Morning Meadow in a planter

If you've been following my blog this week, you'll have noticed that all the cards have been made using Stampin' Up's beautiful new Morning Meadow hostess set. Here's another clean and simple card I made using the set:

This flower image makes a great background image when stamped in one colour but when it's inked up with markers it really does step up and take centre stage. It can look bright and clean cut when stamped in bright colours on Whisper White card stock but I've softened it here by stamping onto Naturals Ivory which has a lovely, suede-like finish.

The planter was made with core'dinations card stock. I decorated the top of it with the Scallop Border punch and sanded it gently to give a bit of texture before adding some linen thread for a rustic look. The card was finished with a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes and some gems.

• The Morning Meadow stamp set is available at just £13 wood mount or £10 cling mount exclusively to customers who order £150 or more or the host of a qualifying workshop - but you can also get hold of it as a member of my Stampers 6 club! Have a look here if you'd like to know more.

Here's what you'll need to make this card
Stamps: Morning Meadow, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Early Espresso classic ink, Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive markers
Card stock: Very Vanilla, Naturals Ivory, Early Espresso core'dinations
Other:  Scallop border punch, linen thread, Basic rhinestones, stamp-a-majig
I CAN ORDER STAMPIN' UP ITEMS FOR YOU AND HAVE THEM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR ADDRESS IN THE UK. I'M COMMITTED TO PROVIDING EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND AM ALWAYS HAPPY TO OFFER HELP AND ADVICE. TO FIND OUT MORE OR TO PLACE YOUR ORDER, JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL OR GIVE ME A CALL ON 01280 820593.

Yesterday I took my youngest son to see Despicable Me 2 which we both adored. So often these series of films are just cynical money-makers but we both found this one very funny and laughed aloud throughout the whole thing. My favourite joke was when the teenage Antonio tells the adoring Margo: "My dream is to one day play video games for a living." Margo gazes at him. "Wow!" she breathes. "You are so deep!" My son's favourite jokes were the earthier kind!

It's Three Minute Thursday tomorrow and I'll be back with a quick one layer card. Hope to see you then.

Morning Meadow with a popped up banner

I've been having lots of fun with my favourite of Stampin' Up's gorgeous new hostess sets so there'll be a whole gallery of Morning Meadow cards this week! It's a great set for making all sorts of beautiful floral cards, but I'd like to show you something different today. Come and see:

The moment I saw this ornate image, I wanted to stamp it and add a popped up sentiment banner to the space in the centre. I found that a strip 8mm wide takes the sentiments that come with the set perfectly. Once my 'happy birthday' was stamped, I scored two lines close together either side and folded them to make my banner, trimming the ends into ribbon tails with a square punch. The centre of the banner needed support and the 'waste' from the edge of my sheet of dimensionals was just the right size for the job.

Out came the embellishments: a couple of tiny butterflies die-cut with my Beautiful Wings embosslits die and layered together, and a single candy dot. I can't tell you how happy it made me to see that pop of Pool Party against the Early Espresso and Crumb Cake! This would make a great male card if the butterfly were swapped for a more manly embellishment - perhaps a button or a punched circle with another candy dot on top.

Here's what you'll need to make this card
Stamps: Morning Meadow
Ink: Early Espresso
Card stock: Crumb Cake, scraps of vellum and Pool Party
Other:  Square punch, Big Shot, Beautiful Wings embosslits die, Subtles candy dots, stamp-a-majig
I CAN ORDER STAMPIN' UP ITEMS FOR YOU AND HAVE THEM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR ADDRESS IN THE UK. I'M COMMITTED TO PROVIDING EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND AM ALWAYS HAPPY TO OFFER HELP AND ADVICE. TO FIND OUT MORE OR TO PLACE YOUR ORDER, JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL OR GIVE ME A CALL ON 01280 820593.

I've been thinking about my father in law who has been in hospital for two weeks now. As well as Parkinsons and various other problems, he has an infected foot and once that heals, he's going to have to work really hard to get his mobility back. He behaves with great dignity through it all and a lovely dry wit. Apparently, when the doctor was making the rounds one morning he introduced himself to my father in law. "I'm John Smith and I'm the doctor," he said. "Well you can't help that," said my father in law gently.

See you tomorrow,

Morning Meadow in ice cream colours

One of the best things about living in the UK is that you never know what the weather might do. After a few disappointing summers, this year we are basking in a heatwave that brings back memories of our childhoods when, as everyone knows, the summers were always hot (weren't they?!) Stampin' Up's newest ice cream colours capture the mood perfectly - come and see how they look:

I have fallen in love with the Stampin Up's new Morning Meadow hostess set and can't stop using it! In this card, the background flowers were stamped in lovely, minty Pistachio Pudding which makes the perfect foil for the pretty Crisp Cantaloupe of the larger flower. The card base in the wonderful new Soft Sky teams brilliantly with these colours.

The new Pansy punch coordinates with the large flower in this stamp set, so I was able to punch it out in a jiffy. (It also punches out no less than six different styles of flower in the Flower Shop stamp set on p.94 of the catalogue!) I decorated the flower centre with one of the beautiful vintage faceted buttons and added a sentiment banner stamped in Smoky Slate, a gorgeous soft new grey.

Here's a quick glimpse of the interior of the card, stamped with just a tiny bit of the Pistachio Pudding background. Sometimes it can make a card feel rather special when the design carries over to the inside.

• The Morning Meadow stamp set is available at just £13 wood mount or £10 cling mount exclusively to customers who order £150 or more or host a qualifying workshop - but you can also get hold of it as a member of my Stampers 6 club! Take a look here if you'd like to know more.

Here's what you'll need to make this card
Stamps: Morning Meadow
Ink: Pistachio Pudding, Crisp Cantaloupe, Smoky Slate
Card stock: Whisper White, Soft Sky
Other:  Pansy punch, Vintage faceted buttons, square punch, stamp-a-majig
I CAN ORDER STAMPIN' UP ITEMS FOR YOU AND HAVE THEM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR ADDRESS IN THE UK. I'M COMMITTED TO PROVIDING EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND AM ALWAYS HAPPY TO OFFER HELP AND ADVICE. TO FIND OUT MORE OR TO PLACE YOUR ORDER, JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL OR GIVE ME A CALL ON 01280 820593.

I've just returned from the Northeast where my father in law is still in hospital. They are looking after him very well but it would be so good to see him return home. Unfortunately it looks as if it's going to be a bit of a long haul.

I'll have another card to show you tomorrow. Hope to see you then.

Happy Day for Christmas

Nothing makes me happier than to coax a stamp set into doing something it wasn't intended to do, so I was delighted when I dreamed up a Christmas card using the Happy Day set! Come and see:

All the stamped images on this card are from Happy Day except the word Christmas (which is from the useful Delightful Dozen sentiment set.) If you are one of the many people who have told me they prefer to say 'Happy Christmas' rather than 'Merry Christmas',  this sentiment was constructed for you!

I'm making a lot of cards at the moment that rely on embellishment for effect - a tiny punched heart, some rhinestones and a double row of piercing in this case.  Just remember - less is more! And have you seen the inked edges of my panel? That's so easy with the new-style ink pads - you literally just touch the pad with the edge of the card stock.

Now, you may be wondering what on earth am I doing making icy-looking Christmas cards in the middle of a heatwave in July? Well, there are lots of challenges designed to help us get ahead with our festive cards such as Merry Monday where 'Anything Goes' is the order of the day (well, month actually!) and Rudolph Day over at the lovely Sarn's blog. Why not have a bit of fun and go for it yourself?!

Here's what you'll need to make this card
Stamps: Happy Day, Delightful Dozen
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, Pool Party, Real Red
Card stock: Whisper White
Other:  Basic rhinestones, Owl punch (for the heart), Essentials paper piercing templates, stamp-a-majig
I CAN ORDER STAMPIN' UP ITEMS FOR YOU AND HAVE THEM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR ADDRESS IN THE UK. I'M COMMITTED TO PROVIDING EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND AM ALWAYS HAPPY TO OFFER HELP AND ADVICE. TO FIND OUT MORE OR TO PLACE YOUR ORDER, JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL OR GIVE ME A CALL ON 01280 820593.

There's been nothing wintery going on around here! I've lost my older two children (it's ok, not literally - they've just gone away with friends) so my youngest son, using his orphaned wombat impression, got me to 'play making sundaes'.

Here's our favourite confection, the Super-duper Nutty Whipple-umptious Banana and Chocolate Surprise (named by my son in a moment of inspiration that would have put Mr Willy Wonka himself to shame!) Now if you'll excuse me, I'm just going to change into something with an elasticated waist!

Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you very soon,

Get well soon with Morning Meadow

I am absolutely bowled over by some of the hostess sets* this year! Have you seen them? One of my favourites is Morning Meadow - and I guarantee you'll be seeing quite a lot of it here! For my Three Minute Thursday card today I made a one layer card for a friend of mine who is recovering after an operation. Come and see:

The heavyweight cards in the wonderful new note card and envelope set on page 162 of the annual catalogue are perfect for quick one layer cards. I stamped one with the two floral images from Morning Meadow...

... and added definition with an Early Espresso marker. I love how one image shows through the other, giving an interesting textured effect.

The sentiment is a real favourite of mine from Hopeful Thoughts. Using a marker to ink it up enabled me to use just part of the sentiment and a stamp-a-majig helped me to stamp it straight!

* Stampin' Up hostess stamp sets are exclusive designs at bargain prices that are usually only available to customers spending £150 or more or those that host a qualifying workshop but members of my Stampers 6 club get to choose them in their 'hostess' month if they want to. Check here for details.

Here's what you'll need to make this card
Stamps: Morning Meadow (hostess set), Hopeful Thoughts
Ink: Primrose Petals, Pistachio Pudding classic inks, Early Espresso marker
Card stock: Heavyweight note cards (with envelopes)
Other:  Stamp-a-majig
I CAN ORDER STAMPIN' UP ITEMS FOR YOU AND HAVE THEM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR ADDRESS IN THE UK. I'M COMMITTED TO PROVIDING EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND AM ALWAYS HAPPY TO OFFER HELP AND ADVICE. TO FIND OUT MORE OR TO PLACE YOUR ORDER, JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL OR GIVE ME A CALL ON 01280 820593.

Things have got pretty chaotic around here so please excuse me if I dash off without stopping to chat today.  I'll be back tomorrow though when I'll be turning the temperature down a little! Hope to see you then.

Rolled flowers with a hint of Mosaic embossing

At last I was able to play along with Less is More with their Handmade Flowers theme - that was definitely not one to rush! I can't say I'm particularly good at coming up with some astonishing new way of making a flower using only a butterfly punch and some glitter (!) but I do like a bit of a rolled flower so I thought I'd go with that. Come and see:

As well as rolled flowers, I used a couple of fun techniques on this card: I call the first one 'A hint of embossing'! You just put a bit of cardstock between an embossing folder and rub it with your fingers. You don't get a full impression of the embossing folder but just hints of it, and I rather like the effect. It also enables people who don't have a die cutting machine to get an embossed look. (Aaargh! I've just put my fingers in my ears to drown out the sound of you all saying that there isn't anyone who hasn't got a die cutting machine!)

My second technique is called 'Punch a stamped image with a circle punch and leave a bit of the image poking out of the top' (unless you can think of a snappier way of saying it!) Here's how I do it: I punch a circle out of a piece of vellum or acetate to use as a guide and draw lightly round it with a pencil. Using my sharp paper snips I cut round the overlapping bit and then position my punch with that bit pulled out of the cutting blade. The pencil markings can be rubbed out.

My rolled flowers were made with punched scalloped circles cut into spirals and rolled up from the outside. The beautiful coral paper is from the Epic Day designer range.

I was using the gorgeous sketch at The Paper Players today so I shall link up over there too.

Here's what you'll need to make this card
Stamps: Fabulous Florets, Four You
Ink: Early Espresso, Pistachio Pudding, Soft Sky
Card stock: Whisper White
Punches: 2 1/2" circle, 1 3/4" scallop circle
Other:  Epic Day designer paper, paper snips, Modern Mosaic embossing folder, stamp-a-majig
I CAN ORDER STAMPIN' UP ITEMS FOR YOU AND HAVE THEM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR ADDRESS IN THE UK. I'M COMMITTED TO PROVIDING EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND AM ALWAYS HAPPY TO OFFER HELP AND ADVICE. TO FIND OUT MORE OR TO PLACE YOUR ORDER, JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL OR GIVE ME A CALL ON 01280 820593.

Everyone's winding down at school and my youngest son got to see a film yesterday. Upon enquiry, he told me it had been about Cleopatra having her palace built. When she told the builders she wanted it to be completed in three months, he said, her builders laughed and said maybe they might finish the planning in that time - to which Cleopatra said that if it wasn't done she would feed them to her crocodiles. It seems that having a bit of building work done was a lot simpler in those days...!

I'll have a quick card for you tomorrow when it will be Three Minute Thursday here on my blog. Hope to see you then,

Simply Sketched with a bit of Gorgeous Grunge

Colour challenges are a great way to push the creative boundaries - using colour combinations you wouldn't have chosen quite often sends you into other directions you may not have gone into as well! That definitely happened to me with the card I made with this week's Calypso Coral and Black palette at Dynamic Duos. In fact I'm still not quite sure where it came from! Come and see:

I started with this wonderful poppy image from Stampin' Up's stunning Simply Sketched stamp set, stamping it in black and colouring it with my Calypso Coral marker. The flower was then masked so that I could add a cross-hatched background using a stamp from the Gorgeous Grunge set  - which is now permanently out on my desk!

The tape image from the Grunge set was stamped over the stems of the flowers and I stamped another poppy, cut it out and layered it over the first to make a bunch. To embellish, I added a snipped-out sentiment and a piece of scrap card stock stamped with Filmstrip. The whole thing was layered onto a gorgeous scrap of Epic Day designer paper.

When I came up for air I wasn't sure what to make of it... in fact I'm still not! The Dynamic Duos colour challenge came with an option to use butterflies and I fully intended to do this but it just didn't happen somehow! Do you ever start a card with an idea and end up doing something quite different?

• Stampin' Up hostess stamp sets are exclusive designs that are usually only available to customers spending £150 or more or those that host a qualifying workshop but members of my Stampers 6 club get to choose them in their 'hostess' month if they want to. Check here for details.

Here's what you'll need to make this card
Stamps: Simply Sketched (hostess set), Gorgeous Grunge, Filmstrip
Ink: Stazon black, Calypso Coral marker
Card stock: Whisper White
Other:  Epic Day designer paper, paper snips
I CAN ORDER STAMPIN' UP ITEMS FOR YOU AND HAVE THEM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR ADDRESS IN THE UK. I'M COMMITTED TO PROVIDING EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND AM ALWAYS HAPPY TO OFFER HELP AND ADVICE. TO FIND OUT MORE OR TO PLACE YOUR ORDER, JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL OR GIVE ME A CALL ON 01280 820593.

Yesterday I was in the middle of making a card when my daughter came home from school. "I think I might put some little gems on the flowers," I was muttering to myself as she came through the door. "What? lettuces!" she said brightly. "That would be lovely Mummy! A card embellished with lettuces!" Hmm. She has no idea about artistic torment! (And neither do I come to think of it!)

See you tomorrow,

A Mosaic Madness birthday gift and card set

After stumbling across Seize the Birthday, a new-to-me challenge last week, I thought I'd link up a birthday set I'd made for one of my lovely nieces. Come and have a look:

Mosaic Madness really is the perfect stamp set for every occasion! Here I've zinged it up with bright colours and bling for a girl's birthday.

The gorgeous bold sentiment is from my favourite sentiment set of the moment, Four You. It stamps beautifully in black stazon ink onto the Gingham Garden washi tape.

The present was tucked into a packet made with designer paper from the Quatrefancy speciality range that coordinates with the Mosaic Madness stamp set. I added an envelope-style flap using core'dinations textured card stock and tied it up with some retired ribbon before adding a tag cut with one of my new Chalk Talk framelits.

Here's what you'll need to make this set
Stamps: Mosaic Madness, Four You
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo classic inks and black stazon
Card stock: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight core'dinations
Other:  Quatrefancy designer paper, Mosaic punch, corner rounder, Big Shot, Chalk Talk framelits, Basic rhinestones, markers, Gingham Garden washi tape, stamp-a-majig
I CAN ORDER STAMPIN' UP ITEMS FOR YOU AND HAVE THEM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR ADDRESS IN THE UK. I'M COMMITTED TO PROVIDING EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND AM ALWAYS HAPPY TO OFFER HELP AND ADVICE. TO FIND OUT MORE OR TO PLACE YOUR ORDER, JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL OR GIVE ME A CALL ON 01280 820593.

There are just a couple of days left before the summer holidays are upon us and there's great excitement in our house as my children make their plans. Crafting Clare Towers will of course turn into a bed and breakfast for waifs and strays of the hulking great variety and my talents will turn to chauffeuring people about and making an endless stream of meals and snacks... I can't wait!

See you tomorrow,

Everything Eleanor on Filmstrip

There's another fabulous colour palette and inspiration photo at the ColourQ challenge this week and I couldn't wait to get crafting! Come and see:

The frame in the inspiration picture gave me the perfect opportunity to bring out my new Filmstrip stamp - and wow! I love it to bits! Whether it's used to actually frame images or just used as part of an abstract background as it is here, I can see this is going to be a useful addition to my Craft Square Metre!

I started by stamping the swirl from Everything Eleanor and heat embossing it with clear powder. I love the way you can emboss directly on the ink with the new ink pads - if you're quick! The film strip was stamped next and then the background stripes from Gorgeous Grunge (I can't get enough of that amazing set!)

The decorative tab is made with a piece of scored card stock punched with the decorative label and folded nice and sharply with a bone folder. I put three colours of bakers twine together, stapled them to the label and tied them into a bow.

Isn't this sentiment beautiful? I love the shape it makes and how hand-doodled it looks. It comes from Chalk Talk, another brilliant new stamp set I can't wait to showcase for you!

This is the palette and inspiration photo I was working from today.

Here's what you'll need to make this card
Stamps: Filmstrip, Everything Eleanor, Chalk Talk
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Island Indigo, Old Olive classic inks and Raspberry Ripple marker
Card stock: Whisper White, Old Olive
Other: Bakers twine, Decorative Label punch, Clear embossing powder, heat tool, stamp-a-majig
I CAN ORDER STAMPIN' UP ITEMS FOR YOU AND HAVE THEM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR ADDRESS IN THE UK. I'M COMMITTED TO PROVIDING EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND AM ALWAYS HAPPY TO OFFER HELP AND ADVICE. TO FIND OUT MORE OR TO PLACE YOUR ORDER, JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL OR GIVE ME A CALL ON 01280 820593.

I've been enjoying the heatwave this week but I hear that the temperatures are easing off for the weekend. I know the garden will be glad of that and my furry friend might be too...

Honestly Tuppence, I think you can find a slightly larger area of shade somewhere in the garden!

Have a great weekend and I'll see you very soon,

The Wetlands goose pops up

My love affair with the new Wetlands stamp set continues as I squeak in a card in for the gorgeous sketch challenge at CASE this sketch. Unfortunately I forgot that it's supposed to be Three Minute Thursday on my blog today and this card took a bit longer than that - oops! Come and see:

I started by inking up the goose stamp with markers and stamping onto a piece of scrap card stock. After cleaning the stamp I inked up the grass again to make a longer strip as the sketch suggested, then cut the image out with my sharp paper snips. I cut an aperture in the front panel of the card with a large circle punch to lay the goose across.

The Wetlands stamp set comes with a variety of useful sentiments. I chose the birthday one, inking it up with markers before stamping inside the aperture. The 'i' was dotted with a candy dot for a little bit of interest.

I raised the front panel up on dimensionals and so the goose and the centre of the grass had to be too. It's a while since I made a card with a slightly 3D effect and I'd forgotten how much fun it is!


This is the sketch I was working from today (right) and I'll also be linking up to Make My Monday where the challenge is to use stamps that you've never inked up before. My Wetlands set is new and I certainly can't see it doing much languishing in its (beautiful) case!

Here's what you'll need to make this card
Stamps: Wetlands
Ink: Soft Suede, Basic Grey, Basic Black, Gumball Green, Island Indigo in marker form
Card stock: Whisper White
Other: Garden Green candy dot, 2 1/2" circle punch, paper snips, stamp-a-majig
I CAN ORDER STAMPIN' UP ITEMS FOR YOU AND HAVE THEM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR ADDRESS IN THE UK. I'M COMMITTED TO PROVIDING EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND AM ALWAYS HAPPY TO OFFER HELP AND ADVICE. TO FIND OUT MORE OR TO PLACE YOUR ORDER, JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL OR GIVE ME A CALL ON 01280 820593.

My teenage daughter has incorporated animal noises to her usual language. For example if I tell her I like her outfit she says thank you and purrs or, if I ask her to do the washing up while she's happily looking at Pinterest she might simply hiss. Sometimes she doesn't actually make the noise but describes it instead ("barks excitedly" or "buzzes angrily"). There is never a dull moment around here!

See you tomorrow,

Watercolour Wetlands

The moment I saw Wetlands in the new Stampin' Up catalogue, I guessed that it would become my new favourite stamp set - and I wasn't wrong! Come and see what I've done with it today:

This card was inspired by any number of beautiful seascape/bird artworks that you see in the galleries of smart seaside towns in the UK. To get the textured background I pressed an acrylic block into my Soft Sky ink pad and then into my So Saffron pad, spritzed with water and stamped onto watercolour paper. It gives the effect of sparkle caused by the sun shining on wet sand!

When it was dry I added the birds, using markers to isolate a group of three from the image. This photo gives you a clearer view of that textured-looking background and the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes stamped off-centre. I used my Simply Scored to emboss a frame on a Naturals Ivory card base and mounted the image into it.

I think I'll enter this watery card into the challenge at Addicted to CAS where the cue word is Water!

Here's what you'll need to make this card
Stamps: Wetlands, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: So Saffron, Soft Sky, Basic Grey
Card stock: Naturals Ivory, Watercolour paper
Other: Simply Scored, acrylic block B, markers, stamp-a-majig
I CAN ORDER STAMPIN' UP ITEMS FOR YOU AND HAVE THEM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR ADDRESS IN THE UK. I'M COMMITTED TO PROVIDING EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND AM ALWAYS HAPPY TO OFFER HELP AND ADVICE. TO FIND OUT MORE OR TO PLACE YOUR ORDER, JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL OR GIVE ME A CALL ON 01280 820593.

One of the reasons I love the Wetlands stamp set is that it reminds me of the avocets on the North coast of Norfolk where we used to holiday every year when the children were tiny. "Mummy," said my daughter once. "You are as lovely as an avocet!" What a cutie!

Thank you so much for your kind messages about my father in law. He's now perked up considerably thank goodness and although the hospital are keeping him in for a while, it sounds like a blessing in disguise as he'll be getting physiotherapy which will hopefully help him become more mobile.

See you tomorrow,

Oval-shaped Wetlands

We couldn't have asked for better company, weather or surroundings for our family get-together at the weekend. Unfortunately, life follows its own course and at the end my father in law was taken ill and had to be taken to hospital. He has recovered a little but remains very frail and will be kept in for a bit. I made this card for him to cheer him up:

Framelits thin metal dies are a wonderful invention on their own but combined with the new magnetic platform for the Big Shot, they are genius! You lay your card stock onto the platform, place your framelit on top and it is held exactly where you've placed it while you run it through your machine. The Ovals framelits were used to make this one-layer card.

I sponged the background into an oval mask to make this scene, using Pool Party, Coastal Cabana and So Saffron classic inks as well as a bit of Whisper White craft ink. The birds, which are from the most fabulous new stamp set called Wetlands, were stamped over the top and the card finished with one of the lovely flowing sentiments that come with it.

I was inspired by the challenge at Less is More this week, to make a 'One-Layer Card, Not Square or Rectangular' and I shall link this card up there. Thanks for all the fabulous inspiration ladies!

Here's what you'll need to make this card
Stamps: Wetlands
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, Pool Party, Smoky Slate, So Saffron classic inks, Whisper White craft ink
Card stock: Very Vanilla
Other: Ovals framelits, Big Shot, Magnetic platform, Basic Black and So Saffron markers, stamp-a-majig
I CAN ORDER STAMPIN' UP ITEMS FOR YOU AND HAVE THEM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR ADDRESS IN THE UK. I'M COMMITTED TO PROVIDING EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND AM ALWAYS HAPPY TO OFFER HELP AND ADVICE. TO FIND OUT MORE OR TO PLACE YOUR ORDER, JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL OR GIVE ME A CALL ON 01280 820593.

I'll leave you with a picture of the golden-haired beauty that stole everyone's heart at the weekend:

This is the lovely Pepper who is responsible for my children redoubling their efforts to convince their father that we really should be getting a dog. I am pretty much convinced myself but I know a certain feline someone who would be outraged!

See you tomorrow,