All Geared Up To Celebrate

Hello everyone,

My youngest little one has been attending quite a few parties for his daycare and kinder buddies lately so I have been busy creating cards for him to give to his friends at these events. Not to typecast but most 4 year old boys love cars so the cool images from Geared Up Garage were the perfect go-to for these cards.

Now two of the cards I made were whipped up quite hastily before we headed off to the parties but I did manage to have enough time to take a pic of this one.

When creating this card I drew some inspiration from the team at the Global Design Team and their current sketch challenge GDP#186. Here is the sketch that inspired the layout of my card

I really love the detail in all the images in the Geared Up Garage stamp set. In this card I've used the oil can image to add a little extra detail to the DSP background and the oil stain stamp added some texture to the Basic Gray starburst circle.

The little splatters of silver were created using my favourite stamp from the Timeless Textures stamp set. I'm really going to miss this stamp when the set retires at the end of May. 

That's all for this post today but be sure to pop back and check out my blog again throughout the week. I've been very busy behind the scenes creating some great projects to share without in various posts over the next couple of weeks, including an amazing limited release surprise from Stampin' Up!.

Thanks for stopping by.

- Tan xx

Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team Blog Hop - Needlepoint Nook

Hello everyone and welcome to another Artisan Design Team blog hop. This month we've had the opportunity to play with the products from the Needlepoint Nook Suite, particularly the Needle & Thread Stamp Set and the Needlepoint Element Framelits Dies.

When I sat down to play with these products I immediately knew I wanted to create a home decor item and it didn't take too long for me to decide to go with this project.

When creating this I really wanted the Needlepoint Nook Designer Series Paper to look like it was actually an embroidered piece of fabric, particularly as this pattern is photographic imagery of actual hand-stitched embroidery, so I had to experiment a little to work out how to mount the DSP on to the embroidery hoop. Do not fret, no beautiful Designer Series Paper was harmed in these experiments, only once I was successful at mounting a sheet of plain copy paper did I then attempt to mount the
DSP.

Of course I had to include some die-cut stitching in this project so the Stitched Rectangle Framelits were the obvious choice for the centre panel and I used a bit of masking and the Make a Difference Stamp Set to alter the "People like you make the world a better place" sentiment from Needle & Thread.

I absolutely love how the Distinktive images of the stitched flowers look like actual embroidered flowers although I have to admit I did have to practice a little to get an image I was happy with. My tip for using Distinktive Photopolymer stamps is to make sure your ink pad isn't too juicy (a quick dab with some paper towel is an easy way to remove excess ink) and make sure you put a foam mat under your cardstock before stamping (the one that comes with the Stamparatus is perfect).

You can also see in this close up pic that I also included the some of the teeny tiny Needlepoint Nook Mini Buttons. Aren't they the cutest?

Enjoy the rest of the hop, I can guarantee you are going to love all the projects that my fellow Artisans have created. Next up is my beautiful friend, Angela Meiritz-Reid.

Happy stamping

- Tan xx

Supplies used

Stamps: Needle & Thread, Make a Difference
Card: Whisper White, Tranquil Tide, Old Olive, Needlepoint Nook Designer Series Paper

Ink: Night of Navy, Berry Burst, Highland Heather, Old Olive, Balmy Blue, Crushed Curry, Petal Pink
Accessories & Tools: Needlepoint Elements Framelits, Stitched Rectangle Framelits, Needlepoint Nook Mini Buttons, Whisper White Bakers Twine, Old Olive Linen Thread, Whisper White Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon