Be Inspired - Bright & Bold

 Be Inspired Design Team Blog Hop

Welcome to Valley Inspirations with Andrea and the August Be Inspired Blog Hop.

BRIGHT AND BOLD

This Blog Hop has a theme of BRIGHT & BOLD. As I was musing on the theme I was walking with my dog and saw a number of local Rainbow Lorikeets. They are a beautiful Aussie bird and certainly Bright & Bold, so I decided to build my project around these gorgeous birds.

I had the Feathered Fun Stamp set and had previously thought of colouring the images to be reminiscent of Aussie birds. The 2 images were stamped in Versa-mark ink and Gold heat embossed, then water-coloured the birds with Lemon Lime Twist, Granny Apple Green, Daffodil Delight, Poppy Parade and Blueberry Bushel. Once fully dry the images were fussy cut.

The coming Reaching Out bundle was also used on this card, ie to gold heat emboss branches and pine sprays. A little Pool Party was lightly blended in the background. Some twigs also were die cut and lightly coloured with Pecan Pie and Granny Apple Green. Two sizes of the Branching Out labels were cut in Basic White card-stock with the smaller label framing the branches, etc. The Basic White background panel was embossed with the coming Traditional Wreath 3D Embossing Folder.

A sentiment from the Branching Out stamp set was White heat embossed onto a strip of Blueberry Bushel card-stock. Mossy Meadow & Gold Ribbon and Low Profile Sparkle Dots. added that final touch.

The card inner was simply Gold embossed with one of the bird images and a little Pool Party blending was added. A C6 Basic White envelope was also gold heat embossed with a cute bird.

Thank you so much for calling in on your way around the August Be Inspired Blog Hop. 

I am really looking forward to seeing what everyone else has created for the Bright and Bold theme.  Next in line is the amazing Lynn Cheesmur. Just click on the graphic below to head over to Lynn’s blog.

The full list of those participating in this hop is:

Maheswari Rajaguru

Brian King

Emma Goddard

Heather Thomas

Stesha Bloodhart

Angela Meiritz-Ried

Annette Elias

Andrea Sargent <you are here 

Lynn Cheesmur

Annette Ball

#beinspired  #beinspireddesignteam  #stampinup   #stampinupofficial  #stampinupaustralia #valleyinspirations  #artisandesignteam #artisandesignteam2025  #featheredfun #stampinupofficial #branchingout

Be Inspired - Floral Fun

Be Inspired Design Team Blog Hop

Hello, welcome to Valley Inspirations with Andrea. I am delighted to be part of the Be Inspired Design Team. This month it’s time for some:

FLORAL FUN

I had recently used the amazing Sunflower 3D Embossing Folder and have fallen in love with it. The embossing it creates is beauuuutiful so it is perfect for some floral fun. Also, I was in the mood for some fussy cutting. Here is what I came up with:

I must admit I love creating with flowers, though am unsure of my flower arranging as I am not great at arranging the real thing. Recently, I had been looking at the beautiful Floral Impressions Designer Series Paper so took my Snips and started fussy cutting a range of leaves and flowers. Some of this gorgeous DSP to create a slim-line envelope to fit the card.

With a Basic White card base and front panels, one of the front panels was embossed with the gorgeous Sunflower 3D Embossing Folder had been lightly swiped with a Stampin’ Up! Basic Beige Classic inkpad. A Mini Blending Brush lightly dabbed over any heavy ink sections before a Basic White panel was embossed. I love the subtle effect - it is a pity it doesn’t show as well on the photos.

A thin panel of Basic White Card-stock was laid over the bottom of the embossed panel and a thin strip of coming Secret Sea Glimmer Paper was adhered over the mid line.

All the flowers were arranged and a Basic Beige ribbon was cut in half lengthwise, tied into a bow and tucked in amongst the flowers. I had a heat embossed sentiment sitting on my work station which worked perfectly with the card - it just needed fussy cutting. A number of the lovely Strawberry Slush & Pretty In Pink Gems were sprinkled around. 

Just a couple of touches were added to link the inside with the card front. I will add a Secret Sea stamped sentiment when I know who will be receiving the card.

Thank you so much for calling in on your way around the Be Inspired Blog Hop.

I am looking forward to checking out the projects created by everyone in this July Be Inspired Blog Hop. Next in line is the amazing Lynn Cheesmur. Just click on the graphic below to head over to Lynn’s blog.

The full list of those participating in this hop is:

Maheswari Rajaguru

Brian King

Emma Goddard

Heather Thomas

Angela Meiritz-Ried

Annette Elias

Andrea Sargent <you are here 

Lynn Cheesmur

Jaqueline Barradas - See her creation over on Instagram @touchofjoycs

Annette Ball

#beinspired  #beinspireddesignteam  #stampinup   #stampinupofficial  #stampinupaustralia #valleyinspirations  #artisandesignteam #artisandesignteam2025  #floralimpressions #stampinupofficial #sunflower3dembossing

Be Inspired Blog Hop - Techniques or Top Tips

 Be Inspired Design Team Blog Hop - Sharing Techniques or Top Tips

Hello, welcome to Valley Inspirations with Andrea. I am so excited to have been asked to join the Be Inspired Design Team. I am in awe of everyone in the team - they are so talented. This is my first blog hop with the team so I do appreciate you dropping in.

The technique I am sharing this month via my project is wet-on-wet water-colouring. I was a bit tentative selecting this technique as I know others on the team who are brilliant water-colorers. However, I do love water-colouring so decided on to go with something I love.

I also adore Stampin’ Up! Scenic Adventure bundle. The dies are amazing with extra details within the die cuts. Numerous die cuts were prepared in watercolor paper. Stampin’ Up! uses Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper which is a really good paper. A background panel was also cut from water-colour paper. 

The background was wet on wet water-coloured using the larger flat Water Painter. Each colour was painted separately. Where I wanted some melding of colours, the next colour was added while the previous colour was still wet. Balmy Blue Classic ink was used for the sky, with touches of diluted Pretty In Pink to glow around the mountains. The mountains were coloured with Fresh Freesia & Petunia Pop. The colours were more diluted for the mountains at the back to give a sense of depth. The smaller background trees were coloured in different strengths of Lost Lagoon. The larger trees at the left were coloured with Pretty Peacock & touches of Lost Lagoon. The bushes  in the foreground were just Pretty Peacock coloured. The foreground is a mixture of Pool Party and Lost Lagoon - both diluted.

The scene was framed in Basic White card-stock using the wonderful frame die from the Gallery Blooms dies. The background beneath the scene is a panel of Lost Lagoon card-stock, embossed with the Soft Waves 3D Embossing Folder and then adhered to a Basic White card-base.

A sentiment from the Scenic Adventure stamp set was white heat embossed onto a piece of Pretty Peacock card-stock and then fussy cut. A bow was created from the White 1/4” Starter Ribbon Pack that had been cut in half lengthwise. To bring the pinky purple colour further down the design some Strawberry Slush & Pretty in Pink Gems were scattered around the sentiment.

For those who know me, know I like to add a touch of decoration to the inside panel to link it in some way to the card front design. A little coordinating stamping was added in Lost Lagoon ink - just very simple. A little blending was added near the stamping as well.

I also like to simply decorate the envelope. The same stamping and blending was added to a C6 Basic White Envelope.

Thank you so much for spending time with me. I hope you have found something to inspire.

I am looking forward to checking out the projects created by everyone in the June Be Inspired Blog Hop. Next in line is the amazing Maheswari Rajaguru. Just click on the graphic below to head over to Maheswari’s blog, My Stamp Garden.

The full list of those participating in this hop is:

Maheswari Rajaguru

Brian King

Emma Goddard

Heather Thomas

Angela Meiritz-Reid

Andrea Sargent  <you are here 

#beinspired  #beinspireddesignteam  #stampinup   #stampinupofficial  #stampinupaustralia #valleyinspirations  #artisandesignteam #artisandesignteam2025  #scenicadventure. #stampinupofficial