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

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

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

Hello...

Well I have been MIA for the last few weeks and there are a number of reasons for this but mainly due to my boys who have been poorly on and off for the last month with various ailments and this has stopped all manner of preparations for Christmas... We have lots of high temperatures, poorly tummies, runny noses and coughs! Fingers crossed though they seem to be on the mend. They are a lot less grumpy which is a bonus and means I can once again move independently!
Today is the first day of the most exciting Stampin' Up! promotion of their calender HOORAH! I hear you all shout! It is Sale-a-Bration. There are some great stampsets that are available and they are so versatile...
Here is the leaflet with further details on for you...
I will be back later with some samples for you! Normal service should now be resumed! I have missed my crafting but with the boys as they were I have little more than wipe noses, hand out medicine and watch televison!
I hope you have all had a lovely Christmas and that you have had lots of fun and managed to do some crafting as well...

Another Forever Friends...

This card is a card that I have created for one of the candle orders that I have have completed - Very simple and in traditional colours using Stamping Up! DSP and a Forever Friends image that is coloured with SU colours, I have kept the colours simple and I have added depth to the colour. I have done this by adding a layer of colour letting the image dry and the adding another layer of colour. I have inked the edges of the panel and then mounted this on cherry cobbler and garden green card - inking the edges of each layer.
I have then added the sentiment to the bottom left of the card and stamped this in cherry cobbler on a white card blank, where the edges are inked (surprise surprise!)
The DSP is a couple inch panel that is added to the top of the card and there is a small gap to the top.
I hope you like the card and thanks for looking - Debbi
The snow is still falling so probably not much crafting tomorrow as my boys are at home with me! x

CHRISTMAS IS COMING...

Well it seems to be coming very very fast this year - but is this because Joshua is very excited and for the first time in years we are very much on the last minute! So I am making lots and lots of candles at the moment and am  loving doing them - they are so quick to do once you get used to the technique you can create perfect results that will last for years (as long as you don't light the candle!)
Here are some pictures for you!
I love how the effect can be altered by how you colour the image and each time I complete a candle am amazed by how good the results look!
I hope you like them and thanks for looking! Debbi x x x

our support for SU??

One of the other swaps that I did manage to complete - very late I might add at the recent convention was a 6x6 scrapbook page for demo support. Chris and Eileen are the lovely people that we get to phone when we need advice or to speak to them with an order. They are always there when we need them and always take the time to speak to us about the everyday things going on with our lives! So one of the lovely ladies on ILWS organised to make them a scrapbook with pages from all the demos that wanted to contribute. I didn't originally sign up for this but contacted Helen to say that I had enough time to give her a page... This is what I created using a black mat with tempting turquoise and the stamp set vintage vogue. I have used a whisper white panel and written a message to Chris and Eileen thanking them for all they do for me and how much the work that they do means! I have stamped the vine from the set on the right hand side and have added flowers to this making them 3D with dimensionals. I have stamped one of the sentiments from the set in the top right hand corner of the page and love the bright colours!
I hope you like the page I made and thanks for looking! Debbi x x x

Mad Cat...

This is one of my favourite penny black images and I love the expression on the cat's face. As a crafter it doesn't how long you have had your stamps - you just keep adding to them! buying more and more... but ssshhhh don't tell anyone!
I have coloured the image using my SU! colours and an aqua painter and am pleased with the results I have used my inkpads rather than pens, water colours pastels or the pencils (all of which I have!) I have used the black watered down to be more subtle and I have used pixie pink for the ears of the cat,  again watered down for the subtle colour. I have then inked the edges of the image in black and double mounted it on basic black and pixie pink. The sentiment is stamped in black and mounted on black then pink.
I have added three card candy to the top right of the card in black and pink and I think that they match really well. I have used a white card blank and have inked the edges in both the pink and the black colours rthat I have used. I then added a black panel to the middle of the card and have added the image to the top left and the sentiment to the bottom right.
I hope you like the card and thanks for looking - Debbi x x x

BIRTHDAY BLOG CANDY...

Well hello blogland! Today is my birthday and I am offering some Stampin' Up! blog candy...
The rules will be that you have to follow my blog (if you don't already) and link the candy post to the side bar of your blog (if you have one!) and leave a comment at the end of this post... I will leave the blog candy draw open for a week and draw the winner next Friday...
So what am I offering - I am offering a stamp set - one of the level one hostess sets from last year out of the box, a reel of ribbon still wrapped whisper white 1/4' grosgrain, an unopened pack of neutrals buttons and a selection of retired card stock from last years catalogue...
In the last couple of weeks I have had a number of new followers and this seems the perfect time to say welcome to those too!
So what do I have planned for my birthday?? Not a lot is the answer! ;-) yesterday morning I managed to put my back out just before the school run and that has rendered me pretty much useless since then - although what better excuse do you need not to do any housework than a bad back and your birthday!
I will hopefully manage to do a bit of crafting today - the SU Convention draws ever closer as does the number of swaps that I should be completing!
So good luck with the blog candy and thanks for looking! Have a great day - Debbi x x x
I will post a photo of the blog candy later tonight or tomorrow x x x

hand stamped images... challenge 38

This week the challenge over on hand stamped i ages is a great one to get you in the festive spirit, they were asking you to create a card, tag and box in preparation for your wrapping when the holidays hit! I have managed  to do a card and a tag but time ran out for me to cerate the box to go with it!
For this challenge I decided to use my Forever Friends stamps again and create something was was Christmasy and traditional with the colours that I used...
I coloursed the bear with my copics again just using gentle shading on the edges of the bear, and for the present and the bow and the Santa's hat I used cherry cobbler and wild wasabi from stampin up - using the ink pads and an aqua pen. adding a layer of colour and then waiting for this to dry and adding another. I added glitter to the hat for some Christmas sparkle and dabbed colour onto the tag in the image with a gold pen outline. I mounted the image on bazzil card stock and then again on stampin' up card to match the ink that I used. The ribbon detail is from my stash and I bet I have had that for 4 years - but the colour was a great match I think you will agree. The DSP across the top of the card is Forever Friends and I have inked the edges of this. The sentiment that I have used is also from Forever Friends. Using the same image for the tag and same method to colour it.
I hope you like my card and tag and thanks for looking - Again I have loved this challenge and it has relieved some of the convention stress I am feeling! Debbi x x x

and time for a challenge...

I have spent so much time creating things for Convention in the last week last night I decided that I was going to create just for me... Looking through my favourites blogs I knew that I had to do the challenge over on the Forever Friends blog - you had to use 3 flowers, 2 papers and 1 button. I though I would drag out my Christmas stamps and have a play...
I used a stamp that I bought last year and it has never seen ink. I teamed this with 2 of the papers from the Forever Friends Christmas stack also bought last year, the flowers I have had years as they are not really my thing! I have inked them with cherry cobbler ink SU! to match the inking I have used on the image. and a square card blank.
I have coloured the bear on my image with copics and gently shaded the belly of the bear and I coloured the robin body as well. and used SU! ink pads and an aqua marker for the tree and the present! I like the effect of the two together and am pleased with the result. I have mounted the image on cherry cobbler card and added some glitter for extra sparkle. I have inked the edges of the DSP that I have used I have added ribbon button detail to the top right of the card and the required flowers to the bottom right of the card.
I hope you like the card and thanks for looking - I have to admit I liked completing this challenge and it took me out of my comfort zone! there is another day to enter my birthday blog candy as well - Debbi x x x

Goals...

I have set myself the goal of being a better blogger and the main reason for this is I need to remain focused on my crafting as I am very busy in the next couple of months with the SU European Convention, my first craft fair, classes, workshops and Christmas! So I determined to use all this activity to my advantage and blog about it at the same time...
For Convention that is becoming scarily close and I am no where near prepared enough in relation to the swaps that I should have completed - I need to have completed...

team cards, scrapbook pages, gifts - non are done! 3D swap 10 - have designed it not made any though, Business Tools swap - 10 completed hoorah!, Card Candy - finished today and approximately 300 general swaps in various designs that I have designed and not really started! I feel lots of late nights coming on and a bit of stressing as the countdown begins in ernest!
I don't want to show the finished products, until the ladies that are receiving them will be on their way to collect there goodies, but here is an idea of the mess that I have been making today whilst completing the card candy - you can see the colour - I think they look great together...
Thanks for looking Debbi x x x

JOIN MY TEAM...

Check out the new price for the Stampin Up! Starter Kit! This means that you can earn discount on your Stampin Up! stash and join the wonderful community of Stampin' Up! demonstrators... You will be joining at just the right time as we have just launched the new catalogue for 2010/2011 and with a reduction in the price for the starter kit... What do you have to lose??
For £50.00 extra you can add on the scrapping kit which is also a great price, so if you would like to join my team email me at debbitaylor76@googlemail.com or call me on 01613384183...
Debbi x x x

The New Catalogue 2010/2011...

As you will know if you are a Stampin' Up! addict the new catalogue is due for release on the 1st of October, we are seeing a huge retirement list at the moment where there are items selling out fast but there is still a lot available. If you would like to pre-order your catalogue here and have it delivered to your door please email me.  I am offering the catalogue for £3.99 including postage if you would like one please let me know - there are lots of new stamp sets and lovely new accessories. Thanks for looking Debbi x x x 

Two Step Stamping...

Good Morning blogg Hoppers! I hope that you are enjoying your morning and seeing lots of inspiration on your journey... Thank you to Sarah for organising the blog hop for us this morning. If you have joined me from  Sheryls blog welcome and I am sure you liked her project as much as I did...
This morning I am sharing with you a first for me a 12x12 scrapbook layout that is showing you the stamp set Trendy Trees and Tiny Tags. I have scrapped some of the photos that were taken at the stampin' up convention last year in Frankfurt where we had a fabulous time and I met some lovely people.
For my page I have started with a piece of white textured paper and inked the edges in rose red I have added a length of striped ribbed to the left hand side of the layout and tied a knot in this. I have added the title to this and punched this out and mounted it again adding two tiny tags and a brad to decorate. It is stuck with tombow and the circles are mounted with dimensionals.

I have wheeled two strips of funky trees in chocolate chip and inked the edges of this with old olive. I have added 7 photos across the page and secured these with double side tape. Randomly placed across the photos are trees that I have used the rock and roll technique with and punched these out mounting these on rose red card, I have stamped them in close to cocoa and then rose red and old olive - some of the trees have been stamped off. For trees I have used the stamp-a-ma-jig so that the tree tops are in exactly the right place. This is a great tool to use and means that for sets where there is two step stamping involved - your stamping is going to be spot on - something that I need!
The tiny tags that I have added I have stamped in rose red and basic black to make them stand out. I have attached them with the clear rhinestone brads and the tag behind is stamped with the vine stamp in old olive.
I hope you like my layout - not very experienced at scrapbooking but I have had a go!
So now you continue on your journey to Gems blog and again I am sure you will love what she has created for you! Have a great Sunday everyone and enjoy the blog hop!
Thanks for looking and your comments are appreciated - Debbi x x x

FANTASTIC PROMOTION...

The promotion that Stampin' Up! has on in the month of August is 20% off some of the most popular two step stamping stamp sets...are included in the promotion are listed below

Item

Page

Description

Regular Price

Sale Price

104606

31

Loads of Love

£18.95

£15.16

105709

31

Des tonnes d'amour (Loads of Love in French)

£18.95

£15.16

110662

31

Liebe, nichts als Liebe (Loads of Love in German)

£18.95

£15.16

109439

35

Big Bold Birthday

£23.95

£19.16

110548

35

Un super anniversaire (Big Bold Birthday in French)

£23.95

£19.16

113258

39

Trendy Trees

£12.95

£10.36

113824

43

Greenhouse Garden

£22.95

£18.36

117688

8*

Something Sweet

£23.95

£19.16

118878

8*

Un peu de douceur (Something Sweet in French)

£23.95

£19.16

118880

8*

Süße Kleinigkeiten (Something Sweet in German)

£23.95

£19.16

118091

15*

Tiny Tags

£18.95

£15.16

113266

18*

Bird on a Branch

£14.95

£11.96

The sets that  I do have a couple of these ;-) and will be posting examples of them over the next couple of weeks so have a check back to see what I create!
Tomorrow will see a blog hop that we have organsised from ILWS - check back at 9.00am to take a look at what we have completed. Mine will be a 12x12 scrapbook layout and this is a first for me for a couple of reasons 1) two step stamping using trandy trees and the stamp-a-ma-jig and 2) 12x12 layout!
Thanks for looking - Debbi  x x x

a thank you...

Here is one the notebooks that I have recently covered I have used the greenhouse garden stamp set and the colours only orange and summer sun. The sentiment is from wonderful words and I will be honest it is not one that I have previously liked. However since I purchased it a few weeks ago I have used it loads and I think it looks great on a notebook. I am loving being at home with my boys there is nothing better than spending loads of time with them, but also I am managing to get some crafting time in (amazingly!) and they are even joining in with some!
To cover the notebook I cut the card stock to size and then stamped random images from the stamp set all over the card. This stamp set is so easy to use and I love the effect you can get from it in relatively short space of time. The two colours that I have chosen represent the beautiful weather we were having at the time - not the rain we have had for the last couple of weeks!
I have stamped the sentiment across the middle of a piece of card stock and then mounted this on only orange card. To give a more subtle effect than black I have used basic grey. I hope you like the notebook and thanks for looking your comments are appreciated - Debbi x x x

Here is a sneek peek of one of the cards that wee will be doing this Weds evening using the new SU! colours and the stamp set Vintage Vogue from the mini catalogue... We will be making three cards and a bonus 3D item... for more details please email me!

Candles...

This Saturday I spent the afternoon at my cousins birthday party it was her 40th and I had not seen her for a couple of years. She didn't want me to get her anything - but I could not turn up without anything. After some digging from my auntie I decided to stamp her a set of candles in her favourite colours and make a card to match - this a major challenge for me as I had never stamped a candle before and I had no idea what to do or whether I had the right stuff to do it!

I decided to do something quite simple to complete in case it all went horribly wrong, I used the circle circus stamp set and the colours melon mambo, rich razzleberry and summer sun. To stamp the candles you stamp the required image onto tissue paper, cut arounf the image and then place where you want this to go. Then you wrap grease proof paper tightly around the candle once you have a firm grip you use a heat gun to seal the image in. When holding the heat gun on the candle you can see the image change, once this has happened you can slowly peel the grease proof paper off and TA DA! the candle is done. I cannot believe how effective they look and how easy they are to do. I hope my cousin liked them - it is always very difficult to get a gift for someone who you don't really know and don't see very often.
So for the card I used the same stamp set and the colours melon mambo, rich razzleberry, soft suede and summer sun I created two panels of whisper white and mounted this on melon mambo, then attached this to the card blank that was rich razzleberry. I random stamped the panels using 8 of the stamps two for each colour and again I love the effect - it is my most used stamp set, but I am still trying not to use (honest!)

I hope you like what I made, something completely different for me and new - thanks for looking and your comments are appreciated! Debbi x x x