Sneak peek and reminder of technique class on 12 Feb

This is a sneak peek at just one of the projects that we'll be making in the technique class on Saturday 12 March(1.30pm-3.30pm at St. Saviours, High Green). As some ladies couldn't make the last class I agreed to hold it over to this month (we made a box project instead at the last one).

So if you'd like to have a go at

• Kissing; and
• Emerging Colour

then please email me to book your place.

Everyone who comes along to the technique class will get an SU! product (this month it's a stamp) included in their class fee (as well as technique instruction cards and materials to make the projects). By booking in advance I can ensure that you have everything you need on the day. If you can't commit and just want to turn up on the day, then you'll be very welcome but you'll have to share my supplies and pick up your product at the next class (or collect from me).

Don't forget you can also come along to the crop as well/instead on the same day. Details are here.

Hope to see you on the 12th.

Sara xx

Batch and a simple thank you all using SAB sets

I hope you're all having a great weekend. I've had a lovely day today.

This morning Joanne (my upline) and Jan (my downline) popped around for an hour or so. Joanne and I were helping each other out swapping spare/duplicate stamp sets that we've got. Of course we also found time for a little crafting as well. Joanne showed us a great little minibook that I think will be part of our next Stamptacular lineup. I also finally gave them the card candy that I owed them from our swap before xmas *blushes*. We'll be having a mini bloghop to show those sometime soon, hopefully next Sunday.

Then this afternoon I went to the cinema then out for tapas with my DH. We watched Natalie Portman and Vincent Cassel in Black Swan. We'd read that it was a thriller. I wouldn't class it as a thriller myself but we enjoyed it even so - I've got a much better idea of what Swan Lake is about now, lol.

For now I've got a few thank you's to share with you. First up is my batch thank you's that I've sent/am sending to all my customers this month. As usual I'd already sent some of these out before I remembered to photograph them.

It uses one of the free Sale-a-bration sets; Sweet Summer:

Recipe

Stamp sets: Sweet Summer, Punch Bunch, Pocket Silhouettes (sentiment)

Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Concord Crush, Whisper White

Ink: Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight

Punches: Corner Rounder, Scallop Trim Corner

The card blank is a small square of Daffodil Delight. Mats of Concord Crush and Whisper White were punched with the Corner Rounder on two opposite corners and with the Scallop Trim Corner on the other two opposite corners. The frondy stem was stamped in Pear Pizzazz onto the Whisper White layer and coloured in. The sentiment was stamped in Concord Crush in the bottom right corner. The Whisper White layer was adhered direct to the Concord Crush layer and then popped up on dimensionals on the card front. The semi-circular flower head was stamped 3 times in Tangerine Tango, coloured in, cut out and popped up on dimensionals on the main image.

And a quick and simple thanks:

Recipe

Stamp sets: Punch Bunch, So Happy For You (sentiment)

Cardstock: Basic Black, Very Vanilla

Ink: Basic Black, Real Red

DSP: Love Letter

Punch: 1-3/4" Circle

1.6cm Grosgrain Ribbon: Real Red

Other: Stampin' Pastels

This is a non-standard size card blank (3-1/4" x 6") of Basic Black. Strips of light and dark Love Letter DSP were adhered direct to a mat of Basic Black. Using the stamp-a-ma-jig, I stamped the sentiment in Real Red ink in the bottom right corner of the layer. A simple knot was tied in a length of Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon and was then wrapped around the join in the DSPs. This layer was popped up on dimensionals on the card front. The owl was stamped in Basic Black onto Very Vanilla card and punched with the 1-3/4" Circle. This was chalked with Crumb Cake Pastels to give it the same aged feel as the DSP and then popped up on dimensionals on the card front.

Thank you for looking.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Sara xx

My own card to my MIL with a perched bird

As promised, here is the card that I made for my MIL's birthday at the weekend. I also went with Melon Mambo and Black, I'd actually forgotten what DH had used (I showed his card yesterday) but luckily they didn't turn out too similar. It's a lovely bright combo and I went with an easel card to make it a bit special.

Recipe

Stamp sets: Punch Potpourri (Level 1 hostess), Sincere Salutations

Cardstock: Basic Black, Melon Mambo, Whisper White

Ink: Versamark, Melon Mambo

DSP: Brights Patterns Stack, Neutrals Patterns Stack

Punches: Scallop Circle, 1-3/8" Circle, Two-step Bird, Scallop Trim Border

Polka-dot Grosgrain Ribbon: Melon Mambo (retired offer)

3mm Taffeta Ribbon: Basic Black, Whisper White

Other: Dazzling Diamonds, White EP, Basic Rhinestones

The blank easel card is Melon Mambo and the card front is Basic Black. Melon Mambo and Basic Black Patterns DSP were adhered to the top and bottom of the card front and a 1-3/8" Circle punched from the top right corner. The same Circle was punched from Basic Black card, centred within the Scallop Circle and punched again to get the trim to adhere over the aperture. Using Melon Mambo ink, I stamped the bird onto Whisper White card and punched it out with the Two-step Bird. Dazzling Diamonds were added over the swirls on the bird's breast and a rhinestone for the eye. A plain bird of Melon Mambo was punched out with the Bird punch and the layers were adhered over the front and back of the aperture on the card front. The sentiment was stamped in Versamark onto Basic Black card, heat embossed with White EP and punched with the 1-3/8" Circle. It was matted onto a Scallop Circle of Melon Mambo and popped up on dimensionals in the opposite corner of the card front. Narrow strips of Melon Mambo and Basic Black card were punched with the Scallop Trim Border. The melon was wrapped with 3mm Basic Black Taffeta Ribbon. I dyed a small length of Whisper White ribbon to match my card by dragging it over my ink pad, trapped between the pad and a sponge. Once dry I wrapped that around my Basic Black Trim and adhered them both to the card front. Sticky Strip was placed across the centre of the card front and the Polka-dot ribbon gathered onto it before securing on the reverse. The entire card front was adhered direct to the bottom half of the easel card blank front.

The bird has a bit of bling when viewed up close.

And here's a view of it propped open to show the inside:

Recipe (inside)

Stamp sets: Afterthoughts (Level 1 hostess)

Cardstock: Melon Mambo, Whisper White

Ink: Versamark

DSP: Brights Patterns Stack

Punches: Scallop Square

Other: Black EP

A mat of Whisper White had a strip of Melon Mambo Patterns DSP adhered to it. The sentiment was stamped in Versamark onto Melon Mambo card and heat embossed with Black EP. It was then punched with the Square Scallop and popped up on dimensionals onto the decorative strip.

This was the matching box that I showed on our blog hop on Sunday. And inside ...

... some brads and ribbons for MIL to use on her own projects.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sara xx

My clever DH made a card for his Mum

A change for you today - this card was made by my DH for his Mum. He designed it himself. I helped out just a little by demonstrating the heat embossing technique and how to use the stamp-a-ma-jig but the actual card was made by him. I'm so proud of him, I think he did a great job.

And his Mum was really impressed.

Recipe

Stamp sets: En Francais, Baroque Motifs, Perfect Punches

Cardstock: Melon Mambo, Early Espresso, Pumpkin Pie

Ink: Versamark, Early Espresso

Punches: Extra-large Oval, Large Oval

3mm Taffeta Ribbon: Early Espresso

Other: Clear EP, Brights Brads (Pumpkin Pie)

The card blank is an A6 portrait of Melon Mambo, matted with Early Espresso card. The En Francais background and the Baroque swirl were stamped in Versamark onto another layer of Melon Mambo card and then heat embossed with Clear EP. Early Espresso ribbon was wrapped around the top left corner and a bow secured to it with a brad. Using Early Espresso ink, the sentiment was stamped onto Pumpkin Pie card and punched out with the Large Oval. This was matted onto an Extra-Large Oval punched from Early Espresso card and decorative brads added before adhering the layer to the front of the card.

My MIL isn't so keen on flowery verses so DH stamped the insert with images instead:

Recipe (inside)

Stamp sets: Baroque Border, On a Pedestal

Cardstock: Whisper White

Ink: Early Espresso, Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo

He wheeled the Baroque Border with Early Espresso ink (he already knows how to stamp with a wheel) and then used the stamp-a-ma-jig to build the birthday cake.

I mentioned Easter last night and he asked in a shocked voice "you don't think she'll expect an Easter card as well as Mother's Day do you?"

I think he may be joining me at the crafting table more often than he thought, lol!

Tomorrow I'll show you the card that I made. Yes, my MIL still wanted a card from me too heehee, I'm not redundant yet.

Sara xx

SAB blog hop, put your feet up, grab a cuppa and have a browse

Hi and welcome to our Sale-a-bration blog hop. A bunch of us from over at the In Love With Stamping Forum have joined together to put on a major hop for you today. A big thanks to Pat for organising this.

If you've joined me from Laura then thank you for stopping by. If you're starting here then you'll be able to work your way around this loop of 9 or 10 blogs until you get back here and then you can skip to one of the other loops if you like (the links are at the end of this post). If you get here early then we may possibly have a few glitches with the links (for example one of our girls is poorly and has had to drop out - get well soon Debbi!) but please persevere or pop back later, it will be well worth it and we do get them all ironed out as quickly as we can.

Our aim is to provide you with lots of inspiration for using our Sale-a-bration sets - the sets that you can get free with a £45 order from our Idea Book and Catalogue (see the link on the right hand side menu) - and don't forget that there's no limit to the number you can qualify for, so spend £45, get one set, spend £90, get two sets etc so you can collect all four! Just email me to place your order. Hopefully today I've got a little something for everyone, I've used each SAB set and have a mix of cards, scrapbook page and 3d items, some using bright colours and some are more monochrome.

First up for you, I've made a little set of all occasion cards:

Recipe (All)

Stamp set: So Happy for You

Recipe (Butterfly)

Cardstock: Elegant Eggplant, Perfect Plum, Whisper White

Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Perfect Plum,

Punch: Butterfly

Recipe (Star)

Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White

Ink: Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy

Punch: Star

Recipe (Heart)

Cardstock: Blushing Bride, Rose Red, Whisper White

Ink: Blushing Bride, Rose Red

Punch: Full Heart

Recipe (Clover)

Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, Garden Green, Whisper White

Ink: Wild Wasabi, Garden Green

Punch: Small Heart, 2-step Bird

Recipe (Flower)

Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, More Mustard, Whisper White

Ink: Daffodil Delight, More Mustard

Punch: 5-petal Flower

Each card is made in the same way. A 3-1/2" square card blank of the lighter colour is matted with a 3-1/4" square of the darker colour. A 3" square of Whisper White card is stamped with the sentiment in the darker ink in the bottom right corner and then randomly with the background stamp in the lighter ink. This is adhered direct to the card front. A matching shape is punched from the lighter cardstock and popped up on dimensionals in the centre. (To get a closer match for the flower I reinserted each petal back into the punch reversed and punched again). The envelopes are stamped with the matching background stamp.

I then boxed them in a mini pizza box:

Recipe

Cardstock: Basic Black, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White

Ink: Perfect Plum, Baja Breeze, Blushing Bride, Wild Wasabi, Daffodil Delight, Basic Black

Punches: 1" Circle, 1-1/4" Circle, Small Oval, Large Oval

I used this tutorial here to make the mini pizza box in Basic Black cardstock, then matted it with Squares of Tangerine Tango and Basic Black. A square of Whisper White card was stamped with all the images from the cards. Using a marker direct to stamp I selectively stamped the "for you" sentiment and punched it out with the Small Oval. It was adhered direct to a Large Oval of Tangerine Tango and popped up on dimensionals on the box top. Tangerine Tango strips were adhered to the front and sides of the box.

Using the Punch Bunch set I made a little Post-it note key chain to keep in my handbag:

Recipe

Stamp set: Punch Bunch

Cardstock: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla

Ink: Early Espresso

3mm Taffeta Ribbon: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla

1cm Taffeta Ribbon: Very Vanilla

Other: Crystal Effects

Non-SU: Keyring, Mini Post-it notes

About a third of the mini Post-it notes were separated off and wrapped with Early Espresso card. A small mat of Very Vanilla card was stamped with the owl in Early Espresso ink and then adhered to the cover of the notes. The eyes of the owl were covered in Crystal Effects to make them shine (you can just see that in the photo). A hole was punched through the "book" with the Crop-a-dile, a keyring fastened through and the ribbons tied onto the keyring.

I think the Bliss set is ideal for scrapbooking wedding photos as well as using on cards and went with a sepia tone photo for this:

Recipe

Stamp set: Bliss

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla

Ink: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso

Punches: Scallop Oval, Large Oval

Other: Basic Pearls

I used the stamp-a-ma-jig to position the large stamp to create the background. The sepia tinted photo was matted onto Early Espresso card and adhered direct to the page. Using the rock and roll technique with Crumb Cake and Early Espresso inks I stamped the flower three times and the butterfly once onto Very Vanilla card and cut them out. Small pearls were added to the centres of the flowers. The sentiment was stamped with Early Espresso onto Very Vanilla card, punched with the Large Oval and matted onto a Scallop Oval of Early Espresso card. These elements were then arranged around the photo to further frame it.

Finally, as part of my MIL's birthday gift I created this packaging:

Recipe

Stamp set: Sweet Summer

Cardstock: Basic Black, Melon Mambo, Whisper White

Ink: Versamark, Black Stazon, White Gel Pen, Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Basic Black

Punch: Petal Card

3mm Taffeta Ribbon: Basic Black

Other: White EP, Filigree Brad

Non-SU: Velcro

I used Carol's quirky little box tutorial here for my box. The box sides are made with Basic Black card and were stamped with the leafy stems in Versamark and then heat embossed with White EP. The full flower heads were stamped twice in Black Stazon and then coloured with markers before cutting out then popping up on dimensionals at the top of each leafy stem. Two Petal Cards were punched from Melon Mambo. One was adhered to the base of the box. The other had the small butterfly stamped with Black Stazon on one peta and was coloured with the White Gel pen. This was used to indicate the opening for the box. A hole was punched in the centre of the lid using the Crop-a-dile and a Filigree brad attached with a loop of Black taffeta ribbon. The back petal was adhered to the back of the box. A sliver of velcro was used to fasten the box lid at the front. You'll have to stop back another day to see what was inside it.

Well I hope that you've enjoyed my creations and I'll pass you on now to Alison. She has some wonderful step cards to show you.

If you'd like to look at the other loops, then here are the links:

Loop 2

Loop 3

Loop 4

Don't forget that if you want to place an order to get your free set then just email me.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Sara xx

Blog hop on Sunday and Mojomonday challenge today

Sorry I've been missing this week. I've been poorly. Too poorly even to craft, that's how bad it was, lol. But I'm better now and looking forward to a packed crafting weekend.

Today I've managed to play along with the Mojomonday challenge. Tomorrow we've got MIL and FIL coming over. It's MIL's birthday on Sunday and I've got a few new box ideas to show her - she loves boxes and bags. Then on Sunday we've got a major blog hop for you. There'll be around 40 of us in total from the In Love With Stamping forum, on 4 loops of 10 (don't worry, if you don't have much time then you can always look at one loop and come back and do the others later) and we'll be showcasing the Sale-abration stamps sets that you can get free with a £45 order (email me to get your free set).

If you haven't been round a blog hop before then just stop back here on Sunday after 10am. My post will link to another, then their's to another and so on until you come back round to me and know that you've finished that loop. We'll also have links to the other loops for a really inspiring day of it.

Back now then to today's card. The Mojomonday challenge this week is this:

And I rotated it to create this:

Recipe

Stamp set: Punch Bunch

Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Basic Gray, Concord Crush

Ink: Concord Crush, White Gel Pen

DSP: Lap of Luxury

Punches: Scallop Edge, Boho Blossoms, 1" Circle, 1-1/4" Circle, Crop-a-dile

Taffeta Ribbon: Pretty in Pink

Other: Mat Pack, Piercing Tool

The card blank is a landscape A6 of Pretty in Pink. A square of DSP was matted onto a square of Concord Crush. This was then matted onto Basic Gray card and faux stitching was added around the exposed area using the piercing tool, mat pack and white gel pen. A strip of Basic Gray was wrapped with Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon and adhered to the left front of the card. A flat bow was added with glue dots. A 12" strip of DSP was punched with the Scallop Edge punch, concertina folded along each scallop and joined at the ends to create a tube. The unpunched ends were squeezed and pushed into the centre to create the flat flower and secured with a 1" Circle covered in Sticky Strip. The True Friend sentiment was stamped in Concord Crush onto Whisper White card, punched with the 1" Circle and matted onto a 1-1/4" Circle of Concord Crush. This was adhered over the centre of the folded flower. Boho Blossoms were punched from Concord Crush and Pretty in Pink card. The petals were snipped and the flowers shaped then layered in alternate colours. The large hole of the Crop-a-dile was used to punch card for the centres of each flower and these were popped up on dimensionals on the card front.

Hope you have a great weekend and please pop back on Sunday for the blog hop.

Sara xx

Soft pastels for a Vintage Vogue Mojomonday

My card today is a little thank you to the ladies who came to my Crop and Class yesterday. We were a small group but had a really good gossip and craft, it was a lovely day. I look forward to seeing you again on 12 February - and we'd love to welcome any new members who'd like to join us.

It's a switch back to one of my favourite stamp sets for this thank you and a belated try at the MojoMonday sketch that came out at the beginning of the week:

I decided to go for softer pastel colours than I usually use with this set:

Recipe

Stamp sets: Vintage Vogue, Tiny Tags (sentiment)

Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Baja Breeze, Whisper White

Ink: Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Always Artichoke, Pacific Point

DSP: Subtles Patterns Stack, Greenhouse Gala

Taffeta Ribbon: Pretty in Pink

Other: Subtles Brads

Non-SU: Die cuts

The card blank is an A6 landscape of Pretty in Pink. This was matted with Pink Pirouette DSP from the Subtles Patterns stack. A panel of Baja Breeze was matted with two different pieces of Greenhouse Gala DSP. The join on the papers was covered with Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon and a bow of the same ribbon was secured with a blue brad from the Subtles collection. Two pink brads were attached to the bottom right of the panel. An oval die cut was stamped with the leaves from the Vintage Vogue set in Always Artichoke ink (stamped off first so that the ink isn't too dark) and the sentiment from the Tiny Tags set in Pacific Point (Baja Breeze matches but is a little too subtle to be readable). This was matted onto a slightly larger oval die cut of Pretty in Pink card. The flowers were all inked with the rock n roll technique, first with Pink Pirouette ink and then rolled in Pretty in Pink ink, then stamped onto Whisper White card and cut out. A small and large flower were layered up and secured to the ovals with a blue brad. Three small flowers were secured to the left of the rectangular panel with blue brads. This panel was popped up on dimensionals on the card front. The ovals were then popped up over the top with more dimensionals.

If you'd like to recreate this card then the key items would be enough to gain you a free Sale-a-bration stamp set (see here to choose from the four sets on offer).

Shopping list

Vintage Vogue (clear mount) - £17.95

Greenhouse Gala DSP - £8.75

Subtles mixed cardstock - £6.25

Subtles brads - £6.25

Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon - £6.25

Total - £45.45

SAB set - FREE

Of course this is just one suggestion and you could swap any of the items out for any other products in the catalogue. Please email me to place your order.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Sara xx

Reminder - Crop and class starts tomorrow Saturday 15 January

Both the crop and the classes will take place at St. Saviours Church Hall (next to the Council Meeting Rooms, not the Church itself), Mortomly Lane, High Green, tomorrow, (it will be the 2nd Saturday of each month in future).

Come along to one, the other, or both.

Crop

Would you like to get together with other crafters for an informal crafting session? Just bring along whatever project you're working on and enjoy the company.

Drop in any time from 11am until 4pm and stay for as long as you can.

Please bring along your own lunch. Cost is £4 towards room hire and refreshments. Any profit will be donated to Cavendish Cancer Care.

Class

Classes are 1.30pm - 3.30pm.

Tomorrow, we'll be making a choice of a card or a 6" x 6" scrapbooking page using both:

• the kissing technique (stamps only, no lips involved); and
• the emerging colour technique

(Please note that a different technique is pictured above, for illustration only)

Cost is £12 to include full class kit (materials plus a stamp), room hire and refreshments.

Email me at sarastamper123@gmail.com or give me a call on 0775 1133886 to book your place and guarantee your class kit. (You can also just turn up on the day but you take the chance that I may not have enough class kits to go round)

Crop and class

Want the best of both worlds? Come along to both the crop and class for a full day's crafting for just £15.

Special Offer

Introduce a new member to the crop, class or both and you will both receive a mini goodie pack of cardstock, Designer Series Paper and ribbon (offer valid while stocks last).

An elegant card of pure Bliss

Carrying on with a little inspiration for using the fabulous, free, Sale-a-bration sets, today I'm using just two of the five Bliss stamps.

This is a really simple but elegant card, suitable for a wedding or anniversary.

Recipe

Stamp set: Bliss (get this set of 5 stamps with a £45 order - details here)

Cardstock: Perfect Plum, Very Vanilla

Ink: Perfect Plum

DSP: Lap of Luxury

Punches: Scallop Trim Corner, Scallop Trim, Scallop Oval, Large Oval

3mm Taffeta Ribbon: Very Vanilla

Other: Basic Pearls

The card blank is a 5" square of Perfect Plum, matted with Lap of Luxury DSP. The large damask motif was stamped with Perfect Plum ink onto Very Vanilla card and the top corners punched with the Scallop Trim Corner. This was adhered direct to the DSP layer. A narrow strip of Perfect Plum card was punched with the Scallop Trim and wrapped with 3mm Very Vanilla card before adhering over the join between DSP and card. The Bliss sentiment was stamped with Perfect Plum ink onto Very Vanilla card and punched with the Large Oval then popped up on dimensionals onto a Scallop Circle of Perfect Plum card. This was then popped up again on dimensionals on the bottom centre of the card. It was finished by adding a few Basic Pearls and a Very Vanilla taffeta bow.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sara xx

Soft pastels for a new baby gift box using SAB sets

I had a wonderful afternoon yesterday crafting with DH! Yes, hubby joined me for a crafting session. My MIL spotted his handmade christmas card to me, when they visited and insisted that he make her a card for her birthday later this month.

He chose the colour combo and designed the layout and I just provided a little tutoring (he learned heat embossing and how to use a stamp-a-ma-jig) and I was also on stamp cleaning duty, lol. I'm really proud of his results but you'll have to pop back after the 23rd to see - can't risk MIL spotting her card.

The light had gone by the time I got round to my own crafting so I had to wait until today to take pix of the little "new baby" gift box I made using two of the SAB sets:

Recipe

Stamp sets: So Happy For You, Punch Bunch (choose one set free with every £45 order - details here)

Cardstock: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight

Ink: Daffodil Delight, Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Pretty in Pink

Punches: Eyelet Border, Extra-Large Tag, Large Tag, Word Window

3mm Taffeta Ribbon: Daffodil Delight

The base box is the 2-5-7-10 box from the Splitcoaststampers site here. On a base box of Whisper White card and using the dinky background stamps from the So Happy For You set, I randomly stamped the flower with Daffodil Delight ink, the 4-leaf clover with Certainly Celery, the heart with Pretty in Pink and the butterfly with Bashful Blue. The box flap was punched with the Eyelet Border and a narrow strip of Daffodil Delight, also punched with the Eyelet Border was adhered below it. The Welcome Baby sentiment from the Punch Bunch set was stamped in Daffodil Delight onto Whisper White card and punched with the Large Tag. This was matted direct to an Extra-Large Tag punched from Daffodil Delight and then popped up on dimensionals on the front of the box. The So Happy For You sentiment was stamped in

Certainly Celery on Whisper White card and trimmed by inserting the ends of the sentiment into the back of the Word Window punch to trim them to shape. Another Word Window was punched from Daffodil Delight card, cut in half and adhered behind the sentiment. 3mm Daffodil Delight ribbon was threaded through and used to tie the box closed.

I love how these Sale-a-bration sets are going to work year round. They're all so gorgeous that I had to get them all but which is your favourite?

Sara xx

Three ways with ribbon for the Mojomonday challenge

I've been busy for the last few days, preparing for next Saturday's Crop and Class (click here for details of how to join us for the Crop, Class or both) but I made a bit of time this morning to play along with the latest MojoMonday challenge.

The sketch this week is this one:

I decided to have a dig through my stash and use up some of my retired bits and bobs, combining them with some new, including one of the new SAB stamps. I wanted to feature ribbons and looked for different ways of using them to create this:

Recipe

Stamp sets: Punch Bunch (get the set of 5 stamps free with a £45 order - details here)

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Peach Parfait, Cajun Craze, Very Vanilla

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Cajun Craze

Punches: 1-3/4" Circle, 1" Circle, Eyelet Border

1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon: Pumpkin Pie

Double-stitched Grosgrain Ribbon: Chocolate Chip (retired)

Taffeta Ribbon: Chocolate Chip (retired)

Other: Earth Elements Buttons (retired), Linen Thread

Tools: Mat Pack, Paper Piercing Tool, Crimper

The card blank is an A6 portrait of Chocolate Chip. This was matted direct with a layer of Peach Parfait that had faux stitching added round the edges with Chocolate Chip marker followed by sponging with Cajun Craze ink. A piece of Double Stitched Ribbon was trimmed at each end and adhered to the card front with Sticky Strip. A square of Cajun Craze card was matted onto a layer of Chocolate Chip and more faux stitching in Chocolate Chip ink added before popping ip on dimensionals on the card front. The main motif was made by punching a 1-3/4" Circle of Chocolate Chip card, covering it with Sticky Strip and adding the twisted taffeta ribbon, round and round from the central area. Leave a small space in the centre, this way you don't waste ribbon that won't be seen and have a better surface for the dimensional supporting the sentiment. (Tip - work on the backing to a sheet of dimensionals so that your sticky circle doesn't stick where it shouldn't). The True Friend sentiment from the Punch Bunch set was stamped in Chocolate Chip on Very Vanilla card and punched out with the 1" Circle before popping up on a dimensional in the centre of the twisted ribbon flower. A strip of Peach Parfait was punched with the Eyelet Border, edges sponged with Cajun Craze ink and then put through the Crimper before adhering to the back of the twisted ribbon flower. The whole flower was popped up on dimensionals. A large square Vanilla button was tied with Linen Thread around a trimmed piece of Striped Pumpkin Pie ribbon and attached with glue dots. Three small Vanilla buttons were tied with Linen Thread and also attached with glue dots.

Have a great weekend.

Sara xx

A scrapbook page with hidden journalling

Here is my second bite at the cherry for making a scrapbook page for the In Love With Stamping challenge.

Recipe

Stamp set: Circle Circus

Cardstock: Marina Mist, Crumb Cake, Real Red

Ink: Marina Mist, Early Espresso, Versamark

Punches: Corner Rounder, 1-3/4" Circle, 1-3/8" Circle, 1-1/4" Circle, Scallop Edge, 1/4" Circle (retired)

3mm Taffeta Ribbon: Marina Mist

Other: Silver EP, Silver Brads

The base page is a 6" x 6" of Marina Mist card. Using Marina Mist ink the outline Circle from Circle Circus was stamped randomly on the left side of the page. The main photo was matted onto Real Red and then Crumb Cake card, with the corners of all layers punched with the Corner Rounder. A thin strip of Crumb Cake card was punched with the Scallop Edge Border, then wrapped with Marina Mist taffeta ribbon. The bubble circle was stamped with Versamark, heat embossed with Silver EP, then punched with the 1-1/4" Circle. This was matted onto a 1-3/8" Circle of Marina Mist and adhered direct to the centre of the right side of the page. Photos of DH and I were punched with the 1-3/4" Circle and secured to the page with Silver brads. I used Marina Mist 1/4" Circles (retired) between brad and photo and between photo and page as a protector to help with the swivel action. The outline Circle was stamped again with Marina Mist ink this time onto Crumb Cake card and punched out with the 1-3/8" Circle and adhered underneath the photos for journalling. Circle punches were used to punch segments of Crumb Cake card and adhered below the main photo for journalling the place and year.

Admission - the journalling was originally done direct to the page but had to be redone on the Crumb Cake layers because I added the wrong year - doh!

The photos of DH and I swivel aside to reveal the journalling:

DH and I both love photography but hate having our photo taken. We did take a handful of photos of us more than usual in 2010 but I think I need to up the number even more in 2011, after all it makes the scrapbook pages that much more personal (and it may be the incentive I need to lose weight, lol).

Sara xx

Waxing lyrical over this month's challenge

As you may have seen earlier in the week, one of our challenges this month over at In Love With Stamping, is to use wax. This time I used the wax as a candle to be decorated (and waxed paper in applying the image).

Recipe

Stamp sets: Just Believe, Flight of the Butterfly

Ink: Rich Razzleberry

6mm Grosgrain Ribbon: Rich Razzleberry

Other: Tissue Paper (backing from Medium Window Sheet)

Non-SU: Candle, Waxed Paper

I stamped the long grasses image (Just Believe) and the small spotted butterfly (Flight of the Butterfly) onto the tissue paper with Rich Razzleberry ink and cut them out close to the design. Working on just a couple of images at a time, I wrapped them in position on the candle with waxed paper and holding the paper taut, heated gently with my heat tool until the image darkened and the tissue paper could no longer be seen. This was repeated around the candle using fresh waxed paper each time (otherwise the tissue paper can stick). Rich Razzleberry ribbon was wrapped around the base of the candle and secured with a glue dot and a bow added, also with a glue dot.

This technique seems a bit scary at first, but as long as you use fresh waxed paper each time and keep the heat tool moving, it works really well and the results are worth it.

Sara xx

A tricky sketch challenge

Back to the daily grindstone today for me :-(

It's so good to get back home in the evening and create :-)

Our sketch challenge over at In Love With Stamping this month is this:

I stayed as close to the design elements as I could and used the colour scheme from the DSP I chose, to create this:

Recipe

Stamp sets: Circle Circus, Cottage Garden, Sincere Salutations (sentiment)

Cardstock: Peach Parfait, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White

Ink: Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade, Versamark

DSP: Sunny Garden

Punches: Scallop Circle, Two-step Bird

Other: White EP, Crimper

The card blank is an A6 landscape in Peach Parfait, matted with a layer of Pear Pizzazz. Using two patterns from the Sunny Garden pack of paper, that create almost a positive and negative, I adhered them direct to the Pear Pizzazz layer. The sentiment was stamped in the lower right corner with Versamark and then heat embossed with White EP. A strip of Pear Pizzazz was put through the Crimper and then adhered over the join in the papers. The large scallop circle from Circle Circus was stamped in Peach Parfait ink on Whisper White card and punched with the Scallop Circle. Another Scallop Circle was punched from Peach Parfait card and they were adhered together, offsetting the petals centrally. Using the Two-step Bird, the leaves were punched from Pear Pizzazz card and adhered behind the Circles. These were then popped up on dimensionals in the middle of the card. The solid flower from the Cottage Garden set was stamped in Poppy Parade on Whisper White card, then cut out and shaped before popping up on another dimensional.

Just need another couple of thank yous and I think I'll be done.

Sara xx

A bright and bold thank you card

Our colour challenge this month at In Love With Stamping is:

Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Chocolate Chip and Pumpkin Pie

Zingy!

With such a mix of colours I'd usually tone them down a little but as I need a thank you card for my MIL and FIL and MIL loves bright colours I decided to go full on.

Recipe

Stamp set: Pocket Silhouettes

Cardstock: Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White

Ink: Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip

Punches: 1-3/8" Square, 1-1/4" Square, Word Window, Scallop Edge Border

Other: Filigree Brad

The card blank is an A6 landscape of Melon Mambo. A panel of Chocolate Chip was cut to the same depth as the 1-3/8" Square, turned as a diamond, and was then matted with narrow strips of Pumpkin Pie card top and bottom. A Scallop Edge Border was punched from Daffodil Delight and adhered behind the bottom mat of Pumpkin Pie. These layers were adhered direct to the card front and the waste trim from the Scallop Edge Border was adhered above the top layer of Pumpkin Pie. The flowers were stamped separately in Melon, Daffodil and Pumpkin on Whisper White card and punched with the 1-1/4" Square, positioning the image as a diamond rather than a square. Each was matted onto corresponding card punched with the 1-3/8" Square. They were then popped up on dimensionals on the Chocolate Chip layer. The sentiment was stamped in Chocolate Chip ink on Whisper White card, punched out with the Word Window and adhered direct to the card front. A filigree brad was added to the edge of the sentiment.

Hope to see your own concoctions made with this colour combo in the ILWS gallery.

Sara xx

Scrapbooking in the new year with pix from the last

Another of our challenges this month over at In Love With Stamping is:

a scrapbook page!

and I'm so glad that this was set as a challenge as I finally got around to downloading my photos from my holidays earlier in the year. Better still, I've actually printed off some pix and scrapped them.

Recipe

Stamp set: Just Believe

Cardstock: Cajun Craze, Peach Parfait, Early Espresso

Ink: Cajun Craze

DSP: In-Color Paper Pack (hostess level 1)

Punches: Curly Label, Boho Blossoms

Other: Neutrals Brads (Early Espresso)

The base page is a 6" x 6" of Cajun Craze card. For the borders, top and bottom, I trimmed the same pattern of Peach Parfait paper from the In Color hostess pack, matted them on a thin strip of Early Espresso card and adhered them direct to the page. Each of the photos was matted with Peach Parfait card and also matted direct. For the top label I used my computer to printed the place and year onto Very Vanilla card and then stamped over the top of it with the square type label from the Just Believe set in Cajun Craze ink. This was cut out leaving a small margin all around. For the bottom label I used my stamp-a-ma-jig and Cajun Craze marker to rearrange the sentiment, colouring the needed lines of the sentiment direct to stamp, positioning, stamping, repeating (and cleaning well between each stamping). This sentiment was punched out with the Curly Label. The smallest Boho Blossom was punched twice from Peach Parfait card, snipped between each petal and shaped, then secured with a brad to each sentiment label. The labels were then popped up on dimensionals.

Now is a great time to do your scrapbooking, whether it's the seasonal photos you've taken over the holiday period, or a reminder of the warmer and sunnier times from last summer. If you're in the South Yorkshire area, then come along and join my crop on Saturday 15 January (details here) or why not book a workshop with me (just email to book a date) and earn your free hostess sets at the same time.

Sara xx

Happy New Year - let's start it with a challenge

A very Happy New Year to you!

(And sorry for shouting if you're feeling a little fragile this morning, lol.)

It's not only a new year but a new month and of course that means a fresh set of stamping challenges. One of our new challenges this month over at In Love With Stamping is:

to use wax - this could be a candle, waxed crayon or even embossing powder

I decided to use a waxed crayon for a technique that we saw demonstrated at convention with this exact same stamp set. We were lucky enough to get a sneak preview of all the Sale-a-bration sets and were given this particular one free, to take away with us!

Don't forget that you can also get your own set, also free, with any order of £45 or more from the latest Idea Book and Catalogue. Just email me to place your order.

Recipe

Stamp Set: Sweet Summer

Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, Garden Green, Whisper White

Ink: Wild Wasabi, So Saffron, Perfect Plum, Stazon Black

Punch: Eyelet Border

3mm Taffeta Ribbon: Whisper White

Non-SU: White wax crayon

The card blank is a 5" square of Wild Wasabi, matted with another square of Garden Green. I randomly stamped the leafy stems onto a square of Whisper White card with Black Stazon. The flower and butterfly were also stamped with the Black Stazon on scraps of Whisper White card. Using a white wax crayon, I then roughly traced the stems and coloured the leaves, flowers and butterfly with it. The large square was then brayered with Wild Wasabi ink. The ink is resisted wherever the wax crayon was applied. So Saffron Ink was brayered over the flowers and Perfect Plum over the butterfly, then all were cut out, leaving a small margin around each image. A narrow strip of Garden Green card was punched with the Eyelet Border and matted onto the lower portion of the main image. This was then wrapped with Whisper White narrow taffeta ribbon and adhered direct to the card front. A bow of matching taffeta ribbon was adhered with a glue dot. The cut out flowers and butterfly were popped up on dimensionals.

Have a great start to 2011!

Sara xx