Out of this world X-Files card

A fun project for you today. My illustrator daughter, a big X Files fan, put me up to this X-Files card and we had fun brayering over some die-cut clouds from the Up & Away Thinlits set. The trees were easy – they come from the must-have Waterfront stamp set – and the words are stamped using the Labeler Alphabet. 

But how to make a UFO? That happened purely by chance, using the Pretty Label punch. Take a look...

Mix It Up Monday: Card Front Builder dies - sneak peek

It’s Monday again and time for another project using a colour combination from my In Color charts. And once again I’m using Powder Pink – admittedly to make up for lost time because I could see that this colour was lagging behind as I worked with the In Colors I found more appealing. 

But, even if I’m not a fan of baby pink, I get that others are, so I forced myself out of my comfort zone again for this Mix It Up Monday project.

It uses the brand new Card Front Builder dies, which will be feature in the Autumn/Winter catalogue in September. But it gets better than that, because they will be available to buy from 1st August, along with a co-ordinating stamp set called Carols of Christmas (I confess I haven’t used mine yet!).

But I was keen to get playing with my new goodies, even if Christmas wasn’t on the menu – so I made these thank you cards for my club members. I couldn’t find a ‘thank you’ stamp to fit the banner, but thought ‘special delivery’ worked just as well, as they were receiving the special delivery of their July orders. 

Any idea how I made the banner? Scroll down for the answer. 

I had a bit of a drama while making these projects. After die-cutting an oval mask and stamping Hardwood onto the Very Vanilla cardstock (stamping off to get a paler shade of Chocolate Chip), I had just finished 15 pieces and cleaned away the relevant supplies when disaster struck and I knocked a glass of water over. The air was blue, I can tell you!

Fortunately only four were damaged, so I finished them off, in a VERY bad mood. Lesson learned though!

(As for the banner, it's one of the ‘stripes’ from the hot air balloon in the Up & Away Thinlits set.)

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

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!