Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Serene Snowflakes

I really, really, really need to get my Christmas cards finished! The last posting day for England is rapidly approaching!!!!

I pulled out my favourite mini catalogue set, Serene Snowflakes and decided to try a Very Vanilla and Real Red colour combo. I really like how this turned out. The background is 'En Francais' which looks great in red!

I put Crystal Effects on the centre of the snowflake/medallion and added chunky glitter. It looks great in real life!

Recipe
Stamps : Serene Snowflakes, En Francais
Cardstock : Very Vanilla, Real Red
Ink : Real Red
Accessories : SU Scallop Edge Punch, Real Red 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, sponge daubers

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Inspiration Challenge

Today's challenge on Splitcoast is an Inspiration Challenge. I chose this little charm as my inspiration piece.

Of course, I took the opportunity to use the new SU punch, 2-step Bird, and came up with this:

Recipe
Stamps : Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock : Pixie Pink, Real Red, Whisper White
Ink : Real Red
Accessories : SU 2-Step Bird Punch, Heart to Heart Punch, Modern Label Punch, Word Window Punch

Friday, December 4, 2009

Limited Supply Challenge with New Goodies

A challenge was posted for today's TLC on Splitcoast ~ make a white card using white cardstock, white embellishments, one colour of ink and no colouring with limited layers. I need to make an engagement card for friends of ours, Eric & Jenny, so thought this challenge would be the perfect starting point! All new product again, embosslit heart, polka dot embossing folder and the sentiment from Well Scripted.

Recipe
Stamps : Well Scripted
Cardstock : Whisper White
Ink : Real Red
Accessories : Big Shot, Polka Dot Embossing Folder, Embosslit Heart, White Organza Ribbon

Stampin' Up have gone UNMOUNTED!

So for a long time now, I've had customers ask me if SU could sell an unmounted version of their stamp sets and obviously, we weren't the only ones making a noise! This new upcoming Occasions Mini Catalogue has an option to purchase either wood mounted, or unmounted. The price difference is nice too :)

So to help you see the difference, I've taken a few photos. This first one shows the packaging of the vinyl cling stamps. The CD case has a spine which, not only has the name of the set, but a tiny image of the contents of that set ... so no more pulling every box out to take a look at what's inside ~ fantastic!

Inside the box, your stamps sit nicely attached to the back. The vinyl clings to the plastic, keeping everything in place. When you get your stamps, they will have just a plain, pale gray plastic-y backing to them which will cling to the acrylic block for stamping. However, along with the stamps, you will receive plastic, sticky-backed labels. I chose to attach the labels to the back of my stamps ... so much easier to identify everything. I've turned one of the rubber stamps over so you can see how it looks. This plastic label also acts as a 'cling' to the acrylic block.

And here's what a vinyl-cling rubber stamp looks like while it's clinging to an acrylic block! See how, with the label, you can see exactly where your image is going to appear? Love that!

The sticky label is a little tricky to attach, but you'll notice that SU have embedded a slit half-way across the paper backing so you can attach half of it first, then peel the 2nd half away and attach it, in a 2-step fashion. You need to have your stamps in front of you to see what I mean, but it does help get them in the right spot!

As for stamping, the rubber stamps are EXACTLY THE SAME as the rubber stamps you've previously had ... the only difference is that the back of the foam has a vinyl cling surface, instead of a mega-sticky surface you're used to seeing when you stick them onto wood. Clever stuff!

The only other thing I will say is that the acrylic block in my photo is my own, I haven't yet purchased the SU blocks.

So I bet you can't wait for Jan 5th now which is the first day of ordering from this new mini catalogue ~ it's so fun to see new and exciting products! Or maybe that's just me!

Occasions Mini Pre-Order

Some of you may know that SU allow Demonstrators to pre-order from the mini catalogue ~ my small order arrived yesterday and my VERY first 'go to' product was the bird punch. I LOVE IT!

So here's a sample for you ... I used the new satin ribbon in Old Olive and the sentiment is from the set Well Scripted which is, wait for it, cling mounted! It worked wonderfully! The rubber etching is just the same as on the wood mounted stamps, the cushioning is also the same quality you'd expect. The only difference is the way you mount it. I'll make a 2nd post and go into a little more detail.

Recipe
Stamps : Well Scripted
Cardstock : Soft Suede, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive
Ink : Soft Suede
Accessories : Old Olive Satin Ribbon, 2 Step Bird Punch

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Christmas Shimmer

Today's colour challenge colours are Basic Black, Soft Suede and Very Vanilla. I think this combo is so elegant! Betty said we should also add shimmer, glitter or bling ... so I dragged out my ever faithful champagne mist shimmer paint. This time I tried something new, I dipped my aquapainter into the shimmer paint and just used it like a reinker for the dove. There aren't many real gold doves out there, but hey, it IS Christmas!!!


It's very difficult to take a good photo of the shimmer paint, and this is the best close up I could manage! But I think it shows you how shimmery the Dove really is. You can also see the hint of shimmer mist I sprayed over the whole card!

Recipe
Stamps : Gifts of Christmas
Cardstock : Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Basic Black
Ink : Soft Suede
Accessories : Champagne Shimmer Mist, Aquapainter, dimensionals

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Splitcoast Featured Stamper FS147

What a wonderful way to start a Sunday, with the SCS Featured Stamper challenge! Today we are to CASE one of CarollAnn's creations (Mrs Boz on SCS).

Here's what I came up with. I recently purchased a couple of non-SU sets and this is one of them. I love how it turned out! Sometimes, even an SU demo needs something totally different to play with!

Recipe
Stamps : Non-SU & Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock : WW, Real Red
Ink : Mellow Moss, Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Real Red, Close to Cocoa, Basic Grey
Accessories : SU Word Window and Modern Label Punches