A World of Stamp & Inks

What a Great Day we had

2012-02-14T22:23:00.002Z

A huge thank you to everyone that attended Lisa’s & my self's Stampin' Up Extravaganza event on Saturday. We're so glad that you braved the freezing Temperatures to join us.

We worked you hard & here is the evidence of it………

but we hope that you enjoyed the projects that we shared with you.

As promised here are the pictures of all the projects with the product Listings for easy reference.

We spent the morning making a birthday card box that started life as a cat food pouches box.

Then inside the box we made monthly dividers with a dated calendar on them, so you can add the birthdays for each month.

Product Details

1 cat food box, the type the food pouches come in.

Cardstock

124391 Pool Party £6.25

121693 Pear Pizzazz £6.25

106549 Whisper White £7.50

Ink

115657 Soft Suede £4.95

122938 Pool Party £4.95

119784 Pear Pizzazz £4.95

Stamps

115358 Just Perfect Alphabet £20.95

127155 (W) Spiced Paisley £20.95 ( Spring Mini )

125817 (C) Spiced Paisley £16.95 ( Spring Mini )

Designer Series Papers

124003 Spice Cake £9.95 ( Spring Mini )

Tools

119873 3/4” Circle Punch £9.75

119868 1” Circle Punch £9.75

115971 Blossom Party Die £16.50

119882 Scallop Edge Punch £14.25

119864 Round tab Punch £15.50

That took us most of the morning so after a short lunch break we were ready to start the first of the six cards that we made.

The inspiration for this card came from Monica & Bekka at a recent Stampin' Up Training event. Thank you for sharing Ladies.

Product Details

Cardstock

124391 Pool Party £6.25

108601 Pumpkin Pie £6.25

Designer Series papers

126154 Everyday Enchantment (Sale-A-Bration)

Ink

105216 Pumpkin Pie £4.95

Tools

122362 Lace Ribbon Border £18.25

119883 Full Heart Punch £15.50

Stamps

123777 You are Loved £28.95 (W) £22.95 (C)

Accessories

119247 Basic Pearls £4.50

118481 Crochet Trim ~ Victoria £6.25

Product Details

Ink

122939 Calypso Coral £4.95

Cardstock

124392 Calypso Coral £6.25

124391 Pool Party £6.25

106549 Whisper White £7.50

Designer Series papers

126154 Everyday Enchantment (Sale-A-Bration)

Stamps

Fresh Vintage 125115 (W) 125117 (C) (Sale-A-Bration)

Tools

119275 Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border £14.25

116631 Paper Piercing Tool £3.50

105826 mat Pack £8.50

Accessories

118481 Crochet Trim ~ Victoria £6.25

117273 Antique Brads £5.50

Product Details

Cardstock

Soft Suede 119982 £6.25

Very Vanilla 106550 £7.50

Pool Party 124391 £6.25

Ink

River Rock 109010 £4.95

Chocolate Chip 100908 £4.95

Accessories

Blossom Party Die 115971 £16.50

Boho Blossom Punch 119858 £15.50

Mini Silver Brads 122941 £2.95

Victoria Lace Trim 118481 £6.25

Stamps

Fruit & Flowers 122605 £18.95 (W) 122607 £14.95 (C)

( Spring Mini Catalogue)

Fresh Vintage 125115 Sale-a-Bration

Product Details

Cardstock

Soft Suede 119982 £6.25 Very Vanilla 106550 £7.50 Pool Party 124391 £6.25

Ink / Stampin’ Write Pens

Pumpkin Pie

Pear Pizzazz

Chocolate Chip

Designer Series Papers

Spice cake 124003 £9.95

Accessories

Designer Buttons - Spice cake 124113 £6.50

Basic Pearls 119247 £4.50 Victoria Lace Trim 118481 £6.25

Tools

1 1/4” Circle Punch

Blossom Party Sizzix Die 115971 £16.50

Stamps

Fresh Vintage Sale-A-Bration 125115 (W) 125117 (C)

Build A Blossom 121923 £24.95 (W) 121994 £19.95 (C)

Products

Cardstock

Very Vanilla 106550 £7.50

Pear Pizzazz 121693 £6.25

Ink / Stampin’ Write Pens

Pumpkin Pie ink pad 105216 £4.95

Stampin’ Write Pens

Pumpkin Pie

Pear Pizzazz

Chocolate Chip

Designer Series Papers

Spice cake 124003 £9.95

Accessories

Designer Buttons - Spice cake 124113 £6.50

Basic Pearls 119247 £4.50

Tools

Fun Flowers Die 121812 £28.95

Word Window Punch 119857 £14.25

Modern Label Punch 119849 £15.50

Stamps

Fresh Vintage Sale-A-Bration 125115 (W) 125117 (C)

Product Details

Cardstock

Island Indigo 124390 £6.25

Very Vanilla 106550 £7.50

Pool Party 124391 £6.25

Ink

Island Indigo 122937 £4.95

Tools

Lace Ribbon Border 122362 £18.25

Accessories

Ribbon Baja Breeze Seam Binding 122331 £6.25

Stamps

Fresh Vintage Sale-A-Bration 125115 (W) 125117 (C)

I really hope those of you that were able to share the day with Lisa, Abi, Paul & I had great fun, we value your feedback so please let us know your thoughts.
The next All day Stampin' Up Extravaganza is on Sunday 29th April booking for this event is now open.
Dont forget that Sale-A-Bration is now on & that means FREE stamp sets can be earned until 31st March 2012.
If you would like further information on events, Products or becoming a Stampin' Up demonstrator please contact me.

Day 7–Showcasing Sale-a-bration–Sprinkled Expressions

2012-02-11T09:00:00.000Z

My last post this week again uses the Sale-a-bration set Sprinkled Expressions. The colour scheme was inspired by this months colour challenge on In Love with Stamping – Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz & Perfect Plum, this is a combination I have never used before but I’m sure I will use it again.

I used my marker pens to add colour to the sentiment stamp & to also add the extra stars out of the main image.

The photo corners were made by cutting up a Curly label punch as explained by the next photo, the dashed lines represent the cut lines.

Supplies

Stamps: Sprinkled Expressions

Card & Ink: Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz, Perfect Plum

Punches: Curly label (119851), Scallop oval (119856), Large Oval (119855)

Day 6 - Showcasing Sale-a-brations –Sprinkled Expressions

2012-02-10T09:01:00.001Z

I know I should really have used one of the other stamps from this set for this post but I could not resist making my own version of this card http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/2120613?&cat=22352

I used the small hearts from the top of the sentiment stamp, with the help of my trusted Stamp-a-ma-jig to make the border across the card. The Sentiment is from one of my old favourites Sincere Salutations.

Supplies

Stamps: Sprinkled Expressions (w125130, c125132), Sincere Salutations (105156)

Card & Ink: Garden Green, Lucky Limeade

Punches: Decorative Label (120907)

Day 5 - Showcasing Sale-a-brations –Sprinkled Expressions

2012-02-08T09:00:00.004Z

I loved yesterdays layout so much that I’ve made another version of it. This time I’ve added some extra products – Red Glimmer paper (which is not a true description as its more like card than paper) & my favourite pearls.

I have to admit that this card did take longer to make as I wanted the glimmer card to appear through the heart which meant taking my scalpel & cutting out the heart. I made sure I also saved the smaller hearts that appear in the middle of the main image so I could stick them back on my glitter heart & using glue I added red glitter from the Fine Galaxy collection (114286) to the hearts tumbling out the bottom.

The other punched out hearts were made using the Small Heart punch (117193) with the ones made out of the glimmer paper being raised on Dimensionals (104430). These are the only 3D foam pads that I use now as they are the only ones I have found that do not discolour my card or fall off after a few months.

Supplies

Stamps: Sprinkled Expressions (w125130, c125132)

Card: Cherry Cobbler (121681) Whisper White (106549)

Ink: Cherry Cobbler (119669)

Punches: Scallop Trim Border (118402), Small Heart (117193)

Misc.: Glimmer paper (121790), Pearls (119247), Fine Galaxy Glitter collection (114286), Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430)

Day 4 Showcasing Sale-a-bration - Sprinkled Expressions

2012-02-06T14:06:00.007Z

This week I’m going to concentrate on another Sale-a-bration set. This one is called Sprinkled Expressions (w125130, c125132) & again this set could be yours for FREE when you spend £45 on any current Stampin’ Up products.

As you can see this set consists of 6 stamps – 3 images & 3 really cute sayings so this makes a really useful set to have in your stash.

Taking just 1 of the images plus its matching sentiment here is something I saw originally on someones blog (when I find the blog again I'll link it here). I have tweaked the original design & here's my version:

The ribbon is in the current catalogue & comes in 10 super colours & if that is not good enough they are all double sided which in effects gives you 20 choices.

If you want to own each of the colours that will cost you £69.50 but for only £7.50 you can have a metre of each colour if you take part in my ribbon share. Let me know if you want to take part but be warned I only have 5 shares left.

Supplies

Stamp Set: Sprinkled Expressions

Card: Cherry Cobbler (121681) Whisper White (106549)

Ink: Cherry Cobbler (119669)

Ribbon: 1/2” Scallop Dots in Cherry Cobbler (124138)

Punch: Scallop Trim Border (118402)

Day 3 Showcasing Sale-a-bration - Fresh Vintage

2012-02-04T09:00:00.002Z

For the final day of showcasing this stamp set I’ve again used the papers that compliment this set. I used the colours from the background paper to colour my main image in so it all matches beautifully.

I cased this card from here: http://thestampcamp.com/blog/01/16/sale-a-bration-sneak-peek/

I did want to add an extra layer behind the main stamped image before I layered it on the new 2-3/8” scallop punch & as the 1-3/4” scallop circle punch was slightly too small I cut it into quarters & added them to the back like this ….

Please note you will need 2 scallops to do this but I think the result is worth it.

Supplies

Stamps: Fresh Vintage (w 125115, c125117)

Papers: Everyday Enchantment (126154)

Card: Pool Party (124391), Poppy Parade (121694), Whisper White (106549)

Punches: 2-3/8” Scallop (118874), 1-3/4” Scallop (119854), 1-3/4” Circle (119850)

Misc. : Pool Party, Poppy Parade & Lucky Limeade Markers, Pool Party 3/8” Ruffled Ribbon (122975)

Day 2 - Showcasing Sale-a-brations - Fresh Vintage

2012-02-02T10:53:00.001Z

Today I decided to keep the card very simple & to stick to 2 colours only – the classic Black & White.

The background was made using the new wheel – Love Blossoms (123839) from the new Spring Mini. If you would like one of these Minis then please contact me.

This main image is just so beautiful & even though the background wheel was not made to go with this set I think it complements it beautifully.

Supplies

Stamps: Fresh Vintage (w125115, c125117), Love Blossoms Stamping Wheel (123839)

Inks: Basic Black (101179)

Card: Basic Black (121688) Whisper White (106549)

Misc. : Standard Stampin’ Around Handle (102971)

Back at Last……..

2012-01-31T10:47:00.002Z

Well after a break of far too long I seemed to have the problems with this blog finally resolved and what a time to be able to start posting again.

If you have not heard yet Stampin Up are giving away some lovely goodies for FREE.

I can hear you now asking how….Well that's easy all you have to do is place an order of £45 or more before 31st March & then you get to choose a FREE stamp set or some lovely papers ….AND this year the paper is 12” x 12” Yippee!!!

So this week I’m going to show case one of the free sets – Fresh Vintage (125115). This is a lovely set consisting of 5 stamps & if that's not good enough for you the FREE papers you can get match this set perfectly.

So here's my first card for you.

I’ve used 3 of the stamps & if you look closely you can see part of one of the delicious paper I was talking about. And for my ladies who attended my class on Sunday, Yes I have cut into the paper that I was stroking so lovingly.

I’ve used one of Glimmer in color brads for the of this image. It adds that extra bit of bling & it matches the backing paper perfectly.

Supplies

Stamps: Fresh Vintage (w 125115, c 125117)

Papers: Everyday Enchantment (126154)

Card: Lucky Limeade (124388), Pool Party (124391), Whisper White (106549)

Ink: Pool Party (122938), VersaMark (102283)

Misc.: Gold Embossing powder (109129), Postage Stamp Punch (122344), In Color Glimmer Brads (121005)

Recent All day Event

2010-11-04T12:55:00.002Z

Last Sunday saw my 3rd all day Stampin Up event which I run in conjunction with 2 other demos – Lisa & Michelle. Once again the event was great fun.

Here we are before the event started. I meant to have got a picture at the end of the day as I can assure you we did not look this fresh.

Here is a closer look at our display.

And these are some of the projects we did during the day.

Lastly these are just some of the lovely ladies who attended all showing off their bags they made. I’m so jealous of them as they are much better than my effort.

If you like what you see & want to book a provisional place at our next event in February then get in touch with me.

Ornament Punch

2010-10-16T20:20:00.000+01:00

I’ve been playing with the new ornament punch & to get some more ideas I searched the internet & here are some of my favourites:

I did not note where the original ideas came from so if one of these are your designs than thank you for the inspiration.

Kelling Cards

2010-10-14T22:20:00.010+01:00

Sorry for taking so long to post these. I just got to grips of Windows live & then I made the mistake of accepting a recent update & then could not fathom out to blog using it arghhhhhhh.

Here are the cards as promised.

Card 1

On this card we stamped using the Fine Flourish (115709) & versamark ink before embossing with white embossing powder (100963). We then overstamped again using a butterfly from Flight of the Butterfly (111564) & embossed it carefully again with white embossing powder. You do need to be careful not to burn your previous embossing.
It was then coloured from the underneath before finally being cut out.

On the border strip you will notice 3 pearls which are from our new basic pearls. I'm sooooo excited about them, they come ready glued & you get 150 in a pack. Previously they were only available in the Pretties Kit & those of you who know me well, will know I loved the pearls so much that I resorted to sawing the pearl beads in the kit up so that I did not run out of my beloved pearls. So I'm now 1 very happy bunny :-)

Here is a close up of the butterfly

RECIPE
Card: Melon Mambo, Very Vanilla, Tempting Turquoise
Ink: Versamark, Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise,Crumb Cake
Stamps: Baroque Motifs (113490), Flight of the Butterfly (111564)En Francais (109521)
Punches: Butterfly(119848), Eyelet border (119853)
Misc: Basic Pearls (119247)

We then made 2 quick Christmas cards using the new Ornament punch & stamp set

Recipe
Stamps: Delightful Decorations (116517) Contempo Christmas (118734), Serene Snowflakes(115438)
Punch: Ornament (119847), Scallop Edge (119882)
Card & Ink: Real Red, Bashful Blue

Kelling group

2010-10-09T00:16:00.002+01:00

Well today I had the pleasure of teaching at a lovely craft group that meets at High Kelling in Norfolk.

I showed them 3 different cards using vellum card stock. We also used the new Ornament punch & the Delightful Decorations stamp set. Unfortunately I forgot to take some piccies of the cards we made before I lent them to one of my upliner for her open house tomorrow :(
So when I get them back on Monday I will upload them to this post then.

I know that some of the ladies read this blog so I just want to say thank you to them all for making me so welcome & once again the homemade cake you gave me at afternoon tea was delicious YUM YUM.

I have set these ladies a challenge to use the left over bits from the cards today on their own project & when I visit them again in November I will be awarding some prizes for the best entries - so that's something for me to look forward to.

Well I better continue getting ready for my 2 classes I have tomorrow & Sunday at Aylsham & Hethersett so I hope to see lots of you ladies there.

Halloween Version

2010-10-06T20:20:00.002+01:00

As promised here is the Halloween version of the bag I showed you yesterday. I’ve used punches to make the pumpkin (Oval large), bat (scallop square) & gravestone (extra large tag).

SUPPLIES

Punches – Large oval (119863), Scallop Square (119856), Extra large tag (119866)

Card – Old Olive, Basic Black, Whisper White, Basic Gray

Back at last

2010-10-05T17:00:00.003+01:00

I’m so sorry that it has taken this long to get back to blogging but you can appreciate that there has been a lot going on in my life recently but I’m back now & I promise to do my best to be a good blogger from now on & post regularly.

On Saturday I was invited to demo at a new craft group that will be meeting monthly here in Norwich. If you want more details about the group that just get in contact with me.

I did a couple of Make & Takes for the group & here is the morning projects which use a couple of our new stamp sets – Contempo Christmas & Delightful Decorations in conjunction with the brand new ornament punch.

The bag was shown to me by my friend & colleague Michelle – thanks Michelle. It uses Avon bags but any strong bag (i.e. Pick & mix bags) will do. I’ve done this bag on a Christmas theme but if you come back tomorrow I will post a Halloween version.

This view shows how the bag inside looks.

This is the card that we made to go with the bag & uses the leftover card from the bag. You may notice that the glitter I have used is blue but that Stampin Up do not sell blue glitter well I got it by using the reinkers (Tempting Turquoise in this case) to dye my Dazzling diamond glitter. A word of warning though, you need to use the SMALLEST drop of reinker unless you want to be like me & have enough blue glitter to supply the whole of the UK.

RECIPE

Stamp sets – Contempo Christmas (118734/120594), Delightful Decorations (116517), Serene Snowflakes (115438)

Punches – Ornament Extra Large (119847), Eyelet Border (119853)

Card & Inks – Bashful Blue, Riding Hood Red

Misc – Dazzling Diamond glitter, Classic Stampin’ Ink Refill

Thanks

2010-07-12T22:05:00.002+01:00

Well what a week I have had. Its been one of highs & lows.

The high was my birthday last Wednesday(7th) & I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who sent me birthday cards (especially the homemade ones), emails/ecards & facebook messages they all helped to make the day very special. I also received some lovely pressies from my family so I was thoroughly spoilt.

Unfortunately my low came on Friday when sadly my Father in Law passed away following a long illness. As he lived in Dorset & us in Norfolk it has meant my husband has been down there since last Thursday & will be there for the next 2 weeks trying to sort all the arrangements out.

This has meant I have become an overnight lone parent family to a very upset 8 year old daughter. The situation would have become unbearable if it were not for some very special people that I know. So I would just like to say a big thank you to all my friends who have supported me with their kind words, big hugs & late night phonecalls I really am eternally grateful to you all.

I'm afraid that until everything in Dorset is sorted I will not be posting but I hope you can understand the reasoning's & that you will visit this blog again in a few weeks time.

Wow what a weekend

2010-06-30T00:35:00.005+01:00

As you may have gathered from the title of this post I've had a rather busy weekend.

On Friday was my daughter's school annual fete & as I'm vice treasurer on the PTA & chief ice cream seller in the school my day was rather hectic. I did not stop from 7am until 8pm that day, but it was well worth it as it looks as though it may have been our best fundraising fete ever - YIPPEE.

Saturday saw me doing a home workshop for the lovely Jayne. Unfortunately we think mainly due to the heatwave, she did not have as many people attend the event as we hoped for, but those that did, including 2 crafting "virgins" did a great job on the projects we made. One of those virgins - Stephanie has even signed for the next all day Stampin Up Experience Day which is this Saturday.

On Sunday I then did a stall with my lovely upliner Lisa, her daughter Abby & 1 of the Mums from school Sally. The day was an absolute scorcher & unfortunately the attendance was not as great as the organiser had hoped for but at least we covered our pitch fee & even managed some profit. We all managed to get a tan as well which can't be bad.

Here are some pictures of our stall, which stood out a mile due to the beautiful bunting that Lisa makes. She has just started a company to hire or sell the bunting so if you want to know more let me know & I'll put you in contact with her.

From left to right we have Abby, Lisa & Sally
A close up of our SU display

Day 2 of Stamp Camp Remakes

2010-06-16T23:24:00.005+01:00

As promised here is another of my Stamp Camp remakes.

In the original we used a make of brush pens to apply the colours to the stamps, then before we stamped the images onto glossy card we used the kiss technique to apply the words to the stamp using silver ink. If you do not know what the kiss technique is, there is a clear tutorial here.

On my Stampin Up version I have used the lovely Vintage Vogue set from the mini catalogue, which conveniently has the words already incorporated in the design. I used the brush end of our marker pens to apply the colour to the stamps before using my Stamp-a-ma-jig to stamp the images onto Whisper White card stock. Looking at the top image on screen it appears crocked but I can assure you in real life it is straight.

As SU do not do a silver inkpad I used the new shimmer paint from the mini instead. I found the easiest & most precise way to apply it to my stamped image was to use a blender pen which we sell in packs of 3. Just remember to scribble off any excess ink after you have finished, to ensure you do not damage the pen as the ink will dry hard if left on any brush.

You can hopefully see in this picture what a lovely shimmer it gives to the finished card. I also used this same technique to apply the paint to my sentiment stamps before stamping.

Recipe

Stamps: Vintage Vogue (117690) Happy Everything (107375)

Markers: Elegant Eggplant, Lavender Lace, Orchid Opulence

Cardstock : Soft Suede, Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant

Misc: Shimmer paint in Platinum (116807)

Do remember to pop back soon for more Stamp Camp remakes.

Stamp Camp

2010-06-14T21:53:00.007+01:00

Some of you may have known that for the past 3 days I have been at Stamp camp where I got to be taught lots of different projects using non Stampin Up products.

I went with 2 friends & here they are hard at work. Smiling at the camera we have Veronika & trying to ignore me is Greta, who I know regularly reads this blog. It was Greta's first time at a Stamp camp & I think we nearly frightened her off when we said how hard you have to work.
We started classes at 8.30am & went through until 10.30pm stopping only for meals. This year was a lot more relaxed affair, as there were fewer attendees & I think we all enjoyed it all the more for it.

Here are some of the projects we made over the weekend. I loved making the mirror at the back, which is made up of lots of different techniques.

I thought as all the projects were made with non Stamping Up products it would be a nice idea to take some of the projects & make them again using only Stampin Up products. I will try to upload a project every couple of days but as I'm unable to schedule any posts please bear with me as I'm having to fit this around work & my other commitments.

So here goes with the first project. Here's what we made at camp:

And here's mine made with SU's Tart & Tangy stamp set (111514) & the words are from the Trendy Trees set (113258)

And this version uses one of the hostess sets from the mini catalogue called Studio Sketches & is only available to hostesses who have a workshop, so if you love this set then get booking those workshops.

Leaving Gifts

2010-06-07T21:01:00.003+01:00

Sorry I have no cards today but I thought you might like to see the beautiful presents the girls from my old ward bought me as a leaving present. They are just so me & everytime I wear them I will remember the fantastic team I had the priviledge to work with.
I also had a lovely time Saturday evening & I ate far too much but I did remain sober despite drinking rather a lot of cider!

One for the men

2010-06-03T18:52:00.004+01:00

What a surprise I had today when I visited my blog - my visitor counter had gone mad & when I looked more closely I saw I was having a huge volume of visitors from our friends over the pond. Being the curious girl that I am, I investigated your visits more & found I had been listed on this blog.

Well I can only say thank you to the blog owner Kelly for listing my little old blog there & having viewed some of the other blogs I feel it's a great honour to be listed amongst them so thank you again Kelly & I hope that my new visitors will take the time to comment on what they see & please visit again.

So today's card is a continuation from playing with my brayer yesterday, I think this card may be perfect for the man in your life. I've again used the lovely Autumn Days stamp set but this time I have used the partridge stamp.

To make the partridge different colours I've used both my inkpads & markers. I know a lot of people use just their markers to colour the stamp in but I found if I applied the green ink first using my inkpad & then coloured in the different colours with my markers I did not run the risk of any "white" areas appearing on my stamped images. Any contiamination of colours I got on my markers can easily be repaired by just scribbling the unwanted ink off on a scrap peice of paper.

Recipe

Stamps: Autumn Days (115452), Forest Friends (113748)

Inks: Bashful Blue, Gable Green, Green Galore, Summer Sun, Really Rust

Card: Tempting Turquose, Whisper White

Markers: Ballet Blue, Creamy Caramel, More Mustard, Garden Green

Paper: Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Stack (117161)

Ribbon:Chocolate Chip 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon (110111)

Hope you all enjoyed today's card & please do pop back soon to see what I've been up to.

It's a girl

2010-06-02T20:41:00.007+01:00

Well now I've got all your attention I hope you are all keeping well. I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who have sent me good luck messages & cards for my new job. I'm really starting to enjoy it although I still miss all the girls I use to work with, but I will get to see them all on Saturday as that is when my leaving do is (I know it's a bit belated but I had to be persuaded to have this one as I did not want a fuss made).

Today's card is a simple one using my brayer loaded with 2 colours to make the background. To ensure the background is a rectangle shape I used a stencil to brayer through. The pram is made using a 1" circle with a quarter cut out & then a scrap of white card punched with the scallop border punch.

To get the tree in 2 different colours I have used my markers to colour it in I then "huffed" on the stamp to reactivate the ink prior to stamping. I also used the ink on just the words on the stamp as I did not want the whole image.

Recipe

Stamps: Tree -Forest Friends (113748), Words -Fun & Fast Notes (113500)

Card: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink

Ink: Pretty in Pink, Gable Green, Bashful Blue

Misc: 1" Circle punch, Scallop Border punch, Buttons from Bold Brights set (103977), Markers in Glorious Green & Creamy Caramel

Autumn Days

2010-06-02T20:22:00.004+01:00

This post is going to seem really weird now & I was in two minds about posting it but it seemed a shame not to share it with you. I also knew if I left it until a later date I would only forget it totally & then you would never get to see it!

I think this card came about due to the awful weather we had yesterday - cold, wet & windy, it reminded me of Autumn hence the title of this post. This is in sharp contrast to today - hot & sunny hence why I was dithering about posting it.

I've used the rock & roll technique on the leaf in the card centre & the ribbon is the new Soft Suede colour, which I have to admit was not a favourite of mine but is slowly growing on me.

Recipe

Stamps: Autumn Days (115452), Polka Dot (109276)

Card: Soft Suede, Sahara Sand, Sage Shadow

Ink: Sage Shadow, Soft Suede

Ribbon: Soft Suede (115612)

Garden Greenhouse

2010-05-30T12:01:00.002+01:00

Hope you are all having a good weekend & have managed to dodge most of the rainshowers.

Here are a couple of quick cards using the Garden Greenhouse stamp set. As this a 2-step set you will need to use a Stamp-a-ma- jig to get the best results.

On this card I stamped a large sheet first then gradually I am cutting it up to make indivindual cards from it, so watch this space for the other cards I plan to make.

On this card I have just 3 of the flowers out & then mounted them onto the background made with the stems that are in the set.
RECIPE
Stamps: Garden Greenhouse (113824), Oval all (113790)
Cardstock & Inks: Apricot Appeal, Tempting Turquoise, Regal Rose, Handsome Hunter, Gable Green, Pretty in Pink, Brilliant Blue
Punches: Eyelet Border, Scallop Oval, Large Oval, Boho Blossoms
Ribbon: Regal Rose 5/8" Grosgrain

A little bit of Rock & Roll

2010-05-28T19:40:00.005+01:00

What a great afternoon I have had today.

I was invited to demo at Gem Crafts, which is a craft group who meet fortnightly at High Kelling, which is near the beautiful North Norfolk coast for those of you who do not know.

What a wonderful group of ladies they were. They really made me feel welcome & they spoilt me rotten with tea & a choice of 2 different cakes Yum Yum

They were all so enthusiastic to learn some new techniques so I decided to teach them the rock & roll stamping technique, which is explained really clearly here : http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/rock_n_roll/.

Here is the card I cased using this great technique

The colours used are Sage Shadow & Close to Cocoa which I love together & it also uses my new favourite stamp set - Vintage Vogue.

Unfortunately I did not have enough of the Sage Shadow card to demo it so I designed this card using the new Stamping Up colour Melon Mambo, which I am totally in love with despite not being a "pink sort of a gal".

And don't get me started on the new polka dot ribbon, which if you do not know is plain on the opposite side, so it's a 2 for 1 look YIPEEE........

RECIPE

Stamps: Vintage Vogue (117690)

Inks & Card : Melon Mambo (card:119980, ink:115656) Chocolate Chip (card:109982, ink:110065) Whisper White card (109899) Sage Shadow ink (110085)

Ribbon: 1/2" Polka Dot in Melon Mambo (115611)

Sweetpea card

2010-05-25T22:42:00.003+01:00

Hi everyone & so sorry about the lack of posts but for those who do not know I started a new job last week & I'm afraid that this has been taking up the majority of my time.

I have changed to a completly different field of nursing & I'm having to learn everything from scratch so until I find my feet my crafting has had to take a back seat but hopefully things will gradually improve.

I did find time today to play with my punches again & having seen some different flowers made from the punches on the web I came up with this card.

I do hope you like it.

Recipe

Punches - Butterfly (117404), 5-Petal Flower (112829), Extra-Large Two-step Bird (117191)
Cardstock - Pretty in Pink, Summer Sun, Regal Rose, Orchid Opulence, Lavender Lace,
So Saffron, Old Olive
Misc - Polka Dot Background Stamp (109276), Whisper White 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon,
Melon Mambo 1/2" Polka Dot Ribbon (115611)

Part 2 of the Mini Swap

2010-05-12T20:07:00.009+01:00

Sorry this is a couple of days later than promised as yet again my scheduled post did not work AHHHHHHHH!!!! If anyone has a solution to this problem PLEASE let me know what it is.

Here goes with part Two of the Mini catalogue swap.

We are on page 18 where we find...........
Bird on a Branch (113266)
This is a recent addition to my ever growing collection so I'm looking forward to playing with this later tonight & I just love what Tara has done on this card & I know I will be copying this layout.

By Tara

Page 20 - Serene Snowflakes (115438)

This is my contribution to the swap & its one of the card I used for blog hop. I love this set despite saying I did not need any more Christmas stamps but these snowflakes are just so LOVELY.....

By Sharon March (that's me in case you have not guessed yet!)

On page 22 we have several stamps & as you can buy these singularly they are all very affordable. So we are going to start near the top of the page (unfortunately no one did Flower Accent)

All a Flutter (118284)
Which is a lovely little butterfly that has such detail on it & at £4.95 is a bargain.

By Kara M

Next is Dasher (116816) now have you ever seen a more elegant reindeer?

And again I love the simplicity of this card by Diane .

By Diane P

Then we have Elegant Thank You (114484) The designer Margaret has taken the name to heart & made a very elegant card with very few supplies. Which just goes to prove the old saying "Less is more"

By Margaret Rose

Lastly on this page we find Sweet Birthday (115564). This stamp is versatile as you can use the script on its own, which is how Victoria has used it.

Page 23 has our new smaller background stamps, which are going to be great for those people who like me who have "small" hands & who find the usual background stamps a bit of a handful (sorry please forgive the pun)

A to Z (115711) is a small alphabet stamp that has been used as the background on the butterfly picture at the top of this page

By Linda

Next is Fine Flourish (115709) which you are going to love if you love the medallion stamp in the main catalogue.

By Sarah Makin

Lastly we have Dot, Dot, Dot (115332) as unfortunately we had no one doing the Solid Stripes sample.

On this card Clare has used the stamp in conjunction with our punches to give a different look again.

By Clare

Well that concludes our tour of the mini catalogue I hope you enjoyed all these cards & if you want to order anything then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Mini Swap

2010-05-10T20:31:00.010+01:00

I recently took part in a swap over on the forum In Love with Stamping. We all had to use one the lovely new stamp sets from the mini & I thought it would be lovely to share all the great samples I received. As there were quite a few cards involved I thought so you can savour them I will do this in 2 parts with part 2 tomorrow.

I also thought it would be nice if I gave you the cards in order of where the stamps appear in the mini so this can be you own virtual tour of the mini.
So here goes with Part 1

On Page 6 you will find the
Extra-Large Two-Step Bird Punch (117191)
I know this is not a stamp set but it was far tooooooo lovely to leave out of the swap.

ByKara Watson

Page 7 finds versatile - I {Heart} Hearts (117010) which coordinates with our heart from the main catalogue.
By Emma Crockett

Page 8 & 9 - Something Sweet (117688)
This set can make great cards when used in cojunction with the Sweet Treat Cups (116802)
But here my lovely downliner Sarah has used in another way & 2 of the cute fishies even "swim" around.

By Sarah Horan

Page 10 - Framed with Love (114389)
Another really versatile set that I think gets somewhat overlooked but I know I will be using a great deal

By Amanda Bates

Page 11 - The ever so cute Fox & Friends (117020)
> By Emma H

On page 12 you find My Sweet Pea (118506)

Which was one of the sets we used at my recent all day event

ByPat

Page 14 is where we find one of my favourites Vintage Vogue (117690)

We also used this at the all day event & it had to be the set that you all wanted to have. Carolyn has kept this card very simple but its still really elegant.

ByCarolyn

Page 15 has Tiny Tags (118091) which coordinates with the Medium Jewelry Tag punch (117190) which you can find on page 6
By Jan Jackman

And finally for today we come to page 16 & 17
Autumn Splendor (116503)
By Kirsteen Gill

Mays New Offers

2010-05-01T15:56:00.003+01:00

Look at all these new goodies on offer. Aren't they all just so lovely, I cannot wait to get my hands on them & if you want them to then let me know & I'll order them for you.

Some will only be available until 30th September or until stocks last so be quick to avoid disappointment.

Stampin Up Experience Day

2010-04-26T11:09:00.010+01:00

Sorry for the delay in uploading these lovely projects but I just do not seem to have the time to do everything I need to do - Can anyone tell me where I can get a 48hr day from!!

These are all the wonderful projects we did on Saturday using products mainly from the new mini catalogue. I had a great time with my fellow demonstrators Lisa & Michelle & I just hope all the lovely ladies who attended did so too.

So here is the morning project where we made this lovely tote bag & 4 cards. The bag was designed by Michelle.

And a closer look at the cards. These were designed by myself & Michelle using the My Sweet Pea stamp set (118506) from the mini catologue. This stamp set is only £9.95 which for 5 stamps is great value.

In the afternoon we each taught a different project.

This is Lisa's lovely photo frame/memo holder using the Fox & Friends stamp set (117020) again from the mini.

This is the outside

And this is the inside with a lovely piccie of Abi who was our receptionist/cashier on the day.

This is Michelle's lovely card using the Vintage Vogue stamps & Very Vintage wheel. I love this card & considering that poor Michelle had to totally rethink her project last minute due to a supply issue I think shes done a great job.

And lastly this is my project using the Extra-Large Two-Step Bird punch (117191). I saw the orginal idea here: http://annscreativemoments.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/chickadee-instructions9.pdf & made this cute card from the instructions
I'll be adding the instruction links hopefully tonight.

If you love these projects then why not join us for our next day which is on

Saturday 3rd July 10.00 - 4.00pm

A Big Thank you

2010-04-24T21:34:00.007+01:00

Today was my big Stampin Up Experience that I held with 2 very talented fellow demonstrators Lisa & Michelle. We all had a great day & met a great group of crafters.

I'd like to say a huge thank you to all you lovely ladies who did attend. I do hope you had a great time & that you enjoyed the projects we devised for you. If you have any further feedback for us - good or bad please don't hesitate to contact me as your feedback is invaluable to help us plan our next event which will be on ............
Saturday 3rd July at Hethersett village hall.
As we do not want the event to get any bigger than it was today please confirm your places ASAP so as not to miss out.

I will be uploading the projects hopefully tomorrow so watch this space.

Finally I'd like to thank my fellow demonstrators - Lisa & Michelle for helping to organise the day with me & I'd also like to say an even bigger thank you to the "back stage crew" - Abby, Paul & Shaun for without their help the day would have been a disaster.

Well I'm now off to the land of nod.......wake me up when Monday arrives!

2010-04-01T12:15:00.001+01:00

Today is my nephew Ryan's 13th birthday, I cannot believe I've got a teenage nephew it only feels like 5 mins ago when he was born.

Here is the card I made for him using all my stash that I'm trying to use up for non demo cards so I can replace it with more Stampin Up stock :-)

The numbers & letters were handcut by myself & the "Memo pad " is a punch from SU called Spiral (109973) & I find it especially useful for those hard male cards. I cased this card from here
If you do read this Ryan I hope you had a great day.

Mini Blog hop

2010-03-28T02:03:00.001+01:00

I'm am so excited to be taking part in my first blog hop, especially as this hop is showcasing the fantastic new mini that you can order from beginning the 1st April.

If you have come to my blog from the talented Sandra, then welcome but if this is your usual stop by my blog then you can still take part in the blog hop by clicking on Pat's link at the end of this post.

After having said I did not need any more Christmas stamp sets I just could not resist this great set called Serene Snowflakes (115438). This consists of 4 snowflake stamps but hopefully from my 2nd project I will inspire you to see them as not only snowflakes.

Serene Snowflakes (115438)

This is a simple Christmas card using Kraft card stock (117360) & the 1-3/4" circle punch (117405) to create a bauble from the stamped image

I then added a flat back pearl from the Pretties Kit (109887) & some Dazzling Diamonds (110194) to add some bling.

Recipe

Stamps: Serene Snowflakes, Punches Three

Card stock: Kraft, Night of Navy, Very Vanilla

Ink: Night of Navy, Tempting Turquoise

Misc: Dazzling Diamonds, Pretties Kit, Night of Navy grosgrain ribbon

My second project was inspired by my downliner Sarah who thought when I showed her this set that the big snowflake reminded her of the medallion stamps that are around.

So this card is for you Sarah.

I've used my old favourite colour combo of Chocolate Chip & Bashful Blue. I stamped the image on each of the coloured card stock & then I cut different sections out. Using Stampin Dimensionals I layered them on top of each other.

For a different look I used a Window Sheet cut down as my card base. I also used part of the snowflake to add an extra decoration to the sentiment layer. To ensure I positioned it correctly I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig (101049)

Recipe

Stamps: Serene Snowflakes, Always in My Thoughts

Card stock: Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Very Vanilla

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Misc: Large Oval punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, Window Sheet

White Gel pen

I hope you have enjoyed my mini projects & if you want to continue on this blog hop you need to go to Pat's blog now.

Thank you

2010-03-28T00:47:00.002Z

I just wanted to say a big thank you to Dee for inviting me to her lovely group at Cadge Road. I had a great time with all the ladies there & I think you may have converted me to scrapbooking!!!!

I hope that I will get the oppurtunity to visit you all again sometime soon (especially if I get lunch again) & I will be in contact soon when your orders arrive.

Don't forget to check back here tomorrow at 10.00 when the big Blog Hop begins.......

I have been busy honest......

2010-03-24T20:42:00.007Z

I know that I have been a very bad blogger recently but it's not because I have not been busy far from it, because I've been so busy I have not had a chance to take & edit photos of all the projects I have been working on.

This week has seen me getting together with my fellow demos & finalising the projects we will be doing at our Stampin Up Experience Day & I can promise you will not be disappointed with what we have got planned for you......So keep watching this space for some sneak peaks which will be coming very soon. And for anyone who are thinking about coming please be aware that we have only 10 spaces left so if you do not want to be disappointed you need to book your places now.

I have recently been really enjoying making cards & projects using punch art as the focal point & anyone who has attended my recent demo's & parties will have seen all my Punch Art resources. Which are basically laminated sheets of all the punch art creations detailing the punches that have been used. I promised my daughter she could give all the creations a name. I only asked that she ensured the 1st letter of their name was the same as the 1st letter of the creature them self. In hindsight this was not one of my brightest idea given that I ended being a spider!!! & this is what my dear husband ended up being ........

But a promise is a promise.........so we're stuck with them now.

Here is a quick Easter card using again punches

Recipe

Punches: Large Oval, 1-3/4" Circle, 1" Circle, Boho Blossoms, Butterfly, 1/4" Circle, 5- Petal Flower

Stamp set: Occasional Greetings (110520)
Cardstock:Bashful Blue, Sage Shadow, Glorious Green, Yoyo Yellow

I saw the orginal idea here http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1655236?&si=punch art & just to have a go at this cute little fellow.

If you fancy joining me to make a punch art card & another project then come along to the Cadge Road Craft Group Norwich this Saturday afternoon I'll be there 1.30pm onwards. If you want more details then just contact me.

Another busy week

2010-03-08T21:01:00.002Z

For those of you who visit my craft group blog you will already know that the lack of postings is due to me mislaying my camera!!!!!

I have turned the house upside down looking for it but still have not found it. So getting my lovely projects on here is impossible until I can find it, so I apologise for this problem.

I just wanted to say thankyou to all the lovely ladies I meet at the workshops I held last week.

On Tuesday I had the pleasure of going to Janet's house where we had a great day completing my recent 1 sheet wonder class. I was even given a lovely lunch by Janet & I think if it had not been for the little matter of having to pick Amy up from school I could have easily stayed to dinner too! Thanks ladies for a great day & hopefully we can do it all again.

On Thursday I held a workshop at Claire's house & although a lot of Claire's guest were new to crafting they all did an excellent job on the projects. I'm sure we now have some new converts to crafting.

To round my week off, I was invited by Debbie to attend her craft group in Attleborough. This group meets all day & although I did demonstrate a couple of projects using SU's punches & stamp sets I also got to do some crafting myself. I even managed to win a prize in their raffle so I have to say I had a great day. Thankyou Debbie for allowing me into your group & I cannot wait to see you all again.

Next all day event

2010-02-18T21:17:00.003Z

Just a quick posting to apologise for the lack of cards recently, what with half term & workshops I've had little chance to get on this blog let alone upload anything. Hopefully next week will be calmer & I'll get a few things uploaded.

I would just like to tell you all about my next all day event that I'm hosting with the lovely Lisa (http://lavender-stamper.blogspot.com). It's planned for Saturday 24th April at a venue near Norwich. The cost will be £15 & all supplies are included as well as refreshments & nibbles so to book your place get in contact as places as strictly limited.

Greenhouse Garden & a BIG hint for my next all day stamp camp.

2010-02-11T22:24:00.005Z

I have been meaning to post this for some time but keep forgetting - Sorry

Until 28th February for every Greenhouse Stamp set that is purchased Stampin Up will donate £1 from the purchase price to the Red Cross Haiti appeal. So to help just get in touch with me & order this set. Remember you only have until the 28th to help the Haiti appeal.

If that was not a good enough reason to own this stamp set then me giving you a bit of a hint that at my next all day stamping event you will be using this set & the following card is an example of what we are going to be doing should tempt you even more

To order this set or reserve your stamp camp place just get in touch with me.
Recipe
Stamp set: Greenhouse Garden (113824)
Card: Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Bashful Blue
Paper:Bella Bleu
Ribbon: Very Vanilla 5/8" grosgrain, Chocolate Chip 1/4" Grosgrain
Punches: Scallop Circle, 1-3/8" & 1-1/4" Circles
Wheel: Forever Flowers

Easter is coming

2010-02-06T23:38:00.003Z

I was challenged to make a card without sponging any edges, something I have not done for such a long time so I decided to do a card with fresh colours.

So here is my Easter swivel top card using the A Good Egg stamp set. This card I saw in the Splitcoast stampers gallery last year before we even got this stamp set. I loved it then & made a sketch of it in the hope we would get this set sometime. Unfortunately I cannot find the original card now but when I do I'll add the link here.

The closed card

The card when opened

Recipe

Stamp set: A Good Egg (114974)

Card: Certain Celery, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron

Paper: Tea Party (115158)

Ribbon: Very Vanilla 5/8" grosgrain (110043)

Ink: Basic Black

Misc: Markers, Brads,

Punches: Large oval, Scallop Oval, Eyelet Border, Round Tab, Word Window, Boho Blossoms

Bad day at work

2010-02-02T21:40:00.004Z

I have had a bad day at work today. My patients were lovely if not a little challenging but it was the end of my shift that caused the upset. I was informed very casually that my ward was changing yet again. Now given that we only had a change just before Christmas this really was just too much for me. Why can't the managers just leave us alone & let us get on with the job we are good at. I really am at the end of my tether & feel like leaving nursing for good, but I know that I really would miss my patients far too much, for they are what make my job a pleasure to do.

Well rant over here is what the majority come on this blog for.

This is a very quick & easy card using mainly the Sale-a-bration Vintage labels set. Remember you only have until the 28th February to get this set for free.

To get the images in the centre of the frame I used the reverse masking technique.

For those who do not know this technique here is a quick tutorial.

1, Stamp your desired image on your card stock. In this case one of the Vintage Label's stamps using sage shadow ink & card stock.

2, Stamp the image again on a post it note or stamp masking tape. I've used basic gray, as it shows up well on the white.

3, Cut out the part you want your 2nd image to appear in. I've placed it on black card stock so it shows up better.

4, Apply this mask to your 1st image.

Ensure it is fully aligned to your original image.

5, Ink your 2nd stamp up & stamp it through the hole in your mask. Be careful not to get stray ink on your card stock if your mask is smaller than this image - Hear speaks the voice of experience :) This flower is from Pocket Silhouettes.

6, Remove mask & hey presto you have a beautiful stamped image in your original frame.

I've used this orginal mask twice more to complete the finished card. The greetings come from another Sale-a-bration set called Whimsical Words.

Hope that was helpful to some of you. Let me know if you would like to see more tutorials on this blog.

Sorry

2010-02-01T22:31:00.002Z

Just a quick apology for not having posted anything for a few days but I've had the dreaded sickness bug. Also this weekend I had my craft clubs on both days so was pretty busy with them. I'm hoping to get some new projects on here tomorrow so keep your eyes peeled for them.

Another pop up twirl card

2010-01-27T12:28:00.006Z

I said I loved this technique so here is another offering. I now have kebab sticks & although they look nicer I have to say I found the straw worked better. I think this is because the straw is slippery so the thread moves more easily around it. If you have a go at this technique let me know how you got on.

I'm waiting for my Easter stamp set to arrive from SU so I used another brand this time.

The front of the card

Here is the inside, it twirls the same as my previous one. You can veiw the video here:http://stamps-n-inks.blogspot.com/2010/01/swivel-card.html

Hannah's card

2010-01-26T15:19:00.004Z

Hope everyone is feeling well today. I have spent the day in my craft room supposedly tidying up as we have our best friends coming to stay this weekend & DH & I need to sleep in this room!!!! But you know what it is like you start tidying then find something you did not know you had & before you know it the room is a bigger mess than before you started. At this rate we could be sleeping in the garden in our tent!

Today's offering is a card I was asked to make for an 8yr old girl who loves all things horsey. Unfortunately SU do not have a horse related set at present so I had to use one from my stash, as is the patterned paper which was a scrap I found during my tidy up.

To emphasise the letter & number I went round them with a SU marker pen. The greeting is from SU's Sincere Salutations set (105156)
Hope you have a great day.

Swivel card

2010-01-25T20:49:00.005Z

This card I made for a challenge which involved using the colour family of Soft Subtles only. I have to confess to not using soft subtles as much as I should but with spring coming up this may change.

I have seen these swivel cards on other people's blogs so I thought it was about time I had a go at one myself so here it is.

This is the front

And here is the swivel part where can decorate more or add your own message.

To add the leafs to the flower I used the same 5 Petal Punch but cut the petals down & added veins to make them into the leafs.

Hope you enjoyed this & watch out for more challenge entries. To view the original challenge click here:http://kyliebertucci.blogspot.com/2010/01/soft-subtle-challenge.html

Recipe

Stamp set: Sale-a-brations- Happy moment & Whimsical words

Card: Lavender Lace, Perfect Plum, Almost Amethyst, Very Vanilla, Certainly Celery

Punches: 5 Petal Flower, Boho Blossoms, Eyelet Border, Corner Rounder

Ink: Perfect Plum

Brads: From Pretties Kit

Pop Up Twirl Card

2010-01-21T13:31:00.008Z

The idea for this card I saw on Splitcoast Stampers & anyone who knows me well will know I love trying out new ideas so I could not wait to get started. You should use a kebab stick for the main workings but unfortunately I did not have any so I used a stiff straw instead which worked well but I'm off to get some kebab sticks as these will look better.
This is the card front.
And here is the inside And here is a short video of the card in action.This is my first ever video & I have used my little old digi camera so forgive me for the quality but I just wanted you all to see this card working.

I just love this technique & I know that I'll be making loads tonight when I get my new kebab sticks
Recipe
Card: Real Red, Chocolate Chip
Stamps: Love You Much
Misc: Eyelet border Punch, Heart to Heart punch, Hearts O' Plenty Wheel, Versamark ink, Heat & Stick powder, Fine Galaxy Red Glitter, Stiff Drinking Straw, Embroidery thread

Sale-a-bration's Vintage Labels

2010-01-16T22:33:00.008Z

Here is a quick & simple card using the second Sale-a-bration set called Vintage Labels. These cards I made for a swap & as I only had 4hrs to make 40 cards they had to be quick & simple.
RECIPE
Stamps: Vintage Labels (118392)
Card: Creamy Caramel (109984) Elegant Eggplant (110005) Whisper White (109899)
Ink: Creamy Caramel (110067), Versamark (109956)
Ribbon: 3/16" Caramel gingham(110116)
Misc: Eyelet border punch (117402), Scallop Circle(109877), Corner Rounder (109969)
3/4" Circle punch (110107) Clear Embossing powder (109928)

Here are 2 more examples of the same card using different colours - Night of Navy & Tempting Turquoise

And here are the the cards finished & ready to go.

Just one more from Happy Moments

2010-01-12T10:08:00.001Z

Today's card is again using the new Happy Moments stamp set but also has a greeting from another Sale-a-bration set called Whimisical Words (118386).

This is a simple card but to change the look slightly I cut the corners off the main image & to make the bow I just threaded some ribbon through the prongs of a rhinestone brad from SU's Pretties kit (109887) before using the brad in the usual way.

RECIPE

Stamps: Happy moments, Whimscical Words

Card: Whisper White, Ruby Red

Paper: Series III designer pack (Level 1 hostess gift)

Misc. SU's markers, Old olive ribbon, Ruby Red inkpad, Pretties Kit

Guest Designer

2010-01-11T11:49:00.004Z

Today I have the honour & privilege of having a guest designer on my blog today. Bet you are all thinking WHO CAN IT BE?

Well is none other than................. my daughter Amy!

This is the design she came up with for her Christmas presents Thank you cards. All I did to help was tie the tiny bows & cut out the image using a Nestabilitie die, the rest was up to her.

RECIPE

Stamps: Happy Moments

Card: Lovely Lilac, Pink Passion, Whisper White

Misc: Word Window punch, Marker pens, Nestabilitie die, small flower jewel from own stash

I think I may have found my apprentice.....How old do you have to be to sign up as a SU demonstrator?

This is her hard at work.

Happy Moments Tag card

2010-01-10T00:04:00.006Z

Hope you are all surviving this cold weather. I had my first major incident due to weather on Friday when my outside water pipe decided to burst. This would had been less drastic if my stopcock inside had worked only it didn't - all it did was turn round & round without actually turning the water off arghhhhhh......... This resulted in me having to practically clear my driveway to find the outside stopcock. How many of you actually know the precise location of yours? Well I do now as I have measured its precise location & placed it in my phonebook so if I need to find it when we get another 2 foot of snow I should find it more quickly which hopefully I will be never have to do again.

Now back to some crafting. As promised here is another quick card made with Stampin Up's Happy Moments set.

Recipe

Stamps: Salebrations Happy Moments

Ink: Versamark, Ruby Red, Old Olive

Paper: Level 1 Hostess gift pack

Misc: 3/4" & 1/2" circle punches, Cropadile, Whisper White Grosgrain ribbon, SU's marker pens, Clear embossing powder

I wanted to use some buttons on this card but I did not own any coordinate ones so I made my own using the 3/4" & 1/2" circle punches. I used the cropadile to make the "button holes" & then shaped them so the were more domed shaped before covering them with versamark ink & 3 layers of clear embossing powder.

The ribbons on the tag are made using SU's 1/4" Whisper White grosgrain ribbon which I have coloured using the markers pen.

Let me know what you think.

Another Happy Moment

2010-01-06T09:08:00.004Z

So far so good with the New Years resolution. Here is another card using the Happy Moments set from Stampin Up.

This card was inspired by one I saw on In Love with Stamping & to achieve this look you need to stamp the image first with the white ink then use SU's Stamp-a-ma-jig to slightly offset the image & then stamp it again with Rose Red ink.

Recipe

Stamps: Happy Moments (118664)

Card: Rose Red, Always Artichoke

Inks: Whisper White (117361), Rose Red (110083)

Punches: Word Window (117406), Scallop Edge (113654)

Misc: Paper-Piercing Tool & Mat Pack (116631 & 117395), Stamp-a-ma-jig (101049)Paper - now discontinued

Here is another family album piccie. This one was taken last week at Swanage in Dorset where my Father-in-law lives. As you can see the weather was fantastic.

My New Year Resolution

2010-01-05T21:27:00.005Z

I do hope you all had a wonderful Christmas & New Year.

I have promised for my New Year Resolution to be a better Blogger. I have neglected this blog dreadfully during December but now I hope to get back on track again.

So here goes..........
This first New Year posting is showcasing one of the great FREE stamp sets that are included in the new Stampin Up Sale-a-bration. This set is called Happy Moments (118664) & includes 7 great stamps. I will endeavor to show over the next few days how many different looks you can get from this 1 set.

This first card was one I did for a recent swap on ILWS. I made the majority of this card whilst in Dorset caring for my sick FIL but unfortunately my DH forgot to bring the stamps & inks with him, so I had to complete the cards when I returned home. Given these facts I don't think it turned out too badly.

Recipe

Stamps: Happy Moments (118664)

Card: Taken with Teal (109998), Very Vanilla (109898)

Paper: Rose Red patterns Designer paper(113647)

Ribbon: 5/8" Whisper White Satin (117382), 1/4" Whisper White grosgrain (110046)

Other: Hearts O'Plenty Wheel (115621), Paper-Piercing tool (116631), Mat Pack (117395)

I thought to finish this post I would let you see a couple of photos from my family album. This first photo was taken on Christmas Day (How long ago does that seem now!!) prior to us seeing if Father Christmas had been yet.

This second photo was taken in Chaplefield Gardens in Norwich. I do love this park in the snow, I think it is the bandstand that does it for me. That was what I was trying to get shots of, but 2 little Humbugs kept getting in my way. I think next time I will leave them at home.

My all day workshop projects

2009-12-08T23:23:00.021Z

Here are the photos of the projects we made at my recent all day workshop. We made a calender bookmark & 12 cards from 1 sheet of 12"x 12" double sided paper.

Firstly here is the calender bookmark. I printed the calender onto white copier paper then overstamped it with a flower from the Bloomin' with Beauty set using Pumpkin pie & Old olive markers to colour in the stamp before stamping it out. I then continued to overstamp the calender front this time with just the flower head & Barely banana, making sure I stamped first onto scrap paper & then onto my project, to get a more bleached out image.

The calender was then mounted onto a Barely banana which again has been decorated as per the front. I used the Crop a dile to punch a hole & add a eyelet through which I inserted Chocolate chip ribbon which I secured to the bookmark with some thin tape. I hate how the back of the eyelet looked so I added a flower punched used the Boho Blossom punch to cover the "mess".

RECIPE
Cardstock- Barely banana

Stamps - Bloomin with beauty

Misc - Marker pens - Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Barely Banana, Yoyo Yellow, Basic Black, Basic Gray

Ribbon - Chocolate chip

So here are the 12 cards we made. The colours we used were Bashful blue, Very vanilla & Chocolate chip & all the patterned paper can you beleive came from 1 sheet of 12"x12" double sided paper.

Card 1

Card 2

Card 3 Card 4

Card 5Card 6

Card 7 Card 8
Card 9
Card 10

Card 11
Card 12
Recipe

Cardstock- Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla

Stamps: Wow Flowers (111714), Cheers to you (111037), Sincere Salutations (105156)

Inks - as per cardstock & Versamark

Misc -Punches - Scallop circle, 1 3/8" circle, Boho Flower, 3/4" circle, large oval, Eyelet border, Scallop border, 5 petal flower

Stamping Day

2009-11-27T17:10:00.002Z

I'm holding a whole days workshop on Saturday 5th December at Upper Stoke Nr Norwich. We will be making lots of great gifts & cards using Stampin Up products. If you fancy getting away from the Christmas hustle & bustle then just let me know & I will give you more details.

Advent calender

2009-11-21T11:38:00.005Z

This project is not using Stampin Up products but its what I have been slaving over for the past few days.

When my daughter Amy started school 4yrs ago, one of her teaching assistants was a crafter & she quickly found out I owned a Cricut machine. I was asked that first Christmas if I could cut them some numbers out for their Advent calender, which I willing did.

The next year I was again asked for the numbers as well as a circle for the numbers to go on. By the third year it was now could I design the calender in the shape of a Christmas pudding.

This year Amy has a new teacher fresh out of college so I thought I would not be asked for any involvement but I was SO WRONG. It appears that each new teacher gets briefed of my "artistic" skills so last week I was dully asked to produce the calender for this year but that I could choose the design myself.

As I'm so snowed under with Stampin up parties & trying to organise a Stampin Up crafting day for December, I did not have time to do the images under the numbers so I got the children to design these. As there are 24 children in Amy's class, the teacher wanted all the children to have the opportunity to open at least one day but they have to be good to earn this right. This is why the numbering is slightly odd as it is going to begin on 25th November.

I choose a simple Christmas Tree layout & this is the end result. The teacher & children just love it & cannot wait to start opening up their calender.

Here is a close up of the numbers which have all been embossed using my Cuttlebug & rubbed over with metallic rub ons. I attached the baubles using some Christmas themed brads I had lying around.

Santa is coming to town.......

2009-11-17T10:31:00.002Z

I wanted to create a scene of the reindeer flying over Santa, so to create the skyline I sponged night of navy before overstamping the reindeer.

To add some sparkle I used a two way glue pen to add Dazzling Diamond glitter to the "snow".

Recipe
Stamps: Sparkly & Bright
Inks: Night of Navy, Basic Gray, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa
Card Stock: Whisper White, Real Red
Paper: Retired hostess set

My girl did good

2009-11-16T10:07:00.005Z

My darling daughter Amy has been skiing for about a year now & this weekend she took part in the club races.

Now when she takes part in friendly races, she does frustrate my darling husband Daron, as he feels she is not competitive enough but when it comes to competitive racing a whole new side of her comes out & this time she won a silver medal. We are just so proud of her.

Congratulation & more

2009-11-13T16:00:00.005Z

To celebrate my up, upliner (if that makes sense) achieving a spot in top 10 SU demonstrator in UK I made this card for her.

The glasses image is from Cheers to You set. I initially stamped it on white card & coloured it in but I was not truly happy with the result so I then tried stamping it on Barely Banana instead & used the white gel pen on the glass parts & added 2 small highlights within the "champagne" itself as seen here.

After cutting the image out I added Crystal Effect to make the glasses more glass like.

Recipe

Stamps: Cheers to You #111037 (p33)

Fun & Fast Notes #113500 (p34) - Sentiment

Cardstock: Rose Red, Barely Banana

Paper: Rose Red Designer series

Ink: Basic Grey, Rose Red

Accessories: Crystal Effects # 101055 (p91), Rose Red marker pen, White gel pen #105021 (p91)

Scallop punch, 1-3/8" Circle punch

I liked the layout so much I made this version using the Christmas Jingle set & the Sparkling jumbo wheel.

Recipe
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Real Red, Old Olive
Paper & Focal image: Christmas Jingle #117371 (p79)
Stamps: Background - Sparkling Jumbo Wheel #116444 (p93)
Sentiment - Punches Three (free level 1 hostess gift) (p11)
Ink: Real Red, Old Olive
Accessories: Word Window punch #117406 (p89)

Hope you enjoyed these projects & to order anything I've used just email me at anytime. If you are wanting things for a Christmas present give your Wish List to your loved ones & get them to contact me. I will even gift wrap them so you cannot sneak a look.

Get Well Soon

2009-11-11T09:05:00.011Z

I made this quick card for a friend of mine who has recently has been very ill. I based this card on one I received in a recent swap.

I've used the Pocket Silhouettes stamp set on this card. This stamp set is one of my favourites as I've found it to be so very versatile. I've stamped the flower image several times prior to reinking to give it the faded look & as I wanted my sentiment to be in one straight line rather than 2 lines as it is appears on the original stamp, I used my essential stampers tool - the stamp-a-ma -jig, (what did I do before owning this tool!!!) to position it correctly.

This type of card is great for using up those scraps you have left, as you do not need a whole card for its base, just an C6 card front which you fold in half, as you can see from the picture.

To add dimension to the card I used 3D foam to adhere the pot to the card & I also bent the pot around slightly. The pot comes from Always in My Thoughts stamp set.

Recipe

Stamps - Flower & sentiment -Pocket Silhouettes #111672 (p50)

Pot - Always in my Thoughts #111562 (p37)

Cardstock - Whisper white, Real Red, Not quite Navy

Ink - Not quite Navy, Basic Black

Paper - Rose red designer series

Accessories - Scallop border punch #113654, Stamp-a-ma-jig #101049, Real red 1/4" grosgrain

ribbon #110129, Nestabilities dies (own stash)

In this version I've used the whole image from the Always in my Thoughts set so you can see where the pot came from. The colours I've used this time are Old Olive & Barely Banana

Hope you enjoyed these projects & to order anything I've used just email me at anytime. If you are wanting things for a Christmas present give your Wish List to your loved ones & get them to contact me. I will even gift wrap them so you cannot sneak a look.

Long Service Award

2009-11-05T14:42:00.002Z

Thought I'd share a picture of myself with you all today. It's of me at a recent ceremony to honour NHS staff for their service & dedication.

Here I am receiving my award for 25 years service in the NHS (I started when I was 2 you know!!!!). It really was a lovely night & I felt very special receiving my certificate & gift vouchers.
My Family also gave me a vase specially engraved to mark the achievement, which I will treasure always.

Decorations & cards

2009-11-03T20:15:00.008Z

For the craft group I help run I decided to make some decorations for them to have a go at. I have to admit the majority of my efforts were scrapped from here & there.
Here are a few of my efforts:

I also made a couple of cards from a half finished deco.

Recipe:

Stamps: Punches Three (level 1 hostess), Tree Trimmings, Loads of Love. Lovely as a Tree.

Ink: Real Red, Old Olive, Always Artichoke

Card: Real Red, Old Olive

Paper:Think its a retired set but if anyone knows for sure can you let me know

Misc: Punches: Scallop square, Scallop oval, Oval

Fine Galaxy Glitter, Brads, Gems

Hope you enjoy & happy crafting

Sketch Challenge

2009-11-03T13:20:00.006Z

I saw this sketch challenge in a recent crafting magazine & although I have been cardmaking for more years than I care to remember I've never actually done one of these before, so I thought now was the time to change all that.

Here is the sketch:

And here's my interpretation.I've used SU Loads of Love stamp set, unfortunately I do not own the accessory set YET! so I hand drew the driver. So you can now see why I was asked to drop art at school.

The Poinsettia was made using the 5 petal punch & one of the flowers from the Boho Blossom punch. I added some dazzling diamonds to the centre flower. To make the flower 3D I rubbed the petals with an embossing stylus whilst they were laying on a soft surface, in my case a thick soft mouse mat. Here is a closer look.To add to the Christmas look I've added tiny wreaths to the doors & Christmas trees in the windows. Recipe

Stamps: Loads of Love

Cardstock: Real Red

Paper: Christmas Jingle

Misc: 5 Petal punch, Boho Blossom punch, Diamond Dazzling glitter, glue pen, Marker pens

Hope you enjoyed & happy crafting

Craft weekend

2009-10-27T22:20:00.002Z

In case any of you are interested there is to be a craft weekend for experienced crafters near Norwich on the weekend of 5th & 6th December.

Although I am helping to organise it I will not be teaching as I hope to join in the fun too. The cost is £100 for 2 full days & all supplies will be provided.

If anyone is interested please email me asap as places are filling up fast & you do not want to miss out especially as how often do we have any craft events in Norfolk????

Stamp Challenge

2009-10-21T21:27:00.004+01:00

I was recently challenged by my good friend Jeanette to come up with some different use for one her stamps that she was hating & even contemplating getting rid of.

Here is what I did with this lovely Reindeer stamp.
All the papers are from my own stash.

On this card I used Chocolate Chip ink on the stamp which I also used to sponge around the image after I'd cropped it. I also used the scallop punch to create the green border, the other punch was one from my stash but the new eyelet border punch would work even better but I'm still waiting to get my own as I accidentally ordered yet another scallop punch by mistake.

On my second card I used a Versamark inkpad & Heat & Stick powder which I heated & then applied Dazzling Diamond Glitter to. The red scalloped square was made using the scallop punch.

On my last card I used a special type of card from my stash that when you stamp onto it with a Versamark inkpad it looks like expense preprinted embossed toppers.

This picture shows what I'm trying to describe better. The sentiment is from the new Best Yet set which is a level 1 hostess set, so if you fancy earning this stamp set for free why not contact me to arrange a party.

I'm Back

2009-10-20T21:20:00.005+01:00

Well I'm now up & fully working again - Internet that is. I do not have any cards today as I've just had the most hectic weekend ever & I wanted to tell you all about that instead.

During the summer holidays whilst visiting Chessington World of Adventure my daughter entered a competition run by Nivea Sunscreen & we could not believe it when a letter arrived recently to say she had won the first prize which was a VIP trip for 4 to Alton Towers.

So this is where I been for the past few days, only arriving home at 3am this morning. We had such a good time & we all felt like royalty as part of the prize was a stay in the Alton Towers resort & special passes that allowed us to bypass the queues, not that there were that many. This trip also coincided with their Spooke Fest. so the park was open until 9pm & lots of the staff & guests were dressed in Halloween dress which definitely added to the spookeness of the whole event.

Here is a piccie of my dear daughter Amy & myself, the caption behind us says "There's something in the Dung Heap" which I don't thing is very nice!!!!

This is picture is of my husband Daron & Amy on one of their favourite rides but as I hated spinning rides I sat this one out.
I did want to share a video of me on the Oblivion ride but I cannot get it to upload at present but when I can figure it out I'll upload it here for you all to see.

Take care & Happy Crafting

Quick & Simple mini Christmas cards

2009-10-17T13:24:00.007+01:00

I still have no internet access at home so I'm now "borrowing" the connection at the local ski centre my daughter attends as I have so many projects I want to share with you.

Inspired by this idea my "grandmother" upliner (Michelle) shared with me I have been making my own small cards. Its a great way to use up all those left over card scraps we all hoard.

Michelle's card & box use the new Sparkly & Bright stamp set, which I initially took an instant dislike to, but now having used it I've actually ordered it. Oh how I change my mind. :)

For my cards I've used the relief technique, where you stamp & emboss with clear embossing powder & then sponge over the inks.

I unfortunately now realise that some of the stamps I used are from retired sets but any of the current sets will work just as well.

Recipe

Stamps: Window Dressing (rtd), Daily Flexible Phrases (rtd), A Tree for all Seasons

Cardstock: Whisper White, Brocade Blue, Lavender Lace

Inks: Versamark, Brocade Blue, Lavender Lace

Misc: Embossing Buddy, Clear Embossing powder, Sponge daubers, Glue pen, Dazzling Diamond glitter

Sorry Everyone

2009-10-15T13:19:00.002+01:00

I am so sorry that I have not posted recently but I have had no home Internet access for over a week now. Firstly due to a local fault & now due to my "wonderful" Internet provider upgrading my service for free but failing to supply me with the modem that I now need to access this "wonderful" new service.

I am so frustrated at this as I have loads of new creations to upload but not the means to do it. I'm updating this entry at my local library but now find I cannot upload the images as it will not accept my SD card.

Hopefully full service will resume by Thurs next week. I hope you will all be patient until then. Take care until then - Happy Crafting

Tree Trimmings

2009-10-06T15:15:00.010+01:00

Last night I started playing properly with the new SU Tree Trimmings stamp set, the coordinating paper set & all new Fine Galaxy glitters. Despite having a shower since then I'm still really "sparkly" today.

I've seen similar cards to this on several blogs recently & I was so taken by the design that I had to have a go myself.
Stamps: Tree Trimmings, Autumn Days, Old Fashioned Christmas
Inks: Real Red, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip
Card: Old Olive, Very Vanilla
Misc.: Fine Galaxy & Dazzling Diamond glitters

On this card I stamped the bauble on the new SU window sheets. I used versamark ink & heat & stick to get the red glitter to stick before using a glue pen to apply the champagne colour glitter, which by the way is a fab colour, to the remaining areas. Interestingly the thinner window sheet did not warp at all when heated but with the thicker stuff I had to be a bit more cautious. And a word of warning remember to remove the blue cover from both sides of the thicker window sheet prior to heating it or it will never come - Here speaks the voice of experience.

I also found the sheets can go through my SU punches so although I generally do not show the inside of my cards, I think punching the sheets improves the look inside & could easily be left as it is.

Stamps:Tree trimmings, So Swirly Wheel

Inks: Versamark, Black Stazon, Chocolate Chip

Misc: Christmas Jingle, Galaxy Glitter set, 2 way glue pen, Heat & Stick powder

My final card is very simple affair, but this time I used clear embossing on the bauble images. I also used crystal effects on the sentiment topper & to get the scallop around the outside as we do not have a larger scallop punch, I punched out 2 scallops from chocolate chip & overlapped them on the back of the sentiment scallop & although they do not fit exactly I don't think they look too bad.

Stamps: Tree Trimmings, Occasional Greetings

Inks: Real Red, Old Olive, Versamark

Card: Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Very Vanilla

Misc: Crystal Effects, Scallop Punch, Christmas Jingle paper

My new toy has arrived

2009-09-30T12:46:00.005+01:00

My new pink baby has arrived safely this morning (that's my new laptop). I have had a quick play with it but unfortunately I cannot get it to connect to the Internet yet so will have to get DH to sort it out when he gets home.

I have no cards to offer today but I will show you the 2 bracelets I made yesterday. The first I was taught to do by Kay at The Bead & Bear shop which is located at Taverham garden centre, where I had a great time crafting & drinking tea. The lovely ladies who meet there at their weekly coffee morning all think I'm really quiet !!!!!!! I'm only quiet because I have to concentrate so much on what I am doing at the moment but give it a few weeks & I'm sure their opinion of me will soon change.
I used jump rings on both these bracelets. This first bracelet uses a 3 -2-2 pattern. As soon as Amy saw my bracelet she wanted one too so in my stash I found some 5mm jump rings so that's what I used to give it a more delicate look. I also used a 2-2-2 pattern this time.
Don't worry I have not finished Amy's bracelet yet so she will have a proper clasp on it & just not an earring hook.

Great News

2009-09-29T09:30:00.007+01:00

Whoooaaaa........ I get my new laptop tomorrow & I cannot wait. I'll then be able to have it up in my craft room & I'll be able to blog whenever I want......No more DH standing over my shoulder telling me to hurry up........YIPEEEE. I guess you can tell I'm just a bit excited.

Now on to my cards. Sorry the stamps are not SU but from Hampton Arts. I got them from a new shop near Norwich that mainly stocks jewellery making items but I'm desperately trying to get them to stock more stamps etc.

I tried my hand at brayering the ink on this card to make the night sky, its not as easy as it looks & I definitely need to have more practice. I used SU Tempting Turquoise, Brocade Blue & Not quite Navy inks.

On this card I used flock on the owl's tummy & the "fur" on his hat. I have also used a SU scallop punch & a Martha Stewart border punch to make the squares the owl is layered on - thanks Michelle for showing me where I have been going wrong all this time.

On this last card I used to SU Dazzling Diamond glitter to add some bling to this little owl's balloon & eyes. I also used some left over blue circles to make the scallop border - to do this I cut the circles in half & used a strip of DST to attach them to the white square.

Christmas Wreath

2009-09-25T22:42:00.004+01:00

Just a quick post as still not feeling great. This is a card I made a little while back but have never uploaded. It's made using the small fir branch from SU's Lovely as a Tree set which you stamp in a circle to make a wreath.

Recipe
Stamps - Lovely as a Tree, Season of Joy,
Card Stock - Whisper White, Basic Black
Inks - Garden Green, Old Olive, Real Red
Misc - Dazzling Diamond glitter, Glue pen

Feeling Yuk

2009-09-24T15:18:00.003+01:00

Sorry I have no cards to show today as I'm feeling pretty sick. I actually had to be sent home from work sick yesterday, the first time in all my 26yrs nursing history.

After seeing my GP yesterday afternoon I am now awaiting some blood test results but it looks as though I may have gallstones. I'm still pretty sore today, so as we usually stop patients eating when they have a gallstone flair up that's what I'm doing, so its fluids only for the rest of the day.

Hopefully I'll be feeling better tomorrow & then I'll have some new creations to show you.

What a differance a colour makes

2009-09-23T15:43:00.014+01:00

I thought I would play around with colours today, so I made 2 cards exactly the same but just changed the colours in each to see how that makes the cards look so different.

These first 2 cards use the SU flower & flourish from the Season of Joy set (110384). This set has to be one of my 2 favourite sets & if it ever retires there will be a flood around here. Season of Joy is designed to be used at Christmas but as you can see from the 2nd image that by just changing the ink & card to lavender lace & the sentiment to Birthday Wishes (from Sincere Salutations 105156) the card now becomes a birthday card

Recipe:
Stamps: Season of Joy, Sincere Salutations

Colours: Real Red & Basic Black, Lavender Lace & Basic Black

Card Size: 14.5 square

In this 2nd set of cards, the 1st card was designed by Michelle so I thought I would see if I could change it to a more Chrismassy card by again changing the colours. I'm not sure it really works given the flower is a poppy but let me know what you think.

Recipe
Stamps: Blooming with Beauty, Watercolour Joy, Forever Flowers, Oval all
Colours: 1st card -Barely Banana, Almost Amethyst, Perfect Plum
2nd card - Ruby Red, Garden Green, Old Olive

Old Fashioned Christmas.

2009-09-22T09:42:00.008+01:00

Here are a couple of cards that I made with 1 of my upliners Michelle. I have to admit that when this stamp set was in the recent mini I really was not tempted by it but now I've used it, it really has started to grow on me. The papers unfortunatly are on the retirement list & have now sold out BOO HOO.

On the reindeer we have used stamp & bond & the new glitters (Hint, Hint). Although I'll let you into a secret you DO have to add the stamp & bond to your versamark image if you want the glitter to stick - Guess who forgot to do this & then wondered why the glitter was coming off Whoops!!!! Well at least I gave everyone a good laugh.

2009-09-20T21:49:00.004+01:00

Well here I am at last. Hubby has now started a degree & has taken sole possession of the computer so I have been unable to post at all this week but I have just ordered my very own bright pink laptop which should arrive in the next couple of weeks so then it will be all go.

Here's a quick card I made for Amy to send to everyone who sent her presents & cards.

I used Stampin Up's So Swirly jumbo wheel to make the background. I then punched a hole in the card through which the image can be seen. This image was stamped & punched out using the same circle punch so it fits the hole exactly. The hole was decorated with a scalloped border which was made using a scallop circle which had its centre punched out using the circle punch.

Amy's Birthday

2009-09-12T22:36:00.006+01:00

Well what a busy couple of days I have had. Yesterday was my DD Amy's birthday & after being woken up at the crack of dawn by a very excited little girl, I then spent a very pleasant morning crafting & eating delicious cake with a very special group of friends whom I met over 5yrs ago via a craft forum.

In the evening I took Amy & her little friend to Pizza Hut for birthday tea before coming home to do all the cooking for her party today.

She went tubing with a group of friends & had a great time.

I asked her before her birthday what she wanted on her card & she wanted a cheeky monkey & this is what I came up with.

To add some interest I add Doodlebug flock to the monkeys tummy & ears. His paws were stamped using Stampin up's sanded background stamp. The greeting is computer generated.
Recipe

Monkey made from Anne Marie design

Hat - Cricut doodlecharm cart

Cupcakes - Hero Arts

Background paper - papermania

Amy's Birthday Invites

2009-09-09T10:57:00.012+01:00

Here is what has been taking up all my time recently.

My daughter is having a tubing party & for those of you saying " A WHAT party!" It means the children sit in big rubber rings & get pushed down a steep slope.

I know what you are thinking "Where in Norfolk do we have hills?" Well we have a purpose built ski centre which Amy attends for ski club.

So to give her friends a clue of what to expect, here is the invite I came up with. I thought a spinner card would be ideal & I used Stampin Up stamps for the majority of the images. I've had great comments back from the recipients & the Mums all said the invites kept the Dads entertained all night !!!

Recipe
Stamps: Stampin up - All in the family, Lovely as a tree, Skiing chick -DeNami, Letters - Hero arts
Card stock - Old olive, Bashful blue, Whisper white
Extras: Dazzling diamonds glitter, 1-1/4" circle punch

8th Birthday card

2009-09-08T10:43:00.010+01:00

I'm sorry I have been a very bad blogger, I just do not know where the time goes but now the school holidays are over I promise to increase my blogging.

Here is a card similar to one I made my niece for her recent 9th birthday. As my own daughter is 8 this week I thought I would get ahead & make some 8yr olds birthday cards so I have a stash for when they are needed - Good thinking HUH!!!

Recipe

Stamps:Pink cat studio - dress up stamps, grass - judith c-32, flower - judith peg star
Card stock: Stampin up - very vanilla, pumpkin pie, regal rose
Paper:Stampin up -Sweet always (soon too be retired)
Stampin up- Scallop & large oval
Extras: Stampin up- Scallop & large oval punches, Diamond glaze (added to balloon)

I just love these Pink Cat Studio stamps as you can see below you can add so many things to her & you even get to name her, how cool is that?.

I named my set Amy after my daughter, how else do you justify buying a set of stamps for your daughter's birthday, which Mummy just has to play with............

Wedding place settings

2009-08-25T15:04:00.008+01:00

At the weekend I had the pleasure of attending the wedding of a lovely couple, Carla & Adam. We all had a great time & the weather was just perfect, as was the whole day.

I also had the great honour to be asked to make their wedding invitations & place settings. I've included below a photo of the place settings which I made using my Cricut machine & punches. The carts I used were Doddlecharms (for dragonfly, ladybird & seahorse) & Happily Ever After (the rose). The shapes were cut at between 2.5 - 4cms. The butterfly was made using a Stampin Up punch. The shapes were attached to the place settings using thin craft wire which I wound around a pencil twice. To ensure the backs were as neat as the front I attached the wire in between the layers & used a quickie glue pen & Stampin Up diamond dazzle to add that extra bit of glitz. I also used Stampin Up's scallop punch to decorate the edges.

Everyone at the wedding commented how they had never seen place settings like them before & once the children started playing with them I could not help but notice how the adults could not resist moving the wire so their shape appeared to be moving. I think nearly everyone put their place settings in their bags/pockets at the end of the reception & that included the men too.

2009-08-21T18:50:00.000+01:00

Here is the card I made for my sister Paula 's wedding anniversary which is today. I saw the original layout on another blog (when I find the page again I'll credit that person). I used the Cuttlebug's swiss dots folder to emboss the background & the stamp is from Stampin Up's Fun & Fast set which I stamped using basic grey ink & coloured in with a water colour brush & Stampin up ink direct from their lids (tempting turquoise, barely banana, going grey & old olive). The sentiment is from a set by Vap Scrap that I bought years ago with the intent of using them in a scrap book but this is the first time I've actually used any of them. I finished the card of with a cream ribbon.

Please feel free to leave any comments.

2009-08-12T14:03:00.000+01:00

Well hello all, this is my personal ramblings & thoughts as I make my journey along my crafting road.

I will aim to make regular posts about my crafting creations.

So here goes............

This is a simple card I made for my niece's birthday and not a bit of stamping on it which makes a change for me. I used the Cricut's Paper dolls cart to make the cheerleader as Kelly loves High School Musical & as 1 of her birthday presents were tickets to see HSM on stage when it came to Norwich's Theatre Royal recently this card seemed very appropriate.