Big shot Beginner!

I simply couldn't wait to get started with my Big Shot, and thought I'd take a few cards along to my demonstration at Llandrindod Card Club share the ideas!

Here's a super quick card that I made with a white C6 card, using one of the Confetti stamps (IB&C p60), for the background of the right half of the card and Pacific Point Ink. Then I put the Daffodil delight and Pacific Point card through the Big Shot with the Beautiful Wings Embosslits Die (Mini Cat p9) and used the large butterflies, flipping the middle one to reverse the emboss effect.

The finishing touch is the pearl body of the Butterfly which is three of the smallest line Basic Pearls (IB&C p 99). Not capable of throwing anything away, I used some of the other butterflies from the embosslit die here . . . .

Although you can't see it very clearly, I have used the same background stamp in Daffodil delight ink on the white shaped card, and then the En Francais background stamp (IB&C p71)for the central panel with the Just Believe (IB&C p57) stamp over the top. I have used a 9cm square of Pacific point card stock punched by the scallop trim corner and border punches (IB&C p105), continuing my blue and yellow Easter phase ;-)

Finally in my first foray into the Big Shot, I used my 1 1/4" square punch (IB&C p106) with the Springtime Vintage Designer Series Paper (Mini cat p17) and then ran the squares through the Bog Shot with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder (Mini cat p10), and it gives this incredibly cool patchwork feel to the paper.

I then stamped the birthday greeting in Old Olive Ink on Very vanilla card stock, from Party this Way (IB&C p31) and punched it out with the word window punch (IB&C p 105); and then some more of the DSP with the Scallop Oval, to top the 1/2" Pear Pizzazz stitched poly ribbon that runs through the four 1/2" punched circles.

I love it, leave a comment to let me know what you think! Keep on crafting Gen x

Big Shot Playtime!

So, with the Easter theme for my demonstration for Llandrindod Wells Card Club this month, it allowed my to play around with The Big Shot Die Cutting system - at least that's the excuse I used ;-)

Loving all things floral, here you see the Bigz L Die Fun Flowers (Mini catalogue p7). Part of my reason for treating myself to the Big Shot was that it could cut material as well as card stock and Designer Series Paper so have put lots of different flower types together for this arrangement that I took along to card club for inspiration. The nest of eggs here came in a bunch of flowers last year and not from a spring nest!

I was looking at Julie Kettlewell's blog (see my blog list right) and she had made some fabulous flowers and got me thinking. . .

As always all flowers start with Daffodils in Wales ;-) This is simply done in Daffodil Delight (what else!) card stock and then the trumpet is a 1 3/4" circle punched them repeatedly put through a Crimper (IB&C p107) to make the card stock more pliable and then shape it round the end of a wooden spoon, to give it that crinkled look, with some flower inners that I had lying around from artificial flowers. I have made an Old Olive leaf by folding a thin piece of card stock in half and then running it through the crimper at a diagonal for a little texture. There's lovely!

With the remaining two Daffodil delight flowers I ran them through the Square Lattice embossing folder (Mini p10) and added a little daffodil delight ink with a sponge dauber to the petal tips and created the flower centre with a contrasting blue button.

So here you can see the three large flowers of this die cut in a Brights Designer Series Paper, fixed centrally with a Circle Fire Rhinestone Brad (IB&C p99). I think it gives quite a clear illustration of the differing flower shapes, and how they can fit together or stand alone. Of course, it wasn't possible to have this floral arrangement without a foray into felt, and I have to say the possibilities are opening up with the thoughts of brooches, hat embellishments, applique and beyond!

I have to say that my first attempt has made me more excited than ever as I can bring my love of sewing and fabrics into the cards that I make - whoo hoo! This is just some felt I had lying around, but for spring I think it's really appropriate, with just a splash of 3/8" Taffeta ribbon in Marina Mist (IB&C p96). Keep on crafting - I am ;-)

April arrives!

Well, it wasn't an April Fools Joke, David really was 40 on the 1st of April! Here's the card to prove it ;-) I am steadily falling in love with Designer Series Papers and here you see the Celebrations DSP (IB&C p89) as the background on Bashful Blue card stock. It's not possible to have Birthday celebrations without bunting so the Party This Way stamp set (IB&C p31) made perfect bunting for his age, printed in Pacific Point and Real Red on Whisper White card stock; with the 40 of the envelope Bashful Blue Birthday Balloon highlighted in Real Red.

A week later is another Birthday so have continued my obsession with the same stamp set and colours with some Real Red Grosgrain ribbon in the middle and the Birthday Greeting punched out with the label punch (IB&C p105). Balloons aren't real without strings and here I've used Linen thread (IB&C p96) winding it round scissors to make the twists - a real less is more look to this one, but I try not to go too over the top for boys cards.

Just when you think it's not possible to get any more carried away SU have released their Big Shot, and this is mine, all mine - hee hee hee! Needless to say it is taking over my life and who needs to keep up to date with housework anyway? So I have been playing for hours and will post my results soon, if I can tear myself away from all the fun! Keep on crafting Gen x

Pastels revisited!

Part of justifying just how much craft you can squeeze into one house I have been sorting through my stash! In the process I came across the pastels that I received in my starter pack when I started as a SU demonstrator, and thought I would reacquaint myself with them - or give them to someone who would use them! Before you get excited I have once more fallen for them - particularly with this fab little stamp set A Flower for all Seasons (IB&C p53) I used StazOn ink (IB&C p103), for the outline and then Blender pens (IB&C p 102) to pick up the colour and bring the tiny scenes off the page :-) A real treat for spring, and hopefully the needed pick me up for the friends that received them.

Convention Scrapbook Start

Along with all the swapping of ideas at the Stampin' Up! convention my up line organised a pre-convention party, where we did Make and Takes and this is one of mine :-) Having played around with scrapbooks and picture albums always, the thought of actually setting about a 12x12" page seemed a bit daunting, so here's the answer! Here is a 6x6" page using the Beware Pirates stamp set (IB&Cp41) - the real fun was stamping on the twill tape at the bottom. The Real Red and Chocolate Chip colour scheme will fit in nicely with the Halloween Party picture of me and Andy where he went as a Pirate of the Caribbean and I went as a Vampire bat!

At convention we also did Make and Takes with the stamp sets that come in your convention bag - whoo hoo! I love getting free stuff! So here you see my FIRST scrapbook page, using the Party This Way stamp set (IB&Cp31), and I have to admit that I did this at home last week!! Here it's Bashful blue card stock and ink for the birthday candles at the bottom, Pear Pizzazz taffeta ribbon and card stock above, Melon Mambo and So Saffron for the backing card and remaining balloons. The Happy Birthday tag is secured by a Pink Rhinestone brad (IB&Cp99), and for my gorgeous niece Araina it really has to be pink! Now, to catch up with the years of not putting a photo in an album, but think of all the fun - Keep on Crafting Gen xxx

Marvellous March!

March is always off to a flying start with a Birthday celebration on the second! I was itching to use the watercolour technique that I learnt at convention again, any excuse to use the Just Believe stamp set (IB&Cp57). To add a little brightness I've kept the colours simple with retired Ruby Red marker and card stock, but then of course the ever present Old Olive for contrasting ink and 5/8" Grosgrain ribbon. I love this technique as it gives you the impression of being an artist without the effort - you simply use your Stampin' write marker pens to colour in the stamp and then once done spritz the stamp with water and then print onto the watercolour paper - it really is that simple! Just a little bit of edge tearing for the watercolour paper and contrasting red card stock and then after threading the ribbon round I finished it with a Flower Brad from the Brights collection (IB&Cp82). The Birthday sentiment on the envelope and oval scalloped topper of the card is from the Sincere Salutations set (IB&Cp72).

A few days later I was inspired by the fabulous Impressions March newsletter that comes through to demonstrators and wanted to try a technique which used embossing and ink refills for another watercolour technique. As you need a stamp with compartments I used the Cottage Garden set (IB&Cp53) and the Perfect Plum ink refill. With this technique you use clear emboss for your flower, than spritz the shiny card stock (ON OFFER in the MARCH FRENZY promo) and use an Aqua painter to pick up the colour you want and touch a portion of the image so it bleeds into the petal area. Although I have managed to get differing shades, I think the colours are a little more like emboss resist - so will just HAVE TO get the Growing Green stamp set (IB&Cp56) where the petals of the flowers are finely delineated and play some more ;-) The Old Olive stems of the flowers are from a retired set, but with the leaf from the Vintage Vogue set (IB&Cp62), I think they work quite well - and of course some small sparkly rhinestones (IB&Cp99), for the flower centres and Butterfly body.

And just to finish this update, some seriously simple Thank you cards, with the only stamping being the sentiment from the Fresh Cuts stamp set (IB&Cp67), as these are the matching cards (IB&Cp87). For speed I have used In Colour Designer Series Paper for the background of the large flower, in Concorde Crush, then the 5 petal punch (IB&Cp104) for the Blushing Bride card stock and Peach Parfait DSP smaller flower, held in place by a rhinestone brad on the right and a simple rhinestone on the left ;-)

Carry on crafting! Gen x

Llandewi WI - thank you!

Just a quick update to Thank Llandewi WI for inviting me to do a Workshop on the 21st February. I decided to use the In Colours as inspiration for the card design and as it was a group of 11 ladies I choose the Simply Said stamp set (IB&Cp47). As there were several new to stamping ladies I tried to keep it simple, with the flower stamp in Concorde Crush ink, along the top half, Pear Pizzazz Designer Series Paper on the bottom half, with 1/2" stitched poly ribbon tied around the middle. The sentiment is in Concorde Crush ink on whisper white card then punched out with the oval stamp and outlined by the oval scallop in concorde crush card stock. So there wasn't too much waiting around for inks and stamps, I also did a Peach Parfait version. This was actually was the colour way I began with, but have to admit that I prefer the stronger colour contrast, but had fun playing with all the colour combinations! Of course, being over optimistic with the amount of craft that it's possible to get through in an hour, we also did a bookmark to finish off the evening!

So here you see Concorde Crush and Blushing Bride card stock. I took along a selection of butterfly stamps, so here you see ones from Flight of the Butterfly (IB&Cp68) and Butterfly Prints (IB&Cp53). Punches used are butterfly, scallop circle and circles and then of course my favorite 5/8" organza ribbon threaded through the length of the book mark and v cutting the end for the finished look. Then who can resist a little sparkle with basic rhinestones (IB&Cp99), for the body of the butterfly? I had such fun doing the workshop, and am looking forward to doing a Christmas theme workshop in October. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment. Carry on crafting Gen x