Painted with Love Suite

Hello, Crafters.

I haven't finished sharing all my swaps yet, but I was getting withdrawal symptons from not crafting, so I remedied that yesterday afternoon!

I decided to make the two cards we were given at Team Training last weekend, but I've added my spin to them - they look similar but not the same! 

I hadn't bought the Painted with Love Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP), because it really isn't the kind of style I normally go for.

Recently I've seen some fabulous projects made using it, so I added it to my wishlist!
 
I decided I really needed it, so I was really pleased to see that it was one of the products we received in our goody bags.
 
The changes I've made to my card aren't major, but I'm surprised how different my card looks compared with Natalie's card.

I think the biggest change I made was the sentiment; the original had JUST FOR YOU, but I changed it to HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

The second major change was I started my card with a base of Whisper White Cardstock (CS), then I had a layer of Melon Mambo CS - Natalie started with a card base of Melon Mambo. 

As there are several layers on this card, I really didn't need to use the Whisper White card base; I just like to have the white edging!

I took a piece of Powder Pink CS, and dry embossed it by using the Simple Stripes Embossing Folder that's featured on page 4 of the Spring/Summer catalogue. 

Next I punched two strips of Calypso Coral CS, using the Decorative Ribbon Border Punch, and adhered each strip on the back of two pieces of DSP, making sure the scallop edge was facing outwards.

I adhered the dry embossed Powder Pink CS onto the Melon Mambo cs layer, and then adhered the larger piece of DSP to which I had adhered the scallop trim. 
 
Then I dry embossed a smaller piece of Powder Pink CS, and adhered it to a slightly larger piece of Melon Mambo CS. 

I took a piece of Whisper White CS to stamp the sentiment, in a straight line down the right-hand side, using four different colours. 

I have to confess, I did feel like cheating and using just one large sentiment, because I didn't fancy stamping one sentiment, washing and drying the stamp, stamping again with another colour, and so on! 

Had I used the correct stamp, I would only have needed to stamp it eight times, but the stamp I chose was a fair bit slimmer and I had to stamp it ten times. 

I'm really glad I didn't succumb to laziness because I'm so pleased with the finished effect! 

The only reason all the stamped sentiments are in a beautiful straight line is because I used my  Stamp-a-ma-jig! 
 
That is such a great tool, at an amazing price and is invaluable. 

If you struggle with keeping images and/or sentiments in straight lines, treat yourself to a Stamp-a-ma-jig- you'll be so glad you did!

When I'd finished stamping all the sentiments, I added one individual Gold Flake from the Gold Glitter Flakes against the beginning of each sentiment - boy, did that require some patience! LOL! 

I adhered the Whisper White CS layer to a layer of Melon Mambo CS, and on the left-hand side I added the smaller piece of DSP that I'd adhered the scalloped trim to.

Next I adhered the Melon Mambo CS layer -  which was adhered to the dry embossed Powder Pink CS layer - on to the card base at an angle.

Then I took the Melon Mambo CS layer - which was adhered to the Whisper White CS layer with the sentiments - and adhered it using Dimensionals, keeping it in a straight line over the offset piece.

As there weren't any stamped images on this card, I decorated the inside of the card by adding a layer of Melon Mambo CS, with a top layer of Whisper White CS.

I took a slim strip of DSP, and added a scalloped trim to the inside edge, and using Tombow, I adhered this to the right hand side inside the card.

I hope this wasn't too confusing, but there are several layers which made it rather difficult to explain! 

I hope you have a super weekend, and until tomorrow, happy crafting!

JanB.

More Swaps

Hello, Crafters.

I hope you enjoyed yesterday's swaps I shared with you. I have some more today.

Sharon Fuller - used the Waterfront Stamp Set and the Sale-a-bration (SAB) stamp set called Amazing You. I haven't played with the Waterfront Stamp Set yet and have seen some really beautiful projects made with it. 

The stamps are very much water coloured images, which really play together exceptionally well. The sun image Sharon has used to create a background is from Amazing You, and not a connection I would have made but it's an excellent choice - in fact, it's an excellent card!

Karen Franks - made the first of two unicorn cards I received which uses the stamp set called Magical Day, which is available as the Magical Day Bundle. Yet another set I have but haven't played with yet! 

The rainbow stripe has been made with stripes of cardstock. I think the unicorn's mane has been coloured with watercolour pencils.

Pauline Barnfather - has also used the Magical Day Stamp Set as well as the SAB Amazing You Stamp Set for the sun stamp for the background, as well as the sentiments.

To colour the unicorn and the layer the unicorn has been attached to, Pauline has used the Brusho Watercolour Crystals.

Pauline has also painted over the unicorn with her Clear Wink of Stella Glitter Pen. The unicorn is layered onto a piece of Island Indigo Cardstock, (CS) and the stamping has been done using Bermuda Bay Ink.

Susanna Tolkien - has used another SAB stamp set which is called Party Pandas. I have to say the selection of stamp sets available as free gifts in the Sale-a-bration catalogue this year is absolutely brilliant! I love cards that are plain and simple, and pandas help with this as they are black and white! I'm not sure which black ink Susanna has used. It depends on what she's painted the red heart with - Marker Pen = Basic Black Archival Ink; Stampin Blends = Tuxedo Black Memento Ink.

I would assume it's Basic Black Archival Ink and Real Red Marker Pen, because I think it'd be easier to colour such a small area like the heart with a Marker Pen, rather than a Stampin' Blend. The top of the panda layer has been wrapped round with Linen Thread and then mounted onto alayer of Basic Grey CS.

Bridget Metcalf - also used the Party Pandas for her swap but make a bookmark instead of a card front. Bridget heat embossed the panda using black embossing powder and then fussy cut him. The black embossing really has made the panda stand out brilliantly! She punched a heart, using Red Glimmer Paper, instead of colouring it, although I'm not sure which punch - or possibly a die - the heart is from. The balloon, party hat and gift have all been fussy cut from the Birthday Memories Designer Series Paper (DSP). This is a charming bookmark and I'm really pleased that Bridget had the patience to fussy cut 84 pieces to make twenty-one swaps!!  Bridget has also done a brilliant job on shadows behind the panda. As well as grounding him, she has also added a shadow all down the right-hand side of his body and behind the balloon. Superb attention to detail!

Pip Todman - has been extremely generous, and made a complete card, rather than just a card front. She has used another SAB stamp set called Heartfelt Blooms. This stamp set is extra-special because it's a first! It has been produced by a new digital method which I understand is being patented by Stampin' Up!

Pip has used Wisteria Wonder for the image and the card base, then added Bermuda Bay for the layer behind the image, the sentiment and the little accent. On the first layer of Whisper White CS, Pip has adhered a strip of Whisper White CS that has been dry embossed using the flowery embossing folder in the Petal Pair Embossing Folders.  

I hope you've enjoyed sharing my swaps as much as I have enjoyed sharing them with you. Don't forget, if you'd like to be part of the team to join in with events like this, I would love you to join my team. Email me at janb@janbcards.com if you'd like more details.

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!).

Pretty Kitty Window

Hello, Crafters.

I'm really pleased with today's card, but if I'd known what the finished card would look like, I would have done each part in a different order!

I knew when I started that I wanted to do a window for the image and one for the sentiment, but I wasn't sure what I was going to do about the large expanse of plain cardstock between the two!

I thought about dry embossing but that would interfere with the faux stitching, and the idea of  tone-on-tone stamping didn't occur to me at this stage!

My first decision was to have a Pool Party Cardstock (CS) card base, with a Whisper White CS layer inside. 

The only single layer cards I ever make are Thank You cards, and although I thought about doing layers for this project, I just didn't feel it would be right. 

I picked up my stamp set reference file, so I could choose an image and a sentiment.

As I was going through my file, I selected seven different stamp sets that had an image I thought might work. 

I took all seven stamp sets off the shelf, so I could test the images with the square die, and so I could also test the image with the Classic Label Punch, which I was going to use for the sentiment window!

I rejected all the images, apart for this kitty because I liked that she has a "background" around her with the grass, flowers, and butterfly.
 
The best size square from the Layering Square  Framelit Die was the one that would show Kitty with some grass and flowers, but not everything.

I wanted the recipient to have the surprise of seeing a bigger image once the card was opened. 

After I'd punched the sentiment window using the Classic Label Punch, I decided on the Happy Birthday sentiment from the Party Pandas.

I started my card by die cutting the window in the card base, and then I adhered the Whisper White CS layer inside.

To find the correct position for the image, I closed the card and drew a pencil line on all four sides of the window.

Then, with the aid of my Stamp-a-ma-jig, I stamped Kitty using Basic Black Archival Ink, and coloured everything using a selection of Marker Pens. 

Next, with the help of my Stamp-a-ma-jig again, I stamped the sentiment through the window.

Then I used a white gel pen, and a ruler to draw faux stitches around both windows, but then I was stumped! 

I needed something for the large expanse of plain cardstock between the two windows, so I went back to my stamp set reference file, thinking that maybe I could use a small stamp tone on tone.

As soon as saw the branch with bobbles on it, from the new Cake Soiree Stamp Set, I knew that was it. 

I'd use my White Gel Pen to colour in the bobbles, and that would tie everything together beautifully. 

Next time I make this card, I'd do the tone on tone stamping before cutting windows, so it looks like a planned all over design, as opposed to an afterthought!

That's it from me today. Until tmorrow, happy crafting. 
 
JanB.