Around the World on Wednesday--April Showers Bring May Flowers!

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Hello and welcome friends! April is the 4 year anniversary of the Around the World on Wednesday Blog Hop! This was one of the first Blog Hops I ever joined and it was created by the amazing Angie Mackenzie. While as of late I haven’t been contributing each month (there are girls in the Hop that have NEVER missed a month which is amazing) I had to participate this month to celebrate!

Our theme is for this month is anything that makes us think of SPRING—so I created a soft and subtle scrapbook page with a picture of my family from a few years back!

My scrapbook page contains a little bit of everything—current, retired, retiring and Online Exclusive products!

I started with a base of So Saffron which is a soon to be retiring color, I am actually quite sad about this because our new yellow, is NOT the same, so I will miss having a pastel yellow to create with. I added a second layer of Basic White and then a nice big 4 x 12 strip of DSP from the Sale a bration paper Favored Flowers.

I added some stamping straight to the Basic White with the Irresistible Blooms (an Online Exclusive stamp set) in Mossy Meadow. The photo mat is Crumb Cake and adds a neutral anchor to my page.

I used the emboss resist technique on all of the flowers—White Craft ink embossed with White Embossing powder and then using the Blending Brushes add Petal Pink and So Saffron Ink. You can buff the stamped image with a tissue afterwards to brighten up the embossing. The Irresistible Blooms dies were used to cut out all of the flowers and the leaf dies that are added as accents.

The sentiment “You are Amazing” is from the Sentimental Park stamp set and punched with an ancient punch that I believe was called Word Window. I will NEVER part with it!

I added a few Rusted Metallic Adhesive Dots as accents along with some Linen Thread.

What is completely NEW on this page are the Nested Essentials Dies—there are 3 shapes with 4 of each size in this new die set and they have a double stitched detail which is beautiful. I die cut the largest shape with DSP from the SAB Favored Flowers and then added a solid Mossy Meadow die cut.

The sentiment “Nothing Fancy Just Love” is from the Something Fancy stamp set. This set is carrying over which is awesome! Behind the sentiment I added some vanilla Bakers Twine.

One of my favorite things is to cut using Vellum the circle die accent piece from the Irresistible Blooms dies and layer it behind flowers and tags as a subtle accent. It is a different way to think about using this die.

I love how this page came together, it feels nice and soft which is how I think of spring. I am looking forward to seeing some green and flowers over the next few weeks as the snow melts and the new growth emerges.

Make sure you visit everyone on the hop and please feel free to comment! I would LOVE to hear from you! You can also check out my Scrapbook Gallery if you are looking for more inspiration and follow me on Instagram @stampwithbrenda if you are not already!

Up next on the hop is….Tricia Butts from the United States! Click on NEXT BLOG to see what she has created!

 

If I have inspired you in any way, please help me continue to do what I love by shopping my online store! You can click any image below or the SHOP WITH ME button!

Color Fusers--April 2023

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Hello April…I am so happy you are here as it is finally beginning to feel like spring! Our Color Fusers Hop this month is featuring one retiring color, Polished Pink, and two continuing colors—Coastal Cabana and Gorgeous Grape. Now I won’t lie…Gorgeous Grape is a fun color but not one that I reach for alot, so it was fun to incorporate it into my design!

I decided to use a bundle and a single stamp set that are being carried forward into our new Annual Catalogue that is officially live in May. I chose the Quiet Meadow Bundle and the Good Feelings Stamp set. I feel that using the Quiet Meadow Bundle with this bright color combo has breathed some new life into it. And I forgot how amazing these dies are, I am so glad I dusted them off!

I started with a 12x12 base of Basic White to help settle these bright colors down a bit. I added a 3x12 strip of Coastal Cabana DSP to the left edge and I found it in the recent Sale a bration paper stack Dandy Designs. I then used a smaller 1 inch strip of Polished Pink DSP from the In Color 6x6 stack and hid the seam of the two pieces behind my photo mat.

I blended a large area on my page base with my Blending Brush and Coastal Cabana ink pad and added some stamping from the Quiet Meadow stamp set. The set includes some distressed words and spots so I added them on top of my blending.

TOP TIP: Make sure to stamp images off on your Stampin’ placemat to get lighter and different tones

You can see how easy it is to create a custom background for your scrapbook page by layering ink and stamps!

I cut a variety of the wildflowers from the Meadow Dies in the three focus colors and layered them behind the sentiment “You’re on my Mind and in my Heart”. What I love about the Good Feelings stamp set is how big the sentiments are. Perfect for memory keeping!

And if you don’t recognize the die the sentiment is on, it can be found in the Online Exclusive section of the Stampin’ Up! website or my store. The Polished Pink and Coastal Cabana heart are also from this same die set—Radiating Stitches. I also had some Glossy Dots in my stash and they were perfect for this page along with some retired Gorgeous Grape ribbon. #useyourstash

I decided to carry some of the ribbon, wildflowers and the heart over to the top left of my page as well so that the opposing corners of my layout felt connected.

Honestly, this page came together pretty fast and it will definitely brighten up my craft room! I can’t wait to see what the rest of the Color Fusers Blog Hop has created this month!

You can check out what the awesome Bonnie O’Neill has created and make sure you visit everyone to get some inspiration on how you can use up your Polished Pink supplies!

If you would rather go backwards you can do that as well by hitting the Previous tab as it will take you to my fabulous friend Melanie Hockin!

Thank you so much for coming by and checking out all of our projects. It has been a while since I have shared a card as you know I love to scrapbook so I appreciate you letting me showcase my passion, even if you are more of a card lover! Luckily the other members of the hop typically make cards so you will always have inspiration!

Artisan Design Team Project featuring Delicate Desert

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Hello friends! I could not be more excited to share my projects for March that I created for the Artisan Design Team. I absolutely loved designing with the Delicate Desert Suite especially because I used one of my all time favorite pictures of my youngest son, Shepard.

I recently updated my Scrapbook Gallery on my blog as well—so if you are looking for more scrapbook page inspiration, please check there!

Shep really was the happiest baby and such an easy toddler—I simply cannot believe at the time of writing this he is 12. I wish i had a time machine to go back and cuddle this little guy again.

I decided to make a scrapbook page AND a card for my Team projects this month. I really love the color palette of this suite—Petal Pink, Calypso Coral, Cajun Craze, Pale Papaya, Soft Succulent and Gray Granite look so AWESOME together!

For my scrapbook page, I started with a sheet of the Delicate Desert 12x12 DSP as the base and then I added a layer of Basic White over top that is cut to 11x11. This lets you see a little bit of the pattern behind. I used another piece of the DSP for the photo mat as well and cut out the leaf like shape out of the DSP and the Dry Brushed Metallic 12x12 paper. If you haven’t ordered the Dry Brushed paper yet, you should really take a chance on it. It is really cool and has alot of fabulous texture w the hints of gold layered through.

Seriously, look at Sheppie’s cute face. I can’t even.

Because the Dry Brushed Metallic paper has gold in the design I decided to stamp one of the larger flowers in Versamark and use Gold Embossing Powder. I then used my Blending Brush with Pale Papaya ink to a bit of emboss resist. It is such a classic technique, and I find everyone is impressed with embossing! I also die cut some of the triangular shapes (they remind me of a pattern on a western blanket) to add it to represent foliage. I think it worked really well!

The sentiment could not be more perfect for this scrapbook page! However, the Desert Details Dies do not have a label shape, so I borrowed this one from the He’s the Man Dies. The suite also includes the Pale Papaya Faux Velvet Trim which I cut in half to add underneath the sentiment.

My favorite part of this scrapbook page is actually the base where I used both of the large panels to create interest and texture by die cutting them in Basic White. They are added flat to the page with all of the other elements on top. I also used the Gold Faceted Adhesive Backed Sequins to add interest to the scrapbook page.

The stamp set also includes two longer border type stamps which I used along the right side of the photo. I thought it was an interesting way to bring in those design elements.

 

The sentiment in the top left, “Your Smile is Pure Magic” was also a fantastic addition to this page. I stamped it in Pale Papaya first and then used my Calyspso Coral marker over the ‘magic’ to make it pop. I added some of the Pale Papaya Ribbon and a die cut element.

TOP TIP: I cut the element horizontally into two pieces so I could spread it out and give the illusion of it being larger than it really is

For my card design, I started with a base of Grey Granite, and then I used a piece of the DSP as a base, with another DSP design die cut with the larger decorative panel. I then cut the smaller decorative panel in Basic White. I love the edge detailing on both of these dies and how they nestle together.

The Basic White panel has a touch of color added by using a Blending Brush and Pale Papaya ink. I also flicked my Pale Papaya Stampin’ Blend over top.

The flower is also stamped in Versamark, then I added ink in Pale Papaya and Calypso Coral with a Blending Brush and finished it off with Clear Embossing Powder. This gives the flower a glossy feel. I used both the Delicate Desert and the Dry Brushed Metallic paper with the foliage die to layer behind the sentiment.

The border die included in the set was used as an accent underneath my sentiment as well. And of course, who can resist bling? So I added some of the Gold Faceted Adhesive Backed Sequins to this project as well.

I hope you enjoyed these projects and all of the other amazing things created by the Artisan Design Team! For more inspo with the Delicate Desert Suite check out on Instagram and Facebook the Stampin’ Up! Official account as well as Heather Thomas @thesongbirdstamper , Karine Lison @karinelison73choupinette, Sandra Herzog @herzerlskreativecke and Tammy Wilson @stamppaperscissors

Please feel free to shop my online store by clicking this button or any supply images! If I have inspired you, I appreciate your support so I can keep loving what I do :)

Color Fusers--March 2023

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Hello friends—welcome to the Color Fusers Blog Hop! I am so excited about this month as I absolutely LOVE this color combo that we are creating with this month—Blushing Bride, Mint Macaron and Soft Seafoam!

I love the soft feel of these colors—they feel like spring and Easter and I thought they were absolutely perfect for a scrapbook page featuring one of our new Online Exclusive stamp sets—Irresistible Blooms.

The base of my page is Blushing Bride and then I layered Basic White on top. I anchored most of the design on the top right of the page for something that feels a bit different but you could easily center everything in the middle of the page if you prefer that look.

I used a 6x6 piece of Mint Macaron DSP from the Country Gingham collection to act as my large photo mat and to ground the picture. I decided to add gold accents to my design so along with a Mint Macaron photo mat, I added a layer of the Fine Shimmer Paper. If you have not ordered this paper yet—you NEED to #addtocart! Its absolutely AMAZING!

 

I knew I wanted to use the new Irresistible Blooms bundle on my page so I decided to stamp the 2 blooms from the stamp set with Whisper White ink and embossing powder. I then used my Blending Brushes to add Blushing Bride ink to the flowers for an emboss resist technique.

I did the same technique with the leaves using both Soft Seafoam and Mint Macaron.

I also pulled out an old favorite die, Scallop Contours, for the amazing stitched scallop border die. I thought it was a the perfect accent piece to run underneath the DSP layer.

 

You can actually create quite a bit of depth and tones of ink by just using an ink pad and Blending Brush!

One of the best parts of the Irresistible Blooms dies is the dotted circle wreath (for a lack of what else to call this). When you die cut it on a square of paper it is actually still connected to the paper, but with a few snips with my Paper Snips I was able to free it to add a really fun wreath accent to my design. For my page, I wanted this to blend softly into the design so I decided to cut it out with Vellum.

This picture was taken when me and the kids went to see Reese play in a soccer tournament. These moments together are even more special since he went away to school 8 hours away.

There are two sentiments on my page—one is from Irresistible Blooms—I Like You and the other is from Happy Labels and I added some Gold Shimmer Ribbon underneath. The sequins are the Pastel Adhesive Backed Sequins and have been one of my favorite embellishments from the Occasions Catalogue.

I hope this project inspires you to create something amazing with this color palette! I can’t wait to see what the rest of the Color Fusers team has created this month. I am always inspired by them!

Next up on the Hop is Bonnie O’Neill— I know she has something amazing to share! You can go all the way through by visiting Bonnie next or go in reverse by clicking on Previous. This will take you to the talented Sue Vine!

If my scrapbook page has inspired you to #addtocart you can click on any image to shop my online store. Thank you in advance!

Be Inspired--February Blog Hop!

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Hello friends! Welcome to the Be Inspired Blog Hop! I recently joined this Blog Hop back in November and then had a couple month hiatus! But I am back crafting with them again! This months theme is “Brights” and I took this to mean two things—incorporating some colors from the Brights family and making a bright project!

As you can see I chose Poppy Parade and Granny Apple Green (my two favorite Brights colors) as the focus of my page and then added in some other supporting colors from other color families. In my opinion I think this is the way Stampin’ Up! intended our colors to work together. Supporting and uplifting each other. AND there is the rumoured color refresh happening so I am so excited and curious to see how the color families are going to change!

Normally I always add a picture to my layouts but in this case I wanted to share one without a photo to really help you focus in on the design.

I cut six swatches of DSP from the host stack of DSP Flowers & More in the brightest patterns I could find (I also used some from the retired stack from last years annual catalogue). Sometimes it is intimidating to know how to craft with these bright colors and patterns. So paring them down to smaller segments I find often works best. All of these panels are 3 x 4 so you can also get a lot out of one sheet of DSP.

I decided to use three stamp sets to add to my page design, Happy Labels and Love for You. This was my first time crafting with the Brushed Bouquet bundle and I really love the shape and design of the flowers. I always love when a stamp set has multiple sizes of flowers.

The multi stripped piece of DSP was the anchor for my page design as it let me bring in all the different colors. It is very bright and fun! I wanted to add it to the top left of my page to create a little vignette and having this pattern in the bottom right corner helps your eye look around the page.

I stamped out 3 different flowers and use the leaf dies to embellish the sentiment. The sentiment is cut using the new Happy Labels Pick a Punch. I love how you can use one punch to create multiple looks.

 

The bright bold patterns of this page are definitely softened by the Basic White base. I think it really helps the colors pop off of the page, especially the bold So Much Love which is stamped in Poppy Parade and die cut with the Stylish Shapes Dies.

I added tons of blooms and leaves to frame the sentiment. Placing it on the right helps to balance the layout.

I really love how this page turned out and I can’t wait to add a photo to it! I think it is a great page for February, the month of Galentine’s and love, friendship and family. These are all the things I think of for February. I love mixing and matching colors but anchoring many of the details with Poppy Parade and Granny Apple Green to create a bright fun layout with wild patterns! I used up some retired products too (the Pale Papaya ribbon and gems) with brand new products to encourage all my fellow crafters to #useyourstash which is my new personal goal for 2023. I think all crafters tend to hoard a teeny bit, don’t we? Hahaha!

I can’t wait to see what Janneke Dijkstra - de Jong has designed for us this month. You can click on the NEXT button to see what Janneke has created but make sure that you follow all through the Hop to see all the fabulous creations featuring ‘Brights’!

If my design has influenced you, please consider shopping my online store. This allows me to continue to love what I do! You can click any image to go directly to my store! AND if you are local to YEG and are interested in attending one of my many scrapbook page classes please reach out! I would love to share my passion with you!