It's all going on here!

Well we are almost ready for Version Scrap, the show which is in Paris this coming weekend April 9,10,11. We shall depart in the wee hours of Thurs am to head for Paris. We have all day to set up and the show opens that very evening to VIP peeps- who they are and how they get in I have no idea, but I'm just praying we arrive and get set up in time for doors opening at 6.30 pm. The show then continues for 3 days 9am to 7pm, those Europeans really work us hard! Breakdown is until midnight Sunday, and then we come straight back through the chunnel on a nocturnal crossing, we just have to make sure we are back in time to pick up Mark's parents from Heathrow at 6am Monday!! They fly in from New Zealand to stay with us for a month. I am pretty sure that the house will be in no fit state to receive them so I am praying for a miracle that I have the energy to clean up and re-organise for them on our return from Paris - that gives me about 3 hours! LOL. We do have to co-ordinate a major room shift about with the kids as Courtney needs her own room with GCSE's looming, so she'll move into Hugo's room, Hugo will share with Millie and Ella who have a large room, and the in laws get Courtney's room. Oh boy, its not a simple as just making the bed up! Lets hope they are too jet-lagged to notice too much of the chaos they will meet! Day 2 of them being here is FIL's 70th birthday, and I haven't even thought about that!!! Blimey. It's going to require all of my organisational and bossy skills to get the troops focussed for this effort. Anyway I am not thinking about all that until Monday!

For now we have some fab stuff to share with you. HUGE excitement here!!! Developed for release at the Version Scrap show we have dies to match our new Hot Pick stamps that were officially released on April 1st. Yes you are not seeing things...dies!

Use this stamp set HP1004

and you can stamp the large flower and leaf image onto the flower die PAD-GF. This is the larger of the grungy-collage style, steampunky image (top right) that Mark created and is causing such a buzz stamped as a metal rose. And you can see why... here it is all in one colour of metal, but it looks fab with different colours layered up too!!

PAD-GF

OMG think of the possibilities, that you can even die cut your metal to make a metal rose it fab-u-lous. Samples like this were a magpie magnet on my demo table at the NEC! Everyone wanted to do the metal rose thing, and its so much easier than grungepaper as the metal holds its form...although I do admit to totally loving those grunge ones too!! Anyway we are filming a you-tube of the metal rose technique so stay tuned, we just have to fit in in with the show, room re-organisation and in laws! LOL

Oh but it doesn't stop there! As if!!

We also have the birdcage as a die

PAD-BC

Here is the birdcage stamped onto acetate, I then painted bits with gold precious metal colour, and once that was dry, added some acrylic paints ...that's why its is the reverse... paint acrylics over the stazon on the stamped side, then flip the acetate over. Start with a Die cut acetate shape, stamp on it and go to it!!

The Moth

PAD-M

And to go with this set HP1005 we have

The bird

PAD-SB

And the tag base for the filmstrip

PAD-PF

And for the smaller flowers from the Squiggly Ink Flora and Fauna set

We also have another flower die to match the scallop edges of the larger flower from plate SIFF5

And to match the Tops and Tails plate 3 (SITT3) dragonflies we have these two. I love dragonflies as bellies on cards, they are so easy and very effective, especially in metal!

 All these are available to order on-line now. We will try to get orders out before we go to Paris, but if your order doesn't arrive by Thursday, then it will be shipped after Tues 13th April once we are back from the show! At least you know you will be top of the queue if you place an order now!!

Oh and I forgot to tell you, last week (before Easter) I spent 3 days with Lin putting the final touches to the May ArtsyCrafts weekends. We are really pleased with how the classes have all turned out, suffice to say birds abound with many techniques. Its going to be fab fab fab!!!

Here's a few sneaky peeks

I think both weekends have sold out, but if you still want a place call Karen on 01234 714848 to go on the waiting list.
Here is the state of Lin's workroom on Day 3!! And we thought we tidied up the night before! Oops