10th February 2017 Mailer

Spend just £10 and you will be awarded 24hrs unrestricted VIP access to the latest 20 Freebies offered by our fantastic Designers! Don't delay order today. Please note, the vault is subject to change as and when new submissions are added.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG! by Janice Shehan

Finally after 2-3 weeks of cold weather, the buds are coming out. We are also happy to be working on our new, old home again. This time a beautiful water fountain and next new siding! Cant wait, that will make all our other work, landscaping and gorgeous palm trees POP! :) Since my hubby is in the hospital, it was nice to have some help from young men in the area.

Trying some Scrapbooking Quick Pages this week. They are adorable, so easy to use too! I would like to mention, again, how grateful and blessed I feel to have the privilege of working with CUP! xx Janice

cup765643_2049 by Janice Shehan

cup765642_2049 by Janice Shehan

Panama Canal by Silvia Griffin

Just returned from a lovely cruise to the Panama Canal.The Panama Canal is an artificial 48-mile waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a key conduit for international maritime trade.There are locks at each end to lift ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial lake created to reduce the amount of excavation work required for the canal, 26 metres (85 ft) above sea level, and then lower the ships at the other end. The original locks are 33.5 metres (110 ft) wide. A third, wider lane of locks was constructed between September 2007 and May 2016. The expanded canal began commercial operation on June 26, 2016. The new locks allow transit of larger, Post-Panamax ships, capable of handling more cargo.France began work on the canal in 1881 but stopped due to engineering problems and a high worker mortality rate. The United States took over the project in 1904 and opened the canal on August 15, 1914. One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, the Panama Canal shortcut greatly reduced the time for ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, enabling them to avoid the lengthy, hazardous Cape Horn route around the southernmost tip of South America via the Drake Passage or Strait of Magellan.Colombia, France, and later the United States controlled the territory surrounding the canal during construction. The US continued to control the canal and surrounding Panama Canal Zone until the 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties provided for handover to Panama. After a period of joint American–Panamanian control, in 1999 the canal was taken over by the Panamanian government and is now managed and operated by the government-owned Panama Canal Authority.Annual traffic has risen from about 1,000 ships in 1914, when the canal opened, to 14,702 vessels in 2008, for a total of 333.7 million Panama Canal/Universal Measurement System (PC/UMS) tons. By 2012, more than 815,000 vessels had passed through the canal.[2] It takes six to eight hours to pass through the Panama Canal. The American Society of Civil Engineers has called the Panama Canal one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

cup765109_262 by Silvia Griffin

cup765083_262 by Silvia Griffin

Still parching! by Sue Way

I am still enjoying getting back into parchment craft. I got some new things to play with for Christmas, including a lovely set of Perga Colour Pens! At the moment I am working on a modern black and white design, which I will share with you when I finally finish it! I leave it out on my desk & have a little go whenever I have time, but as with most things, there are not enough hours in the day. Here is one I did a little while ago, it just needs to be mounted on a card. This week I am introducing my new set of Fashion Girls with the Its Your Birthday series Lots more to come! Please click the follow button next to my name on my home page so that you can quickly find my latest updates & dont forget to check out my latest Special Offers with 20% off. http://www.craftsuprint.com/sue-way/?r=968387

cup766428_38 by Sue Way

cup766212_38 by Sue Way

Baxters Treasure by Kelly Barker

Every day I walk Baxter around a field at the end of my road, which he loves as he really enjoys being off lead. I try to go over there even if it is muddy and bad weather as he just looks so sad if I try to give him a road walk (Puppy dog eyes). Once a week I take him to the next town, where my girls go dancing as I have to wait for them and so Baxter gets a different field. recently he has wised up to all the best bits to explore and now likes to go through the bushes and head to the farmers field. He never ventures too far, but I think he likes to pretend he could catch the birds on the field if he wanted to. He is a cheeky old boy and this week he found some treasure in the ditch...a spade! He laid down in the mud until I said he could bring it with him, doesnt he look pleased with himself?! This week I have uploaded more in my Cutie Pie Kids range, I hope you like them! I also have 12 special offer items with 25% off.

cup766204_1028 by Kelly Barker

cup762810_1028 by Kelly Barker

WOW ... I want those Lego Bricks!

by Carol Clarke

We took Austin to The Dukeries Garden Centre this week and after having fun looking at the pets etc we went to the Harley Gallery next door where there was a Lego exhibition... he sooo loved it! But he especially loved the very large Lwgo bricks in the window and would have liked to take them home with us! lol Below are 2 of my NEWEST On the Shelf Cards. Watch out for more Coming soon ... Just as soon as Ive drawn the characters! lol

cup763425_359 by Carol Clarke

cup764659_359 by Carol Clarke

Greetings from Finland - tips for designers!

by Taina Kankare

Hello! Its cold here in Finland and it made me think, that it is never too early to start planning for the next Christmas holiday season. In spite of the growing amount of text message greetings sent from mobile phones, we Finns and our neighbors Swedes still send together about 28 million Christmas cards every year. It is probably not much compared to the amounts sent in the UK, but I predict that the Nordic market area could become important also to some CUP designers. Anyhow, there are some differences between the UK and Nordic market areas. The traditional Christmas card in Finland and Sweden differs in many ways from the traditional British ones. Of course I cannot promise you sales, but here are some tips, which may help you to design cards which could be popular here in the Nordic area, too. To put things short, I have made a list of dos and donts.Avoid these:- polar bears, igloos, penguins, North Pole signs, young elves, 25th of Dec signs, holly, mistletoe, gas lamp, fireplaces, stockings, robins, jays, cardinals, (these birds dont live here in winter, its too cold) old English style houses, HO-HO-HO-texts, flying sleigh, carol singers, pink and violet or other nontraditional colors. Instead use these:-Santa Claus, garden gnome like Christmas gnomes (tonttu in Finnish, tomte in Swedish and nisse in Danish.), gray or red rural houses, round pole fences, rowan berries, rose berries, pine cones, Eurasian red squirrels, spruces, birds on spruce branches, snowy landscapes, bullfinch males, great tits, blue tits, frozen lake or river, icicles, snowmen, children playing in the snow (dont forget proper winter clothes, beanies and most of all, mittens or gloves!!!), reindeer, candles, poinsettias, hyacinths, Aurora borealis (The Northern Lights), colors blue, red and gold. If you need more advice, take a look at my Craftsuprint Gallery. I have made some Christmas cards combining traditional style post cards with CUP frames. Have fun with crafting! Wishing all designers good sales! Taina Kankare

cup740383_42863 by Taina Kankare

cup736782_42863 by Taina Kankare

New Cameo 3 machine by Judith Henry

After two years designing with an old Cameo I have purchased the newer version. I look forward to now having two machines I can cut from at the same time. Not sure if it will make me more productive but Im hoping to design ssome great ideas. Now, I need a few new tools, upgrade my software and then get to know its idiosyncrasies.

cup765972_2228 by Judith Henry

cup765182_2228 by Judith Henry

Challenge at School by Tina Fitch

This week the twins had a challenge set for them from School, They were given £5.00 between them to start a business and to make some profit to give back to the school. They chose to make Chocolate lollies, so off they went to Sainsburys to buy a few bits they needed like Chocolate and lolly sticks. They then came home and made their lollies in plastic moulds in the shape of a flower, Not sure how many they made but they sold the lot and made £100.00 for the School plus the £5.00 they were given in the first place. Id say they have a fantastic Business head on their shoulders and will go far if they keep up that work!This week I am featuring Weddings and Fathers Day Both are 3d Cards with Boxs to give as a gift! As always all files in my store are for all machine users.. http://www.craftsuprint.com/tina-fitch/

cup766448_596 by Tina Fitch

cup766434_596 by Tina Fitch

Woohoo i am proud of it!

by Monique Exclusive CUP Designs

That was a big surprise when i saw i have reached over 5.000 sales WoW. Never in a million year i tought i could do this and that people really do like my work. Thank you very much all the support dear costumers and card makers. Also cup a great thank you for this platform for everyone and good help always. 1 thing has stayed in my mind from crafty bob: Don't hate let's create! Together we are strong, but without eachother we have nothing... I choose the first one. Life is to short, enjoying every day is the most important thing, not the little things. Thank you verry much for Reading me (again hihi) Have a good weekend everyone! Monique

cup765628_2246 by Monique Exclusive CUP Designs

cup766558_2246 by Monique Exclusive CUP Designs