Where do you get your Inspiration?

I was having a wander through a few crafting blogs recently and came across this fab tutorial for a lovely Post-It note holder. All credit to Classy Crafter for a great idea :)

I'll definitely be giving this a whirl - I think it would be great for craft fairs or teacher presents. Now where's my double-sided paper...

Proof!

I had a wonderful craft day at Dunsilly on Saturday past: nothing seems to de-stress me as well as getting my hands covered in ink and sticky with glue! Proof of my productivity can be found below...

I especially love the owl bookmark card and the beautiful Stampin' Up! Paisley Petals papers I used for the flap book.

Big Shot v Cuttlebug

I've had a Cuttlebug for a few years now and it's been a good machine - useful and handy because it folds up and doesn't take up much shelf space - but I have to say that once I tried a Big Shot I just had to get one!

I find the Big Shot gives me more flexibility: the wider "mouth" allows me great freedom (especially when embossing as I can turn the card and folder 90 degrees and still have it fit). Plus of course it's the Stampin' Up! die cutter of choice!

I'm looking forward to adding to my Big Shot collection with some of the fantastic Stampin' Up dies too.

Crafty Doings!

I decided to be extra nice to myself in the run up to Christmas by booking some "me" time well in advance! In past years all the running around shopping, wrapping, decorating and prepping for the big day has meant that my crafting has taken a back seat. Not this year! I've taken a place on the Stampin' Up Craft Day at the Dunsilly Hotel in Antrim that my Stampin' Up friend Joy is running. Sounds like it be a great day - I'm especially looking forward to the bookmark card and the flappy album.

On a different note, I held my first workshop this evening (Eeek!) Jacqui, Gail and Shirley I had a go at making the Triple Treat Flower birthday card (see post below). We won't win any awards for speed (!), but it was a fun evening and a great way to spend time with friends. Why not book one for yourself?

Christmas is Coming!

Now that the weather has turned windy and cold and the nights are drawing in, I felt compelled to make a Christmas card!

It's not the first Christmas card I've made this year (thanks to the fantastic club that Joy Mitchell has been running since June!) but it is the first card made using the latest Tags Til Christmas stamp set from the current Stampin' Up! Catalogue.

I'd love to know what you think of it!

Inspiration

When I saw this family tree frame in the latest Stampin' Up catalogue I was inspired to so something similar.

So when I spotted a box frame in Sainsburys today for the princely sum of £5.99 I snapped it up.

I plan to use my For My Family stamp set to do a smaller version of the family tree - just me, my husband and daughter with larger photos. Should be fun!

New Toys

Instead of continuing to ooh and aah over my fantastic starter kit (tempting though that was), I decided to plunge head first in and do a birthday card.

I used the "Triple Treat" stamp and the new "For My Family" sentiment stamp set. I chose Calypso Coral and Early Espresso and two 5mm pearls. I'm really pleased with the result but would love to know what you think.

Treats for Hosting a Workshop in November!

What a fab promotion from Stampin' Up!

If you host a £300 workshop from 1 November–15 December, you will receive the Paisley Petals Bundle Set and a package of Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper—up (worth £33.90) for FREE. And that's in addition to the regular hostess benefits!

If you are interested in taking advantage of this brilliant offer, please get in touch with me for more details!

Stampin' Up and Running!

Well, I've done it - I've joined Stampin' Up as a demonstrator in Northern Ireland. Woo Hoo! I'm very excited to be up and running!

I love so many things about Stampin' Up - the quality, the choice, the way everything is colour co-ordinated, but most of all I love it because this is a craft company run by crafters for crafters!

Right, I'm off to delve into my gorgeous new supplies and see what I come up with. Watch this space!