Autumn Accents Ornament Wreath Tutorial

Thank you for all your lovely comments about my little autumn decoration, both on here and elsewhere on line.

As I mentioned before this was based on the Holiday Ornament decoration on the front page of the new Autumn Winter catalogue and I just used the same technique to make this.

First of all cut 20 large leaves using your Autumn Accents die and More Mustard card stock

 (you will need about 3 1/2 A4 sheets) and another 20 smaller leaves using Old Olive card stock

 (less than 2 full sheets of A4)

  

Ink all the edges using a sponge dauber. I used Pumpkin Pie ink on the More Mustard leaves and Always Artichoke ink on the Old Olive leaves. 

 

Then stamp all over each leaf using the script and water splash stamps from French Foliage. Again I used Pumpkin Pie ink and Always Artichoke ink.

WARNING! Now you may notice in the picture above that I have die cut, inked and stamped the oak leaf, which was fine and dandy until I realised that it wasn't symmetrical and that I couldn't fold it in half to make a mirror image - whoops!

 

So then I die cut another twenty of the smaller leaves - now these are not quite symmetrical either but they are close enough that when you ink the edges you don't really see the bits that don't quite line up.

If you really wanted to use the oak leaf you could do this by folding your card in half BEFORE running it through your big shot. If the fold of your card runs down the middle of any of the leaves then you will end up with a mirror image leaf.
Then I took 5 of the More Mustard leaves and 5 of the Old Olive leaves and set them to one side. I scored the remaining 15 leaves in each colour down the centre using my Simply Scored tool.

 
 HELPFUL TIP!: You might notice that I have marked lines on my Simply Scored. This makes it easier to make sure you are scoring the correct line as the Simply Scored has so many grooves on it. I just used a Stampin' Write marker and ran it down the 2", 4", 6", 8" and 10" lines.

Now you need to fold all your scored leaves in half

 

Glue the three folded leaves together, making sure the shape lines up, and then glue these on to your unscored leaf base. I used my tombow liquid glue for this.
 

Once your leaf is assembled it should look like this.

Then I used the largest flower from the Fun Flowers die as a base. You don't need to do this but I found it helpful as it has 5 petals so it makes it a bit easier to place your leaves evenly. The next one I make I would probably put the leaves a smidgen nearer the middle than shown in the photo below.
I used a hot glue gun to attach the leaves at this stage.

I then cut 5 lengths of Cherry Cobbler Scallop Tulle ribbon - about 4 scallops long in each case and sort of pinched the middle and folded them in half before gluing them in the spaces between the 5 larger leaves using my glue gun.

I then cut 5 lengths of linen thread, folded them in half, and tied a knot. Use your glue gun to place a large dollop of glue in the middle of your wreath and then add the linen thread so it more less lines up over the large leaves.

Add another large dollop of glue in the middle and add the Old Olive leaves.
A mini rosette was made using a 1/2" strip of paper cut from the Candlelight Christmas Speciality DSP and finished off with an antique brad.

To finish it off I cut a small length of Old Olive 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon and glued this on the back to make a loop to hang the wreath up.

Hopefully that is clear but if you have any other questions please do let me know.

New Autumn Winter Catalogue is on its way...

...and as a demonstrator one of the perks is getting to order certain items from the catalogue early.

Now I can't show you the catalogue until it goes live on 1 September but there is an amazing Christmas ornament on the front page using some new stamps called Ornament Keepsakes. Unfortunately the stamps were not included in the pre-order this time, so I will have to wait until 1 September to get hold of them. But in the meantime I thought I would see what I could come up with along the same lines, using some of the new products that arrived today.

Autumnal mini wreath/ornament

The new products I used were the Autumn Accents die (which has 5 different leaf shapes, and there is also a matching stamp set) and the Cherry Cobbler Scallop Tulle ribbon that is just lush. I also used a little strip from a sheet of Candlelight Christmas Speciality DSP.
The leaves were stamped using stamps from the French Foliage set.

The card stock is More Mustard and Old Olive.

If you'd like a step by step tutorial please let me know by leaving a comment and I'll see what I can come up with over the weekend.

Halloween in August!

I know it might seem a bit early for Halloween but these projects were made using the Frightful Sights paper that is only available until the end of September (or until stocks last) so I thought I would show you them now so you have plenty of time to get your order in.

The Simply Scored Scoring Tool makes it really fast and easy to make the rosettes. I scored the paper before cutting it in to narrower strips and the sped up the process a lot!

 The ghost and bat were made using the ever versatlile owl builder punch

And some more projects using this paper (alsosome of the reverse sides are not particularly "halloween-y" and are great for masculine cards).

Easy Events Cards

I think the Easy Events set has to be one of the best sets for anyone starting out with cardmaking. There is a stamp for every occasion. 

Here are a couple of quick cards that I made using this set.

TOP TIP: If you buy the clear mount set then you can separate the image from the words just by cutting the rubber. You then have 8 different sentiments you can use with any other images, and of course if you want to use them as shown then its easy to align the words and image again on your clear blocks.

As I have a stall at a craft fair next weekend I have been busy crafting. These little bags for a pack of tissues were inspired by Jo Dumbleton's little box last year, but as usual I changed things about a bit!

Fabric owls

As well as stamps, ink, card etc Stampin' Up! also have a fabric range. These cute little owls were made using some fabric from the Candy Cane Christmas Collection.

 

Remember if you place an order for £60 or more you will receive the Reason to Smile set absolutely FREE!

A trio of Love & Laughter

Three cards (well one card in three different colours) using the Love and Laughter stamp set

Pool Party version

Daffodil Delight 

And finally the Pretty in Pink version

Papercraft Inspirations Magazine

Firstly a very warm welcome to those of you who have followed the link from Papercraft Inspirations magazine. I was thrilled when I was contacted by one of the editors who said they would like to publish my wee card in their magazine.

This was the card they liked, that was made for my friend's birthday back in May.

All of the products used are from Stampin' Up! and if you are interested in purchasing any of the supplies or tools used then please contact me at thefineartofstampin@gmail.com.

The full Stampin' Up! catalogue can be seen online by clicking the link on the sidebar. Or if you would like a paper version of the catalogue I can send one out to you for only £4.953 inc P&P. and as a special offer from me, you will also receive a voucher for £5 off your first order of £50 or more. Just click on the link at the side to order your catalogue today.

Also if you are interested in becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator it is now even easier then ever before as you can sign up online.

Join Now!

Join My Team

Have you considered becoming a demonstrator and wondered what was involved? I bet you are thinking you need to run workshops and reach high minimum sales. But good news...that is not the case and if you have a huge wishlist and just want to get discounted product or perhaps you wish to earn some additional income, then this could be the right opportunity for you.

I would love you to join my team and you would be part of the Tartan Stampers team as well. 

Here are some of the benefits of joining Stampin’ Up! as a demonstrator -

• Discounted Products
• Earn money from doing something you love.
• Access to ideas and resources only available to current demonstrators worldwide
• Unlimited help and support from me and also Stampin Up helpdesk
• Monthly newsletter from Stampin Up
• Access to the SU demo website with the opportunity to place your own orders and track commissions etc
• The chance to earn free stamp sets in the first 6 months
• Field Training run by Head Office and an annual convention (in Mainz,Frankfurt in 2012). Also the opportunity to attend the Tartan Stampers Mini Convention (next one is in early Spring 2013 in either Glasgow or Aberdeen)
• Facebook  Group for connecting with other members of the Tartan Stampers

Once you have purchased the kit and sent off the forms you are considered a Stampin Up demonstrator but there is no more financial commitment necessary from you. If you decided never to purchase anything else again, that would be absolutely fine but I promise you that is unlikely to happen once you see all the wonderful new products coming up in the new Seasonal and Annual catalogues.

You can purchase items yourself at a discount or sell products to your family and friends or at workshops and earn some money too.

 I would be happy to answer your questions with a no obligation chat to see if the Stampin' Up opportunity is right for you.  Call me on 07949 101534 or email me for more information at thefineartofstampin@gmail.com.

I am always happy to help. I would never push you to become a demonstrator, or have additional parties and sales. The opportunity has to be right for you and no-one else can make that decision other than you.

I have been a demonstrator for over 4 years now and over those years have had all different types of demos in my team. 

 What kind of demonstrator would you be? 

  DISCOUNT DEMONSTRATOR:  Likes the idea of buying stamps for personal use at a discount and occasionally sells to friends and family. 

  SHORT-TERM DEMONSTRATOR:  Sells for a short period of time to earn a specified amount of money and stops when the goal is reached. 

  HOBBY DEMONSTRATOR:  Loves doing workshops and classes and earning extra money when it’s convenient, works a lot some months and very little or none, other months.  

  SEASONAL DEMONSTRATOR: Works hard at the business during September, October, November doing workshops for seasonal money. Maintains minimum sales during the rest of the year. 

  STAY-AT-HOME MUM DEMONSTRATOR: Wants to stay at home with her children and make some extra money working a few nights a month. 

  CAREER DEMONSTRATOR:  Views Stampin’ Up! as a viable business with long-term career potential; pursues management and wants to move up the career ladder; regularly attends Stampin’ Up! events and has developed close social relationships with other demonstrators; works at her business in a consistent manner. 

 

 As you can see, this is a flexible, fun business you can build to suit your needs and desires. Make it fit for you by using your unique talents

Since joining Stampin Up I haven't looked back.  I have made so many new friends and have loads of craft supplies.  What have you got to lose?  If you purchase the starter kit for £99 there is no more commitment necessary from you, nothing to pay back and no penalties for not purchasing any more products.  For your £99 starter kit fee you can chose any items you like from our current catalogues up to the value of £130 so you are getting £31 worth of goods for FREE before you even start. 

If you place an order for £150+ within 45 days of signing up you can earn a MASSIVE 30% discount on the net sales.  And if you reach sales and recruiting goals in the first 6 months of being a demo you can also earn free stamp sets and the cost of your starter kit paid back to you.  That is all before the specials and promotions that run on selected months.

So if you are interested please get in touch

07949 101534

thefineartofstampin@gmail.com 

or simply click on the link above to sign up easily and quickly online.

Maggie

x

Reason to Smile

So the Everyday Enchantment offer is finished. I hope everyone that wanted the free ribbons and brads managed to get their order in on time.

But don't be sad because Stampin' Up! have another great off this month. Yes more stuff for FREE! 

Promotion dates: 1-31 August 2012

Promotion Details: During August, you have the opportunity to earn for FREE an exclusive stamp set, available only through this special offer!

Get the Reason to Smile Set FREE when you spend £60 on any Stampin’ Up! products. 

Or purchase it at the regular retail price. (Wood mount £18.95, Clear mount £14.95)

Tutorial Tuesday - Mini Sewing Kit

I have agreed to do a craft fair soon which is a charity fundraiser to raise funds for a little boy who is very ill - see sidebar for more information.

So I have been very busy making up lots of cards and other goodies to sell. One of the items I have been making is a mini emergency sewing kit so I thought I would do a quick tutorial on how to make them.

This is what we are making:

  And these are the finished kits all prettied up in their own little packages:

 Start with your mini sewing kit.

Then you need the following:

Base (wisteria wonder in this case) 10cm x 9.5cm - score halfway along the 10cm side ie at 5cm,
and score along the shorter side at 3cm.

Tab (also wisteria wonder) 3cm x 5cm

Designer series paper (Berry Blossoms - retired) - two pieces - one 9.5cm x 6cm and one 2.5cm x 4.5cm

Two flowers punched out using Boho Blossoms punch

A brad.

You may need to rejig the measurements if your sewing kit is bigger or smaller. I use my grid paper from Stampin' Up! (106587 Grid Paper (100 sheets) £7.95) to help with measurements when I'm making up these type of projects - I find it really helps to be able to sketch it out before cutting out card stock that might be the wrong size!

Using sticky strip fold up the card along the score line to make a pocket for your sewing kit.

 Round the corners of your card tab and the designer series paper (dsp) tab using a corner rounder and glue the dsp on to your tab base. Score down the middle of your tab (at 2.5cm).

Attach tab to your base.

 Scrumple up your flowers to break down the fibres in the card and then carefully peel the two layers apart.

Layer all four flowers, use your paper piercer to make a hole, and secure with a brad (I used one of the the FREE brads from the Everyday Enchantment offer - last chance to order today!)

Attach flower to your designer series paper (approx 2cm-2.5cm from the edge).

Glue paper to base and then  fold up like a book.

Use the flower to catch the tab so that your little case stays closed up.

If you liked this tutorial and found it useful I'd be really happy if you left me a comment to let me know :-)

Unfortunately everyone needs a sympathy card now and again and this first one was made using the set Everything Eleanor. The card base is River Rock and the image is stamped on Naturals Ivory Card using Early Espresso ink. The sentiment is from a retired set.

This card is based on Sharon's shoebox swap at our first ever Tartan Stampers mini convention. If you sign up with me you would be eligible to come along to all Tartan Stampers events (space permitting). Look up for more information on signing up online in the next day or two!

And the main floral image on this last card is from a stamp set that you will be able to get for FREE starting from Wednesday. Check back then for more details of this special offer.