Daisy, Daisy...

Do you know, I have had the Daisy Punch for two years now, but never bought the stamp set that went with it? Well, I was pretty chuffed to get the ALL NEW coordinating set, Daisy Lane, in my bag at OnStage. And I was even more chuffed to find out that with the new catalogue there will be a Medium Daisy Punch as well, which also coordinates with Daisy Lane, so we will be able to make multi-layered flowers, as well as varying the sizes.  Woohoo!

My one concern is my eyesight, because every time I look at the card below it takes me a moment to realise that it doesn't actually say "Fiend"...!

Oh, and aren't the new fluffy little centres amazing? They look so realistic.

Right, off to talk to my bank manager about how I'm going to fund my next order... 😂

Falling in Love with a Classic

I always love the feeling of going through my bag after OnStage and cackling possessively over my new goodies. There are usually a few in there that are perhaps not what I would have chosen myself, but I really enjoy the challenge of putting them to use.  This has never failed to give me a brand new favourite product.

Take these mosaic papers, for example.  The catalogue really doesn't do them justice, so it was very wise of Stampin'Up! to put them right into our hands. They are simply gorgeous, with shiny accent tiles in the mosaics, and aren't those colours just stunning together? I haven't even done any stamping on these cards, except for the greetings, because the papers do all the talking on their own.

I was so pleased with the first card that I thought I might make one or two more... turns out DSP can be a highly addictive substance 😂

                            

Craft Room Envy in Miniature

Are you ready for this? Having made my garage bench fold card I was ready to have a go with my brand new papers, and I made... ta-dah! Tiny craft rooms! How cute are these?!

As with the garage card, I got a bit carried away. Not only did I fussy cut brushes, pens, palette knives, ink bottles and pads, but I made a framed piece of art for the walls, created tiny WIPs, made itty bitty spools of twine and gave each crafter a beautiful view from their windows. Along with the ample storage this set-up provides, what more could a crafty soul want, eh?

Except, maybe, to have it more than six inches high... *sigh*

All credit goes to Amanda Bates, once again, over at The Craft Spa (you can check out more of her genius here - https://thecraftspa.blogspot.com - she really is rather marvellous) for the bench fold design (which is here: https://thecraftspa.blogspot.com/2017/05/19-bench-fold-card-tutorial-series-one-kitchen-bbq-tool-bench.html). 

Geared Up To Get Tiny

I have been meaning to try out this bench fold card from Amanda Bates at The Craft Spa for... well, an embarrasingly long time, really, especially as I managed to lose the original download and she was very kind and sent it me again!  But now I've had a go, I'm in love!

I'm sneaking in just before the Wood Textures DSP retires, but you could equally do this with the Pinewood Planks embossing folder for a similar look.

I got quite involved in doing the fussy cutting from the Classic Garage DSP (also retiring, might need an extra... or two...), swapping the handles around on the screwdrivers, and generally ignoring the need to be a sensible adult and feed my family. I was so pleased with the window and tiny map that I even went ahead and made myself a tiny Pirelli calendar just to give it a hint of authenticity!

For the bench fold tutorial, go here: https://thecraftspa.blogspot.com/2017/05/19-bench-fold-card-tutorial-series-one-kitchen-bbq-tool-bench.html

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehn, Adeui!

Friends and Family - always hard to say goodbye, but I will have to at the end of May when this set retires.

Actually, no, I won't, because I'm definitely keeping this one! It's so easy to customise and make caricatures of your nearest and dearest, the possibilies are almost literally endless - for all practical purposes anyway.

Get in quick if you want to be able to stamp your own friends and family!

Dancin' and Stampin'

Another set that I didn't see the potential in right away when it was first released a couple of years ago is Beautiful You. I thought it was a bit "Fashion Plates", and I'm not renowned for my elegance (it's something Badgers struggle with, to be honest). But I saw some samples, and saw how other people had worked with it, and thought I might fancy a go myself... and it's ended up being one of my most-used sets. As you can see above, it works with bold or muted colours, depending on mood or recipient.

The dancing lady below is my particular favourite, and I love how she contrasts with the wiped-ink background.

Summer Textures

Three cards here from Touches of Texture. I think I was in a summer mood when I was working on these - the colours certainly seem to be bang on for the season.  I like the arty, abstract effects that Touches of Texture makes so easy - the card at the top was super-quick to make, but I got so many nice comments about it!

I've toned it down a bit for the Thinking of You card below, though, and kept it very neutral, almost white, by using the light Blends in Pool Party and Balmy Blue. I may have added just a touch of Wink of Stella to the dragonfly, mind... 😉

Demonstrator (and Host!) Perks!

There's not much time left to get your hands on the Just Because stamp set, because not only will it be retiring with the Spring/Summer Catalogue, but it is a Hostess Exclusive set, so is only available to people hosting a class which places a qualifying order.  Thank goodness I'm a demonstrator, and could get my hands on it anyway, because I fell in love with this as soon as I saw it - the stamps are BIG, and just right for colouring in. Even if it is retiring, this set is definitely a keeper for me!