Variation on a theme

It's an ex work colleague of mine's birthday on the 4th August, and I know that she likes blue. 

 So I made this Everything Eleanor card (which you have seen before in So Saffron and Soft Suede)

It looks completely different in monochrome and I love it - and hope that Janet will too.

Colour combo Bashful Blue and Whisper White

Stamp sets Everything Eleanor and Curly Cute (sentiment)

Basic Pearls. 

Congratulations Carol!

Here's the card that I have put in the post today for my good friend, fellow golfer and crafter, Carol -

 to congratulate her on the birth of her grandson on 23rd July.

Yes I know it's a bit late, but I have been busy - what's new??

I have shamelessly cased this from my sister-in-law Chris

Stamp set Bundle of Love

Card stock Bashful Blue, Whisper White and Marina Mist.

Papers - Nursery Nest DSP.

If you see this today Carol - Congratulations!!

Another Flip Card

Card front - closed

Card open (flipped)

Here is another Flip card - the lighting is poor, as the actual colour of the card is Poppy Parade 

and it looks more like orange here!!

The Stamp -sets used are Polar Party (Penguins)

Sentiment from Season of Joy

Swirls from Pines and Poinsettias.

July Thank you cards

These are some of the thank you cards that I have made for the ladies who placed orders in July.

From left to right the colour used with the white is:-

Pretty in Pink, Tempting Turquoise, Wisteria Wonder, Melon Mambo and Pool Party.

Sentiment - Curly Cute.

Punch - Lace Ribbon Border punch

Basic Rhinestones.

Here's a close up of one of them

Flip Card

Nest week we will be doing Christmas cards in class.

Here is a Flip Card -that is a new technique to me (so hope it's a new one for my ladies too!)

Flip card closed

Flip card half open

Flip card fully open

Cardstock Night of Navy.  Retired DSP . 

Stamp sets - Polar Party, Serene Snowflakes,  Delightful Decorations, Sentiment - Curly Cute.  

Labels Collection Framelits Dies, 

Show us your Twinchies Challenge #2 - Summer

Here is my 3rd entry for Show us your Twinchies Challenge #2 - Summer

http://twinchie-twinchiehotmaillive.blogspot.co.uk/

I don't know whether you recognise what the base of this Twinchie is?

Anybody guess?

It's a plastic slide frame - the sort that you used to use with picture slides

 and show on a screen - and it just measures 2" square, and being bright yellow I thought

that it would fit this challenge nicely!

Lovely as a tree Christmas

I have cased this card from one of my SU sisters - Anthea

I received the original card as a swap from our quarterly training earlier this month.

I didn't think I would be able to capture the "feel" of this card when I first saw it,

but I am pleased that I had a go and I'm quite happy with the results

The lighting is very poor, so the colours don't look as they really are.

Colour combo - Early Espresso, Crumb Cake and Whisper White.

Stamp-set:  Lovely as a Tree

Sentiment - Curly Cute.

Thanks Anthea!!

Congratulations Ellie!

Our grand-daughter, Ellie, passed her driving test - at the first attempt,

last Wednesday.  Here is the card that I made for her.

Colour combo is Soft Suede and Pretty in Pink.

Stampsets - Creative Elements, Mixed Bunch and Just believe.

Sentiment - Curly Cute..

As promised........

Here's the card that I made yesterday, using the Random Blossom Petal flower 

that I made on Friday.

Random Blossom Petals flower

Here's something else that I made whilst at Cheryl's yesterday.

Once again, its not something I would have thought of doing with the Blossom Petals Punch.

I always do symmetrical and matching petals when I build a flower,

 but Cheryl showed us just how lovely these could look when used randomly.

Pop back tomorrow and see what I did with this little beauty!.

And now for something completely different!!

Today was my crafting day with sis-in-law Chris.

We crafted this morning, had lunch, then visited another mutual crafting friend - Cheryl.

Cheryl showed us how to make this card.

Anyone who knows me, knows that this is not my style of card, 

but I really enjoyed making nthis one.

I am sorry., but I can't tell you the names of the stamps or the DSP or the colours-

as these were all from Cheryl's stash.

What I can tell you is that I had a fantastic afternoon and

 really enjoyed making this card.

Thank you Cheryl!!

The new Mr and Mrs

One of my crafting ladies asked if we could do Wedding cards the other week,

 as she had bought the stamp-set from the Spring Mini.  

I didn't have the stamp-set, so Laura very kindly  loaned me her stamp-set to make them.

Here's one of them.

Colour combo Soft Suede, Pink Pirouette and Very Vanilla.
Stamp-set is Marry Me (retired)

Attic Boutique DSP.  Top Note Die.

Decorative Label and Scallop Trim Birder punches.

Bling - Basic Pearls.

Another Twinchie

I am really addicted to these Twinchies. 

 If I am short on inspiration, I just cut myself a piece of card 2" x 2" and take it from there.  

With this one I started off with a summery green (Pear Pizzazz)

 and decided to pair it up with crisp, fresh white.

I wanted to try a baker's twine flower, so showcased my very first attempt at this here.

It's not perfect, but not at all bad for a first attempt - what do you think??

I would like to enter this in the

Show us your Twinchies Challenge #2 - Summer

http://twinchie-twinchiehotmaillive.blogspot.co.uk/

Double Punched Blossom card

You recall that I went to our Team's all day training on Saturday.  

Well I came home buzzing with ideas and inspiration.  

Part of this came from one of our Team member's Inspiration Station.

Amanda has made loads and loads of cards using the scallop square die,

and seeing her designs made me visit her blog and give one of 

the Double Punched Blossom cards a try.

Card closed

Card open

view from above

card fully opened out.


Colour Combo is Tangerine Tango, Very Vanilla and Daffodil Delight.
Beyond the Garden DSP.
Sentiment from Happiest Birthday  Wishes stamp set (Hostess)
Blossom, Boho Blossoms and Modern Label punch.

You can visit Amanda's Blog here
and see her version - the one that inspired me!!  Thank you Amanda

Another Triple Time creation

Having had a first attempt at this technique, I wanted to have another go,

 it isn't really difficult (or I wouldn't have repeated it!!) 

So here's the second card. 

Colour combo - Tempting Turquoise and Whisper White.

Stampsets - En Francais and Creative Elements,

sentiment from Petite Pairs.

Another Twinchie

Needed a little instant gratification today, so I thought I would make another Twinchie.  

They are really quick to make and are easy on the eye!

Colour combo Tangerine Tango, Daffodil delight and Pear Pizzazz.

Flowers cut with Itty Bitty punch and Boho Blossom punch.

Leaves cut with Bird Builder punch.

Flower centres are made using slivers of yellow screwed up into a "knot"

I would like to enter this into 

Show us your Twinchies Challenge #2 - Summer

http://twinchie-twinchiehotmaillive.blogspot.co.uk/

Quarterly Training Swaps- Christmas Angel Owls

Today I am in Pudsey for our SU Team Quarterly Training Day.

We have a great day together, do some crafting, some serious business talking - honest, 

have a lovely lunch with fabulous cupcakes

 - but most importantly, meet up with fellow Demonstrators and SWAP!!

The theme for today is Christmas - and we had to either do punch art

 or use a non-Christmas stamp to produce a Christmas card.

Today there should be 22 of us so I have been busy making these.......

A Parliament of Owls!!

Angel Owls punched, assembled and fitted with wings

Angels stuck onto Labels Framelit Die cuts, Halos added,
 then glued onto base card.
Greetings stamped  on top left and bottom right corners.

Close up of finished card.

217th consecutive post since 9th December!!

How sad am I??

Today I have posted on my blog every day since the 9th December last year without missing a single day.

That's a total of 217 postings!  

So if I am to carry on with this feat I had better hurry up and post today's before it becomes tomorrow's!!

It has to be a quick posting as I am just finishing off my batch of swaps for tomorrows Training Day.

I will show you them tomorrow and you'll see why I have been so busy.

So without further ado.....

Here are a few more of the thank you cards I send to my customers.

Island indigo and Whisper White

Basic Black and Whisper White

Cherry Cobbler and Whisper White

Don't forget to come back tomorrow and take a look at the swaps I am taking to Quarterly Training!

Triple Time Stamping

Here's a card that I got the idea from on  Anthea,s blog here.

The technique is called Triple Time Stamping.

There is also a link to an excellent tutorial on there if you want to have a go.

The colour combo is Melon Mambo and Whisper White and the stamp-set is Creative Elements.

Ginette's Birthday

Monday was the birthday of another of my SU sisters - Ginette, 

but me being me - I hadn't checked my birthday list and only realised this on Sunday afternoon, 

when it was too late to post a card out to her.  So -  it had to be a belated one!

The colour combo is Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla and I have only used two punches

for this - Blossom punch and Scallop Border punch.

The only stamping involved is the sentiment from Happiest Birthday.

(The poor lighting makes the card look grey rather than Crumb Cake)

Background paper -  Mocha Morning DSP.

Wot no bling?  Card had to be posted and I am on an economy drive!!

Congratulations Anne-Marie!

As promised here is the card that I sent to Anne-Marie yesterday

The Colour combo for this card is Melon Mambo, Wild Wasabi and Whisper White.

The background papers are Beyond the Garden DSP.

The flowers are stamped in Melon Mambo (from Everything Eleanor)

and the leaves are cut with the Bird builder punch.

Sentiment from Curly Cute.

Rhinestones and glitter finishes it off.

Sister's got a brand new job!!

I received  fantastic news from my sister this morning.

Having been told that she was to be made redundant a couple of weeks ago,

she has applied for several jobs. She was called for a second interview this morning

and told that she had got the job she wanted and starts next Monday.  Woopee!!

So I set to and made a card from myself and one from my other sister (Maggie)

to celebrate her great news.!!  Congratulations Anne-Marie!

This is the one  I made for Maggie to send her.

Colour Combo Crumb Cake and very Vanilla, Blossom punched flowers and Boho Blossom punched flowers.
Morning Mocha DSP.  Very vanilla satin ribbon and sentiment from Wonderful Words (retired)

I'll post the one that I made for her tomorrow, so do call back and have a look then!!

Simon's Birthday

Tomorrow is our son Simon's birthday  so I needed inspiration to come up with something

suitable and it's not easy doing cards for fellas - as you all know well.

I decided to keep it simple with crisp clean lines, and decided that I would use

the Stripes Textured Impressions Embossing folder to do stripes.

Horizontally for the top section and vertically on the bottom section.

Kept to a colour combo of Night of Navy and Whisper White.

Punched two borders to go either side of the ribbon using the

Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch.  Stamped the sentiment

 from Happiest Birthday  Wishes (Hostess set) and die cut "Son"

using the Timeless Type Junior Alphabet Medium Sizzlits Dies.

Twinchie #3 Cherub

Hi everyone - I'm back to late blogging again!

I have had my monthly Saturday morning workshop, so  have

been tidying up the conservatory and the craft room this afternoon.

(I did find the Score board place marker, it was on the floor by where Ann was sitting!!)

I have used the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing folder inked with Regal Rose ink

for this twinchie.  Matted onto some Basic Black cardstock, then embellished

with this little cherub charm and the sparkly three leaf corners from my stash.

What do you think?

I would like to enter this in the

Show us your Twinchies Challenge #1 - Anything Goes

http://twinchie-twinchiehotmaillive.blogspot.co.uk/

Thank you cards

These are just some of my latest batch of thank you cards

 for customers who placed orders with me last month.

Colour Combo is Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black and Whisper White.
Timeless Portrait DSP for background.

Stamp-set is Mixed Bunch, stamped and embossed then cut out with Blossom Punch.

  The sentiment (retired) is stamped and then cut out with the Small Oval punch. 

Flower centres embellished with Basic Rhinestones.

Twinchie Two

This is my second attempt at a twinchie - I am finding it quite addictive.

Can I just say a tremendous thank you or all your encouraging comments 

on my Little owl lady that I posted yesterday.  I am overwhelmed by your kindness.

So without further ado......  ta da!! Colour combo of Soft Suede and Pink Pirouette.

Various SU stamps, ribbon and punches used on this little piece of art, pink gems from my stash.

Enjoy!!
I would like to enter this in the
Show us your Twinchies Challenge #1 Anything Goes

http://twinchie-twinchiehotmaillive.blogspot.co.uk/

Twit Twoo Twinchie!!

This is my first attempt at making a Twinchie (a 2" x 2" masterpiece!)

The hardest thing is deciding what you are going to put in such a small space.

Twit Twoo Twinchie

I decided to showcase a punch art little lady owl in her best frock, using the Owl Builder punch.

I would like to enter this into 

Show us your Twinchies - Challenge #1 - Anything goes.

http://twinchie-twinchiehotmaillive.blogspot.co.uk/

Happy Birthday Mummy!!

Today is the birthday of my stampin Up Mummy - Julie, so it's difficult to come up with

something different for her -  I have done my best and sent her some roses on this card.

Colour Combo is Real Red, Old Olive and Very Vanilla.

The backgound is created using the swirl from creative Elements

 and stamped in Old Olive on Old Olive card stock. 

The stamp-set is Apothecary Art and I have stamped and then die cut this out using the

Labels Collection Framelits Dies.  The leaves are punched using the Bird Builder punch.

The spiral flowers and fringed flowers are made  using the Brights stack DSP. 

The usual obligatory bling used here are Basic Pearls.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIE  - HAVE A GREAT DAY!!

Happy Birthday Chris

Today is the birthday of one of my best friends - who also happens to be my sister-in-law.

We share a love of crafting and spend time together at least once a week indulging in our craft!

I wanted something really different for this card and I think I have managed it.

The colour combo is Tangerine Tango Daffodil Delight and Very Vanilla.

The doily is cut from Flirtatious DSP and layered on top of a Very Vanilla scallop circle,

 that I have daubed Daffodil Delight ink onto the edges..

These are layered onto a piece of Beyond the Garden DSP which is

layered on top ff Tangerine tango and Very Vanilla Card stock.

All the flowers are handmade with the large one having a handmade ribbon rose in the middle.

The gold flourishes are cut with a non SU die from my stash!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRIS - Have a great day.

Happy Birthday Jan

Today is my good friend and fellow crafter Jan's birthday.

I wanted to make Jan a really special card and didn't have much inspiration.

I looked back at some photos that I took at our Quarterly Training get together

and found this design, which I believe is one of Julie's.

I really love this Attic Boutique DSP and the colours are so delicate.

The sentiment is an all time favourite from "Oval All".

The colour combo is Pool Party, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla 

with a touch of Daffodil Delight.

The Butterfly is die cut using Beautiful Wings embosslit, 

The flower is mad by scrunching and dampening punched flowers using the Boho Blossoms punch.

I used the Adorning Accents edgelits and Embossing folder and Adorning Accents Edgelits Dies

to achieve this beautiful curve in Crumb Cake.

For the paper ribbon border I used the  Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch,

For the obligatory bling I used Basic pearls for the butterfly's body and head

and for the flower centre.