Simply Stars for a birthday boy

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It's always useful to come up with designs for males. According to my on-the-spot research (I collared my husband), there should be no frills, ribbons, bows, buttons or other 'sticky out bits', it should be direct and to the point and sludge colours are also a no-no! Right... how about this then?

This card was made with some bright chevron paper from one of Stampin' Up's brilliant Designer Series paper stacks; a frame cut with the Circles framelits; some heat-embossed stars stamped with the Simply Stars stamp set; and a sentiment, cut out neatly with my lovely paper snips and layered over the top. I worried that these would be construed as 'sticky-out bits'... Would this card get the HSA? (That's Hubby Seal of Approval in case you're wondering!)

Turns out he didn't notice that the card wasn't completely flat. "Yes, that's the sort of thing," he said vaguely and turned his attention to more manly affairs!

My starting point today was Chrissie's brilliant sketch at Less is More this week, so I'll be linking up there.

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

Stamps: Simply Stars wood or cling, Four You wood or cling

Ink: Real Red

Card stock: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight

Other: Circles framelits, Big Shot, clear embossing powder, heat tool, Designer Paper Stack in Brights, paper snips

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.

All the time I was making this card I was humming 'When you wish upon a star'. The Disney classic films were a staple in our house when the children were little and since I always watched with them, I must have seen them all hundreds of times over! Pinnochio wasn't a favourite though - it's really quite disturbing! - but the title song is so beautiful that it has me in pieces every time I hear it.



See you tomorrow, when there'll be cake!

Simply Stars - your chance to shine!

I am a woman of a certain age (well okay, 51 if you must know!) who gave up work to stay at home with my babies and, like many women who choose to do this, found myself out of the loop when it came to returning to work when the children were older. I don't mind admitting that there were some difficult moments when I started looking for work but starting my own Stampin' Up business was definitely the answer for me. It has given me enormous satisfaction, an income, more free crafting supplies than I can ever hope to use (although I really do my best!) and a whole bunch of supportive colleagues many of whom have become good friends. I had no idea when I started whether I could make it work, but I did - and you could too. Normally the starter kit costs £99 but until Monday, you can join Stampin' Up for just £25! It's the perfect, risk-free chance to see if it could work for you. Click here for more info, or contact me by email or by phone on 01280 820593 if you want to bombard me with questions!

My team is called the Inkredibles and that is such an apt name. I made today's project for one of my team members after she promoted to her next Stampin' Up title. She is such a star that I had to use the Simply Stars stamp set for her card! Come and see:

The designer paper strips are from the Quatrefancy speciality pack - I adore these bright papers. I teamed them with the Filmstrip stamp, the stamped and cut-out stars and Stampin' Up's super-sparkly rhinestones.

Of course when a girl has been working this hard, she needs chocolate! I love to wrap bars in coordinating papers, stack them and tie them up with ribbon. Have you spotted that gorgeous tag nestling under the seam binding bow? It's from Chalk Talk and I can't stop using it!

To celebrate the title, my lovely teamie was sent a special pin and certificate from Stampin' Up but, from me, she received another handmade charm to clip onto her Inkredibles charm bracelet. I made a little envelope to package it in and added another of the Chalk Talk labels to the front.

I loved making this project for my friend and I know she enjoyed receiving it! Do think about joining during this special £25 starter kit promotion won't you - and who knows, I could soon be making one of these gift sets to celebrate YOUR promotion!

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

Stamps: Chalk Talk, Simply Stars, Filmstrip, Express Yourself

Ink: Strawberry Slush, Pumpkin Pie, Stazon black

Card stock: Whisper White

Other: Quatrefancy designer paper, Designer paper stack in Brights, Pool Party seam binding and bakers twine, Basic rhinestones, Itty Bitty punch set, 1 3/8" circle punch, Chalk Talk framelits, Big Shot, 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!

If you'd prefer to spread the cost of your crafty stash, but still get

freebies as well as handmade gifts and cards and complementary catalogues,

why not consider joining my Stampers 6 club?

I hope you have a great weekend lined up. I'm hoping for dry weather so that I can tackle the triffids in the front garden - our house is beginning to look a bit like Boo Radley's house!

See you very soon,