A New Ink on Life

TGIF Challenges #295- Tag Buffet

It's Friday and that means another great challenge on the TGIF Challenges Blog!

This week we have a great inspiration challenge. These are one of my favourite types of challenges as they are only as limiting as your imagination. 

 

Feel free to use it as a jumping off point. While most people might focus on the Christmas Tree aspect, if you don't celebrate Christmas, you can choose to just do trees, or maybe include a green oval with black accents...think outside the box! I chose to go with a Christmas Tree Theme and the Tag Buffet Project Kit along with the Wishes and Wonder Bundle. They were the perfect combination for some very last minute gift packaging. 

 

 

It was fun to work with some traditional Christmas colours again for this project as I have been enjoying a less traditional colour pallet lately. As I mentioned, this was very quickly put together as it was gift packaging for my daughter's resource case manager and the two EAs (education assistants) that help her on a daily bases. And of course, like the last minute person that I am, I finished just in time for her to give them out before their winter break. I really didn't have the chance to get the best photos and totally forgot to take a picture of what was inside. The Mini Paper Pumpkin Boxes were the perfect size to place in some gold tissue paper and then add a Starbucks Gift card and a mini Bath and Body Works Hand Sanitizer.

 

 

To decorate the box I first added a piece of patterned paper from the Forever Fern DSP Pack which, even though it is not trees or Christmasy per se, I felt like it went well. The next part was quite easy, I just added elements from the Tag Buffet Project Kit like one of the white and gold foiled tags, cut pieces from one of the red tag patterns, the die cut tree was added using Dimensionals and some of the Gold Twine placed behind it. Using the North Pole Wonders Dies I die cut the deer from Gold Foil then layered the sentiment from Wonder and Wishes on top. To finish it off I added a little Christmas cheer by attaching some cute Jingle Bells.  

 

 

I also created a simpler variation of the gift box using the same Tag Buffet Project Kit but pairing it with the coordinating Tag Buffet Stamp Set. 

 

 

I hope you can join us this week and make sure to check out the TGIF challenge blog for some more awesome inspiration!

All products I have used for today's project are listed below with a direct link to my online store for easy shopping! Also remember that Stampin' Up's Year-End Close Out Event is going on now and there are a lot of great savings on seasonal products from the August-January Mini Catalogue.

 

The Spot #141 - Peace and Joy Christmas Gift

 

Welcome back to another challenge at The Spot, your place for inspiration and weekly cardmaking challenges. This week we have a wonderful and timely theme challenge and would love to have you join us!

Today we are sharing with you some last minute gift ideas and challenge you to show us yours. The Peace and Joy Bundle is one of my favourites from the Aug-Jan Mini Catalogue and sadly it will be retiring so, I suggest you grab it for your stash if you don't have it yet. This will be one that I will not be parting with!

I decorated a clear ornament and created a matching card using the So Many Snowflakes Dies and the peace and Joy Bundle. I chose a cool colour pallete of blues with Seaside Spray, Misty Moonlight and Night of Navy. A sweet little ornament is a perfect last minute gift for this time of year.

I started with a blank clear ornament that you can easily find at any craft store. I die cut a circle from a Window Sheet (the second largest size) to fit inside the ornament. Next I used a piece of Adhesive Sheet (these are must have for intricate die cuts) and attached it to the back of Balmy Blue Glimmer Paper (unfortunately this paper is longer available) I die cut 6 snowflakes so that they would be on both sides. Then I attached the snowflakes making sure they were really glued down and then rolled the Window Sheet to fit it inside the ornament. Once inserted it unfolds and creates the look of floating snowflakes. The Peace was die cut from Silver Foil that was also backed onto an Adhesive Sheet for easy application on the outside. Lastly I added the beautiful Seaside Spray Metallic Ribbon for hanging and some sequins to the inside.

Although this card may look complicated it was actually quite easy to make. I used one of my new favourite products-Blending Brushes! These soft, fine bristle brushes will be available January 5th in the new upcoming Mini Catalogue. I first die cut the negative snowflake then using the brushes and combination of three inks, I blended them across the Whisper White Cardstock. Using a Water Painter I then splattered some water drops and flicked on Frost White Shimmer Paint to create a fun background. The sentiment was stamped in Misty Moonlight and of course a few sequins were added for good measure.

Now be sure to check out The Spot for some fabulous inspiration, and I hope you can join in on the challenge! 

All products I have used for today's project are listed below with a direct link to my online store for easy shopping!

 

A Paper Pumpkin Thing Blog Hop - Box of Sunshine

 

It's time again for me to be back blog hopping with my incredibly talented friends from the A Paper Pumpkin Thing Blog Hop! We are a group of Stampin' Up! Demonstrators that love to think outside the box and come up with inspiring alternate samples using the current Paper Pumpkin Kit. 

June's kt is all about sending sunshine! The idea behind it was to put together a thoughtful box of sunshine–a fun, yellow box filled with yellow snacks, gifts, and other goodies–and create warm, sunny cards with the Box of Sunshine Paper Pumpkin Kit!

I mainly used kit components for my two creations. The only thing I added was some Forever Greenery Designer Series Paper, an Acetate Card Box, Crush Curry and Poppy Parade Classic Ink Pads.

For the card, I used one of the card bases from the kit then layered on a piece of white card stock that was cut down from another card. I then randomly stamped "sunshine" using both Poppy Parade and Crushed Curry, in both full strength and stamped off once. I loved the gold striped foil card base, so I cut off a strip to add to this card front then layered on the sun die cut and black polka dot die cut sticker. Super cute and simple card!

To create a mini box of sunshine, I used one of the Acetate Card Boxes and some tissue paper from the kit box. The belly band was made using Forever Greenery DSP then layered with the fun fruit die cuts. Really easy to make and ready to be filled with some awesome treats. 

Now be sure to check out what my wonderfully talented friends have made!

 

A Paper Pumpkin Thing - Something For Everything

I am so happy to be back hopping with my incredibly talented friends from the A Paper Pumpkin Thing Blog Hop! We are a group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators that love to think outside the box and come up with inspiring alternate samples using the current Paper Pumpkin Kit.

This month we are working with the awesome  December kit: Something for Everything. I love the warm colour combination and floral details of this kit along with the pretty gold accents.  

 

I took the majority of the items from the kit and just added a few punches, some Whisper White and Shaded Spruce Cardstock plus the awesome Beautiful Friendship Stamp Set to come up with my projects. This stamp set coordinates perfectly with the floral imagery of the kit. 

It is so fun taking the kit and making alternate projects with it and just adding a few additional products to come up with some alternate ideas.

This card came together quickly, I just cut up one of the card bases to create a dotted patterned paper layer. One of my favourite techniques is to actually stamping on top of patterned paper. I used Terracotta Tile Classic Ink to stamp one of the floral images from the Beautiful Friendship stamp set. Next I layered the pretty gold foil foliage and die cut florals from the kit as well as some punched out Old Olive Vellum and Shaded Spruce leaves that were made using the Sprig Punch. Using the Tailored Tag Punch I punched out one of the die cut shapes from the kit.Then layered on some Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon. The sentiment is from the kit and stamped on one of the sentiment strips using Jet Black Stazon ink.

To create a little coordinating gift box box I used items from the kit as well as a Gold Mini Pizza Box. These Mini Pizza Boxes are the perefct size to house a gift card or small token of appreciation. 

 

Now be sure to check out the amazing inspiration of Paper Pumpkins alternatives from this talented crew! There are a lot of us hopping today and trust me you won't want to miss a single one!

Artisan Design Team December Blog Hop

Hello everyone and welcome back to another Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team Blog Hop! This is a very special blog hop as it is the last one for the current 2019 team. I must admit typing that was a little bittersweet, but I will forever be blessed with the lifelong friends I have made throughout this year. It has been a true privilege to be able to represent Stampin' Up! over the course of the year, along with some very creative and inspiring women. I hope you have enjoyed following along my Artisan journey and will continue to visit my blog and follow me on my Instagram and Facebook page.

The Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team is a group of 16 Stampin' Up! Demonstrators from around the world, that were chosen to represent Stampin' Up! over the course of the year, through blog hops, Facebook posts and corporate blog posts. Each month the team will be focusing on a particular set of products to bring you inspiration from around the globe Stampin' Up!

This month we got to work with the super fun Tags, Tags, Tags and Tiny Keepsakes Bundles. Love how these bundles can work for several different occasions.  

                       

I used both bundles for this adorable banner card that would make a perfect show of affection for a friend or loved one. I started with the fresh colour combination of Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Pool Party and Rococo Rose. Thick Whisper White was used as a base and used the Stitched Rectangles Dies to cut layers from Cherry Cobbler cardstock and a piece of Pool Party DSP from the Subtles Designer Series Paper pack. A small layer of Vellum Cardstock helps to diffuse the pattern and make the banner pop. To create the banner I used dies from both bundles as well as the Tags Tags Tags Stamp Set and Rococo Rose DSP from the 2019-2021 In Colour Designer Series Paper pack. Tip: To have the Whisper White Bakers Twine stay in place I used a very tiny amount of Tombow Multipurpose Liquid Glue in a few areas to attach it.

The Tiny Keepsakes mini curvy box die is just way too cute! It is the perfect size to house a few Hersey's Kisses or a Ferraro Roche chocolate. It is also so quick and easy to create. All you need is one sheet of 6x6 piece of cardstock or DSP and a die cutting machine. the die cuts like butter and creates the score lines so all you have to do is fold along the lines to assemble, no adhesive needed! Tip: You can also create a two-toned box by cutting out two boxes, one from each pattern/paper. For my box I used a piece of Whisper White and stamped the lined pattern using Pool Party Classic Ink and a piece of Silver Glimmer Paper. Cut the ends of of one piece, then the opposite ends off the other. Glue together and assemble.  The sentiment was heat embossed with Silver Embossing Powder and that sweet little heart is from the Heart Epoxy Droplets. These come clear, but can easily be coloured with Stampin' Blends Alcohol Markers. Here I used Cherry Cobbler.

 

And last but not least I made this cute little coordinating box using the Rococo Rose DSP. Add a glimmer tag and some hearts and you can quickly create multiple sweet treat packaging in no time!

 

Next up is my extremely talented friend Kaylee van Es!

 

 

 

Remember there are 16 of us sharing our ideas, be sure not to miss a single one! Below is a little look at the amazing inspiration everyone is sharing today.

 

 

2019 Artisan Design Team Blog Roll

 

Angela Meiritz-Reid 

Ashley Van Camp 

Aurélie Fabre 

Emma Goddard 

Jackie Aitken 

Jennifer Picard - That's me:)

Kaylee van Es 

Lauren Alarid 

Maike Beimler

Manuela Geiswinkler 

Mikaela Titheridge 

Narelle Farrugia 

Rochelle Blok 

Stesha Bloodhart 

Sylwia Schreck 

Tanya Rees 

 

Now it is time to introduce you to the incoming Artisan Design Team for 2020. To say I am thrilled for every single one of them would be an understatement, they are in for an amazing year of creativity and friendships. I have no doubt the inspiration they will bring over the course of the next year will be nothing short of spectacular! Be sure to check out their blogs listed below. Their first official team hop will be in January.

 

2020 Artisan Design Team Blog Roll

 

Caroline van der Straaten https://carooskaartjes.blogspot.com

Emma Goddard https://www.coastalcrafter.com

Helene den Breejen https://helenedenbreejen.nl

Jan Clothier https://www.thinkingstamping.co.nz

Lauren Alarid http://craftylittlepeach.blogspot.com

Leah Fedynak https://birdwingpaperdesigns.com

Manuela Geiswinkler https://melomakes.blogspot.com

Marine Wiplier http://www.marineetstamp.com

Martha Groger https://www.cookiescraftco.de

Martin Stone https://martinsmayhem.co.uk/

Narelle Farrugia https://narellefarrugia.com

Nina Waldschmidt https://mamaninadesign.blogspot.com

Rochelle Blok http://rochelleblok.blogspot.com

Stesha Bloodhart https://stampinhoot.com

Tammy Wilson https://stampspaperscissors.com

Zsuzsanna Balazs https://zsushomeofart.at/blog/

 

 

 

 

Artisan Design Team November Blog Hop- Toile Tidings

Hello everyone and welcome back to another Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team Blog Hop! We are a group of 16 Stampin' Up! Demonstrators from around the world, that were chosen to represent Stampin' Up! over the course of the 2019 year, through blog hops, Facebook posts and corporate blog posts. Each month we will be be focusing on a particular set of products to bring you inspiration from around the globe Stampin' Up!

Our focus this month is the beautiful Toile Tidings Suite of products. This suite if full of traditional holiday imagery and classic Christmas colours. It has not one, but two stamp and die bundles; Toile Christmas and Tidings All Around. It also includes coordinating wrapping paper, designer series paper, beautiful ribbons and sparkly enamel dots. Using both stamp bundles I created a perfect little tag for gift giving and an elegant card. The Toile Tidings Designer Series Paper also makes it easy to create customized bows of varies sizes to adorn treasured gifts. 

For the gift tag I started with my go to Stitched Nested Labels in the largest size and cut out a Crumb Cake base. I stamped the cardstock using Crumb Cake Ink and the leafy images. Using the wreath die I cut out one from Shimmery White Cardstock and the other from Vellum. To create a watercoloured wreath I used Garden Green and Old Olive inks on the Shimmery White, varying the amount of ink versus water ratio to create different depths of colour. The sentiment was stamped with VersaMark Ink then heat embossed with Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder and fussy cut out. Of course no wreath would be complete without some "berries" and a little bling so I added a few Toile Tidings Glitter Enamel Dots and painted on a little Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint. The gift box was wrapped using the awesome coordinating wrapping paper and Garden Green Double-Stitched Ribbon. 

For my card I kept with the tag theme and decided to make another one for the front of my card as a focal point. This is a great way to showcase the elegant Cardinal image. Starting with a Thick Very Vanilla base I layered on a piece of DSP. The base of the tag was made the same was as above and I also heat embossed the main image in gold. Few vellum die cut leaves were tipped with a little Wink of Stella shimmer and then tucked in behind the stamped sentiment banner. Now I am one who can never has enough of some subtle glitter and shimmer so the cardinal was also lightly filled in using the Wink of Stella Glitter Brush. 

 

Hope you enjoyed my projects today and are now convinced you need this suite of products. Next up on the Hop is the insanely talented Kaylee van Es, I just know you will love what she has to share!

Now remember there are 16 of us sharing our idea along the blog hop, be sure not to miss a single one! 

Here is a little sneak peek at all of the amazing inspiration, click on the links below to be taken straight to their projects.

Angela Meiritz-Reid | Visit Her Blog

Ashley Van Camp | Visit Her Blog

Aurélie Fabre | Visit Her Blog

Emma Goddard | Visit Her Blog

Jackie Aitken | Visit Her Blog

Jennifer Picard | You Are Here

Kaylee van Es | Visit Her Blog

Lauren Alarid | Visit Her Blog

Maike Beimler | Visit Her Blog

Manuela Geiswinkler | Visit Her Blog

Mikaela Titheridge | Visit Her Blog

Narelle Farrugia | Visit Her Blog

Rochelle Blok | Visit Her Blog

Stesha Bloodhart | Visit Her Blog

Sylwia Schreck | Visit Her Blog

Tanya Rees | Visit Her Blog

 

All products for today's projects are listed below and as always please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Artisan Design Team Christmastime is Here Blog Hop

Hello everyone and welcome back to another Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team Blog Hop! We are a group of 16 Stampin' Up! Demonstrators from around the world, that were chosen to represent Stampin' Up! over the course of the 2019 year, through blog hops, Facebook posts and corporate blog posts. Each month we will be be focusing on a particular set of products to bring you inspiration from around the globe Stampin' Up! style.

Today we are sharing with you an amazing suite of products that from now until October 31st is available for ordering if you are a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and available for all customers on November 1st. Want it now and are not a demonstrator? I would love to have you as join in on the fun as part of my team! Message me for more information or join now through my website. 

Christmas is coming earlier this year! We hope you are ready to make this holiday season magical because the Christmastime is Here Suite is, well...here! This exclusive, limited-time festive collection of coordinated floral products includes everything you and your customers need to share love, joy and creativity during this holiday season. This suite of products can be purchased in one complete bundle for those of us who want it all or items can be purchased individually. It consists of GOLD 1/4" (6.4 MM) SHIMMER RIBBON, GOLD GLITTER ENAMEL DOTS, CHRISTMASTIME IS HERE SPECIALTY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER, CHARMING ROSE BRACELET, ROSES DIES and CHRISTMAS ROSE STAMP SET. Full of gorgeous florals and shimmery accents this collection is perfect for creating beautiful projects for any crafting style. From stunningly simple to intricately complex. 

I created a trio of projects using all of the products in the suite. These will definitely remain out on my desk for a lot of my holiday crafting this season. It's so easy to put beautiful projects together in record time when everything coordinates!

For this card I focused on the gorgeous DSP using three different patterns. That's right, I said three...can only spot two? Well, that bold beautiful flower is actually die cut from one of the papers! Yes, the die cuts out the DSP as well. I love it when that happens as it makes creating even quicker and I am all about that! You might even say I am a bit of a lazy stamper;) TIP: To add some more dimension to the large rose image I did fussy cut the center from another flower and added on top.  

I am always looking for cute packaging to give little gifts in and the Kraft Pillow Boxes are perfectly sized for just that! However for my projects I wasn't using Kraft in my colour scheme so I recoloured the box Cherry Cobbler to match. TIP: Here I used Cherry Cobbler Classic and a Sponge Brayer to colour the pillow box. I inked up the brayer and rolled it over the top of the box working my way down, reinking as needed. This creates a perfectly uniformed colour.

And what would a Christmas gift be without a pretty little gift tag? I created this tag using several of the die cut shapes included in the Roses Die Set. The base of the tag was die cut from Thick Whisper White and then again from DSP, this helps give the tag weight and a blank area on the back to write. TIP: Here I used dark Early Espresso Cardstock and heat embossed the sentiment. Heat embossing not only helps to add texture and elegance to a project but it also really "pops" against the darker coloured cardstocks.

Hope you enjoyed my projects today and are now convinced you need this suite of products. Next up on the Hop is the insanely talented Kaylee van Es, I just know you will love what she has to share! Remember there are 16 of us sharing our love of the Christmastime is Here Suite and trust miss you won't want to miss a single one! 

As always you can find all of the products used for today's projects listed below with a direct link to my online store and please feel free to contact me with any questions or for further details. Thank you for stopping by!

A Paper Pumpkin Thing Blog Hop - On My Mind July 2019

Happy last Thursday of July, where did the month time go?! So happy to be hopping once again with the A Paper Pumpkin Thing Blog Hop! I can't wait to show you this months alternatives to the July Paper Pumpkin Kit.  I love that I get to receive a little bit of guaranteed happy mail every month by subscribing to Stampin' Up!'s one stop box.

This month Stampin' Up! really made the kit versatile by designing it to coordinate with three suites from the annual catalog: Garden Lane, Woven Threads, and Come Sail Away. For my projects I decided to focus on the coordinating Sail Away Suite.

I created a standard size card and cute little gift box by combining die cuts from the kit along with the Come Sail Away Designer Series Paper, Sailing Home stamp and die bundle, plus some of the adorable trinkets and baker's twine.

This adorable little treat box was super quick and easy to put together using a Clear Tiny Treat box, love that all I had to do was fill it and decorate. I added a strip of DSP and then wrapped it with the awesome night of Navy/Sahara Sand Thick Baker's Twine. This twine can be easily separated to fray the ends or completely separated so you have individual threads in two colours, super versatile! I made two little tags using the Stitched Nested Labels Dies and hung them from the twine along with Sail Away Trinket. I filled the box with some "Life Savers" to go along with the nautical theme.

For my card I started with a card base of Shimmery White Cardstock and then layered on another piece that I added a watercolour wash too using inks and an Aquapainter. I used the die cute ship and wheel from the Paper Pumpkin Kit. the ship was watercoloured with Classic Inks and I stamped the wheel with the Crackle Paint Background stamp. The sentiment was stamped on a die cut circle from the Stitched Shapes Dies and I placed some separated twine behind it along with a trinket to add some texture and a little more interest.

I hope you enjoyed these projects! Now it's time to visit the fabulously talented stampers on the blog hop, please be sure to check out all of the amazing alternatives by clicking on the names below. Have a great day!

 

Artisan Design Team July Blog Hop- Perennial Essence

Hello everyone and welcome back to another Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team Blog Hop! We are a group of 16 Stampin' Up! Demonstrators from around the world, that were chosen to represent Stampin' Up! over the course of the 2019 year, through blog hops, Facebook posts and corporate blog posts. Each month we will be be focusing on a particular set of products to bring you inspiration from around the globe Stampin' Up! style. 

This month we are focusing on the stunning Perennial Essence Suite of Products. It is full of beautiful patterned papers with hand painted imagery, a gorgeous flower stamp set with coordinating punch, delicate coloured vellum and pretty organdy ribbon, this suite is a must have!

There are so many beautiful designs in the Designer Series Paper Pack that I had a hard time choosing what to work with. It really is absolutely stunning in person. I just knew that pairing this suite with copper details would complement the rich jewel tones and soft feminine pinks. 

I stamped the floral images on a scrap piece of paper using Memento Ink and coloured them in using Stampin' Blends Alcohol Markers, then  fussy cut using Paper Snips. TIP: Paper Snips are incredibly sharp and are excellent for precise cutting, for easy cutting rotate the paper while cutting to easily move the scissors around the image.  

The Copper Tea Tins are just the right size to house a little treat in (True story, the mints I was going to put in here had "disappeared" ie: eaten by my children, so the recipient had to settle for some pistachios;). TIP: Tear & Tape makes the perfect adhesive to adhere paper to metal, glass and other materials without the fear of it not sticking. 

 

Now next up on the Hop is the insanely talented Kaylee van Es, I just know you will love what she has to share!

Now remember, there are 16 of us sharing inspiration today, be sure to check out all of the fabulous projects!

 

As always you can find all of the products used for today's projects listed below with a direct link to my online store and please feel free to contact me with any questions or for further details. Thank you for stopping by!

A Paper Pumpkin Thing Blog Hop - Hugs From Shelli

Hi everyone! I am so excited to share with you today that I am participating in a blog hop with some amazing stamping friends. This hop focuses on Stampin' Up's awesome Paper Pumpkin Kit and we will all be showing you alternate project examples using elements from May's Kit. 

The kit this month was designed with the help of Stampin' Up's very own co-founder Shelli Gardner. Shelli always has had such a beautiful design aesthetic, usually lots of vintage elements, soft neutral colour tones, lots of layers and texture. This kit is certainly true to her style and I had so much fun coming up with my projects.

 

For my projects I used several elements from the actual kit, including the stamps, 3 of the note card designs, embellishments, labels, threads and I even repurposed the tissue that the kit was packed in.  I created a cute little 3x3 card and a coordinating mini pizza box.

For this card I started with a 3x3 base and added on some Crumb Cake card stock that had been sponged and distressed around the edges. to add some texture I used the White Embossing Paste mixed with a few drops of Champagne Shimmer Paint and applied it over one of the masks from the Pattern Party Decorative Masks sets. Then came the fun part-adding all of the layers! I sponged one of the labels from the kit with Petal Pink Ink and layered it on top of a vellum feather.  I then took some cut strips of patterned paper from the note cards, adding some pleated tissue paper that had been fringed with my Paper Snips. A fussy cut stamped bird image was covered with Wink of Stella for some added shine. And then of course a little bit of linen thread and a few pearls to give even more texture.

The Mini Pizza Boxes are the perfect tiny gift package for a special little gift. What I really love about them is that they are easy to customize and assemble. The boxes are all white which make it easy to colour to whatever you want. Using Petal Pink Ink and a sponge Brayer I coloured the whole box, then stamped on the sides on the outside. The top was decorated using the cut up note cards. I matted the main bird's nest image on Silver Foil to compliment the silver foil labels in the kit. The adorable little eggs were coloured using Pool Party and topped with Wink of Stella because there is no such thing as adding to much subtle shine! then came the layers and sentiment.

Here you can see how I used some more of the tissue paper for the inside of the box. I stamped the feather image using Early Espresso ink, this is a great way to dress up the inside of the box as well. And bonus - the tissue paper gets reused and looks pretty too!

I hope you enjoyed these projects! Now it's time to visit the fabulously talented stampers on the blog hop, please be sure to check out all of the amazing alternatives by clicking on the names below. Have a great day!

 

 

 

As always you can find the products for today's Projects listed below and please feel free to contact me with any questions.