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.
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.
I do love a card challenge. I’ve been on many Design Teams over the years of papercrafting, and still am now, and I love using different challenges to give me a way to challenge myself and create something different. I guess that’s why they are called a challenge, right? I have three cards to share with you today, all of them made with the same set of colours which are the current Global Design Project Challenge (#GDP449). The colours are Peach Pie, Shy Shamrock and Petunia Pop, all from the new In Color range (2024-2026). They are all gorgeous colours, but not ones I would normally put together. To add to the challenge, I created three different style of cards, and I’ll explain why shortly. Here’s the first card.
I was recently listening to a recorded interview between two of our wonderful Australian Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators, Kylie Bertucci and Maheswari Rajaguru, and part of the discussion was around what style of papercrafter they were. That discussion has given me a lot to think about, and so I used this challenge to play with some different styles. This first card is not one that I like very much, not one that I am at all happy with. However I wanted to use the rather neglected Planted Paradise stamp set in a different way along with using the challenge colours. I don’t think the card showcases my style, however I am sure the person who I send it to in the mail will enjoy receiving it.
The second card is more like my style….
This card features the Magnolia Mood bundle (don’t forget Bundles are currently on sale!). The Magnolia has been stamped onto watercolour paper and then coloured with inks and water painter. I love colouring, whether that’s with Blends (alcohol markers), pencils or ink, or a combination, I love the process of colouring. And so that is a large part of my style. I also love nature, plants, flowers, birds, butterflies, animals, and these are things that I am more drawn to than anything else.
Card number three also features some colouring:
This card is probably the most indicative of my style of papercrafting, colouring plus lots of layers, texture and interest, such as paper tearing, distressing and sponging. The card features the Inspirational Sketches Stamp set, Perennial Lavender Designer Series Paper, and leaves from the Stippled Roses Dies. While I have used the colours from the challenge, I have also used a lot of Crumb Cake to soften the colour combination. So what would you call my style of crafting? Vintage with a touch of modern. ?? What are your thoughts? Which is your favourite card?
In the end, I feel that one of the things I really do enjoy doing, is creating cards in different styles, sometimes it feels good to make a Clean and Simple card, other times I love to put the time into creating a vintage style card that might take me days to put together.
Thanks for hanging around, as you can tell, there has been a lot of thought and introspection in recent times, and not just about crafting. I hope you are having a crafty weekend. Happy stamping! Chris PS Don’t for to make the most of the extra 10% discount of Bundles for the rest of May. Browse through my online store here.
I spent most of my morning creating this piece, which I’m not quite sure what to call. It’s not really mixed media because it’s all the same techniques we would use on cards. I have made it for a local art gallery which is having an exhibition where everything that is displayed must be 8 x 8 inches. So I started with a piece of very heavy card, the type that sometimes comes in with the Specialty Designer Series Papers, which I cut to 8 x 8 inches, and also cut one of my pieces of Basic White cardstock the same size (the very same Basic White that I am trying not to use too much of right now!!). I have sponged the edges with Crumb Cake ink, and then a heap of sponging with daubers over a decorative mask which was actually the front of a retired laser-cut card. So heaps of sponging and stamping, and then watercolouring the Prize Peony. For that I have used Stazon Black ink onto Watercolour Paper, then coloured with ink and the Water Painter. The ink colours are Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral and Polished Pink.
I have also used some retired Designer Series Paper and ribbon, the Timeworn Type Embossing Folder, Very Versaille Stamp Set and Beauty of Tomorrow Stamp Set and matching Dies.
Dot Dot Stamping Designs 