Blessed Easter and Paper Piercing

You possibly saw in a post that I shared earlier this week the technique of Paper Piercing which I like to refer to as Paper Piecing?  Well I could not resist trying the technique on another stamp set and what better set than the Blessed Easter floral image?

Here is a card which took about 10 minutes to create:

Base card is Daffodil Delight mounted with Old Olive and all of the stamping has been done on Whisper White cardstock mounted on the green.  I stamped the image on the white card and also on Real Red  and Old Olive in Jet Black Staz On Ink.  I thought that the flowers would be evocative of Easter joy and for me, for some reason I relate the colour red to chocolate. . .

Once I had stamped the images on the coloured cardstock I fussy cut the flowers and leaves out and stuck them on the stamped white cardstock with tombow glue.

The colours are clean, bright and contrast well.  This technique is so crazy easy and always gives great results.

I obviously left the Easter greeting as part of the image. . . after all red. . . chocolate. . . duh!

Until tomorrow,
Shanni

Blessed Easter with Washi

Are you thinking that the Blessed Easter stamp is a sound investment yet?  I hope so!

Here is another Blessed Easter creation:

I made this card for a class and was quite happy with the way that it all linked together.  The base card is Very Vanilla and the contrasting colour behind the stamped image part is Basic Black.

The splatters of ink on the base card are from Gorgeous Grunge, stamped in Calypso Coral. I wanted to suggest a bit of whimsy and kind of "spring is in the air" sprite (although it is autumn here in the southern hemisphere) because a lot of my viewing audience is from north of the equator!

The image is stamped in Jet Black Staz On Ink.  Why? So that I could colour the image with Aqua Painters and classic ink pads - here I have used Old Olive and Calypso Coral. I cut out the square of the stamped image with the Square Framelit Dies and corresponded with a co-ordinated size in the Basic Black.

I think that Watercolour Wonder Designer Washi Tape adds a bit of luxury and glamour to the card. The stamp and washi tape are available in the Occasions Mini Catalogue and all purchases prior to 31 March mean a free exclusive gift from the Sale-a-Bration Promotion so you had better be quick. . .

Enjoy!
Shanni

Blessed Easter Without the Greeting

Continuing the theme of my posts this week . . . Blessed Easter stamp for $20.95 in the Occasions Mini Catalogue is a terrific stamp for a fast and easy card set or scrapping layout.

Check out this latest card that I created (in a self motivated challenge to use up scrap designer series papers):

The base card is Whisper White although I have mounted it on a rectangle of Crisp Cantaloupe to highlight the colours in the DSP and stamped image.  The spotty Designer Series Paper is left over from another project that I made for last months' Quarterly Team Swap and is from the Watercolour Wonders DSP.

I stamped the image in Jet Black Staz On ink and then coloured the flowers and leaves with Daffodil Delight, Crisp Cantaloupe and Pear Pizzazz inks and an Aqua painter. The greeting is from So Very Grateful, stamped in the same black ink.

The image was stamped on Whisper White Cardstock and I then cut the circle shape using the Circle Framelit Dies and matched a corresponding size in Crisp Cantaloupe to pop the image. Excuse the shadow at the bottom of the image from my camera cord :-).

Have I whet your appetite for this set yet?  Hope so.  Stay tuned for more tomorrow. . .
Shanni

Pen Inked Blessed Easter

I think that the sketched lines of the Blessed Easter stamp set in the Occasions Mini Catalogue makes it a versatile set although at first glance people may think that it is only useful for Easter cards. . .

I have challenged myself to use the set in a few different ways and this post is dedicated to two very simple approaches.

Ever wanted to know an additional use for Stampin' Write Markers? They are terrific for inking up and stamping with stamps.  The beauty of this method of inking is that you can use different colours for different areas of the stamp. Obviously with a floral stamp it is possible to ink up different flowers and leaves in different colours.

Another advantage is that you need only ink up the areas that you want to stamp - for example you can leave off the greeting on a stamp set that would otherwise only apply to one situation.

Always remember to huff on your stamp before applying it to the cardstock to make sure that you get an even cover (some parts of the inked stamp may dry whilst you are inking up other areas).

This is an example of what I am talking about:

I have a heap of Watercolour Wonder DSP scraps that I am wanting to use rather than store with the view to using down the track so I am forcing myself to make square cards and the likes with smaller pieces of  DSP.  The base card for this project is Island Indigo and the card is 10cm x 10cm.  I love the blue and green frangipani styled DSP page and thought it would go perfectly with a watercolour style stamp. I picked the Blessed Easter set because the stamped image looks like it has been sketched.  The lines are not solid and it has a very "arty" feel about it.

I inked up this stamp with Island Indigo and Wild Wasabi Stampin' Write markers.  The greeting is from So Very Grateful and stamped in Island Indigo.

Next project is a slightly different colour scheme but identical approach:

The base card is Island Indigo cardstock. I have mounted a piece of the washed watercolour pages from the Watercolour Wonder DSP and inked up the stamp using Daffodil Delight and Wild Wasabi Stampin' Markers.  The sentiment is stamped in Island Indigo.

I added the piece of ribbon from my scraps and thought that the staple was an added touch of texture.

This stamped image would also be terrific for sympathy, get well and thinking of you cards - a versatile set and well priced when you think of it in different terms!

Stay inspired
Shanni

Peaceful Petals

Pinterest is such an awesome medium but really makes life hard for crafters as it is almost impossible to explore your own creativity when there is so much in the world of clouds to distract you. . .

One of the cutest sets in the Occasions Mini is Peaceful Petals and I have been experimenting with the delightful images in the set. . . stay tuned for more projects over the coming weeks. . .

Today I cased a card from Brian King in the USA. I of course made some changes to what is essentially his design.  I hope you like the card.

The base card is Basic Black, mounted with Whisper White then mounted with Crumb Cake.  I have stamped the Hardwood background stamp image on the card horizontally and this is one of the things that I loved about Brian's card - most people stamp this image vertically.  I think it changes the whole thing up by changing the lay of the timber grain.

I have used the Natural Chevron Ribbon because this ribbon is just delightful to work with - it is easy to place, tie, knot and goes superbly with Crumb Cake and Whisper White. It is such a clean embellishment.

The flower image is from the Peaceful Petals stamp set and looks brilliant coloured in. Paper Piercing it (I always think that this should be called Paper Piecing because we are stamping on different paper, fussy cutting it and sticking it back on the original stamped image) in Whisper White onto the images stamped direct onto the Crumb Cake base. I stamped with the Basic Black Craft Ink which is currently on sale on the Clearance Rack !

Although the flowers look intricate they were a cinch to cut out. I used the Oval Framelit Dies to cut the stamped image out and mount it on another layer of Basic Black.  I haven't added a sentiment to this card as I think that it could fit a number of purposes.

Hoping you don't loose too many hours on Pinterest. . . feel free to follow me. . . the link is on the side bar.

Enjoy!
Shanni

Paper Belles Blog Hop

Fantastic News Peeps!

This week I have organised a Blog Hop with some members of my team.  I have challenged a number of our team members who have blogs to blog more frequently; part of that is offering some mentoring and incentives to start posting on their blogs and to share some of their amazing creations.

The Blog Hop will run from today until next Wednesday 2 April!

Sometimes Blog Hops have themes but ours is simply to create, share and inspire! Of course we are all Stampin' Up! Demonstrators but we each have unique and varied styles and the projects that we will share will be vastly different.

Please take a look at the Paper Belles Blog Hop, follow the blogs, follow the girls on Pinterest, leave a comment for the post that you visit, pin anything that you like and refer friends.

These are this week's participants:

Stamping Shanni

Ink it up Cheere

Paula's Paper Crafting

Colleen's Scrapncards

Julie Seeto

Stamping Mette

Jessica Allen

Tina's Paper Creations

Hope to see you popping by my blog over the next week so that you can see all that we have been up to and I trust that you will visit others in the Blog Hop!

We're so excited!
Shanni

Heartfelt Banner Kit

One of the awesome FREE products that you can choose during Sale-a-Bration up until 31 March is the Heartfelt Banner Kit.

Remember for one final week you can receive absolutely FREE an exclusive gift from the Sale-a-Bration Catalogue each time you spend $90 on products from Stampin' Up!. Check out my Stampin' Up! Website  for details, select Shop Now, you can even buy from the Clearance List and still earn benefits. Woo-hoo!

I am starting to really appreciate a good banner. I have always been into bunting especially at Christmas and for one off days like Halloween and a logical progression from this is banners! But what about the people who don't like banners per se but find themselves looking again and again at the things in a banner kit?

Some suggestions for things that you can do with the "things" in the Heartfelt Banner Kit - cards, off the page projects, smashbooks, skite books (mini albums), full 12 x 12 scrap booking layouts, badges and more. . .

Here is my take on a few of the embellishments in the Heartfelt Banner Kit:



I have used the flower printed banner flag in this card and added a doily that I have daubed with Calypso Coral and another pennant shape in the same coloured cardstock.  You will see that I have stamped the word "thanks" from the Lots of Thanks stamp set (and cut it into a wee pennant too).  For texture and interest I have added a piece of the Whisper White Organza Ribbon, some Calypso Coral Bakers Twine and a Pressed Clay rose daubed with Calypso Coral ink.

A combination of cardstock, washi tape, doily and the Heartfelt Banner Kit chevron pennant shape form the background on this card. I have stamped the base card beneath the embellishments with the spots from Happy Watercolour stamp set (in the Occasions Mini Catalogue). The "hello" butterfly is from the Hostess set - Nature's Hello; I fussy cut it out and dimensionalised it. I also added the Soft Suede and Coastal Cabana butterflies which were cut out and embossed  using the Beautiful Wings Embosslit.

Using the Pear Pizzazz and Bermuda Bay pennants from the Heartfelt Banner Kit made this card so easy. The "thank you" sentiment is from Lots of Thanks stamp set, stamped in Pear Pizzazz on Whisper White cardstock. I added the rose embellishment made from Bermuda Bay cardstock see my rose making post from November 2012 for the tutorial. I punched Pear Pizzazz leaves with the Build a Bird Punch and scattered a few gold sequins from the Gold Sequin Trim in the Occasions Mini Catalogue for added interest and a bit of glam!

Stay tuned for more posts on this versatile kit.

Cheers
Shanni

Additional Team Entries

I mentioned that I had heaps of entries in the February Paper Belles Stampin' Up! Team challenge. The team had to use Basic Grey, Crisp Cantaloupe and Gold along with a stamped image, texture and at least one brad on any type of project.  I have shared some of the entries here on my blog. Some I was unable to capture to a good standard on photo so I haven't included them but I wanted to share two entries which I thought were beautiful.

Karen's entry was a clean and simple card

The base card is Whisper White and Karen has mounted a piece of Basic Grey cardstock which she has textured with the Beautifully Baroque TIEF and then a piece of the Crisp Cantaloupe DSP from the Sale-a-Bration Sweet Sorbet DSP.

The image is stamped with a stamp from the You're Lovely set from the Sale-a-Bration range, coloured with a light touch of gold ink and cut out using the Deco Labels Framelit dies. The Champagne Glimmer Paper behind the sentiment is cut with the same framelits.

I love the glamorous texture added by the ribbon behind the image and sentiment although it is has discontinued. The shot black and grey satin sheen adds luxury and texture to any project. The brad ties it all together.

Nicole's project was so cute too

Nicole made a fancy favour box and decorated it according to the terms of the challenge. My kids were especially taken with the contents of the pack!

The image from the Tag It stamp set is stamped in Basic Grey on Whisper White and mounted on Champagne Glimmer Paper. Did you know that every time someone purchases the Tag It stamp set in Australia or New Zealand, Stampin' Up! donates $3 to the Ronald McDonald House Charities? Awesome right?

Nic has also used the Birthday Basics Designer Series Paper along the top of the stamped image (and around the whole box) and punched the edge with the Scallop trim Border Punch. She has textured the negative cut off part of the card with the Petals a Plenty TIEF and stuck that beneath a strip of Champagne Glimmer Paper around the top of the box.

Additional texture has been added with the Antique Brad and the Natural Trim and Linen Thread bow at the bottom.

The Fancy Favour Die has been retired but is still a popular and versatile tool to most paper crafters.

Love it! Hope you do too!

Team Challenge Winner for February

After all of the amazing entries I needed to have my decision verified by two independent judges so that I could be sure that the outcome for the Team Challenge was fair.

The winner of the Paper Belles Stampin' Up! Team Challenge for February was Helen with an amazing scrap book layout.

The base 12 x 12 is Crisp Cantaloupe Core'dinations cardstock and the detail on this layout is awesome.  The brief was to use Basic Grey, Crisp Cantaloupe and Gold. It was also essential to have a stamped image, texture and at least one brad.

Some of the detail in close up - there is Basic Grey DSP from the Neutrals Colour Collection Designer Series Paper Pack behind the photo. You will see that Helen has stamped and embossed the flowers from Happy Watercolour in Gold Embossing power. Also stamped in this area is the Petite Petals flowers in Basic Grey on the same coloured cardstock and in Crisp Cantaloupe on the same coloured cardstock. The flowers were then punched out using the Petite Petals Punch and daubed around the edges.

See also the Chevron Border Punch detail in Basic Grey and Helen has used the punched out shapes (in reverse direction) on the photo edge and popped them using Crystal Effects. The detail on the Gold Watercolour Wonder Designer Washi Tape and the scattered gold sequins which she has painstakingly removed from their stitching (the Gold Sequin Trim is featured in the Occasions Mini Catalogue). Note that I am not even mentioning the lettering as yet. . .

You can only see this faintly but behind all of the embellishments Helen has stamped the background with Gorgeous Grunge skid marks and blotches. See the Crisp Cantaloupe DSP from the Sale-a-Bration Sweet Sorbet pack (this runs right across the page behind the photo.

Flowers stamped with the various patterns from the Petite Petal stamp set, punched with the matching punch and daubed for added detail. More sequins and more washi tape - love it. An antique brad amongst the flowers looks like it is meant to be there. . .

Helen has also included a bit of texture using the Decorative Dots TIEF from the Sale-a-Bration Catalogue - the dots theme is tied in with the embossed cardstock, the Basic Grey DSP and the washi tape. Check out the neat little timber arrow from the Essentials Wooden Elements from the Occasions Mini Catalogue.

If you go back up to the original shot of the whole layout you will also see that Helen has included a journaling tag tucked in behind the mounted photograph (you can see it at the bottom left hand side of this shot) which she has punched using the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch and tied off with Gold Bakers Twine and with a little flower as a stopper so that it can be pulled out and pushed back in with ease. . . every little detail. The wooden arrow draws your attention to this nifty little detail.

I thought initially that Helen had cut the letters out using the Champagne Glimmer Paper but in fact she has cut the letters out of cardstock using the Typeset Alphabet Bigz letters and then covered them with Champagne Glass Stampin' Glitter and Tombow Glue for additional texture and wow factor. I think she more than succeeds!

Completely amazing project and well deserving of the first place kudos it has! Thanks for your hard work Helen.

Cheers
Shanni xx

Team Challenge - Some Entries

So the February Team Challenge went off with a bang! I had a record number of entries and was chuffed with the time and effort that people had put into their projects. I want to share a small sample of some of the creations so that you can feel as excited as I felt when I received them!

The bad photography is my mistake as I have snapped them from emails and phone texts but you will get the idea I am sure.  The parameters of the challenge were - use Basic Grey, Crisp Cantaloupe and Gold along with texture and a minimum of one brad. The products must be all current.

Here is Julie's

Crisp Cantaloupe base card. Basic Grey behind the textured feature which was embossed with the Beautifully Baroque TIEF. The flower has been punched with the Pansy and Boho Blossoms Punch and secured in the centre with a Gold Glimmer Brad and dimensionalised to pop it up from the card. The twine is Gold Bakers Twine from the Occasions Mini. The sentiment is from Label Love and has been stamped, punched with the Artisan Label Punch and daubed in Crisp Cantaloupe.

This is Janine's (taken with a different camera and more light lol)

I love the detail! Base cards is Basic Grey. The Crisp Cantaloupe mounted on the base card has been textured using the Arrows TIEF. Janine made a mini lattice behind the leaves and flowers - the leaves are in Coastal Cabana and have been cut out with the Little Leaves Sizzlet Die and the flowers were stamped and punched with the Petite Petals stamp set and matching punch from the Occasions Mini. There are silver Mini Brads in the centre of the flowers.

The sentiment is mounted on Basic Grey cardstock stamped in the same coloured ink with an image from the Chalk Talk stamp set and cut out with the matching die from the Chalk Talk Framelits set and the "for you" is from the same set - it's embossed in white on Gold Foil Sheet and punched out to fit the space in the filigree perfectly. There are mini brads at the 12 and 6 points on the background.

This is Cheere's

Cheere's base card (and it is a square card) is Crisp Cantaloupe. Mounted with Basic Grey. Behind the flowers and leaves there is a piece of Whisper White cardstock which has been textured with the Decorative Dots TIEF from the Sale-a-Bration Catalogue. Cheere has daubed the dots with Basic Grey ink.

The leaves are cut in Certainly Celery cardstock from the Secret Garden Framelit dies and daubed and coloured with the same coloured ink. The flowers have been stamped and embossed with Gold Embossing powder from the Flower Shop stamp set, extra Gold Encore ink was added to give the centres more depth. Cheere has then punched them out and fussy cut the void area leaving the embossed bits only. She has then mounted the flowers on another flower punched from Basic Grey using the Pansy punch and mounted the embossed flower on the full punched out version. She has textured the flowers and the leaves with a stylus.

The sentiment (from Thoughts & Prayers) was stamped on Whisper White in Basic Grey and mounted behind the On Film Framelits from the Occasions Mini Catalogue. For added texture she has used Victoria Crochet Trim (which she has coloured using a dauber and Basic Grey classic ink pad) and the bow is Very Vanilla Seam Binding which she has coloured with Crisp Cantaloupe classic ink pad and dauber. You will see the antique brad nestled amongst the flowers - Cheere dusted it with Gold Encore ink as well - very luxe!

Cheere was the runner up in the challenge and won a lovely card tree exclusive to Convention attendees (from Momento Mall).

Hope you are inspired. I sure was.
Shanni

Five Reasons to Get the $169 Starter Kit!

Ever thought about getting your own Stampin' Up! account? Well there is no better time to open an account to buy direct from Stampin' Up! than right now.

These are the five best reasons that I can think of today:

1.  The Starter Kit is only $169 and you get $255 worth of Stampin' Up! products of your choice.
2.  After 31 March the Starter Kit reverts back to being $169 for $235 worth of product.
3.  You can even include Clearance Items and Bundles in your Starter Kit.
4.  There's no shipping fees and you will receive your delivery within 10 days maximum.
5.  You will get to be a member of the Paper Belles Stampin' Up! Team and have me as your   leader/mentor - Woo-Hoo!

So if this appeals to you on any level go to my Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Website and select Join The Fun now!

Unfortunately this offer is only open to Aussie residents.

Come on over to the dark side he-he-he
Shanni xx

So Very Grateful

Last year Stampin' Up! brought out a set called Bordering on Romance - it was a gorgeous outline stamp that was both delicate and detailed. The image conjured romantic colours and lovely treatments on velum, in water colour and in the sweetest colours. Sadly that set retired.

This year Stampin' Up! has brought out a set called So Very Grateful which to my mind is a modern take on the romantic set from last season. It has two beautiful floral stamps and great sentiments.

So I wanted to make a card similar to one that I had seen made with the Bordering on Romance set and this is what the outcome was:

The base card is Crumb Cake and I have mounted Very Vanilla cardstock (embossed with Perfect Polka Dots TIEF) and Blushing Bride cardstock (embossed with Fancy Fan TIEF). I trimmed the edge of the Blushing Bride and Crumb Cake with the curved Adorning Accents Edgelit Die - I ran both of these pieces of cardstock through the Big Shot together so that they would match perfectly then adhered them slightly apart to act as a frame.

The feature on the card is the Labels Collection Framelit Die cut cardstock in Crumb Cake and Blushing Bride which I cut using complimentary sizes of the dies.  I then embossed the Blushing Bride  piece with the Oval Designer Frames TIEF and punched out the centre with the Wide Oval Punch.  I mounted the sentiment behind the pink cardstock and had stamped the sentiment in Soft Suede ink on Very Vanilla cardstock using a Stampa-ma-jig to ensure exact placement. The sentiment stamp comes from the Chalk Talk set in the Annual Catalogue.

Vanilla Seam Binding Ribbon runs behind the Label Collection mount. I then stamped the So Very Grateful floral stamp in Staz On Jet Black Ink and water-coloured the image using an Aqua Painter and the Blushing Bride and Crumb Cake inks. I fussy cut the image and mounted it on dimensionals. The pearls were added for additional luxe

Enjoy!
Shanni

February Team Challenge

The Stampin' Up!  Paper Belles (my team) are a group of talented and enthusiastic crafters - they make the most amazing cards, scrapping pages and off the page projects and constantly inspire me to continue crafting. There is nothing better than getting together to craft or having a reason to craft.

I try to issue a challenge each month to the team and there are usually prizes involved for the best submission. This month's prize was the new Boutique Textured Embossing Machine from Sizzix and Stampin' Up! which demonstrators are allowed to purchase pre-release in the new cattie in July.

The "Tee-key" as it has been christened by my team (because it goes so well with the Shottie [the Big Shot]) must have been an inspiring prize because I had a record number of entries and was hard pressed to pick a winner. . . but more about that in a later post.

The challenge this month - use the colours Crisp Cantaloupe, Basic Grey and Gold together along with a stamped image, texture and a minimum of one brad.  All products must be current and you can add additional colours.  Now a lot of the team told me that this was a really difficult colour combination so I needed to put a project together to give myself peace of mind that it was do-able.

Here is my project:

The base card is Basic Grey, I mounted a piece of Crisp Cantaloupe on top of that and used the Sale-a-Bration Sweet Sorbet DSP page that was all tonal values of Crisp Cantaloupe.

I stamped a flower from the Flower Shop stamp set in Gold Encore Ink and punched it out using the Pansy Punch.  I also stamped one of the flowers from Petite Petals in Basic Grey and Crisp Cantaloupe on Very Vanilla cardstock and punched them out with the matching punch.

To add texture I embossed a piece of the Window Sheet acetate with the Beautifully Baroque TIEF. I layered this over a piece of Champagne Glimmer Paper and another piece of Basic Grey cardstock.  Then I stuck the flowers down with dimensionals and glue dots.  You will see that I also cut some additional Champagne Glimmer Paper with the Secret Garden Framelit Dies leaf shape.

The sentiment comes from the Lots of Thanks set from the Annual Catalogue, stamped in Basic Grey on Very Vanilla cardstock and punched with the Decorative Label Punch (which I trimmed so that it had a flat side and did not draw attention away from the flower arrangement).

The brad is from the Antique Brads pack and is combined with some Linen Thread for texture.

So glad that it came together - I was able to motivate the team confidently once I knew it could be done!

Cheers
Shanni

Enjoy Off the Grid

I adore the Off the Grid background stamp and like to use it on masculine cards and projects but I was thinking the other day about how it could be used on a less manly card and decided to do some experimenting. . .

The stamp reminds me of a damaged fly screen and I love how it is a bit rustic and a bit grungy (not even sure if that is a real word) but it suits what I am trying to convey. I can imagine this type if pattern occurring naturally in an industrial setting. It immediately brings to mind graffiti and because of this my mind turned to colour.

I wanted to introduce colour but not strong primary colours; soft subtle new in colours. . . So I used Pistachio Pudding, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pool Party and Daffodil Delight although I was a little worried about how this bright yellow would blend in.

I started by heat embossing the Off the Grid stamp in white embossing powder (with Versamark water mark ink). Next I daubed the colours on direct from the ink pads. The embossed areas resist the ink and ink only sticks to the background (this of course is a technique referred to as emboss resist). Finally I stamped the word "enjoy" from the Simply Celebrate set in the Occasions Mini Catalogue in Staz On Jet Black Ink.

The Pool Party twine is from the Sweet Sorbet Accessories Kit in the Sale-a-Bration cattie which of course was a FREE gift when I spent $90 on product. I added the Rhinestone Jewels because I accidently got a bit of black ink on the coloured area and needed to cover it and of course I couldn't just have one random diamante I had to add two more!

Proof that an otherwise masculine stamp can be used on a girly card.

Colour your world!
Shanni

Some Kind of Wonderful - Watercolour Wonder DSP

Every so often there is a designer series paper that just makes you happy every time you use it. Happy because the patterns are so appealing. Happy because the paper looks right on every project. Happy because the colours are divine.

Watercolour Wonder DSP in exactly that paper for me! Featured in the Occasions Mini Catalogue the Watercolour Wonder DSP is so affordable and an absolute delight.

Every project that I have made with it so far has been beautiful, even if I do say so myself. Here is a sample:

So a very simple but pretty project - the Watercolour Wonder DSP has some beautiful designs which I refer to as frangipani. There are also pages which are blurred washes of watercolour and the top third of this card is a piece of the Daffodil Delight coloured page from the DSP suite. 

The stamp comes from the SAB You're Lovely set; it has been cut out using the matching Deco Labels Framelit die and the oval beneath was cut using the Oval Framelits and then embossed using the Square Lattice TIEF. The stamp was inked in Crisp Cantaloupe.  The Ruffle Stretch Trim in Crisp Cantaloupe is the perfect accompaniment.

Here is a similar card done in the same style but using the Island Indigo frangipani side of the DSP:

The combination of Gumball Green and Island Indigo is so fresh and lovely. You will notice that I have switched around the embossed areas and ribbons. The Gumball Green Stitched Satin Ribbon is perfect with its satiny glint of luxe.

Enjoy!
Shanni

Flower Shop - the One Stop Shop

Don't you just love it when stamp sets co-ordinate with punches or dies? It sure takes the guessing out of what to do with them and certainly beats fussy cutting.

One of the cutest stamp sets in the Annual Catalogue is Flower Shop - it contains six pretty flower stamps which all co-ordinate with a terrific little punch - the Pansy Punch!



The different patterns on the flowers which are all the same shape lend themselves to different projects.  You will have seen on recent posts that I have used the Flower Shop flowers in some of the projects incorporating the Sale-a-Bration products and I thought that I would share a few more today.

I am loving the Coastal Cabana cardstock, inks and designer series papers - the paper on this project is found in the 2013-2015 Designer Series Paper Stacks. This light aqua blue is such a cool colour ~ its clean and fresh looking in any project.

The stamps used on this card are Flower Shop (stamped in Staz On Black ink), the leaves from Simply Sketched (a hostess set that you can purchase for free for the hostess benefits price of $24 [which actually costs you nothing] when you have sales or purchases of $300). I have punched the flowers out using the Pansy Punch and dimensionalised them to pop them up off the project. And the background stamp is from Gorgeous Grunge

I coloured the flowers using an Aqua Painter and the Coastal Cabana classic ink pad. Of course the matching Ruffle Stretched Trim and Linen Thread add texture and finish off the tag embellishment which I cut using the Apothecary Accents Framelit dies and Big Shot.

A contrasting card using the same stamp set is this one:

I have used the colours - Pistachio Pudding, Sahara Sand and Basic Black - I took my inspiration from the SAB Sweet Sorbet DSP.  This is a solid flower stamp and I have contrasted the solid images with the background stamp - I used the floral branches stamp from the Morning Meadow Hostess stamp set. You can earn the Morning Meadow set for free with $300 in sales/purchases.

The bling in the centre of the flowers adds that additional wow touch. The Large Rhinestone Jewels are so dazzling. I have stuck a thin strip of Basic Black cardstock across the Pistachio Pudding cardstock which was embossed (see it behind the flowers) using the Decorative Dots TIEF that is free in the Sale-a-Bration cattie.

Sweet!
Shanni

Free Product = Freeing Your Creativity

When you spend $90 with Stampin' Up! until the end of March you can select a free and exclusive Sale-a-Bration product. This is the most exciting time of the year for me as customers and demonstrators in my Paper Belles team are rewarded for loyalty and purchases with free product. And who doesn't love free?

People might be looking for ideas on what they can make with the free designer series paper, stamp sets and there are a number of sets to choose from - Petal Parade, Banner Blast, You're Lovely and See Ya Later. But remember that if it is not stamps that you are after there are plenty of other choices - kits, accessories, punches, big shot accessories and My Digital Studio® images and suites.

Shop today at my Stampin' Up! Website and have your purchases including any free products that you select shipped direct to you without delay.

Todays cards feature the Sweet Sorbet Designer Series Papers:

This piece of Sweet Sorbet Designer Series Paper looks a lot like confetti to me so that is how I refer to it and it is an unusual combination of colours - Basic Black, Summer Starfruit, Crisp Cantaloupe, Sahara Sand and Pool Party.

To marry in the colours I have stamped the flowers from Flower Shop stamp set in Basic Black, Crisp Cantaloupe and Summer Starfruit and because black is the most neutral of these colours I have framed up both the DSP feature and the sentiment in Basic Black cardstock to make the whole thing pop.

Next card features the "plus sign" design in the same colours but the pattern is more subtle so I have mounted the whole piece (14.8 x 10.5cm)on a Whisper White cardstock base.  The flowers on this card are from the SAB Petal Parade stamp set and I have fussy cut them and added the contrasting leaves and arches.

The leaves were punched from the Summer Starfruit coloured page from the Sweet Sorbet DSP range and Basic Black using the Build a Bird Punch. The arches are from another page of the Sweet Sorbet DSP which I have fussy cut. The ribbon - Basic Black Taffeta Ribbon is the contrast that pulls the whole project together.

For the final card to show off the use of the Sweet Sorbet DSP check out this little abstract number:

This card features the arches pattern from the DSP and the solid Summer Starfruit page - unless you are a fan of Summer Starfruit you may be a little put off by this project but I love how it all contrasts so nicely with Basic Black which is one of my go to card making colours :-).

I have featured the Petal Parade stamp here; stamped in Staz-On Black ink. The ribbon is for texture and to hide the seam in the two DSPs.

Hope your feeling inspired,
Shanni
 

Scalloped Tag Topper Punch & Sweet Sorbet

Stampin' Up! is awesome - the people in our concepts department always come up with the best products which when you see them, you think, "oh my goodness - how have I survived without this stamp . . . punch . . . framelit die . . ." You know what I mean, you can fill the gaps yourself.

Well they have outdone themselves this Occasions Catalogue with the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch! You can punch the top of any card or project embellishment with a tag topper that is curved ever so sweetly to match and enhance every project.

I am in love with it and think that the punch will be brilliant for all paper crafters - scrap bookers can use the punch with journaling cards, mount cards, embellishments and more. And well card makes can use it for all that and some more on top (no pun intended).

In this project I have combined the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch and some Sweet Sorbet DSP. I have also incorporated one of the free stamp sets that you can select when you spend $90 - Petal Parade. The twine is from the Sweet Sorbet Accessories Pack.

It seems like I have thrown everything at this bar the kitchen sink but you will also note the texture embossed background Scallops TIEF, the Natural Chevron Ribbon and the Retro Fresh Washi Tape all from the Occasions Mini Catalogue.

Card base is Sahara Sand to draw out the colours in the designer series paper and I hope is a more subdued canvas for the business of the card itself.

Ciao for now
Shanni

Sale-a-Brate with Sweet Sorbet

Sweet Sorbet sounds good enough to eat and the patterns and images on this designer series paper (which is exclusively available during Sale-a-Bration) are bright, playful and full of fun!

The designer series papers are not shown off to their advantage in the Sale-a-Bration catalogue and I have to admit to some reticence in choosing the pack at first. But immediately it was delivered I was excited to see how lovely the colours and designs on the paper are.

The colours are taken from the 2013-2015 In Colours such as Crisp Cantaloupe and Pistachio Pudding, along with some old faves Sahara Sand, Pool Party and the contrasting colours of Summer Starfruit (soon to be departing) and Basic Black. As you can tell - dramatic variations!

So here is one of my creations using the Sweet Sorbet paper:

Barely any stamping on this card - only the sentiment in Basic Black. But I could not resist adding texture with the Burlap Ribbon and pre-cut cork flowers from the Sweet Sorbet Accessories Pack along with the contrasting Sweet Sorbet DSP (and some Basic Black cardstock).

The Sweet Sorbet Accessories Pack is gorgeous. I love all things with texture and dimension and this pack ticks all my boxes with both cork cut outs and twine in Crisp Cantaloupe, Pool Party and Summer Starfruit.

I promise to feature some other cards made with these accessories over the coming days.

Huge tip for those who have fallen in love with the 2012-2014 In Colours - Gumball Green, Midnight Muse, Raspberry Ripple, Primrose Petal and Summer Starfruit - these colours will be retiring in June. Why not get in and stock up today and take advantage of the Sale-a-Bration promotion (spend $90 and select a free exclusive gift).

See ya!
Shanni

It's Sale-a-Bration Time Again

The best time of the year to be a Satmpin' Up! customer or demonstrator is definitely Sale-a-Bration time.

Up until 31 March when you spend $90 or more you are able to select one of thirteen (13) exclusive gifts. Of course if you spend $180 you can get two (2) gifts and so on. The stamps, papers, punches and products this year are brilliant ~ there is definitely something for everyone.

Over the next week I am going to feature a few of the items in projects. If you would like to shop on line and have your order delivered straight to your door check out my Stampin' Up! website and select Shop Now.

To whet your appetite this is a nice clean and simple card featuring the You're Lovely stamp set and the Flower Shop stamp set and punch.

I have stamped the Flower Shop flowers in Real Red and smudged the ink using an Aqua Painter. The flowers can be punched out using the matching Pansy Flower punch and the leaves which have been punched out of Coastal Cabana cardstock were made with the Bird Builder punch.

 

The "I think you're Lovely" stamped image was cut out using the Deco Labels Framelit dies and big shot.

 

So easy and so effective.

 

Enjoy!

Shanni

Psst a Bit of Good News. . .

Whilst absent from the world of blogging I have been busy working with my amazing team of the Paper Belles, my Stampin' Up!® downline and am absolutely delighted to say that I have earned the Incentive Trip for 2014 a cruise on the world's biggest cruise ship the Allure of the Seas in the West Caribbean!


Awesome right?!


I was so excited to hear that I had earned enough points for my hubby Woody and I to head off to the West Caribbean in early May. Stampin' Up! are such an amazing company to work with. They are inspiring, generous and spoil we demonstrators rotten.


Watch this space over the coming months for details on the cruise and all the creativity that goes into make an international event of this nature sail smoothly.  In the meantime this is a shot of the vessel that we are cruising on:

You can appreciate that it is an exciting time and one of the best things about it is that because it is the Incentive Trip which culminates the 25th Anniversary celebrations there are going to be demonstrators from all over the world on the trip - United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand and good old Oz. It is going to be brilliant to catch up with some of the most amazingly creative people from around the world.


When I set my self goals I often try to give myself little incentives along the way to keep inspired. I saw the cutest pair of shoes before Christmas and promised myself that if I earned the trip before the end of March I would "acquire" them. Well I am delighted to say that I dropped by Walkright Footware last week and purchased my Cherry Red Frankie 4 Sophie city walking shoes!


Woo-hoo love 'em so much! They make me happy every time I look down when they are on my feet.

Walking on sunshine!
Shanni

And I am back in the Game. . .

So sorry for my absence peeps!


I did something to my camera whilst I was in the US last year. You might have noticed that I haven't done a post since 31 August? Well they were pre-programmed to publish and a good thing too as I jammed the memory on my Canon SLR.


Long story short I bought a new camera this past weekend. I had the best of intentions of buying it the weekend before last but the lovely camera shop assistant advised me that if I held off a week I would save $300. . . so the delay in purchase resulted in the delay in my getting back to my blogging cloud sooner.  Truly apologetic if you have missed me.


Stay tuned there is heaps to come as I may not have been blogging but I have been creating.


Thanks for your patience!
Shann x