Masculine Monday - using Music Notes wheel

Good morning and welcome to my new series: Masculine Monday! It seems that lots of you are looking for inspiration for male cards and here is where you'll find it every Monday!

Today's card was made in the middle of the night when I came across this week's One Layer Wednesday challenge - to make a one layer card with music as the theme. A picture of my beautiful Music Notes wheel came into my head and then, despite the fact it was gone midnight, I just HAD to see what would happen if I got out some versamark and... Does that ever happen to you?!

The background was made using versamark ink, Baja Breeze ink and my new brayer. I've been wanting to try out brayering for ages but the only brayer I had was made of hard rubber and it didn't work properly. The Stampin' Up one is soft which makes it easy to get a smooth coverage. I got very excited while using it and this is definitely not the last time you see a brayered card on my blog!

Do you like the sentiment I used? I don't tend to use puns on sensible cards because they just make me giggle but I couldn't resist this one. Hopefully a sensible recipient won't notice...

Here's how to make this card:

• Cut a 7cm x 21cm piece of Very Vanilla card stock and score and fold it in half to make a card base. (You can make it any size you like - I just happened to have an envelope to fit this size.)
• Roll the Music Notes wheel in versamark ink and run it halfway across the card front. Load it with more versamark and run it across again, this time at an angle.
• Load the brayer with Baja Breeze ink and roll it repeatedly across the card front, starting and finishing off the card stock onto your scratch paper, until the whole card front is coloured evenly. (The Music Notes will show through as the versamark resists the ink - even without embossing.)
• Ink the Music Notes wheel up with Basic Black ink and roll it off on the scratch paper until it fades. Now roll it over the top of the card front. Now ink the wheel with Not Quite Navy ink and layer it over the top, overlapping the other images. Add more layering at an angle from the bottom of the card.
• Sponge the edges of the card with Not Quite Navy ink.
• Add a sentiment in Basic Black ink, using a stamp-a-majig for accurate position.

Supplies
Stamps: Thank You Kindly
Ink: Versamark, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Basic Black
Card stock: Very Vanilla
Other: Music Notes wheel

It was tremendous fun making this card. Why not have a go with this Resist technique yourself? You can get some great effects!

Now, I know I keep going on about it, but please don't forget that today is the last day to get free Sale-a-bration stamps when you order £45 or more! After today, the Sale-a-bration stamp sets won't be available anymore and I'd hate for anyone to be disappointed! Click here to email me with your last minute orders, or give me a ring on 01280 820593.

Thank you for looking here today. See you tomorrow for more crafting fun,

Less is More challenge 3 - daffodils

I have been away this week and most of my posts were prepared in advance, which means I've had severe crafting withdrawal symptoms! So today I thought I'd nip in a card for the challenge over at the brilliant Less is More site. The theme this week is 'spring' and I needed to look no further than my little garden for inspiration! Everything is beginning to blossom, thanks to the sudden appearance of warmer weather, but nothing says spring to me quite like a daffodil.

I don't usually use loads of stamp sets on one card, as I want my readers to be able to recreate them without too much expense, but I did use several on this one - the stems and leaves were from Just believe, the flower from Growing Green and the sentiment was from Hello Again.

I used a Marina Mist card base because it reminded me of the kind of sky you sometimes get in the spring that really gives you a new lease of life! Daffodil Delight is the perfect colour for the daffodil of course, and I love both colours together with a dash of Old Olive.

Have you seen the daffodil? The petals were stamped in Daffodil Delight ink and coloured with a blender pen, while the 'trumpet' was a 1/2" circle of Daffodil Delight card stock, pleated and stuck to the petals with Sticky strip.

Here's how to make this card:

• Cut an A4 piece of Marina Mist card stock in half vertically. Score and fold in half to make a card base.
• Cut a 7cm square of Very Vanilla card stock.
• Colour the stems on the iris stamp with an Old Olive marker. Use a stamp-a-majig to stamp the stems onto the Vanilla card stock.
• Use the stamp-a-majig again to add the sentiment using Marina Mist ink. 
• Use a paper piercer and the template from the mat pack to pierce a border round the Very Vanilla panel. Glue the panel to the card front.
• Stamp the petal image twice onto a scrap of Very Vanilla card stock using Daffodil Delight ink. Colour the flowers with more of the ink and a blender pen and cut them out with sharp paper snips. Stick the centres of them to the stems you stamped earlier and curl the petals towards you.
• Cut two circles using a 1/2" circle punch and pleat them tightly with your fingers. Attach them to the centre of the petals with Sticky Strip. 

Supplies
Stamps: Just believe, Growing Green, Hello Again.
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist
Card stock: Marina Mist, Very Vanilla, Daffodil Delight
Other: Old Olive marker, 1/2" circle punch

Well, I don't know about you but I am very much looking forward to a quiet weekend with my family. Between long car journeys, long hikes, long sleepovers and long lunches, I'm pretty well exhausted and need a holiday to get over my holiday!

Thank you so much for dropping in on my blog today. Don't forget that I'm starting my new weekly series Masculine Monday next week, so do pop back to see what I've been up to for that if you have a minute.

Have a fabulous weekend,

Three Minute Thursday - using the bird from Bliss

It's time for another Three Minute Thursday and today, I've made some little thank you note cards that would be suitable for males or females. They're only 7.5cm square as I happen to have some envelopes this size, but you could make this card any size and just add birds. Remember to keep them an odd number though!

The design is very simple and relies on the strong horizontal lines which were drawn with a ruler and the thick and thin ends of a Real Red marker. Because the ink in the markers is dye ink, it dries almost instantly and doesn't smudge. I love the pop of red against the Safari Sand card stock!

The little bird is one of my favourite images from all the free Sale-a-bration stamp sets. He's from Bliss and you could still get your hands on this set by spending £45 with me! After Monday though, the Sale-a-bration promotion will be over and the sets will no longer be available.

Here's the card again - in Crumb Cake this time. I was experimenting with where the lines should be! The 'texture' below the lines is the Sandy Speckles wheel. I love this kind of stamp as it's perfect for adding a bit of depth to a plain area or souping up a background and, at only £6.50 for the wheel, it's definitely worth trying out!

The sentiment is from the So Happy For You Sale-a-bration set - which contains sensible sentiments you'll use over and over again.

How to make this card:

• Cut a 15cm x 7.5cm piece of neutral-coloured card stock. Score and fold in half to make a card base.
• Use a ruler to draw a straight line across the card front (about 1.75cm from the bottom of the card) with the thick end of a Real Red marker. Add a line above it using the thin end of the marker.
• Add texture below the lines with the Sandy Speckles wheel, using the same colour ink as the card stock.
• Stamp the birds in Early Espresso ink, using a stamp-a-majig for accurate placement. You only need to tilt the bird very slightly to get different positions.
• Add the sentiment with the stamp-a-majig.

Supplies
Stamps: Bliss, So Happy For You (FREE Sale-a-bration sets)
Ink: Early Espresso, neutral (I used Safari Sand or Crumb Cake)
Card stock: Neutral (I used Safari Sand or Crumb Cake)
Other: Sandy Speckles wheel

I've been away in Tynemouth since Saturday and, although we all had a lovely time, it is good to be back in my little house. I've been trying to catch up with you all, but please bear with me if I haven't yet got to you! Thank you for checking in with my Three Minute Thursday today and if you'd like to take advantage of any of those free Sale-a-bration sets, do contact me very soon either by emailing me or by calling 01280 820593. I'm always very happy to hear from you!

Happy crafting,

Birthday card using the Punch Bunch poppies

I don't know if you've noticed but I LOVE the poppies from the free Sale-a-bration stamp set Punch Bunch! Here's another card I made with the stamp, this time using it to make a background paper.

It was simple to create the floral background: First, the flowers were stamped in Real Red, then the gaps daubed with Certainly Celery ink, then the whole image overstamped with the swirl from Baroque motifs using River Rock ink. By the way, if you've been ignoring this colour, you might want to think again! River Rock is a very subtle goldish colour - perfect for this kind of overstamping or as a neutral background. I'm finding myself using it more and more.

The floral design was quite flamboyant and could easily cope with competition from the stunning wide, striped grosgrain ribbon. The ribbon costs £10.25 for 9.1 metres, comes in 11 colours and you can always rely on it to add the wow factor to your projects!

Do you recognise the little Happy Birthday tag? Yes, it's the scalloped square image from the Punch Bunch set with the scallops cut off! I love this look and it's yet another example of how versatile these stamps are.

Here's how to make this card:

• Cut a 7.5cm x 10.5cm piece of Very Vanilla card stock.
• Colour the open flower on the poppy stamp with Real Red ink and stamp it onto the card stock. Repeat this until the card stock is covered with poppies. Sponge Certainly Celery ink in the gaps with a sponge dauber. Stamp the swirl from Baroque Motifs over the design using River Rock ink. Define the centres of the flowers with a Basic Black marker.
• Stamp the scalloped square image on a scrap piece of Very Vanilla using Real Red ink. Trim the scallops off and adhere the resulting tag to the underside of the poppy background.
• Tie a piece of Real Red, wide, striped grosgrain ribbon round the poppy panel and tie into a flat knot.
• Cut a 9.5cm x 5cm piece of Very Vanilla card stock and scallop one long edge. Mount the poppy panel onto this and attach to the front of an A5 Certainly Celery card base.

Supplies
Stamps: Punch Bunch (Free Sale-a-bration set)
Ink: Real Red, Certainly Celery, River Rock
Card stock: Very Vanilla, Certainly Celery
Other: Scallop border punch. Real Red, 1 1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon

It's now less than a week until the end of the Sale-a-bration promotion - where has the time gone?! If you haven't found time to get your free stamp sets yet, you really need to get your skates on! Remember you get to choose a free set for every £45 you spend and there are four exclusive sets to choose from. Click here to see the gorgeous stamp sets and for more ways to earn your free sets, and then contact me by email or by calling 01280 820593. I'll look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks for visiting today and, if you're looking for inspiration for really fast cards, do come back and have a look at Three Minute Thursday tomorrow. Until then, happy crafting!

Coordinated gift set using Greenhouse Garden

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you'll know that I LOVE a coordinated gift set! (If you look at the bottom of my right-hand side bar, you'll find my index under the heading Labels - just click on 'coordinated gift set' to see sets I've previously posted.) Today, I'd like to show you one I made for a friend's birthday:

Here's the box containing her gift... hmm, what could it possibly be...?!!!

The box is a standard base and lid made out of Whisper White card stock. I decorated the lid with another piece of Whisper White, stamped with a floral design using the Greenhouse Garden stamp set and mounted on a Night of Navy panel using dimensionals. A strip of organza ribbon passes under the floral panel and ties on both sides with another strip adhered to the bottom of the box base.

The floral design is stamped in blues - Tempting Turquoise, Not Quite Navy and Baja Breeze. Greenhouse Garden is a two-step stamping set, so each flower has an 'overstamp' which I added with Night of Navy ink using a stamp-a-majig. I love the depth this gives the flowers. The darker flowers are finished with a large self-adhesive pearl in their centres, while a Night of Navy marker defines the others.

Here's a close-up showing how the ribbon fastens. It looks pretty but of course its main function is to hold the box closed!

When the lid is taken off - you can see the gift is wrapped in tissue (I bought mine from a local market stall.) I like to seal the tissue closed with a sticker that coordinates with the design on the lid of the box. To make the sticker, I stamped the Not Quite Navy flower on an adhesive address label and cut it out with a circle punch. There's another of those self-adhesive pearls in the centre of the flower. What IS in the tissue?!!!

Another feature of the box is a place to rest fingers when removing the lid. I used a 1/2" circle punch to cut semi-circles on either side of the lid to create these.

This is a card I made to match the box. It was only a prototype - I felt that the double ribbon feature was a bit excessive on the card and made a much more CAS one for my friend who is a very elegant person! Sadly, I couldn't get a photo of it as I lost the light!

So what IS the gift inside this box? Well, I can reveal (since the box was opened at a delightful little dinner party last Friday evening) that the gift was the gorgeous Sanded background stamp. My friend is a keen stamper who makes gorgeous CAS cards with lots of individual touches. She doesn't yet have a blog but I promise I'll let you know when she does as each of her creations is a must-see!

Thank you so much for spending your time here with me today. I'll be back tomorrow when I'll be showing you something I made with those Sale-a-bration poppies again. I hope you can join me!

Mail Friendly Monday - fancy flower punch

Good Morning and welcome to Mail-Friendly Monday!

I'm posting today's card to my cousin who is having a stay in hospital this week. She hates hospitals - well who doesn't?! - and I wanted something to lift her spirits...

...which is why I came up with this positive little number! The bohemian style of clashing prints and bright colours was the inspiration for the card and I used designer papers from the PlayDate range mixed with the Tempting Turquoise striped paper and a Real Red card base.

The flower was made with the Fancy Flower punch which is now available again - yay! It costs £15.50 and is perfect for this kind of flower or for a more dimensional bloom like the one in the photo below. 

In case you're wondering, the designer paper in this card is from the stunning Greenhouse Gala range..

Now, there are changes afoot for Mondays here at Crafting Clare's Paper Moments. Lots of you have said that you don't particularly care about ease of postage - if you want to post something, you sinply make a flatter card of course! - but what you'd REALLY like is inspiration for masculine cards. Well, just to show you that i really do listen, what will happen from now on is that instead of Mail-Friendly Monday we'll have Masculine Monday! I'll enjoy coming up with ideas for that and really hope you'll join me on Mondays.

Meanwhile, one of my lovely friends has had a birthday and I'd love to show you the coordinated gift set I gave her. Do come back tomorrow when I'll have loads of pictures!

Birthday card using the Punch Bunch owl

If you'd asked me at the beginning of the Sale-a-bration promotion which was my favourite set I'd never have picked Punch Bunch. But I have been making cards with it all week and I am absolutely smitten! I'd recommend it for those astonishing poppies alone but the duckie mobile is fabulous too and the scallop square happy birthday image is incredibly useful... and what about the owl? Well here's a card I made using the owl:

He is the cutest creature I've ever seen! I just want to scoop this little bunch up and give them a big squish!

It took a little while to make this card because I had to cut the owl out five times - and those feet are fiddly! But when the new owl punch becomes available in April, this will actually be a very quick card and perfect for many occasions.

Just LOOK at them! All craning their necks to look at the little chap in the spotlight!

Yes YOU! It's YOUR birthday! Let's get started on opening those prezzies!!!

It is so easy to change the owls' expressions just by using a black marker! I urge you to have a play with this - it's so much fun! (And the perfect way to entertain children on a rainy day in half term...!)

Here's how to make this card:

• Cut a 15cm x 20cm piece of Crumb Cake card stock. Score and fold in half to make a card base.
• Cut a 6.5cm x 18.5cm piece of designer paper and attach it to the card front - I used this lovely leafy design from the fabulous Play Date range.
• Stamp your message with words from the Basic Phrases sentiment set, using a stamp-a-majig to keep it straight.

• Cut a 21.5cm length of Early Espresso grosgrain ribbon and cut an inverted V in each end. TIP: I keep a pair of paper snips for cutting only ribbon - that keeps them really sharp so your ribbon doesn't fray. Fix  the ribbon above the sentiment.
• Use an Early Espresso marker to colour the owl stamp, leaving out the centre of the eyes, and stamp on Whisper White card stock. Do this five times. Now colour your owls - I used Crumb Cake and a blender pen for their tummies and the rims of their eyes, and a Pumpkin Pie marker for their beaks. Add eyes with a Basic Black marker and enjoy watching your owls come to life!
• Cut the owls out using sharp paper snips and arrange them on the ribbon. Glue the back three of the group and use dimensionals for the frontman of the group and for the owl in the spotlight.

Supplies
Stamps: Basic Phrases (sentiment), Punch Bunch (FREE Sale-a-bration set)
Ink: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake
Card stock: Crumb Cake, Whisper White
Other: Early Espresso 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Play Date designer paper

I got the idea for this card from countless school plays and class assemblies that I've attended over the years. You've probably seen it too - the child who's gazing out of the window, in his own little world, blissfully unaware that it's his big moment and that he's been given his cue several times, increasingly desperately by his fellows... until a distinctly audible (and not always very polite!) cue comes from someone stage left and he is made only too aware that his time has come and - oh no! - he's forgotten his words!

Now, if you've been inspired by any of my Sale-a-bration samples, please don't leave it too late to get your free sets! Just click here to email me your order or ask any questions - I'm always very happy to help.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Three Minute Thursday - using Punch Bunch

Hi! Welcome to Three Minute Thursday - the place to find ideas for cards to whip up in a matter of minutes! This week I've been enjoying using the stamps in Punch Bunch, one of the Sale-a-bration sets you can choose free with each £45 you spend (click here for details.) And today, I've turned my attention to the scalloped square image in the set, teaming it with designer paper.

Folding the double-sided paper over at the top makes it look like a box with a contrasting lid! I adore this paper - Elegant Soirée - which comes in these beautiful, understated colours. The Happy Birthday image cuts out neatly with the scallop square punch - how fast is that?!

I didn't fold the paper sharply because I wanted it to keep a bit of dimension - can you see in this photo?
This is such a simple little card and rather good for a man I think. You could punch a hole in the middle and tie a piece of linen thread in a bow at the top of the 'box' if the card is too plain for you.

Here's how to make this card:

• Cut a 9cm x 18cm piece of Very Vanilla card stock. Score and fold in half to make a card base.
• Cut a 9cm x 7cm piece of designer paper. Loosely fold 2.5cm of the long side down so you end up with a 7cm x 6.5cm rectangle. Secure the flap with a small piece of Sticky Strip. Glue the paper to the card front.
• Stamp the Happy Birthday image in Not Quite Navy on Very Vanilla card stock. Cut out with the scallop square punch. Attach to the card front using dimensionals.

Supplies
Stamps: Punch Bunch (free Sale-a-bration set)
Ink: Not Quite Navy
Card stock: Whisper White
Other: Elegant Soirée designer paper

For those of you that have been wondering if I'm going to be able to stay away from those poppies in the Punch Bunch set, the answer is no! Here's the three-minute design using that gorgeous poppy stamp in a Tempting Turquoise/Real Red/Basic Black colourway - yum!

This designer paper is from the Brights Patterns Stack - £15.50 for four designs of 12"x12" double-sided sheets in every single colour in the Brights collection. I'm going to do the maths for you - it works out at less than 40p a sheet! Bargain! The stacks come in all four colour collections Subtles, Regals, Neutrals, Brights as well as the in colours.

I've been using the poppies this week as individual flowers, and loving the look, but I love the way it looks here when it's cut out with the scallop circle punch too.

I hope you've enjoyed these speedy ideas today and thank you so much for coming to visit my blog.
I'm always open to ideas and suggestions and love reading and responding to your comments and emails.
Do email me also if you'd like to place an order (and get your FREE stamp sets!) or if you're interested in joining Stampin' Up yourself.

Have a great day and see you tomorrow for something a little owlish...

Baby cards - using Punch Bunch

I've been having a wonderful time making baby cards today! I'm using the Sale-a-bration set Punch Bunch this week (free with orders of £45 - click here for details!) which contains a cute duckie mobile image. Here's one I made for a little girl:

I've never quite got over the excitement of working out that the Solid Stripes background stamp (just £9.95) is perfect for making gingham! It makes a great foundation for a baby card - as well as all sorts of other cards like this one or these.

I worked out that if I cut the ribbon into two parts it gave me much more control over what the bow was doing! So, to make the tails of the bow, I used one strip folded into a V and secured with Snail adhesive; to make the loops of the bow I made a piece of ribbon into a circle by fixing the ends together with Snail, then tied it tightly in the centre with linen thread. I threaded the ends of the linen thread through this gorgeous little flower-shaped button (from the brights assortment £7.75 for 72 buttons) and tied them in a bow.

The pretty duck mobile is surrounded  by tag-shaped dotted lines so it's easy to cut the shape out with the  small tag punch. I attached it to the card front with dimensionals to give it depth and added tiny pearls.

Here's how to make the card:

• Stamp a gingham background using the Solid Stripes background stamp, markers and a stamp-a-majig. TIP: You need to leave off two of the lines on the stamp to create a square image. I coloured alternate lines with Pink Pirouette and Pretty In Pink markers.
• Trim round the gingham and mount with dimensionals onto a 9cm square Very Vanilla card base.
• Colour the duck mobile image with markers and stamp onto Very Vanilla card stock. Cut out using the small tag punch and attach to the gingham panel using dimensionals.
• Make the ribbon embellishment as described above and fix above the tag

Supplies

Stamps: Solid Stripes, Punch Bunch (Free Sale-a-bration set)

Ink: Markers in Pink Pirouette, Pretty In Pink, Rose Red, Daffodil Delight

Card stock: Very Vanilla

Other: Pretty In Pink taffeta ribbon, linen thread, Daffodil Delight button, Basic pearls

And here's one I made to celebrate the birth of a special little boy who belongs to one of my Stampin' Up colleagues.

This time I used the duckie mobile on its own without the sentiment or the tag-shaped dotted line. I stamped three - always remember the rule of three! - between scalloped borders.

The little mobiles look as if they've been suspended by a dotted line! These were made with a paper piercer and the mat pack template. I think the tiny bows made from 1/8" taffeta ribbon add the finishing touch.

Here's how to make this card:

• Cut a 9cm x 13cm piece of Whisper White card stock.
• Ink up the duck mobile using Daffodil Delight and Marina Mist markers and stamp onto the card stock. Do this twice more.
• Use the template from the mat pack and a paper piercer to make a line from each mobile to the top of the card stock.
• Stamp a sentiment, using the stamp-a-majig for accurate positioning.
• Make three little bows from Marina Mist taffeta ribbon and attach to the tops of each mobile.
• Use the scallop border bunch to decorate strips of So Saffron card stock and glue to the top and bottom of the stamped and pierced panel.
• Attach to a Bashful Blue card base made by cutting a piece of A4 card stock in half vertically and scoring and folding in half.

Supplies

Stamps: Perfect Punches (sentiment), Punch Bunch (free Sale-a-bration set)

Ink: Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist, Night of Navy markers

Card stock: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, So Saffron

Other: Scallop border punch, Marina Mist 1/8" taffeta ribbon

Isn't it funny how, when you look at your hulking great teenagers, you remember as if it were yesterday the first moment you held them in your arms and fell utterly in love. My children continue to be a great joy to me and I feel very, very lucky to have them. (If my daughter were here now, she'd raise her eyes to the ceiling and say "Oh no - she's gone to Mumland again!")

Now, it's almost time for Three Minute Thursday again and I've just had a great idea for some super-fast cards using designer paper! I'll be showing you those tomorrow - hope to see you then!

Less is More Challenge - using Punch Bunch

Last week I was rushed off my feet, otherwise I would definitely have joined in with the new clean and simple challenge site Less is More. This week... I'm still rushed off my feet but I can't miss it again! The challenge is to produce a one-layer card using a flower or tree image. Well, I'm very fond of flower and tree stamps - so it was just a matter of deciding which one to use. And that was easy as I am currently obsessed by the poppies on the scallop circle in the Punch Bunch Sale-a-bration set!

Here's my card:

In yesterday's post I used these flowers as Shirley poppies - you know, those beautiful faded pink ones that look like delicate tissue flowers. Today I've chosen to colour them the scarlet of those poppies you see around here in the fields in the summer. I love how vibrant they are!

Adding score lines below the flowers helps to ground them. I daubed a little ink around them and added extra 'grass' with the thin end of a marker.

Here's how to make this card:

• Cut an A4 piece of Whisper White card stock in half vertically. Score in half and fold to make a card blank.
• Add a few score lines to the bottom of the card front. TIP: I use the scoring blade of my trimmer to do this. If you score on the back of the card stock, you get nice raised embossed lines on the front.
• Mask off the scored lines with a post-it note. Use Real Red and Old Olive markers to colour the flowers on the stamp before stamping in a random design above the scored lines. 
• Sponge some Certainly Celery ink round the bottom of the flowers with a sponge dauber and add extra grass and stems with the thin end of the Old Olive marker. Define the flower centres with a black marker. Peel off the mask. 
• Stamp a sentiment using a stamp-a-majig to make sure it's straight.

Supplies
Stamps: Punch Bunch (Free Sale-a-bration stamp)
Ink: Certainly Celery, Basic Black
Card stock: Whisper White
Other: Old Olive, Real Red, Basic Black markers

Valentine's day was lovely yesterday. My husband had left for a business trip at the weekend and I'd slipped a little something in his bag to surprise him. He didn't leave me anything and, although I tried to be a grown-up girl about it, I don't mind admitting that I felt a bit neglected! I needn't have worried though - the postman delivered mine yesterday morning, signed by 'an admirer from afar'! I don't know whether to be more impressed by the fact he remembered or the fact he kept it quiet!

Right! I'm off to have fun looking at everybody else's Less is More cards!
I'll be back tomorrow with some Punch Bunch baby cards. Do come and join me if you have a minute!

Mail Friendly Monday - Easel card with Punch Bunch

Good morning - and happy Valentine's day! Now, I know that you'll have already created all your Valentine's projects, so this morning I'm looking at birthday cards. Most of you will know that the Stampin' Up Sale-a-bration promotion is currently on, with free stamp sets available for every £45 you spend. I've really enjoyed show-casing the free stamp sets and this week it's the turn of Punch Bunch.

Just look at these beauties - all of which can be cut out with a coordinating punch (the owl punch will be available in April with the launch of the summer mini catalogue). When I first saw this set, the poppies on the scalloped circle really leapt out at me and I couldn't wait to use them. Here's a card I made with them:

When you want a card for easy posting with a standard letter postage stamp, an easel card is a great choice. It lays flat when you mail it but pops up into an attention-grabber when opened! And it's quick and easy to make too - and you know how I love quick and easy!

The poppy image in Punch Bunch looks beautiful on its scalloped circle but is easy to give a completely different look by using the flowers on their own. Here I used them to stamp a field of poppies. One flower has been stamped separately, cut out and popped it up on a dimensional - it acts as a kind of doorstop to keep the card open.

Here's how to make this card:

• Cut a 9cm x 18cm piece of Rose Red card stock. Score and fold it at 9cm and 13.5cm so that it looks like this:

• Cut a 7cm square piece of Whisper White card stock. Stamp the bottom with a design of poppies - use markers to colour the flower heads on the stamp in various shades of pink and the stems in Certainly Celery. Use a sponge dauber to sponge Certainly Celery ink between the flowers. Roughly sponge Bashful Blue ink on the top half of the panel.
• Use a stamp-a-majig to add a sentiment.
• Use a black marker to define the flower centres.
• Mount the poppy panel onto a 7.5cm square of Certainly Celery card stock.
• Turn the card stock round as shown in the picture below. 

• Fix a piece of Pretty In Pink taffeta ribbon around the card with Snail and attach the bottom of the poppy panel over it. 

• Add a piece of Whisper White card stock to the card base - you can write a greeting on this. Stamp a poppy onto a scrap piece of Whisper White card stock and cut it out with sharp paper snips. Fix it onto the card base with a dimensional - it will keep the card open.

Supplies

Stamps: Punch Bunch, So Happy For You (Both FREE Sale-a-bration stamps - click here for details)
Ink: Always Artichoke (sentiment), Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery
Card stock: Whisper White, Rose Red, Certainly Celery
Other: Markers, Pretty In Pink taffeta ribbon

These poppies remind me of a game I played when I was a little girl. I used to pick flowers to use as fairies; turned upside down, the petals of the flowers became the skirts of the fairies' ball gowns. (These Shirley poppies in today's card would have been perfect, looking like wisps of chiffon in shades of pink!) I used to put the 'fairies' on leaf boats that would sail down the stream outside our gate and I imagined they were on their way to the fairy queen's ball. When my own children were small, I shared this game with them. My daughter loved it and my sons were keen to play it too - although in their game the fairies tended to white-water raft to the fairy queen's ball and frankly not many of them made it!

Hope you're enjoying the Sale-a-bration inspiration. There are only two weeks of this promotion left, so if you haven't got your free stamps yet, please get in touch as soon as possible! Also remember, if you are wanting to sign up with Stampin' Up, you get to choose an extra stamp set while the promotion is on! I have forms ready for you to read through and am here to answer any questions you may have. To contact me please email me or phone me on 01280 820593.

Thanks for dropping in today. Hope to see you again tomorrow for more Punch Bunch fun!