What can I say? Busy, busy, busy! Now that my little ones are on holiday, I'm struggling to find blog time; usually I'm short on time to make up my creations (well, there's never enough time to put all one's creative ideas into practice!) but having got ahead of myself on the making front, I now can't seem  to get in front of my laptop. Hey ho - I am going to try and schedule a few posts starting tomorrow, so that should make things easier.

Now that I am here, I wanted to share with you the other of my 'Best of Flowers' cards featuring the floral bouquet. This time I went for a more colourful look and took the opportunity to use up some of my Tea For Two designer series paper:

I stamped the bouquet in Early Espresso, then picked up the colour of the rose on the DSP with my marker pen to create the central focus of my bouquet. I made this card notecard size, to fit in one of the crumb cake notelet envelopes. Quite different to the last card using this stamp, but altogether very pretty.

More fun in the sun tomorrow, but all being well will have something new to share with you too, so do pop back to see. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Best of Flowers

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla Tea For Two Designer Series Paper (retired)

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Early Espresso, Calypso Coral, So Saffron, Pink Pirouette, Old Olive

Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig, Designer Frames Embossing Folder, Ovals Framelits

So I have a confession: I don't like all the stamps that Stampin' Up! has to offer! I like modern, clean and unfussy design and don't really go in much for the vintage, distressed look. So whilst I loved three of the four stamps in June's 'Best of Flowers' set, I struggled with the fourth one. The bouquet of roses had a real 'old fashioned' look I thought and I would probably have left it in the box uninked. I could happily spend endless hours creating things with the other three stamps in the set, each of which I love, but for the fact that I had decided to use this set for this month's card class and therefore felt I should use each of the stamps equally. After much huffing and puffing, I came up with a couple of cards and this is one, of them:

This is something of a departure from my usual style, but I quite like the way it turned out. It was also a great opportunity to teach the ladies in my class the double embossing technique, which enabled me to make the stamp the focal point, without creating an overly fussy design. Some sponging of Crumb Cake ink over the surface and some ruched seam binding ribbon were all that I needed to finish it off.

I think maybe it's the kind of card that grows on you; the more you look at it, the more appeal it has - some 'olde worlde' charm, perhaps! if you would like to own the 'Best of Flowers' set, it is still available to purchase for £13.95 until 31st March 2014. Equally, if you would like to join one of my card classes, do get in touch for more details - our September class will feature the new 'Mosaic Madness' stamp set, along with the coordinating punch and embossing folder.

Back tomorrow with another card I made using this stamp; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Best of Flowers

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Crumb Cake

Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Designer Frames Embossing Folder, Sponge Dauber

Finishing Touches: Crumb Cake `1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon

Another mad busy day today, working on several commissions, a few household chores and preparing for the last day of the school term tomorrow. As promised, here's the other card Barbara and I made when we were busy embossing the other day - a sunny yellow base with a heat embossed white daisy pattern:

Here's a close up of the embossed detail where you can see the raised pattern:

I love the simplicity of this kind of card and Barbara and I originally left ours with the embossed panel taking centre stage, but I later decided to add a sentiment from the Sweet Essentials stamp set and two of the lovely new build-a-brads with Daffodil Delight candy dots (did you guess the new product correctly?!)

Just a reminder too that 'Sweet Essentials' is one of the greeting stamp sets available at 25% off this month - it can be yours for £10.46 (clear mount).

Back tomorrow with another project - another of my new annual catalogue favourites. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Sweet Essentials

Cardstock: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Daffodil Delight, Versamark

Tools: Heat Gun

Finishing Touches: White Embossing Powder, Brights Candy Dots, Candy Dots Brad Bases

A late blog post today, but a post none the less! I've been busy putting the finishing touches to some teacher gifts that I'll share with you later in the week, but for those of you who follow me on Facebook and saw my 'sneak peek' earlier today, you will know that today's card features a butterfly - one of the stamps from this month's 'Best of' anniversary set, Best of Butterflies.

I spent some time with my downline Barbara yesterday afternoon working on different embossing techniques and this is one of the cards we produced:

The butterfly takes centre stage on this card and is stamped in Versamark on vellum then embossed in black to give a textured outline. We then picked up the colours in the now retired Sale-A-Bration Sycamore Street paper to shade our butterfly, colouring with markers on the underside of the butterfly so that the muted colours show through. Here is a close up of the detail where you can really see the texture of the black embossing on the butterfly:

This is the first time I've tried this technique and I really like the effect that this gives. I will be sharing more cards featuring the Best of Butterflies stamp set in coming days, but if you can't wait to get started creating your own butterfly cards, contact me and I will happily order this stamp set for you.

Back tomorrow with more embossing and another new product ... any guesses? I'll give you a clue - it was one of my 'top 5' wishlist products in the video I shot to accompany the launch of the new annual catalogue this month. If you haven't yet seen it, you can find it here. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Best of Butterflies

Cardstock: Island Indigo, Tangerine Tango, Sycamore Street DSP (Sale-A-Bration - retired), vellum

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Island Indigo, Pool Party, Tangerine Tango, Summer Starfruit, Basic Grey, Versamark

Tools: Window Framelits, Heat Gun

Finishing Touches: Black Embossing Powder

Just a quick interim post from me today to bring to your attention yet another great Stampin' Up! offer this month. As if the launch of the new annual catalogue wasn't enough, Stampin' Up! are offering a selection of greeting stamp sets at 25% off when purchased before the 31st July.

The sets on offer are:

These are three very popular stamp sets each of which offer a variety of greetings that are useful for a wide range of cards and projects. Here's a picture of each of the sets:

If you would like to see samples of projects I've made using these sets, then simply do a search on the name of the stamp set in the box on the right and you will find lots of examples. If you would like to purchase any of these sets this month, then do drop me a line or give me a call and I can arrange that for you.

Back shortly with today's creative post!

Two posts from me today - the first to announce the new 'Best of' set for July - Best of Butterflies. Following last month's launch, to celebrate its 25th anniversary, Stampin' Up! is releasing a new 'Best of' stamp set featuring 3-4 past favourites and one brand new design, each month until October. Each set costs £13.95 and will be available to purchase until 31 March 2014 (clear mount only). The box to the right of my blog page will show the current stamp set - the set for July is called 'Best of Butterflies' and features the following delicate butterfly designs:

I will have some samples using these stamps to share with you in due course, but if you can't wait to get your hands on them, then drop me a line at [email protected] and I will happily place an order for you.

Also, this month's card class will feature last month's 'Best of Flowers' stamp set. This month's classes are scheduled for Monday 15th and Wednesday 17th July; we will be making one card using each of the stamps and the cost of the 2 hour class is £10. If you would like to attend, do drop me a line or give me a call for more information.

Back shortly with another post; until then, happy stampin'!

I've had a very busy day baking today and making last minute preparations for a school summer fete tomorrow, so am rewarding myself with a trip to the cinema later to see 'Man of Steel' (well, Henry as a superhero - what could be better?!) As a result, an early blog post from me - well, it's either early or not at all, so I'm giving the illusion of being more organised at least!

Today I'm sharing a couple of cards I made with another of the sets from this month's 25th anniversary 'Best of Flowers' stamp set. I shared a couple here previously using the miniature daisy stamp; this time it's the turn of the hydrangea. I made a couple of cards, one in pink and one in blue, and whilst the stamp is a new version of an old favourite, the colours I chose are really the 'something old' I'm referring to here; here's the first card I made:

I chose a simple design and having inked my stamp with markers, I then used a blender pen to achieve a graduated colour on the blossom and leaves. I inset the flower in a square that I masked off and sponged around the edges for definition, in the same colour. Here's a close-up of the flower itself: 

I then decided to add an Itty Bitty 'Happy Birthday' banner by way of sentiment, and cut this out and popped it up on a couple of dimensionals so that I was not completely a one layer card. Here's the blue version in the same design:

Very simple - like me! - and monochromatic. Did you guess the colours? Yes, it's Regal Rose and Bashful Blue, both colours that are leaving us at the end of this month to make way for some new additions to our colour families. They both reminded me of hydrangea colours though and seemed to justify one last use.

So that's all for today; I won't promise a post tomorrow, as our school fete has a reputation for going on long into the night with clearing up and counting of money. If I'm home at a reasonable hour, I'll be sure to share another card and the day's events with you; if not, I'll see you Sunday. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Best of Flowers, Itty Bitty Banners

Cardstock: Whisper White

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Regal Rose, Bashful Blue, Old Olive

Tools: Itty Bitty Banners Framelits, Sponge

This is a big news week for Stampin' Up! - I've two more announcements to share with you today about some new products that have been launched successfully in the USA and are now available to purchase in the UK:

Single stamps are now available! Following a US trial, Stampin' Up! has decided to offer five single image stamps to choose from:

 These stamps are available as clear-mount only (blocks available separately) and won't be sent in typical SU! cases or packaging; they'll be packaged in cello bags. If you'd like a case for your stamp, you can buy Clear-Mount Stamp Cases that come in packs of four separately (these are available in the main catalogue).

These stamps are only available through 31 August 2013, so get them while you can!

And now for the second announcement of the day! For Stampin' Up!'s 25th anniversary, a new 'Best of' stamp set featuring 3-4 past favourites and one brand new design, will be issued each month from now until October. Each set costs £13.95 and will be available to purchase until 31 March 2014 (clear mount only). The box to the right of my blog page will show the current stamp set - the set for June is called 'Best of Flowers' and features the following delicate flower designs:

I have already made some cards with this stamp set - here's a 'sneak peek' of one I'll be sharing in tomorrow's blog post:

Be sure to come back tomorrow for a close look! Until then, happy stampin'!

An early post today with some very important information for you all - the retiring product and accessories lists have been announced!

Hundreds of stamps and accessories from the 2012-13 catalogue are retiring - this is you last chance to get them before they're gone! These items will only be available until 1st July or whilst stocks last - many items are discounted, some by as much as 50% and popular items are likely to sell out fast.

Each of the lists can be viewed here:

 Retiring Stamps

Retiring Accessories

If there is something on the lists that you need, contact me to place your order today!

An earlier than usual post from me today, but busy day and evening planned so didn't want to miss the opportunity to share a quick card with you today. Or you could just assume I'm getting more organised - you choose! Today's card is a 'Fabulous You' shoe card that I made for a friend of mine who celebrated her birthday this week. She is someone who has a great collection of fabulous shoes, so this seemed like an appropriate choice. Also, the only woman in a house of men so I deliberately went with a very pink and girly colour scheme. Here it is:

This card needed to be post-friendly, so again light on the embellishments, but by using lots of shades of pink on the shoe itself and a variety of pink papers, it has plenty of detail. I also used the fine tip of my Melon Mambo marker pen to highlight the detail of the sentiment lettering.

Before I go today, I just wanted to remind you of a number of important promotion deadlines:

• Today is your last chance to take advantage of the bigger starter kit offer if you sign up as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator - £155 worth of products of your choice for just £99. You have until 10pm this evening to sign up - just click on the link in my side bar to sign up and join my growing team!
• Tomorrow is your last chance to buy the This and That Journal bundle at the discounted price of £29.24 -that's a 15% discount on the price of the items when purchased individually. These items will be available after tomorrow, but the bundle will revert to its full price.
• Tomorrow also sees the launch of the Retiring Products List - all those items that will be retiring on 1st July to make way for lots of new and exciting products in the 2013-14 annual catalogue, which launches on 2nd July. I will post a copy on my blog as soon as it is available.

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

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Fabulous You

Cardstock: Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Brights Designer Series Papers

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers:  Basic Grey, Melon Mambo, Rose Red, Pink Pirouette, Wild Wasabi

Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig, Blender Pen