

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Right.. must get on.. I'm getting there with all my projects, so hopefully by the middle of next week they'll all be delivered and I'll have more to do. (In fact, I know I will, as I'm waiting for some product arriving at the moment!)

Saturday 23 October 2010

A bit more punch...

Oh I love the new border punches.. did I tell you that??

After another few busy days, I thought I'd just upload a few cards for you from our Sunday out last week. As you know, I was down in Peterborough with a lovely collection of lady Stampin Uppers!

I was, as I said before, demoing the new border and corner punches. Here are some of the cards that I made on the day.

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This is another of the cards I made last week.. Except I didn't place a sentiment on this one. I love Bashful Blue.. it's really lovely and delicate.

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This card was just basic stamping and the border was made to act as a ribbon holder. I used gold thread from Stampin' Up to thread through the holes.

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This card is one of my favourites too! It's Certainly celery and Whisper White with the Vintage Vogue stamp set.

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Here's a little close up of the punched edge. How pretty!

Right.. I must get on with work.. I have a pile of Wedding Invitations and Save the Date magnets to make.. and some work too for Docrafts.. so hopefully you'll check back soon.

Take care, and Happy Crafting!!

Thursday 21 October 2010

Just a little box or two ..

Hello everyone..

Sorry for the delay in posting another project for you all, but this week has just been so bad for time..

On Monday, I was catching up on things from Sunday after I attended a Training Event held for us Stampin' Uppers. And what fun it was too! I travelled down with my friend, Sharon, at around seven o'clock to be there for nine.

I needed to be there early as I was demoing for Monica and Bekka.The lovely Linzi was there too demoing.. and I have some photos of her fantastic punchy projects to show another day - they are seriously not to be missed!!

I was showing the new corner and border punches. I honestly wasn't too sure about them to begin with, but after using them for a wide array of projects, I am totally in love!!! There is a knack to using them, but once you've cracked it.. you've got it!

here's a little something I made to show.

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The box was a basic little pizza styleee box, but I put a top and bottom on it and decorated it up a little. You can see the border and corner punch on it in this little photo below. I love the little Pizza Boxes, they are so adaptable with the size and dimensions. And also so easy to make. 

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And here is another little box too.

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I made this one more like a little book style box. Again, you can clearly see how brilliant the scallop punch is with corner.

So, after Monday came Tuesday and I had a corker of a migraine.. I had an appointment in the morning and didn't feel very well at all, so had to cancel my meeting with Sharon at Costa Coffee (tragic as we love our Costa!) and I had to try and make my way home, being sick and not feeling at all well. I collapsed into bed at around 11 o'clock in the morning, and didn't get back up until three. I hate having migraines.. they seem to be getting worse each time. So if anyone has any hints and tips, feel free to leave a comment!!

As you can see, Tuesday came and went and Wednesday wasn't much better either. I always end up quite cotton-woolish in my head and can't quite focus on things, concentration is lax and my brain just doesn't work.. (no change there then! lol). So today, I was relieved when I woke up at 5am feeling a little more 'normal', as I have loads of things to catch up on.

I am off to another coffee shop today (and I really don't drink coffee that often!) to meet up with my downline Sarah.. It's so exciting! She has a craft fair on Sunday to promote her business  and get herself known.. so all the best of luck Sarah, and me and my tablecloth will be with you around 10am!

Right. It's now 9.15am, and I really ought to go and get sorted out.

I'll be back with more projects later for you. Happy Crafting everyone!

Tuesday 19 October 2010

A new way to shop

Guess what's just arrived at Stampin' Up??



Yes... you guessed it - you can now pay for all your Stampin' Up! supplies with your Credit and Debit Cards. Now isn't that fantastic? And so much easier.

To celebrate this NEW method of payment, I am offering FREE shipping with all orders paid with credit and debit cards until the end of November 2011.

Happy crafting - and of course, shopping!

Monday 18 October 2010

Fast and Fabulous

Just in case you were thinking I was talking about me (!!) I am in fact talking about the Stamp Set that I've used in this card here..sorry for the fuzziness.. it was very early morning and I didn't want to use flash.

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It's one of the stamp sets that I had the pleasure of preordering before the catalogue came out - and I am soooooo glad that I did, as it is in fact, fast and fabulous. Fast because it makes your projects come together easily and quickly, and fabulous, basically because it is! You have a range of stamps in the set from single flowers to this stem - just beautiful. And to get it, you just need to hold a workshop and make the sales target to recieve it!

That target is only £300 and you'll get a choice of some exclusive fabulous stamp sets that you can't buy, and also a minumum of £35 of free product from the catalogue. So if you'd like a workshop, then just email me - joaustin22@aol.com

Here's the close up of the flowers -

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It is a two step stamping set but is really easy to use. I've used taffeta ribbon to decorate it up a little, and the colours are Bashful Blue, Rose Red and Old Olive. I also used the Medallion stamp and Le Francais to make the background.

Saturday 16 October 2010

Growing Green.... and a Special Offer

Oh gosh, I absolutely love this set!

This is a new set from Stampin' Up, and is available in the new catalogue in both Wood Mount and Clear Mount choices. And there are so many things that you can do with it.. but this is just one of those things.

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I kept the card quite plain and simple and it came from an idea that Monica gave to me the other day when we were talking at the Motorway Services!! We met to throw a few ideas about as regards Stampin' Up and sat, had a lovely coffee, did a bit of crafting, spoke to a few people who came up to us to see what we were upto, and just generally had a great time.

The card was made with Soft Suede and Whisper White cardstock. I used Dazzling Diamonds and Heat and Stick powders to the brown panel to create a bit of glitz. I also added some Dazzling Diamonds to the flower after colouring.

I hope you like it. I sometimes think Clean and Simple is good.

I am also offering you the opportunity to recieve a Kit by Mail to make 
a selection of cards from this set
at a Special Offer Price of only £40 with free postage (worth £4.95)

You will recieve  

Growing Green Wood Mount stamp set (worth £20.95)
Soft Suede Ink pad (worth £4.95)
Versamark ink pad (worth (£5.95)
Heat and Stick powder (worth £3.75)
Dazzling Diamonds glitter (worth £3.75)
150 Basic Pearls to decorate (worth £4.50)
Cardstock and envelopes and full instructions to create a set of 10 cards, all cut
to size and ready for you to get crafting.

If you have any of the above items they can be changed to something of equivalent value. 
If you prefer the Clear Mount set, you will recieve an extra ink pad of your choice. 
You will need to provide all adhesives and sentiments. These can be purchased through me, 
just contact me for more information.

Payment is by Cheque or by Paypal (please email me -joaustin22@aol.com)

Right.. must get on.Tomorrow is coming quicker than I think, and I still have lots to do to my swap cards.

Happy Crafting everyone until next time..

Friday 15 October 2010

Going batty....

Definately! In more ways than one!!!

I'm going daft this week with loads of bits of card chopped to all shapes and sizes, punched, stamped, and then stuck together! I'm counting down to going to Peterborough with other SU demonstrators and my friend, Sharon, to enjoy a day of crafting and chatter!

So, the second reason that I'm going batty is with this cute little fella...

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This is the little 'jubbly' style box that we made at our Workshop on Tuesday. The little bat was made from a scalloped square punch and a project I found on Jo Dumbleton's blog last year or so.. The box can be resized for any gift, and I stuck to two basic colours for Hallowe'en.. Pumpkin Pie and Basic Black. The stamp set is a retired one called Seeing Spots, which I love and still use quite often. I've used a Crimper to add detail to the edges, which is a new product to Stampin' Up in this new catalogue, and it's a whopping 16.5cm wide!! Perfect for any project that needs a little texture.

So cute!

I'll be back tomorrow with the last card that we made at the Workshop. And if you live in the Doncaster area, and would love to join us on a Tuesday evening, then just let me know and I'll give you the details.

Thursday 14 October 2010

A night spent crafting and a Special Offer ...

You know yesterday I was talking about Christmas?? Well, look what arrived...

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A humongous box all the way from Canada - filled absolutely choc-a-block with Christmas presents. My Sis Lesley is an absolutely wonderful person and I love her to bits!! Thank you so much Lesley, Gary and family - we love you all!!

Now here's a little hint of a card for you -

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On Tuesday night, it was my Craft Class over in Edenthorpe. I was helped by my lovely friend, Sharon, and she was such a trooper all evening!

I made three samples for all the lovely ladies who came along to play, and I'll show them to you over the next few days.

The little hint above came from this card here.

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The card base and top was scored to create some beautiful lines, and then layered up onto Rich Razzleberry cardstock from the current catalogue, and Barely Banana which has now discontinued. After the layers had been put together, we sprayed the card with the Champagne Mist Shimmer Paints to give it a bit of glitz and glamour.

You can see the paint shimmer here -

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The flowers are made from the five petal flower punch and a little technique I showed on the evening. The card was finished with a length of taffeta ribbon (love that stuff!) and some Tiny Tags greetings.

Now, my special offer to you is a Kit by Mail 
to make a full set of these cards. 

I have put together a kit to include the supplies to make ten cards of this design. 
The kit is at the fantastic price of £30 (including free shipping). You can also choose 
your own colourway. My colours are sent if no preference is made. 

You will recieve
  
The five flower Petal Punch (worth £15.50)
Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint (worth £4.95)
Taffeta Ribbon in white (a full 9.1 metres worth £6.25)
150 Basic Rhinestones for the flower centres (worth £4.50)
Cardstock and envelopes to make your selection of cards, all
cut and ready for you to put together. 

You will need to provide your own sentiments and adhesives, but these can be purchased 
through me if you would prefer.

You can make payment by cheque or Paypal 
(email joaustin22@aol.com for more information)
If you have any of the products in the kit, you can change them for something of 
equivalent value.
 
I hope you like it.. i'll be back tomorrow with our second project!

Wednesday 13 October 2010

It's a dog's life!

What has happened to this week??? It is just absolutely flying by at the moment, and before we know it, it will no doubt be a couple of weeks to Christmas! I think at the last count it was 72 days to go.

The weekend was a nice quiet one, just sorting out bits and pieces and shopping - usual stuff. I didn't really get a chance to craft either, which is always a bit dissapointing I think. But I am certainly making up for that this week!

I did, however, manage to get a great couple of pictures of Holly and Scooby as they were snoozing on the sofa. Because it was evening, I had to use the flash and take the photos quickly before they moved.

Here they are - totally chilled out in snoozy position.This one is Holly .... most probably thinking 'instead of taking a photo, come and rub me tummy!'

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and Mr Scoobs...  just look at his little flobby-chops... so cute!

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Don't you just love the Dog's life?

Right.. must get going - I've got lots of samples and swaps to get on with for the weekend. I'm down in Peterborough with my fellow Stampin' Uppers.. lol.

Happy Crafting!

Friday 8 October 2010

Woofy birthdays

To go along with the birthday card yesterday, I made one from the furballs in the house. Scooby in particular, absolutely loves Carley to bits, so I really needed to ink up this lovely 'woofy' stamp and get crafting.

I used the wonderful border punch again for this card (as I said, practice with the corners makes perfect.. not quite, but getting there!). It is such a lovely border because you can add glitter dots, gemstones or pearls.. anything you like, and it makes the border look so different.

Anyway.. here's a close up of the border.

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This is the card as a whole. I used Creamy Caramel cardstock - I bought loads of this before it retired as I love the colour. The papers are from Bella Bleu pack which is now unfortunately retired. Don't you sometimes save papers that you fall in love with, and then decide you HAVE to use it?  There are soooo many lovely papers in the SU catalogue this time, I'm making a concerted effort to use up my old stash before buying new. We'll see how long that lasts! The ribbon is the fantastic Taffeta Very Vanilla - such a lovely finish to a card.

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I decided to stamp the image a few times and layer up the woofers to add some dimension.

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So that's all for today. I'll be back soon with some more projects for you, so I hope you check back soon!

Thursday 7 October 2010

Join my team..

How would you like to save money on your crafting stash or earn money from your hobby? 
Would you like to craft with your friends, or find like-minded crafters where you live?
Would you like to take a trip of a lifetime? 
Well here's how.... 

The Incentive trip last year was held in Monaco and a five star hotel and luxury lifestyle was had by all who were there. The location for 2012 will be announced at Convention this year, and I can't wait.
Would you like to be there with me? Well, let's get working on it then.. 

And there's no better time than now, to prepare for it. 

I am so impressed with the catalogue this year, so much so, that if you sign up as a Stampin' Up demonstrator with me, I will give you 15% back on the value of your starter kit to spend  in the catalogue. This is an exclusive offer from myself, not Stampin' Up. I just know you are going to love the catalogue as much as I do, and would love for you to experience the Convention and Incentive trip with me! Just email me at joaustin22@aol.com to learn more.

There is definately no better time to join my team and get working towards those achievable goals. The Starter Kit has been reduced to £119, but contains over £230 of product. There is also an option for an Add-on Scrapbooking kit for £50 (containing over £90 of product!).  How can you say no to those bargains?

You can be a Hobby Demonstrator who just wants to save some pennies on crafting supplies, or you can turn it into a succesful business. Contact me on the email address above.




So there you have it - one fantastic kit at one fantastic price! Go on.. join my team - you won't regret it!

20 years already?

Hi everyone!

I've got a few minutes whilst hubby is out searching the DIY store, so I thought I'd nip on and say hello..

This week has been a bit manic so far - as you probably know, we've had family over from Canada and what a fantastic time it's been. Lesley and Gary arrived on Sunday evening and rang me as soon as they booked in the hotel, so of course I had to go and see them! It's been soooooo long!!! It was fantastic to meet up and spend some quality time together.

Anyway, on the Monday, it was Carley's birthday. And here is the card that I made for her.

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I chose some lovely bright colours for her card, as it represents her personality. There's not many things that get her down in the dumps, or irate, infact, I can only think of a few (one inparticular!) Haha. She is a wonderful person and such a loving character to boot. Happy Birthday Carley. We love you oodles! And it was lovely that Lesley and Gary were still here to share the birthday celebrations too.

So, for this card, I've gone for some retired papers from Stampin' Up (sob - I really love this pack!) and teamed it up with a stamped Caravanette. Her ultimate dream is to buy one and travel round the World in it. So, thought this image would be perfect.

The border punch is from the new Stampin' Up catalogue, and it has a corner punch to match. They are brill.. but practice makes perfect!

Right.. I'm going to make a move as hubby has just returned with his sanding pads.. lol.. so it looks like that means a busy afternoon!

Happy Crafting everyone!

Saturday 2 October 2010

A couple of little videos

I thought I would just share another couple of videos with you all this morning - I am eagerly awaiting my Sis coming today. She flew over from Canada a couple of weeks ago, and has been travelling around England. Lesley is coming to see us for a few days from today, and I can't wait - so I've really had no time to make any cards.

These are a few I was asked for at my demo's on previous weeks.

This first one just shows how to use the Embossing folders without a machine.



How to use the Bonding Powder and Hot Foils.

Less is more...

I must admit,I am totally in love with the new packaging from Stampin' Up!

Some of the stamp sets that are in the new catalogue have the Clear Mount option instead of the Wood Mount.

So, I thought I would just show you the difference in a little video.. I hope you don't drop to sleep watching it.. lol. Enjoy!


And also, whilst getting my coding from Youtube, I found this little tutorial on the side.. hope you like it too.

Friday 1 October 2010

NEW CATALOGUE - IT'S HERE!!!!!!

Hi .. it's the big day today.

At midnight, we saw the release of the new Stampin' Up catalogue 2010 - 2011..

This is a little project made from the catalogue.

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These are the cards that I made for Regional Training swaps the other day, and they were really popular. I hope you like it too.

Now ..

Here is the new catalogue. Just click HERE to be taken to the link, or click on the Catalogue image below,  where you can click through the pages and  even here the 'whooshing' sound of the pages turning.

Don't forget a sheet of paper for your Wish List.. you'll need it!!!
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