Faux stitching technique

Morning everyone. Start of the week and it's Monday so hope your week is good and you all have time to fit some crafting in between juggling your week.

Today's card was a bit of a blooper which I rescued with some faux stitching. I had used my markers to colour the gorgeous Botanical for You sentiment and when I stamped it wasn't as clear and sharp as I wanted. So taking the black marker pen I outlined the wording in faux stitching. This is tiny lines that mimic stitching round and outline or the edge of a card. The effect is lovely and makes the card come to life and the wording really stand out.

There are only 32 days left of Sale a Bration where you can choose a free item like the one above for every purchase of £45. Also if you want to join Stampin Up as a demonstrator you can get £160 worth of stash for £99. It is the best time to buy from Stampin Up as who doesn't like freebies but it is limited and will end at the end of March so don't delay. The link to the Stampin Up website is at the top of the page and please choose me Jane Allmark as your demo of choice. Thanks

Stampin Up Gorgeous Vintage/Rustic Botanical Blooms

Morning everyone! Well after two days at the MakeIt show in Farnborough I am exhausted, happy and with very empty pockets. I had two full days of crafting, trying out new crafts and generally having a fab time. I love having an eclectic mix of crafting products and ideas as there is so much out there however Stampin Up quality is right up there as some of the best products on the market.

Today is something a little different. I took some whisper White cardstock and sponged it with crumb cake, tore the edges for a vintage look and then die cut one of the botanical blooms and did the same. A little tag and a pearl and this lovely card was created.

 

The Stampin Up ink pads have such great pigment that they cover really well hence being able to create this lovely natural craft card look.

As always all Stampin Up products can be bought from their website the link of which is above. Please chose me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice.

Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely Sunday.

Stampin Up Creating Beautiful Backgrounds

Morning everyone. Well what an exciting day yesterday. I went to the MakeIt show in Farnborough. This is a huge and I mean huge craft fair. I arrived shortly after 9am and didn't leave until gone 4pm and I'm back again today. I love going to fairs where there are lots of workshops and make and takes as it is great for honing skills, learning new techniques and generally having fun. 

One thing I really enjoy is creating realistic backgrounds and then using silhouette stamps. This showcase is an idea that was shared by one of the lovely ladies in my Stampin family which I have tweaked in my own style using the lovely Serene Silhouette stamp set which has gorgeous silhouette stamps ideal for this.

I cut a mask in a full length piece of cardstock for the hills and the layered in shades of green. A circular mask was used for the sun and blended in yellows and purples. Adding the lovely bitty butterflies with dimensionals just made the card pop.

Using a square card and mounting on black again frames the piece perfectly.

All products used are from the current Stampin Up catalogues which you can find by clicking on the link above and if you do order please use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice.

Thank you all so much for viewing my blog daily. I love seeing how many of you lovely people pop in daily.

Stampin Up The Most Current Birthday & More Sentiments Set

Morning everyone hope your day is a good one? Mine is going to be very exciting as I am going to the MakeIt show in Farnborough which is just down the road for me as I live in Farnham. It is one of the biggest craft fayres on the same scale as the NEC in Birmingham. I have a two day ticket so will be spending my time shopping and of course cramming in as many workshops as I can. I love picking up new ideas and tips so am getting very excited.

Today's technique is using the circle dies and cutting a "C" shape out of white cardstock and then adding a scarp of dsp behind to give a lovely aperture.

My favourite sentiment stamp set by far is the new Endless Birthday Wishes. The font is fab and it is a real mix and match set as the sentiments are individually set so if you wanted Have and awesome birthday or hip hip hooray its your birthday you can. I just love this set and find I am using it all the time.

It's a photopolymer set 140273 so easy to line up and is only £15 for 27 stamps. Now that's a lot of stamps.

I used hello and party for these two cards

The dsp is from the love blossoms paper stack. I love paper stacks which are 6x6" as it is a real pick up and use size and for me I find there is less waste. The large 12x12" dsp I always put in my drawer and the find I don't use as much. My 6x6 are on my desk and are used daily. I find that I cut down the larger sheets to 6x6 as just easier to handle.

The little flowers on both cards are from the botanical blooms die set and they are just such lovely shapes.

All products used are from Stampin Up so use the link above to have a look at their website where you can see all their current catalogues and special offers and should you wish to purchase anything please use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator. Thanks

Stampin Up Masked Butterfly Technique

Good morning everyone. Wow is it chilly willy sauce today. Really heavy frost and showing -7 brrrr. Will have to go and let the car engine run for 10 minutes with the blowers on full to defrost the windows before work.

So today I thought I would showcase a rather lovely card with some different techniques on. The first is masking. The butterfly thinlets are fab and I use them all the time but I never throw away the waste as they make fab masks. Secure to your cardstock with some low tack tape. For this background I chose the fine lines in Gorgeous Grunge probably the most versatile set ever. Really liked this effect as by stamping numerous times it builds a great pattern. 

I used the flower from Serene Silhouettes and the sentiment from the freebie Botanicals for you. The blended colours in the background were three colours any three of your choice really just sponge very lightly to get the muted soft effect. Sponging is really about building the colour but by very light strokes and build slowly. You can always add more but can't take it away easily.

Have fun playing with different techniques with masks.

For all the products used they are Stampin Up and the link to the website is at the top of the page. Please when ordering use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice. Thank you 

Stampin Up Life is a Beautiful Ride/Sheltering Tree Fusion

Morning everyone really crisp heavy frost this morning but the sun is shining so all good. Well today's showcase is a fusion of Life is a beautiful ride which is the gorgeous VW beetle and fab sentiments and Sheltering tree which is the gorgeous tree stamp and accessories like a bike & a rake.

So I wanted to do a teenage boys card who is made on bmx'ing  and is always down the park practising stunts.

Teenage boys are probably one of the most difficult cards to make as obviously no bling, ribbons or pearls so this is just plain and simple 3 bikes two red and a blue and a fab sentiment.

Check out the link at the top of the page for the Stampin Up website and if you do order please use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice.

Thanks for dropping by and have a fab day 💜

Stampin Up Butterfly thinlets

Morning everyone. Bright chilly morning but the sun is out and looks like it is going to be a sunny chilly day here in the south east of England. Tuesday is my oldies card making class at work. As some of you know I work with elderly especially those with dementia and it is the most rewarding job ever. The age range is from late seventies through to mid nineties and I have a wonderful 93 year old lady in my card making class. So from time to time you will see some of the lovely work they do here but for today I am showcasing the gorgeous butterfly thinlets.

These can be layered up together or placed singley to create wonderful cards.

I've used crumb cake probably the most lovely colour to combine with absolutely everything and then just a little piece of dsp and some ribbon and a brad to embellish with. I just love how the hint of colour just makes the whole card pop.

You can purchase this lovely die set 137360 priced £22 for the set of three dies from the current annual catalogue page 172 and if you click on the link above it will take you to the Stampin Up official website. Please use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice. Thanks so much.

Stampin' Up. Straightening Big Shot Acrylic Plates Easy & Simple Tip

I have as many of you probably do bent and curvy acrylic plates for my big shot. I try turning them, using different areas of the plate and all sorts of other ways but without fail they always bend. Now I recently purchased the metal base plate for intricate dies. This is amazing and cuts all my intricate dies easily. However my goodness does it bend the acrylic plate that you sandwich on top. Ok so this is only one of the plates, as you only use one acrylic plate with the metal base plate, but still really frustrating.

So off I went to the Internet. Hot water or put it in the oven! Ok hot water is never going to get hot enough to bend and even boiling water from the kettle is only going to heat the acrylic and not flatten it. The oven well that just plain scared me with visions of melting acrylic and suffocating from the fumes.

So I suddenly thought what can I do to heat the acrylic and slowly flatten it. Eureka moment an iron and ironing board. So I heated the iron to its highest temperature covered the acrylic plate with a tea towel and then slowly ironed the acrylic plate. Every couple of minutes I would turn the plate and with an oven glove on to stop burning myself press down firmly on the plate. It took about 15 minutes working each side and pressing down until the plate straightened. I then left it on the side to cool.

So now I have two straight acrylic plates.

So this is my tip of the day iron your acrylic plates to straighten them 💜

Stampin Up Botanical Blooms Bundle

Happy Monday everyone hope your all having a good day and the start to the week. Today I am showing you the botanical bloom bundles again but today I have used the gorgeous coordinating dsp and the fab die which cuts a leafy border.

The flowers in the set are just stunning as they can be colour coordinated for any project and two of the dies the flower petals pop up.

Everything Stampin Up is able from their official website click on the catalogue image at the top of the page and when ordering please use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice. Thanks so much

Stampin' Up! Jane Allmark Independent Demonstrator Yippee Skippee I've Done It

Well this is so exciting I have actually done it! What you ask? Well as I have already mentioned several times I am a complete dinosaur with regard to anything techie and I struggle desperately in making my blog interactive and putting links with pictures on my blog.

so today being Sunday and a day of rest lol I thought I would tackle this problem and see if I could put a picture of the current Stampin' Up! annual catalogue with a link through to the Stampin' Up! Official website www.stampinup.co.uk Now for those techie people this is probably where you all start falling about laughing, but for me this was an obstacle that I thought I would never achieve.

Several hours of trawling thought "how to's" and deciding that there was no way that I could understand this strange lanuguage they were talking and that included the "Dummies" site I was almost giving up and resigning myself to the fact that I would never be able to get to grips with this task when Eureka Yippee Skippee I came across a lovely lady called Heather and her blog with easy, yes easy step by step instructions.

So with two screens up on the old laptop (this wasnt possible on my ipad, dont ask me why it just doesnt allow me to change my blog at all, just write it) I started by finding a picture and saving it in my pictures library, a feat in itself as I couldnt find where the devil it was in amongst all my thousand of pictures and then yippee skippee it was at the end of all my pictures just there on it's own smiling at me. So I took said picture added the code word and symbol by word and symbol (thinking to myself if this gobbledegook works it will be a miracle) and yes it worked.

Now for the little drawback I have a wonderful picture of the current Stampin' Up! catalogue and if you click on it YES it goes through to the UK Stampin' Up! website where you can browse and order whatever you like. However please please please put in the top right hand corner where it say Find Demonstrator put JANE ALLMARK which is me as I cannot link to me directly.

I am so pleased and yes when I read this I am giggling to myself, well actually gaffawing out loud, at how long it has taken me to do this (4 hours today and years of having my blog) but as the saying goes from little acorns mighty oaks grow and I feel like a mighty oak today.

So I do hope that you will give this link a go, have a browse at all the lovely products that Stampin' Up! has to offer and if pennies allow order something from me, but remember to use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice.

Thank you all so much for your views, comments and making my little blog a little bigger. Now I'm off to do something more productive like making some more cards and projects. Phew! what an adventure.

Stampin Up Botanical Blooms white on white

Morning everyone happy Sunday. So I wonder what you all get up to at the weekends? For me it is a time to spend with my families and their wonderful children. Yes I am blessed with two sons and daughter in laws and six wonderful grandchildren under 10 years old. Families are such a blessing and the joy that they all bring is something I treasure always. I also as you all know am an avid crafter and so every weekend I always take time to craft. This is a way for me to relax and completely lose myself in making something beautiful from paper and cardstock.

The Stampin Up botanical blooms bundle is my absolute favourite as there are so many flower stamps and dies that are to be honest quite old fashioned and traditional. Which is fine for certain projects but the botanical blooms is fresh and quite modern. The intricate fern die is quite ingenious, who would have thought a die could produce such a fine leaf and with the new metal plate and die brush cutting out is a breeze too. The flowers are gorgeous and two of them the petals pop up giving fab dimension. Stampin Up really is at the cutting edge of die technology and these certainly do not disappoint.

So I have used some fab card stocks in wonderful vibrant and tonal colours but I thought I would show you all that a white on white with a little smoky slate for the stamens really makes a wonderful card suitable for weddings anniversaries or just because.

I embossed a background using the Stampin Up dots embossing folder to add more texture and then just buillt up the flowers and leaves using dimensionals. I haven't put a sentiment on as I can do this later but it kinda stands alone without quite well.

As you all know I am an Independent Stampin Up demonstrator and as such if you purchase any Stampin Up products it would be great if you used me as your demonstrator of choice. Now I am a bit of a dinosaur with modern technology so I haven't got all the bells and whistles and links etc on my blog because I haven't got a clue how to do this lol. I'm a crafter not a techie however finding the official Stampin up website is quite easy and then it's just about who you choose as your demonstrator when you order and it would be great if you chose me Jane Allmark. Thank you all so much for following my blog it is very much appreciated and makes me smile and want to post more when I see how many of you are reading it 😊

Stampin Up Botanical Blooms Picture Frame

Good morning everyone and a happy Saturday. Well the threat of snow that we had earlier in the week never materialised and in fact here down in the south east of Englamd it has turned lovely and mild even if we have had some rain.

If you saw my blog a week or so ago I showed you how to make a mitred picture frame out of cardstock. Have a look back to see how it is made. The gorgeous Stampin Up botanical blooms bundle is just perfect to decorate the frame before assembling and filling with gorgeous leaves and flowers.

I used one of the gorgeous wooden embellishments that say Congrats Celebrate & thank you and at only £4.50 for 15 pieces they are a steel. They were a wonderful gift from my up line. I'm not normally much of an embellishment person but these are super cute so I think they will be used often.

I think the thing I like best from this botanical blooms bundle is the fern leaves as they are so delicate but are easy to cut out using the big shot and the metal plate and the flowers that pop up the petals so gorgeous. If you would like to purchase this bundle then go to Stampin Up official website and choose me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator. Thank you so much for your dropping by 💜

Stampin Up Bitty Butterfly

I hate waste. I was brought up that way. My mother lived through the war and there was rationing and make do and mend. Imagine having a ration book and not being able to pop down the shop and buy whatever you wanted. Butter milk cheese meat eggs cotton fabric stockings fruit. Vegetables could be grown in the garden but nothing went to waste. So I was brought up to use everything. Food nothing went to waste, roast chicken was picked clean for a pie and the bones boiled for stock, leftover vegetables made bubble and squeak. Clothes were remade and turned into dresses for me as a child, hand me downs were the norm & socks shirts were torn into rags and used for dusters polishers and to clean shoes.

Today we live in a throwaway society and have lost this ethos. However in one area crafting being thrifty and making use of every little scrap as the norm and a wonderful way to be. So today it is scraps . Scraps scraps scraps we store them by colour, alphabetically. In boxes, files, drawers, folders, concertinas, we love our scraps. So today's example is using the gorgeous bitty butterfly and it is perfect for cutting pretty butterflies from the tiniest scraps.

I used the love blossoms paperstack scraps & crumb cake cardstock and cut one little butterfly in crumb cake and used some linen twine and a rhinestone.

Please when you order Stampin Up products use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice. Thanks you so much and thanks for dropping by 💜

Stampin Up Sheltering Tree

I have been talking for the past couple of posts about using Sheltering Tree and the sweep to do lovely backgrounds so I thought I'd better show an example of the trees themselves with a little twist. The leaves stamp I haven't used on the trees as this is rather a wintery atmospheric picture and I wanted the trees to be bare.

 By building layers of colour by stamping once and then stamping again to get a lighter image depth can be achieved. I hope you like it and again all products used are Stampin Up  & can be purchased on their website using me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice

Thank you so much for visiting my blog Yesterday I had  93 visitors my highest to date so again it is very much appreciated.

Stampin Up Sheltering Tree background

The Sheltering Tree stamp set is beautiful and so versatile. I love using the sweep stamp as a background and it is easy to achieve a gorgeous colour tone using this great stamp.  I started by using the darkest colour first and then stamping upwards ending with the Sahara sand stamp. I then stamped a silhouette image in black from Stampin Up mounted it on black and then put it at an angle with a dsp background in crumb cake.

I love the effect of this card with the bold colours and black silhouette over the top. Look at all the stamps you have and see where you can create backgrounds and different effects maximising the use from each and every stamp in a set.

All products used are from the current range of Stampin Up ranges are available from the Stampin Up website please use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice. Thank you so much.

Stampin Up Botanical Blooms with a twist

Good morning! As you are probably aware I live in the south east of Englamd and luckily for us we very rarely get snow. Although snow is very pretty it is the accidents and the danger to the elderly that I hate. I work in an old people's day centre and know the fear snow strikes in the hearts of the elderly. So I was a little concerned when the weather girl last night for the local area said that tomorrow there might be snow. I will let you know tomorrow if it happened.

So today's project. As I promised yesterday this is a background or dsp taken to the next level. I used the leaf vein stamp from the botanical blooms to emboss in gold then sponged colours to taste. Blue pink and yellow hues I chose. Use about 3 as too many starts to give a muddy look as the colours merge. I cut the finish piece in 1.5" squares and rounded alternate corner to give the flower shape.

The effect is gorgeous and gives a fun abstract pattern.

So as you can see from yesterday and today making your own backgrounds and dsp can be great fun so give it a go.

As always if you wish to purchase any of the above products then go to the Stampin Up website and use me Jane Allmark as your demo of choice. Thank you so much have a lovely day 💜

Stampin Up Wetlands Jane Allmark Independent Stampin Up Demonstrator

I wish I was an artist and that I could pick up a paint brush or a pencil and sketch and make that sketch look realistic.  I am an amateur artist so I can sketch a little from a photograph and can lay down. colours but to be able to. create a watercolour sketch every time would be lovely.

Well there is an answer with Stampin Up they have a wonderful range of stamps which you can colour in or like this Wetlands Set by using the right colour combinations you can just stamp and give a hand drawn sketched look.

So how did I get the sand and water well I used the Sheltering Tree  sweep in Sahara sand, crumb cake, and pool party. 

So I love how this came out making a simple somewhat masculine card. I than made another one using the same colours but this time using all of the images across the whole bottom of the page

Not sure which one I prefer best. I guess I like them both lol.

If you would like to but any Stampin Up goodies just pop over to their official website and use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice Thank you so much 

Stampin Up How to make your own DSP

Morning everyone! Happy Monday. Well yesterday was Valentines Day so I hope you all had a lovely day and were spoiled by family & friends. For me Valentines 3 years ago took a whole new and wonderful meaning as my gorgeous grandson was born. So it was a special day seeing a little boy open his presents and give everyone the biggest hugs ever.

Any ways enough of me, back to the how to.  DSP is fab designer series paper for full title and it can add to a card as a background or as a focal point. But for many of us on a budget or if you want to coordinate perfectly with a project making your own is an easy really fun way to add interest too. 

Firstly choose the stamp set you want to work with Stampin Up as always have a fab range of rubber wood and clear mount and photopolymer. It is a good idea to pick something with a mixture of different sized stamps & details to give your dsp interest and to help fill in all of the spaces. Choose your ink pads. Again less is more sometimes so I normally go with three because you can always add more but it is difficult to take it away.  I always start with the largest stamps and lay down a  random pattern. Then I change colour and start filling in and keep adding different stamps and colours until I get the desired effect.

This background I used Botanical Blooms a 17 piece photopolymer set 140757 for only £15. I started with the large leaf vein and smaller leaf vein in always artichoke and the rectangular leaf vein in crumb cake to lay down the base. Then Iadded different flowers centre in 3 complimentary colours. As these were quite delicate I could be bold in the colour choice. Then by just adding a sentiment, this one is the freebie with a £45 purchase, a finished card is easily achieved.

So have fun playing with stamp sets and ink pads and create your own one off dsp backgrounds.

Tomorrow I will show you how to take this technique one step further by using gold embossing for another unique look. 

Stampin Up products can be purchased on their website and please use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice.

Jane Allmark Independent Stampin Up Demonstrator Using Masks Techniques

Today I thought I would talk about how to use masks on cards to give different techniques. This is another keeping it simple ideas of how to create some beautiful cards without having oodles of stash. Masks can be created easily by cutting a shape, a circle or an oval out of a piece of cardstock. The thinner the cardstock the better to be able to stamp or ink right up to the edges without getting a ridge. By cutting a shape from a piece of cardstock you have two masks to use the shape you've cut out and the space left over.

Here is an example of using the circle as a mask. By placing the circle centrally on the card tape down with some low tack tape or a tiny speck of snail adhesive or two way glue put on and left to dry sponge round the circle first in light colours and then add your stamps of choice. I chose the botanical blooms set one of my favourites in the Stampin Up Spring/Summer catalogue 

By using the circle as the mask it leaves a lovely white space to place a sentiment.

The second example is using the space left behind after die cutting an oval. Now if you are a beginner and don't have punches or dies raid your cupboards for circular items and just draw round and cut out using a craft knife to give you the two masks. This time I filled in the oval again with a light sponging of colour and then stamped using the Stampin Up Botanical Blooms and the lovely sentiment Just For You which is a freebie with a £45 spend (fantastic deal until the end March so check out the Stampin Up website)

So there you have it lovely one layer cards using a mask in two different ways. All the items used were from Stampin Up so if you would like to purchase anything or just have a browse at all that Stampin Up offers the. Pop over to their website and use Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice. Thank you so much for dropping by 

Jane Allmark Independent Stampin Up Demonstrator Keeping it Simple Tips

I have had a passion for crafting and particularly Stampin Up products for a while now but when I started I was clumsy and thought I would never be able to produce anything that would ever pass for more than a three year olds work. The first workshop I ever attended by my now wonderful up line Lauren Huntley was hilarious. I managed to pinch myself with a punch and lose a pearl embellishment which I found days later stuck to the bottom of my flip flop. I was definitely cack handed & it didn't come easily. However with patience and a little determination slowly I learned techniques, honed my skills and am now where I am today a pretty good even if I am blowing my own trumpet stamper and card maker.

So this post goes out to all the beginners who look at some of the beautiful cards out there and say I couldn't possibly do that. To all the demonstrators who hold classes and maybe make things that are so beautiful and complicated that it scares off people to attend. It is great to have inspiration and projects to aspire to but sometimes it is good to be simple. From little acorns mighty oaks grow and for every budding crafter who is just starting out the key is to have fun and have a go.

So let's start simply. Stampin Up have wonderful photopolymer stamp sets which are around the £15 mark, cardstock mixed packs for £6.50 and with a couple of ink pads you can get started and make some wonderful projects. It takes time to build up a huge stash of crafty products and yes some of us have almost a second mortgage or a lottery wins worth of craft stash. But with just a few bits you can create something beautiful.

This example is one stamp set Botanicals For You using a few ink pads and 2 pieces of cardstock. This stamp set is a freebie until the end of March 2015 when you spend £45 with Stampin Up so you can immediately add to your stash.

This example uses 3 pieces of cardstock wisteria wonder, rich razzleberry, whisper white, three ink pads wisteria wonder, rich razzleberry & black and two stamp sets botanical Blooms at £15 and Endless Birthday Wishes  a 27 piece set for £14.

So as you can see with not a lot you can start a passion with stamping and card making and in a little while will be create beauties like this

However again this just uses the Botanical Blooms stamp set and coordinating die set.

So I hope I have given you all a little inspiration and if you want to join me at one of my technique classes or parties do drop me a line and do go the Stampin Up website to purchase any of the above products & just use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice.

Have a wonderful weekend and thank you for dropping by

Stampin Up Botanical Blooms

This is the 3rd day in a series of three botanical blooms bundle a stamp set, die set & dsp.

The combinations in this set are endless as flowers can be all different colours.

This example uses the lovely border stamp and dsp for background.  All products used are currently available from Stampin Up just visit their website and use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice. Thank you

Stampin up Botanical Blooms Bundle

This Stampin Up bundle botanical blooms is by far the best stamp & die set I have ever purchased. Now that is quite a bold statement but the combinations of leaves that can be double stamped to produce realistic leaves and the intricate fern leaf are just gorgeous. Two of the flower dies pop up the flower petals to give dimension and realism to the flowers & the stamens or centres to the flowers are  intricate and again realistic.

At the moment if you buy this bundle you can get the Botanicals for you 9 piece wood mounted rubber set for free. I used the free set for the sentiment and the little flower and sprigs in the corner.

It has never been a better time to bu Stampin Up products with a freebie for every £45 spent so pop along to their website and just put me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice. Thank you

Stampin Up Botanical Blooms

Oh my goodness I'm in love. Botanical Blooms stamp set & die collection with co-ordinating designer series paper is by far the best flower and leaf combo I have ever seen. It is 17 stamps & 14 dies. It is in the Stampin Up Spring/Summer catalogue  not a cheap one £46.75 for the bundle stamps dies & paper but I think it is worth every penny. 

This is example is just using one flower and the leaves from the stamp set.

So I will be playing more with this fantastic set so keep dropping by to see other creations.

Stampin Up products can be purchased on their website just use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice. Thank you

Stampin Up Lovely As A Tree

Stampin Up as a company are always at the forefront in stamping and collections however there is one stamp set that has been so popular that it has been in their collections for many years Lovely As A Tree.  This a fabulous stamp set as it has not only a gorgeous oak tree but oak leaves ,line of trees, single fir tree & several more.

Ideal for almost any occasion & is great for those masculine cards which can be tricky to do. This is an example of a masculine card using the lovely oak tree stamp.

The backing paper is from the Love blossoms dsp, it has some gorgeous crumb cake designs simple enough for masculine card but still gives that interest.  I also used a little bit of linen twine which again as a lovely natural colour so add little interest to any project.

To purchase this gorgeous stamp set or any other Stampin Up products just visit their website and use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice.

Stampin Up How To Make A Cardstock Picture Frame Tutorial

I was recently asked to share how I made picture frames out of cardstock. Now I am not a great tutorial person but this is such an easy technique that I thought I would share it here.

This is not an original idea but it is something that you can make to fit any piece of Stampin Up or other artwork that you have created just by using different sizes of cardstock. The heavier the cardstock the more robust the frame will be.

I suggest you practise with some copier paper first to get the technique. On all four sides of cardstock score 4 times at intervals of 1/2". On two alternate side score down first two squares. Cut out as per pic this will give mitred corner

Burnish and fold all four sides into frame glueing as necessary. I use tombow as it allows wiggle room to get sharp mitres.

This shows full size piece of A4 scored four times on all four sides, scored first 2 squares on alternate sides . Then burnish and fold to make frame.

A4 example of frame

Square frame.

Play around with sizes and decorate  as you wish. If you want a wider frame just score at 3/4" or an 1" just remember to use a big enough sheet of cardstock to accommodate whatever piece of art you wish to frame.

I hope this makes sense and have fun making your own bespoke picture frames.

When ordering Stampin Up products from Stampin Up official website please remember to use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator. Thanks

Stampin Up new Die Brush

How many of us have struggled in getting an intricate die out after running it through the Big Shot. Tumble dryer sheets, waxed paper, pokie tools and endless amounts of patience. Well Stampin Up have come up with a great solution. It is a stiff bristled rotary brush and a thick foam pad & all you do is roll over the die a few times and it pops out like magic leaving all the bits on the foam pad ready to easily tip in the bin and yes it works time and time again.

I would say that it is probably one of the best purchase I have made. Now team it up with the Precision Base plate a steel plate which doesn't bend so gives those intricate dies a perfect cut each time.

I cannot rate these two items more highly as it has changed the time and ease of cutting all those fabulous intricate Stampin Up dies that I have.  140603 Big Shot die brush is only £10 and 139684 Precision Base Plate is £22 and in my opinion are worth every single penny.

To buy these items or anything else from the Stampin Up range just go to their website and when ordering use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice.

Thanks for dropping by

Stampin Up Endless Birthday Wishes

When you are a card maker it is really important to have a good selection of sentiments and birthday cards are probably the most made used and sold. So there is one stamp set from Stampin Up which I would highly recommend as there are so many different combinations that you can make.

The set Endless Birthday Wishes contains 27 individual photopolymer stamps for only £14 and includes large & small font as well as a birthday cake stamp and some lovely random spots. This has become my go to sentiment set .

Here is a quick example using celebrate and your birthday. To see the full set and purchase go to the Stampin Up website and choose me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator.

Have a lovely weekend

Stampin Up Party Pop Ups

There is something quite satisfying in using up scraps and this die from Stampin Up is ideal. It can be cut down to just show the happy birthday greeting. This card I used just such a technique and then added a couple of leaves. I think the colour palate makes this quite a masculine card.

The background is stamped using Stampin Up Gorgeous Grunge which is such a versatile set to add co-ordinated backgrounds and the leaves come for the Rose Garden thinlets.

Stampin Up products are of the highest quality and are exclusively available through demonstrators like myself. Go along to the official Stampin Up website have a browse and order whatever you like to be delivered directly to your door. Choose myself Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice and until 31st March you can get a free product when you spend £45. So it is a great time to introduce yourself to Stampin Up.

Happy crafting

Stampin Up Sheltering Tree

It is always a sad time when you have to send a sympathy card but by making your own to send it shows that you are sending a piece of your love and heart in the card. Stampin Up Sheltering Tree is such a wonderfully diverse stamp set that it can be used for all occasions. 

Trees have a wonderful natural aspect to them and when someone has passed trees seem to signify everything beautiful serene peaceful and somehow just perfect.

This card was a landscape layered by using the tree image stamped in various shades of brown and then the foliage was layered on top. The sentiment thinking of you is very apt.

The overall colours are subtle and are mounted on early espresso and pool party. I was really pleased how the card turned out and I know although a sad occasion it will be received well.

Stampin Up official website is where you can order any of the products and please use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator 

Stampin Up Party Pop Ups

Just a quickie of this lovely die set in blue tones

Stampin Up products can be purchased through their official website and please use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice. Thank you

Stampin Up Flower Patch Bundle

There is something really nice about using two colour ink pads, daffodil delight and calypso coral and making a series of cards using the stamp on stamp off and blending of the two colours to make a series of other colour tones. For this card I used the Stampin Up Flower Patch bundle which is a stamp set and die set which makes perfectly.

Some of the flowers I double stamped and wiped some of the darker colour off the stamp everywhere except the outside edge. It make for a lovely marigold type flower.

To buy any Stampin up products or to browse all of their catalogues and special offers just pop along to the Stampin Up official website and if you do buy something use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice.

Stampin Up Flower Patch Bundle

This is a lovely bundle set of stamps and co-ordinating dies from Stampin Up they can be used in lots of ways to add dimension to any card. The colours I used were rich razzleberry and wisteria wonder and I love the sentiment Have a Blooming Birthday

All Stamoin Up products are available in their official website and just add me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator

Stampin Up Bokeh Technique Taken To The Next Level

I love the Bokeh technique. This is where you mask and sponge lots of circles in various colours and finish with white. It comes from the photographic look through a lens where diffused circles appear. I have been doing this technique for a while now and decided to take it to the next level. This technique I have never seen before so was quite excited to have discovered something new.

By using an embossing folder I chose Stampin Up decorative dots I embossed a sheet of whisper white and then using Stampin Up sponge daubers sponge the whole sheet in a variety of colours. I then die cut circles of various sizes from the sheet leaving the waste as my mask. By adding and building the various layers the result was lovely and gave the whole Bokeh technique a new dimension.

The colours I used were all Stampin Up rose red, so saffron, crumb cake and coastal cabana and the white was whisper white.

Stampin Up products can be purchased through their official website and please use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator.

Happy Monday