Ideas for using the Gift Card thinlits die - Stampin' Up Artisan blog hop

Hooray! it's Thursday and the whole Stampin' Up Artisan design team is back together for another fabulous blog hop!! So sit back with a nice cuppa and enjoy a whopping dose of inspiration with us!

GIFT WRAPPING FOR A SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT
I can't tell you how excited I get when my free box of Stampin' Up goodies turns up at my door each month - it's amazing! November's box contained the Gift Card Thinlits die and when the lovely  Yvonne, a member of my team, promoted I thought I'd use it in two different ways to make a celebratory card and gift wrap for her. Come and see:

First the card: I used the Gift Card die with one of the gorgeous papers from the Color Me Autumn pack and cut one side off to make a pocket for the front. It was lined with card stock and the front decorated with gold accents. The sentiments were cut out with one of the extra dies that come with the Gift Card.

I made a tag to pop in the pocket using the gorgeous vintage telephone from Timeless Talk. Yvonne doesn't live locally to me but we chat often on the phone and on Facebook and I am very definitely here for her!

Would you like to see her present?

Members of my team get a special charm bracelet when they promote and a little hand-made charm each time they reach a milestone. I wrapped Yvonne's bracelet in tissue paper and used the Gift Card die to make a wrap to fold around it.

The gift was finished with a little tag and some gold ribbon wound several times round the package and tied up with a flourish!

Here's the gift and the card posing together! And there we go - two ways to use the Gift Card thinlits die which I know will become a often-used friend in the Craft Square Metre!

I hope you enjoyed this project. Now, are you ready for more inspiration? Then click the button below to hop over to visit the fabulous Allison Okamitsu:

BUY THE SUPPLIES TO MAKE MY GIFT SET NOW!
(Click on any item to be transported to my online shop!) 

Color Me Autumn Designer Series Paper £9.95	Gold 1/8" Ribbon £4.50	Timeless Talk Wood-mount Stamp Set £20.95	Scalloped Tag Topper Punch £20.95
Gift Card Envelope Trims Thinlits Dies £29.95	Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder £3.95	Gold Foil Sheets £3.75	Naturals Ivory A4 Card Stock £6.75

My shop is open 24/7 so you can buy Stampin' Up products from me any time, day or night.

If you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm happy to help.

You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.

We're enjoying half term here but just because my youngest son is off school doesn't mean he's not continuing his education. Yesterday, for example, he learned to haggle in fractions!
Me: Eat up your salad sweetheart
Him: Hmmm, I'll have half of it...
Me: Three quarters!
Him (beginning to laugh): Two thirds!
Me (giving him a stern look)
Him: Oh all right then! (and then eating half of it!)

See you tomorrow for more crafting fun!

A bit of music and dancing with Timeless Talk by Stampin' Up

I've always been fascinated with everyday objects of a bygone age and love Stampin' Up's Timeless Talk set with its vintage phone, penny farthing and gramophone images, drawn in clean lines. When I saw Less is More's Face the Music and Dance challenge this week, that gramophone seemed just the thing! Come and see:

Now don't be thinking that I artistically swept in a few brush strokes to make a background - I simply used a couple of the paint splodge images from Work of Art! It gives a lot of movement to this simple, one layer card, as does that gorgeous sentiment from the same set.

Both the gramophone and sentiment were stamped in Night of Navy, making a nice contrast with the So Saffron backround, and I used my Stampin' Chalk marker to add a bit of detail.

While I was at it, I made another version with touches of gold this time, courtesy of my gold Stampin' Dazzle marker.

BUY THE SUPPLIES TO MAKE THIS CARD NOW!
(Click on each item to find it quickly in my online shop) 

Work Of Art Wood Stamp Set £26.95	Timeless Talk Wood-mount Stamp Set £20.95	Very Vanilla A4 Card Stock £7.50	So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad £4.95
Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad £4.95	White Stampin Chalk Marker £3.25	Gold Stampin' Dazzle Marker ...	Stamp-A-Ma-Jig £10.95

My shop is open 24/7 so you can buy Stampin' Up products any time, day or night.

If you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm happy to help.

You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.

It always amuses me to pretend to be decrepit when talking to my children about technology. They never quite know whether I'm joking when I tell them I'll give them a ring on the telephonic instrument or ask them to play something else on the gramophone!

See you tomorrow for more crafting fun,

Going round in circles with Timeless Talk

I know it's supposed to be Three Minute Thursday here today but I got an exciting idea which I really, really HAD to try out - I thought that if anyone could understand that, it would be you! Come and see:

I started by embossing my panel with one of the circle framelits - oh yes, they're not just for cutting you know! (This is the sandwich I use for embossing with framelits in my Big Shot (from bottom to top): multipurpose platform closed, crease pad, my card panel, the framelit blade facing up, a scrap piece of card stock, cutting pad.) The designer paper was cut with the same framelit and I sliced the top off and glued it onto the embossed circle before stamping my penny farthing.

The penny farthing was stamped again onto scrap card stock so I could make separate wheels. I used various circle framelits and punches for this (I've listed which ones underneath the product list for anyone that's interested.) The wheels were glued over the stamped ones and decorated with Basic Grey candy dots.

I've had circles on the brain ever since I saw Less is More's Round and Round challenge this week but I shall also link this card up with Make My Monday which is looking for Male cards, Addicted to CAS where Wheels is the theme, and Addicted to Stamps and More where the lovely ladies want to see CAS cards.

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE THIS CARD
(Click on each item to find it quickly in my shop) 

Stamps: Timeless Talk wood or cling, Teeny Tiny Wishes wood or cling

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Basic Grey

Card stock: Whisper White, Basic Grey

Other: Circles framelits, Big Shot, 1 3/8" Circle and 3/4" Circle punches, Epic Day designer paper, paper snips, stamp-a-majig

How to make the separate wheels for this card
The large wheel cuts out with the third smallest circle framelit and the small wheel with the 3/4" circle punch. To make the large tyre I cut a circle into Basic Grey card stock with the 1 3/8" circle punch and then cut round it with the third smallest circle framelit; to make the small tyre I cut a circle into Basic Grey card stock with the smallest circle framelit, then cut round it with the 3/4" circle punch.

Click above to place an order any time, day or night,

but if you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm always happy to help.

You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.

Returning home with my daughter in the car last weekend, we stopped at the lights and watched while a young lad zoomed over the crossing on his scooter. At the other side, to our astonishment, he leapt off the scooter and twisted it around his head with a practised flick of his wrist. After this move, he peered anxiously into our car to make sure we were impressed, only to find my daughter convulsed with laughter in the passenger seat. Poor chap - I hope he managed to convince himself that she just wasn't worth it!

See you tomorrow, when I'll have an exciting new video tutorial for you! (Hint: Easter is coming up and I have a thing about ears!)

Welcome to my Stampin' Up group!

So I'm at the Stampin' Up convention at the moment, hearing all the latest news, seeing the new releases, playing with new toys, being inspired to the max and, best of all, getting together with my lovely colleagues from all over Europe! Wouldn't you just love to be there? Well of course you could be next year! I'd love to welcome you to my group, the Inkredibles, and at only £99 for a starter kit, it's a very real possibility. Read all about it here and do feel free to contact me to find out more.

These are the welcome packs I sent out to my latest Inkredibles. My pack includes a handbook I've written to familiarise you with Stampin' Up; a notebook decorated and personalised for you; a card stock swatch including the trendy in-colours as well as the core colours; a handmade card; and a prettily embellished sweet treat.

I adore this wonderful stamp from Apothecary Art and it coordinates perfectly with the Labels framelits. I made the name tags in MDS and cut them out with my sharp paper snips.

These look too good to eat don't they (although I can assure you I wouldn't let that stop me!) The paper is from the Gingham Garden range and they're tied up with the lush stitched satin ribbon in Midnight Muse. The labels are a favourite of mine - they're stamped with That's the Ticket and cut out with the coordinating Ticket punch - easy peasy!

This is the card I made for my new ladies. The background is stamped with Gorgeous Grunge and I added the beautiful vintage phone image from Timeless Talk. I stamped it three times...

... cutting the second image out to pop up over the first with dimensionals and cutting the dial out of the third with a circle punch and popping that up too. The card was decorated with my favourite embellishments: candy dots and washi tape!

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

Stamps: Gorgeous Grunge, Timeless Talk

Ink: Bermuda Bay, Soft Sky, Pumpkin Pie, Midnight Muse
Card stock: Rose Red, Whisper White
Other: Gingham Garden washi tape candy dots, 3/4" circle punch, paper snips, stamp-a-majig

You can order from my online shop any time, day or night,

but if you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm always happy to help.

You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.

My next post will be on Monday (assuming I've recovered from the excitement of Convention!) but in the meantime, you'll find updates and photos on my facebook page so do hop over there.

See you soon,

Wishing you a sassy 18th Birthday

Well it's all over! My daughter's 18th birthday has been celebrated with laughter and tears (only a few I promise!), feasting and champagne, special gifts and cards. I made her a card which started off in my head as dramatic black and gold and involving photographs, so how this comedy card happened is anyone's guess! Come and see:

The fact is, I can never resist making my daughter laugh! It started when she was a baby: She was in her little rocking chair thing on the floor while I was changing the sheets on our bed and when I swooshed the sheet over the bed a noise happened. It took me a moment or two to realise that it was the sound of my baby daughter giggling and that it was the best noise in the world! I must have swooshed that sheet five or six hundred times to hear the wonderful sound over and over again (and we probably needed a nap after that!)

I added bunting to the card because, oddly, it was one of her first words.  I knew the 'you' in the sentiment and the words in the speech bubble would tickle her funny bone...

... and the piles of presents from the Wishing You stamp set were so that I could write 'much presents, many bunting!' to make her laugh too!

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

Stamps: Wishing You, Sassy Salutations, Timeless Talk, Storybook Friends

Ink: Smoky Slate classic ink plus Brights markers

Card stock: Whisper White

Other: Gingham Garden and Season of Style washi tape, paper snips, stamp-a-majig

You can order from my online shop any time, day or night,

but if you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm always happy to help.

You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.

We do like to do a bit of feasting on special days in our family and on this occasion we celebrated at the beautiful Orchid Lounge in Milton Keynes.

We ladies dressed up in frocks and heels while the males brought out their suits - the staff at the Orchid Lounge always make you feel like some kind of VIP! While we were enjoying our meal I looked up and saw this:

Which made me giggle as it reminded me of this:

You'll be glad to know that nothing came crashing down on our heads while we dined though!

The food was gorgeous as always and beautifully decorated:

This dish, with it's fabulous carved flower embellishment, was chicken wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. "It's the best chicken I've ever tasted," my eldest son whispered reverently - thinking with his stomach again!

Thank you so much to everyone who has sent best wishes to my lovely daughter. I'll be back tomorrow with more photos - see you then.

Happy wedding anniversary!

We've been married for 19th years today! How did that happen?! Hearts and flowers are not really my husband's thing (!) so I made a card to make him smile instead - come and see:

Don't you love this penny farthing image from Timeless Talk? It's one of three fabulous vintage-style images and there are some great sentiments and a useful speech bubble stamp too.

I chose to make my sentiment in MDS though. Aren't I rude?!

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

Stamps: Timeless Talk

Ink: Early Espresso

Card stock: Whisper White

Other: MDS, candy dots, stamp-a-majig

You can order from my online shop any time, day or night,

but if you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm always happy to help.

You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.

Customers placing orders of £250+

will get a whopping £65 worth of freebies during October!

As I mentioned yesterday, my husband is a keen cyclist - some would say over-enthusastic! It does sometimes gets him into trouble... like the time he cycled across a field and was chased by a herd of stampeding bullocks! Are you beginning to see why I feel that 19 years is quite an achievement!

See you tomorrow,