Stamp storage

Today I thought I'd share with you how I store my precious stamps. (unmounted ones) This was a problem for me as I didn't have any system until I had a convo with another crafter at a local demo day, don't know who she was, but she gave me the best (i think) advice ever, which is basically to use laminated card which they will stick to. So grateful to her - thank you unknown friend :)
So this is my little stamp storage turorial. Here is what you need to get started:
                                                        stamps
                                                        ink pad
                                                        white card

                                                        laminator

                                                        laminator pouches

                                                        ring binder folder

1. Start with a piece of plain white card.

2. Next, stamp your images on the card.

You can place the stamps on the card first and shuffle them around to get the best fit. I tend to put the larger stamps to the left of the card as i think it makes for more secure balance when the stamps are stored. I also like to put the image lable from the packaging at the bottom for a quick glance reference.

3. Now time to laminate.....

4. ......and punch ring binder holes on the left hand side

 

5. Now place stamps on laminated card to which they will magically stick ;)

I deliberately place the stamps off to the side of the image so that I can see

quickly which one I want.

6. Now you can snap your laminated sheet of stamps

into the ring binder - it should hold about five sheets,

(or more, depending on the thickness of your binder)

 

7. Finally, here are my binders stored on top

of  my wooden stamp collection, because I

haven't got around to clearing a space for

them on my desk, or better still ask dh if he

will make them their own shelf..........  ;)

Thats all for today, hope it was useful to somebody.

Have a good one!

hugs x

Hip Hop Monday with {ippity}

Welcome to my corner of the hop. I hope I can whet your appetite for {ippity} stamps today ;) For the full list of participants, you need to check the Unity blog here

I used  Hip Hop Sketch Challenge  to make this card. I am sending it to a friend who is retiring, I think she will be a little happy :D

I used freebie papers from a magazine, so not sure of the names, and yet again the yellow dotty one is from Craftwork Cards - I am going through a Craftwork Card phase at the moment, they have some deee-licious papers! The sentiment is from the May KOTM framed by a Nestibilities lable 13 (i think) which I stencilled around in a beige ink, then I inked the edges with brown ink (a lovely little freebie gift sent to me by Unity) I trimmed with ribbon and lace, and stamped the flower stem (another freebie with KOTM -thank you unity - i do love you so xx) twice, coloured with copics and then covered in 3D gloss. Hope you like the finished card.

I am going to make another just like this one for my dd's old headteacher who is retiring after about 100 years!!! - well maybe a slight exaggeration - but she has certainly been there a loonng time.

Well thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of the hop today - there are many many more treats in store for you - next stop it's the lovely Christy Enjoy !                                                                                                              

Elisabeth x x

Beautiful day again, blue skies and SUN, SUN, SUN :)

Met a friend I have not seen for a few months for coffee and cake {yumyum}and got to meet her gorgeous four month old baby boy. Aahhh sweeeeeeeeeeet! Of course, dozy head that I am,  forgot his pressie and card. Duh. Will meet up again next week before he outgrows his gift!

I made a card for the challenge at Crafts 4 eternity this week, I was going to enter last week, but ran out of time....however...I had an image all picked out for the sports theme last week, and really wanted to use it, so thought how i could fit it into this week's challenge recipe which is:

1 Use the sketch
2 Nursery rhyme theme
3 Add a charm

I decided on the nursery rhyme, 1,2,3,4,5 - Once I caught a fish alive - 6,7,8,9,10 - then I let it go again! Why did you let it go? - Because it bit my finger so - Which finger did it bite?  - this little pinkie on my right!

Here is my entry, such a sweet stamp, it is a pain to use tho', because it doesn't give a great impression and you end up filling in the missing spots where there should be black ink, but I just love the finished effect. So for me it was worth the trouble. It was dirt cheap on ebay, so I won't complain.

I made a little fish with card and ribbon, and handwrote the sentiment. I think the charm is a bee, but it could be a fly - so flyfishing ;) I attached it to look like the fishing line.

Papers used: Polka dots - Craftwork Cards, blue checked - Nitwits, (green spotty strip- dont know-free with my Unity KOTM subscription,  light blue background - no idea - from stash!

Thanks for visiting xx

P.S. Have just completed a fabby blog hop with loads of great prizes! Interested? go here......

P.P.S. There is a-m-a-z-i-n-g blog candy to be won which I just had to share with you also over at
craftie-charlies!!! Go see !!!!

What happens when you can't sleep?

You make cards at 1.30 a.m.? Seems I have turned my sleep pattern crazy this week, I blame it all on my friend and her night out! While I was awake, I made a card for Craftwork Cards Challenge sketch 2, and also for the Playdate Cafe who chose some unusual colours this week, red, orange, turquoise and brown! here it is:

I am quite pleased with it - didn't know quite how these colours would work together, but somehow they do! Hope you like it! 

Love Elisabeth x

This one's for Waltzing Mouse's third challenge:

                                                                      WMSC3

I stamped the flower from the "Free Spirit - Boy" set onto white card then die cut it, the sentiment is from SU. The ribbon I used is pinker than the piccie shows here, teamed up with a strip of lace. Brown stripey paper from stash and the pink paper is scalloped with Martha Stewart punch and is from Papermania (Rose Garden)

The cat has just knocked my necklace over and is now throwing it around like a mad thing so I am off to rescue it :O

I need to make an anniversary card soon......for dh. it will be 21 years and I can hardly believe it! Wow!

Wedding

Went to my friend's hen night at the weekend - we went to a cocktail making class (then drank them all!) and then on for pizza and finally headed back for some fun and games at the apartment. Think I got to bed at 4 a.m.!! LOL! Am getting too old.................. anyways, I have made her a card for her wedding day in July, it is based on the Paper Piecing challenge from {ippity}

Details on SCS here:

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1734185?&cat=500&ppuser=252929

I used some great paper from Craftwork Cards - minty pearlescent called Richie. Yum!

Short post, family calling :) Hope you all have a sooooooperb day.

Tootle pip x

H{ippity} Hop Monday

For your viewing pleasure today, may I present my attempt at the single layer card challenge IHHC28 over at the Unity thread on Splitcoast Stampers 

I used {ippity} "Season of Joy" for the lable and stamped the cups from May KOTM inside. I then masked over the lable and stamped a flower from {ippity} "Now and Always" around it. The lable stands out quite well I think because I went round it with a pale shadow "green"(forgotten the name) copic pen.The sentiment doesn't show so well in the photo, but it goes with the cups and says "May your cup overflow with joy, love and laughter".

Short post today as I am writing at 2 am here, and have had a hectic weekend, and need to get some shuteye now . Looking forward to seeing the rest of the creations on the hop when I get up ;) Have a good one!



Love Elisabeth x

Friends with Flair Friday hop

Good morning Friends with Flair!! Have made this card for the Play Date Cafe Challenge : monochromatic with a touch of blue! It's a wee tongue in cheek card for my pastor who is playing in the church football team tomorrow and they are truly rotten!!!

PDCC34

Also World Cup going on......so hmmmm I will swallow my Scottish pride and say "Come on England!!" - Go Team!

I stamped "A bit of burlap" onto white paper, then stamped the flower from my new Now and Always in blue, and popped then onto the flowers stamped on the card. The sentiment is from "Delightful Little Things" and I added ribbon , Card Candy (black brads) and a football embellishment !

Happy Hop!

Elisabeth x

Waltzin mouse - tweak, tweak ;)

My submission for Waltzing mouse sketch Challenge 2 is tweaked a little from the original sketch, so am not sure if it still qualifies, but the candy round the actual oval didn't seem to sit so well, so I have pushed them (candy brads) out to the sides! More stitching on this card, I think I may be entering my stitching phase heehee. Enjoy!

WMCS2

Stamps: Graduate cap - Waltzing Mouse, Frame - Ippity, Sentiment - SU

Hip Hop Monday with Ippity :)

Welcome to the hop! If it's your first time, well you're in good company, because it's mine too! I am very excited to be taking part. I first came across Ippity Stamps when I was blog-meandering one day, earlier this year and I came across Emily at Ippity Inspiration and saw the ippity stamps and totally and utterly fell in love with them! They are cute, but not sickly cute, and have a collection of some of the most thought provoking and wonderful sentiments and sayings. The fonts used are so appealing, from traditional to retro, to downright funky : D lol, did I mention that I love them?! anyways I could go on and on and on, but I hear you say, forget all that, where is your make for today???????????

So without further ado, here it is:

(btw, I have changed sentiment in the bottom pic as first didn't show up so well - same card but different!)

IHHC27

The challenge was to use fabric/canvas in the design. This is my first attempt at making a card with sewing!!! I used scrap materials and distressed them a little, stamped the heart (Devoted- {ippity}) for the middle of the flower and sentiment (Just wanted to say -{ippity}) onto fabric and cut round them. The flower is made with scrunched patterned paper. I added a  little butterfly embellishment (parchment). I also used a bit of raffia under the sentiment to add more texture and interest. My card stock is the new Razzleberry from SU and some Kraft from my stash.

I hope you like it! You will find the complete list of  hop participants over at {ippity}  Next stop is Christy at Lone Pine Designs  :)

Have fun!

Birthday cards and A Very Exciting and Mysterious Secret!!!!!!!!

Here is my card for the Playdate Cafe Challenge I really love the colour combo for this (Raspberry, Aqua, Kraft and White) , in fact I think I may just have carried it on to my next project (more of that later ;) . I stamped some Waltzing Mouse flowers onto a plain tag and added in candy from Craftwork Cards, and marthastewarted (like my new word!) my Kraft paper! The sentiment is from Papermania and the little dragonfly embellishment was pleading with me to use it! I added a button and concertined (is that a word?) some hot pink ribbon from Smirk.

PDCC33

This next card I made for the Ippity Monday Hip Hop - shhhh, a sneeky peek if you happen across my blog this Sunday afternoon ;) I will have a fuller post dedicated to it tomorrow!!! I am sooo excited, this will be my first time taking part in the hop. YAY!!!!!

L

O

O

K

A

L

L

T

H

E

W

A

Y

D

O

W

N

h

e

r

e

and

remember

shhhhhush....

don't tell

anyone

yet.....

 

Saturday - fun play day :)

  

I love Saturdays! No work and all play ;) Today I am heading into the city for a girly lunch with friends from my bookgroup. I am soo looking forward to it! The rooftop restuarant is at the top of a tall building with a great view!

When I come back, I am looking forward to playing with this lushious colour combo from the Playdate cafe - isn't it yummy?

Catch you later !

Waltzing Mouse Challenge

Here is my card for the first Waltzing Mouse Challenge! Do you like the plaid paper? It's actually the packaging from my Waltzing Mouse stamps, in honour of their first challenge! I made a Father's Day card using the sketch. the big bubble stamp took a little while to ink properly, then I used the tip of stamping on top of a piece of foam, which did the trick nicely. Et voila!

Playdate Cafe - and Unity - Yay!

I am playing in the playdate cafe this week! Inspiration from the piccie above. Unusual colour combo for me, lemon, pale peach and peach. I am also playing with {ippity} based on this sketch, and have combined the two challenges :) Here is my card :

PDCC32 and Unity HHSC10

Then, after all that hard work, it was time for a glass of this :

I think the wine matches the colours on the card lol - purely coincidental i must assure you - I haven't reached that level of ummm what's it called .....anal retentiveness is it?  (not yet anyways heehee)

Cheers my dears!

And the Crafts 4 Eternity winner is....

......me!!!!!!

I am so excited! This was my first time playing at Crafts 4 Eternity, but it won't be my last. Thank you for your welcome and lovely comments on my blog.

I love how a person can be inspired by a sketch. I started cardmaking seriously this year, and it just amazes me how much creativity is within people and half the time they don't realise it.
Speaking of inspiration, yesterday I got some new {ippity} stamps in the post from Emily, can't wait to play with them!
Have a great day! x

To blog or not to blog

Hey there! Sorry I haven't been around for a bit. Tbh i haven't been in the mood much for blogging, not sure why.....anyways, back again. The sun is splitting the skies here, it is a gorgeous day! Lucky me to have a day off work :) I had to take my dd to school as she slept in and missed the bus, so on the way back, I stopped to buy some garden compost - planning to plant some lovely pots later today, anaenome and californian bluebell bulbs.

I have made a little gift bag with my new Ippity stamps, really pleased with it. Do you like it? Based on a sketch from Crafts 4 Eternity. I love the Ippity sentiment, the more I read it, the more meaningful it becomes to me. I might make a little card to go with the gift bag later today, but for now, its out to enjoy the sunshiney day :) Hope you have a lovely day too!

Hugs
Elisabeth x