Busy, busy, busy

No time for a card sample today, I'm afraid, as it's all systems go for the Mother & Daughter class! But rest assured I'll show you some of the stuff we make later in the week.

Got to run now, bye!

Little Pieces

Little Pieces is the stamp set we’ll be using at the Mother and Daughter event on Sunday, so I’ve been playing around with it quite a lot lately, as you can imagine. Here’s something I made with some leftover make and take elements and scraps. As you can probably tell, I didn’t use the Stamp-a-ma-jig® to line up the flowers: I would have done but my downline Alison borrowed it for her workshop and I think she’s taken a shine too it! I expect it will be going on her next order! Although she could just be getting revenge for that Lavender Lace inkpad of hers that she’s not seen for weeks…

Stamps: Little Pieces (p53)
Cardstock: Rose Red, Regal Rose, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White
Ink: Rose Red, Elegant Eggplant
Accessories: ½” circle punch (p80), corner rounder (p80), brads – Rich Regals® (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.

Trees again?

Hmmm…. trees again? Well I do love these trees! I’m very fond of greens, too, as you’ve probably noticed.

I realised the other day that I’ve barely used my En Francais background, which is a crime as it’s so beautiful. So here it is – stamped on the top section of the base layer of this card and again on the image layer.

If you click on the picture to enlarge it you’ll see that the En Francais background appears just around the edges of the layer. Here’s how I did this:

1. First I stamped the tree image on the cardstock and trimmed to size.
2. Then I stamped the image on some scrap paper (I didn’t bother to re-ink the stamp) and cut the image out roughly to make a mask.
3. I attached the mask to the “real” image using temporary adhesive (alternatively, you could make your mask from sticky notes).
4. Next I inked up my background stamp and laid it, rubber side up, on one side of a sheet of A4 scrap paper.
5. I laid the tree image layer face down on the stamp, then folded over the other side of the scrap paper.
6. If I'd been inking the whole piece of cardstock I would have rubbed gently all over the scrap paper but, as I just wanted the French words around the edges, I only rubbed where I wanted them to appear. The mask was just a precaution to stop me getting unwanted ink on the tree.
7. To make the tree stand out more, I then chalked around the edges of the cardstock which had the side effect of making the French words more pronounced.

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree (p45), En Francais (p58)
Cardstock: Always Artichoke, Bravo Burgundy, Certainly Celery, Very Vanilla
Ink: Always Artichoke, Bravo Burgundy, Certainly Celery
Accessories: ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon – Always Artichoke, 3/8” Grosgrain Ribbon – Certainly Celery, Stampin’ Pastels® (p82), sponge daubers (p81), household staples

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.

Finding inspiration

I found this card design in an old Canadian Stampin’ Up! catalogue that my cousin gave me. Stampin’ Up!’s catalogues are called Idea Books because they are packed with fabulous card, scrapbook and gift ideas… far more than any crafting magazine.

Sometimes when I’m stuck for an idea, I flick through the catalogue and let it stop at a random page, then take an idea from that page. You don’t need to have the same stamp set or even the same colours – I just use it for inspiration. I think the original of this card was in different shades of blue with a leaf stamp! It's a really simple design and very quick to reproduce - why not try it with your own stamps and cardstock?

Stamps: Cheers to You (p35)
Cardstock: Always Artichoke, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon - Elegant Eggplant (p86), Hodgepodge Hardware® - Pewter (p84), Crafters’ Tool Kit (p85), Watercolour Wonder™ Crayons – Rich Regals® (p82)

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.

Such extravagance!

Ooh, look at me being all extravagant with the brads! I honestly don’t know what came over me, I’m usually really tight with my embellishments.

This little card is 9cm square and the big flaw in the plan is that when you stand it up, you can’t even see those oh so decadent brads.

Stamps: Cheers to You (p35)
Cardstock: Ballet Blue, Bravo Burgundy, So Saffron, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Watercolour Wonder™ Crayons – Rich Regals® (p82), Brads – Rich Regals® (p85)

Edited to add: To line up the brads I used the handy little plastic template which comes with the Crafters' Tool Kit (p85). It has perfectly lined-up holes in it which you can use for piercing or for positioning brads. There are larger holes for perfectly positioned eyelets, too. I can't recommend it highly enough!

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.

Do you want to join me?

Have you ever considered becoming a Stampin’ Up!® demonstrator?

If you enjoy sharing your love of rubber stamping, it could be the perfect way to earn some extra money, subsidise your hobby and have fun!

When I signed up I wasn’t sure if I would be comfortable standing up to talk to a group of people and leading workshops. But I decided that it was worth a try, even if just for the starter kit. You get £240 worth of stamps, accessories and business supplies for just £139, including postage.

As it happens, it turns out that I love being a demonstrator! There’s something very satisfying about helping someone who has never made a card before to produce something beautiful. And stamping with friends old and new is so much more fun than stamping alone.

To sign up as a demonstrator, you have to do so through another demonstrator. If you signed up with me you would  become part of my downline. I have a special password-protected blog - Great Stamping Minds - for my downline where we can share tips, advice and project ideas. I am also available to answer questions and offer advice when required. For example, you may want me to sit on the other end of the phone talking you through placing your first order! But if you prefer to go it alone, that's fine, too - and I would never push you into doing more than you want to. 

Being a demonstrator means you are in charge of your own business - how much work you do is entirely up to you. Some people buy the Starter Kit and leave it at that - it's worth it for the great deal and the free postage. Others become "Hobby Demonstrators", meeting their targets on their own or with friends - this is a great way to ensure you never pay full price for crafting supplies again. Some do the occasional workshop to bring in a bit of pin money... for others it's a handy sideline... and yet others build it up into a successful career. You could say that there are as many ways of being a demonstrator as there are demonstrators! And one of the great benefits is that, because YOU are in charge, you can step up your business or ease off to suit you. As long as you sell £250 of products each quarter, you will remain active. And that's usually achieved in one workshop! 

I've been with Stampin' Up!® right from its launch in the UK, and have been a fan of its products for many years... just itching to get my hands on them. I adore Stampin' Up!® and am totally committed to its products - I firmly believe that there are none finer! 

This is why I’d love to have you in my downline – please email me today to find out more. There is no better job than being a Stampin' Up!® demonstrator - why not give it a try? 

Happy Easter

Woke up to a reasonable layer of snow this morning! It's nearly all gone now though, unfortunately. It's only 9.30am and already I feel sick from too many mini Easter eggs. Blech.

Happy Easter!

Dusty summer flowers

It’s beautifully sunny outside and a bumble bee has just flown past the window… albeit rather fast due to the howling gale. There was snow earlier, too but it didn’t settle. A pot pourri of weather conditions then, which means that spring is here at last!

Never one to be bound by convention, I made some cards last night which I think are quite summery. The flowers could be agapanthus (“Bag of panthers?” – said my daughter) and I think using chalks on them makes them look soft and dusty. Details of this technique can be found here.

The stamp set is Heartfelt, which is absolutely gorgeous. It’s a hostess set and it’s well worth gathering all your friends and relations – and your friends’ and relations’ friends and relations – together for a Stampin’ Up! workshop so that you can earn this set for free!

The greeting on the landscape card is from Little Hellos, partially inked with a marker. I stamped it first and then made the little cloud shape using the Scallop Circle Punch – I punched it once, then attached the scallop temporarily to a piece of scrap paper then fed it through the punch again. You can make a larger “cloud” this way, too.

Stamps: Heartfelt (p9), Little Hellos (p18)
Cardstock: Sage Shadow, Ballet Blue, Basic Black, Very Vanilla
Ink: Versamark®
Accessories: Stampin’ Pastels (p82), twill tape (p87), Scallop 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.

Little tree (bonsai?) cards

Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE this stamp set? Thought so. 

These are all 9cm square and made using colours from the Earth Elements® family. I embellished each one with a piece of Hodgepodge Hardware®, some piercing and distressing. They’re still very simple but those trees are just so fabulous that they’ll make any card look good! Have I ever mentioned that I love those trees?

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree (p45)
Cardstock: More Mustard, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Ruby Red, Garden Green, Whisper White, Very Vanilla
Ink: Always Artichoke, Old Olive
Accessories: Hodgepodge Hardware® - Pewter, Crafters’ Toolkit

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.

Using ribbon - part 5: Tying around handles

It sounds really obvious but you can really liven up a basket, box or any container handle with ribbon. This is one of those cases when more is more and it looks really effective with loads and loads of ribbon in co-ordinating shades and patterns. I've just used three pieces around this handle as it's quite a small box. Sorry it isn't a new creation - I haven't had time to make anything new lately.

You do need more than you'd think, so practise with a few before cutting lengths... and make sure you've mastered The Knot first!

This use of ribbon also looks fantastic on books and journals - you can tie ribbon around book rings or spiral binding.

You can see more ribbon around handles here and here (although you can't see the ribbons too well on the second one).

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.

A Carte Postale card

Just for a change, here’s a card made by my Canadian Cousin (she’s the enthusiastic commenter who signs herself CC). She very kindly sent me stacks of card samples to kickstart my Stampin’ Up! business. I have to admit that I’m responsible for the wonky ribbon – I think I must have dislodged it while taking the photo.

Stamps: Carte Postale (p57), French Flair (p56)
Cardstock: Lavender Lace, Certainly Celery, Barely Banana, Whisper White
Ink: Certainly Celery
Accessories: ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon - Elegant Eggplant

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.

Polka Dots finale (for now)

I know, I know, not MORE stuff made with Polka Dots & Paisley! Don’t worry, this is the last for a while as I have packed it all away ready for my next workshop. Have even cut up the make and take! Bit of a contrast to last time, eh?

The card is just made from scraps. The little scallop chocolates I gave to my workshop guests – they are just circles and a scallop of cardstock mounted either side of an Elizabeth Shaw after-dinner mint.

The giant paperclip is a bookmark. I’ve been wanting to make one of these for ages but have been struggling with glue. Eventually tried Bostik Solvent Free All Purpose Adhesive (there should be some hyphens in there; it grieves me to leave them out but that’s what it says on the tube). I found it in Wilko at 89p a tube. I just put a generous amount of glue on each scallop, in the rough shape of the paperclip. It has to be left for five minutes before sticking. It worked! The giant paperclips came from Staples and were £1.99 for 10.

Card
Stamps: Polka Dots & Paisley (p51), Petals jumbo wheel (p51)
Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Barely Banana, Lavender Lace, Whisper White
Ink: Bashful Blue, Lavender Lace

Chocolates and bookmark
Stamps: Polka Dots & Paisley (p51)
Cardstock: Sage Shadow, Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Apricot Appeal, Whisper White
Ink: Sage Shadow, Perfect Plum
Accessories: 1 ¼” circle punch, 1 3/8” circle punch, Scallop Circle Punch

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.

A good time had by all (I hope)

I didn’t tell you how my workshop went did I? Well I think it went really well – there was a good turnout and everyone seemed to have a good time. My son commented next day that “there was a lot of laughing” so that must be a good sign!

Both demonstrations and the Make & Take used the Polka Dots & Paisley stamp set, the Petals jumbo wheel, the Scallop Circle Punch and the Soft Subtles® colour family.

My first demo was this wallet card, which is great for gift vouchers, theatre tickets, cheques or plain old hard cash. To make this card, I always start with the envelope and simply cut it to fit – much easier than working to a template. Fold the card into thirds and slice off about half of the front panel. I then added a strip of another colour of cardstock to add interest.

To make the “belt” or strap that goes around it, don’t score in the same places, just wing it by wrapping a strip of cardstock around the folded wallet and fold it to match. If you score in the same places, the strap will be too tight to go round. The strap must overlap slightly so you can stick it together – it doesn’t stick to the wallet as it slides off to open the card. Cover the join with a scalloped accent made with the ever-wonderful Scallop Circle Punch and decorate. I've since added some white dots on the scallop with a gel pen; don't know why I didn't think of that  before!

Stamps: Polka Dots & Paisley (p51)
Cardstock: Sage Shadow, Lavender Lace, Whisper White
Ink: Sage Shadow, Lavender Lace
Accessories: 1 3/8” circle punch (p80), Scallop Circle Punch (p80), uni-ball® White gel pen (p82)

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.

Another tree card

I love this tree stamp - this is the first time I've used it with the Poppin' Pastels technique - full details here.

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree (p45)
Cardstock: Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Very Vanilla
Paper: Brocade Background (p72)
Ink: Versamark®
Accessories: 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.

Handbags (but no glad rags)

I’m doing a workshop tonight and have decided to make the handbag card as one of my demos... although I might change it to the make and take. No, I haven't prepared a make and take yet - shocking, eh?

I've also been having trouble deciding what colours to use! I’m concentrating on the Soft Subtles family and the Polka Dots & Paisley stamp set because I don’t want to overwhelm people with loads of supplies.

I keep trying not to use the Scallop Circle Punch because sometimes I think I use it too much… but it’s so fab that I can’t help myself.

So these are some samples of handbag cards. To make the handbag just take an ordinary card blank and, along the creased edge, mark 1” from the end. Cut along the diagonal from this point to the corner of the opening edge of the card. Repeat on the other side. It’s so easy! To attach the handle I just used a small hand-held punch to make hole, just punching on the edge of the card so that it made a small oval hole instead of a full circle.


Stamps: Polka Dots & Paisley
Cardstock: Soft Subtles assortment
Paper: Petals & Paisley (p73) (on the pink card)
Ink: Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Lavender Lace, Perfect Plum
Accessories: Scallop Circle Punch, 1 ¼” circle punch, 1 3/8” circle punch (all punches p80), ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon – Elegant Eggplant, Black gingham ribbon, Taffeta Ribbon – Pretty in Pink (all p86)


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

Using ribbon - part 6

The Loopy Thing: not sure what you really call this but you fold your ribbon in two, then insert the loopy end through a hole, threading it back and poking the cut ends through the loop to secure it. You get two different looks, depending on which way you poke the loop through the hole, so experiment until you're happy with the results.

For this box, I did The Loopy Thing and left the ends quite long so that I could tie a knot in them. It adds interest and make the ribbon just that little bit more secure.

You can see the whole of this project by clicking here.

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

Easter box

Easter looms but if, like me, you don’t have any Easter-y stamps, don’t despair. I think I can get away with this springy, florally box.

I haven’t had time to draw up a template for you but it’s really easy to make. It’s just a 6” square piece of cardstock (thought you’d like that, imperial-lovers!) which you score along each edge at 2” until you are left with a piece of cardstock sectioned off into nine squares.

Place a square of patterned paper (or stamped cardstock) on two opposite squares. Cut along the score lines either side of your patterned sections (that’s four cuts) and fold all creased edges inwards.

Then stick it all together – you are sticking a much larger surface area with this box than with the 5-10-15-20 box so it’s a lot stronger. Strong enough to carry quite a few chocolate eggs, in fact!

You can attach the handle any way you like – I used Glue Dots® which are strong and neat (I also noticed that Stampin’ Up!’s Glue Dots® are a bargain as you get twice as many as in the usual packs).

You can probably just see from the photo that there’s a strip of patterned paper on the handle, too. I love this paper – it’s Petals & Paisleys which co-ordinates perfectly with the Polka Dots & Paisley stamp set.

Stamps: Polka Dots & Paisley (p51)
Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White
Paper: Petals & Paisleys (p73)
Ink: Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon – Tempting Turquoise (p86), Scallop Circle Punch (p80), 1 3/8” circle punch (p80), 1 ¼” circle punch (p80), Glue Dots® (p81)

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

You can now subscribe to my blog!

Look to your right (on the screen, not at the wall/window/person next to you) -  I have added a Feedblitz thingy. This is in response to the HUGE* demand from people who want to subscribe to my blog and be alerted by email every time I update.

Just pop your email address in the little window, click "get email updates" and Feedblitz should do the rest. They won't share your email address with anyone but me, apparently, so that's good news - click here to go to the Feedblitz site to read more about their privacy policy. I don't think the notifications are instant, though. Please do let me know how (and IF!) if works. 

Thank you!

*Okay, I admit it... there was only one person who asked. But one is good - and I hope that more than one person will subscribe!

Phew! A picture!

Borrowed my Mum’s camera for a couple of pix. Don’t think she’ll need it back for a few days either – phew! ('Cos I don't have a scanner any more.)

I’ve been playing around with my new Polka Dots & Paisley stamp set, which is great fun. You probably can’t tell from the picture but the green layer is popped up with dimensionals (foam dots), as is the flower layer, making it quite a 3D card.

The block of patterned paper is from the Prints Designer Series Papers in Certainly Celery because, as I may have mentioned, Certainly Celery is one of my favourite colours. So this pack of papers is perfect for me as you get two each of six double-sided designs; the hardest part is deciding which side of the paper to use!

The strip of patterned paper comes from the Petals & Paisleys collection which co-ordinates perfectly with this stamp set, although the stripes will go with anything. But the flower image from this stamp set is used in some of the sheets of paper, as is the design from the Petals jumbo wheel. I love how Stampin’ Up! products all go so well together!

Stamps: Polka Dots & Paisley (p51)
Cardstock: So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
Paper: Petals & Paisleys (p73), Prints Designer Series Papers - Certainly Celery (p73). 
Ink: Certainly Celery
Accessories: 3/8” Grosgrain Ribbon – Certainly Celery

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

Hmmm... now what?

What I omitted to tell you when it happened is that I've broken the camera. It's too expensive to repair and I haven't got round to getting a new one yet. Luckily I had enough pictures in my system to keep the blog going for a while... but now I've run out. Hmmm.

More Popping Pastels

Here’s another Popping Pastels card – made using this fun technique. You can see that you don’t get as sharp an image as you do with coloured ink, and the chalk is “shmooshed” around the cardstock somewhat. This is all part of the effect – it works particularly well with the shabby chic look but I quite like it on this card, too.

I scrounged the white grosgrain ribbon from Alison. It comes with the demonstrator Starter Kit but I, in my wisdom, decided to substitute it for something "more interesting". How many times have I kicked myself about that decision? White, of course, goes with nearly everything and, what’s more, you can colour it yourself with inks or markers to match your project.

Guess what’s on my list to order next time?

Stamps: Polka Dots & Paisley (p51)

Cardstock: Rose Red, Certainly Celery, Whisper White

Paper: Cutie Pie (p73)

Ink: Versamark®

Accessories: Stampin’ Pastels, sponge daubers, ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon - Whisper White

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

Using ribbon - Part 4

Another quick and easy way to use short pieces of ribbon is the "charity ribbon". Simply fold your ribbon in a loop and attach with a staple or, in this case, a brad. Trim the ends as desired.

And another ribbon tip which my Mum used to do back in the olden days when little girls wore ribbons in their hair: if your ribbon is creased, hold it over the steam from a boiling kettle. After a few seconds, "iron" your ribbon on the hot, curved side of the kettle. And that's the nearest I'll get to ironing if I can help it!

You can see the whole of this project by clicking here.

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

The somewhat inevitable Christmas card

As I've been stamping around the year with my Limited Supply Challenge, it's inevitable that I would eventually come to Christmas. So here it is - evidence that you can make a whole year's cards from one stamp set!

In case you've not visited before, I'll explain the self-imposed challenge, which was to make simple cards using only black ink, one stamp set, Very Vanilla cardstock and a pack of Earth Elements cardstock. All of these can be bought for less than £30 - perfect for beginner stampers who are overwhelmed by all the supplies available and don't know where to start.

When I started this challenge I wasn't convinced that the earthy tones of Earth Elements would be suitable for the four seasons. Until I tried them! Autumn was obviously going to work and I found spring and summer worked okay, too. I was dubious about a Christmas card but discovered that Ruby Red and Not Quite Navy are perfect for the occasion. I coloured the image with Stampin’ Up! markers but you could use anything you have to hand, such as coloured pencils or the children’s felt tips.

I added some doodling to make it a little different – any fine fibre-tipped pen would do for this.

Stamps: A Tree for All Seasons (p44)
Cardstock: Ruby Red, Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Stampin’ Write Markers (p70)

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

Shades of autumn

Moving on to autumn, which is just perfect for The Earth Elements family.

This is another card made using limited supplies: just one stamp set, black ink, and vanilla and Earth Elements cardstock.

I coloured the image with Stampin’ Write markers but, if you don’t have them, you can use felt tips or pencil crayons. You could even paint the image if you had a steady hand.

Stamps: A Tree for All Seasons (p44)
Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Stampin’ Write Markers (p70)

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

Summer sunshine

It's another lovely sunny morning here but by no means summery as the ground is white over.

But, regardless of what's going on outside, my self-imposed Limited Supply Challenge moves us swiftly into the summer months. If you visited yesterday you may remember that my challenge was to make a card for each season from The Earth Elements family, Very Vanilla cardstock and black ink only. No ribbon, no embellishments, no punches.

The only "fancy" technique I used here is one everyone can do with no special equipment - doodling. All you need is a fine-tipped pen. I used a simple "morse code" style doodle but play around on scrap paper and go with what makes you happy!

I coloured the image with Stampin’ Write markers – I used several greens to get the leaves. You could use ordinary felt tips or pencil crayons.

The aim of my challenge is to show that you can make cards on a budget - everything you need can be bought from Stampin' Up! for less than £30... and you'll have enough supplies to make at least 80 cards. Yep, that's less than 40p per card!

Stamps: A Tree for All Seasons (p44)
Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun, Garden Green, Very Vanilla
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Stampin’ Write Markers (p70)

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

Keeping it simple for spring

This is part of my self-imposed Limited Supply Challenge – to make a card for each season using minimal supplies. No ribbon, no embellishments, no punches. No fancy techniques or special equipment.

It was very hard to hold back from adding other elements to this card but I wanted to show that you don't necessarily need a shedload of supplies to get stamping. In fact, all you need to make this card, and the others that are coming soon, is one stamp set, black ink, some cream cardstock and a pack of assorted Earth Elements cardstock. All these supplies can be ordered from me for less than £30. You can colour the images with coloured pencils or any markers or felt tips.

As it's a beautiful spring-like day today, I'm starting with spring. I think Cameo Coral and Old Olive are very springy and I added some Creamy Caramel to pick up the tree trunk.

Stamps: A Tree for All Seasons (p44)
Cardstock: Old Olive, Cameo Coral, Creamy Caramel, Very Vanilla
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Stampin’ Write Markers (p70)

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

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers – and Happy Mothering Sunday to my own Mum who is very picky about that sort of thing.

Made this card for my Mum last night, in between playing with Alison’s VERY cute kitten. We were playing around with Popping Pastels which is such fun and very easy, albeit a bit messy. Click here for the technique.

Stamps: Polka Dots & Paisley (p51)
Cardstock: Rose Red, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
Paper: Cutie Pie (p73)
Ink: Versamark®
Accessories: Stampin’ Pastels, sponge daubers, ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon - Certainly Celery, ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon - Whisper White

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

Extra, extra... read all about it!

Some great news just in from Stampin' Up!

Throughout March, Stampin’ Up! hostesses will get extra hostess awards when they hold a workshop which totals £350 or more - an extra £25 of Stampin' Up! merchandise of the hostess' choice!

This is on top of the existing hostess benefits. The standard hostess benefits include:

• A free  Idea Book & Catalogue 2007-2008 (RRP £5.95);
• Free stamps or scrapbooking kit only available to hostesses (with qualifying orders; select from the products on pages 13-20 of the catalogue);
  
• Free Stampin’ Up! products of your choice.
  

There's never been a better time to host a workshop, so gather together all your friends for a fun night of demonstrations, prize draws and cardmaking. Please email me asap to book a date!