CASEd Birdhouse Card

Hello Everyone
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Today's card is a CASE, (copy and share everything). I copied the birdhouse from a swap I received at a quarterly training event - but there was not name on the back! So if the original swap is yours, (scroll down - I have posted it), let me know and I will give you proper credit because you inspired me!
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I changed it up by using the Sweet Pea paper stack to make the background, the Eyelet Border punch to make the roof and the sentiment is from Circle of Friendship.

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So this is the original swap - did you make it? I'd love to give you proper credit!

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Hope you are inspired too!

My Sweet Pea

Hello Everyone

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It is hard for me to believe now - but when I first saw My Sweet Pea in the Stampin' Up! mini catalogue, I didn't really like it. Today I am sharing the card that changed my mind!

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This card was made by the very talented Michelle Gattrell - and how cute is that toucan!

I love the way she used the Sweet Stitches wheel as a background and layered up the flowers.

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So guess what the next set was I ordered? Yep - My Sweet Pea! Love it.

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Back soon with more

All About Me!

Hello Everyone
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I mentioned in a recent post that I had returned to my first love of scrapbooking and found some time to play during my June holiday.
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My sister in law, Sally, had paid for me to go and have my photo taken at a professional studio. It was a fun experience; they did your makeup, then you had lots of pictures taken. (You got to take 3 outfits and they had loads of different sets to use).
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My photographer was great and she really put me at my ease and make it a great afternoon.
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So I decided to do a layout with some of the photos - the jounalling just says "Sometimes - just sometimes - it's all about - ME!" LOL



I used papers from the yummy Sweet Pea paper stack from Stampin' Up! The frames all come from Frames with a Flourish - which are great for scrapbooking. The butterflies stamped on the left are from Touch of Nature and the Flowers and mini butterflies in the lower right corner are from Live Your Dream and finally the flowers on the left page are from Greenhouse Garden.
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Hope you like!

Cupcake Spiral Pop-up Card

Hello Everyone

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As promised, here is the final project I taught at our August classes.

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I decided to break out one of my favourite stamp sets, Crazy for Cupcakes - I had been promising Tracey, one of my lovely class ladies, that we would do a cupcake card for so long!

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The front was just a pretty watercolouring project. We also used the so swirly wheel for the background and the cupcake wheel for the envelopes - it is illegal at my classes to have naked envelopes! LOL

But the best bit of this card is the inside - where we have a spiral of pop-up mini cupcakes. The are stamped with the wheel and coloured and then punched out with the 1/2" circle punch.

I love this card - one of my favourites of the year.
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Do leave a comment and tell me what you think!

Gift Bag Project

Hello Everyone
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This is the 3D project I taught at our August classes. This cute little gift bag with pleated sides was designed by my talented upline Amanda.
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It is such a pretty design and we made them using all the fabulous Sweet Pea paper from the paper stack in the mini catalogue. Everyone got to choose their paper - and there weren't *too* many arguments! LOL
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The sentiment is from Oval All, which fits perfectly with the oval and scallop oval punches.
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Back in a couple of days with the final yummy August project.
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See you soon.

Bird on a Branch Silhouette

Hello Everyone
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Over the next few days I will be sharing the projects I have been teaching at my August classes. We always do three projects - usually two cards and one 3D item. I include a different technique each month.
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This month the technique we did was using a brayer to create a silhouette effect - and used the lovely 'Bird on a Branch' stamp set - which works really well with this type of card.

The sentiment is from the Simply Said stamp set - which I must get out and use more often!
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Back in couple of days with our 3D project.
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Hope you like.

One of a Kind

Hello Everyone

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Just a quick card today. This one is made with the beautiful Stampin' Up! stamp set, One of a Kind.
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I made it in the soon-to-be retired Passion Pink, Black and White.



The flowers were stamped and punched out using the Boho Blossoms punch, (which co-ordinates with this stamp set), and the stems and petals are all doodled freehand using the black marker.
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I finished the card with a half pearl from the Pretties Kit.
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Hope you like. More soon.

Stampin' Up! Summer Garden Party

Hello Everyone

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So this post is all about the Stampin' Up! Summer Garden Party I held for my lovely customers and class ladies, who have all become my friends over the past few months.

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I really wanted to put on an event they would enjoy - so here is my picture story of how it all went!

First there was LOTS of planning and making. I wanted to make some special little gifts for everyone so first I made these pretty notebooks with matching pens - the whole colour theme of the party was Rich Razzleberry - as you will see! :)

Next I made up goodie bags - everyone had a personalised folder with lots of useful information and stamping tips, plus supplies for the days make and takes and some little extras too.

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Now the best thing about the party was I got to bake! Yay! I lost 50lb last year, so I am careful about what I eat most of the time - so it was great to have an excuse to make home baked eats. These are the lables I stamped. (My lovely downline Nina made fudge brownies - thank you Nina!)

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And of course as it was a garden party, there had to be flowers - I made a ton of them to decorate everything.

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So finally the day dawned and it was......overcast with big black clouds! Noooo! However, I went ahead and set up and hoped and prayed the rain would stay away. Luckily it stayed warm and dry and the sun did make the odd appearance!

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So here I am with everything all set up, waiting for my guests to arrive....

Lovely Jane kindly lent me her gazebo, (thank you Jane!), so that is where I set up displays and a demo area there - do you like the welcome wreath?

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My favourite table - the food! We also had Pimms and Lemonade and lots of tea and coffee - all made by my DH Mike - he worked really hard and was a great help to me.

Want to see a close up of the baked goodies? Here is the Key Lime Cheesecake....

....and here are the Disney recipe cookes and cupcake, (the top layer was for Nina's brownies)...

....and finally the Rich Chocolate Cake....Mmmmmmm...if I say so myself it was a yummy as it looked!

It wasn't all about the food - I had lots of display areas indoors and outdoors - this is by my demo area and features lots of swaps I received recently.

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This is the make and take area

And here are my lovely guests - 18 ladies came along and we had a great time.

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During the party I did 5 different demonstrations - in between eating chocolate cake! LOL

The day was a great success and I would like to thank each and every person who came along and made it so special.

Scrapbook Layout

Hello Everyone
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You may not know that I am a scrapbooker! I hardly ever find time to scrap - but it was my first love in crafting.
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During my June holiday, I decided I was going to make the time, and it was so much fun to rediscover how much fun it is to scrap.
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This is the first layout I did - it shows some pictures of our little holiday in Devon, (south west England). Our favourite restaurant there is the Oyster Shack - you can sit outside under a sail canopy and eat the freshest fish and shellfish I have ever tasted.


I made a punch art fish, crab and lifeguard rings. There are lots of pull out and open out features that hide more photos and journalling.
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Hope you like!