Wednesday 30 September 2015

Sleigh Ride - Jingle All the Way

I have a new all time love for a product... and I am not afraid to admit it...

I picked them up  - spent a couple of hours playing (working very very hard!)  - and made 5 cards - that has to be a first!

But before I forget.. the Weekly Deals have just been updated... see them scrolling on the right hand side of my blog... or as below...
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And they are called the Sleigh Ride Framelit dies - along with their co-ordinating Jingle All the Way stamps
Spot the extra definition behind the houses...just an extra cut in the Night of Navy stuck behind the white houses... 

These are definitely going to be featuring on my own Christmas cards this year.... Love them!
 
Check out the short supply list ( even including the wood mount and clear mount/ bundle options!)
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Tuesday 29 September 2015

Wonderland Trio

  Here is a little trio we made at our last Jems monthly training... Still loving these Julie....
It was my first inking of the trees...and I am not looking back! Love the second stampin ( without re-inking to add light & shade!) Few other versions already on display here at The Craft Spa...
In fact we have just spent the night going backwards and forwards deciding on what set to use for my Beginners Christmas Classes Trio... and this is the one we settled on... yippee!! Lots of makes coming up then....
Love the trees.... adore the snowflakes (best small ones I have!)... Love the wording... but the antlers!!? They are definitely marmite... I have 2 ladies for whom they are the best image in the whole Autumn Winter Catalogue. No pressure on me to use them then!!

Couple of things to point out on the fancier version of the card.... 
Firstly my adored wooden Snowflake Elements... I am completely obsessed with those! 

Secondly my glittery snow... I don't know if it was more by luck than magic... but... at Training I applied a light covering of Fine Tip Precision glue  - and then Dazzling Diamonds - which you can see off to the left. Subtle...
But then I decided it needed more... so a few days later ( when the ink was 100% dry) I applied slightly more Fine Tip glue in blobs... then Dazzling Diamonds... and the colour was totally different - much more white - much more snow like - which you see centre and left....

Oh and Thirdly... the Banner... and thank you friend and team-mate Karen Watts for this tip.... if you cut a strip 2.5cm wide ( very nearly 1"...) then the Curvy Corner Trio Punch works a treat to form the shape to the LHS... put strip in along one side and then the other - and it is like magic! Love that....



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Monday 28 September 2015

Thankful for Summer Happy Scene...

Just realised I didn't share my Summer scenery through the window..... so this completes my All Seasons Trio....
Snipped the window differently this time... shows off my tree better....
Sponged a Soft Sky sky and Cucumber Crush meadow....  Aqua - painted the tree with Cucumber Crush (could be a first time outing for my Cucumber Crush ... but definitely the right colour for my summery scene!!)
Added a few flowers in the meadow using my Daffodil Delight marker pen and Signo white gel pen ( white ones could be sheep if I had omitted the birdies from my scene stamping!) 
Boughs of Cucumber Crush greenery with Dafodil Delight flowers ( blobs from Happy Scenes coloured in) I would have added a few punched flowers too if I had had more time....
And finished off with the big Thankful wording from the Autumn Winter Catalogue hostess set, Six Sayings
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Sunday 27 September 2015

Is Santa Here yet?

Quick little share today. Just a concept really...

How do you know when Santa has been down the chimney... 

When he is looking out of your window of course!!
Or ...maybe peeking out of the window instead... What about a photo of the kids or all the family on your Christmas cards...

Santa is cut out from the circular image in the Antique Tags hostess stamp set... Want the hostess sets but don't want to have a Stampin' Up! party or order £150+ yourself (or between you and your friends)... then see the details of my Rewards Club.... get the hostess stamps at your own pace... Though do bear in mind that the 2 Christmas ones are only around for 3 more months....

And the net curtains are from the Paper Lace Doilies...just one snipped up into 3 parts...with a bit left over!

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Saturday 26 September 2015

Hearth & Home Baptism Card

 
Whilst I was getting carried away producing lots of projects for the Team Training Inspiration Station...

I was asked to produce a really simple Baptism Card... just a simple single cross was the brief...
So I thought...I wonder!?

And yes... I could...
Just the central window panes cross-section... snipped out and snipped off to the right and the left... 

Finished off with a sentiment from Blessed by God  (yes I do know that set has a beautiful cross that I could have used! But the requester loved the simplicity of this one!)



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Friday 25 September 2015

Reflection and Cat in the Doubled Window...


Finally got my acetate out out to back my window! Love the reflection in the photo!! Something is definitely shining down!

This card went down really well on my Training Inspiration Station - and in classes this week too... everyone was surprised at how simple it was to re-create... 
So a doubled window.... Die cut 2 windows...snipped off left side of one...and right side of the other...and stuck one on top of the other down the centre... really simple and easy and quick... and no messing around with Big Shot/plates/overhangs required.... 
Covering up the joins with the Festive Fireside/Fireplace cat at the bottom and boughs at the top... and a Happy Scenes double scene behind...
Now I could pretend that this is some lovely simple Fancy Fold card ( as it is Fancy Fold Friday so I do normally post one)... but it isn't...it is just a plain A6 Tent Fold Card.... with the window stuck on top
Life, classes, training and technology have definitely conspired against me this week ( well 3 weeks actually!) ... it is late at night (and dark!) and the project photo cupboard is bare...but never fear lots more makes to photo tomorrow! Onwards.... 
Check out the reflection on this one...even has the chimneys over the road!! And what looks like The Angel of The North! ( very large statue in the North of England for my international friends who haven't got a clue what I am talking about...)

And a funny story about the cat.... I have only just realised yesterday that there is a cat stamp in the set... hence my plain die cut black cats...which I thought had a very strange "nobble" on its face...which I was going to cut off... but forgot! When I look at the stamp... the nobble is for the whiskers...obvious!! Bet my next cat is stamped with its ever-so-cute whiskers....


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Thursday 24 September 2015

Winter Wonderland Window Card

Time to break out a new stamp set. The lovely Winter Wonderland...

But not time to put away my Hearth & Home dies quite yet!
So this card uses the rectangular window panes left over from my window die cuts. 4 of them every window...so I have a lot of these...

I stuck 16 panes ( 4 x 4)  on a piece of paper using temporary glue. ( Tip: put Tombow on back and leave to dry if you don't have specific temporary glue... as it then turns into a temporary adhesive... a fine one at that!)
Then I stamped Mossy Meadow Winter Wonderland trees and Soft Sky snowflakes.

Then I permanently assembled and glued the small rectangles onto an A6 Soft Sky card blank. Perfect spacing...phew!
Stamped a Mossy Meadow sentiment from the set.

And finished it off with a white embossed Snowflake Element... love these! Subtle glossy white snowflake!

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Wednesday 23 September 2015

Hearth & Home - iPad -Technology Series Part 2

Following on with my mini series of some technology based Fancy Fold Cards for the men and teens in our life - using the fantastic Hearth & Home window dies...
This is the card that started me off! IPad time....
On its docking station with speakers!

Edited to add: I had a bit of a first with these technology cards...  as I posted this card... I happened upon a timely challenge on a Technology theme... and so I entered them in a Challenge over at Less is More... I have always had entering Challenges on my bucket list... and now I have started! May it long continue...

This is a variant of my Centre Step Easel Card. Just sized slightly differently...but more of that on another day... Tutorial for this version now added here...
The iPad is just a snipitty snipped Smoky Slate die cut window frame - with a Basic Black back - mounted on a Thick Whisper White small rectangular die cut Project Life card. Handheld punched 1/4" & 1/8"white circles for the button ( Smoky Slate ink around the smaller) and 1/16" black circles for the camera.

And the apple motif... loving this! Punched apple using the Tree Builder  Punch... then re-punched out using a 1/8" Circle Hand Punch... but be warned ...this bit is trickier than it looks! Think I had 5 attempts to punch in the right place...

The keyboard is just a trimmed die cut planter - also from the Hearth & Home die set... again the white embossed wording being from the Bravo stamp set

And the speakers... whilst I lamented the lack of my trusty Square Lattice embossing folder for the job of adding the texture... I had a brain wave... and the Softly Falling embossing folder came to my rescue! Who would have thought!
And as  final inspiration for an iPad... here is the first one I made using the Hearth & Home window die... 

Smaller but still perfectly formed ( though a bad photo!). The outer white frame being a snipped white window - corner rounded to finish it off...

I just need to find "the window!" (of time that is... ) to be able to make and pop it on a card I have in mind.... though that may be a little while now... so hopefully I will have  Part 3 of my Technology series later!

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Tuesday 22 September 2015

Ooh Ooh Ooh! The Clearance Rack has been updated

Note this is my 2nd post today... please go here for my earlier creative share...

Clearance Rack
And/or go here for the Clearance Rack...Some very nice items added today!

And whilst you are there - don' forget the Weekly Deals... also showing off to the right of the screen! Remember that the products will change at 11pm (UK time) tonight ( 22 Sept)

Hearth & Home - The Technology Series Part 1

You will be glad to know that DH kept to his word - and I have my photos back! Phew...
And yes you did read the title right... the window die is ever so useful for technology makes... particularly useful for those teen boys that can be so hard to make something suitable for... but now I am sorted...
So the back story first... I was also asked to do an inspiration station for our Team Training event last Saturday...and so I did... featuring... yes you guessed it... the Hearth & Home window & planter dies along with a smattering of Happy Scenes, Festive Fireplace/Fireside and of course Peaceful/Perfect Pines.
Hence why I now have a few more to share with you all here ...
For once I did get quite a way through my "Creative Mind Dump List"... but there are still some more once I have had a chance to play ( work very hard!) with some other stamp sets etc....
So today I am featuring a PS4 ( Playstation) which is my son's current favourite gaming platform,...
Just a case of snippity snip with the windows in Smoky Slate and Basic Black - plus a Basic Black PL card - die cut by my trusty Project Life Cards & Labels dies. A bit of an Eureka moment I can tell you.... And finished off with a sentiment from Bravo ... another well used stamp set at The Craft Spa!
And yes this is another version of my Pop Out Swing Card... the perfect format for a male card... movement and fiddle factor!

Edited to add: I had a bit of a first with these technology cards...  as I posted my 2nd card... I happened upon a timely challenge on a Technology theme... and so I entered them in a Challenge over at Less is More... I have always had entering Challenges on my bucket list... and now I have started! May it long continue...

And here are some other ideas of what to put on the screen....
X Box One .. XBox 360... Wii...  PS3...
Minecraft... FIFA... Call of Duty... Grand Theft Auto... Club Penguin... 

PC... Windows 10 landing screen shown here... but think Facebook.. a favourite blog... another game... the list will go on!!
 
TV... you will have to use your imagination with this picture! But think fave Sport... fave programme... fave film... again a very long list for this area....
 
A photo (of a loved one!) frame... a picture (favourite painting?) frame... Even more imagination required here...

So see... that is all the teens and men folk wrapped up for the year!! Actually probably anyone from the age of about 6 to 60.... maybe even 80 with all our Silver Surfers nowadays....