Thursday 12 December 2013

Another Christmas Card

I have one last card to share from my card club class.

Ladies still wanted some Christmas Cards, so I obliged with one in this class and then we made another 9 at my extravaganza....photos are on there way over the next few days.


Nice and traditional with my colours here red and green.

The ornaments are stamped from the Christmas Collection and there is a matching punch.  You can buy both as a bundle for £25.50 in clear and £28.95 in wood.  There is still time for you to purchase these items and get a head start on next years cards.

Now the greeting had my ladies puzzled as they has missed the stamp set in the catalogue.  I have to admit I have only recently brought the set because I liked the Christmas greeting,  but we all agreed that we could make the other sentiments work.  The set is called Seasonal Sayings and can be found on page 32 of the main catalogue.

A little linen thread bow above each ornament finishes the card.  I hope you like my design.

Wednesday 11 December 2013

A lovely case from Julie Kettlewell

A  few weeks ago at convention I CASED a card from Julie Kettlewell for us to craft in our PJs one evening.

After browsing pinterest I came across this design and I was hooked.  It ticked all my box's colour and oh so pretty........

I also used this same card in my Card Club class last Monday as I had a few kits left and because I liked it so much.


The cardbase is crumb cake which is such a versatile base.  I have used tempting turquoise as the contrast colour, together with the honeycomb embossing folder and the delicate Dollie embosslit.  The flowers were stamped from Flower Shop and punched out with the matching punch.  Some large pearls and soft sky seam binding ribbon finish the card.

Tuesday 10 December 2013

Clearance Rack

Good Morning

Today Stampin'Up! have launched another Clearance Rack.  Grab yourself a bargain with up to 80% off retired products.

You will need to order these items from my online shop and they will be delivered direct to your door for £4.95.  The click is opposite just make sure you use my name when ordering.  If you havn't used the on-line shop before and have any problems please shout and I will be able to help you out.


Make sure you don't delay as items are only available whilst supplies last.

I am just waiting for the sun to come out so that I can take some photo's of the projects we created last Saturday at my Christmas Extravaganza.


Wednesday 4 December 2013

Best Wishes...

Hi there, I am just about to finish up work for the day but before I do I want to share another card with you from my recent class.

This one is a lovely Best Wishes card in all the hues of purple.


The cardbase is Rich Razzleberry with a layer of Very Vanilla which has been embossed the the Stripes embossing folder which is in the seasonal catalogue.  I have die cut 2 accents from Apothecary Accents and these were run through the polka dots embossing folder.  I have stamped the flower from the stamp set Mixed Bunch and punched out with the blossom punch.  The greeting is from Petite Pairs and punched out with the small oval punch.  Silver ribbon and a few rhinestone gems finish our card.

Right oh its time to sign off as I can hear the natives become restless in the living room..........

Tuesday 3 December 2013

A lovely background technique

Hi there

Last night I ran my card club class for 12 lovely ladies.  I just want to say a huge thank you to Angie and Ruth who stayed with me and helped clear up. ( I am a bit of a wuss and don't like being in the church alone!) especially late at night.

Now the technique I taught was the painters paint technique which creates a lovely background and which we used on this masculine card.


We have used marina mist, pool party and soft sky ink to create the background.  To create this background you tear off a strip of masking tape and dip into the inkpad and then transfer the colour to your cardstock.  Start with the darker colour and end with the lighter one.  You than stamp your image onto the background, I have used black stazon for this card.

We also had a refresher class on using the stamp- a- ma- jig.  This helped place the clockface into the pocket watch.

The cardbase is Marina Mist and then there is a layer of very vanilla cardstock which has been run through the woodgrain embossing folder.  I have used burlap ribbon down the centre of the card and fishtailed the end.

Monday 2 December 2013

Where has the year gone...

I can't believe we are in December already.  Hannah turn over the Christmas countdown this morning 23 days to go until Santa arrives.  Have you completed all your shopping?

If you want to look past Christmas I have just the thing to tempt you.  Stampin;UP! have their latest offer

A Whole lot of Love......


We love Valentine’s Day! And why wouldn’t we? It’s a chance for us to say “I love you.” And it doesn’t just have to be about romantic love. This holiday is a time to share the love with anyone and everyone. We’re here to help you prepare with the A Whole Lot of Love products.

Dates: Available 1 December –27 January or while supplies last.

The fine print: These are exclusive products that will not be available after the promotion.

We have two stamp sets on offer as well as card making kits and the most gorgeous sweetheart treat bags for the grown up's that we love and then for our younger audience we have some Monstor hug treat bags.  There is pink for the girls and blue for the boys....I will be getting some of these for Hannah to take to school for her tutor group.




Check out the links on the right hand side for more details.  All products can be purchased directly through me or via my on line shop at http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/carolinebarker/


Saturday 30 November 2013

Silver 2 Reception and Awards Night

Good Morning

How lovely was it to have a live in this morning.......and coffee in bed made by Hannah with a chocolate biscuit.

Firstly I would like to share some pictures from Silver two reception



This was the lovelt gift waiting for us in the table when we entered the room, now if you like stationary this hits the spot...I will be taking this with me to classes and parties, what a professional look.

 This was the stunning table decoration

And here are Amanda, Rhoda and Liz all excited over the stationary


Now we move onto awards night

We have Trevor, Judith, me,Kerry, Bel, Diana and Sarah don't we all scrub up well.......Kerry and I walked over the stage several times for sales, recruiting and Kerry also had the Incentive Trip, which is my aim for next year too.  My team and my customers will be hearing from me soon on this one as I will need some help to achieve this dream.

If you would like to join in the fun next year in Brussels I need you to contact me so that I can help you become a demonstrator

Friday 29 November 2013

My Roomie gift to Judith

As a tradition at Convention we make a "roomie gift" for the person we share a room with.  It doesn't need to be anything expensive just something special for that special roomie.

I missed sharing with Kerry, as she has been my roomie for the last few years, but Judith was a dream and a great make-up artist, thank you for my special make over for awards night, and also to Bel who shushed my hair XXXXXXXXXXX

Here is my gift to Judith

 and a close up


I also made team gifts for everyone but forgot to take a pic....I made a chocolate overload consisting of Hot Chocolate, 2 bars of crushed chocolate, marshmallows and a candy cane stick all together in a mason jar.  If one of my the girls posts a picture I will steal and post......

Here is Kerry's team gift


How spoilt were we all?

My car finally passed it's MOT last night so I am all legal now......I can't believe I missed the expiry date!

Join me tomorrow to see my Silver 2 Awards night and the Saturday Awards night photo's.

Thursday 28 November 2013

Back from an amazing convention

Hi

It's been ages since I last posted.....I'm sorry with a baby in the house life just seems to be so hectic with me running around like a headless chicken.....and not getting anywhere.

My hubby has been on at me to sort out a few housekeeping jobs, the bulb went in the fridge months ago, the ignitor went on the cooker about a year ago and an MOT has been found to be lacking.   ( this is didn't realise until 5.30pm on Tuesday evening  ) a big oooppppps from me so I really am trying to prioritise.

Last Thursday I went away to Manchester for a few days for our annual 2013 Stampin'UP! convention.  What a blast, fun and so inspiring....I have photo's to share but that is a bit lower down on my list of things to get done.

Judith was my roomie this year with Kerry and Sarah next door and Irene, Trevor, Bel and Diana down the hall.  As usual we did PJ crafting in the evenings but ladies I am going to drop the champers next year.  Now next year we are off the Brussels.........would you like to come? all you need to do is become a demonstrator and I can help you with that and any questions you may have so please get in touch.

Stampin'up! have a new offer for you as well.  Have you ever wanted a stamp but couldn't find the right image?  Well Stampin'up! have the answer with their Undefined new stamp carving product.  You define the rubber stamp any way you want.  There is even a refill pack.


Have a look at the brouchure by clicking the side bar on the right.

Thursday 7 November 2013

A little bit more Christmas

Good morning

Here are the final 2 cards from my Christmas Stamp a Stack



The Merry Christmas card is my favourite which one is yours?

Wednesday 6 November 2013

Are you ready for a bit of Christmas.........

Good morning

Back in September I ran my Christmas Stamp a Stack class.  Everyone made 16 Christmas Cards 4 of each design.


Everyone received one of our Christmas paper stacks, a pack of Rhinestone gems, 4 frosted embleshments and a metre of white taffatta ribbon, as well as all the cardstock and envelopes to complete the cards.


I will be back tomorrow with the last 2 cards.  I am praying that my Stampin'Up! order has been shipped today....I have my extravaganza on Saturday and my order is sitting in a warehouse!!!!!!!!!Friday could be an all nighter............

Tuesday 5 November 2013

November Offers from Stampin'Up!

Good Morning

We now have a little baby boy at home, who is being very good, but it's hard getting used to all the baby bits and bobs after 12 years.

This month I have two offers to share with you

Firstly how about creating some pretty packaging for your Christmas Gifts.......



We have the holiday Tag It Extra Large Box Bundle and the Holiday Tag It Decorative Box Bundle.

This offer are only available until the 30th November, so give me a call to place your order, or order through my on-line shop.  More details can be found by clicking on the bar to your right.

Secondly we have the Envelope Punch Board.........this is so exciting and I just love this product.


This board will make up to 66 different sized envelopes in just moments and costs just £17.95 and is hear to stay as it will be in next years annual catalogue.

I will be running a Saturday morning class in the new year to show you how to get the most from your board.

Monday 28 October 2013

Some clever ideas from other demo's

Today I thought I would share some swaps I have received from other demonstrators using the Six Sided Sampler stamp set.

Firstly from Jane Cutting



and the talented Kerry Timms


Saturday 26 October 2013

A Little More.....

I am coming to the end of my Six Sided Sampler cards, but have 2 pretty designs to show you today.

Firstly we have a slider card, using the lovely Crisp Cantaloupe cardstock and ribbon.  When you pull the ribbon the inside of the card appears with your chosen greeting.



Now there are some other stamp sets used here but can you see the clever way the greeting is displayed?  To achieve this effect first stamp the hexagon image and then punch a circle out using a post it note.  Make sure you punch where the sticky side is, then position this on the stamped image and punch out using the circle punch.  Next punch out the stamped image using the hexagon punch.  The greeting was stamped onto a piece of cardstock and then we used the hexagon punch to fish tail the end.

Other stamp sets used were Chalk Talk, Gorgeous Grunge, Tape It and Flower Shop.

The second card uses Coastal Cabana and Smokey Slate


Friday 25 October 2013

More Six Sided Sampler ideas

I have some more class ideas to show you using my stamp set of the month.

Firstly we have shown a different way to use the punch which creates a cute little envelope.  I had seen this idea used on the Internet.



This idea is a great way to use up those small scraps of cardstock that seem to clutter up our work spaces!

I love the black and cream ensemble, and a matching envelope was made using the score board and diagonal plate.  Check back in a few days to see our new product which makes envelopes so easy.  I have fallen in love with this new product.

Thursday 24 October 2013

Introducing my grandson Kobe

I thought it was time to share my new grandson with you all.

Naturally mummy and daddy have wanted to keep Kobe private and Alice has been so dedicated to not share him on her facebook page, but I have been given permission to share Kobe with you all.

This photo was taken a few days ago, when his feeding tube had been removed, so now he is not attached to any wires.....he just needs to remember to wake for his feeds, as he is so content to sleep.


Wednesday 23 October 2013

Six Sided Sampler

Each Month I try to concentrate on one stamp set, so that I can show my ladies the versatility of the stamp set, and also show them that it is a must have to add to their collection.

Last Month it was the Six Sided Sampler and the matching hexagon punch.  By purchasing the two items together as a bundle you can save yourself 15% on the total price.

Here is one of the cards we made



My colour combo was pear piazza and island indigo.  The papers are from Gingham Garden and I feel they give this project a fun fresh look.  We also used the honeycomb embossing folder.

As a matching gift we then made a post it note holder.


Now I am off to set up my craft area as I have two ladies coming this morning to make the above projects.

Carol and Maggie have been so patient as I had to cancel their class last month, and then last week Carol was poorly, so it will be good to see them today.

Back soon X

Tuesday 22 October 2013

Good Morning

Hi

I hope I manage to remember how to post LOL it's been so long.

My daughter's baby Kobe continues to do well and we hope that he will be home soon.  Alice is now staying in hospital with him, so she is taking on his feeds 24/7 which I think will be a shock to the system.

Now I have 2 special things to tell you about today.

First of all, Stampin' Up! are giving you the opportunity to purchase 25 stamp sets with a 25% discount to celebrate their 25 year anniversary.


Make sure you click on the flyer on the right hand side for details of the stamp sets available.  OFFER ENDS 28th OCTOBER 2013.

Secondly we now have the thinlit dies for sale.


Click on the flyer on the right hand side for details.

These are 2 amazing offers, over the next few days I will be showing you some examples of the thinlit dies.

If I can help you with any purchases just get in touch.

I am just off for a quick lunch and then off to see Alice and Kobe.

Thursday 3 October 2013

A new baby boy

Good morning

I have been absent for so long....but after many visits to the hospital with my daughter, she finally gave birth to a little baby boy on 30th September.  He is almost 6 weeks early and weighed 3lb 10ozs.  He is in intensive care but doing well.

Alice is coping well after an emergency c-section but is missing have her baby with her, although he is one floor down from her at the hospital and she can visit anytime.

I will be trying to get back to work next week, but also doing hospital visits, if you need anything please get in touch and I will get back to you asap.

Right I am off to do a little housework, before getting some photo's developed and then popping into the hospital.

Monday 16 September 2013

My Digital Studiois here as well as our new on-line ordering system

Good Morning

My blogging is very sparse at the moment, and unfortunately there is a reason for that......

As many of you know my daughter is expecting her first baby at the beginning of November, well this little baby was doing well, but has now decided to cause her a few problems.  We have been continuing to spend time at the hospital which rather impacts on my working hours, as these are not quick visits.

We are hoping that we will have a clearer picture later on today as to what is happening as Alice is having a detailed scan of the baby with her consultant, which will hopefully give us some answers as to what is going on.  So in the meantime I am still trying to be mum to Hannah, (who by the way is off sick today with a poorly tummy!) and a doting wife......who manages to cook a banquet each evening for dinner this is soooooo not happening, as well as trying to keep Alice positive.

Now with that off my chest let me tell you that My digital Studio is now available to purchase and that you can purchase any products you require from my new on-line store.  I am still working through the set up of my store, so please be sure to contact me before ordering just to make sure we are both doing things right.  I hate this not having time to sit and work things out, but family has to come first.

We also have our new seasonal catalogue launched and if you haven't had your copy just shout and I will pop one in the post to you, I will also put a link on my blog asap for you to browse through.  I know lots of you are loving the new products.  Thank you to everyone who made last weeks workshops so successful.

I will be back with an update of Alice as soon as we have more information, and in the meantime thank you to everyone who has been asking after her, and for bearing with my flexible schedule at the moment.

Tuesday 3 September 2013

My digital Studio is coming soon

Hi there

As many of you know my daughter Alice is expecting her first baby on the 7th November, and time is disappearing fast to the due date........She decided that she wanted a baby shower, to celebrate this time with friends and family.

As a demonstrator I have been given access to My Digital Studio before it is released to the European so I thought I would show you the invitation that Alice and I designed.



Just as an update for those of you that I saw last night, Alice had a scan this morning and there is some slight concern over the baby's growth, so she will be having another scan next week to check the fluid and blood supply to the baby and then another growth scan the following week.  She has seen the midwife this afternoon and we are reassured that they are going to keep on top of things to ensure Alice and baby's safety.

Monday 2 September 2013

Summer Holiday's are coming to an end....

Hi there

Can you believe we are now in September....I really don't know where the last 6 weeks have gone, although I am sure you can tell from my lack of posts that it has been a fun filled six weeks for the Barker household.  Wednesday morning will bring us back down to earth with a bump.

I have a few things to share with you this afternoon.

Firstly my Stamp a Stack booking closes today.  I have had a few last minute bookings so if you are still thinking about it you will need to confirm with me today and then get your payment to me within the next 48 hours,

Secondly we have a fabulous bundle offer for September save yourself 15% when you purchase Papillion Potpourri stamp set and the Itty Bitty Butterfly punch.  Check the tab on your right for details.

Now are you already in the swing of your Christmas preparations?????

Our Best of Christmas Stamp set may help you.....the details are to the right of you just click for more details.

I am off to my technique class tonight and we will be looking at clear block stamping, so I look forward to seeing some you of later.

Thursday 22 August 2013

Wild Flower Meadow Box

Hi there

Hannah and I are off to see some good friends of ours in Kingsbridge, Devon today for a long weekend break.  I hope the weather continues to be good for us.......

Along with the card I showed you yesterday my class made this simple box and decorated the front of it with an embossed image from the Wildflower Meadow Set.

The box can be made from one sheet of A4 cardstock and holds a small box of chocolates.


The greeting comes from the stamp set Label Love and there is a devine punch that goes with the set for easy cutting...no scissors need!  The ribbon I have used is the White Organza which is one of my favourites.

I have a few more samples of the Wildflower Meadow bundle that I will continue to show over the next few days.

Wednesday 21 August 2013

A Little Wildflower Meadow

Good Morning

I am just off the the gym  ( I have been feeling the need to do something extra for a while now and last Saturday I joined the gym, so today is my second visit)  I used to love road running and a number of years ago was able to run a half marathon, not quite wanting to get back to this level but I definately felt the buzz on my first visit and couldn't resist running on the treadmill.  After that my mum and I are off to Hungerford to collect Hannah as she has been away for the last 10 days with her Nan and Peter boating along the canals.

Last Thursday I show cased the stamp set Wildflower Meadow together with the matching embossing folder.  This set is a bargain as a bundle and costs just £17.25 in clear and £19.95 in wood.

Here is our card


The card base is soft suede and I have matched it with Strawberry Slush, Whisper White, So Saffron and Night of navy.

The mosaic embossing folder worked lovely as a base and the the 2 1/2" circle punch was used to punch out cardstock, we then stamped the image from Wildflower Meadow,  embossed it and then layered it on a floral frames die cut.  Some velum butterflies and pearls finish this focal point.  The banners were created from scraps of left over card and the ends were snipped.  The greeting was from Round Array and fits nicely inside one of the embossed mosaic shapes.  The little flowers were from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack.

Tuesday 20 August 2013

August offers from Stampin' Up!

There is still time to grab yourself one or both of the special offers for August...........

First of all we have the August Stamp set from Shelli.  Details can be found on the side bar.  Shelli has chosen her favourite images and they have been collected in this wonderful stamp set.

Secondly we have a great Designer Series paper offer.  Buy 3 packs of paper and get a 4th FREE.  Details can be found on the side bar.

If you would like to place an order for these items or indeed anything from our catalogues please get in touch.

Monday 19 August 2013

New Computer is finally up and running.......I hope!

Hi there

It has been a busy few weeks in our household with holidays, household chores and general housekeeping.

I have also upgraded my computer and although my sister and I have been able to upload office etc and the printer connection I had to wait from my brother-in-law to come and rescue us with the camera software and backing up everything off my old computer.  My new laptop is also windows 8 and it has been a pain to get to grips with the new layout....technology is not my thing!!!!!

So I hope to be able to show you some cards from a class earlier this month so fingers crossed her goes




These are 3 cards that we made at my technique class at the beginning of the month.  The picture quality isn't great as the sun was shinning when I was trying to take the photo's but we shouldn't complain.

My favourite one is the top one.  I have had the Daffodil Delight seam binding ribbon for ages and have been dying to use it and it was perfect with Island Indigo.  It was lovely to get out the Mixed Bunch Stamp set as I haven't used it for ages.

The middle card is a simple thank you card, but would make a perfect male birthday card by just changing the greeting.

The last one uses the new in-colours, designer papers, Itty Bitty punch and the 7/8" scallop circle punch which co-ordinates with the stamp set Round Array.

Thank you for bearing with me and continuing to view my blog, normal service will resume after the school holidays, I don't know about you but my routine sucks during the break.

Wednesday 31 July 2013

Add a few extras...and what do you get?

Hi

Do you remember me saying that if you add a few extras to a basic card you can change it completely.

Yesterday's card in Crisp Cantaloupe is a basic card that would be perfect for guests to make at a home party, but by adding a few extras like ribbon and then some bling you get this



Doesn't it make a difference?  My favourite is the one that is fully blinged.  The centre of the flower has a large rhinestone in the middle and then smaller ones fitted around it.

Those of you who have seen the new catalogue, may have seen the paper flowers on page 95, well Carol asked me to make some, so a heat gun and large BBQ skewers later this is what I came up with


If you would like to see how these are made, give me a call to arrange a home party and I can show you how easy they are.

That's me for today as I have a coffee/lunch date with my friend Jo before a hospital appointment with Alice and then the hairdressers is coming for Shayna at 6.30pm.  (that;s the dog if you didn't already know) to give her a shampoo and set.  Hopefully I won' need the hoover out so much when she is relived of her thick curly coat!




Tuesday 30 July 2013

Good Morning

I seem to be taking an age to get started on work this morning....

Hannah is away with her friend Shelley for the week, so it is just Paul and me, and well with no-one wanting anything I seem to be very lazy!!!!

I went on a little adventure at the weekend all by myself.....I packed an overnight bag and booked a train ticket to Bristol, not far I know but I was met by my in-laws and we went to the harbour festival, it was great as their boat was moored in the harbour amongst all the action.  There was music, circus acts, boat races with a twist and some amazing fireworks.  The pimms stall provided me with my 5 a day quota!!!!! and the wonderful food stalls provided our meals.

I digress let me show you some more Flower Shop pictures



This card is a slider card and when you will the ribbon it reveals the greeting inside.  I have used the new Coastal Cabana colour here and the sentiment comes from the  Chalk Talk stamp set.


This one is the colour Crisp Cantaloupe and the greeting comes from Six Sided Sampler stamp set.

Tomorrow I will show you the same card again but with a few added extras....

Tuesday 23 July 2013

Flower Shop and Strawberry Slush

Hi there

Isn't wonderful news about the royal baby......I was glued to the TV yesterday waiting for news, much to Hannah's annoyance!

I am enjoying the slight drop in temperature today and was even standing outside in the rain this morning in my PJ's for some relief.

Today I have more of the Flower Shop stamp set to show you this time in the colour Strawberry Slush.



At class last week we made this card and matching box envelope.

If you would like to make the envelope you will need the simply scored board and diagonal plate and a piece of 8 1/2" x 8 1/2" cardstock.

Score 2 sides at 3 " and 3 1/2" and the other 2 sides at 4" and 4 1/2".  All you then need to do is cut off each of the 4 corners.

 Here is a close up of the card


The centre of the flower was made from the new clay and flower moulds and then sponged with daffodil delight ink.  The greeting was stamped in Rich Razzleberry ink and punched out using the ticket duo punch.  There is also some of the new stretch trim ribbon sitting just under the designer series paper.

Tomorrow I will show you the box we made and 3 note cards.  The note cards were made using the left over pieces of card from the envelope box as you  need a 12" x 12" piece of cardstock.

Saturday 20 July 2013

Flower shop in Pistachio Pudding

Good Morning

What another lovely day we are going to have.....It's a lazy morning for us, with a little bit of housework, it is too hot for too much!!!! and then Hannah is off to Cheerleading and then a party and sleepover and I am off to a hen BBQ with my sister.

Today I am sharing the Flower Shop stamp set and the pansy punch and the colour combo of strawberry slush and pistachio pudding.

The stamp set can be found on page 94 of the catalogue, and consists of 6 images

Clear mount costs £17.95
Wood Mount costs £21.95

Buy as a bundle and save yourself 15% details can be found on page 95




The above card was my swap for Amanda's quarterly training last weekend.  Just as I was taking the photo the sun got in the way, so the quality isn't great.



Next we have a pretty little box and the pansy punch has been used to create the flower on top.  I punched out the flower in cardstock 3 times and then used my bone folder to break down the fibres of cardstock so that I could peel the flower in half.  I then added an antique brad through the centre.  The designer paper is in strawberry slush and comes from the new in colour paper stack.



Lastly a pretty card to go with our gift box.  The greeting comes from the stamp set Six Sided Sampler.  I will be using this set for all my August projects and classes.