Summer Silohuettes

This is another of the cards from the November class. The ladies had a choice of which orientation they would use. This one here I sponged the strip of card stock with Crushed Curry, then Stamped the stems and the stamens in Early Espresso, and the flower buds in Cajun Craze. I then randomly stamped some smaller flowers from the Summer Silhouettes in Cajun Craze as well, This card literally took three minutes to make! What the ladies did then was to make a gift card using the same method and stamp set, and to finish it all off they made an envelope from the New Envelope Punch Board, I love this new little tool from Stampin Up!

Sunny Challenges Washi Tape Challenge

Recently Sunny Challenges and Creations held a challenge that was to use Washi Tape.I decided to make a card that the washi tape was used in the embellishments. I also used the new Envelope Liner Framelit to make a matching envelope Liner. The card base was Whisper White, as was the oval in the centre of the card. Using the Ovals Collection Framelits I cut firstly the white oval then on my piece of Gingham Garden DSP I place two of the ovals onto the Magnetic Platform and cut out my frame. The card base is also covered with a piece of Gingham Garden DSP. I stamped the flower stems using a retired stamp set Pocket Silohuettes, which I inked up using Gumball Green Stamp n Write Marker. On a strip of Whisper White cardstock I ran strips of  Gingham Garden washi tape diagonally across it then punched out the butterflies and then using the Itty Bitty Punches I also punched out some flowers (to attach to the flower stems) and a couple of hearts and smaller butterflies for the envelope. I attached the two larger butterflies to the card front using mini glue dots and then place three small rhinestones on each. I used the largest Envelope Liner framelit adhered it to the envelope, just under the adhesive strip and then attached the two smaller butterflies and two hearts. This is such a lovely card and it really does look so much nicer IRL. Till next time, happy stamping

Flower Shop

This pretty card is one the ladies made in class last month. Very simple but very effective. The card base is Whisper White, and the next layer is also Whisper White which was run through the Big Shot using the Mosaic Embossing Folder. The oval frame is from Designer Frames and this was cutout using scissors after it was run through the Big Shot then an extra large oval was punched out of the new Silver Foil Paper and adhered to the centre to give the look of a mirror. The flower  from the Flower Shop stamp set and the sentiment from Express yourself were both stamped in Calypso Coral. The flower was then punched out using the Pansy Punch which co-ordinates with the Flower Shop stamp set. The leaves were made using the Little Leaves Sizzle t and Silver Glitter Paper. Both the flower, the leaves and the sentiment were all placed on dimensionals. The finishing touch was a pearl in the centre of the flower.

Challenge 92/13 Sunny Challenges and Creations

Hello stampers, I have been away from my blog for ages. Pressing issues concerning family have tied me down and not allowed me the time to be in here as often as I want. This week on Sunny Challenges and Creations Vicky set the challenge and the only stipulation was that we had to use Pool Party. Make sure you head over to Kris and Vicky's blogs to see what they have created for the challenge, and remember it runs for two weeks so you still have plenty of time to enter! I needed to make a get well card for my sister who is currently in hospital so that is what I have created for the challenge. I used a Whisper White base then inked up the C clear block  with Pool Party and stamped it twice diagonally across the card front. I then inked up the A clear block and stamped it in the centre. I love the Summer Silhouettes stamp set, and stamped the stems and stamens in Night Of Navy, the flower heads in Crushed Curry and the sentiment was also stamped in Night Of Navy. I punched out 3 small butterflies in both Night of Navy and Pool Party and placed them diagonally on the top right hand side of the card. Small basic Rhinestones were placed on the Pool Party butterflies and they were attached to the Night of Navy butterflies using mini Glue Dots. The sentiment I stamped in Night of Navy on Whisper White, and punched it out using the Modern Label Punch and this was then layered onto a piece of Pool Party that was also punched out using the same punch and put on dimensionals on the bottom left hand side of the card. I think it is a quite pretty little card and very very quick to do. Thank you for stopping by, until next time happy stamping!

Lovely as a Tree christmas

I must admit I half CASED this idea from the very talented Vicky Hayes from the UK, in as much as it was her idea to punch the word window and stamp the sentiment in the negative space left by the punch. I cut the Pacific Point cardstock so it was just a fit for the Tulip embossing folder, I then punched the strip for the sentiment using the word window punch and making the top of the punch just level to 2 1/2 tulips up the side. The sentiment from Teeny Tiny Sentiments was stamped into the negative space. I then took Glossy White card stock and very lightly sponged the whole card with Champagne Glimmer Paint, I thin over sponged most of the area with Pacific Point Classic Stamping Pad. Them image was stamped using Black Stazon, and then I swiped the Versamark ink Pad over the bottom of the card stock, sprinkled Heat and Stick Powder to it, melted it then sprinkled Dazzling Diamonds and heat set it once again. I think it gives a lovely snowy icy effect, dont you? I tied some 1/8" Silver Ribbon around the card and tied a nice bow in the centre. I absolutely adore the Frosted finishes Embellishments and added one to the top left hand side of the card for that little bit of extra bling. It looks so much "blingier" (is that even a word) in real life and I think the ladies are going to love making this card. Till next time, happy stamping!

A few weeks ago, I showed a glimpse of a card that I made with supplies from the new Holiday Catalogue. Now I am happy to say that I can show the whole card! There are so many exciting new goodies in the Holiday Catalogue you wont believe it! I used the Encore Gold stamp pad to stamp the sentiment from the Special Season Stamp Set and one of the ornaments from the Christmas Collectables Stamp Set. The embossing folder Stylish Stripes,  I used to emboss the card stock one way then turned the card stock 90 degrees and embossed just the top half. The strip of Season of Style  Washi Tape covers where the embossing finishes. The card base is Gumball Green which is fast becoming my favourite green, this was topped with Very Vanilla which was embossed with the Stylish Stripes. The ornament on the top was stamped in Cherry Cobbler, the ornaments and the sentiment were all placed on dimensionals. This is just one of the cards the ladies will be making for their Christmas Stamp a Stack this Friday. Till next time, happy stamping

Wine Bottle Tags

Wine bottle tags are so easy to make, and so much nicer than a bottle bag bought at the bottlo. I love the Gold. Silver and Red Glitter paper, so Christmassie dont you think? They are so quick and easy to make and for these I used Season of Style DSP Stack, just the right size for the tag fronts, just cut them in half and away you go! For the snowflake I used the die from last year (now retired), the tag is from Chalk Talk Framelits and the Ribbons were the 1/2" Silver and the  1cm Old Olive Striped Organdy Ribbon. They measure 8" x 3 1/2", scored at 3" on the longest side. A 1 1/4" circle is punched in the top to sit neatly over the neck of the bottle. A gift tag with a difference dont you think? Till next time, happy stamping

Sunny Challenges 87/13 - Framelits

This week it was my turn to set the challenge, and so I chose to make it something to do with Framelits. They are such fun to use, and especially if you have one of the New Magnetic Platforms. They take away the need to use Post it Notes to keep your Framelit in place. I chose to use the Labels Collection Framelits that I received when they first became available to us at Stampin Up. Originally when I made my card I used a negative from another time and sponged the background area, using Crushed Curry, Cajun Craze and Melon Mambo. I thought it looked a bit 'flat' so I cut it out using the framelits. My colour combo is pure Colour Coach, and to be honest I had forgotten how lovely Melon Mambo looked against a back ground of Old Olive and Elegant Eggplant. The Old Olive I ran through the Big Shot using a new embossing folder which is available from the 1st September. The image from Serene Silhouettes I stamped in Black Stazon and the sentiment I stamped using Elegant Eggplant was Occasional Quotes. On the inside of the card I used the Scallop Punch and punched along the bottom edge of the Whisper White insert and also along the edge of a piece of Old Olive which I put behind the Whisper White. The sentiment, when stamped I punched out with the Modern Label Punch and sponged the edges with Melon Mambo. I do hope you will find time to play along with week at Sunny Challenges and Creations, and please pop along and have a look at Kris and Vicky's Creations as well as our guest designers. Till next time Happy Stamping.

Happy Birthday Liam!

Our youngest grand son is 8 today! He loves cars and all things to do with the beach so I decided to make him a card using the Just Beachy stamp set (retired). This set is one of those that you just cant bear to part with, and I know we all have at least one or two tucked away. In actual fact the whole card is from retired stock with the exception of the Burlap Ribbon. I am still sorting my craft room, re-arranging, turfing, and the pile for a garage sale! The card base is Baja Breeze, topped with some DSP which I wrapped some of the Burlap Ribbon around the middle then attached the image using dimensionals. I stamped the car with Stazon Ink onto water colour paper and coloured it with my Stamp n Write Markers. I used Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Black and Baja Breeze for the surfboard. The letters I cut with the Big Shot and they are Timeless Type Junior Alphabet Sizzlets. I know Liam will love his card and especially so because his "Grand dad Mate" has written on the inside especially for him! Till next time, Happy Stamping

A Sneak Peek Perhaps.....

My anxiously awaited goodies from the new Holiday Catalogue, which comes live on the 1st of September have arrived and my oh my where do I start.....It is fabulous every single page of it and I know you will all love it as much as I do. I thought I might tease you just a little bit with a couple of pics, well not full pictures, just portions. Can you see what I have done to change up one of the new products already? I will show little bits between now and September 1st, just to whet your appetite for the new goodies. Till next time happy stamping.

By The Tide

Have had this stamp set for a little while now, and this is the first time it has seen ink! I know thats disgraceful, so today I set about making amends! Our eldest son's birthday is today and he is a mad fisherman and knew he would love this card, anything at all to do with fishing and her is there. The card base is Crumb Cake, layered with Very Vanilla and Sahara Sand. I scored a border at 5/8" and 3/4" around all sides of the Sahara Sand to make a frame for the main image. I made a mask of the fish, stamped my focal fish and off stamped  the other two fish  using Soft Suede. Then I stamped a little sea horse on the diagonal corners of the Very Vanilla card stock. The sentiment is from the Express Yourself Hostess set and that was also stamped in Soft Suede. I seem to find myself reaching for this set all the time now, as the sentiments are so versatile. The other day when I was playing with my Simply Pressed Clay and the Simply Pressed Blossoms and Buttons Molds I made some coloured buttons. This one is  believe it or not has been coloured using Early Espresso re-inker, I didnt use much at all, because I didnt want to make it too dark, so I began lighter. I really like the way the colour has come out on the faux button, which I attached to the side of the card with Hemp Twine. I have tried several ways to get the buttons particularly out of the molds and really the easiest way is to pop the mold into the freezer for 15 mins and they just pop out and stay in shape! Another lovely simple card for a male of any age! Till next time, Happy Stamping.

Wildflower Meadow

Hi Stampers, Today's card is one I made a week or so ago. I used the Wildflower Meadow Stamp set and also the Wildflower Meadow coordinating Embossing Folder. There are so many design possibilities with both of these items. I used my Stamp n Write markers to ink up the stamp and the colours I used were Crisp Cantaloupe and Garden Green. The little dots were fiddly to colour so I grabbed a sponge dauber, and added the colour to the dots with that. After the ink was dry I placed the card stock into the embossing folder and lined up the stamped image with the folder and ran/ it through the Big Shot. The sentiment was stamped in Garden Green onto Whisper White Card stock and then Punched out using the Ticket builder punch. I stamped 2 on in the Whisper White and one in the Garden Green. I cut the green one in half and layered it behind the stamped image and attached it using dimensionals. The addition of the pearls from the Basic Pearls softened the card and made it a lovely feminine card. Till next time, happy stamping.

Re: Mosaic Gatefold Card

Hi there stampers, Just a very quick post, to say that when I was browsing Pininterst this afternoon, I came across where I go the idea of the flower on this card from it was Nikki Spencer .  Thank you so much for the inspiration Nikki!
Pop along to her blog and have a look at some of her amazing creations, till next time, happy stamping.

More Mosaic Madness

The new Mosaic Madness Stamp Set is such a simple set but holds the promise of great creation!
I decided to use all of the new IN Colours to make this card. I started with a card base of Crisp Cantaloupe, ran a piece of Whisper White through the Big Shot using the Modern Mosaic Embossing Folder. Next I stamped some of the images from the Mosaic Madness stamp set onto Whisper White, using each one of the colours, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, Baked Brown Sugar, Strawberry Slushy and Coastal Cabana.The shapes were then punched out with the Mosaic Punch. I worked out where I wanted to place these on the card front, then, taking one of the smaller images I stamped one of each colour onto the smaller raised image on the embossed sheet. The sentiment is stamped in Baked Brown Sugar onto Whisper White, and I didnt have another piece of Crisp Cantaloupe to put behind my sentiment, so I simply sponged a piece of Whisper White. This card is really very Clean and Simple! Till next time, Happy Stamping,

Washi Tape Frame

Hi there stampers, I have had my Washi tape for a little while now and haven't been adventurous enough to have a play! Made a frame using the yellow check gingham tape from the Gingham Garden Designer Washi Tape Trio, and went to my "Another Day Box" and dug out some flowers from the Flower Shop stamp set, that I had stamped onto Window Sheet. I cut these out with my paper snips because I forgot to order the co-coordinating Pansy Punch!! Poked around a little more in that little treasure trove and found some leaves that were left over from another project that were punched out using the Bird Builder Punch, these I attached using a small amount of Tombow on the stem of each. To finish the flowers off I just attached 3 of the Brights Candy Dots, One Daffodil Delight, one Melon Mambo and the other Tempting Turquoise. Attached the flowers with Mini Glue Dots and it was done! Really only took 10 minutes to make and I reckon if I had the Pansy Punch it would have been 3 or 4 minutes tops! Hope you like this happy little card made from goodies in my "Another Day Box". Till next time, Happy Stamping.

Mosaic Gate Fold Card

 This delightful Gate Fold came together quite by accident (as I am sure most of my creations do). I had made the Christmas one, that I showed here on my blog yesterday and still had some Brights Collection DSP on my desk so decided to use that as well. I picked up a piece of Primrose Petals card stock and happily began trying out my Mosaic Punch. I then played with them making different patterns, then remembered I saw somewhere on Pinterest a flower had been made using the punch. If this is your idea please let me know so I can give you credit. I didnt pin it so I just played until it looked right. I punched a couple of leaves out using the Blossom Builder Punch in Old Olive and for the centre of the flower I sponged one of the flowers from the Simply Pressed Blossom and Buttons Mold that I had made. The panel the flower sits on is Raspberry Ripple, matted with Whisper White that I had run through the Big Shot using the Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder. The hot glue gun was invaluable for putting the flower together, and I just used a scrap of Raspberry Ripple as the base for the flowers. It was a lot of fun, my desk is still not cleaned up, and I hate to say my craft cupboard is still in the same state as it was the other day! Must get into it before my next shipment of valuables arrives. Till next time, Happy Stamping

Wine Bottle Tag

Decided to try my hand at making a Gift Tag for a Wine Bottle. Often we give a nice bottle of wine as a gift, only to have to hide it in a store bought bag! I used a piece of Garden Green Card Stock, scored and folded the top section, then punched a 1 3/4" circle to go over the neck of the bottle. This size punch was too big so I went for the 1 3/8" circle punch and that fit so much better and the top of the gift tag sat straighter. I used a piece of retired Christmas DSP for the front and then I with the Big Shot and my new Magnetic Platform and Chalk Talk Framelits I cut the biggest tag from the set. I then cut two snowflakes, one from the Silver Glimmer Paper and a small one from the same DSP as I used previously. Tied a bow using Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon and placed this in the centre of the snowflake. I am looking forward to making more of these, but overall I didnt think that this one turned out too bad for a first attempt. Till next time, Happy Stamping!

Christmas Gatefold

 Christmas will be here before we know it, so I thought I best be getting some cards done and also for the girls to make in their class. We usually make one Christmas Card each class, and that gives them a bit of head start. This one I used Cherry Cobbler for the card base, and Old Olive from the Brights Collection of DSP. The Poinsettias were stamped in Cherry Cobbler and the Holly was stamped in  Old Olive on the DSP. The flowers were cut out an placed on dimensionals and I added a little dot of the Silver Dazzling Details to the stamens. Decorative Label Punch was used to punch out both the Whisper White and the Cherry Cobbler Card Stock, the latter I cut in 1/2 on the horizontal and layered it behind the Whisper white that I had stamped the sentiment on and also lightly sponged around the edges with the Cherry Cobbler and the same ink was used for the sentiment which is from the retired set Beautiful Season. The insert of the card I off stamped the portion of the Holly Stamp twice then stamped on each diagonal corner in Old Olive and the verse from Snow Swirled is also stamped in Old Olive. Its good to have a play, and I doubly enjoy what crafting time I can grab, not nearly enough these days I am afraid. Till next time, Happy Stamping.

Retired Stock, but I love it

Today I was cleaning out my craft area trying to make room for the new goodies from the latest Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue, and came across all sorts of things that had sort of been pushed to the back of the cupboard. Didnt realise I had so much Not Quite Navy Cardstock and Baja Breeze, and more than one packet of Twitterpad I thought "Blow it, I am going to play!" I decided to make a Z Fold card, havent made one of them for ages. Dont know why I dont make more of them they are so quick and easy and they look lovely too. I used the Not Quite Navy for my card base and for the inside and also the outside flap. I layered it with the DSP and Baja Breeze. Then for the front panel I used Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze and Whisper White. For the inside panel I made it the same size as the one on the front so that when it was closed the top panel would sit over the bottom one. My intention was to use my new Flower Shop Stamp set to decorate the front when I glanced across my desk and what did I see but a "Pretties Kit" tin. Now these have been retired for at least a couple of years, and I think I have used one or two pearls and thats about it :(
This tin has been sitting there for quite some time, and I was going to put it in a garage sale that I have been contemplating having. I grabbed three of the flowers in different sizes and coloured them with Baja Breeze Ink Refill and water. Old olive and the Bird Builder punch took care of the leaves and basic Rhinestone in the centre of the flower. Sentiment stamped with Well Scripted stamp set in Not Quite Navy. I think this is a really pretty card, and I am so glad that I got to have a play. Now its back to cleaning the craft cupboard to get ready for the delivery I am expecting this week.....much excitement, cant wait. Till then, happy stamping.

Sunny Challenges 85/13

Hi there Stampers!
This week at sunny Challenges and Creations it was Kris's turn to issue the challenge to us all, and what a great sketch has been provided for us to work with.
For my card I used Soft Suede, So Saffron and Whisper White. I used the bird from the Hostess Stamp Set Simply Sketched, and stamped it onto the card base using Soft Suede Classic Stampin Pad. A small Paper Doiley was cut in half and the So Saffron cardstock I ran through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing Folder. I wrapped a length of White Taffeta ribbon around the So Saffron and attached this to the card front. 2 1/2" Scallop Punch was used to cut out a Soft Suede backing for my 1 3/4" Circle Punch to cut out my Water Colour Paper after I had coloured the bird. The Bird I stamped using Stazon Ink, then using a combination of Stamp n Write Markers and my Aqua Painter I coloured the the bird using Crumb Cake for the body of the bird, Daffodil Delight for the area around his eyes and Old Olive for the grasses. Bermuda Bay was the colour I used for the background, and this was painted on using the Aqua Painter and picking up the ink from the lid of the Bermuda Blue Classic Stampin Pad. The Sentiment is stamped in Soft Suede on Whisper White and punched out with the Large Oval Punch, another ovals was punched out this time in the Soft Suede and it was just offset at the top of the Whisper White. The sentiment and the Scallop Circle were placed on Dimensionals before attaching to the card front.
Kris, Vicky and I would love to have you join us for at Sunny Challenges and Creations.  Remember each one runs for two weeks so you have plenty of time to take part. Who knows you might just be our next winner and Ray of Sunshine! Till next time, take care and happy stamping.

Blossom and Buttons Simply Pressed Thank You

After having a good play with the Simply Pressed Clay and the Buttons and Blossoms Mold, I thought that I would quickly put a card together using a couple of the flowers that I had made. Using my Aqua Painter I picked up some ink from the Primrose Petals Ink Pad and painted the two flowers, the centres I painted with Daffodil Delight using the same technique. I coloured the stems and the leaf from the Simply Sketched stamp set using my Stamp n Write Markers and Old Olive and a touch of Gumball Green. The card base is Primrose Petals and that was topped with Very Vanilla which I had run through the Big Shot using the Modern Mosaic embossing folder. The main image was stamped on Very Vanilla and matted on Primrose Petals and Basic Grey. I love the new stitched 1/4" Grosgrain ribbon and used the Basic Grey around the centre of the card. The focal layers were placed using dimensionals, the sentiment was stamped in Primrose Petals and I placed a Basic Rhinestone in the 'O' of the so. The flowers were attached using Tombow adhesive for its strength.

Simply Pressed Clay & Buttons and Blossoms Clay Molds -- Bonnie Thurber

Hi there stampers, sorry I have been absent for a couple of days but have had family matters to attend to, Yesterday I received my shipment from Stampin' Up! and lo and behold my Simply Pressed Clay arrived. I am so excited to have finally received it and boy have I been having some fun! I will share what I have done with it tomorrow, but for today I thought that I would share with you the video from Stampin' Up! on some of the things you can do with this fabulous new item.

The things you can make with the Simply pressed Clay are amazing, and I know you will have so much fun playing with it as I have been! Dont forget to come back tomorrow and see what I have done!

Sunny Challenges and Creations 84/13

This week at Sunny Challenges and Creations, the brief was a simple one, to create a male card. Male cards for me are hard to create, but the task has been made so much easier because of  some of the beautiful male orientated stamp sets and backgrounds that we have in the new 2013 - 2014 catalogue. I started with a Crumb Cake base, on which I matted with Soft Suede that I had stamped using the Wood grain background stamp in the same colour. The Open Sea was my choice of stamp set for this card, I love the ships log stamp particularly so I inked it up in Crumb Cake, off stamped then stamped onto Very Vanilla Cardstock. The Ship I stamped in Early Espresso, then cut it out and it was put on the card using dimensionals. The compass and the sentiment are in Garden Green. I used some hemp twine and tied a knot and attached this with a Glue Dot, the sentiment was punched out using the Modern Label Punch and attached straight onto the card front. I do hope that you will play along with us for  this challenge, you have two weeks to get your entry in, and who knows you might just be our next Ray of Sunshine! Till next time, happy stamping.

Another Wetlands Creation

The Wetlands stamp set has really grabbed my imagination! This is a true 'bloke' stamp set, and so versatile too. It caters for Birthday, Anniversary, Sympathy, Get Well and even Fathers Day! It is not often that an idea will come to me in the early hours as this did. I stamped the centre image then created a mask and stamped the other two birds. I watercoloured the ground using the Aqau Painter and Old Olive. I sponged the sky with Marina Mist, then over the top of that with Smoky Slate to give the appearance of an over cast day. Garden Green Stamp n Write Marker was used to highlight the grass under the birds. The birds themselves I coloured using Soft Suede, Crumb Cake and two retired colours More Mustard and River Rock. The eyes I put a spot of Tempting Turquoise. I decided to use my Oval framelits and cut out an oval in the  Soft Suede card front, then cut an oval frame from Cherry Cobbler. The inside of the card I lined with Very Vanilla on both sides. The greeting is stamped in Soft Suede from the Gifts of Kindness set, and punched out with the Modern Label Punch, and to finish it off put to mini silver brads on each end of the frame and popped the sentiment up on dimensionals. I loved creating this card, and hope you like it too, Till next time, happy stamping.

Magnetic Platform

I think I have to say that the Magnetic Platform that Stampin' Up! has released in the new 2013 - 2014 Catalogue, is definitely the best tool EVER!!! I love it! No more hoping the framelit doesn't move, and that it will stay exactly where its supposed to, because it does and it is so easy to adjust the framelit on your cardstock too.  If you would love to see how it works for yourself then get in touch with me via my Stampin' Up! Website  Cards n Stamps in Bloom or by email, and I will be happy to give you a demo and also for you to try it out for yourself!

Wetlands

I love this stamp set in the new 2013-2014 Stampin Up Catalogue! I decided to use the Terns from this set and show them how you would normally see them, walking around in the shallows of the water. I made a 1" circle mask for the sun, and sponged the sky using soft Sky, Bermuda Bay and gently sponged a horizon line in Pacific Point. The sun I sponged in Crushed Curry and then dabbed a little Cajun Craze to the upper section. The embossed background was done using the Beautifully Baroque embossing folder. I wanted the design of the embossing folder to be the 'right way up' for my landscape orientation so embossed the cardstock in two sections. The framelit used for the main image area and the Soft Suede frame are from the Labels Collection Framelits. The touch of the Baked Brown Sugar Stretch Trim finished the card off, and I was so happy with the result. The sentiment is from the Wetlands set. This set shows so much promise and is so versatile, already I am envisaging all the ways it can be used! The ladies are going to be doing this card in class on Friday and I know they will fall in love with this set too, Till next time happy stamping.

Delicate Doilies

I have been absent for quite a while caring for my husband, and have only been able to grab a bit of time here and there in the craft room This afternoon I was browsing through some of my favourite blogs and I have to admit that Candys Cards is right up there at the top of my list. This is something I CASED from her site, although I did not use the same stamp set nor did I use all the same punches. Below are some pics of what I made. I had fun and it felt so good to be able to craft once again. These were so quick and easy to put together and if you pop on over to her blog she has the details there. I used black grosgrain ribbon which is retired on the box to tie it off, and how about that faux ribbon down the side of the card? It looks lovely but all it is, is a stamped strip of card stock that is adhered to the card front. I also made a gift box using Whisper White for the base and Window Sheet for the lid, and with the black ribbon I think it really finished the project off. Till next time, happy stamping,

New Wood-Mount Cases

The new Stampin' Up! Catalogue that was released on the 1st of July for 2013 -2014, has lots of wonderful ideas and products. I just love the new Wood -Mount Cases. Now all your wood mount stamps will sit just like VHS cases on the shelf! No more worrying if you have the labels on the right way so they sit properly. They come in two sizes half and full size! They come in packs of 4, half size $8.95 Item no 127552 and full size $11.95  Item no 127551.  Your wood mount storage problems have just been solved! Thank you
Stampin' Up.

Working with Vellum

This week at Sunny Challenges and Creations, I set the challenge, and did not give a sketch, but the challenge was to make a sympathy card. We all dislike making these cards, as it invariably means that a friend or acquaintance has lost someone dear to them and you wish to let them know you are thinking of them. My card this week was on a base of Elegant Eggplant. A piece of Whisper White was run through the Big Shot using the Petals a Plenty embossing folder then I also cut two ovals using the Ovals Collection in the Framelits and cut one in Perfect Plum and the other in white. I just love the Secret Garden stamp set and of course the matching framelits.......makes cutting so much easier dont you think. The leaves were Old Olive and once again used the Secret Garden Framelits to cut them out. I used Vellum cardstock for the flowers. Firstly I swiped the vellum with my embossing buddy to ensure I didnt get any embossing powder where it wasnt need and then I stamped with Versamark, sprinkled White Embossing Powder on the images and heat set them with my Heat Gun. I decided to use Perfect Plum, Wisteria Wonder and Primrose Petals Classic Stampin Pads with my Aqua Painter and colour the flowers. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Sentiments and I must admit that today I used my MDS for the very first time to add something to a card that I made. A very small step, it didnt bite me so I might just have to go in there again! The Elegant Eggplant ribbon I had in my stash and thought it finished the front of well. The Perfect Plum Oval was put up on dimensionals as were the flowers and the sentiment. Make sure you check out Kris and Vicky's blogs to see what they have created for you this week. We hope that you will join us in the challenge and remember it runs for two whole weeks now so you have plenty of time. Till next time.......

Love that Glimmer Paper!

In Friday's class the ladies were shown how to colour the Glimmer Paper to a  colour of their choice, so you can add a whole heap of  'bling' for not too much effort. A base of Baja Breeze was used and this was topped with a piece of Whisper White which was run through the Big Shot Twice, once to do the lacy edging  from the new Delicate Design Folders, then again by placing the edge of the new Lacy Brocade embossing folder to the top edge of the lacy embossed area and run it through . A piece of Bashful Blue Ribbon was placed around the centre of the card and secured by adhesive to the back and then the whole piece to the card base. The larger frame was cut using the Glimmer paper and the smaller frame was stamped and coloured with Stamp n Write Markers first, then run through the Big Shot as well. To colour the Glimmer paper, the ladies simply sponged the area with Baja Breeze then attached the stamped image to it using Snail. Dimensionals were used to lift the Glimmer Paper Framelit from the card base. Two small flowers were punched using the the four leaf flower from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack. These were attached using Glue Dots and then a small pearl was placed in the centre of each flower. The insert of the card was Whisper White which had the Lacy Edge to the bottom. A lovely card, and really not too much too it but it certainly has a lot of WOW about it. Till next time.......

Christmas...........so soon?

During today's class, it was decided by the ladies that we would make one Christmas Card each lesson and every now and then do a Christmas stamp a stack, so that when the silly season came around we would have at least a few Christmas Cards on hand. Seeing the ladies flew through the class this morning and we had some time still left to play I quickly made up this card as the first of many that we will make this year. The girls loved their creation and they were surprised at just how quickly it all came together. I made a base of Garden Green card stock, which on my own admission is not a colour that I normally go for when green is called for. I then cut a mat of the flocked Window Sheet from the Candlelight Christmas Designer Series Paper
and applied it directly to the base. Next it was 2 Oval Framelits in Very Vanilla, which I quickly stamped the larger one with the pine needles from Watercolour Winter in Old Artichoke, then the holly branch from the same set which was stamped using Stazon Ink and coloured with Stamp n Write Markers. The Greeting is from Snow Swirled and that was stamped off then onto a piece of Very Vanilla and using the Square Punch to finish the greeting panel. The ladies used their imagination and one was done as mine, another used rounded ends and another was done using one of the Apothecary Labels. A Very Vanilla Insert was placed inside and the ladies either off stamped the holly branch or the pine needles in one corner and the verse from Snow Swirled was used too

Sunny Challenges 77/13

Hi Stampers, This week at Sunny Challenges and Creations, Vicky set the challenge and it was to use the sketch, and added the theme was to be either Mothers Day or a Female Card. I thought this week that rather than use stamps as the main component, I would take myself well and truly out of my comfort zone and I would use use my Big Shot and punches to create my card. I used Whisper White as the base and topped that with Whisper White again which I embossed using the Lattice Square Embossing Folder. The scallop circle was cut using the Scallop Circles #2 Die in Bashful Blue. A Whisper White mat was cut using the 2 1/2" Circle Punch. For the Bashful Blue flowers I used the Blossom Party Originals Die and for the centres I used the same die and used a scrap of Silver Glimmer Paper that I had on my desk and sponged them with Daffodil Delight. The leaves I used my old favourite Old Olive and the Bird Builder Punch, trimmed them off and placed them behind the flowers. The sentiment I used my Black Marker Pen and only inked the word Mother onto Whisper White. This was punched out using the Large Oval Punch and I matted this onto a Scallop Oval which I had punched out in the Bashful Blue. I had placed a small punched flower in Baja Breeze to which I added a large pearl from the Basic Pearls. The Punch I used for this flower is a retired Stampin' Up Trio Flower Punch. Dont forget to check out the challenge blog and visit our other designers, and check out their beautiful creations for this challenge. You now have 2 weeks to enter our challenges so you have plenty of time to get your creations to us, and who knows you may well be our next Ray of Sunshine! Till next time....

Challenge 76 Sunny Challenges and Creations

Hi there once again! This week over at Sunny Challenges and Creations, our very talented Kris supplied the sketch and the other part of the challenge was to use a background stamp or stamp a background. I used Night of Navy Card Stock, Very Vanilla Card Stock and Night of Navy and Sahara Sand ink. I decided I wanted to use the Open Sea set, and it came together ever so nicely I thought.
Firstly I used the ledger stamp from that set and using Sahara Sand I off stamped it onto some scrap then stamped it four times to cover the Very Vanilla cardstock I then took 3 smaller pieces of Very Vanilla and on one I stamped my main image and on the other two I ran them both through the Big Shot using the Hounds tooth Embossing Folder then matted them onto Night of Navy cardstock. I also stamped a compass and cut it out and attached it to the bottom panel. The middle Panel I used Teeny Tiny Sentiments and chose the happy birthday greeting.  I punched the greeting out using the Word Window Punch twice and slightly offset the Very Vanilla on the Night of Navy.The inside of the card I off stamped the Sahara Sand and placed the earth globe in it. We would love you to check the other creations and join us in this fun challenge! Till next time.....

Basic Masking

I made this card a few weeks ago for Sunny Challenges and Creations, which had a sketch and an Easter theme. I had a new stamper this week at class and so decided to show her the technique of Basic Masking and it also refreshed the other ladies on this technique as well. The colours we used were Whipser White Card Base, Lucky Limeade and Raspberry Ripple (sorry about the colour in the pic). We also used the Honeycomb Embossing folder. When the card was finished we just put touches to the main stamens of the flowers using Silver Sparkle Dazzling Detail liquid and the middle flower was raised on a dimensional. The greeting is from the set Well Scripted and was punched out using the Scallop Oval Punch. This is such a pretty card and when the ladies made their cards they used the sentiment of their choice from the Well Scripted stamp set. Till next time.......

Window Sheet Card

Today I held a class and had one new lady join us, it was lovely to meet her and I think she had a great time, and was so happy with her creations being a very first time stamper. I decided that I would showcase  a couple of new items from the current catalogue and show the ladies how quick and easy this card was to make. We used the new Secret Garden Stamp set and also the matching Framelits that match all the stamps....it makes cutting out so much easier, a few turns of the handle of the Big Shot and you are in business! We also used the Finishing Touches Edgelits to give the lacy look to the cardstock. The DSP used was retired as was the stamp for the greeting that was stamped on the inside of the card on the right hand side so it was visible when the card front was closed. I had seen these cards before, and this time my inspiration came from Vicky a very good friend and a very talented papercrafter. Till next time......

Direct Ink to Paper Technique

Direct to Paper Technique or DPT is a very simple but effective way to create a back ground in a matter of seconds! The thing to remember when you first attempt this technique is be 'lightly as you go' When you have done it a couple of times and feel a little more adventurous you may well want to see the effects that you can have by being a bit more heavy handed with the inks you are using. I followed a tutorial by Michelle Zhindorf changed the colours, the embossing folder used and added some brads to the bottom corner of the card. I am going to show the ladies that come to the class this week how to do this wonderfully simple technique. I used Marina Mist for my base, and the houndstooth embossing folder on the old olive card stock. The DITPT card front was mounted on Always Artichoke and the little corners were made by punching out a 1 3/8" square and cutting it diagonally in half and placing behind the Always Artichoke on the top and bottom corners on the non opening side of the card. On the inside of the card I  used the same image as the front using Sahara Sand but off stamped it three times before stamping of the Whisper White insert. This is so there is just a very faint image and therefore able to write over it if required. This is such a fun technique and I hope you will try it. Till next time

Get Well or Hope you feel better challenge

Hi Stampers this week I set the challenge at Sunny Challenges and Creations, the brief was very simple just create a Get Well Card scrap page of 3D item. Even though I set the challenge I still had to think about what I wanted to do. I took a piece of Marina Mist card stock, folded in half and then in half again on the front opening.  I then placed the beginning of the folded front half in the big shot and using the largest of the  Apothecary Accents Framelits cut out 1/2 the shape, I also cut a full framelit the same size but using Twitterpad DSP. I then embossed the card front using the Elegant Lines embossing folder twice to get embossed coverage to the whole of the card front, and then I folded the 'scrap piece' back to the centre of the card. I used white taffeta ribbon to the front and adhered it under the back flap of the front. I used the Word Play stamp set for my sentiment and punched it out with the Decorative Label Punch and sponged around the outer edge with Marina Mist. For the inside of the card I used the Tulips embossing folder on Whisper white card stock and added the flower image from Serene Silhouettes, which I had stamped off three times before adding it to the Whisper White. Kris, Vicky and I hope you will play along with us the next two weeks on Sunny Challenges and Creations, and check out what our guest designers have come up with for the challenges as well. Till next time....

Sunny Challenges 74/13

This week over at Sunny Challenges and Creations, it was Vicky's turn to present the challenge. Vicky gave us this sketch and it was to be an Easter card. First up my thoughts turned to the usual Easter Bunnies, chocolate eggs, adorable little chicks and so on. When I eventually banished these images from my mind I came up with this creation.

 My card base is Whisper White, and I have matted that with a strip of Raspberry Ripple that was embossed with the Honeycomb embossing folder that I ran through the Big Shot. I matted  piece of Whisper White onto another piece of Raspberry Ripple, and using the masking technique I stamped the large flower from Everything Eleanor and then stamped another flower image, cut it out and attached it to the centre flower with  dimensional. I off stamped the flourish using Gumball Green. The sentiment from Well Scripted stamp set is stamped in Raspberry Ripple and punched out using the Scallop Oval Punch. To finish it off I dabbed Silver Dazzling details on the stamens of each flower. We love to see your creations too and who knows you could be our next Ray of Sunshine, till next time......