June Creative Journey Challenge: Day 6

It feels like summer is in full swing, it's really hot in Edmonton and staying indoors did not feel like an option today. Since, I really have to get my birds completed ASAP (kind of nervous how long I've left the masking fluid already!), I packed up my painting gear, some snacks and a blanket then we headed down to the river valley for some plein air painting. 

Painting outdoors is a wonderful experience though it take some adjusting to. My paint dried way faster than usual in the heat, and though I frequently had to pick bugs and poplar fluff out of my paint, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and lost all track of time. In the end I did not manage to complete my project as hoped but, I did make a good dent into it. If all goes well I should be able to complete at least one piece tomorrow.

What is inspiring me today:

Today was a low tech day. No youtube tutorials, music, pinterest etc, just the joy of sunlight on my shoulders, grass on my feet, the chittering of birds, and the lingering smell of spring turning to summer. Sometimes, it can feel too daunting to pack up my gear and head outside to paint but, when I do it's always worth the effort. 

Can you take what you are working on outside? Do you find the outdoors generally an inspiration or a distraction to your creative work?

June Creative Journey: Day 5

{Part 1}

I'm on the road today and currently, this is as creative as it's gotten! Hopefully I will have more to add before the day is through.

{Part 2}

I could tell when, I woke up this morning that I was having an off day so, I quickly decided to change my plans and follow my hubby downtown. The dramatic change of scenes coupled with the energy of the city core is normally all I need to crowbar myself out of a rut. 

Not today. Alas, it all felt a little too intense so I tucked myself away in a quite corner with a tea, read and sketched a bit. The sketching felt pretty forced and unsuccessful but, I did scrounge up a few good ideas for later so, maybe it was a success after all?

When I found out I'd have the house to myself tonight, I decided to just relax and enjoy it. I've made myself what I can only call a faux-hot cheese dip/spread of sorts and I've picked up an adventure saga novel in the Tolkien style. I am ready for a bit of escapism tonight. Who knows, maybe painting will still come before the night is through. 

What is inspiring me today:

I'd love to say the architecture that surrounded me today, or the pack of daycare kids running around the park in sheer glee, or maybe the battling buskers on the square, or possibly the zentangle doodle book I borrowed from the library? Each of these certainly had an influence but, to be honest, right now, it is a quiet house, a good book and a glass of my favourite kiwi wine. wink emoticon

Do you have go to sources of inspiration? What do you do to shake yourself out of a bad mood or creative rut?

June Creative Journey Challenge: Day 4

Today after some serious procrastinating (which at least did result in a cleaner house) I finally tackled the backgrounds of my bluebird paintings. I decided to just release and have fun splashing the colours around. I'm still not 100% sure I achieved what I wanted but, I'm moving forward. It's always hard to judge a background until your piece is completed, sometimes it will suddenly just come together.

What is inspiring me today:

I started the day with music but, because I was obviously a bit intimidated to start slapping paint on my sketches, I turned to Youtube for painting tutorials. Sure, Youtube can be a deep, dark time sapping hole full of cat videos and awkward talent show clips but, used wisely, it can also inspire creativity and -dare I say- even increase productivity?

Even though I did not manage to find the tutorial I was looking for, just having a series of watercolourists painting with me in my living room, helped get on with the projects. I am starting to think that there is nothing you can't learn online these days! What ever you are creating, if you find yourself stuck, take a gander for a video to help you. I bet you you'll find one, or a dozen, or more...

Finally, a couple of ideas that I loved from Creative Thursday:

• Don't be afraid of a poor start, you never know how a piece will turn out until it's finished.
• A successful artist is someone who recognizes their insecurities and creates anyways!

How did your day go? Did it meet your expectations?

June Creative Journey Challenge: Day 3

Last night, I was pretty exhausted and did not trust myself to to work on the background of my painting so, I decided to apply a bit of masking fluid to it to preserve the white areas and call it done.

This morning, I realized it had been a very long time since I had painted the type of background I was hoping on doing, let alone around such complex shapes so, I decided to practice first. I wanted to have a painting that had super bright intense colours in contrast to deeper earthy ones without producing mud. This has proven to be a lot more difficult than I had expected so, I am really glad for having spent today practicing despite the delay. I have learned a lot and I'm hoping it will pay off tomorrow when I tackle the real paintings.

What's inspiring me today:

Change and introspection. As much as I have enjoyed listening to the series of artist interviews in The Spark, I needed a change of environment to get into a creative space this morning. I moved my painting set up into a sunny patch on my living room floor and found a Youtube play list of some of my favourite upbeat and inspirational singers. 

Personally, I need to establish a joyful and energizing space around myself to paint. I find the process and product of creation fascinating. Last night, I spoke with a friend who is high energy, bold and simply a vibrant person (who may or may not own a pair of bright pink high heels) but, when she paints, it's dark, deep and intense. I, on the other hand, tend to be, more prone to introspection and self criticism. I am generally very concerned about others and well, life the universe and everything. Part of me is quite morose and easily discouraged and it takes a lot of effort for me to stay in a place of hope and joy. 

One would think that this would make me the dark and brooding artist but, instead I strive for bright, joyful, beautiful and even silly subjects. I admire those who can paint from that dark place and make people stop and think about the state of our world but, I simply can't create from there. Sadness, doubt and anger are paralyzing rather than inspiring to me. My creative battle is to move from the dark into the light. 

One singer I love and listened to this morning is Tracy Chapman. She can sing about some seriously dark and disturbing issues with great depth and yet, have you dancing, feeling charged up and empowered. I hope one day I can paint like she composes. For the moment though, my goal is to highlight the joy, hope and beauty in the world. Maybe in some small way, helping someone see the beauty in our natural world will open their hearts and minds to how precious it is and encourage them to protect it. That's where I stand for now. Maybe one day I will be able to tackle some of the big issues on my heart but, for today my goal is simply to delight.

What inspires you? What kind of head space do you need to be in to create? Is there a kind of music that can get you there? I always love to learn more about peoples creative process so, please, do share!

June Creative Journey Challenge: Day 2

I knew today would be tougher because of appointments but, I am kind of proud of myself as, I remembered to pack the sketches I was working on. I managed to refine the birds I've been working on, in between appointments and quickly tape them down to boards before going to pick my son up at school. If I am not exhausted by the time the kids are in bed tonight, I'm hoping to paint the background...we shall see!

What is inspiring me today:

I am still listening to The Spark which I mentioned yesterday, it makes for good creative company. I've also been exploring a wonderful site called Paint my Photo. You do need to become a member to use the site but, it's free and well worth it if you are looking for photo sources. The site invites photographers to post images that they give artists permission to paint. It's always wonderful to be able to do a quick search for something obscure like jellyfish or, as for this painting, cherry blossoms and not worry about copyrights. 

How were you creative today?

June Creative Journey: Day 1

Today, I finished the rough sketch of my cousins' dachshund (yes he is sporting a cone and exactly why I could not resist sketching him) and finished tidying up my bird sketches. I am hoping to transfer the birds to watercolour paper today and, if all goes well, try painting them tomorrow. We shall see how that goal comes as tomorrow is already a pretty busy day.

What is inspiring me today: 

Well, besides the obvious bounty of silly pet pics on Facebook...I am listening to The Spark by Julie Burstein. This audiobook is filled with profiles and interviews with all sorts of creatives and a rich source of inspiration. If you want a smaller taste of this work, be sure to check out the short Ted talk from the author,

And finally, a little thought I picked up from the Creative Thursday book: Don't wait on inspiration before you start creating. Just start and have faith that inspiration will meet you along the way.

How were you creative today?

June Creative Journey Challenge

This year I have done most of my posting on my Facebook page as it has been the quick easy and sane thing for me to do. I always feel like the images I post to my blog should be high quality, edited and watermarked and so, more often than not, if I dd not have time to do all of those steps I simply would not post. For some reason, Facebook has seemed more casual. Like a conversation with friends and uploading a quick pic taken with my phone of a work in progress seemed like an ok thing to do. It has allowed me to share and post more freely and I've had to ask myself: Could I blog this way too?

This Month I have launched a daily: June Creative Journey Challenge. I feel that I would, be quite strange not to share this adventure on my blog and so, for those of you who follow me here I have decided to share my posts in the relaxed Facebook conversation style. I would love for you to join me by commenting either on the blog or which ever is your preferred format. 

Here is the Introductory post:

-June Creative Journey-

***Long post but, you can skip to the end for a little summary***

I’ve been hinting at having something up my sleeve since reading the book Creative Thursday by Marisa Anne Cummings, and now I dish! I am throwing down the gauntlet and inviting you to join me in taking on some form of daily creative practice for the next 30 days. 

I am leaving the details of the challenge wide open as, heaven forbid, I try to define what is and is not creative. I just ask that you consider what creative act can you add to your everyday? If you are already practicing a specific art form, or working in any creative outlet (or pining to), can you set aside a small moment in the day to touch on it? And if life feels so overwhelming right now that you can’t even imagine adding to it, is there a way that you could inject more creativity into tasks you are already doing regularly? (In desperation for a creative outlet a few years ago, I found myself doodling on the paper napkins I sent in the kids lunch boxes!)

Now, why am I doing this? 

There are a few reasons: 

1. Most pragmatically, I am participating in the Whyte Avenue Art walk on the weekend of July 10th and have realized that all my best pieces are now spoken for so, I need to start seriously producing more work. (Having a booth full of art with sold stickers on the work does not sound like a recipe for success)
2. Bluntly, I’ve come to realize this year that, having a creative outlet is literally my sanity. I need to create as much as I need to eat and sleep to be a productive member of this little world.
3. Inertia! Once I can actually get myself into the zone, I love creating, I easily loose track of time and it can be very meditative. This being said, there is always an intense resistance to beginning to create. Part of it is just life pulling you every which way and making it feel impossible to just start a project. The largest part though, happens in between your own ears. I’ve found, the longer I go between creative sessions, the harder it is to start again, the more self-doubt I have to conquer, the more effort it takes to tap into my creative well. I’m hoping that establishing a daily practice will help keep me in this creative flow and make the whole process more fruitful for me.

Why am I sharing this challenge publicly?

1. I know I am not alone. I know many of my friends once did some form of creative endeavour and long to return it. Some are working on their art in fits and starts but, would really like to dedicate more quality time to it. Others still, feel that they don’t have a creative bone in their body but, so wish they could be “creative”. I feel that this challenge is accessible to all of the above and I will be adding some hints, tips and sources of inspiration along the road. 
2. Accountability. I am not going to lie, I suck at routine. I really want to be good at establishing routine’s etc. but, it does not come naturally to me at all. I’m hoping that putting this challenge out there will help keep me on track for my goal.
3. Everything is more fun when done together! So, please, join me on this adventure, share your work, your passion and your encouragement. Let’s make this world a more colourful, joyful and creative place! 

***Summary of my June Creative Journey Challenge***

N.B. Don’t worry if you can’t start with me on day one, it’s never too late to join the fun!

What I plan on doing for the next 30 days:

• Do at least one thing related to my painting each day. (Though it could be a lot more because of my looming deadline)
• Post a photo of what I create each day
• Share any sources of creative inspiration I come across along the way.
• Be transparent and share the ups and downs of the creative process with you. ( It ain’t all rainbows and unicorns!)
• Encourage you on your personal creative journey.

What you can do:

• Set a personal goal for the month and share it with me bellow. (Daily is awesome but, choose what makes sense for you)
• Come share what you are working on here on my page.
• Like and follow my page to receive daily updates.
• Help keep me on track! (I give you full permission to pester me if I haven’t posted for a day or so)

I look forward to sharing this adventure with you!

P.S.  I have included a few of my very recent um...creations? Some days, doodling a bison in crayon with the kids is as good as it's going to get! wink emoticon

Silly Siamese Roses

Silly Siamese Roses  

Here's that quirky piece I teased about yesterday. This was again painted as a gift for someone. I felt a bit like the engineers in a Kindersurprise factory must- Dog, spacecraft, pickle? Sure, I can make that work! Basically, I knew the receiver loved pink and red rose-like flowers and siamese cats...both subjects I am not comfortable with. My strategy was to combine the two and, hopefully, each would hide the flaws of the other. What do you think? Did it work or is it weird beyond weird? I'm thinking I would reframe it next time, do more of a portrait of the cat and only roses behind, no floor-like surface.

Silly Siamese Roses - Reworked

As much as I love actually physically painting, there is something to be said about the digital arts. What fun to be able to recompose a painting after the fact? I like this variant much better. Which do you prefer? Or, is it still just too odd? ;)

Catching Peace

As much as I enjoy the freedom of painting whatever pleases me at a given moment, one can tend to play it safe and fall in a rut. Taking up the challenge of painting for someone in particular or taking on a commission piece can be a great way to get pushed out of your comfort zone and grow as an artist. Today and tomorrow's painting's were gifts for people dear to me.

Today's creation is not a wild step away from what I have already been painting but, because it was for my Dad, I considered adding some details that I would not have thought to normally.

Catching Peace- Watercolour - 5x7 inches - Original Gone

My Father loves nothing more than being alone (Well, with the exception of the mandatory pooch) in nature fishing...for hours.  I'm pretty sure he would be quite happy in this scene! 

Painting silhouettes is both simple yet, challenging, It's a great way to study the shape of an object. Trees are always very forgiving as they naturally come in so many odd and interesting shapes but, when you start adding people, animals or common structures, you have to pay a lot of attention to detail. A little bump or line in the wrong place and suddenly the object is not as easily identifiable. 

I hope you enjoyed today's creation. Tomorrow's is much quirkier and outside of my comfort zone- see you then!

Stormy Skies

It's been brutally hot recently but, yesterday, grey clouds rolled in with a sweet, cool wind. I'd love to say my mood remained sunny (the cool and rain were welcome after all) but, I found myself feeling like the sky was looking. Normally, no matter how I am feeling, my paintings tend to be bright and cheerful but, yesterday, my mood broke through. I started by trying to make a couple of bright rainbow butterflies but, they did not turn out so I decided to go with along with the weather and produced a couple dramatically moody pieces.

Rooted- July 17th 2014

This first piece is quite large (12x16 inches) and a lot darker than my usual paintings. I had a lot of fun playing with texture here and pulled out almost every trick in my bag including masking, washes, splatter, removing paint and even salt. It's always so exiting to see what the outcome of all these techniques will be as, so much of it is completely out of the artists control!

Moody Poppies - July 17th 2014

This painting is a bit smaller at 12x12 inches but, still huge for me. As much as I am enjoying working on larger papers, one unforeseen problem I've encountered is not being able to fit them on my scanner. So, until I track down a wide format scanner (or the battery for my good camera!), please excuse my wobbly, discoloured iPhone photos!

For this piece, I was inspired by a photo I came across of a bright golden field against wildly dark and moody skies; all it was missing was poppies. I love the drama and energy of poppies, I am determined to one day capture one accurately but, for now, I will have to be satisfied by conveying their essence. 

I hope you enjoyed. Have a lovely weekend!


P.S. I added a Gallery Page tab which can be found just bellow my header. Let me know if you like what you see, I always enjoy comments. ;)

Big Transition Underway!

Hello again to my old subscribers!  For those arriving here from the Art Walk, you are indeed in the right place. I finally got the framework of my blog tidied-up and my Watercolour creations will be coming soon. 

While I finish up the gallery portion of the blog, you can take a peak at my gallery on Flikr, Pin your favourites on Pinterest, or check out my art page on Facebook (Don't forget to like the page so you don't miss future additions.) 

See you very soon!

Something Cheerful

I promised I'd be back with some more cheerful projects and I think this one definitely fits the bill. I made this card for my nephew's first birthday ( the giant #1 might be a bit of a giveaway on that). I wanted to make a card that my car loving nephew would enjoy as much as his card making mama, and I think I succeeded this time! I really need to take notes on cards I make because I know that the layout was based on a sketch I saw somewhere and I think the colours might have been off of a card in our demo magazine but, beyond that I have no idea!

I love this stamp set from the occasions mini stamp set the little animals are perfect for a fun and quirky card. I was also pleased to see that they were the right size to use with the truck from the loads of love stamp set. Almost everything here was paper pieced. I played a lot with textures so, on this card you will find embossed cs, crimped cs, glossy heat embossed cs (the #1) and both fine and chunky red glitter. Since it's not easy to tell in the pic, I should mention that I actually stamped the greeting win Versamark ink then glittered it with the help of our heat and stick powder (fab. stuff!) {sigh} I can't believe the corduroy buttons are all retiring, aren't they fun? If you're in love with them like I am, better order them up fast, they're gone after June 30!

Happy Stampin'!

The Last of the Paper Flower- For Now!

Well this is the last paper flower card I have in my photo stash. Unfortunately this card was not fun to make. A family friend lost their 22 year old daughter to heart failure this spring, and I wanted to make a card that reflected her personality rather than focusing on the grief side of things. This girl was a lovely, ever cheerful and friendly person with a natural flair and love of fashion. She will be greatly missed. I find I am not the best with words, at least not when it comes to situations like these and so I really appreciate the nearly therapeutic effect of crafting a card like this for people you care about. I hope this card will bring a little sunshine into this family's dark days.


The card itself was again inspired by the colours in the Razzleberry Lemonade DSP fut this time I focused on the deeper hues. I loaded on the flowers and the distressing for this card. I wanted to go with the vintage shabby look but it also had to have some bling to it so I used some rhinestone brads and added some Encore Gold ink (Retiring!!!) directly to the paper along the outer edges of the card. I quite liked the effect. The last thing worth mentioning about the card is the greeting. I had already loaded so much stuff onto the card and did not want to overwhelm it with the greeting and so I actually stamped it on vellum. You can't see it very well in the pic but, because of the transparency of the vellum, the greeting isn't as 'in your face' despite it's size.

I know this is not the most pleasant type of project to share but, we all have moments when we are called on to make sympathy cards and I think it's important to share them too. To make up for it though, I promise my next few cards will be super cheerful, and maybe even a little silly!

Happy Stampin'!

More Paper Flowers

Bet you thought, I was done with the paper flowers, eh? Nope. In fact, I have at least one more project after this one up my sleeve!!
This was another fun and relatively simple card. I always find it so hard to pin point the source of my inspiration with cards like this. I love browsing paper crafting blogs and it seems like sometimes the projects I make wind up being the synthesis of things that inspired me on them over days or weeks or even longer. Two blogs that definitely influenced me for this one though are Paper Pleasing Ideas and My Favorite Things (hmmm, I almost typed My Favorite Thongs, I'm sure that would not be a blog I'd want to be sending you to!!)


This card, much like the Crushed Curry card I shared earlier this week, was made for a friend who just had a long awaited baby girl. This time after 3 boys. (I have only one-I just can't imagine!) So once again this card was made to be a celebration of all things girly. The flower was made in felted Pink Pirouette (a returning in color) cardstock so it has a very pleasing flannel-like texture to it.
The felt accent pieces were from the Sweet Pea Stitched Felt elements that were available in the last mini catalogue. I earned them free with my MDS certification in the fall {Yay SU!} I actually do have to admit though, I am a bit of a hoarder when it comes to embellishment and despite really liking these elements this is the first project I dared break into them for! Do you do the same? I still have piles of DSP waiting for just the right project, and I can't bear to cut into them, silly really, that IS why I bought it!
Well that's it for today, I'd love to read your comments, Happy Stampin'!

Flashy Flowers

I figured since I'm on a bit of a role with the paper flower thing I might as well keep going. The card I'm sharing today has a pretty wild colour combo but, I really like how it turned out. I wanted to give a thank you gift to a family friend (in her 80's but, you'd never guess!) who really went out of her way to help me this year while I was busy with the baby. The card was inspired by a really cheerful but, admittedly wild gift bag that I was using. I wish I had thought of taking a pic of the bag (hindsight eh?) so you could see where the idea came from. Basically the bag was checkered in kiwi and white then covered in multicolored gebera like daisies. I think it also had black polka dots on it somehow but, for the moment I can't imagine how!


Anyway, this turned out to be a really quick card thanks to Mr. Big Shot (looooooove him!-shhh, don't tell Will!). I used the daisies #2 die with Orchid Opulescence and Pixie Pink cardstock (I think, I never use those colours) . This is a fabulous die as you can easily produce very impressive flowers and their appearance can be totally transformed simply by your choice of papers and the number of layers you use. I think I've posted a flower I made with this die using blues and the effect is completely different!
While I'm on the topic of things I love, have you gotten the vibe recently that I LOVE the corduroy buttons? Especially these Kiwi Kiss one- and their available in the clearance rack really cheap! Unfortunately it looks like they all hit the Last Chance Accessories list so it looks like I'll have to stock up before they're all gone! My favourite colour is actually the Kraft (soon to be Crumb Cake) because they are pale enough to colour with markers!
OK I'm sure you feel that, that's more than enough ranting about buttons and such so, I guess I'll sign off for now. Do be sure to check out those last chance lists though, there are really great things that won't be available after Juin 30th!

Happy Stampin!

Fast and fabulous Flower

As I mentioned yesterday I have gotten totally hooked on making paper flowers. Here is a card featuring another kind of flower I discovered (Ack I can't find the tutorial I watched on it, if anyone knows where to find it, please let me know!) I made this card for my DSIL who is also an avid papercrafter. This flower is a lot more intricate than the one I shared yesterday. The reason I refer to it as a fast flower is that, when I offered my paper flower making class I came up with a 3d rose that I honestly don't think looked as sharp as this one and yet took AGES to make. In fact I think most of my stampers, although they loved the finished product, said they would likely never make one again. It was far too finicky and time consuming. On the contrary, this flower, which is made using our scallop circle punch, looks awesome and is simple enough to do on a regular basis. Here's a close up of the flower, I used the tombo multi adhesive to make the flower- it's awesome stuff!


This card actually features a few of my recent addictions: kraft cardstock (soon to be called Crumb Cake and will have a matching ink!!!!), the Scallop trim edge punch and the polkadots embossing folder. The folder is one of the best purchases I have ever made, I absolutely love the effect it gives and I find myself reaching for it all the time. Here is the rest if the card, I just love the look of Old olive and plum or elegant eggplant together, it gives projects a really rich feel.
Happy Stampin'!

Last Chance Lists Posted Today!

Stampin' Up! posted it's Last Chance lists this morning (I have them posted below). This year, especially with the colour reno, the lists are extensive and definitely worth taking a good look at. Here are a few 'highlights' in case you don't have the time to look right away:

• Over 200 stamp sets retiring
• All products in retiring colours
• Pop up glue dots
• All designer series paper packs
• All Simply Scrappin' kits
• All Simply Sent, party, and element kits
• Encore metallic inks
• All dry embossing stencils and tools (including the light table)
• All pre-inked stampin around cartridges
• All full sized Craft Ink Stampin' Pads
• All punches are being reconfigured (but Trio Flower, My way and Tag corner punch will not return)
• Glassy Glaze Enamel Embossing Powder
• Micro beads
• All bead duos
• Corduroy Buttons {I can't bear the thought!!}
• Many ribbons
• All rub-ons
• Most On Board products
• Many Decor Elements
• soooooo much more!

I suppose you would like to see these lists now? Well you'll have to wait just one more sec, as I share the following very important information:

• The stamp sets will be available until the end of June.
• All accessories will be available only while supplies last.
• The retiring accessories list is very long and includes many items that are not retiring completely but, are only getting reconfigured. Check for a star in the left hand column to see if product is being reconfigured. For Example: they are not discontinuing black cardstock, only changing how it will be sold.
• If you want an absolute guarantee that you will get the retiring items you want, order online and soon!
• Bonus: some retiring accessories are being offered at up to a 50% off discount!

Here they are:

• Last Chance Stamps
• Last Chance Accessories
• Last Chance Decor Elements
  

OK now that I've posted the retiring stuff my treat is to go check out the new preview items on the demonstrator web site, I love being a Demo!!! (I'm sure I'll have lost to share about that soon.)

Happy Stampin'!

Averie's Posy

Here's another card I made a while back. This was baby card I made for a cousin who finally had a little girl after 2 boys. I wanted to make something really fun and girly and to my surprise i found myself reaching for Crushed Curry to do it! I'm still surprised how great this colour can be in the right situations because I actually hated it when it first came out. It was actually the stunning Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series Paper that helped me change my mind, I've used some of that paper on this project. This Paper lends itself really well to the whole shabby chic look. If Crushed Curry (or Bermuda Bay or Dusty Durango) has finally caught your fancy, don't forget that it is only available until the end of this month!!



I'm also really loving all of the paper flowers/medallions that have been showing up in papercrafting. A few years ago when I did a class on paper flowers, I had to search like crazy for ideas and then had to come up with most of them on my own. Now, though it seems like there are hundreds of varieties out there and every other card features one. Here's a close up of the posy flower I made for this card.


It's super easy to make and with the right paper choices really fabulous. I'm not sure who to credit with this kind of flower, I think it has been around for a long time but, I first took notice of it on Dawn McVey's blog. Basically all you do is roughly tear out 3 circles in complementary papers, and then after crumpling and distressing each one to your satisfaction you stack them and stick a brad or button on. Fun!! I've gotten quite hooked on the paper flowers, as you will see over the next few days. Hope you enjoyed.

Happy Stampin'

Stampin' Up Publishes Retiring Stamps list tommorrow!

I will be posting the list of retiring Stamps & Accessories here tommorrow so be sure to check back!

Trendy Scene

I figured since we're snowed in today (yes I am writing this at the very end of May!) I would take a few moments to share some things I've created since I last posted a project. I've still been stamping but have not been able to find the time to share. Today I'm choosing to create a whole bunch of smaller posts (that will be published over the next few days) that way I can share more projects in less time. I won't be sharing any card recipes but, if you would like to know about any of the projects I will be posting feel free to leave comments and I will do my best to answer.


As usual all supplies used are Stampin' Up! and most can be found in our current catalogue which you can see on my Stampin' site here.


This was a super fun card to make. I took inspiration from a creation someone shared in our monthly Stampin' Success magazine (an awesome perk to becoming a demonstrator!). I love the look of the different patterned papers on the hills. One thing you can't see well in the photo but, that I think really adds a lot to the card in real life is the pattern in the sky. I used one of the 'tree top' stamps from the Trendy Trees set that looks like a polka dot spiral and stamped it in white craft ink all over the bashful blue layer. I really love playing with this set!





Happy Stampin'!

Smooch Spritz

If you have seen the new Smooch Spritz from the Summer mini catalogue and have been wondering about it, Dawn's Stamping Studio has produced a great little 411 video about it here. It's great messy fun!

Stampin' Up!'s New Colour Renovation!!!

{You'll want to read to the end, I have a special offer for you!}

Hi Stampers,
I have some very exciting news for you! As you know Stampin' Up! is all about colours, and colour trends are constantly changing. Over the last few years, the In Color family have been used to keep the Stampin' Up! pallette on trend but, after lots of research they've decided that it was time for a larger change; a Color Renovation! Just like any renovation project it can be daunting and even scary at first but the end results are always worth the troubles! So what does this mean?

Some happy hellos and fond farewells...

There will now be 4 Color Collections: -Brights, Regals, Subtles and Neutrals

Each collection will include 10 colours (40 in all) These palettes are made up of 25 carried-over colours, 10 returning In Colors (Including most of my faves!!) and 5 gorgeous brand new colors. (Early Expresso looks like the brown of my dreams!)(See link on right side for full list).

Farewell...
So what's happening to the other 30 colours that will not be carried over? They are going to be retired {gulp!}. Now, while there are a few that I am glad to see go, there are also a few that really choke me up, and I'm sure you will feel the same way.(See link on right side for full list).

Stampin' Up! is promising to make all these colors available through the end of May then after that it will only be as supplies last so, I recommend ordering ASAP! I know that I will have to stock up on a few of my faves, somehow I can`t imagine a world without close to cocoa, mellow moss, pale plum or summer sun! Are your 'can't live without em' colours on the hit list?

Remember this will effect all inks, refills, cardstock, designer series papers, markers, pastels, watercolour crayons and of course accessories in the retiring colours.

{Edited to add: I just recieved my free samples of the new colours from Stampin' Up! and I love them even more in real life!! That makes saying good bye a little easier!}

In Colors...
They will also be continuing with the In-Color program but, in a slightly different (and in my opinion, much better) way. From now on, every year Stampin' Up! will introduce 5 new In-colors to reflect the color new color trends but, they will stick around for two whole years-yay! What this means, is after this year you will actually have access to 10 additional In-colors at any given time. I don't know about you but, this thrilled me, it always takes me a while to warm up to the new colours, then by the time I'm totaly in love with them- Bye bye! {sigh} I can't wait to see the new 2010 In colors!!

Easing Into the New Colour Collections:
While change is always exciting, as a demonstrator I was afraid it would become terribly expensive to stay current....would I have to purchase a new set of markers or watercolour crayons, on top of the new ink pads and papers?... Thank goodness Stampin' Up! was sensitive to this and so, for the duration of the 2010 catalogue they will be offering update kits that will only include the new colours as well as inserts for your marker boxes and pastels as well as new tins for the watercolour crayons.

Something This Exciting Calls for Prizes!
I will be purchasing the five new classic ink pads as soon as they are available (Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist, Early Expresso & Cajun Craze). In order to win one, simply place a minimum $30 order, including retiring colour products, during the month of May, either online or by contacting me directly. You will recieve one draw entry per $30 ordered before shipping and taxes. I will draw the winners in June.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to leave me a comment.

Have fun dreaming up new colour combos & Happy Stampin'!