Exciting news from Stampin' Up!

Yay! Stampin' Up! are releasing their very own stamping platform! This is a fabulous tool to help you with your stamping if you have dexterity issues holding a wood-mount stamp or acrylic block. It's also fabulous for batch-making a particular card as the image will be in the same position EVERY time.

Here is a YouTube video explaining a little bit more about the Stamparatus.

Stamparatus YouTube video

The Stamparatus will be available to pre-order during 3 seperate reservation windows. It is hoped that staggering the orders like this will avoid the item going on backorder. Reservation quantities are while supplies last only.

RESERVATION WINDOWS	AVAILABLE TO SHIP
16–30 November 2017	Approx. 1 February 2018
5–30 December 2017	Approx. 19 March 2018
15–30 January 2018	Approx. 15 April 2018

Please get in touch if you have any questions or need help with your pre-order!

PS I have some cards to share when I can get some photos taken!

For the non-romantics

I had planned to make this card as a Valentine's Day card, but didn't get it finished in time. I thought it was ideal for those romantics in life who hate slushy sentiments!

A card base of Crumb Cake cardstock, some black Urban Underground speciality DSP and a panel of Whisper White cardstock (embossed with the Hexagons dynamic embossing folder) provides the background. Sentiments from the Nailed It stamp set have been embossed in white onto Basic Black cardstock, then die cut using one of the dies from the Build It framelits set. Another die from this set has been used to cut the saw from silver foil and Soft Suede cardstock. I even added some cute little silver nails to the bottom sentiment panel!

I'm really sorry to post this after some of the retiring items sold out so quickly - I really thought this suite would carry over to the Annual catalogue :( I think I'll be hanging onto mine for a long time to come, those pesky men are hard to cater for!!

Delicate details dragonfly

Here's a card made using one of the items you could earn for free during the Sale-a-Bration promotion, the Delicate Details stamp set. I have used the emboss resist technique for the background - the stamps have been embossed using Versamark and white embossing powder onto Whisper White cardstock, then Soft Sky ink has been sponged over the top. The ink has been added gradually to produce an ombre effect - i.e. strong colour fading in intensity as it moves down (or up!) the page. A black mat provides definition against the Soft Sky cardbase.

The dragonfly has been stamped in black Stazon ink onto vellum cardstock, then cut using the corresponding die. I added Soft Sky and Marina Mist ink to the back of the dragonfly, then glued the body to a white dragonfly base. I also added some Wink of Stella to the wings, hopefully you can see a bit better in the photo below.

The sentiment, from Birthday Blooms, has been stamped using black Memento ink onto Whisper White cardstock which has then been cut using a stitched circle die. 

Dino-riffic Dijon Dinosaur!

Now there's a tongue twister to get your teeth around! Luckily the card it represents is nice and easy :) This would be great for any creature-loving kids (like my great-nephew, who is obsessed by dinosaurs) and it's easy enough to add a die cut number on there to make them feel extra special.

I have used one of the papers from the Urban Underground speciality DSP pack for the background, with a black mat on a card base made from thick Whisper White cardstock. Check this paper pack out - there are some fabulous designs, great for the men in our lives but also to bring a little touch of class to a project.
I used the No Bones about it stamp set to create the cute dinosaur, stamped in Basic black and Delightful Dijon inks. The sentiments have also been stamped in Basic black, one onto the paper and another onto a circle of Whisper white cardstock matted onto a circle of black cardstock and adhered to the card using dimensionals to create some depth. 

I now have an online shop so if there's anything you like, just follow the link highlighted and shop from the comfort of your armchair! There's also a link at the top of the page. Thanks :) 

Take care, Claire xx