Hero Arts Frame Cuts

Hero Arts have just announced the release of new holiday additions to their Frame Cuts range of dies which give you a selection of Christmas and winter shapes including snowflakes, a snowman, tags and baubles.

The range of Frame Cuts dies coordinate with Hero Arts stamp designs and you can see the full selection available here. Simply stamp the design and then die-cut around it to create embellishments and toppers for your projects. Frame Cuts are compatible with most manual die-cutting machines.

What a Hoot!

NitWit Collections have just released their What a Hoot collection so head over to www.nitwitcollections.com to get your digital downloads!

This collection is adorable for fans of owls and features an abundance of cute characters in a range of colourful designs, coupled with printable papers, embellishments, word art and more.

Lili Of The Valley grand opening!

The new Lili Of The Valley shop in Leeds opens its 2nd floor tomorrow, so if you fancy getting up close and personal with even more crafting goodies be sure to stop by at 51 Springfield Centre, Bagley Lane, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5LY between 10am - 3pm.


Here you'll find the 400 stamps now available from this popular brand and even be able to see the brand new stamps in their mini-launch tomorrow.

Other lines available at the shop include dies from Spellbinders and Memory Box, as well as other crafting essentials such as paper pads (including the new NitWit designs), ribbons, glitter and more!

Lili Of The Valley will also be taking part in the World's Biggest Coffee Morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support, so you can enjoy a refreshment during your visit whilst contributing to a great cause.

Craft Creations catalogue

Craft Creations have just released Part 4 of their 2012 catalogue which features essentials crafting supplies including scrapbooks, adhesives, acetate, card blanks, bags, boxes, envelopes, labels and more. Part 1 of the catalogue has also been updated to include the all-new Christmas products.

Take a look at everything available, or download PDFs of the catalogue by visiting www.craftcreations.com.

Inspired by Innocent

Take a look at these fun Innocent smoothie hats that Helen Fisher from the Artesano Yarns knitting group has recently created.

Helen does lots of knitting for charity and this will be the third year she's supported the Help The Aged appeal through Sainsbury's with Innocent smoothies. You can find more information about 'The Big Knit' here.

Feeling the chill

Hi everyone,

Well, I'm back from my holiday in sunny and stunning Madeira to find myself positively chilly! What a shock to the system to come from 27-32 degree temperatures and step off the plan in sandals to rain and low teens! I'm rather glad I had a jumper in my hand luggage.

What a fantastic holiday it's been. The weather was perfect (just 30 minutes of rain one morning which was dry within 10 minutes), the views were stunning, the food excellent and I'm feeling really well-rested and geared up for the next few month.

This was a piccie I took from a mini castle on the grounds of the Royal Savoy hotel where we stayed. Madeira's a volcanic island so there aren't many beaches at all - most of the coastline is either cliffs or positioned stone around the inhabited areas.

It was truly super to be here and the sea breeze made it especially pleasant to sunbathe as we didn't get too hot. Lashings of suncream and we didn't burn either!

Here also is one of the photos I took when we went on the King's Levada trail. This was a 4 and a half hour walk along the Levada walk at São Jorge where we went along narrow trails along the mountainside and even walked under a waterfall at one point. It was mildly terrifying in parts as the majority of the trail had sheer drops on the left and no barriers. Sadly this meant I spent most of the time looking down to ensure I was watching my footing, but I made sure to stop and look when I saw a super view.

Totally stunning and I'd 100% recommend Madeira to anyone!

xx

Jetting off

Afternoon everyone,

It'll all seem a little more quiet on here than recently for the next week and a half as I'm finally getting away on a holiday!

This will be my first proper sun, sea and sand holiday for 18 years and also the first real holiday me and Peter's will have been on together. In the early hours of next Monday morning we'll be jetting off for a week in Madeira and I can't wait!

Mum and dad had a stop-over in Madeira a few years ago on their anniversary cruise and were so taken with it that they decided to take out a time share. They'll be coming at the same time as me and Peter as they're using their banked week for 2013 to get a second apartment this year instead. This does mean they won't be able to go next year though, so they must really have been pleased for us to come with them!

The suitcase is out and half of my packing is done - just need to fit in all the shoes, chargers and other bits and bobs then I'm good to go.

I'll be sure to take as many pics as possible while I'm away so I've got plenty of scrapping material for the next few months and will put some of the piccies on here when I get back.

I may be going slightly overboard with the pre-holiday beautification, but it's all part of the fun and I don't treat myself in this way very often. My eyebrows are currently glowing bright red from them being waxed and plucked at lunchtime! I'm booked in first thing in the morning for a manicure and pedicure and then at 3 for a hair cut and super-straighten. I think that covers it!

If we don't 'speak' before then here's hoping that you all have a great weekend and that next week brings sunshine and smiles for everyone.

xx

Artiste inkpads

For those of you who've not heard about them already, docrafts have released a range of new and improved Artiste inkpads and brush marker pens which are perfect for papercrafting. The inkpads are available in pigment, dye and water-based inks and are available in an array of colours to suit your schemes.

The new brush marker packs can be found as sets and these are currently Bright, Vintage and Pastel. Each features 12 pens in a selection of colours.

Artiste is available from docrafts stockists so go to www.docrafts.com to find your closes store.

Epiphany Shape Studio

Crafter's Companion have just announced that the new Pennant 25 and Flower 25 Shape and Button Studio tools from Epiphany Crafts are now available from them - you can currently take advantage of a multi-buy option on their website to get 3 for £39.98 (RRP: £19.99 each), so it's well worth taking a look at www.crafterscompanion.co.uk or calling 0845 296 0042 and getting your hands on these while you can.

This range of tools is great for making your own accessories and embellishments and are designed for use with the EC Shape Studio accessories which are clear toppers for the shapes. The tools themselves are used much like paper punches so you can personalise the pattern and make sure it coordinates with your project.

Simply position the paper or card, add the clear epoxy accessory and punch your way to super quick embellishments!

Owl crazy!

I've just spotted these really fab owl design storage boxes from Groves - aren't they super?!

Owls continue to be a really popular trend in all manner of crafts and these super storage solutions embrace these fun creatures in a whimsical and colourful way for a really stylish look. The larger box (28x14.2x24cm) features a metal clasp and carry handle, whilst the smaller one (22x11x13.5cm) has a magnetic closure. There's also a built-in divider in the larger box, making it ideal for skeeping your bits and bobs separate.

For stockists details email crafts@stockistenquiries.co.uk or call 01453 883581.