ORNAMENTAL ENVELOPES - DECEMBER STAMPIN' DOWN UNDER CLASS

This months class features the Ornamental Envelopes stamp set, our core product this month.  Don't be fooled into thinking this versatile stamp set is just for decorating envelopes!  Alisa and I have created 6 fabulous cards to spark your imagination.

Every month, Alisa and I release a new PDF full of ideas for you.  You get six classes featuring the same core stamp set, 3 from each of us, in PDF format.  This class can be purchased no matter where you live in the world and be done in the comfort of your own home.  If you missed any of our past classes, you can find them HERE.  We love that so many of you want to do our classes!  Thank you!

Once you check out, please read the download instructions carefully as you will be redirected to the PDF.

GNOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS - NOVEMBER STAMPIN' DOWN UNDER CLASS

 

I have always been a lover of Gnomes (not the garden variety though!) and Gonks and they are absolutely on trend in the card making world right now.  How lucky are we that this months class features the Gnome for the Holidays stamp set, our core product this month.

Every month, Alisa and I release a new PDF full of ideas for you.  You get six classes featuring the same core stamp set, 3 from each of us, in PDF format.  This class can be purchased no matter where you live in the world and be done in the comfort of your own home.  If you missed any of our past classes, you can find them HERE.  We love that so many of you want to do our classes!  Thank you!

Once you check out, please read the download instructions carefully as you will be redirected to the PDF.

TGIF SKETCH CHALLENGE - TGIFC285

 

Welcome back to another week at TGIF.  We have a sketch challenge for you this week and I must say, it is very reminiscent of a card style you may have seen about 6 or 7 years ago.  I couldn't get those large scallops out of my head to begin with lol.  We would love to have you play along too.  Just click on the Challenge banner below to join us and upload your own work of art into our gallery.

I haven't really got into making my Christmas cards yet. I recently received the beautiful Poinsettia Petals bundle from Stampin' Up! which I hadn't taken for a test drive, so I was determined to use it for this challenge.

It would have been easy to do a red Poinsettia but I do like a bit of white on white.  I ended up stamping on Vellum and heat embossing my images with White embossing powder.  It's a very soft look but I love it.  The gold hoop was actually an after thought and I had to half pull my card apart to get it on there, but it fits the sketch perfectly.  Just wish I had thought about it a little earlier!

Keeping with the white and gold theme, I added Gold foil (no scallops!) to the top and bottom of my central panel and finished with the addition of the Gilded Gems.  I gold embossed the sentiment on Real Red card and then fussy cut that for the bold pop of colour through the middle of my card.  Hope you like it too!

EMBOSSING WITH A TWIST - A CREATING KINDNESS BLOG HOP

Welcome to this months Creating Kindness blog hop with guest designer Monica Formosa.  We are looking at Embossing with a Twist as our theme and I have used two different types of embossing on my project today.

My twist are the delicious Heidi Swapp Color Shine sprays I used for my background, Citron and Teal  They have such a lovely shimmer to them.  Something I have had in my stash FOREVER and not used.  This gorgeous We Are Memory Keepers Faceted embossing folder shows up the shimmer beautifully!

The second lot of embossing I did was on the birthday sentiment.  Nothing fancy, just your standard heat embossing white powder on black card.  The sentiment and die cut are from the Simon Says Stamp Sending Happy Thoughts bundle.

I also considered throwing some embossing paste on there as well but managed to resist temptation!  What is you favourite embossing technique?  Click on the next button below to visit with Jenny Hall and see what her twist will be!

Blog Hop Participants

1.       Monica Formosa - Guest Designer – Australia

2.       Lou Kitzelman – Australia

3.       Liz Yuille - UK

4.       Danielle Bennenk – Netherlands

5.       Paula Dobson – New Zealand

6.       Jenny Hall – USA

7.       Jay Soriano – UK

8.    Sara Levin - USA

SNOWFLAKE WISHES - OCTBER STAMPIN' DOWN UNDER CLASS

Everyone loves Snowflakes but you don't have to live in a cold climate to enjoy them too.  This month Alisa and I are celebrating snowflakes in our own Stampin' Down Under style with the fabulous Snowflake Wishes stamp set as our core set.

Every month, Alisa and I release a new PDF full of ideas for you.  You get six classes featuring the same core stamp set, 3 from each of us, in PDF format.  This class can be purchased no matter where you live in the world and be done in the comfort of your own home.  If you missed any of our past classes, you can find them HERE.  We love that so many of you want to do our classes!  Thank you!

Once you check out, please read the download instructions carefully as you will be redirected to the PDF.

DESIGNER TAKE OVER - TGIFC283

 

We have another Design Team Member inspired challenge at TGIF this week.  This time, our very own Tami Hewlett has challenged us with Ink Blending.  Well, if ever there was a challenge with my name on it...................!  To play along with us this week at TGIFC283 just click on the banner below.

I love ink blending so much that I always have a hard time deciding what colours to work with.  I have a good friend celebrating a birthday today (and I didn't send a card - arghhhhh!) who loves cats.  I also wanted BRIGHT, so this card is for her, if a little late!

I used an ink blending brush to blend the following Stampin' Up! colours to create this fun and bright sky: So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo into Gorgeous Grape.  I also spattered a tiny bit of water on the colours and immediately mopped up with a paper towel before finishing with a few white spots using a White Gel Pen.

I used Stampin' Blends to colour my cats and I fussy cut those out although Stampin' Up! do have a set of matching dies for those of you allergic to scissors lol.  I was really tempted to add some bling but I am quite proud of the fact that I didn't!  Why do I always want to add more??!

ALL THINGS FABULOUS - SEPTEMBER STAMPIN' DOWN UNDER CLASS

 

Do you think "I could never colour like that"?  You are not alone!  I have many friends that feel that way.  When a stamp set comes out that takes you breath away AND you don't have to colour in, well, you have to have it, right?  This months class will make you feel like Picasso without having to colour a single image! The All Things Fabulous stamp set from Stampin' Up! is our core product this month and consists of layered stamps that do all the work for you.

Every month, Alisa and I release a new PDF full of ideas for you.  You get six classes featuring the same core stamp set, 3 from each of us, in PDF format.  This class can be purchased no matter where you live in the world and be done in the comfort of your own home.  If you missed any of our past classes, you can find them HERE.  We love that so many of you want to do our classes!  Thank you!

Once you check out, please read the download instructions carefully as you will be redirected to the PDF.

DESIGNER TAKE OVER - TGIFC279

 

The challenges at TGIF are always great fun and we have a completely new type thrown in to the mix now - Designer Take Over!  Elizabeth Price is our inaugural designer and she has chosen a theme of 3D cards.  I am looking forward to seeing everyone's take on this! 

I have gone back to the very first type of three dimensional card I ever learnt as a card maker, the good old Easel card.

This is such a simple dimensional card to learn yet it still packs a "wow" when you open it and then have it stand up on itself.

My life's mission at the moment, it seems, is making Birthday cards, which I never have enough of.  Who wouldn't want to receive this menagerie of cute animals on their special day?  They are from a Stampin' Up! set called From All Of Us.  I have used Stampin' Blends to colour them in.

I would love to see what type of 3D card is your particular favourite to make.  You can join us at #tgifc279 by clicking on the challenge banner at the top of the post.  Can't wait to see your entry!

TGIF SKETCH CHALLENGE - TGIFC277

 

Welcome to TGIFC277 where this week we challenge you with a new sketch.  I love sketch challenges because of the possibilities they present.  It is entirely your interpretation!

This sketch delighted the watercolour artist in me so I completely copied the layout but instead of having a sentiment panel across the card, I stamped and heat embossed my sentiment straight onto the watercolour panel.

The heat embossed sentiment was hard to capture in a photo but I love the shine against the flat colour.

The whole card is very minimalist with only three epoxy droplets added to the watercoloured panel to finish.  I didn't even pop this panel up on the black card front with Dimensionals!  Of course, I did fight myself to leave it just as is and not add more!

Are you inspired by this weeks sketch too?  We would love to have you play along with us.  Just click on the Inspiration photo to go to the TGIFC site and enter your project!

FRIENDSHIP - A CREATING KINDNESS BLOG HOP

 

Today, I am not only joining in a blog hop with my amazing team mates from Creating Kindness, but I also have a video for you showing my design process.  We are also being joined by guest designer Linda van Wely whose design ideas heavily influenced my cards today!

I changed things up a bit from my normal top hinge card and tried a round card for a change with lots of die cuts and ink blending with Distress Oxide inks.

I love these cute Goats from the Stampin' Up! stamp set "Way to Goat".  I love any cute image I can colour with alcohol markers!

Our blog and video hop is all about Friendship this month and I made this card especially for an international friend battling health issues.  I know she will get a kick out of this and it is a little different to your normal "get well" kinda card!  I have a video for you showing my design process below.  You can also check it out on You Tube and follow the video hop there!

Make sure you take the whole blog hop to see the gorgeous ideas my talented team mates have come up with to celebrate Friendship.  Next up is Danielle Bennenk.

Blog Hop Participants

1.       Linda van Wely - Guest Designer – Netherlands

2.       Marcy Denning – Canada

3.       Lou Kitzelman – Australia

4.       Paula Dobson – New Zealand

5.       Danielle Bennenk – Netherlands

6.       Jay Soriano – UK

7.       Sara Levin - USA

8.       Liz Yuille - UK

JAR OF FLOWERS - AUGUST STAMPIN' DOWN UNDER CLASS

Do you ever look at a stamp set and think "this isn't for me"?  This months class is sure to make you wonder how you ever did without the Jar of Flowers stamp set, our core product this month.

Every month, Alisa and I release a new PDF full of ideas for you.  You get six classes featuring the same core stamp set, 3 from each of us, in PDF format.  This class can be purchased no matter where you live in the world and be done in the comfort of your own home.  If you missed any of our past classes, you can find them HERE.  We love that so many of you want to do our classes!  Thank you!

Once you check out, please read the download instructions carefully as you will be redirected to the PDF.