Phoenix Inspirations

It's been a while since I've used my 2 step bird punch but I still love it! Today's card features the aforementioned bird on his little branch amongst some pretty flowers and a beautiful blue sky complete with fluffy white clouds - take a look I used an embossing folder in my Big Shot to create the sky, the clouds were punched used the Cupcake Builder punch. This card will be entered in to the following challenges: Make My Monday Challenge # 43 Embossing (Heat or Dry CAS(E) this sketch Right - I'm off to work now - shame 'cos the sun is shining and I received a lovely package of Clarity Stamps yesterday. Guess those will have to wait for another day now. See you soon x

Hooray it's the weekend!!! It's also Saturday and that means a 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown  Christmas card. This week the theme is.......... Here is my card I didn't have any actual candle stamps so I improvised with an image from the Gorgeous Grunge set. The fir branches and pine cones were a freebie on a magazine (Creative Stamping Magazine) and the flames were punched from the Bird Builder punch. There are some gorgeous cards from the DT this week - do hop over and take a look. Bye for now xx

It's Saturday and that means it's time for our weekly Christmas Challenge at  52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown . It's Mynnette's month and for this week's theme she has chosen this I've chosen to make a card with a Christmas Pud - take a look Materials - Stampin' Up Stamps: Petite Pairs Ink: Early Espresso Card Stock: Whisper White, Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Gumball Green Accessories: Big Shot, Window Framelits, Adorning Accents, 2 Step Bird Punch, Owl Builder Punch. (Please do drop me an e-mail if you would like to order any of the above items or indeed any Stampin' Up product from the two current catalogues found in my side bar - all my details are above in the top tabs - thanks) . Please don't forget to visit the other DT ladies' blogs to see what they have made this week - see you son - Jacqueline xx

It's challenge time again at  Make My Monday  and DT member Caz would like to see White on White Christmas Cards. You may use another colour for accenting if you wish - here's what I came up with I love these kind of cards - they are awful to photograph though! I've tried to add lots of texture to this card by adding some embossing and piercing to my card stock. I also heat embossed my bauble using clear EP - you can just about see it! Here's a close up To finish off I added some white leaves and pearls. Materials Stamps: Ornament Keepsakes Ink: Versamark Card Stock: Whisper White Accessories: Holiday Ornament Framelit Dies, Clear EP, Paper Piercing Pack, 2 Step Bird Punch, Basic Pearls, Dimensionals Other: Dotty EF (See the top tab for details on how to order any of the above Stampin' Products and more) Please do pop over to the blog to see all the other wonderful white cards made by the DT and I will see you soon - Jacqueline xx

That's right folks we are still French over at  Make My Monday  and this week we want you to add a 'Fleur de Lys' to your projects - just like the one I have used in this card On top of my Fleur de Lys background I have added the Eiffel Tower from the lovely Artistic Etchings set. I have used some Baja Breeze and Whisper White card stock to punch some Boho Blossoms and Lucky Limeade for the leaves - they have been punched using the 2 Step Bird punch. To my centres I have added a few rhinestones. The dt have created some lovely cards for you to see over on the blog so please do pop on over to take a look. Don't forget that I can order any of the lovely S'U products used to make this card, they are: Stamps: Artistic Etchings. Card Stock: Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Lucky Limeade Ink: Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake Other: Boho Blossoms Punch, 2 Step Bird Punch, Rhinestones. I am devastated - I've just watched Downton and poor Sybil has died, so sad - m...

Mynnette  is creating a new challenge blog and she is having a DT Call. The challenges will be called 'Inkspirational' and we have 4 DT challenges to complete before 30th November! The first is this: We have to CASE Mynnette's card from the above picture - here's my card Yellow and white card stock were used for matting and layering and a piece of the yellow was also run through the Swiss Dots EF in the Cuttlebug. My flower is punched using the Blossom Punch and the leaves are from the 2 Step Bird Punch. One challenge down - three to go, do pop back to see the next one soon! - Bye for now - Jacqueline xx

I should have posted this a while ago but have been dealing with a personal 'thing' for the last 24hrs so I'm sorry if you have visited expecting to find my  52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown  project for this week. It's a special week as it's week 5 - we don't get many of those and so we have a special challenge reserved for these weeks - take a look Take a look at what I have made and then I will explain how I made it.   I've decorated a wooden peg with some scraps of Christmassy paper and then attached some pine fronds which I punched from green card stock. I stamped an image from the Pines and poinsettias set and added some glitter. Finally I punched a bird using the 2 Step Bird Punch and made him into a robin. And that's it - just the thing for clipping together all those Christmas lists and receipts don't you think? Please pop over to the blog - there are some wonderful creations there this week and not one card amongst them! Bye...

I have a Christmas card to show you today using dies, punches and embossing folders. I've also gone for some very traditional colours - red and green - take a look I used some nesting dies to make my mats and Cherry Cobbler card stock. On to that I layered my Whisper White card stock after I had first run it through my Cuttlebug in my Snowflakes EF - I sponged the edges of the card stock with Chocolate Chip ink. My flowers have been punched with the Boho Blossoms punch along with my leaves which were also punched but using the 2 Step Bird punch. A few golden gems add the finishing touch. I am entering this card into the challenge over at  Christmas Crafting!  where the theme is 'Traditional Christmas Colours'. Thanks for looking - have a great weekend - Jacqueline xx

Next Thursday evening I will be having a workshop where we are going to be making Cascade Cards - here's one I made earlier using some Crumb Cake card stock, Everyday Enchantment DSP, Boho Blossoms, 5 Petal Punch and the 2 Step Bird Punch. All the details of what you will need to make this card (should you wish to play along) are over on my  Craft Club Blog  - please do pop over and take a look. Spookily Cascade cards are also the subject of this month's  Technique Tuesday  so I have entered my card there and if you do play along with me next Thursday be sure and post the results there too. Bye for now - Jacqueline xx

That's right and that can only mean one thing - Wimbledon!! And if you hop over to the  Make My Monday  challenge blog you will see that the challenge there is all about Strawberries and Cream as we have a colour challenge this week - RED, GREEN & CREAM/WHITE. Take a look at my card There's hardly any stamping on this easel card - just card stock in the required colours.. My cream card stock has been run though a Swiss Dots EF and my butterflies have been die cut and layered. I used the 2 Step Bird punch for my leaves and the Boho Blossoms punch for the flowers. My sentiment is from the Butterfly Prints set - here's a couple of close ups Have a great week and enjoy the tennis - don't forget to take a look at the blog to see what my team mates have made this week and I'll see you soon - Jacqueline xx

It's  Make My Monday  time again and our Floral Theme is continuing with Wild Flowers & Grasses. Here is my card I was aiming for a meadow scene with grasses and poppies by sponging Tempting Turquoise for the sky and Old Olive for the grass. My Grasses are from the Autumn Days set and the Poppies - large and small are from Greenhouse Garden. My sentiment is from Bird on a Branch and the punched leaves are made using the 2 Step Bird Punch. The scene is on a slant because of the type of fold used to make it - it is a Diagonal Tri-Fold Card - here are some more pics I found this technique on one of Mynnette's blogs -  Krafty Kansans  and she found it -  HERE . Hope everyone had a great weekend - bye for now - Jacqueline xx

Morning all - having terrible problems with my lap top at the moment so if I suddenly disappear you will know why! So it's Christmas Card time once more and over at the  52 CCT  we have a Colour Challenge for you - take a look My first card is a stamped ivy image designed by own fair hand and is coloured in using Pear Pizzazz and Lucky Limeade markers My background card stock (Lucky Limeade) has been run through my Cuttlebug in the Swiss Dots folder to give it a bit of texture and I used my scallop edge punch for my border in the middle. Although it's difficult to see on this picture I have used some Distress Stickles on the small green leaves. My next card uses a totally different green and I have used the 2 Step Bird punch to create some mistletoe. Liquid Pearls are perfect for adding the tiny berries. My circle was made using a technique I saw on the telly recently and is a corner punch punched around a circle - difficult to explain but ever so eas...

OK - who's the numpty that prepared her post last night and forgot to schedule it and left it in draft? Hmm yes well.........any way very late here are my cards for this week's challenge at  52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown . We have an Anything Goes theme this week as it's the 5th week of the month. This being so I have (for one week only) decided to go 'off piste' somewhat and create a couple of 3D objects instead of cards. Please take a look This is a little treat cup hanger that I made at a workshop just before Christmas. It's die cut on the Big Shot and then decorated using the Stampin' Up set Pines and Poinsettias. I've made quite a few of these little birdhouses - they make great holders for choccies!! This one has been decorated with robins made with the S'U 2 Step Bird punch. Some of the leaves have had Liquid Pearls added to look like mistletoe berries. I've also added some frosting to the roof. Mynnette  - my partner in crime...

We have a lovely sketch to follow this week at  Simply Stampin'  - take a look Here is my card I started out with a 5" x 5" card base on to which I added some Poppy Parade card stock and some of my new Sale-a-bration paper.  Then using some Very Vanilla card stock I stamped the two sentiments from My Friend in Lucky Limeade ink. I also used Lucky Limeade for my leaves, more of the Poppy Parade and DSP for my flowers. I added a little sparkle to the flowers in the form of flat backed gems. I used at least four paper punches too - 2 Step Bird, 5 Petal Flower, Boho Blossoms and the Scallop Edge Punch. There are some fabulous DT cards over at  Simply Stampin'  and they have a Guest Designer. It's a lady I have been following for a couple of years now and she does fantastic work -  Monica Gale . Please pop over and take a look - I promise you won't be disappointed. I've been feeling very chilly today so I 'm going to light myself a f...

Today I made a card with my daughter in mind. She went back to uni 2 days ago and I'm feeling a little lost without her. She has a huge impact on our lives when she is around and not always in a good way. She stays out late and when she comes home she raids the cupboards, leaves the debris in the living room along with her boots, handbag and coat. She undresses in the bathroom and leaves her clothes where they fall. She uses all my cosmetics and lotions and leaves the tops off and soggy cotton wool around the taps - she leaves the light on. After sleeping till well after 12 the next day she comes downstairs, arranges herself on the sofa with her duvet and watches daytime telly for the rest of the afternoon. She then has her tea, uses all the hot water, goes out and it all starts all over again. But she's my little girl and I love her so I packed her off with a suitcase of freshly laundered clothes, a bag full of non-perishable food (including my secret stash of hot chocolate...

I can't believe how well the first challenge has gone at  52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown  - I hit on the idea in late December, invited  Mynnette  to join me in the venture and we have 47 followers already! So, this week we have a sketch for you to follow - take a look Mynnette has charge of January and she has designed this fabulous sketch for us this week. Here are 2 cards that I have made  following this sketch Card no. 1 uses SU Real Red, Lucky Limeade and Very Vanilla card stock. The robin is punched using the 2 Step Bird punch and Liquid Pearls were used to add the mistletoe berries. Card no.2 uses blue card stock from my stash along with a piece of snowflake paper. Whisper White card stock forms the decorative piece running along the middle and I have added some silver foil snowflakes attached with brads. I really hope you find the time to pop over and take a look and perhaps even join in - bye for now - Jacqueline xx

Well the holidays are nearly over, the family has all gone home and my husband is back at work - time to get back in the craft room and create! I was browsing blogs and webs and came across a tutorial on  Splitcoast Stampers  for a Dutch Fold Card. I changed the measurements a little as I like my cards to be square but I was really pleased with the results. I decorated it with some retired SU DSP - Springtime Vintage and then got out a few paper punches and added some embellishment - take a look The edges of the paper were inked with Early Espresso ink as were the punched out pieces of the owl. I added some Very Vanilla Gross Grain ribbon and some flat backed gems for the finishing touches. Here is what it looks like when it's opened And this what it looks like standing up I am entering this card into the  SU Only Challenge  - Feeling a Bit punchy Punches used Scallop Edge Corner Rounder 2 Step Bird Punch 2 Step Owl Punch Boho Blossoms Punch Al...

Today was my last Tuesday morning workshop of the year and we made notebooks. I make a lot of notebooks - they make great gifts and also they go down very well at my craft fairs. Here's a couple that I made a while ago This is the one I made today for the workshop The gorgeous dotty paper is from a DCWV pad and so is the paper used to mount my owl. The owl of course is my SU 2Step Owl punch and she is sitting on a branch punched from the 2 Step Bird punch. A third punch - Boho Blossoms was used to punch the flowers. The initial is gorgeously glittery and is from K&Company. The notebook it's self was made from a cheap A4 pad and there is a full tutorial over on my  Craft Club  blog. I also used my faithful Bind-it-All machine to give it a professional look. You could also use ring binders or ribbon if you don't have a Bind-it-All. Thanks for looking - Jacqueline xx

This week at the  Simply Stampin'  challenge blog the theme is 'Leafy'. Now I had idea that I wanted to create something with mistletoe on it but it didn't turn out quite right and I think the mistletoe berries have morphed into  snowberries - anyway I added plenty of leaves!!! - take a look The cones and needles are from the Autumn Days set and are stamped in Chocolate Chip and Lucky Limeade. The scallop circle is Ruby Red card stock and this has been used to punch the poinsettia flowers and the red breast of the robin - he is Early Espresso and the leaves are punched from Old Olive with added pearls for berries. Away now to spend some time with Mum and Dad and my Daughter is joining us from uni - should be a good weekend - bye for now - Jacqueline xx

Last week I went to craft with my friend Jane and she had found a cute little bird house template. It was really easy to cut out and she had used some of the gorgeous Stampin' Up Ivory card stock to print it on. Jane also has one of the new Stampin' Up Christmas sets - Pines and Poinsettias so of course I had to have a go with it! As you can see I added my owl to the front of the birdhouse but the 2 Step bird punch works just as well. The leaves are scraps of card stock inked with Old Olive ink before being punched out. Here is a view of the side And the back I had so much fun making this that I have joined Jane's workshop classes - we are called the Powick Paper Dollies - I went to my first workshop yesterday and I will show you what I made when I have finished adding the final touches to them. Off now to curl up in front of the fire and watch T.V - oh maybe not it's football :(     See you soon - Jacqueline xx