JAI #163 : JUST ADD ..... A FUN BACKGROUND

The challenge at Just Add Ink this week, courtesy of Nikki,  is to add a fun background to a card/scrapbook page that you make.

I love to create my own backgrounds by repeatedly stamping images on cardstock, then putting the whole panel through an embossing folder, to add texture.  I love greens, and leaves ... and I think that shows on this card!  I've kept the card simple, to showcase the main stamped panel.  After embossing the piece of card, I sponged River Rock ink over some of the raised design.

Stamps: French Foliage, Summer Solstice, Confetti, Perfect Punches

Card: Wild Wasabi, River Rock, Very Vanilla

Ink: Garden Green, Lucky Limeade, River Rock, Wild Wasabi stampin' pads

Other: Wild Wasabi 1/4" stitched grosgrain ribbon, Scallop Oval punch, sponge dauber, Vine Street embossing folder, glue dots

 

 

 

The rest of the Just Add Ink design team have come up with some fabulous fun backgrounds, so make sure you check them out.  We hope you'll play along with our challenge!

 

 

 



SHAVING CREAM TECHNIQUE - PART 2

While playing with the Shaving Cream Technique last week, for the Just Add Ink challenge, I toyed with a few colour combinations ... and have another to share with you today.

I swirled Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso and Crumb Cake ink in shaving cream for this card.  I think this is my favourite of the three colour combinations I've used.

Stamps: Very Vintage jumbo Stampin' Around wheel, Bring on the Cake

Card: Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Early Espresso Core'dinations

Ink: Crumb Cake stampin' pad and ink refill, Cherry Cobbler stampin' pad and ink refill, Early Espresso marker and ink refill

Other: Ovals framelits, Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die, Occasions Paper Piercing pack, Paper-Piercing tool and Stampin' Pierce mat, Cherry Cobbler seam binding, Elegant butterfly punch, Bitty Butterfly punch, Regals brads, 5/16" Neutrals brad, sponge dauber, shaving cream, glue dots

 

 

 



JAI #162: SHAVING CREAM TECHNIQUE

This week at Just Add Ink, Delys has come up with the idea of us all trying a technique we've never tried before.

I have, for a long time, wanted to try the Shaving Cream technique ... but the males in my house use shaving gel (no good for this technique!), and I have repeatedly forgotten to buy shaving cream from the supermarket.  Finally I got myself organised - only to find that Chantell, another member of the JAI Design Team, has chosen the same technique.  You'll see from our cards, though, that this technique can yield very different results, so hopefully we'll both inspire you!

Here's a link to a YouTube video I found helpful before starting:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju7ud_jBC8M

I wanted to achieve a real intensity of colour in the 'shaving cream panels', so used a generous number of drops of ink.  For this card I used Tangerine Tango, Calypso Coral and Daffodil Delight - and I just love the boldness of the end result. 

Stamps: Easy Events

Card: Calypso Coral, Basic Black, Whisper White

Ink: Tangerine Tango ink refill, Calypso Coral and Daffodil Delight ink refills and markers, Jet Black Staz-On inkpad, Black permanent marker

Other: 2 1/2" Circle punch, Delicate Doilies Sizzlits, Calypso Coral ruffled ribbon, Scallop Edge border punch, 1/16" circle punch, glue dots, basic pearls, sponge dauber

 

Here's another card I made, using the shaving cream technique and a trio of blue ink refills:

Stamps: Papillon Potpourri, Teeny Tiny Sentiments
Card: Night of Navy, Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise
Ink: Night of Navy ink refill and stampin' pad, Tempting Turquoise and Pool Party ink refills
Other: Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die, Elegant Butterfly punch, 2 1/2 " Circle punch, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Delicate Doilies Sizzlits, Brights button, Pool Party baker's twine, Finishing Touches edgelits, sponge dauber, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, glue dots

 

 

Make sure you check out the rest of the Just Add Ink Design Team's creations.  We would love to have you play along with us - so how about trying out that technique you've had on your "must try" list?

STB #13: STAMPIN' UP! CLOCKWORKS MALE CARD

I've been playing around with a few of the colours that are going to retire from Stampin' Up!'s range in a couple of months, and just LOVE River Rock and Baja Breeze together.  I've added Basic Gray to the mix, and made a card for this week's Seize the Birthday masculine challenge.  Here's the sketch:

.... and here's my card:

Stamps: Clockworks, Itty Bitty Banners, Netting

Card: River Rock, Basic Gray, Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla

DSP: River Rock Patterns Designer Series Paper

Ink: River Rock, Basic Gray and Baja Breeze stampin' pads

Other: Labels Collection framelits, Bitty Banners framelits, Silver Designer Button, Tasteful Trim XL Bigz die banner dies (not SU!, sponge daubers, glue dots

 

 



WANT MORE DOLLARS TO SPEND ON STAMPIN' UP!?

Today Stampin' Up! has announced TWO great offers that will run until 30th May (Australia and New Zealand only).

If you're shopping for Stampin' Up! products (which you can do by contacting me directly, or visiting my Stampin' Up! online store), you are entitled to DOUBLE the freebies you'd normally earn, for a $400 order!  How great is that?  Normally you'd earn $60 in 'hostess dollars' to spend on any current catalogue products.  From now until 30th May, you get to choose a whopping $120 of free product for every $400 order!  Perhaps you have a few friends who you can combine orders with, to earn the freebies?  Contact me if you need further info!


Now is also a GREAT time to join the Stampin' Up! family, as you can get an extra $60 of product in your Starter Kit for FREE.  This means that you get to choose $295 worth of catalogue products (entirely your choice - mix it up how you like!), but pay only $169.  I'd love to have you join my growing team, and am very happy to answer any questions you may have.  It's a really exciting time to join Stampin' Up! - not only because of the great value Starter Kit, all the support you'll get from me and a huge Stampin' Up! community, but we have a dynamic Color Refresh coming up when our brand new catalogue 'goes live' in June. You might like to check out the "Join Stampin' Up!" tab at the top of this page, if you'd like to read a bit more about joining my Stampin' Up! team.

JAI # 161 : STAMPIN' UP! SYMPATHY CARD

This week at Just Add Ink, we have an unusual (but gorgeous) colour challenge for you - Mae chose it from Stampin' Up!'s Color Coach, which is an awesome tool to have.

I chose to use a gorgeous sheet of paper from Stampin' Up!'s Print Poetry Designer Series Paper Stack, as the basis of my card.  Isn't Midnight Muse just a beautiful, dramatic blue?

Stamps: Petite Pairs

Card: Very Vanilla, More Mustard, Midnight Muse, Rich Razzleberry

DSP: Print Poetry Designer Series Paper Stack

Ink: More Mustard and Rich Razzleberry stampin' pads, Midnight Muse stampin' pad and marker

Other: Stampin' Pierce Mat and Paper-Piercing Tool, Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack, Midnight Muse stitched satin ribbon, Circles #2 Bigz die, Delicate Doilies Large Sizzlits die, Beautiful Wings embosslits, Basic Pearls, sponge daubers, glue dots

 

 

The rest of the Just Add Ink design team have come up with some awesome projects using this colour combo - be sure to check them out.  We hope you're inspired to play along in this week's challenge!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



DD #47 : STAMPIN' UP!'S THE OPEN SEA

This week's colour combo at Dynamic Duos really had me thinking! 

 

 

LOVE the combo, but the ideas I had in my head initially, did not transfer well onto card!  After abandoning my first couple of attempts, I decided to go with my favourite type of card to make - a masculine card.  I'm really happy with how the colours worked together on this one:

Stamps: The Open Sea, Itty Bitty Banners

Card: Crumb Cake, Pool Party Core'dinations, Very Vanilla

DSP: Be of Good Cheer Designer Series Paper

Ink: Crumb Cake stampin' pad and marker, Cherry Cobbler stampin' pad and marker, Pool Party marker, Versamark inkpad

Other: Ovals Framelits, 1 1/4" Circle punch, Bitty Banners Framelits, Chevron embossing folder, Argyle embossing folder, Natural Trim ribbon, Cherry Cobbler baker's twine, sanding block, sponge dauber, Basics Glimmer brad, Pool Party embossing powder, stampin' dimensionals, glue dots

 

 

Did you notice in my list of ingredients that I used a Basics Glimmer brad?  I find the gold glimmer brads a bit "brassy" for my liking, so I modified it to make a Pool Party brad for this card!  I dipped the brad in Versamark ink, covered it in Pool Party embossing powder, and used my heat gun to melt it.  I repeated this process for several layers, and ended up with a much more useable brad!   I hope this tip helps you to make use of those brads that you might otherwise cast aside. :)

 

 



SC #076/13: STAMPIN' UP!'S BLOOMING WITH KINDNESS

I have used the current Sunny Challenges & Creations sketch, and theme, for a special milestone birthday card.

 

 

My fairly loose interpretation of the sketch baffled the males in my family (hubby said he would have made a card with a skyscraper on it!).  I hope that you, fellow creative souls, can see the inspiration I took from the sketch!  I've inked up for the first time my Blooming With Kindness set, and embossed the floral image, and the sentiment, using Early Espresso stampin' emboss powder.  I really love the background Parlor Prints image, too - a bit like wallpaper, don't you think?

Stamps: Blooming with Kindness, Parlor Prints

Card: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Baja Breeze

DSP: Twitterpated Designer Series Paper

Ink: Baja Breeze stampin' pad, Versamark inkpad

Other: Early Espresso embossing powder, Labels Collection framelits, Baja Breeze seam binding, Delicate Doilies sizzlits, Basic Pealrs, sponge dauber, glue dots

 

 

 

 

 



US #205: STAMPIN' UP! SUNSHINE & SPRINKLES BABY CARD

**This is my second post for today .... please scroll down to read all the latest news in the world of Stampin' Up!  Thank you! **

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This week's challenge at Unscripted Sketches is to make a card based on this sketch:

I started off by choosing some cute chevron-patterned paper from Stampin' Up!'s Sunshine & Sprinkles pack.  The circular element I've used is a punched-out piece from another sheet in the same paper pack - sweet, don't you think?  The only stamping on my card, is the sentiment.

Stamps: Itty Bitty Banners

Card: Marina Mist, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight

DSP: Sunshine & Sprinkles Designer Series Paper

Ink: Daffodil Delight and Marina Mist stampin' pads

Other: 2 1/2" Circle punch, Perfect Pennants Bigz die, Sweet Buttons embosslits, Bitty Banners framelits, Occasions Paper-Piercing Pack, Paper-piercing tool and Stampin' Pierce mat, sponge daubers, Daffodil Delight Seam binding and  1/4" stitched grosgrain, Cloudy Day embossing folder, glue dots

 

 

 

 



LOTS OF STAMPIN' UP! NEWS FOR APRIL!

This past week has been a whirlwind of announcements from Stampin' Up! - exciting times, but I'm finding it a little hard to keep up!   Bear with me - this post is a bit information- and picture-heavy!

We now have My Digital Studio (MDS), which is Stampin' Up!'s exclusive digital program for creating scrapbook pages, cards, invitations, tags, and anything else you can think of creating digitally!  If you'd like to try this exciting program for free (no strings attached, and you can play with it for 30 days!), just click on the MDS icon in my blog side bar.  If you decide you'd like the full version, with loads of Stampin' Up! paper patterns, stamp images, embellishments and those exclusive colours we all love, you can purchase the program for only $24.95 from my online store.  You can get more information about MDS by clicking on the My Digital Studio graphic above.

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As I've just alluded to, Stampin' Up! has introduced Online Ordering to the Australian and New Zealand markets.  Super-exciting, folks .... imagine being able to shop in your PJs at any time of the night or day!  Of course I can still take orders for Stampin' Up! products as I always have, but if you prefer the convenience of shopping online, just click on the shopping basket icon in my blog side bar, or click on this link.


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The Petite Curly Label punch, which was available during Sale-A-Bration, has now been made available to purchase!  Here's a flyer with the details:

This cute punch co-ordinates with the "Ciao, Baby" stamp set in the current Seasonal Catalogue.

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Stampin' Up! has announced, effective immediately, that due to quality issues with the supplier, they are discontinuing Watercolor Wonder Crayons and Watercolour Pencils.

 

 

This means that, even though these items appear in our catalogue that is current until 30th June, they are available only until sold out.

 

Watercolor Wonder Crayons are available in 4 colour collections (Subtles, Regals, Brights and Neutrals), and are $29.95 per tin.  They are lovely to use with Blender Pens, or Aquapainters.

 

Watercolor Pencils (24 colours) are $34.95.

 

These items can be found on p. 157 of the Annual Catalogue.  Don't miss out - if you "need" these items, be sure to order as soon as possible to avoid disappointment!

 

 

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Now for some really big, exciting, news ..... Stampin' Up! has announced a

 Colour Refresh!!  Stampin' Up! prides itself on staying "on trend" and always offering a great range of colours, so we're in for a bit of a change.  The diagram below shows the colours that will make up the core range from 1st July, when our new Annual Catalogue "goes live".

 

We're getting 10 new colours in our core range - all but one are returning "in colors", and some we've never had in Australia.  The tenth colour is a lovely new light grey, called Smoky Slate.

 

 

The colour collections are being switched around a little.  At the bottom of each column is listed the colours that will be discontinued from Stampin' Up!'s core range.  Even though the Colour Refresh officially takes effect on 1st July, the discontinuing colours are available only while stocks last.

 

Make sure you stock up on cardstock, inks and (where available) ribbons in these colours, if you simply can't do without them! :

 

Regal Rose

Pretty In Pink

Bashful Blue

Certainly Celery

Baja Breeze

Riding Hood Red

Bravo Burgundy

Not Quite Navy

More Mustard

River Rock

 

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I think that about sums up all I need to tell you for now!  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STAMPIN' UP!'S FIELD FLOWERS FOR STB #12

This week's challenge at Seize the Birthday is to make a feminine birthday card, using this sketch:

 

 

I have followed the sketch literally this time, using my much-neglected Field Flowers stamp set, and Pretty in Pink (which is one of the colours that will be discontinued from Stampin' Up!'s range come July).

 

 

 

 

Stamps: Field Flowers, Itty Bitty Banners

Card: Crumb Cake, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla

DSP: Tea For Two Designer Series Paper

Ink: Pretty in Pink and Crumb Cake stampin' pads

Other: Lacy Brocade embossing folder, Scallop Edge border punch, Ovals Framelits, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Designer Builder Brad, Itty Bitty shapes punch, Bitty Banners Framelits, Basic Pearls, Flag die (not SU!), Very Vanilla seam binding, sponge daubers, glue dots

 

 

 

 

 

STAMPIN' UP!'S "SENT WITH LOVE" BABY CARD

Welcome to my final day of sharing projects I've made using Stampin' Up!'s "Sent With Love" products!  Well, it won't be the last you'll see, but I have devoted a few days to blogging exclusively about these products.

I like to think of "out of the box" ways to use my Stampin' Up! products, and in order to do that, have to step away from the computer!  Whilst I love blog-surfing, and checking out Pinterest, I sometimes lose sight of my own 'style', and can't imagine using products in ways other than those I've already seen.

One of the sheets of Designer Series Paper in the Sent With Love pack is a lovely Pool Party piece, with a white criss-cross design.  I decided it'd be perfect for a baby card:

Stamps: Sent With Love, Baby Bundle, Tiny Tags

Card: Crumb Cake, Whisper White

DSP: Sent With Love Designer Series Paper

Ink: Crumb Cake and Pool Party stampin' pads, Versamark inkpad

Other: Pool Party embossing powder, Labels Collection framelits, Jewelry Tag punch, Neutrals brad, Pool Party ruffled ribbon, Linen Thread, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Needlepoint Border embossing folder, Delicate Designs embossing folder, Large Scallop edgelits, glue dots, sponge dauber

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



FUSION #1: STAMPIN' UP!'s SECRET GARDEN ... AND MORE *BRIGHT* FLOWERS

**This is my second post for today - please scroll down to see my latest "Sent With Love" post.  Thank you! **

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There is a brand new card challenge blog on the block - it's called Fusion, and here's the first challenge:

 

Whenever there's the option of doing one challenge or the other, I feel compelled to combine them both .... so my card's all about the chevrons, and bright flowers.  It's a bit hard to see in this photo, but the Basic Black panel has been embossed with my Chevron embossing folder (you can see that in the close-up photo below):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stamps: Secret Garden, Confetti, Itty Bitty Bits, Sweet Essentials

Card: Crumb Cake, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie

Ink: Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight and Pumpkin Pie stampin' pads, Jet Black Staz-On inkpad

Other: Secret Garden framelits, Boho Blossoms punch, Itty Bitty shapes punch, Neutrals brads, Chevron embossing folder, Basic Black Scallop Dots ribbon, sponge daubers, Brights button, White baker's twine, Basic Rhinestones, Bitty Banners framelits, stampin' dimensionals, multipurpose liquid glue

 

 

 

 

 

 



STAMPIN' UP!'S "SENT WITH LOVE" - PART 4

Today I have another card in my "Sent With Love" series, to show you just how versatile the current promotional products are.  I love, love, love the papers in the Sent With Love bundle, and have used three different designs on this card.  Another thing that I love, is how well other Stampin' Up! embellishments work with the papers.

Stamps: Sent With Love

Card: Sahara Sand, Island Indigo

DSP: Sent With Love Designer Series Paper

Ink: Sahara Sand and Island Indigo stampin' pads

Other: Postage Stamp punch, Pinwheel Sizzlits die, Bitty Banners framelits, In Color Designer brads, sponge dauber, Island Indigo ruffled ribbon, Calypso Coral and Pool Party baker's twine, glue dots

 

 

If you come back to visit my blog tomorrow, you'll see another card I've made using products from the Sent With Love bundle, to round off the week!