I'm baaaack - and with big news!

Hello again readers.

I'm sorry for the long absence in posting, but I've been coming to terms with a debilitating illness, so haven't been firing on all cylinders. However, over the last couple of months, I've learnt to come to terms with it, and while I can't say I'm firing on all cylinders gin, I'm certainly back up to half speed....

So what is the BIG news?

Well, at long last the fabulous new trimmer from Stampin' Up! Is available in the European market. This one is bigger and better than the old Fiskars one we offered, and as the numbers are all safely beneath a plastic covering, there will be no danger of the numbers rubbing off like what happened with so many of the old ones.

They say a picture paints a thousand words, so here is a short video of the new trimmer in action - and once you have watched it - if you would like to order one, please don't hesitate to get in touch on StampaholixUk@aol.com or 07528 492765, and I will have one winging its way to you!

There's never been a better time.......

.........to sign up as a Stampin Up! Demonstrator!

Joining Stampin' Up! as a demonstrator has never been better value, and  there is really no obligation on your part other than to pay the £99 for your starter kit. If you take the starter kit - you can either start your journey down the road to fun and friendship, or you can just clutch the goodies to your bosom and run away as fast as you can and never do anything more. Either way - the goodies you order in your starter kit are yours to keep! If you decide to run away, next April you will quietly drop from the list of demos no questions asked. If you decide to stay... well how much you get out of being a demo is entirely up to you - YOU set your own targets and do as much or as little as you want.

So - what is involved for you.....

If you haven't already got a catalogue - pay a visit to the online one which you will find at the link on the sidebar - and choose up to (but not exceeding) £130 worth of crafty stash for your starter kit. Earlier this year, SU realised that a lot of potential demos were already loyal SU customers and already had a lot of stash, so rather than saying that the starter kit had to consist of a list of prescribed items, they decided to let all new demos choose items they really wanted! This is a fab idea as it means you can choose your items from the whole 240 pages of the current catalogues (204 pages in the main catalogue and 40 odd in the Autumn/ Winter one) - and you really can choose ANYTHING! The only limit is that you can't go over that £130 figure!

On top of that, you receive a business supplies pack worth another £45. This contains all the stuff like catalogues, order forms, and publicity materials - and together with your starter kit, you will be ready to start planning your first parties as soon as your box arrives!

So - at the moment, with just your choice of stash and the business pack, the starter kit is worth £175, and costs you just £99.

Now - if you choose to sign up in October or November, the recruitment offer is that you will receive a free pack of the designer series paper each month for your first 6 months. The paper packs cost £9.95 each - so that is another £59.70 worth on top of the starter pack - so that takes the £99 starter kit value up to a whopping £234.70!

On top of the company's offer to you, I offer all my recruits a signing incentive of a free inkpad and pack of A4 cardstock which is worth another £11.20 which brings the total value of your starter kit to £245.90! That means that you get nearly £250 worth of goodies for just £99 - that has got to be a fab offer by any standards - and its all yours to keep whatever you decide.

So you fancy the stash but don't want to be a demo? That's fine - you don't need to do anything else, but if you do decide to do this - please let me know so I don't bother you with emails and training information - I don't want you to feel hassled! All that will happen is that you remain as a demo on the records until the end of next April, then you will drop, and that's the end of it. No phone calls or emails asking why - you just leave - no questions asked!

And what if you want to join me on the Stampin' Up! experience?

First off - I have to tell you - its not a get rich quick scheme...... if you want to make serious money on this - you have to work VERY hard at it, but you can just be a hobby demo selling the minimums to your friends and family, and this type of demo is the most common one in the UK!

The only commitment you have is to make sales of £270 each quarter (£225 plus VAT) to remain as an active demo. Being an active demo gets you....

• 20% discount (called instant income) on the net value of your sales
• Up to another 15% of your sales back as "volume rebates". This is on a sliding scale dependent on how much you sell each month subject to a minimum £270.
• Up to 5% of the value of sales made by demos you recruit, up to 5 levels below you

So, selling and recruiting gets you more cash back, and if you meet recruiting targets, there are cash awards available to you as well. The more you do - the more you get.

• Meet sales and recruiting targets in your first 6 months and you will receive a Stampin' Start award of free Stamp sets, 
• There is also another award scheme to the high achievers called Rising Star which you would have nearly 2 years to achieve. This is a big cash award available to those who do well in the early stages of their time with SU.

I am more than happy to chat and answer any questions you may have about being a demo. You can catch me on my landline number (01892) 724030 or mobile 07528 492765, or drop me an email here.

If you decide to take the plunge, but just can't wait to join in....just grab your starter kit list, and your credit card and go HERE  and you will be a full fledged demo in just a couple of minutes!

I sincerely hope to hear from you soon

New Catalogue Blog Hop 2012!

Hello and welcome to my offerings on the In Love With Stamping (ILWS) blog hop to mark the launch of the brand new Stampin' Up! Catalogue for this year.

For those who haven't been on a blog hop before, this is when SU demos from all over the country (and one from France!) come together to showcase the new products in the new catalogue. We are a huge loop of 40 odd blogs and we provide links to the demo before us and the one after us... and hopefully, once you have finished you will want to order just one of everything!

Now you may have landed here from my SU sister's Blog - isn't Ruth just one of the most talented people on the loop today??? so when you are done here - follow the link at the end of the blog to Amanda's  and she will lead you to the next blog in the series!

Anyway - on with the main point of today! I am going to feature my very favourite product from the new catalogue - the fabulous new Elegant Butterfly punch. I was lucky enough to acquire this as contraband earlier this year - and I must admit that it is well on its way to being worn out as I have used it so much!

My first project is this beautiful butterfly string - this was inspired by a beautiful one created by another of my SU siters the talented Tooty Mackenzie - she made one to showcase the 5 new in colours, and when i saw it - my first reaction was what a fabulous idea it would make for wedding decorations. I have made this one in white with white ribbon, but you could substitute your bridal colours in either the butterflies or the ribbon to make it a perfect match for your scheme

Next up are a couple of cards to show how quickly and easily they can be made using the punch... First this lovely birthday card (an almost CASE from one in the catalogue!) - island indigo, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip card with very Vanilla, a few basic pearls and the teeny tiny wishes stamp set for the sentiment! (yes natalie - I made two of these as you missed out on my swap last week - and i will deliver it on Wednesday!) -

Next up is this one - which i have made as a sympathy card - but it would fir almost any occasion!

One of the other items in the catalogue is the fab new Stocking die for the Big Shot machine. I used it to make a string for the stand at Bluewater the other week. and I can assure you that these are quick and cheap to make.... You get 4 stockings out of one sheet of 12x12 paper  (this is from the new Autumn/ Winter catalogue) and you can have to whole bestockinged in no time at all!

Now - its only been out a month - but don't forget our lovely Autumn/ Winter Catalogue - its got lots of lovely goodies for Autumn, Halloween and Christmas in it, and here is my take on the ornament from the front cover.. The stamp set and framelits are already runaway best sellers so hurry and get yours now!

Well - I think thats enough from me for now - I'm going to pass you on to Amanda who also has something lovely to share with you. Bye - and Have fun on the rest of the hop!

Please don't hesitate to get in touch if i can help you with an order!

StampaholixUK@aol.com
07528 492765

New Seasonal Catalogue and Bluewater Show

Well its been a busy week for me as I spent the last week running around like a whirling dervish, firstly with Regional training at Reading on the 1st Sept - and then preparing for and doing the show at Bluewater over the weekend. I was so discomknockerated that I completely forgot to tell you all about the gorgeous new Autumn Winter seasonal catalogue which launched on the 1st Sept!

Here's the front cover in all its glory.......

 and if you click on the little icon on the right side of this page - you'll be taken to an online copy of it.

However the drool doesn't do your computer screen much good, so if you would like a real live catalogue to hold. stroke and take to bed with you, please let me know and I will drop one in the post to you. I can say hand on heart that this is one of the best mini catalogues I have seen from Stampin' Up! Europe in all the time I have been a demo. there are lovely Christmas items, including a wonderful Mitten punch, beautiful Christmas papers and scrapping kits and fabulous scalloped tulle ribbon in 3 colours (that's the Cherry Cobbler version in the ornament on the front cover!) there are also some lovely Halloween items as well as harvest/ Autumn ones!

So - on to Bluewater...... I shared a stand with the lovely Kim Fee and Natalie O'Shea, and we had help with the make and take table from Shirley Abbot (one of Kim's downlines), and Sue Hounsom (one of mine). I really don't know what we would have done without their assistance in helping people make nearly 300 assorted itemst over the 4 days! I'd also like to say a big thanks to Zoe Pierson who came along to demonstrate items from the new catalogue on two days, and to my daughter Katy for doing a sterling job as our "gofer" and assisting Shirley  with the M&Ts on Thursday!

Here are the 3 stooges smiling and ready for action on the Friday morning - just before the hordes hit us.....

And I have a few other shots of the stand to share too....

I must also say a HUGE thanks from all of us to the extremely talented Fiona Duthie from Aberdeen, (my SU sister!) who very kindly lent us some fabulous items to use in our display! Her butterfly picture and paper wreath were the talk of the show! The wreath in particular was much admired - and by the second day - we were forced to admit that we would be running all day classes to allow our stand visitors to have their very own version!

We ran a prize draw over the 4 days - the prize was a fantastic box of Designer Series Paper, stamp sets, reels of ribbon and inkpads which you can see in the middle of the table in the last pic. The lucky winner was Jenny Bridger from Ilford - well done Jenny, your goodies will be on their way to their new home sometime this week!

I had hoped that my new 2012-13 catalogues would arrive in time to let us sell them at the show.... but they didn't arrive in time, and guess what turned up my doorstep this morning???

If you would like one, please drop me a line, and I will pop one in the post to you.... each catalogue will cost £5.50 (RRP is £5.95 and postage £2.70), but if you place an order over £50 from the new catalogue, I will deduct the £5.50 from your order total!

I can be contacted on StampaholixUK@aol.com, or on 07528 492765 if you would like either of the new catalogues or I can help you with an order!

Shopping, Eating and a Craft Show!

Get yourselves over to the Bluewater Shopping Centre in North Kent sometime during the next 4 days - and you can not only do the usual, shopping, eating, drinking and all the other activites Bluewater offers, but for all crafters this weekend there is the added attraction of a craft show as well.

Downstairs we have a whole floor of Papercrafting, and upstairs is a mecca for the stitchers - so definitely something for everyone!

I have just got back from setting up our stand there, and warmly invite everyone to come along and visit us ! We have a fabulous display of goodies for you to drool over, and a different make and take each day, featuring items from the new Autumn/ Winter catalogue which launched last Saturday. We will be using the Googly Ghouls stamp set and the new Howlstooth and Scaringbone paper to make a 3D item, and Scentsational Season and Perfect Preserves to make cards.We will also be offering packages featuring all of these sets at a 10% discount to those who visit us

We will also have copies of the brand new Seasonal catalogue to share - these will cost £1 each, or if you order a brand new 2012-13 catalogue (launching on 1st October) we will give you one absolutely FREE!

Natalie Kim and I will look forward to seeing you there!

Autumn/ Winter Catalogue

It must be one of the worst kept secrets in the world!

On 1st September, Stampin Up! will launch the brand new Autumn/ Winter catalogue full of lush goodies to help you prepare for a crafty season of holiday celebrations!

Now - I'm not officially allowed to show you a picture of the new UK catalogue, but the second worst kept secret is that the US/ Canada catalogue is already online, and if you whiz over to this link, you will be able to what we have in store for you on September 1st. Please note that the digital products are not available to the European markets yet - so our catalogue will be fractionally smaller than this one, but we will still have 40 A4 pages of goodies to tempt you with.

Want to see some of these new goodies in the flesh? You do?? Well why not come along to the Hobbycraft show at the GLOW arena in Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent from 6-9 September?

I am joining up with Natalie O'Shea and Kim Fee to share the fabulous goodies and fun of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, and we will have a different make and take for visitors to the stand each day. Come along and have a play with the products and chat to us and we will sell you one of the Autumn Winter catalogues for £5 - but a week or so later, you will get a shiny new 2012-13 Stampin' Up! catalogue in the post for no additional cost - so that will be another 200 pages to look forward to!

Bluewater is a fabulous shopping centre with lots for the rest of the family to do while you indulge your craft addiction. They can go to the pictures, go shopping, eat at umpteen restaurants, and if old enough - go to the Young Driver school and learn to drive!

Live too far away to make it - well please get in touch and I will pop a hot off the press Autumn/ Winter catalogue into the post for you. This will cost you £2.50. but is fully refundable on an order of £30.00 or more from the new catalogues. Please send a Paypal payment to StampaholixUK@aol.com, and one will be winging its way to you in the next post!

Hopefully see you at Bluewater shortly!

Carolyn
StampaholixUK@aol.com/  07528 492765

Stampaholix - Upcoming Events!

Well - I've been meaning to do this for some time - but I've finally applied the boot to my own backside, and put together a programme of upcoming events that I am running with my Stampin' Up! business - so here goes!

Please note the terms and conditions at the bottom of this post before booking

August

August 22 – Monthly card class £10

August 31 - Hostesses Autumn/ Winter Catalogue launch (only available to those who have held a party for me during the current catalogue)

September

September 2 – Autumn Winter Catalogue Launch – Open House £5

September 19 – monthly card class £15

September 29/30 – 2013-14 Catalogue Launch - Open House £5

October

October 6 – Christmas crafting day £45

October 17 - Monthly card class £10

October 20/21 Christmas card candy £25

Here are the details of what will be happening at each event

Monthly Card Class - This will be held on the THIRD Wednesday of each month, and you have a choice of two sessions, one at 11:30 am, and the other at 7:30 pm. Each month we will showcase one of the fab SU stamp sets and/ or a technique. Each class costs £10, and you will make 3-4 cards (envelopes not included). All tools and card materials will be supplied - but please bring along your own adhesives (glue stick, double sided tape, adhesive runner etc.) although I will have some available for purchase at class if you forget! If you wish to order your own set of the stamps we use, you can purchase it at a 10% discount.

Open House – These are my launch events for the new catalogues. Come along between 11am – 3pm on the days stated above and stay as long as you need. Price includes an Autumn/ Winter mini catalogue or a  2012-13 catalogue, at least 3 make and takes using products from the new catalogue and refreshments.

I also offer a10% discount on all orders placed at the launch events. 

Christmas Crafting Day - We will be making decorations, cards and scrapbook pages/ mini album ready for your photos of the festivities. All supplies included, but please bring your own adhesives. You will go home with plenty of goodies to use on your other projects, and all refreshments including a light lunch are included.

Christmas Card Candy Class - This class focuses on making 12 lovely "toppers" (2 each of 6 designs) to use on your Christmas cards, using stamps, ribbons and punches. This class includes your choice of punch from a selection.

All classes and events will be held in Horsmonden, Kent – advance booking/ payment essential 07528 492765, or StampaholixUK@aol.com

Booking Terms and Conditions 

1.  All classes (and open houses) MUST be booked and paid for at least 1 week in advance, as I need to order (and pay for) the class supplies in advance. As the materials come from Germany, the final order needs to go in at least a week , and preferably longer, ahead of the class date. If I have not received payment before I place the order, I regret that your booking will be cancelled.

2. Should you need to cancel your paid booking before I have ordered the supplies, I am happy to refund all fees paid less a small admin charge (to cover the lost revenue). Once the supplies have been ordered, no refund is possible, but you will receive a kit containing all your supplies by post, and full instructions for all the projects will be sent to you by email.

I apologise for any inconvenience caused, but as the classes are all competitively priced, I cannot afford to have unsold kits .

3. Prices include all materials to make the projects, and use of necessary tools, however you should bring along your own adhesives (glue runner, double sided tape, foam pads, wet glue, glue stick etc). Refreshments are also supplied, and for all day events a light lunch (salad, jacket potato or sandwiches) will be provided. Please notify me of any dietary needs at time of booking.

4. Due to space restrictions, please do not bring large or bulky craft totes, especially the wheeled variety, with you to make the class more comfortable for all those attending. Lists of required tools and any non included supplies will be issued closer to the events.

Guest Designer at Scrapology this Month!

I was very flattered a few weeks ago to be invited to be the guest designer for July by the Scrapology blog.
Each month the ladies choose a layout to scraplift, and the design team then do exactly that (with the creator's permission of course!), and invite a guest designer to play along - and this month - it's MEEEEEE!
I was sent a picture of the original layout and a sketch, and apart from having to use "yarn" in any shape or form on the page but apart from that - the sky's the limit!
This month we scraplifted this delightful page by Gabrielle Polloco.

This was the sketch I was sent to help me......

And this is my scraplift........

For my background I used Stampin' Up!'s Certainly Celery cardstock which has been distressed with the cutter kit before being inked with Early Espresso, and a sheet of Bashful Blue card whic was trimmed down to 11"x11" before being given the same treatment. The blue card was stamped with the flourish from the Sale-a-Bration freebie stamp set "Fresh Vintage" in Bashful Blue before being mounted on the green.


The photo mounts and the flowers and leaves were all cut from the gorgeous Paisley Petals papers, and a circle of faux stitching in Early Espresso Marker Pen was added round the photo - and a line in the top left corner. I added strips of Victoria lace and Lucky Limeade ruffled ribbon below the photo before adding the flowers, using Dimensionals to lift some of them up.


I'm afraid I dug into my non SU stash for the lettering (BasicGrey chipboard letters) and the wood flourishes (Kaisercraft), but i did add a few SU pearls to the wood flourish to finish off.


Why not have a go at scraplifting the original page yourselves and entering the challenge over on Scrapology? If you link to your layout as instructed you may be in the running for a lovely prize courtesy of Jill at Cardinal Colours. I'd be more than happy to help you with any of the SU supplies I used to create mine!


Please get in touch if I can help!
StamapholixUK@aol.com
07528 492765

Party YOUR way!

Do you love Stampin' Up! products?

Do you have crafty friends, or even non crafty friends who admire your hand made cards, or scrapbooks and would like to try their hand at doing it themselves?

Well why not combine your love of crafts and your friends and earn FREE Stampin' Up! stash for yourself by holding a Stampin' up! workshop (aka "party!") at your house,or with your craft group, social group e.g. WI/ TWG/ Mothers Union etc and you can do just that!

Simply get together a group of friends who would like to have a go at papercrafting and get in touch with me to arrange a mutually convenient date, and I can promise you a few hours of creative fun, and best of all - if you and your friends spend a minimum of £150 at the party, you get to have a catalogue shopping spree worth £25! The more you all  spend, the higher the hostess pounds total gets. Go over £300 and not only do you earn a £50 spending spree - you also get to buy any item in the catalogue - even the most expensive(the Sizzix Big Shot!) at HALF PRICE.

You agree to provide

• Friends who are interested in buying high quality craft products - with a chance to "try before they buy"
• A table with space for everyone to sit round
• Light refreshments (you don't need to lay on a bar and buffet - tea and biccies or wine and nibbles is just fine)

I provide

• a demonstration of at least two papercrafted items such as gift packaging, cards,scrapbook pages or small 3d items (and I can tailor them to things you want to see/ do)
• a "make and take" for you and your guests which is usually a hand made card using Stampin' Up!s card, stamps, inks, tools and embellishments
• boards with inspirational ideas for using any SU products you and your guests buy
• a small gift for you as the hostess
• a free catalogue and invitations, and order forms for those friends who might want to order but are unable to come on the night (to get you closer to the £150 threshold!)

Stampin' Up provide

• quality products with a no quibble 90 day money back guarantee
• hostess benefits of free merchandise (subject to a minimum spend of £150)

I don't do a "hard sell" on you or your guests, as I believe the products sell themselves - once people try them out and see and feel the quality for themselves, they can't resist. 

That said, if you don't want to have a "selling party" why not get together a group and I will come and run a private class for you. For £5 each (to cover my expenses), we will make 3-5 cards (exact number is dependent on time available and experience of the group), and if anyone would like to order goods during the class, as long as their order is over £20 they get their class absolutely FREE..... 

We have just launched our new Summer mini catalogue this month so their is lots of lovely NEW product available to tempt you - so go on - pick up the phone or drop me an email now!

We can be crafting together in no time!

StampaholixUK@aol.com or 07973 969153

#Go your own way# Starter kit - YOUR way!

In the words of the old Fleetwood Mac (showing my age here!) song - Stampin' Up! is all about doing everything your own way - and that couldn't be clearer with the new starter kit offer.

SU Head Office have done a lot of market research about what stops potential demos from signing up - and for once - they have actually acted on the results and the outcome is the new signing up promotion.

So what was stopping you signing up? Well let's look at some of the main stumbling blocks....


1. Cost
One of the main concerns was the cost of the starter kit. Well as of the 1st May, the starter kit has dropped in price to just £99. This has got to be one of the cheapest starter kits on offer from any direct selling company in the UK - most of the others will charge you well over £100.


2. Contents
Another concern was the lack of choice in the products offered in the starter kit. For scrapbookers, lots of small stamps  were unnecessary, cardmakers would have liked some more embellishments, for established crafters, they may already have had a big stash of SU product to use, and for most recruits there were items included which would never see the light of day again. 
So now Stampin' Up offer you the chance to choose EVERY SINGLE ITEM which goes into your starter kit. Yes that's right - there are no "set" choices for you like there were before - you get to choose exactly what YOU want, so you know that there isn't any wasted money at all Best of all, you don't get £99 worth of product - you get to choose up to £130 worth of goodies for the price, and it also includes another £45 worth of business supplies like catalogues, order forms, invitations etc.
So - what are you waiting for? 


3. Commitment
So what exactly are you signing up for? Well - would you believe it if i told you that you were just signing up for a bargain box of goodies with no strings attached?
Does that sound too good to be true?
Well, strange though it may seem - that is exactly what you would be doing! Again, unlike a lot of other direct sales companies, you do not have to have hassled your friends and family into having a workshop (party) for you before you sign up, nor do you have to make minimum sales in a certain length of time in order to keep your starter kit.
Your ONLY commitment is to pay that £99 for £130 worth of high quality crafting goodies, and what you do once you have them in your hands, its entirely up to you what you do with them. Take them and run, and just quietly drop once you fail to meet your first quarterly minimum sales (which can be up to 6 months away), or just feed your own stash needs, or sell to your friends and family (at a discount), or make it into a business.


You don't have to give anyone the hard sell - just do everything your way. But if you are like some of my customers... placing an order for £99 worth of goodies is just too easy - so why not just give being a demo a try - you never know what might happen!


Why not get in touch to see what Stampin' Up! has to offer you? I am happy to chat at any time. You can get me on StampaholixUK@aol.com, or on 07973 969153 most times of day, and when you do - ask me about my signing up incentives as well - your starter kit could be worth even more!

Spring Mini Blog Hop

Welcome to the In Love With Stamping blog hop which launches the new Stampin' Up! Summer Mini catalogue which goes live TODAY! IF you haven't got a copy yet, why not click on the pick on the right there and have a peek at the online version - or get in touch and I'll pop a real live copy in the post for you to stroke and drool over!

You may have joined me from the lovely Emily's Blog - didn't she have lovely stuff on there to show you - if you landed here first - please follow the circle to see lots of inspiration with the new goodies. When you get back to me you are done with this circle (but there is another one running today as well - in total there are 40 Demos taking part!)

Anyway let's get down to business.... As most of my readers know - I am a Scrapbooker rather than a cardmaker, so here is a page I made using the gorgeous new Twitterpated papers. At first sight these are a bit "girlie" but I found enough there to make a VERY masculine page of my darling hubby with his two brothers and a couple of nephews at a cousins wedding! Look carefully and you will see that i have embellished the page with some of the new pleated satin ribbon, and a couple of rosettes made with the new scoreboard. I love our scoreboard, as although it is calibrated in inches,  it comes with two optional plates, one of which changes the measurements to metric, the other which allows diagonal folds. Both of these plates just slide into the base and as they fill the space completely, they are really easy to use!

Next up are a couple of cards using the brand new Framelits cutting dies - these are the SU/ Sizzix version of the ever popular Nestabilities and as usual with SU - they come with a beautiful matching stamp set called Apothecary Art.

One of these (the red one) is the Thank you card I included in my Stampers Six packs last months, the other is a card I made for a special lady's 80th birthday last week. They feature the diecuts layerd up with the stamped images  which I i think are very versatile and I'm sure i will use them a LOT!


Last up is another Stampers 6 thank you card - this time featuring the Edgelits dies. I still have this one as I couldn't send it as I managed to knock over a dauber which left that horrible mark in the top left corner..... this one features the lovely bracket edge, and the lovely new embossing folder with the hearts on.

I hope you have liked my projects - and if you would like a free copy of the new mini catalogue, please get in touch and i will pop one in the post to you as soon as I can.


Now - why not hop along to the next blog on the hop the lovely Ally is waiting for you!

Just one place left on May Stampers 6!

Just to let everyone know I now have just ONE place left on the Stampers 6 which starts on the 1st of May with the launch of the new Summer Mini Catalogue - if you would like to join a lovely group of ladies for 6 months of Stampin' Up! lushness, please let me know as soon as you can so if need be I can rush your catalogues to you in readiness for the first orders to go in in the early hours of 1st May!


You get a free catalogue (plus any others which come out during the session - including the brand new 2012-13 catalogue in September), and the chance to be the hostess of a virtual party where you get all the benefits with none of the hassle. You commit to spending £25 (plus postage) each month, and for one month out of the 6, you will get the hostess benefits which are a minimum £25 spending spree in the catalogues, including exclusively priced "Hostess only" stamps and paper


My ladies also all get a hand made thank you card each month (reusable as I don't actually write in it!) and a small gift or sample of SU product each month. This month the cards were sneak peeks of Summer mini goodies - and their gift was a sample of all the new ribbon and twine from the catalogue.


What are you waiting for... this is your chance to have a parcel of goodies arrive on your doorstep each month - please contact me on StampaholixUK@aol.com or by phone on 07973 969153 for more details


Also - make a note in your diaries for the 1st of May - My fellow SU demonstrators from the UK (and one from France) and I are doing another of our famous blog hops to showcase the new products in the Summer Mini catalogue - check back here after 10 am on 1st May to see inspiration from over 40 demos!

Even more Fabulous Freebies???

Yes - that's right.... just when you thought you couldn't be tempted any more.... what do SU do?? Run another gift with purchase promotion this time there are 4 packs of gorgeous patternd papers to choose from with every order over £45. Two are from the main catalogue (Nursery Nest and Beyond the Garden) and two from the mini catalogue which has just another month to run (Berry Blossoms and Pocketful of Posies).

If you haven't tried Stampin' Up!s Designer Series Papers this a way to so for free! They are really great quality and each pack contains two sheets each of six different designs.... you can either split one with a friend (and both of you get one of each sheet), or keep them all to yourself, one sheet to use and the other to keep and stroke!

Speaking of the Mini Catalogue... Time is running out for the items in there so if there is anything you have been dithering over, please don't forget that after the end of this month - they vanish until at least October.... and while we have our fingers crossed that the cupcake and large scallop circle punches will make a comeback - we have it on good authority that the Simply Adorned range is going for good from the US main catalogue, which means it will probably going from ours too! I wasn't convinced by the little charms until i actually saw one in real life - and was totally won over by the idea of mini works of art which you can make to match your outfits and swap in and out with each change of outfit.

So go on - dig out that mini catalogue (or click on the link) up on the right and have a peruse.... and don't forget - go over £45 and you will get a free pack of DSP - and if that wan't enough - Spend over £50 and I will pay the shipping for you for every order placed before the 30th April!

Go on - you know you want to!

Two places remaining in stampers 6 starting in May

I have just two places left in the Stampers 6 group starting on the 1st May, so if you would like to join in the fun, and get to be a Stampin Up! hostess without the hassle of throwing a party, please get in touch!

You agree to spend a minimum of £25 each month (excluding postage and packing) for 6 months on goodies from the main and the new summer mini catalogue (which also launches on the 1st May!!!), and for one month of the 6, you get to be the hostess for the group, with a guaranteed £25 Hostess Pounds to spend on items of your choice from the catalogues! All the fun and goodies of being the hostes with no need to clean the house, invite friends, provide refreshments or any of the other hassle of having a workshop at home (although I can do a home workshop for you if you like - just get in touch!)

Once you sign up, you receive a copy of the 2011-12 Ideas Book and Catalogue (if you havent already got one!) and I will send a copy of the new mini catalogue once I get them myself.
As this group will run over the launch of the new 2012-13 catalogue in October, you will also receive one of those with your September order.

Each month - your parcels will be turned round on the day they get to me if Mr UPS gets here before lunch, and will include a handmade thank you card from me (which you can re-use!), and a small present or sample so you can try out items you may not have thought of using or trying before.

If you would like to join the group - please get in touch as soon as you can.... if there is enough interest - there may be a second group as well!

Contact me on StampaholixUK@aol.com or on 07973 969153, and start making those wish lists now!

New Stampers 6 group starting in May!

Guess what is happening in May - apart from this new Stampers 6 group starting up???

Well - we have the fabulous new Summer Mini catalogue coming your way - 28 pages stuffed full of lush new Stampin Up goodies, including the brand new Simply Scored scoring board, along with its metric converter plate! I can see this one being a must have (even though ) already have a Scor Pal and Martha Stewart scoreboard) - having one that can do both metric and imperial measurements is great as far as I'm concerned!

There are lots of lovely new stamp sets as well as new Framelits and Edgelits dies for the big shot - along with matching stamp sets and embossing folders!

Now would be a great time to start up with me in my new Stampers 6 club which starts at the beginning of May! Sign up with me to spend a minimum of £25 per month (plus postage) on goodies from the main and mini catalogues, and for one of those months you will be the "hostess" and get lots of freebies without having the hassle of having a party

You commit to spend a minimum £25 per month and you get......

A copy of the current Stampin Up! Ideas Book and Catalogue (if you havent got one already) worth £5.95
A copy of the Summer Mini catalogue
A copy of the 2012-13 catalogue when it launches in October
A guaranteed £25 of "Hostess Pounds" to spend in the catalogue when it is your turn to be hostess ( it CAN be more, but you should not expect to get more than this minimum - if you do its a bonus!)
A reusable handmade Thank You card in each parcel
A small gift or sample from me each month because you are special!

So why not join in the fun and work your way down your wish list - and if you haven't got a wish list already, you will have once you see this new catalogue!

Get in touch with me on StampaholixUK@aol.com or give me a ring on 07973 969153 and I will send you out further details and the agreement!

Off to create my own wish list now........

Fundraising at Farnborough!

Id like to introduce you to one of our little helpers on our stand at the Make It Show at Farnborough this weekend.

His name is Corporal Arnhem and he is one of the bears who works tirelessly to raise funds for Holidays 4 Heroes, an organisation which provides holidays and short breaks for injured servicement and their families to help them get over the trauma of their injuries or loss of a loved one

Cpl Arnhem is a paratrooper, has 13 jumps to his credit and has done tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, but his main job is travelling the world to raise awareness of his cause, and he is telling me to get off the 'pooter so he can write up his latest trip report for the bears website. This photo was taken on his trip to Rome with me and Katy last weekend.

"Arnie" and his collecting tin will be on our Make and Take table on all three days of the show, and if you enjoy your free Make and Take session with us, he will happily take any donations you may wish to give (large or small) . If you are lucky he may even assist you with the gluesticks - he loves my yellow ATG gun - but says the pink one is too girly!!

We have 3 lovely makes and takes for our visitors to do (a different one each day), so please pop along to Stand K29 to book your place. They are free of charge, but if you feel like giving Arnie a small donation afterwards, it will be gratefully received.

We are also doing a 12 x 12 scrapbook page class at 12:00 each day in Room 3. Why not come along and make a lovely spring page for your album? Details of how to book are on the Make it website under Workshops (page 2)

We look forward to meeting you during the show!!

Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper

Well I'm only a couple of days late - but here are a couple of layouts done with the Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper which is one of the FREE gifts you can get with the Sale a Bration promotion which runs until the end of March. That's right - a whole pack (12 sheets) of double sided patterned paper can be yours when you spend £45 or more on Stampin' Up! goodies - what's not to like about that?

Anyway - here's my first page featuring Roger's cousin Charlotte and her (then) brand new hubby enjoying a glass of champers after their wedding last July. The flowers are die cut using the new die in the mini catalalogue!

And here is number two featuring a very much smaller Katy  enjoying a plouter in the mud at Cape Wrath lighthouse in what passes for summer in the far North of Scotland..... if you aren't being eaten alive by the dreaded midgies - you're being rained on... on balance the rain is preferable as its less uncomfortable!

And just in case you missed it - here's a pic of all 6 patterned papers in the package - you get two of each so you can use all 12 patterns!

As always - if I've tempted you with these pictures - and you would like to get your hands on the papers (or even any of the stamps I've featured in my previous posts), please get in touch

StampaholixUK@aol.com/ 07973 969153

For anyone in the Tunbridge Wells area (or even the rest of Kent and the closer parts of Sussex and Surrey...) I will be running another of my fabulous one day crafting retreats on the weekends of the 18/19th Feb, the 25th/26th Feb and the 3rd/ 4th March. (Reason there are so many dates to choose from is that I limit the places to a maximum of 5 to give everyone enough space and attention!)

We will be using the lovely Spice Cake papers from the Spring Mini Catalogue and your kits will include a WHOLE pack of paper (12 sheets), a whole pack (12 sheets) of Vanilla card, half a pack (6 sheets) of Soft Suede card, lots of A4 card in matching colours, various ribbons and a whole pot of Antique Brads, a pack of Paper Daisies and a pack of Basic Pearls. We will be making 10-12 layouts between 10 am and 5pm and for those you don't finish on the day - complete instructions will be available to you so you can complete them in your own time!

Cost for the day will be £50 to include your kits, all refreshments and a salad or sandwich lunch

If you are interested please let me know as soon as possible as the materials for the kits need to be ordered, and the 18th Feb isn't that far away!.

Thanks

Sale-a-Bration Set 4 - Sprinkled Expressions

Hello and welcome to day 4 of the look at lovely cards to make with the FREE stamp sets you can get with orders of £45 during Sale-a-Bration.  Todays set is the funky Sprinkled Expressions - a set of 6 stamps in three very useful shapes and with 3 nice sentiments to go with them.

Here is the first of 3 cards from Aly and the 4th one in the group - although designed by natalie is inspired by one on Aly's blog!

This one is probablly my favourite of the four cards featured today - great for every occasion - and showing off how you can use the markers to stamp a multi coloured image. The little flowers on the flower and the word smile have been done with markers

 Here's a great one using the heart stamp - wouldn't it make a great valentine - or even a wedding/ engagement card?

 And how abou this one for a congratulations card - very handy to have around at the end of August when the dreaded results come out!

 And if you didn't like that one - how about this version - have you noticed that the embossing folders used on the mats of some cards really add a bit of texture and dimension?

I know I promised some scrapbook pages using the papers for tomorrow - but life got in the way yesterday - and I'm off to the Strictly Come Dancing Tour this afternoon so won't have time to make them today ... watch late tomorow or on Monday for the next instalment.

As ever if you would like to place an order - please get in touch and these lovely stamps could be on their way to live at your house! this week!

StampaholixUK@aol.com / 07973 969153

Sale-a-Bration Set 3 - Outlined Occasions

Well today I'm featuring the versatile Outlined Occasions stamp set which is free with a purchase of £45 during this promotion.

This set features 3 sentiments and 3 "sub- sentiments" to go with them so its a set of 6. As they are outlines - you can use the markers to fill them in, or just colour in the stars, or just leave them blank... so the greetings will go with your cards whatever products you use!

As usual - I'll be showing you the four cards  I featured in Tuesday's main post group photo. The papers featured are the super lush Everyday Enchantment ones which are also a choice for a freebie if you aren't that into stamps.....My set arrived yesterday afternoon - so I will be scrapping them shortly - so look out on Sunday for them!

This card is another Aly Schilling one which feature SU's lovely basic pearls and the velvet ribbn. Here the outlines have been left bland but you could reverse the sentiment block so the celebrate was stamped on  white and colour in the letters with the matching markers.

I really love this card  - its another Aly creation and a great use of card scraps..... a cheap make but VERY effective. Here the outlines have been filled in to match the card blocks and it really makes the whole card pop!

Another one which shows off the coloured in outlines - here the markers pick up the colours in the paper which has been stamped with the I {heart}   Hearts set! A very quick, easy and effective card, again designed by Aly!

The final offering today is Natalies design - i love the way that she has used the embossed frame to surround the stamped and punched greeting - I hope you have spotted that the two smaller sentiments fitt beautifully into some of the latgers punches to make your cards look even better!

Check back tomorrow for a set of cards featuring the last of the four stamp sets, and as usual - if I can help you with any orders - please do get in touch!

StampaholixUK@aol.com / 07973 969153

Sale-a-Bration Set 2 - Elementary Elegance

Well here is Day two of the features on  the gorgeous stamps which are avaialble for free with every £45 you spend with Stampin' Up! between now and the end of March.


I think Elementary Elegance is my second favourite of those on offer this year. It has a gorgeous frame, the centre of which matches the Curly Label punch perfectly so no fiddly cutting by hand required! There are 7 stamps in the set, including two lovely sentiment stamps which would be useful on lots of cards! That little butterfly and bird are so sweet as well........

Here is card no 1 made with this set . It's an Aly Schilling design again and features lots of lovely layering to create this super stylish birthday card. it uses 3 of the 7 stamps - the very versatile frame, the Happy Birthday and the butterfly! I'd love to open a card like this on my special day  - and I'm sure lots of other peoplpe would too!

Next up is this lovelyfeminine card made with the Everyday Enchantment paper - its another Aly design and again useful for any occasion - and nowhere near as hard to make as it looks! See how changing from the darker palette of colours on the birthday card above to red and cream for this one makes it look totally different?

This one is yet another Aly creation - again there is lots of layering and the papers and velvet ribbon feature again... but the frame this time has got the sentiment stampd , punched and set up on dimensionals to look totally different!

Here is the last one from the group photo I showed you on Tuesday - its Aly again but here she's used embossed and punched card with the papers and velvet ribbon

 And finally for today - is this card made using the frame stamped in white craft ink on a dark background with the wee butterfly stamped in Versamark and finished off with a Rhinestone!

Are you tempted yet?


If you would like to get Elementary Elegance absolutely FREE, just choose products from the Main or Spring mini catalogue to the value of £45 or more and it can be on its way to your house in the next few days!


As a special offer from me - every individual customer order (of £45 or more) placed with me during the promotion will qualify for FREE Postage and Packaging (worth £4.95) - so go on - what are you waiting for???