Sailing Away

I was inspired by a few challenges today, and for this project it was easy to combine three of them in one.  Friday Mash Up this week challenged to use dry embossing with a sketch challenge; Crazy for Challenges had a male themed challenge; and Our Creative Corner's challenge this week was to use Real Red, Basic Gray and Basic Black. 

I have made this card for my dad for Father's Day this weekend, the choice of stamp was so easy.  Why? Because when I was just 2 years old my parents bought a yacht called "Spindrift" and it became my home for the next 5 years, even after that we used to go sailing for holidays, sometimes long holidays and I would have to do correspondence school.  It was only a few years ago that my parents made the decision to sell her, and while she is no longer part of our life, the sea and ocean definitely is.  The colour challenge this week just seemed perfect for a masculine card, and of course, the sketch gave me the inspiration I needed.  I have sneakily added the dry embossing in the form of the crimped DSP.

Stamps: Sail Away, Whimsical Words
Paper: Basic Black, Basic Gray, Real Red, Neutrals DSP Stack
Ink: Basic Black, Basic Gray and Real Red
Technique: I used the scallop circle punch to make a template for the clouds in the sky and sponged them with a combination of Real Red and Basic Gray.

Happy Stamping

More Challenges!!!

I like it when I sit down, pick a colour challenge, a sketch and a theme challenge or two, and then everything else just falls into place.  Well that is what happened making this card.  The challenges were Scrapmaster's Paridise Colour Combo Challenge, Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge, Friday Mash Up, and Hand Stamped Sentiments.  Had I set out to make 4 challenges in one card I think I would have struggled, I knew I wanted to do a card for each of these at some point this weekend.  Isn't it funny how sometimes things just "work"? A sure sign the mojo is back.

I didn't realise how soft and pretty the colours in the colour challenge would look together, I wanted to layer the card stock and DSP to make them stand out from each other a little bit.  When I did I realised how much they reminded me of a quilt, perhaps it was my visit to the Craft and Quilt Expo last weekend that made me have quilts on my mind. I also had in mind the HSS faux stitching challenge in the back of my mind, and it all just fit together nicely. I even wanted to give an applique look to the cup cake, the button also adds to the general quilty theme.

Paper: Pink Pirouette and Baja Breeze DSP, Wisteria Wonder, Baja Breeze, Pink Pirouette and Whisper White Card 
Ink: Silver Pen
Tools: 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, Circle Scissor,  Itty Bitty Shape Punch, Build a Cup Cake Punch, Mat Pack and Paper Piercer.
Special Touches: Silver Pen, Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon and Bitty Buttons.

Happy Stamping

On A Roll

 Having been out of mojo for a little while now I am pleased that I have created another card for a double challenge entry.  This one is for Just Add Ink colour challenge and Pals Paper Arts sketch challenge.

I used to absolutely love these earthy tones when I first started with Stampin' Up! but lately for some reason they have found themselves on my barely used pile!  Even when I did use them I tended to team them up with my old favourite Old Olive, so I was excited to try them with Bashful Blue instead.  I think the lighter blue really gives them a lift.  These colours together remind me of the poem "My Country" by Dorothea Mackellar  I think it is mental images of the blue of our Australian skies paired with the red dust of our outback.  Even the picture that is with the poem in that link has these colours in it!!

Stamps: Button Buddies, Perfect Punches

Paper: Cajun Craze, Bashful Blue and Very Vanilla Card Stock

Ink: Cajun Craze, Peach Parfait, Bashful Blue

Tools: , Scallop Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch

Special Touches: Polka Dot Embossing Folder, Champaigne Shimmer Mist, Dazzling Diamonds, Crystal Effects

Happy Stamping

Creative Colour Sketch

I was looking around at my favourite challenge blogs, as I often do on a Friday, and found two that I thought would go well together.  Colour Q colour challenge and Stampin' Royalty sketch challenge. 

I have to say I loved the look of the colour combo but struggled a bit with putting it together myself, but decided to stick at it and I am very pleased I did.  I have to say that the sketch really helped me keep focus, I initially had the Soft Suede as the base card, but with using wrapped bakers twine I needed to add a layer, I think the Island Indigo as the base gives the card a lift, and ties the colours together.  I am LOVING the new In-Colours, I have only used two of the five on this card and can't wait to share the other three with you. 

Happy Stamping

2 Mash Ups And A Sketch

I have been trying to play along each week with the Friday Mash Up Challenges, partly because they chose me as a guest designer in May this year, but mostly because I really do enjoy them.  Last week was no exception, and I struggled a bit with it, but I forgot to post a picture and enter it!   One of the reasons was because I was hiding it from my husband, it is our 20th wedding anniversary at the end of the month so this challenge came at a great time!  Anyway here is the card, better late than never, and shhhh don't tell him what it looks like :)

Now onto this week ... 

This week the challenge was set by one of my favourite stampers and my friend Kasey!  Now if you know Kasey you only had to look at the challenge to know she was involved ...  Butterflies and Bling! and blues and purples!!!!!

Because Kasey set the challenge I just knew I wanted to do the mash up and I knew I wanted to use one of these butterflies on the card.  The only tricky thing was then choosing a layout, so off I went in search of inspiration and I found the sketch challenge at Just Add Ink!  Now this challenge was set by the lovely and talented Bronwyn Eastley, who I always think of when I see this particular butterfly die used because she has made the most beautiful easel cards with it  (I sometimes thing of her as Bronwyn Easeley!). I also took inspiration from a card Kasey had made in the past, not sucking up at all, lol.

I love the technique of layering the butterflies, we were shown at convention by Kirsty Brown, check out her blog for details, but basically you cut the big butterfly then re-position it to cut the next layer out and then add the smallest butterfly.  She also used the bleach to card stock method which I have used here (a sneaky way of getting an extra colour into a colour challenge lol).

 Here is a quick peek inside the card.  I used a masking technique so that stamps and sponging didn't get onto the area I want to write on.  I used the sentiment from Butterfly Prints as the font and words just seemed to fit well.  When I was finished I sat back and looked at my creation and it made me think of Kasey, so I figured I had done her challenge justice.

Please pop over to both Friday Mash Up and Just Add Ink to see the lovely creations by design teams and by the other entrants.

Happy Stamping

ESAD Retired List Blog Hop

Welcome to the ESAD Retiring Products Blog Hop, whether you have arrived from Sherylee Tutt's Stampin' Up! Blog or are starting out here, please enjoy this blog hop by following the links at the bottom of each post.

This is a very exciting time of year for Stampin' Up! as the release of the new Idea Book & Catalogue is just around the corner, and to clear room for some amazing new products a number of products in the current IB&C are retired.  This is a bitter sweet time as often we have to say good bye to some old favourites for ever - Yes forever.  Once they are gone they are gone :-(  I know there are a few sets going this year that I will really miss.  A number of us over at ESAD wanted to do a blog hop as a chance to showcase some of these retiring items before they are gone for good.  If you would like to order any make sure you get in quick as once they are sold out they won't be restocking.

What is ESAD?

ESAD stands for "Extra Special Australasian Demonstrators" and it is an on-line group just for Australian and New Zealand Stampin' Up! demonstrators.

We so love what we do and not only do we love to share it with our customers, friends, and wonderful blog visitors, but we share our love for what we do with each other as demonstrators. We run swaps, challenges, tutorials, product know-how, and cyberstamps, and we are always there to help and support each other when it is needed.

So if you are a Stampin' Up! demonstrator located in Australia or New Zealand, then please fee free to click here to join our wonderful group

I chose to base my blog entry around Eastern Blooms, this was one of the stamps I got in my starter kit when I joined up as a demonstrator, and I have to say it was my favourite set for a long time.  I did a card similar to this when I first got the set, so thought I would do a farewell version now.  I chose Pretty in Pink, Early Espresso and Regal Rose as my base colours, I just love how the pinks go so well with the Espresso. I used a rock n roll technique on the big flowers, with the small ones on the background I inked up the stamp on the stamp pad and then coloured the centre of the flowers with my Stampin' Write Marker.  The sentiment is from Basic Phrases, another set I got in my starter kit, and another that is retiring at the end of the month. I also used a couple of 5/8" Jumbo Brads in the centre of the main flowers (but they aren't retiring thank goodness!).

For this next card I was inspired to team Eastern Blooms with the Elegant Soiree DSP, making a feature panel from stamps in the set and then stamping the main flower in VersaMark and then embossing with Gold Embossing Powder straight onto Soft Suede card stock.  3/8" Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon gives it a more feminine feel and this ribbon, along with many others, is also on the retiring products list.  Again the sentiment is done using Basic Phrases.

My final card was a bit of a fun one to do, I started off with a concept in my head but then it took on a life of it's own as I kept finding more retiring products to use on this card!  Firstly the Designer Label Punch is about to leave us, this one has always reminded me of trains - I am not sure if the shape of it reminds me of the front of a train or the station signs across London!!!  I have stamped the small flowers and punched them out with the 1" Circle Punch (not retiring), I used small metal eyelets (retiring) to attach them to the punch out shapes.  I wanted a band of colour along the bottom so used the 5/8" Certainly Celery Grosgrain ribbon (retiring) over a strip of Soft Suede.  Another retiring product is the Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, now 40% off, and I have used this to frame the sentiment from the Great Friends set, which is another favourite of mine and also retiring.  To tie in the Certainly Celery I stamped over the sentiment with the large stamp in the Fresh Cuts retiring stamp set, this is easier to see if you enlarge the picture of the card. 

I hope you have enjoyed my creations as much as I did making them. From here visit Juliette Chapman's Blog - Jules Krafti Krafts - to see what she has created.  Don't forget to leave some comments as you pop around visiting the blogs, we all love to hear what you think of our creations.

Just in case there are any missing posts, or issues with links here is a list of all the participants.

1. Keryn Campbell – http://www.kerynscards.blogspot.com/

2. Michelle Martin – http://www.ministamper.com/

3. Richelle Fletcher – http://www.stampingwithrichelle.blogspot.com/

4. Sharlene Meyer – http://www.magpiecreates.com/

5. Karen Southwell – http://kareniescrafts.blogspot.com/

6. Carole Stedman – http://www.carolestamping.com/

7. Sherylee Tutt – http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/sherylee/blog

8. Monique Fielder – http://stamping-with-moni-q.blogspot.com/

9. Juliette Chapman – http://www.juleskraftikrafts.blogspot.com/

10. Rebecca Scurr – http://www.stampinwithrebecca.wordpress.com/

11. Yvonne Walker – http://www.yvonnescreativecorner.blogspot.com/

12. Karen Rogers – http://www.karenstampz.co.nz/

13. Dani Fender – http://www.danifender.blogspot.com/

14. Cathy Clark – http://www.cathyclark.com.au/

15. Tanya Bell – http://www.stampingt.com.au/

16. Kelly Nelson – http://www.kellysstampinspot.wordpress.com/

17. Sharlene Torres – http://www.stampwithsharlene.com/

18. Kari Hughes – http://www.karigail.wordpress.com/

19. Mel Sharp – http://www.astampaddiction.blogspot.com/

20. Christie Kunkel – http://www.christiescreativecorner.blogspot.com/

21. Debbie Lamb – http://debstampinstyle.blogspot.com/

22. Clare McIlhatton – http://www.crafty-cow.com/

23. Michelle Halling – http://michellehcreations.blogspot.com/

24. Nicole VanSteelandt Derendorf –

http://www.stampingdownunder.wordpress.com/

25. Elizabeth Dyson - http://www.libbystampz.blogspot.com/

26. Joanne Kechagias – http://www.joannekechagias.blogspot.com/

Happy Stamping

Fan Fav at the Friday Mash Up ...

On a weekend full of challenges it would not feel right to skip the Friday Mash Up Challenge, especially this week as it is the first Fan Favourite. A little congratulations to Teresa Kline for her mash up being chosen.

The challenge this week is to ...

1. Create a "hand made flower or flowers" on your project
2. Create a project using "turquoise, red and black"
3. Or Mash It Up and create a project with hand made flowers that uses red, turquoise and black.

My project for this week is a side step card inspired by Marion Benfield who is a fellow Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.  One of the things I love about being a demonstrator is the support and inspiration I get from other demonstrators, it really is a great community.  While her original card is stunning I immediately knew I wanted to CASE it using a side step layout, and super perfect that it has a hand made flower!  I used a Basic Black circle as a background for the flower to make it "pop".



Here is Marion's original card ...

Card by Marion Benfield

Don't forget to pop over to Friday Mash Up and leave some comments for the design team and other creators.  I too love to hear what you think of my creations.

Happy Stamping