Today I'm sharing one of my favourite Easter projects with you. I think the new oval framelits in the Spring-Summer seasonal catalogue were crying out to be made into an Easter gate-fold card, so here's my version: 

I used oval framelits 1-4 and 6 to create an Easter egg on the outside; I deliberately chose to keep the front quite simple with some paper piercing for interest and a large paper bow to tie the whole thing together. The outer oval lifts up to release the fold and reveal the surprise on the inside:

A cute punch art chick with a happy Easter message! So for this card at least, the egg came first. One last photo of a close up of the bow - a dramatic focal point for this card and I love it:

Hope you like it. Back tomorrow with more Spring loveliness; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Wacky Wishes

Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive

Ink: Tangerine Tango

Tools: Oval Framelits, Oval Paper Piercing Template, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Two Step Bird Punch (for wings), Heart Punch (for feet - retired)

It's snowing outside - again! - so I've spent the day hibernating, with a combination of crafting and 'daring Monopoly' to quote my son (I'm not sure how this differs to regular monopoly, but it was fun all the same!) Lots of new things to share with you this week, but for now back on the Easter theme today, albeit with a great use of a recent Sale-A-Bration stamp set.

I saw this card by Amanda at the Craft Spa here and thought it was a really neat idea so just had to have a go at recreating it. Armed with my trusty Stamp-a-ma-jig, here's my card: 

No sentiment, as I didn't have one that fitted neatly, but still a great additional use for the Madison Avenue border stamp. Easy to decorate, as the Itty Bitty Punch shapes fit perfectly inside. Quite effective, don't you think?

Back tomorrow with more Easter treats! Until then, happy stampin!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Madison Avenue

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Island Indigo, Pool Party

Ink: Island Indigo

Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig, Itty Bitty Punches

Finishing Touches: Rhinestone Basic Jewels

Sale-A-Bration is over for another year, so today I'm sharing a thank you card designed by Bekka Prideaux at our last team training session using one of the free Sale-A-Bration sets, Patterned Occasions: 

I SO love this elephant and the colour combination of the Daffodil Delight with the Rich Razzleberry is really zingy I think. So to all of my Sale-A-Bration customers, thanks a ton - this one's for you!

Until next time, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Sycamore Street DSP

Stamps: Patterned Occasions

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight, Gumball Green

Finishing Touches: 1/4" Rich Razzleberry Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon

Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig, Scallop Border Punch

I'm behind with my Easter photography, so a break from Easter cards today and another of the Tea Shoppe cards that I've been making to share with you. This is a case of a card by Michelle Last (you can see her version here), albeit in a completely different colourway: 

This card involves a lot of cutting out by hand of the cups, but it's worth it I think for the overall effect. I used some of my 'Tea for Two' DSP to provide the background paper and I love the flower trim - it really makes this card, don't you think? I coloured the edges of my flowers by dipping in some Pretty in Pink reinker; I think it ties them into the overall colour scheme really well. You can do this with any ink colour to co-ordinate with your project, so it makes them really versatile. Here's a close up of the flowers so that you can see the effect in detail: 

So pretty! I love the vintage feel of this card, even though I'm generally a clean lines, modern design kind of girl. This would be a lovely birthday card or even special invitation to an afternoon tea party - I can almost hear the china tea cups and saucers chinking together ...

Back tomorrow with more Easter fun; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Tea Shoppe

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Rose Red, Tea for Two DSP

Ink: Pretty in Pink, Rose Red

Tools: Scallop Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Two-Step Bird Punch (for the leaves), Stampin' Dimensionals, Trimmer

Finishing Touches: 5/8" Flower Trim

So today's card was a case of something similar I saw on Pinterest which I actually made as a birthday card for a special 7 year old recently who is just mad about rabbits. I thought I would share today as it could just as easily be adapted to an Easter card. This is the front:

I used the 'Memorable Moments' stamp set to create the 'Happy 7th Birthday' - this is a great set that allows you to create custom birthday and anniversary greetings for pretty much any number combination. The outline stamp also fits the Labels Framelits perfectly. I love the idea of the rabbit hopping into his hidey-hole, only to open the card and see him reappear on the inside.

Here's a close-up of the inside: 

You can see the detail of his face and the subtle sponging just adds texture and character to his features. My favourite has to be the extra-large pompom tail on the front though I just love it!

So only one more day of Sale-A-Bration left - if you have an order to place or would like to sign up for the enhanced starter kit, you've got less than 24 hours to get in touch with me, so don't delay!

Back tomorrow with more Easter ideas - might even show something using one of the Sale-A-Bration sets, for all you early-birds who already have your free stamp sets and are looking for more great ways in which to use them. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Memorable Moments, Woodgrain. Inside greeting is from a retired set - the current set 'A Word For You' is very similar though.

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Basic Black, Pretty in Pink, Gumball Green

Inks: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip

Tools: Itty Bitty Punches, Large Oval, Small Oval, Circle Punch (various sizes), Ornament Punch, Owl Punch (for nose), Labels Framelits, Trimmer

Finishing Touches: Basics pearls.

Well, the weather outside has been raining on and off all day - so much for the first day of Spring! I have another Easter card for you today, a 4" square card that literally took only a couple of minutes to make: 

I wanted something plain and simple, but with some bold colour to remind me of brighter days. The images are from the Spring Sampler set in the Spring-Summer catalogue. I love the versatility of this set and have lots more to share with you over the coming days, so stay tuned. The sentiment is a partial stamp from the Wacky Wishes set again - this is the only Easter sentiment I own, so I warn you now you'll definitely be seeing more of this!

I have had a busy couple of days, with a day in London at the Biscuiteers Icing Cafe icing Easter biscuits yesterday and a 'Sounds of Spring' music concert at school this evening - I am willing the weather to get warmer and hoping it will soon oblidge! A class assembly tomorrow based on the musical 'Matilda', which should be fun and another Easter concert next week - don't you just love the end of term?

Also, whilst I remember - there was a video link about the new borders scoring plate missing from my last post; this has now been fixed, so if you'd like to see it, it's there now. One last reminder - Sale-a-bration finishes this Friday, so if you would like to place a £45 order and receive one of the 17 free gifts, or if you would like to sign up as a demonstrator and take advantage of the 25% extra free offer where you receive £162.50 worth of product on your starter kit for £99, you only have 2 days left to do so. Hopefully back tomorrow with some more Easter treats; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Spring Sampler, Wacky Wishes

Cardstock: Whisper White, Tempting Turqouise, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight

Ink: Tempting Turqouise, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight

Tools: 1 1/4" circle punch, circle die

So I thought it was about time I started with some Easter cards, otherwise it will be here before we know it and I won't have shared any ideas with you. I took the opportunity to play with my Simply Scored Borders scoring plate today and used it to decorate some Easter eggs for my newly hatched chicks:

It's taken me a while to get used to the new scoring plate, but now that I have I'm finding it useful for all kinds of things. Stampin' Up! have made a great video tutorial showing how to use the new plate, which does work differently to the other plates as it has an overlay guide too - click on the video link here if you'd like to know more.

In case you're wondering where the chicks came from - they are the bird from the two-step bird punch, sponged around the edges to add definition. I love punches like this that have multiple uses!

The children had a Spring Fayre at school yesterday and won a runner-up prize in the Easter Egg Hunt of a chocolate egg and a chocolate rabbit - they were delighted and as they devoured the egg this afternoon, decided Easter has officially begun! I'll be back tomorrow with another Easter card; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Wacky Wishes

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Wisteria Wonder, Island Indigo, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Daffodil Delight

Ink: Daffodil Delight, Island Indigo

Tools: Simply Scored Borders Scoring Plate, Ovals Framelits, Two-Step Bird Punch

Finishing Touches: Linen Thread

Today we are back to tea cups! This time another modern card in some bright colours to get me in the mood for spring, rather than the freezing sub-zero temperatures outside - I'm trying to think myself warm! This is my finished card:

I used Very Vanilla and Gumball Green as my main colours, with some So Saffron and Melon Mambo on the other two cups. I used my square scallop-edged punch for the first time today and I think it gives a really nice mount for the tea cups - what do you think? Another Itty Bitty flower and pearl and some co-ordinating ribbon for a finishing touch and done - this card could be used for so many occasions; I'm not a huge fan of green, but I took this suggested colour combination from my colour coach and I love it! One more tea cup card for tomorrow I think - a fancy fold card, then it's time to move on to Spring proper.

So until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Tea Shoppe

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Gumball Green, Melon Mambo, So Saffron

Ink: Gumball Green, Melon Mambo, So Saffron

Tools: Itty Bitty Punches, Scallop Square Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Simply Scored, Trimmer

Finishing Touches: Pearl Basic Jewels, 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon

I thought we would have a change from tea cups today: I had such a lovely response today to a card I had sent to someone I just had to share it with you.

For those of you following who know me, you will be familiar with the love of water-based activities in the James household: Daddy is a PADI scuba diving instructor in his spare time, Mummy is a keen fair-weather diver (warm seas only, preferably the Carribean!) and both James Juniors are keen swimmers and have been since 2 months and six weeks old respectively. Well, Rebecca recently competed in her first ever development swimming gala with Poppy, another member of her new swimming squad. It was a big deal for the girls and they did incredibly well in all their races, but it was just as big a deal for the staff at their swim school Aqualight, based in Northampton, and its founder, Emie Kitson.

Emie is an internationally-recognised expert who specialises in the teaching of baby swimming; you can learn more about her techniques and the work of Aqualight Babies and Aqualight UK, her junior swimming section, on her website here. I feel fortunate that our paths crossed when Rebecca was so young; I'd never heard of baby swimming back then but was keen for her to be comfortable and confident in the water, otherwise family holidays were going to be something of a challenge! Luckily both of my children LOVE the water and are keen swimmers and I wanted to send a card to recognise Emie's achievement in turning her own dreams into a reality - especially as Poppy, aged 10, was one of Emie's first ever babies that she taught to swim. To that end, I made her this card to mark this milestone:

This sentiment from the Word Play stamp set was just perfect for the occasion; I used blue to echo the colour of water, with just enough orange to provide contrast and popped the arrow onto a dimensional to make it stand out.

Emie loved her card and it left me with a warm glow to know that receiving my unexpected card had made her smile today. So congratulations Emie (and Rebecca and Poppy) - here's hoping Aqualight continues to go from strength to strength.

Back tomorrow with the last of the tea cups - until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Word Play

Cardstock: Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Pacific Point, Tangerine Tango, Brights Designer Series Paper, Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Pacific Point, Tangerine Tango

Tools: Trimmer, Dimensionals

Finishing Touches: Rhinestone Basic Jewels

More cups of tea today - now I've started with this stamp set, I can't put it down! Today an altogether more modern take on afternoon tea compared to the last couple of blog posts. This is a case of a card designed by Mary Fish - you can see her original card here. I've stamped mine in a slightly different colourway as I had some retired DSP that I wanted to use for the envelope and changed the card colours to coordinate. My finished card looks like this:

This card measures 4 1/4" square and I think the colours bring a really fresh look to this stamp set. The small tea cups are on a single stamp, but it's easy to colour them individually using marker pens, stamp them and trim them to fit on a card of this size. The pearls, heart and flower just add a few interesting details to finish the card.

The co-ordinating envelope was a breeze to make with my Simply Scored scoreboard - sometimes it's easier to make an envelope for an unusally sized card and a patterned paper can really finish things off. I'm thinking of making a short video on how to make envelopes with your scoreboard - let me know if this is something you would find useful and I will get on to it!

Lastly today, I promised an update on the Mother's Day activities in the James household: well, I awoke to my very own cup of tea in bed, but didn't have time to drink it today as it was accompanied by a hand-drawn treasure map and a trail of carefully cut out footprints the size of my offspring leading me downstairs to my lovely pile of cards. The handmade ones from school were very glittery (must remember to introduce Rebecca's teacher to our no-shed Glimmer Paper before this academic year is out!!) but all cards thoughtful and sent with love and written with the very best handwriting! A lovely roast dinner and afternoon of crafting, with the best still to come: my gift is a course at the Biscuiteers School of Icing learning to ice Easter biscuits in a couple of weeks time - I'm so excited! So all in all, I end today feeling loved and appreciated - makes being a Mum so worthwhile! So to mothers everywhere - I hope you too enjoyed your day.

Until next time, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Tea Shoppe

Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise, Pear Pizzazz (retired), Poppy Parade (retired), Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper (retired)

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise, Pear Pizzazz (retired), Poppy Parade (retired)

Tools: Itty Bitty Punches, Small Heart Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Simply Scored, Trimmer

Finishing Touches: Pearl Basic Jewels