Scrapbooking with Greenhouse Gala DSP

Oops! For some reason I forgot to share these scrapbook pages.. I did them back in November for Scrapbook Magazine and they were published in issue 52 last month. Most of the papers used were from the Greenhouse Gala Designer Series Paper pack - love the colours and patterns in these papers!

Baby Me:

The hearts were stamped on lined paper from Greenhouse Gala DSP using stamps from the Punch Potpourri Hostess set. I coloured the chipboard letters with Baja Breeze ink and added Crystal Effects for a glossy, raised effect.

@ 37:

The butterfly is also from the Punch Potpourri Hostess set (by the way, you can earn this set FREE when you host a workshop).

Chalk & Cheese:

 

The green spotty paper on the left was actually from the Jolly Holiday DSP pack - but it seems to go nicely with the Greenhouse Gala paper! These little birds were punched using the gorgeousTwo-Step Bird punch and decorated with buttons from the Brights Designer Buttons pack (£7.75 for 72 buttons).

Thanks for visiting!

Sarah x

A couple of Punch Bunch cards

Been so busy creating things this week I haven't had a chance to share.. so here's a couple of quick and easy cards I made for two little boys' birthdays:

Both cards use Designer Series Paper scraps from the Celebrations pack - just perfect for kiddies' birthdays with its bright primary colours and bold patterns!

• I stamped the Owl from 'Punch Bunch' in Pacific Point ink directly on to the white cardstock. 
• To make the balloon, I stamped the balloon from 'Party This Way' on to a scrap of Bashful Blue cardstock and cut it out. I then cut out numbers from a sheet of Celebrations DSP and stuck them on the unstamped side of the balloons.
• The greeting is from the lovely Sale-a-bration set, 'So Happy for You' - just love the cheerful font!
• I cut the leaves using the Two-Step Bird punch and Pear Pizazz cardstock.
• On the second card I stuck on some googly eyes from a craft shop - super cute!

Remember, Sale-a-bration stamp sets are only available through January and February - they will not be appearing in future Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalogues!

If you like the Owl stamp but don't fancy cutting him out - good news! There will be a punch to match the Owl stamp in the Stampin' Up! Mini-Catalogue, which comes out on 1st April. It's going to be a two-step punch, so you can piece together your owl's body, wings and eyes in whatever colour combinations you like.

Thanks for looking!


Sarah x

Pre-Convention Stampin' Stars Party

Festivities kicked off on Thursday evening with a Pre-Convention party at the Croydon Hilton Hotel, hosted by two fantastic Demonstrators, Natalie O'Shea (my Stampin' Up! 'great-grandma') and Monica Gale. Here's the goodie bag we received (how exciting!):

The triangular box containined a cute little black rubber watch, the organza bag held a silver key-ring charm.. and we also had a fab set of fluffy star deely-boppers to wear (remember them?!).. sadly, I don't seem to have a photo of me in them ;o)!

We also had two Make & Take projects to do - here are mine, a Christmas card and a 6"x6" scrapbook page:

Stamps: Welcome Christmas (this set is in the current Bundle Up promotion if you're interested!)
Colours: Early Espresso, Real Red, Whisper White
Other: Old Olive Satin Ribbon, Curly Label Punch

Stamps: Beware Pirates
Colours: Early Espresso, Real Red, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla
Other: Gold Brads, Twill Tape

I should add, the photo was added later.. I didn't 'happen' to have this on me at Convention!

And finally.. here are a couple of lovely Christmas card samples I received at the party... first, here's one by Kim Fee (my Stampin' Up! granny):

Stamps: Four the Holidays (the greeting); Punch Potpourri (a level 1 Hostess Set which you can earn when you host a qualifying workshop).
Colours: Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Old Olive
Punch: Two-Step Bird

This one is by Elizabeth Probst from Germany:

Stamps: Delightful Decorations (in the Bundle Up promotion); So Swirly wheel
Punch: Ornament (also in the Bundle Up promotion!)
Colours: Early Espresso, Pumpkin Pie

Look out... lots more inspiring card ideas to come!

Sarah x

Vintage Vogue cards from Friday's class

Just a quick post to share the three cards I made for Friday's card-making class using Vintage Vogue stamp set, along with the Very Vintage wheel and a few other goodies..

In this card (above) I used the Very Vintage wheel to create the background on the base card and Vintage Vogue vine stamp on the birds' wings. The colours are Baja Breeze, Crumb Cake, Perfect Plum, So Saffron, Rose Red and Certainly Celery.

This one uses the En Francais background stamp on the base card and the vine leaves were added behind the flower using the masking technique.

Finally, I used the Very Vintage wheel and Rose Red ink to create the pattern on the lower half of the card. The flowers on the upper half were stamped with Versamark ink. The main flower was stamped in Rose Red with Rich Razzleberry ink dabbed onto the edges with a sponge dauber.

The sentiments are all from the Sincere Salutations set. All three cards were inspired by projects spotted in the new Idea Book & Catalogue - available from me for the special price of £5 posted to your door!

My next class is this Saturday - we'll be making Christmas cards using the brand new Delightful Decorations stamps, along with the new Ornament punch and taffeta ribbons! If you'd like to join us, please call me or email me as soon as possible. Details are on the Contact Me page (see left side bar).

Sarah x

Two-Step Stampin' Blog Hop - Part 2!

Thank you so much for dropping by.. If you're here for the Blog Hop, you've come to the right place! If you've stumbled upon me by accident, well you're most welcome!

In a nutshell, I and some lovely ladies at In Love With Stamping arranged this little event to celebrate Stampin' Up!'s August promotion - 20% off selected Two-Step Stampin' Stamp sets... click the picture to the right to find out more. The focus is on using these stamps on your scrapbook layouts.

Here's the running order of today's hop, along with the stamp sets you can expect to see in action:

1. Sarah (SarahLP) - Bird on a Branch & Greenhouse Garden (that's me!)

2. Helen (langara) - Something Sweet

3. Anthea (scrappydiva) - Greenhouse Garden

4. Caz (stampingcaz) - Big Bold Birthday

5. Rachel - Trendy Trees

6. Caroline Skinner - Tiny Tags & Loads of Love

7. Jo (Scrapbookparty) -Something Sweet


8. Kara (KaraM) - Big Bold Birthday and Greenhouse Garden

9. Sue (Frankiesue) - Trendy Trees


So here's my page...

The layout is based on a sketch from this month's Scrapbook Magazine. If you read my previous post, you'll recognise those chipboard letters.. :o) 

Here's the Bird on a Branch in more detail:

I stamped the Bird with So Saffron ink and used a Sponge Dauber to add Ruby Red to the head and tail.


And here are the Greenhouse Garden flowers in close-up:

I used the 'rock & roll' technique to darken the edges of the red flower, then added some Champagne Shimmer Paint with a Dauber to the centre of the flower (and the journaling spot.. oh, and the branch the bird is sitting on.. once you start adding Shimmer it's hard to stop!).


I hope you enjoyed your visit.. I'd be delighted to read your comments if you have a moment.. By the way, if you missed the first Blog Hop on 1st August, you'll find it here. 

OK, now your next stop on the Hop is Helen... have a lovely time!


Sarah x

A quick thank you

I've been terrible at sending thank you cards to friends and family lately.. but the other day I made a heap of little cards that were so quick and easy, there really is no excuse any more!

These were made using the Two-step Bird punch with a selection of patterned paper scraps - the two on the right are using papers from the Sweet Pea Designer Series Papers. The greeting is from the Sincere Salutations stamp set. I added little green sticky gems for eyes and inked the edges.. and that's it!

Thanks for visiting :)

Sarah x

A special birthday card.. and the one that got away

This week I had two special birthday cards to make - one for my dear mum-in-law's 60th birthday which was on Monday, and one which was commissioned by a Toddler Group friend for her mother-in-law who is 98 at the end of the month.

Both cards needed to say 'Mum' and 'Happy 60th/98th Birthday' as appropriate. Not having the alphabet stamps needed to stamp this out, I 'cheated' and printed my greetings on patterned paper. Both cards used pink papers from the Sweet Pea Designer paper stack, along with the 'Baroque Motifs' stamp set (my absolute favourite at the moment). I also used the Two-Step Bird punch on my mum-in-law's card.

The Baroque Motif was stamped with Versamark and embossed with holographic embossing powder so it catches the light much better than the photo shows.

And the one that got away...? Well, what a numpty I am. In my haste to get to Toddler Group this morning with the 98th birthday card I forgot to photograph it. It was similar to the one above.. but the image was stamped in Old Olive on the houndstooth check paper, and instead of the bird it was festooned with pinky-lilac paper hydrangeas (from Prima I believe). I'd also printed the 'Mum' and '98th' a bit bigger, which looked better I think.

My second monthly card-making class is this Friday - and we'll be making cards using the Baroque Motifs set.. can't wait! Also, I have lots of exciting plans for September, including an idea for a scrapbooking class which I've been nurturing for soooo long.. I'll share more details very soon.

Meanwhile.. if you are interested in coming to a class, or purchasing anything from the Stampin' Up! catalogue, I'd be delighted to hear from you.

Happy Father's Day!

It's been a busy week but I just about managed to get a couple of Father's Day cards completed in time (well almost... sorry Dad, yours will arrive tomorrow). I used more of the gorgeous papers from the Sweet Pea paper stack, along with the Butterfly and Two-Step Bird punches. The letters were cut using the Cuttlebug and Red Tag Sale alphabet dies, then embossed using Cuttlebug embossing folders.

I'm loving these papers - such a great combination of colours and patterns!

Thanks for visiting..

Sarah x

Welcome to my new obsession.. Stampin' Up!

Welcome to my new blog! As you'll see, it's all about my new venture into the world of Stampin' Up!

I was introduced to Stampin' Up! (or SU as I'll be calling it) by my scrapbooking and cardmaking friend, Pat, some months ago when I was still in Croydon. She became a SU demonstrator back in January and has been enjoying wonderful success with her cardmaking classes. I've been thinking about becoming a demonstrator myself for quite some time - and now we've achieved our dream relocation to Eastbourne, the time feels right.

So here I am.. a new Stampin' Up! demonstrator, living by the seaside and doing what I love.. playing with paper, stamps and ink.. what could be better?!!

I took delivery of a thrilling box of goodies yesterday.. and here are a couple of cards I made this afternoon.

Stamp set: Basic Phrases
Punch: Extra Large Two-step Bird
Cardstock: Very Vanilla; Summer Sun; Pumpkin Pie

Stamp sets: Basic Phrases; Bird On A Branch
Punches: Butterfly; Scallop Edge
Cardstock: Very Vanilla; Chocolate Chip
Ribbon: 1/4" Grosgrain - Very Vanilla

I'm off to a crop in Hailsham tomorrow so I'll be back soon to share what I make there.

Thanks for looking!

Sarah x