Everyday Hero Card

Loved this swap card from Karen Watts at KraftingK that I received at the last Team Training... though I just had to mount it onto a larger card so it had more presence on my display... hope you approve of my little addition Karen!!!

Stunning card in the flesh... a real eye catcher...

Pop over to Karen's for more details on what she used... tell her I sent you!!

And I can't wait to play with this Everyday Hero stamp set for myself.... a set I have bought just for me! Release the inner child...

Let's look inside a card!

This is the final version of the Pop Out Z Fold cards I made for classes and my customer order-thank you cards this month - for which the tutorial is here

Have to admit that this is my favourite pinks version - the Sahara Sand card blank calms those pinks down well for me!!!

And thought I would share a little addition/tweak added on the spot! 

One of my class ladies was perturbed with writing her personal greeting on coloured cardstock... so I quickly added a 6.7 x 10cm (2 5/8" x 4" for my US readers) piece of Whisper White card on the back panel to "finish" off the card for her... easy!

Right - Blooms done and dusted!!! And a huge creative week ahead of me (which is code for no classes being run so I can create to my hearts content!! YAY!)

Stylised Birthday Blooms...

Now you should recognise most of this card from yesterday... but this is a de-wreathed and simpler version for you...

I often end up with packs left over from my classes as my half-dayers don't finish everything or ladies can't make it on the day... this week I had both occurrences... so I gained a couple of cards for the Sell box...

Yesterday's was the result of demoing how to make the wreath in class... and today's was the result of a spare pack, spare flowers I had already cut out and no minutes in the day to stamp another wreath... so Stylised Birthday came to the rescue!

Though I have to admit that I would cut a slightly smaller panel and mat if I was designing this card from fresh.... would make sense to see more of the pretty papers!

Now hopefully my ladies will now let me move on from the Blooms & Wishes stamps and Blooms & Bliss papers!! Can't tell you how popular these have been in my classes over the last month.... 

Though - oh my word - I have just thought of a must make using the papers when my next order arrives!!! My lips are sealed....

And I have to admit that I have thoroughly enjoyed using the combination of these products - even though I did think I had had enough of flowers for a while!!! And most especially in the Island Indigo, Mint Macaron & Sahara Sand colour combination (no surprises there!!!) 

Where there is a Bloom there is a wreath...

Remember this card... well if you flip the Blooms & Bliss paper panel over... this is what you get... so much softer and prettier...

Only other change is the greeting... and what a beautiful greeting... think this will be my go to large Happy Birthday greeting for a while... from the Birthday Blast stamp set in the new Spring Summer (Occasions) catalogue.

I was lucky enough to win this set from the On Stage Prize Patrol back in November... so nice to start finally using it! And of course the co-ordinating Star Blast dies too...

And here are the 2 versions side by side...

So Detailed Thank You

Quick and simple... but so beautiful! 

This die cut is so delicate and stunning... can't wait to work with these dies more as I create my February class projects!

Spot the fabulous Sale A Bration ribbon too... yours for free with a £45 order! Ribbon duo - one spool in silver, other in gold

Greeting care of the One Big Meaning stamp set...

Avant Garden again...

Last one of the mini-series! Though this one was actually the first one I made... call it the prototype!

Sky and background created using the Acrylic Block Stamping Technique which I love to use from time to time... but that causes some of my ladies to cringe out loud!! Just too random for their taste! And I have to laugh as I decided that it was too random for a swap card production line... hence the switch to something different for the day...

Soft Sky used over all the block and Island Indigo on the bottom...

Avant Garden Palm Trees as described in more detail here... 

Avant Garden Palm Trees Duo

 

Couple more quick card ideas using the Avant Garden Palm Trees for which I posted the details for yesterday.

Edited to Add - but also click here  to see my favourite card using this concept...

First up a simple Small Square card with a panel trio... with wording from the Lift Me Up stamp set... seemed relevant!

The card is a 21cm (ie A4wide) x 10.5cm Thick Whisper White panel scored LANDSCAPE in half at 10.5cm to make the 10.5cm card blank... 

With a 9.3cm wide x 9.9cm high Soft Sky mat... which is stamped as yesterday's and then trimmed into 3 x 3.1cm wide panels. 

Unfortunately I had to drop this card format as my finished swap card as I realised the time!! Or rather lack of it... sorry girls! 

Second up... a Small Square Pop Out Z Fold card - for which the tutorial is posted here... though I stuck down the left hand side on this version....

Avant Garden - Palm Trees

So it was time for me to design a swap card for Team Training... I noted down a few ideas (or 6).... and tried a few ideas out... but all went in the reject bin...

And then suddenly a strange thought came to me! And why not... who says the Sale A Bration promotional set Avant Garden should just for flowers!! Yours for free with any £45 order...

And once the idea was there... nothing else could come to mind! 

Edited to Add - but also click here  to see my favourite card using this concept...

So time to fill you in on a few details....

Garden Green greeting, Tip Top Taupe trunks and palm tree leaves (more on these later) care of Avant Garden - as is the little island (leaf stamp)...

Sky and sea care of Perpetual Birthday Calendar and Soft Sky ink...

And back to the Palm Tree leaves... inked up in Wild Wasabi and then Kissed on a pre-inked Garden Green large textured blotch stamp from Touches of Textures (see bottom centre of the stamp set image)

Stitched Shapes largest square and Layering Squares scalloped square (2nd largest) for the focal point... and yes Stitched Shapes dies back and still in stock...

Hope you like this idea... as I have a few more cards to share! No more January blues for me... thinking of holidays on islands in the sun now.... 

Hot Lips...

Just thought I would re-share this simple little card which seems to be having a very big revival in views this year! Must have been ahead of my time! Though I really wish I had taken the photo from slightly further away!!! More details here 

Off to Quarterly Team Training today... yay! A happy day crafting with friends & sharing business tips... what is not to love! So I will be back later with my swap card...

Sale A Bration Carried Away Papers

A few projects to share with you using the Sale A  Bration Carried Away papers. Yours for free with an order of £45 or more... These have been proving very popular amongst my ladies!

The first card is one we made at our Team Training at the beginning of the month... almost dream like! Balloons over an English patchwork field network!

And the following creations are ones that Stampin Up! and the Design Team made earlier (said in true Blue Peter fashion!)

These papers co-ordinate fantastically with the new Lift Me Up Stamps and Up & Away dies - bundled in both Wood Mount and Clear Mount for you...  

And guess what... buy these in the Wood Mount (or buy in Clear Mount - with a Tombow too!) and you get the Carried Away for Papers for free as well...

And... in order to keep all these balloons together... here are some more projects made earlier by the Stampin' Up team with the Lift Me Up stamps & Up & Away dies... 

And there is even a video for you here too... click on the pic to play!

Lovely little set of products... well worth a crafty play!

Blooms & Bliss Small Square Pop Out Z Fold Card Tutorial

Here is the rest of the batch of my January Blooms & Bliss Thank You cards... simple little Small Square Pop Out Z Fold cards which are really simple to make but that have really WOWed those that have seen or made them... 

You may notice that this Island Indigo and Mint Macaron batch is smaller than the pinks batch shared yesterday - no guesses as to which colour range has been favourite around here!! I can confirm that there are none of the Indigo/Mint papers left!

Here is the original format... with the same piece of paper used on the back faces - first shared here...

And so the tutorial for you... 

Edited to Add 30 Jan - see here for a useful addition & look inside the card

But before that... did I tell you that the Stitched Shape Framelits are now back in stock... I sincerely hope that they do not go out of stock again.... far too good!!

Metric Recipe - Small Square (10.5cm) Pop Out Z Fold Card 

Cardstock 21 x 10.5cm

Paper 10cm Square (or alternatively 6.7x10cm, 3.3x 10cm - and ignore step 4)

Paper 3x10cm 

Instructions

1. Place cardstock LANDSCAPE on trimmer

2. Score at 10.5cm & 3.5cm

3. Bone Fold into a Z Fold Card (Short as Mountain, Long/Centre as Valley)

4. Cut 10cm Square of paper at 6.7cm

5  Adhere 6.7cm (wider) paper to front left of card (TIP- right up to the RH score line) and narrower to inside back of card

6. Adhere 3 x 10cm paper to central section

7. Die cut the 2nd largest scalloped Layering Square

8. Die cut the largest Stitched Shapes square

9. Stamp & decorate as desired

10.Adhere all parts (TIP - think about where you want your glue  - I quickly put a line down centre, then a line either side - see visual!)

And an extra card for you - use the largest Scalloped Layering Square diagonally.... and then you have this version.... as first shared here... Perfect scalloped square size (for the metric version) Stamped Whisper White panel is 7cm (2 3/4")

Recipe (US readers) - Small Square 4 1/4" Pop Out Z Fold Card 

Cardstock 8 1/2 x 4 1/4"

Paper 4" Square (or alternatively 2 5/8" x 4", 1 3/8" x 4"- and ignore step 4)

Paper 1 1/4"x 4" 

US Readers Instructions

1. Place cardstock LANDSCAPE on trimmer

2. Score at 4 1/4" & 2 3/4" 

3. Bone Fold into a Z Fold Card (Short as Mountain, Long/Centre as Valley)

4. Cut 4" Square of paper at 2 5/8"

5  Adhere 2 5/8"(wider) paper to front left of card (TIP- right up to the RH score line) and narrower to inside back of card

6. Adhere 1 1/4"x 4" paper to central section

7-10 See above...

Blooms & Bliss Customer Thank You Cards in the Pinks!

Very quick share today as the photos have not all uploaded... so I need to search!  Luckily one came through so I can show you some of my endeavours today!

These are part of a batch that I have made to send to my customers with their January orders... along with a little something as a gift... I am feeling very organised with these this month!! A first time!!!

These are made in the same way as this one shared earlier... simple little card that has some WOW... Tutorial here...

Sale A Bration Inside the Lines Paper... Six Ways...

Here is another Sale A Bration promotional product that is proving extremely popular... again your for free with a £45 product order

Release your inner adult colouring self for pure art therapy... either colour a little bit - or a lot! Or even not at all! And when you have done... make a quick and easy card...

Great for using with those Watercolor Pencils... though I would recommend blending with a Blender pen as these are paper... and so will warp if you add too much water with an AquaPainter...

For samples at the top of the post...and then onto a couple I made...

First up is a card we made at Team Training a fortnight ago... very therapeutic and a lovely simple card...

Second up is a card we made at the Stampin Up! On Stage event... small amount of colouring but a very effective card none the less...

And third up is the Product video...for those of you that need to see more... just press on the picture to load it up...