Christmas is creeping up on me!!!

I am going to include photos of some of the cards we have made this month, as I can’t think that you want to see Christmas cards in January !!! We used a number of different papers to achieve some great effects and we learned how to make very realistic holly leaves!.

I really do love the 'Greetings of the Seasons' stamp set, you get a super image every time.

At another session, we used the retired ‘Dasher’ stamp (following a popular request). It certainly is a pity it has gone.  However, there is an alternative in the current catalogue on page 19, called ‘Christmas Deer’, and it has the added advantage of some pretty baubles which can be hung from his antlers! Certainly I think this is one for next Christmas!

The packet to hang on the tree was popular and I love the framelet on the front. (The patterned  paper was not Stampin'Up!!)

 And doesn’t the ‘Lovely as a Tree’ stamp look good when embossed in silver?

	Our last session for this year is on Tuesday evening at 7pm when we will be making a thank you card, and then celebrating the festive season with mince pies and a drink. Why not come along to the session, it is a free one!  Just ring and let me know.  I will be back in January but in the meantime I trust you will all have a wonderful Christmas and a happy, prosperous and crafty 2013. Thanks for stopping by.   Mandyxx

 

 

Hello!

Well, the holiday is over and I have some great cards to share with you.....

  These cards were made using the lovely Stampin' Up  "Open Sea" stamps and the combination of Chocolate Chip and Cherry Cobbler seems to work out just right.

We all particularly like the Curly Cute greeting stamps, they are so versatile and  look really classy!















The same evening we used the Stampin'Up ornament bundle with Baja Breeze cardstock , tempting turquoise ink and a bit of glitter thrown in.  It was surprising to see all the different effects that we achieved.  Some are shown here.......

 We also found time to make a large 'milk carton' using paper from the paper stacks...they turned out rather well.      
                             

   

I hope you have enjoyed looking at some of the cards we made early in November.  If you would like to order any of the materials used or come along to one of our classes, please email me.  Details of the classes are on the classes page.

Here are photos of some of the cards made at Ginny's classes in Market Rasen.  She always comes up with lovely ideas.

Some more cards to show you next Sunday.  Don't forget to email me if there is something you would like.

Happy crafting.  Mandyx         mandy.murphy1396@gmail.com

Not a Stampin'Up Week !!

This week at our Christmas class people brought stamps and embossing folders to experiment with....long time since I used "peel offs" and I won't be doing so again for a long time!!!  Still we had a very pleasant afternoon.

These are Shirley's cards...............

....and these are Val's.

Am off on holiday this week and leaving Emily to hold the fort .  Hopefully I will have some ideas to share with you on the 9th December.  In the meantime have a great time.  Mandyx

What happened to Sunday???

Tut! Tut! What happened to Sunday?  Can't even remember what I did yesterday, but it wasn't the blog!  Maybe I was getting over the journey to the NEC and the exhausting day looking at all those ideas and products.  Good to see the boys from Crafty Hands, they tell me they are coming over to Lincolnshire in the New Year...their classes are always a load of fun.

Here are the cards we made in class this week....

I love the colour scheme here, Whisper White and Always Artichoke, and the embossed background was very effective.

The cut out ornament was really silver! 

And this one was gold!

And finally we had a go with another embossing folder and a different colour scheme...turned out rather well.

Our third Christmas workshop tomorrow, the weeks are beginning to fly past.  Dunholme Gift and Craft Fair on Saturday...so lots to do.

Do come along if you are in the area, there will be about 20 stalls, full of high quality crafts all made by local people.

Enjoy your crafting.   

Mandy

Sunday 4th November

Hello all,

Not a lot of crafting this week.  On Wednesday I attended a breakfast session organised by the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce to learn about websites.  It was really interesting but it is unlikely I will be setting up my own website....I find this blog hard enough!!  It never seems to end up looking as I want it and photos always have a will of their own...if they end up the right way round it is nothing to do with me!!

Had a very interesting day on Thursday at the Lincoln college...what a super building, a great facility for anyone who wants to join the fitness crowd.  The spa is the best I have ever seen and only £35 a month to enjoy all the facilities.

I am currently planning for next weeks craft classes and I hope to make the card above as one of our projects.  I am confident the cards will turn out better than the photo!!!

Have a great week.  Happy crafting.   Mandy

A variety!

How some people manage to write a blog every day I really don't know...it takes a lot of organising to do just one each week!!!  I have just spent the day meeting old friends at a lovely hotel in Monk Frieston, in Yorkshire.  I can certainly recommend Sunday lunch for that special meal.

Down to earth now today's photos were taken at my classes on Thursday when we used a variety of Stampin'Up products to great effect.

This design was so popular that everyone wanted a second "go" with another colour!  So we chose greens and then using DSP as well.

This is Rita's card.........

.........and this is Cindy's.

I really like the colour combinations and I have definitely fallen in love with the new Perfectly Penned greeting stamps used here.

I was delighted to welcome two new crafting friends to our class this week.  I say crafting friends but Peggy had never crafted before. She really surprised herself when she produced this lovely card using the Mixed Bunch stamp set.

This is Peggy's first card.

We used Basic Grey and Daffodil Delight cardstock with Basic Black and Whisper White inks. My photos really don't do justice to these 'classy' cards.

Our main effort of the afternoon was the super little lanterns we made using the Festival of Prints Designer Series Paper Stack....what a long description for a really useful little pack of cheerful papers.  A bargain at £6.25 for 48 sheets of 6.5 by 4.5 inch papers.

The evening class had a go at a different card instead of the green circles. They made a more complicated card using the Bigz Scallop Square and the super embosslit 'Beautiful Wings'.

 Here are Janice and Val's cards.......

If you would like to buy any of the products mentioned or come along to learn some new skills amongst friends, then do get in touch.

Best wishes to Zoe and Emma who are off to Convention this week.  Hope you both have a wonderful time.

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy your crafting.

Mandy x

Exciting Week

Today Zoe, Emma and I had a stand at Lincoln's Sincerely Yours craft show.  It was a very enjoyable day and we met some terrific crafters, but gosh, it was very tiring and I am well ready for my bed!!

Liz earned her cup of tea!

However, I must tell you about Wednesday when my friend, Ginny and I welcomed friends from Leicester for a day's crafting here in Lincolnshire.  They are super ladies who obviously enjoyed the day and who made some lovely cards and a box (for which the instructions could have been clearer).  Nevertheless, the results were great and I am sure they will go on to make lots more boxes.

This is Vivian's lovely box made using Basic Grey cardstock and the retired  spice cake DSP

Sheila's box was made using Twitterpated DSP and the Simply Scored board.

Shirley made this lovely card.





That's all for this week.  Enjoy your crafting.  Mandy

Hilary seems happy with her 'reflection' card.  She used the ever popular "Lovely as a Tree" stamp set

Uncle Henry's

The workshop on Friday was enjoyed by all, and some lovely cards produced.

Cindy's card was made using the new Stampin' Up 'Ornament Keepsakes'  Stamp Set.

Sue's card was made using the 'Beautiful Season' Stamp Set, and the new Stampin' Up winter catalogue!

 My next class is on Thursday 25th October. In the meantime, I'll see you all at Sincerely Yours on Sunday.

Happy Crafting,

Mandy

Christmas Workshop

On Tuesday, we will be having our second Christmas workshop, where we will make 6 cards, 3 each of 2 designs. Here is one of the cards we will be making on Tuesday.

We will be using the new 'Ornament keepsakes' Stamp set, and the really useful 'Greetings of the Season' Stamp Set. I have already used this stamp set on lots of cards as I get ready for Christmas. Hope you have all enjoyed this fabulous weather we have had this weekend, and spent some time relaxing and making cards!

Thanks for stopping by,
Mandy

Lovely as a Tree.........

As if the Autumn/Winter catalogue wasn't enough now we have the 

much anticipated Annual Catalogue and it is LIVE !!!!!

It is full of super new products. ( I have already sent off a long order for myself!  It should be here tomorrow.) It is so thick this year, 205 pages, but still with the great ideas, wonderful photos and many reduced prices!  

And best of all, if you sign up as a Stampin'Up demonstrator during this month or next, I will give you a FREE copy so you can see the fantastic papers you will receive FREE from Stampin'Up during the next six months. (RRP£9.95) One FREE packet per month!

Contact me and we can have a chat...no pressure!

At my recent class, we made four lovely cards three using the ever popular Stampin'Up  'Lovely as a Tree' stamp set.  Many thanks to Dawn at dostamping for her informative video on how to make a reflection card.  It certainly turned out well and was so simple!

If you would like to join us in Lincoln to learn some new techniques, please register for one of our classes.

Real Red and Whisper White cardstock, soft suede ink and shimmer paint were used for the tree.

Isn't this a pleasant effect? See the video on the side of my blog for more details.

Sponged background is Pool Party and Tempting Turquoise and the trees were stamped in basic black.


We had a great day on Sunday when Zoe invited her team for a day of crafting, exchanging ideas and learning more about Stampin'Up products.  It was a really worthwhile day and I am already looking forward to the next one.  Many thanks, Zoe for all the effort you put in to make it a successful occasion.

Finally, I have a very talented customer who designs the most lovely minimalist cards, usually using Stampin'Up products , occasionally not!  It is my intention to share some of these cards with you from time to time to show that less can often be better.

One thing I learned at the training on Sunday was that blogs should be published REGULARLY so I am going to try and write mine each Sunday!!!!

Thanks for stopping by.  Happy crafting.  Mandy

First Christmas Workshop

This morning we had our first Christmas workshop and made cards using the retiring Contempo Christmas ornament stamp and the Jolly Jingles wheel in crumb cake and real red.   It could,of course, be made using the  Delightful Decorations stamp set which is still available, as is the wheel.

The second card was made using the ever popular, time tested "Lovely as a Tree" stamp set.  The combination of Always Artichoke and Soft Suede inks and card gave a very pleasing effect.

I found this one on YouTube but I'm sorry I don't remember where!!!

Why not join me for the next Christmas workshop on the 9th October at 1pm (not 10am as previously advertised) ?  In the meantime enjoy your crafting AND the great new catalogue. Can't wait to start ordering...have got a long list already!!

Thanks for stopping by.  Please leave a comment.

Mandy

The Winter Mini!

Found it hard to wait for the products in this fabulous mini to come on line!  My order went just after midnight on Saturday and now it has arrived.  I couldn't be more pleased and I can't wait to get crafting with all the super Christmas products.  Watch this space!!!

Whilst I was waiting I went with friends to Doddington Hall near Lincoln, to see the sculpture exhibition.  It was really good and whilst I am not very artistic I can appreciate the thought and effort that goes into creating wonderful pieces from wood, metal and stone. And they were displayed in such lovely surroundings. A great day out!

..

    .The unicorn was my favourite.....and what about this for a gnarled tree trunk????

But what about some crafting....................Uunfortunately, I forgot to take photos of the cards we made on the 16th and 23rd of August.  But I did capture a shot of the great variety of book marks we made.  Everyone really enjoyed letting their imagination take over and great use was made of the super papers and matching card..

Good job Ginny didn't forget!  Her class made cards like these in August.

One or two of us ventured south to the craft show at Donnington Park in August, it was extremely hot and crowded, but we did get to meet a fellow demonstrator, Victoria on a very busy Stampin'Up stand.  Hope you got lots of contacts, Victoria.

Ginny and I are busy planning for our Christmas workshops and I am delighted that we have managed to book two date at the very popular venue, Uncle Henry's, near Brigg.  Have a look at the classes page for more information.
Many thanks for stopping by.  I will try and remember to 'snap' the super cards friends make at our classes in the future.