Scrapbook Saturday - 2011 Walks

Can you believe that 2011 is almost over already! Looking back its been a great year and I am looking forward to 2012. At the start of 2011 I made a list of 11 things I wanted to do during the year – and while I have not done them all I have done most of them. I am still deciding what will be on my list for 2012.

One of the 11 things was to take my camera for a walk every week – and this page will be the title page to an album of some of the photos from those walks.

The papers and the fabric are from the delicious Beau Chateau range and the page was made from items in the December Feeling Crafty Scrapbook Kit. I also made use of the Distressing Essentials Tool Kit and made another No Sew Fabric Flower.

In January the Club will meet in the evening on Thursday 19 January or during the day on Thursday 26 January. To book your place email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk

What fun things are you going to put on your list for 2012?

Happy Stampin’

Find Out About Friday - The 2012 Feeling Crafty Class Programme

For this week’s Find Out About Friday I thought I would share details of the Feeling Crafty 2012 Class Schedule.

I am very excited about the classes I have planned for 2012 and am looking forward to each and every one of them.  Forming the basis of the programme will be two monthly classes each with two chances to take them!  Each month there will be a Card Making Class and a Meeting of the Scrapbook Club. 

At the Card Making Class we will make a collection of cards with a particular theme and there will be a featured stamp set.

The Monthly Scrapbooking Club includes a class kit and when we meet there will be a taught Scrapbook Page which you can adapt and a collection of pages you can use for your inspiration if you wish.

You will be able to attend each of these on one of two occasions, either at Chews House in Dunstable or in Eaton Bray.  I am particularly excited to be introducing the Eaton Bray Class Days as these bring you the flexibility to take classes during the day and at times that work best for you. 

You can find a complete list of the dates here

You can find details of the January Classes here

In addition there are classes which will be run at times to suit you – these include Scrapbooking, Basic Stamping and Big Shot Techniques.

I will also be introducing several all day classes through the year, including an indulgent Stampin’ Day in March – I will be able to confirm more details soon.

For those of you who live too far away to attend in person 2012 will also see the introduction of some very special on line classes and events.

To book a place on any of these classes please email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk.  

If you attend a class for the first time in January or bring along a friend who attends for the first time in January, I have a special gift for you, so please don’t delay and book your places now.

Happy Stampin’

New Adventure for the New Year?

With the New Year looming many of us find ourselves thinking about the changes we would like to make going into the next year. For me there are lots of good things that I want to take forward into the new year and a few more things I would like to add too.

How about you?

• Would you like to earn additional income?
• Would you like all your crafting goodies to be paid for?
• Would you like to share you love of crafting with others?

If you answered yes to any of those three questions then joining my Stampin’ Up! Team can make it happen. As well as the additional income and reaching your personal goals I am sure you will have a lot of fun along the way. I love working with my team and I cherish the friendships I have made along the way.

These are the Christmas gifts I made for my lovely Stampin’ Superstars. These small broaches were just a small token of appreciation for everything they do.  I made lots and lots of these and here are just a few of them together.

If you would like to join my team, earn an extra income and share your love of crafting with others, just email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk and let’s make it happen.

Happy Stampin’

PS - Want to know what I used to make these broaches - then keep checking back as I will be able to tell you very very soon.

When is a Flower Petal not a Flower Petal? Christmas Fun with the Stampin' Up! Blossom Builder Punch

When it’s a bauble!  And following on from that pun that is almost as bad as the ones we had in our Christmas Crackers this year I will admit that I do have a few more Christmas projects to show you.

Today’s features the wonderful Stampin’ Up! Blossom Petal Builder Punch, which punches out a wonderful assortment of petals that you can combine to make a whole bouquet of flowers – and other things.  This card shows two of the petals punched from the wonderful Holly Berry Speciality Papers and folded into wonderful 3D baubles. 

They have been mounted onto the Scrummy Brushed Silver Card which was embossed with the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder.  Wonderful.

If you would like to discover some new ways to use the Stampin’ Up! Punches why not book a Party with me?  You get your friends together (crafters and non crafters) and I will come and show you how to get the most from your punches and everyone can have a go at making something.  To book just email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk  There are some very special rewards for hostesses and party goers starting part way through January so let’s get your party booked and the fun started!

Happy Stampin’

Tags on a Tuesday

As we head off to see more family I have another Christmas related project for you.

These are some the tags that I made for the gifts we gave this Christmas. 

And here is the detail.  It features the Delightful Decorations Stamp Set and the lovely Triple Layer Doily Punch, some Shimmer Paint, a Rhinestone and something I can't really tell you about yet! 

I really enjoy making tags and every time someone orders product for collection from me I always try and make sure it has a pretty tag on it.  I often forget to take their photos but here is one I made for some orders that were collected in December.  These one's featured the Four Frames Stamp Set and I promise I will be able to tell you about the new things very very soon!

If you would like to place an order please email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk – I wonder what your tag will be like!

Happy Stampin’

Material Monday - Fabric Fun Flower Broaches

I hope you all had a wonderful day yesterday and are feeling truly spoilt – I know I am and we have another Christmas Day with more family today and then again with yet more of the family tomorrow!

Today I have another Material Monday for you – I know that is two in two weeks! I am going to share some Fabric Fun Flower broaches that I made as Christmas Presents.

These were an almost no Sewing project! I cut the flowers from the lovely Timeless Portrait and Deck the Halls Fabrics using my Stampin’ Up! Fun Flowers Die. I then lightly sprayed them with water and scrunched them up a bit to give them a softer look. Once I had done all the layers I punched a hole with my Cropodile and added a brad from the Antique Brads Collection which I had previously threaded through some Crochet Trim. Then came the sewing! I opened the back of the brad up through the broach back I was using and then stitched over the brad and broach back to ensure they were securely attached to the flower and to make sure that there were no sharp edges showing. They were then displayed on a bookmark from the Two Tags Die stamped with the greeting from Contempo Christmas.

I hope that you have enjoyed today’s Material Monday and if you want any further information on the products used today please email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk. Have a great Boxing Day.

Happy Stampin’

Merry Christmas

I hope whatever you are doing today you have a very wonderful day and that your Christmas Wishes come true.

Merry Christmas everyone

Scrapbook Saturday - Favourite Shoes

Happy Christmas Eve everyone! I hope all your preparations are complete and that you are now able to take time to enjoy the festive season.

One of the things I love to do around Christmas is take time to look back over the past year, to remember the highs and lows and to appreciate everything that has happened – I often feel we live at 100 miles an hour and that it’s all too easy to miss the things we enjoy. These can be the big things and are almost always the smaller things which are just as important!

Looking back this year has been easier in some ways as I have been scrapping more, so I have been taking more photos and writing things down so I can create pages later if I want to. 

 When I was looking through my notes and my photos ahead of last months Scrapbook Club I noticed something that had not occurred to me as we went through the year. 

I have bought less shoes this year that almost ever before. Now we will just wait a moment for those who know me well to pick themselves up off the floor and check that they read that right – yep, shocking but true I only purchased two new pairs of shoes this year – and that from a self confessed shoeaholic!

There are many reasons for this – not least my love of a certain pair of Purple Converse! And they were not even new this year!  So I figured that should be documented!

Starting in January there will be two chances a month to attend the Feeling Crafty Scrapbook Club. We will meet on the third Thursday of the month at Chews House in Dunstable from 7.30-9.30pm and there will be a second meeting in Eaton Bray on the last Thursday of the month. If you are interested in joining us please email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk

Happy Stampin’

Find Out About Friday - What is a Feeling Crafty Hostess Club and Why Should I join?

Would you like some new Stampin’ Up! Goodies every month? 

Would you like to experience a monthly boost to your creativity?

Would you like to maximise the value you get from your crafting spend?

If you answered yes to one or more of those questions then joining a Feeling Crafty Hostess Club can make it happen.

By joining a Feeling Crafty Hostess Club you will experience all the benefits of hosting a Stampin’ Up! Party without having to leave the comfort of your own home.  No need to try and coordinate everyone’s diary and no need to tidy up before your friends come round and join you – although crafting with your friends is a lot of fun and makes those things worth it!

Joining a Feeling Crafty Hostess Club means you will build your Stampin’ Up! Collection a bit at a time while maximising the amount you get for your money.

So how does it work?  Well you commit to spending a minimum of £15 a month from the Stampin’ Up! Idea Book and Catalogue or from any Current Mini Catalogues, for 10 months.  That works out at less than the cost of a magazine a week.  You can spend more if you want to and if you know you want to spend at least £30 then you can take two spaces in the Club.  Post and Packing is charged in addition.

What do you get?

As well as the lovely Stampin’ Up! goodies you order you will get

• A copy of the current Idea Book and Catalogue (retail value £5.95), plus any Mini Catalogues / new Idea Book and Catalogues that come out during the Club Duration
• Occasional Project Ideas and mini kits and prizes
• Membership of my Customer Club with the chance to win a monthly prize

And most importantly

• Once during the 10 months (or twice if you take two spaces) you will receive at least £25 hostess pounds which you can spend on the exclusive hostess merchandise or on any other items in the Idea Book and Catalogue

So to summarise, you order at least £15 worth of the Stampin’ Up! goodies of your choice each month.  You get all the things listed above, including the chance to buy the exclusive Hostess Merchandise!  Each month you will have new goodies to play with which are sure to boost your creativity and ensure you have a lot of crafting fun.

Sounds good?  Well I have a new club starting in January, so all you have to do to join is email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk

Happy Stampin’

Christmas Carol Christmas Card

Today I am going to share a Christmas Card with you that features the lovely Christmas Carol Stamp Set.  This stylish Stamp Set features a gorgeous image of Victorian Carol Singers, so I decided to continue the vintage theme in this card.

I distressed the edges of each of the layers of card using the Stampin’ Up! Distressing Essentials Kit and the Distressing Tool in the Cutter Kit.  For this card I added just the slightest hints of colour using a blender pen.

While for some of the others I created a sepia look by just pulling the colour from the edges of the stamped image. I used Soft Suede Ink on Very Vanilla Card.

There is more information on the Stampin’ Up! Distressing Essentials Kit here and if you would like to know more about how I coloured these images please email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk

Happy Stampin'

Quick Christmas Treat Holder

Today I have another quick Christmas Idea for you all – this time a quick treat box using the lovely Stampin’ Up! Petal Cone Die.

This little Christmas Tree Shaped Box was cut from the lovely Holly design paper in the Holly Berry Speciality Papers. It was then decorated using the coordinating Pines and Poinsettias Stamp Set. This would make a lovely table decoration with little treats inside it or would be a cute way to give a small gift

This particular box went to a lovely lady who hosted a Stampin’ Up! Party with me. If you would like to arrange a fun post Christmas Party with your friends email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk As well as trying the Stampin’ Up! Products for yourself as hostess you will get a hand made gift from me and be able to purchase Stampin’ Up! goodies that are exclusively available to hostesses. There are also extra goodies available for you and your guests from the middle of January through to the end of March making it an even better time to book a party! I will be telling you more about that soon, so email me today (bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk) and lets get a date in the diary.

Happy Stampin’

Quick Stocking Filler Idea

How are you getting on with your Christmas preparations?  Despite feeling I started in plenty of time I still have lots and lots left to do on my list!  Maybe it’s the same for you.  I still need to make a few more stocking filler gifts – those little extra gifts that hopefully will make people smile.

Today I am going to share some of the stocking filler gifts that I have managed to get done so far.  These cute little bookmarks were fast to make and each used scraps that were on my desk from other projects!

I have used the long the on the exclusive Stampin’ Up! Two Tags Die – this have to be one of my most used dies – I love it!  Here it has been teamed with the Scallop Circle Punch, Circle Punches, the Beautiful Wings Embosslit and a couple of embossing folders.  The adorable owl in the center of the Early Espresso Book Mark is from the scrummy Aviary Stamp Set.

These two will find their way inside a couple of books we are giving this year.

If you would like to purchase any of the items used to make these bookmarks please email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk

Happy Stampin’ 

Material Monday - How to make a No Sew Pleated Fabric Flower

Today I have another instalment in the occasional series of Material Monday posts for you.  On Saturday I showed you a scrapbook page which included these fabric flower embellishments. 

Now many of you will know that I am not that handy with a needle and thread and may be pleased to know that there was no sewing involved in making any of these flowers.

Today I am going to share with you how to make the spiral pleated flowers that were included in this arrangement.  There are two of them in this little cluster, one at the top and one on the bottom right.

Firstly punch or cut a circle of card just a fraction smaller than you would like your final embellishment to be.  You need to cover this with strong adhesive such as the Sticky Strip from Stampin’ Up! or the adhesive sheet.

Next tear a strip of fabric (the grain of the Stampin’ Up! Fabric’s will allow you to do this) approximately half the diameter of your circle.  Tie a knot in one end of the fabric, and stick the base of the knot (with the long end of fabric) to the centre of the circle.  Then gently fold the fabric in pleats around the knot so that it covers the remaining card. 

The torn edge and the soft folds should give you a pretty flower embellishment, which you can use on any project.

If you would like to know how the flower in the centre of the arrangement was made make sure you are subscribed to my newsletter as readers of the Christmas edition will be finding out!  You can subscribe using the box at the top right hand side of the blog.

Happy Stampin'

Pine Cones for Christmas

Just a quick post from me today - with another Christmas Card.

Today’s card features the lovely Everything Eleanor Stamp Set and the beautiful Pines and Poinsettias Stamp Set.

Thank you for stopping by

Happy Stampin’

Scrapbook Saturday - 2011 was the year that ...

As we head towards the end of the year, the Feeling Crafty Scrapbook Club took the opportunity to review our year’s so far.

Here is my page.  It features the beautiful Beau Chateau Papers and Fabrics and I have used the Distress Essentials Kit to give the aged look.

Then there are some fabric flowers

The journaling prompt we all used to help us create these pages was ‘2011 was the year that I ...’

If you were to complete that sentence, what would you say?  If you create a page about your year I would love to see it.  If you want to join the Feeling Crafty Scrapbook Club email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk

Happy Stampin'

Find Out About Friday - Stampin' Up! Distress Essentials Kit

It’s easy to create a fashionable distressed finish to your projects  when you use the Distressing Essentials Kit from Stampin’ Up!

This versatile kit includes

• A flat stamp
• A sanding block
• An emery board
• 3 precision files
• 4 distressing ink spots, one each in Tea Stain, Mahogany, Charcoal and Navy

The ink in the distressing ink spots take longer to dry so are designed to be rubbed over paper, blended with water and used direct, or with the flat stamp.  This creates a wonderful aged look.

The sanding block, emery boards and precision files can be used to make your project look even more aged or can be used to smooth the edges of paper adhered to chipboard.

This wonderful kit costs just £14.95 and it will give you hours of fun and hundreds of different effects.  Check back tomorrow to see a Scrapbook Page made with this kit.

If you would like to learn how to use this kit email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk and we can arrange a lesson

Happy Stampin’

Festive Pillow Box

To wrap up this week of Christmas Gift Wrapping Ideas I am going to share one more festive idea featuring the wonderful Pillow Box Die.

This time the die has been cut in the Brushed Gold and the box stamped with Early Espresso (with the lovely swirl from the Everything Eleanor Stamp Set).  The flower has been made using the five petal flower Punch and  some Rhinestones.

If you would like to purchase any of the items used to make this project please email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk

Happy Stampin'

Christmas Candy Wrapper

I have another Christmas Gift Wrapping Idea for you today – this time featuring the classic Christmas Colour Combination of Red and Gold.

This candy wrapper / cracker was made from Cherry Cobbler Card Stock using the exclusive Stampin’ Up! Candy Wrapper Die.  It has then been decorated with the delicious Brushed Gold Card.  I have used the Lace Ribbon Border Punch and the Triple Layer Doily Punch to decorate.  If you would like to see this punch in action check out my video here.

Happy Stampin’

Holly Berry Gift Card Holder

One of my favourite things about Christmas is wrapping presents and making them look pretty ready for the recipient.  Often however people want gift vouchers and just popping them in an envelope or a card does not really make them look all that special, so today I am going to share a gift card holder with you.

This one features the lovely Holly Berry Speciality Papers and some lovely wide striped Wild Wasabi  ribbon.  Scrummy.

We made this project as part of the Wrap Up Christmas Classes.  If you would like to be one of the first people to hear about the 2012 Class Schedule then please make sure you are subscribed to my newsletter – there is a box at the top right hand corner of this blog.  I am just putting the finishing touches on the new schedule and hope to be publishing it next week.

Happy Stampin’

Take Out Christmas

I have another Christmas gift wrapping idea for you – a cute American Take Out Style Box made from Stampin’ Up!’s Petal Cone Die.

This box is very simple to make using Stampin’ Up!’s Petal Cone Die by scoring and folding part way down the cone.

What Stampin’ Up! Products would you like to take out this Christmas?

Happy Stampin’