Rose Wonder CTC#129

We are Case-ing our favourite project from the Annual Catalogue, which is really difficult, like picking which of your children is your favourite. You may have just arrived here from Kelly Kent, but if you are starting here, don't forget that blogs are full circle and you can check out what all the design team selected by pressing the next button at the end.

Rose Wonder is a beautiful stamp set with some wonderful sentiments and I CASE-d a card using this on page 133 of the almost retired catalogue, to make my version.

Stampin' Up!® Catalogue Sample

I was searching for something fun for my ladies to make at our next stamp class. It is often hard to decide on something which will challenge them without overwhelming and so I've made a plain sample of white on white, and then my attempt at CASE-ing the other catalogue sample.Again, I glued white to the base, and then I had fun with re-inkers and an Aqua Painter. Also used the speckles from Touches of Texture. I know I will be using Touches of Texture, and probably that particular splatter stamp a lot now that Gorgeous Grunge is retiring. Bonus is, there are some lovely flowers included in the Touches Of Texture stamp set.

I decided not to stress too much when I couldn't cleanly remove all the pieces from the die as it hadn't cut right through, I just went with what I had. Really, the problem was not using the Precision Base Plate which is suggested for more intricate dies.

If you get lost along the way or a link is broken you can get back on track here.

We always love to see what you are crafting too, so what is your favourite project from the Annual Catalogue? You can link to our Facebook site here if you'd like to share.

Now head on over to see what the talented Rebecca Scurr has made.

Happy Crafting, 

Rachel

Daisy A Day

Can't remember who sang that song, "I'll give you a daisy a day" at the moment. Maybe it will come to me in the early hours.... or I could just Google it!!!

This card was made as a private personal challenge to not use the Daisy Punch. It's not that I don't like the punch, I sure do, but there have been some concerns that they will be on backorder soon after the catalogue goes live on June 1st. You don't HAVE to have the punch to make a pretty card with Daisy Delight, but you might prefer to buy them bundled together at 10% discount if you like to make every dollar count (like most of us!). This is another of the pretty papers in that suite, Delightful Daisy Designer Series Paper.

Happy crafting

Rachel

Everyday Occasions AWH Blog Hop

Tonight I am participating in a blog hop along with the super talented ladies in the Art With Heart Team. We thought it would be fun to share some fabulous ideas to inspire you from our brand new 2017-2018 annual catalogue, which is available 1st June. Be sure to request your copy of the catalogue today!

I was so excited to win Special Celebrations in Prize Patrol at Onstage, I'd already marked it in the catalogue as a 'must buy'! Stampin' Up!® are a very generous company and there are some nice little sweetners like Prize Patrol that keep us coming back to these events. I think maybe it is also getting together with all the other crafty folk who go to these functions too!

 Anyway, I was mighty pleased to bring Special Celebrations home with me, and started using it as soon as possible. For my first card I've paired it with Bella & Friends, and Delightful Daisy Designer Series Paper. I ordered the paper without the stamp or punch which is part of the suite, because I thought the paper was just too gorgeous to wait for!

The sweet puppy has been stamped onto a Stitched Shape Circle, along with the Happy Birthday sentiment. Burlap ribbon has been laid behind for a little more interest.

 This accompanying verse for birthdays is lovely, don't you think?

I totally enjoy water colouring now, and used the Aqua Painter with ink from the lid of the ink pad. The new glitter enamel dots are a perfect finishing touch, with gradients of colour and speckles through them.

With this paper, also from the Delightful Daisy DSP pack, I used a flower from Garden In Bloom. It seems to go quite nicely with this paper, and I took a cue from the colours and added some Tranquil Tide to the flower. I love it! What about the Faceted Gems? This is the gold, and there is clear too. It's a great flower centre. I nearly forgot to mention this new copper trim. It is a loose weave, so you can leave it as a slim ribbon. or tease it out a little, as I have here, and it is like net.

I hope you're feeling excited about the new Stampin' Up!® catalogue, I certainly am. Every time I walk into my craft room, I have an urge to make something, and I've only a handful of new products at the moment.

I did think it was a good idea to share the inside of this card, so you can read another delightful verse from the  Special Celebrations stamp set. paired up with a flower from Garden In Bloom.


 Your next stop on this blog hop is Alisha Watson

If you find a broken link or have come to this blog hop from a different entry point, you can view the participants below:

1. Tina Gillespie
2. Ros Davidson
3. Kathryn Mangelsdorf
4. Kate Morgan
5. Andrea Roberts
6. Rachel Palmieri
7. Alisha Watson
8. Kimberly Hern
9. Monika O'Neill
10. Claire Daly
11. Sharon Davern
12. Rachel Woollard
13. Caroline Manwaring
14. Judy May 

15. Catherine Proctor

16. Rebecca Jacovou

Happy crafting, 

Rachel

Best Birds

Best Birds stamp set and matching Birds and Blooms Thinlets made its way to my house last week, while I was still able to order it as a bundle at a 10% discount. That will finish on May 31st, the discount that is, not the stamps or Thinlets. I love the way the thinlets cut out these birds with tiny details (hearts) cut out.

Vintage Leaves were already stamped and die cut for another project but these colours look so fine together, don't you think.

It's a good stamp set with some pretty images and useful sentiments in an elegant font. I'm sure you'll see a lot more of this stamp and framelits over the coming year, and not just on my blog.

Happy crafting everyone,

Rachel

Bandanna Blues CI#9

Colour INKspiration is a group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators from the South Pacific, all through Australia and New Zealand. We love to get together for these colour challenges, to inspire each other, and you, to create. We love it when you join in with our challenges to share your work and all you need is a Facebook presence. You can link in here on Facebook.

This fortnight the colours are Dapper Denim, Cherry Cobbler and Pool Party and my thoughts went straight to bandanas! It may have been subliminally planted in my mind with the girl in the inspiration pic wearing a headscarf,  but on the other hand, it may have just been the colours.

Bandanas to me are paisley, so the Paisley and Posies stamp set was the perfect solution. I popped two stamps onto the large rectangular acrylic block (I) and stamped four times. With the Stampin' Up!® chalk marker pen, some parts have been highlighted. It is really simple to do, and another technique where "less is more."

Since I'd attended Onstage Live, I had a few days opportunity to pre-purchase some items from the new catalogue, available to you on June 1st. I'd noticed a stamp set and Thinlet combo on page 157 of the new catalogue and luckily that was on the list we could order. Lovely Inside & Out is the stamp, Lovely Words are the thinlets, and they are available as a bundle at 10% off. You know, if you'd like to buy your supplies a month before the catalogues are released, maybe you'd make a great Stampin' Up!® demonstrator. Everyone is welcome, from the hobbyist who just wants a 20% discount, through to the other end of the spectrum where it is a full time job. My team is made up of ladies who love to come together to craft and chat, we'd make you very welcome! Find out more here.

It seemed a good idea to reverse the colours too, with a different thinlet. It's very bold in Cherry Cobbler, but it still looks good. I added a couple more 'filler'stamps this time.The Dapper Denim has shown up looking very turquoise here, strange what light can do to colour.

Next stop along this hop will be Nikki Spencer

Cheers, Rachel

Favourite Retiring Annual Item CTC 127

Favourite retiring item from the Annual catalogue? There are so many I don't know where to start!
Welcome back to another blog hop with the crew from CASE-ing The Catty. You may have come from the fabulous Kelly Kent, but do keep on hopping along, to see what else the crew are sharing. I've loved Bear Hugs as a stamp set, and have used it for my grandchildren. Even when they're making cards for their parents, it has been a cute choice. It will be staying on my shelf! I CASE-d this card from page 107 in the Annual catalogue.

Stampin' Up!® catalogue illustration

I've changed the orientation of my card to portrait, but used the woodgrain background and placed the subject on a white background. I have lightly coloured the background with the new Lemon Lime Twist for grass and Soft Sky for a hint of blue sky.

The cute trio of flowers is another stamp in this set and can also be placed in the bears paw. Stampin' Write markers are perfect to colour something small like the groups of flowers and the Berry Burst, Fresh Fig and Powder Pink were all that was needed for the flowers, with Tranquil Tide for the leaves. The bear is threaded through a new die called Lovely Words Thinlet Dies, which matches Lovely Inside & Out stamp set. They are available bundled together at 10% discount in the new catalogue. The small sentiments, also from Bear Hugs, seemed a perfect match for the circular die.

I've shared a stamp set that is retiring, matched with new In Colors and my favourite new die. Bear Hugs is still available in clear mount and wood mount, and the clear mount has been reduced to $28.50 if you'd like to add it to your collection. The Bear Hug Framelits are 50% off at $22.50.

This woodgrain paper is a small stack in the new annual catalogue, and I used watercolor paper for the background.

This week should be a great challenge to join in with us. What is a favourite of yours that is retiring? CASE a sketch or colour scheme from the catalogue and share here.

Next blog along this hop is the marvellous Monique 

Cheers, Rachel

Stitched Wildflowers

What a great challenge at Just Add Ink - Just add stitching, and I have just made a card with stitching to share with you. I came home from Onstage in Perth with a stamp I won in Prize Patrol that I was itching to try out, so I pulled out Wild About Flowers, which hasn't seen nearly enough ink yet and paired it with this new stamp.

When I saw Special Celebrations in the new catalogue, I immediately underlined it. Not only does it have a variety of sentiments for the front of a card, it matches them with a verse for the inside. Customers have been asking for this, and now there's a stamp to cover babies, weddings, birthdays and a general one. As I placed the layers together, it seemed a good idea to sew around the outside for definition.

My husband looked very surprised when he saw me carry my sewing machine to the dining room and start to set it up. Next thing I knew he was applauding! Oh dear! What would he say if he knew I was sewing a card? He'd gone into the garden by now and I quickly sewed the card and hid it in my craft room. I then pulled out a couple of things that needed mending and took care of that. Finally, I picked up a quilt top and added a border around it. All so he thought I was actually sewing and not making a card! Funny thing is, I enjoyed sewing and have now put a second border on the quilt and may even begin to put it together for quilting soon.

In case you want to see the verse which accompanies the sentiment, here is the inside of the card. I love the mix of fonts, and the thoughts it expresses. Don't forget to check out the Just Add Ink Blog Challenge, you won't have to use a sewing machine, maybe Stitched Framelits or a touch of hand stitching. Anyway, you ought to see what the design team have made.

 

Have a great crafty weekend,
Rachel