Be my Valentine

A little while ago a very good friend told me what he looks for in a card, both to give and to receive. The basic premise was that it needed to get the message across in the simplest form with the minimum of clutter. He did put it to me in a much more eloquent way than that :-)

With that thought in mind I decided that a Valentines card needed to encompass those things, simple, uncluttered and to the point. I hope he would approve (though perhaps the addition of a gem made it a bit OTT!) ;-)

Nikki
x

Mothers Day....

After appalling failures to remember birthdays and anniversaries in 2013 I'm going to try and be more organized in 2014! I still haven't really worked out how... putting it in my diary and remembering on the day is too late, but if I set an outlook reminder too early I'll also forget that! Not good for someone who makes cards eh!

In the same vein I'm also trying to be more organised with my card making for 2014, and have Valentines Day sorted...probably the only one I don't really need to be bothered about, so it's not quite going to plan just yet! ;-)

One that most definitely will work though is Mothers Day. I'm currently trying to use all my little scraps from previous card making sessions....you know, the bits that you made a few too many of while trying to work out what you were going to do the first time round (am I the only one who does that?), only to end up with lots of different odds and ends which would normally end up in the bin. This Mothers Day card is the first of a few cards using my odds and ends...I really like how it turned out.

Thanks for stopping by.
Nikki
x

Retro Fresh

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. I was very fortunate not to be affected by the floods and power cuts other than a small blip, which was insignificant compared to the days of no power for some. Hopefully everything will be back to normal for everyone very soon.

For my card today I've used a new Designer Series Paper (DSP) coming in the Spring/Summer seasonal catalogue at the end of January. The colours I've used are Tangerine Tango, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla and Coastal Cabana - I think they make a great combination.

Stay safe.
Nikki
x

Mosaic Madness

Some more scrapbooking today. This one is an 8" x 8" and is really clean and simple. I've used the Mosaic Madness set and matching punch to create the little accents on the page, along with a Vintage Brad in the top right hand corner. There's a small amount of stamping using Off the Grid, and in hindsight I think I could have done with a little more, but as I'd stuck everything down I didn't want to risk it ;-)
The little tag which is tucked behind the photo of my nephew pulls out to reveal details of his birth....nearly 10 years ago now!!

Thanks for visiting.
Hope you have a happy and peaceful Christmas.
Nikki
x

Little Leaves - Convention reject!

This turned into a reject for my Convention swaps...too much cutting for 80 swaps, much as I love the Little Leaves die I really didn't have time to cut out and stick down so many!

This card was created by stamping the Postcard image in Early Espresso onto Whisper White card, followed by the Off the Grid image in the same colour. I then added some more background detail with Gorgeous Grunge in So Saffron (I may have withdrawal symptoms when I finally stop using this set ;-)). The card was finished by layering up some punched shapes, with the Flower Shop pansy image placed on top. The flower was stamped in So Saffron and then I used an Early Espresso marker to colour the centre before stamping the image.

Nearly Monday again already!
Hope you have a great week whatever you're doing.
Thanks for taking time to visit.
Nikki
x

Summertime - Clearance Rack DSP

I usually hate photo's of myself, but this one always makes me smile. Ten minutes before this was taken I'd just got off a boat that was making a trip round Malta, and was feeling very queasy, so what then possessed me to get on another boat is a little bit of a mystery, but I was glad I did...this was a powerboat thrill ride and was extremely exhilarating, even if I couldn't actually see anything for the amount of salt water spray in my face ;-) 

 

I've used the Sycamore Street DSP on this layout, the colours of these papers go so well with summer and beach photos.....they are currently available in the Clearance Rack but only while stocks last, so if you fancy a pack of this paper for yourself at a very reduced rate then pop over to my online shop and grab yourself a great bargain.

 

Thanks for looking.

Nikki

x

Seeing Stars

Now for something a little less 'feminine'. This card was actually created totally by happy accident from the stamping off whilst putting my convention swaps together. The pattern on the scrap paper I was using looked very similar and it triggered the thought to create this. I know, now that I've looked, that there are card backgrounds quite similar to this on Pinterest, so although it's not a uniquely original idea, it's original to me :-)

With the addition of a little ribbon and a sentiment, this is a very quick and easy card done in just a few minutes.

Thanks for stopping by.
Nikki
x

Flower Shop

So today I have yet some more of the flowers that I'm just loving at the moment. Here I've stamped the flower image onto Very Vanilla card using Elegant Eggplant, and punched out an additional vellum flower using the Pansy Punch, which I've then layered over the stamped image. This gives it a much more subtle effect and adds a little more dimension. The leaves are from the bird punch...they are a nice size for these flowers.

The background has received a subtle splattering using Gorgeous Grunge (love, love, love this set) and with a bit of layering of all the elements, job done. I love how this card turned out.

Thanks for looking.
Nikki
xx

Soho Subway DSP 12 x 12 Scrapbooking

I had a lovely boat trip up the Thames during Summer 2010, and finally got round to scrapbooking it a few weeks ago!! I've  used the Soho Subway Designer Series Paper, Papillon Potpourri Stamp set, Hearts a Flutter stamp set with matching framelits and the Little Leaves die (my absolute all time favourite leaf die.... so far!).

This was as we were going through one of the lock gates - it took me back to an early childhood memory of me and my brother being taken out by our dad, and one particular trip where I though my brother was going to get left behind at the side of the lock, as he gradually disappeared from my view as the boat went down as the water level lowered. I remember freaking out about losing him! - I'll add this memory as hidden journaling on this page as unfortunately I have no pictures of us back then.

Here's a closer look at some of the detail.

Thanks for stopping by take a look.
Enjoy the weekend.
Nikki
x

Christmas - Ornament Keepsakes

December seems to come round more quickly as each year passes. It seems funny to remember when I was at school and we had the 6 week Summer break how long that 6 weeks seemed back then. Now a year seems to fly by in the blink of an eye.

All my friends know I really don't do Christmas in any way, shape or form. Consequently I struggle to make Christmas cards, but I've had to get over that and do Christmas card make and takes for some of my lovely ladies at recent parties.




Here are a couple using the fab Ornament Keepsakes set, which is only available until the end of January, so if you're thinking of getting this set don't leave it too long ;-)
The colours I've used are Pistachio Pudding, Calypso Coral, Elegant Eggplant and Very Vanilla.

Bracing myself for the cold snap at the end of the week.
Stay warm
Nikki
x

Convention Swaps

Wow, what a busy couple of months it's been. You'd think I'd dropped of the face of the earth if my blog posts are anything to go by, but no, I'm still here and have been busy doing parties... and going to a party recently too, namely the fantastic Stampin' Up! European Convention, which took place in Manchester last weekend.

As usual when demonstrators get together we like to swap ideas. Here are my swaps - I got some brilliant ideas back and will certainly be using lots of the ideas for upcoming parties and classes, so a big thank you to everyone who swapped with me.




There was so much talent on display, both on stage and off, with lots of beautiful projects for us to take inspiration from. The demonstrators in the Stampin' Up! community are a very talented bunch and the staff who work for Stampin' Up! truly are a wonderful group of people who make absolutely everyone feel welcome and valued, whether you're amongst the top achievers or are enjoying demo'ing Stampin' Up! as a hobby.

I went with my Stamping Starlet team member Colette and it was lovely to spend a few days sharing in the Convention experience together.

Thanks for taking time to visit.
Nikki
x

Online shop now live

Fantastic news, the online shopping facility is now live.

Visit my shop here and create your own account to shop with me anytime night or day ;-)
You can also visit by clicking on the Shop Now button on the top left sidebar.

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/nikkisfreetime/

Thank you to everyone who visited our stand at Sandown yesterday, it was lovely to meet you all.

I've been absent over the last month due to handing over my job to someone else and then starting a new job myself last Monday, so once I'm settled I hope for normal service to resume. I have lots to show you and just need to find 5 minutes to photograph my projects and get them on here!!

Life takes over sometimes, so even with the best of intentions I've learned you just have to roll with it and do what you can, when you can.

Take care and enjoy the rest of the weekend.
Nikki
xx

Butterflies

This week has been one of those where pretty much nothing has gone to plan. Sometimes though you just have to roll with it - as the saying goes, there's always tomorrow ;-)

On to my card today and it's more of the beautiful butterflies from Papillon Potpourri, using Sahara Sand as my card base and the leafy image from Papaya Collage. This was a little stepped up version from the simple card and bag set earlier in the week.

Right, I'm off to get the housework done before the weekend arrives. Whatever you're doing this weekend I hope you have a great time.
Nikki
x

More Mosaic Madness

For my recent open day I made some samples focusing on Mosaic Madness, with a little Papillon Potpourri thrown in for good measure. Although I'd used the lifelike butterfly image many times, this was the first time I'd used the geometric butterfly stamp, and I think it works quite well with the shapes of the mosaic set.

I can't believe it'll be August next week...where has this year gone already!
Hope you have a lovely day.
Nikki
x

Clean and Simple

I love, love, love the Papillon Potpourri stamp set. Here I've kept it all about the simple elegance of the lovely lifelike image from the set.
The images were stamped and punched out using the Elegant Butterfly Punch, which makes creating these beautiful butterflies so quick and easy, and the card was finished off with a sentiment from Petite Pairs. Add a little matching bag created using the Petite Purse Die and you have a lovely little gift to give to someone. Don't you just love how everything mixes and matches, stamp sets with matching punches, sentiments that fit within other punches...it makes it all so easy...and I love easy :-)

Thanks to everyone who's been stopped by to take a look. I really appreciate your time.
Nikki
x

Hearts a Flutter Take Two

Another Pinterest inspired card today. I wouldn't have done something as simple as pin the original to one of my boards so I can reference the creator easily...oh no of course not - that would have been far too sensible! I will go off in search again shortly....that'll be another 2 hours gone this evening then ;-)

This time I've used Strawberry Slush and Baked Brown Sugar with Basic Black to make things pop. Again using the Occasions Alphabet...love how the sentiments fit in the Hearts a Flutter banner perfectly :-)

Hope you're managing to stay cool today. I've been in a nicely air conditioned office all day, so it's come as a bit of a shock to realise just how humid it's become.

Nikki
x

Hearts a Flutter and Occasions Alphabet

I love the versatility of the Hearts a Flutter set. Here I've used it in combination with the small heart punch to create a girly party invite...allbeit with a not so girly colour scheme of Baked Brown Sugar and Pistachio Pudding, two of the gorgeous new in colours this year. The Occasions Alphabet has been stamped off in Basic Black and then run through the BigShot using the banner framelit from the Hearts a Flutter set...the words fit in the banner shape perfectly :-)

Hope you're having a great weekend.
Nikki
x

Summer Silhouettes

I've had the Summer Silhouettes set for quite some time and not really done much with it, so time to dust it off and get creating. Here I've used the colour combo Basic Grey, Calypso Coral and Pool Party.

Must admit although it's soooo lovely to have sunshine, it's just a little too warm for me. Looking forward to the breeze they say is on the way this weekend.

Hope you have a lovely weekend.
Nikki
x

Bring on the Cake

Hmm, Bring on the Cake.....I will admit that when I was asked to order this for someone recently I had to resort to looking it up in the index to find out where/what it was, as it just didn't ring any bells with me at all! It was one of those sets that I had dismissed as not needing and had therefore completely overlooked it on subsequent (and frequent I might add) flicks throught the catalogue.
I hope I'm not the only one who's done this...I'm almost certain I'm not, but it made me realise how easily I dismiss something initially because it doesn't immediately grab my attention as being 'me', only to then subconciously close my eyes to the possibility that it actually could be 'me'. A lesson to learn there I think ;-)

So, onto the card. Very simple using the lovely Pistachio Pudding, teamed with Wisteria Wonder and Basic Black. I've used one of the small butterfly images from Papillon Potpourri, punched 3 times for each butterfly and layered up to create dimension. I've also used the Needlepoint Border embossing folder and Hearts a Flutter stamp set and matching framelits, adding a sentiment from Bring on the Cake ;-)

Thanks for stopping by to take a look.
Nikki
x

Collage Mosaic Madness - Version Two

Ok! enough I hear you cry. This is the last one for the time being using Mosaic Madness, and this card like the last one came about as I had lots of scraps sitting on my desk and just had a flash of inspiration on how to use them (it doesn't happen often - my lovely friend Debby will testify to that and was amazed I produced 3 cards on the same day, to be honest I was pretty amazed myself lol).

Again I've used the fab Modern Mosaic embossing folder for interest in the background, then some more layering up of elements, this time including the flag shape from Hearts a Flutter, Little Leaves Sizzlit and the small daisy shape die from Blossom Party Originals...finished off with a lovely Antique Brad and some Linen Thread.

I hope you like it and have been inspired to create your own cards using this lovely set.
Nikki
x

More Mosaic Madness

You've probably worked out by now that not only am I loving Mosaic Madness, I'm also loving the fabulous new in colours this year. All 5 of them are winners as far as I'm concerned, I think they are all quite subtle, my favourite colour family :-)

Here I've used the matching embossing folder to add some interest in the background and then layered up some of the punched shapes, slightly overlapping and raising some (though you can't see that too well!). Again I've teamed them with Papillon Potpourri...another well loved set which I don't think I'll ever tire of. This looks much more dimensional IRL but I'm sure you get the idea.

Enjoy your day.
Thanks so much for stopping by.
Nikki
x

Collage Mosaic Madness - Version One

Another post (shock ;-)) and another card using Mosaic Madness to create a bit of a collage effect. This time I've teamed it up with some of the scallop punches, Papillon Potpourri - I love the stamped image of this particular butterfly as it's so crisp it really looks like DSP, although it's not. There's also a leafy image which is from the Summer Silhouttes set and I've finished it off with the scallop embossing along the bottom.

The gorgeous pink colour is one of the beautiful new in colours and is called Strawberry Slush. I'm not normally a pinks girl, but this one is so lovely I may be converted - just a little :-)

Thanks for taking a look.
Nikki
x 

Mosaic Madness

How lovely is it to finally have a Summer at last!

Here's a card which was inspired by a layout I found on Pinterest. I've used the new Mosaic Madness set, which can be purchased as a bundle, giving you a discount of 15%. I will admit I wasn't sure quite what I was going to do with this set to begin with, and sat looking at the punch and stamp set for quite some time before I finally got started! I now love this set and I think it will be a favourite for some time to come :-)
I hope you like it and if I get myself organised with my photo uploading you'll be seeing some more of this set very soon.
Enjoy the sunshine.
Thanks for stopping by.
Nikki x

Grab your Greetings

Woohoo, the new Annual Catalogue has finally arrived. Click on the link on my sidebar to view the catalogue online. If you prefer to have a real life copy to leaf through then please do contact me. As well as the new catalogue, as if that's not enough, we also have a 25% off sale of three greetings stamp sets:


Back soon with some samples...finally! ;-)
Nikki
x

New Annual Catalogue Launch Event

New Annual Catalogue Launch Event

Saturday 13th July 2013

10:30am - 1:30pm

East Horsley Village Hall

Kingston Avenue, East Horsley, Leatherhead, Surrey KT24 6QT

Agnes Conisbee Room

July is an exciting time in the Stampin’ Up! calendar as it sees the launch of our new Annual Catalogue.

Why not come along to my free event and make a card using new goodies.

Lots of samples also on display. No experience necessary. 

 

Demonstrations showcasing our exclusive products

Book a party 

with me on the day for any available date up to the end of 2013 and

receive a *gift as a special thank you from me. 

Order products

and for every £45 you spend on new product on the day you will get a ticket for entry into a prize draw to win a Colour Caddy (value £53.95). Bring a friend and if your friend spends £45 you both get an extra ticket.

Contact me on:

01483 281896, 07784 429084 or email nicolaraine@aol.com to book a place

*gift will be delivered to you on the day of your party.
Payment for orders can be made in cash, Debit Card (Visa) or Credit Card (Visa and Mastercard only)

The Retirement List is here...

With the 2013/2014 New Annual Catalogue launching next month, it's now time to say goodbye to the items that will sadly be retiring at the end of June. I'll be placing orders throughout the month, so email me with your orders and get your favourites before they disappear for good.

View the list of retiring stamps here 

View the list of retiring accessories here

I know it's been a long while since I last posted and I appreciate that you are still stopping by. I have lots to show you over the coming weeks and will endeavour to post with more frequency - that's the plan anyway!

Have a great day.

Nikki

xx

Two Card Holder

This simple two card holder was inspired by one I was shown how to make at a recent team training day.

It started life as a 12" x 12" piece of Whisper White card, which I then scored using the diagonal plate and stamped in Indigo Island, using the flourish from Creative Elements and the small flowers from Betsy's Blossoms. The die cut flowers have been placed over the closure, so that when you lift them up the folder opens out to reveal two cards inside.

Hope you're enjoying the weekend.
Nikki
x

Summer Starfruit

Yellow is probably the last colour I'll go to when making anything....but I do need to get over that and start using it more, especially with Spring just around the corner!

Summer Starfruit, one of the 2012-2014 In Colours, is what I call a 'muddy' yellow, and although I'm not completely sold on i, I do think it works really well with most of the 2011-2013 In Colours.

In my cards I've combined it with Calypso Coral and Indigo Island and I think it works a treat. As I love scrapbooking I try and take elements I've used on pages and replicate them on my cards. Can you spot where the first card idea came from? It's almost a complete copy of the element I used in my page of the wedding in Cyprus. I've just added a sentiment from the SAB Blooming Marvelous set and it's done.

I hope you like them.
Thanks for stopping by, have a great day.
Nikki
x

PS. Have just notice that my previous scrapbook page watermark says 'Created by Debby4000' :-) Debby is kind enough to upload some stuff for me and neither she nor I noticed this one slip by with the wrong detail on it.....though I'd be extremely happy to have my name on any of Debby's pages I'm not quite so sure it works the other way round ;-)

Cheeky!

This picture of my friend's grandson really makes me smile. When he's happy to have his photo taken he's a natural.
This is another layout using the versatile SAB Sycamore Street DSP and it's bright fresh look makes me think of sunshine and warmer days....here's wishing.

Off to the garage with my ailing car now - the potholes in my local road are a nightmare and I think I've managed to go down one too many of them. Fingers crossed it's not too bad!!

Thanks for popping by.
Hope you have a great day.
Nikki
x

Mini book

....so here are a few pages of the little mini book which I demo'd at quarterly training recently. The original idea isn't mine....my brain doesn't do engineering! ;-) Unfortunately I can't give credit where it's most definitely due as I don't know who the original idea came from, as it was a friend who showed me how to assemble it back in 2009. The basic idea is a piano hinge spine, which you can see on the last picture.

The finished book measures 6" x 6" and is about and inch in depth, depending on how many embellishments are added. Mine isn't quite finished, so I'll be adding a few more bits and pieces to it. You can't see on these pictures, but there are slots in the top of the book and these also hold additional photos and journalling.

The one I demo'd I made a closure by adding some ribbon between the front 2 pages and the back 2 pages. As I gave these away to the other ladies who did inspiration stations that day I don't have a sample to show, but I'm sure you can imagine a bow tied to the side to hold the book closed - just an alternative to making a little box for it to go in :-)

Right, I'm off to turn my heating up....it is getting cold again! Roll on Spring....

Will be back soon with some more samples.
Nikki
x

Sycamore Street DSP V2

Continuing on with the Sycamore Street DSP theme, this is a 12 x 12 scrapbook page of a lovely friend's son, who married his beautiful bride in sunny Cyprus. I've used more of their wedding photo's in this previous post where I used the Twitterpated DSP. It's interesting to see just how well they work with two completely different colour combinations.

The flowers have been made with the Blossom Originals die and I've also used the Delicate Doilies die for some added focal points to draw your eye around the page.

If you're new to scrapbooking the most useful thing I can say is that it's the pictures that are most important - everything else should just showcase them. When you look at a page the photos should be the first thing that draws your eye...then the decoration, whatever it may be.

I hope this inspires you to think about starting your own scrapbook.

Thanks for taking time to visit.
Nikki
x

Sycamore Street DSP

I attended the Inspiring Inkin' quarterly team training at the beginning of the month and this time I was doing an Inspiration Station, which had to be based on Sale-a-bration.

Being a scrapbooker I choose the Sycamore Street DSP to showcase...this was decided way before Christmas and before I'd actually seen the papers. I had a mini panic when I did see the papers, as I thought I was going to struggle using them, being a neutrals/subtles kinda girl. These are most definitely not in either of those categories!

I needn't have worried though, as once I started using them I really had no problem creating several scrapbook pages - the papers are fantastic for summer/beach photos as they are so vibrant and fresh.

This is one of my display samples, a simple box with a belly band holding it neatly closed. Inside the box is a mini album which I demo'd.

Well it's now 5.30pm and it's still light....dare we hope that spring is just around the corner?!

Thanks for stopping by.
Nikki
x