Shaped Card

Pink bling card stock and a fancy shaped die were the perfect accompaniments for a magnolia image coloured with watercolour pencils. A white, double-bow adds a nice finishing touch. 

Stamps: Magnolias

Hand Coloured Catalogue

I'm just a week and a half away from attending my very first craft fair and had the brilliant idea (in my head at least) of creating a hand-coloured catalogue featuring my clear stamp range. I've used an A5-sized sketch book as the base, decorated the front and back covers and added a simple hand written contents list. I'll stamp and colour the different sets, one per page, so my customers can see up close what can be done with the stamps.

If you'd like to make a catalogue of your own stamp collection, which I highly recommend, don't forget to use paper that is appropriate for your medium. Since I'm just using a basic sketch book filled with cartridge paper, all my images will be coloured with pencils. If you prefer using alcohol markers you'll need a book that has blending card pages, or water colour paper for watercolour paints. 

New Release: Magnolias

It's hard to resist a pretty magnolia flower with it's delicate colours and magnificent fragrance. They're especially stunning when they bloom in abundance on a big old tree before the leaves have had a chance to unfurl. Happily, they also make great subjects for stamping and card making!

Available in Store Now

My designers have done a really great job creating inspiring cards and projects with this new set. Check out their colouring, composition and awesome ideas below, and don't forget to follow them on Instagram and Facebook for even more inspiration!

Two beautiful cards from Petra

Anesha has created two gorgeous

projects and a beautiful card.

Carla's fabulous cards

Water Colour Roses

I stamped some of the images from the Nancy's Garden set onto watercolour paper and used a brush to move the ink around. I love the end result, particularly the way the watering can has turned out. You can achieve the same result by stamping just the "shadow" image of the watering can and feathering out some of the edges with a water brush.

Stamps: Nancy's Garden

It's Almost Here...

Starts November 1st

Be Inspired ~ Share Your Creations ~ Win Prizes

Join me in November for a month of Holiday card ideas, inspiration and fun!

Play Time

Nancy's Garden is a "build-a-scene" stamp set. You can mix and match the different silhouettes to create lots of different looks from pretty rose bouquets to a sheaf of golden wheat. Don't forget to have a play with different colours for the watering can too.

Tip: I found it a lot easier to stamp the shadow part of the

watering can first and then the solid image over the top.

New Release: Nancy's Garden

I have lots of talented gardeners amongst my family and friends. Some of them can coax tiny green shoots out of the earth and have them blooming brightly within a few weeks. I, on the other hand, am a person who sticks something in the ground, says a little prayer over it, and hopes for the best!

My mum-in-law is in a class of her own when it comes to gardening. Her home is a stunning example of how talented she is with flowers, trees, shrubs and produce. We've had many delicious meals with fruits and vegetables that have come from her back yard. She's also involved in a community gardening project that produces hundreds of pounds of produce per year that is donated to charity groups and organisations around her home city. To top it off, she has also achieved the status of Master Gardener. 

This new stamp set is dedicated to my lovely mother-in-law and

her talent for growing and nurturing all good things from the earth.

Available in Store Now

My designer have created some wonderful cards and projects to help get you inspired. Don't forget to stop by their personal blogs to check out even more of their work.

Anesha decorated a brush caddy with the little rose stamp (above)

and created a card in matching colours (below).

Carla put together two beautiful cards using

various stamps from the new set.

Petra created a collection of fabulous bookmarks

as well as two pretty cards.

All Occasion Stamps

One of my favourite stamp sets is the Celebrations clear stamps. They are so versatile and can be used for any occasion where gifts are exchanged. I particularly like the large, gift stack image, which I've coloured in different ways to show you how they can be used for all sorts of occasions. Can you guess what events are coming up on my calendar in the next few months based on the colours?

Celebrations

Clear Stamps

It's The Little Things

I have a small paper pad of glorious autumn designs that was given to me several years ago by a very dear friend. The fabulous, rich colours and harvest patterns are perfect for Halloween, Thanksgiving and autumn-themed projects.

Stamps: Autumn Blessings

New Release: Autumn Blessings

This new digital set celebrates the glory of autumn, with it's rich, magnificent colours and bountiful harvests. Perfect for Thank You cards, Thanksgiving greetings, Halloween or just to show your friends and loved ones that you're thinking of them.

Autumn Blessings

Available in Store Now

My designers have created some wonderful cards and projects to show some of the ways this new set can be used.

Petra created this gorgeous cards using pencils on kraft.

Anesha's cards feature beautiful card stock in coordinating colours.

Check out the wood grain Carla created with her pencils!

Judy created a fabulous seasonal wall hanging.

The pumpkins on Karin's card look like they're fresh from the farm.

Jar of Tags

Last month I started making little gift tags using pre-coloured digital images, coloured card stock and a length of string. I was really pleased with how they turned out, so decided to make a whole bunch more for the upcoming craft fair in September. I think they'll make cute little giveaways for any visitors who stop by my stand.

Tutorial - Bow Cards

One of my lovely readers, Ann from the U.K., asked me to write a tutorial on making Bow Cards. These fabulous creations are usually made with a template that you have to cut out by hand or set up in a computerised die-cutting machine. After looking at a few examples I was certain I could reproduce the look with some tools and supplies I had on hand. 

1. First of all you'll need to choose some nesting dies. I used a stitched oval set by Paper Roses, but you can use whatever you have in your craft room. The dies need to be elongated with a wider middle section so that when the pieces are folded in half they resemble the loops of a bow. Experiment with the different shapes you have in your collection to find what looks best.

2. Cut four small ovals from patterned paper. Using the next size die, cut four ovals from a plain, heavy weight paper (I used white sketch book paper). Go up another die size and cut four more ovals from patterned paper, the same as the first or something that co-ordinates. Go up yet another size and cut four more ovals from plain heavy weight paper. These 16 ovals will form the folds of your bow.  You'll also need the bow tails, which I cut from patterned paper with a "V" shape punched in one end. Mine are 2" wide and 4" long... but it doesn't really matter what size they are, just try to keep them in proportion with your ovals.

3. Using strong adhesive, secure all the patterned paper to the plain paper. (I used a pair of scissors to give my bow tails a little bit of shape before sticking them together. It's not really necessary since most of the tails go under the bow.)

4. Use a thick pen or cylindrical object to shape the sections of your bow. You want a nice rounded curve, not a sharp fold.

5. On the back of each oval, apply strong adhesive to one end.

6. Pinch the ends together to form your loop.

7. Repeat for each of the ovals. Use clamps or clips to hold them closed while they dry, you want them very secure before you start assembling your bow.

9. While your loops are drying, work on the centre section. Not only will this piece hold all the loops together, it will also be the focal point of your card, so decorate it as desired.

10. Construction time! You're going to attached the eight loops and two tails to either side of your circle base using strong adhesive. The idea is to position everything so that it looks like a large ribbon gift bow.

11. Start by adhering two small loops on one side of your circle. The loops should be glued to the back of the circle so that a small section of the patterned paper disappears beneath. The loops should be nice and close together.

12. Add the other two small loops on the opposite side of the circle. Again you want to keep them nice and close together. Once the adhesive has dried, you can add the large loops over the top, keeping each pair close together and centred behind the two small loops.

13. The tails are added at the very back of the bow, over both sets of loops. If you've made them long enough, the tails will also help hold everything together.

14. Prepare a card base for your bow. Mine is 51/2" square, and I've added a piece of patterned paper and a punched strip of white paper in the centre. I'm also adding a little sentiment tag and a small organza bow.

15. I secured my bow to the front of the card with a piece of foam tape in the centre and glue on either end of the tail. Add any extra embellishments you like and your card is done!

Stamps: