Peter Rabbit Card

Many years ago there used to be a small library close to our house in Shrewsbury.  Every week I would visit and take out as many Beatrix Potter books as a child was allowed, which never as many as I wanted.
So when I saw a set of Peter Rabbit  stamps in The Range I just had buy them.

Sadly the quality of these stamps isn't brilliant, The price of this set lead me to believe the quality of these polymer stamps would be a lot better than they actually are.








The set consists of  two stamps of  Peter,  a small butterfly and several sentiments.
This stamp of Peter is the only stamp in the set that I consider to be usable.


Here are three cards I've made using Peter.
The backgrounds I drew in using a fine nib black pen and I coloured the images with Copic Markers.

I could use a few  more ideas for simple backgrounds to go with this stamp. 





 I think these cards would suitable for  a new baby  or  for baby's first birthday.

I love the delicate blue check card stock on this last card.
Unfortunately I  only have one sheet of this card  and I'm not sure where I got it from.

Angie  if your'e reading this, did I get this card stock from you?

Swallowtail stamp

 Sadly I needed a bereavement card this week, so I resurrected my very large swallowtail stamp. It's a retired stamp by Stampn' Up.
I stamped the image using  S.U  Chocolate chip ink then coloured the image using Copic markers. On the first image I stuck to yellows, light oranges and browns.

 I decided to experiment with colour  on the second card.

  I didn't think a lot of colours would be appropriate on a sympathy card. So this image became a Thank you card.  

I am not sure which one I prefer.

Evie's Birthday Card.

Today's card is for a young lady who will be celebrating her 4th birthday later this week.
I used the now retired "Styling Girl" stamp set  from stampin' up!
 I coloured the image with Copic markers.

I think almost everything I used on this card is retired.

The Polka dot background was created using the retired  S.U Polka dot background stamp along Almost Amethyst ink pad stamped onto whisper white card stock.
All mounted onto Almost Amethyst card stock..also retired.
.
The dies I used to cut out the letters are an early set of alphabet dies that S.U sold sometime ago and are no longer available. 
As a hobby demo I don't tend to sell my retired sets as so many demonstrators do. I bought them because I liked them and every now again I 'll dig out the older stuff and create something new, as I have today. 

Iris card

I haven't been spending  much time in my craft room of late, probably because it needs a good sort out.  Instead I have just been popping in there to stamp a few images then taking them downstairs to colour while watching TV.
I have owned  this stamp for many years, but until today, I had never made a card with it.
 I tried water colouring the image a couple of times, but  I was never happy with the results. Twenty years ago  I had never heard of Copics or  any other brand of alcohol markers.
So this  Iris stamp, along with many other stamps got shoved in a drawer and left there for many years.
Over the the last few weeks  I have been digging out a few of those old stamps and colouring them with Copic markers. I am a lot happier with the results now.
I think these stamps will get used more often now.

So NOT my style.

These cards are not my usual style, but  I thought I would challenge myself to do something out of my comfort zone.

I have to say the stamps I used on these cards are from a set I didn't like. In fact they were in a box of goodies to put up for sale.
I really don't know why I decided to get them out and  play with them. It may have been because they were easier to get at.



My craft room became a dumping ground over the Christmas period and I haven't had the time or the energy to get in there to sort things out.

I went to a craft show years ago and met the lady who developed the Hougie Board.
As she handed out sheets of 12 x 12 paper,  I remember thinking this was very ugly paper, not the sort of paper you would give a second glance. I can tell you, I was not the only person unimpressed by the paper she was handing out for make and takes.
 Then she said something that made me think and something I have never forgotten.

She said  " use the papers you don't like, You will be amazed at how different they look turned into something else.
We scoffed at her words,  until the projects were finished,   we were all eating our words. ...the projects were stunning.

So here I have used a stamp set I didn't like and orange,  I really don't like orange. I can't say these cards are masterpieces or even inspiring, but they didn't turn out as bad as I thought they might.

Maeve's 50th Card

Here I have CASED MY OWN WORK!!!!!
If you remember I made  my name badge for the Stampin'up regional training in Reading  a couple of weeks ago. I thought the name badge  would work well on the front of a card . So this week I have been busy doing just that and here is the result.
I have to say this was quite time consuming and fiddly in part but as it was for a friend and colleagues 50th birthday it had to be a little bit special .
I used the Baroque motif stamp set with choc chip ink to over stamp the crumb cake stripe DSP.
 Rich Razzlwberry card stock was chosen  for the rose and the rosette, Old Olive card for the leaves daubed with Bravo Burgundy ink.
 I used the 5 petal flower punch and rounded of the tips of the petals to make the the rose.
Under the rose there is a 5 petal flower punched  in Old Olive card stock and  again inked with Bravo Burgundy. The smaller leaves were cut using the little leaves die from SU, they too have been  inked.
 I used a silver metal frame from the hodge podge  kit secured with a couple of tiny brads. I printed off the personalized greeting and hot foiled it in silver.

Then added a small knot of  the Victoria lace and a couple of sparklies.

For the  card box I used the new simply scored score board this is so cool. Box making is a breeze now.

I tried a different way of making the flowers for these as I wanted them a smaller size and not as tall as the rose on the card.

To make these flowers  I used  small  and medium heart punches .

For the pillow box,  I used the pillow box die, Martha Stewarts  doily  punch for the lace edging,  the four labels stamp set and punch, the tiny tags stamp set, little leaves die, rich razzleberry and crumb cake card stock.

 In the  pillow box is one of the glass bead and crystal  bracelets I have been making recently. I tried to match up the beads with the Rich Razzleberry card as you can see it is close but not quite as close as I would have liked.

Maeve loves purples, plums and pinks so I hopefully she will love these.
 You can tell if I am pleased with something I have made as you get more than one photo of it. lol

Forest friend card

A childs quickie card. I used Forest friend stamp set from stampin up, soft suede, old olive and chocolate chip card stock. Close to cocoa ink.

two sizes of circle punch plus the scallop edge punch and a small piece of white ribbon.

Baby's Pram card.

Here a few cards that have absolutely

No stampin up products in them.

Just a Cuttlebug embossing folder and a couple of different sized daisy punches and card stock.

A little tip for you If you want to make wheels for a Pram or maybe even a bike ( haven't tried making a bike,....YET)

Use a daisy punch and two sizes of circle punches.

I started by punching out a large circle in foiled card, Then punched the smaller centre circle from the background paper.

From the foiled card I punched out a daisy that was a little larger than the smallest circle, I then stuck the daisy in the middle of the smallest circle and trimmed off all the tips of the petals until the daisy was the same size as the circle underneath .

I then mounted the daisy section onto the larger circle.

Gift Box

A very easy gift box to make . Done in Christmas colours this would look great hanging from your christmas tree.
I used the Stampin up wheel "so Swirly" with versamark ink on ballet blue cardstock and the small flower from the "Rose is a Rose " double stamping set and a few yellow sparklies..... Oh..... and the rose leaf from same stamp set.

Football theme Birthday Card for my footie mad son Kris

Wedding Invitations

wedding invitations were approved and I have just finished making the last of the matching evening invitations and RSVP cards. So it's been a very busy ten days or so.

Bertie Bassett Card

I am not a lover of fun foam but it was the perfect medium for this Bertie Bassett card, which I made for my licorice alsort loving husband.

Pearl pin card

Another Training Day card, we did four cards and a box to store them in. Plus a bracelet and necklace from Stampin'ups felt flowers

handmade card using Stampin up products

Another borrowed design but I love the simplicity of this and it's just so classy.
I used bella toile background, Sincere salutations stamp set, black ink pad and black ribbon.

Love you much card

This is one we made on a training evening in Soberton.

Love you much stamp set used here.

Bella Toile Birthday card

Bella toile back ground stamp from Stampin up

Brocade blue ink pad. Spellbinder dies.

Loads of love in the neighbourhood

I saw something similar to this and
thought it was great, so I just had to have a go .
I used Stampin Ups jumbo wheel" neighbourhood" , "Loads of love " stamp set
and a set watercolour paints

En Francais

Stampin'Up s En Francais
background stamp,
Burgundy grosgrain , The butterfly is
stamped with Black Stazon onto gold card ,
cut out and stuck onto card with foam pads
to give it dimension.
I used crystals for the butterfly's body.
Sorry, I have no idea the makers of the
butterfly and flourish stamps I used.

Just moved card

Products I used for this card
"So swirly " jumbo stampin round
wheel and a Versamark ink pad ,
"Neighbourhood" jumbo wheel ,
" loads of love" stamp set,
Write and stamp markers,
Circle and scallop punches.

blue and white ...again but polka dots this time

Are you getting the feeling I like the blue and white combination?