Just Judy Designs

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Welcome to the Heart of Christmas showcase for September. The year is rapidly disappearing, so it is definitely time to get your holiday gifts and cards happening! I'm hosting the talented ladies from the Art with Heart team who have fabulous projects to get you inspired. Make sure you follow the links at the bottom of the post to see what they have created and give them some comment love.

I've got something a little bit different this month with a 'slimline' card. These cards are tall and narrow and are quite 'in vogue' at the moment. You can make them any size you like, but mine is a standard DL size (9.9cm x 21cm or 3 7/8" x 8 1/4") to fit into a DL size envelope (11cm x 22cm). These are the same size as a standard business envelope in Australia and don't incur any extra postage.

I have chosen a very traditional colour combo of Shaded Spruce, Real Red and Brushed Metallics. I started by dry embossing the Real Red panel with the Subtle 3D Embossing Folder and adhering to a Brushed Gold mat, leaving a narrow border. The panel was then adhered to a Shaded Spruce card base, leaving a wide border to help balance out the red.

I die cut lots of leaves from Shaded Spruce and Just Jade card stock and the different sizes of bells from Brushed Gold and Brushed Copper foil. These are all from the Sounds Of The Season Dies. These dies a very reasonably priced at $37.00AUD and while there is the coordinating Cherish The Season stamp set, the dies can definitely stand alone. You can see in this photo, all of the lovely embossed and die cut details in the bells. You can pop out the holly leaves and berries to colour them with Stampin' Blends alcohol markers or replace them with the same pieces cut from card stock. I decided to leave mine as is for this card, but either way, you will need to place some tape behind the die cuts so the pieces don't fall out. I stamped the lovely greeting from the Poinsettia Petals stamp set in Shaded Spruce ink onto Very Vanilla card stock to create the flagged banner. You can see that I have used a bone folder to give some extra dimension to the banner, rather than leaving it flat. My chief critic preferred a Shaded Spruce banner with the greeting heat embossed in white, but I thought the vanilla gave it more pop and worked better with the bow.

For the inside, I have the same size border as the front and a Real Red mat for my Very Vanilla writing panel. I have stamped the greeting from the Wrapped in Christmas stamp set in Shaded Spruce ink and finished with a couple of the smaller bells in the corner.

Project Details
Stamps	Poinsettia Petals, Wrapped in Christmas
Card stock & Papers	Very Vanilla, Shaded Spruce, Real Red, Just Jade, Brushed Metallics Foil
Ink	Shaded Spruce
Accessories	Vanilla/Gold Metallic Edge ribbon, Gold Glitter Enamel Dots
Tools	Sounds of the Season Die, Subtle 3D EF, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Tombow Glue

Here are the links for the ladies participating this month. I can't wait to see their lovely creations and I'm sure you will find them all very inspiring.

Thanks for visiting me today!

Posted at 07:55 PM in Christmas | Permalink | Comments (10)

CASE-ing the Catty - Adding a Holiday Twist

September 20, 2020

Hi there

Welcome to another week of CASE-ing the Catty challenge! After a health hiccup and a few days in hospital, I'm happy to be back this week.

If you've come from visiting Monique, 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 are CASE-ing a sample from the Annual Catalogue and giving it a Mini Catalogue twist.

I chose the project in the photo above using the Many Medallions Dies, as I've had this bundle for a while, but haven't used the dies.

I started with a Thick Whisper White card base and added another panel of Whisper White that had been dry embossed with the Subtle 3D Embossing Folder. I decided to use only 3 columns from the panel I die cut from Gold Foil, using the large die from Many Medallions, adhering it to the right.

I added a stitched circle of Vellum, slightly overlapping the edge on the left. I popped it in an envelope to check that it would still fit, before I added any more layers. Next up I die cut the layers of the Poinsettia from the beautiful Red Velvet paper. The Poinsettia Dies are really fabulous and the Red Velvet paper takes the finished Poinsettia up a notch. You can see that the veins are embossed into the petals and I have covered the white edge by sponging a little Cherry Cobbler ink around the edge, which also adds depth. I hope you can get a sense of the beautiful texture that the Red Velvet paper gives.

I placed my thumb on the centre vein and gently and carefully folded the edges of each petal upward to add more dimension before assembling the layers. I finished with one of the lovely Beaded Pearl embellishments, which I changed from silver to gold with an alcohol marker. The lovely greeting from the Poinsettia Petals stamp set was stamped in Early Espresso ink and cropped with the smallest of the octagonal stitched dies from the Hippo & Friends Dies.

I thought I would share my tip for making the die cutting and embossing of the Poinsettia petals and leaves super quick and easy. I placed each die with the cutting edge down and popped the corresponding embossed veins piece into the die and used sticky paper to hold them in position. This allows you to cut and emboss each set of petals and the leaves in one step and they will all fit on the cutting plate for one pass through your machine.

For the inside I have a Garden Green mat for the writing panel and at the base I have used a border die from the Many Medallions Dies cut from Gold Foil. In the centre, I have created a small Poinsettia flower using the smallest of the Poinsettia Dies, cutting 2 and offsetting them. I cut another in Garden Green and used it for the leaves, by cutting it apart, so it all remains in proportion. For the centre, I used the tiny circles created by die cutting the centre that can be used for the large flower.

Project Details
Stamps	Poinsettia Petals
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Garden Green, Red Velvet, Vellum, Gold Foil
Ink	Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green
Accessories	Beaded Pearls
Tools	Many Medallions Dies, Poinsettia Dies, Hippo & Friends Dies, Stitched Shapes Dies, Subtle 3D Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Tombow, Sponge daubers

We would love to see your projects, giving a project from the Annual Catalogue a Mini Catalogue twist. 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 Rebecca has to inspire you this week.

Thanks for visiting today!

Posted at 06:55 PM in CASE-ing The Catty, Christmas | Permalink | Comments (3)

Colour Creations Showcase - Early Espresso

September 09, 2020

Hi there

Tonight, I'm joining the ladies from the Art With Heart Team for this week's Colour Creations Showcase. This week we're featuring Early Espresso which is from the Neutrals Collection.

For my card, I decided to pair Early Espresso with an equally bold colour in Melon Mambo from the Brights Collection. Browns have a pinkish undertone, so they they do work well with pink.

I have started with the Early Espresso card base and I added a card sized panel that was dry embossed with the Subtle 3D Embossing Folder. Although it isn't necessary, I like to lightly spritz my card stock with water before using this embossing folder to achieve a deeper etching. It is still subtle but has a rich texture that I like. I added a strip of the woodgrain Melon Mambo designer paper on the right for a nice pop of colour.

For the art panel, I started with a piece of Whisper White cropped with the second largest Stitched Rectangle Die and stamped the lovely tree image from the Life is Beautiful stamp set in Early Espresso ink. You can see this stamp set on page 51 of the August-December Mini Catalogue; I think it gets a little lost amongst all of the holiday products, but it is such a sweet stamp set.

I love the font on the greetings, the little bird house and the different seasons that are represented. Given we have starting spring in Australia, I was chanelling a blossom tree with beautiful pink blooms. I would love one of these in my garden! This is a Distinktive style photopolymer stamp set, so there is a lot of detail and shading in the stamps that you want to see, especially in the tree. If your ink pads are juicy, you may find you need to use the back of a teaspoon to (temporarily) push some of the ink to the bottom of the pad, so it doesn't muddy the detail of the stamp. The ink will redistribute itself when you close the ink pad. I did a little stamping at the base of the tree for some fallen blossoms and added the cute bird house, using Stampin' Write markers direct to the stamp for the different colours. The greeting has been heat embossed in white and cropped with a stitched circle. It is popped up over a stitched banner from the Tasteful Labels Dies, cut from Early Espress card stock that had been dry embossed with the Subtle 3D Embossing Folder.

For the inside, I've used another stitched rectangle and partially stamped the tree on the right with the pink blooms stamped over the top and base. I added it to a panel of Melon Mambo to create borders than balance the length.

I decided to make a few more to thank my customers for their support. Using the Stamparatus, I was able to stamp the tree and bird house easily, but the blooms are hand stamped, making them all look unique.

Project Details
Stamps	Life is Beautiful
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Early Espresso, Melon Mambo Brights DSP
Ink	Early Espresso, Melon Mambo, Versamark
Accessories	Rhinestones, Braided Linen Trim
Tools	Stitched Shapes Dies, Stitched Rectangles Dies, Tasteful Labels Dies, Subtle 3D EF, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Stampin' Write Markers (Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Pacific Point), White EP, Heat gun

Catherine is hosting us tonight, so make sure you head over to her blog for the links to the other participants tonight.

Thanks for visiting today!

Posted at 07:55 PM in Feminine, Friendship | Permalink | Comments (9)

IDEAS Blog Hop - Everything Masculine!

September 08, 2020

Hi there

I'm back with the IDEAS (International Demos Exciting Artistic Stampin') team this month to share more fabulous projects. We are a group of international demonstrators who create a Tutorial Bundle each month to give you, our customers and readers a heap of inspiration for your crafting.

If you've come from looking at Elizabeth's great project, 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 IDEAS Team by clicking on the NEXT button at the bottom of the post.

Our theme this month is 'Everything Masculine'. Masculine cards, gifts and packaging can be tricky, so this month we have a bundle brimming with great projects to solve your problem. This bundle contains 12 fabulous tutorials and 54 pages of crafty inspiration for masculine occasions. You can see a little peak of the projects in the collage above.

I have two fancy fold Pop-up Front Step Cards - one in portrait and one in landscape orientation so you can select the one that best suits your needs. I have sized these cards specifically for the Stampin’ Up! Stitched Rectangles Dies. The stitching detail steps up a masculine project without fuss. The best part is that both styles fold down for easy posting.

Would you like a copy of the instructions for these projects for your personal use, or even to use in your classes?

There are 3 ways you can get the September 2020 Tutorial Bundle.

1. Place an order with me for $50 or more using the current month's Host Code (shown in the side bar on the right) and you will receive the tutorial bundle for FREE. I will email you the PDF file within 24 hours of your order being confirmed.

2. You can purchase the tutorial with Instant Download through my Etsy store by clicking here. You can pay with a credit card or PayPal and you DO NOT need to sign up to Etsy to make a purchase. Check out as a guest if you are not a member.

3. Join my team and you will get this bundle of tutorials FREE every month to use for your personal crafting or for classes. You can see all the details over on the Join My Team page. There is a great joining offer this month, too, so it might be the right time for you consider the opportunity to run your own home-based craft business or to get a great discount on your craft supplies.

Once you have received the tutorials, please remember not to share or distribute the printed or electronic copies of these bundles. We have worked hard to provide these exclusive projects for your use. If you know someone that would like to purchase the bundle, please direct them to me to obtain their copy. Thanks for your support.

Now it's time to hop over to Yolanda's Blog to see her fabulous project.

Thanks for visiting today!

Posted at 03:55 AM in IDEAS Tutorial Bundle, Masculine | Permalink | Comments (6)

CASE-ing the Catty - Annual Catalogue Die Bundles

September 06, 2020

Hi there

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

If you've come from visiting Rebecca'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 are CASE-ing projects from the Die Bundles on pages 173-179 of the 2020-21 Annual Catalogue.

My project this week is inspired by the catalogue sample above from page 176. I've had my eye on this sample since the catalogue was released; it is just so cute!

It was the 3 sets of nesting dies in different shapes in the Hippo & Friends Dies that first caught my eye, but then the bundled discount meant that the stamp set was only $21.50, so I decided to buy the bundle. I think the sweet hippo and lamb are perfect for baby cards, so that is what I've created.

I've stayed close to the layout, as that is what attracted me to the card, changing up the colour to Blushing Bride. I adhered the circle design paper to a panel of Whisper White leaving a small border on each side, which I think adds a little pop. I had a panel of Thick Whisper White that had been dry embossed with the lovely Dainty Diamonds 3D Embossing Folder, so I die cut the largest of the semi-square label dies from the Hippo & Friends Dies and adhered it to the panel. I wrapped some retired Blushing Bride Baker's Twine around the panel, finishing in a bow on the side and then popped it up on the Blushing Bride card base.

The next size of label die was cut from Blushing Bride card stock and popped up over the white label. The sweet hippo was stamped in Smoky Slate ink; the body stamped off and then full strength stamped over the top. He is popped up on the squiggly 'grass' cut from Pear Pizzazz card stock. The balloons are stamped in So Saffron, Coastal Cabana and Blushing Bride ink and popped up at different heights. I pushed the ink down into the pads with the back of the spoon to give a more pastel tone to the colours. Finally, the greeting from the retired Made with Love stamp set was stamped in Basic Gray ink on So Saffron card stock and popped up at the bottom of the grass. It looks more like Daffodil Delight in the photo, though.

For the inside, I have a strip of the circle design paper down each side, with the writing panel in between. I stamped another greeting from the retired Made With Love stamp set in the middle and added a couple of rows of the squiggles at the base with a cute lamb that was stamped in Gray Granite ink.

Project Details
Stamps	Hippo Happiness, Made With Love (retired)
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz, So Saffron, Subtles Designer Paper
Ink	Smoky Slate, So Saffron, Coastal Cabana, Blushing Bride, Gray Granite, Basic Gray
Accessories	Rhinestones, Blushing Bride Baker's Twine (retired)
Tools	Hippo & Friends Dies, Stitched Rectangle Dies, Dainty Diamonds 3D Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Tombow

We would love to see your projects, inspired by the Die Bundles on pages 173-179 of the Annual Catalogue. 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 Michelle has to inspire you this week.

Thanks for visiting today!

Posted at 06:55 PM in CASE-ing The Catty, New Baby | Permalink | Comments (5)

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A bit about me...

Hi, I'm Judy May and I live in Toowoomba, Queensland with my husband. I love Stampin' Up!® paper, stamps and ink and using them to make beautiful projects. Let me be your creative coach and inspire you to bring the joy of creativity to your life!