A thank you card for the Stamp With Us challenge

Our challenge this week over at Stamp With Us is on the theme of:

Thank You

I've used the glorious Greenhouse Garden set for my card. This stamp set is currently helping the people of Haiti. Stampin' Up! are donating £1 from every set sold from now until 28 February to the Red Cross International Response Fund. So you can treat yourself and help out at the same time and you'd be half way to earning a free Sale-a-bration stamp set into the bargain. Email me to place your order.

Recipe

Stamp sets: Greenhouse Garden, Seeing Spots

Cardstock: Barely Banana, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White

Ink: Summer Sun, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa

Punches: Eyelet Edge, 1-3/8" Circle, 1-1/4" Circle, 3/4" Circle

Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon: Very Vanilla

Other: Pretties Kit

The medium flower is stamped in Summer Sun and then the Stamp-a-ma-jig used to position the detail stamp over the top using Chocolate Chip. The same combination is then used for the dinky flower. All flowers are cut out and mounted on punched circles using dimensionals. Half-back pearls from the pretties kit are used for the flower centres. The Cocoa background is stamped using just the detail stamp with Cocoa ink on Cocoa card. As the card already has quite a lot of height from the raised flowers and pearls, I've stuck the circles flat to the border.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Sara xx

A wheely good make and take card for everyone to try

Last week I gave a workshop to another lovely bunch of ladies. They should have got their goodies by now, so I thought I'd share the make and take card we all made on the night. Our hostess had asked if they could see the Stampin' Around wheels and have a go at heat embossing, so I designed the make and take around those requests.

Recipe

Stamp sets: It's Beautiful, Flight of the Butterfly, Whimsical Words

Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Taken With Teal, Basic Black, More Mustard

Ink: Versamark, Not Quite Navy

Punches: Scallop Edge, Butterfly

Other: Silver EP, Silver Elastic Cord

We also stamped an insert using the narrower Baroque Border wheel and added a Curvy Verse.

Fancy hosting your own workshop? You provide the guests and a few refreshments and I do all the work, sound fair? Just email me to book a date.

Have a great weekend.

Sara

My first christmas card this year uses the Happy Moments Sale-a-bration set

This is a case of my own card from the bloghop on Sunday but I thought I'd show you how this versatile, free, stamp set is ideal for Christmas as well as birthdays.

I also created it for the ILWS January Christmas Card challenge. This is a laid back challenge with no deadline but the idea is to help you create all the Christmas cards you'll need, so you're not in a last minute rush when December rolls around. January's challenge is a colour one, using Black, White and Red. I made four identical versions of this card to start my stock off.

Recipe

Stamp sets: Happy Moments, Season of Joy (sentiment)

Cardstock: Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White

DSP: Ski Slope (retired)

Ink: Black Stazon, Versamark, Markers, Real Red (envelope)

Punches: Scallop Oval, Large Oval

Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon: Real Red

Other: Black EP, Silver Elastic Cord

You can see that I'm still using up some of my older DSP but you could use the Real Red papers from Merry Moments or Jackpot if you don't have Ski Slope.

Again the present opens up to reveal a little hidden message:

I used the sentiment from the Loads of Love stamp set for the hidden message. I also finished off the inside of the card with a stamped insert.

Recipe (inside)

Stamp set: Baroque Border

Cardstock: Whisper White

Ink: Real Red

Have you started your Christmas cards yet?

Sara xx

A cased card for my MILs birthday and her latest stamping results

Did you enjoy our bloghop on Sunday? From the hits to our sites, I'm guessing you did. (Just in case you missed it you can always scroll down to Sunday's post to catch up). There were some fantastic creations and I can't wait for a bit of free time to CASE some of them. I'm just glad that I managed to get mine finished on time and didn't let the others down. It was pretty touch and go at one point. I'd been away in Hastings all week and then on Friday night I was out presenting a workshop (I'll share more of that later in the week), then Saturday morning I was busy finishing my MIL's birthday card before she and my FIL arrived to spend the afternoon with us.

Thankfully I've got my MIL hooked on crafting too and after a delicious fish and chip lunch (we're lucky enough to have an award winning chippy just a short drive away), we spent the afternoon crafting while DH and FIL played on the Wii and watched the football. A happy bunch all round.

The card I made for my MIL is the one I was lucky enough to win as a project kit with instructions, from Elaine's Creative Musings on another recent bloghop.

Recipe

Stamp sets: On a Pedestal, Queue Up (Level 3 hostess set), Whimsical Words (SAB)

Cardstock: Almost Amethyst, Pretty in Pink, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White

Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Markers

DSP: Tea Party

Taffeta Ribbon: Pretty in Pink

Gingham Ribbon: Light Pink

Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon: Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant

Brads: Soft Subtles, Square Fire

Now my MIL mainly loves 3d items. She isn't so keen on stamping so far because she reckons her stamping never works out properly. I did talk her into giving it another go though on Saturday and she made this card:

Recipe

Stamp sets: Whimsical Wings (level 2 hostess set), Oval All

Cardstock: Close to Cocoa, Ruby Red, Whisper White

Ink: Ruby Red, Markers

Punches: Scallop Oval, Large Oval

Taffeta Ribbon: Chocolate Chip

I'm not sure where she's coming from. I think her stamping is great. Don't you just love her robin? So cute.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sara xx

Join us on a bloghop featuring the Sale-a-bration stamp sets

Hi and welcome to our Sale-a-bration bloghop.

If you're starting here then grab a cuppa and make yourself comfy cos we've got lots to share with you ;-) There are 15 blogs to visit in this loop and 15 to visit in loop 2. You'll know when you've completed a loop when you end up back where you started.

If you've joined me from Debbi's Taylor-made Cards (aren't her bloghop creations marvelous), then welcome and thanks for stopping by on your way through our bloghop wonderland.

Don't forget that you get one of four exclusive, free, Sale-a-bration stamp sets with every £45 purchase. With no limit on how many you can get, this is the best possible time to treat yourself to that new stamp set you've had your eye on, or simply stock up on the essentials; cardstock, adhesive, inks etc. Just email me to place an order.

You may wish to consider supporting the Haitian Disaster Relief by adding the Greenhouse Garden set to your Sale-a-bration order. From now until 28 February, 2010, £1 from every Greenhouse Garden stamp set will be donated to the American Red Cross International Response Fund. The Red Cross is already well established on Haiti and this money will be used to provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to those in need.

Now, on to the crafting ...

Recipe

Stamp sets: Happy Moments, Oval All

Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, More Mustard, Whisper White

Ink: Black Stazon, Taken with Teal, Markers

DSP: Tea Party

Punches: Scallop Oval, Large Oval

Other: Gold Elastic Cord

For this card I stamped the stack of presents and then folded the card at the base before cutting them out. The elastic cord was wrapped around and then tied shut. This allows the present stack to be opened up for a tiny hidden message.

Next I put together a simple set of cards to showcase the Vintage Labels and show just how easy it is to make quick cards with them. Each frame is matched with a sentiment from the same free Sale-a-bration set and a different jumbo wheel used to create the background.

Recipe

Stamp sets: Vintage Labels, Whimsy, It's Beautiful, Leaves a la Carte

Cardstock: Whisper White, Brocade Blue, Bashful Blue, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive, Certainly Celery

Ink: Brocade Blue, Bashful Blue, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive, Certainly Celery

Punches: Scallop Circle, Eyelet Border, Scallop Edge

Striped Grosgrain Ribbon: Bashful Blue, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive

And finally from me, here's a card using the Good Neighbors set:

Recipe

Stamp set: Good Neighbors

Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Always Artichoke, Old Olive

Ink: Old Olive, Versamark, Markers

Wide Grosgrain Ribbon: Old Olive

Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon: Certainly Celery

Punch: Scallop Edge

Other: White EP, Small Circle Metal Edge Tag

I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to position all the separate elements, houses, roofs, trees and clouds. The background is all stamped in Old Olive on Certainly Celery card. I then used markers (Close to Cocoa, Really Rust and Ruby Red) to stamp onto the Metal Edge Tag (a little fiddly but works as long as you don't nudge the Tag). The sentiment was borrowed from the Vintage Labels set, stamped in Versamark and heat embossed with White embossing powder.

Thanks for visiting and now I'll pass you on to ...

... Victoria over at Blue Jelly Stampin' where you're in for a real treat.

See you again soon I hope.

Sara xx

A ribbon and rose card and news of Sunday's blog hop

A quick post before I set off travelling back home today. I'll be glad to get back to DH, Bess and all my crafting stash - I'm having serious withdrawal symptoms, had to buy a craft mag yesterday just to get me by, lol.

I only realised a day or so ago that I never got round to sharing the other card that I made for my entry to the ILWS Design Team. The first one was the wedding anniversary card shown here, that was created to fit the challenge of embossing. The second challenge I opted for, was to use five ribbons on a card, they could be all the same or all different. I decided to keep some of them the same so as not to make the card too busy.

Recipe

Stamp sets: A Rose is a Rose, Fresh Cuts (sentiment)

Cardstock: Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White

DSP: Tea Party

Ink: Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Always Artichoke

Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon: Certainly Celery

Wide Grosgrain Ribbon: Old Olive

Other: Hodge Podge

The roses and leaves were stamped onto Whisper White in co-ordinating colours using my stamp-a-ma-jig to get them aligned. They were then cut out and popped up on dimensionals on the Tea Party DSP. The ribbons were layered up with a Hodgepodge sentiment at the bottom and a lush bow at the top for balance.

Not sure whether you noticed the news on the top right hand side menu but some crafting pals and I are having a blog hop this Sunday especially to showcase all the Sale-a-bration stamps for you. There'll be plenty of inspiration for how to get the most from these free, limited edition stamp sets, so make a note to set aside some "me" time and come back for a good browse.

Off to get my train now.

Sara xx

On the road again but time for another card

Hello from Hastings! I went to work yesterday only to find that I was needed urgently to fill in for a colleague, so it was a quick dash home to pack, then hop on a train down country and here I am. It's such an exciting life being an auditor, lol. Bit of a shame that all I get to see of this bit of the country is the inside of the office and the inside of a hotel room (see it's not such a glamorous life after all).

We didn't finish until rather late tonight and I expect another long day tomorrow but I thought I'd steal five minutes or so to share this card that I made on Sunday evening.

For my last SU order I decided to stray from my usual menu of stamps, DSPs and inks and popped the Circle Metal Edge Tags in my basket. Then ... what do you do with them? Well the Flower for All Seasons stamps fit perfectly within them so I decided to make them the focus of this card.

Recipe

Stamp sets: A Flower for all Seasons, Vintage Labels (SAB)

Cardstock: Pink Passion, Pixie Pink

Ink: Black Stazon, Pink Passion, Markers

Punches: Corner Rounder

Gingham Ribbon: Light Pink

Other: Circle Metal Edge Tag

The flower image is stamped directly onto the Metal Tag with Black Stazon and coloured with markers. I used the circle image and the sentiment from the Vintage Labels set and used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to position them. A little gingham bow just finishes the card and balances it out.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sara xx

A sketch challenge at Stamp With Us and news of the online class

I loved your entries to our last Stamp With Us challenge. The colour inspiration wasn't amongst my favourites ... until now. The results with that colour combo were stunning.

This next fortnight's challenge is a sketch and this is a great one that I'm sure I'll reuse again in the future:

I can't stop using my new (and free!) Sale-a-bration stamps but I've used just one of them as an accent today instead of making it the focal point:

Recipe

Stamp sets: On a Pedestal, Circle of Friendship, Vintage Labels (SAB)

Cardstock: Close to Cocoa, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White

DSP: Spiced Cider, Tea Party

Ink: Regal Rose, Creamy Caramel, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Old Olive

Punches: Scallop Circle, 1" Circle

Other: Dazzling Diamonds, Soft Subtles Brads, Circle Fire Rhinestone Brads, Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelets, Mat Pack, Piercing Tool

The cake is "iced" with Dazzling Diamonds. Can you believe, I think this is its first time out since the Christmas cards, lol. I used my stamp-a-ma-jig to make sure the cake sat in the middle of the stand and the cherry sat on the top. The vintage label was stamped and punched with the scallop circle punch. I snipped between each scallop and shaped them for some extra dimension.

If you haven't been over to SWU in a week or so then you may have missed the announcement that the next Stamp With Us online class will start on Sunday 31 January. These classes are jam packed with tutorials and tips from the team and inspiration from both the team and participants alike. I'm looking forward to meeting up with new and existing friends and hope to see you there.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Sara xx

Bluebird of happiness

Yippee, it's raining! It's washing the snow away. I can't remember the last time I was so glad for rain, lol. It's still a pretty grey day though so I thought I'd add a splash of colour. For today's card I've combined the Whimsical Wings (hostess level 2) with the Whimsical Words (Sale-a-bration). To find out how you could get both sets for free just email me at sarastamper123@gmail.com.

The Happiness Always sentiment made me think of the bluebird of happiness - and so of course my bird had to be blue! Funny where inspiration comes from isn't it?

Recipe

Stamp sets: Whimsical Wings, Whimsical Words

Cardstock: Summer Sun, Taken with Teal, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White

Ink: Old Olive, Taken with Teal, Tempting Turquoise, Summer Sun, Yoyo Yellow, Chocolate Chip

Other: Bold Brights Brads, Mat Pack, Paper Piercing Tool

I used markers direct to stamp for inking this card. The bird is done in Turquoise with a Teal wing and Chocolate legs and beak. Flowers were coloured with Yoyo Yellow and then again around all edges with Summer Sun to give more depth to the colour. The images were stamped out onto the card using the Stamp-a-ma-jig for placement. I then stamped the bird and flowers again, cut out and raised them on dimensionals.

Have a great weekend.

Sara xx

A get well card using a Happy Moment

It's about time I stopped complaining about the weather, after all I've got it easy compared with some. The Mum of my crafting pal Heather, is having a tough time at the moment battling one illness after another and is missing being home into the bargain. Heather's asked for some get well cards to cheer her up (details here if you're able to add to them, I'm sure she'll appreciate it). I sent this at the weekend so hopefully she's got it by now and I'm safe to show it on here.

I've made it using the new Happy Moments set but also combined with a few others.

Recipe

Stamp sets: Happy Moments, Flight of the Butterfly, Fun and Fast Notes (sentiment)

Cardstock: Taken With Teal, More Mustard, Whisper White

DSP: Pink Flamingo

Ink: Taken With Teal, Black Stazon, Markers

Punches: Corner Rounder, Scallop Edge, Butterfly

And because I wanted to make the inside pretty to look at too:

Recipe (inside)

Stamp sets: Baroque Border, Flight of the Butterfly, Curvy Verses

Cardstock: Whisper White

Ink: Taken with Teal

Punch: Corner Rounder

Wishing you a speedy recovery Karen.

Sara xx