Simply Soft Christmas?!

Regular readers of my blog will know how much I love the ColourQ challenges - there's something about those colour swatches and inspiration pictures that fires me up! I must admit it took a while to figure something out for this week's though...

... but I wouldn't be beaten! Here's my interpretation:

I went for an emboss/resist background using the wonderful script image from the French Foliage stamp set. Once it was embossed I sponged Coral Calypso and Bravo Burgundy inks over it. The plants are from the wonderful Simply Soft hostess set. (Hostess sets are exclusive sets, available to buy with orders of £150 or more, but members of my Stampers 6 group can also order them during their hostess month - there's only one place left for my group starting in May, so do let me know as soon as possible if you'd like to join.)

Do you like the sentiment? I was rather pleased with it! I cut a half circle out of my main panel with a 1 1/4" circle punch then, using a 1" punch and a spare scrap of card stock, cut another circle to nest inside the space. This one was given the emboss/resist treatment. The 'thanks' sentiment has been cut out with my sharp paper snips and popped up with dimensionals.

Simply Soft is a two step stamping set - you can stamp the plant image and then add the colour to the flowers by lining up a second image and stamping over the top of the first. It gives a lovely soft look but I wanted a more defined look for this image so I just coloured the flowers in with a Pumpkin Pie marker. I liked the bubbles in the inspiration picture, so I added the surprise pop of Pool Party using the splodge image from French Foliage.

While I had everything out, it occurred to me that this design would work for a Christmas card too! Come and have a look:

I used markers for this one: Bravo Burgundy to colour the just plant stems before stamping and adding Pumpkin Pie berries. The Pool Party splodges have been swapped for Pool Party snowflakes some of which have been decorated with rhinestones for a bit of festive bling.

The sentiment has been done in the same way as before but this time I've chosen an easy-to-cut-out image from Contempo Christmas. This card is for the 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown challenge, where the challenge is to use snowflakes on a card, and also Rudolph Day, the lovely Sandra's Christmas challenge.

I would normally add a supply list here so that you can see what you'd need to recreate these cards but this has been a long post and I don't want to completely bore you (apologies if I already have!) So if you have any queries about what I've used, do let me know won't you and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. And if you'd like to place an order, just send me an email or give me a call on 01280 820593. TODAY'S THE LAST DAY  for adding a free pack of designer paper if your order is £45 or more (offer limited to one pack per qualifying order - click here for details).

I'm off to one of Stampin' Up's fabulous regional training sessions tomorrow to learn heaps of new things and meet up with lots of other lovely demonstrators. I'll be back on Monday with a sneak peek of something brand new and gorgeous so don't miss that!

Have a wonderful weekend,

Fresh Vintage Christmas!

Out of all the free stamp sets available as part of the Sale-a-bration promotion, Fresh Vintage was the first to catch my eye. And, after making cards with it this week, I have to report that it's fulfilled all my expectations and more! Is there anything it isn't good for?! It didn't make the tea for me this morning but I'm wondering if that's because I didn't ask! So I thought I'd give it an extra challenge today...

I've noticed lots of Christmas Card challenges in blogland as part of a brilliant campaign to make cards for 2012 in advance. The 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown has the theme of Christmas Flowers, while my friend Sandra is calling for Christmas card for her monthly Rudolph Day challenge. I decided to use this sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches and settled down to see whether Fresh Vintage could come up with the goods. What do you think?

I moved my 'any shape' to the left hand side - not because I thought there was anything wrong with Jen's sketch, but because I made an ink smudge there! Hope it still counts...

I started by masking the bottom of the card base with a piece of scrap paper I'd trimmed with my scallop border punch and sponging Old Olive ink over the top of the card. I used the long decorative image in Fresh Vintage to stamp a border below my scallops and topped it with a strip of designer paper from my Holly Berry Speciality designer paper. The topper is made by stamping the gorgeous label from Everything Eleanor with the large plant image from Fresh Vintage. I layered on punched leaves, stamped for extra texture, and Fresh Vintage flowers that I cut out with my sharp paper snips and finished with punched glimmer paper centres.

The full-on glittery flower centres are gorgeous and I liked the way the different texture of the designer paper strip contrasted with them. Here's a close-up of the strip - it's shiny, like embossing, and less glittery than the glimmer paper. Isn't that decorative border stamp gorgeous?! I can see it coming in handy for all sorts of projects!

I always like to show you the sentiments I use. This one's from Contempo Christmas and is probably my favourite Christmas sentiment - I find the shape of it very pleasing to my eye!

Supplies needed for this card:

Stamps: Fresh Vintage, Everything Eleanor, Contempo Christmas (sentiment)

Ink: Old Olive, Real Red, Crumb Cake

Card stock: Naturals Ivory, Very Vanilla, Old Olive

Punches: 2-step bird punch, 3/4" circle punch, scallop border punch
Other: Glimmer paper, Holly Berry speciality designer paper, paper snips, stamp-a-majig

I'd be delighted to order any of these supplies for you and can have them delivered to your address in the UK. I am committed to providing excellent customer service and am always happy to help and advise. Just send me an email or give me a call on 01280 820593. Click here to see all the free Sale-a-bration sets and don't forget to let me know which free Sale-a-bration set or sets you'd like - remember, one item for EVERY £45 spent!

When my daughter saw that this was a Christmas card she wondered if I was feeling quite the thing! I explained that these challenges were set up so that people could make cards in advance. "It's to take the stress out of getting ready for Christmas," I explained. "Well it won't," she said roundly. "You'll just find something else to stress about!" Oh my daughter - how well she knows me!

Thank you so much for coming today. I really do appreciate your visits and your comments and emails and support. Have a great weekend and I'll see you very soon!

Hugs,

Wishing you a merry Christmas!

Christmas is an ideal time of year to say thank you to those that make a difference in our lives and a small handmade card or gift is often very much appreciated. This year I wrapped small pots of Christmassy cyclamen in the pretty vintage-feel Holly Berry Bouquet speciality designer paper, tied them up with a festive satin ribbon and added a punched label.

This is such a quick, easy to put together idea and brilliant for last-minute gifts too. I used the same gorgeous paper to make cards to match too using one of my favourite designs that you may have seen before...

... but I just wanted to show you the sentiment. I combined 'Wishing you a' from Hopeful Thoughts with 'Merry Christmas' from Contempo Christmas and I love the way it turned out!

Well, all my children have broken up from school and are full of excitement (although I'm beginning to suspect my daughter is more excited about the Downton Abbey Christmas Special than the day itself!) We've had a few flakes of snow, the Christmas lights are twinkling, there are some exciting looking parcels under the tree and this year's Christmas puzzle is out for us all to do when we have spare moments. So it's time to curl up by a roaring fire with a cup of tea and a nice slice of Christmas cake! Bliss!

It remains for me to say an enormous thank you to my readers and my customers. It is through your loyalty and support that I am able to run this small business doing something I absolutely love and I cannot thank you enough. I'd like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and I'll look forward to seeing you in the new year - with some very exciting news!

Hugs

Three Minute Thursday Button Buddies for the class

Children at primary school often like to send cards to everyone in their class. My youngest son certainly does - so we needed a batch of quick cards! Here's what we came up with:

I suggested Confetti White card stock for this design as the bits add a windy look to the wintery scene. We stamped the cute snowman from Button Buddies and I made a mask out of a post-it note so that a background could be sponged over the top using a torn scrap of paper to make snow banks. The card was finished with my favourite Christmas sentiment and some details added with markers to the snowman.

We made a fair few of these together and then my son sat at the kitchen table writing them while I cooked dinner. Despite some alarming questions ("Mum? How do you spell explosion?") he'd completed them before dinner was served and the whole operation probably took less time than a trip to the shops to buy some cards!

Supplies needed for this card:

Stamps: Button Buddies, Contempo Christmas

Ink: Pool Party, Real Red

Card stock: Confetti White

Other: Markers, stamp-a-majig

I'd be delighted to order any of these supplies for you and can have them delivered to your address in the UK. I am committed to providing excellent customer service and am always happy to help and advise. Just send me an email or give me a call on 01280 820593. 

Yesterday I spent the day lugging furniture around the house. The upstairs rooms are now all empty in preparation for the carpet layers to work their magic... but I have lost the will to live! Who knew we had so much stuff?!

Thank you for visiting today and I shall be back tomorrow (when hopefully I'll have cheered up a bit!)

Hugs,