A Wedding Card

Hi!

Rob and I recently attended the wedding of one of my university friends.  It was fantastic to catch up with her as she's been living in England pretty much since we graduated.  She's a very bright and bubbly person, so I wanted the card I made her to reflect her personality.

I used a lot of new products on this card, which will be available for purchase when the new Idea Book and Catalogue goes live on the 1st September.  I used the new In Colour Island Indigo, which is the gorgeous deep blue on the card.  I also used the new Lace Ribbon Border Punch.  I didn't use it as a border though, I cut up the little medallions to use as flowers.  Some I kept whole, others I cut up again to use the smaller central flower.  I also used some of the offcuts that look like teeny tiny little flowers.  Some pearls for the centre and it's done.

Oh, I'd better not forget that I CASED the card from here.

Ink: Island Indigo

Stamp: It's Your Day

Cardstock: Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White

Other: Lace Ribbon Border Punch, Big Shot, Top Note Die, Paper Snips, Basic Jewel Pearls, Daffodil Delight Satin Ribbon

Catch you later,

Tina

New Baby Card

Hi!

Today I have a card for you that uses a product that is being reconfigured: watercolour paper.  Stampin' Up! are discontinuing the smaller sized sheets and changing the pack to larger sized sheets.  The card I made was a commission from a friend.  She wanted me to use the All In The Family stamp set to represent the family on the front of the card.  The family consisted of mum, dad, 2 sisters, a cat and 2 dogs and the new baby girl.  Hmmmm.  I didn't fancy trying to stamp all that on the front of a card and make it look good.  After all, most people keep the cards as a keepsake.  So I put the thinking cap on and decided I'd make it look a bit like the Brady Bunch - you know the grid where they are all smiling and waving to each other from their own box?

I stamped each family member in Stazon ink on some watercolour paper and then coloured them with my ink pads and blender pen.  The sentiment panel is stamped on plain cardstock.  The base colours are Pear Pizzazz and Blushing Bride.  I can't remember the other colours I used on the people.

I have since been told that the recipient loves the card so much she is framing it for the baby's nursery.

Catch you later,

Tina

Layout 66: ouch!

Hi!

Today I have a layout for you using some retiring products.  You don't have very long left at all to get your hands on these before they are gone forever.

The layout is a pretty simple one that shows my son Alex. Well, it shows his back!  He was doing a cooking class at school and ran past the stove just as some older girls were moving a pot of boiling water.  Poor Alex copped the water right down his back.  Some quick thinking teachers got him into a shower which helped a lot.  He still got some blistering, but overall he's a very lucky boy.

He was allergic to the first dressing, which is why there are photos of a few different dressings.  Do you feeling like a mean mummy when you take photos like this?  I do a bit, but then I think that it's still a memory and as just as much right to be preserved as the good ones.

Anyway, the retiring product in this layout is the DSP - Elegant Soiree.  It was a fabulous DSP that was equally as suitable for male projects as female.  I also used my sanding blocks on the layout.  They are sort of retiring.  The old ones are going and new ones will replace them.  The new ones have an assortment of grades so that you'll be able to achieve different effects with each side.

On this layout I sanded the photo edges (a new favourite technique of mine!).  I also sanded the DSP to soften the tones a little.  This was especially good for the Baja Breeze pieces as they were a bit too bright for the layout.  I sanded them twice - once before I die cut/punched them and again after.  I did it before so that the little pieces were less likely to rip after I cut/punched them.  I gave them a light sand afterwards to give them a white edge, which you can hopefully see in the photo above.  Just a tip though - the paper is thinner after sanding and therefore is a bit fragile.  When you stick your letters down they are more likely to tear if you try to lift them, so make sure you place them correctly the first time!

Ink: Soft Suede Stampin' Write Marker
DSP: Elegant Soiree (retiring)
Other: Sanding Blocks (being reconfigured), Big Shot, Simple Letters Alphabet Dies, Decorative Label Punch

Catch you later,

Tina

Basic Phrases Butterfly

Hi!

Ada recently went to a classmate's birthday party recently, so of course I needed to make a card to go with the gift.  Now this is NOT a card you can whip up in the 5 minutes before you leave for the party (hands up who's done that before? lol).  It's a CASE of a card designed by Sherri Freese.  She has a blog here, but this card is not on it.  I saw it on a demonstrator's only site - another perk of becoming a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator!

See what I mean about NOT being a 5 minute job???  That gasps and ooohs of the girls when the card was removed from the envelope were totally worth it though!  Here's a closer look at the butterfly:

And off to the side is the sentiment - all stamped with stamps from the Basic Phrases stamp set which is retiring at the end of August.

Stamps: Basic Phrases (retiring)
Ink: Perfect Plum
Cardstock: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Perfect Plum, Marina Mist, Pretty In Pink
Other: Big Shot, Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die, Heart To Heart Punch, Two Step Bird Punch, Paper Snips, Basic Jewel Rhinestones, Dimensionals, Silver Cord (non SU)

Catch you later,

Tina

Fox and Friends Cheerful Card

Hi!

Have you bought all you wanted from the retired list?  I certainly hope so!  Today's card only has a small piece of retiring product.  Can you see what it is?

Hmmm, some of those panels look a little crooked - they aren't in real life!  So did you see the retiring product?  It's not the Fox and Friends stamp set (yay!).  It's the sentiment, which is from the Great Friend stamp set.  Isn't this a great little card to pop in with a little boy's birthday present?   Or change the colours to Melon Mambo and Rich Razzleberry and you could use the same card for a little girl.  Too cute!

Stamps: Fox and Friends, Great Friend (retiring)

Ink: Pacific Point

Cardstock: Whisper White, Pacific Point, Real Red

Other: Scallop Square Punch, Square Punch, Dimensionals

Catch you later,

Tina

Sew Sweet Birthday

Hi!

Today's card uses a stamp set that has already retired out of the Autumn Winter Mini catalogue and a DSP pack that you only have until the end of the month to purchase, that is if stocks last that long!  The card was for my upline and good friend Sue's birthday last month.

I LOVED the Sew Suite stamp set and was pretty devastated when it didn't make the new catalogue.  However, there is SOOOOO much fabulous new stuff in the catalogue that I soon forgot my disappointment.  For this card I wanted a vintage look, so I used the Love Letter DSP and spritzed the main panel with Basic Black ink.  The sentiment was enclosed in a bookplate from the Hodgepodge Hardware set - also retiring at the end of the month!

Stamps: Sew Suite (retired), Clearly For You
Ink: Basic Black
DSP/Cardstock: Love Letter DSP (retiring), Very Vanilla
Other: Paper Snips, Dimensionals, Colour Spritzer, Hodgepodge Hardware (retiring)

Catch you later,

Tina

A CASE of a CASE

Hi!

Today's card features a few retiring products.  Is is based on a card I CASED a few months ago from Judy May.  You can see Judy's original card here, and my first CASE here.  I love this card for the males in our lives.  The colour scheme and textures are just great.

So on the outside the retiring products are the Large Star punch and the Celebrations DSP.  The star punch has already sold out, but you can still get your hands on the Celebrations DSP if you're quick!  The Brushed Silver cardstock is being reconfigured.  Currently you can only purchase it in the Brushed Metallics pack, but come September 1st you'll be able to purchase it in a pack of it's own.

On the inside I have used the Classic Stars Jumbo wheel which is also retiring at the end of the month.  Get in quick!

Stamps: Classic Stars Jumbo Wheel (retiring), A Word For You
Ink: Pacific Point, Real Red
DSP/Cardstock: Celebrations DSP, Brushed Silver, Pacific Point, Real Red, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Timeless Type Alphabet Die, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Large Star Punch (retiring), Silver Brads

Catch you later,

Tina