Constantly Stamping

Stampin' Fancy Friday Challenge for March 2022

Now that our Stampin' Fancy Friday monthly challenge has moved exclusively to Instagram (@stampinfancyfriday), I haven't really shared my projects over here on my blog. However, this month I decided to share my card here so that I can give you a few more details on how I made it. Be sure to check out all the amazing projects from current and former Stampin' Up! Artisans over on Instagram. We post a new project almost every day.

This month's challenge was to use our Favorite Products from the Spring Mini Catalog. My personal favorite is the Amazing Thanks die set.

With all that being said, you may be wondering where these coneflower dies came from. No, it isn't a new set, and I didn't cheat and use product from other companies. Instead, I used current dies from my stash and combined them for a new look. This may get a little complicated, so stick with me as I attempt to explain.

It all began when I noticed that one of the pieces of the new Daffodil Dies also looks a little like a cone flower. I couldn't help but wonder... so I decided to try to see it was possible to re-purpose it. I paired some of the petals and the stem from the new Daffodil Dies with the leaf and flower center from the Sunflower Dies to create these beautiful coneflowers. Then I used my favorite die set, Amazing Thanks, for the sentiment. It’s all about taking what you have and giving it a fresh new spin.

For each flower I cut 2-3 of the die that looks like a cone flower from Blushing Bride cardstock and then used Stampin' Blends to flick on color from the base out to the tips of the petals. I started with Light Melon Mambo, then used Dark Magenta Madness midway, and finished toward the center with Dark Melon Mambo. (This cardstock isn't really designed to handle alcohol markers and will become very saturated so be sure to put scrap paper underneath your work.) After the petals were dry, I layered them together in an off-set manner. You will probably need to trim off some of the flower base so that it stays hidden behind the flower center when you add it to the top.

Next, I used the flower center from the Sunflowers Dies (#152704) to cut the centers from So Saffron cardstock. I love the textured dots and the rough edges, however, I needed to give a little jagged trim to the bottom edge so that they weren't so round. Next, I colored them with Stampin' Blends in Daffodil Delight (light and dark) and then added some Light Crumbcake (I think, however, it may have been Light Soft Suede) around the edges to add shadows. The stems and leaves were cut from Old Olive cardstock. I used the stems from the Daffodil Dies (#157794) and the leaves from the Sunflower Dies. I added color to those as well using the Old Olive and Mossy Meadow Stampin' Blends.

For the sentiment I used the same cardstock and Stampin' Blends as the flower petals except I created a smooth ombre look. Then I used the Amazing Thanks Dies to die cut the word "thanks". I doubled-up the black base layer and then added the thinner top word layer.

Here are a few hints: Save the negative piece of the thicker word so that you can use it as a guide to assemble the stack of word dies. Also, use adhesive sheets on the back of the cardstock before you die cut it. I promise, it will be much easier to assemble everything if you do this instead of using liquid glue.

I made a top-folding standard card base from Basic Black cardstock and added a layer of DSP from the Pattern Party 12"x12" Host Designer Series Paper collection (#155426). Finally, I colored some pearls using the same marker colors as the flower centers.

Now that I work full-time outside the home, I just don't have a lot of time to devote to my blog. I will try to continue to stamp and share here as much as possible, but I will be the first to admit that it is a challenge. Thank you for your patience as I try to find a good life/work balance. I appreciate you all so very much. Thank you for your support!

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!

 

Stampin' Fancy Friday Ombre Challenge...a little late

My computer kicked the bucket a few weeks ago and I never had the opportunity to post the project I did for the March Fancy Friday Ombre Challenge. Thankfully, I had everything backed up, but I couldn't get to it until everything was restored. So now I have a new computer and hopefully, everything will be good for a while.

We have gone exclusively to sharing our Stampin' Fancy Friday projects through Instagram and Facebook, so there isn't a blog hop, so I am only a few weeks late!

Ombre is a great and easy technique that can add a WOW factor to just about any card. Here I blended three shades of blue over Forever Gold Laser Cut paper for a beautiful background.⁠

The flowers are fussy cut from Hydrangea Hill DSP (#154570) and the sentiment is from the Country Home stamp set (#147678).

Be sure to subscribe to the Stampin' Fancy Friday Instagram Page or our Stampin' Fancy Friday Facebook Page so that you can see all of the incredible cards designed by our very talented group of demonstrators.

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.

Stampin' Fancy Friday Shake It Challenge

We're shaking things up this year on the Fancy Friday Design Team! This will be our last official 'blog hop' because we're moving in a new direction! We'll be posting a challenge on the first Friday of every month over on Instagram and Facebook. And then we'll show you our team projects as the month progresses. We can't wait to have you around so any time you're inspired by our challenge, tag us in or use hashtag #stampinfancyfriday. Ok, it's time! Go follow us on Instagram and Facebook - @stampinfancyfriday. Stay inspired. See you there! Just be sure to come right back and follow along with our hop!

We have a ton of inspiration for you this month. With 29 super talented former and current Artisans, I think it is our biggest Fancy Friday ever! If you are following along with us, you should have just arrived from visiting Tanya Rees. This is a really large group with demonstrators from all across the globe (in different time zones), so if some of the links aren't active yet, be kind and try again in a few hours.

The challenge this month is to create a project that shakes...because we are shaking things up on the Stampin' Fancy Friday Design Team for 2020! It could be a shaker card, a tassle on a card, jar of tags, whatever you what to make shake.

 

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I decided to focus on hearts. I know my guy would not appreciate flowers or frilly ribbon bows, so I kept it simple. I created a striped watercolored background with a wide watercolor brush using Real Red and Flirty Flamingo ink refills for my color pallet on watercolor paper.

 

When you are keeping your design simple, small details matter.

So, after the panel was completely dry, I die cut the panel with one of the larger dies in the Stitched Rectangles Dies (#148551).  In keeping with the stitched detail, I used the largest heart in the Stitched Be Mine die set (#148527) to create the foundation for my shaker. I am not going to go into any details on how to make a shaker card, but I am sure there are lots of video tutorials out there that can give you a good idea on how they work.

I filled the inside of the shaker with lots of glittery, sparkly goodness. I attached some From My Heart Faceted Gems (#151154) to the background of the heart along with a few Red Rhinestone Basic Jewels (#146924). I also made custom shaker pieces by cutting some Silver Glitter Paper with the Stitched Be Mine die set. Before I attached everything to the card base, I wrapped the panel with a strand of twine from the 5/8" Flax Ribbon (#148764).

 

The other day my best friend, Nancy, laughed and said:

"Oh Connie, you and your twine!"

And she is right! You know I love to add twine to my cards!

 

To finish things off I stamped a greeting from the Forever Blossoms stamp set (#151457) on Whisper White cardstock and created a banner for the center of the heart.

I can't wait to see what the other Stampin' Fancy Friday team has made. Be sure to hop on over to see the talented, Dani Dziama. I know you will love her creations!

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR DEMONSTRATOR!

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

Have a blessed day!  

 

 

July Fancy Friday - New In-Color Fun!

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 the oh-so-talented, Dani Dziama.

This month we are featuring the new 2019-2021 In-Colors. You probably would not think that these colors work well together (they aren't really meant to), but somehow the designers at Stampin' Up! masterfully created a beautiful paper called Woven Threads DSP (#149497) that incorporates them all beautifully. What may surprise you even more is that this DSP (along with a few other items) inspired me to create these Christmas in July tags.

All three tags started as a 3"x6" tag made from cardstock. The first tag uses Seaside Spray as the base and then I added a layer of Woven Threads DSP cut 1/4" smaller. Next, I stenciled on some Shimmery White Embossing Paste (#145645) using the diamond pattern from the Pattern Party Decorative Masks (#144103). I set the tag aside to dry while I created the additional elements. I used the Detailed Bands Dies (#149549) to cut a decorative piece from a Silver Foil Sheet (#132178) and trimmed away the end tabs by hand. Next, I die cut three branches from Crumb Cake cardstock using the branch die from the Seasonal Layers Die Set (#143751).  I also cut some additional silver glimmer foilage using a die from the Frosted Bouquet Die Set (#147895). In addition, I heat embossed a greeting from the Merry Christmas To All Stamp Set (#147702) using silver embossing powder.

We should probably take a minute to discuss the flowers on these tags. You have seen something very similiar to them on some of my projects. I made a bunch of them using all of the new In-colors as well as Whisper White. Each flower is made with two layers punched with the Four-Petal Flower Punch (#147041). I spritzed them with water and used the end of an Aqua Painter along with a Stampin' Pierce Mat to shape the petals. After they were dry I sponged the edges with the same color of ink and then assembled them with hot glue. I cut apart the floweres made with Pretty Peacock cardstock and used those as leaves. I achieved the snowy look by adding on some of the Glimmer Embossing Paste to the flowers as well as the branches.

Once everything was dry, I sponged the edges of the tag and greeting with Crumb Cake ink and then assembled everything. I added some Clear Faceted Gems (#144142) to the flower centers and added some sequins from the coordinating Woven Threads Sequin Assortment (#149498).

The second tag was created with many of the same elements, but this time I added some gingham Terracotta Tile DSP from the 2019-2021 In-Color 6"x6" DSP stack (#149617). The greeting is from the same Merry Christmas To All stamp set (#147702). For these flowers, I used the Gold Faceted Gems (#144141).

The final tag is made much the same way as the first one, only using a different layout for the elements.

I must admit that I am overjoyed with how these turned out. It is difficult to capture all of the beautiful sparkel and shine in photographs, but I have to say that this is one of my favorite projects ever! I hope you have enjoyed them too!

I can't wait to see what the other Fancy Friday team has made. Be sure to hop on over to see my super talented friend from New Zealand, Paula Dobson. I know you will love her creations!

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR DEMONSTRATOR!

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

Have a blessed day!  

 

Fancy Friday Blog Hop - Favorite New Annual Catalog Items

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 talented friend from New Zealand, Paula Dobson. 

This month we are featuring our favorite new Annual Catalog items. I would have to say, hands down that the Magnolia Lane Suite is my favorite. I love every single product in the suite. I have no doubt that you have already seen some of the most beautiful projects ever using this suite, but I wanted to show the versatility of this set by going a different direction.

I truly love to create my own designs using stamps and ink. That comes in part from the days when we didn't have all the beautiful paper we have available today. (I have been a SU demonstrator for over 19 years!) I stamped the magnolia from the Good Morning Magnolia Stamp Set (#149298) several times with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink in on Shimmery White Cardstock. Then I colored everything with a variety of Stampin' Blends Markers. Isn't it hard to believe that this is the same stamp set when used like this?

I colored the background twice with Balmy Blue Stampin' Blends, but then I used a sponge dauber and rubbed on some Balmy Blue classic ink over just the blue background to smooth it out. By doing this, I was able to come back later and use water to create a waterdrop effect without affecting the floral images. After everything was dry, I mixed a little water with some white acrylic paint and added splatters. I set it aside to dry for a few hours before running it through the die cutting machine with the Stitched Rectangle Dies (#148551). (HINT: Die cut the panel before adding the white paint splatters...lesson learned!)

Finally, I stamped the beautiful sentiment from the Enjoy Life Stamp Set (#148190) with Balmy Blue Ink. The leaves tucked behind the sentiment are die cut from Pool Party cardstock with Nature's Roots die set (#146341) and are sponged with Balmy Blue ink.

I can't wait to see what the other Fancy Friday team has made. Be sure to hop on over to see my Canadian bestie, Jenn Picard. I know you will love her creations! Want more Magnolia Lane? Check out this project also made using the Magnolia Lane Suite.

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR DEMONSTRATOR!

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

Have a blessed day!  

 

Fancy Friday Blog Hop - Designer Series Paper Love

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 the talented, Rochelle Blok.  Isn't she amazing!

Our theme this month is "Designer Series Paper Love". I love to use Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper on my paper crafting projects and I am head-over-heels in love with the Magnolia Lane DSP. This one particular sheet of DSP can be used with the coordinating die so it makes this project super easy to make.

As much as I love making cards, I love making 3-dimensional projects even more. This home decor was easy to make. I started with a gold square photo frame that I purchased from a thrift store for only .99 cents. You can't beat that! I painted it with white acrylic paint and added just a hint of Crumb Cake ink refill to tone it down just a bit.

That beautiful bow is made using the Magnolia Lane Ribbon Combo Pack (#149485) along with some twine from a piece of Flax Ribbon (#148764).

I can't wait to see what the other Fancy Friday team has made. Be sure to hop on over to see the talented Krista Frattin. I know you will love her creations! Want more Magnolia Lane? Check out this project also made using the Magnolia Lane Suite.

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR DEMONSTRATOR!

If you are in the United States and need a demonstrator, you can order your supplies in my online store beginning June 4th.

Have a blessed day!  

 

Fancy Friday Blog Hop - For the Family

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 the talented, Jennifer Frost.  Isn't she amazing!

Our theme this month is "For the Family". With Mother's Day just a few weeks away, I decided to focus on that. I don't really have a lot of sentiments specifically for this occasion, so I used this more generic greeting instead.

For the flowers I used the stamp set I received at OnStage a few weeks ago in Vancouver called Floral Essence. It will be available when the new catalog goes live in June. I stamped the flowers several times on Shimmery White cardstock with Memento ink and then colored them with Stampin' Blends markers. Sadly there aren't any dies available for this set, so I fussy cut them by hand. The design is fairly simple, so it was easy to do.

I am so sad that the Gingham Gala DSP is going away soon, so I wanted to get in at least one more card using this amazing paper. I created what looks like a shaker card, but it is actually more like a shadow box. I was created in much the same way as a shaker, but there isn't an acetate window. It really gives a lot of depth and dimension.

This is always a bitter sweet time of year. On one hand we have the prospect of lots of beautiful new products on the horizon, but on the other hand we say farewell to some of our favorites. Now is the time to act if there is something you really want but have been holding off...get it before it goes away.

I can't wait to see what the other Fancy Friday team members have created. Be sure to hop on over to visit my Canadian bestie, Jennifer Picard. I know you will love her creations!

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!  

 

Fancy Friday Blog Hop - CASE the Catty

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. We have a full house this month...apparently this is a very popular theme! If you are hopping with us, you should have just arrived from visiting my very good friend, Jenn Picard. I like to call her my west coast Canadian bestie! We have been super close since being Artisan together in 2013. Isn't she amazing!

This month our challenge was to draw inspiration from or CASE a card from the 2018-2019 Annual Catalog or thej2019 Occasions Catalog. This is easy to do because the concept artists at Stampin' Up! are incredible and the samples they create are top notch. I decided to CASE this card from page 113 of the Annual Catalog. It was love a first sight for me and I am excited to finally have an opportunity to CASE it. 

For my card I used a color combo of Melon Mambo, Powder Pink, Lemon Lime Twist and Whisper White. The background is embossed with the Garden Trellis Embossing Folder (#143741). The stamped images are from the Ribbon of Courage stamp set (#143852/143855) and die cut with the coordinating Support Ribbon Framelits Dies (#143749) and Stitched Shapes Framelits (#145372).

Just like the original card, I used Pearlized Doilies (#146936), however, I used the Whisper White Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon (#146912) instead of Very Vanilla ribbon.

I also substituted the punched leaves with die cut leaves from Nature's Roots Framelits (#146341).  I love the texture of the leaves.

I can't wait to see what the other Fancy Friday team members have created. Be sure to hop on over to visit the super talented, Lauren Alarid. I know you will love her creations!

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!