Warm Wishes

This card is a bit of a "cheat" in that it includes two non-SU products! The ribbon is non-SU and the backing paper (white with green distress) is by Basic Grey (the new Christmas "Figgy Pudding" line). There's holographic Stickles glitter glue on the leaves.

The colours are SU Whisper White, Sage Shadow and Ruby Red. The SU stamps are Carte Postale and Cheer and Wishes. I think the Sage Shadow ink of the stamped Carte Postale image works really well with the green in the SU backing paper. SU punches: scallop and 1 3/8 inch circle. I really love the scallop punch; it works with almost anything and really adds something to a card.

I used the SU Stampin-ma-jig to ensure that the Warm Wishes sentiment was precisely where I wanted it to be. An SU demo in America recommended the Stampin-ma-jig to me... I wouldn't have thought of buying it otherwise. It's great as you can line up images and ensure that they dovetail or, in the case of this sentiment, ensure that they are not "squint"!

Bonjour

Another card created using the Carte Postale stamp set. The card is a square card creating from Whisper White cardstock; I then cut off about 1 inch from the front panel and rounded the corners of the front of the card.

I made the front placement separately and rounded the corners on both sections (one uses Whisper White cardstock and the other uses Ruby Red cardstock). I stamped the background card with the Polka Dot background stamp using Basic Black ink. The floral motifs on the frotn panel were stamped with Sage Shadow ink. The black gingham ribbon is SU ribbon and the red/white dot ribbon is a scrap of third party ribbon which I found on my desk (!). There's Dazzling Diamonds glitter around the floral circle.

Punches: 1 1/4 inch circle punch and scallop punch.

Small Heart

This card was made using a Whisper White "Love Note" (mini SU card), the Happy Hearts stamp set, the Polka Dot background, the 1 inch circle punch and the scallop punch. Colours: Whisper White and Ruby Red. Ribbon: red gingham. I daubed Ruby Red ink over the card background after stamping with the Polka Dot background stamp - a nice effect, which completely changed the look of the card.

Cheers to You!

This is a card made with the new Cheers to You set, which is not available in the US. I really like this set; it's very versatile.

Colours: Only Orange; Rose Red; Certainly Celery. Ribbon: Certainly Celery.

Perfect Presents

A card made with the "Perfect Presents" stamp set (which is featured in Crafts Beautiful magazine this month). I'm really pleased we can buy this set in the UK; in the US, it's a hostess set only! I think it's pretty good value, to be honest, at less than £25 for 11 stamps (some of which are fairly big). When you compare those prices with Hero Arts and Penny Black etc - two ranges which I love and which are good quality too - it's pretty good value.

There's glitter around the white card which the tree is stamped on and also around the white "Dec 25" punched circle. I used the 1 inch circle punch.

I'm impressed with the SU Whisper White cardstock; it's really smooth and yet takes ink really well. I haven't encountered anything even remotely similar from other ranges. You'd think the ink would smudge as it feels almost glossy. Interesting!

Find Joy

Another card, this time using the Polka Dots & Paisley stamp set and the co-ordinating Petals jumbo wheel. The colours are Sage Shadow and Perfect Plum. The metal spiral is from the Hodgepodge Hardware embellishments set. The scallop punch which I've used for the central image is not the SU scallop punch... I've ordered one, but it's still in transit! I've applied Dazzling Diamonds around the edge of the scallop.

More Leaves

Another card using the Carte Postale stamp set and the Leaves a la Carte wheel.

It is incredibly cold in Scotland this morning. I think this is probably the coldest day we've had thus far this year. It really feels like winter!

Background Leaves

This card was made using the Carte Postale stamp set and the Leaves a la Carte jumbo wheel. The inks used were Basic Black and Old Olive. Dazzling Diamonds was applied to the central motif, which makes it really pretty in the flesh, although it is not visible in the photo. The central motif is also raised with Dimensionals.

It's here!

My demo kit arrived yesterday, so I'm "raring to go"! I am in the process of creating some card samples etc which I'll post to this blog as soon as I can.

As an introductory offer, I am offering copies of the new UK catalogue for £5 inclusive of postage for a short time. (The official catalogue price is £5.95). Please contact me if you are interested in receiving a copy. In addition, it is possible to view the catalogue online via the Stampin' Up website (http://www.stampinup.com/ - click on the "global" section and choose "UK" and "view catalogue"). If you would like to order, I also accept payment by PayPal. Please contact me for more information.

Waiting...

Well... I'm waiting for my "demo kit" to arrive - it should be here by the end of this week, with any luck. The European distribution warehouse is in Germany, so we've yet to see how long it will take for orders to reach us in the UK. Thereafter, I'm hoping to place my first official order! I need some more cardstock and ink pads etc to make "colour themed" samples. I love the fact that SU gives you the opportunity to colour-coordinate things; I think that is one of the biggest selling points.

There's an excellent two page "special" in this month's Crafts Beautiful magazine which exclusively uses SU Christmas products. I like the samples they've produced.

First Post!

Welcome to my Stampin' Up! UK blog... I have another personal blog, but I thought I'd create a separate one solely for my Stampin' Up! samples etc. SU opens in the UK on 15th November, so I'm getting prepared in advance. I'll be signing up as a demonstrator shortly.