Retiring product focus: Brick Wall embossing folder (cracked glass technique)

Crafty Friday back at the beginning of the month was a chance to show the ladies the cracked glass technique. We were a small group but that worked out well as I’d forgotten just how many layers of clear embossing you need to get it thick enough to crack! We all made slightly different cards...

... And I’m pleased to say that retiring products on here are minimal. The only things which are going are the Brick Wall Embossing Folder (shame – it’s one of my faves!), Hearts & Stars Elements, the Natural Trim and the Crushed Curry Chevron Ribbon.

Lift Me Up and Wood Words (which we used for the greeting) are both carrying over.

Mix It Up Monday: In the City with Berry Burst and Lemon Lime Twist

Yes, it’s time for another colour combination from my In Color charts because it is indeed Mix It Up Monday … yes, again! They come round very fast!

Berry Burst and Lemon Lime Twist are the stars of the show this time and it was a great opportunity to use this fabulous Color Theory DSP Stack. I love the ombre effect on this sheet and thought it would be perfect for the biggest hot air balloon. 

I’ve teamed it with a surprise favourite: In The City.  I confess that when I first saw this hostess set I didn’t just pass over it, I actually scoffed. I thought it was horrible, childish, badly drawn… you name it, I threw that insult at it. 

“What happened?” I hear you ask. The answer, as is so often the case, is “Pinterest happened”. Demonstrators can purchase hostess sets in our pre-order month so lots of people had taken up the opportunity and loads of fabulous samples kept turning up. I warmed to the set and, naturally, caved in. 

I love this card - with the balloon looming large over the domestic scene - but I love my other In The City samples even more. However, you’ll have to wait until next week before I show you those as they’ve been created for a blog hop. Meanwhile, just marvel at the fact that I used Tempting Turquoise because that never happens! 

Don’t forget you can join in the #MixItUpMonday fun now, too. 

Create a Stampin’ Up!® project using either this colour combination, or one I’ve previously showcased, there are several ways you can share it:

1. Upload an image of your creation to your own blog, Pinterest board or Facebook page or Twitter, then post a link to your project in the comments section of the relevant post on this blog.
2. Upload an image to the comments in the relevant post on my Facebook page. 

Whichever way you choose, please use the hashtag #MixItUpMonday

Sweet Sugarplum baby card

When I create projects for Stampin’ Up!® parties, I try to hold back on using too many products, so guests aren’t overwhelmed.

But when I create projects for personal use, then there’s no holding back. This is why this card uses not one, not two but three stamp sets. Can you guess what they are?

I am not a big fan of pink, but Sweet Sugarplum is just right for baby girl cards, and this gorgeous paper from the Succulent Garden DSP pack is ideal. Mint Macaron is the perfect, gentle green for this  job... just be aware that it’s part of the In Color pack which is retiring at the end of May, so stock up now if you’re a fan!

So, the stamp sets. I know you’ll have worked it out but, just in case, the sheep comes from Barnyard Babies, the clouds from Lift Me Up and the sentiment from Bookcase Builder.

Lift Me Up projects

Sticking with the Lift Me Up theme, here are the results of last week’s Crafty Friday session. After making a Mint Macaron version of this card, we all went a bit ‘freestyle’. We all created a striped balloon and a gift bag, which everyone decorated differently.

Naturally, I didn’t manage to finish mine off, so played around with the products for a short while afterwards, coming up with the card above, which started life as a CASE of this card!

My gift bag evolved, too, as I wanted to stamp the background and keep the colours quite striking. I masked the greeting stamp with some washi tape before inking, so I could just get the “Happy Birthday”. Trouble was, I left the inky washi lying on my work surface and ended up with some unsightly ink marks on the front of my project. THAT’s why there are so many clouds on it!

And as for the CASE of this card, originally created in Watermelon Wonder, this is what it looks like if you switch to my favourite sheet of DSP from the pack, and a Mint Macaron background... I love it! And now would be a good time to stock up on Mint Macaron, as it’s part of the retiring In Color collection which will be leaving us at the end of May!

Mix It Up Monday: Lift Me Up congratulations card

It’s Mix It Up Monday again and, as we’re on the Sale-a-Bration countdown (it ends on 31st March) I thought I’d use some of this fabulous Carried Away Designer Series Paper to create a Flirty Flamingo card from my In Color charts.

As you can see, this fab paper co-ordinates perfectly with the Lift Me Up Bundle in the Spring/Summer catalogue. And, while the stamps and dies will be available until the end of May, you have less than two weeks to earn this FREE paper. 

I’ve created a striped balloon using the clever dies that make this so easy. It makes this challenge easy, too, as all I had to do was make my stripes in the required colours. 

Hexagons Dynamic Embossing Folder gets the ombre look

One of my favourite products from the Spring/Summer catalogue is the Hexagon Dynamic Embossing Folder, as it’s so versatile. It goes with masculine projects, can be used to create honeycomb for bee projects, chicken wire to go with everybody’s favourite Sale-a-Bration set, Hey Chick... and here I’ve used it on a more feminine project.

It was inspired by a project I saw by the hugely talented Kristina Werner and uses a favourite technique of mine; watercolouring.

I began by creating an ombre effect on the watercolour paper. This is really simple: I wet the paper, then loaded a brush with diluted ink (Emerald Envy, Flirty Flamingo, Peche Fraiche) and swiped across the width. Then, instead of adding more ink, I wet the brush with clear water. This dilutes the colour so you get a graduated effect as you work down the paper. Once it was almost dry, I embossed each piece, then turned them around so the darker colour was at the bottom to create these fun projects.

This last one also has a watercoloured ombre background behind the balloon. The dies come with three wide bands, which you can use to create a striped effect to your balloon. I used the darker stripe at the top, to make it stand out from the paler sky.

If you wish to purchase the whole bundle (stamps and dies) instead of just stamps, these are the codes you need:

Lift Me Up Bundle

Wood mount: 144711

Clear mount: 144712

Lift Me Up Make & Take

This is the lovely Make & Take from a party earlier this month, which uses the fab Lift Me Up bundle from the Spring/Summer catalogue, and the free Carried Away Designer Series Paper from the Sale-a-Bration catalogue.

And the clever people at Stampin’ Up!® have even made sure there’s a cardstock assortment that goes with it... it’s the Affectionately Yours one from p172 of the main catalogue.

The circle is cut with the Stitched Shapes Framelits, a really useful and versatile addition to your craft stash. You won’t find them in any of our catalogues until June, but they are available to buy now, at £27, using the code 145372.

Mix It Up Monday: Lift Me Up

If you want to know what my kind of colours are, they are not these. These couldn’t be further from my taste if they tried. But, in the spirit of Mix It Up Monday and my bid to use every single colour combination from my In Color charts, I thought I’d better give it a go. 

I’ve seen some nice cards made with this set in subtle shades so they were my inspiration, but I can’t say I’m thrilled with my output. Great stamp set though, lovely dies… and nice colours if you like that sort of thing. 

Mix It Up Monday: Sneak peek with Lift Me Up

I have a sneak peek for you on this Mix It Up Monday… a project made with a brand new stamp set which will be available from 4th January. It’s perfect for this cheery colour combination from my latest set of In Color charts. 

The stamp set – from which I’ve only used the greeting on this project – is called Lift Me Up and featured hot air balloons and clouds. The co-ordinating Up & Away Thinlits allow you to die-cut the stamped balloons, as well as create different coloured balloons by layering different shades behind the main image. 

I’ve kept it simple here, by hand-cutting the background piece in Flirty Flamingo and layering it behind the Rich Razzleberry balloon. 

The background was painted initially using Soft Sky, then, while the ink was still wet, brushed gently with some Bermuda Bay ink to create the cloudy effect. 

There’s lots of fun to be had from hot air balloons – which I’m sure is why the set features on the cover of the catalogue, and they were a key theme of the recent OnStage events for demonstrators. 

Finally, don’t forget it’s the last day of the Online Extravaganza! Click the image below to order through my website and, if you use the code BBB4XSCA when spending over £25, I’ll send you a thank you gift!