Stampin Up Elizabeth

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Looking at challenges in blogland you can get lots of inspiration for projects.  This one is inspired by this week's Mojo Monday challenge and also by the lovely ladies at St Luke's Hospice Challenge.  The Hospice challenge this month is for cards following the idea of Love and Lace. 
The sale-a-bration designer series paper has a very vintage feel and so compliments the lace ribbon and beautiful Elizabeth stamp really well. Elizabeth is one of Stampin' Up! 's a la carte stamps which means it is a single stand alone stamp that can be purchased along with an ink pad and pack of mixed cardstock and that's how easy it is to start stamping.  You CAN  make your own cards and bring out your creativity!! It's in all of us just hidden a little bit deeper in some folk!!
Once you've found your creativity pop over to the St Luke's Hospice Charity Challenge, look at the cards for inspiration and maybe you can enter a simple card and win yourself a prize.  It doesn't have to be super fancy, it can be something simple.  I've also entered this into the Sweet Stampin Challenge where you have to choose a trio of accessories. I've used lace, brads and flowers.

More soon
Happy Stampin'
Zx
Supplies
Stamps - Elisabeth, sentiment from hostess set Ain't Love Grand, SAB Fresh Vintage
Cardstock - soft suede,pool party, peach parfait,  naturals ivory, SAB Everyday Enchantment papers
inks - versamark, soft suede, poppy parade, pool party
accessories - in colour designer brads, pearls, boho blossom punch, 5-petal flower punch, crumb cake seam binding, victoria lace ribbon, sponge daubers, gold embossing powder, stampin dimensionals, glue dots, colour spritzer tool

Two challenges in one!

I don't support St Luke's Charity Card Challenge as often as I should and I'm late in the day for this month's.  There will be a new one for next month so go along and take part and support this worthwhile cause.  All you need to do is make a card following the challenge and if you can send your card with an envelope in a cello bag to the address on the challenge blog.  The card will then be sold in aid of St Luke's Hospice.  "Simples"  as the Meerkats say!!!

This month the challenge is all about recycling, using something that you might have thrown away. I've recycled a very pretty image topper that was on a gift box I received as a swap from my lovely friend Elaine in Scotland.  Unfortunately the box got damaged and I managed to salvage the beautiful topper she had made.  I've added some rich razzleberry cardstock, crumb cake seam binding and a flower brad with pearl.  The background stamping uses one of the gorgeous Sale-a-bration sets we have on offer at the moment;  Fresh Vintage and a little texturing using my colour spritzer, sponge daubers and marker pens.

I'm also entering the So Shelli Creative Challenge where the challenge is on for a Simply Stunning Creative Card.   Shelli talks about making our lives easier and sometimes although it's  lovely to share elaborate designs we sometimes need something that looks stunning, but is simply put together.  I've cheated a little with my ready made topper, but otherwise I think this fits the demands of the challenge and it will help a good cause too!

Do visit again and thanks for your lovely comments.

Hugs Zx

Supplies

stamp sets - growing green, fresh vintage both Stampin' Up!

card stock - very vanilla, crumb cake, rich razzleberry, watercolour card

inks - crumb cake, soft suede, old olive, rich razzlebery,

accessories - colour spritzer, basic pearls, flower brads, crumb cake seam binding, blender pens

Inspired by doors!

'Oh no!'  I hear you cry, 'she's doing Christmas!'  Well yes a bit, but since last year when I took the photos above I've been wanting to make a card inspired by our front door!  I've seen lots of other folk make beautiful cards depicting a door with a wreath and I wanted something similar but a little different and hence my front door!

The wreath is made using our new perfect pennants die and I've threaded lush real red satin ribbon through the punched holes on wild wasabi cardstock.  One of the Delicate Doilies stamps has provided a super centre piece and shows once again the versatility of Stampin' Up!'s sets.  I've also added some of the new mini brads to the centre of each 'flower' which you can see more clearly below.

The door itself is scored using my paper trimmer and the door furniture has been embossed with black emboss powder onto basic black cardstock and it gives a shine and a slightly hammered effect.  The studs copied from our Victorian door were painstakingly punched using the cropadile and carefully sticking them on with two way glue and a cocktail stick!

You may know that Shelli Gardner, CEO of Stampin' Up!, runs a monthly challenge on her blog So Shelli and this month she's challenged folk to use the new Simply Scored Tool that Stampin' Up! has launched in the US, but we have yet to experience this useful piece of kit (patience people it will come I'm sure you just need to spend a bit more to convince the US executives to grow us a bit more each year!!!) therefore I've used my trimmer to give the effect of the old oak boards.

The final touch is a smidge of basic black taffeta ribbon to hold the door handle on and what most folk would say is just about as much of the 'white stuff' as they want to see.

Well it does now seem odd as I type this post that 10 days ago we had a heat wave, today we have a beautiful autumnal sunny day and in a week or so the weather forecast suggests snow!  It was the strangest feeling recently walking to or village church for Harvest Festival to be dressed in summer frocks with sandals and yet crunching leaves at the same time. 

I hope whatever the weather with you as you visit here that life is good and you have a great day!

Back soon

Zx

Big Shot plus soda can = fun and whacky!!!!

 One final play with some inks having been inspired and intrigued by Donna as US demo.  I also tried out the Big Shot on a Fanta Can.  I carefully saved some pop cans and cut them apart with my craft and rubber scissors and put a piece through my big shot in the square lattice embossing folder and then teamed it with some of my ink experiment squares.  It's very funky and very different, but it's been fun piecing it all together.  The spiral punch has come into it's own and has allowed me to recycle every piece of cardstock or pop can.  I've also used my perfect polka dots embossing folder to add more texture to the tempting turqoise layer.  A couple of pieces from the brights dsp stack, some tempting turquoise brads brighten the base card of night of navy textured cardstock. 

 I've followed the theme through to the inside which you can see below, but here are some close ups of my 'crystal ink' squares and the use of all the pieces punched with the spiral punch.

Not sure who will receive this whacky card, but I think it's fun and Charlie loves what you can do with the Big Shot and a pop can.  I think model making may loom big on our horizon soon.

Hope you've had a great weekend. More soon.
Hugs Zx

Stampin' Up! Distressing Kit

I have a workshop tomorrow and the lovely hostess Marj has invited some artist friends who aren't normally 'carders' as she put it. She asked if I would do something with inks, distressing or markers and so I've been playing and experimenting.  I've wanted to have a go at making one of these suitcases for a while and finally got around to having a go.  I've seen pictures, but decided to have a go at my own size and so I made the dimensions to fit our note cards that come in sets of 20 with envelopes.  I've only used four to put in the suitcase but you could put more with less embellishments on the cards themselves.

I've also finally got up the courage to have a go with our distressing kit.  Vintage style is very in vogue at the moment and the distressing kit is perfect for adding a vintage feel to your crafting.  See one go and I think I'm an expert - not, but it was much easier to use than I thought, so if you'd like to know more about the things you can do with this kit then check out my classes listed here for the distress kit class that won't distress you but relax you at a fun enjoyable session.

Here you can see the note cards and envelopes fit in perfectly and I made it just like an old fashioned case wtih ties to hold them in place.  I've decided to enter this as my 'something new' for Shelli's Creative Challenge for July.

More soon. Keep smiling and make this a great week!

Hugs Zx

supplies

Cardstock - baja breeze, soft suede textured, subtles dsp stack

inks - baja breeze, crumb cake, distress kit inks

accessories - 13/4" circle punch, cropadile, 1/16th" circle punch, five petal flower punch, rhinestones, pearls, rhinestone brads, itty bitty punches, 1" circle punch, baja breeze seam binding

Stamp Sets - Baroque Motifs

I'm liking this leggy theme!!

When I first came across this weeks challenge at Less is More I was not sure where to start.  However as times gone on I've really got into the swing of it and have also tried out a technique which I read about in our demonstrator newsletter that we receive from Stampin' Up!.  Now you might think that stencilling isn't new and you'd be right of course, but it was suggested that we use the curly label punch to create a stencil which I've done below and used the dimensions suggested in the newsletter.  I also decided to experiment with my new decorative label punch and came up with the stencil I've used in the card above for my second entry into Less is More one layer challenge themed with legs!  Of course the Eiffel Tower (from Artistic Etchings as well as Paris, France) has legs and fits in perfectly with my stencilled background which I achieved with a brayer and sponge daubers.  I stamped the tower in black initially and added some colour to the bushes at the bottom then used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to stamp the tower again on top of itself inorder to emboss it in clear, thus safeguarding my greenery and making sure the image itself remained crisp.  I've used some basic black striped grosgrain ribbon which narrowed by cutting the width I wanted and sealed the raw edge with a lit candle.  You need to move it quickly through the flame to avoid overmelt!!!!! That's then fixed with a couple of staples and the sentiment is from Occasional Greetings.

Now for the East Coast Stampers Get Together, (a fun meet and greet session for all demos in Lincolnshire and surrounding counties) I made the Christmas card below to show how easy this homemade stencil technique is and it became my swap for the afternoon with this being an upgraded version to show what else could be done with the basic card on crumb cake. I can't believe I've even mentioned the 'C' word or made a card but I guess I need to do better than I did last year so it's a start.

Have a fun day.
Hugs Zx

Less is more challenge

Wow am I weary today.  Last night DH and I attended the Lincolnshire Ball at the historic Petwood Hotel in Woodhall Spa. Here there is a bar, which became known as the Dambusters Bar as it was frequented by those famous flight crews.  We were also lucky enough to have a Spitfire Flypast early on in the proceedings as we enjoyed   pre-dinner drinks on the Terrace.  It was a fabulous night as you can see from our grinning faces below.  Although raining,  we braved the short walk to the carousel to have a surreal ride on the horses. 

Today I'm not really with it especially as we had to get up early to see Olivia and DH off on a trip to London as Olivia won tickets for Wimbledon.  Meanwhile I took Charlie to the usual trumpet lesson and tomorrow he and I will do our bit for the Beavers when Charlie takes part in the Inter Beaver Colony Connect 4 Championships.  Life is never dull in this household!!!

Luckily today's Less is More Challenge is a sketch and thankfully not a difficult one.  I find these easier to do when you've partied hard the night before. 

Have a great weekend.

Hugs Zx

Supplies

Stamp Sets - Artistic Etchings, Occasional Greetings

Ink Cherry cobbler, crumb cake, basic black

Cardstock - Cherry cobbler, very vanilla

DSP - Love Letter

Accessories - 13/4"circle punch, pearls, sponge daubers, colour spritzer