Hello

Today I did something AMAZING..............................I gave blood.
http://www.blood.co.uk/

Hugs Monica xxxx

WOW we have summer!!!

Woohoo, would you believe it that I have actually topped up my sun tan in my beautifully decked back garden this weekend? We are having the best weather so far and my only hope is that it will last for a while. Have you seen Mamma Mia yet? I went on Friday night with my girlfriends and OMG!! it was so amazing I have not laughed so much in a long long time, I tell you it was so good that all of us are going again this coming Friday. You have to go and see it, so get a bunch of girlies together and go sing your hearts out. If you go I want you to let me know what you thought. The rest of the weekend was spent with friends and neighbours in the sunshine with good food( lard ladden of course) and loads of cool drinks. So I only managed to make one card this whole weekend and the inspiration came form the bikini I wore. Gorgeous green flowers on a white background with a yo yo yellow trim. Sounds wild and it is, is also lovely bright and summery and definitely catches the eye.

Heartfelt hostess level 3 was the set used, while Green Galore and Garden Green(markers)were the inks used to stamp the flower heads onto Whisper White card stock. The sentiment comes from the Simply Said set. I dyed my own ribbon here from Very Vanilla to Yo Yo Yellow. What do you think? jazzy huh?

I ve also received an award today, the talented Jackie has kindly nominated me. Go check her wonderful blog and if you like the look of the award please consider yourself nominated by myself, I always feel funny giving those to people, as I always think they might not want me to.lol

Before I go I need to remind you that you ve got 2 days left to make the most of the recruiting Special offer, if you decide to join as a Stampin'Up demonstrator by 31 of July you get a free set of your choice and if you decide to join my team (like 7 girls decided to so far), I will match that offer and you can choose another set absolutely FREE. The latest you can do this is by Thursday. Get in touch NOW if you ve been thinking about it, you have nothing to loose, the worst that can happen is you would have had £265(+2 extra sets) worth of product for £155( the price of the starter kit). You don't have to do workshops if you think you can meet your minimums yourself. Email me at telemech01@aol.com. Hugs M xxx

What time is it?.....

Is GOGO time !!! Oh dear I ve been so wrapped up lately I completely forgot to show you what I did with my June Gogo kit. I LOVED this one. Papers are from the Robotics range from Sassafras Lass, yummy.

I found this double walled drinking cup in one of my local shops and I instantly thought about using it with those fabby papers. I ve simply opened the cup and placed a piece of patterned paper inside. Added some stickers to the outside and if you cover those with a layer of diamond glaze they become washable ( hand washable mind). Made a matching card as well, again using the stickers which were layered onto scraps of colored paper from my stash to match the colours, I ve used a chipboard ring from the kit, I ve coloured it using an ink pad and heat embossed with clear embossing powder on top. I ve used this to highlight the number 1. I have only one regret, the top star on the card was supposed to have a little orange bow, but this somehow came off and I only realised after all my projects were uploaded, boo hoo.My second card was made with a boy in mind, how cool is this? My favorite project from this batch so, so cute. Everything used even the stamps were included in the kit.
Even though this was such a boy inspired kit, there were plenty of extras in the kit to enable you to make female cards. This was a relatively simple to make thank you card, I loved all those chipboard shapes so picked two of them to use for this card. The scalloped circle was inked to match the buttons colour, I stamped the sentiment repeatedly, curving the stamp slightly on the block. Tiny strips of patterned paper and two of the glorious felt flowers was all it took to create this card. Love how clean and sharp this came out.This was my last offering, and although this kit was ideal for little boys but I wanted to try and make a card fit for any Big Boy out there. The buttons were included in the kit ( ready threaded and with the sticky attached) so I ve decided to emphasise them here by spacing them apart on two rows and weaving some black twine around them. I ve reused some of the chipboard to make the frame( this was the outside bit of the two corner pieces), I ve cut one of the stickers to fit inside the frame next to the sentiment, and voila a manly card in minutes. You got so much in this kit Lorraine and Janice really do work hard behind the scenes to put together those kits and it really shows as they are the best out there. If you re thinking about subscribing, I would say in a heart beat go and do it, you will not regret it for sure. Hugs Monica xxx

OMG!!!!!!! I ve got a KIT!!!

Hello my lovelies, well WOW what can I say other than a massive thank you? I ve had so many lovely emails and pm s about UStamp and so many of you are excited and cannot wait for it all to start, well let me tell you none of you are more excited than I am lol, I know I keep telling you how you re not going to belive what you will get for your £10, but believe me is going to be FABaroonie beyond words !!! and I have finally managed to put together a kit for UK, also I am pleased to say that Mary-Jane ( UStamp France representative) and Irene (UStamp Germany representative) have both agreed to offer the same kit so it will be lovely that we will all sing from the same hymn book. Now let me tell you I have agonized over this kit there were so many sets to choose from, but I have (and I think you will agree) chosen very carefully, I considered stamp sets that are going to be an investment and ones that you will use over and over again, I am sure. I ve also tried to get the kit to be good value and I am happy to report that I have managed to offer you a stonker of a deal. Of course you do not need to purchase the kit to take part in the classes you could always make up your own, but this will be the kit I will be using to translate all the classes and projects offered. So ladies and gentlemen I present you the UK kit

BIG BOLD BIRTHDAY stamp set..............26.95

HAPPY EVERYTHING stamp set............17.95

PETALS AND PAISLEYS designer paper....8.50

SOFT SUBTLE A4 assorted card stock........6.75

REGAL ROSE ink pad..........4.50

TEMPTING TURQUOISE ink pad.....4.50

OLD OLIVE ink pad.....4.50

1/2 " CIRCLE PUNCH....3.95

ONE FULL ROLL of white grosgrain ribbon....4.25

Catalogue price__81.85 plus £4.00 p&p

Now here comes the deal buy the UStamp class and get the kit for a special price of £67.99 plus £4.00 p&p. I hope you ll agree that is one good deal. You can of course change the colours of the cardstock and ink pads if you ve already got those one.
The kits will be shipped straight to you before the start date so you will be all ready to go. The latest you can order the kit is 22 of August. Payment can be made via bank transfer, cheque or Paypal ( there will be a charge for this option). So what do you think, tempted? if you are, or if you need any more info please send me an email at telemech01@aol.com.

Oh, I ve got a new card to show you, it was the card Heather used to announce me on her blog ( she used such kind words I was really touched). The combo is one I absolutely love at the minute and it was inspired by some SU literature. Regal Rose, Old Olive, More Mustard were the colours used and the set is Little Pieces (this is such a great set and yet I ve used it so very little but now that is out I think I might give him a good workout).





I ve also used the Sanded background as well as the *thank you* sentiment from the Cheers and whishes. Cute huh? See ya...M xxx

And the WINNER is......................

............................... comment no. 20 wich is SHARON BETTS !!!!!

Sharon Betts said...
Congratulations Monica - this stamping classes sound interesting.Sharon
17 July 2008 09:57 *******





CONGRATULATIONS sweetheart looks like I ll be seeing you in the class!! Send me your email add and I will let the girls know straight away that you are in. I also thought it will be nice to make a card for our lucky winner and here it is

Elegant Eggplant, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue and a bit of Certainly Celery. Big Deal alpha ( love this alphabet) and In the Spotlight stamp sets. Fun huh?
I also want thank you all for all your lovely comments and congrats about UStamp, I can't wait for it all to start and I can't wait to see you all there. Hugs M xxx

Let the fun begin !!!

Hello and Happy Saturday!!! Wohoo if you ve signed up for UStamp you will have had an email with a free pdf to make a fabulous mini scrap book. Well I couldn't believe how easy it was to make and completed mine in about an hour, didn t managed to finish filling it, but the main body was done.

I thought I will try a different combo ROFL!!!! I m sorry you re probably sick of me using those colours but I just LOVE them, honestly I will try something else next time lol. Old Olive Pumpkin Pie designer paper (yum) and Bashful Blue( this was from the Cutie Pie designer paper). Isn t it just lovely? This is going straight to my mum, because I am ashamed to say I have not made her any kind of album featuring her first grandchild. Bad,bad me.Here's one of the pages half finished ( I still need to do the other side), used the tab punch to make the tab at the top of the card and Seeing Spots was used to add a bit of detail to the mini page. Also I know you re probably thinking that Luca matches the Pumpkin Pie papers beautifully, unfortunately soon after he was born he developed Jaundice, so it was rather orange bless him.And here s the book completed. Such clever design, I love how it all folds neatly into a nice size folder, these would make perfect gifts and I am going to make loads of those for friends and family. Right then did you like this? well let me tell you this is the start to great things to come( you will not believe what s in store for you by signing for this classes). Oh I nearly forgot, the time is nearly up ( so tell your friends) for entering my draw for a chance to get free admission to the University of Stamping , I will announce the winner tomorrow at 12.00 UK time. Good Luck!!!!!! Hugs M xx

Do U Stamp?????????????

Do U? Because if you do Boy oh Boy I ve got some news for you. Dawn and Heather two very talented and successful StampinUp demos from US and Canada have put together the first ever University of Stamping UStamp and what s more exciting is that this will be running worldwide and lil old me has been asked to represent the UK . I can't tell you how excited and honoured I am that they have chosen me. This is what the girls have to say:

We are so excited to have you join us for the World Premiere of the University of Stamping!!Registrations are now being accepted for the FIRST ONLINE CLASS, offered World Wide, EXCLUSIVELY showcasing Stampin’ Up! products.It is truly an exciting and historic time to be part of this fabulous Stampin’ Up! learning experience!!Comprehensive educational tools will inspire you to create all the class projects at your own pace since there are NO HANDS in the University of Stamping Clock!
North to South, East to West, all around the globe, all skill levels of stampers, scrappers, paper crafters, as well as, and especially, Stampin’Up! Demonstrator ALL are officially invited to participate in the Fall 2008 University of Stamping opportunity hosted by Dawn Rapsas, United Stated Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator and Heather Summers, Canadian Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator!
Here is what to expect:
Quick and easy registration beginning TODAY!
Early registration means bonus projects and extra prizes!!!
Grand Opening project debut August 12th
Classes begin on September 8th and will run for the entire month of September. But remember, if this is a busy time for you that’s okay because you will have all the PDFs and videos and access to the site until mid November!!
100% Stampin’ Up! products on all projects
Fun techniques with lots of twists and turns
Never before seen step-by-step photo and video tutorials for at least 10 amazing projects
All the templates and PDF’s you need to create the projects including supply lists, dimensions, photographs and class suggestions for everyone registered for this course!
Online Chats connecting participants from all over the world
Inspirational Photo Gallery
Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators granted FULL permission to reuse the class materials and PDF files for their personal use or classes (this is 10 already to use classes for you….no thought, no effort, just order the supplies and you are ready!!!)
All of the projects will make fantastic classes, so don’t expect just one card from us as a project (We can’t wait for you to see what we have in store for you!!!)
Prizes, prizes and more prizes!!
No question, this is NOT your ordinary stamping class!! This is like 10 or more amazing classes for the price of one!!!!We know you will agree that this Extraordinary Event calls for Extraordinary Payment options!! Registration is only $20 until July 31st, 2008!Registration returns to the regular class fee of $25 beginning August 1st. So this would mean around £10.25 for us in the UK which is fantastic value, works at an incredible £1 per class. Dont forget to mention my name if you join. I cannot wait!!!!
Here s more details taken from Heathers’ Blog:
What do I need to take this class?
All you need to take this class with us is paper, a paper cutter, adhesive and stamps. You do not have to use the same supplies we use to create your projects! It’ll be fun to showcase new tools and stamps but it is not necessary for you to be successful to use all of the same supplies.
Are all the projects scrapbooking?
NO!!! For any of you that follow our blogs you know we LOVE packages and cards and 3D items and scrapbooking and…… There will be a huge variety of projects!
Can you summarize what you mean by 10 classes?
I will re describe the class to you and hopefully summarize it more clearly. For $20, you will receive our first ever exclusive UStamp Class. Included in this class will be a minimum of 10 projects!!!! Each project will be a collection of items, for example 5 cards and a box could be one project. All projects will include step by step photos, dimensions and instructions.

Now Heather and Dawn are offering a Kit to purchase, which cannot be purchased by UK residents… BUT I will be offering my own Kit shortly keep your eyes on this blog as I will make it a GOOD one!

So would you like to go to UNI? to this fun and creative one crammed full with great projects and techniques to recreate at your own pace? mostly would you like to do it for FREE? I am offering a free entry to one of my blog readers, leave me a comment on this post by Saturday midnight and I will use the random generator to pick one name out and announce it on Sunday.

Now see this gorgeous box? You can download the pattern to make your own here on Dawn s blog.

I used Bashful Blue card stock, Certainly Celery designer paper, Heartfelt hostess level 3 stamp set and Circle of Friendship, pumpkin pie ribbon and a half backed pearl form the Pretties kit. The flowers stems were stamped in Versamark and embossesd with clear embossing powder. Filled it with Maltesers but with regret but the time I took this photo they were all gone and some tissue paper was stuffed inside instead. Oh well....I did make the box two days ago.

I ve also made this super bright card for a new found friend, hope you like it Stevie. I used Ballet Blue, Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive colour scheme, In the Spotlight hostess set and a chipboard ring all from StampinUp!!! Phew!! now that was a lot of talk...... see ya. M xx

I m on a roll

Two post in one day ..Gosh I don't know how long is been since that happened. I ve had the pleasure to spend some time with two of my Gogo DT buddies Sally and Jenny yesterday, we had a fantastic time but we were not productive at all unfortunately. Before lunch we did attempt a emboss resist technique and the while the girls managed to complete theirs I ve only got as far as stamping and embossing the image. Then sadly Jennie had to leave us at lunch time as they were expecting more relatives at her mum s house, this left me and Sally to quickly grab something then the plan was that we were going to attempt some sort of a challenge, sadly that didn't happen until there were 30 min left before Sally had to head back home. Sally just said to me common we are going to do a challenge in the half an hour we have left, so we pulled out Kristina s colour challenge and we set at work. What !! a card in 30 minutes? Surely not, but I have to say we have both managed it all right, mine was missing the sentiment and the scalloped border but it did resemble a card when the time was up. Woohoo. M xx

The challenge was to use Choc Chip, Close to cocoa , Really Rust, Cert celery. and Whisper White. delicious!! I ve had a play with Sally pick a petal set and now I have to make this baby one of my own. I love how I ve created my own patterned paper using two of the stamps from the kit, don't they look so beautiful? The only close to cocoa I ve used was for the center of my flower and the scalloped border looks so dark because I went over the Choc Chip Card stock with my Choc Chip marker. If you ve got those colours give it a go is a fab combo. Thanks for stopping by Hugs Monica xxx

For my Friend

I left for my holiday with a few completed projects to share with you while away but made a big mistake. Instead of uploading everything to blogger I just took my laptop with me thinking that I would be able to find a wireless network to do my uploading when the sun was too hot to stay in it. I was wrong as there were no wireless networks available the only Internet connections were in the hotel lobby at 2 euros for 30 min. Bah.
So anyway on the 4 of July my real good friend Claudia celebrated her birthday. Made her this card

Black card blank was stamped with the polka dot background in white Brilliance ink. The Too cute flower set was used to stamp and cut pout some of the blooms, and the leaf from the In the Spotlight hostess set was stamped in a little cluster. Some black brads for the centres and some spotty May Arts sheer ribbon. Hope you liked it Clau and hope you had a fab Birthday and Independence Day.

I ve also scoured Etsy for something to offer her as a little pressie and found this gorgeous pendant and chain. I just love Etsy for lovely handmade gifts there is so much talent out there and you do end up with something a bit different. The pendant has a mother of pearl inlaid centre and some beautiful opals that would match Clau s blue eyes perfectly.
Looked lovely IRL as well I just hope she liked it, not had a chance to talk to her yet. I will see you very soon as I ve got some exciting news to share with you all. M xxx

I m back

.. and if you ve been wondering where I ve disappeared, I ve just took a well needed break HERE. Fantastic wheater, lovely people and not overly comercialised combined with the standard that s expected from any Riu hotel in the world we had a fabulous time indeed. Luca had a fab time too and Moni has got a few hunderds of photos to prove it LOL> Anyway I am charged and ready to go so normal service will resume very soon. Hugs Monica xxx