Stampinantics: December 2017

Friday, December 22, 2017

CELEBRATING SARA - STAMPIN' UP! ARTISAN BLOG HOP

I have never had the opportunity to visit Stampin' Up!'s Head Office in Utah. It IS on my bucket list of places to go, however! It looks like an amazing place where wonderful, magical things happen. Well, you only have to look at Stampin' Up!'s product range to know that is true!

Not only do they have a Display Area full of SU goodness, there is also a place called the Legacy Room. This is where SU share their story from humble beginnings to today, where they share their philosophy and their creativity too. A few months ago, the Artisan Design Team were approached to contribute to Sara's Legacy Room. THE Sara Douglas, our lovely CEO. What an honour! I was so excited to know that one of my projects would be featured there and I am here today to share that project.

I have featured the You're Priceless stamp set on my card. I thought it rather appropriate, as that is how many Demo's around the world feel about Sara. We have also featured some of her favourite colours: Lemon Lime Twist, Berry Burst, Pool Party and Black. Very striking.

I heat embossed all my gem stones in white embossing powder on watercolour paper, before using an Aqua painter to colour them in using those rich colours. I really loved the stark contrast of those bright colours against a Basic Black base card. It really made them pop even more!

The beautiful Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon, in Berry Burst, added a touch of luscious elegance and the Iridescent Sequins, the sparkle this card deserved. This was truly an honor to make!

Without further ado, it is time to head over to my good friend and fellow artisan, Jennifer Smith Sootkoos, to see her beautiful contribution to Sara's Legacy Room.

Holly Stene
Paula Dobson - You are here!
Jennifer Smith Sootkoos
Mindy Backes
Tanya Boser

All products used in these projects are listed below. Click on the pictures below to shop 24/7!
If you live New Zealand, I would love to be your Demonstrator! When you shop Online with me, please the current host code (in my side bar) and allow Demonstrator contact, so I can invite you to my exclusive VIP Facebook Group and thank you properly with the gift of a card when you place an order.

Thursday, December 21, 2017

TODAY BLOOMS JUST FOR YOU - LETS GET HOPPING BLOG HOP

How many stamp sets do you have that include some pretty small images? It's so hard to know what to do with them, right? So let the Let's Get Hopping team give you some ideas so you can get those stamps inky and not leave them to gather dust! You may have just come from the incredibly talented Cathy Caines, whom I know would have "wowed" you with her ideas, or you may be starting the hop here, at my blog. Just make sure you select the "Next Blog" button at the end of this post to carry on hopping!

I am using a sneak peek of a new stamp set from the 2018 Occasions Catalogue, due out 3rd of January, called Perennial Birthday. Some of the floral images are quite small, but perfect for multi/repeat stamping. Using a different colour for each image, I have built up a lovely floral card front, letting these stamps do all the talking!

I have used them on the inside of my card to create a frame around an area to leave your message in!

I have broken up the many busy little stamps by cutting my card front and stamping a lovely large sentiment through the middle before heat embossing in white. To complete my card, I have wrapped White Bakers twine around my card front twice before tying off in a bow. To add a little sparkle, I coloured three basic Rhinestones with a Light Night of Navy Stampin' Blend and adhered them to my card front.

Next up on our hop is Nina McMillan. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us!

Susan Wong
Jennifer Frost
Eva Pottsova
Cathy Caines
Paula Dobson - You are here!
Nina McMillan
Diana Tillery
Verity Biddlecombe
Eimear Carvill
Carolynn Sander
Tracy Bish
Tanya Rees
Mikaela Titheridge
Jennifer Olea

All products used in these projects are listed below. Click on the pictures below to shop 24/7!

If you live New Zealand, I would love to be your Demonstrator! When you shop Online with me, please the current host code (in my side bar) and allow Demonstrator contact, so I can invite you to my exclusive VIP Facebook Group and thank you properly with the gift of a card when you place an order.

Friday, December 15, 2017

MERRY CAFE - STAMPIN' UP! ARTISAN BLOG HOP

Welcome to the Stampin' Up! Artisan blog hop. We are a group of 20 Stampin' Up! Demonstrators from around the world who have had the privilege of bringing you inspiration all of 2017. My time as an Artisan has been amazing and I couldn't have worked with a more lovely bunch of people, both as Artisans and those working behind the scenes at head office. So it is with a tinge of sadness that this will be our last hop together as a team.

We are featuring the Merry Cafe stamp set this month. This is a stamp set that has all the holidays covered, but I had a little creative fun to bring you a rather striking and BRIGHT Christmas card.

I used some masking tape on my card front to mask off diagonal lines and then sponged each from bold to barely there, in Lemon Lime Twist. I adore that colour!

The Coffee Cups Framelits were perfect to die cut out my cup elements. Two of the stamps in this set are so tiny, it would be easy to overlook them, but they certainly made my coffee cup look and feel festive.

I love to decorate my cards all the way through and showed the same love to the inside of this card before finishing with coordinating embellishments.

So that's it folks, my last post for this Artisan year. But before I go, I would like to take the opportunity to welcome in the 2018 Artisan Design Team, one of whom is my amazingly talented friend, Susan Wong, who is returning to share her beautiful work with us again! I can't wait to see what this new look team have in store for us all. I just know they will knock it out of the park in 2018!

Introducing the new 2018 Artisan Design Team

Lauren Alaird

Charlet Mallett

Connie Collins (returning)

Elizabeth Price

Cathy Caines (returning)

Linda van Wely-Zwolle

Sylwia Schreck (returning)