Caramel & Cream

Today i'm showing you the last of the 5 NEW in-colours launching in our annual catalogue. This one is the fabulous 'Blueberry Bushel'  I've used the 'Sea of Textures' stamp set and the matching framelits 'Under the Sea' to create this card. I love the netting effect from one of the dies, i used 'Sahara Sand' cardstock for that and the same colour ink to create the background. I glued the netting under the octopus but left it loose in other areas to give a more textured look. The seaweed i used 'Old Olive' ink stamping once then again without re-inking to get lighter areas of the same colour.  'Blueberry Bushel' takes centre stage with the amazing octopus and with the help of the dies you don't need to worry about being handy with a pair of scissors either!  I've left this card sentiment free as i'm not sure who i am sending it to yet. If you would like to order any Stampin Up products please sw...

It's getting very close to that exciting time when the brand NEW annual catalogue launches!  Customers can purchase from the catalogue from this Friday 1st June. As a demonstrator we get perks and one of them is to purchase items before they are released to the general public. It gives us chance to try out the new products so that we can share any tips and ideas with our customers.  As with every annual catalogue we always have 5 new 'in-colours'. I recently showed you the gorgeous 'Grapefruit Grove' and today i have 3 more lovely colours to show you.  We have (from left to right) 'Call Me Clover', 'Pineapple Punch' and 'Lovely Lipstick' Each card uses only one colour but by stamping off onto some scrap paper before stamping onto 'Whisper White' you can vary the depth of colour.  The stamp set i have used is also another brand NEW product coming in the annual catalogue. it's called 'Rooted In Nature...

Pigs are one of my favourite animals so i love this cute stamp set.  Really simple to make, i took a piece of 'Soft Sky' cardstock and inked clouds randomly using the 'Soft Sky' ink.  The pig is inked in black ink onto some 'Powder Pink' card and then cut out. A second set of wings were stamped onto 'Whisper White' then cut out to layer over the top.  THANKS is also stamped in 'Powder Pink' and added to the card front using dimensionals. Lastly a slither of silver ribbon is tied around the lower half of the card to add some prettiness and shine.  The little pigs face looks so happy.  If you would like to order any Stampin Up products please pop to my online shop HERE  where you can shop in the comfort of your own home.  Rachael x

Recently my youngest son had a Spanish exchange student come to stay with us. Fin had gone to Spain to stay with him in February for a week then he came to us for a week. When Fin was coming home from his exchange the Spanish family had bought him little gifts but the mum also sent a little gift of a keyring for me so i wanted to make something that Marcos could take back to his mum in return. I thought a little set of note cards in a 'Mini pizza box' would be cute and easy for him to pack in his suitcase without the worry of them getting squashed. I chose dsp from the 'in colour 2018-2020' pack and picked this gorgeous BRAND NEW colour 'Grapefruit Grove'. It's pretty and Summery and just uplifting as a colour. The little cards measure 3x3 inches to fit in our white envelopes and the 'mini pizza box' perfectly. You can easily fit in 5 with their envelopes. The Spanish mum can't speak any English at all so i decided to u...

How lush is the 'Foil Frenzy' paper? You really don't need to add a lot to make a lovely card when using these papers. I love the brightness and shine of the foil. Super simple card today using the 'Large Letter' framelits.  I chose the word 'WOW' as i thought it matched well with the sentiment 'you look gorgeous' from the 'Happy Birthday Gorgeous' stamp set.  Layering a piece of the 'Foil frenzy' over some 'Berry Burst' cardstock i then added the letters and sentiment using dimensionals. The 'Classic Label' punch fits around the sentiment perfectly and i punched out a couple of extras in 'Berry Burst' to add interest.  Quick and easy and you can adapt the letters to say whatever you would like.  If you would like to order any Stampin Up products please pop over to my online shop HERE Rachael x

Hi everyone, with GDPR just around the corner i wanted to let those of you who subscribe to my blog know how i will store your information such as your name, email etc.  Unless you have requested a newsletter, catalogue or purchased from me in the past i will NOT have any of your personnel details stored. Those of you who have done any of the above, your information will be kept on a password protected laptop or computer. I will not have any paper copies of your details. The information will only be used for me to contact you relating to Stampin Up.  If you have ordered through my online shop then Stampin Up may also have your details stored. If at any time you wish for me to remove your details from my mailing list etc you can do so easily by emailing me direct to rachhome@msn.com and i will delete all of your details.  Rachael x

I was a bit late to the party with this FREE sale-a-bration stamp set. I don't know why i took so long to use it as it's really a gorgeous stamp.  I took a piece of 'Blooms and Bliss' dsp as my background then picked 'Mint Macaron' and 'Island Indigo' inks to compliment the paper.  I stamped the 'Beautiful Peacock' in both colours overlapping the tail feathers and popping the body up on some dimensionals so it gives a 3D effect.  Using the 'Layered Circle' framelits i cut out the peacock and a piece of 'Island Indigo' cardstock to layer behind. Before mounting onto the card base i slid one of the 'Delicate White Doilies' behind to add some interest and texture.  I loved how it turned out so much i decided to make another swapping the colours and papers around slightly. If you would like to order any Stampin Up products please visit my online shop HERE   Which colour way do you prefer?...

I think this card is perfect to give as a thank you to all the service people who risk their lives daily doing their jobs. I've taken a piece of designer series paper from the 'True Gentleman' papers to use as my background. Picking out colours from the DSP i chose 'Crumb Cake' cardstock and ink.  I randomly stamped the small star from the 'Loyal & True' stamp set over the 'Crumb Cake' card. Then i took the soldier and stamped it over the top using 'Night of Navy' ink.  The sentiment from the same stamp set i inked in 'Night of Navy'and stamped onto a piece of 'Crushed Curry'. This was them punched out using the 'Tailored tag' punch along with another tag in 'Night of Navy' cardstock which i cut in half then layered behind the 'crushed Curry' piece. This gives a slight border effect.  The sentiment is popped up on dimensionals to help it stand out form the background. If y...

This stamp set from Stampin Up made me laugh when i saw some of the combinations you could make with the wording. It's a fun set and very apt considering how may of us use mobile phones and texting to communicate these days.  I chose some dsp from the 'True Gentleman' papers and picked 'Night of Navy' and 'Crushed Curry' ink and cardstock to coordinate with it. The balloons are punched out using the 'Balloon Bouquet' punch and i added a length of 'Dapper Denim Bakers Twine' for the strings. A glue dot helps hold these in place. I popped up the balloons and the wording on dimensionals to stand out from the background paper.  I'm terrible for my typos and predictive text when messaging people so i loved how this reads as 'crappiest of birthdays to you' before being changed to 'happiest', the added emoji faces are a great extra in this stamp set.  If you would like to have a go at making your own vers...

Today i have a cute card to show you which i made for my god-daughter who is 2yrs old today. I can't believe how quickly time flies.  She loves dogs so 'Bella and Friends' was the obvious choice of stamp set to use on her card. The brightly coloured paper comes from the 'Bubbles and Fizz' dsp. I chose 'Calypso Coral' for the card mount and sentiment.  I stamped the dogs in 'Basic Black' ink then coloured in using colouring pencils. The grass is stamped in 'Pear Pizzaz' and the stamp used comes from 'Sheltering Tree'  'Happy Birthday' is from the 'Perennial Birthday' stamp set.  If you would like to order any Stampin Up products please visit my online shop HERE   Rachael x

If you happened to be following my blog before Christmas you may have seen the cute 3 fold cards i made with 'JOY' on them. I loved how they turned out and they didn't take too long to make either. It's a bit early (even for me) to start making Christmas cards for this year so i decided to use the same design but for a new baby card. The 'Bundle Of Love' papers are just so beautiful, i love the patterns and tones.  I chose pieces of paper that had the same pattern but in different colours, two in 'Soft Sky' and one in the lovely gold. 'Soft Sky' cardstock has been folded into the 3 sections and the dsp cut slightly smaller adhered to each part.  'Large Letter' framelits are used to create 'BOY' also in 'Soft Sky' These are mounted to the card on dimensionals so they really stand out. Next i took the 'Swirly Bird' stamp set. Both the kite and boat are stamped in 'Soft Sky' and 'Smoky...

How lucky have we been with the weather the last few days in the UK? Sun, sun and more sun.  Perfect for a 'Bike Ride' using this great stamp set. So versatile you can make it any colour you wish as the frame and tyres are stamped individually so you can mix and match as you wish. I chose 'Berry Burst' for my ink colour as it matched the beautiful DSP from the 'Fresh Florals' papers.  The little basket and dog i inked in 'Crumb Cake' and the brilliant 'Build a Bike' framelits mean no fussy cutting either...just a quick run through the 'Big Shot' and it's done.  The sentiment comes from the 'Dragonfly Dreams' stamp set.  If you would like to order any Stampin Up products please pop over to my online shop HERE Rachael x

Another male card today using the 'Going Places' dsp. I've used a piece to cover the whole of my card base then cut a panel of 'Whisper White' and a slightly larger panel of 'Lost Lagoon' cardstock.  On the 'Whisper White' i randomly stamped the tools from 'Guy Greetings' in 'Lost Lagoon' and 'Basic Black' ink. I then stuck this to the 'Lost Lagoon' cardstock but rather than centering it i have moved it up slightly leaving a narrow flash of colour at the top and thicker along the bottom.  The sentiment for Fathers Day comes from 'Teeny Tiny Sentiments' and cut using the 'Classic Label' punch.  If you would like to order any Stampin Up products please pop to my online shop HERE , you can even do it whilst in your pj's :) Rachael x

Often i walk into my craft room wanting to make a project but after spending time choosing my papers or the stamp set i want to use i come to a complete block as to what to make with them. The Stampin Up catalogue is not only full of amazing products, it's full of inspiration too. The idea for this card came when browsing the catalogue, they have used the 'Pop of Paradise' stamp set to create a cute box (page 43 in the annual catalogue) so i tweaked it slightly and turned it into a card. Do you know i think it's the first time i have used 'So Saffron' cardstock that i can remember! I used the same colour ink and randomly stamped pineapples all over the cardstock.  Next onto some scrap 'Whisper White' i stamped 3 leaves in 'Pear Pizzazz', a flamingo in 'Flirty Flamingo', and the 'Hello' in 'Marina Mist'. Each of these was then fussy cut using some scissors apart from the 'Hello' which i used a circle pu...

Making cards for my blog etc i often end up with quite a few in a box that i don't have use for straight away. So rather than leaving them pile up i have decided to choose a couple of very poorly children and their families to send cards to at random times. Hopefully to bring a smile to their face or a moment of distraction from the difficult times they are going through at the moment.  Likewise i know there are lots of elderly persons who don't have relatives living close by or elderly persons who are perhaps housebound and unable to go visit family and friends so become lonely sitting on their own all day. A simple card through the post could really brighten someones day.  If you know of any elderly persons who are in a similar situation and you think they would love to receive a card please drop me an email to rachhome@msn.com and i would be delighted to pop one in the post to them. (please note UK only)  Please feel free to comment below if there are ...

Last Tuesday i shared a card using the 'Magical Day' stamp set and it was very girly with a unicorn and glimmer paper. As promised today i have a version using the same stamp set and papers but themed for a boy. I've taken a sheet of the 'Myths and Magic' dsp cutting it down to 5x5 inches to layer over my base card.  I stamped the dragon before using pencil crayons to colour in. The big shot again with the matching dies gives that perfect cut with no fuss. To help the dragon stand out i popped it onto some dimensionals and onto a circle of 'Dapper Denim' cardstock cut out using the 'Stitched Shapes' framelits.  To add a splash of colour i chose 'Lemon Lime Twist' and 'Pumpkin Pie' inks for the wording.  Great as a birthday card but also would make a perfect '1st day at school' card too! If you would like to order any Stampin Up products please visit my online shop HERE Rachael x