Remember me?

Gosh it has been so long since I was last here, so what have I been up to? Well I'm still making lots of stationery and samples, on the day goodies for a local hotel ( place cards, post box etc), I'm still a member of the Kanban Design Team for Aspire Crafts and am still thoroughly enjoying it, making commissioned cards and jewellery and looking after my gorgeous grandson when my daughter is at work. And I've been on holiday too!! Oh and occasionally I do housework lol 

I will update as often as I can, I think I have hundreds of cards I could show from this year alone but I won't....not all today anyway ;) We have had some fabulous kits from Kanban and there have been quite a few this year. I really enjoying making samples which are shown on Create and Craft.tv when the kits are demoed, certain shows are broadcast simultaneously to Create and Craft.com in America too.

Here are a few pictures from the Pretty In Lace kit

I'm really surprised to say that this kit is still available from Create and Craft on Flexipay!   

It's mine and hubby's wedding anniversary next Friday and I have decided to give away a tiara cos I'm feeling generous so if you or anyone you know is getting married this is what you could win :)

 It measures 5cm at the highest point at the front.

It is brand new and unused, I've just decided to give one away as I've decided to discontinue my tiaras as I'm too busy with stationery now. If you decide to enter on Facebook at Party Nights Creations please like and share my page. 

 Thanks for dropping by, back soon xx

Time flies!

As we have all said, in blog land, time flies but I really don't know where the last few months have gone. My business is still on the increase, I'm still loving being a member of the Kanban Design Team and they are still keeping us very busy making samples for the shows on Create and Craft. A couple of cards from recent kits.

This little (or not so little) fella is keeping us all busy!

He is just so adorable and I love spending time in his company. In fact there have been very few days since he was born thirteen months ago, where I haven't seen him, I'm very lucky. This last photo was taken a couple of hours ago from my sun bed (sorry to all who are experiencing a damp bank holiday Monday but we are enjoying a well earned break. Back to reality in a couple of days though ;)

See you soon x

Hugs & Kisses

Did you manage to catch Denise and Keith on the Create & Craft Kanban Weekender with the fabulous Hugs and Kisses kit? The offer finished at midnight so I hope you didn't miss out.

I have a couple more samples I made from the kit to show you. I think I made 11 samples in all and I have absolutely loads of it left. I think Keith said on the show that there were 113 pieces in the kit :)

I hope you like them.

Back soon. Take care and enjoy the rest of the day. xx

Living in a box!

Sorry about my prolonged absence but I have just been so busy and am still working between two laptops! DH bought me a new one for Christmas as my old one kept telling me I had a hard drive problem but after a couple of weeks the wifi stopped working so the only way I could get onto the internet was to use a cable. This hasn't proved to be very good as every time I moved my laptop the cable fell out. In the end I had to reinstall all my work etc back onto my old laptop so I could carry on working. After many searches of the internet and much talking with HP it has resulted in him doing a complete back up of my new laptop and reinstalling of Windows. He is now in the process of installing everything back on to the new one (and the old one still keeps shutting down on me and still has the hard drive problem!) so hopefully this week I should be back to normal. I have been missing FB messages and emails so if you have been trying to contact me then I apologise. Please leave me a message and I will get back to you asap. As well as the dicky laptop I have a dicky printer too so am having to use DH's printer at the mo to print out my work. Oh and to top it all, my mobile keeps freezing too, I have to take the battery out and leave it for a while then put it back in and reboot it. I don't know what I've done but technology and I just aren't getting along at the moment and I thought it was all supposed to make for an easier life lol

So I must have made hundreds of cards and wedding bits since I was last here! We have had a few new Kanban kits too so lots of samples have been made, which is why I'm here today. The new kit is called Hugs and Kisses and is exclusive to Create and Craft as the weekender. You get 100 pieces in total and there is a £10 saving on the normal price plus free p&p which is another saving of £2.99! The design team got the kit to play with a couple of weeks ago and have come up with loads of different samples between us. I will start my samples off by showing you two ways in which I used the die cut pop up boxes. I used one in the usual way then made a gift box with another. The nice thing about these boxes is that they are all double sided and some are foiled too, it's a lovely kit.

The remaining shows are at 2 pm, 7 pm and 9 pm today, I hope you can drop by and take a look.

Thanks for dropping by and I WILL be back tomorrow :) (I'm going to schedule my post now as my grandson is coming to stay tonight.)

Peacocks and Feathers

I can't believe that it is so long since my last blog post, so much has happened and I've been so busy I don't know where the weeks have gone! More about that later.

The Kanban design team were lucky enough to receive the latest kit for the shows on Create and Craft this weekend. We had a very tight turn around but as always the team came up trumps and managed enough between us to give Sue and Keith a good display :) It's a lovely kit with some fabulous colour combinations and very easy to work with. There are actually a couple of kits, some lovely foiled card, an A4 pad full of bows, butterflies and peacocks, ribbons and feathers, gems and much more. If you didn't catch any of the shows today (why not?!:)) there are plenty more on C & C tomorrow (unless anything sells out which is very likely) and they are at 3 am, 7 am, 11 am, 2 pm, 7 pm and 9 pm so plenty for you to get your teeth into.

Here are the samples I've made so far:

I hope you like them and if you have got even the tiniest bit of inspiration from my work then I've done my job properly as a DT member :) and don't forget the shows tomorrow.

Lovely in Lace

Have you been watching the pick of the week shows on Create and Craft this weekend? No? Well you don't know what you've been missing!!The newest Kanban kit is the Pick of the Week (shows can be seen today at 8am, 6pm and 9pm. It's a beauty and there is loads in the kit :)

The DT were lucky enough to receive a kit last week so we could make samples for the show and it is very lovely and very feminine and a joy to work with
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These are a couple of the samples I made for the show

  

Thanks for dropping by, see you later. xx

Denim and Lace

Did you catch the launch of the new Denim and Lace kit from Kanban on Create and Craft on Wednesday? If so and you managed to buy one then you are in for a real treat....if you didn't then you don't know what you are missing!!! It is a stunner and without further ado let me introduce you to our little owl friend who appears on this luscious kit.

The design team were lucky enough to get the kits a couple of weeks ago so we could make samples with it and we all agree that it is a beautiful kit to work with. The kit includes images and frames, florals and stripes, assorted shapes and there are even inserts available to but to co-ordinate with this kit.

If you are in the Yorkshire/Lancashire regions tomorrow and have a bit of time on your hands then see the advert below as to what you could do to fill that time ;)

Kanban Crafts

Aspire Crafts
2nd Floor New Mill
Wellington Mills
Quebec Street
Elland
West Yorkshire
HX5 9AS
Come and meet some of the team. We shall be open from 10 - 4pm with special offers and free "Make and Takes". And if you like our new kit "Denim and Lace", we shall be demo-ing with it and we will be taking orders 

I shall be there with the team and as this is my first time out with 'the TV stars' please come and say hello and offer me your support :)

I shall look forward to meeting you but if you can't make it then just keep an eye on Aspire Crafts The Home Of Kanban, the very new Kanban Blog or you can see us on Facebook too.

Take care x

It's Christmaaaaas!

Sorry about that but I could resist lol! We received a new Christmas kit from Kanban late last week and it is fab. It's a Nordic theme in shades of red and blue and all the backgrounds and toppers etc work so well together. I wasn't very keen on it when I first opened my DT kit and don't think I would have bought it, but after playing with it over the weekend I just totally fell in love with it! I would be more than happy to make my own Christmas cards from it, that's how much I fell for it :) 

So, you need to make yourselves a nice hot drink and lock up the kids as the kit is being premiered on the Kanban Christmas Show on Create and Craft at 5.00 pm and 8.00 pm this evening with Keith, Denise and Dave Bradford.

One of my cards made for the show

Thanks for dropping by. xx

June Sketch: a panel & a pennant

I thought I would pinch (borrow, nick, steal) Kathy's title for this post to make my job of blogging a bit easier lol :) as it's time for the new sketch over on the Kathy's Waffle Sketch File.

You are really going to love this sketch......I got really carried away with it last week and plan to use it for some more cards, thanks Kathy 

Supplies: 6x6 card blank, Kanban In The Garden paper pad 901377, Kanban Happy Hour toppers 900824, brown card, brown organza ribbon and a die cut shape

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There you are, clean and simple! If you are looking for a bit of inspiration then hop over to Kathy's Waffle Sketch File and take a look at the DT cards.

Thanks for dropping by and I hope you will play along with us.

Art Deco ladies

Did you see the Create and Craft shows last weekend where the kit was made of Art Deco Ladies and associated backing papers, card etc? Well, the kit was absolutely fantastic and the girls on the Kanban/Aspire Crafts design team were lucky enough to be given a kit each to make samples with.....and we all fell in love with it :) There are some of the sheets in the kit available on the Aspire Crafts web site.

These are the samples I made for the show

I altered a white paper carrier bag

 

Leonie and Keith both liked my exploding box and gave my name out on the programme :))

There will be a lot more cards coming from this kit in the not too distant future as it's a stunning kit and I have loads left. 

Thanks for dropping by xx

Kanban Crafts DT call

Good morning all.....if you love Kanban, you will love this :)

Fancy having a go? x

We are looking talented UK Card Makers, Stampers and Scrapbookers to join our team.

This call is for a six month term from March 2014 (This call is for UK designers only).

Here's how to be part of the team...

How to Apply:

Please email the following information to karen.smith@aspirecrafts.co.uk

1. Contact information, including name, address, email and phone number.

2. Link to your blog and/or online gallery. We'd also love to know if you are on Facebook and/or Twitter.

3. Photograph and email us at least 5 samples of your best work, including cards, layouts and other craft projects (Kanban Crafts products to be the main focus where possible).

4. Have you been published? What other Design Teams are you part of and when does their term(s) end?

5. Tell us about YOU....what you love about crafting? Why do you want to become a Kanban Crafts UK design team member?

All Design Team applications must be received by 1st March 2014 to be considered. If selected you will be notified by email.

Monthly requirements:

1. Design Team members will be required to submit projects using the latest products on a weekly basis.

2. Promoting Kanban products on your personal blog and other sites.

3. Submission of projects to magazines for publication.

4. Submission of high quality photo images of finished projects with a products used list or instructions if required.

5. Providing physical samples if requested for tradeshows and/or sales meetings.

What you will get in return:

1. A big box of Kanban Crafts goodies to work with, including new releases.

2. You will have your own album on the Kanban Crafts Facebook page where your work will be posted.

Good luck everyone and we look forward to seeing your work!

Good luck from me too :) xx

Silver and gold

This is the final part of yesterday's order for my friend. She is giving a dinner party next week for her birthday and asked me to supply her with place cards and favour bags for her guests, I did the same at Christmas in hot pink and turquoise and they looked great together. This time though she has gone for a more subdued silver and gold!

The stunning acetate butterflies on the place cards are from Kanban. I'm not sure if they are still available any more but I shall have a word in the ear of the Kanban powers that be and let you know. I would like to see them return as I love them and use them very sparingly at the moment.

Thanks for dropping by xx 

Special Valentine

I made the following card from a couple of different Kanban A4 paper pads, Sugar Buttons and Birth & Celebration 901558

I added silver mirri card with a punched border, Kanban myself and that is it.....so easy but so effective (imo). As my card has hearts on I'm going to add it to the Papertake Weekly challenge which this week is....you've guessed it....hearts :) Don't forget that there is a sketch challenge for you to take part in over on the  Kathy's Waffle sketch file and a challenge for an item which uses hearts on the Crafting Muskateers blog. 

Thanks for looking and I'll see you soon. xx                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Thinking of you

This is a card made a few days ago for my youngest daughter to give to one of the clients in the salon she works in as she had lost her husband. Kanban rose to the challenge again. If 
I'm not quite sure what to do or am in a hurry to make a card I always reach for my Kanban stash (and boy do I need to use some...I still have loads!)

I added an acetate cover to the card and the acetate butterfly was attached with ultra sticky red ds tape. The butterflies and image were both supplied by Kanban. Just in case you haven't heard the news, Kanban has been taken over by Aspire Crafts and there are lots of old favourite as well as a brand new kit available from the web site.

Thanks for looking. x