I was absolutely delighted that the self-contained Lots Of Happy Card Kit carried over into our Annual Catalogue this year, along with it's refill kit.
It truly is one of the most gorgeous card kits I have ever seen. And even though it comes with it's own beautiful Watercolour pencils in the kit, I just love, love, love that it can also be coloured with our Stampin' Blends - the alcohol markers.
The kit contains sheets of pre-printed, die-cut images ready for colouring, either with the pencils in the kit, or with your own favourite colouring tools.
I started with the dark Old Olive Stampin' Blend, then moved onto the lighter one. Here's a look at how I colour.
Step 1. Add a touch of the darkest colour into the corners of the image.
Step 2. Blend in the lighter colour to the dark.
Step 3. Keep going until you've coloured the whole sheet - or need to stop for coffee (or wine) . . .
Step 4. Change colours and start doing the flowers and berries! (okay, so maybe don't have wine . . . LOL).
Step 5. Just keep colouring, just keep colouring, just keep colouring!
It's amazing the variety you can create with just 7 of the Stampin' Blends.
Step 6. Get SERIOUS and change the colours up!
Step 7. Stand back and admire your colouring!
Step 8. Now it's time to pop them out of the sheet and assemble a stack of beautiful cards!
Oh! and don't you just LOVE the lined envelopes and vellum leaves that come with the kit too?
You know you need this kit (and a refill) to start colouring right now, don't you?
Click on any of the thmbnails below to order today - or come and see me at the kiosk at Chirnside Park Shopping Centre tomorrow to see the finished cards and the Stampin' Blends in person!
I know that we never want to see Christmas again . . . until December!
I know you are wondering why on earth I would start sharing Christmas projects in February when we are still in Christmas overload, having created Christmas cards and home decor items for the last 6 months of last year, from Christmas in July, all the way through our bleak winter, rainy spring and into the frantic lead-up to December 25th.
I know that I suffered Christmas burnout! And that's why I need to post this now. Because a few people asked me about water-colouring the Father Christmas stamp and wanted to see how I did most of my Christmas cards.
And I did take step-by step photos at the time, but it was just too busy a time to keep banging on about it! And since the Father Christmas stamp set is still available to buy in the Holiday Catalogue Carryover List, I thought now would be a good time to show you those step by step photos! Just in case you loved it so much, you wanted to use it to start creating your own Christmas cards for the 2017 season - good idea to start now!
So, I started with Thick Whisper White Card, and the Archival Basic Black Ink Pad. Make sure you allow time for it to dry properly. Next step was using the blender pen and Delightful Dijon Ink Pad. Don't you love how that Dijon takes on a gorgeous gold look in this application?
The tree is coloured with Garden Green Ink Pad and Blender Pen.
How do I use the blender pen with the ink pad?
I squeeze the lid of the ink pad (when it's closed) to force some of the ink into the lid, which I then use like a paint pallet. I pick up the ink with the blender pen, and be sure to always have some scrap paper nearby to take any excess off in case you want to colour a little lighter.
There were plenty of little details in the Santa image to turn to gold - just like Midas!
The next step was using the Real Red Ink Pad, and I'm sorry I don't seem to have taken a close up photo, but you can see I applied the colour more intensely where shadows would fall naturally, and allowed it to be lighter on the top of the sleeve and facing panels of his coat where light might fall.
The final step in the colouring was applying very small amounts of Soft Sky ink onto the fur trim and his beard, and in the shadow on the ground, because even though we know these items are white, they can still have shadows which may take on a blue effect.
The background layers were Whisper White embossed with the Holly Textured Impressions Embossing Folder on page 27 of the Annual Catalogue, and Real Red card cut with Layering Ovals Framelits.
So then the coloured Father Christmas images had to be cut with the ovals too.
The layering was a good task to do at Chirnside Park Shopping Centre casual kiosk - especially when our favourite ladies from Gloria Jeans make great coffee like this to keep us going!
For a bit of variety and interest, I mounted the cards as a mixture of portrait and landscape, and used two different greetings.
I also did a couple of variations with the backgrounds using other stamps from the set.
At the end I had some left over card bases and Real Red Scallop ovals, so I made a couple of extra cards using some of the pieces I had previously cut from the Candy Cane Designer Series Paper.
The Father Christmas Stamp Set is available to order through my online shop. Click on the picture to see it.
I recently had a phone call from a customer asking about a technique we used back around 2012-2013, and which was a lovely technique with striking results.
It was a perfect reminder for me to try some of the older techniques with some of our new colouring tools and stamp sets.
I just love how the Triple Time Stamping Technique came out on this card using Birthday Blooms Stamp Set and our new Watercolour Pencils.
The card stock I've chosen to layer with is Rich Razzleberry and I just used three colours from the Watercolour Pencils - the Old Olive, Pacific Point and Rich Razzleberry.
I've blended them very lightly with an almost dry Aquapainter, so as not to move too much colour or ripple the Whisper White card which I stamped on with the Basic Black Archival Ink.
I love the limited colour palette of this card, and how the layers really make it. I will probably remake it again soon with slightly differently layering and it doesn't quite sit on the card the way my fussy eye would like it too - and I would prefer it to have a sentiment stamp somewhere there too.
Have you ordered the Watercolour Pencils yet? Click on the picture below to find them in the online shop.
As I was preparing to go to Stampin' Up!s On Stage Live event last week - a three day convention packed full of product demonstrations, make and take projects, gifts from the new catalogue coming in January, fun, friendship, leadership training, business ideas, recognition and rewards . . . word came through that one of my lovely Tasmanian team members had advanced in title from Bronze Elite to Silver demonstrator.
I didn't have time to complete a silver card for her before I went away, but when I returned, I was very excited to bring back a divine new stamp set with me, called "Beautiful You" which I won in Prize Patrol (similar to door prizes).
Straight away this gorgeous elegant set was screaming out to me to create a Silver Congratulations card for me team member who promoted.
Don't you just love the simple elegant lines of the stamped image, and the subtle Smoky Slate watercolouring?
I adore the whole stamp set, and will definitely be making lots of cards with it! I feel so lucky to have received it at On Stage!
How and when can you get your hands on it?
The new catalogue starts on January 4th 2017. You may order it then.
If you've considered joining the Stampin' Up! family, you could join now, then as a member, you can participate in the pre-order period which starts on December 1st. All demonstrators get to order from the new catalogue more than a month before everyone else! You could put this stamp set on your Christmas list!
You could join in December and get this stamp set along with other pre-order items as part of your starter kit. There are definite savings - you get $235 of product for only $169.00!!
My team is really wanting to welcome new stampers to our lovely creative family, we are very social, sharing and caring so ask us about the benefits today!
During the recent school holidays I hosted a class of 10 and 12 year olds who made a cute gift bag with three matching cards inside.
If you have been following me for a while, you will know that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the cute Designer Series Paper Bag-in-a-box gift bags that my fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrator in the UK, Caroline Hallet created a great video for. I have made heaps of them now with all different themes and styles.
For the class, I decided to use up some of last year's Designer Series Paper Christmas patterns - because I hadn't met any of the girls before, and wasn't sure how they would go, and since I had a fair bit of this paper, I could cut extras. I love the size of these bags, because you get 3 bags per 12 x 12" sheet of paper.
We stamped the images just in Black Stazon Ink and added labels in Cherry Cobbler.
Because the class was just for two hours, this is as far as we got, and the girls were instructed they could either colour the images themselves at home, or they could give them as a "Colouring In" gift to a friend.
They liked this idea!
Later on, I came back and coloured mine and sent them photos on their phone.
In keeping with the very simple style of the cards, I limited the colouring to just three colours - Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green and Marina Mist, all applied with Blender Pens.
They really are very sweet, right?
The Merry Mice stamp set is available in Stampin' Up! quality red rubber in the wood mount or clear mount.
You can find it in our online shop buy clicking on the image below.
Don't forget to check out my classes and events for everything that is happening in fourth term, in the lead up to Christmas. The link is at the top of my blog.
When I first saw the Merry Mice stamp set in the 2016 Holiday Catalogue, I was very taken with it, but hesitated to order it because I didn't think I would really use it that much.
BOY!! Was I wrong!
I love this stamp set and have used it heaps!
I was the co-host of a Stampin' Retreat towards the end of September, and one challenge we offered all the guests was to borrow my Merry Mice stamp set and make a card to donate to the Ronald MacDonald House Charities which Stampin' Up! supports. We thought maybe 5 or 6 of the ladies would take part in the challenge. Wrong again! Everyone made a Mice card, and some ladies made more than one! This is one I made and I cased the sample that is actually in the Holiday Catalogue.
I just think those mice at too cute - and I love how the still say "Christmas" even when they are not coloured in all traditional colours.
I then re-created this card, with a stepped up version. I love this one!
See how it is exactly the same layout (page map) of the card, but I have added lots of extra layers?
So firstly I added a layer of Designer Series Paper to the base card, then I have added Basic Grey and Real Red card stock layers behind the image and the greeting. I think this is so cute! I might have to keep this one for myself!
The colouring on this one is done with blender pens, and I have used Real Red, Old Olive and Smoky Slate inks.
The following week I had a School Holiday class where the girls created a gift bag and 3 note cards with Merry Mice. I'll be back soon to show you those!
Buy Merry Mice Stamp Set by clicking on the shopping cart button!
As soon as I saw the Best Birds Bundle in the new Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue, I knew I would be adding it to my collection - and luckily I earned some free product in the last Stampin' Up! year, so I was able to get it straight away!
With our Christmas in July coming up, I decided to have a bit of a play with it - after all, do you remember all those zillions of snow filled Christmas cards with little Robin Redbreasts on the front?
First I decided to create layers on my card with the Lots of Layers Framelits and my first layer was to be sponging some of the gorgeous Irresistably Floral Specialty Designer Series Paper. I wanted to make 12 cards, so my object was to cut 12 pieces out of one sheet of 12" x 12" paper to reduce wastage.
Now, as you know, you can't fit a full sheet of 12" x 12" through the standard Big Shot machine to cut out the framelits, so here is what I did!
That's right!
I traced around the framelits to get 12 onto the sheet, then I carefully cut between each row so I would have three strips that would fit in the Big Shot.
I then sponged each one with Pear Pizzazz ink, dark at one end and lighter at the other, then stamped my birds and boughs on more Whisper White card using the Momento Black ink pad. This is not my favourite ink pad for watercolouring, but it is my favourite for using with the Photopolymer stamps - especially when I am stamping them 12 times each!
Each of these shapes has a co-ordinating framelit, so I just stamped then on the thick Whisper White card to make them a little sturdier - also because I planned on watercolouring them all too.
Now, given the length and thinness of the branch stamp, you might be wondering, how did I get it to stick on my block in exactly the right position so that it would line up with the Framelit?
I saw a little trick on Face Book a week or so back, and thought it was brilliant! You place the framelit cutting side down on the table first, then you press the photopolymer stamp into the back of it so you can easily get it lined up perfectly, then you press your "H" block onto the stamp. Lift up, peel off the framelit, ink up, stamp, then cut out with the Big Shot.
Next was colouring - and those of you who visit me regularly know that I use the aqua painters, and pour re-inker into the lid of my stamp pads and use them like a paint pallet. For these I used : Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Real Red, Pear Pizzazz and Old Olive.
I wasn't all that excited by how the Real Red came out when it was dry, it was a little pale and insipid compared to what I pictured, so I added a pop of colour another way.
In fact, I did a super quick 1 minute video on YouTube to show you what I did! Watch it here.
Next a cut 12 more Lots of Labels pieces in the next size up, from Soft Suede card, stamped some of the cross hatch texture from the stamp set onto more Whisper White then assembled all the pieces.
I also added 2 greeting stamps - the "Merry" is from Snow Place stamp set and the "Christmas" is from Time of Year Hostess set.
What do you think?
You can see these cards in real life and a whole stack more at our Christmas in July event, next Saturday the 30th July at Wonga Park. We'd love to see you. Buy tickets on line here.
Welcome to our inspirational exploration of the new Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue. You may be one of my regular visitors, or you may have arrived here via the ESAD blog hop, from the blog of the lovely and talented Pauline Bennets. Either way, welcome!
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I'm always getting asked how do I watercolour, so today I wanted to show you just how easy watercolouring is, showing off the gorgeous flower stamp in the Stampin' Up! stamp set Awesomely Artistic- there are pretty much just three easy steps.
Step 3. I chose Crushed Curry and Old Olive inks and came back with the blender pen to add some depth and shading to really make those flowers and leaves jump off the page.
These projects were inspired by one I saw on Pinterest about 6 weeks ago, by Tricia Raineri, another Australian Stampin' Up! demonstrator. I copied Tricia's sketch and changed the colours for some variety.
One of my very favourite things about this time of year is what's flowering in the garden, and this year is no different. Every time I walk out my back door to go to my stamping room, or to pick some winter vegies out of our garden, I am greeted by glorious Daphne!
I was pondering what other ways I could colour the flowers in the Awesomely Artistic stamp set, and it suddenly hit me! It looks like Daphne!
So out came the Rose Red ink pad and blender pens, and this time for the leaves I did a gentle (think, very light-handed here) combination of Cucumber Crush and Old Olive for the leaves.
It doesn't look exactly like Daphne, but you can see the colour inspiration!
I decided on the same sketch for the first one, but changed it up a bit for the second "Daphne" card.
On the second sample, the background leaves are stamped using Pear Pizzazz ink, but I stamped it off onto scrap paper first, before stamping onto my base card.
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Well, that's probably enough inspiration from me, please leave me a comment below to let me know what you thought of these sweet cards using the Awesomely Artistic stamp set, then please continue on the blog hop to see the work of the other ESAD ladies.
What is ESAD?
ESAD stands for "Extra Special Australasian Demonstrators" and is a facebook group just for Australian and New Zealand Independent Stampin' Up! demonstrators.
We love what we do & love to share with our customers, friends and blog visitors. We also share what we love in our ESAD Demonstrator community, through swaps, challenges, sharing knowledge, ideas and friendship and we're always there to help and support each other.
So if you are a Stampin' Up! demonstrator located in Australia or New Zealand, please feel free to leave me a comment with your email address and I'll contact you with information on how to join our group.
Next person in the blog hop is Barbara Williams.
Please click on the arrow picture to continue on the blog hop, but don't forget to leave a comment before you go! Thanks for stopping by!
Welcome to my little corner of Blog Land on the ESAD Occasional Catalogue Blog Hop, where I hope you have been getting lots of awesome cardmaking and scrapbooking ideas!
You may have arrived here via Chloe Evans blog. If so, welcome. If not, then you are in for the ride of your life with this inspiring blog hop, of amazing projects by talented Stampin' Up! demonstrators who all belong to a FaceBook group called ESAD.
There are 25 demonstrators on the blog hop, so hopefully you've got an hour or so to spare, to visit each one of our blogs - the links at the bottom of each one should take you to the next. We'd love to know what you think of our creative work, so please leave a comment if you have time!
I chose the new stamp set "Baby, We've Grown" for the blog hop. It's one of those stamp sets which you kind of think, "Do I need it or not??" But then once you've used it, or seen samples - it does become a must have item. I am so in love with the rabbit stamp!
Oh, and how about that cute greeting stamp, partly shaded with Stampin' Write Markers? I've used Wild Wasabi and Pistachio Pudding markers with Blender Pens to add a splash of colour to the text.
I've stamped the cute bunny straight onto Pistachio Pudding Chevron patterned paper from theIn-Colour Pattern Stack, so it looks like a stripey stuffed toy, and just added a tiny bit of shading also with the markers.
I love the bunny stamp so much, I had to make more than one card. This one is more particular about the gender of the new born baby!
Just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Watercolour Wonder Designer Series Paper, AND it works with the Sweet Sorbet DSP as well. This tag is punched using the Scallop Tag Topper Punch, which I am sure you will be seeing a lot of - it's awesome!! Both of these products are also in the Occasions Catalogue.
This time I've used the Aqua-painter to colour the bunny and letters. It's filled with water and I pick up ink out of the lids of our Classic Stampin' Ink Pads to colour with. I have been using an awful lot of Crisp Canteloupe & Calypso Coral combinations lately. It just works so well!
The reason I actually bought Baby, You've Grown, wasn't even the bunny stamp, but the cute OWL family. So I had better show you the card I made with that too. It's perfect for announcing a new arrival in the family!
Ha, ha! Just realised, this card HAD to have the bunny stamp as well!
The main pennant on this card was also Watercolour Paper, coloured using the Aqua-painter and inks direct from the inkpad.
I just love authentic watercolouring, where you wet the paper after stamping, then add colour, letting it bleed, allowing it to dry, adding more layers - it's so amazing and beautiful when it dries.
I really loved creating these projects!
And this is what the complete set of stamps looks like :
It's on page 28 of the Occasions Catalogue.
You may be wondering how I got into this "Blog Hop" and what on earth is ESAD!!
ESAD stands for "Extra Special Australasian Demonstrators" and it is an on-line group just for Australian and New Zealand Stampin' Up! demonstrators.
We love what we do & love to share with our customers, friends, and wonderful blog visitors. We also share what we love in our ESAD Demonstrator community, through swaps, challenges, sharing knowledge, ideas & friendship, and we're always there to help and support each other.
So if you are a Stampin' Up! demonstrator located in Australia or New Zealand, then please feel free to leave me a comment with your Email address and I'll contact you with information on how to join our wonderful group.
If you're not already a member of the Stampin' Up! family, and you're interested to know more about it, so you can be part of such an awesome bunch of stampin' friends, get lots of information and inspiration from talented stampers, AND save money on your craft supplies - or even make some extra money, make sure you ask me today about the awesome Stampin' Up! starter kit and how you can get $255.00 worth of products for just $169.00 during Sale-a-bration.
Well, please leave a comment below, then go off to visit the next person on the blog hop,my darling stamping friend Nikki Sadler. If you follow the links at the end of each blog post, you will do a full circle and end up back here!
Can't wait to hear what you think about our creations!
