Cheers & Sips for PP735

This week at The Paper Players, it's my favourite kind of challenge: a sketch. Before I get to Claire's lovely sketch, I'd like to say what super creative entries we had for Elizabeth's CAS Bunny challenge. So many clever ideas and so many beautiful cards! I can't wait to see what you do with this sketch. 

I've started playing around with the Celebratory Sips suite, one of the new online exclusive suites that will be available from 6 May. This fun suite is the featured product in the next Creativity Abounds Stamp Camp on June 28-29. If you'd like free entry to the stamp camp, thirteen make and take kits plus tutorials and an extra thirteen project video tutorials, then look here for the details.

I've also called on some of the 2025-2027 In Colors for this one, since some of the colours are in the Celebratory Sips DSP. The base is Strawberry Slush, which some of you will remember from many moons ago. Cloud Cover is that soft blue/grey and Timid Tiger is the colour of the orange. 

Much of the hard work of this card is done by the DSP. The drinks and cocktail umbrella are fussy cut directly from the DSP.  I did run the long glass through the Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine with one of the Cheers & Sips dies to get that pretty patterning on the liquid. 

I popped the cocktail umbrella up on dimensionals to add some lift. The curved glass is also on dimensionlas. 

The white panel is embossed using one the two embossing folders that are part of this suit: the Glass & Gardens embossing folders.

The sentiment is white heat embossed on Strawberry Slush and the 'Let's Celebrate' is stamped in Strawberry Slush. 

The finishing touch is the addition of three Holographic Resin Dots.

This is a fun suite and I've got lots more ideas for it, so I'm sure you'll be seeing more of it. 

You can see what the rest of the design team have done, and link up your entry, at The Paper Players page.

Here's a quick recap of our challenge rules:

1. Create a new paper-craft project specifically for this challenge.
2. Upload your creation to your blog with a link back to us.
3. Please provide a direct link to the post featuring your challenge entry.
4. Please link your card to no more than four challenges, TOTAL, including ours
5. Have fun, and thank you for playing with us!

Don't forget to check out the great inspiration from the rest of the design team.

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Claire Broadwater

Joanne James

Anne Marie Hile (on leave)

Ann Schach

Jan Clothier - You are here

Stef Perry

Eliz Stewart

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 stamp with me, and shop with me, from anywhere in New Zealand. Click here.

Save the date for Stamp Camp!

The next Creativity Abounds Virtual Stamp Camp is happening on June 28-29, so save the date! Even if you can't make it on the exact day, you'll still get access to the Live presentations, as well entry to the exclusive Facebook Group as well as all the tutorials and kits.

This time, the international crew have chosen as the featured products the fun new Celebratory Sips Suite. This suite is an online exclusive and will be available from 6 May.

Introducing Celebratory Sips

This fun suite includes:

• The Cheers & Sips bundle
• Glass and Gardens Embossing folders
• Celebratory Sips 12x12 DSP
• Gold Striped 1cm mesh ribbon
• Holographic Resin Dots

The retail price for this suite is $166.50 (plus postage) in New Zealand. 

(See note below about Stampin' Rewards.)

How do I get a Virtual Stamp Camp Invite?

Simply purchase the featured suite from a demonstrator in your country. In New Zealand, that's me. 

If you live somewhere else and are interested in joining in the Virtual Stamp Camp, message me and I can put you in touch with  the right person in the team to help you. 

What do I get from Stamp Camp?

Aside from the fun of joining in crafting with people from all over the world, the biggest thing you get is INSPIRATION in the form of tutorials and live presentations.

How often have you invested in a suite or bundle, made a handful of things then run out of ideas? That won't happen with Celebratory Sips because this is what Stamp Camp gets you:

1. Make and Takes

In the week before Stamp Camp, you'll receive a tutorial package that will have both PDF and Video instructions for thirteen different projects using the Featured Products.

For these projects, you'll also receive a kit for each project containing all you need for each project (excluding the products you have purchased).

Note: If you cannot pick up the kits, there may be a small charge of $11.50 for posting them out to you, with a rural delivery surcharge if applicable.

    2. Bonus Projects

During the Virtual Stamp Camp, each of our thirteen team members will present as a Facebook Live an additional project, created just for the camp. Cutting instructions will be available for you so you can create these projects if you wish. They will be saved to YouTube so the presentations will be available to you to rewatch at your leisure.

That makes a total of 26 projects for your new suite. Many of the ideas, you'll be able to apply to other things in your craft room - so really, INSPIRATION is what the camp offers you. 

    3. Interaction with people around the world

During the weekend, you'll get the chance to share what you've made to the private Stamp Camp Facebook page. There will be challenges to enter if you want, a Crafternoon Tea where you can chat with the team and lots of chances to share with other crafters.

What do I do if I want to join in?

If you live in New Zealand, simply order the suite from me as soon as it becomes available on 6 May.

Tick the option to allow contact so that I can send you information and the make and take kits before the camp begins. I will contact you to let you know I've got you on the Stamp Camp list and to confirm delivery details for the kits. If you don't hear from me, message me in case something's gone wrong. 😀

You should order it early because sometimes things sell out. You also need to make sure your order has time to arrive before Stamp Camp starts. The last day to get your invite to Stamp Camp from me is 1 June so make sure you've ordered by then.

What if I already have the suite?

If you already have the suite, make an order to the same value through me. Message or email me to let me know that is what you have done so I can add you to the Stamp Camp invite list.

What about Stampin' Up! Rewards?

Please note that while your purchase of the featured Stamp Camp products will earn you Stampin' Rewards (as long as you have opted into the programme) you cannot use already earned rewards to purchase the Celebratory Sips suite. 

Using Stampin' Rewards to purchase the Celebratory Sips suite will indicate that you do not wish to participate in Stamp Camp. Your order can include extra items which you can purchase with your rewards.

You can stamp with me, and shop with me, from anywhere in New Zealand. Click here.

All for Baby for Paper Players 734

Wasn't Stef's colour challenge last week a lot of fun? Thank you for all the pretty entries. 

This week, Elizabeth has a Clean and Simple challenge for us on the theme of ... bunny!

Some challenges are more challenging than others. It turned out that I'd sold my one set with a bunny in it. After much hunting through stamps and dies and stacks of paper, I found a tiny bunny die in the retired On the Farm bundle. What could I build around that and in a Clean and Simple style?

The answer to that involved more exploration of the retired set shelf. I'd kept the retired All for Baby bundle because it's the perfect baby set.  The current Cutest Onesie bundle is like a pared down version of it.

So armed with these bundles and some DSP stacks in Neutrals and 2024-6 In Colors, I went to my desk and started my creative engine. This is where things ended up....

The bunnies and hangers are cut from Crumb Cake. The pink card is Pretty in Pink and the blue uses Misty Moonlight.

I hope you have better luck in finding a bunny on your craft shelves! Don't forget that in addition to the bunny, you need to keep your style CAS: minimal layers, lots of clean white space and few embellishments. 

The rest of the team and I look forward to seeing what you create. 😀

You can see what the rest of the design team have done, and link up your entry, at The Paper Players page.

Here's a quick recap of our challenge rules:

1. Create a new paper-craft project specifically for this challenge.
2. Upload your creation to your blog with a link back to us.
3. Please provide a direct link to the post featuring your challenge entry.
4. Please link your card to no more than four challenges, TOTAL, including ours
5. Have fun, and thank you for playing with us!

Don't forget to check out the great inspiration from the rest of the design team.

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Claire Broadwater

Joanne James

Anne Marie Hile (on leave)

Ann Schach

Jan Clothier - You are here

Stef Perry

Eliz Stewart

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 stamp with me, and shop with me, from anywhere in New Zealand. Click here.

 

Impressions Abloom for ASYI 346

As we come to the end of the catalogue year, we've had time to look at what's retiring and feel sad for the favourites that will soon be unavailable. Of course, just because they retire from the catalogue doesn't mean they disappear from your stash shelves! We sell off some things but there are always things we just won't part with. The latest challenge at As You See It asks us to think about what some of those things are.

So, while I'm sad to some stamp sets passing, the questions today is about tools. Embossing folders are one of my favourite tools and my current favourite is the Distressed Tile 3D embossing folder. I won't be parting with mine!

One of the great pleasures of old favourites is pairing them up with new products. I've used the about-to-be-released Impressions Abloom bundle in some of the new In Colors: Strawberry Slush and Darling Duckling, with a touch of another favourite - Granny Apple Green.

I like the look of splitting the embossed panel into three: a simple thing but it gives quite a different look to a card front. The sentiment is white heat embossed and I've added some Basic Rhinestone Jewels as embellishments. 

The whole team would love to see what you do with these colours. You can see what the rest of the team have done, and link up your entry, at the As You See It Challenge 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 stamp with me, and shop with me, from anywhere in New Zealand. Click here.

 

Joseph's Coat for Creativity Abounds

 

This month the international team at Creativity Abounds are exploring different techniques.This hop - and the associated tutorial bundle - is always popular and will give you a lot of examples for all sorts of card-making techniques. Some of them will be new to you, some of them will remind you of things you'd forgotten about. All of them will give you some inspiration to try out something new.

Even if you don't have the exact sets, you'll find inspiration in the different projects each of us has created. If you get the tutorial bundle, you'll have step-by-step instructions for thirteen projects, all of which you'll see as you go around the hop.

You can earn the Tutorial Bundle as a free gift from me with a purchase of $100 or more (excluding P&P) or by being a member of my team. You can shop with me, and join my team, from anywhere in New Zealand. If you would like to buy the tutorial from me for $25, message me.

I've chosen to re-visit a technique I encountered early in my card-making journey and it fascinated me. It's called Joseph's Coat. 

Here's an example of it made using the Beautiful Butterflies bundle. 

And here's a sneak peek of the card I made using Joseph's Coat for inclusion in our April Tutorial Bundle. In the bundle, there's step-by-step instructions on how to make it. 

Save the Date

Our next International Virtual Stamp Camp is June 28-29 (South Pacific)

This time, we're using the Celebratory Sips bundle from the upcoming Online Exclusives release as our Featured Products for the Camp.

Purchase of the suite from a member demonstrator gets you free access to the camp, a 13 project tutorial complete with make and take kits, and 13 completely different projects demonstrated throughout the Stamp Camp Weekend. 

Message me if you'd like more details or if you would like to register and pre-order the suite.

(Postage charge applies if make and take kits are posted out)

If you don't live in New Zealand but would like the April Technique tutorial, here's the rest of the team and where they're from. Just approach a demonstrator in your own market and go from there. 

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 stamp with me, and shop with me, from anywhere in New Zealand. Click here.

Gallery Blooms for Stampin' Fancy Friday

This month at Stampin' Fancy Friday, our inspiration is a sketch. 

I love a sketch challenge because they're great springboards: when you see the shapes and layers the mind starts filling them with options. 

The team at Stampin' Fancy Friday don't blog hop but we do a daily inspiration post on Instagram (and Facebook). 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 used the new Gallery Blooms bundle because I'm still playing with pre-order items. This lovely bundle will be available from 6 May.

I stamped two floral sprays in Secret Sea (one of the new In Colors), then coloured them with Stampin' Blends in Peach Pie, Calypso Coral, Petal Pink and Lost Lagoon. Once coloured, I die cut both sprays out and layered them over a circle cut using one of the Spotlight on Nature dies.

The Gallery Blooms dies have lots of extra bits and bobs, so I cut some leaves and flowers from scraps of Calypso Coral, Petal Pink and Lost Lagoon and tucked them in around the main floral sprays. 

 
The sentiment, stamped in Secret Sea, is from one of the Online Exclusive sets, Textured Notes - as is the die used to cut it out. 

Slightly harder to see in the photo is that the Secret Sea card front has been embossed with the new Damask Designs embossing folder that is part of the Beautiful Gallery suite.

The embellishments are from the Petal Pink and Pretty Peacock Foil Gems - which you can get right now from the Last Chance section of the store. 

Don't forget to follow @stampinfancyfriday on Instagram, or Stampin' Fancy Friday on Facebook, for more daily ideas.

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. 

Notes and Totes for Paper Players 733

Thank you to everyone who played along last week for my travel theme challenge at The Paper Players. I enjoyed visiting every entry in the gallery before deciding on a Headliner. 

This week, our hostess is Stef and she has a colour challenge for us.  

My first job was to decide which colours I'd use from my Stampin' Up! stable. Since I was feeling in a pastel kind of mood, I went for:

Purple = Fresh Freesia 

Yellow = Lemon Lolly

Aqua = Pool Party

Green = Soft Sea Foam

My second job was to decide what set I'd use. Since I'm still enjoying exploring with pre-order items and I'm still kind of in beach mode from my Australia trip, I opted for the Notes & Totes bundle (available from 6 May).

My third job: actually make something! Here's how that turned out....

I enjoyed playing around with some of the various die pieces to make a beach bag. Although the dies can be used to make a 3D beach bag to hold things, it works well like this to create a bag that can be filled with beach goodies. I cut one of the bag pieces in Fresh Freesia and stamped it with the little flower stamps in the same colour, and then cut some straps in Fresh Freesia. I attached that to the background. This piece was embossed with the Timber  3D folder then sponged with Pool Party ink.

Then I made a newspaper, a drink bottle, some sunscreen and a pair of sunglasses using the other three colours. I really love the seashell and starfish too.

The sentiment is a portion of the 'Sending warm wishes' stamp. I used one of the dies from Textured Notes to cut out the words. 

There was real pleasure in arranging all the elements. The final touch was to add three Pool Party dots from the Glossy Dots Assortment. If you don't have any of them, get some from the Last Chance Products list before they're gone. 😀

The Notes & Totes bundle will be available from 6 May.

We'd all love to see what you do with Stef's pretty colours. You can see what the rest of the design team have done, and link up your entry, at The Paper Players page.

Here's a quick recap of our challenge rules:

1. Create a new paper-craft project specifically for this challenge.
2. Upload your creation to your blog with a link back to us.
3. Please provide a direct link to the post featuring your challenge entry.
4. Please link your card to no more than four challenges, TOTAL, including ours
5. Have fun, and thank you for playing with us!

Don't forget to check out the great inspiration from the rest of the design team.

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Claire Broadwater

Joanne James

Anne Marie Hile (on leave)

Ann Schach

Jan Clothier - You are here

Stef Perry

Eliz Stewart

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 stamp with me, and shop with me, from anywhere in New Zealand. Click here.

Gallery Blooms for Around the World on Wednesday

 

Welcome to Around the World on Wednesday's April hop.

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're doing something a little different. It's five years since Around the World on Wednesday started up, so we're doing some close-up looks at the team. Anne Marie Hile was instrumental in helping our founder, Angie McKenzie, get the hop up and running so this month we're all going to CASE one of her projects. 

I decided to hunt the archive and went right back to Anne Marie's first ever post for Around the World on Wednesday. This is her card from 2020.

And here's my 2025 CASE of it, using some pre-order products from the 2025-2026 Annual Catalogue.

As you see, I took Anne Marie's layout literally. I substituted some of the gorgeous Beautiful Gallery DSP for her original embossed panel. Let me tell you that went against the grain for me as I almost always go for texture over pattern! But it was just too beautiful to leave out. 

I replaced her flowers with some from Gallery Blooms and I coloured them with Stampin' Blends in Lost Lagoon, Peach Pie and Calypso Coral. I stamped the flowers and sentiment in the same colour as the card base, Secret Sea - one of the 2025-2027 In Colors.

CASEing Anne Marie also got me using some of the Basic Beige ribbon from the Beautiful Gallery suite - even though I'm not usually a user of ribbon either! The embellishments are Pressed Flower Motifs, also part of the suite, all of which will be available from 6 May.

Keep on hopping to see how the rest of the team have CASEd Anne Marie.  Next up is the wonderful Leonie Stuart from Australia. I'm sure she has a treat to share with us!

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.

Here's a blog roll in case you get lost or want to re-visit someone along the way.

Jan Clothier - NZ - You are here
Leonie Stuart - AU
Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU
Cheryll Miller - AU
Danielle Kassing - NL
Marga Bultena - DE
Aurélie Fabre - FR
Kim Fee - UK
Annette Ball - CA
Kelly Taranto - US
Chris Smith - US
Theresa McEntee - US
Bree Renwick - US
Teri West - US
Cheryl Hamilton - US