Swap Shop!

Hi all! On Tuesday i went out for a lovely meal with some of the ladies from the Stampin' Up! team i belong to - blue angels! We had some good food and talked crafts!! The main topic of the night was the retirement list and the sale!!

Whenever we meet up we all try to make some swaps! In other words we all design a project and make several of them to share with everyone else! It's great! I have lots of lovely things to share with you over the next coming weeks! (and we're meeting up again on Saturday so will have even more!!)

So today i have the project that i swapped:

Here's a close up:

The cardbase used is 'Crumb Cake', i have used some 'Very Vanilla' cardstock and stamped the sentiment (from the 'Because i Care' stampset) in 'Baja Breeze' the strips of 'DSP' are from the 'Springtime Vintage' collection and the ribbon used is 'Baja Breeze' 'Seaming ribbon', secured in place by some 'Red Sticky Strip'.

You will notice that it is a variation of the card that i made for Julie Halls - so not overly original - however it was a lovely quick make and with a quick change of sentiment could make some lovely thankyou cards!!

Keep checking back to see the swaps that all my clever Stampin' Up! friends have made!!

Because I Care: A card for Julie

The lovely thing about card making is that you can send a card to friends and family members that totally suit the purpose, rather than trawling around the shops or settling for something less than perfect.

It's lovely to send a card to someone for a happy purpose - a birthday, a celebration, a wedding or anniversary, but sometimes you need to send a card to someone who needs to be cheered up.

A Stampin' Up! friend of mine - Julie Halls is having a bit of a tough time at the mo, and i just wanted to let her know that i'm thinking of her and personally i feel there's no better way than a handmade card:

I have CASE'd this card, but cannot find the name of who originally made it so sadly can't give the artist credit - sorry. the cardbase is 'Crumb Cake'. I have layered some strips of  'Springtime Vintage DSP' onto a rectangle of 'Very Vanilla' cardstock. I wrapped around some 'Baja Breeze' 'Seaming Ribbon', stamped the 'because I CARE' sentiment (from the 'Because i Care' stampset) in 'Baja Breeze' (using my 'stamp-a-ma-jig' to ensure it's nice and straight!) and finally a coordinating 'Designer Button' with some 'Linen Thread' tied through!

I hope Julie likes this card and it makes her feel a little better about things, and when she's feeling up to it, it would be lovely to all meet up for a crafty crop!!

Growing Green: Thankyou card

Today i have another card to share with you made with lovely 'DSP' from the 'Woodland Walk' Collection and the lovely 'Growing Green' stampset:



A 'Crumb Cake' cardbase, the 'thank you' sentiment is from the 'Because I Care' stampset, inked in 'Early Espresso'. I cut a square of 'DSP' from the 'Woodland Walk' collection, mounted onto 'Early Espresso' card, which I wrapped with some 'Early Espresso' 'Satin Ribbon'. Finally i stamped a flower from the 'Growing Green' stampset, in 'Early Espresso' ink onto 'Garden Green' card. I carefully cut out the flower with my 'Paper Snips' and placed a 'Basic Pearl' in the centre!

This card was inspired by a card featured on the 'Splitcoast Stampers' website - which is great for ideas if you suffering from a creative block - check it out!

A Sweet and Sour Card!

Hi guys! I hope these blog posts are working and you have been getting your daily crafty fix! I had a great time before going away to Tanzania crafting my socks off to create enough projects to share with you!

I recently took part in a papershare, which means that i have a little piece of all the DSP in the current catalogue. It's been great making cards with lots of new products!!

The card i'm sharing with you today is using the beautiful paper from the 'Sweet and Sour Speciality' collection.This paper is absolutely gorgeous, it actually has a glossy finish. Here's the card:

I ran a piece of this beautiful 'DSP' through the 'Big Shot' using the 'Top Note Die' and glued this to the 'Pumpkin Pie' cardbase. I ran a strip of 'Melon Mambo' card across the card. I then rippled some 'Pumpkin Pie' 'Satin Ribbon' across the card. On top of the ribbon i placed two 'Melon Mambo' flowers (created from the '5 Petal Flower Punch') and i placed a 'Daffodil Delight' 'Designer Button' in the centre. The sentiment is from the 'Because I Care' stampset, inked in 'Pmpkin Pie' onto 'Whisper White' cardstock.

Because I Care

Hi all! Another quick post tonight...  just want to share with you a card i made to send to my manager, who has been off work for the last few weeks. I just wanted to send him a little card to let him know that i'm thinking of him. So here it is:

I had started off with the 'Always Artichoke' card as my base with the intention of making a masculine card... but i didn't quite achieve that! But any how i hope he still like's it!

I used 'Springtime Vintage DSP' and ontop of that placed some 'Very Vanilla' cardstock which i have edged with some 'Always Artichoke' ink appliued with a 'Sponge Dauber'. The beautiful flowers have been cut out of another piece of the 'Springtime Vintage DSP' - i just love this effect and it's another great way of using the DSP! The sentiment is from the Level 2 hostess set 'Because i Care' and the foilage has been created using a stamp from the 'Vintage Vogue' set.  I then used the 'Decorative Label Punch' to punch it out. To create the border around the sentiment. I punched out a couple of 'Decorative Labels' and then chopped them in half and then used them to mount the sentiment!

DCM Challenge - Flowers for May!!

Hiya all! Today i want to share with you a card i have submitted to the Daring Card Makers challenge, which this week was 'Flowers for May', you basically had to create a card which either had Hawthorn flowers or Lily of the Valley... I don't possess a stamp with either of these flowers and was adamant that i was going to use Stampin' Up! products so i improvised and this is what i came up with...

I used my 'Big Shot' and the 'Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder' to emboss my cardbase. I then used 'Whisper White' ink and a 'Sponge Dauber' to create the Hawthorn flowers. I then used my 'Daffodil Delight' 'Stampin' Write Marker'. I then used some 'Rose Red' ink and a 'Blender Pen' to create the detail on the flower. The butterfly has been created using the 'Big Shot' and the 'Beautiful Butterfly Die'. I 'Sponge Daubed' the butterfly with some 'Whisper White' ink, and used some 'Basic Pearls' to create the body of the butterfly! The 'because i care' sentiment is from the level 1 hostess set of the same name, inked in 'Rose Red' and punched out using the 'Decorative Label Punch'. The card is finished off with some 'Rose Red' 'Seaming ribbon'. I hope you like!!

If you like what you see i would love for you to check out some of my other posts, and maybe even sign up as a follower! (I post a new crafty project everyday!!) xxx

Thank You to All My Lovely Customers!!!

Hi everyone! How exciting, i returned home from work yesterday to a massive box of Stampin' Up! goodies, lots of customer orders (as well as a few little 'treats' for myself!)

I always like to say thankyou to my customers with a little handmade card. So last night i made a batch of thankyou cards, here they are:

The cardbase is 'Bashful Blue', which i ran through the 'Big Shot' using the 'Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder'. The owl (from the 'Fox & Friends' set) is stamped in 'Pear Pizzazz' ink on 'Whisper White' cardstock, then punched out using a '1-1/4 Circle Punch', then mounted with 'Dimensionals' onto a '1-3/8 Circle' punched out in 'Bashful Blue'. Both of which were mounted onto a 'Pear Pizzazz' 'Scallop Circle'. The 'thank you' sentiment is from the 'Because i Care' level 1 hostess set, inked in 'Pear Pizzazz' ink on 'Whisper White', mounted again on a scrap of 'Pear Pizzazz' cardstock. I always leave my customer cards blank so they can reuse them if they wish. I hope you like them!!! Here's a close up:

I'm regularly putting Stampin' Up! orders through, so if you would like to make an order drop me an email: amyjtidd@gmail.com

As i said, i have a few new crafty goodies!!! So i'm hoping i can have a play this weekend! Can't wait to share all my creations with you!!

The Amazingly Versatile Bird Punch!

Hi everyone! I've had such a busy day today! I have been helping my upliner Cate at her Stampin' Up! craft retreat - a full six hours of stampin' fun! We made lots of different projects and also learnt lots of new craft techniques! I hope to upload some photo's from this event tomorrow, as soon as i do i will share these with you on here!!

A really great part of being involved in a craft event like these, is that you can meet likeminded craft thinkers and share ideas and card designs. (Hello to anyone i met there today!) We have a 'share table', where everyone brought and shared their recent craft projects. So today i want to share with you a card i took with me to share. It is using (probably my most favourite) Stampin' Up! punch - the 'Two-Step Bird Extra-Large', although not in the conventional way. The tulips were made using the bird wing, and leaves are the branch part of the stamp! This is just one other way of using the bird punch (and a great way to use up scraps of cardstock!!) The 'Thankyou' is from the 'Because i Care' stampset (available as a Level 1 hostess gift) Hope you're inspired!

Hostess with the Mostess!

Hi everyone! I'd like to say a special hello to my two latest followers Laura and Jamie!! Thanks for taking the time to look at my blog, i hope you enjoy what you see! Just a quick post today before i go off to my zumba class!! Today i want to share a card i have made using one of the Level 1 hostess stamp sets called 'Because i care', and yes i couldn't resist using the 'blender pens' again!! If you would like to host a party in your home and potentially earn free stampsets please email me (amyjtidd@gmail.com) to arrange a date! xxx

In LOVE with blender pens!!

Hi all, What a busy (but productive) day!! I've been rushing around all day, but now i can relax and spend the evening playing around with all my new crafty bits, especially my new 'blender pens'!! Oh my god! They are totally AMAZING! Basically they are a way of painting with your inkpads to create a beautiful watercolour effect!! The great thing about these pens is that they come in a pack of three and have a nib on each end, so you effectively have six pens! (They're on page 102 of the catalogue and this month feature in the March Frenzy sale with 20% off!!)

So i would like to share a couple of cards i have made using the 'blender pen' technique:

This first card is using the 'Bella Toile' stamp, which i have embossed using Stampin' Up! black embossing powder and heat tool. I have then coloured it in using Stampin' Up! inkpads and blender pens. The image has been mounted on 'Rich Razzleberry' card. I'm very pleased with the effect!! (The sentiment featured on card is from the recent Sale-a-bration promotion, and is sadly now unavailable.)

The second card i have to share with you is using the 'Happiness Shared' stamp set, the sentiment is from the 'Because I Care' stamp set, which is available as a hostess set. (Basically if you have a craft workshop at your home or having a massive craft splurge of your own and sales reach £150 or more you can earn free stamp sets and more money to spend in the catalogue!! Let me know if you are interested!)

Hope you like both the cards! Just before i go i would like to say hello to my new follower Liz! Lovely having a chat over facebook earlier! I hope you get some inspiration from my blog!! Thanks to everyone you has had a sneaky peek! I'd love to know what you think about my craft projects so please feel free to leave a comment! Until next time take care, Love Amyxx