Happy Halloween!!

We have a bit of a tradition of always carving a pumpkin for Halloween and I have a large orange veg looking at me every time I walk through the kitchen reminding me that we have to get on with it!! There's also a certain expectation that our pumpkin will be something special - no triangle eyes and zigzag mouths allowed! After exhausting a book full of templates I began to feel a bit desperate for inspiration and searched the web and found some amazing sites with free templates. Last year we had a pirate (I think it was inspired by the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie) and in the past we've had tombstones, skulls and even Scooby Doo!! I've printed off a few ideas for this year and we'll see what takes our fancy. The other bonus is I have a great recipe for pumpkin pie which is absolutely delicious and we toast the pumpkin seeds for a snack after - we get our money's worth here!! Have fun tonight and have a spooky time!

2 more classes up tonight!

We have two more classes going on sale tonight for our crop on Saturday 29th November and I've emailed out to everyone on the mailing list to let them know! I'll release them at 8pm so be sure to grab what you want quickly as you know that these tend to go very quickly!

First up is 'Green with Envy' - a fab layout kit in gorgeous shades of soft greens that would work with so many different types of photos. The kit includes cardstock, 5 patterned papers, a 12x12 sheet of co-ordinating stickers, a whole pack of flowers, an inkpad, a whole pack of ribbons and some brads. I will release the classroom places first and then I'll add the 'kit only' option for those who prefer to have the kit at the crop and complete it in their own time.

Our second release will be the project class and this time we're using the brand new and absolutely gorgeous 'Wassail Calendar'. The kit includes an 8x8 spiral bound calendar, 8x8 adhesive chipboard sheets, 8x8 die-cut sheets, stickers, an 8x8 sheet of rub-ons plus we're adding flowers and brads so you have something absolutely gorgeous. This would make a perfect Christmas gift! This kit is only £15 which is quite a saving on the RRP of £19.99 of the kit alone never mind the extras we are adding to it - places are VERY limited in this class!!I'll have news of the last classes very soon - can you believe it will be November in a couple of days??!!!

More classes go up tomorrow!

Just a quickie before I have to leave for club in Kent this evening - I'll be releasing 2 more classes tomorrow evening for the crop on 29th November. One will be the project class (and its both fab value and a great idea for a gift - but I'm keeping mine!!) and the other is a page class stuffed full of good things.

I'll put the kit pics up here tomorrow nice and early so you can see what we'll be using before the classes go on sale at 8pm. I'll email out to let everyone know about the class release too!

Looking forward to seeing the Kent girls as it seems like ages since we all got together - these 5 week months really throw me!!

By the way - no takers for the cool bag left at the crop yet - if it's yours just give me a shout and we can reunite you!!

Lost & Found!

I've been sorting through the shop stock and in a box that came back from the crop I found a pink coolbag complete with snacks! I'd love to reunite it with its owner so if its yours just let me know and I can arrange to get it to you.

New stuff!

We've had another delivery today and it was very exciting as the new BasicGrey Wassail arrived!! I've been waiting particularly for the Wassail calendar kits to arrive and I wasn't disappointed - they are lush! As well as an 8x8 calendar, you get an 8x8 sheet of rub-ons, two 8x8 sheets of coloured chipboard shapes and words, an 8x8 sheet of coloured stickers, two 8x8 sheets of die-cuts plus 2 additional smaller sheets of die-cuts together with full step-by-step instructions for each page of the calendar. All you need is a selection of 6x4 photos and you're good to go!

I think this would make a perfect Christmas gift - it has that personal touch that money just can't buy! I can start crossing names off the gift list now - I know that Dave's Mum will LOVE it and there are a few others who would want one as well!

Core'dinations antiquing tutorial

These little clips from Core'dinations are great for showing just what this cardstock can do! Crumpling is a great simple technique and when its combined with sanding it creates a great end result. There are some really lovely heritage colours in this range which look even better when they are distressed. I've been looking out a few heritage photos to use with this antiquing method plus some gorgeous new flowers that have just arrived from Canada (all will be revealed in the New Year!).

Another Core'dinations tutorial

There's more you can do with Core'dinations colour core cardstock than simply sanding it so I thought it might prove useful to post their tearing tutorial here as well. Its easy to forget the simple techniques such as tearing and I know I'm occasionally guilty of assuming that everyone knows how to tear cardstock to achieve different effects! I'm so loving the lighter coloured core that this cardstock has and it feels like ages since I sanded and tore cardstock, I'm now covered in a light coating of dust from the first November kit!!

November Kit #1

The November club kits are here and are currently being packed ready to ship at the end of this month. We have had to close the subscription list as we have once again sold out but we are operating a waiting list and we hope to be able to expand once again and open subscriptions. I'm so sorry for disappointing a few but I will keep you informed.

I also wanted to say huge 'thank you' to Libby & Jackie who very kindly invited us along to their crop yesterday to support our 'Think Pink' fundraising. We had a fab time and it was great to catch up with some old friends! Our running total now stands at over £340 and its still going up! I have some new pink things to add to the site and hope to get them up over the next day or so - every pink item sold generates a 10% donation from us to 'Think Pink'.

Our November kit uses the gorgeous Core'dinations colour core cardstock and I have had great fun sanding to distress it. This card is so lovely to use and I was really impressed with the results you can get with it. I thought it might be useful to add this video from Core'dinations which demonstrates how to sand their cardstock - just in case you've never done it before.....

Classes up tonight at 8pm!

First of all, we have a couple of places on our kit subscription as we have expanded once again! We've been steadily growing since we launched and are sending out literally hundreds of kits every month now!! For just £15 a month you'll get 2 kits sent out together that include tons of papers, cardstock and embellishments plus full step-by-step instructions for sample pages. This isn't a box of stuff to store away but two generous kits aimed at completing at least 2 pages - perfect for getting your photos scrapbooked quickly. The £15 subscription fee includes P&P and its simplicity itself to cancel - just give us 30 days notice!

I also wanted to give a little reminder that the next 2 classes for 29th November go up tonight at 8pm! I will have additional kits for the Daisy Ds class and as soon as the classroom places sell out I will release the kit only. There will be no additional kits available for the Prima class so once they have gone, that will be it!

I am having a play with the blog today and have given it a bit of a face-lift. I love how the photos 'pop' on the black background and the flourishy vines are just my cup of tea (if they were on paper you know I'd be cutting them all out!! LOL!!).

We had a blast at club in Essex last night and our Breast Cancer fundraising total now stands at £330!! Thank you to all the girls last night who took home loads of pink goodies - and Jackie who took home a shed load of flowers!!

2 more classes for the November 29th crop

Things are very quickly getting back to normal here and its back down to the business of preparing for another crop. Our last crop of the year will be held in Kent on Saturday 29th November and we aim to finish the year in style! We have some really gorgeous kits for those of you who are attending and we are getting excited about everything we have yet to show you!

I'll be releasing another 2 classes for November tomorrow evening at 8pm and these 2 are simply divine......


First up is a Daisy Ds kit using the 'Romance' line and once again we love what we have put into this kit! It includes;cardstock, lace, 3 patterned papers, a whole pack of co-ordinating cardstock tags and a whole pack of co-ordinating vintage diecuts that include journaling boxes and titles. This is a stunningly beautiful kit, very delicate and soft and would work so well with so many different types of photos - I can't wait to get working with it!!


Our second release is a really rich kit using papers and flowers by Prima in tones of deep pink. This is a very sophisticated kit, so no need to be scared of the fact that it is pink!! The kit contains cardstock, 3 double sided patterned Prima cardstock, a whole tin of Prima hydrangeas, a stunning Heidi Swapp embellishment and crystals. Places will be limited for this class so be sure to grab your place quickly!

I'll have 2 more classes for you to take a peek at very soon including the class that Dave will be teaching and an amazing project!!

Take care, K :o)

Tickled pink and chuffed to bits!

Well, what can I say? We had such an amazing day yesterday at the crop, the atmosphere was lovely and everyone was so incredibly generous - it was fab!! Everyone entered into the spirit of the day and we had a sea of pink around us - including Dave! I just want to say a huge 'thank you' to everyone who joined us and made it such a great day.

There are are few people I want to say special thanks to, who went over and above - firstly to Claire for her fabulous class which was a huge hit! I love your work hun and can't wait to see your next one!! To the girls who came in early and stayed late to help with setting up, especially Sue B and Maria. Its the unglamorous side of the crop days and yet you're always the first to offer - thank you so much, I love you to bits!! To Mum for all her hard work over the past 2 weeks packing kits, pricing stock and sorting out what seemed to be millions of pink flowers!!! To Pauline for running the shop single-handed, I really couldn't do these day without her and I can forget about that side of things and concentrate on the classes which is a huge weight off my mind - thank you millions and enjoy NYC!! And I have to say thanks again to Karen and Sue for the wonderful gift of pink champagne, strawbs and choccy - naughty but very, very nice and very much appreciated.

The highlights of the day for me were the amazing raffle which raised £120, it was great fun and we had some gorgeous prizes donated. Also up there was the auction of our limited edition breast cancer TP T-shirt which was purchased by Karen E for £15 and she then wore for the rest of the day! And I don't think I'll forget Heather bravely taking off her bra in front of everyone and winning a place at the next crop - you made Dave's day!! LOL!!!

So how did we do? At the end of the day when we counted up, we have raised the amazing total of £300 and we're still going!! All sales of our pink stock in October will generate a donation of 10% and we still have 2 more club nights so I hope to have an even higher figure by the end of the month. I am chuffed to bits at the total to date - thank you everyone for your generosity and support!!

Can I ask everyone who took photos to send me copies as Think Pink have asked for pics and if anyone wants any photos just let me know and I can send them out to you.

Ready to get really pink?

Well, we're just about set for the crop tomorrow! We had a delivery of Breast Cancer fundraising bits and bobs which included the pins which we'll have for sale tomorrow for £1. I've added them to the online shop as well so even if you can't join us you can still help to support this fab cause.

I've decided to go the whole hog and really have fun with the pink theme - I'll be decked out in my Think Pink t-shirt plus a rather fetching pink stetson and huge pink feather boa!! Funnily enough, Dave wasn't that keen on wearing a feather boa - and even less impressed with the idea that we sponsor him to wear a sparkly pink thong for the day!!! He's decided on a pink shirt (and matching boxers!!). If we can raise enough money tomorrow, I may be able to persuade him to show you them! LOL!!

We've had some gorgeous new pink stock delivered and I'm having to beat Mum off with a stick to stop her grabbing it before we even get to Kent! I have to admit that I don't blame her, there are more than a few items that I'd like to offer a new home to! We only have one small problem to sort out - the balloons. I have about 50 balloons that I want to fill with helium to decorate the room and I forgot to pick up a balloon kit from Costco last night. I've made a few calls and its about £1 a balloon to get them filled locally so it looks like we'll be back down to Costco tonight!

Anyway, for those of you who are joining us for the crop tomorrow, dig out something pink to wear to show your support! It can be wild and crazy or plain and simple - we'd just love to see everyone in pink and having fun! If you are in the area, you'd be more than welcome to pop in and see us and offer us your support - the more the merrier I say!

Hope to see you tomorrow!

Thinking pinker!!

Every day now we're getting more and more deliveries - its so exciting!! We've specially ordered in some fabby new pink stuff so there will be loads to tempt those who are joining us for the crop on Saturday. One delivery today included some gorgeous huge pink punches - I have my eye on one that punches out four different shapes of brackets!!

I'll add everything that is left to the shop site on Monday(ish) but for the time being we have a new tag book which is a Think Pink fundraising product. These fab chipboard books come with 5 large pages and four incrementally smaller ones all bound together by a large bookring tied with luxurious pink ribbon. At £1 each, they are great value for money and will make a great 'tree present' for someone at Christmas (we can't ignore that it is rapidly approaching!!).

Please help us to support this amazing cause and THINK PINK!!

Think pink!!

As our crop on Saturday falls in the middle of Breast Cancer Awareness month, we've decided to think pink and raise a bit of extra money for the 'Think Pink' breast cancer fund. We'll be actively looking to raise money to fight breast cancer all day and you'll be able to help!

We'll have 'Think Pink' pins for sale in the shop, we'll be decorating the hall with pink ballons and donating money for every pink item sold in the shop! One of the girls coming along sent me a text today suggesting that we could all bring along the stash that we haven't used (and aren't really likely to!) and we'll have a trading table where you can get some new goodies for a donation - how does that sound? You just need to dig out some bits and bobs that you no longer want but someone else could use (one man's trash could be another one's treasure!!) and bring it along on the day. Even if you can't join us for the day but would like to help out, you can - we'll have the pins for sale online through the shop and we'll donate 10% of all pink things sold during October.

This is a cause that I am passionate about, we have had 2 of our club members diagnosed with breast cancer over the past few years and it has made us all very aware that this can happen to anyone. I'd love to raise a big chunk of money to help make a difference - so come on girls, THINK PINK!!

2nd club kit for October

As promised to the girls at my Essex club tonight, here is the second club kit sample for October! Its very different form kit #1 - mainly in that there isn't anywhere near as much cutting out in this one!!

The kit includes 3 sheets of cardstock, 3 patterned papers, a whole pack of 3d foam alphabets, flowers, embroidery floss and a needle (so yes, there is a bit of sewing!). I used one 6"x4" landscape pic and a second 3"x4" one. You'll need some 3d foam pads, a few brads for the centres of the flowers and a blue inkpad - but thats it!

Don't be misled by the fact that the sample has baby photos on it, its not baby themed at all. One of the papers has some 'boy themed' text on it if you want to go that way but otherwise its pretty universal. This is another page I was considering using my Greek holiday photos on - white houses and blue shutters, they worked perfectly but I really wanted to use some pics of one of the latest additions to our family. Dave's cousin had twin boys two months ago and we went to see them at a day old. I forget just how tiny newborns are, I didn't really have a newborn - at 9lb 11oz Jack was virtually ready to go to school when he arrived!!

While I'm talking about babys - congratulations Sharon on your fab news, I am so pleased for you both xxx