CASE-ing the Catty Blog Hop - Christmas

Hi there

The CASE-ing the Catty Crew are looking at the Christmas section on pages 67 - 72 of the 2015-16 Annual Catalogue this week. It is great to have some new Christmas sets to use before we get the new Holiday catalogue in September.  I need to get my Christmas cards started early!

I'm taking my inspiration from this card on the opening page of the Christmas section. I love the new 'Lots of Joy'  stamp set and have been wanting to CASE this card for a while.

I've gone with a monochome colour combo for my card, using Island Indigo and lots of white with touches of silver. You can never have too much bling for Christmas, in my opinion! I love the plaid tree and the greetings in this stamp set and Island Indigo is a rich contemporary Christmas colour.  I'm going to try some other monochrome colour combos as I think it would also look fab in Elegant Plant. This would be a great card to mass produce as the elements are simple and you don't need many products, but the final result is striking. 

 

I then decided to create another version featuring the new 'Merry Moments' DSP, the evening before leaving for an interstate trip. Probably not a good idea in hindsight, as I had to take this photo in artificial light at 1am in the morning, so apologies for the yellowish cast (ETA: I've now updated the photo)! I love the Real Red and Smokey Slate striped paper and it works beautifully with the Silver Glimmer paper. TIP: I always adhere a DSP punch out to Whisper White card stock to give it some body, particularly if I'm popping it on dimensionals. 

 

Let me know which version is your favourite.

Project Details
Stamps	Lots of Joy
Card stock & Papers	island Indigo, Whisper White, Smokey Slate, Real Red, Merry Moments DSP, Silver Glimmer paper, Red Glimmer paper
Ink	Island Indigo, Real Red
Accessories	Rhinestones Basic Jewels
Tools	Stylish Stripes Embossing Folder, Circles Collection Framelits, Big Shot, Tree Punch, 1 3/4" Circle punch, Confetti Stars punch, Itty Bitty Punch Pack, Dimensionals

Now it's time to check out the inspiration from Stasia. Click on the button below to hop over to her blog.

As always, you can see the full list of participants in today's blog hop and join in by linking up your creation over at the CASE-ing the Catty Blog.

Thanks for visiting today!

CASE-ing the Catty Blog Hop - Gift Packaging

Hi there

It is time for more CASE-ing the Catty inspiration from the crew. This week we are looking at the Gift Packaging section on pages 55-66 of the 2015-16 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue.  I love creating something special when packaging small gifts. It can make something small really special to the recipient when they know you have taken the time to add that extra touch for them. It is also a great opportunity to use some of the lovely embellishments that we have in the Annual Catalogue.

You may have come here from the blog of the super talented Alison Barclay, but if you are visiting me, you can start your journey here and continue to the next blog by using the button at the bottom of this post.

There are so many options shown in the Gift Packaging section to add a special touch to your gifts.  I have made a gift bag for a friend's birthday and took my inspiration for the tag from the photo on the right hand side of page 59. It shows a number of options using the fabulous Banner Triple Punch.  My gift bag is quite large - 14cm x 20.5cm (5.5" x 8") as I have sized it for the specific goodies I will be putting in it. I used 2 sheets of Mint Macaron card stock to create the basic bag and added the floral design from the 'English Garden' designer paper pack to the front and back. The flap at the top is closed with small, but strong neodymium magnets.

I have cut my tag 2" wide and used the Banner Triple Punch to flag the end. Did you know that you can also flag the end of a wider piece of card stock as I have done, to create the Blushing Bride mat?   This allows you to get the same perfect shape and you just snip the bottom edges of the points where it is too wide for the punch. Try it out and you will understand what I mean.  

The beautiful bold 'happy birthday' sentiment from the Hostess stamp set 'Happy Birthday, Everyone' is the perfect size for my tag and I have heat embossed it in gold.  The gold metallic doily forms the base for the Mint Macaron bow and Blushing Bride sequin trim. A small Vintage Faceted button adds a finishing touch. 

 

 

Project Details
Stamps	Happy Birthday, Everyone (Hostess)
Card stock & Papers	Mint Macaron, Blushing Bride, Whisper White, English Garden DSP
Ink	Versamark
Accessories	Mint Macaron Dotted Lace Trim, Blushing Bride Sequin Trim, Metallic Lace Doily, Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons, Rhinestone Basic Jewels
Tools	Simply Scored Board, Tear & Tape Adhesive, Gold embossing powder, Heat gun, Banner Triple Punch, Glue dots, Magnets (not SU)

Now it's time to check out the inspiration from the lovely Kathryn Mangelsdorf.

As always, you can see the full list of participants in today's blog hop and join in by linking up your creation over at the CASE-ing the Catty Blog. 

Thanks for looking!

Christmas in July Blog Hop

Hi there

Today I'm joining with some Demonstrators from the Art with Heart Stampin' Up! team to present some fabulous Christmas projects to inspire you.  This year we already have new Christmas sets from the 2015-16 Annual Catalogue to play with, as well as some old favourites too.

We also have a brand new 2015 Holiday catalogue coming soon. It will be chock full of products and ideas for your holiday craft projects. If you would like a copy of any of our catalogues, to attend a Stampin' Up! class or join a large fabulous group of crafty women by becoming part of the team (hobby demonstrators welcome), be sure to contact me.

You may have arrived here from the blog of the lovely Kathryn Ruddick, but if not, you can start the journey here and progress to the next blog by clicking on the heart button at the end of the post. 

For my project, I have used the new stamp set 'Every Blessing', which consists of a lovely silhouette image of the shepherds, plus two sentiments. I have heat embossed the main image with black embossing powder before sponging a  sunset over the top with sponge daubers.

The finished panel forms the backdrop in my diorama card, which was inspired by one made by Linda Higgins last year. I have modified the dimensions so that it isn't quite as deep, but you still get the lovely 3D effect. As a result, you can get the front and back panels from one sheet of A4 card stock and it isn't quite as long when you flatten it to post. It is simple to modify the dimensions based on the shape of the framelits you want to use.

 

The photo gives a view of the sides of the diorama which are 1" deep and you get a lovely 3D effect looking through the die cuts into the image. I added some spots using 'Gorgeous Grunge' and Encore Silver to represent stars and the pine from 'Lovely as a Tree' frames the scene.

This photo shows the writing panel on the back of the diorama for your greeting. I love the plaid tree from the new 'Lots of Joy' stamp set.

This photo show the card flattened (it is a bit springy!), so the front panel moves to the right. You can make a lovely matching envelope with the Envelope Punch Board, but the dimensions I have used will fit into a purchased 13cm x 19cm envelope, which still qualifies for standard 70c postage in Australia. 

Project Details
Stamps	Every Blessing, Lovely as a Tree, Gorgeous Grunge, Lots of Joy
Card stock & Papers	Rich Razzleberry, Shimmer Paper, Whisper White, Gold Glimmer paper
Ink	Versamark, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Encore Silver (retired)
Accessories	Rhinestones Basic Jewels
Tools	Deco Framelits, Big Shot, Black Embossing powder, Heat gun, Stampamajig, sponge daubers, Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack

My next challenge is to make a card using the die cuts from the Diorama. I'll be back later to show you that one.

Now it's time to head over to the blog of the lovely Kathryn Mangelsdorf who is sure to  have something inspiring for you. Click on the button below.

If you find a broken link or have come to this blog hop from a different entry point, you can view the participants below: 

1. Ros Davidson
2. Rachel Woollard
3. Tina Gillespie
4. Kayleen McLean
5. Claire Daly
6. Kathryn Ruddick
7. Judy May - that's me!
8. Kathryn Mangelsdorf
9. Kate Morgan 

 

Thanks for looking!

CASE-ing the Catty Blog Hop - For Baby

Hi there

We are CASE-ing the Catty again on this Friday evening and are taking our inspiration from the Baby section on pages 31 - 38 of the Annual Catalogue.

You may have come from Julia's blog, but if not, you can start the journey here and continue to the next blog using the button at the bottom of this post.

There are lots of cute things in this section of the catalogue, but I kept going back to page 37 and looking at the yellow card with the onesie coming out of the circle.  This is where I started, but I then went on a journey and came up with the shaker card below. Isn't funny how the creative process evolves.

 

I have used a soft colour combo of Sahara Sand and Blushing Bride and lots of white. The solid onesie image comes from the 'Something for Baby' stamp set. To add some texture to the image, I used the 'stamp kissing' technique with the 'Dots for Days' background stamp to create the soft polka dot effect. This is a simple but effective technique to add a pattern to a solid image by kissing the inked solid stamp with the dry patterned stamp. Not all of the ink is removed by the dry patterned stamp, so you will get a soft and subtle result.

The 'confetti' in the shaker is a mixture of Silver and Blushing Bride Sequin Trim, stars from the Metallics Sequins Assortments and hearts cut from Blushing Bride, Sahara Sand and Dazzling Diamonds with the retired Hearts Border punch. TIP: If you are using shapes cut from glimmer paper, turn them all over to have the bling facing up before putting the lid on your shaker. It is worth the effort as they won't be able to flip over to the wrong side once the lid is on.

I have decorated the inside with the baby carriage stamp from the same set. I did not have a 'congratulations' stamp that was the right size and style so I printed this one in Early Espresso from my computer. See my Tips and Hints if you are not familiar with how to print the Stampin' Up! colours on your computer.

 

Project Details
Stamps	Something for Baby, A Dozen Thoughts, Work of Art, Perpetual Birthday Calendar, Dots for Days Background
Card stock & Papers	Sahara Sand, Blushing Bride, Whisper White, Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer paper
Ink	Blushing Bride, Sahara Sand, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake
Accessories	Blushing Bride and Silver Sequin Trim, Pearls Basic Jewels, White Baker's twine, Blushing Bride 1/4" Cotton Ribbon, Metallic Sequins Assortment
Tools	Circles Collection Framelits, Happy Heart Embossing folder, Baby's First Framelits, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Hearts Border punch (retired), Couture Creations 1/8" 3D Foam Strips, Stampin' Write Marker (Early Espresso)

I also liked the layout of the card at the bottom right of page 35, so on the spur of the moment this afternoon I decided to make a more gender neutral baby card using this card for inspiration. The colour combo is Mint Macaron and white with a tiny bit of Tip Top Taupe.  I have added a few little details (I can't help myself!), but hopefully it would still be OK for either gender. Apologies for the lighting on this photo, as I ran out of daylight.

 

 

Project Details
Stamps	Something for Baby, Petite Pairs, Dots for Days Background
Card stock & Papers	Mint Macaron, Whisper White, Tip Top Taupe, In Colour DSP Background Stacks, Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer paper
Ink	Mint Macaron
Accessories	Tip Top Taupe Dotted Lace Trim, Pearls Basic Jewels
Tools	Large Polka Dot Embossing folder, Baby's First Framelits, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch pack (retired)

Now it's time to hop over to the blog of the lovely Kathryn Mangelsdorf. Click on the button below.

As always, you can see the full list of participants in today's blog hop and join in by linking up your creation over at the CASE-ing the Catty Blog.

Thanks for looking!