Hello & welcome to my blog,
My name is Alison & I live in beautiful Melbourne, Australia. For those of you who have previously visited my blog & are now returning, thank you. For those of you who are here for the first time, welcome!
Here's a little bit about me. I love creating cards & gifts for my loved ones & this blog will show you how to create something special for those you love. I blog twice a week, once on a Sunday where I mainly showcase a stamp set or dies, embossing folders, projects & sometimes special DSP and Wednesday evenings when I highlight a technique, fun folds or tools & tips. I would love to hear from you if you have any questions or suggestions & my email address for that is craftedbyalison@gmail.com.
Stampin' Up® launched their new Annual Catalogue in May & it's a beauty! It's set out quite differently to previous catalogues but there are benefits to that. They now have sectioned it to have beginners, which is a step by step collection of materials in kits, then there is quick & easy where you select base materials & packs of pre-printed or diecut materials plus some stamp sets then there is create your way where you choose all the materials, stamps etc yourself & create your way! In the quick & easy section Stampin' Up® have also provided some inspiration with a colour wheel & information of various ways to use colour combinations. There is a section explaining 4 different ways to vary your colours - Monochromatic, Complementary, Analogous & Triadic. It's a wonderful tool to help with creativity & I shared my first post using it in my midweek blog of 29/5/24 & also in my midweek blog of 24/7/24 but it's not what this week's post is about, that is something I will explore more in future blogs.
This week I have created two very pretty cards with the Spotlight on Nature stamp set. Here they are...
This stamp set is a simple set with only a few stamps in it but it's simplicity is deceptive as the images are outlines so can be coloured in any combination you like.
The first card features the flowers which I have coloured with Old Olive, Melon Mambo & Bubble Bath blends. I also stamped a cross-hatch pattern in Early Espresso just underneath the flowers for a little detail. This image was diecut with the Perennial Postage dies. Before adhering to the next layer I wrapped some Linen Thread around & tied a bow. This was attached to an Old Olive matte, also diecut with the same dies. The two layers were then added to a Sweet Sorbet layer to fit the card base. There is just enough space at the bottom of the layers for a heat embossed sentiment from the Friends Are Like Seashells stamp set.
As the image has a garden theme I added two retired Bumblebee Trinkets & some Iridescent Faceted gems.
The second card is a riot of colour with rainbow butterflies all over it.
This was achieved by stamping the images in black then using a variety of watercolour pencils & a water painter to create a very bright & cheerful card front. This was matted with a layer of Granny Apple Green before adding to a Basic White card base.
The finishing touches are a strip of Basic Black with a White heat embossed sentiment from the Simply Said stamp set & some retired From My Heart faceted gems.
Two very simple cards filled with brightness & cheerfulness.
That's all I have for you this week. Now I'd like to share some of the latest news from Stampin' Up®.
Stampin' Up® has a number of ways to purchase their lovely products. You can look through their physical catalogue or browse through the catalogues online but there are also some products that are only available exclusively online that don't appear in any catalogues. These products are called the Online Exclusives & are only available under the Online Exclusives section of the Stampin' Up® shop. Check out the online exclusives in
my online store. Stampin' Up® adds more product items to the online shop so don't forget to keep checking the store to see what's new. There are some lovely new products now available including kits, embellishments, stamps, dies & embossing folders. Something for everyone! If you would like a copy of the catalogue please send me a message at craftedbyalison@gmail.com or on my Facebook page, craftedbyalison.
NEWS & REMINDERS:
- Stampin' Up®'s newAnnual Catalogue is a beautiful piece of artwork as well as an amazing resource for crafting. As mentioned before, it's very different to any other catalogue that I've seen from Stampin' Up®. They have changed the front cover from featuring cards or supplies to a casual stamping picture as well as a radical change to the layout of the contents. There are still lots of beautiful pics of the products & ideas aplenty, it's just set out differently. I think you'll love it. If you would like a copy of the new catalogue then send me a message at craftedbyalison on Facebook or email me at craftedbyalison@gmail.com & I'll send you one.
- The brand new Mini catalogue was launched on 4th September! There are lots of gorgeous items ready to inspire your creativity. If you would like me to send you a copy, send me a message on my facebook page or email me.
- Some of you may know that Stampin' Up® purchased a quantity of scrapbooking materials when Close To My Heart folded. They have taken on any CTMH demonstrators that wanted to cross over & have slowly been including scrapbooking products into our supplies. They now have a dedicated digital mini catalogue, exclusively devoted to scrapbooking products available here at my online shop. There are a number of kits available if you'd like to start your scrapbooking journey or if you already scrap then check the kits out!
- Stampin' Up® are having a sale on their kits for the month of October with up to 30% off!
If you would like to take advantage of this offer then click
here to visit my online store.
5. Don't forget the Online Exclusive products with new products added and available now. Check out my online shop here. Stampin' Up® have also released a whole lot of new items at the beginning of July. As a demonstrator I was able to order in a pre-release which is a great perk of being a demonstrator. 6. Stampin' Up® have a very special joining offer this month where you can join for $169 but receive $286 of product! That's an amazing discount & well worth thinking about if you love Stampin' Up® products & have ever considered joining.
Stampin' Up® have a great range of Kits including crafting, card making & gift giving. Click here to check them all out in my online shop. As Stampin' Up® have so many beautiful kits available I will be featuring a different kit in each blog so that you can see the range.
This week's featured kit is a little different. It's a countdown kit that can be used as an advent calendar.
Here's how Stampin' Up® describes the kit...
Capture the spirit of Christmas with the Rustic Christmas Countdown Kit! This craft kit includes everything you need to make 25 individual paper envelopes to help you count down the days until Christmas. With beautiful paper greenery, bows, seasonal flowers, gems, and more, you have all the supplies you need to create some unique envelope designs. Then, simply fill them up with a small treat or a sweet note! Whether you keep the kit for yourself or gift it to a friend, this advent calendar will add a charming touch to your home during the Christmas season.
If you feel that you'd like to add this to your list then click
here to purchase one from my online store.
A lot of demonstrators use the special Host Code for their customers but I'm trying it this year as a new idea to see if this is what you, my customers would like to use. If you
shop with me then don't forget to use this month's host code
MJ6GQ4GS. This will allow me to pass on any hostess benefits to customers when the sales reach the required qualifying amount.
Lastly, there have been lots of great items added to the clearance rack so make sure you check them out using
this link to my online store.
If you would like to purchase any of my creations that I feature in my blogs they can be found in my FaceBook shop at craftedbyalison or you can order something unique.
If you would like me to send you a copy of the current Annual catalogue then please message me via my FaceBook page, Crafted by Alison or send me an email at craftedbyalison@gmail.com.
My next blog is on Wednesday and I will be showing you how to use masking to create a unique Monochromatic background using only 1 ink colour.
In Sunday's blog there will be a stamp set - Crafting with You - combined with some embossing to create a quilted effect.
I'm really looking forward to sharing these creations with you & hope you can join me for both the Mid week & Sunday blogs.
Well, that's it for another week. I hope you enjoyed this post & come back for more next week. Til next time, take care & keep creating! XX Alison.
Here are some links to the products I used today & some craft room essentials.
Stamps, Dies, Embossing folders & punches
Cardstock, DSP & paper goods
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