WHY AM I A CRAFTER - SPLITCOAST STAMPERS CREATIVE DESIGN CREW

I'm lucky to be on a great team within SU with an inspiring Upline who recently set us the task of telling "our Story".  What started our journey with Stampin' Up!

My story actually began back in 2002.  I started crafting when a friend introduced me to scrapbooking and I took to it like a duck to water.  Before that the last time I had used glue, paper, inks had been when I was in Junior School and I loved the relaxing feel I got when scrapbooking precious family memories.

In 2002 our lives changed when we moved from Hampshire in the UK to Houston Texas.  I met a neighbour who knew I scrapbooked and asked whether I had ever tried rubber stamping.  I said no and she invited me over to my very first Stampin Up demo as she was a demonstrator.  She told me I would get hooked and at the time I didn't believe her.  Well.... she was right!  I loved everything about it and the fact that here I was, someone who didn't consider myself to have a creative flair for drawing, or paper or ink and I was making art!  Stampin Up made it easier for me and I was drawn into this creative world.

Fast forward to 2005 and I returned home to the UK with all the stamps and ink I could bring!  Fast forward three more years to 2008 and Stampin Up finally came to the UK and I signed up as one of the very first demos.  Sadly, though my time with SU only lasted a year and I actually put away all my crafting tools and didn't do anything for a long time.  

In 2015 I started up a small soap company and one day whilst looking for inspiration for soap boxes I came across Sam Hammond on YouTube making boxes.  So I got out all my old SU stuff and had a go.  I found I loved it so much I contacted Sam, became a Demo again and swapped soap for paper.

Twenty years ago I had given up my career to look after my children.  When they no longer needed me and they went off to University I looked around for a part-time job.  Even with my skills no-one wanted to hire me because I had been out of the workplace for 20 plus years.  So digging deep and finding some confidence I decided I was going to try and start my own business and it was going to include Stampin Up.

It has not been easy and it still isn't but then starting a business never is.  It takes time, money, committment and yes I believe a little luck.  I am still my best customer but I have a small customer base and I am going to keep knocking on doors and building my little empire and hopefully, as it says in the movies, they will come.

One of my favourites places to hang out when I first started using SU was Splitcoast Stampers.  A great forum with a wealth of knowledge and inspiration for Stampin Up and now other stamp companies.

Imagine my delight when last month they asked me to be on their Design Team for the next few months.

Here are my projects for October:

Project one  was to be inspired by the image and I used the Jar of Love set and the flowers from Botanical Builder Framelits.

The second project was a step it up card - I used the lovely stampset Wetlands with some watercolouring in the background.

 The third project was a sketch and I turned the sketch around.  I used the set Totally Trees.

 The fourth project had to be a technique - so I used this great technique of a magic card which when it opens the sentiment is shown.
 

 All the other Design Team projects can be found on Splitcoast Stampers in the gallery here

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Crafting 

 

SPLITCOAST STAMPERS CREATIVE CREW DESIGN TEAM

Hi Crafters

Wow I've been away from blogland for a while - real life got in the way with an illness in the family and .....well you know how it is.  Crafting had to take a back seat.  Thankfully now all is well and I can get back up to speed again.

I was blown away to be invited to join the Splitcoast Stampers Creative Crew Design team - for the next four months - right up until Christmas - my favourite time for crafting.  For those of you who haven't found the wondrousness that is Splitcoast Stampers - you will find them here.  It pre-dates Pinterest by quite a number of years and for a while was the go-to place to find inspiration for Stampin' Up! and now lots of other stamp companies.  You will find every Stampin' Up! set that has ever been produced on this website.  

www.splitcoaststampers.com 



We had a number of briefs and four projects to do.  I won't put all four here today - but will keep you guessing - if that's ok.

Our first project was to use some Designer Series Paper on our card.  I gave you a sneak peek a few weeks ago:

 I used the DSP from the This Christmas Suite which is in the main catalogue. 
From our new Winter catalogue I used the Merriest Wishes bundle. This comes with the Merriest Wishes stamp set  a set of 11 rubber stamps and the Merry Tags Framelits Dies - a collection of 7 dies which co-ordinate.  I'm a sucker for reindeer at Christmas and as soon as I saw that little reindeer framelit that was me sold!

I made the ribbon using the DSP and our Envelope Punch Board. A great technique to try and really easy once you get the hang of it.  See my tutorials above to learn how to make a similar bow.

 I cut out the first Reindeer and Trees framelit in Very Vanilla and then again in the DSP and then cut out the deer and the trees and adhered them to the framelit.  The 25 is also part of this set.  A touch of basic pearls just finishes off the card.

 I hope you like the card - pop back tomorrow to see the next project for the SCS Creative Crew Design.


 

WATERCOOLER WEDNESDAY - WATER

Well its been a while Bloggers since I've posted - nearly a week!  That's because I've been busy playing with my new Christmas goodies from the 2016 Winter Catalogue and I've been having lots of fun.  I've had to remind myself that its not actually Christmas for another four months, but I am a bit of a Christmas fiend.

I always fancied having a year round Christmas shop - unheard of in the UK but I was delighted to find one when I used to live in Houston!

Anyway - on to my card which is for the Watercoolers Challenge this week - and Water tricky challenge it is (oops sorry for the pun)   its one layer - clean and simple!

I don't have a lot of stamps that could fit this bill of water apart from the little fish in the Jar of Love but I didn't really want to use him.

So I've been playing with the reflection technique with some of my Christmas cards for another challenge I'm doing, revealed later in September so I thought aha, this would fit perfectly.

I've kept it clean and simple - with only the one layer matted onto cardstock.  The trees are from one of the new Christmas Sets - Christmas Magic and the wording is from another new set - Banners For Christmas but this card doesn't really look like a Christmas card I don't think.  The trees are stamped in Early Espresso and I've used Pacific Point, Night of Navy and an old SU colour Bordering Blue for the blues.

There's a touch of Wink of Stella just on the water part and a little bit on the moons just to make them sparkle. Otherwise just ink and stamps!

As this is a clean and simple card I'm also putting it in for the Less is More challenge - their challenge found here is Blue and Brown.



 PS - did you spot my banner at the top of my blog - I'm over the moon to have been asked to join the Splitcoast Stampers Creative Crew Design Team for the next four months - my favourite time of the year too.  Starting in September.... keep coming back to see some fabulous projects from all the Crew!