Whipped into action!!!

I have been led astray from the blogging world recently by a number of things, the biggest one being the end of an era as my daughter leaves primary school and gets ready for high school and the Summer holidays and entertaining two children, well one of the problems has been that they don't need entertaining just a mum to drive them here there and everywhere!!!


Another reason has to be also that I was led into the dark and mysterious world of 'Fifty Shades', I have to admit- I have read them all, even though I found them not to be of a great literary standard........ well she does use the word 'Flushed' 50 times in the first two chapters of the first book, but there was something there in all three that just had me turning the pages!!! Neither am I great writer, so hats off to her or rather whips out!!, that she has created the fastest selling book of all time, and will net herself  a pretty penny or two in sales and future TV & film rights.


Any way after a meet up- nearly a week ago with  my lovely SU daughter Tammy & the lovely Yvonne my SU friend & convention buddy- I said that I needed whipping into shape and need someone to nag me into getting back to blogging........ And Yvonne has been doing just that, every couple of days, she has sent me a text, sometimes in BIG SHOUTY LETTERS TOO!!!!

I am sharing with you the Card and wreath, I made for my SU mum Julie Kettlewells birthday, she loved it so much, that she used the design to create a Christmas card project for the recent training event she held. Forgive the photos but they were taken at night under a desk light, so the calypso coral looks a little brighter than in real life!! xx

The Diorama card is created by folding & sticking two sheets of A5 card. you score both sheets using the lovely SU 'Simply Scored Scoring Board' along the top side at 1/4", 6 1/4" & 7 1/4". Before sticking the two pieces together using the 1/4" flap. I die cut an aperture into the front panel, I using the 'Labels Collection; from the 'Stampin' Up!' Summer Mini Catalogue.

I went to town with the punches and created 3d flowers on top of the water coloured wreath- stamped from 'Apothecary Art' stamp set. The banner was stamped again on to extra card and the greeting added from the same set and raised up, you can also make out the 'On colour' stamping on the soft suede labels die cut, using the flourish, from the 'Creative elements' Stamp set. The same stamp was also used to decorate the panel behind the diecut, again with more 'On Colour' stamping. 

I added a 'Friend' label using a stamp from the 'For my Family' stamp set, and even more punched flowers!

The envelope got some stamping and craft TLC too......

Complete with more punched and spiral flowers and bird builder leaves.

I made lots of 3D flowers in Calypso Coral card stock, using the Bigz 'Fun Flowers' die and the 'Big Shot' to decorate the wreath, I made a video on how to do this check it out here:

http://stampin-sally.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/back-with-premier.html

The top got some simple long loop bows of 'Soft Suede' striped grosgrain & Ruffled 'Calypso Coral' ribbon, 

I love it that the SU products all co-ordinate!

To break up the calypso coral blooms, I added some flowers created with the new 'Blossom' punch, from the Summer Mini, using 'Newsprint DSP' and an 'Antique Brad' to hold them together.

To secure the blooms on to the wreath I used, a hot glue gun and whilst the glue was still drying pushed a pearl headed pin into the centre of each of the 'Calypso Coral' bloom. I also pushed in some leaves that I had die-cut using the 'Little Leaves' sizzlit die.

I promise that I will be back- sooner than last time with a blog post, thank you for sticking with me, like a trusty 'Tombow'!!!!

And if you are in the UK and would like to purchase some of the lovely 'Stampin' Up!' craft goods, or even become a demonstrator like myself, then please get in touch....

My email is: sally-johoughton@hotmail.co,uk

or you can call: 07891605129

Thanks for stopping by

xXXx

Getting it together- at the last minute!

You may not be one who believes in star signs. but as a 'Gemini' goes I am fairly true to the star sign attributes... Chatty, Bubbly, Out going- Personality, and as in the 'Old school' 'Cadbury's' egg adverts, I do bite it and lick it! But I also have the awful traits of- never being on time, juggling too much, and being unable to say 'NO!'..... but these could be traits of any mum...... from any star sign!

Gemini's are know to make plans and not act on them...... I do make plans- surprising as that may seem! Quite often, I write them down- the only problem with these ones is that they get hid under the clutter on my desk!

And sometimes no matter how much I plan and try, I can never get it together till the last minute!

Well this card is one of those, what with an eventful morning yesterday- time to craft went out the window till 1pm and it had to be envisaged in my head and created in time for the school run at 3pm!! It had to be a 'special' card too, for Matthew to give his Auntie, I had already made Heathers and one from me & farmer Johnnie......And once you start sending people your handmade cards they do notice when you send them shop bought, so my mojo was whipped into action!

I had been stroking the lovely 'Apothecary Art' stamp set from the 'Summer Mini', for inspiration for a large card, I had made some note-lets with it, but hadn't drummed up the courage for a larger card and this design popped into my head...well minus the ribbon and brad!! 

My colour scheme is- 'Pool Party', 'Wild Wasabi', 'Very Vanilla', 'Soft Suede' & 'Crumb Cake'....

A bit of a wild card- as this Auntie loves pinks and purples!!

 I stamped & layered up the large wreath from the 'Apothecary Art' stamp set, using the coordinating 'Framelits- Decorative label dies' & It was water coloured in, using an 'Aqua painter & some ink off the tops of my ink pads. The sentiment is from the same stamp set, I made another stamp of the wreath and then 'Stamp-A-Ma-Jigged' the greeting on to the banner, then I could cut it out and raise it up. I added some spiral flowers and some layered up punched 'Itty Bitties' & 'Boho Blossoms' in 'Pool Party' and some leaves, using the leaf from the 'Bird Builder' punch in 'Wild Wasabi' & 'Crumb Cake'

After I had made the large focal image, I felt the card looked a little bland, so I added some of the lovely striped grosgrain ribbon and fastened it with one of the antique brads. To add an 'Auntie' sentiment, I stamped and then die cut the small lined stamp from the set & added the  wording with a coordinating SU marker,  finished it with an 'Itty Bitty' bloom and a pearl and popped it under the brad and ribbon.

The inside need some TLC-  so I added a little stamping to the base using the flourish from 'Creative Elements'- I have forgotten to mention that I did this to the base of the front of the card too! I then had a root in my bits box and came across a 'Pool Party' die cut framelit, that was perfect to put under a vanilla one, to give somewhere nice for Matthew to put his own personal greeting.

I hope you like my getting it together at the last minute card, do you ever get yourself into situations like this? I would love to know.

Thanks for stopping by

Sally-Jo

xXx