Everyday Details for FMS 642

As I often do, when looking for a fun weekend challenge, I look to the latest at Freshly Made Sketches. 

Today's card is a straightforward make with a straightforward take on the sketch. It's a good mix of old and new too, which I like.

The background is Pool Party embossed with my newest embossing folder, Cute Crochet. However, the shaped bottom uses a retired die set, Ornate Borders. It's always nice to use favourites from the stash. 😀

The stamped image and sentiment are not new - merely underused : Everyday Details. The pretty dotted border is from the matching Everyday Details dies.

After stamping the bird's nest in Tuxedo Black, I coloured it with Stampin' Blends: Crumb Cake, Old Olive and Pool Party. I chose the sentiment because it seemed to go with the nest - perhaps a baby announcement or a new home?

After colouring, I masked off the eggs and nest before splattering some Wink of Stella over it. I popped it up on dimensionals to give it some lift and decided against adding any further bling.

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. 

 

Layers of Beauty for Colour INKspiration 168

 

Welcome to the 168th challenge at Colour INKspiration. We have a colourful combination for you this time around, chosen by crew member Bernie Roodt.

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're delighted to welcome Sharon Dalton as our Guest for this challenge.

This challenge is open for nearly two weeks and closes Monday July 8, 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 Crushed Curry for Daffodil Delight. Black, White, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Basic Beige and metallics are free colours, as are flesh toned Stampin' Blends.

These colours told me they were a floral mix, so I got out the Layers of Beauty bundle. After stamping the floral spray in Tuxedo Black ink, I used the five layer stencil set to colour it: First layer in Real Red, second in Cajun Craze, part of the third in Daffodil Delight and layers four and five in Lost Lagoon.

After masking the flowers off, I lightly splattered some diluted Lost Lagoon and some Wink of Stella to give a raindrop effect in the background. I like the subtle interest it adds.

I mounted the panel on a mat of Gold Foil before attaching it to a Real Red card base. The sentiment, from Cheerful Daisies, is gold embossed and cut using one of the labels from Unbounded Love die set.

The embellishments, that have a Lost Lagoon tinge to them, are from the Adhesive Backed Pearl Trio.

I'm excited to see what you do with these pretty colours!

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.

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. 

Thoughtful Wishes for AYSI 326

 I always enjoy a sketch challenge so I'm extra pleased that our challenge rotation at As You See It is back to a sketch.

Generally, I don't use a lot of DSP in my card-making but the exception is the wonderful Thoughtful Journey DSP. The evocative water-coloured scenes make cards a breeze. In this card, I've let the paper do most of the work, then added in a sentiment from the set and some die-cut bits to cluster around it.

I really like the extra foliage pieces in the Thoughtful Wishes die set. I've cut some from card, some from the new In Color Glimmer Paper and some from scraps of the DSP. I clustered them around the sentiment which is from the Thoughtful Wishes stamp set. The dies and stamps are available as a bundle, giving you a 10% saving - although if you purchase them in June, there's an extra 10% all bundles. If you're considering this - or any bundle - June is the time to do it.

As a texture lover, I couldn't help but emboss the background with the Exposed Brick 3D embossing folder. I also added in a trio of In Color Shimmer Gems in Petunia Pop.

Colours used were: Petunia Pop, Old Olive, Wild Wheat and Basic White.

The Design Team would love to see how you see this sketch. Visit the As You See It Challenge page to see what the rest of the team have done and to link up your own entry. You can play along with us until Wednesday 3 July, 11.59pm PST.

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 here.

The latest Step-by-Step Class

Join my friend Joanne Jame (The Crafty Owl) and I in a Step-by-Step Class for four beautiful projects. Simply purchase the Thoughtful Wishes Bundle and Thoughtful Journey DSP from either of us and we'll send you the PDF. 

If you already have these products but would like the class, simply order products of corresponding value from us, let us know that's what you've done and we'll send you the class. If you live in NZ, you can buy from me anywhere in the country here. 

Magnolia Mood for Freshly Made Sketches 641

Fun Friday for me is to play with a challenge, so for inspiration I looked no further than the latest offering from Freshly Made Sketches.

I'm still enjoying the Magnolia Mood bundle and this sketch drew me to it again.

I stamped, coloured and diecut out the large magnolia image and one of the smaller conebud images. They are coloured with Stampin' Blends in Old Olive, Fresh Freesia and Highland Heather with a touch of Daffodil Delight. I added in some extra die cut leaves to fill out the arrangement.

I masked off a 2cm deep section of the card base and then sponged with Daffodil Delight ink. Hard to see in the picture is the fine splattering of Wink of Stella I added at this point. Once the mask was removed there was a line of clear space. So then I had to be brave and stamp the sentiment directly onto the base!

After mounting onto a Fresh Freesia card base, I added in a trio of gems from the Purple Fine Shimmer Gem  pack to finish off. Got to have a little bling, right?

Update: Delighted to be named a Perfect Princess at Freshly Made Sketches.

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 here.

The latest Step-by-Step Class

Join my friend Joanne Jame (The Crafty Owl) and I in a Step-by-Step Class for four beautiful projects. Simply purchase the Thoughtful Wishes Bundle and Thoughtful Journey DSP from either of us and we'll send you the PDF. 

If you already have these products but would like the class, simply order products of corresponding value from us, let us know that's what you've done and we'll send you the class. If you live in NZ, you can buy from me anywhere in the country here. 

Trusty Tools for Creativity Abounds

 

Wasn't last weekend's Creativity Abounds Virtual Stamp Camp a heap of fun?! If you enjoyed it, or would like to try one for the first time, our next camp will be mid-October. Watch out for details.

This month the international team at Creativity Abounds has a great theme for our bundle and hop: Masculine. If you're like me, you sometimes struggle with making a masculine card. This hop - and the associated tutorial bundle - will give you a lot of ideas.

All thirteen members of the international Creativity Abounds team  have contributed a project to our Exclusive Tutorial Bundle, which you can earn as a free gift from me with a purchase of $100 or more (excluding P&P) or by being a member of my team. 

There's a sneak peek of my project and the whole bundle at the end of this post but here's an alternative project to give you some ideas.

 

Both this project, and my tutorial bundle project, use the Trusty Tools stamps and dies. If you have a DIY male in your life, then this is the set for you! This combo gives you tools to colour and tools to die cut - including the pegboard to hang them on. 

I think the Metal Plate 3D Embossing Folder completes the workshop vibe, while the bright colours pep things up a bit. You can customise the inside of the card as you desire.

Here's what you need to make it for yourself, plus instructions. 

Materials

Card

• Azure Afternoon for base 21cm x 14.8cm, scored at 10.5cm (8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored at 4 1/4")
• Basic White for front and inner 2 pieces 10cm x 14.3cm (2 pieces 4" x 5 1/4")
• Basic White for sentiment 2.5cm x 8.5cm (1" x 3 1/2")
• Basic White for stamping tools approximately 10cm x 14.5cm (4" x 6")
• Smoky Slate 8cm x 2.5cm for cutting the spanner ( 3 1/4" x 1")
• Basic Black 7.5cm x 10cm for the pegboard (3" x 4")

Stamps and Dies

• Trusty Tools stampset
• Trusty Tools dies
• Unbounded Love dies

Inks and Colouring

• Tuxedo Black ink
• Azure Afternoon Stampin' Blends
• Lemon Lime Twist Stampin' Blends
• Smoky Slate Stampin' Blends

Other

• Metal Plate 3D embossing folder
• Tinsel Gem Four-Pack
• Dimensionals

Instructions

1. Fold and burnish the score line on the Azure Afternoon card base.
2. Take one of the large pieces of Basic White and emboss with the Metal Plate 3D embossing folder. Attach this to the front of the card base.
3. Use the pegboard die to cut the rectangle of Basic Black. Attach this towards the bottom left of the card front. Leave a margin of about 1.3cm (1/2") to the left and bottom. The exact measurement is less important than keeping them even.
4. Using Tuxedo Black ink, stamp a tape measure, hammer, paintbrush and spanner. Colour them using the Stampin' Blends and die cut them out. You could choose other tools if you prefer.
5. Use the dies to cut out a spanner from the piece of Smoky Slate.
6. Arrange the tools evenly but overlapping on the pegboard. Pop some up on dimensionals to give a sense of depth.
7. Stamp the 'Happy Father's Day' in Tuxedo Black, die cut using the rectangle with the in-curve ends. Attach this with dimensionals over the pegboard of tools.
8. Add in three of the Lemon-Lime Twist Tinsel gems.
9. Decorate the inside as desired.

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. 

Here's a peek at my Masculine Tutorial Bundle project. 

Here's a sneak peek at the whole thirteen project bundle. You can get this bundle from me by placing an order of $100 or more, or by being a member of my team.

If you don't live in New Zealand, here's a peek at the rest of the team. You can earn the bundle from any of the team members in your market.

Spotlight on Nature for CI 167

 

Welcome to the 167th challenge at Colour INKspiration. It's that time of the year when welcome the newest set of In-Colors, so this challenge uses Pretty in Pink. If you've been around Stampin' Up! for more than a few years, you'll be happy to see the temporary return of this lovely colour. 

Of course, if you don't have the new colours yet you can substitute the nearest colour you have - say Flirty Flamingo. This gorgeous palette was chosen for us by Crew Member, Bronwyn Eastley.

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're delighted to welcome Gail Ellis as our Guest for this challenge.

This challenge is open for nearly two weeks and closes Monday 24 June, 7pm AEST.

To my mind black, white and a pop of colour is always a stylish combination. It seemed a good chance to play some more with the Spotlight on Nature bundle.

This simple card came together very quickly. I used three of the Spotlight on Nature dies layered up to highlight the sentiment. I think the font used in the Spotlight on Nature set is really pretty.

Then it was just a matter of using the cross-hatch folder from Basics Embossing Folder trio and adding a strip of 2024-2026 In Color DSP to complete the card. 

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.

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. 

Spotlight on Nature for Stampin' Fancy Friday

This month, the theme at Stampin' Fancy Friday is our 'Annual Catalogue Favourite'. 

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. 😀

My favourite from the 2024-25 Annual Catalogue is really 'whatever I'm currently exploring' but the Spotlight on Nature bundle is currently it. As it's so lovely, it will definitely be in my overall Top 5!

Here's what I made for the team challenge.

This bundle is unusual in that the dies that bundle with the stamp set do not match up to any of the stamps. It is purely a set of decorative circle dies: 12 dies of various sizes in three different decorative edgings.

You can take advantage of June's 10% extra off all bundles to get this wonderful bundle into your stash. 

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. 

Mix and Match Ephemera for AYSI 325

At As You See It, we've rolled around to the last challenge on our rota and that's the love-it or hate-it Speed Challenge. This one really gets the blood flowing as you take on the challenge of creating a Thank You card in TEN MINUTES OR LESS!

Yes, you read that right - ten minutes or less! Before you start to think that's not possible, here's how it works.

Your ten minutes DOES NOT include:

• Thinking and planning time
• Getting out your supplies eg blocking up stamps, putting embellishments and dies on the desk
• Cleaning up!

However, the clock starts the moment you do any actual making - inking up the stamp, cutting the card, cutting the dies, embossing the paper. Whatever you do that actually uses the supplies you've gathered is clock start time. 

For a speed challenge, I'm always looking for quick hacks such as really pretty DSP, large die cuts or stamps. You know the kind of thing - big impact, little effort/quick. I've tried out a new thing today and that's the new Mix and Match Ephemera Packs. 

You'll find these on page 18 of the new catalogue and they're easy to pass over. There are sets of notecards and envelopes, plus various packs of pre-printed die cuts that you can put together in any combination. While you can use these in a self-contained way, you can add them to your general supplies. I've used some of the die cuts but my own card base and embellishments. Best of all - a good looking card in just over 5 minutes - and minimal clean-up!

I used Peach Pie for my card base and the Eyelet 3D embossing folder on Basic White for the card. The Brushed Brass Butterflies are from my stash too. But the elements of the focal point come from the Fully Flowering Mix and Match Ephemera Pack and the Labels & Layers Mix and Match Ephemera Pack, which was stamped using the Simply Said stamps.

Here's what the clock said when I pressed stop. To be fair, I did not count the time I spent choosing the elements from the Mix and Match Ephemera Packs since to me it was the equivalent of browsing the stamp set shelf or the embossing folder box to select things.

The Design Team would love to see what you can cook up in ten minutes or less and to see the tricks and tips you use to save time. Visit the As You See It Challenge page to see what the rest of the team have done and to link up your own entry. You can play along with us until Wednesday 19 June, 11.59pm PST.

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 here.

The latest Step-by-Step Class

Join my friend Joanne Jame (The Crafty Owl) and I in a Step-by-Step Class for four beautiful projects. Simply purchase the Thoughtful Wishes Bundle and Thoughtful Journey DSP from either of us and we'll send you the PDF. 

If you already have these products but would like the class, simply order products of corresponding value from us, let us know that's what you've done and we'll send you the class. If you live in NZ, you can buy from me anywhere in the country here. 

Sea Turtle for Freshly Made Sketches 638

 Today I'm sharing with you a card inspired by the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.

It's funny how sometimes a sketch just fires off something in the brain. I immediately saw a turtle in the ocean against some coral!

Here's how that turned out on the page and out of the brain. 😀

I've used a mix of sets for this. Most obviously, Sea Turtle then Beauty of the Deep dies and Country Birdhouse for the sentiment. Isn't it a pleasure when the things you have work so well with each other?

I started out by stamping some schools of fish in Azure Afternoon onto the Basic White card front. I added in two layers of coral/seaweed diecuts: one in Shaded Spruce and one in Summer Splash.

The turtle is stamped in Blueberry Bushel, fussy cut then inked with Blueberry Bushel and Azure Afternoon.

The sentiment is stamped in Blueberry Bushel and die cut using Stylish Shapes.

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 here.

Our Step-by-Step Class this month features the Thoughtful Wishes bundle and Thoughtful Journey DSP.