Thinking Stamping

Wednesday, 22 July 2020

Prized Peony for CI82 Crew Card

Welcome to a new challenge at Colour INKspiration! We were so impressed with the magnificent entries we got for our Cinnamon Cider challenge last fortnight. It was so hard to pick just one winner - congratulations, Michele Miller. I can't wait to see what everyone makes of this challenge, which includes two of the 2020-22 In Colours: Magenta Madness and Just Jade.

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 two 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.

If you don't have an exact challenge colour, feel free to replace it with whatever you have that's closest. Black, White, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake and metallics are free colours, as are flesh toned Stampin' Blends.

I've used the Prized Peony bundle with soft and subtle colours but thought I'd try it out with these stronger colours. I'm pleased with the result.

After stamping in Tuxedo Black, I used the Magenta Madness and Just Jade Stampin' Blends to colour the glorious flower stamp. I do love that it has a matching die so it can be cut out easily. I am also very fond of the tiny diamond background stamp that is part of the set and have used it around the flower.

And isn't the Dainty Diamonds embossing folder a stunner? If it's not on your wish list yet, it should be!

I added in the dainty fret work of black, cut using the Many Medallions die set. It's an elegant way to layer up and add in some more of a colour.

The 'Happy Birthday' is from Timeless Tulips, another set that has a great mix of sentiments. I've used the small banner from Tasteful Labels for it.

We'd love to see what you make of these colours. You can add your project, see the other entries and look at the Design Team inspiration by clicking here.

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

Prized Peony Bundle (English)

[154056]

$120.50

Timeless Tulips Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[151534]

$38.00

Basic Black A4 Card Stock

[121688]

$18.50

Whisper White A4 Card Stock

[106549]

$20.50

2020–2022 In Color 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[153070]

$24.25

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

[132708]

$12.00

Magenta Madness Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[153106]

$19.00

Just Jade Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[153107]

$19.00

Dainty Diamonds 3D Embossing Folder

[152702]

$19.00

2020–2022 In Color Enamel Dots

[152480]

$16.75

Tasteful Labels Dies

[152886]

$65.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$7.25

Friday, 17 July 2020

Butterfly Gala for AYSI 230

I can't believe that we're already around to another speed stamping challenge at As You See It!

If you haven't participated in one of our speed stamping challenges before, you're in for some excitement.

In short, you have to complete the challenge in TEN minutes or less. In this case, something using elements of three.

Before you throw your hands up at the thought that this is impossible, here's a few thing to help you.

The TEN minutes does NOT include:

Thinking time. You can plan out your project in your head for as long as you like before starting the clock.
Prepping time. You can get out whatever stamps you need and block them up. You can have your die cutting machine at the ready and the embossing folders or dies lined up beside it.
Clean up time. This is most definitely NOT part of your ten minutes!

However, once you take a cut of cardstock or put ink to a stamp, the clock is most definitely ticking and the adrenalin filled flurry of action is all on!

I also thought about quick techniques. Punching is usually quicker than die-cutting, so I chose Butterfly Gala to use because the butterflies can be quickly punched out. I chose to use sponge daubers to colour them because it's a much quicker and more forgiving way to colour than pencils, ink or even Stampin' Blends.

I also thought about what gives a big impression with little time and that's texture embossing. I used one of the two folders in the Greenery folder pack because I thought that the foliage went well with the butterflies.

I also always have a plan in my head for what I'll do if I have time but leave out if I don't. In this case, it was to add rhinestones to the butterfly bodies. This was nearly my undoing as I started adding them with almost two minutes to go on the clock ... and ended up having only six seconds to spare. My fingers must be fumblier than I thought!

We'd love to see what you can concoct in ten minutes or less. Visit the As You See It site to see what the rest of the team have done and to enter your project.

Product List

Butterfly Gala Photopolymer Stamp Set

[148580]

$44.00

Butterfly Duet Punch

[155877]

$0.00

Pacific Point A4 Card Stock

[116202]

$18.50

Card Stock A4 Coastal Cabana

[131302]

$18.50

Whisper White A4 Card Stock

[106549]

$20.50

Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pad

[147098]

$15.75

Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad

[147097]

$15.75

Mango Melody Classic Stampin' Pad

[147093]

$15.75

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

[132708]

$12.00

Sponge Daubers

[133773]

$11.00

Greenery Embossing Folders

[152716]

$16.75

Tasteful Labels Dies

[152886]

$65.00

Rhinestone Basic Jewels

[144220]

$10.50

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$7.25

Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team Blog Hop - Nothing's Better Than Bundle

This month, the Artisan Design Team have the pleasure of sharing with you something from either the Blossoms in Bloom bundle or the Nothing's Better Than bundle.

I'm delighted to be able to share with you a couple of projects made using the Nothing's Better Than bundle, which is a set of stamps and matching dies. As you can see, there's something for everyone: chocolate, cookies or cocktails. Yum to all three, I think!

It seemed to me that this set would be great for those times when you want to give someone something rather than just for card making, so each of my projects is a gift.

My first project is a gift wrapped block of chocolate and a greeting all in one.

I wrapped the chocolate bar in Early Espresso card. I added a layer of gold foil, embossed with the Tasteful Textile embossing folder, which is rapidly becoming my go-to folder.

The label is a die cut from the new Tasteful Labels set. I've white embossed the words and tiny stars around a stacked die cut. I toyed with the idea of colouring the words but decided that it had more impact treated simply and for contrast with the Early Espresso background.

The background is created using the polka dot mask from the Basic Pattern Decorative Masks set. Firstly, I sponged over the mask in Early Espresso ink. Then I moved the mask slightly over and down, then used a Basic Black Stampin' Write marker to outline the polka dots. I like the 3D effect created. I used the base of my Stamparatus and the magnets to hold everything in place while I worked.

My second project is a gift card holder, perfect for holding a coffee card to a favourite cafe.

I used the same design for the gift-holder front as I did for the chocolate bar but this time using Basic Black and Bermuda Bay. I love these little retro coffee cups and I also like that the 'steam' is separate so you can choose to use it or not.

On the inside, there's room for a message and a pocket to slip the cafe voucher into. To add to the drama of the gift, the whole card ties at the side using the Whisper White Crinkle Seam Binding.

Next up on the hop is the wonderful Lauren Alarid, aka The Crafty Peach.