Steampunk Challenge with Darkroom Door

Over at Snazzys Design Team Blog there is a Steampunk Challenge running this week and you could win a set of the fabby Steampunk Travel stamps from Chocolate Baroque that the DT will be working with this month.

To entice you to have a go at the challenge there are some samples over at the DT blog, and as I didn't have a DT kit this time  - the Headmaster can be a terrible meanie :0( - I have used the new Darkroom Door Frame (Postal 12 Up) & Collage (Mr Bright Idea) stamps with a Tando mask and some watchparts from my stash. The backgrounds are Pan Pastels in Paynes Grey and Ultramarine Blue Tints with the stamping in Versafine Smokey Grey and Onyx Black.

Do pop over to the DT blog and give the Challenge a go, you have a couple of days yet as it doesn't close until Midday on Sunday 19 August. I will be back with more workshop samples using these, and several other, great new stamps from Darkroom Door soon.

Thanks for visiting xx

PS you can win goodies each month over at the Snazzy's DT Blog just by taking the time to leave a comment!

Busy, busy, busy.....

What a week!

Last weekend was Artstamps England at Newbury and we were busy, busy, busy! Saturday was a tad hectic, but on Sunday we had a bit more time to have a chat, which is always nice.

The demo was Pan Pastels with Dylusions stamps and masks, Crafter's Workshop masks, with Glitz Design and Kaisercraft background stamps. We had a blast despite Val's stinking cold and sore throat so, see you all same time, same place next year.

(Picture snaffled from Minxy - Gillian, Minxy and Hels at Ally Pally this Spring)

Now to the really important things. Today is Snazzy's DT Co-ordinator Gillian's birthday and as well as sending her loads of birthday greetings, virtual hugs and a little something in the post, we need to say a very important word that just doesn't seem to cover it really, but a big THANKYOU will have to do.

Gillian is not only a very talented teamie who creates fantasic art for us month after month she is the absolute foundation of Snazzy's Design Team. Without her there would be no DT, she is the one who keeps everything running so smoothly that you can just enjoy the Teams' art, makes everything happen to schedule and is always so tolerant of us picking her brains. When she agreed to take on the DT role just over a year ago she made our day, and continues to do so on a very regular basis.

So, altogether now, thank you Gillian and lots of very happy birthday wishes fron all of us!

Also today, and a complete co-incidence, the online store finally goes live.

Before you get over excited though I have to say that although the stucture of the site is all in place, there are a lot of empty categories as yet with only around 500 stamp plates plus all the Pan Pastels (Pan Pastel tools tomorrow!) currently showing. We will be loading more items every day and by the end of the month should have all the stamps, inkpads, powders and paints we stock loaded with the papers, cardstocks & blanks to follow. The upside is that each time you look you will find more to see, and hopefully buy, so do bear with us.  

The direct URL is http://snazzysstore.com/ or you can simply click the shop online button on the main website at www.snazzystampingandscrapbooking.co.uk

Thanks for your patience and for visiting xx

Snazzys New Online store

Good Morning Snazzy Stampers

with yet another grey, wet day in prospect we have some cheering news.

The very long awaited online store will go live on Thursday 12 July, probably around 3pm.

The structure of the site is complete, tested and fully working and we will try really hard not to tinker with this anytime soon. You will be able to get to the online store directly, from links on our blogs, Twitter & Facebook and also from the 'Shop Online' button on the main website.

More details soon.

As you may be able to see from the rather blurred screen capture above we have kept the design really plain and simple - we will get a better shot of the outside of the store once the skies brighten up and it stops raining! We have had some rather intense discussions on the product categories along the way and, in the interests of keeping the navigation as simple as possible, have tried to keep the number of categories as low as posssible. Time will tell whether this proves to be the right approach.

At the point the site goes live it will boast only around 1500 item lines with around a further 4500 to be added over the next month or so. We will load these as fast as we can with a blend of new items arriving in the store and the catch up on core stock items being loaded each week.

We are planning lots of additional features such as videos and tutorials to help you make the most of your purchases, and these will link from the product categories. We have already filmed a couple of these with lots more in the pipeline and the plan is to add these gradually over the Summer and into the Autumn. We will also working on providing links to products in the online store from the workshop and the new gallery pages of the main website which we hope you will find helpful.

That's all for now, but lots to look forward to, so do keep dropping by to check on our progress. 

Keep dry xx

PS A very happy Birthday to our very own Ms Independence, Lyndz, from two very proud parents. xx  

Artstamps England 2012

10am to 5pm on Saturday 7 July and 10am to 4pm on Sunday 8 July

Good Morning stampers.

It's that time of year again when all serious stampers' thoughts turn to Artstamps England at Newbury Racecourse. Over 40 stamp brands from all over the world will be represented with lots of on stand demonstrations.  Workshops with such well known talents as Barbara Grey from Clarity Stamps and Vikki from Stamp Addicts are available both days, and for those with an interest in paint techniques the lovely Lynne Courteney from Flutterby Crafts will be sharing her skills with Jo Sonja paints too.

This is always a lovely friendly show with the chance to catch up with stamping friends old and new.

So, if you don't yet have your tickets, then what are you waiting for.........that would be the Snazzy ticket giveaway then!

We have FOUR pairs of complementary tickets to give away this year and here's the deal.

Each day this week on both Twitter and Facebook , starting today, we will give you the header you need to use in your email - remember you don't need to have a Twitter or Facebook account, you can just click the link on the front page of Snazzys website. The first person to email the store email address using that header wins that day's pair of tickets. We will be giving a new header each day so do keep popping back.

Hope to see you all there.

Best of luck xx

Mountboard Minibook with Prima's Almanac Collection

Some of you may recall the brilliant Snazzy's Design Team projects created back in April with Prima's Almanac collection. Well, confession time, the Headmaster let me have a kit too....... providing a workshop project emerged, complete, and it did! Unusual in itself, but more still when I tell you I have taught it in the workshop three times now, which is three times more often than is normal for me.

I am still being asked about this workshop so, if you want to have a go, my finished size was 6"x 4", the pages are made from black mountboard linked by black cardstock 'hinges' and with the exception of the flowers, the pearls, pearl pins and swirls all the embellishment are simply elements taken from the 12"x 12" papers. The edge on the front was cut with Tonic Studios Simplicity Pattern Punch Dotty Border which is one of nine designs in stock now. (These punches are very easy to use as they are geared and will cut through 300gsm cardstock very crisply.)

I love little books that can be stuffed full of photos and mementos so this one is very heavy on pockets, flaps and other hiding places for both photos and journalling.

I added rub-ons from Kaisercraft so this is a project I didn't stamp on, it does happen lol!

Both this page and the facing one have flaps one which opens to the left,

and the other lifts upwards,

to reveal a space for photos and/or journalling.

These next two pages are both pockets

containing tags.

Again all the embellishments were simply cut form the papers.

For variety, I used white vellum for a couple of the pockets

which just gives a lighter feel.

For the final two pages I used the Tim Holtz Alterations On the Edge Pennant and Lace dies to make trimmings for yet more pockets,

and both hold more journalling cards cut from the papers.

For your guidance this is the sort of project you find on a full day workshop at Snazzys and they usually cost £30, generally with a free choice of colours/papers. There was lots of cutting and construction involved in the book, and the material costs were also fairly high as there are lots of layers and embellishments, but it was a beautiful project made from stunning products.

I try to include a new minibook workshop each month so if this appeals, checkout the workshop timetables. The July one is fully booked but if there is enough demand then I will repeat it.

Thanks for visiting.

Back soon xx

New Design Team..............Packs

Ahah! You thought I wasn't going to manage to keep the BIG news to myself, well.....sorry for the tease but you will just have to pop over to the DT blog tomorrow where Gillian will share that with you!
Anyways, here is what our fabby Design Team will be working with for their next projects. With all things Jubilee and Olympic in the wind they have the beautifully detailed Darkroom Door London plates, the London set of chipboards from Tando, and a Versafine Satin Red inkpad (London buses you see!).

Now before I go, a word about Darkroom Door stamps. The eagle eyed amongst you will have spotted the absence of the iconic tins- and no Natalie it isn't because in my addiction to all things DD I have snaffled the lot!

Darkroom Door have had a revamp, and the previously unmounted stamps which came in the said tins, will now be cling mounted and will come in DVD cases, with the previous price point maintained - I know, I know but don't shoot the messenger! (If you feel the way I do about cling, then just whip it off and clean up with a spot of Undu. I haven't managed to salvage the cling for someone else to use, but perhaps that's down to my haste to get the stamps inky.)

The large, previously unmounted, Background stamps, the Wordblocks, and the Photostamps, will remain in their original packaging style, but will also have the cling treatment and a small increase in price.

Gradually, all our new stocks are coming in the new format but we do still have some designs in the old style tins. I am marking these with an asterisk as I am loading them onto the new online store, but if you would especially like to check if we have the plate you want in the tin, then just give us a call.

That's all for now, off to plod on with the data input. Have a great, if a bit soggy, Bank Holiday. xx 

Port Sunlight Pack Winner

Finally, I remembered the Port Sunlight Pack Giveaway so I have just done the random Number thingy and the number 9 came up which is Jude. Congratulations.

'What a beautiful place. Would love to visit. Glad that you were able to explore a little this time as it looks like you had a wonderful time there. See you soon.

Hugs
Judex'

Contact me with your address details and we will pop your prize in the post.