Top Tips, Tricks & Techniques: Generations of Stamping & Stamping Off

July 1, 2021June 30, 2021 ~ Karen Young

For this week’s Top Tips, Tricks & Techniques video, I’m explaining what 1st, 2nd and 3rd Generation and Stamping Off are.

Top Tips, Tricks & Techniques: Generations of Stamping & Stamping Off. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

Click on the picture below to watch my video about these techniques. It also contains some handy hints on generational stamping too.

This monochrome project uses Blushing Bride and Very Vanilla.

The image and dies are from the discounted Artistically Inked Bundle (Artistically Inked Stamp Set & Artistic Dies).

Various generations of stamping create the background. Top Tips, Tricks & Techniques: Generations of Stamping & Stamping Off. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

A strip of coordinating Blushing Bride cardstock sits across the background. ‘Happy Birthday’ then sits on top of this.

Leaves are cut from the large die in the set, I’ve cut them down into individual or double leaves. These provide a pretty surround for the central flower.

The flower and leaves are raised up on Dimensionals.

Top Tips, Tricks & Techniques: Generations of Stamping & Stamping Off. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

Finally, a few Basic Pearls finish off the design.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s Top Tips, Tricks & Techniques video. Pop back next week for the next one.

If there’s a top tips, trick or technique you would like to see me feature, then please get in touch.

Why not join me at one of my online classes. Head to my Class Timetable for more details.

Happy crafting

Karen Young HIPPOFROG Designs

To order any of the supplies shown below, head to my Online Store

Online Shopping Club Code Join my team Current Products Offers & Promotions Book a Class

Last Week’s Card & (Your) Cuppa – Pierced Blooms Dies

June 28, 2021June 25, 2021 ~ Karen Young

Lots of layers of flowers and leaves from the Pierced Blooms Dies made last week’s Card & (Your) Cuppa project.

Pierced Blooms Dies Revisited. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

The jar shape is from the Jar Punch, cut from Smoky Slate. Everything else is cut using the dies.

These dies are part of Bundle with a coordinating Stamp Set in the January-June Mini Catalogue. Although the products are staying, the Bundle is on the Retiring List and leaves us at the end of this month. Make sure you grab your discounted Bundle while you can.

Pierced Blooms Dies Revisited. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

A combination of Pear Pizzazz and Old Olive for the leaves, So Saffron and Daffodil Delight for the yellow and Pale Papaya for the orange make up the floral part. Pool Party adds the bow and ribbon elements.

Attaching the ribbon and bow to the jar first and adding that to the project gives a starting point.

Next, leaves and flowers are added, using a combination of wet glue and Glue Dots.

The largest flowers are given centres, coated with Wink of Stella and are raised at the front with a couple of leaves to add depth.

Pierced Blooms Dies Revisited. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

Finally, the smallest flowers were used to fill in gaps and small Basic Pearls are popped in the centre of some of the flowers.

This project is sentiment free, but one can be added if needed.

Why not join me for one of my online classes. Head to my Class Timetable for full details.

Happy crafting

Karen Young HIPPOFROG Designs

To order any of the supplies shown below, head to my Online Store

Online Shopping Club Code Join my team Current Products Offers & Promotions Book a Class

Top Tips, Tricks & Techniques: Basic White or Very Vanilla

June 24, 2021June 23, 2021 ~ Karen Young

For this week’s Top Tips, Tricks & Techniques video, I’m sharing a tip on deciding how to use Basic White or Very Vanilla.

Top Tips, Tricks & Techniques: Basic White or Very Vanilla. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

Click on the picture below to watch my video about how to decide.

Along with Basic White or Very Vanilla, the design uses Highland Heather, Mint Macaron and Old Olive.

Here is the Very Vanilla version.

Top Tips, Tricks & Techniques: Basic White or Very Vanilla. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

This flower is from the Art Gallery Stamp Set, cut out with the Floral Gallery Dies.

Don’t forget that these are available as a discounted Bundle until the end of June as the Bundle is on the January-June Retiring List. From July, if you wanted both items, they will be full price in the Annual Catalogue.

Poppy Moments and the Painted Labels Dies provide my background stamping and the frame the flower sits on.

Top Tips, Tricks & Techniques: Basic White or Very Vanilla. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

A swoosh of coordinating ribbon and the centre of the flowers coloured with Wink of Stella, add a touch of sparkle.

Top Tips, Tricks & Techniques: Basic White or Very Vanilla. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs Finally, some Pastel Pearls, also in Highland Heather, finsih off the design.

Which version do you prefer?

Top Tips, Tricks & Techniques: Basic White or Very Vanilla. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s Top Tips, Tricks & Techniques video. Pop back next week for the next one.

Why not join me at one of my online classes. Head to my Class Timetable for more details.

Happy crafting

Karen Young HIPPOFROG Designs

To order any of the supplies shown below, head to my Online Store

Online Shopping Club Code Join my team Current Products Offers & Promotions Book a Class

Orange-Tip Butterfly Inspiration

May 29, 2021May 28, 2021 ~ Karen Young

On one of our recent walks, we saw some Orange-tip butterflies.

I wasn’t quick enough to grab a picture of them. But, with their distinctive look, I chose to make a project using them as inspiration.

If you haven’t already done so, check out my recent Top Tips, Tricks and Techniques video where I talk about taking inspiration from the world around you.

Orange-tip butterfly inspiration. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

This project combines quite a lot of products. New in the Annual Catalogue, the Butterfly Brilliance Stamp Set and Dies and Quiet Meadow Stamp Set. Plus, from the January-June Mini Catalogue, the Vine Design Bundle, Twine Combo Pack and Double Oval Punch.

I’ll miss the Vine Design Stamp Set and Die Bundle when it retires at the end of June. If you want to get your hands on this Bundle, make sure you grab it while you can as items are only available while stocks last.

For my colour combination, I chose Pear Pizzazz and So Saffron. The orange tips are coloured using Watercolor Pencils and a Blender Pen.

Orange-tip butterfly inspiration. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

After stamping in Basic Gray and cutting and colouring the butterfly, I turned my attention to the background.

As you know, I love ‘splat’ stamp images, and the new Quiet Meadow Stamp Set was just perfect for this project.

Also, as I was using more rounded shapes, I used the Detailed Trio Punch to round the corners too.

A sentiment from the Vine Design Stamp Set is raised over a length of twine from the Snail Mail Twine Combo Pack.

The butterfly then sits on a die cut that I have coloured using Sponge Daubers.

Finally a few Gold Metallic Pearls are popped around the card.

Orange-tip butterfly inspiration. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

Don’t forget that the JOIN+ offer ends on Monday. Find out more about this fabulous offer and how to join my team.

For full details of my 2021 Classes, head to my Class Timetable.

Happy crafting

Karen Young HIPPOFROG Designs

To order any of the supplies shown below, head to my Online Store

Online Shopping Club Code Join my team Current Products Offers & Promotions Book a Class

Mystery Pack – Garage Blues

May 28, 2020May 27, 2020 ~ Karen Young

Last week’s Mystery pack contained lots of blue items. Along with any of these items, the recipients were allowed to use scissors, adhesive, one inkpad and a sentiment to create a card.

The blues I used are Balmy Blue, Night of Navy, Pacific Point, Pool Party and Seaside Spray, along with Whisper White.

Here is the project I made with the contents of the pack, one inkpad, a sentiment, scissors and adhesive.

To see how I put it together, take a look at the video below.

The shapes made using the Classic Label Punch created a great road effect for my project. Other recipients used the shapes as a picket fence.

My sentiment is from the matching Geared Up Garage Stamp Set and is stamped in Pacific Point to match the die cut car shape.

This project didn’t take long to put together and is a fun Birthday card for a car fan.

Don’t forget that the current Annual Catalogue ends on 2nd June, so there are only a few days left to get your hands on items on the retiring list.

Why not sign up for a future Mystery Pack. Head to my Class Timetable for more details.

Happy crafting

To order any of the supplies shown below, head to my Online Store

This Month’s Hostess Code Join my team Current Products Special Offers Book a Class

Last Week’s Card & (Your) Cuppa – All About the Dinosaurs

May 25, 2020May 24, 2020 ~ Karen Young

At last week’s Card & (Your) Cuppa online session it was all about the dinosaurs with this cute dino. A perfect Birthday card for children of all ages.

My colour combination was taken from the retiring Dinoroar DSP, a strip of which is used at the bottom of the project. Mango Melody, Pretty Peacock, Old Olive and Lovely Lipstick, a retiring In Color make this card bright and fun.

After attaching the DSP strip, a length of the reversible Old Olive/Pretty Peacock ribbon, with the Pretty Peacock side facing up was added.

Next, shapes cut from the Stitched Shapes Dies are layered and attached over the ribbon using Dimensionals.

The scales were added to the back of the dinosaur. Finally, two eyes, cut using the circle in the top of the Delightful Tag Topper Punch were added with Glue Dots. By adding pupils using a pen, the character of the dinosaur came to life.

This is such a fun project to make and the attendees enjoyed making it too.

Why not join us for a future class? Find out more at my class timetable.

Don’t forget that items like the Dinoroar DSP retire on 2nd June, so there is a week to get your hands on them. Check out the retiring list.

Happy crafting

To order any of the supplies shown below, head to my Online Store

This Month’s Hostess Code Join my team Current Products Special Offers Book a Class

Mystery Pack – Pretty Petal Washi Tape

May 21, 2020May 18, 2020 ~ Karen Young

Last week’s Mystery Pack recipients received this bundle of items, including the retiring very pretty Petal Washi Tape. Along with these items, a sentiment could also be used to make a card.

I chose to use Merry Merlot, Mossy Meadow and Very Vanilla for my colour combination as they match the Washi Tape and Ribbon Combo Pack. I then added Crushed Curry.

Here is the project I made using the items from the pack.

Click on the video below to see how I put the project together, including the flower.

For the ribbon, I used one strip across the project and then added the twine at the top and bottom. I also cut the Merry Merlot Label Me Lovely Punch shape in half and put it behind the Crushed Curry piece to create a layered look.

The sentiment is from the Timeless Tulips Stamp Set using Merry Merlot ink. I think it just finshes the card beautifully and makes it a pretty project.

Don’t forget to get your hands on those retiring items, there are only a few weeks left. The flower centres have sold out and are no longer available.

If you want to join in with the next Mystery Pack, or get involved in any of my other classes, find out full details here.

Happy crafting

To order any of the supplies shown below, head to my Online Store

This Month’s Hostess Code Join my team Current Products Special Offers Book a Class

Last Week’s Card & (Your) Cuppa – Butterflies in shades of green

May 11, 2020May 9, 2020 ~ Karen Young

At my previous Card & (Your) Cuppa sessions, I asked the attendees to tell me what sorts of projects they would like to make. Someone said that they liked greens, so here we have butterflies in shades of green.

My colour combination is Soft Sea Foam, Pretty Peacock and Mint Macaron.

The Soft Sea Foam layer is embossed using the Brick & Mortar Embossing Folder. I definitely don’t use my embossing folders enough.

A length of Linen Thread is then wrapped around this piece to add even more depth. As I’m unable to send stamped images to my class attendees during this time, I am finding lots of different ways to add depth and texture.

Then we have a shape from the Wild Rose Dies, this is cut down at one end. A tip for this shape is to cut it wider, so it hangs slightly over the Soft Sea Foam piece and blends into the Pretty Peacock layer. Sprig Punch Shapes are then glued to the back of the shape before it is added with Dimensionals to raise it up.

The three butterflies in shades of green are then scrunched (to add more texture) and added to the project.

Finally, three Pearls just add a little bit of extra sophistication.

There was enough Linen Thread left over in the kits for the attendees to add a bow if they wanted. Some did and I was thrilled it was some of my more bow-phobic attendees that took the plunge and added one 🙂

If you’d like to join us at a class, then take a look at my Social Isolation Classes page for more details. Also, don’t forget that some products from the Annual and Mini Catalogues are leaving us on 2nd June. Check out the retiring list for full details.

Happy crafting

To order any of the supplies shown below, head to my Online Store

This Month’s Hostess Code Join my team Current Products Special Offers Book a Class

Pink and Sparkly Daisies

May 9, 2020May 8, 2020 ~ Karen Young

It’s that time of year when my friend who likes all things pink and sparkly celebrates her Birthday. This year, I made her some pink and sparkly daisies.

It’s no coincidence that the design is very much like this project I shared the other day. In fact, I made the cards at the same time.

I know I keep saying it, but there really is no need to keep trying to think up new design ideas every single time. If you find a design you like, create it again. By using a different stamp set or colours, it can change the whole look and feel of a design. It also saves you lots of time and effort, leaving you time to create even more projects.

I’ve used Blushing Bride, Melon Mambo and Pear Pizzazz as the main colours, with Smoky Slate for the sentiment. The Stamp Set is Daisy Lane, with the bundled Medium Daisy Punch, along with the Daisy Punch for the larger flowers.

Tone-on-tone stamping has created the daisy background, with the corners rounded by the Detailed Trio Punch. A layered focal daisy in Melon Mambo is stamped onto Whisper White. I used Wink of Stella, instead of a Blender Pen to pull the colour along the petals. This also added some sparkle at the same time. Even though you can’t see it in the pictures, there was quite a lot of sparkle on the project!

The Painted Poppies Stamp Set and Painted Labels Dies create the leaves. Itty Bitty Birthdays is the final Stamp Set I’ve used for the sentiment, with the Timeless Label Punch.

To complement the pink and sparkly daisies, I added a few rhinestones as a finishing touch.

Some of the items I’ve used are on the retiring list, so make sure you get your hands on them before they disappear. Visit my online store to see real-time stock availability.

If you would like to join one of my classes, then visit my Social Isolation Classes page for details of the classes I’m offering during this time.

Happy crafting

To order any of the supplies shown below, head to my Online Store

This Month’s Hostess Code Join my team Current Products Special Offers Book a Class

Mystery Pack – Three Little Birds

May 7, 2020May 6, 2020 ~ Karen Young

Last week’s Mystery Pack contained three little birds, along with lots of other items with which to make a card.

As well as these items, the recipients could use Wink of Stella and a sentiment, plus scissors and adhesives.

I chose to use three colours from the In Color Collection 2019-2021 with Soft Suede and Very Vanilla.

Here is the project I made from some of the items. I’ve put together a video of how I made this project.

I’ve used the Itty Bitty Birds Stamp Set and Rococo Rose ink to co-ordinate with the other In Colors in the project. My thinking behind the sentiment was ‘they say it’s your Birthday’ is similar to ‘a little bird told me’!

The centre bird is covered with Wink of Stella, as well as raised up on Dimensionals to make it the focal point.

Some of these items are on the retiring list. Make sure you get your hands on your favourites before they disappear for good.

Why not order a Mystery Pack for yourself? Head to my Social Isolation Classes page for full details of the classes and packs I’m offering at this time.

Happy crafting

To order any of the supplies shown below, head to my Online Store

This Month’s Hostess Code Join my team Current Products Special Offers Book a Class