MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Hi all just wanted to say before me and mum go off to our other job over the next few days a huge MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL! AND ALSO A MASSIVE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OVER THIS YEAR.
If you were wondering what our other job is ...... well its a secret but if you click this link : http://www.everyclick.com/santaswing.html?mid=25168027 you will be able to find out but remember its a secret so don't be telling everyone, we get enough letters as it is and like to keep it to ourselves so that we have the rest of the year to be just normal people.
love NA

sakura is here!

YAY they have arrived! the shop is awash with every type of pen imaginable! Rob hadn't got me any thing for Christmas but he is all sorted now lol. And another thing that's shocked me is how much they can do. Ive got this form with all the surfaces they can write on, on it and wow! I cant wait to get started. The new stardust is my favourite right now its so christmassy. I love it! oh and the glaze pens i will be colouring everything in sight tonight and hopefully finish off those Christmas gifts.
My plan was to come on here today and share all of my pictures from Jessica's school nativity play (called wiggly nativity!!! BLESS) but my friends borrowed my camera to get some pics of her DD (how trusting am i letting a non camera owner out with my SLR!!) and to be honest i think they are going to be pants! I could kick myself, instead of having my 70-210mm lens on i had my 18- 55 mm lens which for you non camera buffs (like me!!;) ) it means you cant zoom in all that much and well get loads of background in when you are about the 4th row back like i was arrrrr. Honestly i was so mad at myself and only the fact that the play was amazing and Jess was a super star cheered me up. I don't think any parent can think of any other school activity that makes you prouder than the school play. They had to learn not only their words but also the songs and the dances to go with them. I tell you for someone like me that would forget their head this is mind boggling how a 4 year old can do it. So just want to say a HUGE THANK YOU TO JESSICA FOR MAKING ME SO PROUD AND OF COURSE TO THE TEACHERS AT WEMBROOK SCHOOL FOR MAKING IT ALL HAPPEN!!

NEW STAMPS FROM JOANNA SHEEN

CARD MACHINE ANYONE?

YAY at long last Paperdolls now has a card machine in the shop! Thank god its easy to use too ;) you know how delayed i am at taking in information!!
Thought id just let you all know about it seen as I'm so chuffed with myself about being actually able to use it!
We are also having a after Christmas sale (along with the world and its dog it seems ;) ) all Christmas goodies will be 10% off in the shop from the 3rd Jan when we reopen.
Oh and another special offer when they arrive will be 10% off the sakura pens when you buy 10. so great savings all around. And the stamps I mentioned yesterday they are from the Joanna Sheen collection (see i forgot to say that yesterday too) you can see and example on the side and i will add a slide show of some of the others we will be stocking in a mo. :)
Ok gotta rush I'm off for a girly night out tonight and of course i still haven't anything to wear!!! arrrr. It will be the last one for me before all the nightmare of Christmas really takes off over the next week of last min buying and panicking in case uncle Joe doesn't like his gift ect. hahaha
TC
Naomi

CHRISTMAS OPENING AND MORE!

Hi all
Hope you are not having a too stressful time in the run up to Christmas but in case you are I will try and keep this as quick as possible and let you get on with all the wrapping, buying or even making as the case may be.
Just a quick note on stock arriving before Christmas first! As from this coming Tuesday we will be stocking the full range of Sakura pens! Honestly it has to be seen to be believed how great these pens are, from the gel to the glaze we will be having the lot! I'm sure you will be delighted to try some of these out for yourself along with some great new additions to our stamp range! fairy stamps included!! Oh they are so cute!!

Any way back on track.
Paper dolls would like to take this opportunity to wish you a very happy Christmas and a wonderful and crafty 2008. Over the Christmas period Paperdolls will be having a slight change to our opening hours as can be expected and they are as follows.
The shop will close on Saturday 22nd December 2007 and re-opens for one day only on sat 29 December 2007 we are then closed until Thursday 3rd January 2008
The market time table is as follows:
Sat 22nd December – Nuneaton
Sun 23rd – Nuneaton
Mon 24th until wed 26th – no markets
Thus 27th – Nuneaton
Friday 28th - no market
Saturday 29th – Nuneaton
Monday 30th until Tuesday 1st Jan – no market
We will be back to normal in the markets from Wednesday 2nd January 2008.
Also from the 2nd January 2008 the shop will have the new opening hours of 10am till 4.30 pm with the exception being our late night opening on Friday night!
Thank you for your custom through out 2007 and we look forward to introducing you to the many changes that will be taking place for paperdolls during 2008.
Merry Christmas
Naomi and Jeanette
Paperdolls

BIND IT WEEK

WOW has it really been a week since i last posted? Its been a mad one for me, OK OK its been a blur of using my new bind it all at every chance hahahaha. Kids? washing? housework? what are those? when you have a bind it all. Honestly Ive been binding everything in sight. I will have to bring the camera tomorrow and take some pics for you all to see. But if you haven't got a BIA yet. you need one!!! No kidding they are a must have.

Last weekend was great and really busy, so thank you to everyone that took the time to come and see us, bring a card or give us a birthday present. :)
Good news too for the shop as of yesterday we take CARDS!! yay .........at last! Now don't be coming in during the next few days expecting me to know how to use it as i have no idea yet. LOL. Will be having a look this afternoon and fingers crossed it wont be too hard to use. OK so this is me saying this, so the chances are it will be thrown up the wall by next weekend. I will let you know how i get on ;)

Talking of being dippy, yesterday i took the crown back from my elf mum (who is still at Bedworth all dressed up till Christmas every Friday by the way) after taking Jessica to the hospital for her eye test, paying £3 parking, spending a fortune in the hospital shop kitting us out with mags, drinks, sweets ready for the long wait that will inevitably happen. Stood waiting for a receptionist for a age only to be told actually the appointment is next week. The blonde is really starting to come through now don't you think? I am rubbish at remembering i accept that i was born without the gene that reminds you to do the things you are supposed to be doing instead of getting side tracked (see BIA above for examples of how i get sidetracked) but remembering something and then being a whole week early well that's a first for me! But you know what, next week when i actually have to be at the hospital you can bet i would have forgotten. LMAO.Why don't doctors have some sort of text messaging service where they text your phone to say you have an appointment on that day so get your arse over to them. It would actually save me a lot of trouble and face.

ELFING AROUND THE PAPERDOLLS WAY

Where is one of the UKS roll eyes icons when you need it? and believe me after this morning i need it! lol. Today is our 20% off everything day and so we are in the party mood (some a little more than others as you will see) also it is the Bedworth Christmas festival, if you are in or near Bedworth today go visit the market, they have Santa, and all his HELPERS! raffles, bands, choirs and lots more going on just to get you in the mood for Christmas and all the money raised today is going to not one but two great causes. And of cause paperdolls is there, well i say paperdolls what it should be is paperelf's seen as mum went to the market dressed like this...........................

20% OFF ONLINE CODE!

Hi all as you can see Ive added some of the better pics of the weekend away and also some of our design team member Denise's cards as well. I'm sure you will agree with me when i say that they are once again truly stunning and always higher the bar and give inspiration to all card makers. If you would like to see the cards in more detail they are in the shop at the moment. :D
OK i have managed to sort out the online voucher code that to receive your twenty percent off over the birthday weekend, you will enter once you have got to the checkout part of our online store. and the code you will need is BIRTHDAY PARTY.
Have a good weekend all, we are off to Tamworth crop tomorrow for our early Christmas party yay!!!! I love Christmas.

New cards by Denise

RETREAT PICTURES

BAZZILL CLASSIC AND BLING

Hi all how cold is it today!! I am freezing, but luckily for me Ive had loads to do to keep me warm :) as we have had in today the rest of the autumn leaves papers (i know i know at last!) and also a huge amount of bazzill classics and bazzill bling! just looking at all these papers makes you want to get scrapping and making those cards.
you can find all the new bazzill here so be sure to pop in and have a look, the bling is especially tasty and just great for all your Christmas crafts.
Now as you all know it will be 20% off day here in the shop on Friday 30TH night and Saturday 1ST December, so i was feeling a bit sorry for all you customers online who use us a lot but cant get into the shop. So just for you and with the help of the magical smax (uks) i will be having a special code that will discount all online orders placed on Friday or Saturday with the 20% off too. :) see now i don't feel so mean. To get your code either have a look at your monthly email from paperdolls or pop back here tomorrow and it will be here. Don't forget though that you will only be able to use this code for two days and that all orders will be packed in order of purchase, items that are out of stock will be refunded unless you state otherwise. HAPPY SHOPPING :)

BACK FROM A GREAT RETREAT

Hi forgot to post and say we are back, we've had a great weekend and the cottage was amazing all beams and weird art work! LMAO the whole house was just great with luxury's like a huge scrapping room and table with loads of room for everyone. And another huge table in the kitchen (that was as big as my whole down stairs i think) so we didn't have to clean up when it was time to eat. We had delicious food made for us by the talented Nina and Chell, underfloor heating in the bath room that was great on cold toes, open fires, and well i could go on all day about how nice this house was but i will add some picks for you to see for yourself. And of course the company was great we had a wonderful time and both me and mum managed to get loads done so we were really pleased.
Pop back tomorrow to see for yourself.

ALSO I WANT TO TAKE THIS CHANCE TO TELL YOU ALL ABOUT OUR BIRTHDAY OPENING NIGHT ON THE 31ST NOVEMBER FROM 6.30PM ONWARDS YOU ARE ALL INVITED TO THE PARTY HERE AT THE SHOP TO CELEBRATE 2 YEARS OF PAPERDOLLS. ALSO TO TREAT YOU THERE WILL BE 20% OFF EVERY THING IN THE SHOP, NO TRICKS OR THIS ISN'T IN THE OFFER EVERYTHING HAS 20% OFF INCLUDING THE NEW BIND IT ALL MACHINES AND ACCESSORIES. THE SAME OFFER WILL ALSO BE ON ALL DAY SATURDAY FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT CAN NOT MAKE THE FRIDAY NIGHT SO POP DOWN AND SEE US FOR A BARGAIN!

CELEBRATE SUCCESS

Hi all just popping on here to share our fantastic and wonderful news with you all. As you may have been told Paperdolls was nominated for the Prince's Trust Enterprise Award for the west midlands, the awards were held yesterday and much to our shock and amazement we actually won!!! I am still reeling and cant believe it, it is such a great achievement and honour to have won, In all honesty I really thought it would be just a good day out to meet some new people and celebrate what paperdolls stands for, I never in a million years expected to hear my name at all. OK OK I'm babbling its worse than a Oscar speech but I really am that pleased.

So here is a picture of me receiving the award, You will notice that mum is missing :( and without her paperdolls wouldn't be all it is today. But true to form she was keeping paperdolls running here while I was away for the day, making it possible for us to have accepted this award. And a picture of the award!

Also its been a bit of a hard week for us too, as my sister was taken in to hospital on Sunday and after days of indecision yesterday they finally decided that yes it was her appendix and took it out~! So Tash if your reading this get better soon, and make sure you don't hurry back to work too quickly so you can enjoy everyone taking care of you for a change. XXXXXXXX

new stock pics and of course some halloween pictures!

Here is the new stock pictures with the scenic route first then BG mellow collection

And here is my DD last Saturday at a Halloween party, isn't she the cutest! along with my adorable son and sister Tasha in the next picture.

Ok im off had a great day teaching all you lovely ladies and hope you have all enjoyed the classes today. Wow im not sure about a party i could just sleep till monday now LMAO.

TC and have a good weekend all :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPERDOLLS!!

Today much to every ones surprise (its gone so quick) Paperdolls is 2!! I cant believe its been two years since we set off on this adventure! And I just wanted to say a huge thank you to all the wonderful customers we have met and became firm friends with over that time. The ones that have been with us through out the highs and the lows that have made these two years so special to both me and mum. The shop is also 6mths old this month too!!
To celebrate we are having a party! the paperdolls way of course and you are all invited!! It will be held on Friday November 30th and also on Saturday the 1st December. To celebrate on both days we will be offering everyone 20% off everything in the shop. So please come along and celebrate with us. Also this week in both the shop and the stalls peel offs will be reduced to 60p a sheet. Along with other great bargains to be had. ;)
We have also had some great new items in the shop just in time for Christmas, we have scenic Route papers and embellishments, along with the Die cut card stock from KI memories, also the MM vintage Lizzie papers and embellishments, mellow collection packs and recess collection packs from Basic Grey, lots and lots of chipboard, Gosh the list goes on. Halloween, pirate princess, autumn leaves stamps and buttons. I did say we have had a load of things in LOL. We will also have in during the next few weeks Bind it alls back in stock just in time for Christmas, with the bags and all the accessories to go with them, and also lots of BLING! from bazzill. OK I'm off to do my next keepsake board class that are being held today but now i have my camera i will be back with pictures in no time :)

Celebration board

Hi all
I am very excited to tell you that the board that will be featured in our class day on saturday 3rd November is the all new sparkling ccelebration board from the glitter girls! So not only will you be able to buy the board with the second option package, you will be able to go home with some ideas on how to use it also! The second option is also a great price at £18.00 for both the class and the board. Or if you would like to try before you buy then all you need to do is book yourself in on the first option for the great price of £8.00 although if you do love the board you can then pick it up on the day for the retail price of £14.95 so booking early for both the board and the class will save you £3.00. To the side you can have a sneak peek of the celebration board that i am sure will become as much loved a board as the rest of the glitter girls collection.

Keepsake Boards Demo day and classes!

Hi all

Here is what we have planned for you on the 3rd November, A hour long class making 2 Beautiful cards using the keepsake embossing boards that i am sure you have all already had a chance to see or even use. Take this opportunity to learn some new and exciting ways to use the boards along with full written instructions to take away with you, making sure that you can use these designs again and again. Each class will be limited to 4 people so that you can be sure of a great learning experience with plenty of one on one help if it is needed.
Here are the two packages that we have available for you to choose from:

Option 1- Class with all supplies.
£8.00
Option 2 – Option 1 plus take home the embossing board used. £18.00 saving £4.95 on the embossing board.

To get in the spirit of Christmas and all things festive we will be using the ultimate board although one of the cards will be non Christmas related and both of the designs can be altered slightly to use on cards for all occasions if you make them again at home.

You can choose from the following times -

9.30am

11.00am

1.00pm

2.30pm

4.00pm

If you are interested in any of these times please book either on the markets or in our Nuneaton shop as tickets are already selling quickly.

NEW PRODUCTS OCT 11TH

BIRTHDAY CHAT

Hi all hope you are all enjoying your weeks? we have had a good time here at paperdolls as mum has celebrated her 50th ;) ok 49th birthday this week! so HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM (Jeanette).
We have also been planning another big birthday celebration as next month Paperdolls turns 2!! It really doesn't seem like two years since we started this mad roller coaster ride but I'm sure that i speak for both myself and mum when i say that we have enjoyed every minute of it. Meeting so many wonderful people and making some fantastic friends along the way has made all the long hours so worth while. So to celebrate we will be hosting a whole load of special offers in the shop with a different one each day of our birthday week. So please don't miss out on the fun and pop in to say hi! I will be telling you more about the offers next week so don't forget to pop back to find out.

We have also had some more great news this week in the form of a phone call from the Princes Trust. A while ago we were nominated for the Business success of the year award and to be honest it was great to have been thought of but neither myself or mum thought that it would go any further, but this week we had the call to say that we have been put through to the regional finals!!! to say i was gobsmacked is a understatement. So tomorrow the film crew will be in the shop to make a film about what we do here and how we have come this far. Very exciting stuff to say the least. We will find out in November how we have done so wish us luck. Although again I'm not counting on winning its just great to be thought of.

We have also had lots of new decoupage in the shop and on the stall including some Christmas peel offs that are going fast! The mini decoupage books are back in stock to if you missed them last time or have used yours all up as they are so great to use. Also and this has to be my favourite is the delightful and funky musical buttons, these are the ones that play music when you open the card!!! They really are fab and a great extra to your hand made cards. I know that you will love them and for only 2.99 for 3 they are a bargain price too. Have a look at all our new products by pressing here.
Talk soon
love Naomi and Jeanette

GIVE AWAY!

Hi all,
just thought id let everyone know that if you visit the lovely Paula from Backporch memories blog you and leave a little message you could be in with a chance to win some goodies!! Paula is making a house move and needs to lighten her load. And i can honestly say Paula gives away the best prizes!
just click here

HI DEE HI

HI all as you can see I'm in a better mood today, no they haven't caught the scum bag but I'm thinking now that i can either be the victim or just think that karma will catch up with them sooner or later. ( maybe they will get robbed themselves or better hit by a bus ;) )
Ant way enough talk of it, they have done it, and that isn't going to change so I'm just going to get on with it.
Luckily we have lots of new stock again to keep me busy hee hee hee Doodlebugs black and white collection in now in stock along with the lovely scalloped edged bazzill. yum!
I'm not sure if i have mentioned that peppermint twist is in along with some wonderful printed vellum's and acetate from kanban. I must say though they are going quick so be warned ;)
Jess is finally settling in at school after two days of her crying to come back home with me. Bless her, yesterday it was tears all round with her crying and me. Well what is a mum to do? it goes against every instinct for you to leave your child to cry doesn't it? Any way we all know I'm a soft touch when it comes to my two so what do you expect! lol. We walked to school this morning with my friend and her daughter Jessica's friend, any way when i gave Jess her sweet and offered her friend one, her mum nearly had a heart attack just at thought of sweets that early in the morning!! LMAO I'm guessing she wasn't too pleased then the other night when i dropped her daughter off with a bag of sweets for her and her brother hee heee heee opps! Now don't get me wrong Jess doesn't eat loads of sweets all the time, but i do treat her more often it seems than other children. But heyho that's life i guess. I have now come up with a new solution, Jess loves high school musical and so now when we go to the shops she will have a couple of packets of stickers for her album instead. Jack has a Thomas one as well so that's a few less sweets till they get bored of those i guess.
I must also say a huge THANKYOU from both myself, Jess and Jack to DIANNE for the lovely scissors that she has given to my two after hearing that Jess couldn't cut for toffee with the ones she has at home. Jack can cut as well now thanks to your great advice so THANKYOU HUN.
Oh and last but definitely not least i have a child genius on my hands (look I'm her mum i can say that) Jess came home last night with her first lot of words to learn, so i get them out thinking... OK how am i going to teach her this one? And you know what my SUPERSTAR daughter can read!!!!! She knew all 7 of the words and i was sooo proud! Of course i rang everyone i could to tell them LMAO! all i can say is either she is a genius (which i think is very likely considering her gene pool PMSL) or her teachers are the best, teaching her 7 words in less that a week. Maybe it has more to do with the fab teachers than i am going to admit but like i said I'm her mum so i can think what i like.
Have a good week all :D

what a day!

Well today is not the greatest day ever, Last night after popping out for a fair well meal with my family (my uncle is moving to the states) I came home to find that my house had be broken into! I AM SO MAD! I am mad that someone has been into the house, and madder that they have taken my things. My god i work hard for my stuff so why should some junky (I'm guessing its drug related) come in and take them. The cheek, this country really is going down hill. When you have people that think that they can take your things invade your privicy and all because they were dragged up with no or little respect for anything let alone themselves. Alittle controversial i know but hey that's what i think.
I must say that i have nothing but praise for the police (OK if they had been doing their jobs and have all the criminals off the streets i wouldn't have been burgled, but its not a perfect world) we called them at 10pm and they had a officer round in a hour to make sure the house was secure, we were OK and to take a statement. Now i dont even think i was expecting them to come at all, but they did and i am pleased with the way it was handled. Also this morning at 8am i had another officer road with her tools to see if she could get any finger prints, which she did so lets hope the scum is on file and will be caught quickly.
What actually makes me sad about all this is the camera they took is one that i bought with the inheritance that my granddad left for me, OK its insured but it wont be the same. and also that half of our holiday pictures were on the memory chip. They have now gone and I'm sure will not come back. They also took Jessica's laptop and mine too, which is just a huge pain in the rear as i have had to change all my passwords today in the fear that they will be able to get into my accounts. One lucky thing is (if you can think of it that way) they were too stupid or high to see that Rob's PSP was on the side and they left that, along with my bank card and purse that was next to it.
Any way that's my rant over, hopefully they will catch these mindless idiots and then i might feel better LOL.
Another thing to look on the bright side at is there is a crop at Tamworth if anyone can cheer me up it is that bunch of LUNES!! (wacko really) love you all though ;)

NEW BA BA BLACK SHEEP FROM PIGGY TALES!

HUNNY IM HOME :D

Hi all after a fantastic holiday relaxing by the pool and nothing else I'm back, and pleased to be too.

WHY? you ask? well in case you haven't heard Piggy tales is in the building! all 3 new collections of them and they are looking just as great as i thought they would! So now i just cant wait to use them. hee hee hee. i am sooo excited (if you couldn't tell ;) )

The holiday was fab too, the weather was wonderful (about 38 degrees most days) and the food great. The kids had a fantastic time too, and of course now i have hundreds of photos that need scrapping. I took a diary that i had altered with me and i must say that it is a great idea if any one is going any place to do, as i wrote down so many funny things that happened or were said that i am sure would have been forgotten over the course of the week. Like when Jessica fell out of her boat into the big pool, the conversation went like this when she got out:

JESS: mum that was your fault!

ME: WHY? i wasn't even in the pool?

JESS: Well you wanted to go in it and then you got out and left me with Daddy and he spilt me!

ME: spilt you?

JESS: he spilt me out of my boat so its your fault.

ME: OK then?

LMAO it was so funny! oh that and the fact that Jessica told everyone before we went when they asked where she was going that she was going to BACON!! no sweety its Turkey. Kids don't you just love them?

Any way just thought id pop in and say hi here is a quick peek of the delish products from piggy tales and i will be back on wen to show you all what i make with them at the Nuneaton crop tomorrow ;)

BYE ALL

h

First day at school :(

Ok so today is Jessica's first day at school and i am all over the place, so i thought id pop a post on here to fill in the time. seen as i have a lot of it! She was fine of course, just me being a mum and crying all of the place! what a mess! any way she looked so grown up and i honestly feel like i have been punched. I'm sure it was only yesterday that she was this little angel needing to be fed and changed. where did the time go? I have decided that they grow up way too fast for my liking.

So I'm sitting here with jack on my knee, (he has no one else to play with now Jess is at school) and he wants ago so its over to jack ...

dfhjjjjjjhjlledjyhfdfljsafghkk, xkl;ppooyttr6uujujbxsfl.ghhjnmm.vcn,

Thank you jack! LOL

After school she came out full of what she had been doing all day, and said that she had, had mash, bread (no butter) and crackers *roll eyes* so i think i will have to try and get to the bottom of that tomorrow LOL. And after our holiday then its sandwiches. ;)

Apart from that i have been busy making up kits for the next crop! i will post sneak peek pictures tomorrow! As i have left the kit in the shop, its fab any way and im sure it will come in handy for either a present or a great place to store all those Christmas ideas.

Ive also been busy making a acetate mini book, which has yet to be finished but again once i get round to it i will post a pic :D

And piggy tales is here! well i think its here? we have a parcel dropped off next door today and fingers crossed that's what it is. ohhhh i cant wait. If its not that then all the new chalk inks are in along with some fab papers and extra embellishments for Christmas. Well I'm expecting them as well so who knows only tomorrow will reveal all.

Hope you all have a good night and i will be back tomorrow :D TC.

Oh and before i go i thought this was a very attractive picture taken of mum yesterday at Blackpool pleasure beach! LMAO

new layouts

Hi all
have finally managed to add some of my new layouts to the top of the blog :D
The first is called beach babe and is of Jessica, this layout was made using my monthly kit from BPM. The photo is of Jessica playing in the sand. I printed it in both BW and colour cutting Jess out of the colour copy and placing it on the BW photo.
The next is of jack playing in the sand, the PP did have a white centre which i cut out and replaced with blue bazzill.
Girly girl: Rob took this bad photo of Jess but it was such a funny moment i decided to use it any way. She had just been using my makeup!! again the papers were used from my monthly kit.
For those of you that have been waiting on the bind it all, its here!! so expect lots of projects and mini books to be coming soon. Also new in the shop is some great velvet flock and gold leaf that are perfect for stamping with.
Ok gotta dash the shop is closing this afternoon as i am off for a make over!! I know its long over due hahahaha

YOU JUST HAVE TO SEE THIS :D

This was posted on uks earlier today and it is sooo funny click here to see this eBay listings description and then if your sides are splitting and you want some more of this hilarious woman's views visit her blog by clicking here.
Also if you want emails to tell you when this blog has been updated just enter your email address in the box on the right :D

Bank holiday madness

Hi all hope you are planning a great bank holiday weekend? Ive been told that its gonna be a hot one!!! *shock* So i think I'm going to take the kids shopping LMAO and then to the park maybe. I am so in need of a shopping trip, its my sisters 25th birthday party next Saturday and she is having a night at the Oscars theme. So its long ball gowns all the way!! I am really looking forward to the party and the pictures of it are going to be fab! need to start buying black PP and soon i think.

Before that though is the Tamworth crop tomorrow and i cant wait really they all sound like great girls. Ok a little mad maybe but fun. Ive got another CJ to do and had some more pics printed off last night to keep me busy.

Have done quite a few layouts too this week so once i remember the memory card i will pop them on here. I know Ive been saying that since last week but will promise to do it soon.

OH and coming into the shop next week we have some fab products. First up on Tuesday is the bind it all tool. along with all the wires and extra bits you will need for it. :D along with some 7gypsies products.

Then later in the week we will have the new glitter girls board in stock this board is called the Illusion Board as it has so many identities. It is a 7 in one board and the first to include a alphabet and numbers! It also has a monogram holder, a bow and a scroll. But the bit i think is the best is it not only has a embossing boarder but for all of you with the book of trix it also makes the boxes for these without you having to keep turning your card around!! how fab is that. They are on pre order from yesterday and will cost £14.95.

Also in are the cute mini decoupage books from le suh and lots more ;) so if you wanted to pop in to the shop now is the time to do it :)

good weekend?

Hi all hope you've all had a good weekend? mines been spent chilling and not doing a fat lot actually ;) *bliss*

I seemed to scrap so much last week that i decided to give the creative juices a rest LOL. although i did get a CJ done and i am so pleased with it. Nina your in for a treat :D. just one more to do and im all caught up YAY!!

Had some great news last week too... paperdolls has been nominated for business success of the year award! still cant quite believe it. we will find out in November if we have won the regional heat. But you know what I'm not too fussed about winning it is just great that we were nominated and all that hard work is being seen by some one other than us.

And this weekend i have my first school reunion. I'm sure that makes me old doesn't it? LMAO. not sure if I'm going yet still waiting on babysitters etc and a friend that wants to come, well I'm not going on my own now am I, no matter how much i liked them at school. But be sure if i do my camera is coming with me.

Also scattered along this post you will see some more designs by the wonderful Denise. she really is a busy girl and is now enjoying a much needed I'm sure holiday. hope your having a good time hun.

The first one is actually amazing!! i love this card so much. the way it stands is just fantastic and is made using the blond moments spring fling papers. And second is the delightful card using basic greys Lilly Kate papers and a glitter girls peel offs.

right off to eat have a go day all.

HO HO HO

Morning everyone, I hope that you are all having a crafty day? if the inspiration is a bit on the thin side don't worry as today as promised here is some of our new design team member Denise Evans beautiful creations. And also some instructions for the first card to get you going ;)

And in case you are not feeling the Christmas spirit yet? Ive added a card that i have made using crate paper zoom, It is perfect for little boys that are car mad.

OK the first card is called SNOWMEN IN THE FOREST and is made using the following products from our new Christmas dovecraft ranges.

"TIS THE SEASON" 6x6 paper pack

Dovecraft peel off stickers DC043

Dovecraft "TIS THE SEASON" funky brads

white card blank 15.5cm x 11cm

1, cut 3cm off the right hand side of your card front

2, Cut a piece of snowman/trees paper to 15.2cm x 7.6cm. Glue onto the card front (a tiny white border will show)

3, cut a 10.5cm x 15.2cm piece of red/green stripe paper. glue this to the inside of the card.

4, place two Xmas tree peel offs top and bottom of the right hand side of the card.

5, Place a snowman peel off onto the white card and trim very carefully round the edges. Then mount using sticky pads between the Xmas trees.

6, next cut two angular pieces from the stripy paper, to fit across the width of the front of the card. on the narrower one, place a happy Christmas peel off, then glue it to the bottom of the card front. Mount the wider strip onto white card and push a FUNKY BRAD through and fix to the front of the card with sticky foam pads.

Well girls i hope that gives you some ideas and inspiration, see i told you Denise's cards were fab and if you scroll down the page we now have a show reel displaying all of Denise's cards! It will be updated once a month so keep an eye on it for new ideas and designs. Next month Denise will be working with our brand new range ;) but more on that later hee hee hee

OOPS forgot the none Christmas card durrrrr here is it using crate paper zoom collection.

New design team member!!

Hi all

I am so pleased to be announcing the newest member of our design team!! (shes on the left :D)

And it is the very talented card maker Denise Evans. we would like to welcome her to the paperdolls team and say a huge well done for your efforts. I know I cant wait to see what she comes up with using Paperdolls products!

You can already see her work in our Nuneaton store but in just a few days they will also be online for those of you that are a little further away to see. Denise's cards are truly stunning with a very modern touch to them, what she has done with the new Christmas papers that we now have is amazing! I wasn't joking when i told her that i was going to have to keep them hee hee hee.

Having Denise on the team also means that you ladies that are able to pop in the shop will be making some of her designs for our Thursday makes and takes, for anyone that hasn't heard about it yet: Make and take day is held every Thursday between 9.30 and 11.30 am. It is free to do and you don't have to book just pop in!

And for anyone that cant make, it some of the cards and the instructions will be added to the blog on a regular basis! See i told you it was exciting didn't i.

Apart from picking our new design team member we have also been busy cropping, Nuneaton crop was great fun this month and i managed to get loads done for a change!!. I will try and upload some of them tonight for you to see:D And a week on Sunday is our very first Paperdolls Tamworth crop which i just cant wait to go to and meet all the nut cases ;) that i have been chatting to online in real life. I sure it will be a hoot!! If anyone is interested in attending please email me as we are nearly full now.

BEST GET GOING NEED TO EAT ;)

inspiration anyone?

Hi all hope you are having a great weekend, we are!! the sun is shinning and i am about to get some scrapping done. Ive been a little stuck for inspiration lately and so have been surfing the net for some site that i think have the best of the best in terms of inspiration and so i thought id share them with you!! Of course you have paperdolls here :D ;) and for you card makers that may be feeling left out as i always post layouts keep your eyes peeled on Monday as we will be announcing some fab news :D anyway other places to get your mojo back...

Firstly and i think may favourite is the little book of sketches blog spot it has sketches for everything from CARDS! layouts and ATC's. All you could ever need and more i think, i love they way that on this site everything is so easy to find. If say you scrap in 12x12 there are sections for 1 photo layouts 2, 3 and 4 or more. For card makers you can select square or rectangle card sketches. Anyway don't take my word for it have a peek for yourself.

page maps is very similar and has sketches for cards and scrapbooking layouts and one everyone should have in their favourites! Again it has any easy format to follow and loads of different categories. I especially love the new circle maps on this site (like the one i have added at the top of the page) and have already printed some out for the crop tomorrow to see what i can come up with.

So have a good weekend, try afew of these sites out and if you are cropping tomorrow in Nuneaton i will see you there!

sunshine at last

Still great weather wise here and hopefully you are getting more of the same where you are. What is strange how ever is that inside paperdolls shop we now have sooo much Christmas stuff it is starting to look like Santa's grotto!! Honestly all the new dovecraft Christmas ranges are in along with peeloffs, brads sticky ribbon you name it we have it!!

And Ive actually been scrapping last years christmas pictures too!! with all the yummy products in store it was hard not to, and i really didn't want to be getting to Christmas again and have last years pictures still sitting waiting to be scrapped so it made sense to do them now. Along with all the beach pictures i have got it has been keeping me happy, swapping from hot to cold in my layouts.

Other than that we have been celebrating here as on Sunday Mum and Ian celebrated their 2nd wedding anniversary :D so a huge congratulations to them. To celebrate we all went down to western super mare (spelt wrong i think?) for the day and enjoyed some fabulous weather and got some great pictures too. Jess even rode on a donkey!! you know who is going to be using the wanted collection soon don't you!

Of course we also have all the new stock coming in thick and fast over the next few weeks so we have some fantastic bargains to be had. They will be online in the next few days so keep your eyes peeled! And here is a few of my latest layouts to inspire you.

This layout was completed as part of a sketch challenge at back porch memories. I have used the crate paper zoom collection which goes perfectly with these pictures of Jack and Jess on a ride at fantasy Island.

And here is another layout this time of Jack and Rob enjoying some together time on skegness beach. I have used the rusty pickle chipboard shapes, bazzill and primas.

RUBBISH BLOGGER

Hi all
* THE DATE FOR THE NUNEATON SUNDAY CROP HAS CHANGED DUE TO DOUBLE BOOKING IT WILL NOW BE HELD ON THE 12TH AUGUST INSTEAD OF THE 19TH*
i am such a rubbish blogger, a whole week and no posts!! it really is awful. But never mind will try to do better next week and even add a few pictures when i get home tonight.
I have been trying out the great free classes on offer from the online company big picture scapbooking. Yes i said free!!! there is some great downloads with audio messages from the teachers that can be downloaded (or uploaded?!!?) to your MP3 players etc from the class teacher. Then if you love them you can choose to buy more classes that are all really well priced. And don't worry about having to buy lots of supplies either, for most of the classes you can use what is already in your stash!! So that's my plan for my day off tomorrow, put on my headphones and get some scrapping done. Why don't you treat yourself as well!
Also my back porch memories kit came!! and i love it so much, hopefully it will go with my down loaded classes and i will be able to do two things at once ;)
The picture at the top is of what i received and it is just as lovely in real life. I would recommend it to anyone that fancies a surprise in the post. And if you do decide to have one don't forget to say that i have sent you!
Also in the shop we have a great special offer!! spend over £10.00 in store and get a mini sewing machine for only £5.00. It comes complete with lots of different threads too. It really is a great buy but like i said they are limited so pop in soon to get yours!
Have a good afternoon all :)

need help colour matching?

Hi all just thought i would share this excellent tool for colour matching that was posted on UKS earlier. It is made for web designers but is just as perfect for scrapbookers and card makers to use. I love the way you can select any colour and then find the colours that are either within the complementary, triadic , split complementary and monochromatic schemes. It is sure to give all your paper craft projects that POP which we all seek!
You can find this fab tool at the bottom of the page to use over and over again!
Have a good day all and for those that are booked onto paperdolls evening class DON'T FORGET IT IS TONIGHT!!! :D so i will see you then
love Na

new products

hi all and hope your not feeling too down with the weather being what it is at the moment!
I realised last night that although i have told you all about the yummy new products that we have had in i still haven't show you them ;) so here goes....

These ones are from the we r memory keepers silver lining range and are gorgeous! You can see what i mean about the summer colours. I still haven't used mine yet, but will do tomorrow at the crop i think ;)

The rest of the range is just as lovely, you can only find it in the shop and online at the moment along with all the yummy embellishments and rub-ons! take a peek here http://www.thepaperdolls.co.uk/catalog/index.php?manufacturers_id=44 to see the rest of these ranges

As i just said tomorrow is crop day so if you are in the area why not come along for a day of scrapbooking, chat and laughter. We will be cropping at the new town centre, NUNEATON from 10am till 4pm. The cost is a bargain at 5.00 which includes drinks and a raffle ticket. Plus the shop is there in all its glory allowing you to have a look at all the stash that I've been talking about. If you are interested please contact me for more details.

Now its school holiday time so what are you planning on doing to keep your little ones happy? If you are looking for some inspiration why not pop in to the shop and have a look at some of the fab things that will keep them amused for hours!

Jessicas last day at school was yesterday and her teacher loved the gift we made her, but mummy was a complete blubbering mess! i cried when she went into school for the last time and again when she came out! all i can say is god help us come september when she is all in her uniform and leaves for the whole day *im welling up now talking about it blush*

ALSO i want to wish Chloe my sister a great birthday party today!! im sure she will have loads if fun and promise to post all the party layouts that are bound to follow it. SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHLOE!!

teachers presents

morning all :D
just thought i would post to help out all you stressed out mums that haven't yet made your child's teacher a present and find yourself with no inspiration to do it at all. I was like this yesterday but now... I'M DONE YAY!!
And this is the finished project an altered clock.
So how is it made? First you need to get yourself down to pound land or another shop that sells cheap wall clocks and take it to bits! Mine only cost £1.00 so i wasn't too worried about totally breaking it when i first tried to do this but found it fell apart easy enough with a screwdriver.
Next i used the K&CO Paper flowers set from the shop, but you could easily use primas and other blossoms instead. Again you can get all of these from paperdolls.
Slightly sand the outer frame of the clock and paint in your chosen colour with acrylic paints. And using the flowers and leaves cover all around the edges.
Next all that's left to do is add some gems in the centres of the flowers and decorate the clock face with some patterned paper and more flowers. make sure that the flowers are completely flat for this part so that they do not stop the hands from moving. reassemble and TA TAR you have you teachers present all done. Mine took about 2 hours in total to make all the flowers etc but if you were to use primas this would make it so much quicker.
So why not have a go and don't forget to send a pic of your creations.
My only trouble is that i like it so much I'm going to have to make another one for myself ;)

better at last

finally i feel well enough to actually type or do something. Its been a nightmare week of illness for me. Having had a throat infection, freezing cold spells, headaches, ear aches - you name it. i should be forgiven for not being in the best of moods this week. but today is a new day and i feel, well .....OK not great but better. so i am actually planning to eat tonight! something that's not happened since Monday!?! i think the kids are finally sick of take outs (robs been sick too. so no cooking for either of us) and so plan to cook something within the five a day category. They have been little angels for us though. so huge (((hugs))) to both of them for looking after mummy and daddy. Also huge (((hugs))) to mum who has had to work her little butt off at the market so i could die quietly in the shop. hahahaha.
Which got me thinking should we scrap the times in our lives like sickness, when we feel we are on the wrong road and other times when we just feel pants? I know we all want our albums to be a honest look at the things we have done, but how honest? Should we all start to look at the things that we maybe should change and scrap those facts or just keep them well....... private? would this sort of information help our kids not make the same mistakes? I know when your mum says - i did that when i was younger and now i regret it. it means something but not a lot. when my mum said things like this to me i always used to think "its not the same! your a grown up of course you regret it now that's what growing up is about!". but how about if you had your parents feelings from that time would it some how make the advice more understandable? i wonder if you write something down like that when its happening if you would sugar coat the facts like we all tend to do over time? GOD ILLNESS HAS MADE ME ALL REFLECTIVE (hasn't improved my spelling or grammar i have noticed)

OK SO ON TO SHOP THINGS now we are feeling better here's what we have planned for next week. On Thursday for anyone that visits the shop in the morning you will get to have a play with our make and take day!!! We will not only be doing a demo but letting you try it out for yourself too. so don't miss out and pop in for a chat.
Fridays class has places still available too. This weeks class will be using the wonderful new range from pebbles inc. Everything you need to complete a layout is included in the bargin price of £5.00. The classes run from 5pm and are held at the shop. If you are interested in taking part please call or email to book your place.

TGI FRIDAY!!!

thank god its Friday, which OK means for me another day at work yet but that doesn't matter (well it wouldn't if you had my job!) as all the yummy new papers and products have come in from we r memory keepers and they don't call them precious for nothing I'm loving them. Hopefully rob will need to nip out tonight so i can have a play heeheehee. The papers are just great for your summer pages and cards. And the extra embellishments along with the hard wear is just stunning and co-ordinates so perfectly. i need it all! although i think i will have to try and behave a little bit.
for my class girls i have some news about the next class. you need to be thinking aqua blue and browns. along with the theme wishes and dreams. although this isn't too important. If you were extra clever you would be dragging your little angels outside wearing a blue top and brown trousers so that they can blow out dandelions while you take loads of pictures ;)

long time no chat?

hi all its been ages since i last posted, well just over a week :D but it seems like ages.
We have been so busy ordering new stock for all you guys it has kept us so busy ;) so seen as i have been sat on here all day you can now see all the new products online including stazon and brilliance dew drop ink pads :D all can be found in the shop so pop in and see for yourself.
Also keep an eye out tomorrow as we are getting another shipment of stock coming in including some of the wonderful new papers from we r memory keepers. its called the precious metal ranges and looks stunning. I cant wait to see them and have a play ;) all those yummy papers and embellishments. ohhh getting excited now and to make it even better mum is in hinckley on the market so i get to open the lot all on my own hee hee hee. sorry mum *whaaahahaha* i planned that so well.
Oh and for those of you that loved Toby range we also have Roxie coming in tomorrow and that is equally beautiful.
Jessica's school report came in today and i am a proud mummy yet again as she has done fantastically well this year YAY!! the only thing that was laughable on it was the fact that her teacher pointed out she cant use scissors? now i know she can and hello i own a craft shop do you not think she would have picked this up before she could walk? she certainly could hahaha. i think she is tricking someone there? but i must say that Jessica's teacher has been wonderful this year and i am sure Jess will miss her like mad. So now i think its time to start making those end of term presents to show how much of a great teacher she is. So girls any ideas? just pop a comment at the end of this thread if you fancy helping out or even better if your doing your own present for a teacher leave a link to a picture on you blog so we can all have a peek.
right bettter get a move on its home time????? already eek

last nights class layout

as promised here is last nights class layout, during this class i showed the girls how to cheat and make this seasons must have scolloped edges on any type of patterned paper instead of only being able to use the precut cardstock :D

sports day!!

hi everyone, what a turn around weather wise! today has been lovely and no rain at all. although i am sure by time tomorrow comes and we are back on the markets it will all have changed again. Luckily today was Jessica's sports day and so the good weather had great timing for us. She did sooo well and i am a very proud mummy. she did 4 races in total and won 1!!! which was the walking in huge boxes for shoes race, I'm sure she did well in this as she seems to spend most of her time walking around in my killer heels. and even better i came away with loads of photos. I have been keeping the tatterz school blitz box for ages now and so i am finally going to use it!! or should i wait for all those first day at school pics? the choices! will let you know what i decide and show you the finished product soon. promise :D

last night was class night and i had a great time with all our new members so hi to all of you. *Naomi waves madly*. we were using the 7 gypsies sushi collection which is just gorgeous. you can see the papers online now here and once i get home i will add the layout for you to have a peek at too as i love it.

OK enough chatting I've got work to do hahahahaha!

oh and thank you to all the girls last night telling me about the back porch kits :D after deciding i needed to have a look for myself, Ive just spent far too much money with them hahahaha. you girls say i get you into trouble but i think its the other way round really.
the kits look beautiful and now i cant wait to see what I'm going to get as i have ordered the July kit yummmm along with a few extras eek! rob will have a fit when he finds out ouch!

forgive me scrappers for i have sinned!

OK girls please dont call the scrapping police but i have a confession! after a none stop morning in the shop i decided to have a peek on pencillines for this weeks sketch. And straight away i thought oh i know what i could do with that. (like you do) and set about doing a layout. only after i was half way through i realised it just wasn't working out how i wanted it to look and it needed something to help it pop! OK you with me so far? layout looking pants want it to look good.
Having a look around the shop for what i could add (i was using the once upon a time range BTW) and my eyes rested on the perfect product .... and here is my confession: it was a peel off!! i know i know don't shake your head or Tut tut under your breath or even fall off your stool in shock. i have gone and done it and used a peel off on a layout! and you know what it looks good, brilliant in fact (even if i do say so myself). which got me wondering. why do scrapbookers take such offence at the word peel off, not all of you i admit but a good majority have agreed with me about never using peel offs on layouts. So is it so wrong to use something that makes a layout complete? or is it the fact that they are cheap and as a rule scrapbooking costs a lot? its like saying OK its a paper craft product for paper crafting but i wouldn't use it. Or put another way not going in a cheap restaurant that sells good food? or is there another reason i am missing?OK not all peeloffs look great on layouts, they are aimed at cards i get that. just to clarify i used a boarder peeloff, so are they wrong to use too? should i have spent hours trying to emboss to get the same effect? i know that i like it and from now on will be looking at peeloffs with a new eye. confession over and don't die from shock!!!!!!!!!! :D