Someone sent me a card using this layout for my birthday (Thanks, Louella!), and even though I’d seen images of this Fun Fold, holding it in my hand was a completely different experience. When I figured out how easy it was to put together, I was SOLD!
This is a half sheet of card stock, like any card, but it’s cut on the diagonal. I have a couple of trimmers, and none of them are large enough to cut the entire length, but if I cut through the center I was able to use my Paper Snips to complete the cut.
Score your full 8 1/2″ X 11″ sheet of card stock both horizontally and vertically before you cut it. Cut your DSP to 5 1/4″ x 4″ and then cut it on the diagonal as well. NOTE: If your DSP is directional, pay attention to how you cut it – for example, if you want your stripes to be horizontal, align them correctly before you cut.
You can make heaps of these in no time at all, and they’re a great way to use up your DSP. Round up all of those die cuts you have floating around because you cut an extra and didn’t know what to do with it, and you’ll have a stack of cards in a flash. Then SEND THEM!! As always, if you’re ready to shop, click HERE.
We bought a new espresso machine this year. The previous one was a champ and cranked out multi-shot beverages every single day for 7 years. When the cost of repairs became unrealistic, we had to get a replacement. There was someone who walked us through the whole process, and I knew just how to say thanks:
The Share What You Love DSP is really beautiful, and I think I’ve caught a glimpse of the gorgeous shimmer that is on one side of each paper. It’s those little details that make a card pop!
All of these beautiful products – with the exception of the colors – are retiring on June 3rd. Stamps are only guaranteed availability through May 24, so if you’re thinking a latte about this set, maybe you should Shop HERE.
Rumor has it there’s a new Daisy set (with a coordinating mid-sized punch) in the 2019-2020 Annual Catalog. I don’t have it yet, but seeing some of the images from our April Demonstrator Event sent me to the craft room to play.
I’m starting to get a little neurotic about plant parts. I decided I didn’t like the stems that came with the Daisy stamp, so I cut my own out of Basic Black card stock with my Paper Snips and adhered them with the Fine Tip Glue Pen. I’m starting to feel kind of renegade about stems and leaves (do you remember my orchid leaves?)
I embossed the daisy images on the Vellum so the lines wouldn’t run when I colored them. In retrospect, I could have stamped them with Stazon ink and colored them on the REVERSE side and gotten a very similar look. I call that Delayed Intelligence. When you’re coloring with Stampin’ Blends, you need to use Memento Ink to avoid smearing, but Stazon will dry much faster on Vellum and since it’s translucent, you can color from behind.
The Fine Tip Glue Pen dries clear behind Vellum so it’s the perfect adhesive, but it also leaves a lovely clear lacquer effect if you’re patient and allow it to dry.
I’m leaving this one without a sentiment for now. I like to have a few cards ready-to-personalize for last minute card needs. What would you choose for this one?
If you’d like to purchase any of these products, please shop HERE.
This one makes me a little dizzy and I’m not sure I like all the lines going different directions. Sometimes you just have to experiment! I think it’s the reflection technique of the Daffodil Delight and Memento Black inks on the sentiment that make me feel out of focus. But I’ll tell you, the Stamparatus makes that technique easy as can be!
The little clouds included in this stamp set really pop up the cute factor for me. I’ve only been in a hot air balloon once, and we never quite got up to the level of the clouds, so this is pure imagination.
Stop on by the Colour Inkspiration Facebook page for lots of Black and White and POP inspiration. Add a project of your own! And if you live in the US, please shop HERE.
I’m late to the Flowering Desert party, and I’m sorry that’s the case. It’s such a versatile set, the images are charming, and it’s really easy to use. There’s not a whole lot of desert here on Maui – that’s my story and I’m standing by it.
Color Palette: Shimmery White, Basic Black, Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral, Mint Macaron, Granny Apple Green, Pool Party, Shaded Spruce, Lovely Lipstick, Gorgeous Grapefruit, Calypso Coral (did I forget one?)
Crystal and I had a crafty mini-retreat recently and we really dove into this. We used as many colors as we possibly could, but I got a little carried away with my paper snips.
We CASEd Tami Hewlett, beginning with her gorgeous background. Her technique is to drop little puddles of color onto a silicone craft sheet and smoosh Shimmery White or Watercolor paper onto the sheet. We LOVED the effect with Shimmery White! Please stop by her blog and give her the love she deserves for this great concept.
This is a really playful set! The fussy cutting isn’t all that fussy, and if you tend to make extras “just in case” as I do, you’ll have enough for another card.
But HURRY. This sweet set is guaranteed to be available only through May 24, 2019. Shop HERE.
Happy May Day! It’s the first of the month, and that means I’ve got a new calendar to share. This month, I’m featuring one of the charming birds from the Best Birds set – it retires in June and while I’m sad to see it go, I’ve seen enough to know that there are new birdies in my future!
I used Stampin’ Blends to color the bird, and I’m experimenting with some new coloring techniques. One of the things I thought I’d heard was to use circular motions to blend the colors, but as I’ve explored more it seems that short, flicked strokes layered on top of each other give a smoother result. It’s still a work in progress.
However you choose to color, it’s a lot of fun to play with different combinations. I have a couple more birds on my craft desk waiting for projects.
And yes, I know this guy isn’t exactly on the branch. Call it artistic license.
Please stop by and see what Crystal and Cheryl have done for May. We all enjoy putting these calendars together for you each month. I have both the 2019 and 2020 calendars available in PDF form for the great price of $5 each. Message me if you’d like to purchase one or both!
And if you’re ready to add this charming little avian to your next, shop HERE.
This is the first card I created for the Colour Inkspiration 54 challenge – Black and White with a POP of colour. I love how it turned out, but I didn’t feel it represented the POP very well.
What do you think? I love the softness of the composition, but that’s exactly why I don’t think it qualifies for a POP of colour. It’s more muted, especially with the grey tones added in.
There’s one little trick you might not have noticed. The smallest rectangle in the Rectangle Stitched Framelits isn’t that small. I stamped my greeting and aligned one end of the framelit with the beginning of the message. Once I’d run it through the Big Shot, I carefully repositioned the framelit on the other end and rolled it through the Big Shot just enough to cut off the opposite end right where I wanted it!
The Wink of Stella helps brighten these pretty white flowers. I wish there were dies of all three blooms in the set of framelits, because I think that would really enhance the composition and set off the floral aspect. I usually don’t mind fussy cutting, but I just wasn’t feeling it on this one. It is what it is!
I think this image could really work in a lot of other colour combinations. I currently have one in process on my craft desk, but it’s giving me a little bit of a fit trying to figure out how to finish it off. If I’m successful, I’ll share it with you next week. To share your own beautiful Black and White and POP project, visit the Colour Inkspiration Facebook page.
In the meantime, there are all kinds of gorgeous products at great discounts available on the Clearance Rack. The retiring stamps, bundles, and accessory products are selling quickly, and when those products are gone, they’re gone. (Hint: bundles are priced with a 10% discount – they may continue into 2019-2020, but they won’t be bundled and you won’t have the opportunity to save.) If there’s something you love, I highly recommend you take immediate action. Shop HERE if you’re feeling inspired!
It’s such an honour to be chosen to join the Colour Inkspiration Challenge tour. I enjoy these challenges immensely, and love to see what the many talented and creative crafters imagine for each colour challenge. This round features one of my absolute favorite combinations!
I LOVE crafting in black and white! There’s something about it that really satisfies me, and when I learned that was the combination for this challenge I was delighted! I created a lot of different cards for this challenge, and I’ll be sure to share some of them over the fortnight. I’ve chosen just one for today:
Stamps: Climbing Orchid (retiring with the 2018-2019 Annual Catalog)
Colour Palette: Whisper White, Basic Black, and Lemon Lime Twist (a 2017-2019 In Colour, retiring with the 2018-2019 Annual Catalog)
The “spritz” is made with a very old tool that Stampin’ Up! sold – and retired – eons ago. I love mine, and I kept it. You can get a similar effect by tapping a brush loaded with colour over your project.
A few construction tips:
Because I used the Rectangle Stitched Framelits as a mat, I had to commit to that shape for my focal point. I assembled my orchids and arranged them on the card stock until I was satisfied before adhering them to the base.
The orchid layers are assembled with Stampin’ Dimensionals, and are also adhered to the base with them as well.
In my humble opinion, the leaves in the stamp set are Just Wrong. (I have orchids growing in my garden – nuff said.) I ended up free-hand drawing the stem and leaves with the Lemon Lime Twist Stampin’ Write Marker. By outlining first and filling in the shape with careful linear strokes I was able to create an interesting high/low colour texture.
The sentiment is inked in Stazon to avoid smearing on the vellum.
The vellum layer is adhered to the card front with a very thin line from the Fine Tip Glue Pen on either end. It dried and left no trace.
Start with your black and white elements. The pop will reveal itself.
Are you ready to play? Just dive right in! Seriously, you just can’t go wrong with this combination! When you’re ready, share your project HERE and be sure to tag it #CI54.
If you’d like a little more inspiration before you start, continue on the tour. You’re headed to Kelly Kent, and she’s created a very charming card. I think you’ll love it!
The 2018-2019 and Occasions Retiring Products Lists have been released, and it’s a bittersweet thing. There are some stamps I’m quite happy to see move on, and others that break my heart just a teeny tiny bit. All That You Are kind of breaks my heart.
This is a simple technique with very satisfying results. The image is inked with Versamark ink and embossed with Clear Embossing Powder. To get the best results, I highly recommend using the Embossing Buddy to prepare your paper. Using the Stamparatus to ink your card stock enables you to ensure even, thorough coverage with the Versamark ink, resulting in a high quality embossed image.
It’s easier than you might expect to see the embossed image. Coloring an embossed image is especially enjoyable because there is a tactile response – you feel the lines, helping you stay within them (if that’s how you roll!)
I used both light and dark Stampin’ Write markers in each color,. Sometimes I’m literally adding just a dot of color, other times a line or a full blending effort. I’m one of those people who find coloring to be very therapeutic, so it’s a pleasure for me.
If you’re as fond of All That You Are as I am, shop HERE before it’s retired for good. While you’re shopping, there are a few additional products you might want to think about:
The Paper Piercing Tool – aka Pokie Doodle – is being retired now that we have the fabulous all-in-one Take Your Pick tool. I’ll be stocking up on a few Pokie Doodles to have handy.
There’s a bundle of two Stampin’ Write markers in Coastal Cabana and Lovely Lipstick. I like to stock up on singles when I have the chance.
Stampin’ Trimmer cutting blades are currently unavailable, but you can add your email address to be notified when they come back in stock. The trimmer is retiring.
All 2017-2019 In Color Products – Lemon Lime Twist, Berry Burst, Tranquil Tide, Powder Pink and Fresh Fig – are retiring. Don’t forget the ink refills!
This technique has been making the rounds again as the Press’n’Seal Floating Frame card, and if I had Press’n’Seal I would have used it…but my entire kitchen is Furnished By Costco, so it’s the Kirkland Cling Wrap technique today, my friends!
This is a really enjoyable technique, but it takes time and patience to color all of the elements you need to create the floating frame. It’s a great project for when you’re at home recovering from the flu (ahem). One of the complaints I read when crafters used Press ‘n Seal was that it stuck too well to the card stock, causing the surface to tear. Trust me, that’s not a problem with the Kirkland wrap!
As you can see, when I ran everything through the Big Shot it cut the pieces quite nicely, but things moved around quite a bit once I removed the cutting plates. I had to be patient when I adhered the pieces to the frame, but by using the corner shapes as anchors everything else fell into place nicely. It’s quite similar to assembling a puzzle! You’ll want to be VERY VERY generous with the Stampin’ Dimensionals on this one – be prepared to find a lot of those little paper hexagons floating around your craft room!
Speaking of the Big Shot, you may have heard the announcement that Stampin’ Up! is terminating its relationship with Sizzex at the end of the 2018-2019 Annual Catalog period, effective June 3, 2019. This change will streamline design and production, and allow Stampin’ Up! to work directly with a manufacturer. This in turn will provide a more nimble response to inspiration, supply and demand. While Stampin’ Up! will still sell dies and embossing folders that are compatible with the Big Shot, we will no longer market the machine itself or any accessories (cutting pads, specialized platforms, etc). A new die cutting machine is in development, but it is not ready for the 2019-2020 catalog. If you need any accessories, I encourage you to shop soon, as supplies of retiring products are not guaranteed.
Similarly, Stampin’ Up! is also discontinuing the Stampin’ Trimmer. While this product has been extremely popular, recent concerns with blade quality have caused Stampin’ Up! to seek an alternate supplier. Again, a new Trimmer is in development but will not be available in time for the 2019-2020 Annual Catalog. If you would like to stock up on cutting blades, I urge you to act quickly as these accessories will also retire at the end of the catalog. As we all know too well, supplies of retiring items are not guaranteed! There is currently a limit of 3 packages of cutting blades per order, but that limit will be raised to 6 when the Retiring Products List is released on April 15, 2019.
If you’ve made it this far, congratulations – you get a bonus question! Lyssa Zwolaneck, a generous demo friend, created a fun graphic now that demonstrators have seen the NAMES of the 2019-2020 In Colors but not the shades!! What do YOU think???
The Maui Stamper 