Free Blendabilities during Sale-a-Bration

 

This would be a great card to make for someone celebrating exam success. It uses the large Project Life Framelits die as a base. The smaller die fits almost perfectly over the card front, leaving just a thin pop of colour round the border.

 

I coloured the images using Blendabilities pens. They are alcohol based markers and so the ink blends without leaving harsh lines, unlike felt tip type markers. You get 3 pens in a pack, each one a lighter or darker shade of the same tone, which allows you to get the effects of light and shade you can see in the picture. Why, with only a little practice you'd think I'd been drawing Manga for years!!! (Although my 10 year old dryly assures me that, actually, you would not. Actually.)

 

You can earn packs of Blendabilities FREE during Stampin' Up!'s Sale-a-Bration promotion (til 31 March 2015). Spend £45 (excluding p&p) & choose a pack free.

 

You could make a very similar card to this one by buying the stamp set, 2 packs of Blendabilities, and some A4 whisper white card for £45.35, and choosing your 3rd pack of Blendabilities for free (consult the Sale-a-bration brochure for the product codes for the free blendies, as it's different to the one in the main catalogue)

 

(I'd also recommend buying the Memento ink pad if you don't already have it, as alcohol markers don't work well with all inks. And you'll need an acrylic stamping block to mount the stamps, as they are cling mount)

 

 

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Wedding card

We're all romantic & spoony this week at Rubberdubber towers. It's Valentine's Day next week & yesterday was me & Mr B's 27th date-a-versary, an event we still celebrate, even though we've been married umpteen years. 

27 years ago last night we went to Aberystwyth Arts Centre to watch the sort of pretentious foreign film we'd hoot with laughter at these days, before earnestly deconstructing it in the union bar.

Mr B considers it a master stroke that he asked me out just before Valentine's Day, as each year he's able to pick up a modest bunch of flowers at a "sensible" price & they're still in bloom a week later, thus allowing him to avoid buying a Valentine's bouquet at "silly" prices. 

"Well, it's hardly worth it. These have got another few days left in them yet", he'll say, deadheading a carnation.

Anyway, pondering on the fairytale that is married life inspired me to make this card using the new For the New Two and Something Lacy stamp sets.

I got that white border effect totally by accident. First I stamped the pink background from the Everything Eleanor stamp set onto white cardstock. I stamped another onto card & cut it out to make a mask, which I placed back over the stamped image, so that I could over stamp the lace background. The card was quite thick, and so when I over stamped the lace stamp, it couldn't make contact properly with the card at the edge of the mask, & it left a wider border than I was expecting. I really like it though, & will try that effect with other stamps & masks. The trick is to use card to mask off & not paper. 

The Apothecary Accents Framelit matches the larger background stamp perfectly, & I cut a second one in glitter paper, cut it in 2 & popped it behind so it was just slightly peeping out. Too much would have looked cheap but just a hint of sparkle really lifts the card.

Here's what I used (all stamps listed below are cling mount - wood mount are also available)

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Butterfly Basics pop-up

I made this pretty and delicate card using Stampin' Up!'s new Butterfly Basics stamp set and coordinating Thinlit dies. (You can buy them together as a bundle and save 15%). Shabby chic is my favourite crafty style so I loved making it. 

 

And yes it does fold completely flat! The gorgeous floral trim is from the Artisan Embellishment Kit, which is full of bits and bobs to perk up a shabby chic card. You can order it or anything else from Stampin' Up! by clicking "Shop now" in the right hand side bar (p&p charges apply).

 

 

 

Pop up cards are so easy. The only cut I made for this was about 2cm, in the centre, then mounted the butterflies on it. I might do a class on pop-up cards in a couple of months.

 

Speaking of classes, this Thursday's card class is now fully booked. My next one is Thursday 26 February. Email me if you want to be notified of future classes. We're only a small group, but it's good fun, and you should leave with finished projects. Also, if you can gather a few friends together I'm always happy to hold extra classes at a time to suit :)

Here's what I used to make this card -

 

Butterfly Basics Photopolymer Bundle

£36.25

Artisan Embellishment Kit

£8.95

Sahara Sand 7/8" (2.2 Cm) Lace Trim

£6.25

Venetian Crochet Trim

£6.25

Crisp Cantaloupe Classic Stampin' Pad

£4.95

Card Stock A4 Crisp Cantaloupe

£6.25

2013-2015 In Color Designer Series Paper Stack

£19.50

Crumb Cake A4 Card Stock

£6.25

Finishing Touches Edgelits Dies

£8.95

Linen Thread

£3.95

Crisp Cantaloupe Thick Baker's Twine

£3.25

2013-2015 In Color Sequin Assortment

£4.50

Tea Lace Paper Doilies

£2.75

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

Sponge!!

A useful tool for applying ink to paper, edges and even stamps, the Stampin' Up! ink applicator sponges (101610) come in packs of three for £3.25. But you can cut them into wedges and make 24 applicators. You'll want to have a sponge for each ink pad colour to avoid contaminating ink colours. Trust me,  a blue sponge dabbed onto a yellow ink pad will give you nothing but a green stain and a seething hatred for the world!

Stampin' Up! Perfect Couple stamp set

Although it contains several bride & groom type sentiments, consider using the Perfect Couple stamp set (133197) for general wedding stationery too.

Here I've stamped & heat embossed the champagne glasses for a wedding invitation response. 

The diamond ring & "I do" stamps from this set would look equally stylish for wedding invitations & even engagement parties. Heat embossing is quick & gives a crisp, professional finish. Excellent if you have a lengthy guest list & need to mass produce.

The envelope is made using the Simply Scored board (122334) with the diagonal insert plate (125586).

Buy from my Stampin' Up! online store. Click on the links to get started. 

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.