A new trifold card - Artistic Etchings

At crafters anonymous class on Monday night we created with a great new card fold.
I decorated mine with Artistic Etchings stamps and Fan Fair patterned paper.
Here is the front all decorated with stamps, punched butterflies, die cut sentiment, doilies and fussy cut  Eiffel tower (with pearls).

I felt so artisitic decorating the blank canvas with my favourite stamps and patterned paper.
It is made with just one piece of double sided patterned paper. Eight inches by 12 inches and cut diagonally in half. This card will be going to a very special friend... I think.

Card Recipe:
Stampset: Artistic Etchings, Memorable Moments.
Designer series paper: Fan Fair
Paper Doilies
Cardstock: Very Vanilla.
Ink: Basic Grey, Crumb cake, Versamark.
Embossing powder: Pool Party. Heat tool, Big shot, Labels collection framelit Die,
Elegant Butterfly and Itty butterfly punches, Pearls, Stampin' Trimmer, dimensionals.

And here it is from the back, showing the very vanilla stamped panel to write your message on the back. Here I added some scallop circles and an embossed Eiffel tower (avec pearl).

Artistic Etchings with Postage due

 When I first flipped through the current Stampin' Up! catalogue I was so excited to see that Artistic etchings (the stampset with the eiffel tower and keys and crowns) was there and a lovely new stampset called Postage due. All in the modern vintage style that I love.

 These colours and style elements are inspired by a card in the latest Stampin' Up Impressions magazine.
Crumb cake card and ink with small accents of the new in-colours: Raspberry Ripple, Midnight muse, Summer starfruit, Gumball green and Primrose petals.

The postage due collage stamp makes great background stamping.

The three postage stamp images are definitely vintage in style and fit perfectly into the coordinating Postage stamp punch.

A bit of twine wraps around the card like an old fashioned parcel sent by post.

Tell me if you like this style, too?

Simply adorned...

Stampin' Up have released

Simply adorned

Jewellery

in the latest Summer mini Catalogue.

It gives us all the oportunity to Wear our Art.

Change your out fit and change your artwork too.

The insert in this glass and silver framed locket is 2.5cm square.

A perfect little miniature to express your stamping creativity.

My "Amour" locket Art uses two of my favourite stampsets:

(I had to squeeze them in)

Artistic Etchings

 and

Kindness Matters. 

The locket is deep enough to add a small key trinket inside

 or some rhinestone jewels in the centres of the butterfly (with space to spare).

And as the back is clear as well you can add a photo of your special someone,

or a piece of your favourite patterned paper.

A stack of Christmas baubles...

 Today and yesterday I made these three cards... it is a great idea for quick stamping and sponging that I saw recently by Dawn Ferguson.

 The branches are stamped with my old favourite "Lovely as a tree" stampset.

And the centres of the baubles are stamped with the "Artistic Etchings" medallion.

I have used a clear window sheet, with three circles punched out, to mask the card while I sponged and stamped the Christmas baubles on to the tree.

 And then I changed the tree branches to swirly patterns with the Creative Elements stampset.

You can stamp the baubles in different colours and with different patterns and stamps.

The Joy at Christmas stamp is from "Perfect Punches" and fits neatly into the scallop circle punch.

 It is important to remember to keep a white circle (without ink) as you sponge your baubles.
To give them that 3D appearance.

Mixed embossing ...

 I have a friend who has just flown off to Paris, France .... * sigh *

She is spending the next two months in Europe, so that called for a card to say "Bon Voyage"!

I wanted to send her Something special before she left...

 You would call this technique: Mixed Embossing...

I have mixed embossing powders with dazzling diamonds and used more than one.

Not difficult, you just have to sweep up between dustings, and don't sneeze.

Firstly, I stamped the Eiffel tour in Versamark ink

 and dusted it with black embossing powder.

But, before heating it, I sprinkled just a touch of dazzling diamonds glitter onto it and then warmed it with my Embossing heat gun.

The embossing powder melts and sticks the dazzling diamonds with it.

Contiinuing on I stamped the Artistic Etchings crown in versamark and covered it with gold embossing powder, heated it...

and stamped another image with versamark and covered them with clear embossing powder.

Now I stamped the French folliage words and the medallion  in Soft suede and Early espresso as a background.

Finishing with a sponge of Soft Suede ink around the edges.

A few pearls and rhinestones for bling and ... Voila!

Mixed embossing - it looks quite shabby - vintage ... is that a term?

Card Recipe:

Stampsets: Artistic Etchings, French Folliage.

Ink: Versamark, Early Espresso, Soft Suede.

Embossing Powder: Basic Black, Gold, clear.

Tools: Heat Tool, Embossing buddy.

Accessories:  Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Rhinestone Jewels, Pearl jewels, sponge. 

Elite challenges - SC44 and Misty Razzleberries.

Over at the Elite challenges site, Carol has set us some new Sketch, Stamp and colour challenges.

It is so long since I have attempted one of these challenges -

The First challenge is a colour challenge: Misty Razzleberries.

Rich Razzleberry, Marina Mist and Old Olive.

I really love these colours together, I just had to play and combine some of my new products from the current Mini catalogue.

 The sketch is from the card on page 16

 of the Autumn Winter mini catalogue.

 Using the Framed tulips embossing folder with the gorgeous new Bevelled windowpanes.

These are acrylic frames that highlight an image or patterned paper with punched ribbon holes on either side for threading. I have adhered the ribbon to the card with snail adhesive and let the ribbon anchor the window pane to the page. (No glue dots, nothing!)

 I've used another of my all time favourite techniques:
Heat embossing with Stampin' Up!'s Gold embossing powder.

 The words are from the stampset: You're a Gem and the crown is from Artistic Etchings, when I saw the words to this "Queen for a day" it just begged the crown to go with it.
Then I added two "all a flutter" butterflies in gold embossing onto the Rich Razzleberry layer.

 The other stampset, that I just can't seem to do with out is the "French Foliage" stampset (also in the Autumn Winter mini) the mud splatters and script stamps are great texture for making a blank piece of cardstock look old and vintage, or just interesting to look at... enjoy!!!

Dear Diary ...

I thought it time I made myself a personalised journal for my up coming dates in 2011... and somewhere to write down what I did and where I was because the memory gets a wee bit cloudy sometimes.
Someone memorable once said:

'If it's not written down it never happened..."

So I pulled out my Idea book and turned to page 94 to CASE (copy and share everything) the note book there.
I pulled out the Love Letter designer paper, (to cut just a few centremetres as a belly band) and just couldn't bear to use just a strip... I wanted to use half the page... And then the ribbon didn't look right down the centre and guess what? It wasn't a case anymore, it became something completly different.

 I used a really cheap student diary ... [Supermarket shelf find] and it comes with a plastic sleave so my stamping and pearls and designer paper are protected for the year.
I guess if I do get tired of it I can whip off the cover and re-cover it (if I get desperate but we know I won't).

Because I used the "Artistic Etchings" Stampset.
The Eiffel Tower, the crown, the keys and the "amour" stamp.

Here's the Recipe:
Student Diary ($2)
Artistic Etchings ($26.95 Clear mounted)
Ink: Early Espresso, Soft Suede.
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Early Espresso
Designer Paper: Love letter ($16.95)
Tools: Paper snips, Sponges, Jewels: Basic Pearls
Small scallop and XL scallop circle punches.
...Now all I need is a book mark and perhaps I could give it some colour with my watercolour crayons.

I'm having a Concord Crush !!!

I am in love with this colour, in some lights it looks purple and in some lights it is blue ... If you are missing

out on a bit of purply-blue in your life this is the one to indulge yourself with.

Why did they call it Concord Crush?

Well there is actually an Iris by the name of Concord Crush ...

I made this card for a friend's birthday and being such a busy time of year I have only just sent it to her... so now I can share it with my blog readers.

You have probably guessed that it is a CASE (copy and share everything) of the card on the front of the main Idea Book and Catalogue 2010-11.

 The trick to making this card is making a sheet of layered textured strips of cardstock and patterned papers.

Some are from "Love Letters" Designer series paper, some have been run through the Big shot with an embossing folder (Elegant lines).

The individual strips are glued together or taped as the case may be. Then the whole piece is run through with the Top note die. 

 The Sentiment 'happy birthday' is from Perfect Punches... great little stampset for all different ocassions.
I've added half back pearl jewels and a paper daisy for embellishment.

 Card Recipe:
Stampset: Perfect Punches. Artistic Etchings.
Cardstock: Concord Crush, Very vanilla, Basic Black and Love letter DSP.
Tools: Large oval punch, Eyelet border punch, Big shot, top note, Elegant lines embossing folder.
Accessories: half backed pearls, paper daisy.

Artistic Etchings Life is Beautiful card with Rhinestones

I am so in love with this colour combination:
Marina Mist, Concord Crush, Early Espresso and whisper white.
So the texture and the Rhinestones make it that little bit special but this is just one of my favourite combinations at the moment.

I've stamped the topnote with Marina Mist... with the roses from Life is Beautiful.
Then put the topnote through the Big shot again with the textured embossing folder "Vintage Wall Paper".
But before I did that I wiped the ink pad all over the raised bits of the embossing plate with Concord Crush ink.
The life is Beautiful sentiment, Eiffel tour, crown and keys are stamped in Early Espresso and raised on dimensional foam with just a spattering of Rhinestone jewells on top.

ATC swap - Metallic cardstock and Artistic Etchings

 Every other month I join in an Elite team Technique swap.
We use ATC size cards to demonstrate a particular stamping technique.
What's an ATC? An Artist Trading card.
Its about the size of a child's football card you know the collections of cards your brother swapped and they fit nicely into a plastic sleave folder to show different techniques.

 This month's technique was metallic and shimmer techniques.
I chose to use the silver metallic paper that stampin' up have in 3 colours: gold, silver and copper.
Mainly because at the time of preparing for the swap I didnt have my shimmer paints yet.

So to make these I stamped Stazon black ink, whisper white craft ink and Concord crush Classic ink onto the metallic cardstock using the Artistic Etchings stampset.
I sponged the edges with Marina Mist ink and tied some Marina Mist tafetta ribbon around the bottom.
After I took these photos my shimmer paint arrived and I managed to sponge with a sponge dauber abit of Platinum shimmer mist around the outside.
Later I will show you the cards I recieved in the swap.

Artistic Etchings and a Concord Crush

We made this 3 D project at the launch last week and for those who couldnt make it ...

Here's the supplies list:

Stampset: Artistic Etchings, En francais background

Cardstock: whisper white, New in-colour: Concord crush

Ink: Concord crush, Marina Mist, Early Expresso

Ribbon: Early Expresso striped grosgrain

Tools: Vintage wall paper textured embossing folder.

Big Shot machine, brad, dimensionals.

12 month Calendar  and a Stampin' Up pen!

I think this idea would be great as a teacher's gift as the end of year present.
Or a calendar for your desk, mind you in a few months you may be wanting to book a holiday to Paris ... to visit the Tour de Eiffel  and a few royale chateaux ... the images have that very detailed and antique look.

I have used the En francais background stamp in Marina Mist with a collage of crowns and key stamps in a kind of bright vintage style.
For the Top note we used a new technique which I call: Inked embossing folder which fairly much describes how it's done.
We inked up the sizzlet embossing folder with concord crush classic ink, just by rubbing the ink pad on the positive side of the folder, and placed our piece of white cardstock inside.
After rolling it through the Big shot machine it comes out with purple ink in the negative part of the texture...
OK you had to be there, you have to see it in real life ...

Concord Crush and Marina Mist just go so well together and the ink just washes off in water.

Be back with another card tomorrow.

Enjoy!

Launch night slide show

What an exciting night we had on Wednesday night!

There were over seventy women celebrating the launch of our new idea book and catalogue ...
Feel free to grab a drink and put up your feet while we enjoy the slide show...

YOU CAN Click on the little black X to get rid of those pets - eww!

... what a buzz in the room

Enjoy!!!

Artisitic Etchings in Baja breeze and Vintage wallpaper

The new catalogue is just full of new favourite stampsets ... have you guessed this is going to be one of my favourite favourite stampsets - Artistic Etchings.
I have been waiting patiently for my new in-colours so in the meantime the next couple of posts will feature only colours that will be carried over to the new catalogue.

The Eiffel tower, key and crown have been stamped in Stazon black ink (for that rich black look).

And the rest of the inking is in baja breeze on either whisper white or baja breeze cardstock.

But wait there's more, much more:

the Big shot machine is my constant companion now when sitting at my dining room table, or the loungeroom floor, it is often in the boot of my car when I go crafting at friend's.

So the background piece is cut out with my Top note die.

Run through the Big shot using the new Vintage wall paper embossing folder, then...

inked with my baja breeze ink pad

 by just brushing the pad onto the raised portion of the embossed paper.

Cool?  I think so, and there are other ways to get this effect like inking up the embossing folder before you put it through the Big shot rollers.

The Baja breeze layer of the card is collaged with the "En francais" background stamp and another new stampset "Friends never fade" flower.

The Amour stamp is also collaged with that flower and the medallion stamp from Artistic Etchings.

Double mounted on a sizzlets Lots of Tags die and then a simple black wide oval punched backing.

Did you notice the rhinestones?

That's correct Stampin' Up now sell the elegant and sparkly Rhinestones

 and half-backed Pearls that you can attach direct to your project.
They look like jewells and step it up just another level.
I am going to have to exercise great restraint to not attach rhinestones and peals to everything I own.
They come with a sticky dot on the back so you simply peal them off and stick 'em on.
Love it! 150 for $9.50 per pack.