Hi and welcome. Today is the first time this year that I am taking part in the Heart of Christmas Blog Hop. Each week some of the members of the Art with Heart Team share their talent and ideas with some wonderful Christmas inspiration.
If the next button link is not working or you’d like to see the entire list of participants in our Blog Hop today, you can head over to Sharon Davern’s blog.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy hopping along through all the Christmas inspiration. Happy stamping, Chris
Hi and welcome back, here is the sketch for today, sketch number 20 of 22.
This is a great sketch that opens up all sorts of possibilities. I am in a pink mood at present, and have another pink card for you today, using the colours Pretty in Pink, Petunia Pop and Granny Apple Green.
Because most of my stamping ended up being on the left hand side, I decided to move the flag over to the right. My cardbase is Thick Basic White cardstock, and the focal image is also done on Thick Basic White, which is over a layer of Petunia Pop cardstock. I have gone back to one of my all time favourite stamp sets, the Stippled Roses stamp set, which I have stamped onto the cardbase in Petunia Pop ink, after stamping it off once onto scrap paper. The focal image is heat embossed with white embossing powder. I’ve then used a Water Painter and ink to put down a light wash of colour. The reason I have used the Thick Basic White is that it does absorb some water and so it is possible to do some very light watercolouring onto it, as long as you don’t add too much water, and don’t work it too much. Using Watercolour Paper is better of course, because it absorbs as much water as you want to use and you can work as many layers into as you need to. However it is more of an off-white colour and I preferred the Basic White colour for this card. I put down a light layer of Pretty in Pink ink on the flowers, and then added some Petunia Pop ink to the centre of the flowers to give them some depth. The leaves use only Granny Apple Green ink.
That’s all from me for today. Happy stamping, Chris
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.
My card today features both retiring items, some that are staying on, and some that are in the new Annual Catalogue and not available until May.
My son is an avid sailor so the Let’s Set Sail stamp set with the matching Sailboat Builder punch was a bundle I had to have! But I am sad that it is retiring. It will be staying in my own personal stash though.
I’ve watercoloured the background behind the boat and used some of the new In Colors, Shy Shamrock, Summer Splash and just a touch of Peach Pie. The boat has been stamped in Shy Shamrock and some of the new Basic Beige. I’ve also used some Balmy Blue and Azure Afternoon ink for the watercolouring, along with a tiny touch of Starry Sky ink.
And behind the watercoloured panel is some of the new Lily Pond Lane Designer Series Paper which is also available in May in the new Catalogue – just one of many perks of being a demonstrator, we get to play with new goodies before they are released publicly.
You may have noticed that I love, love, love decorative masks, stencils and sponging, I love the look and the amount of different ways they can be used to create and decorate. I also love colouring. So my card today is a mixture of both of these. Cute little birdie, along with the branch and leaves from the Bird’s Eye View stamp set has been coloured with Watercolour Pencils before I used Wink of Stella to blend the colours and add a bit of sparkle. They have all been fussy cut and glued to the front of my card. And the strip of gorgeous Afternoon Azure colour down the left hand side has been masked off with Masking Paper and sponged with Blending Brushes before I added one of the Abundant Beauty Decorative Masks over the top, and sponged a little more, for some tone on tone colour to brighten the card up.
Below is the video of how I made the card.
The gorgeous Abundant Beauty Decorative Masks are new and now available in the Mini Catalogue, along with a stack of other new goodies, including Christmas products.
Make sure you head on over the The Crafty Addicts site to check out what the Design Team have created for this month.
This week’s Colour Creations Blog Hop is featuring the core colour, Balmy Blue.
I have pulled out a stamp set that I haven’t used for quite some time for today’s blog hop, Perched in a Tree, and have combined the Balmy Blue with Pecan Pie and Crumb Cake.
Sweet little bird has been watercoloured with Pecan Pie and Balmy Blue inks with a Water Painter. The combination of the two colours, when they blend and move together have created some interesting and pretty colours, with a purple tinge in some places. Just one of the reasons I love watercolouring! For the trees in the background, I have die cut the trees twice, once in Pecan Pie cardstock and then again in Crumb Cake cardstock, and then layered them slightly offset so that it looks like there are trees peeking out from behind the ones in front. The layer of white cardstock has also been sponged lightly with some Balmy Blue ink, although it’s not so obvious in the photo. Next along on the blog hop is the talented Kate Morgan.
If at any time you find a broken link, please go to the blog of our Colour Creations host, Catherine Proctor, who will have a list of all of the participants in the Blog Hop.
Big Group Hug CAN YOU HELP US MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR VULNERABLE FAMILIES?
On of the very cool things about being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator is being with a company that encourages us to make a difference in peoples lives when we can. We are doing just that in the lead up to and at our joint ’35 Years’ with Claire Daly’s Art with Heart Stampin’ Up! Team (that’s our team) and Claire’s friend Michelle Grech’s thINK Out Loud team event on July 15th. We are excited that this event is also being attended by Sara Douglass, our Stampin’ Up! CEO as a guest.
I know I sure wish I could get there, but it’s a long way from where I live and times are tough. However…
We will be supporting Big Group Hug with a donation drive at the event, and a fundraising drive during July. Big Group Hug is a Melbourne charity serving local communities to tackle child poverty. This year they will help 6,000 vulnerable children who are living in crisis by distributing essential items in times of need. They are committed to supporting every young family who asks for help while ensuring that the child remains the focus of everything they do.
Do you remember the feeling of a hug when you were a child? The warmth. The safety. The spontaneous smile that surfaced mid-hug? There’s nothing better. That’s the feeling that drives Big Group Hug. They want every child who lives in poverty to feel the warmth of our collective hug.
We welcome donations to our fundraising page from customers and demonstrators. These can be provided straight to the organisation via our unique online donations page (so you will receive a tax receipt straight away).
I know times are tough for everyone, but even the cost of a cup of coffee would be welcome and help us build our total for essential items for these families.
It’s likely that most of you are unaware that my son and I have been living in poverty for the past seven and a half years, after going through domestic violence. We stayed in our home, which meant we often didn’t quality for this sort of help. But nevertheless, I ask that you help support those who need it most by donating just a few dollars. Do it on my behalf because I can’t. Things seem to be getting more difficult by the week. Personally we are just grateful to have a roof over our head, and I’m sure that those receiving your help will be grateful, too.
Thanks for stopping by. Happy stamping, and happy hopping, Chris
If you live in Australia and would like to purchase the items used to make my card today, you can click on the indiviual items listed below to go straight to my online store, or click here. Alternatively, you can use your device to scan the QR code below. And don’t forget the fantastic July Promotion, spend $90 (before shipping) and receive a voucher to spend next month. I always love this promo, it’s the best!!
We are creating projects using the gorgeous neutral Pecan Pie for this week’s blog hop, and I have chosen the sweet koala image for the Wild and Sweet stamp set for my projects. The first card I am sharing is a very simple one, great for those just starting out in cardmaking and stamping.
I have used a card base of Pecan Pie, with a strip of gingham in the same colour from the Glorious Gingham Designer Series Paper. The white panel is die cut using the Deckled Rectangle Dies, and the koala stamped in Pecan Pie ink. I’ve added a couple of gold adhesive backed dots from the Festive Pearls for a finishing touch.
My second card uses the same elements, and Pecan Pie cardstock base, this time with a strip of the gingham down the right hand side. I’ve used some of the Fluid 100 Watercolour paper with a water brush, and added some Balmy blue and Mossy Meadow ink across the paper. Then once it dried, I have again stamped the koala in Pecan Pie ink, and added some Linen Thread. The focal panel and the gingham layer have all been sponged with Blending Brushes around the edges with Pecan Pie ink.
If you would like to watch the video of how to make the second card you can find it on my youTube channel. You can get a better idea of the colours in the video. I will also be uploading it to my new facebook group. It is a very new group and I would love to have more of you join us at The Dotty Stampers.
If at any time you find a broken link, please go to the blog of our Colour Creations host, Catherine Proctor, who will have a list of all of the participants in the Blog Hop.
Happy stamping, and happy hopping, Chris
You can click on the indiviual items listed below to go straight to my online store, or click here. Alternatively, you can use your device to scan the QR code below. Don’t forget there are only a few more days to make the most of the fantastic June promotions, 15% off Designer Series Paper, and a wonderful joining offer if you join my team, which you can find details of here.
I have three different projects to share with you today, featuring the new In Color Moody Mauve. Who likes it? Who doesn’t? I’m hearing a lot of different opinions on this colour. Personally, I LOVE it!! So here are my projects. The first one is a card that I have made using up some of those scraps of watercolour paper.
I have used some of the scraps of watercolour paper and coloured it with some Moody Mauve, Wild Wheat and Mossy Meadow ink and a Water Painter, before die cutting them with some of the Meadow Dies. I have also die cut the same in Mossy Meadow cardstock, and then overlaid the flower onto the Mossy Meadow, which gives a slight raised appearance to the flower, but also gives a shadowed effect where you can see the tiniest amount of the dark Mossy Meadow behind the flower.
Next I am going to share with you some paper roses that I have been making. My 17 year old son is displaying some of his wonderful woodturned items at a Wedding Fair this weekend and I was given the opportunity to create some flower displays to complement his items. These roses are going to be part of this display but at this stage are just individual roses, four in Mood Mauve, and one Very Vanilla. (I love Moody Mauve paired with Very Vanilla, simply gorgeous!)
And my last project is another card, this one a slightly different fold to a standard card.
The base of the card is a single layer which doesn’t open, with the opening card attached in front.
I have used some Blackberry Bliss for the base of this card to add some depth of colour.
I do hope that I have managed to help you to love Moody Mauve a little better, but if you need some more inspiration, keep on hopping along to Rachel Palmieri.
If at any time you find a broken link, please head to the blog of this week’s host of the AWH Colour Creations Blog Hop Cathy Proctor, who will have a list of all the participants in the Blog Hop.
I have used the Stampin’ Up! Happy Holly-Days stamp set to make a masculine birthday card today, and since today is the first day of 2022, and I am sorting through my stamp sets and taking out the ones that are retiring, I thought I would give my favourites one last inking. Then I realised that I really liked all of the sets that I chose to buy from the retiring catalogue, in fact I will be quite sad to see them go.
I have coloured the bird with the Stampin’ Up! Watercolour Pencils, and while he looks grey in the photos, there is quite a lot of brown in there in real life, so he matches the background a lot better. After colouring the bird, I fussy cut so that I could mount it directly onto the Cork. Not only have I used my favourite image from this catalogue but also some of my favourite DSP, the Blackberry Beauty Designer Series Paper and also the Cork Specialty Paper. I have added a little sneak peek at one of the new stamp sets that I am already having some fun with. Did you recognise the layout? Page 67 of the retiring Mini Catalogue at the bottom right, featuring this same stamp set as a Christmas card. Well, here’s to 2022. Out with the old and in with the new!! I hope you are ready for it, I know I am. Happy stamping! Chris
Use this host code when you order, and if you order $50 or greater you will receive a free gift from me! If your order is $250 or over, please do not use this code, you’ll still get a free gift – your choice of any item valued up to 10% or your order (excluding shipping costs) from the 2021-22 Annual Catalogue or July-December 2021 Mini Catalogue! That includes some of the Host Exclusive items. (Australian orders only please).
***Make sure that you can see my name on the final checkout page listed as your Demonstrator when you order so that you know that you’re ordering with me and you’ll get my rewards!
My card today uses the Stampin’ Up! Friendly Hello stamp set, one that you may not have seen yet. It is a brand new one, available from the 4th January 2022, along with the pretty Friendly Hello Designer Series Paper.
I fell in love this with gorgeous little bird as soon as I saw it, and am so grateful that I am able to earn free goodies from Stampin’ Up! just for choosing to be a demonstrator and share what I love doing. And of course, it’s always fun to receive free things, and this is one that you can also receive for free during this coming January/February Sale-a-Bration.
Cute little birdie is coloured using the Stampin’ Up! Watercolour pencils, but with no water involved, just coloured with the pencils. Isn’t this just the most gorgeous image? I have also stamped on the inside of the card with a smaller image from the same set, also coloured with the pencils.
While this one is only available to demonstrators prior to the 4th January, if you really want it, you could join my Stampin’ Up! family of demonstrators, with all the benefits that go along with that. Of course there are always the items that are on the Last Chance List and in the Clearance Rack to craft with until January, and I will be posting up some projects using those soon. Happy stamping! Chris
Dot Dot Stamping Designs 