Stunning medalions

Hello and welcome back to my blog!  Today I want to tell you about the amazing Eastern Palace Bundles...a fabulous co-ordinated group of stamps, dies, papers and embellishments from the new Stampin' Up Annual Catalogue that have been released a month early.  These fabulous products are available to customers at a discount, and with free products, in two bundles, until the end of May, in advance of the new catalogue launch on June 1.

I LOVE these bundles!  The dies are amazing...probably the most versatile and unique collection Stampin' Up as ever offered. The co-ordination is, as you would expect from Stampin' Up, second to none.  The way the papers, dies, stickers and stamps work together makes creating beautiful projects a breeze.  And as a bonus, the bundles contain three of the new In Colour ink pad, and the new Thick Very Vanilla cardstock, or very vanilla notecards and envelopes FREE!

Details of the bundles and prices are available in my online store here

Don't miss out - while the products will all be available in the new catalogue on June 1, the free product with purchase ends this month!

Hello baby

Happy Hump Day!  Today I'm sharing a card made with the Love You Lots hostess stamp set.  I love this little elephant image.  The original image has a tiny mouse next to the elephant, but I only inked up the elephant part of the stamp, as I thought it would make the cutest baby card :)

I've watercoloured the image with smoky slate ink and a waterbrush, and diecut the image and the sparkly border, with the layering circles framelets.  A delicate doily sponged with soft sugarplum ink completes the focal point.   The sentiment comes from the Teeny Tiny Sentiments stamp set, which contains just about every sentiment you could ever need and is,thankfully, carrying over to the new catalogue.

I hope you like my card today and you will come back to see some more projects inspired by the retiring list through the rest of the week.

Happy stamping!

Allie x

More tropical blooms..

Hello!  Today I'm sharing a second card using my favourite Botanical Builders framelets, which are on the retirement list with a lovely 30% discount.

A similar layout to yesterday's card, yet a different look.  The frame is cut using the layering squares dies, using glimmer paper. The flowers are cut from Sweet Sugarplum cardstock, and the leaves from Emerald Envy.  A layer of petals cut from vellum adds delicate dimension.  The sentiment is heat embossed with white embossing powder. A little bit of sponging softens the diecuts and adds dimension.

I hope you like it!

Tomorrow I'm sharing a card with one of my favourite hostess stamp sets.

See you then!

Going, going, gone....

Hello and welcome!

There are only just over two weeks to go until the launch of the new Stampin' Up Annual Catalogue - which means just a fortnight left to pick up any of the retiring items you can't live without.  Whilst lots of things have sold out, there are still many bargains to be had.  I thought I would share some projects with my favourites from the retiring list.  If you would like to buy any of the items I spotlight over the coming days, I would be thrilled to have your custom.  You can order direct from my shop at www.joliepaperie.stampinup.net, or if you prefer, you can call on 0781 4451627 to discuss your requirements, or email me at alliejolliffe@hotmail.com.

So, on with the shares.  My all time favourite framelet set is first up.  The Botanical Builders framelets are reduced to  £21.00 and the companion Botanical Blooms stamp set is down to just £11.25. - fantastic bargains.

I love the dimensional quality of the flowers here, cut from Dapper Denim cardstock and sponged with dapper denim ink to add depth.  I've added white diecut stamens and silver leaves.  The frame, or wreath, is made by punching the centre from a silver metallic doily.  The card is finished off with some rhinestones and a flag sentiment.  This would make a great wedding card, or a silver anniversary card...change the sentiment and it would work well for a birthday too.

I hope you will come back tomorrow for another card.

Happy stamping,

Allie xx

Final birthday blooms

Hello there!  Today I'm sharing the last of my trio of watercolour cards using the Birthday Blooms stamp set.

This card pairs the painted image with some elegant striped patterned paper.I love the look of florals with bold stripes.

I've used some narrow ribbon to neaten the join between the papers and add interest and texture.

Thanks for stopping by!  Please do come back next week for more inspiration.

Happy stamping!

Allie

More watercolour techniques

Hi there! today i'm sharing another of my watercolour technique cards using the Birthday Blooms stamp set. This is such a lovely set for colouring, and as a bonus, along with beautiful images, there are some super sentiments.

Today's card uses Stampin' Up watercolour paper. I've stamped the image with Stampin Up archival black ink, which won't bleed when you add water. I've painted the image with ink and a waterbrush.  I've added a delicate pale blue wash around the images to make them pop.

I had such fun painting this one! I felt all artistic ;)

I shall be teaching this technique at my upcoming class in Macclesfield.  If you are local to me, why not join me?

Please do pop back tomorrow for the third watercolour card.

Happy stamping!

Alliex

Spotlight on watercolour

Good morning and welcome back to my blog!  Today's share combines three techniques and is my favourite card from my upcoming Watercolour for Cardmakers class.

The first technique is called "Double time stamping", where the image is stamped on two layers and the layers are separated by a coloured mat.  The second technique is called "spotlighting", where only a selected part of the image is coloured.  The third technique is a  "watercolour" look using an ink pad and blender pen.  This beautiful image from the Birthday Blooms stamp set lends itself beautifully to these techniques.  Some layers, stitching and sequins finish the look of this delicate, feminine card.

And here's the arty farty closeup ;)  I love the delicate pink pirouette and smoky slate colour combo and the stitched detail...lots of white space around the focal image allow these subtle details to shine.

I hope you found this useful.  Please do come back tomorrow for another share. And if you are interested in the products I've used, you can visit my online store to browse or buy 24/7 here

Happy crafting!

Allie x

I love a twofer!

Hello and welcome! Today's blog post is all about stretching your supplies - and your time.  I love a good two for one offer, and I often try to make two cards at once, rather than just one.  It's just as quick to make two cards, and it is often more economical on supplies. Here's an example:

I wanted to use a scalloped yellow border around my focal image to compliment and tie in the yellow of the flowers.  A diecut from the nesting circles framelit collection is the perfect design element to add interest to this clean and simple card.  But instead of diecutting the circle from any old piece of card, why not cut it from a card panel and use the waste to make another card?  And that's a twofer!

The scrap becomes a window to frame our focal point.  The front panel can be popped up on dimensional adhesive to create dimension and interest.

These are the last of my daffodil cards made with the Sheltering Tree stamp set.  I hope you've enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed making them.  All the supplies used can be found in my online shop here

Please do come back tomorrow where I will be sharing a card from my upcoming watercolour class.

Allie x

More Masculine Cards

Hello and welcome back to my blog.  Following on from Saturday's post about ideas for masculine cards, I've two more to share, this time aimed at the younger men in your life...especially teens and children.  Here I've used bold primary colours and funky stamps and some texture to give the cards a younger, but still male (or gender neutral) feel.

First up  is a bright rainbow card using the Work of Art stamp set and a whole rainbow of colours...real red, pumpkin pie, daffodil delight, wild wasabi, pacific point and perfect plum.  A bold black sentiment and some bright candy dots complete this fun look.

And for a funky "teen" or "tween" card, I've used a graffiti style with the Watercolour Words stamp set on a background embossed in the Brick Wall embossing folder.  I've used Pacific Point and Emerald Envy inks and some candy dots.  Some sponging with Sahara Sand ink and splotches from the Touches of Texture stamp set, grunge the "wall" up nicely. This is such a versatile design and I've used it over and over again.

I hope you've found some useful information and inspiration for your masculine cards. Thanks so much for dropping by.

If you are interested in any of the products I've used, they are all available in my online store, with shopping 24/7 at www.joliepaperie.stampinup.net, or if you prefer you can email me at alliejolliffe@hotmail.com or telephone on 0781 4451627.

Jems Blog Hop - Something for Men

Hello and welcome to the Jems May Blog Hop!  Perhaps you've joined me from the lovely Gill Arnold's blog.  This month we are talking "Something for the Men".  Yes, masculine cards, eek. I've heard so many people say they struggle with making cards for guys, so I thought I'd give a few tips that I've picked up along the way.   Art and design are subjective, of course, there are no hard and fast rules, but these are principles that have served me well.

CAS works
Clean and simple (CAS) cards always work for the guys.   No "faff", bows, rhinestones, just minimal embellishment and lots of clean "white" space.

Colour
A masculine colour scheme makes all the difference...not just shades of blue though...also earth tones, neutrals, bright primaries and metallics will work....just stay away from pastel pink and you should be good!

Focal Point
The usual cars/bikes/boats/tools are all good if you have specific masculine stamp sets.  But if not, try bold graphic images, pattered paper in stripes/plaids, big bold sentiments as a focal point, nature  or botanical themes work well. Remember a card for a man doesn't HAVE to be overtly masculine...it can be gender neutral.

Sentiments
Simple sentiments in sans serif fonts will give a more masculine feel, rather than flowy script, although a bold plain font can look good paired with script.

So, keeping all that in mind, here are my cards for today.

First up, a one layer CAS card using the Lovely as a Tree stamp set (nature).  I've done a faux torn edge technique, where I've masked off a section with torn paper and ink blended between the masks.  A slightly retro looking sentiment is all else it needs.

Next up is a card with botanical images in masculine colours (black, Pacific Point and smoky slate), using the Vintage Leaves stamp set.  I've added interest with a pop of colour in the layer and some candy dots, and a stitched oval diecut to hold the sentiment. This card was inspired by the fabulous and talented Kylie Bertucci at  http://www.craftykylie.com/

Here are the two cards together.  I'd love for you to come back on Monday, when I'll have some more masculine cards, but this time for the younger men in your life.

Please click a link below to continue on the hop.  Next is the uber talented Amanda Bates.

#MakeACardSendACard

Good morning!  Today I'm sharing some  cards I've sent out recently.  I've been enjoying the brighter Spring weather and the blossom, flowers and leaves making an appearance, and that is inspiring my card designs.

First up a pretty blossom card using the Sheltering Tree stamp set.  I love this versatile set and by stamping the "leaves" in blushing bride and sweet sugarplum ink instead of green, we get a totally different look.  I've used the spotlighting technique here, along with the double time stamping technique to get this cool look.

Sheltering Tree set take centre stage here.  The grass stamp becomes stems and the leaves become daffodil flowers in this fresh, simple spring card.

Here's a closeup of the focal point. with the sentiment changed up to make an Easter card.  I love the little details...the ink blended background, the stitched oval framelit, the pretty layering of the doily and  washi tape, and the butterfly accent stamped with the rock and roll technique.

I hope you like my shares today.  If you'd like to order the fabulous Sheltering Tree stamp set,  with 14 versatile stamps for just £23, you can visit my online store and shop any time here.