Wednesday 30 October 2019

Black & Bling | Be Inspired Blog Hop


Hello everyone and welcome to another Be Inspired Blog Hop. This month the design team are sharing projects created with the theme "Black and Bling" in mind. You may have arrived here from my amazingly talented friend, Emma Goddard or if you are starting the hop from here be sure to follow the hop all the way around so you don't miss any of the awesome inspiration that the design team have in store for you. 

So I made an interesting discovery about myself whilst working of this project, I find black cards really difficult. After many attempts to create something I was happy with I decided to embrace the Bling portion of the brief and here's what I came up with. 


When I think of bling at Christmas time my mind instantly goes to bright shiny ornaments, so I chose to go with silver embossed ornaments on Granny Apple Green, Melon Mambo and Coastal Cabana.  Don't you just love how the bright colours pop against the black.

Sticking with silver I added a little extra bling with a Silver Foil stitched frame and some rhinestones and for a finishing touch I add a bow in Black Satin Ribbon.

Next up in the hop is Janneke Dijkstra-deJong. I can't wait to see what she has come up with.


Be Inspired Design Team Blog Roll


Tanya Rees (You are here)

Monday 21 October 2019

Single Layer Card | Let's Get Hopping #25


Hello everyone and welcome to another Let's Get Hopping Blog Hop. This month the Let's Get Hopping team are sharing Single Layer cards, which is a task that is definitely easier said than done. I'm going to admit from the outset that I'm sure my interpretation is cheating a little but I'll let you be the judge. So here is my projects.


Now as you can see, aside from embellishments, if you count the card base, the card actually has two layers, so to meet the brief I just haven't counted the card base as a layer. 😉😉😉

The image and sentiment on this card are from the Christmas Rose stamp set and I have added an element of dimension and extended the image by masking the card with washi tape before stamping. I then coloured in the image using Blends before removing the washi tape. It is worth noting that this technique will only work with Blends if you use washi tape, not a Post-it note, as the Blends have a tendency to bleed.

As I mentioned earlier, I really did find this theme to be quite challenging so to get me started I decided to take another project that I had created and try to recreate it in a single layer.




The card I chose to use as my inspiration is this "stepped-up" version that I created while CASing a project created by my beautiful friend, Susan Wong in one of her Crafty Carrot Collective tutorials.

Next up in the hop is my amazing Artisan colleague Mikaela Titheridge. I've not yet seen what she has created but I'm sure it is going to be fabulous


Thank you for hopping by. I hope I've inspired you to take the leap and have a go at your own single layer card.

- Tan xx

Friday 18 October 2019

Stampin Up! Artisan Design Team Blog Hop - Holly Jolly Christmas



Hello everyone, and welcome to another Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team blog hop. This month we are all sharing projects created using bundles from the Stampin' Up! 2019 Holiday Catalogue however we've added a little twist. My projects showcase the Holly Jolly Christmas Stamp set and Jolly Season Dies but I have given the bundle a new look by not using the coordinating Night Before Christmas Designer Series Paper and the other accessories from the Night Before Christmas Suite.




When I create my Christmas cards I often like to create sets of cards and that's how I approached this assignment. Each of the cards I created for this set have a Basic Black base with polka dots that have been sponged in Craft White ink using the polka dot mask from the Basic Pattern Decorative Masks. Then I have added a ombre stitched rectangle, white embossed stamping and embellishments in black, white and silver. 




The first card I created features the red and pink tones of Cherry Cobbler, Real Red, Lovely Lipstick, Melon Mambo and Flirty Flamingo. To create the ombre stitched rectangle I cut strips of cardstock into equal widths (making the top and bottom pieces slightly wider) and adhered them to a piece of copy paper using my Multipurpose glue, being careful not to use too much glue that it seeps out between the strips. Then once the glue was dry I die cut the panel using the largest die from the Stitched Rectangle Dies. I also really wanted to highlight how gorgeous the images from Holly Jolly Christmas were without adding any colouring so I simply stamped the Santa in Versamark and heat embossed him in White Stampin' Emboss Powder.




Having used reds in my first card I couldn't resist going with greens for my second. This card features Soft Seafoam, Pear Pizzazz, Granny Apple Green, Call Me Clover and Shaded Spruce in both the ombre panel and the die cut gifts. You may have noticed that the die cut "Tis the Season" is also in ombre tones. To create this I die cut the sentiment out of the stitched rectangle before adhering it to the card base and then covered the hole with a Nested Label. 




For my next card I decided to go with blue as my base colour. Blue is definitely not a traditional Christmas colour however if you have seen any of the Christmas decoration displays in the retail store this year you will have noticed that there is a bit of a trend towards blue tones. The blues that I have gone for in this card are Night of Navy, Blueberry Bushel, Pacific Point and Balmy Blue and I just had to add the Santa and his reindeer silhouette to the navy "night sky".




Finally I chose the purple tones of Purple Posy, Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape and Blackberry Bliss for my last card. This time I stamped and heat embossed the stocking images on Vellum and adhered them to the card with some strategically placed Mini Glue Dots.

That is all from me today. I hope I have inspired you to get more out of your stamp sets and look past the colours of the product suite to create a new and fun look in your projects. Next up in the hop is Angela Meiritz-Reid with more Holly Jolly Christmas inspiration for you.



- Tan xxx






Supplies used
Stamps: Holly Jolly Christmas
Card: Whisper White, Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler, Real Red, Lovely Lipstick, Melon Mambo, Flirty Flamingo, Soft Seafoam, Pear Pizzazz, Granny Apple Green, Call Me Clover, Shaded Spruce, Night of  Navy, Blueberry Bushel, Pacific Point, Balmy Blue, Purple Posy, Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape, Blackberry Bliss, Silver Glimmer Paper, Vellum
Ink: Craft Whisper White, Versamark,
Accessories & Tools: Jolly Season Dies, Stitched Nesting Label Dies, Stitched Rectangles Dies, Smooth Sailing Dies, Basic Pattern Decorative Masks, White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Mini Library Clips, 1/2" Satin Ribbon, 3/8" Silver Metallic Edge Ribbon

Saturday 5 October 2019

Brightly Gleaming Christmas Packaging | Stampin' Up! Corporate Blog Post





I cannot believe we are already in October! Where has the year gone? Today my last Corporate blog post as a 2019 Artisan Design Team member has gone live on the Stampin' Up! Corporate Facebook page and I thought I'd also share the post with you here. 

Hi there. My name is Tanya Rees and I am a 2019 Artisan Design Team member from Bendigo, Australia. Today I am sharing with you my favourite type of projects to create using Stampin’ Up!® products, Christmas gift packaging. We are so lucky that Stampin’ Up! offers a range of packaging products and I have used a few of them along with items from the Brightly Gleaming Suite in the 2019 Holiday Catalogue and some sweets and home-baked treats to create some gifts for a few special people


With each of these projects I have chosen to feature images from the Christmas Gleaming Stamp set (item 150464) and the gorgeous colour combo of Night of Navy, Old Olive, Pretty Peacock, Very Vanilla and Copper from the Brightly Gleaming Speciality Designer Series Paper (item 150429) 


The first project I created was this decorated Copper Tea Tin (item 147034). These tins are perfect for gifting all sorts of goodies like fudge, shortbread or nuts and once the recipient has eaten their treat they still have a beautiful tin that they can reuse for countless purposes. To dress the tin up I started by wrapping a belly band of Brightly Gleaming Speciality DSP around the tin and then added a length and bow of 3/8” Reversible Ribbon in Old Olive/Pretty Peacock (item 149496). I then adhered a Very Vanilla cardstock (item 106550) circle cut with the Stitched Shapes dies (item 145372) and a scalloped Copper Foil (item 142020) circle die cut with the Layering Circles Dies (item 141705) over the ribbon and then layered some ornaments over the top, one stamped in Old Olive (item 147090) and the other embossed with White Stampin’ Emboss Powder (item 109132) on Pretty Peacock cardstock (item 150886). Both of these ornaments were punched out with the larger punch from the coordinating Gleaming Ornaments Punch Pack (item 150647). Finally I added a sentiment from the Toile Christmas Stamp Set (item 150469) embossed in Copper Stampin’ Emboss Powder (item 141636) and die cut with the coordinating Christmas Cardinal Dies (item 150640)


My second project is this Baker’s Box (item 147899) filled with some home-baked yoyo biscuits. Sticking with my colour scheme I chose to sponge the box with Night of Navy ink (item 147110) and then added some Copper embossed holly berries and leaves. Once I had filled the box I tied some 1/2” Classic Weave Ribbon around it and added some more stamped ornaments and a copper foil ornament from the Brightly Gleaming Foil Elements (item 150431) all tied to the bow with the Mossy Meadow Linen Thread from the Magnolia Lane Ribbon Combo Pack (item 149485)


Next I chose to embellish an Acetate Card Box (item 145486) beginning with wrapping a belly band of Brightly Gleaming Speciality Designer Series Paper and 1/2” Classic Weave Ribbon around the box and then layered some Copper Trim (item 144179) under a rosette created with a different patterned DSP. To create the fussy cut holly berries and leaves I used the marker to stamp technique with Stampin’ Write Markers in Old Olive (item 147155) and Pretty Peacock (item 150079) to stamp a multi-colour image on a piece of Shimmery  White Cardstock (item 121717) then add some extra colour by using a Blender Pen (item 102845) to draw ink from the stamped lines. Finally I added some more ornaments and the sentiment stamped in Pretty Peacock (item 150083)


This fourth gift package is made up of 3 Clear Tiny Treat Boxes and a box constructed with a piece of Brightly Gleaming DSP. I used the Stitched Rectangle dies to cut the window out of the front and side panels of the box and I then embellished the box with a Vellum cardstock (item 106584) wreath die cut with the All Around Wreaths Dies (item 150641), some 3/8” Reversible Ribbon and some mini ornaments fussy cut from the DSP and a sentiment banner from Toile Christmas. 


The last project I created was this Chocolate Block slider box. The base of the wrapper was created with Pretty Peacock Cardstock and a panel of Brightly Gleaming DSP layer on the front of the box. Using the new Delicata Celestial Copper Ink (item 150707) I added a little extra detail to the DSP with the scroll image stamp from the Christmas Gleaming Stamp Set. I then added another patterned panel of DSP and some Night of Navy cardstock (item 106577) embossed with the Hammered Metal 3D Embossing Folder and I embellished it further with a copper foil star from the Brightly Gleaming Foil Elements, some holly berries and leaves and some Copper Trim underneath the sentiment. Finally I used some 1/2” Classic Weave Ribbon to create the slider component and then secure the ribbon at the top of the box with some Linen Thread (item 104199) and some Jingle Bells
(item 149598) coloured with Copper Stampin’ Emboss Powder.

Thank you for joining me today. I hope you have enjoyed these projects and that they have inspired you to create your own Christmas gift packaging for this coming festive season.

- Tan xx

Wednesday 2 October 2019

Stampin Up! Artisan Design Team Blog Hop - Christmastime Is Here


Hello everyone, Christmas Is Coming Early This Year!

We hope you’re ready to make this holiday season magical, because the Christmastime Is Here Suite is, well . . . here! This exclusive, limited-time collection of festive, floral coordinating products has everything you and your customers need to share love, joy, and creativity this holiday season. The 2019 Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team have had the privilege to have a play with this beautiful suite and I am so excited to share a few creations with you today.  

Before I share the details of each of my projects I'm sure you are just busting to know what is included in the suite. As you can see below the Christmastime is Here features the Christmas Rose Stamp Set and coordinating Roses Dies, Christmastime is Here Designer Series Paper, Gold Glitter Enamel Dots and Gold 1/4" Shimmer Ribbon. However since Christmas is that little bit extra special, the suite also includes something a little bit extra special, a Charming Rose Bracelet.


The first of my creations features this stunning floral arrangement from the Christmas Rose Stamp set that I have stamped in Versamark on Shimmery White cardstock and embossed with White Stampin' Emboss Powder. I then watercoloured the roses in Rococo Rose and Cherry Cobbler and the greenery in Soft Seafoam and Mossy Meadow. Now for those of you who are not fans of fussy cutting, the coordinating Roses Dies includes a die that not only die cuts this floral arrangement but also the same image on the Christmastime is Here DSP. Winning!!!!


Sticking with the main colours of the suite I went with a Cherry Cobbler card base with a touch of Gold Heat embossing. I then layered a piece of the Mossy Meadow patterned paper from the Christmastime is Here DSP and a couple of Gold Foil trellis die cuts underneath my Christmas Rose image and finally I finished the card off with the sentiment stamped on on of the label dies from the Roses Dies, a few scattered Gold Glitter Enamel Dots and some Gold 1/4" Shimmer Ribbon


With so many stunning rose images in the Christmastime is Here DSP, the fussy cutter in me just could not resist cutting out a few of the Cherry Cobbler and Poppy Parade roses for my second card.
Once again I have gone with a Cherry Cobbler card base and layered two patterns of DSP, and some
Whisper white trellis die cuts under the sentiment and an arrangement of die cut roses and finished it off with some Gold Shimmer Ribbon and Gold Glitter Enamel Dots.



Finally, it wouldn't be Christmas without some beautiful gift packaging and the Gold Mini Pizza
boxes from the 2019 Holiday Catalogue coordinate perfectly with this suite. This little gift package came together so incredibly quickly. Firstly I adhered some DSP to the top of the box and then I wrapped a belly band of the Mossy Meadow pattern DSP around the box before securing floral arrangement image fussy cut from the DSP, a trellis die cut and a sentiment label and some Gold Glitter Ribbon.

So now that you've seen all the pretty details I bet you are wondering how you can get your hands on the Christmastime is Here suite. If you are a Stampin' Up! demonstrator (or if you sign up now) you can get exclusive early access to these products (Preorder limits apply) in the Preorder period which runs from 1st October until the 31st October. The Customer Sales Period commences on 1st November and will continue while supplies last

Next up in the hop is my gorgeous friend, Anglea Meiritz-Reid and I can guarantee you are going to love the stunning Christmas Rose projects she has created.

- Tan xx




Supplies used
Stamps: Christmas
Card: Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Shimmery White, Gold Foil, Christmastime is Here Designer Serie Paper
Ink: Craft Cherry Cobbler, Rococo Rose, Early Espresso, Soft Seafoam, Mossy Meadow, Versamark,
Accessories & Tools: Roses Dies, White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder, Gold Glitter Enamel Dots, Gold ¼” Shimmer Ribbon, Gold Mini Pizza boxes