Prized Peony Sympathy Card

Hi there

I'm just popping in for a quick share today, of a card I made a little while ago when I was playing with the Prized Peony Bundle. I posted this card, but then forgot to show you the second one I made on the day. 

I stamped the large Peony image from the Prized Peony stamp set  multiple times with Basic Gray ink on Whisper White card stock and then coloured the white space in between with the Light Highland Heather Stampin' Blends marker. I adhered the strip of white ribbon from the Flowers For Every Season Ribbon Combo Pack and then added it to a Whisper White mat and popped it up the panel on a Basic Gray card base.

Before adding the art panel to the mat,  I ran it through with the Subtle 3D Embossing Folder to add some texture, which you can see better in the photo above. I found it harder than I expected to get the colouring really even, but I actually think the slightly darker colour around the flowers adds some more depth. I have stamped the greeting from the Prized Peony stamp set in Gorgeous Grape ink and then cropped it with one of the lovely new dies from the Tasteful Labels Dies and popped it up on the Basic Gray label from the same set. You can see it has a lovely embossed edge on it. I pulled in the ribbon at the top of the label with a piece of cotton and then added the bow with a glue dot.  This is a good trick if you find it hard to tie bows or aren't sure when the bow needs to be. The ribbon is very soft (it reminds me of gauze) and ties nicely. I finished with a little Silver Glimmer heart from the Well Written Dies. 

I have kept the inside simple, with a mat of Highland Heather for my writing panel. I have a partial stamping of the Peony image in the bottom corner with Basic Gray ink.

I hope I don't need a sympathy card any time soon, but it is good to have one ready in your stash.

 

Project Details
Stamps	Prized Peony
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Basic Gray, Highland Heather,  Silver Glimmer (retired)
Ink	Basic Gray, Gorgeous Grape
Accessories	Flowers For Every Season Ribbon Combo Pack
Tools	Tasteful Labels Dies, Subtle 3D Embossing Folder, Well Written Dies, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Light Highland Heather Stampin Blends Marker

 

Don't forget, there are only 4 days left to earn your $9AUD discount coupons that you can redeem from 4 August. That also happens to be the date that the new August-December (holiday) Mini Catalogue goes live - woohoo! There is no limit to how many coupons you can earn, so now is a great time to order your new goodies from the Annual Catalogue and use your discount coupons on your Christmas craft products in August. If you don't have a new August-December Mini Catalogue in your hand, you can request one by leaving your details on my Free Catalogues page.

Thanks for visiting today!

• Shop my Online Store 24/7
• See the latest Stampin' Up! Promotions
• Request a FREE Catalogue
• Check out my Tutorial Store

CASE-ing the Catty - Favourite Project

Hi there

Welcome to another week of CASE-ing the Catty challenge! 

If you've come from visiting Sandra's blog, then welcome! If you're visiting me, I appreciate you stopping by today!  You can continue your journey to see the other inspiring creations from the CTC Crew by clicking on the buttons at the bottom of the post. 

This week we're taking inspiration from our favourite project from the 2020-21 Annual Catalogue. I have lots of favourite projects, so I decided to pull out one of the bundles that I haven't had the opportunity to use yet.

I've taken inspiration for today's card from the project above from page 174 of the Annual Catalogue. I love that there are lots of extra project samples in the Die Bundles section at the back of the catalogue, so don't forget to check those out when you're looking for inspiration. I love the composition of this card using the Blossoms in Bloom Bundle with opposite ends of the large image stamped in the corners, and then the frame overlaid on it. The sample is stamped in Basic Gray on Smoky Slate card stock with a Silver Foil frame over the blooms. 

I have stayed close to the layout, as that is what I love about the sample, but have chosen a colour combination of Gorgeous Grape for the card base and Purple Posy for the top layer. I stamped the large floral image in Highland Heather ink in the diagonal corners. While I had the stamps positioned in the Stamparatus I tried a few different colour combinations, so I'll bring you those in another post. This is definitely one of my faviourites as it is so pretty and fresh.

The Blossoms in Bloom stamp set is a DisInktive style with lots of shading built into the image, so you want to make sure that your ink pad isn't too juicy. If it is, use the back of a teaspoon to gently push the ink to the bottom of the pad. This will still give you a good coverage without too much ink to blur the shading. The ink will redistribute itself when you close the pad, so no need to worry about that. 

I have cut the lovely frame for the flowers from Shimmery White card stock as it is a warmer white and not quite as stark as Whisper White. I reccomend you use the Adhesive Sheets (page 162) on the back of your card stock before die cutting, to make the process of adhering it a lot easier. I found I needed to run it through a few times to get the small pieces in the centre to cut, however, every die cutting machine is different, so keep it in mind. I trimmed off the excess frame, deliberately leaving the 2 smaller flowers to overhang the edges slightly. When I was positioning the stamp, I laid the frame die over the top, so I could see where the leaves and small flowers would end up. You need to cut 2 of the frames for this layout, so I adhered the leftover small flowers over the top of each overhanging flower, which makes it a lot more robust. 

The greeting from the Many Mates stamp set was stamped in Gorgeous Grape ink and cropped with a stitched circle and then matted on a Gorgeous Grape Circle cropped with the 2" Circle Punch and popped up over the Tricolor Ribbon. I finished with a tiny Silver Glimmer heart and a trio of clear Elegant Facted Gems.

For the inside, I have continued the same side border style as the front, with a Purple Posy mat for the writing panel. I selected one of the end flowers to stamp in the corner in Highland Heather ink and added the coordinating frame over the top. I have die cut the 'friend' in Highland Heather and stamped the 'sweet' in Gorgeous Grape ink on Purple Posy and snipped it out.

Project Details
Stamps	Blossoms in Bloom, Many Mates
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Gorgeous Grape, Highland Heather, Purple Posy, Shimmery White, Silver Glimmer (retired), Adhesive Sheets
Ink	Gorgeous Grape, Highland Heather
Accessories	Tricolor Ribbon, Elegant Faceted Gems
Tools	Stitched Rectangle Dies, Well Written Dies, Stitched Shapes Dies, Many Layered Blossoms Dies, Big Shot, Dimensionals, 2" Circle Punch

 

We would love to see your projects, inspired by your favourite project sample from the 2020-21 Annual Catalogue. You can upload it to our Facebook group. Click on this link or the image below to go there. The first time you will need to click on the 'Join Group' button at the top. Once you have been added to the group, you can go ahead and post your creation and you do not need to have a blog. 

Now it's time to click on the Next button below to hop over to see what Rose has to inspire you this week. 

Thanks for visiting today!

• Shop my Online Store 24/7
• See the latest Stampin' Up! Promotions
• Request a FREE Catalogue
• Check out my Tutorial Store

Heart of Christmas

Hi there

Welcome to the first Heart of Christmas showcase for 2020 and just in time for Christmas in July.  Every month, I will be hosting the talented ladies from the Art with Heart team. They have fabulous projects to get you inspired, so make sure you follow the links at the bottom of the post to see what they have created.

I have had several friends say that they don't make or send Christmas cards any more. Well, after this crazy year, there has never been a better time to reach out and connect or re-connect to friends and family and let them know you're thinking of them. Receiving happy mail this holiday season will bring more cheer than a text message. Our monthly showcase will help you get inspired to create your stash, so it is ready to send in November. 

Today, I have a clean and simple monochromatic card using the new Dove of Hope Bundle from the upcoming August - December Mini Catalogue.  I have used Pretty Peacock for the card base and for the top layer as well. The top layer was embossed with the Dainty Diamonds 3D Embossing Folder, that I think is perfect for holiday projects. 

I die cut the dove body and wings from Shimmery White card stock and then for more shimmer, I painted the body and wing overlay with Frost White Shimmer Paint, which provides a subtle tone on tone look. The body of the dove has some embossing on it as well, which is lovely. I attached the wing overlay on the base just at the wide end  to give maximum dimension to the wings as you can see in the photo above and I popped up the wings on the body and then popped up the dove to even it out. The greeting is from the Dove of Hope stamp set, stamped in Pretty Peacock and cropped with a Stitched Rectangle Die. I added a gold metallic pearl over the full stops and also to the eye of the dove. 

For the inside, I have a double mat and I've stamped the cluster of trees in the corner from the In The Pines stamp set. 

 

Project Details
Stamps	Dove of Hope, In The Pines
Card stock & Papers	Pretty Peacock, Shimmery White, Gold Foil
Ink	Pretty Peacock
Accessories	Metallic Pearls
Tools	Stitched Rectangle Dies, Detailed Dove Dies, Dainty Diamonds 3D EF, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Frost White Shimmer Paint

 

Here are the links to the ladies who are participating this month. I can't wait to see what their lovely creations.

Kate Morgan

Catherine Proctor

Sharon Davern

Andrea Sargent

Tina Gillespie

Christine Blain

Michele Taylor

Caroline Manwaring

Theresa Gerrard

Rachel Palmieri

Diane Furniss

Rachel Woollard

 

Thanks for visiting me today!

 

CASE-ing the Catty - Flowers For Every Season

Hi there

Welcome to another week of CASE-ing the Catty challenge! 

If you've come from visiting Lauren's blog, then welcome! If you're visiting me, I appreciate you stopping by today!  You can continue your journey to see the other inspiring creations from the CTC Crew by clicking on the buttons at the bottom of the post. 

This week we're taking inspiration from the colours in the Flowers For Every Season Designer Series Paper.  The colours in this paper pack includes all of the 2020-22 In Colors, plus Poppy Parade.

I've taken inspiration for today's card from the project above on page 10. The designer paper background and the wide border for the focus image from the Jar of Flowers Bundle caught my attention.

I started with a landscape Thick Whisper White card base and added the Misty Moonlight spotty designer paper for the background. The centre panel was cut to size with the Stitched Rectangle Dies and I added a border of Magenta Madness and a wider, shorter piece of Just Jade on each side that was scored at 1/4" intervals with the Simply Scored Board.

I stamped the floral image from the Jar of Flowers stamp set and then coloured it with Stampin' Blends in the 4 new In Colors. They are no Blends in the Bumblebee colour, so I have used Dark So Saffron, which has a similar tone and added some fine highlights with the Bumblebee Stampin' Write marker.  I used the Color Lifter on the small flowers coloured with Misty Moonlight, to lighten it up a little. The vase from the Boho Indigo stamp set was stamped in Cinnamon Cider ink on Cinnamon Cider card stock and cropped it with the coordinating die. The flowers were popped up above the vase and I added the greeting from the Fancy Phrases stamp set that I cropped with the smallest Stitched Rectangle Die. I finished with a Baker's Twine bow around the neck of the vase and a trio of Elegant Faceted Gems.

For the inside I have a Misty Moonlight mat for my writing panel and I added a piece of the leftover spotty designer paper to the left. The flower image was partially stamped in the right corner and coloured in the same way.

 

Project Details
Stamps	Jar of Flowers, Boho Indigo, Fancy Phrases
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Magenta Madness, Just Jade, Misty Moonlight, Flowers For Every Season DSP
Ink	Memento Tuxedo Black, Cinnamon Cider, Just Jade
Accessories	White Baker's Twine (retired), Elegant Faceted Gems
Tools	Stitched Rectangle Dies, Boho Indigo Dies, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Stampin' Blends  (Magenta Madness, Just Jade, Misty Moonlight, Cinnamon Cider, Light Crumb Cake, Color Lifter), Bumblebee Stampin' Write Marker

 

We would love to see your projects, inspired by the colours in the Flowers For Every Season DSP. You can upload it to our Facebook group. Click on this link or the image below to go there. The first time you will need to click on the 'Join Group' button at the top. Once you have been added to the group, you can go ahead and post your creation and you do not need to have a blog. 

Now it's time to click on the Next button below to hop over to see what Simone has to inspire you this week. 

Thanks for visiting today!

• Shop my Online Store 24/7
• See the latest Stampin' Up! Promotions
• Request a FREE Catalogue
• Check out my Tutorial Store

Forevery Greenery Suite

Hi there

I thought I'd pop in today and share a card using products from the beautiful Forever Greenery Suite. Stampin' Up! are known for their product coordination and this suite is no exception.

This photo shows all of the products in the suite; there is the beautiful Forever Greenery Designer Series Paper; Forever Gold Laser-cut Specialty Paper; the 2-pack Greenery narrow style embossing folders; Gold Hoop Embellishments; Forever Greenery Trim Combo Pack and the Forever Fern stamp and die bundle. I've used quite a few of the products on the card I'm sharing with you today.

I have a strip of my favourite design from the Forever Greenery DSP on the left and the white panel on the right has been dry embossed with the leaf pattern from the Greenery Embossing Folders, with a narrow strip of Pretty Peacock separating them. Green isn't a go-to colour for me, but the colours in the paper are so vibrant and the photo doesn't do it justice, unfortunately. 

I'ved used one of the Gold Hoop Embellishments to create a pretty wreath. Underneath the Gold Hoop on the right, I have the largest portion of the die cut Vellum leaf that I attached with a glue dot and then used another glue dot to attach the hoop over the top. I've layered up the elements that have been stamped and die cut with the Forever Fern Bundle and popped in the rest of the large Vellum leaf to extend the arrangement on the left. I popped up the cute little bird from the Well Written Dies in the centre to cover the join; it has been dry embossed with the Subtle 3D Embossing Folder for some extra texture. The greeting, also from the stamp set has been heat embossed in white on Pear Pizzazz and cropped with the Stitched Rectangle Dies and popped up across the hoop. I added another glue dot under the greeting to hold the hoop in place. I finished with a trio of cute green sparkles from the Flowers For Every Season Gems.

For the inside, I have a mat of Pear Pizzazz for my writing panel with a strip of the designer paper on the right. I have partially stamped one of the foliage images from Forever Fern stamp set in Pretty Peacock on the left.

 

Project Details
Stamps	Forever Fern
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Pretty Peacock, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Sea Foam, Vellum, Forevery Greenery DSP
Ink	Versamark, Pretty Peacock
Accessories	Gold Hoop Embellishments, Flowers For Every Season Gems
Tools	Well Written Dies, Stitched Rectangle Dies, Greenery EF, Subtle 3D EF, Forever Flourishing Dies, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Glue Dots White EP, Heat Gun

 

Before I go, I want to remind you about the BONUS DAYS promotion - only 2 weeks left to earn your $9AUD discount coupons that you can redeem from 4 August. That also happens to be the date that the new August-December (holiday) Mini Catalogue goes live - woohoo!

There is no limit to how many coupons you can earn, so if you've been holding off on ordering from the new 2021 Annual Catalogue, then July is a great time to get more bang for your buck! My customers will (hopefully, depending on Australia Post!) be receiving their complimentary copy of the August-December Mini Catalogue in the next week or so, but you can request one, by leaving your details on my Free Catalogues page.

Thanks for visiting me today!

• Shop my Online Store 24/7
• See the latest Stampin' Up! Promotions
• Request a FREE Catalogue
• Check out my Tutorial Store