For the love of organization!

Hello! I am Nina and for anyone lucky enough to live near enough to visit the Sugar and Spice shop you will probably already know me. For those who don't I am a eclectic bug who loves random things in life. I have been paper crafting for 9 years now and have an ever changing style. My first project I want to share with you is an extension of my love of organization, can anything be better then stash organization?!
So does your ribbon box look like this?

Such hard work when you are starting a project and you cant even see your supplies. I thought I would put to use all the random jars I had been collecting for years and sort my ribbon into colours. This way when I know I need say, a black ribbon, I can grab my jar and have a good look. Once I was organized I couldn't resist making some cute labels with my Alphabet Clear Stamps and some scraps of paper and card stock.
How yummy do they all look?!! I am now going to do this with my buttons and bling too!

Hope you enjoyed my little project. Hugs and bugs, Nina x

Remember......with love

A big helloooo to everyone, I'm Nicola - known as Nic to most people, and I'm so pleased, honoured and excited to be here with you all at Sugar and Spice. I've been crafting for about 3 years now and have spent many a happy hour cutting, pasting and sticking with all the wonderful products out there. I LOVE stamping - it's one of my most favourite techniques and over the past few weeks I've been happily creating away with some of the wonderful Sugar and Spice stamps.

My first project I'd like to share this month is a Layout I've made using stamps from the scribble flowers and In a word sets.


I wanted to create a frame for my photograph and used the stamps from the scribble flowers to do so by stamping with staz on ink onto a transparency sheet. I placed the blank transparency sheet over my photograph so I could place the flowers exactly where I wanted them, stamped the largest flower first, then made a mask to cover it so I could stamp the other flowers around it. I repeated this process for both the medium sized flower and small. I then drew some swirls with a sharpie pen using a crafters companion template.

Once the ink had dried I coloured the underneath of the transparency using a combination of permanent marker pens, sakura pens and fine glitter. I used PVA glue to attach the glitter and as I found that stray glitter pieces have a habit of floating everywhere LOL! I also coated the glitter once attached, with another layer of PVA to keep everything in place.

I then stamped the 'with love' stamp from the 'In a word' set using versa fine ink onto the ticket to form part of my Layout title.


As a final touch I added a cluster of embellishments in the top left hand corner of my Layout, stamping the flower shape from 'In a word' onto a transparency and the medium sized scribble flower.

Happy Birthday Cup Cakes

I am so honoured to be chosen as one of the Sugar and Spice design team. These ladies I have joined are just oozing with talent and a great team to work with.

Happy Birthday Cup Cakes is a birthday card that I have made three times now and each time has inspired the recipient to by something for the kitchen with cup cakes on it. I hope it inspires you.

Items used

Yellow Pink and white card stock
Light Pink, Dark Pink and Yellow VERSA pigment ink pads
Black STAZON ink pad
SUGAR AND SPICE Happy Happy Birthday and Fancy Flourishes Clear Stamps
White 5” x 5” Birthday Card
Fine Black permanent ink pen.
Soft paint brush
Glamour Dust
Glue Pen
Double sided tape
Foam Pads
Quickie Glue Pen
Pencil
6” ruler

STAZON ink and a permanent ink pen are used as for this card as it is coloured with a wash of water colours and you don’t want the black ink to run.

Using the Sugar and Spice Happy Happy Birthday stamps, and the black STAZON ink, I stamped out 3 cupcakes onto white card stock. I water coloured the cupcakes with a light was of pigment ink and water, then dotted the fondant with small dark pink dots and a sprinkle of Glamour Dust.

For the Cake Plate; on white card stock and using a fine permanent marker, I drew a 4" horizontal black line. Using a straight border stamp from the Sugar and Spice Fancy Flourishes set, I centred it under the penned line. I added scrolls at the end of the 4” line to give a fancy finish. I then drew 1” vertical line from the centre of the plate. Using one of the corner stamps I rotated it so that the point was centred to the vertical line to form a base of the cake stand, then washed the whole plate stand with a very weak pink wash.

I cut out a square of yellow and pink card stock and tore around the edges and edged each piece with glamour dust. I lightly curl the edges of the two pieces of card. I stuck the pink to the yellow then both to the birthday card. I adhere the cake stand flat to the card with glue pen then the three cup cakes using foam pads. I stamped Birthday midway on the stem of the cake stand and glaze over the words with glue pen and glamour dust.

But Ladies, please remember, when you go to work the next day that your trousers will be covered in glamour dust and you will shine in the lights all day.

Kraft-i-licious!

Firstly a big hi to everyone reading this!! I feel pretty honoured to be on the Sugar and Spice design team :) I'm sure the majority of you who have been into the shop know me but for those who don't... i'm Paula, known as Polly to some and I love stamps! I have two kiddos and have been crafting for a long, long time and love every minute of it. I try and make time to make something nearly everyday... when life allows!

Well, here is my first project for this month! I wanted to keep my first one pretty simple... and I have come up with a few takes on this easy-peasy card. I used scribble sentiments for the stamps on this first one.
I love kraft cardstock and it is pretty easy to stamp on because of its smooth texture. It is pretty ideal if you are new to stamping or not that confident on getting a great stamped image. I also used versa fine for these stamps, not only is it a fab ink but it is great for the fine and swirly details on stamps, which is what this set is like. I took my 10" length of kraft and folded it into two places (at 4.5" and 9") and folded and scored these lines.

I used two punches to create the 'negative' butterfly effect on bright pink cardstock. You need to punch the butterfly first out of your cardstock (save her!) and then you can punch a circle around her. If you turn the punch upside down, it means you can get her right in the centre too. I adhered this to the front section of the card we just created, it then gives you a guide for your stamps.
Placing your acrylic block on top of the circle you've punched and adhered to you card you can shape the sentiment stamps on the acrylic block, so as it follows the circle. It means when you turn it over and stamp your sentiments will curve around the simple and cute embellie you just made!
I punched two small holes using my cropadile through the bottom flap, including the card front too. I also rounded these corners with my corner rounded (just the bottom ones with the flaps). you could leave them square but it just adds a little finishing touch that makes the card look more professional.

I added a cream insert inside which measured 4" x 4" I also rounded the corners of this piece too and adhered the positive butterfly we saved earlier. It just ties it altogether nicely. If you wished you could print your text onto card/an insert and then add it in if you wanted.

I then added ribbon through all the three sets of holes and tied into a large bow. I love bows! :)

These are a few alternatives that you could do using the same card design. I used the left overs from the above project to make these little baby cards. They are ideal for save the date notes, thank you's and RSVP's.

This one I used the wedding invite stamp set and punched a butterfly, bent her wings slightly and tied with bakers twine.

Again this was the wedding invite set and this time I glossed the heart with glossy accents.

This too is the wedding invite stamp set. Just different ribbon...

And how about alittle suede thong holding it together with just a knot?

Cupcakes ............with love

Here we go, my first post on sugar and spice..............................I hope you like it!

I couldn't resist playing with some lovely cupcake stamps this week - what is it about cupcakes us girls just love.

These fabulous set of stamps have individual componants that allow you to build your cake, also includes numbers and birthday phrases
I love using acetate at the moment in my cards and especially layouts, great to stamp on to but enables you to still peak through to what is going on behind.

This is my other little favourite thing of the month .........my glue pad. Use it in exactly the same as an ink pad with your stamps and then add glitter .....................wonderful!

The stamps I've used in my card project are from Sugar and Spice and called Happy Birthday With a Cherry on the Top, look out for them they are just fab!

Finally finished the card by covering the inside of the card with cupcake backing paper.

Keep watching for other DT posting to follow very soon....................bye for now!

WHAT A WEEKEND......

WOW...What fun we had this weekend...Saturday was the ALL DAY BANANA FROG day and judging by the comments afterwards everyone LOVED IT, they all learnt new techniques, they got to keep a complete set of BANANA FROG stamps along with other goodies supplied by SUGAR AND SPICE...AND they all lost about 4lb in weight due to the HEAT. Well done girls!!! and WELL DONE BEV. there were times I thought you looked like you were going to pass out, hence running up bottles of water to you and trying to keep your temperature down with Tea and Coffee, and like a true professional you kept going, YAY !!!

Considering their were 19 of you in that room AND it was one of the hottest days you were all FANTASTIC.

From everyone that I spoke to, you ALL said you would love to do it again (Maybe next time we'll choose a winter month) a true testament to a great day. In fact I think the best testament was that one special lady flew all the way down from Scotland for the event, THANK YOU.
BUT...the fun didn't end there, on Sunday Polly held her Journalling Class (this is being repeated on 5th July if anyone wants to book) there was about 6 of you in her class that were with us on the B F Day, and again the feedback was amazing, it means so much to us to know that we're getting it right, so much effort is put into ALL our classes. We pride ourselves on bringing you the most upto date, ORIGINAL projects all designed by ourselves IN-HOUSE.
In a few weeks I'll be nipping over to Florida to CHA to bring you back all the LATEST YUMMIES, so any requests, let me know, and I'll do my best.
In just a couple of days our NEW DESIGN TEAM start their postings, so I hope you'll pop on and have a read, get inspired and leave comments, it means so much to us when you leave a comment.
Enjoy the sunshine. xx

MUFFINS GALORE....

What a lovely surprise I had today.
After receiving a few deliveries of Yummy New Goodies, another little delivery guy comes trotting in holding a rather large package. After confirming that I am the recipient he puts down the package, I sign and he leaves. It's funny, because I just look at the package thinking "oooh what can that be and who from" INSTEAD of just opening it and finding out straight a way!!! why do we do that?....Anyway, When I DID open it I was greeted with 12 GORGEOUS looking muffins.

I know, I know there's only 11 in the photo, but I had to try one...just to check they were real. OK I know you're not buying that, but I'm sticking to it!!
Anyway a great big THANK YOU goes to JANET and MILLIE, it was a real pleasure working with MILLIE, she's such a sweetie.
Big hugs xxx