Wedding Bells

I love a wedding and since my own I just cannot help offering advice and ideas for other people around me who are getting married. From helping out with stationery designs to producing invites to just offering advice on how, when and how to go about things.  I must just be an old romantic at heart and just love the idea of it all.

On Saturday I saw a friend of old get married in the most beautiful setting on the outskirts of Guildford, Surrey, Loseley Park.  The venue was of significance to us too as our last visit we made there just days before our little one was born. It was so lovely to see it all again and to be there sharing in our friend's special occasion. The wedding was beautifully laid out and every detail was thought of.  

For a special couple, I needed to make a pretty special card. I am hoping the happy couple have surfaced enough by now to have opened their card and are jetting off somewhere not checking my blog! (why ever not?). I am sure it is safe to share with you, so here it is.

I love included elements into a card to make it more personal. This card is made from nearly entirely retired products as they got engaged in Paris it just had to be the Artistic Etchings stamp set as it was perfect. I knew there was a reason I keep some retired products that I just cannot part with! 

There was a lot of Hessian involved in their theme which I know the groom was starting to get a little anxious about as jokes about a hessian dress were bantered about. I added the Burlap ribbon though to keep it in theme. The Burlap ribbon is a current product, available in the annual catalogue. 

The base card is a one I pre-bought, but the card is very similar to the NEW Kraft Cardstock in the catalogue which I am already using for lots of projects.  It is layered with the Natural Ivory card which I bought recently too and have not stopped using since I have had it.  The two match perfectly for more craft-style projects.

More about the details, as weddings are all about the details! The pink ribbon was from their original invite and the Very vanilla satin and the diamante ribbon slide from my own wedding stationery as an added personal touch. The soft flower trim is sadly another retired product, but once I had the idea for the flower heart I was sure of my design and it was just a case of adding the other elements.  The flowers were fantastic at the wedding in pinks and creams and so I couldn't have chosen better. The happy couple looked overwhelmed with joy throughout their day too so I know they have chosen well too.

Now that was a brief break from the seasonal catalogue and it's product.  I am off to munch on some more wedding favours and get back to the glitter and sparkle to show you some more seasonal ideas from tomorrow.

Suzanne
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Current Products Used:

Kraft Cardstock 133674
Natural Ivory Cardstock 108630
Burlap Ribbon 132140
Crumb Cake Classic Ink Pad 126975
Sponge Daubers 133773
Scallop Tag Topper Punch 133324

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.

Birthday Cake Basic Celebration Tag Pocket

Who doesn't love celebrating a birthday with a little cake?  This card is one I have made using the Birthday Cake single stamp. I have used it here with white emboss powder on the Vellum card stock.  I discovered this worked so well recently and now I cannot believe I did not emboss onto the vellum sooner!

You can see that my previous post on the vellum scallop tag spurned on the inspiration for this pocket made with the Scallop Tag Topper Punch. Inside my cake pocket I have slipped in some birthday confetti in the shape of punched card stock in co-ordinating colours and also the Silver foil cardstock from the catalogue to add something special.

I love the Birthday Basics designer papers used here as they provide instant birthday designs for wrapping or making birthday cards!  I have layered the various cut sizes for my montage birthday background.  The 'Blow Out Your Candles' wording you can see on the card is from the Happy Birthday stamp in the Delightful Dozen stamp set - yep, it's retiring too remember!

Of course my favourites too, rhinstones and organza ribbon are on hand to finish the card with some sparkle and glamour.  The designer papers card background gave me the idea to use the Summer Starfruit from the retiring In Colours 2012-2014.  This colour collection is retiring and this means there is discounted card stock on the retired list so go grab a bargain pack of card! It matches perfectly with the Birthday Basics designer papers so the perfect pair to add to your Retired List shopping list!

Birthday Basics Designer Papers (130145)
Birthday Cake Stamp (130390)
Delightful Dozen (128547) - Discounted in clear version
Emboss Powder (White) (109132)
Scalloped Tag Topper Punch (133324)
Vellum Cardstock (106584)
Organza Ribbon (114319)
Basic Rhinestones (119246)
Brights Collection Stampin' Write Markers (131259)

Tool:  Heat Tool - * New Dual Heat Setting* (129054)

Suzanne
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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.

Gorgeous Grunge with vellum

What another fabulous week enjoying the Stampin' Up! products with customers.  I held a workshop with a group and this was the card we made.  I was a little unsure whether the Gorgeous Grunge set was going to be liked so when I saw this card design online which used it in a feminine way and colour scheme I just knew it was the right one to show it off to them. 

I teamed up the stamps with some vellum cardstock which I embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots emboss folder before punching with the Scallop Tag Topper Punch.  We even used the Envelope Punch Board to round off the bottom corners of the tag too. 

I just love the bright Bermuda Bay background combined with the Coastal Cabana and Strawberry Slush of the grunge.  The Ruffled stretch ribbon is one of the retiring accessories this time round and this ribbon is fabulous.  It adds instant feminine to a project and you can use it in straight strips or even roll it up to make a lovely ruffled flower.

The tags layered onto the vellum for the birthday wishes are of course from the Chalk Talk set.  This set is in the current catalogue as a bundle deal with 15% discount when the stamps and dies are bought together so are a sound investment with several useful sayings for non-specific occasions.

Another card to spoil you today.  A quick stamp with the Gorgeous Grunge again in a similar design. This time with Daffodil Delight for the background colour.  I have added a tag though made to custom size by trimming the edges off in Summer Starfruit, from our retiring 2012-2014 In Colour collection.

This one has the doily wrap round the tag and the embossing is the Mosaic emboss folder to give the card a more feminine feel.  I thought I would just have a play with the colours for this card and added to it as I went along.  The 'For You' is from the Chalk Talk set again.

I hope you like.  I have some more cards to show with the Gorgeous Grunge, including some Father's Day card ideas where we switch colours and designs to a more masculine feel.

Come back and visit again soon

Suzanne
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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.

Mr & Mrs.........This Day Forward

Wow!  What a beautiful wedding yesterday for my cousin in Winchester at the Guildhall.  The weather was certainly shining on their day as we enjoyed the ceremony and the post-wedding photos in the park amongst the beautiful roses there.  Winchester is certainly full of history and beautiful architecture.  I only got a brief glance of the shops there,  but had not realised what I was missing so there is definitely a repeat trip required - one with comfortable shoes!

For the lovely couple I used the Mr & Mrs stamp from Stampin' Up!  A simple, single stamp which I have used for a number of wedding acceptance, wedding celebration and anniversary cards now.   This one is so easy to ink separately, emboss, cut and play around with to get different looks.  The stamp is on the retired list so make sure you place an order whilst stocks last!

The colour is Coastal Cabana and I have used the Scallop Tag Topper Punch for the two labels on the front of the card.  I just simply stamped across the two labels for my simple layout.  Behind the card front is a mat layer of Crumb Cake which I have used the Very Vintage jumbo wheel over.  Two wheels across and the background was created.  I love the vintage style of this and will miss it terribly when it retires at the end of the month.  In fact, all of the wheel stamps are retired and the wheel accessories.  I have loved creating backgrounds, gift wrap and scrapbook elements with all my wheel designs.

For embellishments I fed a loop of the Organza ribbon through the tag holes and secured with glue dots. My bow was then just created by making a larger loop of ribbon and then creating a small wrap round the middle, slightly pinching in the sides of the larger loop as I secured it all with glue dots.

We are in the Retired List time and whilst sorting through my craft room I came across the gorgeous Frosted Finishes.  So sad that they had been left since the Autumn/Winter seasonal finished so I used one here to top my bow.  I thought the sparkle and the vintage style shape suited the occasion perfectly.

Now, we had wedding guests with us and they arrived only to realise they had forgotten the card for the couple.  No matter, I soon found them one from my collection so the lucky couple have two lovely SU cards for their day.

This card is from the perfect wedding stamp set, This Day Forward.  It has the gorgeous two birds stamp and a number of sentiments with it to mark a happy wedding or anniversary occasion.  I have simply embossed the design in Silver - the embossing is stylish and simple for this card.  The card front is on mat layers with a layer of the Mosaic emboss folder to give it some added texture.

Although both this set and the Mr&Mrs are wedding sets there are plenty of other occasions you can use them for. This one I have seen the bird design be used as partridges for a Christmas theme too! Another set which is on the retired list and for this one there is a 30% discount.  It is only £13.27, so I expect stocks will run low soon, especially with the wedding season upon us.

To place an order, book a workshop in your home or come to a class, just drop me an email at craftyinkbuds@sky.com or give me a call, I am placing orders on a regular basis.

Remember you can now order online at anytime too. To ensure availability of items on the weekly deals, clearance rack or the retired list this is the guaranteed way to get your order completed.

Suzanne
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Card Products:

Mr and Mrs Card
Very Vintage Stamp Wheel
Mr&Mrs Stamp
Scalloped Tag Topper Punch
Organza Ribbon
Coastal Cabana, Whispher White and Crumb Cake Cardstock and inks

This Day Fordward Card:
This Day Forward stamps
Silver emboss powder
Organza Ribbon
In Colour Boutique Details
Mosaic Emboss Folder
Coastal Cabana and Whispher White Cardstock and inks

Floral Displays with the Spiral Flower Die

If the weather holds off I hope to be outside planting my own spring displays in the garden, but for now I thought I would share my recent project which I have been working on.  A while back I saw these cute little pepper pots in the local budget store and I could not believe what a close match they were to the Stampin' Up! colours.  You can just see the shaped tops peeping out of the top of the display in the photo.  I had a thought straight away that I could make flowers with the Spiral Flower Die and then attach them to garden wire to stand them through the holes in the pot lids.

Before I started my project though, I found a picture from Erica Cerwin on Pinterest with something very similiar.  Great minds think alike!  Erica had made a crate using the Hardwood stamp and put flowers in hers in bunches of yellow with long grass/leaves.  So once I saw the crate idea I knew I could make a little flower trough of my own to sit my pots into.

I started with a basic rectangular open box which I added an extra layer of card to so that it had more stability.  I then added my layer of grass which was using the Gumball Green from the In Colours 2012-2014. The grass was cut using the Fringe Scissors from the Spring/Summer catalogue. Finally I stamped the hardwood stamp onto Baked Brown Sugar and cut this into strips 1.5cm wide.  I sponged colour round the edges of the strips and then wrapped them round the box in a wooden crate style.

My flowers were in the Crisp Cantaloupe, Wild Wasabi and Daffodil Delight colours.  I also used the Flower Punch to add a layer of Gumball Green for a leave base to the flowers.  Each of the flowers was made using one and a half of the Spiral Flower Die shapes.  I cut two die pieces and then cut the second piece in two.  I wrapped the complete piece and then added the second half piece into the flower before securing them together with a glue gun. I have yet to perfect my glue gun sticking so there was some extra glue strings which still need tidying a little - oops!  A little photo touch-up needed!

I finished my project with the image from the Chalk Talk stamp set embossed in white on the basic black card.  The label shape was cut with the co-ordinating dies.  I was so excited about this project and I got so carried away until it was finished, crafting late into the evening.  I was beaming with pride when I finished it and it is now sitting in pride of place in my craft room, bringing the Spring flowers inside.

Now the dies are great and the Spiral Flower is fantastic, but when you are finished cutting flowers with it there is a lovely decorative shaped piece of card left over which is just too lovely to throw away.  When I was cutting flowers using the Coastal Cabana and designer paper stack I just could not bring myself to throw the pieces away and as they were overlapping on the craft table I thought of a card layout to use them instead.

I added a flower and some Little Leaves and some further flowers using the Boho Blossom punch and the label on there is made using the Scallop Tag Topper Punch cut down to match the dimensions of the sentiment.  See the sentiment on the label there?  That is stamped using the mini stamp set in the Hip Hip Hooray Card Kit.  The kit is amazing value and the stamps can be re-used for other projects as I have done here.

Products I used for these projects were:

129379 Spiral Flower Die

133032 Hardwood

133325 Fringe Scissors

130631 Chalk Talk Stamps

129983 Chalk Talk Dies

and extras for the card:

119858 Boho Blossoms

114511 Little Leaves

133324 Scalloped Tag Topper Punch 

130136 Designer Paper Stack - In Colours 2014-2015

Stamps used for the card:

134998 Hip Hip Hooray Card Kit

All these items and more are available for order through my online store.  Just go to my blog page and click on the link to 'Shop Online With Me Now' in the top right corner or you can contact me directly. Don't forget to take a visit to see the Weekly deals continuing throughout May and also the Clearance rack deals!

Suzanne

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Remember, to book a workshop in your home or come to a class, just drop me an email at craftyinkbuds@sky.com.  You can check my Stampin' Up! home page for details of planned events. 

Gifting with Spiral Flowers

What wonderful weather we are having!! I have been out and about taking advantage of the weather with my little one so not much time for crafting.  Today, we just about had time to plan in a little trip over to a team member with a lovely wrapped gift for her birthday.

As my card was using the Afternoon picnic papers, I have used these on the gift box too.  Even better, these papers are included in the new Weekly Deals for this week.  There's never a better time to invest in some of these gorgeous quality designer papers.

The label and wraparound are all using the Scallop Tag Punch.  The flowers are of course, the Spiral Flowers Originals Die from the Spring Summer Catalogue. As this is an originals die you can cut mutiple layers of cardstock at once, after all you are going to want more than one of these flowers!

My first efforts at the flowers were not the best and these were a little rushed today too.  I have found the best method for rolling the flowers though is to use a bone folder to help curve the flower piece first.  I then roll it tightly round something like a thin paintbrush (the artist type, not the DIY kind!). This rolls quite a tight roll, but as you then release the flower you can let it spring back out as far or as little as you would like it.  If you add your glue to the last circle first before releasing it you can then secure the flower as it unravels to the desired flower size.

I have added some glimmer to the edges of my flowers with the Dazzling Details and some large pearls in the centres.  The Coastal Cabana ruffled ribbon ties the tag and the wraparound together using the scallop tag punch finish.

What a lovely wrapped gift and I know the recipient will love the contents too.  Tucked inside, a Stampin' Up! die of her very own!

Don't forget to check out this week's weekly deals on my online page here.  Order online for direct delivery to you or you can contact me and I will collate orders for customers local to me.

I must get back to some bunnies and springtime projects for the weekend's planned activities now.......

Suzanne
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Products I used:

131390 Afternoon Picnic Designer Papers
129379 Spiral Flower Originals Die
133324 ScallopedTag Topper Punch

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.