Healing Hugs with Bokeh background

Do you love the look of a bokeh background but don't want to get all inky?  Here's the answer:  Bokeh Dots background stamp!  There are two stamps in the set - the other provides a lovely starry night effect.

This is one of Stampin' Up's new Distinktive photorealistic stamps - just one stamp and it's done!  The only trick is to make sure that your ink pad is neither too juicy nor to dry - I think of them as Goldilocks stamps - the ink needs to be just right!

Bokeh Dots background with Healing Hugs for a get well card

I stamped this Bokeh Dot background with Rich Razzleberry ink and layered it onto my Thick Very Vanilla base card and layers.  The Rich Razzleberry layer has been embossed with the gorgeous Tufted 3D Dynamic Embossing Folder but, sadly, it desn't really show in my photo!

The flower is from the Healing Hugs stamp set and is also a Distinktive Stamp.  It looks gorgeous just inked with one colour but, for a little difference, I tapped it into Crushed Curry ink and then sponged some Mango Melody ink around the edges and a little towards the centre.

I then added a couple of elements from the Petals and More thinlits: the Crushed Curry lattice and the label for the greeting.

Thank you for visiting.
'Til next time!
Stephanie

Product List - all products used in this card are available in my online store for Australian Residents

Bokeh Dots Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$26.00

Healing Hugs Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$37.00

Petals & More Thinlits Dies

$59.00

Tufted Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

$16.00

Very Vanilla A4 Thick Cardstock

$13.50

Rich Razzleberry A4 Card Stock

$14.75

Card Stock A4 Crushed Curry

$14.75

Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad

$13.00

Rich Razzleberry Classic Stampin' Pad

$13.00

Mango Melody Classic Stampin' Pad

$13.00

Shaded Spruce Classic Stampin' Pad

$13.00

Beautiful Promenade on Navy

This card is entered into this month's Crazy Crafters Team Highlights.  So see all the entries and vote for your favourites, click here.

I fell in love with this stamp set as soon as I saw it and I know I'll be using it a lot in the future!  It ticks all my "beautiful and versatile" boxes!

Beautiful Promenade in Navy and Mango - inspired by someone's scarf!

This colour scheme was inspired by a scarf that I saw someone wearing the other day and admired - you just never know when or how inspiration is going to strike.

To the base card of Night of Navy I added a layer of Mango Melody and then decorated the top layer of Night of Navy before adhering it to the card front.

Most of the elements are gold heat embossed directly onto the card front.  The two flowers were black heat embossed, watercoloured with Pumpkin Pie and Cajun Craze ink and fussy cut (because I'd forgotten about the coordinating Beautiful Layers in the bundle!) before I adhered them into place.  One of the flowers is cut from Mango Melody cardstock and the other from Pumpkin Pie.

Thank you for visiting.

'Til next time!

Stephanie

Product List - All items used are available in my online store for Australian Residents

Beautiful Promenade Photopolymer Bundle

$78.25

Floral Frames Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$37.00

Night Of Navy A4 Card Stock

$14.75

Mango Melody A4 Cardstock

$14.75

Pumpkin Pie A4 Card Stock

$14.75

Versamark Pad

$15.00

Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder

$8.75

Black Stampin' Emboss Powder

$8.75

Embossing Buddy

$10.00

Heat Tool

$50.00

Cajun Craze Classic Stampin' Pad

$13.00

Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad

$13.00

Blended Seasons Silhouette Christmas Card

How appropriate to post a Christmas card on the 25th - that means it's only five months until Christmas Day!

But, actually this is my second Christmas card of the year and the second using these wonderful limited-time Stitched Seasons framelits and Blended Seasons stamp set - you can see the first one here.   The white frame I'm using in this card is actually a leftover piece from that previous card.

Stitched Seasons Christmas Card - an updated twist on traditional colours

To a Thick Whisper White card base I added layers of Shaded Spruce and Granny Apple Green.   I then added the leftover frame and a Real Red label cut with one of the framelits.

The leftover frame from a previous card that formed the centre of this card

I cut some of the foliage from Whisper White cardstock with one of the dies and added them to the card front then added a bow made from Real Red Cotton ribbon.

I white heat embossed the greeting onto a piece of Shaded Spruce cardstock and cut it out with the label die from the Petals & More Thinlit set.  I had to extend the die cut a little by using this method.

Remember - the Blended Seasons stamp set and Stitched Seasons dies will only be available during the month of August 2018 or while stocks last - so, if you like it, don't delay!

Thank you for visiting.
'Til next time!
Stephanie

Product List - All products available in my online store (Limited-time products available from 1-31 August 2018 or while stocks last)

Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock

$13.50

Granny Apple Green A4 Cardstock

$14.75

Real Red A4 Card Stock

$14.75

Shaded Spruce A4 Cardstock

$14.75

Whisper White A4 Card Stock

$17.00

Real Red 3/8" (1 Cm) Cotton Ribbon

$12.25

Petals & More Thinlits Dies

$59.00

Big Shot

$159.00

Versamark Pad

$15.00

White Stampin' Emboss Powder

$8.75

Heat Tool

$50.00

Blended Seasons Holly Christmas Card

I'm a big fan of versatillity so I LOVE these new limited-time products: Blended Seasons stamp set and coordinating Stitched Seasons framelit dies.  They cover a myriad of occasions from thank you cards, birthdays and anniversaries to get well and sympathy cards and Christmas!

Colour the images with any medium that takes your fancy.  I've watercoloured, used Stampin' Blends alcohol markers and for this card I used the Stampin' Write Markers.

The limited-time Blended Seasons stamp set and Stitched Seasons dies are perfect for making Christmas cards!

I kept this spare piece for another card

The base card is Granny Apple Green.  I cut into the Whisper White layer with two of the framelits from the Stitched Seasons set and removed the resulting frame shape (which I kept to one side and used in my next Christmas card).

I used the same larger framelit to cut a piece of Poppy Parade which I adhered to the card front, nestled nicely into the empty space to produce one flat layer with two colours.

I stamped the holly image at the top of the smaller white label using Mossy Meadow ink.
I then thoroughly cleaned and dried my stamp and used Mossy Meadow and Poppy Parade Stampin' Write Markers to ink up just one holly cluster which I stamped into one lower corner and then repeated on the other side.

I used Stampin' Write Markers to colour the images in Granny Apple Green, Poppy Parade and Mint Macaron and I added a touch of Cherry Cobbler to the berries by squiggling the marker onto an acrylic block and picking up a little on the end of a Blender Pen.

The greeting was stamped with Mossy Meadow ink and then I adhered the decorated label to the card front and added the little red bow. Since I lacked Poppy Parade ribbon, I coloured a length of Whisper White Classic Weave ribbon with Poppy Parade ink and let it dry.

These limited-time products will only be available from 1 to 31 August or while stocks last.  If you'd like to start using them right away - join now and include them in your starter kit!

Thank you for visiting.
'Til next time!
Stephanie

Product List - All products available from my online store (Limited-time products available from 1-31 August 2018 or while stocks last)

Poppy Parade A4 Cardstock

$14.75

Granny Apple Green A4 Cardstock

$14.75

Whisper White A4 Card Stock

$17.00

Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad

$13.00

Many Marvelous Markers

$215.25

Whisper White 3/8" Classic Weave Ribbon

$12.25

Poppy Parade Classic Stampin' Pad

$13.00

Big Shot

$159.00

Ink It! Stamp It! Design Team Blog Hop: Technique - Embossing Mats

Welcome to the Ink It! Stamp It! Design Team Blog Hop - we hop every month so be sure to pop back and visit us again!  Today our theme is Techniques.

I love learning new techniques - so this is one of my favourite blog hops!  If you also like techniques - you'll want to use the list at the end of this post to click on the name after mine to continue around the hop.  You are currently at my page - Stephanie Fischer, The Crafty Thinker.  

The gorgeous Blended Seasons stamp set & coordinating Stitched Seasons dies
will only be available 1-31 August 2018 or while stocks last

For this project I've used some limited-time products: Blended Season stamp set and the coordinating Stitched Season Framelit dies.  These are currently available to Demonstrators and will be available to our customers from 1 - 31 August while supplies last. 

Anyone who knows me also knows that I love versatility - I like to make sure I get full value from my purchases!  Stampin' up! recently introduced into their range a Big Shot accessory that can add versatility to the dies in our collection.  I'm talking about the Big Shot Embossing Mats.

This technique is much easier to do than to photograph!  I've increased the contrast in the top photograph in an attempt to show the embossing on the card.

Having cut a piece of Shimmery White cardstock to size, I used a little washi tape to position one of the dies on the back of the card and ran it through the Big Shot with the Embossing Mats using the embossing technique shown here.

With the help of the Embossing Mats, this card front is embossed with one of the Stitched Seasons dies

My colour test patch

I then used Soft Sea Foam ink to stamp the floral image which I coloured with Stampin' Blends alcohol markers.  The colours I used were: Granny Apple Green Light and Dark, Poppy Parade Light and Dark, Cherry Cobbler Dark, Calypso Coral Dark and Daffodil Delight Dark.  

TIP:  Before I start colouring with alcohol markers, I like to test them on an off-cut of the cardstock that I'm using.

The base card is Poppy Parade with a layer of Granny Apple Green.  Using the coordinating dies, I cut the flourishes from Poppy Parade cardstock and cut the bow twice: once in Granny Apple Green and once in Garden Green and did a little paper piecing.

TIP:  Adding some Multipurpose Adhesive Sheet to the back of the cardstock before cutting intricate pieces makes them much easier to adhere to the project!

If you like the very versatile Blended Seasons stamp set and Stitched Seasons dies (here is a watercoloured card made with the set and in future posts I'll be sharing some Christmas cards), remember they're a limited release so get your order in fast!  If you can't wait until 1st August to get your hands on them, join up as a Demonstrator and you can include them in your kit.

Thank you so much for joining us today and we hope you'll join us again next month when we'll be showcasing the new Holiday Catalogue! 

I'm Stephanie Fischer and to keep hopping around see the list below to see who is up next with another great project.

Thanks for visiting
'Til next time
Stephanie

Product List - All available in my online store (Limited release products available from 1 to 31 August 2018)

Poppy Parade A4 Cardstock

$14.75

Granny Apple Green A4 Cardstock

$14.75

Shimmery White A4 Card Stock

$15.75

Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets

$17.00

Big Shot Embossing Mats

$26.00

Big Shot

$159.00