Thursday 23 January 2014

The Wacky Watercooler Welcome 2014 Blog Hop

Wacky Watercooler New Catalog(ue) Blog Hop


Welcome to our brand new Blog Hop.  There is something particularly exciting about welcoming in a brand new year with a blog hop.  I know we're all excited about the new Occasions mini catalogue and, of course, Sale-a-bration.  Hopefully all the wonderful creations in our Blog Hop will make you just as excited about the new Stampin' Up! products as we are.  If you've just come from the talented Marsha Reed's blog, I know she'll have gotten your creative juices flowing.  Isn't her blog wonderful?  

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It's threatening to snow again and we already have way too much snow on the ground as it is.  Under the circumstances, I had to lift my spirits and work with some bright and spring-like colours just to escape the winter outside my window.  I love the watercolours featured in the new Occasions mini.  The Designer Paper is lovely and the stamp sets simply make me smile.  For my first project, therefore, I decided to use a mixture of my favourite images and products inside a frame.

I chose a frame with a 10" x 10" opening.  I also chose to leave the glass behind the art to allow the full 3-D effect.  For my base layer, I used a 10" x 10" piece of Core'dinations Very Vanilla.  The next layer was an 8 1/4" x 8 1/4" piece of Basic Black cardstock onto which I mounted an 8" x 8" piece of the lovely Modern Medley Designer Paper.  Then I created four pretty 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares of watercolour paper mounted on 2 3/4" x 2 3/4" squares of Basic Black cardstock.

For each square I used the brand new Happy Watercolor stamp set to create the background effect.  For square one I added two colourful vellum butterflies using the Papillon Potpourri stamp set and the matching Elegant Butterfly punch and Bitty Butterfly punch.  That glossy black down their bodies was created with the Crystal Effects and Basic Black ink.  For square two I added sentiments from the Happy Watercolor stamp set which I cut out using the new Word Bubbles Framelits dies and then sponged along the edges using Basic Black ink to make them stand out.

For square three I used the beautiful poppy from the Happy Watercolor stamp set.  Before I did the background, I stamped the poppy twice, using a mask to allow one to appear behind the other.  Then I used a mask over the stamped poppies to avoid getting the background colours onto the flowers.  Finally, I used my Aqua Painter to colour the poppies.  The centres of the flowers are glossy thanks to Crystal Effects.  For my last square I decided to first do the background using the Happy Watercolor stamp set but then covered that layer with a square cut from So Saffron cardstock using the new Hexagon Hive Thinlits die.  Then I stamped the bee from the new Springtime Hello stamp set on several of the solid hexagons.  Finally I painted "dripping" honey using a mixture of So Saffron ink and Crystal Effects.


I love the finished frame and, yes, it does make me happy to look at it rather than the snow outside.

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You've probably seen one of those "cards in a box" which Tanya Bell created.  I believe she originally got her idea from Monica Gail and adapted it to a smaller Australian envelope size.  Well, their envelope size is larger than our usual size (for a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card).  So I played with the measurements and brought it down to that size.  Yes, it does save a bit in materials and, more important, I have a lot of that size of envelope and so do my customers.  I've provided the template and measurements here to save space in this post.

I needed a birthday card for my nephew and thought this would be a fun change from the "normal" card.  I kept the main colours neutral to let the explosion of images take centre stage.  For the base, therefore, I used the Naturals White and followed by a layer of Baked Brown Sugar.  For the lower portion of the box I then did a layer of Whisper White and finally a layer of Venetian Romance Designer Paper.  For the folded-over upper portion of the box, I stopped at the layer of Whisper White, onto which I stamped an image for each section.  Using the elephant and balloon from the You're Amazing stamp set kept the feeling festive, as did the sentiment from the Label Love stamp set.

Finally I finished up with images stamped from the Banner Blast, Peachy Keen, Just Sayin', and See Ya Later stamp sets.  The inks I used were Early Espresso, Real Red, Crushed Curry and Smoky Slate.  I used strips of Window Sheet to hold each element up in place.

The long rectangle of Whisper White at the back leaves lots of room to write under the sentiment from the Yippee-Skippy stamp set.

There is a real "explosion" of elements coming out of the box.  If you look closely, there is some Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details at the top of each candle.


 Believe it or not, this box folds down easily to fit into one of our standard envelopes.

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My final project for the Blog Hop is a wedding card.  I may have gone a bit over the top with the dazzle, but that's easy to do when using that gorgeous Gold Foil sheet as well as the Gold Glitter.  I nearly had to wear sunglasses to work on the card!

For this card I began with a base of Shimmery White cardstock.  There is such a subtle lustre to this paper that makes it perfect for special cards.  To create a sharp border around the Gold Foil, I used Basic Black cardstock as my next layer.  I love the way it frames the gold!  The foil was too flat and polished for the look I wanted, therefore I used the fun Decorative Dots embossing folder that is one of the free Sale-a-bration items this year.  Doesn't the texture look terrific?

I wanted to use one of those dainty Tea Lace Paper Doilies on the card and decided to use it as a frame.  The fifth size of Circles Framlits (beginning at the smallest and working out) was perfect to take out the centre of the doily.  I also took a piece of Gold Foil and "stacked" the fifth size of circle and sixth size of circle and ran that through the Big Shot to get a gold ring that perfectly fit the hole.  So I stamped the sentiment from the One In a Million stamp set onto a circle of Basic Black using Versamark and then heat embossed it using the Gold embossing powder.  You can see how nicely all that came together.


Right here I'm going to stop and tell you that I absolutely love the new Spiral Flower Originals die that is in the Occasions mini catalogue.  With it, you can make truly beautiful flowers.  I've made several using cardstock and Designer Paper but for this project I decided to try making three using the Creped Filter Paper.  The results exceeded my expectations.  I sponged a bit of the Gold Encore ink on the scalloped edges before making the flowers and then, once I had hot-glued them firmly into place, used an artist's fine brush to put a tiny bit of Tombo glue along the edges and then to add some Gold Glitter.  The result?  What do you think?


Inside, I went for simple elegance.  I layered some Basic Black and Whisper White and, besides the sentiment from the Love & Laughter stamp set, added a heart cut-out and little Gold Foil heart.



The finishing touches for the front were some leaves cut from more Goil Foil using the Little Leaves Sizzlits die, a scattering of Basic Pearl Jewels and a little Gold Foil heart cut with the Small Heart punch.  And that's where I stopped.  Anything more would have been excess.  How do you like it?



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 Well, that's it!  I hope you enjoyed my projects for the Blog Hop.  I'd love to hear what you thought of them, if you have a moment to comment.  Since we're linked in a circular fashion, your next stop will be the beginning, with the talented Jean Fitch.  Jean never ceases to amaze so I'm sure you'll love seeing her terrific projects.  Thanks so much for joining us today.

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29 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, Heidi, your projects are gorgeous. I am totally in love with the watercolor ones. I am gonna have to go back and re read it all.

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    1. Thanks so much, Christine. I had so much fun making the squares for the watercolour frame.

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  2. Your projects are gorgeous, Heidi. I love the one with the spiral flowers. It is so soft and beautiful.

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    1. Thanks so much, Susan. I went a bit crazy with the gold but is there such a thing as too much gold? (Especially the real stuff?)

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  3. Oh, my, Heidi! These are absolutely amazing. I love the framed piece, and the card in a box is so much fun. But the flowers....I never would have thought about using the filter paper, but they're so gorgeous. The gold adds the perfect touch. Beautiful!

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    1. Thank you, Buffy. Those flowers took me so long to finally create. Not that using the filter paper is difficult, but I couldn't decide what to make them out of. I knew I wanted flowers made with the Spiral die but each one I thought of, I rejected. I love your foil flower and had considered making a single flower from foil but wanted something softer. I almost went with the Whisper White which I would have pinched and crushed and worked into a degree of softness. But then I suddenly thought of the filter paper and am so happy I did.

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  4. Very pretty projects, Heidi. Love the white flowers from the crepe.

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  5. The frame - the Card in a Box - those flowers -- I'm speechless!! Your creativity must be on overdrive as you deal with all that cold and snow. Hope you get warm soon.

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    1. Thanks, Gail. Having come from Alberta, you can appreciate the cold and snow, can't you? Or at least appreciate being away from it. I loved making the flowers.

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  6. Love all your projects, Heidi! I'll have to try the crepe paper with the flower die (I'm in love with that one, too); they look gorgeous.

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    1. Thanks, Deb. I know you'll love making those creped filter paper flowers. Can't you imagine sponging the tips with pink or blue? The possibilities are endless.

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  7. Heidi, that frame is so very artistically done. All I can say is wow! Wow! Wow!

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    1. Thank you, Bev. I loved making that frame. And, of course, it's such a pleasure to look at it rather than the snowy landscape.

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  8. Heidi, I really love your last card it is my favorite of your wonderful projects.

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    1. Thank you so much, Kath. It turned out much better than I had initially planned. A couple of detours along the creative road made all the difference.

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  9. Heidi, these are gorgeous projects! The frame is lovely...that honey is an inspired touch, but all the other squares are special, too. You'll be happy to have it around all through spring, I bet. The card in the box--great, love it. The wedding card--beyond great--whatever that is. I'd love to hold it and touch it. Fabulous job. Thank you.

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    1. Thank you so very much, Kathy. You're right about my enjoying the frame. They're threatening more snow on Sunday (boo-hoo) so I'll just shut my blinds and look at my framed spring. I'm glad you enjoyed my projects.

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  10. My dear Heidi...your stunning projects are the capper to the hop. Each one is a WOW! Have to say the last project completely stole my heart. The crepe filter paper flowers (as well as the whole ensemble) are sheer artistry and simply amazing. So much inspiration and so many wonderful ideas to add to my notes of techniques and tips to try. Thank you for ending the hop on such a high and for being our hop leader all through the process.
    Just had a thought...do you think the retired wide tulle ribbon on the Clearance Rack would work with the spiral die? If it did I bet a bit of starch as well as tombow and glitter would add a very cool look. Once again...thanks for sharing all the details and inspiration. Hoping your creative fires will keep you warm in the frozen north. Now I'm feeling guilty for our 60+ degrees today here in Oregon. You Alberta women are a tough and hardy breed...creative too. :D

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    1. Thank you so very much for the lovely comments, Jean. Of course I had to haul out some of that wide tulle in order to satisfy my curiosity. I agree it could really look quite unique. It is, however, just about 3/4 of an inch too narrow to properly fit the die. I am still going to try it to see if the scallops of the tulle can make up for the narrower areas. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Stay tuned for a report.

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  11. Wonderful projects, Heidi!

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  12. hi heidi, first...thanks so much for leading this hop & all your organizational efforts. it has really paid off!
    once again, i am in awe of your creations starting with your frame...your artistry is amazing! i am also finding a love for gold through this hop. i'm a silver person myself, but several of you have opened my eyes & i think i will be giving it a try! those boxes provide endless opportunity for creativity. i'm working on a valentine design for my granddaughter!
    thanks so much for sharing your time & creativity which has contributed to a very successful hop! smiles, karen ;-)

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    1. Karen, thank you so much for the kind words. So, of course I have to ask: when are you going to jump in and join us? You're so very creative. It would be a pleasure to have you as part of the next blog hop.

      And I totally agree about the gold. I normally use a lot of silver but the look of the gold foil has definitely opened my mind and I'm using the golds more as a result. Make sure you show us what you created for your granddaughter (or post it for the next blog hop---hint, hint).

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  13. Wow! Your projects are awesome Heidi!

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  14. HI Heidi - just LOVE your projects. I tried to retrieve the measurements for the card in a box, and it's not letting me "in". Tried signing in with my google account - no go.. I really love your projects!! Any help retrieving the template and measurements would be GREATLY appreciated. janinpb@cbbmail.com
    Thanks very much!

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  15. Wow Heidi, all your projects are amazing, but the wedding card is gorgeous! Can't believe I never paid attention to that sentiment-must have! Your flowers are beautiful.

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    1. Thanks so much, Kathya. I love that sentiment and have used it quite a bit. It's one of those that, even when it retires, I'll continue to use.

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  16. wow, i love your frame. I guess this is the hop I missed to follow.

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