Do you have a favorite Stampin' Up! color? Maybe there is a color you've always wished SU! had in their collection? Or is there one of the retired In Colors you cried over when the year was up?
Well, get ready for some exciting changes to the Stampin' Up! color palette! Beginning with the new catalog release on July 1, 2010, SU! will have a very different look: lots of current "core colors" are retiring, there are five brand-new colors(*), and a lot of favorite In Colors(**) are returning!
Here are the new color collections:
Brights Collection
Regal Rose
Melon Mambo**
Rich Razzleberry**
Pacific Point**
Tempting Turquoise
Old Olive
Daffodil Delight*
Pumpkin Pie
Tangerine Tango**
Real Red
Neutrals Collection
River Rock**
Chocolate Chip
Soft Suede**
Early Espresso*
Crumb Cake (formerly "Kraft")
Sahara Sand
Very Vanilla
Whisper White
Basic Gray
Basic Black
Regals Collection
Elegant Eggplant
Night of Navy
Not Quite Navy
Always Artichoke
Garden Green
More Mustard
Cajun Craze*
Riding Hood Red**
Cherry Cobbler*
Bravo Burgundy
Subtles Collection
Pink Pirouette**
Pretty in Pink
Rose Red
Perfect Plum
Marina Mist*
Bashful Blue
Baja Breeze
Wild Wasabi**
Certainly Celery
So Saffron
So, what does this mean to you? It means now is a great time to order some ink refills for those favorite colors that might be retiring. It means you need to do some extra stamping with the retiring colors: you need to have as much data as possible in order to make the best decision about what colors of card stock you really need before June 30, right?
Most of all, though, it means you can start dreaming about playing with the vibrant new color combinations we'll have at our fingertips starting July 1!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Sea Foam "Thinking of You" and Special Celebration Offer
I had a fun evening with my neighbor and good friend, Chris. Sharing some time together is very renewing for me, and having stamping be part of our camaraderie is great fun.
"THINKING OF YOU" CARD
We had a message today that a long-time family friend, and very special friend of my mother in law, got some bad health news this week. I made this card with her in mind.
1. Card base is Sage Shadow (standard size); Whisper White (4 3/4" square); Top Note is Gable Green.
2. I sponged the edges of the Whisper White square with both Gable Green and Sage Shadow. The Sage is heavier on the edges, the Gable more toward the center.
3. I ran the Gable Green cs through my Big Shot with the SU! Texturz plate "Flourish" before cutting it with the Top Note die. This panel is also sponged, but only with Sage Shadow. Notice that, in addition to sponging the edges of the Top Note, I also added some sponging to the textured portion, just to help give the piece a bit more texture.
4. The sentiment is stamped with Sage Shadow ink on Whisper White, punched out with SU!'s Scallop Oval Punch, and then sponged with both Gable Green (center) and Sage Shadow (edges). This piece is popped up with a Stampin' Dimensional.
5. The flowers are stamped in Sage Shadow on Whisper White, cut out with my Paper Snips, and then sponged all over with Gable Green, and Sage Shadow at the very edges.
6. Of course, you'll notice that the main flower used the Faux Cloisonne' Technique that I described in my last post. (You recognize the wacky color scheme, too, I hope!)
7. Lastly, the embellishment is simply a coil of Linen Thread, stuck to the back of the flower with a Mini Glue Dot. I had planned on cutting the strands to let them all hang down at various lengths, but I liked the look as it was, so left it coiled.
I would love to hear what you think, so please leave a comment!
SPECIAL OFFER!
I can hardly believe that I've been with Stampin' Up! for FIVE WHOLE YEARS! In celebration, I'm offering a 5% DISCOUNT on all orders placed through me (sorry, can't do it for customer-submitted online orders) THROUGH APRIL 15. Contact me with an order or for details!
It is because of my GREAT FRIENDS AND CUTSTOMERS, as well as the support of my FAMILY that I've been able to make my hobby into a business. THANKS!!!
"THINKING OF YOU" CARD
We had a message today that a long-time family friend, and very special friend of my mother in law, got some bad health news this week. I made this card with her in mind.
1. Card base is Sage Shadow (standard size); Whisper White (4 3/4" square); Top Note is Gable Green.
2. I sponged the edges of the Whisper White square with both Gable Green and Sage Shadow. The Sage is heavier on the edges, the Gable more toward the center.
3. I ran the Gable Green cs through my Big Shot with the SU! Texturz plate "Flourish" before cutting it with the Top Note die. This panel is also sponged, but only with Sage Shadow. Notice that, in addition to sponging the edges of the Top Note, I also added some sponging to the textured portion, just to help give the piece a bit more texture.
4. The sentiment is stamped with Sage Shadow ink on Whisper White, punched out with SU!'s Scallop Oval Punch, and then sponged with both Gable Green (center) and Sage Shadow (edges). This piece is popped up with a Stampin' Dimensional.
5. The flowers are stamped in Sage Shadow on Whisper White, cut out with my Paper Snips, and then sponged all over with Gable Green, and Sage Shadow at the very edges.
6. Of course, you'll notice that the main flower used the Faux Cloisonne' Technique that I described in my last post. (You recognize the wacky color scheme, too, I hope!)
7. Lastly, the embellishment is simply a coil of Linen Thread, stuck to the back of the flower with a Mini Glue Dot. I had planned on cutting the strands to let them all hang down at various lengths, but I liked the look as it was, so left it coiled.
I would love to hear what you think, so please leave a comment!
SPECIAL OFFER!
I can hardly believe that I've been with Stampin' Up! for FIVE WHOLE YEARS! In celebration, I'm offering a 5% DISCOUNT on all orders placed through me (sorry, can't do it for customer-submitted online orders) THROUGH APRIL 15. Contact me with an order or for details!
It is because of my GREAT FRIENDS AND CUTSTOMERS, as well as the support of my FAMILY that I've been able to make my hobby into a business. THANKS!!!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
SCS Milwaukee Swap #3
Here's my last Swap card for the Stampin' Up! Milwaukee Regional that is coming up on April 9/10. Since I can't make it to the event, I'm mailing my cards to my friend Jana in Duluth, and she'll be nice enough to swap them out for me. I'm excited to see what everyone else came up with.
(The scanned image isn't the greatest, sorry. I'm still working on how to get the right contrast with cards that have this much white.)
The technique I used on this project is called Faux Cloisonne'. It is gold embossing on top of a glossy photo, such as you find on a calendar or magazine. I've been wanting to use Faux Cloisonne' for a while, and just this week got a fresh container of Gold Embossing Powder from the UPS guy, so I was ready to roll.
Today, I searched through some old Nature Conservancy mags I had saved for this technique and found a photo of a coral reef on a seamount. I made a super-bold color choice; I have to admit that I was a bit worried, but I think it worked out. I pulled the crazy color combination (Sage Shadow and Gable Green, if you can believe it!)straight from the corals, sea water and fish!
1. Card base is Whisper White (standard size); Gable Green panel (at back) is 4" x 2 1/2"; Sage Shadow (really!) panel is 2" x 3 1/2"; Basic Black piece is 1 3/8" square.
2. The Whisper White image panels are all 1/8" smaller in each dimension than their mats (3 7/8" x 2 3/8";1 7/8" x 3 3/8"; 1 1/2" square).
3. This is my first time using this cute stamp set Happy Together, which I earned during Sale-A-Bration. Stems are stamped with Gable Green, flowers with both Gable Green and Sage Shadow, three little chicks with Sage Shadow.
4. For Mama Bird, I used the Rock-and-Roll Technique. Ink her up with Gable Green, roll the stamp on the Sage Shadow pad, then stamp! (It is important to clean the stamp before repeating the technique. Otherwise you'll get Sage on your Gable, which is not as good as chocolate in your peanut butter.)
5. The Faux Cloisonne' Technique looks really cool, but is actually super easy. (Those are the best techniques, in my book.) I just used the flower image (it is important to use a line-art image), stamped it with VersaMark ink, and then heat set the Gold Embossing Powder. Stampin' Up!'s Paper Snips work great for doing some accurate and neat cutting to produce the accents for this card. I popped those to blossoms (and Mama Bird) up with Stampin' Dimensionals.
The only caution I have for this technique is that with the glossy image, it is easy to let the stamp slip a bit; you need to be pretty careful. Also, it is good to use the Embossing Buddy before stamping with VersaMark to keep the excess Embossing Powder from sticking to other areas of the paper.
This was a fun and easy project: even with so much cutting, the embossing, and careful assembly, I was able to get the whole set that I needed for my swaps done without burning the midnight oil.
Do you recognize the layout? Check out my earlier post, 'cause I did a bit of recycling!
I'd love to hear what you think, and I hope you'll try this easy way to add some texture to your projects.
(The scanned image isn't the greatest, sorry. I'm still working on how to get the right contrast with cards that have this much white.)
The technique I used on this project is called Faux Cloisonne'. It is gold embossing on top of a glossy photo, such as you find on a calendar or magazine. I've been wanting to use Faux Cloisonne' for a while, and just this week got a fresh container of Gold Embossing Powder from the UPS guy, so I was ready to roll.
Today, I searched through some old Nature Conservancy mags I had saved for this technique and found a photo of a coral reef on a seamount. I made a super-bold color choice; I have to admit that I was a bit worried, but I think it worked out. I pulled the crazy color combination (Sage Shadow and Gable Green, if you can believe it!)straight from the corals, sea water and fish!
1. Card base is Whisper White (standard size); Gable Green panel (at back) is 4" x 2 1/2"; Sage Shadow (really!) panel is 2" x 3 1/2"; Basic Black piece is 1 3/8" square.
2. The Whisper White image panels are all 1/8" smaller in each dimension than their mats (3 7/8" x 2 3/8";1 7/8" x 3 3/8"; 1 1/2" square).
3. This is my first time using this cute stamp set Happy Together, which I earned during Sale-A-Bration. Stems are stamped with Gable Green, flowers with both Gable Green and Sage Shadow, three little chicks with Sage Shadow.
4. For Mama Bird, I used the Rock-and-Roll Technique. Ink her up with Gable Green, roll the stamp on the Sage Shadow pad, then stamp! (It is important to clean the stamp before repeating the technique. Otherwise you'll get Sage on your Gable, which is not as good as chocolate in your peanut butter.)
5. The Faux Cloisonne' Technique looks really cool, but is actually super easy. (Those are the best techniques, in my book.) I just used the flower image (it is important to use a line-art image), stamped it with VersaMark ink, and then heat set the Gold Embossing Powder. Stampin' Up!'s Paper Snips work great for doing some accurate and neat cutting to produce the accents for this card. I popped those to blossoms (and Mama Bird) up with Stampin' Dimensionals.
The only caution I have for this technique is that with the glossy image, it is easy to let the stamp slip a bit; you need to be pretty careful. Also, it is good to use the Embossing Buddy before stamping with VersaMark to keep the excess Embossing Powder from sticking to other areas of the paper.
This was a fun and easy project: even with so much cutting, the embossing, and careful assembly, I was able to get the whole set that I needed for my swaps done without burning the midnight oil.
Do you recognize the layout? Check out my earlier post, 'cause I did a bit of recycling!
I'd love to hear what you think, and I hope you'll try this easy way to add some texture to your projects.
Monday, March 29, 2010
SCS Milwaukee Swap #2
I'm making good progress on my SCS swaps for Stampin' Up!'s upcoming Milwaukee Regional Seminar. Here is my second card.
1. Confetti White card base is standard size; Night of Navy strip is 5 1/2" x 1 1/2"; Brocade Blue strip is 5 1/2" x 1".
2. I used my grid paper to help me line up SU!'s Medallion stamp(Who doesn't love this versatile image?), which I'd inked with my Night of Navy Classic pad. That's the only stamping on the card, though I could add a sentiment to the inside later.
3. For the central accent, I used my just-arrived-today Sizzlits die and my Big Shot. Boy, am I enjoying my new tool. The two smaller scallop circles are cut with the Big Shot, and I used the Scallop Circle Punch for the Confetti White circle. The flower is held together with a brad from the Rich Regals assortment.
A fun feature of the Big Shot is that you can easily position the paper to cut just the portion of the die you want. For example, both the scallop circles are on the same die, but I was able to cut just the one I wanted each time, thereby saving a bit of card stock.
I'd like to give credit to the SCS Challenge forums for the basic layout. When I was cruising around, I found Sketch Challenge 268 (SC268), and thought it would work nicely for incorporating the Medallion image.
Thanks for checking out my blog, and stay tuned for the final installment of the SCS Milwaukee Swap Series!
1. Confetti White card base is standard size; Night of Navy strip is 5 1/2" x 1 1/2"; Brocade Blue strip is 5 1/2" x 1".
2. I used my grid paper to help me line up SU!'s Medallion stamp(Who doesn't love this versatile image?), which I'd inked with my Night of Navy Classic pad. That's the only stamping on the card, though I could add a sentiment to the inside later.
3. For the central accent, I used my just-arrived-today Sizzlits die and my Big Shot. Boy, am I enjoying my new tool. The two smaller scallop circles are cut with the Big Shot, and I used the Scallop Circle Punch for the Confetti White circle. The flower is held together with a brad from the Rich Regals assortment.
A fun feature of the Big Shot is that you can easily position the paper to cut just the portion of the die you want. For example, both the scallop circles are on the same die, but I was able to cut just the one I wanted each time, thereby saving a bit of card stock.
I'd like to give credit to the SCS Challenge forums for the basic layout. When I was cruising around, I found Sketch Challenge 268 (SC268), and thought it would work nicely for incorporating the Medallion image.
Thanks for checking out my blog, and stay tuned for the final installment of the SCS Milwaukee Swap Series!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
SCS Milwaukee Swap #1
I'm a bit bummed that I won't be able to attend Stampin' Up!'s Milwaukee Regional event next month, especially because my experience at last year's Minneapolis Regional really exceeded my expectations. Stampin' Up! does a great job with creating inspiring and supportive resources for their Demonstrators.
Anyway, I am participating in a card swap hosted by my friend Jana from Duluth. Swaps are a fun way to get new ideas and to see some products you may not have yourself, in action.
I thought I'd post my swaps here, along with instructions. Hope you enjoy seeing what I've come up with!
1. Card base (5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4") is Cameo Coral. I cut the Watercolor Paper in quarters (1 7/8" x 2 1/2"), so that I could make four cards from each sheet. The Pumpkin Pie mat is just slightly bigger than the image panel (2 1/8" x 2 5/8"); the Basic Black mat has the same increase in the long dimension, and an extra 1/4" in the short dimension (2 1/2" x 2 3/4"), to allow for the Scallop Trim Border Punch.
2. Purrfect! image from Pun Fun is embossed with VersaMark and black embossing powder. I used Pumpkin Pie, Cameo Coral and Bordering Blue Classic Ink Pads to add color to this little guy with my Aquapainter. Just squeeze the pad while closed, and some ink is transferred to the lid: there's your palette! If you haven't tried SU!'s Aquapainters for watercoloring, you're really missing something, I must say.
3. I used the spunky Paws Stampin' Around Wheel with Cameo Coral ink to make some tracks on both the left side of the card front and also on the right side of the interior. You might be able to see the paw prints peeking through the punched trim. To get my wheeled image straight, I just used my grid paper. Stampin' Up! also has a nifty Wheel Guide that really helps not only with driving straight, but also with keeping an even pressure on your wheel.
4. One last detail I decided to add (especially since I only needed six cards for the swap) was the Fire Rhinestone Brad. I got these specialty brads when they were on sale last summer, and have really enjoyed using them on occasion to add a little bling to my creations. I positioned the brad using the Paper Piercing Tool and the Mat Pack.
Hope you like my card! (And I especially hope my fellow swap group members like it.) Stay tuned for more; I'm in three swap groups, so I plan to post all of them right here on my little blog.
Anyway, I am participating in a card swap hosted by my friend Jana from Duluth. Swaps are a fun way to get new ideas and to see some products you may not have yourself, in action.
I thought I'd post my swaps here, along with instructions. Hope you enjoy seeing what I've come up with!
1. Card base (5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4") is Cameo Coral. I cut the Watercolor Paper in quarters (1 7/8" x 2 1/2"), so that I could make four cards from each sheet. The Pumpkin Pie mat is just slightly bigger than the image panel (2 1/8" x 2 5/8"); the Basic Black mat has the same increase in the long dimension, and an extra 1/4" in the short dimension (2 1/2" x 2 3/4"), to allow for the Scallop Trim Border Punch.
2. Purrfect! image from Pun Fun is embossed with VersaMark and black embossing powder. I used Pumpkin Pie, Cameo Coral and Bordering Blue Classic Ink Pads to add color to this little guy with my Aquapainter. Just squeeze the pad while closed, and some ink is transferred to the lid: there's your palette! If you haven't tried SU!'s Aquapainters for watercoloring, you're really missing something, I must say.
3. I used the spunky Paws Stampin' Around Wheel with Cameo Coral ink to make some tracks on both the left side of the card front and also on the right side of the interior. You might be able to see the paw prints peeking through the punched trim. To get my wheeled image straight, I just used my grid paper. Stampin' Up! also has a nifty Wheel Guide that really helps not only with driving straight, but also with keeping an even pressure on your wheel.
4. One last detail I decided to add (especially since I only needed six cards for the swap) was the Fire Rhinestone Brad. I got these specialty brads when they were on sale last summer, and have really enjoyed using them on occasion to add a little bling to my creations. I positioned the brad using the Paper Piercing Tool and the Mat Pack.
Hope you like my card! (And I especially hope my fellow swap group members like it.) Stay tuned for more; I'm in three swap groups, so I plan to post all of them right here on my little blog.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
A Fun Sketch
Over at SCS, my friend susie nelson showed me a card she made using a fun little sketch (SC268). I had a great time putting together this adaptation of her card.
Want to play along? Here's what you'll need:
1) Card base is Creamy Caramel cs, as is the mat for the tall image. I also used Close to Cocoa cs for the mat behind the swirl stamp. The square image is matted with Garden Green. All other pieces of card stock are Very Vanilla.
2) I used my new favorite toy--Sizzix Big Shot for Stampin' Up!--and the SU Texturz plates for the dry embossing on the large VV panel. I added color around the edge by sponging with both Creamy Caramel and Close to Cocoa Classic inks.
3) The swirl from Baroque Motifs and daisies from Upsy Daisy are both stamped in Old Olive Classic ink, with more Old Olive sponged around the edges.
4) It was fun to pull out my Heat Tool, VersaMark ink and Gold Embossing Powder to create the main (albeit smallest) focal image for the card. The sponging there is Close to Cocoa.
5) Check out the Masterpiece Ribbon Originals pack to find this fancy ribbon. Sometimes I like to conserve and fasten the ends of ribbon behind a panel on the front of the card, but here I just went whole hog and wrapped this beautiful design all the way around the card front. For that reason, I cut my card base sideways (cut at 4 1/4" and scored at 5 1/2").
Hope you like my card! Please leave a comment, and of course let me know if you "need" any stamping supplies! Remember, Sale-A-Bration runs through the end of this month--that's FREE stuff with every $50 purchase (plus extended Hostess Benefits, too).
Want to play along? Here's what you'll need:
1) Card base is Creamy Caramel cs, as is the mat for the tall image. I also used Close to Cocoa cs for the mat behind the swirl stamp. The square image is matted with Garden Green. All other pieces of card stock are Very Vanilla.
2) I used my new favorite toy--Sizzix Big Shot for Stampin' Up!--and the SU Texturz plates for the dry embossing on the large VV panel. I added color around the edge by sponging with both Creamy Caramel and Close to Cocoa Classic inks.
3) The swirl from Baroque Motifs and daisies from Upsy Daisy are both stamped in Old Olive Classic ink, with more Old Olive sponged around the edges.
4) It was fun to pull out my Heat Tool, VersaMark ink and Gold Embossing Powder to create the main (albeit smallest) focal image for the card. The sponging there is Close to Cocoa.
5) Check out the Masterpiece Ribbon Originals pack to find this fancy ribbon. Sometimes I like to conserve and fasten the ends of ribbon behind a panel on the front of the card, but here I just went whole hog and wrapped this beautiful design all the way around the card front. For that reason, I cut my card base sideways (cut at 4 1/4" and scored at 5 1/2").
Hope you like my card! Please leave a comment, and of course let me know if you "need" any stamping supplies! Remember, Sale-A-Bration runs through the end of this month--that's FREE stuff with every $50 purchase (plus extended Hostess Benefits, too).
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Olympic VSN Silver Medalist
Yea! I'm so happy to tell you that one of the cards I made for the recent Virtual Stamp Night (VSN) on Splitcoast was a winner. The card (see previous post), using the Rolling Marble Technique, was a "Silver Medalist" for the curling-themed challenge.
The Rolling Marble technique is easy and fun, and it is a great alternative to stamping or dsp for making a unique background.
For my card, I used a nice bright color combination: Yoyo Yellow, Orchid Opulence and Rich Razzleberry. I layered the marbled and stamped Glossy White piece on yellow, and put the whole shebang on an Orchid card base.
The stamping for this card was super-simple: just the Medallion stamped in Orchid on top of the marbled bg.
I'm quite proud that my card was chosen as a winner, but I'm even more excited that I saw cards from Trina (mnfroggie) and her mom, Jackie (m&msgradma) on the podium, too! There is a sub-thread in the VSN forum where all of the winners are listed. Check them out for some great inspiration!
The Rolling Marble technique is easy and fun, and it is a great alternative to stamping or dsp for making a unique background.
For my card, I used a nice bright color combination: Yoyo Yellow, Orchid Opulence and Rich Razzleberry. I layered the marbled and stamped Glossy White piece on yellow, and put the whole shebang on an Orchid card base.
The stamping for this card was super-simple: just the Medallion stamped in Orchid on top of the marbled bg.
I'm quite proud that my card was chosen as a winner, but I'm even more excited that I saw cards from Trina (mnfroggie) and her mom, Jackie (m&msgradma) on the podium, too! There is a sub-thread in the VSN forum where all of the winners are listed. Check them out for some great inspiration!
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