Monday 29 August 2016

Mix It Up Monday: Totally Trees



It’s Mix It Up Monday again and time for another project made with a colour combination from my latest set of In Color charts. This project was one of the Make & Takes at my Autumn/Winter catalogue launch party at the weekend. I traditionally focus on Christmas at these events but I’m not quite ready to let go of the summer just yet so thought we’d create something colourful with Totally Trees. 


I really love this set, it’s so versatile - and I showcased the versatility of the Tin of Tags set, too, by using it on a birthday card. I’m quite a fan of this colour combo, too – Sugarplum and Denim are my two favourite In Colors this year. I know I wasn’t sure about Sweet Sugarplum to begin with but it’s really grown on me. (Don’t ask me about the Peach though – I still have to learn to love that one!)


To stamp the trees evenly, I began by positioning the stamp on the block at a 45-degree angle. This meant that, when stamping the first tree, I could line the block up with the edge of the cardstock, stamping down the left edge first, then lining up the trees with each other as I went along. I’d cut the Whisper White cardstock slightly bigger than required, so we could trim it down and have the trees hanging off all sides. 

Stamping the Mint Macaron on top is simple - it really helps that this set is photopolymer, so you can see where you’re going. 


To create the splatter effect, I watered down some Sweet Sugarplum ink ever so slightly, just to loosen it a little. Then I picked some up with a paintbrush and, holding it horizontally across the project, I simply tapped the top of the brush to splash some ink. The thinner your ink, the bigger the splashes - and they are more likely to smudge your existing images, so don’t go mad with the water. 

I finished off with the corner rounder to take off the harshness of the sharp corners, and some Sweet Sugarplum ribbon. 


Saturday 27 August 2016

Caturday: Benji needs a home


This is Benji and he desperately needs a new home. He currently lives in Belper but his owner has had to go into a care home and couldn’t take him with her. He’s eight years old, and indoor/outdoor cat and said to be very affectionate. Does anyone know anyone who can help?

Monday 22 August 2016

Totally Trees masculine birthday card


I bet you thought I’d forgotten all about Mix It Up Monday, didn’t you? But no, I’m just running a little late as I’ve been away for the weekend. This project, made with another colour combination from my latest set of In Color charts, uses Totally Trees, a fabulous new set from the upcoming Autumn/Winter catalogue, which I know you’ll love. This set is extremely versatile, and you’ll find it useful for lots of occasions, including Christmas, I’m sure. 






Linen Thread
[104199]
£4.25

Saturday 20 August 2016

Caturday: Ajax


Meet Ajax. He’s a very big boy... and although he looks cross, he’s quite friendly really. He’s one of the cats in my downline and was determined to join in the stamping fun by sitting at the craft table!

Thursday 18 August 2016

Best Birds negative die-cutting


No sneak peek today I’m afraid but I do have (what I think is) a quite exciting project to show you. 

I was playing around with “negatives” – the bits left behind after die-cutting, and wondered what I could make by planning the negatives carefully. The result was this card. I can’t pretend it was quick. I can’t pretend it was easy. As for whether it was worth it, I’ll let you decide. 

I backed the birdy piece with a sheet of Serene Scenery DSP. It’s a photograph of the sky, which is quite apt for the images, and shows the different shades of blue behind the birds quite well, too. 


Linen Thread
[104199]
£4.25


Tuesday 16 August 2016

Sneak Peek: Mountain Adventure


I am quite chuffed with this card and I think you’ll be seeing a lot more variations on this theme, especially if you attend my Christmas-themed events.

When I first saw this Mountain Adventure set in the new Autumn/Winter catalogue, I didn’t pay much attention to it at all. Then my mind started whirring and I kept coming up with ideas. This wasn’t my first idea – you’ll have to wait for that one – but this came to me overnight at the weekend, and I started researching the Northern Lights technique. 

I would love to see the Northern Lights but, for now, I will have to settle for making my own with ink and sponges. It’s very simple to do; all I did was sponge in stripes in my chosen colours (Dapper Denim, Emerald Envy, Crushed Curry). At first it looked awful, but I kept going until I achieved deeper colours. Next I dotted all over it using the chalk marker, to create the stars. 


The mountain is stamped twice, cut out and painted using Smoky Slate and Soft Sky inks mixed together with water. 


The greeting is embossed in white, and comes from a fab set called Tin of Tags, which co-ordinates with a new kit for making gift tags, packaged in a really cute tin. I resisted the kit but thought the stamp set looked really useful so just ordered that on its own. 

Anyway, I love this card (shouldn’t say that really but I do) and hope you do too!




The small print

This is my personal blog and my sole responsibility as an Independent Stampin' Up!® demonstrator. All images are © Stampin' Up!® All content including photographs, projects and text are © Helen Read, unless otherwise stated. Please feel free to copy my ideas for your personal use and inspiration - if you are a SU demonstrator you may use these ideas for your events but please give credit where it is due. Please do not use my ideas for monetary gain, competitions or publication. The images on this blog - including blog buttons - should not be copied and used elsewhere on the internet or on CDs.