Labels To Love Quick and Easy Christmas Cards Two Ways

by Joanne James25. October 2017 20:19

I've been busy hosting a few Stampin' Up! parties this month - the current hostess promotion to earn the Merry Patterns stamp set means that it's a great time to gather with friends for an evening of creative fun. Today I'm sharing a couple of the cards that my hostesses and friends have had the opportunity to make:

 

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

Labels To Love - The Merry Little Labels stamp set and Everyday Punch bundle have been very popular with my customers and I wanted to share the other stamp set in the catalogue that also co-ordinates with the Everyday Label Punch: Labels To Love. There are sentiments for a variety of occasions in this set, not just Christmas, and each of them fits the Everyday Label Punch - that makes for a winner in my book! We used a couple of the Christmas sentiments and paired it with the festive Quilted Christmas papers. I even decorated the envelope flaps with a piece of co-ordinating paper in the alternating colourway. Here's one of them - you can see the second one at the bottom of this post:

 

Add Sparkle With Tinsel - The Mini Tinsel Trim is great for decorating your Christmas packages but is also great for adding a touch of sparkle to your cards. here we tied knots in each end and created a loop behind the label for a quick touch of glitz. 

A Quick Card Solution - These cards are a slightly smaller than a standard card size, measuring 12.7cm x 8.9cm, as we used Stampin' Up!'s white notecards and envelopes for speed. They arrive pre-scored and with envelopes included and are great if you are mass-producing or want to make some quick and easy cards, for Christmas or any time. They are also great for children's cards - both the James Juniors go through a pack of these when making up their Christmas cards for classmates.

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've had lots of fun making these cards with some of my party groups; check out my Facebook page if you'd like to see some of the action. Equally if you would like to get together with friends for an evening of crafty fun in the run up to Christmas, do get in touch - I would love to share Stampin' Up! with you.

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.

Painted Harvest Christmas Wreath CAS Card

by Joanne James11. October 2017 20:51

Wednesday already?! Just time for a really quick share of another clean-and-simple Christmas Wreath using the Painted Harvest stamp set that I made with some ladies in a Christmas card class a couple of weeks ago:

 

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

A Christmas Wreath - Today's Painted Harvest stamp set Christmas wreath uses the largest of the petal stamps, stamped once in Wild Wasabi then rotated through 180 degrees before inking and stamping again in Garden Green over the top. This gives a much fuller, more dimensional wreath than the one on Monday's card. I then used the small dot stamp to stamp my Real Red berries.

Painted Autumn - I added a narrow strip of Painted Autumn designer series paper to my card; I love that the reverse side of our papers often feature a more neutral design, such as these watercoloured stripes, that lend themselves to more than just autumn/fall projects. Some of the ladies in my class used the leafy pattern on the reverse of this strip and I must say that looked great too. I'm so happy the Painted Autumn papers are included in the 'buy 3, get 1 free' offer on designer series paper this month too - all the more reason to stock up!

Season's Greetings - Today's card features a big, bold sentiment from the 'Snowflake Sentiments' set, perfect for today's card and not a snowflake in sight!

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. 

Hopefully 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.

Give Thanks For Labels To Love And The Paper Players PP365

by Joanne James8. October 2017 09:00

It's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! I am your host this week and I have a colour challenge for us to work with:

 

I took the opportunity to make a fall-inspired thank you card this week that works for a few additional challenges too; I used the sketch over at Just Add Ink, the middle vertical column of the tictactoe board over at Paper Craft Crew and the theme challenge over at Global Design Project:

Tic Tac Toe PCC Challenge 262         

My starting point for today's card was this gorgeous patterned paper from the Painted Harvest designer series paper pack - take a look:

 

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

Even More Painted Autumn For Your Pennies - You all know how much I love designer series paper, and the Painted Autumn collection is definitely up there as one of this season's favourites. Bold, watercoloured images in beautiful autumnal colours what could be better? How about more for less? Yes, Painted Autumn is one of the designer series papers that is included in the 'Buy 3, get 1 free' sale that is running throughout October. You can read more about that here or purchase directly from my online store - I for one will be stocking up for sure. 

Give Thanks For Labels To Love - I used the sentiment and border stamp from the 'Labels To Love' stamp set on my card today. This set, on page 45 of the seasonal catalogue, is an additional set that coordinates with the Everyday Label Punch besides the 'Merry Little Labels' set that the punch is bundled with. There are some great sentiments in this set but I think this one is my favourite - we all have so much to be thankful for. I added a couple of the Touches of Nature wooden flowers that I heat embossed with some now-retired Crushed Curry embossing powder to my label, along with some vellum leaves and a leaf-embossed stitched circle behind to create a bit of a collage of my focal point. 

Not Just An Everyday Label - The Everyday Label Punch is proving a very popular choice for many of my customers and it's easy to see why: in addition to punching out the standard shape, there are a number of ways the punch can be used to make either shorter or longer labels, to create layers or even to create different shapes. By shortening my punched label I created more of a square shape for the sentiment on my card today. I love a punch that is versatile and has lots of alternative uses! 

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 Product and 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

Before you reach for your ink and papers, check out what our amazing team has created to inspire you this week:

The Paper Players Design Team
 
 
Here's a quick recap of our challenge rules:
 
1.  Create a new paper project
2.  Upload your creation to your blog with a link back to us and provide a direct link to the post featuring your challenge submission.
3.  Please link your card to no more than four challenges, TOTAL (that includes any you design for) .
4.  Have FUN! 

 

I look forward to seeing what you create with this week's colour palette. Enjoy the rest of your weekend as it will be over all too quickly; my niece is celebrating her 18th birthday this coming week so we are off for a family gathering of 'cake and cocktails' this evening to celebrate, which we are all looking forward to.

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.

Traditional Iconic Christmas Tree Card for World Card Making Day

by Joanne James7. October 2017 19:00

Happy World Card Making Day everyone! I hope you all managed to get some time in your craft rooms to make a card or two today. I spent the morning running errands and working with a client to finalise the design of their wedding stationery (always exciting!) but did manage to get a couple of hours in my craft room this afternoon to make a couple of cards; here's one of them that I'm entering for this week's challenge over at Merry Monday where the challenge is to feature a Christmas tree on your card and at Stamps Ink Paper where it's card maker's choice:

   

I immediately knew where I was going with this one - I chose my favourite Christmas tree of the season and this is what I came up with:

 

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

Iconic Christmas - This Christmas tree from the Iconic Christmas set stands on its own and has so much interest and detail, it doesn't need much else. I stamped the tree once onto Whisper White then again onto Garden Green and cut out the second tree, so that the images beneath would show through. I heat embossed the sentiment in gold onto a strip of vellum so that it wouldn't obscure the tree and simply wrapped this around my central panel.

Make the Most of Minis - I cut out my green Christmas tree using the Ornamental Christmas Framelits and used a whole bunch of mini Stampin' dimensionals on the solid sections to pop up my tree for added dimension. These really are so useful and their smaller size compared to our standard dimensionals makes them perfect for getting into small spaces. Nice things come in small packages as the saying goes and these are a great example of that!

Festive Colour Combo - Whilst the teeny, tiny images can be coloured with marker pens, I decided to keep things simple on today's card and instead stamped the co-ordinating images (the ones that look very strange in the catalogue, because you can't see how they come together until you stamp all three layers!) each in Real Red and Garden Green in keeping with my festive colour combination. I coloured a couple of additional images with my Crumb Cake marker pen, added a panel of Quilted Christmas paper with the simple stitched Christmas tree design behind to complete my card. Here is my trio of festive colours - feel free to save it for your 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. 

Before I go, just a reminder that the World Card Making Day offers from Stampin' Up! have a few more days to run until the 10th of the month; get the full details here. I have an order going in tomorrow; if you are local to me and would like to add on to it to save P&P just give me a call. 

That's all from me today I'll be back tomorrow with another project for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players where I am the hostess. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

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

Stampin' Up! Offers Galore: World Card Making Day and Designer Series Paper Offer

by Joanne James4. October 2017 14:00

Hello everyone! I've had a busy start to my week: barely recovered from my weekend of exhibiting at the Crafting Live Show in Stoneleigh Park at the weekend, then two days of classes and today a wisdom tooth removal. The latter has at least resulted in an enforced day of quiet today for a change as I am to take it easy - dentists orders!  

So I thought I would take the time to catch up and share with you some news of some fantastic promotions that Stampin' Up! has for this week and month. Firstly, for papercrafters everywhere, to celebrate World Card Making Day on 7th October we have a number of products that are available on offer from 1st-10th October:

 

 

 

Lots of great card making staples in there, including great deals on Fast Fuse and notelets and envelopes and some fabulous stamp sets. 

As if that wasn't enough, there is also an amazing 'buy three, get one free' offer on designer papers for the entire month of October:

 

This sale includes Designer Series Paper from both the annual catalogue and the recently released autumn/winter catalogue (not including Specialty Designer Series Paper or Designer Series Paper Stacks). Here is a close up of some of the paper collections that are included in this offer: 

 

You can already find lots of samples using these papers on my blog and I will continue to share lots more inspiration in the coming months. 

Before I go I have one last piece of exciting news to share with you: Stampin' Up! is getting ready to launch its new range of alcohol-based marker pens:

StampinBlends_Demothumb_SPUKCA

Stampin’ Blends as they will be known, are high-quality, dual-tip markers that come in twelve exclusive Stampin’ Up! colours. They each have a light and a dark shade, which will give you the utmost blending experience! The range also includes an ivory, bronze and colour lifter marker. These are currently only available to demonstrators until 15th October and the exact customer launch date is still to be confirmed. I have a great reason to be sharing them with you now though: if you, like me, love to colour and have been hotly anticipating the arrival of these markers, you might want to consider joining Stampin' up! as a demonstrator before the 15th October, as you are able to get the whole set as part of your starter kit, and still have room for a few other goodies too! If this is something you would like to chat with me about, then do get in touch for more information.

That's all from me; I'll be back tomorrow with a project to share with you. 

Until then, happy stampin'!

The New Autumn-Winter Stampin' Up! Catalogue Is Here And A Host Promotion Too!

by Joanne James1. September 2017 05:00

Happy 1st September everyone! Yes, this day has finally arrived! The new Autumn-Winter Seasonal Catalogue is here - you can download an electronic copy by clicking on the image below:

 

Physical catalogues have gone out in the post to my existing customers and anyone else who requested a copy; there will of course be a permanent link to the catalogue in the box on the right side of my blog page until 2nd January 2018 when the sales period ends. I've already shared a few sneak peeks and there is so much more to come! For today, put your feet up and browse the new catalogue in all its glory.

And there's more good news! Between now and the end of October, we have a fabulous promotion too - host a party with qualifying sales and you can earn the Merry Patterns stamp set for FREE in addition to your standard Stampin' Rewards that you will receive. Check it out here:

 

The Merry Patterns Stamp Set is a two-step stamp set exclusive to this promotion and, with its candles, holly, jolly deer and classic sentiments, reflects all the cosiness and warmth you associate with the season. As a party host you will get this set for free if your party sales reach the qualifying amount of £250. So why not gather some friends, get creative and earn rewards and a free stamp set into the bargain! I have both daytime and evening party slots available - either call me on 07773 421446 or email me via [email protected] to book yours.

The lovely people at Stampin' Up!'s home office have also produced a short video that shows the Merry Patterns stamp set in action along with some great samples - check it out:

Isn't that great?! Lots of creative possibilities for sure with this set. 

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or queries. Don't forget to use this month's current hostess code KJ9FSDMS if you are placing an order online to receive an extra thank you from me. Back soon with more creative inspiration for you. Until then, happy browsing and get writing that wish list! 

 

Carols Of Christmas Available Now To Order!

by Joanne James21. August 2017 19:30

Today I'm sharing a card for the current colour challenge over at As you See It:

 

Continuing with my run of Christmas cards, I decided it was time to finally ink up my new Carols of Christmas bundle - take a look:

 

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

Carols of Christmas - Carols of Christmas is a bundle that features in the new forthcoming Autumn-Winter seasonal catalogue. Christmas has come early at Stampin' Up! though and it has been available to all customers to purchase since the beginning of August, a whole month early. It features two large focal sentiments and a range of accompanying pieces, with everything from baubles to poinsettias and a sweet deer. Here I've inked the sentiment in Elegant Eggplant and Real Red, using the rock 'n' roll ink technique to blend the colour across the centre of the stamp for a two-tone effect.

Frame Your Card - The Carols Of Christmas bundle also includes some great card front builder thinlits that can be used to create frames and decorative borders to your cards. I used the patterned edge frame on my card today. It adds a nice decorative border to your card without being too fussy. 

Hanging BaublesI also cut out my ornaments individually using the co-ordinating thinlits; this is useful as it means you can be lazy when stamping the baubles and strings and stamp them in the colour that you want for your strings (here I stamped them in black) then stamp them again on some scrap paper in your chosen colours, then just cut out the baubles and pop them on top of the original stamped ones, enabling you to combine colours with ease. If you look at your card at an angle (see my thumb nail at the top of this post), you will be able to see the original stamps underneath if you pop you ornaments onto mini dimensionals - which are perfect for this by the way! - but they can't be seen from the front, so worth the time saved I think. I also used a few leftover baubles to decorate the inside of 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. 

So I have something of a confession to make: this is actually the second card I made for this week's As You See It challenge - I had an idea that I used for the first one but when finished I wasn't sure that I liked the finished result. I might share that one with you tomorrow to see what you think!

I have the second of my technique classes this month tomorrow morning so am looking forward to working with the Color Theory Suite, which is our bundle of choice. 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.
 
Carols of Christmas

The Clearance Rack Has Updated - Grab A Bargain Today!

by Joanne James15. August 2017 09:00

What a great start to a Tuesday - I logged on this morning to find a surprise update to the Clearance Rack. There are now lots of new items available, some with as much as 60% off. As is always the case, popular items will sell out quickly, so don't spend too long deliberating - get in there quick! There are some great paper bargains, including many designer series papers, accessories, kits, framelits and even a few punches. The gorgeous Affectionately Yours DSP is there along with the Jolly Hat Builder Punch too at 50% off - perfect for Christmas makes. I could go on, but the best thing you can do is hop on over and take a look.

Click here to go the clearance rack in my online store and grab a bargain whilst stocks last! Don't forget to include the current hostess code 3HFYNMYT make sure that 'allow your demonstrator to contact you' is ticked in order that you receive your special 'thank you' in the post from me. 

 

Race you to the shop - first one there gets the bargains! Happy shopping! 

   

3 Great Reasons Why July Is A Great Time To Join Stampin' Up!

by Joanne James25. July 2017 14:00

Have you ever thought about becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and having your own business? As my regular readers will know, we have a great joining offer on this month at Stampin' Up! and with a little under a week to go, I thought this would be a good opportunity to remind you of my top 3 reasons why it's the perfect time to start a Stampin' Up! business:

Free Essentials Gift Pack To Get Your Business Off To A Flying Start - This month's recruiting offer is perfect for anyone wanting to build a business. Between 1 and 31 July, every new recruit gets an Essentials Gift Pack (worth £47/63,50€) plus the Carols of Christmas Stamp Set (worth £18/24€) from the upcoming autumn/winter catalogue added to your starter kit for free! This means that you will get products and business supplies worth a whopping £195/262,50€ for just £99/129€ with free shipping!

Benefit From The Seasonal Catalogue Pre-Order And Get Organised - As a new Stampin' Up! Demonstrator signing up in July, you will be able to take advantage of the pre-order period for the new Autumn-Winter Seasonal Catalogue that starts on August 1st and order seasonal and Christmas Stampin' Up! products before anyone else - and a whole month before customers. This will give you lots of opportunities to plan for any parties, classes or events that you may like to host or arrange in the run up to the Christmas period.

A Full 6 Months To Make Your First Sales Minimum - Your first quarterly minimum isn't due until the end of December - so you have a whole 6 months to build a profitable Stampin' Up! business and start reaping the rewards of programmes such as Quick Start, designed specifically to incentivise those who make regular, consistent sales. Alternatively it's six months to simply take advantage of your demonstrator discount and purchase Stampin' Up! supplies at a reduced price and increase your own own stash of craft supplies; either way, it's a win-win!

All this and so much more besides: the opportunity to work with me and other equally motivated and high-performing individuals on my team and be part of the wider Stampin' Up! demonstrator community who live by Stampin' Up!'s Statement of The Heart every day - why not join us at Stampin' Up!, voted Papercraft brand and Retailer of the Year, and love what you do and share what you love and make a difference to your life and the lives of others today? Contact me if you would like to discuss further or alternatively if your mind is made up, sign up by clicking here and filling in your details.

 

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Eclectic Layers Thinlits Diamond Background: Part 1

by Joanne James23. July 2017 06:00

Here's another Oh So Eclectic card from my technique class last week. One of the things we looked at was the different ways you can use the diamond-patterned die in the Eclectic Layers Thinlits to create backgrounds in a number of different ways. As such, I'm going to do a series of posts that each show an alternative example. Here's the first one: 

 

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

Colour Below - The diamond-patterned thinlit in the Eclectic Layers Thinlits set, like the flower and diamond dies, can be used with or without the outline piece. Used with the outline it creates a delicate cutout, perfect for layering. Used without, it adds interest to the mat layer of the card and can be used to add detail to a background from which to add additional detail. On today's card I cut it out of a mat of Extra Thick Whisper White and placed a piece of the lovely faux watercoloured paper in Night of Navy from the Naturally Eclectic designer series paper pack behind it, allowing the graduated colour to show through.

Naturally Eclectic - The Naturally Eclectic designer series paper really is one of my favourites - I love the colour combinations and whilst some of the patterns are rather bold, the watercolour washes on the reverse are gorgeous. Here's a shot of these papers in all their glory:

Mini Sequins For Maxi Impact - The last thing that I want to highlight on my card today is the addition of some of the new gold mini sequins. Perfect for embellishing cards without adding a lot of bulk, these add a touch of glamour to any project and are the perfect addition to a collage-style card such as this one. I just love these and think I might be addicted to them! 

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. 

Just a reminder too about this month's Bonus Days promotion: If the Oh So Eclectic bundle is on your shopping list, or any of the great bundles that Stampin' Up! has to offer, July is a great time to purchase; not only will you save 10% off the individual item prices by purchasing as a bundle, for every £45 you spend you will also receive a £4.50 coupon that can be used against next month's purchases too. A win-win! Furthermore, remember to add this month's hostess code JG7PHQKR to your order if shopping with me online to receive an extra little thank you in the post from me. 

I'll be back soon with another card that uses the Oh So Eclectic product suite. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

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

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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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This is my personal blog and is not endorsed by Stampin’ Up! I hope you find it a plentiful source of ideas and personal inspiration but please don't copy my designs for contest submission or use for classes, publication or sale without express permission.