Floral Frame

Hello bloggists, welcome to my blog.

I've wanted to make a card with the Floral Frames Framelits for some time, and as the dies are retiring, it's now or never!  The inspiration for this card came when i was browsing in a gift shop.  There were some cards that featured gorgeous, rich colours, glitter, foiling, sequins - all sorts of yumminess.  Stampin' Up! card comes in some beautiful rich colours  - so it would be rude not to use them, wouldn't it?

Here's what I did - 

I hope you enjoyed it!

Back soon,

Crafty Hugs,

Keren

Happiest Birthday Wishes

Hello Bloggists!

Thank you for joining me once again.  It's a sweet and simple card today.  There's something very elegant about a clean white background, with black contrast and a hint of colour.  I'll be sad to see the Itty Bitty Accents punches retire - I've used all three of them again and again.  The Basic Black Stitched Satin ribbon looks good too and I'll miss it.  But...there are some GORGEOUS new things coming in the new catalogue and there has to be room for them. So I'm very positive about the shape of things to come.

Is there a tutorial?  Of course there is!

Hope you enjoyed.  

Crafty Hugs,

Keren

Votive Candle Box

Hello bloggists!

Have you seen the retiring list on the SU website yet?  I must say that, when I got to see it, there were some huge surprises - things that I thought would never retire, like the Note Tag punch - as well as things that we knew would certainly or probably retire - like the Blackberry Bliss card and the Bohemian DSP - so today's project is one in the "use it up before it goes" category.

I made this box to hold two Yankee Candle votives, which would be a nice small gift.

Happily, though, it looks as if the Grateful Bunch stamps and the Botanical Builders will be with us a while longer.  

See you soon,

Crafty Hugs,

Keren

Simply Sketched Saturday - Challenge 9

Thank you for joining us for another Simply Sketched Saturday Challenge! We’re so excited to be sharing this hop with you.  The products used are all available in the current Annual, or seasonal, Stampin’ Up!® Catalogues*. Simply use the buttons at the bottom of the post to keep hopping.

Here's this week's sketch, as designed by Karen-

I'll be honest, I struggled a bit with this one, but in the end I came up with this-

I'm making the most of the Botanical Gardens paper before it retires.  I really like this paper, and I'll be sad to see it go - but we have to make way for new favourites, so I'll get over it.

I'm not going to waffle on because I know that you'll be keen to visit Angelina at the

Or if you're the rebellious type and are working your way backwards through the hop, you might want to visit Sam at the

See you again soon!

Crafty Hugs,

Keren

Can I per-suede you?

Hello Bloggists!

So, after all the excitement of OnStage, this blog is back to its normal routine- well, almost, because we're now counting down to the launch of the 2016-17 Annual catalogue.  There are some gorgeous new things coming along, but to make room for them, we are saying goodbye to some old favourites and the Retiring List is out - and there are some surprises on it!

Something that wasn't a surprise was that we are saying goodbye to the 2014-16 In Colours.  I'm going to miss Blackberry Bliss and Lost Lagoon in particular. Over the next few weeks - until the new catty comes into play - I'm going to be posting "Use it Up" projects, as well as teasing you by showing you some of the new things coming your way.

This card features Blackberry Bliss, which I've treated to give a suede-like finish.

Would you like to see how I did it?  Here's the tutorial...

Hope you liked it!

See you soon?

Crafty Hugs,

Keren

Telford, Baby!

OK, I admit it isn't quite the same as Vegas, but for SU demonstrators in the UK, Telford is almost as exciting.  It's where our OnStage Local events happen.  OnStage is Stampin' Up!s get together where we get to see the new catalogues (and order new stuff before anyone else!) and learn how to use the new products or get ideas for demonstrating them.  There's also OnStage Live, which is the Main Event.  This time Live was in Salt Lake City (last time - November) - it was in Brussels, next time it's in Brisbane, after that it's be back in Europe again.

I couldn't get to Brussels, so I was determined to get to Telford.  And I want to say, right up front, that I had a great time.  The journey up from Swansea was fine until I got caught up in traffic congestion outside Birmingham, but it meant I arrived later than I was expecting, but I just had a nice restful evening in my room, had a good night's sleep and woke up to - SNOW!

Luckily, the hotel was near to the convention centre so it wasn't far to go, and the snow soon cleared away - it was a lovely day once it did.  What was OnStage like?  Oh, my - all I can say is that there are some fab-u-lous new things in the next Annual catalogue.  As expected, we will be saying goodbye to some old friends - all the 2014-16 In Colours will definitely be going, of course, but there were some surprises as well.  By the  time you read this, the Retiring list will be out - and if there's something you have your heart set on don't hang about, is my advice!

Anyway, I did lots of Swapping (although I did come back with some of my own - I need to talk less and swap more!)  - you can see what I got on today's YouTube video.

It was the journey home that nearly did for me.  I breezed past the spot that had been so congested on the way up, stopped at the services for a quick rest stop and to fit up with petrol, and phoned my husband - "I'll be home in a couple of hours" I promised.  And I would have been, too, if the Sat Nav hadn't had a hissy fit.

For some reason, it sent me down the Heads of the Valleys road.  I suppose it's my own fault, because I went along with it, thinking I'd try the route as it might be a bit of a change. It would have been OK if they hadn't closed the road just before Merthyr.

The Sat Nav, when it realised that I wasn't going to co-operate and try to get back on the road that was closed, had what I can only imagine was a fit of spite and sent me along country lanes and over the top of a mountain.  I'm used to driving over mountain passes - I'm from the South Wales Valleys - but driving up steep, narrow, winding and above all, unfamiliar roads in the dusk was bloomin' TERRIFYING!  It was at this point, as it got dark,  that I realised that my new glasses, which are fine in daylight, weren't the best I've had for night driving...

By the time I made it back to civilisation, somewhere near Ebbw Vale, I was beginning to think that I was never going to get home.  When I did, much later than promised,  my husband was peering out of the window, watching out for me - I think I put years on him.

However, I am home safe and sound and thinking about all the ideas I have for future projects!  Thanks for sticking with me to the end of this post - I'll be back to my normal self by Thursday, promise!

Crafty Hugs,

Keren

This is a recorded message..

...because I'm away at the Stampin' Up! conference, On Stage Local.

When you join SU as a Demonstrator, you aren't left on your own to sink or swim.  There are lots of resources to support you - the leader of the team you join (your Upline), online training to show you how to use the products, organise a workshop (if you want to), build a business (if you want to) - there's so much to help you (and if you want to know more about joining SU, I'll be glad to help - see here)

Anyhow, three times a year we launch a new catalogue - the annual catalogue which lasts all year from June to the end of May, and two mini catalogues for autumn/winter and spring/summer.  Ahead of the launches there's an opportunity to attend a conference and find out what's new.  And I'll be going to the local event for the UK and I am SO EXCITED!

One of the things that we demos do is make swaps - so you make a pile of things all the same and then swap them, so that you come back with a lot of inspiration from other demos (we're all about sharing!)

These are what I'm taking - 

Inside there's either a sachet with a refreshing wipe or a teabag (I ran out of wipes!) I'm looking forward to coming home with a lot of lovely things - I promise I'll show them to you!

Because I'm going to be away when this goes up, I'm scheduling the YouTube tutorial so can't link it here (I don't know why but Blogger refuses to recognise Tuppence Coloured but insists on using my other channel as "My YouTube") - but you can find the tutorial from the link at the side of the page.

Back soon!

Crafty Hugs,

Keren

On the CASE again!

 Hello bloggists!

Where do you get your crafty inspiration form?  Usually, for me, it's something I've seen elsewhere.  It might be a colour combination in an advertisement, or something I've seen on Pinterest or on Facebook, or on TV - or in the Stampin' Up! Catalogues, which is where the design for this card comes from.

Here's the original, which is on page 30 of the annual catalogue (I didn't realise that it WAS page 30 when I chose to cut 3 and 0 out of gold glimmer paper with the Big Numbers dies- I'm not sure if that was my subconscious at work or pure dumb luck!)  We call it CASEing- it stands for Copy And Share Everything!

And of course, there's a tutorial.

The annual catalogue and the spring/summer catalogues run until 31 May.  Some items will retire and be replaced with new designs and I've got my fingers crossed that my favourites will be carried forward - but until the Retiring list comes out next week we just don't know - and when the list comes out some things sell out really, really quickly so if there's something that you've had your eye on, now's the time to take the plunge.

I'll be getting a sneaky peek at the new catalogue at the weekend when I go to the demonstrators' conference - having the chance to attend these is one of the good things about being a demo (and also the opportunity to get the new goodies ahead of everyone else - and the discount is another reason to join!)  I'll be sharing some sneaky peeks as soon as I'm allowed to - stay tuned!

Crafty Hugs,

Keren  

Triangle Box

Hello bloggists! As I write this, I'm at the start of a week's leave from work, and I'm hoping that I will get lots of crafty projects done and recorded.  I like to have a few videos in the bag, so that if for any reason, I can't get on with things as planned I can still keep to my schedule (I try to get a video up on YouTube on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays) because, you know, stuff happens.  Today started with a total absence of hot water, and we had to call the gas man in.  He got the back boiler going, but it's on its last legs so we may need a new water heater.  

Fortunately, I'd got my next project ready to go.  I saw a triangular box on TV and wondered how it was done - so I decided to have a go at one myself.  It turned out to be easier than I thought - see what you think...

This Saturday I will be at the Stampin' Up! On Stage Local event -  I've pre-recorded a video and I'm hoping that the scheduling works OK. (I've just reached 2,000 followers on YouTube and I'm so happy, considering my original target was 100, and if you're one of the lovely people who subscribes to my channel, thank you, thank you!)  I'll be telling you all about it (as much as I can) when I get back and showing you the swaps I've collected.  I LOVE being a demonstrator...

See you soon,

Crafty Hugs,

Keren

Lotus blossom

Ooopsie, a day late with this post!

I used to spend hours doing Origami - so today I thought I'd combine it with Stamping" Up and make this folded lotus.  I've used it to hold a wax melt, but it could hold something like a bath bomb - or if you folded a paper napkin, it would be a lovely table decoration.

Here's the tutorial;

Thanks for visiting - see you soon (on time, I hope!)

Crafty Hugs,

Keren

For Mother

Hello bloggists, thank you so much for visiting.
I made this card-in-a-box for my mother-in-law's birthday, which is in the summer - but I'm aware that, while Mothering Sunday has been and gone in the UK, Mother's Day is coming up in other parts of the world, so I'm sharing this now.

I co-ordinated the flowers with the colours in the Birthday Blooms DSP - they are so pretty (well, I think so!)  I'm not normally a pretty-pretty sort of crafter but I just can't resist using these colours, they look so good!

Here's how I made the card -

Hope you like it!

See you soon,

Crafty Hugs,

Keren

Pop Up bouquet card

Hello bloggists, how are you?  

I do like action cards.  I came across a number of tutorials for this pop-up bouquet cad, I realised it was just the thing to show off this stamp/die bundle.  I've had this set for some time now and never really made much use of it.  Open it up and inside - voila!!

It takes a little bit of time to make and it helps to be methodical in the process, but it's not too difficult.

Here's the tutorial - 

Here's the folding/gluing diagram -

Hope you enjoyed, and see you soon!

Crafty Hugs,

Keren

Butterfly easel card

Hello bloggists!  Well, that's Sale-A-Bration done and dusted for another year and what a great promotion it was.  I do hope you got lots of great stuff and are having lots of fun playing with your new goodies! Back to normal now, though (a bit like just after Christmas...)

I've been playing with Watercolour Wings and the companion die sets again.

It's not easy to see in the s picture, but this is a shaped easel card.  It's probably easier to see in the video, so here it is!  Hope you enjoy & see  you soon!