GNPE - Harrogate Show

Good Morning Bloggers,

Well then, its that lovely time of year when one of my fave shows of the season is held.... the Great Northern Paper crafts extravaganza!

I'm busy preparing the kits for Saturday and Sunday's Breakfast workshops that this year I will be teaching, we are making TWO cards and in the goody bag you get to KEEP TWO brand new Cling Stamps from HERO ARTS! Wowzers eh?

I'm also busy creating samples using the brand new Penny Black Stamps, that we will be featured over the weekend on the Samuel Taylors Stand!!!

Do pop by to say hello, our stand is located at the very end near to the entrance to the food hall!

Yesterday I took a day off from my real job at the NHS to order baby McCrossans pram, it was so exciting, we've opted for the Silver Cross 3D Sport in Ebony! lol the names of these prams are just so funny, you would thing we were ordering something to take us to outaspace!!

It wasn't the most expensive pram in the shop (my mum says thank god) but its practical, small and very agile, as we do alot of traveling, walking and camping this is just what we need.

Next week we are off to get a papoose and slings for Ewan and I!

Then we are looking forward to a week of in May when the Nursery will be decorated and the beautiful Humphrey's corner nursery furniture will be delivered, I tell you it's all systems go from now on!

Back to craft have you seen my articles in this months "Making Cards Magazine"?

I designed a spring collection in lovely lemons and whites, then at the back of the magazine you will find my grungy looking Pirate cards for boys, they would make great birthday party invitations!

The materials I used are listed in the magazine, however you can locate the Tim Holtz Products from any Personal Impressions stockist and the Stamps are from Stamping Up, to find your nearest demonstrator check out Stampin Ups website.

Looking forward to seeing you all at the weekend,

Take Care,

S and B xxx

Fish Fight Continues.................

view online

An update from Hugh regarding the BIG FISH FIGHT!

Dear Fish Fighters,
I'm writing to you all again sooner than I had expected, but I have just received some very exciting Fish Fight news that I'm sure you'll want to hear about. I'm also convinced there is a great opportunity now for direct action from you to bring about an even better result – so please read on! Here's the headline:Princes, the largest tinned tuna supplier in the UK, have committed to making a dramatic change in the way they source their tuna. They have just announced that they will stop relying on purse seine fishing on fish aggregation devices (FADs). As we highlighted in the Fish Fight series earlier in the year, this fishing method is responsible for huge amounts of bycatch including sharks, rays and other fish, and even some turtles.

Joining forces with Greenpeace, we directly challenged Princes to either change the way they catch tuna, or to remove the misleading environmental statements they were making on their tins.We're delighted to say they've chosen the former option!Princes have pledged that by the end of 2014 all their tinned tuna will be caught by either pole and line or FAD-free purse seine nets.This is tremendous news.This latest result brings the company in line with Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose, whose tinned tuna is all FAD free. Let's not also forget Tesco, who made a fantastic commitment to go 100% pole and line back in January, just before our programmes went out. We've also just heard that Asda have committed to match Princes's strategy to remove all FADs from their supply chains.So what is next? That leaves just two companies - John West and Morrisons - which are refusing to stop buying tuna caught by purse seine fishing on FADs. We now have a massive opportunity to make these companies improve their practices, starting with John West. I'd like to ask you to help take this campaign one step further by emailing John West to urge them to change their tuna sourcing, by dropping FADs and/or sourcing from pole and line fisheries. You can find all the details on how to do this on Greenpeace's website. It will only take a few minutes to do but I'm absolutely convinced that direct pressure from you could rapidly bring about this vital change.Email John West now!The rest of the Fish Fight campaign continues full steam ahead! As part of our research for a Channel 4 follow up programme we've been talking to a wide range of NGOs, decision makers, fishermen, scientists and industry members. Thanks to your incredible support, we have access to all the major players shaping the future of our fisheries.And we're also very keen to hear more about what you're up to. If you are an individual or a family that has dramatically changed your fish eating habits as a result of the campaign, we're really keen to hear from you. Please do get in touch via hello@fishfight.net and you could be featured in the next Channel 4 programme.Many thanks and as always keep fish fighting!Best,Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall


We’ve loved seeing pictures of the sustainable fish suppers you’ve been cooking. Like this Pan-sauteed herring atop of a sweet potato, potato and beetroot hash from Claire Kleinedler. Please send further pictures of your culinary delights to hello@fishfight.net
You've sent us some great videos of your incredible campaigning stories. But we need more so we can feature them in our follow-up programme. This could be as simple as filming a poster you have in your car, a sustainable dinner you cook, or a Fish Fight event you hold. Please send videos or links from YouTube to hello@fishfight.net and you could be on Channel 4!


But we still need more! Please continue to help spread the word. Email this newsletter to a friend…or three!
Have you tried this tasty and sustainable alternative yet? If your local doesn’t have mackerel on the menu, ask them why not! Then add them to the MackMap and we’ll do the rest.
Net yourself a Fish Fighter t-shirt, bag or even a babygro and help support the campaign. Please note we are not making any money from the sale of these products; they are just to help publicise the campaign.

Saturdays Class - Haberdashery ............ EDIT with Birthday message

Good Evening Bloggers,

Here is a sneak peek for Saturday's Class.
This project was created using the brand new stamps from Tim Holtz Haberdashery CMS105. The class will concentrate more on techniques than finished cards, but this mini project will let you have something nice to have on your craft room wall to remind you of some hints and tips.
The second half of the class is using another of Tim's New stamp sets, Papillon CMS106, wowzers these are just fab! I have really enjoyed working with them........
I'll post some more photos of the cards using the Papillon set over the weekend....
On Saturday we will also be eating lots of cake I'm sure, as Linda from CCP will be celebrating her birthday!!! Whoo Hoo!!! Again I'll post photo's.
Take Care
S & B xxx

Busy Weekend in Farnborough

Good Morning Bloggers,



Well what a weekend at the "Make It" Farnborough?



As soon as I took one foot of the train at Farnborough Railway Station I was amazed to notice how mild the weather was "down south" It was just lovely. The nice weather continued on Friday when we had the busiest day of the show! But Saturday and Sunday saw some shocking rain and hail!!! ECK!!!



I was demonstrating Hero Arts Stamps, Distress Inks and some fantastic new dies from the GO Kreate range. All very yummy!!!

It was so lovely to see some familiar faces too, hello to everyone who popped on the stand!



I love working the shows and will make the most of the Spring season, as when Baby McCrossan comes in the summer I will be too busy being a new mum to work any of the Autumn shows!



Anyway better crack on, I have samples for Saturdays Class at Card Craft Plus in Preston to work on and my cards for the Harrogate breakfast workshops for Samuel Taylor's to design!



Take Care,

S & B xxx