Welcome to Stamping Flair. I’m Rochelle Laird-Smith and I’m a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator based in Blind Bight, a coastal village in the South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Today, I’m blog hopping with fellow demonstrators from the ESAD Facebook Group which is just for Australian and New Zealand Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. We will be sharing lots of projects from the new January-June Mini Catalogue. So sit back and enjoy as you visit all the blogs.
My cards today feature the Forever & Always bundle and other products from the Love You Always Suite. This suite comprises 2 stamp sets and 2 die sets along with beautiful Designer Series Paper, Specialty DSP, Foil sheets and lots of other accessories.
The Love You Always Specialty Designer Series Paper comes in a pack of Blushing Bride, Rococo Rose and Sahara Sand which has foil detailing on them. I’ve used the Sahara Sand sheet on my cards.
The True Love Designer Series Paper is perfect for any occasion as all the images and patterns are black and white. I coloured the flowers on one of the sheets in a combination of Bermuda Bay, Pool Party and Granny Apple Green Stampin’ Blends which I then fussy cut. These monochromatic sheets provide so many creative possibilities.
I kept my next card similar, just adding a little bit of background stamping in Sahara Sand. For a nice crisp border, I cut a 1cm strip of the True Love DSP.
The stamp and dies can create several different sentiment combinations.
All these products will be available for order from the 5th of January. During Sale-A-Bration, orders over $90 made between 5th of January and 28th of February will earn a free product from the Stampin’ Up! Sale-A-Bration catalogue. There is no limit to the free products you can earn. It’s our best sale of the year!
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today. I do hope you have been inspired by the projects I have shared with you. Please click the Next Blog button to see Odette Kermode’s creation.
If you live in Australia and currently don’t have a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator, I would value the opportunity to help you with your crafting needs. I can be contacted on Ph: 0404 255 001 or email rochelle@stampingflair.com
Oh my, such a wonderful theme for the Around the World on Wednesday Blog Hop this month. Welcome, friend to the market place and all the texture that it brings with it. With so many stalls, sounds and products from all over the world, this theme had my mind bouncing all over the place with excitement.
If you haven’t been around the world with us before, we are a group of Stampin’ Up! demonstrators representative of all the global Stampin’ Up! markets. Our group was formed by Angie McKenzie who keeps us inspired with fun themes. We hop on the 2nd Wednesday of each month, although in different time zones. I’m in Melbourne, Australia and it’s 9pm on Wednesday over here when this blog hop goes live.
My favourite type of market is a good old country, craft market with lovely handmade products and baked goods. There’s something welcoming about entering there and finding families together, browsing through stalls.
Today, however, my projects are taking me back to market places in India where I have visited many times. These markets are like no other. The riot of colour from the beautiful fabrics and costume jewellery, brass decor, the crowds (not my favourite), noise, smells of curry and some seriously good coffee, uneven footpaths make for some vivid memories.
When you visit a market in India, you will notice the many stalls which sell brightly coloured clothes with many specializing in sarees. These 6 metre lengths of silk or georgette which are simply draped around your body (quite adeptly), are adorned with gold stitching and more intricate beaded work. My mum used to wear sarees to church, although these would be the much simpler style without all the ornate work. The gold embroidered silk sarees were kept for celebratory occasions such as weddings and Christmas. There was always a new one each time.
Saree shopping was always interesting because there would be some intense haggling going on. Shopkeepers see a tourist and bump their prices and of course after much negotiation the price drops. I’ve tried to depict the texture of a beautiful silk saree on my projects today with the colour gradation resembling a ‘shot’ saree. All I remember of a ‘shot’ saree was that the colour kept changing so I had to do a bit of Googling to find out how it is created. The saree is made up of threads of colour that are so small that the main colour changes depending on the angle you look at it.
To create the ‘shot’ look, I took a piece of Whisper White cardstock and using my sponge brayer, I added the various colours. Brayering the colours created a smooth finish to depict the softness of the silk. First was Magenta Madness, then Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape and a little bit of Blackberry Bliss right at the bottom. I wasn’t sure whether to leave it like this but I felt it needed a bit of a yellow so I added the Mango Melody and blended it in.
Next I wanted to create the beautiful ornate, gold embroidered borders which are on sarees. I ran the bottom section of my sponged panel through the Tasteful Textile Embossing Folder for the texture on these embroidered panels which feel quite thick and heavy. Then I added some gold embossing using the mask which created a really lovely detailed embroidered look. To complete my border panel, I added a decorative border from the Ornate Borders dies in Gold Foil which was perfect for my Eastern look.
To create the tassel, I untied the gold cord and put several strands together adding a Gilded Gem in the centre.
This card just had to be a wedding card with all the gold detail and I chose the sentiment from the Peaceful moments stamp set.
A wedding card needs a gift and the Gold Mini Pizza Box was perfect to decorate with my theme. A gift card would fit nicely in this which would make a lovely coordinated set for a special couple. The band across the centre was die cut from the Stitched Lace dies and I fussy cut around one of the hearts in the Ornate Border Dies for the centre.
I hope you have enjoyed the projects I have shared with you today and your trip from Australia to the markets of India! Thank you for taking the time to visit me today.
Next on our blog hop is Cheryll Miller. You can view her her beautiful work by clicking on the Next Blog button. To browse through all the market stalls make sure to follow the hop right through for lots of inspiration.
All orders placed receive a handmade card and PDF tutorial for the month. Orders over $90 also qualify for a Sale-A-Bration reward until 16th March.
All orders receive a handmade card and PDF tutorial. Orders over $90 receive a Tutorial Bundle for the month with 36 tutorials.
Please use Host Code for all orders under $250. If your order is over $250 then don’t use the Host Code as you will get your own Stampin’ Rewards.
If your order exceeds $169 then our Starter Kit gives you your choice of $235 worth of products for only $169 with free shipping and an ongoing 20-25% discount.
HOW TO ORDER
Orders can be placed online or by contacting me on Ph: 0404 255 001 or email: rochelle@stampingflair.com
Orders can be placed online or by contacting me on Ph: 0404 255 001 or Email: rochelle@stampingflair.com
I hope you are enjoying this series in which I am showing you several Fun Ways with Designer Series Paper. We’ve covered Common Cuts and Fussy cutting. Today, we are sponging it. This is another great technique to add colour and alter your DSP.
Sponge it
Sponging can be done using a sponge dauber or sponges. Each of these tools will give you a different effect when you are sponging over larger areas. Personally, for smaller areas and edging, I prefer the sponge daubers. These nifty little tools are like a thimble with a sponge on one side and open on the other so you can pop it on your finger. This makes it handy to work around your projects.
This card uses sponging in it’s classic form for creating a distressed finish giving this card a vintage feel. The Toile Tidings DSP images just lend itself to creating vintage cards. They are so pretty that I didn’t want to cover any of it so I selected a lovely sentiment and kept the rest of the card clean so the beauty of this paper could be seen. Until the end of October you can get this paper at 15% off.
This is a quick and easy card to make using the Feels Like Frost Specialy DSP which has photographic images on one side and silver foil on the other. I used the silver foil side and sponged over with Coastal Cabana. The silver resisted the ink while only the white leaves picked up the colour. This is a really fun way to alter the colour of paper.
Although this DSP is perfect for Christmas cards, you can see that it can be used for other occasions with this beautiful silver foil.
Join me tomorrow for more in our series on Fun Ways to use Designer Series Paper.
All orders placed receive a handmade card and PDF tutorial for the month. Orders over $90 also qualify for a Sale-A-Bration reward until 16th March.
All orders receive a handmade card and PDF tutorial. Orders over $90 receive a Tutorial Bundle for the month with 36 tutorials.
Please use Host Code for all orders under $250. If your order is over $250 then don’t use the Host Code as you will get your own Stampin’ Rewards.
If your order exceeds $169 then our Starter Kit gives you your choice of $235 worth of products for only $169 with free shipping and an ongoing 20-25% discount.
HOW TO ORDER
Orders can be placed online or by contacting me on Ph: 0404 255 001 or email: rochelle@stampingflair.com
Orders can be placed online or by contacting me on Ph: 0404 255 001 or Email: rochelle@stampingflair.com
Welcome to a short series I’m running on some fun ways to to get the best use of your Stampin’ Up! Designer Series Paper. During my Fun Ways with Designer Series Paper series I’m going to share with you a few basics that help me when it comes to using up my beautiful Designer Series Paper or DSP as it’s known for short.
Cut it
It may seem the obvious thing to do but just glance at your paper shelves or drawers. If you are anything like me, you may be holding onto special paper for a special project. I see you nodding your head!
Every catalogue, Stampin’ Up! brings the most beautiful Designer Series Paper in the papercraft world. Now, we all just LOVE patterned paper so we just NEED to have it. So, don’t hoard that paper because there is plenty more where that came from and you know what? When you use that special paper on a card and give it to someone, you make that person really happy.
The main tool you require for this will be a Paper Trimmer in order to get straight and accurate cuts. This is a must have tool in your craft room and it will serve you well.
I generally cut half a pack of 12″x12″ DSP into 9.9cm x 14.2cm pieces. This is my Basic Cut 1. Once the DSP is cut, then it’s more convenient and ready to use on your cards. I leave the rest as full sheets which allows for 3D or scrapbook projects or larger cards. There are a few basic measurements that I follow but for today I’ll be sharing 2 with you.
Basic card measurement for an A6 card (half of an A4 sheet which is then folded in half) CARD BASE 21cm x 14.8cm scored in half (opens to the side) or 10.5cm x 29.6cm scored in half (opens upwards)
BASIC CUT 1 9.9cm x 14.2cm DSP
Here I’ve used the Snowflake Wonder Designer Series Paper on my base. Then I’ve added another piece of DSP layered onto cardstock which I’ve added the deer onto. The doily was coloured in with the Night of Navy Stampin’ Blend to coordinate with the rest of my card.
BASIC CUT 2 9.3cm x 13.6cm DSP 9.9cm x 14.2cm matte layer (cardstock)
When you have beautiful paper, you don’t need to do much to your card. This is the Magic in this Night Designer Series Paper which you can find on Page 62 of your catalogue. Teamed up with a Halloween suite, it’s quite easy to miss the magic of this paper, This paper has elegant black roses and spider webs that actually look like crocheted doilies.
Once you have your main layers cut, then you can start cutting them down and moving them around. This piece of ‘Tis the Season Designer Series Paper is 13.6cm x 9.3cm. I then cut it at the 5cm mark on the short side, reversing one side to show both sides of the beautiful paper. That beautiful Shaded Spruce ribbon covers the join of the paper. I edged the postage stamp with the Dark Cherry Cobble Stampin’ Blend to form a border around it.
This card uses Heartwarming Hug Designer Series Paper which has been cut at the 5cm mark on the long side. Once again, some ribbon covers the join. I’ve used the ‘Direct to Stamp’ Technique with my Stampin’ Write Markers to create the tag. You can colour directly on the stamp with these markers and then breathe on it to activate the ink. Stamp as usual and this gives you a beautiful coloured image.
I hope this inspires you to get a trimmer and start cutting your papers. If you would like more inspiration, make sure you sign up to my newsletter. This week’s issue will have 4 tutorials for you to use with Designer Series Paper giving you some alternative cards to the ones I shared with you today.
Two simple measurements but so many ways to use them. I hope you give it a try and please leave me a comment if you find this helpful or if you have any questions. All the DSP I have shown you today are on sale during our October DSP sale. There’s a total of 15 papers in the range which you will want to stock up on as there are so many beautiful designs in them.
All orders placed receive a handmade card and PDF tutorial for the month. Orders over $90 also qualify for a Sale-A-Bration reward until 16th March.
All orders receive a handmade card and PDF tutorial. Orders over $90 receive a Tutorial Bundle for the month with 36 tutorials.
Please use Host Code for all orders under $250. If your order is over $250 then don’t use the Host Code as you will get your own Stampin’ Rewards.
If your order exceeds $169 then our Starter Kit gives you your choice of $235 worth of products for only $169 with free shipping and an ongoing 20-25% discount.
HOW TO ORDER
Orders can be placed online or by contacting me on Ph: 0404 255 001 or email: rochelle@stampingflair.com
Orders can be placed online or by contacting me on Ph: 0404 255 001 or Email: rochelle@stampingflair.com
It’s October 1st and I’m still on Day 23 of the #30DayChristmasCardMakingChallenge. You’re my friends and I have to share with you that I struggled with creating this card. The challenge theme – Baby, it’s Cold Outside – was the easy part.
On Sunday, my daughter’s cat, Toulouse, died suddenly and this week we have been crying and doing lots of sitting and staring. She was nearly 4 years old and we are really feeling the loss greatly.
I have been struggling to do any creating since and have been working on this card for 2 days. I’m pleased that I finally got something together even though it’s not my finest work.
Do you find that papercrafting gets you through some tough times too as well as the good times? It’s nice to be able to relax and unwind even though sometimes it is a very slow process … we get there in the end.
My card is probably not the traditional brrrr… cold type. I decided to work with something I would have when it’s cold – hot chococolate.. Considering it’s International Coffee Day, well, chocolate may pass …just!
This card is all about warmth and being cozy with your loved one – because it’s cold outside. See, it all ties in. I used the Warm Hugs bundle together with the Press On stamp set to create this wintry card. I tied in the chill from the outside with the addition of an embossed panel in Merry Merlot using the Winter Snow embossing folder.
The Plaid Tidings Designer Series Paper forms the background for all the elements of my cozy card. It reminded me of a warm jumper. If you love plaid, you are going to love this paper which has simple checks with minimal colour as well as multi-coloured checks. You will also love the discounted price it has during October. You can shop the entire range of Designer Series Paper on sale here.
I will be continuing this challenge into October until completed so please subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss out on the rest of these cards.
Hi and welcome to Stamping Flair and the monthly Kre8tors Blog Hop. I’m a little bit sad because it’s the last time we’ll be hopping together for the time being. Thank you to Melissa Tennison who has worked so hard putting this blog hop together each month. I’ve had so much fun being a part of it.
However, we still have all the fun of this month. So make sure you check out all the blogs for lots of inspiration. Our theme is anniversaries. Usually I would create a floral, feminine card but this time I created more with my partner in mind. So my card took on a more masculine feel.
I started by sponging Granny Apple Green and Misty Moonlight along the bottom of the Whisper White cardstock panel. Then I embossed it with the Tasteful Textile embossing folder. Taking my Versamark ink pad, I roughly ran it down the ends of the cardstock and poured the Gold Embossing Powder over it. I brushed off any excess to achieve a streaky look then heat embossed it.
The sentiment is the die from the Love You More set and it actually says ‘Love you more than’. I just used the words ‘ Love you’ which I die cut from the Rainbow Glimmer Paper.
I hope you have been inspired by my creation. Please leave me a comment as I would love to hear from you. Next on our hop is Annette Elias. Click on the Next button to see her lovely project.
If you live in Australia and don’t have a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator, I would value the opportunity to help you with your crafting supplies and enquiries.
STAMPING FLAIR LOYALTY POINTS – Earn 1 point for every $50 spent in store. Once you reach 10 points you can select $40 worth of products from my Online Store.
Customize your own STARTER KIT – Choose $235 worth of products for $169 and receive your kit, postage FREE. Get 20% off all future orders. See more details HERE. Join my fun team and receive FREE access to all my PDF and video tutorials.
A class mailed right to your home. Find out all the details here.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about techniques or about joining my Gifted Stars team, please give me a call on Ph: 0404 255 001 or email rochelle@stampingflair.com
The content in this blog is the sole responsibility of Rochelle Laird-Smith as an Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator. The use of and content of classes, services or products offered is not endorsed by Stampin’ Up!
