Designer paper meets happy birthday

hi all

here's another project for you - I was galvanised into action on this one,  as had signed up to do an on-line class where the topic is:

Use your pretty papers - don't just leave them in their wrappings!

well, am sure am not alone in that I have quite a few packs where I have maybe used the odd one or two sheets from it - but then moved onto something else leaving a tail of part used packs behind me.. Not any more she said!! and am so looking forward to this class when it happens!

so..  in readiness and in preparation  I dug out some more of the lovely papers I had collected  (a lot of them again retired!! and not used! )  and one set in particular I  ooh'd and aah'd over - and chose to use it to make a birthday card for a sewing colleague.

Its the absolutely beautiful Paisley Petals Designer series paper - et voila - one card!

In my book - its so nice it hardly needed anything at all!

Just a little bit of seam binding,  a matted / layered die-cut and stamped sentiment which I 'faux-stitched' round for added emphasis (well seeing as she is a sewer- very apt I thought! some toning candy dots, all atop a piece of whisper white card stock.

I just love the colours in this and was so pleased with the overall look of it - and so simple, as it just really showcases the beautiful paper - and that was all that was needed.

and I opted to use some more of the paper from the set to make a matching envelope with my must have Envelope Punch board.

and If I have learnt nothing else - the moral of this is - use your lovely papers whether as an added piece of embellishment or virtually standalone as I did here! The resulting cards will be quite something am sure!

The current range of papers at Stampin' Up! really are just as delightful so why not substitute your own and whip up a set of cards in a matter of minutes just as I did with this one.

Stampin' Up! supplies for this:

Card stock:/ designer series papers of your choice

Stamps Sets: Memorable Moments
 Thinlit dies : Labels collection framelits
 Other Essentials: Toning seam binding, Stampin' Up! Dimensionals, Candy dots

Stampin' Up! sponges, 
Festive Occasions paper piercing pack
 

Just click on the items to easily access them in my on line store  to place an order and have  them shipped straight to your address.

Am happy to answer any questions you may have - if you would like to find out more or would like me to place an order for you, you can email me or contact me on 01438 820829 if you would rather.

Well tomorrow sees me at my monthly craft class- the emphasis of the class  is 'Christmas' so you never know,  I just might have some ready  in time - most unlike me to be prepared -
but hopefully will have completed some things in order to show you all - "well,  that is the plan" as someone once said!

Til next time

best wishes
Jan
x

... none for ages - then two at once !

hi all

yes don't worry, its not  Sunday,  (my usual day for putting digit to keyboard) honest,
but have just finished a card for my  friend to thank her for all she did in the run up to my big '0' day, so thought I would share.

I chose the very popular Hexagon Hive thinlits die as the main focus of the card, with my two must have, go to,  colours of the moment. Namely,  Lost Lagoon and Hello Honey from the current 2014 - 2016 In-colours.

My sentiment came from the 'A Dozen Thoughts' stamp set and a bit of careful inking/masking and Stamp-a-majigging to get the wording where I wanted it - along with some strategically placed flowers,  stamped from the 'Something to Say' set and punched with the matching punch from the Itty Bitty Accent Punch pack, completed the look.

and here we are -

A bit of sponging in Hello Honey to complete the card - and I was really pleased with the finished result.

...and of course being the frugal person  I am - I  just had to find something to do with all those punched hexagons that you end up with after using the Hexgaon Hive thinlit die.

A fellow sewer at my weekly needlework class is also about to reach the same birthday milestone as me -  - well to me, all those little shapes just cried out pieced 'Grandma's flower garden and being as she is a  keen quilter,  I thought this very apt!

With a little bit of arranging of those hexagon offcuts  and a few more of the same punched flowers,   a 'Happy 60th Birthday' sentiment from the Memorable Moments Stamp set, which I die-cut using the 'Chalk Talk' thinlits and I had another card which came together really quickly.  Shame about the slight pink cast which am still puzzling over though!

and with the birthday in mind thought I would link it to the current challenge being run by the lovely ladies over at  Fashionable Stamping Challenges where their Challenge #80 is a Birthday card for someone special

I used the opposite colourway for my sponging this time with Lost Lagoon, and finished it off with the toning ribbon trim.

... simple but effective and so easily done with my Stampin' Up! stamps, punches, and dies

Stampin' Up! supplies for these cards:

Stamp Sets : A Dozen Thoughts,  Something to Say, Memorable Moments

Inks:Lost Lagoon, Hello Honey

Card stock:Whisper White
Thinlits Dies/Punches: Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack,  Hexagon Hive Thinlits Die 
or Honeycomb Hello Clear Mount bundle

Chalk Talk Thinlit Dies or Chalk Talk Clear Mount bundle
Other Essentials: Stampin' Up! dimensionals, Stamp-a-Ma-jig, Sponge Daubers
Lost Lagoon ribbon 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon

Just click on the items to easily access them in my on line store  to place an order and have  them shipped straight to your address.

Am happy to answer any questions you may have - if you would like to find out more or would like me to place an order for you, you can email me or contact me on 01438 820829 if you would rather.

Well, my partner survived today's  'great-niece' invasion and lives to tell the tale.
I understand a rather lengthy trip to the park took up quite a substantial amount of time.
Am not too sure who enjoyed the roundabout more - him or they!

Til next time and have a great week
with best wishes
Jan x

Folded sceen card - meets birthday pinks!

hi all

well - with the 'One in a million' stamp set still out on my desk from a previous foray - and yet another Birthday this month.. couldn't resist giving it another outing.. Just love the related birthday stamp sets in this set.

Last weekend I spent a very happy couple of hours at a class and we learnt how to make those lovely 'folded screen' cards - and with my niece-in-law about to turn 30, I decorated my card with this particular birthday milestone in mind. 

I chose girlie pinks in Blushing Bride and Melon Mambo and Whisper White to go with!

The sadly soon to be retired,  Morning Post Alphabet, with the addition of lots of punched butterflies, flowers, an overall stamped background, happy birthday and related sentiments, a few rhinestones,  and herewith one card.

So easy to do - one full sheet of A4 scored in 4 down its length,  the 'curly legs' courtesy of the decorative label punch,  used at half mast as it were, centred at the bottom of each of the 4 sections, a scallop border punch for decorating the top - and you have the basic card.

The Whisper White panels were just  a stamped sheet of card stock cut into 4 strips 7 x 2.5 strips, and adhered to each of the sections.

Then went to town with my embellishments - as is my won't! and even found a diamante '30' which I managed to recycle from something else I had.

All in all was quite pleased how it turned out so shall cross my fingers that she likes it.

Stampin' Up! supplies for this card:

Stamp Sets : Morning Post Alphabet, One in a Million, Memorable Moments

Inks:Melon Mambo

Card stock: Blushing Bride, Melon Mambo, Whisper White

Punches: Scallop Square, Boho Blossoms, Bitty and Elegant Butterflies, 
Modern Label, Decorative Label  ,

Other Essentials: Stampin' Up! dimensionals, Toning ribbon.

I can order Stampin' Up! Products for you, shipped straight to your address and am happy to answer any questions you may have - if you would like to find out more or would like to place an order you can email me or contact me on 01438 820829  

  

or why not visit my on line store - so as not to miss out on all the lovely goodies that are going.!   

..and  with a certain competition about to kick off any minute - all I can say I shall be certainly be seeking the sanctuary of my little craft square and what better excuse to disappear, as if I need one!

til next time.. 
 

Jan x

Wetlands mini-waders say happy birthday

Hi all and happy bank holiday .... or more precisely, what's left of it.!

I have been helping Mummie, following the lightning strike on Saturday, and glad to say she is over the shock of it all now, and just keen to get it sorted.  The aerial people are due to call tomorrow, the insurance people are scheduling an assessor's visit - so all in all.. we are now in their capable hands,  or at least I like to think so..

but in the midst of all that- it's also my dad's birthday tomorrow and what with one thing and another, well you can imagine,  have only just finished his card this evening. Uhm.. Talk about 'last minute.com' yet again!

Well it's a man card, so it has to be blue.. one of these days I might break out of my comfort zone on this, but not today!

I chose the lovely Wetlands stamp set,  starting with this beautiful card from Julia Carmichael as my inspiration. But I thought my little squares just looked lost on the overall card, so sponged them, then popped them up on a focus piece using the 'En Français,' background stamp.

The 'glitter letters' are from a very old set of pre-cut die shapes, which I have had for ages.

The sentiment on the front is from the 'One in a million' stamp set and I carried on with the complimentary stamp from the same set, 'That makes you one in a million!'  to decorate the inside. I finished  off with the 'Happy Birthday' from the Memorable Moments stamp, placed to perfection with the use of my Stamp-a-Majig.

Hope he likes it.

Stampin' Up! supplies for this card:

Stamp Sets: Wetlands, One in a Million, Memorable Moments, En Français,

Inks: Night of Navy

Card stock: Night of Navy, Very Vanilla

Punches: 1" and 1 1/4" Square punches, Scallop border punch,  
Decorative Label Punch,

Other Essentials: Stampin' Up! dimensionals, sponge daubers

 I can order Stampin' Up! Products for you, shipped straight to your address and am happy to answer any questions you may have - if you would like to find out more or would like to place an order you can email me or contact me on 01438 820829  
  
or why not visit my on line store

Must admit this bank holiday has flown somewhat -  and what with the thunder and lightning, the downpours and everything else that has happened - although am not normally one for wishing my life away - on this occasion I just might make an exception!  to be honest am glad to see the back of it!

til next time
best wishes all
Jan
x

Flower Shop and more sneaky peaks!

hi all and happy Sunday.

I had the delightful task of making a 70th card for an ex-works colleague - whose party  we attended on Friday.  My task was made all the more easier as I opted to follow exactly the colour scheme on one of the sheets of Designer series paper from the an upcoming set, available from 28th January.

The colours in question: were Gumball Green, Island Indigo, Basic Grey and Smoky Slate.. what do you think.?

I matted a layer of Whisper white card on to my grey card base,  again opting for my design element of the moment - my corner rounder.

...and just stamped 6 of the flowers using a stamp from the Flower Shop stamp set,  easily punching them out with the matching Pansy punch.

These I then arranged,  linked and inter-weaved together,  down the right-hand edge of the card and here you can just see the inside of the card, peaking through.

For this, I randomly stamped a cluster of 3 flowers in the top left and bottom right hand corners but stupidly forgot to photograph the sentiment inside - 'the earth laughs in flowers..' which I absolutely adore from the Fabulous Florets stamp set.

I tried to balance the left hand side of the card by stamping a few copies of the small sprig from the Morning Meadow Hostess set and topped this all off with my sentiment propped up on dimensionals on top of some toning ribbon. 

The 'Happy 70th birthday' are all separate stamps from the Memorable Moments set. 

That's what is so nice about  Stampin Up, the sets are designed such that they easily compliment each other and it so easy to mix and match different elements , knowing things will 
just work!

I used my Stamp-a-majig to ensure everything was perfectly positioned in the frame,  included with the set,   all then precision cut using one of  the matching dies from the Labels Framelits set.

 Here you can see how the flowers were interleaved and you can just make out touches of my beloved basic rhinestones. I just can't resist adding these where ever I can.

and of course my envelope punch board makes it so so easy to make a custom sized envelope to match the  occasion.

This card is much larger than those I usually make and because I deliberately offset the centre fold of the card, it was then slightly larger than the dimensions quoted for a true A5 sized card. 

But after a few trial and error attempts with old newspaper was still then able to use the punch board to create an envelope just perfect for the job.

Its a definite must have in my book!

I know grey seems like an odd choice for a 'Happy' card but sometimes stepping  'out of  your comfort zone'  - well, it works.  I just hope she liked it too.

Things I used to make this card:

Stamp sets: Memorable Moments, Morning Meadow - Hostess,  Flower Shop
Inks: Gumball Green Island Indigo, Smoky Slate
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Grey, 
Other Essentials : Toning ribbon, Labels Framelits, Stampin  Up dimensionals,Pansy Punch,    corner rounder punch, Basic rhinestones, Envelope board punch

I can order Stampin' Up products for you, shipped straight to your address and am
happy to answer any questions you have  - if you would like to find out more or would like to place an order you can email me or phone me on 01438 820829

or why not visit my on-line store

I was a bit late posting  today - as  have had my great-niece here  for a sewing session - she wanted  to make something to go towards her hobby badge for Brownies - now whereas I tried to steer her towards inks and stamps and a card of course, well,  she had other ideas!

We ended up making a  carrier bag holder -  like this one, including the Scottie Dog fabric! - which her mum had got as an offcut for the princely sum of £2:00 from our local Dunelms store. So everyone happy all round and hopefully my great-niece  will have earnt her hobby badge!.

Meanwhile I am still hopeful  she may yet take to card making

Until next time and have a lovely week.
Jan
x