Still here ... still stamping!

It's been very quiet around here lately - and I have pretty much no excuse.  So without further ado, here's a card I made at Stamp Club a while back - just messing around with some of the limited inks, papers and stamps that I had on hand at the time.

I've used the chevron oval from Oh Hello, and the flower from the same set, inked using markers and trimmed closely.  The background is En Francais, stamped in the new Smoky Slate.

Images © 1990-2013 Stampin' Up!®   Supplies used: Stamps:  Oh Hello, En Francais
Cardstock:  Smoky Slate, Crisp Cantaloupe, Whisper White
Ink: Smoky Slate, Crisp Cantaloupe
Accessories:  Raspberry Ripple and Gumball Green Stampin' Write Markers



And here's a similar card, with Raspberry Ripple instead of Crisp Cantaloupe.  Looks like I need a little more practice with the Stampamajig to get those greetings straight :-)

Images © 1990-2013 Stampin' Up!®   Supplies used: Stamps:  Oh Hello, En Francais
Cardstock:  Raspberry Ripple, Whisper White
Ink: Smoky Slate, Raspberry Ripple, Black Stazon 
Accessories:  Raspberry Ripple and Pistachio Pudding Stampin' Write Markers, Stampamajig

Blue Butterfly

A quick search of my blog would reveal that I like my butterfly dies.  It's no secret :-)  If there's a blank space somewhere on a card, why not fill it with a butterfly?  And the dies are so easy to use!

So here's another quick one, which I whipped up the other week at stamp club (which, by the way, is open to anyone who can make it to the Mount Street Neighbourhood House in Glen Waverley on the last Saturday of each month - it's not a Stampin' Up thing, so no selling goes on, just a bunch of us who like to stamp with friends).

The background text is stamped in Crumb Cake, with the flourish and flowers in Midnight Muse.  The blue/brown combination is a real winner!

Images © 1990-2013 Stampin' Up!®
Supplies used:
Stamps: Everything Eleanor, En Francais
Cardstock:  Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Midnight Muse
Ink: Crumb Cake, Midnight Muse
Accessories:  Beautiful Wings Embosslit

Missing in Action

Well, where have I been lately?  Mostly just at home, loafing about - and I haven't even been stamping!  I know!  This time of year I seem to find I need to take a few weeks off to recharge after making all those Christmas cards (why do I do it each year?  Sadly, it's all for the money LOL), and my mojo takes a holiday as well :-)

But I'm back.  Sort of.  I motivated myself the other night to get out a new stamp set to add the finishing touch to this card:

I've seen a few cards with this "circle-y" theme online lately, and wanted to give it a go for myself.  I like the extra dimension given by popping up and punching out a circle (shown here with the little four point flower  from the Itty Bitty Punch Pack) gives the card,

The Pool Party circles have been stamped with Whisper White Craft Ink, which in Real Life (ie. I couldn't catch the effect with the camera) seem to glow... I love using Whisper White Craft on light coloured cardstock - the effect is always interesting.

And the new stamp set?  The "Just Because" greeting from the set Vintage Verses, only available from tomorrow until March 22, and only available FREE with a $100 purchase.  Yep, it's nearly Sale-A-Bration time again... more information for you tomorrow

 

Images © 1990-2013 Stampin' Up!®
Supplies used:
Stamps: Vintage Verses (SAB 2013 set), En Francais, Clockworks, Everything Eleanor
Cardstock:  Pool Party, Midnight Muse, Whisper White 
Ink: Whisper White, Midnight Muse
Accessories:  1-3/4" Circle Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack

Create

Recently I attended a small get together of Stampin' Up! demonstrators from my upline's extended "family" ... a swap was proposed and for a wonder, I actually got involved!  I rarely do swaps, as I have a very low boredom threshold, and doing more than about three of the same card sends me around the twist (which is why I dread Christmas each year lol).

Anyway, here's the card I ended up with ... it started with a desire to at last get around to using the Two Tags Bigz Die that I finally bought in May as well as the Cherry Cobbler embossing powder that I have had for months, and sort of grew from there.

The bottom right corner was masked with a piece of torn paper then stamped with En Francais in Crumb Cake.  I decided to lightly sponge the masked area with the same ink as well for a little extra definition.

After much debating with myself (and solicitation of advice from my 13 year old daughter, who frankly couldn't care less) I used a strip of Soft Suede cardstock down the left side of the card to balance out the greeting and sponged/stamped right side - I think I made the right decision in the end.

Sharp eyes might notice something about this card which may ... or may not ... be included in the next Stampin' Up! catalogue ...  I will leave it up to you to work it out :-)

Images © 1990-2012 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used: 
Stamp(s): Creative Elements, En Francais
 Ink: Versamark, Crumb Cake
  Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Other: Two Tags Bigz Die, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Decorative Label Punch, Large Oval Punch, Stampin' Sponges, Extra Secret Ingredient from upcoming Catalogue :-)

Black Butterflies

Yes, more butterflies, this time as a kind of silhouette look.  I saw this card (such a talented lady!) and loved it so much I had to make my own version.  Of course, mine has a long way to go before it matches the beauty of the original, but I still like it :-)

It was pretty easy to make, as well, with the layer of stamped Whisper White peeping out from behind the Lucky Limeade panel

And see how well the punches layer together?  I love that about punches - you don't have to have the same shapes in different sizes to get a neat layered effect - just mix and match until you're happy with the result!


Images © 1990-2012 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used: 
Stamp(s): Inspired by Nature, Tea Shoppe, En Francais
Ink: Lucky Limeade, Basic Black
Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White, Lucky Limeade
Other: Basic Black 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Beautiful Wings Embosslit,  Decorative Label Punch, Large Oval Punch

Faux Postage

I haven't had nearly as much time as I would have liked over summer to play with the new punches from the Summer Mini, the 1" Square and the Postage Stamp.  So I was pretty happy with myself when I came up with this the other week:

The 1" punch makes the whole "faux postage" thing a breeze ... stamp an image (or even use patterned paper!), punch out the bits you like and there you have it!  Here I have stamped the gorgeous En Francais, punched out little squares, then overstamped with images from Creative Elements.  I sponged the edges of each square before putting them together with the postage stamp shapes.

And how about that border?  Recognise it?  It's the Lace Ribbon Border punch, well, half of it at any rate - doesn't it make a great edge?

Images © 1990-2012 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Stamps: En Francais, Creative Elements
 Ink: Basic Gray, Pool Party, Crumb Cake
Cardstock: Pool Party, Island Indigo, Crumb Cake, Whisper White
Other: Lace Ribbon Border punch, 1" Square Punch, Postage Stamp punch, Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Stampin' Dimensionals

Soft Vintage

Last Saturday was another fun afternoon hanging out at SERS. I usually grab a handful of stuff with no real plans and as a result, rarely come away with a completed project (although I am working on changing this). This time, however, I had an Idea.

Here we have the result of that Idea. To be honest, I didn't finish on Saturday afternoon, because I forgot to bring any punches, but I did come home and finish it that evening.

And for a wonder, it came out pretty much as I had envisaged it beforehand. This is almost unheard of. Usually a project starts off as one thing, then takes several unexpected turns before turning out to be something completely different.

I have used a resist technique here using Versamark ink. First I stamped the En Francais background stamp in Baja Breeze onto glossy cardstock. Then after it had dried, I inked up the Medallion stamp with a Versamark pad and stamped over the top. Once this had set for a little I sponged Baja Breeze and Blushing Bride randomly over the top - voila! The clear Versamark ink "resists" the dye ink and the Medallion image shows through. You can use a tissue to gently polish the gloss cardstock and remove any excess dye ink from the top of the Versamarked image.

I created a "faux lace" effect by running a strip of Whisper White cardstock edged with my Eyelet Border punch through the Crimper tool. The edges of the "lace" have been sponged ever so lightly with Blushing Bride ink.

And as a finishing touch, the flowers from Vintage Vogue are layered on some punched shapes. I took to the Scallop Circle with my Cropadile to create the big holes around the edge. And lastly, a little pearl in the centre.

Supplies used:
Stamp(s): En Francais, Medallion, Vintage Vogue
Ink: Baja Breeze, Blushing Bride, Versamark
Cardstock: Blushing Bride, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Glossy White
Other: Eyelet Border Punch, Crimper, 1-3/4" Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, Basic Pearls

Vintage Style

I've had this set for some time now, and I can't believe it's taken this long for it to see some ink! It's a Level One hostess set, which means that you can't buy it, but you can earn it for FREE with either a $300 plus order or a $300 plus workshop.

And the beauty of the set? It coordinates with some of the exclusive Stampin' Up! punches, as shown here. I have gone for a soft, vintage feel which suits the style of the stamps, and opted to layer an embossed piece over a background stamped with En Francais (I've been giving my background stamps some love lately *g*).

Who knew that Perfect Plum and Crumb Cake would work so well together?

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: Punch Potpourri, En Francais
Ink: Perfect Plum, Crumb Cake
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Perfect Plum, Very Vanilla
Other: Boho Blossoms Punch, Full Heart Punch, Two Step Bird Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder

Top Note Box

I stumbled across this project recently, and finally got a chance to try it out the other night ... wow, it was so easy, and very effective as well.

I also finally got around to trying out the scallop punch flower properly (as opposed to the practice ones I have made). There are lots of tutorials for these flowers all over the net so I won't even attempt to write one - I used the version where you punch the scallops out, scrunch them well to soften the cardstock fibres and peel the cardstock in half to expose the soft, suede-like insides. I really love how it came out, and it seems to suit the vintage-y look of the box just right.

Here you can see a closeup of the detail on the top of the box - I tore a hole in a piece of scrap paper and used that as a reverse mask to stamp En Francais through (the same technique was used here).

Next time, I might run the top part of the box through an embossing folder in the Big Shot, for the texture (looooove texture *g*).

And here's the box open. I didn't put the little dividers in this one - perhaps next time.

Images © 1990-2010 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: Vintage Vogue, En Francais
Ink: Soft Suede, Sahara Sand
Cardstock: Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Other: Scallop Circle Punch, Top Note Die

Heading off to Sydney!

This time tomorrow I will be in sunny (?) Sydney, ready to attend the annual Stampin' Up! Convention, where I will meet lots of other demonstrators, learn some new tips & tricks, and generally hang out with friends. This is the one time of the year I go away without the family, and while I love them to bits, it's nice to take a break.

As is customary, I have been working on swaps to exchange with other demonstrators - a good way of gathering samples and ideas which you might not have thought of. I don't make many, because I have a short attention span *g*, so I like to think of these as "limited editions" LOL.

The photo above is a little dark, so here's a closeup of the little bird's wing, which I've popped up on a dimensional. Isn't this bird punch completely gorgeous?

Wish me luck in Sydney, and with any luck I'll come back with some great new ideas to share with you!

Stamps: Simply Said, En Francais
Ink: Sahara Sand, Real Red
Cardstock: Kraft, Basic Black, Whisper WhiteOther: Two Step Bird Punch, Eyelet Border Punch, Top Note Die

Valentine's Day Cards

I don't think I've ever deliberately set out to make a Valentine's Day card. Even when I made these, that wasn't the original intention - I was just playing around. It wasn't until I was done that I realised *g*.

The idea for the main piece originally came from something that Nicki Tidbold made (I don't think she has those particular cards on her blog, but have a look anyway - she has gorgeous stuff!). She hadmade a beautiful piece of work using reverse masking and made me realise I hadn't done anything like that for ages.

This is the result. I chose to use very neutral colours with the addition of Real Red for a bit of impact, and the hearts seemed to be the right choice in combination with the bird and the script. And that's how they became Valentine's Day cards *g*.

I tried to write a tutorial for masking but it turns out that the Stampin' Up! website has a much better version for you to check out if you're not familiar with this technique. Check it out! And to create a "reverse mask" such as the one I used to stamp the text in the cards above, just cut or tear a hole in scrap paper and stamp through it. Simple!

Images © 1990-2010 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: Always, En Francais, Simply Said
Ink: Basic Black, Real Red, Basic Gray, Going Gray
Cardstock: Kraft, Basic Black, Real Red, Whisper White
Other: Eyelet Border Punch, Cutter Kit, Stamp A Ma Jig

A rose for mum

Mothers' Day always manages to sneak up too quickly, which is why I still have this card here instead of it being with my mother in country Victoria ... sorry Mum! It'll be in the mail tomorrow, I promise.

On the plus side, it means I am remembering to photograph and share it, so everyone wins.

Here I have used a white crayon to highlight parts of the rose (stamped in Stazon Black on Glossy White cardstock), then sponged coloured inks over the top. The crayon "resists" the dye inks and shows through, and because I've used very soft coloured inks the effect is very subtle indeed.

I love this rose stamp! And the wide grosgrain ribbon really finishes this card, I think.

Can you see the text image stamped in Whisper White craft ink on the Apricot Appeal layer? The card looked very flat so I added that for a little depth. The Whisper White ink catches the light beautifully on pale cardstock.

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp set/s: Fifth Avenue Floral, En Francais, Trendy Trees
Ink: Black Stazon, Apricot Appeal, Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Basic Black, Whisper White Craft
Cardstock: Regal Rose, Apricot Appeal, Pink Pirouette, Glossy White
Other: Large Oval Punch, Word Window Punch, Stampin' Sponges, 5/8" Regal Rose Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

And while I had Fifth Avenue Floral and the Whisper White craft ink out, I whipped this one up - inspired by this card on Splitcoast I saw a while back. This one was a piece of cake, just stamped in white on black cardstock, then embossed in white (white on white seems to give the finished result that little bit of extra brightness).

This was super-quick, and eventually I will decide what to use the card for and add a phrase to the top right corner where it looks a little bare.

Images © 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamp set/s: Ffth Avenue Floral
Ink: Whisper White Craft
Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White
Other: White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool

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