Riding off into the sunset

With the colour refresh coming soon, I decided to use some of the colours that will be retiring soon. I don't think I've used Riding Hood red very often, I'm not sure why! It's a nice fresh red, not too dark. I've used it here as the base for my card, with layers of white and designer paper on top.

I needed a thank you card so let the sentiment take centre stage on a scalloped indigo layer over one of the paper doilies found in the Spring mini (top of page 5, they're easy to miss!) These are great value for money at £2.75 for 24 doilies, and give a bit of vintage texture to the card. I added a trim of pleated red ribbon (now retired) and some little pink flowers with pearls

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

• Stamps: Curly Cute
• Ink: Riding Hood Red
• Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Island Indigo, Pink Pirouette
• Other: Twitterpated designer paper, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle punch, 1 3/4" Circle punch, Itty Bitty punch, Paper doily, Riding Hood Red pleated ribbon (retired), dimensionals.

Stampin' Up! news

There are changes afoot in the world of Stampin' Up!

Colour Refresh

Back in 2010 when SU did a colour renovation, they announced plans to introduce smaller colour changes every 3-5 years to keep the colour collections fresh and up-to-date. The upcoming new annual catalogue, due to start on July 1st, will have the first of these colours refreshes. 

Some in-colours from the last 2 years have proved popular enough to warrant a place in the main collections (hooray for Pool Party!), and we will have several new colours. Obviously, some colours will have to retire to make space - retiring colour products will only be available while stocks last. So if there's a colour you love on the retiring list, stock up on your supplies before they sell out! There's a video from SU to explain the changes here.

Wood-mount stamp packaging

Also being introduced in the next annual catalogue will be new packaging for wood-mounted stamp sets. These are similar to the cases currently used for the clear-mount sets, but (obviously!) deeper. Empty cases will be available to buy if you want to convert your current sets to the new packaging, and there will even be a template to create your own inserts for the new boxes. Hooray! I love being able to see the stamp images on the spine of the box as a quick reminder :)

Click on the picture below to see the SU video about the new packaging (and is that a sneak peek of a new stamp set?!)

A male sketch challenge

Here's a card made for the sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches here. I decided to go for a male-orientated card as it seems like most of my recent creations have been a bit girly!

Card base of marina mist, with a layer of spotty DSP from the print poetry stack. I love this stack, it's got a fab mix of patterns and colours - I'll be sad to see it go in the summer, but need to use it as I am drowning under the sea of gorgeous DSP I have hoarded over the years!! The rosette is stamped in midnight muse ink and cut out with the largest scallop circle punch. The happy birthday sentiment is stamped in summer starfruit ink on the corresponding cardstock, cut with the 1 3/8" circle punch and layered on the rosette with dimensionals. The ribbon tails are inked in midnight muse on crumb cake cardstock, trimmed and attached to the card.

Thinking of you is stamped in midnight muse on vanilla cardstock and attached to the bottom of the card. I used the happy whale die for the little stars on the left (summer starfruit, midnight muse and crumb cake cardstocks). I added a thin strip of midnight muse cardstock where the DSP and vanilla layers meet, just for extra definition.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

• Stamps: Blue Ribbon, Curly Cute
• Ink: Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit
• Cardstock: Marina Mist, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit 
• Other: Print Poetry Designer Paper Stack, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle punch, 1 3/8" Circle punch, Happy Whale clearlits die, dimensionals.

Oh whaley?

I think this cheery paper is the only thing keeping me going through our miserable weather at the moment :( We're lucky that we haven't had snow recently but it's been so cold. This time last year, I got sunburnt on a day out in Scarborough!
The layout was inspired by the Just Add Ink sketch challenge here, but as usual I missed the deadline LOL!

I started with a gray cardbase, covered with white cardstock which has been embossed with the cloudy day embossing folder. Can you see the cute little clouds? (Wish our clouds were like that, instead of a big gray blanket!!) I added a panel of the umbrella paper, and added the stripey paper to a piece of daffodil cardstock. The whale has been inked in Pacific Point ink, then cut using the matching clearlit die. These dies have a little window that allows you to line up the image exactly - fab idea! The sentiment is stamped in gray ink on white cardstock, punched with the word window punch and mounted onto a limeade label shape. A small disaster ensued - I left the components of my card on the dining room table whilst I cooked tea, and DS1 managed to get black paint on the edge of my card!!! The ribbons are a last minute addition to hide the little black splodge I couldn't get off :) 

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

• Stamps: Oh, Whale!
• Ink: Pacific Point, Basic Gray
• Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Gray, Daffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade
• Other: Happy Whale Clearlits die, Sunshine and Sprinkles designer paper, Cloudy Day embossing folder, Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, Striped Organdy ribbon, dimensionals.

Last day of Sale-a-Bration

This year's Sale-a-Bration promotion has been the best yet, with so many fabulous products to choose from. My SAB freebies have been sadly neglected, but here's a card I made using the Sycamore Street designer paper and buttons. I've sponged ink round the edges of the die-cuts for a little definition.

Products used (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise stated):

• Stamps: Wacky Wishes (hostess)
• Ink: Island Indigo, Tangerine Tango, Pool Party
• Cardstock: Whisper White, Tangerine Tango, Pool Party
• Other: Apothecary Accents Framelits, Sycamore Street designer paper, buttons and ribbons (SAB), Essentials Paper-Piercing pack, dimensionals.

The wanderer returns

Well hello, long time no see! Sorry it's been so long, but life threw me a massive curve ball and crafting, unfortunately, fell by the wayside. I was asked to make a card for a lady going on maternity leave, but not to emphasise the 'leaving' part as the lady was coming back to work. Another stipulation was plenty of room inside for co-workers to sign, so I decided on a larger A5 size card. It took quite a bit of fiddling/panicking/swearing after several months away from the craft cupboard, but here's the result. Sorry for the poor quality photo - I forgot to take a picture with the camera before I delivered it, so I had to attempt a picture with my new phone!

I started with an A5 card base of crumb cake cardstock, layered with whisper white cardstock. I used the baby tees wheel on several colours of designer paper, then cut out the individual onesies and attached to a washing line of linen thread using little wooden pegs. I punched squares of designer paper in the same colours and added buttons, ribbons and die-cut letters. The sentiment was computer generated, and cut using one of the Apothecary Accents framelits. I inked round the edges with pool party ink to provide a bit of definition. Simples!!

Products used (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise stated):

• Stamps: Baby Tees wheel
• Ink: Basic Black, Pool Party
• Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Whisper White
• Other: Apothecary Accents Framelits, Designer Paper stacks (Brights, Neutrals, In-colour s 2011-13), Sycamore Street buttons and ribbons (SAB), Brights designer buttons, Daffodil Delight 1/4" stitched grosgrain ribbon, 1 1/4" square punch,  linen thread, Timeless Type Junior alphabet dies (retired), wooden pegs (non-SU), dimensionals.

Another hint of Christmas

Another Christmas card - I'm on a roll LOL! The snowflake image has been embossed with white embossing powder, then cut with the scallop circle punch. The bird has been stamped using Island Indigo on white cardstock, then cut with the 1" circle punch and popped up on dimensionals in the centre of the embossed snowflakes. The rest is pretty self-explanatory, I think! Please get in touch if it's not :) 

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

• Stamps: Four Seasons (hostess), Wacky Wishes (hostess)
• Ink: Pool Party, Island Indigo, Versamark
• Cardstock: Island Indigo, Whisper White
• Other: Top Note die, 2 3/8" Scallop circle punch, 1" Circle punch, White embossing powder, In-colour 11-13 designer paper, In-colour printed brads, dimensionals.

It's beginnning to look a bit like Christmas!

I made a start on my Christmas cards! This one is a nice, quick one to get in the mood :) It uses the Snow Festival printed tags, which are fab for a range of Christmas projects such as cards, tags, gift boxes etc. They are available in the Autumn/Winter catalogue, a bargain at only £3.75 for 25 tags!

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

• Stamps: Happy Hour, Starburst wheel
• Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Gumball Green
• Cardstock: Gumball Green
• Other: Snow Festival designer printed tags, Cherry Cobbler seam biding ribbon, white Baker's Twine.

Happy birthday sis!

I've finally found a bit of time to blog! The kids have been hogging the computer lately - I think I'll have to ration them LOL! Here's the card I made for my sister's birthday last month.

I've started with a base of naturals ivory cardstock and a layer of melon mambo designer paper. I embossed a piece of espresso core'dinations cardstock using the vintage wallpaper embossing folder, then sanded the surface. This removes the top layer of cardstock to reveal the inner core to give a distressed, antique look. I also added some dotty scalloped ribbon, turned over to hide the dots! The sentiment has been stamped using espresso ink onto a die cut of ivory cardstock, and flowers stamped in melon mambo ink have been cut out and adhered using dimensionals. Flower centre pearls and a snippet of crochet trim add the final touch.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

• Stamps: Everything Eleanor, Sincere Salutations (retired)
• Ink: Early Espresso, Melon Mambo
• Cardstock: Naturals Ivory, Early Espresso core'dinations
• Other: Labels Collection Framelits, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Cheerful Treat Designer paper (retired), Scallop Dots ribbon, Crochet Trim, basic pearls, dimensionals.

Halloween

Here's a quick post with a Halloween treat I made. I started making the treats, then realised that I would have no-one to give them to as the boys are at Gran's house and I'm on a late shift so won't see any Trick or Treaters! The original plan was to fill them with some orange-coloured chocolate balls I'd seen in the supermarket but as they won't be used as treats, I've substituted a chocolate drinking straw for demonstration purposes :)

Front

Back

The new skinny cello bags are great for little treats, and the topper can be changed to suit the occasion. 

Hope you have a fab Halloween, back soon!

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Mixed Medley (hostess A/W)

Ink: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie

Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Whisper White

Other: Two Tags Bigz die, 1 3/4" Scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" Scallop circle punch, 3/4" circle punch, Cello bags.

Retiring lists

It's time to make room in the Stampin' Up! warehouse for all new stamping goodies! Here are the lists of items that are retiring from the current catalogue. They are selling quickly, so if there's anything you need, please get in touch :)

Retiring stamps

Retiring accessories

This post will remain at the top of the blog till the end of September. Please scroll down for newer posts!

Goodbye simply soft

This is one of the Hostess sets that are retiring this month. I had plans to make lots of cards with these stamps – I didn’t get round to making most of them but I’ll be holding on to this set for my personal use as it’s gorgeous and I can’t bear to part with it :)

Products used (all Stampin’ Up!):

• Stamps: Simply Soft (hostess), Petite Pairs
• Ink: Black Stazon, Concord Crush, Wisteria Wonder, Pear Pizzazz
• Cardstock: Wisteria Wonder (textured), Concord Crush, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White
• Other: Designer Paper (In-colour 2011-2013), Labels Collection dies, Scallop Edge border punch, 1 ¼” circle punch, 1 3/8” circle punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch, Pear Pizzazz Seam binding, Basic pearls, Aqua Painter, dimensionals.

A thank you card

Here’s a card made with some products from the summer mini that I didn’t get round to posting. Here’s hoping some of them make it into the NEW annual catalogue, which starts October 1st ;)
Products used (all Stampin’ Up!):

• Stamps: Curly Cute
• Ink: Soft Suede
• Cardstock: Pool Party, Soft Suede, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Poppy Parade
• Other: Fun Flowers Bigz L die, Fancy flower punch, Boho Blossoms punch, Attic Boutique DSP (summer mini), Adorning Accents Edgelits die (summer mini), Circle Fire Rhinestone brads, Whisper White 5/8” satin ribbon.

Bye bye July (almost)

July has thundered along at an alarming rate, as usual! The last few weeks at school are always full - fun and fitness day, discos, performances etc. Then there's birthdays and holiday preparations. This year we've had my niece's emigration to add to the mix so parties, photos and kids bonding-time had to be squeezed in there somewhere. Crafting has taken a backseat this month :)
I have made a few cards to show you though. This one was for Sophie, who has been helping James with his literacy for a few months. She has really boosted his confidence, and he's not quite so nervous of going to big school now! A little pressie and card were definitely required as a thank you for all her hard work.

Products used (all Stampin’ Up!):

• Stamps: Just Believe
• Ink: Lucky Limeade, Concord Crush
• Cardstock: Lucky Limeade, Melon Mambo, Concord Crush, Bashful Blue, Whisper White
• Other: Cheerful Treat Designer Paper (hostess), Fancy Flower punch, Bird Builder punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, Scallop Trim border punch, Concord Crush stitched poly ribbon, stamp-a-ma-jig, dimensionals.

Where oh where…..

……..has this month gone? Certainly not in the pursuit of a suntan – hypothermia and webbed feet would be more likely LOL! I’m hoping I get this posted in time to link to the Pals Paper Arts challenge 137, which is a sketch challenge this time round.
The not quite navy card base has been stamped with the chart/ledger stamp using not quite navy ink. A circle of confetti cream cardstock has been stamped with the globe image in crumb cake ink and attached to the card base. The ship has been inked in not quite navy in, then cut out and attached to the globe layer using dimensionals. The compass has been stamped in cajun craze ink, then cut out with the 1 1/4” circle punch and attached using dimensionals. Linen thread has been wrapped around the left hand side of the card to add a little texture and balance.
Products used (all Stampin’ Up!):

• Stamps: The Open Sea
• Ink: Crumb Cake, Night of Navy, Cajun Craze
• Cardstock: Not Quite Navy, Confetti Cream
• Other: 1 1/4” punch, stamp-a-ma-jig, linen thread, dimensionals. 

Double whammy

Sit down and take a deep breath. I’ve managed to participate in TWO challenges AND get a photo taken before the challenges close! I think that’s a first for me :) The two challenges are the ColourQ challenge 137:

       

and also the Freshly made sketches 37:

I flipped the sketch to landscape and started with a crumb cake card base and added a subtle background using the swirl from Everything Eleanor and second generation stamping. I inked the stamp, then stamped onto a piece of scrap paper before stamping on the card – this produces a paler impression. I used the very vintage wheel with razzleberry ink onto white cardstock, then sponged a little crumb cake ink on the edges to soften them a little. This has then been trimmed and added to a navy layer with one scalloped side.

The label shape from Everything Eleanor has been stamped with bashful blue ink on white cardstock, and the sentiment added using navy ink. This has been trimmed and attached to the card using dimensionals. Two razzleberry coloured flowers have been cut out and attached to the top right hand corner of the label. A pearl in the centre of each flower finishes the card off.

Products used (all Stampin’ Up!):

• Stamps: Everything Eleanor, Sincere Salutations
• Ink: Crumb Cake, Rich Razzleberry, Night of Navy, Bashful Blue
• Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Night of Navy
• Other: Scallop Edge border punch, Basic Pearls, Stamp-a-ma-jig, dimensionals.

On your bike

I’m trying to participate in more challenges at the moment, but unfortunately I don’t often get them finished and photographed in time :) I created this card with the ColourQ challenge 137 in mind.

I started with a gray card base and panels of turquoise, limeade and wisteria cardstock with the corresponding designer paper. The bike has been stamped using gray ink on white cardstock with a gray layer underneath as a mat. The presents have been coloured using inks and an aquapainter for a little pop of colour.

I thought the white layer looked a bit bare, so I added some wisteria bakers twine, a green (old olive) button and turquoise brads – I think it might be better with the image off-centre and a ribbon/twine trim. I stamped the sentiment on white cardstock and cut into little banner shapes.
Products used (all Stampin’ Up!):

• Stamps: Pedal Presents, Happiest Birthday Wishes
• Ink: Basic Grey, Tempting Turquoise, Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder
• Cardstock: Basic Grey, Tempting Turquoise, Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White
• Other: Designer Paper (Brights, In-colour 2011-2013), Wisteria Wonder Bakers Twine, Designer Buttons (Brights), Brads (Brights), Aqua Painter, dimensionals.

New goodies

I’ve finally had a chance to use some of the products from the new summer mini, and take some photos!

I created a pretty edge to the card using one of the new edgelit dies and matching embossing folder on blushing bride cardstock. The flower image (from the apothecary art stamp set) has been stamped in black ink on white cardstock, then cut using one of the new framelits dies (labels collection). The flowers were coloured using an aqua painter and several of the pink inks to produce some depth of colour, and green on the leaves. A mat of green designer paper (twitterpated) with a white trim, created using the dotted scallop ribbon border punch, lies under the main image. Black satin ribbon with a tab accent provides another layer. The sentiment has been stamped in black on pear cardstock and trimmed into a banner shape.

Products used (all Stampin’ Up!):

• Stamps: Apothecary Art
• Ink: Basic Black, Blushing Bride, Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Pear Pizzazz, Certainly Celery
• Cardstock: Blushing Bride, Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz
• Other: Labels Collection Framelits dies, Adorning Accents Edgelit dies, Adorning Accents Embossing folders, Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch, Black 5/8” satin ribbon, Aqua Painter, dimensionals.

Lots to tell you!

I've got lots of Stampin' Up! news for you today.

Products

The new summer mini is now live with lots of great new products - check out the link below or on the right hand side to see for yourself :)

One of the fab new products is the Simply Scored Board. The board is based on Imperial measurements, with grooves every 1/8" to make scoring nice and easy, and there is a metric plate that sits on top for crafters who prefer working in centimetres.

Also available this month, though it isn't in the mini catalogue, is a diagonal plate for the Simply Scored. This allows you to make envelopes to your own specifications for n0n-standard card sizes, as well as many other uses.

Here's a video showing you how to make an envelope.

Become a Demonstrator

There are also several fabulous recruitment promotions this month from Stampin' Up! Ever thought of signing up as a demonstrator? Now you can sign up for just £99! And don't worry if you already own Stampin' Up! products - the new starter kit is fully customisable so YOU choose the products you need, upto a value of £130. Business supplies, worth a further £45, are included AND you get free shipping! A great deal whether you want to start your own flexible business, or just buy for yourself.

And as an added incentive, if you sign up as a demonstrator in May, Stampin' Up! will give you free registration for Convention 2012 in Mainz, Germany (worth £149!) What are you waiting for?! Please get in touch if you would like more information about joining the SU family :)

More Spice Cake

Another self-explanatory card today! Triangles of spice cake designer paper on confetti cream cardstock form the card base. The trees have been stamped in chocolate chip ink onto another piece of confetti cream cardstock. There are small, coloured inclusions in this cardstock which gives it a rustic look - ideal for today's card. The rustic feel is echoed in the layer of chocolate chip cardstock with torn edges. You can't see from this photo, but I've used textured cardstock for added character. The sentiment has been stamped with chocolate chip ink, then cut using the decorative label punch. TIP: Stamp the sentiment, then turn the punch upside down so that you position the sentiment exactly where you need it. The same punch has been used with textured chocolate chip cardstock to produce an accent layer underneath.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

• Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Happiest Birthday Wishes (hostess set)
• Ink: Chocolate Chip
• Cardstock: Confetti Cream, Chocolate Chip
• Other: Spice Cake DSP, Decorative Label punch, dimensionals.