Double Baker's Twine Bow & Flourishing Phrases Video

Hello, Crafters.

This morning I uploaded my video that shows how I made the card I 

shared on Monday. I changed the colour scheme from Pink 

Pirouette and Wild Wasabi to Soft Sky and Emerald Envy - all 

four colours will be retiring on 31st May 2018.

I didn't decorate inside the Pink Pirouette card, but I remedied that

 when I made the Soft Sky card, by stamping a partial image of 

the flourish in the bottom right-hand corner. As I was colouring 

the flowers and leaves, I said I hadn't decided what I'd do about 

the Basic Grey bobbles, but crafters should check 

today's blog to find the answer! 

My solution was to punch five circles using the 3/16" hole punch 

on my Crop-o-dile from a scrap of Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper, 

and very gently colouring them using the fine tip end of the Dark 

Pool Party Stampin' Blend. 

  I also painted over the flowers, leaves, bobbles and butterflies 

on the front of the card using the Clear Wink of Stella Glitter Pen. 

I did the same to the flowers and leaves inside the card. 

During the video, I had said I wanted to add some butterflies

inside of the card, but I forgot. I remembered about them after I'd 

finished the video, but then I decided I didn't want them anymore!

If you decide you'd like to copy the card, but don't like the idea of fussy 

cutting the flowers and the butterflies, I'm sure the extra layers can 

be easily omitted without spoiling the overall look of the card.

In the video, I challenged myself to name the five new InColours, and

 although I didn't get them exactly right, I was surprised at how close I 

was. The colours are Lovely Lipstick, Call Me Clover, Grapefruit Grove, 

Blueberry Bushel and Pineapple Punch!

My plans for today are to do as much as I can to label all retiring products, 

like stamp sets, and labelling new products, like dies, so I can see at 

a glance if I'm about to work with a retiring product. That's about it 

from me today, so until tomorrow, happy crafting!

JanB.

Petals & More Thinlits

Hello, Crafters.

I hope you're enjoying your weekend, with weather equally as lovely 

as ours - sunshine, warmth, blue skies! We're making the most of it 

as this is unusual for April, and I'm sure our normal 

April showers will arrive soon!

Yesterday when I was making tomorrow's video, I was showing  the dies 

I was going to use from the Petals & More Thinlits, and 

showed the die cuts on the back of the magnetic sheet that was holding the dies.

 I made a comment about the stand-alone dies i.e.

 those that don't have a co-ordinating stamps, and it occurred to me that, apart

from the long decorative die, I don't think I've played 

with any of them. I decided there and then I would remedy that for 

today's card!

I carried on and finished recording the video, and once I'd set it up 

to start downloading onto YouTube, I set about make my card. 

 I decided to use the large die, and die cut the branches and leaves 

in Wild Wasabi Cardstock (CS), which I adhered onto a 

layer of Whisper White CS. It was like looking at a blank canvas,

 trying to decide where to go from here! The obvious choice was fruit, 

as in the Fruit Basket Stamp Set which has four 

co-ordinating punches, or flowers, like blossom, which made me 

think about the two new packets of the Touches of

Nature Wood Elements that were sitting on my desk - I was off!

 I chose Pink Pirouette as my co-ordinating colour, which, like Wild 

Wasabi, will be retiring on 31st May 2018! I coloured the 

white side of five of the small wooden daisy-like flowers using the Dark 

Pink Piroutte Stampin' Blend, and then adhered them in strategic 

positions using Tombow to hold them in place. Another product 

I've been enjoying using recently is the Fine Tip Glue Pen, 

which I used to paint over the daisies, 

On three of the flowers, the glue formed beautiful mounds, and

 on the other two it spread into one large covering, and went

 into the centre hole as well, blocking it up! Although the 

branches, leaves and blossom were looking good, 

the card front needed something else i.e. more than just 

a sentiment, and I thought of the three 

butterflies from the Sharing Sweet Thoughts Stamp Set. 

I stamped them onto a piece of Whisper White CS, using Jet 

Black Stazon Ink, and I coloured them using my Wild Wasabi and 

Pink Piroutte Marker Pens. To finish the card front, I fussy cut the 

butterflies, and adhered them using Dimensionals. Next I adhered small

 Basic Pearls in the centres of the daisies, and painted the 

wood elements with a second coat of the Fine Tip Glue.

  I tied a piece of retired Pink Piroutte Ribbon into a bow, around the card front, 

and stamped HAPPY BIRTHDAY from the Hostess In The City 

Stamp Set in Wild Wasabi at the bottom of the card front.

 I had already adhered a layer of Pink Pirouette and Whisper White

Cardstock inside the card, but couldn't decorate it yet 

 without the risk of smudging the daisis. The final touch was 

painting the three butterflies using my Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Pen! 

 A very pleasing card methinks! 

That's about it from me today. Until tomorrow, happy crafting!

JanB.  

Sharing Sweet Thoughts

Hello, Crafters.

Yesterday, I had my first Stampin' Up! delivery since I was at the OnStage Convention two weeks ago.

I was very pleasantly surprised to find a roll of our narrow Solid Red Ribbon inside the box!

It was a reward offered by SU to all demos who took part in a Sale-a-bration challenge, during the last couple of weeks of SAB!

As all activities in the challenge were aimed at building our businesses, it was well worth doing - and receiving the ribbon was a bonus!

Today's card is my first play with the Sharing Sweet Thoughts Stamp Set, which is in the 2017 - 2018 Annual Catalogue in support of the Ronald McDonald House Charities. 

For every one of these stamp sets sold, Stampin' Up! donates €2.25/£2.00 to RMHC. 

To create the ladybirds in the jar I had two options to make them to be in front of the leaves and branches - one was masking, and the other was fussy cutting. I chose fussy cutting, as it was the easier option!

The jar and the two lids co-ordinate with the Everyday Jar Framelits Dies, but I decided I wanted to cut them out by hand so I didn't finish up with a white edge all the way round! 

Using Basic Black Archival Ink, I stamped one jar, three branches, four ladybirds, three butterflies, and one lid. 

I used Marker Pens as follows to colour the images:-

Ladybirds - Real Red
Branches - Soft Suede & Pear Pizzazz
Butterflies - Lemon Lime Twist & Tranquil Tide  

I stamped the lid with the shaker holes in it, in Basic Black Archival Ink, and then I stamped over it using Real Red Ink! 

There's a grass stamp in the Sharing Sweet Thoughts Stamp Set, which I used with Pear Pizzazz Ink to stamp some as if it's growing in the bottom of the jar. 

I chose the sentiment from the Beautiful You Stamp Set, and I painted the words usng my Basic Black and Real Red Marker Pens.

I huffed on the stamp, and stamped onto a piece of Whisper White Cardstock (CS). 

I was so very pleased with how well the colour had stamped! I die cut the sentiment using one of the Stitched Shape Oval Framelits Dies. 

Just to ring the changes on my card a bit, I adhered three strips of the Real Red ribbon around the top two levels.....but no bow! 

I adhered the sentiment on Dimensionals to sit on top of the ribbon.

Inside the card I adhered a layer of Whisper White Cardstock, then I stamped and coloured a branch and a ladybird in the bottow right-hand corner. 

A fun birthday card waiting for the right recipient!

That's it from me today, so until tomorrow, happy crafting.

JanB.