Encre, papier, ciseaux

Inkspirations #76 - Calling All New Hostesses!

 

 

Finally - the new catalogue is here! Are you as excited as I am? I can't wait to share the new products with you - starting today!

This card is featuring a new hostess set called Faith in Nature. As soon as I saw it, I thought it would look really nice embossed and watercolored, which is what I did here using gold embossing powder and inks with an Aquapainter brush. I also used the leaf image from the same set to create the card's background

Another new item I used is the latest On Board assortment, from which I took the tag with which I created my sentiment block. I covered the chipboard tag with Baja Breeze Craft ink, dryed the ink with my heat tool and used the Crop-a-Dile to add holes on both sides. I then gold-embossed a sentiment from the Oval All set, punched it out with the oval punch and matted it with a piece of cardstock punched with the Scallop Oval punch. The tag was held in place on the card with a piece of white taffeta ribbon.

The patterned paper I used on the card is from the Just Eat cake paper pack and the white lace at the top was created with a border punch, two new items from the new catalogue. I am happy to report that the three-way punch that was sold in the Summer mini (and staying in the new cattie) is the perfect shape to create a mat and add color behind the punched lace, as you can see here. I also added rhinestones to the center of the flowers. 

I finished the card off with a strip of patterned paper on which I added three shimmer brads in matching colors.

 

 

 
Inspiration: Mojo Monday Sketch #189

 

 

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: Faith in Nature
Cardstock: Peach Parfait, Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Poppy Parade, watercolor paper
Designer papers: Just Eat Cake
Inks: Versamark, Baja Breeze, Poppy Parade, Peach Parfait, Daffodil Delight
Punches: Large Oval, Scallop Oval, Three-way flower punch, Border punch
Accessories: Gold embossing powder, Rhinestones Basic Jewels,
Stampin' Dimensionals, White taffeta ribbon, White envelope,
Shimmer brads, Aquapainter brush, On Board chipboard

 

Retiring List: Neighborhood Wheel - The Cutest House on the Block

I can't blieve we're bidding an official goodbye to the catalogue today. I am really excited to introducde the new catalogue, but there's always a little twinge of sadness to see some of my favorite products go.

One of them is the cute Neighborhood wheel, which I used on my card today. The PPA blog is celebrating its 100th challenge today and they are challenging us to use one of our favorite technique, so I selected paper piecing. It's a great way to add colour or texture to an image. Paper piecing the house involved a LOT of cutting and let me tell you, those details on the house are small! But wouldn't you agree that it was totally worth it? I think the house turned out so cute.

I was trying to think of a patterned paper that would work well with the house theme and I kept thinking a brick pattern would be cool. I don't really have anything quite like that but then I remembered the diamond pattern in the Presto Patterns paper pack and got this idea that I could use my markers to color each of the squares individually! This turned out to be another time-consuming idea, but seriously, how cool does that look!! As I was looking at the finished piece, I kept thinking it'd look cool with a clown or circus theme as well. Another idea for another day...

Then as I was looking at my sentiment binder to find something fitting, I decided on one from the retired set Pour l'amitié because I could paper piece the bubble to tie it to the rest of the card.

Two pieces of ribbon, three brads, the Teahouse background stamp, the scallop ribbon punch and some stitching finished the card off.

I hope you like it! The new catalogue will be launching tomorrow - keep your eyes peeled for it!

 

Retiring items:

• Neighborhood wheel
• Teahouse background stamp
• Presto Patterns Designer papers

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Neighborhood wheel, Teahouse, Pour l'amitié
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Riding Hood Red, Tango Tangerine,
Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Whisper White
Designer papers: Presto Patterns, Greenhouse Gala
Inks: Early Esppresso
Punches: Scallop Ribbon, Wide Oval, Scallop Oval
Accessories: Ribbons (blue grosgrain, riding hood red taffeta), brads, Markers,
Stampin' Dimensionals, white gel pen, needlework floss

 

Retiring List: Build-a-Roo - Bouquet of Thanks

One set I wanted to pull out one more time before it retires is Build-a-Roo. My own set came straight from Australia before it was even released here, but it was a great surprise to see this set appear in our catalogue as well. This is one of the most versatile set you can have, more than it would first appear. It works for baby card, love cards, Christmas cards, birthday cards, thinking of you cards, children cards... I bet with the right colours, you could even transform it into an Halloween card!

Anyway, I had the basics done for today's card and was trying to embellish the card to take it to the next level without much success. It kept falling flat, so I added a piece of brown cardstock to ground the kangaroo and some pearls around the circle. Then I decided to fill in the gaps between the pearls with some stitching. Still wasn't entirely to my liking. I think the whole thing came together when I decided at the last minute to add some flowers in his hand. It added a dash of pink on the main panel, tying it nicely with the rest of the card. The flowers were punched with one of the punches from the Bitty pack.

The multilingual sentiment comes from the So Many Thanks single stamp. I used markers to ink only some of the words, which fit nicely into one of the Hodgepodge Hardware frames. You'll recognize the hat pin as an accent from the now-retired Pretties kit.

 

Retiring items:

• Build-a-Roo stamp set
• So Many Thanks stamp
• Sanded background stamp
• In Colors paper pack (level 1 hostess benefit)
• Early Espresso satin ribbon
• Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' up! Supplies
Stamps: Build-a-Roo, So Many Thanks, Sanded
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Lucky Limeade, Very Vanilla, Blushing Bride, Early Espresso
Designer papers: In Colors paper pack
Inks: Early Espresso, Blushing Bride, Crumb Cake
Big Shot: Texturz plate
Acessories: Circle Scissors Plus, Bitty punch pack, Pearls Basic Jewels,
Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware, Pretties kit, Needlework floss, Fancy Border punch,
Early Espresso satin ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, blending pen, Early Espresso marker

 

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: Forest Friends

Forest Friends is a cute, inexpensive set that I just had to have when it first came out in a minicatalogue. I liked the stylized tree and the cute animals, particularly the deer. I mean, who wouldn't like that cute Bambi face?

It is the set I thought about when I saw the new Verve sketch (June #4) on SCS. The Top Note die was just perfect to recreate the sketch and I knew the oval sentiment from the new Happiest Birthday Wishes would be perfect as well. The color combo is an older ColourQ challenge that I really liked but hadn't had the chance to use yet. The white scallop rectangle is an old Love Note die from last year's minicatalogue.

Reminder: All of the large grosgrain ribbons are leaving the catalogue, so if you like that width and type of ribbon, don't forget to stock up before it leaves for good.

 

Retiring items:

• Forest Friends stamp set
• Greenhouse Gala Designer papers
• Old Olive large grosgrain ribbon

 

 

 
Inspiration: ColourQ #84 + Verve sketch June #4

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Forest Friends, Voeux multiples (Happiest Birthday Wishes), Delicate Doilies
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White
Designer papers: Greenhouse Gala
Markers: Not Quite Navy, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight
Punches: Wide Oval, Bitty (flower), Circle
Accessories: Crumb cake corduroy button, Old Olive grosgrain ribbon, Brads,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Love Note Die-cut, Top Note die

 

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

 

Retiring List: Things I Love

When I saw the Clean & Simple sketch (#146), I was inspired to pull out the Things I Love set and use the little images in lieu of the flowers on the sketch. The color combo was inspired by the ColourQ challenge (#90). It's definitely different, which is why I wanted to give it a try.

The "Things I Love" sentiment and words on the tags were all embossed with white powder to make it stand out on the colored background. I had planned on using the heart stamp from the set to add a heart at the right of the sentiment, but it was a little too big and didn't work, so I remembered there's a cute little heart on the owl punch, which is what I used to punch a heart out of Poppy Parade textured cardstock.

I embossed the background cardstock with the Perfect Polka Dot embossing folder and I added two rows of brads on each side of the patterned papers. There's something like 20 brads on there, but I decided to go for it since the Brilliant Blue brads are now retired anyway and not hoarding my stash has been my motto for a few years now. The designer papers are from the In Colors hostess pack (Poppy Parade) and the retired Pink Flamingo pack (Tempting Turquoise).

I also decorated the inside of the card with the rest of the sentencde ("... but most of all, you!"). To do so, I used a tag from the Lots of Tags die set and the Wide Oval punch to add a border.

Tip: If you would like to use this colour combo but do not have any Brilliant Blue cardstock (a retired colour), I would suggest using Pacific Point cardstock instead, which works just as nicely.

 

 

 

 
Color Combo: Brilliant Blue (or Pacific Point) + Poppy Parade +
Tempting Turquoise + Bashful Blue + White
Inspiration: Clean & Simple Sketch 146

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Things I Love
Cardstock: Brilliant Blue (retired), Bashful Blue, Poppy Parade, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White
Designer papers: In Colors Hostess Pack (Level 1), Pink Flamingo (retired)
Inks: Soft Suede, Brilliant Blue, Poppy Parade, Versamark, Bashful Blue
Punches: Small Tag, Circles, Owl (heart), Wide Oval
Acessories: Markers, rhinestones, brads, Poppy Parade ribbon, white embossing powder,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Lots of Tags die

 

Inkspirations #75 - King and Queen of Each Other's Hearts

  
 
 

 
   
This card was inspired both by this week's sketch and by a special request for a 40th anniversary card by a work colleague. She had asked me ahead of time and it took me a little while to find the inspiration, as I wanted to make sure this card was extra special and elegant. Then, as I was looking at the Perfect Pair chipboard pack and saw the crowns, the idea for the card was born.

The big crown was covered with three coats of gold embossing powder and the small crown was covered with Baja Breeze glass glitter using Crystal Effects to make sure the glitter really stayed in place. It was a nice coincidence that the papers I chose also had some numbers on the backside of one of them. There was unfortunately no 40 on it that I could highlight, so I handcut a 4 and a 0 to create the number myself.

I used the new Stamp punch from the Summer mini to create the borders at the bottom, out of Crumb Cake cardstock.

 

Retiring elements featured:

• Perfect Pair On Board chipboard
• Baja Breeze Glass Glitter 

 

 

 
 
  

 

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: Quelque chose à fêter (Something to Celebrate)
Cardstock: Sage (Bazzill), Crumb Cake (SU!)
Designer papers: My Mind's Eye
Inks: Versamark
Punches: Circles, Bitty (flower), Stamp
Accessories: Gold embossing powder, Baja Breeze glass glitter, pearls,
Circle and Scallop Circle dies, Stampin' Dimensionals, Victoria Lace Trim,
October Afternoon rub-ons (saffron doily), clear rhinestone brad, Crumb Cake envelope

 

Retirement List: A Retrospective...

Throughout the month of June, I have been sharing new projects done with the retiring stamps, but here are some projects done with the retiring sets that I pulled from the vault, for your viewing pleasure.

  

A Flower for All Seasons

 

So Many Thanks

 

Incroyablement mignon

 

Pick a Petal

  

On a Pedestal / Sur un piédestal

 

Things I Love

 

Extreme Skateboard

 

Extreme Guitar

 

Extreme Snowboard

 

 

Extreme Surfboard

 

Build-a-Roo

 

  Party Hearty / Célèbre en grand

 

Petal Pizzazz

 

 Eastern Blooms

  

  Because I Care (Hostess)

 

 Playful Pieces (Hostess)

  

 

Long fellows (Hostess)

 

 

Puns from the Past

 

Lots of 'Bots

 

Pun Fun

 

Hello You / Salut à toi

 

Forest Friends

 

Always / Toujours

 

From the Crypt

 

Graveyard Gala

 

 Home for Christmas / Voeux des Fêtes

 

 

Calendar

 

Neighborhood (wheel)

 

Jolly Holiday Designer papers

  

Love Bird Simply Scrappin' Kit

 

Greenhouse Gala Designer papers / Papiers Gala de verdure

 

 

Newsprint Designer papers / Papiers Papier journal

Presto Patterns Designer papers / Papiers Rocaille magique

  

 

Perfect Pair On Board chipboard / Carton gris Trouvez la paire

 

Banner Die / Découpe Fanions

 

Basket & Blooms Die / Découpe Paniers et fleurs



Retiring List: Love Birds Simply Scrappin' Kit - Baby Birdie

I am still working on using as much as my supplies from the current catalogue before they retired and as I was looking at the chipboard pieces still left in my Perfect Pair kit (quite a lot, actually - those chipboard kits really go the distance!), I remembered I had read in the catalogue that the chipboard birds match the bird sticky die-cuts in the Love Birds Simply Scrappin' kit. That wa the starting point to this card and the rest came together very quickly.

I had already decided to use the Pals Paper Arts sketch (PPA98) and looking at the sticky die-cuts, I noticed the small bird. While this one doesn't match a chipboard piece, I thought I could use my punches to create a nest for it and turn the card into a mother and baby bird card. I created the nest by punching the Small Oval punch (retiring with this catalogue) and the Scallop Oval punch.

Then, I remembered the Sweetness Unlimited individual stamp would be leaving soon and decided to use it as my main sentiment. I inked it with markers (Pear Pizzazz and Blushing Bride, omitting the brackets and stamped it on Whisper White cardstock, and then I overstamped the Fine Flourish stamp in So Saffron to add a subtle texture in the back. I then used the Large Oval punch to punch out my sentiment and layered it over a sticky circle from the SS kit (a little trick I use to hide the English words when I need a French sentiment).

The branch, border and hearts were also all sticky die-cuts from the kit. The Saffron patterned paper was run through the Big Shot using the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder for added texture.

Thanks to the SS kit, this card took about half an hour to do. It is so much quicker when everything is already cut for you and matches!

 

Retiring items:

• Sweetness Unlimited stamp
• Love Birds Simply Scrappin' Kit
• Small Oval punch

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Incroyablement mignon (Sweetness Unlimited), Fine Flourish
Cardstock: So Saffron, Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz
Simply Scrappin' Kit: Love Birds
Inks: So Saffron
Punches: Small Oval, Large Oval, Scallop Oval
Accessories: Markers, Stampin' Dimensionals, Perfect Pair chipboard,
Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, envelope

 

Retiring List: Long Fellows - Something Old, Something New

This is another card that was born out of my stamping session with Angie. For this one, we agreed on a one-hour time limit and we drew inspiration from the Embellish Magazine challenge and sketch #24 from My Favorite Things.

As I was looking at my retiring chipboard pieces, I noticed that the frame was the right size to lodge one of the Long Fellows and then I realized that this would be a good set to match with the challenge colours. Since Embellish shows you a picture of the colours to use but not actual colour name, I had a little bit of wiggle room to make my own selection. It was not an easy color combo, but I finally settled on Crumb Cake with Tempting Turquoise, Poppy Parade, Wild Wasabi with a dash of Pacific Point, which is what I liked best.

The round piece on the sketch reminded me of the new Delicate Doilies stamp set, so I stamped one of the doilies on Wasabi cardstock and embossed it with white powder before punching it out with the 2-1/2 Circle punch. As per the challenge twist, I created my own stamped background using a sentiment from the new hostess set called Voeux multiples, which I just received on Friday. (You are going to love this one if you are looking to expand your sentiment collection.)

I stamped the turtle and sentiment on Tempting Turquoise cardstock and paper pieced the image using Sahara Sand and Wild Wasabi cardstock. I used a Garden Green marker to color in the dots on the turtle's shell. I then glued the chipboard frame over the image and added a brad in all four corners.

I used the Tasteful Trims die to die-cut a scallop border out of textured Poppy Parade cardstock and found a piece of polka dot patterned paper from the Brights Collection pack to add to the card. I felt it was a little bare so I decided to use my unmounted In Stitches wheel to add "sewing" to the patterned paper. On my first try, I white-embossed the stitching and it was way too bright and totally overpowered teh design. So I cut a second piece of paper and this time, I used Whisper White craft ink to add the stitching. Much better!! You can see the stitching, but it's paler and more discreet. Finally, I folded a piece of Poppy Parade ribbon in half and tied a green button on it with linen thread.

I am very happy with the result, considering this card was done in an hour!

 

Retiring items:

• Long Fellows stamp set (hostess)
• Perfect Pair On Board chipboard

  

  

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Long Fellows, Delicate Doilies, Voeux multiples (Happiest Birthday Wishes),
In Stitches wheek
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Poppy Parade, Tempting Turquoise, Wild Wasabi
Designer papers: Brights Paper Pack
Inks: Garden Green, Pacific Point, Versamark, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White
Accessories: 2-1/2 Circle punch, White embossing powder, Tasteful Trims die,
Button, Linen thread, Poppy Parade ribbon, brads, Perfect Pair chipboard

 

Tour de Freaks - Summer's Time to Play!

 
 
 
 

Psst... If you are reading this post on June 19th, please note that we are getting the tour ready and testing the links to make sure everything is working. The official tour begins on the 20th, so if you cannot make the whole round tonight, hang in there with us!

   

Welcome to our June Tour de Freaks! This tour is brought to you by the Control Freaks Stampers members and if you have been following the tour, you should have gotten to my blog by clicking on the link provided by LeeAnn Greff on her blog. If you are just starting out, make sure to visit all eleven blogs that are part of the tour today by following the links provided at the bottom of each post. Our theme this month is Summer minicatalogue and 2011-2012 catalogue preview! So without further ado, here are the fun projects I would like to share with you this month!

 

My first project: All Aboard!

 Project info: This card features the nautical suite from the Summer minicatalogue, which, I am happy to report, has been a really popular line from the new mini. I'm not surprised, considering how cute and versatile it is! This card right here was created for my boss, who just got offered a promotion and is leaving for our Montreal office, therefore moving his whole family there as well. I wanted to send him off with words of encouragement and let him know how much I appreciated working with him and I figured what better way to do that than to use the Open Sea set, as he sails away towards new horizons... I wanted to find an appropriate sentiment and thought about "Good luck", but finally decided on "À l'aventure" (which loosely translates to "All Aboard!"), which I created with the Billboard die.

The background behind the boat was created by inking one of my acrylic block with Crumb Cake ink and stamping it directly on the cardstock. The sides of the cardstock were distressed with my scissors blade and I rolled the bottom of the cardstock around a paintbrush to make it look like a scroll.

  

 

  
Inspiration : Sketch The Sweetest Thing SSSC121
 
 

 

Supplies
Stamps: The Open Sea
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Grey
Designer papers: Nautical Adventures
Inks: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Sahara Sand, Night of Navy, Not Quite Navy
Big Shot die: Billboard die, Curves Ahead die
Punches: Stamp, 2-1/2 Circle
Accessories: Daubers, Brads, Stampin' DImensionals, Silver embossing powder,
Adhesive sheets, Vintage brads, Acrylic block, Mini library clip

 

 

  

 

My second project: On Your Birthday 

Project info: This is a sneak peek of two new hostess sets that will be debuted in the 2011-2012 catalogue next month. My main images were stamped with the Faith in Nature set and the sentiment was created with the combination of two stamps from the Happiest Birthday Wishes set. You'll also notice the new dotted scallop ribbon - isn't it the prettiest thing ever? Another item showcased on the card is the chipboard tag, which is part of a brand new kit of chipboard shapes that are super cute and versatile. I covered mine with More Mustard Craft ink and added two Tempting Turquoise shimmer brads before punching my gold-embossed sentiment and popping it up on Dimensionals. You'll also notice two of the new In Colors in there: Lucky Limeade and Pool Party. Instant favorites!
 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Voeux multiples (Happiest Birthday Wishes), Vive la nature (Faith in Nature)
Cardstock: Lucky Limeade, Tempting Turquoise, More Mustard, Pool Party, watercolor paper
Designer papers: Brights Collection
Inks: Lucky Limeade, Tempting Turquoise, More Mustard, Pool Party, Versamark
Punches: 1-1/4 Circle, 1-3/8 Circle, 1-in. Circle, Corner Rounder, 3/4 Square
Accessories: Mini library clip, Gold embossing powder, Stampin' Dimensionals,
On Board chipboard, Chocolate Chip dotted scallop ribbon, Brights buttons,
White baker's twine, Brights shimmer brads

  

 

 

 My third project: Wonderings...

Project info: Gotta have my signature scrapbook page for the Tour, don't I? My inspiration for this page was the beautiful new In Colors family. It was love at first sight with all five colors for me this year. A first, I believe, as I usually love most colors and learn to love the others after using time. Not this year. I love them all and I love how they all work together, which is what I did here, combine all five on one project. I usually include patterned paper on my pages and was a little puzzled here since I don't have any DSP that matches the new colors, so I remembered about the Presto Patterns pack and made my own with the use of a brayer.

Aside from the In Colors, you'll also spot the new Pennant Parade set and matching punch I used to create me title. One of my favorite new items from the catalogue! I also used the dotted scallop ribbon and some pieces from the new On Board chipboard set (clouds, house and flag). The flag is also supposed to be a pennant, but see how well it works? The journaling block was created by tracing a piece of chipboard from the same kit and handcutting it. I didn't want the bulk since I was slipping it under my picture and I also wanted to be able to reuse this piece again, hence the handcutting. I masked the center and sponged the outside, creating a darker frame. I also used the Varsity Alphabet, which is not new, but it was the first time it saw inked since I received it. I found it was fitting with the golf theme, and I used the Sweet Shoppe Alphabets and Just Perfect Alphabet to write the rest of the title.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Fanions en fête (Penannt Parade), Sweet Shoppe Alpphabet Upper and Lower,
Varsity Alphabet, Just Perfect Alphabet, Woodgrain, Solid Stripes, Dot Dot Dot
Cardstock: Pool Party, Calipso Coral, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White
Designer papers: Presto Patterns
Inks: Pool Party, Calipso Coral, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder, Baja Breeze (Craft), Whisper White
Big Shot die: Go Go Boots Alphabet, Timeless Type Alphabet, Beautiful Wings Embosslits,
Tasteful Trims die, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Curves Ahead die
Punches: Pennant, Circle
Accessories: Stampin' Pastels, On Board chipboard, brads, rhinestones, Espresso taffeta ribbon,
Chocolate Chip dotted scallop ribbon, sponge, markers, pearls, white embossing powder,
Espresso Baker's twine, buttons, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

  

And your link back to the next stop on the tour: Liz Shultz's blog! 

   

 
 

Retiring List: Petal Pizzazz and Teahouse - Polka Dot Flower

I spent some time stamping in good company yesterday. Angie Tieman and I did an online stamping marathon and worked on three different challenges together. While I am used to doing color combo and sketch challenges, Angie proposed we added a time limit on it as well, which added a whole new dimension to it. Holy Batman, I can't remember the last time I stamped so fast! We had agree on 40 minutes for the first one, which was insane! I didn't have time to think, just do, but I think the card turned out pretty cute, considering how fast the cardstock was flying! I discovered that I CAN stamp quickly and that the reason it usually takes me forever to finish something is that I weight all of my options and even second-guess myself. There was no time for that yesterday and I think I managed pretty good.

The first challenge was based on the Clean & Simple sketch #145 and using retiring items. since the sketch called for a flower, I pulled out the retiring Petal Pizzazz and the Teahouse background (I'm so sad this one is leaving after only a year), two sets which I hadn't showcased yet, and I used All Holidays for the sentiment.

I pulled out my trusty idea notebook to find a color combo fast and selected Soft Suede, Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink and Certainly Celery, but decided to switch Celery for Pear Pizzazz so that I could use the retiring In Colors hostess papers. I added Melon Mambo Designer papers from the Brights paper pack and used Pretty in Pink cardstock embossed with the Elegant Lines embossing folder. I used the Kissing technique on the flowers, handcut them, stacked them up and added a Build-a-Brad in the center. Since the sketch had an additional panel and I didn't want to hide the patterned papers too much, I decided to add velum and remembered that the vellum paper is also on the retiring list (perfect!). Finally, I added the sentiment on white cardstock. I had planned on adding two pink brads on each side, but it was a tight squeeze with the sentiment, so I decided against it. I had already poked the holes and needed to hide them, so I added rhinestones. That is the one part about the card that I am not completely happy about, but when doing time challenges, you have to learn to make do!

Be sure to stop by Angie's blog to see what she created with the Puns from the Past set!

 

Retiring items:

• Petal Pizzazz stamp set
• All Holidays stamp set
• Teahouse background stamp
• Build-a-Brads
• Vellum paper
• In colors Hostess paper pack

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Teahouse, Petal Pizzazz, Fêtes diverses (All Holidays),
Dot Dot Dot, A to Z, Solid Stripes
Cardstock: Soft Suede, Pear Pizzazz, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Vellum paper
Designer papers: In Colors hostess paper pack, Brights Collection
Inks: Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Suede
Accessories: Rhinestones, Elegant Lines embossing folder,
Build-a-Brad,  Stampin' Dimensionals, White envelope

 

Retiring List: All Holidays - Father's day Bonanza

This is a card I had submitted for publication and that did not get selected. Since the All Holidays set and Greenhouse Gala papers are retiring, I thought it would be fitting to share it here.

I love handcutting the zigzag paper from the Greenhouse Gala paper pack and adding it to a project, which is what I did here to create my background. The Daffodil Delight paper has been wheeled with the Texture wheel. The sentiment was inked with markers and after it was stamped, I used my Early Espresso marker to fill in the letters of the first and last words, which are open on the stamp and letting the cardstock colour show through.

I added a ribbon knot made out of marina Mist large grosgrain ribbon and tied a Pumpkin Pie button on it with Cherry Cobbler baker's twine. Then, I added brads alongside the paper edge and glued the sentiment block (on which I rounded corners using the Corner Rounder punch) using Stampin' Dimensionals.

An easy-peasy card for the men in your life!

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: All Holidays, Texture wheel
Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist, Early Espresso, Whisper White
Designer papers: Greenhouse Gala
Inks: Daffodil Delight
Accessories: markers, Corner Rounder punch, Marina Mist grosgrain ribbon,
Cherry Cobbler Baker's twine, button, Stampin' Dimensionals, Brads

 

 

Psst... I'll be taking part in the Tour de Freaks blog hop this month, so check back on Monday the 20th to see Summer Mini creations and catalogue sneak peeks!

 

Inkspirations #74 - Vole, vole, papillon doux...

 
  
 
 

 
   
I am excited about the card I am sharing today. First of all, because I think this week's colours are fabulous together, but also because the project I am sharing is one of those projects where I started out with a very unclear vision and ended up with a card I love. It's a little different from my usual style (more streamlined, maybe?), which is why I like it.

I had this idea a few weeks ago to try and emboss a transparency with clear powder and then paint shimmer paint on it to create a resist effect and see what happens. Normally, I would have used the SU! transparencies, but I have some leftover from the office because we were out of letter-sized transparencies and I had to cut some legal-sized ones to make covers for my binders. As I looked at the leftover pieces I had just cut, I decided I could surely come up with a way to use them and brought them back home. I used one of those scraps to test out my idea and unfortunately, the transparencies are not heat-resistant and it got slightly warped during the embossing process. I had first thought of using it flat on my card, which was now not going to happen, so I put my sample aside and it was only a few days later that I thought that I could maybe die-cut a flower or something out of my painted transparency to try and salvage it.

And then was born the butterfly you see here. The warping just gives the butterfly shape so I think it works. I added a second butterfly cut out of Melon Mambo cardstock underneath and held the two together in place with white Baker's twine.

Then, I thought I would use the new Melon Mambo embossing powder to add flowers from the Proud Peacock stamp set (Summer minicatalogue) to a piece of Old Olive cardstock. The colored powder creates an opaque look you don't usually get with Craft ink and clear embossing, so it is perfect when used on darker cardstock.

I used the Melon embossing powder on the chipboard piece as well to emboss my sentiment (Swirls & Curls Verses - Summer mini hostess set). I also stamped the border from the Proud Peacock set in Old Olive Craft ink underneath. The whole chipboard piece had previously been covered with Whisper White Craft ink and I had made sure to dry the whole thing with my heat tool and running the Embossing Buddy over the chipboard before doing the embossing part, to get as little stray powder as possible around the sentiment.

The card base was stamped with the argyle stamp from the Grunge Rock set and I added the small birdie from the Proud Peacock set, embossed in white, at the bottom of the card.

To finish it off, I added Basic Grey brads on the chipboard piece and I pushed the prongs of Olive brads in the holes of two Melon Mambo buttons (SAB Ice Cream Parlor kit) and folded them out. Usually, I would have used a pair of scissors to cut the ends of the prongs off, but I think in this case, they actually look like leaves, which totally work with the flower buttons, so I left them alone.

 

Retiring items:

•  Perfect Pair On Board chipboard

 

 

 

 
 
  

 

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: Proud Peacock, En français, Grunge Rock
Cardstock: Basic Grey, Melon Mambo, Old Olive
Inks: Versamark, Old Olive, Whisper White
Big Shot: Beautiful Wings
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Transparency, Champagne Mist shimmer paint,
White baker's twine, Ice Cream Parlor buttons, Brads, Embossing powders (Melon Mambo,
Clear, White), Perfect Pair On Board chipboard, Envelope template

 

Retiring List: From the Crypt - Treasure Island

I am an avid paper collector and even though I do not need new papers, I couldn't help but add the Wicked Fun papers to my order when I saw that it was discounted. It's a beautiful paper - did you know that some of the sheets are flocked? Gorgeous!

Since my favorite Halloween set (From the Crypt) is also on the retiring list, I paired them together with the Mojo Monday sketch to create the card I am sharing in this post. The skull image was stamped in black on Whisper White paper and I used a dauber to add Lucky Limeade (our new shade of green!) and Old Olive all around the image, making sure to avoid the skull to leave it white. The image was punched with the 2-1/2 Circle punch. I then used a piece of chipboard from the Perfect Pair kit covered with Pumpkin Pie ink and Iridescent Ice powder to add a mat under the main image.

The central strip was created by layering two pieces of patterned paper on which I added two pieces of black lace (from last fall's minicatalogue - this is my last piece, I'm thinking I should have ordered an extra roll before the mini was over!) underneath to create border and a piece of Razzleberry satin ribbon on top, held in place with two clear rhinestone brads. I also added a rhinestone to the eye of the skull. I tried adding a rhinestone in each eye, but the skull looked wonky - not the look I was going for! With just the one eye, it looks like a hidden treasure like in pirate movies - perfect!

Another item I bought at a discounted price from the retiring list is the bat punch. I always thought it was so cute and since I'm so into punches and Halloween, you would assume I would have added this one to my collection a long time ago. My only beef with this punch is its size - I wish it was a tad smaller and therefore easier to add to other images as more of a background detail. I guess a discount was all I needed to cave and get it. After all, a stamper can never have too many punches, can she? To make the sparkly bat, I covered a piece of black cardstock with black glitter using Heat 'n Stick before punching the shape out.

I needed a sentiment to finish the card off and wouldn't you know it, there's actually a "Happy Halloween" sentiment in the All Holidays set (another retiring beauty)! I stamped it on a strip of white cardstock, cut the end as a banner, added a touch of ink with a dauber, slid the strip underneath the bat and called it a day!

I know not everyone likes to make Halloween cards or send them, but if you like the set or the idea behind the card, I would suggest you switch the sentiment to something else. Like maybe, "You're a diamond in the rough" or "To my little treasure" or "Ahoy, matey!" I think by investing in sentiment sets and playing with colour schemes, you can get much more mileage out of any image set.

 

Retiring items:

• From the Crypt stamps set
• All Holidays stamp set
• Wicked Fun Designer papers
• Rich Razzleberry satin ribbon
• Bat punch
• Perfect Pair On Board chipboard kit

 

 

 
inspiration: Sketch Mojo Monday #195

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: From the Crypt, Fêtes diverses (All Holidays)
Cardstock: Cajun Craze, Whisper White
Designer papers: Wicked Fun
Inks: Lucky Limeade, Old Olive, Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry, Basic Grey, Pumpkin Pie (Craft)
Punches: 2-1/2 Circle, Bat
Accessories: Daubers, Rhinestones Basic Jewels, Rhinestone brads, Black lace, Black glitter,
Heat 'n Stick, Rich FRazzleberry satin ribbon, Perfect Pair On Board chipboard,
Iridescent Ice powder, Stampin' Dimensionals, Crumb Cake envelope

 

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: Party Hearty - Let's Celebrate!

This is the card my club members did at our last meeting. It showcases two techniques: the Bargello technique and the Easel card.

We used the Greenhouse Gala DSP to create the Bargello background and the Baskets & Blooms die to cut the tag we added at the bottom of the card. To hold the tag in place, I used the Baker's twine from the Summer mini.

As for the main image, it was created with the letter stamp from the Party Hearty set, embossed in clear powder on Daffodil Delight cardstock and punched out with a Circle punch. To create the scallop circle frame, I used the Homemade stamp I received during SAB. It's an English stamp, but I liked how the scalloped border fits with the Scallop Circle punch, so I figured I would use other stamped images in the center to hide the English text. In the center of the letter, I added the punched gift, added a rhinestone on it and then a Daffodil taffeta ribbon bow in the top corner.

At the bottom of the card, I added a piece of Pear Pizzazz ribbon to keep the card upright.

 

Retiring items:

• Party Hearty set
• Greenhouse Gala Designer papers
• Basket & Blooms die

  

 

 

  

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Célèbre en grand (Party Hearty), Homemade
Cardstock: Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Early Espresso
Designer papers: Greenhouse Gala
Inks: Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso, Versamark, Baja Breeze
Punches: Circles, Large Scallop Circle, Square
Accessories: Table cutter, Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Daffodil Delight taffeta ribbon,
Early Espresso Baker's twine,Stampin' Dimensionals, Stamp-a-Ma-Jig,
Pear Pizzazz ribbon, White envelope

 

Retiring List: Basket die - Christmas Treats

I am so sad to see the Basket & Blooms die go. It's one of my favorite 3D dies and I like that it has more room than some of the other box die do. The upside of it being on the retiring list is that it is currently offered at a reduced price, so if you were thinking of maybe getting it, now's the time to do so. Aside from the actual basket pieces, it also includes flowers and tag images - a great plus!

Those baskets were made last Christmas as treats to my coworkers. I used the Jolly Holiday papers (also on the retiring list) and the Delightful Decorations stamp set to create my tags. The snowflakes were created with the Northern Flurry die and I used our cello bags closed with a ribbon bow to add the candy inside the baskets.

When I mounted my Delightful Decorations stamps, I decided I didn't want to use the striped ornament as a tag and to avoid inking the image with markers every time to omit the "To: From:", I used a hobby blade to take the words out. Since the stripes are blank, I used the Teeny Tiny Wishes set to add a "Merry Christmas" sentiment and then sign my name underneath so that people would know who the baskets were from (although by now, my colleagues pretty much associate anything handmade to me).

The box underneath the baskets is a box of chocolates I covered with the remaining designer paper.

  

Retiring items:

• Basket & Blooms die
• Jolly Holiday Designer papers

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Delightful Decorations, Voeux mignons (Teeny Tiny Wishes)
Cardstock: Very Vanilla
Designer papers: Jolly Holiday
Inks: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive
Big Shot: Basket & Blooms die, Northern Flurry die
Accessories: Pearl Basic Jewels, Cello bags, Ribbons, Ornament punch

 

 

Retiring List: Lots of 'Bots - Birthday Bot

Today's card gives you a sneak peek at one of the paper packs from the upcoming catalogue that was available in the demo preorder. I liked how the colours and patterns fitted the robot set so well. Speaking of which, the cute Lots of 'Bots set will be leaving the catalogue, along with the arrow die and All Holidays sentiment set I used, so be sure to add those to your next order if you do not want to miss out on getting them.

I used the faux metal technique on both the robot tag and the "screw" brad at the bottom. I also used my trusty Top Note die to add a layer behind my main image.

 

Retiring elements:

• Lots of Bots stamp set
• Curves Ahead die (arrows)
• All Holidays stamp set

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Lots of 'Bots, Fêtes diverses (All Holidays)
Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, Baja Breeze, Poppy Parade
Designer papers: Just Add Cake
Inks: Baja Breeze, Basic Black
Big Shot: Curves Ahead die, Top Note die
Accessories: Love Notes die-cut, brads, Poppy Parade ribbon, Marker,
Silver embossing powder, Decorative Label punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

Retiring List: Because I Care - Elegant Wishes

This card is a mix of old and new. It features a fantastic new punch that will be coming out on July 1st in the new catalogue. It also uses the retiring Because I Care hostess set and the Elegant Soirée designer papers (which are currently offered at a discounted price on the retiring accessories list).

The beautiful frame idea came from Donna, whose original card you can see HERE. I thought it was really elegant and set out to do my own version . The frame was embossed with the Elegant Lines embossing folder.

To create the center panel, I inked the flower with markers (Baja Breeze and Crumb Cake plus Marina Mist and Soft Suede to add shading) and added the border from the same set at the bottom using Baja Breeze ink. I added a sentiment stamped with an old sentiment set called Élégantes réjouissances in Versamark and embossed it with gold powder. Then, I added two ribbon bows with seam binding and lace trim and added pearls pretty much everywhere.

This card will be signed by a group, so I also added a decorated insert inside the card, that can be opened so that people have more room to write their wishes. I finished it off with a handmade envelope made out of matching patterned paper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Belles attentions (Because I Care), Élégantes réjouissances
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Baja Breeze
Designer papers: Elegant Soirée
Inks: Versamark, Baja Breeze
Accessories: Border punch, Pearl Basic Jewels, Baja Breeze seam binding,
Victoria lace trim, Markers, Gold embossing powder, Envelope template

 

Inkspirations #73 - Three Times Thanks

 
 
 

 
   
I let myself get tempted by a few items from the Clearance Rack last time it got updated. I was pleased to see some paper packs and SS kits I had talked myself out of getting and later regretted. The bright and cheerful Sunny Day SS kit was one of them. I'm glad I was able to swipe a pack for myself - it looks even better in person and I really like the fun die-cuts included in the pack.

So, this is the first project I had time to make with it since receiving the kit. I pulled out my Aviary set, which has been dreadfully neglected since I bought it on my very first order from the new catalogue last July. I'm not sure why I have such a hard time coming up with something using it - I've seen many great cards from other stampers done with it, but I've had a hard time using it myself. Anyway, I gave it a try again this weekend and this is what I came up with. 

The sentiment was created by stamping the Thank You sentiment three times on Whisper White cardstock, switching colours each time. The sentiment block was framed with a piece from the Silver Hodgepodge Hardware kit (retiring from the catalogue at the end of the month) and held in place with matching eyelets.

The main image was matted with a piece of Old Olive die-cut with the Top Note die and I added a tab made with paper punched with the small and large oval punches, on which I added a matching button. I doodled a frame with a pink marker and also doodled a scallop border on the card base using the white gel pen. The three panels at the bottom of the card are Designer papers from the SS kit and the top stripe is a sticky border also from the kit. To finish it off, I added a piece of striped Old Olive grosgrain ribbon.

 

 

 
  

 

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: Aviary, Fêtes diverses (All Holidays)
Cardstock: Passion Pink
Simply Scrappin' Kit: Sunny Day
Inks: Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise, Passion Pink, Old Olive
Accessories: Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, pink eyelets,  Olive striped grosgrain ribbon,
white gel pen, Small Oval punch, Large Oval punch, Ice Cream Parlor buttons,
Top Note die, Pink Passion marker, Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

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

  

Retiring List: Elegant Notes

One of the items on the retiring accessories list is the Elegant Notes cards and envelopes kit. I had a handful left in my pack and decided to put them to good use last week. Those are the projects I made with the remaining cards.

The first one was really, really simple: I added a piece of red glimmer paper underneath the card opening and added a sentiment from the Occasional Quotes (level 3 hostess set) in matching Real Red ink.

  

 

  

For the second card, I masked the middle of the card, aligning the Post-It notes with the scored lines on the card, and rolled the Music Notes wheel in So Saffron on the card front. Then, I overstamped the "thank you" sentiment from the Curly Cute set in Rich Razzleberry ink. I added a piece of Peach Passion Designer paper (from the level 1 hostess pack) underneath the opening and I punched a flower with the new 3-way punch from the Summer mini out of Razzleberry cardstock. I layered a small So Saffron flower punched with one of the punches from the Bitty pack and added a Peach glimmer brad from the In Color pack. I glued the flower in place with a Stampin' Dimensional and I added two small pearls on each side of the sentiment. Finally, I used a ruler and a Razzleberry marker to draw a frame outside of the center block.

 

 

  

Featured retiring items

• Elegant Notes
• Occasional Quotes set

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Music Notes wheel, Jolies pensées (Curly Cute), Notes de saison (Occasional Quotes)
Cardstock: Rich Razzleberry, So Saffron
Designer papers: Red glimmer paper, Peach Passion DSP (hostess pack)
Inks: So Saffron, Rich Razzleberry, Real Red
Accessories: Elegant Notes, 3-way flower punch, markers, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Bitty punches, glimmer brads, Pearls Basic Jewels

 

Retiring List: A Flower for All Seasons - First Prize

I remember when A Flower for All Seasons came out. SU! was unveiling the new catalogue at Leadership and we were sitting at a Meeting Place table looking excitedly at the new book. This set was one of the first that caught my eye and made me think, "This is going on my very first order." Sure enough, it did, and I think it's one of the cutest line art set we have. It's super cute and small enough that watercoloring it isn,t too time-consuming.

Now that I know it'll be retiring come June 30th, I knew I wanted to use it at least a couple of times this month so I pulled it out as soon as I saw the Mojo Monday sketch. The sketch also had a scallop circle on it, so I looked at my retiring chipboard hoping to find a scallop circle and got lucky. The color combo is an older Colour Queen challenge I hadn't done yet. Those colours just scream summer and sunny weather, so I paired them with the sunflower pot image.

I looked through my paper scraps to find strips that matched my colour combo, so the designer papers come from three different paper packs. I covered the chipboard with Pumpkin Pie Craft ink, embossed it with three layers of clear embossing powder and then stamped the Dot, Dot, Dot image in the hot powder before it cooled down to add a pattern in the embossing. That was before I decided that a row of Daffodil pompoms would look really cool around the main image, therefore hiding most of the polka dot detail on the chipboard piece.

I really liked how the band on the sketch have a round edge at the bottom and wanted to play on that, so I punched circles out of matching cardstock and glued those at the bottom of the paper strips, hiding the seam with a band of Basic Black cardstock punched with the Pinking Hearts border punch. Then, I added a piece of Pumpkin Pie satin ribbon and layered an additional piece of Daffodil Delight taffeta ribbon, then added a brad from the Silver Hodgepodge Hardware kit. I added a piece of satin ribbon folded in half under the scallop circle to make it look like a prize ribbon (and also to mirror the sketch). Since the Hodgepodge Hardware was out, I used an additonal piece to add the sentiment. Since the main image reminded me of a prize ribbon, I decided to pull out the "No. 1" sentiment from the Grunge Rock set. I stamped it in Versamark on Cool Carribean cardstock, embossed it in white and punched it out using the Small Oval punch.

 

Retiring items featured:

• Small Oval punch
• Silver Hodgepodge Hardware
• Perfect Pair On Board chipboard
• Greenhouse Gala Designer Papers
• Pumpkin Pie satin ribbon
• A Flower for All Seasons set

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Grunge Rock, A Flower for All Seasons, Dot Dot Dot
Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White, Cool Carribean, watercolor paper
Designer papers: Greenhouse Gala, Ghostly Greetings, Petals and Polka Dots
Inks: Versamark, Black StazOn, Cool Carribean,
Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Always Artichoke
Punches: Pinking Hearts border, Small Oval, 1-3/4-in. Circle, 1-in. Circle
Accessories: Perfect Pair On Board chipboard, Silver Hodgepodge Hardware,
Daffodil Delight pompom trim, Embossing powders (Clear, White),
Pumpkin Pie satin ribbon, Daffodil Delight taffeta ribbon, White envelope,
Brads, white gel pen, Stampin' Dimensionals, Arabesque embossing folder

 

Retiring List: Playful Pieces - Holiday Glimmer

So I have pulled out my retiring sets and placed them by my desk, as I'm hoping to use them as much as possible before they retire. Today's pick was Playful Pieces, a third-level hostess set I actually preordered last June. I was really impressed with the versatility of the stamps and seeing how many different images you could create using the shapes found in the set (as illustrated by the samples shown in the catalogue). I knew the style was more modern than what I usually select for myself, but I thought it would be a great chance to challenge myself. Now, if you're thinking you don't remember seeing this set much on my blog this year, that's because I failed at using it much. I think it intimidated me a bit much and that it got lost among my let's-call-it "extensive" stamp collection. Oh, well, better late than never, right?

To select a color combo, I chose among the ones I had jotted down in my inspiration notebook. I started by using the triangles to create a Christmas tree, stamping them on a piece of Presto Patterns designer paper. I added a Saffron star, some pomegranate garlands and a grey trunk. Then, I sponged some So Saffron ink along the edges and then spritzed the patterned paper with Vanilla Smooch Spray and then just a tad of Gold Smooch spray to reveal the script on the Presto Patterns paper. I then added some pearl "ornaments" to the tree and two gold brads in the top corner.

I used the dot from the Playful Pieces set to create a polka dot background on the card base, and I added two pieces of patterned paper. I created a border out of Kiwi paper with a new border punch, which you cannot see much of, but keep your eyes peeled on my blog for other samples made with it in the upcoming weeks. I added a Saffron ribbon bow and used a circle punch on the side of my main image before adding the image to the card front.

Then, I stamped a sentiment from the Occasional Quotes set (another Level 3 hostess set) in Versamark, embossed it in gold powder and punched it out with the Ornament punch. I sponged the edges with Saffron ink to add dimension and paper pieced the top part of the ornament with Brushed Gold cardstock. I punched a star out of Brushed Gold cardstock and added it underneath the sentiment.

The cute border at the bottom was created with the Pearl Basic Jewels. I first glued the pearls that come off already as a row from the kit, and then I added some smaller pearls at regular intervals above the first row.

Tip: Use the tip of your paper piercer or your scissors to pick up the small pearls and place them down on your project. You'll have better control over placement than when using your fingers.

Retiring elements featured on this project:

• Playful Pieces set (Level 3 hostess)
• Occasional Quotes (Level 3 hostess)
• Star punch
• Presto Patterns designer paper

 

 

 
Inspiration: Verve Sketch (VLVMAR2011 #5)
Color Combo: Kiwi Kiss + Purely Pomegranate +
Basic Grey + Baja Breeze + White

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Playful Pieces, Notes de saison (Occasional Quotes)
Cardstock: Basic Grey, So Saffron, Brushed Gold
Designer papers: Greenhouse Gala DSP, Presto Patterns DSP, Holiday Harmony DSP
Inks: Basic Grey, Kiwi Kiss, Versamark
Punches: Ornament, Star, Circle, Lace border
Accessories: Smooch Sprays, Pearl Basic Jewels, Gold brads,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Saffron ribbon, Sponge, Corduroy button

 

Oops!

Just a silly page about how my sister mistakenly used a bottle opener on a twist cap a few Christmases ago. To add to the irony, she was the one who had bought the bottle as a gift to my parents. It was a bottle of maple cider, which we knew we weren't going to drink in one sitting. Oops...

I've used a mix of newer and older supplies on this page (also inspired by a Page Map sketch). The paper are from Basic Grey's latest Christmas line and so are the funky fabric brads, but the alphabet stickers, eyelets tags and ribbons are supplies I've had in my stash for a long time. The mistletoe branch was handcut from a patterned paper and I added pearls from the Pretties kit to it for dimension. The little snowman peeking from the side of the picture is also a pattern I handcut from one of the papers.

 

 
Inspiration: May Page Map sketch

 

Handmade in Senneterre

Here's another page I did during my scrapbooking blitz in May. There's a lady in my hometown that recycles wool sweater and turn them into mittens. I had those lovely papers that were perfect for this theme and that I had been waiting to use on a page. I like how the background houndstooth paper has just the right "winter" texture and that the bottom band I cut out of one of the paper has some mittens on it! To draw attention to that detail, I emptied a metal-rimmed tag and stitched the metal rim in place with some embroidery floss. I also used the floss to add a few stitches on edges.

The snowman is also an element I handcut from one of the pattern paper. I just loved his cheery little face so I really wanted to find a place for him in my scrapbook. There was a colored border at his feet, which made for awkward (I can never spell that word without looking it up!!) cutting so I rounded the bottom of the image and added glue and a bit of fake snow. The trees and snowflake were from the same paper, and I glued the paper snowflake to the center of a clear acrylic one and added it to the right of my title. The title was created entirely with letter stickers. I had to do a bit of creative cutting to get all of the letters I needed (cut off a "d" to turn it into an "a", use a "c" and add a line to turn it into an "e"). The brackets are the title were created with a punch. I handwrote my journaling, added a glittery chipboard flourish, some pearls to the border underneath the picture and decorative staples to the bottom border and I was done.

 

 

 
Inspiration: May Page Maps sketch

 

Inkspirations #72 - Chain Work

 
   
 

 
I was looking forward to this week's challenge, as the colours are absolutely stunning together. Perfect for a summery, nautical  or a masculine project, I find. I liked it so much I decided I wanted to make a page I could keep in my album using those colours.

I was looking at my stack of pictures and settled on the ones I had taken in Utah during the Riverton tour, which includes a peek at the warerhouse where our orders are packed and shipped from. The colour of the boxes sort of fitted with the Peach Parfait colour, which is how I decided on those pictures. The design was inspired by one of the May Page Maps sketches. Don't you like all those little ribbons on the border? Great way to use scraps and add pizzazz to a page.

I also reached for the Grunge Rock set, which I got in May during the Scrapbooking promotion. I used the argyle stamp to create a background, the "No. 1" in White ink and the "Real" stamp to create a dimensional accent. I was thinking of chain work and thought I could line up characters created with the All in the Family set, which I stamped tone on tone at the bottom of the page. I think it turned out pretty cute! Just a different way of using this set, without using watercoloring. I picked out an arrow from the Perfect Pair On Board chipboard set, covered it with Celery Craft ink, added clear embossing powder and then wrapped the middle part of the arrow with white baker's twine. The big letters were die-cut out of Peach Passion Designer paper (level 1 hostess pack) and covered with Crystal Effects for an epoxy letter look. At the top of the pictures, I added two matching paper ribbons and added some matching fabric brads from the Occasions mini over them.

I used another piece of paper from the same paper pack to create my journaling block. I trimmed it down to size, punched two of the corners with the corner rounder punch and the other side with the Spirals punch. I handwrote my journaling with a marker and added a Designer brad in the top corner. To make the details of the metal brad stand out more, I dipped the head of the brad in Not Quite Navy Craft ink and then wiped the extra ink off with a tissue. I dryed the ink with my embossing tool (be sure to use plyers to hold the brad, as the metal will get very hot!) before adding the brad to the page. I also used the distressing tool from the Cutting Kit to distress the edges of the Pear Pizzazz cardstock.

 

 

 
Inspirations: May Page Maps sketch
 
 
  

 

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: All in the Family, Grunge Rock, Calendar Alphabet & Numbers
Cardstock: Peach Parfait, Not Quite Navy, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White
Designer papers: In Colour DSP (hostess pack)
Inks: Peach Parfait, Pear Pizzazz, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White
Punches: Spiral, Corner Rounder, Circles
Accessories: Brads, baker's twine, chipboard (Perfect Pair), clear embossing powder,
white gel pen, Stampin' Dimensionals, Crystal Effects, Designer brad, marker,
distressing tool, paper piercer and mat pack, Timeless Type Alphabet dies

 

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