I love the Stampin’ Up! Stippled Roses stamp set soooo much, as you will see soon, since I have been using it a lot recently (although I haven’t shared enough here). And today I create this card which I coloured with the Stampin’ Up! watercolour pencils.
The rose image was stamped with Memento Black ink, and then I have started shading using a Basic Black pencil, which I used to go over the already darker areas of the stamped image, just to intensify the shadowed area. For the leaves, I have then come over the black with a Garden Green pencil, followed by a little Granny Apple Green to give them some lighter highlights. The roses were coloured in the same way, Basic Black pencil over the shadowed areas, followed by Pumpkin Pie and then Daffodil Delight. The leaves are from the Stippled Roses matching dies, using Basic Grey cardstock. In the background you will see some of the new Country Woods Designer Series Paper which is an absolute favourite from the new catalogue. I just loved colouring the roses for this card, it’s very relaxing and I am happy with how this one turned out. Hope you are having a crafty day or evening depending on where you are. Happy stamping, Chris
There is an AMAZING deal going right now, check out the image below, and if you have ever thought about join Stampin’ Up! as a demonstrator, even if it’s just for the discount on products, now is a great time to do it. Send me a message if you live in Australia and would like to know more.
The Stampin’ Up! new Annual Catalogue for 2024-2025 is LIVE!! Well, it is if you are in Australia.
It’s a little different this year, however there are still gorgeous ideas all the way through, heaps of inspiration and gorgeousness! Talking about gorgeousness, how about these colours to add to the already beautiful colour range?
Yum! I love them all. If you would like to get into some crafting with some of the new goodies, you can place an order through my online store here. Happy stamping, Chris
My card today features both retiring items, some that are staying on, and some that are in the new Annual Catalogue and not available until May.
My son is an avid sailor so the Let’s Set Sail stamp set with the matching Sailboat Builder punch was a bundle I had to have! But I am sad that it is retiring. It will be staying in my own personal stash though.
I’ve watercoloured the background behind the boat and used some of the new In Colors, Shy Shamrock, Summer Splash and just a touch of Peach Pie. The boat has been stamped in Shy Shamrock and some of the new Basic Beige. I’ve also used some Balmy Blue and Azure Afternoon ink for the watercolouring, along with a tiny touch of Starry Sky ink.
And behind the watercoloured panel is some of the new Lily Pond Lane Designer Series Paper which is also available in May in the new Catalogue – just one of many perks of being a demonstrator, we get to play with new goodies before they are released publicly.
I’ve been enjoying some quiet time recently while I recover from a nasty flu that took hold a few weeks ago. Sitting and colouring has helped to keep me occupied and creative. So now I’m putting together some cards and notebooks using the coloured images.
Well… any month is a good month to join really. But April is extra good!
Why?
Because if you join in April you can choose some of the brand new pre-order products that are in the new Annual catalogue but not available to customers until May.
That means you know that for a minimum of the next 12 months, those products are going to be current products, making it easier to organise classes or demonstrations if you are inclined to do them.
Of course, being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator doesn’t mean you have to run classes. You can just enjoy the benefits and amazing, supportive community.
So if you live anywhere in Australia and feel you would like to join my team, you can do so by clicking this link:
I’m not sure about you but this gorgeous Stampin’ Up! Designer Series Paper is just beeeautiful!!
I apologise for again a huge gap in my posts, I’ve had a lot of trouble with internet and getting WordPress to behave, so I will keep this short and sweet. It’s called the Flowering Zinnias Designer Series Paper and is one of the Online Exclusives. It doesn’t really need anything else, does it? The creation of this set of four cards used one sheet of the paper and took just a few minutes. You can purchase the Flower Zinnias DSP right here in my online store.
Oh my…. there are some gorgeous new products in the latest range of Stampin’ Up! Online Exclusives.
I will keep this short today, and share some projects later in the week. If, however, you are like me and want to see what is available, you can browse through my online store and check it all out here. They are available for you to purchase now.
I’m off to have a play with some new goodies! Happy shopping, Chris
December and January are particularly difficult in our family, so many of our loved ones have passed on, so it is inevitably a quiet and reflective time of year, and a time when I rarely want to do any crafting. This year has been especially difficult with the financial situation that so many of us are facing, which for us became a whole lot more difficult at the end of December. And to top it all off, the email service provider that I was using to send out my regular newsletters, did some weird stuff, including sending out some unsolicited and rather abnoxious emails to people. I am desperately hoping they didn’t go out to any of you, but if so, I can only apologise. As well, I don’t have access to everyone who was previously subscribed to my list but I am hoping this will get to those who need to see it. So… onwards and upwards, starting again and moving forward.
I plan to send out a regular newsletter featuring one product which I have used in different ways, and hope that it will inspire you with some ideas. I won’t promise to do it weekly, but hopefully at least once each month, and I will also include any promotions and sales, as well as any personal news and Stampin’ Up! news.
So this week’s focus is on the gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous Layered Florals Embossing Folder which is available from the current Mini Catalogue until 30 April 2024.
Isn’t it just beautiful? If, like me, you can’t do without it, you click here to go directly to my online store to buy it. So many ideas, so little time.
As always at this time of year, demonstrators start thinking about the upcoming change over of not just the Annual Catalogue (new catalogue at the start of May) but also the retirement of one set of the In Colors. So if you love them, make sure you get in quickly and stock up on your reinkers and cardstock – they always sell out quickly. Pop over to my store and get what you need before they are no longer available. Do you have a favourite from these five colours? I love both Orchid Oasis and Starry Sky but will admit that they haven’t had a lot of use over the two years. As always, I look forward to seeing what is coming with the new lot of In Colors.
In some other sad news this week, I was so sad to learn that the stamping and scrapbook company Close To My Heart will cease operations on June 30, 2024! It is never easy to hear of the closure of yet another business in these difficult times. From the Founder of CTMH: “Dear Close To My Heart Community,As the founder and owner of Close to My Heart, I have devoted my life’s work to building and supporting this community, helping millions of people to preserve memories and celebrate relationships in meaningful ways. This company has grown and developed into a beautiful, vibrant community devoted to touching hearts with these vital creative arts, offering incredible products, rewarding business opportunities, and deep connections with fellow crafters.As much as I love what Close To My Heart stands for, after a great deal of deliberation, prayer, and counsel, I have come to the heartbreaking conclusion that the time has come to discontinue the business. Close To My Heart will cease operations effective June 30, 2024.The reasons that have brought me to this decision are too many to enumerate fully here. My health is a major factor, as the stresses and demands of the business continue to take their toll on me. At the same time, we have not seen the kinds of growth that were needed in order to achieve long-term stability. The way the company and the economy are trending, I foresee considerable challenges ahead that we simply are not equipped to overcome.Ultimately, I am choosing to end Close To My Heart on my own terms rather than being forced to close at some future date in less favorable circumstances. As upsetting as it is for me and for our thousands of Makers, by taking this course of action now, we can provide our community and our employees with as much notice and as many opportunities as possible.Because I cherish the community we have built together, I have been working with my team to find a new home for our Makers, where they can continue to benefit from the years of work they have poured into their individual Close To My Heart business. We are in the midst of conversations with Stampin’ Up!, collaborating on a solution that we hope will help our Makers make the most of their investments of time and resources and that will maintain at least a part of the legacy we always hoped to build.In the meantime, we still have a lot of product to offer, and we will continue to fulfill orders as usual over the next few months. It is possible that turnaround times may grow a bit longer depending on order volumes, but we will do our best to process orders in a timely manner. We encourage you to continue shopping with your Close To My Heart Maker in order to support them through this transition period.I express my appreciation to you for joining me on this journey and respecting my decision at this time. It has been an honor to be able to serve this amazing community for the past 40 years. I have given my all to the success of this company, and I will forever cherish the love I have felt from you and for you. My heart goes with each one of you as your personal journey takes you beyond the time that we have been blessed to share with one another through this marvelous company. You will always remain Close To My Heart.Sincerely,Jeanette R. LyntonFounder & CEO”
My heart goes out to all involved with CTMH.
And on that note, these difficult times mean that my own Stampin’ Up! business is struggling to stay afloat, and without many orders coming in, I will also have to close. Unless that is, you my valued customers, can help with even just a small order. Every single order helps and is appreciated more than you can know. So if there is anything you need, your order in March would be valued, and you never know what extras might come your way, just to say thank you. You can pop your orders through here, or alternative, send me an email if you live close enough to come and pick up your order from me directly.
Thanks for being part of my papercrafting journey. Happy stamping, Chris
I decided to use the new Online Exclusive Designer Series Paper called Tartan Foil this week during my Facebook Live, as a background for a Christmas Card, and I’m very pleased with the result. The Tartan Foil comes in three colours, this one is Copper Clay, and also in Lost Lagoon and Pebble Path. Perhaps I will make similar cards in the other colours, too. The candles have been coloured using watercolour pencils and then some Wink of Stellar to add some shimmer and help the colours blend. Below is the youTube video of how I made the card. I did add some ribbon and some extra leaves after I finished the video.
You may have noticed that I love, love, love decorative masks, stencils and sponging, I love the look and the amount of different ways they can be used to create and decorate. I also love colouring. So my card today is a mixture of both of these. Cute little birdie, along with the branch and leaves from the Bird’s Eye View stamp set has been coloured with Watercolour Pencils before I used Wink of Stella to blend the colours and add a bit of sparkle. They have all been fussy cut and glued to the front of my card. And the strip of gorgeous Afternoon Azure colour down the left hand side has been masked off with Masking Paper and sponged with Blending Brushes before I added one of the Abundant Beauty Decorative Masks over the top, and sponged a little more, for some tone on tone colour to brighten the card up.
Below is the video of how I made the card.
The gorgeous Abundant Beauty Decorative Masks are new and now available in the Mini Catalogue, along with a stack of other new goodies, including Christmas products.
Make sure you head on over the The Crafty Addicts site to check out what the Design Team have created for this month.
Dot Dot Stamping Designs 