please donate if you can...

As many of you will be aware a dear friend of mine has been fighting cancer for the last 4 years - the fight is nearing the end...
Her husband is trying to raise £10,000 for the hospice that has provided her with great care and respite in the last few months - and she was transferred there today from hospital. Mat has been growing his beard for nearly a year to raise funds and the last time that he shaved was on New Years Day... He today has reached an impressive 92% of his target and I am hoping that we can get him to 100% before Christmas - if you could spare a few £'s I would be extremely grateful as will Mat, Joan and the rest of the people who are helped daily by the wonderful staff of Willow Wood.

Here is what Mat looks like today - the beard was dyed white for the festive season

http://www.justgiving.com/Mathew-Swift-Beardathon

there is also a facebook group

http://www.facebook.com/groups/beardathon2011/?ref=ts

Thank you for taking the time to read their story

Thanks
Debbi
Crafting will resume in the next few days

more candle designs...

Here are a couple more of the designs that I have been working on... A couple of people have commented to me about how good the finished effect of the candles that I make is so in the next week I will make a tutorial talking you through how to create the perfect image! For me this is very scary - but I will give it a go!
One of the designs that I am sharing today is an image sealed onto a black candle last year I found this technique very difficult to master so this year I decided to try something different - I embossed the image onto tissue paper first and I think you will agree it looks great - far more striking than anything I have managed before!
If you would like more details of the candles designs that I have please get in touch!


The second design is using an angel image coloured and then this sealed onto the candle in the usual way on the coloured candle I think this looks really effective and this candle is scented - so now the room smells lovely!
I hope you like todays post and thanks for looking - Debbi
Tomorrow I will post the cards that I have made to match these candles!

The Holidays are Coming again...

Over the last couple of days I have been making candles and the cards to match them, last year these proved very popular as gifts for people and I also included cards and photo frames as well. I have a lot of enquiries already this year... If you would like more details please email me and I will answer your questions.
The candles I have used today are olive in colour and off white - the two together look very striking...
I have used two stampin' up! stamp sets one retired but I cannot help using it as it screams Christmas to me! I have used Old Fashioned Christmas and Lovely as a Tree. The sentiment that I have used is from Contempo Christmas and I like the type script that is used for it.
I have stamped the image in black staz on and then added some glitter glue from my stash to create baubles on the tree.
I have painted the tree from Old Fashioned Christmas using my markers and then added a little glitter over the top too.
I hope you like the effect of the candles I think that they turned out really well!
Thanks for looking - more in the next couple of days
Debbi x

Wedding!

A friend of mine was invited to a wedding in India and she asked me to create a wedding card for her using the invitation for inspiration... The colour theme of the wedding invitation was red and the invitation she received was beautiful. I made my card using real red and gold, I kept the design of the card very simple and used the very vintage wheel.
I used the retired confetti papers to add a little depth to the White panels and the sentiment is stamped in red also.
This is my first post from my phone! And I don't think that you are able to position the pictures!
I hope you like the card I created I was very pleased with the end result!
Thanks for looking
Debbi

Triple Treat...

Here is a card for you using one of the new stamps that I purchased with my starter kit... I decided that I would stick to the triple treat flower as I had seen some fantastic cards made with this set on splitcoast...

I had made a very simple card using the stamp and decided to use two colours that I have never used together before - rose red and marine blue, I think that they compliment each other really well - what do you think?? I have stamped three of the flowers and layered them using dimensionals and added pearls to the centre of the card. I inked the edges of the card and I have used the sentiment from cottage garden.

I hope you like the card and thanks for looking - happy stampin' Debbi xxx

The Holidays are Coming...

I have spent the last couple of days working on an advent calender for my boys... A couple of years ago (YES YEARS!) I purchased one of the ready made boxes that you just have to decorate to be used as an advent calender and decided this week was the year that it would be used! I decided to use on of the Stampin Up scrap book kits - this particular one has retired but they have replaced it with one just as good - these kits are great as you receive so many products in them you are able to scrap book and make cards to co-ordinate. In the kits you get DSP, card stock and stickers to decorate your projects with...

I first covered the outside of the box, I then removed all the boxes and added strips of DSP to the shelves that they sit on. Once I had completed this I then covered the front of the boxes - I cut the pieces to size and then stamped them in green and red with the three snowflake stamp from Serene Snowflakes. Once I had completed this I then decorated the back of the box with some of the accents found in the kit including a couple of borders and on with the date... I have to say I am very proud of myself - 3 years to make an advent calender! and I finally finished it lol (on to the next one now!)
I hope you like my finished project and thanks for looking - Debbi x x x

Training...

In mid October I joined the Julie's Jems for the day on their training and we had a great day... I really went to see if signing back up to SU was something I was merely thinking of doing or really had the passion to make it work for me - and did I have the time and the energy to commit to making it work!
I think I knew deep down which one it was and I had a great day with lots of lovely people - even making the swaps was great fun and really got my creative juices flowing again I will show you some of what I received later and the card that I made for people as well.
One of the things that normally happens at these events is a raffle and I never win on them - but it must have been my lucky day as I won! I had the pick of some great prizes but decided I would chose the hostess gift DSP that was up for grabs - these papers are amazing and I love the bright colours, they are also 12x12 which is great for scrap booking...
The project that I am sharing today I have made using these papers and I cannot wait to make a couple more as gifts for my family for Christmas - with some of the great pictures I have managed to take this year!
I hope you like what I have made and thanks for looking - check me out both crafting and posting to my blog in the same week...
Now I am again signed up as an SU demo if you would like to book a home workshop please get in touch!
Debbi x

HOORAH!

Yesterday was a very exciting day for me - after most of the year spent not crafting as you know I have taken the decision to sign back up to Stampin' Up! and use the skills that I have developed over the last couple of years to begin enjoying crafting again and also sharing the ideas of what I create...
So yesterday my SU! starter kit arrived and here is what it looks like - over the next couple of weeks I will be showing you samples that I create using my kit and the stamps and inks that I received in it. You are able to chose your own stamps, card, ink and DSP, this means that the kit is so versatile it suits any crafter it just takes ages to pick it all as there is so much choice!
So over the next few days I will be busily making samples to show at my launch party next week - this will be to celebrate that I am once again a crafter and to also inrtoduce the new catalogue to my local crafty friends!
I am so excited to be doing this again and cannot wait to get my hands inky again - Although I have already started and I will show you what I made later...
Thanks for looking
Debbi x

quick post...

After promising to update my blog - the motherboard on my laptop decided to die last week! However I now have a lovely new laptop that I am getting to grips with and I will post some of the things I have been making recently in the next few days - technology seems to be failing me at the moment!
Back soon
Debbi xxx

Flower Frame...

 Morning so continuing with the theme I started over the weekend I bought some frames to decorate with the same stamp set used to make the card I made. I decided to keep the colour way simple and use the colours from the card that I created at the weekend and think that they turned out really well... Let me know what you think??
As the frames are wood I coated them with PVA glue and water and left this to dry before I stamped on the. I used the vine from Vintage Vogue and the flowers are from Cottage Garden I randomly stamped the flowers first and then in the gaps in between then stamped the vine, some in full colour and some stamped off.
To add that little extra bling to the frames I added a little gem to the centre of each flower and think that this looks really good!
I did another frame in slightly different colours - can you tell what they are??
Thanks for looking - Debbi
Two posts in one week are you impressed??

HHEEEELLLLLOOOOOO! Blogland...

OK so I  know that it has been several months since I did any type of crafting and posted it to my blog - however that is all to change... My craft stuff is back out and I have had a good sort out and I have found some inspiration (that has been severely lacking over the last several months)
I decided to use one of the newest purchases that I had from Stampin' Up! and even though I am no longer a demonstrator I still have stamp sets that remain unused in my stash! So I decided that I would just keep my card very simple and just use card stock to create layers. I chose the colours poppy parade and peach parfait with olive green for the vine detail on the right of the card. I love these colours together and wanted something very bright in celebration of me getting inky fingers again!
I have stamped a flower on whisper white and then with the stamped off image added this to the whisper white panel on the card. I have added the greeting from Cottage Garden to the bottom right of the card, I cut the flower out and added this to the card with a dimensional.
I distressed all the edges to the card and love the effect that this gives to each layer even though there are no dimensionals used here it does add height.
I have used an old shaving brush to add the colour to the card blank and have used all three colours very lightly around the edge of the card.

I know that I have been away for a long time and I hope you like my card - now that I am back to crafting I intend to share what I am making with you - so watch this space. I hope you like the card that I have made and thanks for looking - happy stampin Debbi xxx

ILWS MINI BLOG HOP!

Good morning everyone and welcome to the 2011 Mini Blog Hop in celebration of Stampin Up!'s new Mini... And what a treat you are in store for this morning with over 50 very talented demonstrators sharing projects with you and showcasing their talent.
I am very excited to be a part of this and I hope that you have enjoyed your journey this morning! We are now on group 3 of 4 and if you have joined me from the lovely Victoria's blog welcome and aren't her projects fantastic! (as always!)
I have decided to share with you 2 cards this morning that use the new embossing folders for the big shot! Each of the projects that I am sharing today will use the Big Shot! (£87.95). It would be rude not too! The embossing folders are very simple to use and I am sure that you will agree they effect is amazing.
 I have made the first card use basic black and whisper white and my new favourite tool the spritzer and great value too! (£9.95) - it is great very simple to use and the effect is really good - you can have large spots or a fine spray of ink depending where you position the pen!
The first using the Manhattan Flower folder (£6.95) and I am sure you will agree the effect is lovely very elegant and simple to make a beautiful image on the card. I have inked the edges and then stamped happy Mother's Day on the panel from Occasional Greetings (£30.95)in the bottom left hand corner in perfect plum. I have mounted this on perfect plum card spritzing the edges and also inking them and then mounted this onto a whisper white card blank again inking the edges and spritzing too. Very simple yet very effective,

The second card that I will share with you is using another of the embossing folders Elegant Bouquet (6.95). For this card I used the folder in a landscape position and coloured the centre of the flowers in black. I have stamped the sentiment in the top right of the card and spritzed the edge of the panel. I have mounted the panel on basic black and the again on whisper white that is spritzed and has the edges inked. The card blank is basic black.To finish the card I have added pearls to the right hand side main panel and then to the bottom left on the card blank (£4.50)

The final project that I am sharing today is using the Top Note die (£18.95) and I have made a very quick mini book using the top note cut in crumb cake as the cover of the book. I have added a panel to the front in whisper white and black and spritzed the white in black. I have used the stamp set tiny tags with this project (£21.95) and the tag punch as well (£8.95) as the size really lends itself to a smaller project. I have again spritzed the front of the book and throughout the pages and added small stamps to each page. I added whisper white pages to the book and have spritzed and stamped these also. Very simple but again very effective... The top note is so versatile and has to be my favourite purchase from this catalogue.

I hope you have liked my projects and will enjoy the mini catalogue to place your order please email or phone me... You will now continue on to Carol's blog who again has some lovely projects to share with you today! Thanks for stopping by Debbi xxx

HOORAH! it's here...

Well the 2011 Mini Catalogue is finally here and what a treat you have in store... The products are amazing and there are so many great stamp sets to chose from! Oh yes and I nearly forgot Stampin' Up! have finally introduced the BIG SHOT! to the European market and they have of course done this with some great EXCLUSIVE dies... Click the picture to be taken straight to the link for the catalogue!

I am not going to post you a card today I am completing the ILWS Blog Hop tomorrow and will be along bright and early with a couple of creations for you - but make sure you have a large brew as there are 4 groups to the hop and there will be some amazing projects I am sure!

So thanks for looking and I hope you enjoy looking through the mini! If you would like to place an order or attend my mini launch and use some of the products please email me for further details - thanks for looking and I will be back tomorrow with some mini creations and will be back later today with a couple of Mother's Day cards that I have been asked to create - Debbi xxx

simple card...

My dad's birthday was a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to make a plain and simple card that was still quite striking... I decided to use the colours pacific point and soft suede and keep the design very simple with just a couple of layers and some punched hearts...
I used a soft suede card blank and on to this I stamped the sanded background stamp, I then layered a piece of pacific point card stock on to this and again stamped the sanded background stamp on to this piece also - stamped in white staz on. Even though this is not an extra layer it gives depth to the card.
I then added 4 punched hearts to the bottom left of the card and stamped happy birthday in to the top right of the card.A simple card that took only minutes to make and I think it looks quite effective. What do you think??
I hope you like the card and thanks for looking! Debbi

Stampin Up! training...

Last Saturday I met with 70 other SU demo's and we had our regional training - the day was amazing and after not really crafting for so long it was just what I needed to get back into the swing of things and get my fingers inky again!
As you will probably know one of THE most exciting things to happen whenever we all meet are the swaps that we make eachother! and yes I did make 70! I decided that I would make some bookmarks for my fellow demos using one of my favourite sets Just Believe and I have done made them in a range of colours so that people could pick their own!

I used whisper white card and have added the sanded background stamp to this and then inked the edges. I have then stamped the Just Believe image on to this card in black. I added a piece of basic black ribbon to this and then mounted it on to coloured card and again on to basic black card. As I love reading and am normally reading more than 1 book I like to have a few bookmarks around the place.
I hope you like what I have created! I had some lovely comments on the day from my SU! sisters. Thanks for looking - Debbi x x x

MARCH FRENZY...

Well Stampin Up! have a great offer for you this month and here are the details...
There are a number of products available this month that have up to 30% of the price... So if you want to grab yourself a bargain have a look at what is on offer... If you would like to place an order please email me with the details or you could hold a March frenzy workshop to get your creative juices flowing again - now that Spring is in the air, although with how windy we are here this morning this may be hard to believe! Details of the products that are available are below I have included a link to the PDF and also details are on the side bar
Take advantage of this great offer and grab a bargain - thanks for looking Debbi x x x
March Frenzy

Hello....

Ok so I have not posted for a number of weeks and there have been a number of reasons for this, crafting inspiration left me, stress of family stuff and time being the major factors but I have found my lacking inspiration and have given myself a stern talking to and will be back posting to normal in the next couple of weeks!
I have even started to get my fingers inky and will share what I have created in the next few days...
I have to say that I have missed crafting but it amazes me when life gets on top of you that sometimes you just cannot muster the enthusiasm to get inky and create! So here is to getting back to normal and sharing with you what I am making from here on in!
and yes things are getting back to normal on the family front to... Having two young boys is very stressful at times!
So here is to getting inky again and having some fun with bits of paper and card!
Debbi x x x

Sweet Summer...

Morning today's card is made with the SAB set available until the end of February I have used the colours pear pizazz and cherry cobbler I think that they look great together and this is a combination that I have not used together before... For this card I have used the pear as the card blank and inked the edges of the I have then added a panel of cherry cobbler to this again inking the edges. I have used a panel of whisper white card I have stamped the vine in the pear on the left hand side of the card and then added  the block of flowers to the edge of this in the cherry. I added the flwer stamp cut out and added on with dimensional to the centre of the vine, using three of the flowers cust out. I then stamped the sentiment from just believe in cherry and mounted this on the same card stock.
To the corner of the card I have added three pearls (still loving the effect that these give!)
I hope you like the card and thanks for looking - Debbi x x x

Just Believe...

This is a beautiful set (and the one that we received at Convention this year!) and I haven't used it as much as I should have... I decided to join one of the swaps on ILWS this is one that I was involved in last year and it was great - the idea being that you pick a stamp set and then recreate the card shown in the catalogue using that set.
I have shown the page in the catalogue with the stamp set on and the card that I have made.
I have chosen to use the colours crumb cake and chocolate chip with whisper white ribbon. I have used a 9x9 card blank in crum cake and inked the edges in crumb cake ink I have stamped the image in the bottom left hand corner of the card blank. To this I have then added a strip of whisper white ribbon and underneath this I have added a smaller strip of chocolate chip ribbon and added to this the detail of two of the tiny pearls. I have stamped the sentiment above the ribbon in chocolate chip. This is a subtle change to the colours used in the catalogue and I like them together I think that the white ribbon really stands out well.
I hope you like the card and thanks for looking - Debbi x x x

SALE-A-BRATION...

Well sale-a-bration is upon us and this years exclusive sets do not disappoint we see 4 sets that are great and available to you with every order that is placed that is over £45.00 until the end of February...So for example if you spend £90.00 you get to chose 2 of these great sets as well as your goodies! If you would like to place an order please phone me or send me an email (details on the side banner)

If you host a workshop during sale-a-bration you and your sales reach £300 you get to chose a sale-a-bration set along with the normal hostess benefits that you will receive... Want to book a workshop and in the Tameside or Manchester area - please contact me!

Thinking of signing up as a demonstrator?? If you sign up during sale-a-bration you get to chose a stamp set from the 2010/2011 catalogue as well as your starter kit up to the value of £44.95... If you have any questions or would like further information please get in touch!

So more on the sets that are available...

Bliss

wood-mount item 121851

clear-mount item 123217        

So Happy for You

wood-mount item 121853

clear-mount item 123220

Punch Bunch

wood-mount item 121847

clear-mount item 123211

Sweet Summer

wood-mount item 121849

clear-mount item 123214

So the card that I have to share with you today - yes a card! I have made using one of the sale-a-bration sets. This set I have had to keep quiet for a couple of months as we were given it at the recent Convention and as per usual with me I have only just mounted it!

I chose to use the in colours for the card so I have used concord crush and pear pizazz I have co-ordinated this with craft card and whisper white. I stamped the vine in pear and then decoupaged three flowers that I cut by hand. I stamped these in concord crush I then used my aqua brush to add some coloue to the flowers vary roughly and leaving some white to create a little shading, using dimensionals to create the height. I then layered this on craft and then white. inking the edges of each layer. 

I hope you like my card and thanks for looking - it is nice to be crafting again and have the time to play with ink and card! I have missed it! Debbi x x x