Tuesday 31 December 2013

A Bright Posie


I had Papertrey Ink's Rosie Posie set on my wish list for about a year and Mom gave it to me along with the dies for Christmas!  
So of course when it came time for me to host the Featured Stamper challenge at Splitcoaststampers this week, I just had to use it!  The Featured Stamper is Cary, aka Miss Minx and HERE is the lovely CAS card which inspired me.
I stamped the flowers with various shades of Color Box pigment inks (Christmas gift from the family!) and then popped them up over a diagonal panel of text dp(SU) on a cream card base.  
Rosie Posie is a two step stamping set, so there's a Rosie Posie Step 2 set as well, and the two shades of colour add a bit of dimension.  
Black twine (American Crafts) and a pink brad are the finishing touches.
It was a real pleasure to work with such bright
and breezy colours in the middle of winter! 
I'll take this opportunity to wish you a very, very 
Happy New Year in 2014
 and to thank you very much for stopping by to read my blog from time to time.  
I really appreciate your interest in something which gives me so much pleasure, and I hope you've found even a little bit of inspiration here over the past year!

Sunday 22 December 2013

Serene Sailboat


I made a card for the Featured Stamper Challenge at Splitcoaststampers today - it's Roberta, aka stampin'nana, a very sweet friend and talented stamper! 
 HERE is the card from her gallery which inspired me.  
I masked the clouds with some die-cuts using Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Clouds and Raindrops dies and a circle using Spellbinders Nestabilities Circles Small.
The frame has been scored using a Scor-pal.  
I love this serene silhouette scene from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps The Sea.  
The sentiment is from Be Encouraged.
Various inks used include Stampin Up's Blushing Bride, Barely Banana,
Night of Navy, Pool Party, and Cool Caribbean.
I sure have needed to be reminded of these words from the Psalms after the weekend I've had.  
I hope they encourage you too.

Friday 20 December 2013

Rainbow Snowflake


Time to think about coming up with a few cards to let people
know I appreciate their Christmas gifts!  
I made a rainbow effect with some strips of Echo Park polka dot dp, then die-cut the largest snowflake from the fabulous Sweet n' Sassy Stamps Large Snowflakes die set.
I used a negative die-cut from the same die on a white piece of card, then set the rainbow snowflake into the negative die-cut.  I then added the little pieces back in like a jigsaw puzzle.  Yes, it took a little time, but once I got started with it, I had to finish!  
To finish I added two buttons and popped it up on a black frame.
The sentiment is from the cute SNSS set Snowy Hello,
perfect for your post Christmas thank you cards!
Thanks for stopping by today, have a wonderful day!

Tuesday 17 December 2013

Tag Love Collage


Just getting my card for Sunday's Featured Stamper Challenge at
Splitcoaststampers posted today!
We were honouring Sandie, aka sistersandie this week and HERE
is the lovely cream on cream card which inspired me!
I thought it would be fun to do a mini version of the LOVE die-cuts on a tag.
I used X-Cut Alphabet dies to make the letters, cutting two of each,
gluing them together for just a little bit more definition and dimension.
They're adhered to die-cuts made with
Spellbinders Nestabilities Scalloped Squares.
Other dies used are:
Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Heart Dies
Elizabeth Craft Bunch of Flowers 2 Flower Dies
Memory Box Perched Reed Bird Die
As much as I love colour, it was fun to make a cream on cream card.
Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day!

Tuesday 10 December 2013

SNSS December Release Hop Day 4



Hello and welcome to Day 4 of the hops celebrating the 
Today the design team are showcasing the stamp set


What a fun card to make and a fun set!  Along with Colorful Cocoa I used the newly released Grunge Elements with varioius inks for a bright ink splat background.
I popped up the main Cocoa/paint can image so that the paintbrush and tail are in the backround.
Keeping the rest of the card clean, I simply rounded the top corners and added some matching buttons.

Now take a look at the whole set and details below:


Stamp set includes 2 images and 5 sentiments.
Paint can measures 2.5" x 2".
Designed by Korin Sutherland.
Set is $11.

Check out the fabulous samples made by our talented team in the thumbnails below.

Be sure to leave a comment on each of the blogs along the way because Korin is giving away (4) $15 store credits (1 winner will be chosen from each of the 4 blog hops.)
The deadline for commenting for a chance to win is midnight EST Friday, December 13th.
The winners will be announced Monday, December 16th on the website homepage.
Thanks so much for stopping by, enjoy the rest of the hop! 

Monday 9 December 2013

SNSS December Release Hop Day 3


Hello and welcome to Day 3 of the hops celebrating the December Release sets at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!
Today the design team are showcasing the stamp set



 I've been waiting for a set like Grunge Elements!  I love being able to stamp ink splats and paint brush strokes in any colour - it's so fun!  For the first card I cut a curved top panel with a craft knife and then added twine and a brad.


I found a mini black coloured pencil in my stash and "hung" the  
wonky square panel with twine and a brad.  
I love this sentiment, it's something I've often reflected on - 
the fulfillment that we feel when involved in a creative 
pursuit is a direct reflection of our Creator God - we
have Him to thank for that enjoyment!


Last is a rainbow card with a simple black frame and mini buttons placed randomly.

Now take a look at the full set with all the details below:


Set includes 9 images and 3 sentiments.
The word "ART" measures .75" x 1.5".
Designed by Korin Sutherland.
Set is $26.

Check out the fabulous samples made by our talented team in the thumbnails below.

Be sure to leave a comment on each of the blogs along the way because Korin is giving away (4) $15 store credits (1 winner will be chosen from each of the 4 blog hops.)
The deadline for commenting for a chance to win is midnight EST Friday, December 13th.
The winners will be announced Monday, December 16th on the website homepage.
Thanks so much for stopping by, enjoy the rest of the hop! 

Sunday 8 December 2013

SNSS December Release Hop Day 2


Hello and welcome to Day 2 of the hops celebrating the December Release sets at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!
Today the design team are showcasing the stamp set



I absolutely love the way these new sets work together - I used the new Keep in Touch stamps and Keep in Touch dies along with the Typwriter Text Backround on the circle.
The card base background is dry embossed with a typeface embossing folder and then sponged along the edges with Ranger Distress Antique Linen.  All panels have been 
framed in black to pick up on the black ink used for the images.
This card was so fun to make in one of my favourite colour schemes!

Check out the set and the details below:



One large backround stamp.
Measures approximately 3.75" x 3.75".
Designed by Korin Sutherland.
Set is $11.

Check out the fabulous samples made by our talented team in the thumbnails below.

Be sure to leave a comment on each of the blogs along the way because Korin is giving away (4) $15 store credits (1 winner will be chosen from each of the 4 blog hops.)
The deadline for commenting for a chance to win is midnight EST Friday, December 13th.
The winners will be announced Monday, December 16th on the website homepage.
Thanks so much for stopping by, enjoy the rest of the hop!

Saturday 7 December 2013

SNSS December Release Hop Day 1


Hello and welcome to Day 1 of the hops celebrating the December Release sets at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!
Today the design team are showcasing the stamp set
along with the matching 


For my first card I went with a vintage look, sponging all edges with Ranger Distress Antique Linen ink.  I used an envelope punch to make a tiny envelope for my mini letter with the "hello friend" sentiment.  I have to say the Keep in Touch stamps and dies are incredibly easy to use!  The ink splat background was made with the new Grunge Elements (check back Monday for more inspiration using this set!)
The dp is from October Afternoon.


For my second card I added some stitching and little hearts cut using the SNSS Heart Dies.  The little tag was created using SNSS Mini Tags dies.
The dp is from Pebbles Seen and Noted.
Now take a look at both sets and all the details below:





Stamp set has 6 images and 12 sentiments.
It measures 4" x 12 ".
Typewrite measures app. 2.25" x 2".
Die set includes 6 dies.
Designed by Korin Sutherland.
Stamp Set is $15.
Die Set is $10.
Get the Bundle for $22 ($25.50 value).

Check out the fabulous samples made by our talented team in the thumbnails below.

Be sure to leave a comment on each of the blogs along the way because Korin is giving away (4) $15 store credits (1 winner will be chosen from each of the 4 blog hops.)
The deadline for commenting for a chance to win is midnight EST Friday, December 13th.
The winners will be announced Monday, December 16th on the website homepage.
Thanks so much for stopping by, enjoy the rest of the hop! 

Monday 2 December 2013

December Flourishes Beautiful World Tour

Hello and welcome to your Belfast, Northern Ireland stop on this month's Beautiful World Tour with creations by talented designers from around the globe showcasing beautiful Flourishes sets!
If you've arrived here from the Flourishes blog, you're in just the right place, but if you've just come across my blog and don't want to miss any of the fabulous creations,
you might want to head back over to the Flourishes blog for the full list.
Don't forget that you're in with a chance to win one of the fabulous Flourishes sets simply by leaving comments, and you have right up until the end of December to leave your comments!
This month our hostess is Meredith who is challenging us with the theme 

White as Snow


My card isn't white other than the card base but it's certainly got snow!
I have to admit you probably won't see a scene like this in Northern Ireland,
but I grew up in Alaska in the U.S. and my family still live there.
 I remember a certain glow on clear freezing mornings - just as
dawn was breaking, yet there were still stars in the sky - and
that's the look I was aiming to capture here.
I used the beautiful Flourishes Snow Scenes set - love those silhouettes and sentiments!
All kinds of things were added to this card - ribbon, twine, tag,
punched snowflakes, and die-cuts - but every time I ended up taking it all off,
happier with the clean simplicity of being "embellishment free"  - it just
seemed to fit the serenity of this scene!
I used a variety of inks with a sponge and post-it-notes to create the snowbanks and sky.
The card was finished off by adding some stars - or they could be snowflakes
if you like - with Ranger Enamel Accents,
and popped up the whole panel on a white card base.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, I hope you enjoy the rest of the hop!  
Now it's time to head on over to England to visit Sasha's blog for more fabulous inspiration!