Wednesday 30 April 2008

P-p-p-p-p-pick up a penguin stamp!

This cute little project is a 3D package – you could use it for a Post-It note holder or to send small gifts. There are jelly beans inside this one – yum! (Although there were some exceedingly unpleasant coffee-flavoured ones in this batch, which made eating them a bit of a Russian Roulette-type situation.)

You could also use the same design for a small square card – the possibilities are… well, they’re not endless but there are a lot of possibilities, trust me!

I stamped the flowers along the bottom in Versamark® - I just guessed for placement and it turned out okay. Phew. But I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig® to position the flower and the penguin.

Stamps: Wild About You (p32)
Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Old Olive, Very Vanilla
Ink: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Versamark®
Accessories: 1 3/8” circle punch (p80), Scallop Circle Punch (p80), gingham ribbon – black (p86)

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the picture of the catalogue on the right to view it online.

Tuesday 29 April 2008

...and here's the other one


I couldn't get Blogger to load this yesterday so you've had to wait, I'm afraid. As you can see, the card uses exactly the same pieces of cardstock and ribbon as yesterday's giraffe sample; I've just switched them around a bit. 

Stamps: Polka Dots & Paisley (p51) 
Cardstock: Old Olive, More Mustard, Ruby Red, Very Vanilla
Ink: Versamark®
Accessories: ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon – Always Artichoke (p86), Round Tab Punch (p80), Circle Rhinestone brads – Fire (p85), Stampin’ Pastels® (p82), sponge daubers (p81), 1/16” hand-held circle punch (p80)

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the picture of the catalogue on the right to view it online.

Monday 28 April 2008

I'm back!

Sorry about the gap. A combination of work, Stampin' Up! workshop and visitors meant that blogging was simply not possible.

Anyway, this was the Make and Take at Friday’s workshop. The hostess wanted to see the Popping Pastels technique (click here for details) and, as it’s really fun to do, I was more than happy to oblige.

I demonstrated the Wild About You stamp set as all of the guests had children. But, just in case they didn’t want to make a children’s card, I showed them how exactly the same pack of prepared cardstock and accessories could be used to make a different card, using the Polka Dots & Paisley stamp set. Unfortunately, Blogger won't load this card at the moment - I will try again later. 

Stamps: Wild About You (p32) 
Cardstock: Old Olive, More Mustard, Ruby Red, Very Vanilla
Ink: Versamark®
Accessories: ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon – Always Artichoke (p86), Round Tab Punch (p80), Circle Rhinestone brads – Fire (p85), Stampin’ Pastels® (p82), sponge daubers (p81), 1/16” hand-held circle punch (p80)

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the picture of the catalogue on the right to view it online.

Saturday 26 April 2008

Oops, sorry...

I'm sorry I've neglected you over the last few days, it's just been manic here. I did workshop in Derby last night and the ladies there seemed to enjoy themselves - I'll try to get round to posting what we made over the weekend but we have visitors this weekend so much preparation is required!

Wednesday 23 April 2008

A shabby lion


This is essentially the same card as this one, as you can see. Same design, different colours, different stamps. There’s no point in reinventing the wheel and, sometimes, there’s just no time!

This is for a demo at a workshop this Friday – the hostess likes earthy colours and wanted me to show her the popping pastels technique (click here for details). As most of the guests will have children, I thought I’d use this fun set.

Stamps: Wild About You (p32)
Cardstock: More Mustard, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Ink: Versamark®, More Mustard, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon – More Mustard, Hodgepodge Hardware® - Pewter

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the picture of the catalogue on the right to view it online.

Tuesday 22 April 2008

Home Again… again


Yes, it’s the return of the Home Again Simply Scrappin’® kit! I was playing around with it at the Papercraft Show (when I should have been tidying up) and this card just happened. It was supposed to be something completely different but you know how it is…

Stamps: Welcoming Words (p15)
Cardstock: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Home Again Simply Scrappin’® kit (p16), 3/8” Grosgrain Ribbon – Old Olive

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the picture of the catalogue on the right to view it online.

Monday 21 April 2008

A shabby rose card - with a new ribbon use thrown in!


First an announcement: Alison and I held a prize draw at the papercraft show yesterday and, at the end of the day, drew a winner. The winner is Mrs L. Winfield and I’ll be posting her prize of a fabulous Stampin’ Up!® stamp set today.

Now for details of the card, which is the one I demonstrated yesterday. It was quite a complicated (and messy) card to demonstrate at a tiny table but people seemed to like it. Either that or they were just being polite!

First I wheeled along the bottom of the card with the Watercolour Vine wheel, using the Mellow Moss cartridge. As this is a paler colour than the cardstock (Always Artichoke) it’s left a very subtle image.

Next I used the direct-to-paper technique to ink up the edges of the card, and used scissors to rough up the bottom edge of the card to give it a shabby chic look. To give the card a bit of lift, I attached a narrow strip of Rose Red cardstock behind the distressed edge.

I stamped the main image with Roses in Winter. It’s a two-step stamp set and, to make the first impression paler, I “stamped off” on scrap paper first. Again I inked and distressed the edges of the cardstock. Please click here for more about the techniques used on this card.

Here's the bonus use of ribbon: the ribbon goes all the way round the card and is joined behind the image. I threaded a piece of Hodgepodge Hardware® on to the ribbon before joining it then threaded a short piece of ribbon through the ribbon that goes over the top of the hardware and tied a simple knot.

I added the layered image using Stampin’ Dimensionals® and, finally, as the hardware is loose on the ribbon, I slid it along so that it was exactly where I wanted it.

Stamps: Roses in Winter (p47), Watercolour Vine wheel (p89)
Cardstock: Always Artichoke, Rose Red, Very Vanilla
Ink: Rose Red, Always Artichoke, Mellow Moss (cartridge)
Accessories: Hodgepodge Hardware® - Pewter, ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon – Always Artichoke, Stampin’ Around® Jumbo Handle (p83)

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the picture of the catalogue on the right to view it online.

Sunday 20 April 2008

Too tired to type...

What an exhausting day! Suffice to say, we weren't ignored at the Papercraft Show. After a slowish start there was loads of interest in our stall and we've introduced lots of new people to Stampin' Up!® We did demonstrations all day - I'll show you mine tomorrow. It's too dark to take a photograph now and I'm too tired anyway!

Saturday 19 April 2008

Busy, busy, busy...

I'm busy preparing today for the MAX Papercraft Show at the University of Derby tomorrow  (yes, last-minute as usual). I'm having a stall with my downline Alison and we have no idea what to expect - will we be inundated or ignored? 

We'll be doing demonstrations all day so, if you're there, please pop over to say hello!

Friday 18 April 2008

Little birds

Look! No Home Again Simply Scrappin’® kit! But I have stuck to the same colour scheme.

For this card I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig® to line up the little birds from the Wild About You stamp set. As I was using the pastels technique, I stamped each one in Versamark® and then chalked it up before proceeding to the next one. Click here for details of the popping pastels technique

I pierced the bottom strip of the Old Olive cardstock using the piercing mat which comes with the Crafters’ Tool Kit.

The three flowers are stamped at the bottom of the card using Versamark®.

Stamps: Wild About You (p32)
Cardstock: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Ink: Versamark®
Accessories: Stampin’ Pastels® (p82), sponge daubers (p81), Crafters’ Tool Kit (p85)

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the picture of the catalogue on the right to view it online.

Thursday 17 April 2008

Jolly giraffe

I told you I’d still keep playing with my Home Again Simply Scrappin’® kit – it’s just too gorgeous to leave alone.

Here’s a little giraffe card (9cm square) made using the kit plus my new Wild About You stamp set.

I stamped the image in Versamark® and then used the popping pastels technique – click here for full details. The edges are distressed and then coloured with Old Olive ink, using the direct to paper technique. I added some more chalk around the edges using sponge daubers to add depth.

The border is one of the self-adhesive die cuts from the Home Again kit, layered on to a strip of Chocolate Chip cardstock.

Here’s a confession: the kit comes with eight sheets of 12x12 textured cardstock but I STILL can’t bring myself to cut any of them up. It will backfire on me, I know, as I will end up with just the cardstock left over.

Stamps: Wild About You (p32)
Cardstock: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Ink: Versamark®
Accessories: Home Again Simply Scrappin’® kit (p16), Stampin’ Pastels® (p82), sponge daubers (p81)

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the picture of the catalogue on the right to view it online.

Tuesday 15 April 2008

Never one to miss a crafting opportunity...

I was in a bookshop last week and was given my purchases in this lovely brown paper bag. Well, a crafter can’t overlook an opportunity like that, can she?

So I decorated it.

I took a strip of background paper from the Petals & Paisleys collection and layered it on to some Old Olive, which I distressed and pierced.

The giraffe is from the Wild About You stamp set, stamped in Old Olive on to Whisper White, then inked around the edges using Old Olive, and smudged with some Old Olive chalk.

I wanted to shred some tissue paper to put in the top but couldn’t find any of a suitable colour without leaving the house, so I sealed the top instead using staples and piece of Old Olive cardstock punched out using the Round Tab Punch.

Stamps: Wild About You (p32)
Cardstock: Old Olive, Whisper White
Paper: Petals & Paisleys (p73)
Ink: Old Olive
Accessories: Stampin’ Pastels® (p82), sponge daubers (p81), Crafters’ Tool Kit (p85)

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the picture of the catalogue on the right to view it online.

Monday 14 April 2008

Sunday 13 April 2008

Making a journal

It’s a long one today. You have been warned.

I wanted to make a 6x6 scrapbook using the Home Again Simply Scrappin’® kit that I may have mentioned that I love so much. But I couldn’t find any chipboard of the correct size, so I thought I’d have a practice run on a different sized journal first.

Here’s the finished journal – I wonder if a certain reader can guess who this is for? It’s someone who appreciates a handmade gift… someone who enjoys journaling… someone who already has some of my creations which co-ordinate very well with this… oh and the monogram is a bit of a clue, too! She will know who she is and I hope she likes it – but she will have to wait for it as I want to add it to my samples box for a while first.

I am now going to attempt to upload several pictures in one go. For me this is the blogging equivalent of juggling with a chainsaw, a flaming torch and a raw egg; and I can’t even juggle. Wish me luck…

For this project you will need:
• two pieces of 12x12 background paper of the same design
• two pieces of chipboard of the same size
• some co-ordinating cardstock
• some ribbon
• something to decorate the front of the scrapbook (if desired)
• some really strong tape, such as Sticky Strip

Yes, my instructions are vague because I prefer to work with what I have rather than scrabble around for something hard to find. I had two pieces of A5 chipboard so used those.

I will try to anticipate any questions:

Where do I find chipboard? Well you can buy it in art shops but personally I don’t see the point as you can use the backs of notepads. Or, as you’re covering it, it doesn’t have to be plain,  so you could use cereal boxes – tape two pieces together to strengthen it.

What’s Sticky Strip? It’s the tape that you’ll find at the back of the UK Stampin’ Up!® catalogue. It’s double-sided tape but soooooo much stronger. I wouldn’t use it for ordinary cardmaking but it’s perfect for boxes and for this project as you know it won’t let you down. It seems pricey at £5.50 but I have shopped around and it works out the same per centimetre as other tapes of its type; it’s just on a bigger roll.

What do you use to make the pages? Anything you like – I’ve used cardstock but you could equally use nice paper (plain or ruled) for journaling. You could even decorate all the pages to make a mini scrapbook. These are great for scrapbooking a special occasion when you have lots of pictures you want to use. Perfect, too, for brag books for grandparents.

Ok, here goes with the journal:

1. Cut your patterned paper about 2cm (or an inch if you prefer) larger than your chipboard, as shown. Tape your two pieces of chipboard on to the centre of the two pieces of paper and cut the corners as shown. These are the front and back of your journal.

2. Tape the edges of the chipboard and then fold the flaps in to seal. I like to make sure that flaps are in the same position on both covers. On this one it’s the top and bottom flaps (the long ones) that are at the top. I don’t think I’m making any sense, so let’s move swiftly on to step 3.

3. Now work out what size you want your pages to be. My journal is 21cm wide by 15cm tall, so I made my pages 19.5cm wide by 13.5cm tall. To bind the book so that it opens easily, you’ll need two of these nifty little thingies – mine are Bashful Blue. These are also 13.5cm tall (ie, the same height as your pages) and each has a 3cm flap punched with holes.




4. The right hand flap of one of the nifty little thingies is now attached to the cover of your journal – this is the back cover – and covered with a piece of co-ordinating cardstock; let’s call this the inside covering piece. This red piece measures 20cm wide by 14cm tall, ie 1cm smaller than the finished journal.


5. Now for the front cover. You can decorate your journal however you like but make sure anything which will leave unsightly edges is done before you attach the inside covering piece. Here I’ve cut a piece of Rose Red cardstock, decorated it with a strip of designer paper and scored it to go around the front cover.


6. Tape it all down and attach the second nifty little thingy so that the 3cm flap with the punched holes sticks out. Now attach the second inside covering piece to cover all the behind-the-scenes stuff.

7. Take your pages, which should be punched in the same positions as the 3cm flaps so that they all fit together (roughly, in my case). Thread a length of the ribbon down from the top, through one hole and back up through the other one. Tie a knot to complete. If you’re not confident about tying a neat knot –many people aren’t – you could have your knot at the back, where it won’t be seen so frequently.

8. Finally, add any finishing touches to the front cover and you’re done!

Stamps: Headline Alphabet (p66)
Cardstock: Rose Red, So Saffron, Bashful Blue
Paper: Cutie Pie (p73)
Ink: Rose Red
Accessories: Round Tab Punch, ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon - Whisper White, chipboard

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the picture of the catalogue on the right to view it online.

Friday 11 April 2008

Still playing!

Yes, I am still playing with my Home Again Simply Scrappin’® kit, and I expect I will be doing so for some time as there is still lots left!

This little card is 9cm square and was made in minutes using the kit, which you can earn free with a £150 workshop.

Stamps: Happy Everything (p65)
Cardstock: Brocade Blue
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Home Again Simply Scrappin’® kit (p16),

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the picture of the catalogue on the right to view it online.

Wednesday 9 April 2008

Tiny and quick

Aren’t these colours gorgeous? A tiny card made in minutes using the Home Again Simply Scrappin’® kit, which you can earn free with a £150 workshop.

All I used was a small strip of Designer Series paper from the kit, a self-adhesive border strip, a self-adhesive flower, layered with a decorated self-adhesive circle, popped up for dimension. It took barely any time at all!

The card is part of the Love Notes set – you get 20 small cards (3in square); 10 each of Whisper White and Very Vanilla, plus matching envelopes.

Accessories: Home Again Simply Scrappin’® kit (p16), Love Notes (p78)

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the picture of the catalogue on the right to view it online.

Tuesday 8 April 2008

Simply Scrappin' makes it so easy!

Oooooooh, I am LOVING this Simply Scrappin’® kit! And, as you can see, you can use it for more than just scrapbooking.

I earned it free when I hosted my own workshop last month. I actually reached Level 2 but decided to stick with a Level 1 hostess set because I’d had my eye on this kit for some time. And it’s simply gorgeous!

All the cardstock is textured, which is lovely, and you get loads: eight sheets of cardstock, six sheets of Designer Series paper and six sheets of self-adhesive die cuts.

It’s perfect for scrapbooking but equally perfect for making really fast cards – I made three in about 10 minutes. I would have been quicker but I couldn’t bear to cut into the textured cardstock just so had to go hunting for some Old Olive.

I’ll show you some more cards made with the kit in the next few days and, when I’ve found the perfect picture, I’ll make a scrapbooking page, too.

If you want to earn this set for free by holding a workshop or a catalogue party in your home, please email me.

Stamps: *gasp* none!
Cardstock: Old Olive
Accessories: Home Again Simply Scrappin’® kit (p16), 3/8” Grosgrain Ribbon – Old Olive.

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the picture of the catalogue on the right to view it online.

Saturday 5 April 2008

Popping in and out...

The children are off school now so I won't be around so much this week as I'll be spending some family time. I'll try to post a couple of times though if I can.

Friday 4 April 2008

More little cards

I love little cards, as you may have noticed. Here’s a group of little cards I made a while ago – now I realise why I’ve completely run out of Lavender Lace cardstock. Must put it on my next order.

The holes are made using the paper piercing technique. Stampin’ Up! sells the perfect tools for this technique in the Crafters’ Tool Kit (p85). The best piece of equipment is the paper piercing template, which is made of thick plastic and has rows of perfectly lined-up holes for you to follow. You lay it over your project and then pierce through the holes – you can even do zig-zags. The template also features larger holes for perfect eyelet setting.

Stamps: Birthday Best (p34)
Cardstock: Gable Green, Lavender Lace, Almost Amethyst, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Stampin’ Write® markers, Crafters’ Tool Kit (p85)

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the picture of the catalogue on the right to view it online.

Thursday 3 April 2008

Lovely Lilac

This is another of the cards we made at the Mother and Daughter event. It’s not a very good picture I’m afraid as I seem to have taken it at a funny angle. The strip is actually quite a lot higher up than it appears on this photo – how strange.

Stamps: Little Pieces (p53), Sincere Salutations (p61)
Cardstock: Lovely Lilac, Tempting Turquoise, Brilliant Blue, Whisper White
Ink: Lovely Lilac
Accessories: ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon – Tempting Turquoise (p86)

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the picture of the catalogue on the right to view it online.

Wednesday 2 April 2008

Small and bright

Here’s one of the cards we made at the Mother and Daughter event. It’s a small card – 9cm square – and very simple, although quite effective I think. The flower stems were hand-drawn; I tried them straight and wavy and think I prefer the wavy lines. I love the way the Black Gingham ribbon really lifts projects, and goes with just about everything.

Stamps: Little Pieces (p53)
Cardstock: Pink Passion, Green Galore, Whisper White
Ink: Pink Passion
Accessories: Black gingham ribbon (p86)

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the picture of the catalogue on the right to view it online.

Tuesday 1 April 2008

April special offer

It’s April Fools’ Day but this month’s special offer from Stampin’ Up! is no joke… for the whole of April you can buy either of the Simply Sent™ kits at 10% off.

Simply Sent™ kits are perfect for new stampers or for stamping on the go. They make a lovely gift, too - perfect for encouraging your friends to take up rubber stamping!

They contain everything you need to make a collection of gorgeous cards... stamps, cardstock, embellishments, adhesives – even step-by-step instructions. And, to make like a little easier for beginner stampers, the stamps are die-cut, so no trimming is required before you mount them.

I don’t have one of these kits myself but I have it on good authority that the pictures in the catalogue don’t do them justice. And, of course, once you’ve used up the supplies you’ll still have the inks and stamps to make many more projects.

The kits usually retail at £49.95 each but, for April only, you can buy them for £44.96 each. See page 75 of the catalogue (click the catalogue cover on the right for the online version) to see the full kits. Please email me (there's a link in "About me") if you want to find out more. 

And I'm sorry there's no card sample today - normal service should be resumed tomorrow! 


The small print

This is my personal blog and my sole responsibility as an Independent Stampin' Up!® demonstrator. All images are © Stampin' Up!® All content including photographs, projects and text are © Helen Read, unless otherwise stated. Please feel free to copy my ideas for your personal use and inspiration - if you are a SU demonstrator you may use these ideas for your events but please give credit where it is due. Please do not use my ideas for monetary gain, competitions or publication. The images on this blog - including blog buttons - should not be copied and used elsewhere on the internet or on CDs.