Cards For Men

Most people say that cards for men and boys are the hardest, but perhaps not so hard if you have the right materials. My mission last weekend was 

• to increase my supplies of masculine cards
• to see how many cards you can make from a quarter pack of Designer Series paper.

Firstly, I cut my DSP. For this suite, True Gentleman, a pack contains 12 double-sided sheets of paper measuring 30cm square.Taking 6 sheets, I cut them in half, which left me a quarter pack. If the DSP is going onto a card front, the cut is 9.5cm by 13.5cm. so initially there were a lot of fronts straight off.

Three stamp sets were chosen, all current. Guy Greetings is a versatile set in more ways than one. It is available in red rubber - wood mount and clear mount and it is also available in photopolymer, the least expensive of the 3 choices. Truly Tailored is the stamp which belongs with the True Gentleman suite and it can be bundled with the label punch to get them at 10% off retail. The third stamp was the SAB set you can earn free with an order of $90, Epic Celebrations. This is a fabulous set for teens and younger people, certainly many girls would like this too with the converse-like sneakers, headphones and electric guitar.

With double-sided paper and the three stamp sets it wasn't too hard to ring the changes, and sometimes I cut a front and turned one part over, or laid a smaller front over. It was fun trying to make all these different cards, and finally I used strips to finish off the insides too.

These were amongst my most favourite in the batch of 17 I was able to make! If it were possible to make a whole pack up in a similar fashion that would be a mind-numbing 68 cards from one pack of DSP. I haven't actually done the maths on the card I used, because these are all layered cards, it may well be a whole pack, but the card bases themselves amount to 9 sheets - not bad, is it?

This picture includes everything I used to make the cards. If you were to order all of this it would cost you $255.50 AU plus shipping and you would be able to claim your Epic Celebrations stamp from SAB plus one other. You are actually $14.50 away from a 3rd free item. This order is "One With The Lot".

A more basic order would be the Truly Tailored stamp set bundled with the Tailored Tag Punch.
Truly Tailored Bundle  clear mount stamps                                   #147752        $59.25
True Gentleman Card (crumb cake, night of navy,tranquil tide)    #145651        $14.00
Very Vanilla Card                                                                          #106550        $15.75
Night Of Navy Stamp pad                                                              #126970        $11.50
True Gentleman DS Paper                                                            #145593        $19.25
Chocolate Chip & Tranquil Tide Stampin Write Markers                 #145732        $12.25

This totals $132.30 which will allow you to also add the SALE-A-Brations free set Epic Celebrations to your order. If you added Guy Greetings in Clear mount #138828 at $61.00 you can add a second SAB item. If you decide to go to my online shop and make an order, key in the Host code when requested because I would love to send you some additional products.

6HB9V4BS

Birthday Blues CI#16

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 inspiration pic is really cool, with its painted boards on the floor, sparse decor and that fabulous map. I will need a card soon for one of my older sons. He is a builder, and his hobby is nurturing bonsai, so I gathered together a few stamp sets to make this retiform panel. I've used the tools from Guy Greetings before for a number of cards. I really do know a lot of plumbers and carpenters! I thought a brief repeat appearance wouldn't hurt.

Three stamps from In This World were included. There's a door, a portion of blue-print and a key. That key looks exactly like my mother's house keys!

For a couple of other sections, I used Lovely As A Tree. My class ladies are really keen to make a card similar to this using retiform, and a Totally Techniques class is on the books for September. There is one pencilled in for September 8th at 7pm, and another a week later on 15th September at 7pm also. We love new people joining us for class, why don't you get in touch?

I think you'll see some amazing projects made with these colours. Now you are heading to Denita

MSV9HQST

Happy crafting,

CASE-ing - What, How & Why

I applied to join CASE-ing The Catty when it first began about 3 years ago. I already was using the Stampin' Up!® catalogue for inspiration, so it felt quite natural to step up to the challenge. Sometimes when CASE-ing, especially from the catalogue, which is not called an inspiration book for nothing, I might make an almost-identical copy first. Then usually a spark of inspiration will happen, and I might end up with an original.

So, how do you CASE? Something appeals to your eye - it might be in the catalogue, on Pinterest, a magazine etc. It might be just the colours used. Perhaps it's the design sketch like I'm sharing today. No matter what, there are ways to use the inspiration and not just copy.

I would NOT usually blog about a card like this because it is too close to how the original inspiration looked. However, it is useful to explain the way CASE-ing can be helpful when you've run short of inspiration. This Father's Day card was totally CASE-d from Kris McIntosh at Stamping with Kris. She had used the shoes in circles down the left, designer series paper (different colour) at the bottom of the sketch, and a different sentiment. I was quite pleased with this card to add to my stash. Guy Greetings is a big favourite on my shelf, with some fun masculine images but even better sentiments, including some for relatives.

When I made the next card, I changed the orientation of the patterned paper to down the left side and laid circles on top with a flower cut with the Flourish Thinlets. Such a lovely set of dies, there would be all sorts of variations you could make, with leaves or another of the flowers. The Clear Faceted Gems had just arrived and I was keen to try them out, they do make a nice flower centre.

This CASE of my CASE has had the orientation of the whole card changed from portrait to landscape. The patterned paper is a lot wider, and the circles have been placed on squares, with the feature (stars and rooster) from Wood Words also raised.

It would be difficult to pick that my third card had been inspired by Kris McIntosh at all, and yet she was responsible for reminding me of some design principles. 

1. Use items in odd numbers such as three or five.

2. Use colour unevenly - Gallons, quarts and pints (measurements I understand because I am old enough to remember before Australia went metric). Doesn't seem to convert as well to litres and millilitres. Kris used a lot of white, a medium amount of Crushed Curry and a little Black. In my card above I have used a lot of Crumb Cake, a medium amount of red, and a little white.

In summary then...

WHAT is CASE-ing? To Copy And Selectively Edit is one explanation. Another is to Copy And Share Everything. There is nothing wrong with doing it in the crafting world, but people appreciate being given credit for it.

HOW is by looking for a sketch, picture colour scheme to inspire. The Stampin' Up!® catalogue samples are fair game as they have been produced to help sell the product and the artist has been paid for their work. It is good manners to acknowledge another source, perhaps even contact them. I am much happier if I've been mentioned as the source of inspiration, with a link back to the post on my blog. I have done the same here for Kris.

WHY is because you need to make something and you just can't think. Sometimes its for a sad occasion, or a momentous one, and maybe it's just because you'd feel happy if you made something pretty.

I hope this has been a helpful post, I'd love you to leave a comment with your thoughts on the topic.

Keep on crafting

Rachel

Favourite Bundle AWH Bloghop

Today the Art With Heart Team girls are showing you their favourite bundles from the 2017 Stampin' Up!® Catalogue. Bundles make creating a breeze, because of the perfect coordination. It's a bonus that you get 10% off by bundling the products together too. There are 24 bundles in the new catalogue, so ask us about them, or ask for a catalogue today!

Wood Words from the Wood Textures Suite was my pick to share with you. I fell for the whole suite back in April when we saw it at Onstage. When you take a look at it on pages 158-9 of the catalogue you will see it in lovely country and wood tones.

What about changing them up a bit? There are some shapes included in the stamps and dies, and there are scratches on the surface of these shapes to give a lovely weathered feel.To continue that feeling, I used second & third generation stamping as well. That's only a fancy way to say, 'stamp on scrap first, then stamp twice more without inking in between.' The first card used Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight, Peekaboo Peach and Lemon-Lime Twist. It has been left quite plain, with just a few Glitter Enamel Dots scattered about. It's a good card for beginner stampers, but can be jazzed up a bit for more advanced crafters.

Next I tried the berry shades. Fresh Fig was the base and the stamping was Flirty Flamingo, Sweet Sugar Plum and Berry Burst. I used some of the other shapes this time, and stamped the small stars across the circle using the same colour. Again, a few Glitter Enamel Dots, I love the was they glimmer with different shades. Also, not a very difficult card.

I also used the most popular part of this die set - the crate. It's such a cute little item and can be filled with edible treats or small gift cards. These were fun to make with the circle stamped three times without re-inking. The three flowers are from Daisy Delight stamp set. That stamp set and punch bundle has been overwhelmingly popular and it looks like July before they'll be able to supply more punches. Would you believe they usually expect to sell about 7000 punches of one type per year, but we have already exhausted a year's supply, so I am holding back on sharing my samples from that one for a while until you can buy as a bundle. The stamp set is still available in the meantime.

It's a simple matter to construct this crate, and the cards are super-easy too. Cut white card at 7cm by 14 cm and fold in half. Decorate any way you'd like. I've heard some people who think they won't get the Wood Works stamp set, because all they want is the crate, but it's a mistake I believe. The Farmers Market stamp is very cute, and the straight font sentiments not only fit on the slats of the crate, they make perfect sentiments on these petite cards.

I went all out with my last card!  You can put anything in a crate, can't you? I've seen them made with puppies & kittens, and bunches of flowers, so I think next on the list was the pig. This pig is a pampered pet, and her crate has been adorned with flowers.She's enjoying being the centre of attention.

This Little Piggy isn't a bundle, it doesn't have any punches or dies to cut things out, but it does have some awesome pigs. You'll find it pictured on page 48 of the new catalogue. I'm not a country gal, and I've had very little to do with pigs, but I've fallen for this stamp set too.

Now it's time to head on over to Caroline Manwaring

Cheers, Rachel Palmieri

1. Rachel Palmieri - you are here
2. Caroline Manwaring
3. Kate Morgan
4. Alisha Watson
5. Claire Daly
6. Rachel Woollard
7. Rebecca Jacovou
8. Kimberly Hern
9. Judy May
10. Tina Gillespie
11. Catherine Proctor
12. Andrea Roberts
13. Sharon Davern
14. Monika O'Neill
15. Ros Davidson

Mainly Masculine SUO #175

Because I am planning classes for the next months well in advance, I have been playing about with masculine cards for my August class. This happily coincides with a challenge at SUO Challenges, Mainly Masculine.

Guy Greetings is such a favourite stamp of mine, and I have used all the images, except the man, quite frequently. As we are nearing the end of the catalogue, I am cutting my DSP into card-front-sized pieces and making every effort to use them myself, or in classes. This is from the Nailed It suite, which I am so sorry is not carrying over. Maybe Stampin' Up!® will reconsider, if we let them know that people still want to purchase it. I know for a fact that it totally sold out in Australia, soon after the retiring list was announced.

This is quite a classic card design, often best for a masculine card. The Smokey Slate Stitched Oval features a vintage car and the birthday sentiment, while a banner of Crushed Curry carries the sub-title.

There are some more nice designs over on the Stampin' Up!® Only blog, check it out.

Enjoy a crafty weekend,

Rachel Palmieri

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

60th Birthday Cards - Handmade With Love

My husband celebrated a big birthday last week, which gave me excuses to make special cards and do some crafting with the grandkids.We kept the party low-key as we are a large family and rather noisy when we all get together. Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures with all the grandkids and their cards, some had also made a card at home.One d-i-l had put together an enormous card with a photo board inside of many significant family times featuring my husband. Our family definitely love the handcrafted cards!

 I really enjoyed making this Double-Z card using Marquee Messages, stamped on different coloured card, then cut and pieced. It isn't particularly difficult to do and makes an easier way of adding some colour. I have a class making this card on Friday 18th November, at my studio in South Morang, Victoria.

 This version of the Double-Z has an extra piece added to the front to accommodate the larger size of the stamp from Marquee Messages. The patterned paper is two different types of black & white spots, just for fun.

When a stamp retires, I don't neccesarily sell it, if the sentiment is significant to me. Going Global was in a mini catalogue in the last year or so, but didn't make the cut into the Annual catalogue. It still sits on my shelves, because of the sweet sentiments included.




Our sons bought a massive state of the art barbecue for my husband, and just because I was feeling creative, and really wanted to use the Sliding Star Framelit to cut the track around for a star from Superstar, I made them a group card too. The boys are mainly tradesmen, an electrician, plumber and carpenter, while my husband has worked in many trades over the years. Guy Greetings has some marvellous sentiments, very suitable for those tradie types.

In This World and Ghoulish Grunge helped to ink up the inside of the card too, with all sorts of architectural stamps. Both sides on the inside of the card were layered, which gave the 5 sons plenty of room to write messages to their dad.

 We used props for some funny photos and the youngsters really got on board with it, as did a couple of the adults. We always do this at Christmas, but we've had an early practice run this year. Below is our little group of grandies, ranging in age from 2½ - 8 years.

We know how blessed we are to have these wonderful people in our lives, and I treasure gatherings like this celebration.

Cheers everyone,
Rachel

Birthday Bears and Trucks

Originally, this was the card I was making for CASE-ing The Catty (Artistic Expressions Blog Hop) but as I am away from home and my computer, also the internet most likely, it wasn't possible to link in for this week. I don't actually own Country Livin' but one of my lovely team brought it to a stamp day and I stamped out a few images. 

I've enjoyed colouring these trucks in, and I have to confess that I mainly used the retired Blendabilities on Shimmery White card. I had no issues with any of mine, so I hung onto them. I always enjoyed the smooth way they blended and can't get that effect yet with the other popular alcohol-based marker. I still hope we will hear that the problems of drying out etc have been sorted, and Blendabilities return or another substitute is found. I based my card on this one on page 131 of the Annual catalogue. Instead of coloured DSP, I cut a layer of the kraft corrugated card, also retired and stapled a loop of Burlap Ribbon in the top right corner. 

There has been some clear Wink of Stella added in

strategic places too, and the 'happy birthday' 

sentiment comes from Guy Greetings. This card was for my son's birthday, nearly a month ago and I also helped his two-year-old son make his Daddy a card too, while I cared for him one day. This is the youngest child I've ever stamped with, and I had decided that two splatter stamps from Work Of Art and a small one from Gorgeous Grunge were most suitable for some background colour. Oliver stamped the splatters, and adhered the two bears which had dimensionals attached already. I only had to stamp the words, and the two bears, plus die cut them. Guy Greetings provided all the words, Bear Hugs is the set with these gorgeous bears. I think he did a great job with this card, but he still prefers playdough over stamping for his crafting activity!

Don't forget, if you're making an order through my online shop, it will ask for the HOSTESS Code before you check out. August 21st - Spetember 20th it is P2KYFUU9

Cheers, Rachel

Partying Dinosaurs 3-D Card and Gift Bag CTC#80

3-D project or kit was listed for this week's challenge - a BIG challenge as I don't do many 3-D projects, but I thought I'd try the Double Diamond Fold Card. I saw one on Pinterest by Sarah Poulton, a demonstrator from the UK, and decided that it would be perfect for some of the little boys in my life. I've matched it with a gift bag and tag to hold some dinosaurs for a small gift.

No Bones About It is NOT a new stamp, but it has been neglected by me for a little while. I know that boys like dinosaurs and with 5 young men in the family, I just had to make another card with this stamp set. When I stamp with both parts of this two-part stamp, I find it best to stamp the bones first, and then lay the body over the top, lining up a tail, the feet etc.

The squares are 2½" , and I've made a moss green layer a little smaller, and then another layer in a light colour just a fraction smaller again. The 'grass' has been stamped with one of the stamps from Timeless Textures, and the leaves are both included in No Bones About It. You can write in a number of places on the back here, the square on the left, or the big panel in the middle.

There were footprints in the No Bones set also, and I grabbed the slightly larger Monstera leaves from the brand new tropical stamp set, Pop Of Paradise. Leaves from Botanical Builder Framelits are glued on the tag, and another partying dinosaur has been hand cut. He's sitting on some banners and the birthday sentiment from Guy Greetings. Sometimes the perfect pieces are just lying about on your work space!!! I have had a busy week followed by a busy weekend with a busy class on Friday, a family of five staying Saturday night who needed a 40th card for a male to be made, and babysitting for 3 children, plus a late 2nd birthday party this morning for the little guy who had gastro at the beginning of May, causing his party with cousins to be cancelled.

I'm in full swing preparing for my Catalogue Launch on Saturday 4th June at 2pm. Would you like to pop in to collect a catalogue and Goodie Bag, play some games, stamp a card and have a look at new products and samples? There is no obligation to buy anything, although there will be 'bonus extras' for those who can't resist! You'll need to text 0417 500 681 or   email me for the exact address (South Morang, Victoria) and you're welcome to bring a friend, just let me know beforehand. I'm very excited to share the 5 new colours and some of the wonderful stamp sets, framelits and punches.

If you live in Australia, and want to place an order you can go to my online store anytime of the day or night. There are still lots in the retiring list and clearance. The Hostess Code for this month is ZGGAABEE

Cheers,
Rachel

    And now you're off to visit Helen.  I have a sneaky suspicion that she is sharing the very cute Pyramid Pals, which I've finally ordered too.