Convention Swaps ...

A very quick post to share my Convention swaps. As soon as I saw the Wetlands stamp set in the new catalogue, I knew it would be at the top of my wish list and on my first order (and it was!)

I also used My Digital Studio to design my labels. I love, love, love this programme for designing craft projects and stationary, it's so versatile!

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Roomie Roomie Gift

It's a tradition to make a gift for your Convention roomie, but when your roomie is also your upline, it calls for something extra special! And sparkly!

Ever since I first saw Breakfast at Tiffany's, I would all love a little blue box, from that extra special jewellers! And a gorgeous Givenchy dress, just like Audrey's! So that was my inspiration for my gift box.

I made a super sparkly necklace with a beautiful Swarovski heart that really does sparkle!

I always like to add a little extra to the clasp too; these are beautiful aquamarine Swarovski beads.

Fingers crossed she likes it!

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Sparkle, glisten and pearl ....

... this is one of the Christmas cards we made at the last Stamp a Stack class of 2013 and my favourite one! I think there's a very good chance I will be making these for my own Christmas cards, I'm a clean and simple girl at heart!!!

The blank is made using some vanilla pearlised card from my stash that has a real shimmer effect.

I adore the extra large star stamp which is available as part of the single Christmas stamp range, have you got yours yet? This was heat embossed in gold and folded to git it a 3D effect.

A "Merry" from the Expressions framelits cut in red glimmer paper carries on the contemporary feel.

Even the insert was embossed! It is made from pearl paper from my stash for a little bit of added luxury.

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The countdown continues .......

.... not to Christmas but to the other C - Convention! Just 4 more sleeps til I head off to Manchester to join my fellow demos! Preparations are well under way for team swaps, roomie gifts, card candy swaps and 

general swaps! It's been a whirl of swaps to say the least! I'll share these whilst we're there so I don't spoil the surprise for the recipients!

So, to non-Convention crafting ....... where Christmas is in full swing!

As soon as poinsettias arrive in the shops, it's definitely a sign that Christmas is just around the corner! My poinsettia is from the Joyful Christmas from the Autumn/Winter catalogue and I have teamed it with the Merry Christmas from Greetings of the Season which is still available on carry over until January 2014.

The flower and leaves are embossed in gold and layered to make them stand out.

I decided to take the poinsettia and make a decoration that will fit into a more traditional scheme. This is what I came up with ...... 

The poinsettias and leaves were layered and fixed at different heights to give some interest and depth with some flowers having double layers.

The centres are made from the Champagne glimmer paper and pinched together to give some more height.

A double bow from gold and champagne card finish it off with more gorgeous sparkle! The bow is a fantastic addition and makes so much more than bows!

Well.... back to do some more swaps!

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Ooooooh ......

I loved the new single Christmas stamps as soon as I saw them released in the USA and had everything crossed that they would make the leap o'er the pond. I am so happy that they will also be available to our European markets. There's a great mix of traditional, modern, religous and not-so!

 

There's a picture below or use the button on the left to take you to the flyer! They are available until the end of January or while stocks last, mine are already ordered, contact me asap to get yours!

 

 

 

 

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Paper angels .....

I spotted some very cute little angels on pinterest and had to make some myself. 

I substituted the wire for ribbon and added some more of the Frosted Finishes embellishments for extra sparkle. The skirts are made with the Winter Frost paper stack from the Autumn Winter catalogue which are sized especially for making smaller projects.

Apologies for the bad photo but it's just toooo sunny here to get a good one! The skirts are made petal by petal using origami folds.  My petals started as 3" squares.

The paper stack has 48 sheets, 24 each of two double sided designs and is acid and lignin free.

I love these flowers. This is a project that I made a while back, using 12 flowers which means a whopping 60 individual petals!!

Off to enjoy the sunshine, a goldie is saying it's walk time Mum!

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Digital crafting ......me?

That's what I thought when I heard My Digital Studio (MDS) was being launched in the UK. Too be honest I wasn't sure about it,  ..... until I saw it in action! I have to say I love it and am completely converted to digital crafting. 

This is the first ever page I "digi-created" of my first ever goldie, my beautiful Honey.

MDS is a very user friendly (needs to be for me!) way to create and share your projects, the recipient doesn't need to have MDS too. There is an amazing array of content including patterned papers, stamps, ribbons, punches and embellishments on the initial programme with options to buy more with the regular add ons. I squeeeeeeeled to find Sage Shadow, my favourite ever retired Stampin' Up! colour on there!

MDS is a real bargain at just £13.95, but if you'd like to give it a go, it is available on a 30 day trial too. Be warned though ..... it's addictive!!!

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Passionettes Autum Winter Blog Hop

Welcome to my page on our blog hop, a big hello to everybody visiting from Val or joining the blog hop here. I hope that you are enjoying the projects so far.

I loved the snowflake gift tags on pages 12-13 and this is what I wanted to recreate as soon as I got my snowflake bundle.

Here's mine made as a Christmas (yes I said it!) decoration ....

It uses the new Silver ribbon which is very shiny in real life and topped off with a Frosted Finishes embellishment which I am loving! The top layer uses heat and stick powder and Dazzling Diamonds glitter for extra sparkle. Here's a close up of the embellishment.

Making one decoration led to this project .....

Boy was I glad that the snowflakes have matching framelits for all the cutting! The hanging and bow is made from Smokey Slate chevron ribbon which has a lovely "weight" for making bows. The snowflakes were layered at different heights to give some depth and interest.

I also used the Frosted Finishes embellishments to make some very simple but effective hair decorations, exquisitely modelled by Miss Mol!

Thank you for visiting, I hope you liked my projects. Your next hop is over to Fanny.

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Dream in Colour .....

...... no crafting today, but an exciting announcement! 

Back in 2010, Stampin' Up! revamped their colour chart in a big way and promised an updated colour chart every 2-3 years. The first colour refresh has been announced and we have some fabulous new colours, some returning favourites and ...... we are keeping some of the current In-Colors. A couple of colours have hopped over to new colour families. 

Here are the new colour families that will be available from 1st July 2013. Click on the icon on the left panel to see Carrie Cudney from Stampin' Up! present the new colours.

To make way for our new colours, we do have to say goodbye to some colours. 

The retiring colours are:

Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, Certain Celery, Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, Bravo Burgundy, Not Quite Navy, More Mustard and River Rock

They will be available only while stocks last so supply is not guaranteed to last until the new colours arrive, so if you have a favourite on the retiring list, get the ink, marker, ribbon, card stock etc as soon as possible to avoid disappointment!

To order your favourite colours before it's too late, please get in contact.

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Everything Eleanor .......

....... in this post! It's pretty picture heavy, so grab a cuppa and put your feet up!

I decided to make another box and card set using just Everything Eleanor and the colours Primrose Petals, Soft Suede and Very Vanilla .... with an occasional splash of Raspberry Ripple and Sahara Sand.

This is the box with it's belly band complete with my monogram from the Broadsheet alphabet set.

The arty shot!

It's an envelope box made from a sheet of 12x12 cardstock and the diagonal Simply Scored board. It holds UK C6 cards and envelopes. This was shared by my upline Cal.

This is the first card which also uses En Francais background stamp.

I added a very generous helping of pearls and jewels. The main flower has one of the large Pearls which has a whopping 8mm diameter!

The inside was decorated too ....

This is the second card and I think that this one is my favourite .... may be the ribbon and bird that swung it!

The sentiment just fits onto the cartouche ... I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to check this before I stamped as I had already cut it out!

Just a little inside decoration too ....

Next up was the first of the fancy folds with a reverse gate.

I love the stitched satin ribbon; it's so soft and luxurious and is available in all of the 2012-14 In-Colors.

I left a small section unstamped for my message which won't be seen if the card is on display.

Lastly, there is a gate fold. The metric Simply Scored board makes these so easy!

The final inside decoration .....

If you would like further information about this project or the products used, please get in touch.

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And they went in two by two .....

.... this is a new single stamp that is just soooooooo cute. It is the very aptly named Two by Two.

I stamped the image in Basic Gray for a softer feel and coloured it with watercolour pencils and a blender pen.

I stamped the elephant, lion and lioness heads again and fixed these in place with dimensionals to give some perspective.

The card was finished with a bow from Very Vanilla seam binding ..... gotta love this for making soft bows. The spotty paper is from the subtles family stack.

If you would like further details about any of the products used, please get in contact.




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Planning ahead ....

.... well ahead. 

For this card, I have used another favourite set, or rather my favourite elements of a favourite set so a double winner! Nature Walk was at the top of my wish list as soon as it was released.

The base card is the Naturals Ivory which is often overlooked but can be found on page 160 of the UK Annual Catalogue. It has a lovely texture and flecks of earthy colours. I made the subtle background by inking a couple of my clear blocks; I pressed more on the small block to get the darker colour. The images were stamped in Basic Gray to give a softer feel and then coloured with the watercolour pencils and a blender pen. A little cotton ribbon and baker's twine add the texture.

Here's the arty shot showcasing the bird!

The inside was decorated too.

If you would like any more details of the products used, please get in contact.



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Ready, Steady .......

..... go Egg Hunt! So who is egg hunting tomorrow?

I made these adorable baskets which hold a surprising amount of chocolate .... I know some little ones who will be pleased with these! The basket design was shared by the lovely Bekka Priddeaux, who is my Stampin' Up Great Grandma .... not so sure that she'd like to be described as that!

It uses absolutely no stamping! The flowers were cut using the Blossom Party die and layered. I also used the Little Leaves sizzlit and the Beautiful Wings embosslit.

Here's the back of the basket, left undecorated so you can see how it is formed.

All ready to go egg hunting!

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Sending more get well wishes ....

... now it's been delivered I can share with you too.

I wanted to make an extra special card so I made a tri-fold with a firm favourite, Stippled Blossoms!

Here's the card from the front. The two small panels decorated with the rosebuds were a labour of love ..... using 2 step stampin' with 2 different markers on each stage. The trusty Stamp-a-ma-jig was well used but I love the final effect and I think so worth it!

The greeting comes from Perfectly Penned, a set I was so happy to see make the leap from the US catalogue into ours!

Here's the card open, you can see more of the rosebuds and also a glimpse of the back panel where I repeated the rose, only this time it was stamped directly onto the panel.

Here's the middle panel. I like to add my message onto this panel. Another get well wish, this time from Teeny Tiny Wishes and of course another rosebud!

Here's the card opened up. The patterned paper is from the 2012-14 In Color stack. The colours used are Primrose Petals, Raspberry Ripple, Certainly Celery and Wild Wasabi.

If you would like more details, please get in contact.

Thanks for stopping by .......