Stampin Up Independent Demonstrator Dawn Howard

CHRISTMAS CARD IN A BOX I've been pretty busy recently both making things myself and running classes at home and a couple of other places. So Here are a couple of quick photo's of cards in a box that I made for a Christmas Fair. There are a super way of creating a lasting impression as the recipients often leave them on display.

                                                            Embellished Ornaments I made these ornaments for classes last year and have repeated them again with new customers this year so I thought it was worth sharing. Particularly as today Stampin' Up has the bundle of them reduced by 20%. They can be made in any colour way and also to speed things up you can use designer series paper as the dies will cut through 3-4 pieces at a time. I hope you're all enjoying the crafting rush that comes with the run up to Christmas.

STAMPIN' UP Shadowbox Sampler 2016   Here is my first design for Shadow boxes for this year/ These are always a favourite among my customers and I'll be offering a selection for people to come along and make at my classes. Once I had decided what I was including the sampler was petty easy to make and I think any level fo crafter would be able to complete one within 2 hours. I have used several embossing folders for the white layers and added dazzling diamonds glitter to trees and Santa. Hope you like it - please get in touch if you want sizes of layers etc. 

STAMPIN' UP! COOKIE CUTTER AND SWEET HOUSE SETS I have had so much fun with these sets. They are so cute. The Cookie Cutter stamp and matching punch are so easy to use, yet create simple but very cute items. The Sweet house set takes a little longer to stamp and die cut all the candy but the finished product looks good enough to eat. I'm offering this as a class and will also be selling them at craft fairs. I'm just working on a Halloween version, a New baby one and an Eskimo one - all using items form the same bundle. This is using a 20 cm wooden heart but I'm going to try it with smaller hearts as well and the black frame is a 5inch by 7inch. 

BABY BEAR - Wedding Card This was a card I made way back in April when I first got this set - and being my usual disorganised self it had been lost under a great pile of other " in progress" cards.  I used sweet sugarplum and some non SU ribbon. It shows the versatility of the stamp set - great for birthdays, wedding and baby cards.  I'll also be getting it out soon to make some traditional Christmas cards and simply adding a Santa hat to the bear.

Butterfly Card in a Box I was demonstrating how to make a card in a box at a festival last weekend and they were very popular. I sold lots of ready made ones and received several orders. So these are 2 identical cards made for a couple that I have just delivered tonight.  I plan to do a photo tutorial later in the week as I am making lots more using the new fox punch and stamp set so pop back early next week to have a look. I've used elegant eggplant, wisteria wonder and silver glimmer paper, the number of years stamp and die bundle plus butterfly punches and dies.

Crafting at the weekend I'll be spending all weekend at the Etruria Canal Festival. There's lots going generally and I am there doing a mix of demonstrating, displaying the new catalogue and lots of different samples to give you inspiration. Fingers crossed for good weather !

EMBOSSED BABY BEAR This is clearly my favourite stamp set at the moment and I have been trying out lots of different colour combinations and techniques. Here are the finished cards and underneath I have done a step by step photo guide - which is a first for me. The bear is stamped in smoky slate and dapper denim, sponged in marina mist.  Bear is stamped in soft suede and early espresso and sponged with peekaboo peach. Here are my supplies all laid out First I stamped image no 2 of the stamp set on whisper white in pink pirouette. Remember to use your piercing mat or other foam pad underneath any photopolymer stamp sets so you get a good image. Then I stamped image no 3 of the set with melon mambo. It does take a bit of practice to line the stamps up so practice a few times first on scrap paper. I find it best to make sure the bear's bottom and the gap between arms and body are lined up. Then finally use image no 1 and versamark to stamp

Stampin Up Baby Bears I was very excited to receive my new order which had all the new in-colours for 2016-2018 in and I've used them for the first time here. I think these 2 - flirty flamingo and dapper denim are my favourites but it is early days yet. I've used a new background stamp called playful backgrounds on both of the cards and my colour combinations are dapper denim/soft sky and flirty flamingo/pink pirouette. Onto wedding cards using the same set tomorrow.  

2016- 2017 NEW CATALOGUE Baby Bear   Here are 2 VERY simple cards using a new stamp set from the 2016-2017 catalogue. I was very lucky and won this in " Prize Patrol". It's a 3 step stamp so I stamped the 3 different bear images in increasingly dark colours. I'm hoping to have more of a play tomorrow and make some more complex cards. I'm not a great one for puns on cards and can just about live with this one - I'm still undecided on the greeting that's meant for weddings. Pop back in a couple of days to see what it says.     This is stamped in Crumb Cake, Tip Top Taupe and Early Espresso for the bear and Watermelon Wonder for the bow and greeting.  It's taken a few attempts to get the hand of lining the 3 images up but I think I'm nearly there and am looking forward to doing some stamping in daylight tomorrow.     This one is done in Soft Sky, Pool Party and Bermuda Bay for the bear with Island Indigo for the bow a

NEW YEAR - New Blogger !!! Well we all make promises that we hope to keep. So let's see how I manage this year. I've had a fairly busy Christmas with lots of visitors. The downside is that my craft room is the guest room so I had to tidy away and really been unable to craft from Christmas Eve till my last visitor leaves tomorrow ! I am desperately in need of some crafting therapy -  not to mention planning time as I have the first class of the New Year on Monday afternoon. Here are photos of some of my Christmas makes that have been adorning all my walls for the festive season. Making Frames is my home décor is my favourite type of crafting so I have lots of lovely spring designs planned in my head.  Wishing you all the very best for 2016- may it bring you health and happiness.