Mini

The good news is that I now have heating and hot water... woohoo!  The bad news is that I somehow forgot to bring all the bits and pieces that I cut up to prep for my coffee morning this Saturday, however at least I will be home on Wednesday night with time to make amends.  If you want to come along and haven't booked your place, just let me know via email at jadedcrafter@gmail.com.

Today I have a quick card commission to share with you.  It's simply an image from the web which I have printed out and coloured with Real Red and Basic Black markers using blender pens. 

The card base is of course Whisper White to keep it simple and I've added a strip of the striped Real Red DSP from the brights pack along the bottom and then used the Scallop Trim Border punch on a strip of Basic Black across the top.

Other bits:

Real Red and Basic Black card stock - matted panels behind the image;

Real Red/Curly Label punch.

Whisper White/Perfect Postage punch - the number was printed on my pc.

Sentiment - Teeny Tiny Wishes.

Crafty get together - 3rd March 10am-3pm

So, it's a new week and with any luck everything is on track for my more permanent move to Cambridge.  I am on my second attempt at renting the same property... so with any luck (!) this time next week I should be picking out a few bits of furniture and some cutlery :).

You will need to scroll down to the next post for today's project as I wanted to let you know that I am having a crafty get together on Saturday 3rd March from 10am to 3pm at my home (GU16).  The only criteria if you want to come along are as follows:

1) You bring along a project that uses current Stampin' Up! products, and enough of the materials needed, for everyone else who attends, to make it.  Pre cut everything if possible but if there is die cutting or embossing to do my trusty Big Shot will be on hand if needed.  I will confirm final numbers to you by the 17th Feb so you have plenty of notice to prep :). 

2) You bring along some sort of food contribution that we can all share at lunchtime.  Please advise what this will be when contacting me to confirm that you will be coming, so that I can ensure we don't end up with too much of the same food.

3) Finally, once your attendance is confirmed please post details of the stamp set/punch that you intend to use for your project at the bottom of this post.

You don't need to be a demonstrator, and if you need any ideas or help then I'm available via email or on the phone in the meantime... so just get in touch and don't be afraid to ask.

PS. If you need to order anything from Stampin' Up! in order to create your project and kits I will be placing an order at the end of the week so just let me know if you want to purchase anything before then.

That's it for now - any questions you know where I am.  Ooh and please pass on the details to any fellow crafters that might not be reading my blog.

Get well wishes

I've been asked to make quite a few get well cards recently...

And last night when I arrived at my accommodation for this week I was sat there frozen for and hour before I had to venture to bed fully clothed and still be cold (!)... after also coming home at the weekend to no heating I'm going to be getting pneumonia soon.  

Better make up some get well cards by the batch as it's that time of year...

Anyway, there are numerous stamp sets that are ideal for creating quick note cards... and for this set I've used Clearly for You.  It's got some lovely stamps including the butterfly one that I have used here.

The colours are Regal Rose, Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive - all from the brights collection.  I've co-ordinated the DSP and then used a variety of sentiments form the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set and the Word Window punch on a different shade of matching card (Blushing Bride, Tangerine Tango and Pear Pizzazz).

What I love about Stampin' Up! products is that the ink, card and DSP all co-ordinates within each collection and also with many other colours.

More SAB love

After attending Amy's demo in the morning I went for long walk yesterday afternoon, then treated myself to fish and chips for dinner before settling in to a late night of catching up on card commissions!  So now I have plenty of things to share with you over the next couple of weeks as well as lots of the Sale-A-Bration projects that we created at team training earlier this month!

Today I have managed to cram in various things when I probably should be putting my feet up before driving back to Cambridge tonight - but hey, I can rest when I am dead can't I?! lol - sorry!

To keep the creativity ticking over, here's another Sale-A-Bration sample for you... continuing the Valentines theme from a couple of days ago :).

It features one of the stamps from the Outlined Occasions stamp set which you can get free during the Sale-A-Bration event if you spend £45 or more:

To be completely honest this is my least favourite of the 4 sets that you can get, but I have seen more and more ideas using it, including this one that make me think it's almost as good as the others... and I would of course get it if I had the other 3 first :).

So for the card:

Base - Whisper White cardstock.

Side panel - Strip of Neutrals DSP and a piece of Whisper White card which has sticky strip along it and then pink glitter added.

Hearts - punched with the small heart punch from Real Red, Regal Rose and Blushing Bride cardstock.

Stamped image - this has been inked in Basic Black and then coloured with a blender pen using markers to create a layered effect.

I really love this card - it's a bit fiddly with all those hearts, but the final effect with the glittery strip is beautiful.

Don't forget my Sale-A-Bration coffee morning is on this coming Saturday between 10 and 12... so why not come along and make a card...

Just email me to for full details and my address at jadedcrafter@gmail.com.

More cupcakes

I've got yet another busy weekend ahead of me... as back to Cambridge on Sunday night once more!

Today I'm off to Amy's demo coffee morning to share my creativity and catch up with everyone hopefully!  I believe her make and take project is going to be one I've done before... so instead today, I'm going to share with you a similar project which uses the Build a Cupcake punch.



The base is Melon Mambo with some of the Brights DSP adhered to the bottom after being edged with the eyelet border punch.

For the background panels I have used Whisper White card, the first piece is inked around the edge with More Mustard (using a sponge dauber) and then the next piece has been run through the Polka Dots embossing folder.

The cupcakes have been punched from Crumbcake (base), Whisper White (inked with More Mustard using the sponge dauber) and Melon Mambo for the cherries.

The sentiment is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set and punched with the word window punch.



New Perfect Postage stampset

I have a quick gift box project to share with you today which features the Perfect Postage stamp set and co-ordinating punch.

- Box: Very Vanilla cardstock cut using the Pillow Box die and the Big Shot machine, stuck together with red tape (normal double sided isn't strong enough!).

- Ribbon: Pear Pizzazz sation ribbon.

- Image: From the Perfect Postage stamp set (mini catalogue) inked with Pear Pizzazz and Peach Parfait, using marker pens to stamp both colours at once.  Punched out with the co-ordinating punch and then fixed onto a Pear Pizzazz piece of card punched with the Curly Label punch.

SAB valentine card

Sale-A-Bration (SAB) is now running until 31st March so start compiling your wish list and take advantage of the free stamp sets that will be available with all orders of £45...

I honestly don't know which of these stamp sets to share with you first as I really like 3 out of 4 of them...

With Valentines fast approaching today I thought I would share with you a cute card created using one of the Sprinkled Expressions stamp set:

Here is the card:

It uses Basic Black and Real Red cardstock and inks.  The white heart in the middle has been stamped with versamark ink and then embossed with White Emboss powder and heated with a heat gun.  This is a lovely technique which I don't use very often as I find it a little messy, but even some of the beginners at my classes seem to be able to get the hang of this very quickly.



Sign up before 31st March to get a bargain stash of products + an extra stampset

Are you looking for a new hobby, or want to earn some extra cash?  Perhaps you just want to take advantage of more than £300 worth of Stampin' Up! products for just £119!

Stamps, ink, card stock and basic tools - everything to start papercrafting right away!

The benefits of signing up:

- Expand your creativity

- Earn extra money (optional)

- Get a discount on your future product purchases

- Join before 31 March 2012 (during Sale-A-Bration) and choose any current stampset for FREE, yes, that's in addition to everything else!

This offer (or similar) is only available once a year... if I could sign up all over again for just the products I would do it because it is soooo worth it!

Contact me for full details.

Sale-A-Bration is finally here

Finally, today is the launch of Sale-A-Bration, where you can earn yourself a free limited edition stamp set (or paper pack) for every £45 spend in both the main catalogue and current Spring mini catalogue.

I have lots of samples created using all 4 of the sets that are available to share with you over the coming weeks while this great offer is on so do keep checking back.

I'm having a Sale-A-Bration coffee morning on Saturday 4th February 10am-12noon so why not come along and take a look for yourself.  There will be a Make and Take project too and it's FREE, so just contact me to book your space.

Before I start sharing these great samples with you I have to tell you about the great papers that Stampin' Up! are offering this year as well as the stamp sets. 

I'm not normally a big designer paper fan as I like bold designs and less flowery cards and papercraft items... but the Sale-A-Bration papers are absolutely stunning.  You have to check them out for yourself but they really are very lovely.

So, here is one of the cards that I have been saving to share with you that features one of these lovely papers.

I have totally CASE'd this idea from Amy who is fast becoming my 'partner in crime' when it comes to creating ideas :0)! 

The base is Whisper White, but I have braved teaming this up with some Very Vanilla shaded papers from the Sale-A-Bration pack which feature cute little blue birs and green patterns that seem to work well for an Anniversary card.  Having run a piece through the Top Note die using my big shot machine, I have then layered this over a 5cm strip of Very Vanilla card which I have mounted onto Marina Mist card which is slightly wider.  Using Pear Pizzazz on the background image from the Charming stampset I have stamped both ends of the strip before fixing it to the card base and overlaying the panel.

For the birds I've used my trusty bird builder punch on Sahara Sand card and with Wild Wasabi for the leaves.  Note that the bird wings are cut from scraps of DSP from the subtles pack.

To finish I've used the sentiment (inked with Marina Mist) from the Teeny Tiny Wishes set - which is fast becoming a feature on every project of mine lately... and a couple of basic pearls.

I really love this idea and will be playing around with a few other similar ideas as soon as I can find some time.

Happy Year of the Dragon

Wow what a weekend!  I've been busy catching up with friends and relatives and of course celebrating Chinese New Year with my parents... and everyone they know (it seems!)!  Lots of yummy things to eat and now I need to go on a diet lol!

Although I have shared all my Chinese New Year cards with you already (here), I saved this little guy for today's post.  It's the same layout as the others just with a twist to 'portrait' and a slightly different image.  It just shows how versatile the Top Note die is and how well it works with any image :0).

Cute christening invites

Here are some cute Christening invites that my friend Vicki asked me to make for the upcoming event of her son Jamie.

Materials:

Whisper White card base (A6);

White Shimmery card for the frame 5.5 x 7.5cm;

Marina Mist card 14.5 x 10cm run through the Polka Dots embossing folder;

Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding ribbon and Whisper White Satin ribbon;

Peel off sentiments (Not Stampin' Up!).

They were nice and quick thanks to my Big Shot machine for embossing the background but I had to make 42 so it took me a while :).

 

Dinner invite

I've been working in Cambridge for almost 2 weeks now... and have found somewhere to live too (during the week when I am here) now, although I don't get the keys until the 30th!

The evenings have been a little depressing, as I don't really know many people here properly yet... but on Thursday night I had an invite to dinner with the MD and his partner.  And what a lovely evening it was too - lovely food, company and some real laughs with his daughter and her friends!

Anyway, the point of sharing this with you is because I had to make a quick wine bottle tag to attach to the gift of wine that I got to say thank you to them.

It uses the new Charming stamp set that was released in the Spring Mini catalogue.  Sorry the picture is a little blurry... but I was in a rush to get myself out the door at the time :).

The details/mensions are:

- Crumbcake cardstock measuring 7.5 x 21cm, score at 7.5cm's and punch out a 1 3/8" circle.  I've also punched a scalloped circle from Rich Razzleberry card and then punched out the middle with the circle punch to add round the hole.

- Decorative circle stamp inked with Rich Razzleberry, stamped across the tag and then basic rhinestones added in the middle.

- Another Rich Razzleberry scalloped circle and Whisper White circle for the sentiment (from the Teeny Tiny Wishes) inked with Rich Razzleberry.

Cupcake craze

I've gone cupcake crazy recently after the Spring mini catalogue was released as the new Create a Cupcake stampset and co-ordinating punch creates so many different ideas... 

Today though, I have a couple of cards that I made with another cupcake stampset! 

Two of my very good friends whose birthdays we are celebrating properly at the end of the month are hopefully not going to be disappointed with these.  They use the Crazy for Cupcakes stampset which is in the main catalogue - instead of lots of different bits to decorate the cupcakes with (like the Create a Cupcake set), you can just stamp each image and then colour or decorate to your hearts desire!

The colours I've used here are Melon Mambo and Tempting Turquoise from the brights range.

- Base: Whisper White cardstock 13.5 x 27cm; folded to create a square card.

- Background: Tempting Turquoise cardstock 12 x 12cm embossed using Big Shot (embossing folder is non Stampin' Up!).

- Image: Inked with Chocolate Chip and coloured with blender pens using Stampin' Write markers and then decorated with seed beads (non Stampin' Up!); note the candle has been stamped on Melon Mambo cardstock and cut out/stuck on.

- Sentiments: From the Create a Cupcake stampset (mini catalogue), inked with Chocolate Chip and the Teeny Tiny Wishes (main catalogue) also inked with the same colour.

Save the date fridge magnets

As I mentioned earlier in the week I spent some of the weekend helping my good friend Tori with her Wedding Save the Date cards.  After a number of weeks of indecision and trying out new ideas she finally settled on a design.

The card uses the Wedding Sweet stampset and the Monogram Sweet Alphabet lettering and the colour theme is Peach Parfait and Pear Pizzazz as the wedding will be in Autumn (October).

The base has been cut from silver mirror card (not Stampin' Up!) and then the centre piece is Whisper White.  Both pieces were cut using the Top Note die run through the big shot machine, which is ideal for mass production...

The sentiment has been embossed in silver, but the lettering and detailing on the corners is just done with ink as it was far too time consuming to emboss everything.  Note that the corner detail is created using a part of the 'thank you' stamp from the Wedding Sweet set, using the stamp-a-ma-jig we lined this up just where we wanted it and masked off the rest of the card before stamping.  And the finishing touch was the heart from the Create a Cupcake stamp set inked with Real Red.

We had to set up a production line for each part, including each individual letter for the V, & and A... and even then between 4 of us we almost lost the will to live after creating 70 of these lovely creations.  

But you only get married once (hopefully) so it was well and truely worth it and each and every one should feature on a fridge nearby soon :).

Quick calendar gift

I can't believe we are already halfway through January!  I meant to make some calendar gifts for people this year but have only really gotten around to a couple of samples so far. 

This little calendar is great for a desk or fridge... oh and fantastic for Save the Date cards (check back tomorrow for something I have been dying to share with you!).

The base is Basic Black run through the top note die using the big shot machine.  I love my big shot and use it all the time... I was a initially little hesitant to make the investment but it gets so much use I have no doubt that is was worth every penny!

I've decorated the calendar with a scalloped circle cut from Rish Razzleberry cardstock and then used one of the images from the new Perfect Postage stamp set which features in the new Spring Mini Catalogue - I've inked this with Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive ink (markers to get 2 colours on the same stamp) onto Whisper White and then punched it out with the new punch that co-ordinates with this set before mounting onto the scalloped circle using dimensional sticky pads.

Just to finish I couldn't resist adding some Old Olive brads... and of course the calendar (pick up 10 for a quid ...).  Great quick gifts which you could give at any time of you or as I suggested earlier would be great for Save the Date cards!

Only a week till Sale-a-Bration (sneek peek)

Yup, just a week to go until the Sale-a-bration event starts.  You will be able to choose exclusive FREE products: one for every £45 you spend. 

There are 4 different stamp sets and a pack of DSP and I can honestly say that I love the papers (which is a first for me!) and I'm already trying to decide over 3 of the 4 stampsets... as I just don't know which one I like best - they are all great!

So here's a sneak peek of some cards made using another one of the Sale-A-Bration stampsets.  Check out the one with the DSP (in the middle).  I can't tell you anymore than that until next week, but all I can say is that I love the colours of the papers - they are slightly Cath Kidston in style :).

Creating a sunset

Hasn't the weather suddenly got colder... I really hope it doesn't snow anytime soon, particularly as I won't be at home to make the most of not being able to get out of my driveway lol!

The good news is that I have internet access in my current abode (up in Cambridge) and that means I can still blog :). 

Today I have a card to share with you to take us away from this cold weather for a moment and to show you a great technique for creating a sunset.  It has been created using the trust Just Believe stampset which includes 3 images, 4 sentiments and 2 label stamps.  I'm always going back to this set to create cards for allsorts of occasions so I highly recommend it.



I have used a piece of So Saffron cardstock for the base, cut to 10.5 x 14.8 (ie A6 in size).  I have masked off the card to create a sun image by using a 1 3/8 inch circle and then using my brayer I have inked the background with More Mustard and then peeled back the circle to create a sun.

The large flowery image from the Just Believe stampset has been inked with Chocolate Chip and stamped 3 times across the bottom of the card, making sure to drop down the stamp slightly each time.  I have then stamped the sentiment with the same ink across the sun.

I love this technique, it's so quick and easy... and the sentiment can be changed for any occasion really...

Great for a thank you card for example :).

Cherry birthday

I've made a fleeting visit home this weekend as will be back off to Cambridge tonight for 10 days - joy!  However, as well as the housework, washing and packing I've managed to complete a large batch order of Christening cards for a friend of mine, another batch of Chinese New Year cards (like this) and today I've been helping another friend with her Save the Date wedding invites.

So I will have a few different things to share with you in the week... but I'm afraid it might have to be scheduled posts again for a while as I'm not sure how much internet access I will have.

Whilst I am catching up ... today I have a card to share with you designed by my upline, Cate.  Check out the full details on Cate's blog.  Cate has used one of the new stamp sets from the Spring Mini Catalogue which will be available until 20th April... 'Fruit and Flowers'...

I love the simplicity of this card yet it would be ideal for some many of my friends as it's a nice cheery card.  The colours are Real Red and Lucky Limeade - great combo!

This layout would work for a lot of cards - I'm going to have a play with ideas ... check back soon for more.

More alternative cupcake ideas

I promise to post something made with another stampset soon, but I just love the new Create a Cupcake set so much :).

The background piece is Pink Pirouette 10 x 14.5 run through the Square Lattice embossing folder and fixed to a Whisper White card base - note that I have used a Chocolate Chip marker pen to create a faux stitching effect around the edge.

The main panel is Whisper White 6 x 11cm and backed with Chocolate Chip 6.5 x 11.5cm.  The handbags are stamped with the cupcake 'base' stamp in Chocolate Chip and Pink Pirouette.  The flaps on the bags have been created with the corner/edge of the new Postage Stamp punch (which I have then cut into with scissors to obtain the required size/shape). Finished with a Basic Pearl and the sentiment.

Cupcakes for men and other occasions

Happy Friday the 13th - eek!

Do you struggle for ideas for male cards like I do?  What about other occasions? If you have the Create a Cupcake stampset and/or co-ordinating punch then this card can be made by you in no time... I have to admit that I CASE'd it from the web, in fact if you google this stampset you will get lots of alternative uses for it and I have adapted the ideas slightly.

The base is Calypso Coral from the new In Colours, and I have co-ordinated the hot air ballon using a 1 3/8" circle punch and the new ruffled ribbon (stuck with red sticky tape) along with Daffodil Delight cardstock.  I've run the balloon through the stripes embossing folder before adding the red tape on the back to stick the ribbon. 

Can you see that the basket is created from the cupcake 'base' stamp inked with Chocolate Chip.  The clouds are the top of the cupcake punched from Whisper White.  The background is Bashful Blue run through the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder.  Finally the sentiment in Calypso Coral punched out of Whisper White using the Word Window punch.

Try using DSP instead of cardstock and see what you can come up with...

New cupcake punch

This weeks has been the longest ever... looking for somewhere to live, trying to juggle 2 jobs and then being stuck in a hotel each night is not much fun by myself!  Hopefully once I find somewhere to settle things will improve.

So, back in the craft world....

Have you seen the new Spring Mini catalogue yet!  If not where have you been - check it out at the link on the right hand side of my site.  Or contact me and I will pop a copy in the post to you.

As well as the great Create a Cupcake set that is in the new mini catalogue, there is a co-ordinating punch.  I can hardly contain my excitement - I truely love this set and the punch just as much!  You don't even need the stampset... as the punch creates some lovely shapes that are just enough on their own.  However I urge you to purchase this before it is too late as the catalogue ends on 30th April and it is likely that these products will be discontinued after that.

So other than the sentiment which is from the Create a Cupcake 'new' stampset, this card has been created uses the cupcake punch and a few other punches.  The colours are Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip and Melon Mambo (hearts).  The punches also include the eyelet border, curly tag and owl punch (hearts).  The 'stalk' part of the stand is just cut freehand.

This little piggy went to...

...Cambridge!

Monday was my first day in my 'new job'.  I'm now working in Cambridge on secondment for a few months.  It's going to be a bit of a shock to the system being back in an office after working from home for so long... although after a couple of weeks I hope to be able to just be there for 3 days a week and come home for a couple of days and the weekends.  Otherwise when will I find the time to do any crafting!?

I've taken this card with me along with a few other samples to try and encourage some of the ladies in my new office to get creative... I now just have to work out how to get a card making session into the social timetable :). 

The base is Pink Pirouette and I have used a panel of Perfect Plum DSP (with words) for the background and punched it with the eyelet border punch.  More punches here - the owl punch (for the pig in Pretty in Pink) and the scallop circle punch and 1 3/8 circle (for the circle cut from Wisteria Wonder and embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots folder using my bigshot).  The scalloped circle and heart as punch in Melon Mambo and the sentiment is from the Happiest Birthday Wishes (hostess only) stampset inked with Melon Mambo.

Sorry it's late bikers card

Here is a really quick card that I made for a guy at work who's birthday I totally forgot about whilst I was on holiday over Christmas/New Year! 

The sentiment is just typed on my pc and printed out on Whisper White card and then punched out using the Word Window punch.

Everything else is pretty straight forward:

Base - Basic Black card 12.5 x 12.5;

Bright DSP (striped Real Red);

Motorcycle stamp inked in Chocolate Chip and coloured with Real Red marker and them mounted onto a piece of DSP and then Marina Mist card.

Marina Mist punched with Scallop Trim border punch across the middle.

Try out a class offer - exclusive goody bag

Do you want to take up a new hobby or to learn something new?  Why not just give it a try before you decide...

I would love to welcome some new people along to my card making classes at my home (in Camberley, Surrey) in the next few months.  These tend to be on a monthly basis and sometimes for a specific occasion (but the cards can usually be adapted for a variety of occasions if needed). 

I also have a very special offer for new class attendees booked during the month of January (for any class that I have in my current schedule)!  When you come to your first class you will get an exclusive goodie bag which includes free products including a project pack that you can try at home.  

If you have been to one of my classes before and bring along someone who has not, then both of you will get a goodie bag. 

The upcoming classes and past events can be seen on my events page so do have a look and get in touch if you would like to book to attend.

The next two scheduled classes are Accessories and Valentines. 

All the items we are making are suitable for both beginners and the more experienced card makers will discover new things too. Classes are a lot of fun and we would love to have you join us.

Sat 4th Feb 2pm	Accessories class - £8.  Class is suitable for beginners as well as experienced card makers. This class will make use of a variety of tools and techniques.  You will make a gift card holder, wine bottle tag and a selection of gift tags to accessorise your gifts.  There will be extra materials included in your pack that you can stamp and take away with you to make more at home.
Thurs 9th Feb 7.30pm	Valentines class - £8.  This class has been designed for those who want to do something special for Valentines this year and would be suitable for beginners. You will make a card and gift box.  Why not mention the details to you ‘other half’ and maybe they will take the hint and come along and make these to give to you J!?

Note that I have further classes coming up with include stampsets in the price, but these can also be taken without the set (special price for those just wanting to try out the products).  Email me with your details to be added to my mailing list for updates to the events schedule, or sign up to follow this blog to keep up to date.

New year team training

OMG I'm exhausted after yesterdays crafting session with the other demonstrators in our team!  We were making samples for the Sale-A-Bration promotion that begins on 24th January... 16 cards in 6 hours!  I actually felt like I never wanted to make another card ever again after that, but it was a really great day and I was left with the bare minimum to tidy up :).

Thank you so much to Cate (my Upline) for organising it and preparing all those samples (with a little help from others)... the ideas were great and I can't wait to share them all with you.

I can't leave it at that... have to give you a quick sneek peak of one of the sets - when I first saw them all I really didn't know what I could create with them... as usual I was surprised that there were so many quick ideas as well as some slightly more complex ones.  This is my favourite set (I think), in fact I like 3 out of 4 of them so much I can't decide which one to get for myself ... eek!

Check back after 24th January when I can share with you the full details of each of the sets.

Another crafting session planned today - fortunately I managed to avoid getting any bookings for my thank you card class (never thought I would hear myself say that - but think I may have tried to cram in too much in my first week back from holiday!)... so instead I have a session with one of my friends to design her wedding invites and stationery! 

Another card for my sister

My sister absolutely adores pigs.. she has done since she was small!  So of course one of her birthday cards this year had to feature a cute little piggy :).

I've used a lot of punches for this card:  Eyelet Border punch - Melon Mambo & Elegant Eggplant card; 1 3/8 circle punch - Cheerful Treat DSP (Hostess only); Scalloped circle punch - Elegant Eggplant card; Word Window punch - Whisper White card with the Happy Birthday Sentiment the Create A Cupcake stampset that was released in the new mini catalogue earlier this week (!!!); Curly Label punch - Pink Piroutte card stamped with 'daughter' sentiment from the For my Family stampset; Owl punch - Pretty in Pink card used for the Pigs head and face. 

The card base is Basic black 12.5 x 12.5 and the numbers are cut from Melon Mambo using the timeless junior alphabet dies and I have also run the layers panels of card through the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder.

Happy birthday Lee

Happy birthday Lee, I hope you’re having fun!

It’s my sister’s birthday today and she is in Barcelona so I didn’t quite manage to get this card to her before she left ... and as usual I haven’t sorted out a present yet either! 

The base is Wisteria Wonder cut and folded to create a 5x7” card base.  The base panel is Very Vanilla and the DSP is from the Cheerful Treat (Hostess only) pack.  I’ve used a piece of the Wisteria Wonder ruffled ribbon across the join and colour co-ordinated the Pink Pirouette that is in the DSP with the 30 which has been cut using the Timeless Junior Alphabet die run through the big shot machine.

For the cupcakes I’ve used Pretty in Pink, Pear Pizzazz, Wisteria Wonder and So Saffron with the Create a cupcake stampset and co-ordinating punch. 

The sentiment is from the For My Family stampset which includes most family members and seems to feature on a lot of my card commisions. 

I'm totally loving this new stampset that was released in the new spring mini catalogue and there are so many ideas that you can create with it.  But be warned this item may not be available after the catalogue ends on 30th April 2012 so get it now whilst you can!

New mini catalogue launch make and take

Thank you to everyone who attended my mini catalogue event last night and those of you that couldn’t be there, the make and take and catalogue will be with you shortly and you can still take advantage of my 10% discount offer until Friday. 

Here are the instructions for the card we made which uses the new stampset Create a Cupcake (RRP £16.95/20.95) and co-ordinating punch (RRP £15.50).  It's a great set with 12 different stamps including 3 very good sentiments.  In my view there isn't one stamp in this set that you wouldn't use and the punch makes it all so much easier :)!

The base is Very Vanilla (A5 folded in half).  The DSP comes from the subtles collection (Pretty in Pink dotty sheet) and has been cut to 11 x 5cm with a small section cut out by hand to create the ‘flag’ effect.

For the cupcake image the colours used are Pool Party, So Saffron, Rose Red and Wild Wasabi.  The co-ordinating punch makes it nice and easy to get the shapes cut our perfectly.  Using dimensional sticky pads means it's nice and quick to mount and then I’ve finished this off with some basic rhinestones.  A super quick card and the colours can easily be switched around for different recipients and even male cards (although I would used buttons instead of basic rhinestones to embellish and probably a more masculine patterned paper with perhaps stripes?).

When I get a new stampset or punch I try to 'spend time with it' developing ideas so that I don't get overwhelmed by all the other products in my stash... so after a late night yesterday I now have a few ideas to share with you over the next week or so made with just this set and punch. 

So, check back tomorrow for another card using this set... and don't forget the new mini products may only be available until 30th April so don't leave it too late to order :).

New Spring Mini Catalogue launched

Today is the launch of the New Spring Mini Catalogue...

And tonight I am having a few drinkies at my home and will be sharing some of the new products and ideas.  So if you are local to me why not stop by and pick up a copy.  Or contact me and I'll put a copy in the post to you.

Full details from my events page:

Wed 4th Jan 7.30-9.30pm

Spring mini catalogue launch tipple – FREE. Stop by for a tipple whilst you have a look at the new Spring mini catalogue and catch up with other crafters. I will be offering 10% off any orders placed on the night in case you can’t wait until the sale-a-bration promotion which starts on the 24th January.

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year starts on the 23rd January this year and it's the year of the Dragon. 

Here is a very quick card from a batch that I was commissioned to make this year.  As Stampin' Up! don't have a dragon stamp in their catalogue I had to resort to an image from the web, which I printed out on Whisper White card and then cut out using the Top Note die and my big shot machine.  I absolutely love this die and have found so many uses for it, in particular it works well as a panel for an image and the perforated edge can be cut off to create a border, which you will see in the variations of this card below.

For the background I have cut a piece of Real Red card at 14.5 x 10 (just slightly smaller than the A6 Whisper White card base) and run it through the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder.

Finally to finish I've die cut the numbers using my timeless junior alphabet dies from gold mirror card (not Stampin' Up!) and fixed these to the card.

There are a few variations which use the mirror card as a border around the image and also I've added some Chinese symbol stickers which are from Malaysia (but you can probably pick them up in China Town or on the web somewhere).

Happy new year and 10% off

Good morning all!  And a very Happy New Year...

Apologies for not posting yesterday but by the time I landed at Heathrow and had got my luggage and then driven home I was serioulsy exhausted and also suffering from major toothache and earache so just put myself to bed!  I'm probably still on Sri Lankan time as been up for hours doing washing and sorting out the madness that I have come back to so will hope to be back to daily posts soon.

For now I just wanted to remind you about my new Spring Mini catalogue launch tipple on Wednesday (4th January) evening at my home from 7.30 - 9.30pm.  Hopefully if I can get myself organised by then I will be able to share with you some samples using the new products and a quick make and take project.

I will also be offering 10% off any orders placed on the night in case you can't wait until the Sale-A-Bration promotion which starts on 24th January.

So why not come along and join me for a drink whilst taking a look at the new catalogue.  Feel free to bring a friend - just let me know if you are coming by email at: jadedcrafter@gmail.com

Hope to see you on Wednesday.