IDEAS Blog Hop - Everything Masculine!

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!

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Colour Creations Showcase - Crumb Cake

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 Crumb Cake which is from the Neutrals Collection. I have some male birthdays coming up, so I decided to take the opportunity to make a masculine card.

I decided to ink up the Camouflouge background stamp for the first time using Crumb Cake ink. This gives a great tone on tone background without being too overwhelming. As I stamped the panel a little short, I added it to a Night of Navy mat and then onto a Crumb Cake card base.

I have used the A Good Man stamp set for my art panel. I started by stamping the image in Early Espresso ink on Whisper White card stock and then used Stampin' Blends Alcohol Markers to create the sky, water and beach sections of the scene. Then to add extra depth I have used elements from the High Tide stamp set over the top. I randomly stamped the mottled image on the ground in stamped off Crumb Cake ink and then masked off everything except the water and stamped the waves in Seaside Spray ink. Finally, I added the small birds in Early Espresso ink at the top. The finished panel was cropped with a Stitched Rectangle die and matted onto Real Red. I added a piece of Night of Navy designer paper under the art panel to ground it and a little tab of Denim Ribbon at the top before popping it up. The greeting is popped up at the bottom and I finished with a Star Designer Element that I coloured with a Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Blend marker.

For the inside, I have a Real Red mat for my writing panel (although in hindsight I think it should have been Night of Navy). I added some colour at the bottom with the Ivory and Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends and then stamped the mottled image over the top in stamped off Crumb Cake. I masked a small section to create the water and then filled it in with the Light Seaside Spray marker. Finally I stamped the gulls in Early Espresso ink. 

This card would work for Father's Day as well, which is coming up soon in Australia. You could add the Father's Day greeting inside.

 

Project Details
Stamps	A Good Man, High Tide, Camouflage
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Night of Navy, Real Red, Crumb Cake, Neutrals DSP
Ink	Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Night of Navy, Seaside Spray,
Accessories	Denim Ribbon, Star Designer Elements
Tools	Stitched Shapes Dies, Stitched Rectangles Dies, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Stampin' Blends, Dimensionals

 

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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So Much Happy Bundle

Hi there

Today I'm sharing a card using the fabulous So Much Happy Bundle from the 2020-21 Annual Catalogue. This one has been on my Wish List for a while and I finally succumbed! This bundle is comprised of the So Much Happy stamp set and the coordinating Happy Dies and if you buy them together you save 10%.

This bundle is not only great for celebrating birthdays, but friendship, graduation, achievements or pretty much any occasion. The greetings mix and match with the large 'HAPPY' die and there are some cute accessories with the ballooons and stars.  The dies cut the balloon and star images from the stamp set but there is so much more, with the cute banner, clouds and the two long embossing dies to add details.  

So my first card with this bundle is for a guy in his twenties and I wanted something bright, bold and fun. I had in mind to use the blue painterly design from the Artistry Blooms Designer Series Paper pack. 

This colour combo is not one I would have ever put together myself, but I think it looks fabulous! It has a real summer 'beachy' feel to me.

I started with a piece of the designer paper and adhered it to a panel of Whisper White of the same size, to give it some body.  The 'HAPPY' was die cut from the panel and I recommend you use a new-ish cutting plate to minimise the imprint on the designer paper when you run it through the die cutting machine.  I used the stitched embossing die next, to add a trim either side. I like that it adds a border to the word, without adding anything extra. The 'HAPPY' was die cut again in Whisper White and placed behind and offset to create a shadow. When you cut the 'HAPPY' you automatically get a 1/4" border on either side of the word. I added glue just to the edge of the border (not the letters); it is quick and less messy. You can make your shadow on the left or the right as desired.

The panel was popped up onto my Night of Navy card base with Black Dimensionals. They are perfect for dark colours and barely discernible, making it look like the panel is floating.  You can see from this photo, how much dimension it adds to the card.  For the embellishment, I have 3 stars in different sizes cropped with the Stitched Stars Dies. The Night of Navy star has been embossed with one of the Wrapped In Texture Embossing Folders and I have stamped the stars from the So Much Happy stamp set a few times in Granny Apple Green for the white one. 

The 'BIRTHDAY' is from one of the greetings in the Itty Bitty Birthdays stamp set and I've masked off the 'HAPPY' and then cropped it with a Stitched Rectangle Die. Finally, I added a trio of the new Blue Adhesive-Backed Gems for a little bit of sparkle.

For the inside, I have a Granny Apple Green mat for the writing panel and a strip of the designer paper at the bottom. I've die cut 2 balloon strings and added a stamped balloon and an embossed balloon that has been sponged with Coastal Cabana ink.

Project Details
Stamps	So Much Happy, Itty Bitty Birthdays
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Night of Navy, Granny Apple Green, Coastal Cabana, Artistry Blooms DSP
Ink	Night of Navy, Granny Apple Green, Coastal Cabana
Accessories	Blue Adhesive-Backed Gems
Tools	Happy Dies, Wrapped in Texture Embossing Folder, Stitched Rectangle Dies, Stitched Stars Dies, Big Shot, Black Dimensionals, Tombow Glue

 

Before I go, just a reminder that the fabulous 'Box of Sunshine' Paper Pumpkin Kit is now available to purchase in Australia for $37AUD, while stocks last and I can tell you, they are going like hotcakes! You can see all the details in my post here.

Finally, if you earned Bonus Days Coupons last month, don't forget, you have until 31 August to redeem them. Use them or lose them, as they say!

Thanks for visiting today!

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CASE-ing the Catty - Inspired by Animals

Hi there

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

If you've come from visiting Rachel'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 animals in the new 2020-21 Annual Catalogue and I've chosen to use the Whale Of A Time Suite for my project. 

I was inspired by a few project samples on pages 94 and 95 of the 2020-21 Annual Catalogue, including the one above. I love shaker cards and the new Whale of a Time Sequins are really lovely and I also wanted to try out the Seabed 3D Embossing Folder that is also part of the suite. This embossing folder looks pretty ho-hum in the catalogue, but I'm here to tell you it is really fabulous. The photo above, that I cropped to give you a better view, does show the fabulous detailed design and texture variations much better.

Well, having said all that, I didn't end up with a shaker card, but rather something more like a diorama. I have used Pacific Point for the frame to coordinate with the Whale of a Time Designer Series Paper and I wanted a bold colour to show up the embossing. I started first by cutting out the aperture in the front with a Stitched Rectangle Die before embossing with the Seabed 3D Embossing Folder. I opened the folder and gently patted the inside bottom panel (the one without the Stampin' Up! logo) with the Whisper White Craft ink pad (page 147 of the Annual Catalogue) before running it through my Big Shot.  The end result is that you have the de-bossed design highlighted with white ink and I love the effect it gives. The craft ink does take more time to dry, so put it aside for a few minutes or use the low setting on your heat gun to speed up the process.

For the background of the diorama I chose one of the fabulous designs from the Whale of a Time Designer Series Paper pack. I stamped the school of fish from the Whale Done stamp set a few times in Calypso Coral ink and then added the whales that I fussy cut from another sheet of the designer paper. I like to roughly cut the shape and then adhere it to some Whisper White card stock before fussy cutting.  It makes the image more robust, especially if you're popping up on Dimensionals as I have done with the large whale. The seaweed was cropped from Vellum card stock using the Smooth Sailing Dies and I left one plain and coloured the other with the Dark Granny Apple Green Stampin' Blend marker. The turtle is also fussy cut from the designer paper and popped up over the seaweed in the corner. The small seahorse was stamped in Calypso Coral ink and fussy cut and is the perfect size to wind around the seaweed. 

I adhered the finished diorama to a Pacific Point card base of the same size to provide additional stability when it is displayed. This photo shows a top view of the diorama and the dimension it gives to the card. 

For the inside I have a Just Jade mat for my writing panel. I've stamped the seagrass from the Whale Done stamp set in Pretty Peacock and Granny Green in the corner and then the fish over the top in Calypso Coral. 

The other great thing about this diorama card, is that the frame folds flat to fit into a standard sized envelope for posting and pops back  to shape easily. If you're interested in making one of these cards, I'll a tutorial available for it shortly. 

 

Project Details
Stamps	Whale Done, Itty Bitty Greetings, Itty Bitty Birthdays
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Pacific Point, Just Jade, Whale of a Time DSP, Vellum
Ink	Pretty Peacock, Granny Apple Green, Calypso Coral, Whisper White Craft
Accessories
Tools	Seabed 3D Embossing Folder, Stitched Rectangle Dies, Smooth Sailing Dies, Tasteful Labels Dies, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Stampin' Blends  (Granny Apple Green)

We would love to see your projects, inspired by the animals in the new 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 Monique has to inspire you this week. 

Thanks for visiting today!

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Fancy Fold Masculine Card with By The Dock

Hi there

I hope you are staying safe and well. I've been very busy for the last few weeks with prepping and running my Zoom classes and life in general.  Another month has gone and we are now in the second half of the year. As 2020 hasn't been the best of years for humanity, it might be good to get it over and done and start afresh!

I just want to mention firstly, that we have the Stampin' Up! BONUS DAYS promotion during July (actually 1 July - 3 August, 2020).  In Australia, that means you will receive a $9 coupon for each $90 you spend. 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! Not only that, we have the Holiday Mini Catalogue (now called the August-December Mini Catalogue) starting in August (yes, a month earlier than previously!) so you can redeem your coupons on the fabulous new holiday products. My customers will be receiving their complimentary copy of the August-December Mini Catalogue in the next few weeks, but you can request one, by leaving your details on my Free Catalogues page.

Now onto the card I'm sharing today. I'm using the By The Dock stamp set and coordinating Dockside Dies for my Centre Step Easel card. This bundle is perfect for masculine cards or anyone into the outdoors, boating or those who just love water scenery. There is something so calming about looking out into a body of water, don't you think, especially when it is surrounded by a lovely landscape. It would also be great for a milestone birthday or retirement occasion.

I have used Seaside Spray card stock for the card base and the Night of Navy plaid design from the retired Country Club Designer Series Paper for the side borders on the front and for the fold out easel panel. I added a strip of Old Olive card stock across the easel panel and popped up the birthday greeting from the By the Dock stamp set, that I stamped in Night of Navy ink and cropped with the Stitched Rectangle Dies. 

The centre background panel has the ground image from the By The Dock stamp set at the base and above that I have coloured the sand, water and sky with Stampin' Blends alcohol markers. I added some ripples in stamped off Night of Navy ink after I finished colouring.  You could also use ink pads and daubers or other ink blending tools to create the background. The dock was popped up on the left slightly overhanging the edge and the boat adhered flat with the bow rising from the water. I overlaid the bottom edge with the fabulous bullrushes die cut from the Friendly Sihouettes Dies. To finish I popped up the cute frog on the dock and added a couple of seagulls flying overhead.  The card has lots of dimension and texture and I love that it folds up and fits into a standard sized envelope. 

I've added a writing panel on the reverse, stamping the ground image again at the bottom in a different way and adding the fussy cut boat to the left and off the edge. It's great to have a masculine card ready in my stash, but I think I know the perfect person for it!

 

Project Details
Stamps	By the Dock
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Seaside Spray, Night of Navy, Old Olive, Crumb Cake,Country Club DSP (retired)
Ink	Early Espresso, Night of Navy, Soft Suede
Accessories	Gold Metallic Pearls
Tools	Dockside Dies, Stitched Rectangle Dies, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Stampin' Blends (Granny Apple Green, Old Olive, Gray Granite, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Seaside Spray, Petal Pink, So Saffron, Soft Sea Foam, Balmy Blue, Smoky Slate, Soft Suede)

 

Thanks for visiting me today!

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