Phoenix Inspirations

Wow wasn't that wonderful - didn't they look gorgeous? What a fantastic wedding. I have watched all day - and will probably go on watching but I just thought I'd add my patriotic contribution to today's proceedings  - just a little card expressing my hopes and congratulations to the Happy Couple - may they always be as happy as they are today for the rest of their lives together.

I was recently visiting one of my favourite blogs and I came across a really useful post - here . Linda had outlined her way of organising her stamps and storing them. She also asked for crafters to leave comments with their own tips for organising. I left my comment but I also thought that I would put my way here too on my blog. I am not a Stampin' Up demonstrator but I do workshops and my stamps of choice are usually Stampin' Up. I find that they are good quality and there are many in a set so there are plenty to go round at a workshop.  I also make up samples before a workshop and to illustrate the sets I have made a series of index files for all my sets and I have stored them in a stand - up flip file. Each set has been stamped onto copy paper and laminated so that it doesn't deteriorate and each set has a number which corresponds with the number of the actual set. When the set retires - the number turns red There are dividers to separate the main catalogue stamps

I am in a bit of a bind at the moment - I am trying to work out what to do for my next workshop. I have a few ideas and so I am trying them out first to see how they work out. Idea number one looks like this Can you see the little tab at the side ? If you pull it - this is what happens A flap opens up and there is a little hidden message. It's a T-Slide card and I found the tutorial for it on Splitcoast Stampers. It's a little tricky but well worth the effort I think. Here is a close up of the sentiment  The stamp set I have used is Simply Said and I have used colours: Summer Sun, Cameo Coral, Not Quite Navy, Old Olive and Ruby Red. I'm away now to try out another idea that I have buzzing around my head - see you soon - Jacqueline xx. 

This week's challenge at Simply Stampin'  is a sketch And here is my card I sponged a background directly on to the card blank using Bashful Blue and Certain Celery ink. I made a mask for the sun using a post it note cut in to a circle. I then added a piece of Very Vanilla ribbon which I knotted at the end. The main image is again sponged with Bashful Blue and Certain Celery and the the large image from Just Believe has been stamped in Old Olive. I then used Old Olive to sponge around all the edges. The small flowers are punched out of Night of Navy and Bashful Blue card stock using the Boho Blossoms punch - I added a little bling to the centers of each one. I then added the sentiment in the corner. Did everyone enjoy their Easter break and the glorious sunny weather? It's a bit overcast here today but I shall still have to water my garden - I don't think I have ever had to water so much in April before!! I bought a gorgeous new, red Peony at the end of last year an

Good afternoon folks - just been trying to do some gardening but the ground is baked rock solid so I'm doing some blogging instead. Yesterday I decided to make some atc's - I haven't made any swaps for ages. But first I needed a theme, so I did some blog-hopping and I found a fab theme over on The Stampman  - Birds. Now I have loads of bird themed images but one of my favourites is Bird on a Branch and along with Stampin' Up's colour co-ordinated card stock and inks I managed to come up with something that I was rather pleased with - nothing like blowing your own trumpet eh?! Colours used were More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Close to Cocoa, Not Quite Navy, Creamy Caramel and Chocolate Chip. I am going back outside now to hack the garden a bit more! - see you soon - Jacqueline xx.

I think I am just in time with this - it's the Blue Jelly scrapbook challenge and the theme this month is 'Birthdays and Bunting' I had a good rifle through all my boxes of photographs and managed to find some taken at my Daughter's 6th birthday party I used Brocade Blue (retired) for the background and stamped around the edges with two star stamps from Wondrous Gift and Hung Up on the Holidays. The photos have Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose mats (I was trying to use up some scraps) and the bunting is Regal Rose. I used Brocade Blue and Night of Navy ink. I also used a white gel pen to high light some of the journaling. I am off now to post this on to the Blue Jelly  scrapbook challenge - see you after the holidays. Hope you all have a wonderful Easter - Jacqueline xx.

I didn't know whether I was going to have time to do a post today - but I have decided to take five and show off some flowers that I have made. These are what I will be demonstrating (amongst other things) tomorrow night at my workshop . All these flowers are adapted from tutorials I have found on You Tube - adapted 'cos I haven't had the correct tools and I have had to substitute my own. I love the Fuchsia though and I can't wait 'till I have enough time to play around with it and make a complete project. So - that is what's kept me busy all day - prepping my samples and making sure everything is ready for tomorrow - I'm still not finished yet so I had better get back to it!! - See you soon - Jacqueline xx.

I have spent this morning with my friend Bev in an attempt to bring her into the world of blogging. As I think I said in my last post - she is a great card maker. So I am taking the bull by the horns and I am going to put a link to her blog HERE  so please pop over and give her a little encouragement, thank you. Meanwhile - Bev again(!) has become an Aunty for the second time. She already has a gorgeous Nephew (Nathan) and now she has a new Niece - Sophie. So in honour of the occasion I made her a Congratulations card It has been made with my stamp set of the moment - Ornate Flowers, and stamped with Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose and Garden Green. How I did the main image was to ink the whole image with Regal Rose - remove the bits I wanted green with a damp cotton bud, and then using a second bud dab it on to the green ink and then transfer it to the stamp. You may need to huff onto the stamp before stamping it just to keep the ink moist. I have got to go and prepare for a committee m

Hi folks - not starting the week off very well at the moment as I am suffering with a bit of a head cold. I can't breathe and it's so frustrating. However that has not stopped me from crafting - as if - and today I have made this card This a card inspired by the Clean and Simple challenge today on Splitcoast Stampers. It is using up some of my scraps and some of my treasured Cameo Coral card stock. It's treasured because it is no more - retired - finito :(    The stamp set is Ornate Flowers also stamped with Cameo Coral and a touch of Old Olive. I have used a Martha Stewart punch (will have to give that back on Thurs evening :(( ) and one of my huge silver brads holding a piece of Very Vanilla ribbon. Don't know what I will come up with tomorrow - friend Bev is coming round but I am showing her how to set up her own blog. I have been persuading her to do this for ages - good job too 'cos she is a fab card maker as hopefully you will soon see! Bye for now - Jacqu

Only a week to go and it will be Chocolate - oops I mean Easter Day! Here is a project that I have been working on today It's a little birdhouse and Easter card. The bird house is made from half an A4 sheet of Baja Breeze card stock, some Always Artichoke put through the Scallop Edge punch and the roof was made using Crumb Cake. The little chick was made using Summer Sun card and he started off by being cut from the 2 Step Bird punch. The tiny flowers are from the Boho Blossoms punch. Pretty much the same was used for the matching card - I just added some stamping with the big stamp from Simply Said. So my title said 'Easter Challenges' and I am entering my birdhouse and card into the following challenges:- SIMPLY STAMPIN' CHALLENGE  - Easter & CRAFT YOUR DAYS AWAY  - Easter I have some exciting things to show during the week ahead in connection with my workshop on 3D Flowers - hope you can join me - bye for now - Jacqueline xx.

OMG - my daughter has just passed her driving test - which is good - but she is taking me out for a drive now!!! - See you soon ..................I hope.

This is just a short post so I can enter this week's challenge over on Simply Stampin' Challenge . The challenge this week is to use Very Vanilla, Bravo Burgundy, Wild Wasabi and Pink Pirouette. Unfortunately I don't think I will come up to scratch this time as I don't have any Wild Wasabi or Pink Pirouette - yet! I have substituted Pretty in Pink and Garden Green instead - I hope this is O.K...........? Any how - here is my card As you can see - it is impossible for me to leave Vintage Vogue alone at the moment, however I have teamed it up with some roses made using my Paperartsy Grunge Flower die. Please go and check this blog out - there is a great prize up for grabs at the end of the 4th challenge - bye for now - Jacqueline xx .

Yesterday was sketch day over on the Splitcoast Stampers  site and I have been using Vintage Vogue and Greenhouse Garden such a lot lately that I decided to do a butterfly instead. So I was rummaging through my scraps drawer and all in one go these pieces of card all landed on the floor at the same time - how could I not use them they looked so good together don't you think? The orange polka dot is the last piece from an Anna Griffin scrapbooking set - I'm a little sad to see it go. There are a couple of Bazzill Basics scraps and a small piece of Crumb Cake - mmmmmmm cake! All the edges have been sponged with Chocolate Chip ink and the main image is from the Pocket Silhouettes set stamped in Really Rust (retired) and Chocolate Chip. I added a small wooden button with some parcel string to finish off the butterfly. Oh - and I still have Viji's Martha Stewart punches - so I had to use that too!!! Today I was helping at our village playgroup - it was the Easter Egg Hunt and

Continuing my 3D Flowers theme my workshop next Thursday night will be making a rose using a six petal flower. I did a tutorial on this a while ago - you can find it by clicking here . The card is a basic 5"x 5" card blank and I have stamped and sponged a mat in More Mustard followed by a mat stamped and sponged onto Very Vanilla with Old Olive ink. The Vintage Vogue and Greenhouse Garden sets were used. In the four corners are the small flowers from Greenhouse Garden and the main flower is stamped with the large flower from Vintage Vogue. The sentiment and cut out pieces are from a Papermania stamp set. I am hoping to demonstrate other kinds of 3D flowers on the night and if you would like to come along and you live in the Malvern area please e-mail me for details etc. I am off to find a jumper, there has been no sun today and I am feeling rather chilly. Hope the sun is shining where you are - bye for now - Jacqueline xx.

This is the card I demo'd this morning at my Tuesday workshop. Four lovely ladies attended and we made something like this The stamps are a combination of Greenhouse Garden and the tiny leaf from Vintage Vogue. The colours I used were Brocade Blue (retired), Baja Breeze and Always Artichoke. This is the last of the Penny Sliders for a while - tomorrow you can have a sneaky peek at the project for my Thursday evening workshop that is next week. We will be making a card with one of the 3D roses on. Now yesterday I mentioned that I had had an encounter with another spider and in my comments Vicky bless her wondered if I was being stalked by said creatures. Well what a thing to say - I now have visions of spiders hiding behind doors ready to leap out at me Kato style (Kato is the little man in the Pink Panther films who lies in wait for Peter Sellers). Do spiders know kung fu - they have an awful lot of legs for the karate chop don't they!!!! See you soon - Jacqueline xx.

Yah - I've just discovered a massive spider taking over my craft room. Luckily my husband was around to eliminate him (well set him free in the garden actually 'cos much as I hate them I can't kill them!). So - panic levels have now dropped so I can tell you all about my workshop planned for tomorrow morning. The theme this month is 3D flowers and tomorrow we are making a 'Penny Slider Card' The Vintage Vogue stamp set and also the Greenhouse Garden set will be available for use and here is a pic of the card we are making The colours I have used are : Very Vanilla, Cajun Craze, More Mustard and Old Olive. Here is another pic of the flower 'sliding' across the card A tutorial of how I made a similar card to this can be found here . If you live in the Malvern area and would like to come to one of my workshops please e-mail me at deezinesart@gmail.com I will also be showing my ladies my copy of the new Stampin' Up Mini Catalogue - can't wait to se

This is such a cool technique - it's called Embedded Embossing and it is so easy. So easy in fact that it only took a matter of moments to do a little tutorial for you. But first my card. I came across the technique when I looked to see what the challenge was today on Splitcoast Stampers.  You get together the components of your card - using punched out shapes or die cuts, stick them onto your card and then run them through an embossing folder on your Cuttlebug (other die cutting machines are available!). I used a base of Sage Shadow with two strips of Very Vanilla and Cherry Cobbler stuck on with a glue stick. I stamped a small motif with Pocket Silhouettes on the Very Vanilla and then stamped the butterfly from Butterfly Prints three times onto some scrap. These were punched out using the butterfly punch. They were then stuck down half on the Sage Shadow and half on the Cherry Cobbler. Three tiny butterflies were then stuck on in the top right hand corner. This was then run thr

I am making the most of this gorgeous set while I can. It's called Inspired by Nature - it's a retired set borrowed from my friend Bev and I love it. The grass stamp is just so versatile and I think that I will have to use it every day till I have to give it back! Today I have teamed it up with my Teasel stamp to create a sunset effect. I brayered the background using some Whispers Archival inks and my brayer, then I stamped the grass with Close to Cocoa and the teasels with Chocolate Chip. To give the picture some depth I stamped the teasels twice before re-inking. The sentiment was stamped onto cream card and cut with some decorative edge scissors. This was so I could enter it into today's Splitcoast Stampers challenge. So - one more day before the weekend - this week has gone sooooo fast. Got to start seriously thinking about making some Easter Cards else it will have been and gone! Bye for now - Jacqueline xx. 

I've been away for a few days - my Mum hasn't been very well this last week so I went to see her and stayed for Mother's Day. It didn't matter me being away that day as my children didn't bother to do anything for me. Anyway I'm home now and I have made a card for a new challenge blog - Simply Stampin' Challenge. Click here  and you will be magically transported there! The first challenge is a sketch: And here is my card: I used a 5" x 5" cream card blank and stamped directly onto it with Old Olive ink and the grass stamp from Inspired by Nature. That is a retired set from Stampin' Up - borrowed from my friend Bev. Using some Stampin' Up scraps I created the border. The main panel was made with Very Vanilla and Old Olive card stock. The flower was punched with a Paperartsy Grunge Flower die and the small flower from Inspired by Nature was stamped into the aperture with Ruby Red ink. The sentiment is from the same set also stamped with