Bokeh Technique

We used the Bokeh technique to cover the fronts of the Kraft Grid Journals in a recent class.

I like the way the colours change when the Craft White is applied.

Six Cards in 20 Minutes

Do you want an idea for a quick but gorgeous Christmas card?

This is it. Straight from the pages of the holiday catalogue (pg 8)

Very Vanilla cardstock
Filigree Frame embossing folder
Soft Suede ink
Cheerful Christmas stamp set
Rhinestones coloured with Cherry Cobbler blendies

So simple yet so pretty!

And I did indeed make 6 of these in 20 minutes:)

Oh Dear

He he he. Come to my classes and you may get a little more (or should I say, less) than you bargained for. After our class, Lynley bent down to pick up her first project and ...oops, the corner had been chewed off. Lincoln! Naughty boy. At least she could see the funny side of it. Of course I offered her my project to replace it.

Penny's Make n Take

At the recent Craft Out West market, we offered this Make n Take (thanks to Penny).

We sponged the background with Night of Navy ink and used the stamps and die cuts from the Holiday Home stamp set and die cut bundle (pg 16 of the Holiday catalogue).

Winner!

This weekend just gone, I had a Stampin' Up! Stall at the Craft Out West show with fellow demonstrators, Penny and Vanita. unfortunately I had laryngitis and found the Saturday quite a strain and reluctantly had to stay at home Sunday. Thank you Penny for stepping in on my behalf on the Sunday.

The show was excellent and in my opinion, one of the best annual craft shows in NZ.

Anyway, let's announce the winner of our prize draw...

CONGRATULATIONS to Margaret of Hobsonville. Vanita has emailed you and will deliver your prize.

Creative Inkers Christmas Blog Hop 2014

Ooo. This is my second ever Blog Hop participation. I had such a great response to the first one with a huge amount of hits so I'm really looking forward to this one.

Welcome to my page of this Blog Hop. Once you have viewed my page, please leave a comment and then click the "next" button at the bottom of the page to view the lovely Christmas Creation of

My creation is an adaptation of the Simply Pressed Clay Christmas ornament on pg14 of the Holiday mini catalogue.
I rolled out my clay on a silicon mat, using a brayer as you would roll out pastry.
Then I cut out a circle by pressing a small upended glass into the clay.
I stamped the sentiment "Joy" from the Endless Wishes photopolymer stamp (pg 32) set using melon Mambo ink ( I found using the ink was better than leaving it clear as they have done oin the catalogue because it stoped the stamp sticking to the clay).
I then cut the "loop" off one of the "All Is Calm Snowflake Embellishments" (pg 22). I used the old style craft scissors that can cut through metal but you may have some other hardward tool that would do the job. (Take care as I managed to cut myself on one attempt ).
I pushed the embellishment into the cut out clay and then pressed a small Rhinestone into the centre of the embellishment.
I then coloured then rhinestone with the darkest of the Melon Mambo Blendabilities (alcohol markers).
I made a hole using a stylus then let it dry for 24 hours.
Lastly I threaded  Cherry Cobbler Bakers Twine and Cherry Cobbler Sheer Linen Ribbon (p7) through the hole and tied it.

Tips for using the Simply Pressed Clay: It is easier to use when the weather is colder as it tends to get soft more quickly when warm. Don't overwork the clay between your fingers as it will warm the clay and make it more difficult to use. I find putting the Clay in the fridge for a few minutes before use helps. You may want to use your embossing buddy on the rim of the glass to stop the clay sticking. I found it was better to not fully cut through with the glass and once firm enough, trim off the excess.

This is another Christmas ornament I cased from "Amy Williams" . I chnged the colours as I just fancied a silver and black look this time. her blog has step by step instructions for this.

Now off to  Ria's blog for more inspiration:)

If you should get lost, here is a list of all those taking part ;

1. Narelle Hoggard
www.handmadebynarelle.wordpress.com

2. Jackie Noble
http://www.creativejax.co.nz

3. Bev Poultney
http://www.stampandscrap.co.nz

4. Sally Williams
http://sallystampingdelights.blogspo...-blog-hop.html

5. Bernice Collins
www.creativeedge.stampinup.net/blog


6. Irene Wardlaw
http://www.kowhaihavencrafts.blogspot.co.nz/

7. Sharon de Vos
http://sharonsstampingsnippets.blogspot.co.nz/

8. Jacque Williams
www.stamphappy.co.nz

9. Delys Cram
http://delysc.wordpress.com/

10. Rachael Knight
www.knightstamper.co.nz

11. Lisa Bullock
http://daffyscrapper.wordpress.com

12. Paula Reid
http://yellowbearnz.blogspot.com/201...-blog-hop.html

13. Heather Stewart
http://stamping-craft.blogspot.com/2...-hop-2014.html

14. Ria Kaire
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/qraftyqueen/blog

15. Kathryn Tyrrell
http://www.aspotofstamping.co.nz/

16. Kathe Oldham
www.JorjaRose.com

Petite Cafe Gift Bags

Have you seen these on P 10 of the new Holiday mini?

Not bad at $11.95 for 10. And they have a food-safe lining!

Easy to decorate with stamps and embellishments. There are heaps of ideas here.

This is one I made at a trecent demo training day.

Texture Boutique Embossing Machine

Texture Boutique Embossing Machine
item 132657
$59.95

A new machine from Stampin' Up!
what is it?

 It’s embossing made easy. Texture Boutique is the perfect, portable tool to create embossed cards, tags, embellishments, and more. Use it with our Stampin’ Up! exclusive Textured Impressions embossing folders.

So... do you want one? Just email me your order or order online by clicking the "shop now" button on the top right of my blog home page:)

See previous posts to browse acasions and Sale-a-Bration catalogues.

Masculine Foil card

This is a card I designed for Father's day but it could be made into any kind of Masculine card by replacing the letters spelling DAD with another name or it could be given to Dad for another occasion.

I have used The Little Letters dies for DAD and the large star is die cut from Brushed Silver cardstock. The small star is punched using the little star punch from the Itty Bitty Accents punch pack.
The silver strip is self adhesive Aluminium foil tape ( from the hardware store) adhered to card then run through the Big Shot using the Decorative Dots embossing folder. The setiment was made using the Alphabet Rotary stamp. I have also rounded all the corners for a slightly diferent look using the Corner Rounder punch.

New Holiday Mini

The new Holiday Mini catalogue is live from today. Hopefully you will have checked out the samples made by myself and fellow demonstrators on the blog hop from the post below. Plenty of inspiration there:)

Please email me if you would like a copy of the new mini and if you are ready to order, please either email me your order or order online by clicking on the "shop now" button on the top right of my blog.

Creative Inkers Holiday Blog Hop

Hey, this is fun! My first ever participation in a Blog Hop.

Some of Jacque Williams' team of demonstrators (of which I am one) have put together a Blog Hop for your viewing pleasure, featuring products from the new Holiday mini Catalogue 2014, (which goes live on the 28th August).

 For those of you new to Blog Hopping, just view my post here and then click on the link at the bottom of my post to visit the next site and so on. Enjoy:) Please leave a (nice) comment before you leave:)

I have designed my card using the Stamp set "Bright and Beautiful" and the coordinating "Stars Framelits Dies". I have laid a couple of strips of the new "All is Calm" Washi tape (which this time comes in a delicious pack of 5) across Whisper White on a base of lost Lagoon. I embossed the star using silver Embossing powder onto Lost Lagoon card stock and and die cut it and laid it on a larger die cut star using the "Brushed Silver" card stock (pg 193 Annual catalogue). the sentiment comes from "Endless Wishes", a photopolymer stamp set. I finished the star with a tiny star punched with the star from "Itty Bitty Accents " punch pack (pg 222 Annual catalogue) and a self adhesive Rhinestone in the centre.

AND just for something completely different, I made the card into a "Magic Envelope Card" using "All is Calm" DSP. I got the envelope design from Deb Valder.

this is the card itself

this is the card attached to its own envelope

The card partly wrapped in its own envelope

The card wrapped inside its own envelope, ready for an adress label or maybe a tag?  Lift the little flap at the top right to open the card.

   Now off to    Ria's blog    for more inspiration!

                 

If you should get lost here is a list of all those taking part;

1: Narelle Hoggard
Handmadebynarelle.wordpress.com

2: Paula Reid
http://yellowbearnz.blogspot.com/2014/08/creative-inkers-holiday-blog-hop.html

3: Heather
http://stamping-craft.blogspot.co.nz/2014/08/creative-inkers-holiday-blog-hop.html

4: Ria
stampinup.net/esuite/home/qraftyqueen/blog

5: Sally Williams
http://sallystampingdelights.blogspot.co.nz/

6: Jackie N.
www.creativejax.co.nz/blog/

7. Jacque W
www.stamphappy.co.nz

8. Rachael Knight
www.knightstamper.co.nz


9. Lisa – Daffyscrapper
http://daffyscrapper.wordpress.com

10. Bev Poultney
http://www.stampandscrap.co.nz/holiday-blog-hop.html

11. Irene
www.kowhaihavencrafts.blogspot.com

12. Christine
www.christinebennett.stampinup.net/blog

13. Kathryn
http://www.aspotofstamping.co.nz/2014/08/blog-hop.html

Wonderous Wreath

One of the fab things I enjoy about being a demonstrator for Stampin' Up! is going to team trainings with our leader Jacque Williams. We have fun just getting together but we also have shared morning tea which as always yummy,  we can take part in "swaps" where we make several of the same card and swap with fellow demos to have a stock of samples from a new catalogue, plus we get to do a "make n take". This is a card Jacque taught us at our last training;

The base is (of course) Blackberry Bliss, everyone's favourite new "in colour" and the stamp set is "Wonderous Wreath" from the upcoming Holiday mini catalogue. which you can order from on the 28th August, (two more sleeps). The digital version will be on my blog Thursday.

If you would like a Holiday mini catalogue, please email me .

Gate fold card and Blended Bloom

I came across a gate fold card (with a difference) when googling one day. (See it here) I used this card as my inspiration in designing this gate fold card using the Blended Bloom stamp.

 I stamped the image onto DSP (Moonlight Paper Stack) to once again show my customers another way to use the Blended Bloom stamp.

And the inside

Zentangling

Tried my hand at "Zentangling" . What is Zentangling?
Well, according to Zentangling.com....The Zentangle Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns.

Try googling it and you will find a heap of stuff. Better still... google "Stampin' Up! Zentangling" and you see a heap of examples of Zentangling using our very own Stampin' Up! stamp sets.

I chose the "Blended Bloom" stamp because you  need an outline stamp that is fairly open and also I wanted to show my customers another way of using the stamp other than with Blendabilities (as if you need another way. he he)

My first attempt was too "muddied" and so I decided, "less is more" and came up with this.

 I haven't attached it to card yet but I think I would like to put it together with a Black and White themed card. (to come).

I used the Basic Black marker (pen end) but I rather think the new Project Life Journalling pens may work well for this. 

This example took me about 10 minutes before my Stamp class and I rather enjoyed it. If you are a "doodler" you'll love it!

Shopping Bag card

I had a request to make a card for someone's birthday. the gift to go with the card was a large animal print shopping bag.

this is the bag

 And this is the card I made

Popcorn card

I have been trying to theme my birthday cards to the gifts I am giving. This time I wanted something to go with an "Event Cinema" giftcard. Also it was to be a masculine card and you know how challenging they can be sometimes!

I googled my theme and came up with idea of "popcorn", so with an idea I found on Tanya Bell's site, I came up with this.

Wine holder

For my latest class, I taught this cool little "Piccolo" size wine bottle holder. The wine is Lindauer and it comes in a pack of four from the local supermaket for $15.99 so the bottles are just $4 each. So a great little gift:)

The base card is Blackberry Bliss (or "Blackberry Nip" as one of my friends (Sue S) calls it he he). And the DSP is the Moonlight stack.

I got the idea from Eva at http://lovelymade.me/2014/07/31/piccolo-verpackung-mit-dem-epb-mit-anleitung/

More Blendies

You know, you don't have to stick to the one lot of colour shades to blend together. I had a go at blending Rich Razzleberry with Coastal Cabana in this card I Cased from Victoria Rogers. I used the colour lifter to make highlighted dots but she used the chalk marker. Mine look a little like raindrops but I like the effect Victoria got better I think. Nothing like a bit of experimentation.

Using the new "Blendies"

I just love ( I mean looove!!) the new Stampin' Up! blendabilities.

I love the matt finish. I love the way you don't see any brushstokes. I love the colour range. I love the way the colur shades blend together without a line. I love the effects you can get with them, especially the 3D effect as in the "Perfect Blend" card below.

If you would like to join the next "How to use the Stampin' Up! Blendabilities" class, please email me your interest and I will contact you with some dates.

Here are a couple of cards I made recently using the blendies;

Based a card by Cherrie

 

On this one I coloured a clear Rhinestone and attached it to look like dew drop.

Based on a card by Jill Coleman

Masked sponging

This is fast  card I designed and taught recently using the Summer Silhouettes stamp set.

I love the elegance of white on white and the addition of dimentionals behind the mat front of the card gives it just a little lift. I masked the card with "post it" notes before sponging Marina Mist and Pear Pizzaz inks in the little rectangle. I then pulled away the masking from the sides and top and stamped the stem and flower top stamps using black Stazon ink. The sentiment is from "Wetlands".

Another Wetlands Card

I have used the Wetlands stamp set a bit lately but I hadn't used the Goose.

I found a card that I liked on the Stampin' Up! demonstrator website designed by Brandy Cox and CAsed it.

This involved sponging three blue shades over Soft Sky card. I like the effect.

This is a great masculine card.

Blendabilities

Another new addition to this year's catalogue is...Blendabilites (alcohol markers).

Before you try these, I suggest you view some of the excellent youtube clips on how to use them as there is a definate "art" to using them. Once you pick up the basics, it's a matter of practice but the results can be stunning and well worth the effort of the short learning curve.

The beauty of them is that they blend together seamlessly (no line between shades).

This a card I made at a recent Demonstrator training using the Rich Razzleberry shades (you get 3 shades of the one colour per pack).

In colours 2014-2016

Here are  a couple of projects to show off the new "In Colours".

• Blackberry Bliss
• Mossy Meadow
• Lost Lagoon
• Hello Honey
• Tangelo Twist

First, my bookmark using the splash from Gorgeous Grunge
















And this card which was made for me by the lovely Paula Reid using 'Work of Art".

New Catalogue Projects

So by now you will have devoured the new catalogue and drooled over all the new stuff right?

You will have no doubt seen the new "Fry Box" and "Hamburger Box" Bigz dies and if you could see some possibilities, you might have surfed the net for some ideas. Well I did and I found some pretty cute ideas. One of them that took my fancy was a cute cat on pinterest by  Karen.

I CASed but changed it a little with my version

Notice the coloured ribbon? I coloured my Stampin' Up! white organza ribbon with my NEW Coastal Cabana Belendabilities (alcohol marker).