Masculine Cards for Creativity Abounds June

 

This month the international team at Creativity Abounds are exploring masculine cards.This hop - and the associated tutorial bundle - is always popular and will give you a lot of examples for all sorts ideas for masculine cards: colours, layouts, sets, papers, techniques, bundles.

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.

This card is a bonus project: a masculine card to give you some ideas. I think the Country Woods DSP (and also the Botanical Textures DSP) are just perfect for a masculine style card.  The stamped tools and sentiment are from Trusty Tools - a set that's just right if you have a DIY-er or handyman in the family. 

And here's a sneak peek of the card I made for the June tutorial bundle.  There are step-by-step instructions on how to make it - as well as the other twelve projects. 

Here's a sneak peek at all the projects in the tutorial.

Here's the whole team and where we're from.

There's still time to join the Celebratory Sips Stamp Camp

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

This time, we're using the Celebratory Sips bundle from Online Exclusives as our Featured Product 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. 

If you live in New Zealand and plan to join the camp, you will need to order the Featured Product not later than 14 June to be sure you will have the products by the time camp starts. you can still order and if they don't arrive in time, you can access the camp group and watch the live presentations at your leisure.

You can find the details here. Note that a postage charge applies if make and take kits are posted out and you cannot purchase the featured products from us using Stampin' Rewards.

 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.

Anything but a Card for Creativity Abounds March

 

This month the international team at Creativity Abounds has a great theme for our bundle and hop: Anything but a Card. This hop - and the associated tutorial bundle - is always popular and will give you a lot of examples for all sorts of non-card things: memory keeping, packaging or home decor.

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.

There are two parts to this post: a bonus project and a sneak peek at my tutorial project.

1. Bonus Project: A Scrapbook layout

The Wildflower Celebration DSP is great for making quick and easy cards but it's also great for quick and easy scrapbooking too. 

I used a piece of 12"x12" White Willow as a base. To ground the photo, I blended some Pool Party ink with a blending brush and stamped over it using images from the Elements of Text stamp set, available as an online exclusive. In my book, it's an essential item whether you're card making or scrapbooking. 

After matting the photo with Blueberry Bushel, I used some DSP from Wildflower Birthday as frames.  The flower, leaves and cupcake were popped out of the ephemera sheet that's part of the collection. Since I have the Birthday Celebration dies, I used it to die cut out a '3'.

In the lower right corner, I added a cluster of elements that I'll hand write in some journalling. 

I stamped some splats from Elements of Text, then layered up three labels from the ephemera sheet and added in a tiny flower cluster. So easy and quick to do!

2. Tutorial Bundle Project

Keeping up the memory keeping theme, my project in the tutorial bundle is a simple, easy free-standing photo frame. There are instructions for both portrait and landscape versions and detailing of the back panel. 

Here's a glimpse at the other twelve projects in the tutorial package. Take the hop around the rest of the team and you'll see exactly which non-card projects are being showcased as well as the twelve extra bonus projects. 

If you live in New Zealand, you can get this tutorial bundle free with a qualifying purchase from me. If you live somewhere else, you can get the bundle from a team member in your country. 

Here's who we all are and where we're from.

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. 

Creativity Abounds February 2025

This month the international team at Creativity Abounds has a great theme for our bundle and hop: Fun Folds. This hop - and the associated tutorial bundle - is always popular and will give you a lot of examples for fancy folds 

Even if you don't have the exact sets, you'll find inspiration in the different folds each of us have used.  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.

There are two parts to this post: a bonus project and a sneak peek at my tutorial project.

1. Bonus Project Teepee Fold

The fold I'm showcasing is one I haven't used for some years, the TeePee Fold. Once I got it out and started playing with it, I don't know why I haven't been using it more! It was an excellent chance to explore the Darling Dinos bundle, a current favourite of mine. 

The triangular shaped card stands by itself and can be made so that it folds neatly into a standard envelope. It has three faces that can be decorated, or you can - as I have - leave one relatively blank to write a message on. 

Here's a look at each of the three faces.

2. Tutorial Project Teepee Fold

Here's a glimpse at the card I've created for the tutorial bundle. Same fold, different bundle. I've used the Beautiful Butterflies bundle for this one. Step-by-step instructions are in the tutorial package, along with 12 other projects from the rest of the Creativity Abounds team.

Here's a glimpse at the other twelve projects in the tutorial package. Take the hop around the rest of the team and you'll see exactly which Fancy Folds are being showcased.

If you live in New Zealand, you can get this tutorial bundle free with a qualifying purchase from me. If you live somewhere else, you can get the bundle from a team member in your country. 

Here's who we all are and where we're from.

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. 

Get Ready for the Creativity Abounds Floral Delight Stamp Camp!

 

Exciting times at Creativity Abounds as our next stamp camp is nearly here! This time, we're featuring the gorgeous summery suite, Floral Delight.  Each of the members of the team have put together one project for the tutorial bundle. We've all done a second project to share with you during Stamp Camp. That's 26 projects in total.

How often do you buy a suite then run out of ideas for it? Get this suite and you'll get access to all 26 projects - plus make and take kits for thirteen of them - for no extra. You can find all the details for Stamp Camp right here.

Usually on our monthly hops we give you a sneak peek of the tutorial project for the bundle(that will still happen) and then we go on to give you a bonus project and tutorial on the same theme. This time we'll  be giving you a look at what the Stamp Camp Live project is going to be. You'll learn how to make it during the Camp.

This is the project I'll be sharing with you in a Facebook Live during Stamp Camp on the weekend of February 22-23 (or recorded if you can't make it to the camp live.)

It's a slimline slider card.

It opens to reveal whatever hidden message you'd like.

And this is the card you'll receive a kit and PDF/ Video instructions for as part of the tutorial bundle. You'll receive the 13 kits from your demonstrator prior to camp starting.

Here's a sneak peek of the whole PDF/Video Tutorial bundle of projects: one from each of us in the team. 

If you live in New Zealand and would like to join the Stamp Camp, visit the link above for details, or you can message me. All that's required is that you purchase the Floral Delight Suite from me (or a demonstrator in your area who is part of the team).

Don't delay purchasing in case it sells out or there are shipping delays.

Here's the team and where they're from.

If you already have the suite but would still like to join in, simply purchase items of equivalent value from my online store. Let me know that's what you've done so I can send you the kits and your invitation. It's as simple as that. 😀

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

Follow the hop to see all the 26 projects you'll get instructions for at Stamp Camp, plus a look at the projects included in the make and take tutorial bundle.

Creativity Abounds December

 

This month the international team at Creativity Abounds has a great theme for our bundle and hop: Birthday Celebrations. This hop - and the associated tutorial bundle - will give you a lot of examples for birthdays. 

Even if you don't have the exact sets, you'll find inspiration in layouts, folds, colours or techniques.  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.

There are two parts to this post: a bonus project and a sneak peek at my tutorial project.

Bonus Project

For my bonus birthday project, I'm sharing a play around with one of the new bundles from the January 2025 Mini Catalogue called Darling Dinos. The three dinosaurs in the set are so cute and come with all sorts of accessories such as balloons, party hats and glasses through to scene building items like rocks and footprints. A real delight to play around with! And of course, among the many sentiments there are some dinosaur puns as well. Darling Dinos will be available in the New Year.

I coloured the images with Stampin' Blends in Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Peach Pie and Pool Party. I used the Perennial Postage dies to cut a panel. The top is sponged in Pool Party to create a sense of sky and then Old Olive at the bottom, over-stamped with the grass stamp.

The background is embossed with the cross-hatch folder from the Basics Embossing Folder set - an online exclusive. A nice easy card that's fun to do!

Tutorial Bundle Project

For my contribution to the tutorial bundle, I used the Online Exclusive bundle, Cake Celebrations.

Here's a peek at the card.

Here's a sneak peek of the whole bundle.

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. 

If you don't live in New Zealand, you can get it from any of my team mates in your country. Here they all are.

Our next Virtual Stamp Camp is 22-23 February and features the gorgeous Floral Delight Suite.

You can find out all the details here.

Keep hopping to see the Birthday themed bonus projects and a sneak peek of the Tutorial Bundle Projects.

Creativity Abounds November

This month the international team at Creativity Abounds has a great theme for our bundle and hop: Holiday Packaging and Decorations. This hop - and the associated tutorial bundle - will give you a lot of examples for Holiday decorations and packaging. 

Even if you don't have the exact sets, you'll find inspiration in the gift packaging ideas.  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.

There are two parts to this post: a decoration idea and a sneak peek at my tutorial project.

A Christmas Decoration Idea

I'm a big fan of the Round We Go bundle and it's just tailor-made for making Christmas tree (or any occasion) decorations. I like that you can choose to make either round scallop-edge rosettes or pointy ended one. 

While you can make these out of any DSP, I've used the Season of Green & Gold (an online exclusive), Gold Foil and Festive Glimmer Paper. The hanger is made with Gold Twisted Thread (another online exclusive).

There's nothing tricky about these. Just use the dies as intended and away you go! I did think about adding a large gem in the centre but decided there was enough bling-iness going on already. 

PS A hot glue gun is handy, but not essential, in putting these together. 😀

Tutorial Bundle Peek

My bundle project is a cute little mini shopping bag, which I adapted from one shown to me by my up-line many years ago. They make great table favours for any occasion but made from Christmas papers they work well to add a festive element to the table if you don't want crackers. They're also perfect for packaging small gifts or for little thank-you favours. It's just the right size for some wrapped lollies or some tea bags and chocolate squares. 😀

Here's a sneak peek at the rest of the tutorial bundle.

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. 

If you don't live in New Zealand, you can get it from any of my team mates in your country. Here they all are. We welcome Lisa and Ingrid to the team! 

Save the Date Stamp Camp 2025

Creativity Abounds October

This month the international team at Creativity Abounds has a great theme for our bundle and hop: Holiday Themed Items from the Mini Catalogue. This hop - and the associated tutorial bundle - will give you a lot of examples for Christmas ideas. Even if you don't have the exact sets, you'll find inspiration in the colour combos, the layouts and even some fancy folds.  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.

Since Christmas is mid-summer in the Southern Hemisphere, I really couldn't go past the Surfin' Santa set. What a lovely, fun set this is!

I've made projects with this set for both this hop and the tutorial bundle.

To make this card you will need:

Stamps: Surfin' Santa

Inks: Tuxedo Black, Shaded Spruce,  Balmy Blue, Versamark

Colouring: Stampin' Blends in Real Red, Balmy Blue, Lemon-Lime Twist, Shaded Spruce, Smoky Slate, Crumb Cake, Ivory and Bronze

Paper: Shaded Spruce, Basic White, Full of Life DSP

Other: Stylish Shapes dies, Tinsel Gems, Wink of Stella, Dimensionals, White Embossing Powder from the Basics Embossing Set, Heat gun, Blending Brush, Paper Snips.

Measurements

Shaded Spruce base: 21cm x 14.5, scored at 10.5cm (8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored at 4 1/4")

Basic White Mat: 14cm x 10cm (5 1/4" x 4")

Basic White inside: 14cm x 10cm (5 1/4" x 4")

Full of Life DSP: starburst in blues and greens, cut to 13.5cm x 9.5cm (5" x 3 3/4") so that the centre of the starburst is in the centre of the piece.

Basic White for stamping Santa and gifts: 10cm x 6.5cm (4" x 2 3/4")

Basic White for circle and sentiment: 12cm x 8.5cm (4 3/8" x 3 1/2")

Instructions

1. Fold the Shaded Spruce base on the score line and burnish.
2. Attach the Basic White mat to the front.
3. Attach the piece of DSP to the Basic White Mat.
4. Using Tuxedo Black, stamp Santa and the presents. Colour with Stampin' Blends. Add some Wink of Stella to Santa's sunglasses and drink, then fussy cut them out. 
5. Rub the other Basic White piece with an embossing buddy then stamp the wave in Versamark. Add white embossing powder and heat. Die cut with the largest stitched circle from Stylish Shapes so that the wave is centre and near the bottom of the circle. Add some Balmy Blue ink with a blending brush. Start blending from the bottom so the colour is deeper near the bottom of the wave.
6. Stamp the 'Warm Wishes' in Shaded Spruce. Die cut with the smallest stitched square from Stylish Shapes.
7. You're ready to assemble. Add the wave circle to the centre of the card front. Arrange the Surfin' Santa and the sentiment on the circle. Attach with dimensionals. 
8. Arrange the parcels, starting with the largest on the surfboard, so it looks as though they're blowing off the back. Attach any off the board with dimensionals.
9. Add three Lemon-Lime Tinsel Gems.

Here's a peek at the project I've put into the tutorial bundle. Instructions for this card are in the tutorial bundle - along with 12 other holiday themed projects from the rest of our international team.

Here's a Sneak Peek at the whole tutorial bundle.

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. 

If you don't live in New Zealand, you can get it from any of my team mates in your country. Here they all are...