We celebrated Hannah's 18th birthday last week and to go with her gift message drawers (see here) I made this square card.  It features Peony Garden patterned paper and shimmery white cardstock plus a touch of Champagne Foil.  Some lovely Beaded Pearls to finish.  Those leaves are from the Birds and More dies. 

Don't forget to grab some adhesive sheets if you're cutting detailed things like this - makes it SO easy to stick them down.  

I love this paper with the pretty soft pinks and greys.  On sale until the end of October.  

Happy creating. 

Cheers, Sue

This week on our AWH Colour Creations Showcase we are featuring the colour Gorgeous Grape.

I had some trouble with my project until I realised that the feature panel I'd made didn't match the background I'd made. 

When I separated them into two different cards- yay.  

Tips to make this card at home:  The flower stamp there (and the greeting) is from Queen Anne's Lace stamp set.  I stamped it in Gorgeous Grape ink then stamped it off first on scrap paper.  Then I dabbed some extra ink on some parts with a sponge dauber.  The embossing folder is Scripty and it is shimmery white cardstock.  I've matted it with champagne foil which teams nicely with the Gorgeous Grape.  My favourite Elegant Faceted Gems are the finishing touch. 

This was the background I'd made initially - it didn't quite work with the floral circle but I love it with this panel.  It is a gatefold card and for the background panels I've used the Plush Poinsettia specialty paper and the Wrapped In Texture embossing folder - both from the Aug - Dec mini.  

Oops sorry I think that congrats die has retired but Well Written die set has some beautiful script words to use.  I popped a couple of leaves from Birds and More dies cut from the Plush Poinsettia paper.

 Now if you love Gorgeous Grape then head on over to our lovely Showcase Host - she's got all the links to the other projects from our talented team.   Click here:  Showcase Host Catherine 

Happy creating,

Cheers, Sue

Wednesday evening is when the Art With Heart team I belong to has their Colour Creations showcase.  Each week there's a different colour featured and this week it is Flirty Flamingo. 

I'm excited to be joining in the fun.  The lovely Catherine is hosting us and there's links at the bottom if you'd like to do a lap and see all the Flirty Flamingo inspiration.

Tips to make this one at home:  I've used the Birds and Branches bundle - I just love that floral frame die.  This is a cute little square card in whisper white that I cut to fit the feature panel.  There's a vellum layer under the Flirty Flamingo piece.  I embossed another piece of vellum with the Ornate Floral embossing folder.

I stamped the flowers in Flirty Flamingo ink - some at full strength and some stamped off once for a lighter look. 

And for a finishing touch of sparkle some of these blue adhesive backed gems - did you know these were one of the top 3 popular products from our Aug - Dec Mini? 

I hope to join in more regularly so keep an eye out here each Wednesday evening for our featured colour of the week.  

Now head on over to our lovely Colour Creations host where you'll find the rest of the links for some more Flirty Flamingo creations from my talented team mates.    Catherine - Colour Creations host

Happy creating.  

Take care, Sue

Head on over here to shop for all the products you need for this card:   Flirty Flamingo Bird Card Products

Tonight the Art with Heart team are sharing creative projects featuring the colour pink. We hope our blog hop inspires you to get creative with the various shades of pink that Stampin’ Up! offer in our collection of 53 different colours available. 

I selected the In Color Powder Pink to feature in my project today.  Love this pretty soft pink.

I've used the First Frost bundle for the stamping and framelit using Powder Pink and Smoky Slate inks.  I borrowed the leaf from Rooted In Nature too - stamped in Soft Sea Foam.   The leaves there are cut from a scrap of the Frosted Floral DSP - loving that paper.  The base card is shimmery white and I've used the Petal Pair embossing folder on the edge.  How handy are the adhesive backed sequins. I usually run a mile from anything fiddly but with the adhesive backs these are just too easy. The basic pack has some nice soft colours including Petal Pink which I've added to this project.   

When I think of pink I often think of the breast cancer fundraising efforts and of friends and family facing this and other conditions which inspired my choice of greeting for this card.  xx

Now it’s time to hop on over to our next participant, the very talented, Rebeccas Jacovou for some more pink themed projects.

Thanks for hopping along with us this month.

Happy stamping!

Cheers, Sue

Did you know you can earn yourself Stampin' Rewards with an order total of $250 or more?  (From your own wish list on a single order, or you can gather some orders from friends to be delivered to you.)  With a $250 order total you'll get $25 (10%) in Stampin' Rewards.  You can use the on the exclusive Rewards stamps.  You'll find these in the back of your catalogue or check them out online here.  Stampin' Rewards Stamps

One of my favourites is Very Vintage which I've used to make the projects featured here today.  Isn't it lovely.   The card below uses Blushing Bride, Gray Granite and Merry Meadow inks.  (The greeting is from Healing Hugs, punched with the Pretty Label punch.)

Here's a variation on the colours.  This time I've used Crumb Cake in place of the Gray Granite.

I was inspired by this card from our catalogue. 

I love the vintage photo effect of this next sample - might have to give that one a go next.  Isn't it pretty.

This could be yours free with a $270 order this month, plus you'll get $27 in coupons to redeem in September.   If you're ordering online don't forget to claim your Stampin' Rewards products before you check out.  Once you reach $250 in products ordered you'll qualify for rewards.  Just choose the products you're after and click the 'claim rewards' button to get them for free using your rewards. 

Happy Stamping!

Cheers, Sue

Isn't this just beautiful paper.  I can't get enough of it.  Just lovely photo realistic designs on one side with beautiful flowers, and some soft patterns on the other side.  Just add a little greeting and let the paper do all the work. 

Framelit is from Stitched Shapes - a very versatile framelit set to have in the collection.

Here's one of the other designs - with a sponged edge to soften the white edges.

Have you seen the cute little copper tins we have?  You get 4 tins in a set (shopping link below.)  They're perfect to pop a gift card in nestled on some tissue paper, or to make a set of 3" x 3" cards and package them up in the tin.  Here I've dressed one up with a wrap of Petal Promenade DSP and a copper sticker on the lid.  Tear and Tape is a good adhesive for this - nice and strong. 

Last couple of days of our DSP Buy 3, Get 1 Free special if you're keen to stock up on some of your favourite papers before July ends. 

Happy stamping!

Cheers, Sue

 Shopping from home?  Here's the links.  The host code this month is QHC24T6B

Product List

Petal Promenade Designer Series Paper [146913] $19.25

Copper Tea Tins [147034] $26.00

Tea Room Copper Vinyl Stickers [146314] $12.25

Tear & Tape Adhesive [138995] $9.00

Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies [145372] $50.00

This must be just the most gorgeous thinlit - the Detailed Floral Thinlit with coordinating Floral Phrases stamp set.  I just LOVE the projects on page 76 and 77 of the catalogue featuring this bundle.  I took inspiration from the samples to make these cards. 

Tips and Techniques:  I've layered the Night Of Navy cardstock over shimmery white cardstock for this one.  The white craft ink showed nicely on the darker cardstock.  Embossing would give it even more oomph I think.  Some pearls to finish. 

My current favourite plate for cutting these detailed thinlits is the new Big Shot Platform.  It is ever so slightly raised in the middle section and I find I'm getting really even nice cuts using it with the acrylic pads.  I run it through and back, then turn it 90 degrees (1/4 turn) and run it through and back again.  The die brush is handy for getting lots of the little bits out.  The precision plate is good too for the detailed thinlits - although it is very rough on the acrylic plates and tends to warp them so I save all my old hacked up ones for use with my precision plate.  If I had to choose between the two - I'd invest in the new Big Shot Platform.

Here's a variation where I just reversed the colours - Shimmery White on top.  I trimmed it down a little so that a border of navy would show.  (And really didn't do a fabulously even job of that trimming so don't look too closely!) 

For this one I stamped the greeting straight on and of course managed to get it a little wonky - so stamped it again on a strip of cardstock and popped it up on dimensionals. That did the trick - mistake all gone. I roughed up the edge with the side of some scissors for a little added texture.   I do love the 3 sizes of pearls all lined up.

I'm busy here today making another mess in the dining room. 

This time I'm tackling a job I've been meaning to do for AGES. 

I've got a heap of half completed post bound albums here and I'm taking all the completed pages out and transferring them to big ring bound albums. 

So instead of having a bunch of albums that say "Hannah 2004" with 6 layouts, and "Hannah 2007" with 3 layouts - I'm just going to whack all the finished Hannah layouts into a ring binder (or two) in rough chronological order.  Two full albums instead of 10 itsy bitsy ones. 

The process is taking me rather longer than planned as I can't help reading all the stories as I'm going.  So having a rather delightful trip down memory lane as I jiggle and juggle and sort. 

I did notice one thing as I was making piles.  The Hannah pile is about 3 inches high and the Jack pile is rather short!!  Seems like I was in a huge scrapbooking phase when Hannah was a toddler and not so much during the Jack years.  So 'scrapbooking about Jack' is on my next to do list I think! 

Have a fabulous week.

Cheers, Sue

Save

Some more balloon card inspiration for you today.  This one is a variation on Saturday's card. 

Tips and Techniques:  To make this one just grab a pack of your favourite Designer Series Paper.  I've used the Love Blossoms DSP Stack on page 17 of the Occasions catalogue.  (Note: There's a typo in the description - this is actually a pad of 6" x 6" squares,  not 12" x 12".)   You get 48 sheets with coordinating designs.  Makes it so easy to grab some that work well together.  Punch, arrange - all done.  You could whip up a bunch of these in a short time.  I was on a bit of a sparkly phase that day so added some coordinating Blushing Bride glimmer paper too.  Every day is better with a bit of  glitter I think. 

Got anyone who could use some sparkle in the mail?  Add a pack of glimmer paper to your next order.  My favourite colour in the glimmer paper is our beautiful Dazzling Diamonds.  Such a nice shade that goes with anything. 

Happy stamping!

Cheers, Sue

Product List

Balloon Celebration Photopolymer Bundle

[140810]

$64.50

Balloon Framelits Dies

[137362]

$29.00

Love Blossoms Designer Series Paper Stack

[140548]

$14.00

Blushing Bride Glimmer Paper

[140550]

$8.75

Shimmery White A4 Card Stock

[121717]

$14.00

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

[132708]

$10.00

Another Hexagon Hive thinlit card today for you.  This time I've used one of the designs from the Retro Fresh DSP (patterned paper) and topped it with a Whisper White layer. 

Some pretty flowers and pearls to finish, popped up on some of our handy Stampin' Dimensionals. 

Retro Fresh Designer Series Paper

Occasions Catalogue: Pg 19

$18.95

12 sheets - double sided.  12" x 12"

Find it here if you're shopping online.

There are some great coordinating products in this range.

Petite Petals Bundle

Occasions catalogue: Page 33

6 flower stamps and a punch

Save 15% when you purchase them together.

Wood bundle: $39.75   Clear bundle: $34.75

Here 'tis (if you can't resist it - wink. They're so cute.)

Label Something Stamp Set

Annual Catalogue

6 stamps that coordinate with punches for quick and easy greetings. 

These ones are very popular with my class ladies. 

Stamp set here along with the list of coordinating punches.

Hexagon Hive Thinlit Tips:  To stick the hexagon layer to the card I like to use snail adhesive on the back of the larger hexagons then a dab of Tombow glue on some of the thinner bits. 

I hope you get some creative time this week.  Got any projects on the go?  I've hunted out a bunch of photos of my siblings and I and am halfway through a little album using the Mini Memories Simply Created Album Kit.  I've got 2 sisters and a brother and it has been fun looking through the photos from when we were kids.  Looking forward to seeing how the album turns out. 

Cheers, Sue

We had a play with the Hearts A Flutter bundle last month at class.  I've used a few of the different framelits in this card, and the coordinating stamp set too for the heart. 

Details, Tips and Tricks

• The base is Crumb Cake, then a layer of the Primrose Petals core'dinations cardstock embossed and sanded. 
• I sponged the elements with black ink to grunge them up a bit and help them coordinate together. 
• The heart and that scallop circle are snipped from the More Amore Specialty DSP. 
• The heart is stamped on vellum and embossed with the dotty folder.

My Digital Studio: MDS

I've also been having a play with MDS: My Digital Studio.  I gave my blog header a bit of a quick tweak using it ....

.... and I whipped up a super quick scrapbook layout of my little guy.  Pop back tomorrow afternoon if you'd like to see that.

Disappearing Colours Update

A recap of our soon to be leaving colours - Regal Rose, Pretty In Pink, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, Bravo Burgundy, Not Quite Navy, More Mustard and River Rock.  Colour Refresh update is here.

Some of the ink refills have sold out already.  I know River Rock, Bashful Blue and Certainly Celery refills are gone.  Be quick if you're after products in these colours.  I'm out all day and evening tomorrow at a family funeral, so online ordering might be the best bet if you're keen to get an order in super quick.

To place an online order visit my demo site here:   Sue's Demonstrator Website        and click on the Shop Now button.  I'll be back on deck Thursday if you'd prefer to phone or email as usual. 

Cheers, Sue