Stampin!

Just a quick card - in the classic, clean style that I am always drawn back to time and again. An Autumn Leaves stamp with a few buttons, decorative edge, flower and brad. I'll be back next with some 'thank you teacher' cards as it's getting to that time of year!

I never thought I'd be 'into' stamping like many others always were, it was always too messy and too fiddly for me! Until, of course, I discovered Stampin' Up! I'm not associated with them in any way but I am becoming more and more sucked into the world of SU. I have always admired their products, mainly when I used to see the advertisements in US cardmaking magazines, but always from afar. Now, I love their products so much and they are so easy to use as they have colours that match in everything from inks to card, that I'm wondering whether it would make perfect sense to become an SU demonstrator! Online classes, workshops, there are lots of possibilities. Just how viable would I be able to make it? I presume those of you that are already doing it, love it so should I or I shouldn't I, that is the question...

'Blooming marvellous' and cherry cupcakes

Here's the finished article in the end - using SU pink card (I really must learn the names of the colours!), teamed with black as I was reminded of this fab colour scheme by Monica recently some random spotted pink ribbon and a Pink Petticoat downloadable digital image. My friend loved the card!

I played safe and only used some water with inks on the brown hair, otherwise using my new SU marker pens that I won (hoorah!) to colour the rest.

I've had a go at making some more cupcakes today, I went for coconut cherry flavours. Unfortunately the cakes completely flopped and didn't rise at all, no idea why as I followed the recipe, but I've iced and decorated a few on the off chance that they tasted ok... otherwise it's the bin for the rest! Off to have a cup of tea and a sampler right now...

Colouring in images

So it seems the plain classic cards were favourites - the felt heart, the black and white card and the deep red oval design being the favourites with most people - the latter which was chosen for the invites! I need to make a design incorporating silver into it now for the final version.

Anyway, I need a little bit of help from you expert stampers! I've been crafting for years but have always shyed away from stamping until recently, when I became drawn into the world of Stampin' Up products! Well, I've used odd stamps here and there in projects but never with any particular techniques in mind. I always used to admire the SU adverts in the American magazines but never took any notice of them too much as they weren't available in the UK back then.

I also love the ease of Pink Petticoat products (and their inspirational website designs!) and while I never thought I'd be into the digital side of crafting, like many I'm finding it more and more suitable. Images that are like stamped but can be printed over and over without the mess? Brilliant! With lots of people around me having babies, I really wanted an image for a card to congratulate them, without forking out alot on a stamp that I wouldn't get much use from, but to still have one I could use time and again when the need arose. So I brought myself this lovely digital download recently, but I'm having trouble colouring it in! **Any tips?** See the face and hair of this top image and the pink frill. The last tip of buying the stamp-a-ma-jig was great and has been really useful so I'm hoping for more great tips.

I can colour in with watercolour pencils, lightly with the pencil and slightly blending with water too but i'm not brilliant (though I admire the people that do the shading very well!). And I was also lucky enough to win a fantastic prize recently from Monica at Stampin' Up! of an entire pack of the SU colouring pens, so I've attempted using these pens direct and this works fab (top one), but when adding water to try to do the shading for the faces on these stamps, or a subtle dress colour as below, it's blending outside of the areas I want it! Am I just using too much water? I've ruined a few - as you can see! - so thought I'd ask for some advice as this is always an area i've avoided learning before! Any help appreciated...

Final wedding invitations... your verdict?

I think this stamp is Hero Arts one, or something similar, and I've teamed this with brown ink, pink scalloped card and organza ribbon. Simples!

This one I would make in a different colour but I had it from something else, and could work for a wedding invitation if made differently. It's a Stampin' Up heart, spotted background, and sentiment, and green ribbon.

So leave me a comment if you have time to let me know your favourite and why!

More wedding invites

I went for the contemporary look with this classic black and white style card, all the rage for a colour combination at the moment. I've used a Blonde Moments heart stamped in black ink, a piece of card cut with a scalloped edge and a Stampin' Up! sentiment with black ribbon.

I think this one is more of a general card than wedding invitation but I've thrown it in for good measure. It's a Stampin' Up! heart, scalloped pink card edges, pink organza ribbon and a Stampin' Up! sentiment. Two more to follow...

Wedding Invitation

I've been making some wedding invitation samples and these are a few of them. It's always interesting if you ask different people which ones they like the best and least, as the ones that are bottom of the list for some are favourites for others. This top one is a very classic design - rounded corners on a white card blank, red organza ribbon and a Stampin' Up sentiment, oval punch and scalloped oval punch. I've deliberately not used 'wedding invitation' words on any of these so that I can use the cards again, but obviously the words will be substitued for whatever our friends would like, but these are just for examples of styles.

This is personally one of my favouirites as it's simple and delicate colours. On the pink card blank I've inked a white strip of cream card, and inked a punched scalloped cream circle too. Then I've printed the couple's initials onto white paper and punched and inked that too. The some simple pearls and a perforated circle tool for sewing to create the dotted lines, which you can see if you look closely.

I do love classic styles so I also liked this one - a die-cut heart from felt, with some inked rectangles of card and a simple Stampin' Up sentiment. I'll publish the others over this week and then I hope you'll tell me which is your favourite and not so favourite - just for curiousity!

Textures and inking - part three

This is the final card of the trio for textures and inking, not my favourite out of the three but nevertheless, some faux stitching using a brown pen, punched paper circles and a good old corner rounder punch. I can't make a card without a bit of ribbon so some velvet ribbon thrown in.


I like how these cards work as a trio as they all share the same patterned paper (My Mind's Eye I think) and textures, with some of the same colours, but are all very different at the same time if you looked at them singularly.

Have a great weekend! I've been making wedding invitation samples for someone so I'll be sharing those very soon.

Textures and inking part two

I've forgotten how much I loved this card when I made it, until I've unearthed the photos to share here. I think this paper (and also used in the previous post) might have been 'My Mind's Eye' but I'm afraid to say it was quite some time ago so I doubt it's still available.

I must admit I do find that hard in the craft world, where as soon as something is released its then retired and available no more. That's how businesses make their money, I know, but it doesn't make a crafter's life easy. Still, I love this gorgeous paper and it was so thick and nice to work with. I've teamed it with a Craftwork Cards card blank, flower die-cut and sentiment (also very easy to work with - highly recommended if you make cards!), some inking and a nice little fold and brad. I might use this design to mass produce some cards soon as I have TONS of patterned paper which I never use... anyone else have the same problem...?

Textures and inking

This card is a quite a simple one to make, it's from a set made using products Craftwork Cards. I love quality materials and if you do too, it's worth checking out their range - the card is textured and a lovely thickness and I teamed this with some patterned paper (I've forgotten the brand), some inking, some diamontes and a Craftwork Cards sentiment with staples. Simple but effective.

I hope you are enjoying the sunshine!

Is there anyone in my area who would like some free card material remnants? I have lots of random bits which I need to get rid of, but its all half used stickers, opened packets of embellishments and general random papers and other bits. Nothing too fancy and nothing sellable, but if you have a craft group or do crafts at a local school or something similar, and are in my area to collect, let me know. You can contact me with your email address if you want to know the area in which I live too.