Pizza box with shaker dome lid

Let's start the week off with an over-the-top, complicated project, shall we? Actually it's not as complicated as it first appears; it's just that I've overstuffed my dome and didn't have enough pizza boxes to make another one.

In fact, the hardest part of this project was cutting out the dome shape from the lid of the pizza box as you have to get through quite a lot of layers and the inside of the box has a plastic coating to make it food safe. Once that was done, it was just a case of assembling the pieces in the right order.

When die-cutting foil, you need either a really unblemished cutting plat on top, or a piece of scrap paper to protect it. Otherwise you will get imprints from the plate in the delicate foil surface. 

 

Nature's Beauty: masculine/feminine

Oops, looks like Friday’s project didn’t post! Anyway, better late than never and yes, I know I've shared a card with this very same design before but I just can't get enough of it and wanted to show you how it can look in different colourways.

Here I made a masculine version using Come Sail Away Designer Series Paper as the background, and a feminine version using polka dot pink paper from Bird Ballad. In both cases, I sponged around the edges and bottom of the DSP to give it some depth.

Even Sahara Sand was a little too dark for this project, so I stamped off onto scrap paper first. Using the Stamparatus meant I could line the stamp up perfectly to repeat the image and create a subtle background for my woodland creatures.

Simple Stamping with Animal Outing

As a Stampin’ Up!® demonstrator, you can imagine that I have a pretty impressive stash of craft supplies and the temptation is always there to as much as possible for each project.

But sometimes it’s good to scale things back and show that crafting doesn't have to be complicated at all. These little cards (they’re half-sized so you get four from a full sheet of cardstock) use just stamps, ink, cardstock, watercolour pencils and blender pens... and that last item is optional. Ok I confess I used the Stamparatus, too – but I was making a LOT of these!

If you're not sure where to add shading when colouring an image, be guide by the original artist. Look for the shading on the stamped image – under the chin, between the legs, etc – and add your darker colouring there. 

Peaceful Boughs with Feels Like Frost

The fact that I have pine cones in every project photo should give you a clue that I love woodlands... which is why Peaceful Boughs was the first stamp set to go on my shopping list when I saw the Autumn/Winter catalogue back in August.

I’ve patiently held off with the set until now as I know my customers’ enthusiasm for Christmas projects doesn’t start quite as early as mine, but this is my stamp set of the month for October so there's no more holding back!

I’ve been creating lots of projects with this beautiful bundle. I can’t show many just yet as they are for classes and events to be held this month but this is one that didn’t make the cut. I’ve used the gorgeous Feels Like Frost Designer Series Paper (every sheet has a silver foil design on the reverse) and the new Hammered Metal 3D Embossing Folder, too.

When using embossing paste, be aware that it soaks up any ink beneath it. One way to reduce this is to apply a thin layer first and allow it to dry before applying thicker paste on top. 
 

Shabby chic Nature's Beauty cards for a team celebration

I’m still getting lots of mileage from the Nature’s Beauty stamp set - which is raising money for Mental Health Europe and other mental health charities around the world.

I used it here to celebrate my team members this month and combined it with Countdown to Christmas - can you even tell I've used a festive stamp set?

I've repeated the background stamp in Mint Macaron on the card base of the same colour. By twisting and turning the stamp, it doesn't matter if I overlap or the image doesn't quite fit because it gives it a vintage “shabby chic” look. 

Rusty old cogs with Garage Gears dies

I've wanted to have a play with these cogs for a long time but couldn't justify getting the whole bundle - and this is one case where three of the dies just wouldn't work well without the co-ordinating stamps.

Downline to the rescue again! One of my team members, Ian, kindly die-cut some cogs for me so I could make this card for a cyclist friend's birthday.

I used a really fun technique which was demonstrated by Kim Fee at OnStage Birmingham last November; the technique stuck with me and I've been eager to try it.

You start with a cog - mine was made from Crumb Cake cardstock - and sponge in your chosen colours. I used Early Espresso, Copper and Cajun Craze. As you go along, you add some Versamark and clear embossing powder, then brush some off, randomly. Repeat and you get this lovely rusty effect.

The cogs can be cut apart if you’re careful. The small cog looked a little ropy when I detached it from the main die-cut, so I simply hid the ropey bits behind the greeting. Nobody will know unless you’re like me and tell them!

And I've said it before but don't feel bound to stick to Suites and products designed to co-ordinate with each other. For the background of this card I used an image from Countdown to Christmas – you wouldn't know it was a Christmas stamp set. 

 

Beautiful Boughs Christmas star decoration

Feeling festive yet? Is it wrong that I have this Christmas star decoration hanging up already? I promise I'll take it down soon, ready to come out again at a more respectable time.

I made this at the weekend using the Peaceful Boughs bundle and have to say I love it. I have precisely five of these stars left which is just enough for a small, friendly class which I'll be holding in December.

The link to register will be going out in my newsletter tomorrow so make sure you're on the list if you want to join me!

Stamping the star with the Birch Background stamp was easy because the die-cut pine sprigs cover the joins. I just made sure I kept the stamp level, and turned it 180º occasionally. It was one of the very rare occasions that I used a clear block with a background stamp; normally I just leave it in the box and apply paper to stamp.

Perfectly Plaid Christmas gift tags

It can be very difficult working out how long projects will take to create, especially as everyone works at different speeds.

For my All-Day Craft Event, I thought I’d play safe and pack an extension activity... and I’m glad I did because I think everybody moved onto it.

These cute tags are simply made using leftover cardstock (plus a bit!) from our earlier projects. They're simple and fun, and will make your presents look really impressive.

When using the Perfectly Plaid stamp set, you'll see that some of the trees require the trunk to be stamped separately. If you are planning to punch out your tree, my top tip is to stamp and punch the main body of the tree, then stamp the trunk on last, as it will be easier to get it in the correct position.

Pillow box pouch and Perfectly Plaid cards

The afternoon session at my All-Day Craft Event was especially relaxed. Fuelled by lunch and cake, we settled down to make this cute hanging pouch and two cards.

The pouch, inspired by US demonstrator Connie Babbert, is especially clever. While the pillow box is still flat, you punch through both layers with a label punch to create the hole. If you like, you can even colour your pillow box before you start by spritzing with ink and alcohol, brayering with ink or simply sponging all over it.

The cards were easy, too, thanks to the silver foil-edged note cards and envelopes (they are available in gold, too). In fact, they were so easy that absolutely everyone moved onto the extension activity, which I will show you on Friday.

Please click here to download the instructions

The bell is tied with baker’s twine, with around 1cm ends left so you can tape it behind the ribbon. Another tip: when working with foil sheets, avoid Tombow adhesive like the plague as it just slips and smears. SNAIL or double-sided tape works best.

Snow globe Christmas ornament and shaker card

It was my autumn All-Day Craft Event at the weekend, with a distinctly festive theme, and we spent the morning creating these snow globe-themed projects.

I had completely overlooked the Snow Globe Scenes dies but was blown away by a project in Stampin’ Success, the magazine for Stampin' Up!® demonstrators. The ornament is created by sticking two shaker domes together with a miniature scene inside. The card is made to match, and I used the Noble Peacock Foil Sheets to provide the shimmer.

Please click here to download the instructions

 

 

Take great care when adhering your shaker domes, whether on the card or when joining two together, as the adhesive is very strong. Once it’s stuck, it’s stuck!