Just Sayin' gets the grunge treatment

Sometimes when I get my hands on new products, my mind goes completely blank, so I turn to one of many sources of inspiration. This can be the SU catalogues, blogs, Pinterest or swaps I’ve received at Stampin’ Up! events. 

Demonstrators who went to last year’s Convention may recognise this card as a CASE of one of the Make & Takes. I’d been itching to get my hands on Gorgeous Grunge for ages (but I knew we were getting it at Convention so resisted buying!). I don’t have a pic of the card but it was on loads of demonstrator blogs, both here and abroad, last year so take a look at this one. 

It’s the perfect design to adapt to the new Spring/Summer catalogue products. Almost exactly the same but with a Just Sayin’ image as the focal point, some brand new Retro Fresh washi tape and a wooden heart instead of the button. 

Stamps: Just Sayin, Gorgeous Grunge

Cardstock: Coastal Cabana, Whisper White, Pool Party Core’dinations, Silver Glimmer Paper

Ink: Crisp Cantaloupe, Pool Party, So Saffon

Accessories: Wooden Elements, Word Bubbles Framelits, Retro Fresh Washi Tape

Caturday - Pumpkin

We have a new cat called Pumpkin at Woodland Nook cat shelter. And isn’t he a beauty? He arrived with his brother, Thomas, and their companion, Jasper – a handsome beast who has already been rehomed.

Pumpkin was still very nervous last weekend when I saw him, but daughter reports that he’s now affectionate and friendly, with the softest of soft fur. Tempted?

Gorgeous Grunge with Retro Fresh

This card is inspired - well, CASEd in fact - from a Convention swap I received from the very talented Kim Fee. Her card (below) was one of my favourite swaps, so we decided to CASE it at a recent Crafty Friday. 

I was running short of Epic Day washi tape, however, so used the opportunity to make something with my brand new Spring/Summer catalogue products. I swapped the washi for Retro Fresh and adjusted the colours accordingly. Instead of the small scalloped circle, I used one of the fabulous wooden elements and, because I don’t actually own that little star punch (just borrow it a lot), I used the small heart instead. The glimmer paper is sprayed with Early Espresso and Coastal Cabana inks (long story) to make it a lovely platinum. I used this purely because I couldn’t find any other, although I think Champagne Glimmer would probably look the best with this colour scheme. 

Stamps: Gorgeous Grunge, Sweet Essentials

Cardstock: Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, Very Vanilla, Tangerine Tango

Ink: Baked Brown Sugar, Tangerine Tango

Accessories: Retro Fresh Washi Tape, Linen Thread, Essentials Wooden Elements, 3/4” circle punch, small heart punch, Silver Glimmer paper, Basic Rhinestones

Springtime Hello canvas

I love this tiny little stamp set, which is odd for me as small stamps usually get on my nerves. But I do love a bee image, so I suppose it was bound to be a winner. It’s only £9.95 for the clear-mount version, which is a bargain. I am considering holding a class using this stamp set, and including it in the price; do let me know – either by commenting or by emailing me – if you’re interested. 

Here I’ve stamped on a tiny canvas (four for £1 from the Pound Shop!) and finished off with some ruffled ribbon and rhinestones. 

Stamping in the canvas wasn’t as straightforward as it sounds, though, and two canvases were wasted in the process, so here are my tips:

• Place a clear block behind the canvas to create a solid surface
• Use Black Stazon
• Don’t expect perfection - the use of the ruffled ribbon arose from the fact that the image didn’t quite reach the bottom, because of the differing levels.

Stamps: Springtime Hello

Ink: Black Stazon, markers - Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, Gumball Green

Accessories: Ruffle Stretch Ribbon - Baked Brown Sugar, Basic Rhinestones

Other: Mini canvas, mini easel

Starburst Technique with See Ya Later stamp set

This cheerful card was one of the demonstrations at my Launch Party at the weekend. It shows two new products and a fun technique. 

The main new product that you’ll notice right away is the See Ya Later stamp set from the Sale-a-Bration brochure, which has really fun images and words. I stamped this in Smoky Slate. 

The second new product on there is the cloud die. But hold on, we don’t have a cloud die, do we? Well yes we do if you use the thought bubble from the Word Bubbles Framelits. I cut these out using Vellum cardstock, to represent the wispy nature of clouds. They are stuck down with SNAIL, secured only behind the main image so that it doesn’t show through - it makes them look a bit more like they’re “floating” too, I think. Or am I just deluded?

Now for the technique. It’s called the Starburst Technique and it’s fun to do. There are lots of variations you can try, too. I could go into a long explanation or take dozens of photos to illustrate the technique, but this video from Stampin’ Up!® explains it brilliantly, so why reinvent the wheel?

After creating my paper mask, instead of spritzing, as Carrie does in the video, I sponged Daffodil Delight ink onto the cardstock, concentrating my efforts nearer to the centre and gradually easing off as I reached the edges of the card. To hold the mask in place, I used tiny dabs of Tombow adhesive on the back of my mask, allowing it to dry clear – this turns it into a temporary adhesive so the mask can be removed. 

I love this effect and hope you try it! 

Stamps: See Ya Later (SAB)

Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Vellum Cardstock

Ink: Daffodil Delight, Smoky Slate

Accessories: Word Bubbles Framelits, Sponge Daubers

See Ya Later Sale-a-Bration stamp set

Happy February! Let’s hope it’s a bit drier and less windy than January. 

First of all, a big thank you to everyone who came along to my Launch Party yesterday. It was great to see everyone and we had a relaxing time eating cake, making cards and chatting about the fab new products in the Spring/Summer catalogue and Sale-a-Bration. 

Secondly, what do you think of my new-look blog? I’ve been working on it behind the scenes for a while but yesterday decided I may as well just roll out the changes, even if I still have some little bits I’d like to tweak. 

I made the background, header and buttons in My Digital Studio, with the addition of a free downloaded font and a secret bit of clipart which I’m sure you’ll spot! The blog background came out darker than I’d hoped but I’m sure we’ll get used to it. Let me know if you have trouble loading the page - if it’s an issue, I can remove the background to speed things up a bit. 

So, today’s project features a bit of February sunshine to give the weather some encouragement to stay nice! I made this card using the new Banner Punch from Stampin’ Up!® It’s a Sale-a-Bration item which means you can earn it FREE with a £45 purchase. That’s pretty cool as everyone loves freebies!

There’s a stamp set to match, too, which I showed you on this card. But here I’ve used it to make some funky sun rays behind this very cheery greeting. The clouds are made using the Word Bubbles Framelits dies, which co-ordinate with the Just Sayin’ stamp set. They’re actually thought bubbles but make perfect clouds. This set of dies was one of the products I demoed at my Launch Party - but I still haven’t photographed all the projects, so they will just have to wait I’m afraid. 

Stamps: See Ya Later

Cardstock: Soft Sky, Coastal Cabana, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White

Ink: Daffodil Delight

Accessories: 2 1/2” circle punch, Banner Punch, Word Bubbles dies, Soft Sky Seam-binding ribbon

Caturday - Kitty

This afternoon is my catalogue launch party which is exciting as it will be good to catch up with some of my customers for the first time this year. I have Make & Takes and demonstrations and, of course, cake for them!

Meanwhile, it’s Caturday, so meet the unimaginatively named Kitty! She really wants a new home as her owner died and she has had to return to the cat shelter. She isn’t keen on other cats but loves people!

She looks a lot like our own cat, Cobweb, with those spectacular whiskers!