Peek-A-Hoot Dies | Unicorns

I shared a post a couple of days ago with my top 3 products from the Aug-Dec 2020 Mini Catalogue.  You can see the full post here including the cutest card made using all three products.

If you’re a take home message kinda person, my top 3 was:

1. Banners Pick A Punch
2. Peek-A-Hoot Dies
3. All the new DSP! I used the Heartwarming Hugs in my card.

I promised that the Peek-A-Hoot Dies were super versatile and an absolute must-have for your collection.  The three part window component of the Peek-A-Hoot Dies create a fabulous structure for your project.

Here’s what they look like when combined with the unicorn stamp and sentiment from the Hippo Happiness stamp set (one of my top recommendations from the 2020-2021 Annual Catalogue!).

This is the revised edition! When I originally posted this card, I had completely forgotten to add horns to the unicorns! Whoops! Thankfully I have amazing friends looking out for me!!

I have turned the card so the dies are being used in landscape orientation, but otherwise the elements of the card are largely the same.

The DSP for this project is Playing with Patterns, which inspired the colours for the unicorns and cardstock in each window.  The cardstock for the windows is embossed using the Brick & Mortar 3D Embossing Folder.

The unicorns are Daffodil Delight & Bumblebee, Blushing Bride & Rococo Rose and Highland Heather & Gorgeous Grape.

I added a banner in the top corner using the new Banners Pick A Punch with some white twine.  The twine is retired but I’m finding it so hard to give up that I’m just gonna keep using it til I run out or Stampin’ Up! bring it back!!!

The stitching around those boxes adds such a sweet texture to the card.  I have so many ideas on how I want to use this set that I’m already planning another card and blog post to share soon!

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I hope your weekend is wonderful and filled with lots of creativity!

Just Add Ink #512 | Sketch

Hello!  Thanks for joining us for a Just Add Ink challenge.  If you love the sketch we’re creating with today, you can share your project using the sketch with us at the Just Add Ink blog.  You’ll also find all the design team cards there too!

There was a crazy serendipity when I was planning out my card for this week’s challenge.  A jumper I bought online had the exact same layout as the sketch!!!  

So, with that as my inspiration for colour choices, I made this simple but cute card using the Tasteful Touches stamp set.

I really love feathers as an image in craft (not so much real life feathers – they gross me out a little!).

I’ve used two different embossing folders on the coloured panels – Subtle 3D (Night of Navy) & the new Tasteful Textile 3D (Pretty Peacock).

The sentiment is white heat embossed on Basic Gray cardstock and then snipped into individual words.  I love this effect with plain text words.

Sometimes the layout adds all the interest a card needs! 

I hope you find time this weekend to make some cards and that this sketch may be of some inspiration to you.  

 

Social Stamping | out of the box

Hello!  Thank you for joining me & my stamping friends as we hop on week 14 of Social Stamping.  Each week has a theme that somehow applies to the COVID-19 situation and this week it’s about the ‘out of the box’ thinking brought about by the pandemic.

I know I’ve had to be flexible in how I’ve dealt with home, work and stamping since the pandemic hit in March.  There’s been a great deal of ‘out of the box’ thinking that has resulted in trying new things and making new connections.  As we ease back into our new normal (either post COVID or between COVID depending on how things go), some of the out of the box thinking will carry on with us – making their mark on how we do things forever more!

My project for today was very literally inspired by the term ‘out of the box’.  I’ve made a floating frame card where all the fun happens on the outside of the box.

You’ll note the appearance of a long retired but in no way forgotten bundle called Nailed It.  Who still owns this?  I love those tools and this seemed like the perfect time to release them from the tool-BOX (pun intended!).

This technique has been around for a while, possibly originally shared by Jennifer McGuire.  See her post here with a video tutorial on how to use Press & Seal to achieve this look.

Although the tools are retired, the rest of the card features current products available in the 2020-2021 Annual Catalogue.  I’ve coloured the tools using Stampin’ Blends – Dark Real Red, Light Cherry Cobbler and Light Smoky Slate.

The frames have been cut using the Stitched Rectangle Dies.  The DSP is In Good Taste, the embossing folder for the Gray Granite card base is Subtle 3D and the Happy B-Day sentiment is from Happiest of Birthdays stamp set.

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Thanks for coming along with us today to share in the ‘out of the box’ theme.  Next up is the wonderful Michelle Strazds who has made a fabulous project for her daughter’s birthday.

To see a full list of participants in today’s hop, click here to visit the main blog host participant list.  Thank you to all my stamping friends who joined!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Social Stamping | hearts

I’m having one of those weeks, months, or is it years?!? where I can’t believe it’s the end of May!  Time is just rushing by!

My stamping friends have now joined me for ten Social Stamping Blog Hosts – a big thank you to them for sharing in this with me.  What started as a way to connect and share during COVID has now become a Saturday ritual.

The theme for today is hearts.  You can see the whole list of designers who are participating by clicking here for the Blog Host post, or keep clicking on the next button to take the trip around.

Hearts are such a wonderfully uplifting symbol.  For me, they are about love, kindness and friendship.  The card I’ve made to share today is about all of these things.  It uses the ‘sending hugs’ heart from the Share Sunshine PDF.  This exclusive digital stamp set is available until 2nd June 2020. Click here to purchase and contribute to the COVID-19 fundraiser.  So far, Stampin’ Up! have raised almost $200,000 (US).  Click here for instructions to make some cards using DSP & the Share Sunshine images.

The colours and styling for this card started with wanting the heart to be printed on Crumb Cake cardstock.  So far, all the cards I’ve made and many of the ones I’ve seen other share have printed the sentiments on Whisper White cardstock.  I wanted to try it out on Crumb Cake – and I love it!!!  The sentiment is cut using the solid heart from the Heart Punch Pack.

One of my favourite combinations for Crumb Cake is Mint Macaron and Whisper White.  I had the Forever Fern bundle delivered this week and I couldn’t wait to use the gorgeous leaves from the Forever Flourishing Dies.  These dies were available as an early release to Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators.  They can be purchased by customers from Wednesday (3rd June).

I’ve added in some Vellum leaves because I love how this softly fills out a leafy flourish.  There’s also Nature’s Twine and Whisper White Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon behind the heart for some lovely texture.

Here’s my little cheat trick for getting the twine on each side without looping across the back.  This saves a lot of ribbon for big shapes!  Add some Tear & Tape (or other double sided adhesive) to the back of the shape.  Make a circle with the twine or ribbon and then fold it back on itself From the front, it will look like it loops across and back, but you’ll save yourself a heap of ribbon or twine (especially for large shapes).

You can add more ribbon behind the twine loops for extra texture, like I’ve done in my card using the Whisper White Polka Dot ribbon.

While I was taking photos of my cards today (because last minute is how I roll!), these little guys appeared on the fence.  Native to Australia, Kookaburras have the most amazing ‘laugh’.  We often hear them in the trees but we don’t see them as much.

One more share, since hearts are all about love – here’s an anniversary card I made for the Social Stamping May Kits.

It uses ink blending on the back panel and then hearts from the Detailed Hearts Die.  I was happy to see this appear in the new catalogue – it’s a gorgeous array of hearts that looks beautiful on every card!  To see more about my May Social Stamping Kits, click here.

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Next blog to visit for the heart themed Social Stamping is my very wonderful friend Narelle Simm.

Thank you for joining us!  Have a great (crafty) weekend!  It’s wet and cold here – perfect weather for cups of tea and lots of card making!

 

Just Add Ink #506 | Photo Inspiration

There’s something fun about a photo inspiration – I think it’s the different directions that everyone goes in from the same starting point, and the starting point being a style or theme you may not usually choose.

With the combination of bold colours and quirky elements, this great photo (chosen by Nikki) is bound to give us lots of great entries for this week’s challenge.  To join in, share your card on the Just Add Ink gallery (click here to visit).

I really loved the cherry blossom wallpaper that you can see in the background of this photo.  I’ve always had a soft spot for cherry blossoms and hope to one day see them in person in Japan.  The Seasonal Layers Dies have a branch and floral combination, that are not quite a cherry blossom, but a gorgeous flower all the same!  If you love this set, you’ll want to buy it ASAP as it retires in less than two weeks.

I’ve kept with the colours of the inspiration photo – I love yellow and purple tones together, and the white keeps it fresh.

Finished off with a die cut sentiment from the Well Written Dies, I have created this card with zero stamping!  Just some cardstock in great colours, a few sets of metal dies and my die cutting machine.  I know this card will brighten someone’s day when it arrives in their mailbox as happy mail.

To see the rest of the design team cards for this challenge and add your card to the gallery, visit the Just Add Ink blog.

Have a great weekend!

Stamp Review Crew | Painted Poppies

Hello & happy Monday!  I hope things are wonderful in your part of the world.  I’m hopping today with my friends around the world as part of the Stamp Review Crew.  If you’ve come from Cindy in the US, welcome to the Southern Hemisphere where you are visiting me in Western Australia.  From here you go to Lou on the east coast of Australia, so keep hopping around until you’ve seen all the great projects.   You can see the main post for this hop by clicking here (note: there may be a delay until this link goes live).

Today we’re all hopping using the Painted Poppies stamp set.  This is currently available in the Stampin’ Up! Jan-June Mini Catalogue, but will carry over to the 2020-2021 Annual Catalogue from June.  It’s bundled with the Painted Labels Dies.

This suite also includes coordinating DSP, embellishments (sequins, ribbon & elements) and another stamp set and bundle die (Peaceful Moments stamp set & Poppy Moments Dies).

The main colours of this suite are red, purple & green (Poppy Parade, Blackberry Bliss, Rich Razzleberry, Mossy Meadow & Old Olive).  It also features Calypso Coral, Crushed Curry, Flirty Flamingo & Pool Party.  To create different look on the main trend, I’ve focused on Pool Party for my set of cards – specifically the Pool Party striped sheet from the Peaceful Poppies DSP.

All the stamping for these cards is white heat embossing – mostly on White Vellum.  I love the look it gives!  Stampin’ Up! have used this technique in the Poppy Elements (as well as watercolor paper and printed elements).

Painted Poppies is an image only stamp set, which gives stampers the opportunity to pair it with their favourite sentiment sets.  You can use the coordinating set from the suite (Peaceful Moments stamp set) but any greeting will work with these gorgeous floral images.  I’ve used the Label Me Bold stamp set (currently on the Last Chance Retirement List).  The ‘from me’ sentiment is perfect for a card that suits any occasion and I do love a good happy birthday sentiment!

I really love the poppy field stamp in this set.  I’ve stamped it twice here so the poppies flow across the whole card.  The vellum crinkles a little when you heat emboss it, but I love the texture that adds!

Did you notice that White Baker’s Twine is retiring?  It’s possibly the product I’m most sad about losing.  I use white twine on EVERYTHING!  I’ve stocked up, so I’ll be able to add it for a while longer, but I might have to start learning to tie by bows with just one wrap instead of two or three!!!

This card uses the label as a background from the Poppy Labels Dies (as well as the Stitched So Sweetly Dies for the DSP label).

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Thank you for joining me today.  Next up, you’re visiting my stamping bestie, Lou Kitzelman over in Queensland where the sun is bound to be shining, and you’re always going to find great inspiration on her blog!!

Have a great week!

Social Stamping | war & peace

Hello!  Can you believe we’re up to week 5 of Social Stamping.  I’m so lucky to be a part of this network of wonderful crafters.  You can see the full list for today’s blog hop by clicking here.

The theme for today is “war & peace” because it really feels like the global pandemic is on par with the turmoil, injury & economic fallout of a world war.

I’ve taken inspiration for this card from the PacMan video game where the little yellow character eats up all the dots.  Now, in the traditional game, he needs to avoid the ‘ghosts’ – or in this case the coronavirus – but the COVID-19 version of the game, victory will come from taking back power from the virus, so it’s chomping them all up.  If only the war against the virus was this easy!

The sentiment for this card comes from the Love You To Pieces stamp set – available until 2nd June 2020 (or sold out). The fight against the virus really does feel like we just have to keep going at this thing one piece at a time until it’s under control.

The coronavirus is made using the flower centre pieces from the Poppy Moments Dies.  These are carrying over and will be in the next catalogue – yay!  I wish I knew who was the first clever person to see these as a virus so I can give them credit, but I’ve seen it so many times now, I’m not sure where it started.

This card will be on its way to the US to send some love around the world.  I stamped this very apt sentiment from the Positive Thoughts stamp set into the middle.

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Since this theme covers both war and peace, I’m sharing a second card.

I mentioned in a previous blog host how wonderful it is to see the world heal a little as we stay home a little more and slow down.  Turtles are laying record numbers of eggs, the air is cleaner and environment noise is down.

The idea for this card came from the thought that the animals of the world are saying thank you for this amazing side effect of the virus.

The seahorse and sentiment are from the Seaside Notions stamp set (another set you’ll see return in the 2020-2021 Annual Catalogue!).

If you’ve seen the Last Chance Retirement List you may have been a little concerned that Stampin’ Blends appear on there.  Thankfully they are not retiring but being reconfigured.  But, they will no longer be available in singles, so if there’s any one colour you use more than others, now is the time to add a spare to your collection.

This card uses the same layout I used for two of the cards in my Social Stamping April 2020 Kit.  I love being able to use a layout for different themes!

If you need some isolation kits (and live in Australia), I have some ready to post next week.

All the DSP in each catalogue retires, but don’t fear, we have some gorgeous new patterns on the way.  If there’s any DSP you’re going to miss from the 2019-2020 Annual Catalogue or 2020 Jan-June Mini Catalogue (especially the ones that match the dies or stamp sets that aren’t retiring), make sure to stock up before it sells out or retires.  I’ve used the reverse sides of Follow Your Art (discounted to $8 from $20) and See a Silhouette.

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Thank you to all my Stampin’ friends who joined me for this hop. You can see the full list of participants on the main blog host post – click here to visit.

Next up is Narelle Simm, a friend of mine in my every day world as well as the crafting one.  Narelle was actually the one who introduced me to Stampin’ Up!  I think I owe her a drink 🙂

Hope, love & prayers for more peace & less war,

Last Chance for 2019-2020 Product Releases

Today was a particularly exciting day on the Stampin’ Up! calendar.  Demonstrators got a sneak peek at the new catalogue (and when I say sneak peek – we saw it all!).  This releases to the public on 3rd June 2020.  To gain exclusive access before then (and get a discount on your new catalogue purchases), join my Stampin’ Up! team.

The other big event today was the release of the Last Chance (retirement list) for the 2019-2020 Annual Catalogue and the 2020 Jan-June Mini Catalogue.

You can see the full list by clicking on the format you prefer below…

2019-2020 Annual Catalgoue – PDF format

2019-2020 Annual Catalogue – excel format

2020 Jan-June Mini Catalogue – PDF format

2020 Jan-June Mini Catalogue – excel format

Or by visiting my online store, click here to see the Last Chance List in one place.

As products are only available while stocks last, if you are in Australia, the best way to secure your Last Chance Products is to shop through my online store.  The host code (for an extra little gift & card posted to you from me) is 2AGAZVDR.

There’s some great bargains including extra Stamparatus plates (reduced to $10.40 from $26), Seriously the Best Kit (reduced to $20.80 from $52) and Botanical Prints Product Medley (reduced to $40.80 from $122).

 

 

 

 

Some staples that you might miss once they are gone – white baker’s twine, glimmer paper, embossing buddy…

 

 

 

 

Some things to keep in mind about the retirement list

• Some of the items that appear on the list are being reconfigured (changed) but not retired, so they will still appear in the new catalogue
• Some are in a bundle – which is retiring, but the
• Stampin’ Blends (apart from the 2018-2020 In Colors) are not retiring, but they will no longer be available as a single purchase (light or dark).

If you have any questions or I can help you with ordering, please let me know!

 

Social Stamping Blog Host | Hello

Hello!  Last week I advertised on my Facebook page and invited some of my stamping friends to join me to blog today.  I won’t pretend I’m amazed, because I knew my fantabulous friends would be the first to step up and embrace another occasion to create something to share.  In a week that has been filled with ups & downs for so many families (including mine!), it’s wonderful to come together with the sole purpose of being creative and providing creative inspiration for crafters who may be at home in isolation.

As a bit of background, my use of the phrase “Social Stamping” started last year.  I had to make some changes to the focus of my Stampin’ Up! commitments.  I wanted to keep the things about stamping that were important to me and one of those things was the social aspect – my online friendships with other demonstrators, classes purely for the joy of getting together and providing community for my Paper Adventures team.

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The theme for today’s hop is “hello”.  It’s a time when we’ve all been asked to socially distance ourselves from each other, but actually a time when we need each other more than ever.  I’d love for you all to reach out to those in your network, on the edge of your network or bring someone new into your network and use this fast changing and very overwhelming situation for some social good.  It’s possible to be social although physically apart – we just need to think in different ways.

This blog host is born of that desire to pull together the social part of stamping.  To bring us together, to allow us to share and to spark creativity in others.

Below is the master list of participants.  Click on the designers below to see their project. Some bloggers may link to the next blog, but to keep things simple, this was an optional requirement.

Stay safe, stay connected and be comforted in the knowledge that although big at the moment, this will pass.  Until then, let us craft!

Participant list | “Hello”

1. Kelly Kent
2. Denita Wright-Smee
3. Jo Stubbings
4. Lisa Whitehead
5. Lauren Meiklejohn
6. Lou Kitzelman
7. Leonie Stuart
8. Mandy Depiazzi
9. Odette Kermode
10. Rebecca Scurr
11. Siobhan Fitzsimmons
12. Melissa Gifford
13. Nikki Spencer
14. Nicole Wilson
15. Elizabeth Gross
16. Bronwyn Eastley
17. Sheila Pybus
18. Michelle Strazds
19. Angela Meirtiz-Reid
20. Sharni Haines
21. Vicki Boucher
22. Julia Quinn
23. Mae Collins
24. Chantell Randall
25. Narelle Simm
26. Catherine Creer
27. Richelle Fletcher
28. Leonie Schroder
29. Kathryn Ruddick

Just Add Ink #498 | Add “E”

As the world goes into lots of forms of reduced services and isolation, I’ve been reflecting on how lucky we are to have the internet!  For social interaction, for news & updates and for crafty inspiration!

For now, it’s business as usual for both Stampin’ Up! and Australia Post, so by shopping in my online store (click here to visit) you can still get crafty supplies delivered to your door.

I also feel lucky to be connected to a wonderful community of lovely stampers including the Just Add Ink design team.  Today we’re sharing another challenge theme – Just Add “E”.  It’s a great theme to get you thinking about what stamps, techniques or themes you can create starting with “E”.

As we embark on voluntary isolation, I’ve added “Education” as my theme, making some accessories for the Little Miss Papercrafts to use in our at home school experience.

Following my instinct and the advice of some parenting experts I respect, our approach to home schooling is going to be very casual for the immediate future.  Our time at home is a long game – they are predicting students won’t return to school for many months.  But, there’s always a place for stationary!!!  I know these little gifts for the girls will add some excitement to the pending time at home.

For our “everything pretty & pink” Little Miss, I’ve made a unicorn corner bookmark.  This style of bookmark is so easy to make using some simple origami steps.  Click here to visit the tutorial I used.

For our “animal loving, plans to be a vet” Little Miss I made a nature themed bookmark using the Tropical Oasis DSP and chinchilla from the Witty-cisms stamp set.

Did you read Babysitters Club books as a child?  I think I read every one every published and I’m sad I didn’t keep hold of them, so I was excited to able to pick some up second hand recently!

To go with each bookmark, I covered a wood coaster tile with DSP and a bulldog clip with coordinating DSP to create a post it note holder.  These are my favourites to make as a quick and easy desk gift.  The coasters are from the KAISERwood range and available here in Australia from Spotlight (and other craft supply stores I’m sure!).

How stunning is the Best Dressed DSP?!?!  It makes a great unicorn flower crown.  The horn and eyes are from a Pink Fresh Studio set.  The post-it note sentiment is from the Leave a Little Sparkle stamp set.

I’m not sure if Alexa knows what a Chinchilla is (we don’t have them in Australia), so this seems like a great research project for home at school! The other activities I have planned are baking, outdoor exploring, yoga, Lego, reading, writing and sleeping in (this might be my favourite part!).  I’m sure there’ll be some movies, some board games and even some crafting in the mix!

Thinking of my fellow crowned home school parents – we’re all in this together, and like most things in life, this too shall pass.

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To see more design team projects and to add your “E” creation to our gallery, visit the Just Add Ink blog.