How does your garden grow?

This week I'm going all floral with the Garden in Bloom stamp set (on loan from my partner in crime, Kate Denyer). 

As my lovely friend is away on holiday this week she has kindly let me play with these bloomin' marvellous stamps. There's two types of stamps in this set, the main parts of the flowers & leaves, and then the outlines, which is great as it means you can create so many different colour combos!! 

I decided to use the very juicy Watermelon Wonder for the main colour, as it is bright and summery. The outlines are stamped in Memento black ink, and the leaves in Mint Macaron, which comes as part of the In Color 2015-2017 ink pad collection.  I used a tiny bit of Daffodil Delight for the bumble bee, complete with his little trail dotted behind him using a Project Life journaling pen! 

I cut a 3"x 4" piece of Watermelon Wonder card, curved the edges with the Project Life corner rounder punch (one of my favourite punches!) and stamped the cute little phrase " Friends are kind to each other's hopes & cherish each other's dreams". I finished it using the butterfly outline in black, and attached it to the card using dimensionals.  I thought the recipient could always take the little card off as a friendship card keep sake, pop it in their purse or even better, their Project Life album! 

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Who says dinosaurs are extinct?

This week I've been on a crafting rampage using the 'Rawrsome' No Bones About It stamp set.  I've really enjoyed playing with this set, and even my boyfriend was coming up with suggestions for possible cards to make with it. 

The card I'm showcasing today is a special 3D Jurassic Shadow Box Frame, inspired by the tutorial on The Craft Spa blog. 

                         

This card has taken me all week to create, but it was definitely worthwhile.  I started by creating the front Jurassic scene using Cucumber Crush and Soft Suede as the background.  I then layered leaves around the top corners using a mixture of Pear Pizzazz and Cucumber Crush, and did a bit of fussy cutting around the edge of the leaves. 

The inner part is a small square of Whisper White with 'RAWR! means you're awesome in dinosaur' stamped in Delightful Dijon. 

The dinosaurs are stamped using neutral inks, then painstakingly cut out by hand (!!), this way I could play around with them on the card to find the best spot for them.

                                                

Inside I kept it simple with a T-Rex party goer and some subtle Dino footprints. I used the happy birthday stamp from Boys will be Boys stamp, but you could use one of the three phases from the No Bones About It set.

  

I made a Box to pop the card in (as per Amanda's tutorial) using trio of squares in Sahara Sand, Basic Black and Delightful Dijon.  The last finishing touch was the T-Rex bones stamp and Beware of Dinosaurs using my trusty Rotary Stamp.

I'm really happy with the finished result, not bad for an artistically challenged new crafter.  Just goes to show how easy Stampin' Up! make it for anyone to create bespoke, handmade cards for special occasions.

Everybody walk the dinosaur

This week I'm playing with Stampin' Up! No Bones 
About it photopolymer stamp set.

I've been very excited to get my hands on this set, as my little boy loves dinosaurs (which little boy doesn't?), so I thought I would use them to make him something. 

My friend showed me a Dinosaur Bingo game that a fellow Stamper Upper had made. I took the concept and changed it to Dino Snap, as my boy is too young for Bingo. 

Here's one I made earlier..

I took a 12" x 12" piece of Whisper White card, chopped it into 3" x 3" squares.
Then I simply stamped a dinosaur onto each square. 

     

I chose Dino colours, and added a bit of texture using the spot stamps.  This was fun for me as I tend to stick to one colour, I used the spot stamps to layer on darker colours to add detail.  Just goes to show how the easy the stamp sets make it to add depth to your creations.    I decided to back the cards & round the edges to make them more toddler friendly. 

RAWR! Means you're awesome in dinosaur

I finished the cards with the RAWR stamp on the reverse side using white emboss powder on black card, just for fancy! 

It certainly got the thumbs up from my son who has been playing with it already. Saying "dinosaur" and "T Rex" when pointing to the cards. Now just to laminate them, so he can't destroy this fab creation. 

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

"Perfection is so.... boring"

I've never cared much for perfection.  My body is far from perfect, my hair is always a mess, my make up is on slap-dash, and our home is certainly not perfectly tidy or colour co-ordinated in any way, shape or form.

As I sit here in my craft den (again a dishevelled mish-mash of bare white concrete bricks, a 1950's workbench filled with junk, my modern printer in the corner, and some fairy lights strung up here and there) trawling through a sea of perfect Pinterest cards, I find myself becoming more and more frustrated.  Creativity isn't about perfectionism, nor is it about trying to please other people. It's about exploring, thinking 'outside the box', looking at things differently, experimenting, trying, failing, succeeding. It is whatever you want it to be.

For me, being creative in my craft den is about sitting down quietly, background music on, and enjoying the freedom  to make whatever I wish to make.  I have no natural artistic talent, I can't draw, I hate my own handwriting and I'm pretty rubbish at co-ordinating colours.  But does it matter?  I'm enjoying the therapeutic value it holds; the calm it brings, the focus on something in the present, the distraction from the daily monotony, the comfort of being in control of something for once, the pride of making something, and the happiness it brings (even if it's just me who likes it).

Stampin' Up! is the craft equivalent of a recipe.  Once you have the right ingredients and equipment, you can create whatever you like.  Of course, there's the all important ingredient of 'time', and the other of 'energy'.  Most nights I collapse on the sofa in some kind of Zombie state, watching another episode of Grand Designs and cursing at the annoyance that is Kevin McCloud.  Then there are the 'motivated' evenings, those where I WANT (key word here) to do something, and THAT'S when I love Stampin' Up!  Okay I am very lucky to have the use of a basement, full of SU goodies, but I started with a Project Life card kit, photo pages and my kitchen table.  Being creative doesn't mean having the perfect space, or the perfect set of colour co-ordinated inks/card, it's about having YOU TIME.

I love the the nostalgic feelings it brings out; the memories of being a child and just getting messy.  That's probably why I let my child get so messy, it encourages creative independence.  I used to love lying on the floor with my colouring book and quietly colour in the outlined pictures.  It's an escape from reality, it's a moment of childish fun.  A responsibility free time of ignoring the bills, the housework, even the kids.  It's back to basics, away from the TV, computers, iPads, and phones.  It's a simple life.  Well, as simple as you make it (depending on your creations).

And so I ask myself, "What do I want to achieve from posting photos of my creations?"They're not perfect, and they're certainly no where near up to the standard of other crafters.  Honestly..... I don't know the answer.  I like the 'likes', I love people's positive comments, and of course if I make a sale it gives me a huge confidence boost. I guess ultimately, I just want to inspire others to have a go, because if I can do it, anyone can.

So, when you next see a photo of one of my creations.  Don' think it was made perfectly from my own head, it wasn't.  It was Made with Love, and for me that's all that matters.

Yummy Mummies Guide to Project Life

Today, my babe went to sleep at 11am, and I quickly popped the kettle on, grabbed my Project Life album, Little Moments card kit, and fired up the Mac.  I needed to whip up some pages quickly, taking advantage of the 'quiet' time.  Here's my quick guide to making the most of the little time you have to Project Life quickly.

Choose your photos  (small pocket photos customised to 7.5 x 10.1cm) 

Cut photos using Stampin' Up! guillotine (scissors are fine but take longer!)

Pop photos in the pockets, and add journalling cards or decorative.  (Separating your cards into piles beforehand helps !)

Fill in the gaps using more photos or the larger cards from the kit. 

 Know when to stop (you can come back to it later!)

Stampin' Up!

It's been a looooooong time since I last blogged. So forgive me if I'm a bit rusty.

Late last year I become a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. I've had a few people ask me what that is, so I thought I would explain on my blog, so you all know why I keep posting lots of handmade cards & frames on FaceBook. 

Stampin' Up! is an American craft company, which specialises in stamps and all the crafting equipment that accompanies them.  The products are sold through Demonstrators on line, probably why here in the UK not many people recognise the brand. 

As a Demonstrator it's my job to create and share the products and their capabilities. All of my creations are made by hand, and if I can do it, anyone can. 

Here are some examples of my latest. Stampin' Up! creations, made especially for Mother's Day....

If you would like to know more about Stampin' Up!, or how you could get creative, e mail me at missannapickering@gmail.com

Baby Love

My god, the world has contracted Baby Fever it seems. First we experienced a constant stream of Kim Kardashian's ever expanding baby bump, then her dramatic early labour and to top it off the unusual name choice of North (who are we to question A list celebrity madness?).  Then the whole world waited with baited breath as Princess Kate went into labour, for what seemed like a couple of hours, and produced our nation's newest addition to the Royal clan (thank goodness he has decent parents is all I'll say).  Now we wait for (bet on) the name choice, which is quite limited as 3rd in line to the throne, Im guessing Wayne and Tyler are out of the question?

However, I do love a new baby.  Good job we have our own little one on his way in a few months (Hoorah!). Ever since we found out we're having a baby it seems a new part of our brains has been stimulated; the number of pregnant ladies seemed to triple before our eyes, and suddenly there were baby buggies everywhere.  
Now this could be our own self doing due to all the baby apps, blogs, forums, mailing lists we've signed up to!!  

At first, these all seem so exciting... baby apps to track your baby's growth, forums to discuss all the physical changes you and the 100000000 other women, all pregnant at the same time, are going through (jeez, that's a lot of hormones flying around the globe!!!) But then you start to loathe the apps, the daily dose of baby do's and don'ts, the infinite possibilities to your pregnancy woes, the constant questioning from other Mums to Be and replies from the 'smart arse' Mums who know it all and can't wait to tell you they went through the same, the battle with your inner health guru, and your outer need for anything calorific... and just when you feel you're going to lose your mind and throw away your iPhone you meet your Midwife. Ahhh, like a breath of fresh air!!

Now here is a person who HAS heard it all; she's seen everything, done everything, no woe is too dramatic/silly/embarrassing for her to listen to and answer in a calm, sensible and sensitive way.  Every time I go for my Midwife appointments I come away feeling all warm and fuzzy. She's like a big comfort blanket who makes me feel like I deserve a gold certificate for doing so well.  

I'm not dismissing all the other people around me who always ask how I'm feeling, and tell me how wonderful I look, not to mention my ever supportive boyfriend who has to ride the 'hormonal' rollercoaster alongside me (poor bastard), but there's something about the reassurance you receive from a medical professional that makes you feel calm.  It could be all the tests they run, which assure you baby is doing fine, or simply just quashing any irrational thoughts that have been keeping you awake at night.  Maybe it's the list of contact numbers to call should you need to talk to someone, but overall I think its how serious they take your questions, yet answer with such a gentle 'nothing to worry about' attitude (actually sounds quite oxy-moronic but seems to work).

On that note, I shall finish this post with such an appreciation and immense gratitude for Midwives everywhere, oh and for my boyfriend who puts up with me on a daily basis!