Lots to come

I've been a little bit quiet recently. I've been very busy with my mum staying. We've been doing lots of crafting and I've been preparing samples ready for the craft retreat on November 12th. i don't want to spoil the surprise for the ladies who are coming - so I will have to hold off on the photos for a few more days. I've also been preparing for a workshop tomorrow night - so I will be posting the samples for this evening very soon!

Have fun crafting.

Special Occasion Album

This lovely project was inspired by Jenny Moors. I'd not made a waterfall card before I tried this project - but I wanted to create a special card for a friend. This wasn't it as I had to give that one away (boohoo!) but I so enjoyed doing this that I had to make a second (and third) version. I used one of my favourite colour combinations - soft suede, crumb cake, baja breeze and very vanilla and some of my favourite stamps - baroque motifs. I was so pleased that this set carried on over into the new catalogue as I love using the scroll.

I'm planning to create another version of this card usingthe lovely beau chateau papers and fabulous new stamp set everything eleanor - another beautiful scroll that will be so useful! I'll post a picture once it's done!

Close as a Memory

In memory of my uncle.

Ribbon Share!

Did you fall in love with the fabulous seam binding ribbons in the mini catalogue? Then you will be delighted to see that not only did they keep them in the new catalogue but they have added more colours! Yep - it now comes in the fabulous cherry cobbler, versatile always artichoke and esscential very vanilla.

I am offering you the opportunity to get your hands on all these fabulous ribbons - 1 metre of every colour of seam binding ribbon - for just £4.95. That's 7 metres of ribbon for just £4.95 - less than the cost of 1 roll of seam binding ribbon.

Interested? Drop me a line to secure your share of the ribbons!

Pennant Parade

Today is my friend Emma's birthday and I waited to make her a card with my new stamp set (it arrived today!) so it was a bit touch and go! I've been wanting to get my hands on this set for a while now - it's just so versatile. You can use it for Christmas as well as for birthday and lots of other occasions. Watch out for lots of examples in the future!

For this card I combined it with the new in colours (aren't they great!) and a simple background made from the perfect polka dots embossing folder. It makes for a really quick and effective card. I used a greeting from the fabulous happiest birthday wishes hostess set and a matching designer printed brad and voila!

If you love this set as much as me and want to get your hands on it - why not join Cate and I at our Craft Retreat Day on Saturday 12th November. You get to spend the whole day crafting on lots of different projects. All your materials for the day, the pennant parade stamp set (worth £16.95) and a light lunch are all included for just £40. Bargain! Contact me if you would like more details.

Forever Young

In September, I attended a stampin up training event and it's usual to make sample cards to swap with the other demonstrators. It's a great idea as you get lots of new ideas and samples to show people. The only problem was that I had 56 to make and only two days as I'd had visitors staying with me! After a bit of a panic I came up with this card which uses the new set Forever Young and a bit of Vintage Vogue. I deliberately made it to fit the new mini envelopes which are available and I think it turned out quite well. Forever Young is a beautiful set - with matching DSP papers and fabric available (Timeless Portrait). I really like this classic image and look forward to playing with it some more.

Stampers 6 Club - Up and running!

Just a quick update to let you know that the last place in my Stampers 6 Club has gone - so we are up and running! If you have missed out on this opportunity and would like to take part in a future club - let me know.

In the meantime we had a great evening at my last class making some traditional style christmas cards using a mixture of techniques. This one used the cracked glass technique. I took the inspiration for this card from a combination of cards that I saw recently and would like to thank Terri Pocock and Val Moody for sharing the technique and I CASD the idea of using the bauble punch from a lady at Split Coast Stampers (sorry I can't remember her name). It just reminded me of the old fashioned glass baubles that we used to hang on our christmas tree when I was a child. Funny the things you remember! I hope you like it - and if you fancy having a go yourself I still have a couple of places left on my class list for 21st October.

Fun with Fabric

When I first saw the fabrics in the new Catalogue I was a bit unsure how to incorporate them into my cardmaking (quite happy to quilt with them!). So it was great to see some projects that other demonstrators had done to help inspire me. This picture shows some items made by a lovely lady named Carey Buckingham. I really liked the way she has used the combination of stamping and fabric.

The stamp set is called Forever Young and the fabric is called Timeless Portrait. They work particularly well together and suggest some very striking colour combinations. Hopefully I will show you more projects using these products in the coming weeks.

Lovely new punch!

I thought you might like to see this card that I made a couple of weeks ago to swap with other demonstrators. Sorry for the sideways view - I don't know why it is like this - but I think you can get a pretty good view of the card anyway.

Again I am a little out of my comfort zone using the brights - but I love the colours and I think they work really well together! (pacific point, melon mambo, daffodil yellow and temping turquise)

The lacy "ribbon" is made with the fabulous new lace ribbon border punch. Again Stampin Up! have really thought about how it can be used. The 1" circle punch fits precisely behind the "flowers" in the lace border which allowed me to use multiple colours behind the lace. I also used the new scallop dots ribbon and melon mambo embossing powder to create the greeting. With just the addition of a rhinestone to add a little sparkle the card is done!

Stampers 6 Club

Just a quick update for you. My Stampers 6 club is proving very popular and I only have 1 space left. If you would like to take to advantage of the opportunity to spread the cost of your purchases and still recieve the hostess benefits - get in touch asap to secure your place.

Christmas Traditions Class

I've got a new class coming up soon where we are going to make some more traditional style cards using some new techniques. This is a very simple card, but I think it is quite effective. I haven't used a traditional christmas set - it's always nice to find new uses for other sets!

If you would like to know more about my classes then check out the list or drop me a line - diane@craftyducks.co.uk and I will send you my latest newsletter with all my classes and special offers.

Stampers 6 Club starting this month

If, like me, you have fallen in love with lots of the new stamps and fabulous new in colours, fabrics, punches etc then you might like to join my stampers 6 club.

Each person commits to spending £25 per month for 6 months - allowing you to spread the cost of your wish list - and in return, for one of the months you get to be the virtual "hostess" and have £25 extra to spend in the catalogue - as well as the option to choose from the specially priced hostess sets. Also, as a thank you for being part of my club, you can come to one of my classes each month for FREE!

If you're interested drop me a line as soon as possible as we will be starting the club this month.

New catalogue Launch

A huge thank you to all the lovely ladies who joined Cate and I for our Catalogue Kick Off Party yesterday afternoon. It was such a great day and everyone joined in the fun - lots of cake and two make and takes! If you haven't had a chance to get your hands on the new catalogue then click on the image to your left and take a peek at it online.

This is one of the cards that we made as a make and take. The image is from a lovely new set called Beautiful Season. It is a classic image and just shouted out to be colour tinted. Add a top note card, some cherry cobbler card embossed with the vintage wallpaper folder and you have the basis for your card. Simple!

Hopefully, now I've worked out how to use pictures directly from my camera on to my netbook I will be able to post pictures more regularly!

It's nearly here!

I spent this afternoon at a Stampin' Up! Training Event and it suddenly hit me - it's only a couple of weeks to the launch of the new catalogue! That's really exciting and there are some lovely new stamp sets, fabulous punches and even some materials (yes material) that can take our crafting in so many new directions - so lots to look forward to and get excited about! However, it also means that I have lots to do to get ready for the kick off party (still a couple of places available if you'd like to join in the fun!).

I managed to get lots of swaps and photos today so I PROMISE to start putting up some photos! In the meantime, don't forget that the retirement list is available and a number of items have already sold out - so don't miss out on your favourite items.

2011/12 Catalogue Kick Off Party

Sorry I haven't got around to posting any photos as promised - but I've spent the last few evenings busily emailing out the details of our Kick Off Party for the new catalogue which is launched on 1st October. It is being held at Cate's house in Ash from 2 - 4pm. There will be two make and take projects, a goodie bag, prize draw and, of course, a new catalogue (worth £5.95) for everyone. If you would like to join in the fun, entry is just £5.00 or FREE if you place an order for £30 on the day. Places are limited and they are filling up fast - so email or phone as soon as possible to reserve your place.

September Sale

Hi Everyone

I know it's been a little while since I last posted on my blog - I decided to take a break over the summer as we were away for most of it! However, I haven't been taking a break from crafting! I even took projects to France to work on! I've had a great time, researching some new ideas and techniques and planning some classes for the Autumn. I will be posting pictures and class lists over the next few days.

Anyway - to the main news!

Stampin Up have released their list of retired items - yipee! For those of you new to Stampin Up, in preparation for the new catalogue launch in October, Stampin Up retire a number of products in September and there can be some real bargains to be had! (Click on the link on the side to see the full list). I'm sad to see some of my real favourites go - but I am looking forward to seeing all the new goodies in October.

If you fancy getting any of the retiring products - don't hang around because once they've gone... Email or phone me asap and I will endeavour to get orders in as soon as possible so that you don't miss out.

That's all for now - but lots to follow!

Hannah's Card

Yet again my blog has decided to post this sideways - You'll just have to bend to see it!





Anyway - as I said I am having a bit of a bright moment and here is another card that is way outside of my usual style! Hannah is my niece, and it was her birthday recently. She has been making cards for a little while and absolutely loves owls - so it only seemd right that I use owls for her card. I didn't have a lot of time - but I hope she likes it!





I'm finding that I am using my alphabet stamps quite a lot recently. It's fun to pesonalise your cards a bit more and it adds a certain quirky (less straight laced) feel. It doesn't all have to be quite so straight and precise - quite liberating in a way - do have a go - it's fun!

Daniel's Card

My sister -in -law recently gave birth to a baby boy - and we're all very excited about him. She had to have IVF treatment, so we've been with her on her long journey to becoming a mum. Even then he wasn't in a hurry to appear - over 10 days late and finally had to be extracted by C section! So I didn't feel that a "traditional" baby card would be right and set my mind to creating something a little different. This took me out of my comfort zone and in to the world of brights! It felt right that my little "monster" should be exploding from the card and this was the feel that I tried to create with the folded paper "window". I was really pleased with the result (even though it isn't perfect!) and love the colours. Perhaps I will be experimenting more with these from now on!





I do hope my sister in law still has her sense of humour!

This is the inside of the card! Not that I'm saying his parents are aliens - you could just as easily say it's a picture of Tim and myself! Anyway - it made Tim laugh when he saw it - and as it's his sister I guess he gave his approval!

This was a card that I made for one of my recent classes. I've used some of my favourite colours and techniques. I love the combination of pumpkin pie and rose red - there's something about it that just works so well. i used these two colours, along with some daffodit delight to shade a piece of very vanilla card - before I roughly stamped my flowers. i could have used my stamp-a-ma- jig to line them up accurately - but somehow I don't think it matters with this particular set. I finished off the card with a butterfly from the beautiful wings embosslits folder (usinf paper form the Sweet n' Sour DSP) and a couple of rinestones.

It was only then that I thought of adding a greeting! So I quickly matched up a piece of card and stamped a greeting which was punched with the modern label punch. It's not quite where I would have placed it - but I think it works OK.

Anyway I will be back in a few days with another card that I've made. I can't wait to show you the card I made for my new nephew - but I can't post it yet in case his mum sees it before it arrives!

A couple of weeks ago, our housegroup had a wine tasting evening led by another member of the church. We had a great time - enjoying appropriate nibbles to go with each of the wines. Perhaps it was the wine - but I got (for me) very adventourous and tried a goats cheese and a blue cheese that I would never normally go near! I know I felt very tipsy - much to the amusement of my friends who had never seen me drink quite so much! Anyway - I still had enough of my wits about me to save one of the empty bottles so that I could make this thank you card for the couple who led the evening. I've used some stampin up card (rich razzleberry, crumb cake and very vanilla) and the punch and ribbon - but the rest was a mix of old labels and sealing wax! It does make for an effective card - especially for men. I threw in a script stamp and some wine images to complete the look. I wish stampin up would bring out a wine set - it would be so useful - here's hoping that the new catalogue in October will have one!

Anyway - best of all - I didn't even end up with a hangover!

Back Again!

I can't believe how long it's been since I last posted. I did go away on holiday and was also away for my niece's wedding - but the main reason was that I lost the battery charger for my camera! I searched just about everywhere and eventualy had to but a new one - then guess what turned up again! No wonder I couldn't find it -it had falled into a fiol tray that was on a shelf in the garage!

Anyway - I have also been busy with classes in that time and so I have a number of new cards to show you. so I guess my blog will be busy with that over the next few weeks.

I'm taking a little break from classes over the summer months - but I will be posting some new classes in September - as well as all the lovely sale stuff availablefor stampin up in September!

Anyway I shall leave you now and then post a card!

Happy crafting!

Captain Jack is Back!

Pirates seem to be everywhere at the moment with the new Pirates of the Caribean film just released. This is another card that I received from the swaps at training day and it seemed very appropriate to show you it now! I can see this set being used for lots of children's party invitations and cards - as well as for the bigger children amongst us!

It's been getting very girly recently so I thought I would show you another men's card (I don't think I've shown you this one before!). Father's Day will be here before we know it (June 19th) and it's never too early to get that card made! Have a look back at the other men's cards that I've posted - you won't be short of ideas and there's still time to order the stamp if you need it!

I hope you are all impressed at how good I have been with my posting recently! I probably won't be able to keep it up for much longer as I am going to hit a very busy patch with both work and card classes. I have lots to prepare and and I am going to be away for a few days as my niece gets married later this month.

This is another card that we made at the training day - actually it was one of a set of 5 different cards that we made - all using the same colours and stamp set - but each one diferent from the last. Natalie had cased the idea from an american site - but sadly she couldn't remember who to give the credit to. I thought this was a really lovely idea and if we made a box to match - what a fabulous gift it would make to give to someone. Something that I will have to work on (I feel a class coming up!).

The lovely lady who made this card didn't put her details on the back - so I am sorry I can't tell you who it was! It's funny how so often we don't really notice some stamp sets and then suddenly something happens that makes us sit up and go wow! This was one of those moments. It is such a simple design but so effective. Somehow I think the Garden Whimsy set might just find a way on to my ever growing wish list!

Beautiful Butterflies

This is one of the cards that i received in my swaps at the training day - it came from my "grandmother" Natalie. Buterflies seem to be very in at the moment as lots of people had used them on their cards. I love the colour combination of pumpkin pie and rose red and the sweet and sour papers are some of my favourites. Natalie has used a combinationof the embossing folders and the beautiful butterflies die to create the look. All run through her fabulous Big Shot!

I have been using this stamp set a lot recently - and I think it is really versatile. I hadn't been overwhelmed when I first saw it in the mini catalogue but i seem to be finding more and more uses for it! Here I have chosen to stamp the word background in crumb cake for the thank you cards that i made recently for the lovely ladies at one of my workshops. I really love the concord crush and whisper white combination of colours - very simple but effective.

Tri Card Trickery!

I've been wanting to make a tri fold card for a while but never quite got around to it. So I finally decided to have a go. I've been experimenting with ideas for my Very Vintage class and this seemed to fit the style that I was looking for. It's taken me a few days (mainly because I kept being interupted) but it isn't as difficult as it may seem. Half way through I wasn't sure that it was going to work, but when it was finished I was actually quite happy with the result. I haven't decided yet whether to include it in the class - let me know what you think! By the way - there are still spaces for the class - so if you like the look of this card and the stamp set I am using why don't you drop me a line and book a place. The cost of the class is just £15.00 and includes the stamp set in clear (worth £12.95) - so it's really good value!

Back Again!

It feels like I'be been away for ages - sorry I haven't been very good at posting - but there are a few reasons for this...

The battery on my camera died a couple of weeks ago and, true to form, I couldn't find my charger anywhere. This is an ongoing issue for me as I can always find it when I don't need it - but the minute I want to charge my battery - the house fairy arrives and the charger disappears! I've spent the last umpteen days searching everywhere I can imagine it may have been put - and there were some pretty strange places amongst them! Despite my best efforts it has remained elusive and I finally had to order a new charger!

The good news is that the new charger arrived and my camera battery is now sorted! I've taken pictures of the cards that I made on a recent training day and of all the cards that we swapped on the day (one of the best ways to get lots of new ideas and samples!).

I'll post them over the coming days so you can see what I've been up to!

Sailaway

I've had a lot of fun recently making mens' cards and this is an example of one made using the sailaway stamp from the mini catalogue. It is really simple and quick to make (like all good cards should be!) but I think it is really effective in these classic colours of real red, night of navy and whisper white.

I promise that I will make some "girly" cards soon!

Hostess Goodies

I had a wonderful time at a recent workshop - hosted bythe lovely Val! It's traditional to give flowers to the hostess, so I decided to make mine the stampin' up way! I used the daisy die to help me create these lovely flowers - hopefully they will last a little longer than the real thing! I can't claim credit for the design - I saw them on another blog - I think it might have been Caroline Skinner's and just had to give thema go myself. I then created a card to accomany them using the garden greenhouse set and the vintage wallpaper embossing folder. Finally I was able to present Val with a little extra thank you - one of the sale-a-bration sets. If you woud like to host a workshop - drop me a line and arrange a date - you never know what goodies you may receive!

Crafty Weekend

What a fabulous weekend! I held a craft class on saturday afternoon and we had a great time. Everytime my sisters-in-law come over we talk about making some cards together - but this time we finally did it! A couple of friends and my niece completed the group. I was very proud of my Hannah as she was pretty much left to get on with her own special owl card projects and she did a fabulous job! Everyone managed to complete their projects and we even finished on time! Unfortunately Iforgot to take pictures - I'll try and get some of the class on Thursday to show you.

I've spent much of today preparing for a workshop tomorrow evening - I 'm really pleased with mu demo project - I just hope everyone else likes it as much as me! I'll take some pictures and post them on my blog for you all to see!

If you are enjoying seeing my projects - don't forget to sign up as a follower to my blog. that way you will never miss out on the projects, classes and special offers!

Talk to you tomorrow! xx

A different kind of bird!

Tomorrow I am running the first of my men's card classes and I have two of my sister inlaws coming to join me! My niece Hannah is getting into card making and I know she loves owls so I couldn't resist designing her some special cards all of her very own! I'll let you know how everyone gets on and show you the men's cards that I have designed over the next few days.

Although the men's card classes are now full - do check out the other classes that I am running. We have great fun and you will not only go away with some finished projects but maybe some new friends too!

(Sorry - Another example of the blog rotating my card! perhaps it thinks it is a bat!)

I'm having great fun with the owl punch - did you know you can use it to make flowers and penguins too!

(Crafty) Duck Crazy!

We had a lovely few days away before Easter and we came across a very happy group of ducks and ducklings. Now I've been after a picture of a duck that I can use for a logo for my blog - so I thought I'd run the duck parade past you and see what you think! All together now... Ahhhhh!

I'm back!

I've been a bit quiet for the past few days - but I will be posting new cards soon. I spent most of today card making - finalising my samples for the men's card classes that I am running on Saturday and Thursday. I've also been playing with my new owl punch - great fun! I'll show you some of the results in the next few days.

I had to make a few birthday cards in a hurry as I had a few come along all at once! I needed something quick and simple- so I based this on the make and take that I did for my lauch party. I think it worked quite well. I really like the simply said stamp set - I think it is very versatile and be used for so many different occasions.

This is another really quick and easy card that was made by Cate (Blueangelcrafts). She has used some of the beautiful springtime vintage paper and combined it with the four frames stamp set and punch. A touch of the rose red seambinder ribbon and it's complete!

A slight change of pace! A very simple and elegant card but Oh so easy! I used the embossing folder on shimmery white card stock, stamped and embossed the perfect punch image in silver, used the modern label punch and added a touch of the white organza ribbon. It really did take just minutes!

A perfect card for a weddding, engagement or anniversary.

This is the final motor cycle card for a while - promise. It seems like I've been a bit obsessed recently - but I have been making other cards too! I used the sense of time stamp set to create the background and the glass glitter in baja breeze to create the "road" effect.

This is a more vintage look using the motorcycle stamp. This time I used Soft Suade and Not Quite Navy combind with the vintage wallpaper embossing folder to add texture and slightly aged the very vanilla card with the ink. It's amazing how a simple change in colours and slightly different finish can change the look of a single stamp. I do hope you've enjoyed exploring the different ways that this one stamp can be used.

It's funny really. I've never been that fond of red - but I was given some of the real red card stock at a training event and (much to my surprise) immediately put it to use! I love this card - it's very classic. Unfortunately you can't really see the effects of the embossing and crystal effects in the picture. I do love the look that the ribbon gives to the card - it's such a great finishing touch!

Motorcycle madness!

One of the stamps that I have fallen in love with is the very classic motorcycle. I' ve had great fun taking just this simple stamp and using it with a variety of styles to produce different looks - from quite classic to more modern and vintage. I think it's so versatile and just great for solving those tricky problems of men's cards! I will show you some of the cards over the next few days.

I love the look that the perfect polka dots embossing folder gives to this card - very modern and the motorcycle slides along to reveal a hidden message!

Final Build a Blossom Card

Just another quick card made using the build a blossom stamp and punch. I wanted to show you that it doesn't have to be complicated but can also be used for quick and simple cards too. I haven't yet experimented with just the small flower leaves - but I think they could look stunning on their own. I have also used this set on a scapbook page - it makes for a wonderful embellishment.

Hi Guys - I'm really sorry about the previous picture turning sideways - it isn't that way in my file and I can't figure out how to rotate it round using the blog software. If anyone knows how - please tell me! In the meantime I will show you another card that I made using the same stamp set and punch. I used the pretty in pink card and stamped some of the petals using rose red. I tinted the punched out petals with the daubers and added my favourite ribbon! A touch of baroque motifs and a modern label punch and voila!

Mother's Day Card

This is the card that I made for Mother's day (using a different stamp!) butI couldn't show you it before the launch party because I made it using some of the new products from the mini catalogue. But I think it is safe to share it with you now! I used the Build a Blossom stamp set to create the petals and leaves and then punched them out usingthe matching punch. I think it is really effective and it allows me to play with colour a little more. I used the delicious concord crush as my base (doesn't it just make you want to eat chocolate!) and then combined pear pizazz, pretty in pink and so saffron to create the rest. This was also the first time that I had used the stitched poly ribbon and I was really pleased with the results. What do you think? I'll show you some more cards that I've made using the build a blossom stamp and punch in the next few days.

The other colour way that I used for this card was rose red and certainly celery. As you can see it is the same card - but it looks quite different. Ok - so we added the butterflies using the beautiful wings embosslits die ( a very clever lttle gadget - it cuts the shape and embosses it at the same time!) but that's the only change!

I do love the new seam binding ribbon. Not only does it come in 3 of my all time favourite colours, but it is so soft that you can use it in different ways and it creates a really smart knot when making bows. Watch out for some other ways that it's been used on future postings!

Launch Party Cards

I used a mixture of very vanilla, crumb cake and marina mist for this card. I love the effect that using the marker pens directly on to the stamps creates. Here I used two different greens and two blues to help give a little extra dimension.

You can see just how effective the embossing folders are at creating a textured background. it looks stunning and is so simple - just a few seconds and it's done.

Launch Party

It seems like forever since I last posted on my blog but I've finally got some photos to show you from my launch party last Saturday. We had a fantastic time! There were 8 lovely ladies all grouped around my table busily making cards. We had a play with the big shot to create the textured background (vintage wallpaper embossing folder) and also to produce the beautiful butterflies (beautiful wings embosslits dies). We used the four frames stamp set and matching punch to create the label and a touch of the new seam binding ribbon to complete the look.