Mini catalogue blog hop!

It's here! The 2011 mini catalogue has been launched and to celebrate the xx pages of loveliness, some of the demonstrators on In Love With Stamping have decided to have a blog hop. Of course, we all wanted to take part in such a fun event, so there are 3 groups for you to enjoy.

I am taking part in Group One which started with Erika, and you should have come to me from the very talented Gemma. Aren't her designs gorgeous!

Sew Lovely

I loved the Sew Suite set the first time I saw it on the American demo's blogs and I am so excited that we have it in our new mini! Best of all, not only does it come with paper and stamps but there are buttons and wheels as well!

Colours: Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi, Pumpkin Pie
Stamps: Sew Lovely, Pattern Pieces background stamp
Paper: Sweet Stiches DSP
Buttons: Brights buttons

Birthday Train

Now, if you've read my post from yesterday (or already been blog hopping) then you'll already know our exciting news - we have the Big Shot! And with it are lots of exclusive Stampin' Up! dies. The Top Note die has to be one of the most versatile and I have a couple of projects to share with you. It's my nephew's 3rd birthday party today and I wanted to make him something special. I first saw this train idea on American demo Lisa Young's website, and just adored it. The little carriages are perfect for filling with sweets or little presents.

I've also used the Top Note die to create a really quick party invitation. If you have 15 plus invites to send out, then you really want something nice and quick that is also flat to post, and this is perfect. If you wanted to make it even quicker you could just stamp the train in one colour rather than using the markers to colour it in like I've done. The party detail stamps are from the really useful Cheers & Wishes stamp set.

And last but not least I have one more card to show you, which again shows off the lovely Top Note die.

This time I've used the totally lovely Baby Blossoms stamp set. It's a two-step stamp set so does require a bit more time, but I hope that you agree it's worth it. I love how Cath Kidson it is!

Stamps: Baby Blossoms

Ribbon: NEW Seam binding ribbon in Rose Red
Paper: Subtles DSP pack


Now I bet you're looking at it and thinking, but that's not the Top Note die, ahh, but remember I mentioned how versatile it is! Well here's how you do it:

1. Cut your cardstock using the Top Note die.

2. Rotate the card half a turn. You need to line the points of the cut card up with the pointed parts of the die - the purple card is just there to show you the die cut outline of the die.

3. The end result! You will end up with the lovely pointed square plus two large brackets that would be great for a scrapbook layout or to be used on another card.

If you are still reading at this point, thank you for stopping by my blog, and if you like what you've seen, please leave a comment, it's so nice to know that people have stopped by. Then it's on to the lovely Rachel for more gorgeous cards.

If you've enjoyed the blog hop so far, then don't forget to take a look at the other groups taking part - perhaps with a nice cup of tea and slice of cake to hand!

Group 1 (the group this blog is in)
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4