December Jems Blog Hop

Welcome! The theme for this month is a review of 2016.  Well at the beginning of the year I was not even a Jem! I became a demonstrator during Sale-a-bration this year and have not looked back, running classes meeting new people, generally having fun, I love it!

One of the highlights of the year was attending Stampin' Up! Local at Telford. It was great meeting new people, playing with new products and having fun with the Jems!

This is me with my amazing upline Gill.

This is one of the cards from my very first class, a tad complicated for my stamping virgins, but they all got there in the end!

One of my favourite projects this year was the box of cards we made in my July class using the amazing envelope punch board.

It has been an amazing year and I am really looking forward to 2017!

To hop on to see Julie's review click here

If you missed Sarah-Jane's review click here

Year-End Closeout Sale!

Morning Ladies, just a little heads up! We're having a clear-out but don't worry—no frilly pink blouses, dungarees or ill-fitting jumpers in sight! Stampin' Up! have great deals during our Year-End Closeouts sale! From today until 3 January 2017 a selection of retiring products from the autumn/winter catalogue, Clearance Rack items, and high-inventory annual catalogue items will be discounted by up to 60%.To avoid missing out on any of these bargains I suggest you place your orders through my website http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/lindaellis/ and if you add the hostess code 3KXEEGZJ you will get an extra special gift from me in the new year!!


Thank you for those who have sent in wish lists, the order arrives today! Don't worry if you haven't there is still time but I need to order before the 13th December to guarantee delivery before Christmas!

Happy Stamping!

Linda xx

Shop close out paper, stamp sets and everything else!!

Global Design Project

Good morning all!

This week I thought I would give the Global Design Project a go. Each week they give different types of inspiration for a challenge, this week it is CASE the designer Connie Collins

#GDP064

I decided to follow Brian's example and show case one of the stamp sets I won at On Stage Local. I was lucky enough to win Beautiful You.

I took the yellow, green, blue colour pallet from Connie's card. I stamped the main image using Early Espresso then coloured her in using Stampin' Write Markers. I just knew her dress had to be green, bizarrely as green is not one of my go to colours. Once I had settled on Wild Wasabi, Marina Mist and So Saffron chose themselves! 

So Saffron

Wild Wasabi

Marina Mist

The reflection is also part of the stamp set and the sentiment 'Life may not be the party we had hoped for but while we're here we might as well dance' is perfect.

I love both the carefree images and the lovely sentiments, this set is in the Stampin' Up! 2017 Spring/Summer catalogue and will be available for you to order from 4th January 2017.

Linda xx

Hidden 50 Birthday Card

Good morning all

Today I thought I'd share a 50th birthday card that doesn't have the number emblazoned on the outside but is positioned more subtly on the inside! I cased this from Diane Barnes an Australian demonstrator click here for the original post.

This was the first time I had used the Detailed Floral Thinlit Dies and I was so glad I had invested in the Precision Base Plate and the Big Shot Die Brush, they made removing the the finished die cut really easy. They really are essential when using these intricate dies!

Here is the closed card, I think it really packs a wow!

Keep stamping

Linda xx

Supply list

All That Glitters......

Hi all and welcome to the Jems October Blog Hop

Christmas is fast approaching and for those of us who make our own cards it's never too early to start!

I was tempted to go with the new Cookie Cutter set, my favourite in the current catalogue but then decided to raid my Christmas stash so not all items used are still available but see below for those which are!

Happy crafting, Linda xx

To hop along to the next blog

To pop back to the previous blog

Shop with me 24/7 for Stampin' Up! goodies.

Best Fishes!

I have been a bit rubbish at this blogging lark of late! I promise to try to do better :-) I spent the weekend on a crafting retreat with Julie from the Paper Haven, in our goody bag was this bundle of joy!!

There are 37 different stamps and 17 matching dies! The combinations are endless, we made 6 different projects with it at the retreat, and this isn't one of them! As ever the high quality stamps were a dream to use and layer perfectly to build up the picture. I went a bit shabby chic with this but I love the way it looks and it literally took minutes to make.

The card is for a good friend who has had some sad news, I hope this lifts her spirit a little. See below for the supplies.

Keep Stampin'

Linda xx

Christmas Catty Sneak Peek

Hi Folks, welcome to our September blog hop! Short and sweet this month as the kids are preparing to return to school. This month we are having a sneak peek at the Christmas Catalogue! Thank you to my upline Gill Arnold for letting me play with the things she had ordered as I still can't decide what I want!! Although now the Cookie Cutter Bundle is the very top of my list, so versatile and as ever with Stampin' Up! it all goes together beautifully!

I used a fancy fold this month, this card has 2 fronts.

The cute reindeer (from the Cookie Cutter bundle) hides a stamped panel from the Warmth and Cheer suite which also includes the beautiful embossing folder used on the front red panel.

I hope you like!

To go forward through the hop to see Gill's project

If you missed Kate's project click here

Jems August Blog Hop!

Happy holidays! This month's theme was boxes and packaging, I love designing and making boxes and have recently bought the Stampin' Up! envelope punch board which has opened a whole host of possibilities! I initially struggled with working out just where to punch and score to get the dimensions I wanted then I discovered the Box Buster by the Crafty Owl. She has done all the work and then added it to her web site for us all to use, go to  http://www.thecraftyowl.co.uk/boxbuster/ to check it out.


In my July classes we made a box with four 4"x4" cards in it that my papercrafters could give to their crafty friends. The colours I chose were lead by the Blooms & Blossoms Designer Series Paper, this series ties in with several different colours but I decided to limit myself to these 3.

Sweet Sugarplum

Mint Macaron

Whisper White

Here is everything together and ready to go!

Starting with the box, using the Crafty Owl's Box Buster, to make a 4.25" square box which was 0.75" deep you need an 8" square of card.

I used a 1" bellyband to secure the closure and the 'front' of a 4"x4" card to decorate the box, it gives you a hint of what is in the box plus covers the join on the bellyband, always good! I put the stamp pad in the box to make sticking it together easier.

Once the box was complete we turned our attention to the cards. I love the sentiments from the 'Love You Sew' hostess set and had fun scattering the rhinestones across the "Crafters don't lie, they embelish" card, LOL!







Here are all four cards and the box and the supplies is at the bottom of this post.

To pop along to Gill's blog or if you have missed Kate's click on the links below for some amazing inspiration.

Linda xx

Shop with me now

Jems July Blog Hop

Goodness June has flown by! Welcome to the latest Jems blog hop, animals is this month's theme. Do have a hop around look at all the amazing makes, the links are below.

As soon as I heard the theme was animals I knew I would return to one of my favourite stamp sets ever, Wetlands, it is such a versatile stamp and I love the font and size of the sentiments.

I decided to create a seascape using another favourite, the Work of Art stamp set. Now colours, Crumb Cake for the sand and Marina Mist for the sea/sky (obviously) but what about the sentiment and the beautiful goose? Basic Black was too dark so I opted for Early Espresso for good contrast but a softer look.

That's everything together, let's go!

The seascape effect is created by stamping 3 times without reinking the stamp, each time moving up about half a stamp in the Crumb Cake and down half a stamp with the Marina Mist.

Finally add the Goose and chosen sentiment. We made this card at my June classes and all my ladies felt this was the most effective card for surprisingly little effort!

Here is the card again with the dimensions for you.

To shop for supplies the list is below.

Supplies

Jems June Blog Hop

Hi all, welcome to my contribution to Julie's Jems June blog hop.

Dapper Denim

Emerald Envy

Flirty Flamingo

Peekaboo Peach

Sweet Sugarplum

This time we were asked to showcase the new In Colour Collection, Dapper Denim, Flirty Flamingo, Peekaboo Peach, Emerald Envy and Sweet Sugarplum. At first I wasn't sure how well they would all go together but they really do!

I love these collapsing box cards as they pack a wow yet will fold to fit in a normal A5 envelope!

Supplies

Butterfly Basics

Here is the second card from my latest class. I started with the Butterfly Basics stamp set and decided to try this colour combination

Early Espresso

Marina Mist

Very Vanilla

With so much detail on the front I decided not to include a sentiment but I did include a Very Vanilla panel on the inside to make writing the card easier.

If you want to join my next class the details are on the Upcoming Classes and Events Page. You can shop for the supplies for this card below.

See you all soon, Linda xx

Supplies

Garden in Bloom

In the next few posts I am going to be sharing the cards we made in my first Stampin' Up! class! I had 8 ladies attend with a vast range of experience from complete novices to my up-line Gill, much fun was had by all.

This card was probably the most complex card we made with lots of lovely stamping!

On pre-cut Whisper White card we stamped the flower in Wisteria Wonder then over-stamped the outline and stalk in Early Espresso. We then stamped the leaves in Pool Party then over-stamped these again with Early Espresso. The centre of the flower was coloured using Blushing Bride and Blender pen.

On scraps of Whisper White we stamped the butterflies in Blushing Bride, again over-stamping with the Early Espresso, cut them out, glued them to the card and decorated them with pearls, phew. 

Now for the easy part! The Pool Party card was stuck to the front of the Wisteria Wonder base card at an angle then the stamped image was stuck aligned with the base card. Using the happy birthday sentiment from Circle of Spring stamp set on Whisper White card we then punched out the circle and fixed it to the front, done!

It took a while but my ladies were pleased with the outcome.

Supplies

Another weekend away!

This time off to the Yorkshire Dales, meeting up with old friends. Managed to interest some of the children in papercraft they made quite a few cards on the Saturday. On the wet Sunday afternoon after exploring White Scar Caves we made some exploding box cards, the children picked it up really quickly and were seriously proud of the results!

Winter Gardens

Not much card making going on at the moment 😟  The boys are off school and we were in Blackpool Winter Gardens this weekend for the IDTA Medallist of the Year National Finals, 2 solid days of Ballroom and Latin. Topaz dance school, the venue for my classes, did fantastically well, Mark came 7th in Latin and reached the Semifinals in Ballroom. Just having a short chill then off into my newly tidied craft space to mess it up again 😀 xx

Who doesn't love a butterfly!

We are off to Blackpool this weekend for the IDTA Medallist finals. Time for a card for Mark's partner Debs!!

We are go for launch!

Hi all,

Click on the events page for some new classes. Send me an email if you would like to book a place!

Happy Easter!

Today I am sharing the anniversary card I made for my lovely husband, Malcolm and I have been married for 12 years, time to bring out the my new Number of Years Photopolymer Bundle.

I used Marina Mist card stock for the base card, Pool Party for the mat and Night of Navy ink. I am really pleased with the result, nice and simple.

Shop here for supplies
Marina Mist A4 Cardstock
Pool Party A4 Cardstock
Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad
Lost Lagoon Classic Stampin' Pad
Calypso Coral Classic Stampin' Pad
Number Of Years Photopolymer Bundle
Lots Of Labels Framelits Dies
Big Shot

Bows - Exactly how do you do that?

Hello ladies

The sight of a bow in a card making class can leave many of us cold! 

Help is at hand! 

The amazing Connie Stewart has posted the best bow tutorial on you-tube, follow the link and get practising 😊
Connie Stewart, Simply Simple Bows and Square Knots

Flower Patch Magic

Hi All,

Here is the Mother's Day card I made for a lovely friend of mine to give to her mum (another lovely friend of mine). It uses some of my favourite Stampin Up! products.

Products used

Flower Patch Photopolymer Bundle 136788 Price: £38.25

Circle Of Spring Photopolymer Stamp Set 138964 Price: £14.00

Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock 140490 Price: £6.50

Blackberry Bliss A4 Cardstock 133682 Price: £6.50

Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad 133642 Price: £6.00

Lost Lagoon Classic Stampin' Pad 133644 Price: £6.00

Rhinestone Basic Jewels 119246 Price: £4.50

Stampin' Dimensionals 104430 Price: £3.75

Multipurpose Liquid Glue 110755 Price: £3.75

Big Shot 113439 Price: £99.00

Loving the Love Blossoms Papers

I am really loving the Love Blossoms Designer Series Paper Stack. I have made this gorgeous thank you card for a lovely customer.

The materials I have used are

Love Blossoms DSPS

Crumb Cake card stock and ink

Whisper white cardstock

and Dimensionals to add a little 3D pop