I was in some serious need of ‘art therapy’ this week!! Thank goodness the work week is done and I can sleep in, relax, clean up around the house a bit and get some serious crafting done. In my need to for something to colour I went for the flowers from the Humming Along cling stamp set, which I am sad to say is on the list of retiring products (click here to see the full list). I could have used a phrase from the same set, but something was calling me to use the phrase “It’s a million little things” from the Beauty Abounds cling stamp set.

Bermuda Bay was the first colour to come to mind for this card for many reasons, one of which is that it has become a favourite colour of mine after I used it for one of the swaps I made for November’s OnStage in Orlando. Plus it gave me the chance to pull out my Watercolour Pencils and I have been itching to use the 1/4″ striped ribbon.

Once I got to colouring everything seemed to fall in place… on the card and in my head (gotta love this stuff for that!!!) I really enjoyed making this card and hope you do too! Here’s everything you need to do just that!

2019 Watercolour Flowers Project Sheet

It’s that time of year again… the new Annual Catalogue is almost here which means Stampin’ Up! is making room for all those great new stamp sets and accessories. Unfortunately that means it’s time to say goodbye to some of our favourite things. You would think I would be used to this by now since I’ve been a demonstrator for almost 7 years and stamping for even longer, but every year I still get sad when I look at the list of retiring products.

Here’s everything you need to know to take full advantage of this year’s list….

• Everything that is on these lists will no longer be available after June 3rd or while supplies last whichever comes first (with a few exceptions which I will explain in a bit)
• Stamp sets are guaranteed until May 24th and after that it’s while supplies last
• On May 9th some products will start to be discounted, but I would suggest you not wait til then so you don’t miss out
• The 2017-2019 In Colour products are often the first products to sell out, so if there’s a colour that you’ve fallen in love with definitely don’t wait!

Here’s the deal with the exceptions to the list. Stampin’ Up! is moving away from wood-mount and clear mount stamps and towards cling stamp sets. So this means that some of the stamp sets on the retiring list are simply being converted to cling stamps in the upcoming new Annual Catalogue. Here is that list…

I know I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw this list, so I hope that this is helpful for you as well! Stay tuned for sneak peeks from the upcoming new catalogue here and on my Facebook page and in the meantime head over to my website so you don’t miss out on getting your favourite things before they are gone for good!

www.stampinup.com/inkspirationcards/shop

With the 2017-19 In Colours coming up on retirement Stampin’ Up! challenged demonstrators to use them in this month’s #simplestamping challenge. In these challenges we are only allowed to use stamps, ink and paper. Sometimes they add a little something else, but this month they simply designated what colours to use. I chose to use Fresh Fig and Tranquil Tide along with the First Frost stamp set for my card.

My inkspiration didn’t stop there though…. I ended up creating two more cards with the same colours and stamp set, each time adding just a little more to keep them simple but still kicking it up a knotch. In this next one I added a card base using Fresh Fig cardstock and a strip of Nature’s Poem Designer Series Paper.

Here’s the project sheet for this one…

In Colour First Frost

For my last card I added a Tranquil Tide cardstock base and a Fresh Fig card mat. Then once I added a strip of the Nature’s Poem DSP I wrapped some Whisper White Solid Baker’s Twine around it. Next I added an extra piece of Whisper White cardstock where I simply cut the corners off to create the banner and popped it up using some Stampin’ Dimensionals. Finally I added some Clear Wink of Stella to the Fresh Fig buds to add a little sparkle (I love my bling!)

I hope you have as much re-creating these as I did in making them!!

A colleague at my 9 to 5 bought this card for a student who is finishing their placement with us this week and immediately I thought of the Humming Along cling stamp set and told myself that I needed to recreate it. Unfortunately I couldn’t seem to find my Silicone Craft Sheet to be able to flip the humming bird image 🙁 but I still think it turned out really well.

In addition to the Humming Along stamp set, I also used the Beauty Abounds stamp set for the flourishes. I used Versamark and my Heat Tool to Gold Emboss all the images; Copper, would have worked well too. Then I added Share What You Love Artisan Pearls to the body of the humming bird and for the card base I used Tranquil Tide cardstock to tie in with the Tranquil Tide pearls on the humming bird’s head.

I just love the range of Stampin’ Up!s stamp sets! Just about anything you see out there on a card like this or even in everyday life they have something that you can use to tap into that inkspiration and get creating.

I thought that I would use some of the 2017-2019 In Colours that will be retiring soon along with the Incredible Like You and the Strong & Beautiful stamp set. The Incredible Like You stamp has quickly become a favourite of mine and part of me wishes that there were coordinating framelits, but oh well I guess I’ll have to get by. The Strong & Beautiful stamp set is great for so many different occasions, but with Mother’s Day fast approaching I think I’ll be using this set more and more!

This project was made mainly using just stamped images. I did add a bit of bling using Wink of Stella and a Rhinestone and used my Big Shot for the ovals. Here’s the project sheet with all you need to recreate this project yourself. Enjoy!

2019 Incredible Like You

Every crafter is looking for ways to store and organize all our awesome crafting supplies, especially those of us with small craft rooms such as myself. Most of us have gone to IKEA, Michael’s , re-purposed or DIY’d different storage solutions because it’s been hard to find exactly what it is that we want and will hold our supplies properly.

Stampin’ Up! has just released their own storage solutions that will store all those great Stampin’ Up! products we love, as well as many others. One of the many reasons why I love these is that you can customize it however you want, so you can store all your crafting supplies easily and in the way that makes the most sense for your space and supplies. Another reason I love it is that they’re white which means they’ll fit right into any craft space. Plus with a cute looking unit like this you’ll want this out where you and everyone else can see it, so you’ll end up using more of your crafting supplies than you did before.

These are the Ink pad & Marker Storage Trays and the Stampin’ Blends Storage Trays. The ink pad storage will hold any of the new Stampin’ Up! inkpads and has the perfect place for the coordinating Stampin’ Write Marker right next to it. In the case of both of these storage trays the markers are stored horizontally which is ideal when there is one tip on each end so as to avoid leaking. Plus with each tray being stackable but separate you don’t have to worry about whether or not you have enough to fill the unit (which I know for myself if I saw empty spaces would just be asking for trouble), you can simply stash away the trays you don’t need, until you do.

This is the Open Storage Cube which can hold your older Stampin’ Up! ink pads if you have been stamping for a while or it can also be used really for whatever you want… ribbon, acrylic blocks or other embellishments. It could also hold some smaller containers with embellishments, etc. in them. Just keep in mind these dimensions; 5″ x 5″ x 4-1/16″ (12.7 x 12.7 x 10.3 cm).

Then of course there are the Storage Topper and Storage Lid. When you reach the top of your unit the storage lid is a great way to give yourself almost like an extra shelf where you can store other bigger crafting tools/supplies or add a bit of your own style with a plant or figure or whatever strikes your fancy. With the storage topper there is the ability to store other supplies that are a little bigger or supplies where you want to be able to see all of them at the same time easily. In the picture at the top they’ve put re-inkers in the storage topper, but this could also be a good place for your embossing powder or glitter so you can see all the options without having to dig around.

If you have any questions I’m happy to help in any way that I can. I’m still in the midst of organizing my craft space/office, but these are definitely on my list as I’m putting it all together. As I get my space set up I’ll show pictures. In the meantime I’d love to see your craft space! Send me pics at inkspirationwithteresa@gmail.com

I have loved the Botanical Butterfly Designer Series Paper since I first saw it in the Sale-a-bration catalogue back in December and with my love of butterflies of course it was the first Sale-a-bration product that I chose. I will definitely be sad to see it go after March 31st, but thankfully I still have some to play with for now.

This card doesn’t involve a lot of stamping at all, just the phrase which came from the Incredible Like You stamp set and it is actually heat embossed. The two circles were simply punched out and the black and white polka dot paper is simply the other side of this same sheet of DSP.

For the full list of supplies that I used to make this card as well as step by step instructions on how to recreate this project yourself, simply click below for the project sheet. If you need to pick up any supplies just head over to  www.stampinup.com/inkspirationcards and if you’re shopping before April 1st and your cart equals $60+ you will be able to earn this great DSP, or another product of your choosing, for FREE!

2019 SAB Incredible Butterflies

Although I’ve been a papercrafter and scrapbooker since shortly after I graduated from highschool, it was only about 6 1/2 years ago that I joined Stampin’ Up! as a demonstrator and I have to say it was the best decision that I have ever made! While I did enjoy crafting before I joined and had a few friends that I would get together with to scrapbook and craft, that has been nothing in comparison to my experiences since I joined.

My team has become like my crafting family and even the larger Stampin’ Up! community has been so welcoming! Whenever I get together with my team we always have a great time crafting, laughing and catching up and even though we don’t get to see each too often the connection is always there.

Plus on top of all the fun we have together, my team (as well as the larger Stampin’ Up! community) provide so much inspiration and encouragement that it is very rare that I find myself stuck for an idea for very long!

With all that said there has never been a better time to join the Stampin’ Up! family. Along with the amazing Stampin’ Up! community, until March 31st you have not one but two options when you join….

If you have any questions I am happy to help and will do my best to answer them and support you in whatever way would be most helpful.

www.stampinup.com/inkspirationcards/jointhefun

Well Spring officially arrived yesterday afternoon which makes today the first full day of Spring!! It is yet to be seen whether Winter will hang around for a little while longer or not, but so far I am enjoying all the sunlight we have been getting lately. Either way I thought that I would welcome Spring and so I dug out an old Paper Pumpkin kit to make this wreath.

Unfortunately this kit isn’t available anymore, but if you would like to make something like this it wouldn’t be that difficult. All you would need is a Styrofoam wreath which you can pick up at a Dollar or Craft store, some ribbon of your choosing (here are Stampin’ Up!s options), strips of cardstock (Mossy Meadow cardstock would work well) that you can cut using a pair of fringe or another kind of patterned scissors, Tear & Tape adhesive to wrap/attach the strips around the wreath, you could use Basic Black cardstock, Whisper White Craft ink and Whisper White Solid Baker’s Twine to create the sign or see what your local Dollar/Craft store has in stock. For embellishments you can add whatever you would like, the Blossoms Elements and Leaves Trinkets are my surrent favourites and would be easy enough to attach using Mini Glue dots or a hot glue gun. I myself am thinking about adding some butterflies from Butterfly Beauty Thinlits Dies!

I would love to see how yours turns out! Please email me your pictures (inkspirationwithteresa@gmail.com) and I will feature them on my blog!

The Painted Seasons bundle is part of the Sale-a-bration freebies and it has definitely been a popular choice, so much so that you can either earn the bundle (stamp set and Designer Series Paper) with any purchase of $120 or just the Designer Series Paper with any $60 purchase until the end of this month (March 31st).

This card in particular I received from my upline at our most recent team meeting. It features the Painted Seasons and Part of My Story (which you can also earn free during Sale-a-bration) stamp sets and uses some of the 2017-2019 In Colours; Fresh Fig, Powder Pink and Tranquil Tide (which will be retiring at the end of May!).

I love attending these team meetings because it gives me a chance to spend some time with my smaller team (aka Stampin’ Up! family) where we motivate each other, offer great ideas and inkspiration (just like this card) and catch up on life outside of Stampin’ Up! If you would like to be a part of this there has never been a better time, just head over to my website and check out this amazing opportunity!

www.stampinup.com/inkspirationcards/jointhefun

I just love playing and creating with the Beauty Abounds Cling Bundle and with Spring on it’s way (in theory), I’m also loving using more spring like colour combinations, like Old Olive and Powder Pink.

For this project I used Old Olive cardstock for the card base, Powder Pink cardstock for the card mat and Whisper White cardstock for the card front as well as for the banner and the two larger butterflies. I stamped the two smaller butterflies and phrase using Powder Pink ink and then stamped three paint splotches using Old Olive ink. The two larger butterflies were leftover from a project where I separated the butterflies from the Butterfly Beauty Thinlits dies and I sponged Old Olive ink onto them. To sponge you can either use the Sponge Daubers or Stamping Sponges. I placed them on top of two of the paint splotches using the Fine-Tip Glue Pen. The two Old Olive sprigs behind the banner also came from the Butterfly Beauty Thinlits Dies and I simply secured them using a bit of SNAIL Adhesive.

For the banner I stamped the words which came from the Amazing Life stamp set using Powder Pink and used Old Olive to stamp the dots, from the same stamp set, underneath. I then wrapped some Old Olive Linen Thread around the Whisper White cardstock. To attach it to the card front I used two Stampin’ Dimensionals and then I added a Clear Rhinestone Jewel to add a little bit of bling.

Not that long ago a saw a post by another demonstrator where they had designed their own mug and I thought “I totally need to try that!” Well apparently my upline saw this as well and thought the same thing that I did because when we had our team meeting to talk about Stampin’ Up! and how we’re sharing our inkspiration with others, we made our own!

The great thing is that it’s not that difficult to do…. the tough thing is to have enough patience. All you need is a plain white mug (I bought the ones we used at a local Dollarama), Jet Black StazOn inkpad and whatever stamps you want to use to create your design. These images came from the Crafting Forever (the “stamping” and banner phrases came from a stamp set exclusively for demonstrators).

Once you’ve got your images and phrases stamped on the mug the way you would like (this may take a few attempts, so give yourself plenty of time) place the mug in the oven and set the temperature to 350 degrees (DO NOT PREHEAT) and then set the timer for 30 minutes. When the timer goes off simply turn off the oven and let the mug cool down.

If you would like to add colour to your design simply choose whatever colour Stampin’ Blends you want and colour away! Once you’ve coloured your design, repeat the step above and bake the mug one more time. You will then end up with something like this…

This is one of the many reasons why I have loved being apart of the Stampin’ Up! family! Everyone is so willing to share their ideas and provide inkspiration and motivation. If you would like to learn more about joining head over to my website. I would happy to have you join my team and there’s never been a better time!

www.stampinup.com/inkspirationcards/jointhefun

My inkspiration has been running a bit low lately, but with my cold on it’s way out and the sun starting to make a few more appearances recently it’s starting to come back! I thought I would try to create a card to honour International Women’s Day and I really like how it turned out.

I used the Beautiful You stamp set with Mint Macaron as my card base, Rich Razzleberry as the mat and the polka-dotted strip of DSP came from the Botanical Butterfly Designer Series Paper that you can earn FREE until the end of this month as part of Sale-a-bration. I stamped the woman using the Memento Black inkpad and coloured her using the Rich Razzleberry Watercolour Pencil and for the words I used Mint Macaron for the word “celebrate” and Rich Razzleberry for the rest. I then cut them out on my Big Shot using the Stitched Shapes Framelit Dies and popped it up using a couple of Dimensionals, but not before I laced some Gold Metallic Thread behind. Then last but definitely not least I added 3 Gingham Gala Adhesive Backed Sequins. I hope that you enjoy my project!

My projects seem to be bringing in more colours and Spring themes these days. Thank goodness Spring is almost here! This project features the Beauty Abounds bundle along with the Botanical Butterfly DSP that you can earn for FREE as part of Sale-a-bration until the end of March. I used Old Olive as my card base and Whisper White for the butterflies (which I cut apart after running through the Big Shot) as well as the cardstock for the phrase. I used the Stitched Shapes Framelits to cut out the phrase and raised it up using Dimensionals, but not before I placed some Gold Metallic Thread behind it and then I finished it off with a Gingham Gala Adhesive-Backed Sequin. Enjoy recreating this project!

For whatever reason over the past few days it’s been hard to just tap into my creativity and find some inkspiration. So I thought I would share a few things that I do sometimes to help spark something.

• One thing I find helpful is to create projects using a kit. Whether it’s a Paper Pumpkin kit or just a kit from one of the catalogues I find that following the instructions to create an already determined project is nice in and of itself and sometimes may even open the door for other ideas (although not always).

• Craft with a purpose in mind. If someone you know has a birthday or anniversary coming up then maybe you can tap into a sense of urgency to get the project done in time. I actually needed to create a thank you card for a customer and afterwards I felt glad that I had been able to accomplish something.
• Look for inkspiration in the world around you. The picture below was taken on a hike with my family and made me immediately think of the Dandelion Wishes stamp set and I’ve seen others on my team be inspired by people’s houses or even today when I saw the stained-glass windows.

Or sometimes you may just need to take a break, get your energy back and then the inkspiration will flow. Inkspiration can be found everywhere, but sometimes different things get in the way of being able to tap into it. I hope that this is helpful when you’re feeling a bit stuck and struggling to find your creativity!