I'm back with more Pop 'n' Cuts to share today, but not as a card. As I mentioned yesterday, in the same way that the Dress Up Framelits can be used without the Pop 'n' Cuts base, the base can also be used without the framelits as a structure to make a pocket or treat holder. Here's an example of one such treat holder, designed by the lovely Monica Gale, that I made at my quarterly training session:

How lovely is this? it was so easy to put together: just cut a base using the die and the Big Shot, then emboss the front panel, score in the base lines and punch some ovals for handles, then decorate as desired. We used some strips of Sunshine and Sprinkles DSP and made a gorgeous flower from the filter paper that features on page 7 of the Spring-ummer catalogue. If you haven't noticed this, at £2.75 for 12 sheets it represents great value and each pack has enough to make lots of flowers in all different shapes and sizes. This flower was made with 6 layers of filter paper and the second smallest frameit in the Floral Frames set.

This treat holder would be great to wrap around a cellophane bag of chocolates or a hand-iced biscuit (that's what I'll be using mine for!) as a sweet treat for someone special. Come back tomorrow to see the card I made that co-ordinates with the treat holder that features a 'stepped up' filter paper flower. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Friendly Phrases

Cardstock: Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Sunshine and Sprinkles DSP

Ink: Basic Grey

Tools: Pop 'n' Cuts Base, Floral Frames Framelits, Big Shot, Ticket Duo Builder Punch, Large Oval Punch, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder

Finishing Touches: Basics Rhinestones, 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon Basic Grey, Creped Filter Paper

Any of you who saw my Facebook post yesterday will know I am officially 'IN LOVE' with the Dress Up framelits and Pop 'n' Cuts Base in the Spring-Summer catalogue. I've been resisting purchasing them since the catalogue came out - I don't know why, because it really was love at first sight - but having used them at our last training session and spent a fun few hours with my downline Barbara playing fashion designers, I have finally succumbed. I have seen so many great examples of projects made with this set and I'm excited to share these with you in future blog posts.

Today I am going to share a card I made using all three elements: the pop 'n' cuts card base, the dress form and the framelits. So not much stamping today - Big Shot definitely required! I will share some projects later in the week that show how these can be used separately; when used together, they will make a pop up card with a mannequin to be dressed as you wish. For my first card, I used some of my favourite 'More Amore' DSP along with a Pool Party card base. Here's the outside of the card that you see when the card is folded shut:

Then when you open it, the inside looks like this:

How cute is that??! Dressed mannequin, complete with pearls and pretty cardi, in front of a mirror and dresser. What little - or big - girl wouldn't want to get this in the post for their birthday? Here's one last close-up of the mannequin:

This will, I feel, be the first of many such pop-up cards; come back tomorrow to see another use for this great set. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: One in a Million

Cardstock: Pool Party, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, More Amore DSP

Ink: Pool Party

Tools: Pop 'n' Cuts Base, Pop 'n' Cuts Dress Form, Dress Up Framelits, Ovals Framelits, Big Shot, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Small Heart Punch

Finishing Touches: Basics Pearls

Another birthday card today - this time a quartet of bright and colourful cupcakes:

I made this card a while ago and the layout is a case of a Mary Fish card - I love her clean and simple style - and the Create a Cupcake stamp set and co-ordinating punch make this kind of card really easy. Its also great fun to see how many different cupcake combinations you can make using this set. The punch also makes birthday candles a doddle to create - handy as I have lots of friends (and family!) celebrating 'significant' birthdays this year where large numbers of candles are required. A co-ordinated envelope too makes this card a sweet treat!

Back tomorrow with another project - I've been very busy in my craft room today and have lots of great projects to share this coming week!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Create a Cupcake

Cardstock: Pacific Point, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise

Tools: Cupcake Builder Punch

Apologies for my sense of humour, but I just couldn't resist! Today's card is a birthday card that I made for a male friend of mine, but would work equally well as as a female card and features one of the birdies from the Aviary stamp set:

This card was inspired by a Paula Dobson card I saw on Pinterest; I love the two colour design but I felt that the muted Crumb Cake layer needed a solid Island Indigo base card to really bring out the flashes of colour of the owl, sentiment and ribbon trim. Top tip if you fancy recreating this card - use a stamp-a-ma-jig to line up the bird cages; they're not as random as they look!

That's all for today. Back tomorrow with something special - until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Aviary, Sassy Salutations

Cardstock: Island Indigo, Crumb Cake

Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig

Finishing Touches: Sycamore Street Ribbon (Sale-A-Bration - retired)

I was having a sort out in my craft box and found this card that I actually made in our January demonstrator training session, but haven't yet shared with you. It was designed by Monica Gale and is a great example of how you can use shapes and dies to make your own mask and create some lovely effects. So here is the card:

This card is quite different in design to the kind of thing that comes naturally to me - in particular, I had to be almost held down before I could bring myself to crumple the cardstock that has the stamped image on! - yet this, along with the torn edges, give the card a real 'vintage' feel. This card also showcases a great technique - by creating your own mask, you can create an outline image that can give your card a different perspective.

For this card, I made a mask using vellum cardstock and one of the Delicate Doilies Sizzlits. By adding a thin layer of Tombow glue to the back of the shape and allowing it to dry (wait until the glue turns from white to clear in colour), you can create a repositionable mask. This was then placed onto the Early Espresso card and sprayed with Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz. When you then remove the mask, you are left with the mask shape and detail. Another tip to achieve a uniform ripped edge: hold all three sheets of card together and tear, holding one hand steady and tearing the card with the other by pulling towards you. The hints of Rich Razzleberry card and ribbon, along with the sparing use of silver glimmer paper, add a much needed edge to an otherwise quite muted card. The stamp used here is one of this year's Sale-A-Bration stamps from the set Vintage Verses, but this layout would work with lots of other stamps - the ones in the 'From My Heart' set would work particularly well I think.

So not my usual style, but lots of creative food for thought. That's one of the great things about being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator; regular training sessions are great for pushing you out of your stamping comfort zone and encouraging you to try new techniques and ideas. If you would like to benefit from the development resources that Stampin' Up! has to offer, then there's never been a better time to sign up; you can find the full details of the current promotion that runs until May 30th here.

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

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Vintage Verses (Sale-A-Bration - retired)

Cardstock: Sahara Sand, Rich Razzleberry, Early Espresso, First Edition Specialty Paper, Silver Glimmer Paper

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Rich Razzleberry

Tools: Bitty Butterfly Punch, 7/8" Scallop Circle Punch, Itty Bitty Punches

Finishing Touches: Basics Pearls, 1/4"Rich Razzleberry Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz

Today's card is one I made as a commission for a friend of mine, who wanted a 'thoughtful' sentiment and bright blues, yellows and oranges. I love rising to the challenge of working to a specific brief and actually used it as the basis for a number of very different cards. I'll share the others with you some other time, but here's one of them for today:

The sentiment is from a set called 'Word Play' and is the perfect size for one of my oval framelits, which also made creating a frame for it a breeze. I used a strip of striped brights DSP to tie the frame to the card background, then used the Beautiful Wings butterfly embosslits to make a variety of butterflies and really create a strong focal point. I love these butterflies - well, I love all butterflies, but these have lovely textures and are great for using with plain coloured cardstock. A cheery card that meets the brief - job done!

There are lots of other great sentiments in the Word Play set, so I've included an illustration of the whole set below. They are suitable for so many occasions and work for both for cards and scrapbooking.

A quick post from me today - I have a Parents' Association meeting at school to attend, so am rushing out the door. Back tomorrow with another project - until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Word Play

Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White, Brights DSP

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Tempting Turquoise

Tools: Ovals Framelits, Beautiful Wings Embosslits

Finishing Touches: Basics Rhinestones

Another Monday, another card! Today I thought I would share something a little different: a birthday card featuring the 'Fabulous You' shoe on page 39 of the annual catalogue:

If you're partial to a little colouring-in, this is a great stamp to express your artistic side. I've made a couple of cards with this stamp already and the great thing is you can go with a really simple layout and design and let the colouring do all the talking. The above card has quite a muted palette of lilacs and greens, with just a touch of red and three rhinestones to highlight the sentiment - well, every girl friend deserves a little 'bling' on her birthday, right? - whereas the card below, which I stamped without a sentiment as a sample wedding invitation, has a much brighter feel with a colour palette of pinks, greens, yellows and oranges:

Which one do you prefer? I love using a blender pen to create different shades and effects so that no two shoes are the same; colouring with pens is so theraputic. The next task is to have a go at embossing a shoe - I'm sure it will look equally elegant.

That's all for today - back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Fabulous You

Cardstock: Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz (retired)

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers:  Basic Grey, Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade, Elegant Eggplant, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Pear Pizzazz (retired)

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

Finishing Touches: Basics Rhinestones

It's the middle of April and finally my tulips in the garden are starting to bud! Still not yet in bloom, unlike my neighbour's daffodils which cheer me up every time I drive on and off the drive. So whilst I'm waiting for the real thing, I thought I would share a tulip card I made:

Can you tell how I made the tulips? Yes, my much beloved Owl Punch was used to create the petals; a whole one (minus feet!) for the base, followed by two sections overlaid for petals. I sponged the edges of the sections in the co-ordinating ink colours to add body and tied the stems with some linen thread for simplicity. I also paper-pierced the background just for added interest; this was so easy with my piercing tool and guide template, yet quite effective I think.

This is just one of many alternative uses for the owl punch. I will be sharing this and many more of them in my next card class on May 15th; if you would like to attend, just contact me at [email protected] for more details. Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Cardstock: Rose Red, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Lucky Limeade

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers:  Rose Red, Daffodil Delight

Tools: Owl Punch, Essentials Paper Piercing Pack, Paper Piercing Tool

Finishing Touches: Linen Thread

The sun is shining here in the UK - oh, happy days at last! Back to cards today and I thought I'd share a card I made a little while ago using one of the stamps in the 'Feel Goods' stamp set. I loved this stamp set the first time I set eyes on it - 5 great sayings that can be suitable for so many occasions. This is the first card I made with this set, although I will have many more to share in days to come I'm sure:

My favourite bright colours again for this card, with a ribbon of Summer Smooches designer series paper along with a couple of butterflies for interest. Centre stage absolutely goes to the 'feel good' though. I made this card for a good friend of mine for whom the sentiment absolutely fits. In the words of a Fergal Sharkey pop song from the 80s (I know, it shows my age when I start reminiscing like this!) 'A good heart these days is hard to find'. I think the same can be said of good friends - but the recipient of this card is one of the best!

Back tomorrow with another project - until then, enjoy the sunshine and happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Feel Goods

Cardstock: Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Brights DSP, Summer Smooches DSP

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Rich Razzleberry

Tools: Elegant Butterfly punch, Bitty Butterfly punch, Labels Framelits

Finishing Touches: Basics Rhinestones

Today I thought I would share something a little different: as many of my followers will know, I love to design and make cards. I'm not a scrapbooker - it's just not my 'thing'. In many ways this may surprise those close to me, as we are a household of keen photographers and have a collection of literally thousands of memories captured on slide, film and digitally. I love to have photographs on display - for me though, I struggle to design a page without a specific photograph in mind.

All that being said, I made a scrapbook page at training last Sunday and I thought I would share it with you, as even though I haven't yet chosen the photos to put on it, the layout could be used and adapted in so many ways I'm sure it will inspire some of you reading this, who I know are keen scrapbookers. Here is my finished page: 

This page was designed by the lovely Bekka Prideaux and features one of my favourite current designer papers in the Spring Summer catalogue, Sunshine and Sprinkles. I also like the background stamped sheet - this is Marina Mist ink stamped straight on to filter paper.

Here's a close-up of the top section - there's so much going on here: 

Did you notice the lovely speech bubble paper clips too - aren't they cute? You may have overlooked them in the catalogue (p.28, Spring Summer Cat.): there are 2 different packs - each with 8 of 3 different designs (there is an arrow and a coat hanger in this set too) and at £4.50 per pack they represent great value. One or two on a scrapbook page or card is enough to add just the right amount of detail. One more photo - a close-up of one of the butterflies:

As Bekka herself would say, you can never have too many butterflies! I love the way the Bitty Butterfly punch is layered with the Elegant Butterfly punch to create a double one and the rhinestones add just enough 'bling' without overpowering the page. I really like this layout and there's even some space on the base page if you wanted to add some journalling or commentary. For those of you that enjoy journalling, I will have more great Stampin' Up! news coming soon - all 'top secret' currently, but watch this space - that's all I'm saying for now!

I hope you enjoyed the change in direction today; back with another card tomorrow. Unti then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Mixed Bunch, Papillon Potpourri

Cardstock: Marina Mist, Whisper White, Sunshine and Sprinkles DSP

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Marina Mist

Tools: Elegant Butterfly punch, Bitty Butterfly punch, 2-Step Bird punch, 1 3/4" Scallop Circle punch, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle punch, 7/8" Scallop Circle punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch

Finishing Touches: Cute Clips, Basics Rhinestones