Tips and Tricks Tuesday - The Anatomy of a Stamp Set

We have looked at colour, so now I am going to take you through the 'anatomy' of a stamp set. Stampin' Up! produces the vast majority of it's stamps in sets, and this can be confusing if you don't understand why! Take the set Just Believe as an example:

This lovely set of 9 stamps is really popular and it's easy to see why. So let's explain how I categorise the different parts.

1. The Sentiments - these are the three phrases 'Thank You', 'Friends' and 'Just For You'. These are small stamps that will often fit inside others in the set, and are a lovely finishing touch for a card. These sentiments are unlikely to be the focal feature on a card unlike:
2. The Focal Phrase - in this case the beautiful scripted 'Some things have to be believed to be seen.'. This type of sentiment could be used as the main feature on a project, and they are usually bolder and have much more impact than the other type of sentiment.
3. The Focal Image - This set has just the one main image in my opinion - the stunning silhouette of foliage (top left of the above illustration). This is the image usually used for the main event on your projects, the one image that the other stamps are designed to coordinate with and support.
4. Accent Stamps - These are usually stamps that are images in their own right, but smaller and with less impact. These stamps can be used to support or balance out the focal image, but might also be used as a focal point in their own right in some circumstances, for example on mini cards, or used as a repeated pattern. The two stamps that fit in this category in the set above are the small leaves silhouette, and the circle design.
5. Foundation Stamps - in this set there are two 'foundation' stamps, those which I consider incomplete without some sort of addition - in this case the illustration bottom right has a rectangle void that is clearly intended for one of the basic sentiments to be inserted into it.

It is the combination of all these different elements that gives you such great versatility with Stampin' Up! I hope you have found my descriptions useful, so now here is a finished card using just the focal image within the set:

Happy Crafting, and see you next time for more Tips and Tricks

Becky

Tips and Tricks Tuesday - Layering Colour

Hi there! So I thought it would be a good idea to build on what we learnt last time about choosing colour, and move on to the order in which we apply it.

It is usually best to work from the lightest colour, to the darkest colour.

This has three main benefits:

1. Your work will have more dimension and impact - applying the colours the other way round can sometimes result in a more 'flat' seeming piece of work. 
2. It allows you to cover up any mistakes you made in the previous layers - This has saved my projects on more than one occasion!
3. It allows you to cover or 'knock back' colours that otherwise may have been too distracting.

TOP TIP: Break the rules sometimes! As you grow in confidence, don't be worried about breaking the rules, and experimenting for yourself. You may discover that the unconventional way of doing things is just the thing you need to finish off that project!

Above is an example project for you from way back in November! First we layered up the Daffodil Delight, under the much stronger More Mustard. those were then knocked back by layers of Primrose Petals, Midnight Muse and a touch of Early Espresso.

I hope you like the card - the design is one we were given at the Stampin' Up! convention in Mainz, Germany. This year convention is in MANCHESTER and I would love for you to be able to join me there! 

Why not join me during Sale-A-Bration and get to choose £162.50 of products from the catalogue for just £99? I have a growing team of ladies, and would love to have a no obligation chat with YOU!

Email me at craftingbecky@gmail.com to see where this opportunity could take you, or just click HERE to sign up straight away!

Happy Crafting

Becky

Julie's Jems Spring Blog Hop

Good Morning! Welcome to the first Julie's Jems Blog Hop. We are celebrating the launch of the NEW Spring / Summer seasonal catalogue by giving YOU lots of inspiration! So without further ado, I give you my butterfly gift card:

A close up of some of the details for you - aren't the layered up butterflies just perfect?! The little butterfly in the centre is from the new catalogue and coordinates with 2 sets (at the moment!), Papillion Potpourri and my favourite Sale-A-Bration (SAB) set, Bloomin' Marvellous!

I have used the NEW Print Poetry Designer Series Paper Stack to make the large butterflies, mounting them all onto the NEW Natural 7/16" (1.1 cm) Trim Ribbon. I wanted to show you how these ribbons are not just for vintage style projects.

Finally the little motif is from Pretty Petites (another SAB set) which has a matching punch - which you can also earn for FREE during SAB! See the full list of further materials at the bottom of this post.

Hopefully some of you will have clicked over on to me from Elizabeth's blog: Stampinandcreatin

and so the next place you need to visit is the lovely Angela Dawes blog: Sparklycards

Happy Crafting, and come back soon!

Becky


Card Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Distressed Dots, Pretty Petites
Card and Ink: Wisteria Wonder, Pool Party, Whisper White
Punches: 1" Circle, Petite Curly Label, Bitty Butterfly, Elegent Butterfly
Ribbon: Natural 7/16" (1.1 cm) Trim
Other: Smooch Spritz (Vanilla), Basic Pearls, Dimensionals

Stunning Spring / Summer Catalogue!

It's here! It's here! Oh gosh is today an exciting day - just like Christmas when you are a child!

Today is the launch of the NEW Stampin' Up! Spring / Summer catalogue! The catalogue is now available for you to view in full by clicking HERE or on the picture below:

I love so many of the products in this catalogue, which is full of fresh spring colours and innovative designs. There are some exciting things to share with you over the coming days including my top 5 must have items from the catalogue, some samples and on Sunday I am participating in a spectacular 'Blog Hop' with the Julie's Jems team! I hope to see you there!