Hey, it's Kathryn here again with Week 26 of the Colour Creations Showcase.

Yay to this week's shade of Chistmas - Merry Merlot! I can't wait to see what my fellow Art With Heart stampers have created this week!

Merry Merlot

This dark wine red is perfect for adding depth, shade and tone to your red images particularly on Christmas cards, but I have chosen to use it as a stand alone colour - the key colour in a couple of cards for experienced card makers.

In fact as soon as I starting thinking about this week's colour, I knew I wanted to use the Whiskey Business stamp set for some rich, dark, men's club kind of masculine cards.

My first card is A4 Merry Merlot card base, cut in half vertically with an initial layer of In Good Taste Designer Series Paper. Then there is a panel of the Merry Merlot patterned paper from the Neutrals 6"x 6" DSP matted on Whisper White.

I've used the Layering Ovals Dies to cut a scallop oval in Merry Merlot and a plain oval in Whisper White which I then stamped with the texture stamp from Whiskey Business stamp set in Gray Granite ink. The bottle and glass were stamped on scraps of Thick Whisper White, coloured with Stampin' Blends and cut out with Paper Snips. The Blends are shown in the product images right at the bottom of this post.

The inside of the card has a strip of the leftover Designer Series Paper and an extra glass stamped and coloured just on the insert.  The sentiments are stamped with Merry Merlot ink.

The second card steps it up a little, including a "Z fold" and a few more layers. This card was inspired by one I found on Pinterest by Dawn Griffith.

I have used most of the same materials - the In Good Taste Designer Series Paper, the images stamped on scrap Whisper White and hand cut out, the base of Merry Merlot card and the sentiments in Merry Merlot ink. But for this card I have added the beautiful Brushed Metallic Card for some extra glamour.

The Layering Squares Dies were used for the panels - and as usual, I die-cut extra shapes from the centres of the Brushed Metal card before creating my layers - maximising my cardstock usage and giving myself some lovely brushed metallic layers for next week's cards.

The "Z fold" here is probably the easiest one you can do - just cut the A4 card vertically at 10.5cm, fold it in half to form a standard card, then fold the front in half back on itself - too easy! Then add as few or as many layers as you like. I am half inclined to think that I may have gone a little overboard with the layers on this one, but is sure it a spectacular card in real life!

I hope you like them! Please leave me some feedback in the comments. I would love you to join me is seeing what the other talented Art With Heart Stampers have created using Merry Merlot. To do that, CLICK HERE to go to Cathy's blog where she has the full list of participants!

See you again soon with ink on your fingers!

Kathryn Ruddick

Product List

Merry Merlot A4 Cardstock [147005] $15.25	Merry Merlot Classic Stampin' Pad [147112] $13.00	Neutrals 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [152485] $20.00
Whiskey Business Cling Stamp Set (English) [152550] $33.00	Brushed Metallic Cardstock [153524] $26.00	In Good Taste Designer Series Paper [152494] $37.00
Mango Melody Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154888] $15.50	So Saffron Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154905] $15.50	Seaside Spray Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154901] $15.50
Layering Squares Dies [151772] $58.00	Layering Ovals Dies [151771] $58.00	Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549] $17.00

Quick heads up!

If you were trying to order last night after work you may have found the online store wasn't working for you.

It was a global glitch that affected all Stampin' Up! online shops.

Because this happened with still 5-6 hours left to go on yesterday's mammoth sale, during the busiest period, Stampin' Up! have just announced they are extending the sale until 11.50pm today.

At this very moment the online store still isn't working so if you did want to get your order in and still get the 10% off, email it to me and I will place the order for you by logging in to the back end via the demonstrator website. The order will still come direct to you via Australia Post.

Or if you want to try again after work today, the online store should be working by then - either way, don't be afraid to get in touch with me to help you out.

Cheers,

Kathryn Ruddick

Hey there stamping friends!

A couple of weeks ago the Colour Creation Showcase was the extraordinarily bright In Color - Magenta Madness. It was a bit of a madness week, with all my uni assignments due on the Monday and a beautiful sunny day for the Melbourne Cup public holiday on Tuesday - so hubby and I had our first long bike ride since we went into the original lockdown in March.

Sooooooo, whilst I had a Magenta Madness project half created, I really ran out of time to complete it and do the blog post before the Week 23 Showcase went live.

However, I did eventually finish the card, so I thought I'd better show it to you!

I have selected the Magenta Madness Card and Envelope from the Flowers for Every Season  Memories & More Card Pack, along with a small strip of the In Color Designer Series Paper, and the Magenta Madness 1/4" ribbon.

The die-cut border is from the Ornate Borders Dies in the Ornate Thanks Bundle.

I have cut the die twice, once in White and once in Basic Black, then inserted the loose pieces from the black die-cut into the Whisper White one for contrast.

The lovely greeting is from the Country Home stamp set. I deliberately picked it for the vertical layout. It fits very nicely on the label die-cut from the Tasteful Labels Dies. I cut extras of the same die in Basic Black and layered them underneath.

If you would like to see what the other lovely creators came up with (even though it was a couple of weeks ago), please click here to go over to Cathy's blog post where she has all the links to the other participants.

See you in a couple of days with our Merry Merlot Colour Creation Showcase!

Kathryn Ruddick

Product List

Flowers For Every Season Memories & More Cards & Envelopes [153101] $19.25	Magenta Madness 1/4" (6.4 Mm) 2020–2022 In Color Ribbon [153623] $10.50	2020–2022 In Color 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [153070] $20.00
Ornate Borders Dies [152724] $59.00	Ornate Thanks Bundle (English) [154115] $81.00	Country Home Photopolymer Stamp Set [147678] $37.00
Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549] $17.00	Basic Black A4 Card Stock [121688] $15.25	Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad [101406] $17.50

The Art With Heart Stampin' Team are back this week with another summery food related colour - Melon Mambo!

I don't use Melon Mambo very often because I'm' not really a "pink girl", but it is a lovely bright colour - and its a warm pink so it goes really well on a cheery card with some of our bright orange and yellow tones. However for today I've kept my card fairly monochromatic with just a couple of tiny spots of other colours.

I've chosen to christen the Pretty Parasol stamp set. The base card is Melon Mambo and the two smaller umbrellas are stamped with Melon Mambo ink on Whisper White card. The larger umbrella is stamped with Memento Black ink and coloured with Stampin' Blends alcohol markers in Flirty Flamingo, Rococo Rose, Granny Apple Green and Soft Sea Foam.

We have Melon Mambo Blends in our range - they were introduced with the new Annual Catalogue in June - I just haven't added them to my collection yet - too many other nice colours!

I've seen some gorgeous backgrounds lately - and I wanted to create something like them - but I also wanted it to be super quick and to just use what I have in my stash, instead of having to go out to buy anything new.

I grabbed an old clam shell stamp case and scribbled on the top of it with a couple of different pink Stampin' Blends. Then I spritzed it with Isocol Rubbing Alcohol in a Stampin' Spritzer with a couple of drops of Champagne Shimmer Paint (these are both on pages 146-147 of our Annual Catalogue).

I put a piece of Thick Whisper White down on to the wet mix and smooshed it around a bit - which spread out the pink but also picked up the grainy Champagne Shimmer in the nicest way. You do have to work fast because the alcohol evaporates.

The umbrellas were punched with the Umbrella Builder Punch. The lace, tassels and handles were stamped direct onto the smooshed background and the umbrellas attached with Dimensionals.

I've been really looking forward to using this stamp set and I am glad it has finally seen ink!

Please join me in visiting all the other Colour Creations Showcase ladies to see what they have created with Melon Mambo. To do that, click this button to go to Cathy's blog where she has all the participants listed.

See you next week!

Kathryn Ruddick

Product List

Melon Mambo A4 Card Stock [119980] $15.25	Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad [147051] $13.00	Pretty Parasol Photopolymer Stamp Set [152663] $28.00
Rococo Rose Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154900] $15.50	Flirty Flamingo Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154884] $15.50	Melon Mambo Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [153112] $15.50
Granny Apple Green Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154885] $15.50	Soft Sea Foam Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154902] $15.50	Umbrella Builder Punch [151293] $31.00
Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint [147044] $14.00	Stampin' Spritzer [126185] $5.00	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708] $10.00

Welcome to week 24 of the Art With Heart team Colour Creations Showcase!

This week the star of the show is Mango Melody.  And do you know, I can't remember EVER using this colour before? 

And yet it is such a bright, cheery, pick me up kind of cocktail colour!

When I realised which colour was this week, I had a bit of a panic about what to make with it, but then I saw a stamp set on my shelf which hadn't been opened and used - and it just screamed out to be used with Mango Melody - hmmmmm! Mango cocktails! What a perfect thing in this suddenly humid weather we've been having!

I also grabbed out the leftover bits from my Box of Sunshine Paper Pumpkin Kit and suddenly I was making way more than one card - so much brightness and fun!  The colourful strip along the bottom of this first card is one of the card fronts from the Share Sunshine cards, cut into 1" strips. And I added some sequins out of the kit for a bit of sparkle.

This card contains another 1" strip of card front from the Paper Pumpkin kit, along with the pineapple, black and white polka dot piece and more sequins.  The stamp set has 26 pieces for lots of mix and match greetings AND there's a coordinating die set for cutting out those cute cocktails!

The stamp set is photopolymer so it's really easy to line up the words to make a fun background - this one is inked with Mango Melody and every  second image is stamped off (or "second generation stamping").

But WAIT!! There are not just cocktail stamps in this set! How could I use the set without also making at least one COFFEE card!?!  And how cute and funky are those coffee cups!

I can't believe what a fun colour Mango Melody is, after ignoring it for so long! I really enjoyed designing these cards and putting them together!

See the lovely touch of gold on the pineapple? And here is what the inside of the card looks like:

I really hope you will check out the rest of the amazing projects by my Art With Heart stamping friends. You can do that by clicking here and going to lovely Cathy's blog where she has ALL the links.

Hope to see you again next week when we showcase Melon Mambo.

Kathryn Ruddick

Product List

Mango Melody Classic Stampin' Pad [147093] $13.00	Mango Melody A4 Cardstock [147013] $15.25	Paper Pumpkin Kit Box Of Sunshine (English) [155231] $37.00
Nothing's Better Than Bundle [154061] $81.00	Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin' Pad [147052] $13.00	Poppy Parade Classic Stampin' Pad [147050] $13.00
Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708] $10.00	Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549] $17.00	Granny Apple Green Stampin' Pad [147095] $13.00

Welcome to the 22nd Colour Creations Showcase for 2020! This week's colour is beautiful Just Jade from the 2020-2022 In Colors. I hope you'll join me in visiting each of the blogs of the talented Art With Heart Stampin' Team creators to see what they have done with this beautiful shade of green.

I have just five days left to complete all my uni work and submit it for assessment - so even though I had big plans to make gorgeous creations with Just Jade, I had to settle for quick and simple, even though I love the colour AND there are SO many products available featuring Just Jade.

So, for my quick and simple card, I selected the Just Jade card and envelope from the Flowers For Every Season Memories and More Cards & Envelopes. Then rather than adding layers of card, I stamped straight onto the card, masking the edges of the rectangle and stamping inside it.

I have used my favourite new stamp from the Dandy Garden Variety Bundle which will be available next January to June.

Then it was just a matter of adding a bit of embellishment.

The dragonfly and greeting are from the same stamp set, stamped in Just Jade on Shimmery White card stock.

The ribbon is from the Flowers For Every Season Ribbon Combo Pack and the label die is from Ornate Frames Dies.

The Dandy Garden Variety Bundle includes the Dragonfly Punch. I stamped it with Just Jade, then used the black Stampin' Write marker to just darken the body a little.

This was a super quick card and it looks delightful in real life - I might have to make some more of those!

I hope you will click on this link to go to Cathy's blog and see what everyone else has created using the beautiful Just Jade!

See you soon!

Kathryn Ruddick

This week the Art With Heart ladies are showing off lovely Highland Heather in our Colour Creations Showcase.

Highland Heather is such a pretty pastel purple. It's lovely for all those lavender flowery type cards, as well as being a gorgeous shade for baby cards.

Highland Heather

It even features in two different packs of our Christmas paper this year, in the Feels Like Frost Specialty Designer Series Paper AND the Snowflake Splendor Designer Series Paper.

I have taken a small piece from each pack and teamed them with some brand new products for a very different look.

Yes! This is a bit of a sneaky peek at the Dandy Garden Variety Bundle which will be available in next January-June Mini Catalogue - it includes the gorgeous Dragonfly Garden Stamp Set, a Dragonfly Builder punch and amazing Dandy Garden Designer Series Paper.

My card base is our standard A5 card, but instead of scoring it in half for an A6 card, I scored it on the 14.85cm line for a square card which will fit in a 6"x 6" (or 15cm) envelope.

Instead of adhering the second half of the front panel to the inside of the card, I decided to let it fold all the way out so there would be more white space for writing inside the card, instead of on the back of the main card base.

There's a really beautiful bunch of wildflowers stamp in the Dragonfly Garden stamp which I have stamped in Highland Heather ink on the Snowflake Splendor DSP on the front panel.

The dragonflies were stamped with Black Memento Ink and coloured with Light Purple Posy and Highland Heather Blends Duos. And can you see the Wink of Stella glimmering at you?

And on the inside panel I stamped the small multiple dragonfly stamp in Highland Heather ink onto the Feels Like Frost DSP.

These colours are all so pretty together, don't you think!

I would love you to leave me a comment to tell me what you think, then, if you'd like to see what the rest of the creative Art With Heart team ladies have done, please hop over to Cathy's blog where she has all of the links.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO CATHY'S BLOG

Hope to see you again next week for the Colour Creations Showcase!

Kathryn Ruddick

Hello!! Welcome to Gray Granite week!

Can you believe we are up to week 20 in the Art With Heart Colour Creations Showcase?  That is a record for me to have blogged 20 weeks in a row, and sometimes twice a week.  I will have to remember to be thankful for Covid19 restrictions for helping me to develop this habit!

Gray Granite is a beautiful warm, earthy grey - kind of the grey of the rocky outcrops in the nearby Strathbogie ranges - which of course is known for its granitic outcrops . . . It's the kind of grey that a beautiful old stone house would be built with, or the grey of a dear old elephant mama's hide, or the grey of a snuggly plush bunny for a new born baby's cot.

It's also an ethereal elegant colour, understated and perfect for setting off Whisper White and Gold Foil, and this week's project does just that.

Don't you love the way the Gold Foil reflects across the table - it's so shiny!!

I have used Gray Granite card for the base, second layer and some of the leaves cut using the Boho Indigo Dies. The first layer, more leaves and the label are in Whisper White card with Gray Granite ink for the greeting. The gold foil panel and loose leaves are all from the Forever Gold Laser-cut Specialty paper on page 152 of the Annual Catalogue.

The lovely birthday greeting is from the Boho Indigo stamp set in the Boho Indigo product medley - one of my most used groups of products since this current annual catalogue came out in June. And the other embellishment on this card is the Gold Hoop which comes in a pack of 10 on page 156 of the annual catalogue. After taking this photo, I changed my mind and pulled some of the foliage bits through the hoop so they overlapped it.

I can't wait for someone to have a special birthday in the next couple of weeks so I can send this to them!

I would love you to visit the other creative Art With Heart team creators and see their gorgeous creations using Gray Granite. To do so, please go to Cathy's blog here where she has all the links!

See you again soon with ink on your fingers!!

Kathryn Ruddick
 

Product List

Gray Granite A4 Cardstock [147008] $15.25	Gray Granite Classic Stampin' Pad [147118] $13.00	Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549] $17.00
Boho Indigo Product Medley (English) [153132] $122.00	Forever Gold Laser-Cut Specialty Paper [152493] $26.00	Gold Hoops Embellishments [152474] $13.00

Hey there!

Who wants to see this week's amazing fresh colour creations with beautiful Granny Apple Green?

That's right! The Art With Heart Stampin' Up! team are back this week with our 19th Colour Creations Showcase and it is the beautiful Granny Apple Green, a lovely bright, fresh green just like a summer Granny Smith Apple.

I have done a real mix and match of many of my Stampin' Up! products to create today's projects. And I really love how they came up, looking so fresh.

I selected the stamp set and dies from the Boho Indigo Product Medley on page 9 of the Annual Catalogue and stamped with Granny Apple Green ink, and die cut Granny Apple Green and Garden Green leaves for accents.

I chose a sheet of mostly Granny Apple Green printed paper from the Whale of a Time 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper pack. That is the more gorgeous paper pack ever!

The greeting stamp is from Seaside Notions stamp set, stamped in Granny Apple Green ink on Whisper White cards and die cut with a label die from the lovely Beautiful Boughs Dies.

For my second card, I used the leftover strip of paper from the 6" x 6" DSP together with a piece of Granny Apple Green card , dry embossed with the Subtle 3D embossing folder, and a piece of Whisper White, dry embossed with the Ornate Floral 3D embossing folder.

The other pieces on the card are the same as the first card.

Cards are layered on Whisper White, with a Granny Apple Green base card and a Whisper White insert.

To see the rest of the gorgeous Granny Apple Green creations by my talented stamping friends, please hop over to Cathy's blog where you will find all the links to the other blogs.  Thanks again Cathy for all the work you do in hosting this Colour Showcase so we can inspire each other and be inspired by the beautiful Stampin' Up! colours!

Please leave me a comment if you would like to, and I look forward to seeing you again next week!

Kathryn Ruddick

(Croydon North VIC).

Product List

Granny Apple Green Stampin' Pad [147095] $13.00	Granny Apple Green A4 Cardstock [147014] $15.25	Garden Green A4 Card Stock [108605] $15.25
Whale Of A Time 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [152460] $20.00	Boho Indigo Product Medley (English) [153132] $122.00	Seaside Notions Cling Stamp Set [149278] $40.00
Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549] $17.00	Ornate Floral 3D Embossing Folder [152725] $15.75	Subtle 3D Embossing Folder [151775] $17.50

Hi! It's Kathryn here!

Welcome to Week 18 of the Colour Creations Showcase where the talented Art With Heart Stampin' Up! team members share amazing creations focusing on one particular colour from the Stampin' Up! colour families.

This week we are showcasing Gorgeous Grape - a popular new purple in the Stampin' Up! range.

Right back at the start of the 2020 Colour Creations Showcase, when we looked at Blackberry Bliss and Blushing Bride, I chose to use pieces from the absolutely delicious Gorgeous Posies Card Kit.

This week I found myself going back to the Gorgeous Posies card kit, because the colour combination is so beautiful!  And I threw in a little surprise so I could make a magical little message to send out to someone like me, still dealing with Stage 4 lockdown in Melbourne.

How cute is this little witch and her pet mouse from the Flight of Fancy stamp set?  I think Gorgeous Grape is the perfect colour for this cheerful little "good witch".

How can she spread anything but joy with those colours!

I stamped the cute image on Thick Whisper White card with Black Stazon Ink, then used a Blender Pen with the Gorgeous Grape inkpad to colour her dress, hat and the mouse. The yellow on the broom and the stars and her hair is Bumble Bee Stampin' Write Marker and the broom stick and shadows on the straw are Cinnamon Cider Stampin' Write Marker - applied direct to the image.

The image was fussy cut with paper snips. You can't see it on these images, but I also used a Sponge Dauber to apply Blushing Bride ink to her face.

The label on the front of the card is a mixture of words made up from 3 separate stamp sets:

• "Sending you" comes from Comfort & Hope Stamp set
• "A little" comes from Gnome for the Holidays stamp set
• "Magic" comes from Poinsettia Petals stamp set

Each of the words were inked with the Gorgeous Grape Stampin' Write marker and stamped "near" each other for a whimsical little greeting.

I added half a dozen Champagne Rhinestones to the front for that extra magic bling, and the final step was to include a Whisper White insert inside the Gorgeous Grape base card. Along the bottom of the insert I stamped the sparkle image from Flight of Fancy in Gorgeous Grape ink.

I'd love to know what you think, so you're very welcome to leave a comment if you'd like, then please check out all our other beautiful Gorgeous Grape creations in the Colour Creation Showcase. Once again, lovely Cathy is hosting and the full list of participants can be found at her blog here.

Hope to see you again soon!

Kathryn Ruddick

(Melbourne Aus.)

Product List

Gorgeous Posies Project Kit [153131] $56.00	Gorgeous Grape Classic Stampin' Pad [147099] $13.00	Gorgeous Grape A4 Cardstock [147011] $15.25
Brights Stampin' Write Markers [147157] $52.50	Blender Pens [102845] $21.00	Blushing Bride Classic Stampin' Pad [147100] $13.00
Flight Of Fancy Cling Stamp Set [153410] $35.00	Comfort & Hope Cling Stamp Set (English) [152509] $37.00	Gnome For The Holidays Cling Stamp Set (English) [153322] $33.00
Poinsettia Petals Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [153475] $47.00	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock [140490] $14.25	Champagne Rhinestone Basic Jewels [151193] $10.50