Be your own Barista!!

 Hi there :)

I have a couple of cards today bearing gift cards of the beverage kind so I have used a new stamp set from Concord & 9th called Lets Chat.... I love the way you're looking down on the cup and saucer which makes it so different from anything else I've seen from any stamp companies :)

The set comes with some scripty sayings to stamp inside your cup but as Christmas is coming, I thought I'd try to be a creative barista myself and use the Paper Smooches Holly dies to make my own seasonal design on this cappuccino!! I made a stencil using a piece of scrap acetate and inked through it with brown distress ink. To take away the sharp edges I turned the stencil over and gently brushed the inky side against the watercolour card to highlight the texture of the card and make it look more like a dusting of chocolate :) The checked tablecloth is made by inking through this Candy Cane stripe stencil.

The body of the card is made using the really useful MFT Blueprints 16 dies... this set has some great components for gate-fold cards... you can see the MFT video here about this set and how to use the components. I have used two different coloured card bases to make my card and used the MFT Gift card Grooves dies on the inside to hold the gift card in place :)

For my second card I have used the same cup image but I was determined to use one of the circle stamps from the Lots of Blots set by Concord & 9th in my coffee cup!!

The circular blot stamps are smaller than the space in the cup so I found it easier to use a damp brush to add some ink around the rim of the cup before stamping the solid blot. I then over stamped the whole lot with the solid coffee stamp in the Lets Chat set with a light brown ink which takes the stark white lettering away and helps to blend the stamping and water-colouring... I hope that makes sense!!

Inside I've used another die from the gift card grooves set again ...

I love this stamp set and I will have to have a search through my stash to see what else I can use to be a creative barista for other occasions too ;)

                                      
                           

Thanks for stopping by :)
Jenny x

Bring us some Figgy Pudding!!

Hello there :)

I'm all about pudding today... Christmas pudding !!!... with these fun pud shaped cards in two sizes.

I've used the Stitched Arch Dienamics Stax to make these with the smaller of the two being a great size for Christmas table place name cards.

I find it easier to cut two separate pieces to make the card and score the back piece towards the top and join them together with strong glue or tape. The brown spots are added using the MFT Confetti background stamp but any dot stamp would work just as well.

To make the custard, I cut another stitched arch in white and pale yellow and then used one of the Landscape trio cuts to make the wavy edge on the large pud and the Dripping Goo edge on the other.

Again, any scalloped edge die could work here too.

The holly is cut using the Paper Smooches Holly dies and although a plate would be easy to cut, I used one side of the largest frame from the MFT Square Frame dies... just a couple of snips at a 45° angle and you have a nice straight and even plate :)

I enjoyed making these so much I wanted to try a tag too using the Circle Tag die by Avery Elle which I cut in both cream and brown card.... the rest is pretty much the same as above on the cards.

I think these would be great cards for kids to make or assemble depending on their age and ability ... and if you don't want them near your inks and stamps you can use patterned papers or other materials to give the puds a bit of texture :)

Here are the products I've used but really you can substitute lots of others from the store or your own stash..
       
               
                                                         

Thanks for stopping by :)
Jenny x