Get ready for the party

This is one of the sketches sent last week by Mary, and now you can see why I smiled when I opened it. Mary Hall is a very talented and respected illustrator and you can read her full profile on the link to the right. I am delighted to have her on the Sugar Nellie team, I cant wait too for more sketches as I am now sure that these will be a great addition to the range.

GET READY TO PARTY....................over on Split Coast Stampers, SCS, we will be waiting for you to join us in the NEW YEAR, the time difference will interfere with chat but I am sure that we will all over lap at some time.
www.splitcoaststampers.com

SUGAR BOWL will also open on the first, Gayle has been working hard along with her chosen team of helpers. Good luck girls, I cant wait to see what all the challenges are about.
www.sugarbowlblog.blogspot.com

The way forward...........

.................is it more cute kids?
How many ranges of children's stamps can we cope with?
When do we stop?
Are our artist all different enough?

When someone sends me an email about how its their dream to have their artwork made into stamps, what should I do, without giving away the ideas for the future, do you the stampers think that the world of stamps have now got enough child themed stamps. It is only 18 months since Funkykits were one of the first online stores to bring Magnolia stamps to the UK. Since then there have been several new child based stamp companies. When is there too many?

Well I would love to buy you all a coffee and a big tray of muffins and sit down and chat about this............. what's coming next?

I ask myself that question every day, sometimes I have to take a new look at things when an artists moves on to another company, I have a little panic about loosing them but am proud to have found them and pleased to have been right in recognising their talent and the ability to make their work into great stamps. But when one door closed another one always opens, there is so much talent out there, illustrators who have a little blog and dont even know the first thing about rubber stamps. When I stumble upon them in my travels and see somthing new, thats the exciting bit for me.

I was uplifted the other day when Mary sent her first batch of sketches in, I love them, they bring a smile to my face and I cant wait to see what else she comes up with. As time goes on I am more focused on what I want in a stamp. But what do you want?

Answers on a postcard please..........................or leave me a comment..............or pop in for a coffee and I will order the muffins in ...........orange or banana?

Are you in USA, fancy a stamped images swap http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=12489973#post12489973

twas the night before Christmas.....

The house of sugar is now closed for the holidays, online orders at Funkykits will be dealt with when someone is in town but the store is closed for the next three days and everything we need to do can be done from home now that my Internet is working :) No the fabby Internet chap did not come out, although he would have if I had asked because hes nice like that, no it was a simple case of plugging the phone line back into the modem !

I have been really bad at taking pictures of all the lovely cards and gifts which we have been sent, but today I found this http://balloobear.wordpress.com/, Jo sent us this card and it is stunning and a great way to make one stamp work for Christmas too.

I am waiting to be let in the back door of SCS so that I can start setting up our own little sweet spot, I hope to be joined by many Sugar Babes in January and I am sure it will all be a big BIG for me to start with but I am keen to learn. I have no idea who is who in the world of SCS and I am sure that I will take everyone as I find them and as each and every stamper is important it is great to venture over there and be totally blind as to who is a "celebrity stamper". There is a swap going on with images if you want to take a look, Sugar Nellie do not allow the sale of stamped images as you know but swaps are OK in small numbers :)

Best wishes for tomorrow, have fun , take pictures and enjoy.

A sugar free Christmas

I doubt it! I have already been gifted a box of my favourite chocolates, all mine no sharing, and a huge fancy wrapped package that I believe is tablet ( a Scottish fudge made with lots of sugar), so if I am high on Christmas day it will be with an over load of sugar.

I still have no Internet at home, it does not seam fair to call on the helpful computer chap the day before Christmas eve, but until he sorts it out I am lost.

But today is my last day at the house of sugar and I have a lot of emails to write, I want to thank everyone for the lovely cards they have sent this Christmas, more arrived today and I love them all.

I have a desk full of artwork for future stamps, you are going to love them :) We look forward to 2009 with a spring in our step and lots to look forward too. We hope you join us on our travels along the inky road of rubber stamps.

Good luck to the girls over at the Sugar Bowl, I will try to jump over and see whats going on and I am sure one lucky winner will love that prize :)
www.sugarbowlblog.blogspot.com

My candle is burning and a lovely Cinnamon fragrance fills the room, its feeling a little bit like Christmas, once I clear the dinning room table of all my craft stuff we can have dinner!

take care and catch you again soon

Sweet smell of cinnamon

...............well there would be if we had a match!

The lovely Gayle sent a very heavy gift in the post, a huge yummy Christmassy Cinnamon candle in a jar, thank you Gayle its lovely and would smell beautiful on the desk if I could find a light! I will ask the next person who enters the house of sugar if they can light my candle for me ;) * sings come on baby light my fire* ha ha ha

We have been sent lots of lovely things this past week and I have picture to load on of gifts and thank your from Sugar Babes, you are all so very thoughtful when at a time of year you will have more than enough to do for your nearest and dearest, but still you think of us, bless you sweet stamping hearts. A big thank you also to girls who send us pictures of their cards, we love the fact that you love sugar nellie, we are very proud of our little stamp company, I hope that you all join in with the challenges over at the SUGAR BOWL and enjoy the fun and games with the teams/sweeties. I leave it all in Gayles hands, www.sugarbowlblog.blogspot.com


Marlene is off to the sun, what no crafting over Christmas! Have a great time Marlene and we will catch you when you come home.

I have no Internet at home again, bad under ground phone lines so I have a lot of catching up to do, a prize to sort out for the SUGAR BOWL and picture to find for SCS banners, OMG I cant do technical stuff.
I am off for a few days myself to collect #1 sugar babe from Glasgow and bring her home for Christmas. Then she will have to put her apron on and cut up rubber as there are a few things happening in the new year that requires a delivery of rubber.....................

Funkykits so live on SCS as the online retailer for Sugar Nellie world wide.
Imagination craft have a few craft show to attend in the UK in January
Papercrafts have an advert running in Craft Stamper with the first phone in order line for those who miss all the sugar because they do not have a computer.
Gorjuss girls arrive in the house of sugar.

I hope that the last minuet rush to provide your family with the Christmas they expect does not stress you out, after all Christmas is what you make of it, big and flashy or small and peaceful, the choice is yours. Take care.

Goodbye UKS.......

This is the first card I have seen made with the new stamps from Leanne, this character is called Annie and I think you must like her :) shes so sweet and Gayle has made a lovely card here for her friend, see Gayle's blog as she has some Sugar Bowl news.

*****************************************************************

Sugar Nellie was conceived and born on the UKS forum, born of the frustration at having to work with a poor stamp supplier.

We received an amazing amount of support in all shapes and forms from girls who knew that we were a small company, but supported us and with that we were able to grow and this has been our story so far, just the first chapter.

Funkykits will end its sponsorship of UKS at the end of this year, they has been a sponsor since before Sugar Nellie came along and because they have the only licence to sell online, they themselves have grown in a time when many online craft stores are cutting prices in order to hold there heads above water, many have already called it a day, FK have become stronger and we are both looking ahead to 2009 with some exciting news and changes.

There was a boom in small stamp companies in 2009, some much smaller that others but as time moves on I notice that the good are getting better and those who did not quite give the stampers the quality or service they can expect in a time when customer is Queen, have begun to fall by the wayside, it is sad to put your heart into something that does not work but the key word there is HEART, if you do it for love, it has far more chance of working for you, if you do it for a quick buck because it's the fashion you are loosing out before you begun.




Together, Sugar Nellie & Funkykits, have found a new place, where the grass is greener, the field is bigger and there are so many new faces for you to get to know, share, learn and hopefully make new friends. I am hoping you join in with faces old and new, and get to know myself and the team at Sugar Nellie a little bit better.

2009 sees Sugar Nellie become a Member Company of Split Coast Stampers http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/
.................YEEEEHAAA

I would like to thank all the sugar babes who live on UKS for all the support which has been amazing and ask them to join us on SCS. Load up you gallery with your beautiful cards and lets show the world what sweet little stamps we have here at Sugar Nellie.

We will be on SCS in the new year. Just in time to show off our Gorjuss Girls :)

And two from Tiets, Snowflake and Rope Swing, both from the new Sweet Art Ebony range by Elisabeth Bell, aint they grand? Thank you Tiets:)

Be creative

Marlene and Tiets both have new stamps to play with, I cant wait to see what they do with them. But here they have used something old and something new. Tiets has used Luca and Winter Nellie, our first stamps by Eva and still very popular today. Marlene has used Carefree a new design by Elisabeth Bell. I received a box of card from booth girls this week and they are all stunning. I also had a lovely gift from Erika, what a thoughtful girls she is and such a beautiful crafter. Thank you all girl for the lovely packages you send me, they make me very happy.

Gayle has chosen her team for the new SUGAR BOWL blog, jump over and have a read. A big hello to the new girls and it looks like being lots of fun.:)

Christmas Post

I hope by now that most of you have posted you cards and gifts for the season ahead. (give your self a pat on the back, well done, you are on track to a perfect Christmas..hahaha)

In the UK we have one postal system and it works OK 99% of the time.
But having had a long chat with Tracy over at Funkykits about general matters to do with posting and the changes that will be made in 2009, unlucky Dutch girls have three postal systems and a nightmare when it comes to delivery times and lost packets. The USA is about 2 weeks normally and with the pound being so bad we have a lot of international customers taking advantage of the exchange rate while its so good for them.

So with that in mind, please order early if you want a little sugar under your tree, why put it off until tomorrow and risk not getting it in time, if you know what you want order it now because I hate to have any disappointed Sugar Babes out there.
Funkykits have had a backlog of orders since last weeks new releases, I am told that everything will be update by end of business today, giving those sweet little packets time to get anywhere in the world right? well that all depends on your postal system.
To be fair, the post office is the only business on the UK high street that is having a boom time this year, no cut price offers there, lines out the door and no entertainment while you wait.

As we find ourselves busy too, getting stock ready for both Funkykits and Imagination Craft (who have three shows in the UK come January, I will list those nearer the time.) and to have to work around holidays etc its a time of year we though would be QT but you keep us all busy :)
had better get on with my list of jobs today, no rest for the wicked right.............. but hey Santa, I have been good *wink*

Sugar overload

B:Quixotic; http://www.quixoticcards.blogspot.com/ recieved

B:Miranda : http://mirandasscrapcards.blogspot.com/ recieved

B;Ethel http://thepaperquilter.blogspot.com/ recieved

B;Deb; http://countrylovincardmaker.blogspot.com/ recieved

B:Madge; http://madgesty-lovetocreate.blogspot.com/ recieved

posting out you GUEST DT packs :)


Leanne Ellis candy all three packs ready to go :)



Dutch Candy, OOPPPS I should have linked to your comment as there are a lot of girls with the same name....OK I will send to Daan, all 3 Conny and 2 Angelique.............ready to post.

I am missing adress from tanja and Maudy who left a comment for the candy too.

candy for our lovely followers thank you girls I have all your addresses now

Snow much fun

Marlene in not likely to see a white Christmas unless you are talking white beaches! So I expect that the nearest she got to snow this year is colouring in Snowmen, don't you just love the teal colour, its so yummy and great with brown, everything goes with brown its my favourite base colour, maybe that it why I love the sepia toned colouring in , and with some you now getting ready to stamp Leanne's images, I will be watching carefully to see changes in the way colours are put together.

I am told by Tracy over at Funkykits that the character Annie, is great to colour with pro markers and the proof of that can be seen in Papercraft Essentials Stamp Supplement out in January.

Marlene have a fantastic holiday, recharge you batteries, because Sugar Nellie are going to keep you very busy in 2009 :)..........you and me both!

Tiets has a new toy, I don't know that particular machine,I look forward to seeing new die cuts on her cards.

Remember to pop over to their blogs,{ links on the right} and see what goes on in the world sugar babes.

Have a great day.

Five lucky followers

http://debby4000.blogspot.com/
http://sbrockie.blogspot.com/
http://craftysons.blogspot.com/
http://dawnmariegs.blogspot.com/
http://teaghens.blogspot.com/

These five followers are having a wee (Scottish word for small) candy bag of goodies from the House of Sugar, our early Christmas pressie to you. I have managed to get a selection of lovely charms from Funkykits, they do plan to put them online............sometime. Email your address girls and a reminder to our guest DT group B to have there addresses in so we can send out some of the newest stamps for you to play with.

SinterKlaas!

I believe that today there are celebrations in Netherlands. So let me give a gift to the Dutch Sugar Babes.............
Daan
Conny
tanja
maudy
Angelique

please email your postal address to info@sugarnellie.com I am happy to send you some sugar :)

This week I decided to give up my day job in the new year to work more with Sugar Nellie, we have so much happening in 2009 that I can not juggle all my work, something must go and I will hand my fancy apron { beautifully made and purchased from Etsy}, to Kate :P

Gayle will manage the Sugar Bowl along with the help of other sweeties :)

Marlene and Tiets will be joined by guest DT for two more releases.

Imagination Craft will take Sugar Nellie to the shows in the UK.

Funkykits will continue to retail exclusively online world wide, that will keep Katie and Tracy busy.

everything else is a secret.................ssshhhhh............time will tell.

Until then the beans stay in the cupboard.

happy Sinterklass to you all :)

Tiets has her own club

Did you know that?

Yesterdays card was designed by Tiets and on having a little read of here blog, link on the right, she also has her own craft community on the web, great if you speak Dutch, but I dont. Sorry girls I would have loved to come in and say hello but cant, so today i want to give a great big HELLO to all the girls over in Holland who take in

http://www.clubs.nl/community/default.asp?clubid=270971

I notice you have new wallpaper, last time I looked it was a gourjuss girl, OMG how weird was that! Memebers of Tiets club please leave me a comment I have some rubber to give to my Dutch Sugar Babes :)

Jingle bells......

Dashing through the snow

In a one horse open sleigh

O'er the fields we go

Laughing all the way

Bells on bob tails ring

Making spirits bright

What fun it is to laugh and sing

A sleighing song tonight

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells

Jingle all the way

Oh, what fun it is to ride

In a one horse open sleigh

Jingle bells, jingle bells

Jingle all the way

Oh, what fun it is to ride

Today it snowed, it was beautiful, clean, crisp and white. As I was "dashing through the snow" in my "one horse open sleigh" ( darling daughters red fiesta), off to work in my day job where the class I was to teach was cancelled because of the weather, leaving me free to do other things, like look at all the lovely sketches that have been sent to me over the last few days from our illustrators.

Mrs Bell herself may not have any time to jingle as she is just so busy now, but we have some darling Sweet Art Ebony spring idea sketches on our desk, thank you Elisabeth.

Suzanne is moving house and with Christmas to fit in there somewhere, is going to be very busy too. There is a buzz about the Gorjuss Girls and I know a few stampers that can not wait for the New Year to come around.

Leanne is up to date with her designs and all six new stamps will hopefully be with Funkykits tomorrow :)

........and there is all magazine work that we are doing for Craft Stamper. Usually November is quiet but not this year and it does not look like December will be any quieter either.

But our Christmas tree is up and the "bairns" are still on track with the doors of their advent calender for now, its only the 2nd!

I see that our "followers" are growing in numbers and as I have a few new stamps to give away I am off to see who has wish lists on their blog :) do you feel lucky?

We need you.......

......over at Gayle's blog, where she is looking for some sugar addict to join in with the new blog which goes live on 1st January 2009, http://www.littlebirddesign.blogspot.com/


As I put up my Christmas tree at home tonight and as my two smaller children begin to bounce off the walls with excitement of things to come, I hope that there is a little peace in your house, time for a little bit of card making at least.
Take care and stay warm.