Lest we forget

Today is Remembrance Sunday and all around the country and also in Iraq and Afghanistan, services of remembrance have been taking place to honour all those who have sacrificed their lives for their country.

On 11th November it will be 90 years since the end of the First World War. As in previous years there will be two minutes silence at 11.00am-the eleventh month, on the eleventh day, at the eleventh hour.

It is crucial that we remember and commemorate those who have paid such a high price in order that the rest of us are safe and free. Since Remembrance Sunday in 2007 over 30 British servicemen and women have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. So called 'modern' war costs less lives but does not leave these brave men and women unscathed. Limbs are lost in horrific numbers, recent reports in The Times stated that soldiers are being literally deafened by the horrendous noise of war. The broken bodies that come home are fathers, sons, brothers, husbands, boyfriends, friends-much loved people who need help financially and emotionally in order to carve out a new and often very different life to that envisioned.

The Royal British Legion was founded in 1921 and supports these men and women, day after day, month after month, year after year. This year they hoped to sell 40 million poppies. The money made from the sale of the poppies goes towards providing help in any number of ways to ex-service men and women as well as those currently serving. The Royal British Legion who also campaign for the rights of these people on issues such as war pensions and the previously mentioned hearing problems suffered by so many. According to figures on The Royal British Legion's website 10.5 million people are currently able to ask for help. An astonishing £75million was spent last year helping those in need.

Clearly all this work is only possible with the help of the general public-think of the debt we owe-is a £1.00 or £2.00 for a poppy too much to ask? The Royal British Legion help people every day of the year and need our help to help those in need. Please go to the Royal British Legion website and see what they do, stories of those they help and ways to support the incredible work they do.

We must not forget-we will not.

The very best in blog candy

Blog-hopping takes on a whole new life when you blog hop Stampin Up inspired blogs. Demonstrators have amazing blogs-Stampin Up is what they so after all and so I find them not only visually entertaining and inspiring but also packed full of product information, techniques, special offers and of course every so often, guaranteed fantastic Stampin Up blog candy.

Although Stampin Up have only been in the Uk just over a year, Uk demonstrators must surely have the Stampin Up powers that be massively impressed. Julie has a lovely blog, beautiful photos (so essential on a blog and an area I fail miserably on I know) and lots of gorgeous projects often made up with a choccie, celery and pink colour range-my favourites!Look out for the 'tea and crumpets' in 'October 2008-not alas real tea and crumpets though I suspect there may have been behind the scenes, but the new paper range 'tea and crumpets'. Julie made some lovely little note cards and a box-I keep meaning to have a go myself and really want to now!

Anyway, as always I'm veering massively off the main point of this post which is to let you know about some SU blog candy. Julie has amassed an amazing 25,000 blog hits-(WHAT?), no really and been promoted by Stampin Up! To celebrate this joint achievement, Julie has donated a new SU stamp set (normally only available to hostesses/or if you've spent over £150 in one go)to her 'blog candy event'! To be in with a chance just pop over to Julie's blog-have a read and if you're in the UK, mention this fab candy on your own blog and then leave a message on Julie's blog to let her know you've done all this and then cross everything.

Must mention that until 10.00pm on Sunday 9th November 2008, Julie is also offering FREE UK P+P on any Stampin Up order. You could save alot of money there depending on the size of order but as P+P usually is a minimum of around £3.95-it's a good deal!

Monkeying around...

Hey what do you think to the jokey title? I thought as the BBC are short of comedians I'd subtly put myself forward.(um...) I have other jokes too-

'How many men does it take to buy a loo-roll?
'Don't know-it's never been done!'

Oh dear-I've dried up (I know the lingo too you know)-nightmare! I'd obviously need to practice a bit, polish up my act, maybe a few props-a stool to sit on, maybe a pint of beer-that's what comedians seem to do-used to smoke but get arrested now and that's NOT funny...um.

Anyway, back to cardmaking.

Splitcoaststampers provide the tuturials once again. This is called a 'free standing pop-up card'.

Essentially this is a really effective card in terms of 'oooh and ahh' value but it is not only beatiful; it's clever too and will fold down to put into an envelope. How good is that! Whatever next? A card that makes itself?



Both cards are virtually all Stampin Up in terms of DNA-the monkey set is called 'Monkey Business' and is a long since retired US set and I love it! There's another monkey too which is in a hanging position so you could stamp it hanging from the foliage. I struggled determining the precise height as to where the monkey needed to be as I didn't want him standing in mid air-I wanted him to look as though he was standing on the card base. I knew the tag part of the card goes down into the box base a bit but hard to be precise and I feel certain each card would slightly differ to be honest on this point. I used my PSX stamp positioner on every image on the tag and although I'm pretty close with the monkey, I feel he is a bit low in truth but considering it's the first time I've made this type of card it's not too shameful!

The cardstock is 'Barely Banana'(who's have thought it!)'Certainly Celery' and the ever gorgeous 'Chocolate Chip';and the same colour inks are used too bar the yellow which is a versacolour as I don't possess the barely banana ink. I coloured in the monkeys tummy and added depth to the bananas with the 'Cocoa'from the SU pastel set.

The background stamp on the box type base is called 'Swirls and Blossoms' and it was the best I could find that worked with the theme as I felt the base needed decoration too.

Very Vanilla taffetta ribbon and an unknown chocolate grosgrain. I used a paper reinforcement ring to keep the hole in the tag nice and neat.(Hole punched by Silent Setter) I inked the reinforcement ring let it dry and repeated about three times to ensure a deep chocolate colour. All I could think of as no eyelets in a suitable colour big enough! I'm glad I persevered with my quest to find paper reinforcement rings even though it took months to find any!




What about the monkey button on the base! How gorgeous is he? A local shop was selling off a load of buttons they won't be stocking anymore and happily I spotted this box of treasures-all sorts of kinds and this monkey was among them. Let's just say that after I left, there were no more monkeys in that shop!!!I left the button back intact and managed to thread my ribbon through it (eventually). removing the button back is useful if the button needs to sit flat on a page as it can then be attached with glue dots or similar.




This stamp set is 'Spring Garden'another favourite and about the only floral set I could find that was small enough to work on the limited space the tag allows. Great set though so no hardship to use and I think it's very effective.I used the 'Canvas' background stamp on the base on this card-it's a real classic in my view.

Bashful Blue and Certainly Celery card and ink, unknown grosgrain ribbon and blooms, finished off with a Bashful Blue button. The tag is reinforced with a Stampin Up large eyelet.