A Sneak Peek And Trade Show Pics

 Hello bloggers!  I'll be showing a few days of sneak peeks for my Sunday ToolShed show.  The good news is that the stamps are absolutely gorgeous!  The bad news is that I will only be doing the two hour ToolShed show now. Unfortunately, we decided to drop the  5pm  from the schedule due to unforseen stock issues .  Justrite has released some new smaller sets and this beautiful butterfly is on one of them.  Isn't it stunning!  I decided to use some of my new die line to help embellish the card a bit and you are also getting a bit of a sneak peek for something that isn't quite in stock yet but we launched at the trade show this week too. Along with the dies, I have done some new additions to my A4 embossing folder line as well.  There are five new folders in all.   This card showcases the  new Art Deco Fanfare folder to create this divided four part background.  I matted each piece with a thin black mat and mounted them on foam pieces in a four square unit on coconut white card.  I used my Classic Rose set and made the filigree rose in black card.  I have done some videos for the new die line and I show how to create this rose in one of them.  They will be coming on the blog soon.   I seated the flower upon several pieces of the Quilled leaves cut in white and some black jute twine.  I stamped the sentiment from the Creative Expressions Bold Sentiment set and cut it into a banner with a black mat.  I tucked the end under the flower and added some black dots around the banner.  I stamped the Justrite butterfly on to periwinkle blue card with a clear Perfect Medium pad.  I embossed it in black for a nice contrast and cut it out by hand.  I added it to the corner of the card with glue dots along the body, allowing the wings to fold upwards for movement.  I made two pretty stick pins using our blank pins and some pearls, spacers and beads that I had in my crafty stash.  The card was finished with a white pierced layer and then a mat of black and a final white mat.  Really simple to achieve, but so pretty to receive!  Finished dimensions are 7" x 7" in size.

  Before I go, I thought I would share a few of the pics that were taken at the trade show.  You just need to scroll down past the card pics.   There is a group shot of the team, then individual pics of Julia, Hels and Ali.  The last pic is of my new matching stamps for the Classic bow.  You should see it made up, it is just so cute!  They were released at the show along with the other stamps that match the die collections.  If you are interested in any, please just ask your local stockists to carry them!

Don't forget that you can pin any of the cards by clicking on the "pin it" button at the bottom of each post.  Start your own boards on Pinterest and save all the cards that you like!  All for now, Sue x

Three Panel Stamping

Hello crafters!  Triple stamping is a really interesting way to use your stamps, giving your card projects a really fresh look.

Finished dimensions are 7" x 8" in size.  All for now, Sue x

Blog Candy Winners!

Hello everyone,

  I am running a bit late on everything at the moment, but have managed to get the blog candy drawing done and sorted finally!  As a bit of an extra, I have gotten a hold of something else to offer in the way of a giveaway....the latest Creative Expressions project book, finally finished and being shipped out!!  If your name wasn't one of the ones drawn for the candy, have a go at winning this prize, just leave me a comment on this post and I will draw the name and post it on Monday's blog post.

Now on to the blog candy winners!

The THIRD Prize winner is..................................................................
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Barbara Phillips!!!

The SECOND Prize winner is.................................................................................
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Brenda Hanlon!!!

The GRAND FIRST prize winner is................................................................................
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Lacelady!!!

Congratulations all!  Please email me at americansue1@gmail.com to confirm your address and claim your prize.  We will draw the next blog candy at 4900 followers!

Don't forget to leave a comment on this post for the project book or scroll down to the post below for the card giveaway!  Lots of stuff to win!  All for now, Sue x
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Wednesday Weekly Card Giveaway

 Hi my crafty friends!  What a whirlwind the trade show has been!  Three days of demoing my new die line, talking to stockists and getting feedback.  I am officially over the moon with how well they have been received!   Thank you so much for helping me get the word out about them.  Just to answer the emails and comments asking,  the dies are not being launched on C &C, just our Creative Expressions stockists!  You  have done such a great job of letting your local retailers know that you would like them to carry the line, thank you so much!     I will come down from cloud nine now so I can talk about today's card.  I embossed the background with the Interlocking Circles embossing folder for some background texture.  I matted it with periwinkle card.  Using the Raindrops on Roses die set from Heartfelt Creations, I cut four of them in coconut white card.  I glued them to the four edges on my background.  Next I cut a labels 18 in white and did a matching "Faux nestie" in blue by tracing around the outside of the die and hand cutting it to match.  I mounted this in the centre of the card on foam.  On a separate piece of paper, I stamped the floral bouquet from the Majestic Morning collection, coloured and cut it out.  I mounted it on Labels 18 in the middle of the card as my focal element.  I tied a messy bow out of sky blue seam binding and added a white crystal sparkler to the centre.  I stamped a sentiment and cut it out with a small tag die and tucked the end under the bow embellishment.  I finished with a double white pierced mat layer and added some flatback pearls as embellishments.  Finished dimensions are 8" x 8" in size.  Don't forget to leave a comment on today's post to be entered in the drawing for the card!  I will announce the winner's name on the Saturday post.  All for now, Sue x

Scrolled Reveal

Hi guys!  It's video day again.  If you have never done a card in this style, have a watch!  They are a really unique way to present your sentiment or stamped images on your card making projects!  I will break it down in steps and you will see just how easy it is!

Finished dimensions are 8" x 8" in size.  All for now, Sue x

Thanks So Much

 Hi there crafters!  I' ve got a new sample to share showing the Cordoba die set from my Spanish Collection for today's post.  I am quite taken with this one myself.  I have done a variation on my high-low technique but using the die instead of a mask.  I covered a piece of black card with a sticky adhesive sheet.  I ran it through one pass only of the machine as the key here is not cut the entire shape.  Now I have noticed recently the difference in machines when doing this technique.  Sometimes it will cut out completely in places and sometimes it won't.  If it does cut all the way through both  the card and sticky sheet first time, just place some tape across the back of it to hold it in place and remove it from the die.  Using a pokey tool, carefully peel back the backing paper from the various parts of the die cut revealing the pattern that you would have seen if it had cut all the way through.  Once they are all removed, cover those areas with gilding flakes.  I used the Mulled Wine gilding flakes here.  Once they have been completely refined to remove any excess (I use a piece of rubit scrubit pad to do this with), dust away any left over bit, then carefully peel up the remaining piece of backing paper.  I used Iced Snow for my "high" parts on this project (you can also use micro beads)  Burnish them in well and remove the excess.  I used the edge of the die cut area and hand cut around it to remove the finished piece.  I mounted it with foam on a piece of white card on which I had already scored vertical lines on the bottom portion. I stamped my sentiment on white card and cut it out with the tag from the Spanish Collection. I highlighted it with a light inking of Black Soot before removing it from the die.  I cut two more, one in black and one in gold and cut them in half to use as shadows behind the sentiment.  I created a ruched border out of some pretty velvet ribbon that I had in my stash.  I finished the border with a black messy bow, some jute twine and a gold satin ribbon rose.  I completed the card with a black swirl and  matted the card with some more black and gold card for balance before adding my double white pierced mat layers.  Finished dimensions are 8" x 8 1/4" in size.  All for now, Sue x

On Your Special Day

 Good Sunday morning all!  Today is the first day of our big trade show called Stitches, held at the NEC in Birmingham.  It is sort of the UK version of CHA, but I am excited to be able to demo and show off my new dies to the retailers.  I thought I would show you another card that I had made using several of the new die sets.  I started with the background and used the Tied Together embossing folder to create a large enough background.  I had to do an extension on the pattern but it lines up very easily for that.  I cut two of the borders from the Italian collection and glued the together and ran white flatback pearls down the middle of them.  Next I headed for the Hollywood set from the California Collection and cut two of them in coconut white card.  One of them I cut in half and used it peeking out from behind the other one.  I stamped my sentiment (from Treasured Memories by Creative Expressions) and embossed it in silver.  I cut it out with one of the smaller dies in the Decorative Frames set from the Italian Collection and mounted it in the centre of my focal element.  Using the Classic Rose die and some white felt, I created the beautiful flowers on the card (I do show how to make these on one of the new videos being released.) I seated a few on a messy bow tied from white seam binding, added a fluffy white feather and a fancy stick pin and scattered the remaining flowers across the card.  I finished with a double white mat with a pierced inner mat.  The finished dimensions are 7 1/4" x 8" in size.

Now it is Sunday and time for the comment game winners for the week.  However, since this week has been an unusual week comment wise due to the die premiere, I am going to do it a bit different and I hope you won't mind.  Every single post that went up about the dies had well over 200 comments which I usually count as an extra qualifying post, but since I have already given away 31 die sets this week, I have only picked a single name from each post to win the comment game prizes (these prizes are not dies though!)  I hope that no one is too disappointed in that.

So here are the weeks winners:

dianneandchipps!!!
Pauline Stoneman!!!
Craftycath!!!
Patricia Youdell!!!
Marianne's Craftroom!!!
Whyblog!!!
Dawn Searle!!!
Jane Castle!!!
Carol Edwards!!!
Maureen Bleay!!!
Elspeth!!!
Lynda Murdoch!!!
Jenny Wren!!!
Pauline Tyrrell!!
Yvonne May!!!
Joanne K!!!
Pearl!!!
Julie Laz!!!

A big congratulations to all winners!  You must email me at americansue1@gmail.com to confirm your address and claim your prize.  No prizes will be sent out without address confirmation.  Thanks again for a great week!

I have noticed that our blog candy drawing has reached it's goal as well.  Once I am finished with the trade show, I will get on to that and hopefully posted on Wednesday sometime!  All for now, Sue x

Hello My Friend

Hello my crafty friends!  Another card from the same shows as yesterday's card, but a floral themed one today.  Who doesn't love sunflowers, they are just such cheerful flowers!  I used the JustRite Sunflower stamp set for this one.  I created a background for it using the Teresa Collins paper pad exclusive to Creative Expressions.  I picked a smaller vintage pattern to use as a wide border over a larger peach and cream pattern.  I stamped the corner from the Ornate Corner stamp set in black in the upper corner.  I used a sentiment from the Bold Sentiment set by Creative Expressions and stamped it in black in the lower corner.  I tied a piece of London tan seambinding around the border strip and taped the ends to the back of the card.  I stamped the sunflower on milk card and coloured it with Distress markers (wild honey, mustard seed, peeled paint, tea dye) I cut it out with the Vintage Labels Five but turned horizontally this time.  I inked it with Antique Linen while still in the die.  I mounted it with foam pieces in the centre of the card and added a messy bow out of matching seam binding.  I topped my bow with a black jute bow and a tan Dazzler.  The card was nicely finished with a double milk coloured mat with an inner pierced layer.  Finished dimensions are 7 1\2" x 8" in size.

The Wednesday Card Giveaway goes to :

Diane Mortimer!!!

Congratulations! Please email me at americansue1@gmail.com to confirm your address and claim your card!   Don't forget to tune in Sunday as there are a lot of other winners being announced in the comment game!

Julia Watts has two shows today on Create and Craft with the first one at at 10am with Leonie and then at  4pm with Martyn.  Be sure to tune in as she has some cracking demos and samples to show you!

If you haven't checked to see if your name was drawn as one of the die winners, it was posted late yesterday so scroll down to the next post!  All for now, Sue x