Sketch Challenge Take Two!

Last Sunday a new sketch challenge posted at Sunday Stamps.  I posted my project for the Design Team on Sunday, but I promised you another take on it.  Here it is...

Birthday card featuring the Celebrate Today stamp set and coordinating Balloon Framelits

For this card I once again used the new Cherry on Top DSP pack (available June 2nd in the new 2015/16 Annual Catalogue) as my starting point.  I chose two different patterns to use and then chose my colour pallette from there.  I used Cucumber Crush to mat the pennant-patterned element and Watermelon Wonder for the horizontal banner.  The card base is Bermuda Bay.  I used the Balloon Framelits to die-cut the balloon, which I stamped using the Celebrate Today stamp set and Bermuda Bay ink.

The horizontal pennant is embossed using the new Boho Chic TIEF and the background panel is embossed using the Large Polka Dot TIEF.  The only embellishments here were a bit of Crushed Curry baker's twine for the string of the balloon and some Bermuda Bay sequin trim for a little bling.

On the inside I stamped the pennant image from the Celebrate Today stamp set using Crushed Curry, Cucumber Crush and Watermelon Wonder inks.  The sentiment, also from the Celebrate Today set, is stamped in Bermuda Bay ink.

If you haven't already done so, be sure to check out the rest of the Design Team's creative ideas and then give it a go yourself...we'd love to see your creation!

Watercoloured Sunshine

I am SOOOO excited!  My new catalogue pre-order is scheduled for delivery today...yippee!!  So many fabulous new toys to play with this weekend!  I can't wait!
For today, I have another sneak peek at a project I'll be doing with my techniques class next week.  We're going to try faux watercolour using the Painted Petals stamp set.  Check this out:

Any occasion card featuring the Painted Petals and Crazy About You stamp sets and using the faux watercolour technique.

I began with a 3" x 5-1/4" piece of watercolour paper which I spritzed with water so that it was fairly wet. Then I stamped the blossom images from the Painted Petals stamp set using Blackberry Bliss ink. The water on the paper caused the ink to run.  I stamped the leaves using  Mossy Meadow ink and again, the ink ran, but not quite as much as I had wanted, so I spritzed with a bit more water.  Then I took an aquapainter and added a bit of Crushed Curry ink in the centres of the flowers for just a hint of colour.  The faux watercoloured panel is adhered to a piece of Mossy Meadow card stock that is embossed using the Spring Flowers TIEF and sponged used Mossy Meadow ink. 

The die-cut "hello" is done with the Hello You Thinlits from gold foil card stock.  The sentiment is from the Crazy About You set and is stamped in Mossy Meadow ink.  I added some stitched satin riboon in Hello Honey to make the little hints of yellow in the watercolouring pop. I really love this look and can't wait to play with it some more!

Flower Patch Ghosting

Happy Tuesday!  I hope your week got off to a good start :)  My son started his baseball season last night, so summer mustn't be too far off!

Today I have a sneak peek at one of the projects we'll be making in my monthly techniques class next week.  This one uses the ghosting technique.  Check it out:

Thank you card featuring the Flower Patch stamp set with sentiment from Work of Art.

I just love the fresh, spring-like colour scheme on this one.  I began by stamping several  images from the Flower Patch stamp set using Whisper White craft ink on Crumb Cake card stock.  Once that was dry, I stamped over top of the white images using the three Colorbox Chalk inks from the Occasions catalogue: Aquamarine, Rose Coral and Yellow Citrus.  While it isn't necessary to use chalk inks for this technique, I like the soft colour they offer.    You'll notice I didn't quite line up the images exactly, but that is part of the charm of this technique.

The sentiment is from the Work of Art set.  I stamped "thank" in Crumb Cake ink and "you" in Coastal Cabana.  I punched the sentiment with the 1-3/4" circle punch and then layered it on a 2" circle in Coastal Cabana.  (What will I ever do without that colour??? *sob*)  I added some pearls that I coloured with my Blendabilities as well as a bit of thick baker's twine in Coastal Cabana.

On the inside I stamped several of the flower images again using the same inks I did on the front, leaving plenty of space to write.

I'm pretty excited that I get to pre-order my new Annual Catalogue Sneak Peek products today!  With any luck they'll be here by the weekend and I'll have lots of new surprises for you next week!

Now, here are this week's new Weekly Deals.  As always, prices are good until Monday at midnight:

1/16" Circle Handheld Punch Price: $11.95  Sale:  $8.96	1/8" Circle Handheld Punch Price: $11.95   Sale: $8.96	2" Circle Punch Price: $22.95   Sale: $17.21
Gift Box Punch Board Price: $24.95   Sale: $18.71	Gold Baker's Twine Price: $3.95  Sale:  $2.96	Soft Sky 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon Price: $9.50   Sale: $7.13
Sweet Taffy Designer Series Paper Price: $13.50   Sale: $10.13	Wisteria Wonder 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon Price: $9.50   Sale: $7.13

Did you miss me??

Happy Monday!  Long time, no post, huh?  Last week was a bit of a whirlwind with a trip out of town that involved four flights in two days, including one trans-continental red-eye.  I was just a little bit exhausted by the time Friday evening rolled around!  Thank goodness for weekends and time to recouperate!  I've almost figured out what time zone I'm in :)
Today I have another take on this week's sketch from Sunday Stamps.  Last week I showed you a couple of relatively predictable takes on it, but this one is a bit of a stretch.  First of all, here is the sketch:

...and here is my upside-down take on it:

Any-occasion card featuring the Butterfly Basics stamp set and the Dictionary background stamp.

Do you see what I did there?  I flipped the sketch upside down and used the ferns to replace the banners.  Kinda different, huh?  I love playing with sketches to create something different!
I used the Dictionary background stamp on a piece of Whisper White card stock with Sahara Sand ink.  I masked off the bottom section with a post-it note before I started stamping so that it would remain pristine white.  Then I stamped images from the Butterfly Basics stamp set:  the ferns in Mossy Meadow ink and the little flowers in Blackberry Bliss ink.  I added a couple of butterflies in Lost Lagoon, as well as the postmark image in Soft Suede and the honeycomb in metallic gold.  I sponged the whole thing lightly with Sahara Sand ink to soften the images and take the brightness out of the white card stock.

The butterflies are die-cut using the Butterflies Thinlits.  I used Hello Honey card stock for the smaller one and gold foil for the larger.  I layered them with glue dots and then added a little button in Blackberry Bliss and some thick Baker's Twine in Hello Honey.  Because the twine was too thick to fit through the holes of the button, I separated the strands...I kind of like the look!  The final touch was some Hello Honey stitched satin ribbon before adhering the card front to a Blackberry Bliss card base.

On the inside I stamped the ferns again in Mossy Meadow, added some flowers in Blackberry Bliss ink and the honeycomb in metallic gold.  If you haven't yet give this sketch a try, there is still time!  The challenge doesn't close until Friday, so get busy and give it a go.  Then be sure to link up over at Sunday Stamps!  Have a great week!

Grungy Thanks

Happy Tuesday!  I hope your week is off to a good start.  Today I have another take on this week's sketch from Sunday Stamps.  In case you missed it on Sunday, here is the sketch:

...and here is a completely different take on it:

Thank you card featuring the Gorgeous Grunge and Sassy Salutations stamp sets.

I kind of went a little wild with this one!  I love playing with my Gorgeous Grunge stamp set and once I got started, I just couldn't stop!  I began by stamping the larger splatter in Crushed Curry ink, stamped off once to get a slightly lighter shade.  Then I used Bermuda Bay to add the large spots and finally Memento Tuxedo Black for the smaller spatters.  I added some Washi Tape from the Beach House and Stacked with Love bundles and the Everyday Adventure Project Life Accessory Pack. 

The sentiment, from the Sassy Salutations set,  is stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  I added some Baker's Twine in Basic Black, Bermuda Bay and Crushed Curry, as well as some Itty Bitty Accents Epoxy Stickers for texture.

On the inside I stamped more spatters, as I did on the front.  Gotta love getting grungy!

Butterflies are Back!

In case you missed the news, the Butterfly Thinlits, which have been out-of-stock for ages are FINALLY available for order again.  I, for one, am very excited about this, as they are one of my favourite tools.  What's even better, is that you can get these Thinlit dies until the end of April for 15%!!  Woohoo!!

Today's project is one I made a while back, but haven't posted because of the delay in availability. 

Birthday card featuring the Butterfly Basics stamp set and coordinating Butterflies Thinlit dies.

To create this card, I began with a piece of Very Vanilla card stock, which I stamped using images from the Butterfly Basics stamp set.  My colour palette included Pear Pizzazz, Blushing Bride, Crumb Cake and Metallic Gold.  I layered the stamped panel on a piece of Blushing Bride card stock and then onto a Crumb Cake card base.  The sentiment is stamped in Versamark and heat embossed in gold.  I layered the sentiment panel on a piece of Blushing Bride card stock and highlighted it with half of a Tea Lace Doily.

 The butterfly is die cut using the Butterflies Thinlits from Blushing Bride card stock.  I used the direct-to-paper technique with the metallic gold Encore ink pad to add some shimmer to the die-cut butterfly before adhering it to the front of the card.  I added a rosette, made using Simply Pressed Clay and the Buttons and Blossoms molds (SO sorry to see these are retiring!).

Inside view

On the inside, I stamped more of the images from the Butterfly Basics set, using the same colour palette I did for the front.

Now, in case you missed it, the Retirement List has posted and it features some great deals on retiring products.  Check it out HERE, but hurry...all accessories are available only while supplies last!

Time to say Good-bye

This a bittersweet day each year for those of us who love Stampin' Up!  The annual ritual of saying goodbye to beloved products is a difficult one...like losing dear friends...but at the same time it is exciting as we anticipate all of the fabulous new products that will replace them when the new Annual Catalogue goes live in June.  This year is no different.  Some of my go-to favourite products will be going away soon, which makes me very sad.  The good news is that, while supplies last, many of these products are being offered at a discount!  Be sure to click the image below to view the complete list of retiring products and then place your order as soon as possible, so as not to miss out on the items you want.

Click the image to view the complete list of retiring stamps and accessories.

 Now for a new project!  This is one of the make-n-takes we did at my monthly team meeting last week.  It uses the Guy Greetings and Gorgeous Grunge stamp sets:

Father's Day card featuring the Guy Greetings and Gorgeous Grunge stamp sets.

 I began by stamping a Smoky Slate card base with the splatter images from the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set.  I used Basic Gray ink for the larger splatters and Metallic Silver for the smaller ones.  The centre strip is Basic Black card stock that I embossed using the Zig Zag TIEF.  The DSP panel is from the Stacked with  Love pack and is sponged using Bermuda Bay and Smoky Slate ink.  I added three little silver mini brads.  The focal image, from the Guys Greetings stamp set,  is stamped in Basic Black ink, punched with the 1-3/4" circle punch and matted on a 2" circle in silver foil.

The sentiment, which is also from the Guy Greeting set, is stamped in Basic Black ink on a 1/2" strip of Whisper White card stock.  I used the Banner punch to create the pennant end and then wrapped the other end in some Basic Black Baker's Twine.

On the inside I stamped the wrenches again, this time using Smoky Slate ink.  The sentiments are stamped in Basic Black.  I added one more Bermuda Bay splatter, stamping off once before stamping on my panel.

Now, as if the retirement list wasn't enough excitement, here is a new round of Weekly Deals for you!  Sale prices are good until Monday at midnight.

Build A Bouquet Photopolymer Stamp Set Price: $41.95   Sale: 31.46	Handpicked Framelits Dies Price: $30.95  Sale:  $23.21	Label Card Thinlits Die Price: $40.95   Sale: $20.48
Ornate Tag Topper Punch Price: $31.95  Sale:  $23.96	So You Photopolymer Stamp Set Price: $30.95   Sale: $23.21	Sweet Dreams Designer Buttons Price: $7.50  Sale:  $5.63
Sweet Dreams Designer Series Paper Price: $13.50   Sale: $10.13	Sweet Dreams Designer Washi Tape Price: $9.95  Sale:  $7.46

It's Coming...

The new 2015/16 Annual Catalogue is coming, and to make way for all of the fantastic new products it will offer, we must say good-bye to lots of current favourites.  The Retirement List will be released tomorrow and will include all of the products that will be leaving the Stampin' Up! offerings.  Some items listed will be offered at a discount, which means there will be some great deals to be had.  All items listed will be available only while supplies last, so you'll want to order your must-haves early to avoid missing out.

Now for some stamping!  It has been a crazy few weeks around here, which means I haven't had much time to stamp :(  Thankfully, I still have several projects I made a while back that I haven't yet shown you yet, like this one that features the Painted Petals stamp set:

Thank you card featuring the Painted Petals stamp set and coordinating Painted Blooms DSP

My background layer is cut from the Painted Blooms DSP pack...so many gorgeous patterns and colours in that one!  I die cut the focal layer from Whisper White card stock using the Party Pennants Bigz L die.  Using the Painted Petals stamp set, I stamped the stems in Wiild Wasabi ink and the blossoms in Rich Razzleberry.  Then I used a blender pen and some Old Olive ink to add shadows to the stems and leaves.  I  added the darker shadows to the blossoms in the same manner using Blackberry Bliss ink, add added the yellow centres to the flowers using Crushed Curry.

The sentiment is stamped in Rich Razzleberry ink and punched with the 1-3/8" circle punch.  I layered it on a 1-3/4" scalloped circle punched from Wild Wasabi card stock.  I added some Painted Blooms cotton twine in Wild Wasabi and a little flower punched using the Itty Bitty Accents pack from Rich Razzleberry card stock.  A single little pearl adorns the centre of the flower.

On the inside I stamped the stems and flowers again, as I did on the front.  I added the sentiment from the Painted Petals set, stamped in Rich Razzleberry ink.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow to check out the Retirement List and the new Weekly Deals!

For You Mom

Today I have one of the make-n-takes we did at my monthly team meeting this week.  It also just happens that the Mother's Love stamp set we used is on sale this week as part of the Weekly Deals!  Couldn't have planned that one better if I tried ;)

Mother's Day card featuring the Mother's Love stamp set.

To create this one I stamped the flower image from the Mother's Love stamp set in Versamark ink on Whisper White card stock.  Then I heat embossed in white.  Using sponge daubers, I sponged the flowers in Blushing Bride, the leaves in Pear Pizzazz and the background in Soft Sky ink.  The card front is matted on a piece of Blushing Bride card stock and then adhered to a Sahara Sand card base.

I added half a Tea Lace Doily and then a Flower Medallion punched from Blushing Bride card stock and embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots TIEF.  The sentiment is heat embossed in Blushing Bride and then die-cut using the Circles Collection Framelits. I popped it up on the punched medallion using dimensionals.  I added a small Vintage Faceted button and a bit of Painted Blooms Cotton Twine in Soft Sky.

Inside view with sentiment from the Sweet Laughter stamp set.

On the inside I repeated the same process I did on the front, but only did a couple of flowers.  I stamped the sentiment from the Sweet Laughter stamp set in Blushing Bride ink.
The Mother's Love stamp set is a fabulous deal right now...get it on sale before Monday at midnight!

Sheltering Sympathy

Today I have a project that uses one of my favourite stamp sets from the Occasions catalogue...Sheltering Tree:

Sympathy card featuring the Sheltering Tree and Build a Bouquet stamp sets.

This is a quick and easy project that is perfect to mass produce to have sympathy and/or thinking of you cards on-hand.  I began by stamping the woodgrain image from the Build a Bouquet stamp set in Versamark ink on Sahara Sand card stock and then heat embossing the image using white embossing powder.  The embossed panel is adhered to an Early Espresso card stock panel, which is mounted on a Sahara Sand card base..  The tree image, from the Sheltering Tree set, is stamped in Early Espresso ink, as is the sentiment.  The leaves are stamped in Sahara Sand ink, both full strength and stamped off once.

The ribbon I used is the retired 3/8" Natural Trim...love the subtle texture it provides.  I also added two pearls that I coloured using the darkest shade of Crumb Cake Blendabilities (retired).

Now, I neglected to take a photo of the inside of this one, but I did stamp the tree image again on the inside panel and added a sympathy sentiment stamped in Early Espresso.  Another option would be to leave it without a sentiment, making it suitable for just about any occasion.  Nothing like versatility!

Now for this week's AWESOME weekly deals!

Birthday Bash Designer Washi Sheets Price: $11.95   Sale:$8.96	Handheld Stapler Price: $12.50  Sale:  $9.38	Labels Collection Framelits Die Price: $32.95  Sale: $24.71
Mother's Love Photopolymer Stamp Set Price: $30.95  Sale:  $23.21	Pansy Punch Price: $21.95   Sale: $16.46	Something Borrowed Embellishments Price: $8.95  Sale:  $6.71
Striped Scallop Thinlits Die Price: $30.95   Sale: $23.21	Wonderful Wreath Framelits Dies Price: $30.95  Sale: $23.21