Welcome to our monthly Casually Crafting Blog Hop! The theme for our hop is – Appreciation
So who are we? We are a group of Stampin’ Up demonstrators who just love to stamp when ever we can. We particularly love the type of cards that are simple and easy to make with just a few products. So would ideally suit beginner and casual crafter’s. However occasionally we will add a wow project that would suit a more avid crafter. We will be sharing our ideas on the 3rd Friday of each month and you can hop around the group and gather loads of inspiration. So grab yourself a cup of your favourite beverage, sit back & enjoy the hop!
Casually Crafting – Appreciation
We are now back from our trip in South Africa, which finished with a relaxing few days at a Safari lodge near Kruger Park. Bliss! We were lucky to see this cute leopard cub whilst we were there. On the drive there via the Blythe canyon we got to see some beautiful flora & fauna & the views were spectacular. However, I’m still happy to be home and back in my craft room with a whole stack of new items from the mini Catalogue to play with. However for or today & tomorrow, I will actually be sharing some of my makes at Create It in Farnborough, which is one of the biggest annual craft events in the area.
Appreciation – Timeless Tulips
I adore tulips! As soon as I see them in the florists, I know spring is on its way & I always have a bowl full on the table as soon as they come into season. So it was a no brainer when I saw this beautiful stamp set in the mini catalogue. Even better there is a coordinating punch, which is just £30.50 for both! PLUS just add some note-lets or embellishments to get to a £45 order and you have the opportunity to chose a FREE item from the Sale-A-Bration brochure. BONUS! There are also some new coordinating papers, which you could add to reach that Sale-A-Bration sweet spot!
Timeless Tulips – Mothers Day Card
For me showing appreciation is all about connecting with someone and letting them know how much you care. There are so many ways to show appreciation, but with Mother’s Day coming up next month I wanted to make a card for my Mum that showed her how much I appreciate her.
I wanted to make an extra special card so constructed an 8″ x 8″ card and then folded the front back on itself to create an easy Z fold back card. I sponged the edges of some Blushing Bride card stock and attached it to the front and the insides. To create some additional wow, I added some die cut flowers to each corner. I then attached a 6″ x 6″ front, which was then matted and layered with more sponged Blushing Bride, Silver Glimmer and Whisper White card stock.
The top layer of whisper white was again sponged around the edges on to which, I stamped the bowl, sponged in some water & stamped the stalks from the Timeless Tulip set using Granny Apple Green Ink. I then stamped & punched lots of tulips and leaves, & arranged using Dimensionals. I repeated the process for the inside but this time kept the top layer clean and added two of the beautiful sentiments from the set.
Finally I finished off with a die cut message and added some super cute butterflies from the Nature’s Thoughts Dies which are from the new Coordination product release. These are only available whilst stocks last.
It really is a wow project fitting for a wonderful Mum, but it really is quite simple once you have all the tulips and leaves punched. You could easily leave out the die cutting and replace them with stamped imaged or just leave plain.
So do you think she will like it?
Timeless Tulips – Bowl of Birthday Tulips
My second, simpler card shows the tulips off in a more casual way and would suit any occasion. Once again I stamped the bowl, added the stalks, then I stamped & punched the tulips in Mango Melody. To make them pop a little, I coloured the bottom with a Real Red water colour pencil and added a little Wink of Stella to help blend the colours and make them sparkle. I finished off with a sentiment and a touch of lace.
Making these cards are quite addictive. Once I started I couldn’t really stop so I made a couple more. For this one I inked up the top half in Rich Razzleberry and then daubed Granny Apple Green ink around the bottom before stamping. I’m not sure which one I prefer. Which one is your favourite?
Timeless tulip – A Simple Hello
Sometimes, all you need to show appreciation is send a card. just to say hello. It’s not something I do as often as I should, but I thought I would make up a batch to send to a few friends that have been going through some tough times. I used a sponge brayer to add Mango Melody, Calypso Coral, Mango Melody & Pineapple Punch to a piece of whisper white and then simple punched and added some of the punched tulips in Basic Black. I added the sentiment using Tuxedo Black memento. Finally I added some Wink of Stella to the flowers, but sadly it doesn’t really show up in the photo’s
Voila!
So what do you think? A huge bowl of Tulips, Simple Florals or something in between? Which do you prefer? Please let me know in a comment.
You may have arrive from Hilary’s blog or started here, but do go hop onto the next blog which is the uber talented Barry. Just click on the photo and it will take you straight there.
And the rest of the blog Roll
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Just to note:
- If you would like to purchase any of the Stampin’ Up! items used for this project, click on the product photos below. You will be taken to my Online Shop where you can find more information and order craft products 24/7!
- Is your Stampin’ Up! order less than £150? If so, use the current Reward Code below and receive a free gift from me along with other perks!
- If your order is over £150 please do not use the code as you will be your own Hostess and get your own rewards to spend! That’s free stuff that you get to chose what ever you wish from the current catalogues and clearance rack
- or if your order is £99 and above consider joining my team and picking up a whole host of extras. Check it out here
- During Sale-A-Bration you can chose a FREE item with every £45 qualifying spend. So the more you order the more free items you could get! Contact me for more details.
Thanks for looking
Stampin Hugs
Sara
Stunning cards Sara! Your photographs from your trip all looked amazing, but it still must be nice to be home! x
Thank you so much Gillian. It is good to be home and playing with my mini catty goodies x