Thinking Stamping

Tuesday, 14 July 2020

Itty Bitty Birthday for Retro Rubber 139

This week at Retro Rubber Challenge, we have an embellishment challenge: use buttons on your card. As this is Retro Rubber, we still need you to get out your older stamps and ink them up for us. Use at least one stamp that's a year or more old and tell us the approximate age of it. Other than that, it's up to you!

When I saw this challenge, I thought about various cards I'd seen over the years made to look like men's shirts or jackets. I had a snoop around with Mr Internet and there are many, many versions to be seen.

I'd love say I was the brains behind this lovely card but credit goes to Australian demonstrator, Di Barnes at Colour Me Happy. Here's the link to her easy to follow tutorial. The only credit I can take is that I successfully followed her measurements and instructions while adding a couple of tweaks. It's a fun card to make and is actually very easy to do. In her version, she didn't use real buttons but since I'm a magpie, I had shirt buttons in my sewing box.

Itty Bitty Birthdays is the set I used for the front and the inside of the card and it first appeared in the Occasions catalogue in January 2019.

We'd love to have you join us in this challenge. Visit the Retro Rubber Challenge site and see what the rest of the team have done and to link up your entry. You can play along with us until July 24.

If you live in New Zealand and don't have a Stampin' Up Demonstrator, I'd love to be yours. I can help you with ideas, get you catalogues and provide you with Stampin' Up products. You can leave a message in the comments or contact me using any of the methods listed in the Contact Me tab at the top of the page. You can shop with me from anywhere in New Zealand by clicking on the SHOP NOW button in the sidebar or clicking on any of products below.

Product List

Itty Bitty Birthdays Cling Stamp Set

[148618]

$48.00

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

[132708]

$12.00

Basic Black A4 Card Stock

[121688]

$18.50

Whisper White A4 Card Stock

[106549]

$20.50

Real Red A4 Card Stock

[106578]

$18.50

Tasteful Labels Dies

[152886]

$65.00

Wednesday, 8 July 2020

Very Versailles for CI 81 Crew Card

The palette for our new challenge at Colour Inkspiration is quite autumnal, or even Christmassy, and showcases one of this year's new In-Colours, Cinnamon Cider.

If you haven't played with us before, we are a group of Stampin' Up Demonstrators from the South Pacific. Challenges are shown and entered via our Facebook Group page. If you don't belong, and would like to, click here. Don't forget to answer the two easy questions you'll be asked when you ask to join the group.

Each challenge, Top Picks and a winner are chosen by the crew and the winner offered a chance to Guest Design with us for a future challenge.

If you don't have an exact challenge colour, feel free to replace it with whatever you have that's closest. Black, White, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake and metallics are free colours, as are flesh toned Stampin' Blends.

The richness of the colours made me reach for one of my favourite sets, Very Versailles and for some gold foil sheets.

In fact, I developed a case of severe over-the-topness on this card, adding in some tiny red butterflies from the Butterfly Beauty dies, along with slightly bigger one overlayed with a gold one and some Champagne Rhinestones.

The script is stamped in Crumb Cake. The leaves are mostly stamped in Cinnamon Cider which has been daubed with Real Red ink closer to the top. There are a couple of sprays added in stamped-off Real Red to add a little more richness to the foliage.

The gold foil mat has been embossed with the Tasteful Textile folder. The very pretty crimped edge of the sentiment circle came from one of the fabulous dies in the Tasteful Labels die set. If you've overlooked this suite in the 2020-21 Annual Catalogue, go look - it's a treasure!

We'd love to see what you make of these colours. You can add your project, see the other entries and look at the Design Team inspiration by clicking here.

Product List

Very Versailles Cling Stamp Set

[149275]

$48.00

Cinnamon Cider A4 Cardstock

[153083]

$18.50

Whisper White A4 Card Stock

[106549]

$20.50

Real Red A4 Card Stock

[106578]

$18.50

Gold Foil Sheets

[132622]

$10.50

Cinnamon Cider Classic Stampin' Pad

[153114]

$15.75

Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad

[147116]

$15.75

Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad

[147084]

$15.75

Butterfly Beauty Dies

[151819]

$82.00

Tasteful Labels Dies

[152886]

$65.00

Tasteful Textile 3D Embossing Folder

[152718]

$19.00

Cinnamon Cider Ribbon

[152482]

$12.50

Sponge Daubers

[133773]

$11.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$7.25

Friday, 3 July 2020

Friend Like You for AYSI

It's theme week this week at As You See It Challenge. When we set this task way back, we didn't quite realise what a challenge a vacation would be in this new world, so we'd love to see how you see it. Maybe it's a stay-cation?

I went for a bit of wishful thinking. It's deep winter here in New Zealand, so most winters at this time we go on holiday somewhere warm and relaxing. Last year, it was an idyllic week in Samoa. Previously, it's been Tahiti, Hawaii, Fiji, Rarotonga and even parts of Australia. The thing about these island holidays - apart from the warmth and sunshine - is the chance to really relax and enjoy the little things. This year, lockdown has given us all plenty of time to slow down and enjoy the little things too.

So the Friend Like You set and the matching Friendly Silhouettes dies seemed the perfect place to start.

The card is quite straightforward. The island is cut using one of the dies, although I've snipped off the tree trunks and just left the land. I punched a circle mask from a post-it note and used it to create the setting sun while I sponged over Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral and Pumpkin Pie.

I used the Stitched Rectangle dies to cut out the island scene and adhered it to a Pumpkin Pie mat.

I used the new Dainty Diamonds embossing folder for the card base. I don't like embossing the actual card, so I've embossed a panel that is almost the same size as the front and attached it.

I wanted the sentiment to look as though it was on a suitcase label, so slightly skewed two die-cut stitched shapes and punched a hole through them to put some braided linen trim and linen thread.

We'd love to see how this vacation theme inspires you. Visit the As You See It site to see what the rest of the team have done and to enter your project: maybe this is the time to do a spot of scrapbooking of your last vacation?

Product List

Friend Like You Photopolymer Stamp Set

[149237]

$44.00

Friendly Silhouettes Dies

[149546]

$67.00

Early Espresso A4 Card Stock

[121686]

$18.50

Pumpkin Pie A4 Card Stock

[108601]

$18.50

Very Vanilla A4 Card Stock

[106550]

$20.50

Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad

[147114]

$15.75

Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad

[147094]

$15.75

Calypso Coral Classic Stampin' Pad

[147101]

$15.75

Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad

[147086]

$15.75

Stamping Sponges

[141337]

$8.50

Dainty Diamonds 3D Embossing Folder

[152702]

$19.00

Stitched Rectangles Dies

[151820]

$74.00

Tasteful Labels Dies

[152886]

$65.00

3/16" (1 Cm) Braided Linen Trim

[147808]

$14.75

Linen Thread

[104199]

$10.50

Champagne Rhinestone Basic Jewels

[151193]

$12.50

Tuesday, 30 June 2020

To A Wild Rose Retro Rubber 138

This week, it's everyone's favourite at Retro Rubber - Anything Goes. Of course, since this is Retro Rubber, we do still require you to use at least one stamp that's older than a year and to tell us the approximate age of your retro stamps.

To A Wild Rose and Very Versailles are both sets that first appeared in the 2019-20 Annual Catalogue and so are both a year old. In fact, the only new product in this card is the embossing folder, which is one half of the Greenery duo of folders from this year's catalogue.

I used the outline stamps from To A Wild Rose and coloured them using Stampin' Blends. I used various die cuts from the coordinating die set to build up the floral cluster.

One of my favourite stamps is the script stamp from Very Versailles, which I stamped off in Sahara Sand to create part of the background.

The finishing touch was the addition of some of the Red Rhinestone Basic Jewels, a product I had forgotten I had. So glad that I found them!

We'd love to see what you have to show us with your retro stamps. Visit the Retro Rubber Challenge site to see what the rest of the design team have done and to join up your entry.

If you live in New Zealand and don't have a Stampin' Up Demonstrator, I'd love to be yours. I can help you with ideas, get you catalogues and provide you with Stampin' Up products. You can leave a message in the comments or contact me using any of the methods listed in the Contact Me tab at the top of the page. You can shop with me from anywhere in New Zealand by clicking on the SHOP NOW button in the sidebar or clicking on any of products below.

Product List