Scrap, Gossip & News

Life is definitely a Roller Coaster.....

2011-09-09T11:11:00.000+01:00

Our lives at the moment are a complete Roller Coaster as Gary's father is unfortunately dying and we are in and out of the hospital never knowing if the next phone call is THE one!!! And to cap it all we are also trying to prepare for our holiday to Portugal which has been booked for the last 13 months now - can you believe it!!! Oh well I suppose there is nothing we can do about it so just have to go with the flow and deal with whatever comes our way.......

The crop was last Saturday and thanks to all my lovely ladies that came along we had a great day - took our minds off the situation we are in thankfully! It was great to see a few faces who had not been able to come for a few months so that was doubly nice. Sally again did a great Card Class which was very popular and the Scrap Class featuring Alcohol Inks and Embossing Folders was also a sell out!! The layout photo is below.

I hope you like it - lots of distressing and the fabby Martha Stewart Scary Fence border punch was used. I also used the Antique Linen Distress Stain which makes quick work of inking a large area.

Our next crop is scheduled for Saturday October 1st in Brent Knoll Parish Hall from 10am - 4pm and if you want to come along and join us for a fun day then you can book your space HERE. See you all when we get back from Portugal........

It's nearly Crop time again........

2011-08-24T13:50:00.000+01:00

Well this summer has certainly been a busy one - our son Michael has graduated with a fabulous 2:1 Degree in Pure Law from Birmingham University and was a wafer away from getting a First!!!!! The Graduation Ceremony was, thanfully a sunny day so we were able to see him in his full cap & gown and get some great photos (when he was willing to be photographed of course......). It was kind of strange to be driving away from the University knowing that was our very last trip up there - our car knows its way on its own I'm sure after all those trips in the last 3 years..... So I thought that if I felt it was kind of strange then Michael would definitely feel slightly confused - sad at leaving the freedom of student life and all the friends and events but also excited at the prospect of starting his new job in London!! A very emotional time for us all.

We decided to mark his graduation with a big party at home where all the families were invited along with his girlfriends family and some of his friends - thankfully we were blessed with a fine day although it did get quite cold come food time unfortunately which meant that the Bar-b-Que was actually eaten inside rather than out on the patio. Still everyone had a great time and Michael really enjoyed it which was the main thing.

So then began the trauma of moving him up to London - clearing his room at home was a huge task as he tends to be a bit of a hoarder!! Eventually we were ready. The car could not fit another wafer of paper into it as we set off for Clapham but when we got there I was pleasantly surprised at his room. The landlord had freshly painted it ready for him and we were able to sort out all his bits & bobs quite easily. A quick trip to a local Staples for a Desk and Argos for a TV stand and we were back to make them up and have a quick chat with one of his flatmates. We then went off to Nando's just round the corner (Gary & I had never experienced a Nando's before so it was a totally new experience) for a farewell meal. We left him happy and sorted and finally got home at about 1.30am. Next morning I awoke to news of the London riots and then we found out the following night that rioting had taken place in Clapham!!! Yikes was I panicked...... I was feeling bad enough at the realisation that he had finally left home but then that!!! Thankfully he told me quickly that he was out at a friends in another part of London and that it was Clapham Junction not the part of Clapham he is in - Phew thank goodness for that.........

So we now find ourselves gearing up for the September Crop which is taking place on Saturday 3rd September in our usual hall in Brent Knoll. I have created a Scrap Class using Alcohol Inks which was requested at our last crop and will also be using a Cuttlebug Embossing Folder too for a great technique. I have realised though that I haven't yet posted the class from the last crop which again was a request to show people how to incorporate Stamping into a Layout.

I'm SO Proud!!!

2011-07-04T12:40:00.000+01:00

Friday 24th June 12.40pm - This is the time that we finally found out how our son had done in his Law Degree at Birmingham University!!! OMG he did so well getting a very high 2:1 and being just a whisker away from a 'First'!!! I was so happy and proud and excited all at once but I managed to contain myself until I had placed the call to his girlfriend's phone as they were both in Barcelona waiting to hear......... Needless to say he was thrilled as well as all his hard work finally paid off and he will soon be starting a job in London.

A Bit Behind........

2011-07-04T12:32:00.000+01:00

It seems like time has run away with me over the past few months and I suddenly realised that I hadn't posted to update you all!!! Humble apologies for being such a bad blogger - I will try to be better in the future........

After Cleo's lovely Mini Book class at the ArtCards crop in February, Gary and I went off for a fabulous spot of sunshine in the caribbean for a couple of weeks so we didn't have a crop in March. We did, however, take the opportunity to change the crop dates to the beginning of each month rather than the end so our next crop was Saturday 2nd April where I decided to create my own version of Cosmo Cricket's 'Glubers' and show my ladies how to create some wonderful fabric flowers. You can see the class layout below which was made up from Basic Grey Two Scoops papers and some American Crafts White Cardstock. I used the Blue/Green colourway for mine but I also offered the ladies the Pink/Yellow colourway if they preferred.

I hope you like the layout which incorporated a lot of cutting out and lots of 3D work as well as the fabric flowers.

Tim Holtz inspired Class with Cleo Jarvis Sneak Peek!!!!

2011-02-10T13:20:00.000Z

Well here we go with a fabulous 'sneak peek' look at the gorgeous Tim Holtz inspired Mini Album Cleo has created for her upcoming class on 26th February. I am sure you will agree that it looks a whole lot of fun. We are using the scrummy Basic Grey 'Periperhy' range of papers, lots of chipboard, old records, canvas and so much more to create a truly eclectic but fabulously fun project to complete. The class is likely to take around 3 hours and we still have a few places left if you fancy joining us - book HERE!! More information is available for those booked to complete the class so if you are one of those and have not received more information by Friday 11th February then please let me know.

A lovely day and a few layouts to share.......

2011-02-10T13:13:00.000Z

I was lucky enough yesterday to have a good friend round for a full day of scrapping and it was blissful!!! I get so little time to do my own scrapping so it really was a treat not only to have a day full of scrapping but to share it with a dear friend. Great, company, great chatter and great scrapping - what more could a girl ask for????

So to the results of the day - just two to share with you that are completed (well I did say we chatted a lot didn't I.....) but I do have a double page spread on the go that I am hoping to finish sometime soon. The first to share with you is called 'Victoria's Secret' showing a photo taken during a trip to Butchart Gardens on stunning Victoria Island a few years ago. Whilst walking round the amazing gardens I came across a hole in the hedge which revealed this hidden shoreline that looked like something out of a Jessica Fletcher episode!! Because it was through a hole ~I thought it would be great to 'frame' the scene with some of the hedge creating its own border and hoping that would make it easy to scrap!! How wrong - it became difficult to find the right way to show it off to its best but finally I think I have managed it. I did lots of cutting and 3D work on the flower/leaf combo that was part of the paper in the lower right corner and slotted the photo underneath that. I used my Tim Holtz On the Edge dies to create the left hand edge of the photo and some black chipboard with fibres and jewel brads on the lower and right hand sides. My Tattered Floral die created the Black Bazzill flowers which I doodled on and used some wound up fibre for the centre. The close up photo shows more detail of that area. My Tim Holtz Ornate Frame completed the page just as I wanted and then I set to work on the tag for part of the title. I inked a white tag from ArtCards and stamped both in white and black chalk inks before cutting my title from Black Bazzill. I hope you like it. Not sure why Blogger has turned it round so sorry about that!!!!!

My second Layout is funnily enough in the same colourway but showcases a photo taken from our balcony on Radiance of the Seas during our very first Caribbean Cruise that stopped in Key West. I adored Key West and its laid back vibe. On this layout I used some Creative Imaginations papers bought in Hawaii along with matching cardstock stickers and some flowers from my stash. The word stickers are from K&Co. Again I hope you like it. Again Blogger has turned it all on its side and I have no idea why!!!

Our January Crop......

2011-01-25T11:45:00.000Z

Saturday 22nd January was our very first crop of 2011 and there was a bit of a surprise in store for our ladies when they arrived!! A photographer from our local newspaper was coming along to photograph us 'in action' for a write up in one of the editions. So keep an eye out for the Weston Mercury published and distributed this Thursday 27th January 2011 as the ArtCards crop will be in there.....

We had lots of fun and chatter as always and my mum's delicious Chocolate Viennese Fingers were of course the first of the cakes to go despite many people having started their new year diets. Still sometimes these things just 'have' to be done.... LOL The Scrapbook class was a lovely coffee and teal combo where we made a flower from some beautiful Teal organza fabric which required some sewing but the end result is well worth the effort. The papers used are the lovely Delish Designs from ArtCards along with a few additional embellies such as Basic Grey Pearls and some seed beads. You can see the layout below....

Our next crop is being held on Saturday 26th February 2011 and we are delighted to be offering a fabulous 3 hour Mini Book Class from Cleo Jarvis for just £10. This class will enable you to create a stunning eclectic but decent sized Mini Book using various textures and mediums such as old records, fabric, paint, and you will also be up-cycling some of your existing chipboard alphas too!! This class is definitely going to be lots of fun and will allow you to also use lots of your own creativity to create a one of a kind project. So if you want to come along and join us then please book HERE while we still have some places left.........

Welcome to 2011............

2011-01-18T12:13:00.001Z

Happy New Year to you all!!! Yes, yes I know its just a little late but...... well better late than never right?? I do hope you all had a truly wonderful Christmas and that it turned out to be just what you wanted it to be...... Ours was different from our 'usual' Christmas in that instead of spending it with all my side of the family at my mum's place, we entertained my husband's youngest sister and her two girls and even though it was a busy day cooking etc, it was a really lovely time and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!! Between Christmas and New Year my husband and I went off to Devon for a couple of nights and even managed a day at The Eden Project which is somewhere I had wanted to go for a very long time. All in all we had a great time - a very memorable Christmas and New Year which was spent in our local Chinese Restaurant partying the night away.............................

So now back to 2011 and its just days away from the ArtCards first crop of the year which will be held on Saturday in Somerset. We have an optional Scrapbook Class available which this month is in a lovely coffee and teal combo - quite yummy!! The papers we are using are Delish Designs Main Dish, Entree & Stripes along with some gorgeous Teal organza fabric, some suede, cork, brads and fibres for lots of texture. The photos required are two that can be cut down to measure approx. 4" wide x 4 1/4" high and bring along anything that you would like to use for a title - I have used some old foam Thickers for mine in white. You can also bring along any other embellishments like jewels, pearls etc. that you might like to add as additional embellies to personalise your layout.

This month the home made cakes supplied by my mum are her 'to die for' Chocolate Viennese Fingers and from previous experience I know that these will not hang around for long!!!

Don't forget that on February 26th we have the very talented and lovely Cleo Jarvis (published in The Scrapbook Magazine regularly) coming along to teach a fabulous 3 hour Mini Book Class which will use texture and up-cycling amongst other things!!!! One definitely not to be missed - classses are available to purchase NOW!!

So if you have bagged your space I look forward to seeing you on Saturday and if you haven't but would like to join us then please book HERE. See you all soon........ Karen xx

ArtCards Christmas Crop

2010-11-30T13:24:00.000Z

Well can you believe it? It's almost the end of 2010 which can only mean one thing........... the final ArtCards crop of the year and its party time!!!! Saturday 4th December in The Parish Hall, Brent Knoll, Somerset from 10am - 4pm we will be having a blast with challenges, a hot & cold buffet lunch and the ArtCards shop with not only some yummy NEW goodies but lots of SALE bargains too!!

So for anyone who hasn't yet booked their place and who wants to come along and join in the fun you can book HERE - please note however that crop booking will be closing shortly as personalised items are created for all Xmas crop attendees and these cannot be done at very short notice.

If you are joining us then you can look forward to a Card Challenge, Scrapbook Challenge and one other challenge as yet not fully finalised - sure to be loads of fun and with our Secret Santa as well what possible reason could you have for not coming along........... See you there on Saturday.

A few more layouts to share!!

2010-11-22T13:05:00.001Z

Just before I give you details of the very last ArtCards crop of 2010 I thought I would share a couple more layouts with you that I have managed to finish over the last few weeks!! The first one is of me clambering up 'The Wall' on our recent cruise on Navigator of the Seas from Royal Caribbean!! It seemed like such a good idea when I mentioned that I wanted to try it now that I have lost so much weight, but when I was stood at the bottom in the harness, it seemed like a really stupid idea!!! Anyway not wanting to lose face, I decided I had to do it and managed to get half way up before my arms were killing me and I simply had to give up and absail down (that was fun!!). I was totally exhilarated despite my arms and legs shaking from the effort but I will try again next time I am on another RCCL cruise..........

The next one is one that I have wanted to create for a long time - ever since returning from northern France in the summer of 2008, I wanted to scrap this photo!! In historic Rouen we wandered down a back street and came across this stunning Cake Shop - well we managed to resist the temptation of the goodies inside but the outside was so gorgeous that it had to be photographed! Finally with the help of some Basic Grey Doilies and various Bazzill ribbons etc. it has taken shape. I hope you like it although the photo of the finished layout was taken on a very dark day so I will rephotograph as soon as the light is better.

Don't forget the very last ArtCards crop of 2010 is being held on Saturday 4th December in Somerset - details available on the website...... Hope to see you there......

September's Crop Class by Cleo

2010-11-19T00:26:00.000Z

Sorry its a bit late but finally I have found a couple of minutes to post my version of Cleo Jarvis' crop class from the ArtCards September Crop. As you can see it was a beautiful layout where the title is on a flap that flips open to reveal more photos and journalling inside. The flowers and swirl were cut from a sheet that was collaged with some of the yummy papers and I think you will agree that it was a truly lovely class so Thank You Cleo.

The great news is that Cleo will be returning to teach at the ArtCards crop in February 2011 so make sure you don't miss that one......

How time flies.....

2010-09-20T23:16:00.026+01:00

Well things haven't quite gone to plan for me over the last couple of weeks what with scheduled surgery and then a very unscheduled trip to A&E for a day so once again I find myself playing catch up with everything for the upcoming crop where we have Cleo Jarvis teaching a wonderful Scrapbook Class for us. So without further ado I thought I would let you all know the final details for the Scrap Class and what you need to bring along.

OK everyone we are now on the final countdown to the crop on Saturday so here are the final details for the crop class - you will need the following:

4 Photos Portrait Style measuring 3" x 2" preferably in Black & White

Lime & Turquoise Ink

Scissors

Trimmer

Glue Dots

Foam Pads

PVA Glue

We will have some inkpads in our Shop if you don't have any to match and would like to purchase some and we will also have Glue Dots and Foam Pads as well. We won't have PVA Glue apart from some Art Institute Glitter Glue however.

I am sure you are all going to have a great time doing the class which will last a minimum of 2 hours and is scheduled to start at 12 noon. This will give you all time to settle in and have a natter and a shop before you need to do the class. As usual this month we will have some great offers for you just for Saturday along with lots of yummy NEW goodies which are arriving this week so bring along your cheque books, cheque cards and cash and we will see you all on saturday!! Doors open at 9.55am.

Just to whet your appetite take a look at the sneak peek Cleo has sent through of the class you will be doing!! I think it looks yummy and lots of fun - what do you think??

Crop News!!!

2010-08-11T12:09:00.007+01:00

I thought I would post the latest crop class for those of you who want to finish off your layout but didn't have time to finish it at the crop. Also for those of you who weren't able to make it along for the class in July, you get to see what we did. We used the scrummy K&Co. Blue Awning papers along with some fabulous metallic Blue Cardstock, some self adhesive die cut cork, embroidery threads for the stitching, we distressed a white flower with Distress Inks and used the brilliant Nellie's Choice Punch & Emboss system to create the Blue 'Prima' like flowers!! The main shape and stitching detail were from a Crafters Workshop Template which is a really useful piece of kit and which will appear on ArtCards website once we can get further stocks. I hope you like the layout which was a lot of fun to complete and used a variety of techniques for the last class before our Summer break in August.

The great news is that for our crop on the 25th September, we have the fabulous Cleo Jarvis coming to teach a 2 hour Scrapbooking Class using the Pink Paislee Bayberry Cottage papers and some wonderful collaging techniques amongst others. As with all Cleo's classes there are a whole host of things to learn and we are delighted she has agreed to design and teach the class for us. Spaces are limited in numbers of course so if you want to take advantage of a brilliant kit and some fabby teaching then book your space HERE while we have some available. If they are all gone when you want to book please email me and I will put you on a wait list.

So all that's left is to wish you all a very happy summer either with or without the children at home and we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on September 25th.

Exciting News and another Layout......

2010-07-14T16:24:00.004+01:00

Firstly I thought I would share with you a layout that I have waned to get done for ages as I just adore the papers!! My problem was that I never had the right photo until I went on Celebrity Eclipse in April for my anniversary on a short cruise and took this one in the Cafe al Bacio. The colours were perfect for what I wanted so finally I managed to use the scrummy Creative Imaginations Coffee papers and stickers to complete this layout which I just love. I also used some flock on the title just to enhance the capital letters a little and with some bazzill, tags, buttons and fibres I think it is exactly what I had in mind when I thought about using these papers....... see don't you love it when a plan finally comes together?? I hope you like it as much as I do.

Next I want to let you all know that at the ArtCards September Crop we will have the very talented Cleo Jarvis teaching a 2 hour Scrapbook Class for us. We are currently working on all the details but I will be able to let you have all that at the Crop on 31st July for those of you coming. Classes which will be strictly limited will be on sale on a first come, first serve basis so if you definitely want to get yours then make sure you don't miss the crop on the 31st July. If there are any classes that are not sold on the day then I will make them available via the website shortly after that. I know it will be a brilliant class and you are sure to go away inspired.

Another Crop Class Layout.....

2010-07-13T16:23:00.002+01:00

This Layout is the Scrap Class I designed and taught at a crop in Bristol that I go to occasionally. This time I used Nutmeg Bazzill and the gorgeous Basic Grey Recess papers along with some beautiful silk taffeta fabric on which we created a great effect using naked flame!!! Thankfully we didn't burn the hall down but everyong did have a brilliant time. I also taught the ladies how to make the lollipop embellies which we eyeleted in the centre for a different effect. I enjoyed creating this Layout and I hope you like it too.......

The next ArtCards crop in Somerset will be held on Saturday 31st July from 10am - 4pm and will be our last until September when we will have the lovely Cleo Jarvis teaching a great class for us. Details of this will be available at the crop on 31st July and classes, which will be limited, will be sold on a first come first serve basis. Don't miss out!!!

Latest Layouts...

2010-07-13T16:16:00.004+01:00

This is the Scrap Class I designed and taught at the ArtCards crop in May this year. I used the scrummy Crate Paper Prudence Papers and their fabulous Glitter Die Cuts along with Java and Kraft Bazzill. The addition of some eyelets and lots of 3D foam to create depth make this a really pleasing layout. I hope you like it.

2010-03-16T12:51:00.003Z

This is another LO I completed on my weekend scrapping in Devon. This time it is of the Casino on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas when we went on a short cruise to Cork in Ireland last August. I wanted to create a rich jewelled look as the Casinos are always so richly furnished and designed and I am pleased with how the Layout finished. I used my gorgeous Tim Holtz Tattered Floral die, some Prima Say it in Crystals, shaped Bazzill and some Sassafrass Lass paper. I hope you like what I have done and if you want to leave a comment that would be great.

2010-03-16T12:44:00.002Z

I have just returned from a truly wonderful weekend scrapping with friends in a glorious house in Devon and thought I would share with you a layout I completed whilst I was there. This photo was taken on our 25th Wedding Anniversary Cruise to Hawaii and is of a hotel called The Volcano House which overlooks the crater rim of the active Kilauea volcano on Hawaii. The crater rim is enormous and lava is flowing down the side of the mountain and into the sea. You get a wonderful view from the cafe in the Hotel of the gases being vented up into the sky and you can also see in the distance the glowing red of the lava - truly spectacular!!!

I hope you like what I have done with the layout and if you do feel free to leave a comment.

What a great day we had.........

2009-12-08T12:18:00.007Z

Sorry guys Blogger won't let me add pictures at the moment!!! I'm tearing my hair out..........

We had the ArtCards Christmas Crop on Saturday 5th December and I really want to say a very big Thank You to all those who came along and made it such a lovely day!!! Everyone brought some food with them so the Buffet table was overflowing with fabulous goodies and lunch-time saw some hot food join in as well!! The Bucks Fizz was a big hit as well and with the Christmas music playing in the background, it really made it a festive affair.

We had 3 challenges for our ladies - the first was to create an Ornament or Home Decor item! We asked that it be Christmassy and suggested lots of glitter to make it sparkle. Well we were not disappointed with the entries and it was a very hard job to pick just one winner for the prize but the task fell to Wendy who bravely stepped up to the plate and picked a Tea Bag folded Christmas Tree!! Congratulations to Jean Adams for winning that challenge and you can see her fabulous tree below!!

Next we had our Scrapbook Challenge. This year we decided that we would again make it a Christmas theme. The ladies had to use ALL of the following items for their entry to be eligible - Glitter, Brads, Ribbon and a minimum of two different patterned papers. The prize was a Karen Foster Scraparatus with two packs of dies so was well worth the effort!!! We had some truly fabulous entries although some could not be judged as they had not fully met the criteria but it was great to see them all the same. The judging fell to May Taylor who had a really difficult task trying to choose between them all but in the end she decided that the winning entry was from Katy Temple for her innovative use of tulle with glitter sprinkled into it and the way she had used her brads to emphasise her title. So Well Done to Katy who was delighted with her fabulous prize. See her winning entry below with the others.

Finally our last challenge was the Card for which each attendee was given a square card and a piece of Red Mulberry paper. Any other embellishments could be used but the mulberry paper had to be used. I was the judge of this class and boy was it difficult. I was truly amazed at how many different ways the mulberry paper could be used and the range of cards produced was simply sensational. It took me a while to decide on the winning entry because of the standard of all the cards created but in the end Laura Valentine-Slack won with her innovative 3D card with tags!! This card simply went on and on and showed real creativity with the mulberry paper as the base of the front of the card. I am sure you will agree with me that it was a worthy winner so do take a look at it below:

Our next crop is scheduled for Saturday 30th January 2010 so if you want to join us please make sure you book your space soon as we are expecting another Sell Out day!!!

Another Layout.......

2009-10-28T22:42:00.002Z

OK I promised you I would publish the Layout of mine that was featured in the latest edition of The Scrapbook Magazine so here goes........

This shows my sister's youngest son with his Jazz Band at a charity event in 2008 and once again I used the scrummy K&Co. Que Sera Sera papers with lots of embellies and texture. Hope you like it........

Thurnham Hall pics......

2009-10-21T19:19:00.010+01:00

Well I promised you some pics and I've finally managed to take a few off the camera so here goes........ First the 'bungalow' we stayed in....

Next - another view...

Then the ducks!! First there was one....

Then they were 'running' across the field....

And then there were lots more...... Clearly the bread was a big draw!! Each day there were more and more of them...

So to an inside view of our accommodation.....

and the view the other way round.....

Finally a view of the main house!!

Hope you like them!!

We're back!!

2009-10-13T13:08:00.002+01:00

Hiya fellow bloggers!! Just in case you thought I had fallen off the edge of the planet.... well I haven't I've just been up in Lancaster having a wonderful week with my husband and parents!! We were so lucky to have had glorious weather apart from one day when it poured with rain but hey we weren't bothered because we had such a wonderful time every other day!! We stayed in a fabulous place called Thurnham Hall just outside of Lancaster and set in 30 acres of rolling countryside. We had a 2 bedroomed, 2 bathroom apartment which was cavernous and had a massive dining table where mum and I could spend some time crafting to our hearts content. We found one day a couple of ducks outside our front door and mum quickly got some bread to feed them with - well you should have seen it.................... suddenly there were loads of them running across the grass to get to our door and we were surrounded by them!!! The males were pecking the ladies to try and get all the food for themselves so we had to be clever and organise a two pronged attack to ensure the ladies all got food. Of course they learn very quickly and each morning they were back, quacking away waiting for their daily bread!!! The only slight problem was the droppings they left on the path so dad had to go out and wash it down so that we could all go out to the car for our outings. We went to Morecambe and into the Art Deco hotel 'The Midland' which has been fully restored in the last couple of years and is really wonderful inside. The coffee was expensive but it did come with an organic biscuit which Gary thoroughly enjoyed. We also went to Blackpool and stayed to see the Illuminations which were really good but I wouldn't want to go back to Blackpool again anytime soon - its really not my kind of place although the people we met were lovely. We also went up to Lake Windermere and Bowness and had a glorious river boat ride and popped into the Lakeland shop for a little retail therapy too. Everyone had a wonderful lunch in the restaurant but I just had a black coffee - good eh?? We took time to explore the local countryside around where we stayed and found some fabulous Farm Shops and coffee houses too so all in all it really was a fab time.

Of course now we're back and I have to catch up on things but unfortunately I'm not feeling great at the moment - very tired and a cold coming so its all taking that bit longer to sort out...... still I will get there soon.

I'll post some piccies when I can get a minute to get them off the camera & upload.

Where has the time gone...............

2009-09-24T11:21:00.003+01:00

Goodness me I can hardly believe its only a couple of days until our regular monthly crops re-start!!! Just where did I put August and September I wonder? They have to be around here somewhere don't they???

Maybe its just me but time seems to go by so very quickly and I have hardly noticed the going of my summer............... OK I know it wasn't really a summer this year, more like a grotty spring really, but it just seems to have whizzed on by and now here comes winter!!! Still that does mean we have a very exciting and FULLY BOOKED crop on Saturday which is going to be such fun! I really look forward to seeing all my lovely croppers each month and I know that having had the summer recess, they will all be raring to go and full of chatter!! :) Thank goodness we have loads of lovely NEW goodies to show everyone and with a scrapbooking class and cardmaking class available, it is definitely going to be great.

The scrapbooking class has an Autumnal feel to it and I have used fabulous Basic Grey papers to create it. Unusually for me there is not a single piece of cardstock to be found anywhere on this LO!!!!! I have used a 6" x 4" portrait style photo (mine is of a Robin on a branch) along with Elementary, Juicy, Taper & Savory We are also going to be having some fun with Grungepaper, Distress Inks, Glimmer Mist and doing something a little different with eyelets too!!! Those doing the class will need a Big Bite (if you have one - Crop-a-Dile will not work for this I'm afraid), any favourite small flower punches, Glossy Accents, 3D foam, a Brown Marker and a toning brown inkpad if you wish to ink your edges........

So all that's needed now is for our Shop items to be packed up ready to go, the class items and kits sorted and away we go........................ See you there!!

Faabulous Limited Edition Kit & Class Instructions!!!

2009-09-14T21:45:00.004+01:00

Today saw the launch of our fabulous Limited Edition Kit to go with the stunning Vintage Interactive Layout designed by our talented Designer, May Taylor!!! The kit can be found HERE and when you purchase it you will receive an email giving you a link to a special area of our website where you can download the full instructions and you also have access to lots of photographs as well so its a great deal!! The Layout features a sliding mechanism which will open and close even whilst it is inside your page protector which is really ingenious!! The papers used are the gorgeous Black Market Paper Society Vintage Romance which are perfect for all those family heritage photos we all have. When the slider is open you see the main photo with an additional photo at the top and your journalling at the bottom - slide it closed and the top photo and journalling are hidden away! So if you want to create this brilliant layout grab yourself a kit and get creating!!!!!

Now see the layout open......

I hope you like this layout as much as I do........

I challenge you to use Metal!!!

2009-09-10T15:39:00.004+01:00

We have a challenge over on UKS called Scrap Like You Mean It and its ArtCards turn to be the guest challenge this coming week starting tomorrow!!! Our challenge is to Scrap with Metal and to give some inspiration and ideas I have created a Mini Book Cover to go with a Layout I had already created using Metal. Shimelle has already launched the Challenge on the SLYMI forum and it will 'go live' on the Homepage of UKS tomorrow so if you want to join in and have some fun...... oh and maybe win a prize from us, then now's the time to join UKS if you haven't already!!! I hope you like my little Mini Book.......

And the next photo....

For those of you who didn't see the Layout here it comes......

So let's have some fun.............................

I can put it back now.....

2009-09-06T01:19:00.003+01:00

I'm pretty pleased today as I saw my 'Wonder at The Wynn' Layout published in The Scrapbook Magazine!! I should have another Layout in there again next month so I'm doubly chuffed!! Anyway for those of you who haven't seen it yet I can put it back on the Blog now - so, I hope you like it!!!!

We're back from Ireland....

2009-09-02T15:17:00.002+01:00

As lots of you already know we went away over the Bank Holiday on a very short cruise to Cork... well Cobh (pronounced Cove) really!! To say the weather was awful was a bit of an understatement - it was dreadful.... We were fine leaving Southampton although it was blowing a gale and cold but the ship was stable until we headed out of the Bristol Channel and over to Ireland when it started to get 'choppy'! Thankfully I had found my sea legs so wasn't affected but I knew there were some who weren't so lucky when I saw airline sick bags taped to the handrails on the main stairs!!! You would think that 160,000 tons of ship would take a bit of 'throwing around' but I guess that just goes to show the power of the sea. Anyway we arrived in Cobh the next day at 3pm and it was raining really hard, very dark and Gary and I decided that we wouldn't venture ashore especially as we were seeing an Ice Show at 5pm so it would only have been a quick visit anyway. We stayed overnight in Cobh and the next morning when we woke the weather was, if anything, worse!!! After our leisurely breakfast and a wander round the ship, we decided to brave it and go ashore - it was only spitting with rain then and we had a really enjoyable walk getting some much needed fresh air! A little retail therapy and a fabulous cup of hot chocolate later and we were ready to get back on board for the evening sail away. Can you believe that around 5pm it started to clear up, the sun came out and people were in the pools and on the sun decks! We had a wonderful view of our 6pm sail away from a bar on the 14th deck with cocktail in hand.................. mmmnnnn lovely. The sea was a bit 'choppy' on the way home but once again the shows, some great dinner guests and lots of laughter soon made that pale into the background. So here we are, back on old blighty with some amazing piccies of people surfing on the back of our ship, us playing mini golf and being buzzed by a helicopter from Culdrose or Yeovilton (we weren't sure which but they were flying really close and low and we were able to wave to each other!!). All that's left now is to get back to work and sort out all the orders we had while we were away... we start shipping again tomorrow (Thursday).

More LO's

2009-08-26T10:18:00.004+01:00

I haven't had much time lately to do some scrapping for me what with the ArtCards SALE and ordering/receiving lots of yummy New stash, but I have managed to finish off a couple that I can share with you....... Before I do though, I wanted to let you all know that we are launching a Kit to go with a fabulous LO created for me by May Taylor which will appear on the Home Page of UKS in early September!! So if you want to get your hands on a kit with instructions to create the LO then keep your eyes peeled and keep checking this blog for more information. Exciting stuff eh??

Now for the LO's - the first one shows the serene, tranquil Lily Pond at Monet's Garden where we visited during our holiday to France in June 2008. I adored it and can understand how he was so inspired. My LO is designed to really show off the beauty of the place rather than anything else and I hope I have achieved that. I love the Tim Holtz Ornate Frame and think that the Basic Grey Periphery paper goes so well with the photos...... What do you think??

The second is again from our France holiday in 2008 but this time is of a chapel in Fontainbleu which I thought was just stunning! I was thrilled when the photo came out so well as it was pretty dark in there and I kind of took the photo on a wing and a prayer hoping that it might be able to be used.... but actually my fabulous Nikon did me proud and captured a great shot!! Again I wanted the LO to be simple in its design as the chapel was so very ornate. I did use my Glimmer Mists on the Chipboard pieces to give a bit of glitz n glam and finished off my bits of Prima Say it in Crystals Bling too... Hope you like it........

CHA Goodies starting to arrive!!!

2009-08-18T17:29:00.002+01:00

Well you knew it had to happen right?? CHA goodies are starting to arrive here at ArtCards and as always its a real pleasure opening up the many boxes and seeing the things I've ordered 'in the flesh'!!! As usual they delight and exceed my expectations and there are always some that simply make me have a sharp intake of breath....... This time it was the Bo Bunny 'Gypsy' collection papers which are simply stunning!!! I just lurve them to bits..................... mind you the Flutter Butter are also gorgeous and I can see myself really enjoying using them.

There was a bit of a 'faux pas' with the pricing on the website though (not sure what happened there!!)..... As you know we always give you some great prices but this time we decided that we would sell the individual papers at just 79p per sheet (we have seen them selling for 90p per sheet you know.......) but somehow the system put them online for 85p!! Thank heavens I spotted it this morning and changed it before too much damage was done but needless to say some emails and refunds have gone out to those who were quick off the mark ordering last night. So, my apologies if you were one of those affected but everything is now showing up at our truly brilliant price - if you haven't yet got yours then do pop over soon as they are really lovely.

We've also got in some of the New designs of the EK Success Slim Edger punches - ooh I have a real favourite in those too and no doubt you guys will as well - they are lush!
Good old Martha Stewart is bringing out some fabby New punch designs as well including the 'Punch around the Page' system where you buy a corner punch and edger punch to create a continuous design right round the edge of your paper - they do look great!! We have some of the Loopy Corner punches arrived already with the edgers coming shortly and then more new designs of these in a couple of weeks....... Ooh its just so exciting and we know you are going to love them.

Re-stocks of Martha's hugely popular Doily Lace punch are in and we have put some great designs of hers into our Huge Summer SALE as well so if you want to grab some punching bargains then head over soon as they are selling fast.

Our Tim Holtz Sale goodies are also selling really fast so again don't hang around if you want to grab yourself some of those goodies will you......??

More goodies will be going on the website just as soon as I can manage to get them all uploaded so keep checking and don't forget to stop by the SALE as we are adding items there all the time as well.....

That's it for this post but I've got some more LO's to share with you soon......

Our amazing Summer Sale has started!!!

2009-08-13T11:27:00.005+01:00

If you don't know already then where on earth have you been living!!! Ha... Our amazing Super Summer SALE has started and so far we have well over 200 items at up to 65% off with more being added daily... We have to make room for some of the new CHA goodies winging their way to us so we thought that we would do some really deep discounts on ranges and goodies that we are no longer able to stock (some have been discontinued and some we have just decided that we don't want to stock again!!). So at the moment you can find Doodlebug Stickers for a sensational £1.29 instead of £2.02, Doodlebug Tokens for just £2.56 including Christmas and Winter, Basic Grey Figgy Pudding Holiday Stickers, Alphabet Stickers & Mini Monograms for just £1.99 rather than £3.08 and masses of fabulous papers from Basic Grey, Daisy Bucket, Doodlebug, 7Gypsies, SEI and many, many more....... With Albums, Kits, Buttons, Charms, Eyelets, Rubber Stamps and more its a great time for a visit to bag some genuine bargains. Of course though as with all genuine Sales, once these items sell out, they will not be re-stocked so for the best choice head over to see us real soon!!!!!

With the Sale on its been a busy week but I did manage to get some time with my best mate on Tuesday for lots of chatting and some scrapping thrown in as well - Bliss!!! We had the most wonderful day with lots of laughing and some sunshine too which was just as well because before she arrived with me her car had been broken into and her crafting tote, mini photo printer and digital camera had all been stolen!!!!!!!!!!! She was distraught as all her recent photos had also been stolen and she had no scissors, pens, herma(!) etc. Thankfully we had a list of everything she had bought from us so that she can give it to the Insurance Company but it won't replace her photos of course and she's not sure where the disk is that had them on either......... Anyway thankfully we had such a great day together that she managed to dispell her low mood and went home laughing having had a great time. My scrapping LO's are below for a bit of inspiration for you..... Feel free to leave a comment if you want.

That was Gary & I at Versailles Palace after a really lovely day there.....

This was the same visit to France but we went to Giverny and into Monet's Garden which was gorgeous!! Yet more of the scrummy Que Sera Sera papers used in this one!! OK I am definitely in love with this range......

Another LO.....

2009-08-03T13:34:00.004+01:00

I was lucky enough to go for a day of crafting to a crop on Saturday where I got some time to complete some of my own scrapbook layouts so I thought I would share one of them with you which is based on one seen in the September issue of Scrapbook Trends......... I used up one of my photos taken at Fontainbleu in France during our family holiday in July 2008 and which I have been wanting to scrap for a while now.... Once again I have used some of the simply devine K&Co. Que Sera Sera paper which I am just sooooooo in love with and had lots of fun with some Harlequin Grungeboard Elements too. I used Distress Inks and Glimmer Mists on the Grungeboard and was really happy with the results so I hope you like it!! I also used my Threading Water punch and some spellbinders labels dies as well...... Don't forget that you can leave a comment if you want to....

Yesterday (Sunday) was a really busy day as we went off to Framlingham College to pick up Michael who finished his month as a houseparent at an English Language School there. He had a whale of a time and boy did we have a surprise for him when we picked him up!!!! We had secretly arranged for his girlfriend to come up from Devon to travel up with us and we hid her in the boot as we turned into the College! When Michael opened the boot to put his case inside, out she popped!!!!! His face was an absolute picture - I just hope I captured it on film but we'll have to wait and see on that one........... Anyway although the weather was lovely, the pub lunch great and it was brilliant to see Michael again, it was a very, very long day (almost 600 miles travelling there and back) and poor Gary was so tired when he got home. Today is a recovery day before waving off Michael's girlfriend this evening.....

NEWS...........

2009-07-27T13:51:00.002+01:00

Ooh I just heard that another of my LO's is going to be featured in The Scrapbook Magazine so I'm really 'made up' today!!!! AND some more great News....................................... the Scrapbook Trends Magazines for September have arrived!!!! Its a fab issue and we will have it up on the website later HERE but it would have been better if it had arrived on Friday as planned - the driver turned up with them at 5.02pm when I had ventured out to the Post Office having waited in all day for him...... Oh well its here now and its a really good issue so if you want one pop by the website later and you can get yours.........

Great day....

2009-07-27T12:09:00.003+01:00

Ooh our last crop before September finished at 4pm on Saturday and what a lovely day it had been. We had 25 people (slightly less than planned due to illnesses!!), a Creative Metal Scrapbook Class and a really cute Card along with my mum's famous Chocolate Viennese Fingers which were delicious...... So HUGE Thanks to all my lovely ladies that came along on Saturday - I hope you have a lovely summer and will look forward to seeing you all again on 26th September when we will hopefully have a Melt-Art demo for you which I am sure you will all thoroughly enjoy........ and No I won't be burning my thumb again for you...... :)

The class on Saturday included using the fab Walnut Hollow Creative Metal working tools, some spellbinders metal, acrylic paint and Glimmer Mists. To create the embossed shapes on the metal we used a Cuttlebug folder and two of the roller tools which are way better quality than the Ten Seconds Studio ones I might add!!! One of my ladies had some Ten Seconds Studio tools with her and they were light and flimsy and one of her rollers kept sticking!! No such problems with the Walnut Hollow so I am delighted I chose the cheaper but better quality make. I've popped the LO photo in below so you can see the finished article and overall I think everyone who took the class thoroghly enjoyed themselves and I'm expecting to see more Creative Metal appearing on LO's real soon............

Sunday was Grand Prix day so while Gary was watching that I snuck off and got scrapping using up some of the stuff I've been trying to use for ages.... The result........ a LO of our holiday to Portugal in October 2007 with my Aunt and Uncle at our favourite Chinese restaurant.... Hope you like it!!

Ooh more goodies have arrived today!!!!

2009-07-22T17:27:00.004+01:00

Well I had a really lovely weekend and because Gary was watching the Golf, I actually got to do some scrapping for me!!! Yippee!!! I finished off a few LO's and created another one which I really love but can't post it yet for you I'm afraid. I really had such a lovely time and I'm hoping that I might just get a bit more time to myself over the August break if I'm lucky!!!

I also heard that one of my LO's is going to be published in The Scrapbook Magazine so I'm dead chuffed about that! Hopefully it will be in the next issue but if not definitely the one after - I haven't yet received definite confirmation of the issue it will be in..... watch this space.....

Today brought a lovely big box of goodies from the USA ready for the crop at the weekend and amazingly it arrived here in just 2 days!!! Way better than some of the UK Distributors that I use amazingly........ Anyway it was lovely checking it all out and putting it into stock - reminded me of Christmas :) So for anyone not yet booked to come to the Crop on Saturday and who wants to come along, we have just a handful of places left and just one Scrapbook LO, details of which are on the previous post. It's out last crop before the August break and we don't meet up again until September 26th when everyone will be dying to get back to some crafting fun for sure...... Just a quick reminder that the schedule for the latter part of the year is slightly different so do check the timetable on the web HERE for the dates won't you??

Today has seen some really bad news come out in the Craft industry with the parent company of EK Success and K&Co. being pushed into Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in the USA so lets all keep fingers crossed that things work out and they can be saved or the industry will be a whole lot sadder with their losses....... So support their products and buy the fabulous EK Success punches and the fabby K&Co. papers etc. too and lets help keep them afloat........

Finally I just realised that I didn't post the May Crop Class here for you so my apologies and you will find it below.... I used the lovely 7Gypsies Nottinghill papers and some Cream Bazzill to create this one.... Hope you like it.

Not long now.....

2009-07-18T18:24:00.004+01:00

Gosh I can hardly believe that this time next week we will have finished our last crop before the August break!!! We're going out on a high note though with a really cool scrapbook LO class using some of the fabulous 'Creative Metal' items that we have just got into stock!!! I have had such fun creating this class and I just know all you peeps able to do it will love it as much as I do............... For those of you who do not know what 'Creative Metal' is, its just like Ten Seconds Studio but cheaper!!! Always a bonus if you can get something cheaper right?? So there are a range of tools and metals that enable you to have loads of fun creating shaped metal pieces that you can use in a variety of ways on Scrapbook pages, Cards, gift items and so much more. Sand, paint, ink, and generally have loads and loads of fun!!!

Now onto the Scrapbook LO - We're using Iced Cocoa Bazzill, American Crafts Dickinson paper, Paper Adventures Polka Dot paper, some Vellum, Patina & Coffee Shop Glimmer Mists and Turquoise Gem inkpad. I have used a standard 6" x 4" landscape photo which co-ordinates with the papers. You could increase the size of your photo a little if you choose....... To enable this class to flow I have limited numbers and would ask that you bring along the following as well as your usual toolkit of course!! - Non-stick Craft Sheet, Sanding Block, a Heat Gun (not everyone will need one but a couple of extra ones will help!), a pair of tweezers, adhesive, Glossy Accents, 3D Foam, fine tip Scissors, pencil/ruler, White Gel pen, and a Paper Distresser. You might like to bring an Apron in case you get a little inky!!!!

May will be doing a card class that will be available for purchase on the day and my mum will be bringing her fabulous Chocolate Viennese Fingers which are scrumptious!!! Don't forget to use the 'Collect at Crop' option for any items that you definitely want as we won't be able to bring along the full shop and this enables you to ensure you get exactly what you want at the start of the crop.......

On another note I have finally finished a LO that has been hanging around in my craft room for a while now which uses up some of my existing stash so I thought I would share it with you. I got out my Prima stamps for the border and corners and used them with my Versamark inkpad and Metallic Perfect Pearls..... Hope you like it........ See you all on the 25th July!!

Catching up......

2009-07-13T13:19:00.002+01:00

OK first I know I have been a bad blogger and haven't posted much lately.......... but I have had an excuse this last week!!! I stupidly burned my thumb on some molten UTEE and boy did it hurt!!!! More than a few choice words were uttered and many gallons of cold water later it was still incredibly painful so I gave in and rang NHS Direct - the poor lady I spoke with initially was so pleased to hear I wasn't phoning about Swine Flu as it seems that every man and his dog are phoning thinking that because great uncle Cedric who lives 50 miles away knows someone who might have contracted it, means that they must be getting it and what should they do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Poor woman sounded so relieved to have a burn to deal with bless her...... Anyway to cut a very long story short I spoke with a nurse and she told me to go to A&E where I had it dressed with a burn dressing and finger bandage. Now the pain didn't stop for several hours so a trusty pack of frozen peas seemed to help until the dressing started to take effect.... You know its not until you can't use a part of your body for a while that you realise just how often you need it - needless to say I soon found out just how debilitating having a thumb out of action was so I couldn't do an awful lot last week to be honest......... Am I forgiven then for not blogging?????

The good news is that the dressing is now off and I am left with a scar but at least I can start to use my thumb again.... won't do that again in a hurry and I definitely DON'T recommend getting molten UTEE on any part of your skin - IT HURTS!!!

Anyway Saturday I went off to a crop in Bristol and made a start on a LO which I finished off this morning so thought I would share it with you..... I used some SEI papers which I have had in my stash for a while and I just had this yearning to use.....

Hope you like it.....

We're back from our holidays and gearing up for the crop....

2009-06-24T10:50:00.002+01:00

For those of you who didn't know we have just returned from our annual summer holiday - this year we went off to the Costa del Sol where it became exceedingly hot in the last of our two weeks there!! The day we went off to Gibraltar it was a sizzling 40 degrees and walking down the main shopping street where there was little if any breeze, made it feel like you were in an oven!!! Our holiday this year was quite different to our usual holidays where we are off out sightseeing most days - this year we decided that as I had been having lots of health problems before we went and Gary was very tired from work, we would have a much more restful time. Our apartment opened up onto the pool deck so we had sunbeds available for us each day and it was lovely to chill out on those but to be able to go back onto our covered patio area when it got a bit too hot!! The complex where we stayed was lovely and in a good position and the main pool area had recently been refurbished which was brilliant. So we're all refreshed and gearing up for our monthly Brent Knoll Crop this coming Saturday.

Design Team member May is doing both the Scrapbooking Class and the Cardmaking Class this month as I wouldn't have had time to create a class due to my holiday. The Card Class is going to be a Never ending Card, the colourway is Black and White and you can bring along any co-ordinating embellishments you want as long as they are not too dimensional or it will interfere with the working of the card. I'm sure this is going to be a real fun class to take!!

The Scrapbook Class is using resist stamping with Glimmer Mists and will require a photo either 6" x 4" landscape format or if you wish you could use a 7" x 5" landscape size. The papers being used are not yet finalised but will be Basic Grey Arabella and either Basic Grey Windermere or Making Memories Rouge Big Dot. Either way it will be a pink and green page so please select a photo that will go with those papers. This page will be a great page to do and with numbers limited please make sure that you have purchased your Class if you want to take part - it may be that we won't have any spare places to offer on the day as we usually do. So don't miss out if you want to do it.....

My mum is bringing along some of her fabulous Mince Pies this month so you can get your tastebuds going for those..... I'm sure we will have another fun day on Saturday so pack up your bags and we'll see you there.........

Layout Class details......

2009-05-26T12:41:00.002+01:00

Firstly I hope you all had a fabulous Bank Holiday weekend and enjoyed some of the sunshine we were blessed with...... I know I wasn't expecting it to be quite so lovely so it came as a nice surprise!

So this morning I set aside some time to complete the Layout Class for the Crop on Saturday and now that it's done I can let you all know what you need to bring along to complete it. I have used a 6" x 4 1/2" portrait style photo of the Colosseum in Rome along with Cream Bazzill and papers from the 7Gypsies 'Notting Hill' range. The papers used are Westbourne, Carlton, Kensington and Vale with the LO having a vintage type feel and look to it (it wouldn't suite a child's birthday photo for example). So if you have some vintage style photos to go with these colours then that would be perfect. Apart from your usual toolkit of cutting mat, craft knife, pencil, trimmer, fine tip scissors, DST and Herma, you will need to bring along a Paper Distresser if you have one (if not please bring a sharp craft knife), some 3D foam, a Pokey Tool, a Crop-a-Dile or 3/16th inch hole punch and some co-ordinating ink pads if you want to ink edges etc.

We will also have a card class this month which will be a sliding card - should be fun to do!! You don't need to bring along any special tools for this card class so your usual toolkit will be fine.

Don't forget that you can place orders on the website selecting 'Pick up at Crop' during checkout and this will ensure that no postage costs are added to your order and we will bring it along ready for you on Saturday. As you know we can't bring along everything we have each month and only bring a selection of goodies so if you want to ensure you can pick up exactly what you want then the Pick up at Crop option is perfect. Doors will open at around 9.50am and we will again have some yummy cakes for you to choose from so pack up those bags and we will see you all on Saturday......................

Posting a LO......

2009-05-14T17:51:00.004+01:00

I've finally caught up with things after my return from holiday so I thought I would share with you a LO I started at a crop in Bristol just before my holiday and which I finished off at home. It uses the lovely K&Co. Que Sera Sera range which is one of my favourites of all the CHA releases for its vibrancy and showcases a photo I took in Las Vegas a few years ago at The Wynn Hotel where my Aunt & Uncle were caught staring in wonder at an interactive display from the ceiling. I used some of the fabby Coredinations Whitewash cardstock which I sanded to reveal some of the yellow core, took some KI Memories Lace Cardstock and cut it out before inking it to match, used a Martha Stewart border punch to create the scalloped edges which I then doodled and finished off with some flowers. The corner decoration is a K&Co. Que Sera Sera Die Cut Adhesive Border strip that I mitred and then cut out my title using the Big Shot. The Butterfly was cut from the background paper, glittered with stickles and then with the wings curved, I used 3D dots to give it dimension. It's a LO I really like as its not in my usual colour palette but I think it works really well..............

Home Sweet Home............

2009-05-11T16:31:00.002+01:00

Lots of you will know that I have had a few days break on holiday but now we're home and with a bit of a tan as well!! My bad back held up reasonably well although another trip to the Osteopath is scheduled for tomorrow so more relief is coming my way at last!! We went off on a 5 night Mediterranean Cruise on the Navigator of the Seas and although I thought it would be far too early for the weather to be nice, I was completely and totally wrong!! So there I was with no swimming costume really wishing I could get in the pools on board - that will teach me to listen to my hubby who was adamant that it would be lovely.......

I have to say that our ports of call were lovely but I was really surprised at Cannes to see all the work going on to get ready for the upcoming Film Festival and even that the Red Carpet was already out on the stairs of the Theatre that hosts the event! What if it rains I thought........ Clearly they are expecting great weather for the next couple of weeks I guess..... We then went on to Livorno which is handy for Pisa and the leaning tower. Nothing really prepares you for quite how much it leans even though we've all seen endless pictures of it in books etc. and I know they have done some work to shore it up in recent years and remove some of the tilt... Even so it is quite astonishing that it stands up! We then went on to Lucca - birthplace of Puccini and another walled city. They seem to like their walled cities in this part of Italy that's for sure. After Livorno we docked in Civitavecchia which is the closest port to Rome, approximately an hour away. We got a train in to the station just a short walk from the Vatican and boarded a hop on - hop off bus for a lovely trip round all the sights. After doing that trip we went back to the Vatican and looked round St. Peters Basillica which was stunning and the tombs of the Popes. They had a guard around the tomb for Pope John Paul II where there were loads of people praying and some allowed in to kiss his gravestone - it was really moving. All in all I think that the day in Rome was the highlight of my cruise and one that I will never forget.

Still now we're home its back to business and catching up with orders placed during our break and getting more products loaded onto the website. We're also preparing for our next Crop which is held in Somerset so if any of you want to come along and join us for a great day out then you can book your place HERE or you can find out information including a map of how to find us HERE. If you have any questions please let me know. Chat again soon.......

Our Challenge Winner & Crop Class

2009-04-28T17:14:00.005+01:00

We had a Sketch challenge at our Crop on Saturday and I now have great delight in bringing you the photo of that fabby winning entry. Laura Valentine-Slack was our winner this week chosen by Fiona who was picked at random to do the judging and boy did she have a hard job!!! I was so glad I was not doing the judging myself as the entries were again of a wonderful standard, but a winner was found and a worthy winner it was too. Laura has put so much detail into this LO - check out the nifty cutting into her photos and there is so much cutting and layering going on that it truly is a work of art!! So a HUGE Well Done to Laura for her win - enjoy spending that voucher next month!!!

I can also reveal the photo of the Scrapbook Class that was done featuring fabric rosettes and lots of intricate cutting as well - must have been a theme for the day I guess........ LOL This used the My Mind's Eye Bloom & Grow paper Bijou Birds Green along with some Candle and White Bazzill. I think you will agree the colours are lovely and fresh and a great combination to take us all marching into the warmer months. The photo is of me and my best mate Julie at my Mum & Dad's 50th Wedding Anniversary party a couple of years ago now and we had a blast!! The little tag pulls out from underneath the photo to reveal the journalling..... Hope you like it....

Our next crop is on Saturday 30th May at the Parish Hall, Brent Knoll, Somerset from 10am - 4pm. If you fancy coming along and joining us for a great day then you can book your place HERE. I can't promise more scones, clotted cream & jam next month but rest assured there will be truly scrumptious cakes available!!!!! See you soon........

Golly!!!!!!!!

2009-04-24T17:46:00.002+01:00

Blimey have we had a couple of busy days!!!! First it was the Basic Grey Limited Edition Clear Stamp sets that set the internet alight as we watched the stock control counting down and saw so many go out of stock so quickly...... and today its the Martha Stewart punches that have done it!!! Goodness we knew they were going to be popular but even we have been astonished by the speed with which our current stock has disappeared..... We didn't even get our full order either which is very disappointing as the UK Distributor has had our order since February so you would think they would have made sure to get sufficient stock - but at least we have been advised that another shipment is arriving with them on Monday so by the end of next week we should have the rest of our order!!!

So if you were unlucky today please let me know from our Coming Soon section what you would like and I will put your details on our Wish list so that when they arrive here next week I can contact you first!!

OK now I'm going to put up the rest of our new goodies and then start packing up for our crop tomorrow - such a busy life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

April 25th Crop Class Details

2009-04-22T13:20:00.003+01:00

I know I've been a really naughty blogger lately but unfortunately things haven't been all plain sailing...... a bad back, my son home from Uni and loads of deliveries have all conspired against me getting time to blog!! Anyway with the next crop in just a few days time I have managed to get a moment to pop details of the Crop Scrapbooking Class up here for you:

We're doing a lovely summery page using White Bazzill as the base and combining it with MME Bijou Birds Green paper (we use both sides) and Candle Bazzill as well. The technique for this class is a fabric based one so you will need to bring along a needle and some thread - white is probably best but you can use any as it won't be seen at the end of the day. I have stamped my title using versamark ink so if you fancy doing something similar bring along your favourite alpha stamps and versamark otherwise you can use the dies available to create your title. The photo requirement is a landscape 6" x 4.5" (or 6" x 4") that will go with the papers - I have used one of me and my friend.

Other requirements are Trimmer, Cutting Mat, Craft Knife, Pencil, Ruler, Fine Tip Scissors, Double Sided Tape, Herma or other adhesive, 3D Foam & scoring tool.

I know you will love this LO and expect demand to be high for the remaining few places so please be aware that when all the places are gone..... they are gone!! See you all on Saturday for another fun day....................

Finally..................... some photos!!

2009-04-09T22:36:00.007+01:00

Sorry to have taken so long to get some photos uploaded.... but here we go: First up is Marlene's winning entry for the Basic Grey Mini Book Challenge. She used Marrakech papers and told us so much about why she scraps. Winning a Lime Rickey Collection Pack made all the effort worthwhile so Congratulations Marlene......

just one of the inside pages....

next Pippa's Basic Grey Mini Book also using Marrakech papers....

and one of the inside pages.....

next is Claire's lovely concertina book...

then we have Tracey's very first Mini Book she has ever made using the Colour me Silly papers....

then we have Jo's lovely folded Mini Book.....

then Penny's lovely book about her daughter......

More photos will follow in the next post but this should be a few to start you off!!!! I'm sure you will agree that we had some fabulous entries and it is just a shame that not everyone can win because they all deserved it!! Thank You ladies for all your hard work...

Gosh what a fabulous day.......

2009-03-27T11:52:00.003Z

OK I know I'm a bad blogger for not updating before about our fabulous Retreat Day last Saturday, but its been a challenging week as my email has been playing up real bad!!!! In fact only yesterday I almost threw the whole computer out of the window I was so frustrated.... Still Gary fiddled with it and............. shhhh don't say anything out loud but it seems to be working this morning.... well for a bit anyway!!!

So to last Saturday - our 20 ladies all arrived smack on time and chose their table for the day. Tracie was ready to go with the first amazing class at 11am so the Prima Peaches class started with everyone getting a bumper kit to work from! Tracie had created THE most fabulous little mini book which has lots of little flaps inside and with the black cardstock base and the Peaches papers and embellies, looks truly amazing. The class did overrun and take a long time to complete even though we had quite a few Bind-it-Alls in the Hall but everyone agreed that it was worth it for the end result!! A quick lunch and then it was into Sassafras Lass afternoon classes. Tracie had created two brilliant Layouts using the very latest releases Vintage Yummy and Anthem and with the sun streaming through the skylights everyone got cracking creating their masterpieces....... Who would have believed it could have been so quiet at times!!!!

Gary did the take-away run again and came back laden up with Chinese meals, Fish & Chips, Chicken & Chips and many others too - poor thing could barely get in the door!!!! I think by then everyone was really ready for their food and so nicely refreshed everyone sat down to do the final Prima Paintables Class. Oh what a great one to end on as it was really nice and restful using the watercolour pencils to create watercolour masterpieces!! When that was over we took a group photo and started on the prizegiving.

The Basic Grey Mini Book Challenge was won by Marlene who did a fabulous tag book telling us so much about Why she Scraps - she won the Lime Rickey Collection Pack and was thrilled!! Well done Marlene. Our second Challenge was to create a Name Badge that wasn't a Name Badge!! Oh this was so very difficult to judge as the creations were so diverse, creative and fun with everything from a Cupcake sash sprinkled with sequins to flower pots, decorated tins and more!!! Absolutely wonderful ideas and we were thrilled with them all. However, a winner needed to be found and it was Anne who had created a stunning Needle and Scissor holder with her name on who triumphed and won a Fiskars Border & Corner Punch that is not yet released in the UK!!! Well done Anne.

Photos will follow of the day and the winning entries so keep your eyes peeled here for them just as soon as I can sort through them all. All that is left is for me to say a HUGE Thank You to everyone who came along and made it such a lovely day and a special Thanks to Tracie Hudson for being such a lovely teacher and to Wendy for helping us set up and take down in the Hall....................

Finally....... it's time!!

2009-03-20T23:45:00.002Z

In just a few hours our fabulous 12 Hour Crop/Retreat Day will start and what a day it is going to be!!! Mind you I am shattered already with all the preparation and have just returned from setting up the Hall to save some time in the morning...... I really need to get off to bed now but I will post again with photos after I have recovered from the Crop - probably on Sunday!! So goodnight for now and see you on the other side...............

It's HERE!!!!

2009-03-18T21:22:00.003Z

Finally all my Tim Holtz stuff arrived today including the much sought after Grungepaper!!! Yippee.... Some people were quick off the mark and were phoning me before the shipment had even arrived wanting to reserve so I am not expecting some of the items to last very long at all to be honest! The Foliage is absolutely gorgeous and the metal embossed corners are just divine and I absolutely MUST have some.... Not sure that will work if everyone buys them of course.... :) You know I wasn't sure when I ordered whether I would really like the Ornate Plates but now they have arrived, I have to say that they are fabulous and I am sure I will really enjoy using them to create a very different look on my pages. The good thing about Tim's stuff is that whilst it all comes in his signature colour range, it can all be painted and inked making it so versatile.......... Oh crikey I just adore all his stuff and I think I need to start a 'Tim Holtz Anonymous' group - who wants to join me then???????????????

Great News...............

2009-03-16T15:34:00.003Z

Oh my goodness this time of year is so exciting with all the NEW products coming out and I have just heard that tomorrow we're getting a load of fabby 7Gypsies goodies and then the following day....................................... TIM HOLTZ goodies including the much sought after Grungepaper will be with me!!!! I simply cannot wait*!*!*! For those of you who are like me keep your eyes peeled on our NEW PRODUCTS section of the website...........

Peaches Class Sneak Peeks........

2009-03-16T10:19:00.005Z

Here they are......... the sneak peeks of the really scrummy Peaches Class that Tracie will be teaching on Saturday!!!!! I absolutely adore this one - it's just sooooo cute AND the best bit is that you get masses of goodies to make it up with!!!!!

So there you have it - a truly fabulous class to really inspire you all and your photos can be added at a later date so you can take your time over what really 'works' for you. Don't you just love them??????????????????

A few LO's..........

2009-03-15T11:55:00.005Z

Some of you know that we went off to Bristol yesterday to a crop with our shop and I taught a class using 7Gypsies papers so I thought you might like to see...... I did the Golden Gate LO as the class but also made up a sample using other papers from the Zanzibar range to show how different the same design could look.....

and this is the other colourway.......

and then because I had some time to crop I started a LO of my sister's youngest son when he graduated from the Royal College of Music last year using some of the Black Market Paper Society paper which I absolutely love................ I had to finish it off this morning as I stupidly didn't take everything I needed with me - doh!!!!!

Hope you like them.......

Sneak Peeks coming right up!!!!!!!

2009-03-15T11:40:00.006Z

Well bloggers here they are..... the sneak peeks of the fabby Sassafras Lass Classes that Tracie will be teaching at our 12 Hour Crop/Retreat Day on Saturday this week!!! I know you've been patiently waiting for me to find a few minutes to upload them so get yourself a coffee and drool over them all you like for in just a few short days you will see them in the 'flesh' and actually get to re-create them for yourself - Woo Hoo what could be better??????????????????

And the next one.......

Now for the Anthem class........

and the second sneak of this class......

So there you have it - lots to keep you excited until we open the doors at 10.00am next Saturday!!! See you there....................

We're off to another crop.....

2009-03-13T23:41:00.002Z

Saturday sees us off to another crop in Bristol to teach a Scrapbook LO class and take our shop along. We're hoping for a good day and the weather forecast is certainly looking good so fingers crossed!!

After that its all go towards our 12 Hour Retreat Day the following Saturday when we have the fabby Tracie Hudson teaching 4 amazing classes for us. More sneak peeks will follow over the weekend once I get a chance to sort myself out following the crop - so keep your eyes peeled as we know you're going to love them.........

Here it is.........

2009-03-08T00:46:00.014Z

Well just two weeks to go until our fabulous Craft Extravaganza with Tracie Hudson!!! Who could believe its going to be here before we know it.....

Anyway I have promised you the Essential Tool List and Photo Requirements and you never know I might just add in a bit of a sneaky peek at some of the kits etc. too!!! Tracie has been a busy bee creating some fabby projects for you to complete and she has also put together the following:

Class Details

Prima Peaches

Theme - Life is Peachy

During this class we will be using the whimsical papers and page accents to create a girly 6x12 interactive album. With flaps and folds this album has plenty of space for journaling and photographs.

Tools Required -

Kraft Knife and Cutting Mat

Small scissors for handcutting

Adhesive - double sided tape / Herma

3d foam pads / tape

A pokey tool for making holes for brads

A needle

If you have a Bind-it-All machine, then please bring it along with you.

Image Size - This class has been designed for photographs to be added at a later date.

Sassafras Vintage Yummy

Theme - Over the Rainbow

During this class we will be creating an eclectic page with a vintage yummy twist. Using a variety of patterned papers we will be creating a page which is packed full of dimension and plenty of colour! The page focuses on "your life dreams/ goals - using a quote, song lyrics or poem that inspires you to attempt to achieve your life dreams or goals

Tools Required -

Kraft Knife and Cutting Mat

Small scissors for handcutting

Adhesive - double sided tape / Herma

3d foam pads / tape

Glossy Accents/ Diamond Glaze/ Ki Gloo or other strong wet adhesive.

A pokey tool for making holes for brads

A needle

Image Size - One 5x7 portrait photograph

I have used a black and white headshot image of myself.

Sassafras Anthem

Theme - Its all about YOU!

Using bright and vibrant page accents this class focuses on how to apply design principles when creating your pages. During the class we will look at a variety of techniques used to create a balanced and unified page.

Tools Required -

Kraft Knife and Cutting Mat

Small scissors for handcutting

Adhesive - double sided tape / Herma

3d foam pads / tape

Glossy Accents/ Diamond Glaze/ Ki Gloo or other strong wet adhesive.

A pokey tool for making holes for brads

A needle

Image Size - One 5 x7 portrait photograph.

I have used a black and white headshot image of my son.

____________________________________________________

Full Workshop Tool Kit List -

Kraft Knife and Cutting Mat

Small Scissors for handcutting

Paper trimmer / Ruler and Cutting knife

Adhesive - double sided tape / Herma etc

3d foam pads / tape

Glossy Accents / Diamond Glaze/ Ki Gloo or alternative strong hold wet adhesive

Black ink pad for distressing

Stazon Black Ink Pad

Acrylic Stamping block

Apron (optional) - as we will be using a small amount of acrylic paint.

Fine tipped paintbrush

A pokey tool for making holes for brads

A needle

If you have a Bind-it-All machine, then please bring it along with you.

Full Workshop Photo List -

Paintables Option 1 - One full size A4 photograph which allows for an 8 inch circle to be cut from it without losing any detail. Preferably a close up headshot. A coloured photograph would work well, but please bear in mind that this page has a very floral, feminine theme ( and therefore would not suit a photograph of a young man wearing football boots!) I have used a black and white close up headshot of a young girl.

Paintables Option 2 - One, 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 and one, 2 1/2 x 31/2 photographs.

The images need to be in colour, as we will be drawing our colour inspiration from the photographs to water colour the Paintables paper. I have used photographs of a Bride and Groom on their wedding day as the Paintables has a floral theme.

Sassafras Vintage Yummy - One 5x7 portrait photograph.

I have used a black and white headshot image of myself.

Sassafras Anthem - One 5 x7 portrait photograph.

I have used a black and white headshot image of my son.

This is a comprehensive list of items required and you have 2 weeks to get things sorted but don't worry if you haven't got a Bind-it-All as both Tracie and I will be taking ours but with 20 people needing to use them it will obviously speed things up quite a bit if you do have one to bring along....

OK now for the sneak peeks!!!!!

Anthem close up, then Peaches, then Vintage Yummy and then a snippet of one of the Paintables classes:

Well there you have it loads of fabulous products and great classes too!!!!!! Don't forget to bring your Basic Grey Mini Book and your Name Badge that is not a Name Badge will you as there are great prizes to be won!!!! That's all for now but let me know what you think by leaving a comment!!!

SLYMI Challenge Entries

2009-03-03T14:24:00.005Z

We had 5 great entries for the Shimelle Scrap Like You Mean It Challenge which was to use stamping and hand written journalling at the crop on saturday and I said I would upload them for you all to see................ so here they are......

Alex did this one of the snow and a snowman called 'BARRY'!!!

Julie did this one of the fire that destroyed the Grand Pier in Weston....

Jo did the cutest baby ever.......

Marlene was brave and used pink on a male LO - Well done!!

Tracey did the first rubber stamping she had ever done on this LO of her daughter's trying to fold towels.............

Well done to you all and thanks for entering...... Hope you all had fun....

Saturday's LO

2009-03-03T13:41:00.003Z

I said yesterday that I would upload the Class LO from Saturday so here it is using the yummy Basic Grey Mellow papers and several different techniques..... We used our Versamark inkpad to create the watermark background, a great distressing technique to create the texture on the brown floral paper, some sewing and lots of cutting out as well!!!

Hope you like it.................

Fiskars Challenge

2009-03-02T21:04:00.002Z

Thanks to all those who came along to our Crop on Saturday and made it a great day - 28 of you packed into the Hall and as usual there was lots of laughter and chatting going on!!! Quite how much actual scrapping got done I'm not sure but at least everyone had a good time......

OK this is the last of the Pre-Crop Challenges to win a not yet released in the UK Fiskars Border & Corner punch combined!!! These fabulous punches are really brilliant and make creating perfect borders and corners a breeze so we know that you will be well 'made up' with the prize. So what do you need to do to get your hands on this fabby prize..............................

You need to make a Name Badge that is not a Name Badge!!!! LOL OK I know you think I have gone completely off my trolley at this point but what I mean is that you need to create a Name Badge that doesn't need to be worn as a Name Badge but that tells us your name.... so it could be a piece of Wall Art, something that sits on the table, a bracelet etc. etc. So are you getting the picture???? Nothing that is traditionally a Name Badge but that will tell us who you are........... :) Now to get the prize you need to be as creative and inventive as possible as you want to impress the judges (who are Tracie and myself - and NO we cannot be bought!!). If you still aren't sure what you need to be thinking about then email me and I will help you as much as I can.

I will upload some photos tomorrow of the Shimelle Challenge entries and the Crop Class but for now I need to go and rest my head as I've had a thumping headache all day now............................

Taking it Slow.............

2009-02-26T10:27:00.002Z

Sorry not to have blogged for a few days but unfortunately on Monday evening I bent over to pick up some paper and......... **BAM**............. my back went!!!!!! Ouch, Ouch, Ouch is all I can say........ I think maybe a few expletives may have been said in the 'heat' of the moment too. I was so annoyed with myself and then of course you go off thinking "if only I had bent down differently, this would not have happened" which does absolutely nothing to help the situation of course.. Anyway the upshot is that the last few days have been spent with many back rubs, a heat pad in my chair and very careful shuffling round the house!! All this has meant of course that my careful preparations for our crop on Saturday are all behind and orders have been taking an extra day to send out, but I am so hoping that my back will be good enough to hold out for a whole day on Saturday!

So if you see me struggling on Saturday do please grab a chair and make me sit down won't you??????????????? I'm really going to have to go and see my lovely Osteopath next week I think (oh dear what a chore.... LOL).

I'm going to be launching the Fiskars pre-crop Challenge sometime over this weekend (was going to be Friday but as with everything this week, its had to be pushed back a little) - so keep your eyes peeled on here and you could be the FIRST to know what you need to create to win a fabulous not yet released Fiskars product!!!!!!!

28th February Crop Layout Information

2009-02-23T13:27:00.002Z

I've finally finished the LO class for the crop on Saturday and wanted to give you all the details of what we will be using and what you need to bring along if you have already booked it or want to do it. I'm not sure yet exactly how many I will have available on the day for sale but will update this post when I count up!!

So - we're going to be using the yummy Basic Grey Mellow Collection papers Flavourful, Cultured & Dulcet along with a sheet of Leapfrog Bazzill (only the best will do for you guys!!!) My photo is 6" x 4 1/2" in the landscape format but you could adapt the LO for other sizes & shapes. My photo is of a house & garden if that helps at all.... This month we are doing some rubber stamping, sewing, cutting, using eyelets and learning a great Distressing technique!!! So plenty to keep you occupied for a bit!!!!!!

You need to bring along in addition to your normal tool kit the following: Sewing Needle (most important), a small artists style paint brush, eyelet tools (I will have my Crop-a-Dile if you need it) and a brown/autumnal colour inkpad. You might also need a little 3D foam.

Well that's it for now so see you all on Saturday..........................

Loads of NEW goodies now online!!!!!!!

2009-02-20T21:13:00.002Z

After working all day, we have now managed to get all our NEW goodies up online over on ArtCards website so if you have been wondering when you would be able to get your hands on Bella Bella, Bloom & Grow & Penny Lane along with the fabulous Embossed Bazzill Cardstock then NOW is the time...... Check them all out HERE!!!!! Enjoy..................

They've started coming thick & fast now........

2009-02-20T10:13:00.005Z

Oh my goodness the CHA deliveries have started arriving and in the last two days we have had 3 deliveries already!!!! Two big ones this morning bringing with them some fabulous NEW papers from My Mind's Eye (yum, yum) and a New company for us - Black Market Paper Society!! We've also had some of the fabulous embossed Bazzill arrive as well and it is just............................ delicious!! The brilliant metal embellies from Fab Scraps have been re-stocked and our range extended and we have a few of the Urban Lily Secret Keepers available which disappeared faster than the speed of Concorde last time we had them in - so if you want to get your hands on them, watch the New Arrivals section of the website as they will be uploaded later along with all today's arrivals!!!! Oh and did I forget to mention that we have stocked some of the latest Hero Arts stamps as well?????????????????? Yesterday brought re-stocks of Prima Lollipops Flowers and Essentials along with some NEW colours and those ever elusive Making Memories Tiny Alpha Stickers that have been SO popular - don't leave it too long before you get yours will you - you have been warned!!!! :)

Oh well I'de better stop this blogging and get on with adding all these fabulous products to our database ready for uploading. Keep watching for later...................

Look who Tim met.................

2009-02-17T10:13:00.003Z

Oh Tim Holtz was really lucky on Sunday at the Trade Show - he met me!!!!! How he could contain his delight I just don't know but you just need to look at the picture to see how pleased he really was.......... :) Bless him, he was still setting up when I spotted him and luckily I was the first to bag my place!! Even Gary was fascinated by what he was doing.........

Actually I didn't realise that this photo was being taken but one of my eagle eyed crop attendees spotted it on another blog and sent it to me so THANKS Kate!!!! All his NEW release items will be with us just as soon as they fly across the Atlantic and trust me when I say that you will want several Fillable Alcohol Ink Pens!! They are quite sensational..... All his new Idea-Ology items are fab too but my favourites have to be the fancy metal corners - mmmmnnnn to die for!!! Keep an eye out on www.ArtCards.co.uk for all the new stuff....................

I'm back and with goodies too!!!!!

2009-02-16T16:01:00.011Z

I'm back from the Craft Trade Fair and with BRAND NEW not yet released goodies in my arms as prizes for our 12 Hour Crop/Retreat Day!!!! How fabulous is that?????????? I must say a HUGE Thank You to BASIC GREY & FISKARS UK for their generous donations and we will have more nearer the crop courtesy of PERSONAL IMPRESSIONS as well so all you winning attendees will have cutting edge product before anyone else!!!!!!

So.......... to celebrate these fabulous prize donations we will be running two pre-crop challenges!! The first is our Basic Grey Challenge - the prize is a Lime Rickey Collection Pack not available until April but we will have them in stock then to purchase. Lime Rickey is a refreshing collection of bright, funky colours perfect for tantalizing your creativity!! Dazzling, lollipop colours like Cherry Soda Red, Candy Apple Green, Lemon-drop Yellow, and Blue Raspberry sweeten this kaleidoscope of yummy patterns and with 18 papers, a full sheet of Alphabet Stickers and Element Stickers as well, you will have fabulous fun!!!!!

What is this Challenge I hear you all say??????????????????????? The Challenge is called WHY I SCRAP and to get your hands on this fabulous piece of kit you need to create a mini book of some kind (this could be a tag book, chipboard book, maze book etc. - just choose your favourite!!) using fabulous Basic Grey papers (we have 26 different collections on our website HERE)! The book needs to tell us about why you scrap - what you like to scrap - possibly even your scrapping likes/dislikes - how has your scrapping style changed since you started?? You get the picture?????????? So there is loads of creative freedom in this challenge but as Basic Grey products are designed for cutting up it seems appropriate that you all use Basic Grey products to create your fabulous books.................. Get out the paper, scissors and glue and get Scrapping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The next challenge to win one of the fabulous Fiskars products not yet released onto the Market will be launched soon so watch this space............

The Trade show was a great day, very busy and tiring but, the great news is that we will soon be bringing you all some truly gorgeous NEW CHA products! So save your pennies because we are sure you will not want to miss out and when you order from the website be sure not to opt out of our marketing emails or you will miss out on some great deals!!!!!!!

They've arrived!!!!

2009-02-09T12:56:00.004Z

Oh much excitement today here because the Brand NEW Basic Grey Marrakech & Porcelain arrived here first thing this morning!!! Oh boy are they scrummy!! I was always Sold on Marrakech just because they are my kind of colour combinations but when I saw Porcelain............ oh my goodness it really is gorgeous! I had been looking at the Basic Grey photo of Porcelain and thinking that it was nice..... but it wasn't making me jump up and down and now I know why - their photo does not show it off to its best!!! In real life it is just delightful so I took my own photo today to try and show it how it really is (photo is a little dark but better colour reproduction). So now I absolutely HAVE to have both of them and I'm sure you'll fall in love soon too!!!!

Well this weekend didn't quite work out as I had planned - first I was going to a crop in Bristol but unfortunately because of the weather that had to be cancelled! So I thought I would take part in the Cyber Crop over on UKS. A friend had very kindly asked me if I wanted to go round and do some scrapping with her which I thought would be great fun so I started getting my things together to do a couple of the classes from the CC until I couldn't find half the things I needed (and knew I had somewhere)!!! So after much searching I finally gave up, threw a hissy fit and had to cancel my scrapping time with my friend!!! So Pippa I am really sorry but the upshot was that we then decided that my Craft Area in our dining room really had to be started!!! Yippee.... It's really started to take shape now with 5 of the 6 units built and in place (doors and drawers still to be fixed) so I thought I would take a little pic and show you what we've done so far....... I'm picking orders for the rest of the day but then I will be turning my attention to starting to fill my fabulous craft area so that I can be organised enough to find all that scrummy stash I just know I have..................... somewhere..............

As you can see I popped a few bits in there as we were going along simply because I ran out of floor space elsewhere :) But all the cubes are large enough to hold the 12" RUB boxes, the Cropper Hopper Paper Holders without having to cut anything off and even when we put the doors on some of the cubes, they will still be big enough to hold pretty much everything (apart from my Expression of course) that we want them to. I am so happy and can't wait for it all to be finished completely - oh that will be utter bliss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sold Out!!!

2009-02-06T21:52:00.005Z

Our fabby 12 Hour Crop/Retreat Day is now SOLD OUT so if you wanted to come and have left it too late email me your details and I will add you to our Waitlist so that if any spaces come available we can get in touch with you!! I'm not at all surprised that we are Sold Out so soon as the day is definitely going to be a day to remember and the more I hear and see of the classes as they start coming together, the more excited I am getting for you all............. Tracie is definitely doing us proud!! Once Tracie has completed all the class samples I will make sure I get together an Essential Tool/Equipment List for you all and will also let you have details of colours and photo requirements. The good news is that for the Album class you will be able to put your photos on at a later date so you won't need to rush to get photos together for that one unless you really want to. I do know that the Sassafras Lass classes will be using their just released products - how great is that????

I was planning on going to a crop in Bristol tomorrow to do some scrapping for myself which is always a treat as I am usually scrapping for the business in some way or other, but the snow and bad weather has meant that it has had to be cancelled!!! Boo Hoo! I was really looking forward to getting something done with no deadlines to hit and to using up some of my own personal 'mountain' of stash - guess I'll just have to nab the kitchen table and insist on some 'me' time!!! What do you reckon my chances are then???????? Answers on a postcard please :)

It seems that word is out that we are having Shimelle create a challenge for our February crop!! I am so looking forward to doing something different for everyone and I have no doubt that the results will be wonderful....... roll on the 28th!!!!!

Finally just to let you know that we have had more deliveries with some New products and re-stocks of some Prima Flowers that Sold Out so quickly earlier in the week so take a look HERE. Our Sale has been doing really well with lots of papers and other items now Sold Out but we are still adding more to this Clearance so if you want to check on what's left then you can find our Papers HERE and our other items HERE.

How much did you get???

2009-02-05T16:32:00.006Z

Snow that is!!!! We hardly ever get snow so when we got 2 1/2" - 3" on Monday it was quite something and in fact made me get my camera out in the middle of the night as I was so excited that I just had to record it for posterity!!!! Sad I know but hey we're all kids at heart.... right? So I've popped in a couple of photos for you which will no doubt appear on a scrapbook page at some point! Let me know how much snow you got - you can leave a comment on the blog here....

More excitement today as some of the product arrived that Tracie will be using to create your fabby classes with on the 12 Hour Crop!!! All I can say is think Paint and sparklies and you might be getting a bit warm........... :)

In the same delivery we also received more yummy Prima Flowers so they will be online later today - more Essentials 4 and Painterly Petals which I adore!! We also re-stocked the Lollipops as they just disappeared so quickly and I know why - yummy!!!! Those fabby Prima Clear Stamps also went very quickly so we decided we simply HAD to re-stock those as well.... and you will also see a new design later this evening too!!! So lots to check the website for and if you haven't already signed up for Tracie's classes well What on earth are you waiting for?????????????? It's a bargain and you will kick yourself if you miss it that's for sure...... you have been warned!! :) Book HERE

You will be creating a 6" x 12" Bind-it-All Album, a yummy Prima LO, and two classes from Sassafras Lass as well so a 'lot' to get stuck into!!!

Another great Crop!!!!

2009-02-01T23:29:00.004Z

Saturday 31st January was our first crop of 2009 and we had a great turnout of 27 people!! So many of us hadn't seen each other since our last crop on 6th December that we had lots of catching up to do - you can imagine how much chatting was going on I'm sure!!!! So with a Hall packed full of eager ladies and our Shop bulging with fabulous goodies, we made sure we had a really fun day. The Scrapbooking Layout Class was fully subscribed and everyone thoroughly loved doing the 'So Funny' Class with its mix of techniques including painting chipboard, layering and intricate cutting. The photo is shown below and I hope you like it:

May again did a card class for us and used Friendly Plastic to create a stunning Valentine themed embellished card which again was a big hit with everyone.

Our next crop is almost fully subscribed so if you wanted to come along and join us then please don't leave it too long to book or you will be disappointed as we unfortunately had to turn away several ladies who wanted to come to our January crop but who had left it quite late before deciding......

Talking of Crops we have been able to release places for our fabulous 12 Hour Crop/Retreat Day scheduled for 21st March 2009 where the day includes 4 fabulous classes taught by the very talented Tracie Hudson (Prima Educator). So if you want to join us please be sure to make your booking soon as at the time of writing this there are just 2 spaces left. Book HERE. If you find that we are Sold Out by the time you want to book then please email me your details and I will add you to our Waitlist so if anyone should pull out, we can offer you a space.

Finally we have more NEW products available in our online store HERE so why not pay us a visit soon.........

Just 48 Hours to go!!!!

2009-01-29T12:09:00.007Z

Today I have emailed all the Pre-Registrants of our 12 Hour Crop/Retreat Day scheduled for 21st March and they now have 48 hours to confirm their booking and make payment before we release any unsold places to the general public!!! With a price for the day including 4 great classes of only £45 we are certain that demand will be high. We will be releasing places to the general public on Saturday evening when we know how many spaces we will have available so keep checking the website if you would like the chance to be able to join us for what promises to be a fabulous, action packed day! Well done to those who have already been on the phone confirming their space - you were very quick off the mark!!!

Preparations for our Crop on Saturday are well under way and the Scrapbooking LO Class is already pretty much full - only a couple of spare kits available for purchase on the day this month!! Do remember to bring along your White Fine Tip marker (we have re-stocked the Uni-Ball's so will have plenty on the day) and a paint brush or foam brush please. You will also need fine tip scissors, a sharp trimmer or ruler and sharp craft knife (we have the Fiskars Finger Tip in stock at the moment) plus your usual array of adhesives and toolkit. May is again doing a Cardmaking Class for us and is using Friendly Plastic so anyone wanting to take part in this class please try to bring along your own heat gun to speed up the class!!

We will have some lovely NEW Making Memories papers with us on Saturday along with the yummy Fab Scraps papers that came in just after our last Crop in December. Everyone who has pre-ordered goodies for pick up at the Crop can pick up their goodies from Gary. Also this month we will be offering our Bind-it-All for anyone who purchases their wires and/or covers and pages from us on the day so if you want to create a mini book or two then Saturday is going to be your day!!! I'm off to carry on preparing for Saturday........ see you then!!!!

More details for our March event!!!

2009-01-27T13:01:00.004Z

Today I have been in contact with our very talented Designer for our upcoming 12 Hour Crop/Retreat and we have firmed up some more details!!! So today I can announce that Tracie Hudson will be our Designer and Teacher for the day and she is busy creating 4 wonderful classes for you. At the moment all I can say on here is that it will include some yummy Prima classes and some funky Sassafras Lass Classes too so you are sure to have fun............ More details will be announced as soon as possible and after all the Pre-registrants have been contacted so keep checking back here.....

I have finally finished the LO I started at a crop I went to just over a week ago (as you know I've been ill and busy with crop preparations etc.) so I thought I would pop it on here for you to have a look at. Hopefully you'll like the papers used and the tiny scrip stamp used on the flower embellishments - the stamp is from Delish Designs and we will be stocking their fabby Clear Stamps very soon so keep checking the website!!

Just a quick reminder for Saturday - Also for all those wanting to do the LO at our Crop next Saturday the papers are the Cherry Arte Morocco range & White Bazzill and we will also be using some paint so please bring a paint brush or foam brush with you. Photo wise you will need three 6" x 4" portrait style photos that can be cropped on the day to go across your layout. Please also bring along some 3D foam and the usual toolkit.

For anyone wanting to do the Card class, May will be using Friendly Plastic so please bring along your heat gun if you can as this will speed up the class. As usual if you have any questions at all please do let me know or post on our UKS Chat thread.

I've been so ill lately....

2009-01-23T13:24:00.002Z

Well I'm so sorry that I haven't been Blogging lately but unfortunately I've been really unwell and for 2 days didn't get out of bed so Blogging has been the last thing on my mind..... Thankfully I am starting to feel a bit more human now so I've been catching up on all the orders and adding our New Arrivals to the website but it's definitely been a heck of a week thats for sure.... Of course this weekend sees the start of CHA in America which means that the stream of New items being released by all the manufacturers hots up and we are overwhelmed with goodies to choose from after a real drought in the last couple of months.... Whilst its really exciting seeing what everyone comes up with, its also really difficult trying to make the choice of what to order because no-one can stock everything and with some companies launching up to 6 New paper ranges, it really is a minefield!!!! As they say - 'it's a dirty job but someone has to do it'.... ha, ha!!

I'm just finishing off a LO that I started at a crop I went to last Saturday so I will post that as soon as I can.

Also for all those wanting to do the LO at our Crop next Saturday the papers are the Cherry Arte Morocco range & White Bazzill and we will also be using some paint so please bring a paint brush or foam brush with you. Photo wise you will need three 6" x 4" portrait style photos that can be cropped on the day to go across your layout. Please also bring along some 3D foam and the usual toolkit.

For anyone wanting to do the Card class, May will be using Friendly Plastic so please bring along your heat gun if you can as this will speed up the class. As usual if you have any questions at all please do let me know or post on our UKS Chat thread.

The Crop LO is done.....

2009-01-15T17:32:00.005Z

Well today I have been very productive and finished the LO class for our January crop. We're using the lovely Cherry Arte Morocco papers and 3 6" x 4" photos that can be cropped to create a spread across the page!! There are lots of techniques involved in this page so it should be a real fun one to teach!! The kit has lots of product in and there will be a fair amount left over for extra projects too.......

I have also been getting lots of New products up on our website - it's been a bit of an uphill battle to get them on because so much has been going on lately but hey I've made a start. We have got lots of products that have never made it to the website so our plans over the coming months are to make sure we work through these to get ALL our stock online!! It will be quite a job as we often keep products back especially for our crop ladies - We like to make sure they get the pick of everything!!

In case you hadn't noticed I have also been busy customising this blog trying to make it reflect me more - I hope you like it!! You will also see at the bottom of the page I have added a countdown to our 12 Hour Crop so at a glance you can see exactly how long we have to wait.............. Talking of that event, pre-registrations are going well so it seems that we may have only a couple of places available once all the replies are in and those may well go to people on our Waitlist!! Anyway you never know with these things do you???

Tomorrow I am expecting a big delivery so I might not be able to post until the weekend and I'm off to a crop to scrap for me on Saturday - Yippee!!! That doesn't happen very often nowadays so it will be a real treat....... Can't wait.........

What a couple of days.......

2009-01-14T17:42:00.008Z

Well yesterday was funny old day really - I went off to Aqua Aerobics in the morning and struggled for the first half of the class but then got into my stride and enjoyed the last half!!! I had planned to catch up with a friend for a chat in the afternoon but strangely she didn't get my text until teatime when I sent it at lunch time!! All very strange but I know that I've had times where texts have taken a little while to arrive... So I ended up making a start on the LO I am going to teach at my Crop on 31st March. I must admit to rather enjoying getting back into creating again given that my Christmas was pretty much a creative free zone.

Today I had my new oven delivered and fitted and the old one taken away. It was 11 years old and although it was a fan oven, it was burning things at the front and not cooking them at the back of the oven... Well it had to go - I couldn't stand it any longer! I've had my fill of carbon and I can't stand things undercooked at all... Yuck!! So the men from Comet came and fitted it in record time - you would have thought they were on some gameshow where the quicker they completed their task, the better their prize.... Anyway it's in, working and I've given it a nice clean too so no more fitters fingerprints. I've managed to only spend about 30 minutes on the LO for the Crop but at least its almost finished now and I'm pretty happy with it. More details about that when its finally done!

It's really quiet around here again now that Michael is back in Uni and my poor old Washing Machine can have a rest again. It's unbelievable just how much washing one extra person generates!! Thank goodness he has to do his own most of the time although no doubt when he comes home he'll bring a huge pile with him again. Our plans for the next couple of months are to continue organising the house and creating my own Craft Area in our Dining Room. All the units have been bought from IKEA and are now just waiting in the garage for us to have time to make a start. I imagine that won't happen until our Crop has taken place but then of course we have the big Craft Trade Show in Birmingham to get ready for....... Oooh lots of NEW yummy goodies to get in stock I hope!! I must admit I love seeing what the manufacturers come up with so this time of year is really nice in that respect.... Hopefully we will have made lots of room with our HUGE SALE or we won't be able to buy much as we simply won't have anywhere to put it all!!

Our next 12 Hour Crop has been agreed!!!!!!

2009-01-12T15:27:00.004Z

Well after a very busy day yesterday spent taking Michael back to Birmingham University for the start of the second Semester, I am delighted to announce that I have finally finished sorting out the basic details for our second 12 Hour Crop which is going to take place on 21st March 2009 (the 28th March was double booked so we have had to scrap that date! Excuse the pun.......)!! Trust me though when I say that this really is going to be a fabulous day that you really will not want to miss out on as its going to include 4, YES 4 Classes for a truly amazing price!!!!!!! We have secured the most talented designer and will be having creative and fun classes for you to do. So as soon as I can I will email all attendees of the last 12 Hour Crop with details and an opportunity to pre-register and then I will make the information public for anyone else..... Ooh I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited!!!!!

OK gotta go now and sort out orders and start thinking about the class for my January Crop but be in touch again soon.........

Welcome to my little Blogdom!!!

2009-01-10T18:09:00.005Z

Well at long last I've managed to get my Blog sorted!!! I know its been ages and I really should have sorted it out ages ago but hey at least I got here for the start of 2009 - so give me some credit please :) You'll find all sort of things on here including details of our Crops and any other events we will be hosting plus the goings on of my life (probably very boring I'm afraid)... I've never been very good at writing diaries so this will be a good challenge for me - let's hope I can manage to keep it up to date........

I'll get a few images uploaded of recent classes and pages I've completed as soon as I can. Just a quick reminder that our next Crop is scheduled for 31st January 2009 in our usual hall in Brent Knoll, Somerset so if you haven't already booked a place then get in soon HERE or all our places will have gone and you will have to go on to a waiting list..... Rumour has it that we might be announcing another fabulous 12 Hour Crop soon so watch this space................................ Thanks for popping by...