Spring Blossom

Hello! 

We are enjoying another day of beautiful blue skies and sun! Its still quite chilly but I love seeing the sun - doesn't it just make the world a better place?!

Today's card is using the Freshly Made sketch. Its pretty simple but after a little bit of deliberation I just knew what I wanted to make! 

I've been enjoying all the blossom on the trees these past few weeks! It hasn't been too windy around here so the blossom has really stuck around which is just lovely! I love driving or walking along and seeing fluffy pink and white trees. They look like big balls of candy floss! So I thought I'd do a little spray of blossom....

Stamp Set: Gently Falling, Petite Petals, Happy Day

Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Always Artichoke, Blushing Bride, Primrose Petals, So Saffron, Crushed Curry

Punch: Petite Petals, Itty Bitty

Embellishments: Pearls

I wanted to create a very clean and fresh card So decided to stamp the leaves and flowers on white rather than coloured cardstock. I find that coloured card can look a little heavy and the colour can be more intense so to soften the colours I simply stamped them on the white. 

I know the Gently Falling set is designed for Autumn but I think it makes gorgeous leaves in Spring and Summer too! If I can get more use out of a stamp set, I'm pleased! 

I thought that as the leaves had 2 layers of stamping it would be a good idea for the blossoms to also have the same. I 'd noticed that there were two stamps in the Petite Petals set that were very similar to the Gently Falling so it seemed the perfect match. I love the co-ordination you get between different stamp sets with Stampin' Up! 

I felt that the centres needed some yellow and some pearls too just for a bit of an elegant pop! I also Love the little smattering of pearls across the card too! 

Have a beautiful day! 

Happy Stampin',

Simple Sunday - Watercolor Petal Flourish

Stamp Set: Flowering Flourishes, Lots of Thanks, Petite Petals

Ink: Gumball Green, Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral

Cardstock: Whisper White, Watercolor Wonder Notecards

Punch: Petite Petals

Here's another of those fabulous little watercolor notecards. This card was so simple to make with the flowering flourish and the thank you. The watercolour background is just so special, don't'cha think?

The wow factor here is the flowers. I used the rock and roll technique. If you haven't tried it before, you must give it a go! Ink the stamp with the lighter shade of ink and then rock and roll the edges in a darker colour. I got more colour variation out of these two colours by also using the stamping off technique for a couple lighter coloured blossoms. 

If you wanted you could also add candy dots or pearls to these but I thought I'd keep it really nice and simple. I think it works without. 

Come back tomorrow for a My Digital Monday! 

Happy Stampin',

Hardwood Rose Garden

Hello! 

Happy happy Friday folks! So glad its Friday! Looking forward to a break from kids now as its the Easter holidays! I'm a little sad my time working front desk in Student Services has come to an end, its been very different and challenging but I've genuinely enjoyed it! I'll miss all the lovely ladies who work there too! 

Now, I've got card club this weekend, we're using Mosaic Madness as this month's set which is just beautiful! Also some manic sewing to get a project finished - I'll share it once its finished and gifted! 

 I've just got time to share with you the therapeutic crafting I did last night - it was a bit of a rubbishy day but I am so thankful to be able to come home, sit in my little sanctuary and just craft away the worries of the day! Today's card is for both The Paper Players and Freshly Made Sketches challenges!

I loved the choice with the paper players challenge this week. I chose to use the 3 boxes down the left hand side - Birthday, Yellow and Paper Piercing. 

Such a cute sketch and thought it'd work well with the vision I had for the Paper Players challenge too! I love it when things just work out like that!

Stamp Set: Remembering Your Birthday, Hardwood

Ink: Versamark, Baked Brown Sugar, Crushed Curry, Strawberry Slush

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Baked Brown Sugar, Blushing Bride, Crushed Curry, Strawberry Slush, Gumball Green, Vellum, Gold Foil

Punch: Petite Petals, Itty Bitty

Big Shot: Little Leaves Sizzlit, Spiral Flower

Other: Fringe Scissors, Essentials Piercing Pack, Gold Embossing Powder

Embellishments: Pearls

I realise there's a lot going on here but I kind of think everything works! In all honesty I got some new toys - Hardwood, spiral flower, fringe scissors....I just HAD to play! 

I thought the vellum would be nice as the over layer as I didn't want the top layer to be heavy - the hardwood and flowers were the real stars of the show. When I stamped and embossed the sentiment in gold it looked brilliant but a little lost on the size of vellum so I went back in with the versamark pen (unfortunately SU no longer sells it but I still have mine kicking around) which I used to hand draw in some cute little hearts! 

I thought I'd add just little pops of yellow - the crushed curry is a really powerful colour so just a little still has a big impact! 

The rose is so pretty, isn't it? I sponged crushed curry on the inside edge and strawberry slush on the outside edge to make the flower look more realistic! the centre is a rolled up strip of the fringe strip. after the flower was rolled up and glued I went back in and used some tweezers to fold back the petals. I thought the addition of gold leaves with green was a nice touch to marry the gold sentiment and flowers together. 

I hope you enjoy this. It definitely made me feel better! 

Happy Stampin',

Spring Get Well

Hello! 

Its a long and busy week this week, not much time for crafting and blogging I'm afraid. I'm super busy at school each day, plus helping Aunty Lil and my parents' church has a Bible exhibition on this week with live actors of which I happen to be one. I'm not much of an actor but anything to help them out and the local school kids attending seem to be really enjoying it too which is nice to see! 

Oh and to just add a little more interest to my week, I've got a bit of an eye infection. I went to see my friend Emma at the pharmacy and she was able to give me some eye drops so I'm hoping this will work. 

I have another get well card I made a little while ago for a friend having an op.

Stamp Set: Petite Petals, Thoughts and Prayers

Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Crisp Cantaloupe, So Saffron

Cardstock: Crisp Cantalouope, So Saffron, Pear Pizzazz, Pistachio Pudding

Embellishments: Pearls

Punch: Bird Builder, Itty Bitty, Petite Petals

This is pretty similar to previous cards I've shown you. I used the scoring stylus and the foam sheet to give the flowers some body. 

I'm just loving the Pistachio Pudding and Pear Pizzazz together, I think they really play off each other so well.  The dashed line is just a nice simple detail around the outside edge of the card. 

The itty bitty flowers are stamped with the Petite Petals flower and just the middle punched out. I really like doing this as it just seems to blend and tie the card together that extra little bit. 

Lots of little leaves finish it off with some pearls for a finishing touch.

Inside is just another bit of a sentimen and a few more flowers. I used the stylus to add some shape bit left the pearls off so that it didn't bulk up the inside of the card. 

Happy Stampin',

Strawberry Petals

Hi! 

How did it get to the end of Tuesday already?! I spent the afternoon sewing (lots of lovely fabric to use that I bought at the Knitting & Stitching Show last week!!). Anyhow, I did get a little time to do some paper crafting too. 

Things are taking a little longer to get done as my foot is really causing me havoc which means less crafting time - going to try and get to the doctor this week. Its very painful and all that walking in London really didn't help matters, not to mention Stuart sat on it getting into bed last night. Ouch!!

I had a brilliant time yesterday with Kat and the boys. We tested out a new place just down the road for me and it was very lovely - huge slices of cake and lots of tea plus a fun play area for the kids. I got loads of cuddles! Yay!! Arthur is just the sweetest thing and very snuggly and even Euan seem full of hug yesterday! I'll never say no to a hug. 

Not the most pictuesque photo in the world - I look tired, Arthur is mid yawn and Euan has a mouthful of mini cheddars!! But I thought you might like to see a little photo of these cuties!

I was clearing out a bag I had taken to Vicky's a while ago for our last crafty play date and found some flowers I'd made in preparation for making into a car when I got home. I actually decided to scrap my original idea of putting the large pansy flower on the same card as the petite petals and ended up making two clean and simple cards!  

Stamp Set: Flower Shop, Petite Petals, Express Yourself

Ink: Strawberry Slush, Summer Starfruit, Gumball Green

Cardstock: Strawberry Slush, Summer Starfruit, Gumball Green, Very Vanilla

Punch: Pansy, Petite Petals, Boho Blossoms, Bird Builder

Embellishments: Large Rhinestones

This is pretty straight forward really, There's two layers on the pansy flower and the petite petals for some extra dimension and body. I decided to add one of the punches from the boho blossoms punch because I thought it could use a little more of something in the centre. It was also stamped with the Petite Petals stamp so it blended in well with the other layers - its those little touches that really make a card look extra polished! Dontcha think? More "fluff" was added to the boho punch by snipping between each petal. 

I like the idea of having a few of these cards ready made up for emergencies - when you've got the stamps and punches out, they don't take long to put together. However, leave the sentiment off until you need a card then you can quickly add whatever sentiment you need! 

Stamp Set: Petite Petals, Express Yourself

Ink: Strawberry Slush, Summer Starfruit, Gumball Green

Cardstock: Strawberry Slush, Summer Starfruit, Gumball Green, Very Vanilla

Punch: Petite Petals, Itty Bitty, Bird Builder

Embellishments: Rhinestones

Again, pretty much the same as the previous card but with smaller flowers all in a row. The itty bitty punch has the Petite Petals stamped on them so they have that extra texture. 

I'm really enjoying the vanilla on these cards. I began to reach for white and then thought hey, you use white on pretty much everything at the moment, so I tried out vanilla here and it worked a treat! 

Hope you enjoyed these little numbers today. Sorry my post got up so very late in the day! 

Happy Stampin',

Get Well...

Hello!

As promised, here's a little scheduled post while I'm in London! Today, if all is going according to plan I'm at the Knitting & Stitching Show! Its always fabulous and I'm looking forward to seeing pretty sew things, plus, choosing and buying some fabric bargains!!

My downline, Debbie had an op a couple weeks ago and I wanted to make her a pretty get well card - here's what I came up with...

Stamp Set: Thoughts & Prayers

Ink: Coastal Cabana

Cardstock: Coastal Cabana

DSP: Eastern Elegance

Punch: Petite Petals, Itty Bitty

Embellishments: Pearls

I was origionalls just going to punch a line of flowers with the petite petals punch along the side. Add some DSP inside and a sentiment. That's all I'd planned to do - I thought it'd make a very simple and pretty card. 

But then I saw the flowers I'd punched out and thought it'd be a real shame not to use them. I also thought maybe the card was a little bare. 

I used the embossing stylus on the foam sheet in a circular motion in the centre of the flowers. I also punched a few itty bitty flowers to fill in and added some pearls. 

Here you can see the pretty paper inside. I think it looks just lovely peeking through the punched flowers!

Happy Stampin',

Giant Cupcake

Hi!

Another new week. Got much on this week? Mine is actually shaping up to be a pretty good one! We have card club this morning and this evening which is going to be good fun. Then on Wednesday evening I'm getting a train down to London to stay with my friend Emma. We're going to see some art exhibitions and hang out. On Thursday Sam is coming to join us so we'll all have Friday together before coming home in the evening! Sounds exhausting but it should be good fun too! Don't worry, I'll have some posts lined up for you while I'm away! 

So my friend Vicky asked me a few weeks ago to make a 30th birthday card for her friend. When I asked her if there was anything specific she was looking for she just said "big cupcake". Okay I think I can work something out there! 

Stamp Set: Express Yourself, Petite Petals

Ink: Pistachio Pudding, Crisp Cantaloupe, Gumball Green

Cardstock: Crumb Cake , Pistachio Pudding, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pool Party, Whisper White, Gumball Green, Silver Glimmer Paper

DSP: Sweet Sorbet

Punch: Modern Label, 1 3/4" Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" Circle, Petite Petals, Bird Builder, Scallop Border

Big Shot: Typeset Alphabet, Decorative Dots (SAB)

Ribbon: Pool Party Ruffle (retired), Silver Baker's Twine

Embellishments: Rhinestone

Other: Tooth Pick

So this card was a bit of a case of just adding and removing items until it looked right. 

I started by just drawing out a huge cupcake on a piece of printer paper using the cupcake builder as my inspiration for the shape. I then just worked at it until it was right and then cut the pieces of pattern paper and cardstock. Here's a photo of the back so you can see how it folds a bit better! 

I thought the striped Sweet Sorbet paper was perfect for the cupcake liner - adding the scallop border punch to the top made it even more realistic. It did however look like a lot of pattern with nothing to break it up. the ribbon I eventually decided on is some that was retired - I kind of wanted to use crisp cantaloupe ruffled ribbon but I didn't have any and using more pistachio would be overload I think.

The 30 piece is supposed to resemble one of those cupcake toppers that seem to be quite fashionable at the moment. I actually sandwiched a toothpick between two of the scallop circles and pierced it through the frosting layer. 

Some texture and sponging on the frosting was to add some interest to quite a large area of Pistachio Pudding and look kind of like sprinkles. 

The flowers were one of the later additions - I loved the topper but it didn't seem to quite gel with the card right. I guess the card just looked a little bare so I added some flowers and leaves. the rhinestones are a nice finishing touch as if they are just sprinkled on. 

Hope you enjoyed this. 

Happy Stampin',

Spring Petals PP185

Hello!

Today I have a card for the Paper Players' weekly challenge! This week the theme is "Thankful for Spring". I know a lot of people out there have had a pretty horrid winter with storms/floods and snow... I know we've had it very fortunate - worst that's happened for us is our fence has blown down! However, I think its safe to say we are ALL looking forward to Spring! 

I love spring - its just such a beautiful time of the year - the weather is getting warmer, there's birds and butterflies, lambs, bunnies, and lots of flowers. Flowers is definitely the first thing that springs to mind for me when I think of Spring. 

Stamp Set: Petite Petals, Lots of Thanks, En Francais

Ink: Blushing Bride, So Saffron, Soft Suede, Pear Pizzazz

Cardstock: Soft Sky, Whisper White, So Saffron, Pearr Pizzazz, Pink Pirouette, Pistachio Pudding

Punch: Petite Petals, Itty Bitty, Bird Builder

Big Shot: Ovals Framelits

Embellishments: Pearls

I chose to use some really lovely pastel/ice-cream colours! They just cry Spring to me! 

I was inspired by a card I saw on Pinterest making a window card - I thought the flowers would be the perfect frame for the Thank You sentiment. I cut the oval out with the framelits and added the White oval inside the card so it matched up. 

I was in two minds about what to do on the Soft Sky - I was toying with the idea of embossing it but I thought that it might be a bit too much texture - I needed something for a little pattern but not too much to detract from what I really wanted to be the star of the show - the flowers! I saw the En Francais stamp and thought it would probably work quite well for some pattern. 

Aren't the flowers gorgeous!?! I only used the watercolour effect stamp from Petite Petals. I used the same stamp for the saffron flowers too and just punched the centres - it gives them a bit of texture which just ties them in with the rest of the card. 

The open flower has 3 layers of flower built up plus a smaller saffron flower in the centre. I used the embossing stylus and the foam mat to give these flowers some real shape. They were worked in a circle in the centre and also inside each petal. It took some time to do all these flowers but the body it produces just gives that real "WOW" factor! 

The budding flowers Also have 3 flowers but the centre one is flipped so when folded into the centre the stamping still shows. To get the petals to meet in the centre I snipped slightly between the petals and worked it a lot with the stylus to get the shape. In the centre is a scrunched ball of paper to keep the shape. 

There's a couple of colours for the leaves because it just adds another little touch - the leaves don't look so heavy. For the tiny saffron flower I snipped off individual leaves and added them to the flowers.Cute, huh? 

The whole thing is finished off with a few pearls for the flower centres. 

Think this is one of my favourite cards of the moment! Its just so pretty and totally screams spring to me! Do you like it? 

Happy Stampin',

Popping Petals CQC230

Hello!

I got quite a lot done yesterday so today I've got another card challenge for you - today its for Colour Q. And again its another really lovely colour combo - but different from colours I usually use.

Tonight I'm going to meet little Arthur! He's my bestie's new babe and also lil bro to my gorgeous godson, Euan! They are such a lovely family and I can't wait to hang with them all this evening, eat pizza and of course have LOTS of cuddles! 

As I was thinking about this combo I decided how striking this combo would be to use black as the main base colour and add pops of colour! 

Stamp Set: Petite Petals, Lots of Thanks, Gorgeous Grunge

Ink: Coastal Cabana, Crumb Cake, Versa Mark

Cardstock: Coastal Cabana, Crumb Cake, Summer Starfruit

Punch: Bird Builder, Petite Petals, Itty Bitty

Embellishments: Pearls

Other: White Embossing Powder

Okay, I am just loving this. I've never been a black girl. I do like colour but I wouldn't say I like dramatic pops of colour like this. However, recently this has really grown on me - I am just loving colour pops against the black! 

After fiddling around with the flowers for a little while on the black card base I decided that it needed something else to ground it so I dug out the gorgeous grunge set and embossed the splatters in white! It was just the perfect background. The flowers' petals are bent up for a bit more dimension. The branch from the bird builder punch made the perfect leaves for the flowers - I just snipped off the three/four leaves and discarded the extra leaves and branch. 

When it came to the sentiment, I really thought I wanted to emboss a sentiment but I was feeling really happy with my card and I was actually feeling pretty nervous about screwing up my card. For that reason I decided to emboss my sentiment on a separate piece of cardstock and then add it over to. Using the tone on tone look it doesn't detract so much as using another colour would have and allowed me to add just a tiny pop of colour with a couple leaves and mini flower! 

What do you think to this card? Are you liking the black and colour "pop" look? 

Happy Stampin',