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.

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Monday 29 June 2020

Prized Peony for Paper Players 497

What better way to spend a bleak, wet and cold winter's afternoon than exploring a new package from Stampin' Up!? Yes, the big brown box arrived earlier in the week and in it was the gloriously beautiful Prized Peony suite! I'd seen the new challenge at my favourite challenge, The Paper Players so took the chance to use it as inspiration.


I started with two pieces of the Peony Garden DSP and embossed the white base using the newly arrived Dainty Diamonds embossing folder.


I used Stampin' Blends to colour the mid-size Peony image and leaves. The scallop-edged panel I stamped using the sweet distressed diamond image to give some depth. I love little stamps like this in a set to let me build a background. This one is simple - just this one image repeated to give a splat of colour.

To get the sentiment, used a Basic Gray Stampin' Write marker to colour just the word I wanted from a larger sentiment. After cutting the strip, I used the small Peony image, stamped off once in Gray Granite, to over-stamp the sentiment.

The finishing touch was the addition of three Elegant Faceted Gems.
This is a beautiful suite of products and one I think I'll enjoy using for some time to come. Is it on your wish list yet?

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.


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Wednesday 24 June 2020

Jar of Flowers for CI 80 - Crew Card


The last fortnight has gone by so fast! Here it is, the shortest day has been and gone and it's time for a new challenge at Colour INKspiration.


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 palette is soft and romantic: Rococo Rose, Purple Posy, Soft Sea Foam, Whisper White and Crumb Cake. I've been working with the suite of late, so decided to try out the flowers in these pastel colours.


I've built up the bouquet from Jar of Flowers by fussing cutting some flowers and popping them up on dimensionals and also by adding some in as extensions to the bouquet. I also used some of the die-cuts from the Sunflowers dies in the mix.


I love the clear gems from the Flowers for Every Season gems pack, because they look a little like dew drops or rain.

The white background is embossed with the fabulous new Tasteful Textile folder. The card base is stamped in Crumb Cake ink using the bouquet stamp. 

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

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