Be Inspired By Embossing Blog Hop

Hello there :)

Did you miss me? Between our kitchen renovation and our holidays, the Summer well and truly went by in a flash this year. I am easing myself back into work and I am even planning my return to my Facebook lives this Friday ( hope you can join me). 
But today I am hopping with my creative buddies and the theme is *Embossing*

Now the initial plan was to showcase some heat embossing, but in the end when it came to it I chose to go down the background texture route instead. Its hard choosing between your favourites sometimes.

Just check out on that yummy texture for a second ...

This card is a bit of a bittersweet one as it reminds me that time is ticking, and we are inching forward toward the biggest celebration of the year.

Everything I have used here is from the soon to be released Winter Catalogue, so if you would like me to send you a copy please send me an email and I will arrange for one to be sent to you.

The colours used are Cherry Cobbler, Shaded Spruce and Soft Suede. I always stock up on cardstock in my favourite Christmas colours this time of the year as come October/November these colours get popular and tend to go out of stock for a little while. I do not want to take any chances so a nice stash sees me prepared. You can place an order any time in my online store here.

It has been lovely to have you here today, thank you for your time, now please go and check out what other delights await you on this fun embossing themed hop. Next stop is Jackie.

Have fun,

Monica xx

And if you get lost here's the list of all participants :

Louise Sharp

Nadine Hößrich

Tanya Rees

Monica Gale You are here :)

Jackie Aitken

Cathy Caines

Brian King

Stesha Bloodhart

New Catalogue Release today

Hello, hello there..

The wait is finally over, today we unveil the brand New 2019-202 Catalogue bursting full of exciting new products.

Gorgeous product suites filled with gorgeous coordinating delights, accessories, project kits SOMETHING for everybody on there.

Don't forget to use this month hostess code whilst you are shopping for a little surprise in the post. 

Have fun browsing 

Monica 

Be Inspired Blog Hop- Anything goes

Hello there and WELCOME :)
It's good to have you here and it's good to be here.  I am going to jump straight in with this blog hop and ignore the long radio silence hoping you won't even notice LOL Truth is I have not felt well for a long while and focused on getting better. And you know what? I think I am just about there or the start of Summer is giving me a much needed boost.

Anyway today's theme is ANYTHING GOES ... so I just chose to showcase my favourite set from the new catalogue;ogue which launches in a few days time .. eeeks.

I made this card using quite a few components belonging to a Suite of product called Bird Ballad and there is no doubt in my mind that you will absolutely love this too. 

The wonderful filigree card blank is also part of the suite, you will be able to buy them in a pack of 12 alongside pretty scalloped envelopes all presented in a gorgeous tin. (ooh I do love a tin) 

The images was stamped and coloured in using blends then fussy cut, not this suite doesn't have matching dies for cutting but it does have the most amazing set of nested dies that are stitched and absolutely amazing. You can see the shape of it in my sentiment label.. LOVE 

And as well as all these products there is also a coordinating patterned paper pack, yummy scalloped lace and these darling metal trinkets ... oh my !! Everything about this is lush and I know you will enjoy these products a lot over the next coming year. 

Now this week I am busy sending out free of charge catalogues to all those have placed an order with me in the last 6 months, if you haven't purchased with me yet but would still like a copy of the catalogue please get in touch with me and request a copy. 

Thank you so much for joining me now please hop on to Jackie's blog and see what she has in store for you next .

Much love Monica :)

Nadine Hößrich

Tanya Rees

Janneke de Jong

Monica Gale - You are here

Jackie Aitken

Cathy Caines

Manuela Geiswinkler

Carolynn Sander

Brian King

Emma Goddard

Stesha Bloodhart

Stampin Up !! New LIMITED Release today

Hello, hello..
I hope your week has been good and you have a weekend of relaxing and crafting to look forward to.

Its a very exciting end to the week and start to the last month of Saleabration at Stampin'Up!, celebrated  with a fabulous  New Limited Release of hot must have products below. Before you go any further please understand that these products are only available for the month of March 2019.
 I am beyond excited to share them and I know you will be excited too when you see them.

First up the yummylicious Call Me Cupcake Framelits Dies, 

These framelits coordinate perfectly with our FREE Sale A Bration Hello Cupcake stamp set 

Next the uber cute HOP AROUND FRAMELITS DIES 

Perfectly coordinated with the So Hoppy Together stamp set 

What about these Lily Framelits Dies??

Coordinates perfectly with Lasting Lily FREE stamp set 

Four Seasons Framelits Dies Coordinates with the Painted Seasons  Bundle from our second release

And we also have TWO additional products which are exclusive for the month of March. The More Than Words stamp set and coordinating Story Label Punch.  

And if that wasn't enough there even more choice of FREE Saleabration Items with a Third release of products to choose from.

What are going to buy first? Frogs, cupcakes or indeed flowers? Whichever will jump into your basket don't forget to enter my hostess code for the month of March to receive a free gift from myself <3 nbsp="" p="">

Thank you so much for visiting and have a fabulous weekend 

Lots of love

Monica 

Be Inspired Blog Hop- Sale a Bration 2019

Hello there world :),

And WELCOME to my blog today. It's blog hop time and this time the Be Inspired Team are focusing on FREE Sale a Bration items. For every £45 you spend in my Online Store you will get to choose a free gift, check out this fabulous promotion here.

And I chose the butterflies!!! you see I can't be blamed really as for some unknown reason Mother Nature got really confused this February and our weather in the UK is positively Summer like. Feels so nice but the cynical in me can't help think that we might be paying for this early happiness.. I hope not.

The Botanical Butterfly paper is gorgeous and best of all is FREE with a qualifying purchase of £45.

I used Balmy Blue for the first time since its release and I love it. I am an autumn girl and not immediately drawn to pastel shades, but I have to say this blue grounded by the black looks sophisticated and just right.

The papers are not the only free item on this card, so are the Butterfly Elements. They coordinate beautifully and this card really came together quick because they're was nothing to colour, just a bit of fussy cutting a stamped sentiment and voila my card was ready to spread little happiness to a friend that's struggling a bit right now.

One last shot to show you how much dimension this little card has. And of course the Polka Dot white tulle ribbon is still my total addiction and it pairs wonderfully here with those yummy papers. 

Thank you for visiting me today and for hopping with us all, now hop onto Cathy blog next and check out her gorgeous project.

Lots of love Monica xx

Janneke de Jong:

Jenny Hall:

Monica Gale: you are here !!!

Cathy Caines:

Maike Beimler:

Carolynn Sander:

Brian King:

Emma Goddard:

Incredible Like You

Hello again, I hope you had a good weekend and a good start of the week. My intention was to blog this yesterday, but what do you know the day ran out with me so here I am a day later. Monday's are always so busy, do you find that? 

Today I am sharing a Birthday Card I made for my lovely friend Alison.

And I turned to the fabulous kit Incredible like You, to help me out. I love, love, love this kit but I needed my card to be a little more special so I choose to beef it up a little to create a larger size. (14.5cm x 14.cm)

The colours in this kit are so pretty, my base is Lovely Lipstick and a layer of Coastal Cabana was added to the edge. I stamped a bit of a background using the coordinating stamp set then I simply cut one of the card bases and adhered to my card base. 

Now, can we please talk a little about this beautiful laser cut top layer? it matches the watercoloured design perfectly. And because of the bold design there really wasn't much more this card needed in order to give it that WOW factor. A few gold splatters with the shimmer paint and a little bow made with the tulle polka dot ribbon was all that it needed.

I hope you enjoyed Ali's card as much as I enjoyed making it.

 Thank you for visiting me and don't forget everything I showcase can be found in my online store.

Much love Monica xx

Be Inspired Blog Hop- Love and Friendship

Hello there,

I bet you was wondering where I disappeared again??? I've taken few weeks off to focus on some health issues but I am back and everything is good again :)

Our Blog Hop theme, with the Be Inspired Team is Love and Friendship and I combined the two. A love card for a true friend,

I was inspired by a scrapbooking layout I noticed on my Insta scrolling and thought *I can turn that sweet idea into a card * !! And here it is, not a bit of stamping on it *shocked* and I've used more dies that I care to count, however I love having crds like these in my display arsenal that show customers various products so I am not sorry at all :)

I have used the Large Letters framelits combined with the new Be Mine Stitched set from the Spring Catalogue and they are divine, spot that cute scalloped stitched edge too - MUCHO LOVE.

Now, can we please take a moment to admire that cute designer paper? It's the Needlepoint Nook on page 39 of the Spring Summer Catalogue and its drool worthy, I m quite smitten and I loved that I got to use most of the patterns of one card.

Check those close-up details, it has texture, thanks to the Subtle embossing folder and dimension thanks to me fussy cutting those sweet little flowers and mounting them onto dimensional pads for a bit extra oomph.

Thank you so much for joining me today and I hope to see you more regularly now that I am back in business. Big hugs don't forget to hop over to the lovely Maike and check out her beautiful project.

Big hugs Monica xx

Janneke de Jong:

Jenny Hall:

Monica Gale: You are here

Maike Beimler:

Cathy Caines:

Carolynn Sander:

Happy New Year - Happy New SALE

Hello and a Very Happy New Year to you ..

It is so exciting to be back at work with a BANG! I start officially on the 7th of January, but I wanted to shout it from the roof tops that starting today, our Biggest Sale of the Year is Live.

And its BIG- your get a FREE gift for every £45 you spend, You can see all of the delights on offer, by clicking on the image below,

Lots of lovely items to choose from, but if you are  thinking of spending anything this Sale a Bration time, I strongly advise that you join me and become a demonstartor . It is by far, the best time to join as the deal is so amazing, you get much more value than at any other time.

Why not, make 2019 the year you will never pay full price for your stamping supplies. I joined in January myself, almost 11 years ago, and honestly I haven't regretted it once. I am here to have a chat if you would like to hear more or have any questions, but the last thing you should feel about the prospect, is scared. So many fear  the word *demonstartor*, the reality is that it can be as simple as joining and enjoying the discount for yourself or running it as the business you want. Literally not more complicated than that.. honest. And even if you find that the busienss side it's not for you, the option to enjoy the discount for yourself is still there. Nothing to lose in my eyes but such a lot to gain, the friendships and fellowship is what would help enrich your life for the better, is what I value most about my journey with Stampin'Up! and I would love for you to experience it for yourself.

There are two options as you can see below (the tote bag is totally divine !!)

Why don't you send me a quick email to have a no pressure chat if you would like to learn more? I would love to help you and welcome you to our fab, friendly team.

And there is more, not only we are kicking off this fab sale campaign today we also have a brand new Spring Catalogue Launch full with delightful new product. I cannot wait to show you some of the new stuff starting next week here on the blog and on my business page.

 CHECK THEM ALL HERE

Have fun browsing and shopping and please remember, if I can be of any help placing an order for you or anything else, just contact me on 01405 862902 or email me.

Much love 

Monica xx

HAPPY CHRISTMAS 2018 HOME TOUR

Hello there :),

By the time this post goes live hopefully you will have enjoyed a wonderful dinner, and you are still busy celebrating a wonderful Christmas Day.

 I started this blog post wanting to share my home tour with you all a few weeks ago. I kept adding photos as I grabbed a few minutes here and there, but then I totally ran out of time leading up to the festivities to finish it off and publish it.

So I decided that I would schedule it instead for the evening of Christmas Day in the hope that you might enjoy reading it as you sit down after a full day of celebrating with your nearest and dearest.

So Welcome to our Home this Christmas, grab a drink its picture heavy

The front door got a traditional look again this year, if you are a regular reader you know that we had the porch and front door remodelled last year (you can see our last year tour here ). Unfortunately the beautiful lanterns couldn't be fitted before Christmas ( the builder literally left On Christmas eve) so I jumped at the chance of adding a festive eucalyptus wreath to them this year.

And instead of a wreath for the door, I opted for a fresh pine and holly berry filled pair of ice-skates. It's been a few years since they've made an appearance but I love how they pop on the dark door.

Please, common in :)

As you enter, you catch a glimpse of our hallways tree ahead and to the right is a small cabinet in our porch section which got a little festive attention.

I usually have a red theme in our reception hall but I changed the rug in here this year so I decided to go neutral. 

The small tree is decorated in white and silver mercury glass ornaments. The cute antlers are from Hobbycraft , the stars I made myself out of dry porcelain, burlap ribbon from my SU stash and the tiny snowflakes are 22 years old, I bought them when I first came to the UK. 

And a view of the other side,  faux succulents I bought on my recent trip to US fit in quite happily. I love it when the everyday vignettes I have can be transformed with ease, so I do not have to find home for all these extra things when I decorate for Christmas.  The bird house was a gift from a dear friend years ago, I love using it every year with a few bird ornaments .

And of course. lights !! Little white lights which add a wonderful glow at night time ..

The tree in here was decorated in whites, silver and brown this year. 

This tree is soo glitzy and sparkly in real life. I took a little video of it and posted it on my Facebook Page here if you want to see it, I just love staring at it...

 These two  reindeers along with the lights on this tree are the only things I bought new this year. I usually add a few ornaments decorations to my collection each year, some years I make a load it all depends. And I always buy the bulk of my decorations in the sales after Christmas. 

 The console table got in on the action as well. This is a big, heavy wood piece so a natural decor fits it best.  All the woodland creatures were displayed on top of it amongst some pussy willow branches, and those Ikea trees, which  I've had quite a long time now.  A few sprigs of fresh eucalyptus on the lamps and fairy lights of course , the essential items for a bit of magic.

My Fox is KING this year Hee heee :)

Look who's here??? how cute is my darling Olly Pooh Bear ?? *heart eyes*  Olly is a 4 year old cockapoo and my shadow.. Where I go he goes.

Here's another view of the tree,  as you exit the sitting room so let's head there next :

The tree in this room is HUGE, seriously big but if fits into this corner really well and doesn't make our room feel in any way crowded. We had it five or six years now and so far I have no desire to replace it. Flocked trees are magic, I just love them.  I went for sparkly white, gold and copper this year in here.

The coffee table got a simply makeover and let me tell you this was the picture that I only added this morning after breakfast.

Again I kept as much of my regular items I have on this table as I could, and only added a few festive touches. Some fresh pine from our daily walks and a few sparkly stars. The bowl with bauble houses all of our regular junk ( I keep Olly's comb and brush there, my manicure set, odds and ends we need. I like that I have it all on hand but the baubles hide everything away.

 At the other side of the tree is our drink cabinet, well it started life as a TV cabinet when we first set up house together and when TV's were of a reasonable size, now it houses our drinks and my printer ( haha the reality of it all )

I added simply little green wreaths to my collection of white pots and carried it through to the mantlepiece.

The little white houses are from Hobbycraft and provide the perfect backdrop for my Italian Nativity set. Oh and check out my Aloe Vera plant !!! Doesn't she looks wonderfully Christmassy??

I love that you can catch a glimpse of the hallway tree in the mirror ( and the hoover behind the door, but I'm not looking at that), and if you look really closely there's that pup again snoozing on the other sofa  LOL

The dining room got its Christmas dressing as well. The big sideboard was kept simple as it usually doubles up as a bar or holding bay for
dishes and stuff while we entertain.

This next shot clearly indicates what I mean, here it is piled with presents we received on Christmas Eve.

For the table I placed my collection of Mercury glass single stem bottles and filled with fresh pine and some sparkly branches. They were corralled on a big tray draped with a garland of twinkly lights so that they can be easily moved to set the table. I add thin tapered candles to them for dinners 

And talking about setting the table, this is ours this year. I set it on Christmas Eve late at night after a little soiree, we tend to host our neighbours every Christmas Eve if we can, and it was a truly wonderful evening.

There is no secret that I love miss-matching my decor and I also love to do so with my table setting too. I purchased some vintage Royal Doulton white and blue china this year with a bonus I earned through my business and I loved using them for Christmas for the first time. 

And here's a picture I snapped in the candlelight. Yes a little tree resides here as well :)

 Phew, we made it till the end !!! that is all I have for today, sadly 2018 wasn't the year we got to start work on our extension and the kitchen is in no state to be showed off, but here's hoping 2019 will be the year that will make that happen.
 <3 nbsp="" p="">
Happy Christmas my dear reader it was wonderful to have you here today. Thank you for visiting

Much love Monica and Olly :)