Colour Challenge Week 1: Blackberry Bliss

To celebrate the retiring In colours 2014-16 I am holding a 5 week colour challenge, each week featuring one of the colours in a group of colours. I'd love you to join in so for every picture of a card made with the challenge photos I will send you one of my hand made cards, (blank for you to use!). Just go to the Facebook page: facebook.com/Stamping-at-Hectors-House

This week is my favourite In Colour Blackberry Bliss, which I thought I'd try with some colours I haven't put together before. 

I decided the best way to start was to get out all my colours and choose a stamp set to inspire me. I love the Friends and Family Stamp set, but haven't had much chance to play yet so decide it was an obvious choice. Plus I am really sucker for anything that matches a punch, so out came it's playmate the Festive Flower Builder. 

This is what I came up with, having remembered I need a thank you card for a neighbour. I built the flower using the petal stamp in Blackberry Bliss on Very Vanilla and then punching it out in the medium petal part of the punch. I used 6 petals and glued them on to a small square of card using glue dots. I then added the leaves in Cucumber Crush, stamped on the same colour card, by gluing them to the back of the flower I formed. 

To finish my flower off By adding a center from the cross part of the punch, one punched in Daffodil Delight and one in Blackberry Bliss. These were glued one on top of the other. 

I then stamped a center strip of card in Daffodil Delight using the timeless textures stamp set. Using the border stamp in Daffodil Delight I stamped along both the long edges. Then with the dotty stamp I covered the whole of the card piece in stamps of Soft Suede. 

I then layered this piece of card onto a piece of Very Vanilla and then a larger piece of Blackberry Bliss. This was the glued upon my base card of Soft Suede, which I stamped my greeting on the bottom right corner of in Blackberry Bliss. My card base was finished off with the little swirl stamp from the Friends and Flowers set stamped along the bottom. 

The assembely is finished by gluing on the prepared flower to the left hand side of the stamped strip. 

I hope you enjoy this colour challenge, and will join me and take part! Happy Crafting!

Rose Wonder

I have loved playing with the Rose Wonder stamp set and framelettes, but was looking for something new to do, so started to experiment with the small flower stamp included. 

After playing about on scrap paper I came up with this wreath idea. On a piece of Very Vanilla 10cm X 10cm I drew a circle in pencil around a glass in the centre. In Rose Red I stamped all around it so that the images joined each other (thank goodness for photopolymer!). My tip here would be to have a practice on some scrap paper first, as everyones glasses will be a different diameter, and linking the flowers to create an even circle too me a bit of practice.

In Wild Wasabi ink I then stamped in the little leaves around the outside of the wreath, which are from the Cottage Greetings Stamp set.

Using the Blender pens to pick up ink from the lid of my Rose Red ink pad I then coloured in the flowers, followed by a touch of clear Wink of Stella for a hint of sparkle! Now the fiddly bit....I then cut out by hand all around the wreath inside and out. For those of you who are not in love with fussy cutting I do not recommend this, as it took me quite a while!

After cutting out the wreath, and a break for a well earned cuppa, I proceeded onto my greeting. I used the lovely new shape that comes with the Rose Wonder framelits to cut out the greeting banner, and then used the corresponding stamp to do the border in Rose Red. I prefer to do it this way round with photopolymer stamps as I find it easier to stamp onto a shape I can see than line up the framelit on top of the stamped image, but that is definitely personal preference. 


There are lots of lovely greetings you can use in this stamp set, but I went for a birthday one as I needed to stock up, which I stamped in Wild Wasabi. I then got out my Love Blossoms DSP Stack and had a flick through until I found a design I was happy with and cut a piece 9.5cm x 14.85cm. This was mounted upon Rose Red Card Stock, which is half a sheet of A4 (21cm x 29.7cm) folded in two, the front measures 10.5cm x 14.85cm. 

The wreath was then glued on, with dimensionals for a bit of depth, at the top of the card. Using a strip of Wild Wasabi Card 1cm x 10.5cm I got busy with the Wink of Stella! I painted over the whole of this strip of card so that it really shone, and then glued it half way between the bottom of the card and the bottom of the wreath. My greeting banner was then mounted over the top of this strip on top of dimensionals.

I hope you enjoyed my use of this pretty flower stamp, and are inspired to make a wreath of your own.

Late Easter Card

OK so Easter is over now, but I never got round to sharing this card special with you all. Made for my lovely Mum I wanted to create something a little special, and having just got my hands on the New Botanical Blooms dies I was excited to try them out.

I was really pleased with the sunburst stamp used behind the cross in So Saffron, which highlights the cross and the hope it represents. The flowers and leaves were stamped and die cut in Wild Wasabi, Pear Pazazz, Marina Mist, Soft Sky and So Saffron.

I also made these simpler cards using the leaf stamp from Kinda Eclectic, as well as the sunburst. The cross stamp is from a retired set Crosses of Hope, which I haven't been able to part with yet, but there is a lovely new set which i have put in the supply list you could use.

I think these designs would look nice for a baptism, dedication, or sympathy card with a different greeting.

Happy Crafting!