A Bright Posie

I had Papertrey Ink's Rosie Posie set on my wish list for about a year and Mom gave it to me along with the dies for Christmas!  

So of course when it came time for me to host the Featured Stamper challenge at Splitcoaststampers this week, I just had to use it!  The Featured Stamper is Cary, aka Miss Minx and HERE is the lovely CAS card which inspired me.

I stamped the flowers with various shades of Color Box pigment inks (Christmas gift from the family!) and then popped them up over a diagonal panel of text dp(SU) on a cream card base.  

Rosie Posie is a two step stamping set, so there's a Rosie Posie Step 2 set as well, and the two shades of colour add a bit of dimension.  

Black twine (American Crafts) and a pink brad are the finishing touches.

It was a real pleasure to work with such bright
and breezy colours in the middle of winter! 

I'll take this opportunity to wish you a very, very 

Happy New Year in 2014

 and to thank you very much for stopping by to read my blog from time to time.  

I really appreciate your interest in something which gives me so much pleasure, and I hope you've found even a little bit of inspiration here over the past year!

Serene Sailboat

I made a card for the Featured Stamper Challenge at Splitcoaststampers today - it's Roberta, aka stampin'nana, a very sweet friend and talented stamper! 

 HERE is the card from her gallery which inspired me.  

I masked the clouds with some die-cuts using Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Clouds and Raindrops dies and a circle using Spellbinders Nestabilities Circles Small.

The frame has been scored using a Scor-pal.  

I love this serene silhouette scene from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps The Sea.  

The sentiment is from Be Encouraged.

Various inks used include Stampin Up's Blushing Bride, Barely Banana,

Night of Navy, Pool Party, and Cool Caribbean.

I sure have needed to be reminded of these words from the Psalms after the weekend I've had.  

I hope they encourage you too.

Rainbow Snowflake

Time to think about coming up with a few cards to let people
know I appreciate their Christmas gifts!  

I made a rainbow effect with some strips of Echo Park polka dot dp, then die-cut the largest snowflake from the fabulous Sweet n' Sassy Stamps Large Snowflakes die set.

I used a negative die-cut from the same die on a white piece of card, then set the rainbow snowflake into the negative die-cut.  I then added the little pieces back in like a jigsaw puzzle.  Yes, it took a little time, but once I got started with it, I had to finish!  

To finish I added two buttons and popped it up on a black frame.
The sentiment is from the cute SNSS set Snowy Hello,
perfect for your post Christmas thank you cards!

Thanks for stopping by today, have a wonderful day!

Tag Love Collage

Just getting my card for Sunday's Featured Stamper Challenge at
Splitcoaststampers posted today!

We were honouring Sandie, aka sistersandie this week and HERE
is the lovely cream on cream card which inspired me!
I thought it would be fun to do a mini version of the LOVE die-cuts on a tag.

I used X-Cut Alphabet dies to make the letters, cutting two of each,
gluing them together for just a little bit more definition and dimension.
They're adhered to die-cuts made with
Spellbinders Nestabilities Scalloped Squares.

Other dies used are:

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Heart Dies

Elizabeth Craft Bunch of Flowers 2 Flower Dies

Memory Box Perched Reed Bird Die
As much as I love colour, it was fun to make a cream on cream card.
Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day!

SNSS December Release Hop Day 4

Hello and welcome to Day 4 of the hops celebrating the 

December Release sets at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!

Today the design team are showcasing the stamp set

 Colorful Cocoa

What a fun card to make and a fun set!  Along with Colorful Cocoa I used the newly released Grunge Elements with varioius inks for a bright ink splat background.

I popped up the main Cocoa/paint can image so that the paintbrush and tail are in the backround.

Keeping the rest of the card clean, I simply rounded the top corners and added some matching buttons.

Now take a look at the whole set and details below:

Stamp set includes 2 images and 5 sentiments.

Paint can measures 2.5" x 2".

Designed by Korin Sutherland.

Set is $11.

Check out the fabulous samples made by our talented team in the thumbnails below.

Be sure to leave a comment on each of the blogs along the way because Korin is giving away (4) $15 store credits (1 winner will be chosen from each of the 4 blog hops.)

The deadline for commenting for a chance to win is midnight EST Friday, December 13th.

The winners will be announced Monday, December 16th on the website homepage.

Thanks so much for stopping by, enjoy the rest of the hop! 

SNSS December Release Hop Day 3

Hello and welcome to Day 3 of the hops celebrating the December Release sets at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!

Today the design team are showcasing the stamp set

Grunge Elements

 I've been waiting for a set like Grunge Elements!  I love being able to stamp ink splats and paint brush strokes in any colour - it's so fun!  For the first card I cut a curved top panel with a craft knife and then added twine and a brad.

I found a mini black coloured pencil in my stash and "hung" the  

wonky square panel with twine and a brad.  

I love this sentiment, it's something I've often reflected on - 

the fulfillment that we feel when involved in a creative 

pursuit is a direct reflection of our Creator God - we
have Him to thank for that enjoyment!

Last is a rainbow card with a simple black frame and mini buttons placed randomly.

Now take a look at the full set with all the details below:

Set includes 9 images and 3 sentiments.

The word "ART" measures .75" x 1.5".

Designed by Korin Sutherland.

Set is $26.

Check out the fabulous samples made by our talented team in the thumbnails below.

Be sure to leave a comment on each of the blogs along the way because Korin is giving away (4) $15 store credits (1 winner will be chosen from each of the 4 blog hops.)

The deadline for commenting for a chance to win is midnight EST Friday, December 13th.

The winners will be announced Monday, December 16th on the website homepage.

Thanks so much for stopping by, enjoy the rest of the hop! 

SNSS December Release Hop Day 2

Hello and welcome to Day 2 of the hops celebrating the December Release sets at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!

Today the design team are showcasing the stamp set

Typewriter Text Background

I absolutely love the way these new sets work together - I used the new Keep in Touch stamps and Keep in Touch dies along with the Typwriter Text Backround on the circle.

The card base background is dry embossed with a typeface embossing folder and then sponged along the edges with Ranger Distress Antique Linen.  All panels have been 

framed in black to pick up on the black ink used for the images.

This card was so fun to make in one of my favourite colour schemes!

Check out the set and the details below:

One large backround stamp.

Measures approximately 3.75" x 3.75".

Designed by Korin Sutherland.

Set is $11.

Check out the fabulous samples made by our talented team in the thumbnails below.

Be sure to leave a comment on each of the blogs along the way because Korin is giving away (4) $15 store credits (1 winner will be chosen from each of the 4 blog hops.)

The deadline for commenting for a chance to win is midnight EST Friday, December 13th.

The winners will be announced Monday, December 16th on the website homepage.

Thanks so much for stopping by, enjoy the rest of the hop!

SNSS December Release Hop Day 1

Hello and welcome to Day 1 of the hops celebrating the December Release sets at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!

Today the design team are showcasing the stamp set

Keep in Touch 

along with the matching 

Keep in Touch dies.

For my first card I went with a vintage look, sponging all edges with Ranger Distress Antique Linen ink.  I used an envelope punch to make a tiny envelope for my mini letter with the "hello friend" sentiment.  I have to say the Keep in Touch stamps and dies are incredibly easy to use!  The ink splat background was made with the new Grunge Elements (check back Monday for more inspiration using this set!)

The dp is from October Afternoon.

For my second card I added some stitching and little hearts cut using the SNSS Heart Dies.  The little tag was created using SNSS Mini Tags dies.

The dp is from Pebbles Seen and Noted.

Now take a look at both sets and all the details below:

Stamp set has 6 images and 12 sentiments.

It measures 4" x 12 ".

Typewrite measures app. 2.25" x 2".

Die set includes 6 dies.

Designed by Korin Sutherland.

Stamp Set is $15.

Die Set is $10.

Get the Bundle for $22 ($25.50 value).

Check out the fabulous samples made by our talented team in the thumbnails below.

Be sure to leave a comment on each of the blogs along the way because Korin is giving away (4) $15 store credits (1 winner will be chosen from each of the 4 blog hops.)

The deadline for commenting for a chance to win is midnight EST Friday, December 13th.

The winners will be announced Monday, December 16th on the website homepage.

Thanks so much for stopping by, enjoy the rest of the hop! 

December Flourishes Beautiful World Tour

Hello and welcome to your Belfast, Northern Ireland stop on this month's Beautiful World Tour with creations by talented designers from around the globe showcasing beautiful Flourishes sets!

If you've arrived here from the Flourishes blog, you're in just the right place, but if you've just come across my blog and don't want to miss any of the fabulous creations,
you might want to head back over to the Flourishes blog for the full list.

Don't forget that you're in with a chance to win one of the fabulous Flourishes sets simply by leaving comments, and you have right up until the end of December to leave your comments!

This month our hostess is Meredith who is challenging us with the theme 

White as Snow

My card isn't white other than the card base but it's certainly got snow!

I have to admit you probably won't see a scene like this in Northern Ireland,
but I grew up in Alaska in the U.S. and my family still live there.
 I remember a certain glow on clear freezing mornings - just as
dawn was breaking, yet there were still stars in the sky - and
that's the look I was aiming to capture here.
I used the beautiful Flourishes Snow Scenes set - love those silhouettes and sentiments!
All kinds of things were added to this card - ribbon, twine, tag,
punched snowflakes, and die-cuts - but every time I ended up taking it all off,
happier with the clean simplicity of being "embellishment free"  - it just
seemed to fit the serenity of this scene!

I used a variety of inks with a sponge and post-it-notes to create the snowbanks and sky.

The card was finished off by adding some stars - or they could be snowflakes
if you like - with Ranger Enamel Accents,
and popped up the whole panel on a white card base.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, I hope you enjoy the rest of the hop!  

Now it's time to head on over to England to visit Sasha's blog for more fabulous inspiration!

Berries and Bird

I wanted to post the card made for the Featured Stamper Challenge this week at Splitcoaststameprs - we are honouring the very sweet and talented Susan Conrad, aka One4Joy!  

HERE is the lovely card from Susan's gallery which inspired me.

I originally started with the intention of making this an all white card, then got the yen to make the birdie red, which led to some some red berries (brads with backs snipped off).  

I've discovered that my favourite cards to make are those with a clean and simple quality of crisp white with a pop of colour, so this was a lot of fun.  

As you can see the snowflakes are not proportionate to the size of the bird and branch, but because there's only three, it seems to work okay.

The sentiment is from Stampin Up and the snowbank was cut freehand with a craft knife.

Other supplies include:

Cheery Lynn Designs Snowflakes die

Ranger Enamel Accents

Memory Box Woodland Branch Die

Memory Box Perched Reed Bird Die

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

SNSS November Release Hop Day 6

Welcome to Day 6 of the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps November Release Blog Hops 

showcasing the newly released stamps and dies.

Today we're highlighting two fabulous new die sets

Large Snowflakes and Small Snowflakes.

I absolutely love these beautiful snowflakes from the Large Snowflakes set. 

 I embossed the largest one with gold ink and powder in three layers to give a sort of enamel effect.  In order to keep a clean look, I simply added a gold button and gold cording with a sentiment from the recently released Snowy Hello.

Take a look at the whole set with the details below:

Die set includes 3 dies.

The dies range from Approximately 2 1/2" x 4 1/4".

Die set - $33.25.

For my card using Small Snowflakes Dies, I stamped the smaller flakes from Spectacular Snowflakes in Melon Mambo ink (Stampin Up) using Christmas Silhouettes.

I finished it off with Ranger Enamel Accents in white and triple bow.

Check out the whole set and details below:

Die set includes 5 dies.

The dies range from Approximately 1" x 2 1/4".

Die set - $14.25

Get the bundle for just $42.75 ($47.50 value).

Check out some of the fab samples made by the talented design team in the thumbnails below.

Be sure to leave a comment on each of the blogs along the way because Korin is giving away (6) $15 store credits.  One winner will be chosen from each of the 6 blog hops.

The deadline to comment for a chance to win is midnight EST Friday, November 15th.  The list of winners will be announced on the SNSS website homepage by Monday, November 18th.

Thanks so much for joining us today and enjoy the hop!

SNSS November Release Hop Day 5

Welcome to Day 5 of the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps November Release Blog Hops 

showcasing the newly released stamps and dies.

Today we're highlighting the fabulous new 

Spectacular Snowflakes 

with the coordinating Snowflake Dies.

This is one of the most beautiful snowflake sets I've come across and 

the matching dies make it so easy to layer them or pop them up!

I've used Real Red ink (Stampin Up) for these snowflakes and then 

coloured some pearls with a copic to match.

The sentiment is from the SNSS set Christmas Silhouettes.
Red and crisp white make a classic Christmas combination,
but this card would work in absolutely any colour!

Now take a look at the full set with all of the details:

Stamp set includes 8 images.

Set measures approximately 6" x 8".

the snowflakes range from approximately 1" x 4 1/2".

Designed by Korin Sutherland.

Die set includes 8 dies.

Stamp set - $26.

Die set - $40.50.

Get the bundle for just $60 ($66.50 value).

Check out some of the fab samples made by the talented design team in the thumbnails below.

Be sure to leave a comment on each of the blogs along the way because Korin is giving away (6) $15 store credits.  One winner will be chosen from each of the 6 blog hops.

The deadline to comment for a chance to win is midnight EST Friday, November 15th.  The list of winners will be announced on the SNSS website homepage by Monday, November 18th.

Thanks so much for joining us today and enjoy the hop!

SNSS November Release Hop Day 4

Welcome to Day 4 of the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps November Release Blog Hop 

showcasing the newly released stamps and dies.

Today we're highlighting the sweet set designed by Korin Sutherland

Winter Girls

I placed the sentiment on an acrylic block to curve around 

a heart cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities.

I thought a strip of white pom poms might add to add to the snowy theme!

The snowflakes are stamped with the newly released Spectacular Snowflakes set and cut with 

the Spectacular Snowflake Dies.

The cuties from Winter Girls are fun, I love choosing 

different colours for their little outfits!

Here is the full set with all the details:

Stamp set includes 2 images and 6 sentiments.

Set measures approximately 4" x 4".

The girl images measure approximately 1 1/4" x 2 1/2".

Designed by Korin Sutherland.

Stamp set - $11.

Check out some of the fab samples made by the talented design team in the thumbnails below.

Be sure to leave a comment on each of the blogs along the way because Korin is giving away (6) $15 store credits.  One winner will be chosen from each of the 6 blog hops.

The deadline to comment for a chance to win is midnight EST Friday, November 15th.  The list of winners will be announced on the SNSS website homepage by Monday, November 18th.

Thanks so much for joining us today and enjoy the hop!

SNSS November Release Hop Day 3

Welcome to Day 3 of the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps November Release Blog Hop 

showcasing the newly released stamps and dies.

Today we're highlighting Tender Thoughts with it's matching Birch Forest die set and 

the sentiment set of Sympathy Innies.

Tender Thoughts is a beautiful set to create scenes of serenity for any season!
 I embossed the trees in white and
then added a snow bank in creamy white for the sentiment.
The background was created using Stampin Up dp.
The deer was stamped in Stampin Up's Soft Suede ink and the birds in Real Red.

For my second card I used the Birch Forest Dies to create a forest background
before embossing in white and popping them up on a kraft card base.
The grass is cut using the SNSS Fence and Grass Dies and the sentiment from Sympathy Innies
is stamped on an oval cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities Petite Ovals.
Again inks used are Stampin Up's Soft Suede and Real Red.

Here are the complete sets with all the details:

Stamp set includes 7 images and 3 sentiments.
Birch trees measure approximately 3 3/4 x 3 3/4 inches.
The deer measures approximately 1 3/4 x 2 inches.
Designed by Korin Sutherland.
Stamp set - $15.
Die set - $25.75.

Stamp set includes 7 sentiments.
Set measures approximately 4 x 6 inches.
Sentiments range approximately from 2 to 3 inches.
Designed by Korin Sutherland.
Stamp set - $15.

Check out some of the fab samples made by the talented design team in the thumbnails below.

Be sure to leave a comment on each of the blogs along the way because Korin is giving away (6) $15 store credits.  One winner will be chosen from each of the 6 blog hops.

The deadline to comment for a chance to win is midnight EST Friday, November 15th.  The list of winners will be announced on the SNSS website homepage by Monday, November 18th.

Thanks so much for joining us today and enjoy the hop!

SNSS November Release Hop Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps November Release Blog Hop 

showcasing the newly released stamps and dies.

Today we're featuring a fabulous snowman themed set 

designed by Diane Zechman 

Snowy Hello

This set is so fun that I kept it out on my desk after making my first card with it, 

because I had a few more ideas just begging to be tried!

Watch this space! :)

I cut a few snowbanks from white card and sponged the edges with 

Stampin Up's Baja Breeze before adding the sentiment.  

The dp is from a Bo Bunny 6 x 6 pad jam packed with polka dot paper.

Now here's the full set with all the details:

Stamp set includes 6 images and 7 sentiments.

Set measures approximately 4" x 6 ".

The images range from aproximately 1/4" to 2".

Designed by Diane Zechman.

Stamp set - $15.

Check out some of the fab samples made by the talented design team in the thumbnails below.

Be sure to leave a comment on each of the blogs along the way because Korin is giving away (6) $15 store credits.  One winner will be chosen from each of the 6 blog hops.

The deadline to comment for a chance to win is midnight EST Friday, November 15th.  The list of winners will be announced on the SNSS website homepage by Monday, November 18th.

Thanks so much for joining us today and enjoy the hop!

SNSS November Release Hop Day 1

Welcome to Day 1 of the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps November Release Blog Hop 

showcasing the newly released stamps and dies.

Today we're featuring Korin's new LOL Cats.  

It's not available for purchase at the moment, but it's 

a gift with purchase for a limited time.

I created a get well card and a birthday card using this fun set.

The many sentiments can be combined in endless ways.

Here's the whole set with all the details:

Stamp set icludes 5 images and 26 mix and match sentiments.

Set measures approximately 6' x 8'.

The cat images range from approximately 1 1/4 x 2 1/2 wide.

Designed by Korin Sutherland.

Stamp set - $26.

Check out some of the fab samples made by the talented design team in the thumbnails below.

Be sure to leave a comment on each of the blogs along the way because Korin is giving away (6) $15 store credits.  One winner will be chosen from each of the 6 blog hops.

The deadline to comment for a chance to win is midnight EST Friday, November 15th.  The list of winners will be announced on the SNSS website homepage by Monday, November 18th.

Thanks so much for joining us today and enjoy the hop!

Silver Snowflake

It's time to show off the beautiful stamps and dies just released 

by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps for November!  

The largest of the dies in the Large Snowflakes set is particularly lovely - cut it with glittery, gold or silver paper and it practically makes a card by itself!  

However I was in the mood to play with some inks so I sponged Stampin Up's Pool Party and Cool Caribbean on watercolour paper, then used a toothbrush to splatter some Pool Party ink across the page.  I then used a sprinkling of silver glitter embossing to finish the background.

I added some sequins and some white enamel dots randomly before attaching the sentiment which was cut with Spellbinders Ovals - it's from the SNSS set Mod Ornaments.

As much as I love the new snowflake dies, I'm afraid this is the only place I want to see snow at the moment - on a card!  We're enjoying some unusually sunny fall weather instead of gray, blustery showers like we might normally expect.

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day!  

Flourishes November Beautiful World Tour

Hello and welcome to your Northern Irish stop on the November Beautiful World Tour, showcasing creations by the talented design team using fab Flourishes products! 

If you've arrived here from the Flourishes blog or from Iwona's blog, you're in just the right place, but if you've just come across my blog and don't want to miss the other beautiful creations, you might want to head back over to the Flourishes blog for the full list.

Don't forget that you're in with a chance to win one of the fabulous Flourishes sets simply by leaving comments, and you have right up until the end of November to leave some love!

I am honoured to be hosting this month and our theme is

Off the Page

Once we hit November, the countdown to Christmas really begins so this month we've got some creations such as ornaments, gifts, or tags to inspire you!

I love taking a bottle as a hostess gift when we're invited out for dinner over the holidays,
and I think a tag helps make it more special.

Here's a close up view of the tag I created using the sweet, whimsical set Meet Me Under the Mistletoe.

I coloured the pretty image, which is called a kissing ball, with copics and then added some Ranger Enamel accents for the little white berries.  The sentiment adds a fun touch with the cute play on words!

All edges have been sponged with Ranger Distress Antique Linen ink for a vintage feel, with a little cream lace to help add to that look.
I also added some punched greenery which resembles the shape of mistletoe leaves.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, I hope you enjoy the rest of the hop!

It's time to head on over to Finland to see what "gorgeousness" Anne-Elise has created this month!