Online class tutorials starting January 2014!

Are you ready and re-charged for 2014? During the Christmas break I've been planning, researching and developing new ideas for you and am pleased to announce that I've listened to your feedback and am offering online classes starting January 2014!

As we live in such busy times I know my in-person monthly class schedules may not suit you timing or date wise, let alone that you may live hundreds or thousands of miles away from me!

So I've put together a schedule of online tutorials that can be downloaded in PDF format with accompanying YouTube videos commencing mid January 2014 for a small fee of £3 per tutorial payable via paypal, debit or credit card.

Each project will have step by step instructions and photographs with recommended equipment and supplies you will need  - and as always, all materials can also be purchased via my Stampin Up online shop if you don't already have them to hand at home.

To be the first to receive the latest information outlining each months set of tutorials simply 

sign up to blog updates by email by entering your email address in top left hand box

The beauty of delivering classes in this online format are that they can be completed in the comfort of your own home, at your own pace and can be viewed as many times as necessary - whatever the weather, location & timezone!

I look forward to crafting with you soon!

At one of our recent classes, Jane said .."Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the class. Even though I am notoriously useless at anything that requires manual dexterity, I was really pleased with the things I made.  Looking forward to the next one already. Take care Jane".

Rebecca said .. " It's my highlight of the month and I love it and you are great!"

As you can imagine, it really makes my day when I receive feedback like this :) I'd love to know what you think too - feel free to leave me a comment and let me know!

Oh, and happy new year!! See you on the other side :)

Stampin Up UK Autumn accents leaf & feather wreath for New Year party chair back decorations

Do you decorate your New Year party table chair backs? I do ;)  Here's what I'm using to welcome in 2014 ..

This little wreath is really easy to make with the Autumn Accent die for the Big Shot. Cut loads of the oak leaf shape from the die in smoky slate & crushed curry (one of my favourite colour combinations this season ;) then handmade feathers with some stamped on naturals white card. I got the mini wreaths from Ebay.

I used the En francais stamp & very vintage jumbo wheel stamp for my feathers randomly stamping all over the card then cut it up into feather shapes, similar to how I made the feathers for my bling bird decoration earlier this week.

I built up about 4-5 layers to make the wreath look really full and also added some bird builder punch leaves to fill in the gaps :). You can add as many layers as you like!

An antique brad and some daffodil delight seam binding ribbon finishes off the wreath perfectly. 

To order your supplies take a look around my online store by clicking on the image below ...

See more recent wreath projects here!

• Handmade rolled flowers all season wreaths
• Recycled packaging & 7 types of flowers wreath video tutorial
• Curled paper wreath

This is my mantra for 2014 - have you thought about what your goals are for next year yet?

Merry Vintage handmade Stampin Up UK Christmas angel

It's the most magical night of the year and all of us here at Vintage Celebrations would like to wish our readers past, present and future a very Merry crafting Christmas and healthy, happy 2014. 

Let the fun & festivities commence!

In case you're wondering our darling angel is made from muslin bags, vellum card, dazzling details, autumn accents leaf die, twine, tea doilies and some glitter feathers from my stash. 

I'll be back on the 30th December for some New Year decoration ideas!

5 Christmas Stampin Up decorations,ornaments and decor ideas

5 fabulous DIY  christmas craft projects showcased this week - just in time for some last minute Christmas crafting! 

Here's a quick peek at what last week held ...

• Glitter Christmas bird ornament
• Burlap & ribbbon napkin rings
• Simply stars sparkly candle decoration
• Vintage christmas ornament
• Vintage pound shop letters makeover

And our elf? Here's the weeks mix of naughty and nice tomfoolery ... just a few days to go and she'll be returning back to the North Pole until next year ;)

Hope you have a fabulous weekend lined up - join me once again before Christmas for a very special project on Christmas Eve ... after which I'll be taking a break for some r&r downtime with my girls then back on the 30th December which some New Years party decor ideas :) 

Pound store Noel stand up letters Stampin Up UK transformation

Take one set of silver sparkly Noel stand up letters bought for £1 from a well known UK £ store, add some scraps of sponged Naturals White card and this is what I came up with!

This is what I started out with .. pretty but not very vintage ;)

Let's take a closer look ...

I've randomly ripped the card, daubed it with soft suede ink and then overlaid the scraps and glued them down on top of each other. the letter N has stained doilies and frosted finishes embellishments on crumb cake ribbon.

The O is plain and simple, just a scrap of Cherry Cobbler ribbon and a vintage faceted button.

E is covered with stained doilies - sweet & simple :)

To finish off, another frosted finishes embellishment and some crochet trim. Oh, and another doily :)

To get your supplies, click on the image below to browse my online store ..

So what do you think? Do you makeover any household items? I'd love to see them - pop a photo onto my Facebook Craft Create & Chat page!

Stampin Up UK Silver Glass glitter Christmas bird decoration

Handmade bling bird Christmas tree decoration for you today ....

This cute little bird took ten minutes to transform going from this ....

to this with the help of some glue, glass glitter and some Elegant Eggplant card cut into feather shapes and secured with a itty bitty flower punched shape with tiny silver brad to secure in place.

The purple feathers make a fabulous contrast against the silver glitter don't you think? I got my polystyrene bird from an online school resource site.

Maybe a colour makeover is due here at Vintage Celebrations Towers in the New Year; after all my husband has 2 weeks off this Christmas so I need to find something to keep him busy ;)

Grab some glass glitter for your own bling birds from my online store!

For more handmade decoration ideas pop over to these recent posts ...

• 5 quick & easy handmade Christmas decoration ideas
• Christmas paper pinecone decoration tutorial
• Vintage style wine glass lampshades
• Vintage style Christmas ornament

Have you handmade any of your Christmas decorations? If so head on over to my craft chat & create Facebook page and upload a photo of your own creations!

Stampin Up UK Christmas burlap & rolled ribbon flower evergreen bird napkin rings

Dress your table in a handmade style this Christmas with these gorgeous burlap & rolled ribbon napkin rings!

This time next week we will be tucking into Christmas lunch, all the preparations, planning & panicking well and truly behind us for another year ;) 

My Christmas table this year will be predominately white with mercury glass pots, plain glass accessories, candles, silverware & dominated by our mini Christmas tree in a gorgeous pained french style white urn I picked up from West Barn Country interiors a few weeks ago.

These napkin rings were really easy to make (everything I make is!!) - I simply took a piece of florists wire and covered it with frayed burlap trim for a rustic look then fashioned into a circle.

the rolled ribbon flowers were made from crumb cake and cherry cobbler seam binding - see my tutorial how to make them here and then evergreen leaves & ickle dove birds were punched using the bird builder punch.

The tags were cut from the Naturals Composition papers which have a fabulous embossed glossy finish to them, tied with cherry cobbler bakers twine and the the tqable guests initial die cut using the bigshot with the Alphabet dies which I rarely ever put away as they are so vital for most personalised projects!

To make your own napkin rings, pop over to my online store to order your supplies ...

Have a look at my other table decoration ideas by clicking the links below!

• Simply stars Christmas garland
• Autumn inspired place cards
• Handmade crackers

The gorgeous glass bowl and matching plate were from the fabulous Hunt Bespoke Kitchens, they have a Christmas window display full of delights at the moment - I can't get enough!! 

Stampin Up UK Simple simply star candle decorations

Start the week off by giving your old candles a simple Christmas makeover with some starry sparkle!

 As time is tight before the big day itself these quick and easy candle decorations are just the type of project you need - minimal effort for instant glamour! 

Using the Simply Stars stamp set I simply stamped one of the larger stars, cut it out and then  covered it with silver & gold glass glitter - took about 2 minutes but makes a big impact!

The tea doily was "stained" with crumb cake ink and lashings of linen thread and victoria crochet lace gave a perfect vintage finish.

Whisper White organa ribbon and a jingle bell from my stash threaded with silver ribbon coordinted beautifully with this striped candle.

They would make fabulous gift tags as well I think! Check out my simply stars garland post for a coordinating decoration if you have a little more time! If you need supplies, pop over to my online store to order :)

Take a look at my other candle makeover projects for more candle inspiration! 

• How to rubber stamp on to candles video tutorial
• Autumn inspired decorated candle
• White Christmas stamped & decorated candle votives
• Christmas glass jar lanterns
• Tin can candles

A simple hanging decoration for you tomorrow - pop back then or to save time just sign up in the top left hand box to have my blog updates delivered directly to your email inbox!

Christmas crafting weekly round-up & Elf on the Shelf antics

Just 10 days to go until the big day itself - hope this weeks creations have inspired you to go handmade this Christmas! Here's this weeks round-up with links in case you missed any ..

• Vintage christmas stag stocking decoration
• Handmade Christmas crackers
• Hanging top note christmas decoration
• Pleated wine bottle wrap cover
• Santa's little paper house

If you need any Stampin Up supplies to make these projects then pop into my online store here - don't forget the up to 80% off Clearance Sale is still on for last minute Christmas bargains!

And Crystal, our resident elf on the shelf? Judge for yourself if she's been naughty or nice this week ;)

Back tomorrow with our last week of christmas crafts for those last minute preparations!! Are you crafting this weekend? Show off your creations on my craft, create & chat Facebook site!

Stampin up UK Winter frost handmade christmas crackers

I've got  crackin' post for you today - make your own Christmas crackers!

Making your own crackers has many advantages - they coordinate totally with your colourscheme, the gifts inside can be chosen with the recipient in mind, christmas crafting is fun, the children can get involved to help & of curse you can write your own jokes ;)

I love these oval punch shapes made into feathers with just a few scissor snips!

These crackers couldnt be simpler to make and just take a few minutes each - take an A4 piece of card (I've used Whisper White) and place it landscape position. Score at 1", 2", 3" then turn card 180 degrees and repeat on the opposite side. Place the card portrait  way up and score it at 2",  5" and 7.5" fold on all score lines. Snip the holes out between 1" and 3" and then stick together. Tie the ends and decorate with as much bling as possible.

The rosettes are easy-peasy to make using the scoring board tool :)

Using the Stampin Up festive flurry stamps & matching die-cutting framelits means making snowflakes in assorted colours is so simple! I can't get enough of the Frosted Finishes snowflake embelishments - I'm sticking them on to everything :) Do you have a favourite Christmas embellishment?

You can find all the above mentioned products plus hundreds more in my online shop - click below to start browsing, especially in the clearance rack section!

Back tomorrow with and on Sunday then the week's christmas crafting and our elf on the shelf's weekly antics!