Birthday Netballs!

by Joanne James29. October 2013 23:12

Today's blog post is a late one as I've been out this evening and had a reasonably hectic day and didn't get a chance to do it beforehand. I used sketch #64 over at Paper Craft Crew Challenges as the basis for this card and I'm just in time to sneak in a link up, so thought I'd better get typing! I had a commission card request for a female birthday card that featured netball. Whilst I knew the basketball stamp in 'Great Sport' would make the perfect netball, I was wondering how I was going to pull it all together. I decided to use the PPCC sketch this week as the basis for my design layout. Here's the sketch inspiration:

Stampin Up challenge blog card sketch

So, sunglasses at the ready - here is my interpretation:

The card is very orange, but having played around with various other colour combinations this really did seem to work best (and luckily, the recipient loves the colour orange!) Any of the colours I would ordinarily have paired with Tangerine Tango made the card look too masculine and really didn't work. I did use some Real Red as an accent colour and a little Basic Grey. Wondering how I created the netball hoop and net? I simply used my large oval punch to cut some thin strips of cardstock and adhered them to each other in a weave pattern.

And the moral of the story? Orange is for all cards, not just Halloween ones! Pop over to the Paper Craft Crew Challenge page and see how the designers and other participants have interpreted this week's sketch.

Back tomorrow with news of more great offers from Stampin' Up; until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:

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Cards | Punch Art | Stamping

My Digital Studio Thank You Card

by Joanne James28. October 2013 22:00

Today I have something a little different for me and for you: a card created using My Digital Studio. I have been using it more and more lately, not as a substitute for my more traditional cards, but as a useful addition to my crafting repertoire. I decided that I would create the thank you cards that went out with the last batch of my customer orders using MDS to show just how easy it is to create a simple card. Here is my finished card:

I decided upon a simple design and used only elements that come with the standard MDS offering. I chose Pool Party, Smoky Slate, Midnight Muse and Whisper White as my colours and chose a snowflake-type shape as I really am all about Christmas at the moment! I used a light drop shadow on my Thank You sentiment, just to give it some dimension and lift and I even added rhinestones; you could of course add the real thing post-print, but I wanted to show my customers what they could achieve with just some Whisper White cardstock, MDS and their imagination.

I'm quite pleased with the result, not least because it took no time at all to create and once done I could print sheets of them at a time - so much quicker than hand stamping and great if you need to produce a lot of cards and are short on time. Some of my customers have been having great results with MDS with several of them printing their own DSP to make traditional cards and also some lovely hybrid examples. I keep forgetting to take my camera whenever we have card class so end up without pictures that I can share with you. I've left a reminder in my calendar for next week's classes though, so hopefully I'll get better! If you haven't already downloaded a copy of My Digital Studio, I can thoroughly recommend it; just click on the picture icon below and start creating.

Well, we survived the stormy weather here in the UK today, although many have not been as lucky. A friend of mine had two enormous trees uprooted in her garden and my brother-in-law had something of a challenging journey into and out of the city today due to the chaotic transport situation. We stayed indoors for much of the day, venturing out only for a spot of lunch and for Ben to shoot hoops (not a day goes by when this doesn't happen!) I for one am thankful for the lovely new front door we had fitted at the James residence last week, which is doing an excellent job of keeping the drafts out.

Back tomorrow with a very bright birthday card (sunglasses required!); until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

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Cards | My Digital Studio

Mosaic Bauble Thinlit Card and Punch Tip Video

by Joanne James26. October 2013 22:16

We have had a lovely day today; we've stayed indoors out of the howling winds and had some family over for Sunday lunch. It's been lovely to spend time with my brother- and sister-in-law, nephew and niece, as we don't do it nearly often enough with the busy lives we all lead.

As promised, I have another Thinlit card for you today, this time with a Mosaic Madness bauble design - take a look:

I created a simple 'layered' bauble using a circle punch and the mosaic punch, then layering by raising the outer circle on dimensionals and creating a ribbon hanger. Here's a close-up of my bauble:

For a greeting on this card, I used a pair of sentiments from the 'Petite Pairs' stamp set, stamping one half on a layered label on the front of the card and the other half on the reverse of the flipped circle:

Lastly, are you wondering what punches I used for my raised sentiment label on the front of my card? Here's a closer look:

No, it's not a new label punch or two, I actually used my Mosaic Punch to create them! I'm all for making your tools work harder for you and this punch is great for creating labels as well as straight forward mosaic shapes. I shot a short video to show you how to make these labels; I actually made it a while ago, but didn't make a card to go with it, so haven't shared it until now. This also explains why the stamped pieces I used in the video are not the actual ones you see on today's card. If you're feeling confused, just watch the video - it will all make sense! Here's the link:

Just to recap on the measurements in the video: I recommend the narrow label is a maximum of 1.5cm in width, and the wider label 3.0cm in width. Either label can be of any length. I hope you found the video tutorial useful.

Lastly, don't forget, you have only until 11pm tomorrow night to order any of the 25 stamp sets that are 25% off - for details on the stamps on offer, click here.

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

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Best of Christmas Santa Thinlit Card

by Joanne James25. October 2013 19:45

Apologies for the lack of blog posts for the last couple of days: Hubby has had a few days off so with him and the children, I've rather had my hands full! Yesterday however I had a largely child-free day as the James juniors were at Grandma's so, whilst the kiddies were away it was definitely an excuse to play and catch up on some crafting! Today I'm going to share my first Thinlits card with you, featuring the jolly Santa stamp from the 'Best of Christmas' anniversary set:

 I kept the card design quite simple as I wanted the detail on the santa stamp to take centre stage. I coloured him with markers and a blender pen, adding a little Dazzling Details to the fur on his hat for a little sparkle. Here's a close up: 

I then cut him out using the scalloped circle framelit that is one of the pieces that comes with circle thinlit set and adhered him to the card base. A little DSP on the back panel just finishes the card off.

So what do you think? These cards are so easy to make - they take just minutes to cut and roll and have lots of fun extra pieces in addition to the card body. I have another thinlit card to show you tomorrow, with a little video too, so I hope you'll pop back then and take a look. Already prepared as we have family coming for dinner tomorrow, so there will be little time for crafting. Hope to see you tomorrow; until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

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Cards | Stamping

Merry Monday - Deck The Halls

by Jason James22. October 2013 21:30

I'm having a fun week at home with the James juniors this week, but it isn't leaving much time for crafting! Once we've finished our holiday homework we should be able to do some crafting together, which will be nice; I have a few Halloween things planned which I should be able to share with you in due course.

This week's Merry Monday Challenge is #80 'Use Music or a Carol Inspired Card' and having seen the great inspiration cards, I was keen to have a go. Here's my card:

I made a simple card where I cut out a circle using my Circle Framelits to reveal the 'deck the halls' stamp on the inside of the card. I decorated simply with some punched holly tied with baker's twine. I finished the punch berries with some Crystal Effects to add a nice shine (it looks much nicer in real life!) and scored the centre of my card panel using my Simply Scored borders plate to add some texture and interest to the Baked Brown Sugar card front. A simple card, yet I have this urge to break into song: Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la, la la la la! I love Christmas time.

With all of yesterday's news, I didn't get round to sharing the link to this week's new digital downloads, so here it is:

October 22, 2013

There are some fun autumn pocket cards and some recipe layouts, along with a variety of different Christmas stamps to take a look at. The free trial for MDS is still available to download, so if you haven't already why not take a look - it will open up a whole new avenue of crafting to you.

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

 

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:

  

Thinit Card Framelits Are Here!

by Joanne James22. October 2013 20:58

For my second post today, I am delighted to announce that the new Thinlit Card Dies are here and available in my online store NOW! If you've ever made a 'flip' card the long way, you will love these new framelit dies - they make making cards like this a breeze!

Here's one made by one of Stampin' Up!'s designers:

Label Card Thinlits Die

This is how it opens ...

The whole thing can be created in minutes by running your chosen cardstock through the Big Shot with the Thinlit layout of your choice - there is both a circle and label layout to choose from. Both sets come with a variety of additional pieces to add to your creativity, either on your flip cards or can be used separately with other cards and projects - this is what they look like:

Stampin' Up have produced a great video showing the Thinlits in action; take a look:

 

 

Aren't they great? I'm looking forward to sharing some of my creations with you in the coming days and weeks; if you can't wait and need to order either of the framelit sets now, then pop along to my online store or give me a call today - at only £29.95 they are great value and offer endless possibilities!

I'll be back tomorrow with a card to share; until then, happy stampin'!

 

 

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Cards | Promotions | Shop Online

Stampin' Up is Having a Party - 25% off 25 Stamp Sets for One Week Only!

by Joanne James22. October 2013 20:11

 As promised lovely blog readers, there is lots of news and information today, so there are few posts to cover it all!

The first news today is that as you now this year is Stampin' Up's 25th Anniversary and whilst it has been celebrating all year round, this week is the week of the actual birthday, 25th October - so there is a fantastic offer to celebrate: a sale on stamps, 25% off 25 sets to be exact!

 

 

Check out the stamp sets included in the sale offer below (both wood and clear mount are included, and English, French and German language sets, although the links below will take you to the English language clear-mount sets in my online store):

 

25 Stamps

Image

Item

Stamp Description

Catalogue Price

Sale Price

1

 A Dozen Thoughts

131056

A Dozen Thoughts Wood-Mount

32,95 € /£23.95

24,71 € /£17.96

 

131059

A Dozen Thoughts Clear-Mount

25,95 € /£18.95

19,46 € /£14.21

2

 Zoo Babies

130453

Zoo Babies Wood-Mount

33,95 € /£24.95

25,46 € /£18.71

 

130456

Zoo Babies Clear-Mount

26,95 € /£19.95

20,21 € /£14.96

3

 Lots of Thanks

129687

Lots of Thanks Wood-Mount

27,95 € /£20.95

20,96 € /£15.71

 

129690

Lots of Thanks Clear-Mount

21,95 € /£16.95

16,46 € /£12.71

4

 Happy Day

130294

Happy Day Wood-Mount

26,95 € /£19.95

20,21 € /£14.96

 

130297

Happy Day Clear-Mount

21,95 € /£15.95

16,46 € /£11.96

5

 Gifts of Kindness

130441

Gifts of Kindness Wood-Mount

30,95 € /£22.95

23,21 € /£17.21

 

130444

Gifts of Kindness Clear-Mount

24,95 € /£17.95

18,71 € /£13.46

6

 Hearts a Flutter Clear-Mount Stamp Set

131922

Hearts a Flutter Wood- Mount

30,95 € /£22.95

23,21 € /£17.21

 

129252

Hearts a Flutter Clear- Mount

24,95 € /£17.95

18,71 € /£13.46

7

 Hello Lovely

130240

Hello, Lovely Wood-Mount

39,95 € /£29.95

29,96 € /£22.46

 

130243

Hello, Lovely Clear-Mount

31,95 € /£23.95

23,95 € /£17.95

8

 Crazy, Mixed-Up Love

131068

Crazy, Mixed-Up Love Wood-Mount

23,95 € /£17.95

 

17,96 € /£13.46

 

131071

Crazy, Mixed-Up Love Clear-Mount

18,95 € /£13.95

14,21 € /£10.46

9

 Bright Blossoms - Clear-Mount Stamp

128424

Bright Blossoms Wood- Mount

20,95 € /£14.95

15,71 € /£11.21

 

125497

Bright Blossoms Clear- Mount

16,95 € /£11.95

12,71 € /£8.96

10

 Itty Bitty Banners Clear-Mount Stamp Set

132022

Itty Bitty Banners Wood- Mount

18,95 € /£13.95

14,21 € /£10.46

 

126257

Itty Bitty Banners Clear- Mount

14,95 € /£10.95

11,21 € /£8.21

11

 Yippee-Skippee!

131341

Yippee-Skippee Wood- Mount

22,95 € /£16.95

17,21 € /£12.71

 

131344

Yippee-Skippee Clear- Mount

17,95 € /£13.95

13,46 € /£10.46

12

 Gorgeous Grunge

130514

Gorgeous Grunge Wood- Mount

29,95 € /£21.95

22,46 € /£16.46

 

130517

Gorgeous Grunge Clear- Mount

23,95 € /£17.95

17,96 € /£13.46

13

 Ornament Keepsakes Clear-Mount Stamp Set

128048

Ornament Keepsakes Wood-Mount

41,95 € /£30.95

31,46 € /£23.21

 

128051

Ornament Keepsakes Clear-Mount

33,95 € /£24.95

25,46 € /£18.71

14

 Apothecary Art - Clear-Mount Stamp

128415

Apothecary Art Wood- Mount

41,95 € /£30.95

31,46 € /£23.21

 

125527

Apothecary Art Clear- Mount

33,95 € /£24.95

25,46 € /£18.71

15

 Cuddles & Kisses Clear-Mount Stamp Set

131913

Cuddles & Kisses Wood- Mount

30,95 € /£22.95

23.21 € /£17.21

 

127314

Cuddles & Kisses Clear- Mount

24,95 € /£17.95

18,71 € /£13.46

16

 Oh, Hello Clear-Mount Stamp Set

131931

Oh, Hello Wood-Mount

30,95 € /£22.95

23,21 € /£17.21

 

130733

Oh, Hello Clear-Mount

24,95 € /£17.95

18,71 € /£13.46

17

 Label Love

130619

Label Love Wood-Mount

29,95 € /£21.95

22,46 € /£16.46

 

130622

Label Love Clear-Mount

23,95 € /£17.95

17,96 € /£13.46

18

 Christmas Star Clear-Mount Stamp Set

134813

Christmas Star Single Stamp

11,95 € /£8.95

8,96 € /£6.71

19

 A Gift for You Clear-Mount Stamp Set

134765

A Gift for You Single Stamp

5,95 € /£4.50

4,46 € /£3.38

20

 Betsy's Blossoms Clear-Mount Stamp Set

131955

Betsy's Blossoms Wood- Mount

34,95 € /£25.95

26,21 € /£19.46

 

126006

Betsy's Blossoms Clear- Mount

27,95 € /£20.95

20,96 € /£15.71

21

 Morning Post Alphabet Clear-Mount Stamp Set

132042

Morning Post Alphabet Wood-Mount

56,95 € /£41.95

42,71 € /£31.46

 

126592

Morning Post Alphabet Clear-Mount

45,95 € /£33.95

34,46 € /£25.46

22

 Gently Falling Clear-Mount Stamp Set - by Stampin' Up!

128430

Gently Falling Wood-Mount

47,95 € /£35.95

35,96 € /£26.96

 

123804

Gently Falling Clear-Mount

37,95 € /£28.95

28,46 € /£21.71

23

 Snowflake Soiree Clear-Mount Stamp Set

127922

Snowflake Soiree Wood-Mount

35,95 € /£26.95

26,96 € /£20.21

 

127925

Snowflake Soiree Clear-Mount

28,95 € /£21.95

21,71 € /£16.46

24

 Jewish Celebrations Clear-Mount Stamp Set

128042

Jewish Celebrations Wood-Mount

30,95 € /£22.95

23,21 € /£17.21

 

128045

Jewish Celebrations Clear-Mount

24,95 € /£17.95

18,71 € /£13.46

25

 That's the Ticket Clear-Mount Stamp Set

131946

That's the Ticket Wood-Mount

27,95 € /£20.95

20,96 € /£15.71

 

128075

That's the Ticket Clear-Mount

21,95 € /£16.95

16,46 € /£12.71

These stamps are available at this price for one week only, until 28th October; afterwards they will return to their standard catalogue price. As always, you can order directly from my online store by clicking on any of the images above. Don't forget to use this month's Hostess Code -  4DS9WR2Q - in order to go into the draw for this month's hostess benefits. Alternatively, if you live local to me and would like to add you items to my order and collect from me, then give me a call or email your order through and you will save on postage.

25 great savings to be had - which one (or two!) will you be treating yourself to?

Back shortly with more news; until then, happy stampin'!

 

 

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Birthday Box In A Jiffy!

by Joanne James21. October 2013 20:22

So following the excitement of yesterday's Christmas banner class, I'm back down to earth with a bump today with the first day of the half-term holiday for both James juniors and madness and mayhem about to ensue for the next two weeks! I will do my best to keep up with my blogging as there will be lots to share this week, not only in projects but also news: the 25th October is Stampin' Up's official 25th Anniversary day so there will be more announcements and special offers to share by way of celebration.

Today's project involves some stamping but is another 3D project - some clean and simple packaging for a birthday gift. As my regular blog readers know, I love the variety of packaging options that are available in the current annual and seasonal catalogues: bags and boxes in all shapes and sizes that turn gift-giving into an art form, but needn't take hours of time, effort or expertise to achieve. For my niece's birthday, I had a couple of awkward-shaped gifts that were just asking for a box to be wrapped in - the new extra-large gift boxes in the seasonal catalogue were just the thing. For the decoration, I took my inspiration from the seasonal catalogue and this is where I ended up:

Using my Melon Mambo marker pen and inkpad, I created a 'faux ribbon' by stamping one of the stamps from 'Really Good Greetings' directly onto the box, all the way around on four sides, then finished off with a double bow in some vintage Melon Mambo designer paper and a co-ordinating tag made using one of the Chalk Talk framelits and finished with a polka dot paper border.

 This box took no time at all to decorate, yet I love its simplicity. It seemed to hit the spot with its teenage recipient too - always a bonus! I'm linking today's post up with the team at CAS-ual Fridays where the challenge theme this week is 'Tags and Bags' CFC118, as this is about as CAS as packaging gets! Why don't you pop over to their sit and say 'hi' and look at the great projects that they are showcasing this week.

Lastly, today is the last day to take advantage of Stampin' Up's 'Join for £25' offer - you have until 10.50pm GMT this evening to sign up online if you would like to take advantage of this great deal and becoming a member of my growing team of Crafty Owls - I would love to welcome you to the parliament (that's the name for a collective group of owls, in case you didn't already know!) Just click the link from the 'Join My Team' section on the right hand side of the page.

Come back tomorrow for some very important news from Stampin' Up - I can't tell you what it is yet, but you are definitely going to want to hear it so be sure to call by for tomorrow's updates. It's going to be a busy Tuesday; until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:

 Big Shot Die-Cut Machine - by Stampin' Up!Gift Bow Bigz L DieExtra-Large Gift BoxReally Good GreetingsMelon Mambo Classic Stampin' PadChalk Talk Framelits Dies

Melon Mambo Patterns Designer Series Paper -- Digital Download

 

Christmas Banners A Plenty!

by Joanne James20. October 2013 20:51

Well, today has been a fun day with a Christmas Build a Banner project class this morning. Following many laughs and giggles and a fair number of inky fingers, the lovely ladies attending my class each made a festive banner using a variety of papers and embellishments and the Build a Banner set. So there are lots of photos in this post! First of all, here is my finished banner that served as their inspiration:

My colours are Bermuda Bay and Coastal Cabana, with rosettes made from some of the lovely Winter Frost DSP and Smoky Slate chevron ribbon and finished with Coastal Cabana bows. Here's some close-ups of the rosettes - the grey one:

And here's one of the Pool Party ones:

Here's a close up of one of the bows, so easy to put together using the new Bow Bigz Die:

And lastly one showing some of the added glimmer on the flag itself:

Here are two of the ladies' lovely finished banners. Firstly, Kathy's, also in the grey/blue colourway:

 

And this one is Julie's, in the red-green colourway with champagne glimmer accents:

 

Aren't they just beautiful? I didn't manage to get photos of the other two, but I can assure you they were just as lovely. We are all feeling a little more ready for Christmas now, with one more thing ticked off our Christmas home décor list. The Build A Banner kits are great and come highly recommended; at £17.95 for the full kit including stencils and just £8.95 for the basic set, they are great value. Rebecca has put first dibs on the remaining 9 pieces in my banner kit for a name banner for her bedroom (pictures will no doubt follow in due course!). I can see me having to buy another one so that Ben can have one too ...

If you live in or around Northampton and would like a current class schedule

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

 

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:

 Build a Banner Simply Created KitBuild A Banner Refill KitDesigner Rosette Bigz XL DieGift Bow Bigz L DieWinter Frost Specialty Designer Series PaperFestive Flurry Framelits DiesSmoky Slate 3/4 Chevron Ribbon

 

Silver Glimmer Paper - by Stampin' Up!Season Of Style Designer Series Paper Cherry Cobbler 1 Grosgrain Stitched Edge Ribbon

 

You Mean The World To Me

by Joanne James19. October 2013 19:26

Today I'm sharing a card that I made a few weeks ago, but couldn't share at the time. I actually made this card for my husband's birthday, but as he photographs all my cards for me I couldn't share until after the event. I used my This and That DSP as the inspiration for the colour scheme for my card (it's not just for journaling with!) and a stamp from the retired set 'Word Play' as the feature for this card:

I chose the hexagon map paper to fit with the globe in the sentiment; I stamped the sentiment twice and punched out one of the globes and coloured it with markers before putting on a dimensional. A nice shiny button tied with twine and done; these buttons are now available on Clearance Rack for only £2.19 - bargain!

Hope you like it; back tomorrow with another rather special project. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:

 This and That Epic Day Designer Series Paper3/4 Inch Circle Punch - by Stampin' Up!

Linen Thread - by Stampin' Up!Basic Gray Classic Stampin' PadWord Play Stamp Brush Set -- Digital DownloadSilver Basics Designer Buttons

 

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Cards | Stamping

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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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