IT’S HERE and it’s your LAST CHANCE!!

It’s time to say goodbye to some old favourites from the Annual Catalogue and Occasions Catalogue! These items are only available WHILE STOCKS LAST so don’t delay!

FIND ALL THE LAST CHANCE PRODUCTS HERE

This year Stampin’ Up will undertake a full Colour Revamp of our Colour Collections to ensure we are totally on trend and offering you all the perfect coordination that makes Stampin’ Up! so great! This revamp means 13 core colours are retiring in addition to the 2016-2018 In Colours – here’s what we are saying goodbye to:

If you love these colours and want to craft with them for years to come then stock up on your cardstock and reinker TODAY – these will be among the first items to sell out so don’t delay!

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Artisan Inspired Sweet Pear

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend – I was lucky enough to enjoy a weekend with loads of crafty friends at our latest Stampin’ Up! OnStage event in Auckland! There is nothing else quite like spending creative fun time with like-minded people – we got to see the new Annual Catalogue and boy oh boy is it amazing!! I can’t share any details with you just yet as it is all still under embargo, but I will share later this week – in fact I may even do a Facebook Live to share it all!

Today’s card was inspired by Artisan Design Team Member Susan Wong – she shared a card on Instagram with sponged embossed background using the Fruit Basket stamp set and I really loved how she had layered lots of different elements on the card, so this is my interpretation of her card!

I started by sponging a little Pool Party ink towards the centre of some Shimmery White cardstock before stamping some pears in Pear Pizzazz (funny that!) and also heat embossing some with the awesome Copper Embossing Powder (which I really need to use more often!). Then I layered up several other elements including some Tutti Frutti Designer Series Paper, cardstock strips, Linen Thread and of course a stamped focal point. And did you see the little half circle notch onthe right side of the card for the thread to sit in – isn’t that such a cute detail – thanks for the idea Susan!

I really love the small relaxed style font of the sentiments in this set – it’s casual, fun and just seems to suit the fruit images so well! The DSP circle was cut with the Layering Circles Framelit Dies and I like how just that little bit of scalloping adds so much more interest to the card than just a plain circle would – it’s all in the little details right?

Materials
Stamps: Fruit Basket
Cardstock: Pool Party, So Saffron, Shimmery White, Whisper White, Tutti Frutti DSP
Ink: Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz, Early Espresso, Night of Navy, Versamark
Other: Big Shot, Layering Circles Framelit Dies, Heat Tool, Copper Embossing Powder, Linen Thread, 1/2″ Circle Punch

The Last Chance list is out tomorrow – have you stocked up on these colours yet before they sell out?

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Guest Artist – Terry Hamilton

I was so lucky to receive a couple of pieces of happy mail over the weekend from fellow crafters around the world! Both cards a stunning so it’s only fair that I share them with you as well. Today’s share came all the way from Canada from the lovely Terry Hamilton.

How stunning is this combination of the Petal Palette image with the Brusho colouring?! I love how the colours combine – deep intense colour in patches and more washed colour in other areas! Did you also notice the extra heat embossing tucked around main panel – extra spots & dots for added texture!

The main panel is set off so nicely with the touch of Petal Passion Designer Series Paper to add extra interest and provide a nice contrast. Thanks so much for your beautiful card Terry – it is treasured!

Materials
Stamps: Petal Palette
Cardstock: Powder Pink, Basic Black, Thick Whisper White, Watercolour Paper, Petal Passion Designer Series Paper
Ink: Basic Black, Versamark
Other: Brusho Crystal Colour, Big Shot, Petals & More Thinlit Dies, Heat Tool, White Embossing Powder

Have you stocked up on your 2016-2018 In-Colour favourites?

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Perfect Birthday Bows

A quick and simple card today for your holiday Monday. This card features the Picture Perfect Birthday stamp set and I know that a few people have wondered what these 2 images in the stamp set are for – well you combine them to make these perfect gift bows!

I went for a fairly gender neutral colour scheme of Dapper Denim, Lemon Lime Twist & Peek-a-Boo Peach with a darker coordinating colour for the detail stamp, but this same design could be used in any colour combo for young and old!

Materials
Stamps: Picture Perfect Birthday
Cardstock: Night of Navy, Whisper White, Tutti Frutti DSP
Ink: Dapper Denim, Lemon Lime Twist & Peek-a-Boo Peach, Night of Navy, Calypso Coral, Pear Pizzazz
Other: Adhesive Backed Sequins

Beautiful Day Brusho Butterfly

It’s Friday and it’s a holiday – you can’t get much better than that! I should probably have an Easter themed card for you today, but I don’t – we don’t really send cards for Easter here. Instead I have one of my favourite cards ever! This card happened purely by accident as I was experimenting with different ways for using the Brusho Crystal Colour. The butterfly was originally a mistake as I used WAY too much of the Prussian Blue powder and it originally looked looked almost black all over – I was about to throw it in the bin when I wondered what would happen if I sprayed it with water and then blotted it with a paper towel. Turns out it worked and I was left with this great image!

The background also uses Brusho, combining both a wet to dry method and a dry to wet method. And those red jewels? Our standard Rhinestones coloured with Stampin’ Blends – perfect colour match everytime!

If you love the Celebrate You thinlits that I have used on this card and would like to get them for FREE, tomorrow is your LAST CHANCE! Sale-a-Bration ends midnight tomorrow (31 March) so don’t miss out!

Materials
Stamps: Beautiful Day
Cardstock: Real Red, Night of Navy, Shimmery White, Watercolour Paper
Ink: Versamark, Real Red, Cherry Cobbler Stampin’ Blend
Other: Brusho Crystal Colour, White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Big Shot, Celebrate You Thinlit Dies, Aquapainter, Rhinestones

Stamparatus Splat Video

It’s Wednesday of a short week so only 2 days to get through before a nice long Easter weekend! Do you have plans for your weekend?

Today’s video uses the new Stamparatus for a fun splattered look with your solid image stamps – it’s always fun to try new ways of using your tools, especially when it’s as easy as this fun idea!

I really like the slightly rustic look achieved with this method. Plus it’s a great way to let off steam if you’ve had a tough day as you can slap that stamp down as hard as you want!

Watch the video to learn the Stamparatus Slap!

Don’t forget there are only a few days left to get your FREE gifts with Sale-a-Bration! You can see all of the great free offerings here!

Materials
Stamps: Garden in Bloom
Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Basic Black, Thick Whisper White, Whole Lot of Lovely DSP
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Rose Red, Emerald Envy
Other: Stamparatus, Emerald Envy Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon

Berry Perennials!

Happy Monday! It’s a short week as we rapidly approach Easter weekend – yippee! I am so looking forward to an extended weekend – we have had so many activities on in our weekends recently that it will be really nice to have one at home and to fit in some fun activities too! What do you have planned for your long weekend?

Today’s card was CASE’d straight from the Occasions Catalogue (page 17) – I only made 1 small adjustment to the design but it’s still essentially the same card and that’s what I love so much about our catalogues – if you are stuck for inspiration you can simply start by copying one or two until you are ready to head out on your own!

I love how pretty the images are in this set and how you can layer them up together. There are also so many ways to add colour to them – colour them with blends, watercolouring, watercolur pencils, markers or simply stamp the images straight onto coloured cardstock – so many options! On this example I coloured using my inkpads and an Aquapainter.

How gorgeous is that Berry Burst Metallic Edge Ribbon – it’s worth making this card just for the opportunity to use that scrumptious ribbon! The main panel is also stamped on Shimmery White cardstock which lends this card a beautiful subtle shimmer!

Materials
Stamps: Perennial Birthday
Cardstock: Berry Burst, Pool Party, Shimmery White
Ink: Berry Burst, Pool Party, Lemon Lime Twist, Basic Black Archival
Other: Aquapainter, Berry Burst Metallic Edge Ribbon

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Only 1 week left to get your Sale-a-Bration gifts!

Fruity Squares!

This fun fruity card was inspired by a mass-produced card I saw in a stationery shop – the one I saw featured geometric shapes but I was struck by the clean lines of the layout! The little fruit from the Fruit Basket Bundle were just the perfect size to make the design work, and the coordinating Tutti Frutti Designer Series Paper added great colour with just the right amount of pattern for the background!

The original card that inspired me, had printed grid lines and I played around with that idea using a ruler and marker, but I felt it distracted from the fruit too much so I decided to try scoring the lines instead which was just perfect!

I love how cute these little fruit are – the punched shapes a just a fraction smaller than the stamps which makes them so perfect for this layered look!

Materials
Stamps: Fruit Basket
Cardstock: Crushed Curry, Whisper White, Tutti-Frutti Designer Series Paper
Ink: Crushed Curry, Pear Pizzazz, Real Red, Garden Green
Other: Itty Bitty Fruit Mini Punch Pack, Gold Mini Sequin Trim, Whisper White Bakers Twine

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Have you joined Class To Go yet? Only a few days left to order your class kit!

Lots of Wisteria Video

6 weeks in a row I have done a LIVE video – yahoo! I am so enjoying sharing a project with you all and it is great for making me get in my craft room and actually craft each week! This week I featured the Lots of Lavender stamp set which is another one of the awesome Sale-a-bration gifts you can earn FREE until the end of the month! I wanted lots of texture for this card and was inspired by Kimberley van Diepen for the torn, rolled edge combined with scallops and doilies.

I used the Rock n Roll technique to achieve the shading of colour on my stamp – this is one of the very first techniques I used to share in workshops when I first became a demonstrator and it’s still a great simple trick!

How cool is that little rolled strip – I think it looks like it is being torn from the card to reveal the sentiment and all the other layers! It’s a fun and simple way to add a little more texture to the card. The Linen Thread has been a staple in my craft stash for years and I use it all the time – it always provides just the right finishing touch! Watch how I made this card here:

Materials
Stamps: Lots of Lavender, Oh Hello
Cardstock: Wisteria Wonder, Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant, Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Thick Whisper White
Ink: Wisteria Wonder, Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant, Pear Pizzazz, Basic Gray
Other: Big Shot, Magical Mates Framelit Dies, Stitched Shapes Framelits, 1 3/8″ Circle Punch, Delicate White Doilies, Linen Thread

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Thinking Outside of the Box – Flip Top Box Tutorial

Welcome to this months Thinking Outside of the Box Blog Hop and tutorial! Each month the Thinking Outside of the Box Design Team will be bringing you fabulous projects that are all to do with boxes, bags and packaging! PLUS each post will have a tutorial for the project so that you can join in the fun too and make your own version! I can’t tell you how excited I am to be on this fabulous team with demonstrators from EVERY country that Stampin’ Up! does business in! Here we all are:

This months project is Flip Top Boxes or Hinged Boxes, whichever way you prefer to think of it! I first created this type of box 10 years ago (!!) when a great team member created one from scratch and then shared it with me. For today’s project I dug out those old notes and just adjusted the measurements to make this box work to fit our Notecards & Envelopes!

Here the box is closed using some Linen Thread to tie it shut – using a fun and easy little closure system that you can see how to do in the video tutorial below. I kept the outside of my box very simple in terms of decoration as this awesome Whole Lot of Lovely DSP does all of the work for you! You could of course add as much decoration as you wish to your box!

The lid hinges open and then you can see how well the Notecards & Envelopes fit inside – I think it will hold about 5 cards, which makes a fantastic gift!

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR FULL TUTORIAL!

Materials
Stamps: Lots of Lovely
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Pool Party
Cardstock: Pool Party, Tangerine Tango, Whole Lot of Lovely DSP
Other: Simply Scored, Linen Thread, 1 3/8″ Circle Punch, 1/8″ Circle Punch, Notecards & Envelopes

Well that’s it from me, but be sure to head around the globe and check out what the rest of the design team have in store for you – remember we each have a free tutorial in our posts!

Shannean Moncrieff – Australia
Tanja Kolar – Germany
Zoë Tant – UK
Yoshiko Endo – Japan
Sharlene Meyer – New Zealand
Dena Rekow – USA
Beate Wacker – Austria
Aude Barbara – France
Barb Stewart – Canada