May 20, 2016

Dear Friend - Easy Watercolour Technique

Hello friends - happy Friday!  It is a VERY happy Friday at my house as we head into a four-day long weekend (and the first long weekend of summer!)  We are homebodies through-and-through, but I'm excited to enjoy the break and get some vegetables planted in our garden, go for a big family dinner, and spend some valuable time in my craft room!

There is an important date coming up this weekend - May 22 marks the last day that retiring stamps are guaranteed to be available.  Accessories are already while-supplies-last, so we are counting down the days that these items will be on the shelves and available for purchase!  Because of this, this weekend is the last I'll be showing retiring items.  Starting on Monday, it will be nothing-but-the-new on my blog, so you'll be able to check out some sneak peeks of new stamps, In-Colours, accessories, and more!  Can't WAIT!

Today's card is a clean and simple beauty that I whipped up with a super-easy watercolouring technique.   This features the small flower from Birthday Blooms, and I think this is the first time I've inked it up!  


I really love this style of watercolouring - it's messy, imprecise, and different everytime.  Perfectly imperfect!  Want to know how to do this simple technique for yourself?  I'll give you a hint - it doesn't involve ink pads, an aquapainter, or any actual watercolouring!  I whipped up a short video for you - check it out below.  



So easy, so fun, and your result will always be different.  Just remember to draw in the mirror image of the stamp and you'll be all set!

I hope you have a fabulous weekend - see you again soon!

Cheers,
Shannon





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May 18, 2016

Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team Blog Hop: Basket of Botanicals


Hello friends!  Welcome back for another Artisan Design Team blog hop - we're ready for a trip around the world!  Please don't hesitate to use your browser's translate button as you visit each of us.  With an international team of 20, there are a few languages on this trip!

This week's theme is May Flowers.  The Botanical Builders framelits were calling my name, but I wanted something a little different than a card.  After some playing and some brainstorming, I decided on a basket full of flowers - perfect for a centrepiece, party decor, or even a place-marker at the table!


The Berry Basket Bigz Die and your Big Shot machine make this basket super easy - stuffed with a little bit of styrofoam (I used a ball that was cut in half) and armed with your hot glue gun, this pretty piece can be whipped up in no time flat!  Some pretty rhinestones add a touch of glam, and a sentiment tag completes the whole project. 



Soooo much of what you see here is retiring REALLY soon - including the Berry Basket die, a couple of the colours, and the patterned paper - so please be sure to hop over to my online store (linked below) and stock up before it's gone!


Now let's fly over to Steffi in Germany and see what she has for us today!  


Thanks so much for joining us today - see you again soon!

Cheers,
Shannon






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May 17, 2016

Administrative Thank You - featuring Tap, Tap, Tap

Hello friends!  We're still on the parade of retiring stamp sets... and today is a favourite.  It's one of the ones that hits me right where it hurts - Tap, Tap, Tap.

A few weeks ago, my husband asked me to whip up a thank you card for the administrative professional in his office - I knew exactly which set to go with!


Tap, Tap, Tap not only has this fabulous typewriter image, but some sentiments, lined paper, keys, and more.  It's SO adorable.  It's so cute, in fact, that someone has already called dibs on my used set when it retires - make sure you snap one up in my online store!

Other retiring favourites on this card?  Alphabet Rotary Stamp (another HUGE favourite!), Black-and-Mint Baker's Twine, and It's My Party DSP.

Have a fabulous day - see you tomorrow for another Artisan Design Team blog hop!

Cheers,
Shannon



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May 15, 2016

Tie-Dye Birthday

Good morning!  We've talked here before about my usual process - batch create, batch photograph, and eventually post my blogs - which leads to me often having a backlog of projects to share.  This is one of them. 

And to be honest, when I opened my previously-uploaded, photo-only, untitled blog post to edit and schedule it, I was so excited to see this fun tie-dye card!  It feels like it was a hundred years ago that I created this, and I'd all but forgotten about it.  And it's one of my favourites!  


The base and sentiment on this card were super simple, so I wanted to give it a burst of colour.  What better way than with some fun tie-dye watercolouring?  I simply punched a large circle out of Watercolour Paper and went to town with my Aqua Painter and reinkers - this was a mix of Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo, and Daffodil Delight.  My best tip for this type of technique?  Use lots of water, lots of ink, and give it time to spread and swirl.  Don't try to control it!  

Today's "what's retiring" PSA?  The Gold Basic Metal Buttons, the 2-1/2" Circle Punch, Brights Candy Dots, and You're So Lovely (where the sentiment and banner stamps are from.)

I hope you're having a wonderful weekend - see you again tomorrow!

Cheers,
Shannon

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