Hurrah for the weekend! Today I'm sharing a couple of cards I made using the current sketch over at Fab Friday that are also perfect for the celebrations over at AsYouSeeIt where it's all about the twos as they celebrate their 200th challenge - woohoo!:

I needed an anniversary card so decided to make something using my Botanical Tags Thinlits as one of them features a pair of birds - take a look:

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

Botanical Tags - I bought this bundle because I fell in love with the detail on these tags, but I think this is the first time I've used them properly on a card and the detail is so pretty. I decided to go with a dark colour and back it with a handcut tag using a scrap of Wood Textures DSP left over from another project. I think this tag works well for a wedding or anniversary card - they could be love birds, right? 

Layers and Textures - My card feels quite busy for me: tags, twine, banners, an embossed background and a stitched rectangle sentiment and foliage branch - that's a lot going on in one place! Aside from the diecut tag, the shapes are all quite simple and my patterned papers are used in quite small quantities so as not to overwhelm and I quite like the effect.  

Take Two In Green - I liked my first card so much, I decided to create another one in a green Mint Macaron/Tranquil Tide colourway. I switched out the embossed background from Subtle to Layered Leaves which adds a little more detail, and the back piece of DSP comes from the Tranquil Textures DSP as opposed to Share What You Love, and I added a flower embellishment to my slightly larger sentiment piece, but otherwise the cards are the same:

The colour scheme for the first card was inspired by the piece of floral DSP I used for my banner, but I quite partial to greens, particularly in home decor. What do you think - which one do you prefer? 

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin 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. 

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Botanical Tags Thinlits Dies (£25.00)	Share What You Love Specialty Designer Series Paper (£25.00)	Subtle Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (£9.25)	Rich Razzleberry A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	Petal Pink A4 Cardstock (£8.00)
Old Olive A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	Crumb Cake A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	Rectangle Stitched Framelits Dies (£33.00)	Best Birds Photopolymer Stamp Set (£20.00)	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad (£5.50)
Linen Thread (£4.75)	Layered Leaves Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (£8.25)	Mint Macaron A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	Tranquil Tide A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	Frosted Flower Embellishments (£6.50)
Faceted Dots (£5.50)

This is my second post today - read all about Bonus Days in my previous post here. As promised, this post has a little more detail about the fabulous new  exclusive limited time stamp set and framelits bundle called the Blended Seasons Bundle that has also been released to customers today, along with a new assortment of Watercolour Pencils. Whilst the pencils will be available in a future catalogue, the Blended Seasons stamp set and Stitched Seasons framelits will not - available now until 31 August or whilst stocks last, you have just one month to get your hands on this exclusive bundle! Here's a close up of the images and framelits in more detail:

We haven't had a set like this since Thoughtful Branches (one of my all-time favourites!) and I'm sure this one will be equally popular, so don't delay in placing your order - I wouldn't want you to be disappointed. If you order the bundle, you will earn yourself a Bonus Days coupon to use in September too - an added bonus indeed! Don't forget if you are placing an order online to also include this month's hostess code K6VBCUXK to receive a free thank you gift from me too! 

Here are some photos from Stampin' Up! that really demonstrate the versatility of this fabulous set:

This really is a set suitable for every season! One of the things I love the most is the framelits, that add a stitched detail to both the label and the negative space. This is something that I've featured on my card today, that features the gorgeous palette of greens with a hint of pink over at Fab Friday currently:

I used an old sketch over at As You See It for my layout to create my aperture and layered label with the Stitched Seasons on the front of my card, and then added some of the little diecuts to embellish the front, along with a banner of the Share What you Love designer paper:

You can just see a glimpse of that fabulous floral that I then stamped and coloured on the inside, using my ink pads and a blender pen:

I really am loving this bundle and can't wait to create more with it this month. If you have any questions on any of the above, then please do get in touch - I am always happy to help!

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin 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. 

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Blended Seasons Clear-Mount Bundle (£60.00)	Mint Macaron Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Mint Macaron A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	Mossy Meadow A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	Tranquil Tide Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)
Tranquil Tide A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	Powder Pink Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Powder Pink A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	Silver Metallic Thread (£3.25)	Pearl Basic Jewels (£4.75)
Share What You Love Specialty Designer Series Paper (£25.00)	Banner Triple Punch (£22.00)

Public service announcements first today - bear with me, there will be a creative post to follow for those that are here for the pretty stuff! It's sharing lots of new product too, so you're going to want to stay tuned!

Counting down now - only 1 day to go until the new 2018-19 Annual Stampin' Up! catalogue launches!

I have already sent out copies to everyone on my catalogue mailing list who has purchased from me in the last 6 months - if you haven't received one, then do give me a call on 07773 421446 or drop me an email and I will pop one in the post to you today.

This also means the following: 

Today is the last day that you can order from the 2017-18 Stampin' Up! catalogue - this includes any of the 'Bundle and Save 10%' bundles. Even though many of the products they contain are being carried over to the new annual catalogue, they will not be available as a discounted bundle.

It is also the last day that you can order from the 2018 Spring-Summer Seasonal Stampin' Up! catalogue - a number of the products in this brochure are being carried over to the new annual catalogue, however we will be saying goodbye to many items. There are still a few items available at a discount on the Retiring List here - today is your last chance to grab a bargain! 

Today is also the final day to purchase any of the special Share What You Love Suite bundles. You can read more about these fabulous bundles in my blog post here which also contains the link to the store should you wish to purchase any of the bundles. Whilst all of the items contained in each bundle will be available to purchase individually once the new annual catalogue launches, the bundles along with the free gifts won't. So if you what to start Sharing What You Love, get yours today!

If you are placing an order online today, don't forget to use this month's online hostess code T3H6GHNT to receive a little thank you from me. 

I will be back shortly with today's creative post - it's so good, it deserves a post all of its very own, so be sure to check it out!

It's half term here so I'm feeling stretched again this week, hence no blog post yesterday. I was also sending out my new annual catalogues to everyone who has ordered from me in the last 6 months so that they will be with you in time for when the catalogue goes live on Friday - can't wait! If you haven't ordered from me in the last 6 months and don't already have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator but would like to receive a catalogue, then send me your details to joanne@thecraftyowl.co.uk and I will arrange to post one out to you.

Today I'm sharing one of my favourite cards made with some of the products in the fabulous Share What You Love Suite that has been on early release this month - take a look:

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

Lovely Floral - Dynamic Indeed - You all know how much I love designer series paper and the papers in this suite are no exception, however for today's card I wanted to showcase the fabulous Lovely Floral Textured Impressions Embossing Folder and needed it to take centre stage, without a paper pattern to distract from it. The embossed detail is just gorgeous - I think this folder may move into my top 3! Whether on its own or tucked behind some additional layers as on my card today, it makes a card all on its own. I think it would make a fabulous design for wedding stationery too and so easy to mass produce.

Embellish With Love - I also used a number of the accessories from the Share What You Love Embellishment Kit: the label, twine and metallic rose brought my card together really quickly. Add some of the velvet ribbon, some coloured pearls and a sliver of pearl doily and it steps up the embossing folder to make for a quick card with lots of interest and detail.

A Beautiful Day - The only stamping is the simple layered floral and sentiment on my diecut piece - I stamped my petals in two different strengths by stamping off the outer petals first for added interest.

You have just one more day to take advantage of the Share What You Love Bundles, including free products and the exclusive 'Statement of My Heart' stamp set, before these items can be purchased individually in the new annual catalogue. This suite will also feature in one of my Monthly Product Technique Clasess in June - check out the details on my Facebook page or contact me if you would like to know more.

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin 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. 

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Gotta Have It All Bundle (£118.75)	Lovely Floral Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (£8.25)	Share What You Love Embellishment Kit (£10.25)	Love What You Do Photopolymer Stamp Set (£20.00)	Rich Razzleberry 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Velvet Ribbon (£7.50)
Pearlized Doilies (£4.25)	Share What You Love Artisan Pearls (£5.50)

Today a quick post from me to share something a little different - a 3D framed home decor piece featuring the Statement of My Heart single stamp that is available exclusively this month with the 'Gotta Have It All' Bundle that forms part of the early release of the Share What You Love Suite. 

You can find full details of the bundles that are on offer in my previous blog post here - I was inspired to create this piece, which features the Stampin' Up! Statement of the Heart for my office, using the stamp and some of the fabulous Share What You Love Specialty Designer Series Paper:

I went for something of a vintage theme, stamping my words and then after sponging the edges of my white cardstock with some Crumb Cake ink, framing the verse with the oval piece of Delightfully Detailed Laser-cut Specialty Paper. I backed this piece with a sheet of the Share What You Love Specialty DSP, and to finish, I added some of the lovely pearlescent embossed flowers that I fussy cut from the DSP, some pearls and a little Rich Razzleberry velvet ribbon, before framing in a rather elaborate frame.

A little different in style for me, but so pretty and a great way to immortalise these wonderful words. If you would like to create a home decor piece like this one, you only have until the end of the month to purchase the bundle and receive this exclusive stamp set for free, so hop on over to the online store before it's gone for good.

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Gotta Have It All Bundle (£118.75)

Happy Monday everyone! Today it's a Bank Holiday and therefore a national holiday here in the UK so we have enjoyed a long weekend along with some wonderful sunshine to boot! Today I'm sharing a card using Jen's sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches that also works for the 'O' challenge over at Just Add Ink - I've been so busy out enjoying the sunshine I didn't make time to photograph my card in time to link up at FMS, despite hoping that I was going to manage to play along with these 2 challenges for the second week running as they are a couple of my favourites. You should definitely check them out, their Design Teams are awesome! Here are this week's challenge badges:

I was intrigued by Jen's sketch this week as whilst a simple oval it occurred to me that I rarely use ovals in my card making, so I thought I would give it a go. I've included the photo inspiration for last week's challenge over at StampInkPaper because although I'm not linking up there, it was this inspiration photo that led me to create today's style of card that I am ultimately going to link up over at Just Add Ink with my 'o' for 'oval' - take a look:

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

Sharing What You Love - I have been busy making lots of samples with the fabulous 'Share What You Love' set that is on early release to customers this month using the products and colours in the bundles, so wanted to make something a little different. This card is all about the textures and so I kept my colour palette neutral: wood, white, vanilla, linen and a little Old Olive. Another way to share what I love!

A Rustic Theme - I don't use my Wood Textures papers anywhere near enough and decided to use them both for the background and my heat-embossed flowers. I added a little linen thread and the texture of my oval surround along with a little fussy cutting and a few pearls adds to the rustic feel of my card.

Delightfully Detailed Ovals - I have a new paper love: the Delightfully Detailed Laser-cut Specialty Paper is just beautiful! For my card, I used one of the oval pieces and used it to frame my focal point - it's just so pretty.

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin 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. 

This card is a little different for me but it's nice to experiment once in a while and step outside of my comfort zone. What do you think - did it work? I'd love to hear your thoughts below.

I hope you've all had wonderful days and that the weather is as glorious where you are! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Just Getting Started Bundle (£53.25)	Delightfully Detailed Laser-Cut Specialty Paper (£13.00)	Wood Textures Designer Series Paper Stack (£9.00)	Old Olive A4 Cardstock (£7.25)	Linen Thread (£4.25)	Very Vanilla A4 Thick Cardstock (£6.50)
White Stampin' Emboss Powder (£4.50)	Versamark Pad (£7.75)	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad (£6.00)

It's clear many of you are enjoying the early release of the Share What You Love Suite (if you missed it, you can read all about it in Tuesday's post here) so today I thought I would share a card that I made as one of my make and takes at Stampin' Up!'s recent Onstage event featuring lots of the products in this fabulous suite - take a look:

The card base is the returning Mint Macaron with a little tone-on-tone stamping, then there is layering of vellum, Share What You Love Designer Series Papers and embellished with a pearlised doily, velvet ribbon and the Share What You Love Artisan Pearls. Finished with one of the sentiments from the Love What You Do stamp set, this card shows just how easy it is to create fresh, beautiful cards with this suite and the Gotta Have It All bundle.

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin 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. 

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Gotta Have It All Bundle (£118.75)

We know that a new catalogue is always a highly anticipated event, so the lovely people at Stampin' Up! have decided to offer a little something to whet your appetite and is releasing the Share What You Love Suite in advance of the catalogue going live and better still - it can be yours from today!

The Share What You Love Suite has been designed to celebrate Stampin' Up!'s 30th anniversary and is a tribute to all of the people who have made - and continue to make - Stampin' Up! what it is today: employees, demonstrators and you our customers. Featuring delicate florals and a pearl theme throughout, the suite contains two stamp sets and lots of co-ordinating embellishments and accessories. For those who choose to join us in celebrating the good times during the month of May and the early release, there is also the opportunity to receive your very own exclusive Statement Of My Heart single stamp, detailing the Stampin' Up! mission statement:

The Share What You Love Suite Early Release will be available as three exclusive bundles, suitable for every crafter. This is what each of the bundles looks like in more detail:

The Just Getting Started Bundle is aimed at the new crafter - it contains an acrylic block, stamps, ink and paper and some free envelopes - everything you need to get started and create beautiful, simple projects. You can purchase it by clicking on the link to my online store below:

Just Getting Started Bundle (£53.25)

If you're the kind of crafter that likes to add a little something extra to your projects, then The A Little More Please bundle is for you. Containing not one but two stamp sets, additional coloured cardstock and some beautiful embellishments to enable you to 'step up' your projects. In addition to a free pack of envelopes, you will receive the Share What You Love Embellishment kit for free too, containing a ton of extra bits and pieces and contained in a beautiful presentation box that you can reuse too. You can purchase it by clicking on the link to my online store below:

A Little More, Please Bundle (£85.50)

And finally we have the 'Gotta Have It All' bundle:

Last but by no means least we have the ultimate crafter's companion - if you really do need to have it all, then this bundle is for you: in addition to the items above you will also receive the beautiful Share What You Love Designer Series Paper with pearlescent detail, an embossing folder and that Statement of My Heart stamp set as an additional free gift. You can purchase it by clicking on the link to my online store below:

Gotta Have It All Bundle (£118.75)

This bundle costs £118.75, but could be yours for just £99 if you join my team. This suite of products has everything you need to get started with classes, parties and workshops if that's your thing, or perhaps you just like the idea of being in crafting heaven with lots of beautiful new items to craft with and would like to enjoy an ongoing discount on future product purchases. 

If you would like to see each of these bundles in more detail, Stampin' Up! have created this great video for you:

I am excited to be creating with this fabulous new bundle of products and look forward to sharing lots of samples with you in the near future. If you have any questions or would like to chat with me about how to obtain the Gotta Have It All Bundle as part of a starter kit, then do get in touch - I would love to hear from you.

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!