Thank You Anna Griffin!

Today's card is a thank you to Anna for coming back to the UK!  I just love these pinky/red poppies and tend to keep them for special cards, so I hope you like this one!

Materials Used:
Anna Griffin - So Smitten card kit, All Occasion card kit, metallic card & paper layers, Spring seasonal dies, perfect bows
Hunkydory - 5"x7" card blank
Pinflair - glue gel
Stampin' Up! - tear & tape adhesive 

Crocodile or Unicorn - which is your bag?

So, I had a bit of fun at the weekend, screen printing some tote bags and drawstring bags with the Cool Croc and Unicorn Wishes screens from Screen Sensation.  I ended up using two colours of ink on each image which I think you will agree looks fab - you can see the difference using just one colour makes on the middle crocodile bag in this photo - that was the first one i printed which made me decide to use two colours to add some depth to the colours/image.

Materials Used:
Screen Sensation: Screen Sensation system, fixing tape, Cool Croc screen, Unicorn Wishes screen, Raspberry, Turquoise, Key Lime & Green inks
Tote bags & drawstring bags

Anna Griffin Good Luck card

Well today is the day - Anna Griffin is back on our screens here in the UK on QVC!  So I'd thought I would share this card with you today to wish Anna good luck on her first shows back with us.  Not that she will need it as she is a total pro, and a lovely lady too!

Materials Used:
Anna Griffin - All Heart die collection, Vintage Collage Toppers 2, So Smitten card kit, metallic card & paper layers, perfect bows
Hunkydory - 5"x7" card blank
Pinflair - glue gel
Stampin' Up! - tear & tape adhesive 

Anna Griffin Thank You Roses

Do you love all the beautiful Anna Griffin vintage flowers?  Yes, I do too - and I am sure that you will have noticed from the cards that I have been sharing recently that I particularly like the pink and red ones!

This card was really quick to make as all of the flowers and the swirly embellishments were all precut.  I love making my own embellishments, stamping and die cutting etc.  but sometimes I think we all like to be able to put some quick cards together - you know those times when you want to be creative, but maybe don't have a lot of time!

Materials Used:
Anna Griffin - So Smitten card kit, All Occasion card kit, holiday metallic cardstock layers
Hunkydory - 5"x7" card blank
Pinflair - glue gel
Stampin' Up! - tear & tape adhesive 

From My Kitchen Gift Tags

I thought I would share the "from my kitchen" gift tags that I made recently to take along to the craft fair last weekend.  Happy to say that I did sell a few packs of these, and I think I will also be  making some more to add to Christmas gifts that I will be making!


Stampin' Up! materials used:
Stamp sets - Label Me Pretty, Brushstrokes, Fresh Fruit (retired) 
Punches - Pretty Label, Starburst, Angled Tag Topper (retired) 
Dies - Stitched Shape Framelits
Ink pads - Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Flirty Flamingo, Sweet Sugarplum, Real Red 
Card - Lemon Lime Twist, Flirty Flamingo, Bermuda Bay, Sweet Sugarplum, Real Red, Whisper White, Whisper White Thick card 
Other - Fast Fuse, Stampin' Dimensionals

Ightham Mote Summer Fete - My First Craft Fair!

 

I thought I would share some photos from the craft fair that I did last weekend with some friends.  It's the first time I've been brave enough to get out there and sell my handcrafted papercrafts like this - only ever sold a few cards to friends and colleagues before!

Even though the weather was not as good as it has been of late (the sides of the gazebo went on and off to cope with the spitting rain several times!) there was still a reasonable turn out at Ightham Mote for the summer fete with entertainment and acitivities. Best of all - we had fun, and all sold some of our crafting goodies!

 

Anna Griffin Warmest Wishes

Another quick card to share with you today using some gorgeous Anna Griffin goodies.  Are you looking forward to seeing her back on TV later this month?  I know I am, and its not long to go now!  So make a date in your diaries - 25th July on QVC UK!

Materials Used: Anna Griffin - So Smitten card kit, metallic card & paper layers, Fretwork die sets 1 & 2, perfect bows Hunkydory - 5"x7" card blank Pinflair - glue gel Stampin' Up! - tear & tape adhesive

Tranquil Tulips Happy Birthday

Yes, if you visited my blog yesterday (thank you) you will recognise this card... though I have changed the sentiment to Happy Birthday!  Still lovely!

I made quite a lot of the thank you cards that I shared with you yesterday, but so far only one birthday card, and I know exactly who I am going to send it to!  

Stampin' Up! materials used: Stamp sets - Tranquil Tulips, Rose Wonder
Ink - Old Olive, Rose Red,Basic Black
Card - Whisper White thick card
Other - Stampin' Trimmer, bone folder 

Tranquil Tulips Thank You

I just love this Tranquil Tulips Stampin' Up! set, it's so easy to make some quick and easy cards which are also very pretty!

Most images in the set are two step images, so you have a large image then a smaller image which you stamp on top to make up the flower.  For these cards I stamped off the ink onto a piece of scrap card, and used the second generation ink for the larger layer of each flower, then used the full colour of the ink on the smaller layer.

As well as being very pretty images, you can make these flowers any colour you like - I think some purple and blue flowers might be next for me!

Stampin' Up! materials used:
Stamp sets - Tranquil Tulips, One Big Meaning
Ink - Lemon Lime Twist, Old Olive, Rose Red, Berry Burst, Daffodil Delight, Basic Black
Card - Whisper White thick card
Other - Stampin' Trimmer, bone folder 

 

Anna Griffin Special Day!

Well there has been some VERY exciting news in the crafting world this week - Anna Griffin will be back on our TV screens this month!!!  Yay!  We will be able to see her and some of her yummy goodies on QVC on the 25th July!  I can't wait!

Knowing that she will be back makes it slightly easier to use some AG crafty stash - I know you know what I mean!  So I've been making some cards and will be sharing them with you here!
 
Materials Used:
Anna Griffin - So Smitten card kit, Vintage Collage Toppers 2, metallic card & paper layers
Hunkydory - 5"x7" card blank
Pinflair - glue gel
Stampin' Up! - tear & tape adhesive

Sensational Butterflies

Today I am excited to share with you some more of my makes using the fabulous Screen Sensation system!  At the weekend I did some butterfly prints onto card as well as a tshirt, and yesterday I had some time to make some cards using the butterflies. 


 
To make the matching strips of colour I added a little water to a couple of small blobs of ink and painted with it onto a piece of card which I then die cut.


On the smaller card you can see some small dots as a background - I did this with a rubber stamp. I put a very small amount of ink onto a wet baby wipe and used that as an ink pad - though I'm thinking that if you can get empty ink pads that might be even better!

Materials Used:
Screen Sensation - Screen Sensation system, fixing tape, Kaleidoscope screen, harbour blue and raspberry inks
Stampin' Up! - Rose Wonder, Gorgeous Grunge, Milestone Moments stamp sets, Whisper White cardstock, Basic Black ink
Die-namics - fish tail flag stax dies

Do Something Creative Everyday!

I love this sentiment and crafty images in the Stampin' Up! Crafting Forever stamp set, and thought it would be perfect with the new Color Theory Designer Series Paper (DSP) from the Color Theory Suite (and yes it is called Color Theory as Stampin' Up! is an American company).  I had fun making these, so made a bunch of these cards to send crafty friends around the world!

The DSP is double sided with strips of colour, or solid ombre on one side and different sizes of crackle on the other.  I am sure that we can all see those DIY paint chips/strips that you can get as samples on the paper I have used here!  However I have also used some of the crackle design to stamp the paint pots onto and paper pieced them onto the full image, adding a little colour from the markers with a blender pen.

I really like the colour range here in this suite -  Berry Burst, Crushed Curry, Dapper Denim, Old Olive - and strangely enough even though pink is normally my go to colour for crafting and I do not particularly like yellow (probably because it is a colour I cannot wear), my favourite in these cards are the yellow ones!  Don't ask me why, as I simply do
not know! LOL! 

 
Materials used - all Stampin' Up!:
Stamp set - Crafting Forever
Designer Series Paper - Color Theory
Ink - Basic Black
Markers - Old Olive, Crushed Curry, Berry Burst, Dapper Denim, blender pen
Card - Whisper White thick card
Punch - Pretty Label punch
Embellishments - Glitter enamel dots
Other - Stampin' Trimmer, Fast Fuse, Stampin' Dimensionals

Screen Sensation Tshirt and Bag - and they match too!

Hi again!  Today I want to share a project that I am very excited about - a matching tshirt and bag that I have made using the Screen Sensation system, using the gorgeous mask screen.


I printed the fabric that I used for the bag at the Screen Sensation masterclass that I attended a few days ago - all I needed to do once I got home was to heat set the ink by ironing it for 3-4 minutes (on the back first and then the front).  I decided to wash it before using it as it had become rather creased, so I gave it a whizz around the washing
machine on a normal wash at 30 degrees.  Then a quick iron and it was all ready to be cut and made up into a bag.


Then I thought I would have a go at printing onto a tshirt, and as a few of you  had asked how I did the two colour print I thought I would make this quick video to show you.  It's my first video and voiceover - so please excuse the odd wobbly bit!

Materials Used:

Screen Sensation -  starter kit, Mask screen, red and black inks

Bag Pattern - Sally Shopper by Owl and Sewing Cat

Other - white tshirt, white Egyptian cotton fabric, Rose & Hubble red/white spotty and black/white spotty fabric

Screen Printing Workshop? Yes Please!!

Have you ever entered a competition on Facebook and thought "I'll never win" - yep me too!  But this one time, I did take the time to enter, and YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS I did win!  A place on a Screen Sensation masterclass as well as the basic kit, some inks and a screen to get me started!  SO excited!!!

To go to the workshop meant a weekend away from home on my own, with the chance to meet some new like minded crafty friends.  Nervous - a little... Excited... much.... I was not disappointed!  I met some lovely people, all so excited to learn new crafty stuff and make friends, and had a great time "playing" with lots of Screen Sensation goodies! Oh - and there may have been the opportunity to do a bit of crafty goodness shopping in some of the local craft stores... (why don't we have any of those near where I live?!)

The masterclass was run by Wendy Hunter, the brand ambassador for Screen Sensation (lots of her amazing artwork has also been on Create and Craft and the packaging of the fabulous screens - so if you love the lion on the "Pride" screen and have seen some coloured images - yes that is Wendy's work!  Isn't she amazing!!!)


We also had a little treat -  the lovely Hels Sheridan coming along to join in - if you have been watching the Screen Sensation shows on Create and Craft you will have seen her, Sarah Payne and some other lovely crafters demoing.  She is just as lovely, and probably even funnier in real life - and don't you just love it when us crafters get excited about products, get together and just want to share what we love!  Oh and I still want to meet the lovely Sarah Payne so that we can share our love of anything fabric!!!

Anyway, it looks like I have rambled on enough, and still not shown you much of what I printed at the workshop, so enjoy the photos, and please get in touch if you have any questions about the Screen Sensation system - it really is easy and fun to use!! 

I have a few bits n bobs from the class that I will be using in future projects, as well as taking some time to try some new things and sharing projects with you.  Also hoping to share a video or two, so please watch this space!

Please do let me know what you think of the projects I am sharing with you, and also what you would like to see.

So, for today... happy crafting!!!
Mandy x

It's Your Birthday!

I thought I would share this fun, bright birthday card with you today.  I have used items from the Stampin' Party Animal Suite - a really colourful set with stamps, papers, and embellishments!!

Stampin' Up! materials used:
Stamp set - Balloon Adventures
Designer Series Paper - Party Animal
Ink - Pacific Point, Crushed Curry
Card - Pacific Point, Whisper White, Whisper White thick card
Embellishments - Party Animal Embellishments, Emerald Envy taffeta ribbon, Crushed Curry bakers twine
Other - Fast Fuse, Stampin' Trimmer

Birthday Blast

I have used Birthday Blast stamps and dies from Stampin' Up for this card, and make fun bright cards for kids - so I will definitely be using this set in the future for cards and scrapbook pages!

Stampin' Up! materials used:
Stamp set - Birthday Blast
Dies - Star Burst edgelits
Ink - Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo
Card - Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo, Whisper White thick card
Other - Big Shot, Stampin' Trimmer, Fast Fuse, Stampin' Dimensionals, fine tip glue pen

A little bit of sewing!

It's been a while since I did any sewing, and as I have a bit of a fabric stash(!!!), including some gorgeous pieces from Mumbai and Amsterdam, I figured it's time to get making!  I made this bag from a kit by Owl and Sewing Cat which I've had for a while.  It includes the pattern, plus all of the fabric you need.
 
It's a quick and easy make - I finished it yesterday morning and it got its first outing in the afternoon!

Materials Used:
Owl and Sewing Cat - Sally Shopper harbour print bag kit
Gutermann - white and red sew-all thread

Love & Affection

Today I thought I would share a card I made based on my swaps for the Stampin' Up! convention in Amsterdam that I went to back in April.  For my swap it was just a white card, but I decided to take that same card front and add it to a coloured card blank.

Most of the stamping is "stamped off" or "second generation stamping", where you stamp onto a piece of scrap paper, then without reinking stamp the image onto your card.  This made all of the images much softer than if I had used the inks first time round. I think the effect of the softer paler images is quite pretty.

Stampin' Up! materials used:
Stamp sets - Love and Affection, Endless Thanks
Ink - Basic Black, Pool Party, Pear Pizazz, Peekaboo Peach, Flirty Flamingo, Blushing Bride
Card - Pool Party, Whisper White
Other - Dazzling Diamonds glitter, fine tip glue pen, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stampin' Trimmer 

Cupcakes and Carousels

I love the Cupcakes and Carousels Suite from Stampin' Up!, though I haven't really had much chance to play with it until now.  I was inspired to use it as I went to a local food and drink festival yesterday, and there was a fun fair with a carousel there!

I made two very simple projects, creating versions of the cards in the SU annual catalogue - it's a great resource for project ideas when your crafty mojo has gone into hiding, or you just have too many ideas and you can't decide what to do!

Stampin' Up! materials used:
Stamp set - Carousel Birthday
Designer Series Paper - Cupcakes and Carousels
Card - Pool Party, So Saffron, Flirty Flamingo, Whisper White thick card
Ink - Pool Party, Flirty Flamingo
Punch - Banner triple punch
Other - Cupcakes and Carousels embellishment kit, Fast Fuse, Stampin' Trimmer

First Communion Card

Today's card features stamps from the Stampin' Up! All God's Grace which I think is a really lovely set, with the cross which I have used on this card, and words and phrases in a very pretty font.  Unfortunately for me, the one word the set doesn't have is communion, so I printed the text on the card.   I've also used an older set called Beautiful Banners and some ribbon from stash, which shows you can mix and match all that lovely crafty stash you have!

Stampin' Up! materials used:
Stamp sets - All God's Grace, Beautiful Banners
Card - Pool Party, Very Vanilla thick card
Dies - Banners Framelits
Ink - Versamark
Ribbon - Pool Party seam binding, Very Vanilla satin ribbon
Other - Gold Stampin' emboss powder, heat tool, Tear & Tape,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Liquid adhesive, Stampin' Trimmer, Big Shot