May 31, 2015

Inspired by... an ad on Songza.

Inspiration is EVERYWHERE when you're open to it.  Periodically, I like to do an "Inspired by..." feature, where I share what inspired a project.  They are almost never anything you'd expect; it's been advertising for Home Depot, a clock at Home Sense, and a bottle of soap in the past!

Today's "Inspired by..." inspiration was shared on my Instagram account (@crushoncolour) a few nights ago.  I was happily creating and listening to Songza when I glanced at my iPad and immediately noticed this gorgeous banner ad from Dine Alone Records.  Um, can you say gorgeous? Click here to check it out for yourself. 

So off I went, using one new and one old In-Colour to recreate the look and turn it into a card.


The soft look of Mint Macaron and Crisp Cantaloupe just begged to be combined with gold, white, vellum, and newsprint.  Ahhh, so sweet and pretty!  


Where do you find inspiration in unexpected places?  Keep your eyes open - it's all around you!

We are down to our FINAL days to purchase retiring items.  On this card, you won't want to miss Crisp Cantaloupe, Starburst Framelits, Stacked With Love DSP, and Four Feathers stamp set and coordinating framelits!  Click the links below to go directly to my online Canadian Stampin' Up store and shop 24/7 in your jammies.  I won't judge.

Cheers and have a wonderful Sunday.  :)


May 28, 2015

Triple-Up Thursday (+2!) - I Think You're Great!

First of all, I'm slated for my 15,000th visitor to the blog today - seriously, you guys, your support of my Stampin' Up venture has just been unbelievable.  I'm so honoured that so many people take the time to stop by and check out my creations.  You are all AWESOME and I'm so grateful for your support!

Secondly, it's Thursday!  And you know what that means!  Fripple-Up Thursday.  Fripple?  Yeah, I'm going with it.  Usually it's Triple-Up Thursday around here, which means I share three 3x3" cards made with one stamp set and five ink colours.

Today, I got carried away and made five.  Whoops!  I'm just so in love with the new In-Colours that three cards wasn't enough!  I wanted to make a couple of extras... so, it's Fripple-Up Thursday.  :)

This is my very last Triple-Up Thursday before the release of the new catalog, so I wanted to share a sneak peek of not just the new In-Colours, but a brand new stamp set, as well!  I Think You're Great was the very first item I ordered from the new catalog - instant favourite.


I really wanted to share five different ways to pair the 2015-2017 In Colours - there are even more combinations of two, three, and four, and all five go together beautifully too!  Shown here are (left to right) - Cucumber Crush with Watermelon Wonder, Delightful Dijon with Cucumber Crush, Watermelon Wonder with Mint Macaron, Tip Top Taupe with Delightful Dijon, and Mint Macaron with Tip Top Taupe.  Phew!

I actually called up my husband the auditor at work today so he could help me with this, so here's the official math: these five In-Colours by themselves offer a total of 31 combinations!  Once you add in our other 48 regular colours and 5 older In-Colours?  Oh myyyy!  I'm so excited to have these new additions.

Here's a better peek at each of these little beauties.

Mint Macaron with Tip Top Taupe

Tip Top Taupe with Delightful Dijon

Cucumber Crush with Watermelon Wonder

Watermelon Wonder with Mint Macaron

Delightful Dijon with Cucumber Crush

Are you as in love as I am?  I go back and forth on my favourite colour - I can never decide between Watermelon Wonder and Mint Macaron - and the combinations just make me so excited!  Eek!

Our new catalog launches in just FIVE short days - are you counting down with me??

Have a fabulous day! 

May 27, 2015

Softened Stamps - technique tutorial

Hello friends!  I'm back today to show you a quick and easy technique.  Check it out on the floral background shown here! 


This technique softens your images and lets them run slightly, creating a slightly water-coloured effect without the stress or fuss.  Here, I used the flower from Polka Dot Pieces (on our retirement list!) and stamped it in Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Cajun Craze, and Baked Brown Sugar (also retiring!)  Once my images were stamped, I got out my spritzer and sprayed the page.  That's it!  Super easy and totally changes the look of the stamps.

When I created this background, I had a TOTALLY different card in mind.  I had aimed for the stamped background softened with spray, topped with a sheet of vellum with an embossed sentiment on it and embellished with the little banner/heart/thread combo.  I put it all together aaaand.... I hated it!  It sat on my desk for a few days, then I tore it apart but saved the sheet of background.  After staring at that for a few days more, I cut a circle out of it and created this card.  Don't be afraid to undo what you don't love and re-work it until you do!

We are now in the while supplies last phase of our retirement list!  Yikes!  Hurry over to my 24/7 online Canadian store with the links below and grab these fab goodies before they're gone!