Tag Archives: Cards

August is Sketch Month – Sketch 1

Posted in Cards by

Hi and welcome back.
If you have seen the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalogue, you may have seen that there are quite a number of card sketches through the catalogue, and on Page 22 there are 22 sketches to use as inspiration for cards.
So I am challenging myself!
I plan to share a blog post every day with the sketches in the order they are in the catalogue, along with a sample of how I made that sketch PLUS the measurements I have used.
I have seen a few different people sharing PDFs of the sketches with measurements in Imperial, but I am in Australia, and we use different size card fronts here. So my measurements will be in centimeters and based on our card size.

I have been busy on Canva recreating the sketches from the catalogue, so they are not exact copies of what is in the catalogue but close enough. And since I have put my time and effort into creating these I would appreciate acknowledgement of where you got them from if you plan on using them.

I hope you enjoy them. Here is the first one!

My card using this sketch features some of the beautiful Designer Series Paper which was only available to Stampin’ Up! demonstrators (but is too beautiful not to share) along with the Poised Peony stamp set.

In Australia our card bases are basically half of an A4 sheet of cardstock.
However, I have found that it is much easier, especially for beginners to measure it slightly differently, and have a small strip left over.
So for my card base, I cut 21cm x 14.5cm – you should be able to get two card fronts from one piece of cardstock. Then along the long side, score at 10.5cm and fold, so when it’s folded, your card front will be 10.5cm x 14.5cm. I have used some Pretty in Pink cardstock for my card base.
I have then taken a piece of Designer Series Paper (patterned paper) the same size – 10.5cm x 14.5cm and adhered it onto the card front.
The next layer of Designer Series Paper (the darker pink) is 8.5cm wide x 9.5cm.
The Basic White focal layer is 7cm x 9.5cm.
I decided not to put my sentiment onto a separate piece but rather to stamp it directly onto the panel with the main image, and also to add some Linen Thread, and some Purple Fine Shimmer Gems.

I hope that these will be helpful to someone, and hopefully I can get through all of them for you.
Please feel free to leave a comment or reach out to me if you have any questions.
Happy stamping,
Chris

Spotlight on Spring

Posted in Cards by

Another seasonal inspired card today, to go along with the current challenge at Craftin Round The World, this time Spring inspired, and I have featured the Spotlight on Nature stamp set and Dies for my card.

In the background is some of the Country Woods Designer Series Paper and I’ve also used the Fun Patterns embossing folders to create some texture.

The flowers and leaves have all been coloured with watercolour pencils and then fussy cut.
Yes, there’s a lot of fussy cutting there.
So what’s the trick to fussy cutting? (fussing cutting is cutting around an image using scissors rather than using a die to cut). The trick is to move the piece you are cutting, rather than moving your hand around the piece, so keep your scissors in one direction as much as possible, and move the piece of cardstock, paper or whatever else it might be. I’ve found that to do this successfully I need to keep the piece of cardstock as small as possible, so I usually do two cuts, one to reduce the size and then one around the image.
The other trick is to make sure your Paper Snips (scissors) are nice and sharp.
And I enjoy fussing cutting, I find it quite relaxing, a little like meditation.

Happy stamping, and happy crafting.
Chris

Stampin’ Up! Translucent Florals

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I’ve had the Translucent Florals stamp set and dies for quite some time now, and for whatever reason, it hasn’t had a lot of use, so I decided to give it some love.

My card is inspired by design of the card on the bottom left of Page 124 of the Annual Catalogue, and I have used a circle of flowers intead of an actual round shape.
My background was sponged using Azure Afternoon ink, and each flower petal was sponged with Crushed Curry ink around the outside edges, and Poppy Parade ink in the centres. There are four die cut flowers layered over each other for each complete flower.
The other colours used are Lemon Lime Twist for the leaves, and the sprigs of greenery are stamped in Summer Splash ink.

For each flower, I have die cut two large and two small flowers from Basic White cardstock, sponged the ink colour onto each one, and then used the Bone Folder gently to the the petals a little shaping. I have used Glue Dots to adhere the layers together and popped a Poppy Parade die cut centre and Iridescent Faceted Gem in the centre of each flower.

I hope you are having a crafty weekend.
Don’t forget the Earn and Redeem promotion that is on until the end of the month. Grab the Translucent Florals Bundle and you will be emailed a voucher to redeem in August.
Happy stamping,
Chris

A Summer Scene

Posted in Cards by

The idea for my card today was to create a summer scene. It’s the middle of a cold winter here in Australia, and I needed a reminder that summer will be here before we know it, and with that, time at the beach and swimming in our beautiful ocean.
Does anyone else love swimming in the ocean? It’s something I love to do, it makes me feel so energised and refreshed.

I have used a piece of Fluid 100 Watercolor paper and a Water Painter to create my background, first applying a lot of water to the paper, and then adding some Pecan Pie ink at the bottom, then Pool Party, Summer Splash, Azure Afternoon and Blueberry Bushel inks.

The truck with the surf board in the back, and the palm trees are from the Trucking Along bundle, which is an Online Exclusive from a while back but still available here in Australia.

If you would like to share a project with us at Craftin Round the World Challenges, please join us here, we love to see what you have been creating.

Happy stamping!
Chris

Product List
Trucking Along Bundle (English)
[162306]
Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper
[149612]
Water Painters
[151298]
Blueberry Bushel A4 Cardstock
[146991]
Azure Afternoon A4 Cardstock
[161728]

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Craftin’ Round The World Challenge

Posted in Cards by

Welcome back. Today I am sharing a card I made for this month’s Craftin’ Round The World Challenges.

I’ve made a Winter themed card for this challenge, and since I am in Australia, we are in the middle of winter now. Winter is not aligned with Christmas for us here, so I wanted to make a winter card that is not also a Christmas card.

I have used some of the retired One Horse Open Sleigh Designer Series Papers along with a piece of Die Cut fence from something else that retired some time ago – sorry, I can’t remember what the name of that one was. Sometimes it’s good to use up those random bits and pieces that are around.

We love to see your creations, so come and share your projects with us. Craftin’ Round the World is a Facebook group that is closed, so is a safe place for you to share your projects. Come and join in the fun.
The link to the group is here.

Happy stamping!
Chris

Don’t forget the Earn and Redeem promotion that is happening for the rest of July – simply spend $90 and receive a $9 coupon to spend in August,. Scan the QR Code below or click here to go to my online store.

Sketch Saturday #754

Posted in Cards, Sketch Saturday by

I have some exciting news to share with you today, I am honoured to have been accepted as a member of the Design Team for the Sketch Saturday Challenges, and today is my first post as a member of the Design Team.
This week’s challenge is to choose a previously used sketch, and I have chosen the one below, Sketch 555 from 2019.

I have used the Perennial Lavender Designer Series Paper as a focus for my card today, and the gorgeous butterfly from the Spotlight on Nature stamp set.

The butterfly has been coloured with Stampin’ Blends, in various pinks and purples.

I hope you will come and visit us at Sketch Saturday Challenges, and share your own version of the sketch, we love to see what you have come up with.
Happy stamping!
Chris

Product List
Perennial Lavender 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper
[162593]
Spotlight On Nature Cling Stamp Set (English)
[163579]
Stylish Shapes Dies
[159183]
Purple Fine Shimmer Gems
[162611]

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Country Flowers Gift Cards

Posted in Cards by

Welcome back. I have just a quick post for you today, to share some gift cards I have made to send out as thank you cards, both featuring the Country Flowers Stamp Set.

This first card also uses the Dies that go with this stamp set.
Both cards have been coloured using Stampin’ Blends.

For the second card I have stamped and coloured directly onto the Country Woods Designer Series Paper.

Don’t forget that for the rest of June, you can buy this gorgeous Bundle, and all Bundles, at an extra 10% off the already discounted price. Head on over to my online store to make the most of it while they are still reduced.
Happy stamping!
Chris

Just Add Ink Sketch Challenge

Posted in Cards, Masculine by

Hi and welcome back.
For those who have been following along with my blog posts for a while, you will know just how much I enjoy taking part in challenges, and I do particularly enjoy a Sketch challenge.
So I decided to use the current Just Add Ink challenge to inspire my card today. Here is the sketch:

My card features the mushroom image from the Inspirational Sketches stamp set.
I was a little sad when the new Catalogue first came out, I thought that this gorgeous stamp set had retired, but you will find it sneaks in with some images on pages 110 and 111.
I am very glad it’s a current stamp set, it’s a lot of fun to use.

I have used some Grey Granite cardstock as my base, and the background layer has been embossed with the Timber Embossing Folder, and then I have run the Grey Granite ink pad over it to highlight the embossed parts.
I have taken one of the large die cut circles from the Spotlight on Nature Dies, cut it in half, and then stamped the image in Grey Granite.
The red mushrooms were stamped in Black Memento ink, which I stamped off on scrap paper before stamping onto the cardstock, just to make the outline a little lighter. The image as been coloured with Stampin’ Blends in Crumb Cake for the stems, Ivory for the underneath of the mushroom caps, and Dark and Light Real Red.
And yes, the image was fussy cut (I love fussy cutting!).
The white dots….. there are several ways to achieve the white dots on the mushroom caps, which do make them look more realistic. If you have White Craft Ink, you can use a stylus, dip that into the ink on the ink pad, and dab it onto the image. You may have to do this several times to give a good coverage.
Alternatively, you can use a white gel pen or similar and that is much easier to do.
Did you know that Stampin’ Up! used to sell these? I’m talking way, way, way long ago in the deep dark past, not long after I first joined as a demonstrator. And believe it or not, I still had one that I bought from Stampin’ Up!. It doesn’t work any more, not surprising, since they do dry out after a while.
Perhaps it’s time to do a very big clean out.

Happy stamping!
Chris

Product List
Inspirational Sketches Cling Stamp Set (English)
[162684]
Spotlight On Nature Dies
[163580]
Timber 3 D Embossing Folder
[163094]
Gray Granite Classic Stampin' Pad
[147118]
Real Red Stampin' Blends Combo Pack
[154899]

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

CASE = Copy And Selectively Edit

Posted in Cards, Flowers by

Welcome back to all of my crafty friends. We had our first frost of the winter this morning, and even though the sun is out, the next door neighbour’s roof is still glistening in the sunlight.
I am so grateful for the lovely fire that is keeping me warm and cosy.


When I first joined as a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator in 2008, I had done very little stamping or cardmaking, and my wonderful mentor, Larissa, told me to find cards I liked online, and copy them as best I could, with the items I had available. At that stage, I didn’t have much in the way of a papercrafting stash (oh my, how things have changed!), so I had to be inventive and creative, look at the card I was copying, and change it to suit what I had available.
That process is what we now term CASE-ing, (CASE = Copy and Selectively Edit) and I will be forever grateful for Larissa’s advice to do this, it started me out on this journey, and to me, this is still a fun way to get really creative but also a great way to find inspiration, especially when your Mojo has gone out the window! It is important though to make sure we credit whoever made the original card.
And so, onto my card today, and yes, it does once again feature the Stippled Roses stamp set and matching Dies. I may be a little obsessed with this stamp set.

The card that I have CASE-d is the one that goes across the spine on pages 122/123 of the Annual Catalogue. I loved the look of that card but wanted to add the gorgeous roses.
The roses have been stamped in Pecan Pie ink, and then coloured (of course! it wouldn’t be me without a little colouring) using Peach Pie ink and a Blender Pen, very gently dabbing the colour onto the shaded areas.
In the background, the leaves in Old Olive and Basic Beige are also from the Stippled Roses Dies, the Designer Series Paper is my new favourite, Country Woods DSP, the circle is cut from the Spotlight On Nature Dies, and the sentiment comes from the Stamped With Love set. Then to finish off I’ve added a few of the Peach Pie Shimmer Gems from the 2024-2026 In Color Shimmer Gems.

Make the most of the fantastic 10% discount on stamp set and die bundles through until the end of June. Bundles are already cheaper than buying the stamps and dies separately, so now you get that discount plus another 10% off. Great deal. You can shop online here.

Hoping you have a crafty day.
Happy stamping!
Chris

Product List
Stippled Roses Cling Stamp Set (English)
[162657]
Stippled Roses Dies
[162666]
Country Woods 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper
[163393]
Spotlight On Nature Dies
[163580]
Stamped With Love Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)
[161395]

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Inspired By A Song

Posted in Cards by

The Beatles Song “And Your Bird Can Sing” is the inspiration for my Design Team project for Craftin’ Round The World Challenges today, and I had so much fun creating this card.

I have used the new Basic Beige cardstock for the card base and also the next layer, which has been stamped tone on tone with Basic Beige ink and the Stippled Roses stamp set.
I have taken a piece of old sheet music – I’ve been a musician since I was very young, so there’s plenty of it lying around – and I have scrunched it up before sponging some Crumb Cake ink around the edges and on the raised areas.

I’ve used some of the Country Woods Designer Series Paper and the Country Birdhouse Dies to create the bird house. For those cute little birds I have used the reverse image technique, of stamping the image from the Country Birdhouse bundle onto a Silicone Craft Sheet in Memento Black ink, and then pressing a piece of white cardstock over the image, which in effect, reverses the image when it goes onto the cardstock. Perhaps this is a good time for me to get back into doing Facebook Live and YouTube videos to demonstrate that one.

If you are on Facebook (or even if you are not), come and share your projects with us at Craftin’ Round the World Challenges, we love to see what you have been creating.

And don’t forget that the Country Birdhouse Bundle, and all the Bundles are an extra 10% off the already discounted price until the end of June, and you can find them in my online store.
Happy stamping!
Chris

Product List
Country Birdhouse Bundle (English)
[163401]
Country Woods 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper
[163393]
Silicone Craft Sheet
[127853]
Basic Beige A4 Cardstock
[164512]
Basic Beige Classic Stampin Pad
[163806]

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com