I'm continuing my play with the Peony Garden Suite, and have flipped 180° from yesterday's burst of colour.  This one is only Gray Granite and Whisper White, and is CASE'd from Chris Smith.  

The peonies are coloured with the Gray Granite Light Stampin' Blends Marker, while the leaves and stems are coloured in with the Dark marker.  I decided to use this sentiment from Comfort & Hope instead of one from the Prized Peony stamp set.  The scalloped border die is from the Peony Dies set.

You can shop everything used for this card here.

You will receive an email with your voucher code(s)...be sure to save it in a safe place as they cannot be replaced.  You can redeem multiple vouchers on one order.

Here's the project I made on this week's Facebook Live video.  You can watch the replay on Facebook or YouTube.  While you're there, please Follow and Like my Facebook page or Subscribe to my YouTube channel so you don't miss anything!

​I decided to play along with the Mojo Monday sketch for this week.  Here's the inspiration sketch along with my take on it:

You may have noticed that I'm focusing on the Peony Garden Suite of products this week.  I wanted to keep doing that, but also wanted to change up the colour scheme from the suite's very subdued palette of greys and pale pink.  

I hope you enjoy the video and are inspired to try some of the things I showed!

Here are all the products I used to make this card.

Rachel Tessman designed this card...and I copied it wholesale.  Its a great fun fold card to show off your Designer Series Paper!

2 accordion folds allow it to be the size of a regular card base.  Pretty nifty, isn't it?  I like how she selected to use Mossy Meadow as the card base.  It adds an additional colour without overwhelming the Gray Granite and Petal Pink of the suite's design.  

You can shop everything used for this card here.

Today's card is CASE'd from Emma Goddard.  I really didn't change anything from her card, because it was perfect!  I though about changing up the colour of the peony, but in the end decided to keep it Calypso Coral because I like how it pops against the neutrals on the rest of the card..

The peony is made by doing an ombré watercolour wash on a piece of Shimmery White cardstock, and once it's dry cutting out the four petal pieces on different parts of the piece to get variegated colour.  It's hard to see in my picture, but Emma recommended cutting two of the base/largest petal pieces and stacking them with Mini Stampin' Dimensionals to give even more dimension to the bloom. The Sahara Sand flower centre is coated with Wink of Stella, which the camera managed to pick up!

The background is made by stamping images from Prized Peony in Versamark on Sahara Sand and heat setting with White Stampin' Emboss Powder.  The sentiment is from the same set and the scalloped edge is cut with another Peony die.  A double bow of Linen Twine and a few of the Elegant Faceted Gems finishes it off.

​You can shop for everything I used to make this card by clicking here.

August Monthly Card Class
Due to current Covid-19 conditions in Melbourne I can only offer this class as a kit/online version...we are back to Phase 3 restrictions until at least mid-August. 
 
I will provide a kit and written instructions to make 5 cards.  Participants will be able to add sentiments as desired with their own stamps and inks.  Kits can be picked up from my residence in Melbourne using safe, social distancing protocols, or I can ship via Australia Post tracked satchel.  Come give this a try - perfect if you've always wanted to try my classes and can't attend in person.  

​Online (Zoom) Group Assembly Session: Saturday, 15 August, 1:00 pm AEST (optional – click here to find your local time).  Meeting link will be shared when you place your order.
​
Card Kit:  includes all the pieces and printed directions needed to create 5 cards.  You will need to supply your own stamps and ink for sentiments, as well as having basic adhesive (like Multipurpose Liquid Glue) for assembly. 
​Cost: $30 + $8.95 optional shipping. Australian crafters only, sorry.
RSVP Deadline for Kits is Sunday, 9 August. ​

There were 2 periods in my life when I lived in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, which was settled by non-indigenous people in the mid-1800s.  This was akin to living in Bendigo, Victoria; a nice, regional city overshadowed by the state's big city.  There were a lot of original/heritage buildings with original tin ceilings, and a big push to restore ones that had been covered up or removed in the intervening years.  I suppose this is why I'm such a fan of the Tin Tile 3D Embossing Folder.

I CASE'd this card from Julie Warnick.  She sponged her layers with Crumb Cake to make it look more vintage, but I preferred to keep mine cleaner. I also omitted her large sentiment.

I stamped the images from Country Home in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Whisper White and coloured in with Stampin' Blends Markers.  Then I fussy-cut it out to attach to the card.  The Tin Tile embossing folder on the Silver Foil Sheets looks so good, doesn't it?

I made this during my July Zoom Crafting Session...I hope you'll choose a project and join us in August!  All the details are below.

​Here's what I used to make this card:

August Monthly Card Class
Due to current Covid-19 conditions in Melbourne I can only offer this class as a kit/online version...we are back to Phase 3 restrictions until at least mid-August. 
 
I will provide a kit and written instructions to make 5 cards.  Participants will be able to add sentiments as desired with their own stamps and inks.  Kits can be picked up from my residence in Melbourne using safe, social distancing protocols, or I can ship via Australia Post tracked satchel.  Come give this a try - perfect if you've always wanted to try my classes and can't attend in person.  

​Online (Zoom) Group Assembly Session: Saturday, 15 August, 1:00 pm AEST (optional – click here to find your local time).  Meeting link will be shared when you place your order.
​
Card Kit:  includes all the pieces and printed directions needed to create 5 cards.  You will need to supply your own stamps and ink for sentiments, as well as having basic adhesive (like Multipurpose Liquid Glue) for assembly. 
​Cost: $30 + $8.95 optional shipping. Australian crafters only, sorry.
RSVP Deadline for Kits is Sunday, 9 August. ​​

Written Tutorial: Purchase the instructions including measurements (in centimetres and inches) and create along with us using your own supplies. You can substitute papers and colours based on what you have.  International customers welcome!
Cost: $20.00 ​

This is the card I made for our daughter's 21st birthday this week.

She loves Japanese anime, squirrels and bunnies, so I knew I had to buy the Managerie Mix-Up stamp set and coordinating dies from the new August - December 2020 Mini Catalogue (p. 67).    These are a lot of fun to play with!  

To make the background on the front of the card I stamped the trees from Winter Woods in Versamark ink and heat set them with Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder.  Then I used a Sponge Brayer to roll on Pear Pizzazz and Balmy Blue ink, rubbing the ink off the embossed trees with a paper towel when I was finished.  Really quick and easy!  The sentiment on the inside is from Bloom & Grow.

This new Mini Catalogue goes live on 4 August!

​If you live in Australia and would like for me to be your Stampin' Up! demonstrator, please click the button below and I'd be happy to send you a copy right away!

Here's my project from this week's Facebook Live video.  I realise that I'm quite fortunate to rarely have technical issues with my Lives...this week my phone wouldn't play nice so I had to stop and re-start.  Fortunately I was able to splice the two videos together afterwards, so it's easier for you to watch the replay on either Facebook or YouTube.

This is the complete project: 4 cards and envelopes, 6 sentiments and Mini Stampin' Dimensionals to attach them, and a box to hold everything.

I think the cards are great on their own, without a sentiment, and I know many of my friends and customers will agree.  Others will want to have the sentiment on, so I'm giving that option.

The box is from Marelle Taylor, and while she says she could get 6 cards and envelopes in hers, I was only able to get in 4 of this design.

I love using these little self-adhesive Velcro circles to close boxes! You can't even see the bottom one on the patterned paper!

Here's what I used to make this project:

When I was making the card I showed in Monday's post I wasn't quite sure where I'd wind up, so I made a few of the smallest flowers in addition to the large ones.  After I finished that card I looked at the bits and bobs left over on my craft desk and put together today's card:

Once again, I'm loving the Just Jade and Flirty Flamingo/Blushing Bride combination.  I've added in some of the other Peony Garden Suite products with the Dainty Diamonds Embossing Folder and the Square Vellum Doilies.

​Here's everything I used for this card:

August Monthly Card Class
Due to current Covid-19 conditions in Melbourne I can only offer this class as a kit/online version...we are back to Phase 3 restrictions until at least mid-August. 
 
I will provide a kit and written instructions to make 5 cards.  Participants will be able to add sentiments as desired with their own stamps and inks.  Kits can be picked up from my residence in Melbourne using safe, social distancing protocols, or I can ship via Australia Post tracked satchel.  Come give this a try - perfect if you've always wanted to try my classes and can't attend in person.  

​Online (Zoom) Group Assembly Session: Saturday, 15 August, 1:00 pm AEST (optional – click here to find your local time).  Meeting link will be shared when you place your order.
​
Card Kit:  includes all the pieces and printed directions needed to create 5 cards.  You will need to supply your own stamps and ink for sentiments, as well as having basic adhesive (like Multipurpose Liquid Glue) for assembly. 
​Cost: $30 + $8.95 optional shipping. Australian crafters only, sorry.
RSVP Deadline for Kits is Sunday, 9 August. ​

Written Tutorial: Purchase the instructions including measurements (in centimetres and inches) and create along with us using your own supplies. You can substitute papers and colours based on what you have.  International customers welcome!
Cost: $20.00 ​​​​

I'm continuing my play with the Prized Peony bundle from the Peony Garden Suite (Annual Catalogue pp. 82-84).  I had some fun clicking around the Internet for pictures of actual peonies for some colour inspiration, and decided to make this one in So Saffron, Petal Pink and Soft Sea Foam.

I used Stampin' Blends alcohol ink markers in all 3 colours on the peony, and then wanted a background to go along with it.  I cut a piece of Vellum Cardstock the same size as a piece of Whisper White cardstock, and then used Stamping Sponges to add colour to the back side of the Vellum.  It gives a nice, soft look to the background.

​Here's everything I used for this card:

Here's my first go with this image from Prized Peony.  I'm loving the bright, cheerful colours to counteract our gray, wet weather the last few days.

How much do you love the new Just Jade In Color?  And, I discovered with these images I coloured in Flirty Flamingo Stampin' Blends Combo that they pair well with Blushing Bride for a softer card base.

I had an extra leaf, so I popped it inside as a little decoration.

​Here's what I used to make this card:

August Monthly Card Class
Due to current Covid-19 conditions in Melbourne I can only offer this class as a kit/online version...we are back to Phase 3 restrictions until at least mid-August. 
 
I will provide a kit and written instructions to make 5 cards.  Participants will be able to add sentiments as desired with their own stamps and inks.  Kits can be picked up from my residence in Melbourne using safe, social distancing protocols, or I can ship via Australia Post tracked satchel.  Come give this a try - perfect if you've always wanted to try my classes and can't attend in person.  

​Online (Zoom) Group Assembly Session: Saturday, 15 August, 1:00 pm AEST (optional – click here to find your local time).  Meeting link will be shared when you place your order.
​
Card Kit:  includes all the pieces and printed directions needed to create 5 cards.  You will need to supply your own stamps and ink for sentiments, as well as having basic adhesive (like Multipurpose Liquid Glue) for assembly. 
​Cost: $30 + $8.95 optional shipping. Australian crafters only, sorry.
RSVP Deadline for Kits is Sunday, 9 August. 

Written Tutorial: Purchase the instructions including measurements (in centimetres and inches) and create along with us using your own supplies. You can substitute papers and colours based on what you have.  International customers welcome!
Cost: $20.00 ​​​