Simple Masking
One of the techniques for this months class is Simple Masking. I love how you can create depth on your cards by simply masking an image and stamping partially over the top. Well we took the technique a little further and created a great card using the Lift Me Up stamp set. Firstly we stamped the greeting from the Lift Me Up stamp set onto Whisper White card using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. We attached the stamped card to scored and folded Basic Black card. To create the focal image piece we started by stamping the large balloon from the Lift Me Up stamp set onto Whisper White card using Pacific Point ink. We covered the image using a post-it-note mask and stamped the second large balloon using the same ink. 
Leaving the first mask in place we covered the second balloon with a post-it-note mask and stamped the small balloon using Pacific Point ink. We covered the small balloon with a post-it-note mask and stamped the trees from the Lovely As a Tree stamp set using Granny Apple Green ink. Leaving all of the masks in place we added a mask to cover the balloons and sky from the tree line up. The bottom part of the card is sponged with Granny Apple Green ink. Removing the mask that covers from the tree line up, we then added a mask to cover the area where we sponged the Granny Apple Green ink. This time we sponged Daffodil Delight ink at the base of the trees, followed by Mango Melody ink and lastly Flirty Flamingo ink. Once we removed all of the masks we were left with a fantastic scene of hot air balloons on a gorgeous sky-line. 
The image panel is attached to Basic Black card before being attached to the card front.
To decorate the inside of the card, we stamped a small balloon onto the lower left hand corner using Pacific Point ink and covered it with a post-it-note mask. We stamped another small balloon and covered it with a post-it-note mask before stamping the third balloon.
I love the way this technique works. Every time you mask an image and stamp the image is one layer behind. In this case we were able to create three background layers before adding the colour to the ground and sky. One tip I will give you is that when I cut out my masks, I cut on the inside of the outside line of the image. This leaves enough gap so that if you stamp carefully and give a little extra pressure along the edge of the post-it-note mask you are not left with a “gap” between the images.
The ladies in yesterday’s class loved this technique and I hope I have inspired you to get busy with some masks on your creations.
Bye for now,
Kris
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In{k}spire Me Challenge 359
Today I am playing along with the challenge at In{k}spire Me. I took advantage of the buy 3 get one free Promotion this month to purchase the Garden Impressions 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper and the sketch gave me an opportunity to use some. I embossed Whisper White card using the Subtle Dynamic Impressions Embossing Folder. This folder isn’t one that is going to jump off the page at you but it just takes the flat look off the Whisper White card. I attached a piece of the Garden Impressions Designer Series paper to the left hand side of the embossed card and wrapped the join with the Whisper White 5/8″ Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon. 
The panel is attached to scored and folded Mango Melody card. I stamped the stem images from the Abstract Impressions stamp set firstly using Soft Sea Foam ink and then the second image using Shaded Spruce ink. I stamped the solid flower heads using Mango Melody ink and stamped the detailed flower head image over the top using the same ink. 
This gives a subtle difference in the texture of the flowers. I cut out the image using one of the Layering Squares Framelits Dies and attached it to a So Saffron scalloped square cut using the same dies. The image panel is attached to the card front using dimensionals.
To decorate the inside of the card I stamped the flower stem images once more using Soft Sea Foam and Shaded Spruce inks. The flowers are again stamped using Mango Melody ink.
I am loving using this stamp set. I don’t have to be precise and line everything up to create the images and every time, they look gorgeous. Have you tried this stamp set yet? I hope I have inspired you to take another look.
Don’t forget to take advantage of the buy 3 get one free promotion this month and stock up on your favourite designer series papers.
Bye for now,
Kris
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Babywipe Technique
Today’s card is one that we will be making in class this month. We are going to be learning some more techniques and this card uses the Babywipe Technique, which, I don’t think I have every done before! To do this technique you need a plain baby wipe, one that doesn’t have any image imprint and a few Classic Stamp Refills of your choice.
I started by cutting Crushed Curry card using the Detailed Floral Thinlit Dies. I attached the die cut panel to the front of scored and folded Thick Whisper White card. I stamped the greeting from the Floral Phrases stamp set onto the lower right hand corner of the card front using Garden Green ink. 
I placed my babywipe inside one of the Clear Mount Stamp cases that Stampin’ Up! sells and added Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry and Garden Green Classic Stamp Refills to the babywipe. I inked the beautiful flower from the Floral Phrases stamp set and stamped onto Whisper White Card. I cleaned the stamp and re-inked and stamped again. I rotated the stamp so that it kind of forms a circle. I cut the image using one of the Layering Circle Framelits Dies and attached it to a Crushed Curry scalloped circle cut using the same dies. The image panel is attached to the card front using dimensionals.
To decorate the inside of the card, I used a post it note to mask the top left hand edge of the card and stamped the border image which I inked from the baby wipe. I love this technique and I am very happy with the way the ink transferred from the babywipe to the stamp and then the card. I believe that I could re-use this baby wipe a number of times, with each image getting every so slightly lighter.
What do you think? Have you tried this technique. Maybe you would like to attend this class, please visit my Classes and Workshop page to get the details and let me know as soon as possible if you would like to attend as space is limited.
Bye for now,
Kris
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New Demonstrator Promotion
I have already shared with you the fabulous promotion for new demonstrators who sign up during the month of July. However, Stampin’ Up! have released this fun video and I thought I would share it with you.
If you would like to join as part of my team please contact me so that we can discuss your situation. I promise you will never be sorry you have joined. You get an instant discount on your orders and you get the support of your fellow demonstrators and an amazing company. You can also work towards earning a free holiday each year. This year Stampin’ Up! is taking eligible demonstrators on an all expenses paid holiday to Alaska. Imagine that!
Bye for now,
Kris
Noah
Today’s page showcases a photo of my other grandson Noah. Another gorgeous photo which decorates my lounge room wall. Isn’t that smile just gorgeous? Recently Jessica Taylor shared some colours that she uses to create a rainbow effect and I thought these colours were perfect for a “boy” layout. I cut strips of card 6″ x 2-1/4″ or 2-1/2″ strips to cover the top half of my 12″ x 12″ Whisper White page. 
The colours are Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Pacific Point and Blueberry Bushel which creates a rather beautiful rainbow effect, don’t you think? Each piece of card is embossed using the Basics Polka Dot Embossing Folder before they are attached to the Whisper White card.
I attached a strip of Blueberry Bushel card across the bottom of the cardstock pieces to create a border. I attached a Blueberry Bushel cardstock mat to the photo before attaching it to the page. I stamped the Playful Backgrounds stamp set to decorate the right hand side of the page using Pacific Point ink. I cut the letters for the title from Blueberry Bushel card using the Large Alphabet Dies. I added the date using the one of the Journaling Pens. Another simple page, but I do love the combination of colours with the black and white photo. A big thank you to Jessica for the colour inspiration. I’d love to know what you think.
Bye for now,
Kris
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Simple Thank You
Today’s card was created with the help of the colour coach which Stampin’ Up! provided as an aid in selecting colour combinations for our creations. I sometimes struggle when it comes to knowing which colours to use together but this made it easy, although the use of Melon Mambo in this combination was a little surprising. I started by stamping the greeting from the Enjoy Life stamp set onto the lower right hand corner of Whisper White card using Call Me Clover ink. 
I embossed a piece of Gray Granite card using the Striped Scallops Embossing Folder before attaching it to the stamped card. I attached the whole panel to scored and folded Call Me Clover card. I stamped the long grass image and the tall floral image from the Enjoy Life stamp set onto Whisper White card using Call Me Clover ink and added one of the small butterflies from the same stamp set using Melon Mambo ink.
I cut out the image using an oval framelit from the Layering Ovals Framelits Dies and attached it to a Call Me Clover scalloped oval cut using the same dies. The image panel is attached to the card front using dimensionals.
To decorate the inside of the card I stamped the tall floral image from the Enjoy Life stamp set onto the lower left corner of Whisper White card using Call Me Clover ink. To co-ordinate with the front of the card and because I very much loved how it looked, I stamped the small butterfly image using Melon Mambo ink.
I am rather pleased with the way this turned out and I am so thankful for the inspiration from the Colour Coach.
Bye for now,
Kris
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Embossing Mats
Have you noticed that Stampin’ Up! have added Embossing Mats for the Big Shot to the Annual Catalogue this year. Today I want to share with you a card I made using the Springtime Impressions Thinlets Dies. This time I used the large floral thinlit and instead of cutting it from the Whisper White card, I embossed the Whisper White card using the Embossing Mats. Once I had embossed the card, I stamped the greeting from the Abstract Impressions stamp set onto the top right hand corner using Highland Heather ink. 
The Whisper White embossed card is attached to scored and folded Highland Heather card. I cut Highland Heather card using the butterfly from the Springtime Impressions Thinlets Dies and attached it to the card front using Glue Dots underneath the body only.
To decorate the inside of the card, I embossed a narrow piece of Whisper White card using the large floral thinlit from the Springtime Impressions Thinlits Dies. The embossed card is attached to Highland Heather card and then Whisper White card.
So how exactly did I use a cutting die to create an embossed image, well let’s see watch this video from Stampin’ Up!.
Just imagine all the dies, you have in your possession which now have double use – cutting and embossing. I can see you all nodding in agreement and heading for your catalogues to take another look!
I hope you are just as excited as I am by this amazing new product.
Bye for now,
Kris
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Colourful Springtime Impressions
I told you I would pop back with another card using the large floral image from the Springtime Impressions Thinlits Dies. To get this look, you need to cut Whisper White card using the floral image. Once the image is cut out, I added colour using Stampin’ Blends – Dark Cherry Cobbler, Dark Daffodil Delight, Dark Rich Razzleberry, Dark Calypso Coral and Dark Old Olive. Once the image was coloured I attached it to Whisper White card and then scored and folded Cherry Cobbler Card. 
I stamped the greeting from the Special Celebrations stamp set onto Whisper White card and cut it out using one of the ovals from the Layering Ovals Framelits Dies. I attached the greeting to a Cherry Cobbler scalloped oval cut using the same dies. 
The greeting panel is attached to the card front using dimensionals.
To decorate the inside of the card, I cut the large floral image from Whisper White card using the Springtime Impressions Thinlits Dies and cut out the two flowers and leaf from the corner. The piece is coloured using the Dark Cherry Cobbler, Dark Rich Razzleberry and Dark Old Olive Stampin’ Blends. The die cut is attached to the lower left hand corner of Whisper White card.
Colouring the die like this takes it to a whole new level. Imagine the possibilities for all the pieces that you can cut just from this die. I just need to get the Garden Impressions Designer Series Paper now, so that I can continue my creating.
Bye for now,
Kris
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Springtime Impressions
Today I am once more playing with the Garden Impressions product suite but this time, I am using the Springtime Impressions Thinlits Dies. These dies co-ordinate with the Abstract Impressions stamp set. While they do not actually match any of the images in the stamp set, they co-ordinate beautifully with the stamped images. This is a set of three dies, one of which is the gorgeous floral I am using on this card. 
I cut Whisper White card using the large floral image from the Springtime Impression Thinlits Dies and attached it to Flirty Flamingo card. The Flirty Flamingo card is attached to scored and folded Thick Whisper White card. I stamped the greeting from the Special Celebrations stamp set onto Whisper White card using Flirty Flamingo ink. 
The greeting is cut out using one of the scalloped ovals from the Layering Ovals Framelits Dies and attached to the card front using dimensionals.
To decorate the inside of the card I cut Flirty Flamingo card using the large floral die from the Springtime Impressions Thinlits Dies. I fussy cut the two flowers and leaf from the corner of the die cut which is what I attached to the inside of the card. The great thing about this image is that you have endless possibilites for cutting pieces of the image and using them to decorate your cards. Very clever of Stampin’ Up! don’t you think?
This card is very simple but I like it’s simplicity, however, I will share a stepped up version of this card soon.
Bye for now,
Kris
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Ethan
This page is dedicated to a photo of my eldest grandson Ethan. Like the previous ones I have shared, this one also sits on the wall in my lounge room and I love seeing that gorgeous face and cheeky smile. This page also uses a layout that I shared a couple of weeks ago for my June Memory Keeping Class. For this page I have used the Tranquil Textures Designer Series Paper. I cut 2″ x 6″ strips of three different patterns and attached them down the left hand side of the 12″ x 12″ Whisper White page. I added 1-1/2cm wide strip of Night of Navy card to the edge of the designer series paper – if you don’t have 12″ Night of Navy you can use a strip from A4 and leave a gap behind the photo if you need to. 
I stamped the solid dotted image from the Playful Backgrounds stamp set using Night of Navy ink just add a little interest to the plain Whisper White. The photo is attached to Night of Navy card before being attached to the page. I cut the letters for Ethan’s name from Night of Navy card using the retired Little Letters Thinlits Dies. I kept this page simple to focus on Ethan’s lovely photo and only added a date.
You can tell my style of Memory Keeping is clean and simple most of the time – I love letting the photos tell the story.
Bye for now,
Kris
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Stamping with Kris 