Happy New Year ~ 2010

Well, only 2 hours left of 2009 and I, for one, am hoping 2010 will be a MUCH better year for us all, not only in Michgian, but all over the US and at home in England.

I spent some glorious time today making buttons for my thank you cards! It was so relaxing and I love how they turned out. My cards are made using the Designer Paper, Bella Bleu and so I made coordinating buttons! So easy to do ... just use a circle punch (any size, mine are 3/4") and punch 4 or 5 circles from scraps of cardstock. Glue them together using your Tombow Mono Multi and then top off with a circle punched from your choice of DSP. Lightly sand the edges, then punch 2 holes ~ you can use a Crop-a-Dile, or a small hand-held hole punch. Once your holes are made, take Crystal Effects and smear it all over the surface of the faux button. Leave to dry for 3-4 hrs and then use as you desire. They are so easy to make and they look wonderful! Here are some waiting to dry.

And here's my Thank You card design. I used the new bird punch which will be available in the new occasions mini catalogue going live next week. Isn't it cute? I sponged the edges to add a little definition. I think the button just adds enough to tie it all together.

And here's a close-up of the button. Love it!

Recipe
Stamps : Thank You Kindly
Cardstock : Very Vanilla, Kraft, Not Quite Navy, Bella Bleu DSP
Ink : Not Quite Navy
Accessories : Extra Large 2-Step Bird Punch, Circle Punch, Linen Thread, Dimensionals

Birthday Butterflies

I managed to get some stamping time in this morning which was MUCH needed!!! The sketch over on SCS is a simple one today so I decided to pull out my new Big Shot 'embosslit' which will be available next week from the new SU mini catalogue. It's called 'Beautiful Wings' and I think it's a very versatile little die. It's small, but it both cuts and embosses at the same time and this particular one contains five different sized butterflies. I layered mine here to give a bit of interest.

Here's a slightly different view of the card to show you how I layered up some of the butterflies.

Recipe
Stamps : Well Scripted
Cardstock : So Saffron DSP, Soft Suede, Basic Black, Very Vanilla
Ink : Soft Suede
Accessories : Big Shot, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, SU Scallop Edge Punch, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you spent your Christmas with those closest and dearest to you ~ I always get horribly home-sick on Christmas Day and yesterday was no exception. I miss my mum and dad dreadfully, as well as my lovely Big Sis who I haven't seen since the summer. But they know if I could be with them I would, and that's all that matters.

Well, mum, this post is for you ~ I think mum decided to play a mean trick on the Fewkes family yesterday. She put a jigsaw in our stocking and made it one of the hardest puzzles we've ever done. 1000 pieces of a cartoon 'English' scene ... a London street actually with a full complement of English coppers, red buses and even a red post box!

Well, this photo is to prove to mum that ... yes, we did finish it in one 'go' ... even if none of us got to bed until after 1am. Even Roy couldn't walk away from the darn thing! What fun!!!!

And secondly, I want to share something with you all. My sister, Sarah, is an amazing quilter. A lot of people don't understand the skill in actually putting fabrics together in a way which brings something quite ordinary into the realms of extraordinary. Well, Sarah has that skill, and actually, probably too much of it!!! Her work is truly awe inspiring. Quilting is a lot like card making so between us, we have both crafts covered! Anyway, what do you think of this tea-pot cosy? I, honestly, didn't believe her when she told me she made this out of old blankets .... it is just gorgeous, and almost too good to put over a teapot. Take a look for yourself. I love how the little applique pieces look like they've come straight out of the new SU mini catalog! We have some stitched felt called 'sweet pea' which could easily be sewn right onto this tea cosy and not look out of place!

Sarah, this is my most treasured Christmas gift, not because of the expense, but because somewhere in your crazy frantic world, you didn't find time, but you MADE time to make this gorgeous gift just for me. Love you!

Christmas Bird House

Good Morning! Today's TLC on Splitcoast was a template for a sweet little Bird House. You can find the pattern here if you'd like to give it a try. Sarah's friend is joining us on Christmas Day so I shall pop some little treats into the Bird House and use it as a gift box. The roof opens, so I have added the brown extra roof with one side adhered with dotto temporary adhesive, you just pull up one side of the roof and open up the top of the Bird House!

Recipe
Stamps : Bella Toile BG Stamp, Winter Post
Ink : Old Olive, Real Red
Cardstock : Old Olive, Choc Chip
Accessories : SU Punches, SU Polka Dot Embossing Folder

Serene Snowflakes

I really, really, really need to get my Christmas cards finished! The last posting day for England is rapidly approaching!!!!

I pulled out my favourite mini catalogue set, Serene Snowflakes and decided to try a Very Vanilla and Real Red colour combo. I really like how this turned out. The background is 'En Francais' which looks great in red!

I put Crystal Effects on the centre of the snowflake/medallion and added chunky glitter. It looks great in real life!

Recipe
Stamps : Serene Snowflakes, En Francais
Cardstock : Very Vanilla, Real Red
Ink : Real Red
Accessories : SU Scallop Edge Punch, Real Red 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, sponge daubers

Inspiration Challenge

Today's challenge on Splitcoast is an Inspiration Challenge. I chose this little charm as my inspiration piece.

Of course, I took the opportunity to use the new SU punch, 2-step Bird, and came up with this:

Recipe
Stamps : Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock : Pixie Pink, Real Red, Whisper White
Ink : Real Red
Accessories : SU 2-Step Bird Punch, Heart to Heart Punch, Modern Label Punch, Word Window Punch

Limited Supply Challenge with New Goodies

A challenge was posted for today's TLC on Splitcoast ~ make a white card using white cardstock, white embellishments, one colour of ink and no colouring with limited layers. I need to make an engagement card for friends of ours, Eric & Jenny, so thought this challenge would be the perfect starting point! All new product again, embosslit heart, polka dot embossing folder and the sentiment from Well Scripted.

Recipe
Stamps : Well Scripted
Cardstock : Whisper White
Ink : Real Red
Accessories : Big Shot, Polka Dot Embossing Folder, Embosslit Heart, White Organza Ribbon

Stampin' Up have gone UNMOUNTED!

So for a long time now, I've had customers ask me if SU could sell an unmounted version of their stamp sets and obviously, we weren't the only ones making a noise! This new upcoming Occasions Mini Catalogue has an option to purchase either wood mounted, or unmounted. The price difference is nice too :)

So to help you see the difference, I've taken a few photos. This first one shows the packaging of the vinyl cling stamps. The CD case has a spine which, not only has the name of the set, but a tiny image of the contents of that set ... so no more pulling every box out to take a look at what's inside ~ fantastic!

Inside the box, your stamps sit nicely attached to the back. The vinyl clings to the plastic, keeping everything in place. When you get your stamps, they will have just a plain, pale gray plastic-y backing to them which will cling to the acrylic block for stamping. However, along with the stamps, you will receive plastic, sticky-backed labels. I chose to attach the labels to the back of my stamps ... so much easier to identify everything. I've turned one of the rubber stamps over so you can see how it looks. This plastic label also acts as a 'cling' to the acrylic block.

And here's what a vinyl-cling rubber stamp looks like while it's clinging to an acrylic block! See how, with the label, you can see exactly where your image is going to appear? Love that!

The sticky label is a little tricky to attach, but you'll notice that SU have embedded a slit half-way across the paper backing so you can attach half of it first, then peel the 2nd half away and attach it, in a 2-step fashion. You need to have your stamps in front of you to see what I mean, but it does help get them in the right spot!

As for stamping, the rubber stamps are EXACTLY THE SAME as the rubber stamps you've previously had ... the only difference is that the back of the foam has a vinyl cling surface, instead of a mega-sticky surface you're used to seeing when you stick them onto wood. Clever stuff!

The only other thing I will say is that the acrylic block in my photo is my own, I haven't yet purchased the SU blocks.

So I bet you can't wait for Jan 5th now which is the first day of ordering from this new mini catalogue ~ it's so fun to see new and exciting products! Or maybe that's just me!

Occasions Mini Pre-Order

Some of you may know that SU allow Demonstrators to pre-order from the mini catalogue ~ my small order arrived yesterday and my VERY first 'go to' product was the bird punch. I LOVE IT!

So here's a sample for you ... I used the new satin ribbon in Old Olive and the sentiment is from the set Well Scripted which is, wait for it, cling mounted! It worked wonderfully! The rubber etching is just the same as on the wood mounted stamps, the cushioning is also the same quality you'd expect. The only difference is the way you mount it. I'll make a 2nd post and go into a little more detail.

Recipe
Stamps : Well Scripted
Cardstock : Soft Suede, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive
Ink : Soft Suede
Accessories : Old Olive Satin Ribbon, 2 Step Bird Punch

Christmas Shimmer

Today's colour challenge colours are Basic Black, Soft Suede and Very Vanilla. I think this combo is so elegant! Betty said we should also add shimmer, glitter or bling ... so I dragged out my ever faithful champagne mist shimmer paint. This time I tried something new, I dipped my aquapainter into the shimmer paint and just used it like a reinker for the dove. There aren't many real gold doves out there, but hey, it IS Christmas!!!

It's very difficult to take a good photo of the shimmer paint, and this is the best close up I could manage! But I think it shows you how shimmery the Dove really is. You can also see the hint of shimmer mist I sprayed over the whole card!

Recipe
Stamps : Gifts of Christmas
Cardstock : Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Basic Black
Ink : Soft Suede
Accessories : Champagne Shimmer Mist, Aquapainter, dimensionals