All pink....

Not a normal look for me I have to confess, but what can I say?

Made this tri-fold card at my very talented upline, Claire's. Thanks Claire!

Stupidly I forgot to take the measurements before giving the card away, so I'll try and get those and add later!

The Pink paper is Pink Passion and stamped randomly using Circle Circus stamps.... I love how these go together to create so many different looks as if you've bought expensive designed papers!

The Sentiment is from the SAB set Vintage labels... I just had to get my hands on that set!

Spring/Easter Workshop

Tuesday 30th March

Come and make some cute and festive Easter/Spring goodies!

A bunny dish and a stylish yet simple basket....

Cost £5 to cover materials redeemable against purchase of £20 or more Stampin' Up Products.

Chocolate to fill the basket provided!

Contact me to book your place today!

My MIL's 70th... and my first workshop!

A simple, elegant card for my Mother In Law's special birthday recently.

Baroque Motifs large stamp (used the edge of the stamp), stamped in Basic black on Whisper White, Schoolbook alphabet and a few bling adhesive stones to add some sparkle!

I also used the baroque wheel to add a matching decorative insert but didn't manage to take a decent picture of that one, sorry!

This stamp set was one of the ones that I demostrated at my recent worksop - which was a fantastic success! Thanks to the 8 lovely ladies that came along, we had a fabulous time chatting and crafting til gone 11pm!

Date for diaries for our next workshop....

Tuesday 30th March.... Easter! Think Bunnies, Baskets, Chocolate and Spring!

Mmmmm been a while...

Apologies for that!
I'm quite sad to say that I wrote a veeeerrrry detailed post about the wonders of my seville orange marmalade - pictures and everything, and then hit technical issues! That followed by Jonah being poorly for weeks has meant the blog has taken a back seat.... who knows maybe I'll post it just so it gets air time!

Bella Bleu beeeeautifffful papers!

 

Ok, I know… these are quite girly papers, but I just couldn’t resist them! I had an hour today to make a few cards and challenged myself to make as many cards as I could using just 2 pieces of paper! So here they are…

The first is made with an A6 cream blank covered with Bella Bleu DSP with a scalloped edge and a duplicated scalloped edge made from a small strip of Not Quite Navy. The ribbon is non SU (gasp!!), and the sentiment is from Whimsical words (free in Sale-a-bration set with £45 or more order) cut out using 1 3/8” circle punch and the scalloped circle punch stamped in Creamy Caramel.

Not bad for 15 mins!

The second card is made from a square cream card blank (13.5cm) and then matted with 13cm square of Not Quite Navy and a further 12.5cm square of Bella Bleu.

I then used Very Vanilla ribbon with a fake bow and a scalloped oval from the Not Quite Navy and an oval stamped again in Creamy Caramel with Sincere Salutations.

I think if I was doing this next time, I’d use a larger ribbon as I felt it looked a little lost!

And here is the third… my favourite!

Using all the same ingredients as mentioned before on an A6 cream blank used landscape.

 

And I still have bits leftover!! I just run out of time so that’s all for today!!

Hope you enjoy these…

What sort of card does Jonah 'give' his friends?

Well...

one with a whale on :)

A really simple card as I was in a hurry!

• Whisper white card stock (half A4 folded in half to make an A5 card base)
• Brilliant blue cardstock
• Brilliant blue ink
• Animal stories stamp set from Stampin Up
• Star punch
• Signo White gel pen
• Stamp-a-ma-jig (to help align lettering)

Also as an additional note, I'd been making some cards for my workshop coming up on 26th February (still a few places left - grab yours!), and been stamping on my normal (good quality) non SU white cardstock. The ink was patchy in places and I blamed myself for not inking the stamps correctly! I was loathe to open my precious SU whisper white... anyway I finally gave in and voila! no more inking coverage issues... cliched but true, the paper really does make a difference!

I'm hoping to post later on this week with my seville orange marmalade annual debacle.... so grab some oranges before the season ends!

New Mini IQ catalogue!!!!!!

HI everyone!

Sunday was the launch of the new Mini IQ catalogue

And WOW there are some amazing new items - over 65 things to ooh and aah at!!!!!

Helen, our in house education expert has really sourced some fantastic things and at amazing recession busting prices for everyone! New books from only £1.99!!!

Here are my top faves, but do be sure to have a look on website at the full catalogue or contact me as I am happy to do a pop in (30 mins max!) and show you my selection from the new catalogue!! Just give me a email/ring and we can arrange a time to suit...

Baby: Incy Wincy Spider rrp £12.99 - Mini IQ price £9.99

Bring the classic rhyme to life by simply pulling the extending

string on this friendly spider’s velvety back. His textured legs crinkle

invitingly and are great for early reaching, grabbing & counting.

Concealed within his tummy is a lovely fabric book. The soft pages

feature a collection of garden creatures with satisfyingly

onomatopoeic descriptions that are just right for reading aloud and

encouraging repetition of sounds.

Toddler: Rosie's Walk with story telling and musical CD £5.99

This classic, simple, near-wordless story is rich in propositions and directional

words,. It’s also a delightful book for emergent readers to enjoy with parents.

Children find it easy to memorise and repeat the text whilst pointing at the

words, so building up confidence.

Pre school: Simple First Phonics rrp £7.99 Mini IQ price £6.99

This gentle introduction uses photographic images to and a wipe clean pen to

develop phonic awareness and knowledge of letters. In simple terms it works on

matching the letter sound with the written letter, at the beginning and the end of

words. It touches briefly on simple vowel blending and double letter sounds

sounds as ‘ee’ and ‘ai’. The activities can be repeated time and time again to instill confidence. And the 26 flash cards are a marvelously effective portable learning tool.

Key stage 1: Ask Dr K Fisher £6.99

Dr K Fisher’s animal counseling service has been dispensing nononsense

advice for many years. Using a hilarious problem page format,

he advises all sorts of creatures on confusing matters.Dr K Fisher’s animal

counseling service has been dispensing nononsense

advice for many years. Using a hilarious problem page format,

he advises all sorts of creatures on confusing matters.

Key stage 1 and 2: Dictionary and Thesaurus £8.99

Has to be seen to be truly appreciated!

The front section of the book provides dictionary definitions,

examples of usage, cartoons and photographs to make the

meaning of each word abundantly clear. Use the rear (thesaurus)

section to expand your vocabulary, and find out about word

partners, idioms, and opposites. A fantastic book that helps with

school requirements to reduce word poverty (lack of vocabulary!!!)

Key Stage 2: Great big book of computing £9.99

Whether you’re starting from scratch or want to learn more, the generic

step-by-step projects and familiar fun activities found in this spiral-bound

workbook will provide young learners with the opportunity to expand their

knowledge of computer technology, progressing at their own speed.

From communication online, to databases, programs and pictures, handy

hints and friendly tips combine with simple explanations and appealing

illustrations to encourage and excite the most reluctant of students. Also

included are notes for parents and teachers, suggesting further activities to

reinforce understanding.

Seriously there are soooo many others to check out!!!!! do have a look at the website!

www.mini-iq.co.uk

If anyone would like to host a party and receive some of these books for FREE, contact me and have a few friends over and I'll do the rest!! As an extra incentive, anyone who books a party in February can have a bottle of wine as a thank you from me!!!

Take care,

Victoria