Nicely Knit - and some news!

I've got exciting news today: Stampin' Up has just released a free app for iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. It's called Simply Sent and it enables you to make digital cards and layouts to send electronically (click here for more information). It's perfect for crafting addicts like me who would love to be able to carry on crafting away from the craft room! All I need now is an iPhone or something to use it on - Father Christmas, can you hear me?!!!

When I clicked on the Less is More site this morning, there's a lovely message from Mandi and I was also thrilled to see that I'd been show-cased with this card. It gave me a lovely boost and now I've gone challenge-tastic! Today's card is for this week's challenge Hardware and I've also incorporated the wonderful colours at ColourQ, the cue card at CASology 'Thanks' and the theme at Make My Monday 'An autumn card featuring stitching' (hope knitting stitches count ladies!) Come and have a look:

I've used the Nicely Knit wheel and I hope I've shown that it's quite happy to be the focus of a card. Aren't the colours gorgeous?!

Here's a closer view. I wheeled the image in Soft Suede and added colour with markers. I am totally in love with this woolly look!

I've made a thank you tag using the really useful Made For You sentiment set, adding a scrap of retired grosgrain ribbon and the all important hardware - a beautiful, vintage-looking safety pin from my new Vintage Trinkets embellishments pot. A rounded corner finished the card.

Here's what you'll need to make this card

Stamps: Nicely Knit wheel, Made For You (sentiment)

Ink: Cajun Craze, Soft Suede, plus markers

Card stock: Naturals White, scrap of Whisper White

Other: Vintage Trinkets, paper snips, corner rounder, Old Olive grosgrain ribbon (retired)

I'd be delighted to order any of these items for you and have them delivered straight to your address in the UK, France, Deutschland, Nederland or Osterreich. I'm committed to providing excellent customer service and am always happy to offer help and advice. To place your order, just send me an email or give me a call on +44 (0) 1280 820593. Check out current special offers here.

I shouldn't have been crafting at all today but got up very early this morning as a girl needs a bit of therapy after all! We're taking our French exchange student out for lunch and to the cinema today. Last night he became my youngest son's friend for life by playing xbox with him. I was much amused to hear my son shouting "Whoa - I'm on fire!" and remarked that he seemed to be doing well. He cast me a scathing look. "No," he said, indicating a building in flames on the screen. "I'm LITERALLY on fire!"

Hope you're having a great weekend! See you soon,

Make a Mitten - in three minutes

No, not an actual mitten! Make a Mitten is the name of one of the new stamp sets in the autumn/winter catalogue - you may have seen the card I made yesterday using it. Making cards with this set and its coordinating wheel are a lot quicker than getting the knitting needles out and they can be distinctly autumnal as well as wintery. Come and have a look:

I made my own multi-coloured ink pad for these cards by folding a baby wipe in four and covering it in drops of ink from my re-inkers, but once I'd done that these cards were very quick: a couple of swipes on the homemade pad with the wheel, stamp and cut out the mittens, add the sentiment and assemble!

The mittens on this design were stamped in Always Artichoke on Certainly Celery card stock. I cut mine out with paper snips - it's quite quick - but, if you hate fussy cutting, there is a punch which cuts out the right-hand mitten and you can always stamp onto the punched shape to get the left-hand one.

The second design is perfect for a November birthday and suitable for a male too! I sponged over the background on this one...

... and topped it with mittens stamped in the homemade pad, cut out and sponged for a bit of definition.

The sentiments on both cards are from Curly Cute - which I think is quite oddly named. I can see the curliness but what's cute about it?! But then again, I'm sure people say that about me...

Here's what you'll need to make these cards
Stamps: Make a Mitten, Curly Cute (sentiment), Nicely Knit (wheel)
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive re-inkers, Early Espresso and Always Artichoke ink pads
Card stock: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Naturals Ivory
Other: Paper snips, stamp-a-majig, Mitten builder punch (optional)

I'd be delighted to order any of these items for you and have them delivered straight to your address in the UK. I'm committed to providing excellent customer service and am always happy to offer help and advice. To place your order, just send me an email or give me a call on 01280 820593. Click here to view my regularly updated lists of retiring stamps and accessories, some at up to 40% discount - Sunday 30th is the last day to order from the Retirement Lists. 

I had a go at knitting a jumper once. It was an interesting experience - I ended up with a sleeve. I never wore the sleeve. I think that sums up that little foray into the noble art of knitting!

I'll be back tomorrow with an experiment with one of my older sets. Do come back and see if it's worked!

Knitted French Foliage

Can someone please tell me where autumn went? I was just waiting for the leaves to turn and winter snuck in! Well I'm not going under without a fight so I've made this one-layer card in an effort to bring autumn back into our lives:

One of the things I love about getting new stamps is the pleasure in combining them with old favourites. Here I've used the new Nicely Knit wheel from the autumn/winter catalogue to ink in a cosy background for my favourite French Foliage leaf set - it reminds me of a chilly autumn walk with scarf and gloves, kicking up the leaves with your boots!

I used one of the new in-colours, Summer Starfruit, for my knitted background. Doesn't it go well with the jewel colours of the leaves?! The sentiment is from Thank You Kindly which will retire at the end of the month.

The leaves were embossed before I wheeled in the background and I sponged ink over it to add definition, fading it out as I moved across the card.

When thinking about this card, I was inspired by CASual Fridays, where Fall Fun is the theme this week, One Layer Wednesday, where Heather wants to see a little sponging on our one-layer cards and Less is More, where we're combining three previous challenges. I chose week 41 One layer leaves, week 15 Embossing and week 28 Use ink. I'm wondering if Chrissie and Mandi will give me brownie points for keeping the card one layer but deep down I know I'm more likely to get a clip round the ear for being a smarty pants!

Here's what you'll need to make this card
Stamps: French Foliage, Nicely Knit wheel, Thank You Kindly (retiring)
Ink: Bravo Burgundy, Pumpkin Pie, Always Artichoke, Summer Starfruit, Soft Suede
Card stock: Very Vanilla
Other: Versamark, clear embossing powder, heat tool, stamp-a-majig

I'd be delighted to order any of these items for you and have them delivered straight to your address in the UK. I'm committed to providing excellent customer service and am always happy to offer help and advice. To place your order, just send me an email or give me a call on 01280 820593. Click here to view my regularly updated lists of retiring stamps and accessories, some at up to 40% discount.  

Right, time to go to the supermarket so that I can be ready for the return of the Ravening Hordes... brolly at the ready and... quick march!

See you tomorrow for more stamping fun,