July 15, 2016

Best Friend Badge

Happy weekend!  I hope you've got some fabulous plans ahead!  We spent the day at the Calgary Stampede with our four-year-old, so I am going to be in full-on recovery mode.  Kids are energy vampires - they suck it right out of you!

Today's card is a fun little mess that I whipped up this week.  I recently got the Badges & Banners bundle, and I've been noticing that most of the samples I see with this set are quite masculine.  And while that's AWESOME - because good masculine cards can be tricky for a lot of people - I wanted to make something fun and feminine with it.  At least in a modern, bright, funky kind of way.  And speaking of bright, modern, and funky, this is the colour pallet I started with.


Fun, right?!  I love girly without being smacked in the face with pink.  I've never been a girly-girl so this is right up my alley!  

But on to the card... 


Hot pink, glitter, ribbon, and soft vellum add a nice girly touch to the typically-masculine dark blue badge.  The embossed paper in the background is such a nice neutral - plain without being boring, adding interest without being overwhelming.  I had so many fun new supplies on this card that I loved playing with!  

I'm off for a rest - have a great day!  

Cheers,
Shannon

July 13, 2016

Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team Blog Hop: Christmas in July!

Hello friends!  Welcome back to another Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team blog hop!  The official design team for the company is thrilled you're joining us today for a virtual trip around the world.  You've likely just come from my friend Rachel in France, you're with me, Shannon, in Canada, and you'll be off to see the lovely Steffi in Germany next.  Use your translate button for all the details and enjoy the trip!   


Our theme this month is Christmas in July!  We are just past the halfway point to Christmas, which means more time has passed SINCE Christmas than there is until NEXT Christmas!  Yikes!  I know many crafters like to get a head start on their Christmas crafts early, since the holiday season can be incredibly busy and overwhelming for many of us.  Luckily, the annual catalog has lots of goodies to choose from!

I decided to have a bit of everything for my project today - a card, an ornament, and a little gift!  Let's have a peek at them all.


I love how this little card turned out!  I combined the Oh What Fun stamp set with a little sliver of the This Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper and some fun embellishments to create this clean, slightly-vintage, slighly-funky card.  I love the layers, the touches of gold, and that beautiful vintage snowflake paper!



Next up, I created a super easy ornament with that gorgeous vanilla snowflake paper.  This Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper is slightly thinner than regular DSP, so it curls easily and is more malleable.  It easily manipulates into these soft loops to create the ornament, which is finished off with a metallic doily and an embossed sentiment from Peace This Christmas.


Lastly, a glassine bag makes an easy gift package, and a belly band is such an easy way to dress it up.  The layers of This Christmas DSP combine with rustic burlap and glamorous gold to create a beautiful holiday theme.  

I had so much fun making these pieces and I can't wait to share them with my friends and family this holiday season.  Which piece is your favourite?


Join me, will you, to see what Steffi has created for us this week?  Her projects never disappoint!  



Thanks so much for coming by and blog hopping with us.  Have a fabulous day!


Cheers,
Shannon


Awesome Marquees

Hello friends!  A little birdie told me it's getting annoying to check my blog daily with no updates.  Sorry!  Life has been a bit hectic lately and by time I get time to sit down, I'm ready to fall asleep.  I've got a huge stack of stuff to share with you over these next few weeks; if the sun would shine one afternoon I'd be able to get some pics and we could get on with this!  

But - onward and upward!  Let's get to today's project.  


Marquee Messages is such a fun, eye-catching stamp set in the new catalog.  It's was at the top of my wishlist and one of the first things I ordered.  And yet - I hadn't cracked open the case until just recently!  I wanted to crank out a fun, bright card perfect for anyone.  I thought this set would be awesome - it's both on-trend and vintage, so with the right colour combo, it's perfect for anyone!  Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight, and Tangerine Tango are a great combo for this fun card, and the little rhinestone accents light up the arrow perfectly.

We've got an Artisan Blog Hop coming just around the corner, so check back soon... I think I hear jingle bells... ;)

Cheers,
Shannon

July 07, 2016

Thoughtful Branches: A Bonus Blog-Hop from the Artisan Design Team!

Hello friends!  The Artisan Design Team is so excited to be here today for a bonus blog hop!  Grab a cup of tea and make yourself comfortable - you won't want to miss this one.  You're currently in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with me, Shannon, after coming from Rachel in France - don't hesitate to use your browser's "translate" button to read all of the fabulous details!

Are you here as a customer?  Here is a sneak peek into a new exclusive and limited time stamp set that will be available for purchase next month - called "Thoughtful Branches."

Are you a Demonstrator?  You'll be thrilled to know you can pre-order the bundle as a demonstrator during July, AND you'll receive a Bonus Day coupon that you can use toward the Holiday Catalog pre-order during August.  Sweet!

But let's get to the good stuff - the samples!  We aren't able to share images of the actual stamp set or coordinating Thinlits yet (but trust me - they are stunning!) so I've tried to sneak in as much as I could onto these cards...


This first card is definitely my favourite... I love the rich colours contrasted with the stark white background.  The bare trees create a beautiful silhouette against the sponged winter night sky, and a flick of Wink Of Stella creates a bit of a glimmery snow on top.

I trimmed down one of the sentiments to make something short and sweet - our hearts and thoughts are with you.  It makes for a slim banner to place over the focal point without taking away from it.


Arent' the details lovely?  Don't miss those little leaves, as well - cut from Mint Macaron and brushed with Wink Of Stella, they make a lovely embellishment.


Because this card is serene and "serious," I wanted something bright and fun for my other sample!  I love doing 3x3" notecards, and one of the framelits - while intended to be a tree-topper - makes for an excellent background pattern.  That was my starting point for this fun little card, which includes three more stamps and three more framelits on it!


I just love that little bird, and isn't that font to die for?  The stump was created using the "faux metal" technique with copper embossing powder - after layering several thin coats of embossing powder on cardstock, just stamp your bare stamp into it while still wet.  It pushes the metallic finish around to make a gorgeous embellishment!  This technique was a great fit for all of those delicate little woodgrain lines.

You'll want to be sure to follow the blog hop for many more samples (40 or more in total) made with this fabulous set, and check out Stampin' Up!'s Pinterest board to see them all in one place!

Next up - let's go see Steffi in Germany and her gorgeous creations!


Thanks so much for visiting us for this super-exciting product promotion!  Mark your calendar so you can get your copy of Thoughtful Branches while supplies last!

Cheers,
Shannon