International Highlights Winners Hop: You Are The Greatest

Anna’ Stampin’ Cave – International Highlights Winners Hop: You Are The Greatest

Hello and welcome to my stampin’ cave today.

First of all, I wanted to say a massive THANK YOU to all my followers and visitors to my blog for VOTING on my project for this month’s International Project Highlights! My little fridge magnet and card took the 5th place. I’m so humbled!

Anna' Stampin' Cave - Teacher's Thank You Gift Fridge Magnet and Thank You card using Tropical Chic Stamp Set and Tropical Thinlits Dies from Stampin' Up!

Every month, the ‘top ten’ get to blog hop with Kylie, using the same theme, which was a “Teachers Gifts”.

You Are The Greatest

For today’s project, I decided to go back to one of my favourite products and techniques – watercolour with Brusho® Crystal Colour.

Here’s my card –

Anna' Stampin' Cave - Teachers Thank You Card with Watercolour Wash using Brusho Crystal Colour, Little Twinkle Stamp Set & Tropical Chic Stamp Set from Stampin' Up!

Card dimensions:

  • Whisper White Thick cardstock: 11-6/8″ x 4-1/8″ scored in half at 5-7/8″ (29.7 x 10.5 cm scored in half at 14.8 cm)
  • Tranquil Tide cardstock panel: 3-7/8″ x 4-1/4″ (9.8 cm x 10.6 cm)
  • Lemon Lime Twist cardstock panel: 3-5/8″ x 5-13/16″ (9.2 cm x 12.2 cm)
  • Watercolour Paper panel: 3-1/2″ x 5-3/4″ (9 cm x 12 cm)
  • Whisper White cardstock for sentiment

My thought behind this card was to create one that could be suitable either for a female or male teacher.

I prepared my watercolour panel – it was bit larger than what I needed – with embossing buddy and stamped the ‘heart constellation’ using Versamark ink. I sprinkled it with a White Emboss Powder and heat set it with my Heat Tool.

When heat embossing on Watercolor Paper, because it’s a quite porous surface, you need to make sure all the image has transferred very well. It can take a little bit longer for the embossing powder to melt, so be patient.

Anna' Stampin' Cave - Teachers Thank You Card with Watercolour Wash using Brusho Crystal Colour, Little Twinkle Stamp Set & Tropical Chic Stamp Set from Stampin' Up!

Brusho Crystal Colour

They are high quality and highly pigmented paint powders. They are water-based and most of all completely non-toxic. For my card, I chose two colours to work with: Prussian Blue and Moss Green.

I added my water to the embossed heart, sprinkled it with Moss Green and using the aqua painter I moved the water around.

Before adding Prussian Blue I wet the panel under a running water. I wasn’t too concerned and didn’t worry too much that the Mossy Green will run. Once my panel was really wet I sprinkled it richly with Prussian Blue.

I moved the colour tilting the panel in each direction dabbing off any colour that got into the heart – I wanted to keep it green. Once my panel was dry I spritz it with water (very selectively avoiding the heart) and added more Prussian Blue with a few Moss Green areas for the contrast and moved it around with aqua painter again. Once happy with results, and when the panel was still slightly damp, I sprinkled some more of Prussian Blue and let it dry without moving the paper. I love the effect it left on the panel.

Anna' Stampin' Cave - Teachers Thank You Card with Watercolour Wash using Brusho Crystal Colour, Little Twinkle Stamp Set & Tropical Chic Stamp Set from Stampin' Up!

Assembling the card

For the final touch, I took a Whisper White Craft Ink Refill and with a help of clear block and aqua painter, I splashed white all over the panel.

Once my panel was dry I cut it to the size but I saved my colourful off cuts to use them later for some accents.

I adhered Tranquil Tide panel to the card base with liquid glue. Next, I mounted watercolour piece onto a Lemon Lime Twist panel and adhered them both to the base.

The sentiment comes from Tropical Chic Stamp Set. I stamped it in Tranquil Tide ink and punched out with Tailored Tag Punch. I have added it to my card with few dimensionals.

Final touches

For some interest, I stamped a cluster of stars inside of my card, in a bottom left corner. Besides that, I also took one of the watercolour strips that left, cut it at an angle and add it to the inside as well. I think it looks pretty cool.

Anna' Stampin' Cave - Teachers Thank You Card with Watercolour Wash using Brusho Crystal Colour, Little Twinkle Stamp Set & Tropical Chic Stamp Set from Stampin' Up!

I also decided to decorate the envelope with the same elements as the inside of my card: clusters of stars and another watercolour strip cut at an angle.

And that’s it from me for today. I hope you’ve enjoyed visiting my blog. Do you like the card I created? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Below is the list of all the winners, so be sure to hop along. Your next stop is lovely and very talented Janneke de Jong from the Netherlands  go and see her beautiful project.

As always, if you wish to purchase any of the products I have used, simply click the images below to go directly to my online store.

I add this card to:

HOST CODE for the month of AUGUST is U6KK4ACY. Orders of £50+ (excl. p&p) will receive a pack of Stampin’ Up! Pearlised Doilies!

Product List

Bone Folder

£6.25

Aqua Painters

£15.50

Pin me

Summary of the project which gives all the views of the card in one photo. I’d love if you pinned and called by on Pinterest xx

Anna' Stampin' Cave - Teachers Thank You Card with Watercolour Wash using Brusho Crystal Colour, Little Twinkle Stamp Set & Tropical Chic Stamp Set from Stampin' Up!


Don’t forget to check:

My exclusive special offer this month only: FREE Stampin’ Up! Pearlised Doilies

How it works…

  • Place a product order of £50 or more (excl. shipping) in my online store in the month of August. 
  • Add Host Code U6KK4ACY. To claim your reward you must include this code in your ordering process.
  • This August Special Offer will be applied to all qualifying orders placed through my shop using Host Code U6KK4ACY between 1 August – 31 August.
  • If your order is £150 or more do not use Host Code. You will earn your own Host Rewards to spend.
  • IMPORTANT:  My FREE Special Host Gift giveaways are mailed separately from any order and will arrive mid-September.

    Request Autumn/Winter Catalogue

    Stampin' Up! Autumn Winter 2018 Catalogue


    Earn in August – redeem in September –> click here for more details


    All-new, limited-time Colour Your Season products – Products available while supplies last or until 31 August 2018 – order yours today –> click here

Stampin’ Dreams August Blog Hop

Anna' Stampin' Cave - Country Home Stamp Set with Country Lane DSP & Tin Tile Dynamic Textured Embossing Folder from Stampin' Up!

Anna’ Stampin’ Cave – Stampin’ Dreams August Blog Hop

Welcome to our monthly blog hop! And today we have a real treat for you: a sneak peek of products from Stampin’ Up!®Autumn Winter Catalogue (also called a Holiday Catalog in other parts of the world). You are currently visiting Anna (me) and my Stampin’ Cave, up here in the UK. I hope you’ll enjoy coming to my blog today.

For today’s blog hop I decided to use products from one of my favourite suites from the catalogue, called Country Lane. Isn’t this bundle amazing!?

And here’s my card.

I’ve used Crushed Curry for the base.

Anna' Stampin' Cave - Country Home Stamp Set with Country Lane DSP & Tin Tile Dynamic Textured Embossing Folder from Stampin' Up!

To create this card, first, I run card front through the Big Shot with brand new Tin Tile Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. To bring out the beautiful detail of this folder, I used one of  Stamping Sponges and a Crushed Curry ink pad and sponged the surface to add more dimension.

Watercolour Pencils Assortment 2

Next, I stamped my images: the milk can on a scrap of Mint Macaron cardstock, and flowers on a piece of Whisper White.

To colour in the flowers I’ve brand new Watercolour Pencils Assortment 2 and also added some shimmer to them with Clear Wink of Stella.

These pencils are available for purchase this month only as a part of Colour Your Seasons promotion (but we’ve heard they may come back in a future catalogue).

Anna' Stampin' Cave - Country Home Stamp Set with Country Lane DSP & Tin Tile Dynamic Textured Embossing Folder from Stampin' Up!

Fussy cutting

For the focal composition, I fussy cut the flowers and milk can. Next, I cut a piece of Country Lane DSP (with Blackberry Bliss polka dot design) and mount it flat on my card base.

I die-cut the biggest of four circles from Stitched Frames Framelits Dies from a Whisper White cardstock, cut off a slice and adhered it to patterned paper with a straight edge to the right.

Galvanized

There was one product or I should rather say a family of products that I was especially happy about – new ‘galvanized line. Galvanized Clips and Galvanized Buttons will soon join our embellishment assortment. But we will also have a new paper in our speciality papers assortment – Galvanised Metallic Paper. It’s just gorgeous in a real life and most importantly it’s double-sided!! Yay! I just had to use it

So I took a 1″ strip of Galvanised Metallic Paper, lay it flat over the card front, marked where the circle begins and using paper snips I cut out the concave shape. I slide in one of the Galvanised Clips to the edge of my strip. A tiny bow created using Linen Thread adds to the rustic theme of the card. I adhered it, to the left from the stitched circle, using dimensionals.

Anna' Stampin' Cave - Country Home Stamp Set with Country Lane DSP & Tin Tile Dynamic Textured Embossing Folder from Stampin' Up!

To finish assembling the card, I mounted my fussy-cut elements in the middle of a Whisper White circle. I’ve used liquid glue for the can and dimensionals for the flowers.

I stamped ‘Happy Harvest Blessings’ on a piece of Whisper White cardstock, cut it to the thin strip backed it with a piece of Crushed Curry and adhered it to the card just below the galvanized clip.

Anna' Stampin' Cave - Country Home Stamp Set with Country Lane DSP & Tin Tile Dynamic Textured Embossing Folder from Stampin' Up!

The inside

For the inside of the card, I decided to stamp the milk can and part of the bouquet. I stamped them off first with Crushed Curry ink pad. Using aqua painter I slightly washed out my images and once dry I sponged the inside of the card around all edges.

I really hope you enjoyed visiting my blog today and I would love to encourage you to hop along with us and see the rest of beautiful projects designed by amazing artists. Please be sure to continue to hop using the list below. You don’t want to miss any!

Blog Hop List:

As always, if you wish to purchase any of the products I have used, simply click the images below to go directly to my online store.

HOST CODE for the month of AUGUST is U6KK4ACY. Orders of £50+ (excl. p&p) will receive a pack of Stampin’ Up! Pearlised Doilies!

Shopping List

Linen Thread

£4.75

Big Shot

£102.00

 

Pin me

Summary of the project which gives all the views of the card in one photo. I’d love if you pinned and called by on Pinterest xx

Anna' Stampin' Cave - Country Home Stamp Set with Country Lane DSP & Tin Tile Dynamic Textured Embossing Folder from Stampin' Up!


Don’t forget to check:

My exclusive special offer this month only: FREE Stampin’ Up! Pearlised Doilies

How it works…

  • Place a product order of £50 or more (excl. shipping) in my online store in the month of August. 
  • Add Host Code U6KK4ACY. To claim your reward you must include this code in your ordering process.
  • This August Special Offer will be applied to all qualifying orders placed through my shop using Host Code U6KK4ACY between 1 August – 31 August.
  • If your order is £150 or more do not use Host Code. You will earn your own Host Rewards to spend.
  • IMPORTANT:  My FREE Special Host Gift giveaways are mailed separately from any order and will arrive mid-September.

    Request Autumn/Winter Catalogue

    Stampin' Up! Autumn Winter 2018 Catalogue

    Earn in August – redeem in September –> click here for more details

    All-new, limited-time Colour Your Season products – Products available while supplies last or until 31 August 2018 – order yours today –> click here

Simply Sketched Saturday Challenge #16 – I’m Here For You

Anna’ Stampin’ Cave – Simply Sketched Saturday Challenge #16 – I’m Here For You

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Thank you for joining us for another Simply Sketched Saturday Challenge!  We are so excited to be sharing this hop with you. The products used are all available in the current Annual, or seasonal, Stampin’ Up!®  Catalogues*. Simply use the buttons at the bottom of the post to keep hopping!

Welcome to our 16th sketch challenge blog hop! Today’s sketch has been designed by Amanda Charlesworth.

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For a long time, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to create a 3D project or a card for this sketch. But because I definitely feel more confident as a card maker, I saved myself some stress and decided to make a card.

stampin-up-swirly-bird-photopolymer-bundle-monochromatic-im-here-for-you-card

I altered the sketch a little bit and added my own twist to it. The base of my card is Whisper White Thick A4 cardstock that measures 8-1/4″x 5-7/8″, and folded in half at 4-1/8″. Next, I cut two panels: one from regular Whisper White and one Smoky Slate. Both measured 4″x 5-6/8″. I took the Smoky Slate panel and using a multi-wave die from Swirly Scribbles Thinlits Dies, I die cut one piece of ‘waves’.

Savvy Tip: Save the bottom scrap piece for some masking later on.

I took scribble circle stamp from Swirly Bird Stamp Set and stamp it repeatedly in Smoky Slate over the Smoky Slate panel, overlapping and stamping off until the whole piece was covered.

stampin-up-swirly-bird-photopolymer-bundle-monochromatic-card

Now I took Whisper White panel and that Smoky Slate scrap piece I saved earlier to create glimmer bottom layer for my wavy die-cut. I lined up the straight edge of my scrap with a bottom edge of Whisper White and squished Versamark pad over the bottom piece of that Whisper White panel. I didn’t want to cover entire panel, only the part that will be peaking through the ‘wavy’ piece. I sprinkled Heat & Stick Powder over it and heat embossed until melted. Next, I added Dazzling Diamond Glitter over it and heat embossed again to secure glitter in place. But why I used that leftover scrap of Smoky Slate, you may wonder? I’ve used it to make sure the very bottom of my WW panel won’t be covered in glitter, so I had a nice spot for my sentiment.

stampin-up-swirly-bird-photopolymer-bundle-monochromatic-card

I adhered Smoky Slate panel and ‘waves’ to the Whisper White panel. To finish off my card, I took a beautiful ‘I’m here for you’ sentiment from Weather Together Stamp Set and stamped it in Basic Black at the bottom left corner of my panel. I also added a couple of rhinestones at bottom right corner for a good measure. I’ve mounted the whole piece to the card base using dimensionals.

stampin-up-swirly-bird-photopolymer-bundle-monochromatic-card

I really like how this card turned out. Clean and simple. I hope you like my take on the sketch too.

As always, if you wish to purchase any of the products I have used, simply click the images below to go directly to my online shop.

Now, be sure to hop along and see more inspiring projects. Your next stop is lovely Jillian.

Thank you for stopping by and have a blessed day,

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Swirly Bird Photopolymer Bundle

Swirly Bird Photopolymer Bundle
[142353]
£42.25

Swirly Scribbles Thinlits Dies

Swirly Scribbles Thinlits Dies
[141497]
£24.00

Swirly Bird Photopolymer Stamp Set

Swirly Bird Photopolymer Stamp Set
[141749]
£23.00

Weather Together Photopolymer Stamp Set

Weather Together Photopolymer Stamp Set
[141543]
£19.00

Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock

Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock
[140490]
£6.50

Whisper White A4 Card Stock

Whisper White A4 Card Stock
[106549]
£8.25

Card Stock A4 Smoky Slate

Card Stock A4 Smoky Slate
[131291]
£7.25

Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad

Smoky Slate Classic Stampin’ Pad
[131179]
£6.00

Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad

Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad
[140931]
£6.50

Versamark Pad

Versamark Pad
[102283]
£7.75

Heat & Stick Powder

Heat & Stick Powder
[100625]
£4.00

Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter

Dazzling Diamonds Stampin’ Glitter
[133751]
£4.50

Rhinestone Basic Jewels Embellishments

Rhinestone Basic Jewels Embellishments
[119246]
£4.50

Liquid Multipurpose Glue

Liquid Multipurpose Glue
[110755]
£3.75

Stampin' Dimensionals

Stampin’ Dimensionals
[104430]
£3.75

Heat Tool - Uk Plug

Heat Tool – Uk Plug
[129054]
£27.00

Big Shot

Big Shot
[143263]
£99.00

 

The Creative Flow Blog Hop -Shaun The Sheep Punch Art

Anna’ Stampin’ Cave – The Creative Flow Blog Hop -Shaun The Sheep Punch Art

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Thank you for joining us on our Creative Flow Blog Hop. Each month we are set a challenge to creatively stretch our imaginations. The products we have used are all available in the current Annual and/or seasonal Stampin’ Up!® catalogues. To hop along, please use the buttons at the bottom of the post to keep hopping.

Hello hello! This is our very first The Creative Flow Blog Hop, and I’m really excited to be a part of it. Today’s theme was a quite a stumper. We’ve been set a challenge to create an ‘animal’ project using Pretty Pines Thinlits Dies. Yes, I know!?!? How is that even possible!!! 😀 But hey, with a little bit of imagination everything is possible!

anna-stampin-cave-shaun-the-sheep-bah-humbug-christmas-card-punch-art-stampin-up

Because not every one of us had these dies, our lovely Jerim has sent some of us (including me) a foam die-cuts so we could actually use them as stamps! How cool! Thank you, Jerim, you are a ⭐

So I’ve spent some time looking at these shapes and…nothing sparked! Typical, right? And then one day: Eureka!!! I saw a sheep 😉 But not just normal, ordinary sheep. I saw Shaun the Sheep, how wicked is that lol Yet I had to figure out how to bring him to life, not literally of course 😉 After few attempts and different combinations I knew exactly which shapes will become Shaun the Sheep. At this point, I wasn’t sure yet what occasion for this card would be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

First, for tummy, ‘curls’ and tail, I stamped one of the large pinecones twice, using Smoky Slate Ink Pad. I stamp-it-off twice for a lighter shade. To create ‘curls’ for my Shaun the Sheep I cut off the bottom of one of the pinecones. I used what’s left to hand cut his little tail. For the head, I stamped the smallest pinecone using Basic Black Archival Ink Pad. To create legs, rams and ears I’ve used larger mistletoe branch. I stamped it three times, also in Basic Black Archival Ink and cut them apart. For his eyes, I punched two 3/16″ circles from Whisper white cardstock using Crop-a-Dile, and two Basic Black tiny circles using Owl Builder Punch. When I had all my pieces ready I assembled my Shaun the Sheep using liquid glue. To make his eyes ‘pop’ I added Fine-Tip Glue to them. I also used Fine-Tip Glue Pen to create his nostrils.

anna-stampin-cave-shaun-the-sheep-punch-art-stampin-up

So now, when I had my sheep created I had to decide what kind of card/sentiment I want to make. And I have to tell you my mind went blank. I only knew it has to be something fun. And while looking for some fun ‘sheepy’ sentiment (if it’s even a word lol) I came across this ‘Christmassy’ sentiment: ‘Bah humbug’ or even ‘Baa humbug’ haha. Yes! That was it! Let it be a Christmas (kinda) card then.

I took a piece of Whisper White cardstock that measures 4″ x 5-6/8″ and stamped a wreath using following colours: Pear Pizzaz and Wild Wasabi for fir branches, Mint Macaron for mistletoe and Cajun Craze for twigs. Mint Macaron and Cajun craze has been stamped off. The sentiment is stamped at the bottom of my panel using Labeler Alphabet stamp set in Basic Black Archival Ink.

anna-stampin-cave-shaun-the-sheep-bah-humbug-christmas-card-punch-art-stampin-up

I die-cut two ovals: one from vellum using largest of the Layering Ovals Framelits Dies, and the second one from Whisper White cardstock using the largest Oval Stitched Die. I assembled them using dimensionals and adhered Shaun the Sheep on top. I adhered my panel to the Cajun Craze card base.

anna-stampin-cave-shaun-the-sheep-bah-humbug-christmas-card-punch-art-stampin-up

For the final touch, I took three White Perfect Accents, paint them in black using nail polish (couldn’t find my sharpie doh) and added them to the card. I think it really finished the look of the card. I like how this card turned out. It’s quirky and fun. I hope you like it too. Please let me know in the comments below. I would love to hear from you.

Your next stop is lovely Keila  go and see what she has made for you. Thank you for stopping by and have a blessed day

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Simply Sketched Saturday Challenge #12 – Watercolour Birthday Blooms

Anna’ Stampin’ Cave – Watercolour Birthday Blooms

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Thank you for joining us for another Simply Sketched Saturday Challenge!  We’re so excited to be sharing this hop with you. The products used are all available in the current Annual, or seasonal, Stampin’ Up!®  Catalogues*. Simply use the buttons at the bottom of the post to keep hopping!

Today’s sketch was designed by very talented and lovely Louise from Whiteflag Designs, who sadly couldn’t take a part in the challenge today. But we hope she’ll be back with us soon.

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For today’s card I’ve used Birthday Blooms stamp set but in a rather unexpected colour scheme. Since I can remember I always loved blue and yellow colour combination. Firstly, these were the colours of my town’s sports club Avia Świdnik. These were also the colours of my favourite radio station RMF FM, back when I was a teenager. And it’s not surprising that, when I first moved out from my mum’s, I repainted all cabinets in my new kitchen yellow and blue. Even a fridge, that’s how much I loved these two together 🙂 But enough of my babbling, here’s the card I’ve made:

Stampin' Up Birthday Blooms

I slightly alternated the sketch: I created landscape fold card instead of portrait one. I also decided to mirror the image, so the largest ‘panel’ is on the right side of the focal point. For the base, I’ve used beautiful but sadly underrated Delightful Dijon. I truly love its deep, earthy shade. I added two panels of Whisper White to the base: a square that measures 4″x 4″, and a strip that measures 4″x 1-5/8″. For next panels, I’ve used a square piece of Pool Party card stock and a piece of a striped pattern paper from Designer Series Paper Stack in Delightful Dijon. And these are accordingly 1/8″ smaller than Whisper White pieces.

Stampin Up Birthday Blooms

Now for the watercolour. I stamped the flower on a piece of watercolour paper using Versamark, and heat embossed it in white. Using aqua painter, I added water to the petals first and started adding the colour. For the first layer of colour, I’ve used Pool Party. I started really light and added more colour along the way. Next, to add more definition to the flower, I added some shading with Marina Mist. For the leaves, I’ve used a combination of Pear Pizzazz and Wild Wasabi. And again I started light and built up the colour.

Stampin' Up! Birthday Blooms

When I was happy with the flower it was time to create the background. I added water to my watercolour piece. I had to be really careful to not let the colours from the flower bleed into the background. I’ve used same technique like with the petals: I started with a light wash of Delightful Dijon and I kept adding more colour along the way until I was happy with the results. Next, I’ve used aqua painter to “flick” few droplets of water to the surface of the panel. I think will never get tired of seeing how ink reacts with water and create interesting organic texture. To jazz it up a little more I used Gorgeous Grunge stamp set to stamp some splashes in Delightful Dijon first, followed by Whisper White Craft Ink. When the panel was completely dry I adhered it to my card base. I kept the sentiment really simple: I stamped Happy Birthday from Teeny Tiny Sentiments in Basic Black on a strip of Whisper White and glued it to the card using liquid glue.

Birthday Blooms & Wink of Stella

To finish off my card I decided to add Delightful Dijon to the centre of the flower with a blender pen, as I don’t own the markers. And the very last touch was to add Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush Pen to the petals and leaves.

I’m so chuffed how this card turned out: beautiful bold colours and textures. I just love how these blue flowers stand out from their deep yellow background. I really hope you like my project too.

Now, be sure to hop along and see more inspiring projects. Your next stop is Karen’s blog  go and see what she has made for you.

Thank you for stopping by and have a blessed day

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