A Bithday Gift Bag .......

This is the matching gift bag I made for my Mum's birthday present.  It is so difficult shopping for her as I have to buy presents and wrap them from my sister at the same time.

I have used the same materials to make the bag as the card I shared yesterday.  I have not put the Greenhouse Garden stamp set away since I got it!! It is so effective and as always the detail of Stampin' Up! stamps is superb.

This is the finished set together, now I just need to get everything wrapped!!!  Tonight I have another craft class, we are making easel cards using the Flight if the Butterfly stamp set, perfect for summer birthdays. 

 I think the weather is going to be good over the weekend, so we are planning to take Philip to a vintage fire engine show, hope you have a great weekend!!

                                                               

A Special Bithday Card .......

It is my Mum's birthday this week, and at this time of year her garden is filled with beautiful "cottage garden" flowers in all colours, so I have made this card for her.

I have used the beautiful 2-step stamp set Greenhouse Garden from Stampin' Up!  the flowers have been cut out and raised with diamensionals. The colours are Perfect Plum and Elegant Eggplant. The flowers have a little extra sparkle as I added some dazzling diamonds in the centres. The leaves are from the new Bird on a Branch punch. I changed the greeting in the Oval All stamp set using the stamp-ma-jig and it is layered using the oval punches.

I have made a matching gift bag for a special present, I will share that with you tomorrow.

                                                   

Your Next Stamp Challenge 19 ......

It is time for a new challenge today at Your Next Stamp!!!  It is the lovely Starlet Amy's turn to set the challenge this week and she would like to see "Printed/Patterned Ribbon" on your project.  This is a perfect oppourtunity to use up some ribbon as it is  one of those must have items I seem to hang on to and can not bring my self to cut into, so I have a huge box of ribbon in my craft room!!

As always the very talented Starlets have made some beautiful cards to share with you, so hop over to the challenge blog and leave them a comment!!

I have used the lovely Shopper Fhiona for my card, perfect for a "girly" card!!  I have used the heart stamp from this stamp set to make the background card, the striped ribbon is one of my favourites righ now, I have tied the end of teh ribbon with some linen thread.  I have added a flower and gem brad from the pretties kit and the tags are from the tiny tags stamp set.

 
Karen is having a sale on some of the retiring stamp sets, so if your quick you may just pick up a bargain!!!  There are more new stamps planned for the coming months!!!

                              

Truly Scrumptious Challenge 35 ......

It is new challenge time at Truly Scrumptious, this week Sharon has a great sketch for you, I loved using this one, nice and simple and my card came together really quickly!!  You can see the beautiful cards from the very talented design team here, such wonderful inspiration!!

We have the perfect optional  extra challenge for summertime this week, "Strawberries & Cream" perfect to celebrate the start of Wimbledon!!

I have used the colours of "Strawberries & Cream" for my card this week, I have turned the sketch to fit my stamp and also added a sentiment and a small bow & charm.

I bought this stamp months ago, and never inked it until now???  (Ooops!!)  I thought she would make a perfect choice for a summer card, I coloured her to match the gorgeous Sahara Sand DP, I used Real Red for matting and layering, the gorgeous satin ribbon is also real Red, I have added a sweet strawberry charm from my stash.

Hope you can find time to join us at Truly Scrumptious this week, there is a fabulous prize on offer again this week for a lucky winner chosen at random!!!

                                                   

A Summer Rose ........

 

June is the start of special Birthdays for me to make cards for, so what better way to start than with a beautiful summer card.  I have used the gorgeous A Rose is a Rose stamp set from Stampin' Up! cutting out and layering the flowers with diamensionals, along the edges of the flowers I have added some dazzling diamonds glitter for that extra sparkle.  I have used Rose Red and Regal Pink, the background was made with the beautiful So Swirly  stampin' wheel.  They are so fast to use and the results are stunning, this is my favourite one!!  I have used the eyelet boarder punch and some striped Old Olive ribbon with a gem brad in the centre to make a nice flat bow.

                                        

The Wonders of Nursery ......

I have made another card using the Sweet Treat stamp set, this card has a chocolate ladybird inside with a sliding door to allow you to take out the sweet without destroying the card in the process, the petals that make up the flower have been stamped and cut out seperately.

At nursery Philip has been looking at "Mini Beasts" (YUCK!!) they have some caterpillars in the nursery that should become butterflies this week, the children are going to set them free.  Although how they have survived the noise and the children swinging their net home, I'm not quite sure???  The end of this topic is going to be a visit from Zoo Lab, they bring live mini beasts from across the world for the children to touch and look at, now Mrs Ellis who is Philip's key worker is not looking forward to this day at all, so I thought this card would be perfect to reward her bravery!!!  I'm sure I'm extremely busy that morning!!! 

I have used Pocket Shillouttes for the grasses and the small butterfly is cut from the Flight of the Butterfly set, the colours are Mellow Moss and Real red.

Today Philip is spending the morning in the Reception class with some of the other children that will start school in September, afterwards I will take him for his lunch at school!!  I'm sure this will be awful as he he is so fussy and he won't eat anything, I think it will be packed lunches for him, which will be just as difficult!!!

The time for Philip to start school has come round so quickly, when Lucy was starting school Philip was still a baby, time really does fly by!!!  I know I'm going to miss him!!

                                                       

Cards for Dad .......

I have been very good this year and made two Fathers Day cards, usually I would buy them, as most of my stamps are cute or girly, not really suitable for mens cards.  Now I have my Stampin' Up! stamps, I have so many stamps that are perfect for many different occasions.

I do addmit this was a very last minute card, I think it was almost 12.30am when I finished this one!!!  I have made an origami shirt with a ribbon tie that Julie kindly sent me the tutorial for, you can see the card Julie made here.  Seeing the card made of ties that Sarah posted last night gave me this inspiration for my card.  I have used theA to Z stamp for the background, the colours are Taken with Teal and Soft Suede. the paper for the shirt is from the sweet pea stack and the greeting is from the Best Wishes & More set.

Lucy was pleased to find this card ready for her to give this morning as she said it was just like what Dad goes to work in!!???

Fortunately I made this card a few weeks ago!!!  This card has been made with the Schoolbook Serif alphabet stamp set and the fantastic All in theFamily set, which has so many possibilities, you can even add the family pet!!! The colours are Real Red and Tempting Turquoise, I coloured the "Lucy & Philip" in with my stampin Write markers.

It has been slightly warmer today, but certainly not the kind of day you would sit out in the garden, its the dreaded North Sea coast that inflicts us with cold winds and thick cloud!!  Hope you have had a lovely weekend and enjoyed some sunshine!!!

                                               

Something Sweet .......

I thought I would share another of the fabulous new Stamp sets that are available from the Stampin' up! mini catalogue, this set is called Something Sweet, there are14 wood mounted stamps in this set!!!

I have used a combination of Rich Razzleberry, Rose Red and Regal Pink, the lovely polka dot paper is from the sweet pea paper stack (so many gorgeous papers and colours), I have cut out the jelly beans at the bottom and coated them with Crystal Effects to give them a glossy finish.  I have used the sweet treat cups with the stamp set and filled the cup with yummy jelly beans, I'm sure Lucy's friend will love it!!

It has been so cold today, I think the very strong winds have managed to finish off my hanging baskets, so much for the BBQ I was hoping to have this weekend!!!  So a shopping trip was called for instead!!!

                                                                

Itty Bitty Buds .....

When you host a Stampin' Up! workshop with qualifying sales you can recieve exclusive stamp sets that are not available to purchase in the catalogue.  This is a level 2 hostess stamp set Itty Bitty Bud's, I thought it was perfect for a pretty summer card.

I have used melon mambo card, with the background stamped on to whisper white card using, old olive, melon mambo. rich razzleberry and pale plum, the polka dot ribbon is melon mambo too.  I have stamped the larger flower from the set as a focal point using my Stamp-ma-jig to line it up perfectly (I don't know how I managed without this fabulous bit of kit!!) I have used diamensionals to layer up the image simply adding a scalloped edge to one side.

                            

Soft Suede Shillouttes ......

    
This is one of the cards I made last week, using the lovely new Soft Suede colour from Stampin' Up! I know this is going to be one of my favourites!!

I have used the Pocket Shillouttes stamp set with soft suede, close to cocoa and creamy caramel ink, using the same colour card for my layers, the base is soft suede and I have used the small sandy speckles wheel with white craft and soft suede ink to make the lovely background. I added a band of soft suede polka dot ribbon. 

The beautiful polka dot ribbon is only available while stocks last, so if you would like to get your hands on some, e-mail me for further details to avoid dissapointment!!!

                                              

Melon Mambo Butterflies ......

I liked the card I showed yesterday so much I decided to make anothe using the new Melon Mambo colour, I don't usually make 2 cards the same but I thought I would give it a go and see how different the same card looks in another colour.

I have used The Flight of the Butterfly stamp set and butterfly punch with the melon mambo ink and white craft ink, the sentiment is Oval All with the matching punches, large pearls are from the pretties kit, and of course the beautiful polka dot ribbon is melon mambo too!!

Short and sweet today as I'm off to finish off the de-cluttering!!!

                                           

A New Award ......

I have been given this fun award by two lovely bloggers, Kathryn of Lilackat and Victoria of Blue Jelly too, if you have time hop over and have a look at their beautiful blogs. 

There are some rules I have to follow;

 Thank and link the person who gave you the award.

 Display the award on your blog.

Tell 6 lies and 1 truth about yourself or vice versa.

Nominate 7 others and leave a message letting them know.

So here are my 6 lies and 1 truth.

1.  I don't like chocolate.

2.  I love Jon Bon Jovi .

3.  Ironing is my favourite weekend pastime.

4.  I'm a natural blonde.

5.  I would never shop on-line its too risky.

6.  I married a millioaire chef.

7.  My craft stash fits into a shoe box.

I would like to nominate the following lovely bloggers for this award, as I know they would never lie to you!!!    

Jules,  

Ali,  

Faye,

Simonne,

Shirley,

Fiona,

Dorothy.

                            

Rich Razzleberry Butterflies ......

 It has been another busy week and I'm afraid my blog has suffered again, there's just not enough hours in the day, even though I'm up until silly o'clock!!  I have managed to fit a little craft time in so I will share those cards with you over the next few days.

Today's cardis made using the beautiful new Rich Razzleberry colour from Stampin' Up!, I have used the Flight of the Butterfly stamp set with the co-ordinating punch, the background is stamped with white craft ink and rich razzleberry ink, the sentiment is from the Oval All stamp set with the matching punches, and the gorgeous polka dot ribbon is also rich razzleberry.

I thought I would share my inspiration for this card - LOOK what I found in my garden yesterday!!!!

Irises are one of my favourite flowers, there are so many beautiful colours and I have tried for many years to grow them but without success, or maybe it was Lucy's rabbits eating them!!!!  I was happy to find a stem of small yellow irises earlier in the week, but to find this beautiful  iris was a real joy.

Yesterday we went shopping and bought allsorts of things for the house that we probably don't need, so I will be spending today having a HUGE clearout of clutter as it is taking over, Lucy's bedroom and Philip's toys are next on my hit list!!!! There's also the weekly mountain of ironing to tackle so I better get on and make a start!!!

                                             

Wooo Hooo!!! Its time for a new challenge at Truly Scrumptious this week!!! There are some very talented ladies on the design team, so don't forget to stop by and share some comments.

This week Beth has created this lovely sketch for your inspiration, with the optioal extra of "gingham", I have used some Bashful Blue gingham ribbon from Stampin' Up! although it is not too clear in the photo!!

The challenge this week is sponsored by Whimsey Stamps and Denise has kindly allowed the design team to use one of their cute digi images - I have used "party snail". I think this is so cute and it is perfect for one of Philips friends!!

I have used my Stampin' Write markers and blender pens to colour the image, and I covered the balloon with crystal effects and sprinkled some dazzling diamonds glitter over it while wet, the papers are Sweet Pea , I have stamped the alphabet on the close to cocoa card with chocolate chip ink, all products are available from Stampin' Up!

I do hope you can join us at Truly Scrumptious this week, thanks for stopping by,

                           

Your Next Stamp Challenge 18 ......

It is time for a new challenge at Your Next Stamp, this week it is the turn of the extremely talented Simonne to set the challenge, this week Simonne wants you to use "buttons" on your card.

I have used one of the Mini Fhiona stamps, Party Fhiona. I love using the mini stamps they are just so cute and work well with your punches too!!! This is a nice plain and simple card, I have added a button on my ribbon and tied it with linnen thread, adding 2 tiny tags available in the new mini catalogue from Stampin' Up!.

You can see all of the talented Your Next Samp creations here.

                           

Your Next Stamp June Blog Hop ......

Welcome to Your Next Stamp's June blog hop, if you have arrived at my blog from talented Your Next Stamp Starlet Cabio, then you are at the right place, if not you can go back to the start here!!

There wiil be lot's of fun and beautiful creations along the way, so leave a comment on every blog along the way, as one of the Starlets has a fabulous prize to give way to a lucky commenter - $50 to spend on your choice of Your Next Stamp stamp!!!!! Wooooo Hooooo!!!!!!!  Karen is one very generous lady!!!

For my first card I have used the cutest Fhiona ever (well I think so!!)  Hula Hoop Fhiona, isn't she just so cute?? The sentiment and the colourful bubbles are included in this set of 9 stamps!! 

This is one of the fun new images from Franfrau, I have chosen really bright colours for this card, I have coloured the Basketball Bear and added crystal effects to the ball to give it some dimension. I added a punched star and a button from my stash tied with linen thread.  I know this card will be perfect for one of Philip's little friends.

Now it is time to continue the hop and hop on over to the very talented Your Next Stamp Starlet Simonne, where I know you will find more beautiful cards to swoon over!! Don't forget to leave a comment at every blog as you could be the lucky winner of $50 worth of stamps!!!!

Karen is now giving you the option when purchasing Your Next Stamp stamps to have them with or without cling mount, I know I love using the cling mount as it is so quick and easy to use, especially with the gorgeous purple coloured rubber of Your Next Stamps!!
                                             

Cupcakes ......

There's nothing nicer than a pretty cupcake, so I knew I would end up buying this gorgeous Crazy For Cupcakes stamp set from Stampin' Up!

I have used a combination of the lovely new Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise and Close to Cocoa, I have added some dazzling diamonds glitter to the cupcake frosting, along with crystal effects on the candle, to give it a waxy look.  The knot is tied with the lovely new Soft Suede polka dot ribbon, and the backgound is made with my favourite stamp at the moment - the beautiful Medallian stamp, which I inked with the Melon Mambo ink and stamped the corners of some Melon Mambo card. 

Today the sun has gone and it has rained, it has been a beautiful week and we have had a lovely few days away over the half term, so now I'm playing catch up again!!  Fortunately there is a teacher training day tomorrow, so an extra day off school for Lucy and Philip, hopefully the rain might go away and we can visit the local park while it will be quieter than usual, as most of the other children on our estate will be in school.  Hope you had a lovely weekend and enjoyed the sun shine while it lasted!!!

                                 

Your Next Stamp June Release ......

Today I have a card to share with you from the June release from Your Next Stamp.

I have used the very elegant tree from the new Elegant Series stamp set, I have stamped with black ink and then I added a layer of fine glitter to give it a gorgeous sparkle.  I have gone with a black and white colour theme as I wanted to keep the layout simple as I think this works best with the sentiment from the same range.  I have used some of my favourite Stampin' Up! ribbon and just twisted it, using a clear brad to hold it in palce.

(Details of my ribbon share are here.)

If you hop over to Karen's blog now you can join in the fun, and you will see the beautiful cards the very talented Your Next Stamp starlets have created.

Karen is now giving you the option when purchasing Your Next Stamp stamps to have them with or without cling mount, I know I love using the cling mount as it is so quick and easy to use, especially with the gorgeous purple coloured rubber of Your Next Stamps!!
                                         

Your Next Stamp New Release ........

It is time to share some of the fantastic new June stamp releases from Your Next Stamp!!!

Karen the owner of Your Next Stamp is releasing some Single Fhiona Stamps.  You can still buy accessory stamps for the Single Fhiona stamps, giving you the oppourtunity to mix and match your sets!!!  

I have used the very sweet Fairy Fhiona for my card. I have coloured her with my ink pads and blender pen, adding small pearls in her hair and shimmer for her wings. The melon mambo card is stamped with a small swirl stamp in the same ink and this gorgeous spotty ribbon is  ....... of course you guessed melon mambo!!

If you hop on over to Karen's blog you can join in the fun and see the other new single Fhiona satmps from the very talented Your Next Stamp Satrlets. 

Karen is now giving you the option when purchasing Your Next Stamp stamps to have them with or without cling mount, I know I love using the cling mount as it is so quick and easy to use, especially with the gorgeous purple coloured rubber of Your Next Stamps!!