Hello & welcome to my blog.
My name is Alison & I live in beautiful Melbourne, Australia.
For those of you who have previously visited my blog & are now returning, thank you. For those of you who are here for the first time, welcome!
Here's a little bit about me. I love creating cards & gifts for my loved ones & this blog will show you how to create something special for those you love. I blog twice a week, once on a Sunday where I mainly showcase a stamp set or dies, embossing folders, projects & sometimes special DSP and Wednesday evenings when I highlight a technique, fun folds or tools & tips. I would love to hear from you if you have any questions or suggestions & my email address for that is craftedbyalison@gmail.com.
Life has been pretty crazy at our house right now. My youngest daughter has moved back in, my son's puppy "visit's" 3 times (and boy is he a mini tornado!) plus we have my eldest daughter's birthday, my nephews birthday & Christmas is at our house this year!!!! I have cheated a little with my projects for you by using the birthday card I made for my daughter & one of the projects I made from the Brushed with Beauty Craft Class Stampin' Up® has available.
Todays projects use the beautiful Designer Series Papers called Brushed with Beauty. This paper is part of the Brushed with Beauty suite which has 2 sets of stamps & dies, paper, vellum, an embossing folder & some beautiful pearls. The paper has lovely florals on one side & patterns on the reverse. Here are a card & card box I created with the DSP. I hope you enjoy them.
The card I created for my daughter's birthday has a unique opening at the front with two winged panels that open up to reveal more of the DSP & a space for writing a message. It was a Mystery card that we worked on at our monthly card day.
The base is Crumb Cake & has two parts to it - one measures 10.5cm x 14cm, this is the first part of the card that the second piece with the wing panels is attached to.
The second piece measures 10.5cm x 28cm & is scored at 5cm, 9.5cm. 18.5cm & 23cm.
The DSP is cut into the following sizes:
2 pieces 10cm x 2.5cm
2 pieces 10cm x 4cm
2 pieces 10cm x 4.5cm &
1 piece 2.5cm x 8cm. (this piece is optional as it can be used to decorate the writing piece but I chose to stamp an image instead.)
There is one piece of Basic White needed for the inside of the card that measures 10cm x 8cm plus some scraps for the front labels & sentiment.
I also used a scrap of Crumb Cake as a matte backing for part of the sentiment.
The 4 10cm x 4cm & 10cm x 4.5cm pieces are attached to both sides of the winged panels. The smaller two pieces that measure 10cm x 2.5cm are for the sides of the winged section of the card.
They were all applied with liquid glue to allow some wriggle room.
I diecut 'just' from Crumb Cake for the backing of the word & Basic White for the letters of the word, adhering them together with liquid glue & raising them up on dimensionals on a Basic White label from Tradional Labels that had 'because' stamped on in Crumb Cake.
I stamped the last section of my message in Crumb Cake on scrap & diecut it with the Traditional Labels.
Both of these sentiment labels were partially adhered to the left & right wings with dimensionals but only on half of the labels so that they would sit out a little & would appear to be solid when the card is closed but come apart when the card is opened.
The finishing touch was to add some Pearls of Beauty.
The box was created following instructions from Stampin' Up®s Brushed with Beauty Craft Class. All measurements are in inches as Stampin' Up® provided both Imperial & Metric but the Imperial measurements are a little easier to follow.
The box is designed to be used either as a gift box or to put a set of cards into.
The materials needed are:
1 piece of 7 1/2" x 11" Crumb Cake (for the box) & a scrap of Crumb Cake for die cutting the sentiment matte.
1 piece of 3 1/8" x 3 3/4" vellum plus scraps for die cutting foliage.
1 piece of 4" x 5 1/2" DSP of your choice.
1 piece of 3 1/4" x 3" Very Vanilla plus 1 piece approx 4" x 5 1/2" for stamping & die cutting sentiment matte.
Pearls of Beauty or other embellishments.
To assemble:
1. Diecut the 'just' sentiment from the Crumb Cake scrap & 2 x leaves, a 'just' matte from the vellum scrap 2 small blooms & another 'just' matte from Very Vanilla.
2. Score the box at 1", 5", 6", and 10" on the long side
and 1" and 6-1/2" on the short side. Fold & burnish all score lines.
On the long side, cut up at the 4 score lines to the score line that you made on the short edge, but don’t
assemble the box until the top layer is done.
3. Adhere the floral paper to the top of the box.
4. Using the stamping off technique, (inking your stamp then stamping once on scrap then again on cardstock for the finished, lighter shade) stamp two flowers in Calypso Coral ink on the
coordinating Very Vanilla die-cut pieces and two sets of leaves in Mossy Meadow ink on
the coordinating Very Vanilla die-cut pieces.
5. Stamp the flower centres in Calypso Coral ink, then adhere the flowers to the leaves using
Mini Glue Dots or liquid adhesive.
6. Assemble the sentiment by layering the vellum, Crumb Cake, and Very Vanilla die-cut
pieces and adhering them using Multipurpose Liquid Glue.
7. Put the stamped flowers and die-cut sentiment on the Very Vanilla Cardstock for placement;
don’t adhere them yet. Note where you want to stamp the sentiments. Remove the pieces,
then using the stamping off technique, stamp the sentiments in Calypso Coral ink.
8. Assemble the top layer by adhering pieces in this order, starting at the bottom: vellum,
stamped Very Vanilla Cardstock, and flowers. Adhere the die-cut sentiment using
Stampin’ Dimensionals.
9. Adhere the top layer to the top of the box.
10. Embellish with pearls or ribbon.
11. Fold all of the edges in & adhere the corner tabs to the sides of the box with liquid glue or Tear n Tape. The sides should look like this...
This is a lovely box to put a small gift into or a few notelets/cards. A few cards that match the front of the box would be perfect! Here's a closeup of the finished front...
This DSP is so pretty & with the reverse sides being a pattern instead of print they can be used for lots of different projects, even if you don't want any florals!
That's it for my creation today. Now for some news from Stampin' Up®.
Stampin' Up® have many ways of shopping with a physical catalogue, online shopping & in person events. When items are about to be retired or are running low they are put on the 'Last Chance' list which means that there is limited stock & when it runs out, it's gone.
Stampin' Up® 's Annual Catalogue is sectioned it to have beginners, which is a
step by step collection of materials in kits, then there is
quick & easy where you select base materials & packs of pre-printed or diecut materials plus some stamp sets then there is
create your way where you choose all the materials, stamps etc yourself &
create your way! In the
quick & easy section Stampin' Up® have also provided some inspiration with a colour wheel & information of various ways to use colour combinations. I explored this in a bit more detail in my
1/1/25 mid week blog & also in
30th April blog. The other cool feature is that they provide card sketch & scrapbook layout ideas for you. This is great for any times that you need a little inspiration.
If you'd like to browse the catalogue online then click
here. If you'd like a copy to hold in your hands, leaf through & put little notes all over it of what's on your wish list then shoot me an email at craftedbyalison@gmail.com or message me on my facebook page at craftedbyalison.
The mini catalogue is now available online & in printed form. There are loads of gorgeous new products in there. There's scrapbooking ideas & products, great tag dies & lots of Christmas themed products ranging from cute to elegant & traditional to modern. If you'd like me to send you a copy then send me an email at craftedbyalison@gmail.com. This catalogue will be retiring soon though to make way for the new mini at the beginning of January so don't waste time if you want to grab any items from this current mini catalogue!
Stampin' Up® also have loads of additional products available only online. These are called Online exclusives & have no end date, when the stock is sold out, that's the end of it.
Stampin' Up® have a great range of Kits including crafting, card making & gift giving. There were brand new kits added to the collection every month. Click here to check them all out in my online shop. As Stampin' Up® have so many beautiful kits available I usually feature a different kit in each blog so that you can see the range.
This week the feature kit is something a little different. It's a mini album that can be used to follow the first year of your baby's life or maybe even your grandchild's first year?
Here's how Stampin' Up® describe it...
Create an adorable album to capture baby’s first year with the As You Grow Kit. This all-inclusive kit has everything you need to document sweet memories each month. With plenty of letter and number stickers and pockets for holding extra treasures, personalising the album is a breeze! From baby’s first moments to first birthday, keep track of every unforgettable milestone with this kit!
If you feel that you need to add this to your list then click here to purchase one from my online store.
EXCITING NEWS!
I started a Web design course earlier this year as I want to create a website for my business & am not very tech savvy & needed professional help.
The course has finished & I'm just tweaking a few things & adding items to my shop and I'm nearly ready to share my brand new website where I can have my blog, a shop front to sell my products & links to a newsletter.
Currently I blog via this site - Blogspot - my products are available on my Facebook page & I don't have a newsletter yet. Moving to the new platform will enable me to have all of these goals realised & everything in the one place.
This is very exciting but also a little scary.
I've learned a lot & have progressed along the course & can't wait to share it with you in the new year! 😁
If you
shop with me then there are some new changes to the rewards program that you should know about. In the past we were able to create a host code & group together individual orders & pass on the 'hostess' benefits to customers with qualifying orders. This has now been replaced with a 'Rewards' program that gives
all customers who place an order with a
qualifying amount a credit of 10% of their order to use on future orders. This will be displayed during the checkout process or your order. Stampin' Up® feel that this is a fairer way of rewarding all customers.
There are some new ways to craft on offer at the moment which I will go through one at a time.
Ready?
1.Stampin' Up® held it's first ever Online Craft Class with the Traditions of Christmas craftalong & followed that up with a Brushed with Beauty Suite on November 21st and will be holding more events like this in the new year. I have started to create the projects from the Brushed with Beauty session (including today's box) & will share more of them with you in coming posts. Keep your eye out for more news of future dates.
2. Stampin' Up® will be holding a Virtual Card Making Retreat in January 2026. It has been designed for experienced or advanced crafters in mind but will also have a heap of tips & ideas for those wanting to explore more detailed card designing. To participate you just need to purchase the Retreat kit ($288AU) & this provides you with all of the materials you need & access to an exclusive FaceBook group where the event will be held. It sounds like a bit of expense but from past experience, what you take away from these type of events is well worth it. Here's some more info on how to join this retreat.
To craft along with the Stampin' Up® presenters and make 15 beautiful, all-occasion cards, you’ll want to purchase the 2026 Virtual Card Making Retreat kit. Everyone who purchases a kit will receive a link to the exclusive Facebook group where the live event will stream. We only have a limited number of kits, so make sure to order yours ASAP!
3. Starting from this month, Stampin' Up® will be featuring a special 'Product of the Month' item that is only available with eligible purchases. There will be a new item every month with no clues as to what the item will be. It could be stamps, dies, papers - a complete surprise every month. You will be able to receive each month's product for just $9 when you spend $125 in one order. I have been able to order the first offering for December which is some lovely blue toned DSP. I will playing around with it over the Christmas break & will share some creations with you in the new year.
Lastly, there have been lots of great items added to the clearance rack which is now called
Last Chance items so make sure you check them out using
this link to my online store as there will be more added in the coming weeks as Stampin' Up® gets ready to clear out the retiring products from the current mini to make way for the products in the upcoming mini.
If you would like to purchase any of my creations that I feature in my blogs they can be found in my FaceBook shop at craftedbyalison or you can order something unique.
I hope you've enjoyed today's post.
My next post will be on Wednesday & I will have a look back at some of the highlights from this year. This will be my final post for the year.
I hope you can join me for my last post & come back for more in the new year.
Til next take, take care & keep creating.
XX Alison
Here are some links to the products that I used today & some craft room essentials.
Stamps, Dies, Embossing folders & punches
Cardstock, DSP & paper goods
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