Autumn colours with Fall Fest from Stampin' Up

Hasn't Stampin' Up brought out some gorgeous leafy stamps sets this year?! I can never resist leaf stamps and Fall Fest is a favourite of mine. I've been stamping the leaves in jewel colours like Tangelo Twist and Crushed Curry and teaming them with some gorgeous, earthy, autumnal colours!

Watercolour washes make a beautiful background but we don't all the artistic confidence to create them. Don't despair though because there are several papers in the Color Me Autumn designer paper pack that give just the same effect...

... and there's coordinating washi tape to add a bit of interest to your projects. I love to use washi in a casual 'just taped it to the card' kind of way!

There's so much movement in the Sassy Salutations sentiments and they work well with this kind of windswept image!

Here's another version using a horizontal orientation this time.

I'll be linking this card up with Less is More where it's colour challenge week and Autumnal colours are the order of the day!

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

Fall Fest Photopolymer Stamp Set £13.95	Very Vanilla A4 Card Stock £7.50	Color Me Autumn Designer Series Paper £9.95	Color Me Autumn Designer Washi Tape £4.50
Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad £4.95	Tangelo Twist Classic Stampin' Pad £4.95	Cajun Craze Classic Stampin' Pad £4.95	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad £4.95

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.

It's Monday as I write this and it's been the kind of wet and windy day that's great if it happens at a weekend when there are tartan rugs over your knees, crackling fires in the hearth and hot chocolate at your elbow, but that are annoying during the week when there are a hundred and one things to do and you have to battle with the elements! It's all a far cry from last weekend when we were sunning ourselves in beautiful Somerset.

There was certainly plenty of autumnal inspiration walking up Bossington hill and as we gained height the views were magnificent. Nature provided plenty of snacks at the top - those blackberries were deliciously sweet! The photo bottom right is of Dunster castle, situated in the medieval village of Dunster. My husband and I were married nearby and our wedding reception was held here with the castle featuring in the background of some of our photos.

Thanks for visiting today. I'll be back tomorrow with a festive idea - hope to see you then!

Congratulations with a bang using Kinda Eclectic from Stampin' Up

I've found another way of using Stampin' Up's brilliant new Kinda Eclectic stamp set and it's perfect for celebrations! Come and see:

The sunburst image makes fabulous fireworks when stamped in bright colours. I used Tempting Turquoise, Tangelo Twist and Daffodil Delight for mine and added a dynamic sentiment from Sassy Salutations.

Every celebration needs a bit of extra sparkle so I added some large gems, coloured with blendabilities. (How much do I love my blendabilities, on a scale of one to ten? Eleven!) These large gems are retired now, but the largest ones from the Basic Rhinestone packs would work well too.

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

Stamps: Kinda Eclectic wood or cling, Sassy Salutations wood or cling

Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Tangelo Twist, Daffodil Delight, Stazon black.
Blendabilities: Daffodil Delight, Cherry Cobbler, Coastal Cabana

Card stock: Whisper White

Other: Stamp-a-majig

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.

My daughter has the loveliest boyfriend. He recently turned 18 and naturally his thoughts turned to the legal implications of this. "Just think!" he said. "Now I can go and buy fireworks!" Someone laughed. "Never mind fireworks, now you can legally buy alcoholic drinks!" He stared at them. "Drinks don't go bang in the sky!" he said scathingly.

See you tomorrow.

A one layer garden with Summer Silhouettes

Today is the last day to take advantage of the latest Weekly Deals (check the list here) and I'll be back with the new deals tomorrow, so don't miss those!

Meanwhile, the stamping continues with a one layer card I made after a well-earned moment with a cup of tea in my garden yesterday. Come and see:

One of the things I love about nature is that it's very good at providing a surprise of colour and I've tried to replicate that here using Stampin' Up's Summer Silhouettes to stamp the lower flowers in Crushed Curry and a taller one in Strawberry Slush. I embossed everything with clear embossing powder because I'd toyed with the idea of adding the Hardwood background stamp to pull the flowers together. In the end, I changed my mind and grounded the flowers with a little gentle sponging.

The sentiment is a lovely dynamic one from Stampin' Up's brilliant Sassy Salutations set. I liked the way it nestled into the shape I'd created with the flowers - a happy chance!

You can see how I was inspired by this little scene in my garden!

I'll link this card up with Less is More, where the ladies are looking for one layer thank you cards, and the One Layer Simplicity challenge where the theme this month is Fabulous Flowers.

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

Stamps: Summer Silhouettes wood or cling, Sassy Salutations wood or cling

Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Crushed Curry, Strawberry Slush

Card stock: Whisper White notecards with matching envelopes

Other: Clear embossing powder, heat tool, stamp-a-majig

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.

CHOOSE ONE OF THESE PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SETS WITH EVERY £60 YOU SPEND (excl. p&p)

I'm having a senior moment! The yellow flowers in my photo are cowslips, part of the primula family, but I can't for the life of me remember the name of the pink plant... Can anyone put me out of my misery? The pink one has gone rogue in my garden, seeding itself all over the place. I rather like it when plants do that as it's often a charming surprise, although turning up in the middle of my gravel path is perhaps a little impudent!

See you tomorrow,

A spray of turquoise ink

Turquoise is everywhere at the moment - have you noticed? I've been wearing it with a zing of coral so when I saw the challenge at Less is More was A Touch of Turquoise this week, I thought I'd try it on a card. Come and see:

I could have chosen any of the beautiful new florals from Stampin' Up's spring/summer catalogue to make this design but I was feeling wistful for an old friend so out came Summer Silhouettes.

The leaves and flowers were stamped in a triangular shape using two of the turquoise-ish colours: Coastal Cabana and Island Indigo. The banner is from one of the stamps in the Apothecary Art set. It was too long so I cut it down and hid the join with the fussy cut sentiment. No-one would ever know...!

The sketch I used comes from the ever-inspiring CAS(E) this Sketch.

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

Stamps: Summer Silhouettes wood or cling, Apothecary Art wood or cling,
Sassy Salutations wood or cling, 

Ink: Coastal Cabana, Island Indigo, Early Espresso, Calypso Coral

Card stock: Whisper White, Pool Party

Other: Paper snips, stamp-a-majig

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.

The Easter holidays have begun so life has gone into overdrive again! My youngest son took pity on me and offered to go to the supermarket for me today. I rummaged around in the cupboards to see what we needed while he wrote the list. "We'll need sprouts," I said. "How many?" asked my son, writing it down. "Hmm, let's see - about 16," I said. "And we'll need a couple of parsnips." He looked up. "Two?" he asked. I nodded. "Yes, and could you get a pat of butter? Just one." He twinkled at me and launched into song: "And a partridge in a pear tree!"

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. I'll be back on Monday when I'll be turning my attention to birthdays! Hope to see you then,

3 Minute Banner Blast - without a banner in sight!

I do love a one layer card and they're often quick and simple - just right for my Three Minute Thursday slot.  The Simplicity challenge (now a monthly challenge so I never have to miss it - yay!) provides plenty of inspiration for one layer cards and this month the theme is Just Add Water. Come and see what I made:

I've been playing about with spritzing acrylic blocks and for this card I just drew lines all over my block with a Pear Pizzazz marker, then spritzed, stamped...

... and ended up with a nice grassy background, the perfect home for a lively sentiment like this one from Sassy Salutations.

The grass was crying out for spring flowers so I stamped the little flower from the free Sale-a-bration set Banner Blast around the sentiment. I gave the flowers nice, bright yellow centres and emphasised each with a dot of Crystal Effects.

I notice CAS on Sunday is also looking for one layer cards this week, so I'll link up this card there as well.

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

Stamps: Sassy Salutations wood or cling,
Banner Blast (free with Sale-a-bration) wood or cling

Ink: Wisteria Wonder classic ink, stazon black,
plus Pear Pizzazz  and Daffodil Delight markers

Card stock: Whisper White note cards with envelopes

Other: Acrylic block H, Crystal Effects, stamp-a-majig

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.

CHOOSE A FREE SALE-A-BRATION GIFT WITH EVERY £45 YOU SPEND (excl. p&p)

My eldest son certainly is enjoying his new chair! Yesterday evening, as I was laying out our evening meal on the table, I called up the stairs for everyone to come and eat. Everyone arrived except my son. I called again: "Sweetheart, dinner's on the table!" but he still didn't turn up. I tried again in a slightly (!) sharper tone of voice: "Come on! Your food's getting cold - what on earth are you doing up there!" and was rewarded by him bounding down the stairs. "Sorry," he said. "I was just spinning in my chair!"

See you tomorrow,

Oh Sassy Sal - You are Lovely!

I have been hopping about making excited hooting noises for a little while now because I've been asked to be a guest designer for this week's CAS(e) This Sketch! I am such a fan of this challenge where the sketches always get my mojo going and there's always so much inspiration from the amazing design team too. Here's the sketch along with a photo I took for colour ideas:



And here's the card I came up with:

I'm loving Stampin' Up's Hardwood background stamp! To get this effect, it was stamped in Baked Brown Sugar ink on Whisper White card stock and then rubbed over with a Pistachio Pudding ink pad. I stuck an oval over the banners and cut the aperture with a smaller oval before placing it on my card front.

The daffodils, from the free Sale-a-bration stamp set You Are Lovely, were stamped, coloured with markers, fussy cut and glued inside the frame. I liked the way the Sassy Salutations sentiment nestled perfectly in the shape it made. The card was finished with cord from the Accessories Pack - another free gift with the Sale-a-bration promotion!

• Find out how to get your free Sale-a-bration gift here. The promotion ends at the end of this month so don't miss out!

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

Stamps: Sassy Salutations wood or cling, Hardwood wood or cling
You're Lovely (free with Sale-a-bration) wood or cling

Ink: Baked Brown Sugar, Pistachio Pudding classic inks, plus markers

Card stock: Whisper White, Garden Green

Other: Ovals framelits, Big Shot, Designer Paper Stack in Regals,  Sweet Sorbet Accessories Pack  (free with Sale-a-bration), stamp-a-majig

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.

CHOOSE A FREE SALE-A-BRATION GIFT WITH EVERY £45 YOU SPEND (excl. p&p)

My daughter (the one that cheekily calls me Crafting Clare!) finds Stampin' Up names fascinating and recently amused me by calling the sentiment stamp set I used today 'Sassy Sal'. Wisteria Wonder is now 'Hysteria Wonder' in our house, Pacific Point is 'Specific Point' and So Saffron has to be pronounced with heavy and sarcastic emphasis on the 'so'. If it's not funny enough on its own, she simply adds an 's' (Melons Mambo, Garden Greens etc). As if crafting isn't entertaining enough on its own!

See you tomorrow,

More congratulations with Secret Garden

I was thrilled to bits when another member of my team, the super-talented Lizy, achieved a milestone promotion just before Christmas. Come and see the card I made to congratulate her:

I was up to my ears in festive greens and reds when I made this and the Blushing Bride, Summer Starfruit and Gumball Green colour combination felt like a breath of fresh air! The floral panel is stamped with one of my favourite stamp sets - Secret Garden. I've made several new year's resolutions this year and one of them is to get loads more floral stamp sets because they are brilliant fun to play with!

Here's a close up showing the Sassy Salutations sentiment, heat embossed with silver embossing powder. You can see the gorgeous Blushing Bride dotty paper too, another design from the Colour Collection range that comes in every Stampin' Up colour, and the Coordinations card stock that adds a nice bit of subtle texture.

When members of my team, the Inkredibles, earn their first promotion, I send them a charm bracelet with a handmade charm and each time they promote afterwards, they get a new charm to add to it. I tucked Lizy's charm into one of my little envelopes (you can find the tutorial here.) I'm loving silver and vanilla with the Blushing Bride!

And here's a quick peek at the inside - the charm was suspended on a tag that had been stamped to coordinate with the card.

• There's always room for more members in my team and I'd love to welcome you aboard. Click here for more details or give me a ring on 01280 820593 for a no-pressure chat.

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

Stamps: Secret Garden, Sassy Salutations

Ink: Blushing Bride, Gumball Green, Summer Starfruit

Card stock: Basic Black, Very Vanilla smooth and core'dinations card stock

Other: Colour Collection designer paper (subtles), Simply Scored, versamark, silver embossing powder, heat tool, 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.

So, I managed to get the children back to school yesterday. There was a slight hiccup when I overslept due to lying awake half the night wondering if the wind would take the roof off. Honestly, I'm beginning to understand where the tale about the piggies and the wolf huffing and puffing the house down came from now!

Enjoy your day and I'll see you tomorrow for Three Minute Thursday.

A great big sassy thank you

When Stampin' Up demonstrators get together we certainly know how to have fun - I'm still buzzing from the best convention ever! Inspiration, motivation, freebies, announcements, new products and releases - all these were there in abundance but it's the people I love most about being a part of Stampin' Up. It was fantastic to be there with so many people who share my passion, meeting up with old friends and making new ones. I made a thank you card today because that's how I'm feeling! Come and see:

Does this remind you of a champagne cork popping? Well that's the look I was aiming for! I stamped the swirl from Everything Eleanor in the corner, added a little Gorgeous Grunge, topped it with a sentiment banner and added bling with a liberal hand!

I used Summer Starfruit and Smoky Slate as a modern version of gold and silver and it provides a nice clean background for the sparkly rhinestones and glimmer paper punched stars.

When I was making this card, I was especially thinking of my lovely customers who make it possible for me to make a business out of my passion for stamping; of my friend and upline Michelle who introduced me to Stampin' Up; of each of my team, the Inkredibles, (Lizy, Jan, Jacqueline, Victoria, Helen, Michelle, Sarn, Barbara, Hilary, Laura, Natalie and Ursula, for their fellowship whether in person or via phone or online and without whose hard work I couldn't have achieved my Silver 2 title; my friends in the 'mother group', the Pinkies, because they're great company and an unfailing support. And I'd also like to thank all of you who tell me you read and enjoy my blog - it means a great deal to me that you come and spend your time here.

And to think - once upon a time I didn't have any of this in my life!

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

Stamps: Everything Eleanor, Sassy Salutations

Ink: Summer Starfruit, Smoky Slate, Real Red

Card stock: Smoky Slate, Whisper White

Other: Basic Rhinestones, Merry Minis punch pack, silver glimmer paper, paper snips

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.

I had a fantastic time at Convention but it was lovely to get home too. My youngest son gave me huge hugs and told me he'd missed me. "There was no-one to say mad things," he said in what I'm hoping was a complimentary way. My oldest son had obviously missed me too - I was permitted to sit next to him and watch for a bit while he was gaming on Grand Theft Auto (yes I know, I shuddered too!) "There's some nice scenery," I said. "I know - that's why I play it," said my son. "Why not just try going for a nice walk?" I suggested. He sighed patiently. "I could do," he said. "But it's not the same as going for a drive and seeing it from the comfort of the car you've just stolen!" Oh dear - he has been brought up nicely I promise!

See you tomorrow with some pictures from convention!

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.