Constantly Stamping

Fancy Friday Blog Hop...Pick a Bundle

Thank you for joining us for our monthly Fancy Friday Blog Hop. The Fancy Friday team consists of some of the most talented Stampin' Up! demonstrators around...all past or current Artisans. If you are hopping with us, you should have just arrived from visiting my very good friend, Cindy Schuster. It feels like old times. Did you know that I used to follow Cindy on our 2016 Artisan Design Team blog hop every month? Now she works as a Concept Artist at Stampin' Up! How exciting!

This month our challenge was to pick a bundle from the 2018-2019 Annual Catalog. With so many amazing product bundles in the annual catalog, it is difficult to choose where to start. I happened to have the Beautiful Promenade (#148389) bundle on my desk, so that is what I used for this hop. Even though I have seen this set used in so many beautiful ways, I am always looking for a way to do something unique or unexpected. This set has a lovely, large flower outline, but I decided to focus on creating an abstract look by using the "fill" portion of the flower instead. I love how it brings out the lines of the smaller flowers without overpowering the sentiment block.

I opted to stay with a more classic and vibrant color pallet of Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry, and Old Olive.

 
I absolutely love the sentiment in this set and the typography is amazing.

I can't wait to see what the other Fancy Friday team members have created. Be sure to hop on over to visit my amazing friend, Jenn Picard. Jenn and I both won the Artisan Award in 2011 and we have been super good friends ever since. I know you are going to love her project this month.

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR DEMONSTRATOR!

If you are in the United States and need a demonstrator, then you can order your supplies in my online store here.

Have a blessed day!  

 

Global Design Project #GDP153 - Color Challenge

I love a good color combo and this week's color challenge at the Global Design Project really brought out the best in our design team.

I know you have heard me say this time and time again, but I don't really think I would have picked these colors. I tend to be a creature of habit when it comes to color and stick with my favorites. But nothing ventured, nothing gained...right! In the end, I just adore how this turned out. With Autumn right around the corner, this card is perfect for this time of year.

Obviously, I relied heavily on the Soft Suede in this combo. I saved the Flirty Flamingo and Daffodil Delight to use as accent colors. It is pretty amazing how well these two lighter colors still manage to come through on the darker cardstock. Of course, they are much more subdued when sponged over Soft Suede.

I cannot tell you how much I love the Rooted in Nature (#146482) stamp set and coordinating Nature's Roots Framelits Dies (#146341). The gold embossing on the sentiment and smaller leaf clusters is difficult to see, but they add a lot of elegance to the finished card. I used Very Vanilla cardstock to really make the sentiment stand out on the dark background. I also used framelit dies from the Foliage Frames (#146353), Stitched Labels (#146828) and Stitched Shapes (#145372) sets. I colored some Clear Rhinestones with Stampin' Blends markers (Daffodil Delight and Calypso Coral) to add just another hint of soft color.

This card has a lot of layers to begin with, so I decided to really play up the natural feel of the foliage by using a bone folder to give the leaves some additional interest. In the end, my quick "15-minute" card ended up taking up a good portion of the afternoon, but it was totally worth it and I found a way to use this color combo in a way that totally fits my design style.

Be sure to check out what the other talented designers/players have created for this fun challenge at the Global Design Project Challenge Blog. We would love to have you play along with us this week. 

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR STAMPIN' UP! DEMONSTRATOR

If you are in the United States and need a demonstrator, then you can order your supplies in my online store here.

Have a blessed day!

Artisan Design Team Blog Hop Featuring the Stitched All Around Bundle

Welcome to another Artisan Design Team Blog Hop. On this hop, we are focusing on the Stitched All Around Bundle (#148373/#148374) on page 17 the 2018-2019 Annual Catalog.

 

I focused on the beautiful sentiment in this stamp set and then pulled in the detailed dies that comes in the bundle. Look how amazing the frame is when used with the embossing mat.

 

I just love those adorable little stitched hearts...aren't they just precious! The colors on this card are Poppy Parade, So Saffron, and Bermuda Bay.

 

... with some Silver Metallic Thread for an accent (#138402).

 

 

I have a second card for you today! It has the same colors, but has a totally different look when used on Smokey Slate cardstock.

 

I used the Subtle Embossing Folder (#143706) to add some texture to the background and the 5/8" Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon (#146912) adds just a touch of softness.

 

I just amazes me how this color combo just pops off the page. Be sure to add this fabulous bundle to your next order.

 

Elizabeth Price is next on our blog hop so be sure to head on over and check out what she and the the rest of the Artisan Design Team team have in store by clicking on the button below.

 

2018 Artisan Design Team

Cathy Caines - In The Cat Cave (Canada)
Charlet Mallett - Painted Orange (USA)
Connie Collins - Constantly Stamping (USA) <- you are here
Elizabeth Price - Seeing Ink Spots (USA)
Emma Goddard - Coastal Crafter (UK)
Jennifer Frost - Jennifer Frost (Australia)
Jenni Pauli - Paulines Papier (Germany)
Jessica Winter - kunterbuntestempelwelt (Austria)
Kayla Macaulay - Love, Kayla (Australia)
Kim McGillis - Kim McGillis Papercrafting (Canada)
Lauren Alarid - Crafty Little Peach (USA)
Linda van Wely-Zwolle - Stampin with Liz Design (The Netherlands)
Rhoda MacPherson - Pretty Creative (UK)
Sarah Lancaster - Pirouette Papercraft (France)
Susan Wong - Stampin Susan (New Zealand)
Sylwia Schreck - Stempel Einfach (Germany)

The Stampin' Up! Facebook Page is where our Corporate Blog posts are showcased.

 

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR STAMPIN' UP! DEMONSTRATOR

If you are in the United States and need a demonstrator, then you can order your supplies in my online store here.

Global Design Project #GDP150: Sketch Challenge

It's time for another great sketch challenge this week at Global Design Project. It is hard to believe that we have had 150 challenges. WOWZERS! While I haven't participated every single week, I do my best to join in when I can. The guys and gals on our team are so incredibly talented and it is such an honor to be associated with every single one of them.

For today's sketch I was tempted to put three strips of designer series paper on a card front, add a flower, and call it done. My life is super chaotic at the moment, so there would have been absolutely nothing wrong with that. But then I decided to brainstorm just to see what I could come up with. Here is the end result...

Seriously, if you look at the sketch, it looks a lot like a picket fence...so I just had to go there! The detail I got by using the Pinewood Planks 3D  Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder for the fence posts is amazing. I wanted the fence to be center stage, but still needed to add some interest, so I used a piece of Tranquil Textures DSP for the background and then just built the fence on top.

The flowers and bird are from one of my favorite stamp sets, Petal Palette, and the greeting is from the Rooted in Nature set. Everything is stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Daffodil Delight and Old Olive Stampin' Blends.

I added to the foliage by stamping, coloring, and die cutting two sets of flowers. One I left whole and the other one was cut into bits and tucked behind to fill out the design.

We would love to have you play along with us this week. Be sure to check out what the other talented designers/players have created for this fun challenge at the Global Design Project Challenge Blog.

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR STAMPIN' UP! DEMONSTRATOR

If you are in the United States and need a demonstrator, then you can order your supplies in my online store here.

 

Blended Seasons Artisan Design Team Blog Hop - Part 2

Welcome to very special Artisan Design Team Blog Hop. On this hop, we are featuring the Blended Seasons Bundle featuring limited-time products only available until August 31 while supplies last.

The Blended Seasons Bundle is perfect for crafting in any season, in any part of the world! The bundle features the beautiful Blended Seasons Stamp Set, coordinating Stitched Season Framelits Dies and the beautiful new Watercolor Pencil Assortment 2, including some of Stampin' Up!'s brand new colors!

I decided to explore different ways to use the watercolor pencils other than the obvious ones. For these vibrant flowers I first colored them with a base layer using a Light Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Blends marker. I know that seems a little like cheating, but I think of it as using your pencils to their fullest potential. Real Red Stampin' Blends are on the way, but until then I  was able to layer Real Red watercolor pencil over the markers to brighten them up a little. Then I added shadow using the Cherry Cobbler from the new Watercolor Pencils Assortment 2. I did the same thing with the leaves except I started with the Light Old Olive Stampin' Blends and then layered Garden Green watercolor pencil over top. The key is to color lightly and then continue to build color until you get the look you want. Take your time...it works best if you let the pencil layer "rest" for a few minutes between layers. The end result is different than either coloring medium alone. Together they make a great pair.

  

I literally cut the sentiment in half and then stacked the greeting for a different look. This is a great way to extend your possibilities and you can always line it back up the way it was intended.

 

For the card base I used Real Red cardstock (#102482) and added some fun plaid from the  Under the Mistletoe DSP (#146921).

 

I used the two largest Stitched Season Framelits to create frames. I cut one from Basic Black cardstock and one frame from Whisper White. I love how these framelits add stitching to the inside and the outside of the frame.

Elizabeth Price is next on our blog hop so be sure to head on over and check out what she and the the rest of the Artisan Design Team team have in store by clicking on the button below.

 

2018 Artisan Design Team

Cathy Caines - In The Cat Cave (Canada)
Charlet Mallett - Painted Orange (USA)
Connie Collins - Constantly Stamping (USA) <- you are here
Elizabeth Price - Seeing Ink Spots (USA)
Emma Goddard - Coastal Crafter (UK)
Jennifer Frost - Jennifer Frost (Australia)
Jenni Pauli - Paulines Papier (Germany)
Jessica Winter - kunterbuntestempelwelt (Austria)
Kayla Macaulay - Love, Kayla (Australia)
Kim McGillis - Kim McGillis Papercrafting (Canada)
Lauren Alarid - Crafty Little Peach (USA)
Linda van Wely-Zwolle - Stampin with Liz Design (The Netherlands)
Rhoda MacPherson - Pretty Creative (UK)
Sarah Lancaster - Pirouette Papercraft (France)
Susan Wong - Stampin Susan (New Zealand)
Sylwia Schreck - Stempel Einfach (Germany)

 

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR STAMPIN' UP! DEMONSTRATOR

If you are in the United States and need a demonstrator, then you can order your supplies in my online store here.