Friday, 23 October 2020

Gift Wrapped for AYSI 237

 Not so many people took up our speed challenge last week but the entries we did get were superb and they made choosing a winner difficult. This week, we're back to a sketch challenge.


I had Gift Wrapped out on my desk after prepping a card for my next class with it. It's a set that's really grown on me. It's easy to overlook in the catalogue but once you start playing, it opens up many options especially since it bundles with a punch that matches (along with some other things) the largest bows.

I took the diagonal of in the sketch to be a ribbon across a parcel. To help the idea that it's ribbon, not card, I embossed it using the Subtle embossing folder which gives it a lovely fabric grain. I'm not a big user of DSP but it's hard not to like the pretty vintage Christmas images in Toile Tidings, so that's standing in for the wrapping paper on this 'gift'.


I'm also very fond of the sentiments in Gift Wrapped, especially this Christmas salutation with its pretty font. I've added it as if it was a gift tag on my parcel. Finally, some fancying up of the cluster courtesy of the Poinsettia dies and some In Good Taste Elements.


You can visit the As You See It Challenge site to see what the rest of the team have done and to link up your 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 by clicking on the SHOP NOW button in the sidebar or clicking on any of products below. 

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Tuesday, 20 October 2020

Swirly Frames for Retro Rubber 146

Welcome to a new challenge at Retro Rubber, the challenge that gives you reason to get out your old favourites! This week, we have a colour challenge for you: use black, white and orange in your card. Of course, since this is RETRO rubber, you must use at least one stamp that's more than a year old and give us an indication of the age of that stamp.


Despite this being a colour challenge, the graphic and the wording made me feel that this was really a Halloween challenge. Of course, if you want it to be one then go right ahead! 

Luckily for me, it doesn't HAVE to be a Halloween challenge since in New Zealand, Halloween barely makes a ripple on the social radar. I'm not much of an orange user either but sitting on my desk, staring at me, was my Terracotta Tile ink pad. Kind of orange, right?

From that, the idea of a masculine card using the circle stamps from Swirly Frames (2018-19 Annual Catalogue) was born. I stamped them in Tuxedo Black and Terracotta Tile in a random fashion.



For the sentiment, I used Well Said, from the 2019 Occasions catalogue, and the coordinating Well Written dies. I love the versatility of expression this set offers. I three rhinestones, coloured with a dark Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Blend as an accent.


Since I was on a bit of a roll, I made a companion card with the same supplies but instead of using the Well Written dies for the 'thanks', I used the Playful Alphabets dies. They're much bolder and perhaps a touch more masculine than the cursive 'thanks' in the first card. I couldn't pick a favourite.


You can see what the rest of the team have done with this challenge, and link up your entry, by visiting the Retro Rubber Challenge site. We'd love to see what you do and what stamps you have in your stash.

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.

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Friday, 16 October 2020

Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team - In the Pines

 


This month, the Stampin' Up! Artisan Design team is showcasing the In The Pines bundle. I'm delighted to be able to share with you some of the things I've made with this versatile bundle. Although it appears in the August-December Mini Catalogue, in the Christmas section, trees are timeless images and the variety of sentiments make it useful all year round.


So here's my two projects: A gift box and a card.


As you can see, I've gone for a non-traditional colourway. I've used Rich Razzleberry, Flirty Flamingo and Gold. At first, I wondered if I'd lost my mind when I gave those colours a go but I discovered that they really appealed. Has that happened to you - trying something that seems outrageous and then finding it works?

1. Gift box of tags


This colour experiment started when I used an acrylic block to smoosh together Rich Razzleberry and Flirty Flamingo on to some Shimmery White Cardstock. Then I used that wonderful lacy tree die cut to see what would happen and I discovered that I loved those trees.

I started with one of the Mini Paper Pumpkin boxes. I cut a top in Rich Razzleberry, one slightly smaller in Gold Foil and one slightly smaller again in Whisper White. This one, I embossed using the Evergreen Forest 3D embossing folder. I highlighted the forest with a touch of sponging in Flirty Flamingo. 

The Rich Razzleberry panel is embossed using the Dainty Diamonds embossing folder. I've added in a twist of gold cord from the Wonder of the Season Ribbon Combo pack and some Snowflake adhesive-backed embellishments.

The box closes with a tie of 1/4" Whisper White Crinkled Seam Binding ribbon for an extra bit of drama.

Inside the box, I created a divider so that 5 tags could sit in each half. I place the trees on different sides so that when the box is opened, the trees are centred. I've used all the same materials as the box and the tags are cut using the stitched scallop-edged rectangles from the Stitched So Sweetly dies.

2. Christmas Card


This card is on a Rich Razzleberry card base with a mat of Gold Foil. I took the Whisper White card front and cut out the filagree tree from it. I cut a second filagree tree from my piece of smooshed Rich Razzleberry/Flirty Flamingo but took care that the pieces did not come out of the cut. 

I put that to one side while I completed the rest of the card front: gold embossing the sentiment, adding in the stamped grounds for the trees and assembling the second tree. Isn't it great that the solid shaped dies that fit the stamped images also fit perfectly with the lacy die cut trees? I used the outline die for the small tree and cut it in Gold Foil to make a backing for the small lacy die-cut tree.

When I attached the card front to the Gold Foil mat, I made sure that I laid down plenty of Stampin' Seal behind the cut-out tree shape. Then I got took the tree cut from the ink-smooshed paper and carefully transferred the pieces into the card front layer, making sure to push them firmly onto the Stampin' Seal backing. Before you go thinking that I'd once again lost my mind, the Take Your Pick Tool makes transferring those tiny pieces an absolute breeze. Trying to do this without one probably would be madness!

Once again, a few of the Snowflake Adhesive-backed embellishments finished the project.

If you like the idea but not the non-traditional colours, of course you can use any colours you like. 

For more inspiration with the In The Pines bundle, keep moving around the hop. Next up is the fabulous Lauren Alarid, aka The Crafty Peach.


In case you get lost along the way, or want to re-visit a blog, here's a list of everyone on the hop with a link.

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.



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