Colourful Seasons for Retro Rubber 126 Team Card

Welcome to the first challenge for 2020 at Retro Rubber! It's a theme challenge this time round - make a winter themed card. As always with Retro Rubber, you need to use at least one stamp that's a year or more old and tell us the approximate age. Since it's mid-summer here in New Zealand, it was a welcome change to look at something a bit cooler!

It doesn't get cold enough to snow where I live, but in winter the last skeleton leaves from autumn are still around. I used that idea, plus cooler colours for my winter themed card.

I started by embossing two leaves from Colourful Seasons (from the 2017-18 Annual Catalogue) in white on the card base. Then I sponged over the area in Seaside Spray to bring them out. 

I added in some small stamped images to suggest things being blown by the wind and a die-cut skeleton leaf from the coordinating dies set, Seasonal Layers. Finally, just a couple of rhinestones to help suggest a touch of icy frost. The sentiment is from Beautiful You (from the 2017 Occasions catalogue) because we can alway hope for better things to come, especially in winter or tough times.

Both Colourful Seasons and Beautiful You, although older sets, are still current and available.

The team would love to see what you do with this retro winter theme. You can see what the rest of the team have done, and link up your entry, by visiting Retro Rubber Challenge.

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

Colorful Seasons Photopolymer Stamp Set

[143726]

$57.00

Beautiful You Cling-Mount Stamp Set

[151412]

$59.00

Seasonal Layers Dies

[143751]

$67.00

Night Of Navy A4 Card Stock

[106577]

$18.50

Seaside Spray A4 Cardstock

[150889]

$18.50

Whisper White A4 Card Stock

[106549]

$20.50

Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad

[147110]

$15.75

Seaside Spray Classic Stampin’ Pad

[150085]

$15.75

Versamark Pad

[102283]

$20.00

White Stampin' Emboss Powder

[109132]

$12.50

Stamping Sponges

[141337]

$8.50

Rhinestone Basic Jewels

[144220]

$10.50

Retro Rubber 113 - Design Team Card

This week, at Retro Rubber Challenge, we have everyone's favourite: Anything Goes. Of course, since this is Retro Rubber Challenge the usual provisos of using at least one stamp that's older than a year and telling us the approximate age of it still applies.

One of the delights of getting out your old stamps is that you get the chance to pair them up with some lovely new products. Often, you give yourself a surprise at how fresh they look. Beautiful You, from the 2017 Occasions catalogue, is a great set but not one I've used in a while. When I paired her up with one of this year's new In-Colours, Rococo Rose, she took on a whole new look.

And doesn't Rococo Rose look fabulous with Mint Macaron? The splatters of summer rain (or petals or whatever) come from another older set, Artisan Textures, from the 2018-19 Annual Catalogue. Both Beautiful You and Artisan Textures are current sets, so you can still order them.

So there she is, simple and sweet. As this blog goes live, my husband and I will be sunning ourselves on the beaches of a tropical Pacific Island. Packing got in the way of too many photos this time round but I hope you'll still join in with us at Retro Rubber and share with us some of your older stamps.

You can see what the rest of the team have done by visiting Retro Rubber Challenge. You can play along with us until June 28.

If you live in New Zealand and don't have a demonstrator, I'd love to be yours. I can help you with ideas and provide you with Stampin' Up products. Message me by visiting my Facebook page  - there's a link in the sidebar of this blog. Or you can leave a comment below. 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 will take you to my on-line store.

  Product List

Beautiful You Cling-Mount Stamp Set

[151412]

$59.00

Artisan Textures Cling-Mount Stamp Set

[151278]

$36.00

Rococo Rose A4 Cardstock

[150888]

$18.50

Mint Macaron A4 Cardstock

[138344]

$17.75

Whisper White A4 Card Stock

[106549]

$20.50

2019–2021 In Color 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[149617]

$24.25

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

[132708]

$12.00

Mint Macaron Classic Stampin' Pad

[147106]

$15.75

Mint Macaron Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

[147283]

$19.00

Clear Faceted Gems

[144142]

$10.50

Rhinestone Basic Jewels

[144220]

$10.50

Just Add Ink 252

There's also a colour challenge at Just Add Ink this week.

Tempting Turquoise and Flirty Flamingo are colours that I don't often use but they look great with Smoky Slate so I was tempted into playing with them. I haven't used the umbrella girl from Beautiful You very much but when I have, I've been drawn to use watercolour and it's happened today too.

I think it does have an encouraging feel, so I'm happy with how this card has turned out.

Update: Delighted to get an Honourable Mention at Just Add Ink

Ingredients

Card: Smoky Slate base,  Flirty Flamingo, Watercolour paper, DSP from Carried Away, Whisper White

Stamps: Beautiful You

Inks: Flirty Flamingo and Stampin' Write marker, Tempting Turquoise, Smoky Slate, Basic Gray Stampin' Write marker, Black Stazon

Other:  Flirty Flamingo ruched ribbon, Tempting Turquoise enamel shapes, Stitched oval framelit, dimensionals, aquapainter

FMS 276

The weekend is rapidly drawing to a close and I've only just made it to my craft room! I've squeezed in an entry for Freshly Made Sketches, using Beautiful You  which I bought on preorder. I got it because I liked the image of the woman dancing for herself and yet, although I've used the other images, I've never used her. Until this afternoon.

Here's the inspiration from Freshly Made Sketches.

Here's my interpretation of it.

Given my time shortage this weekend, this came together quickly. The dancing woman I stamped then paper pieced her dress and hat. Fussy cutting her took a while! 

For the background, I embossed the firework bursts from Balloon Celebration and sponged the sky in Island Indigo getting softer towards the masked off horizon line. I worked the ground in Pool Party and Mint Macaron, added in the shadow and the greeting and finished with some rhinestones to accentuate the sentiment.

I like the way it feels as though she is dancing with joy in the starlight.

Ingredients

Card: Island Indigo, Mint Macaron, Whisper White, DSP from Seaside Shore

Stamps: Beautiful You, Balloon Celebration

Inks: Tuxedo Black, Island Indigo, Mint Macaron, Pool Party

Other: White embossing powder, sponges, rhinestones

Global Design Project 73

It's a bright and breezy colour combination this week at Global Design Project.

I thought they were such cheerful colours, that they'd make a good basis for a card of encouragement when someone, for whatever reason, was feeling down. Kinda Eclectic is a favourite set of mine and I've not used it in a while, so it had an outing today.

Ingredients

Card: Emerald Envy, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, scraps of Watermelon Wonder

Stamps: Kinda Eclectic, Beautiful You

Inks: Emerald Envy, Daffodil Delight, Watermelon Wonder, Smoky Slate

Other: Stampin'Write markers: Watermelon Wonder, Emerald Green, Basic Grey; Layering circle framelit, Emerald Envy twine, Daffodil Delight enamel shapes, brad base (from my post-retirement hoard), Elegant Butterfly punch, Bitty Butterfly punch, dimensionals.

The Paper Players 326

The Paper Players kicks off this year with a green challenge - not the colour but to use a recycled element.

Librarians are never short on discarded library books. I have two or three that I've rescued from the discard pile because I thought they'd be useful for scrapbooking or cards. Sometimes treasure can be found in them, as it was today. In an old book on the history of fashion, I found a sketch drawing in black and white that has formed a perfect backdrop for the new Beautiful You stamp. It will be a truly unique card - unless I manage to one day discover another copy of this out of print book!

The dress and hat are paper-pieced from the Wildflower Fields DSP from last year's Sale-a-bration - so a kind of recycling. 😀

UPDATE: Delighted to be chosen as As Cut Above at The Paper Players.

Ingredients

Card: Hello Honey, Whisper White, Basic Black, Basic Grey, recycle discarded library book.

Stamps: Beautiful You

Inks: Tuxedo Black, Hello Honey, Basic Gray watercolour pencil

Other: Blender pen, Black candy dot

Global Design Project 68

This week, the challenge at Global Design Project is to case a card by designer, Jess Williams.

I'm using the layout of her card as a basis for mine: an off-centre panel that is the full height of the card base, a ribbon that goes under the panel, a large bow, the interest in the top right corner with some elements raised and no sentiment. The lovely Beautiful You set was the last out of my Occasions pre-order box so it's actually available from today! It's also been a while since I've had out the new In Colours from the current catalogue.

The large cluster of raised elements in Jess's card has been reduced to a water-coloured image with a single raised up paper-pieced umbrella. The gold dots on the original kraft panel have transformed into embossed dots of rain with the Softly Falling embossing folder.

And inside...

I've enjoyed playing with the new (stamp set) and the 'old' (the In Colours). Thanks for a great challenge inspiration GDP.

Update: So very delighted to be a winner at Global Design Project!

Ingredients

Card: Dapper Denim, Sweet Sugarplum, Whisper White, Watercolour paper, scrap of By The Shore DSP.

Stamps: Beautiful You

Inks: Dapper Denim, Sweet Sugarplum, Smoky Slate and matching Stamp'n'Write markers

Other: Softly Falling embossing folder, dimensionals, Sweet Sugarplum ruched ribbon, linen twine, rhinestone, aquapainter.

Freshly Made Sketches 268

I've taken a quick break from my frenetic week by going to my craft room and playing with the new set, Beautiful You. It will be available 4 January with the release of the new Stampin' Up Occasions catalogue. I've had it since just before Christmas but have only got to open the box this morning! Inspiration came from the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.

One thing I've never done before is paper piecing but this set just seemed to be asking for it. So here it is:

In addition to piecing her clothing, I've given her hat a hat band using a white gel pen and a pearl accent. The interior of the hat is shaded with Soft Sky, which is echoed behind the sentiment. I've used Crumb Cake and a blender pen to give her the hint of skin.

Ingredients

Card: Night of Navy, Shimmery White, Whisper White, Soft Sky, Floral Boutique DSP

Stamps: Beautiful You

Inks: Night of Navy, Black Stazon, Crumb Cake and Soft Sky

Other: White gel pen, pearl, dimensionals, blender pen.