Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Catherine Carroll

Start Sale-a-Bration 2015 with a Pinkies Blog Hop

Thank you for joining us on another Pinkies Blog Hop! We're showcasing lots of gorgeous projects using new Stampin' Up!® products that you can earn free during Sale-a-Bration. Simply use the buttons at the end of each post to keep hopping!

We all say this every year, but Sale-a-Bration is so exciting each time it rolls around. In case you haven't got the idea by now, I'll do a quick recap - choose a free gift with each £45 (or 60€) spend, and extra special benefits for hostesses and new demonstrators! Now, we aren't allowed to share the SAB brochure yet, but you'll see most of the products on offer in this blog hop, so do make sure you make it all the way around!

So... on with my project. I chose to use the Best Year Ever DSP, and I think that sums up SAB for this year - I hope you'll agree once you've seen all the products on offer.

I can't believe I've managed to make myself actually CUT some new DSP, and before Sale-a-Bration has even started! Not only new DSP, but new FREE DSP. You might think that it makes it easier as I didn't pay a penny for it, but as it's only available for the three months of SAB (6th January - 31st March), I really feel the need to ration myself. Luckily this only needed a 1½" strip of each design to cut out all of the 1" circles, and I have offcuts carefully saved. The coordinating Best Day Ever stamp set is available in photopolymer, which made lining up the words across the top of the card a lot quicker than having to reach for my trusty stamp-a-ma-jig.

I was (relatively) reliably informed by my husband that this looks like scale maille, rather than chain maille which is how I first described it to him.

I made it rather more labour intensive that it has to be, as I insisted on measuring out ½" spaced lines with markings each ½" along so that I could line the circles up perfectly. But I am sure that you could get just as perfect a result by eye and save a lot of time.

That's enough from me for now so please hop on over to Christa to see what she's been creating.

 

 

 

 

Pinkies Blog Hop for the Autumn Winter Catalogue

Thank you for joining us on another Pinkies Blog Hop! We're showcasing lots of gorgeous projects using products from the new Stampin' Up!® Autumn/Winter Seasonal Catalogue. Simply use the buttons at the end of each post to keep hopping!

You've probably joined me from Michelle's blog - that's another card for my CASE list, as if it wasn't long enough already!

I have found it so difficult to sit down and actually think about Christmas cards. I know that this is the perfect time to start my festive crafting (in fact, many of you will think I'm leaving it a bit late...!) but having only just gone back to school I can't bring myself to think of the END of the busiest, longest teaching term before it's even started. Still, I have my crafting to keep me sane as I struggle through which is amazing.

To ease myself into Christmas crafting, I wanted to make a wow card. One of those that you just make one or maybe two of and send to really, really special people. I've also decided on my main colour scheme for this year - Lost Lagoon goes so well with my old favourites Smoky Slate and Soft Sky that it didn't really need much thought!

The Festival of Trees stamp sets is going to give me so much variety when I finally get down to my 'bulk' Christmas card making. I was so glad to see Endless Wishes in our catalogue - I thought I'd missed out on that when it sold out in North America last year! Scribbled script fonts are so useful and I am very jealous of lucky people who can write like that freehand. AND it matches very well with the Good Greetings stamp set that you can earn free when you host a qualifying party.

I love gatefold cards for something special, especially when you fold back the 'gates' to create what is often called a double gatefold (I think). The extra weight just adds something, don't you think? Apart from postage charges, of course!

There's plenty more inspiration on offer from our team of demonstrators today, so do keep hopping through - next stop is Tracy!

 

 

 

 

 

Sale-a-Bration Blog Hop 2014

Thank you for joining us on another Pinkies Blog Hop! We're showcasing lots of gorgeous projects using new Stampin' Up!® products that you can earn free during Sale-a-Bration. Simply use the buttons at the end of each post to keep hopping!

I'm continuing my countdown to Sale-a-Bration with this jam-packed blog hop. If you've made it this far you must be overflowing with inspiration (and have a wish list as long as your arm...). I've got a couple of clean and simple cards for you, using the Banner Blast stamp set, matching banner punch and Sweet Sorbet DSP (each one available free with when you hit the magic £45 mark).

I do so love these cute little banners! I can see my punch being my go-to accessory for a while. And it gives me a reason to keep every teeny, tiny scrap of DSP that I end up (of course, I keep them all anyway - now I have a use for them all!).

The patterns on the Sweet Sorbet DSP are just gorgeous. And I've managed to cut up most of a pack already. There must be something wrong with me! It's also made me a Crisp Canteloupe convert. It's about time I used some more adventurous colour schemes.

Next stop is Michelle, with a couple of cards that are on my to-CASE list!

 

 

 

 

 

Pinkies Autumm/Winter Blog Hop

Thank you for joining us on another Pinkies Blog Hop! We're showcasing lots of gorgeous projects using products from the new Stampin' Up!® Autumn/Winter Seasonal Catalogue. Simply use the buttons at the end of each post to keep hopping!

 

If you're following our Blog Hop through, you should have joined me from Sandie's blog. I think I'm definitely going to have to try out a wreath with the Festive Flurry bundle.

I've found it quite difficult to get into the Christmas spirit as far as crafting goes. We've not even been back at school for two weeks, and some of my students are already counting down to the Christmas holiday. I know I've got a lot to do between now and then, so would prefer time to slow down a teeny bit for me!

Here's my first Christmas card design of the year...

 

I chose to use the Wishing You stamp set. What I really like about this year's Autumn/Winter Seasonal catalogue are the numbers of small stamp sets and kits. You really don't have to spend out much to be able to make all your own Christmas cards. The set includes a sentiment, so you have a complete card with just one stamp set! Add that to the Season of Style Designer Series Paper stack, which has 24 each of two double-sided designs and the cards almost make themselves.

I always love Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive as a classic Christmas colour combination, but I know I'm going to be trying to get my new favourite Soft Sky into some of my Christmas crafting as well somehow!

Stamp Sets:	Wishing You
Cardstock:	Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Season of Style DSP stack
Ink:	Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, and Old Olive Stampin' Write Markers
Tools:	Stampin' Trimmer
Finishing Touch:	Silver ⅛" ribbon, Cherry Cobbler 1" stitched edge grosgrain ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

I do hope you keep on hopping as there is more inspiration on show than ever before. Next stop is Suzette!

 

 

 

 

 

Spring-Summer Catalogue Pinkies Blog Hop

Welcome back and thank you for stopping by today for Part 2 of the Pinkies Spring/Summer Blog Hop. We are showcasing lots of new gorgeous projects today, using products from the new Stampin’ Up!® Spring/Summer Catalogue. Simply use the buttons at the end of each post to keep on hopping. We love comments, so please tell us what you think!

I should also welcome you to my brand new blog. I had got a bit fed up with the mistakes I had made so decided to make a clean start. It has taken a while - I'm too much of a perfectionist! I have kept previous blog hop posts, and photos of old projects will make their way into my gallery page. It's not perfect yet, but I'm working on it. What do you think?

Anyway... if you are working through part 2 of our blog hop weekend, you should have joined me from Christa's blog. I have to admit, I wasn't sure about the Rain or Shine stamp set in the cataloge (too much fussy cutting needed!), but I think she now has me convinced.

I decided to use the More Amore designer papers and the Artisan Embellishment kit from our lovely new Spring Summer Seasonal catalogue. Now, with such beautiful papers and accessories, I really had to try hard to actually *cut* them, rather than just admire them. I hope that what I have created does them justice.

Combining the Primrose Petals Core'dinations with Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder allows you to add a subtle extra texture to any project. I panicked first of all when I saw that I'd have to cut a circle of paper for the Designer Builder brad - I should have known that Stampin' Up! would have thought of that and matched it to a punch! Luckily the Itty Bitty punch pack had made it in to one of my orders long ago.

I also wanted to try a treat pouch of some sort. 

The Two Tags die has been indispensible lately. Now I just need to work out what to put inside this little treat pocket...

The next stop on our blog hop is Michelle Last. If you've finished part 2 of our hop today, do have a look at yesterday's posts if you haven't already. There are so many beautiful projects that I know will inspire you. Part 1 of the blog hop starts here.