Merry Christmas to you all...

It's that time... a few days of well earned time with family and very close friends... as we can this year... though sadly my brother ended up stuck in Boston, USA as he caught Covid at just the wrong time to catch his flight over here... 

I would also like to say rest... but that isn't the case for we "head chefs"... especially when the usual 3 days of Christmas cheer and over-eating turns into 5 (as is the case this year!)

Have a VERY Merry Christmas and I hope you are spending special times with family and friends this season... 

And remember these - these are the Simply Created Banners in a Kit available from Stampin' Up! a few years back... the ones with the alphabet & pattern stencils and the spritzer bottles - though we used sponge brayers and sponges- as the spritzers didn't work for me on this occasion... lots of excess seapage... though I do really rate them generally...

Used along with the Peppermint & Gingerbread papers - simples!

Classic Garage Convertible!

Snip a bit off the top of the car cut from the Classic Garage papers and here you go... a convertible (aka cabriolet... soft top... open top!)  to make many a man happy! And quite a few ladies too ...

Hardtop version shown below! With more details here...

Or stamp & snip... this one looks more like my silver Mercedes CLK a few years back! Always miss that car on a lovely sunny day!

Oh and the eagle eyed amongst you may have spotted that I have changed my road production method!! 

I still sponged to start off with... but then I also used Gray Granite and the "thin straight" in the Waterfront stamp set... to create more definition... inking up...stamping... stamping again, inking up and so on...

Motorbiking!

Another quick idea for you! For the motorbike enthusiast in your life...

And remember Trimmer Blades (126995) go back on sale for us in Europe at 6pm tonight! Don't be late! Online Store link here...

Waterfront meets Enjoy Life... meets Classic Garage papers...meets En Route stamps... which is going to be a keeper for me... love it!

And yes we have been having such fun with this simple DL sized card!

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... For orders over £150 you should claim your own Stampin Rewards when ordering... you will still get a separate gift from me... 

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

Current Catalogues & Products

Everything is Rosy... available May only... and only while supplies last...Just £74 for all this! Or is that that!

Paper Pumpkin The Shelli Card KIT... Such good value... Available only while supplies last... £20 for 12 cards including stamps & ink spot! 

Enjoy Life.. on the open road...

Just leaving it here... for the car mad men folk in my family!

Waterfront meets Enjoy Life... meets Classic Garage papers...meets En Route stamps... which is going to be a keeper for me... love it!

Monday multitude enjoying Life - aka Part 3...

Couldn't resist.... as Andrea went a step further with our simple little card design...

Her husband, Andrew is off on a "Boys Cycling Tour" very soon... and so this was the perfect Father's Day card for him...

So 12 big lads on an away on tour weekend... with Andrew leading the pack... sporting his bright green jacket (Lemon Lime Twist - oh how are we going to cope without thee in a few days time!!!?) Kind of a Maillot Jaune scene if you follow the Tour de France...

DL card size as per details in this post here...

And background stamping details as per this post here... with 11 more cyclist added wherever they would fit in!! The last one being on the back of the card but I appear to have misplaced the photo!

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... For orders over £150 you should claim your own Stampin Rewards when ordering... you will still get a separate gift from me... 

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

Current Catalogues & Products

Everything is Rosy... available May only... and only while supplies last...Just £74 for all this! Or is that that!

Paper Pumpkin The Shelli Card KIT... Such good value... Available only while supplies last... £20 for 12 cards including stamps & ink spot! 

Enjoy a Simple Life! Part 2

Quick post today... as Fancy Fold Card Plan A didn't work out for today... so back to that plan another day!

So whilst the Waterfront and Enjoy Life stamps were out... I couldn't resist a quick and simple DL sized card... hence a series for you...

Stamping details as yesterday's fun fold card version... but this time I created higher mountains... simple a case of stamping a few Old Olive mountains over the top of each other!!

And I can see this card getting a lot of makes... as I know so many people that have taken up cycling over the past few years... both male and female... and of all ages...

Love the sheer simplicity of this simple little scene... but then we had some more fun!!! Yup... more to come!!

DL Card Recipe

Thick Whisper White DL Card Blank  21cm W x 10.5cm H (ie 21cm Square, scored in half at 10.5cm)

Shaded Spruce Mat 20.4cm W x 9.9cm H

Thin Whisper White stamping panel 20cm W x 9.5cm H

Enjoy Life on the Waterfront! Part One...

Well I bet you were expecting something else with that title!! And I'd love anyone to comment with what they were expecting... as I may have already done that one too!!!

Love this card!! Which was a special request for a 60th birthday... though I forgot the 60th birthday part!! But that was quickly rectified during class!

Perfect card to design just after the Tour de Yorkshire has passed through the county again!

Though I am sure that my regulars will recognise the card fold... 

Link to the Bridge U Fold Card tutorial here... though just one Box Section insert this time... cut 11.5cm x 1cm high and scored at 1.5cm from either end... (aka 4 1/2" x 3/8"...scored at 9/16" from either end!?)

Enjoy Life cyclist stamped using Memento Black... with a light sponging of Balmy Blue... and then fussy cut...

Front Base section stamped using the Enjoy Life grasses... and then quickly handcut... ending up about 1cm (3/8") high...

Balmy Blue sky brayered... grassy fields sponged... remembering (afterwards!) to use my Silicon Craft Sheet to spread the ink from... as the sponging so much softer when you do it that way! Birds from High Tide...

Mountains (Old Olive, Gray Granite) & Shaded Spruce trees etc using Waterfront... wonder if this set will stay around as long as Lovely as a Tree....? Hope so...

And here is Andrea's 60th card... note that her grass cutting is much neater than mine!!

Though I am afraid that the Little Numbers dies we used are long retired!

Rooted in Nature... the super-CAS one...

As my long term followers know... the first outing of a stamp set results in a CAS (Clean & Simple ) card (or four!) ... that just shows off the stamp set ... as intended... to it's simply-used best...

And this Rooted in Nature card is no exception to that rule... simply CASEing myself... using some new colours...

Balmy Blue applied with a Sponge Brayer through an aperture for the sky... and Shaded Spruce for the leaf part of the tree (albeit with a bit of extra marker thumped Tranquil Tide and Garden Green to add a bit of texture)... with good old Early Espresso for the trunk and branches...

And love the greeting... this comes in 2 parts but I couldn't resist using it together.... this is going to be a very useful greeting for the many charity cards our team create...

Read more about the Rooted in Nature stamps, dies, bundles and co-ordinating Natures Poem suite here... definitely an overall favourite the world over...

And not long till my box of new crafting goodies turns up... it has set off and is on its way!!! Exciting times...

Love What You Do #1

A quick, easy...and very bright... card...  to showcase the new Love What You Do stamp set in the early release Share What You Love bundles...

As well as showcasing 3 of the new 2018-20 In Colors... which you can also buy on early release with 10% discount for the set of 5 inkpads

So I have used Blueberry Bushel on the flowers to the left hand side (stamped off then stamped) ... Lovely Lipstick on the small flowers (aquapainted) and Pineapple Punch on the larger flowers to the right (stamped direct!) ...

I masked a Whisper White panel about 1 1/4" down from the top and 2" up from the bottom... stamped the flowers and leaves in Memento Black... then sponge-brayered Pool Party from the top and Lemon Lime Twist from the bottom... albeit much more heavy handed than I intended!!!

And finished off with the Love What You Do Thank You greeting in Black, Lemon Lime Twist Ombre ribbon and Black/White Bakers Twine... all set on a Lemon Lime Twist card blank...