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May 4, 2012

Your Starter Kit – Your Way!

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Hello stampers!

How do you fancy getting a permanent discount off all your Stampin’ Up! goodies?

Stampin' Up! New £99 Starter Kit

With the new, totally flexible Starter Kit you can customise your creativity.. your way!

It’s Your Starter Kit.. and it’s now just £99!

Each Kit contains a business supplies pack valued at £45.. things that every Demonstrator needs to start her or his own business (yes – there are a few male Demo’s out there!).

Stampin' Up! Business Supply Pack

After that, the choice is YOURS – to create a Starter Kit made up of *any* of Stampin’ Up!’s fantastic quality products! Choose up to £130-worth of supplies from the Idea Book & Catalogue and/or Summer Mini Catalogue to create a kit valued at over £175 that ships for free! And did I mention it’s now just £99?!

Sample Starter Kit

Need any help in choosing your perfect Starter Kit? Well, Stampin’ Up! have come up with a few suggestions, whether you’re mainly a card-maker, scrapbooker, or die-cutting diva! Please click on the picture to view at a comfortable size! :)

Stampin' Up! Starter Kit Suggestions

Free Convention Registration for New Demonstrators!

During 2012, Stampin’ Up! will be celebrating five years in Europe – and as part of the celebrations, during May only, new Demonstrators joining Stampin’ Up! will receive FREE Convention 2012 registration – that’s a value of £149! This year, Convention takes place in the historic city of Mainz in Germany on 2-3 November – what a wonderful opportunity to share aweekend of crafty fun with friends old and new.. and get your Stampin’ Up! business off to a flying start!

Join my team.. and become a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator Your Way!

Why not join my team in May.. take advantage of the brilliant new Starter Kit and even come to Convention in November! I fit Stampin’ Up! around my family and full-time work.. I do monthly card-making classes, along with home workshops and private classes as and when I can!

But there’s NO pressure to do any of that if you don’t want to.

  • If you want to join for the Starter Kit and the ongoing 20% discount on all your catalogue goodies, that’s absolutely fine!
  • If you think you might do the occasional workshop or simply sell to your crafty friends, that’s great too!
  • If you want to start your own Stampin’ Up! business and really go for it – wow, that’s brilliant! I’ll support you every step of the way! Whether you need advice, samples, business tools.. I’ll be there for you. Just drop me a line and I’ll answer any questions you may have.

 

Thanks for reading.. and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on 07970 615390 or sarah(at)stampingobsession(dot)com!

Sarah x x

Filed Under: News · Tagged: , , ,
May 1, 2012

The Summer Mini Catalogue… and New £99 Starter Kit!

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Stampin' Up! Summer Mini Catalogue

Click on the picture to view the Summer Mini Catalogue online.. it’s full of gorgeous new products you’re going to love!

Would you like your own paper copy? If so, why not get in touch with your name and address (UK only) and I’ll pop one in the post for you. Email me on sarah(at)stampingobsession(dot)com or call/text on 07970 615390.

 

Stampin' Up! New £99 Starter Kit

 

Stampin’ Up! also announced some incredible changes to the New Demonstrator Starter Kit today – it’s been reduced in price to just £99 – and you can COMPLETELY customise your kit – choose whatever you like from the current catalogues up to a value of £130.. and receive £45 worth of business supplies… so that’s up to £175 of products and supplies – all for just £99!

So, whether you’ve had your eye on a Big Shot and some of the lovely dies.. or fancied joining Stampin’ Up! before but were put off by the price or Starter Kit restrictions.. perhaps now is the time to join up!

There’s even more incredible news for those who choose to sign up in May – you will receive FREE registration to this year’s Stampin’ Up! Convention in Germany! You can read all about this once-in-a -lifetime offer on the Stampin’ Up! website. It really is something very special indeed!

OK.. that’s all for now.. but if you have any questions at all.. or would like me to send you a Summer Mini Catalogue.. please get in touch on sarah(at)stampingobsession(dot)com – or call/text on 07970 615390.

Best wishes,

Sarah x x

Filed Under: News · Tagged: , ,
Apr 2, 2012

Sew Sweet: A Flower Keyring!

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Hellooo…

I’d like to wish a Happy Birthday to Sew Sweet – a very lovely haberdashery shop I found on Facebook a while ago. It’s their first birthday this week and they are celebrating with a week full of tutorials, prizes and giveaways. Do check ‘em out!!

So today’s project was a Union Jack-inspired felt-and-button keyring – Emma’s examples were so cute I just had to have a try. You’ll find the full tutorial, including a downloadable template, on the Sew Sweet blog. I have to admit, I cheated a bit and used my Fun Flowers die from Stampin’ Up! for my flower shape! ;o)

The materials I used were:

  • Red and Pink felt – from Sew Sweet
  • Polka Dot fabric – from the Candy Cane Christmas fabric pack by Stampin’ Up!
  • Ribbon – Pool Party Ruffled Ribbon by Stampin’ Up!
  • Buttons – Real Red, Tempting Turquoise and Pool Party by Stampin’ Up!; pink star-shaped button from stash
  • Split ring and Keyring – from Sew Sweet
  • Fun Flowers and Circles dies – from Stampin’ Up!

And here’s my lovely new key-ring/bag charm!!

Front:

Fun Flowers Key Ring - front

And back, showing the key-ring part:

 

Fun Flowers Key Ring (back)

Thank you Emma from Sew Sweet for inspiring me to get sewing – I’m very pleased with my cute key-ring!

 

Sarah x x x

Filed Under: Blog, Fabric projects · Tagged: , , , , ,
Apr 1, 2012

A Springtime Gift for You!

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Springtime Gift to You

While we’re sad to say goodbye to Sale-a-Bration,  April brings another exciting Stampin’ Up! promotion!!

All month you can earn yourself a FREE pack of Designer Series Paper (value: £9.95) when you spend £45. Your purchases can be from the main Idea Book & Catalogue, or from the Spring Mini Catalogue which runs until the end of April.

Want to know which Designer Series Papers that are included in this promotion? Well, there are FOUR to choose from:

  • 122342 – Beyond the Garden – Idea Book & Catalogue – page 97
  • 122347 – Nursery Nest – Idea Book & Catalogue – page 99
  • 122350 – Berry Blossoms – Spring Mini – page 15
  • 122354 – Pocketful of Posies – Spring Mini – page 18

To make things easier for you, I’ve put together four Product Bundles – suggestions for products you might like to purchase to go with your chosen Designer Series Paper. And when you purchase one of my Product Bundles, I will add a Tombow Multi-Purpose Adhesive or Stampin’ Dimensionals to your order (you choose).. absolutely FREE!

Beyond the Garden Bundle – see pages 82, 97 and 103 in the Idea Book & Catalogue

Beyond the Garden projects

  • Sincere Salutations stamp set (wood-mount) – £21.95*
  • On Board Merry Medley (Chipboard Shapes) – £8.95
  • A4 Smooth Cardstock (24 sheets) (your choice of colour) – £6.25
  • Classic Stampin’ Ink Pad (your choice of colour) – £4.95
  • Brights Designer Buttons – £7.75
  • + Beyond the Garden Designer Series Paper – FREE!! (Save £9.95)
  • + Tombow Multi-Purpose Adhesive OR Stampin’ Dimensionals – FREE!! (Save £3.25)

TOTAL = £49.85

*Feel free to substitute this stamp set for another one of equal or greater value, adjusting your total as necessary.

Nursery Nest Bundle – see pages 40-41 and 99 in Idea Book & Catalogue

Nursery Nest projects

  • Aviary stamp set (clear-mount) – £17.95*
  • A4 Smooth Cardstock (24 sheets) (your choice of colour) – £6.25
  • A4 Smooth Cardstock (24 sheets) (your choice of colour) – £6.25
  • Classic Stampin’ Ink Pad (your choice of colour) – £4.95
  • Classic Stampin’ Ink Pad (your choice of colour) – £4.95
  • 1/8″ Taffeta Ribbon (Marina Mist) OR 5/8″ Organza Ribbon (Whisper White) – £5.25
  • + Nursery Nest Designer Series Paper – FREE!! (Save £9.95)
  • + Tombow Multi-purpose Adhesive OR Stampin’ Dimensionals – FREE!! (Save £3.25)

TOTAL = £45.60

*For wood-mount stamp set, please add £5.00

 

Berry Blossoms Bundle – see pages 14-15 in Spring Mini Catalogue

Berry Blossoms Projects

  • Fruit & Flowers stamp set (clear-mount) – £14.95*
  • A4 Smooth Cardstock (24 sheets) (your choice of colour) – £6.25
  • A4 Smooth Cardstock (24 sheets) (your choice of colour) – £6.25
  • Classic Stampin’ Ink Pad (your choice of colour) – £4.95
  • Classic Stampin’ Ink Pad (your choice of colour) – £4.95
  • 3/8″ Ruffled Ribbon (your choice of colour) – £8.95
  • + Berry Blossoms Designer Series Paper – FREE!! (Save £9.95)
  • + Tombow Multi-purpose Adhesive OR Stampin’ Dimensionals – FREE!! (Save £3.25)

TOTAL = £46.30

*For wood-mount stamp set, please add £4.00

 

Pocketful of Posies Bundle – see pages 18-19 in Spring Mini Catalogue

Pocketful of Posies projects

  • My Friend stamp set (clear-mount) – £19.95*
  • A4 Smooth Cardstock (24 sheets) (your choice of colour) – £6.25
  • A4 Smooth Cardstock (24 sheets) (your choice of colour) – £6.25
  • Classic Stampin’ Ink Pad (your choice of colour) – £4.95
  • Classic Stampin’ Ink Pad (your choice of colour) – £4.95
  • 1/2″ Seam Binding Ribbon (your choice of colour) – £6.25
  • + Pocketful of Posies Designer Series Paper – FREE!! (Save £9.95)
  • + Tombow Multi-purpose Adhesive OR Stampin’ Dimensionals – FREE!! (Save £3.25)

TOTAL = £48.60

*For wood-mount stamp set, please add £5.00

 

And as if this wasn’t enough already.. as your order will be over £40.00, I will honour my promise of FREE SHIPPING on your order.. phew, I must be crazy!

What to do now…

Once you’ve decided on your order – whether it’s one of the bundles above or something else entirely – drop me an email: my address is sarah (at) stampingobsession (dot) com – or give me a call: my mobile is 07970 615390. Make sure you let me know which colours of cardstock/ink/ribbon (if appropriate) and which adhesive you’d like. You can pay by bank transfer, Paypal, cheque or cash (lcoal customers only).

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.. and happy shopping!

Sarah x x

Filed Under: Blog, Giveaways, News · Tagged: , , ,
Feb 18, 2012

Candy Cane Fabric: Bunting

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Hello again…

I’m back with another fabric-based project and it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time: shabby chic-style bunting!

Candy Cane Christmas Bunting 1

I’ve used two sources of fabric for this one – Stampin’ Up!’s lovely Candy Cane Christmas Designer Fabric (£8.95 for three generous fat quarters), along with some checked and floral fabric from a duvet cover I thrifted from a charity shop sometime last year. The duvet cover was actually from IKEA but looks for all the world like Cath Kidston (to my mind, anyway!)

Candy Cane Christmas Fabric

Candy Cane Christmas Fabric

IKEA fabric

IKEA fabric

You will need:

  • A selection of contrasting fabrics (I used four different patterns)
  • A triangle template cut to whatever size you want.
  • 25mm seam binding in a colour to suit your fabrics.

 

What to do:

1. Cut out a triangle template from Stampin’ Up! Grid Paper or graph paper. Mine was 18cm across the top and 21cm from the top to the bottom.

Bunting template

2. Place two contrasting fabrics together, right-sides facing, and place the triangle template on top. Pin the template to the fabrics and cut around it. Remove the pins, take off the template and re-pin the fabrics together. Repeat this step for as many triangles as you want in your bunting.

3. Sew down the two long sides of each triangle, allowing a seam of approximately 1cm. Turn out the triangle and poke out the point with a pencil . Iron the triangle so that it is nice and flat. Repeat for each of your triangles.

4. Fold your seam binding in half lengthways and iron flat. Position each of your triangles inside the folded seam binding and pin in place. You may choose to have all your triangles touching each other, or leave a small gap between each one. Remember to leave a few inches of seam binding free at either end.

5. Sew down the length of your seam binding, removing the pins as you go along. You can either leave the ends of your seam binding as they are, or you could fold them over and sew them to form loops.

 

And here it is.. hanging from the mantelpiece!

Bunting on fireplace

You know what.. I’m glad I finally got around to making some bunting…  It wasn’t nearly so time-consuming or difficult as I imagined! There are so many possible variations to try out, too – different fabrics, shapes, sizes.. give it a go, I’m sure you’ll love it too!

 

Sarah x x x

Filed Under: Fabric projects · Tagged: , ,
Feb 17, 2012

Flirtatious Fabric: Two little Owls

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Hello!

After the week I’ve had, I’m considering renaming this blog ‘Sewing Obsession’ – it seems I’ve been well and truly bitten by the stitching bug!

The other day I had the urge to make an owl from some of the lovely Stampin’ Up! fabric, ‘Flirtatious‘. Browsing on You Tube, I found a great tutorial – by a lady called Whitney – which looked quick and easy.

 

Whitney kindly offers the pattern for the owl (in two sizes) on her blog, Whitney Sews, as a free download.. if you pop over there for the pattern, do say that I sent you! ;o)

So here’s the first one I made in under an hour on Tuesday evening..

Little Owl - Flirtatious fabric by Stampin' Up!

I used all three patterns from the ‘Flirtatious’ Designer Fabric pack (competitively priced at £8.95 for three generous fat quarters), along with two Perfect Plum buttons from the Subtles Designer Buttons collection.

Once my son Harry had claimed this owl (and named it Owlz), I was instantly commissioned by Charlie (my other boy) to make another one…

So here they are together, Owly and Owlz:

Owlz and Owly!

Owly is made to exactly the same pattern, this time using Marina Mist buttons from the Subtles Designer Buttons collection. If you wanted to make these for a baby, you could of course use fabric circles in place of the buttons.

Lovely! Next time I’ll have some shabby chic style bunting to show you, using Stampin’ Up! Candy Cane Christmas Designer Fabric, along with some repurposed duvet cover fabric..

See you soon..

Sarah x x x

Filed Under: Fabric projects · Tagged: , , , ,
Feb 16, 2012

Cards: New Baby

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Hello…

Thought it was about time I shared some of the New Baby cards I made for my card-making class on Saturday 28th January. Rather than slavishly copy these designs, the ladies used them for ideas and came up with some fabulous interpretations of their own – which was great fun to watch!

So here’s my first one (inspired by a card I spotted on Pinterest):

 

Baby card 1

Supplies: Confetti White, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, So Saffron and Baja Breeze cardstock; Nursery Suite Specialty DSP (retired); Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon; Basic Pearls

Tools: Big Shot; Beautiful Wings Embosslits; Timeless Type Alphabet Dies

This second one is based around a card Natalie O’Shea had on display at her last training day which was unable to attend.. but I saw the photos and it was awesome by all accounts!

 

New Baby card 2

Supplies: Nursery Necessities (Retired); Perfect Postage stamp set; Confetti White, Pool Party, Soft Suede cardstock; Spice Cake DSP; Soft Suede Striped Grosgrain Ribbon; Basic Pearls

Tools: Big Shot; Top Note die; Postage Stamp punch; Modern Label punch; Word Window punch

 

Third card… again inspired by one I found on Pinterest (are you on Pinterest yet? It’s fab!):

New baby card 3

Supplies: Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla, Regal Rose cardstock; Patterns DSP Stack (Subtles); Pretty In Pink Striped Grosgrain Ribbon

Tools: Big Shot; Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder; Scallop Square punch; 1-1/4″ Square punch; Modern Label punch

And finally…

 

New Baby Card 4

Supplies: Baby Tees Stampin’ Around Jumbo Wheel; Pool Party, So Saffron and Whisper White cardstock; Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack (In Colour); Pool Party Ruffle Ribbon; Dazzling Diamonds Glitter

Tools: Big Shot; Timeless Type Alphabet dies

 

Thanks for visiting!

 

Sarah x x x

Filed Under: Blog, Cards · Tagged: , , , , , ,
Feb 15, 2012

Cards: A Valentine’s Day Spectacular (belated..)

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Charlie's Valentine poster

Charlie's perceptions on Valentine's Day

Hi there,

I hope you had a lovely day yesterday, whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day or not! We had a quiet one as we both feel a little self-conscious playing lovey-dovey in a restaurant next to fifty other couples and getting fleeced in the process! So we’ll be off out for an Indian on Friday night instead..

Anyway! On to the cards…

…Here’s the one Gareth (my DH) made for me on Monday night:

Gareth's Valentine Card

When blokes do Valentines...

Ten minutes it took him, if that – and I think it’s rather lovely!

Gareth used:

1 1/4″ Square punch; Heart to Heart punch; Charming stamp set (from the Spring Mini Catalogue); various scraps of cardstock

 

OK, so here’s the one I made for him:

Sarah's Valentine card

Why take 10 mins when 2 hours will do?

I used:

Postage Stamp punch; Scallop Square punch; Full Heart punch; Heart to Heart punch; Jewelry Tag punch; Charming stamp set; Broadsheet Alphabet stamp set; Clearly for You stamp set; Big Shot; Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder; Linen Thread; Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack (Regals); Basic Black, Baja Breeze, Cherry Cobbler and Very Vanilla cardstock.

 

Oh, why does crafting have to be so messy!??

Crafting mess!

Hmmmm...

Tidy up as you go along? Clearly not..

While I’m here, I’ll also show you a couple of others I made in the last few weeks, in preparation for a class I did at the end of January – Gareth had already seen these so I felt obliged to make a fresh one!

Love birds card

Love birds card: design found on Pinterest

Supplies:

Confetti White, Real Red, Blushing Bride, Marina Mist cardstock; Beau Chateau Designer Series Paper; Bird Builder punch; Scallop Trim Border punch; Big Shot; Alphabet Simple Letters dies; Timeless Type dies; Perfect Polka Pots Embossing Folder; Basic Pearls; Bakers’ Twine (non-SU!)

And finally…

An explosion of hearts

Inspired by card found on Pinterest

Supplies:

Full Heart punch; Heart to Heart punch; Small Heart punch; Big Shot; Scallop Envelope die; Victoria Crochet Trim; Antique Brad; Love Letter Designer Series Paper (retired but still loved!); En Francais background stamp; Curly Cute stamp set;

Thanks for visiting.. and I’ll be back soon with some fabric-based creations (I have been a busy bee at the sewing machine this week!!)

Sarah x x x

Filed Under: Cards · Tagged: , ,
Feb 12, 2012

Fabric: An i-phone wallet

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Spice Cake i-phone case

Hello you,

I have something non-papery to share this morning! After buying my first i-phone on eBay about three weeks ago, I’ve been terrified to take the thing anywhere in case I dropped it or scratched its screen. I searched online for a protective case for it.. and then thought For goodness sake, why don’t I make one myself?!! 

Of course, it’s taken me a good couple of weeks to think about the idea.. and then most of last night to actually get on and do it! Once I started, though, it was actually really easy to accomplish. It’s basically a little wallet made from Stampin’ Up! Spice Cake fabric, lined with felt and held together with some coordinating More Mustard Scallop Dot Ribbon.

Inside Spice Cake i-phone wallet

Can you imagine how relieved I was that the phone fitted inside?! I had a horrible feeling as I turned the wallet right-sides out that it would be too small!

Spice Cake i-phone wallet 3

Once I’d finished the wallet, I remembered I was going to add a loop of ribbon or elastic to fit round a button as the fastening. To do it really neatly, you’d need to add the loop to the flap before stitching up the seams – which I forgot.. hence the ribbon closure instead!

Now I have the pattern it’ll be really simple to make more of these.. and to modify the design to include a button & loop closure. You could also use press-stud fasteners as well – but again, this is probably something that needs thinking about before you sew up all the seams for a really tidy finish.

I’m going to try to write a tutorial for my i-phone wallet – if you’d be interested in this, please don’t hesitate to let me know in the Comments section.

 

Thanks for reading!

Sarah x x x

Filed Under: Fabric projects · Tagged: , , , , ,
Feb 8, 2012

Sale-a-Bration: Outlined Occasions stamp set

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OK.. I should know better than to write ‘Tomorrow I’ll be back with…’. Whenever I say something like that, things go awry! So here I am, three days later, with some more cards to share, this time using the Sale-a-Bration set, Outlined Occasions.

So here they are..

Card 1:

Outlined Occasions card 1

Credit for this one goes to Natalie O’Shea – love the simple yet elegant design, so easy to replicate with different stamps and papers for a completely different look.

Supplies: Outlined Occasions stamp set; Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper; Velvet Designer Ribbon

Tools: Big Shot; Designer Frames embossing folder; Extra-Large Oval punch

 

Card 2:

Outlined Occasions card 2

This one, and the following two cards, are credited to Aly Schilling.. another simple and versatile design!

Supplies: Outlined Occasions stamp set; Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper; Velvet Designer Ribbon

Tools: Big Shot; Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder; Curly Label punch

 

Card 3:

Outlined Occasions card 2

Supplies: Outlined Occasions stamp set; Basic Black Scallop Dots Ribbon; Stampin’ Write Marker Pens

Tools: Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack

 

Card 4:

Outlined Occasions card 4

Supplies: Outlined Occasions stamp set; I {Heart} Hearts stamp set; Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Papers; Stampin’ Write Marker Pens

Tools: Decorative Label punch

 

Don’t forget…

Sale-a-Bration 2012

Sale-a-Bration is on from now until 31st March – in a nutshell, you can earn yourself a FREE stamp set or a FREE set of Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Papers with every £45 you spend on Stampin’ Up! products from the current Idea Book & Catalogue or Spring Mini Catalogue.

  • For more details, click Sale-a-Bration.. or click on the picture above to open the brochure in a PDF.
  • Want to place an order? Click How to Order for all the information you need.

 

If I can help, please contact me by email at sarah (at) stampingobsession (dot) com or call/text me on 07970 615390.

 

Sarah x x x

Filed Under: Cards · Tagged: , ,
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