Tag Archives: Colour Inkspiration

COLOUR CHALLENGES: COLOUR INKSPIRATION #189

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My friends at Colour INKspirations know how to set up a proper challenge! This combination was a tough one, as Melon Mambo generally doesn’t get much my attention. But by toning it down using daubers, I came up with a project that met the challenge!

  • Stamps: Impressions Abloom, Elements of Text, Perfectly Pears, Inspiring Imperfections
  • Color Palette: Basic White, Darling Duckling, Melon Mambo, Cloud Cover, Secret Sea
  • Accessories: Stamp Cut & Emboss Machine, Impressions Abloom dies, Perennial Postage dies, Gallery Blooms dies, Exposed Brick 3D Embossing Folder, Kintsugi Inspirations DSP, Dauber, White Bakers Twine, Wink of Stella, Fine Tip Glue pen, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Here’s the inspiration photo. I knew right away I was going to have to be “INKspired” to work in that Melon Mambo! And while I adore Secret Sea, it’s a very bold color, so I used it sparingly as an accent.

Looking for elements for this card, I pulled out some treasures that are still available but have been sidelined in favor of newer releases. That 3D Exposed Brick EF is one of my absolute GO-TO elements. White Bakers twine is too, although it will never replace my beloved Linen Twine.

I used our Fine Tip Glue pen to add shine to the centers of those flowers. They have a little Cloud Cover daubed in the center to soften the white-white-white and tie in with the background DSP. My FTGP has lost its Fine Tip, so I unscrew the cap and use my trusty bamboo skewer to paint the glue over the circle. The skewer lets me control the amount I apply but doesn’t leave brush strokes or messy cleanup.

Cloud Cover ink has been a bit of a heartbreak, as it turns out the formula reacts with the foam in our ink pads, causing instability. The solution is to use one of our un-inked spots and Cloud Cover Ink Refill. It takes a bit longer to ink larger stamps, but I think it’s worth the effort!

There’s still a little time to join the challenge. It closes at 7pm Monday AEST (remember, for the US they are a day ahead). I’d love to see what you do with Melon Mambo!

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Discover Colour Inkspiration #188: Crafting with Vibrant Colors

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Oh, it has been a long time since I’ve done a challenge! We have enjoyed a LOT of travel in the first half of 2025. It’s been WONDERFUL, but it’s meant a lot of time away from crafting. It’s great to be home, to sit with all my crafty things and to be inspired!

This is ColourInkspiration #188. The challenge colours are Strawberry Slush, Timid Tiger, Coastal Cabana, and Gray Granite. This is a lively bunch of colours if I do say so myself!

  • Stamps: Pattern of Friendship
  • Color Palette: Basic White, Strawberry Slush, Timid Tiger, Coastal Cabana, Gray Granite
  • Accessories: Stamp Cut & Emboss Machine, Beautiful Motif dies, Daubers, retired flat dots, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Here’s the inspiration photo:

This image has lots going on but it’s filled with things I love: the sea, beautiful landscape, flowers, and lots of books! I wouldn’t mind spending a little time in that cove.

I confess: the splatters are from an ancient Stampin’ Up! tool. I *think* it was called the Color Spritzer, and it works by funneling a blast of air past the tip of a Stampin’ Write marker. I love how fine a splatter it creates – more a spritz, if in fact that was the name.

I’m not usually a super-bright color-combo crafter, so this was a bit of a stretch for me. I cut a variety of pieces with the Beautiful Motif dies and played with them until I liked them. I chopped quite a few of them into smaller pieces, allowing me to blend the colours more. And I used our daubers to add a little extra ink to the die cuts for dimension.

Pattern of Friendship is an Online Exclusive bundle. I bought it for the die – oh, just you wait, there are projects coming – but the stamps are all sentiments. I’ve decided I liked them better once they were in my hands. Does that ever happen to you, or is it just me?

Colour Inkspirations is a really fun challenge group. There’s plenty of time to create for each one, assuming you’re not galavanting around the globe. Plus it’s the nicest group of crafters you’ll find anywhere. Check them out, and give it a try!

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SPOTLIGHT ON NATURE: CI#172

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I haven’t joined the Colour Inkspirations challenges for ages, but this month I made a point of writing down the colours and creating with them. I wouldn’t have chosen the combination of Peach Pie, Garden Green and Pebble Path on my own, so it was a proper challenge.

(Please note that Colour Inkspirations is based in the South Pacific and uses an extra vowel, and I have done the same in today’s post.)

  • Stamps: Spotlight on Nature, Country Flowers
  • Color Palette: Basic White, Peach Pie, Garden Green, Pebble Path
  • Accessories: Stamp Cut and Emboss Machine, Spotlight on Nature dies, Changing Leaves dies, Birch Wood 3D Embossing Folder, Pebble Path Jute Trim, Stamp and Write markers, Blender Pen, 24-26 In Color Shimmer Gems, dauber, Stampin’ Dimensionals

I fussy cut the floral image since the dies in the Spotlight on Nature bundle are circular. I inked the stamp with Stampin’ Write markers and used a Blender Pen to add color to the stamped image. The Blender Pen allows a much softer touch than Stampin’ Blends, and I didn’t want to cover the detail on the stamped image.

I used a dauber to add a little extra Pebble Path to the new Birch Wood 3D embossing folder. It’s not perfect, it’s hand-made!

Have you played along with a challenge lately? I’d love to know which challenges you enjoy.

And if you need your own Spotlight on Nature bundle, shop the Online Store.

It’s finally LIVE! Check out the September – December mini catalog. As you know, new catalogs sometimes have supply and demand imbalances, so shop the Online Store soon.

Are you a scrapbooker? Stampin’ Up! has just released a scrapbooking companion to the September – December mini catalog. This is a digital-only resource – see it HERE.

Be sure to check out the Online Exclusives available ONLY in the Online Store! Many of my favorite bundles are there.

The September Paper Pumpkin Kit is Autumn Abundance. It includes everything you need for 9 cards and envelopes, and features copper foil details and a watercolored ephemera pack. Every Celebration, an exclusive set of dies coordinates with all 3 third quarter Paper Pumpkin offerings. Subscribe HERE by September 10th.

Paper Pumpkin subscriptions deliver ready-to-go projects to your doorstep every month, but you have ultimate control to skip or cancel 😱 if you decide it’s not for you. Stampin’ Up! also features an exclusive collection of kits that don’t require a subscription. Visit the Online Store to see what’s available.

The 24-25 Annual Catalog is filled with inspiration. New stamps, dies, tools, and gorgeous new In Colors are waiting for you!! Shop HERE.

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The World Needs More of You

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I guess you’re either a cat person or you’re not – and I am a cat person. When I saw Clever Cats in the mini catalog (available TODAY!) I put it at the top of my list. The set has a Halloween theme, but I had other plans:

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Clever Cats Cat-in-a-box
  • Stamps: Clever Cats, Free as a Bird
  • Color Palette: Basic Black, Basic White, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake
  • Accessories: Stamparatus, Stampin’ Blends, Pattern Party DSP (Host), Stampin Dimensionals, shreddies
Maui Stamper Stampin Up Clever Cats Cat-in-a-box

This captures cats so well – in the box, no matter what. The shreddies were a bit of a wild inspiration as I looked at the image of the cat and the box, and as luck would have it, I had the right color on hand. Some things are meant to be.

The Stamparatus is an enormous help in getting a clear, even impression from this bold image. I used a number of colors, but Memento Black was clearly the winner in my mind. It took a 3 impressions for me to be satisfied with Memento Black, but only 2 with Stampin’ Up! Classic Ink. But regardless of the number, the Stamparatus creates a perfect image – and re-image – every time!

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Clever Cats Cat-in-a-box

I put a 1/4″ strip of DSP across the bottom of the panel on the inside of the card, and I added a sentiment from the now-retired Ridiculously Awesome stamp set. I created this card with the colours of Colour INKspiration #104 in mind.

The Mini Catalog is now live in the Online Store, and Clever Cats can be yours with a couple of clicks. We’re celebrating Sale-a-bration V.2 in August and September, so you’ll choose free gifts with your $50 or $100 purchase. Shop HERE.

Flourishing Phrases and Colour Inkspiration 58

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When I saw the colour palette for CI58 I thought OH YEAH. I love Crumb Cake with anything, and Blushing Bride and Metallic Gold seemed like the perfect match.

Tell my brain that!

I don’t know why I struggled, except for the sad reality that I’ve been away from my craft desk a lot recently and my mojo is rusty. (I think that would be a great title for a Country and Western song. Just sayin’).

Here’s what finally came together:

The gold Faceted Gem would have been better, but I didn’t have one in my stash (gasp). The dot on the i in friend is a metallic pearl because I lost both the white and the gold die cut dots. Like I said, I think my mojo is rusty. And I’ll quote from Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day : “Some days are like that. Even in Australia.”

(OH EM GEE. I just read the Wikipedia entry for this book and apparently Judith Viorst altered the text for Australia and New Zealand. In all of the other editions, Alexander wants to move to Australia because it just has to be better there. But in the Aussie and Kiwi versions he wants to move to Timbuktu. My sense of the world has been turned upside down. We have always said “Some days are like that. Even in Australia.” and I have always wondered if that didn’t have something to do with my eldest actually moving there! This is going to take some adjustment.)

Fortunately, there’s some news in the Stampin’ Up! world that will straighten out the globe and shine your mojo. For every $50 US you spend in July, you’ll get a $5 voucher towards any purchase in August. If you’re a US shopper, visit my Online Store to get started.

Colour Inkspiration 54: Lift Me Up

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One more Black and White and POP card for Colour Inkspiration 54!

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Colour Inkspiration 54 Lift Me Up

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!

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Colour Inkspiration 54 Lift Me Up

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.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Colour Inkspiration 54 Lift Me Up

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.

Colour Inkspiration 54: Wonderful Romance

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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.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Colour Inkspiration 54 Wonderful Romance

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!

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Colour Inkspiration 54 Wonderful Romance

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.

ColourINKspiration Challenge #54

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!

Colour INKspiration #CI40: Gorgeous Grape, Old Olive and Early Espresso

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I’ve missed a couple of the Colour INKspiration challenges and I was determined to submit at least one card to this fortnight’s challenge. The colours for #CI40 are Gorgeous Grape, Old Olive, Early Espresso, with neutrals or metallics. We had this gorgeous image to inspire our creativity:

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! CI40 Inspiration

I’ve been fussy cutting this image from Blended Seasons all month, so that was where I began:
Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! #CI40 Blended Seasons

A special shout out to Vicki Boucher, who frayed her Copper Trim and inspired me to do the same. It’s addicting to pull those threads this way and that and play with the shapes that result.

I used Old Olive Stampin’ Blends on the leaves, but there’s no Gorgeous Grape Blend (at least not yet!) I ordered a set of the Watercolor Pencils available this month, and sure enough, there was Gorgeous Grape! Problem solved.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! #CI40 Blended Seasons

I was a little challenged to add Early Espresso to the card, but when I added the Wood Textures DSP and the copper ribbon, foil and embossing powder, the tones of the card changed. I used an Early Espresso card base and tucked in a few little die cut embellishments from Petals and more. The Shimmer White card stock added to the overall gleam of the card.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! #CI40 Blended Seasons

To keep the intensity of the Gorgeous Grape Watercolor Pencil, I used a Blender Pen to smooth the strokes out. The Blender Pen does a beautiful job but doesn’t dilute the color in the way an Aquapainter might.

Colour INKspiration challenges are open to anyone – visit the Facebook group to see the quality images that are submitted.

Looking for supplies to create your own card? Blended Seasons and Watercolor Pencils 2 are only available until the end of August, so time’s a wasting! If you’re in the United States, shop HERE.

This Little Piggy is a ColourInkspiration

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This Little Piggy was sitting in the middle of my craft desk when I happened to see the latest Colour Inkspiration palette image:

Maui Stamper ColourInkspiration 32

This is such a gorgeous, clean combination – with a glimmer – and I had an idea pretty quickly. I ended up using a retired DSP to get the effect I wanted, but everything else is current:

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! This Little Piggy CI32 ColourInkspiration

I fussy cut the Piggies for two reasons:

  1. I could group them so closely and still show depth (thank you, Stampin’ Dimensionals
  2. I wanted to layer them on that fabulous Night of Navy (retired) DSP

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! This Little Piggy CI32 ColourInkspiration

I’m really working at learning to shade with the Stampin’ Blends.  It takes practice, and a little light and color theory can only help as well! I’m happy with the overall look, but I’m still developing my technique when it comes to the details. It’s so therapeutic to color.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! This Little Piggy CI32 ColourInkspiration

I stamped the envelope with a blossom from Petal Passion, and added a few of the same image on a Whisper White panel on the inside of my card. Even when I use I pale tone like Pink Pirouette for my card base, I like to add a white panel inside. I creates a crisp look and helps to define the card.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! This Little Piggy CI32 ColourInkspiration

I hope you’ll take a look at the Colour Inkspiration page and enjoy all of the beautiful projects shared in response to CI32! And if you’d like to do a little shopping, click HERE.