Decorative star mask bokeh (video)

I've been messing around with masks today. At £2.75 for the two, the Hearts & Stars decorative masks are a bargain.

I accidentally stumbled on an effect similar to bokeh, in photography. Bokeh is "...the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens". Of course it is.

If you know your way around a camera you can create the effect yourself. Since I take most of my photos on my iPhone, I just use an app, Bokehful, to add the effect in later. I've used it round the edges of the photo above.

You create the effect by applying ink lightly through the mask, then going back in in certain areas with a heavy application. I used Real Red, Crisp Cantaloupe and Bermuda Bay. 

It's quick, & makes a really pretty background for a card.

Stand by for an instructional video:

Items featured:

Hearts & Stars Decorative Masks

£2.75

Lost Lagoon A4 Cardstock

£6.25

Lost Lagoon 3/8" Satin Stitched Ribbon

£7.95

Pictogram Punches Clear-Mount Stamp Set

£14.95

Apothecary Accents Framelits Dies

£20.95

Crisp Cantaloupe Classic Stampin' Pad

£4.95

Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad

£4.95

Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad

£4.95

Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack

£15.50

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

Project Life launch

From today you can buy the Project Life Everyday Adventures kit & other PL accessories from Stampin' Up! Have a look at what's on offer.

More kits launch 1 July with the new catalogue. Ace!

Project Life - nearly there (& video)

As promised, here's my double page layout featuring Stampin' Up!'s new Everyday Adventures Project Life range. It's a lovely kit & I really enjoyed using it. I haven't scrapped for a few months and this has made me itching to get to it again!

 

You can buy this kit from my Stampin' Up! shop www.sambracegirdle.stampinup.net from Tuesday 10 June 2014. More new kits and an album will follow in July, in the 2014/15 catalogue.

Don't forget you can join for £50 at the moment - how about joining my team & including Project Life elements in your starter kit (to the value of £55)? Email me to check availability or if you want to know anything about joining, Project Life or Stampin' UP! :)

 

Everyday Adventure Project Life Card Collection

£13.50

Everyday Adventure Project Life Accessory Pack

£8.95

Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack

£15.50

Cards & Labels Project Life Framelits Dies

£20.95

Project Life Day To Day Photopolymer Stamp Set

£22.95

Chevron Border Punch

£19.95

Project Life Point & Click Photopolymer Stamp Set

£13.95

Hello Honey 3/8" Satin Stitched Ribbon

£7.95

Banners Framelits Dies

£22.95

Perfect Pennants

£21.95

Alphabet Rotary Stamp

£13.50

Make Note This And That Rotary Stamp (English)

£5.50

Linen Thread

£3.95

Banner Punch

£11.50

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

Project Life - 2 days & counting...

I've been making layouts using the new Stampin' Up! Project Life Everyday Adventures kit, which becomes available to buy this Tuesday 10 June!

Meet you back here tomorrow for more photos and a video.

Another banner framelits flip card (& VIDEO)

I'm on a roll with flip cards! 

This one uses the Banners Framelits and Perfect Pennants stamp set for a slightly nautical feel. They work so well together. Did you know you can buy them together as a bundle and save a bit of money?

There's another how-to video below. Yes, darlings! I'm simply bursting with flip card goodness & just have to tell the world!!

 

Products featured:

Banners Framelits 132173

Perfect Pennants stamp set 133230

Gorgeous Grunge stamp set 130517

Polka Dot Parade DSP 126902 (Marina Mist, Real Red)

Whisper White cardstock 106549

Crumb Cake cardstock 121685

Ink - Real Red

Crumb cake stampin write marker  120967

Big Shot 113439 

White baker's twine 124262

Banner punch - available July 2014

Flipping heck!! Banners Framelits flip card

Have a look at this flip card, made with the Stampin' Up! Banner Framelits & coordinating Perfect Pennants stamp set. 

I love flip cards. Once you get the hang of them you can make them with any die using the method shown in this video.

The card measures 6x7". I scored at 2.5 & 3.5". I used the second largest Framelit to cut out the banner.

Products featured:

Banners Framelits 132173

Chevron Border punch 132154

Word Window punch 119857

Decorative Label punch 120907

Perfect Pennants stamp set 133230

Simply Stars stamp set 130892

Hip Hip Hooray card kit 134998

Polka Dot Parade DSP 126902 (Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight, Real Red)

Crumb Cake cardstock 121685

Banner punch - available July 2014

Arrows Textured Impressions embossing folder 132187

Ink - Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Pacific Point 

Big Shot 113439 

Remember - spend £60 in a single order before the end of May and get a free Polymer stamp set

Mini book pics & a video

I finished my Mini Memories Simply Created album kit. It's a lovely little book. I've mainly used smaller photos (Pogo prints, passport side and Moos). The album covers were Kraft colour with a clear embossed pattern. I painted them in white acrylic paint then wiped it off while it was still wet, as I wanted white covers.

I used pictures from when my boys were little. It was lovely to complete. My boys are still children, but older now. It was nice to look back at a time when they enjoyed my company & would chatter away to me. These days they only communicate through a complex system of grunts, mostly based around wanting to know what's for tea.

If you currently have small children, do make sure that you photograph the living daylights out them now. Once they hit high school they'll start moaning about privacy and personal space and your pool of scrap-able photos will diminish rapidly. So until then, let them never have an undocumented moment!

Here's a video walk through of the album. (It features my usual high quality video production values, ahem)

And here's some close ups in my Flickr album.

If you want to buy the kit, you can find it here. Colourwise, it coordinates with Baked Brown Sugar, Pistachio Pudding, Crisp Canteloupe (those are all 2013-15 In Colors btw), Read Red and Summer Starfruit, so you might want to pick yourself up some coordinating elements while you're there.  And this is the clearance rack Tulle I was talking about - £2.35. Bargain!