Autumnal ribbon card

Here's another clean and simple card for the Less is More 1000 challenge:

I'm very taken with the way these three colours look together. The ribbons are glued onto Very Vanilla textured card stock which you can't see very clearly, but which I think adds a lot to the design. The texture on this card stock is quite subtle - much more subtle than an embossing folder for example. You can see it better if I zoom in:

The little square is one of my favourite images from the Cute by the Inch hostess set. I love to colour my rubber stamps in different colours before stamping them. I remember the first time I saw this technique I nearly fell off my chair with excitement!

Supplies needed for this card:

Stamps: Cute by the Inch (hostess set)

Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive markers

Card stock: Very Vanilla textured card stock

Other: 1/4" grosgrain ribbon in Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive

You can buy any of these supplies from me and I can have them delivered to your address in the UK. Just send me an email or give me a call on 01280 820593. Click here to view the Last Chance List - full of stamps and accessories, some at up to 40% off! These items are available only while stocks last - and some have sold out already!

Thank you for visiting me today - I really appreciate you spending your time with me. I shall be back tomorrow with Three Minute Thursday and I hope you can join me then.

Happy crafting!

Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas Eve - and I'm as ready as I'm going to be...!

Yesterday, I promised to show you my favourite one-layer Christmas card design, so here it is:

I really enjoyed making this! The Merry Christmas and the swirl are stamps from Season of Joy, the stocking is from Gifted and the bird is from Cute by the Inch (I turned him into a robin with a couple of markers!) All I needed to put this together were markers and a stamp-a-majig - oh and a pair of paper snips to cut the stocking out and pop it up on a dimensional strip! Here's a close up:

And of course the card is perfect to just pop in the post with no worries about whether it needs a special stamp! If you're interested in more cards that are flat for posting, look out for my new Mail-friendly Monday series in the new year.

Now, I also promised to show you my youngest son's Christmas card design for his friends:

I adore this little owl and have dressed him in a santa hat before in this card! And look - here he is perched on the edge of the Christmas tree, but still looking completely astonished!

And now, before I close the gate for Christmas...

...the time has come to thank all my lovely customers and readers for visiting me and hope you've enjoyed your time here. I shall be back after Christmas with more thank you cards, birthday cards and also a very special offer... Don't miss it! Until then, I wish you a happy Christmas and all the very best for the new year. Take care,

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!

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,