A sneak peek of todays technique class

Unfortunately blogger has been playing up over the last few days and every time I had chance to blog, I couldn't and then whenever it was working, I didn't have time to post. Figures!

So it's a quick post this morning and then off to pack for class. Here's a sneak peek of the one of the cards we'll be making today and I'll pop back after class to share the recipe.

Edited: I've added the recipe and updated this post now ;-)

If you'd like to come along to the next Crop and/or Class on Saturday 11 June then see here for details. The more the merrier, we'd love to have your company.

Recipe

Stamp set: Just Believe

Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Rose Red, Elegant Eggplant, Very Vanilla

Ink: Rose Red, Craft Whisper White, Baja Breeze

Seam Binding Ribbon: Rose Red

Punches: Modern Label, Word Window

Embosslits Die: Beautiful Wings

Other: Basic Pearls

The base card is an A6 portrait of Baja Breeze. Ruffled Rose Red ribbon was wrapped around a layer of Elegant Eggplant card and adhered direct to the card front. The largest image from the Just Believe set was stamped onto Baja Breeze card using the faux dry embossing technique. This was then matted onto Rose Red card and popped up on dimensionals on the card front. Using Rose Red ink, the sentiment was stamped onto Very Vanilla card and then punched out with the Word Window. This was matted direct onto a Modern Label punched from Rose Red card and popped up on dimensionals on the card front. Teeny pearls were added to the sentiment and the card was finished with a die cut butterfly popped up on a dimensional.

Want a demonstration of the ruffled ribbon or faux dry embossing techniques? Just email me to book a workshop or a class.

Have a great weekend.

Sara xx

Thinking of a friend

Unfortunately I had another sad occasion for cardmaking recently. A friend lost her Mum and I though that the Thinking of You sentiment might be more appropriate and be a little less harsh than the usual sympathy sentiment.

The card is a variation of one that I originally made as a thank you.

Recipe

Stamp sets: Just Believe, Sincere Salutations

Cardstock: Concord Crush, Very Vanilla

Ink: Concord Crush

Other: Basic Pearls

The card base is an A6 portrait of Concord Crush. Using Concord Crush ink the main image was stamped onto Very Vanilla card. The sentiment was stamped in the top right corner in the same ink and the matching marker was used to draw a frame joining them both. This was matted onto the card front and teeny pearls added to the centres of the flowers.

Here's hoping that I don't have any more need of cards like this for quite a while now.

Sara xx

March thank you cards

This card has been my thank you card for my customers this month and was inspired by a swap that I got at Regional training a few weeks ago. Sorry, but I've misplaced the original (it's under the swamp that used to be my craft table) so I'll have to update with name of the originator just as soon as I find it (or if you recognise it then please let me know and I'll credit accordingly).

Recipe

Stamp set: Just Believe

Cardstock: Rich Razzleberry, Pear Pizzazz, Very Vanilla

Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Pear Pizzazz

Punches: Eyelet Border, Boho Blossoms

Other: Gold Brads

The base card is a square of Rich Razzleberry. A smaller square of Pear Pizzazz was used to mark the position of the corners and a stamp-a-ma-jig used to stamp the flower frame from the Just Believe set in Rich Razzleberry ink so that just the flowers show at each corner of the Very Vanilla mat. Leaves were stamped in Pear Pizzazz ink on a smaller square of Very Vanilla card and the small flower from the Boho Blossoms was punched from Rich Razzleberry card and secured with a gold brad. An Eyelet Border was punched from Pear Pizzazz card and stamped with the sentiment in Rich Razzleberry.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sara xx

A replay of the December technique challenge

Hope that you're having a good weekend. I had a miserable day yesterday and just couldn't bring myself to blog - sorry!

I found out that I failed my last exam :(

It rather got me down, especially as this was the only one that I'd come away from thinking "well that was almost OK". But I've picked myself up again. I went along to my downline Jan's crop for an hour or so this morning (mine's next Saturday if you can make it) and the crafting therapy helped. I'll retake the exam again in June and I'll study the syllabus and the past exam questions a bit more thoroughly this time (I'd revised the material well last time so I guess I must have presented it in the wrong way somehow).

Anyhoo, enough of my griping, here's the final challenge over at In Love With Stamping this month:

Your choice of any of the past challenges - so pick your favourite

I opted for the December technique challenge of no layers. Not so much my favourite challenge at the time but I was really inspired by my team-mates samples and so this is something of a CASE.

Recipe

Stamp set: Just Believe

Cardstock: Concord Crush

Ink: Versamark, Versamarker

Other: White EP, Silver EP, Basic Pearls

The card blank is an A6 portrait of Concord Crush. The front was dusted with an embossing buddy and then the main image stamped with Versamark. Using a makeshift "spoon" of scrap card I sprinkled Silver EP over the flower heads and then White EP over the rest of the image and heat embossed. The sentiment was stamped in Versamark and then heat embossed with White EP. Using the Versamarker I ruled lines around the main image and heat embossed again with White EP. Small pearls were added to the centres of the flowers to finish.

Please stop by tomorrow when Joanne (my upline), Jan (downline) and I will be having a mini bloghop to showcase some card candy that we recently swapped.

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

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

Convention make and takes

Well I'd love to say that I'm home now doing lots of crafting but after working away at the beginning of last week, then heading straight out to Convention, I jumped on another train yesterday and I'm working away all this week. I only got to see DH and Bess for a few hours before leaving them again. Almost as bad - I had an order delivered at the beginning of last week and now I've got my new Convention sets too and I can't play with them until I get home on Friday! So not fair.

But I've still got lots to share with you from Convention so at least that will keep us going hopefully. It was a complete blast from start to finish. From the unofficial party we had at the hotel on the Thursday night ...

... through to getting to the venue and being greeted by Shelli, one of the co-founders of Stampin' Up! and a really elegant and smiley lady ...

... to getting our convention bag and pins and our free stamp sets! ...

... right through to the final session when we got another free stamp set that we weren't expecting!

Of course, along the way, we couldn't have a gathering without make and takes and we'd already been given our free sets, Just Believe and Party This Way so we had our own stamps for making these:

This little party invitation/birthday card uses the Party This Way set and I've a little confession to make. The sentiment in the centre is supposed to be on a brad and spin, but I had a DH moment and didn't read the instruction sheet, I just followed the picture. Whoops! Good job there are no mistakes in crafting. Could have been worse, it could have been a flat pack bookcase that I ignored the instructions for, lol.

This time I used the same set and colour combo to create a scrapbook page all ready to just add a standard photo.

This little set is made with Just Believe and opens up:

And holds two each of these dinky notelets/tags.

Then finally it was the Just Believe stamp set again to make this sweet watercolour card and matching envelope.

If any of these projects take your fancy then please get in touch with me. We'll organise a date and time for me to come over for a fun workshop with you and your friends.

Please stop by again soon and I'll share with you the card candy swap that I took part in. I've got some truly luscious card candy and I'm not going to be able to bring myself to open any of it, heehee, it's just for stroking.

Sara xx