Missing = Me

Hi everyone.
You might be wondering... where have I been?
If you have been visiting my blog for awhile, you would know that I have been unwell for quite some time. Whilst my surgery in December was successful, I have since found out that I have a few other medical issues I wasnt aware of. So I'm in the process of sorting those issues out!
But the main reason ive been missing online is that my right hand has been in a splint for 8 weeks (with at least another 6 to go!) So crafting is out of the question (boo) and typing is very difficult.
It's so annoying because... have u seen the new catalogue. It's AMAZING! If you haven't pop me an email or Facebook pm!
I am still a Stampin'Up! Demo tho... so if you are wanting to order I can definitely help you out (and would be super grateful for the income as I have not been able to do my 'real job' since last August!)
As soon as I can craft I will be back with heaps more inspiration.
Thankyou for your patience!!

Tangelo Twist with a Wink of Stella

I'm back with another retiring 2015 In Color, this time Tangelo Twist! (If you missed my Blackberry Bliss post you can find it here)

Tangelo Twist is a rich deep shade of orange, quite bright, but with depth of colour. It makes a great accent colour, adding pop to any project, but also works well as a main feature. I particularly like pairing it with Very Vanilla, the warmth of the cream works perfectly with this shade of orange. (You can also find this combination in the Sweet Lil Things suite of products)

For this card I have used the Tangelo Twist Stampin' Write Marker to colour the rose image from the Rose Wonder stamp set.

Did you know- you can achieve a shaded effect using just 1 Stampin' Write marker. Simply layer the colour on to areas you want darker, such as parts of the petal that would naturally be in shadow. You can apply 3-4 layers of marker, but be careful not to add too many, as your paper will begin to "pill" or ball up, particularly if you are using regular cardstock. The markers preform better on watercolour paper, shimmer cardstock or extra thick cardstock.

I have added some clear Wink of Stella to the petals to give them a shimmering finish. I really like how subtle the glitter is... but its so hard to photograph!! The leaves are coloured using the Mossy Meadow Stampin' Write Marker.

As previously mentioned, the 5 2014 In Colors retire at the end of this month, and once they are gone there will be no more products made in these colors. So stock up now (particularly on markers, ink refills and ink pads) as these items tend to sell out fast!

I will be featuring all of the retiring colours before the end of the month, so pop back soon! Em

Blackberry Bliss Butterflies

Blackberry Bliss is one of the 5 2014 InColors which is retiring at the end of this month. It doesnt seem like 2 years since it was released! Whilst we will get 5 NEW colours to play with, it also means just a few more weeks of crafting with Blackberry Bliss (unless ofcourse you stock up!)

I created this card for a friend whose favourite colour just happens to be purple! It features the Watercolour Wings stamp and the Bold Butterfly Framelit dies (available as a bundle15% off) Other than the white cardstock, the only other colour featured on this card is one of the 2015 InColor's Watermelon Wonder, with just a tiny amount on the stamped butterfly wings.

The Watercolor Wings stamps are so easy to use! If you want to use the same colour ink for more than 1 layer, make sure you "stamp off" the wings (1st layer) before you stamp your cardstock.

The sentiments included in this set are really sweet: "You are so kind", "Just for you" and "The little moments with you matter a lot to me."

Thanks for popping by today, I will be featuring the other retiring InColors between now and the end of the month!

Love Em

Scrapping in A4 format

When it comes to my scrapbbok albums (I now have over 30) I dont stick to one specific size or style. All of my layouts go onto a 12" binder (personally I like to buy black ones for a cohesive look, such as this one by Stampin'Up!) This includes traditional 12 inch pages, Project Life pages, and A4 pages. I LOVE the freedom of being able to create in whatever format I choose, and I have yet to hear anyone complain that my album pages arent all a standard size (quite the opposite, people are usually just impressed at what I have recorded)

A4 is an easy size to work with. Our brains are used to doing things on a computer to A4 size, many magazines are this size, and if you are a fan of incorporating computer text on your layout, it fits easily in a standard printer.

A4 layouts can run horizontally (landscape) or vertically (portrait). Because of the dimensions of the page, a standard 4x6 photo can look quite large, so this size is well suited when you only have 1 or 2 photos to tell the story, and you dont want to order enlargements (I find this is particularly the case with some phone based photos, or photos from Facebook or email, where the file size doesnt allow for quality enlargement.)

Materials used:

S layout; Cardstock (Mint Macaron, Hello Honey and Cajun Craze), Botanical Gardens Paper Series
 
Jump, jump, sugar lump; Cardstock (Blushing Bride, Mossy Meadow, Basic Black) Birthday Bouquet Paper Series, Love Blossoms Embellishment Kit.

Little Moments

Today I am sharing a layout which features the Watercolor Wings Bundle, that is the stamp set of the same name and the Bold Butterfly Framelits. The title of my layout comes from the sentiment above, taken fromthe stamp set.

Our beautiful neice was captured fast asleepin this photo, and the cute little freckles on her nose reminded me of something my mum once said, that freckles are kisses from a butterfly.

The butterflies themselves are stamped using Blushing Bride and Blackberry Bliss inks (the latter of which retires attheend of this month!), and the colours are repeatedin cardstock at the base of the photo.

Note how I have created a visual triangle using 3 butterflies, a simple design technique which helps focus attention on the photo.

I have also added a Silver Glimmer Paper diecut to two of the butterflies, as well as a strip of coordinating paper beneath the photo.

And look at those tiny little freckles and long brown lashes! Thankyou to Anna Hartley Photography for this amazing shot!

This layout is simple, and yet perfectly matched to the photograph. Do you have stamps in your collection that could add to the story on one of your layouts?

Checkout more of my scrapbboking, including Project Life, by clicking on the scrapbooking label below or in the sidebar. See you soon, Em

Last month for the 2014-2016 In Colours

Do you the Stampin'Up! significance associated with May? Its the last month of our current Annual Catalogue! As on June 1 we will have a new catalogue with new In Colors!! Whilst we are all excited to find out what the new In Colors are, its sad to say goodbye to:

Mossy Meadow 

Tangerine Tango 

Hello Honey 

Blackberry Bliss 

and Lost Lagoon 

So with just one month left, make sure you get any of the products you might have missed (I will add some of my favourites below) I look forward to letting you know the NEW In Colors as soon as I can! 

Love Em

 

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Three Scoops of Gratitude

So by now you probably know that I love these honeycomb embellishments. (Need evidence... see here or here or here or here)

Today I have drawn inspiration directly from the icecream print paper (from the Birthday Bouquet suite), echoing the scoops of icecream with 3 Honeycomb Embellishments. The coordinating cardstock circles add focus to the card, and the kraft cardstock strip coordinates well with the icecream cones. The Thankyou sentiment is from the Rose Wonder set.

This is a simple, cheery card, which I think I will team with a tub of icecream or gelati!

Thanks for stopping by, Em