Merry Christmas!

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!

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!

Thank you

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!

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!

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.
  

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!

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.

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

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!

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!

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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!

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.