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My little craft room has a fishy theme with fish curtains and pictures and so when I saw the Whale of a Time stamp set with matching punch in the catalogue I had a little think about how to use it to decorate. The papers that go with the set make great backgrounds. Of course - The set can also ne used to make cards. The card above is a small square notecard and I made it using the papers cur into waves following the lines of the pattern by hand - then I stuck the paper so that I could hide the little whale down into the card. Then I made 8 little note cards and decorated envelopes to match. I used two shadow box frames joined on one side with magnet closures at the other to make a cute box to present them in.  I may need to put something across the corners as they keep falling out! I have made a video on how to make the shadow box frames and box but I am waiting for a visit to a friend to be able to upload it as my internet is lacking!!  Take care  JoP x

I made a couple of  cards to show off another set of dies I have had for a long time for scrapbooking and 3D projects and as they are now retiring I acquired the matching stampset by winning a Team competition! I used the designer series papers called 'See A Silhouette' which I am rather fond of and just bought my 4th pack (as they are now on a reduced price as retiring 2nd June. I gold embossed the edges of the paper and some splashes with gold embossing paper and cut the candle images out of gold foil paper. I think it would work for Christmas as well as birthday. The above photo shows another card and this one I have gold heat embossed the cake image onto white card before adhering it to the card base. Below is a photo of all of the pieces on my desk of cut outs from various dies and the papers which make super backgrounds if you dont want to make your own background. The colours are so vibrant and warm. This photo shows the 'Wish for it all' stamp set and the 'F...

I bought these dies years ago and they are only just now going into retirement - I use them a lot in the back ground for my scrapbooking but I thought I would give them a run in on a box and a card. I decorated this mini pizza box with some designer series paper - this paper is currently on reduced price in Last Chance Products. It is the back of the Silhouette papers. I layered the largest flower onto some of the background paper and cut around it before putting it down on top of the other die cut arranged pieces - this prevents all of the criss-crossing pieces showing through the flower. For the card, I used this flower swirl on top of another piece of the designer series paper but this time I gold embossed the edges and some splashes onto the paper first. I added another flower die cut image on top of one of the circle buds and tiny gold pearl on top of all of the other circle buds. I also heat embossed the 'happy birthday' which came for the Bonanza Buddies stamp set. This ...

I made this card for a colour challenge and raided the scrap box. In doing so I actually chose pumpkin pie instead of mango melody but it still works with the other colours. I used the Swirly frames stamp set to emboss in white embossing powder the circles on the front of the card and a Sale a ration set that I earned during saleabration (now sadly gone) for the sentiment. I thought this sentiment was apt in current circumstances. I hope to see all of my friends soon - in the meantime I am enjoying sending and gifting cards.  I cut out the sentiment and put some bakers twine to match around the end before adhering it to the card along with some sparkly dots in the same colour family. I love colour challenges and this one was great to use up some scraps - I think it would also look nice with a mixture of patterned paper and plain card. JoPx

Two cards to show off today - They both make use of the lovely mosaic papers from stampin up - this will be retiring soon. The lovely humming birds are cut out of one of the papers and the striped mosaic pattern is crazy in the background. If you scroll to the bottom of this post I have put a photo of the papers I used in the pack.I just cut around the humming birds with scissors and glued them to the front. The Thank you sentiment is mosaic lettering and is from the co-ordinating stamp set and the little round mosaic pieces and flower pieces are also in the stamp set and cut using a 3/4 inch and 1/2 inch circle punch. Two flower jewels added to finish off. This card I used the flower/butterfly sheet from the set and cut out additional images of the flower, butterfly and leaf and layered them on the top with dimensionals. A flower jewel finishes it off. You can see the layering better in the photo below. A close up of both of the card showing layering and small elements added.  The...

To keep friends entertained I sent out some little cards a couple of weeks ago and had such a lovely response - its so nice keeping in touch and receiving bits and bobs in the post isn't it! The above card was some retired butterfly paper which had the added bonus of being able to be coloured in once assembled. The puzzle had to be built before changing it into a card. I had taken the photo of another puzzle card I sent out using the mosaic madness paper  but lost the photo so here is the photo on the instructions!- this has a lovely plastic feel to it so it feels like mosaic and made a great puzzle - use the puzzle dies to make this- makes any picture or photograph into a puzzle - I use it a lot! (see past christmas cards) This set also has lovely little flower charms to go with it. I have now run out of all mini glue dots but these were self adhesive so great to send out with the puzzle kits.  Mosaic Madness is the choice of bundle to go with and I think its a really good ch...

These cards I made with some designer series papers I love and have stashed for a couple of years - they are very jungle and so go really well with these stamps. Originally conceived as a baby set these papers give the set a new lease of life as every day fun cards. They still work as a different kind of baby card though! I cut a heart in this paper to let the giraffe head pop through! I really like the leaf die it could be equally used in flower cards. The Giraffe print background die in this set was used twice to create the background on this card and I followed the card I made on Tuesday fromm the catalogue but just changed the paper and elements a little bit - before you know it you have a completely different card! The Rhino card I just turned it all around! The die cut leaves in this set are also very useful. I hope you are all well and sane - and feeling inspired! I'm off to make some bookmarks for friends, it is so nice sending out little bits in the post to surprise people...

I had another go with Animal Outing stamp set and this time I used a background stamp to make the background 'splodge' spell checker wants me to write 'splurge' haha!  I cased these two cards on Pinterest but changed them up a little. The splodge was from an old retired set I have called Touches of Texture but the person who made the original card used a stamp set that is still available in the catalogue called Artisian Textures. You stamp once with the ink and then (without re-inking) stamp again a little bit higher up for a two tone effect. The stamped images are then cut out using the dies before gluing to the card fronts. The sentiments are from the stamp set also and I cut these out using the Stitched Rectangles dies. If you reposition these dies you can more or less cut any size of rectangle or square that you need and I do this after the sentiment is stamped so I can see where I am going The Thank You Big Time sentiment I also used with the Dino cards as it works...

I won myself this lovely Animal Outing Stamp set with the dies to match!! As soon as it arrived I wanted to use it - I have found that if I only buy one set at a time when it arrives I use it straight away and keep on using it getting more and more adventurous! I bought this one because of news of being a Nana soon has got me thinking all things baby and I had most of the things in my stash so I totally and unapologetically CASE'd the catalogue (Copy And Share Everything) The only item I did not have were the little felt hearts - so I cut these with my heart die instead - as they are stitched they blended right in. My favourite dies in this set are the two background ones - a bit like last weeks Dino dies they got me into making a plain background in white with a show through panel. Then I can incorporate designer series paper - no matter how busy it works. So thank you to the catalogue for setting me off on this path and I more-or less designed all of last weeks Dino cards using t...

I got a little bit braver for day 7 and put two dinos onto a dino covered background paper. I pinched the sentiment from another stamp set called 'Animal Outing' because I wanted to make some thank you cards and I was making a whole bunch of cards using the animal outing set. (which I will put up on my blog for tomorrow.) Here are a few more I made for the hall supplies as they are getting low! I have a boxful at our hall lobby so people can come and get them rather than go out shopping. I have a few orders as well!! Happy Easter everyone! JoPx

A baby dino card today for Dino Day 6 ! The egg die is in the Dino dies set as well as the sentiment making this set more versatile than ever! I love the scales background cutter and the little circles stamp can be used to make an effect on the egg as well as on the dinosaurs. The bottom egg piece I only glued around the outside curve and this allows the dino to lift out! After the card is long gone the recipient can use the dino on another project - maybe a cool bookmark? It is our last day of Dino's tomorrow and I have really enjoyed doing a whole week of these and have done lots more at home also including bookmarks. I am wondering whether to pick another set of papers and bundle for next week.  I could do either Mosaic Madness or Silhouette Scenes - please comment or contact me if you have a preference and I will do it. I am getting used to using the designer series papers in my card making and both of these sets have the most delicious designer series paper in them. I could al...

This dino is very cute - he has not photographed that well - apologies as the Rocco rose colour has come out fairly dark. For this card use a white card blank and designer series paper to make the background and use the stamps and dies to make a dinosaur and his 'spikes', use the circles die to cut out some background and mat the white onto some co-ordinating cardstock with dimensions to make that background have depth. Stamp the sentiment in the set and some extra stamped circles on Dino's back. I gave this dino a black felt pen eye and smile.  He looks happy!  JoP x

It is day two of Dino cards!! I love these little guys and the format is similar for all of the cards this week and I have made even more variations since I put these 7 days together. I especially like that I am using up patterned papers. I put the cards at our local hall for people during corona virus and the dinosaur ones went like hot cakes!  Instructions for this card: White card blank is 14cm x 21cm folded in half. Cut designer series paper 13.5cm x 10cm White card for focal point is 7cm x 10cm and a pink (melon mambo) mat cut 10.5cm x 7.5cm Cut 3 x triangles die pieces in the top of the white card and stamp sentiment in melon mambo ink. Adhere the white card to the pink mat using dimensionals (foam pads) Stamp flying dino in crushed curry ink and stamp on 'v' shaped detail in melon mambo ink. Use a black felt pen to make the eye black. Adhere to card I made a smudge on this card in pink at the bottom right of the card and so I remedied this with a carefully placed leaf fr...

Day one of Dino week. Dino cards made using the lovely Dino bundle - a stamp set and dies. Check out my kit in a box page for a special offer on extra bits and pieces I will throw in with the bundle to make 6 cards, including dino designer series papers. Of course you can use the kit however you like and I already have an idea on another way to use it - so that will be on my blog at the end of the week. I'm also going to work hard on seeing if I can post a short video to go with it. Its not easy as I will have to do it all on my phone, including editing and it has to be quite short to enable me to upload it as I do not have fast broadband in the area I live in and so I have to sit outside the co-op and upload!!  For this card here are some instructions: Fold cardstock in half (card base measures 14cm x 21cm and folded in half. Card size is 14cm x 10.5cm) Cut designer series paper to 0.5cm smaller - so measures 13.5cm x 10cm.  Using the triangles cut-out die cut out two pieces ...

THIS week is going to be Dino week! I have 7 cards to show you one for every day and I have added a Kit Box to my Kits page for April. You order from me the Dino Days stamp set and Dino Dies as a bundle (which is 10%off buying them separately) for £47.50 and I will add some supplies to make 6 cards including a piece of each of the 6 designs of co-ordinating paper.  You can either order online with the April hostess code and I will send the kit pieces, including envelopes, along separately or you can order by emailing me and paying direct to bank and I will post it all to you in a little box. See my kit page for details of the April box and how to buy. You only buy the bundle - the kit pieces are free if you use the hostess code when you buy. In the meantime day 1 of Dino cards week starts on Monday. Also check out my online store - Stampin Up have made some changes so it is looking all different and shiny! While you are there go to the clearance rack and see if there is still the ...

Recently I sent out some little kits to customers and friends. I used the puzzle pieces dies to cut up some Designer Series paper into a little puzzle and then put in instructions on how to turn the made up puzzle picture into a card by backing onto cardstock and then onto a card base. I had two designs the first was using some black and white paper that was free with Sale-a-bration last year and had the extra bonus of being able to be coloured in if you wanted to.  The second design was using the Mosaic Mood speciality designer series paper - this has a shiny coating on one side of the paper making it look like little mosaic tiles. I used the puzzle piece from the puzzle pieces dies to make the greeting. Both fairly simple designs once you have assembled the puzzle - which may have been tricky as there is no picture guide to go by!! If you received one of these I hope you enjoy making the puzzle, making the card and sending it to someone. It is so nice to get happy post and I...

I hope this little card brings a smile to your face! I have just made 75 to post around the neighbourhood with my telephone number. However most people around here are pretty used to being fairly isolated and shop in bulk as the local small shop is 6 miles away, and bigger stores further still. In any case its lovely to see the occasional dog walker when I am out with Wallace and nature has brought us some fabulous sunshine - I do hope you get the opportunity to sit out somewhere. My much larger garden is producing all kinds of plants that I don't know what they are and I am enjoying seeing them coming up and identifying them. We started out with swathes of snowdrops under the weeping willow, then early daffodils and crocus. Now there are primroses mostly yellow along the hedgerows but every colour you can think of in the garden. I also have a flowering Camelia - I am writing it all down in my notebook so I can remember and don't accidentally pull anything up. There are a...

 Lots of projects using this fab die set that is now available on the co-ordinating products with Sale-a-bration - see my previous post for details. Once again using the colour challenge of black, lovely lipstick and old olive in different coloured card stocks and just one greeting outside and one inside the card.  The card has a circle aperture cut slightly smaller than the outside of the die cut. The die cut itself has been cut around and the little half circle scored around the edge and all poked outwards with the pokey tool. The centres of the flowers have been used as confetti on the inside of the card - use a very fine nozzle on your glue so not to get in a sticky mess!! Iused the stampin up Fine tip Glue pen.  Ensure your greeting inside the card cannot be seen through the aperture on the outside - I have placed mine near the bottom of the card - and likewise will write my personal message to the recipient here too!  I used some of the spare flower...