Caramel & Cream

So it's Summer but with the weather we have had the past couple of weeks you really wouldn't think it!  I saw a card very similar to this whilst browsing Pinterest, unfortunately it had no name to the creator of the card but if they happen to stumble across my version a big 'thank you' for the inspiration.  The card is created using the 'Colourful Seasons' stamp set and a sheet of 'Dapper Denim' DSP from the 'Colour Theory' stack. The dsp stack has lots of different texture patterns and i really like the way this one reminds of distressed wood...perfect for a beach chair left out in the elements. The sentiment and beach chair come from the 'Colourful Seasons' stamp set and the sun is from the 'Swirly Bird' stamp set.  For the sand under the chair i used a stamp from 'Sheltering Tree', it's really meant to be for the soil or grass under the tree from that set but as with lots of Stampin' Up! products you ca...

As a demonstrator we get to see and preorder items before they are released to the general public. Since the NEW Autumn / Winter catalogue has been launched to us I had placed my order which arrived yesterday. Wow i can't even begin to tell you about all the fabulous bits and pieces i have in my box of goodies. Within my Christmassy preorder though i had also got the 'Oh so eclectic' stamp set, matching 'Eclectic layers' framelits and the new embossing paste (all in our annual catalogue). Why did i wait so long to get my hands on these? I'm totally in love with the new paste, so easy to use and such great effects for texture on cards.  The paste comes in a tub and is white, but as you can see in my project i have coloured it using my ink refills. It may seem obvious but better to mention it than have a major oops moment...colour just a small amount of the paste once you have taken it out of the tub..otherwise all of your paste will be that colour and you ...

Botanical Blooms i think has to be one of my favourite floral themed stamp sets from Stampin' Up!  I love the way when you mix it with the matching 'botanical builder framelits' you can create amazing  3D projects with texture. Equally the stamp set on it's own can create beautiful images on the front of cards. This is a simple project but really has a wow factor. I used the 'clear tiny treat boxes' (still available) and decorated it with flowers cut using the dies and big shot.  Choosing the colours 'Berry Burst' and 'Lemon Lime Twist' i wrapped a piece of DSP around the box and a strip of the silver sequins. These larger sequins are no longer available in this size but we do have some super cute mini sequins which would work just as well to recreate the same effect. Using double sided DSP is great as you get to see a hint of the other side through the clear box.  Using glue dots to attach the flowers and leaf i then added a basic...

Two blog posts today, this one is to show you a card I made for our team challenge. I am part of a lovely group of ladies called Simply Stylish Stampers. Our team leader Caroline (from Crafty Caroline Creates) set us a friendly challenge to create a project on the theme of Summer. I decided I was going to use the z fold as my base, I love the way it creates a picture / scene within a card.  Dapper Denim was my chosen base colour with a piece of colour theory paper layered on top. Then I mixed up a few stamp sets to get my by the sea / beach design.  The lighthouse and birds come from 'High Tide', a photopolymer set which is great for the two step layering needed for the lighthouse. I chose 'Smokey Slate' and 'Real red' as my colours for this and the birds are also stamped in 'Smokey Slate' The beach chair is from the 'Seasonal Layers thinlits', super easy to just run through your big shot.  'Weather Together' is the stamp set u...

I really love the 'Coffee break suite'. The colours aren't girly so perfect for the men in our lives too but also it's so versatile it can be used for lots of different occasions.  Stampin' Up! have done their usual fab trick of making sure the stamp set, dies, designer series papers and embellishments all match perfectly making it super easy for crafters with or without experience to be able to create the perfect project.  On this card i have chosen two pieces of DSP, layering a smaller strip over the top of the larger piece to break up the background. I stamped the simple coffee cup shape and lid before running it through my big shot with the framelits. I decided to flip the lid of one of the coffee cups and created a bowl from it. Using the small heart stamp (also in this set) i randomly created a pattern and then stamped the little coffee beans and cut those out to create the effect of a bowl of beans.  The final touch was the sentiment 'Thanks...

Wow this year is flying along isn't it? Already in August and even though most of you will be enjoying the Summer holidays, as a crafter we are also looking ahead to Christmas. With this in mind Stampin' Up have treated us to an early offer and released a fabulous new stamp set called 'Carols of Christmas' It has matching thinlits dies and if you buy the two together as a bundle you can save 10%   Don't forget if you earned any bonus coupons during July now is the time to use them. Stampin' Up! will have sent your coupon codes direct to you via email. You simply add them on when you place you order to redeem them.  Please remember the bonus coupons can not be carried over, they must be used in August.  So what are you waiting for? Place you order now and get ahead with making those Christmas cards.  Rachael x

Slide back Saturday is a chance for me to show you a project created using something retired or something that has been around a long time with Stampin' Up!  We all know how easy it is to get carried away buying the gorgeous new products but quite often they can get used once or twice and then end up sitting on a shelf gathering dust.  I find it hard getting rid of any crafting products but especially DSP so doing these Slide Back Saturdays makes me delve into those products that haven't been used for a while.  Pop of Pink DSP was some of my favourite papers to come through Stampin Up. I love the black and white combinations with that bold splash of pink. I used them here to create this cute little gift box.  I have a video tutorial of this project HERE  if you would like to have a go yourself. If you would like to order any current Stampin Up products you can do so by using the tabs top left of my page where you can shop 24/7 and links to...