Country Home CI#47

Colour INKspiration is a fortnightly blog initiated by Bronwyn Eastley in Tasmania. The design team is made up of Stampin' Up! demonstrators from all parts of Australia and New Zealand.You are at the blog of Rachel Palmieri, Independent Stampin' Up!® demonstrator. I run classes at my home studio in South Morang, Victoria, share Stampin' Up!® products and tools at parties for my customers, coach my lovely team and create cards and the occasional 3D project.

What a FUN challenge! I wouldn't usually add pink to this mix of manly shades, and it was good to  s-t-r-e-t-c-h my creativity. I love the way Blueberry Bushel has given all the crews' creations a real lift.

My style is 'clean and layered' and I have a tendency to forget to use all the pretty ribbons and embellishments I collect. Does anyone else relate to that? Thankfully, Country Home, the stamp set I've used to make this card will be carrying over for at least a few more months.

At least I remembered to emboss a corner of the card with the Tin Tile TIEF, I like using the folders this way, as well as the traditional full piece TIEF, and Tin Tile TIEF is carrying over at least until the end of May. Happiness Blooms enamel dots are in the Occasions catalogue, which will be in your hands very shortly, and available to purchase from 3rd January. They are actually in Night of Navy but hopefully I'll be excused for using a darker blue.

If you have some crafting time and would like to try this colour challenge, please share your creation at our Facebook challenge page. For some additional colour inspiration, pop over and check out what the talented Tanya Bell has crafted.

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Simple Stamping For Christmas Stepped-Up

Yesterday I shared a basic card that a beginner through to casual crafter could create with only a few supplies. Today you will need to have a few more tools in your craft space, in particular a Big Shot and the Stitched Labels Framelits. (#146828) This co-ordinates with a stamp set on page 17 of the Annual catalogue, Stitched All Round, and until May 31st you can purchase these bundled together for a 10% saving off the total.

  To step-it-up, I cut a fancy label with the die, and splattered it with Bright Copper Shimmer Paint, which is discounted in the Year-End-Closout sale. Copper metallic thread was also added to the arrangement of foliage. How many Christmas cards are you making this year?

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Simple Stamping For Christmas

Sometimes you hear people question, "Who has time to write Christmas cards, let alone MAKE them?" and I really do understand what they are saying. Being an avid card-maker myself, I find the process relaxing after a busy day, and in this case, the stamping is minimal. 

I like to create a bunch of cards in the same design so session one is cutting the card base. This style is the 'tent' card, and you slice down the centre of the card with the short end to the top. In Australia, this measurement is 10.6cm. the score line, which actually can be done before or after cutting, is at 14.5cm. this does leave a strip to cut off, but mathematically, I've found this is the easiest way to progressively layer a card. If you really do want the simplest version of the card, you would cut a layer of DSP 10 cm by 14cm and adhere it evenly to the base.

 Choose any suitable sentiment, in this case one to fit the Everyday Label Punch, #144668, so I could stamp a lot, then sit and punch them out. This was adhered with dimensionals, and sprigs punched with the Sprig Punch #148012 and Leaf Punch #144667 were added as decoration. Easy Peasy. Punches are the friend of the casual crafter!!!

With a paper trimmer to cut and score, three punches you'll use over and over, a pack of designer series paper, a matching pack of co-ordinating card, and a few sheets of Whisper White, you're good to go!  With that amount of card you can make 48 cards, and have a few hours of relaxing craft time.
You can shop in my Online Store anytime, just remember that the post is already slowing down with Christmas approaching. There are discounted items available at the End-of-year closeout too.

Tomorrow I will be sharing a stepped-up version of this card for the crafter with more supplies and time. Check back at the same time tomorrow. Happy creating!

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At Home For Christmas #simplestamping

Two families quite close to me are moving into new homes during December so I decided to ink up At Home With You to make a Christmas card and New Home card all in one.
Beginner
Because we have a business challenge to not forget our beginner stampers, I pared it back to use the most basic of supplies. The At Home With You stamp set (#143681) of course would be most important, along with Whisper White card (#140490) and Memento Black Ink (#132708). If you don't already own those items, your costs to this point are $68.50. You also need some acrylic blocks to mount your photopolymer stamps, and block E (#118484) and block G (#118489) will work best with the stamps I've used on this project.

There are a few more bits and pieces in my sample, such as colouring of the flowers/door handle, a piece of woodgrain designer series paper, linen thread and mint macaron card. It would be totally up to you how far you CASE-d this card, and whether you substitute supplies you already own. I can help you order if you are in Australia, and you can also shop my online store anytime.

Casual

 This card has been made for my daughter-in-law's parents and a card like this is suitable for the casual crafter. Most of the ladies who come to my monthly classes are casual crafters - they enjoy the relaxation of crafting and own some supplies.
That would mean they have a few colours of card, maybe they would order a mixed pack like the Festive Farmhouse cardstock pack on page 13 of the Holiday catalogue. It isn't the same colours as below, but it would still work for this card. There are 8 sheets of Thick Very Vanilla, Mossy Meadow and Cherry Cobbler. An avid crafter would also have some ink pads, maybe embellishments and punches.

Those are all you need to make this card, as I have used a ½" circle punch for the centre of the wreath and fussy-cut the outside of the wreath and the door-frame decoration with paper snips.

It is easy enough to trim this stamped piece with paper snips.

The door frame can be water-coloured with any shade of ink, squeezed into the lid of your inkpad and applied with an aqua painter.

Try a little bit of relaxing watercolouring.

 Avid Crafter

The avid crafter loves to make things and would craft at least once a week, or even daily. She owns a lot of supplies, including a Big Shot and dies, textured embossing folders and lots of embellishments. The avid crafter also likes to try out new techniques, and products.

The wreath and door-frame decoration are die cut, the pearls were coloured with Stampin' Blends alcohol markers, and the door was also coloured that way. This door actually opens up, thanks to the dies, or you can cut out the whole piece (door and frame) and paste it to a textured piece. The pot plant, gift and sunflowers also come with dies to cut them out.

This card is for my eldest son and his family are moving into a home they have built, where there will be a bedroom for each of their three children, and a playroom.

So what sort of crafter are you, beginner, casual or avid?

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CASE A Holiday Catalogue Colour Combo CTC#206

Welcome back to another week of CASE-ing The Catty. The crew is made up of Stampin' Up! demonstrators from all parts of Australia and New Zealand.You are at the blog of Rachel Palmieri, Independent Stampin' Up!® demonstrator. I run classes at my home studio in South Morang, Victoria, share Stampin' Up!® products and tools at parties for my customers, coach my lovely team and create cards and the occasional 3D project. 

This week at CASE-ing The Catty we are challenged to use a Holiday Catalogue colour scheme. I turned to the Halloween pages for the purples and gold, specifically the dog tag on page 50. You may have arrived here from Peta Stephen, or have started here with me, but make sure you continue to hop around the crew using the link at the end.

 I even imitated the moon/sun on the tag, but used Enjoy Life stamp set to add silhouettes of plants.  It was fun to pull out the sponge brayer and swoosh colour over the background, and I used both Gorgeous Grape and Highland Heather. The Crushed Curry suggests land, or the horizon I hope.

For a change, I tried using the brayer with a damp sponge, and I don't mind the effect.

You really must hop on over to see Sandra's super project too.

1-31 December
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When you use the online shop, your order is delivered straight to your mailing address (in Australia). I am still available to give you 'after-sale service' and before purchase advice if needed also, in person if you're nearby, or by email, text or phone.

Needle & Thread CI#46

Colour INKspiration is a fortnightly blog initiated by Bronwyn Eastley in Tasmania. The design team is made up of Stampin' Up! demonstrators from all parts of Australia and New Zealand.You are at the blog of Rachel Palmieri, Independent Stampin' Up!® demonstrator. I run classes at my home studio in South Morang, Victoria, share Stampin' Up!® products and tools at parties for my customers, coach my lovely team and create cards and the occasional 3D project.

These are a vibrant selection of colours to use here, and the floral inspiration in the picture also directed my choice. I have new stamps crying out to be inked up, so what was I to do, but oblige. Needle & Thread looks so much like embroidery, and I used the Subtle TIEF to imitate fabric.

Also in the Occasions catalogue (starting January 3rd) is a 6" square pack of paper with a gingham pattern, large one side, the other smaller. Aptly, it is called Gingham Gala.

Needle & Thread has a variety of stitched flowers, some nice sentiments and co-ordinating Needlepoint Elements Framelits Dies. When you order the stamps and framelits together, there is a 10% discount off the total. You will find all the Needlepoint Nook Suite on pages 38-39, and you can ask your demonstrator to make sure you receive a copy very soon. Don't have a demonstrator? I'm happy to post you a copy if your address is in Australia.

Next talented creator on the hop is Simone Bartrum. Make sure you check her fabulous project.

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AWH Colour Creations Lovely Lipstick

This week the featured colour for Colour Creations is Lovely Lipstick, and I had some fun trying it out with a couple of  different shades from the Stampin' Up! range, and a new stamp from the Occasions catalogue - Incredible Like You. You can check out what other Art With Heart team members have made by clicking back to Catherine at What Cathy Made.

Incredible Like You was an "all attendee" gift at the Stampin' Up!® Onstage Convention. I've already received a lovely birthday card made with this stamp set from the lovely Kelly Kent in West Australia, so I was keen to have a little play too.

My first colour choice was Lovely Lipstick, Call Me Clover and Gray Granite. The lines are easily stamped using the Stamparatus 'step' method. The flowers are also easy to fill with colour, using a stamp which lines up perfectly. For the second, Pool Party was substituted for the Gray Granite and the orientation changed.

Lovely Lipstick

Call Me Clover

Gray Granite

Lovely Lipstick

Call Me Clover

Pool Party