Green Tealights Box

Mary, a lovely colleague at work, agreed to do a shift swap with me which allowed me to get together with friends on Saturday.  I thought I'd give her a little gift to say thank you.  The boxes are  straightforward to put together thanks to the excellent instructions from Sam at Pootles.  Sam's blog post is HERE and the post contains a link to the YouTube video.

I've used Mint Macaron and Just Jade for my colour combo.  Mint Macaron is the perfect colour to go with the Wilko Ocean Breeze scented tealights I placed in the box!  The Mint Macaron gingham paper is from a 'Subtles' DSP pack from a couple of years back.

The aperture in the front was made using the SU! 'Decorative Label' punch and you punch through the top and front at the same time so you get a finger hole to make the box easier to open.

Here's the box containing the twelve tealights with the tag and ribbon all ready to be tied on.  I stamped my sentiment on Mint Macaron CS using Just Jade ink, punched it out with the 'Decorative Label' punch and the label is popped up on a rectangle cut using a 'Stitched So Sweetly' die.  I decorated the tag with die cut tiny flowers using a die from the SU! 'Hydrangea' die set.  I added rhinestone jewels to the flower centres as a finishing touch.

Supplies:

Stamps: SU! 'Fancy Phrases' set

CS: SU! Just Jade & Mint Macaron 

Patterned paper: SU! 'Subtles' DSP pack (retired)

Ink: SU! Just Jade 

Tools: SU! Score Board, 'Decorative Label' punch, 'Hydrangea' & 'Stitched So Sweetly' die sets, Crop-A-Dile, 

Embellishments & Accessories: SU! Mint Macaron linen ribbon, Rhinestone Jewels & Dimensionals

Ruth

Butterflies Peg Frame

I had to go to Brighton for my Covid vaccination and I took a trip to Poundland while I was there as I do love a good look round a pound shop!  I found a peg frame and thought it would be ideal for the gorgeous SU! 'Butterfly Bijou' patterned papers.  

I cut patterned paper pieces to size, added Glitter Enamel Dots to two panels and pegged the panels in place.  For the central panel I used two butterflies die cut from a sheet of patterned paper.  I shaped the wings and added clear Wink of Stella for a touch of shimmer.  What a quick and easy home decor project!

Here's a closer look at the centre panel.  The shimmer doesn't show in the photo but it's beautiful in real life!

Ruth

Flamingo Thanks Card - Plus Fun With Shrink Plastic

I recently came across a tri panel card made by Julie Davison - featured in her YouTube video here.  I decided to make my own version using the SU! 'Friendly Flamingo' stamp set which I couldn't resist! I've made a tri fold patterned paper card before but it was a very long time ago - this blog post is all about blasts from the past!

Here's the card and envelope together.

Here's the card.  Using 'Stitched Rectangle' dies I cut out a rectangular aperture and a frame of Flirty Flamingo CS and glued the frame in place. My sweet friend Lesley had let me use her SU! 'Messages' die and I used that to cut the pieces for my sentiment element.  I stamped 'thanks' in Shaded Spruce ink, popped the label up and added a couple of 'From my Heart' faceted gems.

Here's the second panel.  I just HAD to use this SU! 'Tropical Oasis' patterned paper - it's perfect with the flamingos on the reverse!  I applied Balmy Blue ink to the white panel with an ink blending brush, stamped the flamingo, water and weed and glued the panel to a Flirty Flamingo mat layer.

Here's the third panel with more stamping, a "you're outstanding" sentiment and more faceted gems.  

Here's the card fully open.

Here's the envelope with a simple stamped circle element.

A few days after making this card I went into a long neglected drawer in my craft room and found some shrink plastic.  I wondered if I'd be able to use it to make some fun flamingo earrings and I reckoned there was only one way to find out!  It has been years since I've used shrink plastic and I'd forgotten how nerve wracking it is when you're heating your piece and it quickly curls up and sticks to itself!  So, it took a couple of attempts but I have flamingo earrings which will go nicely with my flamingo themed face mask!

Here are the earrings with the stamped flamingo for a size comparison, the shrink plastic certainly reduces the size!  The Flirty Flamingo ink colour certainly intensified too!

Supplies:

Stamps: SU! 'Friendly Flamingo' & 'Simply Succulents' sets

CS: SU! Flirty Flamingo, Shaded Spruce & Basic White 

Patterned paper: SU! 'Tropical Oasis' DSP pack

Ink: SU! Balmy Blue, Flirty Flamingo, Old Olive, Pool Party & Shaded Spruce

Tools: SU! 'Stitched Rectangles' & 'Flamingo' die sets, 'Messages' die, circle punches

Embellishments & Accessories: SU! 'From my Heart' faceted gems, Dimensionals, shrink plastic, earring findings 

Ruth

Two Christmas Gift Card Envelopes

I bought two gift cards as Christmas presents and I wanted to present them nicely so I used my envelope punch board to create envelopes using papers from the SU! 'Poinsettia Place' DSP pack.

Here are the two envelopes together.

Here's the larger envelope which I decorated to look like a present.  I used a stitched strip die to create faux ribbon, I stamped the bow on Old Olive CS using Soft Suede ink and punched it out.  I die cut a tag and popped the tag and the bow up.   

Here's the smaller envelope.  I added a Soft Suede faux ribbon strip and popped up a name label created with dies from the SU! 'Stitched So Sweetly' die set.  This gift card has been given to a male friend - even though it was a masculine project I couldn't resist adding the tiny pinecone embellishments tied onto an Old Olive linen thread bow!

Supplies:

Stamps: SU! 'Gift Wrapped' set 

CS: SU! Old Olive, Soft Suede & Whisper White

Patterned paper: SU! 'Poinsettia Place' DSP pack

Ink: SU! Soft Suede  

Tools: SU! Envelope Punch Board, strip die from 'All Dressed Up' die set, 'Stitched So Sweetly' die set, M&C Boutique tags die set, SU! 'Gift Bow' builder punch 

Embellishments & Accessories: SU! mini pinecone embellishments, Old Olive linen thread, Dimensionals, mini glue dot

Ruth

Poppies Frame Home Decor Piece

A couple of weeks back my Slimming World consultant, Lisa, was trying hard to motivate and encourage us during a Zoom meeting and she came out with this snappy little slogan "nourish to flourish".  A few days after I found this chunky photo frame in a charity shop and I thought it would be ideal to upcycle as a home decor piece featuring the slogan.

I rummaged through my patterned paper stash to find some pretty paper and I settled on some poppies so that determined what to use to decorate the outside of the frame.  This project provided a fantastic opportunity to use my SU! 'Playful Alphabet' dies.  I cut the letters using Early Espresso CS and some Foam Adhesive Sheets which mean the letters are dimensional immediately - I love that!  The 'Poppy Moments' die set has some leaves to go with the poppy blooms but I chose to use a leaf die from the 'Stitched Leaves' die set instead.  I used large glue dots to fix the poppies to the frame.

Supplies:

Stamps:none

CS: SU! Early Espresso Granny Apple Green, Poppy Parade & Real Red 

Patterned paper: SU! 'Peaceful Poppies' DSP

Ink: none

Tools:SU! 'Playful Alphabet', 'Poppy Moments' & 'Stitched Leaves' die sets

Embellishments & Accessories: SU! Foam Adhesive Sheets, large glue dots

Ruth

Floral Embroidery Hoop Decor Item

Towards the back of the Stampin' Up! 2020 mini catalogue on page 66 there is a 'One Concept Four Ways' article, it's great.  The article has five different projects and shows how to make a card, gift package, decor item and a scrapbook page within each project using a variety of SU! products. One of the items on the page is a decorated embroidery hoop made using gorgeous papers from the 'See a Silhouette' pack of DSP.  It really caught my eye and I've wanted to have a go at making one myself for ages.  As I'm on holiday from work this week I had some time to get in the craft room.

I was on a video call with my friend Lesley and I told her I was going to make it and she suggested adding bees to it, well what a great idea!  After fussy cutting flowers and leaves I placed them on the hoop using glue dots.  I then sandwiched clear monofilament thread between stamped and die cut bees and adhered the thread behind the flowers.

 

Here's a closer look at the bees.  I coloured the stripes with a dark Mango Melody Stampin' Blends pen and added shimmer to the wings with some clear Wink of Stella.

 

What a happy project to work on and a very cheerful item to have hanging up in our living room!

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! 'Honey Bee' set
CS: none
Patterned paper: SU! 'See a Silhouette' DSP pack
Ink: SU! Dark Mango Melody Stampin' Blends marker
Tools: SU! Paper Snips for fussy cutting
Embellishments & accessories: embroidery hoop clear monofilament thread, SU! glue dots, clear Wink of Stella pen
Ruth

Tropical Fruit Gift Bag & Tag

I totally forgot to meet up with a friend which left me feeling so mortified.  I thought a little apology gift was the least I could do!  I absolutely love the SU! 'Tropical Oasis' suite of products in the mini catalogue and I jumped at the chance to use some fruity patterned paper and the pineapple dies to package the gift of some pineapple shower gel.

I used a full 12" x 12" sheet of the patterned paper to make the gift bag using the WRMK Gift Bag Punch Board.  I did trim some off the height of the bag before I assembled it though.  I used my Crop-A-Dile to punch holes in the top of the bag so I could tie the bag closed with ribbon.  I die cut the pineapple pieces from Whisper White thick CS and added colour to the shapes using inks and oval make up brushes.  I die cut a pretty scalloped rectangle and popped up the pineapple.  I added a sentiment circle to complete the tag.

 

Here's a closer look at the gift tag.

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! 'Tin of Tags' set
CS: SU! Whisper White thick
Patterned paper: SU! 'Tropical Oasis' DSP
Ink: SU! Daffodil Delight, Mango Melody, Old Olive & Soft Suede
Tools: SU! 'In the Tropics', 'Stitched So Sweetly' & 'Layering Circle' die sets, WRMK Gift Bag Punch Board, Crop-A-Dile, oval make up brushes, sponge dauber
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Whisper White ribbon, Dimensionals
Ruth

Tree Frame Home Decor

I do love a good rummage around a charity shop and on a recent visit I came across a fun tree photo frame that caught my eye.  I immediately thought of placing some pretty patterned papers in the circle apertures.  It was absolutely filthy but a bargain so I brought it home and gave it a thorough cleaning.

As the frame was tree shaped I decided that papers from the SU! 'Bird Ballad' pack would be ideal.  I have circle dies that are the perfect size for the apertures so it was quick and easy to cut out the papers.

 

Here's a closer look at the circle apertures.

 

What a sweet little project to work on.  It will be very easy to replace the patterned papers so I can change things up any time for a bit of variety!

Ruth

Pusheen Thank You Card & Quote Gift

A lovely young lady at work, Beth, made me a birthday cake decorated with Pusheen the cat.  It was very sweet of her and I was really touched!

 

Beth placed three of the Pusheen tags on the cake board and I thought it'd be fun to use one on a thank you card for her! 

One of the new crafty goodies I got as a birthday pressie was the Altenew 'Caps Bold Alphabet' die set.  Wendy made Lesley a beautiful birthday card using the eclipse technique with these dies and they got added to the birthday wish list pretty smartish!  The eclipse technique is where you die cut a shape or shapes from a panel of stamped CS, patterned paper or CS so you have positive die cut shapes and the negative space.  The positive die cut shapes are adhered slightly offset from the negative space in order to get the eclipse effect, usually they're popped up on foam tape.

Jennifer McGuire has a fab tip for this technique - you place your dies together on a mat using the measurement lines as a guide for straight placement and then you tape the dies together with strips of painter's tape so that the letters stay together.  I placed the dies onto a panel of pink dotted paper and cut out the word 'THANK'.  I then cut out the letters again, cutting each letter three times from SU! Early Espresso CS.  I glued the Early Espresso letters together in a stack and then glued on the pink dotted letters.  I glued the pink dotted paper to a piece of Whisper White CS, added a strip of Early Espresso stitched ribbon and glued the whole panel to the front of a side opening 7" x 5" Early Espresso card base.  To make the card 7" x 5" I joined two pieces of Early Espresso CS together because whenever I make landscape cards I prefer to have the fold at the side as opposed to a tent fold at the top as the cards always stand up better that way.  

I trimmed around the Pusheen tag and attached a wobble action spring to the tag and stuck that in place.  Pusheen is already so cute but to have a Pusheen on a spring so you can make her wobble - that's even cuter!  I stamped the 'YOU', trimmed it to size and popped it up.  I punched hearts, again stacking Early Espresso CS shapes followed by pink dotted paper shapes.  I went over the letters and hearts with a clear Wink of Stella pen for some shimmer.  I popped up the positive letters just slightly offset from the negative space, glued the hearts in place and added rhinestone jewels to the hearts to complete the card front.

 

Here's a closer look at the shimmery letters.

 

Here's the inside of the card.  I stacked punched hearts again and used the Wink of Stella pen to add shimmer.

 

Here's the front of the envelope.  I used the Altenew 'Invisible Alpha' stamp set to stamp the name.

 

After I'd finished the card and while my supplies were still out I thought it would be nice to make Beth a little something to accompany the card.  I decided on stamping a quote piece which I attached to a card with an easel so it can stand up on display.  I love this quote, not a bad philosophy to live by!  I stamped the quote and then stamped the watercolour wash image over the top in stamped off once Flirty Flamingo ink.  I die cut the oval and I popped that up on 3D foam tape on top of my matted layers.  I punched stacked hearts again and added Wink of Stella and rhinestone jewels to the hearts.

 

Here's a closer look at the quote panel and the sweet shimmery hearts.

 

I used the Tim Holtz 'Small Easel' Bigz die to create the easel I attached to the back - such a useful die!

 

Seeing matching items together makes me so happy so here's the card and quote piece together!  I'm so pleased to say that Beth loved the card and gift - I had a blast making these for her!

Supplies:
Stamps:  'YOU' from a stamp in the SU! 'One Big Meaning' set, inside sentiment from Hero Arts 'Hugs 'n Hearts' set, Altenew 'Invisible Alpha' set, Inkylicious 'Be Whatever' stamp, watercolour wash from SU! 'Perpetual Birthday Calendar' set
CS: SU! Early Espresso, Flirty Flamingo & Whisper White
Patterned paper: Bo Bunny 'Flamingo' Double Dot double sided paper
Ink: SU! Early Espresso & Flirty Flamingo, Early Espresso marker
Tools: Altenew 'Caps Bold Alphabet' die set, SU! 'Heart to Heart' punch, Creative Dies Plus nesting oval 'Wonky Stitches' die set, Tim Holtz 'Small Easel' Bigz die
Embellishments & accessories: Pusheen tag, 3D foam tape, Woodware Action Wobble Spring, SU! Early Espresso stitched ribbon, clear Wink of Stella pen, rhinestone jewels, Dimensionals
Ruth

Mug with Tea Bags Cello Bag Gift & Tag

If I have time I like to make a little something to place in the Slimming World Slimmer of the Week basket - it's nicer than a tin of baked beans or a banana I think!  I found a really pretty watercolour floral mug in a charity shop and I bought it home and filled it with a selection of Twinings tea bags.

I placed the mug in a cello bag, added some ribbon and a tag - job done, a pretty addition to the basket!

 

Here's a closer look at the tag.  I used my MFT 'Blueprints 14' die set, some MFT watercolour patterned paper and the Waltzingmouse Stamps 'Say It With Style' sentiments stamp set - such a gorgeous font!  The ribbon is Polka Dot Tulle from SU!  I popped the flower and the flower centre up on foam Dimensionals.  The lady that won the basket of goodies was very happy and appreciative which was lovely!

 

Supplies:
Stamps: Waltzingmouse Stamps 'Say It With Style' set
CS: SU! Whisper White (thick)
Patterned paper: MFT 'Watercolor Wash' 6" x 6" paper pad
Ink: Memento Grape Jelly
Tools: MFT 'Blueprints 14' die set, Crop-A-Dile
Embellishments & accessories: SU! white Polka Dot Tulle ribbon, Dimensionals
Ruth

Butterflies Shadow Box Frame

Stampin' Up!'s Sale-A-Bration is under way now where you can choose from a range of free goodies with purchases of £45 and £90.  There are some fabulous free goodies available in this year's offering!  The 'Botanical Butterfly' DSP is just beautiful and a bonus is that you can cut some butterflies out from the paper with the SU! 'Butterfly Duet' punch.  My friend Bev recently celebrated a birthday and as part of the gift for her I made a home decor piece - a decorated shadow box frame - using the patterned paper and the punch.

I used a piece of botanical foliage paper as a backdrop, punched out lots of butterflies and then chose the nine I wanted to use for the project.  I punched out nine plain black CS butterflies and glued the patterned butterflies on top - making sure to apply glue only to the body.  I have non SU! butterfly die sets in my stash that have antennae dies and I thought adding an antenna was the perfect detail!  Once I'd assembled the butterflies I adhered the bodies in place with Mini Dimensionals.  I then cut full size Dimensionals in half and attached a half behind each wing, leaving the backing paper on which keeps the wings popped up.  

Another Sale-A-Bration offering is a set of wooden shapes called 'Butterfly Elements'.  I chose a butterfly and coloured it by pressing each side down onto my Lemon Lime Twist ink pad a few times.  Once the wooden butterfly was dry I tied it around the box frame with a length of Old Olive linen thread.  Hmmm, I couldn't decide if I really liked that or not but I left it on as Bev can easily remove it if she decides she doesn't like it!

 

Here's a closer look at the pretty butterflies.  I really enjoyed making this project, it certainly banished the post Christmas blues!

Supplies:
Stamps: none
CS: SU! Basic Black
Patterned paper: SU! 'Botanical Butterfly' DSP pack
Ink: SU! Lemon Lime Twist
Tools: SU! 'Butterfly Duet' punch, Memory Box ??? butterfly die set
Embellishments & accessories: wooden butterfly shape from SU! 'Butterfly Elements' pack, Old Olive linen thread, Dimensionals, Wilko 8" x 8" white box photo frame
Ruth

Tea Bags Gift Bag

At Slimming World meetings each week items are placed in a basket and the Slimmer of the Week gets to take home the basket contents.  For my basket offering this week I decorated a plain white gift bag and then placed six tea bags inside.  Not just any old tea bags mind - Twinings Nutty Chocolate Flavour Assam loose leaf pyramids!  This is one of my favourite teas and perfect for anyone following the Slimming World plan - a chocolate nutty taste with zero calories!

The sachet provided inspiration for the colours I chose - SU! Lemon Lime Twist and Berry Burst.

The 'This is for you' square is popped up.  I used a heart shaped paper clip as a bag closure.  I made a 'Congrats' tag and tied that onto the paper clip with silver ribbon.

I hope to make another one for next week, it's fun to do a creative little something and makes a change from taking fruit or a tin of beans!

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! 'Tin of Cards' & 'Tin of Tags' sets
CS: SU! Berry Burst & Lemon Lime Twist
Patterned paper: SU! 'Fresh Florals' DSP
Ink: SU! Berry Burst
Tools: SU! 'Stitched Shapes' square die, M&C Boutique rectangle stitched die set, MFT Die-namics 'Tag Builder Blueprints 2' die set
Embellishments & accessories: SU! silver ribbon, Dimensionals, Wilko heart shaped paper clip
Ruth

Butterflies Box Frame

I bought a 6" x 6" box photo frame as part of Lesley's birthday present and I decorated a panel to go inside the frame.  If Lesley wants to change what's inside it'll be so easy for her to whip out the floral foiled paper panel and decorate the frame as she desires or just use it as a photo frame!

Oh my word, the SU! 'Springtime Foils' Specialty DSP (which was a 2018 Sale-A-Bration offering) is so beautiful!  I cut a square of the copper floral paper, added a length of Copper Trim which I'd teased out a bit.  I die cut three solid Copper Foil Sheet butterflies, covered those with Whisper White detail die cut butterflies and popped them up.  So simple and quick to do!

Here's a side view.  Love the shine of the copper!

Supplies:
Stamps: none
CS: SU! Whisper White thick, Copper Foil Sheet
Patterned paper: SU! 'Springtime Foils' Specialty DSP
Ink: none
Tools: SU! 'Bold Butterfly' & 'Butterflies' die sets
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Copper Trim, Dimensionals
Ruth

April 2018 Card Group Projects

Last Thursday we got together for our April card group meeting and a wonderful afternoon it was too!  The ladies had made me and Lesley some fabulous birthday cards, it never ceases to amaze us that all the cards turn out so different, all unique - they are a talented bunch but then I always say they've had a great teacher!  😀

A little while ago I made this card and flower in a pot for Emma at my Slimming World group.  I had such fun making it and I thought the ladies would enjoy it too (which they did!) so I designed one for card group.  I usually make three projects and place the kits and the items they need to complete each project in a basket.  The ladies work in three groups, each group take a basket and pass the basket along to another group when they've completed a project.  Because of this I was aware that there might be an issue with a crossover of products when it came to the matching card and flower pot baskets. I know it can be quite frustrating if you're needing an ink pad, for example, which is in a basket for a different project.  To minimise any frustration I borrowed a couple of ink pads from a friend, stamped and punched some pieces in advance and made sure to use two different sized flower dies - a smaller die for the card and a larger die for the flower in a pot - which worked a treat!

Here's the card and flower pot together.

Here's the card.  After embossing the Crumb Cake panel with the Brick Wall folder I stamped the 'Watercolor Wash' stamp over the top using Cajun Craze ink, making sure to stamp on the side with the raised bricks.  For the flowers I stamped the 'Marbled' stamp in Calypso Coral ink onto a panel of Crisp Cantaloupe CS and cut out the flowers using a die from the Spellbinders Shapeabilities 'Flower Play' set.  I die cut the leafy spray from the 'Petals & More' die set in Old Olive CS, snipped it into two pieces, glued the pieces down and added a Whisper White baker's twine bow.  I stamped the flower centres from the 'Daisy Delight' set onto Soft Suede CS using Early Espresso ink, cut them out with the 1/2" circle punch and layered them on larger punched circles of Cajun Craze CS, glued them to the middle of the die cut flowers and popped the flowers up.  The stamped and die cut sentiment label is also popped up.  I used the row of dots die from the 'Mini Treat Bag' die set to cut out Cajun Craze dots to embellish the label.

Just some simple stamping on the inside of the card and on the envelope.

Here's the flower in the pot.  I die cut two 'Marbled' background flowers and layered each of them onto a Calypso Coral flower cut out using the SU! 'Blossom' punch.  I used mini glue dots to help keep the baker's twine in place while I wrapped it around the pot.  I tied a separate bow and attached that with another mini glue dot.  I cut a bamboo skewer so it was about 4 1/2" long and sandwiched the skewer between the flower layers using a large glue dot and placed Dimensionals between the six petals.  I die cut two Early Espresso CS circles, stamped one with a dotty texture stamp a few times, glued the circles together and pierced a hole in the centre.  I pushed the skewer through the circle pierced hole and slid the circle up the skewer so it rested right under the petals.  I punched a couple of 1 1/2" Early Espresso CS circles, pushed one into the base of the pot, glued the second circle on top and placed a big blob of Blue Tack on top of the circles.  I then pushed the skewer into the blob of Blue Tack and slid the Early Espresso circles down the skewer until they rested on top of the pot.  I was chuffed to bits to find that one of the dies in the 'Layering Circles' die set is THE perfect size for this!  I punched out a couple of Old Olive leaf sprays and glued them to the skewer to finish off.  One of the ladies had some tiny, self adhesive, wooden ladybird embellishments and added one of those which was just adorable!  Another lady suggested a bee which got me thinking.  I'm going to try that idea next time, maybe using a strip of acetate so it looks like the bee is hovering near the flower.

Here's a picture of the pot from another angle so you can see the 'soil'.

The next project uses some sadly neglected items from my stash - the gorgeous lacy die from the Tim Holtz Sizzix 'Mixed Media #2' die set, my Distress Inks and my Inkylicious ink duster brushes.  I chose three Distress Inks - Mustard Seed, Salty Ocean and Picked Raspberry - and applied them quite lightly to pieces of Whisper White CS.  These ink colours are bright and vibrant but using only a gentle pressure on the brush and just swirling the inks lightly onto the piece of CS resulted in a soft, muted look.  Because the Distress Inks blend beautifully you end up with a range of shades even though you used just three ink colours.  I applied the inks to a larger piece of CS to act as a background for the lacy overlay and to a second, smaller piece for the butterfly. 

I stamped the sentiment at the bottom of a panel of Whisper White CS and then die cut the lace.  I adhered the inked piece of CS behind the lacy portion, glued the whole piece to a mat layer of Basic Black CS and glued that to a white A6 sized card base.  I die cut the solid butterfly from the smaller inked piece and added a Basic Black CS outline butterfly and an antenna.  I glued the butterfly body flat but popped up the wings on half Dimensionals with the backing paper left on.

Here's a closer look at the delicate inking.  The brilliant thing about this was that each card looked different, there were no identical panels or butterflies!

Here's the inside of the card and the envelope.  I used the Poppystamps 'Bellina Butterfly Ribbon' die to decorate.

Well, this was a complete and utter hit with the ladies - so much so that we're making another 'Mixed Media' die cut out card next month - I'll be using a different die though!  One of the ladies made both me and Lesley a double dutch fold birthday card which got a lot of attention so we'll be making one of those next month too!  

Supplies for flower card and flower pot:
Stamps: SU! 'Watercolor Wash' & 'Marbled' background stamps, SU! 'Petal Palette' & 'Daisy Delight' sets
CS: SU! Cajun Craze, Calypso Coral, Crisp Cantaloupe, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Old Olive, Soft Suede & Whisper White
Ink: SU! Cajun Craze, Calypso Coral, Early Espresso, Old Olive & Soft Suede
Tools: SU! 'Brick Wall' embossing folder, Spellbinders Shapeabilities 'Flower Play' die set, SU! 'Petals & More' die set, SU! 'Circle Layering' & 'Mini Treat Bag' die sets, SU! 'Blossom' punch, various circle punches, Woodware leaf punch
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Whisper White baker's twine, SU! glue dots, Dimensionals, mini flower pot, bamboo skewer

Supplies for lacy background butterfly card:
Stamps: Clearly Besotted 'Happy Birthday' set
CS: SU! Basic Black & Whisper White
Ink: Ranger Tim Holtz Black Soot, Mustard Seed, Picked Raspberry & Salty Ocean Distress Inks
Tools: Sizzix Tim Holtz 'Mixed Media #2' die set, Memory Box 'Isabella' & 'Pippi' butterfly dies, Poppystamps 'Bellina Butterfly Ribbon' die, Inkylicious ink duster brushes
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Dimensionals
Ruth

Daisy Congrats Card & Flower Pot Gift

A couple of weeks ago at our Slimming World meeting we celebrated our group's Greatest Loser of the year.  The winner, Emma, has lost over 8 stone and she is such a gorgeous, sweet woman and she has been a wonderful help and inspiration to me.  I just had to make Emma a card to congratulate her on the amazing success she's achieved!

My card is CASEd from this card that Jackie Bolhuis made.  I just loved the way Jackie added colour to the brick wall by stamping the Watercolor Wash stamp over the top of the embossed panel - quick, easy and very effective!  Jackie has a video on her blog post showing how she made her fab card.

After I'd made the card I wanted to try to make a faux flower in a pot.  I got lots of these tiny plant pots last year at the end of the summer when they were reduced in the end of season sale because I thought they'd be perfect to make cute faux flowers in pots.  Naturally, they have sat on a shelf in my craft room, untouched, ever since!  So here is the card, envelope and flower pot all together.

I used Crumb Cake CS for the A6 card base and for the embossed brickwork panel and the mat layer is Cajun Craze CS.  When I was ready to stamp on the brick wall panel I made sure I had the panel with the raised bricks facing up (you don't want to stamp on the raised mortar) and stamped the 'Watercolor Wash' stamp using Cajun Craze ink.  I stamped the daisy layers in Crushed Curry ink onto thick Whisper White CS, added Daffodil Delight ink to the petals and then Crushed Curry ink to the petal tips using sponge daubers.  The flower centres were stamped with Early Espresso ink onto Soft Suede CS and cut out with a 1/2" circle punch.  I hand cut stems and used a leaves stamp from the 'Painted Harvest' set which I cut out with the SU! 'Leaf' punch.  I stamped the leaves onto Pear Pizzazz CS with Old Olive ink and inked the edges with Old Olive ink using a sponge dauber.  I stamped the sentiment in Early Espresso CS, trimmed it to a rectangle shape, inked the edges and popped the panel up.  I completed the card front with a bow made from Linen Thread.

For the inside I used a die from the Concord & 9th 'Select a Size Edge' die set to cut a fancy white panel.  I adhered a piece of Cajun Craze CS at the bottom and added a line drawn with an Old Olive marker.  I stamped sentiments from the SU! 'Sunburst Sayings' set and added three gold star Metallic Enamel Shapes.

A stamped, punched and layered daisy adorns the envelope flap.

Here's the faux flower in a pot.

I used a 'Circle Layering' die to cut out 4 Early Espresso CS circles and I glued those together.  I pierced a hole in the centre and then inserted a bamboo skewer to act as a flower stem.  I cut the skewer to the height I wanted and attached two stacked daisy layers back to back to the skewer using large glue dots.  I used PVA glue to adhere the stamped and punched leaves. I stamped the top circle with a speckle stamp from the SU! 'Gorgeous Grunge' set for the soil.  I placed a few punched circles in the base of the pot, added a blob of Blu Tak, stuck the skewer in the Blu Tak and pushed the stack of Early Espresso CS down the skewer until they rested on top of the pot.  To echo the card front I tied Linen Thread around the pot in a bow and secured it with a mini glue dot.

Here's a side view of the pot.  I saw that the white backs of the daisies were visible from the front when I went to  attach the back to back stacked daisy layers.  I got my sponge daubers out and inked the backs with Daffodil Delight and Crushed Curry inks so that no white was visible - much better!  The flower pot was cobbled together as I went along but at least I'll be prepared for that issue next time!

As well as celebrating the group's biggest loser we also had a food taster session.  I made mini spiced orange cakes  topped with vanilla flavoured quark followed by a drizzle of Orange Spice Choc Shot.  Here's a photo of just three of the baby cakes on one of my pretty china tea plates.

I also made one of my favourite Slimming World friendly recipes, Carrot Cake Baked Oats, but I didn't have time to take a photo.  It comes out like a carrot cake flavoured bread pudding and it is yummy!  I'm happy to report the cakes and the crafty items were very well received!

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! 'Daisy Delight', 'Tin of Cards', 'Painted Harvest', 'Sunburst Sayings' & 'Gorgeous Grunge' sets, 'Watercolor Wash' background stamp
CS: SU! Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze, Pear Pizzazz & Whisper White (thick & regular)
Ink: SU! Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry, Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso & Old Olive
Tools: SU! 'Brick Wall' embossing folder, 'Daisy', 'Leaf' & circle punches, 'Layering Circle' die set, Concord & 9th 'Select a Size Edge' die set, paper piercer, sponge daubers
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Linen Thread, Metallic Enamel Shapes, Dimensionals, glue dots, mini plant pot, bamboo skewer
Ruth