Watercolouring with Bordering on Romance

This is one stamp set that I'm hoping will make a re-appearance in our Annual Catalogue when it is released in September - Bordering on Romance. Along with Mixed Bunch, it has been one of my most-used sets from our Mini Catalogue.
I used this set to teach watercolouring techniques at a recent workshop. We made this set of cards and the ladies learnt different ways to watercolour, using both crayons and ink, on 3 different cardstock types using both the Aquapainter and Blender Pen. I love colouring, and by the end of the class, I think most of the ladies did too :o)

Don't Miss Out!

Can you believe that it's almost the end of July already?? That means there's only a couple of days left to order from the Autumn/Winter Mini

It also means that the Retirement/Last Chance List is just around the corner. The Retirement List will be announced on August 1st. Some items always disappear really quickly, so don't wait until August to order your favourite stamp sets, wheels and accessories. Don't forget that 5 of our In-Colors will be discontinued - Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz, Blushing Bride, Peach Parfait and Poppy Parade. Now is the best month to stock up on re-inkers, cardstock and ribbons. Based on past experience, these will all sell out quickly in August... Don't miss out!

Final DSP Project

The final DSP Project I have to show you is a card. This one you might recognise from Dawn Olshefske's Blog. She shared it HERE. Here's my version using Twitterpated Paper:

That completes my 3 DSP Projects. Here they all are as a set:

I hope that has given you some different ideas for using up your stash!

Criss Cross DSP Wallet

This is another Project that I taught in my DSP Project Class last month. This idea was shared by Michelle le Breton at a recent team meeting I attended. You can find instructions on the Scor Pal website. It's called a Criss Cross Photo Wallet on the site, but this wallet can be used for so much more than just photos. I takes one sheet of 12x12 paper, and is so easy to make.

Here's what it looks like inside:

This is the gorgeous Twitterpated paper from the Mini Catalogue.
You could pop a gift card voucher inside, or anything you like really...check out Michelle's very cute Emergency Pouch HERE

Designer Series Envelope

I always find at this time of year that I have a ton of patterned paper that is soon to be retired. I know that I'm going to want to buy ALL of the new designs, so using some of my stash up means that I have the perfect excuse to buy more! :o) I thought some of my class attendees might feel the same, so with that in mind, I ran a DSP Projects Class last month. I showed some different ways to make use of our Designer Series Paper.

Here is one of them - a Designer Series Envelope made using the Twitterpated DSP from the Mini:

The envelope is pretty enough that a simple notecard is all that you need to put inside:

The flap is secured in place with a small framelit, popped up on dimensionals.

You can make these envelopes in any size. To work out how large your piece of DSP needs to be, take the length of your card and add 3cm; multiply the width by 2 and add 3cm. Eg for a 12cm x 10cm notecard, your DSP would need to be 15 x 23cm. For an A5 folded card (14.8 x 10.5cm), your DSP would need to be 17.8 x 24cm

To make it into an envelope, in portrait orientation, score 1cm from each side. Put your card in the middle but slightly more towards the top and score above and below it. Cut off the top 2 corner pieces. Round the top 4 corners if desired. Fold the side pieces in and apply tape to the lower flap to form an envelope.

Thanks to Michelle le Breton, who shared this idea at a recent team meeting! Make sure you check out the stunning work on her blog.

aaaarrgghhhh!!!!!!!!

My apologies if you have been trying to get on my blog today. It was hacked by someone with far too much time on their hands. It's all fixed now, and will hopefully stay that way!!

July Stamp-a-Stack

This is the other stamp-a-stack design that we've been making in this week's class. If it looks familiar, it's because it started life as my Convention swap (see it HERE). When I showed it to my lovely ladies, they requested that we make the cards in a class . Of course I was happy to oblige :o)

Lots of Very Vanilla cardstock here! I think vanilla on vanilla is such an elegant combination.
The Embossed panels are 9cm wide. I embossed them using the Big Shot, and various Embossing folders and then cut them into thirds. To make the ribbon sit neatly, I actually cut a piece of vanilla cardstock the same width as the ribbon and wrapped the ribbon around it and then stuck it on. The small pieces of ribbon poking out from behind the flowers are separate pieces. I've used Seam Binding ribbon in Rose Red, Pear Pizzazz, Baja Breeze and Crumb Cake.
I think these would make an elegant wedding or engagement card, but would suit any occasion really!

Bleached Bordering on Romance

I was determined to make something good come out of my "Being Brave" card, and this stamp-a-stack was the result:

I did like the layout , and the way the Oval fit inside the Framelit, so I took that idea for these cards. I've used the Bleaching technique here - I stamped the Bordering on Romance flowers in Versamark and embossed with black powder. The embossing resists the bleach, and keeps it from going outside the lines. You just use regular household bleach, and 'paint' it on with a paintbrush. It's always a bit of a surprise what colour the bleach will turn the cardstock. In this case, Island Indigo turned a shade close to Pool Party, Rich Razzleberry turned Blushing Bride, Concord Crush turned Wisteria Wonder and Lucky Limeade turned Certainly Celery.
It's always sad when school holidays are over but it's been great getting back to classes this week :o)

Being Brave

Every so often (not too often though!!) I like to show you a card that I don't particularly like - a "dud", so to speak. Here is one such example:

This is one of those cards that I struggled with. I should probably have taken that as a sign that I needed to let it go. But, never one to give up easily, I persisted...and persisted...and persisted. It looks like such a simple card, but I tried different background colours and patterns, different layouts. Finally, I decided that this was as good as it was going to get, but really, it's just a bit... blech.
But I'm being brave and showing you all anyway. Maybe someone out there will see it, and be inspired... even if they're only inspired to make a better version! LOL

 

Simple Tea Shoppe

I love the "Tea Shoppe" set. It lends itself to pretty, feminine colours and elaborate designs, but I decided to challenge myself and make a cleaner, simpler card using this set. This is what I came up with:

I love blue and brown together. In this case I've used Crumb Cake, Soft Suede and Baja Breeze. I've added a few little details using Embossing Folders, but apart from that I've kept it very simple with tone-on-tone stamping and a bit of sponging.

Bordering on Romance CaSE

I just love this pretty card by Kelly Rose, and couldn't resist making my own version. I love one-layer cards, and this comes pretty close to being one layer. I've used Confetti White cardstock (buy up now...if we follow the US, this will retire in August, along with Confetti Cream!)
You can probably tell by my recent posts...Bordering on Romance has become a firm favourite of mine!
I'm loving the school holidays at the moment. We haven't done much at all, and it's been just perfect!

The BEST Stampin' Up! Promotion

Stampin' Up! often runs fabulous monthly promotions. But the best promotion of all runs all year round...How would you like to choose $235 worth of Stampin' Up! goodies for only $169...PLUS free shipping?

That's what you'll get if you join Stampin' Up! The Starter Kit is now completely customisable..... so you can choose any mixture of products from any current catalogue - $235 worth - and you'll pay only $169.

For example, you could order a Big Shot and $85 worth of dies for $169, with free shipping! It makes me wish I could join all over again!
What are you waiting for? You can place your Starter Kit order online HERE.
After that, I'll be there to help you every step of the way, whether you wish to buy products at a discount, pay for your hobby, or earn some extra income. You can even order the Starter Kit and never place a single order if you don't wish to. 
You can find some FAQs HERE.

July is a great month to join - you have until December to meet your first quarterly minimum, and there's a new catalogue just around the corner!
If you have any other questions about the new Starter kit, feel free to phone or email me and I'll be happy to help.

Simply Scored Diagonal Plate

Introducing the Simply Scored Diagonal Plate... Available to order NOW!

Easily and quickly create distinctive envelopes, boxes and more using the Simply Scored Diagonal Plate, created by and exclusively for Stampin' Up!
Features:

• Sits on top of the Simply Scored base*
• Held securely in place by rubber pads on the back of the plate
• Has etched grooves every 1/8" (3.2 mm)
• Can score any size card stock up to 12" x 12" (30.5 x 30.5 cm)
• Includes instructions for creating common envelope sizes

Item	Description	Price
125586	Simply Scored Diagonal Plate	$20.95

*Simply Scored Scoring Tool sold separately

Here's a video that showcases this fabulous product:

Email me to order yours today!

A Special Birthday Card

I made this card for a very Special Lady's Birthday a couple of months ago. Soooo much pressure making a card for this talented stamper! In the end, I just went with something that I liked, and hoped that she would like it too!

I chose Sahara Sand, Baja Breeze, Soft Suede and Very Vanilla for my colour palette. I pulled out 2 sizzlet dies - Flower Fusion and Scribble Swirls. The stamps I've used are from Tea Shoppe (love that quote from Louisa May Alcott, "Little Women" author). I've punched it out with the Wide Oval, and then layered it inside a Framelit. It was a happy discovery when I found that the Designer Frames Embossing Folder fits nicely inside the Framelit too!
The DSP is from the Twitterpated pack. I've used Baja Breeze Stitched Satin ribbon (in the Mini) and crochet trim, and a few Pearls to add those all-important finishing touches.

Bordering on Romance Tunnel Card

I'm loving the Bordering on Romance set...it wasn't one that I initially purchased but I soon caved when I started seeing all the gorgeous creations people had made using this set. Plus it co-ordinates with the Edgelits, which were on my must-have list, so it wasn't too hard to talk myself into it! LOL
Here's the other card that we made in my Fancy Fold class:

Where is the Fancy Fold, I hear you ask? Inside, of course! :

This is called a Tunnel Card. You simply accordion fold an insert for your card, and use a Framelit to cut a window in it. The Framelits are great for this because you can see exactly where you are positioning them. The little points at the top and bottom help to centre it as well.
You can put anything you like inside the window. We stamped the Bordering on Romance flowers in black Stazon and watercoloured them, but a sentiment or verse would also work well.
The main colour featured here is Perfect Plum, such a lovely soft purple.
 

Framelits Fancy Fold

In my technique class last month, I taught some Fancy Folds using Framelits.
The first card that we made was a Framelit Flip:

You can find some instructions on Cristy's blog HERE.
Here's what the card looks like as it flips:

I've used the Apothecary Art stamp set and matching Framelits. I stamped my background using the blossom from Elements of Style (I think this set co-ordinates beautifully with Apothecary Art). I've used Island Indigo and Whisper White for my colour scheme...simple, but effective!

A little bit chuffed!

Tiffany chose my little mousies to feature in her Crafty Picks for this week. Yay me! :o)
Check out all the other gorgeous creations HERE