Caramel & Cream

Today i have a fishy themed slide back Saturday and that is because this morning we had some beautiful discus fish arrive for our aquarium fish tank. My partner and both sons keep tropical fish, each with their own tank....infact my eldest son has 2 tanks in his bedroom. My dad says we could start our own seaworld up and invite people in haha! Anyway they were the reason i decided to choose this project from some time ago to show you. It uses the retired  'By The Tide' stamp set. Simple to make, stamping off the seaweed to create lighter and darker shades then choosing more vibrant colours for the fish. I chose 'Dapper Denim' and 'Calypso Coral' for these 2 cards. The fish are fussy cut but really don't take long at all.  Great for children but also mens cards too.  Here are a couple of photos of some of our new fish, such pretty colours. If you would like to order any Stampin Up products you can do so using the links top lef...

How super cute are these lovely mittens? From the NEW stamp set 'Smitten Mittens', it comes with 17 photopolymer stamps.  3 large mitten images, 2 small and a mixture of decorative images including a snowflake and a cross stitch heart. I've kept this design simple. Using an embossing folder for the background i used the matching 'Many Mittens' framelits dies to cut out 2 large mitten shapes. I cut them from the 'Year of cheer' speciality designer series papers (which i must say are just gorgeous). To edge the top of the mitten i simply used a small strip of washi tape also from the 'Year of cheer' suite.  A little gold trim tied into a bow is the finishing touch. These would be great if you have a lot of Christmas cards to make, mix and match the colours and add different accents to create a whole new look. If you purchase the stamp set and framelits together as a bundle you can save yourself a lovely 10%.  If you would like to...

I don't usually post on a Tuesday but as promised i wanted to show you some of the new products from the Autumn / Winter catalogue. This stamp set is called 'Christmas Sweaters' and comes with 6 different jumper designs and one stamp with the wording on. You can simply stamp the images in your chosen ink colour or step it up a little and then colour them in using your markers. I chose just to colour the Santa hat in 'real red' to make it pop out against the 'night of navy' background. I've used the gorgeous 'Cable knit' embossing folder to give detail to the background. It gives a really deep impression, perfect for those snug sweater looks.  To the sentiment i added a couple of strips of washi tape in gold so it didn't all blend into the background too much. I think cards made with these designs will be great for the festive season once everyone starts wearing their Christmas jumpers to the office! If you would lik...

I really like this stamp set, with multiple stamps and matching framelits you can mix and match the design making it suitable for all sort of occasions. Here i've taken the simple option stamping out the bike frame in Dapper Denim and the wheels in Lemon Lime Twist. The background paper also in Dapper Denim is from the Eastern Beauty suite as is the sentiment. My old favourite Gorgeous Grunge provides the track / tyre effect. If you wanted to take things further you have the option of adding a basket, apples, pile of books or even a cute little dog. An added extra with this stamp set is that you can purchase it along with the matching dies as a bundle and save yourself 10% If you would like to order any Stampin Up products please do feel to get in touch.  My email is rachhome@msn.com Rachael x

Sorry i've been missing the last while but i have had a lovely family break in the Lake District. Now however with school returning after the Summer it is a sure sign that Autumn is on it's way. The brand NEW catalogue is available online and you can order ALL the fab new products as you wish. The link to the online catalogue you will find top left of my homepage. I will look forward to sharing some of the new products in more detail over the coming weeks. If i can be of any help please do not hesitate to get in touch. rachhome@msn.com Rachael x

Thank you for hopping over to my blog.  This is my first time joining in with a 'Blog Hop' and i'm delighted to be doing it with the other ladies from the 'Simply Stylish Stampers'. After being given a card making kit as a gift a few years back i found i really enjoyed creating projects. Later on i discovered Stampin Up and my love for papercraft has grown into what you might say is an obsession! My card today uses the fabulous NEW stamp set 'Wise Men From Afar' which is coming soon in the Autumn / Winter brochure. 'Star Of Light' and the coordinating thinlits dies also feature.  Taking a sheet of 'Night of Navy' cardstock i trimmed it down to 11 1/2 x 5 3/4. Then scored in half along the long side. 'Whisper White' cardstock measuring 5 x 5 inches. To create the night sky effect i used a combination of blue inks - 'Night of Navy', 'Tempting Turquoise' and 'Pacific Point'. You of cour...

The 'Colourful Seasons' stamp set is super versatile. As the name suggests it literally covers all the seasons. Before we know it the school Summer holidays will be over and we will be turning to Autumn. Winter is my favourite season but i do really love the colours of Autumn.  For this card i decided to mix things up with the leaves rather than going for traditional oranges, browns and yellows. Choosing the larger leaf image i stamped the inside first by stamping off onto some scrap paper to give a slightly lighter shade before printing over the top with the outline image.  With my second ink colour i then filled in the spaces with a smaller leaf print. My combinations are 'Fresh Fig' with 'Lemon Lime Twist' and then 'Fresh Fig' again but with 'Tranquil Tide'.  Which option do you prefer? The sentiment is also taken from the same stamp set, simply mounted onto two of the layering circle framelit dies and popped up onto a d...