Simple but effective

And for the next instalment I've got a selection of fairly simple but effective cards.

The Kinda Eclectic stamp set is retiring but still available - sadly the butterfly punches have sold out.

The Custom Tee stamp set and framelits are also retiring but there are lots of combinations to be made with both of them - this card just gives a small taster.

The stamp set Big on Birthdays isn't retiring - hooray!
I've just added some colour on this one with Stampin' Write Markers and a touch of Wink of Stella which doesn't show up brilliantly in the photo.

An example I think of how a little can go a long way.

Simple Kindness

A very quick and simple card today but it's proving to be quite popular as it's very effective.

I've used a piece of paper from the Serene Scenery Designer Series Paper pack and simply stamped a sentiment from Kinda Eclectic and the birds from the Wetlands stamp set.

Layered on Island Indigo and Pool Party to pick up the colours in the paper.

A Little Kindness

One of the cards we made at our Bloomin' Buds day was this one from Cathy:

It uses DSP from the Blooms and Bliss set - a different sheet to the one I used to decorate the gift box in my last post.

The sentiment is from Kinda Eclectic and the lovely Mint Macaron butterfly is from the Butterflies Thinlits.

Swirly seas

A completely different take on the Swirly Bird stamp set and matching Swirly Scribbles Thinlits.
There is so much that can be done with this set.

I've used the large swirl thinlit for the sea with some sponging behind.

The boat is made up of 4 stamps from the set, the sun is from Kinda Eclectic and the clouds from Sprinkles of Life.

I've then sneaked in a banner from the the Thoughtful Banners set (with matching punch!).

A sunny day

Hopefully the lovely sunny weather will continue like the sun in this card!

I've used the stamp set Kinda Eclectic for this card and the colours Always Artichoke, Crushed Curry and Cajun Craze.

It also uses matching DSP, 2 butterfly punches and oval framelits.

Pyramid Cards

At our local club night last night I showed the ladies how to make pyramid cards.

This was chosen after seeing one of my Brussels swaps and thinking it was a bit different.

I've used one of the colour combos in the spring catalogue of Wisteria Wonder, Melon Mambo and Bermuda Bay.

This is one of the sides.  I've used some paper from the Have a Cuppa DSP.

The sentiment is from Circle of Spring and I've layered it on punched circles to match.

This fab flower is made using the Friends & Flowers stamp set and Festive Flower Builder Punch - great to be able to use it for things other than poinsettias.

The final side has more DSP and some butterflies from Kinda Eclectic that have also been punched out.

They are rather fun for something different and think it went down well.

You can Create It - June

This is the kit I received for the challenge in June:

We have to use at least a bit of every item in the kit.

I decided not to make a card this time to challenge myself a bit more.

I used the Gift Bag thinlit and turned the 3 banner punched pieces into bookmarks by using the Tag Topper punch on the other end.

I ran the gift bag through the Fluttering embossing folder and have used a selection of Watercolor Wings butterflies and the little one from Kinda Eclectic to add to the project.

I've used the Neutral DSP stack to add a strip to the bookmarks and finished them with little vellum flowers, pearls and a bow from the bag thinlits.

Monica's blog here is showcasing some this month.

Telford Swaps

Back from a great day yesterday at the Stampin' Up! regional event in Telford - I went up on Friday, it's a bit of a way!!

We got to play with some new products and see cards made with some of the new kits and sets that are coming - they always look better in the flesh.

In case you haven't seen my crazy pictures on Facebook this is the Bloomin' Buds team that made it with 'Chris the super catalogue'!!

Chris works in SU HQ and has answered many queries for me so it was great to meet him 'for real' - even if he was a catalogue for the day - bless him.







More importantly, these are the swaps I made for the day.

They are all made from a 6" strip, cut to fit the tag topper punch and scored 4 times to make a little 'holder'.

I've used 4 of the 5 in colours for 2014-2016 and the stamp set Kinda Eclectic.

This is the front view also showing what each little gift contains.

This is the back view.

This is a side view when they were carrying their goodies!

I've added some of the matching in colour satin ribbon and some linen thread to finish them and a gem on the front butterflies - which of course were both punched out with matching punches.

I had 60 swaps so have now replaced these with 60 more super ideas which I will share next time.

Thanks for looking.

Card Challenge & Weekly Deals

Wow - there are some great weekly deals available this week.
Deco Label and Wonderful Wreath framelits are both £15.71 each instead of £20.95.  This is a great saving and worth getting as they will be in the new catalogue ... and maybe with stamps to match ... so get them for a bargain while you can.  I loved the Wreath framelit & the words that came with it (and not just for xmas) so it's great it's coming back.
The gift card envelope also has a good saving and there are a few other goodies.
Click here to browse!

This week Jenny gave us Buds a sketch to create a card from, this is mine:

It's quite a 'zingy' colour combo for me but I wanted to try some different colours.

I've used Daffodil Delight, Old Olive and Cajun Craze and just one stamp set which was 'Kinda Eclectic'.  This does of course come with 2 matching butterfly punches!

I used the oval framelits to cut out and layer the sentiment.