Wednesday already? Happy 'hump day' everyone! Today I have a 3D project for a change - I want to share the trio of Christmas trees I made using the Forever Evergreen Project Kit in the seasonal catalogue. My regular readers will know what a fan I am of Stampin' Up!'s kits: they are great for everyone from the complete novice to the seasoned crafter and are the perfect option for a fun afternoon or evening activity with friends.

The Forever Evergreen kit comprises three Christmas trees, one 33cm tall and two 27.9cm tall - complete with decorations. You then need some additional basic items to complete the project: the Forever Evergreen stamp set, ink pads and adhesives. Here are my trees in all their glory - first the largest one in Garden Green:

The second, smaller one also in Garden Green:

And lastly, the final smaller one, this time in Wild Wasabi:

I have to say the catalogue really doesn't do these trees justice; they are way more impressive in real life and having had them on display at the craft show I exhibited at recently they were the subject of many 'oohs' and 'aahs'. Many of my customers have passed comment on them as they've been in and out for classes too. If you would like to purchase these kits to make at home, Stampin' Up! has produced a very helpful video that is worth watching before you start putting the kit together:

If you would like to get together with me in person to make this kit, you have a couple of options: you can gather with friends and purchase a kit each and have me bring the extra supplies needed for a crafty afternoon or evening in with friends. Alternatively you could join me for my next Crafternoon Tea at Bell's in Kingsthorpe, Northampton, on Saturday 19th November from 10am-2pm, when we will be making this kit and finishing with an afternoon tea prepared by the Cafe @ Bells in store - contact me to book your place. 

I hope you've enjoyed your day today; I enjoyed a crisp autumn day kicking leaves in the country park and a hockey match (unfortunately no win today, but another match on Saturday so hopefully their luck will change!). I'll be back tomorrow with a Christmas card for this week's new challenge over at Create With Connie and Mary. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Forever Evergreen Project Kit

Forever Evergreen Photopolymer Stamp Set

Good evening everyone! I hope your week has started well. I've had my first technique class of the month yesterday along with both a rounders and cricket match (observing not participating, and both wins!), and a second technique class and this month's Project Life Memory Keeping class today so it's been a busy couple of days. Just time to pop in this evening and share the first of the cards from this month's technique class, featuring the Hummingbird in the 'Picture Perfect' stamp set. I used this week's sketch over at As You See It for my layout:

I'm also linking up with Stamp Ink Paper again this week, as their challenge is to feature one main element on your project and make it really stand out. The hummingbird is the most tricky stamp in the set to align, but when you get it right is so worth it in terms of the result. Here is my finished card:

Here's the low-down on today's card:

Picture Perfect Hummingbird - 'Picture Perfect' is a multi-step image stamp set, with each of the stamps having two, three or four layers. The hummingbird comes in four pieces; for my bird I stamped my first layer in Bermuda Bay, I stamped the second stamp in Melon Mambo, the third layer in Pacific Point and the fourth and final one in Night of Navy. Whilst it sounds complicated, this set is made from photopolymer which makes lining up the images really straightforward. I find it helpful to use the eye to align the images and use a piercing mat or similar foam pad as a base for your stamping for an even image. I do prefer to stamp my bird in the order that the stamps are numbered and if all else fails, a stamp-a-ma-jig will help you to align the images perfectly.  It is definitely a stamp where positioning improves with practice and I must say my ladies today stamped with amazing results, each producing four perfectly stamped hummingbirds on the first attempt!

Partial Die Cutting using Circle Framelits - I stamped my bird onto a piece of Whisper White and having fussy cut his wing tip by hand, I then cut a partial circle up to the diagonal before adhering behind so that it aligned with my cut away circle on my card base. Circle Framelits are invaluable for this kind of partial diecutting, as you simply roll through the Big Shot to the desired point without cutting the whole way through. I've used this technique with this stamp before here; it adds an interesting detail to an otherwise clean and simple card.

Pop of Pink - Melon Mambo is one of my favourite pinks in the Stampin' Up! colour collections and whilst there is only the smallest amount featured on the throat of my bird, I picked up this colour in both my card base and satin knotted ribbon to give a real pop of colour to my otherwise blue card.

Here's today's visual summary of the key things needed to make today's card for easy reference:

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

That's all from me today; I have another busy day tomorrow, with my Coffee and Card Drop In Session at Bell of Northampton in Kingsthorpe and I'll also be at the in-store Spring Open Evening at Bells too. you can find full details on the latter here. 

Hopefully I'll squeeze in time for a quick blog post with another of my Picture Perfect class cards. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Picture Perfect Photopolymer Stamp Set	Melon Mambo 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon	Whisper White A4 Cardstock	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad	Night Of Navy A4 Cardstock
Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad	Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad	Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pad

Good Friday blessings one and all! I've spent most of today outdoors making the most of the sunny weather; I met my girlfriends for a run this morning and we went on a James family bike ride this afternoon. No time to craft, but since the forecast is dreadful for the rest of the week I'm sure I'll make up for it! Today's card is for the challenge over at The Friday Mashup. I love this challenge and am sad to read that this one is their last one!

This week you can use the sketch above or create a project with an Easter theme and chicks or bunnies, or mashup and create with both. I went with the latter for this card, although I do have a mashup card planned for a few days time! Here's today's card:

I actually made this card with the ladies at my Coffee and Card session at Bell's in Northampton this week. The key elements of my fun Easter card are as follows:

An oval egg - I used my Big Shot and Ovals Framelits to create my fun Easter egg in my layer of Pink Pirouette cardstock. Now I know that technically an egg is more pointed at one end, but without an egg framelit this oval makes a pretty good alternative! Before cutting out my oval, I stamped my chick onto the card. Why? Read on below to find out!

An Easter work of art - To decorate my egg, I cut a second mat of white the same size as my pink layer and stamped the large brushstroke stamp from the 'Work of Art' stamp set in a variety of pastel colours and placed this behind the aperture. The curve of the stamped image adds to the illusion of the egg shape.

A happy chick - The little chick from the 'Honeycomb Happiness' Sale-A-Bration set has been getting lots of use this week as he is perfect for Easter cards. I stamped mine onto So Saffron cardstock, snipped him out with my paper scissors and coloured his beak with my Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Write marker. I didn't fussy cut those fiddly legs though - remember the chick I stamped on the pink layer earlier? Yes, I simply coloured the ones on this layer with my Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Write marker and then lined up my yellow chick with the stamp outline, adhering him with a couple of Stampin' Dimensionals. Clever, right? You have just 6 more days to get your hands on the 'Honeycomb Happiness' stamp set for free with a £45 order; if it's on your wish list, don't leave it too late!

An Easter sentiment courtesy of the 'Easter Lamb' stamp and a trio of Itty Bitty punched flowers completes my card. 

Here's the visual summary of the key supplies used to make today's card for you to save for easy reference:

That's all from me today; if you would like to know more about my drop-in Coffee and Card Sessions, you can read all about it here. We have a short break for Easter then the next one is scheduled for 13th April - I'd love to see you there. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Honeycomb Happiness Wood-Mount Stamp Set	Big Shot	Ovals Collection Framelits Dies	Work Of Art Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack
Pearl Basic Jewels	Pear Pizzazz Classic Stampin' Pad	Pear Pizzazz A4 Cardstock	Pink Pirouette Classic Stampin' Pad	Pink Pirouette A4 Cardstock
So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad	So Saffron A4 Cardstock	Wisteria Wonder Classic Stampin' Pad	Wisteria Wonder A4 Cardstock	Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad
Brights Stampin' Write Markers	Easter Lamb Wood-Mount Stamp

I have an extra post today to share some of the detail around a new type of event that I've added to my calendar recently - Coffee and Card Drop-in Sessions. You can see the key details on my graphic below:

I am excited to share this new venture with you. It's the perfect opportunity for non-crafters and crafters alike who live in or around the Northampton area to 'dip their toe' into the world of papercrafting and experience Stampin' Up! products first hand with me, without having to commit to a class. And what better place to do it than in the luxurious surroundings of Bell of Northampton, whilst enjoying a drink and a delicious cookie prepared by the in-house baker Alex of Tea and Cake @ Bell. No booking, skills or expertise required - just pop in for a little 'time out' and leave with a beautiful handcrafted card to send to someone special. You can find directions to Bell's here - there is ample free customer parking with disabled access at both the front and rear of the store.

The full schedule for these sessions along with the rest of my classes and events can be found on my website here. The next of my sessions will be tomorrow, Wednesday 9th March - I'd love to see you there!

Back shortly with today's creative project; until then, happy stampin'!