Farewell Botanical Blooms! CI#07

My head is in a whirl, after spending 10 days in wonderful West Australia! I will give you a bit of a rundown toward the end of this post. I was very tired yesterday after having a longer than usual flight home. Landing was delayed due to a bank up of aircraft after storms. Suddenly I realised I was due to have my Colour INKspiration project made and photographed and linked up with the rest of the crew, so while the washing machine also whirls away, I've put together a card using a BIG fave of mine, Botanical Blooms. 

 It was a shock to see that stamp set and the matching Botanical Builder Framelits in the Retiring List, and what's more, they're reduced. I doubt they'll be in stock for very long!  One reason I was able to put my card together quite quickly is that when I have a lot of paper scraps, I roll them throught the big shot with Botanical Builder Framelits and keep them in plastic containers, sorted into colour groups. This challenge features Mint Macaroon, Daffodil Delight, Pink Pirouette and Tip Top Taupe. You might even be able to grab a pack of Tip Top Taupe and Mint Macaroon cardstock before they retire!

Surprisingly, the Banner Framelits leave the catalogue too. The've been price cut to $36 AU for the set. I find them helpful when layering tags. You'll find that Suite Sentiments, which currently features on the last page of the Occasions Catalogue, (hoping your day is perfect) has not been included in the Annual Catalogue. Linked to the stamp name is the clear mount version which is reduced in price, there is also a wood mount version, still at regular price. Suite Sayings in the Annual Catalogue is retiring also. Celebrate You is the sentiment on the tag, and the link is to the reduced clear mount version. All these links are direct to the individual items in my online shop. It would be great if you added the Host Code 3VS77ZH6 and I will send you a gift in the mail.

It was my first trek across our great island continent and I must say, it was well worth it. Initially I was travelling with my husband and we explored around Perth on foot, before hiring a car and heading off for three days in the Margaret River region, staying at Busselton. We saw a large pod of dolphins frolicking near the shore on this evening. Did you know that the jetty there is nearly 2km long and has a train to take you to the end if you choose?

 We enjoyed exploring vineyards and breweries, lighthouses and caves. We even met a Quokka or 3 at Rottnest Island. At the end of my husband's holiday leave, he flew back to Melbourne and my Stampin' Up!® buddies from Adelaide came over to join me. 

Kathryn, Andrea and Caroline are all Adelaide Stampin' Up!® demonstrators, and you may recognise Kathryn from the design teams on Colour INKspiration and CASE-ing The Catty. We toured the Swan Valley for wine tasting and chocolate. Yummo! We went to Fremantle on the train for some sight-seeing, and ate out lots. Kings Park and Botanical Gardens is well worth a visit with delights to uncover around every corner.

                                                                                         

Last Saturday was Stampin' Up!® Onstage in Perth, where 200 demonstrators gathered at the Hilton Hotel for some training and most importantly, the reveal of the next Annual Catalogue. We saw fabulous samples and even had a chance to play with some new products. My suitcase was quite a bit heavier coming home with new stamp sets and swaps inside. We made sure we took a photo of the four Colour INKspiration team members at Perth Onstage. From left it's me, Kathryn Mangelsdorf, Kelly Kent and Nicole Wilson. Our next Onstage is on November 11th and I'm hoping that some of my team members will join me for this one. If you join my team, South'n Stampers before then, you'll be eligible for a fun day of stamping and a bag full of Stampin' Up!® products. There is more information here, or email/call me. I'm Rachel Palmieri, in South Morang, VIC

Cheers, Rachel   

Now you are going to hop on over to the blog of   Bronwyn Eastley                  

Bronwyn Eastley - http://addinktivedesigns.com/2017/04/12/colour-inkspiration-07/

Lou Kitzelman - http://withabowontopbylou.blogspot.com/2017/04/colour-inkspiration-challenge-07-blog-hop.html

Kelly Kent - http://mypapercraftjourney.com/2017/04/12/colour-inkspiration-07/

Nikki Spencer - http://nikkispencer-mysandbox.blogspot.com/2017/04/colour-inkspiration-07.html

Elizabeth Gross - http://lillylovespaper.blogspot.com/2017/03/ci07-colours-from-easter-wreath.html

Rose Packer - http://wp.me/p6g0iC-DN

Jo Stubbings (Guest DT) - http://jostubbings.blogspot.com/2017/04/colour-inkspiration-ci07-colour.html

Denita Wright - http://denitawright.blogspot.com.au/2017/04/colour-inkspiration-blog-hop-ci07.html

Kim Badelt - http://kimsstampingspot.blogspot.com/2017/04/colour-inkspiration-07.html

Jacque Williams - http://wp.me/p65baO-2ph

Rebecca Scurr - http://thepaperandstampaddict.com.au/2017/04/12/ci07-flowers/

Nicole Wilson - http://nicolejuliewilson.blogspot.com/2017/04/colour-inkspiration-07.html

Narelle Farrugia - http://wp.me/p1ikRV-1xk

Rachel Palmieri - http://stampinpals.blogspot.com/2017/04/farewell-botanical-blooms-ci07.html

Beautiful You AWH Blog Hop

Today I'm excited to bring you a blog hop with some of the awesome ladies in the Art With Heart Stampin' Up!® team. You may have just arrived from the lovely Kate Morgan. Today we focus on the new Occasions Stampin' Up!® Seasonal Catalogue and also Sale-a-bration! If you place an order with me during Sale-a-bration, you can choose a free item with every $90 you spend in one transaction. There are lots of fabulous free items to choose from (ask me for a brochure and an Occasions Catalogue) and the promotion goes right through until March 31st.

Better still, become a part of the fun, friendly and supportive Art With Heart team. We have a really large team Australia-wide that has been around since Stampin' Up!® came to Australia over ten years ago. We have a very active team forum and also have in-person stamp days, challenges, card swaps, product shares and more. When you join with me during Sale-a-bration, you get to choose get to two free extra stamp sets (any value) plus whatever product to the value of $235 from any of the current Stampin' Up!® catalogues. That is a total of  $414 in product for $169. You also get free postage!. It's

 quick and easy to join online too. Ask me how!

There are many different ways to inspire your creativity: checking out blogs and Pinterest and CASE-ing (copy and share everything, or copy and selectively edit, if you prefer). That is perfectly acceptable, as long as you also credit the original which inspired you, preferably with a link to it.

You can start with a sketch or some colour swatches, that often really works for me. Another crazy way is this - I can't bear to throw out something that might be able to be used, so if I die cut extra leaves or labels etc, they go into a container, and from time to time I check it out to see if I can use anything. That is exactly how this trio of cards came about. The Crumb Cake frames were from a project ages ago, and I was playing with the flowers, leaf and 'happy'. Later, when I searched for more, it occurred to me that I had three frames, and there are three girls in Beautiful You. This stamp set is on page 24 of the Occasions Catalogue, and it has been very popular already, mainly because you can use it in so many different ways.

The girl with umbrella is bringing 'hope' (from Sunshine Sayings), paired with the Beautiful You sentiment, 'wishing you brighter days to come'. The clouds are from Lift Me Up, the beautiful hot air balloon set. The other addition is a few strokes with the White Stampin' Chalk Marker on page 181 of the Annual catalogue. It's only $6.00 and can make such a difference.     

                                                                                                         

This figure is so elegant, and I couldn't resist adding Botanical Blooms to the picture frame. 'You' comes from Hello You Thinlits, which pairs with a stamp set Crazy About You. Of course, you don't NEED to have both, but they sure do come in handy.                                            

This card was my actual starting point, with the Flourish Thinlet leaf and 'happy' from Hello You Thinlets. The Tip Top Taupe has proved to be a great base for the other lovely shades, whether it's the soft pastels or bold brights. It also allows the Crumb Cake frame to show up. Which card do you like the most?

Now you'll be hopping over to my good friend Kathryn Mangelsdorf, I'm sure she has a gorgeous project to share.

Cheers, and happy crafting

Rachel

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. Ros Davidson
2. Rebecca Jacovou
3. Tina Gillespie
4. Judy May
5. Kate Morgan
6. Rachel Palmieri
7. Kathryn Mangelsdorf
8. Monika O'Neill
9. Kathryn Ruddick
10. Claire Daly
11. Rachel Woollard
12. Alisha Watson
13. Kim Dallinger

Cards For Significant Birthdays

It's great when people appreciate a handcrafted item, and I love it when someone orders a card for some special event. Over the year there are a number of these special orders which don't make it onto the blog and so I thought I would just write a post to share some.

At work this year, a couple of lovely ladies reached this significant milestone, and since 60 is the new 40, subdued tones weren't going to suit these girls. One has been trimmed with pieces cut with Flourish Thinlets. They look so elegant in black on the Emerald Envy and the other uses a selection of Botanical Blooms on Flirty Flamingo and a similar layout for both cards.

The 50th birthday card uses a retired stamp set and a lovely lacy scroll cut in Wisteria Wonder with the Flourish Thinlet again. Those Large Number Framelits cut dramatic numerals from Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper.

Now this 40th, for a fun loving girl who loves diamonds. I did my best to meet the criteria with gems in silver on Crumb Cake card, another lovely set of numbers cut from Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper and some Flirty Flamingo to bring it all to life.
Perfect for someone who loves a touch (or more) of bling!!

This last card for Darren might just have been the most fun of all! I was told that Darren likes camping and fishing ( and was being given a gift card from the local fishing and boating store.) With all this information, earthy tones seemed ideal, along with linen thread. After stamping a couple of Vintage Leaves, I placed them behind and through the '40'. These numbers were cut from corrugated cardboard and inked up around the edges.

I had some watercolour paper leftover from another project, so I stamped the little fish onto that and cut them out with the matching die from Bear Hugs.

You can see here that the pocket for the gift card was stapled in place, but the back of the staples were covered when I adhered the second layer onto the front cover. Some more fish to trim the inside of the card and a crisp sentiment from Guy Greetings.

I hope you've enjoyed this summary of some of the cards made for special orders this year. Cards usually cost $6-7 (depending on size, layers etc) plus postage, if you are interested in ordering one.

Cheers, Rachel

Aloha!

 Hello there! I have been back about a week now, but with work and classes to organise. I hadn't found time to blog. I've still been crafting though, as I wanted to make these little treats up for the ladies coming to class, and my work mates.
I've always been envious of the ladies overseas who can get their hands on Hersheys Nuggets, because they can be decorated and packaged up so beautifully. I made sure when I was in Hawaii, to visit Walmart and buy some. I decided to keep it very simple though as I had very little time to make these up. I cut one inch strips of InColor DSP from the paper stack in four shades. Next, I cut them in 3¼" lengths, and simply wrapped them around the nuggets, which were already sorted into piles of four different flavours.

The 2" x 8" cellophane bags, (#141703 50 for $5.25) were the perfect size for these treats.

For the label, I spelt out 'Aloha' in the Brushwork Alphabet stamps, arranged them on the one block and stamped multiple tags. The Botanical Blooms were stamped over in the inColors too, and by keeping a stamp for each colour, there was no need to clean off after each use. Funnily enough, I think most of the recipients thought I bought them like that, and didn't realise the 'handmade magic' that was added to their gift!!!!

Cheers,
Rachel

All That Glitters CTC96

Welcome to my blog this week. Whether you have started here with me or come from Rebecca's blog, don't forget to continue hopping around until you reach your starting point again. This week we are CASE-ing the Big Shot, pages 8-11.I have taken a lot of creative liscence with this week's challenge, since Rebecca has already featured the cards I had planned, Only fair, as she didn't leave her entry to the last minute like I did!!!!

I HAVE used my Big Shot to texture emboss with the Pretty Paisleys textured embossing folder and I also die cut Botanical Blooms with the very same Big Shot. My inspiration comes from the many wreaths featured through the Holiday Catalogue.

Now I have to confess, I stayed up late after my Friday night class students left, so I may have been a bit hyped-up, and those bling-loving-girls may just have influenced the design a tad. The Wink of Stella clear had a bit of a work out in class, and again on my wee project. (I'm pretty sure you'll even be able to glimpse it in the second picture),

My last order had the Bunch of Banners Framelits in it, and I broke them open to cut 'birthday' from the Hostess set in the Annual catalogue, Time Of Year. I did try my card out with the big sentiment from the same set 'thinking of you' but there was no space for 'on your' so I whipped out the 'happy' from  Hello You Thinlets which fits perfectly!

Whatever did I do before I had my Big Shot?

My September classes featured some different things you can do with Flourishing Phrases stamps and the Flourish Thinlets, and the Friday girls were happy to share their cards (but not their faces).





The lovely Monique is next on this blog hop, I wonder what she has shared?

Thanks for dropping by, Cheers, Rachel

Botanical Art

I'm going to be absent on holiday for just a little while but have left a few posts preloaded to give you something pretty and new to look at if you happen to pop by. Maybe this card, using Painters Palette and the glorious Botanical Blooms might give you a tiny hint of where I've headed to, with my guy.

It is warm.....and tropical.......with palm trees......and hibiscus.....

I did love the way this card came together, using the rather bright new InColors along with an old fave, Rose Red. A strip of Playful Palette designer series paper stack helps to tie many of the colours together.

Even though I'm away, my online shop is open any time of the day or night. Stampin' Up! do a great job of updating the website with current specials, so check in any time. When you place an order and use the current HOSTESS code, P2KYFUU9 you will receive a small gift in the post from me.

Cheers, Rachel

Timeless Elegance - Papers We'll Miss

I'm on a mission to use up DSP, preferably NOW! I have an enormous pile of unopened DSP, but as well as that, I have a huge number of partially used packets. SUO Challenge seems to understand my predicament by challenging us this time to share the papers we'll miss. Well, I have to say this time around, there are so many lovely papers but this is one I actually used this week.

Timeless Elegance DSP, which I adore, has many subdued patterns which lend themselves to a little jazzing up. I had used most of the black lace to make a card and gift bag for my youngest son's girlfriend, but apart from that, only a small portion was used.

 Last week I cut a number of the sheets and mounted them on slightly larger rectangles of black card, so they are ready to work with whenever I have time. A sponge dauber into ink (Watermelon Wonder) has been used on the roses on this piece of paper, while a sentiment from Rose Wonder was stamped inside the label stamp and cut with the matching die. A few Basic Jewel pearls were added and after it was mounted on a Watermelon Wonder base, it was complete.

The colouring on the card at right was done with ink and an aquapainter. It needed a couple of light coats to get enough colour, and for a bit of fun, I've stamped some splodges of  Sweet Sugarplum (new colour) about. Gold Wink of Stella on the stamens added a lovely touch and this sentiment has been heat embossed in the new copper embossing powder onto a Sweet Sugarplum banner.

This black and vanilla stripe is another of the papers in Timeless Elegance DSP. It is a great background to show off the gorgeous flowers from Botanical Blooms. I'm stamping on them more, and shading with sponge daubers and finding that the possibilities with these dies and stamps are endless. As well as the old favourite Melon Mambo, you see Flirty Flamingo at the back and Sweet Sugarplum in front. I've just ordered some more sponge daubers for the new In Colors after realising I'd reached the end of my supply.
                                                                                                         

Do you use your DSP or hoard it like I used to?
If you live in Australia, and want to place an order you can go to my online store anytime of the day or night. The Hostess Code for this month is ZGGAABEE

Have a great crafty weekend

Cheers

Rachel

Botanicals Class For April

Last night's class making cards using the Stampin' Up!® Botanical Blooms stamps and the Botanical Builder Framelits was a great success, despite some last-minute cancelations.
One of the cards they made was similar to the one we made at Stampin' Up!® Onstage in November 2015. This one also used the Botanical Gardens DSP. I like to offer the ladies an opportunity to add their own touches to cards, so they often move components around and use different sentiments.


On the whole, most stuck to the basic plan and colour scheme with this next card. I'd designed this one to show that it was possible to use the stamps alone, without any die cut pieces. I don't mind that one rebel chose mainly die cut pieces in shades of mauve, she was wanting an extra-special birthday card for someone.

However, this last card really takes the prize!!!
The girls let their creativity take charge and we had five masterpieces on display. I was so impressed! Haven't they done a great job?  The long leafy framelit does give a lot of opportunity to make it individual and they could choose a strip of Pear Pizzazz or Mint Macaroon. They've changed flower colours and arrangements, as well as different sentiments.
Top job girls!

Next month the class is called Farewell Favourites, so you might guess that we are using retiring stamps. I offered up a selection of eight last night, and they voted for their favourites. They've chosen A Nice Cuppa, Six-sided Sampler and Vivid Vases. I will have the samples on the class page in a few days. The Friday class has only one seat available (or you can go on a cancelation list) but I am now offering Thursday evening classes also. Check out my Classes page for lots more details.

Don't forget to also check out the retiring lists in my online shop, to get some markdowns before theyre gone. Rotary cutter blades, black embossing powder and the 2014-2016 Incolour range are all retiring at the end of May. If your order is less than $250 you may choose to add the Hostess code to your order - this month it is  JSDCTABC

Cheers, Rachel

Botanical Gardens CTC#73

This week at CASE-ing The Catty we are checking out the Botanical Gardens section of the catalogue, from page 26-29.  I fell in love with these flowers the moment they were shown to us at OnStage back in November. I particularly like the flowers with petal which separate, and the variety of leaves. I spend a lot of my spare time, die cutting scraps of card and sorting the pieces into colour families. That way, I have flowers and leaves ready to add to any project. I could hardly wait to CASE the card from the main picture in the catalogue, and as I came home from Onstage with Enjoy The Little Things in my bag of goodies, I only had to wait for Stampin' Up!® to ship the Botanical Gardens Bundle out to me.

I just changed up the colours slightly for my CASE, and made a regular-sized card instead of a square. The long, leafy die is lovely with its gentle curve. It can be used to add an edge with a difference to your cards also. With a sponge dauber, I've added colour to the edges and centre of the main flower, the wee flowers have candy dots.

The sample in the catty may have had the sprinkle of dots added from Timeless Textures, on the next page of the catty, but I didn't have it then, so used the similar one from Perpetual Birthday Calendar. You could use Gorgeous Grunge if you own that set.

 I've had people asking me whether it is worthwhile buying the bundle or should they just get the framelit dies and of course that choice is always up to the customer. I have to admit that I use the dies a lot more than the stamps but I've stamped this sample for my April class, and I really like the tropical appearance of these images. You'll find dates for my classes under a tab at the top of my Stampinpals blog - Classes. Students will make 3 cards, including both of these, using Botanical Blooms and Botanical Builder Framelit Dies and it's usually up to date with availability. Email or text me - 0417500681 - I'm in South Morang on the northern outskirts of Melbourne.

The sentiment is made up from two stamps, belonging to Happy Birthday, Everyone, a hostess set in the main catalogue (page 179). This will retire on May 31st, but although it is a Hostess set, you can purchase it (and have change) with Hostess dollars earned with your $250 order, before shipping. Contact me if you're not sure how this works.
 We would love you to join in the challenge to CASE The Catty with us. You can link your entry here

Don't forget to visit everyone by clicking on the links. You can  pop back to Judy May or continue forward to stop by Julia's blog

Both ladies have amazing projects to share with you!

  

Cheers, Rachel

Birthday Botanicals FMS#227

This sketch by Linda Callaghan at Freshly Made Sketches looked like it was easy but the card that seemed so perfect in my head, didn't really come together the way I'd planned. That means there are now some more pieces in my "Cards to be finished" basket, but I did end up with this handy birthday card. Birthday Blossoms was one of my favourites from the Annual Catalogue and it has it's own flower and leaves, but I have used a couple of smaller Botanical Blooms and a fern leaf, to decorate the sentiment. I like to use a sponge dauber to ink the edges of the flower petals, can you see it?

English Garden DSP was going to feature in a much bigger way on this card, but with the design-change, there has ended up being only a narrow strip. This pretty paper is in the Annual catalogue, with lovely florals on one side of the paper and the most amazing masculine colours and patterns on the reverse. I stamped with Gorgeous Grunge and Timeless Textures to get the splatters on the square birthday sentiment.
We have a public holiday on Monday to celebrate the 8 hour working day, so I have an extra day off = more time to get inky!! Maybe I'll try this sketch again....
Wishing you an inky weekend too
Cheers, Rachel

CASE-ing Stasia CTC#60

Stasia's Card

It's time for another CASE-ing The Catty and this week the assignment is to CASE a favourite card or project by another of the design team. I'm CASE-ing Stasia Sloma, and in particular her Christmas card with the poinsettia from here, where Stasia showcased her favourite bundle. It wasn't difficult as I love ALL the things that Stasia makes, especially the bottle tags, but this card was perfect for me to CASE. This is the last blog hop for 2015, but after a short break, we can hardly wait to start sharing and CASE-ing the new Occasions Catalogue! You'll see us back on January 10th, 2016.

This has been a great opportunity to play with my new favourite stamp and thinlet bundle, Botanical Gardens, from the upcoming Stampin' Up!® Occasions Catalogue (you can start ordering from January 3rd, or join up as a demonstrator NOW, and you can pre-order right away). The bundle with this suite is Botanical Blooms, and includes a 17 piece photopolymer stamp set + Botanical Gardens Designer Series Paper + Botanical Builder Framelits Dies. There is 15% off this value-packed bundle and at $87.75 you are only $2.25 away from a FREE SALE-A-BRATION pick. Even a pack of Dimensionals will get you over the line.

The things I loved about Stasia's card,

• a lovely sentiment on a circle of card
•  the position of the flowers at the top left of the sentiment.
• the hint of stripes and ink splatters on the base card

Initially, I used more Old Olive on my card, and a doily, and while it was still a lovely card, it wasn't making me feel happy.I've set that one aside and begun again from scratch. I decided that it was time my stencils felt ink, and used one for the 'hint of stripes'. A Stampin' Spritzer filled with alcohol rub (or water) and a few drops of refill ink gives a soft finish. A sponge Dauber would give a more definite colour.



Gorgeous Grunge is my go-to ink splatters stamp and Enjoy The LittleThings  (Occasions Catalogue) provided the sweet sentiment.When you get your hands on an Occasions Catalogue, make sure you take a look at the Botanicals Garden Suite, the options are endless. Don't forget, you can shop anytime of the day or night in my online store. Lots of Year-End Clearance items there too.

I do hope you enjoyed my CASE of Stasia's CASE! Unfortunately Stasia was unable to join in this week, so we're jumping straight to  Alison Barclay(Gothdove).

Cheers, Rachel