Phoenix Inspirations

Good morning, firstly I'd like to apologise for my lack of blogging lately. Things have been a bit tough over the last few weeks but - there are good times on the horizon so I've just got to hold out for a few more days. On the plus side - I've got a new job. I'm working in one of the shops in the High Street in Bridgnorth. Working on the till at the moment which is fun but a little complicated too! OK - let's get down to business. Today is Saturday which means it's time for 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown This week we have a sketch - take a look I'm the Hostess this month so this is my sketch - I made it quite clean and simple as you can see - just three elements! Here is my card I stamped a piece of card stock with a music stamp a then die cut it with one of my Window Framelits. I sponged the edges before attaching it to my card blank. My tree was also stamped on to card stock and fussy cut before it too was sponged around the ...

Found a rare few moments to pay lately so decided to make an easel card. I also got some gorgeous free stamps on a magazines and threw those into the mix too - take a look I used my Windows Framelits to cut the shape of the card and also embossed them with the Mosaic embossing folder. This card was used to day as a birthday card for a very special Aunt - hope she liked it! See you soon xx

Good morning and welcome to Monday! I'm kicking off the week with my DT card for this week's challenge over on  Make My Monday  where the theme is SEASONAL FLOWERS - we even have an inspiration picture too - take a look Here is my card My card is a kind of back to front gatefold card using the Window Framelits. Can you see the woodgrain stamping in the background? That's the new Hardwood stamp available now in the Spring'Summer Mini - it's one of my new favourites! Find these items and more in my shop  HERE or drop me an e-mail at deezinesart@icloud.com Have a great Bank Holiday Monday folks - see you soon xx

The title says it all and is the new challenge over on  Make My Monday  - here is my card A traditional Christmas Poinsettia in traditional Christmassy colours - with a few sparkly bits in the centre! Materials - Stampin' Up Stamps: Joyful Christmas Ink: Versamark, Chocolate Chip Card Stock: Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Real Red Paper: Polka Dot Parade DSP Accessories:Big Shot, Window Framelits, White EP, Scallop Trim Punch (To order any of the above current items or items from the Annual Catalogue please e-mail me on deezinesart@gmail.com - a catalogue pdf can be found in the side bar. Items can be delivered direct to you - just £4.95 p+p any size order. Also see the special offers above in the top tabs - thanks). You can also shop now directly from my Stampin' Up website - click  HERE  to take a look. Please don't forget to pop over and see what the other DT ladies have to show you and I hope to be visiting your blogs soon to see what yo...

We have some lovely Christmasy colours for you today over on the  CAS - Colours & Sketches  blog - take a look Here is my card Materials - Stampin' Up Stamps: Love and Joy Ink: Cherry Cobbler Card Stock: Whisper White, Crumb Cake Paper: Polka Dot Parade DSP Accessories: Big Shot, Window Framelits, Dimensionals (To order any of the above current items or items from the Annual Catalogue please e-mail me on deezinesart@gmail.com - a catalogue pdf can be found in the side bar. Items can be delivered direct to you - just £4.95 p+p any size order. Also see the special offers above in the top tabs - thanks). You can also shop now directly from my Stampin' Up website - click  HERE  to take a look. Please don't forget to pop over and see what the other DT ladies have to show you and I hope to be visiting your blogs soon to see what you have created - Must dash - off to the Stampin' Up Convention in Manchester - such fun!

Saturday again and it's Ruth's last challenge over on the 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown  and she has decreed that we employ the Emboss Resist technique (instructions over on the blog) Here is my card Oh crumbs - forgot to do the inside, sorry Ruth - I do have a close up of the resist though Materials - Stampin' Up Stamps: Special Season, Love and Joy Ink: Always Artichoke, Early Espresso, Versamark Card Stock: Very Vanilla, Early Espresso Accessories: Big Shot, Window Framelits, Clear EP (To order any of the above current items or items from the Annual Catalogue please e-mail me on deezinesart@gmail.com - a catalogue pdf can be found in the side bar. Items can be delivered direct to you - just £4.95 p+p any size order. Also see the special offers above in the top tabs - thanks). You can also shop now directly from my Stampin' Up website - click  HERE  to take a look. Don't forget that during the month of September if you join...

Morning all - it's time for a new challenge over at  Make My Monday  and the challenge this week is to include Pearls and Swirls - here's my card Materials - Stampin' Up Stamps: Flowering Flourishes, Best of Butterflies Ink: Black Stazon, rich Razzelberry, Versamark Card Stock: Whisper White, Rich Razzelberry, Basic Black Accessories: Wide Gros grain Ribbon (retired) Basic Pearls, Clear embossing powder, Big Shot, Window Framelits, Scallop Trim Punch. (To order any of the above current items or items from the Annual Catalogue please e-mail me on deezinesart@gmail.com - a catalogue pdf can be found in the side bar. Items can be delivered direct to you - just £4.95 p+p any size order. Also see the special offers above in the top tabs - thanks). Don't forget that during the month of September if you join my Stampin' Up team not only will you receive the wonderful Stampin' Up Starter Kit but a FREE gift from me - a stamp set of your choice. Emai...

Hello - it's Saturday and that means another Christmas challenge over on the  52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown  and this week Patricia would like to see some stitching on our cards - real or faux Here is my card Needles and thread are hard to find in my house so I went with the faux stitching! I drew the stitches on with a fine end of a marker pen. Materials - Stampin' Up Stamps: Delightful Dozen, Pines and Poinsettias (retired) Ink: Early Espresso, Chery Cobbler, Always Artichoke Card Stock:Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Always Artichoke, Naturals Ivory Accessories: Big Shot, Window Framelits (To order any of the above current items or items from the Annual Catalogue please e-mail me on deezinesart@gmail.com - a catalogue pdf can be found in the side bar. Items can be delivered direct to you - just £4.95 p+p any size order. Also see the special offers above in the top tabs - thanks). Please don't forget to pop over and see what the other DT ladies...

It's challenge time again at  Make My Monday  and this week the lovely Caz has chosen Purples and Neutrals for her challenge. You can only choose one neutral though so please do check out the rules before you link up! Here is my card Now I would love to say this was all my own work but no - I followed a tutorial  HERE  with Dawn 'hi stampers' Griffith! I chose white as my neutral. Materials - Stampin' Up Stamps: Swallowtail Ink: Concord Crush (retired), Perfect Plum Card Stock: Whisper White, Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant Paper: Silver Glimmer Accessories: Big Shot, Windows Framelits, Basic Rhinestones, Dimensionals, White Gel Pen Thanks for looking - bye for now - Jacqueline xx

One of my favourite stamps is retiring at the end of this month, I'm not too sad though as I have had a sneak peak at the brand new catalogue and there is a lot of new and exciting products to take it's place. You my remember I used this set recently for my workshops - I also made an easel card in this style as easel cards are the subject of this month's workshops - take a look I didn't stop there either as I made this little gift box to complete the collection Thanks for looking today - I will be saying fond farewells to a few more sets later in the week so do pop back. Enjoy the rest the weekend - Jacqueline xx

Today was my monthly Tuesday morning workshop - a bit later in the month than usual but not one to be missed as I used the gorgeous Bordering on Romance as my inspiration. Today we made a Pop-up Accordion card - take a look As a special favour to the ladies in my craft group I write up a tutorial of our makes, that way they can recreate their card again at home. It's also useful as well if for some reason they are unable to come to the class on the day. You too can take advantage of these tutorials by visiting my Craft Club Blog -  HERE . So now you know what you can make - here's what I used to make it Materials - Stampin' Up Stamps - Bordering on Romance, Kindness Matters Ink: Basic Gray, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, Certain Celery - all Stampin' Write Markers Card Stock: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue Paper: Silver Glimmer Accessories: Big Shot, Window Framelits, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Very Vanilla Ribbon, Scallop Edge Punch ...

I am running a workshop on Tuesday (21st) so if you live in the Malvern area and want to come along check out all the details -  HERE . This time we are making a POP-UP ACCORDION CARD - take a look Materials - Stampin' Up Stamps: Bordering on Romance, Kindness Matters Ink: Basic Gray, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, Certain Celery Card Stock: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue Paper: Silver Glimmer Accessories: Big Shot, Window Framelits, Bitty Butterfly Punch,Scallop Edge Punch, Very Vanilla Ribbon (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) . As always with my workshop makes there will be a step by step tutorial on my  Craft Club Blog  so please do pop back for that after the workshop on Tuesday morning. Bye for now - Jacqueline 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

Morning all - this is a scheduled post as I'm away at the moment having fun catching up with family. It's Monday so that means another challenge at Make My Monday and this week Mynnette has a bit of Literary Inspiration for you     It's the cover from the Charlotte Bronte novel - Jane Eyer. here is my card   I've used Sahara Sand as my background with a Whisper white label cut on the Big Shot using the Window framelits. I then added an Elegant Butterfly silhouette and some Basic Pearls. Don't forget to visit the blog to see how the rest of the DT have tackled this and I will see you when I get home tomorrow with pics of my Telford swaps - bye for now - Jacqueline xx

I've been having a play with some new stash today - my Pleasant Poppies stamp. It's huge but gives a beautiful crisp image nevertheless. I also added just a bit of colour with a So Saffron Stampin' Write marker. Yellow poppies remind me of my Mum's garden in the summer - it's literally festooned with yellow and orange Welsh poppies. As I am entering this into the  Less is More  'Frame It' challenge I added a die cut frame using my Window Framelits dies. I will also be entering this week's challenge over on the  Dynamic Duos  blog Here is my card And a close up Materials: Stampin' Up Stamps: Pleasant Poppies Ink: Black Stazon, So Saffron (marker), Basic Black (marker) Card Stock: Whisper White Accessories: Windows Framelits, Big Shot (yes I have one now!!), Dimensionals, White Gel Pen. (Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you would like to order any of the above products - all my details are in the top tabs)...

Time for another Christmas challenge at  52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown  and this week Louise wants to see Christmas Animals - not birds - Animals Had to get my thinking cap on for this .......... and came up with ......... Camels! take a look Here are my camels along with the Three Wise Men embossed in gold and framed using my Window Framelits. Here's the inside Stampin' Up materials used Stamps: come to Bethlehem Ink: Versamark, Basic Black Card stock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Riding Hood Red Accessories: Gold Embossing Powder, Window Framelits Other Non Stampin' Up items: Snowflake Embossing Folder (If you would like to order any of the Stampin' Up items you see on this blog please e-mail me on deezinesart@gmail.com or see the details above in the top tabs - thanks). There is a whole menagerie of Christmas Animals over on the blog please do pop over and take a look. Thanks for looking today - see you soon - Jacqueline xx

Hello - hope everyone had a good weekend - it's Monday and that means it's time for another challenge over on the  Make My Monday  challenge blog. this week the theme is to use HEAT EMBOSSING - take a look at my card I used the utterly gorgeous Summer Silhouettes for this card. The flower stems were stamped ion Early Espresso ink and then the flower heads were ink and stamped with Versamark and heat embossed with white embossing powder. Here is a close up All materials used are Stampin' Up Stamps: Summer Silhouettes Ink: Early Espresso, Baja Breeze, Versamark Card Stock: Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Early Espresso Accessories: Windows Framelits, White Embossing Powder Other Non Stampin' Up: Flat backed Gems (All Stampin' Up items can be ordered through me and delivered direct to your door - please see all the details in the top tabs - thanks). Why don't you pop over to the blog and take a look at all the other heat embossed loveliness produced ...

I recently demo'd this card at one of my workshops and based it on this card  HERE . We used the Summer Silhouettes set and some lovely shades of blue. Along with the blue we added some Wild Wasabi - isn't that a great name for a colour? Take a look at the side panels And here is the box we made to put it in Stampin' Up materials used Stamps:Summer Silhouettes Ink: Bashful Blue, Marina Mist, Wild Wasabi Card Stock: Whisper White, Marina Mist Paper: Subtles DSP Accessories: Windows Framelits, Scallop Edge Punch, Basics Rhinestones Other Non Stampin' Up items: Acetate (Don't forget that you can order any of the Stampin' Up items through me and I can arrange to have them delivered direct to you door. Check out the Sale-a-bration deals too - all the details are above in the top tabs). As always when i do a workshop I write a step by step tutorial to accompany it - you can find it now on my  Craft Club Blog  - hope you like it - Jacqueline xx

Do you ever have those moments where common sense departs and you act completely on impulse? I had one very recently. Usually I'm very good when purchasing stamps, I weigh up all my options you know how many different ways can I use the stamp, who can I use it for etc........ The card I'm about to show you not only shows off the telescoping image  technique I used  HERE  but shows off my 'I just have to have it' stamp - take a look This cute little Noah's Ark stamp is actually called Two by Two and I coloured it using my Stampin' Write markers and an Aqua Painter. Materials Stamps; Two by Two Ink: Early Espresso,Chocolate Chip, Summer Starfruit, Poppy Parade (retired) Pool Party, Midnight Muse Card Stock: Whisper White, Early Espresso, Naturals White Paper: Subtles DSP Accessories: Aqua Painter, Dimensionals, Window Framelits (All current Stampin' Up items can be ordered through me and delivered direct to door - please see all the details...

I recently led a workshop where we made Telescoping Image cards. That is where you stamp 2 identical images on 2 separate pieces of card stock, die cut them with nesting dies and then layer the die cuts to complete your card - take a look I didn't forget the inside either! Materials Stamps: Flowering Flourishes, My Friend Ink: Soft Suede, Midnight Muse, Pool Party, Summer Starfruit Card Stock: Very Vanilla, Cajun Craze, Summer Starfruit, Midnight Muse Paper: Comfort Cafe DSP Accessories: Hat Pins (retired), Dimensionals, Boho Blossoms Punch, Basic Rhinestones, Window Framelits Other: Seam Binding Ribbon (All Stampin' Up items listed above and more can be ordered through me and delivered direct to your door - please see all the details in the top tabs - thanks). As always to accompany my workshops there is a full step by step tutorial  HERE  on my Craft Club Blog. Thanks for looking, see you soon - Jacqueline xx