Sneak Peek: Timeless Tropical

Happy New Year! In the crafting world, a new year does, of course, mean new stamps!

Flower power is not my area but something odd has happened: I've gone bafflingly botanical! I honestly don't know what's come over me but I do know that I love this new stamp set, Timeless Tropical, which is coming to Stampin' Up!® on 3rd Jan. What do you think? Looks great stamped in brown Stazon, doesn't it? Yep, that's another fabulous new product we can look forward to.

When creating cards with lots of elements, it's a good idea to lay them all how you want them then take a quick photo with your phone. It makes it a lot easier to recreate the same layout when you start adding adhesives. 

Fox in a box... and on a box

It was my friend Donna who accidentally gave me the idea to put a shaker dome inside a pizza box lid, so it seemed only fitting that I should use this same idea to package her birthday gift. And, as her gift was a fox brooch (she loves foxes), this image from Nature’s Beauty was ideal. It’s coloured with Watercolour Pencils (Assortment 2) and blender pens.

The ribbon is actually four pieces, all held together with Glue Dots. Why make life difficult for yourself? I started with a loop, joined at the back. A second loop goes around the centre, again joined at the back. Then I cut two more pieces to poke out from beneath.

Nature's Beauty gets the feminine touch

Add a feminine touch to the Nature's Beauty stamp set by using a piece of floral Designer Series Paper. This is from the Perennial Essence collection, which has a distinctive impressionist vibe.

This is the gorgeous Nature's Beauty stamp set - buy this and you'll be supporting Mental Heath Europe, which will receive £2.50 from the sale of each stamp set sold in Europe. If you're in a different market, ask your demonstrator which mental health charity will benefit.

Don't attempt to glue your ribbon down – it looks more natural when it's appears to be free. I simply taped this piece of ribbon at the back, then tied the embellishment around it using linen thread.

Seaside Notions - and even simpler stamping

I do love this Seaside Notions stamp set, but then I’ve always been a sucker for a seaside theme. It’s perfect for creating a simple one-layer card like this. Just one pack of Notecards & Envelopes, one stamp set and four ink pads – done!

Use the “sand” stamp in this stamp set to create a lovely soft border around the bottom of the card. Just keep stamping without re-inking to get several shades of the same colour, then re-ink the stamp and repeat until you’re satisfied with the results. This is called “stamping off” and I’ve done the same with the weed stamp in Pool Party to get some paler weeds which don’t dominate the project. 

The addition of some Terracotta Tile sand in the bottom right corner provides balance to the seahorse, which is stamped in the same colour.

Seaside Notions and simple stamping

It’s Cuppa & Card today in Borrowash and this is one of the projects we’ll be making. It’s a very simple Seaside Notions project with some extra simple colouring. I love the colour combo of Pretty Peacock, Terracotta Tile, Pool Party and So Saffron – what do you think?

You can add depth to your colouring simply by doing what we always strive NOT to do: go over the edges! I’ve coloured these shells with blender pens combined with Terracotta Tile and Pool Party ink pads, deliberately adding a shadow all around the edge of each image in the same colour. I think it really adds depth to the images. 

Offset mirrored seahorses using the Stamparatus

I have always loved seaside images, so the new Seaside Notions stamp set was always going to be high on my wish list. The fact that it comes with lovely and practical greetings is a bonus.

I demoed this card at my Launch Party and will be making this or something very similar at some of my events this month, too. It's a twist on the mirrored image idea and you can find all the instructions if you download the tutorial from here:

Click for the tutorial

Get the offset look by moving the Stamparatus plate down one notch before stamping the second seahorse. And you can achieve two-tone seahorses by inking in Terracotta Tile then adding some Soft Suede with a sponge dauber. 
 

Beautiful Friendship flowerpot pocket card

It's all happening with the fancy cards this week, isn't it? Here's a flowerpot pocket card using Beautiful Friendship. 

The last time I made one of these was in June 2001 - a full decade ago! Check it out here – there's even a tutorial. For a tutorial for this specific card, please follow this link

If you prefer your card to be free-standing, simply invert the card base. Instead of folding over the flower pot rim, cut these flaps off and set to one side. Shape your card so the widest part is at the fold, then cut a slit along the fold to allow the pocket section to be inserted.

Seaside Notions shell collection

I’ve always had a bit of a thing for seaside stamps. Way back before I was a Stampin’ Up!® demonstrator, I organised my various stamps into shoeboxes and had one whole box dedicated to seaside themes.

Naturally, I couldn't resist the new Seaside Notions stamp set – it was the first item on my order on 4th June! I love how it goes so well with the new In Colors (I’ve used Terracotta Tile and Seaside Spray) and the weeds die from Smooth Sailing dies set.

Can you spot the dotted background? To create this, I wrapped a piece of bubble wrap around a clear block and used it as a stamp. Household items such as this can give you some really cool and unique background effects to supplement your stamp collection.

You Always Deliver thank you cards

You Always Deliver was one of the first stamp sets on my wish list because it's so much fun! I appreciate that you may think it’s aimed largely at the Stampin’ Up!® demonstrator but I think there’s a lot of mileage to be had from it for everyone else, too.

These are the cards I made for my customers this month, to go with their orders.

I used the Delightful Tag Topper punch to make these fun decorative elements. Punch once from a piece of cardstock cut to 5cm (2") wide, then angle it carefully to show the scalloped detail but not the punched hole.

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.