Stampin Up How Many Adhesives Do You Need & Why?

This is the age old question. How many adhesives do you need and why? So I thought I would give you my take on it. Firstly everyone has a favourite which they tend to use all the time and I am no different  so I will start with that.

TOMBOW - 110755 multipurpose liquid glue £3.75

This is my favourite because it is the best wet glue on the market. Smooth easy to use does not clog up like other wet glues so no need for pins or pokey tools to unblock. Allows for wiggle room on cards and projects. Has two ends one with precision point and the other fat for bigger areas .

2WAY GLUE PEN 100425 priced £4.00 now this is a genius idea a pen that is great for gluing all those tiny little things especially intricate dies to your cardstock. It is also fab as a repositioning tool as if you add this glue and let it dry it becomes a temporary adhesive. I use it all the time for masks to stop them sliding away.

SNAIL 104332 priced £6.25 with refills at £4 now this is a lot of people's favourite. A tape runner of double sided adhesive which without mess sticks your projects together.

CRYSTAL EFFECTS 101055 priced £5.75 this is a fab glossy glue which when dry is like lacquer. It is fab for  adding a hard lacquer finish to any project, jewellery, bottle caps etc. Great for making 3D projects.

TEAR & TAPE ADHESIVES 138995 £6.25 this is a bit like snail but outside the tape dispenser and with a paper backing. It is a fab adhesive and is good for boxes and 3D projects as you can position everything before removing the paper backing rather than get glue or stick where you don't want.

STAMPIN DIMENSIONALS 104430 £3.75 Now there are a lots of dimensionals, foam pads, on the market but these are fab as they are hexagonal which means they perfectly fit on most projects without having awkward corners hanging out and yes they stick rather than fall off after a few days. As a dimensional they are they best on the market.

So these are some adhesives that Stampin Up do and having used all the above what I think of them. Check them out yourself on the Stampin Up website the link is above and when you do order please use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice.

Have a great day

Stampin Up Sale a Bration Almost there

Morning everyone! Hope you all had a lovely Mother's Day yesterday, well all of the people in the UK. I know that my American viewers celebrate Mother's Day in May. As a mum I was blessed with two sons and so I went round to be spoilt by one of them. A beautiful card and some perfume and a lovely home cooked roast dinner.

So we are almost there 31st March is the end of Sale a Bration the biggest freebies of the year with Stampin Up and who doesn't like things for free. I know that many of you have taken advantage and spent £45 from the annual & seasonal catalogues and grabbed a free stamp set or designer series paper or some of the other gorgeous products. But now is the time not to dither as it will be gone in a flash and next year is a long wait. Link is at top of page to Stampin Up website & please when ordering don't forget to use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice.

This card uses the sentiment & flowers from Botanicals for you one of the freebies you can get & it is one of my favourites as I love all the sentiments.

Floating cup & saucer using Stampin Up products

This is project I am so proud of as I saw a floating cup and saucer recently on a display, was intrigued and thought how do they do that?  So I did a bit of research and made this prototype 

So I thought on this tutorial I would explain how it is made and some of the pitfalls to avoid.

Tools need - cup & saucer, cheap bendable fork, glue gun, acrylic paint, spray glitter varnish, pebeo gilding waxes & as many die and punch cut flowers in black cardstock from Stampin Up vast range. 

So changing the look of the cup and saucer just paint several coats of acrylic paint leaving to dry between coats and then finish with a spray lacquer with some sparkle in as this gives a sort of granite look. Now the tricky part using the fork bend it at the base where the prongs are and bend it at the top of the handle. Attach the prong part to base of plate with hot glue. Use lots and make a base of hot glue first to bed prongs into. Wait for a good few hours until the glue has set completely and the fork is well stuck to the saucer. Then using a support (I used a pile of books) hot glue the inside of the cup and attach to the handle of the fork bent to accommodate. Now this again is tricky part as make sure the cup is balanced so that it is not top heavy and will fall over when released from support. Again allow to dry before removing support.

If all goes well you should have a saucer with a fork bent onto a cup, making it float. If it is top heavy and falls over weight the saucer down with a large pebble or stick weights to underside of saucer.

Now to decorate. Die cut, punch or cut out a variety of flowers leaves and foliage ( I used Stampin Up products) out of black cardstock. Using pebeo gilding wax, it comes in three colours and I used all three, cover and buff all pieces, assemble and start to build up. The idea is to cover the fork completely and where it is glued so that the cup appears to be floating.

I wanted a metal look which I think I achieved but there are all sorts of possibilities. Paint the cup and saucer in geometric designs and fill with brightly coloured flowers for a Clarice Cliff look.

So do have a go and create something unique.

Stampin Up products are available through the link at the top of the page & pleae use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator or choice.

Stampin Up Sale a Bration Flowering Fields

Morning everyone hope you're all having a good weekend. The weekends are my favourite time as I can spend more time crafting. There is nothing better than on a cold frosty day to turn the heating up and head for the craft room.

There are only a few weeks left until the end of Stampin Up biggest sale & offers of the year. There is never a better time to fall in love with Stampin Up and all they have to offer. So why Stampin Up? There are a lot of crafting companies out there all selling paper crafting products. Well for me Stampin Up offer the highes quality of rubber stamps (wood mounted or clear for your acrylic blocks) photopolymer stamps (thick robust & you can see what your doing) and probably above all colour coordination throughout the whole range ( cardstock, designer series paper, ink pads, ribbons and embellishments making designing the perfect card super easy)

So what is this Sale a Bration? Well until the end of March for every £45 you spend across the range of Stampin Up you get a free product. There are a range of fab stamp sets, designer series papers, card kits and more that you can choose from. The Flowering Fields stamp set I have used here is just one example

This lovely flower and butterfly are just two of the seven stamps you get in this set.

Ok so you get fab FREE stuff, what else?

Well if you join Stampin Up as a demonstrator during Sale a Bration you can choose £160 of goodies across the range of catalogues & only pay £99. There are no catches. Enjoy this starter kit offer and you decide what type of demonstrator you want to be. Yes you can run a very successful business as a demonstrator but you can also just be a hobby demonstrator & use being a demonstrator to get the discounts. Whatever you choose Stampin Up is one great big family and the products speak for themselves. 

So if your tempted don't delay as at the end of March these fab offers will end.

The link to the Stampin Up website is at the top of the page & when ordering please use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice.

Stampin Up Clean and Simple Card

Morning everyone hope your all having a good one. So today I am going to talk about clean and simple or CAS as you will sometimes see. It is where you use one or two stamps but keep it simple and have lots of white space. 

Now this is a technique which I really struggle with. For me a card needs to be full of dimension, colour, bling or techniques. However clean and simple when done well can be stunning. 

It is all about placement and colour my up line is the master of this technique & most of her cards are CAS so today here is my attempt

I used the lines from Gorgeous grunge, the flower from Flower Shop & a retired sentiment.  Oh and. A pearl in the centre of the flower. I used my Aqua painter to colour the flowers.

Now to step it up you could punch out the flower & put it on dimensionals, add some , ribbon, and use a variety of coordinating mounts to tone in the colours.

All products used are available from Stampin Up just click on the link above & don't forget to use me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice

Paper crafting/Card making Techniques Classes Farnham Surrey

As all of you that follow my blog know I am an avid crafter and I have been asked by several of you about some classes to learn some of the techniques I use.

Stampin Up products are of the highest quality and are lovely to use as everything is designed to coordinate. I decided to run 3 classes in March to take advantage of Sale a Bration which is Stampin Up biggest offers and free products of the year but end 31st March. 

The first class this Friday 4th March is fully booked but there are spaces on the

11th March and the 18th March

Classes are from 7pm - 9.30pm and cost £10 

Up to 3 projects will be made on the night to take home and keep and everything is included just bring your enthusiasm.

Classes are based on learning a variety of techniques and create something beautiful and above all having fun.

If this is your first time to my blog then have a look back at some of the projects to get a feel for what you can expect from a class.

All classes are held in my home in Farnham Surrey. Numbers are kept small to allow individual attention so everyone can learn at their own pace.

I welcome all abilities of crafters and will taylor the classes accordingly.

So come along and join in the fun.

Contact me via email allmark.j@sky.com or 0789 444 0522 . Classes will fill up quickly so don't leave it too long.

I look forward to seeing you soon 

Stampin Up Because Your Awesome

Sometimes you need to do a card in a hurry & you want something quick and simple. Using sentiments can give just such a card with a few pearls for interest.

This is fab freebie set when you spend £45 with Stampin Up but hurry as finishes at end of the month.

I used rose red, crushed curry and garden green ink pads and coordinating mounts.

All products used are available from Stampin Up the link is at the top of the page & when ordering please choose me Jane Allmark as your demonstrator of choice. 

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 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 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 💜