Simpy Stars

The sunshine has certainly been to visit us today! Unfortunately I have not had a chance to enjoy any of it as I have been under the duvet with a cold/flu, but hoping to be back on top form tomorrow.  Just a quick post from me today in between sniffles I am afraid.

Today's card is made with the Simply Stars set.  I knew, having a little boy I just had to have this set to play with out of the main catalogue.  I have teamed it up with the Pool Party and Baked Brown Sugar combination of colours and the Chalk Talk label for a big birthday wish. The Gorgeous Grunge set making the star dust too is perfect.

I love the simplicity of the design of the card and the linen thread to tie the label.

To buy the ingredients just click to go through to the items in my online store: 

Simply Stars 130889

Gorgeous Grunge 130514 

Linen Thread 104199

Chalk Talk 130631

All stamp set links will direct you to the Wood mount versions, if you wish to purchase the clear mount versions, please enter a simple search to get the details and go to the items in the store.

To place an order, book a workshop in your home or come to a class, just drop me an email at craftyinkbuds@sky.com. Remember you can now order online at anytime too.

Wedding Words

It is going to be one of those years full of great occasions to celebrate as we have three wedding celebrations to attend this year, I am so excited!  Ever since our wedding day I have been keen to see someone else celebrating, I am getting almost just as excited talking about other people's weddings as I did my own! Now I know just how much effort everyone has gone to prepare everything I am going to see everything through different eyes. It has already started with the appreciation of the handmade invitations we received this year. All three were handmade cards, everyone has been bitten by the crafting bug it seems!

I felt that with all that effort for the invitation, it was only right I created my RSVP too. I like to match the style of the invitation if I can with a colour match as close as I can. Unfortunately I made and sealed the first reply in an envelope before I took a photo so you will have to take my word for it that it was beautiful.

The second RSVP was in response to a monochrome invitation so I went with a Smoky Slate and Basic Grey combination. I thought Black would have been a little too dark for me and it does not make me think weddings so I kept to the greyscales.

Now the greatest Wedding stamp I have in my collection is here as the background, it is the Wedding Words jumbo stampin' wheel.  Just two rolls over a piece of whisper white and I had the basics for my card.  

Tip: Use your grid paper to line the card up straight and guide a steel ruler or something with a thick enough straight edge to guide your wheel straight as you roll and stamp with it.  The grid paper also helps you line up another roll line if you want a continual background as I have done.

The line break in the text was perfect to fit a line of Silver 1/8" ribbon which has been continued into the Spring/Summer mini catalogue. The RSVP on the card is the Alphabetized lettering again, which I have used previously as a single stamp or just as individual lettering.

Tip: I inked individual letters with a marker pen and then with the stamp upside down on the craft desk I pressed the cardstock onto the letter to stamp it.

How simple was it to then punch the letters as mini banners with my Banner Punch - it's free with a £45 spend right now!

If you haven't stamped with a stamp wheel previously, hopefully you feel inspired to give it a go now!  It really is simple once you have got a straight edge to run against and they are great for background stamping across a page or card front. The Wedding Words looks gorgeous in Silver or Gold emboss.  

To place an order, book a workshop in your home or come to a class, just drop me an email at craftyinkbuds@sky.com. Remember you can now order online at anytime too.

Banner Blast Love

After being over-enthusiastic after my previous Valentine crafting projects were finished and showing them to my Husband I was back to the crafting table to make another card so I could have one to surprise him with this morning.  

It is a Banner Blast card made with the absolutely gorgeous cute Banner Blast stamp set and matching punch from the current Sale-a-Bration brochure.  This stamp set is available free with a £45 spend and so too is the punch if you spend again.  The stamps are perfect for my linen line along the Woodgrain panels of the card.  My Woodgrain is the background stamp (128763) from the annual catalogue, but don't forget there is the lovely new Hardwood stamp (133032) in the new Spring/Summer catalogue too.

I cut my card to be 12cm x 20cm when folded.  I found if I marked at the 5cm, 10cm and the 15cm lines I could get the diagonals evenly spaced on the 20cm card.  My panels are extra layers of card, stamped with the woodgrain and then daubed a little for some rustic wood colouring.  They are attached with dimensionals to lift them a little off the background card too.

The Chalk Talk label die cut on the front of the card has my 'You&Me' stamp again from the Perfect Pennants to match the secret chocolate box I showed yesterday.  I used some small hearts I had pre-punched with the Small Heart Punch in glimmer paper and Real Red card to add some detail and some sparkly rhinestones.

Inside there are some more hearts and sparkles too, along with a space to write a special message.

I loved playing with my itsy-bitsy Banner kit and I know this is going to be a fast favourite in my collection.  Remember, this is one of the free sets from the Sale-a-Bration period so if you fancy a few friends round for some crafting, or it's time for a treat for yourself, these great products are available until the end of March.

I hope you have a lovely Valentine's and get thoroughly spoiled

Suzanne

x

To place an order, book a workshop in your home or come to a class, just drop me an email at craftyinkbuds@sky.com. Remember you can now order online at anytime too.

Valentine Sweet Heart Suprises

I was invited to a fabulous crafting Fun Day with my fellow Stampin' Up team members last weekend and was set the task of making something to 'show-and-tell'.  Now, what a panic that set, making something fabulous enough to share with all those experienced crafters!

After a little calming down and reassurance from my wonderful upline Amanda Fowler I decided I would make the Secret Box which I had been eyeing up for some time.  Hopefully it would wow the crowd, but also I could put one of my favourite things in it, Chocolate, for a Valentine's gift!

It is fantastic.  A Box that opens up to reveal three trays to fill with goodies.  The main sections are made from A4 card so no need for 12"x12" cardstock for this one either.

Chocolate, mini soaps, mini chocolate eggs for Easter, the ideas are endless! 

To make the box I was following a tutorial on Split Coast Stampers from Heather Perraux.  The measurements and template are all there on the tutorial along with step-by-step videos on how to put it together.  

I followed the template guide with my Simply Scored Tool and used the additional Diagonal Plate to create the diagonal lines to easily follow where to cut for the main two outer pieces for the box.  For a project like this where you have a template and measurements, the Simply Scored tool just makes it so much easier and quicker to complete.

Tip:  Make sure if you are flipping you card round to make the diagonals on your card that they are going the correct way!  I found the diagram easist to follow on the tutorial for the scoring and folding and the video easiest for the sticking and finishing.

I used the My Digital Studio Love Letters designer papers layered on Smoky Slate and Very Vanilla cardstock for my decorative background.  The sentiments on the Circles (using the Circles Framelits Collection) were from the 'Perfect Pennants' stamp set available in the Spring/Summer Catalogue.

I love the 'You & Me' for a Valentines theme and also I have inked and cut the 'Life Doesn't Have To Be Perfect To Be Wonderful' to split it across the 3 tray fronts inside.  This stamp set is available as a Digital Download Stamp Brush Set so if you love the project is not too late to recreate it for yourself. Just download your stamp set and background papers and get folding and sticking - go on, give it a go!

For more details and to purchase either the tools or products I used you can follow the links to them here

Simply Scored 122334

Simply Scored Diagonal Plate 125586

Circles Collection Framelits Dies 130911

Perfect Pennants Brush Set - Digital Download 137042

Love Letter Designer Series Paper - Digital Download 124012

Of course, a gift, needs a card to go with it. Well here is a Valentine Pop-up suprise card to match. The dimensions mean that this card folds flat to allow it to fit into a C6 envelope if you need to post or send your valentine's messages.

I have just used the Large Heart Punch and Small Heart Punch for decoration and the colours are Cherry Cobbler, Real Red, Shimmery White and Glimmer Paper.  The background paper too is First Edition Speciality Paper which is still available as a digital download.  The sentiment on the Decorative Label Punch is from the Delightful Dozen stamp set.  There are lots of templates and tutuorials for these pop up cards online and they are so so easy.  Once you have made one, you will want to make more trust me.  A hint that there are some more to come......

To place an order, book a workshop in your home or come to a class, just drop me an email at craftyinkbuds@sky.com. Remember you can now order online at anytime too.

Pretty Petals All Around

Just a quick post from me today as we are getting ready to be battered by the storm outside.  This card was one I have made recently, but it is my favourite.  I am sure you can see the inspiration from my previous posts, the wreath kit and my other cards with the Petite Petals.

The idea came to me one morning as I woke and I knew I was going to have to make it before I lost it in the muddled mummy memory bank.

The card is on Whisper White layers, but the best bit in the middle is the Vellum window created with Stampin' Up!'s Vellum Cardstock.  I have seen so much of the new vellum embossed papers we have around and it inspired me to dig out my pack of the special cardstock to have a play.  The Chalk Talk saying in the middle is white embossed which was my creative moment when I thought of this as the idea.

The best bit about the wreath too and the Petite Petals was I was using up all my off-cuts of strips of card.  I just inked and stamped a row of each colour flower and design on a strip and then punched away whilst catching up on some TV viewing - perfect!  I had some Little Leaves prepared too with the small Sizzlit die for the Big Shot to add the leaves around the wreath.

Here's another view of the card so you can see I layered it and used some dimensionals to give the top layer a lift from the vellum.

There is a lovely banner of heart embossing across the bottom of the card too using the Adorning Accents Emboss Folders.

Talking of embossing, did you know Stampin' Up! have released a new tool and I have only just got round to telling you all about it!  It is so exciting!  There is the new Texture Boutique Tool which allows you to emboss with embossing folders, but without the bulky Big Shot cutting machine.  It is much smaller, lighter and transportable for those catch-up crafting sessions on-the-go.  The best bit, it is only £26.95 so not too heavy on the purse either!  If you like the embossing on my card, why not treat yourself with some love this Valentine and give yourself a treat or just send your hubby to my online store to order yours. 

Texture Boutique 132657

Before I go, here is another card of Petals.  See the vase?  It is one of the Delightful decorations stamps with the bottom modified slightly to give it a flat base.

To place an order, book a workshop in your home or come to a class, just drop me an email at craftyinkbuds@sky.com. Remember you can now order online at anytime too.

Simply Bloomin' - Burlap and Blooms Wreath Kit

There is a Spring in my step, the bulbs are poking through the ground with a promise of what is to come and I am ready to Sale-a-Brate with a garden of blooms this coming Springtime!  I had such a lovely time this weekend sitting down with my Burlap and Blooms Simply Created Wreath Kit from the new Spring Summer Catalogue 2014 (pages 14 & 21).

The kit includes a chipboard wreath (33cm), die-cut designer paper for creating the 15 flowers which adorn the wreath, approx 6.4m of burlap ribbon and 61cm of linen thread, 4 designer buttons and 2 brads!  It is simple to put-together with clear instructions provided - all you need is some glue!  

The larger flowers are made up of circles of paper which just need a simple glue together.  The 'ruffle' flowers are so easy!  The strips are pre-cut for you and even have their own glue strips attached ready. You just need to roll them up - how easy is that!  I would suggest using a strong glue such as used with a glue gun to hold your burlap firmly on your chipboard and also to add the flowers - you don't want to have any wilting flowers or any dropping off before the end of Spring!

I love the colours.  Even the sunshine came out to allow me to photograph this is full glory!

The kit is a perfect project for your own home or to gift to another.  Why not share your crafting, by getting together with some friends, siblings or your Mum to assemble your kits together with some good chat and time out?

You can go straight to my online store now to order your kit and have it delivered straight to your door

Burlap and Blooms Simply Created Wreath Kit 133333

Remember, it is S-A-B time too so go on, treat yourself!

To book a workshop in your home or come to a class, just drop me an email at craftyinkbuds@sky.com. Remember you can now order online at anytime too.