Stampin Up Independent Demonstrator Dawn Howard

On line Zoom Class Wednesday 3rd June Here are the instructions for attendees to use during the class, using the kit provided. For the main part of the box you need some fairly sturdy 12 x 12 inch cardstock and I have made use of the backing card sheet that comes in Stampin Up packs of Designer Series paper - it's always good to use everything you can.  Make sure that the writing is on the inside when you assemble the box of course and it will all be hidden.  You will need  12 x 12 strong card  DSP and co-ordinating cardstock to match - here I used magnolia lane and the (now retired hot air balloon punch and the magnolia dies for the flowers.  These measurements are for a 9cm square memo block.  1) Trim your sturdy cardstock to 11 3/4 in ch x 11 3/4 inch.  2) Score at 2inch, 4 inch , 7 3/4inch and 9 3/4 inch on both the horizontal and vertical. The picture below show the score lines as dotted lines. 3) Cut out the ar...

Waterfront Stamp Set  I think this may be my faourite set from the new spring/summer catalogue. It's a very versatile set that can be used for all seasons and for a variety of occasions/ It will also be ideal for scrapbooking or memory keeping your holiday photos and other memorabilia.  

CHRISTMAS 2017 My customers have been itching to get started with their Christmas cards so I had fun deigning bridge fold cards using the new Hometown greetings and Bethlehem Edgelits dies.  Here are pictures made by 4 of my Friday evening class attendees. I'll be running this class again for my Monday afternoon ladies. I really like the colour combination that April choose for her card - she used a variety of colours from the regal palette and finished off using some crushed curry embossing powder.

                                                            Embellished Ornaments I made these ornaments for classes last year and have repeated them again with new customers this year so I thought it was worth sharing. Particularly as today Stampin' Up has the bundle of them reduced by 20%. They can be made in any colour way and also to speed things up you can use designer series paper as the dies will cut through 3-4 pieces at a time. I hope you're all enjoying the crafting rush that comes with the run up to Christmas.

STAMPIN' UP Shadowbox Sampler 2016   Here is my first design for Shadow boxes for this year/ These are always a favourite among my customers and I'll be offering a selection for people to come along and make at my classes. Once I had decided what I was including the sampler was petty easy to make and I think any level fo crafter would be able to complete one within 2 hours. I have used several embossing folders for the white layers and added dazzling diamonds glitter to trees and Santa. Hope you like it - please get in touch if you want sizes of layers etc. 

STAMPIN' UP! COOKIE CUTTER AND SWEET HOUSE SETS I have had so much fun with these sets. They are so cute. The Cookie Cutter stamp and matching punch are so easy to use, yet create simple but very cute items. The Sweet house set takes a little longer to stamp and die cut all the candy but the finished product looks good enough to eat. I'm offering this as a class and will also be selling them at craft fairs. I'm just working on a Halloween version, a New baby one and an Eskimo one - all using items form the same bundle. This is using a 20 cm wooden heart but I'm going to try it with smaller hearts as well and the black frame is a 5inch by 7inch. 

BABY BEAR - Wedding Card This was a card I made way back in April when I first got this set - and being my usual disorganised self it had been lost under a great pile of other " in progress" cards.  I used sweet sugarplum and some non SU ribbon. It shows the versatility of the stamp set - great for birthdays, wedding and baby cards.  I'll also be getting it out soon to make some traditional Christmas cards and simply adding a Santa hat to the bear.

Butterfly Card in a Box I was demonstrating how to make a card in a box at a festival last weekend and they were very popular. I sold lots of ready made ones and received several orders. So these are 2 identical cards made for a couple that I have just delivered tonight.  I plan to do a photo tutorial later in the week as I am making lots more using the new fox punch and stamp set so pop back early next week to have a look. I've used elegant eggplant, wisteria wonder and silver glimmer paper, the number of years stamp and die bundle plus butterfly punches and dies.

EMBOSSED BABY BEAR This is clearly my favourite stamp set at the moment and I have been trying out lots of different colour combinations and techniques. Here are the finished cards and underneath I have done a step by step photo guide - which is a first for me. The bear is stamped in smoky slate and dapper denim, sponged in marina mist.  Bear is stamped in soft suede and early espresso and sponged with peekaboo peach. Here are my supplies all laid out First I stamped image no 2 of the stamp set on whisper white in pink pirouette. Remember to use your piercing mat or other foam pad underneath any photopolymer stamp sets so you get a good image. Then I stamped image no 3 of the set with melon mambo. It does take a bit of practice to line the stamps up so practice a few times first on scrap paper. I find it best to make sure the bear's bottom and the gap between arms and body are lined up. Then finally use image no 1 and versamark to ...

Stampin Up Baby Bears I was very excited to receive my new order which had all the new in-colours for 2016-2018 in and I've used them for the first time here. I think these 2 - flirty flamingo and dapper denim are my favourites but it is early days yet. I've used a new background stamp called playful backgrounds on both of the cards and my colour combinations are dapper denim/soft sky and flirty flamingo/pink pirouette. Onto wedding cards using the same set tomorrow.  

2016- 2017 NEW CATALOGUE Baby Bear   Here are 2 VERY simple cards using a new stamp set from the 2016-2017 catalogue. I was very lucky and won this in " Prize Patrol". It's a 3 step stamp so I stamped the 3 different bear images in increasingly dark colours. I'm hoping to have more of a play tomorrow and make some more complex cards. I'm not a great one for puns on cards and can just about live with this one - I'm still undecided on the greeting that's meant for weddings. Pop back in a couple of days to see what it says.     This is stamped in Crumb Cake, Tip Top Taupe and Early Espresso for the bear and Watermelon Wonder for the bow and greeting.  It's taken a few attempts to get the hand of lining the 3 images up but I think I'm nearly there and am looking forward to doing some stamping in daylight tomorrow.     This one is done in Soft Sky, Pool Party and Bermuda Bay for the bear with Island Indigo for the bow a...

STAMPIN UP WINE BOTTLE TAGS I'm not really much of a drinker. It would mean I certainly couldn't stick anything on straight! In fact it is something of a family joke that 1 glass of wine and I am as giddy as a hipper, so my daughter looked horrified when she saw me carrying 3 bottles of wine up to my craft room. She didn't say anything  till I said " don't worry they're only props for a photo shoot and then she just look relieved. Any way - this is what I used my props for - a wide selection of wine bottle gift tags. There are great and easy to make, use up lots of scrap paper and best of all they are not something you will find in a shop so have the advantage of really adding a personal touch to your gifts. Let me know if you would like the measurements - and I am even wondering if these should be a topic for my first ever tutorial. As always you can buy any of the products used here or other Stampin Up goods via my shop   http://www2.stampinup.co...

Advent Calendar using Stampin Up Tiny Treat Boxes and 25 days stamp set. Well what can I say ?- sorry seems to be a good choice. I just can't believe that I haven't blogged since May. I have however been busy making things and enjoying the summer months. The allotment has done well and I've spent many hours picking fruit for my husband to eat it ALL in a few minutes. I've decided to get ready early for Christmas so here's my first make for the year - an advent calendar. It uses the tiny treat boxes and 25 days photopolymer stamp set from the Autumn/Winter catalogue. These boxes are fantastic value for money at £6.25 for 25 sturdy kraft boxes that measure about 5cm. I've almost finished my second advent calendar which has been made using some now retired stock of the mini milk carton die and an old alphabet/number die. Come back soon to see a picture. If you want to buy any of these items or just browse the catalogues here's a link to my store....

I've made the wreath using a kit that will be in the new catalogue and designed a matching card and tag to form a class for Mother's Day. The cost will be £20 and it will run on 19th March - or other dates if there is enough interest. There are several new products in the set - the My Mother stamp set which has a really nice big greeting, the matching petite petals stamp set and punch. I really like how dainty these flowers are and think I will be using them as finishing touches on lots of projects. Happy Crafting everyone

Look at this lovely box frame and card made using Stampin' UP! products. I'm running a class to make these on 31st January in Newcastle Under Lyme from 7.30 pm to 9.30 pm and the cost is £15/ This includes the box frame and materials to complete the frame , make a card and a tag.  I'll have lots of Stampin'  UP! inks and stamps on hand so you can personalize your creation. What better for a Valentine's or other gift than one you have made with love yourself. I may be able to run this class on different days if you interested but the day/time is not convenient. Here are some close up photos plus a different box frame design that is also available to make. I've used the stamp set georgeous grunge for the card and matching frame background. This is one of my favourite sets at the moment as it allows you to add interest to your background without taking away from the focus of the frame.  If you want to keep in touch with me my facebook page is  ...