Summer By The Sea

When we have nice weather our thoughts naturally turn to Summer and relaxing days. I'm blessed to live near the sea, so that's where I head to unwind.
There's a saying, 'One Swallow doesn't make a Summer', but I saw four last week, so does that mean Summer is here already?

Here's a card using the stamp set Summer By The Sea, which I just love.

I inked the Sanded background stamp with Bashful Blue ink and stamped it on the Confetti White card base.
I used the same stamp and VersaMark ink to stamp on Sahara Sand card and added White Embossing Powder which I then heated with the Heat Tool.

I used Stampin’ Pastels and Sponge Daubers to soften the edges of all the pieces and then cut two 1” wide strips from the embossed card and added them to the card base.

StazOn ink is best to use when using wet colouring media to ensure the image doesn’t run.

Using Watercolour Wonder Crayons and Aqua Painters colour it loosely and don’t worry about going over the edges a bit.

I cut out a tag shape to mount the coloured image onto and it is attached to the card with dimensionals for some lift.

You can see that I’ve used some Linen Thread to finish the card off so that it has a ‘rustic’ feel to it.

Stamps: Summer By The Sea & Sanded
Paper: Confetti White, Sahara Sand & Not Quite Navy
Ink: Bashful Blue, VersaMark & Black StazOn
Accessories: Snail Adhesive, Dimensionals, White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Stampin’ Pastels, Sponge Daubers, Watercolour Wonder Crayons, Aqua Painters, Linen Thread & ¼” Square Punch

Thanks for looking!

~Debbie~

Your Independent Stampin' Up Demonstrator

Spring Has Sprung!

Today is a wonderfully sunny day and I'm full of the joys of Spring!
Spring brings to mind new beginnings and Stampin' Up! is no exception.


The first Mini Catalogue has just been released and it's full of lovely new things. You can take a peep here, or check out the link on the side bar to the right.

I have to say my favourite stamp set can be seen on page 19. It's called Playful Petals (113728) and is priced at £25.95 for a set of 7 stamps.
There's a matching Designer Series Paper(DSP) called Tea Party (115158) to use with them priced at £7.75 for 12 double sided, 12"x12" sheets of heavy weight paper. That works out at 65p per sheet.
For those who have used it you'll know what good quality it is - heavier than normal paper and ideal for making mini albums and gift boxes, as some of you have done with me in class.

My next must-have is the set of 4 stamps called Oval All (113790) on page 16. Priced at £14.95 they have greetings and flourishes which can be used alone, or interchanged by inking with a marker pen and using a Stamp-a-ma-jig.
There are 2 new punches to use with them - the Large Oval (115156) and the Scallop Oval (115429), which is slightly bigger and ideal for matting onto. These are both £12.50.

What else?
Check out the Fresh Cut Notes - cards with a flower cut-out on the front. You'll find them on page 4.
Page 6 has new Rub-Ons with floral designs called Planter Box.
Fresh Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (that looks good enough to eat!) can be found on page 12.
Designer Buttons can be found on page 16 in lush, Latte colours.

For those of you already working on your Christmas cards, or last year's Christmas layouts (who me?) there are some lovely new stamp sets and DSP.

Don't just take my word for it - have a look for yourself and see what you think. My wish list is getting bigger by the minute!

Next month there will be a special offer for the Scrapbookers amongst you.

If you'd like to host a party, get together an order with some friends (if it adds up to £150 or more, you'll get free stamp sets and goodies), or just order for yourself, then please let me know.
Don't forget my own offer of a free Idea Book And Catalogue if you spend over £35 on your first order.

Thanks for looking!

~Debbie~
Your Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Pretty Heart Card

St. Valentine's Day will soon be here, so I've designed a card using a heart shape - my favourite.

I cut an A4 sheet of Always Artichoke card stock in half lengthways and scored it at 5cms and then at 19.5cms.

Next, I covered the front flaps with some paper from the lovely Tea & Crumpets range and then cut a heart shape from another piece of paper from the same range and mounted it on Always Artichoke card stock.

I glued a length of ribbon all around the card and when I got to the right hand flap I made some little pleats, secured with Mini Glue Dots.

I made a hole in the centre of the whole flower on the heart and attached a Green Rhinestone in place.

Finally, the heart was lifted on Dimensionals before being attached to the card.

This is a quick and simple card and the only stamping was done on the envelope. It's an ideal project to use up those odds and ends of patterned paper.

Stamps: One Of A Kind (Envelope)

Paper: Always Artichoke & Tea & Crumpets

Ink: Pretty In Pink (Envelope)

Accessories: Snail Adhesive, Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, Always Artichoke 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Crafter's Tool Kit & Circle Ice Rhinestone Brads

Thanks for looking!

~Debbie~

Your Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Fun And Fast Card With Fun And Fast Notes

I've made a start on making some Birthday cards as I have quite a few coming up in the next few months.
I designed this as a masculine card, but with a change of colours it will work equally well as a girl's card.



It's an 'S' shaped card base - just fold the front back on itself halfway across and crease well with a bone folder.
I stamped and embossed the image onto watercolour paper because I wanted a nice surface to paint on with the crayons.
Remember when you come to stick the image onto the card to only add adhesive to the right hand side (when you're looking at it face down).
I had planned to have a row of identical eyelets at the bottom, but I made a boo-boo of the centre eyelet and had to get it out with pliers. Thankfully I had a Jumbo Eyelet to cover up the mess I made of the card!

Stamps: Fun And Fast Notes & Polka Dot
Paper: Old Olive, More Mustard & Not Quite Navy
Ink: Old Olive & VersaMark
Accessories: Snail Adhesive, Black Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Earth Elements Watercolour Wonder Crayons, Aquapainters, Crafter's Tool Kit, Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelets & Metallic Eyelets

Thanks for looking!

~Debbie~
Your Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Happy New Year!

Yay! It's a new year and I intend to be as creative as usual and to try and find even more time to devote to my favourite hobbies.
I hope you will continue to stop by for ideas.
Happy New Year!

~Debbie~
Your Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Season Of Joy

Christmas will soon be upon us and for once I intend to get my cards made in good time!

Here is a very simple card made using a new set called Season Of Joy - which you can find on page 21 of the new Idea Book And Catalogue.

I used Sahara Sand for the card base and stamped some of the swirls using a VersaMark pad and White embossing powder. Other swirls were stamped with the VersaMark pad then sprinkled with Heat 'n' Stick powder before heating with the heat tool. Once heated and sticky I sprinkled on the Dazzling Diamonds glitter and heated the images again to fix the glitter in place. Instant bling!

The flower snowflakes and the greeting were inked with the VersaMark pad and embossed with White powder. After adding the grosgrain ribbon I turned my attention to the snowman.

He was made by cutting some circles out of Whisper White card stock. You could use round objects as templates and cut round them with fancy scissors, or use Nestabilities die cutting templates, as I did. I stamped the snowflake on the body as for the sparkly swirls and used the edge of the stamp and a Basic Black Marker Pen along with the Stamp-a-ma-jig to position the dotty smile. Little pieces of card offcuts made the eyes and nose and the hat was made using the Round Tab Punch. After assembling the body I raised it on Dimensionals and poked two little hole to attach his arms. These were some woody stems from a Clematis plant growing in the garden!

Stamps: Season Of Joy

Paper: Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Basic Black & Pumpkin Pie

Ink: Basic Black Pad and Marker Pen, Brocade Blue & VersaMark

Accessories: Snail Adhesive, Dimensionals, Whisper White 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Heat & Stick Powder, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Crafter's Tool Kit & Round Tab Punch

Thanks for looking!

~Debbie~

Your Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

New Goodies On The Way!

The NEW Stampin' Up! Idea Book And Catalogue is now on-line and you'll find the link to it on the side bar of my blog.

The catalogue is even better value this year, at only £4.95.
If you'd like to host a party, or join a Stamper's Six Club, I'll give you a catalogue free of charge.
If you buy a catalogue and spend over £35 on your first order, I'll refund the £4.95.

As well as containing many new stamp sets and Designer Series Papers, there are card and layout ideas and lots of hints and tips. I think it's excellent value, considering most craft magazines are around £4 these days and full of adverts!

I have some parties booked and have reserved catalogues for the hostesses, but there are a few catalogues remaining of this initial batch so if you'd like one, e-mail me at Heartfelt.Stamping@hotmail.com

I have just put in my first order which includes Fun & Fast Notes (p30), a lovely all occasion set of 8 stamps for £29.95, which works out at £3.74 per stamp. There is a wheel called Fast Flowers (p31) to go with it, priced £5.50.
I have ordered a set called A Rose Is A Rose (p44) which is one of those two-step stamping sets - no colouring required! It costs £32.95 and contains 14 stamps which works out at £2.35 each - even cheaper than those by Anitas!

Do you like boho style? If so, take a look at the sets on page 49. They also went into my basket, or should I say trolley! To co-ordinate with those stamp sets I chose Spiced Cider, a set of Designer Series Papers which you can see on page 71. They're lovely Autumn-y colours - just right for this time of year. I also chose Haiku with similar colours, but slightly fresher. The papers cost £7.75 for 12 sheets of double sided heavy-weight paper, two each of 6 designs working out at 65p a sheet.

What else? Double stitched 1" wide grosgrain ribbon in Chocolate Chip at £6.95 for a 9.1m reel. That's a reasonable 76p per metre.
Oh, and a Scallop Edge border punch for £10.95, plus a Boho Flower punch at £12.50 to go with one of the stamp sets.

I chose A Little Bit Of Happiness (p9) for my free hostess set and two more sets of Designer Series Papers, Sweet Always and the very English sounding, Tea And Crumpets with my £15 free merchandise.

Now I just have to sit back and wait for them to be delivered to my door! I wish I could be more patient, but in meantime, I'm working on some new card designs using Season Of Joy (p21), for a class I hope to run very soon. If you'd be interested in joining me for that, then let me know.

If you like a challenge, I design the sketch challenges on In Love With Stamping. I used Season Of Joy to make a card for my most recent sketch. There are lots of challenges including scrapbook layouts, colour combinations and techniques.

In Love With Stamping also has a growing gallery so you can get ideas for using your Stampin' Up! stamps, punches and papers. The stamp sets are listed by name alphabetically, so you'll have no problem finding your own sets there.

Well, I think that's it for the moment. Keep checking my blog as I have lots of designs to post here over the next few days.

Thanks for looking!

~Debbie~
Your Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator