Stampin' Up! New Autumn - December 2020 Mini Catalogue.

 The new Stampin' Up! Autumn-December 2020 mini catalogue has been live for a few weeks now, so I hope you have all been enjoying some of the new products.  As a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator you can buy any of the products in the new catalogue through me in my online store - https://amethystarcrafting.stampinup.net/ just click the link HERE

The catalogue is filled with Autumn, Halloween and Christmas Goodies and I have made a video showing you some of my favourites

If you would like a hard copy of the catalogue then just drop me a comment and I will happily post one out to you. Thank you to all my customers who have already received one and place your first orders.

Have a great Bank Holiday Monday and even though the weather might not be the best in the UK enjoy.

Love and Hugs

Jane x

Blogging and why I've been absent for a while.

Well it certainly has been a funny old year. I think all our lives have changed during 2020 and there have been some real ups and down in my world.  I always try and focus on the positives so here are the positives

• I have a lovely home, supportive family and a cute little dog
• My Stampin' Up! passion and being an Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator has given me purpose and focus.
• My YouTube channel has connected me with subscribers who are all friends across the world who support and encourage me constantly with their lovely comments.
• I earn a few pennies with lovely customers who buy Stampin' Up! products through my online store https://amethystarcrafting.stampinup.net/   link
• I craft almost every day, thinking of new ideas for each stamp set that I have to show and inspire others.
• I am constantly evolving and learning new things in my crafting journey which keeps my mind active.

So here are the negatives that I have been faced with in the past few months

• After being furloughed in May from my job of 10 years working with the elderly in a local day centre, we are now all being made redundant and are half way through the series of three consultations. A very sad time for all concerned and I will miss it dreadfully.
• I am half way through a skin cancer scare having had a small lump removed from my arm, I have to go back and have more removed as they didn't get it all first time. This is obviously an uncertain time, but thankfully once successfully removed will be the end of it.

We all face challenges in our lives and the things that we thought were certainties like our jobs and health can suddenly be turned upside down and we have to realise that although at the time it can seem overwhelming there are always positives to focus on.

So at times like this some areas have to take a back seat as juggling too many balls at the same time means you always have to drop one or two and my blog has taken a back seat.

My intention is to get back to blogging, chatting to you all, sharing some of my crafting creations, inspire you and motivate everyone I come into contact with.

Keeping our mental health healthy is as important as keeping our bodies healthy and crafting is a great way to improve our mental health.

So here is a card that I recently enjoyed making

and the sentiment is my daily mantra at the moment, that however tough things may appear "You can do this"

See you all soon, stay safe and well and be kind.

Love and Hugs

Jane xx

How to simply colour with pencils to build up colour tones using Stampin' Up! Tasteful Touches stamp set & Water Colour Pencils

I enjoy colouring stamped images but sometimes find it difficult to get tones and depth of colour. Stampin' Up! Water Colour Pencils work beautifully used with water or just as pencils.

The flower image from Tasteful Touches a new stamp set with lots of lovely images I stamped and then used the pencils to colour in different tone to build up depth .

Each image took about 5 minutes to colour and I used a pretty simple technique of building up layers of colour.

I have done a video tutorial so you can see how easy it is to achieve.  The stamped image really helps as it has lots of shadow lines to follow.

If you would like to buy these products then please click on the links below

Water Colour Pencils 

Water Colour Pencils Assortment 2

Tasteful Touches stamp set

If there are other items you would like to purchase, or you want to have a browse of our new catalogue, see special offers, join my team then pop over to my Stampin' Up! online store

amethystarcrafting.stampinup.co.uk

Thank you for stopping by stay safe, stay well and be kind

love

Jane

Stampin' Up! Joining Offer Pick A Free Bundle June 2020 Jane Allmark Amethystarcrafting

From the 3 - 30th June 2020 if you Join My Team

you can get a free bundle of your choice.

 Now’s the perfect time to join. Not only will you get a Starter Kit—already a great value at 129 € | £99 for 175 € | £130 worth of products—but for a limited time, you can select any stamp/tool bundle from the new 2020–2021 Annual Catalogue for FREE. There could not be a better time.

Do you love to craft? Would you like to work from home? Do you enjoy people? Then becoming a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator may be the perfect opportunity for you.

DEMONSTRATOR BENEFITS

• Get 20%–25% off all Stampin' Up! products.
• Earn additional income based on your sales and recruiting--just how much extra income is up to you.
• Set your own schedule and put in as much (or as little) time as you’d like.
• Get support through online training resources, a quarterly magazine, events, and a demonstrator-only online community with thousands of project ideas.
• Access to regular promotions, giving you an opportunity to contact customers.
• Opportunity to earn incentive trips.
• Chance to learn creative tips and techniques, share ideas, and come into contact with new friends who love papercrafting as much as you do!

This really is a great offer, so if you want really high quality papercraft products and want them at a discount, then what have you got to lose. The new annual catalogue is a great time to join as there is so much in it and if you love coordination then Stampin' Up! really specialises in all their products coordinating, from cardstock, patterned paper inks and colouring mediums.

Would love to welcome you to my team.

My Stampin' Up! online store is

HERE

https://amethystarcrafting.stampinup.net/

Stampin' Up! Tasteful Touches

The Stampin' Up! new catalogue is now live and there are some lovely products as always. Tasteful Touches is a great all round stamp set, which has so many different elements and sentiments that it really will be a go to set.

This gorgeous flower was simply stamped in  Soft Suede Ink Pad and then coloured with blends.

Click HERE    

to go to my online store where you can see current products, special offers, join my team, see the new annual catalogue in pdf form and to shop.

Here is a step by step video tutorial so you can make this card yourself.

Thank you so much for stopping by on my blog. Stay safe, stay well and be kind.

How walking in nature and crafting keeps me sane

Hello and welcome to Amethystarcrafting, my name is Jane Allmark and I'm a UK Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Life has changed so much during the past six weeks. Social contact has stopped so seeing my family, grandkids, friends, work and just going out for a coffee has all stopped.  This has been really hard and if I didn't have my little craft space and my crafting supplies it would have been even worse. I try and do some form of creative crafting every day.  As most of you know I make YouTube tutorials 3 times a week, and this has been a way of talking to people I have met through my channel from all across the globe.


My one piece of daily exercise is walking in a 3000 acre deer park on my doorstep and nature in all it's beauty does not change. With the reduction in aeroplanes and cars the air is a little sweeter, the skies are a little clearer and the trees are a little greener. There are always positives to be found in every situation.

This is a photo I took of one of the little deer enjoying the morning air.

Misty mornings with the dog.

So as you can see I am very blessed in many ways. Once I have been out for my walk I spend several hours in my little craft space and try and bring inspiration and ideas to everyone.

So join me in the coming days as I can show you ideas in simple to follow tutorials.

Have a look and see what I have been up to by clicking HERE

I also have a Facebook crafting page - HERE

As an independent Stampin' Up! demonstrator I have an online store where you can see current products,special offers, join my team and shop, so if you want to get some crafting supplies then take a look - HERE   My site is amethystarcrafting.stampinup.co.uk  if you prefer typing it in.

Hope you are all keeping safe and well and look forwarding to seeing you here again. Please feel free to subscribe and I love comments and will always reply.

Here's a picture of a recent project I've been working on

Stampin’ Up! Clearance Rack keeping your crafting going on a budget

We can’t go out to the shops at the moment with this isolation and all the craft shops are closed. However Stampin’ Up! Is still open for business as usual online.

The Clearance Rack is a great place to get some bargains at up to 60% off. Take a look HERE
These sale items with the most discounts never last long, so worth having a look, to see if there is a bargain you might want.

All items are posted directly to your door in normally about a week.

Have fun and enjoy. Remember stay safe and well at home.

Keeping you're mind active by crafting

Happy Sunday everyone. Most of us will have been indoors and away from loved ones, family and friends for a while now and it can be hard  to stay positive and find ways to keep both mind and body active.  For me crafting has always been my passion and in these difficult times I find that it is even more important.

Taking some cardstock, a stamp set and some inks and losing myself in creating something, bring me joy and I can quite easily wile away many hours doing so.

Although we can't go out to the shops at the moment online shopping is a way to buy our supplies delivered to our door, to continue our passion. Stampin' Up! is a great place to get all your crafting supplies from cardstock, patterned paper, inks, stamps and most everything you would get at the local craft store.  As an Independent Stampin' Up! demonstrator you can shop with me easily.  Just type https://amethystarcrafting.stampinup.net/ or click Here to go straight there.

Today's project is

using a sponge brayer and some stamps to create a moonlit scene and then adding a stamp and colouring in black to give a silhouette.

Products used - Sponge Brayers (2 handles & 4 sponges) just £7.50
Very Versaille stamp set
Special Someone (racoon) stamp set

Have a go yourself, just follow to video tutorial to give you the ideas and then create it yourself.

Stay safe and well and see you all soon.

Crafting For Fun

Crafting, stamping and papercraft is a great form of relaxation and can help to wile away those hours that we are in isolation.  I try and do some crafting every day and like to share simple and easy tutorials that everyone can have a go at.

A simple one layer card using just two ink pads and black. Calypso Coral and Crushed Curry a lovely orange and yellow makes this a bright spring card, with a bit of sunshine in the colours.

Here is the step by step tutorial and I hope you will have a go

Unfortunately at the moment I am unable to upload pictures on my blog, so until I fathom out how to fix this, then there is only the YouTube video tutorial.

Stay safe and well and see you all again soon x

Visit my online store to see current products, special offers, the clearance rack with lots of bargains, join my team and to shop - https://amethystarcrafting.stampinup.net/ click HERE

Crafting for a positive mental attitude Day 3

Morning everyone hope you are all safe and well.  Todays project is simple spritzing with stamps and the lovely stamp set Painted Poppies

Spritz the stamp once inked then stamp onto white cardstock. Colours I used were Gorgeous Grape and Coastal Cabana, but chose two colours of your choice which compliment each other.

Then ink up the outline of the poppy and choosing the Gorgeous Grape stamp over the spritzed background. Use the leaf stamp in the Coastal Cabana on the spritzed background in that colour.

Another simple and easy technique with a lovely finished card.

Watch the step by step tutorial and then have a go yourself.

See you tomorrow for another simple and easy crafting idea for you to have a go at.

Crafting to keep a positive mental attitude Day 2

Morning everyone, hope you are all safe and well.

Todays craft idea is another simple card idea using the Painted Poppies stamp set

This time we are using the large splodge, which can be used to fill in the inside of the poppies.

Take two complimentary ink pads, I chose Pool Party and Highland Heather and on the other card Granny Apple Green and Mint Macaron.

Stamp twice in each colour, four times down the page and then add a sentiment of your choice and stamp it in black over the top of the coloured stamping.

This makes a quick and simple card, yet bright and cheerful for any occasion.

Watch the step by step tutorial and then have a go yourself.

Stay safe and well and see you again tomorrow.

Crafting to keep a Positive Mental Attitude Day 1

We all find ourselves in difficult times at the moment, staying at home and being unable to visit our family and friends. Some of us are lucky to be in family units, others are on our own. Whatever situation you may be in it is certainly an unprecedented time.

Having not been blogging for a month, I am going to be back to blogging, connecting us all with crafting ideas to help us all get through the coming weeks and months.  Yes my focus has been on my YouTube channel, posting 3 tutorials a week, and will continue to connect with you all in this way too.

Using stamps, ink and paper with a few dies and punches and dies, lets have some fun and create together.

Lets start with a quick and simple rainbow card using the PaintedPoppies stamp set This card is made by stamping the lovely splodge from the stamp set.

Using a rainbow of ink pads, choose whichever combination you like.

Watch the step by step video tutorial and then have a go yourself.

Rainbows are always bright and cheery and with the sentiment A Great Big Wish For Happiness it is what we all need at the moment.

Come back tomorrow for another simple card using the same stamp set.

Stay safe and well.

Jane Allmark - Amethystarcrafting

Time is very precious and I like to focus this time on things which I enjoy, are interactive and encourage viewers to take part, comment and show me that the time I am investing is worthwhile.

So, I am taking a step back from my blog, as it is not proving effective for me, and my time is better spent elsewhere.

As you know my YouTube channel is my passion and I am proud to say that I have some lovely interactive subscribers who leave lovely comments and encouragement. With approaching 3.5k subscribers and posting videos 3 times a week this is where my main focus is.

To find me on YouTube follow the link HERE

You can also find me on Pintrest and Facebook

Find my Facebook Group HERE

As a Stampin' Up! demonstrator my customers are very important to me and I have some lovely friendships with them.

If you would like to shop with me then visit my Stampin' Up! online store HERE

Look forwarding to seeing anyone who has visited my blog at one of my other places .

Thank you for taking the time to read this, as this will be my last blog for a while. Love and hugs x

Thoughts and way forward with my blog.

I  have had my blog for many years now and go through phases of posting every day, to a couple of times a week to more recently a couple of times a month.

I look at my statistics and the amount of views I get, compared to my YouTube channel and it is a bit disappointing, so I find I am concentrating more on my YouTube channel and have let my blog dwindle a bit.

So thoughts - should I continue to blog and go back to posting regularly or just post a couple of times a month when I am doing a blog post for the couple of blog challenges and hops that I am on the design team for?

I have 116 subscribers here on my blog, but apart from the challenges I mentioned above, I never get comments and get very few views (average 10 - 30).  So is all the effort worth it?

My YouTube channel as nearly 3,500 subscribers and gets 250 - 1k views per video and almost always has lots of positive encouraging comments.

When you spend time working on any project whether it be blogger, YouTube or any other social media platform, it is the audience that makes it worth while.

So what I am asking you is - do you enjoy my blog? do you want me to post more?

Comments below please.  I will monitor this and see whether I shall return to blogging several times a week, or continue as I have in just blogging as part of a challenge.

The ball is in your hands! Thanks for taking the time in reading this.

If you want to see where all my focus goes then pop over to my YouTube channel, subscribe and join in the fun.

Here is my latest video

JOS Blog Hop February 2020 Love Is In The Air

Welcome to February's Blog Hop with the Joy Of Sets.  The theme for this month is "Love Is In The Air".

In the UK we don't really celebrate Valentine's Day unless we are in  couple where we might make a card for the other half. However 14th February, Valentine's Day, is very special for me as it is my grandson's birthday. Reuben Valentine was born on Valentine's Day and will be 7 years old.  He is a wonderful little lad, full of fun and laughter and as all of my grandchildren are, is very dear to me.

So my blog hop card uses a stamp set called Special Someone and with 23 stamps for £16 I think is great value.

This is my "Love is in the Air" card. I used the Stamparatus positioning tool to get the hearts and mice in a circle on the 5" x 5" piece of cardstock.  This is a two step stamp so I was able to fill in the hearts and the mice to give a little colour.  Added a sentiment and some ribbon and it is a fun card with a "love" feel.

While I had this set out I made my grandson his birthday card

There is a coordinating die set with this stamp set and so was able to cut out some grass and the little string for the balloons. The sentiment was popped into a word bubble, one of the dies included in this set.

So now that I've shown you my ideas why don't you have a look at all the great inspiration from the other hoppers.

Go back to Fiona Whitehead HERE


Go Forward to Tricia Butts HERE

Stampin' Up! Poppy Moments using dies as stencil masks

Stampin' Up! Poppy Moments are a great set of dies which can be used as stencil masks to create great backgrounds. Visit my online shop for current products, special offers and of course to shop for all your crafting supplies https://amethystarcrafting.stampinup.net/ Click Here

 Die cut the poppy and the centre stamen and then with a sponge and two colours, Cherry Cobbler and Crushed Curry colour the poppy. This first image I sponge quite lightly to give a soft, muted look and then just added a sentiment from Very Versaille stamp set.

This image I sponged darker, by going over the area several times and then added some of the lovely dies from the set.

You can buy these products by clicking on the links below
Poppy Moments - BUY HERE
Stampin Sponges - BUY HERE

Here is a step by step video tutorial to show you how to achieve this look - Please subscribe to my YouTube channel as I post 3 times  a week and have 300 videos with lots of techniques and ideas for you

Joy of Sets Tic Tac Toe Challenge February 2020 #JOSTTT014

Welcome to the Joy of Sets Challenge Blog for February.  This is a monthly challenge with a fun grid to chose a line from in any direction and then create a card or project.  I have been on the Design Team since the beginning, just over a year ago now and it is always lovely to see all the entries from around the world.  If you are chosen as the winner for the month, you get to be a Guest Designer for the following month and to add a winners badge to your blog.

So what I'm really trying to say is give it a go and take part.  Being given a grid to chose from is a challenge and it helps to give you a way to craft in perhaps a different way.  I always try and go a little out of my comfort zone and chose a line with things I might not always be comfortable in using. It's a way for me to hone my skills in areas I don't always use.

Here is this months grid - Click HERE to take part.

I chose Watercolour - Purple and Die Cuts

Purple is my favourite colour, so was an easy one.
Watercolour - I don't use watercolour paper often so this was the challenge element,
Die Cuts - I enjoy using die cuts in my projects.

So now it was time to put all three together on a card

Products I used

Highland Heather cardstock

Painted Labels Dies (for the swirly die)

Peaceful Moments stamp set for the sentiment

Peaceful Poppies Designer Series Paper - for the patterned paper 

Peaceful Poppies Elements - for the watercolour and velum poppies

Coloured the poppies with the Aqua Painter and Gorgeous Grape and Cherry Cobbler ink.

As a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator you can buy all of these products from my online shop

https://amethystarcrafting.stampinup.net/ click HERE

Stampin' Up! Under My Umbrella

Stampin' Up! Under My Umbrella bundle is a stamp set a punch to create lots of lovely combinations.  With this horrible rainy weather at the moment it I perfect for cheery cards with a rainy theme.

For these cards I used our Blends, alcohol markers which come in pairs of a light and dark so are really easy to blend.

See the full range of blends HERE

The wellington boots I fussy cut out and mounted on the smallest stitched rectangle in the Stitched Shapes Dies

 a great set of 4 circles, ovals and squares with a stitched border.

The umbrellas I just stamped straight onto the cardstock and coloured with blends. Of course you could use the punch to give them some dimension.

Here is a video tutorial so you can see exactly how I made these cards and have a go yourself.

JOS Blog Hop - Something New - January 2020

The Joy Of Sets Blog Hop is taking place today and with the start of the new Year it is "Something New".

Well as a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and the launch of the new Mini Catalogue as well as Sale-A-Bration where you can get free products for a qualifying spend, my choice was huge.

I decided to use the Gang's All Meer one of the free Sale-A-Bration sets.  I wanted to do a masculine card so decided to use the lovely cactus image and colour it simply with our ink pads and an aquapainter.

The colours I chose were, Mossy Meadow, Granny Apple Green for the cactus, Flirty Flamingo and Melon Mambo for the flower, and Crumb Cake for the ground.

I have had various male members of my family who have grown cacti, whether in greenhouses or on the window sill, so thought this would make a great Birthday card for one of them/  I finished the card of with a simple twist of linen thread.

Here is a video tutorial to show you exactly how to make this card -

Please go across and have a look at some of the other ideas from other Joy of Sets hoppers. You can hop round over 20 blogs with lots of inspiration and ideas.  So please visit everyone and leave a comment to share the love.

Tricia Butts - Click HERE

Joy Of Sets Tic Tac Toe Challenge Jan 2020 Design Team Member Jane Allmark

Well it is now  2020 an the start of a new year with the Joy of Sets Tic Tac Toe Challenge.  I am delighted to be part of the design team for the second year.  It is always challenging being given a grid and having to choose what to use and then how to design the card or project.


This grid had me really thinking.  Don't really do hearts, and I'm a purple girl so struggle a bit with pink.  However after a bit of a think I chose. PUNCH  RIBBON  PINK

Want to join in and see what you can create with this grid.  All crafters are welcome so pop over and have a go.  Just click on the link HERE and it will take you straight there.

There is a lovely stamp set and punch in the new Stampin' Up! mini catalogue called Under My Umbrella and this is what I chose.

Under My Umbrella stamp set & punch £28.75 buy it HERE

Life's Showers bring Love's Flowers is such a sweet sentiment particularly as there has been so much rain and flooding in the UK this past month.  So my wish was that there would be more flowers and not so many showers.

This is a very simple and quick to make card so is suitable for every level of crafter.  Sometimes being an experienced crafter it is easy to add everything to a card so this time I kept it simple and although Flirty Flamingo and Blushing Bride are not my favourites I was pleased how it came out.

Here is a link to my Stampin' Up! website where you can see current products, special offers and then buy what you want from my shop. https://amethystarcrafting.stampinup.net/ Click HERE

Ever thought of joining Stampin' Up! - buy lots of Stampin' Up! products because you love the quality? Well this time of the year while Sale-A-Bration is on is the most popular time to join as the offers are amazing. There is no obligation when you join  to do anything but enjoy over £200 of goodies for £99.  Watch the video I have compiled to see how you can get your starter kit to exactly £130, choose one of the most expensive stamp sets for free, plus get a free mini cutter & huge 6" x 6" patterned paper pack.

Join Stampin' Up! Now with even more free products and choose the best s...

Thoughtful Blooms Stampin' Up! Sale-A-Bration

Want to get crafty products for free? Sale-A-Bration  running from 3rd Jan - 31 March you can get a wide selection of stamp sets, papers, dies, punches and more for free with a qualifying spend of over £45.

Thoughtful Blooms is one of the lovely stamp sets you can get for free (with a qualifying £45 spend from the Annual catalogue or new mini catalogue)

Find out more about Sale-A-Bration and the new mini catalogue on my website https://amethystarcrafting.stampinup.net/ click HERE all products available from 3rd Jan - 31st Mar.

Want to join Stampin' Up! ? Great offer starting 3rd Jan -  For £99 get your choice of £130 of products, plus a free mini cutter, plus a sample pack of 6" x 6" patterned paper, plus choose any stamp set you want from the Annual Catalogue or the new mini as an extra bonus. This is an offer not to be missed.  Go to my website from 3rd Jan 2020 - 31st March   https://amethystarcrafting.stampinup.net/ Click HERE to join and take advantage of this fantastic offer.

Thoughtful Blooms FREE with any order of £45 - Get it HERE

So this is the gorgeous card using the Thoughtful Blooms and two of my favourite colours Highland Heather and Gorgeous Grape.

Now if any of you have the Petite Petals Punch from way back when, then it will fit the flowers perfectly.  There is a little point to each one of the petals on the punch , but they are super easy to just round off with some snips. (will save you some hard earned spend to use on other saleabration items)

Here's a video tutorial so you can see how to make this lovely card.  If you like what I do then please feel free to comment and if you are not already a subscriber I'd love you to join my YouTube channel family.  I have over 3,000 subscribers and over 200 craft video tutorials using Stampin' Up! products.

Jane Allmark UK Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator - Happy New Year to you all in my crafting family.

I would just like to wish everyone in my crafting family a Happy New Year! 2020 and a new decade has begun. and  I hope it brings you everything you wish for and above all health and happiness.

Find me on my website - https://amethystarcrafting.stampinup.net/ click HERE this is where you can see current products, special offers, and where to join Stampin' Up! and of course SHOP.

I am approaching my 5th year as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and I must admit I love it more as each year passes.  I have made some lovely crafty friends throughout the world and the support and love that I have been shown as I branched into video tutorials and online presence has been truly  heart warming.

So what will 2020 bring?  More of everything I love, so more video tutorials, more blogging and more engagement with all of you lovely followers.  So with that in mind I would like to ask you all what you would like to see from me in 2020?

• Comments - I love comments from you all and my YouTube channel is filled with comments from my lovely subscribers around the world.  These comments keep me going and help me know that I am on the right track with videos that you enjoy and want to try for yourselves. My blog has always been a bit quiet on the comments front, so I am hoping that you will all find your voice in 2020 and leave me some comments.  

• YouTube Videos - are there any techniques you would like me to demonstrate for you?
• what do you like about my videos?
• what don't you like and think I could improve on (please be kind)

This recent video has had over 1,000 views in the past week, so has proved very popular.  If you haven't subscribed to my YouTube channel then please feel free to do so.

• My blog - I tend to post only when I have a video on YouTube to link as I have over 3,000 followers on YouTube and just 114 followers on my blog? So would you like to see more content on my blog and if so please tell me what you enjoy.

I'm looking forward to growing all of my social media in 2020 and am thankful and grateful  that you are all along for the ride.

So here's to a fantastic 2020 filled with love and joy and plenty of crafting.

Hugs and love

Jane