early bird stamps

Sale-a-Bration card

2012-02-06T21:01:00.005Z

As promised, a card made using one of the stamp sets available during Sale-a-Bration. This has been sent as a belated birthday card to a lovely friend that unfortunately I don't see too often. Must try to remedy that this year :)

The image has been inked using markers and stamped onto white cardstock, which has then been matted onto black cardstock. The border stamp has been used on a strip of limeade cardstock using limeade ink, and a layer of small black scallops adds definition. I used the dotted scallop ribbon border to achieve this, and cut the border in half before attaching to the back of the limeade panel.

The main image has been used as a background on the wisteria card base - I 'stamped off' the ink to produce a paler impression on the cardstock. The flower stamp also provides a pale image on the sentiment circle to provide continuity in the card design, with the sentiment stamped in black ink. Rhinestones have been used on the sentiment, one of the flowers and in the lower corner to add a bit of bling!

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Fresh Vintage (SAB set), Petite Pairs
Ink: Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder, Basic Black
Cardstock: Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White, Basic Black
Other: Stamp-a-ma-jig, Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch, 1 1/4" Circle punch, 1 3/8" Circle punch, 1 3/8" Scallop Circle punch, Rhinestone jewels.

Sale-a-Bration is here!

2012-02-02T14:00:00.002Z

One of the highlights of the Stampin' Up! year is the Sale-a-Bration promotion. You can choose a free gift for every £45 order during the promotion, so a £90 order will get you 2 gifts and so on. This year, there is a choice of four stamp sets and (for the first time) a designer paper pack. The paper is absolutely gorgeous, I think it's the best DSP SU have ever given us! And it's free! What could be better?

I'm off to drool, I mean create some projects with my new FREE products! Don't forget to click on the Sale-a-Bration image on the right to see what products YOU could be drooling over soon!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T23:00:00.028Z

Hope you've all had a fabulous Christmas, with time with the family and lots of lovely crafty presents! I've been very remiss in not posting but the Christmas mojo has been missing this year. Here are a few creations - if you need further information, just get in touch!

Hope that 2012 is a very Happy and healthy New Year for you all :)

Happy birthday sis!

2011-11-29T14:28:00.004Z

Here's the card I made for my sister's birthday several weeks ago, using the gorgeous Beau Chateau designer papers. I must admit that I completely ignored these papers in the catalogue but then I saw them 'in the flesh' and they are fabulous! Not sure about the rooster on one of the papers, but the advantage of double sided papers means I don't have to use him ;)

I started with a square cardbase of Natural Ivory cardstock, added the brown DSP, then cut the pink DSP to the right size before tearing one side and inking with soft suede ink. Some vanilla 1/4" grosgrain ribbon has been layered onto a strip of suede cardstock (cut with the dotted scallop ribbon border punch).

I have used a designer frames embossing folder on more of the ivory cardstock, torn round the outside of the frame and inked using soft suede. The sentiment has been stamped with suede ink onto an oval of pink cardstock and added to the inside of the frame.

My sister loved it but in hindsight, I wish I'd added some pearls for a bit more bling!

2011-11-02T15:47:00.003Z

Well, October has been and gone already! Not much crafting for me for various reasons, but I'm hoping to rectify that this month as I need to get cracking on the Christmas cards! Here's one card I made earlier in the month for the members of my Stamper's 6 group - it showcases some of the lovely new products available in the 2011-2012 catalogue. I actually made it in several colourways but this is the one I got a photo of.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Curly Cute
Ink: Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder, Island Indigo
Cardstock: Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder, Island Indigo, Whisper White, Basic Black
Other: Lace Ribbon border punch, 1" Circle punch, Lots of Tags Sizzlits die, Boho Blossoms punch, Extra Large Oval punch, Rhinestone jewels.

New catalogue!

2011-10-02T17:09:00.008+01:00

It's that special time of year again - we can order lots of gorgeous products from the new 2011-2012 Stampin' Up! catalogue!

Please use the link at the right-hand side to see for yourself all the new products. We've got 5 fabulous new In-Colours, and lots of new stamps, designer papers and accessories (including some must-have ribbons!)

The new In Colours:

The hostess benefits have changed in the new catalogue too, so it's much easier to get the sets that you like! A hostess will now earn 'hostess pounds', the amount depending on workshop sales total. These hostess pounds can then be used to buy hostess-exclusive products or anything else in the catalogue. And any set can be bought with the lowest qualifying workshop!

Too late!

2011-09-30T22:47:00.001+01:00

Wow, the past few weeks have flown by. I had a few cards featuring retiring products that I wanted to post before the new catalogue went live, but I'm last-minute-Larry as usual! Never mind, I'll be ordering new goodies tomorrow and hope they arrive quickly (I have a NEED for a certain new ribbon ;)) As a demonstrator, I could order some new products early, so I may be giving a little teaser over the next few days to whet your appetite! In the meantime, here's a few I made earlier.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Fast and Fabulous (hostess L2), Simply Said

Ink: Basic Gray, Poppy Parade

Cardstock: Basic Gray, Poppy Parade, Whisper White

Other: In Colour Designer Paper pack (hostess L1), Large Oval punch, Scalloped Oval punch, White 5/8" Organza ribbon.

2011-09-30T22:43:00.001+01:00

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Kimono Kids

Ink: Basic Black, Poppy Parade, Baja Breeze

Cardstock: Basic Black, Poppy Parade, Baja Breeze, Whisper White

Other: Modern Label punch, Lots of Tags Sizzlits die, Basic Black 1/8" Taffeta ribbon.

Sold out!

2011-09-15T14:56:00.003+01:00

The following items on the last chance list are no longer available:

Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelets

Pewter Jumbo Eyelets

Red Riding Hood 12 x 12 cardstock

Sense of Time stamp set

2010-2012 In Colour Classic ink refills (set)

Star punch

Cute by the Inch (W) hostess set

Afterthoughts (W) hostess set

Silver elastic cord

Choo Choo stamp set

Jolly Holiday DSP

Wild Wasabi 12 x 12 cardstock

Tart and Tangy

Right on Track wheel

Sanded background

Tempting Turquoise 12 x 12 cardstock

Whisper White 12 x 12 cardstock

On Board Art Journal

Real Red 3/8" taffeta ribbon

Spiral punch

Forest Friends

Christmas Jingle Simply Scrappin'

Night of Navy 5/8" satin ribbon

On a Pedestal

I will try to keep this list up to date! Please scroll down for newer posts.

More retirees.

2011-09-15T14:36:00.005+01:00

This card features several products on the last chance list. The Greenhouse Gala designer paper and Afterthoughts stamp set (clear mount) are still available, but the jumbo eyelets have sold out.

The designer paper has been cut with the top note die, cut along the perforated line and stuck to a top note shape cut from pumpkin pie cardstock. This has then been cut in half vertically and added to a card base of chocolate chip. Jumbo eyelets have been added to the baja breeze oval layer, and twill threaded through the holes before being tied together with linen thread. the sentiment has been stamped on pear pizzazz cardstock and added using dimensionals.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Afterthoughts (hostess L1)

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz

Other: Greenhouse Gala designer paper, Top Note Die, 1 3/4"circle punch, Extra Large Oval punch, Pewter Jumbo eyelets, 3/8" Twill tape, linen thread.

A new home

2011-09-09T17:29:00.004+01:00

Here's a 'new home' card made using one of the wheels that is retiring this month. I must admit that I often forget about my wheels as they are stored on a high shelf and 'out of sight' certainly seems to be 'out of mind' for me. I think a re-organisation of my craft space is called for (so that I can get new catty stash in there!)

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps – Neighbourhood wheel, Four Frames, Sincere Salutations
Ink – Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Cajun Craze
Cardstock – Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Whisper White
Other – Decorative label punch, Mat pack, Paper piercing tool, Markers, dimensionals.

Last chance!

2011-09-02T13:52:00.007+01:00

It's that time of year again! Stampin' Up! need to make space for all the new products in the 2011-12 catalogue, so some of the current products are retiring. This is your last chance to get them, and only while stocks last. As some products are reduced by 40%, this may not be long! Please click below to get the list.

Don't forget that the current mini catalogue only lasts until the end of September, and there's no guarantee that the products will carry over to the new catalogue. Please contact me if you would like to order any products from the mini or last chance list, before it's too late!

Stamping not camping!

2011-08-28T21:12:00.004+01:00

I've just about recovered from our little camping trip to the Thames Valley. The weather was lovely the day we travelled down, torrential rain on the way back, and somewhere in-between while we were there. We still managed to get to Legoland, which was the main purpose of the trip, but the folding camper and awning took 2 days to dry afterwards. Don't you just love camping in the rain ;)

Needless to say, I was glad to be home (and dry) and getting inky again. Here's the result!

Olive card base with a layer of white cardstock and tangerine designer paper. The image has been stamped in olive ink and coloured using inks and the aquapainter. When dry, glitter has been added to the flowers to add a bit of sparkle. The image has been trimmed and added to the card base.

The sentiment has been stamped in tangerine onto a scalloped oval, then added to the olive dotty frame label layer with dimensionals. A layer of pleated olive grosgrain ribbon underneath the sentiment adds a finishing touch.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps – Fresh Cuts, Sincere Salutations, Four Frames
Ink – Old Olive, Tangerine Tango
Cardstock – Old Olive, Whisper White
Other – Decorative Label punch, Scallop Oval punch, Old Olive 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Multipurpose glue, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Aquapainter, dimensionals.

2011-08-01T22:17:00.007+01:00

Yet another photo that doesn't do the card justice. But I have a cunning plan! Him indoors has just bought a new new camera, so once he gets to grips with it, I can ~~press-gang~~ ask him nicely to be my official photographer :)

I've used shimmery cardstock for this card - it's fab for watercolouring as the ink doesn't sink into the card too quickly so you have a bit more time to move the ink around. And it's got a gorgeous gentle sparkle to it. Trust me, you need some ;)

A square of pumpkin CS has been stamped with the swirl from Baroque Motifs using Versamark, embossed with clear embossing powder and mounted onto a white card base. The flower has been stamped with black Stazon (waterproof ink) on a circle of white shimmery cardstock, then coloured using various inks and an aquapainter. This has been added to the pumpkin layer along with some pear pizzazz ribbon. The sentiment has been added to an oval of pear cardstock and attached using, you've guessed it, dimensionals. I just can't seem to make a card without them!

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps – Baroque Motifs, Happiness Shared, Afterthoughts (L1 hostess)
Ink – Black Stazon, Basic Black, Old Olive, Pear Pizzazz, Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango
Cardstock – Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Pear Pizzazz, Shimmery White
Other – Pear Pizzazz stitched ribbon, Extra Large Oval punch, Aquapainter, dimensionals.

A birthday tree

2011-07-17T11:24:00.004+01:00

I seem to be on a roll with masculine cards at the minute. Here is a birthday card, featuring one of my most-used sets in the catalogue, Lovely as a tree.

I embossed a piece of espresso cardstock using the square lattice embossing folder, then added eyelets using a crop-a-dile. Some twill has been threaded through the eyelets and tied in a knot. I made a little tag for the sentiment using the modern label punch and crumb cake cardstock, and attached to the twill knot with linen thread. The tree stamp has been inked using markers and stamped onto watercolour paper. I've then used an aquapainter to spread the ink a little to create a watercolour effect, then torn the paper on two sides.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps – Lovely as a Tree, Occasional Quotes (hostess L3)
Ink – Old Olive, Early Espresso
Cardstock – Old Olive, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake
Other – Modern Label punch, Square Lattice Embossing folder, Watercolour paper, Aquapainter, Jumbo Eyelets, 3/8” Twill, Linen thread, dimensionals.

For Beth

2011-07-04T21:23:00.004+01:00

This was made originally for my god-daughter's 21st birthday - I thought the Eiffel Tower was quite appropriate as she was spending a few days in Paris with her fiance. I changed my mind at the last minute (as you do with cards for important people!) and made an alternative. Needless to say, I never got a photo of that one as the glue was still drying when she opened the envelope ;)

The red cardbase has been stamped using black ink and the En Francais background stamp, then a layer of designer paper (with distressed and charcoal-inked edges) added to the left hand side. The tower has been stamped in black on vanilla cardstock, which has then been crumpled and the edges distressed using the fabulous distressing kit. A layer of black cardstock provides a mat for the image. The sentiment has been stamped in black then punched and coloured using a red marker, then popped up on dimensionals.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps – Artistic Etchings, Oval All, En Francais BG
Ink – Basic Black, Charcoal
Cardstock – Red Riding Hood Red, Basic Black , Very Vanilla
Other – Love Letter DSP, Marvellous Markers, 1¾ Oval punch, Distressing kit, sponge daubers, dimensionals.

Father's Day

2011-06-19T17:31:00.005+01:00

I thought I'd show a masculine card, as it's Father's Day.

The front of the soft suede card base has been folded back on itself, then embossed using the square lattice embossing folder. The plane, stamped in suede ink on vanilla cardstock, has been attached to the card front using a chocolate cardstock mat cut in a geometric shape. The letters have been stamped in chocolate ink on vanilla, then cut using a circle punch and arranged above the plane using dimensionals.

The stopwatch and goggles, stamped in suede ink, have been cut/punched and raised on dimensionals too. The inside of the card has a layer of vanilla cardstock with a border stamped in chocolate ink. Here's the card partially open.

Hope you could spend some time with your Dad today!

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps – Plane and Simple, Just Perfect alphabet
Ink – Early Espresso, Soft Suede
Cardstock – Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Other – 3/4" Circle punch, Extra Large Oval punch, Square Lattice Embossing folder, dimensionals.

Short and Sweet

2011-06-01T22:18:00.002+01:00

The photo doesn't do this card justice - it looks really elegant in real life and is really easy to make! I've used it for thank you cards and birthday cards so far.

A layer of white cardstock, partially embossed with the vintage wallpaper embossing folder, is added to an olive card base. Rose red seam binding, folded into rough pleats, covers where the embossing stops on the cardstock. The sentiment and frame have been stamped in black Stazon, then carefully coloured using a blender pen and rose and olive inks. A punched mat of olive cardstock has been cut along the length then stuck to the sentiment layer so it only shows on 2 sides.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps – Four Frames, Fresh Cuts
Ink –Stazon Black, Old Olive, Rose Red
Cardstock - Old Olive, Whisper White
Other – Vintage Wallpaper Embossing folder, Decorative Label punch, Blender pen, Rose Red Seam Binding ribbon, Sticky Strip, Mini Glue dots, dimensionals.

I'm back again

2011-05-29T22:18:00.003+01:00

Sorry for the lack of posts but I've been on my jollidays! Had a fabulously lazy time during 2 weeks in Lanzarote, the kids loved playing in the pool every day and the ice-cream on demand! Only downside was the little biting things - the Spanish variety obviously loved my blue/white skin!

I'm just thankful I was wearing trousers the night they attacked, so most of the bites were on my ankles and feet. I'm blaming the bites for me not turning into a sun-bronzed goddess (snort!)

Hoping to post tomorrow with pictures I never got time to schedule before I went away.

Bright butterfly birthday

2011-04-20T16:07:00.005+01:00

I saw my first butterfly of the year today, so I thought I'd show you a card with butterflies. I made this earlier in the year when there was snow on the ground - Mother Nature obviously ignored my hopes for some warm weather for quite a long time!

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps - Punch Potpourri (hostess L1), Occasional Quotes (hostess L3)
Ink - Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise
Cardstock - Whisper White, Melon Mambo
Other - Scallop Edge Border punch, Butterfly punch, 1 3/4" circle punch, Corner rounder punch, Designer Series Paper Patterns stack (Brights), stamp-a-ma-jig, dimensionals.

Pretty daisies

2011-04-08T20:37:00.022+01:00

Hope you're loving the new mini as much as I am! It's great that we've got the Big Shot and dies, many of which are exclusive to Stampin' Up! so you won't get them anywhere else. Get in touch with me or your local Stampin' Up! demonstrator to order yours. Don't you just love new stash?

For the card today, I've used the fabulous daisies die.

The die cuts several sizes of daisy in one go, excellent for those last-minute 'oops, I forgot' cards (which most of mine are, oops!)

Here I've used 2 larger daisies and 1 medium daisy cut from saffron cardstock, and a medium daisy in plum cardstock. These have been layered together with a plum button for the flower centre.

The card base is saffron, then a layer of white cardstock and plum designer paper. The white satin ribbon has been ruffled across the card - I can't stop doing this at the moment, I've gone ruffle-tastic! The sentiment, stamped in plum ink and punched with the scallop oval punch, has been layered onto a large oval of saffron cardstock.

Because I enjoyed playing with the dies (and I had the flowers already cut ;)), I decided to replicate the card but reverse the colours. So here it is!

Exactly the same as the first one, but exchange the plum and saffron colours (except the sentiment - the saffron ink didn't show up as well as the plum)

And both of them together:

The mini is here!

2011-04-01T21:50:00.004+01:00

Have a look at the fab new products available in the new SU mini catalogue (link on right hand side). There's loads of great new stamps and accessories, and we've finally got the Big Shot and dies - hooray! Have a look now and start your new catalogue wishlist.

Believe in birthdays

2011-03-30T14:16:00.006+01:00

I have used this Just Believe stamp set so many times that I can't believe (sorry, no pun intended!) I haven't posted a card featuring this set on the blog yet. I've used it in various colourways for birthdays, good luck and get well wishes, and it lends itself to many different stamping techniques.

Markers have been used to colour the main image (crumb cake, cherry cobbler, daffodil delight), which has then been mounted onto a scalloped mat of cherry cardstock. The circular flower image has been stamped in cherry and cut out using a 1 1/4" circle punch, then mounted on a 1 3/8" circle of crumb cake cardstock. This has then been layered onto a daffodil scalloped circle using dimensionals. The sandy speckles wheel, inked with crumb cake ink, has been rolled over the crumb cake card base to provide texture, and the sentiment stamped in cherry ink. Several basic rhinestones have been added to the flowers for a bit of bling.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps - Just Believe, Sincere Salutations, Sandy Speckles standard wheel
Ink - Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler
Cardstock - Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight
Other - Markers, Scallop Edge Border punch, Scallop Circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, Basic Rhinestones, dimensionals.

A soft wedding card

2011-03-14T22:11:00.009Z

Pink isn't one of my favourite colours, perhaps because I wasn't really a girly-girl growing up (I swapped my Teeny Tiny Tears doll for some marbles - oh, did I get into trouble for that one!!)

So I'm quite surprised at how often I am drawn to this sort of colour scheme (see here too).

As usual, what you see is what you get. Crumb cake card base with layer of vanilla cardstock, trimmed with scallop trim border punch. Layer of blushing bride designer paper, and pear pizzazz stitched ribbon. The heart stamp is from the level 1 hostess stamp set, Punch Potpourri (contact me to learn how you can get this set FREE!) The flowers and leaves have been coloured using ink and an Aqua Painter, then the image punched out with the full heart punch. A few pearls have been added before the heart is attached to the card using dimensionals. The sentiment, stamped in rose red ink and punched with the word window punch, has then been added to a crumb cake mat, punched with the modern label punch. More pearls have been added before using dimensionals to attach the sentiment.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps - Punch Potpourri (hostess L1), Special Blessings
Ink - Crumb Cake, Rose Red, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz
Cardstock - Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla
Other - In-colour Designer Paper stack, Scallop Trim Border punch, Full Heart punch, Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, Pear Pizzazz 1/2" stitched poly ribbon, Aqua Painter, Pearls, dimensionals.

Wait long enough, and you'll get a Free card!

2011-01-20T19:21:00.008Z

Oh dear, it appears I've been neglecting my blog! Sorry for the lack of posts, but not much has been done in the last few months craft-wise. It seems the cold weather totally sapped my inspiration :( The days are getting longer again so hopefully Miss Betty will let me craft in peace (I'm being extremely optimistic there, LOL)

Here's a card made using stamp sets that you can get for free! (costing nothing, gratuitous, without charge, freebie, complimentary, gratis, on the house, without compensation, FREE OF CHARGE!) Don't you just love those words! Please contact me for further details on how you can earn these sets too!

The main panel has been stamped with the scroll stamp from the Bliss stamp set in crumb cake ink, and the flower in 'stamped off' soft suede ink. The quote in the top left corner was stamped with soft suede ink. The edges have been distressed using one of the files from the distressing kit, then sponged with crumb cake and soft suede inks. A ruffle of vanilla grosgrain ribbon was added before the panel was adhered to a soft suede card base. An espresso oval and a soft suede scallop oval provide mats (and depth) to the sentiment, stamped in soft suede ink on a vanilla cardstock oval.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Bliss (SAB), Occasional Quotes (hostess L3)
Ink: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Early Espresso
Other: Distressing kit, Sponge Daubers, Extra Large Oval punch, Extra Large Scallop Oval punch, Large Oval punch, 5/8" Very Vanilla grosgrain ribbon.

A card for sis!

2010-11-10T17:34:00.003Z

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, my crafting time has been taken up with preparing for the Stampin' Up! convention which took place last weekend. I haven't even had chance to download the photos I took from the camera yet! In the meantime, here's the card I made my sister for her birthday.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Ornate Flowers, Sincere Salutations
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
Other: Greenhouse Gala designer paper, 1 3/4"circle punch, 1/2" Pear Pizzazz stitched poly ribbon.

2010-10-22T20:28:00.006+01:00

Well I must admit that my crafting time has been seriously compromised lately, even though I've got some gorgeous products from the new catalogue. The reason ? This.......

We started fostering a 14 week old deerhound/greyhound cross. Unfortunately, we've got a soft spot for the broken-coated lurchers, so we've been 'forced' to adopt her! We've managed to foster 20+ dogs without succumbing so I suppose we haven't done too bad :) We'd just forgotten in the 13 years since our 'old man' was a pup what little monsters they are. The delightful Betty thinks she's an Andrex puppy and charges round the garden with the loo roll flying whenever she gets an opportunity. Not to mention the apples she's stolen off the tree. Lego, shoes and washing up sponges are also fair game. She takes up a whole 3-seater sofa and she hasn't stopped growing yet. ARE WE MAD? Please don't answer that question on the grounds that I know the answer already. But she is gorgeous and we love her to bits. And yes, she IS on a trampoline in the photo :)

Here's a card I managed to make in 'Betty-down-time'! I recently took part in a ribbon swap with some other demos and needed some Thank You cards. I'm not really a fan of blue but I love the new colour Baja Breeze, used for the card base.

The flower image has been stamped in chocolate ink on white cardstock, trimmed and mounted onto the Baja base. White satin ribbon has been layered onto a piece of chocolate cardstock, the edge of which has been punched with the new Scallop Trim border punch. The chocolate sentiment has been punched with the Scallop Oval punch and mounted onto a Baja Breeze mat made with the new extra large oval punch.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Ornate Flowers, Perfect Punches
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Other: Scallop Trim border punch, Scallop Oval Extra Large punch, Oval Extra Large punch, white 5/8" satin ribbon.

It's here!

2010-10-01T09:34:00.002+01:00

The day has come for drooling over new products in the 2010-2011 Stampin' Up! catalogue. Click on the catty cover on the right to get your shopping list started!

Goodbye to ute!

2010-09-26T21:59:00.004+01:00

I'll miss this sweet little truck - so good for male cards. The image has been stamped in black ink on chocolate cardstock, then cut out. I used a white gel pen to add highlights to the wheels. It's hard to see on this photo but the sentiment has been stamped (in chocolate ink) on the same designer paper as the background mat. Final touch is chocolate ribbon, tied with linen thread, then cut into a V shape.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Loads of Love, True Friend
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Basic Black
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, So Saffron
Other: Sweet Pea designer paper, Chocolate Chip 1" double-stitched grosgrain ribbon, Scalloped circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, linen thread, white gel pen.

A vintage Z-fold card

2010-09-21T10:29:00.003+01:00

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps - Vintage Vogue
Ink - Always Artichoke, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron
Cardstock - Whisper White, Always Artichoke, Pretty in Pink
Other - Tea and Crumpets Designer Paper, pink brad, Corner Rounder punch, Nestabilities (non-SU).

Some of the retirees!

2010-09-13T21:03:00.003+01:00

I thought I'd update the blog with cards I've made using stamps or colours that will no longer be with us next month :( I'll certainly miss some of these products, but I'm also looking forward to finding new favourite stamps and colour combinations. A crafter can never get enough stash!

This card was produced for a (sketch?) challenge but I didn't get chance to take a photo until afterwards. If I can find the challenge again, I will post details. Please contact me if you know which one it was!

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps - True Friend
Ink - Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, Mellow Moss
Cardstock - Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, Sahara Sand
Other - Designer paper pack (Hostess level 1), Mellow Moss button, 1 1/4" Circle punch, Nestabilities (non-SU), brads (non-SU).

Last Chance list

2010-09-01T09:26:00.004+01:00

It's that time of year again when we say goodbye to some products from the catalogue to make way for new and exciting essentials! Don't forget, these are only available during September WHILE STOCKS LAST. Click on the image below to enlarge.

Grab that set you've been meaning to buy for ages - some items are reduced by 25% and 50%, so you may just get a bargain!

Not much stamping on this one!

2010-06-13T22:29:00.004+01:00

The large two step bird punch is fab for creating quick and easy cards like this one. Two different patterns from the To the Nines paper collection have been used to make the bird, with another paper used as an accent. The leaves have been punched from sage cardstock, and the sentiment stamped in chocolate chip ink.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Sincere Salutations
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow
Other: To the Nines designer paper, Two step Bird punch.

Taken with Trees

2010-05-14T09:28:00.004+01:00

I've been good and cut into my Sweet Pea paper again! The papers in the pad co-ordinate with several stamp sets, so I chose several images from Trendy Trees to tie in with the paper. I used markers to ink the stamp for the middle tree in order to get leaves in 2 colours.

Using the 1 1/4" circle punch, I created 3 'windows' in the card front and stuck the trees to the inside of the card. The stamp-a-ma-jig enabled me to line up the sentiment in between the windows - what a fab tool that is!

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps - Trendy Trees, Wow Flowers
Ink - Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Pretty in Pink
Cardstock - Whisper White, Taken with Teal, Chocolate Chip
Other - Sweet Pea designer paper, 1 1/4" Circle punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig.

New colours!

2010-05-04T18:29:00.009+01:00

Stampin' up! have announced that we can buy 11 new products starting this month, featuring 3 of the fab new colours that will be in the new catalogue in October. Cardstock, inkpads and GORGEOUS polka dot grosgrain ribbon are available in Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry and Soft Suede:

Then there's Cottage Wall designer paper and some beautiful window sheets:
Please get in touch if you're as impatient to try some of these new products as I am!

A late bird

2010-04-29T00:17:00.002+01:00

I've had this stamp for ages but for some reason it's never seen ink (oops!) I thought I'd pair it with one of the fabulous Sweet Pea papers - I did have a struggle cutting into this pad as the designs are lush! Why oh why am I such a hoarder?

I've pleated the chocolate chip ribbon then stapled it down, and stamped at the bottom of the card with the swirly stamp in pumpkin. I haven't put a sentiment on, but when I decide to use the card I think a sentiment punched out with the word window punch will look just right!

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Whimsical Wings
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Taken with Teal
Cardstock: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie
Other: Sweet Pea designer paper, Chocolate Chip 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Scalloped border punch, staples (non-SU).

2010-04-16T20:32:00.003+01:00

I thought I'd make a card using some of the Bold Bright colours as the last few posts seem to be a bit kraft-obsessed! I must admit that the Earth Elements family is probably my favourite and the Brights my least favourite - I don't do bright in real life either :)

The card is pretty self-explanatory - several of the circle circus stamps done in turquoise, 2 shades of green and gray (sing New Model Army song here!) Green galore card base, gray mat and turquoise ribbon, then glorious green scalloped circle with gray mat and sentiment in turquoise on white CS, popped up on dimensionals (ooh, what a surprise!)

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps - Circle Circus, Circle of Friendship
Ink - Tempting Turquoise, Green Galore, Glorious Green, Basic Gray
Cardstock - Whisper White, Green Galore, Glorious Green, Basic Gray
Other - 1 1/4" Circle punch, 1 3/8" Circle punch, Scalloped Circle punch, Stampin' Write Markers, Tempting Turquoise 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals.

A colour renovation!

2010-04-08T20:34:00.005+01:00

You've probably read the news as it's all over blogland, but Stampin' Up! are having a colour renovation! In the past 2 years, Stampin' Up! have been researching colour trends and conducting surveys amongst SU demonstrators and customers in order to update the SU colour palette.

The new colours will be arranged into four collections: Subtles, Brights, Regals, and Neutrals. You will see 25 of our current colours remaining, and fifteen new colours will be added to the core colour lines. So when the new catalogue comes out in October, some of the current colours will retire and new ones will take their place. 5 new 'in-colours' will also be available this year, and 5 colours next year. These 'in-colours' will be available for 2 years before retiring for more up-to-date colours. Here are the NEW collections:

And as Stampin' Up! products co-ordinate so well, we can look forward to a whole new range of fabulous ribbons, buttons, papers and accessories in some of the 'core' and 'in' colours! Here are the colours that we will be saying a fond farewell to in October:

But don't panic if your favourite colour is retiring - you have 6 months to get your craft area full to bursting point with cardstock, and inks, and ribbons, and everything else. We all know that crafters NEED so many things (wink, wink!) Please feel free to get in touch if there's anything you would like to start stockpiling :)

Another vintage card

2010-04-07T11:41:00.003+01:00

Here's another card made with the new set, Vintage Vogue. I've made a Z-fold card of brocade blue cardstock, layered with vanilla cardstock and Bella Bleu designer paper. The vanilla CS inside the card has been stamped in brocade blue ink with the border stamp available in this set. I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to get the borders lined up correctly!

The muted colour of the small flowers and swirly vines has been achieved by stamping off once before stamping onto the vanilla and brocade blue panel. The sentiment is from Wonderful Words, stamped in black to make it stand out more. The larger flowers have been inked with bordering and brocade blue onto vanilla cardstock, cut out and attached to the centre panel. Large pearls from the pretties kit accent the flowers, and some vanilla taffeta ribbon adds extra interest to the left hand panel.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps - Vintage Vogue, Wonderful Words
Ink - Bordering Blue, Brocade Blue, Basic Black
Cardstock - Brocade Blue, Very Vanilla
Other - Bella Bleu designer paper, vanilla taffeta ribbon, pearls fron Pretties kit, corner rounder punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig, dimensionals.

Challenges!

2010-04-04T20:21:00.007+01:00

As promised, here's a card made using one of the sets from the new mini catalogue. It's called Vintage Vogue and I think it may become one of my most used sets, the images are so gorgeous! I decided to participate in a few challenges with this one. The Creative Card Crew challenge is a vintage/aged theme, and over at Just Add Ink the challenge is to use the following colours.

I didn't manage to upload the card by the deadline for Just Add Ink, but that's the great thing about challenges - you can use them for inspiration at any time!

A blush blossom panel has been stamped with the Very Vintage wheel using close to cocoa ink, and coloured using a blender pen with coral and cocoa ink and a white gel pen. This has been layered with a cocoa scalloped mat and kraft ribbon onto a kraft cardbase. The friend stamp has been inked using coral and cocoa markers and stamped onto blush blossom cardstock with a cocoa mat. The edges of the layers have been distressed to give a more vintage feel to the card.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps - Vintage Vogue, Very Vintage Jumbo Wheel
Ink - Close to Cocoa, Cameo Coral
Cardstock - Kraft, Blush Blossom, Close to Cocoa
Other - Scallop Edge punch, kraft taffeta ribbon, white gel pen, dimensionals.

It's Mini time!

2010-04-01T17:10:00.005+01:00

Today's the first day to order from the new Stampin' Up! mini catalogue! There are loads of fab new products - take a look using the link to the right, and feel free to get in touch with me if there's anything you would like to order. My list gets longer every time I look :)

I'll be back soon with a card using one of the new sets!

A Sale-a-Bration card

2010-02-20T00:13:00.004Z

Oops, didn't do a good job with this photo - looks a bit Tower of Pisa! But you get the gist. Fab little birdcage from one of the SAB sets this year (you can get them for free! Contact me for more information)

I've used chocolate chip and bordering blue marker pens to colour the cage and bird respectively, and stamped onto Confetti white cardstock. The sentiment has also been stamped in chocolate chip ink and a bordering blue mat attached to this layer of cardstock. A little bow of kraft ribbon has been attached using a rhinestone brad (thanks Monica for the inspiration!) A piece of the gorgeous Bella Bleu designer paper has been added to a bordering blue layer, punched with the eyelet border punch. 3 little 1/4" circles of blue cardstock, covered with crystal effects, help balance the layout. Card base is Confetti white.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps - Happy Moments
Ink - Chocolate Chip, Bordering Blue
Cardstock - Confetti White, Bordering Blue
Other - Bella Bleu designer paper, Eyelet Border punch, rhinestone brad, kraft taffeta ribbon, 1/4" circle punch, Crystal Effects, dimensionals.

His Lordship's Valentine

2010-02-15T22:36:00.006Z

I think I've taken the 'Clean and Simple' to heart LOL!! The simplest card ever - kraft cardstock with a scalloped edge, 2-coloured sentiment and a stamped cardstock heart on dimensionals, with paper piercing around it. Oh, and don't forget that twine!!

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps - Loads of Love, Paisley BG
Ink - Chocolate Chip, Real Red
Cardstock - Kraft, Real Red
Other - Scallop Border punch, Heart to Heart punch, Linen thread, Paper-Piercing tool, dimensionals.

A valentine!

2010-02-04T21:21:00.006Z

I made a card using the sketch featured on the Clean and Simple stamping blog this week. It's very similar to the example card, I've just changed the colours/sentiment and rotated the layout so that I could fit the sentiment on. I think I'll be using this sketch again as it's very adaptable, and the 'simple' layout would probably appeal to the male of the species.

It's hard to see in this photo (rubbish weather here in the North East, just for a change!) but the coloured squares have been stamped using various background stamps with Versamark and popped up on dimensionals. After I took this photo, I decided the card needed a little something extra so I stamped the red heart again, cut it out and added crystal effects to produce a shiny finish. When dry, I layered it over the stamped heart using dimensionals. Weather permitting, I'll take a photo tomorrow of the updated version!

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps - Whimsical Words (SAB set), Darling Dots (L1 Hostess set), Paisley BG, Medallion BG, En Francais BG
Ink - Basic Black, Versamark, Real Red
Cardstock - Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Basic Gray, Real Red
Other - Whisper White satin ribbon, Crystal Effects, dimensionals.

2010-01-15T14:07:00.004Z

The weather is so horrible that I'm having trouble getting a decent picture of my recent creations, so in true Blue Peter style, here's one I made earlier! This was a card for my Stampers 6 group to thank them for participating. If you would like to know more about a Stampers 6 club, please get in touch.

The tree trunks have been stamped using chocolate ink and the leaves, which is a seperate stamp, using several different coloured inks. I used the brilliant Stamp-a-ma-jig to line up the trunks and leaves perfectly. A chocolate mat has been added, and these layers raised up on dimensionals to create depth. The pumpkin layer is designer paper on another chocolate mat with a scalloped edge. The word window punch was used to cut out the ruby red sentiment. A little knot of striped ribbon finishes the card nicely.

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

Stamps: Trendy Trees
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Ruby Red
Cardstock: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive
Other: Summer Picnic designer paper (retired), Old Olive striped grosgrain ribbon, Scalloped border punch, Word Window punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig, dimensionals.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T19:50:00.002Z

Hope you're all having a fabulous Christmas! I'm still feeling too full to eat my pudding - dinner was later than expected. His lordship forgot to put the oven on, so Mr Turkey crown didn't start to get warm till I got home from work! I overcooked the veg (again) but the yorkshires, roast potatoes and homemade stuffing were spot-on so I'm happy. Off to have ANOTHER glass of fizzy stuff and a lie on the sofa!

The 12 blogs of Christmas!

2009-11-21T09:49:00.007Z

If you're following the '12 blogs of Christmas', you should have arrived here from Lorraine's blog. Don't forget to visit all the blogs - there will be some great ideas for you to try yourself.

Here is my Christmas project - an organiser for your Christmas shopping trips. I've left the front plain but I think I'll add some of the stamped poinsettias later to make it a bit more colourful.

The notepad is handy for jotting down present ideas, or keeping track of clothes sizes for your nearest and dearest. The file compartment can be used to store all your receipts in one place, just in case Granny decides she would rather have a green hat instead of the blue one you've bought her! If you're inspired to make an organiser of your own, I'd love to see it!

PS Sorry about the terrible photos - will try to get some better ones when the light is better!

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

Stamps - Season of Joy
Ink - Real Red, Old Olive
Cardstock - Real Red, Old Olive, Whisper White
Other - Chipboard (non SU), Old Olive designer paper, Old Olive striped grosgrain ribbon, silver elastic cord, notepad(non SU), pen (non SU)

For the next port of call on the '12 blogs of Christmas' blog cruise, please visit Theresa's blog.
Hope you see something to inspire you on the blog cruise!

It's HOW long??!

2009-11-20T21:23:00.003Z

I can't believe so much time has gone by since I last posted! I must admit that I haven't been too productive lately, but 4 weeks??! I've got nothing to post today, but if you come back tomorrow I'll be taking part in a '12 blogs of Christmas' blog cruise.

There will be 12 blogs showing something with a Christmas theme and a link to the next blog on the cruise. Hopefully you'll find something to inspire you if your mojo has gone walkabouts at the crafter's busiest time of the year.

Monchromatic monolayer!

2009-10-24T11:36:00.003+01:00

Here's a one layer card, something I don't do very often as I find it difficult not to add bits and bobs! This would be good for mass production as there aren't too many steps involved. Or how about experimenting with different colour schemes?

I created a mask by cutting an oval aperture in a piece of scrap paper, then placed this over my piece of white cardstock. The trees were then stamped through the aperture using artichoke ink (the edges of the image are on the scrap paper, not the cardstock). While the mask was still in place, I daubed round the edges with pastels. The mask was removed and the sentiment stamped in artichoke ink, and the bottom edge of the cardstock pierced. The artichoke ribbon was added before the white layer was added to an artichoke card base.

Get your sunglasses on!

2009-10-18T08:52:00.005+01:00

I was playing with my new Circle Circus set and decided to step out of my comfort zone and go bright! And I really like the result! This set of 10 stamps features circular images that co-ordinate brilliantly with the different size punches in the catalogue. Here I've used just one stamp with 3 different inks and cardstock and 2 punches - I used the sketch challenge 235 on SCS for inspiration.

The sentiment has been coloured using markers, and a rhinestone brad adds a bit of bling!

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps - Circle Circus, Wow Flowers
Ink - Pink Passion, Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise
Cardstock - Whisper White, Pink Passion, Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise
Other - 1 1/4" Circle punch, 1 3/8" Circle punch, Stampin' Write Markers, Circle Fire Rhinestone brad, dimensionals.

Let's try again

2009-10-12T17:35:00.004+01:00

I had to make this card twice - our current foster dog, Vicky, seems partial to a bit of paper every now and then. Chewing the free newspaper and the post (usually bills!) I can cope with, but stealing my cards off the bookcase and slobbering on them is going a step too far! I think I'll use the next shelf up from now on :)

Products used (All Stampin' Up!):

Stamps - Carte Postale, A Rose is a Rose
Ink - Always Artichoke, Real Red
Cardstock - Always Artichoke, Whisper White
Other - Real Red designer paper (from hostess paper pack), Scallop Border punch, Scallop Circle punch, 1 3/8" Circle punch, Theatre ribbon pack (retired), dimensionals.

Autumnal bird

2009-10-09T16:34:00.004+01:00

I've been creating, but unfortunately the photos are on OH's camera so I'll post another card I made a while ago. The bird has been gently coloured using an aquapainter and ink, and a marker used to ink the sentiment (from the Oval All stamp set).

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

Stamps: Touch of Nature, Oval All
Ink: black Stazon, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Always Artichoke
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Really Rust, Close to Cocoa
Other: Sweet Cider designer paper, Old Olive 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Nestabilities (non-SU), brads (non-SU), Aqua Painter, dimensionals.

Goodbye Carte Postale!

2009-10-05T23:53:00.006+01:00

Last week I decided to have a final play with some of the sets that didn't make it into the new catalogue. Here's a quick and easy card using Carte Postale, a set that really lends itself to elegant cards I think - I'm sad to see this set retire. The caramel card has been stamped with the french script background stamp and the edges sponged with caramel ink.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!)

Stamps: Carte Postale, French Script
Ink: Not quite Navy, Creamy Caramel
Cardstock: Creamy Caramel, Very Vanilla
Other: Not quite Navy Designer paper (from hostess paper pack), sponge daubers, twine, dimensionals.

A sketch card

2009-10-02T08:13:00.002+01:00

This is the card I made using the Verve anniversary sketch here. I actually started this on the night the sketch was posted - I did all my stamping and punching and cutting layers, then when I came to put it all together, I couldn't find the large half-circle layer. I got a bee in my bonnet and proceeded to spend the next 2 hours looking for the darn thing! It would have been quicker to just do it again! I eventually found it about a month later tucked away with my scraps of chocolate chip cardstock, so needless to say it was glued down pretty sharpish before it could escape again.

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

Stamps - True Friend
Ink - Chocolate Chip
Cardstock - Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Kraft
Other - Bashful Blue designer paper, Kraft designer paper (from hostess paper pack), nestabilities (non-SU), dimensionals.

More Blog candy!

2009-10-02T07:51:00.002+01:00

If you would like the chance to win more blog candy, go visit Bev Rochester! She's got some gorgeous Christmas candy to give away.

A Blog hop!

2009-09-30T22:01:00.004+01:00

To celebrate the launch of the 2009-2010 catalogue, Stampin' Up! issued 3 well-known crafters with a challenge. They each received a parcel containing products from the new catalogue, and had 6 hours to create to their hearts content. Then at the stroke of midnight, they could post their creations on their blogs in a Stampin' Up! blog hop! To join in the fun, just visit the following blogs and leave a comment for a chance to win some blog candy, donated by Stampin' Up!

Lousette
Jenny
Suzanne

Good luck! And if you don't win, hope the ideas inspire you to get stamping!

General card

2009-09-30T13:53:00.002+01:00

I haven't included a sentiment on this card so it can be used for a variety of occasions. It would work as a card for those awkward males in our lives, or a sympathy card perhaps. The edges of the cardstock have been sponged with not quite navy ink, and the top layer is popped up on dimensionals.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!)

Stamps: Carte Postale
Ink: Not quite Navy, Old Olive
Cardstock: Old Olive, Very Vanilla
Other: Jumbo eyelet, sponge daubers, dimensionals.

More sweet cupcakes

2009-09-29T20:27:00.004+01:00

A simple card using the retiring Sweet Always paper, the image has been coloured using markers. Brads from my stash matched the Regal Rose cardstock.

Products used (all Stampin’ Up! unless stated):

Stamps – Crazy for Cupcakes
Ink – black Stazon
Cardstock – Whisper White, Blush Blossom, Regal Rose
Other – Markers, Sweet Always Designer Paper, brads (non -SU)

I know where my mojo has gone!

2009-09-27T12:51:00.006+01:00

For around the last 6 weeks, I have been suffering from a flare-up of my Ulcerative colitis which has not responded to treatment. Visiting the loo upto 20 times a day has resulted in a severe lack of creative energy here - my Mojo has been flushed away! Even my pre-order stamps from the new catalogue have failed to see ink. A week in hospital with more intensive treatment means I'm starting to feel better, but my mojo is still missing. I'll just stroke all my lovely stash and I'm sure it will be back soon, LOL! In the meantime, I have older cards to share with you once I get some photos taken.

But first I'd like to share 2 of the get well cards I received recently. This card is from Bev, the butterfly is lovely and sparkly in real life.

And this card is from Kerry, not a very good photo but it has the sweetest tiny coloured pearls on it (and a get well soon message!)

Thanks again for the cards and the flowers, they have been much admired!

A late Mojo

2009-09-08T22:08:00.006+01:00

Here's a card I made for last week's Mojo sketch. I'm not sure whether I like it or not - it seems a bit 'busy', or perhaps I'm in a CAS mood tonight! The pink strip under the sentiment and swirl panels has been cut with the scallop Border punch to give a ric-rac effect.

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

Stamps - Soft Summer, Best Yet, Carte Postale, Polka Dot background
Ink - Basic Black, Pink Passion, Pixie Pink
Cardstock - Basic Black, Whisper White, Pink Passion
Other - Scalloped Border punch, Nestabilities (non-SU), dimensionals.

We all knew it wouldn't last!

2009-09-03T21:54:00.004+01:00

I forgot to post yesterday, sorry! I did actually have something to post, but by the time I got back from card club it had slipped my mind (the mind is so small, that's quite easy to do, haha!)

The oak leaves have been coloured using an aquapainter and artichoke, mustard and cocoa inkpads. The artichoke paper is from the Tea and Crumpets pack, while the mustard is from the paper pad available as a Level 1 hostess gift. I wanted a sentiment that didn't distract too much from the image, and thought this sentiment from the Soft Summer set fit the bill nicely.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Soft Summer
Ink: black Stazon, Always Artichoke, More Mustard, Close to Cocoa
Cardstock: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip
Other: Patterns Pack Designer paper (hostess), Tea and Crumpets Designer paper, Earth Elements buttons, Linen thread, Aqua Painter.

Last chance list, and a card too!

2009-09-01T18:56:00.004+01:00

It's almost time for a new SU catalogue (October 1 st!) and to make room for the new goodies, we have to wave goodbye to some of the products in the current catalogue. The retirement list is here, there are some fabulous bargains to be had with upto 50% off some items. But you'll have to be quick - these are only available while stock lasts and with prices like these, I don't think that will be long! Please contact me if you would like to place an order or if you have any questions.

Here's a card a made for my good friend Kerry, whose birthday was in July. (She did receive it earlier than this, I promise! LOL!!) I must admit she was lucky to get it, I really love this card!

It's a Z-fold card and here's a piccie of it open. The flowers on the sentiment have been coloured using markers.

Products used (all Stampin’ Up!):

Stamps – Soft Summer, Oval All
Ink – Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Old Olive, Summer Sun
Cardstock – Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Very Vanilla
Other - Holiday Treasures Designer Paper, Scallop Oval punch, Oval punch, Chocolate Chip taffeta ribbon, Hodgepodge Hardware, Stampin' Write markers, dimensionals.

Two in a row!

2009-08-31T21:22:00.004+01:00

I'll keep it short'n'sweet as you're probably in shock!

Products used (all Stampin’ Up!):

Stamps – True Friend, Best Yet
Ink – Blush Blossom, Cameo Coral, Old Olive
Cardstock – Whisper White, Blush Blossom, Cameo Coral, Old Olive
Other – Scallop Border punch, Scallop Oval punch, Oval punch, 1/4" circle punch, Crop-a-Dile

Where has the summer gone?!!

2009-08-30T19:33:00.005+01:00

I can't believe it's so long since I've posted! The end of term, birthday parties, rainy holidays and another bout of illness have just eaten up the last few months. But I do actually have some cards to show you, now that I've organised myself enough to take the photographs!! But I'm going to spread them out a bit so it looks like I've blogged a lot to make up for my lapse LOL!!

I decided to use the card theme of the sentiment and incorporate playing cards into the layout. These are simply blue designer paper on white cardstock, with the corners of each layer rounded using the corner rounder punch. The man has been coloured using markers, and the sanded background stamp has been stamped on the red layer using Versamark to create texture. For the lower mat and the scalloped layer, I've used Bordering Blue rather than the Bashful Blue of the designer paper (just because it provides a bit more contrast).

Products used (all Stampin’ Up!):

Stamps – Golden Oldies, Sanded
Ink – Black Stazon, Versamark
Cardstock – Whisper White, Bordering Blue, Real Red
Other - Scallop Oval punch, Oval punch, Corner Rounder punch, Bashful Blue Designer Paper, Marvellous Markers, dimensionals

June promotion

2009-06-04T11:56:00.006+01:00

The promotion for June and July is a free background stamp when you host a workshop with orders of £250. See the link on the right hand side to see the flyer.

I haven't been very productive recently, so here's a card I made a while ago but haven't posted on here. Thank you cards are always useful to have handy, and the colours and style used for this card mean it could be used for a variety of recipients.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps - True Friend
Ink - Brilliant Blue
Cardstock - Whisper White, Brilliant Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Bashful Blue
Other - Summer Picnic designer paper, Star punch, dimensionals.

Another birthday card

2009-05-14T20:03:00.003+01:00

Another lady in my Stamper's 6 group has a birthday this month - Bev has just handed in loads of work for her degree course so she can celebrate her birthday guilt-free today. Congratulations on your 30th birthday Bev, hope you're enjoying the freedom from studying!

The cupcake has been paper-pieced with 2 different Sweet Always designer papers and the sprinkles have been highlighted using a white gel pen. The candle is cut from pink cardstock and the flame coloured using a yellow marker. The sentiment has been computer-generated as I don't have any number stamps (something else to add to the never-decreasing wishlist!) I HAD to use my new oval punches on the card as I've been waiting for them for ages - they have been so popular that Stampin' Up! completely sold out of them! They are back in stock so order yours now.

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

Stamps - Crazy for Cupcakes
Ink - Basic Black, Barely Banana
Cardstock - Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink
Other - Sweet Always designer paper, Scallop Oval punch, Large Oval punch, white gel pen, nestabilities (non-SU), Chocolate Chip double-stitched grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals.

May promotion

2009-05-08T20:33:00.003+01:00

I've neglected to let you know about the May promotions from Stampin' Up! The first one is buy any three packs of Designer Series paper from the 2008-2009 Idea Book & Catalogue or the list below (£7.75 each) and get one FREE!

Item #	Description
115157	Ski Slope Designer Series paper (from Mini Catalogue)
115158	Tea Party Designer Series paper (from Mini Catalogue)
115307	Washington Apple Designer Series paper (from Mini Catalogue)
110091	Brocade Background Designer Series paper *
109936	Cutie Pie Designer Series paper *
110093	Petals & Paisleys Designer Series paper *
109940	Fall Flowers Designer Series paper *
109938	Dashing Designer Designer Series paper *
109944	Le Jardin Designer Series paper *
110094	Wintergreen Designer Series paper *
109946	Brilliant Blue Prints Designer Series paper*
109948	Certainly Celery Prints Designer Series paper*
109949	Close to Cocoa Prints Designer Series paper*
109951	Pumpkin Pie Prints Designer Series paper*
109953	Rose Red Prints Designer Series paper*
111108	Old Olive Prints Designer Series paper*

*While supplies last; see 2008-2009 Idea Book & Catalogue, p. 93

The second promotion is a special demo starter kit aimed at scrapbookers, available for a limited time at the price of £99. More details can be obtained from the flyer at the right hand side, or contact me for further information!

Pink Petals Mojo

2009-05-08T15:01:00.004+01:00

Here's a birthday card I made for a lady who comes to the card club I run. I don't think she reads my blog, but just in case - Happy Birthday Jan! It's another Mojo sketch, link here. I knew which set I wanted to use but it took quite a bit of head-scratching and re-arranging before I came up with something I liked!

The photo isn't brilliant, so I'll explain what I've used. Three different papers from the Tea Party collection have been matted onto white cardstock, the mat for the left hand panel has a scallop edge. The saffron striped grosgrain ribbon runs under a panel of pink textured cardstock before being tied in a knot. The flowers have been stamped onto 2 different pink papers and cut out, then stuck to green cardstock sepals and added to the white square along with a leaf (one flower is popped up on dimensionals). I didn't add a sentiment, but I think a small stamped tag hanging from the ribbon knot would look nice.

Products used (all Stampin' Up! ):

Stamps - Playful Petals
Ink - Black Stazon
Cardstock - Whisper White, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink textured
Other - Tea Party designer paper, So Saffron 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon, Scallop Edge punch, dimensionals.

Bright balloons

2009-04-27T16:14:00.007+01:00

Looks like I spoke too soon about the weather, it's cold and miserable again today - oh the joys of an English spring! Recovering from a night shift with a 4 year old in the house doesn't add to my sense of well-being either, roll on September and full time school! Here's a card that would be suitable for a child made using the balloon from Crazy for Cupcakes.

The card base is saffron which has been stamped with the blower stamp using saffon ink. The balloon has been stamped twice on watercolour paper using black Stazon, coloured with re-inkers and an aquapainter then this layer matted onto green cardstock. A turquoise scallop circle with green and white layers provides a mat for the sentiment, stamped in black on green cardstock. Two little 'tabs' have been added to the top left of the panel using saffron striped grosgrain ribbon.

The colour inspiration for this card is the Rainbow Sherbert designer paper, combining turquoise, saffron and two shades of green. I don't have this paper as the colours are out of my comfort zone, but seeing them together on this card may change my mind - they look very bright and 'zingy'! And now is the ideal time to stock up on your designer papers, as they are the subject of the May Stampin' Up promotion - buy any three packs of Designer Series paper and get one FREE!

Products used (Stampin’ Up! unless stated otherwise) :

Stamps – Crazy for Cupcakes, Sincere Salutations
Ink – black Stazon, So Saffron, Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise
Cardstock – Watercolour paper (non -SU), So Saffron, Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise
Other – Aquapainter, circle punches (1", 1 1/4", 1 3/8", scallop), So Saffron 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon

Spring has sprung!

2009-04-21T16:45:00.004+01:00

It actually feels like spring has finally arrived in the North East, so I was inspired to make a card using spring-like colours. Very simple card, ideal for mass production if you've got a few birthdays (or other occasions) coming up. The gorgeous Tea Party designer paper (available in the new mini) has been added to an amethyst card base, after creating a scalloped edge on both layers. The sentiment has been stamped in black Stazon on white cardstock with a pink mat, and the striped ribbon wrapped round the cardstock and tied in a knot. The striped ribbon is also from the new mini, and is lovely and soft - perfect for tying. It's available in So Saffron, Pretty in Pink and Bashful Blue.

The flower has been stamped in black Stazon, coloured with re-inkers and a watercolour brush, then cut out. A small pink brad has been added to the centre and the flower petals curled slightly, then added to the white panel using dimensionals.

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

Stamps - Playful Petals, sincere Salutations
Ink - Black Stazon, Almost Amethyst, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron
Cardstock - Whisper White, Almost Amethyst, Pretty in Pink
Other - Tea Party designer paper, So Saffron 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon, Scallop Edge punch, brad (non-SU), dimensionals.

New mini catalogue!

2009-04-02T11:15:00.002+01:00

Don't forget that you can now order from the new mini catalogue! These products are only available until 30th September, unless they make it into the new catalogue (out on 1st October) so if you like something then buy it now! To see the mini, please use the link on the right hand side. Please get in touch if you have any questions, or if you would like to place an order from the main or mini catalogues.

My demo pre-order from the mini has been sitting un-inked as we've been decorating - hopefully DS2 won't draw on the walls again (I wouldn't mind if he stamped on them!) He's got a session at the school nursery this afternoon, so I may get a chance to get those stamps inked after all. Fingers crossed!

Another challenge card

2009-03-15T19:51:00.004Z

Here's a card I made for a challenge on Kate and Steph's new blog, A Passion for Papertrey. The challenge was to make a one layer card, something I very rarely do (those layers are handy for hiding little mishaps!) I must admit that I struggled with this one - none of the embellishments I wanted to add looked right, so the end result is truly a one layer card! Please excuse the bad photo, I couldn't take the picture till late this afternoon.

The swirly leaves are embossed in gold, as is the sentiment, then the leaves have been coloured using green ink. The flowers have been stamped in pink ink and the little butterfly in pearlescent blue.

Products used (Papertrey Ink unless stated otherwise):

Stamps - With Sympathy, Out on a Limb sentiments
Ink - Versamark, Ripa Avocado, Raspberry Fizz, Pearlescent Sky Blue (Brilliance)
Cardstock - Stampers Select White
Other - Gold embossing powder (SU).

Sweet cupcakes

2009-03-12T15:48:00.003Z

Crikey, I've managed to complete a challenge the same week it was posted!! I think I need a lie-down to recover! Another Mojo Monday challenge (sketch 77) - I always check Julee's blog for the sketch but don't always get time to play along.

As ever, the card is pretty self-explanatory. The cupcake has been embossed in white on chocolate and pink cardstock, then the different parts cut out and stuck together, then popped up on dimensionals on the circular panel. It's hard to tell from the picture, but the sprinkles have been coloured using ink and a blender pen.

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

Stamps - Crazy for Cupcakes
Ink - Versamark, Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose, Pumpkin Pie
Cardstock - Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Pumpkin Pie
Other - Sweet Always designer paper, white embossing powder, Scallop Edge punch, nestabilities (non-SU), brads (non-SU), dimensionals.

Goodbye Sale-a-bration!

2009-03-04T10:12:00.009Z

Well the Sale-a-bration promotion is over but hopefully you got at least one free set ( don't you just LOVE free stuff?!) The promotion in March is for 25% off chipboard - not quite as good as free but which other companies come up with as many different promotions as Stampin' Up! do? There's link on the right for further details on the chipboard promotion.

Here's a card I made with one of the SAB sets, Botanical Blooms. My background stamps have been sadly neglected recently as I try to use my designer papers, so I dusted off the Paisley background to use in this card.

Products used (all Stampin’ Up!):

Stamps – Botanical Blooms, Paisley, Sincere Salutations
Ink – Pumpkin Pie, Apricot Appeal, Always Artichoke, Mellow Moss
Cardstock – Very Vanilla, Always Artichoke
Other – 1/4" grosgain ribbon (Pumpkin Pie, Always Artichoke), Gold brads

Another Mojo sketch

2009-02-10T21:46:00.006Z

I've combined a couple of challenges in the creation of this card: the colours are taken from ILWS colour challenge 17 (Old Olive, So Saffron and Pumpkin Pie) and the layout is from Julee's Mojo Monday (sketch 69). I've also managed to use up some of the lovely designer papers I've been hoarding - these have all now retired and I'm on a mission to use them!

The flowers have been stamped in black Stazon on white cardstock and coloured using a blender pen and inkpads, cut into a circle then matted onto a black cardstock circle. Three panels of designer paper have been added to a black cardstock layer, then added to the white base. Gold brads have been used to attach the felt flowers to a small black circle, which have then been arranged between the two lower blocks of colour. TIP: If you attach the flowers and circles to the main black layer BEFORE it's attached to the white base, then you won't see the 'legs' of the brads inside your card.
I haven't added a sentiment to this yet, and can't decide whether to leave the card without one, or to add one to the white area on the right hand side of the flowers. What do you think?

Products used (all Stampin’ Up!):

Stamps – Simply Said
Ink – black Stazon, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron
Cardstock – Whisper White, Basic Black
Other – Blender pens, Designer Paper (Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Petals and Paisley), Felt Flowers (Accents and Elements), Gold brads

A Sale-a-Bration card

2009-01-20T20:59:00.009Z

The layout for this card is using Julee's Mojo Monday sketch 70 here. I am going through a circle phase at the moment so this sketch caught my eye immediately! The flower and leaf stamps used are from Botanical Blooms, one of four stamp sets you can get FOR FREE during Sale-a-Bration in January and February. A link to the online Sale-a-Bration leaflet is on the right hand side, please contact me if you require further information.
I've used Confetti White cardstock for the card base and white layers - it has small flecks of colour embedded into it, like handmade paper, but is still smooth enough to stamp on.

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

Stamps - Botanical Blooms, Best Yet
Ink - Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive
Cardstock - Confetti White, Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive
Other - Old Olive 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, nestabilities (non-SU), dimensionals

Love-ly rose card

2009-01-17T19:27:00.005Z

Here is a card made with one of my new stamp sets, a Rose is a rose. This set contains several beautiful images of roses in various stages of development from the bud to the fully open flower. There are also leaves in the set and a sentiment.

The card itself is pretty self-explanatory, except to say that the small flowers in the background have been created using coral ink which has been 'stamped off' (ink your stamp then stamp onto a piece of scrap paper, then onto your cardstock). Although it's hard to see in the photo, the main image has been popped up on dimensonals.

Products used (Stampin’ Up! unless stated otherwise):

Stamps – A Rose is a Rose, Wonderful Words
Ink – Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Cameo Coral
Cardstock – Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Very Vanilla
Other - Nestabilities (non SU), Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla taffeta ribbon, dimensionals

Time flies........

2009-01-16T19:58:00.002Z

....when you're eating mince pies! Hope you all had a fab Christmas and Santa was good to you! I love the end of December (my birthday, Christmas then New Year and my youngest's birthday), but it's all a bit frantic and bad for the waistline, so January has a certain calmness that I need! I've even made some cards, but unfortunately haven't been able to get decent photos due to the weather on my days off. Fingers crossed I'll get some taken tomorrow and I'll get them posted on here.

A Christmas card!

2008-12-10T15:35:00.008Z

Well I have finally made a start on my Christmas cards! I just haven't been able to get in the swing of things this year (note to self: avoid surgery prior to major birthdays and festivals wherever possible!!) So here's a nice and easy one I made using a sketch from Poetic Artistry as inspiration, it is for Mojo 63 here. This is a brilliant site to visit, Julee has great sketches and posts a slideshow of the cards for each sketch.

The chocolate chip base is a standard A6 size. A piece of designer paper has been added to a piece of ruby red cardstock which has a scalloped edge, and chocolate grosgrain ribbon is wrapped round this layer. The 2 white panels are matted onto olive cardstock: the tree has been stamped in olive ink , the sentiment stamped in chocolate ink. Result: a simple card that could be enhanced using embellishments to give a special card - how about some brads, glitter or a ribbon slider? The choice is yours!

Products used (all Stampin’ Up!):

Stamps – Season of Joy, Best Yet
Ink – Old Olive, Chocolate Chip
Cardstock – Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Ruby Red, Whisper White
Other - Scallop edge punch, Holiday Treasures designer paper, Chocolate Chip 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals

Blue Christmas

2008-11-17T20:01:00.008Z

Here is a Z-fold card that I made before I went into hospital and forgot to post. These cards are really easy to make but look a little bit different to the more common landscape or portrait layout. An A4 sheet of navy cardstock has been cut in half lengthways, folded in half and the front folded back on itself to create the card base. A piece of pale blue designer paper has been added to the card front. The sentiments panel has been embossed in silver on pale blue cardstock, matted onto a navy panel and mounted onto the left-hand side of the base. Make sure you only apply adhesive to the left-hand side of the navy panel or your card won’t open! A piece of white cardstock has been placed on the inside of the card and a swirl stamped round the outer edge in pale blue ink (leaving room to write a message).

Punches are used to create the little medallion which keeps the card shut – pale blue cardstock with a silver-embossed snowflake is layered onto white then navy scalloped cardstock. The medallion is raised on dimensionals to allow the card front to be tucked underneath.

PS Sorry for the photo quality, the weather is very dark and miserable today and my editing skills are non-existent!

Products used (all Stampin’ Up!):

Stamps – Season of Joy
Ink – Versamark, Bashful Blue
Cardstock – Night of Navy, Bashful Blue, Whisper White
Other – silver embossing powder, scallop punch, 1 3/8” circle punch, 1 1/4 “ circle punch, Cutie Pie designer paper (retired), dimensionals

I am still here, just not stamping!

2008-10-20T20:48:00.003+01:00

Sorry for being a bad blogger (again!) Hopefully I'll be recovered fully from my op soon and can stamp again - it's driving me bananas not being able to do anything! Hope you're enjoying the new SU catalogue - just e-mail me if you don't have a copy yet!

Happy Birthday Stampin' Up!

2008-10-03T09:36:00.006+01:00

This month marks Stampin' Up!'s 20th anniversary and to celebrate, they are offering 20% off several stamp sets in the new catalogue when you spend £20.

More details are posted here. This promotion runs until October 31st, so if you would like to order anything please e-mail me.

Orchid heartfelt friendship (ILWS challenge)

2008-09-10T10:08:00.005+01:00

This card was made for a challenge on the In love with Stamping forum, which was to use the colours elegant eggplant, certainly celery and orchid opulence. I am trying to take part in more challenges, preferably at the time the challenge is posted but I'm not promising anything! If you are stuck for inspiration, try a challenge - it can really get you thinking and using your supplies in a different way.

The card base has been folded at the top and covered with celery designer paper. The flower has been stamped on white cardstock with orchid and celery inks, and the outline stamp using eggplant and olive inks. (A stamp-a-ma-jig has been used to get the position correct). A flat-backed pearl on a small circle of eggplant cardstock makes up the flower centre. This white oval has been placed on an eggplant scalloped oval, and this glued to the base card.

A piece of white cardstock has been stamped with orchid ink using the Linen stamp, and the sentiment stamped over the top using eggplant ink. A scalloped circle of eggplant cardstock has been cut in half and attached to either side of the sentiment, and small flat-backed pearls have been added as an accent.

Products used (all Stampin’ Up!):

Stamps – Heartfelt Thanks, Linen, Wonderful Words

Ink – Orchid Opulence, Certainly Celery, Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive

Cardstock – Whisper White, Orchid Opulence, Elegant Eggplant

Other – flat-backed pearls, ¼” circle punch

Ooops, missed a few days!

2008-08-28T12:08:00.007+01:00

Slightly later than planned, a picture of Pepper and another card. She has gone to live with a lovely couple who already have 2 dogs, the 3 year old will now have a playmate and leave the 14 year old alone! The house seems very quiet without her - well, as quiet as it gets with 2 boys running around!

And on to the card.

The olive branch has been stamped in black Stazon on watercolour paper and coloured using a watercolour pen and inks. The edges of the panel have been sponged using olive ink to create a softer look. The panel underneath has been created the same way, with the sentiment stamped on black Stazon and the panel edges sponged with olive. Four silver brads have also been added. Both panels have been matted onto eggplant cardstock, and the branch layer has been attached to the base using dimensionals. The olive card base has been stamped using the leafy frond in olive ink.

Products used (all Stampin’ Up!):

Stamps – Touch of Nature
Ink – black Stazon, Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant
Cardstock – watercolour paper (non-SU), Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant
Other – silver brads

Sorry!!

2008-08-24T20:41:00.002+01:00

I'm such a bad blogger! Why is this time of year so frantic? End of school activities, a holiday and being short-staffed at work results in no tome to blog - oh, and a lost camera. I found the camera so hoping the weather will be reasonable enough tomorrow to get some photos taken (the cards are made, honest!) We've got a dog show first, with someone coming to see our foster dog. I think they'll fall in love with her, she is SO pretty - will try to post a picture of Pepper too tomorrow. Our dog will certainly miss her if she goes - she doesn't give him a minute's peace!!! See you tomorrow, hopefully.

Simply pumpkin

2008-07-17T16:45:00.003+01:00

This is a 5” square card made using pumpkin cardstock. A piece of olive designer paper has been added, and a small strip of pumpkin designer paper added to one side with a small piece of olive ribbon tucked underneath. The flowers have been stamped in black Stazon on white cardstock and coloured using a blender pen and inkpads. All three of these layers have been matted onto black cardstock to provide definition. The sentiment, which is from the Three for You punch box, has been stamped in black Stazon in the bottom right hand corner of the card.

Products used (all Stampin’ Up!):

Stamps – Simply Said, Three for You punch box
Ink – black Stazon, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive
Cardstock – Whisper White, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie
Other – Blender pens, Designer Paper (Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive), Old Olive 5/8” grosgrain ribbon

plum carte postale

2008-06-25T14:36:00.003+01:00

Today’s card has a monochromatic look. The base card is Perfect Plum covered with a piece of pale plum which has been stamped with the script background stamp in pale plum ink. The square flower image has been stamped 3 times with pale plum ink and 6 times with perfect plum ink. The paler flower image has been cut using a 1¼” circle punch and placed over the darker stamped image using dimensionals. The small flower has been cut out of the remaining 3 darker images and positioned in the middle of the pale flowers.

These 3 squares have then been attached to a piece of white cardstock (stamped with linen in pale plum ink) on a layer of perfect plum. The sentiment has been stamped in perfect plum on pale plum cardstock, and layered onto a larger circle of perfect plum cardstock. A metal embellishment (tied with white ribbon) attaches the sentiment to the card.

Products used (all Stampin’ Up!):

Stamps – Carte Postale, French Script, Linen
Ink – Perfect Plum, Pale Plum
Cardstock – Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, Whisper White
Other – White grosgrain ribbon, Hodgepodge hardware, 1 ¼” circle punch, 1 3/8” circle punch

Sympathy card

2008-06-16T11:13:00.003+01:00

No-one likes sending sympathy cards, but letting someone know that you are in their thoughts can be very comforting.

This card is a standard A5 card made using caramel cardstock. The flowers have been coloured using burgundy and olive inkpads and stamped onto white cardstock – this is a bit fiddly and would be a lot easier with markers, but unfortunately I don’t have them yet so I used the inkpads. The edges of the cardstock have been sponged with caramel ink before being matted onto burgundy cardstock. The sponge daubers make sponging very easy - just pop one onto your finger, tap onto an inkpad and sponge the colour onto your image. The sentiment has been stamped in burgundy ink on white cardstock, which has then been matted onto olive.

Products used (all Stampin’ Up!):

Stamps – Close as a Memory
Ink – Bravo Burgundy, Creamy Caramel, Old Olive
Cardstock – Whisper White, Bravo Burgundy, Creamy caramel, Old Olive
Other – Sponge daubers

Summer's finally here!

2008-06-10T11:34:00.004+01:00

The beautiful weather has inspired me and the card below is what I came up with. The little girl reminds me of lovely sunny days and carefree summer holidays - those were the days!!

I chose colours from the Soft Subtles colour group to give a light feel to the card. The little girl was stamped on white cardstock with black Stazon and coloured using inkpads and a watercolour pen. A small mat of lavender cardstock makes the image 'pop' against the celery designer paper. The sentiment is from the same stamp set, and the colours of the layers under it tie in with the colours used on the image (the scallop has been raised on dimensionals). A wire spiral with a small piece of pink taffeta ribbon attached finishes the card off.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Summer by the sea
Ink: black Stazon, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Lavender Lace
Cardstock: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Lavender Lace
Other: Certainly Celery Prints designer paper, Hodgepodge Hardware, Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle puch, scallop punch

Chipboard flower

2008-05-23T12:58:00.004+01:00

Here is a very simple card made using chipboard. The 'love' sentiment was stamped using olive ink on white cardstock. The chipboard flower has been covered in rose red designer paper and trimmed to give a neat edge, and the leaf done the same way using olive designer paper. These have then been positioned on the card so that the sentiment looks like the flower stem. The cardstock has been pierced in the corners, then added to the rose red card base.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps - Wonderful Words
Ink - Old Olive
Cardstock - Rose red, Whisper White
Other - Prints Designer paper (Rose Red and Old Olive), Chipboard (Blossoms and Basics)

Many thanks!

2008-05-22T15:46:00.011+01:00

I decided to make several cards with the same design, but using different colours of cardstock and ink. These would be ideal to package as a small gift, and altering the sentiment would mean that the recipient has a supply of ready made cards for several occasions ready to hand. There is a card for each colour family, each card using several colours from that particular family.

The flower stamp has been inked using a colour for the flower and green for the stem, then stamped several times on white cardstock. The ‘heartfelt’ sentiment has been added using black Stazon, the image matted onto matching green cardstock then mounted onto the coloured card base using dimensionals. The ‘thanks’ sentiment has been stamped in the matching ink for a subtle effect. A small piece of grosgrain ribbon has been tied to the oval-shaped clip, which has then been added to the side of the image panel.

Products used (all Stampin‘ Up!):

Stamps – Heartfelt
Ink - Pixie Pink, Green Galore, Pale Plum, Mellow Moss, Ruby Red, Old Olive, So Saffron, Always Artichoke, black Stazon
Cardstock – Pixie Pink, Green Galore, Pale Plum, Mellow Moss, Ruby Red, Old Olive, So Saffron, Always Artichoke, Whisper White
Other – Hodgepodge Hardware, ¼” grosgrain ribbon

Fluttering butterflies

2008-05-16T18:19:00.006+01:00

This card was inspired by one in an older Stampin' Up catalogue. The card base is sage with a strip of vanilla added to the bottom. The join is hidden by a piece of chocolate grosgrain ribbon which has been threaded with a piece of hardware. The sentiment is stamped in chocolate, and the bottom butterfly in sage. The butterfly above the ribbon has been stamped in chocolate on close to cocoa cardstock, then cut out and attached with dimensionals to give a bit of height. The flowers have been stamped in chocolate on vanilla cardstock, the centres coloured with sage ink and a watercolour pen, and placed onto the card (one of the flowers is also on dimensionals). If I was making this card again, I would probably use a background stamp (perhaps Canvas or En Francais) to add some texture.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Touch of Nature
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow
Cardstock: Sage Shadow, Very Vanilla, Close to Cocoa
Other: 5/8" Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, Hodgepodge Hardware

Another oak card

2008-05-15T20:30:00.006+01:00

Here is another card made using the Lovely as a Tree set. As I said in a previous post, this set really lends itself to many occasions and is brilliant for a man's card, whether it be birthday, anniversary, thank you etc.

The oak leaf and acorn have been coloured using watercolour crayons on white cardstock. 2 jumbo eyelets have been added to the green panel, and a piece of string (non- SU!) has been threaded through them. The rust card has been stamped with rust ink using the Sanded background, and the sentiment stamped in black Stazon to make it more prominent.

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

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Sincere Salutations, Sanded BG
Ink: Black Stazon, Really Rust
Cardstock: Really Rust, Garden Green, Whisper White
Other: Watercolour Wonder Crayons, jumbo eyelets, string (non-SU)

Brown silhouettes

2008-05-09T17:01:00.000+01:00

Here is a card I made using Garden Silhouettes. This is such a beautiful set of stamps which can be used for a wide variety of cards but, as it is a Hostess set, you can only get receive it by holding a qualifying workshop. So what are you waiting for?! Book a workshop with a Stampin' Up demo today and get your hot little hands on this set!

The image was stamped in chocolate ink onto pink cardstock, then stamped again without re-inking the stamp. This produces a paler image and is known as 'stamping off'. This layer has been lightly sponged using chocolate ink to soften the edges slightly, and the corners have been cut using a circle punch to show off the pierced corners of the chocolate layer underneath. This has then been placed on a white cardstock base, with the sentiment stamped in chocolate. A square spiral (is there such a thing?!), complete with a knot of pink taffeta ribbon, has been to added to complete the card.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Garden Silhouettes, Sincere Salutations
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip
Other: Hodgepodge Hardware, Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon

Kickstand card

2008-05-08T14:09:00.009+01:00

Here is a slightly different card style for you to try, it is called a kickstand card. The card base is folded at the top and a portion of the bottom of your card front is cut off, then a panel added. The panel can be any shape you like - round, oval, square, or rectangular as seen here.

A piece of Cutie Pie designer paper has been added to the front of the rose red card. The image, stamped in black Stazon on white cardstock, has been coloured using inkpads and a watercolour pen, but markers could also be used. This has been matted onto a piece of banana cardstock, and the bottom edge lined up with the bottom of the card base to ensure the card stands securely. Make sure you don't place any adhesive on the bottom part of the panel or the card won't open - trust me, the voice of experience! The sentiment was stamped in black Stazon on celery cardstock and placed on the kickstand panel.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Simply Said
Ink: black Stazon, Rose Red, Certainly celery
Cardstock: Whisper White, Rose Red, Barely Banana, Certainly Celery
Other: Cutie Pie designer paper

Watercoloured oak tree

2008-05-04T21:00:00.001+01:00

Here is a card I made using one of the stamps from Lovely as a Tree. This set is really versatile - it can be used for Christmas cards, sympathy cards and cards for men (always difficult!)

The oak tree has been stamped on watercolour paper with black Stazon, then colored using watercolour crayons. These are really easy to use and blend beautifully. The colour can be added in several different ways:

draw over the image with different coloured crayons, then use a watercolor pen or brush to blend the colours together,
run the damp watercolour pen or brush over the crayon and use like proper watercolours.

The main image has been layered onto mustard and green cardstock and added to the navy card. A strip of mustard cardstock, with the sentiment from Sincere Salutations stamped in navy, has been added to the side of the image. The leaf from Lovely as a Tree has been stamped in navy ink over the navy card, though this is difficult to see in the picture.

Products used (all Stampin' Up! unless stated)

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Sincere Salutations
Ink: Not quite Navy
Cardstock: More Mustard, Garden Green, Not quite Navy
Other: watercolour paper (non SU), Watercolour Wonder Crayons

May special offer

2008-05-03T11:47:00.000+01:00

Here's a great special offer from Stampin' Up! During May, if you buy a pre-selected stamp set, you will receive the co-ordinating jumbo wheel at half price. Here are the sets included in this offer:

Carte Postale bundle - includes Carte Postale stamp set and the Leaves a la Carte jumbo wheel (pages 56-57) £29.93
Seeing Spots bundle - includes Seeing Spots stamp set and the Spot On jumbo wheel (page 52) £19.93
Polka Dots & Paisley bundle - includes the Polka Dots & Paisley stamp set and the Petals jumbo wheel (page 51) £22.93
Close as a Memory/Vine bundle - includes the Close as a Memory stamp set and the Watercolor Vine jumbo wheel (page 40) £22.93
Close as a Memory/Joy bundleIncludes the Close as a Memory stamp set and the Watercolor Joy standard wheel (page 40) £21.93

The wheels are really easy to use - simply place the wheel on the correct size handle, roll over your inkpad, then over your cardstock. Alternatively, ink cartridges are available to produce a continuous image - this enables you to use the wheels for your scrapbook pages or to create your own customised wrapping paper.

Here is a card I made using the Leaves a la Carte jumbo wheel.

The wheel was inked using a Rose Red inkpad, then rolled over the white cardstock. This was trimmed and placed on a mat of Rose Red cardstock, then a piece of white 1/4" grosgrain ribbon was tied round and knotted. This was then attached to the coral cardstock base, and the sentiment (from Sincere Salutations) stamped in Rose Red to complete the card. Nice and easy!

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: leaves a la Carte, Sincere Salutations
Ink: Rose Red
Cardstock: Whisper White, Cameo Coral, Rose Red
Other: white 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

Baby bears

2008-05-02T21:04:00.001+01:00

Here are two cards I made in different colours using the same stamp and layout.

The bear image has been stamped in black Stazon on white cardstock, coloured using a watercolour pen and inkpads, then mounted on a mat of Brilliant Blue or Rose Red cardstock. A piece of Petals and Paisley designer paper in the appropriate color has been added to the Bashful Blue/Pretty in Pink cardstock base, with a piece of the blue/pink taffeta ribbon knotted just above the designer paper.

The sentiment has been stamped in Brilliant Blue/Rose Red, then punched out with the 1 1/4" circle punch and mounted on a 1 3/8" circle mat of Brilliant Blue/Rose Red. An eyelet enables the tag to be suspended from the ribbon using a silver thread.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Bundle of Joy
Ink: black Stazon, Brilliant Blue, Rose Red
Cardstock: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Brilliant Blue, Pretty in Pink, Rose Red
Other: Bashful Blue and Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon

Coral Lovely

2008-04-30T11:45:00.004+01:00

Here is a card I made using the hostess set Oh, So Lovely. Old Olive cardstock has been used for the base, with a piece of the Olive Prints designer paper matted on black cardstock forming the next layer. A smaller piece of coral cardstock has been stamped with coral ink using the Canvas background stamp to provide a subtle texture, then matted onto black cardstock. The sentiment was made using two stamps from the Sincere Salutations set. There are several ways to get partial images from a stamp:

use markers to colour the part you want to stamp
mask off (or cover) the part of the image you don't want to stamp, then use your inkpad as normal. Remove the mask then stamp.

The image, stamped onto white cardstock, was then coloured using a watercolour brush with the coral and olive inkpads. This was then layered onto black cardstock and mounted using the foam pads to create dimension.

Products used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Oh So Lovely, Sincere Salutations, Canvas
Ink: Black Stazon, Cameo Coral, Old Olive
Cardstock: Cameo Coral, Old Olive, Whisper White, Basic Black
Other: Old Olive Prints designer paper

I'm still here!

2008-04-30T11:42:00.000+01:00

Sorry it's taken me so long to update my blog but I've had some computer problems, then a bad cold/chest infection drained what little energy I've got. I'll try to do better in future!