You're My Lobster Valentine's Card

by Joanne James2. February 2015 11:18

Happy Monday everyone! I have a desk-based week this week and I'm looking forward to getting a headstart on preparation for my next set of classes and getting some projects prepared, following the flurry of classes and parties last week. Today's card is one I made with my Valentine in mind - very masculine and not a heart in sight! - but with a sentiment that I just know will strike a chord - take a look:

Now if you are of a similar age to me (forty-something - I'm saying no more!!) you may well have lived through the era of the American sitcom 'Friends'. My husband and I have watched every episode more times than I can count and still laugh occasionally at the things we say or do that are inspired from this classic television series. One of my favourite episodes is the one where amidst the ongoing drama of the on-off relationship between Ross and Rachel, Phoebe announces that they will get back together again because just like lobsters, who are known to fall in love and stay together for life, Rachel is Ross's lobster. After some drama, it takes a viewing of Rachel and Monica's old prom video tape for Rachel to realise that she does indeed want to be with Ross and Phoebe triumphantly declares "He's her lobster!" I've made lots of cards featuring both the crab and lobster from the Sea Street set and I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a play on words with this one. I chose a simple layout featuring some of the co-ordinating Maritime DSP and used a simple font in Word for my bespoke sentiment. Whilst there's not a heart in sight, mu husband for one will appreciate the romantic gesture of this card!

If you too are nostalgic for some classic TV - or just want to know what the heck I'm rambling on about today! - here is that clip in all it's glory:

On that happy note, I will love you and leave you until tomorrow, when I will be back 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.

 

 

Some Bunny Loves You Valentine's Card

by Joanne James1. February 2015 07:30

It's Sunday and time for a new challenge over at The Paper Players, where this week Claire has the following challenge for us:

    

I also used Rita's sketch layout over at Freshly Made Sketches for my card this week. Now this week's card caused me some mild consternation, as anyone who knows me knows that I've never really had a pet and so I have been known to get myself into all kinds of trouble with friends for under-estimating the depth of their feelings towards their two-and four-legged friends. I am not intentionally insensitive, it's just that I don't 'get it' - so the idea of creating a Valentine's card for or from a pet sent me into quite a spin! Both James Juniors have had goldfish as pets previously, but since I used fish on my card last week I thought today's card needed an alternative, altogether more fluffy friend - so this is what I came up with:

I created a custom sentiment using my 'Back to Basics' alphabet stamps and added a selection of banners using patterns from the 'Stacked with Love' DSP stack. For the heart-shaped centrepiece, I stamped a pair of adorable bunnies and coloured them in with my Smoky Slate Blendabilities. Do you recognise the bunnies, or should I say, bunny? The bunny on the right is from the 'Baby We've Grown' stamp set. I stamped him once, then having masked him off with a post-it note, I then stamped him again onto a piece of window sheet and using the reflection technique transferred this image onto my cardstock, overlapping the legs slightly. The tiniest drag line on the ear resulted in a cute fold-over look, so I left it, as it made the bunnies a little less symmetrical. Don't they make such a cute pair? I finished this centre piece by framing the bunnies in a Real Red heart-shaped frame cut using my Big Shot and Hearts Framelits and added a tiny punched heart with a rhinestone to the centre. If I had a bunny rabbit, I would be happy to send him this Valentine - job done! I'm also linking up with SUO Challenges today too, where the theme is 'Valentine's Wishes' - very appropriate.

Before you reach for your ink pads, do visit the other design team members to see what interesting ideas they've had this week:

The Paper Players Design Team
 
Here's a quick recap of our challenge rules:
 
1.  Create a new paper project
2.  Upload your creation to your blog with a link back to us and provide a direct link to the post featuring your challenge submission.
3.  Please link your card to no more than three challenges, TOTAL.
4.  Have FUN! 

I look forward to seeing your projects in the gallery this week.

I'm looking forward to a quiet day today: the hockey pitch is frozen as a result of the sub-zero temperatures we've been having this past week and poor Ben is struggling to shake his cough and cold that he's had for weeks now, so he is going to have a rugby-free week too, as running around a freezing pitch for a couple of hours is certainly not going to improve things. Rebecca and I will be completing the masterpiece that is her ancient Greek theatrical mask, the result of two weeks of paper mache and modelling clay - all being well it should be dry enough to paint. We may even manage to squeeze in another family movie afternoon; last week we watched Malificent for the first time, which was hugely enjoyable and an interesting alternative take on a classic.

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.

Hey, Valentine - I'm Glad You're In My School!

by Joanne James25. January 2015 07:00

It's Sunday and time for a new challenge over at The Paper Players. Last week we were truly overwhelmed with the response to LeAnne's CAS challenge. This week Jaydee has a great sketch for us - and you know how much I love a good sketch! Here is the sketch:

   

My card today is a cute Valentine, where I finally got around to use some of the bokeh-patterned paper in the Best Day Ever Sale-A-Bration pack - take a look:

The bokeh effect on the DSP reminded me of light rippling through the clear blue water of the Caribbbean seas, so the fishes were an obvious addition! I stamped the fishes in Memento Black ink on Whisper White, then coloured them in with my Pink Pirouette, Melon Mambo, Crumb Cake and Bermuda Bay Blendabilties pens. I layered this circle on top of two more to echo the bubbles in the water, then stamped the sentiment from the same 'Hey. Valentine' stamp set on a strip of Pool Party across the bottom, having masked off my stamp first. All of the images in this stamp set are perfect for this - they can all be used for non-valentine's cards too. In fact, this was one of the things that appealed to me about the set - it will make some great children's birthday cards too. I added a strip of Bermuda Bay sequins to the sentiment strip for a little extra sparkle and my favourite embellishment is the little Crystal Effects added to the spotty fish for his spectacles - here's a close up:

However cute are they?! I hope you like today's card - I love the way that the circular patterns are echoed throughout. Before you reach for your ink pads, do visit the other design team members to see what interesting ideas they've had this week:

The Paper Players Design Team
 
Here's a quick recap of our challenge rules:
 
1.  Create a new paper project
2.  Upload your creation to your blog with a link back to us and provide a direct link to the post featuring your challenge submission.
3.  Please link your card to no more than three challenges, TOTAL.
4.  Have FUN! 

I look forward to seeing your projects in the gallery this week. 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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Cards | Stamping

You're My Number One Valentine

by Joanne James22. January 2015 09:00

Past the mid-way point - we are nearly at the end of the 'working week'! Today I'm sharing a cute little card that I made using the sketch over at Retrosketches this week, with a certain young man in mind:

 

 I turned the sketch clockwise through 90 degrees for my card, which is a cute little Valentine's card for someone foxy! Take a look:

I bought this little Valentine's set called 'Hey, Valentine' because it has some great little stamps in it, many of which can be stamped without their Valentine-themed sentiment and would work really well on a children's birthday card (especially the little pirate and the fish!) Today's card is my Valentine offering for my youngest James junior - I think he will love the adorable fox and the bright colours of today's card. I coloured the fox with my Pumpkin Pie Blendabilities and used a Pumpkin Pie card base to tie in the colour, highlighting around the edges with one of the lighter skin tone Blendabilities. I punched the tag out with my Note Tag punch and mounted it onto a piece of Real Red cut out with one of the Chalk Talk framelits and trimmed across the bottom to give a straight edge. I sponged hearts onto the corner of my Whisper White layer using Real Red ink and my hearts stencilling mask, to add to the Valentine's feel. A leftover piece of red satin ribbon (the current red cotton ribbon would work just as well) finishes my tag. Cute, eh? Plus the Chalk Talk Framelits and Skin Tone Blendabilties are both available on weekly deals this week so can be picked up at a fraction of their usual price. Why not treat yourself? You know you want to :-)

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.

 

#Ijustloveyou Moustache Love Card

by Joanne James10. January 2015 20:12

Today I have another card using the moustache stamp from Well Worded. It was still out on my desk from this card that I made with it the other day, so I took the opportunity to use it again for today's card for this week's Freshly Made Sketches challenge; I also used the colours over at The Color Throwdown this week, where they are really suited to another Valentine's or anniversary card:

   

This one is definitely made with a man in mind - here is my card:

I layered a couple of rectangles of paper from the 'Stacked with Love' DSP paper stack onto a base of Basic Black cardstock (I am so making the most of my 'Stacked with Love' DSP!), then a Real Red heart cut out with my Hearts framelits and a moustache stamped in Memento Black onto Whisper White, which I then cut out with my mustache framelit and popped up on a couple of dimensionals. To finish, I stamped my hashtag sentiment in Versamark and heat embossed it in white.

Another simple, modern card that would work well for Valentine's Day, a wedding anniversary or just to say 'I love you' card. 

I'm also linking up with the 4 Crafty Chicks, where the theme this week is anniversary cards.

Back tomorrow with this week's card for a new challenge over at The Paper Players; until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

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

 

'You Da Man' Moustache Valentine's Card

by Joanne James8. January 2015 14:29

I'm having a busy day today; productive though, so I'm not complaining! Today's post is a quick one - I'm sharing my card for Less is More this week where the colour challenge is to use black, metallic and one other colour on your card. Now I must confess, this card was embarrasingly quick to put together, but I am also rather pleased with the finished result - here it is:

I decided to use Basic Black for my card base, then layered with a red glimmer heart cut out with my Big Shot and Heart Framelits and topped with a black moustache onto which I stamped the corresponding stamp from the 'Well Worded' stamp set in Versamark and heat embossed in gold, before cutting out with my moustache framelit. To finish, I stamped my hashtag sentiment from the '#hello' stamp set and heat embossed in gold onto the base of my card. Simple right? It really is as easy as that! Don't get me wrong, I experimented with lots of different versions of this card before I decided on this one as my preferred version to share, but end to end you could produce this card in minutes - and who doesn't love a moustache?! I think this makes a great guy card, despite the glimmer.

That's all from me today; 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.

 

Love Seasonally Scattered Valentine's or Anniversary Shaker Card

by Joanne James1. January 2015 22:41

Happy New Year everyone! Today I'm sharing a Valentine's cad with you - there is method in my madness, as it's only January 1st: this card uses the 'love' stamp from the 'Seasonally Scattered' set in the current seasonal catalogue, which is only available for another 5 days. I've used the other two stamps in the set countless times, so am getting in an early Valentine's with this one:

I decided to make a fun shaker card, inspired by this festive version of Justin Krieger's from a couple of weeks ago, using a couple of new product 'sneak peeks' too: the background paper I used is from the new 'Stacked with Love' DSP stack and along with some silver and in-colour sequins, I punched some red hearts using the new Confetti Heart border punch to make the confetti for my shaker. Isn't it fun? 

Right, I'm off to finish my glass of champagne and watch the end of that all time classic love story - Titanic. Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:


*Confetti Hearts Border Punch and Stacked with Love DSP stack available 6th January.

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

 

Monster Hugs Valentine's Day Card - Paper Players #181

by Joanne James5. February 2014 18:33

A quick early post from me today as I'm out for my second class of the week this evening. Today's card is for this week's challenge over at The Paper Players, where the lovely Ann-Marie has chosen a 'sweet treat' theme:

When I saw the theme of the challenge, I knew immediately what I was going to create - don't you just love it when that happens?! Here's my card:

Quite a simple exterior with a border cut from the Fresh prints paper stack, the addition of a nice fat chocolate heart and one of those lovely Just Sayin' speech bubbles - here's a close up:

 

But the real fun element to this card is that she is mounted on a window sheet. Why? Well, because this way you get to see her behind (literally!!) - this is the inside reverse of the first image above:

How cute is that?!!! It seemed such a shame to lose the reverse by sticking it straight onto cardstock - these are such fun kits and it's so great that the 'Whole Lot of Love' promotion has now been extended right through to Valentine's Day, so these cute little gals (and guys!) are still available to purchase.

Hop on over to The Paper Players to see what everyone else has created this week - there are some great cards and 3D projects to see. I've also linked up to the monthly challenge over at Catherine and Cathy Create, where the theme is 'hearts a flutter' and love.

Right, I'm off to class! Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Stampin' Up! Product Table Builder from The Crafty Owl.

 

 

 

Simply Pressed Clay Language of Love Gift Tag Video Tutorial

by Joanne James29. January 2014 20:50

Today I have a little project to show you that is based on something I made using my Flowerfull Heart stamp at the beginning of January, but because I didn't have a voice I wasn't able to shoot a video to show you how to make it! Now that my beloved Flowerfull Heart stamp is no longer available to purchase, I decided to modify my original design and make it using one of the stamps in the new 'Language of Love' set that features in the Spring-Summer seasonal catalogue. I used Stampin' Up!'s Simply Pressed Clay to make an ornamental gift tag embellishment that you could use to decorate a card or package. Here's one on a box with a bow made out of some of the lovely Sale-A-Bration Sweet Sorbet DSP:

Here's a close-up of the tag, where you can really see the detail of the stamp:

These tags really are quite easy to make, although you need to bear in mind it's a two stage process, as you will need to allow time for the clay to dry before you can colour and finish it. Here's a link to my video tutorial that shows you how it's done - it also includes some larger ornamental hearts made with my Flowerfull Heart (I couldn't resist!) - and some useful hints and tips for working with Simply Pressed Clay:

 

These tags would look beautiful attached to a wedding gift, or could even be an alternative wedding favour. I hope you found today's video tutorial useful and it inspires you to make interesting things with Stampin' Up!'s Simply Pressed Clay - leave me a comment and let me know what you come up with, or better still share a photo of your work on my Facebook Page!

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

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Stampin' Up! Product Table Builder from The Crafty Owl.

 

 

 

I Dig You! One Layer Card

by Joanne James23. January 2014 20:07

I have another one layer card to share with you today; I sat down at my desk yesterday with the intention of making something completely different, but having finished the card that I blogged yesterday my head was still in the 'one layer' zone and I suddenly remembered an idea I had had a while ago, but not committed to paper. So I raided my Stampin' Write marker box and came up with the following quick, fun card:

This fun little shovel is from the 'Tag It' stamp set, a great stamp set with a mix of images suitable for a variety of occasions, and for which Stampin' Up! donates £2 from every set sold to Ronald McDonald House Charities. I started with the stamp on the right, which is the complete stamp including the 'I Dig You' sentiment, then worked back from right to left using my stamp-a-ma-jig to ensure perfect placement to create my rainbow of trowels. I wanted my red trowel to be the focal point, so in addition to including the sentiment, I inset it in a read dotted outline heart using the fine tip of my Real Red marker pen and my paper piercing template.

Another cute one layer card with a Valentine's theme - I think I'll link this one up with the challenge over at The Paper Players this week too. Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Stampin' Up! Product Table Builder from The Crafty Owl.

 

 

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Cards | Stamping

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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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