Friday 30 May 2014

Exciting news: the Retirement List is here and you can join my team for less!!

Wow! So much is going on with Stampin' Up! at the moment, retirement lists have been launched today, Project Life is just around the corner AND you can join my team for as little as £50 at the moment... where do I begin?!! Eeek!
 
Think I will start here:
 
RETIREMENT LIST:
 
With a new Annual Catalogue about to launch at the start of July 2014, there will be a huge amount of lovely new Stampin' Up! goodies coming with it - but, to make room for all those brand new spangly things that are on the horizon, we must first say goodbye to some current products...
 
This is where the Retirement List comes in. This is a list (well, strictly speaking two lists) of all the stamp sets and accessories that will be discontinued (or, "retired") to make way for the new products... The goodies on this retirement list are on a limited stock, only while it lasts, basis - so once they are all sold, they are gone for good... Needless to say that things will sell out fast - especially the 2012-2014 In Color items and certain punches etc. I should imagine.
 
So, if you want to get any items that appear on the list, do so QUICKLY - to avoid disappointment... Click on the photo to go straight to my online shop where you can see what is on the retirement list and place your order:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/lucytustian/

 
They WILL sell out and fast, so don't hang around - once they are gone, they are gone! I would urge you to buy items you like that are on the retiring list sooner rather than later - and I would suggest you buy them via my online shop, to prevent any disappointment from a delay in getting your list to me via email or phone call, me placing the order and then me finding out by then that the items have sold out.
 
Remember, if you order online from me before 6th June 2014 and use the hostess code H2DZVX6U, I will give you a free gift as a thank you. (N.B. this is an offer from me, personally, not from Stampin' Up!)
 
Also, if you order before the end of 31st May and spend £60 you will get a free photopolymer stamp set too (as long as they haven't sold out by then, either!) If you have any problems or queries, please do not hesitate to ask me and I will be happy to help :O)
 
You can also click on this link to go to my online shop:
 
 
 
SPECIAL OFFER TO JOIN MY TEAM:
 

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/lucytustian/
 
 
For a very limited time, you can join my team for only £50. Your starter kit will include up to £55's worth of products, plus the usual business pack of catalogues, order forms etc worth an additional £45. This offer runs out on 30th June. During the offer period, you can still, if you prefer, choose to join with the regular £99 starter kit (which gives you £130 worth of products, plus the usual business pack).
 
If you join before the end of June you will be able to order sneak-peek products from the new Annual Catalogue too and see them before regular customers will. Click the picture above to get more information, or contact me and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have! Clicking on the "join the fun" tab on my online shop will also give you more information about joining and becoming a demonstrator, too!
 
 
STAMPIN' UP! MEETS PROJECT LIFE:
 
I am sure, that by now, you will have heard the exciting news that Stampin' Up! have joined forces with Becky Higgins and will be offering exclusive Stampin' Up! Project Life products which will make scrapbooking easier, faster and in the co-ordinated colourful way that Stampin' Up! does best. Some of these #PLxSU products will be launched for sale ahead of the main Annual Catalogue on, I believe, the 10th June. 
 
For those of you who don't know, or who haven't heard about Project Life, it is a really quick way of documenting your life and memories in special, scrapbook pages that have divided pockets for your photographs (and other memorabilia) to be easily and quickly slotted into. Thus, it's all about spending more of your time making memories and less time scrapbooking them!
 
Recently, I was honoured and delighted to be asked, by Stampin' Up! Europe, to do a Creative Presentation using some of these Stampin' Up! Project Life products (such as stamps, pages, journalling cards etc etc) as a top secret, sneak peek presentation, on stage, in front of 360+ excited UK demonstrators at the UK Regional Training Day in Telford a few weeks ago!
 
Until today, I have not been allowed to show you any of the things that I made for the presentation, but, as the demonstrator pre-order for the selected Project Life products began today, I am delighted to say that  I am now allowed to show them! It has been REALLY hard not to let the cat out of the bag, as I have absolutely fallen in love with the products and their versatility! There are many uses for all the Stampin' Up! Project Life products - not just the originally-intended album pages - and because the journalling cards all coordinate perfectly with the Stampin' Up! colours (and cardstock, papers, ribbons, inks, embellishments etc etc.) the possibilities are pretty much endless: greeting cards, gift-wrapping, home decor and organisation etc. are just some ideas for #PLxSU items!
 
Here is just one page layout that I made for the presentation:
 
 
http://paperglassstitch.blogspot.co.uk #PLxSU Lucy Tustian
 
 
I am passionate about plants and I love to take photographs of beautiful flowers.  The happy colours of these gorgeous Spring flowers just cried out to be matched with the colours of the words on this inspirational quote on one of the  Everyday Events journalling cards. I used cardstock in those same colours (Coastal Cabana, Crushed Curry, Strawberry Slush and Tangerine Tango) as mats, behind the larger photographs. It was so quick to make - in fact, I think it took much longer for me to print the photographs from my laptop, than it did to complete the entire layout! It is so much fun and very satisfying producing layouts like these so effortlessly. In fact, choosing which photos to use, was my hardest task for the presentation - the rest was a doddle!!
 
Please come back over the next few days, as I will be showing you many more photographs of my #PLxSU presentation projects - including more page layouts, several greetings cards, a mini envelope album, a wedding album and a cute peg organiser idea too! I will also be giving you some top tips that I have learnt whilst making these projects, so that  you can get the most out of your Stampin' Up! Project Life goodies;  but,  for now, I think there's more than enough information here for you to digest already!
 
Don't forget to pop over to my online shop to grab yourself some of those fantastic retiring products before they all go... I don't want you to miss out on any crafting products that you have your heart set on... Go!  Go now!! ;O)
 
Until next time, happy crafting everyone!
 
Lucy xx
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sunday 4 May 2014

EXPLODING STARS BIRTHDAY POP-UP-BOX-CARD & CCC #031

Hey Crafters!
 
Thought I'd share a very special birthday card with you today - I made it for my eldest niece who turned 11 recently. It was my first attempt at a "pop up box card" - which is a card style which seems to be very hot trend in the paper-crafting world at the moment!
 
The colours were inspired by the colours of her bedroom, which are red, gold and yellow and I decided that stars were more appropriate for my niece than flowers might be.

Here is the card:

 
 
I wanted it to look like the stars were bursting out of the card in a joyous explosion of celebration! The card was definitely a "labour of love", as apart from the smallest stars, which I punched out, all the other stars had to be fussy-cut, by hand, with my trusty Paper Snips (what would I do without those little essential crafting beauties, hey??!!) - but, it was very therapeutic nonetheless!



 
I stamped the patterned stars using the fabulous Simply Stars stamp set in Real Red and Daffodil Delight ink on Whisper White Cardstock. Some of the smaller stars were punched out using the little star punch from the Merry Minis Punch Pack (order ref = 126882, which was carried over from last year's Holiday Mini Catalogue). I punched them out of the Red Glimmer Paper, Daffodil Delight Cardstock, the Gold Foil Sheets and also the much-overlooked-but-fabulous Brushed Gold cardstock. I really must use that more often, as it is so nice and gives a lovely, subtle, gold sheen to your projects... 
 

You can just about make out in these photographs (above and below), that the stars are stuck to little strips of Window Sheet: Stampin' Up!'s more sturdy equivalent of acetate sheets. I found that the Tombow Multipurpose Liquid Glue and the Mini Glue Dots were the best adhesives to use for gluing on the stars to the Window Sheet strips and the strips to the box support struts etc. The Tombow allows a little "wiggle time" to get the shapes in the right positions, but does take a little longer to dry than when gluing two pieces of cardstock together - so you need to be a little patient with it!
 
Another top tip is to glue all the decorations onto the card support struts before you stick the struts inside the box of the card! You can of course add a few more stars and things after they are in the box, if you discover any gaps that need filling with more things. This is one card design where less is definitely not more! Excess is best! ;O)
 

 
I thought the polka dotted stars echoed the lovely Real Red Polka Dot Parade Designer Series Paper (DSP) that I had used to decorate the card flaps and panels - this is such a versatile set of papers and I used both sides of the sheets on the card. I have used this DSP a LOT. The Happy Birthday comes from the Label Something Stamp Set and I punched it out using the Artisan Label Punch. I punched a second one out of Gold Foil Sheet, cut it in half and stuck the two pieces to the back of the Birthday one, to give the greeting label an extra border. This is a great trick to make your punched shapes "pop" on a card or gift tag.
 
I glued an extra layer of Real Red Cardstock, Gold Foil Sheet and then Whisper White cardstock (stamped with more stars), onto the back panel of the card base in order to add stability and provide a space for writing my message onto. (See picture below:)
 
I also attached a few small stars to the flaps of the card base, to make it look like the stars had exploded out of the card and landed on them! Some I glued flat onto the card with my most-used crafting tool: the Tombow Multipurpose Liquid Glue, and others I popped onto a Stampin' Dimensional to add a little bit of height.
 
 
As you can see below, I got a little bit carried away with adding the exploding stars and several of them poked outside the card base when the card was folded flat, ready for posting... So much so, that the card didn't fit in the standard C6 envelope that I had originally planned to use - Oops!! BUT, luckily this didn't matter a jot, as I had my extremely useful Envelope Punch Board to hand and I was able to make  an extra-special envelope from some more of the Polka Dot Parade DSP! Phew! Thank the stars (no pun intended!) for the Envelope Punch Board, eh?!
 


Here is the envelope I made, along with it's belly band which I made using the Daffodil Delight colourway of the same Polka Dot Parade DSP - the "just for you" stamp is from the Label Love Stamp Set and again uses the Artisan Label Punch and the little star punch from the Merry Minis Punch Pack - is it just me, or, does it remind you somehow of Wonder Woman's headband?!  No? OK, just me then!! Ahem...
 

 
My niece had asked for money for her birthday so that she could go on a "girly shopping day with just Mummy"- gosh how grown up is she getting - it hardly seems like yesterday that my sister announced she was expecting and now my niece is ELEVEN!! (Gulp! Am getting old! LOL!!) The smaller, yellow envelope is what I put her birthday money into and uses the same Daffodil Delight and Real Red Polka Dot Parade DSP, the Artisan Label Punch and the "To:/From:" label comes from the Label Love Stamp Set...
 

 
I thought the back of the belly band on the large red envelope looked a little plain, compared to the front, so, I glued a left-over Red Glimmer Paper star for a little bit of extra bling/interest!
 

 
This last photo is a close up of the front of the belly band showing the "Wonder Woman" style label and also illustrates the sparkle and glimmer of the red and gold little stars. It always amazes me how even a teeny bit of the glimmer paper can add such a lot of sparkle and glamour to a hand made project - and a little goes a long way, so it is great value for money too!
 
 
 
Hope you have liked today's project? In my monthly card-making classes this month (May 2014) we are making similar  pop-up-box-cards - using slightly different dimensions for the card base, different stamp sets/punches and different colours - last week's class was great fun - I am very much looking forward to the repeated, evening class towards the end of the month too, now!  I know that this will definitely NOT be the last of this style of card that I make - as they are great fun to construct and are such a "wow" card for any occasion as well!
 
 
 
Don't forget that all of the supplies used on today's project can be bought from my online shop (click here!) or by contacting me directly if you prefer.
 
Anyone who places an online order with me before the 29th May 2014 using the hostess code VRSJWE3R on their order will get a little thank you gift from me in the snail-mail post, too (as long as you don't click the "no contact" button - which will mean I don't have access to your contact details and will therefore be unable to get your gift to you!). N.B.: If your order is for £150 or more, don't use this hostess code for your order or you won't qualify for your "Stampin' Rewards"!
 
Oh and don't forget that during May there is a special offer to receive a free exclusive brand new Photopolymer Stamp set, for all orders of at least £60/75€, while stocks last- see my online shop for details! They are all rather fabby, I must say! :O)
 
Well, that's it from me today, I really hope you are inspired to make your own Pop Up Box Card now? I am entering this card into the Catherine & Cathy Create "Starlight, Star Bright" Blog Challenge. seeing as they wanted to see projects using stars on them - I think this card qualifies, don't you?! It is definitely very starry! Hehe! 
 
Until next time: happy crafting!
 
Lucy xx