Birthday Chocs

Here's a box of chocolates I made as part of my mum's birthday pressie. The chocs are Elizabeth Shaw mints, each one has a scallop circle front & back, plus the birthday greeting from the Circle of Friendship set. The box was made using the scor-pal, SU card & So Swirly wheel. I also stamped the tissue paper that was inside the box.

A Great Weekend!

Hi all! I know it's been over a week since I last posted so I thought I'd give you a quick update.

We had a great workshop on Thursday (Stampin' Up! Christmas Cards) - will post some pics soon) - then on Friday I went off on the Crab Apple Crafts reTreat in Frodsham & what a fantastic retreat it was! We made loads of great projects & it's given me plenty of ideas for next year's workshops! I'll post some pics of the projects when I get chance.

I've got a busy week this week - Altrincham RSG club tomorrow, Stampin' Up! customer workshp on Wednesday & the Tart & Tangy workshop on Thursday!

See you soon!

November Newsletter

The November newsletter is now available & can be viewed online by clicking the link above.

If you don't already subscribe, email me & I'll add you to the list!

Christening Keepsake Exploding Box

Here are some pics of a Christening Keepsake box I made for a Christening we attended last weekend. The little girl is called Theadora (Thea for short). I left the inside of the outer layer for the parents to add photos to.

Christmas Extravaganza!

Join me over the festive period for one of the many Christmas workshops I have planned. Create all your Christmas cards, decorations, gift wrap, personalized gifts & even your Christmas table decorations. Many sessions to choose from - click the link above to see the full list. Click here to view the events calendar on the RSW site to book your place.

Stationery Box Workshop

This is the project made on the Stationery Box workshop. This particular box was made using the retired hostess scrapbook kit gift. The lid lifts off & the box opens out:

Inside are some cards & matching envelopes, some love notes, tags, a notebook, pen & some postage stamps. All items are included in the cost of the workshop.

Fantastic Hostess Offer

Between 1st Nov & 31st Dec, host a qualifying Stampin' Up! workshop & get an additional free gift! When you host a workshop totaling £150 or more, you'll get a FREE stamp set in addition to existing hostess benefits.

Click the link above for more details. Contact me to book a home workshop.

A couple of cards

A quick post today! Just a couple of cards I've made recently. The 1st using the new Pocket Silhouettes set, the 2nd using Big Bold Birthday.

Emergency Card Kit

Tonight's workshop was an Emergency Card Kit. We made a box (above) & 6 cards, using Rose Red & Close to Cocoa inks & DSP (now retired). The cards needed to be quick, so I chose images that could be punched or easily cut. This meant using lots of different stamp sets!

Here's the 3 Rose Red cards. **TIP** The thin strip of DSP at the top of the Thanks card is the bit of waste you get when using the scallop edge punch, so don't throw it away!!

These are the Close to Cocoa cards. I've stamped onto Very Vanilla grosgrain ribbon on the centre card, plus added a couple of buttons - very handy quick embellishments.

Contact me if you'd like to attend this workshop. If you haven't already seen it on the RSW website, I offer a customer loyalty scheme for all workshop attendees - check it out here.

Christmas is Coming!

I should've posted this pic ages ago & I forgot! These are the cards made at the Christmas is Coming workshop. The centre card is cased from the '07 Stampin' Up! idea book - I love this set & this card is easier to make than it looks! The other 2 cards were coloured in watercolours.

These are my October M&Ts, made using the Perfect Presents set & of course incorporating the new scallop edge punch!! They're quick to make & pretty cute!

Pick a Petal Workshop

Here's 3 of the items made at last night's Pick a Petal workshop (we also did a 3 candle Christmas card, but I wasn't totally happy with how that turned out!).

The Dragonfly card was made by stamping in Versamark on vellum, then heat embossing. The body is made with items from the Stampin' Up! Pretties kit. We also incorporated the new scallop edge punch!

The flower is made using 6 x 2 different sized petals. The flower itself is mounted on a long skewer, but I edited this out of the photo.

The tulip card incorporates some retired designer series paper, but I love the way the spots co-ordinate!

Feel free to contact me if you'd like to attend this workshop.

Rolll with the Punches

Here are the 3 cards & tag made in the Roll with the Punches workshop. This technique combines wheels, punches & sponge daubers to make interesting backgrounds. The Christmas card also included some of the bandanna technique to add interest (dots & swirls in white gel pen).

Contact me if you'd like to attend this workshop.

Techniques

Just to let you know that there is now a Techniques page on my RSW (rubber stamping workshops) website. Each month a new technique is added, as it appears in the newsletter, so keep checking back! Click the above title to visit the page.

Shirley

It's been a busy couple of weeks with workshops, stamp club & Stampin' Up! workshop demos, so I haven't had time to post.

The new Stampin' Up! catalogue has been really well received & I've had plenty of orders. People are already asking if there'll be any mini catalogues this year - I hope so!

It's another Altrincham Rubber Stamping Group meeting tonight - I've just been rearranging the tables as it's a full house tonight!

I also have a few new cards I need to take photos of & upload. There are some from the Roll with the Punches workshop, which are a little bit different. Hopefully I'll get time to do that tomorrow, but I've got the Pick a Petal workshop to get ready for - there are still places available if anyone's interested. There'll be at least one card you won't be expecting! But I'm not giving anything else away. I'll post some pics of that after Thursday night.

Off to clean & vacuum the studio now!

Shirley

October Newsletter

Here's the link to this month's newsletter, which details the current Stampin' Up! offers & details of the October & November workshops.

Happy reading!

Shirley

Tags and Toppers Workshop

Here's a picture of the items made during the Tags & Toppers workshop in September. The Loads of Love truck & trees are also magnets, so good fun for kids!

All supplies were Stampin' Up! products except for the magnets (I used Xyron laminate & magnet) & the Jelly Beans!

Shirley

Stampin' Up! Supply List & Catalogue Corrections

Stampin' Up! have now published the list of supplies needed to make all the projects shown in the new 2008-2009 Idea Book & Catalogue - click here to view them (pdf format - over 9mb in size).

They have also issued a list of corrections to the catalogue, so if you have a copy, you may wish to check these out here. The online version has already been amended & should be correct.

Stampin' Up! 20th Birthday Offer

Between 1st & 31st October, spend £20 on regular catalogue merchandise and get 20% off certain Stampin'Up! birthday/celebration stamp sets. There's no limit on the number of reduced price sets you can buy, so grab a bargain while you can!

Click the image for more information & details of the selected stamp sets.

New Stampin' Up! Catalogue

Wow - the new Stampin' Up! Catalogue Preview evening I held went really well - thanks to all who attended. Everyone placed an order, so now I'm just waiting for all the goodies to arrive! Can't wait to try out the 2 new scallop punches! I've also been given several new leads & 2 people have booked parties this month so I think I'm going to be quite busy! I've already nearly run out of catalogues & have had to place an order for some more. If you want to check the catalogue out online, click the link over on the right hand side of the blog.

The October newsletter will be out soon - I'm just finalising the November classes, then I can publish!

It's the 1st October meeting of the Altrincham Rubber Stamping group tonight - we've had to change to meeting twice monthly as we've more members than seats now! So I'm off to prepare for that.

Bye for now,

Shirley

I'm Back! Again!!

I'm back from my 2nd visit this year to Cyprus - lovely weather, but I'm glad to be back because I'm soooooo excited about the new Stampin' Up! catalogue launch - tomorrow!!! I've already had a look through it (at 4am when we arrived back in the country!) & I think it's going to be another expensive year for me!! There are some really nice stamp sets & some exciting new punches & accessories, but I don't want to give too much away.

I've had some cancellations for my preview evening on Thursday, so I'll be sending out some more invites. If you want to come but don't hear from me, just email me.

Shirley

Paperartsy Workshop - ATCs

Here's a pic of the ATCs Mararet made on the Paperartsy workshop - thanks for letting me add these, Margaret!

Shirley

Altrincham Rubber Stamping Group

Here's some pics of our September meeting, held in my craft studio on Tuesday night. We had a good turn out & everyone enjoyed the evening!

I haven't finished organising the studio yet - when I have I'll take some proper pics of it & put them on here.

The next meeting is on 7th October - I've had to extend to a 2nd monthly meeting, as the group's too big for one meeting now!

Shirley

Website Updated

I've spent some time updating the Rubber Stamping Workshops website. I've added a calendar so you can see at a glance when events are planned for - and when I'm not available! This has also meant that I've been able to add descriptions of each event & an individual email link. Take a peek at the new-look events calendar here.

Details of the Customer Loyalty Scheme are now on the site & there's a new Techniques page. This will be updated on a monthly basis with the techniques that appear in the RSW newsletter.

My next plan is to try & get the events calendar here on the blog!

Shirley

RSW September Newsletter

The September newsletter is now available - click here to view a copy or click here to subscribe to it.

Happy reading!

Paperartsy Workshop

Here's a pic of what was made at the Paperartsy workshop a couple of weeks ago. The 1st card is just a black card blank embellished with images stamped in SU black ink on Whisper White card plus various sewing embellishments & some German Scrap - a quick make card! The 2nd took a little longer. A background was greated on a cream card blank using 3 colours of Tim Holtz Distress inks & blended with Ranger Cut-n-Dry foam. The image was then stamped with SUs Chocolate Chip ink onto Very Vanilla card. Again, the card was embellished with some German Scrap, buttons, ribbon & a mini clock.

The 3rd item - a tag - was created using the same methods as card 2, just different stamps & ink colours. We didn't have enough time for a full 4th project, so the workshop delegates made a couple of ATCs using Paperartsy products & Distress inks. Unfortunately I don't have any pics of those, but if I'm emailed some, I'll upload them for you all to see.

I love using Paperartsy products - they make it very easy for you to feel all arty & creative!! Plus I've had the added advantage of attending a couple of retreats where Leandra Franich was a guest tutor! I love her work! I've also taken a couple of classes where Tim Holtz was the tutor (what a fab guy) but I think I'm just bragging now!!

Shirley

Wedding Favours

Finally!! Here's the pic of the favours that I promised to post about a month ago!! They're made using the SU scallop circle punch, the Circle of Friendship stamp set, a non-SU mini alphabet stamp set & various circle punches. Each favour had an A on one side & a V on the other side (for Andrew & Vicky). The middle of the "sandwhich" was an Elizabeth Shaw mint! The colour theme for the wedding was black & white, so the favours fitted in well!

These are really easy to make - I recently made some for a friend's birthday & put them into a handcrafted box. I can't remember where I first saw them, so I can't give credit to the original designer. If you know who it is, let me know & I'll update the post.

Shirley

SU Retiring List Announced!

Well, it's here at last - the Stampin' Up! retiring list has finally been announced. There are a few surprises on there! Due to a pricing review for the UK market, all these items appear at a reduced price, but I have to point out that this is not usual practice - retired items are normally full price. So grab some bargains while you can!

This is good news though, as it means the prices in the new catalogue should be lower!

The retiring hostess sets cannot be purchased - they have to be earned in the usual way by hosting a workshop. So if one of your favourites is on the list, this is your last chance to get them!

There are more items retiring than I was expecting but this should mean lots of new goodies from October! The retiring list is also available on the Rubber Stamping Workshop website - click here.

Get in touch soon if you want to book a workshop to get items from the new catalogue - slots are filling up fast.

Happy reading!

Shirley

Busy & Unwell

I've been ill all weekend - I even missed my crop on Saturday, which I spend all month looking forward to :(

However, I have started to move into my new craft studio - in fact we had the 1st workshop there on Thursday night. I've been so busy doing that, that I haven't had chance to take the favour pics & upload them! I will though! Plus I'll upload some pics of the studio, once I've fully moved in. If anyone of you are coming to the Altrincham Rubber Stamping Group meeting on Tuesday night, you'll get to see it for yourselves! This is going to be the 1st meeting, so I'm very excited!!

Hope you all had a better weekend than I did!

Shirley

RSW August Newsletter

The August newsletter is now available - click here to view a copy or click here to subscribe to it. Happy reading!

I've been away!!

Sorry for the lack of recent posts but I've been away on a lovely break to Cyprus. It was sooooo hot though, that I'm quite glad to be back home again!

Well, I have a very busy week with 100 favours to make for a family wedding on Friday, the August newsletter to write, a Paperartsy workshop to prepare for & the 1st meeting of Altrincham Rubber Stampers to get excited about!!

I'll post a pic of the wedding favours once they're made - obviously I'll be using mainly Stampin' Up! products as they are my faves!!

Bye for now!

Shirley

Stampin' Experience Make & Takes

These are the pics of the M&Ts we made when the Stampin' Experience tour came to Manchester:

On the left is a pocket card made using the Bundle of Joy stamp set. The tag was hand cut. This could be used for a baby announcement, a christening invite or a baby birthday card. The pocket is made by folding a strip of card & fastening with a brad on either side. Your card could be any size - just make sure it's wide enough to fit your tag in! You could also attach a gift card to the back of the tag. The Soft Subtle colour family was used for this project.

On the right is a birthday goodie bag made using the Big Bold Birthday stamp set. You could put anything small in the bag - a gift, some sweets, some small notelets, etc. You may not be able to tell from the pic, but on top of the icing are some glue dots that have been dipped in Stampin' Glitter - very cute! The Bold Brights colour family was used for this project.

These are 2 6x6 scrapbook pages made
using the Heartfelt stamp set (one of the Hostess sets). There's room for a photo & some journaling on each page. Plus you could put some hidden journaling on the back of the tag. The ribbon has been rouched by pulling a couple of threads - quite hard to see on the photo. It was the taffeta ribbon, not the grosgrain (I'm not sure whether the technique works with grosgrain - will have to have a play!). The flower on the tag & the 2nd page has been cut out & layered with Stampin' Dimensionals. The Rich Regals colour family was used for this project.

Calling All Altrincham Stampers!

After months of searching for a regular evening craft group but not finding one, I decided to form my own! The group (called Altrincham Rubber Stampers) will meet on a monthly basis, every 3rd Tuesday, 7-9pm, starting in August.

This group is open to anyone who is already a stamper or who wants to become a stamper, who fancies travelling to Altrincham once a month! To find out more about the group (& hopefully join), click here, or click on the link in the links section.

Better get my craft studio finished now, so we've got somewhere to meet! But I think that's a whole separate post...........watch this space!!

RSW July Newsletter

The July newsletter is now available - click here to view a copy or click here to subscribe to it.

Happy reading!

Stamps in the Mail offer

Polka Dots & Paisley Offer

Exclusive to Rubber Stamping Workshops & for a limited time only, you can purchase this fabulous bundle for just £35, including p&p!! That's over 17% off the listed price! The bundle includes the Polka Dots & Paisley stamp set, designer papers, ink pads, ribbon & card. Click here to visit the Rubber Stamping Workshops site for full details.

One lucky person who orders will also receive a Level 1 Hostess set of their choice. Orders need to be placed by Monday 4th August & the goods will be ordered from Stampin' Up! on Tuesday 5th August. The winner of the Hostess set will be drawn on Tuesday 5th August & announced both here & on the Rubber Stamping Workshops site.

Don't miss out on this offer - click here now!!

SU Demonstrator Offer

If you've been thinking about signing up as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, now's the time to do it! Until the end of July, you can choose ANY retail stamp set from the idea book & catalogue (up to £41.95 in value) for free!! See full details on the rubber stamping workshops website here (link only valid until the end of July) or click the post heading to view the offer at the Stampin' Up! website.

Meeting Shelli

Tonight I had the pleasure of meeting Shelli Gardner, CEO & co-founder of Stampin' Up! Shelli & some of her team were here in the UK for the Stampin' Up! Experience Tour. We did some fantastic make & takes, demonstrated by Shelli herself. I also met Paula & Kelly from the UK team, who were both lovely & are obviously very passionate about their work for Stampin' Up!

I'll post some pics of the make & takes soon - I'm currently busy preparing July's RSW newsletter.

Read more about Shelli here.

Bye for now!

Gallery up & running!

Hooray!! The gallery is now up & running on the RSW website! Check it out here. Now it's there, I need to get photographing!!

Stampin' Up! eScape event

Wednesday 25th June was eScape day for Stampin' Up!. The idea was to escape from modern technology & get back to old-fashioned letter writing. Rubber Stamping Workshops joined in the event & we made this lovely box set of 3x3 notelets.

Web site relaunch

I've finally finished the 1st stage of my website revamp. It took a while, was a HUGE learning curve but I feel happy with the results. Check it out here!

The next stage will be to sort out the gallery & set up a link to my newsletter. Until then, click here to subscribe.

Thinking of You card

I love the Earth Elements colour family from Stampin' Up & thought the colours really complemented the Carte Postale stamp set.

This card has been made using the following Stampin' Up! products:
Stamps Carte Postale, Sincere Salutations, Stampin' Around Leaves a la Carte
Card Stock Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip
Paper White Vellum
Inks Old Olive, Chocolate Chip
Punches Scallop Circle, 1-3/8" Circle, 1-1/4" Circle, 3/16" Corner Rounder
Embellishments Old Olive brad (Earth Elements set), Old Olive 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Chocolate Chip taffeta ribbon

1. Cut a piece of A4 Old Olive card stock in half to produce 2 x A5 pieces. Take one of these pieces & fold it in half to create the A6 card blank.



2. Stamp the front of the card blank & a piece of Very Vanilla card using the Leaves a la Carte Stampin' Around wheel & Old Olive ink



3. Stamp the flowers from Carte Postale onto the vellum with Chocolate Chip ink. Set aside to dry.



4. Cut a piece of the stamped Very Vanilla card to fit the front of the card vertically & distress one edge using the distressing tool from the Cutter Kit. Ink this edge with Old Olive ink.



5. Cut a length of each of the ribbons slightly longer than the piece of Very Vanilla card & attach with double sided tape, the Chocolate Chip taffeta on top of the Old Olive grosgrain. Secure the ends of the ribbon on the back of the card, then attach this to the front of the card blank on the left hand side, using double sided tape.



6. Punch the Scallop Circle from Chocolate Chip card & punch a 1-3/8" Circle from Old Olive card. Stamp the flower from Carte Postale onto Very Vanilla card with Chocolate Chip ink & punch out using the 1-1/4" Circle punch. Mount this onto the Old Olive circle with SNAIL adhesive, make a hole through the centre & fasten the brad in place, then mount this onto the Chocolate Chip scallop circle. Mount this onto the card blank using Stampin' Dimensionals.



7. Stamp Thinking of You (from Sincere Salutations) onto Very Vanilla card with Chocolate Chip ink. Cut out into a rectangle & round the corners. Mount this onto a piece of Chocolate Chip card & cut to size.



8. Tear a strip of the stamped vellum to fit the width of the card blank & attach using SNAIL adhesive. Mount the greeting on top of this using SNAIL adhesive.

Et Voila!! The card can be adapted for many occasions by simply changing the greeting.