Mum's the word

Hi there,
My friend Saffron asked me to make a few cards for her, one that she needed rather quickly was for her mum. She asked for a stylish, but modern card. This is what I came up with.

 I love the images from the Artistic etchings stamp set, and I think they are exactly right for the brief of stylish yet modern. Especially when stamped in a gorgeous deep red, like Cherry Cobbler. Don't you just love the names of the colours? I could just sit down to a yummy cherry pud with custard poured all over the top!
Anyway before I start to dribble.

Here's the recipe,
Stamps, Artistic Etchings, Broadsheet Alphabet
Paper, Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla
Ink, Cherry Cobbler
Accessories, Scallop trim border punch, stamp-a-ma-jig, (gems from my stash)

Hope that's wet your appetite!

Dreaming of cards

Yes that's right, the other night I dreamt this card up, I had to scribble it down when I woke up so I didn't forget it and was very pleased that it turned out nicely, it was a very productive nights sleep.

It uses the Garden Whimsy stamp set, which has a lovely spring feel to it, I love the insects in the set.

Here's the recipe,
Stamps, Garden Whimsy
Paper, Daffodil Delight (Card stock and designer patterned paper), Certainly celery, Whisper White
Ink, Old Olive, More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories, Certainly Celery taffeta ribbon, Brights button

I hope that you feel little less wintry now,
See you soon xx

Bravo boxes

Last week I showed you a work in progress, I had been asked to make 50 boxes for a ladies night for my mum and stepdad.
Traditionally only the ladies get a gift, but this year the men will also be getting a little something, and it was the boxes for these that I have made.

I hope that they both like them! They have been made using Bravo Burgundy and Very Vanilla card stock, stamped with the Baroque motifs set in Staz on, half of the Very Vanilla CS has been edged with the scallop border punch, and half has been crimped using my new toy. I love it!! Finished with some ribbon that luckily matched perfectly.

Bye for now  xx

Butterflies and buttons

Good morning!

I'm starting the day bright and early with a shot of espresso, card not coffee. Today's cards uses the colour combo of Early espresso, Real red and Very vanilla, and I hope you'll agree its makes a great combination.

I can't seem to make a card lately without my hands gravitating towards my butterfly punch, and this card is no different! But this time I wanted to try to use my buttons in a different way so I've added buttons and gems onto the butterflies bodies.
Let me know what you think.

I was quite pleased with how this one turned out, I wasn't sure while I was working on it, but it came together in the end.

Here's what I used to make it -
Stamps, Butterfly prints, Curly cute
Card, Early espresso, Real red, Very vanilla,
Ink, Cherry cobbler,
Accessories, Chocolate chip satin ribbon (sadly retired), Scallop border punch, Butterfly punch, Designer buttons, (gems from my stash)

As my last post said I've got new goodies, so I hope you'll pop back soon to see some more creations.

Another haul!

Well I'm not sure this one can be classed as a haul, it's not massive, but it's not little either.
The best thing is that loads of it was free thanks to Sale-a-bration!

I got 3 SAB sets, a level 1 hostess set, and 3 ink pads (as my £15) free!! How cool is that, You could get all this free to, all you have to do is place an order of £150 then you will qualify for level 1 hostess benefits with £15 free products of your choice and because every time you spend £45 during Sale-a-bration you get a free stamp set, you will get 3 SAB sets free as well! All that extra booty for your money!

So here's what I got (sorry for the pic quality, they were taken just now, so light reflecting and shadows, oh dear!)

I'm so excited about the crimper, You'll be seeing a lot of crimping in my cards in the near future.
How did I ever got by without one for so long?

Thanks for looking!

Pink Cupcake Heaven

I don't know about you but there's nothing quite like a cupcake, especially after you've been dieting all week!

As some of you will already know I've been on a diet since February 2010 and have lost quite a bit already, but once a week (Thursday lunchtime after the dreaded weigh in) me and my mum treat ourselves. We both have a weakness for a cupcake, Ellie's in Covent Garden is our favourite place (their peanut butter cupcake is pure heaven) but as it's not local, any pretty pink cupcake will do!

As it's only Monday the real thing will have to wait, but here is a whole tower of cupcakes that can be enjoyed anytime, best of all they are guilt and calorie-free! Enjoy!

I've teamed the Regal Rose frosting with Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive. I think this maybe my favourite colour combo of the moment.

Here's the recipe,
Stamps, Crazy for cupcakes,
Paper, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, and Regal Rose patterned paper,
Ink, Rich Razzleberry, Regal Rose and Old Olive,
Accessories, Scallop border punch, Razzleberry taffeta ribbon, Old Olive button, blender pen

Hope you find this as yummy as I do!

As promised a card.....

Well after going on this morning I thought I'd better get some cards made,
I like to get a few done on a Sunday so I have some ready to post for the week, so don't forget to pop back later this week for more cards.

Here's today's

It was made using the Elegant thank you stamp, one of the a la carte stamps available on the back page of the catalogue, these stamps are so handy if you are on a tight budget (prices start from only £5.95) but still need your stampin' up fix!

Here's the recipe
Stamps, Elegant thank you
Paper, Marine mist CS, Very vanilla CS, Tempting turquoise brights patterned paper
Ink, Marina mist, Early espresso
Accessories, Marina mist satin ribbon, Scallop border punch

Thanks for stopping by

New Year's resolution - Craft room clearout!

Now I know you're probably looking at that title and thinking, it's a little late!
This year my resolution was to keep my desk/ craft space tidy so that I don't lose things or throw them away unintentionally.

It started off well, I tided the desk, put gems and ribbons and things that seem to work there way out from the boxes of their own back where they belonged, and the space was very zen-like.
As I used things I put them back to keep it tidy.

I went around a friends house this week and everything was so organised and tidy, everything had a place and there was no clutter what so ever, (very much unlike my house where you can't move without tripping over something!), and I guessed that storage must be the answer to the problem.

So off I go, out yesterday with storage on my to get list (normally I think, why buy storage when you can buy more ribbons that need to be stored somewhere instead) but I was on a mission. So i got 2 large plastic storage containers (with purple lids, so that they looked at least a little bit pretty) and a gorgeous white wicker basket with the prettiest purple gingham lining.

I got to work last night putting all the things on top of my little wicker drawers into the wicker basket, everything didn't fit! The basket I had bought was bigger than the 3 boxes I had everything balanced in, I don't understand, it must have multiplied as I was putting it all neatly in!

Then came the large gift bags that I have filled with things on the spare bed,  I start putting everything into the storage boxes, and I'm thinking to myself  'Can't remember buying that' and 'where did I get that from'.

So I've decided that there is nothing else for it, I'll have to sort it all out and be brutal and get rid of things that I bought because they were on sale, and I might used at some point. I now have 3 large collections of embellishments, ribbons, flock powder, stickers, chipboard, the list goes on that I'm selling on ebay.

Hopefully someone will like what they see and help me in my plea to get myself sorted out! In the meantime my spare room looks even more untidy than when I started!

Anyway, that's enough of my rambling, hopefully will be back later with a card to show you, if I ever see the top of my desk again.

Copy and share everything

Hello!

Today's card is one that I've CASE'd from my upline, I made a card very similar to this one at a class, but I have changed the colours for one's that I have and added a little extra, with the acorns popped up on dimensionals.

That's the great thing about craft, you can take an idea, adapt it to use materials/colours that you have and add your own little touches.

So here it is

This card is very simple to do, makes a great men's card, or even a 'just because' card.

I love the detail on these leaf stamps, and they look great in these autumn colours but would look equally good in different shades of green, for a spring/summer look.

The recipe,
Stamps, Autumn Splendor, Occasional greetings,
Inks, Cherry cobbler, More mustard, Old olive and Early espresso
Paper, Old olive and Very vanilla.

Hope you like it.

Say thankyou with flowers!

Today's card has been made using the For Everything stamp set, I love the two sentiments in this set and the little birdie and butterfly, so cute!
This card uses two step stamping, this technique builds up a focal point from individual small stamps, the flower stem is separate from the heads so you can mix and match flowers. I've also used two flower heads to frame my image. The possibilities are endless!

So here's the card

And here's the recipe,

Stamps, For Everything,
Ink, early espresso, cherry cobbler, old olive, pumpkin pie,
Card stock, old olive and very vanilla
Buttons, brights.

I'd love to hear what you think so please leave me a comment below, thanks for stopping by!

Just a quick post today

Hi there,

I made a card this week with the very first stamp set I bought from stampin' up called 'garden whimsy', it is an old favourite of mine. I love the large butterfly (it's great for glittering!) but today I have used the ladybird's, I coloured the stamp using markers, and my ever trusted stamp-a-ma-jig to position them. What did I do before my stamp-a-ma-jig? It has to be my most used piece of equipment!

  Here's what was used to make it,

Stamps, Garden whimsy, Fresh cuts (sentiment),
Paper, Certainly celery CS, Old olive patterned paper, Basic black CS
Certainly celery taffeta ribbon.

As I said this is only a quick post, as I've been asked to make 50 boxes for favours for a function my mum and step dad are having. It's not until march but I like to (try) and be prepared!
Here's how I'm doing so far,

Just 50 lids to finish and decorate and I'm done!

Bye for now x

F is for friendship

Good evening!

I've been waiting to get my grubby (with ink so it's ok) little hands on the vintage vogue set since it was first shown in last years mini catalogue, but every time I placed an order there was always something else that I was seduced by. But never fear, when I was choosing my starter kit stamps I put it right at the top of my list and it is now sat in a neat little pile with all it's stampin' up stamp set friends.

I think its a great set for 'just because' cards, because of the fabulous F with friends caption. So that is what I have made for today's card.

Once again my ever faithful butterfly has made it on to this card as well!

I have also used the 'rock and roll' technique on the flowers of this card. This technique involves choosing two colours, one lighter than the other. Ink up your chosen stamp with the lighter colour, then with the darker colour angle the stamp so that you are only inking a portion of the design and roll the stamp around so that you have a darker edge to the image. You must remember to clean the stamp between each inking otherwise you will transfer the dark ink to the lighter ink pad.

Here's what was used -

Vintage Vogue stamp set, Butterfly prints stamp set,
Rich razzleberry CS, Pretty in pink CS, Rich razzleberry patterned paper,
Rich razzleberry taffeta ribbon, brights designer button, Butterfly punch,
Regal rose ink and concord crush ink.

What do you think? I'd love to know, please leave me a comment below.

Marina, marina, marina!

Hi there,

Today's card is for a very good friend of mine, her birthday is on Monday and for once I'm prepared in advance and have her card all ready for her, hopefully she isn't checking my blog before then!

Its uses my brand new Broadsheet Alphabet set, which I think is one of my most useful sets, I used to spend a fortune on alphabet stickers to personalise cards and now I won't have to spend another penny on them, Yay!

So it here is

 I hope that she will like it!

As the title for this post suggests I used a lot of marina mist in this card,
Here's what was used to make it -

Stamps - Broadsheet Alphabet, Tiny Tags
Paper - Very Vanilla, Marina Mist, Blueberry Paper Pack
Marina Mist Ink, Marina Mist satin ribbon,Marina Mist marker (for doodling around scallop) Designer Buttons (brights) Scallop Circle Punch, Tag Punch

Happy Birthday for Monday Angela!

Bye for now

Another red, black and white creation

Hi there!

I'm liking the combo of red, black, and white at the moment so here is another card I've made using these colours,

I sponged the cherry cobbler ink using a sponge dauber onto white card before stamping the flower head image over the top using stazon so that it would give a more muted effect, the border around the flower image is also from the same Because I care stamp set. I love my stamp-a-ma-jig, its a godsend for lining up things like this.
The sentiment is taken for the Notably ornate stamp set.

I've used -
Stamps, Because I care, Notably ornate,
Paper, love letters, newsprint
Ink, cherry cobbler

Thanks for stopping by

Because I Care

Hi,
Today I have made a card using the Because I Care set, It's fast becoming one of my favourite sets. I love the giant flower head and the sentiments in this set, and best of all it was a FREE hostess level 1 set, so I didn't even have to pay for it, everything is nicer when it's free!

To make this card I also used a set called Notably Ornate, It's very on trend with the bird that I've used for this card, and would be great for vintage style cards.

I used -
Stamps, Because I care (sentiment), Notably ornate.
Love letter paper pack, brights designer button, linen thread, cherry cobbler ink.

Hope you like it. Please feel free to leave a comment, it's always nice to get feedback and know what others think.

Yay, my starter kit is here!

I feel like I've been waiting for it forever, even though it's only been since Tuesday, but my Stampin' Up starter kit has arrived! I was beyond excited to get it open and have a look at all my goodies.

As promised here are some pics.

Now I've just got to find room to put it away, not that it'll be away for long!

Butterfly Prints

Hi there,

Today I have made another card using the Butterfly Print Stamp set.
It's a gorgeous set which has 5 stamps, 3 butterflies, the butterfly body, and a sentiment that co-ordinates perfectly!
I got this set originally because I liked the look of the Flight Of The Butterfly set but didn't want to spend £26.95 if I wasn't going to use it much. As the Butterfly Print set was only £12.95 (clear mount) I thought I would get this set and then if I liked it add the Flight of the butterfly set to my collection, its now at the top of my 'have to get' list, and the co-ordinating butterfly punch (£15.50) makes creating quick cards a breeze.

Here's what I came up with

This card didn't take long at all to make, but no one would know.

To make this card I used -
Butterfly Prints stamp set,
Butterfly punch, Scallop Edge punch,
Blueberry Crisp paper pack, Chocolate chip paper (retired), chocolate chip satin ribbon (also retired boo hoo)

Hope you like it.

It's Official!!

Hi there,

Well it's official, as the title of this post suggests, I am now a stampin' up demonstrator! I got my welcome call yesterday afternoon and should receive my starter kit later this week.

I've seen 'haul' videos on the Internet, (which I love to watch. My wish list, which shall now be known as my things I NEED list, grows every time I watch one) I will not be recording a video of the unpacking of my package, (I'll be far to excited to calmly show everything as I take it out of the box) but I will take some pictures of all the great items you get in the starter kit, for anyone who is interested in or thinking about joining themselves. Now is a great time to join because you can choose an extra stamp set up to the value of £44.95 for free, making the kit even better value!

Well that's all for now, see you later in the week with those starter kit pics.

Baroque meets Boho

Today I've been playing with some of my new stash, its the Boho blossoms punch.
This punch features 3 flowers which I've layered up to make blossoms that (I think) look like water lilies.

I have matted and layered the white card stock onto green and then pink card, stamped the gorgeous swirl from Baroque Motifs, and added the 'for you' sentiment from Fresh Cuts. I find it really hard not to add gems and ribbon to cards and this one is no exception, so I added a gem to each end of the sentiment to draw your attention to it and finished with some fantastic pink ribbon.

Supplies used
SU Baroque motifs stamp set, Fresh cuts stamp set (sentiment), Boho blossoms punch.

I ordered rather a lot of stash in October for my birthday, but with the made Christmas rush (I always think I'm well prepared but it still manages to creep up on me!) I hadn't got around to using it yet.

This next card uses one of the stamp sets that I was most excited about in the current catalogue, Artistic Etchings which has a beautiful key, crown, two flourishes and sentiment as well as the Eiffel tower, the stamp that I have used for my card.

I'm quite pleased with the way this one turned out, originally the scallop bordered pieces were going to be the bottom of the card but I could face covering up my fabulous ribbon/lace.

Supplies used
SU Artistic Etchings, Scallop Edge Punch, Love Letter Paper Pack (black and white spotted paper)
Ribbon, coloured paper and gems (from stash)

All Stampin' Up supplies can be purchased from myself, Please e-mail me kellyslater_1983@hotmail.co.uk

My very first post!

I'm so excited my very first blog post!

I've wanted a blog for a while but I've never known how to get started, luckily I've had some help (thanks Jules!, You can find Jules blog in my blogs that inspire me section), and I think I'm just about there, although I've changed my mind about the background several times, so don't be too surprised if you return and it's changed.

I made a couple of cards yeaterday that I would like to share with you.

The first is a tent fold A6 sized card

This week I've signed up to be a Stampin' up demo, I haven't got any card stock yet but I'm eagerly waiting for it, so I used card stock that I had from my stash.
The stamp sets used are -
SU - Butterfly prints, Because I Care
I also tried doodling on this card with a white gel pen, I'm always worried that I'm going to ruin a whole card right at the end with white pen, but was feeling brave yesterday, so I did some faux stitching around the top section and some spots around the scallop punched circle (SU).

The second of my cards is more masculine

This one uses -
SU - Autumn Splendor, Because I Care (sentiment)
my favourite chocolate chip satin ribbon (yummy), and two patterned papers from the old olive collection (both sadly retired now boo hoo, but I think you can get some old olive patterned paper in the brights collection)

Hope you like them!