About Me

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I have been a Stampin' Up Demonstrator for almost two years now, and when I signed up it was just for the starter kit and discount on products........ I never imagined it would snowball into being a business like it has. I am a new Mummy to my little boy, Isaac, who is almost four months old now. I am spending my maternity leave enjoying watch him grow up, becoming his own little person, and also trying to build my business up. Stampin' Up! have amazing products and I would love to share my crafting passion with as many people as possible. I am always putting through orders, so if you need anything, or just want some information or advise, please do not hesitate to contact me. If you want to try before you buy, then check out my classes and get booked on.

Sunday 30 September 2012

The time has come to say goodbye........

(please note - this post will remain at the top until 30 September - please scroll down for new posts)

RETIRED LIST PROMOTION


Dates: 1-30 September 2012 (or while supplies last)

Details:
 
Hundreds of stamps and accessories from the 2011–2012 catalogues are retiring, and this is your last chance to get them before they’re gone. All products are only available while supplies last, so be sure to get your orders in early! 

To view the stamp sets retiring - click HERE

To view the accessories retiring - click HERE


Things to Remember:
  • All retiring products are only available while supplies last.
    • The lists will be updated daily with availability information.
    • Because these items can go quickly, I would recommend you order fast or you may not receive all the items ordered.
    • Where possible, select a substitute item in case the original item is no longer available when your order is placed.
  • Order deadlines:
    • Sunday, 30 September 2012; 10:50 PM (GMT)
  
Contact me with any questions, or to place your order

Julie Halls
Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator
07786266722 / 01256 335270

Saturday 29 September 2012

New Catalogue - Coffee Morning

Stampin' Up! NEW 2012/2013 Catalogue Launch

 Come along to this FREE event and find out all about what's going on with Stampin' Up!!!!
 
The new catalogue is packed full of gorgeous new stamp sets, fabulous new dies and designer papers, new In Colours, and so much more.........
Come along for a fun and friendly get together with other crafty people. Bring your friends, and have a good time browsing the pages, and get a first hand look at some of the products on offer.

Event Details

10am - 1pm (drop in anytime)
NEW Catalogue Launch Coffee Morning 
Location - RG24 8TZ
 
  • Make and Take Card Project
  • Lots of lovely samples to view made with products from the new catalogue
  • Check out new catalogue products in the flesh
  • Retired Stamp Set Sale
  • Free Prize Draw to win some Stampin' Up! goodies
  • Gift bags with Stampin' Up! goodies for any Workshop bookings made on the day
  • Come talk to me about signing up as a demo - either to get great products with a discount, or to run as a business
  • Drinks and Nibbles
  • Meet other crafty people and have fun.................

Please contact me to book for this event.  
This will help me with preparing nibbles and the make and take project.


Contact me
Julie Halls - 07786266722 
craftybugjules@yahoo.co.uk

Tuesday 25 September 2012

Retiring Products Class - card 5

Hello.........

We have come to the last card from the class I rencently ran using retiring products.  

I am planning on a few posts to showcase some of the Autumn/Winter Seasonal Catalogue products over the next week, and maybe even a sneek peak or two at some 12/13 Catalogue products too........
Oh, so much new stuff...........  it's fabulous :o)

Anyway, back to this card, which has a bit of a vintage feel to it.

The card base is Basic Gray and I have teamed it with Concord Crush, one of the retiring In Colours.  The first layer has been embossed with the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder.  

The image withint the Oval Embossed Frame is from Clearly for You.  I love this stamp set and will be sad to see it go.  I really never used it enough, and now it's just too late!


The background image was stamper in Blushing Bride, another retiring In Colour, and the blackberry image (or raspberry's when red!) were inked with markers - Concord Crush and Pear Pizzazz. 

The sentiment is from Oval All (retiring) and we added some punched little flowers with a little pearl in the centre.

Finally, we added a length of Chantilly Crochet Trim.  This is another retiring item, and I have used this a lot over the past year so will really miss it.  Thankfully the Victoria Crochet Trim is sticking around :o)

So, have you seen anything on these class cards that you didn't realise was retiring???  Have you got your orders in for all of those items you have been wanting to purchase over the past year???

If the answer is no, check out the retirement lists on the right hand side of my blog and get an order in quick.  There's only a few days left and so mcuh has already sold out........

Julie x

Julie Halls
Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator
07786266722 / 01256 335270

Sunday 23 September 2012

Retiring Products Class - card 4

Wow, I can't believe I've actually managed to have a consistent week of blogging!!!  I do hope I can continue on this path, but I won't make any promises!!!!
This is card number 4 from class last weekend and features one of my favourite A la Carte stamps from the 11/12 catalogue - Triple Treat Flower.
I've teamed Peach Parfait (retiring 10/11 In Colour) with Old Olive and Whisper White, using the Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder on the background layer.  The sentiment is from Petite Pairs.


The flower was stamped twice, once in each colour, and then we used the Fancy Flower Punch on one, and the 5 Petal Flower Punch (retiring) on the other.  They were layered with Dimensionals between and finished off with a Basic pearl in the centre.
The leaves were cut with the Big Shot and Little Leaves Sizzlit.
I liked the clean and simply styling of this card.
Only one card left to show you.  I personally think I have saved the best till last as it's my favourite :o)
Julie x 
Julie Halls
Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator
07786266722 / 01256 335270

Friday 21 September 2012

Retiring Products Class – card 3

Hello!

I hope you are all having a wonderful day :o)

This is the third card from class last weekend and it showcases the oh so cute, Fox and Friends stamp set…….  I’m so sad this one is retiring as my partners surname is Fox and our first baby is due in December so I was planning on using this for some scrapbooking!  I shall be holding onto this one I think!!!

This card is a base of Baja Breeze, layered with a piece of Just Add Cake DSP.  This is a lovely, colourful pack of papers which are brilliant for kids cards.  I used the Extra Large Tag Punch (not retiring) and also the Large Tag Punch, which is retiring, to punch out some additional layers of DSP and also the stamped animals, which were layered onto a piece of Poppy Parade card.  I think this was my favourite 10/11 In Colour.  So sad to see it go :o(

The sentiment is from Oval All, another retiring stamp set.  Thankfully the ever so useful Oval Punch and Scallop Oval Punch aren’t on the retirement list :o)  I really couldn’t live without that pairing!


I added some silver brads to the sentiment before popping it onto the card with Dimensionals.  The brads are also saying goodbye this month.

If you haven’t already checked out the retiring stamps list and retiring accessories list, then do so quickly!  There are links on the right of my blog to each list.

Items are selling out at a rate of knots, so contact me to place your order so you don’t miss out

With so much retiring from the catalogue I bet you can’t wait to see what’s going to be in the new catalogue to fill in all of the gaps, and to fill all those extra pages!!!  Not long to go now…….

I’ll be back soon with the final two cards

Julie x

Julie Halls
Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator
07786266722 / 01256 335270

Wednesday 19 September 2012

Retiring Products Card Class – card 2

Hi there,

I’m back today with the second card we made in class this past weekend, having a final play with some retiring products.

I thought this card was relatively simple, and in it’s style it definitely is.  However, when it came to choosing what pieces of Designer Paper to place where on the card, well, it was a tough decision fro many…..
The Designer Paper used on this card is called Beyond the Garden.  It has some lovely bright colour combinations going on, with gorgeous floral patterns.  Pieces were punched out with the 1 1/4” Square Punch and layered onto a piece of Wild Wasabi card.


The other retiring product used was the stamp set called For Everything.  This is such a cute stamp set, with flower images, a butterfly, a bird and of course the Thanks sentiment we used.

We stamped in Basic Gray and used Blender Pens with the coloured ink pads to colour everything in.  The little flower was punched with one of the Itty Bitty Punch Pack punches, and topped with a Rhinestone.

This is a really quick and easy way of using up those scraps of Designer Paper, which we all have laying around!!!!

Back soon with number three :o)

Julie x

Julie Halls
Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator
07786266722 / 01256 335270

Monday 17 September 2012

Retiring Products Card Class – card 1

Hi everyone!
On Saturday I held a class which showcased the items retiring from the Stampin’ Up! catalogue at the end of September.  

I wanted to share with you the cards we made, and show off, just one last time, those lovely products which we are saying “farewell” to.

This first card showcases the Morning Mocha Speciality Designer Series Paper, plus the Lace Ribbon Border Punch.  I have also stamped onto the flowers using one of the images in Vintage Vogue.  The layer and top flower are Confetti Cream cardstock, which also retires (so sad about that).  The actual size of the card even lends itself to a retiring product.  Have you noticed that the medium square envelopes are outta here???


This card is a 5” x 5” base, and the non-retiring products used are the Clear Scallop Square Die, the gorgeous Vintage Brads (one of my favourite products!), and the Blossom Flower Punch.

I liked the Soft Suede / Basic Black colour combo on this card, and felt that a sentiment would be too much, though one could easily be added.
So, one card down, four more to go.  Check back later in the week for number two :o)

Julie x

Julie Halls
Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator
07786266722 / 01256 335270

Monday 10 September 2012

Stampin Up - even for the non-crafters out there!!!

Hello everyone!

I am loving the new Autumn/Winter Seasonal Catalogue, and not just because it's crammed full of stunning stamp sets, delightful designer papers packs and every so lovely embellishments galore.......... no.....I am loving it even more because of the array of products that are perfect for the non-crafters out there!!!

At Stampin' Up! training a few weekends ago, we had four lovely demonstrators each give advice on various areas to help build our business.  One of the demos said she didn't believe there were non-crafters, just people who had yet to begin crafting!  I thought this was a lovely sentiment, and actually very true.

Well, here are some of the wonderful products Stampin' Up! has on offer in this Seasonal Catalogue, to tempt those not yet crafters to get started.............

Do you love to bake, or know a friend or family member who does, well look at these gorgeous Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps - they cover three seasonal occasions and can be found on page 15


And if you wanted to get them yourself and have a go, you could even package some cookies up as Christmas gifts, perfect for friends, neighbours or work colleagues.  Stampin' Up! have made it so simple with their Season of Sweets Designer Kit also on page 15


One of the other new products that is just so useful is the 2013 Everyday Happenings Designer Calendar on page 22.
You can order the calendar pages, and also a Desktop Display Case, or order both together as a bundle and save 10%...........  who couldn't use one of these????  They would be a perfect stocking filler.


Do you love a bit of sparkle at Christmas time.  Well now you can add sparkle when you write your cards by using the new Stampin' Dazzle Markers that come in silver and gold. These are on page 19 and a bargain at just £3.25 each.


The last two items I wanted to share with you need some crafty involvement!!!
Do you take lots of pictures over the festive season, but they just stay on the camera, or on your computer once downloaded, or they get printed and sit in a pile and never get put in an album.
Well Stampin' Up! have a couple of really simply scrapbook solutions to make your pictures a real treasure to look at.

On page 21 there is the Snowflake Season Simply Scrappin' Layout Kit.  Everything you need to make a gorgeous double page spread it included, pre-cut and ready to use.  Even the layout has been designed for you so you can simply copy it.


If you are a little more adventurous, or are a more seasoned scrapper, then on page 9 there is the Merry Moments Simply Scrappin' Kit.  You get the card stock, the designer papers, plus cards stock sticker sheets to use for your journalling and embellishments.  All of the colours co-ordinate in true Stampin' Up! style, so you really can't go wrong.  
Either of these kits would make a great gift as well.


Take a look at the full Autumn/Winter Seasonal Catalogue by clicking the link on the right of my blog, or contact me if you'd like a copy of the catalogue posted to you, or if you'd like to place an order.  Delivery is direct to your door anywhere in the UK.

Julie Halls
Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator
07786266722 / 01256 335270



Thursday 6 September 2012

Scentsational Season

Well, the Stampin' Up! retirement sale is well underway, with many items already being sold out and never to be seen again!

I was very sad at the weekend when I cleared out my cupboards and drawers of all of the retiring items, though I get to have one last play with a lot of them as my September class is based on retiring items!

And I couldn't be sad for long when I had lots of lovely new items to put back in teh cupboards and drawers, plus I have a nice big order arriving on Monday, and a whole batch of NEW 2012/2013 catalogues!!!!!  It's a very exciting time!

Last Saturday saw the annual Leadership Training session that Stampin' Up! run.  Luckily for me, it was only 15 minutes up the road :o)  Being 6 months pregnant, I wouldn't have enjoyed a long car or train journey like some others had to make, but all in all, there were 84 demonstrators from all areas of the UK.  It's a fabulous chance to meet up with fellow team members and other demonstrators, and a chance to swap ideas.

I wanted to share with you the swap that I made for training which feature the Scentsational Season stamp set and co-ordinating Holiday Collection Framelit Dies.........  they make Christmas cards a complete doddle and will be featuring in my All Day Christmas Stamp a Stack event in November.


 Isn't the gingerbread man just so cute????

My base card is 4" x 4" of Lucky Limeade, with a layer of Crumb Cake which was embossed with Perfect Polka Dots.  The edges have a strip of Cherry Cobbler that I punched with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch.


The gingerbread man was stamped in Soft Suede onto Very Vanilla card, and the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes was stamped in Cherry Cobbler and punched with the Word Window Punch.

Those gorgeous papers in the background are strips cut from the new Festival of Prints DSP Stack.  I love these and will be using them a lot for my Christmas cards this year.

If I'd have had time I would have embossed my gingerbread man with the NEW Sugar and Spice Scented Embossing Powder, but alas, I didn't get to do this.

I hope the ladies I swapped with liked my creation, as I certainly had lots of lovely swaps in return.  
Once I've made some more samples with the new products I shall be re-designing my display boards which I am excited about.

Right, time for some food as all of this talk of gingerbread men is making me hungry!

Julie x