New home card using Snow Front, Beautiful Friendship & more...

 

I’ve become the official card provider to my family. It helps us all; I get to offload my old samples and they aren’t tempted to go to the shops during lockdown.

But the latest request threw me as it was for a new home card for my nephew and his girlfriend (you can move into a new home if it’s vacant and social distancing is maintained, in case you were worried). The problem is, both Mum and I need to send them a card, so they need to be different – and I don’t have any new home stamp sets.

This is roughly how the conversation went:

Me: "I don't have any new home stamps but I can do one with a lighthouse, a dog kennel or a beehive."
Mum: "I'm sure you have a house stamp."
Me: "No I really don't."
Mum: "I could have sworn I saw a little house."
Me: "No, it must be an old one you’re thinking of."
Mum: "I definitely saw a little house."
etc...

Turns out she was right! How come she knows the contents of my craft room better than I do? She hasn't stepped inside my house (or anyone else’s) for at least seven weeks!

In the end, I used no fewer than four stamp sets on this project: Snow Front, Water Front, Beautiful Friendship and Peaceful Moments. Well if you’ve got it, use it!

I used just the tips of the flowers and flower centre stamps from Beautiful Friendship to create a floral foreground. Without this, I felt the image still had a wintry, Christmassy vibe.

A patch of purple poppies

 

Who says poppies have to be red? They absolutely don't and I love the colourful Californian poppies which sometimes spring up unexpectedly in the garden.

Purple poppies are beautiful, too, and I've just this minute learned that they are symbol of remembrance for all those animals which served in wartime, such as the military working dogs, horses and ponies which didn’t ask to get involved in human conflicts.

On a brighter note, here are two cards I made along very similar lines, using the lovely and oft-neglected Purple Posy cardstock. 

I love the version with the bold flowers and on-trend white embossing on a black die-cut label but knew this wouldn't be practical in a home party situation so made the one with the flower border and Story Label punch, too. But which do you prefer?

We may not be able to order Purple Posy ink but we can get the look with Highland Heather by stamping off onto scrap paper first. You can also get the look with Versamark and, of course, our Stampin’ Write Marker and Stampin’ Blends Alcohol Marker.

Team rewards slider pen boxes

There’s a big Stampin' Up!® event in Germany this weekend called OnStage Live... but unfortunately none of my team members, including me, were in a position to make the trip. 

Instead, we held our own event – OffStage Derby – with demonstrations, Make & Takes and even our own awards ceremony. I decided to award certain team members with these lovely Stampin’ Up!® pens in a handmade box. It’s simply a tray with a piece of DSP wrapped around it but the black foil cardstock adds a touch of glamour and the sentiment on top is sincerely meant! 

Rewards were not for top sales or recruiting but for making an extra effort – for example, one team member has worked tirelessly to create videos and blog posts and has finally been rewarded with two customers. Effort pays off in the end!

Make any sized box, to suit your gift, by drawing a plan around your gift on some grid paper. 

Read my 10-year-old tutorial here!

Snow Front one-layer thank you cards

I actually really like Simple Stamping, although it can be a challenge at times, when you're just itching to use your shiny new products.

Thankfully, the shiny new product in this case was Snow Front, one of the most versatile stamp sets in the Autumn/Winter catalogue. It’s what I call “a stamper’s stamp set” which I know sounds a little silly because, well, aren’t they all? But there are those of us who love colouring, those who love assembling projects and those who love the art of stamping to create a scene. Or maybe it just depends on your mood at the time!

You can see from the stack of cards that they’re virtually identical. And if I tell you that I made all of these and more in half an hour, I think you’ll guess that I used the Stamparatus. It’s a real boon for bulk crafting!

You don't always have to place your card in the corner of the Stamparatus. Because my images were overlapping the edge of the project, I marked a place on my grid paper and placed my card within the lines each time. This wouldn't work for super-precise stamping (eg if you were embossing and needed to stamp exactly in the same spot) but it's ideal for a project like this, where "near enough" is good enough!
 

Snow Front: with lovely lilacs

 
I have a confession: when I get a stash of new stamps, I tend to freak out a little and my mojo goes walkabout. I have no idea why – I’m brimming with ideas until the moment I open the box. This is why my first efforts with new products are invariably simple, CASEd or involved UFOs (unfinished object). This is the latter... with a leftover watercoloured background from this project.

I used the new Snow Front stamps which I know you're going to love as they are in the same vein as Waterfront... in fact you could use them together if you enjoy stamping scenes. They're available to customers from 4th September or to demonstrators now (you could always sign up, you know).

Get the dark black look of Stazon even when using Memento Tuxedo Black (which tends to come out slightly greyer) by stamping with the Stamparatus. Position your cardstock into the corner and stamp, inking and repeating until you're happy with the depth of colour. This works especially well on watercolour paper, which has a texture, and when your ink pads are drying out, too.

2019-2010 Stampin’ Up!® In Color™ combinations are here!

New In Color™ combinations are here!

Please click the link to be taken to my Facebook post (you don’t need to be a member) to see this year’s colour charts. If you are a Facebook member, please like and share the post so that as many people as possible can enjoy the colour combinations. And if you enjoy the colour charts, please leave me a recommendation. Thank you!

In Color™ Comparisons

Lots of people ask how the new colours compare to existing and past colours, so I have made these comparison images to show you. The slightest change in shade can make all the difference to a project; for example, I think Calypso Coral is fresh and clean, but Terracotta Tile is a shade or two darker and would look more vintage. See what you think...

In Color Shares 2019

It's that time of year again! Time to introduce five new colours which will be available for two years.

This year they are muted and classy; think Farrow & Ball paints, stately home furnishings, you get the idea. And I absolutely love them!

They are:

• Rococo Rose - a gentle, dusky pink
• Terracotta Tile - a lovely, soft terracotta
• Pretty Peacock - my favourite; a rich dark teal
• Seaside Spray - a soft pale blue with a hint of purple
• Purple Posy - the merest hint of lilac

I am now taking orders for my annual In Color™ Shares and this year am offering four great-value options, each offering savings on the normal catalogue price. But hurry, slots are limited!

Please get in touch to order yours. If you need your Share posting to you (UK only), postage will be charged at cost on top of the Share price.