Bird’s Eye View card idea

It’s time for another Stampin’ Up!® project based on a mood board, this time using the Bird’s Eye View stamp set.

I love a Mood Board challenge as it gives you SO much room for manoeuvre. For instance, taking inspiration from this July mood board you could create a project on the theme of travel, birds, butterflies, seashells and much more. 

You could use it as a colour challenge and create a project using any or all of the Stampin’ Up!® colours Melon Mambo, Azure Afternoon, Pumpkin Pie, Parakeet Party and Lemon Lime Twist.

Five easy cards with Zoo Crew Designer Series Paper

 

Do you want to join the Zoo Crew? I cannot tell you how much I love these fun creatures on the Zoo Crew Designer Series Paper from Stampin’ Up!® When I first saw the knitting llama, I actually laughed out loud.

 

You might not laugh out loud but you’ll certainly smile when you learn that this paper and many other designs are available at 15% off throughout June. 

#LoveitChopit night projects with Animal Expedition

I recently discovered the #loveitchopit movement and absolutely loved the idea. It's very simple... instead of hoarding your Designer Series Paper, you cut it up into 4"x6" pieces and *gasp* USE it! Radical, eh?

So I held a Love It Chop It evening and we got to work, making 10 simple cards that look anything but, thanks to the gorgeous paper. Some ladies chose different paper but I used the Animal Expedition as I've been looking for a reason to use Animal Outing in a class. The dies fit round the images in the DSP - and for the reversed images, we just held our paper up to the window or a light for perfect positioning.

The stamps and dies are carrying over to the new catalogue but if you want this lovely paper – or indeed ANY of the Designer Series Papers in the current catalogues – you'd better hurry as they ALL retire to make way for new designs. Eek!

Cat and dog treat boxes using the Gift Bag Punch Board

I used the Gift Bag Punch Board to make this cute treat box. You need to make two gift bags – one in black, one in a contrasting colour (I used Lemon Lime Twist, before it goes!). It's a snug fit but the lid does go on if you are careful.

The main image panel is attached to the Lemon Lime Twist on the top, so it slides off with the lid. 

Incredible Like You Week: very simple projects for Cuppa & Card

It’s Incredible Like You week here at All Things Stampy and this is the perfect set for new stampers because you get a good variety of images and greetings, which you can maximise with just two stamp sets if you wish.

I was inspired to start using this set by Mikaela Titheridge at The Crafty oINK Pen, who has been showcasing some beautiful projects with it.

These are the projects I am making with the good folk of Borrowash this morning at my Cuppa & Card session at Dawson’s Café.

This first card is incredibly simple and, as well as the stamp set, uses just a Notecard, a scrap of Whisper White cardstock and two ink pads. The images in this set are so clever that you can stamp them with the same ink pad without stamping off; you’ll still get this amazing two-tone look.

For our second project, we will be making an ever so slightly more complicated card... in that it has a zingy Lemon Lime Twist layer and a little more fussy cutting. I hope it goes well!

Flowering Desert week: A colourful start

Okay, let’s have a Flowering Desert week with a post every weekday to celebrate this much-neglected stamp set from the Spring/Summer catalogue.

When I first saw this set, I loved it... but I knew it wouldn’t be a big seller as I do tend to favour the slightly off-the-wall stamp sets. So if you’ve rejected this set out of hand, this week I am going to attempt to change your mind by sharing the cactus love.

I found the idea of sponging a sun from US demonstrator Mary Fish, and this colourful combo uses some of my favourite bright colours and In Colors... what could be cheerier?

Colourful Christmas with Snow is Glistening

I have loved playing with the Snow is Glistening stamp set, and really enjoyed creating these colourful cards with the Stamparatus.

I inked up the stamp using sponge daubers, then stamped onto the Whisper White cardstock. The great thing about the Stamparatus is that if you miss a bit, you can stamp again, perfectly.

Scroll down for close-ups of all the colours...

Precision stamping with the Stamparatus

The Stamparatus is for so much more than repeat stamping. Here I’ve used it to create two-tone words using Bermuda Bay and Old Olive. All you have to do is ink up half of the image and stamp, then ink up the other half of the image and stamp directly on top. Perfect positioning, every time.

I felt like a break from festive colours so created a big batch of these for my customers this month in bright cheery Lemon Lime Twist. Just what we need to brighten up the chilly days ahead.

The stamp set is Warm Hearted, one of the host sets from the Autumn/Winter catalogue. I love this big bold "Thanks".

A citrussy, crafty birthday

Do you get clusters of birthdays on your calendar? We do. I find I have loads of birthdays around Christmas – most of them are my downlines or other crafting friends. And right now is another heavy birthday season, with them coming thick and fast.

This one was for Ruby, who turned 18 last week and is a keen artist, so the Crafting Forever stamp set was just the job.

I began by watercolouring some citrussy colours onto watercolour paper, then die-cutting using the Happy Birthday Thinlits. I covered the whole lot in Versamark ink and then embossed using a mix of clear embossing powder and Dazzling Diamonds glitter.

I’m not a big glitter fan – it gets everywhere and is a nightmare if it ever goes down the drain as it can pollute our seas, so this is a great workaround for me as it keeps the glitter nicely contained.

The card is finished off with some paintbrushes and some splatters made with the Artisan Textures stamp set. Hope she likes bright colours!

A totally tropical colour combo

I’m ending my Tropical Chic week with another celebration... this time of my faboulous team. Each month I send out reward vouchers and random gifts to my team members for various reasons.

Five of them received a voucher in one of these cheery cards. Can I tell you something about these cards? They are not 100% identical... but they’re pretty close! And it’s all thanks to the Stamparatus, which made quick work of stamping such a complicated design five times.

And three will receive a little notebook surprise on the same theme. Yes, I know there are only two in the photo, but one of my team who was on the list to receive one of these just happened to pop by before I’d had chance to photograph them, so she received her gift there and then.

Finally, the totally tropical colour combo to round things off...

Dragonfly Dreams - busy bees and the rubber band technique

Here’s another example of the rubber band technique. I love the bright cheeriness of this project, and the fact that, despite using the exact same ink pads as for Monday’s project, this is a completely different effect. 

The only difference of this effect is that we masked just the bottom of the card, which allows you to create this lovely grassy effect. It’s definitely a technique I will be revisiting again and again.

The bees are simply stamped and coloured in – we were running out of time at our class, so we skipped the embossing this time. The flowers are from the Love What You Do stamp set... I’m way too pedantic to allow the bees to fly around the grass without some flowers to attract them.

Retiring product focus: Marquee Messages and Tutti Frutti Designer Series Paper

All good things come to an end, even catalogues and favourite stamp sets such as Marquee Messages.

But we all have to move forward at some point, so this is my last look back... from now on I will be looking forward all the way! I couldn’t leave the old catalogue behind without one last play with the beautiful Tutti Frutti DSP and this really fun stamp set. Love it!

My favourite way to use this main image is paper piecing, and the chalk marker makes the letters and lights stand out. I have seen the arrow embellished with tiny pearls on each circle, which looks fabulous, but you know me... I couldn’t bring myself to be THAT extravagant!

This is a great set to use for teenagers, so if you have any of those in your life I suggest you invest in this stamp set before it leaves us forever. And perhaps pour yourself a glass of something strengthening, as those teenage years can be challenging, to say the least. It does get better, I promise!

Retiring product focus: Pop of Paradise, Happiest of Days

A panoply of retiring products here... Pop of Paradise for those lovely pineapples, the gorgeous Tutti Frutti Designer Series Paper stack and Happiest of Days for the greeting.

I wasn’t in the mood for fiddly masking, so I simply covered the leaves and flower from the sentiment image with a couple of pineapples. Cunning, eh?

This ribbon is retiring, too, which is a shame as it’s lovely Lemon Lime Twist – don’t worry, there will be something equally fab in the new catalogue.

Don’t miss out – these are all fabulous products which would make a great addition to your craft stash!
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Sneak Peek: Tropical Thinlits mini house plants tutorial

Time for another Sneak Peek! This was one of the projects I made for my display at OnStage Telford at the beginning of the month and it was probably the one I was most proud of... mainly because it’s so far out of my comfort zone.

I was sent a pack of Tropical Thinlits – some fabulous new tropical leaf dies from the upcoming catalogue. However, I was not sent the co-ordinating stamps (not complaining, I received LOADS of products!) so was left wondering about how to use them. It’s actually interesting trying to work without the catalogue as you have NO pre-conceived ideas about using the set and I got it into my head that they were intended to make a 3D plant. Now of course I have the catalogue... and it features precisely zero 3D projects made with these dies!

I was confused by a die that I haven’t used here, but it turned out that it works with a flower stamp which I fully intend to order when I can!

Anyway, lots of people were asking how I made these, so here’s how. Sorry there are no images but seriously I can NEVER make these again!

1. Die-cut LOADS of leaves in various shades of green cardstock

2. Sponge those leaves in same or slightly darker ink

3. Curl using bone folder

4. Cut very narrow strips (5mm, ish) of green cardstock for stems, then break down the fibres using a bone folder. Eventually, the cardstock will split into two layers which can be separated. This makes it thinner and easier to work with.

5. Wrap these thin layers of cardstock around some florists’ wire, spiral-fashion, and secure with Tombow or similar wet glue. I think I actually applied PVA with a paintbrush. Allow to dry then assemble the leaves.

Make the boxes. These are simple 5cm square boxes, at different heights. If you cut and score first, then emboss, you can line up one of the edges to the edge of the embossing folder so you can get it all done. Does that make sense?

There’s a narrow strip of cardstock around the top edge of each planter, and the edges are all sponged in Crumb Cake.

Ok, the science bit... getting the plants to stand up in the planters.

1. Make a platform the same size as the box (ie with a 5cm square top) but about 1cm smaller in height. This will look like a simple drawing of a stool or table. So that would be a piece of cardstock measuring about 5cm x 13cm, scored at 4cm from either end.

2. Punch holes in the top of the platform - ie the centre square, then poke the leaves through, taping underneath. From the side it might look like this...

3. Don’t worry about arranging the leaves just yet as they’ll only move. 

4. When all the leaves are taped in, you can apply glue to the sides of the platform and then slide it into the box.

5. Next I took some Early Espresso cardstock, which I tore into small pieces and rolled into tiny balls. This was very, very boring to do but was really worth it as everyone was asking about them because they did look like soil. 

6. I applied a thick layer of Tombow onto the top of the platform, in between the leaf stems, and filled it with the balls of cardstock. 

Finally, it’s time to arrange the leaves to look nice. A lot of effort but was it worth it? I think so, yes. Would I do it again? Definitely not!

Retiring product focus: Bird Banter and Tutti Frutti DSP

I really really love the fruity patterns from the Tutti Frutti Designer Series Paper stack but I confess I’m less keen on the co-ordinating stamp set (both are retiring soon, by the way). But when I paired that lovely paper with Bird Banter, I felt like I’d wasted the last few months! Why didn’t I open the paper sooner?

This was the Make & Take for a party this week. We coloured with Stampin’ Blends, which are currently unavailable but I promise you they will be back soon!

Tutti Frutti cards with In The City hostess stamp set

These are this month’s Thank You cards for my lovely club ladies. I had a fun morning stamping these little street scenes using the colours from the cards - get me with my Calypso Coral tree! Normally that sort of thing bothers me, so I must be evolving.

Don’t forget these Tutti Frutti cards are only available until TOMORROW, which is when Sale-a-Bration ends - they are one of the items you can choose free with a £45 order.

Flirty Flowers envelope pouch

The final project of the day from my All-Day Craftathon last weekend was this clever pouch made from three standard envelopes. I found the idea on the blog of a Dutch demonstrator called Carmen Morris and adapted it for the lovely Petal Passion Designer Series Papers and Flirty Flowers stamp set.

This paper is so versatile because you can stamp on it and make it fit any colour scheme you like. It’s black and white, so we stamped extra leaves (from Petal Palette) in Lemon Lime Twist to bring the colour scheme together. 

What I forgot to photograph was the flip-down section on the left inside the pouch - this is another little pocket which is just sized perfectly for a gift card or a packet of postage stamps.

Inside the left pocket of the pouch are these cute little notecards. You’ll find these in the Spring/Summer catalogue but they fall into the “I don’t think they wanted you to see them” category, as they are pretty well hidden on page 19. So if, like me, you tend to skip the Valentine’s stuff, you’ll miss them!

In the right hand pocket is this slim notebook which is simply covered in a piece of DSP. We had to avoid any bulk on this, and on the note cards, otherwise they wouldn’t fit inside the pockets, which are simply envelopes so not particularly roomy.

It’s a fun project which can be adapted to include all kinds of goodies – hop on over to Carmen’s blog to see what she put inside hers!

Tutti Frutti notecards Panda pouch

This project, from my All-Day Craftathon at the weekend, used the Tutti Frutti Notecards from the Sale-a-Bration brochure. Everybody made four cards, one in each colour, and an envelope box to put them in. Stamp set? Party Pandas of course!

Party Pandas meets Balloon Bouquet

Thought I’d take a brief break from Waterfront to show you this cute Make & Take using Party Pandas, Petal Pair Embossing Folders and the Balloon Bouquet punch.

If you haven't seen the Petal Pair Embossing Folders, do seek them out as they are very well hidden on Page 23 of the Spring/Summer catalogue. It's really versatile because it co-ordinates with the Petal Passion Suite, but also is reminiscent of bamboo so goes beautifully with Party Pandas.

Lots of Lavender... but no lavender

Continuing the purple theme, these are some cute thank you cards I made for last month’s club ladies. Do you recognise the stamp sets?

I’ve used Lots of Lavender (but where's the lavender - this is clearly a rose!) and some words from Painted Harvest, which is still available for the two people who don’t already have it.

I stamped a big batch of these cards using the Stamparatus, which I am privileged to own already as I was part of a consultation team to develop the product. For those who have pre-ordered, you should be hearing from Stampin’ Up!® soon. For those who didn’t manage to pre-order, you don’t have too long to wait... the Stamparatus will be officially launched in the new Annual Catalogue in June.

If you want sneak peeks and chances to order early, you can’t do wrong by signing up as a demonstrator. It’s as low-key or high-octane as you wish it to be. You can build a business and earn an income... or not. It’s up to you!

And now is, of course, the BEST time to join, as it’s Sale-a-Bration! TWO extra stamp sets in your kit are not to be sniffed at. Please ask me for more details or click the image below to get started...