Thinking Stamping: February 2024

Thursday 29 February 2024

Latte Love for The Paper Players 678

I've a ton of things to do in my craft room this week: design team commitments, tutorials to write, classes to prep, even tidying up!

In amongst it all, I decided to just play. I received my preorder set, Latte Love a couple of days ago. So I went to latest Paper Players sketch and got going.

Here's what came out of it....

The papers in the A Little Latte DSP pack range from quite subtle, like these two, to much more full-on coffee motifs - so something for everyone!

The dinky little cups from the Latte Love dies are my total favourites - although I've yet to put together the die cut cafetiere yet, so that may yet take the most favoured spot. 😀

Although not shown here, I've added in a pocket for a coffee card on the inside so that the offer of a coffee together has a better chance of becoming reality!

The Latte Love bundle and A Little Latte DSP will be available as an online exclusive from 4 March.

If you'd like more information, then watch the 'unboxing' of them here.

Update: Delighted to be a Cut Above at The Paper Players this week!

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.

Earn a Free Gift

Purchase either the Gorgeous Garden dies or the Hooray for Surprises bundle from me and you'll receive FOUR PDF Join in with Joanne and Jan tutorials matching the purchase: two by me and two by UK Demonstrator Joanne James aka The Crafty Owl.

Wednesday 28 February 2024

Magnolia Mood for Colour INKspiration 160

Welcome to the latest challenge at Colour INKspiration. This soft and dreamy palette was chosen for us by Crew Member and former SU Artisan, Vicki Boucher. So pretty, isn't it?

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. We welcome Fiona Rosario as out Guest Designer for this challenge. This challenge is open for two weeks and closes Monday 11 March, 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 Boho Blue for Balmy Blue. Black, White, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, and metallics are free colours, as are flesh toned Stampin' Blends.

Having recently received the new Magnolia Mood bundle as part of my Demonstrator pre-order for the new March Online Exclusives, I thought that the soft colours would suit for a first play with it.

I love Distinktive stamps - that's the ones with the shaded lines that create an almost lithographic effect. The shading from the stamping makes it easy to add colour and additional shading with Stampin' Blends too.

The Perennial Postage dies make for an interesting border too. I think it adds to that slightly vintage effect in this card.

You can see how I made it in this tutorial.

You can see what the rest of the Design Team have done with these colours in the Crew Inspiration Album on the Colour INKspiration Challenge Facebook page.

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

By shopping with me, you can also earn additional free gifts two ways.

Free Gift 1

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 Fun Folds.

Here's a peek at the whole tutorial package.

Free Gift 2

Thursday 22 February 2024

Painted Lavender for Creativity Abounds

Welcome to a new hop from the team at Creativity Abounds. If you've not come across us before, we're a team of demonstrators from around the world who craft together to offer you ideas and inspiration. This month, our theme is 'Fun Folds.' In this hop, we'll each present you with a project along with instructions and as you hop around, you'll get ideas for 13 projects.

In addition, we'll offer you a sneak peek of a second project that is part of the tutorial bundle that we offer as a free gift to customers who make a qualifying purchase. So if you make a purchase of $90 or more with me, I'll send you the PDF of the tutorial bundle to view at your leisure.

I'm busy enjoying the Perennial Lavender suite so I've used that to make a Fold Flat Box Card to share with you. I love the way it folds flat in the envelope then pops out to a free-standing 3D card as a surprise.

As well as the Painted Lavender bundle and Perennial Lavender DSP you will need:

For the base

Crumb Cake 27cm x 10.5cm (10 1/2" x 4 1/4"), scored on the long side at 14.5cm, 17.5cm, 22.5cm and 25.5cm. (5 1/2", 6 3/4",8 3/4", 10")
DSP 10cm x 10cm (4" x 4") (back)
DSP 10cm x 4.5cm (4" x 1 3/4") (front of the bottom box)
Basic White 10cm x 14cm (4" x 5 1/4")(to put on the back to write on)

For the front pop-up

Crumb Cake 7.5cm x 15cm (3" x 6"), scored on the long side at 10cm and 13 cm (4" and 5 1/4")
DSP 7cm x 9.5cm (2 3/4" x 3 3/4")
DSP 7cm x 2.5cm (2 3/4" x 1")
Basic White 7cm x 2cm for the sentiment (2 3/4" x 3/4")
Fluid 100 Watercolour Paper approx. 11cm x 11cm (4 1/4" x4 1/4")

Other

Gorgeous Grape, Lost Lagoon and Fresh Freesia inkpads
Water Painters
Something Fancy bundle for the sentiment (or other of your choice)
Purple Shimmer Gems

NB: How you glue the pieces together affects how well it stands and fits in the envelope, so please follow instructions 3 and 5 carefully. When gluing, always have the card folded as if it would be going into the envelope, i.e.nothing hanging over any edge of the 10.5cm x 14.5cm section.

Attach the 10cm x 10cm DSP to the top of the largest section of the base piece. It will not cover the whole area - the bottom 4.5 cm is plain.)
Fold the base piece in half at the score line, so that the DSP is facing up. Attach the 10cm x 4.5cm DSP to the second section up from the fold (i.e. the one that is 10.5cm x 5cm).
Put adhesive on the narrow topsection. Fold under the top two sections and press so the flap adheres to the base. When unfolded, the base should now be freestanding. Set aside.
Take the narrower pop out piece and attach the DSP pieces to the corresponding sections.
Attaching the two pieces

Take the base piece and fold it flat to a 10.5cm x 14.5cm size as if it was going into the envelope.
Take the pop out piece. Fold the top two sections over so that all you can see is the larger Dsp panel.
Turn this piece over and apply adhesive to the narrow flap.
Turn it back over so the DSP is facing you. Place it so that the top fold is centred and lines up with the top of the base. When you are sure it is centred and straight, press the flap section to adhere it to the base.
The bottom of the pop-out should be overlapping the front of the box mechanism of the base piece. Lift the flapping piece and put adhesive on the bottom 1cm. Making sure the box mechanism is flat, press the two pieces together so they adhere.
The card should be as it would be in an envelope and can now be opened out to stand freely.

Decoration

Die cut from the Fluid 100 Water Color paper two of the foliage dies and 2 of the die that cuts two lavender stems.
Use the water painters to paint the foliage in Lost Lagoon. Then use Fresh Freesia, with touches of Gorgeous Grape, to colour the lavender. You can use touches of Lost Lagoon to colour the stems.
Arrange the lavender as desired on the front pop-up panel. You may need to trim the length.
Stamp your desired sentiment in Gorgeous Grape, then die cut. I have used the Something Fancy bundle but you could use whatever you like.
Attach the sentiment with dimensionals. Finish off with three Purple Fine Shimmer Gems.

The large white panel can be decorated as desired and attached to the back of the box card for messages.

If you would rather watch the assembly of the card, I have a video tutorial for a card of the same style but using different materials that you can watch here .

Here's a sneak peek at my other fancy fold card that is included in the Creativity Abounds Fancy Folds tutorial, which will be free with a qualifying purchase of $90 or more.

If you like to receive the tutorial package but don't live in New Zealand, you can visit the demonstrators in the team from your area. Here we all are:

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

Here's the blog roll so you can get even more ideas to fuel your creativity.

Friday 16 February 2024

Trusty Toolbox for AYSI 317

Welcome to Recipe Challenge week at As You See It. This week, your mission is to take the five given ingredients and see what you can concoct with them. Team member Jane was thinking of Robbie Burns' Night when she popped some plaid into the mix for this one!

For some reason, plaid makes me think of masculine, so that's where I went. Curiously, this card used no stamps at all!

I used the Artistic Mix Decorative Masks to create the plaid background - tick for PLAID.

I used the Metal Plate 3D Embossing Folder for the Lost Lagoon tag - tick for EMBOSSING FOLDER.

I used Tailor Made Tags dies to create the two tags and the Mini Alphabet dies for 'DAD' - tick for DIE CUTS.

I used 2023-2025 In Color Dots in Copper Clay - tick for DOTS

I used the Baker's Twine Essentials Pack for the Gray Granite twine that ties the tags - tick for TWINE.

The tools are not stamps at all but are fussy cut from the Trusty Toolbox DSP, which is one of the Sale-a-bration items - free with qualifying purchase until the end of February. While this DSP does coordinate with a fantastic masculine tool kit bundle, it works a treat all on its own.

For details on how to make this card, you can view the tutorial below.

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

Orders placed with me can earn free tutorials.

Any order of $90 or more will receive the Creativity Abounds Tutorial Bundle, with 13 projects, as a thank you gift. The current theme is 'Birthdays'.
And if you purchase the Gorgeous Garden dies or the Hooray for Surprises bundle, you'll also receive a project bundle from 'Join in with Joanne and Jan' which will give you two project tutorials from me and two from my buddy Joanne James, aka The Crafty Owl.

Thursday 15 February 2024

Everyday Details for Colour INKspiration 159

Welcome to the 159th Challenge at Colour INKspiration! We'd be delighted to have you join us for this gorgeous colour combination chosen by team member Nicole Wilson.

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 two weeks and closes Monday 26 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 Shaded Spruce for Pretty Peacock. Black, White, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, and metallics are free colours, as are flesh toned Stampin' Blends.

I've got lots of delightful goodies on my desk waiting to be tested out, so decided to use one of them. I chose the Everyday Details bundle for its eclectic mix of images, sweet (but not too sweet) sentiments and wonderful all-purpose dies. In fact, in many ways the dies have nothing at all to do with the stamp set and you could happily add the dies alone to your collection. They are a mix of shapes with interesting patterns of holes. The circles and rectangles have some dies with double holes so you can either cut a shape or a decorative frame. Other dies cut patterns in the card, like the horizontal in this card.

Really, this card came together quickly. I cut and coloured the teacup stamp before cutting it with one of the aforementioned circle-with-holes dies, then mounted it onto one of the circles from Stylish Shapes to give it a border and a backing.

I used the decorative line of diamond shaped holes to create a horizontal line across the page, allowing the Berry Burst to peep through. The sentiment was added on a strip and some Tinsel Adhesive-backed gems finished it off.

You can see what the rest of the Design Team have done with these colours in the Crew Inspiration Album on the Colour INKspiration Challenge Facebook page.

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

Until the end of February, any order over $110 will earn a Sale-a-Bration reward.By shopping with me, you can also earn additional free gifts two ways.

Free Gift 1

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.

Free Gift 2

Wednesday 7 February 2024

Notes of Nature for Stampin' Fancy Friday

This month, the theme at Stampin' Fancy Friday is 'Something Blue'. With so many gorgeous blues in the Stampin' Up! stable, this is a great challenge - especially since blue is my favourite colour.

We don't blog hop as such but the team at Stampin' Fancy Friday do a daily inspiration post on Instagram. The team at Stampin' Fancy Friday are all current or past members of Stampin' Up!'s Artisan Design Team, so it really is a great place to pick up ideas or recharge your creative mojo. Follow @stampinfancyfriday if you don't already. 😀

I love to create inky backgrounds, so enjoyed using Balmy Blue, Azure Afternoon and Blueberry Bushel with a hint of Boho Blue for this one, along with my favourite bundle - Notes of Nature.

Grab a cup of coffee and watch how I made it, then give it a go yourself. I'd love to see how it turns out!

And don't forget to follow @stampinfancyfriday on Instagram to see more blue-inspired inspiration this month.

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

Orders placed with me can earn free tutorials.

Any order of $90 or more will receive the Creativity Abounds Tutorial Bundle, with 13 projects, as a thank you gift.
And if you purchase the Gorgeous Garden dies or the Hooray for Surprises bundle, you'll also receive a project bundle from 'Join in with Joanne and Jan' which will give you two project tutorials from me and two from my buddy Joanne James, aka The Crafty Owl.

Happy Stamping, everyone!

Friday 2 February 2024

Notes of Nature for AYSI 316

Welcome to the latest challenge at As You See It! This time, it's our 'fill in the blank' which always comes straight after a colour challenge. With the new January-April Mini Catalogue just out, I'm sure there's plenty of candidates for this one!

I did indeed have many candidates, but there were two items that were still in the packaging from my demonstrator pre-order box. They were the Mini Alphabet Dies and the brayer. It was the brayer that caught my eye and experimentation began!

In the past, I've had trouble getting a result I was happy with when I attempted to ink up my embossing folders. When I tried it with the brayer, I was much happier with the outcome.

I started by inking all over with Soft Sea Foam, then added in some random swipes with Lost Lagoon, put it all through the machine and this is what turned out. So then it was a question of turning it into something!

I didn't want to obscure the patterning too much, so went for a cluster of die cuts from Notes of Nature. When I tested out a few options for the colour pop, Wild Wheat was certainly the outside chance but I just kept coming back to it - so here it is!

My brayer experiments are certainly not over but I'm pretty happy with day 1. 😀

Don't forget to pop over to the As You See It page to see what the rest of the Design Team have done and to link up your own entry.

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

You can earn free gifts while you shop with me:

During the month of February, you can earn Sale-a-Bration rewards. Choose your own gift from the Sale-a-Bration brochure for each $110 spent in a single order (ex postage).
Buy the Gorgeous Garden dies and you'll receive a Join in with Joanne and Jan tutorial package containing four unique tutorials: two from me and two from Joanne James aka The Crafty Owl.