...phew

Quick not about orders. All orders have now been processed!! everything in in the post as of yesterday and today - I will be sending out shipping notices as before, but it might be a moment or two before I get them all done!!! Thank you all so much!! have fun!!

...wow

Thank you all for the amazing response to the Celtic Heritage and Irish Blessings stamps (see below)!! I am knee deep in it lol. Next time I release stamps I'll be sure and have some cards etc ready to post after the release!! I haven't had time to make anything this week yet. Back soon with something to look at!!

...Launching Celtic Heritage and Irish Blessings

I was going to put up more samples this am but I figure everyone is just about fed up looking at samples and wants to see the stamps, so here they are!!

Celtic Heritage - Jam packed with essential Celtic images. Shamrocks aplenty, 3 and 4 leafed versions, a claddagh, a beautiful Celtic cross, babies, a heart, knotwork, a heraldic frame and even a thistle for all you Scots Irish folk.

Click on the pic to make it bigger and spend a moment or two reading all the handy sentiments, please note spellings are american, I think the only word different to english is 'Neighbor' tho.

Please be aware there was a last minute change to the supporting font - Irish style words and images are not affected - check it out here if you need to know more.


Irish Blessings - Blessings and Toasts for those all important occasions, my favourite bit? the wee cottage - can't wait to see what you folks do with that!! Have fun trying to pronounce all those Irish sayings!! lol. Luckily translations are given underneath. (no, i can't pronounce them either!)

Click on the pic to make it bigger and spend a moment or two reading all the handy sentiments.

Please be aware there was a last minute change to the supporting font - Irish style words and images are not affected - check it out here if you need to know more.

If you click on the pics they will get bigger!

Delivery information. Please allow the standard 14 days for delivery - although the sets are launching today and you will be able to purchase, the actual despatch will take place a few days from now when I receive the new stock. This is due to the last minute change to the supporting font. For more information see this post.

Click here to go directly to my online store.

Click on the pictures and they should get bigger so you can see the details.

In the store you will be able to purchase the stampsets and also read all of the other shipping and delivery information. Please take a moment to look at the entire page and then, if you have any queries,email me.

I will ship to US and Canada and Australia, UK and Europe, if you are somewhere else just drop me an email.

The stamps are top quality, clear photopolymer, self sticking stamps for use on clear acrylic blocks (not supplied). Supplied on clear plastic with matching printed image sheet, all in a polybag. They are priced £13 sterling which is roughly equivalent to US $21 and Euro 15.50 (though the exchange rate is subject to fluctuation as you know.)

Thank you. To everyone who has visited and is currently supporting me on my journey! your kind comments keep me going.

So, do you have the Irish?

There are a couple of Irish sayings in the Irish Blessings set that I felt you could use a little help with, they are given below:

céad míle fáilte - A hundred thousand welcomes
This is a very wee known Irish phrase - (pronounced kade meelah faultcha) Use it anytime you need to welcome someone - new neighbor - guests to your house/party etc.

Mo chuisle mo chroí - Darling of my heart
(pronounced muh kwish-la muh cree) The term more accurately translates as 'Pulse of my heart' but the 'Darling of my heart' version has been culturally accepted and is a more pleasant way of expressing the feeling. Use it for your nearest and dearest, a good alternative Valentine sentiment.

Go n-eírí an bóthar leat - May the road rise with you
(pronounced go nigh-ree on boat-or lat) Another well known phrase - part of an old blessing and great to use when someone is going away, or to wish someone luck with a task they are undertaking.

Sláinte - Good health to you
(pronounced - slawn-che)
Well known Irish version of Cheers! or Good health!

Top o’ the mornin’ to you and the rest of the day to yourself.
A quaint old Irish way of wishing someone good day and as an added bonus, hoping that they get to spend some time to themselves! No longer used in everyday speech, I thought this lovely old saying would make a great sentiment for a wishing you well card.

Let love and friendship reign forever
An Irish phrase particularly associated with the claddagh - the two hands clasped to either side of the crowned heart. The Claddagh is, traditionally a betrothal, also associated with friendship. Eminently suitable for weddings, engagements, valentines and friendships.


Last word
The last images you hadn't seen were the cottage and the celtic cross. I'm excited about the cottage as it is based on a hand drawing that I did for this card. The actual stamped image of the cottage in Irish Blessings is shown below.

...Celtic Heritage Day 5 Quick note

Just to let you know I am taking the store offline this evening to allow me to add the new stampsets for tomorrows release!!!!!! Scroll down for news about the stampsets that you may have missed.

Celtic Heritage day 5 Important info.

I did wonder when I would run into my first problem. Being so new to this industry there are bound to be a few hiccups. So this morning I need to let you folks know what happened over the weekend.

I have been having a lovely time making samples and reading lots of great comments when I began to have concerns over the small lightweight font (text style) I had used as a sentiment text in both of my sets due to release tomorrow. In particular the gap in the top of the 'o' and the tail of the 'r' made the sentiments look as if they were not stamped with enough pressure. I liked the casual look of the font when I picked it and had no way of knowing that this would arise.

ED - I do apologize to anyone who feels very strongly about the original font. I was simply not happy that it was going to give consistently good results. If you are really not happy with my decision I do invite you to email me for a chat about it. I did love the original font but unfortunately it was one of those that did not translate well into a stamp - even at a larger size. I even had a letter lose a piece while being cleaned. My first duty has to be to provide quality, usable stamps to my customers. Hoping you will understand.

The lovely Irish looking words are not affected. Phew.

I cannot and will not send out stamp sets that I know might give rise to problems. So, over the weekend I have adjusted the artwork and sent the new artwork off for production.

Above, you can see the original text style in the top sentiment compared to the new text style in the bottom sentiment.

What this means for you, is that I am still able to release the stamp sets tomorrow and show the full sets up on my blog here and in the store but actual despatch of the new sets will be delayed by a few days until I take delivery of the new stock and am able to physically post it out to you.

I am hoping you will all understand the action I have taken. Rather than stick to my original schedule and send out potentially problematic sentiments I choose instead to delay the despatch a little and send out good quality stamps that I am happy to recommend.

I do welcome any comments on this issue - positive or otherwise.

On with the samples!!

Today I want to introduce you to the birds. I find these particular bird images useful in so many ways. There are a matching pair (separate stamps) and a baby!!!! Cards with love, anniversary, togetherness and baby themes are all good for these images - I could even see them gold embossed on a wedding card.

Lovely to colour in or emboss or just simply stamped, I'm very pleased with this little family. Can I just point out how the wee little baby bird actually fits inside the mommy bird!! take a look at the middle card below. I had a glorious anniversary card made and then couldn't post it due to the font change (see above) but at the bottom there is a peep at how I coloured the birdies using copics and then used the blender pen to lift little dots of colour out for a nice textured effect.

There are believe it or not two more images, one of which is a bit special that you haven't seen yet. Tune in tomorrow - you will get to see the whole sets then. I want today's post to stay up all day today so that everyone is aware of the font issue.

Thanks for looking.

Celtic Heritage Day 4 Second Post

ED - don't forget to scroll down - you might have missed something!!!!

Tonight's second post features a stamp that I really wanted but nearly didn't make.

I was concerned that the fine line of this Celtic border stamp (Celtic Heritage set) might make the stamp too flimsy for use. Certainly, compared to the solidness of say, the heart shape, this border stamp will require a little patience when you pull it off the carrier sheet but I have used it and washed it in the same way I do other stamps ( I use a soft bristled toothbrush and water straight afer I have finished stamping for the night. Very mild detergent and a good rinse if using chalk inks) and I am very happy with it.

I really felt it was worth the couple of seconds carefulness to be able to produce such a fine delicate border. Many Celtic inspired stamps can be clumpy which I find odd. When I look at the great illuminated manuscripts I see inch wide panels containing hundreds of lines, exquisite detail and fine lines. I wanted to capture a little of that in my stampset. I hope you agree.

The card also uses a sentiment from the Irish Blessings set and another shamrock from the Celtic Heritage set.

To answer a question that pops up from time to time - Of course these sets are going to be available to US residents!!! Also to European Australian and Canadian residents at present. You might like to pop over to the store and check down the left hand sidebar for information on shipping etc. Many thanks for asking.

The next card tonight is a simple and elegant St Pats card. Whipped up in a trice (been reading Enid Blyton!! lol) using the wee square from Irish Blessings and one of the shamrocks from Celtic Heritage. Sentiment stamps from Celtic Heritage also.

Hope they tickle!

Celtic Heritage Day 4

This little card uses one of my favourite sentiments "Top O' the Mornin' to you and the rest of the day to yourself." (From the Irish Blessings clear stamp set I'm releasing in a couple of days!!!)This old fashioned Irish greeting is such a quaint way of wishing someone a good day, with the extra bonus of hoping they get some time to themselves - we could all use a little of that!!! Lol.

I paired it with a lucky shamrock, there are 3 different styles in the Celtic Heritage set and here I used the knotwork version.

The background was made by stamping a little square celtic motif (Irish Blessings) in cream ink onto a Ripe avocado cardbase.

That little square motif measures 3/4 inches square and is so easy to use to build backgrounds. Such a useful wee shape.



This next card features a thistle image, handy for Scottish related cards - my card uses the sentiment Slainte (Meaning - Good health to you) which is used in both Irish and Scots Gaelic. Technically, the accent over the 'a' should face the other way for Scots but there simply was not enough room in the stamp sets for both versions.

Living in Northern Ireland I see references to the Scots Irish all the time. The stories of Scotland and Ireland are entwined throughout history and there are many folk here and in America who consider themselves Scots Irish, having ancestry in both lands. this was a good reason for me to include the thistle in my designs.

The thistle is framed by a delicate Celtic style border which is very like a heraldic shield in design. I envisaged this combination of stamps being particularly useful for Scrapbookers. The Heraldic shield frame can also be used to frame the shamrocks and heart images in the set, more on this later.

Not having any suitable tartan paper to put behind my image I made my own using copic markers - a few pics below illustrate how easy this is, you gotta try it!! You can make any colour combo you like but I picked copics to match the Bamboo (green) and Boysenberry (purple) Versacolour inks that I used for the thistle and shield stamped images.


You can build up the pattern colour by colour - I found a clear quilting ruler very handy for this but as long as your spaces are even you should have no problems. I made sure there was 1/2 inch space between each of my thick green lines, then left 1/8 inch between the green and purple lines. I used Vintage cream card as my base card.




The last card this morning is one of my favourites from this release - I love to stamp backgrounds and chose the solid lunette (Celtic Heritage) together with the mini shamrock (Irish Blessings) to make my backgeound. I inked up the lunette with either Raw Sienna ink or Cognac before rolling the edges a little in Pure poppy ink (all Palette inks, PTI). I used this as a background for one of the sentiments from Irish Blessings which I just finished off with a very delicate outline four leaf shamrock (Celtic Heritage).

Hope it tickles.


I'll be back later with more!!!

Celtic Heritage Day 3 Second post

ED - the ink is a Versamagic Dew drop multi surface chalk ink called Turquoise gem. It is a stunning colour. Ribbon came from a local store - there was no brand name on it, sorry.

A quick card using the chalice image and sentiment from my upcoming clear stamp set Celtic Heritage due to be released early next week! Again I used the lunette, this time to make a pretty frame for the chalice - such a handy shape.

A dash of matching ribbon and sentiment - what could be simpler?

Check in in the morning again to see what's next!! Also scroll down to see if you missed anything today!!

Celtic Heritage Day 3

Oh my gosh, I have so many things I want to show you all - there are quite a few images in the Celtic Heritage set. I really spent a long time stuffing as many things in as I could - I seem to be obsessed with fitting as much in as I can - I can't tell you how long I spent just rearranging all the elements to make them fit onto the carrier sheets. There were stamps that didn't make the cut - I may have to do another Celtic set sometime lol!

If you are new to my blog, I just want to let you know that I started my own stamp line last month and I am releasing my next two stampsets early next week, I am aiming to put everything up for sale on Tuesday, which feels like a long way away right now, but I have so much to get through, I'm hoping it will be enough time!!

This mornings first card features a fun baby image, I can't make baby cards without thinking of a certain person who makes baby cards daily, I wonder what she'll make of this one!! lol. It's a little baby wrapped in a 'cable' or 'plaited' blanket. I particularly love this wee image so much that I made two - one solid image that you see here and one 'open' image suitable for colouring or paperpiecing, which you will see later.

I love how you can bend clear stamps - like I did for the 'Congratulations on your' sentiment, tho it's always important to 'unbend them and let them get back to their natural shape as soon as you have finished using them in this way. You don't want to distort the stamp permanently.

The New Baby sentiment is made up from two separate sentiment stamps 'A New' and 'Baby' - I just wiped the excess ink off the letter 'A' before stamping.

The background was stamped in cream ink using one of the lunette stamps I mentioned yesterday. I so love that stamp - it is such a versatile image.

The panel on which the baby is stamped is a nestabilities label 4 with the sides trimmed off to give a nice thin panel. The sentiment banner was made by placing two circular dies, one inside the other annd then using this to cut cream cardstock - you get a nice donut ring shape that you can trim down and cut tails in to make a banner like mine.

This mornings' second card pairs the Claddagh design from yesterday with one of the Irish Blessings. I love all of these sentiments and, like the Celtic Heritage images, they are so appropriate for a wide variety of occasions. This particular blessing is a Toast, probably intended for a bride and groom but I think the sentiment extends to all who live under one roof - including warring siblings! It's a nice way of wishing someone prosperity (may your roof be well thatched) and harmony at home.

I'll be back later today with some more bits and pieces.

The baby card uses Hibiscus ink and card and Vintage cream ink and card from PTI. The Claddagh card used PTI Vintage cream card, Cosmo cricket everafter paper and Palette Raw sienna ink and Distress ink, can't remember what shade brown if you really need to know, leave a comment! Lol.

Celtic Heritage Day 2

If you're new to my blog - I'm showing samples this week of things I've made using my two NEW clear photopolymer stamp sets due for release early next week!!!

This mornings items feature a braid rope border stamp that I used to make the background of the gold wedding card yesterday.

I wanted to show you a neat trick to use with this stamp - because it is a clear long thin bendy stamp you can curve the image!!! I use a nestability circle die as a guide, placing it directly onto my acrylic block and then curved the stamp into place inside it - see?



I used this technique to help me make the circular border for the top of my welcome tin - I added my sentiment in the same way. I was really pleased with how this worked and also it guaranteed that my border would fit correctly when I cut it out with the die.

I then took the stamp off the block and laid it out flat to stamp a strip of card to make the border for around the outside of the tin, here I stamped the sentiment 'Be Happy' (Celtic Heritage) first and then a braid on either side - I trimmed it at the back to fit the tin.

I used one of the two lunette shapes I talked about yesterday (from the Celtic Heritage set) on the lid. I used the solid lunette for this project, stamping two close together, with the straight edges beside each other - so easy with clear stamps! When you stamp the image in this way it is so easy to just go ahead and punch it out with an EK success 1 and 3/4 inch circular punch (Whale of a punch - greeny/olive colour)

A very easy little altered project - this would make a good party favour container, I had this in mind for a new neighbour - I'm going to put a nice key ring in it and give it as a little welcome gift.

The second card this morning used the braid stamp as a very simple element on a quick and easy friendship card. It was gold embossed.

It features the Claddagh symbol which is a crowned heart between two hands - this is an old Irish betrothal symbol, commonly used on wedding, engagement, and friendship occasions. The most likely place that you will have seen a claddagh is on a ring - it is a common feature in Irish jewellery, traditionally given as a friendship or wedding ring. For this reason I chose to gold emboss the image here. Read more about it here. This info is from Wikipedia:

• The Claddagh's distinctive design features two hands clasping a heart, and usually surmounted by a crown. The elements of this symbol are often said to correspond to the qualities of love (the heart), friendship (the hands), and loyalty (the crown). The expression which was associated with these symbols in the giving of the ring was: "With my two hands I give you my heart, and crown it with my love." Yet, the expression, "Let love and friendship reign forever" can be found as another meaning for the symbols.

The phrase 'Let love and friendship reign' also associated with the Claddagh, the 'welcome' sentiment and the braid stamp are both from the new stamp set releasing early next week:

Irish Blessings

Celtic Heritage Day 1

Lets start with a couple of samples made with images from one of my new sets

Celtic Heritage

I will be releasing two NEW clear photopolymer stamp sets for sale early next week!!! Join me between now and then for loads of samples here on the blog. I will be posting daily - sometimes twice a day and there might even be a competition!!!

I have noticed that I feel more 'Irish' around milestone events - do you know what I mean? - we are each of us somehow more conscious of our roots and heritage when we are experiencing all the feelings and emotions that go with weddings, births, christenings, birthdays and even during times of loss and sadness. These things cause me to reflect on my past and my connections. I think there must be many people who experience this.

With this in mind I have designed a set of stamps that will be my go-to set for major events, and which is also suitable for a huge amount of everyday occasions. Being from the Emerald Isle, the theme is of course Celtic.

This set is designed for folks who relate to any of the following:

• You may have Celtic (Irish, Scots (wink!), Welsh, Central European) ancestry.
• You may have Celtic partners, friends, inlaws, aquaintances
• You celebrate Celtic events such as St Patrick's Day and appreciate the luck of the Irish!
  
• You like Celtic imagery such as knotwork
• You like Ireland

I have tried to make the images in this set as versatile as possible so that you can use each of them for many different occasions. I have crammed as many sentiments as I could into the set also Lol. I love it when I get a stamp set that has loads of potential, as I believe Celtic Heritage does!!

I am staggered by the possibilities in this set that I didn't even see when I was drawing it up and I hope to share as many ideas as I can with you over the next week.

Card deets:

The first card is a fairly formal Wedding card - I used 3 image stamps here. A Celtic knotwork lunette. A Celtic knotwork heart and a cable border. Plus sentiment.

The heart was embossed with gold filigree detail embossing powder and then cut out rather handily with the EK success Whale of a punch that I mentioned in yesterday's post. As well as being a timesaver, this gives such a neat finish. I dipped the edge of the punched out heart into versamark and then dipped it lightly into some more gold embossing powder - once it was heat set it gave a lovely gilded egde to the heart.

I used nestabilities label die to get the nicely shaped panel which was also gilded around the edge. I used the knotwork lunette to stamp some Celtic detail at the top and bottom of the panel. I used Distress ink Antique linen which co-ordinates beautifully with the gold. Added a touch of ribbon and stamped and gold embossed the sentiment. - Did you notice the little Celtic font?? It is such a clean cut font, I love it.

I used the cable border stamp repeatedly to make a subtle background pattern for the gilded panel. The ink is Distress ink Antique linen. Couldn't resist gilding this as well - it is a wedding card!

The second card used the same heart and lunette shapes as the first but is a more casual interpretation of a wedding card. The heart is clear embossed and the sentiment is white embossed. I cut a semicircle out of the piece of Ocean tides cardstock and used the space to highlight the knotwork lunette, also stamped in Ocean tides ink. Guess what!! the lunette was also designed to co-ordintae with a circle punch - also a Whale of a punch from EH success, it punches circles approx 1 and 3/4 inches diameter. Look out for more on this.

The heart shape used here on wedding cards would so obviously be suitable for many other occasions, most obviously Valentines day as well as anniversaries, engagements, any card with a love theme.

The Celtic Heritage set also contains at least two other images that would also be suitable for weddings, among other things! You might see these tomorrow - so call back and bring friends!! Lol.

Sneak peek 2

Oh my goodness - what a learning curve I'm on. I can't tell you how busy I have been drawing and drawing and finding out what works and what doesn't!!!!

Anyhow - I think I'm nearly ready to share some projects with you starting tomorrow!! And hopefully the launch will be next week - Tomorrow I should be able to confirm the day.

Just FYI the Heart shape in today's sneak peek does co-ordinate with an EK success heart punch that many of you probably have. It's the Whale of a punch, Heart shape that produces punched out hearts that measure just over 1 and 5/8 inches at the widest point and just over 1 and 5/8 inches from top to bottom. (my actual punch is a pink colour)

Hope it tickles.

...Sneak Peek!!!

So. Here it is, the start of the second release!!!!!!

Huge big hugs to all of the many people who supported me during the first release - it was a great success, particularly since I was launching Christmas stamps in May! lol. Loads of you wrote to ask how you could help me. I was extremely touched, as if i needed further confirmation that there are lovely, lovely people to be met and made friends with all over the world.

The single most helpful thing anyone can do to help launch this teeny tiny company, besides purchasing stamps of course, is to tell all your friends. Simple as that. I thank you for this in advance and I hope that, even if you are not purchasing this time round, you will find inspiration and ideas to take away with you.

I asked and you answered. Overwhelmingly folks seem to like sneak peeks!! Apologies to anyone who voted against sneak peeks!! Lol - let me comfort you by saying that I won't drag it on for days! Today and tomorrow and then after that there will be projects and samples to look forward to.

Some of you folks will look at the image and think that I've got my seasons upside down here in the Emerald Isle but just let me assure you it's summer here just like the rest of the northern hemisphere Lol. There are a few stamp sets in my head that I just have to get out before I settle into a regular seasonal pattern. I recognize that it's more helpful to be providing Christmas sets in time for Christmas, Easter stamps in time for Easter etc but the nature of my mind means that there will most likely be the occasional 'oddity' Lol. There are stamps that I have wanted, couldn't find and will most likely produce myself, maybe you and I will have them in common.

Hope it tickles!!

...it was nearly too easy!! Lol.

I made these three cards so fast last night that i felt it would have been 'cheating' for me to put them up one at a time lol!!

They use papers from the BoBunny collection Abbey Road that Beverly of Precious Scraps sent me. You can pop over to her blog if you fancy and take a peek at what else she has in stock! Beverly is taking orders via email and her blog until the online shop is up and running. Pop her an email if you need to order - I keep saying this but you really will have a hard time finding anyone as nice to deal with she really is a lovely lady.

This collection features some delicious graphic florals with co-ordinating polka dots stripes and damasks. There are loads of decorative elements making it super easy - nearly too easy to make cards in a flash!! (LOL I really shouldn't say that!!!) I'm also dying to make some mini Scrap pages from the little 6x6 panels from the collection - I have a little dude who so suits the blue and green!!

The first card is very straight forward and used a PTI Teapot image (tea for two) and a tea cup (Everyday Classics - an anniversary set unavailable to buy, sorry).

The second card is a cut down of one of the fantastic wee panels that come in the collection. It really didn't need anything except maybe a wee smidgeon of ribbon. Feeling like things were coming together too easily, I decided to cut little slits in the journaling lines and thread the ribbon through. Could've just left it alone but I like to footer. Ribbon was New Leaft satin bt PTI (PapertreyInk). Sentiment from Everyday Classics - also PTI.

The third card is a compilation of paper, large label (stamped with a sentiment from Life by PapertreyInk) and smaller floral elements all from the collection. Just simply put together with a little ribbon (New Leaf again) and a fibre I had in my stash. Couple of bits of bling in the centre of the flowers and It was done.

After making these three I sat about and twiddled my thumbs for half an hour wondering what to do with myself!! lol.

...apples, red apples

I received some more fantastic stencils from Country Stencils the other week and only got the chance to actually use one yesterday - I love this Shaker, Tree of Life stencil - it's the smaller one in case you need to get one.

My favourite thing to do with these stencils is to 'print' with them using my cuttlebug. See how here.

I used Versacolour Bamboo ink to print the main image and then added some glossy red apples in the form of page pebbles!! they look so cool! Beverly of Precious Scraps has a whole range of these at the moment - I used pebbles from the Berrylicious set - they come in a fantastic wee bottle - loads of them!! BTW - Bev has just posted more photos of new stock just in - pop over to take a peek, don't forget to click on the picture to make them bigger!!

Just a note about inks - I find I am increasingly using the Tsukineko Versacolour inks - they seem to work beautifully for everything. Not quite ready to ditch the Palette yet, who knows when I might need to stamp some more fabric! Anyone else have a favourite brand of ink?

Hope it tickles!

OOh card deets: The text stamp (in Versamark) is from PTI Background basics - Text style. Sentiment from Tea for Two - also PTI. Card base is Ripe Avocado and the little green spotty paper is actually wrapping from a PTI stamp set - sorry, don't remember which one. I did stamp a little flourish (fancy flourishes - PTI) on it and you can just see it peeping over the top. The ribbon is a piece of Pure poppy saddle stitch ribbon folded in half lengthways and stitched closed.

...competition is now closed!

The little competition I was running is now closed. Since I'm not quite ready to reveal what my new stampsets will be I can't announce who won here on the blog yet - but check your inboxes - I have emailed the winner!!!!! Sorry winners! One person correctly identified one set and another person predicted the second!! Congrats both of you!

There were a number of people who guessed correctly and the winners were the first people to leave a comment guessing correctly!! I really loved reading all the ideas and a good few of them may well turn up as stamp designs soon!!!

I'll be back tomorrow with a card.

...quick! while there's still time

Just a quick note to remind you that you have until midnight tonight (my time) to post your guess about what the subject of my next stampsets will be. Click here to go to the post where you can leave a comment with your guess.

The first person to leave a comment correctly guessing the subject of the stamps will win their choice of a stampset from this next release.

The release will be later this month, I will try to post a schedule soon. there will be a couple of sneak peeks and a few days of projects before the official release - you really don't want to miss this one!!! Lol.

Gingy on the Next Level Blog!!

I'm delighted to tell you all about a new magazine style challenge blog (The Next Level) that launched only last week. The ladies in charge very kindly contacted me to ask if I wouldn't mind them highlighting the ribbon border technique as one of their challenges this week. Of course I was only too pleased!!


You might like to pop on over (click on the image) and see what they're up too - there is loads going on. Here is how the first issue was described on their blog:

"Welcome to the first issue of The Next Level, a magazine style read designed to be more than a weekly Challenge blog, but a meeting place for you all to dip into and out of during the week to try out new ideas, tutorials, hints and tips and downloads in addition to the weekly Challenge."
It sounds like a lot of fun - you also need to spend a while on the blogs of the two ladies in charge - Ann and Dawn - WOW!!! Their cards are fabulous!! And check out the design team!!

The little card I made to help illustrate todays technique features one of my little Gingerbread guys peeping out through a window!! I know, unashamed self promotion! can't help it! Lol.

You can find instructions for creating a ribbon border like this over on the Next Level blog or here on my blog. I am so looking forward to looking at all the challenge entries!! If you'd like to take part pop on over to see the deets!! There's even a prize (wink!)

I embossed a rectangle onto a white card base and then cut out a pair of window shapes in the middle of the embossing, leaving plenty of room for the ribbon. I added the ribbon border next and then stamped my gingerbread man in black (from my Half Baked stamp set) onto another piece of white card, I stamped a nice green stripey waistcoat. When dry, I coloured him in with copic markers. Then i stamped his face and rosy cheeks and added 'buttons' (mini brads), and stamped the ric rac in white. I coloured around him with a co-ordinating green and mounted him behind the window. I cut a piece of white card a hair shorter than the card front and stuck it on over the exposed ribbon ends and image card to finish it nicely inside. then I stamped a sentiment a bit of holly (from my Oven Baked stamp set).

Hope it tickles!

...wish big

Seriously - these new papers from Precious scraps are just fabulous - I've been very pushed for time this week and I am a slow card maker at the best of times but I find everything goes together real quick with the Andrea Victoria line (My Minds Eye) - I can't decide if it's the palette or the designs. It's all good.

For todays' card i masked star shapes onto a piece of 'stripes' paper (cut out of post-it notes with a fiskars star punch) and sponged inside the shapes with various distress inks (vintage linen, tea dye, antique photo).

I added a border of 'golden beads' paper down the side and then stitched in a haphazard way around the edge (wink wink Beth! :)

Then I had a bit of fun adding some embellishments to the stars, I added page pebbles (safari) to the top star, Distress stickles (frayed burlap) to the second star and a wee flower to the bottom star. All of these supplies you can get from Beverly at Precious Scraps. She's selling via email while her online store is being put together. You will go a very long way before you find anyone so lovely to deal with, pop on over to the blog to see what else she got in recently.

Finished it off with a piece of the orange ribbon from Cosmo Cricket Everafter line (also from Precious scraps) and a sentiment (PTI Star Prints) stamped onto a metal tag (absolutely no idea who the supplier was, but I will look into it) I've been dying to use.

Hope it tickles

Waltzingmouse Stamps
Scroll down to the previous post enter the wee competition for a stampset from the next release.

...really I will...and a little competition

I will have a card tomorrow - this has been a hectic week, but it's slowing down at last!!

Quick question - what do we think of sneak peeks?

I'm working on my launch plan for the next stamp set release and I just wondered if you all like sneak peeks? I'm in two minds, there's no doubt they work because I always check the websites I like when they are showing sneaks but sometimes I just want to see the stamps already.

My plan so far is to have 4/5 days of projects - much like I did last time, but if you all fancy a sneak peek or three I could line that up beforehand!

I intend to run a little competition beforehand tho - like I did before, I want folks to guess what my next stamp sets are, there are two.

The first person to leave a comment correctly guessing the subject of the stamps will win their choice of stampset from this next release.

Post your entries in the comments for this post and I will leave this open till Wednesday 10th June.

If you make more than one comment, I'll be counting the first guess as your entry, many thanks.

...Waltzingmouse Stamps Gallery?

So I've been casting around looking to find a way to have a gallery for customers. Here's what I think is going to work best at the moment.

If you've made any cards using my stamps and you would like to share, please upload them to the Splitcoaststampers website using the keyword Waltzingmousestamps or Waltzingmouse. ( Just in case you don't know how Splitcoaststampers works, you might like to spend some time checking out their website, you need to be a member to upload stuff, luckily it doesn't take long and you don't have to pay to join.)

I have been in touch with SCS and they can make a gallery for us once we have some cards to show!!!

So, if you have already uploaded your cards you may, if you wish, go back in and edit your keywords to include either Waltzingmousestamps or Waltzingmouse and in a few days time, when I have all mine edited I will ask the lovely people at SCS to do a search for us and create the gallery!!!!!

I have already seen the first few cards that people have been making with the new stamps and I am so impressed. !!! I have to admit to a happy dance and a squeal and I keep dragging my husband out to the computer to see them!!

I am giving serious thought to even having a Design Team someday!!!

I hope this is all ok with everyone, I'd be very glad of any feedback!!

...old dog, new tricks

Not fallen asleep or forgot how to blog, just doing a couple of days training regarding the new business venture (tax, accounts etc, all the exciting stuff) - will be back soon with a few more Precious scraps items and maybe a stencil ( Country Stencils) project or two!!

NB - if you haven't been over to Beverly's blog - pop on over, she has new pictures of gorgeous goodies up!!!

chat to you tomorrow!