What a lovely day for a Bank Holiday! I'm writing this post sat in the afternoon sunshine in my garden, that I have been lovely trying to whip into shape all day after a winter that has lasted far too long for my liking - a blissful weather day. Today's card is another showcasing the versatility of the Dress Up framelits (well, I haven't blogged one for a few days now, so it must be time for another!). Here it is: 

I love to design my own cards, but sometimes it's nice to recreate something I've seen designed by someone else too. Crafters are generous folks and don't mind you casing so long as you give them due credit; sometimes I just case because I really love the design and it needs no further explanation, however I decided to reproduce today's card because there were some specific things I liked about it that I thought would be good to share with you:

• This makes great use of the Tea for Two designer series paper; I had this out on my desk as I'd been using it for another project, but what better way to remove the indecision associated with which side of the DSP to use - simply cut out the mannequin and flip it over - you get to see both sides of the paper and there's no waste!
• This card is so quick and easy to make - you could turn one of these out in under 5 minutes. Sometimes time is of the essence!
• I love the little trick with the Bitty Banners: instead of printing and punching flat, you print and cut two banners, then cut the ends off one and adhere underneath the ends of the complete one using glue dots. This gives them just enough height to look like a ribbon floating across the mannequin. Another great way to get extra mileage from this set and create a different look.

This card was so quick to make, I made another one with a different banner at the same time - here they are both together: 

Well, that's all for today - I'm off to enjoy my first proper BBQ of the year. I can smell the sausages cooking - typing this for the last 5 minutes has been close to torture! Back tomorrow with another project - until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Calypso Coral, Bashful Blue, Tea for Two DSP

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Tools: Dress Up Framelits, Big Shot, Bitty Banners Framelits

Today's card is one I made a while ago when I was going through my Spring Sampler workout, but lost the photograph so had to take it again. This is a great birthday card for a 'little person' and would work for either a boy or a girl:

This type of card is so easy to make and really lends itself to a stamp set of small single images. Are you wondering how I got the curved edges on the coloured panels? I cut my strips to length and made them slightly narrower than 1 1/4", then fed the end into my 1 1/4" circle punch from the top so that only the end was punched, not a whole circle. I hope this makes sense - as I've tried to explain it I think I should have taken a picture as it would have been much clearer!

Back tomorrow with another project - until then, enjoy your Bank Holiday weekend and happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Spring Sampler

Cardstock: Whisper White, Real Red, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight,  Gumball Green, Tempting Turqouise, Crumb Cake

Ink: Real Red, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Gumball Green, Tempting Turqouise

Tools: 1" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" circle punch

Finishing Touches: Sycamore Street Ribbon (Sale-A-Bration - retired)

Well, it might be May, but this is so a day of April showers! After my third trip back out to the washing line to rescue my washing from another downpour, I gave up and resorted to the tumble dryer. Not very eco-friendly I know, but with sports kits that need to be washed, dried and ironed to be back at school on Tuesday, what is a girl to do?!

Given the weather, it seems like a great oportunity to share another of my training day outputs with you:

The Cloudy Day Embossing Folder is a personal favourite of mine, and my 'go to' embossing pattern at the moment - I love the ease with which you can create the cloud effect. A nice pink umbrella, fussy cut with my trusty paper snips - who wouldn't be cheered by one of these on a showery day? - and another Cute Clip, to highlight the sentiment. There's a lot going on around the sentiment - here's a close up view:

This would be a great card to brighten someone's day - I hope it has lifted your spirits too! I'm off to do a quick hour's crafting whilst the house is quiet, as everyone else has gone out to the weekly swimming lesson. Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Rain or Shine

Cardstock: Lucky Limeade, Pacific Point, Whisper White, Sunshine and Sprinkles DSP

Ink: Basic Grey, Pacific Point

Tools: Cloudy Day Embossing Folder, Scallop Trim Border Punch

Finishing Touches: Basics Rhinestones, 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon Basic Grey, Cute Clips

No stamping today! I have another Dress Up project from last month's quarterly training session: this time a lovely set of gift tags in a nice little pocket holder made using the Pop n' Cuts base again. Here's the outside of the box, decorated with its own dress on a Cute Clip hanger and another of those little filter paper flowers:

Open up the box to reveal a lovely set of dressed mannequin gift tags, each one with its own outfit:

This kind of holder is so easy to make just by adding in a couple of central score lines and box section to hold the tags; it would also make a nice notelet holder. As for the tags - what better way to ensure a gift for someone special is 'all dressed up'? My particular favourite outfit combo is the embossed filter paper sundress with the hot pink patterned bolero cardigan; leave me a comment and let me know which one you prefer, or better still how you would dress yours?

If you would like to get your hands on a gift tag set like the one above, you can do one of three things:

host a party during the month of May - this will be my hostess gift to thank you for booking a party and if you have party sales totally £300 or more, you could use your hostess credits to obtain the Pop 'n' Cuts Card base, Pop 'n' Cuts Dress Form and All Dressed Up framelit and stamps bundle ABSOLUTELY FREE!*

ask me about a class - if I have enough interested crafters, I will run a class featuring the Dress Up framelits and Pop 'n' Cuts base and you can learn how to make this set and more

contact me via [email protected] to place your order today

So many choices - I hope one of them tick's your box and I look forward to hearing from you. Back tomorrow with anohter project - until then, happy stampin'!

*Hostess credits for party sales of £300 totalling £75 (£50 plus £25 bonus if you host a party before May 30th) with one item purchased at 50% discount price

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Cardstock: Marina Mist, Sunshine and Sprinkles DSP

Ink: Basic Grey

Tools: Dress Up Framelits, Big Shot, Itty Bitty Punches, Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder, Fancy Fan Embossing Folder, Heart Punch

Finishing Touches: Basics Rhinestones, 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon Basic Grey, Creped Filter Paper, Cute Clips

Today is going to be 'Two Post Wednesday' (I know catchy!!) as there's big news as well as beautiful cards to share!

Calling all scrapbookers and journal writers - 'This and That' has arrived! If like me, you're always living life in the fast lane, but love to capture the funny and memorable moments in everyday life, this is the set for you - true journalling 'on the go'.

Check out this video to get a great look at everything that's on offer as part of this new package:

This and That will debut in the 2013-2014 annual catalogue, but Stampin' Up! is giving you the chance to get it now. During the month of May, there is an exclusive 15% product discount on this 5 item bundle when all 5 items are purchased together. The items can be purchased separately, but why would you do that when you can buy the bundle and save 15%? The 'This and That' range will be added to as time goes on, but the bundle discount is valid from 1st-31st May only and the items will only be available to purchase individually and at full price in the new annual catalogue from 1st July. The bundle contains plenty of stickers, washi tape and designer series paper, such that you will have enough to make cards and decorate other items too - lots of new, fun crafting items with tons of uses; can't wait to share my creations!

Click on the image below to download the details of the products on offer:

If you would like to order a 'This and That' product bundle, don't delay and contact me today to place your order. There's no limit to how many bundles you can purchase - which is great news, as this would make a great gift set for a crafty child or even reluctant writer; a great way to encourage handwriting practice without it seeming a chore!

Back later with today's project post. until then, happy stampin'!

As promised, today I have a card to match yesterday's lovely Melon Mambo treat holder, made with the Pop 'n' Cuts base. No dresses today, but another of those gorgeous filter paper flowers, this time hand-dyed yellow to really make it 'pop': 

This flower was made using the slightly smaller Floral Frames Framelit; the flowers can be coloured in a number of different ways - to achieve this effect, the edges were sponged with Daffodil Delight ink then the layers sprayed with a homemade mix of alcohol and shimmer spray to encourage the colour to 'bleed' and shimmer slightly. So easy and each time you make one, you get a slightly different look so all your flowers are unique.

The flower definitely takes centre stage here, however the background stamping, rhinestones and cute clip attaching the flag at the top all contribute to making this a great card, and one that perfectly co-ordinates with yesterday's treat holder. Here's a picture of both items together:

Rather lovely! Back tomorrow with another project and exciting news about a special promotion valid for the month of May only. To find out more, make sure you check back tomorrow for the full low-down. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Oh, Hello

Cardstock: Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Sunshine and Sprinkles DSP

Ink: Basic Grey, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight

Tools: Floral Frames Framelits, Big Shot

Finishing Touches: Basics Rhinestones, 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon Basic Grey, Creped Filter Paper, Cute Clips

I'm back with more Pop 'n' Cuts to share today, but not as a card. As I mentioned yesterday, in the same way that the Dress Up Framelits can be used without the Pop 'n' Cuts base, the base can also be used without the framelits as a structure to make a pocket or treat holder. Here's an example of one such treat holder, designed by the lovely Monica Gale, that I made at my quarterly training session:

How lovely is this? it was so easy to put together: just cut a base using the die and the Big Shot, then emboss the front panel, score in the base lines and punch some ovals for handles, then decorate as desired. We used some strips of Sunshine and Sprinkles DSP and made a gorgeous flower from the filter paper that features on page 7 of the Spring-ummer catalogue. If you haven't noticed this, at £2.75 for 12 sheets it represents great value and each pack has enough to make lots of flowers in all different shapes and sizes. This flower was made with 6 layers of filter paper and the second smallest frameit in the Floral Frames set.

This treat holder would be great to wrap around a cellophane bag of chocolates or a hand-iced biscuit (that's what I'll be using mine for!) as a sweet treat for someone special. Come back tomorrow to see the card I made that co-ordinates with the treat holder that features a 'stepped up' filter paper flower. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Friendly Phrases

Cardstock: Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Sunshine and Sprinkles DSP

Ink: Basic Grey

Tools: Pop 'n' Cuts Base, Floral Frames Framelits, Big Shot, Ticket Duo Builder Punch, Large Oval Punch, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder

Finishing Touches: Basics Rhinestones, 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon Basic Grey, Creped Filter Paper

Any of you who saw my Facebook post yesterday will know I am officially 'IN LOVE' with the Dress Up framelits and Pop 'n' Cuts Base in the Spring-Summer catalogue. I've been resisting purchasing them since the catalogue came out - I don't know why, because it really was love at first sight - but having used them at our last training session and spent a fun few hours with my downline Barbara playing fashion designers, I have finally succumbed. I have seen so many great examples of projects made with this set and I'm excited to share these with you in future blog posts.

Today I am going to share a card I made using all three elements: the pop 'n' cuts card base, the dress form and the framelits. So not much stamping today - Big Shot definitely required! I will share some projects later in the week that show how these can be used separately; when used together, they will make a pop up card with a mannequin to be dressed as you wish. For my first card, I used some of my favourite 'More Amore' DSP along with a Pool Party card base. Here's the outside of the card that you see when the card is folded shut:

Then when you open it, the inside looks like this:

How cute is that??! Dressed mannequin, complete with pearls and pretty cardi, in front of a mirror and dresser. What little - or big - girl wouldn't want to get this in the post for their birthday? Here's one last close-up of the mannequin:

This will, I feel, be the first of many such pop-up cards; come back tomorrow to see another use for this great set. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: One in a Million

Cardstock: Pool Party, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, More Amore DSP

Ink: Pool Party

Tools: Pop 'n' Cuts Base, Pop 'n' Cuts Dress Form, Dress Up Framelits, Ovals Framelits, Big Shot, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Small Heart Punch

Finishing Touches: Basics Pearls

Another birthday card today - this time a quartet of bright and colourful cupcakes:

I made this card a while ago and the layout is a case of a Mary Fish card - I love her clean and simple style - and the Create a Cupcake stamp set and co-ordinating punch make this kind of card really easy. Its also great fun to see how many different cupcake combinations you can make using this set. The punch also makes birthday candles a doddle to create - handy as I have lots of friends (and family!) celebrating 'significant' birthdays this year where large numbers of candles are required. A co-ordinated envelope too makes this card a sweet treat!

Back tomorrow with another project - I've been very busy in my craft room today and have lots of great projects to share this coming week!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Create a Cupcake

Cardstock: Pacific Point, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise

Tools: Cupcake Builder Punch

Apologies for my sense of humour, but I just couldn't resist! Today's card is a birthday card that I made for a male friend of mine, but would work equally well as as a female card and features one of the birdies from the Aviary stamp set:

This card was inspired by a Paula Dobson card I saw on Pinterest; I love the two colour design but I felt that the muted Crumb Cake layer needed a solid Island Indigo base card to really bring out the flashes of colour of the owl, sentiment and ribbon trim. Top tip if you fancy recreating this card - use a stamp-a-ma-jig to line up the bird cages; they're not as random as they look!

That's all for today. Back tomorrow with something special - until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Aviary, Sassy Salutations

Cardstock: Island Indigo, Crumb Cake

Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig

Finishing Touches: Sycamore Street Ribbon (Sale-A-Bration - retired)