Gong Xi Fa Cai - Chinese Happy New Year

Hello, Crafters.

Do you remember when I posted a photograph recently of a Chinese New Year card that I'd made years ago? 

I'd posted it as my blog that day was just writing, and I wanted to add some pictorial interest. 

A crafter asked me what products I'd used to create the card, but as it was so long ago I couldn't remember. 

It started me thinking if I could make a similar card using Stampin' Up! products, and this is what I came up with.

This morning I uploaded my video showing how to make this Chinese New Year card, which is Gong Xi Fa Cai (pronounced Koong He Fa - as in fat - Choy) in Chinese. 

Chinese New Year celebrations go on for a week, and this year, which is the Year of the Dog, begins on Friday 16th February.

I used Action Wobblers to mount the lanterns on my card asthey add so much dimension and character!

Unfortunately, I can't recommend the company I bought them from - in the US - because we had to go through a "middle man" which - long story short - resulted in me getting caught with £12.08 customs charges. 

The actual product is brilliant and I recommend them highly - they're by Hampton Art. 

On the 17th February, hubby and I are going into London to see the Chinese dancers in Shen Yun. 

We'll also be visiting China Town, which is nearby the theatre, but we'll miss the parade because that's on Sunday! 

Yesterday, lunchtime there was a knock at the door and when I opened it I saw a courier standing there.

He was holding a beautiful bit of Spring in the shape of a pink wooden trough filled with some gorgeous Spring flowers, including daffodils and hyacinths. 
 
It was from hubby as yesterday was our 19th. anniversary. ☺

In case you're wondering, Toots is one of the pet names hubby has for me!

When I need reminding that Spring is just around the corner, I just look at my beautiful pink trough full of Spring flowers - not long to go now!

That's about it from me today. Until tomorrow, happy crafting! 

JanB.

Bella Window Card Video & Prize Draw

Hello, Crafters.

This morning, I uploaded my video which shows how I make yesterday's Pretty Kitty window card.

For the video, I changed the colour to Pacific Point, and the stamp set to Bella and Friends. 

As I've said before, before I record a video, I always make another sample just in case there's something unique I need to tell you, or that I need to remind myself about!

The card I made before yesterday's video was the Flirty Flamingo Card, where I'd used a plant stamp from the Artistically Asian stamp set. 

 
I coloured the stamp using Marker Pens, which is just one of many techniques I really enjoy.

When I was making this card, I didn't stamp the sentiment in the window very well, which was quite a good thing to happen. 

I say this because I was able to rescue the card, and explain on the video how I dealt with it!

I doubt anybody would recognise that the sentiment was a repair job!

To correct the mistake, I stamped the sentiment onto a scrap of Whisper White Cardstock (CS), and punched it out using the Classic Label Punch.

To get it back into the  exact place, I put some Tombow on the back of the sentiment, and very gently put it in place through the window of the closed card! 

It was a bit tricky, but it worked, and to look at the inside of the card it looks as if it had been planned to look like that! LOL! 

WIN the LARGE LETTERS FRAMELITS

As a way of saying a very big thank you to everybody who supports me in my Stampin' Up! business, I'm making two very special offers during January 2018. Today is the first part of the offer, and is for crafters who have an address in the UK, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Austria. (I'm really sorry I have to restrict this, but these are Stampin' Up! rules).

I'm offering everyone who shops in my 24/7 online Stampin' Up! shop during January 2018 the chance to win the fabulous Large Letter Framelits Dies and the Letters for You Photopolymer Stamp Set. 

Everyone be entitled to one free entry into the draw. Then you will be given one extra entry for every £50 of your total orders during the month. Please note this figure is accumulative during January. If you have already placed an order this month, you will be entered into the draw, as per these conditions. ☺

This does NOT affect your entitlement to the Sale-a-bration free gifts as offered by Stampin' Up! The draw for the Large Letters bundle is being run by me personally! ☺☺ 

I'm still working on part two of the offer, which will be for everybody outside the European areas who can't join in with part one! 

I appreciate ALL the support I get from everyone around the world, and I just want to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU. Without you, there would be no point in me doing what I do! THANK YOU.

That's it from me today. So until tomorrow, happy crafting.

JanB.

(NOTE: I have edited the fifth to last paragraph, as I didn't explain the process very well - apologies!).

Artistically Asian Thank You Card

Hello, Crafters.

Sponging has never been a technique that I've liked but every now and again, a project just calls out for it! 

Today's card is one of them.

As I was working on this project, I remembered a video I made and called it Velvety Flowers.

I chose that name because I'd sponged the edges of the flower petals and it really did make them look like velvet! 

For today's card I've sponged the edges of the two layers for the flowers, the main two layers, the sentiment layer and the two coloured layers inside the card.

I chose the single flower stamp from the Artistically Asian Stamp Set and painted it with Marker Pens. 

For the two flower heads I used Sweet Sugarplum and for the stems and leaves I used Emerald Envy - both colours are from the 2016 - 2018 InColours. 

Before I stamped the image onto a piece of Whisper White Cardstock (CS), I huffed onto the stamp to make sure it was all still nice and moist. 

Then I repeated the process and stamped the second image off to the right but lower than the first one.

The sentiment is from theThankful Thoughts Stamp Set. 

Initially, I heat embossed it in black on the flowers, hence the cover up! 
 
Yes, I made such a mess of it! 

I also heat embossed the bee from the Touches of Texture Stamp Set. 

I coloured the body using my Crushed Curry Marker Pen, the Smokey Slate Marker Pen for the wings and then painted all over using my Clear Wink of Stella Glitter Pen.

Finally I fussy cut the bee, although if I did this card again, I'd do the bee straight onto the Whisper White Cardstock!

After having made a mess with the sentiment, I wasn't taking any chances with the bee!

I dry embossed the Emerald Envy top layer using the beautiful Petal Burst Embossing Folder. 

I finished the card with two Whisper White and one Emerald Green strips of ribbon wrapped around the lower half of the card. 

I experimented with adding some bows but decided against them, less is more! 

Inside the card I added a layer of Sweet Sugaplum, Emerald Envy and Whisper White Cardstock, but I didn't add any stamping.

All three stamp sets used are for this card are being carried forward into the new catalogue!

Looking at the finished card now, if I remade it, another change I'd make is to put the sentiment across the three strips of ribbon, not on the flowers!

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

JanB.

Z Fold Card, Creating Your Own DSP & Paper/Ribbon Shares

Hello, Crafters.

Yesterday, we visited our dear friend in Aylesbury, which is normally and an hour and a half journey. It took two and a half hours yesterday because it was raining very heavily! I was a driving and concentrating on making sure we had a safe distance between us and the car in front. I imagine this is a worldwide problem, but the gap was continuously being reduced by other drivers pulling into it. This meant I had to slow down to get back my comfortable, safe distance. It almost felt that I was going backwards! But we arrived safe and sound and had a great time with Liz.

When we left, I was the driver again while hubby gave our SatNav new instructions - we were off to Ikea for more photograph frames and shelving for the display stands I use for craft shows. In the UK, with a few exceptions, shops can only stay open for six hours on a Sunday. We were able to get all our bits and pieces from Ikea and it was time for an early dinner. We both agreed we'd like a Chinese meal so we drove off to our favourite restaurant.

Then it was back home to get sorted out. I dealt with all my emails and messages and went into my studio to make todays card! What a lovely way to stop the world for a little while and relax!

I had already painted the actual image on Friday, the same day I made Saturday's card. I used Sweet Sugarplum, Emerald Envy and South Suede  Marker Pens to colour the image, huffed on the stamp  and stamped onto a piece of Whisper White.So yesterday I just needed to plan my design.
I decided that, if the image fitted nicely into the new Layering Circle Dies, I'd make a Z fold card. 

Yesterday morning I posted my video where I showed the products I've bought from the new catalogue. While I was showing the 2016 - 2018 InColour Designer Series Paper (DSP) Stack, I said that if you bought this and had collected the other colour families, you didn't really need to buy the individual packs of DSP! This is true but when I thought about it after the video, I thought, if that's all I had, I'd get bored with the four different designs, eventually. Therefore, how could I ring the changes? And that's how I came to make my own DSP using the InColour DSP Stack!

Before I go any further, I have to explain that, the time was now early evening and tiredness was creeping over me. It shows in some less than perfect cutting and lining up on today's card! Boy, am I pleased I did the image on Friday!

I started my card with a base of the new Emerald Envy Cardstock, then a layer of Whisper White and a top layer of the stripe design from the 2016 - 2017 InColour DSP Stack.

Using Soft Suede Ink, I stamped the bamboo stamp from the Artistically Asian Stamp Set onto a piece of stripey DSP that I knew would be more than big enough to cut my strips from. I stamped the second image immediately below the first one. Then I did the third image next to images 1 and 2 but in the centre. Then Images 4 and 5 were stamped to the right of image 3 parallel to 1 and 2. I continued across my sheet. I then stamped in the top halves that went off the sheet and then the bottom halves.

Once I'd finished, I cut the piece of DSP to size to fit the back of the card. Then I lined up the remainder to follow on with the back sheet, marked where I needed to cut and cut it out. Unfortunately, I cut it at an angle! If you look closely at the right hand edge of the slim front panel, you'll probably see where I glued the missing piece!

When I made the Sitting Here video I used the same sentiment as I have for today's card - from Wetlands - but used retired punches as I was waiting for the new dies to arrive. I noted at the time, that I hoped the new Layering Oval Dies would still do the same job! I'm pleased to say they worked a treat! I double layered the image and the sentiment and put white dots into each scallop - a variation of paper piercing!

I have been asked if I'm offering paper/ribbon shares from the new catalogue. I hadn't thought about it but I'm happy to do t if there is a demand for it! If you live in the Stampin' Up! European market and would be interested, please leave a message below or send me an email at janb@janbcards.com

Until tomorrow, happy crafting.

JanB.

Biggin Hill Festival of Light - Today 9.30 am - 5.30 pm

Hello, Crafters.

Today's the day for the Biggin Hill Airshow! Hubby and I went down to the Gingham Goose Craft Village late yesterday afternoon so we could set up our tables, tablecloths, banners, shelving and racking, etc. We didn't take any stock with us although several people were leaving theirs overnight. 

Because my products are all papercraft, I had the additional worry that if it rained overnight - it may be summer but this is England! LOL! - I wouldn't be able to rescue anything if the roof leaked or if it became damp in the marquee. Guess what, it rained overnight! Fingers crossed everything will be fine when we get there in a little while. I'm glad I decided to play safe rather than be sorry! A couple of years ago, we did get caught out in a downpour when we had a gazebo. The good thing about that kind of experience, you only ever get caught out like that once!!

We came home and made our final check that all products were nicely priced and that I had remembered business cards, catalogues, classes leaflets, recruitment packs and of course my float! I was up at 5.30am this morning so I had plenty of time to shower, wash my hair and be off by 7! At this time in the morning, we should be able to get to the airfield comfortably in half an hour. We've been advised to get there before the roads get jam-packed with visitors - surely they can't get there more than two hours before it starts, can they??

Yesterday, I made my video showing the products I've bought from the new catalogue. I also included the products I won, or was given, at Convention in April, plus products I ordered during the pre pre-order and  the pre-order. As the video runs for 46 minutes, you may want to get yourself a cup of tea or coffee, and a biscuit or muffin before settling down to watch it. ☺ You may want to have pencil and paper handy as I've said which page each stamp set can be found on.

To make today's card I used the beautiful Artistically Asian Stamp Set. I fell in love with this stamp set the moment I saw it and it's been an absolute dream to work with! There are two stamps in the set that have Chinese symbols on  that I've used as part of the design for my own DSP but I don't know if they are actual symbols and, if they are, what they say. If you know the answer to these questions, I'd really love to know it. Would you be kind enough to leave a note in the comments box below for me, please? ☺

To make today's card I started with a card base of Whisper White Cardstock, then a layer of Sweet Sugarplum and a top layer of Whisper White, which I used to create my own Designer Series Paper (DSP).  I put the two Chinese symbols on one block, one above the other and stamped a border on either side of the Whisper White layer but it looked rather bland, so I added two more columns. Then I took the solid lily-like flower stamp from the Live, Love, Grow Stamp Set, inked it with Sweet Sugarplum Ink, stamped off once - except for the very top flower when I forgot! - and stamped in between each set of two stamps. If I'd planned this design from the beginning, I would have made more effort trying to get it all lined up but I'm pleased with the finished effect and rather pleased that this is a Topsy design i.e. it just grew!

I chose the chrysanthemum-looking flower for my main image and painted it with Marker Pens: Sweet Sugarplum for the two flower heads, Emerald Envy for the two leaves and Soft Suede for the stem. Before I stamped onto Whisper White, I huffed on the stamp in case any of the ink had dried. It came out beautifully. I die cut it using the Layering Oval Dies and the layered it onto a Scalloped Layering Oval - I love these new dies! I adhered the two layers together and then attached it to the card front using Dimensioanls.

For the sentiment, using Emerald Envy Ink, I stamped one of the banners from the Thoughtful Banners Stamp Set and chose Happy and Birthday for the inside. Putting the two words at a sensible angle on the block wasn't quite as easy as it sounds! What you see on my card was my third attempt. The first try was on scrap paper just to test how easy it was to line the image into the stamped frame but it also gave me a chance to move the sentiment - it didn't look anywhere near as curved as it actually was! I loosened the curve, stamped on another piece of scrap and then I went for it using Sweet Sugarplum for the sentiment and punched it out using the Duet Banner Punch. I attached this to the card front with Dimensionals and voila!

Well, I must dash! If you're planning to visit the Biggin Hill Festival of Flight today, please pop into the Gingham Goose Craft Market and say Hello. It'd be great to see you! ☺

I hope you have a great weekend and until tomorrow, happy crafting.

JanB.