Halloween card using Baroque Motifs

Ok, I freely admit it - I don't get halloween! We don't celebrate it in my family and I am bewildered every year by the increasingly ghastly array of costumes in the supermarket... But if I DID do halloween, I would send cards like this:

And, I have to confess, I really enjoyed making it! The bat was made by folding a piece of black card stock in half, cutting the bottom diagonally with the scallop square punch and then making a few judicious cuts with my lovely sharp paper snips. The background is just sponged in - very quick and simple!

Here's how to make this card:

• Cut an 8.5cm square piece of Whisper White card stock.
• Sponge it lightly with rough lines of Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Perfect Plum and Not quite Navy ink, overlapping them to blend. Go darker towards the edges of the card stock.
• Ink up the Baroque Motifs swirl with Basic Black ink and stamp over the background.
• Add a sentiment using a stamp-a-majig for accurate position.
• Mount the panel onto 8.8cm Tangerine Tango card stock - you only want a hint of this showing round the edges - and attach to a 9cm square card blank made with Basic Black card stock.
• Make a bat (as described above) and add to the card with a piece snipped off a dimensional.

Supplies
Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Occasional Greetings
Ink: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Perfect Plum, Not quite Navy, Basic Black
Card stock: Basic Black, Whisper White
Other: Scallop Square punch,

Well, I hope everyone that does celebrate halloween has a fabulous weekend!
I'm going to be talking about gift wrapping next week - and we could see the return of the fabulous bag-a-lope - yay!
Hope to see you then,

Three Minute Thursday - using Gifted

Hi there and welcome to Three Minute Thursday, my weekly inspiration for those who really want to make cards for their loved ones but haven't much time!

Today I've enjoyed using the cute stocking stamp from Gifted to make a nippy little card. I have three children and this stamp reminds me of our Christmas Eves throughout the years. Time goes by but one thing doesn't change - those three Christmas stockings hanging above our fireplace!

If you are a pressed-for-time stamper, Gifted is a very useful set to have. There are five gift tag-style stamps in the set which are not only perfect for making gift tags for all your Christmas presents but also brilliant for making quick cards. The paper is one of my favourite papers in the Jolly Holiday range.

Here's how to make this card:

• Cut a 9cm square Very Vanilla card blank.
• Cut an 8.5cm square of designer paper and adhere it to the card front.
• Cut an 8cm length of 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, snip the ends and attach it to the designer paper with Snail.
• Colour the stocking stamp with markers and stamp on a scrap of Very Vanilla card stock. Cut out and fix over the ribbon with dimensionals.

Supplies
Stamps: Gifted
Card stock: Very Vanilla
Other: Jolly Holiday designer paper, 1/4" grosgrain ribbon in Real Red, markers in Early Espresso and Real Red

While I had my Gifted stamp out I was playing around and came up with this:

This didn't take very much longer than three minutes and is a great way to use up all those off-cuts and scraps.  The dotty paper is another from Jolly holiday and the amazing map paper is from Newsprint - such a great range for vintage-style projects. I loved putting this card together and you might see a few more of this kind of design coming up soon!

I thought I'd add a Christmas card-making tip for the time-challenged: Try making your cards in a conveyor belt fashion, setting yourself one task at a time. So for example, if you were making the first card in this post, you could stamp 50 stocking images on one occasion and on another you could cut them out. The next task could be to cut and fold the card blanks and the task after that to cut the designer paper. The final task would be to assemble the cards - and hey presto! Before you know it, you'll have 50 fabulous cards to send. Both today's cards are going-through-the-post friendly too!

I have been so pleased to hear that lots of my readers are enjoying my Three Minute Thursday posts and finding them useful. If you have any comments, suggestions or requests, I'd love to hear them so do feel free to leave them here on my blog or email me directly.
Thank you for joining me today and I hope to see you tomorrow for something quite different!

Thank you cards - using Fast and Fabulous

You probably know by now that when you host a Stampin' Up party, you can earn all sorts of free goodies as well as exclusive stamp sets that aren't available to buy. Have I mentioned how fabulous the hostess sets are this year? They are amazing - and I've used one of my favourites to make today's thank you cards.

The colour inspiration was taken directly from page 59 of the current Idea Book and Catalogue - which is absolutely packed with gorgeous samples and inspiration. If you don't already have one, why not order one from me for the special price of £4 including p&p (see right bar for details).

Both cards are a non-standard size as I didn't need an envelope with them. This is a two-step stamping set and in both cases I stamped the line image in Elegant Eggplant and overstamped with Rich Razzleberry and Perfect Plum. Looks like I'm getting into these purple shades!

Here's how to make these cards:

• Cut a piece of Elegant Eggplant card stock 7cm x 21cm, score and fold in half to make a card base.
• Stamp a design on Whisper White card stock cut 6.5cm wide x 10cm high. Sponge lightly around the design with Certainly Celery ink.
• Embellish with Rich Razzleberry 1/4" grosgrain ribbon before attaching to the card front.
• Add a sentiment.

Supplies
Stamps: Fast and Fabulous (hostess set), Occasional Greetings
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Rich Razzleberry, Perfect Plum, Certainly Celery
Card stock: Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White
Other: Rich Razzleberry 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

If you live in the UK you may have noticed how dark it's getting. In less than a week it will be November and from there it will be a matter of weeks until Christmas... But don't panic! Join me tomorrow for Three Minute Thursday, when I'll be showing you another of my Christmas cards-in-minutes.
See you then,

Thank you using Hopeful Thoughts

Making lots of the same card isn't my thing at all. For me, it's the thrill of an idea and the excitement as it comes to life. But on this occasion I made this simple card, using the divine floral branch from Hopeful Thoughts...

... and loved it so much that I had to make it in lots of colours! Well three colours actually - but that's a lot for someone who prefers to make individual cards! This one is in Baja Breeze.

And here it is again in So Saffron!

And finally, looking Pretty in Pink!

I love these fondant colours against the natural Crumb Cake, the elegant look of the pearls in those simple flowers and the way they echo the flowers on the stamped branch. And I think the cards would make a great gift set!

Here's how to make this card:

• Cut a piece of A4 Crumb Cake card stock in half vertically, score and fold in half to make a card base.
• Cut a 8.5cm square piece of Whisper White card stock. Colour the branch stamp with markers and stamp a design on the square. Use white gel pen to highlight the centres of the flowers.
• Mount the square onto 9cm square Old Olive card stock and attach to the card front.
• Stamp the sentiment using a stamp-a-majig for accurate placement.
• Cut out three small flowers using the Boho Blossom punch. Cut between each petal with paper snips and attach to the card with dimensionals. Add a small pearl to the centres of the flowers.

Supplies
Stamps: Hopeful Thoughts, Perfect Punches
Ink: Old Olive
Card stock: Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Whisper White, Pretty in Pink/So Saffron/Baja Breeze
Other: Markers in Old Olive, Pretty in Pink/So Saffron/Baja Breeze, adhesive pearls

Now that I'm looking at these cards again, I'm thinking Perfect Plum would make a pretty addition to the set! And what about Bashful Blue?

I'd like to dedicate today's cards to all my lovely readers. I can't tell you how much it means to me to hear that people enjoyed a particular post and I love reading the comments that are left here for me. Thank you so much to everyone that spares a bit of their time to visit my little blog.
Hope to see you again soon,

FTL Challenge 113 with Autumn Days

I'm a clean and simple girl at heart and I love doing the FTL sketches over at Clean and Simple Stamping. Here's the sketch this week:





And here's what I came up with:

I was definitely not in Christmas mode this morning but this card seemed to just happen! I don't think I'll ever tire of this Early Espresso, Real Red and Always Artichoke colour combination with a touch of gold. The pine cones are from the Autumn Days set - wonderful for scrapbooking an autumn walk but also a perfect Christmas image. There's a beautiful berry sprig in the set too which makes a gorgeous wreath.

Here's how to make this card:

• Colour the pine cone stamp directly with markers and stamp three times onto Very Vanilla card stock. Trim around them so that you end up with 3 x 3cm squares. Sponge the edges with Sahara Sand ink.
• Mount the squares onto a strip of Real Red textured card stock cut 4cm x 10.5cm.
• Cut a piece of A4 Early Espresso card stock in half vertically and fold in half to make a card blank. Stamp a sentiment in versamark ink and emboss it with gold embossing powder.
• Attach the red panel to the card front.

Supplies

Stamps: Autumn Days, Contempo Christmas

Ink: Versamark, Sahara Sand

Card stock: Early Espresso, Real Red textured, Very Vanilla

Other: Markers, gold embossing powder

My children broke up for the half-term holiday at the end of last week, so there's a relaxed feel around our house. We all went for a lovely walk on Saturday to enjoy the glorious autumn sunshine but, when we got back, we discovered that my youngest son was running a temperature. Every cloud has a silver lining though - my husband disappeared into the kitchen to magic up some pizzas for supper while I got the treat of cuddling up on the sofa with the patient and watching nonsense on TV! You'll be glad to know that after a restful Sunday my lovely boy is back to his usual lively self today!

Hope you've had a good weekend. 

See you tomorrow for more crafting fun!

Thank you - using Fine Flourish

Some of you may remember me saying that I'm not really a purple person. Well let me tell you that's all in the past - I am having a purple moment! It's Concord Crush that's done it... Every year Stampin' Up introduces five in-colours - colours that reflect current trends - which are available for two years before retiring. Concord Crush, the most gorgeous dark blue/purple, is one of the in-colours this year and it's available in ink, card stock, markers and (drum roll) the most delicious ribbon. Come and see what I've been doing with it this morning!

I love this ribbon so much I had to include it in my Special Offer Ribbon Assortment Packs (These packs are the perfect way to get heaps of colours and styles of ribbons without spending a fortune on individual reels - click here for details!) Doesn't it go beautifully with Elegant Eggplant and Perfect Plum too?!

Here's how to make this card

• Ink up the Fine Flourish stamp with elegant Eggplant ink and stamp it onto a 7.75cm square piece of Perfect Plum card stock. Sponge the edges of the card stock with Whisper White craft ink. Mount it onto an 8cm square piece of Elegant Eggplant card stock.
• Cut three branches out of Certainly Celery card stock using the two-step bird punch. Use the Boho Blossoms punch to cut out two small flowers and one large from the pink card stocks. Snip between each petal with your paper snips. Layer the large flower with one of the small ones, pierce with a paper piercer and secure with a medium green rhinestone brad. Add a small green rhinestone to the remaining small flower. Arrange the foliage and flowers and glue to the Perfect Plum panel.
• Tie the ribbon round the panel and finish with a large bow beneath the flowers.
• Stamp a little tag using stamps from the Tiny Tags set, cut out using the jewellery punch and attach to the ribbon using cotton. Tie the cotton into a bow.
• Attach the purple panel to a 9cm square Whisper White card blank.

Supplies
Stamps: Fine Flourish, Tiny Tags
Ink: Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White craft ink
Card stock: Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery
Other: Two-step bird, Boho Blossoms, medium jewellery punches, Poly stitched ribbon in Concord Crush, Circle Ice brads

We're gearing up for some parties this weekend and there are presents to buy before collecting my youngest son from school! It's the last day of school for the half term too so there's sure to be excitement in the air...

Hope you have a fabulous weekend too.

See you very soon!

Three Minute Thursday - using Baroque Motifs

Hello and welcome to another Three Minute Thursday - the place to come for fast card inspiration! All this week I've been showing projects made with the beautiful Stampin Up ribbons in my special offer ribbon assortment packs (click here for more details). There are three colours of the wide, striped grosgrain ribbon in the packs - Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive and Night of Navy. Today's card features the classic Navy version:

This is one of those incredibly useful cards that takes minutes to make and can be used for almost anyone on any occasion - male, female, birthday, thank you, get well, wedding, anniversary, notecard etc.

Here's how to make this card:

• Cut a 3" square piece of Patterns designer paper in Night of Navy.
• Apply Snail to a length of striped grosgrain ribbon and wrap it around the designer paper, securing at the back.
• Stamp the image in Night of Navy ink on a scrap of Very Vanilla card stock and trim around it. Pierce the centre of the image and decorate with a brad from the Hodge Podge hardware kit. Apply dimensionals to the back of the image and attach to the designer paper panel. 
• Fix the panel to a Very Vanilla card base using more dimensionals.
• You could add a sentiment centred below the focal panel if you wanted to.

Supplies

Stamps: Baroque Motifs

Ink: Night of Navy

Card stock: Very Vanilla

Other: Patterns designer paper in Night of Navy, striped grosgrain ribbon in Night of Navy, brad from the Hodge Podge hardware kit

You may be wondering what the text on the paper says... well it's one of Shakespeare's sonnets - this one:

I never saw that you did painting need,

And therefore to your fair no painting set;
I found, or thought I found, you did exceed
The barren tender of a poet's debt:
And therefore have I slept in your report,
That you yourself, being extant, well might show
How far a modern quill doth come too short,
Speaking of worth, what worth in you doth grow.
This silence for my sin you did impute,
Which shall be most my glory, being dumb;
For I impair not beauty being mute,
When others would give life, and bring a tomb.
There lives more life in one of your fair eyes 

Than both your poets can in praise devise. 

Isn't that beautiful?!

I also couldn't resist showing you this little parcel I sent over to a friend yesterday. The brown paper is stamped with the same motif as I used on today's card. The Tempting Turquoise ink looks fabulous against the brown paper - any colour from the Brights collection would work well. I added a tag made from Crumb Cake card stock and stamped with a matching motif. One of the gorgeous adhesive rhinestones adds the finishing touch.

Hope you've enjoyed today's speedy projects. Tomorrow I'll be showing you a project using the stunning Concord Crush stitched-poly ribbon which I have absolutely fallen in love with! Have fun today and hope to see you tomorrow!

Ribbon inspiration thank you cards

You are probably aware by now that I have a special offer on at the moment enabling you to have loads of ribbon to play with in all sorts of different colours and styles - at a fraction of the cost of buying full reels (click here for more information). This week I'm showing you projects I've made with some of the ribbons in the pack and, today, I'm showing you a ribbon technique that works with circle punches of the same diameter as the width of your ribbon.

The first card uses the 1/8" handheld circle punch with the 1/8" taffeta ribbon for example. Now because this ribbon is quite narrow, some of you may overlook it; but you can do so many things with this kind of ribbon that you can't do with wider styles and, in my opinion, its stitched white border makes it a show-stopper. In my special pack you get three colours - Early Espresso, Marina Mist and Rich Razzleberry - and I've chosen to use the sumptuous Razzleberry today.

It's easy to create this pretty effect with this type of ribbon and it adds something special to the stamped image without overwhelming it.  I'm very excited to be using new stamps today! This is a level one hostess set called Silhouette sentiments and I love it! I like to create gardens with my floral stamp sets and it's great fun with these delicate plants. More Mustard and Rich Razzleberry made a nice rich colour mix and I have found that Bravo Burgundy is just right as a base for Rich Razzleberry.

Here's how to make this card

• Cut a piece of Very Vanilla card stock 8cm wide x 11.5cm high. Scallop the bottom with the scallop border punch.
• Turn the card stock over and draw a straight line across it about 2.5cm up from the scallop. Mark 1/2cm increments along the line. Using this as a guide punch some holes using the 1/8" handheld punch.
• Stamp the three plants from Silhouette Sentiments onto separate corners of the imaging sheet (use any ink you have to hand.) Now colour in the stamps and stamp a row of the flowers using the stamp-a-majig for accurate placement. Use the stamp-a-majig to stamp the sentiment.
• Thread 1/8" taffeta ribbon through the holes and tie a neat bow at the side.
• Mount the panel onto a piece of More Mustard card stock cut 8.5cm x 10.5cm.
• Mount this onto a Burgundy card base - mine was an obscure size because I didn't need an envelope with this card, but it will work well with an A5 card base.

Supplies
Stamps: Silhouette Sentiments
Ink: More Mustard
Card stock: Very Vanilla, Bravo Burgundy, More Mustard
Other: Markers, 1/8" handheld circle and scallop border punches, 1/8" taffeta ribbon in Rich Razzleberry

I also wanted to show you a bolder version of this card, using the 1/4" grosgrain ribbon and the 1/4" circle punch. Here I've used Real Red ribbon against the delicious Tangerine Tango.

I adore ALL the papers from the Greenhouse Gala collection (as you may know by now...!) and would HIGHLY recommend this pack to anyone who'd like a selection of papers to make bags and boxes with as well as using for cards and scrapbooking. And have you spotted my new sentiment stamp set? It's called Thank you Kindly and, since I send so many thank you cards, I thought it was about time I had this set! Already, I can see it's going to be a firm favourite.

Well, that's all for today folks. For anyone interested, I have absolutely no idea what my cat was trying to say yesterday. She just led me round the house for a bit, meowing. I suspect she might have been complaining bitterly about the inferior brand of cat food she is forced to eat and suggesting that tins of tuna or freshly roasted chicken would be the way forward. Eventually I bored her into submission (I'm an expert at this as my children will testify!) and she retired to her little bed, muttering occasionally.

Are you ready for more ribbon ideas? I shall be back tomorrow with a superfast card for Three Minute Thursday. Hope to see you then.
Until then, happy crafting!

Greenhouse Gala coordinated gift set

This week I'm concentrating on having fun with ribbon! Ribbon is a lovely, inexpensive way to add pizzazz to a card - but what if you're like me and want loads of different colours of ribbon to match every project, and a variety of styles of ribbon too? Hmmm. Not so inexpensive then... and that's why I've put together my special packs: You get 21 ribbons - sixteen different colours and nine different styles - in a choice of one metre lengths at £14.95 or two metre lengths at £26.45. So now you can have all the different ribbons you'd like at a fraction of the cost of buying full reels! If you'd like to order one of my special packs, just click here to email me.

Today's little set is show-casing the organza ribbon from the pack. It feels beautifully soft which makes it perfect for those luxurious feminine bows! I made this set for a friend to say thank you. I can't remember what it was I was saying thank you for now, but I quite often say thank you to her for just being so lovely really!

 

Doesn't this understated paper from the Greenhouse Gala collection look gorgeous with Basic Grey and the dramatic organza ribbon?



And check out the beautiful 'thanks' sentiment. It's from the new Perfect Punches stamp set and can be cut out with the scallop oval punch - how quick and simple is that?!

The box is tiny - just one inch cubed! I love the way it looks with the organza ribbon tied in a bow bigger than it is!  For extra detail, I added a couple of tags punched out with the jewellery punch and sewed them to the ribbon with cotton. This would be the perfect box for a ring or earrings or another tiny gift  - and what with Christmas coming up...!

Supplies for this project:
Stamps: Perfect Punches (card), Tiny Tags (box)
Ink: Basic Grey, Marina Mist (on one of the tags)
Card stock: Basic Grey
Other: Whisper White organza ribbon, scallop oval and medium jewellery punches, Greenhouse Gala designer paper

I must go as the cat is doing that thing you used to see in the Lassie films: tugging on my trousers and urging me to follow her. Better go and see - it's probably a dead rodent that she's very proud of but it could be someone with a broken leg trapped in the garden! Crafting Clare to the rescue!

Thanks for visiting me today. See you tomorrow for more ribbonish inspiration!

Ribbon rose thank you card

I've been busy packaging lengths of  the gorgeous Stampin' Up ribbon into pretty bags ready to send out to customers who have ordered one of my Special Offer Ribbon Packs (If you haven't already ordered yours - don't miss out! Click here for details.) And this week I'll be showing you lots of projects using some of the different types and colours in the pack.


Today I have a card for you which showcases the stunning Real Red satin ribbon. I based it on FTL112 over at Clean and Simple stamping. Here's Natasha's sketch:

And here's my take on it:

The rose is made by applying a bit of Snail to the end of a piece of satin ribbon and rolling it into a bud, then winding the ribbon around it, twisting it as you go. It sounds complicated but is incredibly quick and easy. It isn't my idea, I hasten to add - there are lots of videos on youtube to help if you get stuck. The most difficult part for me was threading a needle to secure it with a stitch when I'd finished (where did I put my turbo glasses?!) 

Look how dimensional the rose is! I think it works so well with these colours for that shabby chic look which is still very popular.

How to make this card:

• Cut a 9cm square Real Red card base.
• Cut an 8cm square piece of Marina Mist card stock and curve all the corners with your corner rounder. Sponge the edges of the card stock with Whisper White craft ink. Stamp a sentiment in the top righthand corner using a stamp-a-majig for position. Attach to the front of the card.
• Cut a piece of Real Red card stock 7.5cm wide x 5cm high. Scallop the wide edge with your scallop border punch. Cut a piece of designer paper 7.5cm x 3.5cm and mount it on the scalloped card stock. Attach this panel to the card front.
• Make a ribbon rose as described above.
• Punch two bird wings out of Wild Wasabi card stock using the two-step bird punch. Score and fold them and pop them through the crimper to make leaves. Glue the leaves to the left of the scallop and attach the rose securely with Sticky Strip - for total and utter confidence (this is my imaginary advert for Sticky Strip which I believe is one of life's essentials!)

Supplies
Stamps: Lovely as a Tree (sentiment)
Ink: Pacific Point (for sentiment), Whisper White craft ink
Card stock: Real Red, Marina Mist, Wild Wasabi
Other: About 32cm Real Red satin ribbon, Greenhouse Gala designer paper, corner rounder

I hope this card has inspired you to get your ribbons out for a play!

Now, talking of inspiration, I had the most wonderful day in Bicester at a Stampin' Up training event yesterday. My lovely friend and upline Michelle organises these events regularly and lots of demonstrators get together and bring our guests and spend a day of crafting and fun. It was great to get together with old friends and meet new ones and be inspired by some truly talented crafters. Thanks to everyone and hope to see you soon!

As for my Star Wars experience - it doesn't get any better than curling up on the sofa next to the world's two most handsome boys (My sons - not George Clooney and Brad Pitt!) listening to Luke Skywalker's agonised "Noooooooooo!" when Darth Vader tells him he's his father. My favourite bit though has to be at the end when Darth Vader chucks the emperor down the generator shaft: he turns to look at the emperor, turns back to Luke, then back to the emperor... it's a helmet for goodness sake but it conveys such emotion! That helmet deserved an oscar!

Thank you so much for visiting me today. Do pop back tomorrow if you have a minute, when I'll be showing you a little gift set I made for one of my lovely friends.
Hope to see you then,

Thank you card using Hopeful Thoughts

We've been talking about ribbon here at Crafting Clare's Paper Moments. You could say that my alter ego, Crafting Clare, is having a ribbon moment! Have you been admiring all the ruffled ribbon treatments out there lately? Well I have, so I thought I'd give it a go myself! Here's the result:

My Hopeful Thoughts and Notably Ornate sets had arrived and I was itching to have a go at the beautiful frame in the Notably Ornate set chiefly... but you know how things happen when you start crafting! I fell utterly in love with the Hopeful Thoughts set and had made a complete set of cards with it before I looked up and realised that I was supposed to be carrying out all sorts of other duties! The bird from the Notably Ornate set is also going to be a prime favourite with me - as I knew he would. I love this ribbon treatment which turned out to be so easy with the 3/8" taffeta ribbon and a few touches of snail. I love the way it turned out - so pretty and feminine, and the adhesive backed pearl added just the right finishing touch.

Here's how to make the card:

• Cut a piece of Crumb Cake card stock 8cm x 21cm, score and fold into a card blank.
• Cut a piece of Whisper White card stock 7cm square. Colour the branch stamp with markers and stamp onto the square. Add centres to the flowers with a white gel pen.
• Use markers to colour the centre of the sentiment and stamp it onto the square using a stamp-a-majig for position.
• Mount the square onto a 7.5cm square of Old Olive card stock and attach to the card front.
• Stamp the bird onto a scap of Whisper White card stock using Early Espresso ink. Cut it out with paper snips and adhere to the card with a couple of dimensionals. Add an eye with a white gel pen.
• Pleat some taffeta ribbon, using Snail to secure each fold. Fix to the card and finish with an adhesive backed pearl.

Supplies
Stamps: Hopeful Thoughts, Notably Ornate, Perfect Punches
Ink: Early Espresso
Card stock: Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Whisper White
Other: Pretty in Pink, Old Olive and Early Espresso markers, Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon, adhesive backed pearl, white gel pen

Touches of ribbon like the pink taffeta on this card can really add something special to your cards. I've put together some special packs of ribbon so that you don't have to spend a fortune on that je ne sais quoi! Click here to find out more.

Hope you all have great weekends lined up. I have a date to watch Star Wars with my sons and a super fun crafting event to go to on Sunday - I'll tell you all about it on Monday! (The crafting event that is, not Star Wars!) See you then!

Three Minute Thursday - using Season of Joy

I am so excited today - first to show you a beautiful Christmas card which takes just minutes to make; and second, to unveil a very special offer - check the bottom of this post!

I know that not everyone has much time to spend playing with their crafting supplies and that's why I introduced Three Minute Thursday - I wanted to inspire those who are frustrated by time constraints. I also know that the festive season creeps up on us all and many of us feel rushed off our feet as Christmas approaches. That's why I designed today's card - a three minute, handcrafted card to make someone feel special!

Season of Joy is a fabulous and versatile stamp set (it can be used for all sorts of other cards as well as Christmas ones - watch this space!) and I love using the poinsettia image as a One Sheet Wonder. It makes such a bold image that it can easily hold its own against the striking striped grosgrain ribbon which is the real star of this show. 

Here's how to make this card:

• Cut an A4 sheet of Very Vanilla in half vertically, score and fold into a card blank.
• Cut another piece of Very Vanilla card stock 7.5cm wide x 10.5cm high. Ink up the poinsettia image with Cherry Cobbler ink and stamp all over the card stock. Lightly sponge Certainly Celery ink over the top using a large piece of sponge (sponge daubers aren't big enough for this - I cut up inexpensive car-wash sponges).
• Tie a piece of striped grosgrain ribbon round the panel and tie into a knot. Trim the ends.
• Use the panel as a guide for where to place the sentiment and then use a stamp-a-majig to stamp it accurately in Cherry Cobbler ink.
• Attach the poinsettia panel to the card front with dimensionals.

Supplies

Stamps: Season of Joy

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Certainly Celery

Card stock: Very Vanilla

Other: Striped grosgrain ribbon in Old Olive

And there we are - so quick and simple!

SPECIAL OFFER!

Ribbon is a fantastic way to add something special to your cards but if you're anything like me you'll want lots of different colours and types - which can work out to be a bit pricey. That's why I've put together a special pack of ribbons for you, giving you a choice of one or two metres of all the main colours in a variety of styles. 

Here's what you'll get: 

SATIN RIBBON

in Old Olive, Real Red and Marina Mist

1/8" TAFFETA RIBBON

in Rich Razzleberry, Early Espresso and Marina Mist

3/8" TAFFETA RIBBON

in Very Vanilla, Pretty in Pink and Basic Black

WIDE STRIPED GROSGRAIN RIBBON

in Rich Razzleberry, Night of Navy and Old Olive

1/4" GROSGRAIN RIBBON

in Daffodil Delight, Real Red and Whisper White

5/8" GROSGRAIN RIBBON

in Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery and Early Espresso

ORGANZA RIBBON

in Whisper White

ELASTIC CORD

in gold and silver

POLY STITCHED RIBBON

in Concord Crush

For 1 metre of all the above ribbons you pay only £14.95 inc p&p

For 2 metres of all the above ribbons you pay only £26.45 inc p&p

Choose which size

1 metre assortment £14.95 2 metre assortment £26.45

Of course, you may not wish to use Paypal - and that's fine. If you'd prefer to pay by cash, cheque or bank transfer, just click here to email me and I'll be happy to help.

Now you can spend some time dreaming of all the beautiful projects you can make with your bouquet of colours and textures! I'll be back tomorrow with more inspiration for your ribbons.
Thanks for popping in today!

Greenhouse Gala thank you card - new colour!

I didn't used to get excited about yellows in the same way as I do about my beloved greens, oranges, browns and blues. But all that changed when I started playing with Daffodil Delight - I absolutely adore it and feel it's added a new string to my bow. It works beautifully with greens, oranges and browns but look what happens when you pair it with a strong blue like Pacific Point:

Oh - I just love this punchy colour combination! Those pretty flowers were just cut from one of the gorgeous Greenhouse Gala designs - really easy to do because they have a strong outline. And the sentiment is from one of the stamps in the Perfect Punches set. I coloured in only the sentiment with a marker and omitted the decorative edge - using this method, you're essentially getting two sentiments for your money!

Here's how to make this card:

• Make a 8cm square card blank using Daffodil Delight card stock.
• Cut a piece of Pacific Point card stock 7cm x 5.5cm. Pierce a decorative border along the long sides using your paper piercer and the template from the Mat Pack.
• Colour the 'thanks' of the sentiment stamp with a marker and stamp it onto the card base using the Pacific Point panel as a guide to position and using the stamp-a-majig for accurate stamping.
• Attach a loop of Pumpkin Pie ribbon to the side of the Pacific Point panel and fix the panel to the card blank with dimensionals.
• Cut a small and a large flower from the Greenhouse Gala designer paper and glue to the card front.

Supplies
Stamps: Perfect Punches
Ink: Pacific Point
Card stock: Daffodil Delight, Pacific Point
Other: 1/4" grosgrain ribbon in Pumpkin Pie, Greenhouse Gala designer paper

This card is a good example of how committed I am to making sure you get the most value out of your Stampin' Up supplies. Using the same stamp in different ways, combining different colours to get new looks, using designer papers, ribbons and other accessories in a variety of ways - these are all good ways of making your kit work really hard!

There'll be even more value for money around tomorrow when I show you a fabulous Three Minute Thursday project using some of the gorgeous Stampin' Up ribbon - and unveil an unmissable special offer...
See you then!

Perfect Punches birthday card - new colour!

I'm really enjoying showing you cards I've made using Stampin' Up's new colours. Today I'm using the colour that excited me most when I saw the new range - Cherry Cobbler, a really classy, elegant red. Not that I've done anything classy or elegant with it today! - but come and see anyway:

More of that gorgeous Greenhouse Gala paper is on show here - and just to show you how versatile this range is, I thought this card would be particularly good for boys. The fabulous birthday sentiment is from the Perfect Punches stamp set and it can be cut out effortlessly using the coordinating punch - all of the stamps in this set have a coordinating punch. Have you spotted the piercing adding definition to the edges of the gorgeous Pacific Point panel? It is so quick and easy to do this using the template from the Mat Pack that I find myself reaching for it all the time!

How to make this card:

• Cut a A4 sheet of Cherry Cobbler card stock in half vertically. Score and fold in half to make a card base.
• Cut a panel from the Greenhouse Gala designer paper about 8cm x 12cm. Trim the bottom into spikes with paper snips, following the pattern of the paper. Glue to the card base.
• Cut a piece of Pacific Point card stock 6cm x 9cm. Sponge the edges with Pacific Point ink and pierce a border round it using your paper piercer and the template from the Mat Pack. Attach to the designer paper.
• Colour the birthday sentiment stamp with markers and stamp onto a piece of Whisper White card stock. Cut out using the extra large oval punch and fix to the blue panel with dimensionals.
• That's it!

Supplies
Stamps: Perfect Punches
Ink: Pacific Point
Card stock: Cherry Cobbler, Pacific Point, Whisper White
Other: Brights markers, Greenhouse Gala designer paper, extra large oval punch

My goodness! That was so quick and easy that it was almost a Three Minute Thursday! No, no! I haven't forgotten what day it is again I promise! But talking of Three Minute Thursday... don't forget to pop in on Thursday as I am planning to tell you about a special offer then! But before then, there'll be more new colour inspiration - do join me tomorrow for that!
Thanks for dropping in today!

Two step bird punch note card - new colour!

Is there such a thing as a good Monday morning? Well yes, there is - it's when you're a Stampin' Up demonstrator and you have fourteen gorgeous new colours to play with! Come and see what I've done with Marina Mist today:

I think it looks fantastic with touches of another new blue, Pacific Point, and a couple of the greens. The designer paper is one of the subtle ones from the stunning Greenhouse Gala pack - I can't wait to show you more from that range!

Here's how to make this card:

• Cut a sheet of A4 Whisper White in half vertically, score and fold to make a card blank.
• Cut a piece of Marina Mist card stock 12cm x 8.5cm. Scallop the bottom with the scallop border punch.
• Cut a strip of designer paper 3cm x 8.5cm and pierce a border along the width at the top and the bottom using the template in the mat pack. Mount this onto a piece of Pacific Point card stock cut 3.5cm x 8.5cm.
• Position the designer paper strip on the Marina Mist card stock without  glue so that you can judge where your sentiment should go. Stamp the sentiment using a stamp-a-majig for position, then go ahead and attach the designer strip to the Marina Mist.
• Knot Old Olive satin ribbon round the bottom of the Marina Mist card stock and fix the panel to the card front.
• Cut a bird out of Pacific Point card stock, a wing out of Marina Mist card stock and two branches, one out of Old Olive and the other out of Wild Wasabi card stocks. Stamp a floral design on the wing using Pacific Point ink and attach it to the bird with a dimensional. Glue the branches to the designer paper strip and sit the bird on top with a dimensional.

Supplies
Stamps: Occasional Greetings, Tiny Tags
Ink: Pacific Point
Card stock: Whisper White, Marina Mist, Pacific Point, Old Olive, Wild Wasabi
Other: Two-step bird and scallop border punches, Greenhouse Gala designer paper, Old Olive satin ribbon

Hope you all had a great weekend. My lovely sister and her small son came over yesterday and it was a warm afternoon so, after lunch, we walked to a local park so that the younger members of our party could let off steam. At one point I overheard one of the dads asking his toddler to move from the foot of the slide so that my nephew could use it. "We need to let the little boy come down," he explained. This enraged my nephew.  "I'm not a little boy!" he said with dignity, "I'm four years old!"

Have a good Monday!
See you tomorrow for more new colour inspiration.

Cute by the Inch notecard - new colours!

Thank you to all those who expressed their concern about me forgetting what day of the week it was yesterday! I have had an excellent night's sleep and while 'raring to go' might be overstating it a little, I certainly feel a lot better!

I am in colour heaven with all the fabulous new colours Stampin' Up have brought in with the new catalogue and I thought I'd show you a little notecard I made with three of them today.

The card base is Tangerine Tango, the flower and the alphabet are Daffodil Delight and the leaf and stalk Wild Wasabi and I love them! The biggest surprise to me is Daffodil Delight - I didn't really think I was a 'yellow' person but I can't stop using this!

Here's how to make this card:

• Cut a 9cm square Tangerine Tango card base.
• Ink up the Sanded background stamp with Tangerine Tango ink and stamp onto the front of the card. (TIP: The best way to ink up a large stamp is to lay it on you work surface, rubber side up and tap your ink pad down on to it until it's covered.)
• Use your piercing tool and the piercing guide from the Mat Pack to make a double row border at the bottom of the card front.
• Colour in the alphabet image from Cute by the Inch with markers and stamp onto a scrap of Whisper White card stock. Cut out with the Small Square punch.
• Use the Large Square punch to cut out a square of Tangerine Tango and distress the edges with a distressing tool or your finger nail. Mount the alphabet square onto this with dimensionals. Attach to the card front. 
• Punch a leaf and stalk out of Wild Wasabi card stock, using the Two-Step Bird punch, and tuck them under the alphabet square using Tombow to secure.
• Punch out some Daffodil Delight flowers with the Boho Blossoms punch and a circle of Tangerine Tango with 1/4" circle punch. Draw a dot on the circle using a Tangerine Tango marker and glue it to the smallest flower. Layer this onto the larger flower with a dimensional and attach the flower to the card front. Add a dot of Crystal Effects to the centre of the flower to finish.

Supplies
Stamps: Cute by the Inch, Sanded
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight
Card stock: Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White
Other: Two-step Bird, Boho Blossoms, 1/4" circle and square punches, markers, Crystal Effects

If you are in need of a crafting boost I would highly recommend an injection of new colour. And don't forget the new Colour Coach for instant colour schemes at your finger tips!
Have a lovely weekend, full of colour!

Three Minute Thursday - Pocket Silhouettes thank you card

Getting new colours is a bit like having a new boyfriend - it's exciting, you're really attracted but at the same time you're a little bit hesitant because they're not familiar and you don't know all those little foibles yet...

This is where the new Colour Coach comes in! Take a look:

This is such a useful tool! Each colour of card stock is represented in a 7cm x 11.5cm swatch and you can fan these out to see what colours look like together. On the other side of the swatch are suggestions for colour schemes - how fast and easy is that when you want to make a card right now!

The colour coach is invaluable for people who aren't particularly confident about colour combining, but it is also a great convenience for people that are. I adore playing with colour but it's great fun trying out new things that wouldn't have occurred to me!

Today, I decided to ask my little colour oracle what it would do with Night of Navy. The combination that I've used wasn't the first one it suggested but it was the one I immediately wanted to use! See what you think:

Night of Navy contrasts beautifully with Old Olive and the scrumptious new Daffodil Delight. I've kept the design of the card very simple so that those colours really speak up for themselves. 

I think the Colour Coach is a fabulous new tool and can see myself using it a lot. As for new boyfriends - well, I am perfectly familiar with all my husband's foibles thanks very much!

I had actually forgotten that today is Thursday and time for a quickie card but luckily a lovely lady I know sent me an email to remind me! Today's card didn't take three minutes but not very much longer so I think it qualifies as a Three Minute Thursday card!

Happy crafting!

Cute by the Inch notecard

I promised that today I won't be wittering on about George Clooney, so let's move on to something more exciting! I'm sure most of you have been having a good browse through your catalogues (and if you don't have one yet - what are you waiting for? Click the paypal button on my side bar or email me here to order one!) One of the most exciting changes in this year's catalogue is that Stampin' Up are offering some sets as clear mount stamps. So what are they and are they any good?

Clear mount stamps are the same quality, deeply etched rubber as the wood mount stamps, with the same foam attached which helps to give that perfect impression, but without the wood mount. You use a clear block with these stamps. Look:

You buy the blocks separately in whatever size you like. They are exactly like the wood mounts except crystal clear, with the same depth as the wood so your fingers don't get inky and smudge your work, and with a comfortable groove running round them.

To use them you simply press your block onto the stamp for a few minutes and it will stick firmly. I worried that I wouldn't be able to use my Stampin' Scrub with them, but it's absolutely fine.

And the advantage is that you can see exactly where you're stamping. (Not quite as super-accurately as when you use a stamp-a-majig, but pretty accurately.) This cute little owl looks very surprised to be captured by the block doesn't he?!

The other advantages to clear mount stamps is that they save on space. I let mine sit in the rubber they came in so they don't rattle about in the DVD-style case.

The case itself takes up very little room and can be stacked like books.

The images are printed on the spine of the case so it's easy to see at a
glance which stamps you want.

The owl stamp I've been using today is from Cute by the Inch, one of the new hostess sets which comes in a choice of wood or clear mount. Hostess sets are stamp set which are not available to buy but which are given as a thank you to the hostesses of qualifying parties. Do have a look in the catalogue - there are some gorgeous hostess sets this year and if you're local-ish to me I'd be more than happy to help you with a party. Give me a call on 01280 820593 and we can arrange a date or click here to email me.

You may want to see what I made with that cute owl...

It's a very autumnal notecard and I've used the leaf from Autumn Days as well.

This post is so long that you're probably all having a little nap now! Thank you for joining me today and I hope it's been useful. I'll be back tomorrow with a much shorter post...
Hope to see you then,