A New Ink on Life

A Paper Pumpkin Thing Blog Hop - Lovely Day

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.

Paper Pumpkin by Stampin’ Up! makes creativity easy. Each month a fully designed project kit arrives in an adorable box filled with stamps, ink and paper – everything cut and ready to go. February Kit is called Lovely Day, Coordinating Stampin’ Up!® Colors: Petal Pink, Pool Party, Pretty Peacock, Rich Razzleberry, Rococo Rose, Old Olive and it coordinates perfectly with the Happy Birthday To You stamp set that can be earned for FREE with a $60 purchase during Sale a Bration!

I may have actually let out a little squeal when I opened up my box this month. The shiny foil words are dimensional and I could seriously use a 100 of them! I created a very simple card that lets the beautiful floral stamp and gorgeous word stickers really be the star. The card base is Crumb Cake and the image was stamped using the same colour ink to create a tone on tone effect, this really let's the pink pop against the background. The patterned paper was cut from one of the card bases in the kit. This colour combination was begging for me to use a few flowers from the Frosted Flower Embellishments, these sweet little flowers are a great way to dress up a project. And of course a few sequins from the kit for good measure!

Now every special handmade card deserves a pretty envelope or package to put it in. This card will be hand delivered, so creating a coordinated Copper Dotted Treat Bag was the perfect choice. I used another piece of the card base and flagged the end to make the banner piece then layered on the pretty printed die cut flower. Again I couldn't resist using one of those foiled words. I think this might just be on of my favourite Paper Pumpkin Kits yet!

Now be sure to check out what the rest of my talented friends created!

 

 

 

Fancy Friday - Shake It Up!

Welcome to the Fancy Friday Blog Hop! We are a group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators that have been or are currently on the Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team. We love sharing our passion for creating with all of you.

The challenge this month is to create a project that shakes because we're shaking things up this year on the Fancy Friday Design Team! This will be our last official 'blog hop' because we're moving in a new direction! We'll be posting a challenge on the first Friday of every month over on Instagram and Facebook. And then we'll show you our team projects as the month progresses. We can't wait to have you around and play along so any time you're inspired by our challenge, tag us in or use hashtag #stampinfancyfriday.  Make sure follow us on Instagram and Facebook - @stampinfancyfriday. Stay inspired. See you there!

I don't make them very often, but I love a good shaker card! Actually after making this one I am questioning why I don't make them more often, considering they really are not that hard to make. For my card I used the Broadway Birthday Stamp Set and Coordinating Broadway Lights Dies. To create my shaker panel I used the Stitched So Sweetly and Stitched Shapes Dies to cut out my shape and create the circular window from Calypso Coral Cardstock then to add some texture to the plain cardstock I used the Subtle 3D Embossing Folder. Next I added a piece of Window Sheet and Foam Adhesive Strips to raise the paper window panel. The sentiments were stamped on Basic Black Cardstock with Whisper White Craft Ink then cut into cute little word strips. 

I wanted to create an impact with the word "Wish" so I die cut it from Watercolor Paper and painted it with Frost White Shimmer Paint using a Sponge Dauber, then once it dried I colored over it using a Dark Bermuda Bay Stampin' Blends Marker. The effect is a gorgeous colored shimmer with texture from the watercolor paper and paint.

Now, I love sequins and they are no doubt a go to for creating shaker elements, but I also wanted to add more interest and different shapes and textures. I thought it would be fun to include a little die cut "wish" from the Well Written Dies and also added some little hearts from the same die set. I then created paper confetti pieces by cutting up some DSP.

Next on the hop is my incredibly talented friend Jennifer Frost I am sure you will love what she has made!

 

All products used for today's project are listed below with a direct link to my online store for easy shopping. And remember from now until March 31st you can earn FREE select Sale-a-bration products for every $60 or $120 (Canadian) spent!  

Artisan Design Team Blog Hop - Sale-A-Bration Sneak Peek

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! Today we get to give you all a little sneak peek at what is coming in January for Stampin' Up's biggest promotion of the year- Sale-A-Bration!

Sale-A-Bration pre-earn is finally here from December 3, 2019 to January 2, 2020! This means that demonstrators can earn items in the Sale-A-Bration Shop offering early. For every $60 CAD or $120 CAD you spend, you choose a free item from the Sale-A-Bration brochure that matches the level you spent. Demonstrators can even use the preorder of the January–June mini catalog and purchase items from that catalog or any other current catalog, and earn free Sale-A-Bration products! If you aren’t a demonstrator (what are you waiting for?!), this is a great sneak peek to see what is in store for Sale-A-Bration beginning January 3, 2020, or better yet sign up to join my team and earn your Sale-A-Bration exclusives now!

I got to work with the stunning Lovely Lily Pad stamp set. It includes 8 individual image stamps, but because this set is part of Stampin' Up's Reversibles collection of stamps you get 16 total images! Not familiar with reversible stamp sets, well let me tell you a little bit about this cool new product. On one side of the photopolymer stamp there is a detailed image and the other side will have solid mirrored image shape. For my card I used the large lily pad image to stamp the main flower on Perennial Essence Designer Series Paper and embossed it. Next I cleaned the stamp then flipped it over and inked it up with VersaMark and stamped repeatedly to create a background on the Mint Macaron card base.

TIP: The reason I chose to use Versamark for the background stamping is that it creates a much softer image as opposed to stamping the coordinating ink. VersaMark is perfect for creating a tone on tone or watermark effect. I also stamped the small lily pad image of the Petal Vellum Cardstock strip.

When I saw the beautiful large lily I just knew I wanted to do the paper piecing technique with it. I first stamped it once in VersaMark on the green DSP pattern and heat embossed with Copper Embossing powder. Next I stamped it 3 times on the pink DSP pattern and also heat embossed it with copper. The images were then cut out (* hint, hint there are coordinating dies for this set as well coming out as a Sale-A-Bration exclusive). Using my paper snips I cut the three pink images apart at various sizes to layer on top of one another and create a more dimensional flower. I then attached it to the green image.

TIP: Paper piecing is a great easy technique to quickly "colour" a line art image. Try this technique with Designer Series Paper to create different depths of colour like I did here, or use a heavily patterned piece for a different look. Once my flower was made I want to make sure it stayed the star of my project so I layered a few die cuts (remember those coordinating dies I mentioned earlier?) of Vellum Cardstock behind it. Because Lovely Lily Pad is an image only stamp set I paired it with a sentiment from Here's A Card and heat embossed it in white on DSP. A little White Baker's Twine and some bling finishes it off nicely while keeping the image the main focal pint.

 

Hope you enjoyed my projects today and are even more excited for the Sale-A-Bration pre-earn period! 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! Below is a little look of the amazing inspiration everyone is sharing today.

2019 Artisan Design Team 

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

Supplies I used for my card are linked below:

Sale A Bration Coordination-Artisan Design Team Blog Hop 2

Hello everyone and welcome to another fabulous Artisan Design Team Blog Hop. Today we are excited to share some more Sale A Bration Coordination and Sale A Bration Second Release Product inspiration.  Customers are now able to start ordering these fabulous products starting March 1st! 

 

The Hello Cupcake Stamp Set has been a popular stamp set from SAB this year and I was so happy when I found out that there would be matching framelits for purchase. If I am being honest here, I am a bit of a lazy crafter and I will take the Call Me Cupcake (150072) coordinating dies over fussing cutting any day! 

What could be yummier than a chocolate cupcake with pink frosting?! I had a lot of fun putting this card together. I started with my colour combination of Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Powder Pink and Balmy Blue. It is hard to see in the photo but the watercolour wash is actually on Shimmery White Card stock and creates such a pretty effect. 

Here you can get a better look at at the cake stand cover. Fun Tip: I die cut it from a window sheet then embossed it using the Subtle Texture Embossing Folder to create a "textured glass" look.

Now remember, the Hello Cupcake stamp set can be earned for FREE during Sale A Bration with a $60 Canadian purchase and the coordinating Call Me Cupcake Framelits can be purchased for $37 Canadian. With the purchase of the framelits you are already over half way there to earning the stamp set! The Free Sale A Bration and coordinating products are only available until March 31st or while quantities last, so make sure if you see something you love to order right away.

Next on the hop is the incredible Kaylee van Es. Make sure you check out all of the projects the team has come up with, lots of inspiration to be had! 

 

As always, all items used for today project can be found listed below with a direct link to my online store and feel free to contact me with any questions.

Sale-A-Bration Coordination Promotion - Artisan Design Team Blog Hop

Hello everyone and welcome to another Artisan Design Team Blog Hop! We are all excited to share some amazing products that are premiering and are available to order for demonstrators today! These products will be available for customers starting March 1st. So now would be a great time to join the Stampin' Up! family. Not only could you get these items a month earlier, you can take advantage of this amazing opportunity with bonuses to your personalized Starter Kit only available during Sale-A-Bration.

There are several great products being released that coordinate perfectly with existing Sale-A-Bration product rewards and a few new SAB offerings as well. I was lucky enough to be chosen to work with the More Than Words Stamp Set (150069) and Story Label Punch (150076). I am a little bit obsessed with rainbows lately so I decided to utilize the 2018-2020 In Colours. These colours just make me happy!

I created both a card and a little treat bag with a tag created using the featured Story Label Punch. 

Here you can see some of the many sentiments that come in the More Than Words Stamp set. I chose to just use this set and combine the "Birthday" with the "Wishes", but there are many phrases in this set that perfectly coordinate with several current Sale-A-Bration offerings, like So Hoppy Together and Hello Cupcake.

To create the fun rainbow background I used Glossy Paper, Versamark Ink, all 5 In Colours and Sponge Daubers. I first stamped the wishes using Versamark ink on the Glossy Paper several times to create a background. Then I used Sponge Daubers, one in each colour of ink. Next I swiped and rubbed the ink across the paper in rainbow order. The cool thing about using Versamark on Glossy Paper then inking over it, is that the versamark words or images resist the colour. This creates a ghosting effect and is a really cool easy technique to share. I would suggest definitely using the Sponge Daubers and not just sponges, for me that was a disaster, lol. I had inky fingers for days! Also I suggest you take a piece of paper towel after inking to remove any extra ink from the background. 

For the card sentiment I stamped the "wishes" in Blueberry Bushel Ink then stamped the wishes bottom portion image in Tuxedo Black Momento Ink on top. Lastly the "Birthday" was stamped using Whisper White Craft Ink. For the treat label I used the Sponge Daubers again with the inks and swiped them across the Glossy Paper. The sentiment was stamped using Versamark but this time I heat embossed it with Whisper White Embossing Powder. Happiness Blooms Enamel Dots were added as a finishing touch.

Now it's time for you to visit the next blog on the hop. Kaylee van Es is amazingly talented and I am sure you will love what she has created. 

As always I have listed the items used in today's projects below. Please let me know if you have any questions and have a great day!

 

It a Fancy Friday Sale A Bration!

Welcome back to the Fancy Friday Blog Hop! We are a group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators that have been or are currently on the Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team. We love sharing our passion for creating with all of you and hope to inspire along the way. I missed last month's hop but am so glad to here this month especially with the focus being on Sale A Bration!

This month's challenge is to showcase our favourite Sale A Bration item. There are so many amazing choices this year, but ultimately for me it came down to the wonderful sentiments in the Part of My Story stamp set. 

I let the gorgeous Petal Promenade DSP do all the work and help the sentiments shine. For my projectI created a standard size card and a Silver Gable Box to make a pretty little gift set.

I started the card with a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 Thick Whisper White base. Then layered on two of the patterns of DSP. The stamp set I chose has no images, so I created interest with clustering embellishments and popping up and punching out the sentiment.

I also added a little more interest by stamping images from Artisan Textures stamp set (a perfect set for adding to a background). I created tone on tone texture by stamping on the bokeh paper using Powder Pink Classic Ink, and a soft wash of colour on the sentiment background with Soft Seafoam Classic Ink. The awesome Old Olive Linen Thread and adorable Needle Point Nook Mini Buttons can be found in the Occasion Catalogue.

I absolutely love Stampin' Up's Mini Gable Boxes. They make giving a little treat or gift so easy, all you have to do is assemble and decorate. For mine I just used the same papers and embellishments. The little tag was created using the Everyday Label Punch.

Now be sure to visit the next blog on the hop, trust me you do not want to miss what the incredibly talented Cindy Schuster has created! 

Part Of My Story

Well here we go with my first blog post of 2019! Not going to lie, 2018 was a year of challenges, health issues and some trying times for our family, so we gladly welcomed in the new year with a positive mind set and are looking forward to some positive changes. 

Speaking of the New Year and new beginnings, I get to finally share a project with my brand new Stampin' Up! Artisan Team Watermark!!! I apologize in advance for the excess usage of exclamation marks in this post.

The new Sale-A-Bration stamp set Part of My Story is a must have. I literally squealed when it was reveal at on OnStage in November and as luck would have it, I won it during Prize Patrol! (this happens through out the day at the convention where different new stamps sets and products are given away).

It's been quite some time since I have shared my Stampin' Up! story, so what better time then now as I am going into 2019 with big crafty goals and full of excitement! 

My journey into papercrafting started in the fall of 2007 when attended my very first Stampin’ Up! workshop that a friend was having. I had never done any stamping or cardmaking before and honestly just went to be polite. After that first encounter with ink, paper, and stamps, I was hooked and wanted everything in the catalogue! I remember very clearly how I cut my paper wrong for the make and take, stamped the image and sentiment crooked, but still was so pleased with what I created. What was a girl to do but to sign up right there and then?! (just to get the discount, of course;) I quickly added scrapbooking to my newfound obsession. I try to remember and share this part of my story every time I stamp with a new friend, hold a class or especially when someone says to me that they aren't creative or could never do what I do. I believe everyone is creative and just needs the right opportunity to bring it out.  

I have met some of the most incredible people over the years, some who I can't even imagine where I would be without them. I have also had many amazing opportunities. In 2011, I had the honour of being chosen as an Artisan Award winner, literally a dream come true. It paved the way for other exciting paper crafting opportunities, but my heart always belonged to Stampin’ Up! After taking a break from being a demonstrator in 2012, I signed back up in 2016. I found my tribe again and I have no intention to ever lose it. I love being able share my passion with others and help them bring out their own creativity. To be named part of of the 2019 Stampin' Up! Design Team, well there are not enough words to describe how very excited I am to work with this group of phenomenally creative women.

So that is my SU! story and I am so lucky to have so many people be part of it. That was my thought when creating this card. As I mentioned earlier the sentiment comes from the Part of My Story stamp set that you can earn for FREE with a minimum $60 (Canadian) purchase. It is full of unique sentiments to let some one know you care.

I started with a Thick Whisper White card base then added a matted layer of one of the papers from the gorgeous Tea Room Designer Series Paper Packs and popped it up with Dimensionals. For the focal point I created a cluster of embellishments using the Starburst Punch, some Linen Thread, Sequins and the Butterfly Elements (another SAB item that can be earned for FREE) I also used the beautiful Butterfly Gala that includes the stamp set and coordinating punch. The sentiment was stamped on a die cut stitched rectangle (another must have) that had been stamped with a butterfly. The adorable little butterfly was stamped and punched out then adorn with a few pearls.

All the products I used for this project you will find below with a direct link to my online store if you would like to check anything out further or purchase. Remember there are some incredible items you can earn for FREE with Sale A Bration! Check out the SAB Catalogue HERE 

Fancy Friday- Paper Perfect Challenge

Welcome back to the Fancy Friday Blog Hop! We are a group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators that have been or are currently on the Artisan Design Team. We love sharing our passion for creating with all of you and hope to inspire along the way.
This month's challenge is to use one of the fabulous Designer Series Paper from the Occasion Mini Catalog. There are so many beautiful papers to choose from, but in the end I went with the gorgeous Sweet Soiree DSP. How could one go wrong with silver foil, stunning floral prints and vibrant colours?!

I ended up creating 3 cards using the DSP and coordinating die cuts from the coordinating Sweet Soiree embellishment pack.

For all three of the cards I created layered focal points with minimal stamping. Sometimes all you need to create a stunning card is beautiful papers, die cuts and lots of layering. Also adding a little sparkle with rhinestones, metallic thread and some epoxy shapes doesn't hurt;) 

 

Next on the hop is the super talented Sue Plote , I just love everything she makes. Be sure to click the button below to be taken to here blog and continue your way along the hop and thank you for stopping by! 

 

Birthday Wit

"A piece of paper folded in half...", that is what a card is, right?! As soon as I saw the stamp set Birthday wit I knew I had to immediately have it. You see, believe it or not my husband doesn't really see the point of cards. GASP, I know how can anyone not see the value of a kind note of thanks or a happy birthday wish? Now don't get me wrong I know he does appreciate it when he receives one and has been know to give me a few sarcastic and funny cards over the past 20+ years. So this stamp set is just the perfect to fit his sense of humour and wit, plus I know several people that will appreciate a card made from this set.

Tranquil Tide

Night of Navy

Crumb Cake

Very Vanilla

I knew this set had endless possibilities so I decided to create a Valentine's Day card for him. Love how versatile these stamps are.

By cutting out the sentiment from one of the stamps I was able to create a custom greeting. I used the Labeler Alphabet for the I love U.

Super quick but cute card and I just love the True Gentleman DSP, it's just perfect for masculine cards.

 For this next card I used the stamp the way it was meant to be used and had fun playing around with the new Brusho Crystal Color Watercolors. I love learning new techniques and trying out new to me products.

 

The background was created by lightly sprinkling the Brusho on watercolour paper then washing it across the paper. I then misted quite a bit on water and added more of the crystals then another mist of water and let the colours run together. There are so many ways of using this product and it can create something different every time. So fun!

Stampin' Up! Sale a bration promotion is still going on and they just added even more products that you can earn for free with either a $60 or $120 purchase. Be sure to check out the new items HERE.

If you would like to place an order you can from my website and your products will be shipped directly to you! 

Please feel free to contact me with any questions and below I have listed all the products I used for today's projects.

 

 

Happiest of Birthdays

I can't believe we are already more then half way through January! Too be honest 2018 has not had a great start for our family, but I am trying to focus on the good. Back in December I signed up for a card swap that was arranged by the lovely Alison Solven. We created a card that focused on products from the Occasions Catalogue and another card with products from the Saleabration catalogue. This is the card I made using paper and stamps from the Picture Perfect Party Suite of products.

Now I am not one for mass creating, so trust me when I say I struggled with coming up with a design that I could create multiples of and that was not too complicated to use in a large class setting. I ended up casing the layout of another card I created a few months back. When I'm stuck for ideas I like to look back on other cards or scrapbook projects that I have created in the past in hopes for some new inspiration. I encourage to do this as well.

Berry Burst

Peekaboo Peach

Pool Party

Lemon Lime Twist

 

This card layout is a great way to use up scraps of designer paper and a fun and easy way to mix several patterns. I started with a card base of Thick Whisper White card stock then layered on a piece of Berry Burst that I stamped with one of the confetti images in the matching ink. One of the awesome things about this stamp set is that there are buildable images like the party blower (and I totally hard to google what that think was called!) that I used here. It makes it very easy to create an image with multiple colours. To give the card some more interest and a little texture I added a few rhinestones and a Baker's twine bow. 

 To make it easy for you to purchase any of the items I used in today's card, the images are listed below and link directly to my SU! website. Also I wanted to remind you that with every $60 purchase you will qualify to receive a free product from the Sale*A*Bration Catalogue! This year there is even 2 tiers for rewards. You can view the catalogue PDF HERE to see what free items are available.