Little Hands, Little Feet, Big Love Card

These two cards use the teddy bear from the All For Baby stamp set and coordinating Baby Clothes Dies.  But the card styles are polar opposites.

I've cut out the letters using the Playful Alphabet Dies, which has 58 dies including letters, numbers, punctuation and symbols.  I particularly like that there's a few of the same letter so you can make multiples quickly with just one pass through your die cutting machine.

This card feels super stylish with it's gold accents and Expressions In Ink DSP.  The accents are part of the Ephemera pack from the bundle.  Love the colour combo of Polished Pink and Pale Papaya.  What do you think?

More thanks go to Carole for sending me the two frames used in these cards.  There's something very pleasing about a square card with square windows.

Swing by tomorrow to see a completely different look using the same stamp set!

Hello Little One

I received a lovely surprise in the mail last week from craft buddy Carole, who has recently joined our 'virtual' craft session on Wednesdays during Covid lockdown.  Let me know if you'd like to join us sometime and I'll send you the link.  

Anyway, thank you Carole for sending these really cute cardstock frames in some lovely colours.  

I'm really happy with the way they turned out.  And Carole also inspired the design of this first card after I saw how she'd stamped and layered an image in her design. 

This card used the stamp set All For Baby.  There is a coordinating die set called Baby Clothes Dies and that's how I cut out the teddy bear.  The DSP is Hand Penned and I've layered it onto a square card of Basic White.  Square cards are not as economical because you can only get one decent sized card out of a piece of A4 - this one measures 13 x 26cm to give a 13cm square card.  I will probably make my envelopes using the matching DSP so it'll look stunning!  Carole cut out the window piece with her Cricut machine.  And she sent the circles as well, which I love with the little bear and hearts stamped on them.  The main bear has a bow that I stamped and cut out using the Baby Clothes dies.

The second card uses a square window frame.  This one looks lovely with the Pleased As Punch Specialty DSP (retired) behind it. The hearts were punched out of the same paper, and I used a stamp from Under My Umbrella - also sadly retired, to stamp the umbrella and handle. This time, I stamped the bow directly onto the bear.  

Pop back tomorrow for some more ways to use this bundle of products.  You can buy the bundle here.

Have a great day!  Stay well and warm - has Spring done another runner?!

What's on the Desk Wednesday

This week's What's on the Desk card was a quickie!  Do you end up with a lot of bits and pieces lying around after a good crafting session?  Yes, I thought so!

Unfortunately not all the bits work well together all of the time. But this week I had a win!  I confess there was rather a lot to choose from....hahahahaha!

I have been working with a fair bit of the DSP from the Hand Penned pack.  It has a cottage garden feel and a watercolour look which makes it suitable for different types of project.  I also had (on the desk) a leftover Mint Macaron card base and a white label from the Picture This Die.  

I confess to digging around in a drawer for the wooden hearts - they haven't seen the light of day for a year or two, and I'm excited to have found the perfect project for them.  

'Just Because' is a perfect sentiment right now, don't you think?  What better reason than to reach out to someone during lockdown and all this craziness in the world.  The stamp is part of Lovely You item # 152525.  

Finally, several wraps of linen thread - of all the ribbon, in all the world, this is the one I couldn't live without!!

Happy Friday peeps!   Reach out to someone 'just because'.  I guarantee you'll make their day :)

Free As A Bird Colour Inspo

 This week I'm making cards with the Free As A Bird set from Stampin' Up!

                  Item 149468 Set of 12 cling stamps

My friend Susie sent me this gorgeous photograph of a parrot, and that provided some inspiration for the colours of my little birdies!

The base card is Coastal Cabana, with a layer of DSP from Expressions in Ink - this one is Pale Papaya.  The birds were stamped using Memento Tuxedo Black ink, and so was the flower.  I coloured the image with Stampin' Write Markers using Coastal Cabana and Bermuda Bay.  The leaves are Old Olive and the branch is Early Espresso.   I wanted the flower to be a little softer in colour so I used an Aqua Painter and the Pale Papaya Classic Ink, and it's popped up using a dimensional.

For the sentiment, I stamped on Basic White and cut out with a die from Tasteful Labels.

If you have a go at a card like this, please leave me a comment below.

Happy Stamping

Party Puffins Make A Wish

 Warning....cuteness overload!

You really can use any Designer Series Paper with these happy little puffins.  They work with all sorts of colours and patterns.  The trick is to pick out complementary colours to fill in the images like the cake & fish in this card.  The Pear Pizzazz colour in this spotty DSP doesn't make another appearance, but it is complemented so well in the blue card base and ribbon that it doesn't matter.

And in my second card, it's just a matter of picking the dominant colour in the DSP - in this case it's Calypso Coral. So I chose Pumpkin Pie to make a statement and really set off the Puffins with those cute little candles, which you'll notice I've coloured using the shades of the DSP .  The speckled background ties it all together.

They are such lovely birthday cards for the littlies, don't you think?

Happy stamping :)

Karen

"Pick Six Wonder" Designer Series Paper Workshop

 Yesterday I did an online class with Stampin' Up! where we creatively cut up a pack of DSP and made 14 cards! 

You may know that our DSP consists of 12 sheets of 12"x12", 2 each of 6 double sided designs.  So the possibilities are endless.  That said, we only used one-eighth of the pack to create all fourteen cards, and we even had a bit left over to make a bonus card!  

What I love about doing these kinds of workshops is that everyone had different papers and cardstock, so while we were all cutting the same basic pieces, there was a huge variety of projects.  And one of the best things about starting with a basic idea is that you can let your creativity run wild on the layout, embellishments, and finishing touches.  Something like this would make a great gift of a kit of ready made cards for all sorts of occasion.

This month Stampin' Up! are having a Designer Series Paper Sale, where you can save 15% on select DSP in the current Annual Catalogue.  Take a look at the details here.  And if you're shopping, please be sure to use my July Host Code Q7BGJEYJ.

Ornate Garden Designer Series Paper SUOC 273

I made these cards for the SUO (Stampin' Up! Only) challenge.  This week, the challenge is to use Designer Series Paper.  That's it!  No other requirements.  

Well I love DSP.  I'm the PaperLady afterall.....giggle.......

And with Mother's Day around the corner, and the beautiful Ornate Garden Specialty DSP on hand, this is what I did.

This is a really simple Gate Fold card.  I think it's got WOW factor, how about you?

I think this highlights how well SU's DSP coordinates, both in colour and pattern.  This paper is "Specialty" because some sheets have gold foil designs on them, like the one behind the "Mum" sentiment.

And I really love how these cards stand up.  It's so eye-catching to see something a little different.

This paper is available for $26 and includes 12 sheets, 2 each of 6 double-sided designs, 12" x 12".  The patterns are quite dense so they're great for card making and scrapbooking.  You can find it on page 149 of the Annual Catalogue.

Happy papering!

Karen

The Perfect Card to Send on International Friends Day

 February 4th is International Friends Day!

What a perfect opportunity to send a handmade card or four ;)

So here's a cute idea for a card you can make.  It's a quick one to make because you use Designer Series Paper in layers for depth.  I chose Free As A Bird (149468)  for the sentiment panel, Pick out the colours from the DSP & use the co-ordinating inks to stamp the images.  

  

This one uses Woven Heirlooms (149306). 

    

On both cards I've used retired DSP - I've always got lots of scraps, so I like to find ways to use them up, and this is a great card for that!  I distressed the edges of the stamped layer and used a sponge to add ink which gives a vintage feel.

Why don't you have a go?  Sort through your stash and find something you love.  Cut, stamp, assemble and you'll be ready to send to a friend and make their day!

Happy stamping.

  

Gate Fold Cards

Last week I did a class on gate fold cards.  It was great!

I chose a simple gate fold layout with the opening in the centre front, and a "belly band" closure with an embellishment on the front.

The ladies really enjoyed themselves.  To keep them rolling, I challenged them to make at least one more over the next few days.  With their permission, I'm sharing them here.

Please note they are all different brands of products.  I don't have a supply list, and because I'm an Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, I can't endorse other products.

But I would like to encourage you to get all your craft goodies out and have a play!

By Gayle

By Avril

By Avril

By Avril

By Avril

By Avril

By Avril

By Avril

By Avril

By Avril

And here's a couple of mine with some left over DSP.

I hope you'll see some ideas here that you can use.  Here's the dimensions to make this style of card:

Base Card

21cm x 14.8cm – essentially half a piece of A4

Score at 5.25cm from each end (in landscape view)

Layers

Mat – 4.75cm x 14.3cm

DSP – 4.25cm x 13.8cm

Belly Band

23cm x 3.8cm

Score at 6cm from each end

Layers

10.4cm x 3.3cm.  Cut 2 if you want to decorate the front and back

Happy Stamping!

Karen

     

 

Established Elegance

I've been wanting this stamp set for a while, and my darling girls bought it for my birthday. 

What a surprise!  Yes, they were clever and called my friend Tracy, also a Stampin' Up! demo and ordered it with her.  How sweet is that?!

Anyway, I started to play with it yesterday after my friend Susie sent me a picture of the dress form with a cute punched out dress on it.  I didn't keep the original so can't remember where it came from, but here's what I made:

You may know that I'm having an affair with the Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper in the current Sale-a-Bration promotion.  So this card got the full treatment too!   I've used the 2 3/8" scallop circle punch to make the skirt.    I'm working on a video to show you how to make it - check back soon!   The bodice is made with the largest heart in the heart to heart punch.  I've wrapped the waist with ribbon - yep, from the SAB freebies as well.
There's a couple of sneaky peaky products from the upcoming mini on this card too.  Can you see them........sssshhhhhh!  But I'm not naming them, you'll have to guess and wait a couple of weeks to see if you're right!

The card base is Pear Pizzazz with a band of Calypso Coral over the top.   I am lovin' these colours together.    Anyway, dinner time!   Off you go.  Have a nice evening!

Karen

Mini Milk Carton

Poppy Parade is a red that I'm slowly getting used to.   There's something about it that's a bit garish when I see it next to Real Red & Cherry Cobbler.  Yet, on it's own, it's very pretty. 

This is a smaller-than-usual card using the vase of flowers from Button Buddies.  Our buttons are designed to coordinate with this set and the little flower ones from the Brights collection are perfect.  Everyday Enchantment was used to make the narrow border on the bottom of the card and the 2 1/2" circle behind the vase.  Pool Party ruffled ribbon completes the look.

The Mini Milk Carton is made using the die by the same name for the Big Shot.  This looks complicated, but it's super easy and you only need a small amount of Sticky Strip to hold it together.  The tag is from SU some years back.  I didn't stamp directly onto it because the metal edge makes it a bit touch and go to get a good finish so I stamped onto Very Vanilla, punched it out and stuck it on with snail.  The Trio Flower Punch (R) was used with Calypso Coral and Pool Party and tiny pearls from our Basic Jewels are the centres.
Happy Tuesday.
Karen

Valentine's Day En Francais

As much as I love making cards, I find it very difficult to make something for my husband for Valentine's Day because he's not really my  "handmade" style.  Despite that, I do always make something for him hoping that it won't turn out too girly!

Last week's class had us making Valentine's Day cards inspired/cased from a Stampin' Up! project in our latest in house magazine.

Here it is:

I like the simplicity and especially the colours - Wisteria Wonder is my fave In Color right now.  The glimmer paper is just gorgeous and so easy to work with because the glitter doesn't come off.  Great if you're averse to walking around with glitter on your face all day!

En Francais is a wonderful background stamp too.   Check out this card I made - totally different look & purpose but so delicate and pretty.

Yes, those are the SAB papers, Everyday Enchantment.   The Lucky Limeade "ribbon" was done by taking a strip of cardstock and scoring it at intervals then folding it accordian style.  My piece measured 1.8cm by 20cm & was scored at 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17 & 18 cm.  The card base is Calypso Coral & I've used the stamp from Pretty Postage that I inked with markers.

Go make something!
Karen

Mojo Monday 225

These are some of the freebies you can get during Sale-a-bration.   I am lovin' this paper, Everyday Enchantment.  It has lots of colours in it:  Lucky Limeade, Pool Party, Poppy Parade, Calypso Coral, Very Vanilla, Soft Suede & Peach Parfait.  This makes it incredibly versatile and very easy to embellish because you're bound to have something in at least one of those colours.

I really like the new Postage Punch as well.   It's part of Shelli's Signature Collection (say no more!) and is absolutely fabulous with the Pretty Postage stamp set.  Both products are in the Summer Mini Catalogue.  And to make Sale-a-bration even more attractive, there's a stamp set called Fresh Vintage that has another postage stamp in it.....ooooh I can hardly wait for my order to arrive.

I've also used Kindness Matters because the butterfly images work so well with the DSP.   I have Felicity Hawkins to thank for this today because I popped over to her blog before I started crafting.   You can also see a gorgeous card in this month's Aust Cardmaking, Stamping & Papercraft magazine by Felicity.  She really is a very talented lady.

Anyway, hope you're inside keeping dry.
Cheers
Karen

Sale-a-bration 2012

What a lovely surprise to see a different product offering this year.  Previously it has all been about stamps (and I do love that!), but this year we've got Designer Series Paper, ribbon & brads as well.

You can go check out the brochure on the Stampin' Up! website here.

How gorgeous are these papers?   This is the pack you'll get for FREE with your product purchase - unless you choose stamps, ribbon & brads that is!  Well, yes, we are spoiled for choice.  But these papers are so delicious, I'm off to make a card with them right now!

Happy Sale-a-bration!

Oh, and if you place your order with me this week (before Jan 30) I'll also include a special little surprise from me to you!

Cheers

Karen