Last Minute Gift Wrapping

Sorry for not posting for a while, but unfortunately life has thrown a curve ball. The quote by John Lennon springs to mind "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans" - too true!

So because of December's curve ball I have not done much crafting. However this was rectified yesterday as I need to wrap some presents for friends. Time was short so I decorated a couple of bags - I am well known by friends and family for my gift bags! Admittedly this one is quite basic, but I am really pleased with how it has turned out and I am a great believer that less is more.

If you love the stamped image featured on the bag you will need to hurry as the Autumn/Winter catalogue that this stamp is featured in will finish on 5 January 2015. It might be too late for you to use this stamp set for Christmas this year, but you could get it ready for next! The note tag punch though is carrying over into the Spring/Summer Catalogue that comes out on 6 January 2015.

To make this project you will need:

Stamps: Cheerful Christmas ♦ Ink: Cherry Cobbler ♦ Tools/Accessories: Kraft Paper Bag (from craft stash), Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon, Note Tag Punch, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine

You can order from my online shop 24/7 or if you prefer contact me directly.

I hope my gift bag has inspired you for some quick last minute gift wrapping.

I would like to wish all my readers a lovely Christmas. A la prochaine! Amitiés!

Nicole

End of Year Clearance Rack Blow Out!

Come and grab some bargains at the amazing end of year Clearance Rack launched today. Over 90 products have been discounted, some as much as 80%! At these prices I am sure you will agree they will sell out quickly, so make sure you click on the picture below to take you to my online shop!

Have a great weekend!  A la prochaine! Amitiés!

Nicole

Join Stampin' Up! Today - Fantastic One Week Special Offer!

Stampin' Up! have an amazing joining offer - £130 worth of products of your choice for just £74.25 plus free catalogues and supplies and free postage. If that wasn't enough there is also a 5% cash back bonus throughout December too!!! This offer only lasts until 2 December so get your skates on and contact me today to discuss how to join my team or you can join straight away by clicking on the button below!

A la prochaine! Amitiés!

Nicole

Fast Friday - Week 25

I held a party for my top customer and her friends last Saturday and the order is due to arrive today, so I wanted to give each of my customers a thank you card to go with their order. So just sharing these quick cards I made last night. Each one has a slight variation, eg: different placing of the gems.

As I was making these in bulk, they had to be quick to do. Obviously overall they took more than 10 minutes (the parameters for a Fast Friday project), but you could easily produce one card in less than 5 minutes!

Which one do you prefer?

To make this project you will need:

Cardstock/Paper: Whisper White Notecards ♦ Stamps: A Happy Hooray ♦ Ink: Lost Lagoon, Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake ♦ Tools/Accessories: 1⅜" Circle Punch, Linen Thread, Stampin' Dimensionals, Basic pearls, Basic rhinestones

You can order from my online shop 24/7 or if you prefer contact me directly.

Have a good weekend!

A la prochaine! Amitiés!

Nicole

Fast Friday - Week 24

Now you might think that the All Is Calm DSP from the Autumn/Winter Seasonal Catalogue is just for Christmas, but in fact most of the designs can be used at any time of the year. And to prove it here's a card I made for a friend's recent birthday. I put this together using some left over items from other projects that I had on my craft desk - the die cut leaf and stamped image.

To make this project you will need:

Cardstock/Paper: All Is Calm DSP, Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Sky, Old Olive ♦ Stamps: Hello There (Hostess 2014/15) ♦ Ink: Lost Lagoon ♦ Tools/Accessories: 1⅜" Circle Punch, 1¾" Scallop Circle Punch, Pistachio Pudding Thick Baker's Twine, Party Pennants Bigz L Sizzix die, Stampin' Dimensionals, Basic rhinestones

You can order from my online shop 24/7 or if you prefer contact me directly.

I now have a Facebook page, so why not like this page to be updated on regular offers and details of any classes I am running.

A la prochaine! Amitiés!

Nicole

Convention 2014 Swaps

By the time you are reading this I will be in fabulous Brussels enjoying the first session of Stampin' Up!'s annual convention for European demonstrators.

When Stampin' Up! demonstrators get together they love to share ideas and so we make examples of cards and/or projects to swap with other demonstrators. So here are a couple of photos of my swaps - a card and a box. Thanks to my roomie, Clare, for helping me finish these in our hotel room last night!

The card is a stepped up version of a previous Fast Friday project. The box is just adorable and easy - the box is pre-made (you get 25 in a pack) and I just stamped snowflakes from Endless Wishes onto the box, put some chocolates inside (what else?!) and wrapped them up with some of my favourite Stampin' Up! ribbon - et voilà!

To make these projects you will need:

Cardstock/Paper: Lost Lagoon, Island Indigo, Whisper White ♦ Stamps: Work of Art, Hey There Buds, A Dozen Thoughts, Endless Wishes ♦ Ink: Lost Lagoon, Island Indigo, Pool Party, Basic Black, Basic Grey, Craft White ♦ Tools/Accessories: Tiny Treat Boxes, Scalloped Edge Border Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Whisper White Organza ribbon

You can order from my online shop 24/7 or if you prefer contact me directly.

Why not come back soon when I will share some of my photos from my time in Brussels.

A la prochaine! Amitiés!

Nicole

Fast Friday - Week 23

This week's project is a case (but with my own spin on it!) of one of my favourite card ideas in the current Autumn/Winter seasonal 2014 catalogue. As soon as I saw the card featured on page 8 of the catalogue I knew that I just HAD to get the products to make it!

My version has a modern and (I hope) stylish spin with the black card base and gold embossing, complete with rhinestone accents.

Like last week's project, this card would be perfect for batch production - so necessary when making multiple Christmas cards! Of course as this is a dark card base, don't forget you will need to line the card inside with some white paper.

To make this project you will need:

Cardstock/Paper: Basic Black ♦ Stamps: Cheerful Christmas ♦ Ink: Versamark ♦ Tools/Accessories: Big Shot, Filigree Frame Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Heat gun, Gold Embossing Powder, Basic rhinestones

You can order from my online shop 24/7 or if you prefer contact me directly.

Don't forget I will be at Stamperama on Saturday 25 October - and you will be able to see this simple but stunning card in real life! Hope to meet old friends and make new ones!

Finally why not head over to the clearance rack in my online store as lots new items have been added - lots of retired products from last year's seasonal. When they're gone, they're gone ... so don't miss out!

A la prochaine! Amitiés!

Nicole

Fast Friday - Week 22

Bonjour! I held a class last week to celebrate the new Autumn/Winter Seasonal 2014 catalogue and we made 5 projects - 2 3D items and 3 cards. Here's one of the cards we made.

This was quick and easy to do - just what is needed when making multiple cards to send out at Christmas! And it was super easy using the Endless Wishes photopolymer set. I started off stamping the greeting (love, love, love the mixture of fonts) and then stamped the snowflakes round it. The longest part of the project was probably spent on cleaning the stamps when changing ink colours!

To make this project you will need:

Cardstock/Paper: Whisper White ♦ Stamps: Endless Wishes ♦ Ink: Blackberry Bliss, Elegant Eggplant, Lost Lagoon, Island Indigo, Coastal Cabana, Smoky Slate ♦ Tools/Accessories: Basic rhinestones

You can order from my online shop 24/7 or if you prefer contact me directly.

It did seem a bit odd though making Christmas cards whilst we have an Indian summer! If you would like to see this set in action, why not come along to Stamperama's show at The Rufus Centre in Flitwick on Saturday 25 October where I will be having a stand. Stamperama is always a great show and this one is extra special as it will be in aid of the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

A la prochaine! Amitiés!

Nicole

Fast Friday - Week 21

I needed some birthday cards earlier this week and had none in stock and didn't have much time to make them as they needed to go in the post asap. So what's a girl to do? Go to my recently purchased Stampin Up! goodies and the Hey There Buds stamp set seem to call out to me saying "use me, use me!"

One of the cards was for my cousin and she loves red. So I decided the flowers would be in a mix of reds, but I would colour the stem and leaves in black for a more modern take.

The stamp does come with its own greeting "built in" - Hey There - but as this was a birthday card, I wanted something more suitable so used two of the stamps from the Memorable Moments set.

As you can see I did get a bit of a mottled effect from using the markers to colour in the image (probably because it was the first time I had used the stamp), but I really like the finished effect.

To make this project you will need:

Cardstock/Paper: Whisper White ♦ Stamps: Hey There Buds, Memorable Moments ♦ Ink: Basic Black marker, Real Red marker, Cherry Cobbler marker, Black Stazon ♦ Tools/Accessories: Rhinestones

You can order from my online shop 24/7 or if you prefer contact me directly.

Why not come back next week when I will have some more inspiration for you with another quick project?

A la prochaine! Amitiés!

Nicole

Pinkies Stampin' Up! Blog Hop - Autumn/Winter Seasonal Catalogue 2014

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

Welcome to those who have joined me from Kim P's blog - wasn't her project gorgeous? I just love how she has used the products from the new catalogue!

My project is my first Christmas card of 2014 - which feels a bit surreal as when I was making this card earlier this week it was a hot and sunny day. One of the first sets I was drawn to in the new seasonal catalogue was the Wondrous Wreath photopolymer set with the matching framelits (as a result there's a bundle with 15% off - don't you just love a bargain?!). I wanted to make my wreath very Christmassy (but modern) so decided my main colours would be just silver and gold.

As Wondrous Wreath is a photopolymer set it makes two-step stamping a breeze by perfectly lining up the coordinating images. I started off my wreath by stamping the main image in Smoky Slate ink. The next layer (which is just a few of the leaves highlighted from the first image) was stamped in versamark and then heat embossed in silver. The final layer is the berries and once again these were stamped in versamark, but this time I heat embossed in gold. The wreath then was cut out with the matching framelits. It could have been really tricky lining this up, but was made super easy with the guides on both the stamps and the framelits. You can see the guides on the framelits in the image below.

I used the "Noel" word die from the framelit set for my greeting, but I wanted to add more depth to this (to match the wreath), so I did several die cuts and layered one on top of the other (the bottom 4 were in Whisper White and the top in gold foil). Btw (by the way) there is also another word die in the framelits set - "Joy" - but of course being a Francophile I just had to go with "Noël" (mais oui bien sûr)!

So what are you waiting for? Do you want to get your hands on some fabulous new product? Well you can order from my online shop 24/7 or if you prefer contact me directly. And if you are local to me why not hold a party and get your friends to come along for some crafting fun!

Have a great weekend but don't forget to stop by Kim H's blog as I know she has a fab project to share with you. Click on the next button below to take a look....

To make this project you will need:

Cardstock/Paper: Whisper White, Naturals Ivory, Gold Foil, Brushed Silver ♦ Stamps: Wondrous Wreath ♦ Ink: Smoky Slate, Versamark ♦ Tools/Accessories: Heat Gun, Silver Embossing Powder, Gold Embossing Powder, Big Shot, Wondrous Wreath Framelits Dies, Rhinestones, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Envelope Punch Board

Have a fantastic weekend!  A la prochaine! Amitiés!

Nicole

Fast Friday - Week 20

Last week I announced the launch of Stampin' Up's new Autumn/Winter Seasonal catalogue and whilst the main emphasis is on Christmas or Halloween I mentioned that many of the products are very versatile and can either be easily adapted or used year round. Here is one such project which is an adorable little box (comme c'est chouette!).

The longest (and most fiddly bit was putting the washi tape on the front panel)! The framelit set even comes with coordinating mini label dies. I used one of the greetings from the exclusive stamp set "Good Greetings" which features in the current hostess promotion.

To finish the project off I used some leftover items from previous projects that were on my desk - namely some punched flowers and a rhinestone which I had already coloured with one of the Blendabilities.

To make this project you will need:

Cardstock/Paper: Blackberry Bliss, Whisper White ♦ Stamps: Good Greetings ♦ Ink: Blackberry Bliss (marker) ♦ Tools/Accessories: Big Shot, Curvy Keepsake Box Framelit, Colour Me Autumn Washi Tape, Petite Petals Punch, Itty Bitty Punches, Whisper White Organza Ribbon, Whisper White Baker's Twine, Rhinestone (coloured in with Rich Razzleberry Blendability (dark)

You can order from my online shop 24/7 or if you prefer contact me directly.

Why not come back tomorrow when I will have some more inspiration for you from the new Autumn/Winter seasonal catalogue as myself and a group of fellow SU demonstrators will be holding a blog hop to showcase more gorgeous products from the new seasonal catalogue.

A demain! Amitiés!

Nicole

Launch of New Seasonal 2014 Autumn Winter Catalogue

The amazing new seasonal catalogue launches today and it has so many lush products - and really versatile too as many of the items can be used year round or adapted. So what are you waiting for?

If you would like a free copy of the paper catalogue, contact me today and I will pop you one in the post. Alternatively if you can't wait why not look at the on-line pdf version.

And if that wasn't enough there is even a special promotion launching as well, with a free exclusive greetings stamp set when you host a £200 / 300€ Stampin' Up! party. Don’t miss out on this stamp set as it is only available when hosting a qualifying party by 31 October - contact me today to schedule your own party!

You can order from my online shop 24/7 or if you prefer contact me directly.

Why not come back in a few days when I will show something I have made from the new catalogue.

A la prochaine! Amitiés!

Nicole

Fast Friday - Week 19

For this week's Fast Friday I thought I would show you some quick cards I made recently to thank my customers who attended my catalogue launch party last month. My card base was 6 inches by 3 inches scored at 3 inches to create 3 inch mini-cards which go perfectly with SU's square envelopes. The floral images are all from the new gorgeous set Garden Party.

In the first card the leaves were stamped several times in Mossy Meadow ink without reinking the stamp.

For this card I actually stamped the multi-flower image twice - I rotated the second image so they "interlocked".  I then coloured the flower centres in with my Blackberry Bliss marker.

The flowers in the final card were coloured in using the Blackberry Bliss and Lost Lagoon markers to get a wonderful mottled effect. And of course the best thing about all of these cards is that they were super quick!

To make these cards you will need:

Cardstock/Paper: Very Vanilla ♦ Stamps: Garden Party, Petite Pairs ♦ Ink: Lost Lagoon, Blackberry Bliss, Mossy Meadow, Basic Grey ♦ Tools/Accessories: Square Envelopes

You can order from my online shop 24/7 or if you prefer contact me directly.

Why not come back next time when I will have another quick project to share with you.

A la prochaine! Amitiés!

Nicole

Pinkies Stampin' Up! Blog Hop - 2014 Annual Catalogue

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

Welcome to those who have joined me from Anne-Marie's blog - wasn't her project gorgeous? I just love how she has used the products from the new catalogue!

I have made this cute card which focuses on 4 brand new products from the new annual catalogue. The first thing you will notice is the card base which is a luscious new in-colour - Blackberry Bliss.  You will then notice the leafy image which is one of 6 images in the Bloom with Hope stamp set (there are also 4 sentiments - one of which I used on the card as well). This new exclusive hostess set is very suited to another new product - Blendabilities.

What are Blendabilities? They are Stampin' Up!'s new alcohol based markers. You will need to use a water based ink to stamp your image to prevent any bleed when colouring in - so Stampin' Up! now stock Momento Tuxedo Black ink which is the ink of choice for crafters to use when colouring with alcohol based markers.

One of the other great things about Blendabilities is that they can also be used to colour in your rhinestones and pearls – which is just perfect for a matchy matchy girl like me!

The final new product I have used is one of the punches from the new Itty Bitty Accents punch pack. I was disappointed when I heard that the Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack was retiring from the last annual catalogue, but as soon as I saw this new trio of punches I forgot all about missing the old ones! This new set includes a heart, star and an adorable shaped mini flower which I have used here. Don't you just love how the pale cool colour of Pool Party is a great contrast with the vibrant Blackberry Bliss?

To make this project you will need:

Cardstock/Paper: Blackberry Bliss, Whisper White, Pool Party ♦ Stamps: Bloom in Hope (Hostess 2014/15) ♦ Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black, Versamark, Old Olive Blendabilities, Rich Razzleberry (dark) Blendability (for colouring rhinestone) ♦ Tools/Accessories: Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack, Pool Party Embossing Powder, Heat Gun, Rhinestones, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Paper Piercing Tool, Essentials Paper Piercing Kit, Simply Scored Stylus (for dimension to flowers)

So what are you waiting for? Do you want to get your hands on some fabulous new product? Well you can order from my online shop 24/7 or if you prefer contact me directly. And if you are local to me why not hold a party and get your friends to come along for some crafting fun!

Have a great weekend enjoying the weather, but don't forget to stop by Christa's blog as I know she has a fab project to share with you. Click on the next button below to take a look....

Have a fantastic weekend!  A la prochaine! Amitiés!

Nicole