It's almost time! Happy Christmas Eve... with Dashing Deer

So a quick share of some more Christmas cards which are 5 variants on a theme... based upon this card here...

And these will be arriving with Spring Summer Catalogues and Sale A Bration leaflets  at some of your houses... sometime in the post soon... automatically for those of you ordering over £40 of Stampin' Up! product over the past year... but...

For anyone else that is in the market for Stampin' Up! products... yes I would love to be your Demonstrator.... so please do not hesitate to contact me for your own copies in the mail...

But back to the card... and the first 3 variants are up first...

First up... a switch to Smoky Slate and Balmy Blue colours... for a brighter feel...

Then a switch from a stamped background panel to a Twinkle Twinkle starry panel... as I had a few of these panels left over from all my Farmhouse Christmas box frames!!

And then a version with the paper flipped to the Granite Gray starry background on the other side... and Sahara Sand deer and greetings...

Though I do have to admit to the greeting not making as much sense with the stars as it does the snowflakes!!!! Just didn't think about that at the time...

And spot that I did move the snow banks when I re-made these cards to this design ... much better positioning of the deer's tummy!

So which one do you prefer? Snow... Blue... or Grey?

But wait ... there's more... I then needed to make a few more... 

So I simplified the design another step... so another 2 variants... though blink and you may miss the difference!

Both without a matted panel... just the paper background...

Dashing Deer

So by the time you ready this... 2018 On Stage is over... and I am back home busily preparing for a busy week of classes... but I will be back with you to share lots of news very soon....In the meantime this is the last of my pre-On Stage-prepared blog posts...

Another clean & simple Dashing Deer card for you... with a bit more colour! Gray Granite meets Poppy Parade...

Dashing Deer and All is Glistening...

A perfect blend of 2 stamp sets in my humble opinion!!

First up the beautiful Dashing Deer (in Gray Granite)...

Second up the new (but limited time availability) set on the block, Snow is Glistening for that perfect snowflake line (in Pool Party) and stunning greetings (in Gray Granite)

Set on a couple of hand torn snow banks,,,torn edge sponged in Pool Party and Dazzling Diamonds Stampin Glitter -ed all over!!

Just one thing I would change next time,,, my 2nd bank needs to be lower down the card! So you can see the deer's tummy over the snow line... So annoyed that I momentarily lost my focus!!

See here for all the details on Snow is Glistening and the co-ordinating Snowflake Showcase products - available in November only while supplies last!

And remember to add the Host Code when ordering for a free gift from me in the post during December... 

Homemade Kindness meets Winter Woods...

Hello for another Fancy Fold Friday post... and this is a remake of a Homemade Kindness classic! Click here for the original...

I was asked to make it "more christmassy"... so I reckon the Winter Woods christmas tree does just that... And difficult to see...but the tree is also overloaded with glitter... as that is the way most of my ladies like things!! And finished off with a tiny shimmered Vegas Gold Festive Farmhouse Element star at the top...

Oh and as the punch was out (for the stove top) ... The pot under the tree is just a Basic Black 1/2" punched circle... snipped off flat at one side to form the bottom... Whisper White craft ink around the edge and tree set on top...

I also flipped the Festive Farmhouse papers... which I reckon makes everything look warmer and cozier...

And finally ... this time... I heat embossed the stove image in Black onto Basic Grey... and then stamped it again in Memento Black on Whisper White ... coloured just the parts I needed... and cut out the parts on both that I needed... lot less colouring this way!

And a final little tip for you... you just cut up the sides of the whole chimney on the Basic Grey stove... no need for fussy cutting round the doily and 3 pots!!! Everyone was SO happy in class when I pointed out this little gem....

And just to round things up... here is the tree added to the original stripy wallpaper version... though no glitter has hurt this one!! But I did sponge Pool Party ink around the die cut edge to deflect from the white...

Homemade Kindness Stove Card for Fancy Fold Friday

This card could be the first of many... as the images in the Homemade Kindness stamp set have inspired many an idea for me....

I think it is safe to say that this set has a bigger list of creative ideas than any other.... and I just hope that I get the chance to make a few of them...

But just a quick share again today... as it really has been a very very very busy week...

But for now ... I will just point out that the stove is 3D... and check out the hearth!

And yes the card does fold flat to go in an envelope....

Oh and that I used Festive Farmhouse and Wood Textures papers...

Does rather remind me of my kitchen at home!

Lovely as A Tree Beginners Class

Today I am going back to part of a class I ran in August... One of my lovely class ladies, Sarah treated her sister to a private Craft Spa card making session... and she did ever so well! We all had a really lovely time...

Luckily I decided to focus on 2 stamp sets... Dandelion Wishes and Lovely as a Tree... as these were the 2 sets that most attracted the eye of my complete beginner... so I really couldn't have planned that better if I had tried!! Especially as I was supposed to be using Varied Vases!!

But Lovely as a Tree is such a perfect set to teach complete newbies how to stamp... and then how to colour... etc etc etc... whilst also getting to create a lot of cards to take away...

Now this is the last of my posts that I am purposefully not sharing the cards that we are doing in our class today!!

So lots and lots of new makes to share with you for the next couple of weeks!!

And just in case you were wondering... the little additional details for the 4 cards shown are as follows... in the order that the individual cards appear! And I used either Shimmery White card or Watercolor Paper for the watercolouring

(1) Just as it comes...
(2) Add a bit of Watercolor Pencil [blue scribbled over trees.. and green just on horizon) and blend out around the trees and horizon using an Aquapainter..
(3) Add more Watercolor Pencil and more water... and blot out light clouds using a scrumpled up tissue...
(4) As (2) but with grey Watercolor Pencil on the horizon to create the wintery scene... along with the finishing touch of Wink of Stella for the (masked) glittery moon...

Tuesday Tip - Stylish Christmas #3

So it seemed to make sense to keep the 3 cards made using Stylish Christmas together...  particularly as I have had some requests for a Stylish Christmas Class in the Post whilst I was away... so please click here to contact me if you are interested too... and I will be back to you very soon with more details and/or an invoice...

The basic Stylish Christmas Class in the Post to make 15 cards including Stylish Christmas stamps, 16 pc. cardstock, 15 envelopes & Metallics Pearls (3 designs x 5 cards each) will be £44 (£41 collected) for Wood Mount or £39 (£35 collected) for Clear Mount. I will be ordering 31st August... so delivery will be with you about 10 September at the latest...

And don't forget that if your Stampin Up! order is over £45 this month you will get a £4.50 Bonus Days coupon code to spend for free in September! So that is just £4 more for the Wood Mount option... or + £10 for the Clear Mount...

Other items used include:-

• Bokeh Dots Stamps £14 Clear 148113 or £19 Wood 148110 
• Subtle embossing folder 143706 at £9.25 
• 3 ink pads at a cost of £7 each (Real Red 147084; Mossy Meadow 147111, Sahara Sand 147117)
• Gold Embossing Powder 109129 £4.75 

As well as staples of Versamark ink £8.25, Heat Gun £28, Embossing Buddy £5.50, Tombow multipurpose glue £3.75 or Tear & Tape £6.25 and Stampin Dimensionals £3.75

So this is the last card of the trio...  Just a simple one layer A6 standard card...

With the addition of the lovely Bokeh Dots stamp set (as Jane already has that one too! So it seemed rude not to use it!!)

So Sahara Sand stamped Bokeh Dots background... with the Stylish Christmas swirl and little snowflakes also in Sahara Sand...

Hand cut Real Red stamped flower... and Tuesday Top Tip! - the previously stamped & hand cut flower being used to work out the positioning for the Mossy Meadow leaves which are stamped directly onto the card

Finished off with a gold embossed greeting to match the gold Metallics Pearls at the centre of the flower...

And an admittance for you... you can tell my Sahara Sand is a brand new one... don't think I have ever had Sahara Sand stamp this dark before... I may have to move a bit of ink around on the pad before I use it next... as it has always been my go-to-palest-ink-pad when I want subtle!

Merry Monday - Stylish Christmas #2

So my pre-order box of lovely Christmas products has now arrived... but unfortunately I went away for a few days ...just minutes after it arrived!!

So it has sat there unopened and all alone until today when I am back!! So the washing may be delayed a few hours as I concentrate on much more important matters!

But back to the card... Triple Time Stamping this time... just click here for the Card Recipe & Tutorial...

Stamping using Real Red, Mossy Meadow and Sahara Sand inks... on Whisper White & Real Red card... and then "textur-ised" (is that a proper word!!?) using the Subtle Embossing Folder...

Poinsettia centres finished off beautifully with the gold Metallics Pearls.... which I reckon are just made for the job!!

See yesterdays post for a simpler version of this card and for more details and links on the products used...

Lets drink coffee... in a Charming Cafe...

I wanted to just make and send a card to a very good friend who has moved away...

We used to spend a lot of time catching up over an unplanned cup of coffee here (or a glass of wine depending on the time of the day) and I really miss that time with her!

So Charming Cafe and Balloon Celebration to the rescue... and a simple little card to say it all... will make a nice change from our usual texting service!

And a card when spotted .... now selected by some of my ladies for April classes...

And the details for the rest of you... as sadly you can't come to make it in class!

A small square simple (aka simplest!) easel card... 10.5cm x 21cm cardstock, scored in half LANDSCAPE at 10.5cm and in half again at 5.25cm (or with US Letter cardstock... 4 1/4" x 8 1/2" piece, scored at 4 1/4" & 2 1/8") Centre line valley folded, quarter line mountain/peak folded...

With an Old Olive 7cm (2 3/4") Square mat and a 10cm (4") square Delightful Daisy paper panel on the base...

A largest and smallest die cut Stitched Shapes square... stamped as required... and then some craft knife action to remove the window inside the frame!! Scary... not done that for a very long time...

And a couple more stampings of the window & canopy scene...

One in Memento Black on Whisper White card to hand cut the Stampin Blends Bermuda Bay & Old Olive coloured canopy...

One in Staz On Black on Window Sheet to colour with Dark Pool Party Stampin Blends and pop behind my hand cut aperture...

Plus a Memento Black stamping of the chairs and table on Whisper White for more Stampin Blends colouring in Bermuda Bay, Old Olive, Smoky Slate lights and dark Pink Pirouette

And the rest is just assembly and sticking... everything stuck with Stampin Dimensionals to add to the 3D effect... apart from the Window, Old Olive mat and the paper panel...

Picture Perfect Birthday Gift Bows card...

Quick little card using the lovely Picture Perfect Birthday stamps and a couple of the new ribbons in the Spring Summer catalogue... 3/8" Lemon Lime Twist stripe in the Tutti Frutti suite and 1/8" Bermuda Bay Satin (which is one Sale A Bration free item that can be earnt with every £45 order)

First and second stamping of the Lemon Lime Twist and Bermuda Bay gift bows to achieve the four... then same again but the other way round with the filler in stamp... finished off with the lovely greeting in Archival Black

I used the largest Stitched Shapes frame...a 7cm square Lemon Lime Twist mat... and set on a small Bermuda Bay 9.9cm square card

Last Whole Lot of Lovely card...

Very quick post today... with the seventh and last card of the set made from the Whole Lot of Lovely Quarterly Training kit... 

Just scroll back if you need to check what I used... though the flower spray on this one is fussy cut from the same paper pattern as used in the centre panel...

Really nice set of papers to work with... think a full pack may just fall onto my next order!

And here is the CAS card duo round up picture.... other card featured and the details shared here...