Top Tips, Tricks & Techniques: Making Your Punching More Efficient

July 29, 2021August 3, 2021 ~ Karen Young

For this week’s Top Tips, Tricks & Techniques video, I’m sharing tips on how to make your punching more efficient. This is particularly useful if you are stamping and punching multiples of the same shape.

Top Tips, Tricks & Techniques: Making Your Punching More Efficient. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

Click below to watch my video.

My project uses a colour combination of Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz and Very Vanilla.

The leaves from the Very Versailles Stamp Set are stamped multiple times before some strips of cardstock are added at the bottom. This creates a window box feel.

Top Tips, Tricks & Techniques: Making Your Punching More Efficient. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

A length of Frayed Grosgrain Ribbon in Blushing Bride, available in the new July-December Mini Catalogue from Tuesday is then added.

The Sweet Strawberry Bundle (Sweet Strawberry Stamp Set & Strawberry Builder Punch) provide the flowers.

A shape from the Messages Die is stamped with a sentiment and raised up using Dimensionals.

Each of the flowers are then added using Glue Dots.

Top Tips, Tricks & Techniques: Making Your Punching More Efficient. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

Finally, a small Pearl sits in the centre of each flower.

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

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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Vine Design Bundle Sympathy Card

April 7, 2021April 6, 2021 ~ Karen Young

I sadly needed to make a sympathy card for a friend recently.

Vine Design Bundle Sympathy Card. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs The Vine Design Stamp Set and Dies Bundle, from the January-June Mini Catalogue, provides intricate delicate pieces and flower shapes to create beautiful projects.

I chose to use a soft colour combination of Soft Sea Foam, So Saffron, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla.

Using the Very Versailles Stamp Set and both Crumb Cake and Soft Sea Foam inks, I stamped the branch image multiple times to create a faded background effect.

Vine Design Bundle Sympathy Card. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

Next, I added the delicate circle of leaves and attached some die cut So Saffron flowers to it. There are already flowers in the die cut piece, but I wanted mine to be in a different colour.

Using a Sponge Dauber, I darkened the edges of the flowers slightly, before adding a small dot of Wink of Stella in the centre of each one. Vine Design Bundle Sympathy Card. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

Finally, I raised the ‘Thinking of You’ sentiment with Dimensionals over the flowers.

For details of my classes, where we make a wide selection of cards, head to my Class Timetable.

Happy crafting

Karen Young HIPPOFROG Designs

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

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Very Versailles and Circle Punches

September 7, 2020September 5, 2020 ~ Karen Young

Due to the Bank Holiday, there wasn’t a Card & (Your) Cuppa session last week, so I’m sharing this project made with Very Versailles and Circle Punches instead.

It’s loosely based on the projects on Page 114 of the Annual Catalogue.

My colour combination is Blushing Bride, Pumpkin Pie and Poppy Parade, with Early Espresso as the accent colour.

The stunning branch image is stamped on the background, with Blushing Bride and Early Espresso used with Sponge Daubers to distress the edges.

A combination of various generations of stamping for the other images create the different depths of colour. Circle Punches cut out these pieces. This trio of circles is then layered in size order.

A sentiment from the Butterfly Gala Stamp Set has a piece of pretty Scalloped Lace Trim stuck to the back.

This is then stuck onto the project with Mini Dimensionals.

Finally, a few Champagne Rhinestones add some sparkle. These co-ordinate really well with the Pumpkin Pie and Early Espresso colours.

As I haven’t played with Very Versailles for a while, it was nice to stamp with it again.

To join me at a future class, head to my Class Timetable for full details.

Don’t forget to take a look at the new Cut and Emboss Machine, plus the current Special Offers.

Happy crafting

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

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BYO Stamps – Very Versailles with an added twist

June 20, 2020June 19, 2020 ~ Karen Young

Here’s another project from my recent BYO Stamps Class. All the projects I designed we around various spotlight techniques. This cards uses Very Versailles with an added twist.

Very Versailles is a DistINKtive Stamp Set which have more detailed etching. I love the detail in the leaves.

Using Blushing Bride, Sahara Sand and Soft Suede, I created a vintage theme. By combining these with Whisper White, instead of Very Vanilla, I kept it more modern.

The stamping is a variety of first, second and third generation using images from the Very Versailles Stamp Set. I wanted to create a collage background. Once I was happy with the stamping, I then added the twist.

First I created a stencil using the butterfly shape from the Nature’s Thoughts Dies. Next, using a Sponge Dauber, I inked over the top of my background to add the butterflies. You could use any shape for this, but make sure you use a shape with a distinctive outline and not too much detail.

The sentiment is on a shape from the Label Me Fancy Punch. Another of these shapes is punched in a different colour, cut in middle and stuck to either end to create a layer.

A length of the very versatile Crinkle Seam Binding is wrapped around the project and a bow added. Using Dimensionals, the sentiment sits on top.

Finally, a scattering of Champagne Rhinestones add touch of golden bling.

I am so pleased this stamp set has carried over to the new Annual Catalogue. Take a look at the Catalogue to see all of the DistINKtive Stamp Sets.

If you want to join one of my classes, head to my Class Timetable for full details.

Happy crafting

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

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Card & Cuppa PLUS – Spring Birthday

March 12, 2020March 13, 2020 ~ Karen Young

Last weekend I held my first Card & Cuppa PLUS class. At these classes, the attendees make 3 projects.

The first project was this card that is perfect for a Spring Birthday.

Spring Birthday. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

I chose Daffodil Delight and Mango Melody from the Brights Collection, then toned them down by teaming them with Very Vanilla.

Using the script from the Very Versailles Stamp Set, it is stamped as a background. Colour is then added as a highlight with a Sponge Dauber.

Happy Birthday from the Perennial Birthday Stamp Set is punched and layered as a sentiment. It is biased slightly towards the bottom of the circle to allow room for the flowers.

On a separate piece of cardstock, a Sponge Dauber is used to create three different depth pools of Daffodil Delight. Centres are added to each pool using the SAB Thoughtful Blooms Stamp Set, and then punched out using the Small Bloom Punch.

My current favourite ribbon from the Mini Catalogue is coloured using a Dark Mango Melody Stampin’ Blend to co-rdinate with the rest of the project.

Finally, each flower has a Pearl added and is then attached to the sentiment using Glue Dots.

This week’s Card & Cuppa attendees may recognise the design. I love using designs multiple times as just by changing colours or stamp sets, it makes such a difference.

Re-using designs is the purpose of my new BYO Stamps Class. Visit my Class Timetable for full details of this and other classes.

Happy crafting

Karen Young HIPPOFROG Designs

To order any of the supplies used, click on the product images below to go to my online store.

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Perennial Birthday Cling-Mount Stamp Set

Thoughtful Blooms Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

Whisper White 1/4" (6.4 mm) Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon

Last Week’s Card & Cuppa – Petal Washi Tape and Very Versailles

March 9, 2020March 8, 2020 ~ Karen Young

For last week’s Card & Cuppa project, I revisited the fabulous Petal Washi Tape from the Annual Catalogue.

Petal Washi Tape and Very Versailles. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

I hadn’t used this for a while, and it was sitting folornly on my desk, so I decided to give it an outing.

It’s teamed here with the Very Versailles Stamp Set to create a vintage look.

My colour combination started with the Merry Merlot of the petals, plus Soft Suede, Blushing Bride and Very Vanilla.

A pretty stamped background was the starting point, with the script image in 3rd generation stamping for a softer feel.

Three lengths of rRibbon are then attached to the stamped piece, 2 of Lace Trim and one of Whisper White Seam Binding. The Seam Binding has been coloured uisng the Dark Stampin’ Blend in Soft Suede.

You may have noticed that this seam binding is my favourite product at the moment. You may have also noticed that I am enjoying colouring it with Stampin’ Blends too!

To build the flower, we used a 1/2″ circle and stuck the petals onto it. For the centre of the flower, another 1/2″ circle in Blushing Bride was scrunched and some Soft Suede ink on a Sponge Dauber added a bit of extra texture.

Finally, the centre of the flower was covered with Wink of Stella before being attached to the project.

These petals are simply gorgeous and I really must use them more often.

Why not join me at one of my classes. Head to my class timetable for more information and to book your place.

Happy crafting

Karen Young HIPPOFROG Designs

To order any of the supplies used, click on the product images below to go to my online store.

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Very Vanilla 3/8" (1 cm) Scalloped Lace Trim

Breathtaking Bouquet with Stampin’ Blends

March 5, 2020March 4, 2020 ~ Karen Young

Have you skipped over the Breathtaking Bouquet Background Stamp in the new Mini Catalogue?

Breathtaking Bouquet. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

I know I did to begin with, but each time I flipped through, something about it drew me in.

Well, it arrived last week and I’m pleased it ‘accidentally’ fell into my shopping basket.

As you know, I’m a big fan of the monochrome-esque look, so here I’ve stamped it in Smoky Slate onto Whisper White cardstock. I’ve then really roughly coloured using the Petal Pink Stampin’ Blends Combo. I used the darker pen first to highlight certain areas, then I went over everything with the lighter pen to blend it together.

What is great about this stamp is that it’s very forgiving. You don’t need to be brilliant at colouring or absolutely precise, but, if you are, you’ll be able to take your time and create your own masterpiece.

Because the image truly is breathtaking, I didn’t want to cover it too much with a sentiment or extra embelishments. So, I’ve used a sentiment from the Very Versailles Stamp Set with a Circle Punch and Scallop Punch layer. These sit on a length of the Whisper White Seam Binding Ribbon, also from the Mini Catalogue.

I chose to stick with my monochrome-esque theme with a Whisper White basecard and co-ordinating Petal Pink layer.

At just £15, this stamp set it so versatile, and I’ve enjoyed colouring it using different mediums. It might take a while to move off my desk, so watch this space for future posts!

Happy crafting

Karen Young HIPPOFROG Designs

To order any of the supplies used, click on the product images below to go to my online store.

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Petal Pink Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

Last Week’s Card & Cuppa – Beautiful Butterflies

October 21, 2019October 20, 2019 ~ Karen Young

At last week’s Card & Cuppa Class, the attendees made these beautiful butterflies.

Beautiful Butterflies. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

The project uses the fabulous Butterfly Gala Stamp Set and co-ordinating Butterfly Duet Punch.

I chose a background of Soft Sea Foam as it is a lovely pale colour that works well with lots of other colours.

Background leaves and the sentiment are from the Very Versailles Stamp Set.

Corners are rounded with the Detailed Trio Punch and a Circle Punch is used to create the sentiment layer.

Gray Granite has been used to stamp these beautiful butterflies. They are then coloured using the Watercolor Pencils packs. Once coloured, they have been gently covered in Wink of Stella.

A strip of cardstock has been created behind the sentiment from two pieces punched using the Classic Label Punch. On top of this, a length of Baker’s Twine is added.

Finally a bow completes the project.

I loved how every single attendee made a project that was totally unique. Colours used, with or without Baker’s Twine, butterfly positioning etc were all different.

Why not join us for a future session. Book your place by 18:00 the day before.

Happy crafting

Karen Young HIPPOFROG Designs

To order any of the supplies used, click on the product images below to go to my online store.

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Butterfly Gala Birthday Card

September 26, 2019September 25, 2019 ~ Karen Young

Today I’m sharing a Butterfly Gala Birthday Card with you.

It also uses the Very Versailles Stamp Set and the Perennial Birthday Stamp Set.

Butterfly Gala Birthday Card. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

The background leaves are in Soft Sea Foam with the butterflies in Rich Razzleberry.

Corners are rounded using the Detailed Trio Punch.

A layered sentiment using the Timeless Label Punch is attached on top of a length of Polka Dot Ribbon.

The butterflies are then added.

Finally, Wink of Stella is added to the butterfly bodies along with a few Rhinestones for a touch of sparkle.

Happy crafting

Karen Young HIPPOFROG Designs

To order any of the supplies used, click on the product images below to go to my online store.

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Whisper White 5/8" (1.6 cm) Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon

Birthday Card For a Friend Using Very Versailles

September 14, 2019September 13, 2019 ~ Karen Young

It was a friend’s Birthday last weekend. So I decided to make a version of a recent project.

Birthday Card for a friend using Very Versailles. Designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

This version uses some of their favourite colours, Crumb Cake and Blackberry Bliss, combined with Very Vanilla.

I’ve used the Dark Blackberry Bliss Stampin’ Blend to colour the pretty Scalloped Lace Trim Ribbon.

Colouring ribbon and twine with Stampin’ Blends is one of my favourite things to do at the moment. I love how you can change something from White or Vanilla to a colour to easily.

The sentiment layers are cut from the Layering Ovals Dies and Stitched Shaped Dies.

A few Pearls in various sizes are added for a sophisticated finishing touch.

I love to take a previous design and change a few things around. It’s so easy as a lot of the thinking is already done! It’s also fun seeing how different each design looks.

Happy crafting

Karen Young HIPPOFROG Designs

To order any of the supplies used, click on the product images below to go to my online store.

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