Last Week’s Card & Cuppa – Sending Smiles Stamp Set Meets New Colours

May 22, 2023May 21, 2023 ~ Karen Young

After a few weeks off due to my break and the Bank Holidays, Card & Cuppa was back.

Last week’s project used the Sending Smiles Stamp Set and combined it with some new colours from the new Annual Catalogue.

My colour combination was Bubble Bath – a new colour, Lemon Lime Twist – a returning In Color and Melon Mambo, with Basic White.

The stems and flowers were stamped straight onto the Basic White piece using images from the Sending Smiles Stamp Set. Zingy Lemon Lime Twist leaves are toned down slightly with the pale Bubble Bath flowers.

A sentiment is stamped in Melon Mambo and has a length of Lemon Lime Twist from the coordinating Ribbon Duo Pack looped on the back. This is raised up on Dimensionals.

Using Wink of Stella, the centres of the flowers are given a touch of sparkle.

Finally, Iridescent Rhinestones are added for more bling.

Look out for more projects using the new colours over the coming weeks.

Join me at one of my 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. Items available while stocks last.

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Last Week’s Card & Cuppa – Painted Poppies Stamp Set & Dies

April 3, 2023March 31, 2023 ~ Karen Young

Last week’s Card & Cuppa project uses the Painted Poppies Stamp Set and coordinating Dies.

It’s a CASE of two projects I’ve made previously, here and here, and takes elements from both designs.

This one uses the colour combination of Highland Heather, Balmy Blue, Basic Gray and Basic White.

First, the sentiment from the Sending Smiles Stamp Set is stamped, followed by the ‘splats’ across the background.

If you are going to stamp your sentiment straight onto the project then it is a good idea to stamp it first, just incase you need to use the emergency side!

Next, using a Blending Brush, a flare of colour is added.

The main flower and leaves from the Painted Poppies Stamp Set are stamped onto a separate piece of cardstock and are again given some colour using the Blending Brushes.

Each one is then cut out using the Painted Labels Dies.

The leaves are then arranged on the cardstock, with the flower then raised up on Dimensionals.

Finally, some small Opaque Adhesive-Backed Gems are used to give a touch of understated bling.

Although this is a poppy, I think by using this colour combo it looks more like an anemone.

Join me at one of my 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. Items available while stocks last.

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Finishing Up Friday – A Wall of Daisies

October 14, 2022October 13, 2022 ~ Karen Young

This week’s Finishing Up Friday uses pre-made items from this previous Card & (Your) Cuppa project.

I chose a soft colour combination of Petal Pink, Crumb Cake and Basic White.

Using a Blending Brush, I began by running some Crumb Cake ink over my pre-embossed wall piece to add highlights to some of the bricks. This piece is from the Brick & Mortar 3D Embossing Folder.

Next, the daisies are stuck together in pairs. I had to punch a few more of these using the Medium Daisy Punch to add to those I already had in my stash.

Then, each daisy is given a touch of colour in the centre using a Sponge Dauber, and a touch of Wink of Stella for some sparkle.

Background leaves are cut using the Bough Punch.

My sentiment is from the Sending Smiles Stamp Set and cut out using the coordinating Sending Dies. These are available as a Bundle in the Annual Catalogue.

Finally coordinating embellishments from the Elegant Faceted Gems pack provides a touch more sparkle.

Which pre-made items are you going to use from your desk?

Join me at one of my 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. Items available while stocks last.

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In Color Thank You With Sending Smiles

October 5, 2022September 29, 2022 ~ Karen Young

Sometimes you need to create a very quick and easy card.

There are no ribbons, embellishments or anything additional on this card, just stamps and inks.

This project uses two colours, the In Colors of Starry Sky and Tahitian Tide and the Sending Smiles Stamp Set.

Firstly, “A Note of Thanks” is stamped in the corner.

Then, the various leaves from the Stamp Set are stamped in Starry Sky. Some off the page the give the impression of a row of flowers.

The flower heads are then stamped in Tahitian Tide, with Starry Sky centres added as a finishing touch.

It really is one of the quickest projects I’ve made for a while.

Join me at one of my 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. Items available while stocks last.

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Tropical Hideaway in Sepia Tones

September 17, 2022September 15, 2022 ~ Karen Young

I wanted to make a neutral project. So this thank you card using the Tropical Hideaway Stamp Set and sepia tones was the result.

Using Crumb Cake and Early Espresso cardstock, the image is stamped tone-on-tone in Crumb Cake.

Then, using Watercolor Pencils, the leaves are coloured using the Early Espresso and White Pencils, with any harsh lines softened with a Blender Pen.

A length of the coordinating Faux Suede Trim sits across the project.

Finally, a sentiment from the Sending Smiles Stamp Set is raised up on Mini Dimensionals.

I think this project would look great in other colours too.

Which colours would you use?

Join me at one of my 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. Items available while stocks last.

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Ombre Birthday Butterflies

August 24, 2022August 18, 2022 ~ Karen Young

It’s that time of year again where the friend who likes butterflies, teal and purple has their Birthday!

For this year’s card, I chose a colour combination of Gorgeous Grape and the new In Color, Tahitian tide.

A background made using the Brick & Mortar 3D Embossing Folder is given a subtle colouring using Sahara Sand. Part of the colouring was from inking up the Embossing Folder, and the rest by using a Blending Brush after embossing.

To make the ombre effect, I used Blending Brushes to colour a piece of cardstock with the two colours.

I then cut out the various parts. The butterflies are from the Brilliant Wings Dies with the flowers and sentiment bars from the Sending Dies.

You will notice that I cut the sentiment bar and the flowers more times that I needed. This is because I wasn’t sure which pieces I wanted to use.

For the butterflies to show up against the wall background, they have a full butterfly shape behind them in Basic White. These are again from the Brilliant Wings Dies.

To give the butterflies a 3D effect, each one is stuck to their backing using a thin line of glue down the centre.

The Sending Smiles Stamp Set, part of the Sending Smiles bundle provides the sentiment that sits with the central butterfly.

This whole piece is stuck to the project using Dimensionals.

Each flower is then given a coating of Wink of Stella for a touch of sparkle, before being stuck down using Glue Dots.

Iridescent Pearl centres add a finishing touch.

Join me at 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. Items available while stocks last.

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Introduction to In Color Class – Starry Sky

June 16, 2022June 15, 2022 ~ Karen Young

The third project from my annual Introduction to In Color Class is this scrunched Birthday Card for Starry Sky.

The new In Color of Starry Sky combines with Old Olive, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla for a grungey feel.

It is a similar design layout to the project on page 53 of the Annual Catalogue using the new Decorative Circle Punch.

The background piece is given a good scrunching before being stuck to the layer at an angle.

Next, the shapes are given different levels of scrunching and two of them are stuck down.

The centre shape has a piece of the the coordinating Metallic Woven Ribbon wrapped around it.

Two lengths of the ribbon are then stuck to the back, the ends tied and then frayed up to the knot.

A sentiment from the Sending Smiles Stamp Set is then cut out by hand and also stuck to one edge of the Crumb Cake shape.

Using Dimensionals and Mini Dimensionals, the whole shape, with the overhanging edge of the sentiment are stuck to the card to raise it up.

Finally, some coordinating Matte Decorative Dots are added.

This design has so many different ways in which it can be created, from grunge, Sponge Daubers, stamping, DSP, clean lines and more.

Why not make your own version? I’d love to see it.

Join me at 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. Items available while stocks last.

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Sending smiles across the miles

October 21, 2017October 21, 2017 ~ Karen Young

A very talented friend is off to China this weekend to play a lead role in a musical.

This friend loves sunflowers so the Painted Harvest Stamp Set was the obvious choice.

Stampin' Up! Painted Harvest

I combined Crushed Curry and Chocolate Chip for the sunflowers. There is Wink of Stella in the centre of each flower for a bit of sparkle too.

‘Sending smiles across the miles’ from the Lift Me Up Stamp Set is a sentiment I never thought I’d use. As they are way on tour for five months, it was the perfect opportunity to ink it up for the first time.

The sentiment fits nicely into the Pretty Label punch with the new Everyday Label Punch from the Autumn/Winter Catalogue as a background layer.

A strip of Burlap Ribbon across the card for the sentiment to sit on completes the project.

Happy crafting

Karen Young - HIPPOFROG Designs