Bloomin’ Love unmasked

Posted on January 27, 2016February 1, 2016 by Mo Rootes

I have been playing with the Bloomin’ Love stamp set and the masking technique today.

I don’t know about you but what drew me to this stamp set was the delicate lacy heart image which mimics the gorgeous Bloomin’ Heart die. However, I found myself using the 4 individual flower stamps included in the set. I love masking off areas of card when using these small stamps, you can get some really cool effects.

For the first card I masked off a diagonal strip with low tack masking tape and stamped the flowers in Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo, Night of Navy and Mint Macaron ink. I deliberately stamped the flowers close together and onto the masking tape to create this effect. After I removed the masking tape I added a strip of Night of Navy cardstock to help focus the eyes in on the pattern. The sentiment came from the Balloon Celebration stamp set and is stamped in Melon Mambo ink. Finally, I added some of the It’s My party Enamel Dots from the new Occasions catalogue.

I was hooked on this technique and used it again when I cut a wedge from a layer of Whisper White cardstock. This time I stamped the flowers in one of my favorite color combos Bermuda Bay, Pear Pizzazz and Night of Navy ink. When I stood back and looked at the stamped piece I felt it was missing something and after some thought, stamped the small open heart image, from the same stamp set in Calypso Coral ink. I really liked the result. I mounted the pieces onto a Bermuda Bay card base and added die cut flowers in Calypso Coral and Bermuda Bay at the apex of the triangle. I stamped the sentiment from the Balloon Celebration stamp set in Bermuda Bay ink. For some extra dimension I added Basic Pearls to the center of some of the flowers

I really enjoyed working with this set, such fun. Thank you for visiting my Blog today, come again soon.

Mo x

Bloomin Heart and Bloomin Love

Posted on January 19, 2016January 19, 2016 by Mo Rootes

Bloomin Heart and Bloomin Love

Love is in the air and it’s never too early to think about Valentine’s Day, now less than a month away…eek.

With this is mind I thought I would try the Bloomin Heart Die from the new Occasions catalogue and I have to say I love, love, love it. This die is absolutely gorgeous, so delicate and detailed but having watched a few YouTube videos and read some blogs I knew it could be tricky to get a good cut.

With this in mind I had a couple of trial runs using different cardstock and BigShot sandwiches.

For the first run I used the BigShot sandwich as recommended by Stampin Up! – the multipurpose Platform (no tabs) + Precision Plate, cardstock, die and finally an acrylic plate. I found I needed to run the die through the BigShot 5 or 6 times to get a good cut.

For comparison I also tried the Magnetic Platform + the Precision Plate, card, die and acrylic plate and needed to run this sandwich through the BigShot a couple of times to get a good cut if I was using Foiled cardstock or Glimmer cardstock. This was the option I then used to make my cards but as every machine is calibrated slightly differently I suggest you have a play with your own BigShot to determine what works with your machine.

For the first card I die cut the intricate heart from Red Foil cardstock, so shiny and decadent looking. I then die cut the heart from a panel of Whisper White cardstock, popped out all the pieces to create a frame and backed the hole with a piece of Window Sheet. I slotted the Red Foil die cut into the frame and adhered it to the Window Sheet with tiny dots of Tombow adhesive.

I decided to keep the card fairly simple and added a strip of Real Red satin ribbon below the die cut heart. The sentiment is from the co-ordinating Bloomin Love stamp set and is stamped with Real Red ink and framed by the banner stamped in Basic Black Archival ink. The banner was then die cut using the co-ordinating die from the Large Numbers Framelit dies. I think this is such a classy looking card.

The second card I made has a softer look. I started with a card base in Pool Party cardstock and die cut the heart from Whisper White cardstock adding the smaller die cut flowers stamped in either Pool Party or Real Red. At this point I decided to turn the card on its side to make a landscape card.

I adhered the die cut heart to the right side of the card adding a piece of Blushing Bride cardstock with a flagged end cut using the Banner Triple Punch. Using the smaller flower stamps from the Bloomin Love stamp set, I created a background piece by stamping the flowers in Pool Party, Blushing Bride and Real Red and punching a banner end. I loved the look of this piece; it really tied all the colours together. I added a piece of the lovely, sparkly Pool Party Glitter Ribbon and some Basic Rhinestones to finish the card off.

I am really loving this set and hope you do too.

Mo x

Rose Wonder and Rose Garden Class

Posted on January 14, 2016January 14, 2016 by Mo Rootes

Rose Wonder and Rose Garden Class

Thank you to all the ladies who came to my classes this week. I really enjoyed your company, the chat and the laughs and thankfully you seem to enjoy making the projects using the beautiful Rose Wonder stamp set and Rose Garden thinlit dies. Happy days…….

These are the projects we made:

The first card we made using a Thick Whisper White card base and a layer of Blackberry Bliss card. We stamped the large rose and the sentiment with Versamark Ink and then heat embossed the image using Gold Embossing Power. The card would look amazing if you left it just as it is but when I was designing the class I decided to take it a step further.

The ladies were a bit surprised when I brought out a bottle of household bleach and handed paintbrushes round but they, like me loved the effect bleach had on the Blackberry Bliss cardstock, it turns a creamy gold colour, so pretty. You do need to apply the bleach very thinly, remember you can always go back and apply more. The embossed piece was then adhered to the card base using dimensional tape.

The second card involved some paper piecing which I loved. We stamped the large rose image with Garden Green ink on Whisper White cardstock then glued the outline of the die cut rose on top of the stamped green rose. I die cut all the roses from Blackberry Bliss or Melon Mambo cardstock ahead of time; it would have taken too long for everyone to do this in the class. The ladies were given either a Blackberry Bliss outline for the rose with Melon Mambo petal pieces or vice versa. They then had the fun of fitting all the pieces together…….. The sentiment was then stamped in Melon Mambo and the stamped piece mounted onto a Melon Mambo or Blackberry Bliss card base.

For the final project we used the Gift Bag Punch Board to make a small bag using Thick Whisper White cardstock. We die cut the smaller rose in the front of the bag and backed the hole with a piece of Window Sheet. We then die cut the small rose from Blackberry Bliss and used the outline to inlay in front of the window, adhering it with tiny dots of Tombow adhesive. The top of the box was tied with thick Blackberry Bliss twine (retired) with a piece of Gold Sequin Trim to add a bit of sparkle. Some of the loose sequins were added as you can never have too much bling.

We really enjoyed putting these projects together. I hope you like them and check back soon to see other projects I have been working on.

Mo x

Birthday Blooms in the Spotlight

Posted on January 9, 2016January 9, 2016 by Mo Rootes

I have finally had a day to myself to play with my new goodies and I chose to start with the gorgeous Birthday Blooms stamp set.

I loved the delicate look of the rose, it resembles the briar roses that grow in the hedgerows around our house and in the village.

I chose to stamp the rose in Basic Grey Archival Ink for a softer look and used the Shimmery White cardstock as I planned to do some water colouring with an Aqua Painter. To add interest I decided to try the spotlight technique and using a 1¾” punch cut a circle out of the stamped image making sure to include part of the rose with some of the leaves.

Birthday Blooms Spotlight

I water coloured the rose using a base coat of Blushing Bride adding shadows using Calypso Coral and Watermelon Wonder. The base coat on the leaves is Pear Pizzazz with Wild Wasabi to add depth.

Prior to matting the stamped piece onto a layer of Pear Pizzazz cardstock I punched the upper right corner with the Curvy Corner Trio Punch to add some interest. I also stamped the sentiment from the same set in Pear Pizzazz Ink in the lower right corner. Using Stampin dimensionals I added the water coloured circle to the card front and adhered the whole piece to a Watermelon Wonder card base. I used Watermelon Wonder ink and the small dotted stamp to tie in the background rose with the card base.

Birthday Blooms

I really love this card; it is soooooo pretty and feminine. Can’t wait to try it in other colours, I am thinking Wisteria Wonder, Perfect Plum and Elegant Eggplant or maybe So Saffron, Daffodil Delight and Hello Honey.

Let me know what you think?

Looking forward to trying out the Bloomin Love Stamp set and the Bloomin Heart die. Drop in soon to see what I come up with

Mo x

Spring/Summer catalogue and Sale-A-Bration brochure

Posted on January 5, 2016January 5, 2016 by Mo Rootes

Introducing the Spring/Summer catalogue and the Sale-A-Bration brochure from Stampin Up!

Oh Happy Day… the Stampin Up! Spring/Summer Occasions Catalogue goes live today…Whoop Whoop. And, as if that isn’t exciting enough, the Sale-A-Bration brochure also launches today. What a great start to the New Year.

For those new to Stampin Up, Sale-A-Bration is an annual 3 month event during which you can earn free goodies with qualifying orders. This year Sale-A-Bration runs from January 5^th – 31^st March and for every £45 you spend (minus P+P) you can choose 1 free item from the gorgeous Sale-A-Bration catalogue. How fab is that, who doesn’t love free stuff!

There are an incredible 7 stamp sets, 2 designer series paper (dsp) packs, 1 vellum stack and 1 Project life card pack in the Sale-A-Bration brochure to choose from and 51 …yes, 51 pages of fabulous goodies in the Spring / Summer Catalogue.

If you would like a copy of either or both catalogue/brochures please let me know and I will post one out to you. Alternatively go to http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/crafty-rootes/ click on shop now and the catalogues will reveal themselves in all their glory.

As a demonstrator I was able to pre-order from both catalogues a month ago and have been having a wonderful time playing with some of the lovely things, so check back here over the next few days to see what I have come up with.

You could also become a demonstrator by joining my team and during Sale-A-Bration Stampin Up! have an amazing offer, for £99 you can choose £130 worth of product – anything you like and you will also qualify for free Sale-A-Bration items.

A perk of being a demonstrator is access to new product a month before release to the public and a minimum 20% discount on all purchases. There is no obligation to run classes or host parties, you can join just to get the discount or you can turn it into a flexible business….it is entirely your choice. Contact me if you would like more information.

Mo x

Cutie Pie Christmas Trees

Posted on January 2, 2016January 2, 2016 by Mo Rootes

I know Christmas has now been and gone but I couldn’t resist using the Cutie Pie die to make 2 more Christmas Tree themed boxes for the ladies craft group.

The first box is made using the Cutie Pie Die set and Lost Lagoon cardstock. I also die cut the triangle from the same set of dies from Night of Navy cardstock and adhered this to the front of the box with Tombow liquid adhesive.

A tree from the Peaceful Pines stamp set was stamped in Mint Macaron ink and die cut using the co-ordinating Perfect Pines Framelit dies. I mounted the die cut tree on Stampin Dimensionals, offset to the right, on the box front. To hold the box closed, I wrapped Gold Cording Trim around 4 times and tied in a bow. The cording trim, both gold and silver are retiring on the 4^th January so get them in my online shop while you still can.

The second box is very simple but effect. The die is cut from Garden Green cardstock and embellished using the Real Red and Very Vanilla Enamel Dots from the Home for Christmas suite which retires on the 4^th January 2016, so if you like them go to my online shop and get them before they are gone. I used the ¼” Hand Held Punch to punch some circles from Gold Glimmer cardstock to give a little bling to the box. The box is topped by a Gold Glimmer star which was die cut using the smallest of Stars Framelits.

I just love using this die set for Christmas projects and can’t wait to try some summer cake box ideas out in the coming months.

I am looking forward to a bit more normality over the next few weeks and wish Happy New Year to everyone kind enough to visit this blog and many happy hours crafting.

Mo x

New Year Irresistible cards

Posted on December 29, 2015December 29, 2015 by Mo Rootes

Well, Christmas is over and the New Year is rapidly approaching. This year a group of us are gathering at a friend’s house to see in the New Year with a pot luck supper. Even better, we all live in the village so no one needs to drive. Happy Days…

To mark the occasion I decided to make each couple a New Year card.

In my stash, I found some Irresistibly Yours dsp from the 2015, Sale-a-Bration brochure and although this dsp is now retired, you could substitute a pattern from the Color Me irresistible Specialty dsp, found on page142 in the annual catalogue. This lovely paper is amazingly versatile as it can be sponged, spritzed, water coloured or inked in any colour to match your project.

I chose the starry pattern for my cards as this reminded me of fireworks and long nights. I sponged each piece of dsp in either Soft Sky, Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz, Rich Razzleberry or Calypso Coral ink using Stampin sponges. I then stamped the sun image from the Kinda Eclectic stamp set with Crushed Curry ink. Using a piece of kitchen towel I wiped over the inked and stamped dsp to remove the excess ink from the embossed areas, revealing the glossy white stars.

I die cut the 2016 using the Little Numbers Thinlits and Gold or Black Glimmer cardstock and added the HAPPY from the Crazy For You stamp set.

I mounted the dsp onto and added the panel to Thick Whisper White cardstock bases with dimensionals. Inside the card I stamped the happy new year greeting from the Teeny Tiny Sentiments stamp set. I tamped the sun image from the Kinda Eclectic stamp set inside each card and on the envelope as a finishing touch.

New Year cards

I am really happy with the cards, love the colours and a sparkly glimmer paper numbers. Really hope my friends like them. I hope you all have a happy and healthy New Year

Mo x

Cutie Pie Christmas Packaging

Posted on December 27, 2015December 29, 2015 by Mo Rootes

Still on the theme of Christmas and inspired by my upline Mikaela Titheridge http://thecraftyoinkpen.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/christmas-gift-packaging-voucher.html, I decided to make some Christmas boxes using the Cutie Pie die set. I bought this set a while ago but this is the first time I have used it and I have to say I love it.

Cutie Pie Christmas

The boxes are so easy to put together and the shape is much more versatile than it appears at first glance.

The first Cutie Pie box I made was a CASE of a project on Mikaela’s blog.

I used the retired Naturals White cardstock which I absolutely loved. I was so sad when this retired from the catalogue in June. You could however, use any cardstock for this project. I used the large snowflake from the Holly Jolly Greetings stamp set stamped in Cherry Cobbler ink. I randomly stamp the tiny snowy star image from the same set in Sahara Sand ink as a background. To give some dimension to the box I attached one of the larger Snowflake Elements with a glue dot and added a basic rhinestone for the obligatory Christmas bling. A piece of retired Cherry Cobbler Ribbon was used to tie around the box.

I decided to try the box again in a different colour and with different ribbon on the same cardstock. I used Cucumber Crush, one of the 2015 – 2017 in colours for the stamped snowflake and added a smaller wooden snowflake from my stash with a dimensional. I coloured the wooden snowflake using my Craft Whisper White ink and added a basic rhinestone. The background snowy stars I again stamped using Sahara Sand ink. The soft bow was made using the Dotted Lace Trim in Cucumber Crush. I think this colourway looks very fresh and modern compared to the richer Cherry Cobbler version, loved them both.

Mo x

Christmas Twist-Topped Boxes

Posted on December 23, 2015December 29, 2015 by Mo Rootes

Twist-topped box in 3 sizes

I love Christmas and this year it will go on until the end of January 2016 …. Whoo hoo. I have been asked to do a workshop for a group of local crafters who meet monthly to create a stock of Christmas goodies for their church Christmas Fair. I have been asked to come up with some new ideas for them to try.

First out of the starting block is a tall thin box inspired by Lea Denton – The Crafty Spark

. The box measures 1¼” wide by 1¼” deep by 5¼” high with the twisted top adding another 1½”

Like Lea, I used Night of Navy cardstock and stamped the 2 smaller snowflakes from the Flurry of Wishes stamp set in Versamark Ink. I then heat embossed with silver embossing powder, I love the effect this gives, so sophisticated, festive and shiny. The twisted top closure of the box was tricky to master but looked amazing when I finally got the hang of it. I loved the shape of the box and decided to try shrinking it down.

The second box is also 1¼” wide by 1¼” deep but is only 4” high with the twisted top adding another 1½”. I used Pool Party cardstock and the characters from the Snow Place stamp set. Using Pool Party ink I stamped the snowflake cluster from the stamp set onto the Pool Party cardstock to give a muted tone on tone effect. I stamped the penguin, the large snowman and 2 of the smaller snowmen using the Basic Black Archival Ink and die cut them using the co-ordinating Snow Friends dies. I stamped all their really cute accessories using Real Red and Pool Party ink before die cutting them. I couldn’t resist die cutting a top hat for the large snowman from the gorgeous black glimmer cardstock, which is sadly, retiring from the catalogue on the 4^th January 2016. Such a fun looking box which would be great for a child’s stocking.

I couldn’t resist shrinking it again…I know, I need to get a life… This final box is 3” high with the other dimensions remaining the same. I used Real Red cardstock for this last box and used it to showcase the Merry Moments dsp. A simple but lovely box.

This is such a versatile box and could easily be adapted for any season. I love them all and hope you do to.

Mo x