Stampin' Up! UK 1 Week Only Special Promotion

Good morning and what a way to start the crafty Stampin' Up! UK week! Lots of lovely things to share with you today to get your craftiness off to a inspired start. And I apologise in advance for the information overload.

First of all, today sees the start of a 1 week only special 25% off promotion. Until 28 October you can order 25 specially selected stamp sets for 25% off. What a bargain!! Please see below for a full list of all the lovely stamp sets offered at this 1 week only reduced price. To see these stamps in the online catalogue, please click here for a direct link to my online store complete with pictures (and for anyone purchasing anything from my online store over the next week I have a little festive thank you gift to pop in the post to you to help with your seasonal craftiness. Place an order to receive your surprise gift). Or alternatively drop me an email on poulton_sarah@yahoo.co.uk for an 'in your hand' copy of the catalogue.

And if this wasn't enough to get your creativity flowing, today Stampin' Up! have released two FAB new products, Thinlits Card Dies for use with your Big Shot! I have been so excited about getting my hands on these since I first saw them appearing on YouTube videos and blogs across the pond. And since I preordered them a couple of weeks ago I haven't been able to stop creating fantastic swinging cards, perfect for all occasions. Now the products are live I can share some of my creations with you. This makes flip cards so quick and easy (and no more trying to guess-timate how far to run your die through to get the effect!).

I really love these Thinlits and think they are a fun and creative addition to any crafty stash. If you'd like to see more click the video below for more info & Thinlit ideas.

To order any of the products above and receive your free surprise festive gift in the post (direct from me and not Stampin' Up!), you can order direct with me or through my online store direct to your door. Click on the image below and then click shop in the top right corner.

 And don't forget to add the hostess code below for your chance to win the combined hostess freebies for the month. So far there is a guaranteed £25 to be won!

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And just to leave you with something a little crafty for the day, here is a Christmas card we created at my workshops last month. The Christmas Tree image is from the lovely stamp set, Evergreen. And the Merry Christmas is from the More Merry Messages stamp set. Please get in touch directly to find out more about how I created this card and the products used. I'd be only too happy to have a crafty chat.

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting to you all on this rainy Isle of Wight day.

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My Christmas Planner

Good morning crafters.

As promised, today I will be sharing the inside of my Christmas Planner. Please see yesterdays post for how to create your own base mini album.

Here are the envelope inserts. Each one has a Christmas-y related theme: Shopping, To Do, Menu & Christmas Cards.

The first two pages feature a calendar and to do list for November and December.

The reverse of the envelope is stamped with the beautiful Calm Christmas stamp from the Autumn Winter catalogue (Page 26). I stamped it in Night of Navy ink.

The next page is stamped with Ornament Keepsakes in Cherry Cobbler & Old Olive. Ornament Keepsakes was featured in last years festive catalogue and is still available to order via the Carry Over List.

I stamped this page using the Evergreen stamp set (also on the Carry Over List) and a snowflake from Snowflake Soiree.

This page is stamped in Cherry Cobbler and Night of Navy using the new Wishing You stamp set (Page 23 of Autumn Winter catalogue).

The final page is stamped in Gold (using the new Metallic Encore Pad, Page 28, AW Catalogue) and Night of Navy using Snowflake Soiree.

Thank you for stopping by to look at my Christmas planner creation today. I'm more than happy to help with any questions about this project. Please get in touch on poulton_sarah@yahoo.co.uk.

Also, if you'd like to have your own copy of the Autumn Winter catalogue, please drop me a line on the above email address and I'll pop one in the post to you.

Happy Crafting ;0)

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Christmas Planner Envelope Mini Album Tutorial

Good morning and welcome to another crafty week here on the Isle of Wight.

Today I am sharing the final Christmas project we created on my Christmas Craft Days last month. This was our 'showstopper' (for those that watch Bake Off) project that was central to the day. I had been planning this for months and searched through lots of different mini album ideas to find the perfect style.

I won't be sharing the completed pages with you today.  I will share those another day this week. Instead today I will be giving you a quick and easy run down on how to create your own lovely mini album (you can modify the papers used or contents for any occasion). This is a quick and affordable planner or memory-keeper and could also make a perfect Christmas pressie too.

For this project you will need:

5 Stampin' Up! C6 envelopes (I used Very Vanilla)

A sheet of A4 cardstock for the cover (I used Cherry Cobbler)

A length of ribbon to hold the album together (I used Cherry Cobbler 3/4" Chevron)

Matching cardstock for inserts

DSP for decoration

The first step is to create your insert pages. I started with 5 C6 Very Vanilla Envelopes.

 I then cut off the envelope flaps as below.

Score the envelopes at 1/2" to create your hinge.

Please note, that while I have shown the envelopes with the scallop shaped edge forward in these photographs (it made it easier to differentiate the steps for the tutorial), these will actually be turned over in the finished product and form the back side of each page (giving you a full rectangle of page to cover and decorate facing forward).

The next step is to create your cover. I cut a piece of Cherry Cobbler cardstock 6 1/2" by 10", scoring at 4 1/4" and 5".

The larger section forms the back of the cover with the hinge making the pages fold easier from the front.

The final stage before decorating and tying together is to punch your holes.

I sandwiched my 5 envelopes and the cover together and measured 2" from either end (marking with a small pen mark). I then punched holes through all layers together using my Crop-A-Dile.

 This is the basis for your mini-album / planner. I would recommend decorating your inserts prior to tying your ribbon for ease of stamping. Once all your layers are decorated you can then just thread your ribbon through and tie in a bow to hold it all together.

To decorate your planner:

I used a stack of DSP in all different Christmas-y colours and patterns. I cut each piece at 3 3/4" by 6 1/4" to stick to the front of each envelope. I then cut pieces slightly bigger for the front and back covers. I also stamped the reverse of each of the envelopes for a bit of a festive flourish.

I also created matching inserts using free printables from this website. I created three rectangular inserts (3 3/4" x 6") and two die cut Top Notes cut from Brushed Gold and Silver cardstock. I created tabs using a shaped punch, you could also use ribbon to create these tabs.

Thanks for popping by today. I'll be sharing my decorated pages tomorrow so hop back then for some Christmas Planner inspiration. Please do get in touch with any questions or to place an order for essential supplies to create your own Christmas Album planner: poulton_sarah@yahoo.co.uk or 01983 609249.

I'd love to see your creations so please leave a comment to direct me to your creations if you have a go. It was fantastic to see all the different versions of this album that my ladies created at our Christmas crafty days.

And don't forget to check out the promotions page above for all the latest fantastic offers from Stampin' Up! Especially the lovely Best Of Christmas stamp set.

Happy Crafting ;0)

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