Handmade for You for As You See It 379

It's hard to believe that, at As You See It, we're already back to the regular Speed Stamping Challenge. This is the one people either love or hate. If you've never played one before, you have ten minutes to create something of the given theme - in this case, 'Crafting.'

Before you decide that's impossible, here are the details.

• You have ten minutes to complete your card.
• Thinking time is not included, so you can have planned it in your head.
• Supplies can be assembled but not used. So block up your stamps, get the embellishments out on the desk, put the dies beside the machine and so on.
• The  timer starts the moment you cut, ink up, stamp or emboss anything.
• Thankfully, clean up is not on the timer!
• Don't forget to tell us what your time to completion was. 

My biggest problem was to find something on the given theme. It sent me into my craft library to find the retired Handmade for You set, which I had because it contained the angel policy stamp. 

So, I started by stamping the sewing dummy and colouring it with Crumb Cake and Pool Party blends. 

I cut it out using one of the Perennial Postage dies, then stamped the sentiment. I have a number of friends who are craft queens, so this card will end up being very useful. 

I decided on a Basic Black card base and added a layer of the pretty Pool Party polka dots from the Beautiful Ordinary Life DSP pack.

As a quick finish off, I added a trio of Pool Party Glossy Enamel Dots (retired).

And the time was ....

You can see what the rest of the Design Team have done, and link up your entry, on the As You See It page. The team and I are all keen to see how you see it!

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.

 

Spotlight on Nature for As You See It 373

It's Speed Stamping Week at As You See It. This regular challenge is one people either love or hate - or maybe they love to hate it? Anyway, it is a bit of a thrill and if you ever wanted to combine adrenaline rush with stamping, this is your challenge!

If you've never taken up a Speed Stamping challenge before, this is how it goes. 

• You have ten minutes to complete your card.
• Thinking time is not included, so you can have planned it in your head.
• Supplies can be assembled but not used. So block up your stamps, get the embellishments out on the desk, put the dies beside the machine and so on.
• The  timer starts the moment you cut, ink up, stamp or emboss anything.
• Thankfully, clean up is not on the timer!
• Don't forget to tell us what your time to completion was. 

Spring bulbs threw me a bit because although I have lots of flowers, most of them were not bulbs. I actually used Google Image Search to identify the flower in Spotlight on Nature (retired) and it told me this was most likely a tulip, so I ran with that!

I stamped the image in Gorgeous Grape then used a blending brush and Fresh Freesia ink to add an explosion of colour around the flower heads. Then I used a water painter and some Fresh Freesia ink to add splatter.

I added the sentiment, from Rolling Waves, in Gorgeous Grape ink.

As I still have just under 8 minutes left on the clock I decided to go a bit further and cut the image out using Everyday Arches. I embossed a Basic White card front with the Beautiful Pattern embossing folder and adhered it to a Gorgeous Grape card base. (These things were in my 'if I have time' plan.)

To give it all a bit more oomph, I popped the arched panel up on dimensionals and finished off with a trio of Purple Fine Shimmer Gems. 

The inside was pretty simple - just a quick stamp of the top part of the floral image and a quick brushover with the blending brush.

Then I stopped the timer...

 

I quite surprised myself as I'd expected to be a bit closer to 8 minutes. But I was well planned in my head and had all my supplies on hand. 

What will you do in your ten minutes? You can see what the rest of the team have done and link up your entry at the As You See It Challenge page. 

Friendly Foliage for As You See It 367

Well, you either love it or hate it but it's SPEED CHALLENGE this week at As You See It. Every sixth challenge is one of these and if you've never played one before, they're interesting. All you have to do is create a project that uses the theme and complete it in UNDER TEN MINUTES. This time, the theme is PURPLE.

You'll be pleased to hear that set up and clean up are not included in your ten minutes. The rules are simple. There are things you can do before the clock starts:

• You can plan out what you're going to  make
• You can get out your equipment and have it set up to go. For instance you can get out your stamp set and block the stamps you intend to use. Your inkpads can be on the table as can things like embossing folders, dies or embellishments.

BUT 

once you cut anything, ink anything or emboss/die cut anything then the timer is on. 

I had my babywipes and ink bottles to hand and  quickly made a temporary ink pad using Gorgeous Grape, Petunia Pop and Fresh Freesia ink. I stamped the image from Friendly Foliage, making sure to be across all the different purples on the baby wipe. 

Then I die cut it out. 

Then I embossed the card front with the Beautiful Patterns folder and adhered it to my Gorgeous Grape card base. Then I centred the die cut foliage and adhered it to the card front. 

Next I stamped a sentiment in Gorgeous Grape, cut it using a banner from Stylish Shapes and popped it up on dimensionals over the foliage die cut.

The finishing touch was the addition of a trio of Purple Gems. 

The Basic White inner got a quick foliage stamp before I attached it to the inside.

With racing heart, I stopped the timer....

Anyone who says stamping isn't an adrenaline sport has obviously never done a speed challenge! What will you do?

Visit the As You See It page to link up your entry and to see the rest of the team's inspirations.

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.

A Nostalgia Trip for AYSI 361

 Well, I do look forward to the week when we have a Speed Stamping Challenge at As You See It. There's something exciting about setting the timer and just getting on with the job.

However, Heather's theme of 'Apples' certainly threw me for a loop as I found I didn't have anything apple themed in my stash. I even thought I was going to have to give this challenge a miss, so sure was I my stash was sans-apples.

Then I remembered that one of my old favourites, Thoughtful Branches, had a tiny apple stamp in it. So the idea was born!

I started by stamping the trunk in Early Espresso, the leaves in Granny Apple Green and then those apples in Cherry Cobbler. The sentiment was stamped in Early Espresso. 

Then I cut the whole thing out with one of the dies from Everyday Arches. 

I cut a card base from Granny Apple Green card and a matching card front. The front was embossed with the new Beautiful Pattern embossing folder. 

As a finishing touch, I added a trio of Traditional Sparkling Sequins in Cherry Cobbler.  Final time, including some interior decoration, was ....

If you've never joined in with Speed Stamping, here's what you need to know.

• You have ten minutes to complete your card.
• Thinking time is not included, so you can plan what you're going to do beforehand.
• You can gather supplies - get out the stamp sets, dies, embellishments and card stock.  Put your stamps on the blocks. Get the inks and adhesives on the desk. 
• BUT once you cut, ink or stamp then the clock starts.
• Thankfully, clean up time is not included either. 😀

Will you take up the Speed Challenge? It turns out cardmaking is an adrenalin sport if you do!

Visit the As You See It page to link up your entry and to see the rest of the team's inspirations.

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.

Textured Notes for As You See it 355

Well, at As You See It it's once again time for our loved (and sometimes loathed) SPEED STAMPING CHALLENGE! What's speed stamping you ask? In this instance it means you have to complete your card on the given theme inside of ten minutes.

Before you go into complete meltdown mode, there are a few provisos that make the challenge do-able.

What you can do before the timer starts

• Plan. Take all the time you need to plan out what you're going to make.
• Set Up. You can get out your stamps and block them, put your dies on the table, get out the card stock pieces and ink pads, put the embellishments to hand: anything that's setting up what you will need.

But

Once you make a cut, put a stamp to ink, actually use your Cut and Emboss machine: anything that counts as creating, then the timer must start.

Thankfully clean up time is not included in the ten minutes either! 

The speed challenge is one of those times when your cardmaking becomes an adrenaline rich activity!

The theme for this one is LEAVES. I got to choose this challenge and I love foliage. My go-to at the moment is Textured Notes,  which I'm enjoying pairing with Elements of Text, .

Patterned paper is a good friend when it comes to speed challenges so I got out Woven Textures because I like the natural patterns. DSP gives big bang for little effort - just cut and stick. That leaves lots of the clock left for stamping.

A quick pass through the Cut and Emboss machine and the Textured Notes dies gave me a rectangle with a pretty edge all ready for stamping.

I stamped the large leaf stamp twice, using Mossy Meadow ink, but without re-inking for the second impression.  I added in some text background stamping using one of the stamps from Elements of Text, using Gray Granite then some Crushed Curry splatters with another from the set. I created a similar, but smaller, cluster in the opposite corner. 

I stamped the sentiment in Basic Gray. Then I added in some Crushed Curry around the stamped areas using a blending brush. 

After adding the DSP to the Gray Granite card base and the stamped panel, I popped in three Glossy Enamel Dots in Crushed Curry (retired) to finish off. 

And then.... don't forget to stop the timer!

I'd love to see what you can cook up in ten minutes or less!  You can also see the rest of the team's inspirations 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.

Beautiful Gallery for AYSI 349

 Time moves quickly and it's already rolled around to our most feared challenge of the roster - the SPEED CHALLENGE! For this challenge,  the theme is water but the time remains the same: create your card in ten minutes or less. 

Before you decide that's impossible, here's how it works.

1. Thinking time is not included. So you can have it all planned out before you start the timer.
2. Prepping equipment is not included. So you can get out the stamps and have them blocked up, the embellishments and dies can be on the table ready to go. The cardstock can be on the desk. 
3. Thankfully, clean up is not included either. 

BUT

The moment you ink a stamp, cut a piece of card, die-cut or emboss anything, then the timer has to start. 

Over the years of doing the speed challenge, I've worked out a couple of tricks. One is to use pretty papers so they'll do all the heavy lifting that time-consuming techniques would usually do. 

In this instance, I've turned to the Beautiful Gallery 6x6 DSP stack and I chose a moody water scene.

Part of the Gallery Blooms dies is one that cuts out three inset rectangles in a single pass. So I used it once on the scenic DSP and once on a piece of Cloud Cover. Then I replaced the centre scene rectangle with the matching Cloud Cover piece.

I stamped the sentiment, from Beautiful Motifs, in Secret Sea onto the Cloud Cover frame.  The whole thing was adhered to a Secret Sea card base. 

As I still had some time to spare, I added in three Secret Sea In Color Flat Pearls. 

How long did this take? I was pleasantly surprised to see that it only took...

The whole team would love to see what marvels you can create in ten minutes or less.  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.

5minutes 17 seconds

Modern Oval Punch for AYSI 343

Welcome to a new challenge at As You See It. The last challenge in our rota of six types of challenge is the Speed Stamping challenge. It's a love it or hate it kind of challenge and generally, I love it. 

It's simple: just make a new project on the given theme in TEN MINUTES OR LESS.

That might sound impossible, here's what you need to know:

• Thinking time isn't included. So you can plan out what you're going to do before the clock starts.
• Gathering supplies isn't included. So you can get out your stamp set, block it up, put the dies or folders or punches on the table, get the embellishments to hand etc. 
• Clean up time isn't included. Just as well, or we'd never get inside the time limit!

BUT

     Once you cut, ink or punch the clock has to start.

If you've never tried a speed challenge before, give it a go. It can be quite addictive and often very satisfying to see what you can achieve in such a short crafting time.

For this challenge, Joanne has challenged us to get speedy by using a punch. This challenge made me realise that I don't really use punches that often. It turns out I'm more of a die cut crafter!

I do have a Modern Oval punch, so that's what I used. I got out my Neutrals DSP stack and punched out a variety of patterns, then arranged them on a piece of Basic White.  I made sure that a light pattern went where I wanted to have a sentiment then I trimmed off any overhangs.

I stamped the sentiment in Early Espresso. This 'thank you' is from Something Fancy. I mounted that onto a piece of Pecan Pie and adhered the whole thing to an Early Espresso card base.

I added three Antique Pearls as embellishments.

And here's the time. 

Not bad! 

Another time, I might have the first column of ovals as vertical halves so that the unadorned right side strip is more obvious and perhaps run the whole thing through an embossing folder. Or maybe not! 😀

Anyway, we'd love to see what you create in ten minutes or less using a punch. 

Visit the As You See It page to see what the rest of the team have done and to link up your entry. You can join in the challenge until Wednesday March 19, 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.

Decorative Trees for AYSI 337

 Hi fellow stampers! It's time for a new challenge at As You See It. It's week 6 of the roster, so it's time for the love it or hate it SPEED STAMPING CHALLENGE.

For a speed challenge, you need to create on the given theme in ten minutes or less. 

Sound impossible? Well, you'll be relieved to know that it is possible and these are the rules around it:

• Thinking time is not counted in the ten minutes, so you can have planned out what you're going to make.
• Gathering supplies is not counted. So get out the set you want to use, block the stamps, put the embossing folder and dies by the machine, get the embellishments out of the drawer. 

• Clean up time is not included.

BUT...

Once you start crafting - eg cut some cardstock, ink a stamp, emboss or die cut anything then the timer has to start. 

SO....

Your challenge, should you wish to accept it, is to create something on the theme of Trees in ten minutes or less.

Don't forget to tell us your time in the post.

Since Christmas is nearing, I decided to go with using the Decorative Trees bundle. To keep things simple, I went for asimple colour scheme: Basic White + Shy Shamrock. 

I started with a Basic White thick cardbase and a panel of Basic White, embossed with the Forever Plaid 3D Embossing Folder.

I cut a Shy Shamrock tree shape, then used Shy Shamrock Glimmer paper to cut the decorative overlay and stars. Using double sided adhesive sheet on the glimmer paper made removing the pieces quick - they peeled off with the backing.

I popped the tree up on dimensionals and  added three glimmer paper stars. The sentiment is stamped in in Shy Shamrock then popped up on dimensionals. 

As there was still time on the clock, I added in three Shy Shamrock shimmer gems. 

Time taken:

There's nothing quite like having the clock running while you craft to turn this into an adrenalin hobby!

The team and I would love to see what you can do in ten minutes or less. Visit the As You See It page to see what the rest of the team have done and to link up your entry. You can join in the challenge until Wednesday December 5, 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.

Mediterranean Blooms for AYSI 331

You might have noticed that the challenges at As You See It rotate through six different styles meaning that every twelve weeks, you'll get a repeat style. Well, this week it's back to the one you either love or hate: the SPEED challenge.

That's right, a speed challenge. All we're asking you to do is to create something with a fruit theme in TEN MINUTES OR LESS.

Before you spill your coffee or fall off your chair at the thought, here's how it works. 

Before the clock starts you can:

• Plan what you're going to make
• Get out your supplies (e.g. put the inks and embellishments on the table)
• Set up things (e.g. block the stamps and set up the correct sandwich in the die cutting machine.)

But once you cut anything or ink anything then the clock has to start. 

You'll also be pleased to know that clean-up time is not included either since this type of adrenalin inducing crafting usually leads to a bigger mess than normal!

If you speed stamp often, you'll work out a few tricks that help you. For me, it's one of the times I'm likely to use DSP since you can get high impact with little effort.

I had some of the lovely Mediterranean Blooms DSP left over from a class. I thought I'd try out the Rip and Flip technique I'd seen the wonderful Jacque Williams use. 

Now this is a variation on something I've done before. Since Stampin' Up's DSP is double sided, I've quite often cut the paper and turned over one panel then added a sentiment and some embellishments for a quick card. The difference here is that you rip the panel, flip over one side and see what happens.

I really like the result, but maybe that's just because the fruity side of the paper looks so jolly good against the tiled side!

I don't actually have the Citrus Blooms bundle that coordinates with this paper, so I used Something Fancy stamps and dies for my sentiments.

The card base is Night of Navy and the tag is shadowed with Boho Blue. The embellishments are Basic Rhinestones, coloured with a Night of Navy Stampin' Blend.

And the time taken for this ripping and flipping? 

I enjoyed doing it so much, that I made a companion for it.

The team and I would love to see your speedy creations. Visit the As You See It page to see what the rest of the team have done and to link up your entry. You can join in the challenge until Wednesday September 11, 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.

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. 

Simply Zinnia for As You See It 319

 Welcome to the latest challenge at As You See It. The final challenge type in our 6 challenge rotation is the Speed Stamping Challenge. You'll either love or hate it but I love it because it forces me to be creative under pressure. 

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to create a new project in ten minutes or less on the theme of Spring Flowers.

Don't panic at the thought of a ten minute make. Here's the rules:

• Thinking time doesn't count
• Gathering your supplies doesn't count - eg putting out your inks and dies, blocking the stamps, putting the card on the desk.
• Clean up time doesn't count either - thankfully!

BUT

• The moment you cut, ink, emboss - then the time has to start.

In a challenge like this, pretty DSP can really be your friend by doing all the heavy lifting. I've used the 

Flowering Zinnias DSP from the Online Exclusives.

This card took me 7 minutes 21 seconds to complete - including an equipment malfunction. You can watch every adrenalin laden moment of that in the video below!

Make sure you visit the As You See It page to see what the rest of the Design Team have done in their ten minutes - and to link up your own entry.

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.

Earn a Free Gift

Option 1

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. 

Option 2

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.