Happy Anniversary

Good morning everyone. It was my 5th wedding anniversary last friday and this is the card I made for my wonderful husband:


I used the Pedal Presents stamp set and have only just realised that you can no longer get this. It was a hostess set in the summer mini catalogue but, wait and see, there may be something similar in the new catalogue coming out in October .... The Adorning Accents Embossing folder which has the hearts as 1 of 3 embossing folders was also in the Summer mini but will be back in the 2012-13  catalogue. Here's a closer look:

 

I used Real Red for the base card and Pretty in Pink for the border which was punched with the Scallop Edge border punch. The small hearts were from the Owl Builder punch. They were the size that fitted best. Just for a change, I decorated the inside of the card too using the heart stamp from the Tiny Tags stamp set. I also used the word 'husband' from the All in the Family stamp set. The Happy Anniversary has sadly been discontinued. Can you see the crease in the paper? I didn't notice it till it was too late but it didn't look so obvious once I'd written the card:

Now, I have to tell you that my husband is much more romantic than I am and he does all the cooking. So, on friday - which was a hot day, I came home to find he had prepared a special meal and had set the table outside (he could only find a Christmas table cloth).

 

 He had added some bows and little bubble champagne bottles which were left over from the wedding and had found a bottle of Champagne which was left over from our honeymoon. (I can't get the picture to turn the right way up but you get the gist)

 

 

As you can see he'd also bought me a beautiful orchid and in the little pink gift bag was an i-pod shuffle for me to use at work. Isn't he great? Check back soon for some great cards made with my new favourite set from the autumn/winter catalogue - Owl Occassions. x

 

 

 

Vintage Vogue - three flowers and a tag

Hi everyone, this is my favourite of the 3 cards we made in card class. It involved a fair bit of cutting out but I was really pleased with the end result:

 

I must apologise for the quality of these photos. I used my new i-pad but haven't quite got the hang of it and for some reason when I blog the photos, they don't look anything like as good as they do on the i-pad or computer. There are probably some settings I need to adjust - I just haven't found them yet.

 

I used Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Crumb Cake and Whisper White cardstock, inks and ribbon on these cards. Here's a close up of the flowers (you'll have to ignore my thumb):

 

 

The last card was made using Vintage Vogue, the Big Shot and the Two Tags die. The base card was crumb cake and again I used Elegant Eggplant and Wisteria Wonder. For some reason I did not take a photo of the card itself but hopefully you can see it in this picture of all 3 of the cards. I used the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder to emboss the Elegant Eggplant background:

 

 

I did take this close up:

 

 

Between the lack of photos, the poor quality photos and my thumb, I was clearly having some issues this day.

 

The 'Just for You sentiment is from the Tea Shoppe stamp set. I'll showcase this stamp set at a later date. If you like the Vintage Vogue stamp set then don't delay ordering as sadly it's being discontinued.

 

I'll be back with an anniversary card soon. see you then. x 

 

P.S. I made the 3 flower card again using Pool Party and Indigo Island for a colleague who is off sick. I love these colours. See what you think:

 

 

 

Vintage Vogue class

Hi everyone, here's one of the cards which we made in card class yesterday. We used the Vintage Vogue stamp set for all the cards. This set will be retiring this month and I've hardly used it, so I've enjoyed making these:

I used Elegant Eggplant, Wisteria Wonder and Crumb Cake for my colours. There was quite a bit of cutting out for these cards, although this one wasn't too bad.

 

 

As you can see, the ribbon matched beautifully:

 

 

I'll be back soon with the other cards we made. If you would like this stamp set, remember you can only get it till the end of September, and only if stocks don't run out.

The next class will be on the 19th of September, and we'll be making Christmas cards. Please get in touch if you fancy joining us. X

Fly away butterflies....

Hi everyone, today's card show cases some of the retiring products. Both the stamp set Flight of the Butterflies and the butterfly punch are going. Here's a reminder of how lovely these products are:

 

To make this card I used a Colour Q colour challenge. You can sign up to this and every week you get a photo which has inspired a colour combination. I've never used these prompts before and they may be quite old as they use a colour that is no longer available, Bermuda Bay (I decided it was similar to Pool Party) Here's the original photo:

 

 

As I've already said I used the Flight of the Butterfly stamp set and matching punch. I also used the Sincere Salutations stamp set for the greeting. This set is also being retired which is a big loss as I use it all the time.

Here are the flowers which were punched using the Boho Blossom punch, which is staying:

 

 

The background shapes were cut using the Big Shot and the Framelits Labels Collection. Here's a closer look:

 

 

If you want any of these products, then please don't delay as some are already sold out. x

 

 

 

New catalogue and Retiring Products

Hi everyone, as promised here are the links for the retiring products and the new Autumn/Winter catalogue. You can also click on the pictures in the side bar on the right.

 

 

Remember the products on this list will not be seen again in any catalogues, so if there's anything you like, get them now.

Some of the products have been reduced, so you can grab a bargain. This applies especially to the ink pads. All of the ink pad colours will continue (except for the 2010-2012 colours), but they are changing the ink pads to foam pads. This means the current ink pads can be bought at great prices.

 

And now for the really exciting bit. The new Autumn/Winter catalogue.

 

 

 

This catalogue is full of fantastic new products. I've just placed a huge order so will be able to show you some samples soon. Why not click on the link above or at the side to have a look for yourself. If you attend one of my cardmaking classes, then I'll give you a hardcopy, while my stock lasts.

 

While I'm talking about card making classes, the next class is on Wednesday the 5th Sept, 7.00-9.30pm at my house. We'll be using the Vintage Vogue stamp set and there are more details if you click on the classes tab at the top of the blog. Here's a sneak preview:

 

 

 

Contact me if you want to place an order or join the class. I hope to hear from you soon. x

 

Last 2 days

Morning everyone, as promised I have 2 cards to show you today, made with the other flowers from the Reason to Smile stamp set. Here is the first one:

I used Cherry Cobbler cardstock for this one. I stamped the image in Versamark ink and heat embossed it using Cherry Cobbler embossing powder. Hopefully this gives you a better view and a close up of that gorgeous Scalloped Dots ribbon - also in Cherry Cobbler.

You can get the Reason to Smile stamp set for free if you place an order of £60 or more before the end of August or you can buy it BUT only till August 31st.

Here's another card. This time I used Basic Black card stock and again stamped using versamark ink, but this time I used white embossing powder:

And the inevitable close up:

Here are both of them. I must admit I quite like simple colour schemes like this. The sentiments were from Sincere Salutations and Curly Cute.

If you want this set or anything from the Summer mini, please contact me before the 31st August so I can place your order. I'll be back soon with news of our Autumn/Winter catalogue which launces on September 1st and has lots and lots of fantastic seasonal porducts. Check back on the 1st so you can have a look. x

Gift boxes

Hi everyone, do you know there are only 3 more days left when you can order products from the summer mini catalogue and get the Reason to Smile for FREE when you spend £60?

Some of the products may appear in the new main catalogue which will launch on October 1st but there is no guarantee.

Today I'm showing you some gift boxes and matching cards which I have made using the Mixed Bunch stamp set and the Blossom punch which are both in the summer catalogue and may be discontinued. I found a tutorial for these gift boxes on Helen Read's blog. You can find it here.

I am starting a new job on Monday and have made a gift box for everyone in my current team, to be filled with chocolates. I also made a matching card for each one. The sentiment was stamped using Curly Cute. Here are some of them:

Melon Mambo cardstock and Flirtatious Speciality DSP:

 

 

 

Pool Party Cardstock and Sweet Shop DSP:

   

 

My personal favourite: Soft Suede cardstock and Mocha Morning DSP:

 

 

Here is a close up of the flower. I punched 4 flowers using the Blossom punch, using 4 different patterns from the designer papers. I then misted each flower with water, crumpled them and then stacked them. Each one has a stamped centre from the Mixed Bunch stamp set and has been fastened with a matching brad.

And here is one in Marina Mist cardstock and Nursery Nest DSP:

 

 

Here are all 4 of them with their matching cards:

 

And here are another 4 which I made with discontinued designer paper:

Remember all the speciality papers will be discontinued when the new catalogue comes out in October and the ones that are in the Summer mini will be discontinued in 3 days time. If you've loved these papers but haven't ordered any yet, then now is the time. Just contact me.   I'll be back tomorrow with the last of the cards made with the Reason to Smile stamp set. Get it while you can. x