Rustic Butterfly Wreath Friend Card

by Joanne James11. May 2019 10:00

Today I'm sharing a card for the current challenge over at Fusion where I used both the sketch and inspiration photo for my card:

   

Given that it features butterflies, it's also my second link up with Stamp Ink Paper this week. My card turned out to be a more literal interpretation of the Fusion brief than I'd intended - take a look:

 

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

A Quick Butterfly Wreath - My original plan was to create a wreath of layered diecut butterflies using the tiny butterflies in the Butterfly Beauty Thinlits set that I used on other cards that I shared with you earlier this week, however when I put it together the butterflies were a little too small and overwhelmed by the overall proportions of my card. As I was browsing my collection of patterned papers to decide what to use for the horizontal banner, I came across some leftover Botanical Butterfly paper from Sale-A-Bration. I punched out some small butterflies using my duet butterfly punch (this is finally back in stock now in the UK - hurrah!) and they were the perfect size for my project. I love the realistic details on each and because all I did was punch the out the effect took no time to create; perfect! I then used a plain piece of So Saffron cardstock for the horizontal panel to tie in with the colours. 

Wood Textures - I used a piece of Wood Textures designer series papers for my background, inspired by the door in the Fusion photo. I recall when I saw these papers unveiled at an Onstage event a couple of years ago, a fellow demo friend Karen was in raptures about them and all the awesome projects she could imagine making with them. I remember thinking she was mad, as I didn't think they were something I would use much - how little faith I had! As it turns out I've used these papers lots in my crafting and will be sad to see them go when they retire next month - yes, I have stocked up and suggest you do the same too!

Textured Textures - Whilst it's difficult to see in the photo, I added extra texture and interest to my Wood Textures DSP by running it through my BigShot with the Pinewood Planks embossing folder before adding to my card. This is something I often do if I'm using this paper for a background - it adds a lovely tactile dimension and interest to an otherwise simple card.

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 for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players where I am hostess this week and I have a fun colour palette for you! Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Coming Soon - Hugs From Shelli Exclusive Paper Pumpkin Kit Available In The UK 15th May

by Joanne James7. May 2019 16:00

Today I want to share with you news of another special kit that will be coming to the UK for the first time this month: Paper Pumpkin! For those of you that may not be aware, Paper Pumpkin is a monthly papercrafting kit offered by Stampin’ Up! that is currently only available in the United States and parts of Canada. This month's kit is a particularly special one as it was inspired and co-created by the founder of Stampin' Up! herself, Shelli Gardner. Because the 'Hugs from Shelli' kit is so special, Stampin' Up! has decided to give demonstrators and customers everywhere the chance to experience it. As such, the Shelli kit will be available as an exclusive, limited release in all of our global (Europe, South Pacific, Japan, and Quebec, Canada) markets starting 15 May.

The exact contents of the kit are as always a closely guarded secret, but here's a short video by Shelli herself that gives a flavour of what the kit has in store: 

 

Part of what makes a Paper Pumpkin kit special is that Stampin' Up! don’t reveal the projects inside the box ahead of time so when it arrives there's always a sense of excitement and anticipation for the good things inside. Shelli describes the kit as “A touch of earthy and elegant spring with lots of layers and texture.” I was lucky enough at Stampin' up!'s recent Onstage event to make one of the cards in the kit - here's a picture of what that card looks like:


Isn't that so pretty? Even the envelope is beautifully decorated inside and out. No more sneak peeks, but I can confirm the Shelli kit from Paper Pumpkin includes the following:

  • An exclusive stamp set not available anywhere else
  • One Classic Stampin’ Spot® from our Classic ink collection
  • Paper and crafting materials to create 12 cards (3 cards of 4 unique designs)
  • 12 exclusive, coordinating envelopes
  • Adhesives and embellishments for all 12 cards
  • NOTE: A clear block is NOT included with this kit.

In addition, the kit will coordinate with the following Stampin’ Up! colours: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Old Olive, Petal Pink, Pool Party, Pretty Peacock, Soft Suede, and Very Vanilla.

So how can you get your hands on one? The 'Hugs From Shelli' kit goes on sale on 15 May and will be available only whilst supplies last. Kits are expected to be popular and to sell out quickly, so either be ready to put your order in online or contact me in advance in order that I can arrange to order your kit for you; you won't want to miss it!

I'll be back tomorrow with another project until then, happy stampin'!

Dear Doily Sympathy Card for JAI455

by Joanne James6. May 2019 09:00

Today we have a public holiday here in the UK so we are enjoying an extra-long weekend - well, as much as you can when both James Juniors are revising for end-of-year exams and the weather outside is rather grey and chilly! We are at least enjoying the slower pace and I'm hoping I might even sneak in a little crafting later too. First up I'm sharing a card for this week's challenge over at Just Add Ink where the team are making sympathy cards:

These are sometimes difficult cards to make and it's sometimes good to have a few of these on hand that you can simply reach for when needed rather than need to make from scratch. There is a gorgeous set in the Spring-Summer catalogue that will sadly be retiring next month but is perfect for this type of card - take a look:

 

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

Dear Doily - So when I first saw the Dear Doily set in the seasonal catalogue, it wasn't at the top of my wish list, however my dear crafty friend Jan Clothier had this set and created so many fabulous samples with it (check them out on her blog here) that I eventually decided I 'needed' it and now I'm sad that this set is going away! The Doily Builder Thinlits are already sold out in the UK and have been for some time, however the stamp set is still available. It has some beautiful images but it's really the words in this set that get me; the gorgeous swirly font for the main words I used on the front of today's card that can then be paired with a number of alternatives depending on whether your card is to show thanks, friendship or sympathy. I used the latter on the inside of my card:

 

For a sympathy card, it is often difficult to find the right words and I think this set really hits the mark as far as that is concerned.

Make Your Mark With Markers - I kept my card fairly simple, using the Doily Builder Thinlits to create both some inset diecutting on the back panel and a frame for my sentiment which I really wanted to be the focal point of my card, but I did choose to add a single stem of lavender using one of the other stamps in this set. I coloured it with my Stampin' Write markers, colouring the stem in Tranquil Tide and the buds in Powder Pink with a little edging in Blackberry Bliss to create a variation in colour. Using your markers is a great way to add variagated colour to a single stamp; just ink them up and 'huff' on your stamp, and it will stamp a beautiful multi-coloured image.

A Fresh Colour Combination - I kept my colour palette subtle for today's card, with the exception of Blackberry Bliss which acts as a strong accent colour for my focal point. if this is a colour combination that appeals to you, please feel free to save it for future inspiration:

 

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. 

There is some great inspiration from the team and in the gallery over on the Just Add Ink page so you should definitely click on the link and check them out if this is something you often struggle with. Meanwhile, enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Perfectly Paired Decoupage Welcome New Baby Card

by Joanne James3. May 2019 08:00

Today I'm sharing a card for the current baby theme challenge over at Inspire.Create:

 There are a couple of cute baby sets in the Spring-Summer catalogue and both are set to retire at the end of the month. I used my favourite, Perfectly Paired, to create a colourful and fun baby card - take a look:

 

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

I've created a whole host of cards with the Perfectly Paired stamp set (check out this post here if you missed it) but they have all involved using the stamp in a single colour. This is such a fabulous stamp set to colour though and I spent a pleasant couple of hours with my Blends markers creating this card. I haven't listed them all out in the table below as I pretty much used all of them in one way or another! I stamped the image twice and coloured a few of the animals and fussy cut them and popped them up on dimensionals to create a fun decoupage detail. you can see that in this close up here:

I added a border using my favourite gingham paper and a stitched diecut edge using the Be Mine Stitched Framelits to finish my card.

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:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Copacobana Birthday Statements for ASYI

by Joanne James2. May 2019 07:00

Today I'm sharing a card for this week's colour challenge over at As you See It:

I've not managed to play along with this lovely group for a couple of weeks but when I saw this week's fabulous bright colour palette it was another one that I couldn't resist! Heather's inspiration photo is very 'copacabana' (yes, I have been signing the song ever since I read the challenge post!)  and I decided to try an idea that I saw on one of the samples in the Spring-Summer catalogue that I've never tried before - take a look:

 

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

I like large single-image stamps as they can be great for clean and simple and more layered cards and both of the main stamps in the 'Birthday Statements' stamp set lend themselves to this. I don't usually stamp them in a bright colour though unless I'm leaving them uncoloured, so the sample on page 19 of the catalogue intrigued me. I stamped my image in Lovely Lipstick, then coloured it with a combination of light and dark Blends markers in Pineapple Punch, Pink Pirouette (retired but the closest I could get to Powder Pink) and light Lovely Lipstick. I decided to carry on the bright theme and mount my coloured panel on a Lovely Lipstick card base with a strip of Pineapple Punch in-colour DSP and finished the whole thing off with some Lovely Lipstick ribbon and a bow. 

I think I like this colour variation; it makes for one bright card, but I have plenty of soon-to-be-teenager classmates of Ben's that I know will love it!

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:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Everything Is Rosy Is Now Available To Buy - Order Yours Today!

by Joanne James1. May 2019 09:00

Just a quick post to let you know that the Everything Is Rosy Product Medley is now available to order. You can read all about this kit in my earlier post here; also here's a quick reminder of what is included:

Contact me to order yours or alternatively click on the link below that will take you directly to my online store to purchase:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

 

The Everything Is Rosy Product Medley costs £74 and is available from today only whilst stocks last or until May 31st, whichever comes sooner. Order yours today - race you to the shop!

 

Purple Springtime Impressions Corner Card

by Joanne James1. May 2019 07:00

Today I'm sharing a quick clean and simple card for this week's challenge over at CAS(E) This Sketch that also works for another entry into the Addicted to CAS challenge which is all about contrasts:

   

This sketch was perfect for a tone-on-tone Springtime Impressions floral Corner diecut contrasted with a white front panel:

 

I diecut the edge of my white panel to but up to my gorgeous Grape diecut and adhered both pieces to my Highland Heather card base, paper-piecing a few of the flower centres and stamping my birthday sentiment to finish. I also trimmed the left-hand corner of the diecut to fit my portrait orientation.

That's all there is to it! 

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:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Butterfly Beauties in Blue For Just Add Ink

by Joanne James30. April 2019 07:00

Today I'm sharing a card for this week's colour challenge over at Just Add Ink:

 

I've not managed to play along with this lovely group for a couple of weeks but when I saw this week's fabulous bright colour palette I couldn't resist! I decided to go for a bold design to really make the most of all that colour and used my Butterfly Beauty Thinlits Dies for the very first time - take a look:

 

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

A Blended Background - I wanted something with lots of colour for my background but not too much detail so as to detract from the butterflies, so decided to use the two lightest colours and apply them using a sponge dauber in a circular motion until the colours were blended and covered the whole layer. I used Shimmery White cardstock for my base; I find this helps the colours blend better and I also love the subtle shimmer it adds to the card. 

Butterfly Beauties Indeed - I loved these butterflies the moment I saw them and I've had them for months, so I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to get them out of the packet as they really are gorgeous and the star of the show for sure on today's card. I used both of the large dies and layered them together, with a smaller layered butterfly to anchor my sentiment; the set rally is choc-full of butterflies in all shapes and sizes though - lots of creative possibilities. I'm so glad these are carrying over into the main catalogue as it will give me lots more opportunities to play with them. Just a quick reminder that whilst both the Beauty Abounds stamp set and the Butterfly Beauty Thinlits Dies are carrying over, the 10% bundle discount price will not, so if you want to take advantage of that you need to order before the new catalogue goes live on 4th June.

Friendship Abounds - The dies in the Beauty Abounds bundle are rather spectacular, but the stamp set is rather special too: alongside some generic sentiments, it has two great pairs of sentiments that are just perfect for that special friend in you life. The one I used on my card today finishes on the inside with '...out of a whole world of people' (I forgot to take a photo so you'll have to take my word for it!!) How lovely is that?

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. I'm early posting for a change and mine is shaping up to be a busy one. and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Out of Africa Wild About You Animal Print Card

by Joanne James29. April 2019 19:15

Just a quick creative post from me today following on from my earlier share about the 'Everything Is Rosy' limited edition product medley that is coming later in the week (you can read all about that here if you missed it). I'm sharing a quick card that I made at the weekend that was initially inspired by last week's CASology challenge theme of 'Africa' (now closed but you can check out their amazing gallery here) that inspired me to use up some of my epic stash of retired designer series papers with this rather intriguing sketch from the CAS Colours and Sketches team:

  

So here is my card: 

 

A selection of 'Go Wild' retired animal print papers, inset beneath a trio of apertures cut using my rectangle stitched framelits dies and a sentiment from the retiring 'A Little Wild' stamp set - that's all there is to it! It definitely felt good to use up some of those retired papers too.

I'm also linking up my clean and simple card with the team over at Addicted To CAS where their current theme is 'contrast' and I think my varied animal skin-inspired prints are definitely that!

 

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. 

I'll be back tomorrow with another project and compared to today's you might need sunglasses for it - bright is the word! Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Everything Is Rosy - Limited Edition Kit Available May 1st

by Joanne James29. April 2019 16:00

When I attended Onstage recently, we were updated on some exciting new Stampin' Up! developments, one of which was the development of a new concept called the 'product medley'. Product medleys are a concept based on demonstrator feedback. In addition to being filled to the brim with cute, coordinating products, they have been designed to provide you with endless creative possibilities.

The Everything Is Rosy Product Medley is our first product offering of this kind and this exclusive, limited-time collection of coordinating, petal-packed products has everything you need to let your creativity bloom.

The Everything Is Rosy Product Medley costs £74 and includes these exclusive products:

 

Here's a close-up of the stamp set detail:

And here's a selection of photos of projects made with the Everything Is Rosy Product Medley (there are more of these to view on my Facebook page that you can access here):

             

             

             

The nice people at the Stampin' Up! home office have also produced this short video that shows the products in the suite in more detail:

The set was shared with demonstrators at Stampin' Up!'s recent demonstrator-only Onstage event, however we have been unable to pre-order it so we will be waiting in line with you to get our hands on it! I can assure you the samples shared above really don't do this suite justice; having seen it in real life it really is beautiful, especially the rose gold elements. Everything is Rosy costs £74 and is available from May 1st until May 31st only or while supplies last, so if this set is for you, be ready to order as soon as it launches on May 1st as it is likely to be hugely popular!

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About Me

Hi I'm Joanne and live in Northampton and when I'm not looking after my husband and two beautiful children, am an avid crafter with a passion for all things Stampin' Up!

I must confess that I have never been a big rubber stamper - until I discovered Stampin' Up! that is. I love the fact that I can get such great results with co-ordinating stamps, inks, papers and punches - the possibilities are endless! Join me on my stamping journey as I share the things I love and be inspired to create amazing things yourself!

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