INKSPIRATIONS COLOUR CHALLENGE #80

For the past few days, I've been a bit intimidated by this week's Inkspirations colour challenge!!  I decided to bite the bullet and have a go, after being inspired by a masking technique my friend Helen showed me on one of her gorgeous cards.

I've come up with a very simple little note card, using just splashes of colour on a mostly white 'canvas'.  Because I've made, and photographed, this card at night, I apologise that you really have to squint to see the details!  I added a Whisper White scalloped border to the bottom of the card.  The central panel was masked off with a Post-it Note, and stamped with Pocket Silhouettes.  Sweet little Itty Bitty Flower punchies add a bit of embellishment.  The edges of the Pear Pizzazz mat have been distressed a little.

Stamps: Sincere Salutations, Pocket Silhouettes

Card: Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, SU! Note card in Whisper White, Peach Parfait

DSP: Concord Crush Patterns Designer Series Paper

Ink: Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz and Peach Parfait stampin' pads

Other: Stamp-a-ma-jig, Scallop Edge border punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch, Basic Pearls

JUST ADD INK #60

This week at Just Add Ink, the challenge is to use the following colours on a card, scrapbook page, or other papercraft project:

I have made a very simple, kind of playful, card.  Would you believe that it took SEVEN stamp sets to make this card???!!!

Stamps: Fox & Friends; Cheep Talk; Flight of the Butterfly; Inspired by Nature; Pocket Silhouettes; Silhouette Sentiments; Hello, You

Card: Crumb Cake, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White

DSP: Crumb Cake Patterns Designer Series Paper

Ink: Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry and Crumb Cake stampin' pads

Other: Modern Label punch, 1" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Basic Rhinestones, sponge daubers

I plan to have at least one more attempt at making a card using these colours, as they go so well together.

POCKET SILHOUETTES "THANK YOU" CARD

A friend, who I haven't seen enough of in recent years, attended one of my card-making classes this past weekend, and I'm pleased to say her love of stamping seems to have been re-ignited!  Theresa has ordered Pocket Silhouettes and Sincere Salutations, two stamp sets that I love, and get a lot of use out of.
With this in mind, I thought that I'd pop a card in the post to let her know I am really pleased she came to my class ..... hopefully we'll share many more stamping sessions in future!  Now that the card should have safely reached its destination, I can put it up here to show you.

Stamps: Pocket Silhouettes, Sincere Salutations

Card: Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede

DSP: Elegant Soiree Designer Series Paper

Ink: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede and Marina Mist stampin' pads

Other: Wide Oval punch, Eyelet Border punch, Lots of Tags sizzlits, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Beautiful Wings embosslits, sponge dauber, Very Vanilla taffeta ribbon, mini glue dots, Basic Pearls

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

YAY FOR THE BUTTERFLY PUNCH (and JUMBO BRADS)!

With the 'expiry' of the recent Summer Mini catalogue, from Stampin' Up!, I was most concerned that the Butterfly punch would be no longer available.  This long-awaited, versatile, punch has been available in Australia for only a few short months, and has proven very popular - it co-ordinates not only with the Butterfly Prints stamp set from the Summer Mini, but with the Flight of the Butterfly stamp set from the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalogue (which is current through until the end of August).  I LOVE it.

Great news, people!  Stampin' Up! has several products, from both the Summer Mini catalogue, and the earlier Spring Mini catalogue, that will carry over into our new catalogue coming out in September.  Even though these products don't appear in a current catalogue, they are still available to purchase.  So, if you haven't yet bought the Scallop Oval punch (that mats beautifully behind the Large Oval punch), or the Butterfly Punch, or Jumbo brads, to name a few, don't despair!

I thought I'd share with you today a few cards on which I've used these products, so you can see what a nice touch they add to a card.  Settle in for a little trip down Memory Lane!


First up, the BUTTERFLY PUNCH:












On this next card I've used both the Butterfly Punch and the SCALLOP OVAL PUNCH:



... and another card (using a retired stamp set), showing how well the Large Oval Punch fits inside the Scallop Oval Punch:




Stampin' Up!'s punches co-ordinate so beautifully with the stamp sets, and make it very easy to achieve a beautiful result with your card-making and scrapbooking.

Being a huge fan of brads (split pins) as an embellishment, I've made a number of cards with both the 'giant' 5/8" size, and the smaller 5/16" brads, both of which come in a Neutrals Assortment (Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip and Silver).  Unfortunately, I seem to have given away most of the cards, without photographing them first.  Here are a few photos of cards that have the 5/8" JUMBO BRADS on them:










I love how flat these brads are. The smaller size (5/16") is great to add to flower centres.


So, as well as feeling the excitement of all the gorgeous new products just released in Australia, I'm really happy to be able to share this news about some 'not so new' favourites.

If I can help you with a Stampin' Up! order (no need to hold a workshop, if you'd just like to order direct), please email me.  I am happy to answer any questions I can!

BROWN AND TEAL PLANTS

My post title today conjures up images of rather sickly flora, but that's not really the picture I wanted to convey!  Last night I was getting ready to go to bed, at what was a reasonable time, when I had a burst of inspiration to create with the colours Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip and Taken With Teal.  Since I have been a bit tired to make much in the way of cards this week, I decided to grab the opportunity to create (and in the process I stayed up way too late).

The key focus of my first card is the divine stamp set Organic Outlines.  The small flower on the oval panel is also from this set - I just stamped it off four times (!) on scrap paper before stamping it on Very Vanilla card, so it produced a subtle impression.  I love the look of a soft image over-stamped with a sentiment.  All of the stamps used on this card are from Organic Outlines set.



Stamps: Organic Outlines

Card: Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Taken with Teal, Very Vanilla

Ink: Close to Cocoa stampin' pad, Taken with Teal stampin' pad and marker, Chocolate Chip stampin' pad and marker

Other: Sponge daubers, wide oval punch, chocolate chip taffeta ribbon, scallop edge punch, ice circles rhinestone brads, dimensionals

Please excuse the totally un-thought-out photography; I didn't even notice the rather gawdy contrast with the green walls until I uploaded the photos, and I'm altogether too lazy to re-take and upload the shot (our computer is soooooo sloooooow)!

For my second card, I used another of my favourite stamp sets, Pocket Silhouettes, that has been rather neglected lately.  This is a great little set; I had a lot of fun making this card.  For the rhinestone centre in the felt flower, I didn't want the bulk of a brad, so I splayed the prongs of the brad wide open, and removed the rhinestone from its claw setting (sounds complicated, but it was very easy).  This was a tip I found on Mary Fish's Stampin' Pretty blog - Mary's a bit of a Stampin' Up! guru, and has lots of simple and fun tips to share.



Stamps: Pocket Silhouettes, Great Friend

Card: Chocolate Chip, Taken With Teal, Kraft, Very Vanilla

Ink: Chocolate Chip stampin' pad and marker, Taken With Teal stampin' pad and marker, Sahara Sand stampin' pad

Other: Felt flower from Flower Fusion Too, ice circle rhinestone brad (removed from casing), scallop circle punch, dimensionals, stamp-a-ma-jig, Valet Ribbon

I am looking forward to having some 'play time' over the weekend, as work is pretty stressful at the moment.  Have half a day of my eldest son's football tomorrow, but other than that very few commitments - just how I like it!  I must get my craft room tidied up a bit so I have some space in which to stamp.  I'll be back soon to share some more cards. Thanks for visiting!

I have a couple of new favourites ......

Hello my friends!  I've been a bit absent from the blogging world lately, as we are attempting to prepare for being away for a couple of weeks.  There is so much to think about in advance of a holiday, with having our own business; it becomes rather stressful, trying to envisage anything that may eventuate in our absence, and putting into place contingency plans!!  We are SOOOO looking forward to the wonderful trip we are about to go on - just busy, busy, busy in the lead-up.  So, if you think I've dropped off the face of the earth in the next few weeks, I assure you we are just languishing in warmer climes, and I will be back!

But for now, I'd like to share with you a couple of cards that I've made in 'stolen moments' in my craft room in recent evenings.  I am LOVING the En Francais background stamp from Stampin' Up! This is the first 'favourite' I refer to in my post title.  It never fails to impress me, how a single stamp can turn a plain ole' piece of card into a panel that looks intricately detailed.  I love that it can be stamped off, and used as a subtle background, or it can be stamped boldly to be a feature.  Super-versatile, and I don't think I will tire of this stamp.

On my first card, I tried out a new (for me) colour combination, of Very Vanilla (yummo), Creamy Caramel and Baja Breeze.  The centre of the flower was stamped in Baja Breeze onto vanilla card, then punched out with a 1/2" circle punch, so I could custom-make a brad.  I am a bit disappointed with the result, as the resin in the Build-A-Brad has a real yellow tinge to it - I had read on others' blogs that they had found the same thing, but so far all my other brad 'tops' have been lovely and clear.  Anyhoo, I think this card is rather pretty, and hope you think so too!

 

Stamps: En Francais, On Your Birthday, Polka Dot Punches, Organic Grace

Card: Creamy Caramel, Very Vanilla, Baja Breeze

Ink: Creamy Caramel stampin' pad and marker, Baja Breeze stampin' pad

Other: Sponge Daubers, rectangle nestabilities, 5-petal flower punch, Build-A-Brad, small brads from my own extensive stash!

Now, the next product that has worked its way into my heart, and I must say comes a close second to kraft card, is Stampin' Up!'s Naturals Ivory card.   It has a coarser 'tooth' than the super-smooth Very Vanilla, and is just a bit more 'rustic' looking.  For my next card, I combined Naturals Ivory with Kraft and Purely Pomegranate (one of last years 'in' colours, the demise of which  thousands of us are still lamenting!).  I had some pomegranate textured card, which is just beautiful on its own, but which I decided to alter a bit by repeatedly stamping one of the Pocket Silhouettes images on, to create a subtle background.  I've used Sahara Sand ink to complement the kraft (these colours are a great match - I'm a mad fan), and in adding ribbon I decided I could get away with including a strip of River Rock (another retired 'in colour'), as the yellow tones go well with the ivory card, don't you think?  Here is my creation:



Stamps: En Francais, Pocket Silhouettes, Occasional Greetings

Card: Kraft, Purely Pomegranate textured (retired), Naturals Ivory

Ink: Purely Pomegranate (retired), Sahara Sand

Other: Labels One Nestabilities, sponge daubers, kraft taffeta ribbon, mini glue dots, double-stitched ribbon in Purely Pomegranate & River Rock (retired)

I'm now off to have a coffee with my dear friend Claire. I took the day off work to run errands and attend Claire's Stampin' Up! new demonstrator training session, but everyone else has bailed out on us!  Oh well, don't want to miss the opportunity for a chat before I go away as I will miss our first-Thursday-of-the-month stamping night .  If you're reading this, Kerry, Judy and Leanne, I love you all and I'll see you at the August one!!  Will miss you, girls.

Christine x

FLIGHT OF THE BUTTERFLY

Last week, as I was eagerly awaiting delivery of my new Flight of the Butterfly stamp set, I found a card on Splitcoaststampers (an online stampers' community) that took my breath away.  I had been imagining only soft, 'girly', colours when I envisaged using this set, but saw a black & kraft card made by Renee Van Stralen. 

I have used Renee's layout, but changed the colours around.  Even though it was the dark colours that initially drew me to her card, I ended up using Bella Bleu papers, and yummy vanilla and kraft colours.  Brocade Blue is a surprise favourite of mine at the moment; I am not normally a big user of blue, but I am really happy with the way this card has turned out.  Thanks for the inspiration, Renee!



Stamps: Flight of the Butterfly, Pocket Silhouettes, Best Yet

Card: Kraft, Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla

DSP: Bella Bleu

Ink: Sahara Sand, Not Quite Navy and Brocade Blue stampin' pads

Other: Kraft and Vanilla taffeta ribbon, mini glue dots, Build-A-Brad, stamp-a-ma-jig, dimensionals.



I hope to fit in much more creative time this week (some of the load has been lifted from me at work), so will be back with more cards soon!

Love Notes

After a few days' absence, I'm back with a couple of cards - little cuties.  Stampin' Up! has tiny cards called Love Notes, which measure 7.5cm (3") square.  Each pack contains cards and adorable matching envelopes in Whisper White and Very Vanilla (10 each).  I have had a play with them tonight, and here's what I came up with:



I really enjoyed making some mini creations for a change; these cards are very sweet.  They would make beautiful gift cards, or hand-delivered gifts - I don't think Australia Post could be trusted to safely deliver such little mail items.  I have photographed each of the cards individually, so you can see the details a little clearer.

I wanted to keep this first card fairly simple, and love the crisp Basic Gray stamped image (looks more 'blurry' than 'crisp' in the photo, but I assure you it's better in real life!).  I paper-pieced the bird, from the Friends 24-7 set, by stamping it in Basic Gray ink on Baja Breeze paper from the Urban Garden pack. I cut the bird out and popped it up on dimensionals, over the image I'd stamped on Whisper White card.  This paper is so pretty; I am in LOVE with the colour. (Well, it's fair to say that I love most of Stampin' Up!'s colours, really!  This year's "in colours" are pretty special, though.) My little card is finished off with a couple of silver brads from Stampin' Up!'s Vintage Brad selection (great assortment of silver, black, pewter and antique brass brads).



Stamps: Friends 24-7, Short & Sweet

Card: Whisper White, Basic Gray, Baja Breeze

DSP: Urban Garden

Ink: Basic Gray, Baja Breeze

Other: Word Window Punch, silver brads, dimensionals, sponge dauber



Next up is my Very Vanilla card, with Bella Bleu and Kraft accents.  I make no secret of my obsession with kraft-coloured card - the matching taffeta ribbon is beautiful, and now I have a Sahara Sand stampin' pad, I am in heaven!  The ink colour goes so well with kraft card.  I'm one very happy girl!  I used Pocket Silhouettes stamps only on this card; the main image (and pattern on the butterfly), and the sentiment are from the same set.  It's a beautiful little stamp set, which I can see myself using a lot. The size of the image is perfect for a card this size.



Stamps: Pocket Silhouettes

Card: Very Vanilla, Not Quite Navy, kraft

DSP: Bella Bleu

Ink: Sahara Sand, Not Quite Navy

Other: Scallop Edge Punch, Build-A-Brad, 1/2" circle punch, kraft taffeta ribbon, sponge dauber, mini glue dots, butterfly punch (non-SU)



I would insert some witty banter here, but I am very tired (was out until the wee hours of this morning at stamp group, laughing and creating with my lovely friends at Claire's house!).  Claire has very graciously (LOL) shown me how to link to her blog in my sidebar!  Just waiting for the favour to be returned now, number 3 demonstrator! 

Thanks for visiting, and to my lovely friends (new and old) who visit my blog and leave comments, I love you!  It really brightens my day!

Trees, birds and butterflies....

are some of my favourite elements on cards at the moment.  Thank you Stampin' Up! for all the beautiful stamps that feed my desire for such things!!  First up I have a couple of cards made using the great little Trendy Trees set.  This first card, I think, would make a suitable sympathy card.  It is simple, with classic colours.  Check out the cute little bird brad that I have had in my stash for a while; along with the button (non-SU, but how well do the colours match?!), it helps finish off the card nicely.  I have stamped on the Night of Navy card with Very Vanilla craft ink (not available in the current catalogue, but I couldn't resist - it complements the vanilla card so well).  The beautiful paper is from my brand new Urban Garden pack, just arrived today.

By the way, there is a GREAT promotion running through the month of May, with Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper (12" x 12" - perfect for scrapbooking,cardmaking, and other papercrafts).  If you buy three packs of the DSP, at $16.95 per pack (plus postage), you can choose another pack FOR FREE!  This is such a great offer - the range of papers is beautiful, and I would be happy to show you some 'real life' samples if you live near me in the outer east of Melbourne (I am in Mt Evelyn).  If you would like to take advantage of this limited-time offer, or if you would like to buy any products from the current Stampin' Up Idea Book & Catalogue, please contact me by email: c.blain@yarravalleysnackfoods.com

Now, on to the aforementioned card ....



Stamps: Trendy Trees

Card: Very Vanilla, Night of Navy, Kiwi Kiss

DSP: Urban Garden

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, Night of Navy, Very Vanilla

Other: Kiwi Kiss 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, eyelet border punch, sponge dauber, Nestabilities, velvet bird brad (7Gypsies), dimensionals, cardboard button



Next up is a bold-coloured card, using Trendy Trees, to show what a different result you can achieve just by using different inks and cardstock.  I got the idea for this card from a Splitcoast gallery - sorry, but I didn't note whose.  I love the crispness of the foliage stamped in four of this year's "in colours".  It's not obvious in the photo, but I stamped just the spiral tree-top all over the Pacific Point card, to create a simple background.  Inside the card I inserted some white card (couldn't resist sponging those edges), stamped with one little tree for a cute touch.





Stamps: Trendy Trees

Card: Pacific Point, Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point, Tangerine Tango

Other: Kiwi Kiss 5/8" grosgrain, word window punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig


Warning - the next card is BRIGHT!  It's not my usual pick of colours, but gets the 'thumbs up' from my boys, so I decided to put it on here.  I used the Cheep Talk stamp set, using markers to colour the bird and the orange flower.  I used a Versamark ink pad, to ink up the flower and stamp all over the larger panel of Tempting Turquoise card.  Lots of co-ordinating card and ribbon on this one.



Stamps: Cheep Talk

Card: Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant, Tempting Turquoise, Only Orange

Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Tempting Turquoise, Only Orange Stampin' Write Markers, Versamark

Other: 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 1/2" circle punch, scallop circle punch, corner rounder punch, eyelet border punch, dimensionals, 1/2" grosgrain ribbon - elegant eggplant, tempting turquoise, only orange, glitter brad (Doodlebug)


My fourth, and final, card for today's spot of sharing is using kraft - my "go-to" card and colour.  I just love it.  As soon as I saw the Bella Bleu DSP that has just become available, I knew I had to have it - it co-ordinates beautifully with Kraft and Very Vanilla, and introduces Not Quite Navy to the mix.  Stunning.  I think this card would definitely be suitable as a sympathy card; not the sort of card any of us like to have to make, but necessary.  I love the muted colours in this card, and have kept it very simple; I like the 'wallpaper' effect of the DSP.



Stamps: Pocket Silhouettes, Best Yet, Friends 24-7

Card: Kraft, Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla

DSP: Very Vanilla

Ink: Very Vanilla Craft (not in current catalogue), Not Quite Navy

Other: Oval Nestabilities, kraft taffeta ribbon, scallop edge punch, large half pearls (from Pretties Kit), 3/4" circle punch, sponge daubers, butterfly punch (non-SU)


I hope you've enjoyed the variety of cards I've posted today.  I am a long-time customer of Stampin' Up! and have only recently signed up as a demonstrator; I can vouch for the fantastic qualities of these products, and would love to share my enthusiasm with you!  Please don't hesitate to email me if you have any questions, or if there are any products you NEED! 

Christine :)