Viewing: Creativity
June 2, 2017
Why Hello There, New Catalog
Why, hello there! The new catalog went live yesterday and I was among the thousands placing an order. One of the perks of being a demonstrator is the opportunity to pre-order select products a month before a catalog goes live. And I did. But there are so many things I like in the new catalog, I had to order again! Of course, I need new samples for my upcoming Open House, too. Of course.
One of the sets I pre-ordered is called Pieces & Patterns. (You can find it on page 41.) It’s kind of a goofy little set and not the style I normally get. But it caught my eye, and every time I looked through the catalog I had to stop and ponder what I would do with it. Every. Time. So I bought it.
Several of us got together for a swap with our new sets and I made this card.
The camera image in the stamp set and the camera design on the matching Pick a Pattern designer series paper made me think of the faux Polaroid frames that are trendy right now. And the idea of the dinosaur, with his short little arms, taking a selfie made me chuckle. Yes, it doesn’t happen often, but sometimes a card will have a backstory. Is it just me?
Posted in Creativity | By Paula Cannon
May 30, 2017
Hats Off to Guy Greetings
At last month’s Monthly Stamp Class, one of the cards we made was this one, using the stamp set Guy Greetings and the Urban Underground designer series paper. Attendees could pick one of these three images for their card. It’s a pretty simple card to make with a classic design.
Here’s a little tip I shared for using the designer series paper (DSP). I cut the bottom portion to 3-1/2″ high by 4″ wide. The top portion is 2″ high by 4″ wide. Since class attendees could add ribbon or washi tape, that should be done before gluing the paper down.
Tip: position the bottom piece of DSP where you want it on the card front, with even margins on the sides and bottom. Add glue just to the top edge of the paper. Position the top piece of DSP so the margins are even on the sides and top. Adhere it to the glue line on the bottom piece. Now you have the two pieces in place at the right size. Wrap the ribbon or washi tape around the paper and secure in back. Attach entire DSP piece to card front.
The following week I hosted a gathering with friends and we did a birthday card swap. I just really like this card and I had enough DSP, so I used it for my swap. I picked the hats image. After all, this set has vintage images and back in the day gentlemen would typically tilt their hats in salutation, so why not a tip of the hat for a birthday? Plus, I had what I thought was a fun idea for the inside of the card.
Posted in Creativity | By Paula Cannon
April 29, 2017
A Fresh Fruit Pear for a Classic Card
The Fresh Fruit stamp set is on the new Stampin’ Up! retired list.* I am sorry to see it go. It’s cute and fun and fresh. And I’m not sure why, but I think a pear image is a good stamp image. Maybe because it can fit any season or because it can be used in a vintage or a fresh style. I’ve made several cards using this Fresh Fruit pear image and I thought I’d share one of my favorites.
It’s a pretty easy card to make. I started with a card base of our Whisper White Thick card stock. The card front is a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Soft Suede card stock. I cut three 1″ x 4-1/2″ strips of Fruit Stand designer series paper and centered them on the card front.
Posted in Creativity, Specials | By Paula Cannon
March 17, 2017
A New Color Combo for You to Try
Are you ready to try a new color combo? My guess is that you have a few go-to colors when you start a new stamping project. I know I do. But I also like to look for new color combinations and give them a try. One source I use, along with half of the population, is Pinterest. That’s where I saw this color combo of Calypso Coral, So Saffron and Mint Macaron. Since I like all three colors, it was game on!
The Cake Crazy stamp set seemed like a good place to start since it’s a fun set for multiple colors. Here’s the finished card:
Posted in Creativity, Specials | By Paula Cannon
March 3, 2017
Dragonfly Dreams Land on a Clear Block
My dragonfly has landed on a clear block. So to speak. I’ve been playing with the Dragonfly Dreams Bundle from the Occasions Catalog. For this card, the little guy ended up landing on a clear block stamped background. I did a Pinterest search for dragonfly to get some color ideas. One image that I saved was a print of three dragonflies, laid out one below the other, similar to a specimen frame. Not only did I like the coloring, I had my design inspiration as well. Yes!
Posted in Creativity | By Paula Cannon