Case-d birthday card

I was short on inspiration last night, so I decided to copy a card that I've seen all over Pinterest recently and absolutely love, by Monika Davis. You can see the original here.

 

I didn't have the products Monika used, so I raided my own stash & came up with a pretty solid recreation, I'd say.

 

The "Happy" stamp is a section from a stamp in Stampin' Up!'s Amazing Birthday set. I started off trying to mask off and repeat stamp it, but that was far too complicated & ink got everywhere. In the end I just stamped the whole stamp multiple times and cut out each "Happy" and glued it to the card. Sometimes the simple ways really are the best.

 

 

 

So have a look round Pinterest and the web in general for designs you like & think how you can adapt them using the stamps and inks you already have.

 

(Remember to give credit where it's due if you do base your design on someone else's work  :) )

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

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

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!

Stampin' Up! owl punch

This card shows off just how well the Stampin' Up! colour families match across different product ranges.  I used Designer Series Paper, cardstock & ink from the 2013-2015 In Color range. Using colour products from a single Stampin' Up! colour family makes putting together a card or project so simple.

The cheeky fella was made using my beloved owl punch (118074) which I will NEVER part with. It is my third baby. Fourth, if you count the cat (I do, she doesn't). 

I  also used the Hardwood background stamp (for the branch)(133035), Label Love (130622) & Gorgeous Grunge (130517) stamp sets, and the Little Leaves  Sizzlits die (114511). (Please note, all links are to cling and not wood mounted rubber stamps.)

Order any of these items from my Stampin' Up! online shop. Click on the link to get started. Don't forget that until 31 March spend £45 & choose a free item from the Sale-a-bration catalogue. 

Black & white

My natural design style tends to be a bit chaotic, layered & grungy. If it's got an edge, ink it! If it looks symmetrical, prod it around a bit til it looks wonky! Friends with an eye for crisp lines, symmetry & order itch when faced with my random, mismatched approach.

So, I thought I would have a go at paring it right back & producing something clean, crisp & simple. One colour. No layering (well, hardly any). No inked edges (this one was tough, but the images are so strong, inky distressed edges would have looked weird). 

I was aiming for an ink blot test type look with this. What do you see? I see a butterfly & a delightful dancing rabbit. If you see severed limbs you should probably seek professional help. And kindly cease following this blog.

My second card is a simple wedding card using the Perfect Couple stamp set. 

I used the image from one stamp & the sentiment from another for this. Totally different from what I would normally make, but I do like it & think it would be great for a younger wedding card.

What I used 

Card 1

Gorgeous Grunge stamp set

Embosslits Beautiful Wings emboss & cut die

Black Stazon ink

Whisper White card stock 

Card 2

Perfect Couple stamp set 

Whisper White cardstock 

Black Stazon ink

Cherry Cobbler Stampin Write marker

Buy any of the above from my Stampin' Up! shop. Click on the links to get started. 

Sunday best

Another card using the same products as yesterday. The blue, brown & green patterned papers are from the In Colour Designer Series Paper stack. A little goes a long way, 

Here's what I used... 

Hardwood stamp 133035 

Label Love stamp set 130622

Coordinating Artisan Label punch 130920

Gorgeous Grunge stamp set 130517

Little Leaves Sizzlets die 114511

Sizzix Spiral Flower die 129379

2013-2015 In Colour cardstock & ink bundle 131293 (inks & cardstock available to buy individually) 

2013-2015 In Colour Designer Series Paper 130136

Linen thread 104199

Buy from my Stampin' Up! shop - click on the link to get shopping.