Circle Circus Scrapbook Layout 2

Back to work today! If only every day was a bank holiday ;0) Still its a 4 day working week which is always something to smile about ;0)

So here is the second of this months Circle Circus scrapbook pages. I was inspired by the Blueberry Crisp Designer Series Papers for this layout. It just happened that the photos I picked out also matched the colours perfectly.

I started by creating the lined base layers of DSP and creating the border using the Scallop Trim punch and Night of Navy cardstock. I then ran a length of Concord Crush stitched ribbon down the left hand side to give me a guide for sticking my various sized circles. As with yesterdays layout I stamped the different circles from the stamp set in different shades of blue onto Very Vanilla, Baja Breeze & Marina Mist cardstock. I then punched with the coordinating punches. For this layout I glued some circles flat and then layered other circles up  with dimensionals (and on some I used smaller circles to create layers upon layers). I also saved three circles to create the smaller embellishment on the right hand side.

I hope these two layouts have given you a new perspective on Circle Circus. I love using the same stamp set in different ways and seeing how different colour schemes change the effect of the images. Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow with another project to share ;0)

Happy crafting ;0)
-XX-

Circle Circus Scrapbooking 1

What a lovely bank holiday weekend it has been. The weather has been changeable but its been fun all the same!  The rain held off at the important times (when Sam and I packed up on a long walk together on Saturday and again no downpours during yesterdays Handfasting). I've been super busy this weekend (sadly not all crafting!) and feel like i have had a thoroughly productive bank holiday. You might have noticed a few blog changes. I decided that with the upcoming new catalogue launch I would have a play with the layout of the blog and tidy a few things up. I'm super pleased with the result ;0)

So on to todays crafting share. I don't think I shared this layout earlier in the month. This was one of the Circle Circus layouts from this months Stampin' Scrappin! class. I mentioned yesterday that I'm feeling inspired by circles, and especially the Circle Circus stamp set (which lends itself so beautifully to scrapbooking layouts).

I started by drawing a light pencil line on my 12"x12" Old Olive base layer. I then stamped tone on tone using Old Olive ink various sized circles from the stamp set. I then cut an 8"x8" Whisper White square which I glued centrally. I stamped all different stamps from Circle Circus in Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red & Old Olive. I then punched them with the coordinating sized circle punches and layered them over the photo and the Old Olive stamped images. I then embellished with buttons and a small clip from the Stampin' Up! clip assortment. The title was stamped using the Just Perfect stamp set and Schoolbook numbers stamp set.

I'll share the second of the Circle Circus layouts tomorrow. I hope you are all enjoying the last of your Bank Holiday Monday ;0)

-XX-

Happy Sunday

Just a quick Sunday crafting card to share with you this morning. My friend Paige and her husband are celebrating their 10 year anniversary with a traditional Handfasting today. I wanted to make a card that fitted with Paige's favourite ladybird inspired colour scheme. So I reached for my pack of Love Letter DSP and came up with this card. Circles seem to be playing a huge part in my crafting at the moment. I love being able to stamp and punch circles of all different shapes and sizes and creating a flow across the page (I'll try and upload my Circle Circus inspired scrapbooking LOs tomorrow to show you more of what I mean.....). The congratulations sentiment is from the Cheer & Wishes stampset. The colour scheme is Very Vanilla, Basic Black & Cherry Cobbler (to match Paige's Handfasting invitations she sent out earlier in the year).

Apologies for the light dappled photo. I was unable to get a nice clean shot this morning with this weird and wonderful ever changing weather we have at the moment. Keeping my fingers crossed for good weather this afternoon for the Handfasting ;0)

Hope you are all enjoying your long bank holiday weekend. I am trying not to let my excitement over take me as the Last Chance List is being published on Thursday and we all know what that means- only a month until the new catalogue is launched!!!! I have to stop myself from thinking about it too much.

If you would like to get your hands on a copy of the new Stampin' Up! catalogue please note this date: October 1st 10am-4pm. I will be holding another of my new catalogue Open Houses. Feel free to pop by. I will have make and takes and coffee (and of course things to see and play with from the new catalogue).

-XX-

Christmas Crafting Makings

So as promised, here is one of the projects we made at this weekends Christmas Craft Day.  We made this lovely little bag of tags complete with 4 gift tags and a Rudolph topper (thank you Keren for the inspiration for the Owl Punch Rudolph!).

Each tag uses a stamp from the Gifted stamp set as its focal point and is then layered with matching coloured cardstock. The stocking tag is coloured with Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive, the Seasons Greetings tag uses all the shades of green (Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Wild Wasabi, Always Artichoke, Garden Green), the Merry Christmas is stamped with Elegant Eggplant  and layered onto Rich Razzleberry and More Mustard and the final tag is stamped with Cherry Cobbler and layered onto Crumb Cake card (and finished with two rhinestones).

 Here is the bag complete with the Chocolate Chip Top Note topper. I drew on the white stitching with my white gel pen and stamped the sentiment with a White Craft Stampin' Pad.

 Here is a close up of the Rudolph. This was punched in Crumb Cake with the Owl Punch. Then by cutting off the feet you are left with the Rudolph face. The antlers are create with the Swirls Scribbles Sizzlit Die in Early Espresso. The nose is punched with the 1/2" Circle Punch and finished with detailing in white gel pen. I drew on the eyes and mouth.

Thanks for stopping by today ;0) Happy crafting and happy last few weeks of summer.

-XX-

And then there were two.....

Again, please accept my apologies for my long blogging  absence.

It has been a fortnight of new beginnings, big changes, old friends, new friends. I don't even know where to begin.

So those that read my blog regularly might have picked up the vibes that changes were afoot recently. I made the decision a couple of months ago that I needed a big career change as i'd faltered a bit on the career path I was on. That decision to take a leap into the unknown led me to a brand new job working for a well known animal charity on the island. I have been in my new role for just over a week now and so far it has been brilliant. A fresh new start with lovely new people. And an office where I get puppies, dogs and the odd aged cat sticking their head through the door looking for a biscuit or two. It is a real challenge and a step up the ladder career wise.

Unfortunately with the new working routine not quite established yet I have been left with little time or energy for crafting of an evening. Plus with my Christmas Craft Event yesterday any spare time i did have was spent prepping for that.

So anyways, onwards to what has been keeping my busy this past couple of weeks (when not finding my feet in the new job). Last weekend saw the first of my three summer weddings this year. My old school  friend Sarah married Ben in a lovely Ventnor wedding on the IOW. It was a lovely day spent catching up with old school friends (some of whom I have not actually seen since my A-Levels many moons ago).

Here are a couple of pics from the day:

This shows the basket of Pimms fruit (GREAT idea! Help yourself to as much fruit in your Pimms as you like) with the bride's bouquet -

The Bride and Groom:

 And the second big thing that has happened this last week is that the Poulton family has a new member. This gorgeous little bundle of energy, Sasha, the 20 month old boxer dog. Now prior to starting my new job I had made several jokes about smuggling animals home with me from the Animal Centre. And I'd even made reference to wanting to keep all the boxers that might come through the doors. But never did I imagine that on Day 6 of my new job I would be presented with a boxer puppy  like Sasha. As soon as  I saw her I called up my Mum to come and meet her. And here we are, a week later, with a new boxer joining the family. She lives with Mum, Dad, my two sisters and Kala the Boxer (Kala is a little put out at this puppy interloper upsetting the doggy balance in the house!!)

 Here they are together. Kala is flaked out after one too many runs round the garden with the puppy.  It is far too hot for all this energetic malarky she is thinking......

So I think thats all my news for the time being. Fingers crossed (and all being well with my slightly decrepid  old laptop) that I'll be able to get some photos here tomorrow for you of all the lovely projects we made yesterday.

In the mean time, Happy Crafting all. And I hope to get round to your blogs and comment asap!!!

-XXXX-

August Promotion From Stampin' Up!

Happy August 1st to you all.

Just a quick post (which will remain at the top of my blog till August 31st) to share with you the new 'Free Gift' promotion from Stampin' Up!

This month, with any customer purchase of £75 or workshop order of £250+, you will receive this lovely cosmetic purse which comes complete with Rich Razzleberry striped ribbon and a pack of assorted clips.

This exclusive offer is only available throught the month of August. If you'd like to place an order or book a workshop please get in touch on poulton_sarah@yahoo.co.uk or 01983 609249.

-xxxx-

Elegant Wedding Gift

Well I scheduled this post to go live yesterday and it didn't for some reason. So I'm posting it now and you'll just have to imagine this went live Saturday morning.....

Remember this? Well I did some additional decorating and stamping and made it into a beautiful wedding album for my friend Sarah who is getting married today. My mum gave me a perfectly sized shallow box last week to keep the album in. I wasn't content with just a plain and simple box. So here is how I decorated it to create a suitable wedding gift package.

 I punched the three hearts with my punch from Elegant Soiree Designer Series Paper and covered with Crystal Effects (gives them a lovely sheen and smooth finish). The scalloped edge was already part of the box so I measured and cut a width of the matching Elegant Soiree paper and wrapped it around the box. Then finished with retired wide chocolate chip ribbon to keep the box together.

Here is the contents. I wrapped the album with shimmery cream tissue paper and closed with a little flower gem from my stash. And the card can be found here. I had this wedding in mind when I made this little Blueberry Crisp elegant congratulatory card.

Hope you're all enjoying your weekends wherever you are ;0)
-XXX-

A Stampin' Up! hybrid card

This weekend sees a work colleagues little boy turn 1. I cannot believe how quickly that year has gone. It seems like only yesterday I was making this card for his birth ;0)

So I called this a Stampin' Up! hybrid as I used only SU colour cardstock but did very little stamping. Instead I used my SU colours alongside my favourite Cricut cartridge, ZooBalloo to make a suitable 1st birthday card. I used Marina Mist for the letters, Choc Chip and Crumb Cake for the monkey, Old Olive and Wild Wasabi for the alligator and Pumpkin Pie and Cajun Craze for the fox.

 Then for the envelope I used my Party This Way stamp set and Just Perfect alphabet. I almost like the envelope as much as the card ;0)

Happy Friday all ;0) I'm looking forward to a friends wedding tomorrow. I havent been to a wedding for several years and I have three in the next month ;0) I cannot wait. And I have a new Monsoon dress to wear as well (cannot remember the last time I splashed out in Monsoon!). I'll be sharing the wedding gift I have made for my friend in tomorrows post.
-xxx-

A quick thank you

My apologies for the long blogging absence. I've had new beginnings and big changes here which has meant no time for crafting or blogging. Hopefully things will settle down and I'll get some crafting time over the weekend.

I have however got one quick project to share with you. I had a few customer orders to deliver this week so I put together this quick and simple Thank You note using my Just Believe stamp set (and Curly Cute sentiment). I inked the flower stamp with Pear Pizzazz then coloured over bits randomly with Old Olive to give a bit of dimension. To create the flowers I punched Rose Red cardstock and Blushing Bride Designer Series Papers with my Boho Blossoms punch. I layered the two smaller flowers with a Basic Pearl. The sentiment is stamped with Rich Razzleberry.

Please note that this was my first attempt card and I stamped the sentiment a bit wobbly. But I'd sent the other cards out before i took pictures of the non wonky efforts ;0)

I hope you are all having a lovely summer (summer? A loose term considering the weather). Happy summer crafting to you all ;0)
-XX-

Cottage Garden Summer Birthday

Here is a birthday card I made for my partner's Mum. I love the summer feel to this card. This colour combo works so well for this time of year and a summer birthday. I used: Daffodil Delight, Peach Parfait, Tangerine Tango, Wild Wasabi.

This card uses:

C/S: Whisper White, Tangerine Tango

DSP: Sunny Garden

Stamp sets: Curly Cute, Cottage Garden, Just Believe

Embellishments: Basic Pearls



Happy Friday to you all. Here is to a lovely weekend ;0)

-XX-

Bright Sweet Card

I struggled coming up with a title for this post. I wasnt quite sure how to explain the design of this card. It is cut from one sheet of A4 and the box folds back in on itself to create a treat box with window as a part of the card itself. Its a cute little design for a childs birthday card and a great way of adding a little bit extra to a card. Although a little tip, the box part does NOT fit a Ferrero Rocher. I tried to fit one in and it just would not go. Which goes to prove my sense of perspective is terrible. The Bendicks chocolate mints fit perfectly ;0)

I created this card using a Daffodil Delight base and decorated with Poppy Parade and Concord Crush Designer Series Paper.

Uses:

Stamp set: Party This Way

C/S: Daffodil Delight

DSP: Concord Crush & Poppy Parade

Ribbon: Daffodil Delight

Punches: Boho Blossom, Oval, Scallop Oval, Tag, Word Window

Embellishments: Basic Rhinestones, Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by today. Nearly the weekend *hooray* Come back tomorrow for a gorgeous Cottage Garden Birthday card ;0)

-XX-

Sweet Stitches No Cutting Gift Bag

Here is our 3D item from last months card class. This was inspired by the Sweet Stitches Designer Series Paper and this tutorial. I was going through my 12 x 12 paper box and I found this set of DSP untouched. When the Mini Catalogue came out this was my favourite new product but I think I got distracted by Nature Walk and the Botanical Gazette DSP somewhere along the way.

So here is my Sweet Stitches project. I love the colour combination of Tempting Turquoise and Rose Red. I embellished with the polka dotted frame from Four Frames and the sentiment from Party This Way.

This is a great little gift bag made from one whole sheet of A4. It is scored only and involves no cutting. Its a quick and easy little addition for any gift or table decoration.

Uses:

Inks: Rose Red and Tempting Turquoise
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Rose Red
Designer Series Paper: Sweet Stitches
Stamp sets: Four Frames and Party This Way
Ribbon: Tempting Turqoise Grosgrain

Tomorrow I have a lovely 3D card which fits treats in the card design. Perfect for kids and adults alike.

Happy crafting ;0)

Explore Week Two

So now it seems I am having laptop trouble. The charger for my computer 'popped' over the weekend so I have borrowed my Mums for the day. This is going to make blogging a bit difficult for the foreseeable future. But please bear with me. Normal blogging service will be resumed just as soon as I can get the computer charging issue sorted.

Now on to Week 2 of Shimelle's 'Explore' class. Again I am posting a weeks worth of playbook pages and scrapbooking in one go as I've caught up with my crafting over the weekend.

Prompt 6: Sit, Stand, Sleep.

This prompt encouraged us to think about a self portrait in a new way and to consider where we spend our days (Sitting, Standing, Sleeping). I took photographs of three of my favourite spaces in my house. I found it a bit of a challenge to make my bed/pillow look exciting. But I tried a new angle on the space. I also created a little tag for my journalling which I tucked behind the photos.

Prompt 8: Embellishing and Crafting with Photos

This was a bit of a challenge for me. I struggle with writing or doodling on photos. So for this prompt I deliberately chose photos I knew i had doubles of. So if I creatively destroyed the pictures it wouldnt matter so much. But actually I really enjoyed trying out new techniques for embellishing photos. I had never really considered decorating the picture itself. So I tried out several pens to see which worked best on the glossy surface. I tried doodling, writing, sticking, cutting, tracing.  I think I've banked a few techniques to try using again in the future.

A sunny day at Carisbrooke embellished with drawn stitching, writing, jewels, transfer letters.

I lay a small scrap of vellum over my pic of Carisbrooke and roughly traced and coloured it.

Prompt 7: Memory Sparks

I took a blank piece of A4 paper for this prompt and a mixture of different coloured pens. I then just doodled memories all over the page and saw what things popped up. It was a fun exercise at seeing different perspectives on memory and things that i could be scrapbooking. I decided that rather than show the whole page I would include this kraft envelope in my play book instead. I embellished and tried out some new techniques (i've never used my glimmer mists before and tried them out for this splattered glimmer look) and included quotes/definitions that fitted with the ideas of the class as a whole. I then folded the A4 memory sheet and tucked it inside this envelope. On the reverse of the coloured diagram I also journalled about memories and reflected on the course so far. I also picked one specific memory (as the prompt suggested) and wrote the story out in more detail

More of Prompt 8: Embellishing photos.

I used a pic of a West Wight sunset. I enjoyed this photo even more. I felt like it had a bit more scope for embellishing. And the gold pen worked really well on the gloss surface.  I especially loved adding the boat and whale (dont see many of those in the Solent!!).

Prompt 9: A Day in the Life

I took a simple perspective on recording the details of a day in the life. I simply recorded the day on a blank piece of paper and then transposed these into my playbook. For visual effect I just started in the middle and wrote out. I wanted to include some visible handwriting in the book as most of my journalling has been tucked away in the book so far.

Prompt 10: Photos as Embellishments.

I followed one of the class prompt sketches today to create this scrapbook page. I used a larger print from my stash of New Years Eve 2010 and then printed out the smaller 1 inch square miniatures as embellishments for the page. I had other ideas to fancy the page up a bit but actually like the simplicity of the stars and the smaller photos so kept it relatively unembellished. I'm really pleased with this LO to finish the halfway point of the course.

Right, off to look at Prompt 11 and see what this week has in stores.

Happy crafting and I'll be back online as soon as I can

-xx-