Circle of Spring

Retiring soon... and I will be very sorry to see Circle of Spring go... it has a had a lot of use for a £14 stamp set.. with such great greetings too... great value...

Click on the project photos for more details...

So here are all the images... 

And here are the samples made by Stampin' Up! ..

So Detailed Easter Cross Card

I was asked to make an Easter card with a cross.... but no Easter Message stamp set to make my life simple... so it was either search around my retired stamps... or use my brain...

So the brain whirred a bit... and this is what I came up with... well who says the small So Detailed dies can only be used for card sleeves...

Spot the extra detail... the long white part is embossed from each edge just to add some extra visual interest...

And wouldn't this be great for Confirmation, Christening cards etc....

Gold papers from the Neutrals 12x12 Paper Stack Collection... Happy Easter from Circle of Spring...and greeting frame from So In Love (which is the co-ordinating stamp set and bundle to the So Detailed dies). Ribbon from the now-not-available Sale A Bration pack...

Lovely as a Spring Tree...

Finishing off my Watercolor Pencils and Lovely as a Tree series... Happy Spring everyone...

 So here is the full series round up picture... call it a Tree for all Seasons...

Back to the Spring trees... Spot the details...

Blossom Trees care of Melon Mambo Watercolor Pencil blended out with an Aquapainter... then I added lots of Signo White gel pen (retired - sniff!) dots to calm it down a bit!

Daffodils care of the short grass stamp in In The Meadow and my partial Damp & Stamp technique (Part 3)...as explained earlier in this post...

Birds from High Tide... I just inked up the smallest 3 using a Basic Black marker pen...

Grass is Old Olive pencil coloured direct stamped onto the panel and then blended out with Aquapainter... Sky is watercolour washed Pacific Point from a plastic sheet... as explained in the earlier post...

Oh and I used Shimmery White for the stamped panel this time... whereas all the others have been on Watercolor Paper... works a treat!

Happy Easter from the Circle of Spring stamp set

And I have to laugh at myself... how can something so simple use 4 different stamp sets!! Oh well it had to be...

Stylish Stems Easter Card

Ah! This makes me so much happier! But my other one just had to match the trug basket!!

Those of you of you that visited yesterday will understand! And for those of you that didn't...please feel free to click and visit here to see the alternative and the details of what I used...  and hop around for some fabulous Sale A Bration glimmer paper pack colour inspiration from the Jems team....

Jems Monthly Blog Hop & Colour Challenge

Hello and welcome to The Craft Spa in the UK from Amanda Bates.

Time for the Team March Blog Hop today - so please join my lovely and very talented fellow team members and have an inspiring hop around... you won't be disappointed...

This month's blog hop theme is inspired by the gorgeous new Sale A Bration Glimmer Papers- you know the ones- the pack of 3 colours of shiny glimmery glittery gorgeousness that has virtually every demo (and customer) visibly drooling!

And available for free with a £45 order... what's not to love! Want to see more of the shine? Then click here to see them in video action

So the pack inspired a Colour Challenge for our theme... so I bring you Bermuda Bay, Mint Macaron and Sweet Sugarplum... oh what a shame... 3 of my current favourite colours!! Perfect for Easter makes... And I went with a glitter theme!

First up... the Easter Trug basket... I picked up these boxes when I dropped off an order yesterday!! Wonder if Heidi will now want them back!! We reckon they are from Hello Fresh or Gousto or takeaway deliveries - so please let me know if you recognise them...as I would like some more!!

So a bit of up-cycling! Stamped a few Kraft card panels with the Hardwood stamp, cut to size and voila! Perfect...

Die cut a few Stylish Stems flowers and leaves using all 3 colours of the Glimmer paper and white or same colour cardstock.

Stamped the plant labels for the greeting using Thoughtful Banners (HAPPY) and Circle of Spring (easter) stamps - and then punched with the Classic Label punch ...

And a quick card to go with the basket... this HAPPY being from Perfectly Wrapped (this is the stamp I cut up into HAPPY and DAY!) and the stamped mat is a Stitched Shapes die cut square...

So that is it from me for today...

Time to pass you onto Karen Watt's Krafting K blog ...

OR Katy Harrison's The Stamping Shed blog if you are going in reverse  - or have missed one!

And as just requested - here is a list of all our participants and all their links...

1. Sharon Glynn 

2. Sarah Lavelle 

3. Gill Arnold 

4. Karyn Davies

5. Katy Harrison 

6. Amanda Bates (You are here!)

7. Karen Watts 

8. Linda Ellis 

9. Julie Wade 

10. Allie Jolliffe 

The green green door of home.....

 

Last but one of my On Stage Stampers Showcase samples... featuring the new 2016-18 In Color Emerald Envy ...with its co-ordinating ruched ribbon... and the new and coming Swirly Bird stamp set...

Now cough... and an admittance... I didn't actually like this card!! There I have said it! Too much bright green going on for my taste... but I was determined to do a green green door (of home) project... as well as some topiary using the Swirly Bird swirly flower stamp...

But as there are some other great features on the card ... and as also out of time... the card made it through to the display! Hope that the parts made up for the whole...!!

So other things to point out... 

• great flagstones for the base using a Sahara Sand inked Brick Wall embossing folder and a piece of Sahara Sand...
• I know that many of us will be lamenting the loss of the Wide Oval Punch used with our favourite Decorative Label... so I used a Project Life Cards & Labels die cut instead - which looks great too...
• imagine it with a white door!! Much more subtle... 
• this is a Centre Step Easel Card - link and tutorial for a white door version here

I also old favourites Hearth & Home dies, Brick Wall embossing folder, Circle of Spring stamps and co-ordinating Wonderful Wreath dies and the flowerpot from the Perfect Pines dies...all of which are happily carrying over...

Time for... the Tardis on Tuesday!

I think this may have been the On Stage Stampers Showcase project I got most immediate feedback about!! Thank you to all of you that found me and gave me that feedback... it really was appreciated! Especially those of you that were squealing with delight!!! So funny!! So satisfying!! So happy to share!

This was the first project that I had to do when I saw the new 2016-18 Dapper Denim colour... perfect colour!!

Though I had an immediate obstacle... no more Rotary alphabet stamp to do my POLICE BOX wording... but the Crazy About You stamp set came to the rescue... which has resulted in an improvement in my book...

So... for those of you that have been patiently waiting... grab your Hearth & Home dies and 3 pieces of A4 card... and here is the link to the tutorial ... Enjoy...!

The only other differences (apart from the Christmas decoration/wording and Night of Navy card) is the use of the Tags & Labels dies for the roof on this version as much simpler!

I also trimmed the sides of 2 of the 4 planters for the lid... as I reckon it is neater that way... and a lot simpler than the scoring for the corners I did before...! The front and back of the box got the full versions with the trimmed ones on the sides...

And here is another version made with handmade but more authentic signage!

New 2016-18 In Colour Peekaboo Peach for Stampers Showcase

And finally in the introducing the new 2016-18 In Colors... we have PEEKABOO PEACH...

Now this colour did give me some trouble!! I am definitely not a lover of a peach colour... but I do admit that is a missing colour in our repertoire! And (without being able to say more!) it is definitely going to be a very useful - and needed - colour when the new catalogue launches 1st June...

So I give you a peach!! Just in case you were wondering... This was the first project to do that popped into my mind when I saw the colour... so I was so glad to see that the die was carrying over... as I was definitely in need of some quick projects... and it does look great in the flesh!!!

A couple of die cuts using the Curvy Keepsakes die... with overstamping with stamped off Peekaboo Peach and Flirty Flamingo using the You've Got This background stamp ... makes a great peach... 

My Wild Wasabi leaves are from Rose Wonder (as yes I did still have the stamps and dies out when my Stampers Showcase box landed from the USA!!) Tag from Tags and Labels... overstamped with the You've Got This background and Sahara Sand, finished off with Circle of Spring wreath and greeting...

Now where are the photos of the card I was going to post today!!!

It's My Party Gift Card Holder Box

Another quick share... back to normal service next week...honest!

Is it a box... Or is it a Gift Card holder... you choose!

More on this explosion box project another day... but I just had to share another of the projects we have been making at classes this week....

Edited to Add - Link to Gift Card Holder Explosion Box Tutorial here. The only differences for this one compared to the recipe in the Tutorial being ...

• the decoration around the Lid.  I wrapped washi tape all the way round. Then I put washi tape onto a piece of white card, punched 2 bow sides and centre piece from the stiffened washi tape. Then trimmed off the white card showing at the top and bottom... Does a great job... love it!
• a few card/colour mat quantities in the Recipe are different as I simplified the other one to just 2 colours.... This one uses 6 x 6.5cm Crushed Curry, 1 x 6.5cm Basic Black and 2 x 6.4cm Melon Mambo (and 1 x 6.9cm Crushed Curry for the lid)
• the decoration for the diagonal/tag pocket flaps. I stuck the paper onto the card mat first and then the matted triangles onto the triangular side sections

And don't forget to check out the fantastic Weekly Deals this week... too good not to miss... and remember 8 pm next Monday for the Retiring List....

And finally... the gift card pictured caused a few laughs! Not only did we think of what co-ordinated black gift cards we could buy....  ( tee Hee...Pizza Express for tonight for our Jems Stampin Up! Team meet up!)  but then I said.. What can you buy from Cotton Traders!? No idea where I got the card from!... Sorry Cotton Traders.... But hey then I looked it up... clothing, footwear and rugby apparel.... And 4 of us in the room are rugby mums! Then we remembered!!! Oops! Don't tell the boys!

Circle of Spring Simple Square Easel Card

So here is another version of the Simple Square Easel Card posted previously here and here...

Simple blender pen coloured Circle of Spring wreath on Shimmer card

Crumb Cake paper (from the Neutrals 12x12 paper stack) card & ribbon colours and Mint Macaron leaves and highlights so that any colours could be chosen in class for the flowers... I used Blushing Bride...

And have to laugh as this post was scheduled (incorrectly as it didn't work!) quite a while ago... as you can see from the greeting!! But wait all is not lost after all... isn't Mothers Day in US in May??

And apologies... yet again the Mum sentiment is from the retired For My Family stamp set... Fingers crossed Stampin' Up bring us a new updated variant of this set in the new Annual Catalogue... my toes are crossed too!!!

And finally... fellow UK demos... looking forward to seeing you at Telford... not long now!!! I would love to know if you are going and hope to meet many of you if so...

Stamped Easter Bakers Box...

Simple stamped Bakers Box CASED from the Catalogue today... though mine is dressed up for Easter Treats... 

Too lovely a project not to CASE! Especially as it is this project that made me have to buy the Bakers Box set of dies.... SO glad I did..... more coming.... 

Greeting from the Circle of Spring stamp set

Carrot for the Easter Bunny......

It's beginning to look a lot like Easter! First of quite a series of projects as it turns out!

Starting off with the simplest... carrot for the Easter Bunny anyone?

My ladies asked for something simple to create... and I decided that I wanted to make something other than my usual Easter Bunnies and Chicks ... so I did! Using my Cutie Pie Thinlits dies...and the greeting from the Circle of Spring stamp set again....

Though this was difficult to photo!!! But I am sure you will get the idea....

Hoping that enough of these are made this week to make Carrot Cake! And that I manage to get a photo!

And the Cucumber Crush Lace Ribbon came in useful.... perfect for the job....

The Front Door Centre Step Easel Card

This was my favourite card from my Happy Home/Hearth & Home classes last week... and one which will be made again... probably very soon... as I have another idea ...

As you will see from this card shared earlier I had opened up the Circle of Spring stamp set - and then this card idea came to me in a flash... and it had to be done...with only seconds to spare before my class arrived!

So glad I did! Love it!

And before I get asked about how it fits in an envelope again.... this one has a tweak from my original Centre Step Easel Card and so it now fits in a 6" square envelope...

The tutorial for making the door is here.... 

And the card tutorial is here...