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!

 

 

 



SC 060/12: SKETCH CHALLENGE, WITH EMBOSSING

The challenge this week, at Sunny Challenges & Creations, is to create a papercraft project based on the sketch below.  The second component of the challenge is to use embossing on your project.

I have had a lovely time playing with some new products, as well as showing some love to an 'old favourite' stamp set that I haven't used for a while.  On my card, I have used dry-embossing (using the new Woodgrain embossing folder with Core'dinations cardstock), and heat-embossing (using the new Early Espresso embossing powder on the tree).  So, I've got the "embossing" component covered!

Stamps: Serene Silhouettes, Itty Bitty Banners, French Foliage

Card: Naturals White, Raspberry Ripple, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso Core'dinations cardstock

Ink: Versamark inkpad, Early Espresso stampin' pad and marker, Crumb Cake stampin' pad, Raspberry Ripple stampin' pad and marker

Other: Early Espresso embossing powder, Raspberry Ripple stitched satin ribbon, Labels Collection Framelits, Bitty Banners Framelits, Woodgrain embossing folder, Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch, Linen Thread and needle, Festive Paper-Piercing pack, sponge dauber, mini glue dots, stampin' dimensionals, paper snips

 

 

We'd love to have you play along with us at Sunny Challenges & Creations this week.  Make sure you check out the rest of the Design Team's samples, for inspiration!

 

 

 



SC 0032/12 : STAMPIN' UP! PAISLEY PETALS

This week's challenge over at Sunny Challenges & Creations is to use Designer Series Paper, along with this sketch, to make a card or scrapbook page:

I have used the colours Baja Breeze, River Rock, Not Quite Navy and Whisper White - taken from Stampin' Up!'s Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper.

Stamps: Thoughts & Prayers, French Foliage

Card: Baja Breeze, River Rock, Whisper White

DSP: Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper

Ink: River Rock stampin' pad and marker, Baja Breeze stampin' pad and marker, Not Quite Navy stampin' pad

Other: Color Spritzer tool, Beautiful Wings embosslits die, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Not Quite Navy taffeta ribbon, Eyelet border punch, Basic Pearls, White baker's twine, button (retired), sponge daubers, mini glue dots, vellum

SC 31/12: CHALKBOARD TECHNIQUE USING STAMPIN' UP!'S FRENCH FOLIAGE

Last week I sat down to make a card for Sunny Challenges & Creations, only to realise I'd missed the deadline ..... so, I was determined this week to be more organised!

This week's challenge is, as usual, a double-edged one - to use the sketch below, and to use the chalkboard technique.

I am guilty of not playing with my Stampin' Pastels very often, so this was a great challenge for me.  My interpretation of the Chalkboard Technique, is to stamp an image on dark coloured cardstock, with white craft ink, then to lay down colour on the image using chalks. 

I have made a masculine card (no great surprise, for those of you who know me!), using Stampin' Up!'s French Foliage stamp set.  I stamped several leaves on a piece of Early Espresso cardstock, using Whisper White craft ink (it's slow-drying pigment ink).  I then used my Stampin' Pastels in various colours - Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango, Soft Suede, Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, More Mustard, and Early Espresso - to colour the leaves.  When I'd finished, I rubbed the panel with a tissue to remove chalk dust.  It leaves a great result, and I had such fun making this - must use this technique more!

Stamps: French Foliage, Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Card: Early Espresso, More Mustard, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede

DSP: Soft Suede Patterns Designer Series Paper

Ink: Whisper White, Early Espresso, Soft Suede stampin' pads

Other: Stampin' Pastels, Square Lattice embossing folder, sponge daubers, Linen Thread, Word Window punch, Basics Glimmer Brad, Nestabilities, edge distressing tool

JAI #108 : COLOUR CHALLENGE

Nikki has come up with this week's challenge at Just Add Ink,  to use these gorgeous colours together on a papercraft project:

I've run with the idea of Pool Party being a great bird's egg colour, and come up with this:

Stamps: Nature Walk, French Foliage, Established Elegance, Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Card: Early Espresso, Pool Party, Whisper White

Ink: Pool Party stampin' pad and marker, Island Indigo stampin' pad and marker, Early Espresso stampin' pad and marker

Other: Color Spritzer tool, Edge distressing tool, Island Indigo ruffled ribbon, Square Lattice embossing folder, Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, aquapainter, stampin' dimensionals, mini glue dots, sponge dauber

Make sure you check out the rest of the Design Team's samples over at Just Add Ink.  We hope to inspire you, to play along with us this week!

STAMPIN' UP!'S AUTUMN-WINTER MINI CATALOGUE

Sadly, there's only a week to go until the Autumn-Winter mini catalogue from Stampin' Up! is no longer current.  I am hopeful that a number of the beautiful  products from the mini will carry over into our new Idea Book & Catalogue coming out in September, but at this stage there are no guarantees.

This past week I taught a couple of classes, using products from the Autumn-Winter mini.  I thought, that since my blog posts are a bit few and far between these days, I'd share with you a few of the cards we made.

First up is a little card made using Stampin' Up!'s fabulous notecards (only $9.50 for 20 notecards and envelopes - very sweet, and great value).  The butterfly from Strength & Hope is the focal point:

Stamps: Strength & Hope, Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Card: Whisper White, Early Espresso, Pretty in Pink textured, Whisper White notecard

DSP: Pretty in Pink Patterns Designer Series Paper

Ink: Early Espresso and Pretty in Pink stampin' pads

Other: Pretty in Pink 1/8" taffeta ribbon, Whisper White 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, 1 3/4" circle punch, 2 3/8" Scallop circle punch, Circles #2 die, Word Window punch, Basic Pearls, sponge daubers, mini glue dots, stampin' dimensionals

When I first saw the Autumn Spice Specialty Designer Series Paper in the mini catalogue, it didn't appeal to me at all.  However, one look at it in real life, and it won me over - it is really beautiful.  The next card I have to share is a card in autumnal colours, inspired entirely by this card that my friend Sue made.  I hadn't used my Build-A-Brads for a while, and they were a bit of a hit.

Stamps: French Foliage, Sincere Salutations

Card: More Mustard, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze

DSP: Autumn Spice Specialty Designer Series Paper

Ink: More Mustard and Early Espresso stampin' pads

Other: Wide Oval punch, Decorative Label punch, Early Espresso 1 1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon, Build-A-Brad, 1/2" circle punch, sponge daubers, mini glue dots, 1 3/8" square punch

Lastly, I have a card to show you using some of the very sweet stamps from the Clearly For You stamp set.    Rich Razzleberry is such a gorgeous colour; I must use it more.

Stamps: Clearly For You, En Francais, Very Vintage jumbo stampin' around wheel

Card: Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Rich Razzleberry

Ink: Crumb Cake stampin' pad, Rich Razzleberry stampin' pad and marker, Jet Black Staz-on inkpad

Other: Scallop Edge border punch, 1 3/8" x 5/8" Oval punch, 1 3/4" x 7/8" Oval punch, 2 x 1 3/8" Oval punch, Lots of Tags sizzlits die, Basic Black 3/8" taffeta ribbon, sponge dauber, Stampin' dimensionals, mini glue dots

STAMPIN' UP!'S "FRENCH FOLIAGE" IN PINK

I would like to share with you a card that is on its way to a friend, who lives too far away, who is in the fight of her life at the moment.  I wanted the card to be a bit soft and girly, but with an earthy feel as well; I like the symbolism of nature, and renewal, and hope.

I've used Stampin' Up!'s French Foliage stamp set (one of my absolute favourites from the current Autumn Winter mini catalogue), but with non-autumnal colours.  I really love how it turned out.  I had to photograph the card inside, because the weather is SO bleak in Melbourne.  It doesn't show clearly, but I used my crimper to add a bit of texture to the sentiment oval. (I've also straightened up that second pearl!)

Stamps: French Foliage, Because I Care (hostess set)

Card: Blushing Bride, Sahara Sand, Confetti White

DSP: Blushing Bride Patterns Designer Series Paper (hostess pack)

Ink: Blushing Bride and Sahara Sand stampin' pads

Other: Basic Pearls, Wide Oval punch, Lots of Tags sizzlits die, Eyelet border punch, sponge daubers, Crimper, paper snips

"NATURE WALK" FROM STAMPIN' UP!

Earlier this month I ran a couple of card-making classes, to 'show off' the scrumptious new products in Stampin' Up!'s Autumn-Winter Mini catalogue.  We make four cards in every class, and I thought I'd share with you my favourite.

I was very taken with this card made by the supremely-talented Teneale Williams; my eye was drawn immediately to the Bravo Burgundy she used.  It's a colour I don't give much love to, but I was determined to design my own version using Bravo Burgundy as a starting point.  My trusty Stampin' Up! Color Coach suggested I team it with River Rock and Baja Breeze - I thought "what the??!!", but you know what?  The colour combination is FANTASTIC, and I am determined to use it again; love, love, love it.  Here's the card we made in my classes:

Stamps: Nature Walk, French Foliage, Friends 24-7

Card: Bravo Burgundy, Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla

Ink: Bravo Burgundy stampin' pad, Baja Breeze stampin' pad and marker, River Rock stampin' pad and marker

Other: Modern Label punch, blender pens, Basic Pearls, Stamping sponge, Stamp-a-ma-jig, sponge dauber, edge distressing tool

Since this is my second post for today, I want to just remind you that you NEED to come back over the weekend to check out the blog hop entries posted by a group of us Australian Stampin' Up! demonstrators!  We'll have more great ideas for you, for using products from the Autumn-Winter Mini catalogue.

STAMPIN' UP! "AUTUMN SPICE" THANKS

It's a rather bleak Autumn day in Melbourne, but I do love this time of year.  Right at the top of my "bucket list" is to see New England in the Fall .... one day!

I just adore Stampin' Up's new Autumn Spice Specialty Designer Series Paper.  It is heavy-weight, slightly textured paper, and has the most beautiful designs;  I love every sheet, which is a bit rare for an entire pack of paper.

The medallion-style flowers on some of the paper simply begged to be cut out, so I did just that and made a card with them, adding very little stamping.  I've added a little dimenson to a couple of the flower centres, by punching out another of the goreous patterns on the same sheet of paper, and affixing the circle punchies with brads in complementary colours.

Stamps: French Foliage, Afterthoughts

Card: More Mustard, Cherry Cobbler

DSP: Autumn Spice Specialty Designer Series Paper

Ink: Versamark inkpad, Early Espresso and More Mustard stampin' pads

Other: Modern Label punch, Early Espresso 1 1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon, Regals brads, 3/4" circle punch, stampin' dimensionals, sponge dauber, paper snips

Now, if you're looking to fill in a little time over the weekend, while you wait for the Easter Bunny to visit, there is a blog hop going on!  Some friends and I are showcasing products from Stampin' Up!'s Autumn-Winter Mini catalogue, with the 'hop' going live tomorrow morning.  Be sure to come back to check out what we've made!

HAPPY EASTER everyone, and to all my friends and blog readers in Australia and New Zealand, have a happy and safe extra-long weekend, with ANZAC Day observed in addition to Easter.

COLOR LAB CHALLENGE #36

Thanks to my friend Kris, I was prompted to check out this week's Color Lab Challenge.  I've been a bit remiss in keeping up with my usual favourites this past week, as I've had to work three days in a row (a bit taxing when I've got rather used to not working! LOL).  Now that it's school holidays, so the usual rushing around is reduced a little, I hope to get in some stamping time.


Here's the great colour combo for this week:

I decided Stampin' Up!'s French Foliage set would be perfect stamped in these colours.  It's a great set for creating a collage-style background, with minimal effort.  LOVE it!!!  I've gone for a very simple style of card, with a masculine feel.  I really had to stop myself from adding brads, or twine, or piercing .... but I'm really pleased with the end result.

Stamps: French Foliage, Occasional Greetings

Card: Early Espresso, Naturals Ivory

Ink: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake and Poppy Parade stampin' pads

Other: Stamp-a-ma-jig, sponge daubers, paper snips