Farewell to the 2015-17 In Colours

I feel very attached to this set of In Colours. Not only do I really like them, they were the In Colours when I became a demonstrator, so I feel as though they've shared my journey. In fact, I used Mint Macaron, Tip Top Taupe and Watermelon Wonder in the very first card of the very first class I ever had. So when I realised they'd be unavailable soon, forever, I made a little set of notecards just as a kind of farewell moment.

And with their envelopes...

So if you want any paper, inkpads, re-inkers or accessories in Mint Macaron, Watermelon Wonder, Delightful Dijon, Cucumber Crush or Tip Top Taupe, get your order in before the end of May. The sooner the better, as these items sometimes sell out. You can shop with me from anywhere in New Zealand by clicking the SHOP NOW button in the sidebar and your goodies will be delivered to your door.

Ingredients for the ThankYou cards

Stamps: Brushstrokes background stamp, One Big Meaning, Touches of Texture (inside and on envelopes)

Inks: 2015-17 In Colour collection

Card: 2015-17 In Colour collection, Whisper White

Other: SU doilies, linen twine, Layering circle framelits, Stitched circle framelits, dimensionals

Retro Rubber Challenge 59 - DT card

Welcome to the new challenge at Retro Rubber. I was blown away by the number and quality of the entries in the last Anything Goes challenge. It was a hard choice to pick the top cards.

This week, we've got a sketch to get your creative juices flowing. As always the only requirements are that you use stamps that are at least a year old, you tell us how old they are and don't link up to more than ten challenges in total.

Isn't angled panel exciting?! For me, summer is becoming a memory and autumn is taking hold so this card is a last salute to the colours of summer.

Summer Silhouettes (AC 2012-13) is one of my favourite sets so I was happy to ink it up again. Papillon Potpourri (AC 2012-13) was one of the first sets I ever got - I convinced my children that it was the perfect Christmas present!

This picture shows the sponged and embossed background well. I used a technique I learned from my fellow demonstrator, Carole. I embossed a piece of greaseproof paper with the Softly Falling embossing folder. Then I ironed it the greaseproof to a piece of card. The pattern transferred and showed up when sponged. It makes such a pretty background to stamp over and is so very easy to do. Some of the centres of the Calypso Coral flowers have been highlighted with a silver gel pen.

The credit for these beautiful colours goes to the Fab Friday Challenge, so I'm going to enter this card at their challenge too.

You have until April 7 to show us your take on this lovely sketch and we'd love to see what you do with it.

Ingredients

Card: Calypso Coral, Mint Macaron, Whisper White. So Saffron, greaseproof paper

Stamps: Summer Silhouettes, Papillon Potpourri, A Dozen Thoughts (AC2013-14)

Ink: Calypso Coral, So Saffron, Peekaboo Peach, Mint Macaron, Tuxedo Black

Other: Softly Falling embossing folder, Calypso Coral baker's twine, dimensionals, sponges, Bitty Butterfly punch, rhinestones

Paper Players 337

There's a very pretty, layered sketch in the latest challenge from The Paper Players that I was keen to play with.

I'd been playing with the Detailed Dragonfly thinlits and had cut one of the small bumblebees in copper foil to see what it looked like because it was always being overlooked for the flashier dragonfly dies. While playing around with it, I came up with this card.

I like the bumble bees stamped onto Crumb Cake in the background. Their lacy wings are beautiful.

Update: Utterly delighted to be named Headliner at The Paper Players!

Ingredients

Card: Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Old Olive, copper foil

Stamps: Avant Garden, Dragonfly Dreams, Labeller Alphabet

Inks: Daffodil Delight, So Saffron, Old Olive, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso

Other: Honeycomb embossing folder, Detailed Dragonfly framelits, Circle framelits, Dimensionals

Just Add Ink 252

There's also a colour challenge at Just Add Ink this week.

Tempting Turquoise and Flirty Flamingo are colours that I don't often use but they look great with Smoky Slate so I was tempted into playing with them. I haven't used the umbrella girl from Beautiful You very much but when I have, I've been drawn to use watercolour and it's happened today too.

I think it does have an encouraging feel, so I'm happy with how this card has turned out.

Update: Delighted to get an Honourable Mention at Just Add Ink

Ingredients

Card: Smoky Slate base,  Flirty Flamingo, Watercolour paper, DSP from Carried Away, Whisper White

Stamps: Beautiful You

Inks: Flirty Flamingo and Stampin' Write marker, Tempting Turquoise, Smoky Slate, Basic Gray Stampin' Write marker, Black Stazon

Other:  Flirty Flamingo ruched ribbon, Tempting Turquoise enamel shapes, Stitched oval framelit, dimensionals, aquapainter

CAS Colours and Sketches 215

It's colour week at CAS Colours and Sketches and the colours chosen are rich and vibrant.

I've used them today as inspiration for a retirement card for a colleague who has worked at the same school for around 40 years. 

Update: Delighted to be a Weekly Winner at CAS Colours and Sketches.

Ingredients

Card: Rich Razzleberry, watercolour paper

Stamps: Wild About Flowers, Timeless Textures

Inks: Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Pacific Point

Other: Postit notes, sponges, enamel shapes

Create with Connie and Mary 450

There's a very sweet colour challenge at Create with Connie and Mary this week.

One of the sets that I bought from the Occasions catalogue has languished pretty much unused for some time now, so I got out Custom Tee for this challenge. It's going to be a great set, very versatile, I think.

I thought initially that this would be a nice card for a mum to give a daughter or friend but I guess it could just as well be to any loved one or even for a mother's day card.

The background is lively and busy, so I left the t-shirts quite plain with two of them alike, representing all the rest of the million!

On the inside...

I'm entering this card into the challenge at Connie and Mary's Facebook page.

Ingredients

Card: Sweet Sugarplum, So Saffron, Mint Macaron, Whisper White

Stamps: Custom Tee, Playful Backgrounds

Inks: Sweet Sugarplum, So Saffron, Mint Macaron

Other: Tee-Shirt Builder framelits, dimensionals

As You See It Challenge 146 - DT Card

Welcome to the new challenge at As You See It. This week, Amanda has given us a theme challenge: My Favourite Thing About Spring is....

This involved a bit of a shift in thinking for me, as in New Zealand we're moving rapidly into autumn and spring is a distant memory. 

There are many things to like about spring but I like the vitality and energy of it: the way that leaves pop out overnight, bulbs force their way out of the ground, flowers bud, the emerging riot of colour, the wind and showers of rain. 

My camellias are among the first things to flower in my garden. So my card is meant to bring those things to mind. The rather abstract flowers from Avant Garden are reminiscent of my various pink camellias. The Softly Falling embossing brings to mind the spring rains and echoes the dots in the centre panel. The angled mat adds to the sense of movement and energy of spring - along with a pop of spring greenery. 

I hope you can see and enjoy my vision of spring here but we'd all love to see how you see this challenge. You have until 11.55 p.m. on Wednesday April 5 PST to join us.

Ingredients

Card: Flirty Flamingo, Old Olive, Blushing Bride, Whisper White

Stamps: Avant Garden

Inks: Flirty Flamingo, Blushing Bride, Old Olive, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake

Other: Softly Falling embossing folder, Blushing Bride twine, dimensionals

GDP78 and CI5

It's been a hectic time since school went back so I'm enjoying a quiet Saturday morning at last! I've made a card using two sources of inspiration. Firstly, the sketch challenge at Global Design Project.

Secondly, the supremely lovely colour combination at Colour Inkspiration, which I've been hoping to get to ever since the challenge opened almost a fortnight ago.

In this card, I've taken the change below the line in the sketch to be a change in texture, rather than a change in colour or pattern.

The bird is stacked on two other bird shaped to give him some depth and the branch on one. I've left the branch to hang over the frame a bit.

The sky background is sponged on watercolour paper and then it's been flicked with water to lift some of the colour.  The sentiment is clear embossed over Sahara Sand ink.

I had been thinking of a baby girl card as I was making it but now I think it could also suit an engagement or even a wedding or anniversary. One thing I do know for sure is that I don't use Best Birds enough!

Update: Utterly, utterly delighted to be a winner at Global Design Project this week!

Further update: So very delighted to be in the Top 5 at Colour Inkspiration as well!

Ingredients

Card: Sahara Sand, Blushing Bride, watercolour paper

Stamps: Best Birds

Inks: Sahara Sand, Blushing Bride, Soft Sky, versamark

Other: Falling Petals embossing folder, Birds and Blooms framelits, Blushing Bride twine, Layered circles framelits, Stitched Shapes framelits, dimensionals, pearls, clear embossing powder, aquapainter.

Retro Rubber Challenge 58 - DT card

Our new Retro Rubber challenge is sure to be a favourite - Anything Goes. As usual, you must use stamps that are at least a year old and tell us how old the stamps are. Other than that, the sky's the limit on this one!

Being able to choose anything was harder than it sounded. As I was looking through my stamps, I came across a couple of old favourites. Although neither is retired, both Wetlands (AC 2013-14) and Hardwood (OC 2014) have been around for a while. I always thought they worked well together.

I've also used the mini-netting stamp from Butterfly Basics to add some texture.

I wanted a small scale sentiment so I turned to another old faithful set, Clearly Besotted's Many Mini Messages. It looks like this one is still available too but I bought it online in 2015. Although it is hard to see in the photo, the birds' reflections are highlighted with Wink of Stella.

I'd also like to enter this card into the challenge at Fab Friday, since it was their sketch that I used as inspiration.

So, please, dig out your old stamps and give them an outing at Retro Rubber. You have two weeks to play with us. Entries will close on 24 March.

Update: So pleased to be picked in the Fab Four at Fab Friday.

Ingredients

Card: Soft Suede, Pool Party, Whisper White

Stamps: SU Hardwood, Wetlands, Butterfly Basics and Clearly Besotted Many Mini Messages

Inks: Pool Party, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Early Espresso

Other: Sponges, Burlap ribbon, Doily, dimensionals, clear Wink of Stella

Freshly Made Sketches 278

The weekend is almost over, and with it goes the rain. There was time for one more craft room turn this weekend. The challenge at Freshly Made Sketches was a fabulous one and I'm pleased to have made a card for it.

This was also the first outing for my newly acquired set from the Occasions catalogue, Custom Tee. So many choices in this set but I wanted to make a card suitable for someone young, fun and female - that's including both the younger in years and the young at heart. So, here is goes...

Ingredients

Card: Basic Black, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, papers from Pop of Pink

Stamps: Custom Tee

Inks: Tuxedo Black, Melon Mambo

Other: Sparkle embossing folder, Tee Shirt Builder framelits, copper metallic filament, dimensionals

CAS Colours and Sketches 213

Other people might be upset by a wet Saturday but not me. That's a free pass to the craft room where I made an entry for another favourite challenge site of mine, CAS Colours and Sketches. It's colour week this week and we have these three to work with...

They're bright and regal colours, so I thought they lent themselves to a birthday card.

The water coloured butterfly has a Smoky Slate shadow butterfly, raised on dimensionals to give some lift.

I sponged Crushed Curry onto water colour paper, deep at the bottom and then growing lighter. Then I sprinkled some water to lift some colour and give a mottled effect.  The butterfly is water coloured moving from Smoky Slate in the centre through to shades of Elegant Eggplant, with Crushed Curry at the wing tips. Once it was dry, I gave it a layer of clear Wink of Stella and some rhinestones.

Update: Delighted to be a winner at CAS Colours and Sketches with this card.

Ingredients

Card: Elegant Eggplant, Smoky Slate, Whisper White, water colour paper

Stamps: Papillon Potpourri, Delicate Details, Gorgeous Grunge, Timeless Textures, Special Reason (sentiment)

Inks: Elegant Eggplant, Smoky Slate, Crushed Curry, Black Stazon

Other: Elegant Butterfly punch, clear Wink of Stella, rhinestones, Layering Circle framelits. dimensionals, sponges, aquapainter

Just Add Ink 350

Work has really been interfering with my crafting life lately and, as it's also classes week for me, crafting time has been in short supply. I got to it straight after work last night though to make a gift and card for a friend. She's a crafter too and I always make her a card then give it to her unwritten in so she has the choice of keeping it or using it for someone else. It's a bit of a joke between us.

For inspiration, I turned to one of my favourite challenge sites, Just Add Ink, where there is a sketch this week.

I also got out one of the Sale-abration items I received that I hadn't used before, Avant Garden. Now that I've used it, I'm only sorry it has sat unopened on my desk for so long!

I wasn't quite sure what to make of the horizontal line in the sketch but I've made it the place where the stamping stops.

I've added some touches of gold Wink of Stella to the stamens but it is hard to capture in the photo. 

I also made wee chocolate box, just the right size for six of those delicious Lindor chocolate balls. The dimensions for the box I cased from Pootles' triple creme egg window box here. 

Then I had a problem because I wanted to give her some glue and dimensionals as well. It turns out that dimensionals are packaged in a very annoying sized package that means they will not fit into things made on a gift bag punch board, so I had to custom make a gift bag to fit the glue, dimensionals and the chocolate box. 

It was a lot to fit into an after-work-but-before-bed session but I'm happy with the results. And so, I think, was my friend!

P.S. I did tidy up the ends of the pink ribbon once everything was safely stowed inside the bag.

I cut the ribbons generously because I'm pretty sure they'll end up in her stash drawer.

Ingredients (card only)

Card: Very Vanilla, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz, vellum

Stamps: Avant Garden

Inks: Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz, Early Espresso

Other: Natural trim ribbon, gold Wink of Stella, gold metallic shapes, Early Espresso marker to outline the sentiment, dimensionals.

As You See It 145 - DT card

The fortnight has rolled around quickly to a new challenge and Amanda has given us another sketch to work with.

What I liked about this one was that it suggested to me the idea of colour rolling gently across the page. The discrete elements she used got me thinking about a stencil I won from Stamploration last year. Retro Circles seemed just the right call for this design.

I've used Cucumber Crush, Bermuda Bay and Pacific Point through the stencil. It made for a very summer beach feel and I think this card could easily be given to a bloke.

This is how I saw the sketch but please join us and show us how you see it. You have until 11.55 p.m. on Wednesday 22 March PST to join us. We'd love to see what you do! 

Please make sure word verification is turned off as we love to leave you comments.

Ingredients
Card: Bermuda Bay, Whisper White
Stamps: Big on Birthdays
Inks: Cucumber Crush, Bermuda Bay, Pacific Point
Other: Stamploration Retro Circles stencil, Bermuda Bay thick bakers' twine, Bermuda Bay enamel shapes, dimensionals.

All products, bar the stencil, are Stampin' Up.