Encre, papier, ciseaux

Ornate Blossoms Trishutter

*featuring retiring Notably Ornate set, satin ribbon, rhinestone brads, Ovals die and Berry Blossoms DSP*

One of the projects we made at my last Club meeting was a trishutter card. I used one of my favorite paper pack from the current catalogue, Berry Blossoms DSP. I think the color combo is just yummy! And they are all colors that are staying for another year, so if you want to stock up on this paper before it retires, we'll still carry the cardstock and accessories to go with it.

The trishutter card is really easy, especially now that we carry the Simply Scored to help with the scoring. I found a template for it on my upline Marlayne's blog.

 

Tip: Print the template to keep as a reference. Create your card base, then take the measurements of each panel on your card base, then write them on the template to keep as a future reference so you do not have to measure every single time. You'll notice that some of the blocks are the same size, so I used numbers on the template as a reference to know which measurements went in which block.

 

The oval sentiment from the Notably Ornate set fit in the Designer Frames embossing folder perfectly, so I paired them together on the front of the card. As a reminder, you can use the Ovals die to die-cut your cardstock before embossing it, for a perfect match. (And a second reminder, this die is retiring in a week, so get it while you can!) The "happy birthday" wishes comes from the Little Princess set. A clear rhinestone brad was added underneath to decorate and fill in the empty space.

I used white satin ribbon on the left edge to lighten the card and glued the handcut bird with Dimensionals over it. The journaling block from the set was exactly the right width to fit in the middle panel and a great way to add a little bit of writing inside the card.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Notably Ornate, Petite princesse (Little Princess)
Cardstock: Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White
Designer paper: Berry Blossoms
Inks: Wisteria Wonder, Early Espresso, Calypso Coral
Accessories: Clear rhinestone brad, White satin ribbon, Wide Oval punch, Ovals die,
Designer Frames embossing folder, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

Framed for Mom

I wanted to use the Packed for Mom stamp so I started looking through my DSP stash to find something suitable and finally rested my choice on the Domestic Goddess pack.  Since there's a bit of Baja Breeze in those papers, I decided to use a Simply Sent cardbase as well and embellished the lace on the side with pearls.

To break the edges of the stamped image, I punched it out with the Wide Oval punch and framed it with the Designer Frame embossing folder.

Tip: Use the medium oval from the Ovals die to cut the outside of the Designer Frame and use the Wide Oval punch to fill the inside. Those two fit perfectly with the embossing folder. I would also recommend die-cutting your oval first and placing it in the embossing folder afterwards.

The image was stamped in Black StazOn on watercolor paper and colored with inks and a blending pen. A piece of Baja Breeze seam binding was tied underneath the image.

The sentiment at the bottom was stamped using the Family Reunion set and it reads "Mom dearest." It was stamped on a die-cut banner that I got from the die-cut flower kit sold in the Occasions mini. I then added a Daffodil Delight flower button that I threaded with a very thin strip of Calypso Coral paper.

 

 

Inspiration: Viva La Verve sketch #2 (April)

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Packed for Mom, Fête de famille (Family Reunion)
Cardstock: Watercolor paper, Basic Grey, Calypso Coral
Designer paper: Domestic Goddess
Inks: Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral, Baja Breeze, Basic Grey, Sahara Sand, Black StazOn
Accessories: Pearls, Simply Sent die-cut card, Designer Frames embossing folder,
Ovals die, Wide Oval punch, blending pen, Brights button, Stamp-a-Ma-Jig,
Baja Breeze seam binding, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

Queen for a Day

I am really excited about the card I am showing you today. It started out with a sketch and I pulled out my Color Coach and played around with colors to find something something fresh and vibrant.

Since I had pulled out the Forever Young set earlier this week, it was still on my desk and I had the idea to use the portrait inside of the frame from the Elementary Elegance SAB set. So I started by embossing the frame in white on Coral Calypso paper (from the gorgeous Everyday Enchantment SAB assortment). I cut the frame out with a circle cutter and used the Curly Label punch to punch out the centre. On a separate piece of Peach Passion cardstock, I stamped the silhouette in Basic Grey craft ink and covered it with clear embossing powder.

 

Tip: If you do want to get craft ink so that you can emboss in various colors, you should have a look at our Stampin' Spots assortments. They are an inexpensive option to add a variety of colours to your ink arsenal, they don't take up a lot of room and they already come in a box ready to be stored. Always make sure you store your Stampin' Spots upside down so that the ink stays on top of the ink pad. This way, your Stampin' Spots will always be juicy when you use them.

 

After stamping the silhouette, I spotted the crown in the SAB set and thought, Hmm, I wonder if it's the right size to add on the girl's head... And it is! I wanted the crown to be sparkly, so I stamped it in Versamark (using the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig to line it up) and embossed it with Iridescent Ice powder. Then I remembered we carry a stamp that says "Queen for a Day" in the You're a Gem set so I added this sentiment in Versamark at the bottom and embossed it with the Pewter powder. I made sure the sentiment would fit in the frame by laying it on top of the image and using the Stamp-a-Ma-jig to line up the sentiment properly. Then, I punched the image out with the 2-1/2 Circle punch and added it underneath the frame using Stampin' Dimensionals.

The So Saffron background was stamped with the flourish from the Fresh Vintage set (another SAB freebie) and embossed with clear powder. As you can see, I was on an embossing mission here and pretty much used all of my embossing powders! I then matted my image using the Paper Doily die and added some Pool Party paper from the Sweet Treat pack.

The left border was created by adding some Pool Party ruffled ribbon to the side of a piece of Coral Calypso textured cardstock (don't forget to add textured cardstock to your creation, it really adds dimension!) and I stamped the edge with the border stamp from the Fresh Vintage set. I then used the 3-Way Flower punch to punch three shapes out of Whisper White cardstock and I stamped the flower from the Fresh Vintage set in different colors on them, then I accented the centres with glimmer brads. (Note: We don't have glimmer brads in all of the colors I was using but some of them were close enough match to work. I used Bashful Blue to go with Pool Party and Gold to go with So Saffron.) I also added the new bigger-sized pearls on the right side of my main image.

 

 

 

Color Combo: Peach Passion + Coral Calypso + So Saffron + Pool Party

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Fresh Vintage, Mon trésor, Élégance élémentaire, Fine Flourish, Forever Young
Cardstock: So Saffron, Calypso Coral, Peach Passion, Whisper White
Design paper: Sweet Shop
Inks: Basic Grey, Versamark, So Saffron, Pool Party, Peach Passion
Accessories: Glimmer brads, 3-Way Flower punch, Paper Doily die,
Pearls, Embossing powders (Iridescent Ice, White, Pewter), Stampin' Dimensionals,
Pool Party ruffled ribbon, Ticket Corner punch, Circle cutter

 

Inkspirations #100 - You Rock!

This card was inspired by the Grunge Rock set, which I bought last Spring while it was on promotion and am sorry to admit it has only seen ink a couple of times. I first decided to use the guitar image, so I inked it with markers in various colours and then added some clear embossing on top.

Tip: The trick to embossed an image that has been colored with markers or Classic ink is to stamp your image and leave the stamp down on your paper. Then, before, removing it, you place the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig's placement guide in the corner of your stamp, lift it up without moving the SAMJ and you wash your stamp, then reink it in Versamark. Using the SAMJ and the corner of your stamp as a guide, overstamp the image in Versamark over your original one and add the clear embossing powder. Cool, huh?

The argyle design was stamped in Versamark on a piece of Wild Wasabi polka dot paper and embossed in Pewter powder. I had the Music Notes wheel out on my desk from another project and thought it would pair up nicely with the guitar. I know some of you unmount your wheels - I've done it myself with a couple of designs - but I have to say that here, using a wheel worked out in my favor, since it allowed me to give the music score some movement. I made sure to move the wheel up and down my paper while rolling. The music notes were also embossed with the Pewter powder.

The bottom of the designer paper was scuffed with the side of my paper folder and rolled up a bit. The paper and cardstock were sprayed with the air tool and a marker, and I added a row of Champagne glass glitter held in place with Sticky strip.

The sentiment was pulled from the Voeux multiples hostess set and stamped in Early Espresso.

 

 

 

Color Combo: Early Espresso + Wild Wasabi + Marina Mist

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Music Notes wheel, Grunge Rock, Voeux multiples (Happiest Birthday Wishes)
Cardstock: Early Espresso, Wild Wasabi, Marina Mist
Designer papers: Eat Cake
Inks: Versamark, Early Espresso, Marina Mist, Wild Wasabi
Accessories:  Markers, Champagne glass glitter, clear embossing powder, sticky strip,
Pewter embossing powder, rhinestones, spritzer tool, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Distressing tool (Cutting kit)

 

Snowflake Shaker

Today, I am sharing an idea on how to use the shaker box dimensional rings that are sold in the Holidays mini. Instead of using them on the front of my paper, I used it on the back to create a window look.

I started out by punching the snowflake shape out of the polka dot patterned paper. Then, I punched a 2-1/2 Circle out of scrap paper and used the empty circle on the paper as a guide to add piercing around the snowflake. I then glued a piece of windowsheet underneath the punched snowflake, and I added a polka dot brad in the center of the snowflaker. I then added a shaker box ring around the snowflake, underneath the paper. I flipped the paper face down on the table and I filled the shaker with mica flakes.

Tip: The mica flakes can be very static-y so instead of pourring them right out of the container, I prefer to use a small spoon (the little plastic spoon they use for tasting at ice cream parlors are perfect for that) to add the flakes on my project. Less mess that way!

 

I then peeled the backing off and glued a second piece of windowsheet on the back on the shaker to close it off. Adding the second windowsheet will make your job much easier when centering your panel on the card base. If you left the shaker box open on the back, you would have to leave the paper face down on the table and try to center your card base directly on it. Adding the second piece of windowsheet allows you to close the back of the shaker and move the sheet around and place it properly on your card.

I rounded the paper corners with a punch and I stamped my sentiment at the bottom, adding a few pearls to it. I then hung two mini jingle bells on a piece of white baker's twine and twisted it around the brad in the center of the snowflake.

Tip: The trick to adding the twine to the mini jingle bells is to use a needle threader. Otherwise, you'll just end up pulling your hair out! (Ask me how I know...)

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Notes manuscrites (Hand-Penned Holidays)
Cardstock: Wisteria Wonder
Designer Paper: In Colors Designer paper pack
Ink: Wisteria Wonder
Accessories: Snowflake punch, Mini jingle bells, White baker's twine, White envelope,
Pearl basic jewels, Windowsheets, In Colors polka dot brad, Paper piercer,
2-1/2 Circle punch,Mica flakes, Shaker Box dimensional ring

 

Halloween Owl

I knew I really wanted this hostess set when I first saw the Holidays mini. I managed to bag a copy for myself, but it took a while before I had time to make a project with it. This is what I came out with a few weeks ago. The color combo was inspired by the cover of the latest Creating Keepsakes magazine.

The wreath was colored with markers and stamped on Crumb Cake cardstock. I punched the center out using the three-way flower punch and the outer part of the wreath using our scallop circle punch.

The owl was stamped in Soft Suede on Whisper White cardstock and then again on So Saffron and Pumpkin pie cardstock to paper piece the mask, beak and Halloween bag. Isn't this owl just awfully cute? I think the set is worth getting for this stamp alone (although the other pieces are all equally cool). By the way, did you notice that all of the pieces from this set can be used with our punches? I used the owl punch for the owl and the Banner punch for the banner with a little heart image.  

The sentiment also comes from the same set. I used a marker to ink it up and omit the snowflakes on the top and bottom scroll to stick with the autumn theme. I added rhinestones in the empty space instead.

Tip: Use your Stamp-a-Ma-Jig to stamp an image or sentiment twice and create a shadow look. Stamp your image in a pale color first, wash your stamp and then using the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig, place your image slightly to the right of the first stamped image and stamp again in a darker color.

The patterned papers all come from the Just Eat Cake DSP pack. The striped paper was die-cut using the Two Tags die and I placed the wreath at the top of the tag. Instead of cutting the bottom off, I folded it inside the card and embellished the inside using the banner stamp again. I also used the negative space punched out of the center of the wreath to decorate inside the card as well.

Tip: Always decorate the inside of your card and matching envelope while you are making the card. Use the paper and cardstock scraps available or an image from your stamp set to decorate or trace and cut an envelope out of a sheet of matching Designer paper. I find that people really love the polished look an envelope gives and if you decorate it while all of your supplies are out, it will only take an extra minute (as opposed to trying to make a matching envelope later).

The hearts on the banner were covered with Crystal Effects and I pourred gold fine glitter on one of them. The banner was "held" in place using glimmer brads from the In Color pack (Peach Passion).

To create my polka dot background, I mounted a circle piece of rubber that was die-cut from the center of another stamp. I thought for sure it was the center of the wreath from the hostess set I used on this card, but looking back on it, the die-cut center of a wiggly shape. So I'm drawing a blank as to which stamp it was, but surely, it was a circle image with an empty center and instead of throwing the piece of rubber away, I kept it and mounted it on a spare wooden block to turn into a new polka dot stamp! So green of me...

  

  

Color Combo: Peach Passion + Wild Wasabi + So Saffron + Crumb Cake

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Meilleurs voeux (Warmest of Wishes), circle
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Whisper White
Designer papers: Just Eat Cake
Inks: So Saffron, Wild Wasabi, Soft Suede, Peach Passion
Punches: Banner, Scallop Circle, Triple Use Flower, Owl
Big Shot: Two Tags die
Accessories: Gold glitter, Crystal Effects, glimmer brads, So Saffron taffeta ribbon,
Markers, Crumb Cake envelope, Daubers, Rhinestones

Survol du catalogue 2011-2012

This post is also available in English HERE.

 

Il y a tellement de choses à voir dans le nouveau catalogue, c'est facile d'en oublier! Maintenant que le catalogue est sorti depuis quelques semaines et que vous avez eu le temps de vous familiariser avec son contenu, j'aimerais partager avec vous certaines de mes trouvailles favorites.

 

1) En couleurs : Ensemble, rubans et attaches parisiennes à pois

Saviez-vous qu'il vous est possible de vous procurer les encres et cartons de la nouvelle famille En couleur à rabais? En effet, si vous vous procurer l'ensemble présenté dans le tableau En couleurs, vous ne payez que le prix des encres et recevez un ensemble de cartons assortis gratuitement! Une bonne affaire!

Les En couleur 2011-2012 sont absolument magnifiques. À chaque année, j'apprends à apprécier chacune des nouvelles couleurs en les utilisant, mais cette année, j'ai eu un coup de coeur pour les cinq couleurs en ouvrant l'emballage!

Et avez-vous vu les rubans assortis? Leurs côtés sont froncés! Ils sont différents de tous les rubans que nous avons eu dans le passé et ils sont jolis autant noués qu'utilisés sous un carton en laissant seulement dépasser la fronce.

Pour finir en beauté, parlons des adorables attaches parisiennes à pois qui finissent l'ensemble! Vous pouvez leur voir la binette à la page 199. Elles sont légèrement plus larges que les attaches parisiennes des autres familles de couleur et elles sont terriblement jolies. Vous pouvez les voir en photo sur plusieurs de mes projets du mois dernier. Ils ajoutent la touche parfaite de finition à vos projets.

  

 

 
 

 

2) Feuilles d'adhésif polyvalent Big Shot

Ces feuilles ne sont pas nouvelles, elles nous ont été présentées au printemps dernier dans le mini Occasions, mais les avez-vous essayées? Il n'est pas nécessaire d'avoir la Big Shot pour s'en servir, leur utilité est beaucoup plus vaste que le nom l'indique.

Je m'en suis moi-même procuré à la fin du printemps et ça m'a pris quelque temps avant de prendre l'habitude de les utiliser, mais depuis, je suis vendue! On peut transformer n'importe quelle découpe en autocollant, que ce soit une découpe Big Shot, une forme poinçonnée ou même une forme coupée à la main! Par exemple, si vous voulez découper une image dans du papier à motifs et éviter de devoir ensuite appliquer patiemment la colle à deux usages dans tous les petits recoins de l'image, ajoutez simplement un morceau de feuille adhésive à l'arrière de votre paper à motifs avant de faire votre découpage, puis il vous suffit ensuite d'enlever la pellicule protectrice et le tour est joué.

 Une autre utilité plus incongrue : pour ajouter des brillants à une forme. Plutôt que de coller la feuille adhésive à l'endos, collez-la simplement à l'avant de votre forme! Faire votre découpage, enlevez la pellicule protectrice et versez les brillants en place. Simple comme bonjour! Mieux encore : placez également un morceau de feuille adhésive à l'arrière pour pouvoir coller facilement votre forme en place sur votre projet après avoir ajouté vos brillants.3) Mousse statique pour bloc transparent

Avez-vous remarqué cet article? Pour celles qui préfèrent les estampes non montées, nous avons maintenant ajouté la mousse statique à notre gamme de produits (p. 205), ce qui veut dire que vous pouvez non seulement utiliser ce produit pour transformer vos estampes à montage sur bois en estampes à montage clair si vous le désirez (et n'oubliez pas que les boîtiers pour estampes à montage transparent sont également vendus en paquet de trois (p. 205), vous permettant de tout ranger dans un même format), mais aussi vos roues! Comme je l'avais fait précédemment avec ma roue In Stitches.

La façon de faire est très simple : utiliser un exacto pour couper le joint où les deux bouts de caoutchouc se rencontrent sur la roue, puis tirez gentiment pour enlever le caoutchouc de sur la roue de plastique. Placez l'image sur votre mousse statique, découpez l'excédent et le tout est prêt à utiliser!

Mise en garde: Sachez que même notre bloc acrylique le plus long n'est pas suffisamment large pour accomoder une roue non montée. Si vous utilisez une roue standard, vous pouvez placerl'image en angle, d'un coin opposé du plus gros bloc à l'autre, mais si vous utilisez une roue maxi, les coins dépasseront et vous ne serez pas capable d'obtenir une bonne impression pour les coins de l'image.

 
 

 
 
 

 

4) De fabuleux nouveaux alphabets

Oh, wow... SU! s'est surpassé cette année dans la section alphabet. Meilleure sélection à ce jour! Spencerian et Empire sont mes favoris parmi les nouveaux. Et j'aimerais bien sûr avoir les majuscules et les minuscules...

Plusieurs estampeuses qui ne font pas de scrapbooking passent par-dessus cette section sans même la consulter, mais je vous rappelle qu'il est possible d'utiliser les alphabets pour bien plus que des titres sur vos pages! Ils vous permettent d'épeler tout ce que vous désirez. Avez-vous vu le cahier de notes que j'ai affiché la semaine dernière? J'ai utilisé l'alphabet majuscule Spencerian, un bon exemple d'utilisation pour les jeux d'alphabet. L'alphabet minuscule Empire a une taille particulièrement pratique pour créer des sentiments personnalisés sur vos cartes. Une bonne façon de dire exactement ce que l'on veut quand les estampes toutes faites ne suffisent pas.

J'aime aussi beaucoup Letter It, qui est facile à découper et surélever. J'ai vu de belles cartes faites par Brandi où elle a utilisé ce jeu pour créer son arrière-fond (ce que vous pourrez faire rapidement si vous avez la version non montée de l'alphabet, qui du coup vous revient moins cher), pour un effet différent et amusant.

Mes anciens favoris sont toujours disponibles, tels que Sweet Shoppe Alphabet (un autre jeu avec une taille idéale pour les cartes, et qui convient parfaitement au poinçon Fanion), l'élégant Broadsheet Alphabet et le jeu au look universitaire et sportif Varsity Alphabet.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

5) Envelopes - de toutes les couleurs, même claires!

Les clientes me demandent souvent si les enveloppes claires que j'utilise pour protéger mes cartes sont à vendre dans le catalogue. La bonne nouvelle est que oui, elles le sont! Vous les trouverez à la page 182 du catalogue, sous la mention Enveloppes translucides claires. Elles sont parfaites pour protéger vos cartes en attendant de les envoyer et sont assez larges pour incorporer une enveloppe de taille moyenne également. Leur rabat est déjà encollé, mais quand j'utilise les enveloppes pour un usage temporaire, je laisse le protecteur sur l'adhésif et j'entre simplement le rabat sous la carte pour tenir le tout fermé. Il est ainsi plus facile de sortir la carte de l'enveloppe sans qu'elle colle sur la bande adhésive.

Pendant que vous êtes à la page 182, j'attire votre attention sur les différents formats d'enveloppes qui s'y trouvent. Nos enveloppes moyennes sont parfaites pour les cartes de grandeur standard (4-1/4 x 5-1/2 po), les enveloppes fourreaux sont parfaites pour les cartes de format 3-1/4 x 6-1/2 po et les enveloppes carrées moyennes conviennent parfaitement aux cartes de 5-1/4 x 5-1/4 po. Les enveloppes ont une surface lisse parfaite pour boire l'encre qui rappelle la surface du papier cartonné Murmure blanc. Elles sont faites spécifiquement pour être estampées et la différence est notable par rapport aux autres enveloppes de format cartes vendues sur le marché. À 7,95 $ le paquet de 40 (moyennes), cela revient à 20 cents l'enveloppe, ce qui est fort raisonnable.  

 

 

  

 

6) Trousses Simply Scrappin'

Ça fait des années que je vante les mérites de ces trousses et j'ai maintenant un point positif à ajouter à la liste : plus aucuns mots en anglais! SI vous remarquez bien, SU! a éliminé l'insertion de mots anglais sur les découpes encollées, alors plus besoin de faire preuve d'astuce pour contourner le problème de la langue. Leur usage est maintenant universel. Et 26,95 $ pour huit feuilles de papier cartonné texturé, six feuilles de papiers à motifs assortis et six feuilles de découpes autocollantes... Que dire de plus?

La collection de base de trouve dans le catalogue annuel et vous trouverez une trousse thématique additionnelle dans chaque minicatalogue également (en ce moment : Pois enchantés dans le minicatalogue d'été).

 

 
 

 

 
 

 

 

 

7) Formulez un souhait...

Si vous n'êtes pas intéressée par les trousses Simply Sent, vous passez probablement les pages qui y sont consacrées (p. 192-193) sans trop y jeter un oeil. J'aimerais attirer votre attention sur les jeux de souhaits créés pour accompagner ces jeux, qui sont vendus séparément et sont une option peu coûteuse pour ajouter des souhaits à votre collection.

Mon favori est Chérissons les anges, qui contient le souhait "Tu es un ange." Parfait pour offrir des remerciements à une personne qui nous est chère. Boni : Deux des trois jeux SImply Sent sont offerts en français.

 
  
 

8) Options d'embossage à sec

Je sais que plusieurs d'entre vous sont des gagas de l'embossage - certaines d'entre vous m'ont même avoué avoir acheté la Big Shot uniquement pour faire de l'embossage à sec! Eh bien, j'ai de bonnes nouvelles pour nous, car nous avons trois nouveaux plioirs d'embossage dans le nouveau catalogue! Nous avons des Rayures et, mieux encore, du Pied-de-poule!!! J'avoue avoir fait une petite steppette de joie en voyant ce nouveau plioir. Nous avons aussi une paire de Cadres Designer, deux petits cadres qui peuvent être placés n'importe où sur votre projet.

 
 
 

 

 

9) Nouveau programme de primes d'hôtesse

Ce nouveau programme est l'une des nouveautés les plus excitantes du nouveau catalogue. SU! a éliminé la notion de paliers dans les jeux d'hôtesse et leur a attribué une valeur en dollars d'hôtesse à la place. Ce changement est positif pour deux raisons :

• Plus de niveaux 3 qui sont si difficiles à obtenir. Vous pouvez utiliser vos dollars d'hôtesse obtenus à l'aide d'un atelier ou d'une commande se qualifiant aux primes pour vous procurer n'importe quel des jeux qui vous intéressent. Comme les primes débutent à 35 $, tous les jeux sont accessibles même avec un atelier qui obtient les primes de base. 

• Si les jeux d'hôtesse ne vous plaisent pas, que vous avez déjà tous ceux qui vous intéressent ou que vous préférez vous procurer plutôt des accessoires, vous n'êtes pas tenue de sélectionner un jeu d'hôtesse! Vous pouvez plutôt choisir de commander des articles du catalogue ou du minicatalogue à la place (étampes, papiers, poinçons Big Shot, rubans, etc.). Vous êtes entièrement libre de votre sélection.

Si vous n'êtes pas déjà emballée du changement, voici une raison supplémentaire de l'être : des articles à 50 % de rabais. Eh oui, vous avez bien lu, articles avec un "s"! Dès qu'un atelier atteint 525 $, l'hôtesse peut sélectionner n'importe quel article de son choix à 50 % de rabais. Imaginez les possibilités : Big Shot, boîte de marqueurs, ensemble de blocs d'acryliques, découpes Big Shot... C'est l'occasion rêvée de vous procurer un article dispendieux sans devoir casser le cochon! Et la bonne nouvelle, c'est que plus le total de l'atelier est élevé, plus vous recevez d'articles à 50 % de rabais, jusqu'à concurrence de quatre!

 

 
 

 

10) Éloquent à souhaits

Tant qu'à moi, on ne peut jamais avoir trop de souhaits différents dans sa collection! Les souhaits nous aident à personnaliser nos cartes et à leur faire dire exactement ce que l'on souhait exprimer. Je vous présente donc de nouveaux jeux intéressants que nous offrent SU! en français cette année.

L'un d'eux, Voeux multiples (p. 10), fait partie de la sélection de jeux d'hôtesse et est parfait pour offrir des voeux d'anniversaire.

J'attire aussi votre attention sur le jeu You're a Gem, qui fait un retour du minicatalogue d'Occasions, où il n'était alors qu'offert en anglais. J'ai été ravie de découvrir que la version française avait maintenant été ajoutée! (Mon trésor) Ce jeu inclut des souhaits amusants comme "Reine d'un jour" (parfait pour combiner aux pendantifs de couronne ou aux images de couronnes comme celle de Extreme Elements ou de Artistic Etchings), "T'es un trésor" ou "La clé de mon coeur" (qui convient, lui aussi, aux pendantifs de clés ou sur une carte de St-Valentin avec une de nos étampes de coeur). Ce jeu se trouve à la page 156.

Fête de famille (p. 158) couvre la famille au complet. Il combine différentes polices de caractère, ce qui ajoute à son intérêt.

 
 

Sincères créations (p. 162) est un nouveau jeu parfait pour signer vos créations. J'aime particulièrement le "C'est moi qui l'ai fait!", qui résume bien comment on se sent quand on vient de terminer un projet fait main!

Un autre petit détail important de ce jeu : le logo Copyright Stampin' Up! En vertu de la politique de l'ange, SU! nous permet de vendre des cartes ou projets réalisés avec ses images à condition d'utiliser une étampe contenant leur logo copyright sur le projet. Certaines de leurs étampes "estampé par" ont le logo directement dans le design, d'autres non. Grâce à ce petit logo Copyright disponible séparément, vous pouvez maintenant utiliser la signature de votre choix et simplement ajouter ensuite le logo copyright pour être en règle. Ce sont les petits détails qui font toute la différence...

 

Quelques lignes (p. 164) est un joli ensemble qui couvrent plusieurs occasions. Sa particularité? Il contient des souhaits pour L'INTÉRIEUR des cartes également! Si vous vous attardez aux souhaits, vous remarquerez qu'ils viennent en paire. Par exemple, "Joyeux anniversaire" s'accompagne de "à la personne qui rend les autres heureux!" Ceci dit, bien que les polices de caractère indiquent les souhaits qui ont été conçus pour aller ensemble, il vous est possible de changer les combinaisons pour créer vos propres souhaits ou même d'utiliser la deuxième partie du souhait indépendamment (par exemple, "merci d'être là").

 

Douce douzaine (p. 167) est un passe-partout pour toutes les occasions de l'année. J'aime bien les différentes polices et comment certains des souhaits sont même imagés (citrouille, coeur). N'oubliez pas qu'en utilisant vos marqueurs, vous pouvez créer des souhaits multicolores ou même omettre une partie de l'image. Si vous regardez de plus près, vous verrez que vous pouvez obtenir sept souhaits différents à partir du souhait d'anniversaire!

 
 

 

 11) ... et non le moindre : nos étampes!

Comment oublier les nouvelles estampes du catalogue! De tous les achats, celui d'estampes est sûrement celui qui est le plus basé sur les goûts personnels et bien que chacun ait ses propres préférences, je me permet tout de même de faire le tour de mes nouveautés préférées. Tout simplement parce que.

 

Mes lapins (p. 48) - Ce jeu de Pâques est l'un des plus mignons que j'ai vu. Il s'est tout de suite retrouvé sur ma liste de favoris du nouveau catalogue, mais j'ai attendu pour l'acheter car je ne crois pas travailler sur mes cartes de Pâques de sitôt! J'adore le souhaits qui dit "Joyeuses Pâques, mon lapin!" Je crois que je vais encrer "mon lapin" au marqueur pour le combiner avec d'autres souhaits également.

 

 

Now You're Cookin' / House & Home (p. 53) : Je suis loin d'être une petite fée du foyer et pourtant, ces estampes me plaisent beaucoup. Probablement en raison de leur petit style rétro. Ceci dit, je n'ai aucune idée ce que je pourrais bien créer avec ces images, mais la minute que je trouve une idée, je passe à l'achat! Ils s'accompagnent de papiers à motifs assortis.

 
 

Emballé, c'est pesé (p. 59) : L'idée derrière ce jeu est que les images conviennent parfaitement aux feuilles d'étiquettes Avery, ce qui permet de préparer des emballages en un tournemain. En français, en plus!

(Mise en garde : Si vous utilisez des chocolats Hershey pour donner en cadeau, sachez qu'Hershey donne la consigne de ne pas coller d'emballage par-dessus leur emballage d'origine. De deux choses l'une : a) la colle peut affecter le goût du chocolat et b) vous cachez ainsi l'info nutritionnelle inscrite sur l'emballage (par exemple, si le chocolat contient des traces de noix, etc.). Il vous est quand même possible de faire un emballage de fantaisie en utilisant une bande de carton qui sera glissée autour du morceau de chocolat plutôt que collé sur lui.)

 

 

Up, Up & Away (p. 63) : J'aime bien ce jeu, qui est unique, moderne et très tendance. (En effet, les montgolfières semblent très à la mode.) Tous les éléments sont inclus séparément dans l'ensemble, ce qui permet de créer des images multicolores rapidement, sans l'utilisation de marqueurs, et qui permet de créer plusieurs looks différents pour vos ballons dépendant des mélanges d'images créés. De plus, les petits nuages et les oiseaux seront bien pratiques pour étoffer mes arrières-plans quand je crée des décors sur mes cartes.

Conseil : Utilisez le ballon plein pour estamper en Versamark par-dessus une image estampée en couleur et ajouter de l'embossage clair pour un aspect lustré! De plus, j'ai choisi de couper l'image de fleur et de souhait en deux pour pouvoir utiliser la fleur séparément.

Truc : Le Stamp-a-Ma-Jig sera votre meilleur ami pour aligner les différentes images de ce jeu. Un truc à retenir si vous utilisez un jeu à montage en bois : découpez des feuilles de papier cartonné vélin et utilisez-les comme feuille de référence du Stamp-a-Ma-Jig en estampant les différentes images du jeu en encre StazOn noire et conservez ces feuilles dans votre boîte d'estampes. Cela vous évitera de devoir réestamper les images sur la feuille du Stamp-a-Ma-Jig à chaque utilisation.

 

Fanions en fête (p. 69) : Ce jeu est très tendance, amusant, il s'accompagne d'un poinçon assorti, et les fanions peuvent devenir des sapins de Noël.

Tant de raisons pourquoi je l'adore.

 

 

Button Buddies (p. 71) : Ces images sont déjà mignonnes en soi, mais elles deviennent encore plus adorables quand on les décore à l'aide de nos boutons Designer. Mon propre jeu est en route (c'est celui que j'ai choisi pour avoir gagné le concours créatif de Shelli Gardner le mois dernier), mais j'ai vu de très jolies choses en ligne faites avec les images qu'il contient. Je crois que mon préféré est le petit cochon, étant donné que les trous du boutons sont complètement appropriés pour le design. Remarquez que les cerises sont vraiment mignonnes aussi. Ou l'escargot. Disons que je me réserve le droit de changer de favori d'une journée à l'autre.

 

Forever Young (p. 79) : J'adore les images de silhouettes. Elles sont rapides à utiliser et jolies seules ou embossées. Elles sont parfaites pour diverses techniques comme l'accolade ou le Rock 'n Roll. Et l'arbre inclut dans le jeu fait vraiment son effet, non? Ce jeu peut convenir pour jeunes et plus vieux, hommes et femmes (que pensez-vous de l'horloge pour une carte de fête des pères?), pour des cartes de tout genre. La silhouette sous l'arbre est parfaite pour des cartes d'anniversaire et l'idée de "temps qui passe" ou "quand j'étais jeune". Les visages arrivent pile avec la mode de portraits et de camée. Et ce jeu s'accompagne également de papiers et de tissus assortis.

 

Petits plus (p. 83) : Coup de foudre pour ce jeu. Les possibilités sont variées avec toutes les pièces qu'il contient et j'aime son look moderne. Différents de nos autres jeux de bébé et - gros plus (pou doum poum!) - il est disponible en français. Référez-vous à mes projets publiés le 14 juillet pour voir qu'on peut faire beaucoup plus que des cartes de bébé avec les images qu'il contient (prompt rétablissement, félicitations pour votre nouvelle maison, bienvenue dans le quartier, relaxe - c'est ta journée, etc.). Et vous pouvez utiliser les estampes de bannière et de fanions pour écrire le message de votre choix. Ou utiliser la lampe et inscrire "Tu éclaires ma vie"!

Finalement, c'est le temps qui manque, pas les idées!

 

 

Hello, Doily (p. 127) : Avez-vous vu cette image embossée en blanc? On jurerait que c'est une vraie broderie qui est sur la carte. Encore une fois, j'aime que cette image est unique, délicate et différente de ce qui s'est fait précédemment et qu'elle peut s'utiliser pour différentes occasions (je l'ai transformée en flocon de neige sur une carte de Noël). Je sais que l'arrière-fond Medallion était le plus gros vendeur du catalogue à sa sortie, et j'ai le pressentiment que cette estampe a le potentiel de plaire tout autant.

 

 

Roue Music Notes (p. 128) : Pas une nouveauté, mais je sens que cette roue est un peu perdue et oubliée au-travers de tout le reste. C'est un achat peu dispendieux et le motif est classic et s'agence à à peu près tout. C'est aussi un motif parfait pour un projet de style collage ou antique.

 
 

Une vie parfaite (p. 145) : L'image de pas me fait tripper. Je la trouve si mignnone. Et on est toujours contentes d'ajouter des estampes masculines à la liste. Et des citations françaises également!

 

 

Borderlines (p. 148) : Je reviens toujours à ce jeu parce que a) j'adore les petits pois et b) j'utilisais beaucoup mon jeu Scallop Borders avant qu'il soit retiré du catalogue, alors je crois que ce jeu serait une bonne alternative. De plus, les images sont suffisamment larges pour couvrir la largeur d'une carte sans devoir répéter et aligner le motif à nouveau. Et je gage que la vigne serait très mignonne avec de petites fleurs poinçonnées...

 

 

Netting (p. 151) : Les estampes d'arrière-fond que j'utilise le plus sont celles qui présentent des images de texture. Elles donnent vraiment de la vie aux papiers cartonnés et sont parfaites pour la technique de l'accolade ou pour ajouter de la texture sur des éléments (carton gris, embossage, etc.). Si on regarde la sélection actuelle, elle présente surtout des images, à l'exception de Woodgrain et Wonderfully Worn, alors je compte bien ajouter Netting sous peu à ma collection.

 

 

 

J'espère que mon survol vous a permis de découvrir une chose ou deux du catalogue et d'appendre quelques nouveaux trucs. Si vous avez des questions sur le catalogue et son contenu, n'hésitez pas à m'en faire part!

 

2011-2012 Catalogue Tour

Ce message peut être lu en français ICI.

 

There is always lots of new things to see when a new catalogue comes out and now that you and I had time to familiarize ourselves with the content and play with new purchases, I thought I would point out some of my favorite new finds.

 

1) In Colors: Bundle, ribbons and polka dot brads

Did you know that if you get the new In Colors bundle, you can the full-size ink pads and assorted cardstock for only the price of the ink pads? Talk about a great deal! Our In Colors are really yummy this year. When it comes to colour, it's always a matter of personal tastes, but this is the first year where I fell in love with all five colours as soon as I took them out of their wrapping. (I usually love all five after I've done a couple of projects, but this year, it was love at first sight.) 

And have you spotted the matching ribbons? They have ruffled edges! They are different from any other ribbon we've had in the past and look good either tied around the project or placed under the edge of a piece of cardstock to get just the ruffle peeking.

Last but not least, we have matching polka dot brads! You can find them on page 199. They are a tad bigger than our regular brads and they are so, so pretty. You can spot them on a few projects I've shared lately. I just know they are going to be the perfect finishing touch for a lot of projects this year.

  

 

 
 

 

2) Big Shot Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets

Those aren't new, they've been introduced last Spring in the Occasions mini, but have you given them a try yet? Don't let the "Big Shot" mention deter you from getting them. They can be used for so much more than die-cuts.

I bought them at the end of Spring and it took me a while to start really using them, but now, I'm hooked! You can turn anything into a sticker with them - punched shapes, die-cut shapes, even free-handed shapes. Let's say you want to handcut a rose from a piece of patterned paper. Just add a piece of adhesive sheet on the back before you handcut and then you don't have to fiddle with adding glue to all the little points, since the whole back is already covered.

Here's another use you might not have thought of: use it to add glitter to something. Instead of adding the adhesive to the back, just add it to the front! Die-cut your shape, pull of the protective sheet and sprinkle with glitter. Easy as 1-2-3! Better yet, add some adhesive to the back as well to easily glue your piece on your project after it's been glittered.

 

 

3) Clear-Mount Cling Foam

Did'ya notice? For those of you who prefer to go the unmounted route, SU! has now added cling foam to its line of products (p. 205). This means not only that you can unmount your wood-mounted sets and transform them to clear-mount (reminder: we sell the clear cases separately (p. 205), if you want to use those for storage as well), but you can also use the cling foam to unmount your wheels if you would like! Remember my In Stitches that I cut apart to get separate stitches?

The process is really simple: just run a hobby blade along the seam of the wheel (where the two ends of the rubber meet on the wheel) and the rubber will come off of the wheel quite easily afterwards. Put your rubber on the sticky side of the cling foam, cut to size and voilà.

Warning: Be warned that even our longest acrylic block is not long enough for the unmounted wheels. If you are using a standard-size wheel, you can use our biggest block and put the image at a 45-degree angle on it (going from one corner to the opposite one), but if you are using a jumbo-size wheel, it will not fit even using this trick.

 
 

 
 
 

 

4) Fabulous new alphabets

Oh, my... SU! has outdone itself this year with the alphabet sets. Best. New. Selection. Ever!!!! Spencerian and Empire are my new favorites. And of course, I want both the upper and lower versions... I think a lot of stampers assume that if they're not scrapbookers, they don't have any use for alphabet sets, but really, there is so much that can be done with them. You can spell anything your little heart desires! Have you seen the Posies notebook I shared last week? I used the Spencerian Alphabet Upper to add "Notes" on the front and it is a good example of how to use the alphabet sets. The Empire Alphabet Lower is a particularly versatile size, because it is small enough to add to a card to create a sentiment. Great way to personalize your greeting when you don't have the exact words you would like to add.

I also like Letter It, which looks awesome when handcut. I have seen Brandi use this one to create backgrounds (which is really easy is you are using the clear-mounted option - and less expensive, as well!) on her cards and pages, and it looks terrific.

And of course, we still carry all of my previous favorites, like the Sweet Shoppe Alphabet (another great size for card-making, and it fits perfectly in the pennant punch), beautiful and fancy Broadsheet Alphabet and the collegiate Varsity Alphabet.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

  

5) Envelopes - in every color, even clear!

One question I often get is whether we sell those "cool clear envelopes I use to protect my samples." And the answer is, Yes, we do! They are on page 182 of the cattie and are easy to miss since they are not pictured. They are great to slip your cards into until you are ready to send them out. If you are decorating your envelopes to match your cards, you can even slip the envelope in with the card to keep them together and both will fit. The tab has a sticky strip on it which you can use to keep the envelope closed, but when I am just using the envelope for a short amount of time, I simply leave the protective cover on the adhesive and tuck the tab inside the card to keep the envelope closed. Then, I don't have to worry about the adhesive sticking to my card when I am pulling it out.

While you are on page 182, I invite you to take a look at all of the different formats and colours we carry as well. The medium size will fit with any regular-sized card (4-1/4 x 5-1/2), the small open-end envelopes will fit with the 3-1/4 x 6-1/2 cards and the Medium Square envelopes are perfect for square cards (5-1/4 x 5-1/4). The envelopes have the same glossy surface that our Whisper White cardstock has, therefore taking the ink beautifully and giving you perfect smooth images every time. (Believe me, you can see a big difference with regular card envelopes.) At $7.95 for a pack of 40 (medium-sized), it comes to 20 cents per envelope, which is a very good deal.

 

  

 

  

 

6) Simply Scrappin' Kits

I have been singing the praises of those kits for year and I have one more advantage to point out this year: no more words!! Which means that you can now use all of the pieces from the kit without having to worry about which language they are in. Isn't that wonderful? Those kits are now beautiful and useful down to the very last bit! And $26.95 for eight sheets of 12 x 12 textured cardstock, six matching designer papers and 6 sticky die-cut sheets?

I rest my case. 

You can find our core collection in the catalogue and an additional seasonal kit in the minicatalogues as well (Currently: Playful Polka Dots in the Summer mini).

 

 
 

 

 
 

 

 

7) Hidden Sentiments

If you are not into Simply Sent kits, you might not have looked at those pages (192-193) too closely. I would like to point out that the stamp sets created to go with the Simply Sent kits are sold separately and great, inexpensive sets to add some variety to your sentiment collection.

My favorite? You're Cherished, which includes the "You're an angel" sentiment. Perfect for thank you cards of all kinds. And two of those stamp sets are available in French as well.

 
  
 

8) Embossing, baby!

I know a lot of you are as crazy about dry-embossing as I am - some of you even bought the Big Shot just to emboss! Well, there's some good news, because we have new embossing folders available! We have Stripes and, oh my gosh, Houndstooth!!! That was one of the new additions that made me jump up and down in my seat when I saw the new catalogue. We also have a pair of smaller folders called Designer Frames, which can be placed anywhere you want on your project.

 
 
 

 

9) New Hostess Program

This might be one of the most exciting feature of the new catalogue. SU! has taken away the levels associated to the hostess sets and given each set a dollar value instead. This is great for two reasons:

• No more Level 3 that are so incredibly hard to get. You can use your hostess dollars earned through a workshop or qualifying order to buy any of the sets you like. You can even choose to buy more than one! The hostess dollars earned start at $35, meaning that all of the sets are within your reach as soon as you have a qualifying workshop.

 

• If you're not feeling the hostess sets, you have already acquired the ones you like or you would rather spend your hostess benefits on accessories, you can now do so! Hostess sets are now an option that you can forego and if you prefer, you can spend all of your hostess benefits money on anything in the catalogue or current minicatalogue. Stamps, papers, dies, ribbons... whatever your little heart desires.

 

Need one more reason to be excited about the new plan? How 'bout half-off items! That's right - items with an "s"!  Hostesses of workshops that reach $525 get any item of their choice at 50% off. Just think about it - marker box, Big Shot, Alphabet dies, acrylic blocks kit... What a great way to get that big-ticket item you've been dreaming about for a long time. And it gets better: if your workshop total is higher, you can rack up to four items at half price. How can anyone not be excited about that...

 

 
 

 

10) It's All About the Feelings...

One thing I can never have too much of is sentiment stamps. They allow me to personalize my cards for any kind of occasion and to express exactly what I want to convey. This year, SU! has added some exciting new sets, including some French ones!

One of them, Voeux multiples (p. 10), is part of the hostess sets selection and is perfect for birthday wishes. There is also You're a Gem, who's a carry-over from the Occasions mini, but the exciting news is that it is now available in French! (Mon trésor) It includes a lot of versatile sentiments like "Reine d'un jour" (perfect with one of the crown trinkets or images like the ones found in Extreme Elements or Artistic Etchings), "T'es un trésor" or "La clé de mon coeur" (again, perfect with the key trinkets or to make a Valentine card with one of our heart stamps). You can see this set on page 156.

Fête de famille (p. 158) covers all of the important people in your life. And it uses a variety of different fonts, which is a great way to add some interest to your stamping.

 
 

Sincères créations (p. 162) is a new set that's perfect to sign your creations. I particularly like the "C'est moi qui l'ai fait!" because that is exactly what we want to say once we have finished a project and want to show it off. "Look, I made this!" I would like to point out another small but important detail from this set: the Copyright Stampin' Up! logo. As per the Angel policy, SU! states that you can sell cards or projects that were made with their images as long as you stamp the Copyright Stampin' Up! logo on it. Some of their "handmade by" stamps already have it on them, others don't. Thanks to this little copyright logo they've added to this set, you can use any signature stamp you wish and simply add this line underneath and you are good to go! It's the small things that make a difference...

 

Quelques lignes (p. 164) is a great set that covers many occasions. And you know what's special about this one? It includes sentiments for the INSIDE of the cards as well! If you look closely at the sentiments, they are meant to work as pairs. For example, "joyeux anniversaire" and inside you could stamp "à la personne qui rend les autres heureux!" That being said, even though the matching fonts indicate which ones were originally meant to go together, you can certainly mix and match to create your own pairs and some of the sentiments that are meant to go inside of the cards can even work on their own (for example, "merci d'être là").

 

Douce douzaine (p. 167) is an all-occasion set that will get you through all of the major holidays of the year. I like how diversified the fonts are and a couple even have some cute images on them, like a pumpkin and heart. Don't forget that you can stretch them out even more by using a marker to get a multicolored block or to ink only part of a sentiment. So really, you can get seven different greetings from that birthday sentiment alone!

 

 

 11) ... and the best for last - rubber!

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the fabulous new stamp sets that were released this July. Of course, stamp set selection is all a matter of personal tastes, but allow me to point out a few of my personal favorites. Just 'cos.

 

Mes lapins (p. 48) - This is one of the cutest Easter set ever. Definitely one of my fave new sets, but I have held off getting it since I won't be working on Easter projects for like another eight months! LOVE the sentiment that reads, "Joyeuses Pâques, mon lapin!" I can totally foresee using my markers to add "mon lapin" after birthday greetings or something else.

 

 

Now You're Cookin' / House & Home (p. 53): I'm the complete opposite of a domestic goddess so I am not sure exactly how I would use those stamps, but I just know they are the cutest thing ever and they have that retro vibe that I love so much. And they have beautiful papers to match! (Those, I already got.) So for now, I am sitting on it until an idea strikes. The minute I find a way to justify buying them, they're mine! hehe...

 
 

Emballé, c'est pesé (p. 59): The idea behind those images is that they fit perfectly on Avery sticker sheets. And lookie - French! For every occasion!

(Warning: If you are wrapping Hershey's nuggets to give out as a gift, please be aware that Hershey has a rule that you shouldn't glue something on top of their original wrapping. Two reasons: a) the glue can affect the taste of the candy and b) you are hiding the nutritional information (esp. important if something contains nuts). You can still use this set as first intended by simply creating belly bands (a piece of cardstock that is slipped around the candy instead of being glued on it) and decorating those.)

 

 

Up, Up & Away (p. 63): I like this one because it is different from any other set I have and because hot air balloons are really trendy, it seems. I also like how every element is available separately, making it easy to create a multicolored image without having to use markers, and you can create various different look to your balloon depending on which stamps you pair together. Plus, I am going to get a lot of mileage out of those little clouds and birds images when creating backgrounds on my cards.

Hint: You can use that full balloon stamp to stamp over your color image in Versamark and emboss the balloon to give it a glossy look! Another thing I did with mine was mount the flower separately from the sentiment so I can use it on its own.

Tip: The Stamp-a-Ma-Jig is going to be your friend with this one, if you want to make sure everything is aligned. Here's a trick if you are working with a wood-mount set: Cut vellum cardstock squares and stamp your images on them with Black StazOn the same way you would usually do your reference image on your washable plastic sheet. Then, keep those in the stamp set case and they are always ready to use without you having to do the reference image first. Saves on time!

 

Fanions en fête (p. 69): Because we love stamps that have a matching punch. Because pennants are all the rage. Because you can turn the pennants into Christmas trees. Because it's fun.

Need I say more?

 

 

Button Buddies (p. 71): Those images are really darling used on their own, or you can bump up the cute to the next level by using our Designer buttons to decorate part of them. I am still waiting on my stamp set to arrive (this is the free set I chose for winning Shelli Gardner's creative contest last month), but I have seen some mighty cute designs done with it. I think my favorite might be the pig, because the button holes are actually part of the design! Or the cherries. Or the snail. Ask me again in a week and I bet I'll have moved on to a new favorite.

 

Forever Young (p. 79): I love shadow stamps. They are quick to use and look great on their own or embossed. You can use them to do techniques like Kissing or Rock 'n Roll. Plus, how beautiful is that tree? I like how that set can work both for a youngster or an adult. Man or woman. (How cute would that clock be on a father's day card?) Great for birthdays - that clock is great for the notion of passing time, the little girl on the swing reminds us of "back in the days" or "when I was young." Those silhouettes are so elegant and right in line with the cameo trend. This is another set where you have matching papers and even fabrics available.

 

Petits plus (p. 83): Love at first set for me with this set. There are so many pieces to choose from and I love the modern feel it has. Definitely different from the other baby sets we've had in the past and I love that it is available in French. If you check out my July 14th post, you'll see you can use this set for much more than baby cards (get well, congrats on your new home, welcome to the neighborhood, relax - it's your day, etc.). And you can use the banner and pennants to spell anything you like. Or how about using the lamp and adding the sentiment "You light up my life"?

So many possibilities.

 

 

Hello, Doily (p. 127): Use white embossing powder with it and I swear, it looks like a real doily. It is intricate and delicate, different from what we already have and can be used for various occasions (I have even used it as a snowflake on a Christmas card). I also know that the Medallion was our biggest seller when it came out, so I have a feeling this one will be popular as well.

 

 

Music Notes wheel (p. 128): This one isn't new, but I think it gets forgotten amongst the rest of the stamps. It's an inexpensive stamp with a classic design that will work with pretty much everything. It is also a great pattern to add to any shabby chic or collage-feel projects.

 
 

Une vie parfaite (p. 145): It's that footsteps image that does me in. I can't help it. I think it's cute. Plus, you can never have too many masculine stamps on hand. And it has a French quote, another thing I do not have a lot of in my collection.

 

 

Borderlines (p. 148): I think I am drawn to this one because a) I have a thing for polka dots and b) I used my Scallop Borders set a lot before it retired so I'm thinking this might make a good replacement. Those stamps are wide enough to stamp from one edge of your card to the other without having to repeat and align. And that vine with the polka dot leaves is just adorable. I can already see it with a couple of punched flowers in there...

 

 

Netting (p. 151): The background stamps I usually get the most use out of are the ones with textures instead of images. They really give life to cardstock without taking away from the focus point and they are great with the kissing technique  or to add texture to an element (chipboard, embossing, etc.). If you look at the current offerings, we have mostly images, aside from Woodgrain and Wonderfully Worn, so I am definitely looking forward to adding Netting to my collection.

 

 

 

So did you enjoy your tour? I hope I made you discover a thing or two or even see things in a different light. If you have any questions or anything you'd like me to discuss, I invite you to let me know!

 

Halloween Pumpkin Patch

This card was based on a DTGD sketch. I used the new Halloween papers (which are part of the current Designer paper promotion - hint hint!) and a set from the upcoming Holidays mini called Gift Givers, which is a great all-occasion set. I combined the sketch with another challenge called layered markers and one about adding pinking to our project. It was the first time I tried this coloring technique. I wouldn't say this is my best coloring work, but you have to start somewhere when learning a new technique, right?

One thing I am really excited about from the new mini is that we now have glitter glue! It is a quick way to add sparkle to a project without getting some glitter all over you. You just have to allow for drying time, but the result is definitely worth it. I added some on some of the polka dots and the spiderwebs on my papers, and in the background of my colored image. I also added some shimmer brads to my right panel and a designer button to the left one. If you look closely, you'll see the button has stripes on it, which I added myself with the help of Black StazOn ink and the Solid Stripes stamp.

Tip: To get a crisp image on the button, I glued it to a small scrap of cardstock using a bit of Snail and I placed the inked stamp rubber side up and pressed the button on the inked image. I gently rocked it to make sure the sides had stripes as well and used the cardstock strip to lift it off of the stamp without getting ink on my hands. I set it aside to dry for a minute before threading the button with baker's twine.

The main image was embossed with black powder, punched with the Decorative Label punch and I added some black striped grosgrain ribbon underneath. I wanted to create pleats to make it look like a candy wrapper, so I used the new silver mini brads we carry to hold the ribbon in place on the back of the image and I cut the ends with some pinking shears (which I had lost and finally found again last week during my reorganization).  I recreated the look of pinking with the Pinking Hearts border punch on the bottom panel as well.

On a side note, the Gift Givers set is only available in English, so I used my craft knife to take off the English words before assembling my set. In this instance, since Halloween is the same in both French and English, I only took out the "Happy" and figured I could always stamp the word "Joyeux" from another set. Here, I decided to only leave the "Halloween!" on its own.

Just something to keep in mind for French stampers when you love an English set...

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Gift Givers, Solid Stripes
Cardstock: Cajun Craze, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Whisper White¨
Inks: Basic Grey, Versamark, Black StazOn, Cajun Craze
Accessories: Markers, Black embossing powder, Decorative Label punch, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Black striped grosgrain ribbon, Silver mini brads, white gel pen, Dazzling Details, Daubers,
Shimmer brads, Designer button, White baker's twine, white envelope, Pinking Hearts border punch

 

One Stamp Set, Three Ways - Little Additions

Bienvenue!

Let me start this post today by wishing you a very happy Bastille Day! Or should I say, un très bon Jour de la Bastille!

I have a very special reason to mention this today, as Paper Crafts magazine is celebrating this Holiday and showcasing a French card on their Paper Connections blog today, namely one of my own!! In light of this great honour, I decided to draw inspiration from one of my favorite columns from their mag where they feature one stamp set done three ways! Hence (using this word just for you, Angie!!) today, I am sharing not one, not two, but three new creations, and the stamp set that I selected is the brand-new Petits plus (available in English - Little Additions) from the 2011-2012 SU! catalogue.

This was the first set I spotted when I leafed through the new catalogue that made me go, "Ooh la la!" (Well, not really, but I just had to throw that expression in here somewhere!).  That set has that little je-ne-sais-quoi and works for a plethora of occasions.

 

Like a welcome baby boy card...

 
Inspiration: Clean and Simple Sketch #148

 

Tip: To space out the banner without having to wash your stamp between each banner to switch colours, stamp the banner on a piece of scrap paper to create a mask and use that mask between each blue banner as a guide to leave space in between each banner. Then, wash your stamp and go back to fill in the blanks stamping the banner in Crumb Cake ink.

 

 

Or a baby girl announcement...

 
Inspiration: The Sweet Stop sketch #115

Color Combo: Blushing Bride + Lucky Limeade + Basic Grey + Whisper White

 

Tip: That clothesline paper was entirely created with stamps from the set. The Stamp-a-Ma-Jig tool will be your best friend to achieve perfect placement and to use this stamp set in general.

 

 

Or how about, to step out of the box and use it in a different way, a get-well card:

 
Inspiration: Mojo Monday sketch #199

 

I like how this one turned out. The sentiment is from another new set called Douce Douzaine (also available in english, Delightful Dozen). The sentiment reads, "Get well soon." The only piece missing from the stamp set is a cute cushion to go with the chair, so I decided to make my own with the use of a corduroy brad for a touch of texture and fabric.

 

 

I hope you like those cards and that they inspire you to add some French flair to your creations - and maybe even a French word or two! If you create a French somethin'-somethin' of your own, drop me a link in the Comments section and I'll be sure to stop by and let you how magnifique your project turned out!

Bonne création!

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies

Project #1
Stamps: Petits plus (Little Additions)
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla
Designer paper: First Edition, Frosty Day
Inks: Crumb Cake, Bashful Blue, Soft Suede
Accessories: Circle punches (2-1/2, 1-3/4), Stampin' Dimensionals,
Paper piercer and mat pack. Stamp-a-Ma-Jig

Project #2
Stamps: Petits plus (Little Additions), Douce douzaine (Delightful Dozen)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Lucky Limeade, Blushing Bride, Basic Grey
Designer papers: Just Add Cake
Inks: Lucky Limeade, Blushing Bride, Basic Grey
Accessories: Pinking Hearts border punch, White satin ribbon,
Pearl Basic Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals

Project #3
Stamps: Petits plus (Little Additions)
Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Whisper White
Simply Scrappin' Kit: Polka Dot (Summer Mini)
Inks: Pumpkin Pie, Rose Red, Soft Suede, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Markers, Stamp-a-Ma-Jig, Scallop Circles #2 die,
Circle Scissors Plus, Pumpkin Pie satin ribbon, Shimmer brad,
Pumpkin Pie corduroy button, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

****************************************************

 

Bienvenue!

Laissez-moi vous souhaiter un très heureux Jour de la Bastille!

Le magazine Paper Crafts a décidé de souligner l'occasion en présentant aujourd'hui sur son blogue Paper Connections une carte en français, soit une de mes propres cartes!! À la lumière de ce bel honneur, j'ai décidé de m'inspirer d'un de leurs articles que j'apprécie particulièrement où leurs collaboratrices créent trois projets à partir d'un unique jeu d'estampes. De ce fait, je vous présente aujourd'hui non pas un ni bien deux, mais plutôt trois nouveaux projets, tous créés avec le nouveau jeu Petits plus tiré du catalogue et livre d'idées 2011-2012 SU! de SU!

Ce jeu m'a attiré l'oeil dès la première lecture du catalogue, autant de par son style unique que par la polyvalence qu'il offre. Voyez-vous même comment il est possible de l'utiliser pour créer...

 

- une carte de bienvenue pour un bébé garçon

 
Inspiration : Sketch Clean and Simple #148

 

Conseil : Pour espacer correctement votre bannière sans nettoyer l'estampe à chaque fois pour changer de couleur, créez un masque avec un papier brouillon, que vous utiliserez entre les bannières bleues pour laisser de l'espace. Nettoyez ensuite votre estampe et remplissez les trous en estampant la bannière en Brune dune.

 

 

- un avis de naissance pour une fillette

 
Inspiration: The Sweet Stop sketch #115
Combinaison de couleurs : Fleur de cerisier +
Citron coco + Simplement gris + Murmure blanc

 

Conseil : La corde à linge a été créée entièrement à l'aide d'estampes. Le Stamp-a-Ma-Jig sera votre meilleur allié pour placer correctement vos images et pour utiliser ce jeu d'estampes en général.

 

 

- une carte de prompt rétablissement (question de faire changement!)

 
Inspiration : Sketch Mojo Monday #199

 

 

 

J'aime bien le résultat final de cette carte. Le souhait est tiré d'un nouveau jeu appelé Douce Douzaine. Le seul morceau qui manque au jeu et que j'aurais aimé ajouter était un coussin sur le fauteuil. J'ai réglé le problème en utilisant une attache parisienne de velours côtelé pour ajouter de la texture et une touche de tissu.

En espérant que ces projets vous inspireront à créer vous aussi!

 

 

Produits Stampin' Up! utilisés

Projet #1
Estampes : Petits plus
Papier cartonné: Brune dune, Très vanille
Papiers à motifs : First Edition, Frosty Day
Encres : Brune dune, Bleu timide, Doux suède
Accessoires : Poinçons Cercle (2-1/2, 1-3/4), Stampin' Dimensionals,
Tapis de coupe et perce-papier. Stamp-a-Ma-Jig

Projet #2
Estampes : Petits plus, Douce douzaine
Papier cartonné : Murmure blanc, Citron coco, Fleur de cerisier, Simplement gris
Papiers à motifs : Collet serré
Encres : Citron coco, Fleur de cerisier, Simplement gris
Accessoires : Poinçon bordure Dentelle à coeurs, ruban de satin blanc,
perles, Stampin' Dimensionals

Project #3
Estampes : Petits plus
Papier cartonné : Narcisse délice, Tarte au potiron, Vert olive, Murmure blanc
Trousse Simply Scrappin' : Pois enchantés (Minicatalogue d'été)
Encres : Tarte au potiron, Rose rouge, Doux suède, Vert olive, Narcisse délice
Accessoires : Marquuers, Stamp-a-Ma-Jig, découpe Cercles festonnés #2,
Circle Scissors Plus, ruban de satin Tarte au potiron, attache parisienne scintillante,
bouton de velours côtelé Tarte au potiron, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

Pumpkin Thanks

All my stamping done this week has been for projects I cannot share just yet, so I looked at my pictures folder to see if there was anything I hadn't share yet that I could add today. I found this thank you card I had done last fall for Tammy, would was nice enough to give me a beautiful billboard she had done for me after I presented at a team event. She wasn't even the person in charge of organizing the event, she did it "just because," which touched me even more!

The card was done with the Paisley Prints set that was sold in the Holidays mini last year. I was totally in love with that pumpkin and used it on quite a few projects. (Remember my story book? This was used for the Cinderella story.)

The card background was wheeled with the Texture wheel and I die-cut a scallop square out of Peach Parfait DSP (from the retired In Color hostess pack) using the Clear Scallop Square die and decorated the corners with rhinestones.

The ribbon and cardstock were decorated with lines of rub-ons. That's what I like so much about rub-ons: they will stick to pretty much any surface (glossy pictures, fabric, ribbon, cork, plastic, cello bags, etc.). I also used one for the sentiment.

The pumpkin was inked with Pumpkin Pie ink and then rolled into Tango Tangerine ink for shading and I used a marker to color the tip in Baja Breeze. (Tip: Use a clean blending pen to take off the ink on the part you want to color with your marker first.) The image was then punch with the Decorative Label punch and I layered some leaves punched with the two-step bird punch underneath.

 

 

 

 
Color combo: Riding Hood Red + Peach Passion + Baja Breeze

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Paisley Prints, Texture wheel
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Riding Hood Red
Designer papers: Walk in the Park DSP
Inks: Tango Tangerine, Pumpkin Pie, Baja Breeze
Accessories: Scallop Square die, markers, rhinestones, Corner Rounder punch,
envelope template, rub-ons, striped grosgrain ribbon, Two-step Bird punch

 

Retiring List: Haunting Wheel - Boo!

I had fun with this one! Although I usually try to refrain from buying too much stuff off of the retiring list since I won't be able to demo it once it leaves the catalogue, but I couldn't resist buying the Haunting wheel before it retired. I mean, how cute are those guys?! Plus, you all know how much I enjoy Halloween stuff...

Anyway, the color combo for this one came from my inspiration notebook (Pale Plum + Rich Razzleberry + Old Olive) and the design was inspired by this week's Mojo Monday sketch (#197).

I started with a piece of Whisper White cardstock, rolled the Haunting wheel in Versamark and embossed the image with black powder. Then, I used my sponges to create the eerie background, using shades of Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Rich Razzleberry, Concord Crush, Elegant Eggplant, Lucky Limeade, Old Olive and Always Artichoke. Then, I used my white gel pen to make the eyes of the characters pop into the night. I love how cool it looks!

The background paper is from the Wicked Fun paper pack. I added glitter to the circles on the paper and used the distressing tool from the Cutting Kit to distress the edges. I also punched a bat out of glittered paper, using the scrap I had left from the last Halloween card I did a couple of weeks ago. I then added three glimmer brads on the right side.

I wanted to add ribbon at the bottom and use the retiring striped grosgrain ribbon. It was a little large for the look I wanted, so I cut the bottom of the ribbon off and then pulled some additional threads off to create a fringe.

Tip: You can make a ribbon narrower by cutting part of it off. If you do not want a fringed look, you can run the flame of a lighter along the edge to melt the threads in place. Be careful which kind of ribbon you do that with, as some of the polyester ones will not resist the heat and will crumple up.

The "Boo" sentiment was created using the Timeless Type dies. I wanted to stay in my glitter scheme and create some shimmering letters. To do so, I usually use the sticky sheets, but those work better with Bigz dies than with the slim Sizzlits like the ones in the Timeless Type alphabet. Then, I got this idea and I am happy to report that it worked just as I had hoped. Remember those Big Shot adhesives sheets that SU! introduced in the Occasions mini? They are perfect to turn your die-cuts into stickers and easily cut your shapes unto your projects. Instead of adding this adhesive sheet only to the back of my cardstock, I added some to the front as well! Then, I ran the cardstock through the Big Shot using the alphabet dies, I peeled the front protective sheet off, added the glitter and then I peeled off the back protective sheet and added the letter to my card. Why haven't I thought of this before?? (On a side note, if you're wondering about the spelling, it's the French version.)

Tip: Use the Big Shot adhesive sheets on the front of your cardstock to create sparkly letters or shapes. Use a piece of cardstock that matches the colour of your glitter (Old Olive, in this case) to create an even colour.

When I created my main panel with the characters, I cut the cardtock a little bit larger than what I needed so that I would have a leftover piece with an additional character that I could either use inside the card or to decorate my envelope. I also used this piece to test out the white eyes with the gel pen to see whether it would work or not instead of testing it out on the main panel and risk ruining it if I didn't like the look. I used the Wide Oval punch to punch it out and added it inside the card, along with the piece of ribbon I had cut off the striped grosgrain ribbon.

 

Retiring items:

• Haunting wheel
• Wicked Fun Designer papers
• Old Olive striped grosgrain ribbon
• Bat punch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Haunting Wheel
Cardstock: Rich Razzleberry, Pale Plum, Old Olive, Whisper White
Designer papers: Wicked Fun
Inks: Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Rich Razzleberry, Concord Crush, Elegant Eggplant,
Lucky Limeade, Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Basic Grey
Big Shot: Timeless Type Alphabet dies
Punch: Bat
Accessories: Glimmer brads, Olive striped grosgrain, pinking shears, daubers,
glitter (black, olive, Dazzling Diamonds), Big Shot adhesive sheets, envelope,
distressing tool (cutting kit), Stampin' Dimensionals, sponges, white gel pen

 

Retiring List: Eastern Blooms - Pressed flowers

This weekend is a long weekend here in Quebec, as we are celebrating our National Holiday, the St-Jean Baptiste. Unfortunately for some, we've had rain for three days straight, which to me equalled one good reason to stay home and stamp. I've been looking at the many online challenges available and one of the Verve sketch (June #2) I found on Splitcoast Stampers was my inspiration for this one. As for the colour combo, I got it from my inspiration notebook.

The main image was created using the retiring Eastern Blooms set. I first inked the branch and flowers using markers and as I was doing so, I remembered that back when the set had first come out, SU! also had a matching brass template for it. Which I never owned, but it gave me the idea of embossing the center of the flowers with a stylus.

Tip: Use a light box (or in this case, I used my computer screen!) to see through the cardstock and mark the center of the flowers with a pencil on the back of your cardstock. Then, place your cardstock face down on a piercing mat and use a stylus to dry-emboss the center of your image. Note that this will only work on light-colored cardstock, as the light will not go through darker cardstocks.

The oval was die-cut with the Ovals die and the Big Shot. I then cut out a sheet from the Newsprint DSP pack and added a bow made out of Vanilla seam binding around it and added a brown button from the Neutrals pack on  the bow.

The chipboard frame comes from the Perfect Pair pack and was covered with Regal Rose Craft ink and then clear-embossed. I added the Happy Birthday sentiment from the retiring All Holidays set on Old Olive cardstock and added the chipboard frame around it, accented with four pearls on each corners. The scallop border at the bottom was created using the Slit punch. Finally, I dry-embossed the background using the Big Shot and the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder.

Tip: Since using embossing folders on your cardstock will make it slightly more pliable, it can be a good alternative to dry-emboss a separate piece of cardstock and mount it on your card base to make sure your card remains sturdy and stands upright. You can cut the second piece of cardstock to the same measurements to completely hide the front of the card or cut it slightly smaller like I did here to have a frame around it. You can use a different color or do tone on tone like I did here, for an elegant look.

  

Retiring items:

• Eastern Blooms stamp set
• All Holidays stamp set
• Perfect Pair On Board chipboard
• Newsprint Designer papers

 

 

 
Colour Combo: Old Olive + Regal Rose + Chocolate Chip + Very Vanilla

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Eastern Blooms, Fêtes diverses (All Holidays)
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Old Olive, Regal Rose
Designer papers: Newsprint
Inks: Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip
Big Shot: Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Ovals die
Punches: Slit, Corner Rounder
Accessories: Pearls Basic Jewels, Vanilla Seam Binding, Neutrals Designer Buttons,
Clear Embossing Powder, Stampin' Dimensionaks, Perfect Pair On Board Chipboard,
Markers, Stylus, Neutrals brads

 

In Colors 2011-2013 - Comparative Chart

When I first saw the new In Colors online, I thought some of them looked a lot like past colours. Pool Party reminded me of the beloved Cool Caribbean and Lucky Limeade looked awfully close to Kiwi Kiss. I was delighted since those are two colors I've missed since they retired, but also curious to do a side-by-side comparison. I figured I would not be the only one wondering how the colors compared, so I prepared a chart to share with my downline members and customers, that I am sharing here with you today.

You will notice that the stamped centers of the flowers are different. (They're stamped with the retiring stamp set Pick a Petal.) The open circle was used for current colors and the full circle stands for retired colors.

I hope you are as excited as I am by those gorgeous new colors!

 

 

 

 

Retiring List: Puns from the Past - Just my Type

Oh, how sad to see my favorite set and paper pack retiring... I got the Puns from the Past a little on the late, seeing how it was a set we could initially preorder and I hadn't, but once I received my set, I totally fell in love with it and its vintage appeal. The typewriter and baby carriage are my two favorite images and the ones I've used the most. The A to Z stamp is the perfect complement to it and I can't help but pair them together every time the typewriter comes out. As for the Newsprint papers, they are neutral (Black and Vanilla only) so they go with everything and the papers have various subjects, going from a dictionary page to a music score. Just something for every project!

This card includes an English sentiment because a colleague of mine requested a card for her daughter's English teacher. I immediately thought of the Fabulous Phrases, which I received from SU! last year when I was a sample stamper for convention and haven't used much of simply because, as you know, most of what I stamp is in French.

As the Newsprint paper have a Vanilla base, I jumped at the change to use some of the Hodgepodge Hardware pieces as well as black striped grosgrain ribbon and lace trim.

If you look closely at my image block, you'll notice I stamped the apple from the Apple Blossoms hostess set on the Cherry Cobbler cardstock since the card is going to a teacher and I also used a craft knife to create an opening in the black-embossed typewriter and slide a "sheet" of vanilla cardstock inside. I glued the image in place with Stampin' Dimensionals so that the sheet could be at an angle instead of lying flat on the card.

To add a splash of color, I also used the polka dot from the Playful Pieces set to add red dots on the patterned paper.

Tip: Overstamp images on patterned paper or use a sponge or brayer to add color to the paper's background to match your project.

 

 

 
Inspiration: Mojo Monday Sketch #191

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Puns from the Past, Fabulous Phrases, Playful Pieces, A to Z, Apple Blossoms
Cardstock: Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla
Designer papers: Newsprint DSP
Inks: Cherry Cobbler, Versamark
Accessories: 1-3/4 Circle punch, Neutrals brads, Victoria lace trim, Black striped wide
grosgrain ribbon, Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware, Embossing powders (Basic Black, Clear),
Stampin' Dimensionals, Cutting kit (distressing tool), Vanilla envelope

  

Page Maps sketch: What to Do Next?

My sister seems to be making such a huge decision in this picture, but she's really just haming it up for the camera. The Jackpot papers (now retired) were just perfect for this 8½ x 8½ creation. I used a retired mini envelope pattern to create the envelope at right and I punched a heart out of red glimmer paper with the Full Heart punch and tied a knot made out of black satin ribbon over it. The insert was made with a piece of Vanilla cardstock on which I glued a scallop circle punched out of red patterned paper. I added a punched circle and a handcut chip (also from one of the patterned paper) in the center and handwrote "Pull" so that readers would know there's journaling in there.

I also used the red glimmer paper to create my title. I was going to use chipboard and had already pulled out all the letters I need, but then I thought I could cover the letter with the sparkly paper instead of using craft ink and once the letters were cut out, I decided I didn't need the chipboard letters underneath.

Tip: Use your chipboard letters as template to trace out titles out of patterned paper. The chipboard alphabet packs include various fonts, which will give you a variety of looks for your pages and by using the letters as template, you will not run out of letters to spell out words.

The chipboard alphabet didn't include any question mark (nor do most of the die-cut sets, I noticed...) so I had to use the only one I had available, which was from the Go Go Boots Alphabet die set (now retiring so get it while you can). It was a big smaller than the letters, so I decided to use the negative part of the paper. I also used the Go Go Boots Alphabet to create the first part of my title.

Since I had a heart on my pocket, I wanted to create a club so I looked through my chipboard pieces to see what I could use to make one. I finally settled on the leaves from the Perfect Pair set. I cut the top of the stem off, trimmed a leaf on a second chipboard piece and added it to my first piece using Crystal Effects. Then, I covered the whole thing with Crystal Effects and dunked glitter on it and put it aside to dry. Here's my advice to you: leave the extra glitter on top of the chipboard while the CE dries and pour it back into the container later. If you try to get the extra glitter off right away, the CE will drip! (Ask me how I know...)

To finish the page off, I added a heart epoxy brad from last year's mini and a row of sticky strip covered with clear chunky glitter (another item that'll be retiring with the current catalogue).

 

 
Inspiration: May Page Maps Sketch

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Basic Black
Papers: Jackpot DSP, red glimmer paper
Big Shot: Go Go Boots Alphabet dies
Punches: Full Heart, Corner Rounder, Circles, Scallop Circle
Accessories: Epoxy brad, glitter, Perfect Pair chipboard, black satin ribbon,
marker, sticky strip, chipboard letters

 

Imagine the Possibilities

First of all, happy National Scrapbooking month! I am so psyched that May is National scrapbooking month because then we see pages erupt everywhere, and even demos who are not usually big on scrapbooking are giving it a whirl, which gets me really pumped and inspired. So, this being said...

The page I am sharing today was created with the wonderful Playful Polka Dots SS kit from the Summer mini and will be the title page for my 2009 Leadership album. I have been focusing on scrapbooking lately since May is National Scrapbooking Month and I have decided to challenge myself to do all ten sketches published by Page Maps this month. Two down so far, let's see if I can make the remaining eight pages in the upcoming weeks...

I drew inspiration not only from the sketch for this page, but also from the Leadership logo as well. That's where I got the idea to doodle the vine with an Old Olive marker and add the Daffodil button between the two parts of my title. Spraking of which, it was created using the Schoolbook Serif Alphabet for the first word (the latest addition to my alphabet collection, a gift offered by SU! as a thank you for the work I submitted for publication) and the second part was created with the Just Perfect Alphabet. As its name suggest, it is just perfect, as the size is big enough to be visible on a 12x12 page but still small enough to stamp longer words like I did here. The Stamp-a-Ma-Jig is the key to suggest when lining up letters, even when working with clear-mounted stamps, if you really like things to be straight like I do. Althoguh the first word was not stamped directly on the page, but was stamped and embossed with the new Melon Mambo embossing powder on a sheet of Whisper White cardstock, handcut and glued on the page. The reason why I proceeded that way is that I wanted the letters to overlap the border of the patterned paper matted with cardstock and when you have so many layers, the stamping is not always crisp due to the layers, as you tend to get uninked spots close to the edges. Handcutting the letters allowed me to avoid this problem.

Tip: Still prefer to stamp directly on the project? Use markers in colors matching your inks to fill in the gaps in your image or letters, if there's any.

The flower was created with sticky die-cut petals from the Simply Scrappin' kit. I wanted a yellow centre to my flower but the sticky circles were all too big, so I used one of my circle punches to cut it to a smaller size and then added it to my flower, with a vintage brad on top. To make life easier on myself, I cut the prongs off of the brad and glued it in place with a glue dot instead (or Crystal Effects would also work nicely). I made sure to shape the petals a bit to give them dimensions and added Stampin' Dimensionals in the centre of each petal to keep them in place. I still thought the flower looked a little drab, so I pulled out the Champagne Mist shimmer paint and used my Aquapainter to add shimmer to the petals, a trick we learned at Leadership.

On my bottom strip, where I had used the Dotted Scallop Ribbon punch, I used the holes as a guide to pierce through the cardstock and used the Baker's twine from the Summer mini to add stitching to my project. The Page Maps sketch I was using had a mini banner on the left-hand side of the paper and wouldn't you know it, the SS kit also has banner stickers in it! (It was fate...)

 

 

 
 
 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Schoolbook Serif Alphabet, Just Perfect Alphabet
Simply Scrappin' Kit: Playful Polka Dots
Cardstock: Whisper White, Pumpkin pie
Inks: Pumpkin Pie, Versamark
Accessories: Circle punch, Melon Mambo embossing powder, Antique brads,
Designer buttons, Markers, White Baker's Twine, brads, Aquapainter,
Dotted Scallop Ribbon punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Champagne Mist shimmer paint

 

Summer Mini Control Freaks Swap

I have made this card over a month ago but couldn't share it before because a) this hostess set wasn't available yet so I couldn't post any project pics and b) this is the card I used for my Control Freaks summer mini swap. My swap version was slightly modified as I had to prepare 29 cards and wouldn't have had enough Hodgepodge Hardware frames, but it turned out very similar.

Like the variegated look on the flower? This look was achieved by using the Watercolor Wonder markers to color the image. I rubbed the crayons directly on the rubber, then used a water bottle to mist water on the rubber before stamping. This technique takes a little bit of practice at first until you get the right water ratio. Stamp from too far away and your colors are not wet enough to stamp properly. Mist too much water and you get a droopy mess. But get it just right and this is the pretty result you end up with:

 

 

Color Combo: Perfect Plum + Peach Parfait + Cajun Craze

 

Tip: On my swap card, I used the Hodgepodge Hardware piece as a template to add a line all around my punched tag using a marker. Simply place the hardware piece around your sentiment, centering it, run the marker all the way around the inside of the metal frame and then use your punch upside down to punch the sentiment out.

Aren't those colours just so pretty together? They were inspired by an older Play Date Cafe challenge and the inspiration picture just really spoke to me. I mean, how pretty is this?

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Tendresse (Love & Care)
Cardstock: Cajun Craze, Perfect Plum, Peach Passion, Vellum, Very Vanilla
Inks: Versamark, Cajun Craze, Perfect Plum, Peach Passion
Big Shot: Scallop Square
Punches: 2-1/2 Circle, Designer Label, Corner Rounder
Accessories: Markers, Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Clear Embossing Powder, Twill, Brads,
Distressing Tool (Cutting Kit)

 

Ship Frame

I woke up this weekend with this idea that I could use the new Baker's twine from the summer mini with eyelets to create a frame around the ship image from The Open Sea set. I could have used the matching paper from the mini as well, but something else caught my eye as I was pulling supplies out. I noticed that the colours from the Christmas Cheer SS kit were very masculine and could work for a non-holiday project if I omitted the snowflake papers. Perfect way to use up this set before it retires from the catalogue!

To make the polka dot paper less feminine, I stamped anchors on it to tie it up with the main image. Speaking of the main image, the blue frame around it was also pulled from the SS kit and the perfect size for the look I had in mind. Underneath my image, I stamped the "Happy Father's Day" sentiment from the Teeny Tiny Wishes set. The stamp is one line and was too long to fit in the Hodgepodge Hardware frame, so I cut it half by using markers and stamping the sentiment two words at a time, using my trusty Stamp-a-Ma-Jig to get everything lined up properly.

Tip: When using markers to cut up a sentiment, make sure that you dry your stamp very thoroughly before inking and stamping the second part or else you'll get a not-so-elegant shadow of the uninked words if the rubber is still moist. Ask me how I know... The best way to avoid this, I found, is to clean and dry the rubber, and then tap the stamp on a scrap of paper until no image appear anymore.

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: The Open Sea, Voeux mignons (Teeny Tiny Wishes)
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Marina Mist
Designer papers: Christmas Cheer SS kit
Ink: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke
Accessories: Eyelets, Cherry baker's twine, brads, Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware,
Cherry Cobbler seam binding, Basic Grey corduroy button, Always Artichoke marker

 

Stampin' Success Projects: Love with a Capital L

Some of you know by now that I was lucky enough to have my work featured in the April issue of the Stampin' Success, the magazine SU! publishes for their demonstrators each month. I had been asked last November if I was interested in creating a few projects for publication. The answer was a resounding yes. I've been not-so-patiently waiting for the magazine to be posted on the demonstrator Website and now that it is, I can not only share the great news, but also some pictures of the pages I have created for SU!

The only guidelines I had to follow was to create scrapbook pages that were 8x8 or bigger, use the stamp set they had sent me (Love & Care, an upcoming hostess set from the Summer mini) and to use the same color combo on all pages. That last part was a bit tricky, because I usually select pictures first and colours second, to ensure that the colours really complement the pictures. I knew I wanted to use Early Espresso paired with Blushing Bride and Pear Pizzazz because this combo has been a favorite of mine ever since I made that Holidays Tradition mini album and I figured I could make it work for various themes.

The first pictures I pulled out were an easy choice. My sister and her boyfriend had a photo session with a professional photographer last year and the resulting shots are just awesome. I had some black and white pictures of them already printed, so I decided I would make a "Love with a Capital L" page. The strangest of coincidence is that I hadn't really looked all that closely at the sentiments included in the stamp set because I wasn't making cards, but it turns out that one of them says, "Avec amour." With the help of my markers, I turned the two words around to get "Amour avec" and completed the rest ("un grand A") using the Sweet Shoppe Alphabet and the Go Go Boots Alphabet dies. Don't you just love it when things work out like that? The oval frame comes from the Notably Ornate set and I also used markers to ink only the frame and omit the words inside. I used the second frame from the same set to create the insert on which I handwrote my journaling and that was slid inside the pocket.

The heart and arrow are chipboard pieces from the On Board collection. The arrow was covered with Celery Craft ink and embossed with Iridescent Ice embossing powder. The heart was covered with patterned paper from the In Colors hostess paper pack and then I added piercing all around and created a scallop border using the Dotted Scallop Trim punch and crimper. The die-cut A was covered with Crystal Effects to give it more volume.

The pocket was created with the Top Note die. I folded a piece of Espresso cardstock in half and ran it through the BIg Shot to create the pocket, and then I die-cut two pieces of patterned paper and glue them on the back and on the front of the pocket. I added some Pear Pizzazz ribbon and a Vintage brad decorated with a pearl.

Tip: To make sure the pearl stays in place on the metal brad, I recommend adding a drop of Crystal Effects or else the pearl will shift around or even fall off the brad when you handle the project.

 The flowery paper was created with the Chalkboard technique. I started with Early Espresso cardstock, on which I stamped the flowers and leaves in Whisper White Craft ink and then rubbed some pastels on the images to color them, using multiple colors to add shading. As you can see, the pastels pop up very nicely on the dark background. I did spray the cardstock with a fixative once I was done to make sure it wouldn't smudge. I added a border that was die-cut with the Tasteful Trims die and embellished with pearls.

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Tendresse (Love & Care), Déco noble (Notably Ornate), Sweet Shoppe Alphabet Lower
Cardstock: Blushing Bride, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz, Vellum
Designer papers: In Color Hostess Paper Pack
Inks: Whisper White, Early Espresso, Certainly Celery (Craft)
Big Shot: Top Note die, Go Go Boots Alphabet, Scallop Circles
Punches: Corner Rounder, Heart to Heart, Dotted Scallop Trim, Scallop Trim, Wide Oval
Accessories: On Board chipboard, Iridescent Ice powder, Crimper,
Crystal Effects, Stampin' Pastels, Daubers, Pear Pizzazz ribbon,
Vintage brads, Pearls, Markers, Paper Piercer

 

Inkspirations #64 - Father's Day

 
  

 
I'm still not sure how I feel about this card. I like it, but I don't love it. I will admit to having a hard time figuring how to use this week's color combo. I thought a masculine card would be the best way to go. I'm curious to see what the other DT members and other stampers who'll join in this week's challenge will do with these colours.

 Most of the stamps I used come from the Plane & Simple stamp set from the minicatalogue, a great masculine set if you're looking to add a new one to your collection. For some mysterious reason, though, the sentiment went from "Happy Father's Day" in English to "Happy birthday, Dad" in French, so I pulled out an old hostess set that was called "All Argyle" and that I keep nearby because there's a lot of useful sentiments in it, and I used the argyle stamp on the tag as well. After finishing the card, I discovered that the Teeny Tiny Wishes also has a Happy Father's Day sentiment, so I guess this could also be used if you'd like to use something current.

The background cardstock was dry-embossed with the Square Lattice embossing folder, which has a great geometric pattern that really sets the tone on masculine cards. I also added a jumbo eyelet and some twill for a bit of additional texture, and some inked edges for a more rugged look. The plane was inked with my More Mustard ink pad and I used the Cajun Craze marker to add some shading on it before stamping.

Tip: If you look closely at the stamp set in the mini, you'll notice that it includes two borders. I hadn't noticed before receiving the set, but those two borders are supposed to be mounted together on one wood block. That is not exactly what I had in mind because I wanted to be able to stamp them separately without using a marker, so I cut them apart and mounted them on each side of the wood block. I added the image stickers on the sides of the block.

Notice how the card only uses cardstock and no patterned paper? A rare occurence for me... 

 

 

 
 

  
  

 

Come join the fun! Here is the LINK to our challenge blog, where you can share a link to your creation, and links to the other DT members' creations:

 

Brandi
Carrie
Helen
Ilina
Kirsty
Lee-Anne
Makeesha
Marisa
Renée

 

 

Stampin' up! Supplies
Stamps: Ça plane! (Plane & Simple), Tout en losange (All Argyle)
Cardstock: Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Poppy Parade, Ivory Confetti
Inks: Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Poppy Parade, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Distressing tool (Cutting kit), daubers, twill, jumbo eyelet,
Circle punch, Square Lattice embossing folder,
Decorative Label punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, markers

 

Focus on SAB: Itty Bitty Bits Tag

This is a second card I created with the use of my Itty Bitty Bits set. I used a Verve sketch found on SCS and the Love Birds Simply Scrappin' kit (which I *heart*). This design uses quite a few tiny buttons (16, to be exact, but since you get 64 in the container, you can easily recreate this look and still have plenty of buttons left for other projects.

The trims I used are sticky die-cuts from the SS kit. You'll notice that I embellished the scallop trim at the bottom with little pearls at the top of each scallop. There were already little white dots printed on the die-cut, so I used them as a guide to glue my pearls straight.

Tip: To glue the buttons in place, I generally use mini-glue dots when I'm not placing anything underneath, but since I was using stamped images here and didn't want to detract from them, I used a drop of Crystal Effects instead. When you press the button down on the cardstock, it spreads the Crystal Effects evenly underneath the button and dries clear so you can see the image clearly through the button and you get a strong-enough hold that the button will not fall off of the project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Itty Bitty Bits, Ça plane! (Plane & Simple)
Simply Scrappin' Kit: Love Birds
Designer paper: In Colour Hostess Pack
Ink: Early Espresso
Punches: Bitty punches, Corner Rounder, Circle, handheld punch
Accessories: So Saffron grosgrain ribbon, Bitty buttons, Crystal Effects,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Pearls, Brad

 

Creating masculine cards / Créer des cartes masculines

I know that creating masculine cards can be daunting for some (myself included), so I compiled a list of tips that can help inspire you when you have cards to make for the men in your life.

 

• Choose darker colours (for example, from the Regals collection)
• Use sports, cars, planes, boats, nature, tools, robots, trains, dinosaurs, playing cards images
• Use twill instead of more delicate ribbons and wooden sheets (did you know you can stamp on both of those?) 
• Tear cardstock, sponge edges, sand patterned papers, use the Cutting Kit to distress edges
• Add texture to your cardstock using the Sanded or Wonderfully Worn backgrounds
• Use metal accents (jumbo eyelets, Designer brads, Hodgepodge Hardware)
• Pick stripes, argyle and geometric shapes over polka dots or flowery patterns
• Focus on streamlined designs

 

Suggestions of sets to use

• Extreme Elements (p. 89)
• Totally Tool (p. 61)
• Trendy Trees (p. 110)
• On the Green (p. 19)
• All in the Family and Accessories (p. 91)
• To a Classic (p. 50)
• Lovely as a Tree (p. 114)
• Silhouettes de la nature (p. 117)
• Plane & Simple (mini Occasions)
• Out West (p. 129)
• Beware Pirates (p. 87)
• On the Grill (p. 61)
• Loads of Love (p. 72-73)
• Grunge Rock (p. 87)
• Countryside (p. 115)

 

Color Combos Suggestions

• Marina Mist + Night of Navy + Real Red + Very Vanilla + Gold
• Marina Mist + Pumpkin Pie + Early Espresso
• Cajun Craze + Rich Razzleberry + Peach Parfait = Crumb Cake
• Peach Parfait + Early Espresso + Pear Pizzazz
• Pacific Point + Bashful Blue + Real Red + Old Olive
• Old Olive + Not Quite Navy + Pumpkin Pie
• Pacific Point + Real Red + Tempting Turquoise + Old Olive
• Baja Breeze + Early Espresso + Very Vanilla
• Soft Suede + Pear PIzzazz + Not Quite Navy + Old Olive
• Wild Wasabi + Daffodil Delight + Early Espresso
• Night of Navy + Bashful Blue + Pumpkin Pie + Garden Green + Sahara Sand
• Basic Grey + Real Red + More Mustard + Bashful Blue
• Elegant Eggplant + Baja Breeze + Rich Razleberry
• Tango Tangerine + So Saffron + Going Grey
• Crumb Cake + Baja Breeze + Not Quite Navy
• Crumb Cake + Soft Suede + Very Vanilla
• Bashful Blue + Elegant Eggplant + Rich Razzleberry
• Old Olive + Always Artichoke + Sahara Sand

 

Some samples from the vault:

Happy Birthday, Old Bird
New Sheriff in Town
Flying By to Say Hi
Birthday Banner
'Later, 'Gator
Birthday Gift
P for Pumpkin
Golden Leaves 
Just For You
Cages and Birdie
Fan Mail
Smooch Resist
Jackpot
Sparkly Heart
Typed Note
Shabby Flourishes
Cool Birthday
Rockin' Day
You're a Hoot and a Half
Extreme Snowboard
Penguin and Snowflakes
Rock Star Wannabe
Sepia Snowflakes
Loads of Wishes
Surf's Up
Dude!
Birthday 'Bot
Walk in the Park
Extreme Box
Trendy Wishes
Joker Poker
Gone Golfing
Dyno-mite
011101011
King for a Day
Hit the Road, Jack
Twilight
It's a Boy
Best Wishes All Year Long
Autumn Day
You're a Star
Lovely Tree

 

 

 

Pas toujours facile de créer des cartes pour ces messieurs... J'ai donc compilé une liste de trucs qui pourront vous aider et vous inspirer lorsque vous aurez des cartes masculines à créer.

 

• Choisir des couleurs sobres (par exemple, de la palette Royaux)
• Prendre des images de sports, d'automobiles, d'avion, de bâteau, de train, de nature, de dinosaures, d'outils, de robots, de cartes à jouer, etc.
• Utiliser du ruban croisé (twill) ou encore les feuilles de bois (Saviez-vous que vous pouvez étamper des images sur ces deux surfaces?)
• Déchirer le carton, encrer les côtés à l'éponge, sabler le papier, utiliser l'outil à user ou des ciseaux pour user les tranches du carton
• Utiliser des étampes d'arrière-fond comme Sanded, Woodgrain ou Wonderfully Worn pour un effet usé ou de bois
• Ajouter des décorations en métal (oeillets, attaches parisiennes, Hodgepodge Hardware)
• Choisir des motifs masculins (rayures, losanges, étoiles, motifs géométriques)
• Privilégier les designs épurés

 

Suggestions de jeux du catalogue

• Extreme Elements (p. 89)
• Totally Tool (p. 61)
• Trendy Trees (p. 110)
• On the Green (p. 19)
• All in the Family and Accessories (p. 91)
• To a Classic (p. 50)
• Lovely as a Tree (p. 114)
• Silhouettes de la nature (p. 117)
• Plane & Simple (mini Occasions)
• Out West (p. 129)
• Beware Pirates (p. 87)
• On the Grill (p. 61)
• Des tonnes d'amour (p. 72-73)
• Grunge Rock (p. 87)
• Countryside (p. 115)

 

 

 

Des idées de combinaisons de couleurs

• Murmure marin + Bleu nuit + Vraiment rouge + Très vanille + Or
• Murmure marin + Tarte au potiron + Couleur café
• Ocre roussillon + Fruits des bois + Pêche passion + Brune dune
• Pêche passion + Couleur café + Riche raisin
• Pointe Pacifique + Bleu timide + Vraiment rouge + Vert olive
• Vert olive + Presque marine + Tarte au potiron
• Bleu Balkans + Couleur café + Très vanille
• Doux suède + Riche raisin + Presque marine + Vert olive
• Wasabi insoumis + Narcisse délice + Couleur café
• Bleu nuit + Bleu timide + Tarte au potiron + Vert jardin + Sable du Sahara
• Gris souris + Vraiment rouge + Moutarde forte + Bleu timide
• Aubergine élégante + Bleu Balkans + Fruits des bois
• Tango mandarine + Tellement safran + Gris souris
• Brune dune + Bleu Balkans + Presque marine
• Pointe pacifique + Vraiment rouge + Tentation turquoise + Vert olive
• Brune dune + Doux suède + Très vanille
• Bleu timide + Fruits des bois + Aubergine élégante
• Vert olive + Artichaut chaud + Sable du Sahara

 

Des exemples pour vous inspirer

Bonne fête, vieille branche
Bye bye mon cowboy
En plein vol
Bannière de fête
Peau d'aligator
Cadeau d'anniversaire
C comme citrouille
Feuilles d'automne
Pour toi
Cages et oiseau
Neutre et vieillot
Résistance au smooch
Jackpot
Coeur brillant
Note dactylographiée
Fleurons antiques
Des tonnes de cadeaux
Coeur de rocker
Vraiment chouette
Planche extrême
Pingouin et flocons
Vedette de rock
Flocons sepia
Des tonnes de voeux
Surf
Dude!
Robot de fête
À l'orée des bois
Boîte extrême
Expressions festives 
Poker
Matinée de golf
Dino
011000101
Roi de la journée
En route!
Au clair de la lune
C'est un garçon
Quatre saisons de bonheur
Jour d'automne
Cinq étoiles
Chêne

 

Inkspirations #63 - Button Card

  

 
I'm having a lot of fun creating projects using the Sew Suite items from the mini. Everything just comes out so bright and cheerful with those fun colours! The starting point for this one was the rub-on packs, from which I figured I could use the button card to make my focal image and then use three panels of patterned paper "sewn together" using my unmounted In Stitches wheel to mimick the sketch layout. I also used pinking shears to cut around the papers to make them look like fabric.

Then, I saw the pin needles in the rub-on packs and decided to "hold" my fabric in place on the project using them. The only problem is that the middle of the pins is white as if it was running underneath the fabric, which is great if you are using white cardstock, but does not really work when using colored cardstock or papers.  i solved the problem by using the tip of my paper piercer to scratch the white off of the rub-on before applying it to my project.

The sentiment, which comes from the Curly Cute set, was white-embossed on a piece of Tangerine Tango cardstock on which I had applied the pink stitches rub-on first. I added a bit of pompom trim at the bottom, and glued it in place on the card. Then, I added a stitched flower rub-on in the corner and placed the threaded needle so that the end of the thread would be coming off of the flower.

The button card rub-on already has ribbon shown on it, but it felt a little flat, so I sew real buttons on it with thread to give it a little bit of dimension. Then, I decided to mat the rub-on with a piece of Daffodil Delight cardstock, round the corners and create a "hanger" at the top using the retired Horizontal Slot punch and my handheld punch. Then, I added a couple of stitched flower rub-ons on there as well to tie it all in.

 

 

 

  

 
  

 

Come join the fun! Here is the LINK to our challenge blog, where you can share a link to your creation, and links to the other DT members' creations:

 

Brandi
Carrie
Helen
Ilina
Kirsty
Lee-Anne
Makeesha
Marisa
Renée

 

 

Stampin' up! Supplies
Stamps: Jolies pensées (Curly Cute), In Stitches wheel
Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, Tempting Turquoise,
Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Tango Tangerine
Patterned papers: Sweet Stitches DSP
Inks: Versamark, Early Espresso
Punches: Corner Rounder, Horizontal Slot (retired), handheld punch
Accessories: Pinking shears, buttons, thread, Sweet Stitches rub-ons,
Tangerine pompom trim, White embossing powder, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

Making my Own Letterpress plates

A numbers background from SU! has been on my wish list for a while now, whether it is a background stamp or an embossing folder. When I received my Timeless Type die set (for free, with hostess benefits - woo-hoo!) last week, I looked at the numbers die and wondered what I could do with those. And decided to try and make my own letterpress plate!

I cut a bunch of numbers out of thin cardboard and glued the numbers wrong side up (very important if you want your debossed numbers to be readable) on a piece of chipboard. Then, using my Big Shot and fiddling a little bit to find the right sandwich, I managed to create the background for the card I'm sharing today.

The debossing is subtle, sort of like the look you get when you use the embossing plate. I tried putting shims to get more pressure, but the real issue come from the fact that I cut the numbers out of thin cardboard and cannot get a deeper impression because the numbers are not really thick. With that being said, I can't use thicker chipboard with the Timeless Type dies because they are Sizzlets and cannot go through thick materials, but I'd like to try this technique again using the Simple Numbers or Alphabet dies to cut shapes out of chipboard and then I think I could get a better impression on my cardstock.

The result is still pretty cool, it's just that it looks better in person and does not photograph really well.

The Soft Suede panel was stamped with the woodgrain background, and the owl comes from a rub-on set from last year. If you'd like to reproduce this card at home, I would advise using the owl punch or the owl from the Punch Bunch SAB set to achieve a very similar look. The oval was cut with the Ovals die, then sponged and distressed, and I added two branches punched with the two-step Bird punch. The sentiment was created with a stamp from the Something to Celebrate set (hostess set in current mini), on which I inked only the first part with a Baja Breeze marker, and then I used a Early Espresso marker to handwrite the rest. It reads, "Happy Birthday, old branch!" Two matching buttons finish the project.

Ready to see?

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Woodgrain, Quelque chose à fêter (Something to Celebrate)
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Baja Breeze
Inks: Baja Breeze, Early Espresso
Big Shot: Ovals die, Timeless Type dies
Accessories: Bright Delight rub-ons, Cutting Kit (distressing tool),
Bird punch, buttons, markers

 

Through the Looking Glass

Have you noticed the new beveled windows in the Occasions mini? Those are some really cool accents! They're a great way to highlight something on your card and add some dimension to it. 

I had been given some Simply Sent card samples and I used one of them to make a SAB card using the Bliss set and the beveled windows in question. It made for a really fast card, since all I had to do was stamped the flourish and flower images on my card base, then repeat those two elements on a scrap of white cardstock, add the sentiment in Early Espresso ink and mat the image with the Scallop Rectangle Clearlits die, then use satin ribbon and shimmer brad to keep the frame in place.

TIP: Since this is a one-layer card, if you don't want the brad prongs to show on the inside of the card, add the brads to the ribbon before using mini glue dots to adhere the ribbon in place on the card.

I used a dryed-up blending pen to apply shimmer paint to some of the elements of the card, to dazzle it up a bit.

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Joie (Bliss)
Inks: Pear Pizzazz, Baja Breeze, Early Espresso
Big Shot: Scallop Rectangle Clearlits die
Accessories: Beveled window, Satin ribbon (Chocolate Chip), Shimmer brads (In Colors),
Blending pen, Frost White shimmer paint, Simply Sent card and envelope

 

 

BFFs

This page was made during my Christmas vacation, but since I was on a computer hiatus, it never got posted until today. I wanted to share it with you mostly because I am excited to share how I have been using my In Stitches wheel. I have been hoping for years that SU! would come out with some stitches stamps and when the wheel came out, I was very excited but knew it would be hard to use as is to add stitching to the side of my papers.

So in order to make the images easier to use, I took the rubber off of the wheel (just cut along the glued seam on the wheel with a hobby blade and the rubber will come right off of the wheel) and mounted it on EZ Mount, then I cut each stitch apart with my rubber scissors. The wheel is quite long so the images will not fit on our acrylic blocks, but you can either a) cut off part of the stitches to make the rubber shorter or b) mount the rubber at an angle on the biggest acrylic block, as shown below.

 

 

 

 

 
Inspiration: Page Maps Sketch (November 2010)

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: In Stitches wheel
Inks: Not Quite Navy, Rich Razzleberry, Pear Pizzazz, Peach Passion
Cardstock: Green
Patterned papers
Gelly accents
Crochet flowers and felt flowers: Stampin' Up!
Buttons
Punch: Flower, My Way (SU!)
Dies: Assorted shapes, Tasteful Trims (SU!)
Journaling block
Markers: SU!

 

Inkspirations Christmas Hop!

 

  

What an exciting way to end the Inkspirations year: the Inkspirations blog hop is here!! Lots of great Christmas gifts ideas coming your way... The previous stop on the blog tour was the very talented Renee, and you can simply click on the link at the bottom of my post to go to the next stop on the tour and keep going until you have seen all 28 projects. Are you ready? Here's my Christmas gift idea to you.

I have used card envelopes to create an accordeon mini-album about my family's Christmas traditions. When my sister's boyfriend started coming over for Christmas, he pointed out that there are some "classics" with the Major family, namely playing board games, making a puzzle, eating chocolate, etc., things that we inevitable do over and over again each and every year. I looked through my Christmas picture stash and, sure enough, managed to find some pictures that illustrate those traditions and put them together in a mini-album that I am sure will bring a smile on my parents' face.

 

 

 

 

 

 
Tip: Use an embossing folder directly on your picture.

  

Tip: Create a border with the Scallop Chain punch and add cross stitches on it with embroidery floss. Add small pearls in between stitches.

 

 

 

  

 

 

So now, I invite you to make an album or scrapbook page about your own Christmas traditions so that you can remember about it for years to come and let other people know what makes the Holidays special in your home.

And now, on to the fabulous Kirsty!!  Enjoy the tour and have a fabulous Holidays vacation, everyone!

xoxo

Christmas Candy

Have you been wondering when I would get back to posting more than once a week? I have been asking myself that same question for the last month! I was finally done taking care of scheduled events and decided to treat myself to making a card just for the fun of making one. I had a look online at challenges and found a sketch from The Cat's Pajamas, so I grabbed some stamps I hadn't inked yet and some paper scraps and happily stamped all afternoon. It felt nice!

The sentiment panel was created by layering the Decorative Label punch with the 1-3/4 Circle punch and then using the Modern Tag punch to punch both sides of the sentiment strip.

Tip: The trick to punching only the side of a paper strip is to turn the punch upside down and insert the paper strip in the opening of the punch on one side only. This allows you to get a wider strip than if you had inserted the cardstock in the punch the regular way.

 

 

 

 

 

  

Supplies
Stamps: Santa, Cadeaux et douceurs (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Poppy Parade, Very Vanilla (SU!)
Patterned papers
Inks: Basic Black, Concord Crush, River Rock (SU!)
Accessories: Tasteful Trims die (SU!), In Color shimmer brads (SU!), Pear Pizzazz ribbon (SU!),
markers, 1-3/4 Circle punch (SU!), Decorative Label punch (SU!), Modern Label punch (SU!),
rhinestones (SU!), daubers (SU!), Stampin' Dimensionals (SU!)

 

Inkspirations Challenge #44 - Home for the Holidays

 
 
 
 

 
This week's colour challenge features some of the colours that were added to the new SU! colour line this year. This is a great opportunity to pull 'em out and put 'em to good use, so I hope you'll be playing along with the challenge this week!

My mind has been on Christmas gift ideas lately, and I had wanted to try transforming the Milk Carton box into a little house for a while now. I thought it could make a great stand-alone box or an oh-so-cute Christmas village if you were to make more than one! After seeing how long this one took, I'm not so sure I will manage to put together a whole village, but at least, this is a start.

I've inked all of my pieces with a dauber to give the house more depth, and I've used a two-way glue pen with Dazzling Diamonds glitter to add "snow" to the house. I am particularly happy with the awnings, which were stamped with the Sold Stripes stamp and embossed with white powder, then punched with the Scallop Edge punch. Really cute, huh? The Scallop Edge punch was also used to create the shingles on the rooftop.

I cannot (and will not) take credit for the little wreath on the door, but I will say that I think it is so darn adorable! The idea and how-to came from Carrie Gaskins, who shared a tutorial on her blog HERE. She had done a little wreath to hang on a candelabra, but I thought it was the perfect touch for my door. Big thanks to Carrie for the wonderful inspiration!

The Oval Wide punch was used to create the half-circle window at the top of the door. The door was created by cutting off the sides of a punched circle and adding "planks" with the help of a Daffodil Delight marker. The doorknob is simply a brad.

Tip: Do not assemble the box before decorating. This way, if you want to poke the brad inside, you will not have to deal with the prongs showing. I also punched a square window and glued the vellum windowpane inside the house - yet another thing you wouldn't be able to do once the house is assembled.

(On a side note, once I was finished with the house, I noticed how the pink walls, bleu rooftop and rounded door are very reminiscent of Nathalie's house on Le village de Nathalie, one of my favorite childhood show. I was drawing inspiration from the challenge's colours so I didn't realize this until I was finished, but add a couple of hearts on the door and there's a definite resemblance there!)

 

 

 

   

 
 

 

 

Here are the links to the other Design Team members' creations:

 

Kirsty

Makeesha

Renée

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Solid Stripes, Confetti
Cardstock: Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight, Pretty in Pink, Vellum Cardstock
Inks: Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight, Pretty in Pink, Versamark
Punches: Circles, Scallop Edge, Pinking Hearts, Squares, Oval Wide
Big Shot: Milk Carton die
Accessories: Dazzling Diamonds glitter, White gel pen, Daffodil Delight
marker, Daubers, White embossing powder, Pretty in pink brad