Sweet Sugarplum baby card

When I create projects for Stampin’ Up!® parties, I try to hold back on using too many products, so guests aren’t overwhelmed.

But when I create projects for personal use, then there’s no holding back. This is why this card uses not one, not two but three stamp sets. Can you guess what they are?

I am not a big fan of pink, but Sweet Sugarplum is just right for baby girl cards, and this gorgeous paper from the Succulent Garden DSP pack is ideal. Mint Macaron is the perfect, gentle green for this  job... just be aware that it’s part of the In Color pack which is retiring at the end of May, so stock up now if you’re a fan!

So, the stamp sets. I know you’ll have worked it out but, just in case, the sheep comes from Barnyard Babies, the clouds from Lift Me Up and the sentiment from Bookcase Builder.

Mix It Up Monday: Tasty Trucks

I’m quite excited about this Mix It Up Monday project, which began its life in Friday morning’s discussion with my friend Kelly. I’m impressed that I managed to make it work all by myself without a tutorial (I struggle with anything other than basic folds!), although the slider is a little tight and doesn’t return as easily as I’d like. 

So here we have a cute little van with cakes and the fun sentiment, “Happy Birthday, now where’s the cake?”

Pull out the slider and the cakes are being stolen by a cheeky goat. Yes, I love goats, too, just as much as llamas!

In fact, it was the llama which started it all, as we were hoping to squeeze a llama into the van from the Sale-a-Bration set, Tasty Trucks. When we realised it was too big, I dug out my Barnyard Babies set and the rest is history. 

As for the colour combination, it is no secret that I have a hate-hate relationship with Pêche Fraiche (I can’t even bring myself to say the English name) but I have to confess that this colour combination isn’t too bad. And if you’re wondering why you’re seeing so many Peach combinations on Mix It Up Monday recently, it’s because I’m rapidly working my way through the Peach combinations  from my In Color charts so I can wash my hands of them!

Mix It Up Monday: Barnyard Babies with Hardwood

Happy Monday everyone! I’m back from a glorious week in the Lake District. And I’m not just saying that because the folks back in Derby were shivering under grey skies. It really was stunning (sorry!) – the best we’ve ever known it, and we’ve been going for 20+ years!

But I won’t keep rubbing it in (unlike all that suncream I needed to use!), because right now there are more pressing matters to hand… namely Mix It Up Monday and a new set of In Color charts to wade through. There are 50 of them this year so there’s no time to waste.

Today I’m playing with Peekaboo Peach… actually, I’m going to stop right there and say that despite my best efforts, I cannot keep saying “Peekaboo Peach” out loud. It’s a ridiculous name, possibly the worst since the old days of “Yoyo Yellow”. 

But I have the perfect solution, which came to me as I was labelling up my new ink pad. I always take one of the translated labels from the bottom of the ink pad and stick that on the other end, so that no matter which way I store my pads, there’s still a strip of colour showing. I choose the translation that’s closest to the English, or the one that amuses me most. For P. Peach, I chose the French: “Pêche Fraîche”. Now isn’t that a much nicer name? No unnecessary alliteration, just a pleasing rhyme. 

So from now on, in my workshops, that In Color known as Peekaboo Peach will be known as Pêche Fraîche…  

I hope you like my Pêche Fraîche card. I haven’t used a new stamp set because my big order hasn’t arrived yet, but I thought the contented cow looked quite happy on her Pêche Fraîche background, surrounded by that must-have background stamp: Hardwood. 

I have a little confession to make: I didn’t really use the new Layering Circles Dies on this card as I don’t have them (yet). But I figured that it’s better to show you a product that’s available than one that’s not, and really the size of the circle isn’t that crucial, so just use whatever circle die or punch you have that fits the bill. 

SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

Barnyard Babies Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139328] £17.00	Hardwood Clear-Mount Stamp Set [133035] £13.00	Timeless Textures Clear-Mount Stamp Set [140517] £18.00	Tin Of Cards Photopolymer Stamp Set [138946] £15.00	In The Meadow Clear-Mount Stamp Set [140754] £18.00
Layering Circle Framelits Dies [141705] £32.00	Peekaboo Peach Classic Stampin' Pad [141398] £6.00	Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad [126978] £6.00	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [126974] £6.00	Peekaboo Peach A4 Cardstock [141422] £7.25
Very Vanilla A4 Card Stock [106550] £7.25	Early Espresso A4 Card Stock [121686] £6.50	Blender Pens [102845] £9.00	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush [141897] £7.25	Peekabo Peach 3/8" (1 Cm) Ruched Ribbon [141427] £7.25

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Barnyard Babies thank yous

This goat is such a cutie that I just had to use it for my husband’s thank you cards which he sent out to his pupils who bought him an end-of-term present. If you know me in real life, you’ll know that I get extremely bored making the same card over and over again (swaps are NOT my favourite thing), so I alleviate the problem by making a variety of designs and keeping them really simple. Yes, he got a LOT of presents! All have now been long ago sent out in the post; the children love to get a letter of their own in the mail.

And now it’s a new term… with a new class for the husband, a new uniform for the son and a new college for the daughter. 

Barnyard Babies Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139328]	Something To Say Clear-Mount Stamp Set [134180]	Marina Mist A4 Card Stock [121682]	Very Vanilla A4 Card Stock [106550]
Jet Black Stazon Ink Pad [101406]	Marina Mist Classic Stampin' Pad [126962]	Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin' Pad [126959]

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Mix It Up Monday: Giddy goat

This project started out as a tasteful leaf card but quickly evolved into a silly goat. I was playing with watercolour background using the the block technique but it just wasn’t going my way. 

The technique I was trying to use involves scribbling on your clear block with markers, then spritzing it with water before pressing onto Whisper White cardstock. I think I was spritzing too much because the Pool Party and Mint Macaron just disappeared into each other, so I tried again without the water and got this textural effect instead.  

I decided this looked a little like a grassy hill, which was the perfect spot for my paper-pieced goat. The goat looks happy about it anyway. 

I was going to keep the card really simple with just one or two layers, but decided I’ve done a bit too much of that lately, so added some of our lovely new corrugated cardstock to add more texture. And the jute ribbon is quite fun on this project; having removed all but two strands from a strip, I was left with some pretty – and very subtle – fringing, which glistens in certain lights. 

My colour combo, in the end, was Mint Macaron, Pool Party, Soft Sky and Tip Top Taupe… so qualifies for Mix It Up Monday, as this is a combination from my In Color Charts. 

Building update: The builders plan to knock through from the new extension this week, so we’ve moved out of our kitchen and are making do with a kettle and a microwave for a while. It’ll be fine, apparently. And people keep telling me it will be worth it, so I hope they’re right!

Barnyard Babies Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139328]	Kraft And White Corrugated Paper [138317]	Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549]	Tip Top Taupe A4 Cardstock [138343]
Card Stock A4 Soft Sky [131292]	Tip Top Taupe Classic Stampin' Pad [138325]	Clear Block D [118485]	Pool Party Stampin' Write Marker [131904]
2014-2016 In Color Stampin' Write Markers [133654]	Blender Pens [102845]	White 1-1/4" (3.2 Cm) Jute Ribbon [137904]

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Got all my (Barnyard Babies) ducks in a row

So I got all my ducks in a row for this card (more or less) which started me wondering where this phrase originated. I thought it was a relatively modern one but apparently not; the first known usage of the phrase appeared in print in 1932. But the internet cannot agree on its origin at all. Does it come from bowling? Carnival games? Or even from actual ducks? The debate could rage on. 

What’s indisputable is that the Barnyard Babies stamp set - the source of the ducks on this card - is a really cute stamp set. It’s also pretty safe to say that this card is not my best work, but the blog needs feeding and the cupboard is bare.

Talking of bare cupboards, our kitchen is being removed this weekend and we’ll be living on takeaways and cereal. If you pop round from Monday onwards, we’ll even struggle to give you a cup of tea but hopefully we’ll have all our ducks in a row and some sort of makeshift kitchen set up in a week or so.

Barnyard Babies Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139328]	One Big Meaning Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139420]	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock [140490]	Jet Black Stazon Ink Pad [101406]
Soft Sky Classic Stampin' Ink Refill [131161]	Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin' Ink Refill [109020]	Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Ink Refill [119672]

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com