I'm a Stampin' Up Demonstrator YAY

Yesterday I signed up to become an 

Independent Stampin Up Demonstrator 

I have been a Stampin Up customer for at least 18 months already. Its the stamps that started my Stampin Up Journey!
It all started with viewing some handmade cards on Pinterest where someone  had used the "Lovely As A Tree" stamp....
I was in love LOL I had to have that stamp 

I didn't know it belonged to a full set of 6 beautiful stamps. I had only seen the line of 5 trees on one stamp! I believed it was a retired set so tried to find it on eBay with no luck. One day my search led me to find a Stampin Up Demonstrator who informed me that the stamp was still in the current catalogue and my stamp was ordered!.
I got the Stampin Up catalogue with my stamp and loved so many lovely stamp sets so I joined a "stamp 10" club to receive products every month and my Stampin' Up collection began!
this is the first card I made with it...

This was the first card I made using my new stamp set. It's a centre step card. I made it with the card folded so that it was kinda DL! wide but not tall. A "Thank You" card was needed for The Woodlands Team! ( they are a CMHT and have helped me a lot ) what better image to use for The Woodlands?

Looking back now, I wish I had not used so much black especially around the "Thank You" sentiment but they really loved the card.

I have used this stamp set a lot, it was used for my own Handmade cards to give out for Christmas 2015. Here's a pic of the full set of stamps which are all wood block mounted now 

Pinterest provided me with a vast array of samples on how versatile this stamp set really is. So I made a board to save the ones I especially liked 

 *Link Lovely As A Tree * 

its from here that I learned the fabulous reflection technique 

but that's another post! This set is still available in the current catalogue. Please contact me if you would like the set yourself! 

I would value your custom

So here I am,   Crafteresa UK 

an Independant Stampin' Up Demonstrator!

I have lots to learn or should I say grasp?! but the main thing for me is having FUN FUN FUN stamping, die cutting, inking and delving into even more craftiness than before and sharing it with other people I haven't even met yet! how fab is that!

So before the end of June I should have my own website set up with Stampin' Up solely to show samples tutorials videos of all that I am creating with the S U products and a place where anyone can get in touch with me to find out more about Stampin' Up, their products and maybe even join the team! they will be able to see  link to buy  Stampin' Up products from the current catalogue and the weekly clearance bargains too and be able to choose me Crafteresa UK as their demonstrator 

***for which I would be both grateful and honoured!***

I will also be looking for a good place to run a Stampin' Up informal craft group where we can have a cuppa perhaps some cake!! and lots of fun card making and crafting together \o/ I have to find my feet first and get all the details sorted out but as soon as I do I will let you know on this blog and on my facebook page.

I will be keeping this blog going as I have tons of dies, equipment and craft stash from other companies I will carry on card making and paper crafting with them and selling cards on Etsy including cards made Using my Stampin' Up products.  Of course I will here some of share the other things that make my heart sing too!

So that's it from me this morning. both Kev and I have bad coughs my poor Hubby Kev has not had much sleep all week so its what we call a slobbing day, taking a rest doing what we have to (like walkies for Lulu and food) and perhaps catching up on some sleep, I really don't know how my Hubby Kev has managed to work this week at all with such little sleep and such a poorly cough 

God Bless Him

Oh how I love my man xx

Cute Baby Bear Centre Step Card

I have started to post my work onto Etsy again, I tried this before but didn't get much response but. So this time I am just concentrating on high end baby cards which can be personalized with baby names etc. I make them for baby birth Christiening adoption dedication baptism etc.
So here are a few of my cards. The colours and sentiment and personalization can be changed...

This is a Centre Step Card.  When the card is opened to display on a shelf the sides step to the back making it quite an attractive 3d card.  I absolutely LOVE bears so maybe you can imagine my delight making this bear die cut and giving it tiny half bead eyes and a shiny nose! its so cute I can't help but smile!  

The pink colours of the baby items, the banner behind the personalized details and the embossed baby blanket behind the bear can be changed to blue or lemon, also if especially requested I have mint green and pale lilac colours too! if you are buying this in advance of the birth and dont know the details then I can put a diecut "congratulations" on the pink banner instead

I think £4.99 is a good price, I am not gonna get rich on that but I am really only trying to cover my costs as this whole idea of selling cards is because I love cardmaking and papercrafting but have spent soooo much on dies and equipment it's become an expensive hobby so I need some cash back!

Baby Bear Centre Step Card

I have been very busy designing some baby cards which I will be selling. This version is a centre step card with a personalised greeting featuring my sitting down Boo Bear, here's a close up I think he is so cute!

Greetings changed to your requirements!

The centre step card base is created using good quality white linen card which has been embossed with swirls then the pretty mock lacy blanket background is cut and embossed using baby blue card, baby feet, stars and the banner are also cut from the same pastel baby blue card

The cross is cut from white card. Faux Pearls accentuate parts of the finished card

as you can see this card is made with a greeting for grandparents to give to their baby grandson on his Christening day

But I can make this greeting for the occasions of

Birth, Dedication, Christening, Baptism, Adoption.

The baby names will appear on the banner as supplied by the customer when ordering but if the names are too long the font or font size may need to be altered to make them fit!

the greeting can be changed to 

"Congratulations on the Birth of Your Beautiful Bay Son

or anything else that fits

The cross will only be added onto

Christening, |Baptism, Dedication cards. 

or by customer request on birth or other cards

I am just going over to Etsy now to create a listing for this card

and my other cards as I finalise the designs

all of my cards unless otherwise stated are available in white with pale blue, pale pink, lemon, lilac and pale mint green accents

other card designs will include..

baby pram  die cut

baby in a sling die cut

baby bear stamped images

baby bear die cut (as this one is)

Boo Bear (die cut) with age numbers for children

die cut bunting names

watch this blog for more information 

and samples as the become available

All of my cards are created in my smoke free studio 

I have a West Highland Terrier (LULU)  but she doesn't play 

with my card making stash as she doesnt have any thumbs1

As Lovely As A Tree.....Centre Step Card

Today I want to share a thank you card which is made especially for the mental health team who work from The Woodlands Resource Centre, in St Annes on Sea. I have had a lot of support during my illness and it was world mental health day last week so I though I should send a thank you card to them and what better image to use than this one for their card? (woodlands!!!)
I used this Stampin Up set below to create it...

 I have been trying to buy this Stampin Up "Lovely as a Tree" stamp set" for ages, I absolutely love the grove of trees (bottom stamp) I bleieved the set had been retired so didn't bother going to Stampin Up for it. I kept bidding on eBay for them but was always outbid at the last minute. in desperation I asked Cal a Stampin Up demonstrator (her username is HysteriCal on ukscrappers) for help.

To my surprise she told me that its the one set that has lasted so long without retiring it's that popular! So I ordered it along with my new Stampin Up paper trimmer (which is fabulous but that's another post!!!) I have marked the centre of the block with pencil to help me in a project I am trying out!

So the first card I have created with it is a centre step card but I used the landscape style rather than the usual tall portrait version as it fitted the image better! unfortunately I see looking at the photo now that 2 of my sticky back gems have dropped off at the bottom GASP!!! I shall go back and stick them all on properly with glossy accents! so glad that I haven't posted it already!

I used an embossing folder which gives a wood grain effect behind the image and I used the long spellbinders Parisian border die at the bottom. the "Thank You" is die cut using a Robert Adams die

To colour the image which was stamped with my Rich Cocoa Momento ink pad, I used Promarkers.

I decided to send the ground further back than the stamped tree mound edges as I didn't want to give the sense that the trees were on the edge of a cliff! 

I wasn't totally satisfied with the sky which I had coloured at the bottom and blended into the green and then brought colour down from the top too so I used a powder blue pan pastel very lightly but leaving some white till I got the desired effect.

I am really pleased with the card and cant wait to think up some lovely Christmas designs once I have played some more with this fabulous stamp set LOL

CHALLENGES...
I'm entering a few challenges again today as it inspires me to keep to crafting especially when in pain or just feeling blaaaahhhh!
Their name is linked to their respective blogs so just click to go to them!

Creative Card Crew.....Black Cardstock
Ooh La La Creations.....Inspired by Nature
Little Red Wagon.....Give Thanks
Creative Knockouts.....Thankful
Sisters of Craft.....Anything Goes
Inspiration Destination..........Antything Goes