More from CHA...

Here's a few more piccies taken during our time at CHA.

Fabby window display from Sassafras to promote their new Bungle Jungle collection, check out the flying monkey - too cute!

More loveliness from Fancy Pants, this is their new Delight range:

Fantastic new releases from Jillibean Soup, we loved their Kraft patterned papers and alphabet stickers:

The new Orbit collection from Crate, great for scrapping our little monsters:

Keep checking back for news of what's arriving in the shop soon.

Sarah and Lianne xxx

CHA!

We're back! Tired and back to reality, but with so much to look forward to. The plan was to update the blog with daily reports while we were there but we had so much to do and so little time, so apologies for not updating while we were away.

Here are some pictures from the show, Basic Grey had a beautiful stand and didn't disappoint with their new ranges, but what really caught our eye was their new bling and mini clear stamps:

The new releases from Pebbles were amongst our favourites - lovely designs, striking colour combinations and gorgeous quality:

More gorgeousness from Fancy Pants who released 4 new ranges, here's the very cute new Kraft Kuts:

The Who's There? range from My Little Shoebox was one of 6 new releases from them, all of them equally lovely. We couldn't decide which we liked best so ordered them all!

A table of crafty treats from Bella BLVD, it was fantastic being able to admire all the manufacturers talented DT creations in real life rather then on a computer screen:

We'll be back tomorrow with more show photos and updates on what's coming to Sarah's Cards Ltd soon, we have a huge amount of exciting new products arriving, including over 30 new paper ranges, not to mention the fantastic monthly kits we have planned for the next few months.

Sarah and Lianne xxx

Yummy!

Rachel Ward has been creating layouts for us using the Bella Blvd Pack Your Bags collections. We thought the papers would be perfect for her to scrap photos of her trip to Florida, we loved what she came up with!

Rachel says: A Strawberry Milkshake - This layout is just a bit of fun really, I became addicted to strawberry milkshakes in Florida and took tons of photos of me with them, this was my favourite taken in the Rainforest Cafe. I have used lots of ripping and a bit of doodling and then cut the pieces out. The title is made using American Crafts Thickers and Bella Blvd letter stickers.

Hold Me Close

Here's more from Jen using the lovely American Crafts Romance papers. We've already got these in mind for our Valentine Day projects, the pretty colours and love theme make them the perfect choice! We fell in love with this layout, using different fonts for the title is a fantastic way to use up those spare letters and the picture is stunning.

Jen says: Hold me close - A long title can be a feature itself on a layout; this one takes up about a quarter of the space on the page! I chose a selection of thickers in white and pinks and set about writing out my title, being careful not to hide too much of the photo. A few select embellishments and you have a quick and simple page.

Perfect Pictures?

Rachael Elliott created this fantastic layout and step-by-step class for us, here's what inspired her and how she did it:

Inspiration:

Have you ever sat in front of your computer looking through all your photos and discounted using so many of them because they weren't perfect? I often do, but when I was looking at these photos I realised that although they weren't particulary good photos they did sum up my daughter Rebecca perfectly as she is always pulling funny faces and messing around when I get the camera out, she is also always looking for bugs on our summer walks around the island (she is holding a cricket in the large photo!) Maybe your photos aren't always perfect but sometimes it is those photos that capture those special moments or memories.

Stash Used:

American Crafts Teen range - Pop Quiz

American Crafts Teen range - Drama Club

American Crafts Teen range - Drill Team

Bazzill Dotted Swiss cardstock - Salt

Large retro flower punch and smaller xcut punch

Adornit Tiny alphabet stickers - black

American Crafts Daiquiri foam Thickers - Black

Autumn leaves date stamp

Embroidery thread

Method:

1.Print off 6 photos, 5 at 2.5x3.5" and 1 at 4x3.5.

2. Cut a piece of patterned paper (pp) approximately 11.5x3.5", distress one edge by running a sharp pair of scissors along the back and then roll the edge with fingers tearing some areas. I always ink the edges of all my papers using a black ink pad. Stick this to the right hand side of your page.

3. Cut another piece of cardstock the same length and rip down one edge and stick this under the edge of your first piece of pp.

4. Cut our two more pieces of pp, one 8.5x5" (pink spots) and another 4.5x7"(stars). Attach these onto your page.

5. Arrange all your smaller photos down the right hand side of your page, mat your larger photo and stick it onto the left hand side.

6. Glue and staple some ribbon along the bottom of your page.

7. For my journalling block I have cut out a piece of paper 4x2" and fixed it to my page, I have then used some inkjet acetate in my printer to create my journalling. Remember to always set your printer to transparency and allow the acetate to dry thoroughly. I have inked the edges using stazon ink and secured it to the page using glossy accents.

8. Add your title and flower accents, I have used the extra dots from the foam thickers for the flower centres.

9. Add some stitching for extra detail using embroidery thread.

Hi my name's Sarah, I'm 31, married and have been scrapping since 2004. Most of the pictures I scrap are of my 3 children who are my main source of inspiration in this very addictive hobby!! My favourite products to use are anything with October Afternoon on them and of course American Crafts Thickers, I can't get enough of these, I also love anything with a vintage feel to it. Can't wait to work with the other ladies and thanks to Sarah and Lianne for asking me to be part of this great team.

Sarah has been working with our January kit, the work she created is stunning (as usual!) and we are so happy to have her on the design team. Check out Sarah's creation below and keep an eye out for more of Sarah's layouts on the blog and in the website gallery.

The January kit is now available for single purchase, this one has proved popular and we only have a few left. To grab your kit and see the contents, have a look here. We also have February start subscription places now available here. Subscribers not only receive a fabulous jam-packed kit each month for under £20, they also receive 10% off all additional purchases at Sarah's Cards and access to our subscriber only section each month where you can buy co-ordinating goodies to go with your kit. The kit also contains a high quality full colour brochure, packed with inspirational layouts and sketches from our design team.

Here are some more beautiful layouts created by our design team with the January kit:

Louise:

Cathy:

Introducing...Tracy Gough

Hi, my name is Tracy, I'm a 40 year old wife, SAHM and foster carer. I have one wonderful Son and I'm married to my soul mate. I live on the east coast of Suffolk and have done all my life. I have always loved making things from a very young age. I just love getting creative with paper and I've become quite an addict. I have an O level in art and design, (I'm rubbish at drawing), but i always enjoyed the designing and making part. I got into paper crafting seriously about 4 years ago, when I started scrapbooking, then more recently I got more into card making, now I'm hooked. I was over the moon when Sarah and Lianne asked me to join the team, and I'm really looking forward to it.

Below are some beautiful cards that Tracy made for us using December's card kit. We still have some available here if you would like a taster of our card kits.

Introducing...Natalie Grant

I’m Natalie; I’m 26 years old and live with my fiancé in Swansea. We are big animal lovers and have four cats and an Alsatian called Rocky, and love nothing more than wrapping up warm and braving the south Wales weather to walk him along the beautiful Gower coastline. Having spent four years working in the mental health field, I left employment last year to embark on a three year degree to retrain as a primary school teacher and love the challenges and opportunities this has given me so far. When not busy with my course, I can be found in my study getting creative! I started scrapbooking three years ago after making cards for a couple of years, and haven’t looked back since. I would describe my style as layered, and love mixing and marrying up pattern and colour on my pages. I manage to find inspiration in the most peculiar of places; however my two year old niece provides the majority, as well as endless opportunities for me to practice my photography skills (or lack of them!). I’m looking forward to working with all the girls at Sarah’s Cards – what a fabulous mix of inspirational peeps in one place!

Welcome Nat! We sent Nat a box of gorgeous Crate Prudence goodies, here's one layout she created with the kit, keep your eyes peeled to see what else Nat created with the Crate Prudence range.

Natalie says: Taking the “Hope” shaped paper as a base; I layered up strips of “Consideration”, “Discretion” and “Fortitude” on top to loosely create a squareish mat for my photos and journaling. I added my photos in a block formation, and popped my journaling on to one of the journaling cards form the “Glitter Die cuts” pack and added it into the space without a photo. My title was created using Thickers decorated with some rhinestones and tiny alpha stickers. To complete my page I added some woodland themed chipboard stickers, adding an owl rub-on to one of them to customise it to suit my layout.

Introducing...Gemma Meaden

I'm Gems, 24, from Swansea in Wales. I started scrapbooking in June 2006, where I began scrapping as a creative way of displaying my precious photos and documenting the memories that accompany them. My little girl, Ashton, is a constant source of inspiration and is usally the main topic of my layouts. My other hobbies include photography, reading, cooking and of course shopping!

Here's a gorgeous layout Gems has created with the upcoming January kit. We love that the stunning photo is the focus of the page and that the Daisy Bucket papers are so versatile and perfect for winter themed pages amongst others. We have just a couple of January start subscriptions left, you can see the full kit image and grab your subscription here.

Keep an eye on the website gallery and kit brochure for more of Gems' kit creations!

Introducing...Jen Naulls

Hi, I'm Jen, aged 24 and recently married Michael. I'm a junior doctor so I'm very busy and stressed a lot of the time and I love to scrap to relax! I started scrapbooking on and off about 4 years ago after spotting an article in a cardmaking magazine. Within the last year or so I've become totally hooked - you just can't keep me away from pretty papers and a pile of bling! My biggest obsession at the moment is Thickers - who knew the alphabet could come in so many fun textures and shapes. I am currently inundated with photos from our wedding and honeymoon, but I also love to scrap pics from holidays with family or friends, old photos from my childhood and random arty photos I take with my baby - my Canon DSLR camera.

Welcome Jen! Here's a beautiful layout and card created for us by Jen using the lovely American Crafts Romance collection - perfect for scrapping wedding photos or for creating those Valentine Day projects.

Jen says: To make the ribbon flower I took four lengths of the Romance ribbon, folded the ends into the middle, and stapled in place. I then layered the loops on top of each other with foam pads for a dimensional feature that really showcases the gorgeous ribbon! I used a Flair badge in the centre but a small flower, a button or a big brad would work equally as well.

Introducing...Rachel Ward

I'm Rachel, I live in Leeds city centre with my boyfriend and I've been scrapping about 18 months. I work full time in a bank but try and get as much scrapping done in the evenings and weekends as possible. I have a very bright style and believe more is more, so my pages tend to be very busy.

Rachel created the following layouts using the gorgeous Bella Blvd Pack Your Bags collection, we love how she has created two 6x12 layouts that work well together or on their own. Rachel says:

'I really enjoy using 6x12 but i rarely use it with a 6x4 photo as it can be too big, so i made all these 2x3 and just did a simple layering technique and a spot of doodling- these work as 2 separate layouts of together. I have used photos from our holiday to Turkey in 2007.'

Introducing...Rachael Elliott

My name is Rachael Elliott aka Relliott71 on UKS (I wish now I had chosen a more imaginative user name!!) I am 37, married with two girls and I work part time as a staff nurse. I have been scrapping for about two years now which is the longest that I have ever stuck to a hobby, I think I am totally addicted! My greatest scrapbooking achievements have been to be commissioned to produce layouts and articles for both scrapbook magazine and scrapbook inspirations.

Here is a taster of the work Rachael has created for us using the new American Crafts Teen line, we think you'll agree it's a stunning layout! Keep checking back for more of Rachael's creations and more work from our other designers.

Meet the Design Team

After browsing galleries and blogs, we've recently asked some very talented people to join our design team. We'd like to introduce them to you...

Natalie Grant:
Natalie aka NattieG is 26 and lives in Swansea and is currently studying at University to become a teacher. She lives with her fiance, 4 cats and a dog and enjoys walks along the south wales coastline.

Sarah Palmer:
Sarah aka Gertie (our resident American Crafts Thickers addict!) is 31 and mum to 3 children who are the main source of inspiration for her stunning layouts.

Rachael Elliott:
Rachael aka Relliott71 is 37 and works as a staff nurse and is married with two girls. A self-confessed scrapbooking addict, Rachael has been scrapping for around 2 years - the longest she has ever stuck to a hobby!

Jen Naulls:
Jen aka Jen_N is 24 and a junior doctor and uses scrapping to help her unwind. She recently married and is working her way through the wedding and honeymoon photos as we speak.

Rachel Ward:
Rachel aka Reward lives in Leeds with her boyfriend and has been scrapping for around 18 months. She believes more is more so get ready to see some busy pages from her.

Tracy Gough:
Tracy is our resident cardmaker and loves getting creative with paper. She is married to her soulmate and is a foster carer and busy mum. Tracy has been crafting with paper for about 4 years.

Gemma Meaden:
Gems aka Little Miss Gem is 24 and lives in Wales. She is mum to her little girl who is the main source of inspiration for her scrapping and also enjoys photography, reading, cooking and shopping.

The new design team members will join Cathy, Louise and Cal in helping provide inspiration for our kit subscribers and website customers. We'll be bringing you a bit more info about them over the coming weeks and showcasing their gorgeous creations, so keep your eyes peeled!

Sarah and Lianne xx

Crops and fun times

Sorry it's been so long since the last post. We have been working extremely hard behind the scenes on some very exciting projects, including building our new fabulous Design Team. More on that tomorrow!

We held another of our monthly crops yesterday here in Warrington

Each month we have around 30 attendees and it really is great fun. It's like a monthly coffee morning. Loads of chatting & gossip. Lianne & I run around making drinks, lunches, chatting, helping with the monthly class and generally being hostesses. The banter & laughter there is infectious

Lianne's class was in December so it was my turn yesterday. The girls love having these page kits to do each month & it keeps Lianne & I nice and busy month on month, thinking of new ideas & techniques to teach

So, here is Lianne's class from December:

And mine from yesterday:



Both kits are still available to buy on the website as we had a few left over here

Next crop is Sunday 1st February 2009 10am - 4pm at Winwick Leisure Centre. Contact us if you would like any further information. We are fully booked with a reserve list as long as your arm but we always welcome newbie croppers into our "family". Why not come and join us for a coffee and a natter??


Sarah & Lianne xx