All New Blog Candy!

    As promised, here is the latest assortment of blog candy to win.  And what candy we have this time!  This haul includes two A4 sized  rubber stamp sets (Murray and Ethel set 1 and set 2), two A5 sized rubber stamp sets (Cupcakes and Sundae), Tim Holtz' alphabet grungeboard set, Cosmic Shimmer embossing powder 12 pack, Cosmic Shimmer Mist, Luminarte Twinkling H20 set of 6, a 200 ml size jar of clear embossing powder, a mounted stained glass rubber stamp, a Big and Juicy ink pad, Tim Holtz' Fragment set, Cosmic Shimmer Heat Bondable Film, an Adirondack ink pad, Fancy Pants ribbon set, Cosmic Shimmer Head Bondable Fibres, a Distress Ink pad, Art Institute Pee Wee Glitter set, Cosmic Shimmer Watercolour set of 8, Luminarte Polished Pigment set, and a Cosmic Shimmer Sparkle Glitter pot.  You have to admit, that is quite a lot of fun crafting loot there!  There will also be a second and third prize winner as before.  The second prize will be an A4 size rubber stamp set and the third prize will be an A5 size rubber stamp set.  These prizes will be drawn when we reach the magical number of 400 followers.  All followers are still entered to win and, this time, I will be giving an extra entry when you leave a comment after any of the posts I make until we hit our goal. It seems only fair to reward you for visiting the blog often. 
    If you can't wait to see if you win all this, these great products can be purchased from Particraft on their website http://www.particraft.co.uk/ and remember the shipping is absolutely free in the UK!
    Happy New Year to all!  Sue x

Happy Holidays To All!

   Here it is Christmas Eve already and I am still looking out the window at a field covered in snow!  This is the first time in almost five decades that I will see snow on Christmas Day(I've been a California girl for most of my life).  I'm assuming it will still be there when I wake in the morning  judging by the amount still left on the ground!  It is just so lovely if you don't have to go out in it.  Hopefully, those that will be traveling to see loved ones today or tomorrow will have a very safe journey to and from.  I simply want to wish everyone that reads my blog a wonderful holiday season and best wishes for the coming new year.  Thank you for being so supportive with the lovely comments on the blog.  It really does make my day to hear from everyone!  Hopefully, in the new few days, I will be getting a pic of the latest blog candy up for all to see.  And in celebration of the new year, it will be bigger and better!  Keep checking to see it soon.   Happy Holidays to all, Sue x

We Have A Winner!!!!

Thank you for putting me out of my misery!  I wanted to finish this blog candy before Christmas so badly!  And I have three names to draw if you remember, first, second and third prizes this time.  So as not to keep you in suspense any longer, I will start with the third prize winner.

The third prize winner, which is for an A5 sized stamp set is............Debs!
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The second prize winner, which is for the A4 sized stamp set is............. Leah The Orange! 

Without further ado, the winner of the first place fabulous blog candy is........................................................
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RENTOCHOPS!!!!
Can all three winners please email me at sales@particraft.co.uk  so that I can verify the address and get this great prize in the post to you!!

Happy Christmas to everyone and thanks for playing along,
All for now, Sue x

Almost There!

Only a few more followers to go!!  Just to let me know that you are still out there, reading the blog from time to time, if you leave me a comment, you will get an extra entry into the blog candy contest!  I would really like to hit our goal so I would be able to get this out before Christmas.  It would be lovely to make someone's Christmas extra special with this incredible array of crafting supplies!

I've had a bit of time to stamp this past weekend to stamp since I was snowed in!  So I have done a few more cards with the Hostess gift stamps.  I am still loving those polar bears!  I think they would be quite cute for Valentine cards too.  I decided to add a bit of bling to the bear on the pink card and covered him completely in Cosmic Shimmer Twinkles in Aqua.  He is just too cute with his paw up in the air.

Don't forget to leave a comment!  All for now, Sue x

December's Hostess Gift

I am not sure if you are aware of the hostess gift program that Particraft offers.  Each month, we offer an A4 sized rubber stamp set to anyone who offers to host a Particraft party.  This set is free of charge and is only available to the hostess'.  It cannot be purchased.  This gift is our way of saying thank you for allowing us to come to your home and demonstrate.  The hostess also receives extra product which is completely separate from the hostess gift and is based on the total amount of sales at her party.  This month's A4 stamp set is just too cute for words and I had to have a little play to show off these darling images.  You can see the entire plate on the home page of the http://www.particraft.co.uk/  website if you are interested in taking a peek.  In the meantime, I've been watching snow softly falling out my window for the past three hours and I just thought these cards would be a perfect accompaniment to the winter wonderland I'm witnessing. 
   The penguin card has the Cosmic Simmer Iced crystals on it.  I just love the way they make such a shimmery snow on cards.  My ice skating pond didn't show up very well in the picture, though.  I am going to try to get a few more cards made using this set before Christmas, so hopefully, I'll be able to post some more!

If you would like to have a party so that you may receive this lovely stamp set, please just contact me at the Particraft offices and we can arrange something for you.  I know that it is hectic this time of the year with Christmas on the horizon, but we can plan something for after the new year so don't worry. 

I am just crazy about the penguins and polar bears in this set.  I would love to know what you think of my North Pole friends. Please leave me a comment.  All for now, Sue x

Homage to the Christmas Tree Light!

I am finally feeling as if I'm ready for Christmas to arrive.  I've finished all my Christmas shopping, albeit not all wrapped, but at least I still remember where I've hidden them all (that's half the battle at my age!)  But the Christmas tree is finally decorated and looking quite festive.  Decorating the Christmas tree is one of my favourite things to do each year.  You can lock me away for the day and I am happy as a lark doing the tree, except for one exceptionally horrendous task.....

Untangling the Christmas tree lights!

So this post is purely out of the guilt that I have been feeling for all the terrible things I called my Christmas tree lights!  I'm sure you've been there yourself unless you are the excessively organised type (like my partner) who insists on putting them away nice and neatly from the previous year!  Oh not me!  By the time I manage to get them off the tree after spending hours undecorating it, I can barely contain myself to keep from tossing them in the nearest storage tote.  I know, I know, I pay the price for it every year.  So just to make up for my shortcomings, I am paying homage to the lovely Christmas tree lights with a few cards that I had made (some time back, actually) The colours were bright and festive and I thought they epitomized the cheerfulness of the traditional Christmas tree light.  I hope some of you can relate to my experience (or rather, hopefully not for your sake!)  Thanks for letting me share.  All for now, Sue x

Half Way There!

We have hit the half way mark on our next blog candy contest.  And because we have hit that mark so quickly, I thought that I would add an incentive to the contest!  There will now be a second and third prize winner drawn. The third prize will be an A5 Stamp set.  The second prize will be an A4 sized Stamp Set and of course, the first prize will be the lovely blog candy shown.  So just a little incentive to get your friends to register and make the contest go quicker. Keep up the good work.  All for now, Sue x

Need A Little Help Please

   I am back from my holiday in Florida.  I had a great time seeing my parents and spending some time relaxing.  My folks look great, even better, in fact, than the last time I saw them in July.  My Dad is 89 and my Mom is 86 and they are both sharp as a tack.  I only hope to age as gracefully!
   Upon my return, it suddenly struck me that we only have a few weeks until Christmas!  Where has the time gone so quickly?!  I had made a few of these Christmas cards before I left for a magazine submission.  While I was going for a more traditional style, my partner thinks that they look old-fashioned.    I want your honest opinions.  I was definitely in a pointsettia mode as I made these, but there are a few snowmen and a Santa Claus too.  Have a look and let me know what you think, okay?  All for now, Sue x

Brand New Blog Candy!

Yes we are running a brand new blog candy contest.  The prize is even bigger and better than the last time too!  We have included an A4 size stamp set as well as two A5 stamp sets.  There is also a new Tim Holtz Grungeboard element set, a set of six crystal lacquers, Cosmic Shimmer Fantasy Film and Fibre, Radiant Rain dauber,  Cosmic Shimmer Mica Pigment set, Distress Ink, Cosmic Shimmer watercolour set, Cosmic Shimmer glitter set, Adirondack ink pad, Polished Pigments set, Cosmic Shimmer Mist and Cosmic Shimmer Twinkles.  That is a lot of great crafting stash to win!  We just have to get to 300 followers so we can give it away! Remember, if you have joined as a follower, you are always entered to win in each blog candy contest!
All for now, Sue x

AND THE WINNER IS......

I love this part!  I have to laugh, as I turned my computer on this morning and saw that we had not only hit our target goal of 200 followers, but even surpassed it, I thought you aren't going to let me leave on holiday without giving away the blog candy!!  Good for you!  I didn't want to wait til I returned either.  The trick now is to get a response from the winner before I leave work for the day so I can verify their address and send it off in the post.
  Without further delay, the winner is...........................
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(Like my drumroll!)

KINGLAKE

If you can contact me by email so that I can verify your shipping address, I will post off your winning blog candy prize today!

Thank you for all of you that have become followers and supported the blog.  Don't worry, though, it is starting all over again and you are all still entered to win the next blog candy once we hit the target of 300 followers!
Happy stamping, Sue x

I want to say a great big thanks to everyone that sent in their lovely emails and comments to the show this morning.  It is incredibly nice to see that kind of support.  So thank you all.  The multi buy did sell out on C & C, but you may purchase any of the stamp sets on the Particraft website (http://www.particraft.co.uk/) if you were unable to get them this morning, as well as any of the products from today's show and just to remind you, the P & P is now free on the Particraft website.

I thought that I would post a few more of my favourite cards from the show today, including the lovely Noah's Ark card that was made by the artist who drew the stamps, Samantha Poole.  I would to claim this one as mine, but alas, no.  It is hard to believe that Samantha has not been stamping for very long, only a few months in fact.  You would never tell by looking at this gorgeous card she made.  Well done Sam! If you would like to leave some comments for her, I will be sure to pass them on.

I thought I would also let everyone know that I am off to visit my folks in the States for Thanksgiving (a quaint little American holiday where we get the day off work and you get to eat way too much! I love it!) My good friend, Karen Lines, will be manning the Particraft phone while I am away.

We are also very close to our goal of 200 followers in our blog candy contest. I want to thank everyone too for spreading the word about the blog. I won't be able to post  the prize off  until I return from the States, but I am fairly certain we will hit the target goal while I'm away so I will be bringing my laptop so that I can, at least, draw a winner's name and announce it on the blog. I have also decided that it's kind of fun to give stuff away! So, that being said, I am planning to continue running blog candy contests in the same fashion. That is, every time we have 100 new followers, we will draw a new winner. The upside to those of you that joined early on is that you will also be included in every new drawing!

All for now, Sue x

Another Create And Craft Show!

I know this is going to be a bit early for some of you (myself included!) but I am scheduled to do a show on Create and Craft on Sunday morning the 15th at 9am.  Some of you might be thinking that I must have the times mixed up because those are always prerecorded shows at that hour.  But no, they are going to be doing live shows on the weekends early in the morning starting this coming weekend.  So I will be there bright and early Sunday morning (think about me as you are having a nice long lie-in). 
As you probably can guess, I will be demonstrating and showing our two new jungle stamp sets and the monkey stamps plate.  I just think these new designs by Samantha Poole are positively adorable.  While they aren't what I would classify as the type of stamps to show techniques, I do have a few fun techniques up my sleeve to show using them.  These stamps are quite easy to use and all the elements on the three plates work quite well together too.  Here are a couple of more sample cards that you can have a sneek peak at before the show on Sunday.  I will also be demonstrating distress inks, Cosmic Shimmer stackable watercolour paints and crystal lacquer.

I hope you like these sets as much as I do.  Please leave me your comments or questions.

All for now, Sue x