Happy 60th Birthday
A friend of mine celebrated a milestone birthday recently and I thought you might like to see the card I made for him. I cut the Happy Birthday Thinlits Die from a piece of Wood Textures Designer Series Paper. I cut Early Expresso card twice using the same die. I attached the Designer Series paper to scored and folded Early Espresso card. No comes the slightly tricky bit. You need to save all of the pieces that are cut by the die from the Designer Series Paper. I placed one of the Early Espresso die cuts into the space on the designer series paper and then by adding a drop of Tombow Multipurpose glue into the gaps added all of the additional pieces around the happy birthday. 
Some of them are quite small, so it is a little fiddly. Once they were all in place, I attached the two Early Espresso die cuts together, placed the Designer Series Paper die cut on top and glued them into the space on the card front. I punched two balloons from Crumb Cake card using the Balloon Bouquet Punch. I cut the numbers from Early Espresso card (sorry the Timeless Type Alphabet dies are long retired). I attached the numbers to the balloons and then ran them through the Big Shot using the Softly Falling Embossing Folder. I attached a length of Linen Thread behind each of the balloons and attached them to the card front using Mini Dimensionals. 
I cut the strings and attached them to the top of the letter “h” by using a small amount of the Liquid glue. Once that was done I attached the “happy birthday” onto the card front. I love how you get that slight shadow of the darker card behind the greeting.
To decorate the inside of the card I stamped the mug from the Hug in a Mug stamp set using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I stamped the fill using Crushed Curry and added the greeting from the Half Full stamp set using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I die cut a small cloud from Whisper White card using the Up and Away Thinlits Dies. I placed the Whisper White card on top of the mug so that the cloud looked like the froth on top of a beer. I added some Dazzling Diamonds Stampin’ Glitter to some Embossing Paste and filled the cloud. When you remove the mask it does look like a mug of beer.
I hope that Kerry loves his card and that he has an awesome birthday.
Bye for now,
Kris
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Seaside birthday
My husband and I have a friend celebrating his birthday this week and this is the card I made for him. I cut the swirly border from Marina Mist card using the die from the Swirly Scribbles Thinlits Dies. I attached the swirly border across Whisper White card and stamped the “sun” using one of the images from the Swirly Birds stamp set and Daffodil Delight ink. I cut the second largest Lots of Labels die from the stamped Whisper White card and attached the outside panel to scored and folded Marina Mist card. 
I cut three of the same labels from Marina Mist card and attached them to each other with the stamped Whisper White label on the top. I attached the stacked labels into the space in the Whisper White card. 
I stamped the boat image using various images from the Swirly Birds stamp set and Night of Navy and Marina Mist ink . I hand cut the boat and attached it to the card front.
To decorate the inside of the card, I attached a Marina Mist swirly border to the bottom of Whisper White card. I stamped the greeting from the Butterfly Basics stamp set using Night of Navy ink.
I know that our friend will appreciate this card, as he lives on the coast and loves to fish.
Bye for now,
Kris
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Moving House
My girlfriend (and her husband) recently moved from Sydney to North Haven (near Port Macquarie) to begin retired life. It’s a big move, leaving behind the children and grandchildren but sometimes big decisions have to be made. Having lived in the North Haven area for several years, I know they will love it – it is, a most beautiful place. Anyway I thought I should make a card to send to celebrate the move. I started by cutting a square of Whisper White card using the Hometown Greetings Edgelits Dies. I cut Cajun Craze and Garden Green using the same Edgelit Die. I sponged Garden Green ink onto the Whisper White card to represent “grass”. 
I cut another square of Whisper White card and sponged the top two-thirds using Pool Party ink to represent the “sky”. I cut the two house images from the Cajun Craze card and attached them over the Whisper White houses. I cut the tree from the Garden Green piece and attached it over the Whisper White tree. I attached this panel to the panel sponged with Pool Party ink. 
I cut the largest circle from the Layering Circles Framelits Dies from the top half of Whisper White card and attached the sponged/die cut panel behind the opening. I stamped the greeting from the Dare to Dream (hostess) stamp set using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I attached the whole panel to scored and folded Cajun Craze card using dimensionals.
To decorate the inside of the card I stamped the three houses from the Hearts Come Home stamp set using Cajun Craze ink. The two trees from the same stamp set were stamped in Garden Green.
I love how this card turned out. It did take a little fussy cutting and playing with the dies but sometimes that’s half the fun. It also makes my heart happy when I can use a stamp set for a purpose other than the one it was intended for. I hope Kerry and Dave settle into their new home well and that we can catch up soon.
Bye for now,
Kris
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Merry & Bright
I have been playing with the Hearts Come Home stamp set to create cards to my upcoming Beachmere classes. I thought this one would be easy but it seems to have taken on a mind of its own. However, while we might not make this in class, it is still a lovely card and I thought I would share with you my attempted case of one (which I can’t find now) by Lorraine Clinch. I stamped the greeting from Hearts Come Home onto the lower right hand corner of scored and folded Thick A4 Whisper White using Dapper Denim ink. I embossed a panel of Whisper White card using the Softly Falling Embossing Folder and attached it to the left hand side of the card front. I cut a circle from Dapper Denim card and used the “star” die in the Hometown Greetings Edgelits Dies to create the starry night sky. 
I cut the houses from Whisper White card, also using one of the Hometown Greetings Edgelits Dies. I also cut Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper using the same die. I cut the houses from the Glimmer Paper die cuts and attached the glimmer paper over the Whisper White die cuts. I attached the two die cuts one on top of the other to the Dapper Denim circle. 
I cut a circle from Whisper White card using the Layering Circle Framelits Dies. The Dapper Denim circle is attached behind the circle opening in the Whisper White card. I wrapped the bottom of the Whisper White card with Dapper Denim Ruffled Ribbon (retired) and tied a knot. The Whisper White panel is attached to the card front using dimensionals.
To decorate the inside of the card, I cut Dapper Denim card with the Hometown Greetings Edgelits Dies. I also cut the same die from Whisper White card. I trimmed the houses from the Whisper White card and embossed it using the Softly Falling Embossing Folder. I attached the Whisper White card to the Dapper Denim Edgelit before attaching to the bottom edge of the inside of the card.
Although this card wasn’t as simple as I thought it would be I am still very happy with the way it turned out. What do you think?
Bye for now,
Kris
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Colour Theory
With the release of the new Annual Catalogue in June, I had to change the way I ran my Memory Keeping Classes, so for the past six months we have been using the Colour Theory Memories and More Card Pack as well as the Colourful Seasons stamp set and the Seasonal Layers Thinlits Dies. This ladies purchased a small kit which I put together (not including the stamp set and dies) and this month is the last time we will use it. I decided to have a play with some of the cards I had left and see if I could change them up a bit. Not that there is anything wrong with the cards as they are but being card makers and scrapbookers we often want to push the design limits.
For the first card I simply added one of the die cut camera images to the bottom of the pre-stamped card. Not very exciting, but a little stepped up and easy enough for anyone to do, no extra supplies needed, just your Colour Theory Memories and More Card pack.
For the second card, I used two 3″ x 4″ cards. I laid one horizontally onto the other and trimmed the sides away. Then I stamped the greeting from the Colourful Seasons stamp set onto Whisper White card and used the Layering Circle Framelits Dies to cut it out. I attached the greeting to a Crumb Cake scalloped circle cut using the same dies. The greeting is attached to the centre of the circle on the Colour Theory Memories and More card. Still pretty simple but you do need a few extra supplies.
The third card uses two 3″ x 4″ cards once more, and, this time I have cut the greeting from one using the Layering Squares Framelits Dies. I attached the greeting to a Crumb Cake scalloped square cut using the same dies before attaching to the other Colour Theory Memories and More card. I also attached one of the die cut “suns” to the top left hand corner. Once more, simple and the only extra supply is the Layering Squares Framelits Dies.
The fourth card uses one of the 3″ x 4″ Colour Theory Memories and More cards and this time I have die cut two of the chairs from Whisper White card using the Seasonal Layers Thinlits Dies. One of the chairs has the back trimmed away and is turned upside down to create a table. I also stamped the drink and the lime images from the Colourful Seasons stamp set which I die cut using the matching Seasonal Layers Thinlits Dies. Cute isn’t it and this card only uses the supplies we had in our kits and the stamp set and matching dies.
The last card is a little stepped up and I did case this one from one I found on Pinterest. This time I used a 4″ x 6″ card and cut out the greeting using the Layering Square Framelits Dies. Once I cut out the greeting, I covered the square hole by attaching a 3″ x 4″ Memories and More card over the top. I attached the greeting to a Pink Pirouette scalloped square cut using the same dies. The greeting is attached to the centre of the Memories and More Card using dimensionals. I stamped two flowers in Pink Pirouette and two flowers in Berry Burst using the images from the Colourful Seasons stamp set. I stamped the centre onto each flower using Early Espresso ink. I cut out the images using the matching die from the Seasonal Layers Thinlits Dies. I also cut two detailed leaf images from Old Olive card, also using the die from the Seasonal Layers Thinlits Dies. I attached the leaves to the top left and bottom right corner of the image panel so that the stems are hidden behind the greeting panel and then attached the flowers over the top using dimensionals.
So there you have five stepped up cards using the Colour Theory Memories and More card pack, as well as the co-ordinating Seasonal Layers Thinlits Dies and the Colourful Seasons stamp set. I hope these have inspired you to get creative your Memories and More card packs.
Bye for now,
Kris
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Super Simple
Do you send out lots of Christmas cards? Well, here is a card which really is super simple and super quick to make. I stamped the greeting from the Oh What Fun stamp set onto the lower right hand corner of Smoky Slate card using Memento Tuxedo Black ink before embossing using the Softly Falling Embossing Folder. I attached the embossed card to scored and folded Cherry Cobbler card. 
I sponged the edges of a piece of Be Merry Designer Series paper using Cherry Cobbler ink and attached it to the left hand side of the embossed card. I stamped the tree from the Lovely As A Tree stamp set onto Whisper White card using Garden Green ink and cut it out with the largest oval from the Layering Ovals Framelits Dies.
I sponged the edges using Garden Green ink and attached it to the card front. I used the darkest of my Cherry Cobbler Stampin’ Blends (you are going to love these) to colour three large Basic Rhinestones which I added to the tree.
To decorate the inside of the card, I attached a narrow strip of the same designer series paper to Smoky Slate card and then the bottom of Whisper White card.
See, I told you, super simple, super quick. You could make heaps of these in no time at all. What do you think?
Bye for now,
Kris
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Birthday Wishes
This is a card I created for a friend of mine who recently celebrated her birthday. I started by stamping the Burlap Background onto Whisper White card using Sahara Sand ink. I stamped the flower from You’ve Got This onto Whisper White card three times. Once using Berry Burst ink, once using Rich Razzleberry ink and once using Fresh Fig ink. I used the no line colouring technique I learned from my friend and fellow demonstrator Vicky Wright. What that means is that you use an Aqua Painter which is slightly wet as soon as you stamp the image and move the ink around to colour the image. It gives a lovely wash of colour and you don’t need to pick up ink from anywhere else. 
Once I had stamped and coloured each flower, I cut them out. I stamped the stem and leaf part of the image three times onto Whisper White card using Old Olive ink and using the same technique, couloured them and cut them out. I did leave a little of the flower on the top of the stems so that I could attached the flowers I had already cut out to each one. 
I attached the Fresh Fig flower onto the top right hand corner of the stamped Whisper White card card and attached the Rich Razzleberry flower over the top. I used dimensionals to add the Berry Burst flower. I wrapped the bottom of the card with Berry Burst 1/2″ Finely Woven Ribbon and tied a bow. The whole panel is attached to scored and folded Berry Burst card.
To decorate the inside of the card, I stamped the greeting from the Butterfly Basics stamp set using Berry Burst ink. I also stamped, coloured and cut out another flower using Berry Burst ink. The flower is attached just above and to the right of the greeting.
I am loving this card. So happy birthday Shirley, hope you had an amazing day.
Bye for now,
Kris
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Stampin’ Blends
Some really exciting news to share with you today. Stampin’ Up! is releasing new Alcohol Markers – Stampin’ Blends on the 1st November. These markers are alcohol based and come in colour sets of two which you can buy individually or as a pair. This gives them an advantage over the Blendibilities which had to be bought in sets of three markers. When the Blendibilities were withdrawn due to manufacturing problems, I for one was devastated. I have never succumbed to the other alcohol markers which are available because they always seemed so complicated to pair together. Stampin’ Up! as usual has made it really easy to choose your markers and have some fantastic results. With the release of the markers you will be able to purchase the Colour Me Happy Project Kit and Colour Me Happy stamp set which are designed with the Stampin’ Blends in mind. These products will be available only while stocks last.
As you know being a demonstrator gives me some fantastic perks and one of these is being able to purchase product before they are released to customers. As demonstrators we were able to purchase the Stampin’ Blends at the beginning of October and I have had a fun time playing with them. I am delighted with how easy they are to use and blend. The markers also include two skin tone markers and a Colour Lifter which I am happy to say works wonderfully well.
Here is a video by Stampin’ Up! to give you an idea of how fantastic they are.
I have completed one of each of the cards from the Colour Me Happy Project Kit using the Colour Me Happy stamp set. The kit contains enough product to complete four each of four different designs with the exception of the stamp set, glue and a stamp-a-ma-jig (not completely necessary but I found it very helpful).
The first two cards are 4″ x 4″. I love the cute little birds and although I did change up the colours for the “Thank You” card, I am so happy with the completed projects.
The second two cards are standard size and also so adorable, don’t you love those lanterns and flowers. Take note of the beautiful envelopes with liners that come with the kit.
I bet you are excited now and can’t wait to place your order for these fantastic markers. Oh, and if you want to be part of my team, you can purchase the Stampin’ Blends as part of your starter kit.
Bye for now,
Kris
Fab Friday 123
Here I am attempting another challenge and giving you all a break from my Christmas Card creations. I might have taken a little liberty with this week’s challenge at Fab Friday but I did use the sketch as the inspiration to create a card to send with a package of cards to my Aunty. She doesn’t read my blog so I can share before she receives her gift. I used the Flourish Thinlits Dies to cut Elegant Eggplant card and attached it across the lower right hand edge of Whisper White card. The Whisper White card is attached to Perfect Plum card and then scored and folded Elegant Eggplant card. 
I stamped the large flower from the Flourishing Phrases stamp set onto Whisper White card three times, once using Elegant Eggplant, once using Perfect Plum and once using Crushed Curry. I cut the full flower, the smaller flower and the flower centre from each of the stamped flowers. They are attached on top of one another using Tombow Multipurpose Glue. I stamped the leaves from the same stamp set three times onto Whisper White card using Always Artichoke ink and cut them out. The leaves are attached behind the flower before attaching to the card front, covering the left hand edge of the die border. I stamped Just a note from the Flourishing Phrases stamp set onto Whisper White card using Elegant Eggplant ink. 
I punched one end using the Triple Banner Punch before sponging Elegant Eggplant ink lightly around the edges. I attached the greeting to the top right hand corner of the card front.
To decorate the inside of the card, I once more stamped and cut out the flower and leaf images before attaching them to the lower left hand corner of Whisper White card.
I love these colours together, don’t you. Stampin’ Up! makes it so easy to co-ordinate colours, if you get stuck for a combination just choose your colour palette from one of the colour families and you can’t go wrong.
Thanks once again to Fab Friday for the inspiration to create my card today.
Bye for now,
Kris
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Floral Birthday
I needed to create a birthday card for my friend recently and decided to use a layout I had previously used but with the a different stamp set. I stamped the flowers from the Painted Harvest stamp set directly onto Whisper White card using Crumb Cake as the base layer and Berry Burst as the top layer. The centre of the flowers is Chocolate Chip which I stamped off first. I also stamped the dots into the centre of the flowers using Chocolate Chip ink (without stamping off first). I stamped the “frilly” leaf image around the flowers using Lemon Lime Twist ink. I stamped the greeting from the Butterfly Basics stamp set onto the top right hand corner using Chocolate Chip ink. 
I wrapped the stamped card with Berry Burst 5/8 “Crinkled Seam Binding and tied a knot before attaching to scored and folded Chocolate Chip card. I stamped the flower onto scrap Whisper White using Powder Pink as the first layer and Berry Burst as the second layer. I used Chocolate Chip ink to add the flower centre and some dots before cutting out the flower. I stamped the solid three petal leaf onto scrap Whisper White card using Lemon Lime Twist ink which I stamped onto scrap paper first. I stamped the detailed leaf image over the top using Lemon Lime Twist ink once more and punched out three sets of leaves using the matching Leaf Punch. I attached the leaves to the back of the flower and then to the card front using mini dimensionals.
To decorate the inside of the card I stamped the flower using Crumb Cake and Berry Burst inks. I added a few of the frilly leaves using Lemon Lime Twist ink and then wrapped the panel with the Berry Burst 5/8″ Crinkled Seam Binding. I stamped the flower onto scrap Whisper White card using Powder Pink and Berry Burst ink and cut it out. I stamped one three leaf petal as before and punched it out. The leaves are attached to the back of the flower and then the stamped panel.
I love this card, I love the colours and I love the layout. I hope my friend Jenny had a wonderful birthday.
Bye for now,
Kris
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