Evening blog readers! I had to do some Christmas shopping today, but managed to squeeze in a quick hour of crafting - still so much to do before I'm ready for my very first Stampin' Up! European Convention in Manchester in 2 days time! I'm very excited (can you tell?!) and am looking forward to spending some quality crafting and partying time with Barbara and Samantha, the two of my team that are accompanying me.

More news of that later in the week, but today I have another video tutorial of you to show you how to make a very simple envelope card using your Envelope Punch Board:

I made a whole bunch of these as thank you cards to pop in with my most recent batch of customer orders; lots of my customers have already bought envelope punch boards, so I'm keen to show them lots of simple and straightforward ways that they can use it for things as well as straightforward envelopes.

Here's a picture of the cards I made, both open and closed:

And here's the link to my YouTube channel to watch the video tutorial if you would like to make your own:

I used Sycamore Street designer series paper for my cards, which is a retired paper but one that is still available currently on the clearance rack for only £3.59 - pop over to my online store by clicking on the image below if you would like to snap some up at this bargain price before its all gone!

Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

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Today I'm sharing my entry for this week's Paper Craft Crew sketch challenge. Here is this week's challenge sketch:

I decided to use the nativity stamp from the Stapin' Up! 'Best of Christmas' stamp set. I haven't used this stamp before and think it's rather cute, however a few of my customers have avoided using this stamp as they see it as a children's stamp so I wanted to create a card using this stamp that had a more grown-up feel to it. This is what I came up with:

I used a Night of Navy card base, then stamped the image in gold metallic ink on Whisper White and matted it on squares of both navy and brushed gold. I highlighted the stars and heart with some gold glitter just to add a little extra sparkle, but otherwise left the image as stamped. Here's a close up of the stamped image so you can see the shimmer:

The layer beneath the image that runs across the card was made from a strip of navy cardstock embossed with the Print Poetry Embossing Folder with I then swiped the gold metallic ink pad across the surface to add some shine and pick up the detail of the embossed script. This was border was also matted with brushed gold cardstock and finally the sentiment was stamped in gold to finish.  I used the narrow label from the Circle Card Thinlits set for the label piece and finished with three Night of Navy candy dots to tone in with the rest of my card.

Whilst this stamp will always look a child's drawing, I think this card shows that with the right colour combination and layout the boundaries can be stretched a little. Why don't you pop over to the Paper Craft Crew's challenge page and have a look at the design team inspiration there and see what the other challenge entrants have come up with.

Back tomorrow with a project and another video tutorial using the Envelope Punch Board; until then, happy stampin'!

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Yay - it's the weekend! I've been busy doing homework and more convention swaps today, along with other lovely items for my convention friends, all of which I will share with you another time ... because today I'm going to show you the easiest ever way to make Christmas Crackers using the new Stampin' Up! Envelope Punch Board! Not just pictures, but a video too. The new envelope punch board from Stampin' Up! has been hugely popular as lots of my customers will testify and it really is a versatile piece of kit. As I mentioned in a previous post, the board can be used not only to make envelopes, but also boxes in a variety of shapes and sizes and other 3D items such as crackers.

As we are fast approaching the start of the festive season, what better than to make some lovely Christmas crackers to decorate your Christmas tree, as table favours for the festive table or even to house a couple of chocolates as a little gift for someone special? Here are the ones I make in my video, along with a picture of some other ones that I've made:

I've seen lots of videos and tutorials on how to make them in a variety of sizes and styles, but if you want to make lots I think by far the easiest way is to use the current Designer Series Paper Stacks in the seasonal catalogue as your starting point: each sheet measures 4.5"x6.5" so it makes the score measurements really easy: 1", 2", 3" and 4" on the short side, and 1", 1.5", 2", 4.5", 5" and 5"5 on the long side. Simply score, punch stick and done - you can make a cracker in just a couple of minutes. Add a minute or two more to add some decoration and you could be mass producing these in no time. If you don't use the paper stacks, any designer paper cut to the basic measurement will do; I would avoid using solid colour standard cardstock as this is much thicker and whilst your envelope punch board will punch through a double thickness of cardstock, it is quite hard work and you risk damaging your punch and board as it isn't really designed with this in mind.

In my video, I also show a boxed set of crackers that I made using the Winter Frost Designer Series Paper Stack - here is the photo again:

This box set would make a lovely gift for someone - if you would like to make a box for your crackers, the dimensions you will need are as follows:

Box Base: Sheet of cardstock (I used Bermuda Bay) 8 1/4" x 8 1/2". Score at 1 1/8" and 7 1/8" across the short side, then rotate through 90 degrees and score at 1 1/8" and 7 3/8" on the long side.

Box lid: Acetate window sheet size 8 1/4" x 8 1/2". Create a shim for your score board using an offcut of window sheet, then with your shim in place, score the lid to the same dimensions as the base above (1 1/8" and 7 1/8" across the short side, 1 1/8" and 7 3/8" on the long side). This will ensure your box lid fits snugly.

I then decorated my box with some embossed die cut snowflakes using the Festive Flurry Stamp Set and Framelits, Bermuda Bay ribbon and a Frosted Finishes embellishment.

So without further ado, grab your paper stack and watch my video tutorial and start making your Christmas crackers today!

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:

No blog post yesterday as I spent the day preparing swaps for convention next week and went out last night for a pre-Christmas get-together with some of the ladies from my monthly card classes. We had a great time - they really are such fun! Today I'm sharing with you the card and notebook that I made to welcome Kim, the most recent member of my team. I decided to use the Modern Medley designer series paper as the basis for my set, which is something of a departure for me as I don't usually work in just black and white (or in this case, vanilla). So here's my set:

I used a couple of the stamps in the Chalk Talk set as the focal point and kept the design simple with just some ribbon and button accents. here's a close up of the book cover:

And here's the co-ordinating card, with seam binding ribbon and bow, rather than naturals ribbon:

I really like this set, even with the absence of colour - nice for a change! More importantly, Kim liked it too, which is really the main thing. Welcome gifts are just one of the many benefits of joining my team; if you are reading this and would like to know more about how to become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and all the benefits that becoming a member of my team has to offer, then email me at joanne@thecraftyowl.co.uk or contact me on 07773 421446 for an informal chat today.

Back tomorrow with a great project and easy to follow video tutorial; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

An earlier post than usual from me today, as I am out at school this evening to discuss 'wins and learns' from the weekend's bonfire and fireworks evening, which was a huge success. As promised, today's creative post is a very festive Christmas card created using the current Paper Craft Crew Challenge sketch as my inspiration. Here is the challenge sketch:

I haven't made a banner card for a while, so thought I would take the opportunity to create a festive one. Here's my card:

I chose Real Red, Whisper White and Gumball Green for my festive creation and whilst I followed the layered style of the sketch, I chose to change the shape of my card and create a long, slim card (for which I created a bespoke envelope with my new envelope punch board!). I also incorporated my sentiment into my banner, rather than across the bottom of my card - I haven't used the Occasions Alphabet before, but it seemed perfect for a flagged banner here. My Hearts a Flutter stamps and framelit set enabled this card to come together easily.

Hop on over to the PCC Challenge page here to see what the Design team and other participants did with the sketch - there are some great creative inspirations to enjoy.

Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:

As promised, today's creative post features another of this month's class cards and also uses the Snow Day stamp set that I featured earlier in the week, but this time there's not a snowman in sight! Take a look at the card to see what I mean:

I cased the idea for this card from one made by Monica Gale (you can see her original card here), although mine looks quite different to hers I think with a much richer colour palette. The 'warm wishes' sentiment becomes a garland here, with the accessory pieces from this stamp set hanging from it; the only other thing that's needed is a fireplace!

I also did a reverse-coloured version of this card, with a seam binding ribbon bow:

Which one do you prefer? I'm favouring the clean lines of the first one, but like the second one too. Either way, it's always nice to be able to use one stamp set in a variety of different ways and I think this stamp set is more versatile than you might think at first glance. I have a few other ideas up my sleeve too, so check back for future posts on other ways you can use this fun set.

I have a jam-packed couple of days ahead, starting with the excitement tomorrow of a night out to hear Billy Joel in concert. I've always wanted to hear him sing live, so I'm very much looking forward to it. Before I go though, I will be back with the last of the Digital Scrapbooking Days 50% off offers and another creative post; until tomorrow, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

A quick creative post from me today - this is one of the cards we are making in this week's card classes, a one layer card using the Snow Day stamp set:

I love this cute snowman set and there are so many ways you can stamp him, but he's really great for a one layer card which is handy if you need to produce lots of cards in one go. Despite the fact that he's a snowman, I avoided using white on this card; my chosen colour combination was inspired by a recent challenge over at Create with Connie and Mary and I like the effect of the Soft Sky on Very Vanilla, with a little Smoky Slate and Raspberry Ripple for impact.

Check back next time for another card using this stamp set, that looks completely different. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Today's post features one of the cards that I'm making in my classes this week: it's a 3" x 4" notelet card, with co-ordinating DSP bespoke envelope made with the new Envelope Punch Board. This really is a great piece of kit and can be used for so much besides envelopes, but before we get ahead of ourselves I thought I would shoot a short video to show you just how easy it is to make a simple envelope to fit a card that isn't a 'standard' size.

So here is the card I made:

The card itself is very simple, with some festive washi tape and a small punched square, that has been embossed with the Stylish stripes TIEF and had a little Christmas tree punched out using one of the Merry Minis punch trio. Then a tiny button and twine bow to finish and a simple sentiment and done. The great thing is that with the new envelope punch board a co-ordinating envelope really can be created in minutes - just watch the video below to see how easy it is:

Isn't that great? The ladies at my class today couldn't believe just how easy it was to create a perfect envelope. It was a good job this was our last card of the class, otherwise I think they would have spent the whole afternoon making envelopes and not cards! The envelope board can be used for so much more though; watch out for more videos showing you how to get the most out of this great new tool.

I'm also linking today's card up with the colour challenge over at Create with Connie and Mary, where this week's challenge is to make a card using my featured colours: 

If you would like to be inspired, pop over to their blog and see how other designers have used this colour combination in a variety of different ways. Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

So, as promised, a creative post at last today! I've been busy this weekend preparing for next week's Christmas card classes, so I have lots to share with you this week, including a couple of videos. Today's card is another made with the circle thinlits card and I'm just in time to link up with this week's Merry Monday Challenge over at Always Playing With Paper, where this week's challenge is to make a Christmas card featuring Santa:

My very first thinlit card was using the 'Best of Christmas' santa, but today I thought I would go for something a little different and so am using the cute santa from the 'Colour Me Christmas' stamp set. Here's my card:

I used a bright red and white colour scheme and coloured my santa with my Stampin' Write markers to give a bold finish. I then cut out my stamped image using the scalloped circle framelit from the thinlit set, which I layered on an offset red scalloped circle for interest. I also used the mini-chevron framelit to create a border edge to my card and finished with a button and some ribbon, and added some Dazzling Diamonds to the trim on santa's hat and coat with the aid of my two-way glue pen just to give a little added sparkle. Well, it is a Christmas card after all!

I hope you like my card; do pop over to the Merry Monday page and see what the designers and other participants have come up with on this theme. Back tomorrow with a card and video for you, as well as a quick post with the digital deal of the day. I also have my first Christmas card class of the week tomorrow, which I'm very much looking forward to and a trip to the cash & carry in readiness for our school bonfire and fireworks display next weekend: a packed day in store, but with the children back at school tomorrow following their half-term break that will be one less thing to think about! Until tomorrow, happy stampin'!

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A late post from me today and it was supposed to be all about Halloween, but as I'm behind this week and the current Paper Players challenge ends tomorrow, I need to have a switch around so that I can link up today's card. This week's challenge over at The Paper Players is a sketch by the lovely Ann Marie - here it is:

I love sketch challenges as you know and I've actually used this layout for several card designs this week (still in the making and not blogged yet, in case you're thinking you haven't seen them!) The card that I'm going to link up though is the one that is most 'true to sketch' and is actually the birthday card I designed for my Mum - here it is:

Now it's not my Mum's birthday until Saturday, so I'm taking a chance here, but as she rarely looks at my blog I think I'm safe! I took the inspiration for my colour scheme from some of the papers in the Afternoon Picnic DSP stack and it was an opportunity to use a colour that I rarely do: Wisteria Wonder. I actually had some out on my desk as I've been using it for another project recently, but must confess it's a colour I don't find myself drawn to. I love the idea of lilac, but I find too much Wisteria Wonder rather overpowering. Here I've tried to temper that by using a Very Vanilla background and making good use of Pear Pizzazz, the other main colour in the patterned paper. I used my Stampin' Write markers to colour the flower from the 'Oh Hello' stamp set, which so looks like the flowers that you see in this paper stack and I used an embossed strip across the centre of my card because whilst I think it would have looked nice with a strip of chevron ribbon, I wanted it to be post-friendly and I like the way the embossed dots again echo the pattern of the paper.

So that's my card. I may well share some of today's Halloween makes with you tomorrow (call it early planning for next year!) Whilst I don't tend to go in for Halloween cards and as my regular readers will know, I haven't featured a single Halloween project, one of the things that is really big in the James household is pumpkin carving. Each year we try to grow our own pumpkins in the garden and this year we managed to grow four, two of which were the biggest ever! Our record breaking pumpkin was 1.38m in circumference and weighed 17.9kg - only 2kg lighter than my 6 year old son!!! The children and I spent the happiest of days today carving all four of our pumpkins, so I thought I should share some pictures with you:

 This is Rebecca's pumpkin, that she carved herself:

This is Ben's pumpkin, that he too managed himself for the first time this year:

And lastly here are both Ben and Rebecca, with our two 'monster' pumpkins, the largest of which was big enough for a double Monsters University-inspired carving:

Not a piece of cardstock in sight, but very creative, nonetheless! I'll be back tomorrow with another project, meanwhile why not pop over to The Paper Players and see what the designers and other participants have done with the above sketch? Until tomorrow, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies Used: