Floral and feminine

 

 

Hi my stamping friends!

 

Sorry for the little blogging break there! I have been a tad busy as my hubby is in Melbourne now studying for his new job and I am sorting things and trying to get organised (and continue to live life with my three little people!) before we move in October. If you are a stamper in Melbourne - please stop by my facebook page and say 'hello' - it would be so lovely to know some stampers to meet up with once I am settled :-)

 

Today I have a couple of pretty cards to share with you from the last workshop I held here in Cairns. It was such a beautiful morning for a workshop and the hostess had the most amazing spread of yummy food and a great HUGE table so it was a fun time!

 

This first card was our make and take. Using my favourite blue, Baja breeze teamed with Island indigo ribbon, Very vanilla and Old olive for the greenery on the stamp.

We used marker to stamp for this image from 'Just believe', a stamp set I have had my eye on ever since it debuted last year. I finally ordered it in August! We stamped the image first and the sentiment and then cut that lovely label shape using our new framelits in the Big shot. Gosh, they are the handiest and most versatile tool I own yet! I love them :) And of course, like most of my cards I have managed to use that gorgeous Vintage wallpaper embossing folder! lol

 

 

The second card was one I demonstrated before our make and take. It is based on my favourite new in color, Raspberry ripple matched with Perfect plum and Crumb cake. This lovely colour combo was from the Color coach - such a fantastic tool to help you for those times when the perfect colour combo escapes you!
I started by running the pretty Love Blossoms standard wheel along the base of the card, using Raspberry ripple ink (note how the same colour ink stands out on the cardstock). The gorgeous floral image is from 'You are loved', again using markers to ink up the stamp in Raspberry ripple and Lucky limeade. I then ran the image through the big shot using the oval Designer frames folder and cut around the edge of it. The square lattice embossing folder added a little texture to the crumb cake card stock and the scallop trim border punch pretties up the edge.
 

 

This was sadly my last Cairns workshop :( I am going to have to have a little break from workshops as we move and settle in Melbourne and shall see where we go from there. I just love sharing this craft with others, it's such a joy to see people amazed at what they have created!

I can still place orders or have a catalogue sent directly to you so please don't hesitate to contact me if you would like me to do that for you.

 

I also have a couple of sales happening over on my facebook page - some Retired Stamps and some Hand made cards. Click on the links if you would like to have a look :-)

 

I hope you have enjoyed a little bit of pretty inspiration for your day... hoping you find some time to create soon!

 

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Vintage Apothecary Arts

Hi my stamping friends!

Time to share a card with you that is a little bit vintage. I am loving these Label shaped framelits and the Apothecary arts set. It's so simple to use them together for a beautiful effect. You just stamp your image and then place the frame over the image and run it through the big shot to cut it out.

Apothecary arts is a beautiful set for watercolouring. Here I have used a combination of Stampin' write markers and aquapainter to colour the image.

I have also embossed the Crumb cake cardstock with my favourite, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder and sponged it lightly with Whisper white craft ink. 

The ribbon is the Chantilly crochet trim, only available until August 31, 2012 and is finished off with a charming rhinestone brad.



Don't forget to place your order for retiring items. Some items have sold out already!

Happy Stamping!
Love,
Claire  

Something "manly"

Hi my stamping friends :)

I truly used to fear making mens cards but over the years I have realised that they are actually quite easy! I have a few key tips for making mens cards:

• Rough it up a bit. Distress the edges using not too sharp scissors or our Cutter kit (p.149 of the Idea book and catalogue)
• Ink up the edges using a Stamping sponge or sponge dauber and the same colour ink as cardstock. This just gives a bit of an antique/aged look. 
• Add some metal. Stampin' up!s Metallic Brads are perfect! 
• Add some texture. I have to hold myself back from using my square lattice embossing folder on every mens card I make! 

The card pictured is one that we made on Friday evening at an in home workshop. The hostess asked for some ideas for mens cards and this one I felt was fairly neutral and could work for different ages. See, you can even make a man card without a car or a boat stamp in sight!

We used the super fun Grunge rock stamp set and some of the girls who knew guitar playing men decided to add a little stamped and hand cut guitar image from the same stamp set to their cards. I love seeing the creativity expressed at workshops! It's awesome.

If you'd like to host your own workshop (and request a theme) then please let me know as I would be thrilled to help you out! Don't forget until the end of July we are still showing our hostesses how much we love them by giving them an extra $90 to spend when sales reach $650!

Happy Stamping!
Love Claire

Tea Shoppe easel card

 

Hi my stamping friends!

Today I have a little easel card to share with you made with our new Label Framelits.I've used one of my most favourite stamp sets here, Morning cup and a sentiment from the new Tea Shoppe stamp set. You can also see a little of the new pleated satin ribbon hiding in there :)

The inside sentiment is from "Tea Shoppe", heart embossing from the new Adorning accents embossing folders and an Antique brad holds the card open when it is standing.

 Please ask if you have any questions!
Happy Stamping!
Love, Claire

New mini and a stamping class!

Hi my stamping Friends!!

It's April! Time for a new mini catalogue! YAY!
Oh and it's so beautiful... please click the link to the right of this post to see the lovely new Autumn-Winter mini catalogue. I had to seriously hold myself back from buying almost everything in this one!

Below I have a little card which uses a few new products!

We have a gorgeous new set of diecutting frames for the big shot. They are called Framelit labels and come in a set of 6 so you can cut out and layer them! And, of course, it wouldn't be Stampin'up! without a co-ordinating stamp set! The lovely Apothecary Art set works delightfully with the framelits. The stamp set includes four label shaped stamps of different sizes and two greetings, "Happiest birthday"and "So grateful".



In this next photo you may also notice some divine new pleated satin ribbon in Baja breeze as well as that dainty little patterned paper down the bottom there which is from the Twitterpated range that includes DSP (Designer series papers), Designer fabric, some flowery little designer buttons in Blushing bride and Baja breeze and of course that ribbon! Yummo!

 

You can see here I have also had some fun with the Vintage wallpaper and Square lattice embossing folders and the sweet little Scallop trim border punch. The little flower comes from the Boho bossoms punch and has a little pearl as the centre.
The colours used on this card are Whisper white, Lucky limeade, Basic Gray, Calypso coral, Poolparty (marker), Baja breeze (ribbon and DSP).

I will be running a stamping class next Thursday evening, April 19th at 7:30pm. And this is one of the cards we will be making on the night. If you can make it along please RSVP by April 16th.

Thanks for looking and Happy Stamping!
Love Claire