Blending with watercolour crayons

This was one of the demos I did at a workshop last week. It’s a very quick and easy card (my favourite kind!) and uses the Watercolour Wonder™ crayons which I love so much.

I stamped the image in StazOn®, which is instantly waterproof. Then I coloured small areas on the right of the image – a bit of Rose Red on the petals, a little Always Artichoke on the leaves. Then, using the blender pen, I spread the colour around the image, leaving the right hand side slightly darker, for shadow.

Finally, I applied a very tiny amount of Brocade Blue crayon all around the image, then blended that in, to give the image some depth. It’s remarkably easy – what makes it easier is the use of the Naturals Ivory cardstock, which is not as smooth as Whisper White or Very Vanilla so therefore more absorbent. Whisper White and Very Vanilla are fabulous for stamping on but Naturals Ivory is better if you’re using blender pens, aquapainter or watercolour brushes. It’s all a matter of finding the right tools for the job.

Stamps: Doodle That (p55)
Cardstock: Brocade Blue, Rose Red, Naturals Ivory
Paper: Cutie Pie (p73)
Ink: StazOn® (82)
Accessories: 3/8” Grosgrain Ribbon - Brocade Blue (p86), 1 3/8” circle punch (p80), Scallop Circle Punch (p80)

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

Watercolour crayons

I was practising with the Watercolour Wonder™ crayons and blender pens for a workshop and made this card. I think it would look better if the images were stamped straight on to the large white layer, dispensing with the green layer completely but, as I say, I was practising so stamping on small pieces.

I’ve since discovered that, while using Watercolour Wonder™ crayons and blender pens works fine on Whisper White, it works loads better on Naturals Ivory cardstock, which is more absorbent.

The colours are a bit off in this photo but it’s my favourite combo; Rose Red and Always Artichoke.

Stamps: Doodle That (p55), Basic Phrases (p65)
Cardstock: Rose Red, Always Artichoke, Whisper White
Ink: StazOn®
Accessories: Watercolour Wonder™ crayons, blender pens, ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon - Whisper White

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.

Christmas in July - sold out

Sorry I haven't had chance to post recently. Just time this morning to tell you that the Christmas in July cardmaking event is now fully booked. Sorry if you've missed out - there will be more events announced shortly.

A little rusty

Er, have you noticed I'm a little rusty lately? Just like these cards! Yes, I'm afraid it's yet another little box of square cards. I made this one as a gift for the hostess of a workshop I'm doing in Derby on Friday, so I hope she likes browns!

Last night's scrapbooking class went okay I think - they seemed to enjoy themselves and everyone tapped into their creativity to make really lovely pages and cards.

So here's the recipe for today's samples:

Stamps: Three For You (p80), Basic Phrases (p65)
Cardstock: Naturals Ivory, Really Rust, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Really Rust, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: 3/8” Grosgrain Ribbon - Chocolate Chip (p86), ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon – Very Vanilla (p86), Three for You punch box (p80), Designer Series Paper – Fall Flowers (p72)

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

Lucky I found this really...

I really don’t have any samples to put on my blog at the moment – it’s quite worrying as it’s only Tuesday! I’ve been busy preparing for a scrapbooking class I’m doing tonight – you would not believe just how much stuff I have to take with me. I’m going to have to repack as I can’t lift my trolley.

Anyway, all this scrapbooking doesn’t leave me with much to put on the blog, until I get round to scrapbooking pictures of the cats, as I don’t really want the offspring on here.

Meanwhile, here’s a card I found which I’m fairly sure I haven’t posted on here; largely because it’s a bit boring. The image is stamped in Versamark® and then chalked using Stampin’ Pastels®. I used the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig® to position the flower and the bird – always fun when using Versamark® as you have to stamp on the positioning sheet in a coloured ink, then clean your stamp thoroughly before stamping on the project in Versamark®. I don’t recommend it.

To make the rounded end of the strip of white cardstock, I picked up a really nifty trick from a fabulous stamper in Texas. You cut a strip of cardstock slightly narrower than the width of your circle punch, then feed one end of it into the punch. If that makes no sense, just try it - it works brilliantly.

Stamps: Wild About You (p32)
Cardstock: Old Olive, More Mustard, Ruby Red, Whisper White
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.

Birthday Party in a Box!

Someone asked me recently if I would do children's birthday parties. Well, I've thought about it long and hard and decided that it's probably not for me, not least because children's parties are likely to be held when I'm spending time with my own children.

But I've come up with an even better idea: A birthday party in a box!

I would provide a box containing the following:

• A stamp set of your choice (mounted and used once by me to make the samples)
  
• Ink pad(s)
  
• Prepared and bagged up make and take projects for the children to stamp on and assemble
  
• Samples of the projects with clear instructions for making them. 

Why is it better than having me at your party? Well, apart from the fact that I would eat all the crisps and cake when you weren't looking, it means you can have your party whenever suits you, instead of trying to fit around my schedule. 

Even better: not only would you get to keep the stamps and inks, you would receive all the leftover cardstock and ribbon, too! This means that, after the party, you and your children can keep stamping more and more projects!

Rough estimates make this party work out at around £65, with enough supplies for 12 children - yes, less than £5.50 a head! Smaller groups of children would be cheaper - but only slightly - as the price still needs to cover the stamp set and ink... but you'd get more leftovers! And, of course, the price would depend on which stamp set you choose.

For a unique party, I think it sounds pretty fab! And very economical when you compare it to soft play centres etc.

Let me know what you think of this idea and, if it sounds favourable, I'll develop it further. Thanks!

Gift set no. 2

I hope you're not bored of little boxes full of cards because this is all I have to show you at the moment! I made this one for an end-of-year teacher gift... I have a few more to make before the end of July but should manage it. Am making another on Saturday night with a group of stamping friends so that's another one to tick off the list!

I will be holding a class to make one of these during the summer. Date and venue still to be arranged but it's not to early to register your interest by emailing me!

I'm afraid the cards are remarkably similar to the last set - apart from colour and stamp set of course! I do tend to stick to the same designs; no point in reinventing the wheel!

This time I added a strip of ribbon for a handle - easy and cute!

Stamps: Polka Dots & Paisley (p51), Basic Phrases (p65)
Cardstock: Lavender Lace, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
Ink: Lavender Lace, Certainly Celery
Accessories: ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon - Whisper White (p86), 3/8” Grosgrain Ribbon - Certainly Celery (p86), Scallop Circle Punch (p80), 1¼” circle punch (p80), silver brads (p85)

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

Inspiration from America...

I love this card design - and I'm allowed to say that  because it's not my idea! I copied the idea from an American stamper called Kerry and she'd kindly given me permission to post the card on my blog. Kerry's sample was Rose Red and Whisper White but I sometimes feel I overuse Rose Red, so changed it to Bordering Blue. 

It's really simple - you just punch out the flowers using the punch from the Three For You kit, which is currently on special offer at £29. I stamped the greeting in the centre and pierced a border on the white layer. The white square is popped up to give it dimension. Finally, add three small white dots in the centres of the flowers. 

Stamps: Three For You (p80)
Cardstock: Bordering Blue, Whisper White
Ink: Bordering Blue
Accessories: Three For You punch box (p80), Crafters’ Tool Kit (p85), uni-ball® Signo 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.

Gift box of cards

This is my new favourite project - a little box containing five square cards. I'm enjoying making them so much that I'm going to hold an eScape class over the summer to make one. So if you're interested, please get in touch.

The box is really simple and can be made out of one sheet of A4 cardstock. You can make a lid, like on this example, or simply attach a strip of cardstock or some ribbon to make a handle. They're really easy and fun to make.

There are only three cards in the picture because, in the interests of saving time, I duplicated two of them.

Stamps: Three For You Punch Box (p80), Doodle That (p55), Basic Phrases (p65)
Cardstock: Old Olive, Sahara Sand, Naturals Ivory, Whisper White
Paper: Designer Series Paper – Fall Flowers (p72)
Ink: Old Olive, StazOn®
Accessories: Three For You punch (p80), Scallop Circle Punch (p80), 3/8” Grosgrain Ribbon – Old Olive, (p86) ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon - Very Vanilla (p86), Brads – Rich Regals® (p85), blender pen (p81), office staple

This set is a birthday gift so I made this co-ordinating birthday card using some of the same supplies. I even remembered to stamp the envelope!

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.

It's a great time to become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator

During June and July, there’s even more reason to join the Stampin’ Up! family.

From now until the end of July, if you sign up as a demonstrator, in addition to the fantastic Starter Kit, you’ll receive a FREE stamp set of your choice from the Idea Book & Catalogue 2007-2008 -- up to a £41.95 value!

The Starter Kit already represents fantastic value but, if you become a demonstrator before 31st July, 2008, it’s even better. You could start out with more than £300 of Stampin’ Up! products for just £155!

For more information about being a demonstrator, please click here. If you think it sounds like fun (it is!), I’m sure you’ll have loads of questions, so please please email me. I’ll be happy to help you allay any worries, with no obligation and no pressure.

Yet another simple tree card!

Sorry about the lack of posts - I tried and tried to get this picture to upload and had to give up due to lack of time. Oddly, it posted immediately this morning!

I found this card – I’d forgotten I’d made it. It’s really simply (hmmm, most of my cards are, aren’t they?) and suitable for a man. Looking at it, it’s probably the card that gave me the idea for a chocolate-themed cardmaking event. I’m going to get cracking over the summer and book some halls for more events, so watch this space.

Stamps: Lovely As a Tree (p45), Carte Postale (p57)
Cardstock: Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla
Ink: Close to Cocoa
Accessories: Linen Thread (p87), 3/8” Grosgrain Ribbon - Chocolate Chip, ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon – Very Vanilla

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.

Twenty tiny fingers...

In a break from the Three For You samples, here’s a congratulations card I made for friend who had twins – a boy and a girl. It took me ages to decide what to do and, in the end, I put the Stamp-a-ma-jig® to good use by stamping a very long line of giraffes. The stamp has a greeting at the bottom and, to save me masking this off each time I inked it, I used temporary adhesive to attach a strip of paper to the bottom of the white cardstock.

Although I have the Bashful Blue and Pretty in Pink ink pads, to match the cardstock perfectly, I stamped the giraffes a little darker so that they’d stand out a little more.

I stamped the middle two giraffes in StazOn® then watercoloured them using paintbrush, water and ink pads. I squeezed the closed ink pad then opened it to access the pool of ink on the inside of the lid. Remember never to apply water directly to your ink pad. As a finishing touch, I added dots to the giraffes using a white gel pen.

For the congratulations “medallion”, I used almost every circle punch I own and Circle of Friendship. This stamp set is currently on special offer as part of the eScape bundle. Click here for details.

Stamps: Little Hellos (p18), Circle of Friendship (p62)
Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White
Ink: Rose Red, Brocade Blue, StazOn® (p82)
Accessories: 1 3/8” circle punch, 1 ¼” circle punch, 1” circle punch, ½” circle punch (all p80), ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon – Whisper White (p86), uni-ball® Signo 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.

For a wonky friend

Another little square (9cm x 9xm) card using the Three For You punch kit. I'm loving this kit - and I'd never have bought it if it hadn't been for the special offer, so I'm really glad I did. 

I'd like to say that the photo has distorted the card and it's not really wonky but I'd be lying. Must remember not to send this one to a perfectionist. 

You probably can't see from the picture but I stamped the red cardstock with the three little outline flowers before punching them out. I highlighted the centres with white gel pen. 

Stamps: Three For You (part of kit on p80)
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Three For You punch kit (p80), ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon – Real Red (p86), 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.

Flurry of flowers

It’s not a great picture because it’s so sunny here today but this is one of the cards I made with the Three For You punch box last night. You can’t see from the poor photo but I stamped the three little flowers on to the cardstock first, then punched it out so that the flower image was roughly in the middle of the punched flower.

I placed each flower on the little spongy pad in my mat pack (you could use the reverse of a spongy mousemat) and pressed them down with the rounded end of a pencil so that they formed little “cup” shapes. I stuck them down with Glue Dots®, which were perfect for the job!

If you're a fan of Prima flowers, or similar flower embellishments, this punch is perfect for you because you can use it to make flowers in any colour you like, to co-ordinate with your projects. 

Don’t forget that this punch kit is currently on special offer. Throughout June you can buy it at the discounted price of £29 (normally £41.95). It features a set of nine stamps, three small ink pads and a large punch, packaged in a lovely keepsake tin. Oh, and the stamps are die-cut, so all you have to do is stick them on the blocks!

Stamps: Three For You (p80), Polka Dots & Paisley (p51)
Cardstock: Bordering Blue, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Brocade Blue
Accessories: Three For You punch (p80), red gingham ribbon (p86), Glue Dots® (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.

Coming soon to a screen near you

Sorry there's been no post today but this evening I have been playing with my new Three For You punch box (which is FANTASTIC) and will have some cards to show you tomorrow. The three-flower punch is great! 

Simple square sketch

This is the third card I made with my watercoloured images from Doodle That – and the one that most closely fits the sketch challenge on In Love With Stamping.

It’s very simple but I do like simple cards, especially when they’re small as too much detail can be overwhelming (that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!).

Stamps: Doodle That
Cardstock: Rose Red, Regal Rose, Bordering Blue, Elegant Eggplant
Ink: StazOn® (p82)
Accessories: Watercolour Wonder™ crayons – Rich Regals (p82), ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon - Elegant Eggplant (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.

Message for subscribers

Sorry about that - didn't meant to click "publish" just yet! I hadn't even added the picture!

First, a rather complicated message to my subscribers. (I really never thought I’d get any subscribers, so it’s quite exciting typing those words – thank you all!)

I was told by one of my subscribers that my Monday post – the one about the self-promoting comments – had been filtered out by her mail programme due to the use of a certain word which can also mean “spiced ham”. She was clever enough to retrieve it but now reckons – and who am I to argue – that there is a risk of future notifications from my blog also being sent to the same folder as her mail programme will have noted the address and deemed it suspect. Are you following me?

So, if you’re a subscriber, please check that you’re still getting notifications and, if not, you’ll know where to look. I’ll try not to use banned words like that again but, as you can probably guess, my dander was up!

Now on to the card. This is one of the cards I made for that sketch challenge, although it still doesn’t quite follow the sketch. After putting all the effort into the watercolouring, I kept the card itself quite simple.

Stamps: Doodle That
Cardstock: Rose Red, Regal Rose, Bordering Blue
Ink: StazOn® (p82), Rose Red
Accessories: Brads – Rich Regals®, 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.

Watercolour Crayons

I made this little card for a sketch challenge over on In Love With Stamping… but then realised it was absolutely nothing like the sketch! I must have got side-tracked along the way.

I was playing with my Watercolour Wonder™ crayons, which really are lovely. You can use them in several ways, including:

1. Colour your image then blend with blender pens
   
2. Colour your image then blend with a wet paint brush or Aqua Painter™
   
3. Use your paint brush or Aqua Painter™ to take colour directly from the crayon
   
4. Use them dry, simply as crayons
   
5. Apply directly to your stamp, then mist the stamp with water before stamping – this creates a watercolour effect
   

For this card I used method no. 1 – blending the colour with blender pens. It took a bit of getting used to as the pigment sits on top of the paper, so moves around quite a lot but it was very easy to control the colour and didn’t wrinkle the paper at all. It’s best to experiment with different methods until you find the one that suits you best.

I coloured around the whole image with Bordering Blue to create a shadowy effect. This is one of those techniques which I always think looks fabulous when other people do it… but looks a bit dodgy when I do it.

To make the scalloped edge, I cheated: I punched out a load of ½” circles and stuck them behind the layer.

Stamps: Doodle That
Cardstock: Rose Red, Always Artichoke, Bordering Blue, Whisper White
Ink: StazOn® (p82)
Accessories: ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon - Always Artichoke (p86), ½” circle punch (p80), 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.

Spam

Just an FYI: anyone who visits my blog purely to post spam, or promote their own website, will have their posts deleted, so you're wasting your time and mine. You know who you are! 

I’ve been crafting all afternoon and come up with these tags*, which I may or may not add to cards in the future. I was HUGELY inspired by an old Canadian Stampin’ Up!® catalogue; in fact, I started off by trying to copy them exactly but ended up changing them around a bit. I love this colour combination – it’s so rich and earthy.

I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig® to position the stamps on top of each other but the stamp set is designed for rough stamping – I was just feeling picky!

To make the hole reinforcements, I used the ½” circle punch to punch the small circle, stuck it down on to the tag and then punched out the middle using my wonderful new Crop-A-Dile™.

To make the round-ended strip on the leaf tag, I poked one end of a strip of cardstock into the ½”-inch circle punch. It’s a very nifty trick!

*No, that is not ALL I did this afternoon, although they did take me quite a while. I made some cards, too - but you'll just have to wait for them. 

Stamps: Shapes & Shadows (p54), En Francais (p58), Happy Everything (p65), The Snowflake Spot (p30)
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Sage Shadow, Rose Red, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Sage Shadow, Rose Red, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Sage Shadow Stampin’ Write® marker (p71), Round Tab Punch (p80), ½” circle punch (p80), Crop-A-Dile™ (p85), Linen Thread (p87), Twill Tape (p87), Gingham Ribbon – Caramel (p86), coloured buttons - Earth Elements® (p87), ordinary office 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.