When I was working on my 24 cards in 24 hours challenge I tried to use lots of different stamp sets. Even so, I was careful to ensure that everything I used was still available from Stampin' Up! As I was nearing the end it seemed that I'd run out of time before I ran out of projects I had to make. That's when the Sea of Textures Stamp Set called to me. I thought a few extra arms like the octopus would help, and in a round-about way it did. THE OCTOPUS The octopus was my ... VIEW POST
Use your scraps and stay in control
Many times in my blog I've tried to help you use your scraps with my project design inspirations. I've had a few people tell me that finding the right scraps is an issue for them too. Being organised with how you store and use your scraps is essential if you're to succeed with this. That's even more important for me as I keep the tiniest pieces. After a few years of trying various solutions I think I've got this down to a fine art. I have one biscuit tin that contains all my card scraps ... VIEW POST
Sea of Textures and trees
One of my favourite bundles in the Stampin' Up! 2018/2019 Annual Catalogue is the Sea of Textures Stamp Set and Under The Sea Framelits. At first I wasn't entirely sure how much use I'd have for an octopus, but having got past that little detail I have to say I've never regretted buying this set. As well as the octopus, the stamp set has some lovely sentiments. There's also great images that are perfect for creating backgrounds and adding a sense of texture to projects. This week the What ... VIEW POST
Birthdays by the sea
This morning's crafting session did not go as I had envisioned. I had planned to explore some colour combinations that I've been seeing a lot of lately, bluey-greens and purples, and bright greens and blues. It started out OK but somewhere along the way I ended up with a background that reminded me of the sea and that turned into a masculine birthday card. Not that it's a bad thing, masculine cards are always good, it just wasn't what I thought I'd be making this morning. This card all ... VIEW POST
One of a kind
I've been trying to stretch myself crafting-wise and have started to create a list of all the different techniques and styles I could use in my papercrafting. I've realised that I'm so busy playing in my studio that like the products I have, I often forget to play with different card folds etc. In fact t was this list that prompted me to make today's project, a shaker card, but just to be different I thought it would be fun to create a notecard-sized one. The base for this card is from ... VIEW POST
All at sea
Oh my goodness have you seen the Tranquil Textures suite of products on page 154 and 155 of the Stampin' Up! 2018/2019 Annual Catalogue? I simply love it and have so many ideas for projects. One of the first things I had to do was cover a boring notepad so I somewhere to write all my project plans. This simple cover for a 4" x 5-1/2" notepad started out as a piece of Mint Macaron Card cut to 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" and scored on the long side at 4-1/8" and 4-3/8". The creases were then ... VIEW POST