One for Men – Swaps.

And the other reason I join in swaps is to receive all these lovely samples …

In no particular order, okay they are in order ... alphabetical

First of all Amanda’s

I just love Amanda’s gap card, she’s used the stamps ‘Just Soccer’ and ‘Starring You’, and quite a few punches.

Next is Cate’s, a very simple and useful card that can be used for any occasion!

Debbie’s card is brilliant, I love how she’s used one of my favourite stamps ‘Medallion’

This Father’s Day card Joanne made will really make your Dad feel like a star! Joanne used the Happy Fathers Day greeting from ‘Occasional Greetings’ and the star from ‘Darling Dots’

Gorgeous card from Kim Fee, but then they always are! Kim also used ‘Starring You’ and look at all that wonderful paper piercing.

 

Look at this fabulous card from Linzi, I just love the tree on this card it’s from the set ‘Lovely as a Tree’ its not one I currently own, but I can see that changing in the very near future.

Another Star card from Pat, different set this time though, Pat used ‘In the Stars’ isn’t it great, love the colours she’s used.

I love this bird punch, you’ve probably noticed lol, Sarah’s used both the punch and my favourite stamp set ‘Medallion’, she’s also used the darling tiny tag punch and matching stamps, gorgeous!

And the last card that I received was from Sharon, lI just ove this one – Fabulous pair of boxers!

 

Aren’t they all just Fabulous!!!  I was definitely not disappointed with this swap :O)

I was in group 1, so there were a few more cards in the whole swap, will see if I can find a link for the rest :O)

One for the Men.

OK, its official, I have an addiction … I joined yet another card swap over on ILWS.  This one was to make a card for a man, no other rules, just stick to a male theme.  As Fathers Day is coming up I decided to make a Fathers Day card:

The card above is my ‘sample’ card, the cards I actually sent out for the swap were only card fronts.

The Recipe:

Cardstock: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, More Mustard
DSP: Sweet Pea Paper Stack
Mediums- Old Olive
Tools: Extra Large Two-Step Bird & Scallop Edge punches, Paper cutter and scorer, 2-way glue pen.

I really will be back tomorrow with some of the cards I received back from the other ladies who joined in the swap (I’ve already written the post).  All the cards are fabulous!!!

See you then :O)

Bad blogger

I am a bad blogger, no good reason other than life just getting in the way of crafting.  Here’s a birthday card I made recently for my FIL:

Stamps: A Little Argyle, Wonderfully Whimsical
Cardstock: New Leaf, Garden Green, Whisper White (SU),
Mediums: Black Versafine, Versamark, Garden Green, Old Olive, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Really Rust, More Mustard
Embellishments: 5/8" New Leaf Saddle stitch ribbon, vintage brads
Tools - Paper cutter and scorer, Snail adhesive, nestabilities die.

Isn’t that argyle just gorgeous …

PTI CASing

Well my PTI order arrived last week and I’ve been playing as often as I can get into the craft room.  Why is it though, that as soon as you open the new packs all inspiration disappears??  My head was cram packed full of ideas before they arrived but on the day, nada, not a thing.  So what did I do … I blog hopped, straight to Nichole Heady and Dawn McVey of course, CASed a couple of their cards and then my creative mojo really started to flow …

First of all Nichole’s 

 

 

 

 

I just loved the simplicity of this card, somehow its a modern card but at the same time vintage?  I got so carried away I managed to make 10 of these in  Handy 4x4 size, well I do know a lot of girls with birthdays this month ...

I’m still learning when it comes to colouring with copics, but that could be my limited supply of them, I’m hoping that some of my not so subtle hints have hit home and I get a few more to build on my current colour families for my birthday later this month (well a girl can hope).

Then I had to have a go at one of
Dawn McVey’s using the fabulous
Dotty biscotti designer paper.    

 

 

 

 

 
I’ve created a couple of cards and projects since, but I’ll upload them tomorrow :O)

See you then ...

A Wedding Card.

I made a Wedding Card for a friend at work some time ago, she went off to Thailand to get married on a beach, which I think is sooo romantic.  She had three weeks off work, a week to prepare, a day for the wedding then two weeks honeymoon, well that was the plan …. Mix in one ash cloud and you get an extended honeymoon …..six weeks later she’s still there!!!   I believe she’s now due home sometime next week.

Anyway this is the card I made

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Medallion, Whimsical Words 
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Kraft
DSP: Bella Bleu
Mediums- Versamark, Whisper White, Close to Cocoa
Embellishments: Filigree brads, white embossing powder
Tools: Paper piercer, Heat gun, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Dimensionals, Paper cutter and scorer, Snail adhesive.

Butterfly flowers and a PTI Challenge

Seems like such a long time since I played with my PTI stash, all I seem to have done craft wise is make cards for swaps, I think its time for me to make some £d projects and cards for fun …

I really wanted to take part in the current A Passion for Papertrey Challenge which is to create something with flowers …

I’ve recently seen a gorgeous flower made with the Stampin Up butterfly punch and tissue paper, I had to have a go, so I created this, let me know what you think:

I made a few, they’ve gone to my new PTI penpals in the US

  

Stamps: Delightful Dahlia, Everyday Button Bits, Background Basics Botanicals (PTI)
Cardstock: Whisper White (SU), Raspberry Fizz (PTI)
DSP: Bitty star basics, bitty dot basics, holiday cheer (PTI)
Mediums: Raspberry Fizz, scarlet jewel, fresh snow (PTI)
Embellishments: 5/8" Raspberry Fizz Saddle stitch ribbon and button, twine (PTI),
Tools - Paper cutter and scorer, Snail adhesive, Butterfly punch (SU).

SWU – Theme Challenge (Birthday).

This weeks Stamp With Us challenge is a theme challenge, the theme is ‘Birthday’ I went to town playing with my new punches, I love, love, love my new punches …

 
Recipe
Stamps: Happy Everything, Tiny Tags
DSP: Sweet Pea Paper Stack
Cardstock: Bravo Burgundy, Rose Red, Regal Rose
Mediums- Bravo Burgundy
Embellishments: Always Artichoke 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, vintage brads, Linen thread
Tools: Medium Jewellery Tag, Extra Large Two-Step Bird1-3/8 Circle,  and Scallop Edge punches, Stamp-a-ma-jig, heat gun, Mat pack and paper piercer, Paper cutter and scorer, tombow adhesive, paper snips, dimensionals.

And a side view view, you can just see how I decorate the inside of my card, I always try to bring a little of the outside to the inside :O)

 
Just look at those GORGEOUS little tags (117190) and there is a set of 17 tiny stamps (118091) that fit in them, and isn’t that bird punch (117191) so sweet, so easy to knock up a quick card, all items available in the mini catalogue.

 
This weeks theme has to be the easiest yet, and everybody has to make birthday cards … Why don't you join in?

Come on over and check out the rest of the Design Team's wonderful creations, come and Stamp With Us

Hope to see you soon

Dawn
xxx

Mini Card Swap.

I joined yet another card swap over on ILWS, it was in celebration of the new mini catalogue, each of us chose a stamp set from the mini to showcase and had to make 14 4x4 full cards with at least 2 layers and one embellishment. This is what I created:

I actually used two stamp set from the new mini, I used both ‘Fine Flourish’ and the dotted swirly flower centre from ‘My Sweet Pea’. The last stamp set I used was from the main catalogue ‘Good Friend’

And the Recipe:

Stamps: Fine Flourish, My Sweet Pea, Good Friend
Cardstock: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa
Mediums- Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Veramark
Embellishments: Taffeta Ribbon coloured with Creamy Caramel marker pen, White embossing powder
Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig, heat gun, Mat pack and paper piercer, Paper cutter and scorer, tombow adhesive, paper snips.

I sent them all off for collation only to find that I hadn’t read the instructions correctly I only made card fronts! I was supposed to make full cards … So that was me very quickly back to the drawing board ….

Unfortunately I didn’t have enough close to cocoa card stock so I had to change the colour scheme.

Stamps: Fine Flourish, My Sweet Pea, Good Friend
Cardstock: Whisper White, Pink Passion, Regal Rose
Mediums- Pink Passion, Green Galore, Versamark
Embellishments: Taffeta Ribbon coloured with Green Galore marker pen, White embossing powder
Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig, heat gun, Mat pack and paper piercer, Paper cutter and scorer, tombow adhesive, paper snips.

If I can get permission from the other ladies who joined in the swap I hope to share their cards with you later this week, all the cards I received are beautiful.

I hope to be back tomorrow with another swap card, this time a card I made for a Wedding Invitation Swap, the cards I received back for this swap really were just fabulous!!!

Baby Sketch (Challenge).

This weeks Stamp With Us challenge is another sketch challenge, we had a sketch (see below) to work from, I used one of my favourite stamp sets in the Stampin! Up catalogue, its the Queue Up set which is only available as a level 3 hostess set.  Have a look it really is a gorgeous set!

Here is my card ...

 
And the Recipe:

Stamps: Queue Up
Cardstock: Whisper White, Almost Amethyst, Certainly Celery, Barely Banana
DSP: Tea Party
Mediums- Basic Black, Almost Amethyst, Certainly Celery, Barely Banana, Creamy Caramel 
Embellishments: Soft Subtle & Rich Regal brads 
Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig, Mat pack and paper piercer, Paper cutter and scorer, Snail adhesive, paper snips, dimensionals.

What do you think? Do you like it?

This is the sketch ...

Why don't you join us? Come on over and check out the rest of the Design Team's wonderful creations, come and Stamp With Us

Hope to see you soon
xoxo

Colour Renovation

Exciting News - Stampin' Up! New Colour Renovation

It was announced this week that Stampin' Up! UK will get a new colour palette with effect from October 1st 2010 . This will bring us inline with the US, Canada and Australia, we’ll all be playing with the same colours :O)

I am so excited about this announcement as I’ve been so envious of the In Colours that the US, Canada and Australia get every year.  So from 1st of October there will be 15 fantastic new colours to play with (AND we’ve been told Stampin Up! will introduce five new In Colours each year, and they will remain for two years)

15 new colours to choose from
Daffodil Delight
Early Espresso
Marina Mist
Cajun Craze
Cherry Cobbler
Melon Mambo
Pacific Point
Tangerine Tango
River Rock
Soft Suede
Riding Hood Red
Rich Razzleberry
Wild Wasabi
Pink Pirouette
Baja Breeze
and Crumb Cake (the new name for Kraft)

But we’ll also be losing a few favourites

These are the colours that are retiring at the end of September:
Pink Passion,
Pixie Pink,
Pale Plum,
Orchid Opulence,
Lovely Lilac,
Lavender Lace,
Almost Amethyst,
Bordering Blue,
Brocade Blue,
Ballet Blue,
Brilliant Blue,
Taken with Teal,
Glorious Green,
Handsome Hunter,
Sage Shadow,
Mellow Moss,
Green Galore,
Gable Green,
Barely Banana,
Yoyo Yellow,
Summer Sun,
Apricot Appeal,
Only Orange,
Really Rust,
Ruby Red,
Cameo Coral,
Blush Blossom,
Creamy Caramel,
Close to Cocoa,
and Going Gray.

You’ve got from now until the end of September to stock up on retiring inks, re inkers, papers, ribbons, and other colour co-ordinated accessories.  No huge panic we’ve got 6 months but at the same time, please don’t leave it too late to order your favourites, once they are gone, that will be it, they will no longer be available.

If you would like to place an order please email me
wicksdawn@hotmail.com or 07832 254505