IDEAS Blog Hop - Getting Ready for the New Year

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 Pia'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 Getting Ready for the New Year. This bundle contains an amazing 15 tutorials and 97 pages of crafty inspiration. Projects include New Year cards and gifts, calendar projects, craft supply organizers, card organizer, portable stationery box, letter writing compendium and more besides.  You can use these projects for any time of the year! There is a little peek of the projects in the collage above. 

Starting the year with a stash of birthday cards is always a good feeling as it takes the pressure off the first few months. Wouldn't it be fabulous to be gifted this lovely pack of 6 birthday cards? The floral image from the Fancy Phrases stamp set is super quick and easy to colour and you could easily colour a few sets in an evening. My gift pack holds at least 6 full-size cards and envelopes (3 each of 2 designs).

Would you like a copy of the instructions for this and the 14 other projects for your personal use, or even to use in your classes? 

There are 3 ways you can get the December 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. 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!

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Welcome Spring!

Hi there

Today I'm sharing a bright, spring card. We have had some lovely sunny weather in Melbourne in the last few days and it has the feel of spring in the air. This is my favourite time of year and I love spending time in the garden enjoying all the new colour.  This is my favourite Camellia that flowers at the beginning of spring, aptly named Spring Surprise. It flowers so abundantly and is a joy to look at from our breakfast table. I planted another 2 in the same bed last spring and they are flowering, too. I hope they catch up in size to this one that has been in 3 years now.

I started this card with the intention of participating in the Art with Heart Colour Creations Showcase this week, which was featuring Daffodil Delight. However, I didn't get it finished in time, but I thought I would share it anyway.

This is the colour combination I've used on my card. I usually use yellow as an accent colour, so it was quite a challenge to make it a focus of the card. I love yellow and blue together, as it is bright and cheery combination. I've kept the layout clean and simple, letting the bold flower image be the focus.

I started with a wash of Daffodil Delight onto a piece of watercolour paper.  While it was still slightly damp, I ran it through with the Tasteful Textures 3D Embossing Folder. 

The flower image from the Band Together stamp set was stamped in Early Espresso ink and coloured with Stampin' Blends Alcohol markers. I've used Old Olive on the stems and leaves and a combination of Seaside Spray and Light Night of Navy for the flowers.  I chose to fussy cut the image (although there is a die to crop the flower), separating the large flower from the stem and popping it up over the top on the background panel.

The panel was layered onto a Night of Navy mat and I wrapped some Seaside Spray/Silver twine around it and finished with a bow on the stem and adhered it to a Seaside Spray card base. The greeting from the To A Wild Rose stamp set was stamped in Night of Navy and cropped with a die from the Ornate Frames Dies. I die cut another of the labels in Seaside Spray and then cut it in half to create a shadow at the top and bottom of the greeting.

For the inside, I have a Night of Navy mat for the writing panel with a strip of Daffodil Delight designer paper at the base. The large flower was stamped again, coloured and fussy cut to go in the bottom corner.

Project Details
Stamps	Band Together, To A Wild Rose
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Night of Navy, Seaside Spray, Watercolour paper, Brights DSP
Ink	Night of Navy, Early Espresso
Accessories	Blue Adhesive-Backed Gems, Seaside Spray/Silver Baker's Twine
Tools	Tasteful Texture Embossing Folder, Ornate Frames Dies, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Tombow Glue, Stampin' Blends (Old Olive, Seaside Spray, Night of Navy, Daffodil Delight, Mango Melody, Soft Suede)

 

Before I go, just a reminder that the fabulous 'Box of Sunshine' Paper Pumpkin Kit is still available to purchase in Australia for $37AUD, while stocks last. You can see all the details in my post here.

Thanks for visiting today!

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Colour Creations Showcase - Cinnamon Cider

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 Cinnamon Cider which is one of the new 2020-22 In Colours. I love all of the new In Colors and I've used a few of them tonight. 

I've used products from the Flowers For Every Season Suite for my card and as I've coloured the focal image with Stampin' Blends, I've used Mango Melody as Bumblebee is not available. I think it works beautifully with the designer paper.

I started with a Cinnamon Cider card base and added the Misty Moonlight sunflower design from the Flower For Every Season Designer Paper pack. The greeting from the Waterfront stamp set was heat embossed in white on the panel of Misty Moonlight card stock and then dry embossed with the Tasteful Textile 3D Embossing Folder to add some texture. I adhered the Misty Moonlight panel to the card base and added the Cinnamon Cider border strips on either side. 

For the focus I have combined the pot from the Basket of Blooms stamp set with the sunflowers image from the Jar of Flowers  stamp set, stamping them in Early Espresso ink.  I have used the Cinnamon Cider Stampin' Blends to create my terracotta pot, which I think is perfect for it. The sunflowers were coloured with Mango Melody Blends with Cinnamon Cider, Pumpkin Pie and Crumb Cake for the centres. I've used Just Jade for the leaves and Misty Moonlight for the other flowers. I had to check the colour of thistle flowers (the one at the back of the bouquet) and found they are mainly purple, but it just didn't look right with my palette, so I've use some creative license to make it blue. The pot was popped up on 1mm foam pads and then the flowers are popped up over the pot on Dimensionals.

I added a little banner with the Cinnamon Cider striped design from the Flowers For Every Season DSP and popped up a heart from the coordinating Misty Moonlight spotted design. To finish I added a trio of the Petal Pink Elegant Faceted Gems that blend nicely with the Cinnamon Cider and a little Linen Thread bow on the pot.

For the inside, I have a Misty Moonlight mat for my writing panel. I have stamped the sunflowers again, colouring the 2 main flowers and then fussy cutting it to add to the bottom corner. I added the second part of the greeting next to the flowers in Cinnamon Cider ink. I think this is a perfect greeting for a friendship card right now and so relevant to our current lockdown situation in Victoria. 

 

Project Details
Stamps	Jar of Flowers, Basket of Blooms, Waterfront
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Cinnamon Cider, Misty Moonlight, Flowers for Every Season DSP
Ink	Versamark, Early Espresso, Cinnamon Cider
Accessories	Linen Thread, Elegant Faceted Gems
Tools	Stitched Be Mine Dies, Tasteful Textile 3D Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Stampin' Blends (Cinnamon Cider, Mango Melody, Just Jade, Misty Moonlight, Pumpkin Pie, Dark Crumb Cake), 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!

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AWH Creative Showcase - Sketch Challenge

Welcome to the Monthly Art With Heart Creative Showcase. This month the Art With Heart Team have amazing projects to share with you that have been inspired by the card sketch below. The sketch was used as a starting point and has been interpreted in many creative ways by the Art With Heart Team.

I've created a clean and simple card for you today, using the beautiful Magnolia image from the Good Morning Magnolia stamp set as my 'circle' element. 

I've started with a Rich Razzleberry card base and heat embossed in white, the greeting from the Tasteful Touches stamp set that is new in the 2020-21 Annual Catalogue that is coming soon. I then ran the front of the card through with the Subtle 3D Embossing Folder, although it isn't apparent in the photo. Next, the full length strip of the green striped DSP that is from the new Forever Greenery Designer Paper pack was added to the left. 

The large magnolia image was stamped in black Stazon ink onto watercolour paper and I used my aqua painter and ink pads to colour the image. For the Magnolia, I've used Melon Mambo and then added some Rich Razzleberry to tone it down a bit. Mossy Meadow was used for the leaves; Soft Suede for the stem and So Saffron for the centre. I've fussy cut the image on the line, but there are coordinating dies. If you do cut on the line, go around the image with a Stampin' Write marker (I used Crumb Cake) to cover the white core of the paper. It looks so much better. I cut off the largest leaf and adhered it underneath my popped up Magnolia, just to make it a bit more compact and add extra dimension. I finished with a bow in White Baker's Twine and a trio of the new Gilded Gems.

For the inside, I have used a Stitched Rectangle Die (extending the length) for my writing panel on the left and added a strip of the green striped paper on the right. I've watercoloured the small Magnolia image and added it to the bottom corner.

 

Project Details
Stamps	Good Morning Magnolia, Tasteful Touches
Card stock & Papers	Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Forever Greenery DSP, Watercolour paper
Ink	Stazon Black, Versamark, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Mossy Meadow, Soft Suede, So Saffron
Accessories	White Baker's Twine, Gilded Gems
Tools	Stitched Rectangle Dies, Subtle 3D EF, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Tombow glue, White EP, Heat Gun, Aqua Painter

 

The next demonstrator to share her interpretation of the sketch is the talented  Michele Taylor.

If you have a broken link or have come to this blog hop midway, you can view all the participants below:

Caroline Manwaring

Rebecca Jacovou  

Tina Gillespie

Catherine Proctor

Sharon Davern

Vicki Boucher

Christina Barnes

Claire Daly

Kate Morgan

Andrea Sargent

Kathryn Mangelsdorf

Amie McIlroy

Rachel Woollard

Judy May    -----> You are here!

Michele Taylor

Thanks for visiting today and come back next month for our Showcase, featuring our favourite products from the new 2020-21 Annual Catalogue.

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Cute 3D Card with Little Ladybug

Hi there

I have a bright, fun and super cute card to share, that will brighten up your day.  I was inspired by the card made by Libby Fens and I had to make one of my own (she has kindly included all the dimensions in her blog post). This is one of the easiest 3D fancy fold cards that you could make and it packs such a punch. The Sale-a-bration Host stamp set Little Ladybug is perfect for it. This stamp set is free with a party or personal order over $500, so if you've been keeping your powder dry up to now (wow, you must have strong will power, lol) you still have 3 weeks to take advantage of the Sale-a-bration promotion and earn this cute stamp set. Alternatively, get a few friends together and host an online workshop to pool your orders.

I've changed up the colours with a Balmy Blue base as I thought it worked well with the red ladybirds (we call them ladybirds in Australia) and bright yellow flowers. To add more interest, I have dry embossed the 3 pieces of the base with the Subtle 3D Embossing Folder. If you want to emboss your base, I recommend that you dry emboss the pieces first and then score them. The card is sitting on the envelope in the photo and I've stamped the flying ladybird in the bottom corner.

You can see the embossing better in this close-up. The ladybirds were coloured with Dark Real Red; Light and Dark Gray Granite for the chest; Light Petal Pink for the face, arms and legs and a tiny amount of Dark Petal Pink for blush on the cheeks. The flowers are coloured in Daffodil Delight; the stems and leaves with Granny Apple Green and centres in Light Soft Suede. I've cropped the images with the coordinating Ladybugs Dies that can be purchased for $50AUD. There are dies for all of the images, (apart from the row of tiny ladybirds), plus there are some extras as well. The greeting is also from the Little Ladybug stamp set and I've cropped it with the stitched label die from the All Dressed Up Dies.

If you were wondering where you write your greeting, then here it is. Because of the fold in the centre, I have created a panel on each side to give plenty of room to write and it also adds body to the base, making it more robust. I've used one of the Stitched Rectangle Dies which was conveniently the perfect size and stamped the cute row of ladybirds at the bottom. The panels have a mat of Granny Apple Green.

The card folds flat and fits easily into a normal C6 envelope. 

You can't help but smile when you look at those sweet ladybirds!

 

Project Details
Stamps	Little Ladybug
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Balmy Blue, Granny Apple Green
Ink	Memento Express Truffle
Accessories	2mm Rhinestone (not SU)
Tools	Ladybugs Dies, All Dressed Up Dies, Subtle 3D EF, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Tombow glue, Stampin' Blends (Real Red, Gray Granite, Soft Suede, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green, Petal Pink)

 

If you don't have a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, I would love to help you out.  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 March IDEAS Fun & Fancy Folds Tutorial Bundle for FREE (normally $10). It contains 55 pages of crafty inspiration and 12 projects that move, spin, wobble, pop-up, pop-out, slide out and shake!  I will email you the PDF file within 24 hours of your order being confirmed.  Don't forget, with an order of $90 or more, you can earn a FREE Sale-a-bration product too. 

Thanks for visiting me today!

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