Birthday Celebrations for Global Stamping Friends Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to the Global Stamping Friends June blog hop from Amanda Bates in the UK... This month we are simply celebrating birthdays.... so please carry on and hop around and be inspired by the makes of my lovely crafty friends around the world...

But before you go... here is my own little creation to share with you... a Birdhouse birthday card made with my mother very much in mind... as she loves birds... and a birdhouse...

And I have to admit that I am really happy how this turned out... and looks like I have a new set of dies to get all creative with!!

Another version of my (current favourite fun fold) Pop Up Front Step Panel card... adjusted to make a little Stitched Nested Labels birdhouse... using a couple of the nested labels and the little straight liner too! (see die second down on the left! Note that this die does not cut...it just adds a line of the double stitching...wherever you want it! Fab!)

With a little Stitched Be Mine heart doorway...

Perfect design to use with the gorgeous new Bird Ballad papers....

And finishing off with Itty Bitty Birthdays for the greetings...

I will be back with more details on this card another day... as there are already a few versions to share with you!

And now I shall say Goodbye... and pass you onto the lovely Lisa Ann in the USA... who has something bright & beautiful to share with you... Just click on the big arrow!

And in case of any glitches - or for those that prefer to work with a list... here is the Roll Call of all those taking part this month...

Blog Hop Roll Call

1. Amanda Farlinger

2. Rachel Macleod

3. Tricia Butts

4. Anastasia Radloff

5. Lisa Henderson

6. Jan Musselman

7. Libby Dyson

8. Amber Thompson

9. Marieke Bart

10. Amanda Bates (YOU ARE HERE)

11. Lisa Ann Bernard

12. Kimberley Anne Morris

Amanda's Quick Links

Just click on the relevant pictures below for On Line Store, Catalogues and/or more information... 

If you are ordering today... please add the Host Code shown below to earn yourself a gift... For orders over £150 you should claim your own Stampin Host Rewards... you will still get a separate gift from me... 

Current Catalogues & Products

Celebrate the Neutrals for Global Stampin Friends Blog Hop

 

Hello and welcome to this month's Global Stampin Friends international blog hop from Amanda Bates at The Craft Spa in the UK...

This month's theme is simply...  Neutrals... so I kept everything simple... so as to keep the colours as the main stage event...

So I have focused on the this year's NEW Neutrals... Gray Granite (new), Merry Merlot (new), Night of Navy (old!!!) and Mossy Meadow (returning In Color)

They aren't all new colours... but they were all new to the Neutrals collection... and I think these make this collection truly great ...  

As now... with the greens, blues and reds in the Neutrals... there is something for everything...  and so it is a brilliant collection to buy to start off your Stampin' Up! colour co-ordination journey.... 

And what better image to prove that these Neutrals now have something for every occasion... but a flourish with a leaf and flower or two... care of Flourishing Phrases... 

Which has been around a while... but is still a go to set for me for this flourish and the greetings... so I really hope it carries over to the New Annual Catalogue... but more on that come 15th April...

But whilst I was here... and as we now have 3 of these 4 colours in Stampin Blends alcohol marker pens...  I couldn't resist trying out my Stampin Blends in a slightly different way to the norm... as we tend to just use Memento Black when colouring in with Blends... 

But I have used our classic ink pads & marker pens for inking up here... and the Stampin Blends work a treat with them...  try it ... you won't be disappointed!

And for those of you that like the details... as this design maximises quantities from a piece of A4 cardstock... 

The card blank is 10.5cm Square (so 2 from A4)... with a 9.9cm panel (so 6 from A4)... and a 2 x 9.9cm greeting "band"... Or for those of you in the US... I would go 4 1/4" Square Card Blank... with a 4" panel ... with a 3/4" x 4" band

The edges of the band and mat are inked direct with Gray Granite around each of the 4 edges (care of a slight & gentle press of each card edge straight onto the ink pad) 

And now it is time to pass you onto the lovely Jan Musselman in the USA... Enjoy!

1. June Olsen

2. Tricia Butts

3. Amanda Farlinger

4. Libby Dyson

5. Amber Thompson

6. Anastasia Radloff

7. Jenn Curtis Charles 

8. Lisa Henderson

9. Amanda Bates (YOU ARE HERE)

10. Jan Musselman 

11. Angélique Stempelkeuken 

12. Kimberley Anne Morris  

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 is relevant to today's blog post date... it does expire and change over themonths... but the current code is always shown at the top right hand side of my blog...

Current Catalogues & Products

Global Stamping Friends Blog Hop showcasing new products...

Hello and welcome to The Craft Spa blog with Amanda Bates in the UK...  and a very Happy New Year to you!

Gosh it has been a long while (July last year) since I joined my Global Stamping Friends to hop  around the world... and I am very happy to be back! 2019 is going to be a good year!

This month's Blog Hop brief is a simple one... all of us getting together to showcase products from the NEW Spring Summer (aka Occasions) catalogue and/or the Sale A Bration promotion...

And I couldn't help but CASE ... well myself!

When I saw the Sale A Bration free promotional By The Bay and Home to Roost products I immediately thought of the Wetlands card in my 2nd most visited blog post ever...

A card that has been pinned beyond all imagination... and much CASED around the world ever since... but Wetlands is now long retired... so I thought it high time the basic design was updated for 2019... but I do REALLY secretly wish we still had that  Serene Scenery paper pattern we had back then!! Though luckily we do still have the fabulous Seaside embossing folder...

But we don't have those papers anymore... so after a bit of wet on wet watercolouring with inks on a piece of  Watercolor Paper die cut with the NEW and wonderful Rectangle Stitched Framelits dies (my favourite new product!) ...

... I had a similar seaside scene that I then embossed with the Seaside embossing folder... colours as shown below...

Too much fun!

Come back on Tuesday for tips and tricks and a full tutorial for this new version (with a tutorial that may surprise you if the new tech works out!!) ... and a couple of other cards for a bit of variety!

But in the meantime... here is my original card that I CASED... just click on it's photo to go to the original post with instructions... though ignore the initial patterned paper cutting bit! And the card is a slightly different size to the norm... but more of that on Tuesday...

And now it is time to pass you onto the lovely Lisa in Ontario, Canada... Just click on the big arrow!

And here is the Roll Call of my lovely Global Stamping Friends around the world that have something to share with you today... please feel free to hop using the NEXT icons... or click around this list if that's the way you prefer...

1. Blog Hop Participants
   1. Libby Dyson
   2. Tricia Butts
   3. Karie Beglau
   4. Sharon Dalton
   5. Vicky Wright  
   6. Angélique Stempelkeuken
   7. Narelle Fasulo 
   8. Amanda Farlinger
   9. Kimberley Anne Morris
   10. Amanda Bates
   11. Lisa Henderson
   12.  Marieke Bar
   13. Jan Musselman
   14. Anja Reuss
   15.  Rachel Macleod
   16.  Lisa Ann Bernard
   17.  June Olsen
   18. Sarah Mcdermott

Honeycomb Bauble Ornamernt for Christmas Decorations Blog Hop...

Hello and welcome to the Jems monthly Blog Hop from Amanda Bates at The Craft Spa ... featuring Christmas Decorations... so you are in for some lovely and inspiring projects when you hop around today...

I for one have already shared my main Christmas Decorations class projects already... so I thought I would share a new and simpler project ... but also give you a quick recap of the larger class Christmas Decorations projects... which have duly filled my house with very large boxes of the component parts!!

So first up...  I have a Merry Music honeycomb bauble or ornament to share... these are such fun to make!

Visit the lovely and talented Kim Oliver here for a step by step to help you along your way... though I have done a couple of  things differently with mine... including punching my circles for speed....

I coloured my Mini Ornament with the Dark Cherry Cobbler Stampin Blends pen as shown here... though crafter beware... as mine is lovely and solid... but my ladies ended up with a partially coloured ornament for some reason as it "split" (we reckoned maybe greasy hands on the ornament as it was an after lunch project!)

And before final assembly... I also coloured the edges with the same pen... added Versamark...and chucked red glitter embossing powder (retired) all over and heated it... subtle enough to not show in these photos... but lovely and glittery...

And I have to admit that I loved these so much I ended up with a list of about 20 other ideas to try... but sadly that list will have to carryover to next year!

And here are my "Golden Balls" or "Red Balls" Topiary... and Christmas Lantern that are being made in classes this month... just click on the photo to go to the original post...

Though I really must photograph and share my updated Christmas Lantern... I finally got the desired lights which changed a couple of things in the details... but more on that another day...

Thank you for visiting me today... and now it is time to pass you onto the lovely Samantha... just click on the arrow pic below to go straight there...