winter fun!

Sorry for being AWOL once again! Its that time of year where everyone is busy and when I do get a spare moment, blogging is not what first pops into my head, but now that I sit here I am thinking my life is pretty sweet right now... 

Its cold and frosty outside, bit I am inside with the nice hot fire, I'm sitting next to our Christmas tree, in a very Christmassy house. There are a gazillion homemade cookies in boxes in the kitchen waiting to be bagged up, tied and tagged for gifts. We made an awesome gingerbread house too!! Oh I definately have that Christmassy feeling going on! Love it! 

To go with that Christmassy feeling, I have a couple of Christmassy cards for you! 

Winter Skating and Tubing

Stamp Set: Winter Wonderland, Curly Cute 

Ink: Basic Black, Raspberry Ripple, Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, Summer Starfruit, Pretty in Pink, Pool Party, Crumb Cake,  Blush Blossom

Cardstock: Pool Party, Lucky Limeade

Punch: 1 3/4" Circle

Extras: Silver Dazzling Details 

I used the blender pen to colour in the little kids, everything was assembled and the final thing to do is line the circle punches with a thin line of silver dazzling details! 

Seeing as I've been absent for a while, I thought I'd give you a bonus card today. 

Winter Wonderland Ornaments

Stamp Set: Winter Wonderland, Curly Cute 

Ink: Basic Black, Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green, Summer Starfruit, Pumpkin Pie, Pretty in Pink, Soft Suede, Lucky Limeade, Blush Blossom Island Indigo

Carstock: Whisper White, Soft Suede, Gumball Green Core'dinations

Bis Shot: Perfect Polka Dots Emboss, Holiday Ornaments Framelits 

Extras: Linen Thread, Dazzling Details 

I just LOVE this card! The "snowglobe" ornaments are adorable aren't they?! I coloured them with the blender pen again for that watercolour look. I used dazzling diamonds because I wanted that thick glittery look but dazzling diamonds would work well too. 

The Gumball Green cardstock is a lighter shade underneath so once embossed I sanded the paper to reveal the pretty colour below! 

I hope you enjoyed a couple Winter Wonderland creations today. If you want any last minute gifts for Christmas you have until the end of today to get your order to me and I will tag it on to the last order before Christmas!! 

Happy crafting! 

Amanda xx

tea anyone?

I've realised I still have more cards to show you from last month's (and this month too) card club so here's another tea inspired card for you guys! 

Stamp Set: Teeny Tiny Sentiments, Tea Shoppe

Ink: Pretty in Pink, Elegant Eggplant

Cardstock: Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White

Punch: Bird Builder, Itty Bitty

Big Shot: Lacy Brocade Emboss, Delicate Doilies

Baker's Twine: Wisteria Wonder

Accessories: Pearls

I just love this colour combo. The doily under the teacup and the leaves and flowers peeking out is darling! This is such a cute vintagy girly card! I just love it! 

Hope you enjoyed this little creation! 

Happy Stampin',

Amanda xx

holiday oraments

The holiday ornaments framelits and coordinating stamp set are fab! They make almost instant cards! Not to mention you can make some really fab 3D ornaments for your tree with them too! (Watch this space for a photo of my ornaments which I've made) 

Stamp Set: Ornament Keepsakes

Ink: Cherry Cobbler

Cardstock: White Shimmer, Cherry Cobbler

Big Shot: Holiday Ornaments, Holiday Frame Emboss

Ribbon: Whisper White Taffeta

Accessories: Pearls 

Have a great Monday folks! 

Amanda x

snow angels

Stamp Set: Winter Wonderland, Come to Bethlehem

Ink: Raspberry Ripple, Summer Starfruit, Gumball Green, Midnight Muse, Pool Party, Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink, Basic Black

Cardstock: Whisper White, Pool Party, Raspberry Ripple, Summer Starfruit, Midnight Muse

Punch: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border

Accessories: Silver Dazzling Details

The snow angel kiddies were coloured in with blender pens for a watercolour look, snow was stamped, tone on tone in the background for a subtle texture. Scraps of paper were added to the side to tie together the colours used for the kids. The red one does look like the stitched grosgrain doesn't it?! Its just a white gel pen for a faux effect! 

Happy Stampin',

Amanda xx

moving forward...

There are so many lovely new stamp sets in the catalogue, I have a wish list as long as my arm! One set however that I didn't pay much attention to was Moving Forward. It has cute kiddy images like a bike and boat as well as a frog and bird which could be used for a modern style card - not necessarily kiddy ones. So I hadn't really noticed it until I was reading Heather's blog and she did a little series of cards using this set and I was hooked! It went from not even being on the list to pretty much the top! 

Well, I got it! Its so cute and different - I love it! I thought it'd be perfect for a card I wanted to make to congratulate some friends of ours who are adopting! They have 2 kids - one girl and one boy! Seeing as they aren't babies I didn't want to make it too much like a new baby card so I thought these images would work perfect for a couple of toddlers! 

Stamp Set: Moving Forward, Curly Cute

Ink: Baja Breeze, Pretty in Pink, Crumb Cake

Cardstock: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, So Saffron

DSP: Floral District

Punch: Itty Bitty, Scallop Trim

Ribbon: Pretty in Pink Satin (retired)

Accessories: Mini Brads

Aren't the mini brads just the cutest little accent?! They add a little fun to the card but not as glitzy as rhinestones or pearls would be! 

What do you think? Hope you liked it! 

Amanda xo

merry minis altogether now

The Merry Minis punch pack has a coordinating stamp set. Today I thought I'd show you how you could use both together. 

Stamp Set: Merry Minis, Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Ink: Gumball Green, Raspberry Ripple, Summer Starfruit

Cardstock: Gumball Green, Crumb Cake, Raspberry Ripple, Whisper White

Baker's Twine: Cherry Cobbler

Punch: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border, Merry Minis

Extras: Festive Pierce Pack

I pierced the bauble in the background and then layered sentiment and some of the merry minis! A little baker's twine bow finishes it off! 

Happy Stampin',

Amanda x

merry mini stars

I showed you a quick card using the Merry Minis tree earlier this week so I thought I would show you the star punch today! 

Doesn't it just look darling in different scraps of red and green with just one sparkly gold star!?

Stamp Set: Curly Cute

Cardstock: Real Red, Cherry Cobbler, Lucky Limeade, Champagne Glimmer, Whisper White

Ribbon: Real Red Stitched Grosgrain

Punch: Scallop Trim, Merry Minis

Embossing Powder: White 

Another great card to use up scraps of paper! and a great way to add a little glimmer with one gold star! 

Happy Stampin',

Amanda x

origami wreath decoration

Some of you may remember this wreath ornament that I made for a class last year. Its pretty simple to do, just a little bit of folding and slotting together! I had a request for instructions from a customer and after looking on my computer for them to email her I realised they wouldn't be on here as they are on my old computer (the one that only had half a screen and drove me mad, remember?!)! So I decided to draw a line under that and make y'all a video! Now you can all enjoy learning how to make it and maybe even make some of your own!

If you have any questions please do drop me a message! 

Enjoy!

Amanda x

window card

I am really loving the Papillon Potpouri stamp set and coordinating butterfly punch at the moment! 

Another of my new loves is the International Bazaar designer paper! If you haven't seen it yet, you really must! So pretty!!

Stamp Set: Papillon Potpourri, Fabulous Phrases, Summer Shilouettes 

Ink: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Summer Starfruit, Whisper White

DSP: International Bazaar

Accessories: Dahlias

Embossing: Clear

Ribbon: Lucky Limeade Ruffle

Big Shot: Apothecary Accents Framelits

Punch: Elegant Butterfly

The tiny flower from the Summer Silhouettes was stamped over the background. In the bottom corner I punched out a butterfly - a strip of the designer paper inside the card shows through when the card is closed! a little banner popped over the butterfly with a sentiment on it too! I used the same paper pattern with the Apothecary Accents, layered some paper and ribbon banners over top and on top of that a butterfly embossed with clear embossing for a subtle pattern. The centre is accented with a Summer Starfruit dahlia. 

Did you see that the butterfly pattern is the same as the pattern on the designer paper? Talk about coordination!! 

Happy Stampin',

Amanda xo

merry mini trees

I've got a quick and easy Christmas card today using the Merry Minis punch pack! 

So with the Merry Minis you get a tree, bauble and star! They are so sweet! 

Stamp Set: For My Family

Ink: Gumball Green

Cardstock: Gunball Green, Lucky Limeade, Crumb Cake, Whisper White 

Baker's Twine: Lucky Limeade

Punch Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border, Merry Minis

What a easy and fun card using up all those little scraps! 

Hope you've enjoyed the real quick post today! 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Amanda xx

watch me on you tube?!

I am sorry once again for being a absentee blogger once again! But I promise you I have a good reason (or two!). 

I'm trying something new! I am trying my hand at some you tube videos! For all of those craft obsessed people like myself who can spend hours watching youtube crafting tutorials, now you can while away the time with the lul of my voice! Haha! Maybe not so much of a lul but hey! I'm on there doing my thing! 

So I am hoping to do some general demos with different products and techniques and I am also planning (in the pipeline) to do some product reviews/how to use and get the most out of a certain product! For example the Big Shot or the Simply Scored board so watch this space! 

In the mean time I have a could videos already on, one was for this sweet little place setting favour for our Thanksgiving meal which we celebrated on Saturday! 

Ink: Raspberry Ripple

Cardstock: Raspberry Ripple, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla

DSP: Orchard Harvest

Big Shot: Little Leaves, Lots of Tags, Mini Milk Carton

Punch: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border

Ribbon: Raspberry Ripple Stitched Satin

Accessories: Pearl

For those of you interested to know what I filled these with - two Ferrero Rochers fit perfectly inside!!

And don't forget that if you switch up the colour combo and DSP you would have a delightful place setting for Christmas too! (Or any other dinner party for that matter!)

Please do feel free to leave me some feedback about my videos, if you like them and what you would be interested in seeing yourself! 

Have a lovely day! 

Amanda xx

small and simple!

I thought today I'd show you a really easy and tiny card I used for my thank you notes to my customers last month! Cards don't always have to be big and complicated, sometimes its enough to just make a small (7cm square) card! 

Thank You Butterfly

Stamp Set: Teeny Tiny Sentiments, Papillon Potpourri

Ink: Raspberry Ripple

Cardstock: Whisper White, Primrose Petals

Punch: Elegant Butterfly

Accessories: Rhinestone 

Extras: Essentials Pierce Pack

So the butterfly is stamped and punched - love the co-ordination of Stampin' Up!'s stamps and punches - they make life so much easier!! To frame the butterfly I used the new essentials pierce pack to paper pierce a oval onto the card. I added a sentiment and a rhinestone to finish off! 

Hope you enjoyed a quick card today! 

Happy Stampin',

Amanda x

a learning curve regarding window sheets!

Time certainly doesn fly doesn't it!? October was such a busy month, both for myself and for Stuart too - school has been manic for him. So at the end of October came half term - great for a little break and just hang out with my darling husband again! Now its back to the grind stone - well he is at least - school is manic once again and I am pottering along with card club, making christmas pressies, sewing thing (well trying to - I spent a lot of the afternoon reading pattern instructions and not sure I've really gotten anywhere!) 

Anyway I thought I'd show you a wedding card I got asked to make a couple weeks ago. The colour scheme was navy blue and my friend didn't want anything too soppy or mushy! She also asked if I could incorporate their names into the card too! So I got my thinking cap on! 

Wedding cards don't come around every day and when they do, you want them to look special so I will admit not, it was a bit of a challenge but I think I managed to achieve elegance without any mushiness involved, I hope you'll agree! 

Wedding Cake Card

Stamp Set: Love & Laughter

Ink: Midnight Muse

Cardstock: Midnight Muse, Whisper White, Window Sheet

Big Shot: Delicate Doilies, Lacy Brocade, Typeset Alphabet

Ribbon: Midnight Muse Stitched Satin

When I started I thought the coolest idea for incorporating names would be a wedding cake card with the initials on top of the cake! This lead me to thinking about how great it would look if the card was cake shaped and after some deliberation I decided using window sheet as the card base would be the best way to do this! 

Maybe a wedding card for a customer was not the best time to use window sheet for the card base for the first time wasn't such a good idea! But you live and learn, and let me tell you, this card was a REAL learning curve!  Here's what I learnt...

1. Whatever you stick to the front of the card has to be covered up behind or you'll see the adhesive!! 

2. Embossing paper changes the size slightly - therefore if you're sticking card on the back to cover up adhesive marks, check its not too big that it'll show through on the front!! 

3. Be careful where you get adhesive - the adhesive remover, fabulous product on paper but doesn't work on window sheet - just smears!!

4. Think and KNOW for definite where you want things stuck! No matter how carefully you try to remove cardstock from the window sheet, once its stuck, its stuck for good! No backsies! 

So you can see I had great fun making this card, right? Well, I did, despite all of my mistakes! 

Also if you're wondering why the sentiment inside the card is stamped on a doily, well I stamped the sentiment on the cardbase crooked and so this was my sneaky cover up!! (Yes, I stamp things wonky too!!! I am by no means the perfect stamper!)

Wow this is starting to look like an essay, I think I shall have to sign off now before I bore you any further! 

Have a great evening,

Amanda x

use up your scraps!

I wanted to show you a card using the holiday ornaments framelits today. It actually uses the negative space cut out so you can use the ornament shape for another project! Behind the ornament I laid down strips of ribbon (great for using up scraps that aren't big enough for tying into knots or bows but too precious to throw away!) I just love all the different textures and colours you can achieve doing this tecinque with very little ribbon too! I added a bow too and red stitched outline around the ornament to give it a little more definition. I added some more of the ruffled ribbon to the top and bottom of the sentiment, the ruffled ribbon gives a lovely border! 

Ribbon Ornament

Stamp Set: Curly Cute

Ink: Real Red

Cardstock: Whisper White

Big Shot: Holiday Ornaments Framelits

Ribbon: Old Olive Taffeta, Real Red Taffeta, Gumball Green Stitched Satin, Lucky Limeade Ruffle, Gumball Green Sweater Trim

Have a great day! 

Happy Stampin',

Amanda x

gradient resist some more

Remember a few weeks ago I did a gradient emboss resist card with the snowflake soiree stamp set. So here is another card with the same gradient emboss resist technique. 

This would be a lovely wintery card but not necessarily a Christmas card! Not all winter cards have to be Christmas cards! 

Wintery Trees 

Stamp Set: Lovely As A Tree, Curly Cute

Ink: Pool Party, Marina Mist, Island Indigo, Midnight Muse

Cardstock: Whisper White, Island Indigo 

Ribbon: Whisper White Organza 

Extra: White Emboss Powder

So this was the same as the last card, I embossed the trees and then sponged over the card gradually getting the colour darker. On the lighter side I tied some organza ribbon. 

What do you think? Hope you like it! 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Amanda xo

flurries of snow are coming!

Just a quick and fun Christmas card for you today! This is another one that would be great for mass producing and relatively inexpensive too! 

Christmas Snowflake

Stamp Set: For My Family

Ink: Gumball Green, Crumb Cake

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Gunball Green, Very Vanilla

DSP: Be of Good Cheer

Big Shot: Snow Flurry

Punch: Boho Blossoms 

Accessories: Linen Thread

 The snowflake was cut with the gorgeous new big shot die and then sponged a little with crumb cake ink to soften it a little. I added a couple of the flowers from the boho blossoms to the centre of the snowflake to fill it out a little more - without using a button or anything bulky! I added some DSP to the card, wrapped some linen thread around it and a sentiment too. 

What I love most about this card is that its super flat so is excellent for posting!! If you did want to jazz it up a bit more you could definately add a button or brad to the card. Or for a post frindly version with a little more sparkle try spritzing with some shimmer mist or adding dazzling details!

Hope you enjoyed this snowy card - did you know we might be getting a little snow this weekend?! I like snow but I'm not ready!! Its far far too early to be donning chunky winter coats, hats, scarves, gloves etc. Ugh, I am so not a winter person! 

Happy Stampin',

Amanda xx

have a break, take a sip!

This month's card club was Tea and Cake theme. I've got the cards we made to show you another day but today I thought I'd show you a couple simple little cards I made with the Take A Sip wheel that I made while I was thinking of what cards to do for card club (we did another card with take a sip).

Stamp Set: Take a Sip wheel, Tea Shoppe

Ink: Basic Black, Baja Breeze, Pretty in Pink, Perfect Plum, So Saffron, Rose Red, Crumb Cake

Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Perfect Plum. Whisper White

Punch: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border, Modern Label

Other: Simply Scored

Stamp Set: Take a Sip

Ink: Basic Black, Perfect Plum, Pretty in Pink

Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Perfect Plum, Whisper White

Punches: Scallop Circle, 1" Circle, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border

So some really simple cards, just using the wheel to add tea cups and mugs to the background, one I coloured in all of them and the second was just one of the cups that I coloured on a separate scrap of paper and layered it over top with some punches. The dotted scallop ribbon border is great for adding a little extra detail and border to the wheeled image! 

Thanks for stopping by and checking out today's brief little post! 

Happy Stampin',

Amanda xox

snow flurries?

I wanted to introduce you to a new die Stampin' Up! has today. Its called Snow Flurry, and on it are 3 different sized snow flakes! They all look great individually but also layer beautifully on top of one another! Below is a car only using the 2 smaller snowflakes.

Glittery Snow Flurry

Stamp Set: Perfect Pennants

Ink: Early Espresso

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Champagne Glitter Paper 

DSP: Festival of Prints

Big Shot: Snow Flurry, Lacy Brocade

Accessories: Button

Baker's Twine: Whisper White 

Where do I start?! This card has so many things on it that I am loving! I love the lacy brocade embossed background, I adore the patterns from the Festival of Prints (for more information about how awesome this paper stack is see Sunday's post!), the cute little "merry" just inconspicuously stapled on. An then what about the gorgeous snowflake?! It was cut out with the beautiful glitter paper - its basically paper coated in glitter (it comes in Champagne, Silver and Red) - so you get all the dazzle and fun of glitter with no mess! You just have to see it for the full wow factor! 

I hope you enjoyed this card - its another quick one and by embossing the folded card front you cut out on more layering. The thin banner strips are a great way to show off patterns without using lots of the paper! 

Happy Stampin',

Amanda xox

winter wonderland

Good morning! Its Monday again...I hope you all had a good weekend?! 

Well I thought what better way to start off a Monday than to introduce you to another new stamp set which is in the Autumn-Winter catalogue at the moment! My friend Emma, bought this set, its such a cute set with ducklings, bunnies drinking cocoa, kids in puffer suits making snow angels and lots more... so I cheekily asked her if I could borrow it. To make samples to show her what she could do with it for Christmas of course!! She kindly let me so I have lots of sweet cards to show you over the coming weeks using Winter Wonderland. (Thanks so much Emma!!)

Christmas Ducklings

Stamp Set: Winter Wonderland, Come to Bethlehem

Ink: Summer Starfruit, Raspberry Ripple, Pool Party, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black

Cardstock: Whisper White, Raspberry Ripple, Pool Party

Accessories: Mini Brads, Silver Dazzling Details 

This card is post friendly, cheap and very simple. the longest bit will be colouring in the ducks and waiting for the dazzling details to dry! The dazzling details was thinly applied to he edge of the white banner potion of the card for glitz - its really inexpensive at £2.25 a bottle and will go a long way! Its really glittery, I added a little bit to the snow and ground ad well for added shine! 

The brads work out at less than 2p each so they are a bargain also! but if you didn't want to use them I think this card would look cute without them too. Or if you wanted an alternative embellishment why not try adding faux brads with the silver dazzling details seeing as you'll already have it out! I stamped the snow in the background of the Pool Party too for a little added depth and texture, its subtle but a nice, quick and easy touch. 

I used the Merry Christmas from Come to Bethlehem because its the one I own but if you had another sentiment in a similar size I think that would work well also! 

Have a great week! 

Amanda x

what a festival of prints!

I'm back with a very clean and simple Christmas card for you today.

Merry Holly

Stamp Set: Pennant Parade

Ink: Cherry Cobbler

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Lucky Limeade, Crumb Cake

DSP: Festival of Prints

Punch: Jewellery Tag, Decorative Label, Corner Rounder

Big Shot: Little Leaves

Baker's Twine: Early Espresso

Accessories: Pearls

Extras: Red Permanent Marker

The Festival of Prints paper stack is lovely, its a small stack of designer papers sized just slightly larger than your standard 6x4" photo. This makes it perfect for matting behind holiday photos for speedy scrapbooking but also perfect for card making! You get a HUGE range of designs, not all are overtly Christmassy, some in fact would be perfect for masculine cards!! Right, so this car only uses a little bit - very economical. I punched a decorative label punch out and then laid a strip of another paper that I felt co-ordinated nicely with it over top. The leaves were cut with the big shot and then baker's twine bow, sentiment on a tiny tag and pearls added for embellishment! The red pearls are just Stampin' Up! pearls coloured with a permanent marker for colour! Its such a great little tip to make your pearls go further and match with whatever project you might be working on! 

I rounded the bottom corner just to break up all the sharp lines in the card and just add a little quirky twist!

I feel like I've babbled way too much this morning...

Happy Stampin',

Amanda x

create your own fancy edge...

Do you just love the fancy edges that everyone seems to be making with punches these days but can't afford one or just haven't got around to getting one yet? Maybe you have lots of edge punches and just want to find a new way of making a fancy edge! Well then I have a card you'll love! 

And it showcases more of what Betsy's Blossoms has to offer! 

Betsy Fancy Edge

Stamp Set: Betsy's Blossoms, Tiny Tags 

Ink: Primrose Petals, Summer Starfruit, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry 

Cardstock: Whisper White

DSP: Brights Paper Stack

Buttons: Itty Bitty

Punch: Jewellery Tag

The key to this is to stamp all the flowers close together and roughly following the edge of the cardstock, obviously you want a little bit of wave but not so much that you loose most of the card! Once the flowers were all stamped up the side I carefully cut out the negative space - yes it takes a little time but is well worth it. I layered some more cut out flowers and leaves and some tiny tag punches on to to fill in gaps and make it a little more fancy but its the knid of card you can do as much or as little as you like to it! Inside the card I added a strip of striped Old Olive paper from the Brights Paper Stack to give it more colour and show off the edge even more! 

This technique would definitely work with other flower stamp sets too. So why not grab a stamp set today and give this technique a go?! I would love to see your creation so why not send me a link to your creation and I'll come have a nosey! I can't wait! 

Thanks for stopping by this Saturday afternoon!

Amanda xx

snowflake soiree

Yes, I'm back with another Christmas creation and more snowflakes! This has got to be my favourite Christmas set at the moment....

Believe Jack Frost

Stamp Set: Snowflake Soiree

Ink: Midnight Muse, Versa Mark

Cardstock: Whisper White, Midnight Muse

Embossing: White Emboss Powder

Accessories: Button, Pearls

Just to show that you don't need lots of snowflakes etc to make a beautiful winter wonderland card! I embossed 2 snowflakes and stamped a sentiment. I finished it off with a button and pearls but they really aren't neccessary if you want to make the card post friendly! I just love the clean simple elegance of this card! 

I'm off to get prepped for card club tonight! Theme is Tea and Cake this month - super cute cards, its not too late to join us! Drop me a message! 

Happy Stampin', 

Have a awesome weekend! 

Amanda x

hello baby!

I am so excited, I'm currently on my way to the Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandria Palace in London. It's my annual show I always try to get to - filled with textile art and crafty things. Its my day of crafty fun SU free! I'd sure I will come back full of inspiration for creating things and adding what I saw to cards! Watch this space!!

One of my best friends had a baby back in July. He was 6 weeks early and arrived just before I left for holiday. Its been a busy and difficult time for them so it wasn't until this past week that I have finally got around to meeting Euan! 

Obviously I had to make a card for this occassion - what kind of paper crafter would I be if I didn't!?! Anyway I thought I'd make a boy and girl version just to show you and because I had fun making them! 

Baby Tootsies

Stamp Set: Baby Prints

Ink: Baja Breeze/Pretty in Pink, Midnight Muse/Primrose Petals

Cardstock: Whisper White, Midnight Muse/Primrose Petals

DSP: Patio Party

Accessories: Buttons, Itty Bitty Buttons

Baker's Twine: Whisper White 

I just fell in love with the cute papers and thought the baby feet would match in perfectly! 

I don' think I need to do much describing of this card - its very simple but super adorable! I love the button embellishments on this card - sweet way to use buttons and hey its not in the middle of a flower or anything for once!

To get more use out of my clear mount Baby Prints stamp set I decided to doctor it a bit. I cut the words apart because while I'd use "baby" on a card I don't have much use for "baby firsts" at the moment and sometimes masking can just get a little tedious! I also cut apart the hands and feet because I thought it would be fun to do walking feet across a page (watch this space!) or just do one hand/foot print! As long as you're careful with doctoring and cutting, there is absolutely NO reason why you shouldn't cut up your stamps. If you're going to get more use out of the stamps because of it I say by all means go for it! 

Hope you enjoyed today's share and quick tip! 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Amanda xx

take comfort

I thought I'd give you a break from Christmas today. 

I don't know if you remember a little Twitterpated creation I made back in the Spring. I enjoyed its "quilted" look so much that when I saw the new Comfort Cafe paper I just knew I had to make a card showcasing the gorgeous patterns and buttons in this suite! 

Comfort Cafe Quilt

Stamp Set: Itty Bitty Banners

Ink: Midnight Muse

Cardstock: Crumb Cake

DSP: Comfort Cafe

Punch: Postage Stamp

Accessories: Naturals Buttons

Baker's Twine: Pool Party

It was just so much fun punching the different patterns and so quick and easy too! I added a little strip of paper to the bottom middle patch - it breaks up the blue and just makes it look a little different! Some buttons, baker's twine bow and little banner sentiment were added to finish it off! 

What do you think? 

Happy Stampin',

Amanda xx

evergreen christmas

Yesterday I introduced you to the Apothecary Accents framelits. Today I have another creation using the framelits and yes, its Christmassy! 

Silent Night Accents

Stamp Set: Evergreen

Ink: Gumball Green, Early Espresso

Cardstock: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Champagne Glitter Paper

DSP: Candlelight Christmas

Punch: 3/4" Circle, Itty Bitty

Big Shot: Apothecary Accents

While this card is more complicated than yesterday Its still not hugely difficult and I used lots of left over scraps. I used the circle punch to make the scallop trim so if you don't have and edge punch this is a great way to make a fancy edge! I added some small strips of glitter paper which gives a great sparkle but why not substitute for scraps of DSP instead?! I saved on cardstock by sponging Espresso around the edge of the accent to add that colour and depth without adding more expense and weight! (its a great trick which I use all the time! And you get more use out of the ink pad too!)

There are so many great Christmas stamp sets in both the new Annual catalogue and the Autumn/Winter catalogue there's plenty of choice, whatever your style! Evergreen has got to be one of my faves! And the tree can be used for non Christmas cards too! I love it when I find a Christmas stamp set I can use at other times of the year too!!

What's your favourite Christmas stamp set? 

Happy Stampin',

Amanda xx

is your life manic?

Well, is it? I know everyone is super busy these days so you're probably thinking, I just don't have time to make card, in particular Christmas cards...because I need a lot. Well I'm here with another nice, quick and easy Christmas card for you! 

And don't forget, everyone needs a little bit of relaxation away from busy days and life. Why not let a spot of crafting be your "escape" zone?! If you'd like a more social activity, invite a couple friends over, have a glass of wine or cuppa (it'll be cheaper than a take away, meal out or night on the town!). Or if you have kids why not get them involved - they'll love it and it will create a great bonding session and activity for you to do together away from video games, computer or the tv!

Christmas Accents

Stamp Set: Come to Bethlehem

Ink: Early Espresso,

Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Lucky Limeade

DSP: Festival of Prints

Big Shot: Apothecary Accents Framelits

Accessories: Brushed Bronze Button

Baker's Twine: Cherry Cobbler

I'm really liking these Apothecary Accent framelits at the moment, They are perfectly designed to use individually but equally work well by layering them up! They easily cut up to 3 pieces of DSP/cardstock at one time which means making cards in bulk is super easy and simple! I've used a button here as an embelishment but why not use a small stamped image, ribbon strip or a few rhinestones/pearls for a more postal friendly embellishment?! 

If you like the look of this card and would like to give it a go why not drop me a message and I would be glad to help you with all that you'll need to make as many as you need! Seeing as these framelits aren't Christmassy they will get used throughout the year making them an excellent purchase!!

Happy Stampin',

Amanda xo

whirlwind weekend take 2

I'm back as promised with another darling little project that I demo'd this weekend for a couple of parties. It was World Card Making Day yesterday so in honour of it I focused on some card making techniques and tools! 

This project is another Betsy creation. I'm sorry but you're probably going to see a lot of Betsy Blossoms creations in the coming days as I am just crazy for the sweet bird, flowers and leaves!

Rainbow Blooms

Stamp Set: Betsy Blossoms, Betsy Blooms (wheel), Itty Bitty Banners

Ink: Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Gumball Green

Cardstock: Whisper White 

Big Shot: Labels Framelits 

Extras: Festive Paper Piercing Pack

Ribbon: Daffodil Delight Stitched Grosgrain

Accessories: Rhinestones

This card is showing off the beautiful co-ordination that Stampin' Up! has! See how the flowers in the wheel stamp match so perfectly wit the flower from Betsy's Blossoms?! I love that! So I inked and wheeled the Betsy's Blooms in 3 colours - like a rainbow! In all honesty, I haven't used wheels in a while, they got a little forgotten about but recently I have regained my love or wheels and how easy they make patterned backgrounds! They are really quite inexpensive and so easy! If you haven't tried wheels yet you have to give it a go, they're so much fun! 

I was also showing off the new piercing packs that Stampin' Up! have. Its so neat that they co-ordinate with framelits and punches that SU! carry. Yes, there's that word again, co-ordination. It really is at the heart of what Stampin' Up! is all about and one of the reasons I love them as a company so much!! 

Its definitely got a good pop of colour! A cheery card as we head towards the coldness of winter! I'm not a fan of the cold so hanging on to summery cards and colours as long as possible is a must for me! 

Have a great Sunday,

Amanda x

betsy's birds

Good morning! 

I've got another Betsy's Blossoms creation for you today! 

Stamp Set: Betsy's Blossoms, Itty Bitty Banners

Ink: Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Rich Razzleberry

Cardstock: Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry

Punch: Itty Bitty Punch Pack

Big Shot: Vintage Wallpaper

Accessories: Rhinestones

Quite a simple card. The leaves and bird were stamped and cut out. The background was embossed and then leaves and bird adhered over top. I punched the sweet little flowers and added them to the leaves and finally the sentiment. 

Isn't this bird darling? I just love it! I actually stamped the bird several times, cut out the wings and body separately so I could layer them up with dimentionals for a 3D effect! 

Is Betsy's Blossoms on your wish list?! I'm sure glad I got mine! 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Amanda xx