Crafty Boots Challenge: Black and Bright Colour!

Hi all, hope you're well, you may have noticed that I have taken a bit of a break from blogging to allow me to spend some time with my rapidly growing son!

However one of my New Years resolutions this year is to get back on track with my crafting and in particular the Crafty Boots Challenges which I have been neglecting recently.

This fortnights challenge was set by Freya and is: BLACK AND A BRIGHT COLOUR OF YOUR CHOICE!

So my DT entry is a black an yellow bookmark! Created from 'Basic Black', 'Daffodil Delight' and 'Whisper White' cardstock. On the white card I messily stamped the image from the 'Artistic Etchings' stamp set using 'Basic Black' ink and sprsyed some yellow ink. The topper has been created by punching 'Basic Black', 'Daffodil Delight' and patterned stamped card using the 'Scallop Circle Punch' and to finish I placed a nice big yellow 'Designer Button' in the centre.

Anniversary Wishes For Ruth and Teif!

Tomorrow is my good friend and her hubbys anniversary - here is the card i made for them:

The paris theme is simply for romantic purposes!! On a 'Soft Suede' cardbase i layered some 'Pink Pirouette' card and some 'Beau Chateau DSP'.

On a piece of 'Very Vanilla' card i stamped the circle image (using 'Crumb Cake' ink) and the Eiffel Tower image (using 'Soft Suede' ink)both frome the 'Artistic Etchings' set and then ran it through the 'Big Shot' using the 'Textured Impression Embossing Set: Designer Frames'. I layered this onto some pink card and then glued it onto the cardbase.

I finished off the card by stamping the sentiment (from 'Teeny Tiny Wishes') and punching it out using the 'Word Window' Punch, raising it with 'Dimensionals' to create a 3D effect. Finally finishing the card off with some 'Basic Pearls' to add some bling!

I hope Ruth and Teif have a fabulous anniversary tomorrow! Can't believe how quickly the last two years have gone!!

Tagtastic Just For You Card!

Today i have a card to share with you that i made for my Father-in-laws partner Elle. It was her birthday recently and i wanted to make a special card for her.

I began with a 'Pretty in Pink' cardbase and then stamped all over it using the circular stamp from the 'Artistic Etchings' stampset (using 'Melon Mambo' ink). The 'just for you' sentiment is from the brilliant 'Tagtastic' stampset - which is one of the new hostess stampsets from the new catalogue! I stamped this (using 'Melon Mambo') onto 'Whisper White' cardstock and then punched it out using the 'Decorative Label Punch'. I then punched out another 'Decorative Label, snipped it in half and layered the 'Whisper White' label ontop of it.

The large 'Whisper White' shape was created using my 'Big Shot' and the 'Top Note Die', by rotating the card around the die several times you can create different shapes! Next i ran some 'Melon Mambo' card through the 'Bigshot' using the 'Perfect Pennant Die'. Finally i stamped the 'All in a Flutter' butterfly onto some 'Whisper White' card using 'Melon Mambo' ink, i snipped this out, placed some 'Basic Pearls' down the centre and then used Stampin' Up! dimensionals to raise it!

I hope Elle liked this card and the gift we brought for her! I really enjoyed making it and playing with lots of the new Stampin' Up! goodies!

Want to have a little look at these products in the flesh and have a play?! Why not pop along to my FREE Craft Open House this Saturday. Everyone is welcome. Email me for details: amyjtidd@gmail.com

Riding Hood Red Milk Carton!

Hi everyone! Hope you are all ok! It's almost the weekend and it is almost the end of my trip. I leave Tanzania on the 1st of August and arrive back in the UK on the 2nd. I can't wait to share with you pictures of my adventures!!

Today i have a 'Milk Carton' box, that i have created using my 'Big Shot' and the 'Mini Milk Carton Die'. This box has been made from the beautiful 'Riding Hood Red' cardstock:

Once constucting the box (a little hint - make sure you stick it together with red sticky tape - otherwise it will ping open!) i ran a strip of 'Love Letters DSP' around the carton. Next i ran some scraps of 'Riding Hood Red Cardstock' through the 'Big Shot' with the 'Beautiful Wings Embosslits Die' and glued them on, embellishing them with some 'Basic Pearls'. Finally i punched some holes at the top of the carton with my 'Crop-a-Dile', ran some organza ribbon through and attached a tag, made from 'Basic Black' card and the 'Tag Punch', which was decorated by stamping some 'Very Vanilla' cardstock with the small medallion shaped stamp from the 'Artistic Etchings' stampset (notice how it coordinates with the 'Love Letters DSP'.

A Cheeky Romantic Card For You...

So here's a little romantic card to share with you today!! Beautiful 'Concord Crush' cardstock and ink has been used to make this lovely card! So, i started off with 'Concord Crush' Cardstock for the base. Next up is a piece of 'Very Vanilla' cardstock, which i stamped with the 'En Francais' stamp and 'Corcord Crush' ink, i also used a 'Sponge Dauber' to soften the edges. Next layer is another piece of 'Concord Crush', which i have edged with the 'Eyelet Border Punch'. Finally a piece of 'Very Vanilla' cardstock inked with the 'Eiffel Tower' image from the 'Artistic Etchings' set. Again i have used a 'Sponge Dauber' to soften the edges. The 'Amour' sentiment is also from the 'Artistic Etchings' set.

I just love this card. I have to admit this is a colour i have not really used before, i always considered it to be a little too dark, but i think it works really well for this project. A lovely card to share your love with someone, or maybe as an anniversary card?  I'd love to know your views...

I'm off to have some lunch with Jenny - who is a good friend of mine from teacher training. She doesn't live too far away and we always try to meet up in the school holidays! Have a lovely day! xxx

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my Dad's birthday. He's not in the country to celebrate, as he is off sunning himself in Malta!! I'm so jealous! I have given my Dad the 'Celebrate' bunting card that i featured on my blog on the 11th May. I hope he likes it.

I have decided today to post a birthday card to fit in with my birthday dedication to my dad, here it is:

It was my turn to design a project for our weekly craft club and this is the card that i came up with. I was looking for a way to use some of the Stampin' Up! products differently, so here i used my 'Big Shot' to cut out a 'Top Note' Die and then spun it on a right angle and ran it through the 'Big Shot' again to create a square shape. I used the 'Decorative Label Punch' in a similar way to create the smaller shapes. I'm really really please with this design! For the background i used the' En Francais' stamp, and on the smaller squares i used the 'Artistic Etchings' set. You may notice that i used some 'Basic Rhinestones' to embellish the crowns. The sentiment is from the 'Cheers and Wishes' stampset, stamped with 'Whisper White' ink. As i had already made this card in blue i demonstrated the card using pink cardstock instead, heres the result:

It's always fun to come up with alternative ways to use punches and dies, i'm so pleased with the end result and all the ladies that attend craft club seemed very happy with their creations and every one of them put their own touch on the design!!

Have a fabulous weekend!! xxx

Snip and Tuck

Hi all, today i want to share with you card that i made using a tutorial from Julie Davison's blog. Check it out! This card is refered to as a 'Snip and Tuck' Card. I think it would be a perfect card style to give a voucher or money in as a gift! The cardstock used is 'Crumb Cake' (I seem to be using a lot of that recently) as well as some 'Red Riding Hood' and some 'Basic Black', the stampset used is the wonderful 'Artistic Etchings' with some 'Crumb Cake' ink and the DSP used is from the 'Love Letters' collection. I have also used the 'Eyelet  Border Punch', the 'Scallop Circle Punch' and the '1-3/8" Circle Punch) and a couple of 'Dimensionals' to raised the 'Scalloped Circle'.

Here's the card in it's closed form:

And here's a pic to show you how the card opens and closes:

I've been trying really hard to make different styles of card and really enjoyed making this card, it's really different from my usual style!

My hubby is away for the weekend on a stag do, so i have a completely free weekend to catch up with friends and hopefully get in some crafting without being told off for making the dining room table all messy!! Can't wait to share with you all, more of my creations!!! xx

Happy Hen Do!!

Hi everyone, I have scheduled this post to publish once Iwona's hen party is well on it's way, so there is no way she would get a sneak peak of my gifts to her. So here they are:

Firstly here is the card that i made for her:

The cardbase is 'Whisper White'. It uses a strip of 'Brights DSP' ('Melon Mambo') The 'L' sign is made of 'Melon Mambo' and 'Whisper White' cardstock, i lined the 'L' with some 'Basic Rhinestones' and found a pretty pink feather to make it very girly!!

Secondly i made Iwona a photo album! I plan to take lots of photos tonight and print them off for her to put in her album! Here it is:

Again, i used 'Melon Mambo' cardstock from the 'Brights' collection. On a piece of 'Whisper White' cardstock i printed (in 'Pretty in Pink') the round stamp and the crown stamp from the 'Artistic Etchings' set, then using 'Melon Mambo' ink i stamped 'Iwonas hen do' using the 'Just Perfect Alphabet' set. I also stamped the crown several times in 'Melon Mambo' and embellished them with some 'Basic Rhinestones'. I used some retired Stampin' Up! ribbon to bound the album together. (This album is often referred to as a 'brag book', there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube, so why not have a go at making one yourself! They make a lovely gift!!)

Mon amour...is Crafting!!

Hello everyone, i hope you are having a good week!! Today i would like to share with you a card made using the wonderful 'Artistic Etchings' stampset!

The basecard used is 'Crumb Cake', a subtle background has been created using on of the stamp's from the 'Artistic Etchings' using 'Crumb Cake' ink. The central piece of card is 'Very Vanilla', i have used the 'En Francias' background stamp, again in 'Crumb Cake' ink and then stamped the beautifully detailed Eifel Tower stamp from the set, using 'Soft Suede' ink. I have used some 'linen thread' to add an extra effect and then mounted it on the card at a quirky angle. The card has been finished off using the 'Amour' stamp and some 'sponge daubing' around the edges. Both in 'Soft Suede'.

The First Retreat Day Project!

Hi guys, Hope you all had a good Monday! Only four more days til the weekend! Over the next few days i want to share with you some of the craft projects we made at Saturday's craft retreat! The first i'm going to share with you is a matching gift bag and card:

The black gift bag was purchased online by Cate and then we decorated it using 'Greenhouse Gala' DSP, the stampsets used were the 'Artistic Etchings' stampset and the Happy Birthday stamp from the 'Perfect Punches' stampset. The leaves were punched out of black cardstock from the branch of the 'Two-Step Bird Extra-Large' punch and the roses were create by punching 'Daffodil Delight' cardstock using the 'scallop punch' with a circle punched out of the middle and then coiled!! Don't they look beautiful!! The ribbon used is 1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain ribbon in black! Here's a close up!

The coordinating card was used using exactly the same techniques:

Hope you like this project, please check back tomorrow for another crafty project!!