Devlinwhite Designs

A new direction...

2012-01-07T15:52:00.000Z

Hi there,

I'm just popping in to let you know that I've started blogging again, but I felt like doing things a bit differently going forward. I decided to create two new blogs; one for Stampin Up only creations and one for all the other things that I make. In case you were wondering why, well I know that some SU demos as well as customers want to look at SU only creations and I feel that as a demo I should be directing my customers to my Stampin Up creations in order to honour the company I demonstrate for. On the other hand, I do own a lot of products from other companies and I love creating with them as well and for some reason (as I've discovered over the last 6 months) I seem to create more (and better quality!) things when I share them with others on my blog. I am always encouraged by the kind comments people leave and these spur me on to make more.

Anyway, if you want to check out my new blogs, here are the addresses:

www.whitehousestamping.blogspot.com (my SUO blog)

www.expressionsofencouragement.blogspot.com

I do hope you'll stop by, and even become a follower if you want to keep tabs on what I'm doing!

Thanks so much for your support on this blog - hope to see you at one or both of my new addresses!

x Amy x

Time to say goodbye...

2011-07-31T22:18:00.000+01:00

Hi there,
I'm just stopping in to let you know that I am stopping blogging for the foreseeable future... Life has changed quite a bit in the last month, with the main change being that I have left my teaching job so I can carry on studying. As a result, I am starting up a couple of creative ventures from home to try to build up a work-from-home business. I'll be focusing on designing wedding stationary and doing children's creativity parties, which is exciting! As a result I have decided I need to spend less time on the computer and more time focused on creating and marketing. I will still carry on being a Stampin Up demonstrator and running classes twice a month at my home, but I have to reorder my priorities and make some decisions that are not easy. I love looking at other people's blogs so I know how important inspiration is, so I'm sorry not to be sharing my creations with you. I really appreciate all the people who have subscribed to, followed and/or commented on my blog to date - I am always warmed by your kind words and appreciate everyone who takes the time to drop in.

I hope you continue creating and being inspired by others and the beauty around us.

Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

You are a blessing...

2011-07-25T20:46:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

When I saw the inspiration pic for the PTI blog hop I immediately thought of these bargain papers I picked up last month - a perfect colour match! I used one of this month's Viva la Verve sketches for the layout and the papers kinda did the work for me!

I die cut a couple of felt butterflies and stitched some buttons to the centres with linen thread. The sentiment is from Sigature Greetings - so useful for so many people!

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Mojo 200 Anniversary...

2011-07-24T21:51:00.001+01:00

Hiya!
I played along with this week's Mojo Monday sketch and used the layout to make an anniversary card for my hubby... it's our 10th wedding anniversary on Thursday so I figured I better make it a good one!

There is very little stamping on this, which is unusual for me. I pulled out some Kaisercraft papers and matching die-cut elements that my Mum bought me for my birthday this year and from there it came together fairly quickly. I stamped a decorative element from Verve's Kindred Spirits set on the top and bottom of the card, over the patterned paper pieces. I added some matching charcoal grosgrain ribbon and some buttons threaded with thin pieces of Sahara Sand cardstock along the scallops.

Here's a shot of the inside:

The inside is just a few more die-cut elements and paper from the dsp pack, distressed using SU's distressing kit. The sentiment is from Verve's Swan Song set - very appropriate for us as I met Richard at a musical theatre club!

That's all from me - thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Thinking Shabby...

2011-07-21T09:48:00.000+01:00

Hiya!
Just popping in to share something I made this week for the Waltzingmouse sketch challenge. I dug out some papers that my sister bought me back from the States (I'm on a mission to try and use up some of my ridiculous stash of DSP!!).

The stamps I used are a combination of WMS sets, including a new addition to my stash (the flourishes in the background). I added some random pink ribbon found in my ribbon box along with some lace and buttons. The edges of the DSP were sanded using SU's distressing kit - love this effect!

I have the day off today and plan to do some crafting so I should be back soon with more to share!

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Sweet Scrunched Flower...

2011-07-17T17:33:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

I got my hands on some new (to me!) stamps this week so I thought I'd break them out and have a play. I combined the current ColourQ challenge with this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch to create this:

I used the stem and leaves from the Sweetheart stamp set, stamped in Pear Pizzazz on Confetti White card. The flower was created using a combinations of flower punches and Peach Parfait cardstock. added some crystal effects and dazzling diamonds glitter for a bit of sparkle. I added a Real Red button to the centre. I stamped the leaves again and cut them out popping them up with dimensionals. The Marina Mist background was stamped with the Music Notes wheel and Marina Mist ink then sponged around the edges. The banner shape in the background is cut from some Botanical Gazette DSP and layered on Real Red cardstock. I added some pearls and Pear Pizzazz ribbon with some tiny tags to finish.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Sweet Trees...

2011-07-14T22:54:00.000+01:00

Hiya!
Long time no see... I know! Sorry about the long absense from the blogosphere, it's been a crazy few weeks with family here, graduation and finishing up at school - but the fog is beginning to clear and I managed to find some time yesterday to create a little something - I combined this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch with the lovely CR84FN colours:

I dug out my Trendy Trees set, which I haven't used in a while and ended up this this:

I stamped the three different trees with a combo of Real Red, Blushing Bride and Soft Suede on Confetti Cream then sponged some Crumb Cake ink on for the earth. I used some Real Red DSP (Play Date) in the background and added some Blushing Bride ribbon, a Real Red button and some pearls for a few extra details.

That's all for now - thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

PTI Blog Hop...

2011-06-25T16:39:00.000+01:00

Hiya,

This month's blog hop is all about inspiration - and this was the photo to be inspired by:

And this is what I came up with:

I decided to create my own background using the colours on the wall with Guidelines II, then sponged aroundbthe piece with Blush Blossom ink so soften it a bit. The cupcake was stamped on card and dsp then paper pieced, and I added some glitter to the icing - and topped it off with a cherry button. I layered the cupcake on a combination of die-cut shapes.The borders at the top and bottom were die-cut from two colours of cardstock and layered over the stamped background. I finished off with some stitched ribbon.

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Birthday Basics, Everyday Treats, Guidelines II, Baby Button Bits
Ink: Blush Blossom, So Saffron, Pear Pizzazz, Groovy Guava, Tangerine Tango, Cherry Cobler, black
Paper: Blush Blossom, Cherry Cobler, Whisper White, miscellaneous dsp
Dies: Mat Stack 1, limitless labels, banner borders
Accessories: Spring Moss ribbon, cherry button, stickles glitter

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

I love big bows...!

2011-06-24T16:15:00.000+01:00

Hiya,

After a very busy week at work I've finally got some time to relax and play! I have 15 lectures to catch up on from time missed at Bible School this week and last so I'm listening and creating at the same time (as well as watching Wimbledon... hee!). I've had the Waltzingmouse sketch and CR84FN colour challenges on my list to play along with all week:

This week's WM sketch was a choice from the previous catalogue of sketches found here and I chose week 3's sketch (probably because of the big bow featured lol!). I ended up with this...

I used some more of my bargain papers I bought last weekend as they were perfect for these colours! The sentiment is a Verve scripture stamp and I used a Labels 18 stamp to frame it. The little yellow flourishes are from another labels set (stamped with So Saffron). I dug out some old Baja Breeze ribbon to make the big fat bow and added a PTI button with linen thread. I die-cut a doily from paper and added a portion of it to the left-hand side for a little extra frill!

That's all for now... thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

My favourite flower...

2011-06-21T20:40:00.000+01:00

Hiya!
I wanted to play along with this week's Play Date colour challenge so I combined it with one of this month's Viva la Verve sketches to create this...

I love gerbera daisies and wanted to create some using the big shot daisy die from SU. I used Melon Mambo and Pumpkin Pie and used all three sizes of daisy on the die. I adde some funky buttons for the centres and used some basics rhinestones for some flourishes. The whisper white background was embossed with the polka dots embossing folder and the centre panel is a mix of Marina Mist dsp. The sentiment is from the hostess set Because I Care. I punched it out with the oval punch and layered onto a white scalloped oval. The card base is 5 1/4" square in Marina Mist.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Aviary friend...

2011-06-18T21:38:00.000+01:00

Hello!

I was out and about wit hubby today and we popped into a craft store in Bristol - I wasn't planning to get anything but I spotted a 12x12 paper stack reduced from over £20 to £4.99... needless to say I had to get it! Do I need any more paper? NO! Did that make the slightest difference? NO!! Hee hee... So I had to play with it when I got home. I used the CPS sketch to create this one...

I used a SU stamp set from the Australian catty that my sister got me for my birthday called Aviary - I'm hoping this may get into our next catalogue... fingers crossed! I used colours that matched the papers: Taken with Teal (retired), Tangerine Tango, Peach Parfait, Wild Wasabi and So Saffron. I added some buttons and some So Saffron ribbon (retired, but I love this stuff!) as embellishments. I thought this sentiment (from PTI) was cute to add to this image! Perfect for asking a friend round for a coffee!

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Butterfly congratulations...

2011-06-17T16:29:00.000+01:00

Hiya,

I thought I'd pop in and share a card I made using the Walzingmouse sketch challenge as my starting point. I dug out some older papers that I got a while ago because they had gorgeous butterflies on them (what more of a reason to you need lol??) but I hadn't used much of it because I didn't want hide the butterflies by putting other stuff on top -- so I set to work cutting them out!

I played around with a sketch a bit and flipped it on its side so I could fit in this Labels 18 shape. I stamped it onto some coordating paper from the same pack and cut with nesties. The flower is from a pack that my sister brought me back from the US when she was the on holiday recently - they are so pretty I've been hoarding them for the right card! I added some black lace as an extra touch. Pretty simple really, but I really like the combination of colours and butterflies...

Thannks for stopping by - I really do appreciate all your sweet comments!

x Amy x

Celebrate Colour Q...

2011-06-12T16:59:00.000+01:00

Hiya,
When I saw this week's Colour Q challenge I really wanted to play along as they looked gorgeous! For some reason this took me AGES to put together - I kept faffing about with different focal images, not seeming to be able to pull it all together... I eventually settled on these balloon images...

Both the background panels were stamped - the Crumb Cake with Damask Designs and the Soft Suede panel with a muscal background. The balloons were die cut and stamped the adhered to a Labels 18 shape stamped with a coordinating Waltzingmouse label. I added some Very Vanilla ribbon and a button to finish. The layout is this week's Viva la Verve sketch.

Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

Mojo Bloom...

2011-06-11T16:07:00.000+01:00

Hiya!
I haven been really busy lately with work, study and church commitments so haven't had a lot of time to play, but I did get some time the other day to play along with this week's Mojo sketch and I combined it with the current CR84FN colour challenge:

I played around with creating my own paper flower embellishment and came up with this:

I created the flower using the Fun Flowers Big Shot die. I cut 8 flowers (3 Pretty in Pink, 3 Pink Pirouette and 2 Regal Rose) then layered them up alternately, having spritzed each with water and scrunched them. I added a large pearl brad through the centre and curled the petals of the inner-most flower. The leaves were die-cut from Old Olive cardstock and the Little Leaves die. The strips of DSP are from a retired SU pack in Certainly Celery. I added some lace trim and Pretty in Pink grosgrain ribbon to finish off. The sentiment is from an older Verve set, stamped in Regal Rose.

That's all for now - thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

CR84FN Waltzing Birthday...

2011-06-03T15:17:00.002+01:00

Hiya!
After getting quite a few things done this week I treated myself to sitting down and watching the French Open and making a card today! I loved the combination of this week's Waltzingmouse sketch with the CR84FN colour chalenge:

I have been loving playing with my birthday pressies (Waltzingmouse stamps!) and this card was so much fun to make:

I created the background with doily stamps and Baja Breeze ink then sponged around the edges with Tea Stain ink (from SU's distressing kit) and roughed-up the edges with a file from the same kit (am loving this at the moment!). The label was embossed with white onto Crumb Cake cardstock and cut with the cordinating nestie. The circle was stamped with a greeting in Baja Breeze and a little detail from the doily set with Tea Stain ink. I added some tiny pearls to glam in up a bit! The ribbin is retired So Saffron grosgrain and I added a lemon button to the centre with some linen thread. The Baja Breeze layer was punched along the bottom to get the scallop look.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy

Owls in love...

2011-06-01T20:10:00.000+01:00

Hiya!
I'm enjoying my half term break at the moment and am hoping to have some more cards to share with you later this week, but for now I thought 'd pop in and share one I made for a class that I ran last night - it was called Mr & Mrs Owl and featured the owl punch from the mini catty...

How cute are these owls?? I saw some owls done on SCS with these wings and so I went about creating them with the Boho Blossoms punch. The DSP is all from the Play Date range and I used the coordinating colours of cardstock for the owls, hearts and layers. The leaves are die-cut with the Little
Leaves Big Shot die from Old Olive cardstock. I added some pearls for Mrs Owl's necklace and bow. The sentiment is from Curly Cute.

That's all for now - thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

PTI Blog Hop: Violet wishes...

2011-05-25T13:00:00.004+01:00

Hiya!

When I saw this month's theme for the PTI blog hop I knew I had to play along:

May is the month when many flowers finally go into full bloom after a long winter's sleep. For the blog
hop this month we want to see your favorite take on flowers. You can stamp backgrounds, create
custom floral embellishments, showcase unique flower center additions (buttons, rhinestones, beads,
etc...), flowers die-cut from different materials (like fabric, felt, vellum, etc...) or anything else you can
dream up! We are looking forward to seeing all of your amazing creations!

I used my Year of Flowers: Violets set and got colouring to create this:

I used the gorgeous colours from the CR84FN challenge this week as my starting point:

The flowers and leaves were coloured with copics and cut out - I added some chocolate pearls to the centres of the flowers for a bit of extra dimension. The parisian doily in the background was die-cut from cream card. The sentiment ticket was created using the Just the Ticket set and coordinating die plus a little butterfly from Butterfly Dreams. I added some lace trim and Concord Crush ribbon and button to finish.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Squeaking In...

2011-05-21T17:59:00.001+01:00

Hiya!

I played along with the Waltzingmouse birthday challenge for this one:

I used the free tea bag template to create this and some nestie-friendly stamps from Waltzingmouse for the label. Colours are Blushing Bride and Bravo Burgundy - very pretty combo I've just discovered!

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

CAS Romance...

2011-05-19T22:17:00.000+01:00

Hiya,

Sorry for the absence over the last while - things have been very busy and my mojo has been a-wandering! I managed to play along with this week's Waltzingmouse sketch though, and here's what I came up with...

I thought that the empty space would be a great place for some fancy paper that I end up hoarding cos I don't want to cover it up lol! I stamped the die-cut border with a motif from Waltzingmouse's doily stamps and used a sentiment from one of their sets I got for my birthday.

That's all for now! Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

1 sketch + 1 colour combo = 2 cards!

2011-05-07T21:42:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

I had a chance to play with some more of my new goodies today and when I saw the Waltzingmouse sketch I knew I had to play with my new Doily stamps - oh so pretty! I combined the sketch with the Colour Q challenge this week and ended up making two cards - one where I got carried away with my more-is-more style {grin!} and the other a CAS card (very unusual for me!).

For this one I stamped the background with the detailed doily stamps using Tangerine Tango ink then sponged around the edges with Daffodil Delight and Tangerine Tango inks. I then embossed the whole panel with the PTI Linen and Canvas impression plate. I sewed some lace trim to this piece (sewing machine still getting the better of me at times... grrr!). The greeting is from a retired SU hostess set and I combined it with two stamps from the Labels 18 collection from Waltzingmouse and die-cut with the coordinating nestie shape. I added some paper flowers that I dyed using Tempting Turqouise ink and topped it off with a heart-shaped button. I couldn't resist added a couple of pearls to the corners as well!

And now for the clean & simple one...

I again used my doily stamps, but this time the more open one - I stamped the image on watercolour paper using Peach Parfait ink then coloured with a Daffodil Delight marker and aqua brush. For the top one I also stamped a smaller doily in the centre (rock and rolled with Peach Parfait and Tangerine Tango ink). The sentiment (from Curly Cute) was stamped on a vellum strip with Versamark and Tempting Turqouise ink then embossed with clear EP. I added some sticky strip to the top and bottom then dipped in glitter. I added a dyed paper flower with a button in the centre to finish. I really wanted to add something to the top right corner but couldn't make anything work so I left it... Hmmm...

So - which one do you prefer?? I love my vintage-style one but I enjoyed making both - good to challenge yourself every now again!

Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

CR84FN Golden Butterfly...

2011-05-06T22:01:00.000+01:00

Hiya!
I got some new goodies through the post today so thought I'd crack 'em open and have a play, and combine a couple of challenges along the way. I used the Card Patterns sketch as well as the gorgeous colours from the CR84FN challenge:

I used my new Waltzingmouse Labels 18 stamps for the main panel, and added a gold-embossed butterfly to the centre:

Unfortunately the photo doesn't do it justice as I had to take it at night, and without a light box this is the best I can do! The butterfly was embossed on vellum cardstock. I cut a doily using a PTI die for the top section and created a background panel on So Saffron using A Little Argyle PTI set. The sentiment is from also from PTI. I added some So Saffron ribbon as well as some So Saffron buttons with twine to finish.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Floral Throwdown...

2011-05-01T15:04:00.000+01:00

Hiya!
I had a chance yesterday to play along with this week's Colour Throwdown colours - quite a selection I must say! I paired the colours with Chupa's sketch challenge this week which was so pretty (I keep meaning to play along with this one but things keep getting in the way KWIM??). Anyway, I pulled out a retired set to create some big and bold flowers using Cajun Craze, Tangerine Tango and Daffodil Delight...

I used some Pear Pizzazz DSP in the background and created the scallop trim with a SU border punch. The sentiment is from PTI - such a great sentiment for so many people! I added some chocolate buttons (not the edible kind!!) to the centre of each flower to finish.

Just a short post today - hubby is cooking Sunday lunch today and I can smell that it's near completion... yum!

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Mojo Daisy Circle...

2011-04-30T17:42:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

Just thought I'd pop in to share a card I made for this week's Mojo Sketch - it was a circle or square one and as I had just gotten my hands on the scallop circle die from the mini catty I thought I'd have a go at a circle card...

I used my new Daisies die to create that cute flower - the centre was done using the Square Lattice embossing folder on So Saffron cardstock then inked with So Saffron and distressed - love the effect you can create! The leaves are a mixture of the stem and 'wing' from the 2-step bird punch. The DSP is from the Play Date collection. I added a little tag greeting and some Old Olive satin ribbon to finish off.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Well-dressed owl...

2011-04-29T16:03:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

What a lovely day it has been today - a public holiday for the Royal wedding and what a beautiful wedding it was! I was preparing for a workshop tonight while watching and I came up with this card... I used the sketch from this week's Card Patterns layout:

I thought it was about time I broke out my owl punch - new in the mini catalogue - I don't know why it's taken me so long because it is SO fabulous! That little face is just the cutest thing and it is so easy to make with the new punch. I gave him a patterned waistcoast with some 'gold buttons' (brads) to dress him up a little. The branch was punched using the 2-step bird punch. The sentiment is from Party This Way (probably my favourite birthday sentiment in the catalogue - so useful). I picked up the Pumkin Pie from the waistcoat by adding a scalloped layer behind the Early Espresso DSP (from Botanical Gazette in the mini catty) and a bow with Pumpkin Pie satin ribbon. The wood-grain DSP in the background is from Woodland Walk.

That's all for now - hope you have a wonderful day wherever you are and whatever you're doing!

x Amy x

Playing with Butterflies...

2011-04-26T17:47:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

I hope you had a wonderful Easter and enjoyed the long weekend!

I just wanted to pop in and share a card I made the other evening for the fabulous Play Date colour challenge this week. I loved the colours as soon as I saw them and combined them with this funky Viva la Verve sketch to create this:

The butterfly was created with the new Butterfly die from the mini catalogue - I cut the larger butterfly from Real Red, then the smaller one with Regal Rose. I then used the Beautiful Wings embosslits die to cut a smaller butterfly from Regal Rose DSP for the top layer. I added a white button to a larger red one and tied together with linen thread for the centre of the butterfly. The ribbon is arranged in a bow, with a ribbon-rose tied around the middle. The sentiment is from Notably Ornate. The background strips were created based on this tutorial - such a fun idea! I put my sewing machine to work on this, now that my sister has shown me (once again!) how to change the thread, bobbin etc (I think I've finally got the hang of it now lol!).

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Colour Q Flowers

2011-04-24T14:23:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

I wanted to pop in and share a card I made earlier this week for the Colour Q challenge - the colours were so soft and spring-like:

I broke out some new mini-catalogue goodies to play with this one - the Fun Flowers Bigshot die is so fabulous! The dimensional flowers you can create are amazing - I created some Saffron and Pink ones for this card:

The leaves were created with the Build a Blossom stamp set and coordinating punch with Old Olive cardstock and ink. The scallop circle in the background was cut with the new Bigz die and Bashful Blue cardstock. I pierced holes in each scallop for extra detail. The white layer over the top was created by die-cutting a scallop circle, cutting off the scallops and then distressing the edges with the SU cutter kit. I added some big brads from the Hodgeposdge Hardware kit and some rhinestones to the corners of the card. The sentiment is from Just Believe - love this expression!

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Motorcycle Throwdown...

2011-04-23T16:41:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

Two of my sisters are visiting me at the moment and we had a fun evening last night watching the TV series 'The Good Wife' on DVD until very late - lots of fun! Gave me a chance to play along with a few challenges while I watched... {grin!} I finally managed to ink up the fabulous motorcycle stamp from the mini catalogue today - it is so detailed and just perfect for guys' cards! I used the Colour Throwdown colours - white + navy + one other colour - I chose Pumpkin Pie. I used one one the Viva la Verve sketch challenges from this month for the layout.

The DSP is from the Sweet & Sour DSP - it has a glossy print on it so I sponged around the edges with Pumpkin Pie ink so the glossy flourishes would pop a little more. The white background was embossed with the Square Lattice embossing folder. I added some Pumpkin Pie brads as well as Pumpkin Pie ribbon - to achieve the frayed look, just trim the long edges with ribbon scissors then pull some threads out either side. I tied a bit of linen thread around the bottom to gather it. The sentiment is from Party this Way and punched out with the Word Window punch.

That's all for now - I'll be back in a bit with another card from last night's marathon tv/crafting session!

x Amy x

CR84FN Sparkly Butterfly...

2011-04-22T18:39:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

I'm enjoying my second week off - where has the time gone?? I managed to play along with this week's gorgeous CR84FN colour challenge this week - look at these pretty colours:

I used one of the Viva la Verve sketches this month for the layout and came up with this:

I used some new mini catty goodies - the Top Note die, Fun Flowers die and the Beautiful Wings embosslits die. The butterfly was die-cut then I added Tombow glue and some fabulous Baja Breeze glass glitter - also new in the mini. The papers are a mixture of the Nursery Suite DSP and the new Springtime Vintage DSP. I added some Very Vanilla satin ribbon as well as some Vanilla buttons. Here's a close-up of the flower and butterfly:

The greeting is from Perfect Punches and was punched out with the large oval punch then layered on a decorative label punched from Bashful Blue DSP.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Springtime Card Set

2011-04-20T11:04:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

My sister has just arrived back from a holiday in the US and managed to bring me back a copy of the Papercraftss special edition magazine '350 Cards & Gifts'. There is a big section on card sets in there that I just LOVE and I discovered that the Moxie Fab World blog has a challenge on at the moment to make a card set - so of course I had to join in! I started off with this week's Waltzingmouse sketch but got a bit carried away with adding bits as you can see...

Here's the whole set:

I started with the lovely Springtime Vintage DSP and combined it with the new mini catty set Four Frames. The roses were cut from one of the sheets of the DSP - paper snips really make this a lot easier! I added some Baja Breeze ribbon, ruffled on two and in a bow on the others. Here are some close ups of the different designs:

The Crumb Cake layer in the background was cut with the Top Note Bigz die then stamped with white Craft ink. Here's the other design:

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Four Frames, Baroque Motifs, Occasional Greetings, Fresh Cuts, Sweet Birthday, Oval All
Ink: Always Artichoke, Basic Grey, Whisper White
Paper: Springtime Vintage DSP, Basic Grey, Crumb Cake, Blushing Bride, Very Vanilla, Pear Pizzazz
Accessories: Baja Breeze ribbon, basics pearls, decorative label punch, Bigz Butterflies die, Bigz Top Note die, beautiful butterflies embosslits die, oval punch, scallop oval punch

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Colour Q meets CAS...

2011-04-17T10:32:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

I really wanted to play along with this week's Colour Q challenge because as soon as I saw the inspiration piece I knew what I wanted to use. This is the pic and colours:

When I saw the flower I knew I had to use my new Flower Fusion little set & die from PTI - I was inspired by Melissa's post when this set was released so I used her tags as inspiration to get started. I really wanted to try and go with a Clean & Simple style and although it started out like that... I didn't quite get there! Here's what I came up with:

So I started out with the white card blank (the fact that you can see so much of that is amazing for me!!) and the flower image panel as well as the strip of Kiwi Kiss across the card - that's CAS right?? Well then I added a doily, a die-cut border in Tangerine Tango, some seam binding ribbon, rhinestones, button... oh and I stamped a background pattern on the Kiwi Kiss piece... oh well! At least I gave it a go eh?? lol!

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Parisian CR84FN...

2011-04-15T23:00:00.000+01:00

Hi again!

Third post in one day... when it rains it pours lol! I really wanted to play along with this week's CR84FN colour challenge - I loved this week's inspiration:

So pretty!! I combined the colours with the sketch over at CPS this week and came up with this:

The photo's not great because I had to take it at night so kitchen bench light was the best I could manage... oh for a light box!! I used Blushing Bride as my light pink (this is my favourite pink - so soft and pretty). The DSP is a mixture of Newsprint and Love Letter. I stamped the main image with Stazon and the sentiment (from Sincere Salutations) underneath then stamped over the top with Baroque Motifs using Blushing Bride ink. I added some ribbon, a button and some pearls, as well as some butterflies cut with the new Beautiful Butterflies Embosslits die.

I'm off to sleep now - have a great day/afternoon/evening... wherever you are!

x Amy x

Poppies Speed Challenge...

2011-04-15T17:53:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

I spotted this Flourishes Speed Challenge this afternoon and seeing as I am home free I thought I'd play along! I combined the sketch with this week's Case Study challenge - I love Silke's work and this card was pure perfection. I kept the text background effect as well as the colour scheme, ribbon treatment, lace and pearls. Here's what I came up with:

I kept the distressed look with the papers I chose and I inked the edges of my main image panel with Vintage Touch ink. The ribbon is Crumb Cake seam binding (love this stuff!). I used Flourishes Poppies and Iris sets, and the poppies are coloured with copics.

That's all for now - thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Waltzing Wallhanging...

2011-04-15T10:23:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

Sorry for the quietness on the blog-front this week - it's been the first week of school holidays and I've been sorting out stuff in our house which has gotten just a tad crazy in the last term (or more!!). Nothing like a bit of sorting and culling to make the place feel a bit better!

I wanted to play along with the Waltzingmouse sketch challenge this week and had the idea of making a wall hanging with the layout. I picked up some chipboard album pieces a while ago and figured that if you use them seperately they make great little pieces of wall-art (they have two holes at the top perfect for threading ribbon through). Here's the finished piece:

I used some Kaisercraft goodies that my Mum bought me for Christmas (papers, flowers, brads, printed chipboard). Shock horror - would you believe there is no stamping on this??? That is VERY unusual for me, but it's good to break out of your comfort zone every now and again eh?

Speaking of Kaisercraft, I thought I'd show you something else I've done this week...

I bought three of these drawer sets at CHA last year (got a little carried away...!) and this was the last one to be assembled and decorated. I cannot tell you how much fun these are to make - really easy too. And with a little time and patience you can get the most fantastic storage customised for you! I used my all-time favourite papers that I have struggled to use/part with but I figured that if I use some on this project then I could look at them often lol! I painted the wooden sides with white acrylic paint with a shimmer effect in it - looks fab IRL. I've got all sorts stored in there - but one thing in particular is sponge daubers... See that top middle drawer? It's been opened... not by me... but by this little guy:

This is my gorgeous cat Jasper... who has a fettish for sponge daubers! Seriously - this cat is so clever - he can figure out where I've put them and then opens the draw with his paw (those little openings in the drawers are the perfect cat-paw size... thanks Kaisercraft!).

That's all from me for now - depending on how the house purging goes I might have a chance to make something later to share!

Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

Colour Me Spring...

2011-04-10T22:06:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

Just thought I'd pop in a show you something I made for the Verve Diva Dare - Colour Me Spring. I wanted to break open the delightful Verve set 'To the Moon' I got recently and I went with cheerful colours that remind me of spring - yellow, green, aqua and pink.

Baby cards will certainly come in handy over the next few months as I have three friends who are pregnant! I used one of the Viva la Verve sketches for the layout and some old DSP as the basis of my colour palette. The image was coloured with copics. I added some buttons, ribbon and a little doily cut from aqua cardstock.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

CR84FN Handmade Flower...

2011-04-08T19:35:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

I managed to find a bit of time this afternoon to play along with the gorgeous CR84FN colours this week:

I used the Midnight Madness sketch for the layout and came up with this:

I wanted to make a handmade flower to achieve a {similar} effect to some of the lovely shop-bought ones I've seen all over people's cards recently. I found this tutorial a while back and the results are spectacular! I used Naturals Ivory cardstock to make the flower along with the Fancy Flower punch, 5-petal flower punch and Boho Blossoms punch. I added some glitter to highlight the petals - here's a close up:

The flower is resting on some fabulous Crumb Cake seam binding ribbon (new in our mini catty). The leaves image is from Growing Green and was stamped on watercolour card and coloured with a Pear Pizzazz marker and an aquabrush. The sentiment is from Oval All and the DSP in the background is from Elegant Soiree.

I'm off to prepare for a class tomorrow - thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Mini cards...

2011-04-07T22:30:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

This week's been a busy one studying for an exam and writing assignments but I did manage to make a couple of mini cards for th Waltzingmouse sketch challenge...

I don't normally make tiny cards like this, but I really like the idea of using them as toppers for larger cards so I plan on using these to create bigger cards next week - I'll be sure to stop in and share them with you!

I used some mini catty goodies to put these together - sorry I can't stay and list all the ingredients but I'm really tired and need a good night's sleep before the exam tomorrow!

Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

A Happy Home...

2011-04-02T19:00:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

This is my third post today - I've had a blast getting inky with my spare time! I have to stop for a bit now and do some studying but I wanted to drop in one more time today and share a card I've just made for the Make it Monday challenge - distressing techniques. I combined the challenge with the colours from the Inkspirations challenge this week. I used some new PTI goodies that arrived through my door a week ago...

I used the inking technique along with some resist embossing with the leaves in the background. I stamped the larger leaves in Versamark and clear-embossed first, then sponged over the top with More Mustard and Cajun Craze, then I stamped some smaller leaves over the top with More Mustard - I really love this effect and didn't want to cover it up! I added some die-cut shapes with a stamped house and some Poppy Parade ribbon to finish (and of course a button!).

That's all folks! Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

Mojo Butterfly Thank you...

2011-04-02T14:49:00.000+01:00

Hello again!

I'm having lots of fun playing with my new mini goodies and I actually have time to play today - hooray! I combined this week's Mojo Monday sketch with the colours from the Colour Q challenge and came up with this card:

I created the butterfly by die-cutting some textured Pink Pirouette card with the Beautiful Butterfly die, then I cut the same sized butterfly from clear window plastic and run through the Big Shot with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder. I layered this over the pink butterfly then added a smaller butterfly from matching DSP cut with the embosslits butterflies die. I secured it all together with a big brad from the hodgepodge hardware set. Here's a close up of some details:

The frame around the greeting is from the new FABulous Four Frames set and coordinating decorative label punch. I inked up the stamp with Versamark first then with Early Espresso and embossed with clear EP. I coloured in the flowers and leaves with markers, trimmed around the border then mounted on a label punched from Early Espresso card. The sentiment inside the frame is from Occasional Greetings and I added a little banner peeking out from the frame with a coordinating sentiment from Vintage Vogue.

The ribbon is more Crumb Cake seam binding (love this stuff!) and the Crumb Cake piece of card at the top and bottom of the card was stamped with the Music Notes wheel for a bit of added interest.

Thanks for stopping by today!

x Amy x

Big Shot Butterflies...

2011-04-02T11:15:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

I had to chuckle last night - I showed my big flower card from yesterday's post to my hubby after finishing it and he said "It hasn't got any butterflies!"... ha ha! He knows me too well! Of course, I couldn't go two days in a row with no butterflies so I thought I'd share a card I made last night using some scraps left over from other cards. It uses the utterly fabulous butterflies dies available in the new mini catalogue:

I went completely berserk when I opened the mini catty and saw these butterfly dies - I have been wanting them for SOOO long and they're finally here!! Let me warn you now - these babies will be being used a LOT on my cards from now on lol! I also used some new papers (Springtime Vintage) as well as the Top Note die (also a favourite of mine) and some new Crumb Cake seam binding ribbon - the effect you can see on this card is made by pulling a thread from the middle of the ribbon and gathering it up - so easy and effective. I added a big button in the centre of the butterfly and some pearls to the edges, as well as to the centres of the little butterflies. The Top Note piece was cut from Baja Breeze card and run through the Big Shot with the Lattice embossing folder.

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Sweet Birthday
Ink: Night of Navy, Pear Pizzazz
Paper: Springtime Vintage DSP, Baja Breeze, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Shimmery White
Accessories: Bigz Beautiful Butterflies die, Beautiful Wings embosslits die, Crumb Cake seam binding ribbon, basics pearls, Springtime Vintage buttons, linen thread, square lattice & vintage wallpaper embossing folders, word window punch

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Mini catty is here!!

2011-04-01T20:14:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

Well the day has FINALLY arrived when I can start sharing all the fabulous new goodies in our mini catalogue - woohoo! I've been making some things over the last couple of weeks that I'll be sharing here over the next little while, but for today I thought I'd start off with a card I made today with the Build a Blossom set and matching punch. I used the colours from the CR84FN challenge this week:

How gorgeous are they?? Here's what I created:

Unfortunately the light wasn't great when I took the photo so the green looks very muted - I used Pear Pizzazz which looks much brighter IRL. I used a larger card size than normal - 7x5", to accommodate that big beautiful flower. I added a big button to the centre (new in the mini) with some linen thread. Underneath the flower is a piece of shimmery white card cut out with the top note die (yes - we now have the Big Shot - yay!!) and embossed with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder. The greeting is from Basic Phrases.

This card fits nicely with the PPA challenge this week which was to use punches - well as you can see I was very punch-happy with this card!

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Misty Flowers...

2011-03-29T20:49:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

I played along with the colour challenge this week on SCS - Marina Mist, Baja Breeze & Certainly Celery. I combined the colours with one of the Viva la Verve sketch challenges this month.

I used the Level 2 hostess set Fast & Fabulous combined with the Nursery Suite DSP and coordinating Quick Accents. I watercoloured the flowers and added some basics pearls to some of the centres. The ribbon is Certainly Celery grosgrain with an added white button. The greeting (from Fresh Cuts) was stamped on one of the border stickers from the Quick Accents pack and I punched the ends with a square punch to make a banner shape.

That's all for now - thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Case or copy..?

2011-03-27T22:02:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

I set out tonight to have a go at the current Case Study challenge, which was to case this stunning card by Julee Tilman:

And when you're looking at perfection, what do you change?? Not a lot as it turns out! Here's my attempt:

I kept the layout, the colours, the vintagey feel... I did change the papers and stamps as I don't have the same as Julee's and I used a doily die cut for the base of the sentiment (loving playing with these!). I made the ribbon straight (can't seem to manage slanty ribbon!). The sentiment is from Verve - I stamped it once on Crumb Cake and once on Whisper White then cut out, distressed with ink and layered up. (You can click on the photo for a larger view if you want).

That's all from me for now - am pretty tired what with the clocks going forward and losing an hour's sleep last night - off to dreamland...

x Amy x

Because I care...

2011-03-25T23:27:00.000Z

Hiya!

I combined the gorgeous colours from this week's Colour Q challenge with the fab sketch from Card Patterns to create this card:

I used a set that my Mum bought me from teh Aussie catalogue (LOVE this flower - is so much fun to colour in!). I watercoloured it with reinkers (Kiwi Kiss, Bashful Blue and Taken with Teal) and a Soft Suede marker. I cut it out with my paper snips and layered it on a Whisper White oval. The panel underneath was stamped with En Francais using Taken with Teal then stamped with the Sanded background with Sahara Sand ink. I sponged around the edges with Sahara Sand ink to soften it a bit. The greeting is from the hostess set called Because I Care. I added some Concord Crush ribbon to finish.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Viva la Play Date...

2011-03-22T21:27:00.000Z

Hiya!

Managed to find some time tonight to play along with a couple of challenges - I wanted to play with some new goodies that arrived this morning (hee hee - always enjoy playing with new toys!). I used the Play Date inspiration for colours and one of the Viva la Verve sketches for the layout. Here's what I came up with:

I had to break out my new doily die from PTI (yikes! I can see myself having LOTS of fun with this one!) as well as one of their stamp sets (can't resist me some more butterflies...!). The DSP is retired SU stuff - I realised on the weekend that I had FAR too much paper and so started reorganising and sorting it so I can sell off some stuff I don't use. I am determined to use more of my stash in my cards as much as possible! I used a plain jane stamp from Verve as I've had some requests for more Scripture cards so I thought I'd add this one to my collection.

That's all for now - gotta go and prepare for a class later this week...

x Amy x

Triple Play Cupcake...

2011-03-20T19:26:00.000Z

Hiya!

After a HECTIC weekend, I managed to find a bit of time to play this afternoon and wanted to play along with a few challenges - in fact I managed to combine three in one card! (I know some people are experts at combining challenges but normally I manage two and that's it...) I used the Waltzinmouse sketch challenge for the layout, the CR84FN inspiration for the colours and the Make it Monday technique for the embossed main panel...

Here's the colours and sketch inspiration:

The main panel was partially embossed with PTI's woodgrain impression plate then the embossed part was lightly inked to create a 'table' effect. The cupcake was stamped once on white then on DSP, coloured, pieced and glittered - and of course a button added. The banner was created by punching out a star then cutting off each point - I used linen thread to string it together. I added some PTI satin ribbon to finish.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Speed challenge!

2011-03-18T15:42:00.000Z

Hiya!

I had a couple of hours to play with this afternoon and I stumbled across the Flourishes Speed challenge using a fab sketch so I decided to play along. I combined the sketch with this week's Colour Q challenge and came up with this:

I used Flourishes' Gerbera Daisy set as well as a sentiment from another of their sets (I realised that Mothers' Day is coming up soon and although my mum is in Australia so won't need one until May, my mother-in-law is here so I need to get one sorted!). The daisies were stamped on watercolour paper and coloured with SU markers and an aqua brush - I added some sparkle to the centres of the flowers using Stickles. The DSPs are from retired stash as is the ribbon. I added a couple of buttons and some fauz stitching with a marker to finish.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Mojo River Butterfly...

2011-03-13T20:48:00.000Z

Hiya!

I managed to find some time yesterday to play along with this week's Mojo sketch challenge. This is what I came up with:

I was a bit cross with myself cos I made it yesterday and thought I would wait until today to photograph it in the daylight, but then was so tired this afternoon that I forgot! So I had to settle for the kitchen bench... and artificial light - oh well! One of these days I really must get a light box!

I made the main panel by stamping the Friendly background stamp with Versamark onto glossy cardstock. I then brayered over the top using Baja Breeze and a smidge of Not Quite Navy. Finally, I stamped the silhouette images from Just Believe over the top with Stazon. The versamark ink resists the dye-based inkpads that I brayered with so the words come through as white in the background - such a great effect!

The Baja Breeze panel in the background was also stamped with the Friendly stamp. The DSP is from the gorgeous Love Letter collection - love that grid effect with the swirl printed over it. The edges were sponged with River Rock ink to add a distressed feel, and I stamped a butterfly on River Rock cardstock and added some pearls. The little side panel I decided to use ribbon for and went with black grosgrain and a big bow.

That's all for now! Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

Pink Scallops...

2011-03-10T08:03:00.000Z

Hiya!

Just thought I'd pop in quickly to share two cards I've made recently with the scallop circle piece of DSP from the Nursery Suite pack - I had great fun cutting this up so I could get as much out of it as possible! Here's a baby card we made at a recent class:

The baby buggy was stamped with Regal Rose and I added some tiny pearls to the wheels. The DSP and scallop border is from the Nursery Suite collection.

Here's a CAS card I made with some left-over DSP (why is it that a simple card takes me SO long to finish??)

I added some Very Vanilla grosgrain ribbon, some pearls and the bird image from Notably Ornate. The sentiment is from Vintage Vogue.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Verve Blog Hop...

2011-03-05T10:03:00.000Z

Hiya!

When I saw that Julee Tilman was the new muse over at the Case Study challenge, I knew I had to play along! Julee is right at the top of my 'inspirational crafters' list and she is such a sweet person, leaving encouraging comments on so many cards on the web. I've been a big fan of her work for a long time and it is so much fun to case her work. I combined the case study challenge with week 1 of the Viva la Verve sketch challenges this month. Here is the inspiration card from Julee:

Wowza! What a gorgeous card! I decided to use the same colour scheme and I really wanted to use a beautiful flower like the one on Julee's card, but I don't have any pre-made ones. My solution was to try to create one myself using the Fancy Flower punch and some glitter glue. Looks MUCH better IRL than in the photo though. Here's my card:

I've also linked this up to the Verve Blog Hop that's going on at the moment. The DSP is all from some the same set that I've had for AGES but am hesitant to use cos it's sooo pretty! I matted each layer onto Crumb Cake cardstock and inked the edges for a distressed look. I added some soft grey satin ribbon and some pearls to finish.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Mojo Invitation...

2011-03-04T22:09:00.000Z

Hello!

This is my second post today so scroll down if you want to check out my other creation from today. When I saw the colours from Stacey's Curtain Call colour challenge this week I really wanted to play along cos they look so lovely together:

I combined the colours with this week's Mojo sketch and came up with this:

I actually managed to stay away from flowers and/or butterflies which is quite an achievement for me lol! I was flicking through our catty when I spotted this Neighborhood wheel and realised that despite owning it for AGES, I've never actually gotten around to using it, so I thought this would be a good opportunity. I wheeled the houses onto watercolour paper and coloured with markers and an aqua brush, then cut out and popped onto a piece of Very Vanilla. The DSP is a mixture of Play Date and Woodland Walk. I added some twill tape, a Crumb Cake button and a couple of stitches with some linen thread. The sentiment is from Sincere Salutations and punched out with the Designer Label punch.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Thinking of Pink...

2011-03-04T18:29:00.000Z

Hiya!

I wanted to play along with this week's CR84FN colour challenge - check out the pretty colours:

I combined the colours with this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch and came up with this:

I watercoloured this gorgeous image from Because I Care (a hostess set) using Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo and Certainly Celery/Wild Wasabi markers. The sentiment is from Curly Cute. I added some Pretty in Pink satin ribbon and some rhinestones for a bit of bling! The edges of the cardstock are distressed and I sanded the DSP for a slightly shabby look.

I'm hoping to be back later with another card (creative evening ahead planned!!).

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Stylish Flowers...

2011-03-01T21:03:00.000Z

Hiya!

Happy March! Can't believe it's already the 3rd month of the year - seems like Christmas was yesterday! Where is the year going?? Although I didn't make an official 'resolution'... one of my goals this year was to be more active on my blog, and so far so good eh? I'm managing to post more regularly and play along with some more challenges. One other resolution I should pay attention to is to use up some of my stash that has accumulated over the years! I dug out some retired SU papers and an SU set that isn't in our catalogue (sorry!) but my Mum got it for me from Australia for Christmas. I combined the Play Date colour challenge and the Inkspirations sketch challenge to create this:

I am SO hoping that we get this gorgeous set in our next catalogue (fingers and toes crossed!). I love to colour in and this stamp is perfect for a therapeutic colouring session! I used a combination of Pumpkin Pie/Tangerine Tango, Pear Pizzazz/Wild Wasabi markers on watercolour paper with an aquabrush. I added some buttons from my stash and some tiny pearls in the corners of the main panel.

Thanks for stopping by! I really do appreciate each and every one of your encouraging comments.

x Amy x

Sweet Inspiration...

2011-02-28T20:34:00.000Z

Hello all!

Just thought I'd pop in and share a card I made on the weekend for the inspiration challenge over at SCS, combined with this week's Sweet Stop sketch.

I created the background using a square punch from the SU catalogue, punching out Bashful Blue cardstock and layering onto Whisper White cardstock. The panel across the card is Night of Navy DSP layered on Night of Navy cardstock punched with the scallop trip border punch. The main image (from Ornate Flowers) was stamped with Cajun Craze. The sentiment is from Notably Ornate and was punched out with the Modern Label punch. I added a bow/button to finish.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Cards for Kids...

2011-02-26T16:14:00.000Z

Hiya!

I had a class today all about kids cards - I admit that this is not a style that I find easy but I was pleasantly surprised with what I managed to come up with! I used a combination of the Play Date DSP and some child-friendly stamp sets. Here's one I made with Fox & Friends:

I saw the idea for these animals in a cart on someone's blog recently but can't remember who! I didn't have the same punch they did so I used a tag punch with some small circle punches.

Here's one using the Party this Way set:

I used some linen thread for the strings of the balloons and tied some grosgrain ribbon around the top of the card. The scallops were created with a 1" circle punch.

This one is my favourite - I love the film-strip effect:

I used Forest Friends for the images, together with a square punch, corner rounder and spiral punch to create the film strip.

Hope you enjoyed my kiddie cards - I'll try to share the other half of the class next week (that's the baby ones).

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Nursery Mojo...

2011-02-24T12:33:00.000Z

Hiya!

I've been on a baby card theme this week as I have a class on Saturday that is all about kid's cards. I used this week's Mojo sketch to get me started on this one:

I used the Nursery Suite DSP as well as the Quick Accents that compliment it as well as the Little One stamp set. I love the fact that when you sand the edges of SU's designer paper it reveals a white core - looks so shabby and lovely! If you live in the Bristol area and would like to come to this class (or any of the other ones I hold at my house) just get in touch and I can give you some more details.

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Little One
Ink: Stazon
Paper: Nursery Suite DSP & Quick Accents, Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Watercolour
Accessories: basics pearls, eyelet border punch

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Rosy Cottage Plums...

2011-02-22T11:19:00.000Z

Hiya!

I got the chance to play along with this week's SCS Colour Challenge today - Perfect Plum, Always Artichoke and Rose Red. I wanted to do something 'floraly' so I pulled out Cottage Garden, a set I haven't used a lot but have been keen to try. Here's what I came up with:

The Cottage Garden set comes with 'two-step' flowers so you have both a solid and an outline image - I used them both with Perfect Plum ink and sponged the same ink around the tips of the petals of the outline flowers. I pierced around the main panel with a piercing tool and mat pack. The greeting (and the gorgeous frame around it!) is from Just Believe. I stamped the frame with Always Artichoke and the greeting with Perfect Plum. The background DSP is from the Sweet & Sour speciality paper (which has a glossy flourish on it - absolutely stunning IRL!) - the little strip across the middle is the reverse side of the main paper. I added some white organza ribbon and some basics rhinestones to the centres of the flowers to finish.

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Cottage Garden, Just Believe
Ink: Always Artichoke, Perfect Plum
Paper: Sweet & Sour DSP, Always Artichoke, Whisper White
Accessories: basics rhinestones, white organza ribbon

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Upsy Daisy on my mind...

2011-02-19T19:30:00.000Z

Hi again!

This is my second post for today so if you want to check out my earlier post just scroll on down. I've been having lots of fun playing today and was able to combine a few challenges in one card. I used the colours from the Inkspirations challenge as well as the layout from the CPS sketch challenge. I also took some inspiration from the SCS Inspiration challenge today. Here's what I came up with:

I used a SU set that's not in the UK catty sadly but I managed to get it second-hand from someone in the States - I really love so many of the cards I've seen with it (called Upsy Daisy) and I've now had it for ages and haven't used it! I thought it was about time I broke it out - particularly when I saw the inspiration pieces over at the SCS challenge today. I stamped the silhouette image with Tangerine Tango and then added Stickles to make it sparkle. The DSP in the background is some retired stuff (Haiku) and I added some Marina Mist and some rhinestones. The little peek of doily at the side is the left-over piece from another card I made.

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Upsy Daisy
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Early Espresso
Paper: Haiku DSP, Marina Mist, Early Espresso, Whisper White, paper doily
Accessories: rhinestones, Marina Mist satin ribbon, Stickles, circle punches

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

A Play Date with Case Study...

2011-02-19T12:22:00.001Z

Hiya!

Good news! I'm on half term, I've finished the most recent round of exams and assignments and I now have time to play - woohoo! When I saw this week's combined Case Study and Play Date challenges I knew I had to play along. Here is the inspiration/colour challenge:

That gorgeous card is from Eva Dobilas and the colour challenge is to use black, green and red. I based my card on the colours from the gorgeous Love Letter DSP (Riding Hood Red, Basic Black and Very Vanilla) and then added a touch of Old Olive with my watercolouring. Here's what I came up with:

I must say, I had lots of fun making this one! The flowers (from Growing Green) were stamped four times on watercolour paper then coloured with Riding Hood Red ink and an aquabrush. I cut the centres out from two of them then layered over the full flowers for a paper-tole effect. The leaves are from Autumn Splendour and also watercoloured with inkpad and aquabrush. The little butterfly (from Cottage Garden) was stamped on Newsprint DSP and cut out - I added some pearls to the body and an extra few under the sentiment.

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Growing Green, Autumn Splendour, Cottage Garden, Because I Care (hostess)
Ink: Stazon, Riding Hood Red, Old Olive
Paper: Love Letter DSP, Crumb Cake, Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla, watercolour
Accessories: Basic Black grosgrain ribbon, basics pearls, scallop trim border punch, scallop border punch, nesties

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Hold the phone...!

2011-02-15T21:59:00.000Z

I've actually made a 'clean & simple' card... well as CAS as it gets for me lol! Still has lace, ribbon, pearls and a button on it but hey - it only has one layer apart from the card base and THAT, my friends is a BIG achievement for me! I wanted to play along with the new PTI challenges - Make it Monday. This week was to incorporate a vellum sentiment strip and here's what I came up with:

I wanted to try stamping on Kraft (or Crumb Cake) card and colouring with copics so I had a go and really liked the effect - great for muted cards.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Baby Mojo...

2011-02-13T21:53:00.000Z

Hi again!

Two posts in one day! Sorry I've been absent over the last week - it's been exam week at Bible School and I've had five assignments to write as well as two exams - thank goodness I'm all done now! And I'm looking forward to half term in a week's time - more creativity time! Today I got the chance to play as I finished my last two essays yesterday so I treated myself to a bit of play-time so I could play along with this week's Mojo Monday sketch. I paired the sketch with this week's CR84FN colour challenge:

Here's my take on it:

I wanted to go with a baby theme as I don't have many of these in my stash and people all around me are getting pregnant so I'll be needing a few of these over the next while! I've just gotten my hands on the Nursery Suite DSP as well as the accent elements that coordinate with the papers - lots of fun to play with. I stamped some baby tees onto watercolour paper and coloured with markers and an aquabrush then cut them out. The scallop piece poking out is some of the pre-cut fancy DSP (so pretty!). The circle piece and oval 'sweetheart' are both from the accents and elements pack.

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Baby Tees wheel, Perfect Punches
Ink: Stazon, Pear Pizzazz, Baja Breeze
Paper: Nursery Suite DSP & accents, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White
Accessories: rhinestones, pear pizzazz ribbon, modern label punch

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

PTI Make it...Sunday!

2011-02-13T21:28:00.000Z

Hiya!

I wanted to play along with the new PTI Make-it-Monday challenges that were launched on Nichole's blog here. I loved the idea of grouping the same themed sentiments together to make a background or feature on your card. Here's my take on it:

I used a bunch of PTI birthday sentiments to create the background piece on Spring Moss cardstock. I added a few tiny butterflies in a few of the gaps between the sentiments and loved the overall effect (which begs the question: why did I then cover half of it??). The main panel is stamped with the lovely free PTI set I got at CHA. I stamped the flowers on scrap card and cut them out to pop over the top of the leaves and stems then added some Melon Berry buttons. The Vintage Cream background piece was embossed with the woodgrain impression plate and I added distress ink around the edges of all the pieces. The final touch was adding some Spring Moss ribbon. I'll definitely be playing along with more of these Make-it-Monday challenges!

Thanks for stopping by...!

x Amy x

Owl love...

2011-02-06T09:49:00.000Z

Hiya!

Thought I'd share with you a card I made the other evening for a workshop demonstration - I think it's going to be hubby's valentine's card (even though it has got a bow on it and he thinks that means it's a girl's card lol!). I got very glittery while making this one...

I cased the general idea from this card I saw on SCS then changed a few bits and pieces. The background was created by stamping three different hearts onto Real Red cardstock with Versamark then adding Heat & Stick powder then red glitter - so sparkly IRL! The frame in Early Espresso around the owl panel was created with the scallop trim border and corner punch (love, love, love this effect!).

I got a bit carried away by the cuteness of it all and ended up decorating the inside as well:

To decorate the inside of a card, just take whatever bits and pieces are left from the outside (like DSP, cardstock etc) and follow the theme through onto the inside. In this case I used the dotty DSP and Crumb Cake cardstock with the scallop trim punch and I just stamped the owl onto Whisper White, added a glittery heart and layered the whole piece on Early Espresso for a bit of extra pop. Doesn't take very long to do but really gives it that extra something. don't ya think?

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Punch Bunch, Basic Phrases
Ink: Early Espresso, Real Red, Versamark
Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Confetti White, Real Red DSP
Accessories: Fine Galaxy glitter, heat & stick powder, scallop trim border and corner punch, heart to heart punch, full heart punch, word window punch, modern label punch, two-step bird punch

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Papertrey Favourites...

2011-02-05T09:33:00.000Z

Hiya!

When I saw this post on Nichole Heady's blog this morning I couldn't resist joining in the fun! Since going to CHA in Chigago last July, I have quite a few PTI favourites that I've created with my new goodies... It was TOO tough choosing just one, so I thought I'd share three lol!

These first two I made when my hubby and I went on holiday straight after I got back from Chicago - I brought more craft supplies than clothes and had a marvelous time {grin!}.

I just adore those violets and had a huge amounts of fun colouring these in with my copics. The ticket greeting is a combo of PTI stamp set and die that I got at CHA.

This next one is using the Bundle of Joy set with a few buttons (gotta love me some buttons!) as well as the lovely woodgrain impression plate:

That doily peeking out of the corner was another great purchase from Michael's - got 30 in a pack for not very much money! Must see if I can find some of those over here...

Finally, there's this one (which might be my ultimate favourite but I haven't decided!) that I made for an Inspiration Challenge over at SCS last year - I love the colour combo as well as the fabulous stacked flowers:

These flowers are made with a combination of a fabulous stamp set (Beautiful Blooms 2) as well as the coordinating dies. The greeting is from my favourite greeting set by the amazing Dawn McVey, Signature Greetings.

Thanks for stopping by while I shared a few favourites!

x Amy x

Owl Bliss...

2011-02-03T19:57:00.000Z

Hiya!

Thought I'd share a card I made the other night with you - it started out being an idea for a worshop make-and-take but then it got WAAY too complicated lol! I really don't do very well with keeping things simple!

I just wish I had a lightbox so I can take decent pictures - with the sun going down so early I have to take photos with artificial light and the best place is the kitchen - but it's not great.

I used a ton of stuff on this card - here's the recipe:
Stamps: Punch Bunch, Bliss, I {Heart} Hearts
Ink: Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake
Paper: Woodland Walk DSP, Sweet & Sour DSP, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Soft Suede
Accessories: Early Espresso ribbon, neutrals brads, heart to heart punch, 1 1/4" square punch

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Owl Peek-a-boo..!

2011-01-29T08:03:00.000Z

Hiya!

Just wanted to pop in quickly and share a card I made over the Christmas break but haven't gotten around to sharing (I haven't had much of a chance to make new stuff over the last week because of study, family visits and the other things that keep life busy!).

I used the sale-a-bration set Punch Bunch to create the owl and the sentiments. The sentiment stamp coordinates with the scallop square punch in the catalogue (stamped in Cherry Cobler, Pear Pizzazz, Pumpkin Pie and Pacific Point).

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Punch Bunch
Ink: Cherry Cobler, Pear Pizzazz, Pumpkin Pie, Pacific Point, Early Espresso
Paper: Cherry Cobler, Pear Pizzazz, Pumpkin Pie, Pacific Point, Crumb Cake, Whisper White
Accessories: Pumpkin Pie striped ribbon, scallop square punch, pumpkin pie button, linen thread, marker

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Papertrey January Blog Hop Challenge

2011-01-25T19:07:00.001Z

Hiya!

I finally got the chance to play along with PTI's Blog Hop - hooray!

This month's blog hop challenge involves you challenging yourself to use a Papertrey stamp set that has yet to see ink or even one that might be collecting a little dust!

I used both types my oldest PTI set (Home Made) that I haven't used in ages, and a set I got at CHA that has not seen ink yet (shocking!) - Everyday Button Bits. I made a little house ensemble with some magnets to put in it for a house warming gift:

This is the front of the house and here is the back:

Here is the completed ensemble:

and a close up of two of the magnets:

I'd love to stay and chat (and give more details!) but my Mum and husband are waiting impatiently to get to a movie so I must run... will try to stop back later to give some more details!

edited to say - back from the movie now! Here's a few more deets: I used a combination of Aqua Mist/Scarlet Jewell colour combo. All the elements of the house (apart from the curtains) were stamped in brown and the curtains were stamped with a retired blue. I cut out all the elements and added shading with yellow copics in the windows. The door was also coloured with copics. I used some PTI mat stack dies to create the magnet shapes, as well as the limitless labels dies. A combination of buttons finished these off! The sentiments on the magnets were stamped on strips of Kraft cardstock and then I trimmed the edges into a 'v'. The magnets were a bargain that I picked up at a local supermarket (20p for 4!) - I just glued them to the back of the finished pieces of card with a hot glue gun.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Shabby Viva Teapot...

2011-01-23T20:47:00.000Z

Hiya!

I wanted to play along with this week's Shabby Tea Room challenge - this is a new challenge to me, and the challenge was indeed challenging lol! It was to use white/cream and only one other colour - eek! As a girl who loves her colour challenges and layers of colours of cardstock, this one took some thinking through! Anyway, this is what I came up with:

I rummaged through my stash of DSP and found these pink sheets that matched rather well and were a perfect match to the Blushing Bride ribbon I love so much. I also discovered that some of my PTI buttons were a perfect colour match as well. I used a set from PTI that I picked up at CHA last year, added some stickles to the leaves on the teapot (after tracing around the edges with a Blushing Bride marker) and layered on a paper doily (also from the States!). I added some lace and pearls as well as the ribbon/button combo. The layout is from week 4 of the Viva la Verve sketches this month.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

CR84FN Amour...

2011-01-21T17:17:00.000Z

Hiya!

I love the colours in this week's CR84FN challenge:

The ribbon, pin cushion and thread made me think of a lovely patchwork quilt for some reason, so I went in that direction and created a patchwork panel with a 1 1/4" square punch and different DSP. Here's the result (you can click on the image for a larger view):

I combined these colours with this Viva la Verve sketch. I made the card slightly larger than a standard A6 card and went with a 7x5" card base so I could fit all the elements on. The heart was stamped with second generation Poppy Parade ink (i.e. stamping once on scrap then stamping a lighter image). I stamped 'Amour' from Artistic Etchings over the top with Early Espresso ink. I'm LOVIN that ribbon with the big bow and a button to finish... can't go wrong with one of those babies!

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: I {Heart} Hearts, Artistic Etchings
Ink: Pure Poppy, Early Espresso
Paper: mix of various DSPs, Naturals Ivory, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Real Red striped ribbon, linen thread, Crumb Cake button, Soft Suede marker, 1 1/4" square punch, oval nestabilities

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Playing with Cutlery...

2011-01-17T20:25:00.000Z

Hiya!

I wanted to play along with this week's MFT sketch challenge so I combined it with this Play Date colour challenge:

I love the Baja Breeze/Kraft combination with distressing and a hint of gold so that's the direction I went in to make this card:

I used the Compliments of the Chef stamp set for the main image and the greeting. The doily effect was created by stamping the Medallion background stamp onto Crumb Cake card then embossing with white embossing powder. I trimmed around the edge and hey presto - a doily! The cutlery was embossed with gold embossing powder and shaded lightly with Sahara Sand ink and a blender pen. The background panels are different DSPs that were sanded with a sanding block (love this effect because it reveals the white core of the paper).

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Compliments of the Chef, Medallion
Ink: Versamark, Basic Grey, Sahara Sand
Paper: Woodland Walk & Elegant Soiree DSP, Basic Grey, Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Baja Breeze
Accessories: white & gold EP, elastic gold cord, gold brads, sanding block

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy X

Bright & funky...

2011-01-16T17:42:00.000Z

Hiya!

I combined this week's Colour Q challenge with the sketch from Inkspirations to create this card:

Pretty bright eh?! The leaves and flower come from the free PTI set I got at CHA in Chicago I haven't used it in a while but I thought it was perfect for this fun colour challenge. The leaves were stamped with Kiwi Kiss and the flowers in Melon Mambo. The whole panel was embossed with PTI's Linen impression plate. I added some buttons and rhinestones (gotta have a bit of bling!). The sentiment is from another PTI set I picked up at CHA. The two DSP pieces in the background are both retired (I have a huge amount of this that I really need to use up!). The ribbon is Tangerine Tango that my Mum bought be from a previous SU catalogue in Australia.

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Four of a Kind, Enjoy the Ride
Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Melon Mambo, Taken with Teal
Paper: retired SU DSP, Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Taken with Teal
Accessories: Tangerine Tango ribbon, PTI buttons, stickles, Linen impression plate, SU rhinestones, Tangerine Tango marker.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Viva la Butterflies...!

2011-01-15T12:56:00.000Z

Hiya!

I've got a whole free day today - yippee! My sister is down and we are vegging in front of the TV, watching movies and chilling, and of course I am playing with paper and stamps as well! I've been wanting to play along with the CR84FN colour challenge for a while now, and this is the second week in a row that I've played along then missed the deadline for linking - oops! Must remember to upload before Friday night lol! Anyways, I thought I'd stop in and share my card with you. This was the colour challenge:

When I first saw the colours I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them as I don't have a lot of pastel colours in my DSP collection (which is often where I start). I started looking through some of my older papers and lo and behold I stumbled across some HOTP papers that had these exact colours in them - hooray! I combined the colours with one of the Viva la Verve sketch challenges this month and here's what I created:

The sentiment is from Verve and the butterflies from PTI (coloured with copics). I put my sewing machine to work and stitched around each panel (which I still find rather tricky!). I added some buttons tied with linen thread as well as some liquid pearls to the centre of the small butterflies. The two middle panels were overstamped with En Francais (a SU background stamp). The purple card and ink are the retired Lavender Lace (still mourning the loss of the light purple shades from the SU colour collections!).

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Sweet Curtain Call Summer...

2011-01-14T22:26:00.000Z

Hiya!

I wanted to play along with this week's Curtain Call colour challenge and I paired the colours with the Sweet Sunday sketch from this week. This is what I came up with:

I used the lovely Sweet Summer sale-a-bration set to create the circle panel. I stamped the flowers with Stazon and watercoloured with markers and an aqua brush (LOVE watercolouring!). The sentiment is from another sale-a-bration set and I found it fits perfectly inside this piece of Hodgepodge Hardware.

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Sweet Summer, So Happy for You
Ink: Stazon, Pacific Point
Paper: Marina Mist, Cherry Cobler, Pacific Point DSP, Watercolour, Whisper White
Accessories: Nestabilities, scallop trim border punch, white organza ribbon, rhinestones, SU markers, HPH, aquapainter

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Amazing Mojo...

2011-01-09T21:10:00.000Z

Hi there!

I got to play a little yesterday so I combined this week's Mojo Monday sketch with some new Kaisercraft paper and other goodies that my Mum bought me for Christmas (oh how I love pressies!!). I wanted to use one of the papers that has really gorgeous detail in it so this sketch was perfect for leaving lots of it showing. Lookie:

I just LOVE the colours in this paper! I used some Verve butterflies stamped on coordinating paper, cut them out then shaded the turqouise one with coloured pencil. I added some black pearls to the centre of each butterfly. The piece behind the circle is a coordinating die-cut tag from the same paper pad. I added some lace and stuck a jewellery pin through the sentiment (also from Verve) to add to the vintage/shabby chic look. I also sanded the edges of the patterned paper, added some faux stitching with a marker and curled the top corner.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Blushing Bird Bliss...

2011-01-05T22:52:00.001Z

Hiya!

Here's one of those cards I made while I was on holiday - I had limited supplies, which I found frustrating at times but it was good to be challenged and think a bit more creatively! I combined the Sale-a-Bration set Bliss with one of my fave sets from the new catty, Notably Ornate.

I just adore this Blushing Bride pink colour - it's so soft and pretty and it goes with so many colours! I combined it with Marina Mist and Early Espresso on this card. The flowers are from Bliss and were stamped with Marina Mist on Very Vanilla. The layout is from the fabulous book I got for Christmas mentioned a couple of days ago.

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Bliss, Notably Ornate
Ink: Early Espresso, Marina Mist, Blushing Bride
Paper: Love Letter DSP, Blushing Bride, Marina Mist, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Blushing bride ribbon, Very Vanilla button, linen thread, modern label punch, pearls

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Black & White Bliss...

2011-01-04T22:09:00.000Z

Hiya!

Just stopping in quickly to share a card I made for the inspiration challenge over at SCS on Saturday. I went with a black and white colour scheme (with some grey) as I wanted to make a card that could be used for a more serious occasion - I don't tend to make many of these but they are needed in some of life's circumstances so I should really make more. Here's what I came up with:

I made an ATC-sized card (2.5x3.5") then added it to a simple background on an A6-sized card blank. It's really great to make a few of these ATC toppers because then when you need to whip up a quick card you've got some options to start with!

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Bliss, Occasional Quotes (hostess set)
Ink: Stazon black
Paper: Whisper White DSP, Basic Grey, Basic Black, Whisper White
Accessories: black grosgrain ribbon, scallop trim border punch, modern label punch, wide oval punch.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Play Date Bliss...

2011-01-03T11:31:00.000Z

Hiya!

I'm not that into New Year's Resolutions (probably because I have no sticking power and end up breaking them quite quickly lol!) - but one thing I would like to improve this year is the amount of blogging I do! Can't make any promises but I'll certainly try! For me, it's not that I'm not making stuff (I'm always doing that!) it's just that I don't seem to get the time to photograph them then sit down and write/type about them. I have however photographed all the things I made over the Christmas break so I should have some material to share with you over the next while. I'm so grateful for all the people who stop in to see what I've been making, and I really appreciate those who take the time to leave comments - it really encourages me to know what you think!

Another thing I want to do more of this year is to participate in some of the fabulous challenges out there in blog-land. One that I haven't played with so far is the Play Date Cafe - an inspiration/colour challenge that is right up my street! So yesterday I decided to have a go with these colours:

I used Regal Rose, Melon Mambo and Crumb Cake and discovered they look completely gorgeous together! Here's what I came up with:

I used a DL sized card base, which I haven't used in ages, but after getting this book for Christmas from my sister (thanks Bethany!!) I have been inspired by the sketches in the book and have been happily playing! This card will be one of the ones we will be making at my Bliss class on Friday night.

I stamped the flourish with Versamark onto Crumb Cake and embossed with white. I stamped the flower with Regal Rose and Melon Mambo a few times each and cut out, leaving a small white border around each. The greeting is from Curly Cute (hands down my fave sentiment set!).

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Bliss, Curly Cute, Dot dot dot
Ink: Melon Mambo, Regal Rose, Versamark
Paper: Crumb Cake, Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, Whisper White
Accessories: White organza ribbon, linen thread, white brads, white EP, scallop trim border punch

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Colour Q Mojo Owls...

2011-01-02T16:02:00.000Z

Hiya!

I have been having LOTS of fun making cards with my new Sale-a-bration stamps (and not doing anywhere near enough work or study as I should..!). I saw this week's colour Q challenge and knew I had to play - check out how gorgeous they look:

I combined the colours with this week's Mojo Monday sketch and came up with this:

How cute are those owls?? I stamped them with Crumb Cake ink (which I still call Kraft... can't get out of the habit!) and cut them out (we don't have the coordinating punch in the UK... but we will do in April in our Mini catty woohoo!). I punched out some branches using the 2-step bird punch for them to perch on. The sentiment is from the same Sale-a-bration set as the owls - lookie:

So many fab things you can do with this one (and I have plenty more samples to share with you that I made on holiday!).

Here's the recipe:

Stamps: Punch Bunch

Ink: Crumb Cake, Basic Black

Paper: Basic Grey DSP, Basic Black, Whisper White, Basic Grey, Crumb Cake, Old Olive

Accessories: Hodgepodge Hardware, Old Olive Satin ribbon, 2-step bird punch, basic black marker

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Sweet Butterfly Bliss!

2010-12-31T21:18:00.000Z

Hiya!

Back again - twice in one day! I wanted to play along with this week's Curtain Call Colour Challenge - the colours are so beautiful:

And here's what I came up with:

I used this week's Sweet Stop Sketch for the layout and used some new Sale-a-Bration goodies! I just adore this butterfly from the Bliss set - the text detail on it is so pretty, and the big flourish compliments it so well. I added some rhinestones to the body of each butterfly and added a bow with some Pear Pizzazz ribbon. The little corner piercing was created with a piercing tool and mat (couldn't find my template thingy!).

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Bliss, Notably Ornate
Ink: Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz
Paper: Greenhouse Gala DSP, Early Espresso, Whisper White, Baja Breeze
Accessories: Pear Pizzazz ribbon, self-adhesive rhinestones, piercing tool & mat, Scallop Trim border punch

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Sale-a-Bration Bliss!

2010-12-31T12:39:00.003Z

Hello all!

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that your New Year will be a fabulous one! I had a lovely week away with my family in the Cotswolds and we had our first white Christmas - woohoo! Lots and LOTS of snow and ice! Of course I brought some craft stash with me so I could play (heh heh!) - and I had lots of fun making some Sale-a-Bration creations. I'll be stopping in (hopefully regularly!) over the next while to share them with you, but for now here's one I made last night:

The photo's not great cos I had to take it in the bathroom (no natural light at that time!). I used my new I {Heart} Hearts stamp set along with my favourite Sale-a-bration set - Bliss. Check it out:

The colours came from SU's colour coach (Marina Mist, Real Red and Old Olive). The layout was from this month's Viva la Verve challenges.

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: I {Heart} Hearts, Bliss
Ink: Real Red, Marina Mist
Paper: Newsprint DSP, Marina Mist, Real Red, Olive Olive, River Rock, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Old Olive button, linen thread, self-adhesive pearls, Marina Mist satin ribbon, Old Olive marker, Oval punch

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Mojo Kitty Christmas...

2010-12-12T22:20:00.001Z

Hiya!

I'm trying to give my Christmas stamps a bit of use before the season ends so I dug out this cute Penny Black stamp I've had for ages - just can't bear to part with it as it reminds me of our lovely cats! I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch for the layout:

I changed some of the sketch elements slightly by moving the bow and splitting the background layer into two patterns (I wanted to use both of these gorgeous patterns!). I coloured the image with copics and coloured pencils and cut out with nestabilities. The ribbon is Bravo Burgundy (retired now) and I added a few aqua buttons for extra intest. Took a while to colour this one in but it was so worth it!

Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

Last one for this evening...!

2010-12-10T22:48:00.000Z

Would you believe this is my third post in one day...?! Ah the wonders of having a bit of time to play! I actually made this card earlier in the week but didn't get a chance to post it:

I used Stacey's Curtain Call Colour Challenge to start me off - Real Red, Always Artichoke, Basic Grey and Whisper White. Perfect colours for a Christmas card! I stamped this tree from PTI on Whisper White using Always Artichoke ink then added some red buttons for the baubles. The background is a combination of Lap of Luxury DSP and some retired Ski Slope DSP. I added a scalloped border and some luscious red polka dot ribbon that is available at the moment from Stampin Up either as part of an offer (you can get it for free!) or on its own. I added some grey pearls in the corner as an extra little accent.

Signing off now... time for bed!

x Amy x

Lots of white...

2010-12-10T22:13:00.001Z

Hi again!

I wanted to play along with Flourishes' Winter White Challenge, which was a BIG challenge for me as I like lots of colour, DSP, embellies etc, etc.! But hey, it's good to challenge yourself once in a while! Here's what I came up with:

I really love the work of Silke Ledlow and really admire how she uses lots of white and makes everything look so fabulous, so this was my attempt at creating something along those lines... not anywhere near as great as Silke but I do like the finished result.

The presents are from Flourishes and I coloured them with copics and cut out so I could pop them up. The layers underneath were cut with nestabilities (I drew the black line around the image with a Basic Black marker while the nestability die was still on the image). I embossed the smaller square with a snowflake embossing folder. The larger square is some Bride DSP that I had left over from last year's catty. I finished off with some white organdy ribbon. The sentiment is from SU's Season of Joy set.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

x Amy x

Penguin Christmas...

2010-12-10T17:59:00.000Z

Hello all!

I've been on a Christmas card kick lately (cos I leave my Christmas card making late every year then go into panic mode in December lol!). I've had the chance to play along with a few challenges this week so I'll be popping back a bit later with a couple more creations! I played along with this week's CardPatterns sketch challenge and came up with this:

I couldn't resist this cute penguin from Taylored Expressions and this was my first chance to play with this set. I dug out some gorgeous DSP from a previous mini catalogue (one of my FAVE papers of all time!) and coloured the image to coordinate. The layer behind the oval image is a die from PTI with coordinating stamp. I added some Old Olive ribbon as well as some pearly stars to embellish. The main image has glitter on the hat and some liquid pearls around the oval.

I'm off to make one more this evening!

x Amy x

Christmas Triple Play...

2010-12-09T22:27:00.000Z

Hiya!

I've been making a little project or two for the Verve Project Parade going on at the moment - the challenge is titled 'Triple Play' which involves making three things that could be given as a gift set. Here's what I came up with:

I made a little 'pizza box' full of tea-lights, a fridge magnet and a matching card. I used Verve's Poinsettia Christmas and embossed the flower with gold and watercoloured with Ruby Red (retired colour). I used two on the card and one on the box. Here's the card in more detail:

I used some beautiful DSP from two years ago which I bought a LOT of cos I wanted to hoarde it! I used a doily in the background that I got from the States - gotta love these! I added some Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon and a matching pink button.

I just love this little pizza box with decorated tea lights:

To decorate the candles you simply stamp the image onto tissue paper, punch out with a circle punch then punch a small hole in the middle. Thread the wick through the hole and lay tissue paper flat on the candle surface. Heat with a heat gun until the wax melts and the tissue paper melts into it. Leave to set then wrap the outside of the candle with a strip of matching DSP. The outside of the box is decorated with some matching cardstock (Old Olive, Ruby Red and Blushing Bride). I added some chocolate pearls to finish.

To finish this little set off I made a matching magnet using Verve's Jer 29:11. I found some kitchen magnets at my local supermarket (4 for 20p!!) and stocked up BIG time lol! I cut a few nestability shapes and layered some DSP with matching cardstock and ribbon to make the magnet.

I'm so pleased with how this little ensemble turned out! I definitely will need to make a few more of these!

Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

Merry Mojo Mittens!

2010-12-05T17:17:00.000Z

Hiya!

I wanted to make a card for this week's Colour Q challenge, as the colours are just SO gorgeous! I combined it with this week's Mojo Monday sketch and came up with this:

I was fortunate enough to win this Gina K set (Winter Mittens) recently over at Stamp TV so I wanted to break it out and play. I stamped the mitten twice - once with Tempting Turqouise and once with Pacific Point. I cut out the cuff bit of the Pacific Point mitten and layered it over the Turqouise one. The layers are cut with nestabilities. The greeting is from SU's Season of Joy (my all-time fave Christmas set). The layers underneath are a combination of a stamp and dies from Papertrey. I added some glitter to the mitten for some sparkle, as well as some buttons that matched Soft Suede from my (rather large..!) button collection. Around the sentiment layer I added some tiny self-adhesive pearls (new in the SU catty). The ribbon is some Pacific Point ribbon my Mum got me from Australia last year. The Pacific Point and Wild Wasabi papers are from the current DSP colour collections - the Turqouise piece is a retired DSP.

Thanks for stopping by today! I'll try to be back a little more regularly to post my creations, but please bear with me in the meantime!

x Amy x

Wedding card... Pride & Prejudice style!

2010-11-18T22:22:00.000Z

Hiya!

Sorry for the long absence between posts - life is kinda hectic at the moment with everything I'm involved in with work, study and church. I do want to post more but I literally am either too tired or too busy to get to it! I will keep stopping by and sharing when I can though... please be patient with me!

I made this card for a friend's wedding on Saturday - and I used the Cinema Saturday challenge - inspired by the movie Pride and Prejudice - as my starting point. Oh how I love Pride and Prejudice - it's a favourite of my sister and I to watch on a Saturday, vegged out in front of the tv in our pj's and dressing gowns... ah the comfort of good old-fashioned romance! There's also so many brilliant lines in it... "A single man of good fortune must be want of a wife!" and I love the "violence of my affections" line from Mr Collins (shudder..!). If you haven't watched it you simply MUST!

Anyways, enough of my rambling... Here's my card:

I went with the romance theme (seeing as I was making a wedding card!) and was inspired by the costumes and general elegance of the time period - all the satin and lace and beautiful gowns (sigh!). I used some gorgeous shimmery DSP I got in the States - black, cream and taupe with classic damask and pinstripe patterns. I added some music DSP from the same pack because I was reminded of the piano playing and singing from the film (in particular the rather awkward scenes with Mary playing!). The girl who's getting married is also part of our church music team so I thought that was rather appropriate!

I stamped a frame from Gina K in black then stamped and cut out two rose buds (from PTI) and coloured with copics and layered over the frame. The greeting is from the same PTI set (Year of Flowers: Roses). The lace was a must (part of the challenge, but so perfect for this card). I used the Mojo Monday sketch from this week for my layout.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Welcome Christmas Mojo!

2010-11-06T16:59:00.000Z

Hiya!

I really wanted to play with my new goodies that arrived this week - the Welcome Christmas set as well as some brand spankin' new DSP only available with this stamp set - plus some lush new ribbon that came FREE with the bundle - oh how I love this ribbon! I wanted to play with this week's Mojo Monday sketch as well so here's what I came up with:

I used the gorgeous flocked DSP for the background - nice and touchy-feely IRL! The wreath was created by stamping it onto Pear Pizzazz cardstock with Garden Green ink then cutting out and adding some Real Red brads randomly around it. It is dangling with some gold elastic cord so it can swing back and forth, The sentiment (from Perfect Punches) is layered onto the white card underneath. The ribbon is the new Real Red polka-dot stuff that you can either get free with one of the Christmas bundles, or you can purchase them separately - I LOVE how this looks tied in a bow!

Here's a detail shot of some of the elements:

I also decorated the inside as I've seen so many lovely examples of this and I never seem to get around to it - but it only took an extra five minutes so I think it's definitely worth it! Lookie...

I had a blast making this card - can't wait to play some more!

Here's the recipe:
Stamps: Welcome Christmas, Perfect Punches
Paper: Christmas Cocoa DSP, Real Red, Soft Suede, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White, Sahara Sand
Ink: Garden Green, Soft Suede
Accessories: Real Red polka-dot ribbon, scallop edge punch, circle punches, real red brads, gold elastic cord, nestabilities

Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

Viva la Autumn...

2010-10-30T10:59:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

Sorry I didn't get back quite as quickly as I'd hoped to post my other Viva la Verve card - this week has been extremely busy with our church conference so I've not had much time to create or blog! I wanted to share this card with you cos I really had a blast making it and I love the finished result:

I used the sketch from the challenge, along with this inspiration pic:

So pretty right? I'd love to have a table setting like this in my house!!

I used the woodgrain DSP from the Woodland Walk pack for the background (to imitate the table) and I used Basic Grey for the layers behind each section to pick up the grey cupboards in the background. I spotted a leaf on the table that was orange in the middle and red on the outside so I made one in those colours using Autumn Splendour and Pumpkin Pie/Riding Hood Red ink on watercolour paper. The oval piece was stamped with the berries from Autumn Days (to pick up on the berries on the plates). The sentiment is from the fabulous Curly Cute set new to the UK cattyn and I punched it out with the Modern Label punch. I added some LUSH pumpkin pie striped ribbon with a basic grey button to finish things off.

So now you've seen a glimpse into my creative process, I would highly recommend taking part in an inspiration challenge - they are brilliant for getting you to think a bit differently from what you normally would!

Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

More watercolouring...

2010-10-28T08:01:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

Just popping in quickly to share a card I made for one of the Viva la Verve challenges:

I combined the sketch with inspiration from this challenge - I took the colours and ran with them! I used some of our new in colours - Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz and Peach Parfait. I watercoloured with markers and an aqua brush, and added a bit of Sahara Sand ink around the image to make the white icing pop a little more. The greeting is from the Perfect Punches set.

Thanks for stopping by - I have another card to share later so I might be posting twice in one day!

x Amy x

Playing with Watercolour...

2010-10-16T20:06:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

I am so thrilled that SU are now carrying watercolour paper in our new catty - I've been waiting for this for AGES cos I absolutely adore watercolouring! There are also some lovely new stamp sets that are perfect for colouring and my favourite of these images is the flower from Happiness Shared. I combined this week's Colour Q challenge with this week's sketch from the Sweet Stop to create this:

The colour challenge was to include Concord Crush, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black and Whisper White - it was meant to be Halloween themed but I'm not into Halloween so I went botanical instead. I coloured the image with Concord Crush and Old Olive with a little touch of Pumpkin Pie in the centre of the flower. The DSP is from the Brights Patterns pack. I used the Music Notes wheel with Old Olive ink to create the background strips - love, love, love this wheel! The greeting is from Notably Ornate and I cut it out and layered it on a 'designer label' punched from Old Olive card. The Sweet Stop sketch had a twist of adding sparkle so I added some self-adhesive rhinestones to the corners of the image panel. I also added some black ribbon and olive button to finish.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Curtain Call meets new stash!!

2010-10-13T18:36:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

My new box of goodies from Stampin Up arrived on Monday and I've been having so much fun playing! Sooo many lovely things!! I had to use my FAVE set from the new catalogue first - Notably Ornate. When I saw it in the US catty I was desparately hoping we would get it here too and lookie - we did! I used this week's Curtain Call colours as a basis and came up with this:

I stamped the frame with Stazon onto whisper white and cut it out. The bird is stamped with Marina Mist and I added a teeny tiny pearl (from the new self-adhesive pearls in the catty) for his eye. The greeting is from Curly Cute - my favourite sentiment set in the catalogue. The background paper is So Saffron DSP from the Soft Subtles DSP collection. I added some black grosgrain ribbon (yippee - we finally have black ribbon!!) and a Crumb Cake button to finish.

My first card with this set and I love it - can't wait to play some more!

Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

Distressed Etchings...

2010-10-11T22:15:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

Are ya impressed with the amount of posting in the last few days?? I guess I'm making up for the woeful last couple of weeks lol! I made another card for a colour/sketch challenge combination tonight - love these! I combined the Stampin Royalty colour challenge (Concord Crush, Tempting Turqouise, So Saffron and Chocolate Chip) with this week's Sketch for You to Try. Here's what I came up with:

I started out with the SFYTT but kinda went a bit off track when I put the whole thing together - oh well! I used one of the new sets in the catalogue - Artistic Etchings. I've used three stamps from this set - the Eiffel Tower, the round medallion (for the ruffled flower) and the accent element on the Tempting Turqouise card (look closely...). I stamped the white background with French Script background (thought that would be appropriate considering the main image!) then dragged the So Saffron inkpad around the edges. See that lovely punched edge? That's the FAB new border punch in our UK catty - woohoo!! The greeting is from Oval All and stamped in Concord Crush. The panel down the side (also Concord Crush) was stamped with the border from Vintage Vogue for a bit of added interest. I added a Saffron button to the centre of the flower and a little piece of Concord Crush ribbon to finish.

Thanks for stopping by...!

x Amy x

Mojo Trimmings...

2010-10-10T19:54:00.000+01:00

Hello again!

Two posts in one day - good grief what's going on lol?! I've had a wonderfully productive weekend so far and have managed to make quite a few things - as well as catching up on several hours of lectures that I've missed this week!

I wanted to play along with this week's Mojo Monday sketch and I really wanted to make it a Christmas card as I'm beginning to get {slightly!} concerned about the amount (or lack thereof) of Christmas cards that I have made so far this year... must get cracking! I saw a beautiful card on Ilina's blog that used a combination of Blushing Bride, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla - it was so gorgeous that I had to case that colour combo. I used the Tree Trimmings set and came up with this:

I stamped the ornaments with Versamark then Blushing Bride/Soft Suede then I embossed them with a mix of Heat & Stick powder and Dazzling Diamonds glitter, then embossed again with clear EP - lovely and sparkly IRL. The sentiment is from Occasional Greetings and punched with the 1 3/4" circle punch. The Blushing Bride piece in the background was stamped with the snowflakes from Serene Snowflakes. The DSP is the fabulous Newsprint pack - love, love, LOVE this stuff! I added some twill tape and a filigree brad with a rhinestone brad through the middle.

I'm loving how this turned out! Will definitely be using this colour combo again!

Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

Greenhouse Birthday...

2010-10-10T16:54:00.001+01:00

Hiya!

I made a little something this afternoon for the Inkspirations sketch challenge along with the Colour Q challenge... Here's what I came up with:

The colours were Baja Breeze, Pacific Point, Pumpkin Pie and Pear Pizzazz - aren't they lovely together? The photo doesn't really do it justice as the light was fading and I had to adjust some of the colour/light properties with my photo editing software - doesn't quite look like the real deal though!

The flowers (from Greenhouse Garden) were stamped first with Baja Breeze then with Pacific Point. The stems were added with Pear Pizzazz. I added little pearls to the centres of the flowers (I'm so exciting about getting my hands on SU's new self-adhesive pearls!). The background paper is from the Greenhouse Gala pack and included the perfect colours for this challenge. The ribbon is white organza - gorgeous!

I'll be back later today with my Mojo card for this week - see ya!

x Amy x

Golden Leaves...

2010-10-09T09:52:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

I actually got a chance to sit down and just PLAY with paper, stamps and ink last night for the first time in ages (I always seem to be preparing for a class or workshop which is fun in itself...!). I wanted to play along with the Verve sketch challenges that were going on for World Card Making Day - I ended up making four cards last night - was on a bit of a roll! I'll share the others in the next few days but here's one I combined with this week's Curtain Call Colour Challenge:

The colours were More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Old Olive and Crumb Cake (still getting used to not saying KRAFT!). These colours were so autumnal I had to go with the lovely Autumn Splendour set of leaves. I embossed each leaf in gold on a different colour cardstock then cut out. The background is Crumb Cake stamped with Crumb Cake ink and the Baroque Motifs swirl (my go-to background element!). The sentiment is from Trendy Trees and I added some lushious Old Olive striped ribbon to finish.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Long time, no see...!

2010-09-26T21:26:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

So sorry for the long absense on blogland - I've been very busy preparing for the new catalogue launch on the 1st of October and a lot of the stuff I've been making I can't share till then so hence the lack of posts! I did make a little something this evening that I thought I'd share - I combined this week's Taylored Expressions sketch with the Colour Q challenge this week. This is what I came up with:

The colours are Old Olive, So Saffron, Poppy Parade and Peach Parfait. I stamped the butterflies with Early Espresso and sponged on So Saffron, Peach Parfait and Poppy Parade inks. The sentiment and background stamps are sneaky peekies...! I finished things of with some rhinestone brads and Old Olive satin ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Old meets new...

2010-09-10T08:14:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

I was able to play along with my two favourite Sunday Challenges this week (albeit on Tuesday, and didn't get around to posting til Friday!!). I combined Stacey's Curtain Call colour challenge with Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch to create this:

The colours are Poppy Parade, Peach Parfait, Wild Wasabi and Pink Pirouette - these are all new colours coming in the UK catty in October (I just received my pre-order stuff so was able to play!!). I used a retiring stamp set - one of my original favourites and part of my starter kit when I joined SU - A Touch of Nature. The flowers were stamped on watercolour paper with Stazon and coloured with an aqua brush and inkpads. The Pink Pirouette panel was stamped tone-on-tone with the butterfly from the same stamp set. The greeting is from a really useful little set called Wow Flowers that is also retiring - I've used this set a LOT! The flourish at the side of the image is from Frames with a Flourish (also retiring...) - I stamped it with Peach Parfait and cut out with my paper snips. The white panel in the background is some Bride Speciality DSP - which is sadly also going boo hoo! I added some pearls to the centre of each flower (from the Pretties kit which is also not going to be in the new catty) and some white satin ribbon (this baby's going nowhere!).

I've got the day off today so I'm hoping to play some more with my new goodies!

Thanks for stopping by...!

x Amy x

Creating Diva Butterflies...

2010-09-07T17:27:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

Weird post title I know but I had a chance to play along with two new (to me!) challenges today - Create with Connie & Mary (a sketch) and the Diva Coffee Break challenge (a colour challenge). Here's what I came up with:

This is much more my 'cup of tea' than yesterday's attempt!! I LOVE these colours together (Baja Breeze, River Rock, Rose Red and Not Quite Navy - all will be available in the new catalogue in October). I used the little butterfly a-la-carte stamp in the mini catalogue and coloured with blender pens then painted with shimmer paint for a lovely shimmery effect. I added rhinestone brads to the body for extra bling! The Baja Breeze panel was stamped with the Medallion background stamp and the River Rock panel was stamped with the Friendly background stamp. The sentiment is another a-la-carte stamp - love the cute font! I added some white taffetta ribbon to finish things off.

Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

My attempt at CAS...

2010-09-06T21:10:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

I thought I'd have a go at today's Clean and Simple challenge over at SCS today - it was a sketch (my fave type of challenge!). Now anyone who knows my style knows that I'm not exactly a Clean and Simple kinda gal! But I thought I would use the opportunity to use some more of my retiring stash. Here's what I created:

I used some Sweet Pea designer paper that I have been hoarding (couldn't bear to cut up the butterflies!). I cut out one of the butterflies as the focal point (there are so many images in this DSP stack - well worth getting before it goes!). I added some Choc Chip satin ribbon which is retiring (boo hoo!) as well as some Pretty in Pink buttons (also going...). The greeting is from One of a Kind (also saying farewell) and punched out with the oval punch.

My hand kept twitching wanting to add something else but I left it at that! What do you think??

Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

Playful Colour Q...

2010-09-04T22:19:00.000+01:00

Hiya!

Two posts in one day - my word! The wonders of having a day off completely free from other demands - have made four cards today and had a marvelous time! I've been using more of the retiring goodies from the catalogue and combined this week's Colour Q challenge with Jen's Sketch for You to Try for this card:

There were a lot of colours to use in this challenge! Some new ones (Cherry Cobler, Daffodil Delight and Tangerine Tango) as well as Bermuda Bay (I substituted some DSP from the Kaleidascope pack) with Kraft and Very Vanilla. I tried a bit of ruffled ribbon using the widest twill tape (retiring from the catty boo hoo!) and some sticky strip. The flower was created with Playful Petals (retiring...) by stamping the flowers on different colours of card then cutting out smaller layers and building it all up - lots of fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x