Bliss!

Bliss is the top selling stamp set from Sale-a-bration. I just love this set, that scroll is gorgeous and best of all it is free! If you've not got your set already then make sure you do so by the end of the month! All you need to do is place an order with me for £45 and you can have it free - either as a clear block mount or wood mount set.

I've used one of my all time favourite Stampin' Up! colours, Cherry Cobbler. This colour along with Old Olive and Chocolate Chip is one I turn to time and time again. This time I've paired it with Basic Black and Very Vanilla for a bit of old fashioned elegance.

I've stamped the gorgeous En Francais in Chocolate Chip on to Very Vanilla. I've then stamped the lovely scroll in black on to some of the Stampin' Up! white vellum paper and sewn the two together. I've also distressed the edges using oen of the metal files from the distressing kit. It's mounted on to some Cherry Cobbler which has been punched with the scallop trim border, and again distressed using a metal file. The ribbon is some of the gorgeous Red Riding Hodd ribbon that was available as part of last year's Christmas Cracker offer. I've added a couple of flowers on dimensionals decorated with some basic pearls, and of course the lovely butterfly. I was really pleased with how this butterfly turned out. I've stamped it once on Very Vanilla, and then again on the vellum paper using some crystal effects to attach it to the first butterfly.

Anyway, I hope you like it and come back soon to see some more birthday cards made with this lovely set.

A month of birthdays!

February is a busy month in our household. Not only is there Valentine's day and my own birthday (although fortunately I don't need to make a card for the latter!) but we also have lots of other birthdays to celebrate. Which is when my big box of stamps comes in handy! I'll hopefully be showcasing some of the cards I've made this month over the next couple of weeks - of course, without mentioning who they are for, just in case they are reading!

Here is my first card then. I love tools that make my life easier - especially when I have lots of cards to make. My favourite tool at the moment is the Color Coach which arrived last week and I'm kicking myself for not ordering sooner! This handy little tool makes colour selection a doddle. You just choose the main colour that you want to use, flip the card over and it gives you two colour combinations to choose from. Watch out for Shelli's favourite dream combos. For this cute cat image from the Level Two hostess set Long Fellows, I knew I wanted to use Cajun Craze. So I found the card, flipped it over and went with the lovely colour recommendation of:

Cajun Craze, Old Olive and Baja Breeze.

I've coloured in the funky cat using the blender pen and ink palette technique that I highlighted at my last Open House. I've then matted him, popped him up on some dimensionals to add a bit of depth and added it to the card. I love buttons and these gorgeous olive buttons are from the Brights tub. You get 72 buttons in 6 colours for £7.75.