This week's Masculine Monday uses the Colour Block Technique - a great way to use up your precious scraps of cardstock or DSP. I've used some blue tones here for my cards and the stamp set Totally Trees. The colours of cardstock I've used are:
Bermuda Bay Mint Macaron Tempting Turquoise Soft Sky Island Indigo
The base card is Mint Macaron. Ribbon - Mint Macaron Sheer Linen Inks: Rich Razzleberry Island Indigo Copper Embossing Powder
Another in my Masculine Monday series of You Tube tutorials this week saw me using the Wetlands stamp set. I do love this set - and it goes so well with the Serene Scenery Designer Series Paper. I showed an example of a card and then showed how you could do the same card but just changing the papers and the stamps.
Here's the same basic sketch for a card - just changed up a bit by the different use of papers and main image.
I know... I've used Beautiful You again, but I have used a few other stamp sets to make this card. An unusual shaped card for me this time but that's just how it evolved. Can I let you into a little secret as to how it became square - I actually used the reverse side of my pack of Serene Scenery DSP. Its white and shiny and deserves to be used rather than thrown away - how's that for getting the most out of your products! It has produced a lovely shimmery look to the card but does need a little bit longer to dry. I've also added the dots from Painter's Palette and the reeds from Wetlands and the little Butterfly stamp with some Basic Pearls. I had some of the cardstock left which I had inked so I used this to punch out the butterfly and edged it with Chocolate Chip.
I used Daffodil Delight, Rich Razzleberry and Pear Pizzazz for the inked background - rubbing the inks over the cardstock with an ink dauber. The image of the girl was inked in Crushed Curry and just left without extra colouring. Craft Stamper challenge for January is Anything Goes so I'm going to add this into their challenge.
As usual all supplies can be purchased from my store if you are in the UK or parts of Europe - just click on the logo below.
Its a lovely day here in Hampshire - honestly this weather doesn't know what to do with itself. At the beginning of the week it was dull and grey and we had the January blues. Today its crisp, frost on the ground, bright blue sky and quite warm in the sun.
It was a lovely view out with the dogs this morning
It must have been the touch of sunshine that made me want to make this card today. Although summer is a long way off and as yet I have no holiday booked for 2017, which is quite depressing, beaches and warm weather were on my mind.
I've used the Serene Scenery DSP for the background here. Beautiful You stamp set and Wetlands also. I've used Clear Embossing Powder for the girl image and all details are on the You Tube Tutorial below.
Hi Crafters - its Thursday again which means another look at the Pootlers Design Team projects using the lovely set Totally Trees. Look at all those lovely images to play with!!!!
In keeping with my theme of the seasons, my card today is a Summer card.
I've used Mint Macaron and Crumbcake for this card and I've also added some stamps from the Wetlands stamp set. I've also used some of the DSP Serene Scenery.
I've used the palm trees from the set and added some of the coconuts and wanted to do a beach style card. I used to rip my papers when I made cards years ago - I think this sort of went out of fashion but I may just re-introduce it. It gives a softer feel to the paper which is what I wanted for my beach scene.
A touch of the Stitched Ribbon in Bermuda Bay and a tag from the Decorative Label Punch finishes off my card. The inks I used were Early Espresso and Old Olive for the branches. Thank you for stopping by and do go and see the great inspiration from the other team members.
I'm lucky to be on a great team within SU with an inspiring Upline who recently set us the task of telling "our Story". What started our journey with Stampin' Up! My story actually began back in 2002. I started crafting when a friend introduced me to scrapbooking and I took to it like a duck to water. Before that the last time I had used glue, paper, inks had been when I was in Junior School and I loved the relaxing feel I got when scrapbooking precious family memories. In 2002 our lives changed when we moved from Hampshire in the UK to Houston Texas. I met a neighbour who knew I scrapbooked and asked whether I had ever tried rubber stamping. I said no and she invited me over to my very first Stampin Up demo as she was a demonstrator. She told me I would get hooked and at the time I didn't believe her. Well.... she was right! I loved everything about it and the fact that here I was, someone who didn't consider myself to have a creative flair for drawing, or paper or ink and I was making art! Stampin Up made it easier for me and I was drawn into this creative world. Fast forward to 2005 and I returned home to the UK with all the stamps and ink I could bring! Fast forward three more years to 2008 and Stampin Up finally came to the UK and I signed up as one of the very first demos. Sadly, though my time with SU only lasted a year and I actually put away all my crafting tools and didn't do anything for a long time. In 2015 I started up a small soap company and one day whilst looking for inspiration for soap boxes I came across Sam Hammond on YouTube making boxes. So I got out all my old SU stuff and had a go. I found I loved it so much I contacted Sam, became a Demo again and swapped soap for paper. Twenty years ago I had given up my career to look after my children. When they no longer needed me and they went off to University I looked around for a part-time job. Even with my skills no-one wanted to hire me because I had been out of the workplace for 20 plus years. So digging deep and finding some confidence I decided I was going to try and start my own business and it was going to include Stampin Up. It has not been easy and it still isn't but then starting a business never is. It takes time, money, committment and yes I believe a little luck. I am still my best customer but I have a small customer base and I am going to keep knocking on doors and building my little empire and hopefully, as it says in the movies, they will come. One of my favourites places to hang out when I first started using SU was Splitcoast Stampers. A great forum with a wealth of knowledge and inspiration for Stampin Up and now other stamp companies. Imagine my delight when last month they asked me to be on their Design Team for the next few months. Here are my projects for October:
Project one was to be inspired by the image and I used the Jar of Love set and the flowers from Botanical Builder Framelits.
The second project was a step it up card - I used the lovely stampset Wetlands with some watercolouring in the background.
The third project was a sketch and I turned the sketch around. I used the set Totally Trees.
The fourth project had to be a technique - so I used this great technique of a magic card which when it opens the sentiment is shown.
All the other Design Team projects can be found on Splitcoast Stampers in the gallery here
