Stampin' Up! Lovely as a Tree - Less is More!

A really simple card from me today! I seem to have been making cards with lots of layers and sponging recently so I have gone for something totally different!  The challenge this week on the Less is More blog is Trees. This is what I came up with:

The background was really easy - a Clear-Mount Block was inked-up using a Soft Sky ink pad, spritzed with water and then "stamped" onto a piece of Whisper White card and left to dry. The tree image is from the Lovely as a Tree Stamp Set. It was stamped in Early Espresso ink using the Stamp-a-ma-jig to ensure perfect placement!

The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Sentiments - again the trusty Stamp-a-ma-jig was used. I am not sure how I managed before I discovered this fabulous tool!

The base card is the Note Cards and Envelopes - these are perfect when you need a quick card.  You get 20 heavier weight Whisper White cards and Envelopes in the pack.

Hopefully it meets the criteria for the challenge - definitely not my usual style - but that is what challenges are about surely!

Here is a list of the Stampin' Up! supplies used to make today's card. Don't forget you can now order online if you prefer - if you click on the items you will be directed to my online store where you can pop them into your shopping basket:

Stamp Sets: Lovely as a Tree / Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Inks: Soft Sky / Early Espresso

Cardstock: Whisper White

Other: Note Cards and Envelopes

Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig / Clear-Mount Blocks

I am of course still more than happy for you to contact me directly to order any of these products if you would prefer, please either email me or give me a call on07530 368466.

Mojo with Stampin' Up! Serene Salutations!

Have you taken advantage of the fabulous recruiting offer yet? Join Stampin' Up! for just £25 - seriously you won't get a better offer. More details here.

So on to today's card! Sharon is the accompanist for Colchester Military Wives Choir and we would be seriously lost without her so I wanted a card we could all sign for her birthday.

Mojo Monday is a Card Sketch Challenge blog which releases a new sketch every Monday so I am using it for inspiration.

I used a stamp from the Serene Silhouettes Stamp Set. It was coloured using Stampin' Write Markers (Elegant Eggplant, Perfect Plum, Crumb Cake & Old Olive) and stamped onto Very Vanilla card. The edges were sponged with Crumb Cake ink. This piece & a piece of Naturals Composition Specialty Designer Series Paper was then mounted on various card mats (Elegant Eggplant, Perfect Plum, Crumb Cake & Very Vanilla).  I used the sheet with the musical score on it as that seemed appropriate!

A second piece of Very Vanilla card was run through the Big Shot using the Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder, matted onto Elegant Eggplant card and a Crumb Cake card base. The flags are cut from a piece of the Elegant Eggplant dotty paper in the Regals Color Collections Paper Stack and the tails punches using the Hexagon Punch.  A piece of Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon finished off the card.

This is the Mojo Monday sketch I used for inspiration - I love using sketches as a card base as I can just focus on the content!

Here is a list of the Stampin' Up! supplies used to make today's card. Don't forget you can now order online if you prefer - if you click on the items you will be directed to my online store where you can pop them into your shopping basket:

Stamp Sets: Serene Silhouettes

Inks: Perfect Plum / Elegant Eggplant / Old Olive / Crumb Cake

Cardstock: Very Vanilla / Crumb Cake / Elegant Eggplant / Perfect Plum

Big Shot: Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder

DSP: Regal Paper Stack / Naturals Composition DSP

Punches: Hexagon 

Other: Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon

Tools: Stamping Sponges 

I am of course still more than happy for you to contact me directly to order any of these products if you would prefer, please either email me or give me a call on07530 368466.

Join Stampin' Up! for Just £25!

Good grief - I have been on holiday for a week and have come back to LOADS of fabulous Stampin' Up! offers for October but this has to be the best!

Yes you did read that correctly! From TODAY until 21st October 2013 help Stampin' Up! celebrate 25 years and join for just £25 - how amazing is that!

For your £25 you can choose up to £26.95 worth of products, and you will also get a FREE business starter pack (catalogues, order forms, postcards etc) and FREE shipping.

It really is a FANTASTIC time to join.  Stampin’ Up! doesn't set any ridiculous sales targets (you only need to sell £225 net per quarter) and if you join now you have until March 31st 2014 to achieve this - that is almost 6 months!  

So why join? Well here are some of the perks of being part of Stampin' Up!:-

20% DISCOUNT on all purchases, or if you’re selling, an 20% INCOME on all sales,

30%  DISCOUNT on your first order over £150 within the first 45 days PLUS if you achieve this you can choose any stamp set* from the 2013-2014 annual catalogue (redeemable with your first demonstrator order in December). * This perk is only available to those who sign up between October 7–21st.

The chance to purchase products BEFORE they go on general sale – and let's face it we all love to try new things!

The chance to earn FREE stamp sets within your first six months if you decide to work on sales and recruiting targets (now is a such a great time to recruit, why not get your friends and family to take advantage of this offer too?),

Your own personalised online store and blog - FREE for two months (£8.95/month thereafter),

Instant support, guidance and friendship from a wonderful group of fellow demonstrators.

And it is all RISK FREE - if you don’t meet your quarterly minimums you don't have to return anything, you simply drop as a Demonstrator and carry on enjoying the products you have bought.

So if you like what you are reading why not give me a call on 07530 368 466 or email me for an informal chat to find out more.  

For those of you who can't wait then the link is here!

Please note that the regular priced kit is not available between 7th-21st October - only the discounted kit for £25.

Stampin' Up! Baby Prints for a New Pinkie Baby

So exciting! One of my friends in the Pinkies Stampin' Up! UK Team had her gorgeous daughter last week so obviously I needed to make a card for them.

I decided not to go for the usual pink - I love Coastal Cabana, one of the 2013-15 In-Colors, so used that as my feature colour. The image from Baby Prints was stamped onto Very Vanilla card using Basic Grey ink and run through the Big Shot using a die from the Circles Collection Framelits. A Coastal Cabana mat was cut using the Deco Labels Framelits and paper-pierced using a template from the Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack.  A second piece of Very Vanilla was embossed using the Honeycomb Embossing Folder, matted onto Coastal Cabana and a Basic Grey card base. A strip of Designer Series Paper from the Afternoon Picnic pack was added to the bottom. 

The sentiment was also stamped in Basic Grey ink on Very Vanilla card and the tails punched using the Hexagon Punch. The sweet little baby-grows are from the Baby Tees Jumbo Wheel which I stamped in Basic Grey ink, coloured using Coastal Cabana ink and a Blender Pen and cut out. The Paper Snips are perfect for cutting out little shapes like these - they are so sharp (ask me how I know!).

To finish the card flowers were punched from Coastal Cabana card using the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack and topped with Pearl Basic Jewels.

I love the hand and foot prints in the Baby Prints Stamp Set - they are so cute!  

Baby Prints Stamp Set by Stampin' Up!

I was really pleased with how this card turned out and hopefully the new parents will like it as well.

I have decided I am going to try and enter some online challenges - I find these provide great inspiration for crafting but I am usually far too late to actually enter them - but not this time! The lovely ladies over at the SUO Challenge Blog challenged people make a paper-craft project for a baby so this fits the bill perfectly (I hope!)

Here is a list of the Stampin' Up! supplies used to make today's card. Don't forget you can now order online if you prefer - if you click on the items you will be directed to my online store where you can pop them into your shopping basket:

Stamp Sets: Baby Prints / Baby Tees Jumbo Wheel

Inks: Basic Grey / Coastal Cabana

Cardstock: Very Vanilla / Coastal Cabana / Basic Grey

Big Shot: Circles Collections Framelits / Deco Labels Framelits / Honeycomb Embossing Folder  

DSP: Afternoon Picnic

Punches: Hexagon / Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack

Other: Pearl Basic Jewels 

Tools: Blender Pens / Essentials Paper Piercing Pack  / Paper Piercing Tool

I am of course still more than happy for you to contact me directly to order any of these products if you would prefer, please either email me or give me a call on07530 368466.

Stampin' Up! UK Clearance Rack now LIVE!!

Ooooh - do you love a bargain?

Starting today there is now a CLEARANCE RACK section on my Online Store: 

This means you can get your hands on previously retired stock from Stampin' Up! Catalogues at a DISCOUNT - how fab is that? I have grabbed a couple of complete bargains!

So what is the catch? Well once they're gone - they're gone! The CLEARANCE RACK is not a promotion - it doesn't have an end date but products are only available while stocks last - so don't miss out!

New items will be added on a regular basic so make sure you keep checking - you don't want to miss anything!

The easiest way for you to get your hands on these products is via my online store - click "SHOP" in the top right hand corner as shown above - that takes you to my online store:

The ‘Clearance Rack’ is on the left as shown. Don't forget to double check that it is my name displayed so you know you are shopping with me!

Go on! What are you waiting for? 

Please note that returns or exchanges are not available on Clearance rack items (unless faulty) but as they are such a bargain I am sure you won't want to send them back anyway!

A Thank You with Stampin' Up! Lovely as a Tree

So have you downloaded MDS yet? I wasn't sure I would like digital crafting but I LOVE it - so versatile and I am loving the potential for hybrid crafting!

Anyway on to today's card.  Dex and I had a weekend up in Yorkshire and I needed a Thank You card for our hosts. The Lovely as a Tree Stamp Set was one I got in my Starter Kit back in 2010 but I haven't used it for a while.

The image was first stamped on a Post-It note, torn at "ground level" and then the landscape and moon were sponged onto Naturals Ivory card using these as a mask (the inks I used were Soft Sky, Island Indigo & Always Artichoke). I have done a quick tutorial showing this which I will post later this week. The image from Lovely as a Tree was then stamped over the sponged background using Early Espresso ink and the Stamp-a-ma-jig to make sure it was in the right place. This piece was matted onto Early Espresso card.  

A piece of Soft Suede Core'dinations Cardstock was run through the Big Shot using the Woodgrain Embossing Folder and distressed using the Stampin' Sanding System. This piece was matted on Naturals Ivory card and an Early Espresso card base.  A sentiment from Morning Madness (an exclusive hostess set) was stamped and matted using the same inks and card and the tails punched using the Hexagon Punch. A button from the Naturals Designer Buttons and a Linen Thread bow finished off the card.

Lovely as a Tree by Stampin' Up!

I was really pleased with how it turned out - Lovely as a Tree is such a versatile set - I shall be using it to make some Christmas cards as well.

Here is a list of the Stampin' Up! supplies used to make today's card. Don't forget you can now order online if you prefer - if you click on the items you will be directed to my online store where you can pop them into your shopping basket:

Stamp Sets: Lovely as a Tree / Morning Madness, 

Inks: Early Espresso / Soft Sky / Pacific Point / Always Artichoke

Cardstock: Early Espresso Core'dinations / Early Espresso / Soft Suede / Naturals Ivory

Big Shot: Woodgrain Textured Impressions Embossing Folder  

Punches: 1 1/4" Circle / Hexagon

Other: Linen Thread / Naturals Designer Buttons  

Tools: Stampin' Sanding System / Stamp-a-ma-jig / Stamping Sponges

I am of course still more than happy for you to contact me directly to order any of these products if you would prefer, please either email me or give me a call on07530 368466.

Stampin' Up! My Digital Studio

Yay - I am really pleased to be able to let you know that Stampin' Up's My Digital Studio (MDS) is now available to download. MDS is a fabulous software programme for designing digital scrapbook pages, cards, calenders, gift tags, postcards, invitations - in fact anything you care to design!  

The MDS software is £13.95 and is available to purchase from my online store! It works with both MAC and Windows.  As it is downloaded so there is no postage to pay and you don't have to wait for a CD to arrive! It contains everything you see HERE. 

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE MDS

Not sure if digital crafting is for you? Then why not try before you buy with a FREE 30 day trial - this version contains less products, but there is still loads to play with - see exactly what HERE.

Download your FREE 30 day trial.

My Digital Studio files can be used with other software programmes and electronic die-cutting systems so you can print and cut out shapes to whatever size you need. If you don't need the software then you can just buy the digital downloads.

There is also a fabulous website with loads of information - forums, FAQ, a blog, videos and more:  http://www.mydigitalstudio.net/home

This is a really quick tag I made to go on a birthday present. I have never used any digital software before and have had great fun playing with it - this took 5 minutes!

And it doesn't end there, there are LOADS of additional affordable downloads available through my store to add to your MDS collection.  If there is a must have stamp you need you can purchase it online and download it straight to your computer.  New downloads are released every week so make sure you pop back AND there are freebies as well!