Apologies for my blog absence yesterday - I spent most of the day icing biscuits for teacher thank you gifts as today is the last day of the academic year for my James Juniors. I promise my self I'll start earlier every year, but what always seems to happen is I squeeze in a few more commissions and then also a few extra names get surrepticiously added to the list of thank yous by the children which means even more baking and icing!

I've shared my teachers gifts on my blog previously - you can check them out here if you would like to be reminded - so today I thought I would share a matching card and gift box commission that I made for someone else to give to their teacher. So here is my card:

For my card I used the retired Gingham Garden DSP (this was requested - lucky I still have a pack!) however most of the other product is current and you could easily create this set in an alternative paper without the teacher tag as a thank you gift for someone special. The star of the show is definitely the 'Million and One' sentiment stamp - perfect to show your appreciation of someone special.

Here is the matching gift box - I love these kraft boxes, they are so useful and very sturdy, and at £2.75 for 4 represent great value. I'm doubly pleased that the Extra-Large Gift Boxes have returned and made it into the annual catalogue as a stock item - these are great for larger gifts. 

Right, I've a few more jobs to do before I go and pack a picnic - we're off to see an outdoor theatre production of Peter Pan and The Lost Boys this evening. I've seen this theatre company perform the Railway Children previously, so I'm expecting great things - I'll report back tomorrow! Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Million & One	Decorative Label Punch	Kraft Gift Box (4)	Scalloped Tag Topper Punch	Stippled Blossoms Clear-Mount Stamp Set
Daffodil Delight A4 Card Stock	Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad	Melon Mambo A4 Card Stock	Pear Pizzazz Classic Stampin' Pad	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad
Night Of Navy A4 Card Stock	Melon Mambo 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon	Crushed Curry 3/4" Chevron Ribbon	Whisper White A4 Card Stock

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the Normandy Landings in World War Two, with the start of the invasion on the 6th June known as D-Day. There are commemorations taking place both at home and abroad today to remember those Allied personnel who lost their lives on this day and to recognise the bravery, commitment and sacrifices of those service personnel who fought during the war to free Europe from Nazi occupation.

So it seemed a fitting day to share with you a recent commission. I was asked to create some cards and gift boxes as thank you gifts for some teachers who had led a school trip to the World War Two battlefields recently. A red poppy, the traditional form of remembrance, is the star of this card:

I chose a simple Real Red background and created a layered border using Modern Medley DSP. I stamped the poppy from the 'Simply Sketched' hostess set in Black stazon onto Very Vanilla, then coloured using Real Red ink and my aquapainter, with a touch of Garden Green for the stem. I added the sentiment directly to the card base, and honestly didn't feel this card needed anything else. I also made a co-ordinating gift box using one of the kraft gift boxes available in the annual catalogue:

I covered in co-ordinating paper and made a tag with the same sentiment and poppy image on Very Vanilla and punched with my Scalloped Tag Topper punch, finishing with a 3/4" Chevron ribbon bow.

A lovely set to show appreciation and appropriate to share it on a day when we should all take time to remember the courage, bravery and sacrifice of our armed forces, of yesterday and today, who give of themselves in order that we may live relatively safe and secure lives. I for one, am thankful for that.

Back tomorrow with another project; until then, hapy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Simply Sketched	Kraft Gift Box (4)	Modern Medley Designer Series Paper	Stamp-A-Ma-Jig	Jet Black Stazon Pad
Scalloped Tag Topper Punch	Very Vanilla A4 Card Stock	Basic Black A4 Card Stock	Real Red A4 Card Stock	Aqua Painter
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad	Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad	Basic Black 3/4" Chevron Ribbon	Real Red 1/8 Inch Taffeta Ribbon

Hello everyone - my second video in a week! I'm cheating slightly, as I actually shot this video weeks ago but haven't got around to editing it until now. I made a lovely concertina fold Mother's Day card a while ago using the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch - you can see my original card here - which was based on a similar card made by Julie Kettlewell (you can see Julie's original card here). Having just gone to update my original post with the link to today's video, I realise I didn't mention her in my original post, which was very remiss of me and a complete oversight on my part, as I even mentioned her in today's video. Needless to say, I have now updated the original post!

I love this concertina fold card style - it's great if you need a card that's just a little different. I made another card based on my original one, this time adapting it to a birthday card for a friend of mine who always puts so much thought into cards for others, I thought she deserved something special for her birthday too; here's my latest scalloped tag topper punch concertina fold card:

The dimensions are exactly the same as my original card - there is still enough space to stamp 'happy' on one panel, with 'birthday' spelled out on the subsequent panels leaving the last panel blank for your message (I also stamped a little 'to you!' on this panel, just to complete my message). I also decorated one of the Stampin' Up! Kraft gift boxes with some co-ordinating Gingham Garden DSP to make some pretty packaging for my accompanying gift - finished with a tag made with the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch - well, what else?! Here's a picture of both pieces together:

So, if you would like to make a Scalloped Tag Topper Concertina Fold Card - either for the forthcoming international Mother's Day or a birthday card, here's my video tutorial showing you everything you need to know:

If you would like to purchase any of the Stampin' Up! supplies featured in today's project, just contact me or click on the links in the table below to go straight to my online store.

Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Scalloped Tag Topper Punch	Gingham Garden Designer Series Paper	Petite Petals Clear-Mount Bundle	Typeset Alphabet Bigz Die	Stippled Blossoms Clear-Mount Stamp Set
Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Basic Rhinestones Jewel Accents	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad	Melon Mambo A4 Card Stock
Daffodil Delight A4 Card Stock	Island Indigo A4 Card Stock	Night Of Navy A4 Card Stock	Punch Pack	Beautiful Wings Stampin' Up! Embosslits Die
Fabulous Phrases - Clear-Mount Stamp	Simply Celebrate

Today I'm sharing the last of the projects we made at last weekend's Christmas workshop: a stamped clay ornament and a decorated kraft gift box to put it in. Here's a photograph of the ornament:

These clay ornaments have a natural finish and can be stamped straight onto the surface, without any additional preparation. As we were going all out for Christmas, once we had stamped our design onto the ornament we stamped the pattern again with Versamark, sprinkled with Heat and Stick Powder and heated with the heat gun, then sprinkled with Iridescent Ice glitter and heated once more. This gives the finished item a more muted colour and a lovely sparkle that catches the light.

We also decorated one of the lovely ready-made kraft boxes from the catalogue to go with it - here's the top of mine:

Together they would make a lovely gift for someone, if you could bear to part with them of course! I will be using mine to decorate my tree during the festive season, but I'm sure I can make another one or something else to go in the box! I hope you liked my first Christmas projects of the season - there will be lots more where this came from. If you would like to join any of my classes, do get in touch for more details; my September card classes will be featuring the Mosaic Madness stamp set and then from October we will be doing Christmas cards all the way through until the end of the year.

Back tomorrow with the first of the weekend birthday cards: my brother-in-law is celebrating his 'big 40' with a party tomorrow and then my own 'Baby James' will be 6 on Sunday, so I've a few birthday cards to share. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Sweet Essentials, Four Seasons (hostess - retired)

Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Be of Good Cheer Designer Series Paper (retired)

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Real Red

Tools: Simply Scored, Big Shot, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 7/8" and 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punches, Merry Minis (star)

Finishing Touches: Champagne Glimmer Paper, 3/4" Cherry Cobbler Chevron Ribbon,  Cherry Cobbler 1/2" Scallop Dots Ribbon (retired)

I've been out today making the most of the lovely weather and enjoying a 5 mile cycle ride and BBQ with my family and friends at the school my children attend, but have a quick post to share that shows a really quick way to make a beautiful box that can be used to package a gift for someone special. OK, did I say 'make'? Well, I did cheat a little; I used one of the kraft boxes that Stampin' Up! sells and covered it in some pretty patterned paper then added a handmade flower for 'wow' factor:

The flower really is so easy to do: you just cut six flowers using the Blossom punch, then roll the petals around a piece of dowel or something similar to curl them. Each one is then adhered to each other, with the central flower rolled tightly and then the remaining sections less so the further away from the centre they are. Add some ribbon and a tag and done. These boxes are often overlooked in the catalogue as they are somewhat 'tucked away' on page 161; they cost £2.75 for a pack of 4, so represent great value and at 9 x 9 x 6.4cm are large enough to hold a candle, baked goods or any kind of small gift.

Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Tea Shoppe

Cardstock: Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper (Sale-A-Bration - retired), Whisper White

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Rich Razzleberry

Tools: Blossom Punch

Finishing Touches: 1/4" Rich Razzleberry Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon