Hot Chocolate Gifts

My husband had a couple of his work colleagues who had been very helpful to him when he was poorly last year. He requested I make something for those ladies so I made these. I presented the gifts in matching gift bags (sorry I didn't take photos) and I heard the recipients loved them.

The mugs were filled with hot chocolate mixes, marshmallows, chocolates and a spoon. The collar was made using my Cricut Cindy Loo cartridge, I used my Gypsy to create a blank cupcake holder (instead of a fancy flower one) and roller stamped it, I then made the tags to attach to the handle.

I ended up making quite a few of these, to friends and some of my sister-in-laws (with some vouchers).

I have since found the same mugs reduced to only £1 for 4, so I've bought a few more packs for this coming christmas. You might think I'm a bit crazy buying for next Christmas already, but there are some bargains to be had after Christmas, the only trouble I have is remembering what I bought & where I put them all!! :)

Thanks for looking,
Kathy. x

My Friend - Bright

I took my colour inspiration for this card from the Sunny Garden DSP (before I had some) as I love the bright, cheery colours.

The base of this card is Poppy Parade Textured cardstock, I love a bit of texture and this is an easy way to achieve it. If you order the In Colour 12x12 assorted cardstock, you can get 4 sheets of each colour, 2 smooth and 2 textured (that makes 20 sheets in all). I cut the 12x12 sheet into 3 (4" each), then scored at 6" to create my base.

I made an insert using Whisper White, and staped the flower and sentiment using my trusty markers.

Happy Crafting!
Kathy. x

Friend to Friend

I've had this stamp set for ages, but would you believe I hadn't touched it until now? Shame on me for neglecting such a versatile set! lol

The colours used were Crumb Cake, Marina Mist and Cajun Craze, not a combination I'd have chosed if not for my Colour Coach.

I didn't have any Marina Mist ribbon, so I improvised & coloured some Whisper White Taffeta with a marker, patted it with a tissue to take any excess ink off then let it dry. this gave it a more subtle colour, if you want it stronger, don't use the tissue.

Take care,
Kathy. x

Simply Said - Living & Giving

I made this card a while ago when I first got my Colour Coach, the combo is Always Artichoke, Crumb Cake & Bashful Blue.

I love the sentiments in the Occasional Quotes set, it's just a shame that it's a Level 3 Hostess set.  This means the hostess needs to achieve sales of over £500, which is difficult in these financial times.

But of course, Sale-a-Bration is here so what better time of year to host a party! For those of you who aren't familiar with Stampin' Up! promotions, every year during January & February Stampin' Up! gives away a free limited edition (only available during the promotion) stamp set for every £45 spent. That's not all, they also give away a free set when the Hostess get orders over £300, in addition to the normal hostess benefits.

Check out the 4 fabulous stamp sets here, there's also all the information you need to make the most of this promotion.

Take Care,
Kathy.

Cute by the Inch #1

This card was one of the many I made last year when the new catalogue goodies came out, I just hadn't got round to uploading the photo 'til now.

The colour combo is Baja Breeze, Pink Pirouette and Early Espresso, from my trusty Colour Coach.

I kept the design simple and added a couple of Rhinestone brads to the centres of the ornate panels. Those panels would look stunning if they were made into backing paper (a Stamp-a-ma-Jig would be essential), must try that some time.

Thanks for looking,
Kathy. x

Marina Mist Fresh Cuts

Like I said, loving Marina Mist at the moment! I teamed it with Certainly Celery & Whisper White here, with help from the Colour Coach. I used a Circle Ice Rhinestone Brad for the centre of the flower to add a little sparkle. I slao decorated the envelope by stamping the large image off on some scrap paper, then onto the envelope to give a softer look. This also makes the recipients name to still be written on it!

Take Care,
Kathy.

Circle Circus Flower

Here's a nice simple card, it's just a shame the flower punch isn't available to order at the moment due to quality issues. You could just cut the flower from the stamped image, it's a nice simple shape so you can achieve the same effect. I'm loving Marina Mist at the moment, so I've teamed it with Very Vanilla here.

Thanks for looking,
Kathy.

Sunny Garden Workshop

Do you like the patchwork with faux stitching?

I love to decorate the inside too!

Oh, and the envelopes! lol

Cute owl!

Magnetic Bookmarks

Desk Calendar

Pad & Pen

Gift Box with chocolate (of course!)

Here are some projects I've made for my first Stampers 6 party of the year, I can't wait to see my lovely ladies once again for some more crafty fun evenings! I've made several items but we won't be making them all, so my ladies will have to guess which ones we'll be doing as I don't want to spoil the surprize.

I got my colour inspiration for these projects from the Sunny Garden DSP....Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzaz and Peach Parfait plus I used the matching stamp set Cottage Garden. After all the grotty weather we've been having, this is sure to cheer anyone up. I must admit I got carried away and made loads of things, the papers are just so pretty.

The great thing about this colour combo is that apart from Daffodil Delight, they are all In Colours. This means that you could buy the In Colour markers, plus the Daffodil Delight marker which is available to buy on its own and be able to make this plus many other projects.

If you buy the markers, Sunny Garden DSP, with the matching stamp set, you could create a huge amount of wonderful projects, if you added a pack of Whisper White card stock the total cost would be £46.90. Buy these products (or place any order over £45) from me during January and February to qualify for a free Sale-A-Bration stamp set.

Check out the 4 fabulous sets, and details of the whole promotion here.

So, what are you waiting for...get your catty out and make your wish list! :)
Better still call me to book a party as there's even more Hostess benefits during Sale-A-Bration.

Take Care,
Kathy. x

Christmas Teacher Gifts - 2010

Happy New Year everyone, hope you all had a fantastic Christmas & here's to a healthy (& crafty) New Year!!

Sorry they're a bit late, but here are the photos of a couple of the gifts I made for my son's teachers, I made several of these & other gifts but I forgot to take photos of them. I suppose my New Years resolution should be take photos of everything before I give them away!

I did 4 of these, each in diferent colourways, they hold a notebook which is ideal for shopping lists (or Stampin' Up! wishlists!) a little calendar & some post-it notes. I bought the notebooks in Poundland at £1 for six & I only used a few post-it's or the folder wouldn't have shut properly. The folders shut using a set of self-adhesive magnets.

Lastly, I added a pencil holder, the holder was made from a template designed by Nicole Heady for Papertreyink, so thanks Nicole for such a great idea. You can download Nicole's fab pencil holder with her version of a notepad cover here.


Some stamping, buttons & ribbon finished the projects off, hope you like them.
Take care,
Kathy. x