Have been having so much fun with my new stamp sets & punches. There is nothing nicer on these freezing cold, dark nights than sitting at my craft table surrounded by all my lovely new things getting inspirational. Some things work and some don't quite but part of the fun is learning and each time I make something I don't quite I'm learning.
So, what have I started with :-
- bird builder punch
- New Take Care stamp set
- Teeny tiny sentiments stamp set
- word window punch
- Pumpkin pie & old olive card stock
- soft suede, lucky limeade, early espresso & calypso coral ink pads
The card stock I bought came in 12 different colours (great value starter pack at £6.25 for 24 large sheets) so I can create lots of different cards & decide which are my favourite colours before I buy whole packs of same colour. Brilliant.
I have already bought a variety of ink pads & because everything really mixes & matches again I can experiment working out what colours blend and go together the best.
I used a sponging technicque on the bird to create a red breast & body & just sponged a little heavier on the beak. I did the same on the little leaves & twig. The blessings sentiment I stamped out using the word window punch.
Second card is really simple but I kinda like it. Simply stamped tree with 2 little decorations taken from christmas deer set to just set it off.
Now for one that didn't work! Reckon its good to sometimes put things that don't work so here it is. Thought as I was using quite bright card stock with the pumpkin pie I would just use brown & green for the bird & the little eggs for the border. Unfortunately I think it looks a little drab & probably would have looked better if I had mounted the bird on a white or light coloured backgound. I do like using the little eggs as a border though so that is something to use on another card.
How exciting I came home from work yesterday to have a huge parcel waiting. My Stampin' Up! starter kit. Well it just happens to be my birthday this weekend and I always try and treat myself to something and what a treat. I have become so enthralled with Stampin' Up! and all their great products choosing the items to make up my starter kit was a bit like a kid in a candy store, 'I want it all'
There was sooo much that it covered my dining table. It is so cool that you can choose whatever you like to make up your starter set & as I had already bought quite a bit from my dear friend Lauren I chose some items that would really work together.
If you are interested in becoming a demonstrator, want a catalogue or just want to know more about Stampin' Up! and their great range of top notch crafting please email me allmark.j@sky.com The journey begins and it is time to share, share, share :))))
Have been having some fun today making this yummy little tree decoration using some chocolate coins (thanks goes to Lauren for coin idea) Well I got some gold chocolate coins the ones that come in a little bag & decided to make individual tree decorations. I stuck a circle of card stock to cover the gold coin on both sides, put a heart & a little sentiment on top & then added some twine to hang on the tree. As the bag contains 9 coins I now can make 9 decorations to co-ordinate with my red & green theme on my tree. Can't wait to get my tree in from the garden & the decorations down from the loft, but a bit early yet so time to make the other 7 decorations.
Stampin' Up products used : -
- lucky limeade card stock
- Festival of Prints - Designer series paper
- full heart punch
- decorative label punch
- sentiment stamp is a retired set but there are lots of yummy ones in current catalogue
If you want to buy any of these products then please get in touch allmark.j@sky.com
As I wait for my Stampin' Up starter kit to arrive with all the goodies, I have been busy practising techniques and creating more cards. Robins are such a christmasy bird with their bright red breasts & chirpy happy faces & christmas to me is all about love so the heart just complimented the card perfectly. I used a sponging technique for the robin's body & red breast & then sponged round the outside of the punched shape to give it some depth.
The Stampin' Up products I used were : -
- owl punch - (such a versatile punch as you can make so much more than just an owl)
- poppy parade & soft suede & early espresso ink pads
- lucky limeade card stock
- full hearat punch
- decorative label punch - (again one punch & you can create a variety of different sized labels)
If you would like any of the above products then please don't hesitate to contact me at allmark.j@sky.com
Thank you for looking
As you know I am someone who loves crafting & especially card making. Well I have been buying a variety of different stamps, punches & paper to do this but one particular product stands head and shoulders above the rest. This company is Stampin' Up. What I really like about the products is that they are the best quality I have found. When I stamp an image onto my card stock I want it to be clean & crisp with plenty of detail. The card stock is of a great weight & so smooth that the stamped images again are crisp & clean. Homemade/handmade cards are great but I still want them to look professional and the best I can make.
So where do I get Stampin' Up products from? Well the good thing is that you can't buy them in the shops, so the cards you make can be a little more exclusive, you buy them through a Stampin' Up demonstrator. Luckily one of my closest friends became a Stampin' Up demonstrator a while ago & she started running workshops teaching & showing off this great range. It is so much fun as each class you get to learn another technique & to use different stamps & punches. It really is a 'try before you buy' method. This was so good for me as it allowed me to grow in confidence and ability to where I was able to make a range of cards & start selling them locally. There really is a market for individual high quality cards out there.
Well turn the clock forward a few months and I wanted to become more involved with Stampin' Up products and give more people out there the opportunity to buy some of their great range. Stampin' Up offer new demonstrators a fantastic start up incentive. Buy £130 worth of stock (absolutely anything from the catalogue, you mix & match to create your own package, the stamp sets you want, the punches, the card stock, ink pads & pretty embellishments like rhinestones, pearls & ribbons, and you pay only £99. So excitedly I put my order together & on Friday placed it.
Over the next few days I will receive a huge bundle of craftiness to allow me to continue to make some fabulous cards and most importantly continue my passion for everything homemade. It is very exciting and I can't wait.
I really want to share all of this and Stampin' Up products with all of you out there so I will be starting my own workshops to share techniques & show you all these great ideas & pass on this passion. Remember you can only buy Stampin' Up products through a demonstrator. So please get in touch allmark.j@sky.com & be one of the first to join me on this great Stampin' Up craftiness adventure. Wheeeeeeee!
Here are a couple of pictures of bespoke cabinets made for customers. These were made for the bathroom to house different styles of wash basins. If you are looking for something individual & unique beautifully made to your own personal specifications then please get in touch allmark.j@sky.com
Thank you for looking
This is a beautiful mirror handcrafted and totally unique. Each mirror that is made is an original in design & made sympathetically with the curves of the natural wood used.
If you would like to have a mirror to adorn your home please contact allmark.j@sky.com
