Winter Post commission

My husbands Aunt came to my Open House last week and although she's not a crafter in the slightest (loves her Geneology) she really liked my cards and asked if I'd make her some. She particularly liked this 'Winter Post' card and also this one here I made last year. It was only six of each so nothing too daunting and they're all done now ready to be sent off..It was CASE'd from the new catty - not an absolute copy but I like it just as much. The colours are Choc Chip, Sage Shadow, Bordering Blue, Creamy Caramel stamped onto Confetti White with a small piece of DSP from the Bella Bleu collection. The Silver Hodgepodge finishes it off nicely to make a really classy card. And do you know what? In the post this morning I had a lovely handmade thank you card from my best bud Karen. Thank YOU Karen! I love receiving your fabulous cards! x tfl, Jo :)

Love those Butterflies

This week has been a hectic one I have to say. Over the last few weeks I've been busy crafting away and making preparations for my Open House which was yesterday. I was so pleased with the turnout, it was fabulous and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves - helped by the fact that my MIL had baked cakes and biscuits to feed an army! lol My dear old mum did a grand job being 'mum' and making sure everyone was well fed and watered - bless her, and thank you to all that were able to attend. I had such a great day and I'll definately be doing another. So anyway I've made a start on taking pics of some eye candy for you. Here's a cute little bag and card set I made with 'Flight of the Butterfly'. The colours are Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose teamed with Whisper White and Basic Black. Here's a better picture of the bag.... The card on the right for the next pic is my favourite. The sentiment in the middle is from 'One of a kind'.I'm going to make a couple more of these to give to my MIL and Mum for their support yesterday - I think the words sum them both up perfectly. Tfl, Jo :)

Very similar but not quite

I'm flat out this week with last minute preparations for my Open House on Friday so I won't be posting much until the weekend now . I have got this card to show you though which is the 'Thank You' card I made for my Stampers 8 ladies which has just come to an end. It's very similar to the one in the previous post as I'm hooked on the colours and Trendy Trees at the moment, but I promise it will be something different next week.If you'd be interested in spreading the cost of your Stampin' Up purchases over 8 months with a minimum monthly spend of £18.75 plus postage, I have 4 places left on my 2nd group which will be starting in November. It's a great way of building your Stampin' Up! supplies and also receiving the Hostess Benefits of a FREE stamp set and minimum £15 extra to spend in one of the eight months without having to host a workshop. For further details please email me at jodumbleton@aol.co.uk Tfl and see you real soon! Jo :)

SWU 'Recipe' Challenge

The challenge for Stamp With Us this week is 'recipe' - 3 different coloured c/s, 3 brads, 3 stamps and 3 patterend papers. Quite a hard challenge but I just about got them all in. In fact I've now realised I actually used 4 stamps....oops! Recipe: Stamps - Trendy Trees C/s & Inks - Real Red/Tempting Turquoise/Summer Sun/Choc Chip DSP - Pink Flamingo Accessories - Silver Brads Tools: SAMJ/Mat Pack & Paper Piercer/Scallop Boarder Punch/Word Window Punch/ 1/4" circle punch

As well as this weeks Challenge it's also the launch of 'Stamp With Us Winter'. This will be my first time for enrolment with the online classes and there promises to be lots of fun and games over the next two weeks. All the details can be found on the SWU blog here with it all kicking off tonight - there's still time to enrol! Tfl,

Jo :)

Medallion Sun

Some of you might recognise this card..... Whilst I was searching for tutorials on how to brayer last week I came across a very talented lady who's cards are absolute masterpieces - Michelle Zindorf. I think it was through browsing the Splitcoast gallery that I spotted her cards and the rest is history as they say. The Medallion Sunset really stood out for me and because Michelle gives such clear instructions on how to do it, it was easy. You can see the tutorial here. My tree was taken from Lovely as a Tree but the colours are the same, they're so rich and because the tree and medallion are embossed, it has a real lushness about it. So there you go, inspired by some beautiful cards and from beginner to novice in a week. Hope you like my brayered cards and if you have a go yourself, please let me know - I'd love to see. Tfl, Jo :)

More Brayering

I'm really loving this brayering and it's so out my comfort zone with all the inky fingers and messy grid paper, but the finished result is quite remarkable. This is one I made last night...For this I've used Pocket Silhouettes and the background on the main part of the card is the new Medallion Stamp which I've clear embossed. You can't tell from this photo but I've sprayed the whole card with Copper Glimmer Mist to give it a shimmery pearlescent look. With the Chocolate Chip it's gorgeous. I have another brayer card to show tomorrow which is a total CASE but it shows you how easy it is. I've never used one until this week and look what can be done - have a go, it's fab! tfl, Jo :)

A Sneeky Peak

In the new catty there's a card sample which I absolutely adore and I wanted to have a go at re-creating. Again it's not my usual plain and simple style but more arty, and I've just bought the set needed so I had a go at CASE'ing it. I wasn't going to share this until after my Open House on the 23rd October (details in this post here) but I'm in a good mood and the sun is shining so I thought I'd give you a sneek peak of what's instore. This matching pizza box is to house a gift, and the button centre with the curly bits was another idea pinched from the catty.Here's a close up...You can see the original on page 43 of the Idea Book & Catalogue and it uses Greenhouse Garden, Sincere Salutations, En Francais and the new Medallion background stamp. The colours are Almost Amethyst, Lovely Lavender, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery and it's stamped onto Confetti White to give it that 'rough' look, if that's the correct way to describe it. There was a bit of trial and error to get the correct effect for the background which in the end was easy peasy - I used a bit of sponge and dabbed the colour onto the medallion stamp rather than using the inkpad direct. It gives a much softer look and worked better than the stamping off technique. I'm so pleased how this has turned out! Tfl, Jo :)

SWU 'Colour' Challenge

This weeks it's the colour challenge at Stamp With Us. I interpreted these colours as Ballet Blue, Bright Blue, Old Olive, Choc Chip and Taken with Teal. I can't say I've used Taken with Teal much in the past but it's gorgeous! Strange really as I've got a few clothes in that colour...it matches my eyes..lol Now this set is one of the new ones in the catty - Flight of the Butterfly. I didn't have the butterfly punch that goes with this set at the time of making this card so I've cut them out by hand and then curled their wings around a pen which makes them look a little bit more rounded, then added a little bit of dazzling diamonds to finish them off. There's more lovely creations from the DT on the SWU blog so please pop over and have a look and also have a go yourself. On another note, I'm having an Open House on Friday 23rd October between 12pm and 5pm so if you live in the Ringwood/Bournemouth/Poole area and would like to come along - you'd be more than welcome. There'll be samples to view and refreshments whilst browsing the catalogue. Demonstrations, a make'n take, a door prize, a mystery hostess and raffle prizes. Pop in for half an hour or stay all afternoon it's up to you. Please email me at jodumbleton@aol.co.uk for further info. Right off to do a bit of gardening this afernoon. Tfl and see ya soon! Jo :)

Lovely as a Tree

I'm ashamed to say I've had this set since the beginning of the year and not used it till now. How bad is that? It's a gorgeous set I just can't believe I've neglected if for so long! The reason I dug it out was because Stampin' Up! have introduced a tool called a brayer into the new catty which works well with silhouette images. I've seen lots of cards using the brayer so the other night I thought I'd have a go and this is what I came up with....Not the most exciting of cards but it was just to get the feel of brayering and I love it! Not bad for a first attempt and now I've got the jist of it I'll be making more, especially as it's no as difficult as I thought to do. I'll be demonstrating this technique at my Open House on Friday 23rd October between 12pm and 5pm so if you live in the area (Wimborne, Dorset) and would like to come along, please drop me an email on jodumbleton@aol.co.uk for further details. I will post all the details of the Open House later today. Have a good day and tfl! Jo :)

Easel Card

I generally tend to stick with a standard card when I'm creating but I'm always willing to have a go at something different. This is an easel card for obvious reasons and it's another first for me. I've used the cute birdie from 'A Good Friend' again teamed with my bright colour combo that I seem to be stuck on at the mo. Real Red, Summer Sun, Certainly Celery, Tempting Turquoise and Only Orange. I think that's another idea I've pinched from the new catty! lol I've glittered the background images using the New Fine Galaxy glitters and Heat & Stick - it's definately sparkly! tfl, Jo :)

Good Friend

Before I went away last week I was invited over by my very lovely friend and fellow Demo Jenny Moors. Jen was having a get together with all her downline and although I'm not part of her team, I was very privileged to be asked. I had the best time with Val, Jane, Di, Jo, Maria and my fab bloggin buddy, Kate. THANK YOU JEN for such a wonderful day! You're a star! x Jen had prepared a make & take for us which was a double slider card - something I'd not made before. I loved the design with the Good Friend set so much I made another at home in a different colour combo. Isn't is adorable?!

Thanks again Jen, and the rest of the girls for such a fabulous day - it was brill!! Jo

x

The New Idea Book & Catalogue 2009-2010

I've returned from my week away and I must first apologise for the post that never happened on Friday. As usual there was not enough hours in a day to get everything done before I went and then I got the date totally wrong thinking Friday was the 1st - doh! lol I was hoping to have internet access at the Hotel but that never happened either - wifi doesn't seem to work well through five floors of concrete. Anyway, I'm behind on everything and slowly playing catch up on all that's happened but of course the main excitement has been the launch of the new Idea Book & Catalogue from SU! One of the perks of being a demo is you get to see everything in advance and I've had the catty a month now which I have to say I'm pretty impressed with. Although we lost a few of my firm favourites in the Last Chance List they have been replaced with some fab new sets like 'Flight of the Butterfly' and 'Trendy Trees' to name but a few and I love them all! I've been playing with Trendy Trees this evening and it's a fab little set. Ideally you do need a stamp-a-ma-jig to get the placement right but it's a really fun and cute set with a matching wheel that I can't wait to get my hands on!

Ok, so this card is one I made previous and hand held high, it is a blatant case from the new catty, but that's why it's called an Idea Book right? So if you ever get a creative block (I do on a regular basis) have a flick through the catty to get some ideas it's guaranteed to get your creative juices flowing. If you would like a copy of the new Idea Book & Catalogue, please contact me at jodumbleton@aol.co.uk They are usually priced at £4.95 plus postage but as a launch special from me, they will be £4 including postage. Much better than spending £4 on a magazine full of adverts I reckon.

Tfl and I promise to be back real soon with more from the new catty. Jo :)