Tuesday 25 June 2013

Last Chance to Order your SU! Retiring List items on Thursday 27th June

I am placing an extra order this Thursday 27th June . So this will be your very last chance to order any Retiring List items via The Craft Spa......

I have sifted the lists provided by Stampin Up! to reflect the items still available – so the List of the currently available retiring items is available from me in a sortable Excel version. Please just email me on thecraftspa@gmail.com for a copy.

Otherwise the links to the full Stamp list and full Accessories list are here.

Note

– you can order anything in the current Annual & Spring/Summer Catalogue ie not just the Retiring items!

-  My next orders will be 2nd July then 9th July – I cannot wait to share the new catalogue items with you!

- I now have the new 2013-14 Annual Catalogues! Let me know if you would like one (*£7.50 posted; £4 collected) 

*Prices cover the 2013-14 Annual Catalogue; the 2013 Autumn/Winter Catalogue coming out Sept 2013 & the 2014 Spring Summer Catalogue out Jan 2014. The seasonal catalogues will be available for collection or sent to you automatically when I have them!

Tuesday 11 June 2013

Pop N Cuts The Series– Elements of Style Dress Form Pop Up Card

Amanda Bates, The Craft Spa, Pop N Cuts die, Comfort Cafe , Mannekin Card (4)

Whilst I was playing…. I thought I should do at least 1 card with the Pop N Cuts die and the Dress Form insert being used as intended!!! So here it is.

The front of this card is based upon the  lovely pre-made Dolled Up card kit released by Stampin’ Up! in the States though I have used different colourways so that the card fits in with my Comfort Cafe theme of this series…

This time the die is used by popping in the Dress Form insert and the paper is cut as intended!

Then the cut and pop out parts are covered in my favourite ( and I think the simplest & neatest) way…… just with a straightforward A6 tent fold card blank…. which then forms the outer part of the card.

Amanda Bates, The Craft Spa, Pop N Cuts die, Comfort Cafe , Mannekin Card (3)

Stampin’ Up! Supplies

Stamps – Elements of Style; One in a Million; Bring on the Cake

Dies – Pop N Cuts Card Base, Dress Form insert; Ovals Framelits; Dress Up Framelits

Punches – Wide Oval; Designer Label

Embossing Folders – Needlepoint Border

Papers – Paper Stack In Color  2012-14 Summer Starfruit

Cardstock – River Rock (retiring!); Core Dinations Pool Party

Monday 10 June 2013

Pop N Cuts Die The Series – Double Z Fold Card - with a Tutorial

Amanda Bates, The Craft Spa, Pop N Cuts die, Comfort Cafe, Double Z Fold Card

Fourth post in my little series…….. another really quick and simple Fancy Fold card that my brain came up with….

So a quick step by step for you…..

  1. Cut an A4L x 4 1/4” wide piece of card (should also work with US sized card length)
  2. Fold your length of cardstock in half
  3. Line up the fold between the central notches on the die itself with the 2 open edges over the fancy edge of the die
  4. Die cut through the 2 layers
  5. Open up & place LANDSCAPE on the Simply Scored board
  6. Score at  1 1/4”; 3 3/8”; 7 5/8” and 9 3/4”
  7. Bone Fold ensuring that the front central meeting edges line up neatly!
  8. Decorate!

The label is from the Layered Label stamp set. The actual stamp says CONGRATULATIONS but I inked it up using marker pens leaving the wording blank. Then I used part of a greeting from the One in A Million stamp set – though any greeting from the Sweet Essentials set would work perfectly…. And then it was die cut using the matching Apothecary Accents framelits.

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But I have to say that I am now delighted to see this Basic Label stamp in the newly released Single Stamps…. perfect label for this job!! So this card can be even quicker next time…..

Stampin’ Up! Products

Stamps – Layered Labels; One in a Million

Papers – Comfort Cafe

Dies – Pop N Cut Card Base; Apothecary Accents Framelits

Cardstock – Midnight Muse

Marker Pens – Midnight Muse; Summer Starfruit; Pool Party

Sunday 9 June 2013

Pop N Cuts Die The Series – Simplest of Mini Books…. with a Tutorial

Amanda Bates, The Craft Spa, Pop N Cuts die, Comfort Cafe , Simple Mini Book (5)

This is the third part of my series on the wonderful Pop n Cuts die….. again using the Comfort Cafe papers.

A mini book this time…. again I have kept this REALLY simple… a quick little book for anything.. that can be put together at very last minute notice! Just photos and/ or memorabilia to be popped in and it is good to go…..

Just a simple die cut, a few scores, 3 simple paper pages and decoration.

So here is the mini Mini Tutorial….

  1. Place the Pop n Cuts die cut shape LANDSCAPE on your Simply Scored board with the flat end butted against the top and left hand sides
  2. Score at 3”; 6 1/8” ; 9 3/8” and 9 1/2”
  3. Bone Fold
  4. Score three 8 1/2” x 2 3/4” paper pieces LANDSCAPE at 4 1/4” & Fold.
  5. Corner round at open side
  6. Decorate and Stick!

Amanda Bates, The Craft Spa, Pop N Cuts die, Comfort Cafe , Simple Mini Book (1)Amanda Bates, The Craft Spa, Pop N Cuts die, Comfort Cafe , Simple Mini Book (2)

SU! Supplies

Stamps – Layered Labels

Dies – Pop N Cuts Card Base; Apothecary Accents Framelits

Punches – Large Oval

Papers & Card; Comfort Cafe; Cajun Craze

Inks – Soft Suede; Cajun Craze

Pop N Cuts Die The Series – Box Bag Treat Holder

Amanda Bates, The Craft Spa, Pop N Cuts die, Comfort Cafe, Boxed Bag Treat Holder  (1)

Second post in my Pop N Cuts series….. this time a Treat Box in a Bag. This clever usage of the die was shared by fellow demonstrator Tanya Bell in Australia ( video tutorial on her linked blog too!)

I kept my version really simple as this is SO clever… and SO easy….. and SO quick!…… and a project that will be remade many times up here in North Yorkshire!! Thank you for sharing Tanya!

And I am loving the Comfort Cafe papers….. as you will see in the rest of this series on the Pop N Cuts die….

Another couple of views……

Amanda Bates, The Craft Spa, Pop N Cuts die, Comfort Cafe, Boxed Bag Treat Holder  (Amanda Bates, The Craft Spa, Pop N Cuts die, Comfort Cafe, Boxed Bag Treat Holder  ( (2)

SU! Supplies

Stamps – Layered Labels

Dies – Pop N Cuts Card Base; Apothecary Accents

Punches – Large Oval

Papers – Comfort Cafe

Saturday 8 June 2013

Pop N Cuts Die The Series – Sports Themed Cards – Rugby - and Cricket

Amanda Bates, The Craft Spa, Pop N Cuts die, Rugby Posts (1)

I was very honoured to be asked to produce some Stampers Show Case projects for our monthly Team Newsletter this month – so I decided to focus on the Pop N Cuts card base and Dress Form insert. Suited me down to the ground as I got to have a nice play with a die!! And did I have a play… cards, boxes, bags, mini books, treat holders…… so this is the first post in a series of “Pop N Cuts – the Series”!!

This card was the first that I had to make. As soon as I saw the shape of the pop out…. rugby posts popped into my head…. to my delight as my son and friends are all keen rugby players!! And I have been racking my brains for Rugby themed SU! only cards for years!! Hence why there are 2 more samples shown below…. this time using photos of actual rugby balls… one for my sons’ club YORK RUFC and the other for Ireland…..

Amanda Bates, The Craft Spa, Pop N Cuts die, Rugby Posts (3)

I hope to have a series of sports themed ones another day – I already have a list! In the meantime here is a cricket themed card made by Julie Kettlewell for her son within hours of seeing my rugby card!! Isn’t that fabulous! Glad to inspire someone SO quickly!!! I had to share this too Julie!!

So .. the details… for my Rugby Card.

The Rugby Posts are created using Window Sheets ( aka acetate) on the trimmed pop out portion with slivers of White cardstock on top.

The Rugby Post Protectors and Kicking Tee are created using the Modern Label Punch – perfect for the job!

The Rugby Ball is created by using the American Football image from the Great Sport set… with my trusty black ink and blender pen to colour it in!! Seemed to get away with it too!! No huge moans….

Come back soon for more feminine projects……

Stampin’ Up Supplies

Stamps – Great Sport; Word Play; Bring on the Cake

Dies – Pop N Cuts card base; Dress Form Insert

Punches – Modern Label

Cardstock & Papers – Bashful Blue; Certainly Celery ( both retiring very soon!); Real Red; Window Sheet

Monday 3 June 2013

The 12 Picture Posts of the Retiring List…….

Last year many of you asked me for a quick view of the Retired List, with pictures of the products… If you are lucky to live near me that that is easy… you just come and view my copy of the catalogue with the highlighter pen marking everything up!! But for everyone else… not so easy….. so I thought I would try something different…..

So this isn’t the 12 Days of Christmas….. but the 12 Picture Posts of the Retiring List. A post for each product area eg Stamps, Wheel, Punches, Dies etc.

All images © 1990-2013 Stampin’ Up!

And here  - as a summary - are the links to the relevant posts.

For ease in the next 4 weeks that the Retiring List is current ( until 1st July) , you can also access this via my 12 Picture Posts of the Retiring List header at the top of my blog…..

The only area I haven’t just done a post for is… inks & cardstock… there are lots retiring due to the Colour Refresh taking place this year. So that is already covered here….

Punches

Embossing Folders

Dies

Papers

Scrapbooking

Ribbons

Fabric

Embellishments

Tools & Stuff!

Basics; Sparkle, Raise & Shine

Wheels

Stamps

12 Picture Posts of the Retiring List – Stamps

This is the twelfth and last post in my series of 12 Picture Posts of the Retiring List. 

Last year you asked – so this year I shall deliver – here is another post of a series of 12  - showing retiring products with a pictorial – one for each product area.

All images © 1990-2013 Stampin’ Up!

 

So about 120 stamps on the Retiring List including the 6 current Hostess only stamps… so in roughly catalogue page order….. ( some had to be moved around a bit because of sizing on the page) – VERY LONG POST!

The hostess stamps are not pictured here …as always they are all gone come 1st July

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NOTE _ Pictures not to scale with each other