Thinking outside the box with the Curvy Keepsake Thinlets for the Pinkies Autumn/Winter Catalogue Blog Hop!

Thank you for joining us on another Pinkies Blog Hop! We are showcasing lots of gorgeous projects from the new Stampin' Up! ® Autumn/Winter Seasonal Catalogue. Simply use the buttons at the end of each post to keep hopping!

A very warm welcome to you, especially if you have hopped to me from the lovely Tracy's blog - I do love seeing how creative other people are, don't you? :O)

There are soooo many yummy things in the new Autumn/Winter Catalogue - I think that it is one of the best yet! So many fantastic ideas for packaging, gifts and decorations..I love it all!

 

Well, nearly all.... I'm a bit squeamish about (ok, terrified, of) spiders and so I think I may have to give the aptly-named "Frightful Wreath Simply Created Kit" on page 37 a  wide berth - but only because of the beaded spider in the kit! (It seems that the dreaded annual 'Spider-month' has come early to my house this year and the hairy blighters have been both large in numbers and size so far ... eww... so I am extra spooked by them now - bleuuugh!!)   I do, however, like the rest of the wreath though... and I do like Halloween a LOT... so I may just have to bypass the eight-legged beastie and get myself one of the kits afterall...

Anyway, talking of Halloween, that brings me to my blog-hop projects that I would like to share with you today: One of my favourite things to do for Halloween is to make themed treats to give to people. As soon as I saw the Curvy Keepsake Box Thinlits Die and the box ideas in the new Stampin' Up! catalogue, I just knew that they would make great pumpkins due to the lovely curved shape and had to give it a try.... So, here is what I came up with:

 

With my Bigshot and the thinlits, I used Pumpkin Pie cardstock to make the box  and drew lines on it with the brush-tip end of my Pumpkin Pie Write Marker, to look like the ridges of the pumpkin. To make the leaves, I use the ever-useful Autumn Accents Bigz Die (from the Annual Catalogue) to cut out three of the serrated (Beech?) leaves from Old Olive cardstock. To give the leaves some texture I folded them in half - to make the central vein - and then pinched the serrations with my fingers to make more vein-like indentations along both sides of the leaves. Here is a view of the box from above, to show you better:



I made the tendrils by using my paper trimmer to cut long, tapered slivers from a piece of Old Olive cardstock and then rolled them tightly around my trusty Paper-Piercing Tool to produce the curved spirals. I then carefully glued them onto the uppermost box closure flap with Tombow Multipurpose Liquid glue, so that the box can be safely opened, to get  to the sweeties inside it, without damaging the box. I couldn't resist making the cute little punch-art toad to go with it! He is made using the Small Oval Punch and the Owl Builder Punch - his smile comes from the little bit that you cut out using the notch-end of the punch from the fabby new Gift Box Punch Board, that is also in the new catalogue (I LOVE that new punch board, so easy to make fantastic boxes really quickly and easily!).

After I had made the pumpkin, I began to think about what else I could make using the Curvy Keepsake Thinlets for Halloween and gosh, so many ideas sprang into my head! I decided to make a black witch's cat next...  Just after I'd made the cat, I saw, on a facebook group, THE most amazing idea for a witch using the same thinlits. It was made by a lady called Lynn Starzl in America, so,  I just had to CASE her idea and make a witch to complete my Halloween trio. Come and see:

HOW cute is that witch?!! :O) Thank you Lynn!  I love the use of the burlap ribbon strands for her hair and the hat is made from another of my favourite new things from the Autumn/Winter catalogue: the new Tree Punch!! So clever! The witch's hat slots over the box handles, so, it can easily be removed when you want to open the box and get to the treats inside! How clever is that?! I used the Owl Builder Punch for both the cat's and the witch's eyes and nose. The whiskers were hand-drawn with my white uni-ball Signo® Gel Pen. The cats ears are cut down from the Small Oval punch shapes. I DO love Stampin' Up's punches - they are just SO versatile!

 

I have also used the same Curvy Keepsake Box Thinlits to make several Christmas-themed boxes, other animals and even an Easter Chick (a little bit ahead of myself there, I know, but it shows that the catalogue items are not just for Autumn and Christmas!!). I will show you more ideas on future blog posts, so do come back again soon to see them. They are quite addictive once you start making them! :O)

 

Anyway, that's enough from me for today; I hope that I have inspired you to "think outside the box" when looking at the new catalogue products and can see how many other ways you can use them all!

 

Thank you for taking the time to look at my blog-hop post today. Sarah's blog is next, so hop on over using the button below.

Happy hopping everyone!

Lucy x

 

 

 

 

 

You can view all the products showcased above on my online shop by clicking here - if you are in the UK, France, Germany, The Netherlands or Austria, you can order them from me directly or via my online shop. If you order online with me by  the 29th September 2014 and use the hostess code VRSYYZAV when you place your order, I will personally send you a free gift as a thank you for shopping with me!

 

If you would like me to send you a paper copy of the catalogue, please contact me and I shall be happy to post one to you. You can add one to your online order, too, if you prefer. The order code for a single English language catalogue is 138029.  Catalogues are also available in French and German, too. :O) Lucy x

A new catalogue is here; and there are "Good Greetings" to look forward to as well!

Hellooooo!

 

Sorry for my long absence... the hot summer, a holiday with my sister and her family in Wales, plus, an operation on my knee a few weeks ago, have all got in the way of my crafting somewhat!

 

How is it September already?! Wow, where does the time go? Ooer! The Summer is truly over. Lots of schools have started back this week and I am very proud of my eldest niece who had her first day at secondary school yesterday :O) Can't believe she's growing up so much - I was spooning yogurt to her in her highchair not so long ago, or so it seems! She is now eleven! Wowser! Hmm...That yogurt-feeding memory is over ten years old! Eek! Aunty Lucy is feeling old right now!

 

But, do not fear, Stampin' Up!'s brand new spangly, nay, SPARKLY, Autumn-Winter Catalogue has arrived! Yey! There are sooooo many lovely, yummy things in there. You can buy from it up until 5th January 2015, but you don't have to wait until then!! Once you see it, you will NOT want to wait very long to get your hands on all the yummyness, I am sure!

 

You can click here for a link to the pdf of the catalogue, or, click here to go straight to my online shop and view all the products...

 

 

 

The catalogue is jam-packed with ideas for so many creative projects - ideas for cards, decorations, gift wrapping, packaging, advent calender box ideas, home decor, Autumnal events, Halloween and of course Christmas too. I think it covers a wide range of tastes and styles too, so there really is something for everybody in there I believe! There are lots of kits to make your crafting quicker if you get short of time and there are several bundles of items that offer a discount, so will save you money too. I am looking forward to sharing some of things I have made (or plan to make!) over the next few weeks and months in the run up to Christmas. It is not all Christmas stuff though, there are all sorts of fab ideas buzzing around my head! So, watch this space, as they say!

 

The title on the front cover of the catalogue says  "Make it fun, make it together" - don't you think that is a lovely idea? I think it is always nice to create things in the company of others, don't you? It can help inspire you  and you can share ideas - and perhaps some of the workload too!  Lots of the celebrations throughout the Autumn and over the Christmas and New Year period are all about celebrating those special occasions with family and friends gathered around you.

 

On top of all the excitement of the new catalogue, there is also a limited-time special offer where anyone who hosts a £200 Stampin' Up! party can get a FREE stamp set called "Good Greetings" - on top of the normal Hostess Rewards. The offer ends on 31st October 2014, so, if you'd like to get your hands on the free stamp set, earn some more free products and have a fun night in with friends and me showing you how to make some fantastic, easy to make, but impressive paper craft projects, then get in touch with me as soon as possible to get a date booked in the diary with me! There are 19 sentiment stamps in the Good Greetings Stamp Set and they cover all sorts of occasions so will be a very useful set to have in your crafting stash I think, don't you? It is available in wood- or clear-mount. Come and have a look:

 

 

If you don't live near enough to me to have a party, don't worry, you can still get the stamp set for free: either place an order for yourself for £200, or, contact me and together we can organise a catalogue party where you pass a catalogue or two around family and friends, collate their orders and I will help you place the orders and then the goodies will be shipped directly to you. It doesn't matter if you and your family and friends are scattered all around the UK, they can still order using a specially designated hostess code for your party and get their goodies sent directly to them, wherever they are! If you would like to know a bit more about it, or, have a date in mind already, then please do contact me and I shall be happy to help you. Distance should be no barrier to getting this gorgeous freebie! :O)

 

 

 

Well, that's it for today. I will leave you with a photograph I took yesterday in the sunshine which I think sums up the changing of the seasons. I really love this time of year when the last rays of Summer mingle with the cooler temperatures and that distinctive smell of Autumn is in the air! We have all the amazing changing colours; scrunchy falling leaves and delicious fruits coming into season, to look forward to from now on in - yum! Plus all the excitement of Harvest Festivals, Halloween and Christmas is on its way too! How exciting! What is your favourite part of Autumn? Please do leave me a comment and let me know! Or maybe it is a different season where you are in the world? What does September mean to you, where you are? I'd love to know! :O)

 

 

 

 

Happy crafting everyone - and remember to contact me if you'd like a paper copy of the catalogue, book a party date or would like more information about how to earn that gorgeous stamp set for FREE!

 

 

 

Lucy x

 

 





 

Pinkies Blog Hop: Showcasing New Annual Catalogue projects!

 

  

Thank you for joining us on another Pinkies Blog Hop! We're showcasing lots of gorgeous projects using products from the new Stampin' Up! ® Annual Catalogue. Simply use the buttons at the end of each post to keep hopping!

 

Welcome if you have come from Nina's blog!

 

There are so many lovely new things in the new catalogue and I have found it really hard to narrow down my choice for today! I decided to keep it simple  and concentrate on the new In Color collection  for 2014-2016.



I have recently been experimenting with making my own backgrounds and the following projects all utilise one particular technique which I have developed: using scrunched up brown packing paper as a "stamp" which I have then tapped directly onto the ink pad to pick up some ink and then stamped all over a sheet of Whisper White cardstock. You can use a single colour or a mixture of 2 or 3 - just make sure you use a separate ball of scrunched-up paper for each individual colour.

This first project uses the lovely new In Colors Mossy Meadow (the green) and Hello Honey (the yellow) as well as a bit of Crumb Cake on the patterned background strip:

http://paperglassstitch.blogspot.co.uk  Lucy Tustian

 

I have glued the small strip of homemade background onto a Whisper White Notecard and stamped the "thanks" from the Hip Hip Hooray card kit stamps. The Elegant Butterfly punched shape is from the new Hello Honey cardstock and sits on a mini glue dot, with a strip of three pearl gems for the butterfly's body. A very simple, quick and easy card to make, don't you think?!

Here is another card which uses the same backround - this time I have used the background for the butterfly only, with a Mossy Meadow Elegant Butterfly beneath it. I used the brush stroke stamp from the new (and very versatile) stamp set: Work Of Art; with the Hello Honey stamped three times without re-inking it (the "stamping off" technique). The "Thinking of You" is from one of my go-to stamp sets: Sassy Salutations and is stamped using the Mossy Meadow ink for the words and the sponging around the oval punched shape:

http://paperglassstitch.blogspot.co.uk Lucy Tustian

 

 One of my favourite new In Colors is the lovely deep rich purple called Blackberry Bliss - the next couple of projects use this colour on its own for the handmade background for a very striking effect:

 

http://paperglassstitch.blogspot.co.uk Lucy Tustian

 

http://paperglassstitch.blogspot.co.uk Lucy Tustian



 Have you spied the lovely ribbon on the tag? It is the utterly gorgeous new 1cm (3/8") wide Stitched Satin Ribbon in the Blackberry Bliss - it is so nice - one of my all-time favourite Stampin' Up! ribbons I think! I have secured it with a little bit of Whisper White Bakers' Twine plus a tiny bit of the same white bakers' twine that I have hand-dyed using a few drops of Perfect Plum re-inker in a very small amount of water. I have also coloured in the rhinestone jewels with the brand new Stampin' Blendabilities alcohol markers in Rich Razzleberry (using all three shades of the colour).

 

 

The circle on the card is made using another stamping technique I have been experimenting with recently - reverse kissing. I'm hoping to blog a bit more about various kissing techniques (of the ink variety!) sometime soon, so do pop back again to see!

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to look at my part of the Pinkies Blog Hop. I would love to know your thoughts on the techniques and colour-combos that I have used today, so do please leave me a comment if you have time! Hope you enjoy the rest of the blog hopping: the lovely Sarah is next! :O)

 

 

Until next time, happy crafting everyone...

 

Lucy x

 

Project Life: Not just for memory making! #PLxSU

Hellooo...

 

Sorry I have really neglected my blog recently, life has just got in the way it seems! I am going to try and change my ways and endeavour to blog more often! Ooops! It is silly really, as I have made so many lovely things recently, with some of the fabulous new goodies from the new 2014-2015 Stampin' Up! ® Catalogue and I really should share some of them with you!

 

So, here we go!

 

Some of my favourite things from the new catalogue are the Stampin' Up! Project Life collection of products - Project Life allows you to document your memories in a quicker way than the more traditional scrapbooking method. I love it! BUT, even if you are not into scrapbooking or memory keeping, a lot of the #PLxSU products can be used in alternate ways - you can use the Card Collections and items from the Accessory Packs to make all sorts of things - come and see just a couple of examples:

 

Here is one card that I have made using the Everyday Adventure Project Life Card Collection and the coordinating Every Day Adventure P.L. Accessory Pack:

 

Http://paperglassstitch.blogspot.co.uk Lucy Tustian

Http://paperglassstitch.blogspot.co.uk Lucy Tustian

 

I am a huge fan of washi tape and I just LOVE this geometrical design in the gorgeous Bermuda Bay colour that comes in the Everyday Adventure Accessory Pack (see the close-up pic., above!).

 

I love how all the #PLxSU items coordinate exactly with the Stampin' Up! colours - see how nicely the Bermuda Bay Candy Dot matches the washi tape? Swoon! I added interest by using the fabulous new Stampin' Up! Project Life Corner Punch on just two corners of the card's layers (one of my favourite tricks!).

 

As you can see from the photograph below, washi tape has many uses! I have stuck it onto some clothes pegs (clothes pins, to my American friends!) and made a hanging weekly reminder to go onto a cork board or edge of a shelf in an office/craft room.

 

For the string, I plaited three pieces of the Silver Baker's Twine together to make a sturdy cord and then threaded this through the pegs, with knots either side, to stop the pegs from moving along the cord.

 

I have stamped directly onto the washi-taped pegs with the days of the week from the Project Life Day to Day photopolymer stamp set, using black Stazon Ink. (So easy to do with photopolymer stamps as you can see through them to place them exactly where you want them!) The little heart stamp comes from another #PLxSU stamp set: Point & Click. isn't it cute! I finished the pegs with Basic Black and Bermuda Bay punched cardstock shapes (using the Chevron border Punch).

 

Http://paperglassstitch.blogspot.co.uk Lucy Tustian

 

To complete the reminder set, I covered a small notepad and decorated it with the same cardstock, stamps and washi tape and glued a length of the plaited baker's twine under the cover, so it can hang next to the line of pegs. I clipped a small pen (also decorated with the washi tape!) onto the cord and hey presto, you have a handy hanging "to do list" reminder for every day of the week, plus a handy pen and pad of paper to jot your notes onto before you clip them onto the relevant day of the week.

 

Http://paperglassstitch.blogspot.co.uk Lucy Tustian

 

 

Http://paperglassstitch.blogspot.co.uk Lucy Tustian

 

I have given this set away... but think that maybe I should make another one for myself to keep as an "aide memoir" seeing as I have such a dreadful memory and am always forgetting things! Perhaps I might remember to blog more often if I had one of these on my pin board in my craft room or stuck onto my 'fridge with magnets.... hmmm... now there's an idea..... ;O)

 

Well, that's it for today, I think, (unless I've forgotten something!!). Do let me know if I have inspired you to use the #PLxSU items in a different way...

 

Until next time, happy crafting folks!

 

Lucy x

 

 

 

Exciting news: the Retirement List is here and you can join my team for less!!

Wow! So much is going on with Stampin' Up! at the moment, retirement lists have been launched today, Project Life is just around the corner AND you can join my team for as little as £50 at the moment... where do I begin?!! Eeek!

 

Think I will start here:

 

RETIREMENT LIST:

 

With a new Annual Catalogue about to launch at the start of July 2014, there will be a huge amount of lovely new Stampin' Up! goodies coming with it - but, to make room for all those brand new spangly things that are on the horizon, we must first say goodbye to some current products...

 

This is where the Retirement List comes in. This is a list (well, strictly speaking two lists) of all the stamp sets and accessories that will be discontinued (or, "retired") to make way for the new products... The goodies on this retirement list are on a limited stock, only while it lasts, basis - so once they are all sold, they are gone for good... Needless to say that things will sell out fast - especially the 2012-2014 In Color items and certain punches etc. I should imagine.

 

So, if you want to get any items that appear on the list, do so QUICKLY - to avoid disappointment... Click on the photo to go straight to my online shop where you can see what is on the retirement list and place your order:

 

They WILL sell out and fast, so don't hang around - once they are gone, they are gone! I would urge you to buy items you like that are on the retiring list sooner rather than later - and I would suggest you buy them via my online shop, to prevent any disappointment from a delay in getting your list to me via email or phone call, me placing the order and then me finding out by then that the items have sold out.

 

Remember, if you order online from me before 6th June 2014 and use the hostess code H2DZVX6U, I will give you a free gift as a thank you. (N.B. this is an offer from me, personally, not from Stampin' Up!)

 

Also, if you order before the end of 31st May and spend £60 you will get a free photopolymer stamp set too (as long as they haven't sold out by then, either!) If you have any problems or queries, please do not hesitate to ask me and I will be happy to help :O)
 

You can also click on this link to go to my online shop:

 http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/lucytustian/

 

 

 

SPECIAL OFFER TO JOIN MY TEAM:

 

 

 

For a very limited time, you can join my team for only £50. Your starter kit will include up to £55's worth of products, plus the usual business pack of catalogues, order forms etc worth an additional £45. This offer runs out on 30th June. During the offer period, you can still, if you prefer, choose to join with the regular £99 starter kit (which gives you £130 worth of products, plus the usual business pack).

 

If you join before the end of June you will be able to order sneak-peek products from the new Annual Catalogue too and see them before regular customers will. Click the picture above to get more information, or contact me and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have! Clicking on the "join the fun" tab on my online shop will also give you more information about joining and becoming a demonstrator, too!

 

 

STAMPIN' UP! MEETS PROJECT LIFE:

 

I am sure, that by now, you will have heard the exciting news that Stampin' Up! have joined forces with Becky Higgins and will be offering exclusive Stampin' Up! Project Life products which will make scrapbooking easier, faster and in the co-ordinated colourful way that Stampin' Up! does best. Some of these #PLxSU products will be launched for sale ahead of the main Annual Catalogue on, I believe, the 10th June. 

 

For those of you who don't know, or who haven't heard about Project Life, it is a really quick way of documenting your life and memories in special, scrapbook pages that have divided pockets for your photographs (and other memorabilia) to be easily and quickly slotted into. Thus, it's all about spending more of your time making memories and less time scrapbooking them!

 

Recently, I was honoured and delighted to be asked, by Stampin' Up! Europe, to do a Creative Presentation using some of these Stampin' Up! Project Life products (such as stamps, pages, journalling cards etc etc) as a top secret, sneak peek presentation, on stage, in front of 360+ excited UK demonstrators at the UK Regional Training Day in Telford a few weeks ago!

 

Until today, I have not been allowed to show you any of the things that I made for the presentation, but, as the demonstrator pre-order for the selected Project Life products began today, I am delighted to say that  I am now allowed to show them! It has been REALLY hard not to let the cat out of the bag, as I have absolutely fallen in love with the products and their versatility! There are many uses for all the Stampin' Up! Project Life products - not just the originally-intended album pages - and because the journalling cards all coordinate perfectly with the Stampin' Up! colours (and cardstock, papers, ribbons, inks, embellishments etc etc.) the possibilities are pretty much endless: greeting cards, gift-wrapping, home decor and organisation etc. are just some ideas for #PLxSU items!

 

Here is just one page layout that I made for the presentation:

 

 

http://paperglassstitch.blogspot.co.uk #PLxSU Lucy Tustian
 

 

I am passionate about plants and I love to take photographs of beautiful flowers.  The happy colours of these gorgeous Spring flowers just cried out to be matched with the colours of the words on this inspirational quote on one of the  Everyday Events journalling cards. I used cardstock in those same colours (Coastal Cabana, Crushed Curry, Strawberry Slush and Tangerine Tango) as mats, behind the larger photographs. It was so quick to make - in fact, I think it took much longer for me to print the photographs from my laptop, than it did to complete the entire layout! It is so much fun and very satisfying producing layouts like these so effortlessly. In fact, choosing which photos to use, was my hardest task for the presentation - the rest was a doddle!!

 

Please come back over the next few days, as I will be showing you many more photographs of my #PLxSU presentation projects - including more page layouts, several greetings cards, a mini envelope album, a wedding album and a cute peg organiser idea too! I will also be giving you some top tips that I have learnt whilst making these projects, so that  you can get the most out of your Stampin' Up! Project Life goodies;  but,  for now, I think there's more than enough information here for you to digest already!

 

Don't forget to pop over to my online shop to grab yourself some of those fantastic retiring products before they all go... I don't want you to miss out on any crafting products that you have your heart set on... Go!  Go now!! ;O)

 

Until next time, happy crafting everyone!

 

Lucy xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXPLODING STARS BIRTHDAY POP-UP-BOX-CARD & CCC #031

Hey Crafters!

 

Thought I'd share a very special birthday card with you today - I made it for my eldest niece who turned 11 recently. It was my first attempt at a "pop up box card" - which is a card style which seems to be very hot trend in the paper-crafting world at the moment!

 

The colours were inspired by the colours of her bedroom, which are red, gold and yellow and I decided that stars were more appropriate for my niece than flowers might be.

Here is the card:

 

 

I wanted it to look like the stars were bursting out of the card in a joyous explosion of celebration! The card was definitely a "labour of love", as apart from the smallest stars, which I punched out, all the other stars had to be fussy-cut, by hand, with my trusty Paper Snips (what would I do without those little essential crafting beauties, hey??!!) - but, it was very therapeutic nonetheless!





 

I stamped the patterned stars using the fabulous Simply Stars stamp set in Real Red and Daffodil Delight ink on Whisper White Cardstock. Some of the smaller stars were punched out using the little star punch from the Merry Minis Punch Pack (order ref = 126882, which was carried over from last year's Holiday Mini Catalogue). I punched them out of the Red Glimmer Paper, Daffodil Delight Cardstock, the Gold Foil Sheets and also the much-overlooked-but-fabulous Brushed Gold cardstock. I really must use that more often, as it is so nice and gives a lovely, subtle, gold sheen to your projects... 

 

You can just about make out in these photographs (above and below), that the stars are stuck to little strips of Window Sheet: Stampin' Up!'s more sturdy equivalent of acetate sheets. I found that the Tombow Multipurpose Liquid Glue and the Mini Glue Dots were the best adhesives to use for gluing on the stars to the Window Sheet strips and the strips to the box support struts etc. The Tombow allows a little "wiggle time" to get the shapes in the right positions, but does take a little longer to dry than when gluing two pieces of cardstock together - so you need to be a little patient with it!

 

Another top tip is to glue all the decorations onto the card support struts before you stick the struts inside the box of the card! You can of course add a few more stars and things after they are in the box, if you discover any gaps that need filling with more things. This is one card design where less is definitely not more! Excess is best! ;O)

 



 

I thought the polka dotted stars echoed the lovely Real Red Polka Dot Parade Designer Series Paper (DSP) that I had used to decorate the card flaps and panels - this is such a versatile set of papers and I used both sides of the sheets on the card. I have used this DSP a LOT. The Happy Birthday comes from the Label Something Stamp Set and I punched it out using the Artisan Label Punch. I punched a second one out of Gold Foil Sheet, cut it in half and stuck the two pieces to the back of the Birthday one, to give the greeting label an extra border. This is a great trick to make your punched shapes "pop" on a card or gift tag.

 

I glued an extra layer of Real Red Cardstock, Gold Foil Sheet and then Whisper White cardstock (stamped with more stars), onto the back panel of the card base in order to add stability and provide a space for writing my message onto. (See picture below:)

 

I also attached a few small stars to the flaps of the card base, to make it look like the stars had exploded out of the card and landed on them! Some I glued flat onto the card with my most-used crafting tool: the Tombow Multipurpose Liquid Glue, and others I popped onto a Stampin' Dimensional to add a little bit of height.

 

 

As you can see below, I got a little bit carried away with adding the exploding stars and several of them poked outside the card base when the card was folded flat, ready for posting... So much so, that the card didn't fit in the standard C6 envelope that I had originally planned to use - Oops!! BUT, luckily this didn't matter a jot, as I had my extremely useful Envelope Punch Board to hand and I was able to make  an extra-special envelope from some more of the Polka Dot Parade DSP! Phew! Thank the stars (no pun intended!) for the Envelope Punch Board, eh?!

 

Here is the envelope I made, along with it's belly band which I made using the Daffodil Delight colourway of the same Polka Dot Parade DSP - the "just for you" stamp is from the Label Love Stamp Set and again uses the Artisan Label Punch and the little star punch from the Merry Minis Punch Pack - is it just me, or, does it remind you somehow of Wonder Woman's headband?!  No? OK, just me then!! Ahem...

 



 

My niece had asked for money for her birthday so that she could go on a "girly shopping day with just Mummy"- gosh how grown up is she getting - it hardly seems like yesterday that my sister announced she was expecting and now my niece is ELEVEN!! (Gulp! Am getting old! LOL!!) The smaller, yellow envelope is what I put her birthday money into and uses the same Daffodil Delight and Real Red Polka Dot Parade DSP, the Artisan Label Punch and the "To:/From:" label comes from the Label Love Stamp Set...

 

 

I thought the back of the belly band on the large red envelope looked a little plain, compared to the front, so, I glued a left-over Red Glimmer Paper star for a little bit of extra bling/interest!

 



 

This last photo is a close up of the front of the belly band showing the "Wonder Woman" style label and also illustrates the sparkle and glimmer of the red and gold little stars. It always amazes me how even a teeny bit of the glimmer paper can add such a lot of sparkle and glamour to a hand made project - and a little goes a long way, so it is great value for money too!

 

 

 

Hope you have liked today's project? In my monthly card-making classes this month (May 2014) we are making similar  pop-up-box-cards - using slightly different dimensions for the card base, different stamp sets/punches and different colours - last week's class was great fun - I am very much looking forward to the repeated, evening class towards the end of the month too, now!  I know that this will definitely NOT be the last of this style of card that I make - as they are great fun to construct and are such a "wow" card for any occasion as well!

 

 

 

Don't forget that all of the supplies used on today's project can be bought from my online shop (click here!) or by contacting me directly if you prefer.

 

Anyone who places an online order with me before the 29th May 2014 using the hostess code VRSJWE3R on their order will get a little thank you gift from me in the snail-mail post, too (as long as you don't click the "no contact" button - which will mean I don't have access to your contact details and will therefore be unable to get your gift to you!). N.B.: If your order is for £150 or more, don't use this hostess code for your order or you won't qualify for your "Stampin' Rewards"!

 

Oh and don't forget that during May there is a special offer to receive a free exclusive brand new Photopolymer Stamp set, for all orders of at least £60/75€, while stocks last- see my online shop for details! They are all rather fabby, I must say! :O)

 

Well, that's it from me today, I really hope you are inspired to make your own Pop Up Box Card now? I am entering this card into the Catherine & Cathy Create "Starlight, Star Bright" Blog Challenge. seeing as they wanted to see projects using stars on them - I think this card qualifies, don't you?! It is definitely very starry! Hehe! 

 

Until next time: happy crafting!

 

Lucy xx

More Easter Ideas!

Hey there folks!

 

Are you getting "eggscited" about Easter yet?! Hehe. Personally, I am looking forward to a lovely long sunny bank holiday weekend - or at least I'm looking forward to scoffing all that yummy guilt-free chocolate on Sunday, rain or shine!!

 

I've got a few more ideas for you, that I have made for Easter.... come and have a look:

 

Here are a couple of punch art Easter cards which were inspired by my mini Easter egg holders I designed and made for the recent Stampin' Up! UK Stampissimo Easter Treats youtube video. Do you recognise the little daffodils?!

 

 

 

I used Stampin' Up!'s fantastic Note cards & Envelopes as the base of these cards. (Yey, no cutting and scoring, makes for a quicker project and I like the size of them too - they are smaller than A6 cards.) The background piece is Soft Sky cardstock. As you probably know from my previous posts, the daffodils were made using the Petite Petals Punch and the flower shape from the Itty Bitty Punch Pack, with Daffodil Delight and Pumpkin Pie cardstock. The leaves were hand cut using my trusty Paper Snips (what would I do without those essential wonders?!) and the grass was cut using the fabulous Fringe Scissors (both are cut from Gumball Green cardstock).

 

 

The clutch of Easter eggs were punched out of the really pretty Gingham Garden designer series paper (dsp) using the Small Oval Punch and then tucked behind the grass and under the Daffodil Delight Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon. Here is a close up to show you the three-dimensional effect and texture of the card's design:

 



 

 

Here is a closer view of the eggs:

 

 

 

Actually, I must confess that the idea for tucking the eggs behind the ribbon came from a little mistake I made when punching out one of the egg shapes - I wasn't concentrating and the dsp didn't go all the way into the punch properly (oops! "More haste, less speed" as my darling Nan used to say to me when I was little!). So, I ended up with an egg with a missing slice off it. I love this paper so much, I didn't want to waste it, plus, I liked the way the pink daisy was positioned on it - so following my ethos of "it's not a mistake, it's an opportunity for embellishment!" I decided to place the egg so it looked like it wasn't really missing a bit, but was a whole egg tucked behind the ribbon! Another example of a "happy accident" in Lucy's craft room! hehe ;O)

 

I often say that to be a good crafter, you don't have to be perfect, it's more important to know what to do when things go a bit wrong and be able to rectify these little mistakes and accidents to rescue your project - otherwise you can end up wasting a lot of time and effort as well as materials! A smudged finger print on your card, or, a dot of ink? Don't worry, "it's not a mistake it's an opportunity for embellishment..."  - so, think on your feet and hey presto, you can decide that actually where that finger print or ink spot was, is really a perfect place for a flower, a butterfly, a rhinestone jewel or even a ribbon bow!

 

I also had fun recently making a couple more designs of little Easter egg holders using the Scallop Tag Topper Punch - these are slightly larger than the Mini Daffodil Easter Egg Holders I have already showed you, but hold the same-sized egg. I made a yellow Easter Chick and an Easter Bunny - they were inspired by some I'd seen on a facebook crafting forum, but I'm afraid, I can't remember exactly where I saw them or who had made them now (I must start paying more attention to these things!) Sorry, if they were yours, thank you and please let me know who you are so that I can credit you by name! Anyway, here they are:

 

 

 

 

 I was really chuffed with my idea of using the Mosaic Punch for the chick's open beak! I think he looks like he's squawking rather loudly, don't you?! And possibly tapping his foot with impatience here maybe? hehe

 

We made these two egg holders in the last class that  I taught and all the ladies said that they had great fun making them and that they wanted to make more of them at home. Hope that they have! I know that my nieces and nephew would love making these...not sure the chocolate eggs would last until Easter Sunday though!!

 

Anyway, Happy Easter everybody, hope you all have a lovely long weekend, preferably a sunny one with lots of chocolate and plenty of time for crafting! I seem to have used a lot of punches recently but not done much stamping... Need to rectify that, I think...

 

Until next time, happy crafting!

 

Lucy x