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Thursday 22 January 2015

The Wacky Watercooler Welcome 2015 Blog Hop













It's a brand new year and a brand new Blog Hop!  This time we're celebrating the brand new Occasions Catalogue and, of course, Sale-a-bration.  This is going to be a lot of fun!

Our Blog Hops run in a circular manner.  What that means is that as you go from one participant to the next, you will inevitably, wind up at the point where you began.  I hope you'll find the time to check out all our blogs.  Once you've finished, you'll have to ask yourself what your own favourite in the new Catalogues might be.

If you've been moving forward in the blog hop, you'll have joined me after checking out the very creative Christine Giuda's wonderful post.  Isn't she talented?

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For my first project I drew Kath Ricks' name which meant that I had to go back through her blog posts to find my favourite among her past Occasions or Sale-a-bration projects.  It was a tough choice.  I changed my mind several times.  Kath simply had too many great projects and, finally, I made myself choose just one and stick with it.  I decided to CASE this project from February 14/12 simply because I absolutely loved the fold that she used and because I knew I could make the card out of our current Occasions and Sale-a-bration products.  This is Kath's card


Don't you just love that double "z" fold?  Open or closed, this is a wonderful card.

For mine I used a base of So Saffron and stuck to that colour as well as Crisp Cantaloupe throughout.  There is also white in the card thanks to the Irresistibly Yours Designer Series Paper offered in the Sale-a-bration brochure.  Using it is just like doing the emboss resist technique without having to heat emboss first.  I'm hooked on this paper!  I also added gold by heat embossing the butterfly using Gold embossing powder and, of course, I used the Gold 1/8" Ribbon.


I love the way the card opens up when you untie the bow.  That's what drew me to Kath's card and convinced me that I would CASE it.


The stamp sets which I used are all from the new Occasions Catalogue:  Painted Petals and Butterfly Basics.  The sentiment inside the card, however is from the Annual Catalogue:  Something to Say.  I love the Butterflies Thinlits Dies and have used them to cut out the butterfly on the front of the card and to make the stencil for the inside of the card.

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For my next project, I used a mixture of retired and current products.  It was such a lot of fun!  The inspiration for the colours and the products came from the stamp set itself.  I used the little pirate image from the Hey, Valentine stamp set (Occasions Catalogue).  That allowed me to go wild with my Blendabilities.  For the black, however, I turned to my Stampin' Markers and then I added a bit of gold and silver using my Stampin' Dazzle markers.

I took advantage of the wonderful Core'dinations that are currently available from the Clearance Rack at a fraction of their original price.  I love the texture of the paper for the sky and also for the water.  Sanding the embossed areas really made everything "pop".  Of course I had to add some additional dazzle since we're talking about treasure and that explains the tiny circles of gold and silver as well as the rhinestones.


  If you've wanted to try out the Blendabilities, this is the right time to do it.  During Sale-a-bration an assortment of Blendabilities is available free with a purshase of $60 (Canada).  Pricing will vary on location in the world.

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 My final project is a framed piece.  I had a lot of trouble choosing my favourites from the current Occasions catalogue.  Bottom line, depending on the day, I have a new favourite.  There is just so much great stuff from which to choose.  I went for the Painted Blooms Designer Series Paper, chose several colours  to compliment my chosen design, and then added some butterflies cut with the Butterflies Thinlits Dies.

I used a square black frame and then added layers.  First is a layer of Whisper White followed by layers of Rich Razzleberry, Blackberry Bliss and a square of the Painted Blooms.  For my small square I began with a layer of Rich Razzleberry and then added Whisper White and a square of the new Chalkboard Paper heat embossed with White embossing powder.  The sentiment, from the Hello Life stamp set, looks wonderful against the intense matte black of the Chalkboard paper and also expresses exactly what I wanted for this project.


I went a bit crazy with fussy-cutting out the fern from the Butterfly Basics stamp set.  That was a whole new world of torture and I doubt I'll ever cut that particular image out again.

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Well that's it for this month's projects.  I hope you've enjoyed them.  Didn't I warn you that there were some amazing products in the new Occasions Catalogue and Sale-a-bration brochure?

If you get a moment, please leave a comment.  I'd love to know what you thought of my creations.

Your next stop will be at the creative Marie Green's blog.  Prepare to be amazed.





23 comments:

  1. Your framed piece is absolutely beautiful! I bet it was a chore cutting out that fern! Love you CASE, great choice. I have to say that little pirate guy has stolen my heart! Have to get that set for the grandkids.

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    1. Thanks so much, Marie. "A chore" doesn't quite describe how I felt, especially by the time I was halfway through and knew how much more work was ahead, cutting out that fern. Never again! I love that little pirate guy, too. That whole set is simply fun. You'll love it!

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  2. Wow great CASE! ;) I will have to CASE your CASE. All your projects are wonderful.

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    1. Thank you very much, Kath. What a compliment that would be, CASEing my CASE. I really loved the inspiration your card gave me.

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  3. As always, I love your projects, Heidi!! You're such an inspiration!! Thank you for sharing! I've been so honored to be a part of this blog hop and I'll miss you all!! <3

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    1. Thanks so much, Ter. You've been an important part of the group. Never say never. Have a rest and then let me know if you want to join another blog hop. I can't see why anyone would say "no" to having you participate.

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  4. You are amazingly amazing! I'm so glad you are doing more of what makes you happy, because your work is a treasure! I'm truly impressed and delighted with your creations. Thanks, oh great leader, for the inspiration and fabulous work!

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    1. Thank you very much, Priscilla. I made that framed art for my sister who is going through a rough time. Those are her particular colours so I'm sure she'll like it. You're going to make my head swell with all those compliments. But thank you---you're sweet.

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  5. Gorgeousness!! Your framed piece is outstanding!!

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    1. Thank you so much, Jeannie. I appreciate that, even when you don't join the blog hop, you check it out. I love that about you. *hugs*

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  6. Gosh, Heidi. I so love your work. That last card is absolutely beautiful and I think I need to CASE it, fussy cutting and all. I actually don't mind fussy cutting. Beautiful projects....as always.

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    1. Thank you very much, Christine. I don't mind fussy-cutting and have done some intricate pieces but this fern really did bring me to the brink of mental collapse. I kept thinking, as I got close to the end, "what if I snip too far and it separates...". Good luck. :)

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  7. So, the internet gremlins stole my comment, eh?! Well - I'll fix them! I'll leave another :) Heidi, your projects are gorgeous as always - and you're a champ for fussy cutting that fern!! LOL I love the colours you used on the CASE of Kath's card; isn't that Irresistibly Yours paper the best?! Thanks again for heading up the Hop; even with everything going on for you, you still come through! Cheers :)

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    1. Thanks so much, Deb. This one wasn't eaten for lunch by those hungry gremlins. ;) Fussy cutting that fern almost pushed me over the edge, but I will admit the look of it gives me a lot of pleasure. The Irresistibly Yours paper is the best DSP that Stampin' Up! has released. It's so versatile that one can make it work with any colour. I am deeply and firmly in love with it.

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  8. Your projects are always so beautiful, Heidi. You did a great job. I hate fussy cutting. Would you mind cutting me out a bunch of ferns because they are beautiful and I would love to use them on a card? :)

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    1. Thanks so much, Susan. When did you want those ferns? Yesterday? I just gave a handful to a couple of other people so you may have to wait until they let me out of the wonderful padded room into which they've put me. ;)

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  9. Beautiful projects, Heidi. I love that Rich Razzleberry frame. I love our blog hops!

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    1. Thanks so much, Marsha. I made that framed piece for my sister who loves those colours. I agree. I love our blog hops, too. We have a wonderful group of friends.

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  10. So pretty! I just want to sit and stare at those Saffron & Cantelope flowers until all the snow melts.

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    1. Thank you very much, Linda. The colours make me think of Spring as well. I could use less snow.

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  11. That vellum butterfly is stunning! Great work!

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    1. Thank you so much, Stefanie. Vellum is usually my go-to medium for butterflies.

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  12. Wow, Heidi, I 'm pretty much speechless and all I can think of to say is Wow! Awesome projects, truly stunning!

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