Limited supplies take 2 - vellum christmas gift bag

You may remember that one of my challenges over at ILWS is a limited supplies one and I've opted to repeat this challenge for today's project.

The challenge is that no card is allowed! You can use acetate, vellum, DSP, candles, tiles coasters ... in fact anything just as long as it's not cardstock.

My stamping uses two very popular sets at the moment that luckily have made it through to the new catty (and no wonder, I think we'd have had some major complaints if these had retired so soon).

Recipe

Stamp sets: Dasher, Serene Snowflakes

Cardstock: Cardstock Vellum

Ink: Versamark

Satin Ribbon: Whisper White

Other: Silver EP, White EP, Dazzling Diamonds, Pewter Jumbo Eyelets

I created the gift bag from cardstock vellum and cut and scored it in preparation (just gently scoring with the bone folder in the paper cutter groove, deep scoring will tear the vellum). I then decorated the gift bag before assembling. Dasher was stamped in Versamark and heat embossed with Silver EP and the trio of small snowflakes from the Serene Snowflakes set were stamped in Versamark and heat embossed with White EP. A 2-way glue pen and Dazzling Diamonds add a little bling to the bag (just visible in the pic). To assemble the bag I used SNAIL on the base and for the vertical join, which I kept to one of the bag corners so that it doesn't show too obviously. Pewter Jumbo Eyelets were used to add a Satin Ribbon handle.

My first full order should be arriving today (we had a more limited range to choose from for the demo pre-order) and so I'll get new punches to play with, DSP, bling, the new spritzer tool (so you you can expect some more distressing soon). Oh and a brand new stamp set and several new to me stamp sets (ie. ones that have carried through from the old catty that I hadn't gotten around to ordering). Guess what I'm up to this evening?

Edited 16:37 That'll teach me to read all the parcel tracking info fully next time - today's parcel is all my customer's Serene Snowflakes sets that they've been waiting for. Tomorrow's parcel is my new toys.

:-)

Sara xx

May technique challenge at In Love With Stamping take 2

I really enjoy brayering even though I do tend to get rather inky with this technique. For my second take on this challenge over at In Love With Stamping I decided to make my own multi-coloured inkpad and brayer a background for a Christmas card:

Recipe

Stamp sets: Dasher, Spotlight on Christmas

Cardstock: Not Quite Navy, Certainly Celery, Whisper White

Ink: Versamark, Reinkers (Mellow Moss, Certainly Celery, Ballet Blue, Not Quite Navy)

DSP: Bella Bleu

Punches: 1-1/4" Circle, Tag, Small Tag

Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon: Certainly Celery

Other: Black EP, Black Eyelet (Basic), Certainly Celery Brads (Soft Subtles), Not Quite Navy Brads (Earth Elements)

Non-SU: Post-it Notes

I made the "ink pad" by layering 3 (alcohol free) babywipes onto some scrap acetate (to stop the ink soaking through to whatever's underneath). I then dripped rows of reinker along the baby wipes and rolled my brayer across the "inkpad" in one direction only. I punched a 1-1/4" Circle from a Post-It Note and stuck it to my Whisper White card before brayering across, building the layers slowly. After leaving this to dry and removing the Post-it, I stamped Dasher in Versamark and heat embossed with Black EP. (I positioned Dasher's head over the "moon" using the Stamp-a-ma-jig.)

The tag was also stamped with Versamark and heat embossed with Black EP. It was then punched out with the Small Tag, layered onto a Night of Navy punched Tag and secured with an eyelet, threaded with ribbon.

A Not Quite Navy card blank was matted with Certainly Celery and then a mat of Bella Bleu DSP was pleated at the corner and adhered to the card front just along the three straight edges leaving the corner open for the Tag to slide in and out.

Brads were added to the brayered image (reversing the colours for contrast) and it was popped up on dimensionals on the card front.

Here you can see how the Tag pulls out for a personal message or to use on a gift or as a topper:

My new products arrived yesterday yippee - I love the new colours, they're gorgeous. Hope to have something to show you using them soon but it may be a couple of days as I have my Vintage Vogue class tomorrow and then a new SWU challenge on Sunday to keep me busy.

Have a great weekend.

Sara xx

Another xmas card and news that the full heart punch is available while stocks last

Back home and I slept so well last night. Bliss!

And I'm back to having all my crafting supplies to hand. My plan is a little light studying today just to finish up some of my notes from the last week, lots of crafting and then it's off out to the theatre tonight to see Calendar Girls.

I felt so well organised, making my xmas card for last week's Stamp With Us challenge (only another 70 or 80 to go, lol), that I couldn't resist making another one using the gorgeous Dasher stamp from the new Mini.

This is one of the new single stamps and he matches one of the images we have in the Christmas Jingle Simply Scrappin' kit. I used him as my focal point combined with some Serene Snowflakes.

Recipe

Stamp sets: Dasher, Serene Snowflakes

Cardstock: Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla

Ink: Platinum Shimmer Paint

Punch: Eyelet Border

This is a very quick and easy card with just a little drying time for the shimmer paint. I daubed the shimmer paint direct to stamp using my sponge dauber and stamped the trio of snowflakes repeatedly down the sides of my card, rotating the stamp each time. This background was matted and layered onto a Not Quite Navy blank. Dasher was stamped in the same way and matted onto Very Vanilla that had been punched either side with the Eyelet Border. Super quick for stamping a stack of xmas cards.

We've just been advised today that there are still some Full Heart punches left in stock from our promotion last month and available at £12.50 (order no. 113693). This punch works great alone or teamed with stamps from I {Heart} Hearts, Simply Said and also last year's Sale-a-bration Polka Dot Punches set. I used it on the top heart on the card below.

It's available while stocks last but then you won't be able to get hold of it again until the new Idea Book and Catalogue comes out in October. Email me to order yours.

Have a great weekend.

Sara xx