Happy 21st Birthday Sammy

In between all the excitement of Vienna I want to share with you a card I've made for my lovely friend Sammy who is celebrating her 21st today.  It seems such a long time has passed since I was 21, but I remember it being a very special celebration and so I wish Sammy a special day of celebration.

The Mixed Bunch stamp set is just like many other Stampin' Up! sets in that it doesn't just have to be flowers!  You can use this particular stamp to turn it into a butterfly, or even a snowflake similar to my clean and simple Christmas card made for Christmas Card Club.

You might also note some interesting accessories on this card and I suggest you keep checking back to find out more about them and the gorgeous Everyday Enchantment papers used.

Although you probably can't tell the main butterfly has been embossed and to achieve this I first inked my stamp with peach parfait ink and then gently tapped the stamp onto a versamark pad to ink it with embossing ink  This way you can achieve colours that you may not have in embossing powders.  The effect isn't quite as strong as that achieved with versamark and coloured embossing powders, but it's good enough to grow your coloured embossing range.

I'll be back with more Vienna adventures soon.

Zx

Supplies

cardstock - Stampin' Up! crumb cake, peach parfait, pool party, very vanilla

dsp - everyday enchantment

inks- versamark, peach parfait, pool party and the same colour marker pens

tools - heat gun, scallop trim border punch, snips, paper trimmer, big shot, simple numbers dies, colour spritzer

stamps - mixed bunch (stampin' up! summer mini), precious butterflies (hostess exclusive), sentiment happy birthday wishes ( hostess exclusive)

accessories - clear embossing powder

Christmas Card Club

Our Christmas Card Club Challenge Lead lies with Anne this time and her challenge is for us to make a clean and simple Christmas card.  Not always easy, but with the rising cost of postage, clean and simple Christmas cards are exactly what we all need if we are to avoid needing a second mortgage to pay for the shipping. 
We have lots of friends around the world and so I've made a card for posting abroad with no ribbons, bows or bling, but have used texture instead.  You can create detail without bulking your card by using your scoring tool.  Score on the inside of your card to make it raised (embossed) of the front or 'deboss' by scoring onto the front. 
You can also get versatility from your stamp sets with a little imagination. My snowflake is from the Mixed Bunch stamp set in the Stampin' Up! Summer Mini catalogue which is stamped in white craft ink and allowed to dry.  To speed the drying process you can heat it gently with your heat gun or leave to air dry.  The curly label punch and modern label punch are great for adding detail to a sentiment and the corner rounder punch can soften the base of the card.
Inside the sentiment is perfect for those friends in distant lands, but is from a retired Stampin' Up! set.

Don't forget to visit Anne and the other ladies in our club and if you'd like to join in please contact me and I'll point you in the right direction.

Check back in the week to see pics from my first ever Stampin' Up! incentive trip to Vienna.  Zx

Supplies

Cardstock - crumb cake, whisper white, textured cherry cobbler

ink - stampin up cherry cobbler, crumb cake, white craft

tools - stampin up simply scored scoring tool

Stampin' Up! Pines & Poinsettias for Christmas Card Club

Gosh another fortnight has passed already and  therefore another Christmas Card Club Challenge.  This week the challenge has been set by Carol and she has set the challenge of ribbons and lace (punched or real).  I've combined punched lace and real red taffeta and satin ribbons, along with the scallop trim corner punch to lace the corners of the real red matting layer and I've also used the stripes embossing folder to create my own checked layer. 

Creeping in now and probably on a regular basis are labels made with the Stampin' Up! UK Summer Mini's new framelits dies which you can use to frame an image and matt them in different or the same colour.  By using two sizes at the same time you can create your own frames or apertures.  You can look at these in more detail by checking out the Stampin' Up! UK Summer Mini Catalogue via the link in my sidebar. 

Don't forget to visit all the other ladies in the club for more Christmas ideas and check back in two weeks for my challenge.  I can't tell you anymore about it just now, so make a date to visit the Christmas Card Club ladies again soon.

Have a great day!
Zx

Challenges
Creative Craft Challenges2  (CCC2) - Anything goes
Jingle Belles - Embossing     You'll need to look closely as mine isn't obvious, but it's all in the gingham!!
Papertake Weekly - Anything goes
Stampin' Up! Supplies
Cardstock - early espresso, real red, old olive, whisper white
inks - real red, old olive, early espresso
stamps - pines and poinsettias
tools - lace ribbon border punch, framelits labels dies, scallop trim corner punch, big shot, stripes embossing folder, brayer
accessories - red glitter, satin ribbon, taffeta ribbon, stampin dimensionals, glue dots

Stampin' Up! Mixed Bunch and Bright Blossoms

Well here I have a couple of cards intended to brighten your day in the midst of all this dreary and cold weather.

 Yellow is the colour theme if you want to take part in this week's Less is more challenge and so here you can see white embossing on daffodil delight cardstock and daffodil delight sentiment from Curly Cute.  You can also add texture to your cards using the Stampin' Up! Simply Scored Scoring Tool  which if you remember from my earlier post is a versatile tool that suits those of you who measure in inches and those who measure in centimetres. 

This card can be achieved if you use the oval of the two designer frames embossing folders on whisper white cardstock.  Use basic black and daffodil delight to ink up a pretty flower and vase from Bright Blossoms and stamp them on whisper white card.  Punch out with the extra large oval punch from Stampin' Up! and adhere the punched shape to your frame centre, having torn around the frame first.  Then you can use a new toy..... Yes Stampin' Up! UK has launched it's own exclusive set of Framelits Dies called the labels collection to add a daffodil  delight frame.  Simples....!  To get these dies or other Stampin' Up! products used just contact me or your own demonstrator.

A bright moment in a grey day! Enjoy your bank holiday whatever the weather!

Zx

Challenges
Less is more - Yellow

Supplies used from Stampin' Up! UK
stamp sets - Mixed Bunch, Bright Blossoms, Curly Cute, Sincere Salutations
Card stock - whisper white, daffodil delight
Tools - designer frames embossing folders, big shot, extra large oval punch, labels collection framelits dies, heat gun, simply scored scoring tool
inks - versamark, basic black, daffodil delight
accessories - ribbon, rhinestones, dimensionals

Christmas Card Club

Oh my I'm late, I'm late but only a day!  This fortnight's challenge is from Clare and she's asked us to make anything, but a card.  By that she means anything, even cards, but cards plural rather than just one.  I've made this cute gift bag/box shared with me by my lovely team mate Emma just before last Christmas.  I made several for my son's teachers and filled them with stamps and ink spots from Stampin' Up! 's From your Teacher stamp set.  They were popular and very well received so I decided to share them with you my lovely readers. 

Cute and oh so simple to make with just a couple of boxes some belt, braces and fur trim and you're away!  I've also now used some glimmer brads for the buttons attaching his braces which I didn't have at Christmas.  Now I'm one down several more to go for this Christmas.  Of course you could make these for just about anyone, grandchilren, teachers, brownie/cub leaders whoever loves Christmas and Santa Claus. 

Now the challenge a fortnight ago for the Christmas Card Club was set by Margaret and she wanted black and white cards.  I was away doing Disney, but couldn't resist the challenge so I've made black and white cards, but a set of three to just about fit with Clare's challenge. 

You can find other examples of Contempo Christmas by looking here and here

 One of my favourite Christmas sets from Stampin' Up! is Contempo Christmas.  It's so easy to use whether you're a beginner or expert card maker.  The 3D effect that you can create with the ornament stamp and matching punch is just gorgeous and it looks fab in any colour and whether you  enhance it with bling or leave it  naked it is perfect for all your Christmas projects.  Check out the other ladies in the Christmas Card Club via the links in my sidebar!

I'll be back soon with some sneak peaks projects for the new mini launching next month so check back or you'll miss out!

Happy Stampin' Zx

Supplies

Gift box

cardstock - real red, basic black, whisper white (silver from stash)

ink - basic black and real red markers

Stamps - Perfect Punches

Accessories - scallop circle punch, 1/16th circle punch, basic glimmer brads, tombow, snail adhesive, large oval punch

Card

cardstock - whisper white, basic black

ink - craft whisper white, basic black

stamps - Contempo Christmas

Accesories - big shot, top note die stampin up exclusive, satin ribbon in black and white, rhinestones, white embossing powder, heat gun

CHALLENGES

Moving along with the times - Christmas

Stampin' Up! Winter Post for Christmas Card Club

I joined the Christmas Card Club for a fortnightly challenge and to get better organised with making my Christmas cards.  I never dreamt it would challenge me quite so hard!  The first week was a card using more than 2 folds.  You can see my card here.  I thought that was a tough one to start on, but Sally has set the challenge of winter sports this time and as I'm committed to using Stampin' Up! products I found I didn't have a single winter sport set, so thanks to my fellow demonstrator Bekka I had some stamped skaters to play with.  Here's my first card which I wasn't really happy with, but my daughter ooh'd and ahh'd so I've decided to share it with you. 

The early espresso background has clear embossed snowflakes from the Serene Snowflakes set and the sentiment is from Pines and Poinsettias.  Brushed gold and real red cardstock frame the image having been cut out using the Big Shot and the Petal Cone die.  Real red striped grosgrain and victoria lace ribbon are gorgeous accessories.

My second version is more pleasing to me.  It features the lush, luxurious Stampin' Up! Mocha Morning Designer Series Papers, along with glimmer brads, gold glitter adhered with heat and stick powder and versamark ink and also the very versatile oblong frame from the Designer Frames embossing folder.  A sentiment from new Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set and the finishing touch is vanilla velvet ribbon from the Stampin Up spring Mini 2012.  Also featured is the eyelet border punch which I used to trim the bottom edge of the card and then reinstated it with chocolate chip cardstock.

Don't forget to look around the other blogs in Christmas Card Club to draw lots of great inspiration.  You can find their blogs in my sidebar.

Happy Stampin'
Zoë x

Supplies
Stamps - Winter Post, Serene Snowflakes, Pines and Poinsettias, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock - brushed gold, crumb cake, real red, early espresso, chocolate chip, very vanilla, Mocha Morning Specialty Papers
Inks - versamark, real red, chocolate chip, early espresso

Tools - Big Shot, designer frames embossing folders, 11/4" circle punch, 23/8" scallop circle punch, modern label punch, paper piercer and matt pack, heat gun
accessories - velvet designer ribbon, victoria lace ribbon, real red grosgrain ribbon, glimmer brads, fine galaxy glitter, clear embossing powder

Challenges
Love to create - monochromatic
Sweet Stamps - monochromatic
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge - Glam it up with glitter

Christmas Card Club

Today is my first contribution to Christmas Club.  Yes hard to believe I'm thinking about Christmas but like many of you I was way behind on card making when I hit Christmas 2011 and I happened to comment on Sylvie's blog that she is really organised making Chrimbo cards already.  She came back to me and said that the ladies in the club had started their club for that very reason,  they weren't organised!!!!!  They invited me to join and now each fortnight one of the club suggests the challenge and everyone makes a Christmas themed card using that challenge.  In my opinion I chose a tough one to start on as it had to be a card with more than the usual one fold line.  The challenge also stated that it couldn't be an easel card so I set too hunting about my craft room and remembered an interesting card made at craft club.  It was set then by the lovely Jenny and it reminded me of a lovely lady Kath who also attended our club.  Sadly she passed away last year and so this card is for Jenny, thank you for the technique, and for Kath as yesterday our craft club met for a day of crafting and we fondly remembered our friend and how helpful and generous she always was to us all. 
Now the card is also a gift inself as it opens from the picture above to the 'door step' below.  I've kept the colouring simple on the inside and hopefully the snow gives you the message of Christmas and the sentiments confirm it. 

Do pop by the other ladies in the Christmas Club as they all have beautiful cards to show you.  We all have different styles too so I'm sure you will find lots of inspiration. You can find all their blogs in my side bar.  Have yourself a fortnightly blog hop of Christmas cheer!
Finally I want to thank the Card Club ladies for the wonderfully warm welcome I've received on joining the Club and hope I don't let them down. 
Have a great day.
Happy Stampin'
Zx

Supplies all Stampin' Up!
cardstock - basic black, whisper white, real red, bashful blue, Holly Berry Bouquet Dsp
ink - bashful blue, versamark, craft whisper white, early espresso, real red, wild wasabi
accessories - silver embossing powder, white embossing powder, two way glue pen, dazzling diamonds, stampin' dimensionals, scallop trim border punch, scallop circle punch, 13/8" circle punch, sticky strip, snail adhesive