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August Blog Hop - Retiring Favourites

Hello

Welcome to our casual monthly Blog Hop for August. This month we are showcasing  some of our favourite retiring stamp sets.  The current catalogue ends on 31 August and as with every catalogue some favourite sets get retired.  It is funny how favourite sets end up going to the back of the pile when something new comes along - isn't human nature fickle?  So this is a good opportunity to ink them up again and remind ourselves why we loved them.

 You may have come from the blog of  Di Dunk,  but if not, you can join the Blog Hop from here using the link to the next blog at the end of the post.  This month we have 7 Stampin' Up! demonstrators sharing their inspiration and the full list of contributors is at the end of the post.

The first project I have for you uses the 'Great Friend' stamp set. I love that most Stampin' Up! stamp sets give you a coordinating range of stamps with images and sentiments so that you can produce a complete project without much effort and this set is a great example.  The layout is based on the sketch from Mojo Monday 203 .  I've used one of my favourite colour combos of Early Espresso, Rich Razzleberry and Pink Pirouette, with a dash of Pear Pizzaz.

Great_Friend_Blog_Hop_C 

Project Details
Stamps Great Friend
Card stock & Papers Early Espresso, Rich Razzleberry, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Brights Pattern Stack (Rich Razzleberry)
Ink Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz, Pink Pirouette, Rich Razzleberry
Accessories Small Pink Rhinestone brad, 1/8" white Taffeta ribbon, Basic Pearls strip
Tools Finial Press Embossing Folder, Circle Nestabilities, Big Shot, Eyelet Border punch, Sponge Dauber, Dimensionals

The second project uses the 'Friends 24-7' stamp set and the great sentiments set, 'Occasional Greetings'Both of these sets will be 'keepers' for me.  I've also used the Dotted Scallop border punch that is coming in the new catalogue that starts next Friday 1 September (woohoo!).  I already love this punch as the dual edge makes it really flexible. This is another of my favourite colour combos - Basic Grey and Pretty in Pink with a dash of Regal Rose.  I've added a border of 'bling' using sticky strip and Dazzling Diamonds glitter. This is a super easy way to use and contain glitter.

Friends-24-7_Blog_Hop_C 

Project Details
Stamps Friends 24-7, Occasional Greetings
Card stock & Papers Basic Gray, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Whisper White, Neutrals Pattern Stack (Basic Gray)
Ink Basic Gray, Pretty in Pink,
Accessories Dazzling Diamonds glitter
Tools Oval Nestabilities, Big Shot, Dotted Scallop Border punch, Word Window punch, Sticky Strip, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Sponge Dauber, Dimensionals

The last project uses the lovely 'Eastern Blooms' and the flexible 'Basic Phrases' sets with another favourite colour combo of Soft Suede and Baja Breeze from the gorgeous 'Elegant Soiree' Designer Series Paper. There seems to be a strong trend towards script and flourishing sentiments at the moment, but I love the simpliciy of 'Basic Phrases' and it suits the 'eastern' look of this card. I've stamped the outline flower in Soft Suede onto the DSP, cut them out and popped them up on the branch. The vase is punched from the DSP with the extra large oval punch and cut off at the top and bottom with the edges sponged for definition.

Eastern_blooms_Blog_hop 

Project Details
Stamps Eastern Blooms, Basic Phrases
Card stock & Papers Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Elegant Soiree Designer Series Paper
Ink Soft Suede
Accessories Basic Pearls, Very Vanilla Seam Binding ribbon
Tools Extra Large Oval punch, Corner Rounder punch, Crimper, Sponge dauber, Dimensionals

You still have a couple of days to check out the Last Chance list.  Click on the image in the sidebar to see the list of products and their availability. Contact me if you want to place an order.

The next stop is the lovely Alisha Watson.  Below is a list of the contributors for this month's Blog Hop.

Ros Davidson

Nikki Sadler

Kathryn Ruddick

Di Dunk

Alisha Watson

Christine Blain

Thanks for 'hopping' by!

 


Violet Silhouette

Hello

It has been a gorgeous few days of spring weather in Melbourne and I hope there are going to be many more.  My garden is starting to burst into colour and my new roses are starting to bud as well. This is my absolute favourite time of year.

I was playing around with a few new toys today and came up with this card.  The silhouette and doily give it a bit of a vintage look, and the sentiment seemed appropriate for the season. I'm going to send this card to my Mum, just to say hello. 

Vintage_Silhouette 

Project Details
Stamps En Francais, Easter Blooms
Card stock & Papers Elegant Eggplant, Perfect Plum, Whisper White, Rose Red, Rose Red Pattern Stack   
Ink Rich Razzleberry, Perfect Plum
Accessories White Organza ribbon, Small pink rhinestone brad, Basic Pearls, Vintage flowers (retired)
Tools Doily & Silhouette Dies (not SU), Nestabilities, Big Shot, Modern Label punch, Oval punch, Owl punch (heart), Sponge dauber, Dimensionals.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

  


For a Friend

Hi there

It has been a busy weekend of gardening for me.  I planted my new roses (12 of them) and mulched the whole of the back garden, so not much time was spent creating.  However, I hope to show you a photo of my roses in flower in a couple of months, all going well.

Today, I have another card made with the 'Button Buddies' stamp set.  The vase image is a really versatile one and looks great stamped or embellished with buttons or the Itty Bitty punched flower. This card is for a friend who hasn't been feeling the best lately, so I hope the bright and cheerful colours give her a lift.  Here it is.

Button_Buddies_Vase 

Project Details
Stamps Button Buddies, Trendy Trees (Sentiment)
Card stock & Papers Pacific Point, Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Tempting Turquoise, Melon Mambo Patterns Stack
Ink Pacific Point, Melon Mambo
Accessories 1/8" White Taffeta ribbon, Brights and Subtles buttons, Small pink rhinestone brad, Basic Pearls
Tools Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Scallop & Circle Die, Big Shot, Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, Scallop Trim border punch, Stampin' Write markers (Pacific Point, Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive), Dimensionals.

Enjoy your week.

 


Pink & Sparkly

Hello again

This year my goal has been to try and stay in front of the family birthdays, to avoid the last minute rush. So far I'm tracking well, with the October cards now ready. The card I have to show you today is for my husband's niece who will be turning 5 soon.

I was in the mood for some colouring and thought this simple line image stamp would be appropriate for the occasion. I've used watercolour crayons and aqua painter with a liberal dose of pink and sparkly SU rhinestones for the bling.  The balloons have been paper pieced with DSP in coordinating colours for some pop.  I hope she likes it.

Amelia_Birthday_5th_B

Project Details
Stamps Birthday Balloon Jolinne (MFT), Think Happy Thoughts (Retired)
Card stock & Papers Bazzill White, Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Marina Mist, Greenhouse Gala DSP, Brights Patterns Stack DSP, Watercolour paper
Ink Stazon Black, Marina Mist, Melon Mambo
Accessories Basic Rhinestones, Pretty in Pink Taffeta ribbon
Tools Tasteful Trim BigzXL Die, Big Shot, Circle punches, Ticket Corner punch, Watercolour crayons, Aqua painter, Dimensionals.

Happy stamping!


More Clean & Simple

Hi there

The card I have for you today is based on this week's  Clean & Simple sketch.  I have kept this one really simple, which is pretty hard for me.  This is the sketch:

CAS152Here is my take on it:

CAS_152_A 

The DSP is the retired 'Candy Lane' which was one of my favourites last year.  I'm really looking forward to seeing some of the new DSP from the 2011-2012 catalogue.

Project Details
Stamps Strength & Hope, Trendy Trees (sentiment)
Card stock & Papers Rose Red, Candy Lane DSP (Retired), Soft Suede
Ink Rose Red, Soft Suede
Accessories Basic Pearls
Tools Labels Nestabilities, Big Shot, Word Window punch, Dimensionals, Stamp-a-ma-jig

See you soon.