Soft Summer

Today I am sharing with you a card made with another of those gorgeous new stamp sets from the Stampin'Up! mini catalogue which launches on 1st April.

I have chosen to simply stamp the flower spray as an outline (Picture 1) and coloured it with my SU markers using More Mustard, So Saffron, Barely Banana and Mellow Moss

However this is actually a 2-step stamp set whereby you have an outline image stamp( picture 2) and an inside image stamp (picture 3) onto which you put your colours directly. Ink up the inner stamp with your chosen colours and stamp on to your cardstock. Then ink your outline stamp and stamp over the top of the coloured image you have just stamped.

It is possible to do this just by eye but take a look at Picture 4 and 4a for the amazing Stamp-a-Ma-Jig positioning tool from Stampin'Up! which I use constantly for perfect stamp alignment EVERY time.

A quick tip here:

Each time I get a new set of stamps I use my Stamp-a-ma-Jig to stamp all the images onto acetate. This sheet is then stored in the plastic case with the stamps so I always have a permanent Stamp-a-ma-Jig template for each image in the set (See Picture 5)

Playful Petals

Hi there

Here is a quick card I have made using the Stampin' Up! set "Playful Petals". I have only had these stamps for about a week and I am already loving this set as it can be used in so many different ways. I do believe it is one of those classic sets that you will return to time after time.

The stamp set is one of the many brand new designs available in the Mini Catalogue. You can view this catalogue by clicking the link on the right of my blog. Please feel free to order any time from 1st April and you are more than welcome to join me for my launch party from 10am to 4pm that day. If you are interested in ordering or attending then please email me.

PLEASE REMEMBER that any order (with no minimum spend) placed at my launch party on 1st April will qualify for free postage. Following on from that, any order over £45 during the rest of April will also be with free postage.

Baroque Motifs and Chipboard

Thought I would share with you the card I made last night. This one uses the gorgeous swirl stamp from the Baroque Motifs set, stamped and embossed in black with clear embossing powder. I have also shown a close up of the Butterfly as it was not too clear in the picture of the actual card.

I have also used a chipboard butterfly and coloured it with my Stampin Up markers in Real Red. Chipboard is on a special offer at 25% off until the end of March. Email me if you need to order yours.

I then stamped another swirl onto the chipboard with black stazon, then over the top I inked the butterfly with Versamark and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder to give a glassy finish to match the black shiny swirl on the base card.

I think this is a striking card and I hope you like it too.

Playful Petals

WOOOOOHOOOOOOO

I have just received my pre order stamps from Stampin' Up! and this little box set of cards is my first project with just one of the new sets. The stamp set is "Playful Petals and the cardstock and inks are Pretty in Pink and Always Artichoke. The ribbon is also brand new in the mini catalogue and is gorgeous. The little scalloped square layer is easily created using just the scallop border punch.

I first spotted this set of stamps in the USA catalogue and just knew that I would have to have them one day. I was over the moon when they appeared in our new Mini catalogue and they were right there at the top of my order. They are even nicer than I thought and I am sure they are going to prove very popular.

Just remember that as of the 1st April you too can order from the mini catalogue. If you cannot make it to my catalogue launch party on 1st April 10am to 4pm but would still like to order from me then please email me for details. You can browse an on-line version of the mini just click on the link to the right of my blog.

Pocket Silhouettes card set in a box

Well I do have sometihng to share with you at last. It is a little set of 4 inch square cards and envelopes in a tiny gift box.

I have used the gorgeous Stamping Up set "Pocket Silhouettes" which is a set of 6 stamps, all of which are simple but so effective. I love this set of stamps because even though they are quite small designs, they are just stunning.

The cardstock used is Certainly Celery, Perfect Plum and Whisper White.

I went over the top with lots of Nestability layers on the lid of the box but I do like the 3-D effect it gives.

Crazy for Cupcakes and Polka Dot Background

Hi there
Sorry I haven't posted anything new for a while. I have been helping out with baby sitting for my friend Vikki's little boy whilst she has been in hospital.

Wow I had forgotten how much energy a 2 year child has lol and as a result I have not had the energy left for creativity.
My friend is now home safe and sound so I can hopefully get a few cards made this week to share with you.

Here is the first one. I have used the Crazy for Cupcakes stamp set ( this is such a great value for money set and it can be used for ANY adult, child, girl or boy birthday or how about making your own party invites with it too)
I also used the Polka Dot background stamp which should be a "must have" for every card maker. I stamped it three times and just offset it each time so that I got all three colour dots showing to match the cardstock I used on the rest of the card. Another must have is the scallop border punch which I used on the Tempting Turquoise layer.
To finish I used Dazzling Diamonds Glitter on the icing on the cupcakes. You really have to see this glitter in real life to appreciate just how sparkly it is. I have yet to see another glitter as nice and as fine as this Stampin Up one.

Well hopefully I will have other cards to share with you later on today.

Amazing news for Stampin'Up! fans

I have some totally amazing news for all of you Stampin'Up fans out there.

I am delighted to be able to tell you that from the 1st April we are having an additional mini catalogue. I have just received my complimentary copy and I have to tell you that it is jam packed full of new stamp sets, beautiful designer papers and ribbons and my favourite of all has to be the 2 brand new oval punches and matching stamp set. These are gorgeous.

I will be hosting a mini catalogue launch party/ workshop on Wednesday 1st April between 10am-4pm and would be thrilled if you can join me. Please email me to advise if you will be attending.

The following will be on offer to everyone who attends:-

• View samples of cards and 3-D items made with products from the new mini catalogue


• Make and Take ( try out some of the new products for yourself)


• Free Raffle with chances to win free Stampin'Up goodies including stamp sets


• Complimentary copy of the new mini catalogue


• Free postage for orders placed that day( as part of my workshop order and delivery to my address)

In addition I will be offering free postage for any order over £45 placed during the remainder of April ( this also includes any orders from the main catalogue)

If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact me

Daisy and Dandelion

Today I am doing something really unusual for me......I am posting two cards that are not made totally with Stampin'Up products. Anyone that knows me will also be surprised by these two cards as I am not a lovely of cute or sweet usually and 99% of all my cards are mostly rubber stamped.

However I fell in love with these new decoupage sheets and just had to have them. I have actually made 4 cards in all but cannot show 2 of them as they are for Mother's Day. Although the cards main image is decoupage I have still used Stampin'Up! cardstock, ink and the Polka Dot background stamp which has to be the most useful stamp ever.

Crazy for Cupcakes in Bashful Blue

Hi thought I would share with you another Crazy for Cupcakes card ( I have had this stamp set for a while but never realised just how lovely it is) I have done this card in Bashful Blue and Barely Banana as I love that colour combination.

Easter Bunny in Hutch

I found these gorgeous mini "Lindt" bunnies in Tesco and thought they would be perfect for Easter.
I had a play around with some Stampin'Up! Creamy Caramel and Close to Cocoa cardstock and made a little Hutch for him to go in.
Before I stuck the hutch together I put it through my Big Shot with the Distressed Stripes embossing folder to give the effect of wooden slats for the hutch walls and I used my SU scallop border punch to make the roof tiles.
I also used the packing paper we get in our SU parcels for bedding inside the hutch.

I am not a fan of giving children heaps of chocolate for Easter so this is a fun little gift with only a minimal amount of chocolate.

Crazy for Cupcakes

I have been really busy for the past few days and haven't had a chance to create any new cards. However this morning I was determined to make at least one card to share with you, even though my time is again limited today.

This card uses "Crazy for Cupcakes stamp set from Stampin'Up!. This stack of fairy cakes looks good enough to eat and I have added a touch of SU Dazzling Diamonds glitter which has to be the finest glitter I have ever used and is certainly the most sparkly. You only need to use a hint of this glitter and the whole card is "lifted" to a new level.

Anyway I have stamped a few images this morning and will hopefully get round to making some matching extra items later on today. I will post them as soon as I can.

Jenny (Down the Lane) Westlife box

Hi everyone

Just wanted to share with you one of one of my class ladies projects.

Following on from our class when we made the covered origami box , Jenny was inspired to make this box for a Westlife fan.

I love the way she has used the musical note themed ribbon and the Westlife picture on the top. Truly a unique little gift, well done.

Baroque Motifs

Hi there

Thought you may like to see this quick card made with the stunning Stampin'Up "Baroque Motifs" stamp set. The marker pens, inks and cardstock I used are Taken with Teal and Pretty in Pink. I love the two colours together and I love the fact that the marker pens allow you to colour individual parts of one stamp in different colours ( as in the "Cherish")

True Friend Wallet and Cards

Today I share with you yet another Card Wallet and 4 matching cards. I am sure you can tell that I am a wee bit obsessed with making these wallets. I just think they make a lovely small gift for someone and you can give one either as a birthday or christmas present or as a "just because" friend gift.

This set is using the beautiful "True Friend" stamp set from Stampin'Up and teamed up with my favourite set of papaers "Tea and Crumpets". The cardstock is Always Artichoke and Pretty in Pink as are the ink pads and markers I used.

A Little Bit of Happiness

Hi there

I just thought I would share with you a few of the cards I have made with the "Little Bit of Happiness" stamp set. This is a level one hostess set from Stampin Up. You can earn this set for free if you host a party or place an order totalling £150 or more from me.

I love the versatility of this set of 4 individual stamps. They can be used for many occasions and look very different depending on which colours you use for them. These first few cards are simple single layer cards but as soon as I get more time I am going to decoupage a few for a whole new look again.

I hope you enjoy them

Garden Whimsy Class 2

Well today is the day of my first evening class. We are making a card wallet containing 4 greeting cards. The wallet dimensions come from Jenny over at Stamping Moments. We are using the gorgeous Stampin'Up "Garden Whimsy" stamp set.

Pocket Silhouettes Bag

Hi there

I thought I would share with you the little bag I made after seeing Jenny's brilliant tutorial over at Stamping Moments HERE Jenny's example is simply stunning and her tutorial is excellent so I thought I would give it a try.

Mine is very much plainer than her example but I am still really pleased with it for a first attempt. I used my new "favourite" colour Stampin'Up cardstock combination of Almost Amethyst and Barely Banana. I just love the delicate look to these two colours. I used the Pocket Silhouettes stamp set and coloured directly to the stamp with my SU markers. The sentiment "Best friends listen to what you don't say" comes from the Garden Whimsy set and is one of my all time favourites.

Pocket Silhouettes

Hi there everyone

I had one of my ladies tell me yesterday that she is now checking my blog every day to see if I have posted any cards and that she is disappointed if there's nothing new to see. She made me realise that I do NEED to post more often and share my new cards with you on a more regular basis.

So, Jenny(down the lane)especially for you, here are two little creations I made over the weekend. I hope you like them.

Valentine

Just a quick post today to share with you the card and gift box I have made for my husband for Valentines day. I have now stuffed the little box full of After Eight special collection sweets which are his favourites.

I hope he likes the surprise....We do not usually bother with Valentines Day but couldn't resist making a card with the gorgeous heart image from the Sale-A-Bration Polka Dot Punches stamp set.

By way of a quick reminder, the Sale-A-Bration promotion has only two weeks left to run. If you want to earn a free stamp set for EACH £45 you spend with me then please do not delay. The promotion ends on 28th February and orders will need to be submitted by then.

Card Wallet and 4 Matching Cards

The project for my evening card class on 20th February is a card wallet containing 4 matching cards. I got the original design idea from the amazingly talented Jenny over at Stamping Moments HERE
My class will also be using the Garden Whimsy set that Jenny used but I thought I would refresh myself as to how these are made, before my class next Friday. By making a couple of wallets, purely for practice for myself, I am also making something that will be Christmas or Birthday gifts to give someone this year
I decided to try a technique I haven't really used before which is the Resist technique. I used the Pocket Silhouettes stamp set and the images do lend themselves very well for this technique.
I stamped my first images in Elegant Eggplant onto whisper white cardstock. I then stamped a different flower head from the set using a Versamark ink pad and covered with Stampin Up clear embossing powder and heated it with my heatgun. I allowed it to cool slightly and then, using my brayer inked with So Saffron, I went over the whole piece of card. I did this a few times until I was happy with the depth of colour and then I took a piece of soft tissue and wiped over the white areas where the embossing powder was, to remove any hint of ink on those areas. I am really impressed with the finished effect of this technique and will certainly use it more in the future.
These pictures show the wallet and the 4 cards I made for inside.

Mini Photo Album

My good friend Vikki is going in hospital for an operation at the beginning of next month.

I have made her this mini album complete with 12 photos of her gorgeous little boy so that she will have them to look at when she is stuck in hospital and bored out of her mind.

Live Your Dream in Barely Banana

Hi there

I thought I would actually share a card with you today rather than more of my storage ideas.

I have used one of my favourite Stampin Up sets which is "Live Your Dream" This time I have veered away from my usual pinks or purples and gone with Barely Banana and So Saffron Stampin Up markers and cardstock teamed with Whisper White and Mellow Moss.

I think this card has a nice "Spring" feel to it.

Nestabilities Storage idea

There is no stopping me now with this new years resolution for sorting out my craft room mess. I have now come up with a storage solution for my growing collection of Wizard Nestability dies. I understand my storage idea would not suit everyone but it will work for me.

I have them made into like little books and they are stored on their sides in a box at the moment but the rings are there so that I can hang them up on cup hooks below my bottom shelves ( in the space that is usually wasted)

There are six dies in each shaped set so they each have their own plastic wallet and I can flick through my little books and just take out the one I need each time.

Card Scraps anyone ?

Well as I said yesterday, I am persevering with my craft room clearout and I try to achieve something definite everyday. Yesterday saw me struggling to know what to do with regard to all my C6 and smaller offcuts of card. My A4 and A5 are already taken care of as I have four Magazine holders laid on their back on a shelf ( I have one holder per Stampin Up colour family)

Well last night I had a bit of a brainwave and came up with this idea.

I had one of those little record card plastic boxes ( it had lots of recipes in it that I did years ago but they will be going to a new home with some nice lady who has TIME to cook)

I cut 48 card dividers and attached a tab label to the top of each piece with each colour name written on it( the Stampin Up tab punch is just the bees knees and I am using it sooooo much) I then cut up some plastic cd wallets that were lying around and attached them to the back of each card. So now I have a custom made little storage system for ALL my card scraps. The bigger C6 sort of sized pieces just slot in behind the card dividers but the tiny bits ( I dont part with any off-cuts) are all secure in the attached little plasitc wallet.

The beauty of this is that I can start to check my scraps box now when I am doing a project and go straight to the colour I want to use and see if I have a piece big enough, rather than cut into a larger sheet.

I am so pleased with this and I am convinced it will make me more economic with my cardstock and ultimately it plays an important part in my craft room clean up too.

Beside the Sea

Well we have even more snow today so a perfect opportunity to stay safely indoors in my craft room.
I have undertaken to completely over-haul my craft room this year and clear out absolutely everything that I no longer use. I have to say that since I became a Stampin Up demonstrator I tend to use nothing else....which means I have drawers full of craft supplies that need to go. I am one of life's hoarders so do not usually find it easy to part with things but I am being really ruthless in my quest for a clean and tidy craft space.
Because I find all this sorting stuff so boring and tedious I have decided I am going to just do it at a snails pace and craft too as I go along. So I have made a couple of cards this morning and a little box/bag.

I am now back sorting out my cardstock scraps. I have the A4 /A5 stored in magazine binders on a shelf so I can see every colour. The C6 sized pieces are in a Index card box. My problem is how should I store the smallest bits that range from 1/2" strips up to 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 pieces. I have a couple of those origami style boxes with the pieces stood in at the moment but I don't think this is the best way for a permanent solution.
I would be grateful if ANYONE has any suggestions

Here is the card

Loads of Love Just Moved Card

Thought I would just share with you a card I made last night. Anyone who knows me would see that this card is a mile away from my usual style and colours. I was really amused that I went with such rich colours but I do like the end result so will use the combination again.

1st Class

Well even though the weather was against me in a big way today, my first Stampin Up class went ahead as planned, albeit with only 3 ladies instead of the expected 5.

The first picture shows the three projects we made and the picture above shows the classroom set up before creativity began.

If anyone is interested in actually doing this particular class, I am willing to re-schedule a further date for before the end of this month to suit individuals needs. Please email if you have a particular date in mind.

My next class will involve making a folder containing four cards and envelopes to give as a gift set( Stampin Up sets Garden Whimsy / Loads of Love will be used). The first date scheduled for this class is Friday 20th February. This is an evening class from 6pm to 9pm approximately.

Again, if you are interested in this class but would like a different date and/or time then please do email me to ask.

1st Class brings Snow, snow and more SNOW

Well today was the day of my 1st scheduled Stampin Up cardmaking class at home.

When I picked this date little did I know that we would have THIS much snowfall overnight.

Unfortunately 2 ladies were unable to get here due to the weather conditions but the other 3 ladies were more local and all managed to walk here.