Thinking Stamping

Tuesday, 25 May 2021

Blossoms in Bloom for Retro Rubber 159

This week at Retro Rubber Challenge, it's Anything Goes week. Of course, since this is Retro Rubber, it's not quite anything goes. You still must use at least one stamp that's more than a year old and give us an approximate age for it.

Anything Goes can be a problem for me - too many choices. So in looking around my craft room, I saw a card sent to me last year by my then Artisan Team mate, Leah Fedynak. It uses the Blossoms in Bloom stamp set and Many Layered Blooms dies from the 2020-21 Annual Catalogue.

I loved it and decided to CASE it. If I was making this card, what would I do that was different?

Here's my version...

I watercoloured a whole rainbow of colours and cut the top layer of the flower die from it. Unlike Leah, I used both layers of the die and glued them together, then glued them to the base, embossed with Tasteful Textiles. I did not use staples, sequins or silver metallic thread and I used, as I often do, one angled end for the sentiment.

Thank you, Leah, for such a great card and for the inspiration to make my own version of it.

What's your Anything Goes? You can see what the rest of the team have done and link up your entry by visiting the Retro Rubber Challenge site.

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

Blossoms In Bloom Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[158283]

$46.00

Many Layered Blossoms Dies

[153582]

$95.00

Basic White A4 Cardstock

[159228]

$20.50

Shimmery White A4 Card Stock

[121717]

$21.00

Basic Black A4 Card Stock

[121688]

$18.50

Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad

[147084]

$15.75

Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad

[147086]

$15.75

Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad

[147094]

$15.75

Granny Apple Green Stampin' Pad

[147095]

$15.75

Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pad

[147098]

$15.75

Gorgeous Grape Classic Stampin' Pad

[147099]

$15.75

Versamark Pad

[102283]

$20.00

White Stampin' Emboss Powder

[109132]

$12.50

Heat Tool

[129056]

$60.00

Water Painters

[151298]

$25.25

Tasteful Textile 3 D Embossing Folder

[152718]

$19.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$7.25

Saturday, 15 May 2021

Artistic Expression for FMS

My latest box of Stampin' Up! things arrived this week. I broke out the first suite, Artistic Expression, and looked for inspiration to give it a whirl. The sketch at Freshly Made Sketches fitted the bill perfectly.

Here's a sneak peek at this beautiful new suite: stamps, dies, Specialty DSP and an ephemera pack consisting of gold die cuts and iridescent, self-adhesive sequins.

So here is my first play with this suite, using the sketch. I've used part of the foliage die cut as the vertical banner element. I added in some background stamping as well as an abstract flower and leaves which were stamped and die cut.

I also took the chance to try out some of the new In-Colours again: Polished Pink, Soft Succulent and Evening Evergreen.

To finish, I added in some of the self-adhesive iridescent sequins from the Ephemera Pack.

Expect to see more of the most amazing suite - it's got a lot to give, I think!

Product List

Artistically Inked Bundle (English)

[155456]

$111.50

Evening Evergreen A4 Cardstock

[155575]

$18.50

Soft Succulent A4 Cardstock

[155777]

$18.50

Basic White A4 Cardstock

[159228]

$20.50

Evening Evergreen Classic Stampin' Pad

[155576]

$15.75

Soft Succulent Classic Stampin' Pad

[155778]

$15.75

Polished Pink Classic Stampin' Pad

[155712]

$15.75

Expressions In Ink Ephemera Pack

[155465]

$14.75

Friday, 14 May 2021

Timeless Tulips for AYSI 250

This week at As You See It we have our 'Fill in the blank' challenge. What's your favourite first flower of Spring?

My choice was at least in part guided by my stamp collection, which seems to not have any daffodil stamps! Hard to believe, right? But I do love tulips too, so it's not much of a problem. 😀. Timeless Tulips to the rescue!

I've kept things clean and literally simple. This is a card that can be whipped up quickly and could be made in multiples just as well. The tulip flowers are stamped in Polished Pink and the stems and leaves in Soft Succulent. I've given the leaves and flowers a coat of Wink of Stella too.

The stamped panel is cut with one of the Ornate Layers dies and mounted on a card front embossed with the Painted Texture embossing folder. The DSP is double-new: Polished Pink and Soft Succulent (new In-Colours) and in the new patterns of the family DSP stacks.

The sentiment is from Timeless Tulips, framed and mounted using one of the Tasteful Labels dies. The little stitched banner is fast becoming a favourite of mine.

Another thing that's already become a favourite in the short time they've been available is the 2021-2023 In Colour Jewels: they sparkle, shimmer and shine! I've used the Evening Evergreen ones here, to tie in with the card base.

We'd love to have you join us with this sketch challenge and have you show us how you see it. You can see what the rest of the Design Team have done and link up your entry by visiting the As You See It Challenge site.

Product List

Timeless Tulips Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[158327]

$38.00

Evening Evergreen A4 Cardstock

[155575]

$18.50

Basic White A4 Cardstock

[159228]

$20.50

2021–2023 In Color 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[155641]

$24.25

Polished Pink Classic Stampin' Pad

[155712]

$15.75

Soft Succulent Classic Stampin' Pad

[155778]

$15.75

Tasteful Labels Dies

[152886]

$65.00

Ornate Layers Dies

[152726]

$78.00

Painted Texture 3 D Embossing Folder

[154317]

$19.00

Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush

[141897]

$14.00

2021–2023 In Color Jewels

[155571]

$14.75

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$7.25

Wednesday, 12 May 2021

Butterfly Brilliance for Around the World on Wednesday

Welcome to the May edition of Around the World on Wednesday's Inspiration Blog Hop! Every month, on the second Wednesday, we hop to show you our inspiration on a theme. This month, it's Fancy Folds.

You'll be seeing inspiration from all around the world, as the hop brings you ideas from each time zone that Stampin' Up! operates in.

Fancy folds are not a thing I spend a lot of time with but I do have a handful of favourites that I play with from time to time. One I haven't pulled out of the box for a while is the Triangle Card, or sometimes called a Teepee Card. I like the way they stand so solidly and are such a contrast to the standard rectangle card. I've been making these for some years but in my notebook I've jotted down that I watched Kim Fee's How-to video. If you'd like to make one of these cards, her video is a great starting point and you can find it here.

Of course, with the 2021-22 Annual Catalogue being open, this was also a great chance to play with some new colours and products. The Brilliant Wings dies and Butterfly Brilliance stamps were available in the special catalogue pre-release, so you'll have seen those before. The sentiment is from Art Gallery, a set that has carried over, but everything else is brand spanking new!

All of the new In-Colours: Fresh Freesia, Polished Pink, Pale Papaya, Soft Succulent and Evening Evergreen all get an outing in this trio of cards.

The white triangle has been stamped with images from the Quiet Meadow stamp set and coloured with Pale Papaya Stampin' Blends. The butterflies have been cut from In-Colour DSP and embellished with the glorious 2021-2023 In-Colour jewels.