Awesomely Artistic Collage Card

by Joanne James5. January 2016 07:05

A two-post day today! This year's Sale-A-Bration promotion and the launch of the Stampin' Up! 2016 Spring-Summer catalogue is today and you can get the full scoop here; for today's creative post I am sharing a card that we are making in my technique class this month. Our class is using the 'Awesomely Artistic' stamp set and looking at collage techniques. This is one of the cards we made and it features one of my favourite new products from the new catalogue for adding a touch of sparkle to your projects - take a look:

 

The glimmer on the dragonfly's wings is tricky to capture on a photograph, but I can assure you in real life they have a beautiful golden shimmer! The Wink of Stella Glitter brushes are the perfect tool to add sparkle and shine to your projects. There are two different pens on page 24 of the new Spring-Summer catalogue and we used the gold one on this card. We used the clear brush on our other two cards; I'll share these another day. 

My February technique classes will feature the beautiful Bloomin' Hearts Thinlits Die and the co-ordinating Bloomin' Love stamp set. If you live in or around Northampton and you would like to join me for crafting enjoyment with like-minded individuals, please do get in touch for more details. We had a new lady join us today for the first time so if you're reading this, a big hello to you Fran - I hope you enjoyed yourself as much as we enjoyed your company and look forward to seeing you again soon.

I have another full day of classes today; I'l be 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.

 

 

 

 

Birthday Bouquet For You

by Joanne James4. January 2016 08:00

Happy Monday everyone! I've had the first of my classes this year this morning (I'll share one of those cards with you tomorrow) but for today I have my last sneak peek for you, this time featuring some of the gorgeous new Birthday Bouquet designer series paper from the forthcoming Spring-Summer Stampin' Up! catalogue. This set has some beautiful patterns, featuring everything from confetti to ice creams, balloons to spots and stripes; my card today highlights one of the two flower patterns in the set:

I used some simple layers in Old Olive and Soft Sky to co-ordinate with the designer paper and stamped a sentiment from the co-ordinating 'Birthday Blooms' stamp set on a wide cross panel of Blushing Bride. I finished with a small Itty Bitty Accents punched flower and that's my card - done! I did add a little stamping on the inside but this card really was so quick I made two at the same time as it really didn't take twice as long. I love it when the paper does all the hard work for you!

So only one more sleep to go then it's here - the new 2016 Stampin' Up! Spring-Summer catalogue and the start of this year's Sale-A-Bration promotion! The catalogues have all been mailed to my online customers and my local customers will receive theirs either at their classes this week or at my open house next week on Thursday 14th January 10am-2pm. If you live in or around Northampton and would like to attend, please get in touch for details.

That's all from me today; back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Available 5th January:

140557 Birthday Bouquet Designer Series Paper

140658 Birthday Blooms Stamp Set (clear mount)

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

 

It's My Party Balloon Birthday Shaker Card

by Joanne James3. January 2016 10:00

It's Sunday and time for a new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's our first challenge of the new year and the first thing to do is welcome our three new guest designers that are joining us from today: Linda Callaghan, Hannelie Bester and Colleen Begley, we are so happy you are joining us and sharing your collective talents over the next 6 months.

This week it is my turn to host the first challenge of the new year and I have a fun theme for you to play along with:

    

It's all about numbers! You can use them in any way on your cards and can make a card with any theme - as long as it features at least one number. For my card this week I was inspired to use the layout over at Fusion and my new Large Numbers Framelits Dies to create a fun shaker card: 

 

I used my numbers to create a shaker card by backing them with a piece of window sheet in the negative space, through which you can see both the fun It's My Party balloon-festooned designer series paper behind and also the mix of metallics and brights sequins inside. My greeting is stamped from the co-ordinating 'Number of Years' set and a trio of balloons punched with my new Balloon Bouquet Punch and tied with two-tone baker's twine finish my card.

Here's a close up view of the shaker:

Rebecca and many of her friends will be turning 11 this year, hence my choice of number - her Christmas shaker cards proved very popular and now they are requesting birthday equivalents! I am loving the bright colours and patterns of the new It's My Party suite - only two more days to go until the Spring-Summer catalogue launches and I just know you are going to love it too!

Before you reach for your ink and papers, check out what our amazing team has created to inspire you 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 what you create with this week's theme. We are off to basketball today but no hockey for another week yet; then we are going to start taking the Christmas decorations down this afternoon and if we get everything finished we may even fit in a visit to the cinema - watch this space!

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

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Available 5th January:

140811 - Number of Years & Large Numbers Framelits Dies Bundle

140609 - Balloon Punch

140552 - It's My Party Designer Series Paper Stack

140718 - It's My Party Cardstock Pack

140555 - Baker's Twine Combo Pack 

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

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Love Blossoms With The Bloomin' Heart Thinlit Die

by Joanne James2. January 2016 08:00

Today I have another 'sneak peek' card for you, featuring some beautiful new designer series paper and a most beautiful die. I used the sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches for the layout for today's card:

   SIP Challenge 28 - No Christmas 800

I'm also linking up with the team over at Stamps Ink Paper who are asking for anything so long as it's not Christmas! The 'Love Blossoms' suite on the new Spring-Summer catalogue includes a stamp set, papers, thinlit die, pink glimmer paper and an accessory kit and my card today uses each of the first three:

The thinlit die looks great in a single colour with or without the flowers highlighted, but for my card today I chose to cut out my heart in Garden Green, adding additional flowers in Rose Red and Blushing Bride that I cut with the other thinlits in the set and also paper-piecing some flowers into the negative spaces of the die. I highlighted the hearts in pink and added some tiny pearls to break up the green further. 

You can see the detail of the subtle layering and finish on the close-ups below: 

The die itself is so intricate, yet with another new tool available with the new catalogue, the Big Shot Die Brush, it is really easy to separate into its various parts - just look at the detail on the flowers themselves:

The sentiment is from the 'Bloomin' Love' set and the banner cut out with the co-ordinating framelit from the 'Large Numbers' framelits dies, also available in the new catalogue.

Whilst the Love Blossoms set and in particular the Bloomin' Heart thinlit die makes for beautiful Valentine's Day cards, it is versatile enough to be used for anniversaries, weddings, birthdays or even Mother's Day too. I paired my outer sentiment with one from another set, 'First Sight', on the inside of my card to make a very fitting tribute to a Mum - take a look:

A beautiful sentiment for the prettiest of cards!

That's all from me today; I'll be back tomorrow with my card for this week's challenge over at The Paper Players. I am the hostess for our first challenge of the new year, so do pop back to see what I've chosen as the challenge this week. Until then, I have a few jobs to do today and we are back to the pool for our first swimming following the Christmas break. I'm almost envious that it's only the James Juniors getting in the water; I could do with losing a few post-Christmas pounds and this seems like it could be a good place to start! Happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Available 5th January:

140818 Bloom' Love Stamp Set and Bloomin' Hearts Thinlits Dies Bundle

140548 Love Blossoms Designer Series Paper Stack

140685 First Sight (clear mount) 

140603 Big Shot Die Brush

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

 

Smooshing Into 2016 With A New Technique

by Joanne James1. January 2016 09:00

A new card for a new year! I know I shared a new year card with you yesterday - well, I have another one for you today! As a rule I only send one happy new year card each year, to my mother-in-law for hosting our family New Year's gathering, however when I saw that the theme this week over at Global Design Project was CASE The Designer and set eyes on Bibi Cameron's gorgeous card, inspiration most definitely struck. Here is her original card:

Isn't it lovely? I was really attracted to the background and decided to have a go at another technique that my good friend Kim Fee over at Simply Fairies affectionately calls the 'smooshing technique' as the basis for my card. So here is my card:

 

You might wonder why I struggled with this background - looks simple enough, right? Well, having thrown away many a piece of ruined cardstock I would have to disagree - there is clearly an art to getting it right! The lovely Kim recently made a short video after much pleading by myself and other smoosh-challenged friends; you can watch it here and I seriously recommend you do if you want to try this technique as it contains some great hints and tips. 

I used extra-thick Whisper White cardstock for my base, then created my inked layer on a piece of shimmery white cardstock using Pacific Point, Island Indigo and Night of Navy inks. The cardstock gives the card a wonderful all over shimmer in real life. I then used the stars stamp from Holly Jolly Greetings (a carryover set, yay!) stamped in Versamark and heat embossed in gold for added interest, then used some gold glimmer numbers, diecut using the new Large Numbers Framelits Dies (love these!). My Hello is from the 'Crazy About You' stamp set, which I popped up on dimensionals and finished with a trio of gold metallics sequins.

I really love the randomness of this background, which is quite different from my usual style, even though the card still feels true to me. So thanks Bibi and Kim for the inspiration for today's card. I hope it inspires you too to create something a little different this week - the new year is full of new creative possibilities and I am so looking forward to sharing them with you!

Happy New Year wishes to you all, my customers, blog and social media followers and friends and the ladies over at SUO Challenges where I'm linking up my second New Year card. I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Available January 5th:

140622 Large Numbers Framelits Dies

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

 

A Happy New Year To You!

by Joanne James31. December 2015 08:05

It's New Year's Eve and it's time for a new challenge over at Create With Connie and Mary and this week we have a great sketch for you:

 

As soon as I set eyes on this sketch I knew what I was going to do with it - I just love it when that happens! I decided to use up some scraps of Winter Wonderland designer series paper and create a card to celebrate the new year - take a look:

 

I used a mix of patterns and papers for my banners and then a collection of stars, some solid and some just in outline, cut with my Big Shot and Star Framelits, some metallics star sequins and with my sentiment from the 'Six Sayings' hostess set stamped in Versamark and heat embossed in black across the front of the main star to create the focal point of today's card.

Do visit the other Design Team members to see how they interpreted this week's sketch; there's lots of inspiration over on their blogs too! I will be delivering this card today to my Mother-in-Law who is hosting the annual New Year's James family gathering - I am reliably informed that my brother-in-law's gorgeous puppy Ollie is joining us too, so here's to a day that is likely to be fun and chaotic day!

I'm also linking up today's card over at SUO Challenges where the theme is new years projects.

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

  • Winter Wonderland Specialty Designer Series Paper
  • Winter Wonderland Designer Vellum Stack
  • Six Sayings Wood-Mount Stamp Set
  • Stars Framelits Dies
  • Metallics Sequin Assortment
  • Gold Foil Sheets
  • Basic Black 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon
  • Banner Triple Punch
  • Big Shot
  • Whisper White A4 Cardstock
  • Embossing Buddy
  • Versamark Pad
  • Heat Tool (Uk)
  • Black Stampin' Emboss Powder
  • Basic Black A4 Cardstock

 

Make A Wish Birthday Card

by Joanne James30. December 2015 21:31

Good evening lovely readers! I hope you've all had a pleasant day. I went for my second visit of the week to the pantomime, this time the turn of The Snow Queen, which was excellent. I love pantomime - for me it is one of those traditions that make my Christmas. As for crafting - I'm back today with another 'sneak peek' for you, this time using the current sketch over at Mojo Monday as the basis for my birthday card:

Today's card features not one, but FIVE new products from the forthcoming Stampin' Up! Spring-Summer catalogue. Here's my card - can you spot them all?

 

So how did you do? Check out the fun party-themed designer series paper from the 'It's My Party' Designer Series Paper Stack, along with the stamps, both from a new set called 'Party Wishes' (I coloured them with my Stampin' Write markers to get the detail). Then there's the fabby two-tone baker's twine that I also shared on yesterday's card and check out the trio of enamel dots on my birthday cake - these come in a pack with Mint Macaron coloured dots too! Finally, did you spot the fifth item? This is a slightly sneaky one - the candle on the cake was punched with one of a trio of punches in the 'Party Punch Pack' (it also includes a balloon and a mini cupcake!) If you are wondering where the striped paper across the bottom panel came from - this is actually a piece of black and white striped paper from the Neutrals paper stack where I coloured in the white stripes with my Melon Mambo Stampin' Write marker to create my custom paper to co-ordinate in with the rest of my colour scheme.

So much party fun in one card! I just love the bold colour combinations of the 'It's My Party' Suite - they offer so many different creative possibilities!

Back tomorrow with a new challenge over at Create With Connie and Mary where it's out with the old and in with the new! Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

The following items will be available on 5th January:

140552 It's My Party Designer Series Paper Stack

140961 Party Wishes Stamp Set

140608 Party Punch Pack

140555 Baker's Twine Combo Pack

140554 It's My Party Enamel Dots

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

 

'Love You Sew' Envelope Punch Board Cotton Reel Card

by Joanne James29. December 2015 22:56

Good evening lovely readers! Have you missed me? I took a week off to celebrate Christmas with my family and friends. Whilst I had plenty of projects to share, my blogging opportunities have been few and far between. I hope you all enjoyed a lovely Christmas and are still making the most of the festivities. Today has seen me back in my craft room though and the first real opportunity to create with my new Spring-Summer catalogue goodies, so I now have lots of sneak peeks to share with you in advance of the catalogue launch next week!

The first is a sweet little project using the new hostess set 'Love You Sew' and showcasing some of the fabby new baker's twine that is in the new catalogue - take a look: 

I made a fun little cotton reel card from a Stampin' Up! notelet using my Envelope Punch Board and stamped it with the cross-stitch hearts and sentiment from 'I love you sew' and wound a long length of the gorgeous new two-tone baker's twine (available in a combo pack with a roll of Basic Black/Mint Macaron twine too), finished with a Melon Mambo Brights button and a bow. An epoxy pink heart embellishment and a decorated envelope finish my card.

I often make these little cotton reel cards to share ribbon and twine samples with customers as it's such a nice way to present it - the addition of a sentiment makes this into a fun card! I'm linking today's card up with the lovely ladies over at 'Less is More' where the theme this week is 'Homespun'; I think my cotton reel works! 

If you like this set, it will be available exclusively to all customers who either place a single order or who have combined party sales of £150 or more. There are some great incentives to host a party during Stampin' Up!'s Sale-A-Bration event that also begins next week on 5th January when the new catalogue launches; more information on this to follow, but if you would like to book a party please contact me now to get a date in the diary. This is such a lovely set for crafters with lots of humorous sayings, you will definitely want to add it to your collection. 

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

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Hostess set - 140640 Love You Sew - available 5th January

140555 Baker's Twine Combo Pack - available 5th January

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

 

Sleigh Ride Edgelits Christmas Ornament with Salt Technique Background

by Joanne James20. December 2015 21:29

It's Sunday and whilst there is no Paper Players post from me today - we are taking a couple of weeks off from our design commitments to enjoy the festive season with our families - however fear not - as promised I still have a project to share with you today! 

My December technique classes featured creating backgrounds with the salt technique. I had created the following pair of cards cased from the lovely Jen Timko just for fun:

I just loved the white, layering and beautiful and unique sky created using this fun technique:

 

You can see Jen's card and a great video on the technique here. In my class we made a similar card using the 'Jingle All the Way' stamp set but the real focus of our class was a 3 dimensional Christmas bauble ornament and a co-ordinating box to gift it in, all featuring backgrounds made using this technique. Here is my finished bauble:

This bauble is quite stunning in real life; the layering, silver foil and embossing and dazzling diamonds glimmer paper, along with that amazing sky, really show the Sleigh Ride Edgelits off to full advantage. I'm so sorry that these will not be carried over on 4th January; if you haven't already purchased them, place your order now before it's too late!

Back soon 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.

 

May The Magic Of The Season Fill Your Heart and Home

by Joanne James19. December 2015 21:30

Good evening lovely blog readers! Christmas preparations are full steam ahead here in the James household and now that the Juniors have broken up from school for the holidays I'm sure there will be even less crafting time than usual; so tough when there is a huge big box of pre-order Spring-Summer seasonal goodies sitting in the corner of my office! Luckily for you I still have some Christmas cards and projects that I haven't shared with you. So today I'm sharing one of the cards from my all day Christmas stamp-a-stack back in September - this one features the Home for Christmas DSP and one of the stamps from the Cozy Christmas set and was a favourite for the ladies who attended:

The Pacific Point really makes the colours on this card pop and the addition of the gold corded trim and the red glimmer paper poinsettia cut out using the framelit from the Delicate Ornament Thinlit Dies set adds a lovely touch of sparkle to this card. If you are in need of some last minute Christmas cards, you could knock a few of these out in no time. This sentiment is one of my absolute favourites - it says everything that is good about the holidays for me.

That's all from me tonight; The Paper Players team and I are taking a couple of weeks break over the Christmas period but fear not - I will be back tomorrow with another festive project that I think you'll like. 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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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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