Four cards in one using Christmas Season

 

Today I have some cards to show you which use the Christmas Season stamp set from the Stampin’ Up!® Jul-Dec Mini Catalogue. I love this stamp set and made these projects at my all-day Christmas workshop last month, when we also made these projects. In fact I will be making the ornament and these cards again tonight in a Zoom version of the event for those  who couldn’t make it. 

Before I begin I must tell you that from today until Thursday (16th-18th November) we have a special Seasonal Sale when you can make savings on lots of crafting staples. 

During the Seasonal Sale you can save:

• 10% on cardstock
• 15% on Classic Stampin’ Pads
• 20% on dies featured in the Annual Catalogue

Plus, if you join Stampin’ Up! before the end of November, you can get up to £130 of craft supplies for just £75. And guess what? There’s absolutely nothing to stop you stocking your bespoke Starter Kit with discounted products! 

 

Please get in touch via my website if you would like to find out more about this bargain of the year.

 

Now onto the cards. These can be as simple or as complicated as you like – keep them simple to churn out the Christmas cards on a very speedy production line!

 

You begin with a piece of standard white cardstock and draw pencil lines along the centre axes, so if you use A4 that will be at 10.5cm and 14.8cm. It doesn’t even have to be pencil; a pen will do as you won’t need to rub it out.

Using various leaves, berries etc and different shades of green, red and brown (for berry stalks), stamp along the two lines. It’s a bit like a one-sheet wonder, you just don’t fill in the whole sheet.

 

 When stamping along your lines, keep it simple as you can always add to it later. This will give you more options when it comes to making your finished cards. 

 

You’ll end up with something like this (this was an earlier experimental piece not the one I used in the end) which you cut into quarters, along the lines. The resulting four pieces will form the basis of your four cards as you can trim them down to suit. 

 

 

This is a really simple card, with the quarter trimmed down and laid onto some Designer Series Paper. This paper was from Sale-a-Bration, which I’d hoarded for my class, but you could use anything in red or green, or even just a layer of cardstock. 

If you prefer, you can step it up with some die-cut (or fussy-cut) pine cones and sprigs, and a piece of gold ribbon. 

 

 

This version adds a cardstock layer and a label as well as the cut-out pine cones. A strip of Evening Evergreen Chevron Weave Ribbon adds texture.

The final variation on the theme uses a trimmed-down piece to show more of the Designer Series Paper and is finished off with die-cut pine cones and a bow tied in the beautiful Evening Evergreen Open Weave Ribbon. The thicker Chevron Weave ribbon would be too bulky here. 

I hope you like these four festive cards using Christmas Season, one of my favourite sets from the Jul-Dec Mini Catalogue. If you want to save on cardstock and inks to make these cards, you can see which colours I used here. 

If you are in the UK and would like to order, please visit my store and, if you use the current host code P6VRQPMJ, I’ll send you a thank you gift in the following month.

To make it easy for you, please shop using this link

Does your wish list come to more than £99? Please get in touch and I will help you get more for your money and unlock discounts all year round.  

 

Please message me via my website 

 

Eden’s Garden projects – getting the most mileage out of this beautiful collection

There’s a new collection of craft products from Stampin’ Up!® in town – and there’s a lot to love here. The collection is called Eden’s Garden and it features stamps, dies, Designer Series Paper and more.

Now bear with me here because it’s not totally straightforward:

⭐️ Eden’s Garden stamp set and Eden Dies
These are an early release from the upcoming Jan-June Mini Catalogue, so will carry over to next year. They are available separately, as a bundle or as part of the full Eden’s Garden Collection.

⭐️ Ever Eden Speciality Designer Series Paper
⭐️ Ever Eden Cotton Paper
⭐️ Garden Gems
These are all exclusive products available now but only while supplies last. They will not carry over into the Mini Catalogue next year. They are available to purchase separately, or as part of the full Eden’s Garden Collection.

What I love about this collection – and the Ever Eden Speciality Designer Series Paper in particular – is that it can be used for year-round projects, or for Christmas as it features sumptuous greens and gold.

It can also be used with other products and I used the paper here to make a birthday card for my Mum, with an image from Nature’s Harvest.

The cotton paper has a lovely feel to it and I added more texture using the Timeworn Type 3D embossing folder, which comes in a mixed pack of Soft Succulent and Evening Evergreen. I then mounted it onto a Soft Succulent card base. 

I then decorated it with some of the gorgeous Ever Eden Speciality Designer Series Paper and added some gold ribbon and a Nature’s Harvest arrangement of flowers and grasses. This is one of my favourite stamp sets so I’m delighted to have more Designer Series Paper to use with it and give it a fresh new look. 

 

For my second project using this gorgeous Designer Series Paper, I made a little book-style box which happily holds one four-finger KitKat or two two-finger bars (other chocolate bars are available and I am sure will fit). 

Everyone who purchased my Kit By Mail this month will receive instructions to make this cute little box. I added to the décor of mine using Forever Flourishing Dies – these and the Forever Fern stamps are yet more products which go well with the Eden’s Garden Designer Series Paper.

To decorate the top of the box I used some Ever Eden Cotton Paper in Evening Evergreen. I took a quarter sheet, measuring 6”x6”, then folded it into thirds along both edges, to create nine squares. I then cut a rough circle, freehand, using scissors.

 

I shuffled the nine circles a little so they weren’t sitting perfectly on top of each other and stapled them in the centre. Then I simply ruffled up the paper to create this pretty flower. The paper is soft and very thin but retains its shape when you do this, which is quite magical. 

I hope you like my Eden’s Garden projects. Now please take a look at some of the other projects you could make with this lovely collection…

This beautiful card uses a strip of Ever Eden Cotton Paper to create a ribbon effect – which is ideal if you are trying to avoid adding bulk to your project.

 

This is a cute tag which introduces Cherry Cobbler and Kraft into the mix. This could be used for Christmas or any other occasion. 

 

By die-cutting the Eden’s Garden Designer Series Paper using Delicate Baubles Dies, with another cut from cardstock underneath, this becomes a fabulously festive tag. A touch of Brushed Metallic Cardstock keeps the bling levels subtle and classy. 

By cutting out the centre of a die-cut image with the Delicate Baubles Dies, there’s a useful and versatile “Merry & Bright” to top this card – instantly transforming it into a Christmas card. 

 

Here the Ever Eden Cotton Paper really comes into its own. I have to say that, spectacular though it is, I don’t think I’d have the patience to make this beautiful bow.

If you like the look of the Eden’s Garden Collection or any other products you see here, please consider shopping at my store if you are in the UK. If you use the current host code P6VRQPMJ, I’ll send you a thank you gift in the following month.

To make it easy for you, please shop using this link

Does your wish list come to more than £99? Please get in touch and I will help you get more for your money and unlock discounts all year round.  

 

Please message me via my website 

 

Love, Santa Tag Kit - alternative projects

Have you seen Stampin' Up!®’s new kits? They are perfect for new crafters but also great fun for those who have more experience, too, as the elements can be used for all kinds of projects.

Today I am taking a closer look at the Love, Santa Tag Kit from Stampin' Up!®. I will show you what you can make with the kit, how you can use some of the stamps after you have completed the tag projects within the kit – and how you can modify the projects to make some stunning cards, too...

 

So please read on to find out everything you need to know about the Love, Santa Tag Kit from Stampin’ Up!®.

What does the Love, Santa Tag Kit make?
This kit makes 12 gift tags, three each of four quick and easy festive designs. There’s a Christmas tree, a Santa, a fun yellow car piled with parcels and a white tag with berries and foliage. These are the different tags the kit makes...

You can also purchase a pack of coordinating food-safe bags which I have, but haven’t used yet as I am saving them for some Christmas baking.

What’s in the Love, Santa Tag Kit?
All the tags and elements are pre-cut, you just need to pop them out. You get all the components to complete your tags, including a stamp set, Night of Navy Stampin' Spot, a roll of red and white baker's twine, some small gems and adhesives. 

What skill level is required?
None whatsoever. In fact, I would argue that this kit is a little too simple and doesn’t involve as much stamping as some of the other kits I have tried. For three of the tags, all you have to do is stamp the greetings. Only the foliage one requires a little more, in that you stamp the fir sprigs onto the tag before adding the leaf and greeting on top. 

What’s the Love, Santa Tag Kit stamp set like?
There are 10 stamps, including a large-ish fir sprig, some berries and a small square parcel. The remaining stamps are greetings, including ‘Love, Santa’ in reverse on a circle, ‘Joy’ in reverse on a rectangle, a bold “Merry” and some lovely small script stamps which say “Special delivery”, “To: From:” “Christmas”, “and bright”. 

Is it useful? Yes? Could you make other projects with it? Definitely. I use the stamp sets from kits all the time as they often have versatile greetings. Here are some tags I made using this set, with the addition of Seasonal Labels Dies, some red ribbon and ink pads in Real Red, Mint Macaron and Shaded Spruce.

I used some of the leftover Baker’s Twine from the kit and stamped Love, Santa onto a leftover circle.

 

Do you have to make tags with the Love, Santa Kit?
Not at all! As you can see above, you can adapt this kit to make cards or other items using the components. Here I have trimmed off the top of the tag and mounted the images onto cards. This is something you can do whether you’re an experienced crafter or not. 

I was inspired to make this cheerful card by Stampin’ Up!® Demonstrator Mikaela Titheridge, who created a moody cityscape for her version. I decided to see what I could do using just the stamps in the kit so created a night-time forest background using the sprig stamp and Night of Navy ink (included in the kit) on some Pacific Point cardstock. I mounted it onto a Poppy Parade card base and stamped “Merry and bright” inside. 

I have speckled some white ink across the card but this faded a little, probably because the Night of Navy ink was quite intense and still drying. For my second card...

...I used the Christmas tree tag and created the same forest background using the stamp and ink from the kit. This time I mounted the card onto Pacific Point and added the snow at the end using a Chalk Marker. 

So to make these cards, all you need is a pack of assorted A4 Brights Cardstock and a Chalk Marker.

How much is the Love, Santa Kit?

• The Love, Santa Kit (158375) on its own is £18, which includes everything you need to make the tags. 
• Love, Santa Treat Bags (158381) are £6.50 and are printed to coordinate with the tags.
• The Love, Santa Project Collection (159362) is £24.50 and includes the kit and the tags in one easy purchase.
  

Would I recommend the Love, Santa Kit?
If it’s a stamping experience you’re after, you may prefer to adapt this kit to make alternative projects like I did. If you want to make quick and easy tags, then it’s perfect as it is. I would even go as far as to say I would say the kit is worth purchasing for the stamp set alone.

Want to buy this or any of our other lovely kits? If you are in the UK and would like to order, please visit my store to shop using this link.

Does your wish list come to more than £99? Please get in touch and I will help you get more for your money and unlock discounts all year round.  

 

Please message me via my website 

 

Sweet Stockings Designer Series Paper projects

 

Do you love cats and dogs as much as I do? If so you won’t want to miss the beautiful Sweet Stockings Suite from Stampin’ Up!®. For my October kit of the month I used the Sweet Stockings Designer Series Paper and put together a selection of coordinating products. These are a really economical way to get your hands on everything you need to make fully coordinated projects and are idea if you find you don’t always manage to get through full packs.

Everyone who buys the kit from me gets access to an exclusive PDF of project ideas, with measurements, for them to copy or take inspiration from. I love that some of my customers then get together on Zoom to make the projects while they chat. 

 

These are some of the projects I shared with them this month. This is a Kraft Gift Box decorated with a fun tag made using the Seasonal Labels Dies and beautiful Pool Party striped ribbon. 

 

Isn’t that dog cute? And there are plenty more where that came from. To stamp the greeting, I used the little set that comes with the Christmas Whimsy Card Kit. It’s so useful.

 

 

Here are some more of the cut animals cut out from the Sweet Stockings Designer Series Paper. I love how grumpy the cat looks with his seasonal antlers on. All the greetings for the rest of the projects came from the Christmas to Remember stamp set – I particularly love this ’Tis the Season stamp as it gives you white on a colour without the hassle of embossing.

 

 

Behind the bottom edge of the Designer Series Paper layer, I have pleated the ribbon, which is one of my favourite ribbon techniques. Simply lay a strip of double-sided tape along the edge of the paper or cardstock then pleat the ribbon onto it, and lay a second strip of tape on top to hold it in place.

 

 When using double-sided table, always stick to the firmer surface first. So if you are using paper and cardstock, stick it to the cardstock. If using ribbon, stick to the paper or cardstock, then add the ribbon on top. Otherwise you’ll be there all day trying to peel off the backing.

 

 

This card uses the lovely Kraft cardstock which is something I have longed to see back in the catalogue for many years. It makes a beautiful warm neutral backdrop for this festive dog with his wreath collar. 

 

November’s Kit By Mail uses the brand new Eden’s Garden products – I am only taking orders for this kit until midnight on 31st October so I can order first thing on 1st November when these products go live to customers. This is because the Designer Series Paper, speciality cotton paper and Garden Gems are all only available while supplies last, and I would hate for anyone to miss out. 

 

  

Please click here to order your kit today – I can post them out to anywhere in the UK.

Does your wish list come to more than £99? Please get in touch and I will help you get more for your money and unlock discounts all year round.  

 

Please message me via my website

Christmas season gift box, ornament and tags

 

It was so good to be back with a group of crafty ladies again at the weekend, for my first major craft event in 19 months.

It was a Christmas-themed event and everyone received the Christmas Season stamp set from Stampin’ Up!® as part of their kit. 

We made several cards, which I’ll show you in a future post, plus this lovely Mini Paper Pumpkin box to hold an ornament and some tags.

You may have noticed that I have a bit of a thing for pine cones and woodland themes. The Christmas Season stamp set feeds into this obsession quite nicely so it was my first choice for this all-day event.

I have always loved the Mini Paper Pumpkin boxes; they’re such a great size for lots of gifts, although not so great for posting as the depth of them bumps up the postage to small parcel rate here in the UK.

I’d saved a load of Designer Series Paper from Sale-a-Bration for the projects, so the guests could have half a pack each to work with. This silver birch design makes an ideal backdrop for the pine cones and berries on the Mini Paper Pumpkin box.

The stamped images are enhanced with a piece of ribbon made to look like a fir branch. We did this using the Evening Evergreen Chevron Weave ribbon. I sliced off one side seam, then frayed it to create the fringe you can just see below the greeting label. The strands I removed to create the fringe where then folded in half to create this fan of threads to resemble a branch of a fir tree. I can’t believe I thought of that all by myself!

 

Inside the box we made a little tray to separate the tags from the ornament, although guests had the option to leave this off if they wanted to use the box for something else.

They could also choose how they made their tags. I knew some would be fed up of die-cutting by this point so they had the option to punch these using a Tag Topper punch. We used Shimmery White cardstock for a touch of subtle glimmer. 

But those who were still up for some die-cutting could use the coordinating Seasonal Label dies to make pretty gift tags. 

All were stamped using the Christmas Season stamp set with added greetings. I used the lovely little word stamps from the Christmas Whimsy Card Kit which everyone is loving so much at the moment. (Hint: don't delay if you want this! While it’s still available in the Europe market, the French version has sold out and the English version is selling fast!)

The ornament – oh how I love a log slice ornament – is another fun way to show off these lovely pine cones and berries from the Christmas Season bundle. Again we used some threads from the Evening Evergreen Chevron Weave ribbon to create a fir sprig effect. Some ladies chose to stamp a greeting on the reverse, while others repeated the stamped and die-cut design so it looked the same from both sides.

A lovely day was had by all, and it felt so wonderful to be crafting together again. 

 

 

Want to craft with beautiful projects like these? If you’re in the UK, please head on over to my store to shop. If you use the host code ZKTV7U4Z before the end of October, I will send you a thank you gift next month. 

 

To make it easy for you, please shop using this link 

 

Does your wish list come to more than £99? Please get in touch and I will help you get more for your money and unlock discounts all year round.  

 

Please message me via my website