Monday 29 April 2019

Nature's Poem Thinking Of You Card | Aussies Who Love Stampin' Up! Challenge #029


Hi and thanks for visiting :)

Today marks the start of our latest fortnightly challenge over on the Aussies Who Love Stampin' Up! Facebook Group.

Our latest challenge #AWLSU029 is a Sketch challenge.



Myself and the other group admins will share our creations to start off each challenge and hopefully help kick-start and inspire your creativity.


If you live in Australia and are interested in participating in our fortnightly challenges, click here to join the group :)





These cards were super simple and quick to create. As a bonus I got to use some of my DSP and embellishment stash (which are way too big, because I tend to not use them or hang on to them because they are so pretty and "what if" I run out and can't get anymore..... well I need to #loveitchopit and #loveituseit and share the prettiness around, so I have made that my mission for this year).




My colour palette of Blackberry Bliss and Petal Pink was inspired by one of my favourite sheets of DSP from the Nature's Poem pack, which is sadly retiring soon :(

The sentiment (stamped in Blackberry Bliss) comes from the Rooted in Nature stamp set and was stamped on some Petal Pink cardstock and cut out using a stitched oval from the Stitched Shapes Framelits.

To add a little bling, I finally cracked open my pack of Faceted Dots (which too are retiring soon), and randomly added 1 of each size of the Blackberry Bliss gems to each card.




Thanks so much for your support and for visiting me today :)
If you enjoy what I do, I would love you to Like and Follow my Facebook page, and Pin my cards on Pinterest (or you can follow me on Pinterest). 

Also, don't forget to sign up for my Blog updates via email and never miss a post.





If you like these cards, it would make my day if you left me a comment. 
Just scroll to the bottom of my post, leave your comment and you will put a smile on my dial :)




You too can make these ....... 
Here is a list of the supplies and tools used:

If you need any of these supplies, I would love to be able to assist you and would really appreciate your business. Just click on a product link below to head on over to my Australian online store.
Australian customers: Join my free Customer Rewards program by making a purchase through my online store. Click here for more details.
**If you do make a purchase, be sure to use the current Hostess Code on your order to receive a free gift from me. Click here for the current code.**


Rooted In Nature (Clear 146482)#

Rooted In Nature (Wood 146479)#

Nature's Poem Designer Series Paper (146338)*

Stitched Shapes Framelits (145372)

Faceted Dots Adhesive Backed (146910)*


Adhesives: Multipurpose Liquid Glue
Tools: Paper Trimmer, Big Shot*, Magnetic Platform*, Clear Blocks

* = Products retiring 3rd June 2019 (Available while stocks last)
# = Stamp sets retiring 3rd June 2019 as Clear & Wood Mount, available 4th June 2019 as Cling Mount

Sign up for my Stampin' Up! Newsletter here

Receive a handmade card and thank you gift when you use the
current host code when placing an order through my online store.



Click on any of the below images to shop for your favourite products


















Saturday 27 April 2019

Tea Together | Mother's Day Card

I am excited to share that the Tea Together Stamp Set (from the 2019 Occasions Catalogue) and the co-ordinating Tea Time Framelits (originally available as a 2019 Sale-A-Bration free item) will be carrying over to the 2019-20 Annual Catalogue.......which I am really happy about as the card I am going to share with you today was the first time I've used this pretty stamp set and matching dies.

My card was totally inspired by a combination of creative challenges and I'm really happy with the outcome.

The layout was inspired from this weeks Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #385, my colour palette comes from the latest Just Add Ink Colour Challenge #454 and it was all started with this weeks What Will You Stamp Challenge #216  to use the Tea Together Stamp Set.











So apart from being happy about using a stamp set and dies that I haven't had a chance to play with yet, I was also able to #loveitchopit by using some DSP and #loveituseit by using some ribbon from my rather large stash :)

The DSP used comes from the retiring 2018-2020 In Color 6x6 pack and I chose the Blueberry Bushel and Whisper White dot pattern.

My tea cup was stamped in Memento Black ink on some Whisper White cardstock and cut out with the co-ordinating tea cup die. I also stamped the flower in Memento and using some scraps to mask off parts of the tea cup,  I was able to partially stamp the image. The flower was coloured in using a blender pen and my Blueberry Bushel and Pineapple Punch inks... as I don't have the Stampin' Write markers in these colours. I did use my Coastal Cabana Stampin' Write marker for the leaves (but you could again use the blender pen and ink pad if you didn't have the marker).

I stamped the Mother's Day sentiment on a piece of Coastal Cabana cardstock in Coastal Cabana ink, and then ran it through my Big Shot using the Subtle Dynamic Embossing Folder. I cut a small strip of the Pineapple Punch Grosgrain Ribbon and adhered it to my card base using a thin strip of double sided tape.

The final touch was adhering my tea cup using some Mini Dimensionals.




Thanks so much for your support and for visiting me today :)
If you enjoy what I do, I would love you to Like and Follow my Facebook page, and Pin my cards on Pinterest (or you can follow me on Pinterest). 

Also, don't forget to sign up for my Blog updates via email and never miss a post.




If you like this card, it would make my day if you left me a comment. 
Just scroll to the bottom of my post, leave your comment and you will put a smile on my dial :)


You too can make this ....... 
Here is a list of the supplies and tools used:

If you need any of these supplies, I would love to be able to assist you and would really appreciate your business. Just click on a product link below to head on over to my Australian online store.
Australian customers: Join my free Customer Rewards program by making a purchase through my online store. Click here for more details.
**If you do make a purchase, be sure to use the current Hostess Code on your order to receive a free gift from me. Click here for the current code.**


Tea Together Stamp Set (Cling 148779)

Tea Time Framelits (149697)##

In Color 2018–2020 6" X 6" DSP (146963)*

Subtle Dynamic TIEF (143706)

Pineapple Punch 1/8" Grosgrain Ribbon (146953)

* = Products retiring 3rd June 2019 (Available while stocks last)
## = Products available from 3rd June 2019


Sign up for my Stampin' Up! Newsletter here


Receive a handmade card and thank you gift when you use the
current host code when placing an order through my online store.


Click on any of the below images to shop for your favourite products


















Friday 26 April 2019

Ink it! Stamp it! Design Team Blog Hop | Theme: Technique


Welcome to the Ink it! Stamp it! Design Team Blog Hop. This month we will be sharing projects inspired by our Technique theme. The full line up below will guide you through all the projects.

I've always wanted to try the embossing with dies technique and a few months ago I purchased the Big Shot Embossing Mats so I could try it out. Well I have finally cracked open my embossing mats and given it a go (sadly these embossing mats are retiring with the end of the 2018-19 Annual Catalogue on 3rd June 2019, so if like me you've been meaning to try this technique, get a set before they are gone).

I added in a second technique for my card today, using sponge daubers to add multiple colours on a stamp.

Here is what I came up with....



Most of the products I have used on my card will sadly be retiring on 3rd June 2019 (or earlier if stocks run out). The retiring products I have used are the All The Good Times stamp set, Big Shot Embossing Mats and the Old Olive 1/8" Sheer Ribbon. The Rectangle Stitched dies are hanging around (YAY!!!!)

I started by inking up the bonsai stamp from the All The Good Times stamp set using sponge daubers and my Old Olive, Soft Suede & Cajun Craze inks and stamping it on to some Whisper White cardstock.

I then embossed the stitched rectangle around my image. See below for the Big Shot sandwiches I used.
Tip: as you need to place the die with the cutting edge up, it is hard to line up the image correctly as the stamped image is face down, so I just taped the die in place using some washi tape.

Once I'd embossed the cardstock, I trimmed it to the size I wanted and wrapped some Old Olive 1/8" Sheer Ribbon around the bottom before adhering it to my Soft Suede card base.




I have the older style Big Shot Multipurpose Platform with the hinged tabs, and I believe the sandwich instructions that come with the Embossing Mats are for the newer style Big Shot Platform with separate thin die adapters.

Now you want to make sure you get the sandwich correct as if there is too much pressure your die will end up cutting through your cardstock AND the thin blue embossing mat. (I have learned this through other people sharing their mistake... however I did brace myself as I rolled it through my Big Shot)

So, if like me you have the older style platform, here are the sandwiches I tried.....

I first tried the platform without any of the tabs (see the above photo), then I had my clear plate, die with the cutting side facing up, cardstock (with image facing down), thin blue embossing mat, then the white impressions pad.

This did emboss my cardstock, however it was a little light and I wanted a deeper, more obvious embossed stitched rectangle so I ran it through again with the same sandwich, except I added tab 1 - which is the wafer thin one (See the below photo).

This gave me a deeper impression and my blue embossing mat is still in one piece (YAY!)

As the calibration of each Big Shot may be different, I would recommend starting out the same way I did to see if you need tab 1 or a thin shim to give you the embossed impression you are after. After all it is much easier to run it through your Big Shot again than having to purchase/source a replacement thin blue embossing mat after you've had a die cut through it.




Thanks so much for your support and for visiting me today :)
If you enjoy what I do, I would love you to Like and Follow my Facebook page, and Pin my cards on Pinterest (or you can follow me on Pinterest). 

Also, don't forget to sign up for my Blog updates via email and never miss a post.





Thank you so much for joining us today. We hope you'll join us again next month to see our projects using products from the new 2019-20 Annual Catalogue.

Don't forget to continue the hop all the way around to see what the amazing Ink it! Stamp it! Design Team have come up with.

You are currently visiting me - Kirsten Aitchison, so checkout the list below to see who is next in the hop.



If you like this card, it would make my day if you left me a comment. 
Just scroll to the bottom of my post, leave your comment and you will put a smile on my dial :)


You too can make this ....... 
Here is a list of the supplies and tools used:

If you need any of these supplies, I would love to be able to assist you and would really appreciate your business. Just click on a product link below to head on over to my Australian online store.
Australian customers: Join my free Customer Rewards program by making a purchase through my online store. Click here for more details.
**If you do make a purchase, be sure to use the current Hostess Code on your order to receive a free gift from me. Click here for the current code.**


All The Good Things (Clear 146558)*

All The Good Things (Wood 146555)*

Rectangle Stitched Framelits (148551)

Big Shot Embossing Mats (146327)*

Old Olive 1/8" Sheer Ribbon (144171)*


Cardstock: Soft SuedeWhisper White
Adhesives: Multipurpose Liquid GlueTear & TapeSnail/Fast Fuse
Tools: Paper Trimmer, Big Shot*, Clear BlocksScissors/Paper SnipsSponge Daubers

* = Products retiring 3rd June 2019 (Available while stocks last)

Sign up for my Stampin' Up! Newsletter here


Receive a handmade card and thank you gift when you use the
current host code when placing an order through my online store.


Click on any of the below images to shop for your favourite products