To my lovely customers...

Hi everyone, hope you are all well. I'm really not feeling well at the mo. Went to the docs on Monday and i have a throat and ear infection and on antibiotics. I really haven't felt like doing ANYTHING and fortunately have a backstock of projects photographed from our craft retreat to the Isle of Wight to keep the blog going until i'm back up and creatively functioning.

You may remember that on the 22nd October i held a very successful crafty open day at my home, we got lots of orders and raised just over £50 for the Phyllis Tuckwell hospice!! The delivery arrived yesterday and i have made some thankyou cards to thanks my lovely customers:

This card has used the lovely new 'in colours'. The cardbase is 'Pool Party' and i stamped the sentiment (from the 'Sweetheart' stampset) in 'Island Indigo'. Next i cut a strip of 'Whisper White' and stamped the small heart (from the 'Every Little Bit' stampset) three times using 'Calypso Coral', 'Lucky Limeade' and 'Wisteria Wonder'. I then mounted this onto a slightly wider strip of 'Island Indigo'. Before gluing this to the cardbase i punched out a 'Decorative Label' from some 'Calypso Coral' cut it in half, gluing them to the cardbase and then placing the strip of hearts over top.

Nine lovely ladies made orders at my workshop so i had to make lots of these but fortunately they were actually very quick to make!!

These cards were nice and quick to make and i hope my lovely customers like them!! Thankyou to everyone who supports my Stampin' Up business. If you would like to make an order please email me: amyjtidd@gmail.com

Also get in touch if you would like to hold a workshop and either earn money for yourself to spend in the catty or fundraise some money for your favourite charity!!!

I have dates available through November and December - Stampin' Up! goodies are perfect christmas gifts so why not arrange a christmas shopping evening where each attendee can even make a handmade christmas gift for a loved one FOR FREE!! (and there is a special hostess offer for November and December!!!) Email for details: amyjtidd@gmail.com

Punch-Art Fish using the Round Tab Punch (with tutorial!)

Oh yes! Another punch-art creation! (I blame Ruth for this obsession!!!) Today i want to share with you a very clever way of making fish from the fab Stampin' Up!'Round Tab Punch'.

Step 1:
Basically punch some 'Round Tabs' from your chosen cardstock and cut them like this:

Step 2:
Arrange the piece like this to create cute fish! Clever hey?!

Step 3:
Arrange them on your card however you like! Here's my card:

I created four fish from 'Pumpkin Pie' cardstock using this technique and arranged them on a 'Marina Mist' cardbase. I raised the body of the fish using some 'Dimensionals'. I created their eyes by punching out some very small circles using my trusty 'Crop-A-Dile'. The fishes bubbles have been created using the 'Bubblegum ball' from the 'Sweetheart' stampset. I stamped them randmonly on the cardbase using 'Marina Mist' ink.

The sentiment is also from the 'Sweetheart' stampset, inked onto a scrap on 'Marina Mist' and then punched out using '1-3/8" Circle Punch'. I stamped the little fish (also from the 'Sweetheart' stampset) in 'Pumpkin Pie' onto a tiny scrap of 'Whisper White' cut out with my Paper Snips'. I raised this circle, again using 'Dimensionals'.

There you go, yet another way to make use of your 'Round Tab Punch'. Want to get your hands on one? Why not make an order! Check out all the lovely products in the new catalogue (link on the righthand side of my blog) and email over an order: amyjtidd@gmail.com

Birdy Bookmark!

Today a quick little bookmark project to share with you:

This bookmark started life as a strip of 'Bashful Blue' cardstock. I rounded off the top corners with my 'Corner Rounder' and i used the 'Eyelet Border Punch' on the bottom edge. I stamped the bird (from the 'Sweetheart' stampset randomly in 'Bashful Blue' ink onto the card. I then stamped another bird onto some 'Whisper White' card, punched it out using the '1-1/4" Circle Punch' and layered it onto a 'Bashful Blue' '1-3/8" Circle', which has been layered onto a 'Early Espresso' 'Scallop Circle'.

I tied a piece of 'Early Espresso' 'Satin Ribbon' on the bottom, and punched a hole (using my 'Crop-a-dile') and looped another piece of 'Early Espresso' ribbon and hey presto!!

A gift for your 'Sweetheart'!

Firstly today is my step-mum's birthday! So happy birthday Marg! She is a complete shop-a-holic!! So it seemed only fitting to give her the handbag card that i posted a while back, click here to view it.

So i suppose i should share another crafty project with you!! So, with my first wedding anniversary love is the air, so today i have a lovey dovey project for you. It's a origami style folded packet, that you can pop a little gift in made out of 'Jolly Holday DSP':

The 'be mine' heart has been stamped in 'Basic Black' ink. The stamp comes from the 'Sweetheart' stampset. I punched out a heart from some 'Jolly Holiday DSP' and placed it in the centre. Cute!!

A Flower Punch Butterfly!

Recently i have been playing around with my Stampin' Up! punches...trying to use them in a more experimental way.

Today i want to share with you a little card i made using the '5 Petal Flower Punch' in a different way to usual ... to make some pretty butterflies. Now i'm sure this idea has been done before, however i came up with this without any internet searches - so just very happy with myself right now! Here's my card:

So we've got here a cute little square 'Rose Red' notelet. I have chopped some 1.5" x 1.5" squares from 'Pink Pirouette' card. On one of these squares i stamped the 'heartfelt thanks' sentiment (in Perfect Plum' ink) from the 'Sweetheart' stampset. On the three remaining squares i layered some '1-3/8" Circles' punched from 'Certainly Celery' cardstock. The butterflies are created from the '5 Petal Flower Punch' and some 'Perfect Plum' and 'So Saffron' cardstock. I placed some 'Basic Pearls' down the centre of them, and drew their antenna on with my 'Perfect Plum' 'Stampin' Write Marker'.

A card made completely from the Stampin' Up! 'subtles' collection of cardstock, and for this reason i'm entering this card creation into The Crafty Pad challenge blog: Soft Pastels.

I'd love to know what you think of this card, and if you have any other ideas for the '5 Petal Flower Punch' let me know!!

Happy Birthday Rachel!

Hi all! Today i want to dedicate my post to my good friend Rachel! It's her birthday today, so happy birthday!!! Here's the card that i gave her...

The card base is 'Old Olive'. I then placed a piece of 'Pumpkin Pie' ontop, and then cut out a square of 'Old Olive', stamped a heart (from the 'Sweetheart' stampset) using 'Old Olive' ink and then used the 'heart' punch to punch out a heart! I created the owl using the 'Owl Punch' from the Mini Catalogue! the owl is created with 'Early Espresso', 'Crumb Cake', 'Whisper White' and 'Pumpkin Pie DSP' scraps. (Isn't he cute!!) I used another piece of 'Old Olive' card edged with the 'Eyelet Border Punch' and then mounted the 'Pumpkin Pie DSP' Next i stuck down a piece of 'Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon using 'Sticky Strip'. The sentiment is from the 'a la Carte' 'Sweet Birthday', mounted with the border of a stamp from the 'Four Frames' set. (I used the 'Stampin' Write Markers' to stamp both colours) and punched the frame out using the 'Decorative Label Punch'. Sounds complicated... but really not so! I think i'm in love with the 'owl punch'! I can't wait to play some more and see what i come up with!!

I'm a brayer convert!!

Hi all, Today i plan to share with you another card using the 'Fun Flowers' Die. This card i'm very proud of because i went completely out of my comfort zone to create it. It is a complete original on my part and some experimentation with my 'Big Shot' and 'Embossing Folders' and my newest toy - my 'brayer'.

I was introduced the 'brayer' techniques at Cate's latest Craft Retreat day. I hadn't really seen the benefit of using one but now i'm well and truely converted!!  So anyway here's the card i made:

The main cardstock used for this card is 'Peach Parfait' (from the 'in colours' range) and 'So Saffron'. The background has been created by brayering 'Daffodil Delight' and 'Pumpkin Pie' ink on the inside of my 'Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder' and then placing a piece of 'Whisper White' cardstock in between and running it through my 'Big Shot', lovely effect isn't it!! I think me and my brayer are going to be good friends!! The flower has been created using the 'Fun Flowers Die' and has a 'So Saffron' 'Designer button in it's centre, the stem was stamped in 'Pear Pizzazz' ink onto a scrap of 'Pear Pizzazz' cardstock, using a stamp from the 'Sweetheart' stampset. The 'thank you' sentiment is from the 'Just Believe' stampset.

I'm just loving using all the new products from the mini catalogue and can't wait to share them with you at my craft open house this weekend. It's not too late to RSVP! I'd love to see you there! We will be making two projects using lots of new products. This event is completely FREE! Please e-mail me for further details: amyjtidd@gmail.com

Happy Birthday Jana!

Today is my little sister Jana's birthday!! She is 9 today!! We're off to London for a day out to help her celebrate (and then, as we are already in London we have decided to go to the theatre tonight to see Chicago!), so before we get going i thought i'd share with you the card that i made for her:

This card is known as an 'easel card', i got the tutorial to constuct it from SCS. The stampsets used for this project are 'Four Frames' (to make the bunting) 'Just Perfect Alphabet' (to personalise the card with Jana's name) 'Plane and Simple' (for the 'happy birthday') sentiment, 'Sweetheart' (for the little birdy!!) and although you can't really see it on the photo i used the large stamp from the 'Baroque Motifs' stampset as a background. The 'stopper' for this card was created using a piece of 'Rose Red' cardstock edged with the 'Eyelet Border' Punch, embellished with a piece of 'Whisper White' 'Satin Ribbon' and a little pink butterfly created using my 'Big Shot' and the 'Beautiful Wings Embosslits Die'. I could resit using a couple of 'Basic Pearls' to add a bit of bling!!

The Second Craft Retreat Project!

Hi all! Here is the second project that we created at Cates craft retreat at the weekend!! It's a card created using the stem and leaves stamp ('old olive'), bird ('pumpkin pie') and the 'heartfelt thanks' ('daffodil delight') stamp from the 'Sweetheart' stampset! The cardstock used is 'daffodil delight' and 'pumpkin pie'. The flower itself has been created from a strip of 'daffodil delight' cardstock, which has been edged using the 'Eyelet border' and then crimped several times using the Stampin' Up! 'crimper' and then folded around to look like a flower. The ribbon used is 'pumpkin pie' satin ribbon. I love this bright and cheery card, i hope you do too!