2013 - That Was The Year That Was

Today, as we all get ready to welcome 2014 I am going to share a review of 2013 that I put together using My Digital Studio.

As I look back over the year the one single thing that stands out for me is the amazing friends I have and am so thankful for each and every one of them.  I want to close the year by thanking you, my wonderful blog readers for all your support this year.  I really enjoy creating the projects I share with you, but knowing that you are enjoying them makes it all the more special.  

I hope that for each of you 2014 is filled with love, laughter, crafting, friendship and of course fun.

Happy Stampin'

PS To find out more about the products used to create this review click here

MDS Monday - Getting Ready for 2014

Can you believe it is almost 2014?  This year seems to have raced by for me - and I am looking forward to taking some time over the next couple of days to think back over 2013 and to look forward to 2014.  For today's MDS Monday I am going to share a Happy New Year Card I am going to be sending.  One of my highlights for this year has been spending time with some amazing friends and since I can't see them all on New Year's Eve I want to send something to those I am not seeing so they know I am thinking of them and wishing them well for 2014.

This is the card I am going to send.

It features several different My Digital Studio Downloads, including Oh Splat, Moments Ago, Decorative Overlays and Pennant Border.  I love how quickly you can add these downloads to MDS - no waiting for a delivery!

If you have not yet tried MDS you can download a free, fully functioning 30 day trial here.  I found it very intuitive and there are lots of great tutorials included and, of course, if you need any further help you just have to ask.

Happy Stampin'

 

To purchase the items used to make these project visit my on line store at www.bekka.stampinup.net or clicking on the highlighted item above.  When you order before the 30 December use this hostess code.

Regarding Dahlias Fancy Fold Card

Today I am going to share a fun fancy fold card we made at a recent Card Making Class - it features the adorable Regarding Dahlias Stamp Set.  When I first saw this stamp set I was not all that sure about it, but knew I liked all the sentiments.  As soon as I started to play with it I fell totally in love with it and now find myself reaching for it on a regular basis - it is so versatile and just delightful.

So here is the outside of the card.  It is made from Smoky Slate Textured Card Stock, which adds an interesting dimension to the card and softens the images stamped onto it.  The diamond shape was cut out using the Square Framelets and the flap is held in place by punched shapes on foam Dimensionals.  I used the 1/2 inch circle punch and the scalloped circle from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punches topped with a Large Rhinestone.

When you open the card you will see it is a trifold. On inside panel there is a piece of Whisper White with a stamped Dahlia image in Melon Mambo (which I forgot to photograph - whoops).  You can find details of the card stocks and the inks I used here.

If you would like to know more about the classes I offer please get in touch - bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk or check out this blog post.

Happy Stampin'

To purchase the items used to make these project visit my on line store at www.bekka.stampinup.net or clicking on the highlighted item above.  When you order before the 30 December use this hostess code.

Scrapbook Saturday - How to add texture to your pages using punched shapes

When we put our scrapbook pages together one of the things that can help make them look really good is having some visual texture.  You can do this lots of different ways, for example by adding things to your page which have texture themselves, but one of my favourites is by adding things at different heights by using foam pads.

The page I am showing you today features some visual texture created by adding punched shapes in matching card.  Here I have used the Mosaic Punch and attached the punched out shapes on foam pads in a pattern.

The papers I used are from the Venetian Romance Designer Series Paper Pack and the card stock is Island Indigo Textured Card and Very Vanilla.

Have fun adding visual texture to your pages

Happy Stampin'

To purchase the items used to make these project visit my on line store at www.bekka.stampinup.net or clicking on the highlighted item above.  When you order before the 30 December use this hostess code.

Find Out About Friday - Card Making and Scrapbooking Classes for 2014

As we all start to look forward to the new year for this week's Find Out About Friday I thought I would tell you a little about the Feeling Crafty Class Programme for 2014.

Our classes are a lot of fun and I love seeing the people who come on a regular basis - they are a fabulous group - but we also love welcoming new faces so would love to see you there too.

Card Making Classes

 Each month I offer a card making class which will feature one of the wonderful Stampin' Up! Stamp Sets.  By the end of the class you will have made four or five projects using that stamp set and have the stamp set to take home with you.  The classes are suitable for both beginners and the more experienced card makers and will feature several different techniques so there should be something new for everyone!  These classes are generally on the second Saturday in the month, or if you can't make that slot there is another chance to take the same class on the fourth Thursday of a month either during the morning or in the evening.

Here is a full list of the Card Making Class Dates

Saturday January 11th, February 8th, March 8th, April 12th, May (TBC), June 7th, July 12th, August 9th, September 13th, October 11th, November 8th and December 6th

Thursday January 24th, February 20th, March 20th, April 24th, May 22nd, June 19th, July 24th, August 21st, September 25th, October 23rd, November 20th, December (TBC)

The Saturday Classes take place in Chews House, Dunstable and the Thursday ones in my home (email me for details bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk)

In January we are going to feature the Hello Lovely Stamp Set and the class will cost £34 including the Stamp Set in Clear Mount.  (The class can also be taken without the stamp set for £15)

Scrapbooking 

Additionally  the Feeling Scrapbook Club meet to make pages from the monthly kit on the fourth Thursday of the month in either the morning or the evening.  If that does not work for you there is the option to take the class on a Saturday afternoon (second Saturday of the month).

Each month you will get a kit which will contain enough products to make a minimum of four pages - I regularly get at least 6 from mine!  You will be shown at least four inspiration pages, which you can either copy exactly or change to suit your scrapbook and photos.  Full support is give and this class is suitable for either beginners or those who have been scrapbooking for a while.  Club members regularly go home with three or four pages ready to add their photos to.

If you have not tried scrapbooking before it is a wonderful way to use the photos you take and to capture your stories and memories so they can be enjoyed for years and generations to come.

In January we will make pages which you could use to showcase your Christmas photos and stories.

Here is a full list of the Scrapbook Club Dates

Thursday January 24th, February 20th, March 20th, April 24th, May 22nd, June 19th, July 24th, August 21st, September 25th, October 23rd, November 20th, December (TBC)

Saturday January 11th, February 8th, March 8th, April 12th, May (TBC), June 7th, July 12th, August 9th, September 13th, October 11th, November 8th and December 6th

The Saturday meetings take place in Chews House, Dunstable and the Thursday ones in my home (email me for details bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk)

Each month this club costs £15

Extra Classes

I hope to be adding extra class dates early in the new year - if you would like details please let me know - bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk or subscribe to my newsletter by putting your email address in the box at the top right hand side of this page.

We will also be having not one but two Stamp and Stay Weekends - whole weekends of fun and crafting and again will be announcing details of those early in the new year.

The current programme of Introductory Classes which are run at your convenience will continue for 2014 and you can see the details here.

I will also be adding an MDS Class to the programme in the spring - again watch for details

I hope you will join us in class soon - I look forward to stamping with you.  All classes must be booked in advance so please let me know as soon as you can that you are going to be coming

Happy Stampin'

To purchase the items used to make these project visit my on line store at www.bekka.stampinup.net or clicking on the highlighted item above.  When you order before the 30 December use this hostess code.

Congratulations Super Stars

I hope that you had a wonderful day yesterday and that you are looking forward to what ever you have planned today.  I wonder if it will involve some crafting or maybe even some shopping ...  We all love a bargain after all (more on that later).

Today I am going to show you the cards I sent to some very lovely ladies who are part of my Stampin' Up! Team, all of whom achieved something special in their Stampin' Up! Careers.  I love when my team of Stampin' Super Stars achieve the things they want with Stampin' Up! and like to celebrate with them and send a card.  I am very proud of all my team and when they achieve something like this it gives me a chance to tell them just that!

This card features the beautiful Christmas Star Stamp and the swirls from Everything Eleanor.  The background has been embossed using the Modern Mosaic Embossing Folder.  The colours are Coastal Cabanna, Night of Navy and Very Vanilla.

Now I mentioned shopping earlier and the fact that we all love a bargain!  How would you like to get yourself a bargain on all your Stampin' Up! Supplies?  When you join my team you get just that - a lovely discount and what is even better is that very soon there is going to be a special offer for all those who join.  If you want to find out more please email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk and let's see if we can get you your crafting supplies cheap or even free ...

Happy Stampin'

To purchase the items used to make these project visit my on line store at www.bekka.stampinup.net or clicking on the highlighted item above.  When you order before the 30 December use this hostess code.

Merry Christmas - The Christmas Cards I sent this Year

Firstly, and most importantly, let me start by wishing you all a very merry Christmas!  I hope your day is filled with family, friends, love and laughter.

This year I sent three different Christmas Card Designs - one digital and two traditional and since today is Christmas Day I thought I would share them all with you!

This first one features many of my favourite things!  I have used the Off The Grid, Gorgeous Grunge and Petite Pairs Stamps, stamped in Bermuda Bay, Smoky Slate and Silver Metallic Ink.  I have used a whopping seven punches, the Artisan Label Punch, the Modern Label Punch, the Word Window Punch, the tree and the star from the Merry Mini's Punch Pack, the 1 inch and the 1 1/4 inch circle punches (I love how punches speed up mass production).  The card has a Bermuda Bay Base and a Smoky Slate Textured Layer under the Very Vanilla Card Stock.  A Rhinestone and some Silver Glimmer Paper add more festive sparkle!

This second card is based on the Fabulous Merry Little Christmas Card Kit, but I have mixed it up a bit!  All the card stock and papers are in the kit, but I have added the envelope liners to the card bases having added a beautiful edge with the Adorning Accents Edgelets.  The Greeting is from the Love and Joy Stamp Set stamped in Island Indigo and again I have used the fine splatter from Gorgeous Grunge in Silver to add some snow like detail, before inking the edges of the banner in Real Red.  A beautiful Frosted Finish tops off each card.

My third and final card is the card I have emailed this year.  It was made using MDS and the Bright Hopes Download and a download you will be able to get for free next year!

What ever you are doing today enjoy your day!

Merry Christmas

To purchase the items used to make these project visit my on line store at www.bekka.stampinup.net or clicking on the highlighted item above.  When you order before the 30 December use this hostess code.

Pretty Packages Tied up with String

Well OK so not string and by now you are probably singing about a Few of Your Favourite Things!  Today I will mostly be finishing off my Christmas Wrapping (and no I don't intend to get a song title into every sentence - its just turned out that way so far!) so I thought I would show you some of the ways you can decorate the Stampin' Up! Packaging Products to make them lovely and festive.

These projects were some of the projects that we shared at the Christmas Stamp and Stay weekend and I am looking forward to being about to tell you about our Spring Fling - watch out for details early in the new year and to make sure you get the details sent to you as soon as they are available make sure you are subscribed to my email newsletter (just pop your email address in the box on the top right hand side of this blog and don't worry I won't share your details, just send you emails once or twice a month full of news, hints, tips and ideas).

Happy Stampin'

PS the products used on these projects are
The Wishing You Stamp Set, the Season of Style Washi Tape, Cherry Cobbler Stitched Edge Ribbon, Silver Foil Sheets, Season of Style Paper Stack, Bow Die, Tag A Bag Gift Bags, Tag a Bag Boxes and Kraft Gift Boxes

To purchase the items used to make these project visit my on line store at www.bekka.stampinup.net or clicking on the highlighted item above.  When you order before the 30 December use this hostess code.

MDS Monday - Christmas Card from a template

For this week's MDS Monday I am going to show you one of the first Christmas Cards I made using My Digital Studio (MDS).  When you start with MDS there are a number of template cards and scrapbook pages you can just drop your photos into or change the messages and use.  This card was made using one of those and I added a few bits and changed a couple of colours (really really easy to do) and my card was done.

This year I am sending a number of Christmas Cards by email and donating the money I have saved to charity - and a card like this would be ideal to email your friends.  You can create it in moments using the Free 30 Day Trial of MDS which you can download here ...

Happy Stampin'

To purchase the items used to make these project visit my on line store at www.bekka.stampinup.net or clicking on the highlighted item above.  When you order before the 30 December use this hostess code.

Fast and Fabulous Christmas - Last Moment Christmas Gifts

Please tell me I am not the only one who finds that they need a last moment Christmas Present!  Today in the last of the Fast and Fabulous Christmas ideas I have a last moment Christmas Gift Idea for you.

Everyone likes to send and receive cards and they make an excellent Christmas present too.  

This collection is based on the adorable Sweet Sayings Note Cards.  

Each has been decorated with stamps from Gorgeous Grunge and the fantastic floral image from Regarding Dahlias.

Hopefully your Christmas preparations are just about done and you are ready to enjoy your festivities

Happy Stampin'

To purchase the items used to make these project visit my on line store at www.bekka.stampinup.net or clicking on the highlighted item above.  When you order before the 30 December use this hostess code.

Fast and Fabulous Christmas Scrapbook Saturday - Getting Ready to Scrap this Christmas

For this week's Scrapbook Saturday I am going to show you how I am getting ready to scrap this Christmas.  The album I am going to show you just needs the photos and the memories added and then it will be done. It would also make a wonderful present for someone who loves Christmas, or who loves taking photos, or maybe someone who is celebrating a special Christmas or even someone who has kids ...  lets face it just about anyone really!  

What is even better is that it took just moments to put together and uses just two things!  The Seasonal Stripes Designer Ring Album and the season of Style Designer Journaling Tags.

I have simply popped the tags into the album and we are good to go!  Here is a short video showing you the pages as they are at the moment

Happy Stampin'

To purchase the items used to make these project visit my on line store at www.bekka.stampinup.net or click on the highlighted items to go straight to them. When you order before the 30 December use this hostess code.

Find Out About Friday - Fast and Fabulous Christmas Crackers

Since this week's Find Out About Friday falls within this series of posts about creating a fabulous Christmas fast I am going to share a photo tutorial on how to make cute crackers made using the wonderful Envelope Punch Board from Stampin' Up!  I have seen these popping up all over the internet and loved them so wanted to make some for myself.

These lovely little crackers would make great gift wrapping and are just the right size for a lip balm or a few chocolates, or some jewelry or of course any other little gift you would like to give.  They would also look great as decorations or as part of your festive table settings.

To make these crackers I used a sheet of paper from the Winter Frost Designer Series Paper Stack.  If you are using different papers the sheets each measure 4.5 x 6.5 inches.  This was scored at 1,2,3 and 4 inches length ways and then 1, 1.5 and 2 inches in from each short end as shown in this picture.

The long score lines were then folded and punched on the Envelope Punch Board at 1.5 and 5 inches as shown.

The paper was then folded at each of the long score lines and punched again at 1.5 and 5 inches

until it looks like this

Next fold in the short edges - turn your cracker so the inside is facing up, fold the score line closest to the middle so the right side shows, then fold back the other way on the next line and finally back towards the middle along the outside score line.  As you then lay the cracker back out with the inside facing upwards you will have raised peaks in the middle of each of the punched sections.  

Next you need to add your adhesive - I used sticky strip.  Your adhesive needs to go along the inside of the long edge of that is 1 inch wide.  Your adhesive needs to be in three sections and this picture shows you just the middle section.

The easiest way to ensure you stick your cracker together straight is to fold along one of the middle score lines and then take your sticky edge over so that it lines up over the narrow edge.

Your cracker is now done and is ready for you to decorate.  I have used some silver ribbon and some punched out Christmas trees made from the Merry Minis Punches that I had left over from another project - love being able to use up some left over bits!

What will you put in your crackers?

Happy Stampin'

To purchase the items used to make these project visit my on line store at www.bekka.stampinup.net or click on the highlighed items to go straight to them.  When you order before the 30 December use this hostess code.