Christmas Card

I'm not big into Christmas...I know, I know, I'm sorry to say it, before I get told off! I'd be quite happy sat on a warm beach somewhere reading a book and returning back home once it's all over! To be honest spending most of the year like that would be perfect, I can dream. ;-)

I generally don't manage to make very many handmade Christmas cards to send to people and when I do they tend to be very simple, not much bling and not very 'Christmassy'! I think this card could be classed in that category.

It is very simple, just using the Stamp-a-ma-Jig to line everything up nicely. I started near the centre and then just worked my way outwards until I was happy with the end result. It could be different every time and would work equally well with any word set with different fonts/sizes...perhaps making a statement with one word in a different colour. Loads of possibilities I think!

Supplies used are all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise stated
Stamp set: Greetings of the Season

Colours: Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake,Whisper White

Accessories: Stamp-a-ma-Jig

Thanks for taking time to stop by and take a look.
Nikki
x

Birthdays

My lovely downline Colette has been an SU demonstrator for just over a year now. To celebrate her SU 1st birthday I sent her this card. It's quite understated, but I like it and hope she liked it too :-)

Supplies used are all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise stated
Stamp set: Clockworks, Especially for You

Colours: Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Early Espresso, Perfect Plum,Whisper White

Punch: Scallop Circle, Scallop Oval

Dies: Apothecary Accent Framelets, Beautiful Wings Embosslits

Accessories: Dazzling Details

At the same time my son was celebrating his 21st birthday. Talk about where did that time go!! I can't quite believe that it was 21 years ago I held this tiny little bundle in my arms and wondered how on earth I was going to handle motherhood!

He has grown into a lovely young man, who I'm so very proud of.

Clockworks

These are some of the swaps I made for the last team training I attended back in October, using the fab stamp set Clockworks. I love this set and will be using it on many more projects in the coming months. It's going to be a great set for scrapbooking!

Supplies used are all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise stated
Stamp set: Clockworks
Colours: Crumb Cake, Pumpkin Pie, More Mustard, Early Espresso, Certainly Celery, Marina Mist, Whisper White
Punch: Square
Accessories: Sponge Dauber

I've been a busy bee this month, working some long hours, but along the way managing to fit in some parties for some absolutely lovely and very talented ladies. I'm looking forward to seeing you all again very soon.

Thanks for stopping by to take a look.
Nikki
x

Sew and Sew



As i said before I love sewing on my projects. I must admit I've seen so many lovely cards made with the wonderful Perfectly Preserved set that it's difficult to come up with something new or different. I think as long as it's made with love and passion it doesn't really matter if it's not entirely unique!

I'm loving this set in the Autumn Winter Seasonal Catalogue, but equally can't wait for the 1st October and a lovely new Annual Catalogue, jam packed full of gorgeousness :-)

If you would like me to send you a copy please do get in touch.

Thanks for looking.
Nikki
x

Sewing paper!

Well I think Autumn has now well and truly arrived! It was so dark this morning...what a difference a couple of days make! I've given in and put my heating on too!

As I haven't done one for ages, this is my entry for the latest challenge over at Simply Stampin' Challenge, which is to Faux or Sew! I must admit to loving to use sewing on my projects, although when I first starting doing it some years ago, got some very dubious looks from friends...they find it more odd when I don't use stitching now! I usually go for real rather than faux, but I really like both effects.

You can't see properly as my photo is pants, but I have used the Parlor Prints background stamp on the crumb cake card and inked all the edges. I hand stitched the border using linen thread, not the easiest thing to sew with to be honest, but I do love the end result.

I hope you like it...I'll be back with some more sewing very soon. Just a shame I can't actually sew material! ;-)

Supplies used are all Stampin' Up!
Stamp set: Ornament Keepsakes, Curly Cute, Parlor Prints
Colours: Crumb Cake,Early Espresso, Very Vanilla
Dies: Holiday Ornaments Framelits
Ribbon: Crumb Cake Seam Binding
Accessories: Basic Pearls, Linen Thread

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look.
Nikki
xx

Thank you

Firstly I want to thank Debby and Doreen for being so wonderful today at my open day. I couldn't have done it without you both and I really appreciate all that you do for me. Special thanks also to Colette, your Halloween display was stunning, thanks for all your hard work xx

Now on to the Thank You card. There is a bit of a mixture of old and new on this one! The Lace Ribbon border punch is an 'old' and is currently at 40% off and £10.95, so if you like a bargain be quick and order this before it's sold out. The main colour is one of the new in colours for 2012 - 2014.
I've made the leaf look veined by folding in half and running through the Big Shot using the woodgrain embossing folder...so easy and so effective for that more natural leaf look.

Supplies used are all Stampin' Up!
Stamp set: Confetti, Perfectly Preserved
Colours: Midnight Muse, Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Early Espresso
Punches: Lace Ribbon Border, 1" Circle, Blossom
Embossing Folder: Woodgrain, Lacy Brocade
Dies: Autumn Accents Bigz Die

Ornate Flowers

A very simple layout today using the lovely Ornate Flowers stamp set - another on the retired list. This was one of the first sets I purchased from the current Idea Book & Catalogue, but I have to admit that I haven't used it nearly enough - a recurring theme for me at the moment after culling my stamp sets on the retired list for this year!
I thought I'd better start listing my supplies in my posts, as you might like to replicate what you see! :-)

Supplies used are all Stampin' Up!
Stamp set: Ornate Flowers
Colours: So Saffron, Old Olive, Not Quite Navy
Punches: Scallop Square, 1-1/4" Square, Scallop Trim Border
Embossing Folder: Square Lattice
Ribbon: 5/8" White Satin (another item on the retired list)

Thanks for taking time to visit.
Nikki
xx

Wedding Butterflies

Another month gone already...I seem to only manage 3 weeks in a row and then it all goes to pot! Very much like my activity at the gym lol!

Today I thought I'd air a simple use of the lovely Mocha Morning DSP, which is now sadly on the retired list - along with the letters used to do the title....I'm really going to miss using those as they are a great size and font for scrapbook pages.

Thanks for visiting.
Nikki
xx

All my own work!





I'm really enjoying scrapbooking at the moment, although sometimes it comes really easily, I find at other times I struggle to produce anything at all! I had a day of two halves yesterday at Mj's crop in Thatcham. I always have a lovely day, but sometimes do nothing but sit and watch other people....which isn't very productive, but I must admit one of my favourite pass times...people watching should be a job in it's own right, I think I'd be brilliant at it! ;-)

I did manage to finish one layout and am quite pleased with the end result. (I know my photography skills need work, but the words are deliberately wonky - just in case you were wondering lol.)

I've used the Blossom Punch which is a real favourite at the moment....as if you hadn't guessed! :-) I must admit I haven't really utilised the DSP packs to their full potential this year, sticking to just a couple of favourites most of the time...something I'm trying to rectify at the moment....look out for a very out of my comfort zone layout coming up shortly!

I'm now off out to enjoy some sunshine at last...doesn't it just make you feel so much happier when the sun is shining?

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and hope to see you back again soon.
xx

Team Training Swap

Just back from a great day at Amanda's Quarterly Team Training. As always there was loads of inspiration and great ideas to help kickstart a sluggish creative mind. If I'm not feeling very inspired when I get there I'm most certainly not stuck for ideas by the time I leave!

There were loads of swaps and some amazing things on display on the Demonstrators Choice table. My lovely downline Colette had made a fantastic little craft bag to hold all your essential crafting tools - just wonderful. I'll have to take a photo the next time I see her to show you what I mean.....you'll all want one is all I'm saying ;-)

This is one of the swaps I made and as Amanda's theme this time was Christmas I thought I would keep in line with this. I've used the Ornament punch with the stamp set Contempo Christmas and kept it all very simple, with the colour combination of Poppy Parade and Pear Pizazz - colours that we will unfortunately be losing at the end of the current catalogue in September.

I hope you like it.
Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.
xx

Scrapbooking - Twitterpated

How time flies....not sure what happened to June, it's gone by in a flash!

I hope you managed to enjoy the tennis. I can't quite believe that the Olympics is only a couple of weeks away now, do you still remember the moment we found out we'd won the bid - was that really all that time ago! There's frantic activity in our sleepy little village, as the road cycle race passes straight through, so this weekend the workmen have been out in force strimming down all the grass verges...though with the way things are going they'll need to be back next week to do it again!

So, back to the crafting - this is a scrapbook page of one of my friends son and daughter-in-law on their wedding day (in case you hadn't guessed ;-)). I've used the Twitterpated DSP along with some of the older punches which I find so very useful for making little accents to add here and there. I've also used some embossing folders (not quite all of them but I've had a good try :-))!

My photography skills don't really do the page justice as IRL it looks much more fresh and vibrant. I'll seriously have to work on that.

Hope to be back with some more soon.
Thanks for taking time to stop by and leave me a comment - I really appreciate it.
xx

Colours

So this week's Simply Stampin Challenge is another colour challenge....love it. I must admit I'm much more of a Subtles girl, but these colours really work well together and I'm definitely coming round to using more of the Brights collection.

I've used the stamp set Everything Eleanor and used the rock and roll technique to colour the edges of the flowers in Cherry Cobbler. I've also used 3 different embossing folders to add dimension and interest to the card - adding just a little Bakers Twine around the heart for a little accent. (Although the twine isn't the exact colour match with Tangerine Tango I don't think it looks too far off ;-) - mind you I do need to wear my glasses more, so I could be wrong!)

I hope you've all enjoyed the extended weekend, I know I have, it's been great to be able to have a lie in on a weekday! ;-)

Have a great week and I hope to see you next time.
x

Red, White and Blue

A very simple card today, and as it's the Diamond Jubilee weekend it just had to be red, white and blue. This was the starting point for my earlier card, which I entered into the Simply Stampin Challenge for one of their previous colour challenges. I'd already decided to do this simple version for my swap at recent team training!

Right, I'd better get back to the cleaning.... I'm doing one of those jobs that you get half way through and begin to wonder why you started it in the first place! ;-) Only plus is I've got a week off work this week so once I've sorted all the washing and cleaning I can relax and spend some time creating...my favourite thing to do :-)

Hope you all have a great Bank Holiday weekend.
Be back again soon.
x

Garden Jungle

What a beautiful day! I've just returned home from Amanda's team training which was really good as usual. It's always great to meet up with everyone and get loads of inspiration from swaps and inspiration tables - only down side to this is that I see loads of lovely things made with stamp sets I never thought I wanted, and now, not only do I think I would like them, I actually NEED them!! :-)

This is another of the pages I made last weekend....much more masculine than my last one! It does look better IRL!

I'd love to say that the garden is now a beautifully landscaped and well tended space where I can sit and relax, but alas not.... I can try and pretend it's now a meadow like area, but even that would be pushing it! One day it will move to the top of my priority list...one day!

Thanks for looking and thank you for leaving your comments, I really appreciate them.

Monochrome scrapbooking

Two posts in one week.... I'm never going to keep this up! ;-) I'm back with another of my scrapbook pages, though thankfully with no spelling mistakes this time! This is my attempt at monochrome with a splash of colour, which is this week's Simply Stampin Challenge.

I've used four different stamp sets on this layout - Everything Eleanor (for the centre of my white flowers), Creative Elements, Hopeful Thoughts and Baroque Motifs.

With any luck I'll be back at the weekend to make it 3 weeks in a row! :-)

Thanks very much for stopping by and taking a look.

SK8ER Boy

Yes I know, I know, I put a T instead of an E on my title! :-) If I were young and with it I'd never have made that obvious schoolgirl error. LOL!!

I had a fab crafting weekend this weekend, with a group of lovely and very talented ladies. It's been ages since I've done any scrapbooking, so took the opportunity to get some done, although I should probably have been making some swaps as I have team training to attend this Saturday. That'll be another last minute task as I'm getting ready to head out the door I expect...some things will just never change! ;-)

This page uses my current favourite product - the new Blossom Punch, which I'm putting on everything at the moment! Colours are Crumb Cake, Night of Navy, Baja Breeze and So Saffron with some Beau Chateau and First Edition Speciality DSP.

I hope to be back a little later in the week with another offering. Fingers crossed!

Adorning Accents

I've decided it's time to start giving myself little goals to aim for in relation to my crafting, and in the spirit of this new found determination to make time to do the things I love, I've chosen to enter challenges - quite how many I'm not sure, and judging on the first one I've chosen there may not be many! ;-)
I love putting colours together and I would normally be raring to go with a colour challenge, but the combination on this weeks  Simply Stampin' Challenge has been an interesting one......these are so out of my comfort zone I was starting to question the wisdom of deciding this was the week to start my new crafting quest! I got there in the end though and am quite pleased with the end result.
I've used the Dot, Dot, Dot stamp and various punches, along with the fabulous Adorning Accents heart embossing folder and Edgelits Dies from the current Summer Mini Catalogue.

Everything Eleanor

Swaps are always a great way to get lots of new ideas and see other demo's takes on stamp sets which may not first grab me! I must admit my friend Debby and I have both looked at sets and DSP and looked at each other and shaken out heads, then lo and behold another demo posts a project using the set or paper and we have to admit we got it wrong when we said no!! Do you ever do that?
I intended that this card using just one image from the Everything Eleanor set would be my swap at recent regional training, but it somewhat morphed into a slightly different version and I neglected to keep one to show! LOL! My usual CAS style, which doesn't appeal to everyone, but I like it and I suppose that's all that really matters at the end of the day :-)

Spice Cake DSP Take 2

Back again with my second layout using the Spice Cake Designer Series Paper which will be retiring on Monday! Can you believe it, we're already at the end of April.....how did that happen so fast!

I'm off to SU Regional Training in Reading on Saturday and then have to whizz back for my sisters 40th birthday party... can't believe that either - my little sis is FORTY!!!

Tomorrow will be spent making some swaps for training - nothing like leaving it until the last minute hey! Though I'll cut myself some slack as I work full time, so last minute is sometimes the only way anything happens! ;-) I'll be back to show you what I made soon.

Spice Cake DSP

With the Spring Mini finishing at the end of this month, I just wanted to show you a couple of pages made using the Spice Cake DSP set before we lose it. Back in my comfort zone I'm afraid, but these colours work so well with outdoor photo's! This is the first layout and uses lots of different SU punches to add accents to the page, and it wouldn't be me if there wasn't some stitching on it! ;-)

Distressing!

We had a lovely afternoon at Blunden Hall, and in between coffee and cake we managed a bit of crafting ;-)
I usually do a set of 3 cards using the same stamp set, but decided to be a little different this time and use 3 different sets, although still staying with the same colours for each card - in this case a combination of Blushing Bride, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede and Very Vanilla.

The cards covered basic techniques for embossing and distressing.

This card was a complete CASE from a very talented Australian demo Claire Daly who's work is just stunning. This one was a bit of a challenge, but all the ladies managed very well, and I think were pleased with the end result - and hopefully not too distressed by the experience! ;-)

Postage Punch

At a recent workshop, held just before Valentines Day, I demonstrated a simple card using several of the great SU punches. The ladies who attended produced a red, black and white card suitable to give to the men in their lives, and it was lovely when the hostess recently told me she saw several of them on display when she visited some of her friends who had attended her workshop! It's always so nice to hear comments like this and know that a homemade card has been so well received.

When I did this demonstration I explained that because there were so many different types of punches that could be mixed and matched, the card we made could easily be turned from a Valentines card into a Birthday or Thank You card - or indeed any other type of card! Here's the alternative I came up with:

Sorry about the quality of the photo.....still on a learning curve with that!! :-) I'll have to have a chat with my friend Mj who takes the most amazing photo's, but I'm sure you get the general idea!

Distressing and Embossing

I'm now taking bookings for my next afternoon workshop at Blunden Hall. Learn some distressing and embossing techniques in a relaxed and informal setting where you can work at your own pace.

Venue: Blunden Hall, Farnborough, Hants

Date: Saturday 24th March 2012

Time: 1pm - 5.30pm

Cost £20

Sneak peak of projects will follow shortly.
You don't need to have any previous experience, just an interest in making your own cards, so if you live in the area and would like to come along then please do contact me.