Today I'm sharing another card using my current 'stamp of the moment', the Flowerfull Heart, but this time on a non-romantic card that could be used for a birthday or just to send someone 'happy post'. I've also got a sneak peek of some new product that will be available at the end of the month as part of this year's Sale-A-Bration promotion. Excited? Well, let's take a look! Here's my card:

Aren't those Spring colours so fresh, after the darker winter colours that we've been using so much of in recent months? The base of my card is Crisp Cantaloupe, one of the feature colours of the Designer Series Paper that I've used, which is one of the products that will be available during Sale-A-Bration this year. I used Sahara Sand for my flag, which I embellished with an In-Colour Boutique Detail and some Calypso Coral baker's twine, but the star of the show is once again the Flowerfull Heart. Sale-A-Bration is always a great time to earn additional products and benefits, and is one of the best times of the year to host a party. I am already taking booking for parties during the Sale-A-Bration period, which runs from 28th January - 31st march 2014, so if you'd like to get in on the action, call me on 07773 421446 or email me [email protected] to arrange a party today.

A busy day for me tomorrow, with the first of this month's classes. Likely to be something of a challenge, as I have been completely without voice for the last 2 days, nothing more than a faint whisper. I'll let you know how it goes - I think I might have to take a whistle!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Flowerfull Heart Wood-Mount Stamp	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Magnetic Platform	Hearts Collection Framelits Dies	Card Stock A4 Crisp Cantaloupe
Crisp Cantaloupe Classic Stampin' Pad	Whisper White A4 Card Stock	In Color Boutique Details	Calypso Coral Baker's Twine	Sahara Sand A4 Card Stock
Basic Black Classic Stampin' Pad	A Dozen Thoughts

A quick post from me today as I'm keen to finish watching the rest of tonight's Great British Bake Off semi-final. Here's a birthday card I made last week, very similar to this one by Mary Fish, which is so easy yet so effective:

I thought this would be the perfect card for my teenage niece - girly, but not too childish with clean geometric lines. The in-colour designer paper does most of the work here without the need for lots of stamping. It was also a good excuse to get my bird punch out of the drawer, as he hasn't been used in a while. If you're quite new to stamping and reading this and thinking I've finally lost the plot as there isn't a bird to be seen on this card, you'd be right - but the wing shape from the punch in question makes the perfect flame for the birthday candles (so I'm not completely mad, just a little!)

Just before I go, it's Tuesday which means MDS Digital Download Day. Here's a quick look at some of today's new downloads:

Just click on the date button to go straight to my online store to download them.

Back tomorrow with another project - right now I'm off to watch the end of the Bake Off! Until tomorrow, happy stampin!

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:

Today I'm sharing a card that I made for a friend of mine who had a very special day today. She is beginning a new chapter in her life and today marked a key milestone - the opening of her new beauty salon. I wanted to make her a card to wish her luck and encourage her look forward and not back. This is the card I made for her:

It's a simple card using the two-stepped stamping of the Too Kind stamp set in Crisp Cantaloupe and Calypso Coral, on a white background that I cut out with a Circle Framelit and part-pierced to add a little interest and draw the eye to the flagged sentiment. The flag is finished with one of the in-colour embellishments. I used the week 139 #10 sketch at Less is More as my inspiration for this card:

As for me, I hand-delivered this card to the recipient today as I was booked in to have a manicure at the same time - too good an opportunity to pass up I think! If you're local to Northampton, I would recommend you check out Pamper Me Beauty - you can link to their Facebook page here and find out more about the services on offer. My nails look lovely; I might have to shoot a video tutorial for you so that I can show them off - any preferences on what you would like to see?

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Today I'm sharing a birthday card commission that I made for my sister-in-law's very special Mum, who celebrates her 70th birthday today. I decided to use a combination of some of my favourite of this year's in-colours and the lovely Secret Garden framelits. Here's the finished card:

I love the pretty ruffle trim ribbon and added a tiny sliver of silver glimmer paper to add a little sparkle. I must confess to having had a few failed attempts before producing a card that I was really happy with - I needed this card to be 'just right' and am pleased to say I was happy with the finished result. Here's a quick picture of the card I made for Ann to wish her a special 70th birthday: 

Not the best of photographs, I'm afraid - when flat you can see the sentiment through the aperture cut with an oval framelit - but hopefully good enough to give you an idea. This one uses a similar colour scheme and the Flower Shop stamp set - check out the vellum flowers on the front, which I stamped then heat embossed with Iridescent Ice for a lovely sparkle.

One last thing on my original card: did you notice the little butterfly stamped on vellum that highlighted my label? Here's a close-up:

This is one of the butterflies in the Papillion Potpourri stamp set, punched out with the Bitty Butterfly punch - these are the items on offer at 15% off when you buy them together before 30th September - you can read more about this offer here.

Both James Juniors are back at school tomorrow; whilst I'll miss them not being at home, I can't deny that I'm looking forward to getting back into my craft room for a bit more creating - lots to do!

Do come back in the next day or so to see what I've been creating; I'm looking forward to sharing some of my Christmas ideas and September is a month of birthdays for me, so I'll have lots on this front too. Until next time, happy, stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Secret Garden, Delightful Dozen, Memorable Moments, Papillion Potpourri

Cardstock: Whisper White, Strawberry Slush, vellum

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers:  Strawberry Slush, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding

Tools: Secret Garden Framelits, Oval Framelits, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig

Finishing Touches: Strawberry Slush Stretch Ribbon Trim, Silver Glimmer Paper, Basics Pearls

Another product update post for you: as some of you may be aware, there are a number of catalogue errors in the current catalogue (contact me if you would like a full list!), most notably the pricing of the new colour ink and cardstock bundles. This item was temporarily withdrawn from sale, but I can now announce that the following items are now once again available to order:

In addition, for a limited time only (until 3 January 2014) single markers in the new colours are also available to order individually at a cost of £2.95 each.

This is the last of the SU product update posts for the time being I promise! Back tomorrow with a craft creation (or two!) Until then, happy stampin'!

After all the excitement of yesterday's pop-up card, today I'm sharing another of the projects I made at my recent quarterly training. The new annual catalogue has some great new packaging options; today's project is a great way to dress up one of the bags from the 'Tag a Bag Gift Bag' kits for a quick gift:

A simple outer open fronted box adds some structure and the addition of a bright Chalk Talk gift tag, with a flower punched from one of the tags in the gift bag kit, finished with a Strawberry Slush embellishment and a showy bow of Crushed Curry Chevron Ribbon; a simple bag is turned into something truly gift-worthy with little effort. Great for a small thank you or hostess gift.

Back tomorrow with another project featuring the Tag-a-Bags; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Chalk Talk

Cardstock: Bermuda Bay, Whisper White

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Strawberry Slush

Tools: Chalk Talk, Pansy Punch

Finishing Touches: Tag A Bag Gift Bag, Tag A Bag Accessory Kit, Crushed Curry 3/4" Chevron Ribbon, Strawberry Slush, In Colour Boutique Details

Today's card is one I made at my recent quarterly team training and features lots of new items from the 2013-14 annual catalogue: new colours, a new stamp set, new embellishments. Take a look a the finished card:

It features three of the lovely flower stamps from the Flower Shop stamp set, including one that has been punched out with the co-ordinating punch. This is one of the many great value bundles available in this year's catalogue: there are a number of items which when purchased together, such as the Flower Shop stamp set and co-ordinating Pansy Punch, will receive a 15% discount.  The main card is in the new in-colour Coastal Cabana, and the punched flower is finished with one of the new in-colour embellishments in Baked Brown Sugar, which is echoed in the border edging. The rich yellow is the new Regal Crushed Curry, which is also the colour of the chevron ribbon bow - the star of the show as far as this card is concerned; I LOVE this ribbon!

This ribbon was one of my 'must haves' from the new catalogue; my only dilemma was exactly which colour I should purchase first! If you've now had a chance to look at the new annual catalogue and you too have a long wishlist of products you would like, why not get together with some friends and host a party? This is a great way to earn free products and you could make a version of the above card and have an evening of fun into the bargain. If you would like to host a party, please contact me today to book a date in the diary.

Back tomorrow with another project - a very special birthday card for a very special little boy. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Flower Shop, Perfectly Penned

Cardstock: Coastal Cabana, Baked Brown Sugar, Whisper White

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Coastal Cabana, Crushed Curry, Baked Brown Sugar

Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig, Pansy Punch, Scallop Trim Border Punch

Finishing Touches: Crushed Curry 3/4" Chevron Ribbon, Baked Brown Sugar In Colour Boutique Details

Today I'm sharing my team training swaps that I promised you on Saturday, but after a fun day at training yesterday was too tired to post. I completed one basic design, featuring the Mosaic Madness stamp set, but in five different colourways, each showcasing one of the new in colours. So here is the first one, with the base colour of Strawberry Slush:

The feature colours on this card are Crisp Cantaloupe and Coastal Cabana. Here is the second card, with a Crisp Cantaloupe base and feature colours of Coastal Cabana and Pistachio Pudding:

Here is the third card, with a Baked Brown Sugar base and feature colours of Crisp Cantaloupe and Bermuda Bay:

Here is the fourth card, with a Coastal Cabana base and feature colours of Calypso Coral and Smoky Slate:

Here is the fifth and last card, with a Pistachio Pudding base and feature colours of Strawberry Slush and Smoky Slate:

The design is intentionally simple - it needs to be when there are so many to make! I liked taking the opportunity to play around with new colour combinations and also I like the stamping of the same colour ink on cardstock that I used for the main card; this isn't something I do much of, usually but I like the effect and think I'll be doing it more often. So which colour combination is your favourite? Do you have a new 'number one' in-colour? Leave me a comment below or on my Facebook page - I'd love to know what you think. It's still neck-and-neck Strawberry Slush and Coastal Cabana for me; too close to call!

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

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Mosaic Madness, Happy Day

Cardstock: 2013-15 In Colours

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: As detailed above

Tools: Mosaic Punch, Itty Bitty Punch

Finishing Touches: Basics Rhinestones