Sneaky peek at... Just A Note

This sneaky peek is a little bit misleading as it's not *exactly* what we'll be making at the session tonight. The idea is the same but we'll be using smooth card in different colours. This is a set of notecards I made for a friend using the gorgeous textured card from Stampin' Up! in Old Olive and Real Red (a real classic colour combo). I've used the cherry stamp, inked up using SU markers, from the Tart and Tangy stamp set and I think it makes a really cute, kitsch pattern. It reminds me of 1950's diners and poodle skirts.

I've used the One Sheet Wonder (OSW) technique, in as much that I've stamped up a single A4 sheet of Whisper White cardstock with a repeat design, and then cut sections of the card to make each card.

This is my take on the OSW, as a normal OSW is used to make ten cards and mine makes six. I knew there were certain designs I wanted to use that required larger pieces of stamped card so I decided to sacrifice quantity to get the designs I wanted.

On the green card above I punched out three individual images using the Circle punch and matted them with the contrasting red card. The sentiment is from a retired set that I've cut out using the Word Window punch. The red card is probably my favourite. I've highlighted the cherries paper by using contrasting card and the Eyelet Border punch.

The sentiment on the red card above is stamped onto contrasting card and cut out using the Extra Large Tab punch.



I've used faux stitching on the green card above. It's so easy - just use a marker to draw a zigzag line over the edge of your paper to make it look like it's sewn to the card. If you have time to make it look even more realistic, use a piercing tool to make holes where each stitch would go through the card. Both cards use the 'friends' sentiment from the Just Believe set.

In this week's session I want to see everyone's own creative flair so I'm not setting precise instructions. Depending on the stamp sets that people choose, they will be able to use their OSWs in different ways. I'm really looking forward to seeing what is created.

Paper Cutz Challenge #97

As per my last post, I'm working on a new laptop and don't have editing software for my photos so apologies for the pics.

This is my entry for the Paper Cutz Challenge #97 which has the theme Pink, Orange and White. I've used stamps from the Circle Circus, Darling Dots and Wow Flowers sets from Stampin' Up! The cardstock and inks are Melon Mambo and Tangerine Tango on Whisper White  - a lovely tangy citrus combo.



You have no idea what hurdles I've encountered in getting that photo online *bangs head against wall*

My Laptop R.I.P

It is with great sadness that I have to report that my laptop died this week. I wasn't as heartbroken as I could've been thanks to two things; 1) We'd just sold our car and so had some money at our disposal and 2) I'd backed up my photos a few weeks ago. Even so, it's a huge annoyance and a drain on our already limited finances (hence the selling of our 2005 Ford Focus and the buying of my Dad's 13yr old Rover 400 estate to pay our bills!).

For me, my computer is my lifeline. It's the only inanimate object, if any, I would grab if my house was on fire. I'm not sure how I lived before the internet, although I distinctly remember I did somehow.

Anyway, all my recent card photos were either on my old laptop or on my phone, which this new laptop can't see as it doesn't have Bluetooth (it was supposed to - long story...). I've had to take new pics with my camera and upload them, but I don't have the editing program to crop them!  So, please ignore the edges and wonkiness of the pics you see in the next few posts. Normal service will be resumed shortly!

Just A Note

Our next Papercraft Session takes place on Thursday 30th June and the theme is Just A Note.

We'll be using a technique called 'One Sheet Wonder' to make a set of co-ordinating notecards. We'll then create a pretty box to put them in, so that they can be given as a gift, or you can just keep them to use yourself!

Because the technique is so versatile, it can be used with so many of Stampin' Up's rubber stamp sets. I'll be demonstrating with the Tart & Tangy set but you can choose from the following sets to use on the night:-

Baroque Motifs

Circle Circus

Tart & Tangy

I hope to have some pics for you after the weekend.

Don't forget, you don't need to attend the classes in order to buy any Stampin' Up! products. You can order direct through me at any time by sending me an e-mail or calling me on 0757 848 6669 and goods will be sent direct to you for £4.95 (P&P flat rate). If you only need one or two items and would like to save on postage, please ask me as I may be able to add your items to my class order and then send them onto you at cost.

YNS Challenge #45

It's been a long time since I entered a blog challenge but I couldn't resist when I saw that the theme at the Your Next Stamp challenge blog was 'Black and White + 1 more'. I really love these colour splash challenges as the results are always really stunning (by that I mean all the entries). It's also a great way to get you thinking about careful design as you can't rely on colour coordination.

I have a rose stamp from YNS which I knew would make the impact I was looking for. I set it up on my Stampin' Up! clear mount block and randomly stamped it in black Stazon onto whisper white cardstock. I coloured in the roses using a couple of Promarkers and then cut it down into strips before layering them onto basic black CS. I added a border using the Eyelet Border Punch and punched a matching strip to go along the bottom to frame the sentiment. The main card is Baja Breeze cardstock and those brads are actually faux paper brads which were a gift from the lovely Linda (see her blog here).

I'll be posting again soon with full details of the next Papercraft Session, but as a teaser I can tell you that we'll be covering the 'One Sheet Wonder' technique (nothing to do with Juan Sheet and his kitchen towels I promise!)

Cards Galore continued.

As promised, here are the other cards I made yesterday.

The first is a Father's Day card for my lovely Dad. The digi image was sent to me by my gorgeous Sister, the talented card maker Bixi Sparkles (see her blog here). She knew it would be perfect for me to use on Dad's card as it brought back funny memories of a Guy Fawkes Night back when I was about 3 years old. I was sat on Dad's shoulders watching the fireworks when a really loud bang scared me. Suffice to say that Dad's shoulders were suddenly rather warm and damp - oops!

To create the fireworks I used the Black Magic technique, where the image is stamped using Stampin' Up's Craft Ink in Whisper White and then coloured using SU! markers. The craft ink stands out so well on black, better than any other white ink I've tried. I created the sentiment on my computer and then punched it out using the Decorative Label punch.

Then I made a 2nd Birthday card for my friend's little boy. 

The main decoupage image was a gift from my Sister and the colours made it a perfect match for my Concord Crush cardstock (fast becoming my fave!). To add some personalisation, I stamped Alex's name using the Just Perfect Alphabet set (told you it was useful!). I also added some raised dots as a border using Stampin' Up's Crystal Effects. The No.2 was just an embellishment from my stash, which I've added white dots around using the Signo Gel Pen - another great one to use on darker colours.

Cards galore

I was lucky enough to get a few hours yesterday to make cards. With two friends recently giving birth, a 2nd birthday and Father's Day, it was crafting time I desperately needed!

I'll give details of the new baby cards in this post and show the others in another post so that it doesn't become too long.

This was my first attempt at a recessed window card and I'm really pleased how it ended up. I've used River Rock textured card and Blushing Bride card, together with Blushing Bride patterned Designer Series Paper.

The sentiment is from a retired SU! set which I've cut out using the Decorative Label punch. The flowers are made using the Flower Accent stamp, which I've inked up with Versamark and then 'kissed' with the tree from the Hopeful Thoughts stamp set. Using Versamark meant that I was left with a clear image to cut out, without affecting the colour of the cardstock too much. The baby's name was made using the ever useful Just Perfect Alphabet set and cut out using the 3/4" circle punch.

For the second card I used the Sweet Treat cup and Something Sweet stamp set (a fab combo!).

It's a little hard to see but there are 3 layers to this card and I've added texture with some paper piercing.

The rattle contains lots of little hearts which you can shake around and I've added a sweet little bow to the handle.

I'll be back soon with the other cards from my Craftathon ;)

Boys Toys class update

I had a lot of fun at this week's Papercraft Session, despite a kettle malfunction leaving us all slightly parched. As well as the 'Rock Star' card I showed you in a previous post, we also made a punch art BBQ card for those Dads who like to do the cooking as long as it's outdoors ;D

Every part of the barbecue is made from Stampin' Up! punches and even the beer bottles are made using the Word Window punch. The clouds are made using the 'faux clouds technique', where I've punched out a shape using the scallop circle and used the negative image as a template to apply Craft ink in Whisper White using a sponge dauber.

The sentiment is from the Sale-a-Bration set 'So happy for you' and the 'dad' is stamped using the Just Perfect alphabet stamp set and that all important Stamp-a-ma-jig for perfect alignment.

I nearly forgot to say - see the embers flickering from the barbecue? That's actually the stems from one of the stamps in the Pocket Silhouettes stamp set! I used a Real Red marker to just ink up the parts I wanted to stamp. It's good to take a step back and look at your stamps sometimes in order to see what else they could be used for.

The MP3 gift card holder uses one of the sentiments from the Just Believe stamp set, which is one of my favourite sets from the current catalogue.

Here's a pic of the completed projects from the class.

Tri-shutter treat

I was recently inspired by Sarah Moore's beautiful Tri-shutter card and decided to have a go at one myself.

I used the En Francais background stamp to create a vintage look and enhanced it by adding Cajun Craze ink to the edges of the More Mustard panels with a dry cloth.

The leaves and sentiment are from the Hopeful Thoughts stamp set. I've added interest to the sentiment panel by using the Eyelet Border punch on the top and bottom edges.

Taking centre stage is the wonderful 2-Step Bird punch, which punches out the bird shape, a wing and the branch in one step - a great time saver!

The 2-Step Bird has been used again on the central panel, this time stamped with En Francais in Cajun Craze again.

The flowers on the final panel are made using the 'kissing technique', where I have applied the leaves stamp to the Flower Accent stamp. The petals were curled slightly and the flower centres are made from 1/2" circles of cardstock, which I've scrunched up and unfolded then applied Bravo Burgundy ink to tie them into the colour of the main card background. An eyelet border edge adds the final touch.

Sneaky peek at.... Boys Toys

This week's Papercraft Session is for your guys only (groan!). Here's a sneaky peek at one of the cards we'll be making...

As always, apologies for the picture quality as I've used my phone camera.

What you might not be able to tell is that both the electric guitar and the speaker are made up from shapes created by various Stampin' Up! punches!!

This is my version of an electric guitar that I saw on Rachel Capps' blog. Hopefully I'll have a better photo to show you in my post-session post :)

Edited to add: I nearly forgot to say that the wording is the uber versatile Just Perfect Alphabet stamp set - love this set!

Sweet Treats class update

Here's a couple of pics from the very first Papercraft Session, the 'Sweet Treats' class. Everyone made a fab slider card and gift bag to take home and, judging from the chat and laughter throughout the session I'd say everyone had a good time.

One lady said that she took her makes home and her Husband thought she'd bought the gift bag from a shop! How flattering is that?? :D

The next Papercraft Session is being held on 16th June and there are only 6 places left already so be sure to e-mail me if you'd like to come along. The theme is 'Boy's Toys' and we'll be making two cards for the men in our lives as well as a gift card holder. We'll be playing with the Stampin' Up! range of punches to create a punch art BBQ and some rockin' music themed items. Sneak peek pictures to follow this week...