Spellbinders POTW Samples

Thank you, thank you, thank you is all that I can say for the wonderful support for the Spellbinders POTW launch this week.  The response has been amazing, overwhelming and wonderful!  Although, I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to be back for it as it was a bit touch and go with my folks for awhile, they are on the mend and being looked after. I am planning another trip back end of September, though, just to check on them and make sure they are doing well.  I am going to be  posting my sample cards from the shows over the next few weeks, but this one is still my favourite so its getting to go first.  All my samples came back from Florida in my checked suitcase and I wasn't certain this one was going to make it in one piece, but it came through without a scratch on it (more than I can say for my tolietries as my toothpaste exploded!). 

If you were not able to catch the launch show on Friday, this was my first demo.  I simply cut two lace doily motifs and folded them from corner to corner and then side to side.  I cut a slit from the side to the centre then folded it accordian style (concertina folded) which gave me half of the centre piece.  I did the same thing to the other doily and then glued the two pieces together to create the centre focal element.  I added the smaller doily accent on top in a diamond orientation and topped it with my sentiment stamped in the middle of the labels 22 die shape.  The two borders are made of two strips of the ironworks border turned towards each other and offset, giving the look of a strip on either side of the focal element.  I completed the card with the teal and moss green vintage ribbon at the top, finished with a decorative black button.  I know this isn't the kind of card you would post, but if you have an occassion to hand a card to someone, this is a real stunner and very easy to make (it only looks difficult). I think it is the olive green, teal and black combo that I am so drawn to with this card, but who knows.  What do you think?

A couple more things before I sign off, though.  I know that we have not only hit the 1700 target, but gone over by quite a bit.  I will do the drawing for the blog candy as soon as the shows are over and I can get in to work.  This could be as soon as Wednesday or as late as Monday.  Please be patient as it shouldn't be much longer, but check back within the next week to see the winners.

Finally, I would like to say thank you for all the incredibly lovely emails and texts I have had about my  DVD.  I was very nervous about it being released, excited, but nervous too.  I have had some wonderful feedback about it and that is just so very special for me.  The crafting community is such a warm and caring group of peopleand I know that I am truly blessed to be able to work among them.  Again, thanks so much.

All for now, Sue x

A Sneak Peek For You!

Hi everyone!  I am officially back on English soil.  My plane landed this morning after leaving Tampa just as a very angry storm was beginning to pass through.  I have gotten all my unpacking finished and the laundry started so I can start in on the task at hand, which is preparing my demos for the POTW shows beginning on Friday at noon.  I thought I would give you a little peek at some of the dies on the show.  The POTW dies are all brand new with the exception of a few of the Christmas dies from the last show are being brought back as we have had so many requests for them.  The majority of the Spellbinders dies are from the summer releases that were just shown at the July CHA show in Chicago.  How is that for being on top of things!  I decided on this card for several reasons.  First of all, it showcases several of the new dies which I particularly like.  The ironwork accents and motifs are stunning and very detailed, love them!  The picot edge circles are just a bit more than a plain circle but still fancy enough to coordinate nicely with other dies in this release as well as previous die sets.  I love the way these layer.  Secondly, this card doesn't give away too much. It is a simple card and it probably won't be a demo card, but it does show off another brand new product that will be on the show.  Can you guess?  Thirdly, it is yellow and gray, one of my personal favs! You saw that one coming, didn't you?  I've got to get to work now, but I just wanted to say that it is great to be back and I am really looking forward to the POTW launch on Friday.  I hope you will tune in to see all the great new dies and other new products and stamps!  All for now, Sue x

 Hi everyone,  there is absolutely no rhyme or reason to the collection of cards that I have posted today.  I have just been going through some of the pictures that I took of the samples from the last shows and I came across these three.  I don't think that I ever posted them so I thought that I would now.  I had fun playing with the different papers to make the flowers on this first card.  I really enjoy mixing and matching patterns and colours to see what I can come up with.  (It probably goes back to my Mom allowing me to pick out  my own clothes every morning, boy did I have some doozies for combinations!)

 The second card is a very simple card but I think that is what I like about it.  I used the burlap/hessian to die cut the flower.  I had planned to demo it but it never happened, but I found that if you are working with hessian and die cutting shapes, you can give it a bit of dimension by spraying it with hairspray and scrunching it a bit.  The hairspray will also keep it from fraying too much since it is a bit sticky.  I used distress inks to colour the hessian too.

This last card was just a quickie card using the Spellbinder lattice rectangle dies and the foliage dies.  Simply die cut and layered for a very quick but fun card.  I hope one of these tickles your fancy!

On another note, I occasionally will get comments left where there are questions about cards.  If you will email me at sue@particraft.co.uk , I will happily answer any questions.  Sometimes, the avatar will lead me to an email address so I can follow through.  There were two questions left recently that I could not find emails for so just to answer those, the blue and white Christmas card was done with Broken China distress ink (I almost always reach for distress inks first).  Secondly, it was not a punch used on the card in the previous post, it was the Pariasian border by Spellbinders.

But seriously, if you ever have any questions about any sample that I post, ask me!  I am more than happy to answer anything I can.  All for now, Sue x

A Bit of Tulle

 Hi everyone, greetings from rain soaked Florida!  It has been coming down in buckets for the past two days with thunder and lightning like I have never experienced before!  You know what that means... more indoor crafting time!  While I have been busily working away on new samples for the upcoming POTW shows in a few weeks, it is still too early to show them unfortunately.  Here are a couple of pics of a card I made for the last shows (hope this will hold you over!)  Although my camera skills are limited to say the least, I think you can at least get a feel for the fun of this card.  I used the parisian die border to create a lacy petticoat look for the bottom of this card by stacking ten of the borders in three colours on top of each other.  It really needed a closeup as well as the centre of the card where I stamped and clear embossed a sunflower with the sentiment going around it.  I did, however, take a close up of the tulle flower that I added to the top of the card in the middle of the toffee beige vintage ribbon bow.  I love the way the tulle looks as a rolled flower, but it is hard to see in the top photo.  I really like the way tulle gives a card such a soft romantic feel to it, don't you?  Let me know what you think?  All for now, Sue x

More Yellow!

 More yellow, what can I say!  This first card was such fun to make.  I wasn't sure where I was going when I began and it just sort of happened as I worked away on it.  It has all my favourite stuff on it though, ribbons, flowers, a pin(my last gray one, usually I use two), swirly pearls, embossed background and of course, yellow (and gray).  I love that combo! 

 There is a little story about this card I'd like to share.  In April, I filmed my first DVD  (scheduled to be released August 26th) and I had just finished this card the night before.  I left it downstairs in my kitchen so that I could take it with me and have it added to the card gallery that is included on the DVD.  I left the house that morning very early as it was during that heat wave we had and we wanted to finish the filming before it got too hot.  I didn't realise it until I returned home, but I had forgotten the card!  So needless to say, this one does not make an appearance on the DVD!

This second card was originally made using the butterfly from the Fanciful Flight set.  Since we sold out of that set straight away, I re-did the card with the layed butterfly set.  I like this one too.  The yellow looks nice with the teal and the October Afternoon decorative paper blends it all together.  I love the ruched ribbon on it as I think it adds some nice interest to a simple card.

I want to say thank you to everyone who has sent  lovely emails and comments for my Mom and her recovery.  She is doing quite a bit better and getting stronger everyday.  I will be here for a few more weeks, but I am working on some samples using the new Spellbinder releases and I am hoping to have a few sneak peeks for you before I leave.

I am still running the blog candy contest so be sure to leave your comments on the blog for some extra entries too. 

And last but not least, I didn't want to steal her thunder, but Sam has finally blogged that she is a Mommy and I am now a faux Grandma!  I can't wait to spoil little Leah Mai!  All for now, Sue x