Make a Cake Quatrefancy Wedding Card

by Joanne James18. June 2014 08:45

Back so soon, I know - here is today's creative post! I'm sharing a card I made using the sketch over at Create with Connie and Mary this week:

I decided to use some of my retiring stamps and papers for my card and started out making a birthday card because the cake reminded me of Rebecca's birthday cake at the weekend, but by the time I had everything laid out on my desk I decided that the card would make a nicer wedding card. Here's my finished card:

I made a 5" square card and matted a piece of Quatrefancy paper onto Midnight Muse and a Pool Party base (I know technically the dots on the paper are Island Indigo, but since the dots are so small the whole thing still works, even though I've not followed the colours exactly for the rest of the card - what a rule-breaker am I??!) I then stamped a three tier cake with butterfly decoration from the 'Make a Cake' stamp set, stamping the base section twice, once in Midnight Muse for the stand and then again in Pool Party. I fussy cut the Pool Party cake out and used it to create the base layer for my cake. I used my oval framelits to cut out my framed oval and finished with a Mr & Mrs banner flag from the 'Banner Greetings' stamp set, a couple of double-stamped and punched butterflies to echo those on top of the cake and a strip of silver glimmer paper for just the right amount of sparkle.

I really like this finished card but despite where my mind started out it looks absolutely nothing like Rebecca's kitkat cake that I made for her birthday this past weekend:

If that's not death by chocolate, then I don't know what is - it did taste delicious though!

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.

 

 

Traveler Happy Birthday Trio for Pals Paper Arts

by Joanne James17. June 2014 10:25

Today's card is for this week's Pals Paper Arts challenge, where Team 2 have chosen a rather patriotic colour palette this week, with one last opportunity to use Midnight Muse before it retires at the end of the month:

I decided these colours would make a perfect masculine card and so have another sneak peek using the Traveler stamp set, coming in the new 2014 annual catalogue. Here is my card:

I stamped three of the stamps in the set - the ocean liner, the globe and the steam train - in Midnight Muse, then cropped these images and mounted them on individual mats in the same colour, followed by a larger Real Red and Midnight Muse panel. This is then overlaid on a crossways panel finished with some Real Red candy dots and lastly a sentiment stamped in Midnight Muse with one of the Itty Bitty Banners stamps and cut out with the co-ordinating framelit. I even gave the inside some star treatment with a steam train - I don't do this often enough, and even when I do I often forget to share with you: 

I really like this set, having used it so much already. Despite its 'vintage' look, it lends itself to a more modern finish too. I'm also linking my card up to Addicted to CAS where the theme this week is 'transport'. Back tomorrow with the Wednesday Deals and another card. Until then, I'm off to prepare for a private class tomorrow, get on with some admin and then hopefully squeeze in a make or two as well - happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

*Traveler Stamp Set - available 1st July 2014.

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

 

Springtime Hello Friend

by Joanne James7. June 2014 20:55

Today I'm sharing the original card I designed for this week's challenge over at The Card Concept, which I also adapted for my Springtime Hello card class this week. Here is this week's challenge colour palette:

This card is quite different to my previous entry (you can see that card here); much more 'Classy and Elegant' this time around I think - here's my card:

I used Daffodil Delight for my card base and layered up from there. I dry embossed a piece of Basic Black cardstock with the Honeycomb embossing folder, then layered my main stamped panel onto this. I repeat-stamped the daisy stamp from the 'Springtime Hello' onto a piece of Watercolour Wonder DSP so that the panel would have a lovely washed background, and also stamped the text stamp from the retired 'French Foliage' set in Smoky Slate behind this, having stamped off twice first to give a very faint image. You could substitute this stamp with one from the 'Background Borders' set, which is currently reduced and still available on the retired list. I then stamped the bee and using my aquapainter, I washed white kraft ink over the bee's wings and the daisy flower petals to give a subtle hint of natural colour, whilst allowing the yellow of the DSP to show through. I finished with a piece of Basic Black 3/4" Chevron ribbon and heat embossed my sentiment fro the Six Sided Sampler set in black embossing powder onto a punched hexagon and popped it onto a dimensional.

I hope you like today's card; 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.

 

Today's Wednesday Weekly Deals

by Joanne James4. June 2014 10:01

It's Wednesday and that can only mean one thing - a new collection of Wednesday Weekly Deals! This week's deals are included below - they will be available for one week only, before a new collection of deals is announced.

As always, if you want to take advantage of any of the deals on offer, you can support my business by placing your order online by clicking here or using the link to my store on the right hand side of my blog page where it says 'Shop Online' or with me in person. Don't forget to add the Hostess Code for June (you can find this under the 'Shop Online' section on the right). 

Here's a summary of this week's one-week only Wednesday deals - click on each item to go to the online store to purchase:

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

This week there are lots of dies on special, so if you're a Big Shot owner this is a great time to make some savings whilst adding to your collection. Also some lovely pink ribbon and the Twitterpated DSP MDS download - this is such a pretty floral paper!

Back shortly with today's creative post; meanwhile, happy shopping!

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Promotions | Shop Online

Specs Appeal?

by Joanne James3. June 2014 21:42

Today's card started out as my entry for this week's challenge over at Create with Connie and Mary; once I'd decided on my design, I also remembered the inspiration photo over at The Card Concept so used this as my colour scheme:

 

Here is my finished card:

I decided to use the sunglasses (minus the sentiment) from the Spring catalogue hostess set 'To the Point' as the focal point for my card and stamped them onto a circle of Whisper White as I wanted to be able to create the cut out image on the layer behind. I created a patterned layer using punched 3/4" circles on a black square to echo the spot pattern on the sunglasses, and cut out the starburst shape and mat for the circle using my Starburst Framelits. I stamped the retired single stamp 'Spectacular' and my marker pens to create my own DSP background panel, using my stamp-a-ma-jig to enable easy alignment and pattern repeat, and rounded the corners with my Envelope Punch Board. Lastly, I stamped my sentiment onto a flag of Smoky Slate; the sentiment on the original stamp was too small to work here, so I substituted with 'Awesome' from the Cool kid stamp set in the current Spring catalogue (only available until the end of the month).

I had already made a card for the challenge over at The Card Concept, which is scheduled to post later in the week and couldn't be more different to this one, however having chosen my design I couldn't help but think that sunglasses were the only thing missing from the inspiration photo, so I decided to roll with it! My card definitely fits the 'clean and layered' style; the question is, does it really have specs appeal? I'd love to know what you think - feel free to leave me a comment below! I am also linking this card up over at SUO Challenges, where the theme is to create your own background DSP, as I've done here with my 'Spectacular' stamp.

That's all from me today; back tomorrow with another card and news of this week's Wednesday Weekly Deals; 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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Cards | Stamping

Simply Sketched Sympathy Card

by Joanne James23. May 2014 10:00

Yay it's Friday - it may be stormy here in the UK, but it can't dampen that Friday feeling! Especially as this weekend we have a Bank Holiday too - an extra day makes all the difference. Today's card uses the sketch layout over at Retrosketches this week:

I recently had the need the need to send two sympathy cards within a week and realised that it isn't something I keep a stock of, even though it's the type of card you often need without warning. I decided to make one using this week's sketch - here's my card:

I decided to use Real Red ink and a blender pen to colour my Simply Sketched poppy, which is stamped in black Stazon on Very Vanilla. Whilst red is often associated with love and romance, the Flanders poppies were also red and they are a traditional symbol of remembrance. I matted my poppy with a layer of Basic Black, then did the same with the circle element behind, cutting the top layer from a piece of Modern Medley designer paper using my Big Shot and Circles Framelits. To finish, I coloured some rhinestones black with a Sharpie marker pen and adhered them to the card.

A nice early post from me today; no sports fixtures this afternoon, so time for a trip to the hairdressers instead - I hope the weather is kind!

Back tomorrow with another card; 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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Cards | Stamping

Monochrome Baby Boy Card - Baby We've Grown

by Joanne James16. May 2014 17:55

I have had the busiest day today - last minute preparations for the Stampin' Up! UK Regional Training Event in Telford tomorrow coupled with lots of little jobs. Best part of my day though was getting to spend an hour in the sunshine watching Rebecca's team win their second rounders match of the week (go girls!) and I'm even managing to squeeze in a quick blog post, which I thought might be touch and go today!

I have had a few baby cards to make lately, all of them girls, but I know someone who is due a baby boy anytime soon so thought I would get ahead for once and make my card ready. I decided to make a monochrome boy card to pair with the monochrome girl card I designed a couple of weeks ago for the Pals Paper Arts 200th anniversary challenge (you can see my original baby girl card here). Here is today's card:

Using a Soft Sky base, I matted both of my cardstock layers on Whisper White and used a piece of Polka Dot DSP from the Subtles DSP stack for panel 2, whilst for panel 3 I stamped the 'sweet baby' stamp repeatedly in Whisper White onto Soft Sky cardstock - a stamp-a-ma-jig is essential for this - and coloured the word 'baby' with my chalk marker to give it a powdery look. Lastly, my focal point is the cute little boy shoes that I fussy cut and decorated with my chalk marker; to finish I layered this circle on a blue starburst mat and a further white circle.

Another pastel monochrome creation - not quite as fussy as the little girl one, but then in my experience boys never are!

Back tomorrow with another card and news of what's been happening at the regional event; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

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

 

Mr & Mrs Wedding Card CCMC301

by Joanne James4. May 2014 20:57

I have a few wedding cards to make for a number of forthcoming nuptials and when I saw the sketch over at Create with Connie and Mary this week I knew it would be perfect for one of the cards I had in mind. Here is this week's sketch:

My wedding card needed to be Whisper White, Marina Mist and silver as I wanted it to reflect the wedding stationery which had been made by the mother of the bride a good friend and customer of mine. Here is my card:

It is very simple as I wanted my silver heat-embossed 'Mr & Mrs' to take centre stage and I layered my centre panel on dimensionals on a piece of brushed silver cardstock, both of which were cut out using the labels framelits. I turned the sketch around through 180 degrees, as I wanted my embellishment to be a silver glimmer butterfly and it looked better top right than bottom left and I used a piece of silver taffeta ribbon to create a band around my Marina Mist mat. Very simple but like the original wedding stationery, very elegant and with just a hint of sparkle.

If you'd like to see more great design inspiration for this sketch, check out what the CCMC design team have been up to - there are some great interpretations over there this week.

Back tomorrow with another card;; 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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Cards | Stamping | Weddings

Stampin' Up! Coram Cards For Keeps Charity Auction

by Joanne James26. April 2014 21:06

I've been busy preparing for next week's classes today; I'll share those cards with you later next week, however today thought I would share something a little different. If any of you are followers of Stampin' Up! UK's Facebook page, you will probably already be aware of Stampin' Up!'s 'Cards For Keeps' charitable auction that is due to take place on Ebay in May. For those of you that aren't, Stampin' Up! have joined forces with Coram, the oldest UK children's charity, to celebrate its 275 year anniversary by inviting a wide range of stars from sport, stage, screen, music and art to create a unique card using Stampin' Up! supplies.

Stampin' Up! demonstrators have also been invited to submit a card for a pre-auction competition; the winning card will also be entered into the 'Cards for Keeps' auction, alongside those of the participating celebrities. In trying to decide on a design for my contest submission, I did a little research about Coram. Through services such as adoption and creative therapies, Coram helps some of the UK’s most vulnerable children to feel safe and loved and have access to the education and opportunities in life all children need. I read several inspirational stories about the work they do and the difference they make to the lives of so many young people, they really are a charity worthy of our support.

So without further ado, let me share the card I designed;for me, this card sums up everything that Coram stands for:

My colour scheme of Pumpkin Pie, Cherry Cobbler and Whisper White was inspired by Coram's logo and corporate colours. I decided to make a square card with a strong focal point - the 'you make the world a better place' stamp from the Starburst Sayings set. For me, this stamp sums up the work of Coram so well - they make the world a better place for thousands of children each and every year. l brought in lots of detail to my card with layers and textures: I stamped the image in Versamark and heat embossed in Cherry Cobbler embossing powder, cutting out the 'World' banner and popping it up on a couple of dimensionals for extra emphasis. I then matted my starburst on white and Cherry Cobbler circles, followed by a final starburst of Pumpkin Pie. I cut my banner using the Banner Framelits and a piece of Cherry Cobbler Cored'inations cardstock. The base of the card is Pumpkin Pie, with Cherry Cobbler and Whisper White mats and a central panel of Polka Dots DSP in Pumpkin Pie. A Cherry Cobbler seam binding double bow tied with white baker's twine and a Pumpkin pie button finish my card.

The inside had a little treatment too, before I added my personalised message:

If you would like to see some of the celebrity cards that have been created for the 'Cards For Keeps' online auction, check them out here on the Cards For Keeps Pinterest board. There are sure to be some sought-after auction lots, with celebrities from Benedict Cumberbatch to Liza Tarbuck, and Axel Scheffler to Twiggy.

I'll let you know if my autographed version is lucky enough to join them, but for now I'm off to work out which ones I'm going to bid on - so far my favourite is Jo Brand and the Jelly Babies (yes, for real!)

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.

 

 

CAS Washi Tape Butterfly

by Joanne James25. April 2014 09:45

Well, I don't know where yesterday went! I was so busy I didn't even manage a blog post; I had my card all ready and just didn't get it photographed. So in the interests of all things quick, here is the card that I had intended to blog yesterday - my second attempt at a CAS washi tape card for Nance's challenge over at The Paper Players this week:

I have now replaced the earlier photograph with one of a better quality! this kind of card is so quick to create: my card is a simple white background with a Night of Navy mat for my image. I then took a rectangle of Whisper White and covered it in diagonal strips of co-ordinating Gingham Garden washi tape. As with my washi tape card earlier this week, you can use the washi tape directly onto coloured card for a diferent effect, but I wanted the colours to remain true here, so needed a white background. I then adhered this to the mat and lastly popped a Melon Mambo rectangle on with dimensionals, having first cut out a butterfly shape using my butterfly die. You could just leave it there, however I decided to add a little 'hello' greeting and a candy dot flower cut from one of my pieces of card scrap just to complete my card.

A quick card for a quick post! Everything is about speed today; I'm off to the hairdressers shortly and have a hundred and one jobs to do before I collect the James Juniors from school today for the weekend. I've already ticked a few off my list though this morning, so am making good progress!

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.

 

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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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