Stocking Horse

How cute is this idea?  I was looking for inspiration for my new stamps (the Stitched Stockings set, currently available this month as a "preview" set from the upcoming Summer Mini Catalogue - click this link to find out more) and stumbled across this nifty "out of the box" use.  So who says stockings are just for Christmas?

I also got a chance to christen my new Houndstooth Embossing Folder ... :-)

Images © 1990-2011 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamps: Stitched Stockings, Woodgrain. Short & Sweet
Ink: Island Indigo
Cardstock: Lucky Limeade, Daffodil Delight, Island Indigo, Soft Suede, Whisper White

Other:Houndstooth Embossing Folder, Daffodil Delight 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, 3/4" Circle Punch, Stocking Tag Builder Punch, 1-1/2" Circle Punch, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/4" Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch

Inspired by ... myself!

A week or so ago I posted a card I was particularly happy with, using the Creative Elements set.  I liked it so much I made it again to send to my darling sister-in-law (waves to Sophie) for her birthday, but this time I paired my new favourite colours Pool Party and Island Indigo.

Oh, and everything goes with Crumb Cake.  I can't recommend this "colour" highly enough.

To bling this up just a little, I added a weeny little half-pearl from the Basic Pearls set (note to self - get a pair of fine-nosed tweezers to handle these ones - the medium and large sized ones are fine, but the tiny little ones are insanely small).  It fits perfectly at the centre of the design on the butterfly's body.

Images © 1990-2011 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

 Stamps: Creative Elements 
Ink: Pool Party, Island Indigo, Crumb CakeCardstock: Crumb Cake, Island Indigo, Pool Party, Very Vanilla

Other:Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker, 1-3/4" Circle, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Basic Pearls

Array of Sunshine

 New rubber!  Yay!  Finally got around to placing an order from the new 2011-12 Catalogue, and so I have some new stuff to play with (*sigh* when I get time).

This is one of the new hostess sets ... for a workshop or order of $300 or more, you could choose this stamp set (and more!) for your very own.

I was inspired by this post at ColourQ (I can't believe it's taken me this long to discover this blog full of great inspiration!) - don't these colours look stunning together?  Okay, I had to change out their suggestion of Crushed Curry (what an odd name for a colour) because this was never released in Australia, but Daffodil Delight looks just as nice, I think.

I have to admit, there was a LOT of work cutting this thing out, but when you're half watching telly the time goes by fairly quickly.  And the result was totally worth it, I'm sure you agree.

Do you think it needs a greeting?  Perhaps I'll leave that until I decide what to do with it ...

Images © 1990-2011 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

 Stamps: Array of Sunshine (Hostess Set)
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Daffodil Delight
Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Island Indigo, Whisper White

Vintage Violet

I have been drawn to making softer, more "vintage" style cards lately, although sadly I don't really have much in the way of current Stampin' Up! supplies to do this with (better rectify that - there are some lovely "olde worlde" styles in the current 2011-12 catalogue).

Fortunately one of the stamp sets we received at the Stampin' Up! Convention back in May was Creative Elements, which has 8 decorative, collage-y style stamps you can mix and match for the perfect vintage look.

I've used Wisteria Wonder again (with a touch of Concord Crush) and teamed it with Crumb Cake - because just about everything looks good with Crumb Cake.  The butterfly was inked with Wisteria Wonder, then I used my Basic Black marker to colour the body and rolled just the edges of the stamp onto my Concord Crush inkpad to shade the wings a little.

And here's a closeup of the butterfly and flower.  As you can probably imagine, it took more than a little time to cut around the petals of that flower, but I like to think the effect (popped up on Dimensionals) is totally worth it :-)


Images © 1990-2011 Stampin' Up!®


Supplies used:

 Stamps: Creative Elements 
Ink: Wisteria Wonder, Crumb Cake, Concord Crush 
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Concord Crush, Wisteria Wonder, Very Vanilla

Other:Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker, 1-3/4" Circle, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder

Pretty Purples

Have you had a close look at the new 2011-12 In Colors yet?  Those of you who have been mourning the loss of a pale purple might be pleased to know there is now a shade called Wisteria Wonder.  It may not be able to replace Pale Plum (nothing ever will *sob*) but it does look gorgeous when teamed with Concord Crush as shown here.

I have heard it said that Wisteria Wonder is a little "grey" - while this is kind of true, I think it all depends on what colour you're matching it with.  Having said that, the colours shown in the sample here are really not at all true to life - you would really need to see it in person to appreciate it :-)

Images © 1990-2011 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamps: Cottage Garden
Ink: Wisteria Wonder

Cardstock: Wisteria Wonder, Daffodil Delight, Concord Crush, Whisper White
Other:Scallop Edge Punch, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder

Simply Stockings

During the month of October, you can purchase or earn an exclusive preview stamp set and coordinating punch.  The cute Stitched Stockings set is available in clear-mount or wood-mount, and is designed to be mix-and-matched with the Stocking Tag builder punch.  I have already seen some adorable samples using this set, and now you have the opportunity to purchase it before it's official release in the Summer Mini Catalogue later this year.

Read a little more about this promotion and see what the stamps and punch look like over at my Stampin' Up! website.  Remember, this pre-order offer is only available from October 1 to 31!