I have a quick card to share with you today that I made using the birthday stamp from the 'Oh My Goodies' stamp set:

I used last week's Pals Paper Arts sketch for my layout and took the opportunity to use up some retired Quatrefancy Specialty DSP and my Mosaic embossing folder to echo the pattern on the stamped panel. I cut out the stamped panel and a background layer using the Deco Label framelits, which co-ordinate perfectly with this stamp set. I also stamped the sentiment again in Pumpkin Pie and cut it out and adhered it across the centre, placing a same colour circle behind to add definition.

This is a great birthday card that would work for a male or female and will make a useful addition to my birthday card stash.

Back tomorrow with this week's Wednesday Weekly Deals and another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Oh My Goodies Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Deco Labels Collection Framelits Dies	Modern Mosaic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder	Circles Collection Framelits Dies	Island Indigo Classic Stampin' Pad
Island Indigo A4 Card Stock	Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad	Pumpkin Pie A4 Card Stock	Pool Party A4 Card Stock	Whisper White A4 Card Stock

It's Wednesday so that means a new collection of Wednesday Weekly Deals! This week's deals are included below - they will be available for one week only, before a new collection of deals is announced.

As always, if you want to take advantage of any of the deals on offer, you can support my business by placing your order online by clicking here or using the link to my store on the right hand side of my blog page where it says 'Shop Online' or with me in person. Don't forget to add the Hostess Code for September (you can find this under the 'Shop Online' section on the right). 

Here's a summary of this week's one-week only Wednesday deals - click on each item to go to the online store to purchase:

This weeks deals:

Banner Punch	Island Indigo 3/4" Chevron Ribbon	Modern Mosaic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder	Mosaic Punch
Ovals Collection Framelits Dies	Pear Pizzazz 12" X 12" Cardstock	World Traveler Photobook Template - Digital Download

More great offers this week: the Modern Mosaic TIEF and Mosaic Punch are both great prices and just over £16 if you purchase both. At £8.63 the Banner Punch is a bargain; what's more if you combine it with one of the co-ordinating stamp sets from the annual catalogue, such as Banner Banter (134060 clear, £12.95) this would make a great gift for a crafty friend for just over £20 - a good opportunity to get started with some Christmas shopping perhaps! Plus framelits, ribbon, cardstock and MDS - so much to choose from!

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

Happy Monday everyone! Mine has been a fun one; I had the first of my classes this month this afternoon and made Christmas cards for the first time - yay! This month's class featured the new 'Partridge & Pears' set from the seasonal autumn-winter catalogue as we also used it as an opportunity to get more practise using Stampin' Up! Blendabilities alcohol marker pens, following on for last month's class where we used them for the first time.

Today I'm sharing one of the cards I designed for the class, using a gatefold-type closure - here is the card:

The tree is stamped in Momento Black ink on Whisper White and coloured with a combination of Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Cherry Cobbler, Smoky Slate, Pumpkin Pie and Skin Tones Blendabilites then cut out with the Big Shot and Circle Framelits. It is mounted on a Cherry Cobbler circle cut with the next size framelit up and the completed circle is scored and folded and adhered between the base and liner layer. The other front section is covered with a piece of Old Olive that has been embossed with the Mosaic embossing folder. The closure for the fold is made by stamping the pear from the same set onto Whisper White and punching out with the 1" circle punch, which is matted on a piece of Cherry Cobbler cut with the 1 1/4" circle punch, and attaching with to the front of the card with a Stampin' dimensional, so that the main circle can 'hook' underneath it as in the picture above.

When the card is open, it looks like this: 

Lastly, a quick peek at the inside - there's still room for a sentiment over to the left, as it's hidden beneath the main front panel: 

I hope you liked today's card; it's a little different and a fun way to ring the changes with a stamp like this. I'll share one or two more cards from my class later in the week. If you live in Northampton or the surrounding areas and would like to attend any of my classes, do drop me a line - all ages and abilities are welcome.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Partridge & Pears Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Stampin' Blendabilities™ Markers Old Olive Assortment	Stampin' Blendabilities™ Markers Daffodil Delight Assortment	Stampin' Blendabilities™ Markers Pumpkin Pie Assortment	Stampin' Blendabilities™ Markers Smokey Slate Assortment
Stampin' Blendabilities™ Markers Cherry Cobbler Assortment	Stampin' Blendabilities™ Markers Skin Tone Assortment	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad	Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine
Circles Collection Framelits Dies	1-1/4 Inch Circle Punch	1 Inch Circle Punch	Modern Mosaic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder	Old Olive A4 Card Stock
Cherry Cobbler A4 Card Stock

This is a short post I'm afraid - I've already typed this once and lost it, so am furiously retyping (I'm blaming the computer rather than the operator though - bloggers prerogative!) Today I'm sharing another of the mosaic cards from last week's class, this time showcasing the Quatrefancy Speciality Designer Series Paper:

This is a CASe of a Janine Tinklenberg card that I saw on Pinterest. I love the bold colours of the designer paper and the stamped punched images really make it 'pop'. There really is so much you can do with this product suite; this card is simple in design, yet so effective.

Did you notice that all the cards in this month's class also featured the Banner Greetings stamp set? This is an exclusive hostess set that you can purchase with hostess credits earned on a qualifying party or individual order (£150 or more). There has never been a better time to host a party, with so many lovely new hostess sets in both the annual catalogue and Autumn-Winter seasonal catalogue to choose from. So what are you waiting for? Treat yourself to an early Christmas present of free crafting goodies and book a party with me today - get in touch to discuss available slots, there are still times available before Christmas.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Hope you've all enjoyed a lovely weekend; mine's been great, but I must confess to not enjoying the weather; it feels like autumn has arrived with a vengeance and I don't much care for it. I am missing the Florida sunshine! Anyway, today's card is one we made in last week's Mosaic Madness class:

I've seen a few versions of this card on Pinterest and this is my take - bold and bright in Melon Mambo and Bermuda Bay. This was one of the more complicated cards we tackled, as it involves two-step stamping and accurate placement using the stamp-a-ma-jig to place the mosaic stamps accurately on the white flag. Some of my ladies chose to cheat a little and stamp their images onto scrap card and then punch them out and glue them to the flag, trimming to fit; that's fine too.

I really love this colour combination and the combination of the stamps with matching embossing folder is just right. This embossing folder is one of the most versatile and the pattern can be used either embossed or debossed, each giving a different effect. One last thing before I go - I hope you like the new-look supplies list at the end of this post. From now on, the idea is to show each of the products used with a direct line to my online store. This will make it really easy for you to purchase items and take advantage of any online hostess codes or offers or simply order your items any time, day or night. You may notice a few tweaks over the next few days as I make this happen, but if you have any questions about online ordering, please get in touch.

I'll share our other class cards with you this week. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies used:

I'm back after another busy card class last night, which was great fun but I was home too late to post so am back on track this evening. We were using the 'Best of Flowers' set at yesterday's class and everyone made some great cards - I 'll share these another time. Today I have another Mosaic Madness card for you; something a little different:

To create this card, I used the mosaic stamp set along with the co-ordinating embossing folder and punch, but this time created a 'trellis' from the embossed sheet using the punch, and then stamping a two-tone pattern on the trellis so that it would really 'pop' against the Coastal Cabana ink and cardstock duo. I've been playing around with this idea in my head for a few days and having finally committed it to paper I'm really pleased with how it's turned out.

This set really is so versatile; I hope you're not tired of it yet, as there's lots more where this came from! I'll be featuring this stamp set in September's card class, so if you live in Northampton and would like to experience a little Mosaic Madness for yourself, then do get in touch for further details - whether an experienced crafter or first-time card maker, you will be more than welcome. We are not having a monthly card class in August due to the summer holidays, although on Saturday 3rd August I am holding an-all day Christmas Crafts Workshop, where we will be getting a headstart on our Christmas preparations - it pays to be organised, especially if you're a crafter!

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

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Mosaic Madness, Really Good Greetings

Cardstock: Coastal Cabana, Whisper White

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Coastal Cabana, Strawberry Slush, Crisp Cantaloupe

Tools: Mosaic Punch, Mosaic Embossing Folder, Stamp-a-ma-jig

Finishing Touches: Basics Rhinestones

All is well in the James household today, so it has been a day of catch-up crafting with the opportunity to tick a few things off my 'to do' list and also have another play with some new goodies! One of the best things about being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is that we get the opportunity to purchase items before the new catalogue goes live and in some instances even receive new product free.

For today's 'sneak peak, I've made a card that showcases some fabulous new mosaic products - take a look:

The word 'mosaic' means 'to create images with a collection of small pieces of glass, stone or other materials' and the products I've used in today's card are great for paper ones. There is a patterned embossing folder, a stamp set and a co-ordinating punch that makes it so easy to create these mosaic shapes in super-quick time. For my card, I embossed the background and then stamped and punched a variety of patterned mosaic shapes, interspersing these with one of the smaller images from the stamp set stamped straight onto the background. I cut away the outer edge to show the profile of these tile pieces and anchored the banner with a final mosaic piece on dimensionals and finished with a coloured rhinestone. Here's a close up of the detail:

I also took the opportunity to play with two new colours: the card base is one of the new in colours, Coastal Cabana, and the yellow I used is the returning Regals colour Crushed Curry. I love this colour combo. I hope you like this card as I think the set is called 'Mosaic Madness' for a reason - I am brimming with ideas on how to use it, so there will be lots more where this came from. There is a co-ordinating set of designer series paper too - a blog post for another time though!

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

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Mosaic Madness, Happy Day

Cardstock: Coastal Cabana, Night of Navy, Whisper White

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Coastal Cabana, Crushed Curry, Night of Navy

Tools: Mosaic Embossing Folder, Mosaic Punch

Finishing Touches: Basics Rhinestones