Stampin' Up! Best of flowers

 Flowers by moonlight.  A qick and simple card.  Just make a mask and then sponge some sultry nightime colours, I used wisteria wonder and rich razzleberry.  Make a mask for the moon and don't sponge over that area.

Take the best of flowers stamp set with the lovely silhouette flowers and finish off with a sentiment and a butterfly for good measure.

A quick post today as busy day.  Hope your day is good too and hope you get a moment to make something creative.

allmark.j@sky.com to drop me a line

Stampin' Up! wet wipe technique

 Have you ever wondered how to get a tie-dyed or multi coloured effect to your ink to stamp on your cards.

Well this is doing with what has been called the wet wipe technique.  Grab your self a couple of sheets of wet wipes (any brand the cheapest the better) and fold them onto a plastic container so they are big enough to take whatever stamp you decide to use.  Add a few drops of a variety (I normally use 4/5 different colours) of inks using the refill bottles.  Just squeeze a few drops randomly across the wet wipe.  Start with the lightest colour and then fill in the gaps with the other colours so the wet wipe is covered evenly.  Ok so it looks a bit of a mess, but just stamp your stamp onto the wet wipe and then onto your cardstock and ureka a lovely blend of colours.

This card I have used the vintage wheel for the background, placed the wet wipe on top of the flower to get a more covered looks and then mounted it all on the fab coastal cabana cardstock and tied it in with a little butterfly in the same colour.

Do give this technique a try as it is great fun and the results can be quite stunning.

allmark.j@sky.com if you want to drop me a line

Stampin' Up! The Open Sea

 I don't use designer series paper often enough.  So this card has a piece as the background and then little strips to co-ordinate.  The stamp set I used is The Open Sea and I mounted it on a piece of crumb cake cardstock.

The galleon ship is a great image and I used a little wash of pool party to enhance the waves.  Sometimes it is difficult to think of cards suitable for the men or someone who doesn't like a too fancy card and this stamp set is perfect.

Stampin' Up! offer such a wide range of products to suit all tastes and styles.  If you are looking to increase your stash or are new to crafting I would love to hear from you.  Stampin' Up! products are not available to buy in the shops but only through a demonstrator like myself.  Just dropme a line allmark.j@sky.com and I would be happy to discuss your needs and whizz a catalogue off to you.

Have a great weekend

Stampin' Up! Swallowtail

Have you noticed how many butterflies there are in the garden this year.  My flowers are covered with them and the allotment too.  The cabbage white although very pretty is really not my friend as my cabbages and brassica tend to get destroyed really quickly with the eggs and caterpillars.  I am not an expert on all the names of the butterflies but there have been some red admirals and many more.  Maybe the warm weather has had something to do with there being so many and I suppose the lack of rain too.  Whatever the reason they are very pretty.

With this in mind my card today is the swallowtail.  This is a huge stamp with fantastic detail.

 

 

I used just part of the butterfly on this card and then using the fab blender pens and various inks watercoloured the butterfly and then mounted it on some red cardstock.

 

 

This is a monotone card using a retired colour lucky limeade and the blender pens to pick up the colour onto the butterfly.

 

If you enjoy my cards and want to place an order then just drop me a line allmark.j@sky.com

 

Happy stampin'

Stampin' up! Simply sketched

This is another card from the lovely simply sketched stamp set.

I am really enjoying making some cards using sponging and water colour with the blender pens (see yesterday's blog for details)

This sweet little bird in the reeds takes to gentle watercolouring very well.  I amke a mask using the oval die and then gently sponge the background.  This card I used so saffron which is a gentle yellow colour.  Stampin' Up! ink pads are great value at £4.95 and come in a huge range.  I have been using mine constantly for over a year now and there is still no sign of them drying out or loosing their juiciness.  However when they do you can buy ink refills for £2.75 .

For all your stampin' up! needs or to order a catalogue just drop me a line allmark.j@sky.com and I'd be happy to oblige.

Happy stampin'

Stampin' Up! Simply Sketched

This lovely stamp set is a hostess set which you can earn for free if you host a party or place an order for £150 or more.  This is relatively easy to do if you gather a group of friends together, invite me along and have a fun evening, making some cards and browsing through the latest stampin' up! catalogue and as the hostess you get to choice bonus pounds to spend on whatever you want from the catalogue.

Simply sketched is a lovely stamp set which has endless possibilities like most of stampin' up! stamp sets.  The set contains 6 stamps including 3 great sentiments.

I used a blue wash in baja breese as the background, stamped the stamp in basic black and then watercoloured it using the blender pens which are double ended and come in a pack of 3 for £8.95.  They are great for picking up ink directly from any ink pad and then just gently washing over the image to create a lovely watercoloured look. 

Please get in touch via email allmark.j@sky.com if you would like to book a hostess party, order a catalogue or place an order.

Thanks for stopping by.

Stampin' Up! Wetlands

Here is another card made from the Wetlands stamp set.  The canadian geese are a lovely sign that summer is here and I like a lot of people know that once they start to migrate in huge flocks in the sky that summer is over and the start of the colder weather is coming.  So long may the geese stay and here is a card with a beautiful canadian goose.

Stampin' Up! stamp sets are so precisely cut with such detail that they always give a really professional look.  If you would like to know more about stampin' up! and how to get your hands on some of these great stamps (they cannot be purchased in the shops but only through a demonstrator like myself) then drop me a mail allmark.j@sky.com

Thanks for stopping by.

Stampin' Up! Wetlands

Summer is such a lovely time and most of us are drawn one way or another to the sea.  Whether it is to lie on the beach baking or taking a stroll along the shore line, the sound of the sea and the smell of the salty air in the sunshine seems to put a smile on your face and rejuvinate us.

A new stamp set which I recently acquired is called Wetlands and has a lovely group of little birds which just look lovely on a watery background.

And another with more of a grasslands background

A simple technique but with gorgeous results.  The background is done by masking and using various inkpads and a piece of sponge.

This fabulous set cand be purchased through me as a stampin' up! demonstrator, there are 6 stamps including 3 sentiments are are £19.95 for woodmounted or £15.95 for clear to bemounted on acrylic.

Drop me a line allmark.j@sky.com if you wish to order or why not join one of my technique classes starting in September.

Happy crafting :)))

Stampin' Up! Truly Grateful

The new autumn/winter range from stampin' up! will be launched soon and one of the benefits of being a stampin' up! demonstrator is that you get to pre-order and have a play before they go on general release.  So here is a sneak peak of the fabulous Truly Grateful stamp set. My favourite tree is the mighty oak and from little acorns mighty oaks grow is a truly meaningful saying as it doesn't matter how small or insignificant you may seem if you put your mind to it your can grow and achieve huge things.  When I embarked on my stampin' up! journey and started making cards I sometimes felt that I was never going to achieve the results I wanted.  But through practise and just having fun I now feel that I have become my own mighty oak.

So this card is a monatge of acorns, lightly watercoloured to produce this little acorn or mighty oak card.

If you would like a copy of the new autumn/winter catalogue packed full of autumn, harvest, halloween and christmas goodies and ideas then just get in touch allmark.j@sky.com and I will send one out to you for the start of the launch.

Happy stampin' :))))

Stampin' Up! spinner flip card

gu9 9qgThis is a great technique for a fun card where the middle flips or spins over to reveal something on the other side.  Bit fiddly with the cutting and folding the cardstock but once the technique has been mastered it makes a great different type of card.

I will be staring technique classes in Farnham GU9 starting in September so if you want to find out how to make this card and other fun ideas just drop me a line allmark.j@sky.com and join the fun.

Stampin' Up! Lovely As A Tree

There is something really lovely about summer.  The long days and this year plenty of sunshine.  I am a real outdoor person and take every opportunity to spend time either in my garden, down at the allotment or up in Farnham Park.  My allotment is now reaping the fruits of my hard work and I have been eating heartily from all the lovely produce I am growing.  The big oak tree in Farnham Park is looking majestic as always and sitting under the huge branches looking up through the mass of leaves into the blue sky with the sun dappling through makes me happy to be alive.

So here is a pick of some of my produce from the allotment, courgettes, two types of beans and some lettuce.

And my card is from the Lovely As a Tree stamp set and is the mighty oak in all it's glory.

I did some sponging for the grass, sky and sun using some of the lovely stampin' up! ink pads and then water coloured the oak tree.  This at the moment is just a card front until I have chosen a co-ordinating cardstock to mount it on.

For all your stampin' up! needs just drop me an email allmark.j@sky.com

Stampin' Up! Best of Shelli

Well after a busy couple of weeks moving my son and daughter in law into their new home I have at last found some time to get back on the pc and catch up on my blog.

Have been working on lots of cards and have bought some lovely new stamp sets which I will be showcasing over the next few weeks.  My customers are lovely and with their purchases I can build my own collection with the minimum outlay (one of the great benefits of being a stampin' up! demonstrator)

So my stamp set today is Best of Shelli, these are limited sets which can be purchased for £13.95 and this set has 7 stamps.  I have used two of the baroque stamps for the background and the heart. (There is also birthday presents, an antique typewriter, some diamond chevrons and a beautiful hummingbird)

I used Baja breeze a gorgeous subtle blue for the cardstock, ink and designer series paper and coastal cabana for the little flowers.  I ran the paper through the big shot with the pretty print embossing folder for some texture.

If you would like a catalogue or want to purchase any products then just drop me an email allmark.j@sky.com and I'd be happy to help.

Fancy joining my team and taking advantage of all the benefits of being a stampin' up! demonstrator then again just drop me a line.

Happy crafting :)))