Nifty Cut Out Card

I was browsing around the web the other night, and came across this card, which I thought was such a clever idea I had to sit down and try it out.

How fortunate I now have the Big Shot to play with, and a Top Note die.

The technique itself isn't so hard, once you've marked everything up and done it once (my first effort was a disaster - serves me right for not reading and understanding the instructions properly, really). The hard part was working out how to decorate the card once I'd cut it out!

The flower (from Echoes of Kindness, a Level 2 hostess set) was stamped with black Stazon, then watercoloured using an Aqua Painter brush and inkpads.

The right edges of the cut out section were sponged to match the edges of the white piece.

I used the En Francais background stamp across the front (masking off the cut out piece) - because this stamp is narrower than the width of this card, I hid the join with a strip of Perfect Plum cardstock which I ran through the Big Shot with the Top Note die.

Here's another shot of the card from above, so you can see the construction a little better. This won't be the last time I try one of these!


Images © 1990-2010 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: Echoes of Kindness (Hostess Set), En Francais
Ink: Black Stazon, Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Old Olive
Cardstock: Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Old Olive, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Top Note Die, 1/4" Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon, Aqua Painter

Mixing it up again

Something I've been doing lately when inspiration has run dry is to recreate a card in different colours - I'm always surprised by how different the same layout and stamps can look just by using an alternative colour combination.

Here's two I made the other day, the same as this one but not the same *g*. Okay, I did switch out the background stamp, but that's just my creative licence, yes?



Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp set/s: Echoes of Kindness (Hostess Set), Weathered
Ink: Rose Red, Old Olive
Cardstock: Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
Other: Uniball White Gel Pen, 1/4" Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon, Cutter Kit, Stampin' Sponges

Thanks for looking!

New Stamps, New Colours

I know that you're all eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalogue ... not long to go now (official release date - April 1!). I can tell you that it's full of lovely things, as well as six new In Colours - these colours will only be available (in ink, paper and accessories) for 12 months, so get in while you can. I can vouch for the fact that at the end of the catalogue period, these colours sell out really quickly.

Anyway, one of the perks of being a demonstrator for Stampin' Up! is being able to preorder a few things from the new catalogues - we are only given a small selection, but it's still very exciting trying to decide what to buy. I had a long think before settling on this set, called Echoes of Kindness, which is a Level 2 hostess set from the new book. I love the sketchy look and figure it will be a useful addition to my collection.

To celebrate the arrival of this little beauty, as well as the new In Colours, I made this card - totally CASEd from my friend Bridget Larsen (thanks Bridget!).

I have used two of the new In Colours here, Pacific Point which is a bright, clear blue and Baja Breeze, a softer blue. The flower was stamped in Pacific Point, then the petals coloured in with a white gel pen - I love how simple this looks while being very effective at the same time.

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp set/s: Echoes of Kindness (Hostess Set), En Francais
Ink: Pacific Point
Cardstock: Pacific Point, Baja Breeze, Whisper White
Other: Uniball White Gel Pen, 1/4" Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon, Cutter Kit, Stampin' Sponges

While I was on a roll, I used the same set to make this ... inspired by a card on Splitcoast Stampers, but very much simplified. The background on the pink panel is just the same flower stamped randomly and overlapping to create an illusion of texture.

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp set/s: Echoes of Kindness (Hostess Set)
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Basic Black
Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White, Pretty in Pink
Other: 1/4" Pretty in Pink Grosgrain Ribbon