Sunday Suite - Love You Always #1

Introducing the beautiful Love You Always suite... but in 2 parts... as today's plans were somewhat diverted... as being honest...  friends in need have to come first... and today was one of those day for two of mine... 

So I have a video for you today... but I will be back with the individual product break down sometime soon... 

Just click on the "Love You" image below to load up the video...

And don't forget my co-ordinated kit offer for part of this suite... stamps and dies etc optional... just let me know which you would like adding... Edited to Add 7pm - now 2 options The Basic Kit and The Upgraded Kit. See tomorrows post for more detail... 

Love You Always Co-ordinated Paper Kit  (see pg 11 Jan-June)

Basic Kit £21 includes ½ pack True Love papers, ¼ pack Foil Sheets, ½ pack Matte Black Dots and Champagne Rhinestones, 10 sheets co-ordinating A4 card in Blushing Bride, Sahara Sand, Rococo Rose, Basic Black & Whisper White plus 3mtr co-ordinating Stitched Satin ribbon in Blushing Bride, Sahara Sand & Basic Black.  Note that the 12x12 True Love papers & Foil Sheets will arrive in 6x12 pieces . If you prefer full 12x12 sheets… the total posted cost will be £22.50

Upgraded Kit £30 also includes 3 full 12x12 sheet (1/4 pack-one of each colourway ) of Speciality Foil papers, 3 full 12x12 sheet of  Foil paper (one of each colourway - so 1/2 pack not the Basic 1/4 pack) and 5 (1/4 pack) Heart charms. And postage for 12x12 sheets....

Orders and payment by 14^th Jan please. Payment by Bank Transfer, Paypal or cheque.

 Back with more soon... click here for the 2nd or full post on the suite...

Graces Garden Get Well Card with Heart...

I have been needing rather too many of these types of card recently... but Graces Garden does the job so well...

And at least I have been able to play around with different colours combinations as I have gone along....

Loving this combo of Grapefruit Grove, Calypso Coral, Pool Party and Pretty Peacock and Granny Apple Green.... quite serene... and inspired by a tea towel!

Grace's Garden #1

Loving my Grace's Garden... can I count the ways!!!?

Well about 6 so far... and lots more on my list to make!

Short and sweet today...

But - for those of you in the UK... a Grace's Garden Class in the Mail is coming... More details to follow ... but free with a purchase of the Grace's Garden bundle for £45... and oh you get to select a free Sale A Bration product too...

And apologies as my series of Team Training Swaps has had to come to a temporary halt... The ways of the technical world have stopped my photos transferring over... and the Tax Return still isn't finished so sorting photos will have to wait for a few more hours... but luckily I had these photos all ready to go...

Meant To Be Get Well #simplestamping Card

So when I sent my swap cards off to Monica... I thought I would pop in a simple little card ...just to say that I hope she is getting better... as I know that she has been under the weather during January...

But I was already almost late in sending off my swaps ... and I couldn't send here just any old retired product card from my stash!!!... and the post office was shutting in a few minutes...

So when I say simple... I do mean quick & simple... but it certainly showcases the beautiful Sale A Bration Lovely Lipstick Foil Sheets.. yours for free with a £45 order! Though stocks running low unfortunately....

And I do love these foil sheets... amazing matte finish rather than the usual very shiny gloss! Just a shame I couldn't get a photo angle of the card to do it justice!!

And a tip for you.... the heart is stamped and die cut from the 3" square mat... tight Yorkshire woman here!! No point in cutting 2 squares out of that lovely foil... even when it is free!!!

Heart from Meant To Be... Greeting from Well Said... couldn't have found a better sentiment...

And oh... excuse me... as I haven't properly introduced you!! Another of my favourites in the Spring Summer catalogue... so useful to just say what you want to say!

Well Said stamps 

With co-ordinating Well Written dies...

And the whole bundle with 10% off....

And here are some other projects created with Well Said/Well Written... a definite must have in my book...

Amanda's Quick Links

Just click on the relevant pictures below for catalogues and/or more information... 

If you are ordering today... do remember to add the Host Code shown below to earn yourself a gift and help support The Craft Spa at the same time... 

Please note that this host code does expire and change over time... but the current code is always shown at the top right hand side of my blog...

Just click on the relevant pictures below for catalogues and/or more information...

Something Simple for the Weekend...Thank You...

So I had to make some different cards for my Thank Yous for February class customer/orders ... as they had already made this Waterfront/Charming Cafe card in classes ... (which I had then made for my online ordering customers)

And seeing as I know their favourite colours... it just had to be a re-run of this Sweet & Sassy die-cut & Sale A Bration Heartfelt Blooms card... which also meant I could try out a few tweaks as I went along...

First up was to white emboss the greeting... looks so much better but of course sadly the card was going to warp from the heat... so great idea with a panel under a heart die-cut mat on a card blank... but too many heavy books required to straighten out the straightforward embossing on the card blank for me!!! Wouldn't crafty life be simple if all these products/techniques didn't have their individual querks!!

So Berry Burst for Andrea...

And Perfect Plum for Jane...

Second up was to stamp with White Craft ink... which is still the best white ink I have ever tried!!!... and I tried about 10 prior to this one.... Great when viewed on its own.. but when you compare it side by side to the white embossed image... well!

So Elegant Eggplant for Nicky...

And Island Indigo for Zoe... and do not adjust your screen with this one...I had to turn the image after I added the watermark! Oops!!!

Third up was to revert back to Archival Black ink... 

So Wisteria Wonder for Jill...

And Sahara Sand for Sarah... who has only just realised that this maybe one of her actual favourite colours!!

So... apart from those mentioned above...  and thank you again ladies... 

Which would you choose?

Oh... and an added extra for you... as I suddenly needed to make another Sympathy card mid-making-stream... Smoky Slate with black greeting...

So glad I bought the Sweet & Sassy dies after all... should have done it years ago!

Sweet & Sassy & Simple! Thank You

Took me years to purchase the Sweet & Sassy dies... as I am not "into hearts".. and find that I only ever used them for Valentines cards... which I don't usually make a lot of...

But so glad I bought them... my attitude seems to be changing... gosh aren't hearts useful!

So this has to be one of the simplest cards I have ever created... but the recipient absolutely loved it!! As indeed I knew she would...

Though maybe I should have grabbed Perfect Plum as that is her absolute favourite colour... but when there is a Wisteria Wonder small square card blank (10.5cm from A4 or 4 1/4" from US Letter) just sat there... which is her 2nd favourite colour...well!!

So a simple die cut heart aperture... followed by Elegant Eggplant inking and stamping of the lovely Thank You greeting in Heartfelt Blooms...

And a card popped in an envelope and in her bag... in the minutes it took her to walk down to my house to collect her Stampin' Up!order...

Though I think it would look even better with a white embossed greeting!! But that would have taken me too many seconds...

And I have just realised (as I searched for the links for you)... that if you ordered Sweet & Sassy Framelits... plus one pack of card and one inkpad... the total would be £45.25.. and then you would get the Sale A Bration Heartfelt Blooms stamp set for free... Think how many cards you could make in an hour... 48 from the one card pack would be no problem! Bargain...

Love you...

Another clean & simple idea when you just simply want to say Love You... 

Gold foil when you want to be more subtle.... and this would also make a great CAS wedding card without the YOU...

Red Foil when you don't! Though the Red Foil is long retired from our range... but seemed to be the right thing to pull out for Valentine's Day...

And not a stamp in sight... just a trio of dies... Sweet & Sassy Framelits for the heart aperture... Sunshine Wishes for the LOVE and Celebrate You for the YOU

So in Love Heart Wreath for Jems Blog Hop

Hello and welcome from me, Amanda Bates to The Craft Spa blog and the monthly Jems Team Blog Hop...

Well  I have to admit that this months theme was a real challenge for me ... namely "Hearts not just for Valentines"... as I am not exactly into hearts... But I love what I made in the end! Hope you do too...

So I bring you a wreath... in the shape of a heart... with BIG birthday wishes... on a very BIG card... a  7 1/2" (or 17cm) XXL square card BIG... with a white 5 1/2" (14cm) stamping panel

The wreath was created using the So In Love leaf sprays and flower stamps around a hand-drawn heart (more on that later!) Stamps available in Wood mount, Clear mount and as bundles with the beautiful So Detailed dies

Then a couple of the Big on Birthdays greetings were added... front and inside...

Bear in mind that the clear block shown is the very long one to get an idea of scale....

Big on Birthdays stamp set available in Photopolymer... fabulous set of super big greetings... though the "At Least You're Still Pretty" image seems to divide the world!!! But I have a fabulous idea to share with you about that - but for another day!

So back to the hand drawn heart... Fold a piece of paper/card in half... Draw a half-heart" shape from the folded edge... And voila a perfectly formed heart when you open it out... Ready for use as a template to draw round...

Oh and colours used are Mint Macaron, Sweet Sugarplum, Rich Razzleberry and a touch of Island Indigo for the berries...

So that is it from me today... please do come back and visit tomorrow as I have a World Exclusive (I think) to share with you....

Please continue on our blog hop by pressing on the icons below... Next up is the wonderful Karen Watts 

Or go backwards to the equally wonderful Lucy Brown...