Clear out! Grab a bargain!

Hi everyone! Just a quick post this morning to let you all know I'm having a long overdue clear out! 

There's a  few items listed on eBay and I'm planning to add more and more as the clear out continues...

So pop over and grab yourself a bargain! 

I do combine postage if you'd like to buy more than one items and I'm happy for local people to collect! 

Here's a link to one of the listings, to see more just click on my user name then 'Items for sale' and the other items will come up.

http://bit.ly/1lwskav

Happy bidding :-)

Nicci 

XOXO

Bobble baby blanket

I'm going to be an Aunty again! 

And it's a pink one :-) so what could be better than a pink baby blanket? A pink bobble baby blanket!

I've really enjoyed making this. It's a little time consuming but so relaxing to work on.

And here's a work in progress picture:

I just love those bobbles! I'm almost finished. Once this one is completed I plan to use the same pattern with a baby pink wool and add a light grey frill all around the edges.

Nicci

XOXO

New Beginnings

I'm not even sure anyone comes to my blog anymore... But I've made the decision to start posting/blogging again.

A lot of things have changed since my last post, and I'm very confident to say they have been for the better. This is mainly thanks to my amazing family and friends - both physical and virtual. A big thank you is also long over due to the kind people who commented on my blog; a few of which I've never spoken to or met before. Over the past few months I've spent some time reminiscing of my days as a Stampin' Up! demo, of crafting and of the days of blogging. I would read over all the kind comments left when I was going through a very dark time, the compassion and encouragement from other likeminded creatives really held to build my confidence back up.

Sadly, I am no longer a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. Nor do I craft any more (although I still have my stash - obvs). I'm sure I'll be back in my craft room again soon, it's just a case of finding time and getting my mojo back!

Ok, that's great and all but why am I going to start blogging again? - I hear you all wonder!

I've developed a deep, passionate obsession with.... Wool! And hooks, and patterns, and... CROCHET!

Yes. I'm hooked (pardon the pun) on crochet. I love it! And I figured that even if nobody visits here anymore it will serve as some sort of diary and log of my new life chaining and bobbling!

Now, it's just occurred to me that if I'm not even sure that people will visit me here, yet I'm still babbling on, that technically counts as me talking to myself. So I'll leave it there - for now.

Hello?

Hi everyone,

I feel I need to explain why I've been so quiet here for the past 8 months.

A lot of things have been happening in my personal life that I wont go into right now but I think it's fair to say it knocked me for six. Completely threw my life upside down.

I haven't crafted in 4 months now. This may sound strange as that is the first thing most people do when things get hard - it used to be for me too.

I suppose I just wanted to forget about everything, I would spend most of my time in bed.
I really didn't have the energy or drive to do anything, even the thing I loved most of all.

But anyway, I'm getting better. I have a lot of great friends and family around me which I'm so grateful for. They have got me through this and even have me itching to craft!

But right now I just sit at my desk and don't know where to begin, it's like starting all over again.

I'm not going to make empty promises about updating my blog every week because I don't think I'm there yet. Hopefully I will be soon, but somehow my drive has gone.

I am still an active demo, thank you all so much for your loyalty. This is what makes me want to do my 'thing' again.

Sorry for the long depressing post but thought you at least deserved an update and to know I haven't vanished off the face of the earth (although at times I wish I had!)

Hopefully I will see you all again soon

Take care
xxxx

I'm stil here...

Hi everyone, hope you had a lovely Christmas.

Sorry for being MIA lately, things are still pretty rough here and I'm finding it hard to stay motivated so will be taking some time out to re-charge.

I am still here though! And even if I'm not blogging you can still get in touch : craftychick001@yahoo.co.uk - especially with a very important Stampin' Up! event starting tomorrow... eek!

I wanted to share a fun little project I cased from the current Stampin' Up! catalogue which is the cutlery pouch. So fun and surprisingly easy to make.

It would be fun to have on the table for any up coming festivities.

I will be back tomorrow to kick start that special event !

Thanks for stopping by,
take care.
x

Want to Sale-A-Brate with me?

Afternoon! Told you I'd be back
(Lol, how many of you had bets I'd forget??)

How could I not come back to tell you about this fantastic offer from Stampin' Up!
This has got to be one of my favourite promotions because it includes one of my favourite things....
FREE STAMP SETS!!

Yay!


Click on the picture about to download the leaflet.

Want to have a closer look at these free sets then?

Here they are!!


This one is called Punch Bunch.

Something Stampin' Up! do so well is coordinating stamp sets with punches...
and you may notice there is that owl there... I can confirm we are getting the punch in April!

This one is called So Happy For You.

Lovely sentiments in a versatile font with some little motifs in there too!

This one is called Bliss.

Isn't it gorgeous? So so pretty, I can think of all sorts of projects to use this on.

This one is called Sweet Summer.

Love this set, and I was lucky enough to get my hands on these stamps early so have already had a play!

Now, if you download the flyer these cards may look familiar!

I loved case-ing them, and the colours are delicious.

Really lovely stamps, once I started I couldn't stop and duplicated them again and again.

So, which one if your favourite?

Want to know how you can get your inky little hands on them?

Well, there are a few ways to use this promotion to get FREE stuff so read on!

** This promotion runs from today until the 28th of February **

The most common way to get the free stamps is to place an order for £45 worth of crafty product. For every £45 you spend, you get a free set of your choice! So it isn't capped. You could receive all 4 of them with the one order if you really wanted :)

Contact me today and I'd be more than happy to get these off to you.
07792457463 or craftychick001@yahoo.co.uk

You can also host a Stampin' Up! party, if the product sales are £300 or more you will also receive a sale-a-bration set AS WELL as the normal hostess benefits!

Contact me today to book your very own party.

And there's one more way you can take advantage of this fantastic promotion... Become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and from now until the 28th of February you can choose any stamp set from the current idea book and catalogue! What a great way to start your business.

For more information or for a chat please don't hesitate to contact me.

I look forward to welcoming you to the Sparkly Stampers!

Thanks for stopping by,
take care.
x

Xmas tag

Morning everyone, hope you're all well.

Just a quick post to share a tag I've made and intend to duplicate for my gift wrapping.

It's really simple, just a Crumb Cake base, some scraps of DSP and ribbon. The sentiment is from the Level 3 Occasional Quotes set.

And on a personal note, still not feeling 100% but hopefully I'll be back to normal soon - after all, the Liverpool/Wirral demo's are meeting up tomorrow for a takeaway/Christmas Crafty/Secret Santa night so must be on form :D

Thanks for stopping by,
take care.
x

Just believe watercolour

Hi all, hope you're having a good day so far.

Sorry for not updating recently, it's been a tough couple of weeks with a few things taking my attention away from crafting and to be honest I've not really felt like doing anything never mind making a card (haven't started on my Christmas cards yet and don't really want to think about them!)

Things are getting a bit too much and I need a break.
Hopefully I will be back crafting and blogging soon.

Here's a card I've been meaning to show you, it's using the watercolour paper and Just Believe stamp set. Again, it is inspired by the fabulous Monica. Whenever I lose my mojo I pop over to a few of my fellow Stampin' Up! demo's blog and they are sure to kick start it.

I coloured the stamp in with my markers and sprayed with water, then stamped onto the watercolour paper.

Hope you like it and sorry for the downer, I'm sure I'll be back to normal soon.

Thanks for stopping by,
take care.
x

A blog award :)

A big thank you to the lovely Deborah for nominating me!

So, the rules when accepting this award is to list three things that make me different... I'll have to think about this!

1. I'm a qualified Make-up Artist and Nail Technician. I worked on a few short films before deciding it wasn't for me (I don't like standing in the cold for too long haha)

2. I have a lonnnnng tongue! I can do the Mexican Wave, touch my nose and even touch my elbow (with said long tongue) although it's supposed to be impossible... go on... try it!

3. I'm a Stampin' Up! demo, does that count?? And I loves it :) xx

Wow, that took a while! Ok, so now on to chosing 5 others to pass the award onto... this may take even longer.

In no particular order:

1. Linda

2. Carole

3. Jo

4. Kim

5. Alex

Go check out their blogs, they are some seriously talented ladies there.

Thanks for stopping by,
take care.
x

Simple butterfly

Hi everyone, hope you've had a nice week so far.

Yesterday was my Nan's funeral, it was a lovely service.

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who left a comment on my last post :)

I wanted to share a simple butterfly card I made recently with one of the Level one hostess sets called Punch Potpourri. The flowers on the background are stamped in my new favourite-est colour Sahara Sand, I've been through 3 pack of A4 card stock already haha.

The butterfly is also in the hostess set and is stamped in Peach Parfait.

This hostess set is so lovely, and matches our Butterfly, Boho Blossoms and 2 Step Bird punches!

Hope you like it,

Thanks for stopping by,
take care.
x

Sad weekend.

Hi everyone,

This may be a bit of a downer post so feel free to skip this :)

It's been a bit of a sad weekend here. You may remember from my last post that I mentioned it was my nan's 93rd birthday on Sunday.

It was also the day she passed away - without any warning.

It was such a shock, we were getting ready to go see her and celebrate when my Auntie from London called my dad to say she had spoken to my Nan and she didn't sound herself.

Now, my nan lived on her own without a stair lift, without any outside help. She didn't even have a walking stick or hearing aid, we were all so inspired by how she got on with life.

My Dad called Nan to see how she was, she said she didn't feel too good and was getting a bit dizzy, so they called an ambulance and my dad went to meet her at the hospital with his other sister whilst my Auntie from London decided to drive up to Liverpool.

My dad kept us informed, we were told her blood pressure was low, and she was having some difficulties breathing. We expected her to bounce back like she always did.

Within 2 hours she had passed away.

I never got to give her her birthday card, I hope she would have liked it.


Love you Nan, R.I.P xxx

Sorry for a down post, hopefully I'll be back soon with some nice things to share, but they say it's good to get things off your chest - and I know you lot are good listeners :)

Thanks for stopping by,
take care.
x

Some thank you gifts...

Phew! I go away for a few days and I fall behind on everything!

So this week I've been chasing my tail again, I will get round to sharing pictures from convention soon I promise!

Today I wanted to share a thank you card and gift I made for Monica and Natalie who organised a Pre Convention Party on the Thursday night.

It was so lovely, we even got a goodie bag!

So I thought that one of these each was the least I could do, I can't begin to imagine how much preparation went into organising it.

I love the Thanks so much stamp, it's available as a single stamp and I've used it so much already.

The brown paper is actually what our Stampin' Up! order boxes are stuffed with!

So useful, I normally iron it to take out the creases but I quite like the crinkle effect (It has the Flower Accent stamp inked with Crumb Cake on to it) I also scrunched the thank you 'tag' and used the new Spritzer tool to add ink 'splodges' - love love LOVE this new tool!

I hope to be back soon with more pictures, I have a jam packed weekend - it's my nan's 93rd birthday on Sunday :)

Thanks for stopping by,
take care.
x

I'm back!

From another Stampin' Up! convention.

I have had the most amazing few days, seriously, all the other Stampin' Up! demo's are amazingly talented and so very kind and warm hearted.

I can't wait for next year, it's in..... Disney Land Paris!!!

Oh my gosh, when they announced it on the last day there was an uproar of applause and cheers.
How exciting!

Would you like to join me there and soak up all the creativity and friendliness? Contact me today for more information : craftychick001@yahoo.co.uk

Ok, so onto some crafty gifts I said I'd share.

I made 3 of these little french fry boxes, they are filled with chocolate truffles (not all of them found their way into the cello bag though, hehe)

The box itself is made with Crumb Cake card stock (Formally known as kraft) with a strip of Blushing Bride and some gorgeous Pear Pizzazz ribbon.

I love that ribbon, and you get so much on a reel.
I have them in all the In Colours ! Yum.

And of course, I had to finish the little bottle off with a coordinating piece of ribbon.

At convention we received so many freebies, from stamp sets to bags!
And we were also let in on a few secrets... that's the beauty of being a demo :)

Oh, and I won prize patrol!! I will share some photos of the weekend with you soon.

Thanks for stopping by,
take care.
x

Convention gifts

Morning!

This is another scheduled post as I'm still in London enjoying time with my Stampin' Up! friends.

I wanted to share the gifts I've made for my downline, Linda, who is attending Convention with me.

First up is a notebook for her to jot down anything over the weekend. I love that Marina Mist ribbon!

I included a little pocket for the pen so it can't be lost! (Or that's the plan..)

It even has her name on the front!

Now some supplies to get her through the day.

Water, Tic Tacs and Lip balm. What more could a girl need? Haha

I cracked open my new spritzer to use on this. Love that tool, can you see the splatters?

I also made her a little French Fry box with Crumb Cake, filled with yummy truffles. (Not pictured here, but will post it soon)

I popped them all into this little brown bag for her.

Dressed up with the same Marina Mist ribbon as Linda's notebook, some Flower Accents and jewelled brads.

Hope you like!

I should be back soon with photos from the weekend.

Thanks for stopping by,
take care.
x

Some Swaps

Morning everyone,

This is a scheduled post.

I'm guessing by now I'd have swapped all these out so no worries about them being spied and ruining the surprise :)

I've made 150 in total.

Would have loved to do more but in all fairness, I don't think I'll need more than 150 samples back!

They are very simple, I think that's the key when making in bulk.

This one is using up some scrap strips of card and ribbon. I then used the Thanks sentiment from Perfect Punches in Crumb Cake and punched out with the scallop oval punch.

I added a bit of faux stitching to the strips using my mat pack and white gel pen.

For this one I inked up my Sparkling Jumbo wheel in Crumb Cake and rolled it onto Crumb Cake card to give a subtle finish.

I stamped the little reindeer from Sparkly & Bright in Chocolate Chip, coloured in his nose with my Real Red marker and punched him out with the 1 3/8" circle punch.

The sentiment at the bottom is from Contempo Christmas.

I think this one is my fave!

The card base in Melon Mambo, the butterfly is stamped in Old Olive.

The butterfly and sentiment are from Butterfly Prints. Love this set.

I punched a 1 1/4" circle out of the base and placed my butterfly to one side, then finished off with some faux stitching.

And Dasher! I love this little fella.

He is stamped in Riding Hood Red, I punched some Chocolate Chip strips (which I had left over from a previous project) with the scallop border trim punch.

I matted it onto some Baja Breeze and I just love the contrast.

The little sentiment is from Tiny Tags.

Hope you like them!

When I get home I will share some of the swaps I received at Convention.

Thanks for stopping by,
take care.
x

The waiting is finally over!

In just a few short hours I will be setting off with Keren, Vicki and Linda, my wonderful Stampin' Up! demo friends, on our way to London Baby!!

I'm all ready, swaps and all. I'm too excited for words. Last year was so much fun!

Ok, so I can't really share my swaps or any of my gifts I've made as I don't want to ruin the surprise but I do have some posts scheduled so watch this space.

I shall leave you today with a card I made recently with the Artistic Etchings set.
I got the inspiration for this card from Monica :)

And I just love that scallop border trim punch, don't you? So elegant.

I don't think you can tell from the picture but I've sprayed it with some Shimmer mist (Shimmer paint mixed with rubbing alcohol. Makes it so sparkly!)

Well, I'm gonna go back and check my list to make sure I've not left anything!

Thanks for stopping by,
take care.
x

Another Promotion? Yes please!

Good afternoon!

I'm getting ever so excited for Thursday as that is when I will be setting off with 3 lovely demo friends to London for Stampin' Up!'s 2010 European Convention!

It is gonna be soooo much fun, we had a ball last year and I can't wait to see my many friends I have made whilst being a demo again. I will be taking plenty of pictures and will share once I'm back.

But before all that, Stampin' Up! have just announced a wonderful promotion called Bundle Up For Christmas... Yay!!

You can get FREE ribbon whenever you purchase one of the exclusive bundles.

You all know how much I love my ribbons! These ribbons would be ideal for decorating your Christmas Cards and Packages and it’s even better that they are my favourite price... FREE!

So what can we get?

They include some products that are exclusive to the offer... Ooooo!
Here are the ribbons, you can choose one of these with every order for one of the following bundles between now and 29th December:

Just look at them! Soooooo yummy!
And remember, they are not available for purchase separately so get them with the bundles while you can.

Have you got a favourite yet? I don't think I can choose!
What are in these bundles?

The Gifted Bundle: Gifted Stamp Set and a pack of Jolly Holiday Designer Series papers. £35.70 in Wood Mount and £30.70 in Clear Mount

The Welcome Christmas Bundle: Welcome Christmas Stamp Set and Christmas Cocoa Speciality Designer Series Paper. £36.90 in Wood Mount and £31.90 in Clear Mount. This Designer Series Paper is only available as part of this bundle and only while stocks last!

The Season of Joy Bundle: Season of Joy Stamp Set and So Swirly Stampin’ Around Wheel. £36.45 Wood Mount only

The Delightful Decorations Bundle: Delightful Decorations Stamp Set and the Ornament Punch £37.45 Wood Mount only.

How exciting!

Contact me on craftychick001@yahoo.co.uk to place your orders, these bundles are only available while stocks last so don't leave it too long! (Plus, you'll want them to make your Christmas goodies won't you!)

I will leave you today with a little creation I plan on decorating my tree with this year.

This is using Contempo Christmas and the Ornament punch but you can get Delightful Decorations with the Ornament punch as a bundle and get your free ribbon!

I've stamped and punched out 4 bauble images, folded them in half and adhered them together to form a 3d ornament.

Before I stuck the last edge down, I inserted some Stampin' Up! Elastic Cord (held down with Tombow) and then stuck the edges down. How cute is this!

Oh, and before you go:

Thanks for stopping by,
take care.
x

Dare I say it?

Christmas is approaching fast!

I haven't even thought about Christmas presents yet, have you? I know people who have completed their shopping and just have the wrapping left... Argh!

I haven't planned my cards for this year yet but found one of the cards I made last year which was so quick and easy to make.

They are perfect for mass-producing!


I even used Crystal Effects on his nose! He's a little cutie.

Anyway, I want to share a new service which I am offering. I hope it will help you or your friends & family when it comes to buying presents all year round.

Stampin' Up! Wishlist service.

What do I need to do?

All you have to do is e-mail me with a request for a form and I'll e-mail it out to you.

How does it work?

Once you received your e-mail Wishlist, just print it out.
It will consist of a 'List' and a contact sheet. You fill our your list and either e-mail or post it back to me. You can then distribute my contact details among your friends and family for them to contact me when buying you a gift.

What are the benefits?

It helps the gift giver to purchase a gift which is chosen by you, although you wont know what they have chosen so it will remain a lovely surprise.

There will also be the option of a gift wrapping service too which makes it that bit easier!

If you want any more information please don't hesitate to contact me and I can answer any of your questions.

Thanks for stopping by,
take care.
x

Exciting news!

I've spent most of the day with my little sister helping her move into her new house, I was mainly the baby entertainer and I can't complain...

Just look at this face!

He's such a sweetie :)

Anyway, the exciting news is that I can now accept credit cards for Stampin' Up! orders!

How fab is that?

You won't have to worry about bringing enough money, remembering the cheque book or even having to send your cheque onto me then waiting for it to clear (So you'll get your goodies even quicker haha!)

Hopefully this will make everything that bit easier.

If you would like to book a workshop or just place an order e-mail me :
craftychick001@yahoo.co.uk

I still have a few dates available, I'd love to be able to help you earn exclusive stamp sets that cannot be bought and free spends in the catalogue.

Workshops are great fun and aren't hard work at all, I love my job!

Thanks for stopping by,
take care.
x

Ooopps!

Sorry! It's kind of still Monday... as I haven't been asleep lol.

How did it get to 1:30am??

Anyway, as promised I am going to announce the winner of the raffle prize from my launch party on Saturday.

Three lovely ladies qualified on the day and two others placed orders over £40 so also received a strip of raffle tickets.

I wondered on which way would be best to draw the winner ...

So I laid out all of the strips and used Random.org to generate a number from 1 to 25.

It picked number 16 which was Jo.

Congratulations Jo!!

Those lovely Stampin' Up! goodies are all yours. I will be in touch soon.

Thank you to everyone who placed orders, I'm sure you're going to love playing with your new stash when it arrives. If you get a chance I would love to see what you create with it.

Right, I best get off to bed. I'm helping my little sister move into her new house tomorrow/today and need to be up for 6:30am haha.

Thanks for stopping by,
take care.
x