Inkspiration for Stamping and Scrapbooking

December is not just for Christmas - birthday cards

Two of my friends had birthdays this month - here are their cards:

Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Basic Black, Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Rose Red, Regal Rose, Petals & Paisley patterned paper

Set: Happy Everything

Ink: Basic Black, Certainly Celery, Rose Red, Regal Rose

Other: Silver Brads, 3 for You  Flower Punch, Basic Black, Celery, Pretty in Pink and Tempting Turquoise Grosgrain Ribbons

Here's another birthday card:

Cardstock: Chocolote Chip, Regal Rose, Basic White

Set: Pick a Petal, Sincere Salutations

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Craft White, Regal Rose

Other: Pretties Kit, Chocolate Taffetta Ribbon

Aren't these pretty card ideas for the women having birthdays? I'll be back with a masculine card later, if I remembered to take a shot of it (It might have been given away before I took the photo... it happens sometimes!)

If you loved that designer paper used in the first card, stock uip now 'cause it's retiring!

Blessings and happy stampin'! - Ann

Check Out this month's SU! party cards

I enjoyed another stampin' Up! party late last week with another fabulous hostess and some really great ladies.

Most of these women have stamped before, but because there were three there who hadn't, I included this simple but striking card:

We made this card with Very Vanilla cardstock, and Old Olive  and Purely Pomegranate inks. The flourish stamp is the larger of the two flourishes in Priceless. The focal point is stamped on scraps and punched out with the Five Petal Flower punch, that co-ordinates so nicely with the stamp we used from In the Sjpotlight, a level two hostess set. We added some detail by using the Crop-o-dile and the mat pack to dry emboss the border. Even the experienced stampers were really "wow"ed with this card! I am sure the inspiration for this card came from a SCS gallery.

We also did this card. I am sure I've shown it to you before. This group hadn't seen it, so why not - it's gorgeous and they had fun doing the kissing technique with the flannel background and the small flower from the Pick a Petal stamp set. 

Our final card was this one - it took a little more work, but it was a huge hit. Again, I am sure that a SCS gallery inspired this one - actually I think I took one idea from one card and another idea from another card, and came up with this...

Here's my favourite little snowman again, from Merry & Bright. He's coloured in with blender pens and ink. The card uses lots of masking to set him in this setting - the tree and snowflakes behind him.

The vertical piece is the emboss resist technique using the "snow" wheel and Bashful Blue ink on glossy cardstock. It's mounted on Wasabi paper.

The background paper comes from the Winter Bright Simply Scrappin Kit. AND I have TONS of the kit leftover for more projects!

If you love incorporating patterned paper into your cardmaking and scrapbooking projects, you are going to LOVE the upcoming November special. Stay tuned!!! Meantime, don't forget that this month, Stampin' Up! is trying to help you simplify things by allowing you to create custom kits for your Christmas cardmaking. Click here for more info, or email me. These kits can be shipped anywhere in Canada.

Happy stampin'! - Ann

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Thanksgiving here in Canada. Here's a card we did in a recent Pick-a-Petal class. The large circle is done using the round tab punch. I'll show you that next week. If you have any questions about anything else about this card, just ask!

May you and yours experience blessings aplenty this weekend and throughout the year!

I know my family and I have so many things to be thankful for. Hope you can say the same thing!

Blessings,

Ann

How Does Your Inspiration Flow?

Last month, my terrific upline loaned me a few stamp sets for the New Sets & Colours class I was holding. She loaned me Pick a Petal, which is going on my shopping list now - I love that set! And she sent a few samples she had stamped to show my class and to inspire all of us. This card, which she got the idea for from Split Coast, I think, was one I chose to use for my class.

Originally I was just going to copy Joanne's card for my class. It's a great card, why reinvent the wheel? As I stamped, though, the inspiration started flowing, and my card ended up looking like this. The first change was to change the card from portrait to landscape, with the card opening on the right side. I loved the scalloped edge accented with the white gel pen, so that stayed, but I omitted the Real Red brads (I don't have them, and I didn't think my card needed them). Of course the ladybug constructed from one of the petal stamps and some punches of course stayed. I added Dazzling Diamonds glitter to the polka dots for some extra punch. Joanne used the Basic Black marker to hand draw a flight trail behind the lady bug and the antennae, which I started to copy too. But I noticed that one of the petal stamps has the word "smile" formed into one of the edges. I used the marker to ink up the word "smile" and then hand-doodled the rest of the flight trail. I love Joanne's card, and you know what, I love mine too!

Here's a photo of the two of them together:

There are so many beautiful stamping artists out there (online, in the SU! mini's and full collections) generously sharing their ideas. It is OK to copy them (including the ideas I share with you here) provided you give credit where credit is do, and never submit a non-original idea for a contest or magazine call. Sometimes, what starts out as a copy, takes a different path to becoming something original.

Happy stamping!
- Ann