SPARKLY UPSY DAISY FOR SUNNY CHALLENGES #018/11

I've enjoyed having a play with an old favourite stamp set, Upsy Daisy, for this week's challenge at Sunny Challenges & Creations.  The brief is to use Stampin' Up!'s "Upsy Daisy" stamp set on a project based on this sketch:

My colour choices were influenced by the paper I stamped my daisies on.  I just love the colours in Stampin' Up!'s Tickets & Tags Simply Scrappin' Kit.  Basic Gray, Crumb Cake, Poppy Parade and Baja Breeze complement one another beautifully.

I first stamped Upsy Daisy in Poppy Parade ink on the grungy grid paper.  Using Versamark ink, I stamped the image right over the top again, and used Stampin' Up!'s new Iridescent Ice embossing powder (being released 1st December) to give the flowers some sparkle.  It is quite subtle; I'm not sure it shows at all in the photo!  A Subtles Glimmer Brad added a bit more bling, to finish off the card.

Stamps: Upsy Daisy, Parlor Prints, Oval All

Card: Crumb Cake, Baja Breeze, Basic Gray

Ink: Crumb Cake stampin' pad, Basic Gray stampin' pad and marker, Poppy Parade stampin' pad and marker, Baja Breeze stampin' pad and marker, Versamark inkpad

Other: Tickets & Tags Simply Scrappin' Kit, Subtles Glimmer Brad, Poppy Parade Stitched-Poly ribbon, Large Oval punch, Scallop Oval punch, sponge daubers, mini glue dots, stampin' dimensionals, Iridescent Ice embossing powder (*new* - 1st December), Stamp-a-ma-jig

STAMPIN' UP! SPICED PAISLEY CHRISTMAS - JAI #95 & INKSPIRATIONS #97

I couldn't sleep last night - every time I closed my eyes, I had dozens of ideas swimming around in my head, just crying out to be made into cards!   So, after tossing and turning for about an hour, I got up and retreated to my craft room to try to settle my brain.

I made a card for this week's Just Add Ink challenge, to come up with a Christmas project using no Christmas stamps or Christmas papers.  Thankfully, a Christmas greeting is allowed!  The layout of my card was inspired by the sketch at Inkspirations:

Using my new Spiced Paisley stamp set (being released 1st December), and watercolour crayons, I create the stamped oval panel (I was going for a rustic look, and was pleased with the outcome).  Another stamp from this set provides the subtle background on the Crumb Cake panel, and the sentiment flag:

Stamps: Spiced Paisley (*new* - 1st December), Contempo Christmas

Card: Naturals Ivory, Riding Hood Red textured, Crumb Cake, Not Quite Navy

DSP: Not Quite Navy Patterns Designer Series Paper

Ink: Crumb Cake, Riding Hood Red and Not Quite Navy stampin' pads

Other: Regals and Neutrals Watercolour crayons, Cherry Cobbler seam binding, Very Vanilla Velvet ribbon (*new* - 1st December), Brights button, Linen Thread, sponge daubers, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Eyelet border punch, Paper Piercing tool and Mat Pack, mini glue dots, Sticky Strip, Nestabilities, stampin' dimensionals

STAMPIN' UP! CHRISTMAS-THEMED BLOG HOP

Today I'm taking part, with 8 friends who are also Stampin' Up! demonstrators in Australia, in a blog hop.  We have lots of ideas to share with you, for using Stampin' Up! products to make your Christmas projects.

You may have come from the very talented Alisha Watson's blog.  If not, you can start here, and follow the link at the end of my blog post, to go on to the next 'stop'.  Please visit all 9 of us if you can, and leave us some comment love, so we know you've stopped by!

I have two cards to share with you.  The first card evolved from a flower that my friend Nikki kindly showed me how to make.  I didn't attend Stampin' Up! Regionals training this month, but by all accounts it was a "wow" event, not least of all because of Miriam Spiess's flowers!  My first attempt is not all that great, but you get the idea!

...... and a close-up of the crimped, die cut and punched panels on the spine of the card:

Stamps: Merry & Type

Card: Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black

DSP: First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper

Ink: Versamark inkpad, Cherry Cobbler and Basic Black stampin' pads

Other: Tasteful Trim XL Bigz die, Decorative Label punch, Scallop Trim border punch, Crimper,          2 3/8" Scallop Circle punch, 1 3/4" Scallop Circle punch, Antique Brad, sponge daubers, paper snips

My second card uses a sheet of Designer Series Paper, from the "Letters to Santa" pack, that I hadn't yet cut into.  I really like the colours on this card.  I used the rock 'n' roll technique with the ornament stamp, with varying 'intensity' of rolling, to achieve two different looks.  The ornaments were inked up first in Marina Mist ink, then rolled on my Early Espresso stampin' pad.  Hubby thinks this card is too "blingy", whereas I think one rhinestone brad and four self-adhesive rhinestones is quite understated! LOL.

.... and a close-up of the ornaments and 'bling'.  (I was more concerned about two bows being "over the top"!)

Stamps: Delightful Decorations, Contempo Christmas

Card: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Whisper White, Riding Hood Red and Marina Mist

DSP: Letters to Santa Designer Series Paper

Ink: Marina Mist and Early Espresso stampin' pads

Other: Ornament punch, Cherry Cobbler seam binding, Basic Rhinestones, Ice Circle Rhinestone brad, Scallop Edge border punch, stampin' dimensionals, White baker's twine (*new - out 1st December), mini glue dots

I really enjoyed making these cards, and hope I've inspired you to try something new.

Now it's time to visit Ros Davidson's blog. 

 

Here's a list of all the participants in today's hop. 

Tina Gillespie

http://scissorspapercard.blogspot.com/

Nikki Sadler
http://www.inkyart.com.au

Sue Madex
http://www.madexcreations.com

Di Dunk
http://www.stampartbydi.typepad.com

Judy May
http://www/judymay.typepad.com

Kathryn Mangelsdorf
http://klm55.blogspot.com

Alisha Watson
http://www.ratherbstampin.typepad.com

Christine Blain
www.christineblain.blogspot.com


Ros Davidson
www.rosdavidson.typepad.com

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!

STAMPIN' UP!'S "THE OPEN SEA" FOR PAPER PLAYERS #73

Jaydee has set this week's challenge over at The Paper Players, to make a clean and simple card using this colour combination:

I don't use Night of Navy very often, so this was a little outside my comfort zone, but I had a lot of fun with this challenge! 

I have inked up my new "The Open Sea" stamp set, that is being released in Australia and New Zealand on 1st December.  I know I will get a LOT of use out of this fabulous stamp set. 

 I silver-embossed the anchor on Brushed Silver cardstock, before cutting it out.  The background DSP (that started off with a polka dot pattern) has been run through my Square Lattice embossing folder.  The exposure of the paper's white core is perfect for this colour challenge; that was a happy discovery!

Stamps: The Open Sea (out 1st December), For My Family

Card: Night of Navy, Brushed Silver, Whisper White

DSP: Night of Navy Patterns Designer Series Paper

Ink: Night of Navy stampin' pad, Versamark inkpad

Other: Silver embossing powder, White baker's twine (*new* - out 1st December), silver mini brads, silver jumbo brad, Word Window punch, Square Lattice embossing folder, rectangle & scalloped rectangle Nestabilities, sponge dauber

STAMPIN' UP!'S "BEST OF EVERYTHING" FOR INKSPIRATIONS #96 & JAI #94

I really love Stampin' Up!'s sweet stamp set called "Best of Everything", but must admit to having used it only once or twice so far.  I decided to ink it up for a couple of challenges this week.  My colours were decided by this week's Inkspirations Colour Challenge:

and I based my card design (rather loosely) around the sketch that Bron has come up with for Just Add Ink's challenge this week:

I coloured in the little bird using my markers, direct to rubber; the Bashful Blue has come up rather pale on the Very Vanilla card, but hopefully you can still see it okay!

Stamps: Best of Everything, Confetti, Easy Events

Card: Crumb Cake, Bashful Blue, Real Red, Very Vanilla

Ink: Crumb Cake stampin' pad, Bashful Blue stampin' pad and marker, Real Red stampin' pad and marker, Peach Parfait marker

Other: Scallop Circle Bigz die, Circle Nestabilities, Stripes embossing folder, Petals-A-Plenty embossing folder, Eyelet Border punch, Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, Owl Builder punch, sponge daubers, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine and Red Glimmer paper (being released 1st December), Tombow liquid glue

STAMPIN' UP! FUN FLOWERS ON A PARLOR PRINTS BACKGROUND

I had a little play with my Stampin' Up! Fun Flowers die the other day, cutting some flowers out of Bravo Burgundy cardstock.  I embossed all the pieces with my Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, lightly sponged the edges with Basic Black ink, and spritzed them with Platinum shimmer spray (shimmer paint mixed with alcohol) before scrunching them a little.  A basics Glimmer Brad secured all the pieces together.  Because the flower ended up looking rather 'showy' I decided to use it as the main attraction on the birthday card I had planned for a friend.  I created a background by clear-embossing Parlor Prints on Bravo Burgundy card.

After that rather wordy introduction, here's the card:

Stamps: Parlor Prints, Perfectly Penned

Card: Bravo Burgundy, Whisper White

Ink: Versamark inkpad, Basic Black stampin' pad

Other: Clear embossing powder, basics Glimmer Brad, Basic Black 1/2" Scallop Dots ribbon, mini glue dots, Platinum shimmer paint (mixed with Isocol), Vintage wallpaper embossing folder, Fun Flowers Bigz die

TRIPLE TREAT FLOWER CHRISTMAS - SC016/11 & PP#72

I have a card to show you today, that I made for this week's Sunny Challenges Christmas-themed sketch challenge :

combined with Paper Players Challenge #72 , to use this gorgeous colour combination:

This is the first time I've used these colours together to make a Christmas card, and I absolutely LOVE the combination; I'll be using it again, for sure.

I have shown some more love to my Triple Treat Flower stamp, that punches out so beautifully using Stampin' Up!'s 5-Petal Flower punch.  The flower centres are punched out and adhered to Build-a-Brads (without the epoxy tops).

Stamps: Starburst jumbo Stampin' Around wheel, Triple Treat Flower, Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Card: Riding Hood Red (textured and smooth), Always Artichoke, River Rock (textured and smooth)

Ink: Versamark inkpad, Always Artichoke, Riding Hood Red and River Rock stampin' pads

Other: 5-Petal Flower punch, Petals-A-Plenty embossing folder, 1/2" circle punch, Build-a-Brads (retired), Always Artichoke seam binding, Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, sponge dauber, mini glue dots

STAMPIN' UP!'S BROADSHEET ALPHABET FOR A VERY SPECIAL YOUNG MAN!

Today my eldest boy, Jack, turns 16.  He is such a beautiful young man, and I look forward to seeing what his exciting future holds.  So many opportunities await ..... oh, to be young again!  (I don't really wish for that, but it is great watching our kids grow and develop, isn't it?)

Jack lives and breathes cricket.  He is so passionate about it, and is striving to play at a high level (hoping to one day wear "the baggy green" for the Australian cricket team).  I was determined to not make a cricket-themed birthday card, as I thought after three years in a row the idea might grow a bit tired!  I did, however, manage to sneak a little cricket ball onto the tag, for a pop of colour against all the neutrals.  That, in turn, inspired me to highlight one of the "16s" in Cherry Cobbler (my original idea of all Crumb Cake numbers made for a bit of a bland background).

Here's the card that the birthday boy is receiving, along with a super-duper set of headphones that are apparently a "must have" item.

Stamps: Broadsheet Alphabet, Happiest Birthday Wishes, Just Cricket (retired)

Card: Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler

Ink: Basic Black stampin' pad, Soft Suede stampin' pad and marker, Cherry Cobbler marker, Crumb Cake stampin' pad, Early Espresso stampin' pad and marker

Other: Timeless Type Junior Alphabet sizzlits die, Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die, Large Tag punch, sponge dauber, Silver Mini Brad, Tombow liquid glue, black adhesive dots (not SU!)

JUST ADD INK #93

This week at Just Add Ink, Kim has presented this gorgeous colour challenge:

I've taken this opportunity to ink up my Triple Treat Flower stamp, from Stampin' Up!  It is a gorgeous stamp, with endless possibilities .... but I think I got so caught up in envisaging those possibilities that I became overwhelmed, and just hadn't used it!  It is a beautiful, crisp image, and I'm really pleased with the simple design of the card I came up with.

Stamps: Triple Treat Flower, Perfectly Penned, Vintage Vogue

Card: Certainly Celery textured, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Pool Party

Ink: Versamark inkpad, Certainly Celery, Pool Party, Melon Mambo and Basic Black stampin' pads

Other: Fancy Flower punch, 5-Petal Flower punch, Decorative Label punch, Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch, Lace Ribbon border punch, paper snips, sponge dauber, Designer Printed brad (Pool Party)

My Paper Snips came in very handy on this card.  To create the leaves, I first stamped the Triple Treat Flower (on Whisper White card) in Certainly Celery ink, and punched it out using the 5-Petal Flower punch.  I snipped the petals to make individual leaves, and sponged them fairly heavily with Certainly Celery ink.  The little "half flowers" behind the sentiment were snipped from a Lace Ribbon border punched in Pool Party card.  I have also cut across the top and bottom of the Decorative Label, to create a slightly different shaped label for my sentiment.

I am having a lovely quiet day at home with my youngest boy (the eldest, and hubby, are off at cricket ... their favourite thing to do, but I happily give it a miss!).  We're just enjoying one another's company, and looking forward to meeting friends (and the other half of our family!) for dinner tonight.  I hope you're having a nice Sunday too :)

STAMPIN' UP!'S BROADSHEET ALPHABET

Ever since I was a kid, I have LOVED anything personalised (especially stationery).  I'm not sure that everyone feels the same way, but I impose my obsession on poor unsuspecting card recipients every now and then!

A special young friend recently celebrated her 16th birthday, and I took the opportunity to christen my new Broadsheet Alphabet stamp set, by personalising her card.  I'm loving all the polka-dot action on this card, and I hope the birthday girl is too!

Stamps: Broadsheet Alphabet, Bring On The Cake

Card: Island Indigo, Whisper White

DSP: Lucky Limeade Patterns Designer Series Paper

Ink: Basic Black, Island Indigo, Melon Mambo and Lucky Limeade stampin' pads

Other: Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Petite Pennants builder punch, Melon Mambo Scallop Dots ribbon, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Mini glue dots

Happy birthday, Katie.  Love you, and we are so proud of the person you are. xx

JUST ADD INK #92 : PRECIOUS BUTTERFLIES TAG

This week's challenge at Just Add Ink is to "just add a tag or bookmark".

A little while ago I shared on my blog a card made using Stampin' Up!'s beautiful Precious Butterflies stamp set.  A dear friend of mine has a birthday coming up soon, and I will be giving her that card.  To accompany it, I've made a tag, and adhered magnetic strips to the back.  I'm hoping it'll find its way to her fridge, so she always knows I'm thinking of her.  (Not that she needs to look at her fridge to know that!)

Here is the tag I made, using Stampin' Up!'s cute Two Tags die:

Stamps: Precious Butterflies

Card: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Basic Black

DSP: Wild Wasabi Patterns Designer Series Paper

Ink: Crumb Cake stampin' pad, Melon Mambo marker, Jet Black Staz-On inkpad, Versamark inkpad

Other: Wild Wasabi and Melon Mambo embossing powder, Basic Black 1/8" taffeta ribbon, Melon Mambo 1/2" Scallop Dots ribbon, Linen Thread, Decorative Label punch, Beautiful Wings embosslits die, Two Tags die, Scallop Edge border punch, 1/2" Circle punch, Crop-a-dile, sponge dauber, paper snips, mini glue dot, magnetic tape (not SU!)

..... and here are the tag and card together (don't you just love co-ordinating little 'ensembles'?!):

We are experiencing some crazy weather in Melbourne at the moment.  It's warm and humid today, as we await giant storms that are forecast for later in the day.  I thought I'd share with you a picture of our little dog, Cricket (guess who named her?!), who retreats under the table and looks dead whenever it's hot.  As soon as she realised I had my camera at the ready (to photograph her languishing), she propped herself up, but refused to look at me.  She's a funny dog.

STAMPIN' UP! BLOG HOP, CHINESE WHISPERS STYLE

A while back, the gorgeous Sarah Klass talked on her blog about how a few people in a row all CASEd a card, and how different all the cards looked. She called it Chinese Whispers, like the kids' game.  My friend, and fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrator, Tina Gillespie, suggested a group of us give this a try, and we had a lot of fun with it.   Here's how it worked:

Tina started by making a card.  She emailed a photo of that card to the next person on the list. That person made a card that was inspired by Tina's, and then emailed a photo of their card only to the third person on the list.  On it went, until everyone had made a card.  Bear in mind that at no stage did we see the original card; only the one immediately before us on 'the list'.  It was fascinating to see how, by the time we'd worked our way to the last person in the group, the creations evolved.

Today we'd like to share that process with you.  It would be a good idea to start at Tina's blog, so you can see the progression.

The person whose card I was inspired by, was Di Dunk.  You might like to take a look at her card first, to see where my ideas came from.  If not, you can just check out my card, and follow the links around until you've visited all the people who took part.  The first cab off the rank was Tina Gillespie, and the  person who wrapped up the list of participants was Alisha Watson.


Here is my card:

Stamps: Just Believe, Four Frames, Parlor Prints

Card: Island Indigo, Basic Black, Whisper White

Ink: Island Indigo, Basic Black and Lucky Limeade stampin' pads

Other: Beautiful Wings embosslits die, Square Lattice embossing folder, Decorative Label punch, Island Indigo ruffled ribbon, Island Indigo designer brad, Scallop Trim border punch, stampin' dimensionals, Stamp-a-ma-jig, mini glue dots

I then emailed a photo of my card to Teena Pillar, who unfortunately doesn't have a blog.  Here is the card Teena made: 

Teena then emailed a photo of her card to Ros Davidson.  Click on the link to Ros's blog, to see how she was inspired by Teena's card.

We had a lot of fun taking part in this Chinese Whispers 'challenge', and hope you enjoy seeing the results!

Here is a complete list of participants:

Tina Gillespie - http://scissorspapercard.blogspot.com/

Kathryn Mangelsdorf - http://klm55.blogspot.com/

Christine Henderson -  http://www.livinglovingcreating.blogspot.com/

Sue Madex - http://www.madexcreations.com/

Genna Gifford -  http://www.genna.stampinup.net/

Elaine Hannam

Amanda Hill

Di Dunk - http://stampartbydi.typepad.com/my-blog/

Christine Blain - http://christineblain.blogspot.com/

Teena Pillar

Ros Davidson - www.rosdavidson.typepad.com

Nikki Sadler - http://www.inkyart.com.au/

Kathryn Ruddick - http://www.katlodesigns.com/

Di Gill - http://www.artwithgillycat.typepad.com/

Alisha Watson - http://www.ratherbstampin.typepad.com/