A combination 40th birthday and Halloween card for my little bruv

My little brother is a Halloween babe and this year was a milestone birthday for him so for once I made a Halloween themed card for him.

Recipe

Stamp set: Golden Oldies (retired)

Cardstock: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Whisper White, Old Olive

Ink: Basic Black, Really Rust, Signo White gel pen, Stampin' Write Markers

Punches: Large Oval, Round Tab, Square Scallop, Scallop Edge, 1/2" Circle

Other: Fire Rhinestone brad, Crystal Effects, Black Stampin' Glitter

Non-SU: die-cut shapes and numbers

I used the same card design as here but doubled the size. The pumpkins are the same as I made for the choc box here and I drew faces onto them with a Basic Black marker. I cut the Scallop Squares in half and trimmed them to make the bats. The black goo border is Crystal Effects with black glitter sprinkled over. I pulled my Golden Oldies set out of retirement for the hidden fun message.

We had a surprise birthday party for him on Sunday night and miracle of miracles, it really was a surprise to him. He hasn't mentioned yet whether he found the hidden message, lol.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sara xx

Order from the gift giving guide to get a free tag punch

Stampin' Up! have a great offer for Christmas. Spend £45 on products from this gift giving guide (click here to download a larger version) and get a free Tag or Small Tag craft punch.

How perfect is that. You get to order presents for crafting friends and get a just the right gift for yourself to help with all those christmas presents that will need labelling.

Email me at sarastamper123@gmail.com to place your order or ask any questions about the offer.

Christmas duo for the Stamp With Us challenge

It's Sunday so it's Stamp With Us challenge day. This week's challenge is on the theme of

Christmas

so I hope that everyone will play along especially as you get two weeks to do this challenge. There is a Stampin' Up! convention in Germany next week (I can't go because I'm on an exam revision course, boohoo - but I'll still be blogging) so the Stamp With Us challenge will return to normal in a couple of weeks.

For the challenge this week I made a card and gift tube in a less traditional colour scheme.

The card is similar to a previous version here but the gift tube is a new design that I got from the SWU online class. It's small enough to hang from a tree or would make an excellent table gift on Christmas day. One of the lovely crafting ladies from St Saviours (more on them later in the week) suggested rolling a lottery ticket to go inside it as a gift for the men - great idea.

Recipe

Stamp set: Tree Trimmings, Occasional Greetings

Cardstock: Real Red, Regal Rose, Very Vanilla

Ink: Real Red

Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon: Real Red

Recipe

Stamp set: Tree Trimmings

Cardstock: Real Red, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla

Ink: Real Red

DSP: Christmas Jingle Simply Scrappin' Kit

Punches: Eyelet Border, Scallop Circle, 5-petal flower, Boho Blossoms

Other: Gold Elastic Cord, Gold Brads

Please go take a look at the creations by the rest of the Design Team.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Sara xx

A luxury, pastel, engagement card for a work colleague

A colleague at work shared that he'd just got engaged at the weekend and so of course I had to make a card, it would be rude not to wouldn't it? It was also a great excuse to use the luxurious new Bride papers and break open another new stamp set - Say It With Scallops.

This set works with the matching square scallop punch - I love how SU! match items together!

Recipe

Stamp sets: Cheers to You, Say it With Scallops

Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, Whisper White

DSP: Bride

Ink: Versamark, Blush Blossom

Punches: Square Scallop

Taffeta Ribbon: Bashful Blue

Other: Soft Subtle Brads, Dazzling Diamonds, Gold EP

The Bride paper is a good heavyweight paper already but as I was putting brads through and tying ribbon around it I backed it onto some Whisper White card first rather than risk creasing it. I could have used the Champagne glitter for the glasses but to keep the pastel look I instead coloured with Blush Blossom and added Dazzling Diamonds over the top for the softer look.

So good to have some good news to celebrate and a bit of a change from the never ending christmas cards.

Sara xx

A Halloween chocolate treat

I don't like these dark nights, do you? Apologies for the poor lighting to these pix, it's back to using the camera flash again. I'm going to have to work on my indoor lighting arrangements I think because I don't like the hard light look I have here.

Well it was my first day back at work today and it actually wasn't too bad. I've come back to plenty of work but I prefer being too busy than bored. A quick bit of crafting to wind down and now I'm about to hit the study books for an hour or so.

I figured I'd not done anything for Halloween and so decided to decorate one of these small food tubs that I got cheap as a set of 3 at the weekend and fill it with choccies. Will it last until the weekend? Hmmm I suspect it may need refilling by then, lol.

Recipe

Stamp set: Autumn Days

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Whisper White

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Old Olive

Punch: Large Oval

Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon: Chocolate Chip

I cut the card for the lid roughly to shape and then placed it on the lid and ran my bone folder around the edges to crease a cutting line. The edges of the pumpkin and stalk were sponged. The leaves were inked with Pumpkin Pie and the edges with Really Rust.

Help yourself to a choccie.

Sara xx

A lacy card using the new eyelet punch

Apologies to everyone expecting to see my entry to the Stamp With Us challenge today. I haven't been able to play along this week.

I mentioned that I needed a holiday after all the studying and running around and we've just got back from playtime in Orlando. Hopefully my scheduled posts mean that you didn't miss me too much, though I know I've neglected visiting friend's blogs recently and will be back to that this week. We had a great holiday and went to a bunch of theme parks and played on the rollercoasters, went on all the slides in the waterpark and took in an american football game at Tampa. Hubby supports the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and so we've extended the holiday a little by coming down to Wembley for the game today. Then a rest day tomorrow before back to work on Tuesday :-(

Ah well, knew it could never last and I've missed my crafting so there'll be an upside.

I also missed the start of the Stamp With Us online class but I've had a go at completing the first challenge for my card today. The challenge was to create an item using Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue and Lavender Lace (with white or another neutral but no other colour) and to use a border punch in a different way. Here's my belated go at this.

Recipe

Stamp Set: Mr and Mrs

Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Lavender Lace, Whisper White

Ink: Certainly Celery, Lavender Lace

DSP: Bashful Blue

Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon: Certainly Celery

Punches: Scallop Oval, Large Oval, Eyelet Border

I used my new Eyelet Border punch to create some card and paper lace ribbons. Not my best really, I guess that's what happens when you have a break, now I need to get my mojo back proper.

Please do have a go at the Stamp With Us challenge this week. It's a sketch:

And check out the creations by the rest of the Design Team (I love Julie's Halloween card).

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Sara xx

Limited time low price starter kit

For a limited time Stampin' Up! is offering an extra 10% off the price of their already low price new recruit starter kit. Join up between now and 13 November 2009 and become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator for just £125 instead of £139!

As if that wasn't enough, join up through me during that same period and I'll add the Christmas Jingle Simply Scrappin' kit (worth £15.50) to your starter kit.

You don't even need to run a business to be a demo you can always be what we call a "hobby demo" just using the discount for yourself and friends - but you might find it grows anyway.

Benefits of becoming a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator:

• Huge discount on the customisable starter kit (£240 of tools and products for just £125)
  
• Significant discount on all Stampin' Up! products
  
• Sneak peeks of upcoming products and chance to pre-order
  
• Free newsletter every month with tips and techniques
  
• No need to hold a workshop or "sell" if you prefer to remain a "hobby demo"
  
• Bonuses and incentives available to those who want follow the career plan
  
• Access to on-line resources and business support
  
• Ability to drop out at any time, no tie-ins (but you cannot then rejoin for set period)
• Opportunity to attend field training events and annual convention (charges apply)
  
• Ability to earn free stamp sets in your first 6 months

Additional benefits exclusive to joining through me:

• Support and training in how to deliver a workshop (face to face if I can travel to you or telephone and on-line if outside travelling distance)
  
• Ongoing support by phone and email
• Product sample kits
• Sample cards
• Marketing ideas and tips to grow your business
  
• Project worksheets to use at your workshops
  
• Exclusive access to a blog just for my downline team
  
• Sign up with me 22 October - 13 November 2009 and get the Christmas Jingle Simply Scrappin' kit included

Whether you're ready to sign up now or have more questions you'd like answered, then email me at sarastamper123@gmail.com

Scandinavian Season card and box set in navy with silver highlights

This little duo uses the Not Quite Navy DSP that was available in last year's catalogue as part of a Level 1 hostess gift. This paper is no longer available but the set would look equally nice in Night of Navy which is part of this year's Patterns Pack Level 1 hostess gift.

Recipe

Stamp sets: Scandinavian Season, Scandinavian, Season of Joy

Cardstock: Not Quite Navy, Bordering Blue, Whisper White

DSP: Not Quite Navy

Ink: Not Quite Navy, Bordering Blue, Versamark

Narrow Grosgrain ribbon: Whisper White

Brads: Silver, Circle Ice

Other: Silver EP, Dazzling Diamonds, Fine Galaxy Glitter

Punches: Scallop Circle, Corner Rounder, Scallop Oval, Large Oval

All images are stamped in Versamark and heat embossed with Silver EP. For the tree, a swirl was first coloured with Bordering Blue and then Tombow and Dazzling Diamonds added over the top. Dazzling Diamonds allows the Blue to show through. For the star, Fine Silver from the Galaxy Glitter (set of 5) was added. You can see the difference in the effect of these glitters - the silver looks almost molten. The tree was punched in the corners using one petal of the Scallop Circle punch to frame the brads.

For the inside of the card I used the Scandinavian standard wheel with Not Quite Navy ink and used the sentiment from the Season of Joy set.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sara xx

A fluttery butterfly for the Stamp With Us recipe challenge

And it's Sunday again already - where does the week go, lol. So, today's challenge over at Stamp With Us is a recipe. We can use:

• 3 patterned papers
• 3 brads
• 3 coloured cards
• 3 different stamps

Wow - that's a toughie. Well I decided to use what is sure to become a favourite stamp set of mine - the brand new Flight of the Butterfly:

Isn't this just a gorgeous set? And I got the butterfly punch to match as well.

Recipe

Stamp sets: Flight of the Butterfly, Fresh Cuts

Cardstock: Cameo Coral, Green Galore, Blush Blossom

Ink: Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise

DSP: Kaleidoscope

Brads: Earth Elements

Punches: Butterfly

I just used one of the "Flight" butterfly stamps, one of the sentiments from the same set (minus the "unknown" on the end so that it fits the layout better) and the leaf from Fresh Cuts = 3 different stamps. I cut the flowers from one sheet of Kaleidoscope, punched the butterfly from another sheet (getting the circles centred within the wings) and cut a strip from another sheet as my top border = 3 papers. 3 Earth Elements brads were used to complete the flowers and I used only 3 coloured cards as shown in the recipe. So, nothing more or less than the recipe allows.

Don't forget that today is the first day of the Stamp With Us online class. It's not too late to join if you haven't signed up yet. Classes are great fun and great value, I can't wait to see the projects we get this time.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Sara xx

Recipe for sneak peek 8 Christmas Jingle Scrappin' Kit

For this duo I used just a teeny, tiny portion of the Simply Scrappin' kit, Christmas Jingle, and nothing else except a cutter, glue and dimensionals.

These kits are fabulous not just for scrapbooking but for cardmaking and ready made embellishments. Every kit comes with textured cardstock (2 sheets of each), great quality double sided papers (3 sheets of each) and card weight stickers, both shaped and ribbon (2 sheets of each) all colour co-ordinated for you. All very lush and a great price.

Recipe

Simply Scrappin' kit: Christmas Jingle

This took about two minutes to make up, if that. It took me longer to open the packet and stroke the papers, lol. A handy kit to have in for any last minute cards you might need to make.

This card I made to show that even with the Christmas kit there's still room to make cards for other occasions. I think this would be great as a valentine card to a friend.

Of course you could bling them up further if you wish with brads or glitter, add stamped images, add rub-ons to the textured card or any combination but I just wanted to show that you can keep it quick and simple and still have a great card to show.

Just get in touch if you'd like to order a set (or two).

Sara xx