A top layout for showcasing pretty papers

Today's card is a great design for showcasing your prettiest papers. Just select five papers that work well together, a card colour that contrasts with them and a couple of matching ribbons. I've used one of Stampin' Up!'s Specialty DSPs (Designer Series Paper) here, which although you can't really see it in the pic, has wonderful textures, making it a fun, touchy-feely card too.

Recipe

Stamp set: Because I Care (sentiment) (Level 1 Hostess)

Cardstock: Old Olive

Ink: Rose Red

DSP: Sweet and Sour Specialty

Punch: 1" Circle

Satin Ribbon: Old Olive

3mm Taffeta Ribbon: Pumpkin Pie

The card base is an A6 portrait of Old Olive. Four of the papers were cut into 1" strips and adhered behind a panel of Old Olive card. A plainer paper was kept for the right hand edge so that the sentiment would be visible). 1" Circles were punched from the same papers and adhered behind the base of the Old Olive panel, with just half the circle revealed and mixing the papers up. A strip of a different paper was adhered horizontally across the Old Olive panel and Old Olive and Pumpkin Pie ribbons were wrapped around it before adhering all the layers to the front of the card. The sentiment was stamped in the upper right corner with Rose Red ink and a dinky bow of Pumpkin Pie was added on a glue dot to finish.

Why not try this with some of those papers you've been saving up. It doesn't take too much of each one to create a great card - go on, you really can spare a sliver of each, honest! Lol. Please let me know how you get on with it by leaving me a comment.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Sara xx

Colour coach blog hop

Hi and welcome to our Colour Coach 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 Anthea for organising this.

If you've joined me from my friend Teri's blog then thank you for stopping by (I love that bright and cheery combo and the handbag is on my CASE list now). If you're starting here then you'll be able to work your way around this loop of 11 blogs until you get back here and then you can skip to the other loop 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 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.

Now if you haven't come across the Colour Coach before, I should just explain that it's an easy to use tool that helps you create great colour combos. You can find it on page 81 of the main catalogue.

I used the one of the suggested combinations:

Sahara Sand
Bravo Burgundy; and
Pink Pirouette

to create this card and gift basket duo:

Here's the card in more detail:

Recipe

Stamp set: Because I Care (sentiment)

Cardstock: Sahara Sand, Bravo Burgundy, Pink Pirouette

Ink: Sahara Sand, Bravo Burgundy

Punches: Corner Rounder, Boho Blossoms, Itty Bitty Shapes

Bigz L Die: Fun Flowers

Embossing Folder: Square Lattice, Perfect Polka Dots

Other: Basic Rhinestones

The card is cut just 0.5cm short of an A6 landscape. It was cut short so that the embossing covers the full width. The top half of the card front was run through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder and then the right hand side corners were punched with the Corner Rounder and the sentiment was stamped in Bravo Burgundy ink. For the middle panel, one side of the Square Lattice embossing folder was covered with Bravo Burgundy ink using a brayer then a panel of Sahara Sand card was inserted and the sandwich was run through the Big Shot to get the coloured texture. Both the embossed panel and a mat of Bravo Burgundy were punched with the Corner Rounder on the right hand side before adhering them to the front of the card. The large and small flowers on the Fun Flowers die were cut from Pink Pirouette card and sponged around the edges with Sahara Sand ink. Sahara Sand card was used for the medium flower on the Fun Flowers die and this was sponged with Bravo Burgundy ink. These were adhered direct to each other and popped up on dimensionals on the card front. The largest of the Boho Blossoms was punched from Sahara Sand card and sponged with Bravo Burgundy ink. This was layered with the smallest Boho Blossoms flower punched from Bravo Burgundy card and the teeny many petaled flower from the Itty Bitty Shapes punched from Pink Pirouette card. These were adhered to each other and then popped up on another dimensional in the centre of the large flower. Finally a rhinestone was added to the centre of the flower.

Recipe

Cardstock: Sahara Sand, Bravo Burgundy, Pink Pirouette

Ink: Bravo Burgundy

DSP: Subtles Patterns Stack, Regals Patterns Stack

Punches: Scallop Trim Border, Boho Blossoms, Itty Bitty Shapes

Bigz Die: Scallop Envelope

Sizzlits Die: Little Leaves

Embossing Folder: Square Lattice

Other: Basic Rhinestones, Clear Rhinestone Brads

For the basket, four Scallop Envelopes were cut from Sahara Sand and coloured and textured as for the panel on the thank you card. The scallop flap was cut again four times from Bravo Burgundy DSP and adhered behind the basket flaps in line with the perforated decoration. The envelopes were assembled into a basket shape and a square of Sahara Sand card was placed in the bottom to cover the small (approx 3-4mm square) hole that remains. A strip of Bravo Burgundy card was punched on each side with the Scallop Trim Border and then matted with strips of Pink Pirouette and Bravo Burgundy DSP. Two small flowers were created using the smallest Boho Blossom punched from Bravo Burgundy card and the many petaled flower in the Itty Bitty Shapes punched from Pink Pirouette card. These were secured through either side of the basket and the handle with Rhinestone Brads. Little Leaves were die cut from Bravo Burdgundy card and adhered direct to the front of the basket and more matching flowers (this time finished with Basic Rhinestones instead of brads), were added with glue dots.

Well I hope that you've enjoyed my creations and I'll pass you on to the next stop in the hop which is Sarah and she has some gorgeous butterflies waiting for you.

And if you'd like to take a look at the other loop then you can start here at Anthea's blog.

Have a great weekend.

Sara xx

A bright and cheerful mothers day card

Can you believe that it's only a little over two weeks until Mother's Day, next thing you know it'll be Easter, lol.

So I thought it was time to share a Mother's Day card with you and since I've been working with new goodies from the Mini Catalogue I can't post mine on my blog until 1 April. Today's card is therefore from a guest crafter - my DH, heehee. I think I might have got him hooked. He knows most of the colour names by now and loves embossing, though I got him to try the Crystal Effects this time round.

All his own work again. He decides the colour combo and the layout and then just asks me how he can achieve the effect he wants.

Just hope that MIL doesn't stop by this bit of cyberspace in the next few weeks.

Recipe

Stamp sets: Because I Care, Occasional Greetings (sentiment inside)

Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Basic Black, Pretty in Pink, Peach Parfait, Bashful Blue, Pear Pizzazz, Very Vanilla

Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi, Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black

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

Other: Crystal Effects

Non-SU: Die cut letters

The card base is an A6 landscape of Daffodil Delight with the front right edge cut away to make the card front near enough square. He stamped the orange, green, blue and pink flowers using the darker ink onto the lighter card each time. Then with the 1-3/8" Square he punched a different but overlapping piece of the whole image. These were adhered direct to a square of Basic Black card, then matted onto Tempting Turquoise card before adhering to the card front. The flower was stamped again in Daffodil Delight ink onto Very vanilla card, punched with the 1/1-4" Square, matted onto a 1-3/8" Square of Daffodil Delight and popped up on dimensionals for the centre. The die-cut letters were covered with Crystal effects for a glossy look and once dry, adhered to a strip of Basic Black card on the back right edge of the inside of the card. The inside was finished with the sentiment.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Sara xx

February thank you cards for my customers

As you might already know, I always send a thank you card out to my customers with their order and this is the card that I've been sending during February.

It uses one of my favourite Level 1 hostess sets and it's such a detailed flower image that it works well stamped on its own as well as coloured in. I kept a monotone look for this simple design, ideal for making batches!

Recipe

Stamp set: Because I Care

Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Rose Red

Ink: Rose Red

The card blank is a 9cm square of Pretty in Pink. The Hydrangea head was stamped first onto a smaller square of Pretty in Pink card using Rose Red ink. Then using a stamp-a-ma-jig for positioning I stamped the sentiment and a repeat row of little buds also using Rose Red ink. This layer was adhered direct to a square mat of Rose Red card and then popped up on the card front using dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sara xx

Casing crumpled flowers

Hope you're having a great weekend. A quick post today because instead of crafting, I'm trying to tidy my craft room (also known as a dining room on a few occasions of the year, lol). It is such a mess at the moment. I've had a few days of preparing both a class and a demo to a Mom & Toddler ... and DH has been in there making my Valentine card. Enough excuses? Right I'll get back to it.

I'll share a few of the projects that made such a mess over the next few days, but in the meantime, today's card is one that I've cased from the US SU! newsletter. I'm afraid I can't find the name of the person who made the original. If you know, then please direct me to them and I'll add a link.

I loved the colour pop of the original and I just decided to distress my version a little further in keeping with the distressed flowers.

Recipe

Stamp set: Because I Care (sentiment)

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, So Saffron, Peach Parfait, Pretty in Pink, Pear Pizzazz

Ink: Peach Parfait, Cajun Craze

DSP: Newprint

Punches: Scallop Border, Scallop Circle, Boho Blossoms

Other: Gold Brads, Linen Thread

The card blank is an A6 landscape of Crumb Cake. The sentiment was stamped in the lower right corner in Cajun Craze ink. A panel of Newsprint DSP was punched along the bottom with the Scallop Border and then distressed on the other three edges with the distressing tool on the Cutter Kit. The scallops were curled around a bone folder and all edges were swiped across the Peach Parfait inkpad. A Scallop Border was punched from a strip of So Saffron card, the scallops curled as before and the strip adhered behind the Newsprint. The flowers are a Scallop Circle and the largest of the Boho Blossoms layered together. Each flower was first sprayed with a Shimmer Paint spritz (Champagne Gold Shimmer Paint and rubbing alcohol mixed together), crumpled in the hand while wet and then the petals unfolded again and shaped to the width and height wanted and left to dry. Once dry they were secured to the Newsprint with Gold Brads and the layers were adhered direct to the card front. To finish, linen thread was tied twice round the card front and tied in a bow.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Sara xxx