Search for cardsandacuppa for more ideas!

Hello and welcome to my cardsandacuppa blog!
So, you may have noticed I'm not blogging on here so much lately? I did a post on my Instagram and Facebook recently explaining all but I wanted to hop over to here and share what's going with my lovely blog readers too :-)
I do love this blog and I am so very grateful for you taking the time reading the babble I write ;-)
But, I have found in recent weeks/months I am struggling to keep up with everything both at home and online so I made a decision to share more cards and quicker! That basically means I am sharing full cards on social media most days instead of (always) waiting 'till I get chance to blog them "properly".
I am still keeping this blog (and of course all the tutorials and creations on here) and have commited to at least one post fortnightly for my DT role at Inspire. Create Challenges.
 I have to be honest and tell you I've found that I really do share more now!
So, having said all that I have made another decision today. I have decided I am going to start to do a weekly round up of what I have shared on social media, starting this Friday (tomorrow).
The post will be less chatty with fewer pictures and all the cards can be found on my Facebook and Instagram during the week before I post here. So to be in the know, first, please do check out my social media sites and follow me there. All links are at the end of this post or simply search "cardsandacuppa".
I am always grateful to my followers both here and on social media so I really do hope this change will be good for everybody? Thanks for following and for reading today's post.
So until Fridays round up,
Happy Stamping!
  Shop Online With ME!
  Host code for July spends over £25 and under £150 is WYYEQYWQ 

Stampin' Hugs,

Inspire. Create Challenge #46 New In Colours

Hello!
And welcome to another challenge with Inspire. Create!
This week we have been playing with new In Colours. I have a couple of favourites already...
I'm loving Rococo Rose and Seaside Spray, probably because I added these colours to my Blends pens collection so they have had a little work out already ;-) 

So, I used the On To Adventure stamp set and I wanted to make the characters younger looking as I think they are fab but totally not just for retirement cards, here I made this a snappy, fun card...

 I used a baby wipe to swipe some of the new Seaside Spray ink at the bottom of some thick white card but I found that a little pae so I then dabbed the ink with the baby wipe before adding splatters with an aqua painter too.
I die cut the sentiment using the new Hand Lettered Prose dies after the ink was completely dry. I added two more layers of the sentiment into the spaces before topping with the coloured layer at the top.

 Then I topped the card with a Blends coloured chap from the On To Adventure set before adding a few (retired) star shaped enamel shapes which reminded me of a camera flash!

So, that's my make using some of the new In Colours but for a ton more inspiration please head over to the challenge blog and see what the rest of the DT have made. You can also upload your creations there too ;-)
Thanks so much for looking here today :-)
Shop Online With ME! 

Stampin' Hugs,

Inspire. Create challenge #45: Embossing

Hello and welcome to another week with Inspire. Create Challenges :-)
This week the theme is embossing. Now, you can use either dry embossing (folders) or heat embossing so using ink and embossing powder, or both, for this challenge. We would just like to see your makes with any kind of embossing!

As I'm sure you have noticed  I love to heat emboss so this was a no brainer for me.
 I wanted to use the Free As A Bird set in class this week so this is one of the card we made there too...

 I started with a watercolour wash on shimmer card and added a splatter of both same colour ink and some white shimmer paint.
We then added the leaves and flowers, made by stamping both and then watercolouring using the stamped images and a little extra of the same colour ink. This gives this loose washed look to the images.
TIP: Be careful not to over work the images as they'll lose their definition.
And yes, we fussy (hand) cut all these leaves and flowers but it didn't take toooo long... and the end result was worth it, don't you think? ;-)

I wanted a crisper image for the bird so I stamped in Memento ink and heat embossed it with clear powder so it was waterproof for watercolouring. While it's not absolutely necessary to heat emboss I prefer to when I want to work with a looser wash of ink, like here.

So, that's all from me for today, to see lots more "embossing" inspiration and to add your own make head over to the challenge blog HERE.
Thanks for stopping by today!
I'll be back soon with more, 'till then, happy stamping :-)
Shop Online With ME!

Hi There New Catalogue and a Fable Friends Card!

Hello and happy Saturday,
I am hopping on today to share botha  card and (finally) the link first to the new annual catalogue with you! It's a corker, for sure...

 I was made up to see that Fable Friends had stayed in especially as I still had this card to share with you ;-)

 I made a starburst background by sponging over the edge of a piece of scrap card from a pivot point behind the bunny.

 You might remember *this* card I made with the floral headband, I made this one as I loved making the first so much!

 The scalloped edge is from the "Stitched Be Mine" dies

 Love this Flirty Flamingo and Grapefruit Grove colour combo

So, that's it for today from me, I am still decorating at home but the end is in sight, hopefully...

Thanks for looking today :-)

      Shop Online With ME! 

Stampin' Hugs,

Two Cards Today! A Birthday Card and a Birth-Day Card!

Hello!
I hope you are enjoying the bank holiday weekend? We have been to B&Q already this weekend to get the supplies to start painting the new extension this week :-/ but we are yet to start. Today, we will start today...
But before that, cards! As you probably know the exciting new catalogue is going to be with us soon (4th June) but the downside of that is we will be losing lots of the lovely current stamps and dies. So I figured as I have so much to share still I would do a double card post today ;-)
The first card today is one I made this card for my eldest boys birthday a while ago...

 I started by randomly watercolouring a piece of watercolour card before drying. Die cut with the Celebrate You thinlints and then stack it onto three more die cuts made from thick white card.
TIP: Use a coordinating colour card to layer up your sentiment (see next card) for a different effect.

 Pop up the centre section using the rectangle framelits (a similar technique to THIS card) and finish with stars, a heat embossed sentiment, some enamel shapes and a little twine :-)

 And for the second card today I have a new baby card or a different kind of  Birth-Day card ;-)
I made this for my lovely friend who had a beautiful baby boy recently and I just couldn't resist making an Eclipse card using the Large Letters framelits and the First Steps stamp set to make this...

 The "Welcome Baby" sentiment is layered as before but this time using the Well Written dies - which are not retiring, Yay!
TIP: Use foam strips to pop up the letter die cuts and make this card super speedily!

 I do love an eclipse card, it just makes any card special. Sadly this stamp set and letter dies will be leaving us though, this catalogue change :-( I'm seriously going to miss these both of these items, although I'm definitely keeping both of mine.
If you love these or other items too, then please be sure to order your favourites before the 3rd June...

OK, so that's my two for one deal for today!
I hope you've enjoyed today's makes and I'll be back soon with even more :-D
Thanks so much for stopping by today, I hope you enjoy your bank holiday weekend, whatever you're up to :-)
      Shop Online With ME!
  Host code for March spends over £25 and under £150 is A4DMFVB2 

Stampin' Hugs,

Products Used to create this project:

Celebrate You Thinlit Dies (£21.00)	Aqua Painters (£16.00)	Watercolor Paper (£4.75)	Granny Apple Green Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Balmy Blue Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Sahara Sand Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)
Rectangle Stitched Framelits Dies (£33.00)	Large Letters Framelits Dies (£92.00)	First Steps Cling Stamp Set (£16.00)	Well Written Framelits Dies (£37.00)	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock (£7.25)	Balmy Blue A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	Foam Adhesive Strips (£7.25)

CAS Flowering Desert Notelet

Hello!
Todays make is a super simple notelet, perfect for sending a quick message and I just love creating these cacti! Infinite possibilities :-)

I used Garden Green for the cactus and Lovely Lipstick for the flowers.
The stamps have this natural looking shading to them so it's really easy to get this look just by inking the stamp.

I love how adding a simple heat embossed sentiment on black card makes this feel super on trend and modern.

And that's todays make! I hope you enjoyed it and I'll be back tomorrow with another, 'till then, happy stamping :-)
       Shop Online With ME!
 Host code for March spends over £25 and under £150 is A4DMFVB2 

Stampin' Hugs,

Products Used to create this project:

Flowering Desert Photopolymer Stamp Set (£15.00)

Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)

Lovely Lipstick Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)

Whisper White Narrow Note Cards & Envelopes (£7.50)