Little boxes

I was blog-hopping recently, and stopped by Jackie Topa's blog (she is amazing). One of her projects seemed so simple yet effective I had to try it straight away, and here is the result (yes, I know the photo is a bit dark - I was sick when I took the photo and didn't have the energy to sort it out).

The box is a little bit smaller than her version, at only 3-1/2 inches square rather than 4. This made it a good fit for the little 3 inch square gift cards I whipped up to put inside. As you can see, I've used my current favourite colour combination of Apricot Appeal and Pixie Pink here (I tried to get some Real Red in, but it just didn't want to happen).

After I took the photos, I decided to bling it up a little by adding glitter to the butterfly's body and the tiny flower on the wing - so cute!

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp set/s: Priceless
Ink: Apricot Appeal, Pixie Pink
Cardstock: Apricot Appeal, Pixie Pink, Whisper White
Other: So Swirly Stampin' Around Jumbo Wheel, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Apricot Appeal 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon

Here's close ups of each element of this little gift set.

Always

A couple of weeks ago I was in need of a quick, easy and impressive card for a workshop I was doing (waves to Sue). While surfing around the net, I stumbled across this gorgeous card and was immediately inspired.

We were going to be using Stampin' Pastels at the workshop, so I used the heart stamp from Always to demonstrate a technique known as "poppin' pastels", where you stamp in Versamark and then dust over the image with chalks - the chalk sticks to the Versamarked image, but not so much to the cardstock surrounding it, giving a subtle and soft finish.

This is the card we made. And look! I actually cut into my precious stash of Designer Series Paper (this particular piece is from the collection known as "Sweet Always" which coincidentally matches the stamp set Always). We used the colours in the paper scrap to carry over to the chalked heart, that is Regal Rose and Pumpkin Pie.

One of the guests chose to use the other side of the DSP (all SU DSPs are double-sided, and come with two sheets of six designs per packet), which was a gorgeous look as the reverse of this striped piece is pink with a white floral design similar to that on the heart.

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp set/s: Always, Best Yet
Ink: Versamark, Regal Rose
Cardstock: Regal Rose, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White
Other: Stampin' Pastels, Sweet Always Designer Series Paper, Eyelet Border Punch, Wide Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch

While I was fluffing about trying to decide on the card the workshop guests would make, I did a few other variations, mostly to show different looks for the same layout using assorted techniques.

The first of this group is pretty much the same card, however rather than stamping with Versamark then chalking over the top, I chose to ink the stamp with the Versamark and then colour directly onto the (now sticky) rubber with the chalks, then stamp.

This gives a soft effect but more crisp than that achieved with the "poppin' pastels" technique.

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp set/s: Always, Short & Sweet
Ink: Versamark, Regal Rose
Cardstock: Regal Rose, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White
Other: Stampin' Pastels, Eyelet Border Punch, Wide Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Small Oval Punch

The next card uses the same techniqe on the heart, however with this one I also used the matching Always in Bloom wheel in Whisper White ink across the top of the base card to provide some depth.

A tip for seamless coverage when using a wheel - roll it across the cardstock diagonally. This camouflages the joins a little and looks more natural.

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp set/s: Always, Upsy Daisy
Ink: Versamark, Regal Rose, Whisper White
Cardstock: Regal Rose, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White
Other: Stampin' Pastels, Eyelet Border Punch, Always in Bloom Standard Wheel, Wide Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Small Oval Punch

The last is my favourite - this time I ditched the pastels altogether and went for sparkly! The heart is inked first in Versamark, then directly into Regal Rose before stamping. This means you can utilise the stickyness of Versamark and the colour of the dye ink to create coloured embossing and glittering effects.

I used Heat & Stick powder and Dazzling Diamonds (I wish you could see it in real life) to sparkle up the heart, then before assembly used the Always in Bloom wheel and Whisper White craft ink to create a very subtle pattern on the Pink Pirouette cardstock. The Pink Pirouette is so pale you can barely see the white ink, but it really makes the card pop.

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp set/s: Always, Best Yet
Ink: Versamark, Regal Rose, Whisper White
Cardstock: Regal Rose, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White
Other: Eyelet Border Punch, Always in Bloom Standard Wheel, Heat & Stick Powder, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Designer Label Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch

Eastern Blooms part 3

The last of the cards I made the other night (the others are shown here and here).

This one was quick & easy - the branch is stamped twice in Whisper White craft ink (a thick pigment ink), and the edges of the panel were sponged in the White as well.

I let the card sit for a little to allow the ink to dry - the craft ink, being oil based, takes a lot longer to dry than regular classic (dye-based) ink. This is an advantage if you want to emboss or use Heat & Stick powder, but a bit of a chore if you don't *g*.

Once the ink dried, I put a little dab of Two Way Glue on the centre of each flower and tipped Dazzling Diamonds glitter across the top (being careful not to sneeze before I managed to get the excess back in the container - and it being spring and all, and the hayfever acting up, this was no mean feat!).

It's very pretty in real life, but doesn't really show up so well in a photo.

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp set/s: Eastern Blooms
Ink: Whisper White
Cardstock: Brocade Blue, Night of Navy, Whisper White
Other: Eyelet Border Punch, 1/4" White Grosgrain Ribbon, Two Way Glue, Dazzling Diamonds glitter

Stop Press! I've got a new website!

If you want to have a look, feel free - I have a new Stampin' Up! Business Website. This is provided to allow demonstrators to have a web presence which is linked more comprehensively to the Stampin' Up site than blogs alone can do.

I have been tweaking it a little here and there, and plan to add more projects and personal content to it as time goes by. We have a free trial period until December 15, so I plan to use that to the full before I make my decision as to whether to keep it.

It also comes with a nifty newsletter function, so if you're on my mailing list you will be getting a you-beaut newsletter shortly (and yes, I know I haven't sent out October's yet ... it sounds like a lame excuse, but I've been sick LOL).

While online ordering isn't yet available (it's something that will probably happen in the future, but not for some time), you can still find out more about the products and promotions, and contact me through the Business Website.

Check it out, and don't forget to bookmark it - I will be adding more stuff soon.

(to entice you to take a look, there's information about the November promotion on there *g*!)

The address is: http://chrismclucas.stampinup.net

By the way, this doesn't mean I'll be giving up my blog - StampStuff is a much more personal platform where I can get chatty about my craft. I think the two can work well together (time will tell LOL).

Another Eastern Blooms card

Following on from my post the other day, here's another card I made while I had the Eastern Blooms set sitting out amongst the chaos on my dining room table (ie. the stamping area) (one day I will manage to snaffle a bedroom to turn into a craft room, but one of the kids has to move out first, and that's going to be quite some time).

The branch and flowers on this are coloured with markers ... first I inked the whole stamp up with Summer Sun, then used my Old Olive and Ruby Red markers on the branch and flower petals. I figured this was a little quicker than using all markers to ink the stamp.

Down the side, to give it a little texture, I used the Tres Chic stamp, and added yet more texture on the Summer Sun strip with the Sanded background stamp (inked with Apricot Appeal to show up a little).

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp set/s: Eastern Blooms, Tres Chic, Sanded
Ink: Ruby Red, Summer Sun, Apricot Appeal
Cardstock: Ruby Red, Old Olive, Summer Sun, Whisper White
Other: Scallop Edge Punch, Stampin' Write Markers in Ruby Red and Old Olive

Bright Eastern Blooms

*phew* It's a little dusty here! Yes, I'm still around, however my mojo was taking a break and suddenly it's over halfway through October.

Last weekend, a large number of excited Stampin' Up! demonstrators from around Victoria flooded into the Crown Promenade Hotel in Melbourne to attend a regional training session. We spent six hours listening to inspiring presentations, seeing some "wow" demonstrations and making projects with the stamp set and supplies kit provided to us.

I can't show you the stamp set yet - for that you will have to wait until next month, as it won't be available for purchase until the Summer Mini is released later this year - and I didn't make any swaps so really there's not much to see here LOL. You can take a quick trip over to my dear friend Pauline's blog and see the swap she made - they were very popular, and she ran out by the first break!

However I did come away from Regionals with a new enthusiasm, and last night had a play with an old favourite stamp set, Eastern Blooms. Here's one of the cards I came up with.

I really like this colour combination (which I've used in the past, here). Who would have thought that Apricot Appeal, Pixie Pink and Real Red would work so well together?

The flowered branches are stamped a few times in Versamark on Whisper White cardstock, then clear embossed. To apply the colour I used a brayer (a rubber roller), inking the lower part of the card in Apricot Appeal and the upper with Pixie Pink (overlapping in the middle to blend the two colours), finally sponging a little Real Red along the top.

The embossing resists the ink so the Whisper White cardstock shows through on the branches.

I chose to use Whisper White rather than Glossy White (which I would normally use for brayering) because I like the soft look that it gives when it's brayered with colour. A while back a friend and I experimented with different, competing brands of white cardstock, and found that the Stampin' Up! Whisper White (and Very Vanilla) produce the best result, due probably to their ultra-smooth matte finish.

A quick heads up, too ... don't forget that the items in the current Spring Mini are only available for another six or so weeks - and that includes the Scallop Oval Punch shown here! Contact me today and snap it up while you can!

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp set/s: Eastern Blooms, Big Bold Birthday
Ink: Apricot Appeal, Pixie Pink, Real Red
Cardstock: Pixie Pink, Apricot Appeal, Real Red, Whisper White
Other: Brayer, Clear Embossing Powder, Large Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Wide Oval Punch

Whoa ... what happened there? October Promotions!

Somehow I fell off the planet for a couple of weeks there ... I personally blame school holidays, which isn't much of an excuse really, as we've not really done much. We did get to the Melbourne Museum to see the Pompeii exhibit ... well worth it, despite the crowds.

Sadly I have no new samples for you today ... yes, I know! How slack! But I do have news of this month's promotions (yup, two of them).

Firstly, it's World Card Making Day this Saturday, October 3. This is a day set aside to encourage us all to take time to make a card or two for our friends and family (and for us to buy stuff from the participating companies *g*). Whatever the reasons for setting it up, it's a good reminder that everyone loves to receive mail, and what better mail than a handmade card from a loved one?

Stampin' Up! is having a World Card Making Day celebration for the entire month of October!

To celebrate WCMD 2009, you can purchase either the Flower Power Simply Sent Card Elements kit or the Rock Star Simply Sent Card Elements kit (each of these kits is priced at $30.95) during October, and receive 20% off the price of either of the matching stamp sets, Wow Flowers or Starring You (these sets are normally $24.95, but during the promotional period they will be available for $19.96).

So for each of the Simply Sent Card Elements kits you buy, you are entitled to the 20% off either stamp set - there are no purchase limits to this promotion, and there's no requirement to match the stamp set to the purchased kit.

Note: The promotion only relates to the kits and stamp sets mentioned above.

Secondly, if you're thinking about joining the Stampin' Up! family, now might be a good time for you ... for every person who joins between October 7 and December 31 2009, Stampin' Up! will donate $5 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

PLUS every recruit joining between now and the end of December will receive a FREE pack of Raspberry Tart Designer Paper and a Pretty In Pink Classic Ink Pad to help them get started.

If you would like to know more about becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, please feel free to contact me with your questions.