The training was excellent yesterday, as where the swaps I received and goodies, ah yes Stampin’ Up! know how to treat their demonstrators well, free stamps are always very welcome!!!  It was great to see old and new friends alike and see lots of fabby new products and projects.

We are having a quiet sunday, baking and making Sloe Gin ( thanks to my lovely customer friend Pamela’s garden !).

So today I have a cute and simple card great for making multiples so you have birthday cards on hand for whenever you need them.

I stamped the balloons onto patterned paper and cut them out and stick them on top of the stamped image. It’s a technique called paper piecing, it’s a great way of using all of those scraps of paper we save “just in case” !

In most of my cards now I am adding a single sheet insert, it gives a lovely finish and looks professional.

I’ll be back tomorrow with an updated retired list.

I love square cards and this is a very cute 4″ square. Wild Wasabi and Marina Mist make a great combination.

Now the only problem with a square card is you need a square envelope……unfortunately Stampin’ Up! doesn’t have square envelopes.  So I had to make one.

Doesn’t that look lovely?  The crimper  to the rescue!

First seal the envelope and then cut it at 4 1/2″  Our standard envelopes are 4 1/2″ wide, so that gives you a square envelope with a topper.  Stamp and decorate the envelope.  Place the open end of the large piece of envelope into the crimper.  This will make the envelope a tiny bit smaller so it will slot inside the top, niffy trick !!

Happy Stampin’

This card today is for a teenage girl who is a real sweetie, so Crazy for Cupcakes was the perfect set to use for her!

Stamps : Crazy For Cupcakes
Inks: Stazon Black, Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip card, Sweet Always Designer paper
Accessories: Paper Piercer and Mat pack, Markers

The sun is out today for the first time this week, so I’m planning to spend sometime out in the garden, I hope you have a lovely day where ever you are.

Happy Stampin’

Amanda

It’s my Nephew’s birthday today he is 6 !  

He is a real inventor and engineer so I’ve made him a card he can take it apart to see how it works!

This is a fold flat box card made from Textured Close to Cocoa card with a chipboard ’6′ coloured and heat embossed with a little glitter.  Wrapped around the card is taffeta ribbon in Bashful Blue and a Whisper white scallop punch is hanging from silver cord.  On the scallop circle I have used the arch stamps from Crazy for Cupcakes stamped in Close to Cocoa and Bashful Blue and I’ve used the matching marker pens to write Joshua.  The springs are made from 26 gauge wire wrapped around a pencil and the toppers are stamped and cut out images from In the Stars again stamped in both Close to Cocoa and Bashful Blue.

Happy Birthday Josh xxxx

Happy Stampin’

Aunty Amanda 

Here is one of my Chocolate bar cards we made at my For the Love of Chocolate class.  A variation of these you will find in the current ( May 09) issue of Making Cards magazine.  You can pick up a copy at your local craft store or visit the website here and treat yourself to a subscription.

I do have some places left on my summer classes, please click here to see all the details.

Happy Stampin’

Amanda

Well my lovely Mum is 60 today, a very special birthday and she is now officially retired, though she works harder than most people I know!

Here is her card, quite bright very simple on the front……..

But the inside is a little bit special!

I have made the pop up using a very simple technique which I will do a tutorial on later during May.  But for those who can’t wait here is a picture of the mechanics……..

The card is a Basic Black textured card, with a Pink Passion inner and a third layer of Pink Polka dots Designer paper from the Playful Petals Simply Scrappin’ kit.  I have stamped the cupcakes onto Whisper white, coloured them with my lovely new markers and then gone over the  frosting with versamark and heat embossed clear to give a lovely glaze.  The front ‘mum’ is chipboard letters coloured with markers and heat embossed with clear powder.

Happy Stampin’

Amanda

Well what a wonderful day, 2 different classes but the same lovely 12 ladies, thank you all for coming.  These are some of the projects we made a  Gable Bag and a Pop up chocolate bar.  

I made this gable bag from Naturals Ivory card stock, it’s a lovely creamy colour with brown flecks.  It has been stamped all over with 3 different flowers from the Seeing Spots and Simply Said stamp sets using Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, and Chocolate Chip ink. The bunny is from the new Forest Friends set matted into a scallop of Chocolate Chip with paper piercing around the edge, finished with Chocolate Chip ribbon.

8 1/4″ x 11″ piece of Card stock

1. Score 11” side of card stock at 1/2″, 3 1/2″, 5 3/4″, and 8 3/4″.
2. Score the 8 1/4” side at 3″ and 6 1/2″.
3. Stamp the card stock.
4. Cut each score line up to the intersecting score line to create flaps top and bottom.
5. On one edge of the card stock, you’ll have 1/2” flaps. 

Cut off the two 1/2″ flaps on the ends, leaving the centre flap.
6. Place double sided tape on the 1/2″ flap. 

Be sure to place the adhesive on the front (stamped) side. Leave the liner on the adhesive.
7. On the 2 largest panels centre punch over panel and push the card stock all the way into the Oval punch to create handles for the box.
8. Place double sided tape on the 2 large flaps and stick down to the inside of the box for added strength.
9. Use the corner rounder on the corners of the handles.
10. Peel the liner from the 1/2″ flap on the side of the box (mid section). 

Fold the box into shape so that the ends meet the adhesive.
11. 

Fold in the two smaller bottom flaps and then adhere one of the longer flaps to the smaller flaps. 

Fold the remaining flap into place and stick down.

12. Decorate the front of the box.
13. Use the Crop-a-Dile to punch holes for the ribbon closure.

This is the pop up Chocolate bar.

I have taken a small Chocolate bar and wrapped Sweet Always designer paper around it. The bar then has a piece of taffeta ribbon tied around it with a tag, the sentiment is from Crazy for Cupcakes.  The choclate bar is then wrapped with a piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock, sealed at one edge, leaving the top open.  I haven detailed sizes because it depends on how big your chocolate bar is…………

I make a template from a piece of computer paper and then cut my ‘proper” card stock to fit, you need about 1″ more than  the length of the chocolate bar and an extra 1″ to flap around the back.  The pouch is finished with a piece of Pretty in Pink card stock and some more Sweet Always paper.

Pop back tomorrow for my Sunday share, a new bunny……..

Happy Stampin’

Amanda

I might be taking the love theme a little too far but who wouldn’t love 13 cupcakes?………..

The stamp set is called Crazy for Cupcakes and it is a wonderful set. I have stamped the original image 3 times, once for the main card and then again so I could colour them and cut out lots more individual cupcakes. The original image only has 6 cupcakes on it and I like lots more on my plate so in total I cut out 7 additional cupcakes, 3 I have layered on top of the original image and 1 for the front, the last 3 are on the inside of the card.

I have coloured the cupcakes using my blender pens and Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Close to Cocoa and Bashful Blue for the stand. I have purposely not coloured all of the image, If you enlarge it my clicking on the photo you will see white space, that’s not bits I’ve missed it’s so that it gives the look of watercolouring.

This is the inside of the card, I have started adding an extra layer inside some of my cards if I am putting a sentiment inside. I love the little layer of cupcakes at the bottom.

Happy Stampin’

Amanda