Eastern Palace Suite Bundle

Hello, Crafters.

Yesterday I had my first play with new products from the 2017 Annual Catalogue, which goes live next Thursday, 1st June 2017.

As the Eastern Palace Suite Bundle is only available to customers and demos until 31st May 2017, I decided to play with those goodies first.

I wasn't going to order this bundle when it first launched, but when I started seeing some beautiful white/gold creations that other crafters were making, and I changed my mind!

In Europe the beginner's bundle is €73.50/£54.75 and the avid crafter's bundle is €125.75/£94.00.
 
This doesn't offer a huge saving, but you do receive two new products free, and this is what clinched it for me, because I would have been buying them anyway.

The products are both Very Vanilla; they are Notecards & Envelopes and A4 Thick Cardstock, value €16.00/£12.00.

If you haven't taken advantage of this offer, and are now thinking maybe you'd like to, please don't delay as the offer closes next Wednesday, 31st May 2017. 

All the products available in these bundles will be available as single items as from 1st June 2017, but obviously will be without the freebies!

The first thing I did when I started playing with this bundle yesterday was to set up the dies in my storage file which meant die cutting all the shapes to adhere on the cardboard backing of the magnetic sheet.

Note: I made a video showing how I store my dies No.273 - Die Storage & Numbering

The number of variations you can create with these dies is phenomenal! 

I know of one person who achieved 42 variations, and that was without using the 2" and 1.25" Circle Punches, which also co-ordinate with this set.

I've added a scalloped frame on my first design, therefore, if dies are used that will also increase the options.

I'm thinking this will allow me, during the planning process, to place shapes side by side to see if ideas will work, if the dies are too big, too small, etc.


I already have a system - which is now hopelessly out of date and needs some serious updating - of punched circles and frames, both positive and negative, like the retired Word Window punch, scalloped circle punches, etc. 

At one time I used it on an almost daily basis as I was able to place a negative circle over a sentiment to see if it would fit. 

As I had all the circles all on one page, it was easy to check several sizes, one after the other, rather than reaching across for each individual punch.
To make today's card I started with a base of Whisper White Cardstock (CS), a layer of Gold Foil, and a top layer of Whisper White CS.

I die cut the medallion towards the top of the top layer. 

To make the scalloped edge of the medallion, on a piece of Whisper White CS, I die cut the largest die I'd used for the medallion.

I snipped the pieces of cardstock that anchored the medallion, and then I used the largest scalloped die from the Layering Circle Dies around the edge of the resulting negative circle. 

I heat embossed the sentiment, which is from the Eastern Beauty Stamp Set, using Gold Embossing Powder. 

I punched it out using the 1" Circle Punch, and, using a Dimensional, I adhered it on a scalloped circle I'd die cut using the smallest scallop die from the Layering Circles Dies.

Inside the card I adhered a layer of Gold Foil and a top layer of Whisper White CS. 

On both the front and the inside of the card, I used two strips of stickers for decoration on the bottom half across the card.

That's about it for today. Until tomorrow, happy crafting. 

JanB.