Butterfly Basics from Stampin' Up! for perfect thanks

Last week it was my birthday! I had a wonderful time and received lots of lovely gifts from family and friends and so I wanted to make them all some thank you cards.  

I turned again to my new In Colours from Stampin' Up! and having been inspired by a swap I received at the Stampin' Up! regional event last Saturday I made these using a mask that I cut from a piece of whisper white card stock to cover each card so that I could sponge on a light layer of mint macaron and then stamp images from Butterfly basics in the same green and also tip top taupe.  I added a punched butterfly using the Elegant Butterfly punch for a base layer in watermelon wonder and then stamped and punched out the mini butterfly from the same set with the Bitty Butterfly punch.  I shredded some gold ribbon to make thin strands that I looped under the butterfly and adhered with glue dots.  A finishing heart from the Stampin' Up! Owl Builder punch in gold foil just lifted the whole design.  

A simple thank you sentiment taken from An Open Heart stamp set and I was done.  I also made some brights cards too with watercolour paper which I'll share soon.  

Thank you again to everyone who made my birthday so memorable.  

Zx

Christmas Card Club with Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue Sneak Peeks

Stampin' Up! UK Annual Catalogue Sneak Peek with Christmas

I've been missing Christmas Card Club as I took a leave of absence while my kitchen was being renovated, but today we are moving back into the kitchen as it's almost finished  and also it's my challenge so I thought it was about time I got organised and got back into the swing of our fortnightly challenge.

We set our challenge at the beginning of the year, but like a sign I have on my wall at home says "if it wasn't for the last minute nothing would get done around here" hence I've just put this card together and in my honest opinion, (you can of course disagree!!!) I've incorporated a couple of the new incoming in colours from the 2015-2016 Annual Stampin' Up! catalogue and they are Cucumber Crush and Watermelon Wonder.  I wasn't keen on the green when I first received it in my sneaky peek order, but it is going up in the popularity stakes.  

Another sneaky piece of info from the new catalogue is that Christmas stamps are back in all year YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even more YAY I have a couple already so I can share this fun card with you which has the fun Festival of Trees stamp set and its matching punch.  They will appear in the new catalogue as a bundle once more saving you 15% when you buy them as a double act.  

 One final sneak peek that I'm sharing is the cotton paper which is almost like a coated tissue paper with body, yes body and I've used it as the tissue in my gift bag, but because it has more body (a little like red wine) it will hold its shape.  

Regular readers, you know who you are, know that I love a bit of bling and my gold glitter paper adds that touch of Christmas sparkle on my Christmas Card Club challenge Gift card.  

Wishing you all a good weekend and a happy browse around the other ladies blogs in our friendly club.  You can find them in my right hand side bar sharing lots of Christmas card inspiration and styles.  

Zx

Announcing the new Stampin' Up! In Colours for 2015-2016

I'm counting the days until the new annual Stampin' Up! UK catalogue launches on 2 June.  My wish list is longer than long!!! However I've already got my hands on one or two products well maybe a few more than that and they include the new In Colours and this gorgeous stamp set You've Got It which includes this stunning flower.  I've stamped it on vellum card stock with Staz On ink and then coloured it on the reverse using my ink pads and blender pen to take colour from the ink pad lid to the image.  I also made a mask on copier paper of the flower head so that when I stamped the large background stamp that is also in the set it didn't go onto the whisper white card where I wanted the flower head to be.

To set off the flower I cut a frame using my trusty Stampin' trimmer and stamped it with the honeycomb stamp from Butterfly Basics in tone on tone colour i.e. mint macaron and also a little Gorgeous Grunge spatter using always artichoke ink.  I also 'smudged' all the edges of the frame with mint macaron and a stampin' sponge.

Across the vellum I've added a strip of tip top taupe 'knicker' lace as some have called it and a bow of shredded burlap and a cute simple message using the Alphabet roller stamp.

I'm falling in love with the new colours of Mint Macaron, Tip Top Taupe, Watermelon Wonder and Delightful Dijon.  Here we are only missing Cucumber Crush which is wow!

Have a good day folks.

Zx

I love Stampin' Up! By the Tide stamp set

This past weekend along with several members of my Tantalizing Stampers team and many other Stampin' Up! demo friends attended Stampin' Up! UK's regional event at the International Centre at Telford.

The weekend started on Thursday night really with a family meal to celebrate my birthday before Charlie headed out to Normandy at midnight on a school trip.   At 49 I'm a proud member of the junior Banovallum Brass Band playing alongside my children and other juniors much, much,......much younger than me, but I love it and my enthusiastic attempts to play my cornet. Well for my birthday my family bought me my very own cornet and now I just hope that I can improve to justify their purchase!!!

Friday, late morning saw me head out with friends for the Tantalizing Stampers on Tour as we journed to Telford and stayed in a beautiful B&B that provided afternoon tea in the stunning garden before we got ready to go the The Woodfield Inn at Coalport with 22 crazy stampin' ladies!  We had a ball and I had lots of lovely gifts and cards for my birthday.

Saturday was the usual early start for Stampin' Up! events and we were wow'd by lots of fab presentations highlighting new products from the upcoming Stampin' Up! 2015-2016 catalogue and techniques that I will share with you over the coming months at classes.

Back home for the remainder of the weekend with my wonderful family, now waiting patiently for the arrival of a tired, but hopefully french improved small boy!!

My card is an example of my swaps that I made for the regional event. Regular readers will know that it is a pastime/tradition for Stampin' Up! demonstrators to share ideas and inspiration in the form of swaps at events.  I used my now favourite stamp set By The Tide which includes all the stamps you see on this card and more.  The colour combo is simple and elegant in crumb cake, very vanilla, pink pirouette and early espresso and as you know I like a little bling so there is a little glitter on the pretty seashell.  I used strands off of a piece of burlap to add a little fishing net to the banners along with a simple staple!

Quick Tip
I stamped the seashell onto the pink pirouette layer and punched it out with the decorative label punch before cutting it out with that old, but faithful tool a pair of scissors!  I also punched out the small pink banner using the mini banner punch prior to using this as a matting layer and hence saved card stock without affecting the design as the punch outs were covered by the vanilla top layer.

Have a great week.

Zx

Good Luck Olivia!

So you saw my cards that Olivia asked me to make to thank her teachers on her last day at school before GCSEs start today.  I've made this card for her to wish her all the luck in the world for her exams. She starts with a maths paper today and really deserves to do well because she has worked so hard!

Good luck Poppydo!!

Hugs Zx

Just like Buses!!

Of course once you get on a roll the cards come along like buses, none for days and then lots all at once!

I'm pleased to say that Olivia has gone to school for her last day before she starts exams on Monday with these cards and some girly, pretty ones for the lady teachers.

Check out where I used the mini bow builder punch for the tie in the tip three along with a hexagon cut using the hexagon hive thin lit.

Back soon Zx

Please Mum! - cards for teachers Stampin' Up! Style

Slowly, but surely our new kitchen is materialising, but it has taken its toll on life and blogging sadly has come a little down the list, and as if I didn't have enough to do preparing for my all day class Tantalizing Techniques this Saturday, swaps for a big Stampin' Up! UK training event and generally trying to keep on top of the dust and mess............ my beautiful daughter asked last night "if you have any spare time for making a few thank you cards for my teachers for my last day on Friday that would be really cool!"

Of course we all live for our kids and making them happy so this morning I've made a card similar to many, but with a woolly jumper rather than a jacket a set of cards for the male teachers in Olivia's life!  She starts her GCSEs on Monday and so deserves to do well as she has been working hard.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you gorgeous girl!

So my card features some of the Adventure Bound designer series paper stack. It's full of great designs perfect for male cards not least the knit sheet and plaid for my shirt and even the turn back making the collar which is printed with silver birch bark works for this card.  This style of card and the papers would be perfect for Father's Day cards as well as male teachers and family birthdays.

I just hope they pass the Olivia test!! LOL

Kitchen renovation will be completed soon, so regular blogging should resume!

Until next time have a great day!

Hugs Zx