Saturday 19 December 2015

A Merry Christmas To One And All!!

Wow, it is now less than a week to go until Christmas Day! This year I have managed to send out handmade cards to everyone! Most of the cards were made from past stamp sets and DSP, a useful way of using up stock to make room for products from the new Spring/Summer catalogue and Sale-a-bration goodies which will be available from 4th January.
Now back to this months card class projects.  Both of the cards were Christmas ones and the 3D project was a calendar.


 For this card we used Festival of Trees and Sassy Salutations stamp sets and the main colours were Old Olive, Mossy Meadow, Real Red and Whisper White.  The DSP was Merry Moments DSP.  To add a bit of sparkle we added a star made of Red Glimmer paper and some Basic Rhinestones.  We also added some paper piercing detail around the the card and circle.
This cute punch art reindeer did use a few punches but I think he was worth it!  The punches used were Extra Large Oval, 1/2" circle, 3/4" circleOwl Builder, Tree Builder and Pansy.  The colours used were Tip Top Taupe, Whisper White, Early Espresso and Real Red.  (The ribbon is retired).  The 'snow' was made by embossing Vellum Cardstock with the Decorative Dots folder and adhered to Tip Top Taupe cardstock and then onto the main card of Early Espresso. The greeting was taken from the Snow Place stamp set.
Sping - main colours = Mint Macaron, Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz, Versamark; stamp sets = Sheltering Tree, Project Life Day to Day.

Summer - main colours = So Saffron, Melon Mambo, Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz, Versamark; stamp sets = Sheltering Tree, Perpetual Birthday Calendar, Project Life Day to Day
Autumn - main colours = Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie; stamp sets = Sheltering Tree, Perpetual Birthday Calendar, Project Life Day to Day
Winter - main colours = Soft Sky, Early Espresso, Versamark; stamp sets = Sheltering Tree, Perpetual Birthday Calendar, Project Life Day to Day. White heat embossing powder.

The calendar was made so that it could sit on a table/desk and be 'flipped' over to view the relevant season of the year by having a tab that slotted behind the card panels.
All the panels were adhered to a folded sheet of Basic Black card stock using dimensionals.

Wednesday 9 December 2015

November Classes - All Set For Christmas!

With Christmas fast appraoching, we are now making more Christmas themed projects but I also wanted to use a stunning set of stamps and coordinating thinlet dies - Lighthearted Leaves and Leaflets Framelits, which are perfect for Autumnal projects.  As Stampin Up is an American company and celebrate 'Fall' in a big way, they have quite a lot of products based on this season.  The card we made uses some lovely autumnal colours, Daffodil Delight, Tangelo Twist, Garden Green and Mossy Meadow to match with the colours in the Into The Woods DSP strips.  The greeting was taken from the Cottage Greetings set stamped in Early Espresso and puched out using the Washi Tape punch. First we emobssed some vellum card stock with the largest leaf in gold embossing powder and coloured in the detail of the leaf using marker pens creating a stained glass window effect.  Then either cut it our by hand or by using the Leaflet Framelit.  The background was stamped using the Gorgeous Gunge stamp set.
For our Christmas card we used mainly non-Christmas products save for the greeting which was taken from the Lots of Joy stamp set.  The Bird Builder punch was used for the robin in Soft Suede and Cherry Cobbler card stock and the leaves in Old Olive.  The greeting was stamped using Cherry Cobbler ink and the Hardwood background stamp was inked with Soft Suede onto Crumb Cake cardstock.  The centre was punched out with the 2" diameter circle punch. The berries were created uisng the 1 /16th hand held circle punch.  A small bow was made using the 1/8th Gold ribbon.
At our Christmas Card making workshop, I gave all the attendees a Christmas Pudding made using the Curvy Keepsake die filled with chocolate and was asked if we could make it at this class.  The Curvy Keepsake die is so quick and easy to use to make a lovely box to fill with goodies.  The colours used were Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler and Garden Green.  The holly was made by punching our a large oval of Garden Green cardstock and then 'nibbling' the edges with a 1" diameter circle punch.  The berries were made using the larger circle from the Owl Builder punch in Cherry Cobbler.  The dimpled effect of the 'cream' on the pudding was made using the Decorative Dots embossing folder.  The greeting was taken from a retired stamp set stamped in Chocolate Chip and punched out with the large oval punch.

Thursday 5 November 2015

Octobers Card Class

My, where is the year going? October already and yes we are celebrating Halloween and Christmas at this class to make sure we have time to fit all the projects in this year that I would like to share with you!


But first a non-seasonal card - this uses one of my many favourite stamp sets, Petit Petals and its coordinating Petit Petals punch.  This bunch of flowers would be suitable for lots of occasions and here we have used the Happy Birthday greeting from the Endless Birthday Wishes stamp set.  The main colours used were Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight and Melon Mambo for the flowers and Old Olive marker pen for the stems with Crumb Cake cardstock and Whisper White cardstock.  Old Olive bakers twine was used to 'tie' the stems together.
Our Christmas card uses a stamp set that we used at our Christmas Card Workshop at the beginning of the month, Lots of Joy but a different stamp from within the set just to show that it is quite a useful set.  The colours used were Whisper White cardstock, Real Red ink and cardstock and Red Glimmer paper.  The ribbon was taken from the 1/8" Striped Ribbon set which comes in a pack of two with Real Red and Garden Green colours.  The background was embossed with the Large Polka Dot embossing folder.  The DSP was taken from the Merry Moments DSP.
For our Halloween element of the class, we created this little pumpkin gift box/treat holder using the Curvy Keepsake die and Pumpkin Pie cardstock, stamped in Pumpkin Pie ink using the 'stripy' stamp from the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set.  The leaves were made using the Bird Builder punch and Garden Green cardstock.  The features were punched using the Tree punch to 'nibble' triangles from scraps of Basic Balck cardstock. The greeting came from a retired stamp set.



Tuesday 13 October 2015

Christmas Card Workshop

This years Christmas Card workshop at Frampton on Severn Village Hall proved very popular with 13 attendees - two of whom had never been to a card class before and I think they enjoyed the experience. For this workshop we made 6 Christmas cards with a matching gift tag and a seasonal gift box.  Everyone was given their own set of Rhinestone Basic Jewels and a reel of Silver 1/8" Ribbon to add to their designs.  The Scalloped Tag Topper was used for all of the gift tags.
The projects were as follows:-


 Who can resist these fun snowmen??  These images are taken from the Snow Place stamp set and use the coordinating framelit set Snow Friends Framelits Dies. The main colours consist of Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede, Garden Green and Momento Black.  The snowflakes were heat embossed using White Embossing powder and small Rhinestone Basic Jewels were stuck to the centre of some of them to add a bit of sparkle.
This card design was also made using the Snow Place stamp set and the coordinating framelit set Snow Friends Framelits Dies.  There are several other stamps within this set to add 'accessories' to either the penguin or snowmen eg scarf, tie, bobble hat so its a very versatile set to have in your collection of Christmas stamp sets! The main colours used were again Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green and Momento Black.  The background was embossed using the Decorative Dots embossing folder.
This card was created using what I think is one of the must-have stamp sets from the Annual Catalogue (pg 69), Lots of Joy. It contains a good couple of images and greetings suitable to make a variety of different cards and gift tags.  The two colours used were only Whisper White and Island Indigo which made for a simple but effective card.  The background was embossed using the Stylish Stripes embossing folder and the Silver Glimmer Paper added the extra sparkle. (The design for this card was taken from Just Judy Designs posted on Pinterest).
This is another card that only used two colours, Old Olive and Whisper White with some Silver Glimmer Paper for the sparkle.  Again another simple but effective card using another of my favourite stamp sets, Festival of Trees along with the coordinating Tree punch.  We also used Merry Everything stamp set and coordinating Note Tag punch. (The idea of this design was based on one from Barbaras Kreativ-Studio on Pinterest).
I wanted to create a card using the Confetti Stars Borderpunch but with a 'background' effect.  Therefore the Night of Navy card was punched with the Confetti Stars Border punch and layered on to Smokey Slate card to give the impression of the night sky.  I used the snowman, reindeer and polar bear from the White Christmas stamp set in Night of Navy ink and punched them out using 1 1/2" and 1 3/4" circle punches.
When I saw the example of how to use the Berry Merry stamp set and coordinating Boughs & Berries embossing folder in the A/W catalogue, I decided I just had to use it too!  I love the mix of Christmas colours; Cucumber Crush, Real Red, Crushed Curry and Pool Party along with some Gold Glimmer paper.  The greeting was heat embossed with Gold embossing powder.  The greeting on the gift tag was taken from the Sassy Salutaions stamp set.
Of course we had to make this adorable little penguin using the Curvy Keepsake die and Big Shot! The rest of the tools were Extra Large Oval, Large Oval, 3/4" and 1/2" circle punches, Washi Label punch and the beak was made using the heart from the Owl Builder punch.

I hope I have inspired you to make some cards for yourself. Its never too early to start making Christmas cards!!
















Monday 12 October 2015

Septembers Classes

September heralded the start of my classes at Frampton on Severn village Hall. As the classes at Frampton are at the beginning of the month and the ones at Selsley are at the end of the month, I will be repeating the designs at the two classes. Therefore I will only be updating this page at the end of the month.


Our first card was suitable for a wedding or could be adapted for an anniversary or engagment. It used the stamp set For The New Two and just two colours of Whisper White and Tip Top Taupe.  It also used the technique of heat emossing onto velum with Whisper White Embossing Powder which looked quite effective. A piece of Tip Top Taupe 1" Dotted Lace Trim set off the design.
The second card was suitable to all ages and genders to celebrate a birthday.  It used the stamp sets Gorgeous Grunge and Build a Birthday with just two colours, So Saffron and Lost Lagoon.  I really like this set as it is quite versatile and the Little Numbers Thinlets are perfect for adding the 'age' if required.
Our 3D project this month was a gable-end bag. This was one of the first 3D projects I made at a class (thanks Kerry Timms) and think it is such a quick and easy bag to make - and so did the ladies at my classes.  Again this design only uses two complimentary colours, Wisteria Wonder and Perfect Plum with Very Vanilla as the card base.  The two stamp sets used were Merry Everything ( for the tag) and Flowering Flourishes with the butterflies punched out using the Elegant Butterfly and Bitty Butterfly punches.  The Venetian Crochet Trim finshes off the design.





Tuesday 1 September 2015

New Autumn/Winter Catalogue

Here we are with the latest seasonal catalogue from Stampin' Up. It is full of goodies, stamp sets, accessories, paper and ideas to get you in the mood for Halloween and Christmas as well as ideas for autumnal images. Just click on the image on the left hand side of this page to have a look through the catalogue or better still come along to one of my classes or weekend craft day to have a better look and to see some ideas too!

Thursday 27 August 2015

New Classes in Frampton on Severn

Well here it is, my first Card Making evening class in Frampton on Severn!  I know a few of you have been along to my Selsley classes or a weekend day class so now heres your opportunity to try out my new classes here.  We will be making 2 cards and a small 3D project and don't worry if you are new to card making as all the kits are pre cut by me for you and I will be on hand to help you whenever you may need some.
Please tell your friends, the more the merrier but I do need to know numbers by Wednesday 2nd Sept at the latest so that I can have all the kits prepared.
These classes will be held regularly on the first Friday of the month.


FRIDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER
7.00PM- £9.00/£9.50*

At

THE VILLAGE HALL, THE STREET, FRAMPTON ON SEVERN


**Booking is required**

Create 3 projects at this class, suitable for beginners and advanced crafters, pre-cut kits are provided.


*£9.50 charge includes adhesives to complete each project, alternatively bring along your own adhesives and the cost of the class will be £9.00.

There will also be the opportunity to buy adhesives on the night if you wish to:

Stampin’ Dimensionals (3D foam pads) £3.75
Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue (TOMBO) £3.75
2-Way Glue £4.00
SNAIL Adhesive £6.25
Mini Glue Dots £4.75


Remember to bring along a pair of scissors.

If you cancel your booked space within 24 hours of the class your kits will have been cut and prepared so a fee of £4.00 will be incurred to cover these costs.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch. Hazel Benn on
01452 740258

Christmas Card Making Workshop 11th October

I know it is still summer (or meant to be!!) but it is time to get thinking in advance about all those lovely Christmas cards you can make to send to your friends and family before the rush of Christmas really starts! So I have organised a card making day on:-

SUNDAY 11TH OCTOBER
at
FRAMPTON VILLAGE HALL,
10.00am to 2.00pm
to use Stampin Up products to make 6 cards and gift tags, and a gift box.

The cost will be £25 that will include a goodie bag containing all the products you will need to make some festive cards and a small gift box plus extra for you to use at home.  Please bring a packed lunch if you like and light refreshments will be available.  There will be a raffle and products available to buy.
Booking is essential as spaces will be limited to ensure the smooth running of the day.  Please book early to avoid disappointment (with either full payment or a £10 deposit) before 28th September. 

Please bring small craft scissors and adhesive if possible.
Please contact me for more details:- Hazel Benn on 01452 740258 or email at trulymadlystampin@hotmail.co.uk
(Please note that the minimum age for attending this workshop will be 12yrs)

August Class - Mothers And Daughters Too!



For our August class I chose a theme of using neutral colours and the Neutrals Colour Collection DSP papers.
The first card was made using basic black and whisper white card stock with sheets taken from the Neutrals Colour Collection DSP papers with the black and white theme.  This style of card is a Gatefold design.  Several punches and framelits we used in this design inculding Circles Collection Framelits, 1" and 2 1/2" circle punches, 1 3/4" Scallop circle punch, Bitty Butterfly punch and Elegant Butterfly punch. Some Basic Jewels were used as the bodies of the butterflies and the greeting taken from the Work of Art stamp set using Momento Ink.


Our second card is a twisted easel design made using Very Vanilla card stock, Soft Suede card stock and ink, Chocolate Chip colour sheets from the Neutrals Colour Collection DSP papers and card stock, and Crumb Cake colour sheets from the Neutrals Colour Collection DSP papers and card stock.  The two stamp sets used were Crazy For You and Petite Pairs. The flower was made by stamping of the flower stamp from the Crazy For You stamp set 3 times using Soft Suede ink and then the layers cut out and finshed with a Crumb Cake Candy dot and base. To keep the card upright for display, a stack of a trio of flowers puched using the flower from Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack and secured using a mini sliver brad.
Our 3D project was to make a birthday book useful for writing down all those family and friends birthday dates we might normally forget in a clever little folding book.  I used a computer to print out the month pages and the greeting on the front.  The main colours used were Chocolate Chip ink and cardstock and Crumb Cake  ink and card stock.  A belly band was used to keep the book closed.  The flowers were stamped using the Petit Petals stamps.





The girls thoroughly enjoyed making a birthday card and decorating a notebook (using retired products).

Wednesday 12 August 2015

July's Class


Where is the year going! It is already the school holidays (although it hasn't felt much like summer) and I am already behind with my posts!
For Julys class I chose a theme of cards to mark a celebration, perhaps the passing of exams; and making use of the colourful Bohemiam DSP.
I CASEd the celebration card from one I had seen on Pinterest and for it we used a mixture of punches and framelits - 1 ", 1 3/4", 2 1/2" circle punches,  Stars Framelits, Confetti Stars Border, Star from Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack.  The main card stock used was Very Vanilla, Basic Black and Gold Glimmer paper.  The mortar board was made by using the Sweetheart punch and Large Oval for the 'skull-cap' and free hand cutting for the 'board'.  I am afraid I cheated with the greeting as used it from a retired set.  I had lots of good comments of how effective using the glimmer paper as a backing under the star punched strip looked.
I couldn't resist using the Banner Banter stamp set and co-ordinating colours from the Bohemiam DSP to make this birthday card suitable for all ages.  The main colours used complement the colours from the Boho DSP which are Bermuda Bay, Blackberry Bliss, Rich Razzleberry and Delightful Dijon.  The greeting was taken from Sassy Saluations. Some Whisper White Bakers Twine was used to make the bows holding the bunting.
To accompany the greeting card, we made a gift card holder again using the colours Bermuda Bay and Delightful Dijon with another piece of Bohemiam DSP. The base was embossed using the Boho Chic folder. The tag was made using the Merry Everything stamp set in Bermuda Bay ink and Note Tag punch.  The bow was made using another of my favourite punches, the Bow Builder.  A Candy Dots Brad Base was used as a hinge.



Tuesday 23 June 2015

Junes Class

Right, I am a bit better organised for my blog this month as had it all photographed and written ahead of time.  Plus as we had treated ourselves to a weekend break at Centre Parcs the weekend of my class I had to make sure everything was planned before we went away!
So here are the projects from June:-
 This first card showcases the new 2015-2017 In Colors. Starting from the top butterfly (made with the Bitty Butterfly punch and  1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches) they are Delightful Dijon, Cucumber Crush, Watermelon Wonder, Tip Top Taupe and Mint Macaron (the greeting was made using Early Espresso ink and Petit Pairs stamp set and cardstock to complement these new colours). As you can see we didn't waste the butterflies punched out of the Whisper White cardstock and made gift tags with them using the Note Tag punch.


This is the second card we made using the Sheltering Tree stamp set which has carried over from the Spring/Summer catalogue.  I had seen another demostrator (Mandi Mace) making a card using the Hardwood stamp as a frame to the card and couldn't resist using the same idea.  The main colours in this card are Rose Red, Pear Pizzazz, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla and Chocolate Chip.
This final card uses the new Sprinkles of Life stamp set which is a special stamp set created by Stampin Up who will give £2 from the sale of this stamp set to the Ronald McDonald House Charities.  This is a great set with so many different combinations of stamps. Plus there is a co-ordinating punch - Tree Builder.  Here is just one making a basic cupcake. I hope to use this stamp more in the near future so will post more designs.  To see more of this stamp set look at the last page of the new 2015-2016 catalogue by clicking on the link my home page.  I also used the Cherry on Top Designer Washi Tape on this card and stars puched from the Confetti Stars Border punch in Crushed Curry, Island Indigo and Watermelon Wonder. The cupcake was made using Crushed Curry cardstock and ink with Watermelon Wonder candles and Crumb Cake cardstock and Tip Top Taupe ink base. The background circle is Cucumber Crush.

Monday 15 June 2015

Early Fathers Day Class in May

Ooops, just a tad late for my May class update! As my class would have fallen on the late May Bank Holiday Monday, we decided to hold our class earlier in the month on 11th May. We made two Fathers Days cards and a chocolate bar holder.

This 'pop-up' card proved a little tricky but well worth the effort as it has a great impact when taken out of its envelope (which we also made at class using the envelope punch board). It could be suitable for any occasion but adapted it for a male with Bermuda Bay, Smokey Slate and Whisper White card stock.  The stamp set used was Pictogram Punches and lots of stars made with the Stars framelits in Bermuda Bay and Sliver Glimmer paper.


Here are the photos for the other card and matching chocolate bar holder. This would also be suitable as a wedding card and favor holder. I love the Bow Builder punch as makes such great bows so easily!  We also used a few retiring products in these projects, the Boho Blossom punch and DSP Stack.
The following photo shows how the chocolate bar is concealed!


Tuesday 28 April 2015

Aprils Card Making Class

We are settling in well to our new venue, Selsley Scout Hut, and now that the evenings are staying lighter for longer we have beautiful views down towards the Severn Valley!
This month we re-visited a technique we learnt last month (multi layered Daubing) and combined it with layered stamping and masking to create a beautiful 'sunset' styled card:-
A grand number of 8 colours were used to create the sunset effect :- Mossy Meadow, Old Olive, Pear Pizzazz, So Saffron, Crushed Curry, Calypso Coral, Tangelo Twist and Cherry Cobbler.  The images were taken from the Serene Silhouettes stamp set and stamped using Black Momento ink.  At first our crafters were worried about the complexity of the design but were all very sucessful and very happy with their creations.

Our second card uses a few different tools:- Polka Dot embossing folder and Top Note Die (both of which have been retired this week and are already sold out!) and the Scoring Tool diagonal plate.  The DSP is Birthday Bash from the Spring/Summer catalogue and the way the paper is folded back on itself is a good way to see both sides of the paper. The main colours used are Night of Navy and Calypso Coral; and the stamp sets are Papillon Potpourri and Four You.
Our 3D project this month uses the retiring 2013-2015 In-Colors:- Coastal Cabana, Strawberry Slush, Pistaschio Pudding and Baked Brown Sugar (all of which have already sold out in the retired list that came out last week!). This is a simple box made using the Scoring Tool and using the Fancy Fan (another sold out retired item) embossing folder.  The greeting was stamped using the Four You stamp set ( also retired this week).

Spring Card Making Workshop

Here are a few photos of the projects that we made at my recent Spring Card Making Workshop. The card designs were based around the Brights Background DSP and the idea was to create 6 cards for different occasions.  A box was also made to store the cards in.

 This is a fun card suitable for any gender, any age! Who can reisit a flying owl?? The colours used were Real Red, Daffodil Delight and Tempting Turquiose with a Chocolate Chip owl.  The greeting came from Sassy Salutations.

This bright card suitable for a birthday, get well or just to say 'hello' uses Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Real Red and Pear Pizzazz.  The stamp sets used were Crazy About You, Petit Petals and Your Perfrect Day.
This bow-tie card, made using the fabulous Bow Builder Punch is suitable for any male; and all sorts of colours could be used form the Brights collection. Here the three colours used were Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight and Old Olive.  The stamp set used was Birthday Surprise.
A simple, cute card suitable for any gender baby was made using Daffodil Delight, Bermuda Bay and Baked Brown Sugar,  and the Baby We've Grown stamp set.
A wedding card this time using Rich Razzleberry and Blushing Bride colours with the Your Perfect Day stamp set.
And finally another floral card suitable for any occasion, using Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive and Daffodil Delight (this is such a versatile colour) with Flower Shop and Label Love stamp sets.
A basic card holder was made using Crumb Cake card stock, Melon Mambo DSP and Flowering Flourishes stamp set.
I have already been asked to book a date for a Christmas workshop, with will be on Sunday 11th October at Frampton on Severn Village Hall so if you would be interested then please let me know.