Farewell for a little while

Hi My Stamping Friends,

I am writing today to let you all know that I am going to stop running workshops for Stampin’ up! I still love their products and will be using them, however I need to stop to be fully available for my lovely family. I want to thank you all for your wonderful support over the years. I have loved sharing Stampin’ up! with you all and I hope you have all gained a lot of enjoyment out of this wonderful craft (and continue to do so!).

My account with Stampin’ up! will be open for the next few months but I will no longer be running a business with Stampin’ up. So if you need anything, let me know and if my account is still active, I will happily organise the order for you. I’m going to miss many aspects of this business, however am also looking forward to being able to focus on my family.

There are lots of exciting changes coming up with Stampin’ up! including the release of the new Digital scrapbooking software, “My Digital Studio”. You will have to check it out via www.stampinup.com.au

Please let me know if you need help finding any information or would like me to recommend an alternative demonstrator.

I hope to share my personal creations on here every now and then.

As always, happy stamping!

Love, Claire

Just believe card with Artisan embellishment lace

 

Hello my stamping friends!

I'm here today to share a pretty little card using a couple of new items from the beautiful new Seasonal catalogue.

This is a friendship card with lots of soft, feminine touches and texture. The Lace comes from the Artisan embellishments kit on page 10 of the Seasonal catalogue (AU$16.95). You receive 45.7cm of this lovely lace in the kit. This kit is one of those fantastic finds for all crafty people. All the elements work beautifully on cards, scrapbook layouts, even as embellishments on fabric projects.
 

I have used markers to colour the stamps before stamping onto Very vanilla cardstock. The other colours used here are Raspberry ripple and Primrose petals with a touch of Old olive.  The Primrose cardstock has been embossed with the new Honeycomb textured impressions embossing folder, page 6 of the new Seasonal catalogue (AU$13.95)

Below you can see the kit contents. I love how the ribbons and lace are presented on these gorgeous tags with the hearts on them. These pieces can also be used on a card or scrap layout. The back side of the tags are white so you can use them either way, you could even stamp them. There is two doilies in the kit, a round one and a heart shaped one. And aren't all those different buttons fabulous!?

 

What do you think you would make with all these lovely items?

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

My craft space - Part 2

My "Create" board which holds recently made items

Hi Stampers!

I think I have been a bit hesitant in sharing these photos of my space as I feel it's all quite basic! There are no new built in shelves, no freshly painted walls (the lament of renting!), no amazing earth shattering storage ideas... but here's hoping that something here will inspire you to organise your space so that you can make more time for enjoying your stamping hobby!

Above is the view of my gloriously large stamping table (our previous dining table!). From where I sit, everything is within easy reach :)

This is the view from the doorway into our study. I love catching sight of my "Create" board which holds my latest creations when I walk past the room.
I will now briefly explain where I have placed everything.

From the back left of the desk I have my Big shot storage box. I just LOVE this storage box as it holds all my Big shot dies and embossing folders. The only thing that doesn't fit currently is my set of Alphabet sizzlits that you can see sitting on top which came in their very own storage box. I also store my embosslits and other sizzlits in the Alphabet's box.

As you can also see, my stamp pads are now within easy reach on the lovely Stampin' up! Color caddy! I also store buttons and brads as well as a couple or re-inkers in the top of my Color caddy. 

Next to my ink pads I have my Stampin' pastels, ribbon (which is currently stored in small tubs - I'd like to find another alternative for this), Blue box holds all my different adhesives, Stamp-a-majig (which is my hero when it comes to perfectly lining up stamped images), Mat pack and Paper piercing tool and the little basket holds my Color coach (a fabulous tool to inspire different colour combos) and current ribbons or buttons from mini catalogues. And of course we can't forget the stampin' scrub and mist to keep our stamps perfectly clean (There is a new slightly larger Stampin' scrub available now).

Next stop I have my stamps of course! These are all my current wood mount and clear mount sets. As a demonstrator we can only use current sets in our workshops so I keep them separate and more accessible so that I know what is current. To the right of my stamp sets are some little plastic drawers which hold spare adhesive, blades for my paper trimmer, ribbon and paper scraps. The pink pen holders hold my essentials - Paper snips, Craft scissors, Bone folder, Aqua brush, Pencil, Hole punch etc. My Stampin' write markers are held in the white basket above these drawers (It's always best to store your markers horizontally) and the metal tin holds retired brads and buttons.

Above you will see my main workspace. I love the Grid paper. It comes in a pad of 100 sheets which gives the perfect pressure to stamp on. It's also great for catching any ink from my stamps or drawing a quick sketch idea if it pops into my head. My paper trimmer is also at the ready so I can quickly cut my card stock to size (There is also a new and improved paper trimmer - it must be AWESOME because I love this one already!). 

And finally, the piece de resistance,  My Big Shot! I love that he sits right beside me as I craft so I can cut and emboss with ease and without having to move lots of things around!

So, all in all this area is working beautifully for me so far. I am keen as I mentioned above to improve on my ribbon storage and I am also  planning on purchasing some of the 12x12" paper organisers to store my cardstock on the table. I am still working on the shelves in the wardrobe and will probably relocate the little plastic drawers in there... so it's all a work in progress really but this extra space is so great!

Don't forget my offer of 10% off all Stampin' up! storage items in the Annual catalogue. This offer is exclusively with me until the end of February 2013.

This photo will give you an idea of what the new paper trimmer looks like:

Stampin' trimmer #129722 $49.95AU

 There is also a new Tabletop trimmer available this year:

Tabletop paper cutter #106959 $79.95 AU

Happy Stamping!
Love, Claire