Jems Monthly Blog Hop May

Yey! Welcome to a new monthly blog hop by our team of Stampin' Up! demonstrators. You might have hopped here from Sam's blog - in which case - Hello! I'm Kylie!

This month's theme is 'Retiring Products'. Earlier this month when the retirement list was published (the list of all the stamps and accessories that won't be in the next catalogue) I piled up all my stamps that will retire and I pulled out a few that I'm quite attached to - I want to get some more use out of them before deciding whether or not to sell them on!

Flowering Flourishes was one such stamp set. I love this set because it creates the perfect, simple but very effective backgrounds. Add a sentiment and you have a gorgeous card in minutes! It's a favourite of mine for wedding cards and invitations too. Today I want to show you three cards using Flowering Flourishes to create different backgrounds.

Please note this stamp set has already sold out in all formats - however I will be reluctantly parting with mine in my preloved stamp sale on 5th June - please see my events page for details!

The first card is simply stamped in basic grey and white craft ink on a basic grey card base. The sentiment is from another retiring stamp set 'Perfect Pennants' stamped in white craft ink. I've added some butterflies which I had punched from scraps of card that I had practised my stamping on! The addition of Rhinestones gives it an elegant finish!

For my second card I have heat embossed the background with clear embossing powder then sponged over the top with Lost Lagoon ink (One of the retiring 2014-16 in-colours) and more stamping over the top with Lost Lagoon and another Perfect Pennants sentiment.

Another heat embossed card for number three - this time gold embossing powder over Blackberry Bliss (this colour I'll miss a lot!) which I think looks quite classy and luxurious!

Hopefully someone I know will buy it off me so I can borrow it back occasionally! Haha.

Now it's time to click the NEXT BLOG button below to visit Julie's blog - the next one in the Jems Blog Hop, but I hope to see you back here soon!

List of demonstrators participating in the Jems Blog Hop this month:

Sharon Glynn
Sarah-Jane Rae
Julie Dix
Sarah Lavelle
Amanda Bates
Karyn Davies
Julie Kettlewell
Allie Jolliffe
Samantha Webster
Samantha Carlton
Kylie Henshaw - YOU ARE HERE
Julie Wade
Sarah Lindsay
Karen Watts
Gill Arnold
Yvonne Hunt
Kate Martin
Tracy Hill
Lucy Brown

Big Top Birthday

I just love Stampin' Up!s  Big Top Birthday papers - so fun and vibrant and perfect for children's birthdays.  I wanted to make up some sample cards and party items to show how versatile the papers are, and perhaps give people some ideas of how they can create a DIY kids party!

I made a birthday card, invitation, wrapping paper & tag, bunting, rosette age badge, pin wheels, popcorn boxes and treat flags.  I combined the Big Top Birthday papers with matching card and ribbons, the Fox and Friends stamp set (another perfect one for kids) and the pennant parade stamps with the petite pennant builder punch .