SIP 131

Today is the beginning of Stampin' Up's Saleabration and the launch of the new Occasions catalogue.  I was playing around with one of my pre-earnt Saleabration items this morning when I saw the challenge at Stamp, Ink, Paper.

Who doesn't love embossing?! As it happened, I'd seen on-line a wonderful card by Gail Davidson which inspired me to try out this card today, using the Amazing You stamp set and Celebrate You thinlit dies - both Saleabration items.

The flower stamp is gold embossed onto black, then coloured with Real Red watercolour pencil. This is on a gold foil mat, then adhered to a Basic Black cardbase. The gold foil 'Celebrate' is stacked on three black cuts of the same die to give it some dimension.  The 'lets' is black embossed to add some more shine.

If you live anywhere in New Zealand and don't have a Stampin' Up demonstrator, I'd love to help you with ideas and Stampin' Up products. If you would like a copy of the new Special Occasions Catalogue and don't have a demonstrator, then contact me. You can message me through my Facebook page, linked in the sidebar of this blog or leave a comment below. 

Ingredients

Card: Basic Black, Gold Foil, scrap of Whisper White

Stamps: Amazing You

Inks: versamark

Other: gold and black embossing powder, Celebrate You thinlit dies, metallic enamel shapes, Real Red watercolour pencil, double-sided adhesive sheet.

All products are Stampin' Up.

Freshly Made Sketches 318

The quiet time between Christmas and New Year isn't so quiet with a number of family birthdays but there was time to get in to play the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.

The first thing I have bought from the Occasions Catalogue, live on 3 January, is this set called Petal Palette. It has a co-ordinating set of thinlits, Petals and More. It offers many sentiments and lots of possibilities with its watercolour style stamps and gorgeous die cuts.

If you live anywhere in New Zealand and don't have a Stampin' Up demonstrator, I'd love to help you with ideas and Stampin' Up products. If you would like a copy of the forthcoming Special Occasions Catalogue and don't have a demonstrator, then contact me. You can message me through my Facebook page, linked in the sidebar of this blog or leave a comment below. 

Ingredients

Card: Old Olive, Whisper White, copper foil

Stamps: Petal Palette

Inks: Old Olive, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, versamark, Stampin' Blends in Crumb Cake

Other: Petals and More thinlits, copper embossing powder, dimensionals, Stitched Oval framelits, rhinestones, Old Olive Stampin' Blend to tint the rhinestones.

As You See It 166 - Design Team Card

Welcome to the final challenge of the year at As You See It. We finish up on a theme challenge, with lots of possibilities: Sparkle.

My 'sparkle' is in the glimmer paper and in the hope a sparkle in the eye of the recipient.

The stars of the show in this card are the amazing Celebrate You thinlits from Stampin' Up's Saleabration catalogue. The Amazing You stamp set is a standard Saleabration item, available free with any $110 spent. The gorgeous thinits are a special item - available free with any $220 purchase - and even better, they will be available for purchase in the next Annual Catalogue. The 'You' and 'amazing' are part of the set - there's also 'celebrate' in another font. The double sided adhesive sheets make adhering the die cut words so easy.

You have until Wednesday 10 January, 11.55 p.m. PST to join us. We'd love to see how you see this challenge!

If you live anywhere in New Zealand and don't have a Stampin' Up demonstrator, I'd love to help you with ideas and Stampin' Up products. Please message me through my Facebook page, linked in the sidebar of this blog or leave a comment below. 

Ingredients - all items Stampin' Up

Card: Dapper Denim, Whisper White, Silver glimmer paper, Color Theory DSP stack

Stamps: Amazing You

Ink: Tuxedo Black

Other: Celebrate You thinlits, multipurpose adhesive sheets

Last minute Santa - TGIF 139

It's a great challenge for this time of the year from TGIF - last minute Santa.

The cards are done, my classes are done, the presents are bought. Time to think now about Christmas Day. Family members are coming to lunch so I wanted something festive for the table. Last night, I whipped up these faux crackers as table favours: an old design but a great one. They look lovely in the Year of Cheer specialty paper, with a touch more glitz coming from foil snowflakes cut with a die from Seasonal Layers.

Update: Happy to be the winner at TGIF Challenge!

Ingredients

Card: Year of Cheer Specialty DSP, Whisper White; gold, champagne and copper foil

Stamp: Merry Patterns

Ink: Gold versafine

Other: Seasonal Layers dies, envelope punch board, silver and gold cord (retired), mini-dimensionals.

Colour Inkspiration 24

This week is insanely busy but the gorgeous colours on offer at Colour Inkspiration called to be played with.

Despite the Christmas vibe of the inspiration photo, I'm just over Christmas cards so turned to Oh So Eclectic instead. A supply of birthday cards is always good to have.

I really love the distressed leaf stamp that's part of this set all by itself but for this card, I stamped it with Pool Party, then lightly daubed the bottom edges and centre with Tranquil Tide for more variation.

The main flower and the sentiment are popped up on dimensionals.

This is a lovely colour combination and I like the calm, restful feel they create when put together.

Update: Delighted to be the winner at Colour Inkspiration with this card.

Ingredients - all products Stampin' Up

Card: Pool Party, Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Tranquil Tide

Stamps: Oh So Eclectic, Big on Birthdays

Inks: Pool Party, Tranquil Tide, Blushing Bride, Cherry Cobbler

Other: Eclectic layers thinlits, dimensionals, clear faceted gem, Tranquil Tide Stamp'n'Write marker.

As You See It 165 - Design Team Card

Welcome to the penultimate challenge of 2017 at As You See It Challenge. It's hard to know where the year has gone - but I do know where it's going. Christmas, you say? Sure. New Year? Sure. But with the New Year comes the Special Occasions catalogue and Saleabration! I've used one of the forthcoming product suites, Petal Palette,  for Amanda's lovely sketch.

The watercolour style stamps in Petal Palette lend themselves to colouring in any medium but I have used the new alcohol markers, Stampin' Blends, which are also available in the Special Occasions catalogue.

I'm sure you know by now that I'm not a huge user of Designer Paper, but I couldn't resist the black and white patterns in the Petal Passion DSP stack. These too can be coloured.

It comes with a whole lot of sentiments in this funky font. I think I'm also going to get a lot of use from the dotty background stamp that's part of the set too. And look at that lacy die cut, part of the Petals and More thinlit dies.

Join us in this sketch challenge and show us how you see it.

Remember also that this blog will shortly be changing its name to Thinking Stamping. If you follow me by email - thank you - and you will be automatically redirected to this blog. If you lose it, you'll find me at www.thinkingstamping.co.nz

If you live anywhere in New Zealand and don't have a Stampin' Up demonstrator, I'd love to help you with ideas and Stampin' Up products. Please message me through my Facebook page, linked in the sidebar of this blog or leave a comment below. 

Ingredients

Card: Basic Black, Whisper White, Calypso Coral, Petal Passion DSP

Stamps: Petal Palette (available 3 January)

Ink: Tuxedo Black. Stampin' Blends in Old Olive and Calypso Coral (light and dark)

Other: Petals and More thinlits, White baker's twine, dimensionals, rhinestones.

Fab Friday 127 Free for All

Fab Friday is having a Free For All party. Hopefully, that includes not-cards!

Many years ago, I worked at a school where a lot of us patched and quilted. One of the others started a Christmas decoration group. Now, nearly 30 years later and even though we're all scattered around, we get together near Christmas and exchange decorations over a lovely lunch at one of our homes.

Over the years, we've diversified into different crafts and interests. For many years, I made different angels. Then, I went through an embroidery stage, making various cross-stitch, hardanger and blackwork decorations. I even had a brief flirtation with beading. Some of the others always work in felt. One woman loves to make 3D stuffed creations so often makes gorgeous things like tiny teddies in Christmas fabrics, complete with mini-button joints. Our trees are an eclectic mix of handcrafted decorations. 

Some years, the decorations are quick makes. Sometimes they're labour intensive, taking two or three hours per item. It's the same for the whole group depending on the idea we've had - and that's always a closely guarded secret! We take along our seven of the same decoration and come home with a basket with seven different ones.

This year, it's been a quick make but I'm pleased with how they've turned out.

I really like the way the checked paper has made such a fabulous pattern when it's made into a circle.

Regular readers - don't forget that shortly, this blog will be re-named Thinking Stamping. Don't be alarmed. If you follow me by email, you will automatically be re-directed to the new address www.thinkingstamping.co.nz

Ingredients

Card: Year of Cheer DSP, Copper and gold foil

Dies: Seasonal Layers thinlit dies

Other: Clear and gold faceted gems, scoring board, circle dies, metallic thread, hot-glue gun