Easter Bunny is coming…..

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….so I thought I had better get on and make some Easter cards.
Again, I have used the Oval Framelits along with the very cute Everybunny stamp set – too cute!
I am a bit addicted to banners and flags on my cards at the moment, so I have used the gorgeous Tea For Two Designer Series Papers to create them here, and some brads to “secure” them at the top.  Little bunny has been heat embossed using black embossing powder and then coloured using inks and a blender pen.
You can contact me if you would like more information about any of the products I have used for this card, and since Easter is less than a month away, contact me also to order your Easter stamps and papers now so that you have some time to create something special for someone special! 🙂
Hope you have a crafty weekend.  Happy Stamping!
Chris

Oval Framelits

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I have to apologise for my lack of posts recently, things have been rather busy in our household.  I have been doing a little crafting so I will try to catch up and share some of them with you.
Today I will share a card that I made using the new Oval Framelits.  I just love oval shapes, especially on cards, but have only just had the chance to try them out.  Need a few more hours in the day, I feel.  Or perhaps I just need to sleep less 🙂

This card uses the Everything Eleanor, Papillon Potpourri and Apothecary Art stamp sets, along with the colours Bashful Blue and Midnight Muse and a half of one of the pretty doilies.

Promise to be back soon with more of my creations.
Happy stamping!
Chris

Dynamic Duos #41

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This week’s Dynamic Duo‘s colours are:

Yum… another gorgeous combination!
The colour reminds of a beautiful clear ocean, so I made my card using the new By The Tide stamp set.

I have also used the French Foliage set to add some “bubbles” in the background along with the Square Lattice embossing folder and some sponging around the edges, and paper piercing and faux stitching of course! 🙂

You can see what the rest of the Design Team have done with these colours here.  Please join us and share your wonderful creations.
Happy stamping!
Chris

 

Swallowtail

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Have you noticed that I like butterflies?
Well, I do, and Stampin’ Up! keep bringing out such beautiful butterfly stamps.

What do you think?  Isn’t he just the most beautiful butterfly?
Trust me, you will be seeing quite a lot more of this stamp, it’s called Swallowtail.  Despite that it is quite large, and actually slightly bigger than our standard card size, it still looks gorgeous slightly off-set or just using half as I have done here.

I have heat embossed the butterfly using black embossing powder onto white cardstock and then coloured inside the embossed areas using So Saffron ink and a blender pen, and just gently going over and over the areas so as not to rough up the cardstock.
I have to say that Mr Butterfly looks much more stunning in real life.
Hope you are having a crafty Tuesday.  Happy Stamping!
Chris

More Masculine Cards

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In some of my previous posts, here and here, I started giving you some tips on making masculine cards, and I wanted to keep going with those and show you a few more that I have made recently.
In my previous posts I spoke about using Textured Embossing Folders, and also patterned papers on your masculine cards, and today I am going to look at torn paper or cardstock.

I have two cards to share with you today.

With this first one, I have stamped the image first and then torn around both the stamped piece of cardstock and then separately torn the Early Espresso layer.  I have made the two layers about half a centimeter different in size  so that the bottom layer does show underneath.  This card also uses some patterned papers from the Comfort Cafe DSP and a button from the Artisan Embellishment Kit.

The second card has a torn edge at the bottom of the Cherry Cobbler layer.  Both times, the torn edges give the cards a nice vintage feel to them, and adds some texture and interest to the card.

Both cards make use of the fantastic Feeling Sentimental stamp set, which is an exclusive Sale-a-Bration set, so make sure you order it while you can! It’s a great set for masculine cards, but I have seen some really nice feminine cards made with it too.

I have heaps more to share with you, there has been lots of crafting in our house recently, so stay tuned!
Happy stamping!
Chris

Dynamic Duos #40

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This week’s colour challenge from Dynamic Duos is to use the colours Tempting Turquoise and Basic Black, what a stunning combination!  As an extra option, you can use clouds on your creation, however I chose not to with this week’s challenge.


I used this combination to make hubbies Valentine’s card, rather than traditional colours, but wanted to do something a little different, so I have made a swing card.  I haven’t attempted these before, and was quite pleased with how it turned out, however it does make it rather difficult to photograph!  So I apologise in advance for the photo, really doesn’t do it justice.

I have used the Hearts a Flutter stamp set and the matching Framelits Dies (current Seasonal Catalogue, Page 11), and also included one of the “Love” tickets from the Artisan Embellishments Kit ( current Seasonal Catalogue, Page 10).  And I have used the cute little hearts from the Henry Says stamp set.

I do hope you join us again this week.  Lots of inspiration again from the rest of the wonderful Design Team.

Happy Stamping!
Chris

Patterned Occasions

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I couldn’t resist this gorgeous stamp set, called Patterned Occasions, mainly because of the cute little Ellie…. isn’t he gorgeous?
So I have spent some of my morning making up some thank you cards for my customers. I have also used the Sycamore Street papers – love the colours!

Don’t forget, you can also get this stamp set, and also the papers, during the Sale-a-Bration promotion, between now and the 22nd March.  You get one product free for every $100 spent, and there are heaps of lovely things that you can get free.  Love it!
Just send me an email if you would like to make the most of the Sale-a-Bration promotion, and place an order.

Sorry for the short post today, I am a little weary, having spent the weekend in Sydney.  Be back real soon with some yummy new stuff from the new catalogue (rubbing hands together!) 🙂
Happy stamping!
Chris

Dynamic Duos #39

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Gorgeous colour combination this week, one that I just love…. Pink Pirouette and Pool Party – yes of course, lovely girly colours 🙂

Too many ideas came to mind with this combination so it’s probably a good thing that it has been a busy week and I haven’t had much time to make the hundreds of different ideas I had!  I did, however, once again use Everything Eleanor again for this week’s card.  I do apologise for my current obsession, I promise to try to use something different for next week’s creation.

I have used the embossing folder called Holiday Frame (not currently available, but you never know if it might be in the future….) which is supposed to be a Christmas one, it has a little Christmas tree, but if you turn it side ways and cover up the Christmas tree with leaves, no one would ever know!  I just think it is really pretty and works well as an oval frame.
I have then used the oval from the Designer Frames Folders in Pool Party which has been cut out by hand.  The greeting is from You Are Loved and punched out using the large Oval Punch.  Flowers from Everything Eleanor have been cut by hand and layered.  Some lovely seam binding ribbon, leaves and a gorgeous Vintage Brad and for some reason I am still not entirely pleased with how this card turned out.  Oh well, lots of other ideas running around for these colours, so I can always make something else 🙂

Make sure you check out the inspiration from the rest of the Design Team, and please share your creations with us, we love to see what you have come up with.
Happy stamping!
Chris

A Scrap Page….

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… finally!!  Yes, I finally started and completed a scrap page today.
In the last two years I have only done one scrap page and even that one I wasn’t particularly happy with.  My mojo has been completely lost when it came to scrapping, but today I decided it was time…. yep, time to force myself to make just one page.

This is the thing I love so much about Stampin’ Up!, everything is so well coordinated that it makes it just so much easier to make something quickly and easily without too much difficulty (unless your mojo is MIA), so once I got into the swing of it, things fell into place pretty easily.  What do you think…..?

I have used the Comfort Cafe Designer Series Papers for this page, and just matched up the colours for my card stock, except for the base which is Sahara Sand.  And keeping in line with my obsession with paper piercing I have used the template to pierce some circles – I like the contrast of the different shapes and geometrical patterns.
This page is 8 x 8 inches, and because I have used a smaller size for this page, I didn’t want to have journalling visible, so I have cut a tag using the Two Tags Die, layered some vanilla card stock on top and attached some Linen Thread. And yes, even the journalling is finished!
Did you realise that if you turned those pieces of patterned paper over, it would make a lovely feminine page?  Stampin’ Up! are so clever at this stuff…… 🙂

I just wanted to thank all of you for the lovely messages about my mishap on the weekend, my thumb is fine and healing up nicely, although still quite painful.  Not painful enough to stop me from stamping though 🙂  Thanks again, I really appreciate your kind thoughts.

Well, you never know, I just may have turned the scrapping corner, and you may just get to see a few more of these soon 🙂
Happy stamping!
Chris