Encre, papier, ciseaux

Inkspirations #84 - Pressed Leaves

 

  
 

This card all started out with my annual stamp room clean-up. Every year when the catalogue comes to an end, I do a little bit of reorganization in my stash and try to purge a bit. As I was doing so, I found some old metal frames that have been in my stash for quite some time now. Since those frames were a little pricier than other embellishments, I had kept them aside to use in my scrapbook but now I figured that it's better to use them on a card than not use them at all. I put the frame with the little leaves aside to pair with the Autumn Fest set, thinking it'd be a good match.

The Autumn Fest set is one of those sets that retired right after I bought it, back when we had two catalogues a year. I barely had time to make a couple of projects with it before it hit the retiring list, but I held on to it because it is still my favorite leaf set SU! has offered so far. I like the whimsical feel to it and the details on the leaves.  I used the leaves to create my own patterned paper and used Craft ink on Crumb Cake cardstock for a "homespun" look. I stamped all of the leaves (and acorn) on Whisper White first, dried the ink with the heat tool, cleaned the stamps and overstamped the images in colored Craft ink. Isn't the result fun?

(On a side note, since In Colors are not offered in Craft ink, I selected the color closest to Concord Crush, namely Elegant Eggplant instead.)

The frame was initially plain metal. What I did is I painted the whole frame with yellow paint and I used a baby wipe to take the paint off of the surface of the frame, leaving paint only in the indented image. I needed something to add inside the frame and alhough my first idea was to stamp a sentiment and emboss it with the Tango Tangerine embossing powder, this idea just was not working out. I tried it on Concord Crush cardstock and on Daffodil Delight cardstock, but somehow it just looked wrong. Then, as I was looking up trying to find inspiration, a leaf die-cut out of the wooden sheets that had been left on my desk for quite some time caught my eye, so I tried it in the frame and bingo! Much better already! I dragged my Tango Tangerine Craft Stampin' Spot on the wooden die-cut to die it and spritzed it with Smooch Spray to add a glimmery finish to it. Then, I stamped a small sentiment from the Teeny Tiny Wishes set on a piece of cardstock, punched little tags out of scraps and used some linen thread to tie the sentiment tags around the leaf. I added two pieces of ribbons held by brads to the side of the frame.

The back of the card was decorated with patterned paper from the In Colors stack and I added a piece of embossed cardstock behind the Crumb Cake cardstock to make it stand out more. Two linen-threaded buttons were added to the card to finish it off.

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

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

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Autumn Fest, Voeux mignons (Teeny Tiny Wishes)
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Concord Crush, Tango Tangerine
Designer papers: In Colors paper stack (hostess - retired)
Inks: Daffodil Delight, Tango Tangerine, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White, Concord Crush
Punches: Small Tag, Scallop Edge
Accessories:  Buttons, Linen thread, In Colors Glimmer brad, Bright brad,
Crumb Cake envelope, Metal frame, Lattice embossing folder

 

Colorful Rosette

I went Simply Scored happy on this one and used my new tool to create a grid background and to create the rosette. The center of the rosette was stamped with an image from the Circle Circus set, and I paired it with a sheet of paper from the Berry Blossoms pack (currently on promotion through the month of August). On the background band, I layered some Calypso Coral ruffled ribbon on top of Poppy Parade and Lucky Limeade cardstock. As you can see, those three In Colors look really nice and fruity together! Finally, the sentiment comes from the Delightful Dozen set and was stamped in Poppy Parade.

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Douce douzaine (Delightful Dozen), Circle Circus
Cardstock: Lucky Limeade, Poppy Parade, Calypso Coral, Whisper White, Basic Black
Designer paper: Berry Blossoms
Accessories: Coral Calypso ribbon, white brad, circle punches,
Scallop Edge punch, Simply Scored board

 

Origami Fold Pocket Card

Seems I always learn some new technique or card fold whenever I take part in a VSN or challenge day. During DTGD week, it was the origami pocket fold. Totally fun and different, and a great way to showcase the beautiful Designer papers! (In this instance, I used a sheet of Nautical Adventures paper from the Summer mini.)

For this one, I knew I wanted to make a thank you card for my parents, who were a tremendous help with my bedroom makeover. Thank goodness my Dad was there, and thank goodness he's handy with tools!  I remembered the cute little hammer and nails from the Every Little Bit set - perfect for the occasion! I used it on the front diamond, which holds the front flap in place and keeps the pocket closed. I also used the silver mini brads (a new addition to the catalogue) to anchor the panel in place and stamped some stripes using the Solid Stripes stamp on my Night of Navy mat.

Inside, I used the thank you sentiment from the Hand-Penned Holidays set, embossed in Pewter as well. I stamped nails around my sentiment, using a marker to ink only the nails and omit the hammer on the image. Finally, I used two square punches to create corners that I added inside the card to decorate. I added some twill to the flap and a vintage brad on it. To simplify things, I cut the prongs off and added the brad to the project using a glue dot.

You'd like to learn how to make this card? This is one of the projects I'll be teaching at my upcoming Simply Scored class. Contact me for more info about it.  

 

 

 
 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Every Little Bit, Notes manuscrites (Hand-Penned Holidays), Solid Striped
Cardstock: Old Olive, Night of Navy, Marina Mist, Very Vanilla
Designer paper: Nautical Adventure
Inks: Versamark, Old Olive
Accessories: Markers, Pewter Stampin' Emboss powder, white envelope,
Circle punches, mini silver brads, Vintage brad, Twill, Square punches

 

Happy Merry Christmas

My work colleague looked totally shocked a couple of weeks ago when I told her I had been working on some Christmas cards during the weekend. And she thought her daughter was jumping the gun when she started talking about what kind of Halloween costume she would like to wear this year... What can I say, it is never too early to start planning Christmas projects, as there are a lot of people to send cards to and so little time to get them all done. Plus, I know that you'll all be eager to see samples when the Holidays mini launches, so...

This is the Christmas card in question, which was done during the DTGD challenge week on SCS. It was inspired by a sketch and I decided to use the Joie des Fêtes set. I was SOO excited when I saw this was available in French. SU! has done quite a few illustrated sentiment sets over the year, but this is the first that has ever been made available in French. To quote Brandi, I was all over it like a fat kid on Smarties. What I was even more excited about was to discover that the wasabi buttons from the Berry Bouquet pack from the mini fit perfectly on the 'o' - and they look like little wreath, too! Happy coincidence or great planning on SU!'s part? Who knows, but doesn't it look great?

I layered some Berry Bouquet papers and ribbons from the mini as well and added one of the new felt embellishments. Those are so yummy! I already feel the old need to hoard coming back, but I need to fight it - those embellishments are too beautiful to grow old in a drawer! The sentiment was embossed with Pewter powder on watercolor paper and I used a blending pen and some ink to watercolor the images. I added a cross stitch at the jonction of the two ribbons using Cherry Cobbler baker's twine and two glimmer brads in the top corner to finish it off.

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Joie des Fêtes (Festive & Fun)
Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip, watercolor paper
Designer papers: Berry Bouquet
Inks: Real Red, Cherry Cobbler, Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip, Versamark
Accessories: Vanilla velvet ribbon, Cherry Cobbler velvet ribbon, Cherry Cobbler baker's twine,
Oval Scallop Frame die, Paper piercer, Blending pen, Pewter Stampin' Emboss powder, Stampin' Dimensionals, Berry Bouquet button, Berry Bouquet felt accents, Glimmer brads

 

Fall Harvest

I went all out with the new minicatalogue supplies on this one. New stamps, new papers, new fabrics, new velvet ribbon, new sentiment set, new embossing powder... Surely, there'll be something in there to get you excited about the upcoming mini! I think the best part is that most of this stuff I got in a free bundle thanks to the new career plan SU! launched in July. One more reason to be excited about being a demonstrator!

The stamp set I used is called Gently Falling and it is a two-step stamping set, meaning that you get a "filler" and an outline stamp that matches. The papers and fabrics are from the Spice Cake collection and their colour combo is gorgeous! Don't let the fact that those are shown in a fall setting distract you - if you look closely at the patterns, you'll see they are more of boho style that can be used all year long and perfect for all kinds of projects, including masculine ones.

I used the fabric to create a pleated look around the oval image. I simply used sticky strip on the back of the oval and gathered the fabric on the back, creating pleats. I had done this with cardstock before, but it even easier with fabric and it creates a beautiful, soft look.

The oval medallion was stamped with some leaves from the set and die-cut with the Ovals die, then I used the oval Designer Frame embossing folder in the center. For the handcut leaves, I stamped the first image in color and the overlapping image in Versamark and then embossed it with Pewter powder.

The sentiment panel was stamped with the Wonderfully Worn background stamp (a great stamp to add texture) and then I embossed a sentiment from the Hand-Penned Holidays. Note that the French sentiment reads, "Kisses," but the English version is a little different. It actually says, "Happy Halloween." The French "Merci bien" is actually "Give thanks" in English. The other two sentiment are direct translations, though. Just FYI...

I added a linen thread bow to the sentiment panel and rolled up the end using the end of a paintbrush. Then, I added some vanialle velvet ribbon (gorgeous stuff), two pearls at the top and a little bit of piercing on the Pool Party panel and was done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Gently Falling, Notes manuscrites (Hand-Penned Holidays), Wonderfully Worn
Cardstock: Lucky Limeade, Very Vanilla, More Mustard
Designer papers: Spice Cake
Inks: Lucky Limeade, More Mustard, Soft Suede, Pool Party
Accessories: Vanilla envelope, Pewter embossing powder, Spice Cake fabric,
Pearl Basic Jewels, Ovals die, Designer Frames embossing folder, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Distressing tool (Cutting Kit), Paper piercer and Mat pack, Vanilla velvet ribbon

 

A Little Taste of Heaven

A couple of weeks ago, my cousin mention that there's a candy store (La Fudgerie, in Quebec City) that does handmade fudge with all kind of funky flavors near my office. When I needed a hostess gift, I decided to check it out. Oh my goodness... They have little bites that you can taste when you get there and even though I was expecting it to taste good, I don't think I was expecting it to be THIS good! Wow... Of course, I couldn't hand it out like that, so I had to package it all cute and I used the beautiful Spice Cake suite to tie the boxes together (one with fudge and the other with chocolate-dipped nuts) and make a matching tag.

The tag was die-cut with the Two Tags die that we carry. I just got this one and I don't know why it took me so long. There's so many cute things that can be done with it. The big rickrack trim on it was die-cut with the Tasteful Trims out of fabric that had been previously glued onto cardstock before cutting. I added a couple of leaves on the package, one hand-stamped with the Holidays mini set Gently Falling and the other one die-cut out of a wooden sheet with the Leaves die and sponged with Pear Pizzazz ink. I wanted to add a small button on the tag, so I pulled out the Button Button set (have you noticed how it made it back to the big catalogue?).

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Buttons Buttons, Gently Falling, Notes manuscrites (Hand-Penned Holidays)
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Pear Pizzazz, More Mustard, Soft Suede
Designer papers: Spice Cake
Inks: Chocolate Chip
Big Shot: Tasteful Trims die, Two Tags die, Leaves die
Accessories: Jumbo Designer button, twine, Spice Cake Designer fabrics,
eyelet, marker, Stampin' Dimensionals, Wooden sheet, Circle punch

Tour de Freaks - Mini Mania!

 
 
 

Psst... If you are reading this post on the 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 August 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 thirteen blogs that are part of the tour today by following the links provided at the bottom of each post. Our theme this month is Holidays Mini Preview! So without further ado, here are the fun projects I would like to share with you this month!

 

 

My first project: Spice Cake Suite

Project info: This project was made with the Spice Cake bundle that SU! put together from the 2011 Holidays mini. I really love that collection - the colors are just gorgeous! One of the accessories is that collection is big jumbo buttons. And I mean big - they are 1-1/2 in. in diameter. Demos were having a conversation and wondering what to do with those and I suggested using them to make a little shaker, since we are also getting circle dimensional adhesive in the mini, meant to quickly put together shakers. I decided to put my own idea onto paper, so if you look closely, the button is covered with a shaker filled with glass glitter.

Here's a tip: I used our window sheet both on top and at the bottom of the shaker, to contain the glitter and avoid having it fall into the button holes, while still seeing the button through the shaker.

The Spice Cake collection includes Designer fabric, which I used to create the big rickrack border (which was die-cut with the Tasteful Trims die) and to tie a knot on two of the buttons. I used the acorn from the Gently Falling set to decorate my shaker, along with a little bit of linen thread.

   

 

   

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Gently Falling
Cardstock: More Mustard, Pear Pizzazz
Designer Papers: Spice Cake
Inks: Soft Suede
Big Shot: Tasteful Trims die
Accessories: Spice Cake fabric, Spice Cake buttons, Circle shaker dimensional adhesive,
Window sheet, Linen thread, Champagne glass glitter

  

 

 

My second project:  Halloween Stocking

Project info:  I was so excited when I saw the stocking die! You even get the cuff and patches as well. Making a cute stocking has never been easier! This is the first chance I've had to play with it and I thought it'd be cool to make an Halloween stocking on which I could slip treats. I used the Frightful Sight papers (currently on promotion) and I handdrew some points to come down the cuff. The hanging spider was handcut directly from one of the papers from that same pack.

Another exciting addition in the minicatalogue is the Silver glimmer paper! I know you all loved the red version and now we have silver as well, which is exciting. I used it to add trimming cut with the Tasteful Trims die. Notice how I also used the negative part of the rickrack die-cut around the toe and heel patches.

The "bouh" (which is in French, in case you are thinking I can't spell properly...) was added with the Timeless Type alphabet dies.

  

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Old Olive
Designer papers: Frightful Sight
Big Shot: Stocking die, Timeless Type alphabet dies, Tasteful Trims
Accessories: Circle punch, glimmer brad, Old Olive satin ribbon, Silver glimmer paper,
Big Shot adhesiveg sheets

  

 

 

 

And your link back to the next stop: Lisa Martz's blog! Enjoy the rest of the tour!

 
  



Inkspirations #83 - Miss Ewe

  
  
 

 

 

Have I got a cute one to share with you today! Still in my quest to leave no stamp uninked in my stash, I turned to a cute set called Sheepish that I got last Spring and never got around to using up until now. You might recognize the papers I used as the pieces I had leftover from the scrapbook page I did a couple of weeks ago. Whenever that's possible, when I have new papers, I like to do a page first and then make cards with the pieces I left rather than the other way around because I find I usually need bigger pieces of papers for pages due to their size (I scrap mainly in 12 x 12) and am not always able to make the design I intended when pieces are already cut, whereas with cards, I can do a whole lot more with small pieces.

Therefore, as my initial page was done, I was ready to get stamping with my paper scraps. I looked at the colours and patterns and thought they would be a cute fit for the uninked sheep, so thanks to the multilayered sketch, I was able to come up with a card really fast. I wanted a long narrow pannel for my main image like in the sketch and the way to achieve that look was to cut all the way up to the scarf and then handcut the rest to have it "float out" of the frame.

When I made the card, Alma from the Cat's Pajamas had also challenged fellow stampers to use watercoloring on one of her images, so I embossed the sheep in gold powder and used inks and my beloved Aquapainter (which I had for six years now and it still works like new) and added color to him. I am very happy with the soft, curly woollen look I achieved on him.

Although the card came together very nicely, the sentiment is the part that gave me grief. I couldn't find anything that was just right, but I spotted a sentiment set that had the word "chaleureux" ("warm") in it, which was perfect for the scarf and overall feel, and I wanted it to say "voeux chaleureux" so I found the missing word on another stamp and used markers to stamp them together. Got the first word right, smudge the second one in green. Decided to add a tag over it. Couldn't get it to look right. Decided to do a strip that would run over the edges and cover my boo-boo. The first one I did was too dark - couldn't read the word properly. I stamped it again with Versamark to emboss but it wasn't inked properly and the powder wasn't sticking right. Did it a second time in Versamark, got the powder to stay, embossed it, noticed the heat was changing the color on part of the cardstock, so I reheated the rest to make the color fade evenly, then tried the strip over the image... and didn't like the look at all. The word was hard to read on the textured cardstock and the gold embossing looked surprisingly drab on the purple cardstock. Decided the first version with the smudged word was still the best of them all and left it as is. And you know what? I like it just the way it is.

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

Supplies
Patterned papers: Bo Bunny (Jazmyne)
Stamps: Sheepish (TCP), Des mots chaleureux (SU!), Tous mes remerciements (SU!)
Cardstock: Bazzill, watercolor paper (SU!)
Inks: Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Soft Suede, River Rock, Wisteria Wonder,
Blush Blossom, Versamark (SU!)
Accessories:  Gold embossing powder (SU!), Button (Autumn Leaves),
Pearl Basic Jewels (SU!), Ribbon (source unknown), Brads (SU!),
Pinking Heart border punch (SU!), Aquapainter brush (SU!),
Stampin' Dimensionals (SU!), Vanilla envelope (SU!)

 

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!

 

Come Sail Away

The card I am sharing today kind of reminds me of a Canadian 10 cents! It started out with a sketch and a masculine card challenges during the Dare to Get Dirty week on SCS. The circle with the sailboat comes directly from a patterned paper from the Nautical Adventures DSP (Summer mini) that I handcut. Since we get two sheets of each design, I was able to cut the whole circle from one sheet and cut just the sails from the second one and layer them using Stampin' Dimensionals. Great way to do a quick card with a lot of punch!

The sentiment comes from a new sentiment set called Delightful Dozen. The word "papa" is just an outline on the stamp, so I used my Cherry Cobbler marker to fill in the letters and get a two-toned sentiment. Notice the rope at the bottom? I got it from an SU! minicatalogue a couple of years ago. It's too bad SU! didn't bring this item back in the current mini because it would have matched the nautical line very nicely. I used it here

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Douce douzaine (Delightful Dozen), The Open Sea
Cardstock: Not Quite Navy, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso
Designer papers: Nautical Adventures
Inks: Not Quite Navy, Early Espresso
Accessories: Markers, rope, jumbo eyelets, envelope, brads, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

Snowy Day

Do you love making shaker cards? If you do, there is something exciting coming your way in the Holidays mini... Circle Dimensional rings!! Makes putting together round shakers a snap.

Here is my first try at using them myself. I paired them with the cute little girl from the Gift Givers set. This image initially had the word "hello" on it, but I took it off with my craft knife. The challenges that inspired this card were a sketch and an embellishment challenge, which I paired with the Colour Q #96 color combo as well.

Have you seen what's inside the shaker? Mica flakes! Another exciting addition to our line of products. They have such a nice iridescent sheen to them. Prepare to be dazzled! To decorate the card, I tied two ribbons together (Baja Breeze seam binding and Lucky Limeade ruffled ribbon) and added a tiny jingle bell (again from the Holidays mini - are you getting excited yet?)

The sentiment comes from the Four the Holidays set, which I added to my collection during Sale-a-Bration. I stamped it in Versamark on vellum and embossed it with Pewter powder and matted it with the Silver shimmer paper, and then added two clear rhinestone brads.

The fabulous patterned papers are from the Pocketful of Posies Designer paper pack (which is part of the August promotion) and I used the Dazzling Details glitter glue to add some sparkle to some of the polka dots.

The front of the shaker card was created with the larger scallop circle punch and I added detailing with my white gel pen on it and used the two-way glue pen to add Dazzling Diamonds glitter around the opening.

 

 

 

 

Color Combo: Lucky Limeade + Bashful Blue + Baja Breeze + Basic Grey

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Quatuor des Fêtes (Four the Holidays), Gift Givers
Cardstock: Lucky Limeade, Baja Breeze, Bashful Blue, Basic Grey, watercolor paper, vellum
Designer papers: Pocketful of Posies
Inks: Versamark, Lucky Limeade, Baja Breeze, Bashful Blue, Basic Grey, Marina Mist, Soft Suede
Punches: Circles, Scallop Circle, Scallop Trim border
Accessoreis: Pewter embossing powder, Rhinestone brads, Circle Shaker Dimensionals,
Window sheet, Baja Breeze seam binding, Lucky Limeade ruffle ribbon, Mini jingle bell,
Dazzling DIamonds glitter, Dazzling Detail glitter glue, Blending pen

 

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

 

Miam Miam

This is a fun page that I put together quickly a few weeks ago. It is about this strawberry jam-filled cake that my mom cooks that is favorite with the whole family. I don't think we've ever let a single piece go to waste!

You'll recognize my favorite die, Tasteful Trims, used at the bottom to do my cardstock strips. The last one (the big rickrack) was cut out of a sticky page and I covered it with yellow glitter. The title was done with Thickers that were already glittered like that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Santé!

My challenges for  this one were to use a fruit or vegetable image and to do a one-layer card. I reached for one of my favorite retired set, Fresh Fruits, and decided to add some life to my single layer card by using the Poppin' Pastels technique. I have to admit that I tend to use that technique every time I pull out that fruit set. What can I say, they just look so good and lifelike when colored with various colors and the pastels allow for great shading.

I stamped and colored the pear first, and then I created a mask for the pear before stamping the stripes in Versamark. I left the mask in place while coloring the stripes to avoid getting some purple on my pear. I also added a sentiment from the Delightful Dozen set and colored it with pastels as well - a great way to get a multicolored sentiment.

To finish it off, I added some scallop polka dot ribbon (aren't those new ribbons just darling?) and a yellow button from last Spring's mini threaded with white baker's twine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Fresh Fruits, Douce douzaine (Delightful Dozen)
Cardstock: Confetti White
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Envelope, Stampin' Pastels, Big Designer button,
White baker's twine, Old Olive scallop polka dot ribbon, daubers

 

Inkspirations #82 - Travel Log

  
 
 
 
  
 
 

When looking at this upcoming colour combo, all I kept thinking about was that it would look great paired with the Travel Log set, so that was the starting point of my project. Then, I got the idea to turn it into a notebook, which will come in handy since the last time I left for Leadership, I was scrambling around to find a notebook of the just the right size to bring with me to the event (small enough to slip in my purse, big enough to write more than three words on one page).

I used the chipboard sold by SU! and cut it to size with the tabletop cutter. Then, I used recycled printing paper cut to size to create the pages. (It is actually old stationery that the office gave us when they changed name to use for scrap paper. I cut off the header and have nice, heavy-weight white paper for my pages.) Learn from my mistake, though: you should cut the cover pages a bit larger than the pages that will be inserted inside. It will give you a cleaner look once everything is binded.

The cover was decorated using a mix of stamps from the set. I added a spray of Log Cabin Smooch to the Marina Mist cardstock and distressed the edges with the Cutting Kit. I wanted to glue the sign with Dimensionals, but was hesitant to do so because I was afraid the notebook then wouldn't travel well and finally decided to just go with it anyway.

I divided the pages with tabs in matching colors. I could have used the Round Tab punch, but I wanted a different look, so I used the Curly Label punch instead. I wanted the curly part to be facing outwards instead of the fold, so my solution was to punch half of the shape twice and glue those two pieces together, making sure to sandwich the paper in between those two pieces, and then I stamped the circle signs in matching colours and added them to the tabs.

 

 

 

 

 

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: Travel Log
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, Cajun Craze
Inks: Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, Cajun Craze, Versamark
Accessories:  Binding machine, Brads, Stampin' DImensionals, Cutting Kit (distressing tool),
Embossing powder, Stamp-a-Ma-Jig, Curly Label punch, Log Cabin Smooch spray

 

Posies Notebook

A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled upon a notebook I had bought at the dollar store years ago, that I had bought with the intent of altering. I decided it was high time I saw to it and with one of the DTGD challenge being that we had to do something other than a card, timing was just perfect.

I selected one of the papers from the Pocketful of Posies pack (which is part of the promotion SU! has on papers this month) that has a bold design and is perfect for the front of a notebook. If you look closely, you'll notice I added some tiny flowers in between the big ones. Those are actually leftover pieces you get when you use the new lace border punch that came out this year. I had kept the little flowers aside hoping I could use them somewhere on a project, so I used my glue pen to add them to the paper and then I created centers for them out of the silver glimmer paper (upcoming Holidays mini) using my handheld punch.

The bottom of the notebook was covered with a Concord Crush polka dot paper from the retired In Colors hostess pack. On it, I stamped the word Notes using my new Spencerian Alphabet Upper and embossed it in white powder to make it stand out against the dark background. The seam was covered with a rickrack piece that was die-cut with the Tasteful Trims die. I also threaded one of the jumbo Spice Cake buttons (they are 1-1/2 in. wide - they really are quite big!) with some white taffeta ribbon and I used sticky strip to add the button on the outside of the plastic cover. I figured it would be too bulky inside the plastic cover and that we couldn't see the paper as well if the cover was not laying flat against it.

This sheet of paper was slipped inside the plastic cover, and I used some matching designer papers to add to the inside of the notebook cover, to unify it. I used my punch and name stamp to add my name on the front page as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Spencerian Alphabet Upper, Name stamp
Cardstock: Whisper White, Poppy Parade
Designer papers: Pocketful of Posies, In Colors Hostess Pack, Baja Breeze
Inks: Versamark
Accessories: White embossing powder, Lace border punch, Silver shimmer paper,
handheld punch, Notebook, Spice Cake button (Holidays mini),
White taffeta ribbon, Tasteful Trims die

 

Hello, Cupcake

I am really happy this cupcake set made it to the new catalogue. It's such a fun, versatile set that has been really popular since it first came out. By simply pairing an "old" stamp set with new supplies, you can make it feel totally new again. Here, I used the set for the DTGD challenge that called for a cup or cupcake, and paired it with the center step fold and double up challenges.

The double up challenge was about dry-embossing a cardstock with an embossing folder and then using a background stamp to add a pattern on the raised portions of the embossing. First time I tried it and I love the look! It was my first try at the center step fold as well. I initally followed the directions in the linked tutorial, but the resulting card was 5-1/2 x 5-1/2, therefore too big to fit into an envelope, so I decided to rework the pattern into something smaller. It took a little bit of tweaking, but I finally managed to make the base you see here for my card.

For the main panel, I used the Create a Cupcake stamp set and matching punch. I colored the bottom of the cupcake with markers to get the stripes and then overstamped the image in Versamark to clear-emboss it twice. I covered the top of the cupcake with White Frost shimmer paint, using a stipple brush to get a textured look. The candles were colored with markers and stamped off to get a lighter color, and then I used the markers again to add some doodled designs on them. I used one of the Designer Frames embossing folders to frame the cupcake and used the Wide Oval punch (which matches perfectly) to add some paper in the background. I added some Crumb Cake taffeta ribbon at the bottom and added a matching button held in place by some needlework floss.

The side panels were embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots folder and I added some Tango Tangerine rickrack that was die-cut with the Tasteful Trims die. On the bottom panel, I embossed the sentiment with the new Pewter embossing powder (upcoming Holidays mini) and used two Pool Party polka dot brads to hold it in place. Aren't those adorable? It's my favorite new embellishment from the cattie. As you can see, the colours are versatile enough to be matched with other shades. Here, I used some Pool Party brads to match the Baja Breeze cardstock.

 

 

 

 

Color Combo: Tango Tangerine + Basic Grey + Baja Breeze + Very Vanilla

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Faire des petits gâteaux (Create a Cupcake), Canvas
Cardstock: Basic Grey, Very Vanilla, Baja Breeze, Tango Tangerine
Inks: Baja Breeze, Tango Tangerine, Versamark
Big Shot: Perfect Polka Dot embossing folder, Sparkly Snow embossing folder,
Tasteful Trims die, Designer Frames embossing folder
Accessories: Taffeta ribbon, button, needlework floss (DMC), In Colors brads,
Pewter embossing powder, Wide Oval punch, Cupcake punch, Simply Scored,
White Frost shimmer paint, stipple brush, Clear embossing powder, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

Glorious and Free

I have been stamping like a madwoman last weekend trying to get all 37 Dare to Get Dirty challenges on Splitcoast Stampers done. Luckily, we were allowed to combine challenges or else I would never have gotten it done. (Although some stampers did manage to get 37 projects done in one week - big shout-out to my friend Brandi here!)

Anyway, one of those challenges required us to find something red and draw inspiration from it. I got the idea to use the Canadian flag and put some much-needed mileage on my Glorious & Free stamp set. This is one of those specific themed set that you don't necessarily use every day but that you are glad you have when you need to make a specific project. I really like all of the pieces included in this set and this will be a keeper even after it retires, for sure.

I kept the card simple, but the focus point is quite neat, if I may say so myself. I pourred some embossing powder on a piece of cardstock and heated it from beneath with my embossing powder (this detail is very important if you don't want the powder to go flying everywhere!) Once the powder had completely melted, I pressed my stamp into the powder and left it there until it cooled down. This made the fun pewter seal you see there. To color the maple leaf, I stamped the image in Cherry Cobbler Craft ink on a piece of white cardstock, embossed it with two layers of clear embossing powder and handcut the leaf out, then placed it in the indentation.

Then (spoiler alert...), I used the new scoring board from SU! to add a dry-embossed border all around the Cherry Cobbler cardstock. In the past, I have always relied on my paper cutter and its scoring blade to do any kind of scoring I needed to. When I saw that we would now be carrying a scoring board in the upcoming Holidays mini, I decided to splurge and get one for myself. It is so well-designed! I can't wait to show it off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Glorious & Free¨
Cardstock: Confetti White, Cherry Cobbler, Basic Grey
Inks; Cherry Cobbler
Accessories`Scallop Circle punch, Cherry Cobbler seam binding
and velvet ribbon, Pewter and Clear embossing powders

 

Hello, Sunshine

I made this card last fall when a colleague requested a special birthday card for her daughter, who's into scrapbooking herself and has taken a few classes with me in the past. Her daughter's 12, so I made sure to pick something young and colourful. Apparently, I pulled a home run, because her daughter loooved her card. Poor little thing got sick on her birthday and she missed out on her birthday party, but apparently, the card made her perk up and she studied every little details on it. Gotta say, I love putting time and effort into a card when I know the person is going to love receiving it that much.

I stamped the striped paper on the card base with my unmounted In Stitches wheel and embossed the stitching with white powder. It looks just like the real thing! I die-cut some shapes out of matching patterned papers with the use of my Big Shot and added some doodling and real hand-stitching on the circles. On the right side, I embellished the card with a selection of flowers (including the retired felt and crochet flowers) and brads (including shimmer, corduroy and rhinestone brads).

The two sentiment stamps are from the Party Hearty set. I punched the circle sentiment with the Scallop Circle punch and placed it under my die-cut so that only the word "Celebrate" showed.

At the bottom of the easel card, I added a piece of Pumpkin Pie rickrack to hold the card in place and added yellow buttons alongside the rickrack.

The little girl is from a set of three called Rain Snow Shine and I thought it might appeal to a teenage girl. I added some Crystal Effects on the sunglasses to make them shiny and also used a sparkly gel pen to highlight details on the patterned paper.

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Rain Snow Shine (The Greeting Farm), Célèbre en grand (PArty Hearty - SU!),
In Stitches wheel (SU!)
Cardstock: Bazzill
Papers: ?
Inks: Basic Grey, Black, Versamark
Accessories: Die-cuts, Crystal Effects, buttons, rickrack, Stampin' DImensionals,
brads, flowers, white envelope, gel pen, white embossing powder, dies (circle, scallop circle).
needlework floss, paper piercer, eyelets

 

Inkspirations #81 - At Bella World

  
 

 

 

I kept looking at this week's sketch and trying to decide from which angle I would approach it. I knew it could work for a card but couldn't decide which set to pair it with and then I thought maybe I could use it as a scrapbook sketch. Once I did, then it all came together very quickly. I remembered I had some pics Keesh had sent me from her visit in Toronto that I wanted to scrap and had a flash about some papers that had been in my stash for a while that would pair up very nicely with the pictures. The rest of the design just flowed very naturally. I wished things would always work out like that... You'll notice that I did a mirror image of the sketch to make sure I was facing the inside of the page on the picture.

The gorgeous flower ribbon is something that I brought back from my trip to Toronto last summer. I had seen it used in LOs published in magazine and thought it was beautiful and I was really excited to find some at a local store in Kingston on the way. I had been hoarding it up until now but thought it matched the style and colours of the papers beautifully. I added some pearls and a hatpin from the Pretties kit to the ribbon as well.

The title was created with some alphabet stickers and a grungeboard shape that was part of a number set. I remember when I first got this set (and also when I bought the Simple Numbers dies from SU!) wondering when I would ever get to use the @ symbol. I guess it just makes more sense if you're creating in English, to replace the word "at." In French, unless you are doing a card with a computer on it, there are not many uses for it. Anyway, when I decided that I wanted my title to be "At Bella World," I jumped at the chance to use that chipboard piece.

The lady between Keesh and I in the top picture is Emily, the store owner. She's just a hoot and she kept keeping a straight face while muttering stuff under her breath that would crack me up, as you can see in the picture. Funny, funny lady.

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

Supplies
Patterned papers: Bo Bunny (Jazmyne)
Accessories:  Alphabet stickers (American Crafts), Buttons (Autumn Leaves),
Ribbons (various sources), Pretties kit (SU!), white gel pen, Die-cuts (Making Memories,
Pink Paisley), Grungeboard (Tim Holtz), Brads (SU!), Fiber (Making Memories),
Rhinestones (SU!), glitter (SU!), Whisper White Craft ink (SU!)

 

Visit from the Other End of the World

It feels like I haven't stamped in ages! Mild exaggeration, but I haven't been in my stamp room in over a week. A few weeks ago, I bought a new bedroom furniture set and it was delivered to my place last week. Which meant I had to empty the whole room and then find a new place for everything. I am really pleased with the result and I owe a big thanks for my parents, who were a huge help in this endeavour. That being said, as much as I love my brand new bedroom, I am looking forward to slipping back into my favorite spot, i.e. behind my stamp desk!  I am expecting my Holidays mini preorder tomorrow and I really want to work on the DTGD challenges that are posted on SCS all through the week, but in the meantime, here's a pic of a project I made a couple of weeks ago.

I was in a scrapbooking mood and pulled out some pictures of Keesh and me that were taken last year when she visited and that she had sent me when she came back from her trip. This page came together quite quickly, as the patterned papers I used were already pretty full and I didn't have to add much to complete the page. I liked the top of one of the pages with the plane and I liked the bottom of another one, with the mail, so I used the cutter from the Cutting Kit to cut the first page in a wave pattern and glue it to the second one. Using alphabet stickers, I followed the wavy pattern on the paper to add my title.

To embellish the rest of the page, I used matching rub-ons (including some that I added directly to my picture) and some image that I handcut from the patterned papers. The sun is a die-cut from Fancy Pants Designs that I added to the page before gluing the title letters in place.

I like that we have the plane at the top for Keesh for flew all the way around the globe and the cute little car at the bottom since I drove all the way to Toronto. There was also a camera in the rub-ons, which was perfect to go with the picture.

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Patterned Papers: Prima Marketing Inc. (Road Trip)
Rub-Ons: Prima Marketing Inc. (Road Trip)
Aphabet stickers: American Crafts (Yellow and White Thickers),
My Mind's Eye (small striped letters)
Die-Cuts: Fancy Pants Designs
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals