Candle Wraps and a Last Butterfly Play

Hey there!

Yes just one more day left of the Summer Mini Catalogue, and although many of us will be very sad to see the Butterfly Prints Stamp set and matching punch go, HELLO Autumn Winter Mini! But more on that on Thursday!

I created these projects for a workshop I held on Saturday, to show the girls (waving to Cara-Leigh) just how cute these soon to be unavailable products can be…

Starting with an Ikea candle, I added a wide strip of Embossed Baja Breeze Card (Alert – preview from Upcoming Autumn Winter Mini!!!). I first stamped three butterflies in White Craft Ink on Pacific Point Card, and punched them out with the coordinating butterfly punch (did I mention it is soon to disappear???)

I popped them on dimensionals and added a half pearl as the centre – I bent the wings forward for some added dimension.  I stamped the sentiment from the same stampset with Pacific Point and punched with my Wide Oval Punch.

My Baja Breeze Grosgrain Stripe Ribbon tied in a big bow and trimmed with half pearls finishes the sentiment off beautifully.  And now for the piece de resistance (is that spelt correctly???!?!?!?!?)…

This is my first attempt at the paper flower that I first saw on Dawn McVey’s Blog – and I am hooked! Check out Dawn’s blog here for a tutorial on how to make this little beauty but in short all you need is the Circle Scallop Punch, some offcuts of pattern DSP (or plain if that tickles your fancy) and a brad – thats it! Punch five scallops, secure in the middle with a brad and start scrunching one layer at a time into towards the brad.  tease back out into shape and voila! (there is that French again!!!) Dawn has a video tutorial – well worth checking out!

I loved my candle wrap so much I had to make another one!

This candle wrap consists of a Perfectly Plum base, Pirouhette Pink Accents with Pretty in Pink and Elegant Eggplant stamped butterflies and sentiment, and the ribbon is white grosgrain.  My gorgeous paper flower is made from the soon to be unavailable Kaliedescope DSP that ended up being so much more versatile than I orginally expected.

This candle is taking pride of place in my display unit – I LOVE IT!

Today is your last chance to order any of these featured products from the Summer Mini so be sure to contact quick smart if you don’t want to miss out on these gorgeous little butterfly images and punchies, and of course the kaliedescope DSP stampingelegance@live.com

Have a great day all and keep an eye on my blog for the Autumn Winter Mini Launch tomorrow!

Jan x

Just Add Dimension!!!

Hey girls, 

I have so much to post for you this week, but I am going to start with my entry for the Just Add Ink Challenge #5 which is all about adding dimension to your projects!

Click here to see the details for this week’s challenge “Just Add Dimension” – and if you haven’t heard about Just Add Ink – it is a challenge and tutorial related blog run by some very talented and enthusiastic Stampin’ Up! Independant Demonstrators – I LOVE IT and am trying my absolute best to enter each challenge.

I have taken a little longer to participate this week, as I had a specific idea in mind and needed a bit of time to formulate an ACTION PLAN! It is my gorgeous friend and neighbour Jo’s birthday tomorrow, and I have a sweet little pack of Earth Elements brads to give her (SU) as a gift, and wanted to package them in a Flower Pot Gift Bag (elaborating on the Flower Pot card thing that is SOOO popular around the blogs).

As I had never made a Flower Pot Card before I needed time to have a wee play

So… here is my dimensional project for this week:

 

I have used a combination of Kaleidescope DSP (Summer Mini), Barely Banana, Sage Shadow and one of my faves, Basic Grey.  The butterflys are made using my full heart punch (and folding two in half laying them side by side to create “wings” and the littel antennae are from the Butterfly Prints Stamp Set (also Summer Mini)…

Here is the side view – you can see the little brads container is hanging in there in a cellophane bag, secured at the top.

And here is the slide out card:

This lovely sentiment on the slide out card is from the gorgeous Whimsical Words SAB set and although I just couldn’t get it to show in the photographs, there is a lovely happy birthday sentiment on the front of the flowerpot (stamped in green galore and punched in a word window) which is from another SAB set – Happy Moments.

My next post will be quite a lengthy one, with a few projects from a recent workshop, so be sure to check back soon – Oh and again, log on to Just Add Ink and send the gorgeous entrants some comment love eh?

Jan x 

Fast Paced Stamping! A Klass Act Team Day

Last Saturday I had the priviledge and pleasure of attending my first Team Day with the “A Klass Act” girls and we had a fab time stamping a chatting and admiring each other’s designs for the shoebox swap…

We were each given the task to bring along a card design (themed around the Stampin’ UP! Summer Mini Catalogue) with all the elements needed to make it in a pack for each person.  The theory was that we would all move around the table making a card to each other’s designs – all 13 of them!!!

A great theory – in practice we ran out of time and rushed around like headless chooks trying to finish off the last ones! I am a little dismayed that I missed out on making quite a few! And as every single design was fantastic – that is quite a disappointment! Anywho here are the gorgeous layouts I DID manage to complete:

Michelle Scott CLICK HERE FOR MICHELLE’S BLOG

Lousie Layton CLICK HERE FOR LOUISE’S BLOG

Kerry High

Sue Goodwin and Tracey Wilson

Janice Klass CLICK HERE FOR JANNY’S BLOG

Narelle Newcombe

Our Team Leader – Sarah Klass CLICK HERE FOR SARAH’S BLOG

Natalie Zapantis (This is a cute mini card)

and my offering for the day!

It wasn’t until I got home and counted my cards (so to speak) that I realised I must have missed some.  I knew I had a wee package from Jaz Hicks that I will finish when I am next at Michelle’s house as she has all the tools I need for that one (will post as soon as I finish – it is a gorgeous Butterfly Prints Card), and after looking at various other blogs I think I missed an entire corner of the table.  I missed out on making a really sweet Lucky Duck card (Wagon Full of Fun) from Jenny Robinson, and a really sweet Retro card by Chantell Randall using the Hello Again Stamp sets and wheel.  Make sure you click HERE for Chantell’s card – and I will try and get a copy of Jenny’s to show you – would hate for you to miss out on these two gems the way I did!!!

 

Anywho – the bottom line is I had a GREAT DAY at my first team day ( So much talent) and can’t wait for the next one!

 

If you would like to be part of this really fun and inspiring team, why don’t you ask me about becoming a demonstrator too?

 

Jan x

Summer Mini Elements

I was playing around with a few items from the Summer Mini recently and discovered a new favourite colour combo – Real Red, Kraft and Black…

 

My layout inspiration came from this beautiful card that Michelle Scott gave me here, and don’t you just love the effect of Black ink on Kraft card?

Most of the reds in my card stock pile are Ruby Red or Riding Hood Red – this is really the first time I have played with Real Red (Due to it matching the Real Red Polka Dot Ribbon) and now I am hooked! In my scrapbooking I am definitely fond of the concept of “white space” and I think it works really well with this card – The large simple Kraft circle (thanks Circle Scissors Plus!) lets the sentiment breathe… 

Stamp Set Butterfly Prints (Summer Mini)

Ink Black – how simple is that!

Card Kraft, Real Red

Punches and Tools Circle Scissors Plus, Eyelet Border, Butterfly Punch

Accessories Real Red Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Brads from Hodge Podge Hardware

Something Special About Watercolouring!

Water colouring with my Aqua Painter is definitely one of my favourite techniques, and I think the results with this card are pretty special.  I’ve used Kraft Card with highlights of Cameo Coral, and added two kinds of brads from my Hodge Podge Hardware:

 

 

 

I just love repeat stamping – especially with this large flower from the Embrace Life stamp set – you can easily create your own printed paper in the exact colour to suit your project. 

Repeat Stamp and Watercolour with Your Aqua Painter - A Great Effect!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One single butterfly stamped with the new Spring Mini stamp set Butterfly Prints and punched with the brand new Butterfly Punch, and secured with a brad creates a fantastic accent.

 

Don’t be afraid to double mat an accent like this – it really brings it off the page.

 

The sentiment I’ve used is from the retired Yummy stamp set, and is highlighted with a brad and piece of Riding Hood red taffeta ribbon.

 

  

For this project you will need:

 

Card Kraft, Cameo Coral, Whisper White

Ink Riding Hood Red, Cameo Coral, Summer Sun

Stamp Sets Embrace Life, Butterfly Prints, Yummy

Punches Butterfly Punch, Eyelet Border

Tools Aqua painter 

Accessories Hodge Podge Hardware, Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon

 

Thanks for stopping by!