Thinking Stamping: January 2024

Friday 26 January 2024

Painted Lavender for CAS Colours & Sketches 529

I'm continuing my exploration of the gorgeous new Painted Lavender bundle from the January-April Mini Catalogue. For inspiration today, I used the sketch at CAS Colours & Sketches which is another of my favourite challenges.

For this sketch, we were allowed to use a heart shape or change it up to anything that wasn't a square, circle or triangle.

So here's my interpretation...

I cut one of the largest postage dies from Perennial Postage, the companion set to Painted Lavender. I cut it diagonally and embossed the top half using the Exposed Brick 3D Embossing folder.

To create the flowers and foliage, I die cut the shapes from the Painted Lavender dies in Fluid100 Watercolor paper, then coloured them with Fresh Freesia, Gorgeous Grape and Lost Lagoon inks. I'm very pleased with how they've turned out.

The sentiment, stamped on Fresh Freesia, is made using the Something Fancy stamps and dies.

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 here.

Friday 19 January 2024

Everyday Details for AYSI 315

Welcome to the second challenge of the year at As You See It! We were delighted by the wonderful interpretations of the sketch challenge that's just finished and can't wait to see what you do with this pretty colour palette.

These bright, summery colours spoke to me of florals, so I used them as an excuse to have a first play around with a new bundle from the January-April Mini Catalogue: Everyday Details.

I stamped the vase of flowers image, coloured it in the challenge colours then die cut it using one of gorgeous dotty-edged rectangle dies from the set.

I like the eclectic images of the stamp set but also the beautifully generic sentiments. I also like the mixed fonts they're written in too.

Then I popped it up on a card front that had been embossed with the Painted Texture embossing folder. I sponged Crushed Curry from the bottom up, fading into nothing. The final thing was to add a trio of Glossy Enamel Dots in Melon Mambo.

Don't forget to visit the As You See It page so you can see what the rest of the team have done with these colours and link up your entry.

You can shop with me from anywhere in New Zealand by clicking here.

Product List

Everyday Details Bundle

[162865]

$110.50

Mossy Meadow A4 Cardstock

[133683]

$21.00

Basic White A4 Cardstock

[159228]

$22.25

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

[132708]

$13.75

Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad

[147087]

$19.00

Mossy Meadow Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154890]

$21.00

Granny Apple Green Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154885]

$21.00

Melon Mambo Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[153112]

$21.00

Painted Texture 3 D Embossing Folder

[154317]

$21.00

Blending Brushes

[153611]

$28.00

Glossy Dots Assortment

[158827]

$17.00

Festive Pearls

[159963]

$14.75

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$9.00

Thursday 18 January 2024

Notes of Nature for Creativity Abounds

Welcome to the first Creativity Abounds Blog Hop for 2024. Not only is it our first of the year but it's the one that's showcasing Notes of Nature and the Nature's Sweetness suite. This group of products are featured in our first Virtual Stamp Camp of 2024.

If you've not met the Creativity Abounds team before, we're a group of thirteen demonstrators from around the world who like to craft together. We put together tutorial packages, run Virtual Stamp Camps three times a year and offer a monthly inspiration hop. Here we all are...

In a Stamp Camp lead-up month like this one, things run a little differently to usual. We still have our tutorial bundle of thirteen projects based around the Notes of Nature bundle and the rest of the Nature's Sweetness suite. However, this bundle is part of Stamp Camp and upon completing the qualifying purchase to get your Stamp Camp invitation, you will get the tutorial bundle of both PDF and Video instructions AND make and take kits for each project.

But wait, there's more! On each stop of this blog hop, you will see another project using the featured products. These projects will be the ones that will be Facebook Lives during the Stamp Camp weekend of February 11/12 (South Pacific). If you can't make it live, these recordings will be accessible to you at your leisure as part of your Stamp Camp entry.

All the Stamp Camp details are here.

So, here's a sneak peek of the thirteen projects that you will get PDF and Video tutorials for plus make and take kits if you join Stamp Camp.

Here's a peek at the project I'll be sharing as a Facebook Live during the Stamp Camp.

It's not too late to join the Camp but if you want to receive your products in time to craft with everyone else during the camp weekend, don't delay ordering.

If you already have this bundle and you'd like to join Stamp Camp, then all you have to do is order something else from me of equivalent value. Let me know that's what you've done though, so I can send you your invitation to the Exclusive Stamp Camp Facebook Group and send you your kits.

You can shop with me from anywhere in New Zealand by clicking here.

Wednesday 17 January 2024

Easy Elegance with Layered Florals Embossing Folder

I'm having a lot of fun playing with the Layered Florals 3D embossing folder. The gorgeous pattern and the deep impression it gives create all sorts of opportunities to play around with it.

You can see one of those experiments here.

If you're interested in seeing how I made this card, you can view the tutorial below. If you make one, or CASE one, I'd love to see it.

You can shop with me from anywhere in New Zealand by clicking here.

Tuesday 16 January 2024

Notes of Nature for The Paper Players 672

One of my resolutions for this year was to make time each day to craft for pure pleasure: not for a class, or a design team or a tutorial package but absolutely just for fun! We'll see how long that lasts for! Today it was easy with the latest challenge at The Paper Players calling to me to play along.

My hands down favourite from the January-April Mini is the Notes of Nature bundle, so that was where I turned for inspiration today.

My favourite green at the moment is Granny Apple Green, so I've used that as my pop of colour.

A white embossed sentiment on Basic Black seemed the perfect choice for the challenge. The Basic Rhinestone Jewels were the closest to white while giving a touch of bling.

Update: Delighted to be named as A Cut Above at The Paper Players.

You can join me in the Creativity Abounds Virtual Stamp Camp, featuring the Notes of Nature bundle. All the details are here.

You can shop with me from anywhere in New Zealand by clicking here.

Orders over $90 will receive, as a free gift, the latest Creativity Abounds Tutorial Bundle. This bundle of 13 PDF tutorials is on the theme of Birthdays.

Here's a peek at the whole tutorial package.

Friday 12 January 2024

Painted Lavender for CAS Colours and Sketches 528

I was avoiding the worst of the hottest day of summer by hunkering down into my craft room. For inspiration, I used the colour combination at CAS Colours and Sketches.

Sitting on my desk, fresh from duty with a couple of Design Team cards, was the Painted Lavender bundle, along with its companion bundle Perennial Postage. The challenge colours just seemed to call to those bundles.

So, this is where it ended up...

The stem and flowers are separate stamps. I sponged ink onto the stems to soften the look. I also sponged Shaded Spruce on the foliage stamp and added in some second generation images to give some perspective. I added in a masked line to ground the images.

The flowers were coloured with both Highland Heather and Berry Burst and I used two different stems of flowers.

The sentiment is from Perennial Postage. I cut it with one of the coordinating dies, then cut it down to make a rectangle that framed the words.

I finished off with some of the Purple Shimmer gems... and successfully restrained myself from adding in extra layers and bits. 😀

Update: Delighted to be named a Fabulous Favourite at CAS Colours and Sketches.

You can shop with me from anywhere in New Zealand by clicking here.

Orders over $90 will receive, as a free gift, the latest Creativity Abounds Tutorial Bundle. This bundle of 13 PDF tutorials is on the theme of Birthdays.

Here's a peek at the whole tutorial package.

Wednesday 10 January 2024

Around the World on Wednesday January 2024

Welcome to a new hop with the crew at Around the World on Wednesday. On the second Wednesday of each month, the team put together a thematic hop to give you some inspiration for your own crafting. We love it when you try out something new or CAS(E) one of our projects. The team is truly international, with members from each time zone of the world that Stampin' Up! operates. You're with me, in New Zealand - the first place in the Stampin' Up! world to change the date. 😀

This month, we have a Sketch Challenge for you. I love a sketch challenge - they're my favourite kind.

The sketch was a great way to try out one of my new pre-order purchases from the January-April 2024 Mini Catalogue. This gorgeous Perennial Lavender suite has it all: two stamp bundles, DSP and fabulous embellishments. I didn't mean to buy it all - it just sort of ended up in my cart bit by bit. 😀

Of course, you don't HAVE to have it all. You can choose select items.

Anyway, here's my first play around with it, in response to the challenge sketch.

The embossing folder that I used was the Exposed Brick 3D Folder, one of my favourites.

To create the flowers, I die cut the stems from Basic White card then coloured them with Stampin' Blends, in a mix of Fresh Freesia, Highland Heather and the tiniest touches of Blackberry Bliss (light).

Aren't the embellishments wonderful? They're the Purple Fine Shimmer Gems from the suite.

You can see how it all came together in this tutorial.

I think this is a suite you'll be seeing a lot of in the coming months! It's a delight.

Next up on the hop is the wonderful Leonie Stuart from Australia who will show you another way to use the sketch.

You can shop with me from anywhere in New Zealand by clicking here.

Orders over $90 will receive, as a free gift, the latest Creativity Abounds Tutorial Bundle. This bundle of 13 PDF tutorials is on the theme of Birthdays.

Here's a peek at the whole tutorial package.

If you should get lost on the hop, or want to revisit, here's a list of links to the participants.

Jan Clothier - NZ - You are here

Leonie Stuart - AU

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Cheryll Miller - AU

Danielle Kassing - NL

Ximena Morales - DE

Aurélie Fabre - FR

Mikaela Titheridge - UK

Tina Zinck-MacDonald - CA

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert - US

Painted Lavender for Colour INKspiration 158

Welcome back to Colour INKspiration! This is our first challenge for 2024 and we're celebrating with a gorgeous summery palette. I hope you've had a great Christmas and New Year break and are back refreshed and inspired!

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 three 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. This challenge is open for FIVE weeks to accommodate the summer holidays, so closes on Monday 12 February 7pm (AEST).

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

I loved the colours of the beach blending in ocean in the graphic, so it got me thinking of ink blending. Of course, I also had new things on my desk from new January-April Mini Catalogue and Sale-a-bration, so one thing lead quickly to another....

I stamped the images from Painted Lavender in Blueberry Bushel onto Fluid100 Watercolor Paper, then blended over some Fresh Freesia, Petal Pink and Pool Party, then put the Decorative Mask over the whole thing before blending again to pick out the pattern. You do have to leave the image to dry before doing the blending as it can smear, so in hindsight it might have been easier to do the blending THEN the stamping! Although this way, I could see exactly where the image was and so how far to extend the ink blended background: six of one, half dozen of the other.

The sentiment is from Perennial Postage and is cut from one of the lovely circle dies from Everyday Details. I mounted it onto a circle of Silver Glimmer paper (online exclusive product), cut with Stylish Shapes. The beautiful Pool Party ribbon is a Sale-a-bration item.

You can shop with me from anywhere in New Zealand by clicking here.

Orders over $90 will receive, as a free gift, the latest Creativity Abounds Tutorial Bundle. This bundle of 13 PDF tutorials is on the theme of Birthdays.

Here's a peek at the whole tutorial package.

Product List