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Saturday, 14 December 2019

Under My Umbrella/Glucksregen Blog Hop


Welcome to my blog and to the Under My Umbrella Blog/Glucksregen Hop!

You may be starting with me, or you may have hopped here from Germany with Daniela Scholz's (Stempela) Blog.  Either way, you will find a link to the next blog at the end of this post.

I have created a couple of cards using our gorgeous new stamp set Under My Umbrella from the Jan-Jun 2020 Mini Catalogue, which launches on the 3rd January 2020.  I was lucky enough to receive this as my Prize Patrol gift at OnStage in November.



 For my first card I've combined the Under My Umbrella set with one of our Sale-A-Bration offerings for 2020 - The Gang's All Meer (I'll tell you how to get your hands on these SAB items at the end of this post).



I made my card base from Smokey Slate Cardstock cut to 8"x6" (score the 8" side at 4" and fold).  I stamped the umbrella, it's handle, the Meercat Gang and the Chameleon onto a piece of Whisper White Cardstock using Jet Black Stazon and coloured them using our Watercolour Pencils and an Aqua Painter.  The umbrella and handle were punched out using the co-ordinating Umbrella Builder Punch and I used my Paper Snips to fussy cut the gang and Chameleon out.  Using a piece of Whisper White Cardstock measuring 5 3/4"x3 3/4" I used the Lily Pad stamp from another SAB set - Lovely Lily Pad with Pool Party Ink to stamp 3 'puddles' for our Meer Cats to sail their umbrella on (these stamps are made as 'reversible' stamps - a two step method using the back of the stamp to add the filling to the line image).  The line image was stamped at full strength and the filling was stamped off once before stamping over the line image.  My last bit of stamping for this card was to add the sentiment 'no matter the weather we're friends forever' at the top of the panel in Pool Party.

To build the card, attach the stamped panel to the front of the card blank using SNAIL or liquid adhesive.  Attach the Meer Cat Gang to the umbrella dome using Stampin' Dimensionals, then attach another layer of Dimensionals to the back of the Meer Cats, doubling them up for the bottom of the umbrella (ie two pads on top of on another).  Before attaching this layer, lay it in position so you can work out where your handle should go, then attach that to the backing with liquid adhesive.  Now you can attach the umbrella ensemble.  Finally, attach the Chameleon to the umbrella as shown with liquid adhesive.





My second card features a pair of Glittery Yellow Wellies filled with bright flowers.  Yellow Wellies have a special place in my family - my Mum had a pair when my Brother and I were little, and she ALWAYS took them with us when we went camping.  One year she forgot to bring them and it poured down with rain all week!  We blamed it on the wellies and made sure they were the first thing to be packed in the car from the next camp on!!!  It became a long running family joke - seeing these wellies reminded me of my Mum who we sadly lost 18 months ago to the dreaded Cancer.

I used a piece of Highland Heather Cardstock (one of my absolute favourite colours) measuring 8"x6" scored on the 8" side at 4" and folded to make a card base.  Using Jet Black Stazon I stamped the 'life's showers bring love's flowers' sentiment on a piece of Whisper White Cardstock then punched it out using a 2" Circle Punch.  I punched another circle out of Pool Party Cardstock.  These were stuck together using Liquid Adhesive so the Pool Party circle peeks out from behind the White one as shown.  I also stamped the Wellies and a selection of the flower images with Stazon onto another scrap of Whisper White Cardstock, colouring them with our Watercolour Pencils and an Aqua Painter.  I also added a little Clear Wink of Stella to the wellies to give them a bit of sparkle.  The flowers were 'arranged' to fill the top of the wellies and attached using liquid adhesive.

On a piece of Whisper White Cardstock measuring 5 3/4"x3 3/4" I stamped the small Lily Pad from the Lovely Lily Pad SAB set using Pool Party in the two ink strengths as before in the lower left of the card.

Using Stampin' Dimensionals, attach the flower filled wellies over the lily pad puddle, then attach the sentiment panel to the top right corner, ensuring that it goes over the edge of the panel.  Cut off the overlap using a pair of Paper Snips.  Finally, attach the panel to the front of the card base using SNAIL or Liquid Adhesive.

 I hope you liked my projects, and that you will give them a go once the Mini Catalogue launches on 3rd January 2020.

I did promise to tell you how you can get your hands on the gorgeous Sale-A-Bration sets I used.  Well, for every £45 (60 Euro) you spend on any Stampin' Up! Products (before shipping & handling), you can choose a FREE Sale-A-Bration product.  There's no limit!  Choose something amazing for free with every £45 (60 Euro) or spend £90 (120 Euro) for additional options!  There are loads more products to choose from.  If you don't have a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator already, and live in the UK, France, Germany, Austria or The Netherlands, then I'd love to send you a Mini and SAB Catalogue - just email me at studioat316@gmail.com with your name and address and I'll get one in the post to you.

Thank you for joining our Blog Hop - your next destination is Germany with Monika Hamm (Stempelpunkt)  Don't forget to leave some love before you hop on, using the comments form below 😍

Happy Stampin'
Babs xx


  1. Christiane Knapp - Germany - StempelPalast




  1. Emma Goddard - UK - Coastal Crafter


  1. Caroline van der Straaten - The Netherlands - Caro’s Kaartjes




  1. Daniela Scholz - Germany - stempela 


  1. Barbara Maynard - UK - Studio@316


  1. Monika Hamm - Germany - Stempelpunkt 


  1.  Rochelle Blok - Australia - The Stamping Blok


  1. Lotte Noordzij - The Netherlands - A Lotte Stamping Fun


  1. Paula Dobson - New Zealand


  1. Cheryl Taylor - UK - Stampin n Crafting with Cheryldiana 


  1. Maaike van Geffen - The Netherlands


  1. Janneke Dijkstra de Jong - the Netherlands
    https://happystampin.nl/?p=16696

Wednesday, 4 December 2019

Christmas is coming!!

Morning all!  How are you doing?  I still can't quite believe we are in December already but it's true - I know because I have eaten 4 chocolates from my Advent Calendar 😁

Speaking of Advent Calendars, I made two of our Countdown to Christmas kits for my boys this year - they still want one of Mum's Calendars even at 16 and 19!!  We all love a countdown, don't we.  And of course, the sweets and chocolates have a bit of a draw as well πŸ˜‹

Here is our youngest, James with his calendar.  Sadly Joe's is somewhere in the Royal Mail system on it's way to Plymouth where he is in his second year at Plymouth College of Art studying Game Art Design.  I don't suppose he will be too upset at having to catch up all in one day πŸ˜‰

Are your kids enjoying their calendars - or are you, like me, enjoying your own? 

Well, the calendar tells me that we are on the 4th December - a bit of a heads-up here.  If you are placing an order at my Stampin' UP! Shop and need the items for Christmas Day, you need to place your order by 15th December at the latest.  If you have a wish list and want to have a surprise on the big day then send me your list and pass my details to your significant other, or whoever else you'd like Stampin' UP! goodies from, and I'll help them to place their order if needed.

We've got some gorgeous goodies coming in January, but don't forget that lots of our items in the Autumn/Winter Catalogue will be retiring at the end of the year (if not sooner if they sell out).  We also have our Year End Clearout running throughout December where you could bag yourself a bargain from your wish list.

Well, I think that's enough from me for now - I'd better get on with making my own Christmas Cards otherwise I will not be popular πŸ˜‰

Happy Stampin'
Barbara 😚

My WHY For Joining Stampin' UP!

 At our On-Stage events, we are often reminded to think back and remember WHY we joined Stampin' Up!  So, I thought I'd let you guys...