Still daydreaming!

Here is another card with the same image as yesterday its from the Summer By the Sea set. I would love to be by the sea this week, but that is going to have to wait. It’s our Village Carnival this weekend and I have lots to get ready for that so I will just have to daydream about having my toes in the water!

The base of this card is Old Olive and the paper is Not Quite Navy (from the level 1 Hostess Set – I love the colours in that set). The greeting is from the Beautiful Thing Stamp Set punched out with the wonderful Oval Punch and layered with the Scalloped Oval Punch.

Thanks for stopping by

Happy Crafting

Bekka

It feels like Summer!

What do you think about when you think of summer? For me its Sunshine, Wimbledon and being by the sea so today I am feeling pretty lucky as I have two of those three – Sunshine and Wimbledon on the TV.

I decided to make it three out of three with this card – how lovely would it be to be sat dangling my feet in the sea right now ...

The base of this card is Not Quite Navy and the paper is from the Level 1 Hostess Set. Here I have teamed it with Real Red card and ribbon. The image is coloured with Stampin’ Up!’s Watercolour Wonder crayons and a blender pen.

What will this lovely sunshine inspire you to create today?

Happy Crafting

Bekka

Stamp with Us Sketch Challenge

Well its another lovely sunny Sunday here and I have this week’s Stamp with Us Challenge Card to share with you. This week’s challenge was to make a card based on this sketch .

I don’t know about you but I love sketch challenges as it means I can make a card for whatever reason I need one! If you need any more incentive than that if you enter any of the challenges in July you could win a free place on the Stamp with Us Summer Class – the more you enter the bigger your chance of winning!

Anyway here is my card – I had a lot of fun putting this together and blinging it up. I don’t know if it shows well on the photos but there is glitter on the blue flower and on the white panel with the Its Beautiful wheel stamped (well rolled!) on it. I think you will be able to see it better on this picture.

The card is bashful blue and whisper white. I have used Real Red papers from the Level 1 Hostess set. The stamps are from the A Beautiful Thing set and the Its Beautiful wheel, both of which have been stamped in Real Red. I have also used a couple of Bashful Blue flowers from the Die Cuts pack and a Chipboard flower from the Batch of Blooms set (here it was covered with Whisper White and then stamped). The pearls are from the Pretties kit.

I would love to see what you make in response to this sketch and don’t forget to post them over on the Stamp With Us blog for your chance to win

Happy Crafting

Bekka

Was it You?

I had a fantastic time at Stampin’ Up! Field Training – what a lovely talented group of ladies were there – not to mention the firemen! I really do appreciate the support Stampin’ Up! give us with growing our business and the inspiration that is so freely available from my fellow demonstrators.

We all made cards which we swapped with each other and one of you is going to win the spare card which I made. All you had to do was guess correctly which stamp set I used. So did you get it right? Well here is the card

Now I thought you would all find this really easy and guess straight away since I seem to be somewhat addicted to this stamp at the moment! The correct answer is Bloomin’ with Beauty and you would also have been correct if you had said Starring You since that is where the sentiment is from. However nobody got it right! So the card is going to Sue whose answer suggested a stamp set I really should use more and a great reason for choosing it! Sue I promise I will play with it in the next few days since as you say the summer holidays are on their way.
For this card I have coloured the image using my SU Marker pens and in the close up you can see how I have blended / shaded with them. To achieve this effect you colour the whole image with the palest colour (in this case Barley Banana on the flower and Sage Shadow on the leaves) and then before it is fully dry work quickly to add some shadows with you darker colour (here I have used So Saffron on the flower and Old Olive on the leaves). Next colour over again with the lighter colour to blend them together. This technique works best if you work fast using light circular strokes of the brush tip of the pen and if you work on a small area at a time. I love the depth that colouring in this way gives and I hope it has inspired you to give it a go.

Before I go I just wanted to wave hello to the lovely ladies I met yesterday – you were brilliant and it was lovely to meet you all.

Thanks for stopping by

Happy Crafting

Bekka

A quick competition - you could win!

I am really looking forward to this evening – I am going to be meeting up with some fellow Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators for Field Training. It’s going to be lovely to see my friends again and to meet some new ones – oh and to learn some cool Stampin’ Stuff that I will be able to share with you all over the next few weeks. Its great being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator – you get to make some wonderful friends, share creativity, learn more about Stamping and Paper Crafting oh and have a lot of fun! I find it so inspiring. If you would like to find out more about it please do get in touch.

Unfortunately however it means I don’t have a card for you today – every spare moment I have had to craft I have spent making a batch of cards to swap with the girls. The good news is however that I will have one to spare and that is where the competition comes in ...

Can you guess which stamp set I have used? I will put the names of everyone who guesses correctly into a hat and send the spare card to the first person I draw out. I am happy to post internationally so don’t be shy – guess away. I will do the draw tomorrow.

Good Luck

Bekka

Stamp with Us on a Sunday

Goodness time is going quickly at the moment – can you believe its Sunday already! And what a Sunday it promises to be – its the British Grand Prix today and quite possibly the last one at Silverstone. Silverstone is rightly prpoud of its heritage.

The thought of no GP at Silverstone makes me sad as it is the end of an era. Many a weekend of mine used to be spent at Silverstone – arriving with the dawn and spending my time breathing in the smell and atmosphere you only get at a race track. I was one of the motor race marshals that helps ensure drivers safety and the smooth start of a race – and a couple of years I even got to marshal the Grand Prix, which was a huge honour and privilege. This image is more my era than the previous one and was taken on my section of the track!

I don’t Marshal any more but I still love motor racing and watching F1 at Silverstone takes me right back. I am glad at least we have now been guaranteed a British GP next year – to lose it totally would be tragic.

So today I will be watching with excitement and a small tear! I hope it’s a great race. Will you be watching? Or are you waiting for next week’s Tennis to start? I’m looking forward to that too!

Anyway – to Stamping ...

Since its Sunday it is Stamp With Us Challenge Day – and what a challenge it was this week. This week we have a recipie challenge –Use 4 patterned papers, 2 colours of card and NO other embellishments. What! Are you thinking what I was thinking 4 patterned papers and no other embellishments – you have to be joking! Well after getting over the initial shock this is what I came up with.

The image is from the delicious Lovely as a Tree Stamp Set, and it was stamped on Whisper White with Basic Black and then embossed with clear embossing powder. I then punched a one inch circle on the stick part of a Post It Note (I found it easier to punch when the Post it was stuck to a scrap of paper). I stuck my circle on the image and then using sponge daubers and a gentle circular motion I added colour little by little to the image. Around the moon I have used So Saffron, the sky is Bordering Blue, Not Quite Navy and Night of Navy and the grass is Handsome Hunter. Where I have wanted shadows or darker colour I have just added more ink.

The base of the card was made with Handsome Hunter, layered with a subtly patterned paper from the So Saffron Designer Series which I have used instead of a third colour of card. The patterned papers behind the image are from the Level 1 Hostess Set and are Not Quite Navy. I have used another pattern from this set in place of a ribbon. The sentiment is from the Starring You Stamp Set.

I hope you like it and it encourages you to have a go – I look forward to seeing your entry over at Stamp With Us

Right – I am off to watch the GP, thanks for stopping by and I look forward to seeing you soon

Happy Crafting

Bekka

PS - sorry Blogger is not showing all the line returns / spaces between lines properly making this hard to read - if anyone knows how to get over this please let me know. Thank you.

Saturday Star

One of the things I love about being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator is the friendships that form and the support that there is for each other. I made this card for a Stampin’ Up! friend of mine who has just achieved a goal she set herself. I am thrilled for her. Like me I know she loves Kraft card so here I have teamed it with Real Red and Chocolate Chip. I punched out an aperture with the Star Punch and backed it with paper from the Level 1 Hostess Set. The other stars and the greeting are from the Starring You Stamp Set and were stamped with Chocolate Chip. Some of the Stars were filled in with scraps of the Real Red patterned paper. I was pleased with how this all came together.

If you are interested in discovering more about being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator and experiencing the friendship and support for yourself please get in touch (bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk) and we can chat about it.

I look forward to hearing from you

Happy Crafting

Bekka

Did you not know its June?

Did you mean to use autumn colours? I guess so!

I love this Oak Tree image from the Lovely as a Tree Stamp Set and wanted to show you it again, this time on my precious Kraft Cardstock. I love the effect of using Chocolate Chip on Kraft. I wanted to create something simple, flat and easy to post, and only had a few moments to create!

I used the Boho Blooms punch in each corner of the Kraft Card (by turning the card over you can get the flowers to mirror each other). Behind the apertures created by the punches I have put some paper from the Spiced Cider Designer Series Pack and then drawn around the outside of them with a Chocolate Chip marker.

Thanks for stopping by

Happy Crafting

Bekka

Dear Dad ...

Here in the UK this Sunday is Father’s Day so I thought I would show you the card I have made for my Father. Now I know he does not look at this blog so I am safe to share it with you before he gets to open it!

I chose to work with these colours as I know my Dad loves them - he has the largest collection of Old Olive, faded Old Olive and So Saffron Shirts I have ever seen! I have added some Chocolate Chip to give the card a bit of depth. The Oak tree is from the wonderful Lovely as a Tree Stamp Set and the sentiment is from Starring You.

Thanks for looking

Happy Crafting

Bekka

Oh I do love to be beside the seaside

I adore this image of a girl from the Summer by The Sea Set – she looks so happy looking out to sea.
These cards were again coloured using the Watercolour Wonder Crayons and a Blender Pen. The colours are Sage Shadow, Not Quite Navy and the papers are Almost Amethyst and come from the Tea Party Collection.

The base of these cards is made from a quarter of a sheet of A4 card so the finished card still fits in a standard envelope. If you want any more information on how it is made drop me an email bekka@feeling-crafty.co.uk

Thanks for looking

Happy Crafting

Bekka

Lovely Summer Weekend

The weather this weekend has been lovely and it got me wishing I was down by the sea. I love to be by the sea and so when I got a few moments to myself I thought I would reach for the wonderful Summer by the Sea Stamp Set. The images in this set are adorable and I really enjoy colouring them in. My Stampin’ Up! Watercolour Wonder Crayons have been somewhat neglected recently so it was time to put that right too.

The image were coloured using the Watercolour Wonder Crayons. I roughly coloured around the edges of the areas I wanted to fill in and then pulled the colour across the area using my ever trusty Blender Pens.

The colours on this card are Not Quite Navy and Sage Shadow. The background was made with Sage Shadow and the Scratched Background Stamp which was then over stamped with the Polka Dot Background Stamp in Not Quite Navy. The ribbon is the Twill Tape to give a nice rustic feel!

Dont forget if you want to get your hands on these lovely background stamps for free the current special offer from Stampin' Up! can help you do just that - you can read all about it here.

Here is to a lovely summer

Happy Crafting

Bekka

Its Sunday already ...

So its time for another Stamp With Us Challenge. This week is colour challenge week – I love these challenges as we are given a lovely picture as inspiration.
Here is this weeks picture

And here is my card.

The colours I have used are Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Sage Shadow and Not Quite Navy. While they are not colours I would have reached for I was really pleased with how they came together. The background was made using the Paisley Background Stamp which I coloured with my Stampin’ Up! Markers. The main image is from the True Friends Set and again it was coloured with my markers. One it was dry it was covered with Versamark Ink and then triple embosses with clear embossing powder. This gives it a lovely tile like quality. The ribbon in the Pretty in Pink Striped Ribbon and the bow was made using a rhinestone brad – I love the ‘bling’ that these add to a project. The sentiment is from the Live Your Dreams Stamp Set.

If you have not yet checked out the other design team creations you can see them here – they are stunning and it would be great if you decided to play along. I look forward to seeing what you create.

Happy Crafting

Bekka

WOT! No craft!

Hello everyone

I have been busy stamping and creating cards – none of which I can share with you yet – which I find very frustrating. Still when I can share them I hope you will enjoy it. In the mean time I want to share with you some purchases I made at the weekend which really make me smile.

Now my online friends will understand why straight away as my nick name on many forums is Lighthousegirl. Yes I love lighthouses. I have a number of them around the house already – some are lights, some are pictures, there is a light pull and believe it or not a toilet brush holder. Well these are now joined by these adorable hooks.

I’m off to look at them again - Thank you for letting me share :-D

Happy Crafting

Bekka

Who likes a rainy day?

Since I enjoyed the last Stamp with Us sketch challenge so much I decided to use the sketch again – this time for a card. I made this card on a rainy day, I hope we don’t get too many more of those I was enjoying the sunshine while it was here.

Inspired by the rain and a need for bright sunny colours this is what I came up with.

The colours are Tempting Turquoise and Green Galore. The background was made using two of the Background Stamps (don’t forget the special offer on these which you can see here). I coloured the image from the Greetings Eight Stamp Set with my marker pens so I could leave out the words, and then punched out circles around each one. Some are mounted on top of the circle below, while some peep through a raised circular frame.

Lets hope we won’t need our umbrellas too much

Before I go I just want to give a quick wave to all the lovely ladies I have met at the two parties I have done in the last week – you all inspired me and I hope to meet you all again soon.

Happy Crafting

Bekka

Its Sunday so it must be Stamp with Us day!

Happy Sunday everyone! Sunday is a day I look forward to for a number of reasons, not least of which is that I can share the card I made for the week’s Stamp with Us Challenge.

This week’s challenge is a theme challenge and this week’s theme is Congratulations. Now a number of people I know are expecting babies so I thought I would make a Baby Congratulations Card.

I think the little elephant in the Nursery Necessities Stamp Set is adorable, so I wanted to use it for this card. I decided to make it even cuter by kissing the stamp onto the Paisley Background Stamp. A small hole was then cut for its eye and it was mounted onto coordinating card. I am pleasesd with how it turned out.

The same background stamp was stamped onto Vellum to create a lovely soft look. The vellum strip was then pleated – top tip from me – is make sure the ink is really dry before you do this – otherwise you spend your evening explaining the colour of your fingers! The Stampin’ Up! Classic Inks do work well on Vellum Card, but they do take a little longer to dry.

Strips of Whisper White Card with the same Paisley Background Strip were also used to decorate the card. The base card and ink are Taken With Teal. The congratulations sentiment comes from the Cheers and Wishes Stamp Set.

Thank you for stopping by – I hope you have enjoyed this challenge – don’t forget to have a go yourself and post your entry on the Stamp With Us Blog. I love seeing what everyone has created.

Happy Crafting

Bekka

10 things to try with your Background Stamps

Hello everyone

Welcome to part two of my response to the questions I have had about using background stamps. Today I am going to focus on what you can do with the stamps – if you are looking at how you can use these fabby stamps check out yesterdays post.

I love the Stampin’ Up! background Stamps and I would not be without them. They are so useful and amazingly versatile. So without further ado here is my list of 10 things you can do with background stamps.

1. Stamp it on its own – OK so this one is obvious but no list would be complete without it. With the range of ink colours and card colours available there are hundreds of looks you can create with each background stamp. If you look through past projects on this blog you will find lots of examples of this and here is an example to get you going! Mind you its been a while since I posted one ...

2. Stamp it multicoloured – why stick to one colour, why not ink your stamp with more than one colour?

3. Combine more than one background. By stamping more than one background stamp you can create custom backgrounds to coordinate perfectly with your project. Here is an example for you – I wanted to use Tempting Turquoise and Pink Passion for this card to co-ordinate with a gift I was giving. This is an ideal way to create backgrounds for Scrapbook pages as well as for cards.

4. Combine them with other stamps. Using a Background Stamp and another stamp can give you a really interesting patterned background – there is an example of this here

5. Kissing and Reverse Kissing. Did you know your stamped images like to kiss? The Background Stamps are ideal for this technique – check back on Sunday evening to see an example of this technique.

6. Making embellishments and topper. Using your stamped backgrounds, punches and embellishments it is possible to make some stunning embellishments for your projects – I will have more of these to show soon.

7. Emboss with them. Stamp and then emboss your card for a stunning impact.

8. Resist emboss with them. This can give you even more possibilities, from soft subtle and vintage looks to vibrant multicoloured pieces.

9. Masking or Reverse Masking a shape. Cut the shape of an image you want from either thin paper or a post it note and then use either the shape or the outline as a mask. This way you can get a patterned shape (by using the outline mask of your shape) or a patterned background with a clear image (by using the shape you cut out)

10. Using them on different surfaces. You don’t have to limit your stamping to card, the backgrounds look stunning on Vellum, acetate or even ribbon. On Sunday I will share a card which includes some background stamping on Vellum.

If you would like more details on any of these techniques please get in touch – your questions are always welcome.

This list of 10 things you can do with your Background Stamps is just a list to get you going. It would be great to see how we can add to this list – if you have other things you use your background stamps for or think they would work for please let me know – its always great to hear your ideas.

Happy Crafting

Bekka

Background Basics

I have had a couple of people ask me about how to use the Stampin’ Up! Background Stamps. I think these stamps are amazing and sooooooo versatile. I will admit however that like many people I was a little intimidated by them at first – they are not exactly small!

However once you have been shown how to use them the creative possibilities are endless. Today I am going to share some basic techniques on how to use them. If you come back tomorrow I will share 10 different things you can do with them, just to get you started ...

The best way to ink your background stamp is to put it on its back on your work surface and take the ink pad to the stamp, tapping lightly until you have an even coverage of ink.

From here there are three main techniques for using the stamp – all work well and it is really a matter of personal preference.

Technique 1 – Take the Stamp to the card. As you would with your other stamps pick the stamp up and take it to your surface. The grooves in the wooden base of the stamp assist you in being able to control the stamp. Since the stamps are large, to get an even coverage you will need to press down and ensure that all the stamp makes contact. I always use grid paper or scrap paper underneath my stamping projects but this can be especially important when using a large stamp like this where I am probably intending to go over the edges of the card I want to stamp. When you lift the stamp away your image will be on your paper.

Technique 2 – Card to the stamp. Ink your stamp as above and then leaving the stamp on its back, carefully place your piece of card onto the stamp. Run a brayer (or something similar like a rolling pin) lightly over the surface to ensure an even coverage and then very carefully lift the card away. Personally I find this method can be very messy, but if you find the stamps hard to handle it could be the one for you

Technique 3 – Use the box. This technique is especially helpful for those who find the stamps a little heavy, or if you want to carefully position your stamp relative to your piece of card. The Stampin’ Up! Stamps come in wonderful clear storage boxes and this technique makes use of that box. Put your stamp in the deep side of its box with the wood down. Carefully Ink the stamp. Next put a very small amount of Snail Adhesive in each corner of the card you want to stamp – you really don’t need much. Stick the card on the inside of the box lid. Next close the box lid. As you close the lid, check how the stamp will line up on the card and move the stamp in the box if you require. Once the box is closed gently rub the lid to ensure you get an even coverage of ink.

When you open the box your image will be perfectly stamped (if you find you have missed a bit, before you move the box you can close it again to get that part of the image. I then leave my sheet of stamped card in the box until I am ready to attach it to my card.

Now some of you who have been looking more closely at the pictures in this post may be wondering if there is some additional magic happening when you close the box and rub the lid ... Sorry but there is not – I took some of the pictures when I was using one background stamp and some when I was using another!

I hope this has answered the questions I have had about how to use such large stamps, and if you come back tomorrow I will share with you 10 things you can use them for. If you have any other questions please get in touch. Dont forget if you have a Stampin’ Up! Party in June or July you could get your hands on one of these wonderful stamps for Free. See the post below of the special offers page for more details.

See you tomorrow

Happy Crafting

Bekka

Free Fun for Summer

What could be more fun on a summer afternoon / evening than getting together with some friends for a fun and relaxing time? Imagine you all chatting away, enjoying a treat or three and doing something I am sure you will all enjoy ...

Sound good?

Would it sound even better if you were able to get yourself some Stampin’ Up! products for free?
If you have answered yes to either of these questions having a Stampin’ Up! Party could be just the answer. You invite your friends and I will arrange the treats and the activities. As the hostess you will qualify for free goodies from the catalogue and exclusive stamp sets (assuming the sales reach a certain level). As if that was not enough, during June and July if your party reaches sales of £250 or more Stampin’ Up! will give you your choice of background stamps for free too! You can see the background stamps on page 56 of the catalogue here.

And that is not all – Each of my hostesses also receives a special gift from me as a personal thank you and will get automatic extra entries into my Customer Club Draw for the month of their party – one entry for every £10 they and their guests spend on products at their workshop. Guest who place orders will of course also get entries to the draw.

So if your party has sales of £250 or more you will get

• At least £25 to spend in the Stampin' Up! Catalogue - FREE
• An exclusive Hostess Stamp Set - FREE
• Your choice of Background Stamp - FREE
• A special gift from me - FREE
• Additional Entries into my monthly Customer Club Draw - FREE

I am happy to travel to workshops so if you are within about an hour of South Bedfordshire do get in touch to book your workshop for June or July – but please do it soon as I would not like you to miss out! If you would like to host a party but it is not convenient for you to do so at home please do get in touch as I can arrange a suitable venue for you. Contact me at bekkap@feeling-crafty.co.uk

Now if you live further away and don’t want to miss out, how about hosting a virtual party? You and your friends still get together and have a fun evening and I provide you with a project to make, and you collect their orders to qualify for your free hostess benefits and you extra free stamps! This can be an ideal option for a craft group or crop. Please get in touch to find out more about this option. If you want a party with a demonstrator but are not local do contact me and I will help you find someone more local to you.

I really enjoy these parties and would love to spend a few hours with you and your friends so please do get in touch to book some time, daytime, evenings or weekends.

I will be back with some cards and exciting things you can do with your background stamps in the next few days.

Happy Crafting

Bekka