AWH Heart of Christmas Blog Hop #10

Christmas with Beach Day for an Aussie Christmas

Hello. Welcome to Valley Inspirations with Andrea and the tenth Art with Heart Team Heart of Christmas Blog Hop for 2024. We have been blog hopping since early August and will continue every week until the end of November. I hope you find time to check us out each week as I know there will be many, many ideas and projects on display to inspire your Christmas prep.

I love creating for Christmas and hope that you will like my project for this week. It is an Aussie Christmas box card and can double as a luminaire and or a box card that also holds a special present. There are lots of photos this week so you can see different aspects of this box.

Here are the other 2 facades of the box card.

While I changed measurements, I must acknowledge Mikaela Titheridge, a current Stampin’ Up! Artisan and UK Demonstrator, for sharing how she created a gorgeous Christmas box card. I love her mechanism for attaching the roof in such a way to enable the box to fold flat and fit into an envelope.

This box card also has a base so that it could also be used as a box & card that holds a special gift.

Aussies love to spend Christmas at the beach and so I thought I would create an Aussie Christmas card featuring the Beach Day bundle and Country Birdhouse dies. Also used are the Reindeer Fun bundle and Christmas Friends dies.

The box was created with Pool Party card-stock and Basic Beige card-stock was torn to be reminiscent of sand. The roof and under roof were cut from Country Woods DSP. Most stamping was added to Basic White card-stock apart from the sand castle, that was stamped on Basic Beige card-stock.

The Country Birdhouse die was used to cut out 4 birdhouse facades. Each one was scored with straight lines reminiscent of weather-board beach houses. Under roof pieces were die cut from Country Woods woodgrain Designer Series Paper and Basic White card-stock. One of the pieces was coloured with a Dark Calypso Coral Stampin’ Blend.

Stampin’ Blends were used for the colouring of Surf boards, beach ball, sand castle umbrella, beach chair and seagulls, ie Petal Pink, Calypso Coral, Coastal Cabana, Summer Splash, Pool Party & Smoky Slate Blends Combos. The die cut wreath (from the Reindeer Days dies) and garlands (from the Christmas Friends dies) were coloured with Granny Apple Green and Soft Sea Foam Blends Combos with a touch of Pool Party. Splattering over the box was added with a Summer Splash Stampin’ Write Marker.

Grasses were stamped in Granny Apple Green Stampin’Classic ink, and the sandcastle with Crumb cake ink. Tiny seashells were stamped directly on the box with Crumb Cake ink. All of the die cut of fussy cut pieces were added with Multipurpose Liquid Glue or Dimensionals.

The wreath and garlands were all decorated with Iridescent Pearl Jewels. They are so gorgeous. The die cut bows were cut from either Gold Foil or Basic White card-stock.

Here is a photo of the card folded flat. To fit into an Basic White C6 envelope the bottom flaps are folded up inside the card.

The Basic White C6 envelope was stamped with a sentiment from the Country Birdhouse stamps and Reindeer Fun stamps. “Merry Christmas” was also white heat embossed on the woodgrain Country Woods DSP as the sentiment on the box card. Some extra pearls were scattered around the sentiment.

You may notice a scored flap on one side of the box, which can lift up for a brief personal message. It is supposed to be reminiscent of a roller door into the beach house.

I did mention that it can also be used as a luminary. Circular holes were cut in each side that were each covered with Vellum from an online exclusive, the Graceful Greenery Vellum Speciality Paper. I was hoping to photo the card at night but was called away yesterday and so didn’t complete this card till this afternoon, so you don’t get the full luminary effect.

Thank you for dropping in. I hope you like my Aussie Christmas Box card.

There is more Christmas creativity, so do continue with the blog hop. Just click on the "next" graphic below to be taken to the blog of a lovely lady, Judy May. I always look forward to checking out Judy’s wonderful creation(s). I do love seeing everyones' projects - there is so much inspiration.

Also, many of us participate in the Colour Creations Blog Hop that goes live every Wednesday night where we showcase one of Stampin’ Up!s colours each week. We would love you to also check in on us for more creative inspiration.

Stay well, stay safe and be kind to yourself.

Andrea 💕🐾

If you find a broken link or would like to view the full list of participants go to Sharon Davern’s blog @ Rhapsody in Craft. Sharon is our amazing Art With Heart Team Heart of Christmas Coordinator.  She is a special lady. Check out her delightful creation while you are there.

If you live in Australia, don't already have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and would like your own copy of the Stampin' Up 2023-2024 Annual Catalogue and or the September-December 2024 Mini Catalogue, then let me know and I will be delighted to send them to you.  Please don't hesitate to make contact with any other queries about this project or Stampin' Up!. 

#heartofchristmas  #heartofchristmas2024 #stampinup #stampinupaustralia #stampinupsouthpacific #stampinupdemo  #handmadecards #stampinupdemonstrator #papercrafting #artwithheartteam  #papercrafter  #valleyinspirations   #reindeerdays

AWH Colour Creations Blog Hop #21 Crushed Curry

Crushed Curry with Country Birdhouse  

Hello. Welcome to Valley Inspirations with Andrea and the Art with Heart Colour Creations Blog Hop. We are working though the Stampin' Up! colours in alphabetical order, focussing on one colour each week.

This week’s Blog Hop is focussing on a beautiful deep yellow colour called Crushed Curry.  Crushed Curry is part of the Regals Colour Family and is a rich slightly muted yellow. Yellows are wonderful with grey, or blue and coordinate with many other colours, including oranges, greens etc. Crushed Curry is beautiful for flowers. 

Crushed Curry is produced in Stampin' Up!'s card-stock, both A4 & 12"x12"; Classic Stampin' inks (ink pads & re-inkers); Stampin' Write Marker; Stampin’ Watercolor Pencils (Assortment 2); Regals Designer Series Paper as well as a number of other products. 

This project has incorporated Crushed Curry as Classic Stampin' ink, card-stock, Stampin' Write Marker and Watercolor Pencil.

When thinking about a project to create using Crushed Curry I Googled yellow birds and found a beautiful bird with strong yellow belly and purple grey feathers. I then started to ponder what card design I could use to highlight the bird. The Country Birdhouse bundle came to mind and I started to think about a 3D project. A number of days later I saw an amazing 3D Christmas birdhouse by Mikaela Titheridge, one of Stampin’ Up!s Artisans. Then she posted a link to a U-tube video showing how she created it. I so admire Mikaela and her talent and am so appreciative of her video of the box birdhouse. Thank you so so much Mikaela.

Apart from decorating the box birdhouse differently to Mikaela I wanted to see if I could create a box with a base so that it could be used either as a box to hold a gift or as a card that folds flat to fit into an ordinary C6 Basic White envelope.

I challenged my grey matter to create a base for the box to keep the box stable and, as mentioned, so that the box could be used to hold a small gift. As I wasn’t sure how i would use this project, the base also needed to open and lie flat. I got there. There are two flaps that fold across the base and a third flap that folds over from the front and tucks in with a flap.

Three birds were stamped in Smoky Slate Classic Stampin’ ink onto Basic White card-stock, one of them was initially stamped onto a Stampin’ Up! Silicon Mat and cardstock was rubbed over the stamped image so the bird would be in reverse. They were coloured with Crushed Curry, Basic Gray, Gorgeous Grape and white Watercolor Pencils. The birdhouse was covered with Country Woods Designer Series Paper - with two designs that were both sides of one sheet. The die cut trims were cut from Basic White and Crushed Curry card-stock using the coordinating Country Birdhouse dies.

Flowers and leaves were die cut from Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper using dies from the same set. Other flowers were also die cut using the Thoughtful Wishes dies. All of the die cuts were wet on wet water-coloured using Crushed Curry and Old Olive inks.

A sentiment from the Country Birdhouse stamp set was white heat embossed on Crushed Curry card-stock and then fussy cut. A Linen Twine double bow was tucked under the sentiment and a number of Iridescent Foil Gems were scattered around.

A Basic White card-stock panel was cut to size and stamped with another sentiment in Smoky Slate ink. One of the Thoughtful Wishes coloured die cuts was adhered to this panel. The Basic White C6 envelope flap was stamped with the cute little bird in Smoky Slate ink.

Thank you so much for calling in to check out my Crushed Curry Country Woods box card. I loved creating it and have decided to give it to a friend to help her celebrate her birthday.

To continue with the Crushed Curry blog hop just click the "next" graphic below to be taken to the blog of a special lady, Kate Morgan. I am looking forward to checking out Kate’s creation(s). I do love seeing everyone’s' projects - there is always so much inspiration.

I do hope to see you next week when we will be featuring Daffodil Delight as we continue the weekly 2024-2025 Colour Creations Blog Hop series. 

Stay well, stay safe and be kind to yourself.

Andrea 💕🐾

If you find a broken link or would like to view the full list of participants go to Catherine Proctor’s blog @ What Cathy Made. Cathy is our brilliant Art With Heart Team Colour Creations Coordinator.  She is a wonderful lady. Check out her delightful creation while you are there.

Living in Australia, don't already have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and would like your own copy of the Stampin' Up 2024-2025 Annual Catalogue or and the September-December Mini catalogue, then let me know and I will be delighted to send them to you.  

Please don't hesitate to make contact with any other queries about these projects or Stampin' Up! 

#colourcreationsbloghop  #stampinup #stampinupaustralia #stampinupsouthpacific #stampinupdemo  #handmadecards  #stampinupdemonstrator  #papercrafting #artwithheartteam  #papercrafter  #valleyinspirations   #countrybirdhouse  #countrywoods  #thoughtfulwishes

CASEing the Catty #475 - CASE Country Woods

A Country Woods meets Country Birdhouse & Beach Day

Hello, Welcome to Valley Inspirations with Andrea and #475 Challenge with CASEing the Catty.

I am so glad you have dropped by. You may have come from Rebecca-Jo Unwin , our Guest Designer, as you take this week’s Blog Hop. Below, I have linked to Rebecca Scurr, our amazing Coordinator, so you can continue with the Blog Hop.

This week, I CASEd the slimline birdhouse card on page 49 of the Stampin’ Up! 2024-2025 Annual Catalogue, pictured below.  I love a slim line card so couldn’t go past this card.  As you will see, there have been numerous changes.

Inspiration for this week’s project is two fold, firstly - the wonderful Emma Goddard, a brilliant UK Demonstrator, recently used the cute Country Birdhouse bundle to create gorgeous beach houses. As I ponded how I would CASE this card, I remembered Emma’s projects and my mind went to childhood holidays and cladded houses that were set back on the beach.

The background is a wet-on-wet watercolour wash using Balmy Blue and Azure Afternoon Classic inks on Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper with the wide brushed Water Painter.  When almost dry the panel was embossed with the So Swirly Embossing Folder. A light white splattering was added with White Craft ink. The background was mounted on a Night of Navy panel and then onto a Misty Moonlight card base.

Images from the Beach Day stamp set were stamped in either Night of Navy or Misty Moonlight Classic inks on Basic White card-stock. The grasses were stamped in Wild Wheat ink. There are coordinating dies in the Beach Day die set. Clouds were stamped in Balmy Blue ink using stamps from the Adventurous Sky stamp set. The sea gulls were lightly coloured with a light Smoky Slate Blend and a Colour Lifter. The surf board, umbrella and beach chair were coloured with Petal Pink, Calypso Coral Blends Combo together with the Colour Lifter. The clouds had a little Balmy Blue blended over with a Blending Brush. The sun was cut with a die from the Spotlight in Nature dies and lightly coloured with Lemon Lolly ink and a Blending Brush.

A sentiment from the Beach Day stamps was white heat embossed on Misty Moonlight card-stock, with white Emboss Powder, the Embossing Accessories Kit and a Heat Tool and then fussy cut. Some new Night of Navy Linen Twine was tied into a double bow and tucked under the sentiment. At the moment this twine was only available to Demonstrators who signed up for the Creativity Now event that was live yesterday. The twine is part of a suite that will be available in the September-December Mini Catalogue. This twine comes in a set of 3 Natural Tones Linen Thread. It’s gorgeous. The final touch - a few Flat Adhesive-Backed Pearls were scattered near the sentiment.

As you may know, I love to carry the theme of the card front inside the card in some way. A Basic White panel was mounted onto a slightly larger piece of Night of Navy card-stock and decorated with a cloud, seagull, grass and a couple of surf boards. I had prepared them when designing the card front, but didn’t use them all so using them inside the card ensured they didn’t go to waste. I also like to decorate the envelope, but my DL sized envelopes were missing. That will be a task for another day.

Thank you so much for spending time with me. I so appreciate you. 

Don’t miss any of the inspiration from this talented Crew. The next blog in the hop is the wonderful Rebecca Scurr. Just click on the "next" graphic below to be taken to her blog. I am sure her project will be amazing.

Join In The Challenge: We would love you to share a project you have created that has been inspired by the new 2024-2025 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue. To share, all you need to do for to the CASEing The Catty Challenge Group. If you aren't a member, its easy to request to join and then all you need to do is upload a photo of your project to the main section. You can click on the graphic below to be taken to the group on Facebook. We would love to see your creation.

#ctc475 #stampinup #stampinupaustralia #stampinupsouthpacific #stampinupdemo  #handmadecards #makeacardsendacard #stampinupdemonstrator #papercrafting #papercrafter  #valleyinspirations   #countrybirdhouse   #beachday  #adventuroussky  

 

AWH Colour Creations Blog Hop #3 Pretty in Pink

Pretty in Pink with Country Birdhouse

Hello. Welcome to Valley Inspirations with Andrea and the Art with Heart Colour Creations Blog Hop. As we commence this new year of Blog Hops, initially we are working though the new In Colours before we focus on the remainder of the Stampin' Up! colours in alphabetical order. We feature one colour each week.

This week’s Blog Hop is featuring on a pretty mid pink called Pretty in Pink. Pretty in Pink is part of the 2024-2026 In Colour Family and is a lovely pink. I’m teaming it with Smoky Slate tonight as I love pink and grey. I’m still exploring other colour combos with this pretty colour. This colour would be lovely for flowers and anything that you wanted pink.

Pretty in Pink is produced in Stampin' Up!'s card-stock, both A4 & 12"x12"; Classic Stampin' inks (ink pads & re-inkers); Stampin' Write Marker; Stampin’ Blends Combo; In Colour Designer Series Paper and Unbounded Beauty DSP; plus In Color Resin Dots; In Color Shimmer Gems; and Pretty in Pink Bordered Ribbon, to name a few.  

This project uses Pretty in Pink Classic ink, card-stock, Stampin’ Blends, Stampin’ Write Marker and In Color Shimmer Gems, together with a range of non-Pretty in Pink products.

One of the large double suites in the new 2024-2025 Annual Catalogue is the Country Woods suite. It contains 2 stamp sets with coordinating dies, 2 different sets of Designer Series Paper, an embossing folder, ribbons and pearls. I love so many different aspects about this suite. In choosing to use the Country Birdhouse bundle I wanted to use some of the oh so gorgeous Country Woods DSP for the birdhouse and Pretty in Pink for most of the flowers.

I created a fancy fold card to show a different way to use the Country Birdhouse dies. I won’t go through the various trials and errors that occurred while creating this project. I am thankful I got there in the end, even with COVID brain. (Yes, I took a RAT last night and it showed positive.) I’m not sure of the name of this fold - I remembered seeing Mikaela Titheridge, a UK Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator create a card using it. I think it’s some sort of flip fold. The Basic White background had a little Pool Party Classic Ink blended over to provide a sense of sky behind the birdhouse.

Numerous flowers from the Country Birdhouse stamp set were stamped in Smoky Slate Classic ink on Basic White card-stock. They were coloured in a mix of Stampin’ Blends, ie Pretty in Pink, Petunia Pop, Lemon Lolly, Shaded Spruce, Lost Lagoon, and touches of Granny Apple Green Combos to harmonise with the little bird that was coloured with Pretty in Pink, Granny Apple Green and Smoky Slate Combos. Of course a Colour Lifter was nearby to add highlights.

I so love Stampin’ Up!s coordination with dies that match the stamped images plus the addition of extra dies that, in this case, cut stand alone flowers and leaves. These flowers and leaves were cut out from Basic White card-stock. Some of the white die cut leaves and flowers were tucked in & around the coloured leaves and flowers. I had wondered about blending a little colour over the die cuts but in between crafting today, I watched Cindy Schuster from the Crafty Carrot Co as she created a home decor piece using the Country Flowers bundle. During the Facebook Live she acknowledged that she loved adding white flowers to her projects. Remembering that, I didn’t add any colour to the die cut flowers & leaves - and I am so glad as the white lifts the overall design so much. The Crafty Carrot Co are hosting on Facebook, a free series of sessions featuring the Country Flowers bundle. The are talented ladies and so worth checking out.

The dies were also used to die cut pieces for the roof and trimmings, as well as the decorative pole that the birdhouse sits on. You may notice that the Smoky Slate roof, stand and dowel for the bird to sit on all had a little tinge of Silver heat embossing in places.

A sentiment from the Country Birdhouse stamps was white heat embossed on Pretty in Pink card-stock and fussy cut out. A little bow of White & Silver Sheer Ribbon (which had been cut lengthwise to cut away the silver edge) was tied into a bow and tucked under part of the sentiment. A number of the beautiful Pretty in Pink In Color Shimmer Gems were scattered around.

When this card opens the birdhouse flips to the inside of the card. Another sentiment is stamped inside the card in Smoky Slate ink and a few extra flowers and bird decorate the card inner. A C6 Basic White envelope was stamped with a small floral arrangement in Smoky Slate ink along the bottom of the envelope.

As you can see below, the card partially flips when it stands partially open. 

Thank you so much for dropping by on you way around the Pretty in Pink Colour Creations Blog Hop. 

To continue with the Pretty in Pink blog hop just click the "next" graphic below to be taken to the blog of the lovely Christine Blain. I am looking forward to checking out Christine’s creation(s). I do love seeing everyone’s' projects - there is always so much inspiration.

I do hope to see you next week when we will be featuring another new In Colour, Shy Shamrock as we continue the weekly 2024-2025 Colour Creations Blog Hop series. 

Stay well, stay safe and be kind to yourself and others.

Andrea 💕🐾

If you find a broken link or would like to view the full list of participants go to Catherine Proctor’s blog @ What Cathy Made. Cathy is our wonderful Art With Heart Team Colour Creations Coordinator. Check out her delightful creation while you are there.

If you live in Australia, don't already have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and would like your own copy of the Stampin' Up 2024-2025 Annual Catalogue, then let me know and I will be delighted to send it to you.  Please don't hesitate to make contact with any other queries about this project or Stampin' Up!. 

#colourcreationsbloghop  #stampinup #stampinupaustralia #stampinupsouthpacific #stampinupdemo  #handmadecards #makeacardsendacard #stampinupdemonstrator #papercrafting #artwithheartteam  #papercrafter  #valleyinspirations   #countrywoods  #countrybirdhouse   #thecraftycarrotco