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Signs of Santa on the horizon

December 4, 2018 by Mikaela Titheridge Leave a Comment

December is here and there certainly are Signs of Santa on the horizon. Just before going away to Orlando, I hosted a series of classes using the Santa’s Workshop suite. Oh what fun was had with such a lovely fun set and a fun fold card. Open up to see the fun inside.

There is no better company for coordination than Stampin’ Up! … You really couldn’t get better. This set of Dies will not only cut out the stamped images from the Signs of Santa Stamp Set, but also various images from within the patterned papers. It was actually the patterned papers that were mainly used for this series of classes.

Will this bundle be on your Christmas wish list? The images are timeless and so very adorable and super versatile.

If I were to wish for everything on your Stampin’ Up! wish list for you, then my wish would be for you to purchase the Starter Kit. The Starter Kit will allow you to purchase your favourites, whilst obtaining a fabulous 20% discount with each purchase. You also are able to connect within a great crafting community and attend official Stampin’ Up! events. Sadly, I’m not sure that Santa makes these sensible savings himself, but he could certainly help a loved one of yours to fill your stocking with my help.

The Patterned papers of Santa’s Workshop have some fabulous flock detailing. You might just be able to see from Santa’s hat, the elf’s and the snowflakes from within the aperture of the internal section of this card this detailing. We had so much fun creating this fun fold card and although the ladies thought it would be difficult, it really wasn’t.

Tip with Signs of Santa

When you’ve die cut the aperture for the inside of your card, you can re-use this piece you cut out, for the front of your card, as I’ve done here.

This card is not only fun in it’s images, but fun in the fancy fold technique, that’s something a little different.

Gift Tag

We had so many images left over from our small pieces of patterned paper, that I had the ladies die cut them all and utilise them to create a simple Gift Tag. A 2″ strip of Poppy Parade cardstock, a returning favourite colour of mine, and a simple stitched circle to highlight the images.

Would this not make just the most fun of tags to a child’s gift this Christmas?

We made more project pieces during this class, but I’ll share those makes with you another day.

I hope this has given you some inspiration for this festive period and I hope you’ll consider that wish list of yours.

Gift Vouchers are available from me to any denomination. Provide me with a wish list and/or get your friends and family to make contact for me and I’ll help guide them in purchasing you the most perfect crafting gift this Christmas. Give or receive a gift, that just keeps giving.If you’d like to speak to me about buying your Starter Kit and Joining Stampin’ Up! then be sure to get in contact or click to join today. I’d love for you to join in the fun and get discount on your hobby like I do.

Happy Crafting

Hometown Greetings for Spaldwick Village Church

December 3, 2018 by Mikaela Titheridge Leave a Comment

This past week, I have been finishing off a large batch of Christmas Cards. Hearts Come Home was a Bundle that I grew to love last year from the Stampin’ Up! catalogue and I turned to it for these cards this year. Spaldwick Village Church have been aiming to raise funds to help help them stay open. I wanted to offer some Hometown Greetings of my own to help. I created a batch of cards to sell on their behalf, offering a percentage of the takings to help. Spaldwick Village Church will receive 20% of the funds raised from the sale of these cards and the cards. I hope that the good of these cards, will spread far and wide and in turn, help keep our beautiful church open.

Some saw the posts I added to Facebook as I was assembling the great pile of these and I promised a finished photo. Hubby liked these so much, that I’m now having to make yet more for us to send out.

These cards that were CASED from the winter Catalogue (Page 26), so I can’t take credit for the actual design. To CASE is to Copy and Share Everything, and give Credit to the originator. I adore the Hometown Greetings Thinlit dies. I didn’t own the stamp set “His Light”, but turned to two sets that I did have on my shelves, to recreate something that was similar. I’m really pleased with the outcome.

I offered two different packs for sale, with the other being our popular Christmas Card Kit Pack, Timeless Tidings. Both packs offered foil trim, but these offered finer detailed embellishments and coordinating stripe lined envelopes too.

Spaldwick Village Papercraft Classes

I host Papercraft Classes here in Spaldwick Village, Huntingdon on a monthly basis. They are well attended classes that offer the local community a social outlet, that’s creative and practical. Although I have local residents attend, I also have many who’ll travel from as far out as Peterborough, Northampton and Cambridge. I’ve recently welcomed a lovely group of new ladies and am always eager to welcome more.

If you’d like information about my locally held Classes and events, then do get in contact or sign up for my Newsletter on my home page to receive this information.

Thank you to all who purchased cards in support of our beautiful Village Church. Your contribution will most certainly help.

Celebrate the Season with the Creation Station

December 2, 2018 by Mikaela Titheridge 8 Comments

Come and Celebrate the Season with the Creation Station blog hop. Yes, this month we celebrate all that this season has to offer. Depending upon which hemisphere you’re in, might just depend upon you having warm or cold weather, so brace yourself for a whirlwind trip through the season.

If you’ve hopped on over from the super talented Kathy, then you’ll have already started the celebrations with a bang. Well let me see if I can continue this celebration with what I have to bring to share.

It’s now the 2nd of December and the question on everyone’s lips is “Are you ready for Christmas?” This had me thinking for which Stamp Set to turn to for today’s project.

Ready for Christmas is a set I’ve not used anywhere near enough. The smaller, less prominent images within were what I turned to. We received a card last Christmas that gave me the inspiration for this card. Firstly I die cut a circle from Window Sheet and sponged around the inner edge with Smoky Slate, before then randomly stamping various small images. Its amazing how many people find random stamping so difficult. A punched bauble topper, a bow and some Dazzling Diamonds glitter and the card was finished.

The tiny star and tree come from the Hearts come Home Stamp Set and are just the perfect size for this.

Cards and Tags are needed in abundance in our house. We often give a bottle of festive cheer to neighbours and I thought this tag, draped around the handle of a bottle bag, would be right and fitting. In all good Stampin’ Up! fashion, it also coordinates very well with the card.

I love the simplicity of this card. It requires little thought, so you can produce a stack in relatively no time at all, which is what we need.

We’ve received the first couple of cards through the post, but we need to get a wiggle on making and writing ours … but are you …. Ready for Christmas?

Let’s see if Dani is ready and what she has to celebrate the season.

I hope you’re ready to celebrate the season and that your planning and preparations go smoothly.

Supplies Used:

OnStage Live, Orlando and the Secret is out

November 27, 2018 by Mikaela Titheridge Leave a Comment

The Brits were in the house as OnStage Live, Orlando was about to commence. These girls had been great company already, but the excitement was now cranking up. We’d been planning this trip since Easter, but little did they know what secret I’d been keeping.

A good percentage of my Team were heading to the OnStage Local equivalent in Birmingham, UK and by all accounts, they had a fabulous time. Emma Kenyon, one of my long standing Team Members, decided to head out to Orlando just before Registration so enjoyed OnStage Live with me. Emma loves everything Disney and embraced the whole experience … Union Jack Deelie Boppers and all.

OnStage Live General Session

General Session brought about presentations, surprises, Freebies of Prize Patrol and much hilarity. Stampin’ Up! offer not only General Session where they showcase new products, but they also provide us with Make & Takes.

OnStage Live Make & Takes

Never have I seen so many BigShots lined up in one place for Make & Takes. The display boards went on forever, well … 30 years. The company displayed everything from catalogue covers through the years and documented when certain tools or services were implemented. It’s information like this that makes you realise just how far this company has come through the years. We learned of the hard times and we’ve lived through the good and there are many more years of Stampin’ Up! to come. This was just one end of one room too.

This trip brought about another fabulous meet up with the girls from the Creation Station Blog Hop that I’m a member of. These girls are all just fabulous and I throughly enjoyed sharing an evening with them. Until now, most of us had only ever met online. It was a squeeze to fit us all in, but a fun squeeze.

OnStage Live Secret

Finally the time had come for my secret to come out. Keeping a secret like this hadn’t been easy. Traffic was heavy that morning, one of the girls had forgotten her mobile phone and the wall clock was running slow. My nerves were slowly shattering. What better way to sneak off than to tell the girls you were off to the loo. The amusing thing was, when the event started at 9am, I still hadn’t returned and their concerns for me were growing. Little did they realise that I was stood back stage and had been for a good 20 minutes.

The Artisan Design Team are chosen by the Stampin’ Up! Home Office and heads, from Demonstrators across the globe. The company look out for quality photography, blog design, writing and storytelling ability, project and style diversity, original project design, quality workmanship and innovative ways to use Stampin’ Up! products.

I can not tell you just how proud I feel for having achieved this status. It’s nothing that sales and such like could have helped achieve, but more a blind vote of my work. To be awarded this at OnStage Live in Orlando, after the tricky year we’ve had with family health issues was the icing on the cake for me. Only seven of us Artisans were present in Orlando and my UK counterpart, Emma Goddard, was back home in Birmingham, where news would break the next day.

The company presents each Artisan with a beautiful presentation box that contains a welcome note, a fabulous Tiffany Bracelet engraved with both Stampin’ Up! and the Artisan Logos and the all important personalised Artisan Stamp. Its several weeks later now and I’m still pinching myself.

In just a few weeks, I will start forwarding work to Stampin’ Up! for publication at the beginning of the year. This is my biggest accolade to date and I couldn’t feel any more honoured.

The girls I was travelling with and sitting with, didn’t believe my need for the loo thereafter, always believing it was code for ‘I’m going backstage’.

OnStage Live Party night

Oh my goodness, it had been a long day and we had a long night ahead of us, but boy was it fun! The entire event turned into Party Night, with much fun, laughter, dancing and one very long conga. For Stampin’ Up! to celebrate 30 years in this way, was quite simply the best. I am so very pleased that I travelled all that way to be a part of it. Life is indeed too short to live with regrets.

Don’t forget the last two days of the Stampin’ Up! Extravaganza Sale. 10% off of Tools & Inks for the 27th and 28th only. Use my Club Code, UW46WD3H, at check out on all online orders to receive a Thank you gift from me and secure yourself a copy of the up coming Spring/Summer Catalogue.

OnStage Live Registration and Centrestage Epcot

November 26, 2018 by Mikaela Titheridge Leave a Comment

OnStage Live Registration began and the atmosphere was building. We headed over to the Convention Centre to get checked in for OnStage Live 2018. Oh my goodness, were we kiddy with excitement!

OnStage Live Registration is the time when we receive our Convention Bag. It’s always a time of great excitement to see what the bag will be like and what goodies will be inside. We often receive our first FREE Stamp Set from the up coming Catalogue. It’s during this period, that we’re all given our achievement ribbons to wear too.

Wasn’t this packing just gorgeous for the 30th Anniversary?!

Although everyone loves the freebies that we receive, it’s the friendships and sisterhood that are one of the biggest draws for me. I love having the time to meet up with others … some for the first time. I was fortunate enough to have been able to meet up with pretty much everyone I had hoped to see there, which I’m amazed at considering the pure volume of people there. This large group is of most of the European Demonstrators who travelled out to Orlando. Some where missing, but there were in the region of about 60 of us. Check out the Union Jack Flags to the right and you might just spot me.

These are just a few catch ups that I managed whilst out there. Ive always been somewhat shy to put myself forward to meeting my idols, but I had promised myself to speak up and capture some memories for a change … we only live once.

Centrestage at Epcot

This year Stampin’ Up! rewarded Centrestage achievers with a day trip to Epcot to celebrate the 30th Anniversary there. The weather was perfect and I shared my time with one of my travel companions, Liz Yuille, who was celebrating her first ever CentreStage. It was lovely to have shared this time with her and introduce her to a good few faces that she’d not met.

CentreStage is for Silver Elite title and above who are deemed Leaders within the company. The company rewards it’s leaders at each Centrestage with gifts, a meal or experience and some training. Epcot was to be the venue for Centrestage this year and the meal switched for yummy deserts. With the Food Festival taking place around Epcot, we took the opportunity to sample little meals from various countries.

Centrestage in America was vastly larger than that of the UK, but then there are thousands more Demonstrators.

Top Demonstrators often have me left star struck and Patty Bennet was by no means any exception. With a promise to myself to step outside of my comfort zone and approach people, I finally said my hello. I’ve seen her on Incentive Trips, but have never had the courage to go and meet her.

The evening finished with Fireworks and us leaving with a gift and a copy of the up coming Spring/Summer Catalogue. Whoooo hoooo this was what I wanted to see and boy are there some beauties in there to share. All customers of mine receive a FREE Copy of every up coming catalogue, so be sure to reserve your copy.

I’ll share more of the main OnStage Live Event for another post.

Until then …

Don’t forget we’re still in the middle of the 6 day Sale … so click to Shop Online now and get your discounts on Stamp and Kits from the Annual Catalogue today. Use my Club Code UW46WD3H at checkout to secure your Thank you gift and copy of the up coming catalogue.

Stampin’ Creative have a White Christmas

November 24, 2018 by Mikaela Titheridge 15 Comments

We are having a White Christmas here at the Stampin’ Creative this month. Yes, this month we are sharing all that offers a White Christmas to you.

I had several ideas bouncing around and really struggled to focus on just one idea, but eventually I decided to share this with you. I missed seeing the rest of the team at our recent convention, so I’m looking forward to hopping with them today.

What exactly makes for a White Christmas more than snowflakes?

It seemed the most fitting theme. I thought that a Glimmer card would sit perfectly well against the Wood Textures Designer Series Paper.

This month we have the Snowflake Showcase as a Promotional special. Having been away in Orlando for our OnStage Live Convention, so I’ve not had much time to play with it. The snowflake dies are just stunning. I recently hosted a class using the Diorama style card and I wanted to see how it would work with a large die cut snowflake. The internal aperture turned out really well and the layered Christmas Thinlits. You can’t quite see the stack of words, but they certainly add to the texture and dimension of this card.

I absolutely love the sentiment in this set that I’ve chosen to use on the inside of this card.

I also love the way the internal snowflake aperture frames this sentiment. There is plenty more that could be created with this beautiful set and I couldn’t not create this pretty little treat box. Double ended with the little acetate box in the middle. I simply cut down the flaps and adhered them into two separate lids that sit either end. Such a simple effect, but so very effective.

These red and white snowball mints are just the perfect little treat inside right now.

I do love the simplicity of Woodgrain and whisper white. It offers such contrast and clean simple lines.

Well I hope you have liked what I have shared with you today and I hope that you’ll hop around to see what the other Team members have designed for us today. Sit back, relax and lets all see what’s in store for us this White Christmas.

Happy Hopping

Online Extravaganza, Carry Tote and more

November 22, 2018 by Mikaela Titheridge Leave a Comment

With Thanksgiving and Black Friday upon us, Stampin’ Up! have promotions of their own. You could add discounted products from our online extravaganza and an exclusive Carry Tote to your Starter kit.

Stampin’ Up! are giving us six days of discounts from the Annual Catalogue (with a few exclusions), starting from tomorrow.

For each 48 hour period, Stampin’ Up! are offering a different selection of products, at discounted prices over the six day period. The list below shows what will be on offer each day, so be sure to check it out.

If you’re wanting to build your starter kit, then pick which day best fills your tote and draw up a list of products that total £130 (to include your tote). What will you pay? Just £99, with an ongoing 20% discount thereafter.

I will be placing an order each evening of 24th, 26th and 28th November and will be happy for anyone living locally to piggyback my order to save on postage. Just email me your order by 8pm that evening and I’ll add your requests to that order.

Better still, because I’ll be placing this grouped order together, I’ll be sharing out any Stampin’ Rewards earned through this combined order and sharing out what might be earned. Don’t live locally? Don’t worry … just use my Club Code at check out and I’ll send you a little thank you and ensure you receive a copy of the up coming catalogue as soon as I’m able to mail them out. I’ll make sure you are looked after.

Be prepared …

Dig out your Annual Catalogue and take a look through each category listed above and get those orders to me in time.

Want an even better deal? … then considering adding your discounted products and one of these beautiful, Demonstrator Exclusive Carry Totes to your Starter Kit. Add the amazing new Carry Tote to your Starter kit and get it ahead of those who’ll be able to join and earn one in the New Year. Beautiful and practical and carrying the ability for ongoing discount too. What more could you ask for?

Get in contact if you’d like information about the many benefits of purchasing a Starter Kit and being a part o fly crafting community. I would love for you to join us … why wouldn’t I want you too to benefit from discounted products?

Happy to sign up straight away? Then click below and use code 149696, if you want to add a Carry Tote to your shoulder.

If you want to see more of the benefits of joining my team, then take a look back at my last post. I am in the middle of sharing information about my recent trip to our bi-annual Convention, Onstage Live, which took place in Orlando, Florida. More to share on that very soon.

30th Celebrations at OnStage Live, Orlando

November 21, 2018 by Mikaela Titheridge Leave a Comment

Hard to believe that I’ve been home from Orlando for a little over a week now. I sadly came home with a nasty cold that has slowed me down, but finally I am sitting down to posting something of my time at the 30th Celebrations at OnStage Live.

I had always promised myself a trip out to America to experience a Stampin’ Up! Convention the American way. Well, I’ve done it and it was totally amazing and surpassed all of my expectations. I had four Stampin’ Up! friends from another team, invite me to stay with them in a beautiful condo in Kissimmee. Kate Bolt, Lynne Fahey, Nicky Whittal, Liz Yuille and I travelled out a good few days before the event started. We had plenty of time to settle in and enjoy a day at Magic Kingdom.

Oh the fun we had even before the event started. A day out at the shops, just stocking up on groceries and grabbing the few things we wanted, before hitting a magical day in the sunshine with Mickey Mouse himself.

This really is a magical place where dreams come true and walking around here as a mother, some 20 years on from my last visit, had me see things through different eyes.

The magic there for children that had them excited and feeling alive, left me wondering how so many things in life can drain the good from us and spare us of the child within. We girls threw ourselves into the day. We rode rides that had us screaming (me in particular), giggling and belly laughing and things that reminded us of childhood memories of past. Magic is all around us, if only we open our hearts and minds to it.

A trip to the Magic Kingdom wouldn’t be complete without meeting a few friends.

We saw a good few familiar faces and bumped into a few others who we hadn’t expected to see too.

This is UK Demonstrator, Sam Hammond and some of her team enjoying Magic Kingdom too and below is Elizabeth Wright, who was behind us in the que for It’s a Small World.

Excitement for OnStage starting the next day, was beginning to brew.

We dined and rested our aching feet that evening in the Crystal Palace, where we enjoyed a great Buffet meal and met up with a few familiar characters from Hundred Acre Wood.

It was a shame I didn’t have my eyes open when meeting Mickey Mouse. I think I was concentrating more on ducking down a little. He was so short. Now I couldn’t leave without trying to get a selfie with Piglet … I mean, I can’t call myself The Crafty oINK Pen and not have a photo with the infamous piglet himself. Eeyore made me laugh when signing the various autograph books and Tiger seemed to have Liz in a head lock. Oh how we laughed that evening.

We had prime position outside the restaurant for the light show that followed. Boy what a way to end a truly fabulous day!

Tomorrow is when it all really started … More fun and games to follow.

November brings us a Snowflake Showcase

November 1, 2018 by Mikaela Titheridge Leave a Comment

Welcome to November, which brings us a Snowflake Showcase by Stampin’ Up! Yes, they’ve done it again – They’ve released a stunning suite of products for a limited time only.

For this month only, Stampin’ Up! are offering us this beautiful new suite of products as a snowflake showcase for winter. Most Christmas Cards will feature a snowflake or two somewhere … unless you’re living in a hot climate at that time, so these products are timeless.

Happiness surrounds us since this Snowflake Showcase has been launched, as the delicate images and dies are just stunning. Super versatile, the Happiness Surrounds Stamp Set within this suite offers sentiments and images for all year round use. The beauty of this set is how it coordinates with the Snowfall Thinlits Dies. One set of Dies, coordinating with two beautiful stamp sets.

Take a look at the sets up close and see what Shannon has to say about them.

Aren’t they just beautiful?!

Purchase just one stamp set and Dies and you’ll be sure to get creative, but purchase them both and the results are endless. Sound costly? Well, if receiving free product appeals and benefiting from an ongoing discount of 20% on your purchases, then you’ll want to consider this package.

Snowflake Showcase Package

Add both Stamp Sets to your list, the Thinlits Dies, a pack of White Velvet Sheets and the Snowflake Trinkets plus another £14.75 worth of products of your choice and you’ll receive another £30 worth of products and delivery absolutely FREE. How? Join my Crafting Community Team and add all of these items in your Starter Kit.

What’s the price?

For just £99, you get to choose £130 worth of products and have them delivered direct to your door, cost free.

The benefits to this package are that you’ll be able to view and pre order from the Spring/Summer Catalogue a good month in advance and receive 20% discount on everything that you purchase. Be a part of my friendly crafting community and receive tips, advice and as much help from me as you may need right round until the end of April at minimum. Sale-a-Bration starts in January, so you can earn Sale-a-Bration freebies on your already discounted purchases throughout January to March.

You can read more information about buying the Starter kit HERE.

When are these items available?

This product suite is available throughout the month of November, while stocks last, so don’t let it too long to get your order in.

Order any of these products, or others this month and use this Club Code at Check out to receive a little Thank you gift from me. You will also secure yourself a copy of the up coming Spring/Summer Catalogue. Note: This catalogue will be posted out late December to you.

Happy Crafting

Stampin’ Creative Blog Hop – Favourites of the Season

October 27, 2018 by Mikaela Titheridge 13 Comments

A warm welcome to October’s Stampin’ Creative Blog Hop, where this month we are sharing our favourites of the season. The Seasonal Catalogue is in full swing and I can firmly say, that I have my favourites of the season.

I’m sure these girls above have fabulous inspiration to share of their favourites, so be sure to hop around.

For me, my firm favourite from the Autumn/Winter Catalogue is the First Frost Suite. The papers have really captured my eye with the dual sided frosted finish and the delicate images. These images would team well with the faux silk technique, which I’d not done for a while. I created a little note card wallet a month back, that I’d been asked the measurements of, so decided to include them here.

I love the faux silk technique. It helps give a real vintage look to a project. To create this you simply crumple up tissue paper that you then lay over your pre stamped matting layer, that has a layer of adhesive over. The most ideal being the adhesive sheets that we currently stock. The creases and folds help give that illusion of raw silk – it’s a beautiful effect.

I’ve always felt that the Pool Party ribbon colour, is a real vintage colour. I wanted a delicate lace or frill to appear on the side of this project, so punched this edging out of vellum. I liked the softness that this created.

Inside this Note Card Holder, I’ve added some coordinating note cards, complete with the same ribbon and vellum edging and faux silk finish. Really simple little cards, but ever so effective.

Note Card Wallet Tutorial

This note card wallet generated a lot of requests for measurements, which you’ll find below.

The cardstock you need measures 7 1/2″ x 8 1/4″ and is then scored at 3 7/8″ and 4 3/8″ along the 8 1/4″ side and at 5 1/4″ and 5 1/2″ on the shorter side.

You then want to measure 1″ out at the bottom from the two vertical score lines and drawing a line across the top horizontal line, join the corner to the 1″ mark and cut this section out.

You then need two smaller pieces measuring 1 1/4″ x 2″, scored at 1/2″ and 3/4″. These pieces form the sides of the note card holder.

Attach each smaller piece to the bottom edge and folding it up, secure it in place to form your pocket.

This would make a great little gift to give with your favourites of the season in and such a simple little wallet to create too.

I hope you’ve enjoyed what I’ve shared with you today and that you’ll get making your own version. You’ll now want to work your way down the Hop list to see what other inspiration there is on offer from the girls. Thanks for hopping by.

Have a great weekend.

List of Hoppers

Signs of Santa on the horizon

Tip with Signs of Santa

Gift Tag

Hometown Greetings for Spaldwick Village Church

Spaldwick Village Papercraft Classes

Celebrate the Season with the Creation Station

Supplies Used:

OnStage Live, Orlando and the Secret is out

OnStage Live General Session

OnStage Live Make & Takes

OnStage Live Secret

OnStage Live Party night

OnStage Live Registration and Centrestage Epcot

Centrestage at Epcot

Stampin’ Creative have a White Christmas

What exactly makes for a White Christmas more than snowflakes?

Online Extravaganza, Carry Tote and more

Be prepared …

30th Celebrations at OnStage Live, Orlando

November brings us a Snowflake Showcase

Snowflake Showcase Package

What’s the price?

When are these items available?

Stampin’ Creative Blog Hop – Favourites of the Season

Note Card Wallet Tutorial

Important Links

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Tip with Signs of Santa

Gift Tag

Spaldwick Village Papercraft Classes

Supplies Used:

OnStage Live General Session

OnStage Live Make & Takes

OnStage Live Secret

OnStage Live Party night

Centrestage at Epcot

What exactly makes for a White Christmas more than snowflakes?

Be prepared …

Snowflake Showcase Package

What’s the price?

When are these items available?

Note Card Wallet Tutorial

Instagram

Important Links

Subscribe to Blog via Email