French folliage falling leaves

 It may be winter but the leaves are still clinging to the trees in orange, red and yellow that I see on my walk to school in the morning. The products in the current Stampin' Up! catalogue are still clinging on until  the end of June too. That is until they fall off the tree or go out of stock.
If you want to browse the products that are retiring this month just click on the shop now button at the top right of my blog page and you can see the pictures of products for sale.
When you shop make sure you choose Nerida Carter as your demonstrator to get your preferred customer savings.

 Thought I'd make a few cards with one of my all time favourite stampsets: French Folliage.
A friend of mine loves purple and it seems red also, I made these up for her this week and she loved them.
I just love the way you can "rock and roll" these leaf stamps in the autumn/wintery colours and they look so crisp and colourful.

I have used another retiring stamp "curly cute" for my sentiment.
These are two great sets I will miss however, as you know when one catalogue closes another new one opens... Let me know if you would like to be one of the first to own a copy of the 2013-14 Annual catalogue that goes live on 2 July this year!
Send me an email to: Nerida_carter@hotmail.com

How to catch a butterfly - thumping technique tutorial

I promise that no butterfly has ever been harmed in creating this card.

This is a technique that has been around almost as long as Stampin' up! has had markers.

It is a really fun technique that produces a great result in no time at all.

 The thumping marker technique needs a semi solid stamp to get this flickering effect of colours.

The Swallowtail stamp from the Autumn Seasonal mini is a great choice.

You will need:

Swallowtail stamp

Whisper white cardstock

Crumbcake ink pad

Stampin' Write markers

 Step 1. Lay your rubber stamp rubber side up on your table and ink up your swallowtail stamp with Crumbcake ink.

 

Step 2. Taking the lightest coloured Stampin' write marker (I have chosen Summer Starfruit) hold it on the end and lightly tap the side of the brush on the rubber.

 It's not really thumping more tapping as in gently playing a drum.

Step 3. Take your next lightest colour (gumball green) and tap it lightly onto the rubber.

 Step 4. Using your darkest Stampin' Write Marker (Midnight Muse) add more tapping on the side of the brush.

 Step 5. Now stamp the butterfly onto your piece of whisper white cardstock.

*   *   *

 Every butterfly is different as the brush marks are never in the same place.

 Here is one my ten year old daughter made using 5 different markers from the in-colour pack on a base of Summer Starfruit ink.

Elegant lines and window sheet butterflies

This idea of butteflies made from window sheets comes from a fellow stampin up demo named Julia Emms. When I saw this beautiful idea of butterflies made from window sheets (aka: clear transparency) I just wanted to experiment with it.

The white ink on the edges of the plastic seems to accentuate the clear transparent butterfly wings and the purple caught my eye at first and then the elegant lines embossing and pearls.

The Thank you is from the stampset Curly Cute and punched out with the scallop oval punch with a little sponging on all layers.

So then I had try a double butterfly using two beautiful butterflies on top of each other.

The two butterflies can go through the embossing folder at the same time if you want the same texture on both layers.

The white ink is Stazon cotton white... just another thing you can sponge this white ink on to. I loved making this fairly simple card so I took a few photos of it from different angles. Thank you Julia Emms for the original idea and here is the recipe list.

Stampset: Curly Cute

Ink: Perfect Plum

Cotton White stazon.

Cardstock: Perfect Plum, whisper white, sahara sand.

Tools and accessories: Big shot machine, Elegant Lines embossing folder, Beautiful Butterflies Die cut,

Basic Pearl jewells, Scallop oval punch, Sponges,Mini glue dots and dimensional adhesives.

Presto Paper and Curly cute Congratulations

 I am so enjoying this cooler weather, after the change we had on Sunday afternoon, I feel a new energy and ... for a friend who graduated recently I made this card.
I am CASEing (that means copy and share everything) the Sale-a-bration catalogue (page 7). Its amazing when you change the colours and add a different width of cardstock to a design how different it can look.

The main thing I changed is the strip of Presto patterns paper. This paper is really spectacular. I sponged it a little with Old Olive ink, then painted the detail with my aquapainter and finally spritzed it with Gold Glow Smooch spriz. (This is a new product on page 10 of the Summer mini).

 See how it sparkles on the paper. I ended up giving a light spritz to the whole card when I was finished. It adds to the vintagy feel. (The Smooch spritz comes not just in gold but in silver foil too for $7.95).
The background is stamped with the "Bliss" stamp, kind of looks like a wallpaper pattern we once had in my parent's house (this set has a very vintage style to it).

Did you notice that Marina Mist scallopy edge? Wondering where that comes from?
Its the negative cut out edge of the Top note Die.

The scattered flowers are cut using the Boho Blossoms punch. The one above the butterfly is centred with an "itty bitty" clear Button. And tied with a thin strip of cardstock.

The flower above the Congratulations is centred with a Basic Jewel Pearl. I was tempted to put pearls in the centre of all the punched flowers but on this ocassion restrained myself as I was trying to follow the sample card just a little.

Supplies: Marina Mist tafetta 1/8" ribbon.

 Stampsets: Bliss, Curly cute.

Cardstock: Old Olive, whisper white, Marina Mist.

Smooch Spritz - gold glow ($7.95)

Presto Pattens Specialty paper $22.95 (12 sheets)

Boho Blossoms punch

Big shot and Topnote die.

Itty bitty buttons, Basic jewel - Pearls.

Aquapainter, sponge.

Fox and Friends male card

 Its another Happy Birthday card today... using Fox and Friends.
This time the male version. Blue whales, Green turtles and purple cheeky monkeys.
A Fox and a wise old owl in Concord crush. Boys cards are so much fun. I guess to make it really masculine I could have roughed it up a bit, added some hardware and torn edges.

 Instead to lift the bar, make it a little more exciting I added a cheeky monkey to the inside on a spiral that springs out a bit when you open the card and a flag waving Happy birthday!

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Fox and Friends, Curly cute, Heard from the heart,

Well scripted ($27.95 clear mount - Summer mini),

Cardstock: whisper white and Tempting Turquoise

Ink: Tempting Turquoise, concord Crush, Rich Razzleberry, Pear Pizzazz.

Tools: Wide oval punch, silver brad, vellum, Paper snips.

Fox and friends Birthday

It is the time of year for children's Birthday cards in this house. Many of our friends children have summer time birthdays so I chose some bright and summery colours and set to work making a series of cards.

Its often tricky finding stampsets for children that will suit babies and older ones and can be used for both boys and girls so I just had to have this set. A wise owl, a cheeky monkey, turtle, giraffe, a whale, a lion and a very cute Fox.

My idea sprang from the Idea Book and catalogue on page 64. The animals being stamped randomly as background paper. Then I had a go at less random stamping because that suits some corner of my organised mind.

On the front of these cards I have used the Happy Birthday stamp from Perfect punches.

The edging is punched with my newest pinking hearts punch (only available in the summer mini until 31 March).

Card Recipe:
Stampsets: Fox and Friends (7 stamps $23.95 clear mount, $30.95 wood mount)
Perfect Punches (6 stamps $32.95 clear mount, $40.95 wood mounted)
Cardstock: Melon Mambo,whisper white, Pumpkin pie.
Ink: Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, Pear Pizzaz, Rich Razzleberry, Tempting Turquoise, Marina Mist.
Tools: Pinking Hearts border punch $30.95, wide oval punch $30.95, Dimensional adhesives.

A Rich and Razzled Shimmer Dasher

 Here  is another stack of dasher cards I made last Sunday with my friend Sophie.
She loves the Old Olive and Rich Razzleberry as I do plus a bit of silver bling and shimmer.

 We started by stamping "dasher" in Platinum shimmer paint onto the razzleberry cardstock.
It's really shimmmery in the light. I love how the Rich Razzleberry tafetta ribbon matches the cardstock.
I have tied it through two holes punched through the top layer. It wont move, but it is tricky getting the bow to sit straight.

 A glue dot helps a lot. The Greeting is stamped in Old Olive using the curly cute stampset. This is a cinch to stamp using the clear block you can line it up straight very easily without a stamp a ma jig.
Sponging around the edges and popping it up on dimensional foam makes it stand out from the background.

So what do you think?

Would you like to make a stack of christmas cards like this? Give me a call and book a workshop or a stamp a stack at your place for November and don't forget the November Christmas bundle specials to get FREE rolls of Ribbon.

Background stamping is the snowflake from "Snow swirled".
Enjoy!

Dasher in Old Olive and Early Espresso

The card above is so simple. Just two pieces of cardstock and three stamps.

It looks fairly simple this way.

If you wish you can dress it up with dazzling diamonds and rhinestones to step it up and get the wow factor.

Dasher has been "rock and rolled" in the old olive and Early espresso ink (but only lightly).

The stamps are:

 Dasher

Heard from the heart

and Elements of Style.

This card uses just two stamps:

Dasher and Curly cute with a background of wheeled swirls and some polka dot patterned paper.

The variations for Dasher are endless...

expect to see a lot more of him between now and December!

Love Letter, Lovely as a tree

I am sharing with you a card we made at a weekend workshop just recently...

We had a lovely few hours stamping and having a gorgeous afternoon tea.

One of the best parts of cardmaking for me is the social aspect and meeting new fun and interesting  people.

The colours used are not your usual red and green but have a traditional feel with the sponging of the very vanilla cardstock edges. It gives a slightly vintage feel and softens the edges of the images.

The patterned paper used is called "Love Letter".

We stamped the "lovely as a tree" in Early Espresso ink and stamped the words from Curly Cute in Ridinghood Red on the vanilla cardstock.

The little piece of ribbon poking out at the top is striped grosgrain in Early Espresso and our star is a Rhinestone jewel.

A Dashing Christmas with dazzling diamonds

Can you see the dazzling diamonds on dasher's body and antlers?
Its just not christmas without a glittery reindeer.

She is such a cute little reindeer ... and I am so behind with my christmas cards this year !

It is October already (two months till Christmas!!!)

Card recipe:
Cardstock: Old olive and confetti white
Ink: Riding hood red, Old olive
Designer Series paper: Love Letter
Stampsets: Dasher, Curly Cute
Accessories: Striped wide grosgrain Ribbon in Old Olive, Fire Rhinestone Square Brads, two-way glue pen, and dazzling diamonds glitter.

Cardmaking with Paper daisies and a new in colour

Can you pick the in colour in this photo?

Correct! Its Poppy Parade !!!

It is a very bright red... a little on the orange side compared with Real Red but I am quite liking it for birthday cards and even an early Christmas card colour too!

This is a CASE of my launch night birthday card substituting the Early Espresso flower for Poppy parade ink and cardstock. While I love the neutrals, bright colours are so exciting and fitting for Spring... and did you notice the rhinestones? Stampin' up now have stick on rhinestones (and Pearls).

Card Recipe:
Stampset: Punch potpourri, Curly Cute
Cardstock: Poppy Parade, very vanilla
Ink: Poppy Parade, Early Espresso
Accessories: Early Espresso striped grosgrain ribbon, Boho blossom punch, paper daisies, vintage brads, mini glue dots, Rhinestone stick ons, snail adhesive.
Tools: Big shot machine, vintage wall paper embossing folder.

Curly Cute Paper Daisies

 A stamped Paper flower, a punched flower centre, a strip of striped wide ribbon and an antique metal brad.

Aahh!

When I made this card I sat back and thought- now this is the style of card I like:

simple colours, not too fussy and a bit vintage classic.

I just love textures and neutrals - they work for any occasion by just changing the sentiment.

I'd be saving this card for someone special - It uses two of my favourite new stamp sets: "Punch Potpourri"

And a new sentiment stampset "Curly Cute" that I can see I will be using a lot!

 How easy was this card to make? But very satisfying ....The new Early Espresso is my new black!

Card Recipe:

Stampsets: Punch Potpourri (just used the heart to stamp the paper daisy and the blossoms) page 10 of the Idea book and catalogue. Free when you hostess a party and reach the first level of sales.

Curly Cute (for the happy birthday words) $34.95 wood mounted or $29.95 clear mounted.

Cardstock: Early Espresso and Very Vanilla

Ink: Early Espresso

Accessories:

Paper daisies: 40 for $13.50

Antique Brads: 20 for $11.25

Tools: Big shot machine,

Vintage Wall paper embossing folder

Boho Blossoms flower punch

Ribbon: Early Espresso striped grosgrain p.137

Just one of the gorgeous colours this ribbon now comes in!