Ribbon of Courage in Pinks

It was a while ago now, and I'm way behind in blogging about it, but I had the honour of doing a Stamping Presentation at the Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Event back in April. I was asked to make some projects using the Ribbon of Courage stamp set. This set was designed in collaboration with Patty Bennett, as part of her 1 Million Career Sales Achievement.
This card would be perfect to give to someone who is going through a cancer diagnosis or treatment, to lift their spirits and let them know you are thinking of them. I’ve gone pink for Breast Cancer, but you could choose the ribbon colour that’s appropriate for your recipient.
I've embossed the ribbon image on vellum, using white embossing powder. To add some colour I've used the stained glass technique. To get this effect, simply colour with markers on the reverse side of the image. I've used 3 different shades of pink - Calypso Coral, Blushing Bride and Pink Pirouette. To adhere the vellum without the adhesive showing, sponge a light coating of multipurpose glue onto the vellum.
I've made my own background pattern by stamping the sentiments in the set in different shades of pink.
I have more projects to show using this gorgeous stamp set, so stay tuned for those!


Email me to place your order, or click HERE to Shop Now
Product List

Ribbon Of Courage Clear-Mount Stamp Set [143855] $33.00	Ribbon Of Courage Clear-Mount Bundle [145342] $63.75	White Vellum A4 Card Stock [106584] $11.50	White Stampin' Emboss Powder [109132] $8.75
Layering Ovals Framelits Dies [141706] $58.00	Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies [145372] $50.00	Liquid Multipurpose Glue [110755] $7.00	Stamping Sponges [141337] $6.00

Butterfly Basics Stamp-a-Stack

This is the second set of cards we are making this week. We're using the lovely Butterfly Basics Bundle. Check it out in the video:

My colour scheme is Lost Lagoon, Baked Brown Sugar, Naturals White and Ivory, and Old Olive. I've also used Vellum for my butterflies.

 
Email me to place your order, or click HERE to Shop Now

Bordering on Romance Stained Glass

The Bordering on Romance set (in the current mini)is perfect for the Stained Glass technique. This technique works best with a line art stamp, that has clear outlines and small areas to colour. I've used white embossing powder to emboss the stamp on a piece of vellum. You don't have to emboss, but I like the clear definition it gives the stamp. You could also use any colour embossing powder that takes your fancy. All of the colouring is done with markers on the reverse side of the vellum. This gives a really soft effect when you flip it over. I've cut a Framelit window to attach my vellum behind, that way it hides any adhesive. Backing it on to Whisper White cardstock really makes the colouring 'pop'. I've used a Framelit almost like an Edgelit to cut the decorative edge down the bottom.
The colours I've used here are Blushing Bride, Calypso Coral and Pear Pizzazz (for the leaves). I've used Whisper White ink to soften the Calypso Coral. Pretty!

Pressed Vellum Bordering on Romance

Just a quick one from me today, because I have about a million things to do before I leave for Stampin' Up! Convention...TOMORROW! It's also Amy's birthday tomorrow (15, can you believe it???), so we are having a "girls night" with my sister tonight as an early celebration, since I am being a bad mother and leaving while she's at school tomorrow (she has given me her blessing, but I am still sad to miss it).
I've been working on some designs for classes that I have coming up, and here's one card that I particularly quite liked:

The class is on the "pressed vellum" technique. Here are the dates in case you're in Sydney, and would like to come along:
JUNE - Wednesday 20th or Thursday 21st (7pm for a 7:30 start) and Thursday 21st (9:30am for a 10am start)

I loved the vellum card in THIS blog post by Dawn O, and took my inspiration from there, but I've used Pool Party instead of So Saffron.

Here's a closer look at the lovely raised effect of the pressed vellum:

I'll share how I did it after I run my class (I can't give too many secrets away!  ;o)

The Last Day is here!

Yes, today is your last chance to order from the 08-09 Idea Book and Catalogue, and the Summer Mini. Let me know by 9pm tonight if you need anything!

Thank you for all your comments on my Blog Candy post! You all know your Retiring products very well. There was not one incorrect answer!

I used my trusty Bingo machine to draw a number, and the winner is #13.....Krystal!

Email me with your address details Krystal, and I'll pop some Retired goodies in the mail for you.

To see out the Old Catalogue, here are a couple of cards made with Polka Dots and Petals stamp set, and it's partner, Polka Dots and Paisley:

Here I've stamped in some bright colours and softened the look with some vellum over the top.


This was a Stamp-a-Stack from a while ago (that's Cool Caribbean - last year's In Color on the top right!)

Blending colour directly on rubber

A few of you have asked how I did the multi-coloured flower image in my last post, so I thought I'd go into a bit more detail and also show you another example. Applying colour to a bold stamp before you stamp it is one of my favourite ways to add impact to a card. It's quicker than watercolouring a line art image, but still looks great. You simply use markers to colour directly on to the rubber in whatever shades you desire.
Here, I've coloured with Almost Amethyst on the outer rims of the petals, and Apricot Appeal towards the centre, using the brush-tipped end of my marker. I've left a small blank space where the 2 colours would meet, which is where I'll do some blending. Use a fine-tipped Aquapainter with water in it, but dry the tip off on a tissue, so it isn't too wet. Then, just blend the 2 colours together. You don't want to end up with a muddy brownish colour, so don't overwork it. A few strokes should do it. Then stamp onto Whisper White or Very Vanilla cardstock, and hold your stamp down on the paper for a few seconds, to allow the colour to soak in. I've found that you won't get a very good result on other types of cardstock.
Next, I've done some 2-step-stamping with this image, where I've inked up the matching line image with my markers, and stamped it over the top of the bold image, to give a dimensional look.
The vellum has been wheeled with the Scatter Sunshine Jumbo wheel in White Craft ink. I've attached most of it behind the main image, so the adhesive won't show, with just a few bits of Snail adhesive behind some of the whiter flowers. The Snail adhesive is invisible under vellum if you use it behind a patterned area. I've torn the bottom of the Apricot Appeal cardstock.
The rest of this card is pretty simple: paper piercing in the corners, 3 Apricot Appeal brads in the lower right-hand corner for balance (I used the Paper Piercing template to get them lined up straight!)
I hope that helps those of you who have had trouble colouring and blending straight onto your stamps. Those of you who haven't tried it, why not give it a go!

NEWSFLASH! There will be a new mini coming out on the 1st August, and I received my Demonstrator copy today (one of the things I love about being a demo is getting to see it all first!). We get to pre-order on the 1st July, and I have an enormous wishlist already. Some of the sets I've been eyeing off on US blogs will be here really soon....YAY! Email me if you desperately want to know if your favourites have made it here!

A Fun Card Layout

Before I show you today's card, just a quick reminder about my Blog Candy. I'm going to give it another day, to give a few more people a chance to win!
Just leave a comment on THIS POST <----click

I'm not sure where I originally saw it, but I've been making a few cards lately using this layout, including this one for the Elite Challenges Blog. I hadn't used this set, despite loving it the moment I saw it, and acquiring it quite awhile ago (I'm sure you can all relate to that!). It's the Level 2 Hostess Set "Spring Solitude".
This is also a Colour Combo that I hadn't tried before: Soft Sky, Chocolate Chip, Groovy Guava and Wild Wasabi. Choosing the colours just came about as I was inking the stamps. I needed a brown for the branch, green for the leaves, and I wanted blue for the bird and something in a warm tone for the flower. Chocolate Chip is a lovely, rich brown, and the In Colours called me for the rest.
The bird has been stamped separately, cut out and mounted on Dimensionals. I did the Polka Dots with my Polka Dot Background stamp. This has been getting a work-out lately; it's soooo easy to use. I stamped the floral background using the 3-flower stamp, stamped repeatedly, and over-stamped in the bold flower in the 3 In Colours. Then, the whole thing looked too busy and bright, but instead of screwing it up and starting all over (which I was very tempted to do!), I put a piece of vellum over it to soften it, and voila, it was instantly much better!
The word 'friend' is from the set "Forever in my Heart", and has been punched out using the small Oval punch, and Mounted on the Large Oval.
I'll be interested to hear what you think of this card...I'm not sure whether I like it or not. It definitely wasn't what I had in mind when I started stamping with this set! But then, that's one of the things I like about stamping...you never know what you're going to get (just call me Forrest Gump ;o)

Carte Postale Wedding and a Special Offer!

I'm off to Queensland tomorrow for my Cousin's Wedding, so you won't be hearing from me until Sunday.

This is the card I made for Justine and her new hubby-to-be, James. I always make Wedding cards and baby cards with a recipient in mind. It doesn't seem right to keep them in stock, and something about these major life events makes me want to sit down and make a card to mark the occasion.
This was a tricky one to photograph, with all the embossing. I started by wheeling a piece of Brushed Silver Cardstock with 'Leaves a la Carte' Jumbo wheel in Versamark ink. I sprinkled silver embossing powder over it, and heat-embossed. Something about embossing adds instant elegance! I attached this to a layer of Buckaroo Blue (retiring In Colour), and then to my Whisper White card base. Then I mounted a panel of Whisper White and Buckaroo Blue. I've used the floral emblem from Carte Postale, and had lots of fun cutting and punching various layers, and finished off with a Rhinestone brad in the centre (these will be available in our new catalogue on April 1!). The word 'love' has been stamped in Versamark on a strip of vellum, so you can see the scroll motif stamped behind it. I know the bridesmaids are in blue, which is why I chose that colour. I hope they like it!

Since it's the Last Week of the Summer Mini Catalogue, I'm running one last Special Offer. For every $25 you spend in orders from the Summer Mini, you'll go into the draw to win a
$40 Gift Voucher to spend on the New Idea Book & Catalogue!
Orders must be placed by 9pm Monday, March 31

The only products from the Summer Mini that made it through to our new Catalogue are:
Backyard BBQ, Flip-Flops wheel
Bud Basics, Basic Outline wheel
Carte Postale, Leaves a la Carte Wheel
Round Tab Punch, Spiral Punch
Wide Grosgrain Ribbon (Chocolate, Celery, Vanilla)
5x5 Art Journal

That means NO Stem Silhouettes, NO French Flair, NO gorgeous papers, and NONE of the other gorgeous Stamp sets *sob*
Place your order by next Monday if you want any of these products.

Don't forget it's also your last chance to order retiring items too....that includes all the current In Color range. So, if you have in Color inkpads, you may like to stock up on some cardstock to go with them!

Another Candle

This time, instead of stamping on the candle, I've made a little tealight lampshade for a candle. You get a lovely soft glow through the vellum that looks so pretty sitting on a shelf or tabletop.
Here's how I did it:
Start with two 8cm x 27.5 cm strips of cardstock. Score one of the strips at 6.3, 13, 19.5 and 26cm. This will be the inside piece of your tealight shade. Fold along your score lines, and punch tag windows between the score lines. I took a nip out of the corners, to frame my tag window using the Large Square punch. Now take your unscored strip of cardstock and lay it under your scored piece; this is going to be the outside piece of your lampshade. Use the existing folds in your scored piece to wrap the outside piece around it, folding as you go in the same places as your inside piece. Burnish the folds with your Bone Folder. With the two pieces together, mark where your tag windows are onto the outside piece so you can punch them in the same spots. Stamp the inside and outside as desired. Stamp onto small pieces of vellum, colour the reverse side and adhere to the windows. Attach your inside and outside pieces together using Sticky Strip, tucking the ends, and trimming off any excess, so it looks neat.
Hope that makes sense. It's hard to describe without pictures to show you each step. Email me if you have any questions!
Cardstock: Pale Plum A4, Paper Vellum
Stamps: Scribble This
Ink: Pale plum, Black Stazon
Other: Pale Plum Marker, Perfect Plum Marker, Large Tag Punch, Large Square Punch, Bone Folder

Papercrafts Festival, Here we Come!

It's going to be a bit quiet around here for the next few days, but if you miss me too much, you can always come and visit! I'll be with some fellow-stampers on the Stampin' Up! stall at the Papercrafts Festival at Homebush. All the details are here:

http://www.papercraftsfestival.com.au/

I'll be there for all 3 days...it's going to be a big weekend (not to mention the state that the house will be in when I return! )
....So here's a card to look at in my absence!

I was playing with Whisper White Craft ink on vellum using the Scatter Sunshine Jumbo wheel. I don't have a white cartridge, so I just used my inkpad, and you get a really pretty effect. After it was dry (be patient!), I used the Stampin' Up! gluestick to adhere it to my card...Yes, it's invisible! (thanks Tina for this tip!). I used a marker to colour the centre of the flower, and then did a bit of "thumping" on the flower petals (thanks Angela for showing me this technique). You just hold your markers like a drumstick, and tap ink all over your stamp. You get a lovely mottled effect.

Ingredients:
Almost Amethyst cardstock and Stampin' Write marker
Barely Banana cardstock and Stampin' Write marker
Apricot Appeal cardstock and Stampin' Write marker
Whisper White Craft Ink
Looks Like Spring Stamp Set
Simple Sayings II Stamp Set
Paper Piercing Pad and Mat
White Organdy Ribbon
Stampin' Dimensionals

Birthday Best

This month in my Tuesday night classes we're colouring on the back of vellum using Watercolour Wonder Crayons. It's a really simple but effective technique, and yet another way to use the crayons. I've pulled out my Birthday Best set, which I used to death when I first got, and has been seriously neglected ever since! It's a bargain set ($25.95) and can be used for absolutely anybody. There are only a couple of Tuesdays left, so email me if you'd like to come along. We're also make a card using Jumbo Wheels that can be used for Mother's Day (yes, it's just around the corner!!)

Calling All Kiwis!

You might know this already, but Stampin' Up! will open in New Zealand on April 2nd 2007.
So, if there are any New Zealanders out there interested in starting a business or hobby with Stampin’ Up!, now is the opportunity. If you allow me to refer you to Stampin’ Up! and you get your forms into Stampin’ Up! Australia before April 9th, and you’ll also receive an extra FREE stamp set to the value of $79.95.
For more information, please email me at mail@marelletaylor.com


This is one of the cards we're making at my Tuesday night classes this month, using vellum. If you'd like to come along and make it, there's still one Tuesday left, with 2 vacant spots!