Easter Egg Berry Basket

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Another Easter project kept simple due to the mass production going on this year…. nearly 50 of these were made here last week… that is a lot of Easter Egg & Treats going on!!
This ended up as a great sturdy little basket… not because of using the stapler to assemble but because there is both paper and card on all the sides – and the “spare” 2 x straight sided card strips cut out with the die were also glued together – and used as the handle.
Little thing – huge difference! Actually ended up strong enough for Cream Eggs etc or even Mini Eggs…

We also added a quick insert to the inside to hold up the Easter Egg… didn’t want them flopping over….
Just a 9cm card square (3 1/2”) – scored at 1 cm (3/8”) all round. And punched with the 1 3/4” Circle Punch ( tip – you have to fold over one scored side to get the punch to centre on the internal square!)

And just finished off with a Bow Builder Punch bow…simples… they all looked fab!!

But we did have a laugh…. at some point we realised that if you turned the egg over so that the thinner end is at the bottom… then you looked like you had bought a medium sized egg rather than a small egg!!! Frugal chocolate giving!!!
I hasten to add that the egg in the photo is the “right way up”
SU! Products Used
Dies -  Berry Basket
Punches etc – Handheld Stapler, Bow Builder; 1 3/4” Circle Punch;
Card & Papers – Painted Blooms, Rose Red

A New Cantilever Box in Gold Soiree papers

When I saw this week’s Weekly Deals I realised that I had not shared the latest Handled Cantilever Box I made a while ago. The stunning Gold Soiree papers and the A4 cardstock in Pistachio Pudding (& Crisp Canteloupe) are on the Deals with 25% discount until tomorrow, 31st March.  My last Sale A Bration order will be in about 9.30pm…

I have just added a bit of extra floral decoration to one of the front arms.

Tip for you though … don’t try adding any greeting to the arms … as it ends up upside down when you open the box….. luckily I worked that one out before I did it!!

I do still have the Imperial and Metric Tutorials for sale for this box. £4 by Paypal or free with a £35+ order (before P&P).

Just click on EMAIL ME at the Top Right to contact me for further details …

Or place an online order here quoting the Current Hostess Code shown at the top RHS of my blog (but don’t forget you get a Sale A Bration free item with a £45 order placed by 10.30pm GMT on Tues. 31st March)

Sheltering Tree Easel Card

 
Here is another card I made whilst being challenged by Julie Wade’s latest Team colour share… simple little easel card that says it all in the more difficult circumstances…. more details on the colour share here…
And whilst I am here… thank you for the online orders many of you have been placing over the last fortnight. For those of you that have placed an order of £20+ and quoted the hostess code BHCXUM6C I can’t wait to order your extra gifts on Tuesday night and send them out to you  - you may laugh but I really can’t wait! I SO do love to share….
Not done so yet… you are not too late… any on-line orders of £20+ (before P&P) placed by 5pm Tuesday 31st March will earn you an extra little gift direct from me… but do remember that orders of £45+ will earn you a free Sale A Bration item from Stampin’ Up! too… Just go here to order via my on line shop…
Or still toying with the idea of signing up during Sale A Bration with Stampin’ Up! through The Craft Spa … well I have an extra gift for you too…
Just 2 days left…. Sale A Bration finishes Tuesday 31st March at 10.30pm… my team, The Craft Therapists would love to have you join us! The more the merrier… Best thing I did!! But I guess you could say I am rather biased….

Pull Treat Holder for Easter Chocolate

Keeping it simple for Easter this year… Lots of bulk production going on at The Craft Spa classes this year!! So I had to promise…..

A few more of these and the tutorial to be shared later in the week…..

Berry Basket Planter… Work in Progress!

A few of you asked what Berry Basket project I had been originally plotting for my mothers’ Ferrero Rocher treats for Mothers Day…

Well it looked like this… but those heavy little chocolates just made it tip over… so I went back to the drawing board… but in the meantime some little blossoms from Indescribable Gift just made it in the planter…so I think you can get the idea…. definitely a work in progress….. though now not for Easter…. plotting for her birthday in July now!!

And yes…. the base is made from 2 Berry Basket die cut sides too… just an extra score 3/4”(2cm) down from the die-score-line…eh voila!

The “stand part” is added…simple little long box that goes neatly into the base through a punched square with tabs opened up underneath…

WOW! Great Weekly Deals this week….

Oh wow!! Great deals at 25% off this week… think this is the best overall selection so far!

Our favourite tool…. THE ENVELOPE PUNCH BOARD for just £13.46…I know some people that will be SO happy to see that on there…

3 very popular colour A4 cardstock packs (Pistachio Pudding, Crisp Canteloupe and Rich Razzleberry)… 24 pieces  of card for just £4.69

The gorgeous Gold soiree papers…that co-ordinate SO well with the Pistachio Pudding & Crisp Canteloupe!! Oh and I have a lovely creative share using these papers…coming soon…

And the Rich Regals Designer Paper Stack and Wisteria Wonder Seam Binding Ribbon

Click on the picture to go straight to the page for full details….

I will next be ordering early Tuesday evening  - so these deals will still be live then….

OR for those ordering on-line – remember to quote Hostess Code BHCXUM6C on your order… and a little gift will arrive separately in the post from me for any order over £20 (before P&P)

Sheer Perfection Vellum and last week of Sale A Bration….

Oh… am I glad I got my hands on some of the SAB promotion Sheer Perfection Vellum. It is gorgeous!

Now only available with a £45 order until next Tuesday, 31st March… Yes only 7 days left of Sale A Bration 2015… so… my last SAB order will be going in on 31st March

I spent a fabulous 2 hours at the weekend with my markers and embossing stylus – just playing around!

Oh and loving the twisted triple Thick Bakers Twine too…

If you look closely you will see about 10 different embossing patterns!!

So here are a few cards made with my endeavours….

I have 3 more sheets all coloured and ready to go… but I don’t think I will get to make any cards with those until the weekend…

If you are not sure how to colour vellum & the Sale A Bration Irresistibly Yours papers …here is a You Tube video just released from Stampin’ Up! to give you some techniques…. lots of other colouring videos there too… be sure to check a few out!!

Apart from the “yellow flowers” card…. notice the colours I have used… these are the In Colors that will soon be leaving us…. Coastal Cabana, Strawberry Slush & Pistachio Pudding on the butterflies…and Crisp Cantaloupe on the other flowers… Also Baked Brown Sugar to make up the five 2013-15 In Colors.

If you like these colours – stock up now. If you want the markers – buy them now… If you have the inkpads…make sure you buy the ink refills now.

Do not wait till 1st May when I post the Retiring List… they are usually out of stock by the early hours of 1st May!! Every year… I always have a disappointed customer... This year… I don’t want that to be you!

Sheltering Tree Tabbed Square Pop Out Swing Card aka Square Lever Card

A card challenge and a colour challenge here….

First the colour challenge…our lovely Team challenge setter, Julie Wade has been missing doing her colour combinations work for the team and so popped what she is currently using on our Team Page last Friday. Pistachio Pudding , Always Artichoke, Sahara Sand & Basic Black .

I took one look …and thought…WOW! So I rushed off to make a few cards… and … I love it… it really is an amazing combination Julie!! THANK YOU!

Then my card challenge… I have seen a few Pop Out Swing cards around on the Internet over the past couple of months – so I have had the card format pinned and on my To Do List for a while.

So I found my pinned projects- both by fellow SU! demos and both which have video tutorials – the first one by  Dawn Griffiths and the second by Julie Davison.

But these are for the standard US 8 1/2” x 11” cardstock. So I converted to  a size more suitable for our European A4. And made a sample… coming soon!

But something was not working for me…!! So I went back to the drawing board and searched around the internet a bit more… and found the Splitcoast Stampers Lever Card Tutorial by Laura Lipe. That card solved the bit that wasn’t working … so another sample…coming soon!

But then I decided I really wanted a large square card! So here it is… But actually with a completely different solution for the bit that was bothering me….!! More on that another day!!

Edited to Add... Click here for the Tutorial ...

Yes sorry… that is code for no tutorial today… as my back is still agony after about 10 minutes on the PC…. but I have a cunning plan come April…. so I hope that then I will be able to hit that backlog of Tutorials to share…. watch this space… and keep your fingers crossed…..

Congratulations Graduate – Class of 2015

Following on from yesterdays post of Congratulations on Passing Your Driving Test cards… I kept going with the same theme and grabbed my new Class of 2015 stamp too.

So here you have a clean & simple graduation DL card – loving the Bravo wording set!

So now we have a quartet!

CAS Congratulations card for passing your driving test!

Well I had a challenge on my hands today! Which turned out to be a lovely half hour designing and playing!!

One of my lovely team, Rebecca passed her driving test this week – and I thought a congratulations card was in order!

But the stamp cupboard proved very bare! Until I remembered the wonderful Bravo set – which has congratulations greetings in about every size you could want!!

And then the idea for a ripped up learner L-plate struck me for an embellishment… and the new Sophisticated Serifs alphabet was out in any case… perfect…

Smaller L and a quick 1” square punch and it was done … though I ended up cutting the L-plate diagonally as ripping it just didn’t work for me!! Bit too random…

But it still needed a little something…. so Sheltering Tree came to the rescue. Again that was out already too.

Have to admit that I LOVE to use the leaves/blossoms image around a plain white panel. Really subtle but just lifts the whole thing….

And then the card was passed onto its new owner….

But as I had made it… I realised that these were the first driving test passing cards I have made ever!

And that I will start needing a lot of them from next year – yes Joe and all his friends will hit 17… WOW!! Where did that come from….

So I carried on , made another one & kept playing around to make a little trio. Simple but do the job I think!!

Double Berry Basket for Two! Keeping it Simple!

 

Sometimes things just have to be kept simple! And this really was for me… as I even had the wreath image from For The New Two left over and ready to go! But it was just SO perfect…

So here is a simple way to present 2 chocolate Easter eggs at one go… a double Berry Basket…

Want to make one for yourself… you just need the Berry Basket die and go to fellow US demonstrator, LeeAnn Greff’s blog here to see a video tutorial she has posted on how to double it up…

Loving my Berry Basket die… I have a long list of Things I Want to Make…wonder how far I will get down it! 3 made so far….

Another Something Borrowed Tri Fold Mini Album

Following on from the popularity of my white Tri Fold Mini Album the other week – I  made another...

This was done so that I could photo some step by steps and produce the tutorial – but  as I was also demonstrating the album in a class situation… I got carried away and made up the new album as I went along… oops…

So I need to go back to the drawing board and make another & remember to photo this time!! Though it may turn out to be a good thing… as I am not sure you would have been able to see anything with the Blackberry Bliss colour I had selected for this version!! As I know that some of you are wanting the tutorial - thank you for your patience in this matter!!!

Doesn’t it look scrummy in the Blackberry Bliss! It is also slightly more hard-wearing too….

This is exactly the same as the original version – apart from the Blackberry Bliss outer – and 2 more details on the front cover…

Firstly – I didn’t have another roses die cut panel – as I had pinched it for using as a mask for sponging through – so I just used it as a mask for sponging through!!! I wonder how long this little mask is going to last!!

Secondly – I had no more Artisan Embellishments to use on the front – so I used the last 2 roses I had after making my big LOVE card  - one was daubed strongly with Blackberry Bliss ink (and left to dry for days!) – the other was left as Blushing Bride… finished off with a large pearl into the centre…

SU! Products Used

Stamps – For the New Two, Your Perfect Day, Crazy About You, Banner Banter, Tag Talk

Punches – Label Bracket, 1 3/8” Circle, 1 1/4” Circle, 1” Circle, 3/4”Circle, non-SU! 7/8” Circle

Embellishments – Artisan Embellishments Kit, Bakers Twine Blushing Bride

Papers & Card stock –  DSP Something Borrowed, 12x12 Blackberry Bliss, Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Blushing Bride

Inks – Blackberry Bliss, Sahara Sand

Free or reduced Embossing Folders anyone? Even more Sale A Bration items for you & Weekly Deals

This is my second post today – go straight here to see today's creative share …

Wow! Stampin’ Up have just released even more items that you can earn for free during the Sale A Bration promotion. Great items for those that love their embossing folders…

One free for every £45 ordered. But remember this promotion ends soon…31st March…only 2 weeks to go… and all these promotional items are now only available while stocks last…

Just click on the pictures to go straight to the “big” flyers

And so as to have all of the promotional SAB items in the one place … here are the new SAB items released at the beginning of the month….

And here are the original set released in January…. remember that the Blendabilities are no longer available.

And if that is not enough good news… here are the Weekly Deals released today…ending next Tuesday. Even more embossing folders to choose from … Again just click on the picture to go to the big screen version!

Clean & Simple Indescribable Gift for Easter

No guesses for which beautiful stamp set I have now got out in the craft room!
I was not going to buy this set – as I am a long-term collector/keeper of blossoms images – and I really thought that it was time to stop…!
But I had a few free £ to spend on an order – that is the bit I love about being a demonstrator! – free money to spend… so well… I just had to order it after all… shame!

So my first share… is well… as clean and simple as you can go… but there is something special about it in the flesh!
I really don’t think it comes over in the photos… but you can feel those flowers and leaves… as I used part of the Paper Tole technique. Have to admit that as soon as Splitcoast Stampers posted this Weekly Tutorial – I immediately pulled out this stamp set… it just cries out to be used with this technique!
I didn’t do any cutting…as I am not really safe to be let loose with a craft knife!
So I just used the thin ball end of my embossing stylus on the front/stamped face to go around the edges of the flowers and leaves. That creates the shape of the images onto the back of the panel. Then I turned the panel over and – with the thick Stampin Pierce foam mat placed underneath – I  used the thick ball end to shape within those image areas…

Result popped up images without any fuss! Adds such great texture to such a simple card… Great technique, must be tried!
SU! Products Used
Stamps – Indescribable Gift
Inks – Memento Black, Rose Red & Aquapainter, Soft Sky & Aquapainter
Markers – Pink Pirouette, Crumb Cake, Pistachio Pudding
Cardstock – Pink Pirouette, Rose Red, Whisper White