Elzybells Blog

Stockist update

I appreciate that when ordering, customers outside of the UK have to weigh up the cost of shipping and depending on the weight of the products, it can work out a little expensive once converted to your own currency.

We have opened a few wholesale accounts outside of the UK and we recently made the decision to allow our international wholesale customers with both a brick and mortar store and an online store, to offer our products online too!

 

I hope this will please those of you who love our stamps and want to add to your collection but are put off by potentially high shipping costs - we gotta make it easier to spread the elzybells love, right?

 

So, for customers in the Netherlands, you can purchase many of our stamps online at www.jacobi.nl or at their retail store:

Jacobi Hobby & Creatief

Houtlaan 7
9203 AN  Drachten

 

 

For customers in the US, Arnie's Arts 'n' Crafts now stock our products (please contact Arnie's for online availability):

3741 W. Houghton Lake Drive

Houghton Lake

Michigan 48629

&

Suites 1-5, 701 South Greenville West Drive

Greenville

MI 48838

 

 

and we also have a stockist in Hawaii:
Cute Stuff

2600 S. King Street, #204

Honolulu

HI 96826

Elizabeth x

kraft

Just a quick stock update as I know several people have been waiting patiently, we now have our popular kraft card back in stock.

Also, if you use EZmount with your stamps and find it difficult to cut, we now stock scissors from the manufacturer of EZmount which are specifically designed for this purpose. We were gob-smacked when we first tried them - they cut through rubber like butter and we immediately started using them for all our rubber cutting!
They're definitely worth the investment and make the task much easier and quicker (you'll see them on the homepage in the online store).

I hope all your Christmas preparations are going well...
Hugs,
Elizabeth xx 

Christmas ordering info + A SPECIAL OFFER!!!

December will soon be upon us, so I thought I'd fill you in on what'll be happening and give you a heads up on ordering times for Christmas....

 

If you'd like to place an order and you need it to reach you in time for Christmas, you'll need to keep the following dates in mind:

 

Friday 18th Dec
Last order date for orders within the UK

Wednesday 9th Dec

Last order date for orders within
USA, Canada, Japan, Europe

Thursday 3rd Dec
Last order date for orders within
South & Central America, Caribbean

Africa, Middle East, Far East, Asia

New Zealand, Australia

 

If orders are placed before the dates above we can ensure they are despatched before Royal Mail's cut off dates to ensure you receive them before Christmas.

You can still place orders after these dates, but there will be no guarantee of receiving them before Christmas.



Elzybells HQ will be closed for the holidays from 21st Dec - 3rd Jan. You are welcome to place orders during this time as the website will be functioning as normal, however, orders will not be processed until 4th Jan.

I will try to attend to emails as regularly as possible while we are closed, however, it is unlikely that they will be answered within our usual 24 hour time frame. If you send an email, I ask for your patience and I will get back to you as quickly as possible. For urgent issues, please email elzybells1@aol.com.

 

I will be taking a break from blogging throughout December. I won't be relaxing, oh no - I will be spending this time finalizing some fantastic new products we have coming in the new year :)

But I don't want to neglect you during this time so we will have our annual



You will have a chance to win some different elzybells goodies everyday between 1st and 25th December - that's 25 chances to win!! Details will follow at the end of this month.
Please note, there will be no Sunday showcase throughout December.



For those of you who don't want to wait until December for some elzybells goodness, we don't usually run a promo at this time of year but I'm feeling generous - and after all it is the season for giving, so my early Christmas present to you is...

 

Yep, we'll be offering free shipping on all orders placed between Sat 21st - Tues 24th November - that's a whopping four days to decide which stamps to treat yourselves to or how about some Christmas stocking fillers in the form of rubber goodness.

You won't need to do anything to qualify, the free shipping will be automatically applied to all orders placed on these dates. Be sure to spread the word!!

...aren't I good to you?! ;)

Elizabeth x

chalks!

Just a really quick post to let you know that we now have the decorating chalks which work so well with our kraft cardstock, available in the online shop (at a very competitive price!).

Elizabeth xx

O' Christmas tree

I thought I'd share a Christmas card I whipped up at the weekend.
I'm completely in love with the sketched tree stamp - can you imagine a vast forest made up of these beauties with their quirky, curly pines!
The tree looks fab coloured on our kraft card. I coloured with chalks, using my blending stumps to get into the tight areas. I've found that our kraft card, having a very fine grain to it, is just perfect with chalks as you don't lose any of the colour intensity, it takes chalks really well, blending with such ease.

The cut out shape is a "Labels Eight" nestability die. For the inner border I just followed the embossed line with my white gel pen. 
A little white chalk works wonders around the tree just to create a subtle glow to make it stand out and I thought I'd add a few dots with the gel pen for interest.

Blending stumps aren't just for use with OMS. They're fantastic with chalks as unlike foam applicators, they apply the maximum amount of colour onto your paper instead of it all sitting on the applicator itself. So you achieve a greater intensity of colour with less effort. TRY IT!! :)

Hope you like!
Elizabeth x

Stamps used:
10-030 Large flake 2
10-031 Small snowflake 1
10-089 Sketched tree
20-052 Seasonal sentiments clear set

 

 

Please email entries to elzybells1@aol.com

(note, we no longer use the email address elzybells@aol.com)

WCMD special offer

 

 

 

 

What is it?

World Card Making Day takes place annually on the first Saturday of October. It's a day when cardmakers from around the globe kick off the holiday card making season by celebrating the joy of creating, giving and receiving handmade cards. 

 

If you would like to know how to take part in the celebrations, check out the official website. They have some fantastic ideas and inspiration and there are lots of prizes to be won on the Paper Crafts Connection and Moxie Fab blogs!! 

 

In honour of World Card Making Day we too will be celebrating by offering our blog readers 

FREE SHIPPING on all orders WORLDWIDE 

placed on 3rd & 4th October!!

 

It's very simple to qualify for the free shipping - all you have to do is type the following code in the comments section when ordering:

 

WCMDSHIP

 

(do not type it in the coupon code box as it won't work).

When we process your order and see the code in the comments section, we will refund the full shipping charge back to you.

It is important that you include the code with your order. Do not email it, it must be added in the comments box when ordering. If paying by paypal, please use paypal's comment box.

Offer ends midnight on Sunday (UK time).

 

 

We also have a new product we will be releasing especially for the occasion. From midnight tonight you can purchase our brand new

Crystal Clear Cardstock.

 

This is a heavy weight transparent substrate in 8 x 12" sheets - it's easy to cut and score, so perfect to use as card bases and for making more interesting creations such as gift boxes and packaging.

 

 

Not only that, you can hole punch the sheets and use them with our storage binders for your clear stamps! The substrate is made from the same material as our newly sourced clear stamp backing sheets, just in a much thicker weight, so you can be assured your clear stamps will be kept in the best condition when stored on them.

 

The sheets are anti static so heat embossing with powders will be easy. For simple, no fuss stamping, our white hybrid inkpad works exceptionally well. If you've ever been frustrated with inkpads not drying on glossy surfaces, our hybrid ink is an innovation!

Here's a sample I created using our new polar bear and snowflake frame stamps and some older snowflake designs.

 

The sheets are *completely* crystal clear (the photos don't show this well as I struggled to get a picture at a good angle without my reflection, lol).

The sheets are nice and thick, making sturdy card bases. All you have to do is score it a few times (I use a scorpal).

 

I stamped the polar bear onto kraft card and coloured using chalks, I love how he turned out :)

 

Happy Card Making Day!!

New stamp storage!

 

It’s release day today and all the new halloween and Christmas stamps will be available in the online store from midday and I’d like to show you a new product we are adding to our inventory!

We already sell Kling-on repositionable cushion which is manufactured here in the UK, however, knowing that many of you like to use EZmount for mounting your rubber stamps, we will be supplying this too, along with two FANTASTIC storage binders in which to keep your stamps neatly organised.

 

 

 

The storage binders are available in two sizes.

Large = H 29.5 x W 27.5 x D 4.5cm

Small = H 24 x W 18 x D 3.5cm

 

These are exceptionally high quality, sturdy binders, designed in a similar way to folder ring binders but they close fully with a secure clasp making them perfect when stored away to ensure your stamps don’t get dusty while not in use. You can see how thick the binders are - this is excellent for maximizing the stamp storage space!!

 

  

The binders fit pre-punched storage panels (pictured below are panels for the small binder).

 

 

 

Clear stamps adhere directly onto the panels and rubber stamps adhere with any cling cushion such as Kling-on or EZmount.

You can attach your stamps to both sides of the panel or use the front of the panel for indexing your designs - simply stamp each image using a permanent inkpad.

 

 

Here are two small panels I have indexed. I've managed to fit two of our mini messages sets on each panel. As a general rule you can fit double the amount of stamps on the large panels.

These binders are such a great size, they fit a lot of stamps making them great value for money!!

The binders look great left as they are but they also have a clear overlay around the outside so you can customise them by simply slipping in a sheet of paper, either to index the designs you have inside the binder or how about decorating them to suit your craft room decor?

 

 

Thinking of other ways to utilize the wonderful design of these storage binders for more than just stamps, I found that they also make fantastic storage for nestabilities dies!!!

All you need is some adhesive magnetic tape and you can neatly organise all your dies so that they are easily and quickly accessible.

 

 

 

 

I used to store my dies in individual metal tins but now I'm using one large binder to fit all my dies - these pictures are only a small part of my collection! and it has made it so much quicker and easier for me to use them.

As the dies are very thin you can easily fit 5 storage panels in the large binder with dies on both sides. That’s about 35 - 40 sets of nestabilities in just one binder - WOW!

We will also be selling rolls of self adhesive magnetic tape in both 1 metre and 5 metre lengths. Our magnet tape is nice and strong so your dies won’t fall off every time you touch them!

 

 

How about some blog candy?? I will be having two draws again this month!

The first person drawn will win all the new Christmas stamps and second person drawn will win all the new halloween stamps. To be in with a chance to win, just leave a comment on this post telling me what you think of the new stamp designs and the winners will be randomly drawn on Monday (the winners names will be posted here).

 

The blog candy winners are as follows:

Christmas stamps - Nicole who wrote "eeeek!!!! loving the new stamps!!! my two fave holidays :)"

Halloween stamps - Amy who wrote "Those Christmas bears are just too cute, and I love the Halloween stamps as well!  I have been wondering what to do about storing all my EB stamps as well--and you have provided the answer!"

Congrats! Email me with your postal addresses and I will ship these out asap :)

 

***** Change of email address *****

As of tomorrow, Mon 17th August my personal email address elzybells@aol.com will no longer be in use. If you send anything to this address I will not receive it. Instead, can you please use the following email address:

 

elzybells1@aol.com

 

It is just a minor change to the address so to avoid any confusion, can you please delete elzybells@aol.com from your address books if you have it saved (the email addresses in the online shop remain unchanged).

 

Thank you!

Elizabeth

 

Celebrate Summer with us!

 

Yep! We're making room for new stock so throughout August selected stamps will be on offer with 20% off!! The sale starts 3rd August.

Get the bargains while you see them!! Although the sale runs throughout August, there's no guarantee that all the stamps will still be on offer by the end of the month - if they're popular, they'll get snapped up quickly!

 

 

 

 

To kick off the sale, we're also offering FREE shipping on all orders over £35 between 3-7th August.

 

*** edited to add:  free shipping offer now expired ***

 

 

 

Each weekday in August we will give you the chance to win some lovely stamping goodies!! You have to be in it to win it - just leave a comment on this post telling me what's your favourite thing about Summer and you will be entered into the entire month's draws - that's 20 chances to win!

 

For complete fairness, strictly one comment per person please - all the comments will be added to each draw throughout the month so there's no need to comment more than once. People posting more than once will be disqualified from the draw. If for any reason there is a problem with your original comment, do not post another one, just email me and I will edit/delete it for you.

 

Here are the prizes we have lined up...

 

3rd - Mini messages - Summertime 

Jennifer Drake "My favorite thing about summer is VACATION!!!!! Of course also more time to stamp too"

 

4th - So sweet & Sweet like chocolate

Sheila "My fave summer thing is prob how quiet the roads are. I can get to work - and more importantly home again - in half the time. Which leaves more time for crafting :D"

 

5th - Surf's up & Swirly greetings

Kimbo "My fave thing about summer..the fresh fruits and veggies! Love the bounty that the sunshine provides!! Love the sunshine!"

 

6th - Snow landscape & Tree landscape & Let it snow

Katie Oakley "My fav time about summer is... MY BIRTHDAY! :) I am a summer baby! (Aug 22) I also love the smells of freshly cut grass, and BBQ's, and the sunshine (If we ever get any in the UK!!) I love most things about summer!"

 

7th - Fairytale dinkie

SeijaS "My favourite thing about summer is going to amusement parks and theme parks with my kids! And ice cream of course. And strawberries."

 

10th - Party pup & Kitty queen

Julie Schensted "My favorite thing about summer is having unlimited creative time and stamping time to share with others."

 

11th - Eskimo gifts & Juggling Eskimo

Dawn "My favourite thing about summer is spending time with my children crafting or playing in the Sunshine and later relaxing with a nice glass of wine mmmmm!!!!"

 

12th - Life's a beach

Julie Coe "The thing I love most about summer is to sit in the garden with juicy strawberries in hand and enjoy the warm sunshine and summer breeze! Any chance of having it in the UK this summer?

Thanks for the chances to win! ^_^" 

 

13th - Faux postage & Mini tags

Wilma "My favourite thing about summer is the general free time. My kid doesn't have to go to school, no work for a few weeks, sleep late, enjoy ourselves at the swimming pool, yeh! Hugs, Wilma"

 

14th - See-saw fun & Perfect day

Lorie "My favorite thing about summer is the lazy days.  I love being able to hang out with the kids and just enjoy their company rather than worry about homework and other activities.  Ahhh!!"

 

17th - *New & unseen clear stamp set from upcoming August release*

Andrea "My favorite thing about summer is being able to enjoy mother nature at her finest...if it's sunny I can be out working on my tan in the garden and if it's rainy I can spend some extra time stamping(which I've had plenty of time for lately with all this rain)!!!  Thanks for being so generous with your prizes, they're awesome!"

 

18th - *New & unseen clear stamp set from upcoming August release*

Gloria Probert "My favourite thing about summer is the longer days which gives us so much more time to enjoy everything - especially making my cards for all the august birthdays."

 

19th - *New & unseen clear stamp set from upcoming August release*

Yolanda: "My favorite thing about summer is looking at our (very) lazy cat, snoozing in the sun and him watching the birds and the bees and not lifting a paw :)!"

 

20th - *New & unseen clear stamp set from upcoming August release*

sk.smith@sasktel.net: "My favourite thing about summer is the length of the days....sun is up early and it stays up late, absolutely love that!   Wow, can hardly wait for August! Thanks! Sue"

 

21st - *New & unseen clear stamp set from upcoming August release*

Sarah Fewings "Wow what a fantastic opportunity you are giving us Elizabeth!
My favourite thing about summer is seeing mt mum happy as, being a SAD sufferer, she loves the long, light evenings. xx :0)"

 

24th - Cracker surprise & Cracking Christmas

Janet Stack "Thank you Elizabeth you are so generous with your prizes. Oh my goodness my list would go on for ever but my most favourite thing about summer is the school holidays because I see more of my two gorgeous grandsons. Thank you again Janet"

 

25th - Carol singers & Jingle bells

Suzie Q "Hiya, How generous are you !! thank you x My favourite thing about summer is being able to be outdoors in the sun surrounded by lovely flowers with friends over for a bbq!! and of course pimms on the rocks!"

 

26th - Teddy Angel 1 & Teddy angel 2 & Just for you

wilma "My favourite thing about the summer is the warm sun. It is a great time to have picnics and swim at the beach."

 

27th - Cold nose dinkie

Jada "OMGOSH!!! I absolutely adore Elzybells stamps! Thanks for the chance to win some!!! My favorite thing about summer is spending more quality time with my family. No getting up early for school, can do whatever we want when we want and it stays light longer to have more fun time."

 

28th - Thank you for & Best things

Wendalyn "My favorite thing about summer is Warm Weather... being in Minnesota we have plenty of cold weather that I can do without... "

 

 

When a winner has been drawn, their name will appear next to the prize for that day. So check back on this post to see if it's you! If you are a winner please email me your postal address (elzybells1@aol.com) and I will have the prizes sent asap.

 

 

A last important note regarding wood mounted stamps -

As you know we have been slowly phasing out the wood mounted option for our rubber stamps. As this is taking quite a long time, we have decided to stop offering the wood mounted option completely as of 1st Sept.