STAMPIN' UP! PETAL GARDEN 50th BIRTHDAY CARD

Stampin' Up! has the most beautiful collections of double-sided Designer Series Paper (DSP).  The one-dimensional images in our catalogues don't do them justice.  I am totally in love with the Petal Garden 6" x 6" DSP stack, from the Annual Catalogue, and have made lots of cards with it.

I made this for a friend's recent milestone birthday:

I sponged Calypso Coral ink onto the bottom of the numbers, to echo the inking on the die-cut "lovely".  Listed below are all the Stampin' Up! products used to make this card.  If you would like to buy them for yourself, clicking on any of the thumbnail images below will take you to my online store.

I promise to share some more of my Petal Garden cards, as I get them photographed.

Product List

Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock [140490] $12.25	Calypso Coral A4 Card Stock [124392] $14.00	Petal Garden Designer Series Paper Stack [144168] $17.50	Perennial Birthday Clear-Mount Stamp Set [145760] $38.00	Calypso Coral Classic Stampin' Pad [126983] $11.50
Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad [126953] $11.50	Big Shot [143263] $159.00	Large Numbers Framelits Dies [140622] $54.00	Lovely Words Thinlits Dies [143733] $45.00	Paper Snips Scissors [103579] $17.00
Pool Party 3/8" Shimmer Ribbon [144152] $12.25	Subtles Enamel Shapes [141679] $15.75	Sponge Daubers [133773] $9.00	Glue Dots [103683] $8.00	Liquid Multipurpose Glue [110755] $7.00

BLOG HOP - STAMPIN' UP! AUTUMN-WINTER MINI CATALOGUE

Today I am taking part, with 6 friends who are also Stampin' Up! demonstrators in Australia, in a blog hop to showcase products from the gorgeous new Autumn-Winter Mini catalogue (that runs through until the end of July).  You can view the catalogue by clicking on the picture in my blog's sidebar .... or, if you don't already have a demonstrator, and would like a hard copy sent to you (Australia only),  please email me.

You may have come to my blog from the ever-sweet Nikki Sadler's blog, but if not don't fret!  You can take part in the 'hop' by following the link at the bottom of each blog post, and you can make your way around all 7 blogs that way.

I have chosen to focus on a couple of stamps that make it super-easy to make cards for the males in our lives.  I know a lot of people struggle when it comes to making cards for men, but I love making them (probably because in my corner of the world I am rather outnumbered by males!), so I hope to give you some ideas.  Stampin' Up! have increased their range of A La Carte (single) stamps .... each of the featured stamps in my post today costs less than $15.
The first two cards I'd like to share have as the focal point the new Motorcycle stamp, that costs only $13.95.  I love that it packs just as much punch, when stamped as a line image, as it does when it's coloured in.  First up is a card in autumnal tones; I drew inspiration from the colours in the luscious Autumn Spice Specialty Designer Series Papers (seriously beautiful).  I have created More Mustard ribbon by using a marker to colour Whisper White taffeta; cool, hey?!

Stamps: Motorcycle, Bring on the Cake

Card: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Old Olive, Naturals Ivory

DSP: Autumn Spice Specialty Designer Series Paper

Ink: Early Espresso stampin' pad and marker, Crumb Cake stampin' pad, More Mustard marker

Other: Circles #2 Bigz die, Tasteful Trim XL Bigz die, Whisper White taffeta ribbon, Color Spritzer tool, Word Window punch, paper snips, Sticky Strip, Circle Nestabilities

My next card uses the same Motorcycle stamp, and Bring on the Cake stamp set (fantastic birthday sentiments in that set - I just love it), also in the Autumn-Winter Mini.

Stamps: Motorcycle, Bring on the Cake

Card: Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler textured, Very Vanilla

DSP: Newsprint Designer Series Paper

Ink: Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler and Crumb Cake stampin' pads

Other: Neutrals and Regals brads, Linen Thread, Mat Pack and Paper Piercing tool, Stamp-a-ma-jig, stampin' dimensionals, paper snips, stamping sponge

Now for a couple of cards using the Sail Away stamp, that is $14.95, and the perfect size for a card front.  This, too, is another stamp that looks great 'just stamped' (no colouring in required).  In this first card, I have stamped the yacht directly onto a piece of Blueberry Crisp paper - don't you think it looks like the perfect, slightly stormy, sailing background?  I paper-pieced the sails, by stamping the image again onto a co-ordinating paper from the same pack, and cutting out just the sails, then sticking them over my original image.  I think this adds a bit of lightness and interest, so the panel doesn't look too gloomy!  The sentiment is stamped on a wide ric-rac die cut from the new Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die, to mimic waves.

Stamps: Sail Away, Bring on the Cake, Sanded

Card: Sahara Sand, Not Quite Navy, Pacific Point

DSP: Blueberry Crisp and Botanical Gazette Designer Series Papers

Ink: Not Quite Navy and Sahara Sand stampin' pads

Other: Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Crop-a-dile, Jumbo Eyelets (pewter), kitchen string, sponge dauber, stampin' dimensionals

My last card also uses the Sail Away stamp.  I have used the colours from a striped sheet of paper in the Play Date pack - totally 'out of the box' for me, but I love how it turned out!

Stamps: Sail Away, Seeing Stars, Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Card: Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive

DSP: Play Date Designer Series Paper

Ink: Versamark inkpad, Old Olive stampin' pad, Tempting Turquoise stampin' pad, So Saffron stampin' pad

Other: White embossing powder, Word Window Punch, Modern Label punch, Top Note die, Square Lattice embossing folder, Circles brad, Whisper White 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, paper snips, stampin' dimensionals

Next stop on our blog hop is the blog of my talented friend Judy May; I am sure she has something very beautiful to share today!!

If you lose your way, check back in here, as I've listed below all of the participants in today's blog hop.  Enjoy visiting all of our blogs, and please leave us some comments, so we know you've been to visit. 

HAPPY EASTER, everyone!!

Ros Davidson
http://www.rosdavidson.typepad.com/


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


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


Christine Blain (c'est  moi)
http://www.christineblain.blogspot.com/


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


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


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

JUST ADD INK #52

I've missed my weekly dose of "Just Add Ink", I must say ...... so, it's time to get back into it!  This week the girls have come up with this sketch, to use as a base for a papercraft project:





I have used a few of my new Stampin' Up! goodies to make my card.  A while ago I decided I just HAD to have the Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die ... but do you think I had actually used it??  (I'm sure I'm not alone in that regard; it's a sickness, NEEDING all these things!!)  So, today was the day.  I cut a butterfly out of Pear Pizzazz Patterns DSP (from the Hostess pack), inked up my Music Notes wheel in Pear Pizzazz ink, and prettied up the butterfly a bit.  Sponging of the edges, and addition of some rhinestones, finished off the look I wanted.  I've teamed the butterfly with some smaller, delicate ones cut out using the adorable Beautiful Wings Sizzlits Die.  Smaller rhinestones add the finishing touch to those.

Here is the card I came up with, after deciding it was about time I showed some love to my Soft Suede cardstock and ink; it's been a bit neglected lately.  Please ignore my dirty craft room window!

Stamps: Well Scripted, Music Notes wheel

Card: Whisper White, Soft Suede

DSP: Pear Pizzazz Patterns Designer Series Paper, from hostess pack (larger spots) and In Color paper stack (smaller spots)

Ink: Whisper White craft stampin' pad, Pear Pizzazz stampin' pad, Soft Suede stampin' pad

Other: Top Note Die, Corner rounder punch, Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die, Beautiful Wings embosslits die, Basic Rhinestones, sponge daubers, Whisper White Organza ribbon

INKSPIRATIONS COLOUR CHALLENGE #50

I'm back, with blog post number 3 for the day!  This week Makeesha's challenge is to use the following colours on a papercraft project:

Because I'll be working tomorrow (boo hoo), I grabbed the opportunity today to make a simple friendship card that fits this challenge.  My personal challenge was to leave all the edges of the card "un-sponged"; it wasn't easy!  I've inked up my new "Love Defined" stamp set again; I'm loving it!  The background is stamped in Versamark ink, and I've used markers to ink up the little Rich Razzleberry flowers (from Itty Bitty Bits - another gorgeous new set).  The marker colour is a little softer than the bold ink from my juicy inkpad; I wanted a softer look to complement the ribbon colour.  Stampin' Up!'s taffeta ribbons are all slightly lighter in colour than the other styles of ribbon.  The tiny little flowers have been punched out using one of the new Itty Bitty Shapes punches - too cute!

I've taken this photo in fading light outside, so it's a bit out of focus, but hopefully you can still see all the details.

Stamps: Love Defined, Perfect Punches, Itty Bitty Bits

Card: Tempting Turquoise (smooth and textured), Whisper White

Ink: Versamark inkpad, Pear Pizzazz stampin' pad and marker, Tempting Turquoise marker, Rich Razzleberry marker

Other: Top Note die, Curly Label punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch, Beautiful Wings embosslits, Rich Razzleberry taffeta ribbon, Basic Rhinestones, 2-way glue pen and Dazzling Diamonds, stampin' dimensionals, mini glue dots

CURTAIN CALL COLOUR CHALLENGE: {ACT 57}

Today I received in the mail a cute little CC Designs stamp, so decided to use her (Cupcake Kiki) on a card for this week's Curtain Call Colour Challenge.  These are the colours that Stacey is challenging us to use on a papercraft project:

Here is the result of my play session, with Cupcake Kiki and my Prismacolor pencils (blended with odourless mineral spirits):

Sorry about the wonky photo; I think my head was screwed on crooked when I took it!  After colouring the image with my pencils, I used my Sakura Gelly Roll silver pen to highlight the flower centre, and the creases on the cupcake case.  I added Crystal Effects to Kiki's shoes, the cupcake icing (which was then sprinkled with pink super-fine glitter), and the flower in her hair.  She looks very sweet in real life, even if the details aren't really clear in my photo.

These are the ingredients I used to make this card:

Stamps: Cupcake Kiki (CC Designs), Tiny Tags

Card: Basic Gray, Cajun Craze,  X-Press It Copic blending card

Ink: Memento black inkpad, Tempting Turquoise, Basic Gray and Cajun Craze stampin' pads

Other: Prismacolor pencils, odourless mineral spirits, Crystal Effects, Sakura Gelly Roll silver pen, pink super-fine glitter, pink rhinestones, oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities, Medium Jewelry Tag punch, Whisper White satin ribbon, Basic Gray taffeta ribbon (retired), Pretty in Pink 1/8" taffeta ribbon, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Big Shot, sponge dauber

CURTAIN CALL COLOUR CHALLENGE #56

This week at Stacey's Stamping Stage, the challenge is to use the following gorgeous colours together in a papercraft project:

I found this colour combination really enjoyable to work with, and came up with another friendship card (that I get so much pleasure out of making, and giving!).  Shocking photography, but I hope you can see it well enough.

Stamps: Sanded, Bella Toile, Hello Again, Friends 24-7

Card: Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White

Ink: Pear Pizzazz, So Saffron, Peach Parfait stampin' pads and markers, Chocolate Chip stampin' pad

Other: Peach Parfait poly-stitched ribbon, Top Note die, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Nestabilities, stampin' sponge, mini glue dots, 3/8" circle punch (*NEW* in upcoming Summer mini)

INKSPIRATIONS COLOUR CHALLENGE #48

This week's colour combo, at Makeesha's Inkspirations challenge site, is one that I LOOOOVE.   Here are the colours to incorporate in a papercraft project:

I wasn't even tempted to make a Christmas card, because I am making a lot of those at the moment, and needed a bit of a break.  I decided I wanted to use my new "Love Defined" stamp set, that is in Stampin' Up!'s new Summer mini catalogue coming out in a couple of weeks.  (As a demonstrator, I was able to pre-order a few yummy things to have a play with - fun, hey?)  I've also used the gorgeous Square Lattice embossing folder, that is new to Australia (also in the Summer mini).

Stamps: Love Defined, Oval All

Card: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Real Red

Ink: Crumb Cake stampin' pad and marker, Real Red marker, Old Olive stampin' pad

Other: Top Note die, Large Oval and Scallop Oval punches, Beautiful Wings embosslits, Square Lattice embossing folder, Whisper White organza ribbon, sponge dauber, mini glue dots

INKSPIRATIONS COLOUR CHALLENGE #46 .... again!

I had some lovely time to myself, in my craft room, last night (while all three of my boys had a Mike Tyson DVD blaring).  I had already made one card for this week's Inkspirations Challenge #46, but loved the colour combo, and wanted to challenge myself to come up with a completely different card.  The first card I made was very soft, which didn't really reflect how I saw these colours initially:

So, for my second card, I added accents of Poppy Parade - such a bright, happy, orangey-red.  I have not shown much love to the Birds and Blooms sizzlits die I bought a while back, so the starting point for this card was to incorporate some of the cute Scallop Circles (I like to call them flowers) from the set of dies.  I started off by cutting out both sizes of Scallop Circles, in So Saffron, and adhering them to the top portion of my So Saffron card base.  This card is all about the texture!

Stamps: Perfect Punches

Card: So Saffron, Very Vanilla, Poppy Parade, Baja Breeze

Ink: Baja Breeze stampin' pad and marker, Poppy Parade marker, So Saffron stampin' pad and marker

Other: Birds and Blooms sizzlits die, Beautiful Wings embosslits, sponge dauber, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Curly Label punch, 1" Circle punch, Basic Pearls, Poppy Parade poly-stitched ribbon, mini glue dot

INKSPIRATIONS COLOUR CHALLENGE #46

This week Makeesha has set a challenge to use these colours in a papercraft project:

I had to make a birthday card for someone very dear to me, and decided these colours would be a good starting point.  It may not look like I've used Poppy Parade (because it is such a vibrant colour in real life), but I have!  I wet some watercolour paper before adding colour, to dilute the Poppy Parade and Baja Breeze that I used to watercolour the hydrangea.  I'm surprised, but really pleased, with the softness of colour that resulted. 

Stamps: Very Vintage jumbo Stampin' Around wheel, Pocket Silhouettes, Because I Care (hostess set)

Card: Baja Breeze (smooth and textured), Very Vanilla, So Saffron, Watercolour paper

Ink: Baja Breeze stampin' pad, Jet Black Staz-on inkpad, Poppy Parade stampin' pad, Pear Pizzazz and Old Olive stampin' pads

Other: Aquapainter, sponge dauber, Beautiful Wings embosslits, Word Window Punch, Button Latte (retired), Very Vanilla 5/8" and 1/4" grosgrain ribbons, Top Note die, Mat Pack and paper-piercing tool, mini glue dots, Tombow multi glue, paper snips

JUST ADD INK #39

October is a busy month, for raising awareness of issues that I have close personal experience with.  As well as being Breast Cancer Awareness month, this month is  Anxiety and Depression Awareness Month.


Over a million people in Australia alone live with depression. Over two million have an anxiety disorder. With the right treatment, most people recover.  I count myself amongst the lucky ones.

beyondblue Anxiety and Depression Awareness Month provides an opportunity for workplaces, community groups and individuals to take part in activities to raise awareness of anxiety and depression, and help reduce the associated stigma.  It's easy to help raise awareness. Sometimes the simplest acts have the greatest impact - just talking openly about anxiety and depression helps reduce the stigma.  You can find out more at beyondblue.org.au

This week's challenge over at Just Add Ink is "Just Add Blue ...".  I really LOVE colour challenges, but I have to say this one really was a challenge for me; I don't often use blue in my paper-crafting, and it is definitely not one of my "go to" colours.  Having said that, in my determination to add blue to the palette of colours I use in my card-making, I did recently buy Stampin' Up!'s new "Blueberry Crisp" Designer Series Paper.  I seriously love these papers!!  I like the 'denim-y' look of some of the papers (check out the little butterflies on my card). 
 
 

Do you like the wide 'flower' that the sentiment is matted on?  I was pretty pleased with myself, for making this!  It is made from three of the large flower, from the new Birds & Blooms Sizzlits die.  I placed the flowers behind the oval, and cut off the excess petals so the flowers sat nicely around the edge of the oval.  I used my fingernail to rough up the petals a little, and pinched them to curl upwards.  A few drops of Crystal Effects were added, to give the look of dew on the petals.

Here are the 'ingredients' for making this card:

Stamps: Sanded, Sincere Salutations

Card: Sahara Sand, Pacific Point, Very Vanilla

Ink: Sahara Sand, Not Quite Navy, Pacific Point stampin' pads

DSP: Blueberry Crisp Designer Series Paper

Other" Birds & Blooms sizzlits die, Wide Oval punch, Beautiful Wings embosslits, mat pack and paper piercing tool, Basic Pearls, sponge daubers, Very Vanilla 1/8" taffeta ribbon, Crystal Effects, Tombow multi-purpose liquid glue

JUST ADD INK #34

This week at Just Add Ink, the sweet colour combination to work with is this:

It's no great surprise that I LOVE the new Crumb Cake Patterns Designer Series Paper, so I started off with a gorgeous dotty panel of that paper.  I've been dying to ink up the cute little toadstools from my new "Funky Four" stamp set as well.  Here's the card I made, for a dear friend of mine who moved away:

Stamps: Funky Four, Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Card: Crumb Cake, So Saffron, Whisper White, Certainly Celery

DSP: Crumb Cake Patterns Designer Series Paper (from Neutrals Patterns Stack)

Ink: Versamark inkpad, Jet Black Staz-On inkpad

Other: White embossing powder, So Saffron brads, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon, Beautiful Wings embosslits, paper snips

It's a beautiful sunny morning in Melbourne; Spring is definitely in the air, and I think that makes all of us feel just that little extra bit of happiness, doesn't it?!  I have a lovely day planned, including lunch with a friend, and hopefully quite a bit of stamping time later in the day.  I hope your day is equally as enjoyable!

RETURN OF TWO FAVOURITES ... and another go at JAI #31

This week's Just Add Ink challenge is open until midnight tonight.  I couldn't resist making another card using this great colour combo:

I've added some white into the mix, and used a couple of stamp sets that I am pleased to say will be in Stampin' Up!'s new Idea Book & Catalogue being released on 1st September!  These stamps are favourites in my collection, but to date had been available only for a limited time in mini catalogues.  Yippee!  I'll get to play with them, and show them off, some more :)

Stamps: Oval All, Butterfly Prints

Card: Kraft, Real Red (smooth and textured), Chocolate Chip, Whisper White

Ink: Sahara Sand stampin' pad, Versamark inkpad, Real Red and Chocolate Chip markers

Other: Butterfly Punch, Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, sponge daubers, white embossing powder, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Kraft taffeta ribbon, dimensionals

JUST ADD INK #31, and HELPING HUDSON TECHNIQUE CHALLENGE

The colour challenge over at Just Add Ink this week is right up my alley!  Here are the colours to incorporate in a papercraft project:

 I already have a HEAP of cards I've made using these colours, but of course I had to make a new card specifically for the challenge.  While I was at it, I decided to incorporate this week's technique challenge, at Helping Hudson, to use embossing and sponging.  If any of my customers are reading this, they'll probably just laugh or roll their eyes, because any card I make just isn't finished if it's not sponged to within an inch of its life! Sponge daubers are highly valued items in my house, and get a VERY good work-out in my classes!!

My brother and sister-in-law are about to celebrate being married 24 years.  They are no-fuss people (clearly not Leos, ha ha), and I thought this colour scheme would be perfect to use on their anniversary card.  I love the 'understated' look of stamping on kraft card; because it has a rougher tooth than Whisper White, the ink does not absorb as well.  That rustic look is just what I was going for.  I've sponged around every panel and element (including each heart) ..... I had planned to sponge around the outer edge of the card front, but got too excited about having enough light to photograph the card on this bleak day, so will do that before I put the card in the post!  The 'embossed' part is the Kraft dotty panel in the centre, and the sentiment panel; I've used the 'debossed' side to complement the simply, un-fussy, look of the rest of the card.

Stamps: I {Heart} Hearts, Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Card: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Real Red

Ink: Versamark inkpad, Chocolate Chip, Real Red and Sahara Sand stampin' pads

Other: Heart to Heart Punch, Round Tab Punch, Word Window Punch, Linen Thread, 5/16" jumbo brads, dimensionals, sponge daubers, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder

Our "Helping Hudson" fundraiser officially winds up on Sunday!!  So, if you haven't already been to the website to purchase the fabulous bundles of tutorials (AMAZING value, at only $10 for 10 tutorials), or make a donation towards Hudson's Kidwalk, please do so in the next two days.  Your support is greatly appreciated - thank you!

"HELPING HUDSON" COLOUR CHALLENGE ....and a Sneak Peek!

This week's colour challenge at "Helping Hudson" is to use these beautiful colours together:

I have had all sorts of ideas this week, but they haven't come to fruition, so I decided to 'clear my mind' and go back to using my tried-and-true Top Note die.  I hope you're not thoroughly sick of seeing it, after all my "quilted" Top Notes that I shared with you the other day!  This die is just so versatile; I love it to bits.

The only stamping on this card is the sentiment, which is a new, to-die-for CUTE stamp, that will be available from 1st September.  It even has its own co-ordinating punch (also used on my card) - you'll just *have* to have these, people!!

I love all the colours in this week's challenge, and think they complement each other beautifully.  Here is the card I made today .... please forgive the 'questionable' photography.   It was all I could manage, quickly snapping a shot of my card out on our decking, before the gusty wind picked it up and carried it away.  (I got it back.)

Stamps: *New* stamp being released 1st September

Card: Very Vanilla, So Saffron, Baja Breeze textured

Ink: Chocolate Chip and Baja Breeze stampin' pads

DSP: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, So Saffron Prints DSP, Bella Rose Designer Series Paper

Other: Chocolate Chip taffeta ribbon, Button Latte buttons, Perfect Polka Dots and Manhattan Flowers embossing folders, Mini Glue Dots, *New* punch coming 1st September

JUST ADD INK #30

The wonderful girls over at Just Add Ink have combined their regular weekly challenge with a little helping hand for Hudson.  The Design Team have come up with the most incredible submissions this week - you MUST go check them out!  Gorgeous, delightful, and awe-inspiring - and I'm talking about the women themselves, not just their amazing projects.

The theme of this week's challenge is to "Just Add Wheels".  I am pretty darn proud of myself, because, having had limited opportunities to stamp 'just for fun' lately, I've been able to kill three birds with one stone (figuratively speaking, of course).  This month I'm running  a couple of classes with a 'wheels' theme, in aid of the "Helping Hudson" fundraiser.  One of the cards we made fits the bill perfectly for the JAI challenge.  The third bonus is that this card is intended for a very dear friend of mine, who is in the happy position of having just become a grandmother for the very first time.

I've incorporated a Stampin' Around wheel (Fast Flowers was used to create the gorgeous background on the main panel), two circles to hold and mat the image, and a pram which, of course, has wheels.  How cool is that for meeting the criteria?

Stamps: Fun & Fast Notes, Fast Flowers stampin' around wheel

Card: Confetti White, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink

Ink: Regal Rose stampin' pad, Pretty in Pink stampin' pad, standard ink cartridge and marker, white gel pen

Other: Mat pack and paper piercing tool, Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon, Whisper White 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Word Window punch, sponge dauber, Circles #2 Sizzix die, dimensionals, Clear Rhinestone Brad (gem popped out), affixed with Crystal Effects

I'm hoping to fit in some more stamping time this weekend, so you never know, you might even see another post from me before the end of tomorrow!  Thanks for visiting my blog, and I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing weekend.

QUILTED TOP NOTES IN RETIRING DESIGNER SERIES PAPERS

Well, folks, the title of this post is a pretty good indicator of what I have to show you today!

When our current Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalogue finishes at the end of this month, ALL of the packs of Designer Series Papers will retire, to make way for new designs and colours.  Now is the time to put in an order for any of the papers you've had your eye on .... once they retire, they won't be coming back.  Great news, though - several of these papers are on special!!  I'll tell  you a bit more as I go along.

A GREAT way of using up any scraps of Designer Series Paper (which, from hereon in, shall be referred to as "DSP") is to make a Quilted Top Note.  I'm sure you've seen these all over the 'blogosphere', but I hope you'll still enjoy what I have to show you.  When I found out how simple it was to make these, I had a bit of a 'field day' with my Big Shot, Top Note Die, and different packs of DSP.  I love the different looks achieved by switching around the colours. 


Firstly, I'll show you a card I made using "Bella Bleu" DSP, which is simply divine.  I think I might've gone a bit overboard with the blue on this card!

Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Best Yet

Card: Brocade Blue, Kraft, Very Vanilla

DSP: Bella Bleu

Ink: Versamark inkpad, Brocade Blue stampin' pad, Sahara Sand stampin' pad & marker

Other: Top Note die, 1 1/4" square punch, XL Two-Step Bird Punch, sponge daubers, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, Scallop Circle punch, Brocade Blue 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Very Vanilla taffeta ribbon, white gel pen

The next card I have to show you is a Christmas card, similar to one I've shared before, and to those that all of my class participants have made in the past month.  This card uses "Holiday Treasures" DSP, which is the Christmas paper in the current catalogue.  I love it, especially for this technique - the patterns and colours co-ordinate beautifully, don't you think?  "Holiday Treasures" DSP is on sale this month, for only $12.71 per pack!  Each pack contains 12 sheets of double-sided 12"x12" patterned paper.  That equates to only $1.06 per sheet, which is super-cheap for DSP.

Stamps: Snow Swirled

Card: Old Olive, Whisper White

DSP: Holiday Treasures

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive and Riding Hood Red stampin' pads, Versamark inkpad

Other: Top Note die, 1 1/4" square punch, Wide Oval punch, sponge daubers, Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon, black fine line marker

One of my favourite paper packs from the current catalogue is "Haiku" DSP.  It, too, is on special, until the end of August (or, until sold out) at only $12.71 per pack!  Here is a simple card I made, using the Quilted Top Note technique:

Stamps: Tiny Tags, Seeing Spots

Card: Tangerine Tango, Whisper White

DSP: Haiku

Ink: So Saffron, Old Olive and Tangerine Tango stampin' pads, Versamark inkpad, Jet Black Staz-On inkpad

Other: Top Note die, 1 1/4" square punch, Medium Jewelry Tag Punch, Heart to Heart Punch, sponge dauber, Whisper White taffeta ribbon, Old Olive 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, black fine line marker

My next card uses "Raspberry Tart" DSP, also on sale this month (while stocks last), for $12.71 per pack.  Sorry about the glare off the silver hardware - I couldn't photograph it well, but it reads "Friends Forever".  This card has NO stamping on it at all!!

Card: Rose Red, Whisper White

DSP: Raspberry Tart

Ink: Cameo Coral stampin' pad

Other: Top Note die, 1 1/4" square punch, 1" Rose Red double-stitched ribbon, Kiwi Kiss satin ribbon, Fleurettes II and Hooray Designer Hardware (both NLA), Crop-a-dile, sticky strip, sponge dauber, white gel pen

Finally, I have a very bright and happy card made using "Pink Flamingo" DSP.  This gorgeous, colourful, paper is on sale this month for a mere $8.48 - that's a 50% saving on the regular price!

Stamps: Polka Dot, Short & Sweet

Card: Cameo Coral, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White

DSP: Pink Flamingo

Ink: Cameo Coral stampin' pad, Versamark inkpad, Jet Black Staz-On inkpad

Other: Top Note die, 1 1/4" square punch, Lots of Tags sizzlits die, Word Window Punch, Whisper White taffeta ribbon, Tempting Turquoise 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, sponge daubers, rhinestones from Clear Rhinestone brads, black fine line marker, mini glue dots

I hope this variety of cards inspires you to try out the technique for yourself.  Email me if you need any help, or further details.  I can take orders for any of the retiring products up until 31st August, but make sure you get in soon if you don't want to miss out!