Calorie free cupcakes for the Stamp With Us challenge

A Happy Valentine's Day to all. I hope that your loved one is pampering and spoiling you and if you don't have a loved one at the moment then all the more reason to pamper and spoil yourself.

I'm getting a bit of a lie-in today and letting DH take my other loved one (Bess the dog) to socialisation class on his own. We've been to class three times now and we think we see a glimmer of hope though Bess still pulls like crazy and wears herself out most times. We've had cut paws from her pulling too hard over the gravel and she usually can't move on a Monday morning because she's tired herself out so much the previous day. Today hubby'll be trying a different technique and swapping dogs with the class organiser. She thinks that Bess may be trying too hard to protect us and may calm down a bit if she walks with someone else and sees that we're still safe. Fingers crossed.

And onto the crafting ...

Today's challenge over at Stamp With Us is a colour one and this is our inspiration:

How sweet are these cupcakes? Great for anyone still on a diet ;-)

I know it's predictable but I just had to use the Crazy for Cupcakes set, on the other hand I don't think I've ever kept it so pastel before. I also figured I'd resisted an easel card for long enough to make another, lol.

Recipe

Stamp sets: Crazy for Cupcakes, Happy Moments (sentiment)

Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Creamy Caramel, Sage Shadow, Whisper White

Ink: Basic Grey, Regal Rose, Markers

DSP: To the Nines

Punches: Word Window

Gingham Ribbon: Light Pink

Other: Square Fire Rhinestone Brads

Non-SU: Die-cut ovals

I'd already matted my caramel and DSP layers when I realised that the ribbon would show around the back of the top half of the card. To get round that I matted again onto some Sage Shadow . The sentiment was made by stamping and punching with the Word Window and then reinserting the sentiment into the punch again to shorten it. It's then matted onto a full size Word Window punch in Pretty in Pink, to echo the frame around the main image.

Here you can see the easel stand a little better:

Please stop by and take a look at the inspiration provided by the rest of the Design Team.

Can't wait to see your creations for this one.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Sara xx

Which cupcake hides the birthday message?

As promised - not a christmas stamp in sight today. :-)

I made this card for my friend Rachel, whose birthday was last week. Now I know that she's back from holiday and has opened it, I can share it with you.

Recipe (outside)

Stamp set: Crazy for Cupcakes

Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White

DSP: More Mustard

Ink: Black Stazon, SU Markers

Punches: Round Tab, Scallop Edge

Other: Circle Fire Rhinestone Brad

Non-SU: Nestabilities, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Prima flower

The design instructions for the card are from Jenny over at Stamping Moments. I like her idea for a flip card that can stand on it's own.

Recipe (hidden message)

Stamp sets: Cause for Celebration, Crazy for Cupcakes

Cardstock: Whisper White

Ink: Basic Black, Regal Rose

Recipe (Inside)

Stamp sets: Crazy for Cupcakes, Curvy Verses

Cardstock: Whisper White

Ink: Regal Rose, Basic Black

DSP: More Mustard, Tea Party

I was really pleased that Rachel's young son had really enjoyed playing with the card to find the hidden message (I did include a note inside to tell her how to find it - how much of a waste would it have been otherwise, lol).

Have a great weekend.

Sara xx

A cupcake card for a challenge instead of DH's birthday card *feeling guilty*

An early post today because I'm off out to the theatre with my Mum again tonight (Singin' in the Rain) and my Dad's got to fend for himself for a few hours. Good job he's on the mend (we have a back up plan - DH is at the ready to go round if needed).

Today's card is based on the Mojo Monday sketch for this week:

And here's my card:

Recipe

Stamp set: Crazy for Cupcakes

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Signo White Gel, SU Markers

Taffeta Ribbon: Pretty in Pink

Punches: Large Oval, Scallop Oval

I stamped and coloured the cupcake stand, blending the SU Markers and leaving a small white highlight on each. The stamp-a-ma-jig was used to position the balloon and the birthday sentiment. I paper pieced the balloon in Pretty in Pink card and added a highlight with the White Signo Gel pen on the same side as the highlight on the cupcakes.

Unfortunately I still haven't got DH's card ready for his birthday tomorrow! Little Bess was really clingy last night and wouldn't leave my side. She was practically in my lap and so I wasn't able to stamp fresh and had to use images I'd already stamped out (need to stock up on those for the future). Poor thing - it's always his cards that get left until last. Hopefully I'll be able to rustle it up when I get in from work tomorrow, before we go to the vets - what a birthday plan! Anyone else end up like this or is it just us?

Sara xx

SWU sketch challenge in coffee and cream

Morning everyone. I hope that you're having a good weekend and that you're ready for today's challenge over at Stamp With Us. This week's challenge is this sketch.For me, this design started with the left hand background strip. I had in mind to use one of my Stampin' Around wheels with versamark and gold embossing powder and opted for the Whimsy to echo the large circle in the sketch design.  I figured that coffee and cream colours always work well with gold and then I just had a look through my stamps to see what would work well size wise. 

 

Recipe

Stamp sets: Cause for Celebration, Whimsy, Crazy for Cupcakes

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip

Ink: Versamark

Taffeta Ribbon: Very Vanilla

Punches: Large Oval, Scallop Oval

Other: Gold EP

Non-SU: Nesties

All the stamps are inked with Versamark and heat embossed with gold powder. For such a small piece as the background strip here, you can easily ink your wheel direct from the Versamark pad. I love heat embossing, so instead I bought an uninked jumbo cartridge and a versamark refill and made my own Versamark cartridge. This lets me roll the wheel as long as I want - perfect for scrapbook pages and boxes. 

All other elements on the card are simple matting and layering.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and please head on over and check out the rest of the Design Team offerings - there's such a lovely mix as always.

Sara xx

Edited to add P.S.

Just found out there's an extra reason to enter the challenge each week from now through July. One lucky challenge entrant will be picked at random each week to win free entry to the on-line classes starting in August. These are great fun and brilliant inspiration, so what are you waiting for - go craft and enter!

 

Birthday surprise slider card in turquoise

Last night we had another cyberstamping night over at Stamp With Us. This was an additional bonus night following the run of projects we did in May. Stamp with Us Summer will be 1-15th August and I can really recommend it - projects, tutorials, tips, on-line chat, and lots more.

Last night the project was to make a surprise slider card. (If you were a member of the first SWU class then you'll still be able to log on to download the instructions).

Recipe

Stamp Sets: Crazy for Cupcakes, Cause for Celebration, Sincere Salutations

Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Brilliant Blue, So Saffron, Whisper White

DSP: Rainbow Sherbet

Ink: Versamark, Tempting Turquoise, Basic Black

Stampin' Write Markers: So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Regal Rose, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa

Other: Brads

Non-SU: Nesties

I can't give the instructions to make the slider card (you'd need to join the class for those) but I can cover the elements that are mine. I used the markers to shade the large cupcake in the centre, stamped the background using the small cupcake from Cause for Celebration in Versamark and paper pieced the balloons.

Have a fab weekend.

Sara xx

A ribbon weave centrepiece with a hidden message

The Stamp With Us challenge this week is a Recipe one. I could use 1 patterned paper, 1 flower, 2 ribbons and a button. I was so pleased when I read that it was 2 ribbons - I've been wanting to use some ribbon weaving in a card for a while. Here's my card and it has a little secret:

Recipe

Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White

DSP: Chocolate Chip Patterns

Taffeta Ribbon: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip

Button: Pretty in Pink

Other: Flower from Pretties Kit, Linen thread, Stampin' Pastels

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Punches: Scallop Edge

I matted and layered the card and DSP as shown in the photo. For the centrepiece I inked the linen thread with Chocolate Chip and tied it through the button. The flower from the Pretties Kit was coloured at the edges with Pretty in Pink and Chocolate Chip Pastels. When it came to weaving the square I actually got it wrong twice. I know, I know, how dense am I and yes it's that long since I last did any weaving, lol. Just so you don't have to make the same mistake(s), I can tell you that you need to line up one edge of the square with pink ribbon and another adjoining edge with chocolate ribbon. Then simply alternate which ribbon is on top. All ribbon ends were secured with sticky strip to keep in place. A mini card was cut from Pretty in Pink cardstock. The base was stuck to the main card front and the weaving was stuck to the top of the mini card, trapping a couple of ribbon tails to use to lift it open. The flower and button were stuck with glue dots. Here's how it opens to hold a hidden message:

To help balance the weight on the front of the card I added an insert:

Inside Recipe

Stamp Sets: Seeing Spots, Crazy for Cupcakes

Cardstock: Whisper White

DSP: Chocolate Chip Patterns

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Punches: Corner Rounder

Straightforward stamping, matting and punching on the insert but I used the stamp-a-ma-jig to place the sentiments where I wanted them.

Looking forward to seeing how you meet the challenge.

Sara xx

Birthday card and mini cupcake box for my SIL - Happy Birthday Zoe

Today's my sister-in-law's birthday and I made this little card and gift set for her. The card is CASEd from the lovely Monica. The box is from the Stamp With Us on-line class. Apologies - I forgot to photograph the card separately before sealing it in the envelope but I think you can still see it fairly clearly in the photo above.

Recipe

Stamp set: Crazy for Cupcakes, Circle of Friendship, Sincere Salutations

Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip

DSP: Sweet Always

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Rose Red, Stampin' Write Markers

Ribbon: Rose Red double-stitched grosgrain

Punches: 1" circle, 1-1/4" circle, 1-3/8" circle

The top thread of the ribbon was pulled to create the canopy.

Here's the inside of the card:

The balloon was paper pieced.

And now the box:

Recipe

Stamp set: Crazy for Cupcakes, Oval All

Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White

DSP: Sweet Always

Ink: Rose Red, Stampin' Write Markers

Ribbon: Regal Rose wide grosgrain

Punches: Scallop square, 1" circle, Scallop oval

Other: Waxed paper, label, mini muffins

The box was made following the Stamp With Us instructions and then decorated.

Here's what's inside:

Shop bought mini muffins/cupcakes I'm afraid. Bit too busy crafting to be baking as well. I lined the inside of the box using waxed paper and put my own hand-made seal over it. I stamped the sentiment from Oval All onto a printer label and punched it out. It's difficult to peel the label from the backing so I scored the backing lightly with a craft knife to get the backing off.

Yummy!

Have a great weekend.

Sara xx

Birthday cupcake card for a male relative

I made this card for my Mum to send to my cousin for his birthday and chose the colours to meet a colour combination challenge over at In Love With Stamping. Not a colour combo I would have gone for but the Pumpkin Pie livens it up in just the right way.

Recipe

Stamp set: Crazy for Cupcakes, Circle of Friendship

Cardstock: Brocade Blue, Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White

Ink: Black stazon, Chocolate Chip, Stampin' Write Markers

Punches: 1" circle, 1-1/4" circle, 1-5/8" circle

Other: Crafters toolkit

I stamped the image in Black stazon so that the image wouldn't bleed as I coloured and shaded it with the markers. The dinky cupcake on top of the birthday message is the top one from the stack in the image, stamped again, coloured and cut out individually. The Pumpkin Pie mat was paper pierced.

Sara xx

Woohoo - I made the SWU Fave Five

Yippee!! I made the Stamp With Us Fave Five with my Happi(ness) Birthday card.

This week's challenge is to use this picture as colour inspiration. Well I couldn't resist - I used the picture for inspiration full stop. Had to do it.

So here's my challenge entry this week (all supplies are Stampin' Up!).

Recipe

Stamp Set: Crazy for Cupcakes

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel

Paper: White vellum

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Punches: Scallop Oval, Large Oval, Corner Rounder

Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon: Chocolate Chip

Using chocolate Chip marker I inked up just one of the mini cupcakes from the cakestand and stamped it multiple times for my background. The cupcake paper is vellum scored repeatedly and cut to shape. The chocolate curls are Chocolate Chip card rolled around a cocktail stick and snipped.

Mmmm - hungry. Going for my tea now.

Sara xx