Shoe Box Swap - Flower Shop

I've mentioned before that one of the web-sites that I like to check out on occassion is called In Love With Stamping (INWS). The site has both a public area and also a Stampin' Up! demo only area.

A month ago I noticed that a fellow demo was organising an at home shoe box swap - this is where you prepare the required number of cards for those taking part, bag them up with instructions and then people are able to make them at home. There are fifteen of us taking part in this swap so in theory I should have 15 cards to make (including my own). The plan was to take these to the USA with me but firstly, I'm still in the UK and secondly I don't have them yet.  Hopefully they will all be available soon and I'll go and collect them.

Anyway, as a starter, I thought I would post a couple of photos of the swap that I prepared/made.

Card from the front

So you can see the inside too

The background paper that I used is from the Naturals Composition Specialty Paper Pack. All of the sheets are clear embossed on a Crumb Cake background. There are 4 designs in total and I chose the one with the flower background. The card stock in the photo does not look too Crumb Cakey (if there is such a description) because I used a sponge and my Craft White ink pad to ink the background. Once the ink was dried I then used a piece of kitchen roll to wipe the ink off the embossed parts.

Stampin' Up! supplies used:

Stamp sets : Flower Shop and Papillon Potpourri
Card stock : Soft Sky, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla
Designer Series Paper : Naturals Composition Specialty Designer Series Paper
Ink : Chocolate Chip
Accessories : Bird Builder Punch (leaves), Pansy Punch, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Large Pearl and Dimensionals

By the way, did you know that if you purchase the Flower Shop stamp set and the Pansy Punch together as part of the Flower Shop bundle you will receive a 15% discount on the bundle?

Hopefully I'll be able to show you some more of the swaps later in the week.

Swaps from Training Part IV - 3D

Sorry, things managed to get away from me yesterday and I didn't have time to schedule a post for this morning.

I've spent this morning making samples for the Sincerely Yours Show that is at the Bracknell Leisure Centre on 2 June, and also designing the FREE make and take that will be available. I've even been making some projects to post details of next week. All in all a pretty busy day as I've had to do a food shop for my 18 year old son.  That was certainly an experience in itself, and judging by what went in the shopping trolley I glad that he will be going to my Mother's two evenings next week for dinner.

In case you didn't know, I'm off to the USA on Saturday to take my daughter on a whistle stop tour of two colleges that she has been offered places at.  We only have half term to go take a look as time is running because because she would be starting in mid August (should she decide to go). Although I will be taking my lap top with me, it is going to be impossible to take my craft room.  My This and That Journal will be making the trip with me, along with a few other small things that I'm going to sneak into my hand luggage. I am planning on making the journal into a memento of our trip.

Today's post is the last of the swaps that I received earlier this month at Training. They are all 3D items. I can't decide on whether the bird brooch or the small purse is my favourite,

Tiara Helen - Bird Builder and 2012-2014 In Colors

                                      

 

Rosie Minors - Petite Purse Die, Vintage Wallpaper and Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folders and    Boho Blossom Punch

Debbie Keating - Tea for Two DSP, Boho Blossom and Decorative Label Punches and Collage Curios stamp set

Sam Donald - Petite Curly. Oval and Scallop Oval  Punches,

Leave a comment and let me know which one is your favourite.

I'm now busy working on tomorrow's and Saturday's posts so check back tomorrow to see what else I've been up to today.

Fun at Training

One of the great things about being a Stampin' Up! demo is going to the Stampin' Up! Training Days. You get to meet lots of fabulous people who like you, just love their Stampin' Up! products, and you also get to see some of the fabulous new products that will shortly be available. Quite often you even come home with something that's not yet available. Now that's what I call a perk.

Two of my downlines, Nicky and Esther came to Telford with me and Esther was lucky enough to win one of the prize patrols.

Here's a photo of the three of us together during one of the breaks.

L to R Esther, Nicky and Me

Unfortunately I can't share a photo of what Esther won as it is one of the stamp sets that will be available in the new Annual Catalogue that is coming 1 July. I can however share a photo of the Prize Patrol gift that I won (on the right) and also my Stampin' Star that Natalie gave all the team members.

Another great thing about going to Training is the swaps. Some people make a hundred and others like me a more manageable amount. As much as I would love to receive 100 swaps I have no idea where I would put them all. Instead I took 25 (actually 26 but one went up on the board) with me, which for me is a more manageable amount.

Here are three of the swaps that I received - these have a bird theme.

Made by Angelique Adams

Made by Tiara Helen

Made by Emma Shelcot

I will be sharing more swaps later in the week. In the meantime, check back tomorrow to see what I've up to today (other than tidying up my wreck of a craft room).

Peek a boo Owl

Last Saturday was a friend's birthday. She had recently bought a Owl Builder Punch from me so I thought I would make her a card using mine so she had some more inspiration of what to do with her punch.

Helen, I hope you don't mind me sharing your card!

The outside of the card was made using the Wood Grain embossing folder and piece of Soft Suede card stock.The greeting came from the Petite Pairs stamp set and I stamped it in Chocolate Chip ink. I also used the Scallop Oval, Large Oval and Scallop Circle punches.

Apologies for the shadow. It was a dark day
so I had the lights on.

The owl was punched from some scrap Chocolate Chip and Designer Series Paper and the branch was punched using the Bird Builder Punch. I haven't had my Owl Builder Punch out for some time but I had fun making this card and no doubt you see a few more projects made using it over the next month or so.

Scrapbook Workshop

A couple of evenings ago I had a lovely time with some ladies in Bracknell. We had loads of fun playing with my Stampin' Up! products and making a mini scrapbook page.

It started with a page that I had made using some Lucky Limeade and Daffodil Yellow card stock and some Island Indigo Designer Series Paper from the 2011-2013 In Color paper stack.

The Daffodil Yellow card stock was embossed using the Square Lattice embossing folder and the edge was then punched using the Scallop Border Trim punch. I also stamped the top portion that I'd not embossed with Island Indigo ink using a stamp from the Every Little Bit stamp set. I love this set as it contains 28 small stamps that can be used for all sorts of events and occassions. The Lucky Limeade was cut out using the Clear Scallop Square die.

I gave each of the ladies the same basic supplies of cardstock and DSP.  There was certainly a lot of stamping, punching, embossing that went on and not surprisingly they all came up with individual designs for their pages.

If you have a group of friends who scrapbook and would like a party please contact me to arrange a date.

I have a couple of other pages to share with you but I will save them for another day.

I quick reminder that you only have until the end of the month (10 days) to get your Free Spring Papers with a purchase of £45.00 or more (excluding p&p). Contact me if you would like to place an order.

Boho Blossoms Mother's Day card

Ok, so I wasn't really prepared for having to demo in front of a large group of people for an hour and a half each day at the Make It Show. It was most definitely an interesting and fun experience and I got to meet lots of people.

I finally decided Thursday evening (the night before the opening day!) what it was I wanted to do and then set about making a couple of samples. I originally thought about making tulips using the Bird Builder Punch but then thought I'd keep it as an option to use on another day.

Here are the two cards I make as examples to sit on the demo table.

Both of these 3-3/4" square cards were made using the Boho Blossoms Punch. I've had this punch sitting on the shelf for a little while so it was about it I made use of it.

The top card has an Island Indigo base and I ran the Whisper White card stock through the big shot using my Square Lattice Embossing folder. I used the large 2-3/8" Scallop Circle punch (Spring Mini Catalogue) to punch out another piece of Island Indigo for the base of the flowers. The leaves are Lucky Limeade punched using the Bird Builder punch. The flowers themselves were made from Rich Razzleberry and Wisteria Wonder card stock with some Pearls added to the centres. The Happy Mother's Day message comes from my ever faithful and favourite greeting set of the moment, Teeny Tiny Wishes.

The second card was made along the same theme but I switched out the extra large Scallop Circle Punch (currently available from the Spring Mini Catalogue) for the standard Scallop Circle punch from the main catalogue. I also used the Polka Dot embossing folder on this card and a piece of Victoria Crochet Trim. This time around the flowers were made from Pool Party and some scraps of Everyday Enchantment DSP (from Sale-a-Bration).

Tulips from Wokingham ...

pardon the pun but it works if you sing it to yourself, in your head of course (not out loud).

I promised cards made with punches this month, so here are a couple more (but not the last). Admittedly they have the same theme but they are slightly different. I cased the basic ideas for these from Dani Holland and Cindy Galbraith respectively, but made some changes of course.

The tulips and stems were made using the Bird Builder Punch. The flower petals are made from three wings (the edges were sponged using a Sponge Dauber and some co-ordinating coloured ink) and the stems from the branch (with the leaves cut off). Both cards have some Whisper White card stock that has been embossed using the Square Lattice Embossing Folder and the greeting on both cards comes from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set.

Check back tomorrow for another project made using one of the sets available as part of Sale-a-Bration.