Social Stamping - #15 Change

Change with Lovely You & Forever Flourishing

Hello. Welcome to Valley Inspirations with Andrea and the 15th Social Stamping Blog Host. This is the last blog hop of the weekly Social Stamping Block Host where our themes reflect life with COVID-19, however, Kelly Kent, our amazing Coordinator and Blog Host has offered to continue in this role on a monthly basis with more recognised themes.

This week our theme is "Change". They say, change is a constant, and yes, change is always with us in some form. In the past I would become anxious at change, until it dawned on me that while change may mean we enter into the unknown, it can also mean that the situation improves. Well it wasn't that easy, but I did relax more and became more proactive. Often there is an opportunity to be involved in the change or at least be proactive in handling the change. This can provide some form of influence and potential control at least over how the change may affect you. Change is often small and incremental rather than cataclysmal.

In current times we have certainly experienced change and living with COVID will be different from life pre-COVID. While for many, life has been difficult, we have also learnt much - about ourselves and those we interact with, about general hygiene principals, about technological ways of keeping in touch, the list could go on. 

So what does all this mean in terms of this weeks projects? I have chosen a layout that I first saw Emma Goddard use. After starting my cards I realised that "Just Add Ink" are using a similar layout for their challenge this week.

I started with 3 card front panels that were all the same size. One was a piece of Whisper White card-stock that had been stamped all over with the Lovely You stamp set using the Baby Wipe technique. I had used bottles of Re-inkers, ie Blackberry Bliss, Rococo Rose and Blushing Bride; dripping these colours randomly onto folded baby wipes. This became my stamp pad. I love the soft blending of colours created using this method. The other panels were Blackberry Bliss card-stock and a piece of Rainbow Glimmer paper. Each of the front panels were stacked together and two cuts were made creating 3 angled pieces in each panel. These pieces were swapped around so that new card fronts would be created using one of each of the different panels. 

This changing of panel pieces, created 3 different and individual card fronts. Each is unique and each is beautiful in its own way. This change created a new beauty.

To reinforce and support the beauty of the differences, the cards were further created with different features. The front panels of the cards directly above and below were adhered to a Rococo Rose card front with a small gap between the angled pieces and a small boarder around the edge. They were directly adhered to the Blackberry Bliss card-stock base. The labels for these 2 cards were created using the Lovely Labels Pick a Punch, although one sentiment was heat embossed with Whisper White Emboss Powder while the other was stamped in Blackberry Bliss. Differing card-stock was also used.

Different die cut pieces using the Forever Flourishing dies were added as focal pieces, that is different leaf sprays cut from different card-stock. The embellishments were different as well, as the first card has a bow from discontinued Whisper White Bakers Twine. I used the Bakers Twine as it has a similar look to the white embossed sentiment. The second card has a bow created from Whisper White Crinkled Seam Binding that was coloured with Blackberry Bliss (Dark) Blend. Both card fronts were finished with a few Basic Rhinestone Jewels that were also coloured with the Dark Blend.

With the 3rd card, the card front pieces were adhered directly to the Blackberry Bliss card-stock card base and no gap was left between pieces.

The sentiment from the Forever Fern stamp set was stamped in Blackberry Bliss ink on a label die cut from the Tasteful Label dies and a circle punched out using a 2" Circle punch. All the labels were popped up on Dimensionals. A leaf spray was cut from the Rainbow Glimmer paper using a different die from the Forever Flourishing dies. Coloured Basic Rhinestones were also added, but no ribbon.

All cards have a similar card inner with a softly variegated leaf spray stamped on the inner panel and a thin strip of Rainbow Glimmer paper. You may notice in some of the photos, that I also like to stamp on the envelope so that it ties in with the card it holds. A leaf spray was stamped on each envelope in Blackberry Bliss ink.

The set of cards are all similar, however, numerous aspects have been changed. For me, these changes are interesting and create different, though still lovely, effects. Changes we face may not be easy, but we can make the best of them if we face the changes positively and proactively. Thank you for allowing me to share one of the lessons I have learnt over many years.

I do appreciate that you have taken time to visit the Valley Inspirations blog. Please contact me if you would like any further information about the cards in this blog; or if you live in Australia and would like a new Annual Catalogue posted to you; or if I can help in any other way.

I hope you are enjoying this week's Social Stamping Blog Host that has focused on the theme - "Change". If you started at the beginning with our amazing Social Stamping Host, Kelly Kent, then you can either click here to be transferred to Shannon Kissane at the Crafting Engineer to see her gorgeous creation or click on the 'Next' graphic below; or if you would prefer to go to the full list of participants click on this link to be taken to Kelly Kent's Host blog post at My Papercraft Journey where you will find individual links that can take you to each person's blog.

Do look after yourself and your loved ones in these changing times. 

Hope to see you again later in the month (Saturday, 25 July) when the Social Stamping Blog Host theme is "sympathy". This will be the first blog hop of our monthly Social Stamping Blog Hop.

Andrea 😘

  

List of Products used to create these cards:

Stamps, Dies & Punches

• Lovely You stamp set - #152525
• Forever Flourishing dies - #152714
• Tasteful Labels dies - #152886
• Lovely Labels Pick a Punch - #152883
• 2" Circle Punch - #133782

Inks & Applicators

• Blackberry Bliss ink pad - #147092
• Blackberry Bliss Classic ink refill - #133648
• Petal Pink ink refil - #147169
• Rococo Rose ink refil - #150089
• Versamark ink pad - #102283
• White Stampin' Emboss Powder - #109132
• White Craft Stampin ink pad - #147277
• Sponge Daubers - #133773
• Blackberry Bliss Stampin Blends Combo -  #154877

Paper

• Whisper White card-stock - #106549
• Blackberry Bliss card-stock - #133682
• Rococo Rose card-stock - #150888
• Vellum Card-stock - #106584
• Rainbow Glimmer Paper- #153056
• C6 Whisper White envelopes - #106589

Embellishments

• Rhinestone Basic Jewels - #144220
• Whisper White Crinkled Seam Binding - #151326
• Whisper White Butchers Twine - Discontinued

Adhesives

• Multipurpose Liquid Glue - #110755
• Mini Glue Dots - #103683
• Tear & Tape Adhesive - #138995
• Mini Stampin' Dimensionals - #144108
• Stampin' Dimensionals - #104430

Tools

• Take Your Pick Tool - #144107
• Bone Folder - #102300
• Paper Snips - #103579
• Paper Trimmer - #152392
• Stamparatus - #148187
• Block D - #118485
• Block E - #118484
• Block H - #118490
• Grid Paper - #130148
• Silicone Craft Mat - #127857
• Stamping Sponge - #141337
• Simple Shammy - #147042
• Heat Tool - #129056
• Stampin Cut & Emboss Machine - #149653
• Magnetic Cutting Plate - #149656

Social Stamping - #3 Rainbows

"Rainbows" using Watercolour, Crafting Forever and It Starts with Art  

So glad you have dropped into Valley Inspirations as part of the Social Stamping Blog Host. I hope you are staying well and are coping in this interesting time and self isolating as much as you are able. As I have said previously, I am so thankful to have paper crafting as a hobby. There is always something new to experiment with and creating the card for this Blog Hop is no exception.

Welcome to the 3rd Social Stamping Blog Hop. This week the blog hop theme is "rainbows". Rainbows have become a symbol of connectedness during these times of isolation and aligns with the theme of "we're all in this together".

This week's topic was a lot of fun. I love rainbow colour combinations but had never paper crafted using this theme.  The fun multiplied as I decided to try out a watercolour technique that I saw recently - more of this later. Here's my card:

The Watercolour technique I used for colouring the pens was demonstrated recently by Emma Goddard, who is a UK Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and part of the Artisan Team. I put some ink from my Stampin' Up inkpads on the edge of a large clear block and then spritzed the ink with some water. I cut one finger off a thin rubber glove and put it on my index finger and touched the tip of my covered finger into the watercolour and then dabbed each colour on one of the pens that had previously been stamped with Stazon ink. As I was colouring all the pens it occurred to me how much I was enjoying myself and realised it was taking me back to my childhood and the joy of finger painting. The difference this time was that my hands were relatively clean when I finished. The card background was created with a more traditional watercolour process using an aqua painter.

Now to how the card was the created. I stamped the pens and other writing implements (ie pencil, highlighter or pen - henceforth referred to as "pens") using 2 different stamp sets, that is Stampin' Up!s Crafting Forever and It Starts With Art. Both sets had a stamp of 3 pens. Each image was stamped 3 times in Stazon ink on Watercolour paper. Initially the pens from Crafting Forever were coloured as described above using Real Red, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Garden Green, Bermuda Bay, Pacific Point, Gorgeous Grape, Blackberry Bliss inks. The other pens from It Starts With Art set were coloured by mixing each of the colours listed above with the colour next to it, eg Daffodil Delight with Garden Green to create a more yellow-green. Each pen was painted with one to the mixed colours. They were left to dry thoroughly before fussy cutting each one out. I had ink remaining on the large clear block so I decided to watercolour the background with an aqua painter on watercolour paper.

A piece of vellum was die cut using the rectangular die from Natures Thoughts dies  and centred on the watercolour background. The card front was mounted on Basic Black card-stock.

The sentiment from Crafting Forever was stamped on Whisper White card-stock with Momento ink and cut out using a stitched circle die from the Stitched Shapes dies. A circle was also punched out of Basic Black card-stock with a 1 1/2" circle punch. The sentiment was mounted on the black circle and adhered in the centre of the card front using Dimensionals. 

Each of the fussy cut pens were covered with Shimmery Crystal Effects and left to dry to give them a shiny surface, to be reminiscent of the implements themselves. Mini Dimensionals were added to the back of the pens and each pen was placed at an angle around the centre sentiment in colour order. The positioning was by guesstimate as I couldn't find the appropriate positioning tool. (I looked for my wreath builder template - but it was hiding! Such is life.) Where some of the pens jutted out over the card front they were trimmed to align with the mounted card front.

Here is a close-up of the pens/card centre:

The card front was adhered to a Thick Whisper White card base using Dimensionals.

I love carrying the theme of the card front to the inside of the card and so stamped a sentiment from the It Starts With Art stamp set on Whisper White card-stock in Momento ink. A pen, that had been previously watercoloured with the 8 colours (listed above), was adhered so the tip of the pen touched the end of the sentiment. The white centre panel was mounted on 2 thin strips of Basic Black card-stock and then adhered directly to the card base.

I had hoped to have another card or 2 to share with you but time has run out. So many ideas ... so little time! 

I find cards using rainbow colours communicate "Happiness". I learnt a number of things as I created this card and even though there are aspects that I may change next time I do something similar, I did enjoy playing with rainbow colours. I hope you are enjoying this Rainbow Social Stamping Blog Hop.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog. The next blog showcases the rainbow creation of the very lovely Sheila who is at Stand Up Stamper

  

To go to the full list of participants click here.

I hope you find blessings in unexpected places this Easter. It may not be our normal form of celebrations but I do hope your heart is touched in some special way.

Stay home, stay safe and stay healthy everyone. I look forward to blog hopping with you again.