Accented Blooms and Subtle Embossing Folder

By | June 14, 2018
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Hi there

At last months team training I got to use the new Subtle Embossing Folder (page 223) and I’m sure you will want to add this folder to your wish list.  It’s a bit hard to see the texture on the photo in the catalogue so I thought I’d share a close up for you here.

For this project we’ve paired it with the Accented Blooms stamp set on page 19.

The Card base is a returning colour – Coastal Cabana while the mat is a new colour – Granny Apple Green.  These colours both belong to the Brights Collection.  The Tailored Tag Punch which carried over from the Occasions Catalogue coordinates with the two sentiments from this set – here we’ve used the ‘Hello’ which has been stamped in Mango Melody another new Bright colour.

The outline image has been stamped with the returning StazOn Jet Black Ink (page 202) on Shimmery White card stock and then coloured in using the coordinating inks plus Daffodil Delight – you can use aqua painters or blender pens for this.  After the image had been coloured in we ran it through the Big Shot with the Subtle Embossing Folder – it gives a great texture to the card.  The final touches of Dazzling Diamonds, some Basic Black Solid Bakers Twine and a pearl from the Share What You Love pack completes this card.

And here’s a close up view of what the design is like.  I can see this folder being very versatile.

Here’s a fun video that shows a few projects from the new catalogue – have fun watching.

Until next time …

2018-2020 In Color Team Swaps

By | June 10, 2018
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Hi there

May was a very busy month for me – hence not much happening on the blog front – but I’m back on track and have heaps of new projects to share with you.

I hope you’re enjoying the new 2018-2019 Annual Catalogue.  I’m loving the new In Colors and today I’m going to share with you the card I made for our team swaps last month.  It uses a number of new products and I was able to make 30 of these very quickly with the help of the Stamparatus.  This is definitely a ‘must have’ tool for any stamper – check out page 207 of the Annual Catalogue.

Each year Stampin’ Up! introduce 5 new In Colors that are around for two years.  This years In Colors – Lovely Lipstick, Grapefruit Grove, Pineapple Punch, Call Me Clover and Blueberry Bushel – are lovely and bright and best of all is the yellow – I’m in love with it :).

This card showcases the new In Color 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper.  You get four sheets of each design and there are 2 double-sided designs in all five colors.  The DSP squares are 1 1/2″ square with two corners rounded – I used the top of the Envelope Punch Board to achieve this.  Two of the squares are also adhered with Dimensionals.

The ‘Hello’ was stamped using the Make A Difference stamp set which is part of the Share What You Love Suite on page 178.  This is a great set of letters and comes with some additional stamps such as ‘double’ letters – the ‘ll’ is one stamp.  Stamping this was so easy with the help of the Stamparatus – I could get my letters all lined up and stamped perfectly for the 30 samples I was making :).  The background stamp is one I won at OnStage – Birthday Backgrounds on page 71.

The candles across the bottom are from Birthday Backgrounds and were also stamped with the help of the Stamparatus.  As the plates on the Stamparatus are hinged I was able to move it along and my stamp remained perfectly aligned and straight.

Here’s the Blueberry Bushel sample

Call Me Clover

Grapefruit Grove

and finally Lovely Lipstick.

Do you have a favourite In Color yet?  Leave me a comment to let me know your favourite.

Until next time …

Happy Mother’s Day

By | May 13, 2018
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Hi there

Today is Mother’s Day in New Zealand – a day when we honour our Mother’s (and all women) for the amazing contribution they make to our lives.  I am very fortunate that my Mum only lives a few minutes away and we get to see and talk to each other all the time.  She has (and still is) an amazing role model for me and I love her dearly.  She gives so much of herself to her family, friends and those around her in need.  Thank you for everything you do Mum and your unconditional love for us xx.

Here is the card I made for her – it’s called a Double Dutch Fold.  You can see more details about this card on my earlier post here

I also wanted to honour the ladies at Church and give them a little gift today so I made these cute little Ferrero Roche cups.  I also made these ‘Diaper Fold’ pouches and added a tea bag and coffee sachet – they were very well received.  The men were a bit jealous so I’ll have to come up with something special for them for Father’s Day in September.  Sorry the photo’s not that great – I didn’t finish them till late Saturday night 🙂  Thanks to my friend Delys for the inspiration.

They were so quick to make and look really cute.  The little cups use a piece of DSP that measures 2″ x 6″.  First off cut off 2 cm (this will be folded in half lengthwise to create the ‘handle’) then score every 2cm along the 6″ side.  Then score it in half at 1″.  Snip the vertical score lines to the horizontal.  Join together at the side and then fold the cut flaps in to create the bottom.  I added a 1 1/4″ circle on the inside to cover up the flaps.  The handle is adhered to the outside (I used Fast Fuse).  Adhere the cup to a 2″ circle and then adhere to a doilie.  Add the chocolate and you’re done :).

The tea and coffee pouch is made using the ‘Diaper’ fold and doesn’t require any adhesive.  I got my individually wrapped tea bags from Gilmours in Auckland but most supermarkets sell individually wrapped tea bags (I was wanting a box of 100!).

Well I hope you’ve all had a lovely day – and now it’s time for bed.

Until next time …

Share What You Love – new product suite

By | May 7, 2018
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Hi there

This month we have a great promotion on offer.  It’s an early release of one of the upcoming suites in the new catalogue.  It’s called Share What You Love and is a suite to celebrate 30 years of Stampin’ Up! being in business.  There are three different bundles in this offer – ‘Just Getting Started’, ‘A Little More, Please’ and ‘Gotta Have It All’ plus you get the chance to order the new 2018-2020 In Color inks – so place your order before 31 May to receive these new products.  Watch the video below to see what’s included in the three bundles.  You can also check out the Share What You Love flyer on my Promotions page.

At our recent training event we got to have a play with some of the products from this suite and here is the sample I made.

The card base (and stamping on it) is a past favourite In Colour that is returning come 1 June – Mint Macaron.  The other new products used on this card are the coloured pearls, Rich Razzleberry 1/4″ Velvet Ribbon, Pearlised Doily, tag from the embellishment kit and the DSP.

The DSP  consists of handpainted designs on heavyweight sheets.  This thicker paper will be great for making 3D projects as it is stronger.  There are 24 sheets in this pack – 4 each of 6 double-sided designs.  4 of the designs have a translucent pearlised finish.  The paper has a wonderful array of colours – 12 in fact – so I’m sure you’ll love it.

Now I have a ‘special offer’ of my own to share with you.  This month it’s my birthday so for every NZD50.00 order placed with me you will go into a draw for a mystery product present :).  If your order is NZD$100 you’ll get two chances in the draw.  I’ll draw the winner at the end of the month.

May is a busy ‘birthday’ month for me – this is what I got up to yesterday afternoon – writing out 20+ birthday cards so if your birthday is in May expect to see one f these in your letterbox shortly.

Until next time …

Eastern Palace – Fancy Fold Card

By | May 6, 2018
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Hi there

We’ve had some beautiful weather this past week – lovely sunny days with blue skies.  I hope it lasts a bit longer as I’m not a fan of winter.  Although with winter not that far around the corner it does mean that the new Annual Stampin’ Up! catalogue is not far away either – 1 June.  I hope to receive the catalogues in a week so will have them ready to send to you shortly.

Following on from my recent Fancy Fold cards here’s another one.  I CASED the design of this card from an overseas demo – BJ Peters.  I’ve used products from the Eastern Palace Suite and teamed it up with Tranquil Tide, Lemon Lime Twist and Gold – very regal.

When the card is closed it looks just like a normal card front – with a few layers.

But open the side flap and there’s more underneath.  For the front I’ve used one of the larger stickers from the Easter Gold Vinyl Sticker pack.  The stamped images are from the Eastern Beauty stamp set.

Open it even more and all is revealed.  The bow on the ‘arm’ uses the 1/2″ Finely Woven Ribbon – this ribbon is lovely to use for a bow.  I’ve adhered it with a Glue Dot.

To create the front ‘circle’ I cut out a circle in Tranquil Tide then layered it with one of the die cuts from Very Vanilla which has a piece of Lemon Lime Twist behind it.  The centre is layered even more with a piece of Dapper Denim and the sentiment stamped in Dapper Denim on a smaller Very Vanilla circle.

The Eastern Palace Suite was an early release suite last year and Stampin’ Up! have another ‘early release’ suite – ‘Share What You Love’.  The products from this suite have been packaged into three different bundles that are available for the month of May – ‘Just Getting Started’, ‘A Little More, Please’ and ‘Gotta Have It All’.  Come 1 June these bundles will no longer be available but you will be able to purchase the products individually.

I’ll be back tomorrow with a sample to share with you.  In the meantime check out my ‘promotions‘ page to find out more about this suite.

Until then …

Picture Perfect Party Narrow Note Cards & Envelopes

By | April 29, 2018
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Hi there

It’s been a while since I shared my projects using the Picture Perfect Party suite of products but I have one more project to share :).  I created this project as part of my Stamp Camp presentation back in February.  It combines products from the suite along with the Narrow Note Cards & Envelopes.  I also created a box to put them in using the Lots to Love die.  If you have fallen in love with this suite there is only one month left to stock up on the products so let me know if you want to order anything.  I will be placing an order on Tuesday night so let me know before 8:30 pm.

I think I ended up using all the images from the set on these cards :).

I’ve also used some of the Tutti-Frutti sequins as the colours match the papers from Picture Perfect Party DSP pack.

These cards required a bit of ‘fussy’ cutting but that’s OK as I find it quite relaxing – not everyone enjoys fussy cutting.

The box is made from Whisper White card stock and then decorated with this fun design from the Picture Perfect Party DSP pack.  I’ve really loved the bright colours in this pack and will be sad to see it go at the end of May.

Well I’m heading off to bed as it’s back to work tomorrow.

Until next time …

Petal Garden Fancy Folds – Double Dutch Fold

By | April 24, 2018
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Hi there

Yesterday I shared with you the Bridge Card and now I have the second fancy fold card we made – a Double Dutch Card.  For this card I’ve paired the Petal Garden DSP with the Petal Palette stamp set.  This post is longer than normal – check right to the bottom for all the measurements 🙂

Here’s the front view – I love that even though this is a fancy fold card it can still stand on it’s own 🙂  The front image has been stamped on Shimmery White card stock then heat embossed with copper embossing powder.  I never tire of seeing the powder heating and melting – it’s such a cool technique.

And now a side view – showing the fold over flap.  The flower and leaves were coloured with ink using an Aqua Painter.  I did a light layer of colour (Calypso Coral) and then went back and applied some more ink to create  darker areas within the flower.  The leaves were done the same way with Old Olive.

And finally the inside.  The card base is Pool Party with the sentiment stamped in Old Olive on Whisper White card stock.  The card base measures 8″ x 9″.  To create the score lines – with the 8″ edge at the top score 2″ on either side.  Then with the 9″ edge at the top score in and down 2″ to the first score line and repeat in and down 2″ from the first score line to the edge of the card base.  Cut away as per diagram below then score at 5 1/2″ from left hand side.

And here’s my second sample – ready for Mother’s Day (in New Zealand Mother’s Day is Sunday 13 May).

This flower was coloured in using Sweet Sugarplum as the first layer and then some Rich Razzleberry was added to create the darker shading.

The sentiment (from Thoughtful Banners) was stamped in Sweet Sugarplum and the front image is matted to Sweet Sugarplum while the card base is Rich Razzleberry.

The inside sentiment is from Ribbon of Courage with the ‘dots’ coming from Petal Palette.  The inside flower images are also heat embossed in copper and matted on DSP before adhering to the card base.

The other measurements for card are:  DSP – 3″ x 3 1/2″ adhered to Whisper White 3 1/4″ x 3 3/4″, four pieces of DSP measuring 1 3/4″ – adhered directly to the card base front and inside.  For the stamped images a piece of Shimmery White 2  3/4″ x 3 3/4″ adhered to a coloured mat of 3″ x 4″ and two pieces of Whisper White 4cm square for the inside images.  The central Whisper White measures 9.5cm x 13.5cm.

One final thing to mention is that the stamped image is adhered with dimensionals but don’t put them right to the bottom of your image otherwise the ‘flap’ won’t open.

Until next time …

Petal Garden Fancy Folds – Bridge Card

By | April 23, 2018
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Hi there

This month at card class I taught two ‘fancy fold’ cards.  I wanted them to be ones that didn’t use a Big Shot and could easily be recreated.  They also had to be folds that I hadn’t taught before – now that made my selection hard.  I finally decided on the Bridge fold and Double Dutch Fold cards.  First up I’ll share the Bridge card – you’ll have to check back tomorrow for the Dutch Fold.

The paper is from the Petal Garden 6″ x 6″ which I purchased last year and then forgot to use!  I’m not really a ‘flowery’ person but I really love this paper and the colours that are in it.

The paper is double sided with a flower pattern on one side an a plan design on the other.

You can get two cards from one sheet of A4.  The card base is 4 1/4″ x 8 1/8″ and this is scored at 1 1/4″ and 2 1/2″ from each end.  The four pieces of DSP for the inside panels measure 1″ x 4″.  The ‘bridge’ piece of DSP measures 1″ x 14.3cm and this is adhered to a piece of card stock that measures 1 1/4″ x 14.8cm.  The sentiment is from Dragonfly Dreams and is stamped in Old Olive.  To attach the ‘bridge’ fold the left hand panel in and attached one end of the ‘bridge’ to the outer panel.  Leave the right hand panel fully extended and attach the other end of the ‘bridge’ to the outer panel.

The inside and back panels measure 3″ x 4″ for the coloured card stock (I used Old Olive) and the Whisper White measures 2 3/4″ x 3 3/4″.  The inside sentiment is from a favourite set of mine – Picture Perfect and the back image is from Petal Palette.

When folded flat this card fits in a standard C6 envelope so it can be posted.   The final touches to this card are three rhinestones and a bow tied with the Old Olive Mini Chevron Ribbon.

Tomorrow I’ll share the second card style – Double Dutch Fold.

Until then …

 

Beautiful Bouquet – Wedding Anniversary

By | April 21, 2018
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Hi there

Just a quick post tonight as we’ve been out all day – we went to Waihi with my parents and nephew to finally get him his Christmas present!  We’ve been trying to get down there all summer but finding a weekend when we were all free was a bit hard hence the delay.

I was deciding which project to share with you next when I found a card I made a couple of months ago but had forgotten to share.  It was for a friend’s wedding anniversary using the Beautiful Bouquet stamp set and coordinating dies.

The only stamping on this card is the sentiment – and that was actually heat embossed in copper.   For the background I did a watercolour wash with Pool Party ink  then wrapped some linen thread around the stems before adhering them to the card mat.  The ‘flowers’ were die cut from Pink Pirouette card stock and the stem is from Pear Pizzazz.  There are two different dies for the flowers and these were overlapped to create the ‘bunch’ of flowers and cover the end of the stems.  I then set about colouring the 40+ rhinestones with our Stampin’ Blends.

The base mat has been embossed with the Stripes Embossing Folder from the Occasions Catalogue.

Check back soon to see the cards we made at this month’s card class.

Until then …

 

Happiest of Days – Note card set

By | April 18, 2018
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Hi there

In my last post I shared a gift card holder using the Happiest of Days stamp set.  Today’s post uses the same stamp set to create a set of three Note Cards & Envelopes – these could be packaged up and given away as a gift or used on their own.

The cards feature three of the 2017-2019 In Colours – Berry Burst, Fresh Fig and Powder Pink – and a range of colouring methods.

To colour in the flower I went around the outline with the Berry Burst Marker then coloured it in with the Rich Razzleberry watercolour pencil.  The leaf is coloured in with the Old Olive pencil.

The cake and the flower are also coloured in with the Rich Razzleberry watercolour pencil.  The flames use the Daffodil Delight marker and the candles use the Sweet Sugarplum markers – I used the fine tip end of the marker.  To create the shadow at the bottom of the cake stand I used Basic Grey watercolour pencil and lightly applied the blender pen to smooth it out.

Powder Pink and Pink Pirouette markers were used to colour in the image for this card with a bit of shading at the corners of the presents.

The sentiments have been stamped with Memento Black and the images have been stamped on scrap pieces of card stock then cut out using the Stitched Framelits – square, oval and circle.

The coloured mat is cut at 3 1/4″ x 4 3/4″ and the Whisper White piece is cut at 3 1/8″ x 4 5/8″.  The Whisper White is adhered to the coloured card stock which is then adhered with dimensionals.  The images are also adhered with dimensionals.

These are really quick cards to put together and make a wonderful gift.

Until next time …

Happiest of Days – Gift Voucher Holder

By | April 16, 2018
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Hi there

I love creating gift card holders and this project is no exception.  This project was shared with me by my upline.

The front has lovely layers and details using a number of products and techniques.  First up the Whisper White base has some masking done with the Decorative Masks and Embossing Paste.  I wanted a bit of ‘bling’ in my paste so added some Dazzling Diamonds to a small container of paste.

The middle three ‘presents’ are all in one stamp so once they’ve been stamped in the middle of your card stock create a mask using a Post It note to cover two of the images and then stamp again.  Repeat this for the last image.  The images were stamped in Memento Black ink and then coloured in with the Watercolour pencils.  The faux ‘stitching’ around the outside is created with the Black marker.  Don’t look too close – my stitching wasn’t even!

Now even those of us who have crafted for a while make mistakes – or get ink where it shouldn’t be!  A great way to correct these boo boo’s is to add some ‘bling’ or sequins :).  The final touch for the front is to layer up the layers and add some ribbon.

And here’s the inside – all that’s needed now is the voucher 🙂

The card stock for this  project is Pool Party, Lemon Lime Twist, Whisper White and Basic Black.  The colours used for  colouring in the images are Old Olive, Calypso Coral, Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight.

I have another project to share with you that uses the same stamp set – Happiest of Days – and our Notecards and Envelopes.

Until then …

 

Retiring Lists are Out

By | April 10, 2018
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Stampin’ Up! have released the retiring list of products for the Occasions Catalogue and the 2017-2018 Annual Catalogue.  Remember these products are on a ‘While Stocks Last’ so please don’t delay in purchasing items.  There are also a number of colours retiring – with new ones being added from 1 June – so be sure to stock up on your favourite colours of cardstock and ink refills.   You can either order on-line via my store or contact me directly.

Check out the lists below:

2017-2018 Annual Catalogue Retiring List

2018 Occasions Catalogue Retiring List

Picture Perfect DSP – 3D desk tidy projects

By | April 6, 2018
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Hi there

I’m not sure about you but I always struggle with feeling more tired in the first week when coming off daylight saving – even though it’s only one hour different.  Hopefully the body clock gets back to normal :).

As part of my presentation at Stamp Camp I created some 3D projects.  I went to one of the Japanese stores in town and bought some balsa wood containers and covered them using the Picture Perfect DSP.

I’m always loosing my bone folder and scissors somewhere on my desk – but not any more.  Now they have the perfect home and can always be found.  The box is about a 3 1/4″ square – the base mat is Berry Burst then a layer of Lemon Lime Twist and finally the Picture Perfect DSP.  I’ve covered all four sides.

Next up I wanted a permanent home for my Liquid Glue, Fine Tip Glue and Wink of Stella – so off on another trip to the Japanese shop.

For this box I covered the front and the two sides with Berry Burst and the Picture Perfect DSP.  For the back I just covered it with the Berry Burst card stock as it won’t be seen.  The size of the compartments was perfect  for the glues.

I have a very exciting day tomorrow – catching up with my fellow demonstrators for On Stage Local :).  It will be a fun filled day where we’ll get to craft together, play with new product AND get to see the new Annual Catalogue (due out 1 June).

So on that note I’m off to bed – till next time …

Lots of Lavender – Double Fold

By | April 2, 2018
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Hi there

I hope you’ve had a great Easter Weekend.  The weather here in Auckland has been lovely and warm – almost like summer.  It’s been a very relaxing weekend.  I decided to take a break from blogging over the weekend have only just realised I forgot to post my last project using Lots of Lavender on Thursday – so here it is 🙂

This is a card we made at a Team Training meeting.

I really like the use of the black mat against the Pool Party and Lemon Lime Twist.  The side panel is dry embossed using the  Garden Trellis embossing folder (page 210 of the AC).  The outline image on the front of the card is stamped in Memento Black and then filled in with Pool Party, Lemon Lime Twist and Calypso Coral.  The pearls have been coloured in using the Calypso Coral Stampin Blend.

The second image from the stamp set has been stamped on the inside mat again with Memento Black.  The ‘Happy Birthday’ sentiment is from the Picture Perfect Birthday stamp set (page 5 of the Occasions Catalogue).

The measurements for this card are:  card base – 16cm x 14.8cm scored at 10.5cm; side panel – 5cm x 14.5cm (BB) & 4.7cm x 14.2cm (WW); inside mat – 10.1cm x 14.5cm (BB) & 9.8cm x 14.3cm (WW); fold out base – 16cm x 11cm scored at 8cm; inside & front mat – 7.3cm x 10.5cm (BB) & 7.1cm x 10.3cm (WW).

I don’t know about you but this switching from Daylight Saving time always gets me in the first week – so I’m heading off to bed now :).

Till next time …

Lots of Lavender Narrow Note Cards & Envelopes

By | March 28, 2018
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Hi there

I love the Note Cards and Envelopes from the Annual Catalogue – they make for a quick and easy project and bundled together they make a great gift.  I hope you’ve spotted our new Narrow Note Cards & Envelopes on page 19 of the Occasions Catalogue – they are really cute.

I’ve combined them with the Lots of Lavender stamp set from the Sale-A-Bration brochure and the new Lots to Love Box Framelits Die from the Occasions Catalogue to create this perfect gift.

The note cards measure 6.4cm x 11.4cm and you can fit about 6 cards inside the box – perfect for a gift to somebody special.

This stamp set is a ‘two-step’ set.  The outline image is stamped in Memento Black and then ‘filled’ in with Wisteria Wonder, Pear Pizzazz and Pool Party.

This card fits perfectly inside the Lots to Love box or can be used on it’s own with the matching envelope.

I used the small image on the inside of the card and on the back of the envelope.

To make the box you cut two of the dies and adhere them together  – when joining your box together make sure one has the round ‘flap’ at the top and the other with the ‘flap’ to the bottom.  It does pay to punch the little ‘thumb’ hole out before joining the sides together – I found out the hard way!

I have another project to share using this stamp set so check back soon.

Until then …