Fine Flourish Flower

In this card I used the "Kissing" technique. For those of you who don't know what I mean by kissing, it's not about getting romantic with your stamps. I know I love stamping but not in that way! lol

For this technique you need a pattered stamp & a solid image stamp. In this case the pattern is in the Fine Flourish, the solid is the Flower Accent which are available in the new mini catalogue.

First you ink up the patterned stamp, lay it on your work surface, inked side up, you then place your solid stamp on it, rubber side down, so the two stamps "kiss" each other. (The stamps are getting romantic, not you). The pattern will transfer onto your flower, next stamp it onto your chosen cardstock

Supplies:

• Stamps - Fine Flourish, Flower Accent
• Ink - Ballet Blue
  
• Card - Very Vanilla, Ballet Blue
  
• Accessories - Very Vanilla 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Clear Rhinestone Brad, Filigree Designer Brad
  
• Punches - Scallop Oval & Oval, 1/16" Circle Handheld
  
• Tools - Paper Cutter, Paper Snips
  
• Adhesives - Sticky Strip, Snail & Dimensionals
  

Hope you try out this technique soon!
Kathy. x

Plymouth Event Swap

When Stampin' Up! demonstrators get together, we love to swap. We make a whole load of card fronts, stick the supplies list on the back & get swapping! It's a bit like ATC swapping, but with full size card fronts (we don't do the back as it wastes precious SU card stock).

I used the fabulous new 2-step bird punch from the mini catalogue. It punches the body, wing & the branch in one go. It is a new style punch which stores flat, great idea for those of us with limited crafting space.

I've seen a few blogs where the wing has been used flower petals, I'm sure there will be lots of other ingenious ideas coming from the punch artists out there.

Supplies:

• Stamps - Vintage Vogue (for greeting)
• Ink - Close to Cocoa
• Card - Pretty in Pink, Close to Cocoa
• DSP - Sweet Pea
• Accessories - Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint
• Tools - Paper Cutter, 2-Step Bird Punch, Scallop Edge Punch
• Adhesives - Mini Glue Dots, Snail, Dimensionals

Thanks for looking,
Kathy. x

Necklace, Card & Gift Box

I promised you the supplies list for my Demonstrator's Choice Competition entry, so here it is:

• Stamps - Vintage Vogue, Tiny Tags, Curvy Verses (card greeting)
• Ink - Basic Black
• Card - Basic Black, Whisper White
• DSP - Night & Day (including printed acetate for box window)
• Accessories - Pretties Kit, Whisper White Satin Ribbon, White Shimmer Paint
  
• Tools - Paper Cutter (& scoring blade), Paper Snips, Medium Jewelery Tag Punch, Sponge Dauber
  
• Adhesives - Sticky Strip, Crystal Effects, Mini Glue Dots, Snail & Dimensionals

I didn't stand a chance of winning, but I had fun making this project.

Take Care,
Kathy. x

Work Thankyous

I made 3 of these sets for some of my work colleagues who have been helping me lately. The pouch contains some chocolates.

While I was on leave during Christmas my work was not covered, but I was promised some help in the new year to clear it. To cut a long story short it has taken 3 months, but the backlog is finally cleared. Yippeee!! So these are to say a big thankyou to Andrew, Marise & Carol for being complete stars. :)

I've been on leave again, but some of mywork has been covered this time, I really didn't want it to get that behind ever again!!

Supplies:

• Stamps - Watercolour Vine Jumbo Roller, Happy Moments SAB, Terrific Tags (Retired)
  
• Ink - Chocolate Chip
  
• Card - Naturals Ivory, Chocolate Chip
  
• Accessories - Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon (from Mini Catalogue)
  
• Punches - Scallop Edge, Scallop Oval & Oval, Tag & Small Tag punches
  
• Tools - Crop-o-Dile, Paper Cutter, Paper Snips
  
• Adhesives - Snail & Dimensionals
  
• Other Items - Chocolate Eggs (have plenty of spares, Yum) lol
  

Happy Crafting,
Kathy.

Vintage Vogue Thankyou

This card was made for one of my neighbours who has been kind enough to take in my (many) parcels that arrive while I'm at work.

When I apologied to her for the inconvenience, she said she was happy to help. I'm so lucky to have (on the whole) such lovely neighbours & this is to show how much I appreciate her help.

Supplies:

• Stamps - Vintage Vogue, Tiny Tags both from Mini Catalogue
  
• Ink - Ballet Blue
  
• Card - Very Vanilla
  
• Accessories - Flat back Pearl from Pretties Kit
  
• Punches - Tiny Tag from Mini Catalogue
  
• Tools - Paper Cutter, Paper Snips
  
• Adhesives - Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots
  

Thnaks for looking,
Kathy. x

Vintage Vogue Necklace

My stampers 6 ladies should recognise this necklace as I wore it at the Stampin' Up! event last Saturday. It might look really complicated to make but trust me, it's easy!

I'll take it step by step for you, please allow 2 overnight drying times, it's not a project you can make at the last minute.

1. Stamp the large flower one & the small flower twice onto Whisper White card using Basic Black ink.
2. Cut out each flower, leaving a small border around the edge.
3. Use a Dimensional to mount one of the small flowers on top of the large one.
4. Adhere a flat back pearl from the Pretties Kit using a small glue dot.
   
5. Cover the front of the flower (including under the small flower) with Crystal Effects.
6. Allow this to dry thoroughly (ideally overnight).
7. Measure how long you want your necklace to be & add a couple of inches to allow for tying a knot.
8. Cut 3 lengths of Silver Elastic Cord.
9. Tie the ends together in a knot, so you have your "chain".
10. Using Glue dots, stick the knot to the back of the flower.
11. Again Glue dots, stick the spare flower over the top of the knot.
12. Cover the back of the flower with Crystal Effects, pay speacial attention to the gaps around the flower hiding the knot.
13. Allow to dry (again ideally overnight).
14. Wear your creation with pride!

Hope you got the drift of it. You can make them in whatever colour you wish, try using a sponge dauber with the new scrummy Shimmer Paint to give the flower a touch of sparkle, then add the Crystal Effects. Go on, have a play!

Happy Crafting!
Kathy. x

Stampers 6 Project #7

The top picture is of the matching gift box project & the bottom one is of the surprize gift I gave them.

We wouldn't have had enough time to make a necklace (lots of drying time required), so I started one off to show how it's done & made some before hand to give out. I have a feeling that there's going to be a lot of jewelery making going on soon (judging by the amount of elastic cord etc ordered).

I hope my picture of the box lid shows off the stamped acetate, I did it with Shimmer Paint. A little waft of a Heat Tool & the ink's dry, lovely! When you get a new product home, do what I do & have a little play. :)

If you haven't got any of the new Shimmer Paint yet, get some soon! It comes in 3 colours, the Frost white is very versatile as it can be coloured with re-inkers, the Platinum is different to the other two because it's opaque, but my favourite is the Champagne Mist, it's very subtle. The best bit of all with them is a little goes a long way!

Thanks for Looking!
Kathy. x

Stampers 6 Project #6

I had an extra Stampers 6 meeting this month (we normally meet every other month), but everyone was itching to get their hands on some Mini Catalogue items so I decided to do a last minute session!

Supplies:

• Stamps - Vintage Vogue
• Ink - Close to Cocoa
• Card - Kraft, Close to Cocoa
• Accessories - Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint
• Tools - Paper Cutter, Paper Snips, Eyelet Border punch, Sponge Dauber
• Adhesives - Snail & Dimensionals

We had another matching project to do, I will share that with you tomorrow.

Take Care,
Kathy. x

Teal Necklace & Gift Box

This was the gift I made for Abi, my upline's, birthday. I made one of my easy peasy necklaces & popped into a gift box (Sizzix Suitcase Die), which I decorated with the gorgeous little bird punch.

I think she liked it, although I made the "chain" a little tight, I thought I'd measured it right, sorry Abi! If you can't extend it I'll make you another one!

Hope you had a lovely birthday Abi,
Kathy. x

Teal Bird Card

As I've given this card to Abi, my upline, for her birthday, it's safe to show it now! It was her 30th, but I chose not to put that on her card, I remember what I felt like when I hit 30 (that was a long time ago!)

The flowers were made using the new Small Heart Punch from the Mini Catalogue. You'll need to punch out 8 hearts from some Designer Series Paper for each flower & fold each one in half, 4 with one side showing & 4 with the other (hope you get my drift).

I placed a Mini Glue dot where I wanted each flower to be, I then stuck the first 4 hearts onto the glue dot(only the point will adhere). Then add another glue dot to the centre & place the remaining hearts ontop. I finished the flowers off with a flat backed pearl, or you could use a brad or small button.

Supplies:

• Stamps - Very Vintage Jumbo Wheel, Whimsical Words SAB
• Ink - Taken With Teal
• Card - Naturals Ivory, Taken With Teal
• DSP - Sweet Pea
• Accessories - Flat Backed Pearls from Pretties Kit
• Tools - Paper Cutter, 3/4" Circle, 2-Step Bird, Small Heart, Oval & Scallop Oval punches
• Adhesives - Snail, Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Happy Crafting!
Kathy. x

Last of the Stampin' Up! Experience Photos

Here are the last of the photos I took on Saturday, as promised. Hope you all get as much inspiration from them as I have! :)

Take Care,
Kathy. x

More Stampin' Up! Experience Photos

Hope these give you some inspiration, there's a few more photos which I will post tomorrow.
Kathy. x

Plymouth Training & Stampin' Up! Experience Event

Hi All,

I promised I would post the pictures I took of the inspiration boards at Saturday's fab event, so here are a few of them. I'll post some more later in the week. I'm sorry that some of them are a little out of focus, I'm no good without a tripod & I only had my mini one with me.

Most of my Stampers 6 ladies were there & I think they all had a lovely afternoon of seeing how a demonstrator is supposed to do it!

See you all on Thursday ladies! Now what are we going to make on Thursday...?

Kathy. x

Demonstrator's Choice Competition

Here are the pictures I took of all the amazing projects entered into yesterday's competition at the Plymouth Stampin' Up! training & Experience event.

The top picture is of Rosina's brilliant ribbon box, which won the prize. I voted for hers because it was such a fab idea, not too daunting to make & useful at the same time, well done Rosina!

The next picture down is my entry, which was a necklace on a card in a matching box, I will post the supplies list & explain how I made it later in the week.

The other pictures are of the other entries, there were some very talented people there & after I saw their entries I knew there was no way I'd win. Unfortunately the pictures, as it was a sunny day the light (& my rubbish picture taking skills), don't show how truly gorgeous the creations were, so much work went into them.

All in all, a lovely day of meeting new people & crafting, what could be better! Thanks Stampin' Up!
Kathy. x

Stampers 6 Project #4

I'm sorry, I just can't stop going back to purple, I love it & Elegant Eggplant has to be my favourite of all the Stampin' Up! purples.

This one has a chocolate hidden behind the greeting panel, as usual! ;)


Supplies:

• Stamps - Baroque Motifs, Say it With Scallops
  
• Ink - Elegant Eggplant
  
• Card - Naturals Ivory, Elegant Eggplant
  
• Accessories - Elegant Eggplant 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon & Square Ice Rhinestone Brad
  
• Punches - Eyelet Border & Scallop Square, 1.16" Circle Handheld
  
• Tools - Paper Cutter, Paper Snips
  
• Adhesives - Snail, Sticky Strip & Dimensionals
  
• Other Items - Chocolate

Thanks for Looking,
Kathy.

Kathy's Birthday

No, not my birthday, my workmate Kathy's

It gets very confusing because we work side-by-side, when someone says "Kathy" & we both look up. At one point there were 3 Kathys in the same room, so it was Confused dot com!!

Anyway, it was my mate Kathy's birthday & I came up with this set which consists of:

• Card
  
• Gift Bag with tag
  
• Notepad & pen on a magnetic holder
• Fridge magnets

I had asked her a couple of weeks ago what colour scheme she has in her kitchen. She must have thought me a little strange (maybe I was going to get her a tea pot), but she said natural & green.

I remembered I had some of this Designer Series Paper that would work so I set to work & Kathy loved it.
Unfortunately the pictures don't show how I used Crystal effects on all the flowers, leaves & butterflies on the paper. The effect is lovely, you have to try it! (Please remember it takes a while to dry, ideally overnight)

Supplies:

• Stamps -
  
• Ink - Always Artichoke
  
• Card - Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla
  
• Paper - Tea & Crumpets DSP
  
• Accessories - Crystal Effects, Always Artichoke 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon
  
• Punches - Scallop Edge, Scallop Oval, Oval, Scallop Square & 1/4" Circle
  
• Tools - Paper Cutter, Paper Snips
  
• Adhesives - Sticky Strip, Snail, Dimensionals
  
• Other Items - Plain Gift Bag, Notebook, Pen, Magnet Paper, Stiff Board
  

Thanks for looking,
Kathy.

Mother's Day 2010

I finally managed to upload the pictures of this years Mother's day creations!

I did 2 sets, one for my Mum & the other for my Mother-in-Law. I went for very spring-like colour combo this year, & my Mums loved them!

Supplies:

• Stamps - Flight of the Butterfly
  
• Ink - White Stazon
  
• Card - Non SU card from my stash in Pink, Yellow, Green & White
• Paper - White Vellum
  
• Punches - Butterfly, Scallop Oval, Scallop Circle
  
• Accessories - Fine Cosmo Stampin' Glitter
  
• Tools - Paper Cutter, Paper Snips
  
• Adhesives - Tombow Multipurpose, Snail, Dimensionals
  
• Other items - Plain Gift Bags, Martha Stewart Border, Flower & Leaf punches, Narrow grosgrain ribbon from stash.
  

Thanks for looking,
Kathy.

Easter Card

I was inspired to make this card by Pam, who's been running a card making club for about 6 or 7 years now. She's such a lovely lady & is very active in her church (goodness knows how she fit's verything in).

I kept the card very simple, with the sentiment being the focal point as I know that's important to her.

Supplies:

• Stamps - Special Blessings
  
• Ink - Always Artichoke
  
• Card - Always Artichoke & Very Vanilla
  
• Accessories - Always Artichoke 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon
  
• Punches - Scallop Edge, Scallop Oval & Oval
  
• Tools - Paper Cutter, Paper Snips
  
• Adhesives - Snail & Dimensionals
  

Happy Easter everyone!
Love Kathy. x

Mother's day Gift Tags

This is one of the reasons I didn't post much in March, these are a few of the 180 (yup I did say 180) gift tags I made (with Ben's help) for my son's school.

Each year the PTA buys some gifts for under a pound, wraps them & gets the children to buy a Mother's Day gift (for a pound). The children love choosing it all by themselves, & of course they need a gift tag, hense the silly number of tags I made!

Ben & I had a little production line going, Punching, inking, & sticking the flowers & a little glitter glue at the end. They covered the entire dining table! Good fun though.

Later on I'll be doing the same number of Father's Day cards (must be nuts), if anyone has any ideas for (very) quick tags I'd be eternally grateful!! lol

Happy Crafting!
Kathy.