Delicate Greens

What is your favourite colour? Mine has and will always be green. I attended many schools as a child because my father's work kept us on the move. Uncannily, I was always assigned to green house colours in every school I attended from primary to secondary schools. For me, green is soothing, refreshing, peaceful, lush, vibrant, rich, moist, fragrance of pine and apples, freshly mowed lawn, refreshing, cooling, earthy - it makes me happy.

In card making, I always want to make green cards but with self restraint, manage to create cards/projects in other colours too. I always love the results of my green creations though. So, here's a delicate green version of my Delicate Doilies card in my previous post.

project recipe
stamps: Delicate Doilies  (W124960, C122592), Happiest Birthday Wishes (retired Hostess)
ink: Classic Stampin' Pad - Lucky Limeade (126984), Pool Party (126982), Gumball Green (126861)
card stock: Lucky Limeade (124388), Gumball Green (127543), Whisper White (106549)
tools: Brayer (102395), 1-3/4" Scallop Circle Punch (119854), 1-3/8" & 1" Circle Punches (119860, 119868) 
added pizzazz: Rhinestone Basic Jewels (119246), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

have a great day

Brayer Misadventure & Delicate Doilies

Not long after I became a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, I was introduced to the brayer by my upline's upline when we had an afternoon of card making. It didn't seem too difficult but I felt that I could achieve the same results with other techniques. Before long, I realised that pastel blending, ink sponging or water colouring with inks, pencils and crayons could not give me a smooth and/or solid colour transfer on to card stock - it was time to buy a brayer. Armed with my new brayer, I could not achieve the spectacular results I had always seen on the internet. I concluded that I was hopeless at brayering and gave up.


However, at my group Catalogue Party, I was asked to show people how to use a brayer. Why? Because I had sought out Kerry Bunting (whom I call the the Brayer Guru) at the 2012 Melbourne Heartfelt Event and had made sure that I didn't miss her demonstration. I watched it, recorded it and when I tried it at home, again my efforts were a flop. I didn't want to be a bad carpenter blaming her tools but I finally asked Kerry about her opinion on brayers.

Duh! Why did I even ask? I should have known that the answer would be the SU brayer. I have professed in my profile that I am an SU snob yet all this time, I had bought and persisted with a non SU brayer which equals brayering FAIL. So, when I was asked to showcase brayering at the catalogue party, I panicked!

I still had this brayer,

failure with non SU brayer

the real deal - SU brayer

not this one

and was totally unsure if I could produce the goods!

I had to go borrow my upline's SU brayer and ahhhhhhhhhh......, a big sigh of relief. I could actually brayer quite nicely. Indeed, all brayers are not made equal and this misadventure with a "happily ever after" ending reinforces my belief that Stampin' Up! produces and/or provides us with high quality products although I temporarily forgot this fact!

Thus, I was able to show everyone how to brayer 2 colours together. Everyone got to make a card topper like my sample below. Do you like it? The colours reminded me of Indian Sarees, don't you think?

project recipe
stamps: Delicate Doilies  (W124960, C122592), Pennant Parade (W125012, C122742
ink: Classic Stampin' Pad - Primrose Petal (126858), Summer Starfruit (126991), Raspberry Ripple (126859)
card stock: Primrose Petals (127544), Summer Starfruit (127542), Whisper White (106549)
tools: Brayer (102395), 2-3/8" Scallop Circle Punch (118874), 1-3/4", 1-3/8" & 1" Circle Punches ( 119850, 119860, 119868) 
added pizzazz: Rhinestone Basic Jewels (119246), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

cardessence tips

• roll only in one direction when you are loading ink onto your brayer as rolling it back and forth will leave "ink lines" on your roller which will transfer to your cardstock and thus will spoil the blend;
• you can start with either Primrose Petal or Summer Starfruit in opposite corners but do not start brayering right onto the card stock ie. work from outside your card stock into the middle;
• there are 2 ways you can work your brayer (assuming that you are right handed)

1. Brayering with a cardboard underlay: With the brayer in your right hand, roll it back and forth from outside your card stock (right to left) into the middle - the colour lightens as you move into the middle. This method works best because the brayer being rolled back and forth and right to left will then not cause the cardboard to crinkle and scrunch up underneath your brayered card stock which will cause uneven ink distribution.
2. Brayering with paper underlay: The above method will cause the paper to scrunch up underneath the card stock so the best way is to roll your brayer back and forth without moving from right to left. You will have to coordinate this with feeding your cardstock into the brayering ie. move your card stock from left to right. Heh, heh, heh, it's a bit like rubbing your tummy whilst patting your head and vice-versa.

• I don't think that you can truly understand the difference and why it works without trying it out so, give the 2 different ways a go if you are new to brayering - hope it all makes sense.

Well, I hope that you enjoyed reading about my misadventure and had a good laugh about it. By the way, I have just received my very own SU brayer (a month after the catalogue party). Look for more of my brayered samples that I displayed at the catalogue party in my next posts.

TTFN

Firm Foam Ink Pads

Aren't I just way, way behind everyone in getting new information to you? There's already heaps of information and reviews regarding the new firm foam ink pads that you can "google" or "bing" for, but I will tell you anyway.

With the introduction of the 2012-2013 annual catalogue, SU made a very big change to their Classic Stampin' Pads.  To improve your stamping experience, SU has introduced firm foam pads.

In a Nutshell:
I love the new firm foam ink pads primarily because I'm loving the crisper stamped images I am achieving plus I am able to heat emboss my images without using VersaMark when I quickly sprinkle embossing powders before the ink dries on the images. The reason for the crisper images and ability to heat emboss is because more ink is transferred from ink pad to rubber stamp and to card stock. Hence, this leads to a small downside - you will need to re-ink your firm foam pad sooner than you did with the old felt pads especially with your frequent use colours, eg. Christmas colours in the next couple of months so it's best that you refills handy when you are on a stamping spree :-)


Below is the official information provided, but please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

"...We know you're going to love these new Stampin' Pads - just look at all the exciting benefits listed below:

• Provide better ink coverage for your stamps!
• Light-tap stamping produces flawless images!

In addition, our new Stampin' Pads

• Create wonderfully solid images. The Firm Foam releases more ink onto your rubber stamp than the felt pads. When using the Firm Foam pad, your stamp will get an even, solid covering of ink that you may not have been able to achieve with the felt pads. Please note: if you are using the ink pad frequently you may need to re-ink your Firm Foam pad more often. We recommend that you purchase a refill at the time of your ink pad purchase.
• Have a crisply printed, glossy label on the top of the pad that is easier to read and that will not fade or chip off!
• Come with colour name labels in all four languages (English, Spanish, French and German)--just choose your language, peel it off the back and add it to the side of the pad for easy identification!
• Use the same patented flip-top case design that stores the inking surface upside down, so the pad surface stays moist!
• Are available in all colours, including our exclusive In Colors!

Please note: Five ink colours have undergone formula changes to improve functionality and colour stability with the new firm foam pads. These colours are

• Basic Black
• Basic Gray
• Marina Mist
• Perfect Plum
• Tempting Turquoise

All five colours of the reformulated inks have been fully tested and approved. While using the new ink formula in the old Stampin' Pads is fine, we do not recommend using the old ink formula in the new firm foam pads in the five colours listed above.

We do not recommend using the Basic Black Classic Stampin' Pad on Whisper White or Very Vanilla Card Stock. Instead, we recommend you use the StazOn Ink Pad."


Additional features:

• The firm foam is nice and flat and will not become wavy - no more dip in the middle of the pad;
• The firm foam material does not imprint on the stamp images like the felt pad sometimes did. However, because the firm foam material is a foam base material, the stamp image can momentarily leave an imprint on the pad, which can transfer to a second stamped image. By inking your stamp on different areas of the pad or waiting momentarily for the ink to rise back to the top, you can easily avoid this situation.
• The firm foam material is soft and has a nice bounce to it. It's not hard like the felt is - light-tap stamping produces crisp, complete coverage on both line and solid stamps - a huge difference is noticeable with solid stamps
• The ink lay-down (how the ink is absorbed into the card stock) is even, not blotchy, and dries quickly. It has an increased opacity and stamps solid images beautifully.
• The pads are juicier and are designed to stay that way longer. 
• They come with colour name labels in all four languages (English, Spanish, French and German) - just choose your language, peel it off the back and add it to the side of the pad for easy identification!

The new pads are available in all SU colours including this year's new In Colours: Gumball Green, Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit. Primrose Petals and Raspberry Ripple.

The New Stampin’ Up! 2012 - 2013 Annual Catalogue is Here!

Happy Spring and Happy New Catalogues Time. The new Stampin’ Up! 2012 - 2013 Annual Catalogue time has finally arrived! It is sophisticated, clean looking and the photographic illustrations are fantastic. There are many new stamp sets to choose from along with the introduction of the new Firm Foam Ink Pads. I love the new ink pads and I will rave about it in my next post. However, I think that the best improvement is the price reduction of almost all the items in this catalogue compared to last year's catalogue.

In conjunction with the new annual catalogue, Stampin’ Up! has also launched a Holiday Catalogue that brings you an abundance of Christmas, Hanukkah, Halloween and Harvest goodies. Click on the images to view either of the 2 catalogues.

Hence, what better reason than to have a party for you to try out all of these wonderful and new products. If you haven’t saved the date yet, do so and here are the details.

See you at the Catalogue Launch Party

Apothecary Pyramage

Months and months ago, I borrowed some card making magazines from our local library and one of them contained lots of cards which were made up in layers of the same image. I had never seen this technique before. They were made from down loadable images or purchased kits. I noted it down as one of my "to try out one day" list but it just seemed to be too difficult to incorporate it with stamped images and trimming/cutting layers of the same image to match. When Stampin' Up! debuted the Labels Collection Framelits and the coordinating Apothecary Art stamp set in the 2012 Autumn-Winter Mini Catalogue, I was immediately struck with how easily I could attempt this technique. However, the magazine failed to mention what this technique was called but my internet research was fruitful and I believe that it's called "pyramage".

So, here's my pyramage version - hand stamped, coloured and layered. I was very pleased with the results and hope that the photos do it justice. All items used in this card will return in the 2012 - 2013 Annual Catalogue (formerly called Idea Book & Catalogue or IB & C) but I am sad to say goodbye to my favourite background stamp set, Baroque Motifs which will be retiring at the end of this month.

project recipe
stamps: Apothecary Art (W127506, C125527), Teeny Tiny Sentiments (W119185, C120024), Baroque Motifs (W116340)
ink: Classic Stampin' Pad - Early Espresso (119670), Pretty in Pink (101301); Stampin' Write Markers - Pretty in Pink (100045), Regal Rose (105108), Lucky Limeade (123002); Jet Black StazOn (101406)
card stock: Early Espresso (121686), Lucky Limeade (124388), Whisper White (106549)
tools: Big Shot (113439), Labels Collection Framelits (125598), Square Lattice Embossing Folder (119976), Adorning Accents Embossing Folders (125601)
added pizzazz: Crystal Effects (101055), Pretty in Pink Stampin' Pastels (120962), Sponge Daubers (102892), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

 

cardessence tips

• stamp your image 4 times with black StazOn and run it through the Big Shot with the Labels Collection Framelits in 4 different sizes;
• colour the flowers, leaves and banner borders with your markers;
• use the Pretty in Pink pastel for the main part of the banner;
• apply Crystal Effects to the flowers and set aside to dry;
• whilst matching the layers, adhere with Stampin' Dimensionals.

I love the Apothecary Art stamp set and Labels Collection Framelits. There are so many ways that you can use these two items either individually or together for gorgeous paper crafting creations, this easy pyramage technique is just the tip of the iceberg. I highly recommend them as additions to your card making and scrap booking repertoire.

happy stamping

 

Melbourne Heartfelt Stampin' Event 2012

Regional Events are now called Heartfelt Stampin' Events in Australia. The whole structure of this event has been revamped. There were 4 classes to attend and a Product Playground where one could play with Stampin' Up! products to one's heart's content. There were also 2 demonstration booths to gather around where you can watch demonstrators showcase particular techniques.  Also, instead of swapping cards, we were encouraged to produce only one to pin on Share Boards.

I loved every minute of it especially the Product Playground. I spent way......... too much time there that I kept missing my classes. Fortunately, the classes were repeated and I could jump in on the ones I missed. Next time, I'm going to attend all my classes in the morning and devote the whole afternoon to the Product Playground and catching up with other people who attended. The whole event ran from 10am - 5pm.

For today's post, I'm going to share with you my Share Board contribution. I used the Mixed Bunch set which debuted in the 2012 Autumn-Winter Mini Catalogue. This set will return in this year's new 2012-2013 Idea Book & Catalogue, so please treat this as a Sneak Peak of what's in store for you.

project recipe
stamps: Mixed Bunch (WM 127516, CM 125537), Sincere Salutations (WM 116416), Season of Joy (WM 113023)
ink: Classic Stampin' Pad - Marina Mist (119668), Lucky Limeade (122935), Calypso Coral (122939); Stampin' Write Markers - Daffodil Delight (119677), Calypso Coral (123002)

card stock: Calypso Coral (124391), Marina Mist (121682) Whisper White (106549)

tools: Big Shot (113439), Labels Collection Framelits (125598), Adorning Accents Edgelits (125595), Adorning Accents Textured Impressions Embossing Folders (125601), Designer Frames Textured Impressions Embossing Folders (123130, Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folders (119976), Bird Builder Punch (117191), XL Oval Punch (119859)

 

cardessence tips

• stamp two Mixed Bunch flowers in Calypso Coral on Whisper White card stock first;
• then use your Daffodil Delight marker to pick up Calypso Coral ink from the ink pad and start colouring your flower from the centre outwards - you will get a colour graduation from CC to DD in an even blend of colours;
• cut your flowers out, turn it over and colour in the reverse side with your Calypso Coral marker;
• quill one flower with the CC side facing you and use your bone folder to curl alternate petals of the 2nd flower upwards and downwards;
• adhere these 2 flowers together with the stamped sides facing each other;
• use your Bird Builder punch to punch out shaped leaves - you may wish to score leaf veins and sponge them to give them some interest and depth;

I hope that you like my contribution and that you will try the marker technique that I've used. Do remember that it will only work with a lighter colour marker to pick up a darker colour. I haven't had any issues with colour contamination (as yet). Have fun.

Retiring List 2012

The hugely anticipated Retiring List is here. Hundreds of stamps and accessories from the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalogue are retiring. This is your last chance to get them before they're gone. All products are only available while supplies last, so be sure to get your orders in early! With many items discounted some will sell out fast.

The 2010-2012 In Colours are retiring, so all ink pads, cardstock, re-inkers and accessories will not be available when the new 2012-2013 IB&C begins on September 1st. If you have these colours be sure to grab the re-inkers at 25% off its RRP.

The photos on your right are examples of retiring stamp sets: Autumn Days, Cottage Garden, Season of Joy, Loads of Love, Dasher and Fine Flourish. Click HERE to see the Retiring List.


When you look at the Retiring Accessories list, you’ll note that all of our Classic Stampin’ Pads are listed and most of them discounted. With the introduction of the 2012-2013 IB&C, we have made a very big change to our ink pads. We are introducing: firm foam pads! They will change your stamping experience for the better.  We know you're going to love these new Stampin' Pads - just look at all the exciting benefits listed below:

• Provide better ink coverage for your stamps!
• Light-tap stamping produces flawless images!

In addition, our new Stampin' Pads.

• Create wonderfully solid images. The Firm Foam releases more ink onto your rubber stamp than the felt pads. When using the Firm Foam pad, your stamp will get an even, solid covering of ink that you may not have been able to achieve with the felt pads. Please note: if you are using the ink pad frequently you may need to re-ink your Firm Foam pad more often. We recommend that you purchase a refill at the time of your ink pad purchase.
• Have a crisply printed, glossy label on the top of the pad that is easier to read and that will not fade or chip off!
• Come with colour name labels in all four languages (English, Spanish, French and German)--just choose your language, peel it off the back and add it to the side of the pad for easy identification!
• Use the same patented flip-top case design that stores the inking surface upside down, so the pad surface stays moist!
• Are available in all colours, including our exclusive In Colours!

So, if there are some colours you would like to purchase in the current ink pad style you can stretch your dollar further.  This includes ink spots and the already discounted ink set bundles. Also note, most of our Stampin' Write markers will NOT be able to be purchased individually after Aug 30th (just full sets), so grab the colours you want now.

In order to have the best opportunity to order your items before they sell out, all orders up to $120 will be shipped directly to you for a flat rate of $5.95.  Orders above $120 will be 5% shipping.  Any items out of stock at the time of ordering will not be charged for.

Feel free to email ME if you would like more information on the upcoming changes and to place your orders.

Awash with Flowers

As promised, here's my other water coloured card I mentioned a few days ago. This time I used the Awash with Flowers stamp set. This set is a 2-step stamping set with a large number of flower outlines and solid fillers. I always wanted to water colour with this set but never got around to it - I always went with the quicker option of 2-step stamping the solid filler images. However, since I'm in my water colouring phase, I pulled it out and had me some fantastic fun with it. I absolutely love the colours I chose (even if I do say so myself). Anyway, I hope you like it.

Remember to always start water colouring inner to outer, if that makes sense. That way, you pull your ink out to the outer edges of the petals. Think of it this way, petals and edges that are exposed earlier will loose their colour intensity faster. Also, try to keep your shading consistent. I am not a trained artist but I kind of put an imaginary light globe on my images and begin where I imagined the shaded or shadowed parts are. In short, I go with my instincts until I am happy with the effect I want. Hope the explanations help.

project recipe
stamps: Awash with Flowers (WM 121480, CM 120549), Happiest Birthday Wishes (WM 124940, CM 122617)
ink: Classic Stampin' Pad - Real Red (103133), Lucky Limeade (122935), Old Olive (102227), StazOn - Jet Black (101406) 

card stock: Lucky Limeade (124388), Real Red (106578), Watercolor Paper (122959)

tools: Big Shot (113439), Adorning Accents Edgelit Dies (125595), Adorning Accents Textured Impressions Embossing Folders (125601), Aqua Painter (103954)

the added pizzaz: , Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint (116806)cardessence tips

• when you emboss multiple lines with th AA folder, practice first on other card stock - you cannot run the second or third or fourth emboss through the Big Shot completely as it will flatten out the previous one; there are two ways you can try:

1. feed one corner through partially so not to flatten out previous embossing and reverse to remove from the Big Shot; repeat the same process on the other corner; or
2. don't fully cover your embossing folder with the top acrylic cutting pad ie. move your cutting over the folder so that it only covers the embossing lines you want;

• refer to Another Reason to Smile for tips on water colouring;
• lastly, apply a light wash of the Shimmer Paint;

happy water colouring

Another Reason to Smile

Today is the second last day for this promotion. I have enjoyed using this stamp set very much especially since I got it FREE. I am in a water colouring phase at the moment so here is one of my creations with this lovely set. There's still time to get your orders in so contact ME.

Water colouring takes practice but the end result is very satisfying indeed. To get the depth I wanted in my water colouring, I used my Aqua Painter and Stampin' Write Marker in the same colours. The SU Watercolor Paper is fantastic as I could watercolour many layers of ink to get the depth of colour I wanted without it pilling!

  

project recipe
stamps: Reason to Smile (WM 130826, CM130828), It's Your Day (WM 124988)
ink: Classic Stampin' Pad - Concord Crush (119785), Lucky Limeade (122935), Blushing Bride (119786), StazOn - Jet Black (101406) 

card stock: Concord Crush (106549), Very Vanilla (106550), Watercolor Paper (122959)

dsp: 2010-2011 In Color Paper Stack (117158)

tools: Big Shot (113439), Tasteful Trim (120893) , Designer Frames Textured Impressions Embossing Folders Set (123130)

the added pizzaz: Aqua Painter (103954), Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint (116806), Hemp Twine (100982), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

cardessence tips

• for this card, I cut out the inside of the Designer Frame so that I could mount it over the Watercolor Paper with dimensionals - to give it a shadow box type look;
• stamp the images on the Watercolor Paper with the StazOn ink;
• to achieve the layered stamped images, mask the flower images as you stamp - post it notes are best used as stamping masks because they already have temporary adhesive edges;
• I used my Aqua Painter to pick up the the colours from my ink pads to colour my images - with the ink pads in the closed position, press the lid onto the pad to transfer the ink from the pad to the inside of the ink pad lid to make it easier to ink up the blender pen;
• be sure not to get your paper too soggy ie. allow for a bit of drying time after a few layers of watercolouring;
• use the marker to "dot" colour on directly for darker shades and blend in with the Aqua Painter;
• lastly, apply a light wash of the Shimmer Paint only on the coloured flowers to give them a bit of an X-factor;

I will post another watercoloured card (which I am particularly pleased with) soon, so pop back in a few days time. Until then,

have a great day

Glomesh Glamour



Priscilla 11

Here's something other than card news.

I have a very clever friend who upcycles genuine Glomesh bags. She's always loved Glomesh bags ever since she was a kid and now she has added more glamour to these wonderful handbags. The detail in her craftsmanship is exquisite.

If you love Glomesh bags and are looking for something unique, check out her gorgeous creations in her GloGlam etsy shop. Here are 3 of her beautiful upcycled Glomesh glamour bags!

Victoria 1





Rosalie 1







Reason to Smile

What's there to smile about in June in Victoria, Australia? Snow season! We go to Mount Baw Baw a few times every year for skiing and a frolic in the snow. We love it there because it's not as crowded as the popular snow fields like Mt Buller or Lake Mountain, and the accommodation and lift prices are very reasonable.

What else is there to smile about? The FREE Reason to Smile stamp set that you can earn from Stampin' Up! during June when you purchase $125 AUD of products. I earnt my set extremely easily since I'm addicted to all that SU has to offer. Here's the card I created with this set and my current favourite tools - the Labels Collection framelits, Adorning Accents edgelits and embossing folders, for the Big Shot.

There's only 2 weeks left to this promotion, so hurry and contact ME to get your orders in!

 project recipe
stamps: Reason to Smile (WM 130826, CM130828), Sincere Salutations (WM 116416)

ink: Classic Stampin' Pad - Marina Mist 119668), Pretty in Pink (101301), Blushing Bride (119786), Rose Red (101778), Lucky Limeade (122935), Daffodil Delight (119667), StazOn - Jet Black (101406)

card stock: Whisper White (106549), Marina Mist (121682), Blushing Bride (121690)

dsp: Twitterpated (125406)

tools: Big Shot (113439), Labels Collection Framelits Dies (125598), Adorning Accents Edgelits Dies (125595), Adorning Accents Textured Impressions Embossing Folders Set (125601)

the added pizzaz: Blender Pen (102845), Crystal Effects (101055)

cardessence tips

• stamp the images on the Whisper White card stock label die cut with the StazOn ink;
• to achieve the layered stamped images, mask the flower images as you stamp - post it notes are best used as stamping masks because they already have temporary adhesive edges;
• I used my blender pen to pick up the the colours from my ink pads to colour my images - with the ink pads in the closed position, press the lid onto the pad to transfer the ink from the pad to the inside of the ink pad lid to make it easier to ink up the blender pen;
• apply a layer of Crystal Effects to the coloured flowers to give them a glossy and dimensioned effect;
• lastly, please watch this video tutorial by StampcrazyAlison on the best way to use the Adorning Accents Edgelits Dies and Textured Embossing Folders together.

keep smiling