A quick post from me with today's card which is for this week's Merry Monday and Freshly Made Sketches challenges:

Snowflakes, naturals and dry embossing - and here is my card:

When I saw the challenge over at Merry Monday, I knew immediately that I was going to use the lovely Early Espresso/kraft paper in the DSP Under The Tree Speciality DSP pack; I teamed it with the Mingle All the Way stamp, stamped in Early Espresso on kraft, which also has little snowflakes on it and punched this out using a 2" circle punch and layered it using a couple of additional circles. I used the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder for my embossed panel and had to finish with one of the little wooden snowflake embellishments from the Merry Many Stars kit - I love these and with I could buy them just one their own, I could find so many uses for them!!

I usually find monochromatic colour schemes so tricky, but this card came together so well and I love the natural look that this card has.

That's me for today; back tomorrow with my Design team card for The Paper Players; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Mingle All The Way Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder Die	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Big Shot Magnetic Platform
Circles Collection Framelits Dies	Under The Tree Specialty Designer Series Paper	Early Espresso A4 Card Stock	2" Circle Punch
2-1/2 Inch Circle Punch	Kraft 12" X 12" Card Stock	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad	Many Merry Stars Simply Created Kit

Today I have something very special that I've had to keep under wraps for a little while: the latest Stampin' Up! UK Stampissimo video has just been published and guess what? I am the starring demonstrator! I was so excited to be asked by Paula Gorry, Stampin' Up! UK Business Development Manager, to create a project for the latest video with the theme of 'Winter Treats' that once I had a copy of the Autumn-Winter seasonal catalogue in my hands, it didn't take me long to decide what I was going to use - the fabulous new Curvy Keepsake Box Thinlits Die. You can make all kinds of customised boxes with this die, but for the theme of 'Winter Treats' I knew I wanted to create a range of Christmas characters, with Rudolf the Red-nose Reindeer being the star of the show. It meant I could combine the box die with another of my favourite catalogue products that you've seen me use so many times on different projects - the Autumn Wooden Embellishments (LOVE these and one pot lasts an age!)

Here is the reindeer box that I demonstrate in the video - how cute is this?!

The project itself needed to be simple enough to demonstrate whilst chatting at the same time - the purpose of Stampin' Up!'s range of Stampissimo videos is to spread the word about Stampin' Up! to both crafters and non-crafters who may not have heard of Stampin' Up! and give them some insight into the products and the demonstrators who sell them. Whilst they are based around demonstrating and sharing a particular product or project, the informational nature of these videos mean they last longer than your average tutorial so you need to get comfy!

You can get the details for how I made the box above and see lots of other boxes featured in the video itself, but I wanted to share with you some of the 'behind the scenes' photos from my day and give you a little insight into the fun that I had spending the day with Paula and Kelly in the studio, along with the now infamous 'Ben and Jerry' film crew of Ben and James, who do all of the filming for Stampin' Up!'s UK events and did such a fabulous job of recording the day and producing the final video.

This is what filming looks like from behind the scenes -  a real case of lights, camera, action! There are cameras that shoot from the front and from above in order to get a full range of shots and the necessary close-ups. When I shoot video tutorials at home I use an overhead camera, but I'm sitting at my desk. When you're standing up it is quite tricky because you have to be careful not to lean over your workspace, otherwise all the viewer sees is the top of your head! Sounds obvious, but I found out there is a real art to working with your arms outstretched and not leaning too far into your workspace.

Here are a couple of shots of Ben and James, the guys that produce the video - I struggle to tell them apart - they're twins! - but as you can see, one is slightly more camera-shy than the other:

They really are the nicest chaps you could wish to meet and I think they did a great job with the final edit, although I'll admit I'm biased!

This is my favourite photo of Paula and I on the day, taken mid-take once we were properly relaxed and into the swing of things - we really were having fun:

Lastly, here's one of us all post filming each displaying our favourite boxes, the chaps included. They decided the boxes were so easy to make, they might even have a go themselves at making some to grace their family festive table. At the UK training day at Telford earlier this year, the Stampin' Up! demonstrators were treated to a video of Ben and 'Jerry' making their first foray into crafting Stampin' Up! style, so this may well be their second!!

Also, note the festive pot plant on the edge of the desk and the Christmas tree in the video - Kelly and Paula did their best to make the studio look festive, which was quite tricky given that this was filmed some time ago when the sun was shining gloriously outside and it was not even remotely autumnal, let alone wintery! A big thank you the lovely Kelly Francis, who took all of the above pictures - she is an absolute star!

Here are some additional pictures of some of the finished boxes that feature in the video - this is Santa's helper, the mischievous elf: 

This is the man himself, Santa Claus - with his head!:

This one is Santa - without his head! Perfect if you are short on time or want something that's a little more adult-oriented:

Then we have the cutest snowman - check out his twirly carrot nose! 

Here they are altogether - one big happy Curvy Keepsake Box festive family:

I hope you found the 'behind the scenes' tour interesting - now here's the video that you've all been waiting for:

In summary, a truly great experience and yet another of the fantastic opportunities available to me as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator working with this amazing company that allows me to share what I love, be endlessly creative, manage and motivate a great team and have a job that totally fits around my family commitments and enables me to achieve the best work-life balance I've ever had.

If you're reading this and thinking that you would like to know more about the benefits of becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, then do get in touch with me on 07773 421446  - I would love to have a no-obligation chat with you and tell you more.

If you would like to make Rudolf, the supplies list that links to my online store is below.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Curvy Keepsake Box Thinlits Dies	Big Shot Magnetic Platform	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Fuse Fast Adhesive
Autumn Wooden Elements	Chocolate Chip A4 Card Stock	Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker	Basic Black A4 Card Stock
Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Basic Pearls Jewel Accents	Stampin' Blendabilities™ Markers Cherry Cobbler Assortment	Stampin' Blendabilities™ Markers Skin Tone Assortment
Endless Wishes Photopolymer Stamp Set	1-3/4 Inch Circle Punch	Owl Punch	Tombow Multi-Purpose Adhesive

DON'T FORGET: 2 DAYS LEFT UNTIL THE FREE PACK OF PAPER FOR 6 MONTHS SIGN UP DEAL ENDS - CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE AND JOIN MY STAMPIN' UP! TEAM TODAY!

It's Wednesday and time for this week's challenge over at Colour Me...! where we have a playful colour palette for you to work with this week:

For my card, I took my inspiration straight from this week's challenge badge and those lovely spooky mason jars and decided to create a similar effect with the aid of my Silhouette Cameo - take a look:

I couldn't find a suitable file in My Digital Studio to work with, so I downloaded this Halloween Graveyard scene from the Silhouette store and cut it out of Basic Black. For the background, I sponged a panel of Whisper White using each of the challenge colours, having first masked off a circle with a post-it note punched with a 1 3/4" circle punch for my moon. I'm surprised at just how well these three colours blend together to create the spooky scene - it's really quite atmospheric. I left the front of my card sentiment-free and added one to the inside, as I didn't want to interrupt my picture.

So what do you think? This card was surprisingly easy to create with my e-cutter. Feel free to leave a comment on today's card, before hopping over to check out the amazing cards by the rest of the Colour Me...! team:

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Basic Black A4 Card Stock	Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad	Crisp Cantaloupe Classic Stampin' Pad
Elegant Eggplant Classic Stampin' Pad	Stamping Sponges	1-3/4 Inch Circle Punch

It's the start of the week and I've had such a busy - and productive! - day; I love days like that! I'm late blogging though, so a quick post from me with a card I made today using this week's sketch over at CAS(E) This Sketch:

I've been making Halloween card samples for a party that I'm running this week, where the hostess is mad about all things Halloween! This sketch allowed me to make a really quick and simple card using one of the cute monsters from 'Freaky Friends' and probably the only piece of designer series paper in the Motley Monsters DSP pack that I really wasn't sure about. Here's my card:

So my American friends tell me the little triangles on this paper are known as 'candy corn', a popular sweet treat at Halloween. We don't have it here in the UK and wasn't sure how to use it on my card, when it came to me - I could pair it with a stamp that I'm never quite sure how to use either - the 'Om Nom Nom' stamp in the 'Ghoulish Greetings' set and one of the cute little monsters from 'Freaky Friends'. So using the DSP as my starting point, I cut a base of co-ordinating Crushed Curry cardstock and added a pennant banner of the DSP. I stamped my monster in Memento Black onto Tangerine Tango cardstock and punched it out with a 1 3/4" circle punch and mounted this on a 2" circle punched out of Basic Black. I added a decorative twine bow using the extra thick twine in the seasonal catalogue (it comes in Old Olive too) and lastly stamped my sentiment, a combination of two stamps from the 'Ghoulish Greetings' set. I was going to go with the 'Om Nom Nom' on its own - I figured this is what the monster would be saying if he was eating all the candy corn, right? - but then I added 'my little monster' as I think I will use it as a funny card for one of the James juniors - either the one who is often my little monster, or the one who never stops eating - I'll leave you to work out which is which!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Motlley Monsters Designer Series Paper	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad	Basic Black A4 Card Stock	Card Stock A4 Crushed Curry	Tangerine Tango A4 Card Stock
Freaky Friends Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Ghoulish Greetings Clear-Mount Stamp Set	White & Tangerine Tango Two-Tone Trim	1-3/4 Inch Circle Punch	2" Circle Punch

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

As I'm writing my post today there is finally a break in the rain - hurrah! I hope that everyone here in the UK had a lovely Bank Holiday weekend, despite the dreadful weather across most of the country yesterday. I am now home, having spent a long weekend away in Somerset with my extended family, celebrating my Mother-in-law's forthcoming 70th birthday. We were fortunate to have had wonderful weather and spent a great weekend on the beach, fossil hunting, playing rounders and generally having a relaxing time.

Today I'm sharing a card I made a while ago as one of the samples for the UK Regional Training Day where I was asked to do a 'wow' technique presentation using the Traveler stamp set. This card is one of the ones that was actually inspired by the set, rather than featuring it directly, although the old fashioned brownie camera that inspired my card does feature on the inside. I decided to try my hand at a shaker card and created it to look like an old fashioned camera - here's the front of my card:

I used Soft Suede, Baked Brown Sugar and Brushed Gold cardstock and a variety of circle punches and both circle and deco label framelits to construct my shaker, and filled the window with gold sequins and some confetti squares cut using my fringe scissors from baked Brown Sugar cardstock and Champagne glimmer paper. I used the Petite Pairs sentiment set and heat embossed the first half of my sentiment in gold on the inside of my shaker frame. This was then continued on the inside of the card:

I also finished with the camera stamp. So what do you think - does my punch art camera shaker card bear any resemblance to the real thing? I thought this would make a fun masculine shaker card - proving even grown ups can be fun!

Back tomorrow with my Design Team card for this week's Colour Me...! challenge - and I have a fun 'sneak peek' Christmas card to share with you!

Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Traveler Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Petite Pairs - Clear-Mount Stamp	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Circles Collection Framelits Dies	Embossing Buddy
Versamark Pad	Heat Tool - Uk Plug	Deco Labels Collection Framelits Dies	Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder	Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad
Soft Suede A4 Card Stock	Card Stock A4 Baked Brown Sugar	Neutrals Candy Dots	Candy Dots Brad Bases	Gold Sequin Trim
Champagne Glimmer Paper	Shaker Frames	Medium Window Sheets	Brushed Gold A4 Card Stock	1/2 Inch Circle Punch
1-3/4 Inch Circle Punch	Project Life Corner Punch

Today I'm sharing my Design team card for this week's challenge over at The Paper Players. This week LeAnne is hosting and she has a clean and simple challenge to create a child's birthday card this week:

Those of you who follow LeAnne's blog, Wee Inklings, regularly will know that today young Miss Cassidy is celebrating her fourth birthday - hooray! having seen the other Design Team members cards this week, I can vouch for the fact that mine looks quite different to everyone else's! My cards today are not made with four year old girls in mind (nowhere near enough pink for that!) however as the mother of two young children, I make lots of children's cards. Whilst they are sometimes stamped, I am often asked to make something that reflects the current favourite game/toy/theme of the moment. Those of you who follow my blog will know I am partial to Lego and have created some great Lego punch art in the past (see my most recent one here), although this can be time-consuming and not all that clean and simple. Today though I am sharing two of my tried and tested punch art cards for young boys.

First I am sharing another of Ben's birthday cards from last week; this time, the one I made for him from his big sister. Now as is true for most young boys of his age, Minecraft is a game that provides hours of endless entertainment for him. I've made a few creeper cards that I haven't shared previously (creepers are the monsters that come out at night and take your life, so I'm told) - they really are so easy to make! - but I thought I'd share this one, as after a browse on Pinterest I saw this card and decided I wanted to make a creeper card with a difference. Here's the outside of my card:

A simple creeper face made from 1" punched squares, along with 2 pieces of 1" x 1 1/2", one cut in half lengthways, on a background of now retired Gumball Green (I think this is the best creeper colour, but you could substitute with Garden Green if you don't have any), then when you open the card, he really comes to life:

A simple pop-up - how fun is that?! This must be a record in terms of supplies, given that you can make one of these cards with some basic cardstock and not much else; it's also another 'no stamping' card - that's two in a week! Now I have to admit, as cards go it's not really my cup of tea, but then I'm not the target audience. The verdict? Rebecca thought it was awesome and Ben loved it, so if it ticks the box of the now seven year old, it's good enough for me!

I also wanted to share another clean and simple birthday card that I have made so many of, I can't quite believed I've never blogged before! All children seem to love shaped cards, and this cute Angry Bird is so easy to create using a few punches and a base made using the Circle Thinlits and the Big Shot:

A custom envelope from some co-ordinating Brights DSP made using the Envelope Punch Board and you are good to go. Two cards that are really clean and simple, quick and easy. Do pop over to The Paper Players to see what the other designers have come up with - I promise they will be quite different to mine!

It's Sunday and I'm off to town today to collect some frames for a private home décor class I'm teaching tomorrow along with a visit to the shoe shop for new trainers and school shoes for the children in readiness for the new school year. Still two more weeks to go, yet I'm sure it will fly by.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

1" Square Punch	Basic Black A4 Card Stock	Garden Green A4 Card Stock	Magnetic Platform	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine
Circles Collection Framelits Dies	Sweetheart Punch	1 Inch Circle Punch	3/4 Inch Circle Punch	Chevron Border Punch
Real Red A4 Card Stock	Daffodil Delight A4 Card Stock	Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Uni-Ball Signo Gel Pen

No blog post yesterday as I took the James juniors to the zoo for the day and had a team get-together in the evening and didn't manage to squeeze one in! We had a great day at the zoo and managed to dodge the worst of the rain showers, so all good. Today I'm sharing a quick shaker card designed by Monica Gale that we made at our last quarterly team training day:

Not the best of photos I'm afraid as I struggled to beat the refection and glare on the window sheet, but hopefully good enough to get the idea. Shaker cards are all the rage at the moment and whilst you can build a window with depth for a card with real 'shake-ability (I'm sure it's a word!), you can also get the effect simply and easily by creating a pocket behind a punched opening and adding just a few elements - I added some glitter stars and square confetti created with my fringe scissors. The front of the card is simply decorated with a few strips of All Abloom DSP, some stars punched from the new Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer paper and a tied bow made with 1/4" Real Red cotton ribbon.

Short and sweet today! Back tomorrow with another project. until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:

All Abloom Designer Series Paper Stack	Pictogram Punches Clear-Mount Stamp Set	2" Circle Punch	Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper	Medium Window Sheets
Fringe Scissors	Real Red 1/4" Cotton Ribbon	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad	Sahara Sand A4 Card Stock	Daffodil Delight A4 Card Stock

Well, it's been a little colder here in the UK today and we've had a fair amount of rain, which has kept us largely indoors for most of the day, but we made the most of it with some early morning baking (chocolate chip muffins - yum!), an indoor picnic and a pleasant few hours catching up with friends so all in all not a bad Tuesday.

Today I thought I would share another 3D project with you - a cute little owl gift box made using the Fry Box Bigz L Die that we made at our last team training session. Check out this cute little fella:

As 'The Crafty Owl', I was always going to like this cheeky chap, but the die itself has so many dress-up possibilities! The owl was so easy to make: the front of the box was covered with a piece of All Abloom DSP, then some black and white circles punched with the 1/2" and 1" circle punches, black eyelashes using the largest flower from the Boho Blossoms punch, ears from the Bird Builder punch and a Pumpkin Pie triangle nose from the Petite Pennants Builder punch then some Sahara Sand Scallop Ovals for wings. Some 1/4" red cotton ribbon was used to create a little plume of feathers and to tie a bow to adorn the 'For You' stamped greeting from the Chalk Talk stamp set, which was finally finished with a punched flower. Some filling was cut from yellow cardstock using the fringe scissors to support the box contents.

These fry boxes are the perfect size for a little gift or a few chocolates - look out for lots more variations on this in future posts.

Back tomorrow with the new weekly deals and my Design Team card for this week's challenge over at Colour Me...!

Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Daffodil Delight A4 Card Stock	Fry Box Bigz L Die	Bird Punch	Petite Pennants Builder Punch	1 Inch Circle Punch
1/2 Inch Circle Punch	Boho Blossoms Punch	All Abloom Designer Series Paper Stack	Chalk Talk	Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack
Real Red 1/4" Cotton Ribbon	Sahara Sand A4 Card Stock	Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Basic Black A4 Card Stock	Pumpkin Pie A4 Card Stock
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad	Scallop Oval Punch

Yes folks it's Wednesday already and so it's time for my Design Team card for this week's challenge over at Colour Me...!, where we have a 'playful collection of colours for you this week:

Now it's time to confess - I found this a really tricky collection of colours this week! I love brights, but I found it tricky to combine this overall combination and produce something I was truly happy with. So several binned prototypes later, and with the help from the sketch above over at Fusion, here is this week's card:

I decided to use pink and black as my key colours, with highlights of yellow and gold. Using a base of Basic Black, I added a top panel of Melon Mambo, stamped with 'Born to be loved' from the 'Groovy Love' stamp set, then added a wide band of Champagne Glimmer Paper across the join (Stampin' Up! has just introduced pure gold coloured glimmer paper, which would look equally as nice - I just don't own any yet!) I then stamped the animal print heart from the same set in Versamark onto Daffodil Delight and heat embossed with black embossing powder to give a textured shine. I punched the heart out with the co-ordinating heart punch, and punched a second heart out of Basic Black cardstock and overlapped the two before adhering onto my card. Lastly, I stamped the 'love' stamp from the same set in Melon Mambo onto Whisper White and punched this out with my 3/4" circle punch and adhered using a dimensional to add height.

So what do you think? Check out the other Colour Me...! designers for their take on this colour combination. I for one will be stalking this week's gallery in earnest to see how you all make this colour combination work for you!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Groovy Love Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Sweetheart Punch	Champagne Glimmer Paper	Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad	Melon Mambo A4 Card Stock
Daffodil Delight A4 Card Stock	Basic Black A4 Card Stock	Whisper White A4 Card Stock	3/4 Inch Circle Punch	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad
Embossing Buddy	Versamark Pad	Black Stampin' Emboss Powder	Heat Tool - Uk Plug