Hope you all enjoyed Valentine's Day yesterday. Today I thought I would share the second instalment of my experimentation with 'Feeling Sentimental' - this time, with the ferris wheel stamp from the set.

I've used the same simple layout as for the phone box, but this time have used a blue midnight muse card base and experimented with the 'rock and roll' stamping technique to add some interest. On the first card I've stamped in blue straight onto the card and left it at that; the second card I stamped in a combination of midnight muse and pacific point. This is a really easy technique: you simply ink your stamp all over in the lightest colour you are going to use, then 'rock' sections of your stamp over the top with a darker colour to get a graduated colour. I actually quartered mine, but you can achieve a different effect depending on how you ink up, roll and how many ink combinations you use.

I'll be back tomorrow with another example using this stamp and technique, but on a birthday card using a triple ink combination, so do come back and see how different this stamp can look. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Feeling Sentimental

Cardstock: Whisper White, Midnight Muse

Ink: Midnight Muse, Pacific Point

Another Valentine's Day card today - well, only one more day to go!

I was playing about with my new Petite Curly Label punch and the Pretty Petites (just one of the stamp sets available free if you spend £45 or more during Sale-A-Bration 2013) and Ciao Baby! stamp sets that fit it perfectly and thought how the little punched shapes would make cute love letters ... if only I could find some super-small envelopes! So, some quality time with my Simply Scored Scoreboard later, and done - 4 envelopes that are the perfect size for the punched love tokens.

A set of 4 makes a great card; you could even write a mini note on the blank one and hide inside for your loved one to find.

I finished off with a 'love' stamp coloured with a real red marker and blender pen; this stamp is from the retired set 'Outlined Occasions' but it just finished this card off nicely.

I hope this leaves you inspired to create - until next time, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Pretty Petites, Ciao, Baby!, Outlined Occasions (retired)

Cardstock: Whisper White, Real Red

Inks & Stampin' Write Markers: Real Red

Tools: Petite Curly Label Punch, Blender Pen, Simply Scored

With only two days to go, I thought I would share another Valentine's Day card with you today. I actually took this card to the wedding fair I exhibited at last weekend, as I thought it would also make a lovely invitation and it could be adapted to a variety of different colour combinations.  

I took my inspiration from the current Stampin' Up! catalogue on page 179 and the card that demonstrates the new Stampin' Spritzer. It is a 5" square card with a base of Melon Mambo and mat of Basic Grey, with a sharp white typeset LOVE which is inset with a small punched heart and a little diamante for just the right amount of 'bling'. Simple, but oh so effective and if you're a crafter who likes to leave things until the very last minute, really quick to execute with no stamping required! I'll be back with another Valentines idea tomorrow, but meanwhile - happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Paper: Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Basic Grey

Tools: Typeset Alphabet dies, Small Heart Punch, Basic Rhinestones Jewels, Big Shot

I have been very busy exhibiting at my first wedding fair today, so today's work is that of a guest crafter - my daughter! Today is Chinese New Year and as my daughter is very fortunate to learn Mandarin at school, we decided to make a new year card for her Mandarin teacher, Wan Lau Shu (or Mrs Nelson to the uninitiated - apologies for  the poor phonetics!!) and a small gift.

So first up, the card:

This year is the Year of the Snake, so we decided to decorate the card with a golden snake (yellow/gold is considered the most important colour and the colour of Imperial China) made using a paper-folding technique learned at a lunchtime 'Maths through Art and Design' club (aren't schools great these days?!). We stuck the snake to a bright red card, as red is an important colour in Chinese culture symbolising good fortune and joy and is very popular during new year celebrations. To finish, my daughter carefully wrote 'Happy New Year' in her best character writing alongside it.

She then also made a small gift of a punch art panda bookmark to go with the card. Isn't he cute?

Just a few simple punched shapes, diamantes to give his eyes some sparkle and a red bow for luck. So to everyone out there who is celebrating today, a Happy New Year! Until next time, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies (Panda Bookmark only):

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black

Tools: Large oval punch, 2-step bird punch (the wing), owl punch (circles for eyes and heart for nose), diamantes

Before I share more of my 'Feeling Sentimental' notelets with you, today I thought I'd let you know about the wedding fair I'm attending at the weekend and give you a sneak peak of the 'make and take' wedding invitation you could try your hand at if you come along.

I've been busy all week preparing samples for the Budget Bride Live Wedding Fair at Diana's Health Club in Wellingborough this Sunday (click here for more information). If you're a bride-to-be and would like to know how to make your own wedding stationery, then do come along and discover how easy it can be with a little help from me and some Stampin' Up! supplies. You can enjoy making everything from invititations to place settings, guest favours to room decorations - all colour-coordinated to tie in to your chosen theme.

If you are attending on Sunday, you will also have the opportunity to have a go and discover just how easy making your own stationery can be - just take a look:

This invitation in classic white allows you to have a go at a number of basic techniques: embossing the raised flower design with the Big Shot, a simple sentiment stamped in black, along with two punched butterflies to add interest. I'm sure you'll agree it looks great as it is, but with the addition of some pearls or colour, can be easily tied in to your theme or given even more of a 'wow' factor.

You may also be surprised at how easy on the purse-strings making such beautiful wedding stationery can be: you could make 40 invitations like the one above for just £67.90 including envelopes and still have ink, stamps, punch and an embossing folder to make co-ordinating items too. When you consider that the average UK bride and groom spend £465 on wedding stationery alone*, then this is nothing short of a bargain and definitely something to think about if you're getting married on a budget.

If you would like to discuss your wedding stationery needs, do come along on Sunday or contact me for further information on how I can help make your day as special and individual as you are.

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Paper: Whisper White

Inks: Black Stazon

Stamps: Loving Thoughts

Tools: Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Big Shot

*Source: Weddingsday.co.uk

So today, I thought I'd share something a little different. I have been playing with another new Sale-A-Bration stamp set, this time 'Feeling Sentimental'. I have to confess it's not the sort of set that immediately appeals to me - a little too vintage for my liking! - however it does us all good to move outside of our comfort zone every once in a while, so I've created a set of 6 notelets using 3 different stamps in this set and using a few different techniques to illustrate how you can achieve some quite different effects whilst still keeping things simple. 

So, first up, that quintessentially British icon, the telephone box. These are fast becoming few and far between, so it's probably time they are immortalised in a stamp. I've used a Real Red card base and ink - well, you can't really use anything else can you? On one, I've stamped in red straight onto the card and left it at that, apart from the 'hello' sentiment - this is the centre of one of the new Pretty Petites stamps, inked with a marker pen so that I could stamp it without the surround. It reminded me of an old-fashioned curly telephone receiver cord. The second card I stamped in Basic Black, then used a blender pen and Real Red ink to colour in. This gives a sharper outline, but I think more character with the blended infill. The latter is my favourite - which one do you prefer?

I'll be back with more cards featuring the other stamps in this set over the next few days - a Penny Farthing bicycle and a fairground ferrris wheel, but until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Feeling Sentimental

Paper: Whisper White, Real Red

Ink: Basic Black, Real Red

Tools: Blender Pen

A quick post from me today as I've been busy preparing for a forthcoming wedding fair. Another card with Valentine's in mind: this time, using the 'together' stamp from the 'Happy You' hostess set in the main catalogue: 

I've used a front fold overlapping design in vanilla for a change, with the stamp coloured with markers and a blender pen and showing through a punched circle. I've used a lovely piece of More Amore designer paper on the right for contrast and a punched Pretty Petites label to hold the card closed.

That's all for today. Join me tomorrow for a 3D project - meanwhile, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Happy You, Pretty Petites

Paper: Very Vanilla, More Amore (DSP)

Ink: Real Red; Stampin' Write Markers: Real Red, Primrose Petals

Tools: Blender Pen, Petite Curly Label Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch

We are back to the LOVE theme today, with a cute set of four notelets with a coordinating box. I have designed them with Valentine's Day in mind, but these little 3" notelets are perfect for tucking into a lunchbox or loved one's pocket for a surprise love note.

I've used a selection of stamp sets to create this set:

From the left, do you recognise the stamp used on the first card? I created the patchwork heart design by using my marker pens to colour the central section of the 'recover rapidly' Band-Aid stamp from the Sale-A-Bration Patterned Occasions stamp set, aligning each one with my trusty stamp-a-ma-jig to align them into a neat patchwork pattern. The second stamp is from a now retired set called 'Sprinkled Expressions' and the third uses the cross stitch heart from the Hoop La La set in the main catalogue. Lastly, the heart/flower stamp is one of 24 available in the set 'Spring Sampler' available in the new Spring Summer seasonal catalogue that goes live TODAY! There are lots and lots of lovely new items, some of which I've already featured and many of which you will see on my blog during the coming weeks and months. There is a link to the catalogue on the right hand side of my page; if you would like your own copy of the catalogue or would like to place an order, do get in touch with me at joanne@thecraftyowl and I will be happy to help.

I also whipped up a lovely two-tone box to keep them all in out of melon mambo cardstock with a co-ordinating regal rose flap shaped using one of the small Labels Collection framelits. To finish off, I stamped and cut a pair of hearts using the Hearts a Flutter set to tuck the box flap into and hold it in place.

My little girl has had her eye on these ever since she saw me putting them together, so I'm thinking I might slip the first one of mine into her school bag for a little surprise. The second might go into my husband's lunch box - assuming I stop crafting for long enough to make him a sandwich of course! I hope you are inspired to have a go and make something similar - do leave me a comment and let me know who you are sending yours to. Off to create now - until next time, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Patterned Occasions, Sprinkled Expressions (retired), Hearts A Flutter, Hoop La La, Spring Sampler, Tiny Tags, Hearts a Flutter

Paper: Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Regal Rose

Stampin' Write Markers: Real Red, Melon Mambo, Regal Rose

Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig, Hearts a Flutter Framelits, Labels Collection Framelits, Simply Scored

Yesterday I held my first Stampin' Up party - thanks to all the lovely ladies who attended for being so kind to me on my first outing! I thought I would do a quick post today to share with you the gift I made for the hostess as a thank you.

It's a set of four notelets in a co-ordinating box, featuring the Madison Avenue and Vintage Verses stamp sets and the Sycamore Street designer series paper and designed by the lovely Monica Gale for our recent training event. You can check out her blog here - and spookily, as I've just gone to create the link I can see she has blogged her own set today; clearly great minds think alike!!!!

If you would like to receive a similar gift set, then all you have to do is get in touch with me and arrange to host your own Stampin' Up party - it's a great opportunity to get together with your crafty family and friends, make a project and receive lots of free goodies; in addition to free products of your choice depending on your party sales, you can also receive some of the lovely silver glimmer paper featured in the cards above with orders above £150. This is a great product - it doen't shed, like some glitter card, it can be coloured with the aid of ink and rubbing alcohol to match specific projects and a little goes a long way!

Come back tomorrow for some more cards on a Valentine's theme and the launch of the new Spring-Summer catalogue.

Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Madison Avenue, Vintage Verses

Paper: Pool Party, Whisper White, Sycamore Street (DSP), Silver Glimmer Paper

Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Pool Party, Summer Starfruit

Tools: Bitty Butterfly Punch, Oval Punch, Elegant Butterfly Punch, Small Heart Punch, Scallop Border Punch, Apothocary Accents Framelits

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

That most romantic time of year, Valentine's Day, is just around the corner so I thought it was about time I shared with you some of my latest creations with love in mind.

So first up is a Valentine's card in classic red and white.

I used my typeset alphabet for the white 'I' and 'YOU' and set on a red mat for definition, then used a layered heart as a substitute for 'LOVE'. The fancy base heart and top hearts are stamped and cut with the Hearts a Flutter stamps and framelits set featured in the new Spring/Summer catalogue, due out on February 1st, with a solid red heart punched using a full heart punch layered in between. Lastly, a scoreline around the red mat to add definition and it's done.

I'll be posting lots more Valentine's projects during the next couple of weeks, so do drop by and check them out. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Hearts A Flutter*

Paper: Whisper White, Real Red

Ink: Real Red

Tools: Hearts a Flutter Framelits*, Full Heart Punch, Typeset Alphabet, Simply Scored

*available February 1st