The Launch of my NEW Website

It is with great excitement that this afternoon, I launch my new website. 

This blog has served me well for the past 5 years and has achieved just short of half a million page views, so it has been a hard decision to move on from it, but to celebrate my 5th Anniversary year with Stampin' Up! I would treat myself and you with some fresh looking branding and a super new website. 

My fresh new website will be a one stop shop that offers everything that you need to keep abreast of my Events, Stampin' Up! promotions, my monthly Club code and of course, Inspiration. 

I've been working hard on streamlining the technical side of things to offer greater ease for us both , that I hope we'll both benefit from. So please pop on over this afternoon and show your support, take a look and let me know what you think ... Just remember to subscribe to my emails and/or Newsletters for updates.

I look forward to seeing you over there.

Click HERE

The Sun is Setting and a New Catalogue about to rise

This evening is your last chance to purchase items from the current catalogue's retiring list, before this gorgeous new catalogue launches in a matter of hours.

Excitement is brewing and I can't wait to share with you all that's in store. Lots of exciting things to share ... Lots. 

I shall share the link tomorrow to view the catalogue online and have a new Gift Club Code set up for you to make use of with your online orders, so keep an eye out here for further updates.

Stampin' Creative Annual Catalogue Sneak Peek

Good morning from the Stampin' Creative Blog Hop Design Team and what a beautiful week of sunshine have we had here in Cambridgeshire. If you've hopped on over from the lovely Louise, then I'm sure you've already been spoilt to some fabulous Sneak Peeks of the soon to launch New Annual Catalogue and if you're starting here ... then you've lots of inspiration in store as you hop around the various blogs.

Next week we see the launch of an amazing new Catalogue that is full of some truly gorgeous new sets. 

This fabulous set was one that I received at OnStage, called Crafting Forever. It's our new Angel Policy Stamp Set and in my personal opinion, our best to date. I absolutely love the images in it and the sentiments ... well they are so true. 

I was thinking of our New In Colors and Gift Giving when I was thinking of this Blog Hop Creation and at first a card to house Gift Vouchers. I often get asked by friends and relatives for what they can buy them and a Gift Vouchers gives great scope. 

I didn't want to add too much colour to the pot of brushes, but simply add a splash of the new In Colors to the paintbrush tips, leaving that and the vibrancy of the new Lemon Lime Twist Bow to do all the singing. 

Inside I couldn't help but add a block of each of the new In Colors to the right, with the remainder of the fun sentiment. Never a truer word said. 

I then got thinking about an actual gift that wasn't too costly and thought immediately of the new In Color Stampin' Write Markers. What a lovely little gift for under £15 that is so useful ... so I set about some suitable packaging for them. 

A hinged lidded box to house all five In Color Markers. Again in Black with the vibrant pop of colour from this gorgeous ribbon. It's actually deep enough to add either two sets of In Colors, a Blender and Aquabrush with the one set or even a set of Markers for one full Colour family of 10 markers. 

Hopefully you can see some of the possibilities you could achieve with this set. 

If you don't have a Demonstrator and you'd like to receive either a copy of the new Catalogue or some gift vouchers for someone special to spend in it, then be sure to get in contact. 

In the meantime, be sure to hop on over to the wonderfully royal Queen Pip to see what sneak peek of inspiration she has in store for you. 

Enjoy the New Catalogue, I really don't think you will be disappointed. 

Blog Hop List

• Louise at Stampin' Delight
• Mikaela at The Crafty oInk Pen. (You are here) 
• Pip at Queen Pip Cards
• Caroline at Craft with Caro
• Emma at Coastal Crafter
• Eimear at StampinColour
• Gina at Emerald Kreations
• Sarah at Stamp with Sarah

You're Sublime Disney Ariel

The Little Mermaid is a firm favourite of many a little girl and there's one little girl that I know, who's soon to turn four. This little girl is having Ariel herself visit her and a group of her friends at her Under the Sea Tea Party. What a lovely theme! 

I was commissioned to create some special invites to celebrate this wonderful birthday that precedes her starting school ... and this was what I came up with.   

Knowing that the Mum liked the style of a pocket card, I created the front to have a cut out shaker section, to simulate water bubbles of being Under the Sea and added the fun image of the crab. The colours of the card stock used was to replicate that of Ariel, with the Aqua blues and Purples. I was thrilled with how they worked out. Labour intensive, but well worth it and something really quite different. 

Don't these make you wish you were this age again to be enjoying such exciting Birthday Parties?

If you'd like to learn how to make cards like these, then consider coming along to one of my Craft Classes and I'll teach you the skills to be able to. There is nothing more rewarding than making your own Child's Birthday cards, invites and cakes. 

Here's hoping they have a very snappy day!

Everyday Hero for all you Mums

Ahead of Mother's Day here in the UK, I hosted a special class for a group of teenagers in our village at a Youth Group. 

Wanting to come up with something that would appeal to both boys and girls, I decided to use the Stamp Set, Everyday Hero. I mean, what child doesn't love the imagery of a Superhero?

I thought it would be a great idea to make the card into one suitable for either Mother's Day, or a general card of appreciation for what our Mums do. After all, with all the juggling, they really are an Everyday Hero.

I actually love how this set is so adaptable with interchangeable bodies, capes and heads, so you can make the Superhero stand proud, fly, be a boy or a girl and with a careful snip, have long or short hair. Genius! ... and the kids even coloured the hair to reflect that of their Mum's. 

I feel sure the Mum's are indeed incredible, but the kids that evening most certainly were. They did a great job and all appeared to enjoy it .... as did I. A fun evening shared. 

This stamp set was sadly put on the retirement list and so is now available whilst stocks last and won't be joining us in the new Annual Catalogue soon to launch. So if this is one you wish you had on your shelf, then be sure to head over to my shop and order your copy today.

If you don't have a Demonstrator who'll issue you with a copy of the up coming Annual Catalogue, then be sure to click above and reserve your copy from me. 

Don't forget that current Bundle prices, may not carry over to the new Catalogue, so be sure to purchase your favourites now, to benefit from the 10% bundle offering. 

The Gift of Cool Treats at a Discounted Price

Last week saw the last of my Cool Treats Classes where we made this ensemble of projects.

The gift box, offers a card and box in one to house a CD with spine, which would be perfect for a Teenagers Gift and the two cards ... well, just sweet and very cool. 

Many of my ladies weren't sure about this bundle until they started playing with it ... and then they were converted. Its such a fun set to play with ... as you really are playing. What flavour? What topping? Cone? Bowl? Sprinkles? ... the choices were endless.

I saw a similar idea to this on Pinterest and adapted it to take a full size CD case with spine. It's such a cool way of giving what can sometimes be a gift that's quite bland to wrap and give ... and often, very obvious. 

Loving the Stitched Framelits as I do, I couldn't not make use of them with the layering framelits to create something delicate and simple and coupled with Pool Party, quite Retro in its colour way.

Again, I'd seen a pin on Pinterest, which is a great source of inspiration, for this next card, switched up the colours and Ice Pops a little and a fresh, clean and simple card was created.

You'll be pleased to know that this set is carrying over to the New Catalogue, but be warned, the 10% Bundle price offering isn't, so if you want yourself some discount, then NOW is the time to get ordering it. 

If you like this selection of projects, then you might like to join in my classes to make similar projects of this type. Keep abreast of my Events by heading over to my Facebook page or my Official Stampin' Up! Page and register for your chosen event early. 

Hoping you liked these creations as much as we had fun making them. 

Stamping Sunday Blog Hop - Lovely Friends Bundle

A warm welcome to this Sunday's, Stamping Sunday blog hop, where we will be showcasing a new upcoming bundle from the soon to launch 2017/2018 Annual Catalogue. 

I do believe that the Lovely Friends bundle, will indeed become my best friend on my stamp shelf. It offers some gorgeous sentiments, both large, small and with what I'd call follow on sentiments.

I have absolutely loved the Succulent Garden Designer Series Paper that sadly leaves us at the end of this month, but loving gingham as I do, I felt compelled to use it again. 

This first card I made was stamped and then die cut with the Bold Butterfly Thinlit, that was then positioned up on dimensional. Such a subtle way of using the butterfly, but I loved the outcome. 

I loved how you could see a little of the card base colour from behind the butterfly. I also loved the combination of the 2016-2018 and the 2017-2019 In colors. I do believe that the new In colours could be my most favourite since the departure of Coastal Cobanna ... I used to so love that colour.

Here I combined Sweet Sugarplum, with Lemon Lime Twist and Tranquil Tide ... oooo I love those two new In colors. 

As if the front of this card isn't pretty enough, look what you can achieve when you open it ... 

Isn't this a gorgeous effect?!

I also loved the small floral sprig as a little decoration to the front of the envelopes ... so delicate and ever so pretty. 

I hope you have enjoyed my offering and you'll enjoy the inspiration from the rest of the team.

Be sure to be ready for the new Annual Catalogue launching at the beginning of June, but in the meantime, take advantage of any bundle offers that won't carry over and make sure you order in all the supplies you've loved from this year's catalogues ... you don't want to be left disappointed. 

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and the rest of the hop. 

Stampin' Creative Blog Hop Made for Men

A warm welcome to this masculine themed blog hop from the Stampin' Creative Design Team and if you've hopped on over from the lovely Sarah, then thank you for joining me and if you're starting the hop here, then welcome and be sure to hop round and view the rest of the inspiration on offer. 

I decided to pull a couple of stamp sets together to create a couple of cards for you, using smaller images for repeat patterns. 

I saw a couple of images in the Bookcase Builder Stamp Set that I thought would be perfect for some repeat pattern backgrounds and coupled them with two other stamp sets. 

The first card I created used the set of three bottles from the Bookcase Builder Stamp set, that I've stamped back to back and in two colours, before layering up a punched Banner and the Beer Glass from Mixed Drinks. Could you get any more masculine than this? ...

This second card used the Trophy from the Bookcase Builder stamp set and coupled it up with the Badges and Banners Stamp Set. 

Two simple little cards that would look great in many a colour way. 

I hope you've liked what I've created for you today. Be sure to now hop on over to see what Eimear has to inspire you with.