Birthday Present to match!

As you can see, the pressie matched the Card and Box Envelope that I had made for Louise in my previous post and inside it contained a wonderful tool, the Colour Coach!  I have to say that I love the Colour Coach, it helps you put together custom colour schemes.  It consists of swatches of each colour in the Stampin' Up! families and allows you to easily choose your colour combinations in a flash.  There are also a couple of suggestions on the reverse of each card so no having to think!  You can find the Colour Coach on Page 81 of the IB&C and it costs £13.50 which I think is a great investment as it can save you so much time.

So I used the idea from the Tisse Pack Box that we created at a previous class and I just resized it to fit the Colour Coach.  Again I used the "Vintage Wallpaper" Embossing Folder to create the gorgeous textured layers.  I used the letter "L" from the "Broadsheet" Alphabet set to decorate the closure for the box.

I think Lou was really pleased with her pressie and I am sure she will get lots of use out of it.  

Just for You Lou!!

Last week it was Lou's birthday and I made this card for her complete with a matching box envelope.

My colour combination is Soft Suede, Pretty in Pink, Pear Pizzazz and Very Vanilla.  I used the Butterfly image from the "Strength and Hope" stamp set which is beautiful, I hand cut it out and added a couple of dimensionals to the back to make it appear as if it were in flight!!

I used my Big Shot Machine with the Top Note Die to create the Pretty in Pink panel and also the Circles Die to die cut the Vanilla circle in the middle.  I also used the gorgeous "Vintage Wallpaper" Embossing Folder on a Soft Suede layer which I attached directly to the Soft Suede card base, daubing around the edge before adhering.

My flowers were created in Pretty in Pink and Vanilla cardstock and the leaves cut from the "Little Leaves" Sizzlits die.

If you click on the picture you will get an enlarged image to view the finer details!

I re-sized a box envelope from a previous class to fit the card I had made and decorated it in the same way to co-ordinate.

Exploding Handbag!

Our 3D project this month was the Exploding Handbag which everyone loved.  Created using a sheet of 12x12" cardstock along with some patterned paper and die cutting using the Big Shot machine!

Our colour combination is Wild Wasabi, Concorde Crush (In colour) and Whisper White.  We used some patterned paper from the "Woodland Walk" Designer Series Paper Pack and die cut our handbag top using the "Top Note" Bigz Die.  That die just has so many uses!!

The only stamping was on the main purse base using stamps from the "Wedding Sweet" set in Wild Wasabi ink.

The flower was created using the Fancy Flower and 5 Petal Flower punches and finishing them off with a neutrals button.  The handle of the bag was created using some of the Stitched Poly Ribbon in Concorde Crush.

If you would like to join me at one of my classes, contact me today for more information.

Making Gifts and Cards Class

Well another windy day again, a little damp here in Gloucestershire too, not good as I was planning a run in a short while (in training for the Race For Life)!

A card to show you today, one we created at our Making Gifts & Cards Class this month, at this class we create one card and a 3D project.

I wanted to do something a little more adventurous this month so I came up with a Suspension Card.

The stamp sets used were "Strength & Hope", "En Francais" for the background, "Growing Green" for the flower (which of course could be substituted for a greeting) and "Clearly for You" for the greeting.

The colour combo is Concorde Crush (In Colour), Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla.

The curly Concorde Crush border to the left of the card was created using the new Decorative Label punch.

Busy preparing for my Owl Class on Thursday evening but will post a picture of the 3D project we made shortly.

Big Shot Class

Hi Stampers!  I have news of a new class commencing in June:

Big Shot Class

Tuesday 14th June 2011, 7.00pm start

at

Whitminster Village Hall

I have decided to run a class alongside my Scrapbooking Class and with the release of the Stampin' Up! Big Shot it is the ideal opportunity to show you just how fabulous this machine is and what gorgeous projects can be created using it.

At this class you will create two beautiful cards along with a 3D project, something that you could give as a gift or use to package a gift.  I apologise for the poor picture quality, the light was just not right and the projects are much nicer in real life!!

June's class will concentrate on the Scallop Circle Bigz Die and all three projects will use the die and show you how to get the most out of it.

The class will cost £10 and include all materials except for adhesives. 

Spaces will be limited, very limited, so if you would like to reserve a place please let me know at your earliest convenience!

Weathered Wood Technique

The "Weathered Wood" technique is something that we learnt at Amanda's training in April and everyone loved how effective it was.  Basically you score lines onto a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock and swipe your ink pads in the same direction as the score lines, adding two to three colours until you have the acquired effect!

The stamps used were from "Plane and Simple" and there was the option to change the greeting to "Happy Birthday" as this is also part of the set.  We used the Spritzer Tool on the aeroplane layer with a Crumb Cake Marker Pen and distressed the edges using the files from the Distressing Kit.  All in all a little grungy but the vintage effect was achieved.

May Class Projects

The first of our cards for the May class was this gorgeous Easel Card, consisting of a colour combo of Always Artichoke, Not Quite Navy and Very Vanilla.  The patterned paper is from the new "Springtime Vintage" range.

The flower was built using the "Build a Blossom" stamp set with co-ordinating punch "Blossom Petals" punch.  It is important when using this stamp set with the punch that you stamp your images in the same direction as they are punched out with the punch, it just makes it much easier to use. 

We used the "Top Note" Bigz die with the Big Shot Machine to die cut the Vanilla and Artichoke layers.  We stamped with the Foliage stamp from "Just Believe" onto the Vanilla Top Note layer using the stamping off technique to create a two tone effect.

Here is a side view:

Stop by soon to see the other card we created!



18th Birthday Card

Another card I was asked to make for an 18th Birthday, this time I chose something soft and subtle and quite feminine.  I originally saw a similar design whilst blog hopping and saved it to my favourites as I loved it so much, Teneale Williams has such a beautiful style.  The colour combo of Soft Suede teamed with Pretty in Pink and Very Vanilla is just so gorgeous.

I used "Vintage Vogue" stamps for the flowers and the Butterflies were die cut using the "Beautiful Butterflies" Embosslits Die with the Big Shot Machine.  I used "Curly Cute" for the greeting.

The spotty Pretty in Pink paper is from the Subtles Patterns Paper Stack.

By request

I had been asked to make a couple of birthday cards for a friend and here is one of them using the gorgeous "Strenth & Hope" stamp set.  My colour combo is quite bright and girly, consisting of Pear Pizzazz, Melon Mambo, Concord Crush and Whisper White.  I made the card larger than usual as it was for a special birthday.

I used the "En Francais" background stamp on the Whisper White layer in Pear Pizzazz ink and daubed around the edge.  The gorgeous Butterflies are from the stamp set "Strength & Hope" which is available in Wood Mount for £15.95 or Clear Mount for £12.95.  Stampin' Up! is donating £1.00 from each purchase of this set to The Breast Cancer Reserach Foundation which is fantastic.

The flower was created using the "Fancy Flower" punch and I added a Designer Button to the centre tying with Linen Thread.

The spotty Melon Mambo paper is from the Brights Patterns Paper Stack, this is great value at just £15.50 for 48 sheets of double sided 12x12" paper and can be used for so many projects.

Because I needed a special greeting I used Microsoft Word then punched it out with the new Decorative Label Punch.

Tagged!

Those of you who attend my classes know that I always make tags for my raffle prizes as I like them to look pretty! 

My colour combo here is Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz, Crumb Cake and Whisper White.  I started by cutting a rectangle of Early Espresso cardstock and took off the top two corners using the new Decorative Label Punch.  I used the same punch with Pear Pizzazz cardstock, folded the label in half and cut a circle out using the circle punch from the Bitty Punches set.  Next I punched another circle the same size from Crumb Cake then took the 1/2" Circle Punch and punched around the smaller one which creates this "ring".  I attached the label to my tag and tied a knot with the Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding Ribbon.

My flowers were die cut using the "Fun Flowers" Bigz die with the Big Shot Machine, I stamped the "Fine Flourish" background onto the Pear Pizzazz one and daubed around the edge.

My greeting is from the new Level 2 Hostess Set "Something to Celebrate".

Owl Class Extra!

May Owl Class

Booking closes very soon for my Owl Class held at Whitminster Village Hall on Saturday 21st May, 10.00am-1.00pm, if you wish to book your space please let me know asap so that I can be sure that your products will arrive in time!!

~ NEW EXTRA CLASS ~

Due to the fact that many people are unable to make Saturday Classes, as requested I am re-running my Owl Class on Thursday 26th May 2011 at Whitminster Village Hall, 7.00pm - 9.30pm.  As before the cost will be £17.50 to include free product and all the materials to make the 4 projects below.

Booking is essential and closes Thursday 12th May.   We are going to have a "hoot" at this class so book early as spaces will be limited.

Call me on 07717 068909 or email me at stampinkerry@aol.com to book your place.  Pre-order the "2 Step Owl Punch" when you book and receive 10% off with free postage, it will be delivered to you at the Class.



6 Cards Class at Alveston

At this class we make 6 cards that are simple but adorable and easy to replicate.  The class costs £10 but if you place an order from the catalogue for £20 then your class becomes free, a great way of building up your stamping stash gradually and you get all 6 cards to take away to inspire you!

Please excuse the upside down image on the top row, Picasa was playing games with me when I was editing the photos and time was against me so I gave up, you can get the idea and in fact it just shows that if you twisted the sketch around the card would still work (of course with the greeting the right way up!!)

We are getting lots of use of the Big Shot Machine at my classes and everyone is loving it, beautiful textures and shaped layers at the roll of a handle!

The beauty of this class is that you get to use lots of different products, stamps, punches and accessories so you really get to try before you buy!!

If you would like to book a place at the next class on Wednesday 1st June, 10.00am - 12.30pm just call me on 07717 068909 or email me at stampinkerry@aol.com.

Workshop Make & Take variation

This is the other version of my April make and takes, something suitable for the younger ones which would look equally nice in pinks!  We used the same sketch as the previous design just changed the stamped images.  We also added some Dazzling Diamonds to one of the Balloons but it is difficult to see from the photograph.

We used the "Perfect Polka Dots" Embossing Folder with the Big Shot Machine on the Baja Breeze layer, I just love how these textured folders change a piece of plain cardstock into something so pretty and decorative!

The stamps used were from the set "Party This Way", great value at only £12.95 for Clear Mount or £15.95 in Wood.  Comes with 5 lovely stamps that are great for the younger ones and the Bunting stamp is gorgeous too, you can find this set on Page 31 of the Idea Book and Catalogue, click on the catalogue cover to the right of my blog to view it.

Remember you can place orders with me via email and you can collect it at a class or have it delivered direct to your door for £4.95.

April Workshop Make & Take project

Hi stampers, I thought I would share my April workshop Make & Take project with you today, so here it is!

A colour combination of Soft Suede, Baja Breeze and Very Vanilla, gorgeous!

So we all got to play with the Big Shot Machine to die cut our beautiful Butterflies, I pre-cut the "Top Note" Very Vanilla layers to allow more time at the workshop and the card was put together in good time.  We used the "Sanded" background stamp on the Baja Breeze layer which I love, I use this stamp often for all sorts of occasions, it is just so versatile.

We used "Just Believe" to create the background on the Top Note layer and inked the larger foliage/flower stamp with Marker Pens to create a multi-coloured image.  The greeting is also from "Just Believe" available in Wood Mount at £32.95 for 9 gorgeous stamps or Clear Mount for £25.95.  We created the Soft Suede label behind the greeting using the new "Decorative Label" punch and if you would like to see this in action why not book yourself a party and earn some exclusive free Stampin' Up! products at the same time!!

I also have another version of my workshop makes and takes which I will show you shortly.

Itty Bitty Bits!!

I love this new set from the Mini Catalogue "Itty Bitty Bits", it is useful for all occasions and the tiny images are perfect for adding a finishing touch to your projects as they are so small!

The great thing about this set is that there are punches that co-ordinate with the stamps and also "Bitty Buttons" too.  The punches are great to use alone and come as a set of three.

My colour combo is Pear Pizzazz, Melon Mambo and Night of Navy, quite striking don't you think?

The ribbon to the bottom of the card is the new "Seam Binding" in Pear Pizzazz, it is just so soft and light and creates beautiful ruffles!  I also used the ribbon to tie a knot around the clip to the left of the card.

My greeting is from one of the new Hostess sets called "Something to Celebrate" which you can find in the Mini.

Patchwork!

I have been getting so much use out of my new Big Shot Machine, and on this card I used two different Dies and two Embossing Folders.

I had some scraps of "Springtime Vintage" DSP so I punched out random square using the 1 1/4" Square Punch and stuck them onto a piece of Very Vanilla Cardstock.  I ran this through the Big Shot Machine with the "Top Note" Die to create my lovely shaped panel.

I next placed this die cut Top Note into the "Square Lattice" Embossing Folder and ran it through the Big Shot which created this gorgeous piece of textured "Patchwork", it is so pretty in real life, the photo does it no justice!

I die cut the flowers using the Bigz XL die called "Fun Flowers" and ran the Not Quite Navy one through the Big Shot inside the "Vintage Wallpaper" Embossing Folder along with the flower centre.  The effect these Embossing Folders create are just stunning, a very deep embossed finish.

The greeting is from "Cottage Garden" punched out with the new "Decorative Label" Punch.  So not much stamping on this one but a very quick and easy card to put together and very beautiful too!

Final Class Layout

The final layout for April's class using papers from the "Woodland Walk" Designer Series Paper pack.  Quite masculine colours in this range but as you can see I have teamed it with "Vintage Vogue" which is very feminine.  You could of course use a different stamp set which could turn the whole layout into a very "boyish" one!

As you can see, the layout is pretty straight forward and quite clean and simple, of course you can add lots more embellishments at your own leisure.  We complete three 12x12" layouts during our class so it is important that they are clean and simple in order for everyone to go home with completed layouts!  As long as you have the basics on your page, photographs, titles and journalling can come later.

The next class is Tuesday 3rd May, 7.00pm, if you would like to come along please book your space as soon as possible.

I will be running a separate class "Making Gifts and Cards" on the same evening at the same venue, details to follow shortly.

Scrapbooking Continued....

Our second layout had colours that would be suitable for masculine or feminine photographs.  I took this photograph of my Husband whilst on a ski-ing trip to France last Christmas.  He is the map reader and always manages to get us back to our Chalet at the end of the day without get lost on the piste!!!

The colours used were Soft Suede, Riding Hood Red, So Saffron and Very Vanilla.  The So Saffron DSP is from the "Play Date" pack and the Soft Suede is from the Neutrals Paper Stack.

The picture is not very good so it is hard to see the detail but we used "Confetti" stamps to create an all over background on the Very Vanilla 12x12" base with Soft Suede ink then we daubed around the edge in the same colour.

We used "Just Perfect" Alphabet Stamps for the second part of our title and punched the letters out using the 3/4" Circle Punch.

April Scrapbooking Class Layouts

The first of our three layouts for April's Class "Love".

Our colour combo is Old Olive, Concord Crush, Peach Parfait and Daffodil Delight!  The DSP along the bottom of the layout is from "Greenhouse Garden".

We stamped the background on the Old Olive base using Old Olive ink with the stamp from "Ornate Flowers" then daubed around the whole edge of the page with the same colour.

The border below the DSP was punched using the Eyelet Border Punch then a piece of the Stitched Poly Ribbon in co-ordinating Concord Crush was attached.  We stamped another of the stamps from "Ornate Flowers" and punched it out using the largest Oval Punch then adhered with a Dimensional over the Ribbon border.

The Butterflies were die cut using the Big Shot Machine with the "Beautiful Butterflies" Bigz Die and "Beautiful Wings" Embosslits die.  We ran the largest Daffodil Delight Butterfly through the Big Shot inside the "Manhattan Flower" Embossing Folder to add some texture.

Clearly Beautiful....

I love this new stamp set from the Mini "Clearly for You", it is just so versatile and the images are so pretty.  There are 12 beautiful stamps in this set available in Wood Mount (£22.95) or Clear Mount (£17.95), great value don't you think!

Onto our card, a colour combo of Riding Hood Red, Early Espresso, River Rock and Whisper White.  The DSP panel at the bottom is from the "Springtime Vintage" pack.  We punched out 1 1/4" squares from Textured Whisper White Cardstock and stamped images from "Clearly for You" in Riding Hood Red layering them equally onto the River Rock layer.  We attached a loop of ribbon behind the Early Espresso layer before adhering to our card base.

The pretty flower was created using the Fancy Flower Punch, then spraying each flower with water and scrunching up, then allowing to dry, giving this very vintage look.  We attached a button tied with Linen Thread to the centre to finish the flower.  The greeting "for you" is also from the "Clearly for You" stamp set.

I really liked this colour combination and the card could be suitable for many occasions.