Ink and Embossing

Stampin' Up! UK letterpress ink Embossing folders

I have been loving playing with lots of techniques recently, and you may remember a few weeks ago I shared a great stamping technique using your embossing folders. Well, I’ve been doing it again, but this time I’ve added my Big Shot!

Stampin' Up! UK letterpress ink Embossing folders

 

This card uses the Large Polka Dot Embossing Folder, along with the Crazy About You stamp set. I am so pleased this set has carried over into our Annual Catalogue, It has a great collection of words and phrases to create some great sentiments, and it will be featuring on my Father’s Day cards this year (Nope, I still haven’t made them yet! Eeeek!). That Crazy About You set also includes  that lovely flower image, which coordinates with the Flower Medallion Punch (another carry over item!)

Instructions:

Cut your card base and Whisper White (Or Very Vanilla) matt layer.

Grab your chosen Embossing folder, and ink up the side which presses down into the card stock when you run it through your Big Shot – in this case, I inked up the Polka Dots side of the folder. Run your ink pad carefully across the embossing folder as not to get ink on the sunken areas

Insert your card stock layer into the embossing folder, closing the folder carefully so not to move the card stock inside

Run this through your Big Shot using your normal Embossing Folder sandwich

Stampin' Up! UK embossing folders decorative dotsThe ‘Thanks’ was stamped on Whisper White, and punched out using the 1 1/4″ circle punch, and layered with the Flower Medallion with dimensionals.



Shop Now button-001Join my team button-001

To purchase any of the items featured in my projects please use the links above. To join my team of Stampin’ Friends select ‘Join My Team’ or send me a message!

Please support StampinByHannah by using the Hostess code featured in the top right hand of my blog. For orders of over £150 please do not use this code, as you are entitled to your own Hostess benefits!

Sign up to my newsletter here – http://eepurl.com/2if59

Hannah Wilks

Stampin’ Up! UK Independent Demonstrator

 

Telford Make and Take

Stampin' up! UK training team

I have been meaning to share this card for ages! You may remember I attended Stampin’ Up! UK Regional Training back in May, where we had heaps of fun learning about the new catalogue, getting up close and personal with new products, meeting loads of other demonstrators, swapping projects, and generally having a great time!

Well, I made this card then! I know, I know, I should have shared it before, but life has been a little crazy over the past month (and it ‘s about to get crazier in the final countdown to the wedding in August!) and I completely forgot about this lovely card!

Stampin' Up! UK Awesomely Artisitic Telford Make and Take

It uses the brand new set; Awesomely Artistic, along with 3 of the new In-Colours; Mint Macaron, Delightful Dijon, and Tip Top Taupe. I will be the first to admit – this is so far removed from my usual style of card making I was totally intimidated! I mean, that gorgeous dragonfly – well, it was supposed to be fussy cut – I do fussy cut (sometimes) but really its rare, so I just stamped it (after spritzing with water) straight onto watercolour paper.

The Thanks! sentiment comes from another new stamp set; One Big Meaning – which is definitely on my wish-list!

I even remembered to stamp the envelope! I was quite impressed with myself, and a great finish to a wonderful card and a fantastic weekend away crafting with new friends!



Shop Now button-001Join my team button-001

To purchase any of the items featured in my projects please use the links above. To join my team of Stampin’ Friends select ‘Join My Team’ or send me a message!

Please support StampinByHannah by using the Hostess code featured in the top right hand of my blog. For orders of over £150 please do not use this code, as you are entitled to your own Hostess benefits!

Sign up to my newsletter here – http://eepurl.com/2if59

Hannah Wilks

Stampin’ Up! UK Independent Demonstrator

Freshly Made Sketches #190 – An Open Heart

Stampin' Up! UK Freshly Made Sketches 190 An Open Heart

I’m still playing along with some challenges this week!

Freshly made sketches 190

I have been so inspired by this sketch! I had a heap of ideas, but I am so pleased with the final card. I rarely use a sketch for card making, and as I have already mentioned, I am trying to push my card making at the moment and venture out into the unknown!

Stampin' Up! UK Freshly Made Sketches 190 An Open Heart

I have been preparing my July Technique Class this week, and so An Open Heart has been on my desk, along with the new In-colours. I grabbed a piece of Mint Macaron card stock out of my stash for that left hand piece, but it had a heart punched out. I went back into my card stock to find another piece, but when I tried it, I preferred the open heart! This piece has also be embossed using the Decorative Dots embossing folder.

The bird is stamped in Cherry Cobbler ink, stamped off once. I love the font in this set, and the Thank You was the perfect length for that banner piece. I finished this card with two further punched hearts using the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack


Stampin' Up! UK July Technique Class 2015 An Open Heart



Shop Now button-001Join my team button-001

To purchase any of the items featured in my projects please use the links above. To join my team of Stampin’ Friends select ‘Join My Team’ or send me a message!

Please support StampinByHannah by using the Hostess code featured in the top right hand of my blog. For orders of over £150 please do not use this code, as you are entitled to your own Hostess benefits!

Sign up to my newsletter here – http://eepurl.com/2if59

Hannah Wilks

Stampin’ Up! UK Independent Demonstrator

Watercolour Thoughts

Stampin' Up! UK Best Thoughts Watercolour

Over the last few weeks I’ve been playing with Stampin’ Up! inks and using them as watercolours. I love our colour palette, and the effects you can create when you add water. I will be the first to admit I am no expert watercolour artist, but I enjoy creating, I’m a card-maker, I only use stamps (my drawing is generally pretty rubbish), but I love the final result.

Stampin' Up! UK Best Thoughts WatercolourI used the brand new In-Colours to watercolour this lovely floral stamp. Its another one of the Hostess Exclusives for this years Annual Catalogue, and comes with a butterfly stamp and two lovely sentiments; ‘You’re in my thoughts’ and ‘The best is yet to come’.

This time I stamped in Momento Black ink, and added clear embossing powder. I prefer to heat emboss my images for watercolour, the raised edge helps me stay in the lines of the image, although I could have just stamped in Stazon and water-coloured without issue. I have been trying out a few different methods of water colouring, and I think this technique was my favourite, adding clean water to a section, like a singe leaf or petal, then dropping the colour in, and allowing it to move through the water.

Stampin' Up! UK Best Thoughts Hostess Code ClubOnce I had the whole image water-coloured I went back and added darker areas by using less water and more ink. The inks for this card are Watermelon Wonder and Cucumber Crush. I finished the card by added some ink splats, by loading my paintbrush with an ink and water mix and tapping the handle of the brush off of my index finger of my other hand, causing the ink to splatter the page. Lovely.

Don’t forget about my Code Club, add the code shown in the Top right hand corner of my blog to the Hostess Code box at check out to receive one of our brand new Hostess Stamp sets for FREE! This months stamp set is Floral Wings, which I used on a card last week.

Thanks for stopping by today, and I’ll see you again tomorrow!



Shop Now button-001Join my team button-001

To purchase any of the items featured in my projects please use the links above. To join my team of Stampin’ Friends select ‘Join My Team’ or send me a message!

Please support StampinByHannah by using the Hostess code featured in the top right hand of my blog. For orders of over £150 please do not use this code, as you are entitled to your own Hostess benefits!

Sign up to my newsletter here – http://eepurl.com/2if59

Hannah Wilks

Stampin’ Up! UK Independent Demonstrator

Inlay Die Cutting

Stampin' Up! UK Crazy about you Hello You diecutting

I do love a great technique, and I have been playing with this one for a few weeks (and covering myself and my desk in the process!) but the results are fabulous!

Stampin' Up! UK Inlay die cutting

I have to admit that the picture here looks better than the card does in person, I have the card in front of me and I’m looking at gluey finger prints! but it’s still a cool technique – but keep that baby wipe on hand to keep yours hands free of glue (because you WILL make a gluey mess!)

See what I mean, gluey mess! I don’t edit my videos very often, only if I’ve had an interruption like the doorbell going or my phone ringing, and so you will always get ‘live’ bloppers! I hope you enjoy them!

The original ‘Hello’ card uses our brand new 2015-2017 In-Colours in Watermelon Wonder and Mint Macaron, while the video version is in Marina Mist (I’m still a little obsessed with this colour!). I’m loving the new In-Colours; took me a while to get used to the super bright Watermelon and Cucumber though! what great additions to our colour collection.

Stampin' Up! UK Crazy about you Hello You diecutting

How to Inlay die cut:

Using the Hello You thinlits dies die cut your chosen word in coloured card stock.

Using your Magnetic platform to ensure correct die placement, die cut the same word out of your Whisper White layering piece – remember that this is your card front to carefully place the die where you want the word to be at the end!

Make sure you keep the little pieces from the die cut, keep them safe! you will need them in a moment.

Apply your glue of choice (I use Snail) to the back of your Whisper White layering piece and attach it to your card front.

Using a 2-way Glue Pen apply glue to the back of the coloured die cut, slotting it into the space on the front of your card. I did try this with Tombow glue and made a huge mess!

Using your 2-way glue pen again apply glue into the holes in the die cut, slotting the Whisper White die pieces back into the die cut.

This gives you a completely flat card, great for posting! Awesome!



Shop Now button-001Join my team button-001

To purchase any of the items featured in my projects please use the links above. To join my team of Stampin’ Friends select ‘Join My Team’ or send me a message!

Please support StampinByHannah by using the Hostess code featured in the top right hand of my blog. For orders of over £150 please do not use this code, as you are entitled to your own Hostess benefits!

Sign up to my newsletter here – http://eepurl.com/2if59

Hannah Wilks

Stampin’ Up! UK Independent Demonstrator

Ronald McDonald House Charities – Sprinkles of Life

Every year Stampin’ Up! creates a special charity stamp set for Ronald McDonald House Charities, donating over $1 million to the charities across the world. This years stamp set is awesome! but I fear you might not have spotted it in the catalogue, its right on the very back cover! page 189!

Stampin' Up! UK Sprinkles of Life

It’s it adorable! and if gets even better, there is a coordinating punch available too! Allowing you to create trees, cupcakes, clouds, ice creams, flower baskets, and much much more!

Stampin' Up! UK Sprinkles of Life Cupcake

This card was so quick and easy to stamp, and punch. The centre cupcake is raised on dimensionals, but only after being curled with a bone folder to create that round effect. The sprinkles on the same cupcake are Designer Series Paper – Cherry on Top – and they are actually tiny little hearts, but look so good as sprinkles!

For each stamp set purchased Stampin’ Up! will donate £2 to Ronald McDonald House Charities. Have I mentioned what they do? I don’t think I have! Ooops! They are an amazing children’s charity providing homes for families of sick children near to the hospital, keeping families together at the most difficult times of their lives, Awesome right!

What are you going to create with this great stamp set?



Shop Now button-001Join my team button-001

To purchase any of the items featured in my projects please use the links above. To join my team of Stampin’ Friends select ‘Join My Team’ or send me a message!

Please support StampinByHannah by using the Hostess code featured in the top right hand of my blog. For orders of over £150 please do not use this code, as you are entitled to your own Hostess benefits!

Sign up to my newsletter here – http://eepurl.com/2if59

Hannah Wilks

Stampin’ Up! UK Independent Demonstrator

Swatch Book

Stampin' Up! UK swatch book

If you have been following me for a while you may remember last year, when I shared my Customised Colour Coach. Well, can you imagine my sadness, when the colour coach was retired this week! I know, I don’t really know how I am going to cope! well, better now I have made this;

My Swatch Book!

Stampin' Up! UK swatch book

I just love a good swatch! I use them often when I’m choosing colours for projects (an even more often when I’m creating items for customer orders!) And when I spotted the Layered Letters Alphabet in the latest catalogue, I just knew I had the perfect swatch stamp too!

So, I have created 3 PDF’s for you to download and make your own Stampin’ Up! swatch book. The first file contains swatch cards for all 4 colour families, that’s 36 ink pad colours, while the 2nd is for the current In-Colours (2014-2016 and 2015-2017), and the 3rd download contains the swatch spots for the previous two sets of In-Colours!

Colour Swatches – Colour Families

Colour Swatches – In Colours

Colour Swatches – In Colours – previous

To create my swatch book:

First print the PDF files onto Whisper White card stock

Using the Layered Letters Alphabet stamp set, and the rectangular stamp, swatch each ink colour in the coordinating swatch spot.

Cut the swatches into 2″ squares by cutting along the lines of the template.

Make a hole in the top left hand corner of each swatch using the 1/4″ handheld punch and keep the swatches together with an O ring (I used these ones from Amazon)#

 

As mentioned in the video, Stampin’ Up! are currently running a great joining offer. Sign up between now and the 30th June 2015, and Stampin’ Up! will add an additional two stamp sets of your choosing into your Starter Kit for FREE! Awesome! For each person who joins my team during this promotion I will not only be sending you my usual new demo goodies, but I will also add a completed swatch book!



Shop Now button-001Join my team button-001

To purchase any of the items featured in my projects please use the links above. To join my team of Stampin’ Friends select ‘Join My Team’ or send me a message!

Please support StampinByHannah by using the Hostess code featured in the top right hand of my blog. For orders of over £150 please do not use this code, as you are entitled to your own Hostess benefits!

Sign up to my newsletter here – http://eepurl.com/2if59

Hannah Wilks

Stampin’ Up! UK Independent Demonstrator

Kissing Technique….

Stampin' Up! UK I think your great kissing

Before your mind wonders off somewhere else, I’m talking Stamp Kissing today, I am not about to discuss romance or any other life lessons!

Today is the launch of the brand new Stampin’ Up! catalogue – have you got your copy yet? if not, get a physical copy here or a digital version there.

There are heaps of great stamps, tools, and new in-colours in this catalogue. I will be doing a full catalogue tour for newsletter subscribers this month. Not a newsletter subscriber yet, why not! but you can sign up here, or in the link at the bottom of this post.

Stampin' Up! UK I think your great kissing

Ok, so onto the technique for today. How great is this card! and its so simple to create. I love the kissing technique, it allows you to add pattern to solid stamps. Check out the video tutorial below for visual instructions,.

The Kissing Technique:

For this technique you need two stamps, one solid and one patterned. I love that Stampin’ Up! this year has stamp sets specifically for certain techniques and this stamp set, I Think You’re Great, is designed with Stamp Kissing in mind.

Ink up your solid stamp

Kiss the two stamps together, I do this by laying the patterned stamp face up on my desk, and stamping the solid stamp onto it. Don’t wiggle the stamps, use a straight down and straight up movement, otherwise your pattern will blur.

Stamp the solid stamp onto your project.



Shop Now button-001Join my team button-001

To purchase any of the items featured in my projects please use the links above. To join my team of Stampin’ Friends select ‘Join My Team’ or send me a message!

Please support StampinByHannah by using the Hostess code featured in the top right hand of my blog. For orders of over £150 please do not use this code, as you are entitled to your own Hostess benefits!

Sign up to my newsletter here – http://eepurl.com/2if59

Hannah Wilks

Stampin’ Up! UK Independent Demonstrator

Farewell Painted Petals!

Stampin' Up! Indescribable gift painted petals

Just in case you have been living under a rock, tomorrow is the launch of the brand new Stampin’ Up! catalogue! which also means that tomorrow is the last day of the current annual catalogue, spring/summer catalogue, and the retiring list! so, today I’m saying goodbye to a heap of items, but tomorrow is HELLO! to a brand new set of stamps, in-colours, catalogues, tools, and heaps of those great items!

So, when I was planning out this coming fortnight, I had a great plan to do a blog post saying goodbye to Painted Petals – I have LOVED using this stamp set! and it has totally inspired me to try watercolour properly. However, when I came to making this weeks blog projects inspiration for using Painted Petals completed deserted me! I know, I know, I probably shouldn’t admit to being completely un-inspired, however, as you can see, I did manage to make a card!

Stampin' Up! Indescribable gift painted petals

I returned to my stamp stash, and pulled the other sets that are retiring from the Spring/Summer catalogue, and found Indescribable Gift. I have loved using this floral stamp too! Although I have used the sentiments from this set, the floral image is one of my most used stamps from this past few months. I have used the Painted Petals here, but just for the sentiment in the end.

The card base here is Blackberry Bliss, and I have used Shimmery White card stock for the layer. I adore this card stock, I have to admit it’s one of those things that has been sat in my card stock drawer for a few months completely unused, but I recently discovered that its great for water-colouring on, and seeing as I have run out of Watercolour paper, Shimmery Water card stock is very handy (and cheaper!).

I stamped the Indescribable Gift in Rose Red, stamped off once, before very carefully but loosely water-colouring using Rose Red, Wild Wasabi, and Crumb Cake. When water-colouring an image, you should use a waterproof ink (like Stazon) because Stampin’ Up! ink is water-based, it will move when water is applied to it, so either carefully water-colour (like I did here) or use a Stazon inkpad.

Which stamp set was your favourite from this years Spring/Summer catalogue?



Shop Now button-001Join my team button-001

To purchase any of the items featured in my projects please use the links above. To join my team of Stampin’ Friends select ‘Join My Team’ or send me a message!

Please support StampinByHannah by using the Hostess code featured in the top right hand of my blog. For orders of over £150 please do not use this code, as you are entitled to your own Hostess benefits!

Sign up to my newsletter here – http://eepurl.com/2if59

Hannah Wilks

Stampin’ Up! UK Independent Demonstrator

Freshly Made Sketches #188 – Something to Say….

Stampin' Up! UK something to say itty bitty accents petite petals

I’m here on a Saturday again joining in over at Freshly Made Sketches, I have been really enjoying using sketches to push my cardmaking out of my comfort zone. I have to admit, when I first looked at the sketch for this week, I panicked! I don’t tend to make cards with lots of layers, I don’t really know why, because I think I should!

Stampin' Up! freshly made sketches

 

So, the very first thing I do when I get my hands on a new sketch is to stand in front of my stamp sets. This week I came up with nothing, I try and check the sketch early in the week, after its release on Tuesday. This week when I looked on Tuesday night, I stood in front of those stamp sets, and stood, and stood. Inspiration escaped me. Completely.

Stampin' Up! UK something to say itty bitty accents petite petals

I grabbed the sketch again on Friday, and took more notice of the images. I try to just see shape when I look at a sketch, and I’m always tempted to turn things around. But this week, just getting something made was more important. So the flowers jumped out at me, and I ran through my collection looking for small floral stamps with coordinating punches – Petite Petals and Something To Say. I actually started from punches, and then looked for stamps to coordinate;  Petite Petals and Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack.

In order to keep things simple I decided to stick to two colours (plus Whisper White) and used Pear Pizzazz card stock and ink, along with Early Espresso for depth.



Shop Now button-001Join my team button-001

To purchase any of the items featured in my projects please use the links above. To join my team of Stampin’ Friends select ‘Join My Team’ or send me a message!

Please support StampinByHannah by using the Hostess code featured in the top right hand of my blog. For orders of over £150 please do not use this code, as you are entitled to your own Hostess benefits!

Sign up to my newsletter here – http://eepurl.com/2if59

Hannah Wilks

Stampin’ Up! UK Independent Demonstrator