Moving Along with the Times - My Challenge

STAMPIN' UP! SALE-A-BRATION FLOWERING FIELDS

It's my challenge over at Moving Along with the Times MAWTT and I asked folk to use the theme In The Garden.  For my card I played with ink on watercolour paper and then stamped on the floral images from the Stampin' Up! sale-a-bration set Flowering Fields.  It's such a pretty set and has been really popular with my customers.  It reminds me of one called Pocket Silhouettes that I had in my starter kit now 8 years ago when I joined Stampin' Up!

I've used brights colours Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango and Rich Razzleberry.  Some white perfect accent dots and another SAB favourite the metallics glimmer tape which is awesome.

Please do join our challenge and visit the other DT blogs.  It's easy, just for fun and at least one of the design team will come visit you.

Thanks to Wendy our talented organiser who has kindly done the loading of the challenge as I've been checking up on my parents as Dad is now home from hospital, but it took a while as the anaesthetic did not agree with him.  We'll have some laughs soon about the things he said whilst under the influence when he's stronger. Again thanks to all who have sent get well wishes. It really is kind and much appreciated.

I look forward to seeing your cards in the challenge.

Zx

Just a few days left of Saleabration so if you would like a free stamp set please visit my online shop to order £45 (excl. P&P) and you can choose your freebie or if you think your wish list is longer than £99 you should think about our starter kit which is £99, but contains £160 of your chosen products until the end of the month.  Ask me more more details or if you can't wait join now by clicking on the Join button below.

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A new stampin' challenge for me!

TGIF Throwdown Challenge August 2015

Do you like a challenge? Well if you do I suggest you pop over the TGIF Throwdown challenge.  You have a month to enter, but the rules are different to most challenges you'll come across because it's a bit like going shopping and who doesn't like to shop!  You have to use some of the items in the shopping basket to make your card and there are also some staples in the pantry that you can use to coordinate with your basket items, but if it isn't in the basket or the pantry you just can't use it!

The August challenge is detailed on their blog, but essentially the basket items consist of a choice of two embossing folders, calypso coral ink, pear pizzazz or mint macaron ink, silver glimmer paper, pool party card stock and the stamp set Flower Patch.  You have to use a least four of the basket items and as I don't have either of the embossing folders I've used all the other ingredients to 'bake' my 'cake' LOL!

Check out the challenge as they are adding inspiration all month and of course there will be other folk up for a challenge like me for you to browse.

More from me soon. Zx

More Challenges

Pixie Snipets - Must use snipets

Happy Mother's Day

My wonderful Mum is becoming more and more of a techie; she even suggested she look for directions online last night, but I'm safe in sharing this with you now as she hasn't reached blogland just yet, but it won't be long.

She adores flowers and so I've made a card for her, to celebrate the UK Mother's Day this Sunday, using the same base card as I used on my post Christmas Card Club - Poinsettias to showcase these beautiful flowers that I stamped with the Flower Patch stamp set and matching Stampin' Up! Flower Fair framelits.  I've also added a sentiment again from the Crazy for You stamp set with it's co-ordinating Hello You thin lit dies.  They come as a bundle in the spring catalogue saving you 15%.  You can see them and other bundles in my Stampin' Up! UK online shop.

Quick Tip Time!
This is a big set and comes only in photopolymer. It has BIG stamps in it and so you'll find it easier to get good images if you put your card stock on your stampin' pierce mat so that all areas of the stamp meet with the card stock.  This makes sure you get a good clean image with lots of colour!

Before I give this to my Mum on Sunday I just might add a butterfly using my elegant butterfly punch which comes with good news if you visit my previous post!! But only until next Tuesday.

Hope you are organised with your cards for Mum if you're in the UK and if you're beyond our shores I think you have weeks still to prepare with Mothering Sunday being in a different month to ours.

More soon.
Zx

Unique Blog Hop

I was honoured to be nominated by my lovely customer Jane to take part in the Unique Blog Hop.   If you've arrived here from Jane's blog welcome and if not you are still very welcome, but I encourage you to visit Jane's blog and to visit her other link on the Unique Blog Hop.  Jane's work is beautiful so do click backwards on the blog hop to check out her work too!

Part of the unique blog hop is to answer questions when it reaches you and they are
1. What am I working on?
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
3. Why do I write/create what I do?
4. How does your writing/creative process work?

Well the first question is easy.  I've been working on using all my goodies from the relatively new Stampin' Up! UK Annual Catalogue and the very new Stampin' Up! UK Autumn/Winter catalogue.  Here is a stepper card that we made at my monthly card club class using the Flower Patch stamp set and matching Flower Fair frame lits.

I've also been busy with dare I say Christmas cards, but then as crafters we always try to be ready early!!!!  I did say try!

This is using a paper piecing technique. You stamp the main image onto your card base and then stamp it again onto firstly very vanilla card stock and then onto brushed gold card stock. Cut out pieces that you can then match onto the whole image on your card base.  It creates different dimensions and depth to the image.  It also doesn't require more than one ink pad!   You can also colour in the odd element on the trees to 'lift' the image further.   I've also made several with the gorgeous stamp set Festival of Trees. There's a simple example here and you can see a more detailed version on my post Stampin' Up! UK Winter Wonderland Christmas card club with Festival of Trees.

Clean and Simple Festival of Trees and Chalk Lines 

I'm also learning how to use my new computer so that I can use the Stampin' Up! digital package - My Digital Studio - to create scrap book pages of some of my favourite pictures and memories of great days out. Here's my family at Blenheim Palace this summer. Sadly my dad is missing as he didn't feel well that day and so didn't join us.

Finally I'm working on encouraging others to tell their stories via memory books with all the wonderful Project Life products now included in the Stampin' Up! range or by building their own story in a locket from my new direct sales role as a South Hill Designs Artist.  It's easy to do either shopping online www.southhilldesigns.com/zoetant for yourself or by sharing the fun of building yours and your friends stories at a party! The choice is yours, but if you'd like more information about Stampin' Up! or South Hill Designs please do email me at zoetant@live.co.uk 

The remaining questions or should I say answers.  My work differs from others as I don't think I have a particular style, although like Jayne, I'm erring more on the side of less is more or  clean and simple rules!  There is a myriad of products around and the beauty for me of being an Independent Stampin' Up! UK demonstrator is that I can resist other products in favour of Stampin' Up! which saves me time and money. I know what I have available to me to buy and don't crave others even though they are tempting sometimes!  Stampin' Up! allows me to be simplistic in my design, but also if I'm feeling a little more inclined to be flamboyant I have the products available to me for both styles.  Arguably the first card I've shared today isn't simple and is busy with flowers, but the nativity scene is very simple and of course perfect for posting purposes!

I create and do what I do because I love seeing others creativity evolve. Many say 'I'm not crafty or creative' but with simple tuition and encouragement anyone can create cards and with social media like Pinterest the inspiration is there all the time. However I often find my inspiration from fabric patterns, colours of nature and the world around me in general.  

All of this has brought me some fabulous friendships, self confidence to deliver classes and presentations including some to large rooms full of people, a little extra income and job satisfaction.  This is why I do what I do and I love to share it with others.  

The same can be said of story building in lockets.  

This lovely lady was given her locket from her fiancé in honour of their first anniversary of dating. He added hers and his christian name initial and the first letter of their joint surname to be along with a coin saying 'love'. He ordered it via his sister in law as a surprise.  He won so many brownie points! 

My creative process works because I enjoy what I do and I love sharing what I enjoy with others so that they can enjoy it too! Simples!!!

All I have to do now is introduce you to my 2 nominees.  They will be joining the Unique Blog Hop on Monday 29th September. 

Please visit Dawn who is a member of my Stampin' Up! UK team. She's a talented crafter and busy Mum,  who runs classes and parties and likes to help others enjoy craft.  

Also Victoria is a mum of two young cheeky boys. She is multitalented when it comes to crafting as she is a keen scrapbooker, card maker and more recently a successful sewing bee making the most gorgeous hand sewn animals and cushions.  

Enjoy your journey along the Unique Blog Hop.

Zx