Wednesday Weekly Card Giveaway

 Hello my crafty friends!  I thought that I would make my first demo card from Sunday  a Wednesday giveaway.  I think it is such a pretty card, that periwinkle and white just sings to me!  I started by stamping a piece of periwinkle card using the Justrite Twisted Fleur background stamp inked with Clear Perfect Medium.  I heat embossed it with True White embossing powder.  I cut down three sides of the card, leaving a bit at the bottom edge.  I cut a wide strip of coconut white card and embossed it using my new Pinpoint folder called Rows Of Bows.  I added this piece to the bottom edge of the background then cut an Italian border out of periwinkle card and glued it across the join area.  I added small 3mm white pearls to the border as embellishments.  For the focal element, I cut the Hollywood die in white using the insert and the outer cutting edge.  I mounted it on a piece of periwinkle blue card that I cut with just the outer cutting edge to the die.  It provided a perfect matching shape and allowed the blue to show through the pretty decorative white die cut.  I mounted it with foam on the stamped background.  Using the stamp from the Rose Bouquet set by Justrite, I stamped it on to periwinkle card with a perfect medium pad and heat embossed it with white powder.  I cut it out with the matching Vintage Labels Two die, stamped my sentiment in black in the centre and mounted it with foam in the middle of my die cut.  I made a flower out of the white crochet ribbon by using the ribbon rose method at the top of my blog.  I seated the rose on white tulle and added a few fern trio leaves around it.  I finished the card by piercing the edge of a white mat layer using my piercing ruler to frame it.  A thin blue mat then a wider white mat finished the card off nicely.  If you would like to be included in the drawing to win this one, just leave me a comment!  I will announce the winner on Saturday's blog post.  Finished dimensions are 6 3/4" x 8" in size.  All for now, Sue x

It's A Tuesday Two-fer

 Hi bloggers!  I have a couple of Christmas cards for you today, both really simple so I thought they would be good to be shown together.  I stamped the dotty border down from the top of a piece of coconut white card and embossed it in gold.  Next I used the Art Deco Fanfare embossing folder to give texture to that piece of coconut white card for my background.  I stamped the Justrite Ornament twice on to Ruby Red card using a clear Perfect Medium pad.  I heat embossed both of them with gold detail powder.  I cut out the entire image using the Exquisite Circle die.  I used a simple circle die to cut out just the inner circle and mounted it up on foam.  I stamped the ornament a third time, but on white card and gold embossed it.  I used a smaller circle and cut just the centre sentiment this time.  I matted it in the centre of the ornament.  I added a Bakers Twine bow and a gold cord bow to the top of the card and decorated it with a small pearl embellishment.  I finished the card by piercing a white mat layer then adding a thin red mat and a final white mat.  Finished dimensions are 6 1/2" x 8" in size.  Scroll down to see card no. 2.

 Card number two was a request by blog follower Amanda (she also wants to see some snowmen cards!) For this card, I stamped the upper corner with my sentiment in black archival ink.  I cut a wide strip of white card and embossed it with the Quilted Flower embossing folder.  At the bottom of the card, I used some dotty red paper from my stash and added one of the Italian borders between the two layers.  I stamped and cut out three of the gingerbread men from the Justrite set called Applique Christmas Labels One on to kraft card.  I added some pearls for buttons and did some light colouring with pencils.  I mounted them up on foam and put them on the card like they were holding hands.  I tied a messy bow out of lipstick red seam binding, added a jute twine bow and some small pinecones that I had in my stash as well.  I finished the card with some a thin black mat and a double white mat.  I added white Cosmic Shimmer PVA glue dots all the way around the edge of the card.  Finished dimensions are 7" x 7 1/2" in size.

Don't forget to check the post from yesterday to see if your name was drawn in the die giveaway as not all the winners have checked it yet!  All for now, Sue x

Second Release Die Set Winners

Hello again!  It has really been a whirlwind last few weeks for me, but I don't want to forget to say a great big thanks to everyone that joined in the blog launch and left their wonderful comments for me.  It was a bit of work for you to keep popping back to see everything, especially that last day, but I was over the moon with the response!  Thank you so much!!  Without further ado, here are the names that were drawn for each of the die sets:

From the Austrian Collection:
Vienna die set:  Jan.Moogie!!!
Salzburg die set: Vanessa Hodgson!!!
Innsbruck die set: Beryl Frost!!!
Border, Corner and Tag die set: Brenda Lello!!!
Background die: Lynda Brock!!!

From the French Collection:
Provence die set: Debbie Tinks!!!
Auvergne die set: Alice G!!!
Burgundy die set: Jackie Trinder!!!
Border, Corner and Tag die set: Patricia Youdell!!!
Background die: Heather Harrison!!!

Striplet Collection:
Tethered Hearts die: Belinda Raven!!!
Bevelled Glass die: Tres!!!

Finishing Touches Collection:
Classic Itty Bitty 3D Bow die set: Mrs. B!!!
Filigree Itty Bitty 3D Bow die set: Dawn Searle!!!
Dotty Itty Bitty 3D Bow set: Sandra Riley!!!
Mosaic Itty Bitty 3D Bow die set: Alison Couchman!!!
Curled Vines die set: Samantha Wade!!!
Magical Butterflies die set: Yorkielass!!!
Dotty 3D Bow die set: Barbiepinkfairy!!!
Mosaic 3D Bow die set: Carol Quinn!!!
Delicate Daisies Complete Petal die set: Nina Spear!!!
Delicate Daisies Open Petal die set: Susan White!!!
Petite Vinery die: Tandy!!!
Grand Vinery die: Maureen Bleay!!!

Congratulations all!  Please email me at americansue1@gmail.com to confirm your address and claim your die set!  All for now, Sue x

Love The Simple Things

 Hello all!  A card from yesterday's Toolshed show for you today.  It was lovely to get to do a double act with Julia for the very first time!  She was so kind to share her show with me so that I was able to launch my new folders!  I think that the overall response to them was fabulous!  I know you will love using them as much as I do!  Now on to today's card.  I used the Doily stamp from Justrite and stamped it all over my periwinkle background card using a Clear Perfect Medium Pad.  I heat embossed it with True White Detail embossing powder.  I cut a border from the California Collection and mounted it diagonally across the card for interest.  I tied a messy bow out of white seam binding and spritzed it with water, then crumpled it for a shabby chic sort of look.  I dried it with my heat tool and added a white crystal sparkler and matching stick pins to it and seated it on the upward end of my border.  For my focal element, I stamped the Rose Bouquet stamp, first on periwinkle card then on coconut white card, both times using a black archival ink pad.  I die cut both of them using two sizes of the Vintage Labels Three die from Justrite.  I mounted them up with foam in between.  I cut two of the Majestic Circles in white and off set them as a base for my focal element.  I mounted the entire piece in the upper portion of my card.  I paper pierced a white white using my piercing ruler, added a thin blue mat and a final white mat to complete my card.  The finished dimensions are 7" x 7 3/4" in size.

  I will be posting the winners of the Second Release Die Giveaway later this afternoon so don''t forget to check back and see if your name was drawn!  All for now, Sue x

Another Sneak Peek

 Good Sunday morning all!  Here is another card from today's shows.  This one is featuring the Sculpted Leaves background in it's simplest form, gold embossed on lavender card.  It is just such an elegant stamp that it doesn't need much more!  I cut two Scalloped Borders out of soft gold card for the edges to give it a soft filigree look.  For the focal element, I used the soft gold card again and cut a Tranquil Moments die.  I stamped my sentiment from the Rose Bouquet set and embossed it in gold on lavender card.  I used the smaller die within the Divine Eloquence set to cut it out and inked through it with Shaded Lilac distress ink before removing it.  Using my Classic Rose die, I made two different sized roses out of lavender card and "sugared" them with Iced Snow.  I mounted them to the side of the sentiment with some gold cording.  I finished the card with some matting and layering with the gold and lavender card and added in a pierced edge on my inside mat layer.  The finished size is 6 1/4" x 8" in size.

Now for the Comment Game Winners for the past few weeks!  Starting with last week, the winners are:
Micky French!!!
Marianne's Craftroom!!!
Hot Potato!!!

For the extra qualifying post of July 9th, the winners are:
Crafty Suetoo!!!
foxyg!!!
Aspiring crafter!!!

For the extra qualifyng post of July 15th, the winners are:
Linda Graham!!!
Donna Golby!!!
Anne (Northampton)!!!

For the extra qualifying post of July 16th, the winners are:
Desiree P!!!
Tracy Noon Warrington!!!
Jean Phillips!!!

For the extra qualifying post of July 17th, the winners are:
Amy Russell!!!
Sam Smithard!!!
Lilian!!!

For the extra qualifying post of July 18th, the winners are:
Maggie (better without a bow)!!!
Jane Franklin!!!
Lindyloo12!!!

For the extra qualifying post of July 19th, the winners are:
Clarissa!!!
Mrs. Duck!!!
Angela H!!!

Congratulations all!  Please note, this is NOT for the die giveaway, it will be drawn and posted on Monday (just don't want any one disappointed).  Please email me at americansue1@gmail.com to confirm your address and claim your prize.

Julia Watts and I will be on Create and Craft on the Toolshed show today at 12noon and Julia will be doing the 5pm show.  All for now, Sue x

Sneak Peek For Sunday's Toolshed Show

 Hello my crafty friends!  I did a lot of debating on this one as to whether or not to show a sneak peek of it, but I decided that I was just too excited about something that I am showing here to wait until Sunday.  It is actually Julia's Tool shed show, but I am along to introduce my new Pinpoint Design Embossing folders.  There are three designs that are available and this is the first one called "Checkerboard."  I absolutely love these, they are so up my street, so to speak.  I have designed these new folders to have a sort of faux pierced look to them.  The folders are very different from anything that I've seen on the market so far in that not only is the pattern is done on two levels, but the pinpoint design creates a truly unique look (and absolutely lovely look at that!) to your embossed backgrounds.  You may have spotted another of the folders during our recent blog launch if you were eagle eyed!  You will have to wait until Sunday to see all three of the patterns in the samples that both Julia and I have created.  I'm just saying though, you may want to tune in, as they are lovely!  In it's simplest form, I have embossed a piece of coconut white card using the Checkerboard design.  I stamped the Sculpted Leaves background by Justrite on to blush card and heat embossed it with True White embossing powder.  I cut out the centre of the stamped image with the Vintage Labels Seven die (this stamp has that design drawn into the centre so it is easy to match up and cut) to create an aperture.  I used a bit of Victorian Velvet distress ink around the edges to bring out the white embossing and mounted it on foam for dimension on to my background.  I stamped the roses from the Rose Bouquet Vintage Labels Seven stamp set by Justrite on to blush card and embossed them with white too.  I cut them both out by hand.  I added some Forest Moss distress marker to the leaves and Victorian Velvet to the centres of the flowers for more definition.  I did a bit of shaping and added them in the upper corner with mounting foam.  I stamped my sentiment in black and cut it out with a smaller die in the same set and inked through the die with Victorian Velvet before removing it.  This piece was added to the centre of the aperture with mounting foam.  I tied a messy bow out of flesh seam binding and seated it on white tulle in the lower corner.  I made two matching stick pins and added a small pearl embellishment to the centre of the bow.  The card was then finished with a white pierced layer, a thin mat of blush and a final white mat layer.  The finished dimensions are 7" x 8 1/4" in size.

The winner of the Wednesday Card Giveaway this week is:

Lynn Hardy!!!

Congratulations!  Please email me at americansue1@gmail.com to confirm your address and claim your card.

I will also catch up on the Weekly Comment Game Winners that I missed from last week (minus the blog launch posts) and post all the winners in Sunday's post.  The winners of the Second Release dies will be drawn and posted on MONDAY though so don't forget to check back then as well!   All for now, Sue x

Twinkly Background Card

 Hi crafters!  It's so sparkly, isn't it?!  I really had to resist the urge to add anything to it, as I felt it really needed a white and silver poinsettia on it.  However, I really wanted to show off this background from the show so I was good and didn't do anything more to it!  I started with the Retro Sparkle background stamp from Justrite and stamped it on to our Cobalt Blue card using a clear Perfect Medium.  I heat embossed it with Silver Shine embossing powder, then covered the entire piece with a sticky double sided adhesive sheet.  I then covered the entire piece with Iced Snow and burnished it into the background, creating a really twinkly background for my card.  Next, on coconut white card,  I stamped the Vintage Labels Seven shapes from the set which is called Snowflake Vintage Label Seven by Justrite and embossed them with silver shine as well.  I cut them out with the matching die and used Chipped Sapphire distress ink while still in the die.  On the smaller die cut, I stamped my sentiment in the centre using the Cobalt Blue Archival ink pad.  I mounted the two die cuts up with foam in between and on the back and added them to the centre of my background.  You do, however, need to add some Cosmic Shimmer dries clear glue to the foam on the back before attaching it to the Iced Snow since it is a sort of glitter product the foam does not want to stick without glue!  I used my piercing ruler to add a pierced framed layer of coconut white card, then added a thin blue mat and a final white mat to complete my card.  The finished dimensions are 6" x 7" in size.

   I am going to give you a sneak peek at a few of the samples for Sunday's Toolshed show so be sure to check back tomorrow and Sunday morning for those!  All for now, Sue x

Congratulations

Good morning all!  The Beverly Hills die set from the California Collection was used here as a really quick background.  I covered a piece of white card with a sticky adhesive sheet.  I pulled the other side of the backing paper off and laid out all the die cuts (eight of them) on to the sticky sheet.  I cut several in half to go around the edges of the card.  Once they were in place I used Persian Dawn gilding flakes and a rubit scrubit pad to move the flakes into all the exposed sticky areas.  I stamped my sentiment (by Justrite stamps) and heat embossed it with silver shine powder.  I cut it into a strip.  I attached it at the bottom of the card with mounting foam.  I seated three silver ribbon roses and surrounded them with Faux Quilled leaves, a messy bow tied from white seam binding, a silver cord bow. and a pearl spray as embellishments.  The card was finished with a double white mat and on the inside layer I used Cosmic Shimmer white PVA glue and dotted the edge.  Finished dimensions are 7" x 7 1/2" in size.  All for now, Sue x