My Digital Monday - Hush-A-Bye Baby

Hello! 

Afraid I wasn't feeling too great yesterday and blogging took a back seat. But I'm back today and have a nice digital scrapbook page for you today. I took this photo of Arthur last time Kat and the boys were over here. He was just looking so adorable asleep in his car seat I just couldn't resist taking a quick snap. 

Digital Files

Stamp Set: Banner Blast

Cardstock/Ink: Basic Black, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise, Concord Crush, Cherry Cobbler

Punch: Scallop Border

I just loved the colours in the photo and I often like to try and incorporate some of the colours into the decoration and background of the page. The real stand out colours in the photo were are the rainbow hedgehog. I thoght it'd be nice to do a band of the scallops in colours similar to the hedgehog and keep the rest of the page quite plain and muted. 

I finally got a chance to play with the Sale-A-Bration brush stamp set Banner Blast for a few banners and hearts to finish off the page along with a simple title. 

I'll be back tomorrow with something new to share! 

Happy Stampin',

My Digital Monday - Park Playdate

Hi! 

Did you have a nice Easter? I had a lovely day! After church we went to my parents' for a delish lunch. My brother was home from uni for the weekend too so it was nice to see him too! Mom even got us Easter eggs and with a little begging hid them for us. Oh I am such a kid sometimes! 

In the evening we had a special Easter service at church followed by a very yummy supper! We got invited back to Steve and Deb's for a cuppa afterwards and didn't get home til past 1am! Boy was I beat! 

So, its Monday again, and I have another digital project to share with you! This week I've made a scrapbook page using a little snap I took at the park with Kat and the boys last week. Euan had so much fun playing on all the swings and slides...his favourite was this steering wheel! It was tough to drag him away! 

MDS Digital Files

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, So Saffron, Poppy Parade

DSP: Sweet Details

Punch: Owl Builder, Square, Scallop Trim

Don't those smiles just melt your heart?! Too cute for words! 

On facebook I am part of a group for a MDS Virtual Crop and the hosts have crop nights every so often. There are challenges to participate in, its good fun. Unfortunately last week's was the night of the wedding, I was beat and just couldn't stay up. I noticed that one of the challenge techniques was alignment. I had to have a go! 

Here's a helpful little video on how to align objects with MDS. Its very simple to use and makes aligning objects a cinch.

I kept the layout pretty simple with some little DSP tiles and a few hearts. I love picking up colours from the photos in elements on the page. There were lots of blues, greens and yellow in the paper so I wanted something punchy for the title and a few other scattered elements - the red worked perfectly and really brought out the red steering wheel in the photo! 

I'd please how this turned out and it really didn't take too long either! 

Hope you're have an amazing Monday! 

I'm going to make the most of my last couple days before going back to work on Wednesday! We're out for a 21st birthday meal tonight and besides from that, I have some serious crafting to crack on with! Exciting! 

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',

Elegant Friend

Hi there!

How is it Thursday already?! I really don't know where this week has gone! I've been hard at work today doing some tidying in my craft room and making some pretties too! Today I've got a challenge entry for the Paper Players.

Now this sketch is so lovely and simple - and I began this thinking I'd do a seriously simple card with a few strips of DSP and an embellishment or two. I'm not sure it ended up quite the way I'd intended but its cute! 

Stamp Set: Beautifully Baroque, Label Love

Ink: Coastal Cabana, Crushed Curry

Cardstock: Coastal Cabana, Whisper White

DSP:  Eastern Elegance

Punch: Scallop Border, Artisan Label

Embellishments: Brights Button, Brights Candy Dots, Whisper White Baker's Twine

Pretty simple really, I stamped off the baroque stamp for a lighter shade in the background and added little strips of co-ordinating pattern paper over the top. 

I hand cut the label really close to the stamped image and then layered it on the Cabana cardstock for a little border. the sentiment was stamped in the cabana also and cut out with a dimensional underneath for some height. 

Finishing touches were candy dots and a button - I didn't have these in Crushed Curry and Coastal Cabana but I used the closest I did have - Bermuda Bay and Daffodil Deilght. I don't think it looks too off colour wise! The little baker's twine bow just helped soften the button. 

I'm really loving this colour combination - what do you think? Now, I'm back to my craft room to play some more!

Happy Stampin'

Be an Earlybird!

Hi!

I hope you're having a good weekend! I want to know where the sun has gone! :(

A couple days ago you might remember I told you that I was going to be a guest designer for the NEW catalogue summer session in July. Well, early bird registration opens this weekend and for the first 50 people to register there is a special discount price of $19.95! (For those of you who work in pounds that's £12.85!!) I think you'll agree that is a bargain price considering everything you'll get your hands on!

Inky Fingers Club

Summer 2013 Session

July 7^th through July 20^th

All New Stampin’ Up! Products

Over 50 Exclusive Designs

Creative Card Sets & Containers

14 Daily Tutorials

Talented Guest Designers

Step by Step Directions

Lots of Photos

Daily Challenges with Prizes

Original Artwork shipped to Members

You can take advantage of this fantastic price and see what I have up my sleeve by registering today!

Here's the link, and send me a message to say you've signed up so I know you're joining in with all the fun!

And don't forget, everything I'm sharing with the Inky Fingers Club is exclusive and won't be seen on my blog so you'll have to sign up to see what I've made for y'all! I know you're sure to LOVE it!!

You can also take advantage of an Embellishment Pack which will include some of the embellishments each of the designers are using at your fingertips! 

Now for something to inspire you to be creative today! 

Stamp Set: French Foliage, Fabulous Phrases, Creative Elements

Ink: Basic Grey, Sahara Sand

Cardstock: Sahara Sand

Punch: Scallop

Accessoires: Buttons

Extras: Boutique Boxes

The Grey and Starfruit card is actually the back of the little notecards that come in the Boutique Boxes kit. The paper button was one of he embellishments and so was the Crumb Cake baker's twine! Layers were added by stamping lots of different stamps on top of one another. 

The feathers are actually the negative left from the feathers - I just cut them apart, added some 2 way glue and then used a sponge dauber to sponge some pretty feathers over the background! I just LOVE how they turned out! Its also a great way to use something that would otherwise get thrown away without a second thought! What do you think? Are you impressed at my use of scraps and throw away items? I hope that this has inspired you to think differently to some of your scraps! 

Stampin' Hugs, 

Amanda x

bright and happy!

Have you had a good weekend? I certainly did! I had 2 Stampin' parties for some really lovely hostesses and their friends, a nice walk at sunset with my darling and a BBQ on Sunday afternoon - yum yum! I must admit I am slightly pink! Oops! 

So a fun bright and summery card for you guys today! Its using another new stamp set from the mini catalogue - Bright Blossoms. 

Blossoms Row

Stamp Set: Bright Blossoms, Curly Cute

Ink: Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Pacific Point, Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Pumpkin Pie

DSP: Brights Paper Stack

Punch: Scallop Edge

Ribbon: Pumpkin Pie & Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon

So the flowers were stamped in a row, each in different colours just for a vibrant pop of colour! This card if nothing else, delivers colour! I added some scallop edge and rich razzleberry paper stack as a base for the flowers to sit on. For a bit more colour I added some of the grosgrain ribbon, and a sentiment! 

Are you enjoying the fun colours here? Its been a while since I last cracked out some of these colours - they're bright and summery, love them!

Have a great day!

Amanda x

simply stampin' challenge, week 32

Good Morning!

First off I would like to thank everyone for their kind wishes over the past week - I am now feeling A LOT better! A bit gutted that I missed an entire week of my life sick on the sofa and now have a couple of REALLY hectic weeks! Oh well, sometimes it cannot be helped!

Now, here we are on Saturday again and that means another Simply Stampin' Challenge!! This week is a Colour Challenge and this time the colours are....

I have a LOVELY project to share with you - I had lots of fun making this one. It was inspired by a sketch from a book called Folding Ideas for Cards and Envelopes by Laurence K. Withers. 

Hugs Because I Care

Stamp Set: Just Perfect Alphabet, Precious Butterflies

Ink: Soft Suede

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Peach Parfait

DSP: Domestic Goddess

Punch: Scallop Edge, Decorative Label, 3/4" Circle

Big Shot: Top Note

Accessories: Mini Brads, Brown Baker's Twine (non-SU)

Extras: Paper Piercer, Mat Pack

I started out by wanting to make a different than normal card. So this card all folds up with some of the sentiment on the outside and then continues inside. I think its a lovely and special card to give to someone going through a hard time - that's what immediately screamed to me when I saw the colours - so sunny and happy looking! 

I started by folding my card then cut a curve on one of the flaps. I added some gorgeous sunny Daffodil Delight DSP from the Domestic Goddess collection - it was all sun rays and and sparkles - I just thought it was really fitting! I punched a scallop trim to add the the front flap, and some small circles that could be used to make a tie to hold the card together. I used brads to attach the circles for the closure. On the inside I added a portion of the Top Note to the centre and a sentiment to the bottom corner punched out with the decorative label punch. I then stamped some butterflies and cut out some too, to decorate the inside and outside (I used some of these butterflies to cover up the backs of the brads. I used a combination of the Just Perfect Alphabet and my own hand writing to make up the sentiment. Finally I added faux stitching around all the edges. 

Now a really in depth card for this week but I hope you enjoyed seeing a bit of a different card and have been inspired to try something different yourself! I'd love to see what you come up with. 

Please visit the Simply Stampin' Challenge blog to see what the other talented design team members have created for you this week and then get creating yourself! I can't wait to see what you come up with! 

Thanks for stopping by, please do leave me a comment,

Happy Stampin',

Amanda xx

more stencilling!

Following the stencilling we did at class on Saturday I thought I would show you another stencilled card! It really didnt take very long to do and the brilliant thing about stencilling is they make very cheap, lightweight and uber flat cards - ideal for the post! 

Thank You Floral Flourish

Stamp Set: Vintage Vogue, Because I Care (Hostess Only)

Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Early Espresso

Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Early Espresso

Punches: 1 3/4" Circle, Scallop Edge, Corner Rounder

Extras: Copy Paper, Sponge

I punched out the circle and lined up the copy paper with the cardstock and sponged in so I had the circle shape. Before I removed the mask I stamped on the floral flourish from Vintage Vogue, the stamp was wider than the circle so by leaving the mask on it masked off the edges too leaving a nice clean and simple decorative circle. I then added the sentiment below and as I hadn't quite got my circle positioned in the centre I added some scallop edging to balance up the card. Finally I rounded the top left corner to mimic the curves in the circle and scallop edge! 

I hope you enjyed this really quick card - its a great card to whip up a few to have on hand as thank you's or even birthdays for those last minute in a rush cards! Thanks for visiting, please do leave a comment. I'd love to know what you think

Come back tomorrow for another creation.

Hugs,

Amanda x

its been one of those days...

I have been having one of those days, I have little motivation to be productive and when I tried I struggled! However, life goes on. Its Pap's (my husband's grandfather) birthday, and I needed to make him a card. Now, I have a confession to make, I am REALLY bad at doing man cards! Mostly because I don't really have anything in my stash that is very manly and secondly because I struggle to know what men like on their cards! Anyway, I spend a good 2 hours struggling away and my end result, I have to say I am really pleased with! I think this is going to be a card I am so totally going to make again! Enough babbling, here it is...

HB happy birthday

Stamp Set: Broadsheet Alphabet, Watercolor Vine jumbo wheel (Retired - I would recommend the So Swirly jumbo wheel from the current catalogue instead though if you're interested!)

Ink: Old Olive

Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Old Olive

Accessories: Basic Rhinestones

Extras: Brown Pen (It was almost a perfect match with the Early Espresso which I wanted to use but don't have a marker in that colour yet!), Jumbo Wheel Handle, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Scallop Edge Punch, Dimentionals

I wheeled out the vine in the background and then stamped HB using the Broadsheet Alphabet and wrote happy birthday underneath. Mounted the Very Vanilla on some Old Olive and Early Espresso and finished off  it off by adding some small delicate stitching lines using a brown pen. I punched out the scallop border and adhered that above the vine border. I popped the HB topper on dimentionals and finally finished it off by adding a couple rhinestones to just add a hint of sparkle! Overall a very simple but I think effective card! Definitely going to be making this one again! 

Well, I think that's about all I have to offer right now although I'm thinking I might battle on and make a few more cards! 

Oh and one last thing, don't forget there's only a few hours left to get your free Sale A Bration set when you spend £45. They're really nice sets so don't miss your opportunity! To see what you can get for free, check this link out! http://www2.stampinup.com/gb/eng/7118.asp If you want one though you only have another 6 hours to put in your order!

Love, 

Amanda xoxo