Find Out About Friday - How Washi Tape Saves Me Time Everyday

I make no secret of the fact that I love Washi Tape but you may still have been surprised to read the title of this blog post - can Washi Tape really save me time every day?  Well the answer is simple, yes it can.  Let me explain.

I am totally lost without my diary and my notebook - both are full of lists and things I need to remember and things I need to do.  Recently they have been joined by a third book - one for the new house, there is so much to do there and it was swamping everything else, so for a while I am going to be a three notebook girl!

Now these books are wonderful and I use them all the time, and for them to be most effective I need to be able to find things quickly and easily and that is where the Washi Tape comes in.  I have used tape to mark the start of different sections in my books which makes the pages easy to find.

Not only does it make the books pretty - and therefore me more likely to look at them, it also means that the edged pages are a little thicker so easier to turn to as the book falls open on them more easily.

Given that time is money I would say these Washi Tapes at £4.50 for three coordinating roles are great value!

Finding pages is not the only thing I use them for in my diary either - they are also good for marking in events that run over several days - November is going to be busy already!  

So that is how Washi Tape saves me time every day as well as brightening up my world!

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.

PS - if you have not yet take the Find Out About Friday Survey yet - please do!  If you complete it before 21 March you could even win a shopping spree - see last week's Find Out About Friday for details

Happy Watercolor Birthday Butterflies

Yesterday I posted a picture of a part finished card on Facebook and invited people to guess what was missing.  Those who know me well correctly guessed that the answer was going to be butterflies and today I am showing you the finished card.

The card was fun and easy to make - the greeting is from the Four You Stamp Set and was stamped in Island Indigo.  The  water colour washes from Happy Watercolor Stamp Set were them stamped in Coastal Cabana.  After I had layered the stamped Very Vanilla onto some Coastal Cabana card I put it on a Crumb Cake base.  The Butterflies were then punched from Coastal Cabana and Island Indigo using the Bitty Butterfly Punch and the layers tied together with some of the lovey twine from the Sweet Sorbet Accessories Pack that is available as part of Sale-a-Bration.

I liked the ideas that people came up with and I am curious to know what you would have put on the card so why not pop over to the Facebook Page and let me know.  You can find it here.  Who knows your idea may even come to life and you may see it on this blog one day!

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.

How to make a Double Ended Banner with your Banner Punch

Today I have a mini tutorial for you, about how to make a double ended banner with your Banner Punch.  I love this punch and and how easy it makes it to make banners to decorate cards and scrapbook pages, but sometimes I want a double ended banner.  When I cut them by hand they don't always end up equal on both sides, but when I use this punch they always do!

So this is the card that I wanted to make - lots of lovely hexagons made using the lovely Six Sided Sampler Stamp Set, the Hexagon Punch and the Honeycomb Embossing Folder.  The sentiment is from the wonderful Loving Thoughts Stamp Set.  As you can see a double ended banner was what this card needed.

To make the double ended banner using the Banner Punch cut a strip of card measuring 1.5cm wide and a little bit longer than you want your finished banner to be.  Insert your card into your punch like this and cut the banner end into one end.

To get your banner exactly the length you want measure from the end that you have just punched and make a small mark. Then insert the card back into the punch in the same way and make the second banner end.  As you can see on this one I stamped the sentiment before making the second end which made it even easier to get the length I wanted.

I hope you have enjoyed today's tip.  I often post tips like this as part of the Find Out About Friday Posts.  These posts are often the most popular posts of the week and to celebrate the third anniversary of the series, last Friday I launched a survey with a prize give away - check it out here.  The responses I have had so far are really interesting and will help me write future Find Out About Friday posts that will be interesting for you, so I would really encourage you to take the survey - who knows you could even win the shopping spree!

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.

Scallop Top Tag Punch Get Well Soon Card

I love my new Scallop Top Tag Punch and when I was looking at the projects I had made with it I realised  that I had not made a card that featured it - whoops!  Well today I am going to show you a card that puts that right.

This card also features papers from the beautiful Fresh Prints Paper Stack - I am finding that these papers give me a real creative boost!  I have also used some of the gorgeous Natural Chevron Ribbon -it is much softer and easier to work with than I thought is was going to be, simply scrummy.  The sentiment is from the Delightful Dozen Stamp Set.  As well as the Scallop Top Tag Punch itself, I have also used several other punches on this card - the Bitty Butterfly Punch, one of the Itty Bitty Shape Punches and of course the lovely Banner Punch, which you can get for Free during Sale-a-Bration.  The Chunky Twine is also available as part of one of your Sale-a-Bration Choices.  I also added a couple of Pearls.

If you want to see some of my other projects with this punch check out this post and this post - there is a tutorial available for the mini album / extending card which you can get by sending an email to bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk

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.

MDS Monday - Scrapbook Page featuring the Free Sale-a-Bration Download

I am absolutely loving this year's Sale-a-Bration products and the fact that they are available digitally as a Sale-a-Bration Choice is a real bonus as I can use them in what ever form I want!  You get one Sale-a-Bration Choice for free with every £45 you spend on Stampin' Up! Products between now and the end of March - so grab your wish list and get shopping!

Today I am going to share a scrapbook page I made featuring items from the One Big Sale-a-Bration 2014 Download.  

When a group of people come together and do a show new friendships are formed and old ones renewed, as a group you tend to spend a lot of time together and form a real bond.  After the last performance, suddenly it is done and you can find yourself really missing everyone.  This year after Panto a large chunk of the cast went bowling together and it was great to catch up and see everyone - oh and great that I was not quote the worst bowler there!

To get the downloads used to make this page check out Sale-a-Bration 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.

A Team Engagement!

My wonderful team of Stampin' Up! Super Stars had some lovely new this week - two of them got engaged!  I am so excited for Emma and Dan, they are a lovely couple and I am sure this is just the start of their amazing adventures together. Today I am going to show you the card I made for them.

 

This pretty card features lot of different things!  The Hardwood Stamp was stamped in Crumb Cake on Very Vanilla Card.  It has been mounted onto a Pool Party Layer that was embossed with the Decorative Dots Embossing Folder and which then had Pool Party Ink dragged over the top.  I used the 2.5 inch circle punch to cut the aperture which was then decorated in with Pink Pirouette Flowers punched with the Boho Blossoms Punch.  The central hearts were punched with the Full Heart Punch and mounted on a Starburst which was embossed with the Fancy Fan Embossing Folder.  The greeting is from Delightful Dozen and was cut out with the Modern Label Punch and layered over Crochet Trim and Pink Pirouette Ribbon.  All that was needed then were a few pearls to finish it off.

I hope Emma and Dan enjoy celebrating their engagement!  To find out more about joining the Stampin' Up! Super Stars email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk

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.

Scrapbook Saturday, Sale-a-Bration Papers with Starburst Sayings - Now if I could just remember which box I packed my Photo Printer in!

As I sat down to make this page I knew exactly what photo I wanted to use and set about making the page, then remembered that I had not yet unpacked my photo printer - Doh!  I decided to show you the page anyway and I am looking forward to finishing it soon.

The papers are from the lovely Sweet Sorbet Collection which you can earn for free as part of Sale-a-Bration.  You can also earn the lovely Petal Parade Stamp Set, Banner Blast Stamp Set, Banner Punch and the Sweet Sorbet Accessory Pack that I have used to make some of the other elements on the page.  You get to choose one free with every £45 you spend on products between now and the end of March 2014.  I have also used the wonderful Starburst Sayings along with the coordinating Starburst Framelits.  I just love those pinked circles, they add a really interesting dimension to your projects.

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.

Find Out About Friday Third Birthday Prize Give Away

The start of March is Find Out About Friday's third Birthday!  

When I started the series of posts I had no idea that they would be so popular, they are often the blog post with the most hits each week.  To celebrate the three fun years and to make sure that the Find Out About Friday Posts continue to be so popular we are going to have a give away.

One lucky person will win a £50 worth of the Stampin' Up! Products of their choice delivered direct to their door!  All you have to do to enter is to complete this short survey about the Find Out About Friday Posts.  Everyone is welcome to complete the survey but I will draw a winner will at random from those who are currently living in the UK.  The winner will be drawn on Friday 21 March 2014.

Click here to take the Survey

I look forward to finding out what you think!

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.

Have a Party and Enjoy the Petal Parade Stamp Set

Today I am going to share a fun fast and fabulous card with you - its one we made at a recent party I did for a lovely group of ladies who had never made cards before (hello ladies :-) )

As well as the delightful Simply Celebrate Stamp Set, it features the wonderful Petal Parade Stamp Set which you can earn for free during Sale-a-Bration, just as the ladies who came to that party did.  If you would like to book a party and earn goodies for free please get in touch - just email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk, with your phone number and I will give you a call.

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.

Oh Hello and Thank You!

During the recent heavy winds one of the fence panels between me and my new neighbours came down giving me an excuse to go round and introduce myself.  Luckily for me my lovely new neighbour offered to help me fix the fence.  Today I am going to show you the Thank You card I made for them.

Obviously I had to use the wonderful Hardwood Background Stamp as it reminds me of the wooden fence and I added a sentiment from the lovely Oh Hello! Stamp Set - it has been neglected a bit recently and I thought it was time I showed it some love.  The Banners were cut using the Banner Framelits which made it so easy to layer them.  I have added a few images from the Mosaic Madness Stamp Set (which has also been neglected for too long) and then with a little bit of inking the card was done.

Along the way I wondered what it would look like in the other orientation so I tried it!

Which do you prefer?

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.

Make Me Happy - Hello

Today I am going to show you one of the card we made at our Hello Lovely Card Making Class.  At each class we explore lots of different ways of using a stamp set and have a lot of fun.

The card also features the wonderful Chevron Punch which I was thrilled to see made a reappearance in the Spring Summer Catalogue.

Our next card making class is on Saturday 8 March in Dunstable and will feature the wonderful Perfect Pennants Stamp Set.  The class will cost £32.00 including the stamp set in clear mount.  If you are coming to class and would like to take advantage of the bundle price for these stamps and get the matching Banner Framelits then the cost will be £48.00.  If you would rather have the stamps in wood mount there is a suppliment of £5.  The class can be taken without the stamp set for £15.  Booking is essential - just email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk

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.

PS - Did you know all Feeling Crafty Classes can be taken by post?  Email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk for details

MDS Monday - Change of Address Card - Free Download

As those of you who follow this blog will know I have just moved house and one of the very many things on my to do list is to let people know my new address, so I turned to My Digitial Studio to help.  I designed myself a 6x4 inch postcard with all the details on it which I am having printed ready to send.  Want to see?

OK so this is one without my address on it!  It occurred to me that some of you lovely people may also need a change of address card so if you click here you will be taken to a full sized version, ready for you to save, print and then write your new details on. 

If you would like to create your own cards using My Digital Studio you can download the programme here.  I have used the items from the wonderful One Big Sale-a-Bration 2014 download (which you can choose for free as part of Sale-a-Bration when you spend £45 on any Stampin' Up! Products) and the house is from the Spooky Bingo Bits Download.  The colouring (including the ombre effect on the background) have been created using the colouring tool.

I hope you have found today's post helpful and if you know anyone who might benefit from this download please feel free to share this post with them

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.

Fabulous is What You Are

Recently I have been reminded on many occasions just how fabulous my friends are and I made a bunch of cards to tell them.  I am having a lot of fun writing these and soon they will be in the post, a kind of happy mail blitz!

The cards are based on the wonderful notecards which are just the perfect size for this card!  The sentiment is from the Million and One Stamp Set and is stamped in Coastal Cabana and matted onto a layer of Coastal Cabana card.  The pennants were punched using the Banner Punch which you can get free during Sale-a-Bration.  They were punched from the wonderful Fresh Prints Papers and from some Silver Glimmer Paper - after all fabulous people deserve some sparkle!

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.

Scrapbook Saturday - Last Lock of the Door

As those of you who read yesterday's post will know I have recently moved house and today I am going to share a digital Scrapbook Page linked to the move.  I know that on a Saturday I normally show you a paper Scrapbook Page but one of the things I am enjoying about using My Digital Studio is how you really can use it anywhere and this page was created before I had even unpacked my craft room!

I have used the This and That Epic Day Digital Download for this page.  I still love these papers and love how I will be able to print out this page and have it coordinate with others I have made using the traditional papers.

If you would like to try digital scrapbooking it is a lot of fun and you can find out all about it 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.

Find Out About Friday - Moving House and another reason to love Stampin' Up!

As some of you may know I moved house a week ago today! Goodness that was a stressful day and I am sure before too long it will make a very funny story.  The short version of which would be the removal men getting stuck in a flood on the way to me, one of them hurting his back and not being able to life anything - he was picking up a small box with my puppet dog in at the time so this lead to much teasing from the others!  Then my poor sister spent over 3 hours on the M25 on her way to me so I had to be rescued by friends. This was all topped off by the people in the house I was moving into still being here 2 hours after they should have left and threatening my removal men with their huge real dog if they tried to come in!  But I am now in and am slowly starting to get organised.  

The space in the house is fantastic, but it needs a lot of work doing to it and this week has been about unpacking a bit and trying to find people to do the work.  Obviously one of the rooms that I have partially unpacked is the room that is going to be my craft room.  Want to see?

At the moment it is also doubling as my office but as the house gets done that will change.  I am not going to show you very much more as the walls need plastering, the revolting stained carpet needs to be replaced with something more practical and much much more - I have big plans for this room and I promise I will share the end result when it is done - but don't go holding your breath that could be a few month's yet given the availability of the tradesmen I have been talking to :-(  In the mean time this is however where I will be getting inky and I can't wait!

So what has all this to do with what I love about Stampin' Up!?  Well this last couple of weeks have highlighted one of the benefits of this business in a new to me way.  The total flexibility.  I only got a moving date the week before I actually moved and my business has give me the flexibility to move things round and clear my diary for a couple of weeks while I got moved.  How many jobs do you know where you can do that?  To not have to be juggling a job while packing and then cleaning and unpacking has been a real blessing.  I love how my business fits around my life!

Another thing that this move has reminded me of is how wonderful the people I know through my business are - friends of the absolute best kind.  I have had so many offers of help and even had people helping me pack and get my old place sorted out, while those further afield have helped me keep my head as close to straight as it ever is!  A huge thank you goes out to each of them.

If you are looking for a business that fits around your life and the curve balls that throws at you get in touch now - I love helping people achieve their business dreams and would like you to be one of them and what could be better than making money sharing something you love.  Between now and 31 March 2014 there is even a very special offer on which will help you be even more profitable even more quickly.  Just email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk

Happy Stampin'

To purchase Stampin' Up! items visit my on line store at www.bekka.stampinup.net