Long time, no see...!

Hiya!

So sorry for the long absense on blogland - I've been very busy preparing for the new catalogue launch on the 1st of October and a lot of the stuff I've been making I can't share till then so hence the lack of posts! I did make a little something this evening that I thought I'd share - I combined this week's Taylored Expressions sketch with the Colour Q challenge this week. This is what I came up with:

The colours are Old Olive, So Saffron, Poppy Parade and Peach Parfait. I stamped the butterflies with Early Espresso and sponged on So Saffron, Peach Parfait and Poppy Parade inks. The sentiment and background stamps are sneaky peekies...! I finished things of with some rhinestone brads and Old Olive satin ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Old meets new...

Hiya!

I was able to play along with my two favourite Sunday Challenges this week (albeit on Tuesday, and didn't get around to posting til Friday!!). I combined Stacey's Curtain Call colour challenge with Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch to create this:

The colours are Poppy Parade, Peach Parfait, Wild Wasabi and Pink Pirouette - these are all new colours coming in the UK catty in October (I just received my pre-order stuff so was able to play!!). I used a retiring stamp set - one of my original favourites and part of my starter kit when I joined SU - A Touch of Nature. The flowers were stamped on watercolour paper with Stazon and coloured with an aqua brush and inkpads. The Pink Pirouette panel was stamped tone-on-tone with the butterfly from the same stamp set. The greeting is from a really useful little set called Wow Flowers that is also retiring - I've used this set a LOT! The flourish at the side of the image is from Frames with a Flourish (also retiring...) - I stamped it with Peach Parfait and cut out with my paper snips. The white panel in the background is some Bride Speciality DSP - which is sadly also going boo hoo! I added some pearls to the centre of each flower (from the Pretties kit which is also not going to be in the new catty) and some white satin ribbon (this baby's going nowhere!).

I've got the day off today so I'm hoping to play some more with my new goodies!

Thanks for stopping by...!

x Amy x

Creating Diva Butterflies...

Hiya!

Weird post title I know but I had a chance to play along with two new (to me!) challenges today - Create with Connie & Mary (a sketch) and the Diva Coffee Break challenge (a colour challenge). Here's what I came up with:

This is much more my 'cup of tea' than yesterday's attempt!! I LOVE these colours together (Baja Breeze, River Rock, Rose Red and Not Quite Navy - all will be available in the new catalogue in October). I used the little butterfly a-la-carte stamp in the mini catalogue and coloured with blender pens then painted with shimmer paint for a lovely shimmery effect. I added rhinestone brads to the body for extra bling! The Baja Breeze panel was stamped with the Medallion background stamp and the River Rock panel was stamped with the Friendly background stamp. The sentiment is another a-la-carte stamp - love the cute font! I added some white taffetta ribbon to finish things off.

Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

My attempt at CAS...

Hiya!

I thought I'd have a go at today's Clean and Simple challenge over at SCS today - it was a sketch (my fave type of challenge!). Now anyone who knows my style knows that I'm not exactly a Clean and Simple kinda gal! But I thought I would use the opportunity to use some more of my retiring stash. Here's what I created:

I used some Sweet Pea designer paper that I have been hoarding (couldn't bear to cut up the butterflies!). I cut out one of the butterflies as the focal point (there are so many images in this DSP stack - well worth getting before it goes!). I added some Choc Chip satin ribbon which is retiring (boo hoo!) as well as some Pretty in Pink buttons (also going...). The greeting is from One of a Kind (also saying farewell) and punched out with the oval punch.

My hand kept twitching wanting to add something else but I left it at that! What do you think??

Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

Playful Colour Q...

Hiya!

Two posts in one day - my word! The wonders of having a day off completely free from other demands - have made four cards today and had a marvelous time! I've been using more of the retiring goodies from the catalogue and combined this week's Colour Q challenge with Jen's Sketch for You to Try for this card:

There were a lot of colours to use in this challenge! Some new ones (Cherry Cobler, Daffodil Delight and Tangerine Tango) as well as Bermuda Bay (I substituted some DSP from the Kaleidascope pack) with Kraft and Very Vanilla. I tried a bit of ruffled ribbon using the widest twill tape (retiring from the catty boo hoo!) and some sticky strip. The flower was created with Playful Petals (retiring...) by stamping the flowers on different colours of card then cutting out smaller layers and building it all up - lots of fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Retiring Goodies...

Hiya!

Stampin Up released the retiring list of stamps and accessories in the Uk on Wednesday and there is a LOT on there!! I had a class last night showing some some of the lovely things that are going and thought I'd make another card this morning based on the Inspiration Challenge over at SCS. I chose this inspiration piece and here's what I came up with:

I used LOADS of stamp sets on this one (got a bit carried away...). The main image is from A Rose is a Rose (retiring), the greeting is a mix of True Friend and Framed with Love (both retiring) and the background is a combo of En Francais, Baroque Motifs and Season of Joy (thankfully none of which are retiring!!). Oh and the butterfly is from A Touch of Nature - yep also retiring!!

The rose was created by stamping Ruby Red first then Bravo Burgundy, and the leaves are Mellow Moss and Always Artichoke (Ruby Red and Mellow Moss are both going). The background is Blush Blossom (also going..!) and I've stamped the swirls in either Sahara Sand or Basic Grey. The butterfly was stamped with Soft Suede and sponged with Blush Blossom. I covered the leaves, rose and butterfly with clear embossing powder so they are nice and glossy. I added a few Ruby Red buttons to finish (pretty much the last of my stash in that colour!).

If you live in the UK and are interested in purchasing any Stampin Up products, particularly those on the retiring list as they won't be available after September, do get in touch. If you live in the Bristol area and would like to host a party (and get some free goodies!) I have a number of incentives running at the moment - just ask for more details!

Thanks for stopping by today...

x Amy x