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.



Thanks for stopping by .....

Well, I finally did it!

Hello and thanks for visiting my first ever blog posting, it's been a long time coming!

I recently entered my very first swap run by Linda on the In Love With Stamping forum. The idea was to use your favourite Stampin' Up stamp set. I immediately knew that I wanted to use the Nature Walk set from the new SU mini catalogue. I just love the bird; my Dad used to breed canaries and budgies and it reminded me of being in his aviaries as a child.

I was pretty nervous about sharing my creations with a group of seasoned SU demos, without the added pressure of making these left handed due to a broken wrist!

The first card I made was based on the records and books my Dad kept, with a masculine theme.

This was rejected as too dark and nowhere for a sentiment on the front. Plus as my blog suggests, I love ribbon and to make a card without it is like Romeo without Juliet, Torvill without Dean, just plain wrong! So I decided on brighter colours with a more 'country' feel and here's the result ....

The corner knot was taken from some antique birthday cards I have from the 1930s/40s. I'll post the return swaps in a later post, there are some lovely examples.

SU Materials used:
Stamps: Nature Walk, Sincere Salutations
Ribbon: Very Vanilla Grosgrain
Card: Old Olive textured
Inks/Markers: Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Regal Rose, Early Expresso, So Saffron, Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery, Creamy Caramel (retired), Close to Cocoa (retired), Apricot Appeal (retired)

If you would like to order any of these Stampin' Up products, give Cal a call or drop her an email, you'll find her contacts here or click on the blog link to the right.

Thanks for stopping by ....