Snow Globes and Penguins...

Sharing more of my lovely Team swaps from our last quarterly Team Training...

Rebecca Deary's gorgeous Still Scenes card... and I have to admit to my loving this bundle... which means I have more to share with you very soon...

Stunning and cute Playful Penguins card...

And a lovely Stitched Stars Delightful punched tag in more traditional colours... 

Sadly the last two are not named... but please let me know if it is you or you know who did! As I would like to amend the post to give credit where credit is due... 

And even more Signs of Santa...

A pocket card today... using the Santa's Workshop suite of products... stamps, dies and paper... 

Lovely bit of Stampin Blends colouring in on this card... even I enjoy this amount of colouring ! In Poppy Parade, Pool Party, Old Olive, Crumb Cake, Smoky Slate & Dark Daffodil Delight ... With Ivory and Light Calypso Coral for those chubby cheeks!

Finished off with Dazzling Diamonds glitter for the snow...

More Signs of Santa...

Love these cheeky little elves... 

Elves and trolley from Signs of Santa... greeting from Merry Christmas to All... on a standard A6 card...

Lovely bit of Stampin Blends colouring in on this card... even I enjoy this amount of colouring ! In Poppy Parade, Pool Party , Old Olive, Crumb Cake, Smoky Slate & Dark Daffodil Delight ... With Ivory and Light Calypso Coral for those chubby cheeks!

Finished off with Dazzling Diamonds glitter on the hats...

Does this card seem familiar? Well click here for the version in portrait orientation that we made earlier...

Merry Monday - Signs of Santa

Very quick share today... as I am busy finishing off the Tutorials for the Farmhouse Christmas meets Winter Woods projects... still hoping to finish today and get them emailed out to all of you that have purchased so far... Thank you...

So back to the Signs of Santa collection... 

Santa & signpost from Signs of Santa... greeting from Merry Christmas to All... on a standard A6 card...

The Masking Technique was used for this card...The 2 images being stamped onto Post It Notes (or equivalent!)... then fussy cut to create a mask... then these masks laid over the Memento Black stamped images on the card... and Pool Party ink lightly sponged over the top of the masks...

Just remember to include as much of the sticky part of the Post It note under the images you are going to cut out!

All finished off with lashings of Dazzling Diamonds glitter...

And some decoration on the inside too... 

Saturday Santa...

Simple Gatefold card... featuring Signs of Santa... tied up with Poppy Parade textured ribbon...

Front mat stamped using the wonderful Buffalo Check background stamp... Just make sure you turn the stamp on its back... ink up...  and then lay your piece of card on top and apply pressure to stamp... 

I usually just use my flattened hand to do so... so I add a piece of paper over the top of the piece of card to protect my fingers... Though ( and not in this case) sometimes I use my brayer to apply the pressure over the image too... as that way I know I am getting good even pressure...

Thank you again Julie... another great card made at Training....

Happy Birthday to me!

Yes I am 21 YET again today!!!  So I thought I would share some lovely cards that friends and fellow demonstrators have made for me for a change...

There is still nothing so lovely as opening an envelope to expose a beautiful creation made by someone that cares about you enough to send a card... Just saying... Inspire Create Share...

I consider myself truly blessed to be part of such a creative group of fantastic ladies... and I thank you all for these beautiful cards from the bottom of my heart... 

So in no particular order...

Bike Ride card by Kate... particularly love the glittery bricks... look closely!

Beautiful Day card by Uma K (Happy Birthday to you today too Uma!) Love the colours used here... very calming although still fresh and bright...

Love What You Do & Frosted Floral card by Julie W... love the subtle glimmery paper pieced flowers here...

Tropical Chic card by Cheryl S... love the larger size and the pop of colour from those flowers...

And Gorgeous Grunge & Washi Tape card by Caroline... love this gorgeously bright and makes you happy card...

Aren't I a lucky girl today!

Very Bright & Merry Monday with Signs of Santa

Playing around with Signs of Santa bundle at Team Training...

Edited to Add- Inspirational Videos post back up tomorrow... my blog got ahead of itself! Sorry to my email subscribers for any convenience!

Do think these little elves are cute... and they are making me feel christmassy...

And I have to admit... that I think that this bundle and the Santa's Workshop suite will be one of the Top 3 sellers in the new Autumn Winter Catalogue... as they are either the immediate No. 1 favourite amongst most demos so far... OR one of those once-you-have-a-play... then you don't want to stop!

Particularly like the greeting stamped "around the corner" at the top right hand side....

Lovely bit of Stampin Blends colouring in on this card... even I enjoy this amount of colouring ! In Poppy Parade, Pool Party , Old Olive, Crumb Cake, Smoky Slate & Dark Daffodil Delight ... With Ivory and Light Calypso Coral for those chubby cheeks!

Finished off with Dazzling Diamonds glitter on the hats and parcels...

Few more details on this card here... thanks again Julie... so cute!

Jems Blog Hop to celebrate lots of new Spring Summer & Sale A Bration products!!

Hello and welcome to The Craft Spa in the UK... to 2018... and to the Jems Blog Hop to welcome the new Spring Summer Catalogue and Sale A Bration! 

And for those of you that visited me yesterday... no it is not Groundhog Day... just my double Blog Hop for the first weekend in the month!

So ... staying with one of my favourite suites in the new Spring Summer (aka Occasions) catalogue... Picture Perfect Party... 

This suite is light & bright with photographic images & co-ordinating photopolymer stamps & Stampin Spots to get the party going... and keep it going... definitely perfect for birthday makes... and for making you feel happy whilst you are making them!

But 2 very different cards for you today... with some extra peeks of some non Picture Perfect Party Suite products!

First up... a card for a special birthday event... I couldn't resist cutting out the 1 & 2 balloons on the one piece of paper... and instead of doing the more obvious 12... I went for a sparkly 21st birthday celebration instead...

Couple of embossing folders used here... the Picture Perfect Party Suite Simple Stripes for the large mat... and the blink and you will miss it, Scattered Sequins from the Sweet Soiree Suite. Easy to miss as I have then covered the embossed sequins with the tiny hexagonal Gold Glitter Flakes from the Painted With Love Suite... 

And a tip for you as these tiny flakes were really easy to apply! Little dot of Tombow on the blunt end of my pokey tool (aka Paper Piercing Tool)... followed by a teeny tiny dot on the embossed sequins... Pick up a flake on the blunt end of the pokey tool and place onto embossed sequin ... and voila! So easy I put a flake on nearly every embossed sequin!

Mounted onto Gold Foil and Berry Burst cardstock... And finished off with glittery Gold Trim for the string ... also from the Painted With Love Suite...

Second up... a simple DL sized card... with proof that the photographic images on the paper are really life-like and clear!! As I don't think you will spot why I made this card!!

Well the central hat does not have a pom pom in the papers... so here is a perfect use of the Mini Gift Bows for you... giving a very 3D pom pom to finish it off... honest! Maybe you can spot it on the next photo...

Greeting from the fabulous Picture Perfect Birthday stamp set in Bermuda Bay, paper and stamped white card mounted onto Lemon Lime Twist...and then onto my Whisper White DL card blank... and Gold 1/8" Ribbon to finish off as it is about the same width as the frill on the hat. 

If you like what you see... and want to see more of this Suite... please pop back back a day's post for the other Blog Hop featuring more projects using the Picture Perfect Birthday suite... as once I started I just couldn't stop! But do remember to hop round this Blog Hop first!

And if you are in the UK and want to see and touch your own papers, ribbons and embellishments from the Spring Summer catalogue without spending a fortune... then click here for details of my Product Shares and/or Paper Swatch books... current round closes this Tuesday, 9th Jan... 

And if you need to know more about the Spring Summer catalogue and the Sale A Bration promotion... then just click here...

And now it is time to pass you onto the creative talents of  the lovely Uma... Just click on the arrow below to get to the next stop... and see you tomorrow... or next time we hop...

So happy this in the New Catalogue Blog Hop

Maybe I should have called this... Everything & the Kitchen Sink!! Boy have I been having fun!!!

Welcome to the Jems Blog Hop with lots of NEW products to share and some carrying over products too. Hope you are as excited as we are!

Now in true Amanda style I really hadn't a clue what I was going to feature today. I am very excited about lots of the new products ... and I was SO lucky in that I was able to pre-order so many of my Must Haves in May... that usually doesn't happen.... so there was a lot for me to choose from....

So I decided that I would do 3 things....

(1) Use the stamp set that everyone just said "Amanda Bates" when they first saw it! 

Yes...we are talking At Home With You... and it was on the demo pre-order!!!! I am so happy to have this set!!  At Home with You stamps with co-ordinating At Home dies... all wrapped in a bundle with 10% off...

(2) Write up yesterday's post with my Favourite Things in the New Catalogue so I could concentrate on creating with "my door" today!

(3) Make another Bench Fold card seeing as you all liked them so much! I hope you like this one too... 

Click HERE to go and order the tutorial (s)... though please note there isn't a specific Kitchen Sink one...

I have been itching to use my At Home With You door for wood kitchen cupboards! And to make a Butler's Sink too....

And my favourite bits of the card... again the combination of the whole thing and getting to use the lovely new products and have some real crafty fun.... But in the details...

The kitchen cupboards and the windows care of At Home With You stamps & dies... as well as the pot of flowers, hanging signs and the lantern die for part of the tap and Fairy (Platinum) washing up liquid bottle!

Spot that I turned the handle round on some of the kitchen doors... more on that another day...

And did you spot the granite worktop...care of the old faithful Touches of Texture and black ink on Basic Grey...

Then we have the sink drainer care of the Colorful Seasons chair... which was also used for part of the taps, the washing up bottle and the little basket (for the soap and scrubbing brush!) under the left window!! 

And a laugh for you... this little basket was in the scraps pile I cleared up!!! So I can't take any credit for that one! 

And a prediction for you... the chair in the Colorful Seasons bundle could become the most "creative" die ever!!! I do have a list of lots of ideas... and a drainer, taps and basket weren't on there!

Great to use new papers... 6x6 Wood Textures for the cupboards, windows, hanging signs and flower pot ... so much wood... a real must have pack! I think I have a plan for every piece of paper! 

And the lovely 12x12 Delightful Daisy for the wallpaper and blinds... this pack is proving very popular...

And oh... blink and you will miss it... but the window panes are care of the 6x6 Color Theory paper pack... just a bit from the palest part of the Dapper Denim ombre piece... 

Yes I did seriously use papers from 3 packs.... it just had to be done to bring it all together!!!

And so there you have it... my new Kitchen Sink Bench Fold Card... click here for the Bench Fold Card tutorial details... Same card... Same general decoration details... though the specific detailed step by step instructions of this one will be in my Series Two release... coming soon... I just need to make a couple more designs with my very new stash of papers!

 And yes it does fold flat for posting....

I will be providing a Class in the Mail option for the At Home Bundle as well as an in-person class... more details to follow... but please register your interest by clicking here to email me... no commitment at this stage! (Sorry for my distance readers - only available in UK, France, Germany, Austria and Holland)

And so now it is time to pass you on... to the lovely Sarah if you are in forward mode...

Or to the lovely Uma if you have missed one - or prefer to go in reverse!

And just in case of any problems along the way... here is a full list of our blog hoppers  and links today... 

Sharon Glynn 

Umalini Kathirgamanathan 

Amanda Bates (YOU ARE HERE) 

Sarah Lavelle 

Samantha Carlton 

Julie Wade 

Julie Kettlewell 

Karyn Davies 

Allie Jolliffe 

Gill Arnold 

Kate Martin 

Karen Watts 

Lucy V Brown