Today I'm sharing a birthday card commission that I made for my sister-in-law's very special Mum, who celebrates her 70th birthday today. I decided to use a combination of some of my favourite of this year's in-colours and the lovely Secret Garden framelits. Here's the finished card:

I love the pretty ruffle trim ribbon and added a tiny sliver of silver glimmer paper to add a little sparkle. I must confess to having had a few failed attempts before producing a card that I was really happy with - I needed this card to be 'just right' and am pleased to say I was happy with the finished result. Here's a quick picture of the card I made for Ann to wish her a special 70th birthday: 

Not the best of photographs, I'm afraid - when flat you can see the sentiment through the aperture cut with an oval framelit - but hopefully good enough to give you an idea. This one uses a similar colour scheme and the Flower Shop stamp set - check out the vellum flowers on the front, which I stamped then heat embossed with Iridescent Ice for a lovely sparkle.

One last thing on my original card: did you notice the little butterfly stamped on vellum that highlighted my label? Here's a close-up:

This is one of the butterflies in the Papillion Potpourri stamp set, punched out with the Bitty Butterfly punch - these are the items on offer at 15% off when you buy them together before 30th September - you can read more about this offer here.

Both James Juniors are back at school tomorrow; whilst I'll miss them not being at home, I can't deny that I'm looking forward to getting back into my craft room for a bit more creating - lots to do!

Do come back in the next day or so to see what I've been creating; I'm looking forward to sharing some of my Christmas ideas and September is a month of birthdays for me, so I'll have lots on this front too. Until next time, happy, stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Secret Garden, Delightful Dozen, Memorable Moments, Papillion Potpourri

Cardstock: Whisper White, Strawberry Slush, vellum

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers:  Strawberry Slush, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding

Tools: Secret Garden Framelits, Oval Framelits, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig

Finishing Touches: Strawberry Slush Stretch Ribbon Trim, Silver Glimmer Paper, Basics Pearls

Today I'm sharing a card I made recently for a football-mad friend. The 'Great Sport' stamp set was an obvious choice for this card - here it is:

There's lots of layering on this card, both in the background and the central design: I stamped the images a few times, then fussy cut the wings and punched and layered the football and fussy cut and layered the stars along the top. The card was inspired by Brian King who often uses layering to great effect. In this instance, it gave me the opportunity to use some 'Chelsea blue' to echo the fan team colours of the recipient and avoid the card being too 'black and white'. Some stamping inside the card and on the envelope added the finishing touches.

I'm sure I'll use this card design again - it would work for any footie-mad fan.

Back tomorrow with another card and lots of news; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Great Sport

Cardstock: Pacific Point, Basic Black, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Pacific Point, Basic Black

Tools: 1" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch

Today it's time for another Angry Birds birthday card - well, it must be at least a few weeks since I shared the last one! This is another card I made a while ago for one of Ben's friends, who is officially Angry Birds number one fan! I took my inspiration from a tiered birthday cake I saw on Pinterest and decided on a bird tower with a pig on top. Here is the finished card:

I decided to make the features 3D to add interest and character to the faces. Just as I was punching the pieces for the final piece, the green pig, which I had absolutely intended to be a king pig, complete with crown, I had a visit to my craft room by young Master James who came to check on progress. He politely asked what I was doing, then announced, "Oh no, Mummy - it can't be a King Pig; it has to be a Grandpa Pig - they are Zak's absolute favourite!" A quick consult of my Angry Birds Visual Dictionary and some minor modifications, and Grandpa Pig was born. Check out the moustache: 

That has to be one of the best things about making your own cards - you can make exactly what you want and it can be completely personalised to the recipient, even if the requirement isn't always known until the last minute!

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

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Cardstock: Marina Mist, Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Gumball Green, Whisper White, Basic Black, Tangerine Tango, Cajun Craze

Tools: Itty Bitty Punch (circle), Owl Punch, 1" Circle Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch

Today I'm sharing a recent commission card I made for a friend of mine who wanted to welcome the latest addition to her extended family, another in a long line of little boys! The brief was 'simple classic' and we agreed a bib style card would be perfect. I made a 6" square card, using the new Circles Framelits to create the bib: 

 I scored the central section on the reverse at 1/2" intervals and finished with tiny pearls for added detail. I added took the opportunity to create a layered label using my new baby Label Love stamp and co-ordinating Artisan Label punch - here's a close up:

How cute is this? I love how easy it is to create the background layer which in this instance added just enough colour to pop this off the front of this largely white card. I used some of my retired Bashful Blue card stock - I will miss this colour for baby boy cards, it's such a perfect shade. 

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

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Label Love

Cardstock: Whisper White, Bashful Blue (retired)

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Bashful Blue (retired)

Tools: Artisan Label Punch, Circles Framelits, Simply Scored

Finishing Touches: Whisper White 5/8" Organza Ribbon, Basics Pearls

A quick post from me today. Here is the last of my favourite Telford swaps to share: this one was by Maria (you can see her blog here):

I like it because it used a number of products and sets I don't have and showcases some beautiful clear embossing. I love the overall finished effect of this card and the unusual colour combination too.

Back tomorrow with another of my cards; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Postage Due

Cardstock: Primrose Petals, Pool Party, Whisper White, Early Expresso

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Primrose Petals, Pool Party, Versamark

Tools: Big Shot, Delicate Design Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Argyle Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Floral Fusion Sizzlit

Finishing Touches: Clear Embossing Powder, Early Expresso Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Basics Rhinestones

Today I have another of the swaps I received at our training event in Telford a little while ago to share with you. This card was made by Jenny Moors and we laughed as we swapped as I had used the same stamp set but taken a completely different creative approach (you can see my Telford swap card here). Here is Jenny's card:

I love the bright colours of this card and there is tons of detail here, right down to the paper pierced edge. It's also a great example of a very well made slider card - here's the inside of the card extended so that you can see what I mean:

If you would like to re-create this card, Jenny has provided a step-by-step tutorial on her blog here. Back with the last of my favourite three swaps I received at Telford next time; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Summer Silhouettes, Petite Pairs

Cardstock: Tangerine Tango, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Tangerine Tango, Rich Razzleberry, Wild Wasabi

Tools: Paper Piercing Essentials Pack

Finishing Touches: Whisper White Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Basics Rhinestones

I was recently fortunate to gain another member to my growing team of Crafty Owls, so as is customary I like to make a card and gift to welcome them into the fold. Here is the card I made to welcome Samantha to my team:

This card was inspired by one I saw on Splitcoast Stampers by Pretty Paper Cards. I cheated a little with the background, using my retired spritz tool and the 'grunge' stamp from the retired 'French Foliage' set, as I have yet to invest in the grunge stamps in the new annual catalogue. I took the opportunity to use another of the lovely new in-colours - this time Crisp Cantaloupe. I also made a co-ordinating decorated notebook for those all important notes, dates and business tips that will be heading Samantha's way; when you're new to Stampin' Up!, there can be a lot to remember, even with a helpful upline in place to guide and support you. You can see the book in the picture below:

If you would like to join my team, whatever your motivation, then do get in touch. Stampin' Up! can be a great way to earn an income whilst doing something you really enjoy, whilst also making new friends and providing you with access to some of the best paper crafting products on the market at a substantial discount. I can support you, whether you wish to build a profitable business or simply become a hobby demonstrator and feed your crafting habit! If you are interested in joining my team and would like to benefit from the incentives and training opportunities that Stampin' Up! has to offer, please give me a call or drop me a line for a chat about what's involved ato how to take the next step. 

There is also a Stampin' Up! Creative Tour coming to a town near us soon; if you would like to 'try before you buy' and experience first hand some of the corporate benefits that Stampin' Up! offers its demonstrators, then I would be happy to take you along as my guest - get in touch if you would be interested in taking advantage of this exciting opportunity. 

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

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Happy Day, French Foliage (retired)

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Crisp Cantaloupe, Very Vanilla

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Crumb Cake, Crisp Canteloupe

Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig, Honeycomb Embossing Folder

Finishing Touches: Basics Pearls, Linen Thread, Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon, Tea Lace Paper Doily

As my regular blog followers will know, my son recently shared a birthday party with one of his school friends. The gift for his friend had a dinosaur theme, so we decided to dust our favourite dinosaur stamp set down from the shelf and make a card and our very own wrapping paper to match. Here it is:

The card is a case of a Julie Kettlewell card I saw on Pinterest, with one or two additions. I decorated the envelope too just to add a nice finishing touch and you can just see the wrapped gift in the background with its co-ordinating paper. I love the bright colours and think it makes such a fun design for a 6 year old. 

The wrapping paper was fun to make too; a great summer holiday activity for the kiddies. I'm actually wondering whether I should get them started on making my Christmas wrapping - now there's a thought...!

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

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: Dinoroar (retired)

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Night of Navy, Brights Designer Series Paper (retired)

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Old Olive, Night of Navy, Tangerine Tango, So Saffron, Pink Pirouette, Basic Grey

Tools: 1" Square Punch, 1 1/4" Square Punch

Finishing Touches: Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon (retired)

This year's 'in colours' have been around for a couple of months now and I find myself using them more and more. I prepared some colour comparison cards with my Mosaic Madness stamp set and punch to show how the new colours compare tonally with other SU colours in the same colour ranges some time ago, but I haven't shared them until now as I was waiting on a back order of two of the blue colours, then when they finally arrived I was so busy playing I totally forgot about finishing and blogging the card set! I tidied my desk this week and rediscovered them, so thought I would share them as I still get asked questions about how these colours blend. So one by one, here they are:

The blue collection:

Coastal Cabana is a lovely turquoise blue, darker than Pool Party but not as intense as the returning Bermuda Bay.

The orange collection:

Crisp Cantaloupe is a fresh pink-peach colour, very like the melon that inspired its name. It's the lightest in the orange colour range.

The green collection:

Pistachio Pudding is a pale green, again lighter than its nearest green neighbours.

The brown collection:

Baked Brown Sugar is a lovely rich shade of brown, more intense than Crumb Cake but not as dark as Soft Suede.

The pink collection:

Strawberry Slush is a lovely vibrant pink, brighter than Primrose Petals but again not as intense as Melon Mambo. the other great thing about this year's in-colours is they all co-ordinate beautifully together, as well as complimenting many of the existing colours. Here is the complete card set including each of the card colour sets:

So what do you think: which in-colour is your favourite and what's your favourite in-colour combination? Post me a comment below, or better still, pop over to my Facebook page and share a picture of something you've made in your favourite in-colour combination. Back soon with another project; until then, happy stampin'! 

Another 40th birthday card today, this one showcasing lots of new products. This was the birthday card from my children to their uncle, so I wanted it to fauna fun design; this is what I came up with:

I used the Birthday Basics Designer Series Paper as the inspiration for the colour scheme for this card - that and the fact that I already had Bermuda Bay out on my desk (I love this new colour!) I built the sentiment from my Simply Sketched Alphabet stamps and added a fun element by replacing the 'OO' with a pair of spectacles and googly eyes. I stamped the spectacles by inking up one pair on my 'Spectacular' single stamp - I have been having lots of fun with this stamp (as a specs wearer it really appealed to me!); this, and the other single stamps, are still available to purchase until the end of the month. See the box on the right of my blog page for more details and make sure you contact me before the end of the month if you'd like to order one.

My children thought this card was really funny, although I'm not sure that I would have got away with it as far as my specs-wearing brother-in-law is concerned, were I not a specs wearer myself!

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

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: ABC-123 Sketch Alphabet and Numbers, Spectacular

Cardstock: Summer Starfruit, Bermuda Bay, Raspberry Ripple, Very Vanilla, Birthday Basics Designer Series Paper (SAB - retired)

Ink/Stampin' Write Markers: Bermuda Bay, Raspberry Ripple

Tools: Simply Scored, Big Shot, Typeset Alphabet Die, Stamp-a-ma-jig

Finishing Touches: Googly eyes (non SU)