Apologies for a few blog-less days - lots going on in the James household, and most of it not at home! Both James juniors have had their sports day this week and Rebecca has just finished a three night run singing in her school musical 'Bugsy Malone'; I honestly feel like I've been running around like a mad thing these last few days. Having put up tents and got out the sand and garden play toys this morning, I spent a couple of hours finishing my ironing before it got too hot (I'm not complaining - I love that summer has arrived at last!) and following a pleasant lunch in the garden, I'm now taking the opportunity to catch up with my blogging whilst cheering on Andy Murray in the Wimbledon Men's Final.

So, another teacher thank you card from me today - this time an old fashioned blackboard, which gave me the opportunity to have a little go at the 'chalkboard' technique that is so on-trend in the world of papercrafting at the moment. So here is my card:

It's based on a teacher Valentine's card that I saw on Pinterest but I think it makes a nice simple teacher thank you card. Once I stamped the sentiment, I just used a sponge to smudge some of the white ink across the card to give the impression of chalk dust. I stamped the inside with a bright red 'Thanks a MILLION' from the retired 'Word Play' stamp set, to pick up the red of the apple - well, it is for a teacher, right?!

I also made another teacher thank you card using my Storytime designer series paper - check it out:

I think this paper really lends itself to teacher thank you cards. I'm having fun creating these in between playing with some of the stamp sets from the new annual catalogue.

Should be back on course now with another project to post tomorrow; until then, enjoy the sunshine and happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies (Blackboard Card):

Stamps: For My Family

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Whisper White, Real Red, Gumball Green, Chocolate Chip

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: White, Real Red

Tools: Corner Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Sponge Dauber

After all the excitement of yesterday's catalogue launch, today I'm sharing another mosaic card. This is a simple white card and features a small flag of the co-ordinating Quatrefancy Specialty paper:

This card was really easy to pull together and just goes to show you can get a nice card design without the need for a stamp-a-ma-jig to line up all the various mosaic tiles. The sentiment comes from a new greetings stamp set called 'Really Good Greetings' and is one of those general stamps that will suit lots of occasions.

Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stamping!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Mosaic Madness, Really Good Greetings

Cardstock: Strawberry Crush, Whisper White, Quatrefancy Specialty Designer Series Paper

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Pool Party, Island Indigo, Pumpkin Pie, Strawberry Crush

Tools: Mosaic Punch, Itty Bitty Punch

Finishing Touches: Basics Rhinestones, Island Indigo Bakers Twine

A busy day today with lots more swimming and family fun in the garden, making the most of the sunshine. Time for a little bit of crafting this evening, but today I'm going to share a card I made a little while ago when I was last playing with my Dress Up framelits that features two retiring products - the Elements of Style stamp set and the lovely Tea for Two DSP. This is a case of a card by Julie Kettlewell, who like me also seems to have had something of a love affair with the Dress Up framelits and has made some fabulous cards with this set: you can check out her card here and look at lots of other great examples of how to get the most from this versatile set. So here is my card:

As my regular blog followers will know, I don't really do 'fussy' and this card is about as vintage as I get! I really like the flower stamping over the newsprint though, and I think the Crumb Cake ribbon really finishes off this card. I used a Calypso Coral marker pen to colour the flowers to echo the colour of the flowers on the designer paper and used a blender pen to get some depth to the colour. The tri-fold design is also just a little different and yet the card still folds flat for postage.

That's all for today - tomorrow is the start of a very busy Stampin' Up! week: a new annual catalogue, a new monthly stamp set and lots of other great news and new products to share in the coming weeks, so lots of planning, making and fun to be had!

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

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Elements of Style

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Tea for Two DSP, First Edition Specialty DSP

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Early Espresso, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade

Tools: Dress Up Framelits, Blender Pen

Finishing Touches: Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon

A quick - and early! - blog post from me today as I am out this evening as Rebecca is competing in a local swimming gala and based on previous experience, they can finish quite late in the evening - it all depends on how many swimmers are entered. So today I'm sharing the thank you cards I made yesterday for Rebecca to send to friends and family to say thank you for the lovely cards and gifts she received. We stayed with the 'watery whale' theme, but this time went for something much more girly and pink. Here is our card:

It was inspired by a get well soon card I saw made by Penny Smiley (you can see her card here) a while ago and I love the girly feel of this card and its simplicity - when you've 20 or more cards to make, this is an important consideration!

'Thanks a ton!' is one of a number of themed greetings that come with the 'Oh, Whale' stamp set. This is one of the sets in the Spring-Summer Seasonal Catalogue which also retires next Monday 1st July and whilst the stamp sets in this brochure are not on the retiring list, many of them will be unavailable from 2nd July onwards. If this set appeals to you, you've only 3 days left to place an order as this set will not be carried over into the new annual catalogue.

I'm off to spend a quick half an hour in my craft studio before getting ready for this evening's swimming event. I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Oh, Whale!

Cardstock: Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Marina Mist

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Pacific Point

Tools: Happy Whale Clearlits Die, Large Scallop Edgelit

All is well in the James household today, so it has been a day of catch-up crafting with the opportunity to tick a few things off my 'to do' list and also have another play with some new goodies! One of the best things about being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is that we get the opportunity to purchase items before the new catalogue goes live and in some instances even receive new product free.

For today's 'sneak peak, I've made a card that showcases some fabulous new mosaic products - take a look:

The word 'mosaic' means 'to create images with a collection of small pieces of glass, stone or other materials' and the products I've used in today's card are great for paper ones. There is a patterned embossing folder, a stamp set and a co-ordinating punch that makes it so easy to create these mosaic shapes in super-quick time. For my card, I embossed the background and then stamped and punched a variety of patterned mosaic shapes, interspersing these with one of the smaller images from the stamp set stamped straight onto the background. I cut away the outer edge to show the profile of these tile pieces and anchored the banner with a final mosaic piece on dimensionals and finished with a coloured rhinestone. Here's a close up of the detail:

I also took the opportunity to play with two new colours: the card base is one of the new in colours, Coastal Cabana, and the yellow I used is the returning Regals colour Crushed Curry. I love this colour combo. I hope you like this card as I think the set is called 'Mosaic Madness' for a reason - I am brimming with ideas on how to use it, so there will be lots more where this came from. There is a co-ordinating set of designer series paper too - a blog post for another time though!

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

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Mosaic Madness, Happy Day

Cardstock: Coastal Cabana, Night of Navy, Whisper White

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Coastal Cabana, Crushed Curry, Night of Navy

Tools: Mosaic Embossing Folder, Mosaic Punch

Finishing Touches: Basics Rhinestones

Another day with a poorly boy at home from school, so I am somewhat behind with my 'makes' to share with you. So today I'm going to share I card I made this week, but without the recipient having yet received it - let's hope she doesn't see the link to my blog post from my Facebook page before the postman arrives in the morning!

So the card I'm sharing is my first ever graduation card - a 'fancy folds' type card where you create a mortar board simply by scoring and folding in the right places:

I adapted a template I found on Pinterest to fit an A5 card and left the design quite simple. It was quite tricky to photograph, but hopefully you can see from the picture how the folds work and it folds completely flat for postage. I made this card for an alumni graduating from the University of Durham, so wanted to stamp the sentiment and create a tassel in Durham colours. A quick Google search tells me that Durham's key colour is 'palatinate purple' - doesn't that sound regal? A quick search through my ink pads resulted in Elegant Eggplant being the closest ink colour match. I raided my embroidery threads for the cotton for the co-ordinating tassle thread and attached the tassle to the top of the mortar board with a silver brad.

This card is well deserved - the recipient worked hard to gain a 2:1 and is intending to progress to law school; I'd say the tassle was most certainly worth the hassle!

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

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Sassy Salutations

Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Elegant Eggplant

Tools: Paper Piercing Tool

Finishing Touches: 1/8" Mini Brads

My first day free of domestic chores this week and I was fully intending to begin madly creating with my new pre-order goodies that have been sitting in my craft room for over a week calling 'play with me' but alas, it was not to be - instead I've spent most of the day caring for my poorly boy who has (yet another!) tummy bug for the second time in as many months! He was feeling brighter this afternoon, so after an hour or so of sitting in the garden playing 'catch', I managed to get an hour or so to create a quick card set showcasing the new 2013-15 'In Colours'. For the uninitiated, 'In Colours' are introduced every year and remain current for 2 years before retiring. They compliment the standard colour families and I think I'm in love with this year's colours, which are quite different to the 2012-14 set. Without further ado, let me introduce to you:

 Firstly, Crisp Cantaloupe - a lovely peachy, pink shade:

Secondly, Pistachio Pudding - a pale green with a lemony hue:

Thirdly, Baked Brown Sugar - a lovely shade of cinnamon brown:

Fourthly, Strawberry Slush, a rich pink with red undertones:

And last but not least, Coastal Cabana - a lovely shade of watery blue-green:

What do you think? These colours are so fresh I am already brimming with ideas and I can't wait to start using them in earnest. I kept these cards simple so that the colours take centre stage, with only a mat in the same colour and a few pearls. The eagle-eyed SU devotees amongst you might be wondering what the stamp is that I've used; this is a sneak-peek of a new stamp called 'Wildflower Meadow', which also has a matching embossing folder. You can see it in more detail on this close up shot:

Only another six days to go until you can own this stamp and matching embossing folder too; it's one of a number of great bundles on offer in the new Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue, due to be released next Tuesday 2nd July. If you would like a copy of the new catalogue, they are available for £4.95 each including P&P; contact me to order yours today! Start writing your wish lists stampers - there are lots more great new items that I'm looking forward to sharing in the coming weeks and months.

One last picture of the whole in-colour card set, then I'm done for today; hopefully back tomorrow with another project, all being well. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Wildflower Meadow

Cardstock: Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, Baked Brown Sugar, Strawberry Crush, Coastal Cabana

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, Baked Brown Sugar, Strawberry Crush, Coastal Cabana

Tools: Wildflower Meadow Embossing Folder

Finishing Touches: Basics Pearls

A quick post from me today to share some of the thank you cards I made recently to pop into bags with my customer's orders. I used another retiring stamp set: the hostess set "Happy You", available to hostesses when they host a Stampin' Up! party. This is a great set for making 3x3" cards - the perfect size for little note cards or gift tags.

Here are my cards:

I mounted these on a piece of Brights DSP just to give a sharper edge to the design and spent a pleasurable few minutes colouring in the images with my markers and blender pen. A little tip for you when stamping images like this with a view to colouring in - I often stamp my image outlines in Basic Grey as opposed to Black, as I think it makes the image appear less harsh.

These cards are a great example of how no matter how little time you have, a few minutes is all it takes to stamp a quick card. This stamp set has lots of little stamps perfect for every occasion - but you're running out of time to own it! If you would like a fun evening in crafting with friends, please contact me to book a date to host your own party. With the new catalogue launching on July 2nd, be one of the first to play with all the great new products and colours - there's never been a better time to be a Stampin' Up! hostess.

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Happy You (Hostess set)

Cardstock: Whisper White, Pacific Point Brights DSP

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Basic Grey, Pacific Point, Marina Mist, More Mustard, Real Red, Sahara Sand

Tools: Blender Pen

It's Monday, the start of a new working week and so I thought it would be a great opportunity to remind all you dedicated crafters out there that there are only another 7 days left to order from the retiring stamp and accessories lists before these items are gone for good. Lots of items have gone already but you still have until July 1st to pick up a bargain or two.

With this in mind, I'm back on the retiring products theme today and I'm actually sharing a card that isn't mine but one that I received in a swap at the UK regional training day in Telford last month and which features three retiring products. It's always nice to see what others have created and I received a few swaps that I really loved in their own right and would like to share with you. The first of these is this card by Kerry Newton:

I don't believe Kerry has a blog (she didn't leave details on her swap and I can't find her on an internet search), but if anyone reading this knows different do let me know as I will then update this post with a link to it.

There are so many things I like about this card: the colours (vanilla, crumb cake and indigo), the background stamping and blended colouring on the First Edition DSP, the feature gift card holder made using the Scallop Envelope Die and the little sentiment band and butterfly that just bring the whole design together. I think the card has quite a unique design, but one that is very effective.

Did you spot the retiring products? Yes, it's the Scallop Envelope Bigz Die, the First Edition printed designer series paper and the Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon. If you don't own these and would like to recreate this card, you have one week left to place your order before they're gone for good! Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Creative Elements, Petite Pairs

Cardstock: Island Indigo, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, First Edition DSP

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Basic Black, Island Indigo, Crumb Cake

Tools: Elegant Butterfly Punch, Scallop Envelope Bigz Die, Big Shot, Blender Pen

Finishing Touches: Basics Pearls, 1/8" Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon

As anticipated, I didn't manage a blog post yesterday. After a full day on my feet, when I finally sat down yesterday evening I was absolutely good for nothing! Today has been a busy one too: swimming lessons and Rebecca's birthday pool party this afternoon. All good fun, if challenging as far as the weather is concerned - showers are most definitely the order of the day this weekend!

Anyway, on to today's project - I've another couple of cards to share with you, this time using the single daisy flower stamp. This is the new stamp in the set - and I love that it fits the 1 1/4" scallop circle punch. This is the first card I came up with:

A bright and cheery card - I love yellow! - with a shaped edge created by a row of punched daisies in shades of yellow with some colour blending on the petals. The centres were stamped separately and punched out with the circle from the Itty Bitty Punches pack. I also made another one with additional layering in a pink colourway:

I left this one sentiment-free as I sometimes do - I can always add the most appropriate sentiment at a later date. One last thing today before I go - as it was Rebecca's pool party today, I just thought I would share with you a picture of her amazing birthday cake:

I absolutely cannot take the credit for this work of art - it was made by Sharon, one of the ladies that attends my card classes. Isn't it just fabulous? Right down to the little flip flops. Perfect for my water baby, that's for sure.

I'll be back with something different to share tomorrow - until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Best of Flowers, Sassy Salutations

Cardstock: Whisper White, So Saffron, Pretty in Pink

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso, Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo, Regal Rose

Tools: 1 1/4" Scallop Circle Punch, 3/16" Corner Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch (circle)