Masking techniques with Musical Jamboree stamp set from Stampin' Up!®

When I saw the Musical Jamboree stamp set in the latest Stampin’ Up!® Annual Catalogue, I just had to have it because that wolf looks so much like my own dog.

So far I have made three cards using this fun stamp set, all of which you can see here.

Make sure you get your Sit Stay Relax stamp set from Stampin' Up!® before it retires

 

Have you seen the Sit Stay Relax stamp set from Stampin’ Up!®? It’s a host stamp set, and I often find these can be overlooked.

I love it because it features cats and dogs, and I hope you will do. I am showcasing a card made with this great set now because we know for sure that this set will retire at the end of April. A new Stampin’ Up!® Annual Catalogue in May means a new set of Stampin’ Rewards, so if this set is on your wish list, you need to make sure you earn it before then. 

Create a fun raindrop effect with Playing In the Rain Stampin’ Up!® set and Stampin’ Blends

Have you seen the new Playing in the Rain stamp set in the Stampin’ Up!® Mini Catalogue? It’s very cute and very fun to colour. 

 

Apple Harvest cards – and how to colour with Stampin' Blends alcohol markers

 

I’ve been seeing lots of gorgeous projects using Apple Harvest from Stampin’ Up!® so I just had to pop it on to my last order. It’s a beautiful stamp set but I confess there is one thing about it which irritates me... and that’s that you would never get an apple tree with fruit and flowers at the same time! Still, that’s artistic licence I suppose.

I created two cards using the Apple Harvest stamp set, one with green apples and one with red. Both were coloured using Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers. 

Four ideas for In the Moment stamp set

As soon as I saw the gorgeous In the Moment stamp set, I knew I wanted to run a class with it. In fact, I am running not one but three different classes with it, as I transition into my new system of showcasing a stamp set each month.

My first event was a fun evening on Zoom combining this fab set with the technique of paper piecing and beautiful Expressions in Ink Designer Series Paper (which is retiring and I believe has now sold out).

We made four beautiful cards, some of which were inspired by my talented friend Julie at The Paper Haven.

Simply Succulents Flowerpot Pocket Card (with tutorial)

Sometimes it’s fun to revisit old designs with newer Stampin’ Up!® stamp sets and this is exactly what I did for my Crafty Friday class this month, by making a flowerpot pocket card using the Simply Succulents stamp set.

Four easy cards using Driving By Sale-a-Bration stamp set

 

Driving By is not just the most popular Sale-a-Bration stamp set among Stampin' Up!® UK customers but the most popular stamp set of all right now so I thought it was time I used it to create some fun and easy cardmaking projects.

The rubber stamp set features a sports car, a Volkswagen Beetle and a classic VW camper van, plus some fun sayings to go with them. It's perfect if you love colouring so I’ve used it here with Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers. 

My first card is a trendy slimline design to fit our new Slimline Envelopes. Other than that, the design is really simple and can be made with just white cardstock, black ink and the Sunshine & Rainbows Designer Series Paper from the Sale-a-Bration brochure. I picked three colours from this brightly coloured pack of fun patterned paper to colour my camper vans, choosing from the centre of the Venn diagram of “colours in the paper pack” and “Stampin’ Blends I own”. This gave me Granny Apple Green, Pool Party and Mango Melody.

I positioned the three vans using the Stamparatus and a variation of the hinge step technique. Instead of removing the Stamparatus plate across, I moved my cardstock. This is ideal if your image doesn’t fit the exact distances provided by the hinge slots. I might have to make a video to demonstrate that as I don’t think I’ve explained it very well.

I mounted this panel onto another piece of Basic White cardstock purely because I couldn’t decide which colour to use but I wanted to give it a little more depth. It just shows that you don’t need lots of supplies to make a striking card – you can do a lot with just white and a pack of patterned paper.

Behind this panel I used three patterns of Designer Series Paper from the Sunshine & Rainbows pack, choosing one in each of the three colours I’d used. I cut these into blocks of just under a third of the width of the card with the intention of positioning them straight... but they slipped before I could glue them and I liked the angled look better.

Finally, I stamped “You’ve got style’ onto a scrap of white and popped this up on Stampin’ Dimensionals.

For the next three cards I stamped one of each of the Driving By images and cut them out using Layering Circles Dies. Each card uses the reverse pattern of the designs I used on the slimline card.

This card uses a fun rainbow striped design with the addition of some white Baker's Twine. I love the clean Basic White card base and the contrast with that and the bright colours of the Sunshine & Rainbows Designer Series Paper.

The sports car card uses a very similar card design, just turned on its side. I chose this paper because its main colours are Granny Apple Green and Pool Party, which pick up the colours of the Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers I used to colour my image. There’s just a hint of Denim Ribbon there, picking up the Misty Moonlight used on the rainbows. 

The camper van card just had to have rainbows and sunshine images, to evoke the beach vibes of the van. I’ve used Bermuda Bay cardstock with two patterned papers, and a tiny strip of Magenta Madness cardstock for the greeting. The ribbon is Polished Pink, but it’s close enough to coordinate with Magenta Madness.

 

I hope you like my Driving By cards and will consider this stamp set if you place a qualifying Sale-a-Bration order which, in the UK, is £45. The stamp set is free with a £45 order, or you could choose the Sunshine & Rainbows Designer Series Paper instead if you wish, as that is also free with a £45 order.

Plus, if you place an order at my online store using the host code 2FYQAK7T, I will send you a thank you gift next month. This month I sent out rolls of Scalloped Lace Trim to those who use the host code, so be sure to remember... unless you are ordering over £150, as then you can choose your own free gifts at the checkout.

If you are in the UK and would like to order, please visit my store and, if you use the current host code DQPJEQF9, I’ll send you a thank you gift in the following month.

To make it easy for you, please shop using this link

Does your wish list come to more than £99? Please get in touch and I will help you get more for your money and unlock discounts all year round.  

 

Please message me via my website 

 

Friends of the Forest card ideas – night and day

I love animal images so was instantly drawn to the Friends of the Forest stamp set in the Stampin’ Up!® January-June 2022 Mini Catalogue. I love the stylised fox and rabbit and when I discovered the the deer image coordinates with the Deer Builder Punch which has carried over from the July-December Mini Catalogue it went straight onto my shopping list.

Today I have two versions of a similar card design to show you using this gorgeous Friends of the Forest stamp set. The cards feature a variety of techniques, including colouring with Stampin’ Blends, masking and colouring with Blending Brushes. 

 

 

I made the white card a few weeks ago, having fun colouring the images using Stampin’ Blends. I coloured the deer using the Ivory marker, creating a paler area on her back by missing that area out and blending it slightly using the Color Lifter.

The tree is coloured using Ivory for the trunk and branches and light and dark Granny Apple Green for the leaves. This was quite a laborious/therapeutic task, depending on your views on colouring! It is fussy cut and glued flat to the card front.

The rabbit is Smoky Slate on a Crumb Cake log, the flower is Daffodil Delight and the toadstools are Poppy Parade.

To finish off, I used a strip of Bloom Where You’re Planted Designer Series Paper as it has the perfect woodgrain effect to go with the tree and woodland creatures. 

 

I often find that Stampin’ Up!’s patterned paper goes with lots of different stamp sets, especially when you turn it over to find the more subtle designs on the reverse. This strip of paper is glued flat to the card front, while the white panel is popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals to create a step and add interest. 

 

That was several weeks ago and the card has sat waiting for its moment in the limelight. Finally its time has come!

 

While browsing on Instagram I happened upon a gorgeous creation by Laura Mackie, a hugely talented UK Stampin’ Up!® Demonstrator, who had created a night-time card featuring these cute little Friends of the Forest. I decided to take her night-time idea and remake my first card using Blending Brushes and some masking to create an atmospheric scene.

I created a moon mask using Layering Circles Dies on a sticky note and added colour around it using Misty Moonlight, plus a little Night of Navy in the area behind the tree. I wish I’d made a smaller moon but didn’t have the time or inclination to start again.

The grassy area is Granny Apple Green, one of my favourite colours as it is so bright and cheery. I coloured the tree using Granny Apple Green Stampin’ Blends, too, with some extra ink added afterwards using a Blending Brush. 

 

I masked off the flower as I am too pedantic to have a flower in full bloom in a night-time scene and added extra toadstools. As they were stamped onto green, I used a dark Poppy Parade Stampin’ Blend to add the colour, then a Chalk Marker to pick out the white spots.

In fact, I went a little darker on every colour when colouring the images on this card, as I wanted them to reflect the moodier night-time theme. So I used Crumb Cake instead of Ivory on my deer and tree trunk, and chose Cajun Craze for the fox, instead of the Smoky Slate of the daytime rabbit. The bird is Light Night of Navy and Dark Balmy Blue on the night-time scene, instead of subtle Pool Party on the daytime card. 

I didn’t have any more woodgrain paper but found a wood-panelled design in the same Bloom Where You’re Planted pack and sponged it with some Crumb Cake to make it darker. And instead of stamping onto the card – which wouldn’t show up against the night sky – I used a little Stitched So Sweetly label with the word “hello”.

This tip will save you lots of time! Whenever I die-cut a label from Basic White cardstock, I cut a few spares from different dies, so I can do them all at the same time. The unused labels go into a box which I keep on my stamping trolley. This means I often have a suitable label to use for a greeting when I am making a card. 

 

 

 

Which card do you prefer? The clean white of the daytime card or the dark moody night-time project? 

If the Friends of the Forest stamp set is on your wish list and you live in the UK, I would love it if you considered shopping with me. If you are in the UK and would like to order, please visit my store and, if you use the current host code 2FYQAK7T, I’ll send you a thank you gift in the following month. Don’t forget if you spend more than £45 during February 2022, you will qualify for a FREE Sale-a-Bration gift, too!

To make it easy for you, please shop using this link

Does your wish list come to more than £99? Please get in touch and I will help you get more for your money and unlock discounts all year round.  

 

Please message me via my website 

 

In The Moment cards coloured with Stampin’ Blends

It’s new Stampin’ Up!® Mini catalogue time! And I have a beautiful stamp set from the new Jan-June Mini Catalogue to show you today. The set is called In The Moment and is in the same style as other popular sets we’ve had such as Beautiful Moments and Beautiful You. It’s a very popular style with good reason – the images are beautiful and so satisfying to colour in. 

Browse the new Jan-June Mini Catalogue here

There are three images in the set but so far I have only used the lady reading her book in bed with her canine companion, probably because that matches my winter mood!

I made this slimline card for my lovely friend Mrs B, whose birthday was yesterday. She loves reading and has a beautiful whippet but this pup is the nearest I could find. I made this card to fit one of our gorgeous new slimline envelopes, and decorated it with a panel of Hand-Penned Designer Series Paper to match the Pale Papaya background. 

The image is coloured using Stampin’ Blends, which I don’t use often enough, and the gold elements are from the Expressions in Ink Ephemera Pack... including the scalloped strip which I cut from the leftover pieces using the new Brilliant Rainbow Dies. 

 

The standard-sized cards were inspired by US Stampin’ Up!® demonstrator Chelsey Christensen, who demoed a similar card at a demo event towards the end of last year. I made mine as part of my demonstration at my annual Twixmas Party last week. This was held on Zoom and guests could vote on various elements to help me create the card. 

To begin with they voted to use the image of the lady reading her book... which is another reason all my projects are made with this design! I was glad they did though, as it gave me the opportunity to show them how fab it looks with the paper piecing technique. 

I stamped the image once on the Very Vanilla circle and again directly onto this Pale Papaya piece of Designer Series Paper with its delicate polka dot pattern. The DSP image was cut out and pieced on top of the Very Vanilla circle so the duvet cover and pillows could feature this pretty dotted design.

After I’d coloured the image and stuck the DSP down, I went around the edges with a Blending Brush and some Pale Papaya ink.

This Designer Series Paper is from our fabulous new Sale-a-Bration collection and is called Daffodil Afternoon; it features bold floral illustrations on one side of the papers, with more subtle designs on the reverse. 

 

 

Browse the Sale-a-Bration brochure here

For the torn rectangular panel, I gave guests a choice of the dark green side with its lush foliage, or the reverse pattern of delicate green hearts. They chose the little hearts, as I suspected they would, so I had already created a version using the darker side to show them, too.

 

Underneath this is a panel of new vellum called Layering Designs. This features black and white printed designs, including this fine print which I’ve used in white across the base of the card, and in black as a tiny element beneath the greeting. 

 

On this version of the card, I coloured some silver Simply Elegant Trim using a dark Calypso Coral Stampin’ Blend. To be honest, while this works well, I don’t think it did my marker much good so I would only use this technique in small doses – and be very gentle if you do try it.

This version of the card uses linen thread because I didn’t want to go down the colouring route again and, frankly, linen thread goes with everything.

The final poll I held with my party guests was to choose the embellishments and unsurprisingly they chose these new Brushed Brass Butterflies to finish off the card.

I love this In The Moment stamp set from Stampin’ Up!® and think it’s going to be one of our biggest sellers in the first half of this year. I hope you love it, too!

If you are in the UK and would like to order, please visit my store and, if you use the current host code RNU3JCR9, I’ll send you a thank you gift in the following month.

To make it easy for you, please shop using this link

Does your wish list come to more than £99? Please get in touch and I will help you get more for your money and unlock discounts all year round.  

 

Please message me via my website 

 

Kraft gift box with Peaceful Cabin bundle

Do you like to escape to the wop-wops? I learned this wonderful new word the other week, courtesy of New Zealand demonstrator Julie Burt, who commented on my previous Peaceful Cabin projects and explained that it means "the middle of nowhere".

The Peaceful Cabin bundle from Stampin' Up!® Mini Catalogue is one of my favourites – I know, big surprise, eh? You may have gathered from the pine cones that appear in all of my photos that I love woodlands and escaping to the wop-wops in general, although these days a café and a toilet nearby are always welcomed.

 

I also love the look of Kraft cardstock – which again appeals to my love of all things natural – so these Kraft gift boxes went straight onto my order from the Mini Catalogue. They are food safe so good for biscuits or cookies, and could also be used for a couple of pairs of socks, some jewellery, chocolate or other small gifts. 

 

The window aperture allows you to see the contents but I liked the idea of creating a window onto the woods, so stamped this serene scene using the Peaceful Cabin stamp set and the coordinating Cabin Dies. 

I began by embossing a piece of Old Olive cardstock with the Evergreen Forest 3D Embossing Folder, then swiping over the trees with a Whisper White ink pad. 

 

I coloured the cabin using Stampin’ Blends, giving the wood a greenish hue using a mix of brown and green markers, and a bright red roof. This reminds me of a lovely cottage I saw in Nethy Bridge in the Cairngorms in Scotland. There’s a Scandinavian vibe to parts of the village and I wanted to echo this in my project. I mounted the die-cut cabin onto the embossed Old Olive panel and positioned them behind the window.

Whisper White ink is craft ink, so sits on the surface of the cardstock instead of soaking in which allows the white to show up but also means it takes a while to dry. Therefore, I used Stampin’ Dimensionals to distance it from the window sheet and minimise the chance of it rubbing off onto the acetate. 

 

Around the window I stamped some tiny snowflakes in Whisper White, using a sticky note as a mask. On the top, on the outside of the window panel, I stuck some die-cut trees, which I swiped with white ink.

To finish off I tied up the box using some gold Simply Elegant Trim and a small greeting label stamped in Real Red. This label is created with the Rectangular Postage stamp punch. To make it smaller, I simply mounted my punched rectangle onto a sticky note to make it big enough to handle, then punched again to fit the greeting.

What do you think? Do you want to escape to the wop-wops in a cabin like this?

 

 

If you are in the UK and would like to order, please visit my store and, if you use the October host code ZKTV7U4Z, I’ll send you a thank you gift next month. To make it easy, please shop using this link

Does your wish list come to more than £99? Please get in touch and I will help you get more for your money and unlock discounts all year round.  

 

Please message me via my website