Maritime Monday - Sail Away Home Card

Quick share today of a card with a maritime theme... using the Come Sail Away papers , Sailing Home stamps & dies bundle... and the Sail Away Trinkets...

Suitable for anyone... but particularly the guys!

Watercoloured Joyful Nativity

I have a Beginner's class next week focusing on the Joyful Nativity stamp set... so here is another sample for you... actually two...

And I have to admit defeat on my inspiration... I saved this gem off the internet onto my iPad... and ... though unusual for me... I had to CASE it... 

But there is no watermark... and I cannot find it shared online using Google Images either... so I cannot credit the original designer... but thank you whoever you are... I really love this card design! Please let me know if it is you - or if you know who it is... as I would love to be able to give due credit...

And for the rest of you.... Which do you prefer? Star in the circle or dotting the J???

Oh and what did I use? Night Of Navy ink and card mat. Aqua Painter water-colouring using Pool Party and Night of Navy

Balloon Celebrations - Embossed Dandelion

Just a very simple card to show you an embossed dandelion this time... onto Watercolor paper with Lost Lagoon Aqua Painter watercolouring over the top...

Though I have to admit that I rejected this option for classes... too hard & ends up too random... as you can't see where you are stamping the Versamark seed heads... so crafter beware! Shame...as it does look fab...

Whisper White seedheads and Lost Lagoon seed head centre/dotty circles on the mat to finish...

And here are the 2 together...

Happy New Home Card

Not a card made in the Sleigh Ride class - as everyone wants full steam on Christmas cards...

But had to be made to show the versatility of these dies (gutted they are retiring!) - and although simple - this was one of my favourite makes...

I do find it difficult to find NEW HOME wording amongst all my Stampin' Up! supplies...

But this year other stamp sets in the the Autumn Winter Catalogue  have come to my rescue...

Firstly HAPPY NEW from the HAPPY NEW YEAR in the hostess Six Sayings set...

And secondly HOME from the MAY THE MAGIC OF THE SEASON FILL YOUR HEART & HOME ... in the Cozy Christmas set...

Aquapainter brushed Night of Navy ink across the Watercolor Paper for the stamped sky panel... and Mossy Meadow across the die cut Thick Whisper White at the bottom (note to self - use Watercolor Paper for the bottom next time!) Houses coloured using aqua-painted Tip Top Taupe & Smoky Slate...

And don't forget... the stamp sale with 20% off select stamps finishes tomorrow 20 November... please do not miss out - particularly on those Larger Than Life and Back to Basics alphabets, Wild About Flowers & Gorgeous Grunge (for the 2 of you that don't already have it!!)

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Watercolor Wings Tunnel Fold Card

Remember my variant from our Quarterly training projects (with my un-intentional change of colours to Mint Macaron & Lost Lagoon!)....

Well it became this...
Just the smaller butterfly from the Watercolor Wings added and a change to the wording on the banner as I didn't have the Thank You wording to use in class  ...and as I knew a few ladies were after birthday cards....(and the eagle-eyed amongst you will have spotted that it was in Island Indigo - so not perfectly co-ordinating!!)

Just finished off with the addition of a tunnel fold card insert on the inside to add a window to the world! This insert is just scored at the centre and 2" from each side - with the oval aperture cut on the centre line.... 

Stamped my ferns... and then some careful lining up of my Sahara Sand inked embossing folder on the insert - and there you have it - another great brick wall effect... The card front is inked on the embossed side of the folder...and the card inside on the debossed side...

And I will leave you with a quick tip if you wished to create the same effect within that window... stamp the Watercolor Wash background stamp & the ferns etc on a plain card panel...then score! No line in the middle to do a cover up on!!!! I think you know why I know this.....!!

Oh and a word to the wise for future weeks to come.... the reduced price Weekly Deals were incredibly popular this week... 6 items selling out within 24 hours... Still 5 left though..... and many of the NEW Clearance Rack items too

And a hint for tomorrow.... a tutorial for Fancy Fold Friday!!

And a poser for you....

Which new card over the past month do you think has had the most blog hits!?

It started off with very few page views.... and no comments... and I was surprised - and sad!!
I thought it was a great card type but... sniff!! I thought no-one liked it or was interested... and so I did not write up the tutorial...

And then suddenly the blog hits began to increase... and this week they have rocketed.... and so now I have to apologise for not publishing the tutorial sooner.....! Back on it!!

Stampin᾿ Up! Supplies

Table built by craftingbecky.com

Watercolor Wings Photopolymer Stamp Set	Butterfly Basics Photopolymer Stamp Set	Brick Wall Textured Impressions Embossing Folder	Bold Butterfly Framelits Dies
Banner Triple Punch	Mint Macaron Classic Stampin' Pad	Tip Top Taupe Classic Stampin' Pad	Lost Lagoon Classic Stampin' Pad
Sahara Sand Classic Stampin' Pad	Soft Sky Classic Stampin' Pad	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock

Collage of Wild About Flowers Cards

Told you had gone a bit mad! Slight variants on my Training swap card theme... Just playing around with different colours, greetings and effects...

Top Left - just a change to the sentiment... another great sentiment in the stamp set...

Top Right - off the grid, new adventure sentiment again and Mint Macaron mat

Bottom Left - Wisteria Wonder card base and Mint Macaron mat

Bottom Right - cleaner and simpler - no Watercolor Wash background...

Right that is it for today... after I blogged yesterday we decided to go to A&E with my cut up finger - so I am now the proud owner of the largest finger bandage you have ever seen!!! All will soon be well - but I won't be making anything fast this week!

Though I have made a little something completely different to hopefully share tomorrow... thought I should use my technical brain today rather than the creative hands! Just a finish off with some decoration in the morning ( may have a helper pop by!! Though she doesn't know my ulterior motive yet)

So till later tomorrow....

Wild About Flowers Card #4

Guess what...another Wild About Flowers & Watercolor Wash Card!  Bit more colour & stamping this time....

Well... I was just enjoying playing around with the concept & the thistles in order to produce my Team Training swap card.... hope I know lots of people retiring this year! The wording in this set is great - I may have a lot of words in stamp form - but there are some great new and useful ones in here.

The background stamping on the Lost Lagoon base is using Lost Lagoon and Mint Macaron to achieve the 2 depths of colour....

Going to be a quick share today... and probably for the next few days... as unfortunately I had a self-inflicted accident yesterday involving my big scissors and the very tip of my finger! All in the pursuit of my craft..... I won't go into more detail...wasn't nice at the time!!! But could have been a whole lot worse... panic not!!

But thanks to all of those around me (especially Maggie and Julie W) who remained calm and sorted me out & got me back to proceedings  - with only a short delay... Sorry Julie K....

Needless to say I am rather impeded for a little while (especially as I am a 2 handed typist!) ...but I am sure it will recover quickly and nicely...

But hey - I did won the Raffle for the first time at Training.... so as always - there was a flip side!! And I can't wait to use and share the stamp set I got!! More of that another day....

Wild About Flowers Team Training Swap Card

I am off to our Team Quarterly Training today. A day I always look forward to… as we get to make a lot, be inspired a lot and usually laugh a lot too… all in the company of a great bunch of ladies that I am definitely proud to call my stampin’ friends!

Today will be extra special as we get to use new things from the new catalogue! Always exciting for us demos – no matter how long we have been a demo for! I still get just as excited and inspired after nearly 7 years of doing this!

We always have a swap too – where we make one card design for every person in the room. And we swap our cards with each other… so we come home with a bag full of 20 or so projects for our displays (or just to send to friends & family if you don't do events) - using different new stamps & products – as well as different technique and styles. I then sit at night and go through oohing and aahing at everyone’s lovely makes – talented bunch that we all are!

So this is my card swap design this time. A simple card highlighting 2 new stamp sets – Watercolor Wash and Wild About Flowers.  

On a Thick Whisper White card base of course. 

And of course my favourite colour combination of the NEW Mint Macaron, Soft Sky & Lost Lagoon – along with Wisteria Wonder as I thought that the best colour for this thistle type image….

Love this flower image – I have to admit that I have a thing about thistles!!

Do you fancy joining us at our next Quarterly Training Day in September? 

Well now is such a great time to join.... think this months's sign up promotion has to be the best one ever.... Go here for more details... and don't hesitate to contact me for more information or just a chat.... I love to share what I do....

Another Wild About Flowers card

Staying on my clean & simple makes using Wild About Flowers and Watercolor Wash.

Same card as yesterday - but different flower, greeting and colour combination this time. Soft Sky again, Pear Pizzazz for the green, Lost Lagoon for the greeting and Rose Red for the flowers...

Slightly brighter which seemed more appropriate for this flower image....

A few pearls added to highlight... and there you have it!

Love this sentiment!

And last but not least - apologies for anyone coming on today to check out my Fancy Fold Friday post. I knew what I wanted to write up.... but my extra GCSE school runs & life took their toll this week... so huge fail on my part...

But next week will be different - as the son and heir has NO exams...so no trips into York for me!! And the following week - he has the last one!!

Boy will he (and we) be happier then.... I get my crafting/teaching room back for a start!!! Life will become so much simpler again.... everything back in its place....

Wild About Flowers...and NEW Thick Whisper White Card!

New THICK Whisper White card… New stamp sets… new quick & simple makes!

First of all the stamp sets… Wild About Flowers and Watercolour Wash… a match made in heaven for those that like silhouettes over a watercolour background… bang on trend!

And a quick tip for how I used the Watercolour Wash BIG background stamp... inked up & stamped in Soft Sky first, then inked up just the top part of the stamp and stamped the Mint Macaron over the top at the bottom...was just easier that way!

Same card...Two ways...

Some like it clean around the edges....

Some like it overlapping the edges...

And I have to laugh at myself (again!) ... I meant to do a matching One Layer Card ... but I got a bit carried away with testing out stamping side by side on Whisper White and Thick Whisper White - so I forgot!! I even searched through the samples I had made...as I was sure I had.... but no....

Colour combi... Mint Macaron, Soft Sky, Lost Lagoon & Wisteria Wonder...

And now for a quick review of Amanda’s number 1 product in the new 2015-16 Annual Catalogue! 

Yes Thick Whisper White card stock! I have been waiting SO long. And yes I have been one of those on the relentless treadmill of “we want thick white for card blanks pretty please!” at every opportunity Stampin’ Up! has given us to comment on products for the last 7 years… So thank you Stampin’ Up!

And I am not disappointed…. It is thick enough to use for card blanks, it scores well, it stamps up well and it works well with the water-colouring techniques I have tried so far. It also doesn’t have the slight sheen that the Whisper White does – which has its advantages for some projects.

In fact I am surprised to report that it stamped up as well as the normal Whisper White – I couldn’t actually tell a difference with my side-by-side test…. Though I will still continue to use my beloved Whisper White for stamping as I think that solid images will work better on it….

So all in all Thick Whisper White is pretty perfect in my eyes!

And I am delighted to be able to do large & one layer cards again… I have missed those in my repertoire….