Retiring Products Class - card 4

Wow, I can't believe I've actually managed to have a consistent week of blogging!!!  I do hope I can continue on this path, but I won't make any promises!!!!

This is card number 4 from class last weekend and features one of my favourite A la Carte stamps from the 11/12 catalogue - Triple Treat Flower.

I've teamed Peach Parfait (retiring 10/11 In Colour) with Old Olive and Whisper White, using the Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder on the background layer.  The sentiment is from Petite Pairs.

The flower was stamped twice, once in each colour, and then we used the Fancy Flower Punch on one, and the 5 Petal Flower Punch (retiring) on the other.  They were layered with Dimensionals between and finished off with a Basic pearl in the centre.

The leaves were cut with the Big Shot and Little Leaves Sizzlit.

I liked the clean and simply styling of this card.

Only one card left to show you.  I personally think I have saved the best till last as it's my favourite :o)

Julie x 

Julie Halls

Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

07786266722 / 01256 335270

http://www.the-crafty-bug.blogspot.com

craftybugjules@yahoo.co.uk

Scentsational Season

Well, the Stampin' Up! retirement sale is well underway, with many items already being sold out and never to be seen again!

I was very sad at the weekend when I cleared out my cupboards and drawers of all of the retiring items, though I get to have one last play with a lot of them as my September class is based on retiring items!

And I couldn't be sad for long when I had lots of lovely new items to put back in teh cupboards and drawers, plus I have a nice big order arriving on Monday, and a whole batch of NEW 2012/2013 catalogues!!!!!  It's a very exciting time!

Last Saturday saw the annual Leadership Training session that Stampin' Up! run.  Luckily for me, it was only 15 minutes up the road :o)  Being 6 months pregnant, I wouldn't have enjoyed a long car or train journey like some others had to make, but all in all, there were 84 demonstrators from all areas of the UK.  It's a fabulous chance to meet up with fellow team members and other demonstrators, and a chance to swap ideas.

I wanted to share with you the swap that I made for training which feature the Scentsational Season stamp set and co-ordinating Holiday Collection Framelit Dies.........  they make Christmas cards a complete doddle and will be featuring in my All Day Christmas Stamp a Stack event in November.

 Isn't the gingerbread man just so cute????

My base card is 4" x 4" of Lucky Limeade, with a layer of Crumb Cake which was embossed with Perfect Polka Dots.  The edges have a strip of Cherry Cobbler that I punched with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch.

The gingerbread man was stamped in Soft Suede onto Very Vanilla card, and the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes was stamped in Cherry Cobbler and punched with the Word Window Punch.

Those gorgeous papers in the background are strips cut from the new Festival of Prints DSP Stack.  I love these and will be using them a lot for my Christmas cards this year.

If I'd have had time I would have embossed my gingerbread man with the NEW Sugar and Spice Scented Embossing Powder, but alas, I didn't get to do this.

I hope the ladies I swapped with liked my creation, as I certainly had lots of lovely swaps in return.  

Once I've made some more samples with the new products I shall be re-designing my display boards which I am excited about.

Right, time for some food as all of this talk of gingerbread men is making me hungry!

Julie x

Cupcake Class

Back in January when the Spring Mini Catalogue first launched, I couldn’t wait to get started with the simply yummy Create a Cupcake stamp set and co-ordinating Cupcake Builder Punch………  So that’s what my first class of the year was based around – 5 cards showcasing all of the things you could do with that stamp set and punch…….  and there’s a lot!

I can’t believe I haven’t posted about these long before now, especially as all Spring Mini products are only around until 30th April……….  after this time you cannot order them, unless of course they make a re-appearance in the main Ideas Book and Catalogue 12/13 when it launches in October.  That’s a long time to wait, so don’t delay in getting your hands on this lovely duo :o)

As I’ve been such a bad blogger of late I am going to try and make up for it by posting all five cards we made in one hit! 

So first we have a cute little basket of flowers.  This is a 4” x 4” card base with a layer of DSP.  One of the cupcake wrapper images has been stamped in Marina Mist, then punched out for our basket.  The flowers were stamped and hand cut, and I used a Mini Glue Dot to adhere each button over the top.  Notice the little leaves still poke out from behind.  I used the sprinkles image to stamp around the edge of the Rose Red layer, which has been double punched with the 2 3/8” Scallop Circle Punch.  The simple sentiment has been inked in Rose Red and punch out with the Word Window Punch.

Next up we have three lovely handbags!  Each of the handbags is made from an upturned cupcake wrapper.  I stamped the wrapper image in Melon Mambo and Elegant Eggplant onto the same coloured card stock before punching.  The handbag flap is made from the Small Oval Punch and the handles from the Medium Oval Punch, with a Mini Brad for the fastening.  The handbags have been mounted onto a piece of card punched with the Scallop Square.  I finished the card of with a strip of Elegant Eggplant Dotted Scalloped Ribbon and the sentiment stamped in Melon Mambo ink directly onto the Crumb Cake card base.

The ballon card is one of my favourites and would make a great boys card!  I used a scrap piece of card and punched a cupcake topping, then used this as a mask for the clouds which I daubed into the Whisper White Top Note piece with Pool Party ink.  The basket of the balloon is a cupcake wrapper punched out of Soft Suede card and then run through the Big Shot in the Lattice Square Embossing Folder.  The balloon is 3-dimensional and made from 5 punched 1 3/8” Circles – 2 x Daffodil Delight / 3 x Real Red.  I linked the two up with Linen Thread and stamped the Happy Birthday in Real Red ink. 

I love the colour combination for the ice-cream card :o)  Pool Party / Island Indigo and Pretty In Pink, with a splash of Chocolate Chip thrown in.  The cone was punched using the Pennant Punch, though you could easily cut a triangle for the cone.  This was embossed like the balloon basket, then I sponge daubed over the edge to give it a more life like quality.  The ice-cream scoops are actually cupcake toppings!  The two 2 3/8” Scallop Circles help the highlight the ice-cream, and I’ve mounted it all onto a piece of Pretty in Pink that’s been embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder.  Add some Island Indigo Ruffled Ribbon, tie a bow, and pop in an In Colour Printed Designer Brad and your done!

Finally we have my favourite card – Cupcakes as Cupcakes, looking very yummy and ready to be eaten!  The base is Crumb Cake, with some scrumptious So Saffron Designer Paper layered on top.  The windows were made from a piece of Soft Suede card topped with 4 Blue Bashful squares punched with the 1 1/4” Square Punch.  A little lazy as they’d be easy to cut, but if you have the tools you may as well use them!  The awning was made with a strip of Regal Rose card, scored twice and folded, then I used the Scallop Border Punch along one edge.  I did the same with the table piece, which was a Regal Rose piece punched with 2 3/8” Scallop Circle Punch.  Then I had fun with the cupcakes, using different wrapper stamps and colours, adding multi coloured sprinkles, a cherry and some of the tiny Basic Pearls.

I really love how versatile this stamp set and punch are.  The sentiments are cute and I love the actual font, it’s delicate and refined.

I you have been pondering on getting these items, then I hope seeing these cards might have helped you realise you NEED them!  I sincerely hope they make it into the Main Catalogue in October.

Have a fabulous Saturday

Julie x

SAB – Fresh Vintage

Hi, I hope everyone is having a good weekend. 

I have a few more Sale-a-bration creations to share today.  I know with so many of us having attended Cate’s baggie book event, you will probably have seen these cards numerous times over if you hop across a lot of SU Demo blogs!  So, you’ll probably be pleased to know that after this post I shall be showcasing cards from my last class based around the Create a Cupcake stamp set and Cupcake Builder Punch, plus some other lovelies……….

So on with the show:

The first card uses the flower image to create a gorgeous background on Pool Party card.  The base is Crumb Cake and I used the Ribbon Border Punch to create a little scalloped edging at the top and bottom where the Pool Party meets the Crumb Cake (quite hard to see in the picture though).  The butterflies have been punched from some Everyday Enchantment DSP with the Butterfly Punch, then a bit of Linen Thread tied round and a Basic Pearl added.

The second card has a Basic Gray base and the circle image from the set has been stamped in Versamark down the left edge three times.  Some Whisper White has been mounted on Pear Pizzazz card, then the floral image stamped on top.  The Fancy Flower punch was used for the two flower layers in Pink Pirouette.  The top flower has been scrunched, then an Antique Brad put through them both.  The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes, made into a banner and Basic Pearls added to each end.

The next card has a base of Pumpkin Pie onto which the wavy design stamp in the set has been added for a background.  Onto this is a panel of Whisper White which like the first card is edged top and bottom with the Ribbon Border Punch.  The floral image has been inked using markers to get the different colours, then stamped in two corners.  The butterfly is cut using the Big Shot and Beautiful Butterflies Die, then it has been stamped with the floral image and Versamark ink.  This is then heat embossed with Clear Embossing Powder. 

The final card is probably my favourite out of every card we made.  I’m not usually a fan of Whisper White card bases, but it works so well with this card.  It is teamed with Soft Suede for a centre panel with another strip of Everyday Enchantment DSP.  The bottom section of the card has been embossed using the Big Shot and Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder.  The stamp image has been inked with Poppy Parade ink, then trimmed square and mounted onto a Scallop Square of Soft Suede.  Finally Hello was stamped in Soft Suede ink.  Simply gorgeous!

So if you have been inspired and really would love to get your hands on one (or all!) of the Sale-a-bration sets, then get in contact.  I can certainly help you with information on any items you might be interested in, or if you are new to Stampin’ Up! products then why don’t you come along to one of my classes and get your hands on the products – try before you buy so to speak!

See details about upcoming classes HERE

Have a fabulous evening xxx

Sale-a-bration Showcase

Hello everyone, I hope you are having a fabulous week!

Over the next few days I am going to share with you a number of projects using the Sale-a-bration stamp sets and Designer papers.  I was very lucky to take part in a craft day with a number of other members of the Blue Angels – my stampin up nanna Cate’s team!!!  We spent the day making four cards with each of the four stamp sets, so 16 cards in all…………….

Here are just a few of the cards made with one of my favourite sets – Elementary Elegance

The first is card is using one of the sentiments from this set which has been stamped inside the Designer Frame Embossed Oval.  A bit of sponge daubing, tearing, some pearls, a strip of SAB Designer Paper trimmed into a banner and a layer of Marina Mist card embossed with Perfect Polka Dots, all on a Crumb Cake base and voila!!!!!

 

This is a little square card with a Pumpkin Pie base.  The frame image has been stamped on Whisper White in Soft Suede, then stuck to a Night of Navy layer before punching out the centre with the Curly Label Punch.  The Hello image was stamped and cut into a banner, then the Crown image was stamped in Night of Navy and cut out to adorn the sentiment.

If you would like to get your hands on this lovely stamp set then you simply need to select products from the Main Idea Book & Catalogue and/or the Spring Mini Catalogue amounting to £45……..  And with so much to choose from, maybe you’ll end up needing to select two free sets – you get one for each £45 you spend after all!

Contact me to place and order, or if you’d like any further information about hosting a party and getting more products for FREE

Julie Halls

07786266722 / craftybugjules@yahoo.co.uk

Card Class - Christmas Time Card 4

We are almost at the end of show and tell from my Christmas Card Class, I do hope you enjoyed seeing the cards we made.

The card today I love because of it's subtle look, but there are quite a few elements to it.

The card base is Cherry Cobbler, with a layer of Crumb Cake on top.  The Crumb Cake layer was stamped 3/4 way down with Serene Snowflakes in Versamark ink and covered in Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder.  This was heated creating a lovely bright, textured background.

There was a further layer of Cherry Cobbler card and Crumb Cake card.  The Crumb Cake layer was put through the Big Shot with the Perfect polka Dots Embossing Folder.

To top if off we added a 3D decoration.  The image from Contempo Christmas was stamped onto Very Vanilla three times in Cherry Cobbler ink, then all three punched out with the Ornament Punch.  They were folded in half and glued to form the 3D shape.  I bow made from 1/8" Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon was added above with a glue dot.

At the bottom we added a length of Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon and the sentiment from Contempo Christmas inked in Cherry Cobbler as well.

My friends have asked me to make them some of these cards to send to family, but they want a blue theme.  I 

will post a picture when I've finished them off.

I have one last card from this class to show you - it's very much Punch Art gone crazy.  It will be on my blog before the week is out :o)

The Details: 

Card / Paper - Cherry Cobbler / Very Vanilla / Crumb Cake

Stamps / Ink - Contempo Christmas / Cherry Cobbler / Serene Snowflakes

Embellishments - 1/8" Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon / 1/2" Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon / Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder

Tools - Ornament Punch / Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder / Big Shot / Heat Gun / Trimmer / Glue Dots

Christmas Card Class and Craft Fair Makes

Hello everyone - I want to share a couple of the cards from my recent Christmas class.

Everyone made 10 cards and 10 gift tags, but in my haste at preparing for convention I didn't take pictures of everything!  I seem to be doing this a lot lately............

However, a couple of the cards I made extras to sell at a craft fair I am doing, as well as making up 20 packs of gift tags, so these items I can share with you, though you will have to excuse the cello wrapper which doesn't make for the best picture ever!

All of the cards used the Welcome Christmas stamp set and the Tags til Christmas made the gift tags a really quick make.

This first card has the effect of looking into a house where the family are decorating a tree.  It is not an original idea by me, but I have seen lots of variation on the Internet and this is just my take on it.

The main image was stamped onto Very Vanilla card, then the wreath image was added along the top before the card was cut into four pieces.  These were mounted onto Early Espresso, and the other layer is Crumb Cake and then Always Artichoke for the card base.

The sentiment was stamped in Cherry Cobbler and then cut by hand, a little fiddly but not too time consuming.  It really makes you appreciate the ease of using punches when you have to cut something like this by hand though :o)

The bow at the top was made using Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon.

This second card is made with a Crumb Cake base and the sledging image from Welcome Christmas stamped in Crumb Cake ink at the bottom corner.  The Cherry Cobbler layer has been distressed using the Cutter Tool, and the Old Olive piece of card has been through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder.  Again the sentiment was stamped and hand cut, then added to the card with Dimensionals.

The Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon was wrapped into a bow shape and then the prongs of the brad were opened out and the ribbon pushed inside.  Closing the prongs and popping it through the Old Olive card layer then secures the bow.  The brad I used comes from the pack of Antique Brads (20 brads, 4 each of 5 designs for £5.50) which are gorgeous and a real bargain price.

 

 These are the lovely tags we made in class, 2 of each.  We made full use of the punches for these, which is exactly how the stamp set, Tags til Christmas, is designed.  However, if you don't have any punches you can very easily use a trimmer and mount them on square and rectangle pieces of card just as easily with the same fabulous results.

 

The punches used include the Decorative Label Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Large and Extra Large Tag Punches, plus the Two tags Big Shot Die.

Here are all of the sets of five tags laid out for me to bag up for the craft fair.

And here they are all bagged up.  I used retired Jolly Holiday DSP and the Top Note Die with the Big Shot to create a bag topper.  Then I added a label using the Just Perfect Alphabet stamp set and Oval Punch.

I hope this has given you some inspiration for your Christmas wrapping, and I hope those attending the up-coming craft fairs I'm attending like my cards and tags too.

Happy Crafting

Julie xxx

New Product Card Class - Button Buddies Snowman

A new Stampin' Up! catalogue and lovely new products must mean that Christmas isn't far behind!!!!

I added in a few Christmas cards to my card class this month to get everyone started............

This card uses a 4" x 4" base of Island Indigo, teamed with the gorgeous Cherry Cobbler!

The background is Serene Snowflakes stamped onto Whisper White, and then I ran the card through the Big Shot with the Perfect polka Dots Embossing Folder to give an even more snowy effect.

A length of the new Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon was added down the middle of the card (love this ribbon, it's super soft and touchable!)

The snowman from Button Buddies was inked up with markers so I could get the body in Island Indigo and the hat in Cherry Cobbler.  This was stamped onto Whisper White and then punched out with the Decorative Label Punch.  I also used this punch with a piece of Cherry Cobbler, which was then chopped in half down the middle and used to edge the white piece.This was added to the centre of the card with Dimensionals.

A really simple design that could be done over and over for a batch of Christmas cards for friends, neighbours and co-workers.  I haven't actually added a button for the snowman on this card, but it would look great and give an added dimension to the card.

Coming up later in the week are the final two cards from class which use the versatile Pennant Parade stamp set and co-ordinating Pennant Builder Punch.

The Details: 

Card / Paper - Island Indigo / Whisper White / Cherry Cobbler

Stamps / Ink - Button Buddies / Serene Snowflakes / Cherry Cobbler / Island Indigo

Embellishments - Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon

Tools - Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder / Decorative Label Punch / Dimensionals / Trimmer / Stampin Scrub and Mist / Tombow

New Catalogue Blog Hop

Wowsers!  What a day I had yesterday - after weeks of preparations and then two evenings spent setting up the lounge and conservatory, the launch party finally arrived!

I had a fabulous day with lots of lovely ladies popping in the check out the new catalogue and take part in two projects :o)  I hope a fun time was had by all, it was certainly fun for me.

Over the coming days and weeks I will be sharing with you projects from the launch party, plus other crafty creations I made for the event!

But today - it's New Catty Blog Hop time...............  If you arrived here from Maggie's blog, then I hope you loved all she had to share with you.  There are 37 hops on this blog in total.  Hopefully all of the links will be working so you can get round in one big circle, but if you get stuck along the way there is a full list of all participants blogs at the bottom of this entry :o)

This first card was made for a new catty online swap.  I went with the Posy Punch stamp set which is a new hostess set, and simply gorgeous.  I teamed it up with one of the new In Colors called Lucky Limeade, which is just luscious............  and we also have a staring role for the new Lace Ribbon Border Punch.  This punch is brilliant, with so many elements to it.  I went with weaving 1/8" Daffodil Delight Taffeta Ribbon through the centre, the cutouts in the flowers are the perfect size for this ribbon.

I made 10 of these to send out for the swap, and I got some brilliant cards back which look great on my sample boards.

The second new catalogue item to show you isn't a card.  I made these for the Regional Training I attended recently.  They are Mini Post-It Keyrings - perfect for making notes and reminders!

I went with a Christmas theme and used a new stamp set called Tags til Christmas.  All of the stamps in this set work perfectly with a whole range of the Stampin' Up! punches.  They will make your Christmas wrapping so much easier!

This is a picture of the 45 key rings I made - and it didn't take that long, about 4 hours (and I was watching tv and being distracted at the same time!)

Here's a close up!  I just loved this sentiment................

I went with Real Red card stock and ink, and then Old Olive for the Scallop Square punched piece.  Finished off with a book ring and tied with 1/8" Real Red Taffeta Ribbon

My last item to share with you today uses the wonderful and fabulous NEW Designer Fabric that Stampin' Up! have added to this years catalogue.  There are five different packs and each comes with three designs of fabric.  I have used Timeless Portrait which has the colours Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler and Very Vanilla.  

Having been to a recent team training event I have seen that there are so many things you can do with the fabric which don't even involve picking up a needle and thread, so please, if you are not a sewer, don't be scared of the fabric!

I have used it in my Big Shot with the Fun Flowers Die to cut layers of flowers in the three different designs.  I have then layered them up and stitched them together (though you could hot glue them!), added a Designer Button and a fastening to make a gorgeous brooch.

I made 18 of these for yet another training event (it's a busy time of year!), and they went down really well.  I found it made a nice change to move away from making a card and doing something a bit different.  It inspired me and got me thinking about all sorts of other things I could do with Stampin' Up! products..............  

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I really hope you have enjoyed seeing the things I have been creating with some of the NEW products for 2011-2012.........  If you like what you see then sign up to follow me and you will be notified whenever I post something new.

From here you can head on over to Elizabeth's lovely blog.  She is simply fabulous so will have some wonderful things to wow you :o)

Enjoy the Blog Hop and your sunny Sunday

Julie xxx

1. Lauralou http://airingcupboardstamping.blogspot.com/
2 AlisonP www.craftyalisoninlyon.blogspot.com
3 Glittermum http://www.mygroovystampinup.blogspot.com/
4. Theresa M http://my-next-chapter.blogspot.com/
5. SarahLP http://stampingobsession.com/
6. Sassy Stamper (Elaine) http://www.thesassystampers.blogspot.com/
7. Sarastamper (http://craftingandstamping.com)
8. JJ66 http://jan-crippin.blogspot.com/
9. Evy c http://evyscraftycreations.blogspot.com/
10. DonnaM http://www.head-over-heels-by-dlm.blogspot.com/
11. Scrappydiva http://www.stampin-divas.blogspot.com/
12. Natalie http://www.natalieoshea.co.uk/blog.html
13.Dawn http://www.tartanstamper.blogspot.com/
14. Vicky www.vickylouscorner.blogspot.com
15. Maggie (maggiemae) http://thefineartofstampin.blogspot.com/
16. Julie H (The Crafty Bug) http://www.the-crafty-bug.blogspot.com
17. Elizabeth (Stash Fairy) http://elizabethscraftroom.blogspot.com/
18. Michelle (ShellieStamps) http://michellescraftypaper.typepad.com/
19. Keren. http://www.kerenbaker.wordpress.com
20. Emma (Daisydaye) http://emma-daye.blogspot.com/
21. Rachel (Rachel) http://www.stampingurl.blogspot.co.uk
22. Valerie (valmoody) http://stampingwithval.wordpress
23. Kara (KaraM) http://karascraftycorner.blogspot.com/
24. Sarah (IOW Sarah http://www.stampinsarahiow.blogspot.com/
25. Tracey Rossos http://www.derbyshireducks.blogspot.com/
26. Patricia (Beckscraft) http://stampinbeckscraft.blogspot.com/
27. Sarah-Jane http://cardsandacuppa.blogspot.com/
28. Claire http://stampinupscrapper.blogspot.com/
29. Cupcake http://pinkycardsandcreations.blogspot.com/
30. Kimf http://kimfeecrafter.blogspot.com/
31. carolineskinner http://stampinupandbranchingout.blogspot.com/
32. Emma_H http://www.emma-letsstamp.blogspot.com/
33. Sally - Pink Sky. x http://pinkskysu.blogspot.com/
34. Carolyn http://stampaholix.blogspot.com/
35. Tina http://littlewhitehousecrafts.blogspot.com
36. Hayley (craftydevils) www.mycrafthaven.blogspot.com
37. allyf - http://serendipitypapercuts.blogspot.com

Happy Birthday Mum!

Yesterday it was my lovely mum's birthday, so I took the day off work and we spent it together..........

Whenever September comes around I always see sunflowers in the shops and I think they are simply gorgeous.  I case'd a card by Andrea Gideon to create a sunflower card for my mum.

I really hope it helped to brighten her day :o)

I used the Flower Daises #2 Die with my Big Shot to make the sunflowers, using Peach Parfait and So Saffron card for the petals, and textured Chocolate Chip card for the centres which was run through the Big Shot in the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder.

The leaves are punched in Pear Pizzazz using the Two-Step Bird Punch.

The background is the flower image from Confetti stamp set - inked in Peach Parfait and So Saffron to match the sunflowers.

The card base is Pear Pizzazz layered with textured Chocolate Chip, and embellished with a couple of So Saffron Brads.

The Details: 

Card / Paper - Pear Pizzazz / Chocolate Chip textured / Peach Parfait textured and smooth / Whisper White / So Saffron

Stamps / Ink - Confetti / Peach Parfait / So Saffron

Embellishments - So Saffron Brads

Tools - Flower Daisies # 2 Die / Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder / Two-Step Bird Punch / 1" Circle Punch / 1/2" Circle Punch / Dimensionals / Big Shot / 2-Way Glue / Snail / Trimmer / Stampin Scrub and Mist / Paper Piercing Tool and Mat Pack

Happy Anniversary

This afternoon I am off to a family party to celebrate my Aunt and Uncles 30th Wedding Anniversary, so of course I had to come up with a card.  Well, two actually, one from me and my OH and one from my mum and dad :o)

The first one I made using the Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit and 5 Petal Flower Punch to create some strawberries.  I used Poppy Parade and Pear Pizzazz, sponge daubed the edges with the same colour ink, and used the 2 Step Bird Punch for some leaves.  I popped on some little flowers as well, made by punching Very Vanilla card through the Boho Blossom Punch and sponge daubing the edges with Peach Parfait ink and popping a Daffodil Delight brad through the middle.

They were layered onto Confetti Cream card stock, which was layered on a Poppy Parade card base.  The sentiment is from the Hostess Level 2 set called Something to Celebrate which is in the mini catalogue.

The second card I made used Real Red, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White as the colour combo.

The stamp set I used is Stampin' Up!, but it's a set from the USA, called Valentine Defined.  I love it, and wish we had it over here!

The flamingos are inked in Versamark and then Real Red before stamping onto Whisper White and adding Clear Embossing Powder and heating.  The bottom Whisper White section was run through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder.  The Real Red top section was stamped with the string of hearts image from the stamp set, ink Real Red ink to give a subtle background.  I added 1/8" Real Red Taffeta Ribbon across the middle and then layered everything together.

The weather seems to have decided to be nice for the party as the sun is currently shining.

I hope you have a wonderful Saturday xxx

The Details: 

Card / Paper - Poppy Parade / Pear Pizzazz / Very Vanilla / Confetti Cream / Chocolate Chip / Real Red / Whisper White

Stamps / Ink - Valentine Defined / Something to Celebrate (L2 Hostess) / Poppy Parade / Pear Pizzazz / Peach Parfait / Real Red / Versamark

Embellishments - 1/8" Real Red Taffeta Ribbon / Daffodil Delight Brads

Tools - Boho Blossom Punch / Clear Embossing Powder / 5 Petal Flower Punch / 2 Step Bird Punch / Scallop Heart of Hearts Embosslit / Sponge Daubers / Mat Pack / Paper Piercing Tool / Tombow / Dimensionals / Snail / Trimmer / Stampin Scrub and Mist / Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder / Heat Gun

Training Day Swaps

Good Morning,

Today I am off to join about 30 other lovely ladies, and I believe one man also, for Team Training.

I'm actually gate-crashing as I'm not officially part of the team, but did receive an invite by way of Elizabeth Shannon.  It's a bit closer to home for me so works out well.

As with most Stampin Up meet ups, there is the option to take part in swaps.  It's a great way to see what ideas other come up with, to see how a stamp set you have no inspiration for, or don't currently own can be used.  And it's just great fun!

I want to keep my swap fairly simple as I didn't have a lot of time to get them done.

I unwrapped my Beautiful Butterflies Die for this one which was really fun.  Teamed with the Blueberry Crisp DSP the butterflies look gorgeous.

I have popped to different sizes together with a glue dot and then wrapped Linen Thread around the centre to act as a body and antenna.

The sentiment is from Just Believe, inked in Pacific Point, and I have scored two lines in the Very Vanilla card, though I'm not sure it shows in the pictures.  

The Pacific Point / Not Quite Navy mount has been embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots folder, and then the whole thing has been mounted on Sahara Sand card.

I hope everyone likes them.  I can't wait to see what everyone else has come up with.

Have a wonderful day :o)

The Details: 

Card / Paper - Sahara Sand / Very Vanilla / Pacific Point / Not Quite Navy / Blueberry Crisp DSP

Stamps / Ink - Pacific Point / Just Believe

Embellishments - Linen Thread

Tools - Beautiful Butterflies Die / Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder / Glue Dots / Dimensionals / Snail / Trimmer / Stampin Scrub and Mist

Congratulations!

Is it me, or does there seem to be lots and lots of pregnant ladies out there at the moment?

Three people I know are pregnant at the moment, with one about to drop any day now!  And everywhere I go there are bumps around........

One of the lovely ladies I work with has just found out her friend is expecting, so she asked me to make a card to send her.

I thought I'd give the Baby Grow card a go.  I've seen lots of these cards on various sites and think they are so cute.  

I used Nursery Suite DSP for the edging, and went with the So Saffron colouring as this is a great neutral colour.  I used Whisper White to make an A6 card base and used the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder to give it a lovely texture.  I then cut the sides in at an angle and used the 1 3/8" circle punch to make the leg holes and the neck line.  I used the same punch on the DSP and then used the 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch to get scalloped rings to stick onto the card.  The little duck comes from the Every Little Bit stamp set, inked in So Saffron and I used the Aqua Painter to colour it in lightly.  Too much water makes the Whisper White card bobble, so use as little as possible just to get a smudge of colour.  This was punched and mounted.

I also added a sentiment inside as well, but forgot to take a picture of this.  It was from the Bundle of Love stamp set.

I hope your friend likes the card Dee Dee :o)

The Details: 

Card / Paper - Whisper White / Nursery Suite DSP

Stamps / Ink - Bundle of Love / Every Little Bit / So Saffron

Embellishments - None

Tools -Aqua Painter / 1 3/8" Circle Punch / 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch / Trimmer / 2-Way Glue / Dimensionals / Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder

Stamping 411 - Sketch

When I saw this weeks Stamping 411 Sketch I couldn't wait to get started.

Straight away I knew I wanted to work with my Embossing Folders and I included three different ones on the card I made.

The first section (top left) was a piece of Lap of Luxury DSP that I ran through the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder.  The second section (top right) was Very Vanilla card that I ran through the Lattice Square Embossing Folder.  I used my brayer first to ink the raised cross pattern on the embossing folder in Concord Crush ink.  I love this effect, though I did end up with inky fingers!

The bottom section was Very Vanilla card run through the Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder and then I used a sponge dauber with Concord Crush ink the highlight the raised image.

I finally finished it all off my stamping the friends image from Cute by the Inch (Level 2 Hostess) in Concord Crush, punching it out with 1 1/4" Square Punch and mounting it on a piece of Pretty in Pink punched with the 1 1/2" Scallop Square.Everything was mounted onto a Pretty in Pink card base, the sentiment was added with Dimensionals.

The Details: 

Card / Paper - Pretty in Pink / Very Vanilla

Stamps / Ink - Cute by the Inch (Level 2 Hostess) / Concord Crush

Embellishments - None

Tools - Lattice Square, Perfect Polka Dot, Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folders / 1 1/4" Square Punch / 1 1/2" Scallop Square Punch / Sponge Dauber / 2-Way Glue / Dimensionals / Trimmer / Stampin Scrub and Mist

Birthday Cake Card

I wanted to post a quick card that I made using the Fun and Fast Notes stamp set.

I decided to go with lots of circles for the background, all cut from the Nursery Suite DSP.

I kept with the subtle colours and used So Saffron for the card base, which I ran through the Perfect polka Dot Embossing Folder, and the circles were mounted on Pear Pizzazz card.

I used markers to ink the stamped image so I could get a variety of colours, and then used the Blender Pen to make the cake frosting pinkilicious!!!!  Yum, Yum.........

The Details: 

Card / Paper - Whisper White / So Saffron / Pear Pizzazz / Nursery Suite DSP

Stamps / Ink - Fun and Fast Notes / Chocolate Chip / Regal Rose / So Saffron

Embellishments - None

Tools - Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder / 1" Circle Punch / 1 1/4" Circle Punch / 2-way Glue / Trimmer / Stampin Scrub and Mist

My First Swaps!!!!

Woooo Hooooo............

My first training session!  Very excited......

I spent yesterday evening (yes, a bit last minute), making my swaps for the session.  17 in all - took me 2 hours, not sure if that's good or bad for timing?

I love the Trendy Trees stamp set so used this and tried to keep things pretty simple seeing as I was making quite a few and it was my first go at mass production!

I was very pleased with the results - lets hope the other girls at training like them too.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what swaps everyone else brings and getting some inspiration from them.  I'll post the swaps I receive in return when I get home later on.

The Details: 

Card / Paper - Whisper White / Daffodil Delight / Regal Rose / Early Espresso

Stamps / Ink - Trendy Trees / Regal Rose / Early Espresso

Embellishments - 1/8" Daffodil Delight Taffeta Ribbon

Tools - Colour Coach / 1 3/8" Circle Punch / 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch / Polka Dot Embossing Folder / Trimmer / Stampin Scrub & Mist / Stamp-a-ma-jig / Dimensionals / Snail